《A Record of a Mortal s Journey to Immortality》


 Chapter 1

    The Village by the Forest


    ¡°Second Fool¡± opened his eyes and stared at the mud and thatch roof over his head. The quilt covering his body was a deep yellow color and had a musty smell. It was so old that its original color could no longer be distinguished.


    Next to him lay his second brother, Han Zhu, who appeared to be in a deep slumber. Snores intermittently floated over as he slept.


    Five feet from the bed was an earthen wall that had suffered from numerous cracks due to the passage of time. From the other side of the wall came the nagging voice of his mother and the occasional deep breathing of his father who was smoking his pipe.


    Second Fool slowly closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep. He knew that if he didn¡¯t go to sleep now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up early the next day. If he woke up late, he would not be able to go up to the mountains with his good friends to gather firewood.


    Second Fool¡¯s real name was Han Li. This elegant name was not given to him by his parents. When he was born, his parents had offered two pieces of cornbread to the village¡¯s Elder Zhang in exchange for giving the baby Han Li a second name. (TL: ¡°Second Fool¡± [er leng zi ¶þã¶×Ó] in Mandarin has a pleasing sound despite its meaning)


    When Uncle Zhang was young, he had attended school with the wealthy children in the city. As he was the only one in the village who knew how to read a few words, more than half of the children in the village were named by him.


    Han Li was called ¡°Second Fool¡± by those in the village. Despite his name, he wasn¡¯t stupid looking or foolish. On the contrary, he was actually the smartest person in the village. But just like the other children, aside from when they were home, nobody called him by his official name ¡°Han Li¡±. Instead, they called him by his pet name ¡°Second Fool¡±.


    The reason why he was nicknamed ¡°Second Fool¡± was due to the fact that there was already someone named ¡°Fool¡± in the village.


    This type of nickname was nothing. There were children in the village named ¡°Doggy¡± and ¡°Dumb Egg¡±. These names weren¡¯t nearly as pleasant-sounding as ¡°Second Fool¡±.


    Because of this, Han Li felt some consolation even though he was not very fond of his nickname.


    Physically, Han Li was very ordinary. He was tan and matched the generic descriptions of a child born in a farming community. Deep in his heart however, he had matured faster than others of the same age. Ever since he was young, he had yearned that one day, he would be able to leave his small village and explore the fertile lands of the outside world that Uncle Zhang had always talked about.


    Han Li had never dared to speak of his dreams to anyone else in the village because they would be deeply shocked. After all, leaving this place was a notion that even adults didn¡¯t easily think about, let alone a small child. Children around his age only knew how to chase chickens and pet dogs. They had never entertained the strange notion of leaving the village.


    Han Li¡¯s family had a total of seven members, including two older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister. He was the fourth eldest in his family and turned ten this year. Together, they lived a hard yet honest lifestyle. Very rarely did they get to eat meat and fish, but the entire family was content with living with the meager resources they had.


    At this moment, Han Li was hovering between the state of sleep and consciousness. As he slowly drifted to sleep, only one thought was on his mind. While in the mountains, he had to pick more red berries for his younger sister whom he doted on the most!


    The next morning, at noon, Han Li was shielding himself from the scorching sun overhead in the shade casted by the pile of lumber on his back. Wrapped around his chest was a pouch filled to the brim with red berries that bounced with each step as he walked home. He had no idea that at this moment, there was a guest in his home, a guest that that would change his destiny forever. This guest was actually someone who had very close blood ties with Han Li. It was his Third Uncle!


    It was rumored that his Third Uncle was the shopkeeper of a restaurant in the nearby city. According to his parents, Third Uncle was the most capable within their family. After a few hundred years, the Han family had finally produced someone like his Third Uncle, a figure with status and respect that was unrivaled within the family.


    When Han Li was young, he had only met his Third Uncle a few times. Han Li¡¯s older brother became a blacksmith¡¯s apprentice in the city thanks to Third Uncle¡¯s introduction. Every so often, this Third Uncle would even gift some food to his parents to bring home and eat. Because he had looked after Han Li¡¯s family with great consideration, Han Li had a very good impression of him. Even though his parents never said anything, he knew that in their hearts, they were very grateful.


    Han Li¡¯s eldest brother was the family¡¯s pride and joy. As an apprentice of a blacksmith, he was able to bring home 30 copper coins every month, minus living expenses. And when he finally graduated from his apprenticeship, he would earn even more money!


    Every time his parents talked about their eldest son, their spirits would soar with pride. Although Han Li was young, he was tremendously envious. The best work he could find was to be the apprentice of a craft master and rely on the crafts he made to earn money.


    So when Han Li saw the brand new satin robes and the round face that belonged to his Third Uncle, Han Li was overjoyed.


    Setting down the firewood in a corner outside of the house, he went to the front of the house to greet his Third Uncle. ¡°Third Uncle, Han Li greets you.¡± After doing so, he obediently stood by the side and listened to his Third Uncle chat with his parents.


    Third Uncle beamed at Han Li as he opened his mouth, praising his nephew. ¡°What a sensible child!¡± After complimenting Han Li, he turned his attention back to Han Li¡¯s parents and explained the reason for his visit.


    Although Han Li wasn¡¯t able to fully understand the words his Third Uncle was saying as he was too young, he still roughly understood what he said.


    It turned out his Third Uncle¡¯s restaurant had the backing of the Seven Mysteries Sect. This sect was divided into the inner and outer divisions. Not too long ago, Third Uncle had been officially recognized as an outer disciple. That meant that he could bring a child between the ages of 7 and 12 to take the Inner Disciple Examinations.


    Once every 5 years, the Seven Mysteries Sect would formally issue invitations for youngsters to take the test to become Inner Disciples. The test would officially begin the following month. Third Uncle was a smart and astute man who was childless, so he naturally thought of Han Li who met the age requirement.


    The moment the usually docile Father Han heard the words ¡°Jiang Hu¡± and ¡°Sect¡±, along with many other phrases he had never heard before, he felt very hesitant. Bringing his smoking pipe to his lips and giving it a puff, he sat down without saying a word. (TL: ¡°Father Han¡± is the title of Han Li¡¯s father)


    According to Third Uncle, the Seven Mysteries Sect could be considered one of the best sects within several hundred miles.


    If one were to become an Inner Disciple, not only would one be able to practice martial arts for free, one would also receive a monthly allowance and have his needs taken care of. Not only that, those who didn¡¯t pass the Inner Disciple Examinations could still enter the sect¡¯s outer division and become an outer disciple like Third Uncle. They would still have the opportunity to help the Seven Mysteries Sect handle its external affairs.


    Upon hearing the possibility that his son could receive a monthly allowance and even become as successful as his Third Uncle, Han Li¡¯s father finally decided to give his approval.


    After getting the approval from Han Li¡¯s father, Third Uncle felt elation in his heart. Leaving behind two silver coins, he said that he would return in a month to escort Han Li to the testing area. During this period of time, Han Li¡¯s father had to ensure that Han Li was clothed and well fed to improve his constitution so that it would be easier for Han Li to pass the test. After giving these instructions, Third Uncle bid farewell to Han Li and his father, patted Han Li on his head and left for the city.


    While Han Li didn¡¯t fully comprehend his Third Uncle¡¯s words, he could understand that he would be able to earn money in the big city. It seemed that his dream from before was going to come true, making him so excited that he could not sleep for the first few nights.


    After one month had passed, Third Uncle returned to the village, escorting Han Li to the testing site. Before he left, Han Li¡¯s father repeatedly instructed Han Li on the ways of proper behavior.


    One must be honest, have the capacity to endure, and avoid unnecessary conflicts with others. Meanwhile, Han Li¡¯s mother urged him to take care of his health and to eat and sleep well. The day finally arrived and Third Uncle came to take Han Li away by carriage. As his parents gradually disappeared from his sight, Han Li bit down on his lips in order to prevent his tears from flowing down his eyes.


    Although he had always been more mature than other children of the same age, he was still a ten year-old child. This was the first time he had left home, so he naturally felt depressed. A homesickness developed in his heart. He was determined to rush home after he struck rich, never to be separated from his parents.


    Han Li would never have thought that from this moment on, money would lose any meaning to him. He was unexpectedly going to walk a path different from ordinary mortals. Instead, he was going to walk down his own path towards Immortal Cultivation!

 Chapter 2

    Green Ox Town


    Han Li¡¯s home was said to be a small city, but it was actually just a large town called Green Ox Town. Only those who lived in the mountainous region and the natives with no knowledge of the outside world called the town Green Ox City. The only reason why Han Li knew about this was because he had been informed by his Uncle Zhang, who had been working as a gatekeeper for more than ten years.


    Green Ox Town wasn¡¯t very large. It only had one main road, known as Green Ox Street, which spanned from the eastern to the western borders of the town. There was also only one tavern in town, located on its western border. For any traveling merchant that didn¡¯t want to sleep outdoors, this tavern was the only solution.


    There was only one road for carriages in the western part of Green Ox Town. It ran from the gates of the town and the Green Ox Tavern all the way to the Spring Fragrance Restaurant, the only other place anyone would visit besides the tavern.


    Spring Fragrance Restaurant wasn¡¯t big by any means and was actually quite old-fashioned. However, this establishment had a certain charm that was appealing to many travelers. Every day at noon, there would always be a crowd of people, making the place constantly swamped.


    A bearded man with a round face emerged from a carriage along with a dark skinned, rotund little boy who looked to be around ten years old. They both walked into the restaurant with a swagger. All of the regular customers knew who this man was. He was the manager of this restaurant, ¡°Fatty Han.¡± The boy, however, was not someone they were familiar with.


    ¡°Elder Han, this tanned little boy resembles you a lot. Could it be a child from a prostitute you spent the night with?¡± someone joked.


    The moment the joke was uttered, the entire restaurant roared with laughter.


    ¡°Peh! This is the son of my blood brother, my own nephew! Of course he¡¯ll look like me,¡± Fatty Han said proudly instead of being angered.


    This duo had traveled for three whole days without rest before arriving at the town. They were Han Li and his Third Uncle, who was known as ¡°Fatty Han¡± by the townspeople.


    Fatty Han greeted a few regulars before bringing Han Li to the back of the restaurant, and entered a remote courtyard.


    ¡°Xiao Li, you should rest here for a while. When the time comes for the Inner Disciple Examinations, I¡¯ll call you. For now, I must leave in order to attend to a few regulars.¡± Fatty Han pointed at a side room in the courtyard and kindly motioned for Han Li to enter it.


    (TL: ¡°Xiao¡± in this context means ¡°little¡±)


    After saying that, Han Li¡¯s Third Uncle turned around and hurried back inside the restaurant to tend to his customers.


    As he reached the door, he felt a sudden unease in his heart and reminded Han Li, ¡°Don¡¯t run about. You might get lost in the town if you wander around. So it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t leave this courtyard.¡±


    ¡°En!¡±


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s honest response, he nodded in relief and walked out the door.


    After his Third Uncle left the courtyard, Han Li suddenly felt exhausted. The moment his head landed on his pillow, he fell into a deep sleep and began snoring, surprisingly without the fear of a normal kid staying alone in unfamiliar surroundings.


    When the night came, a servant came by with some food. Although it wasn¡¯t a lavish meal, it was still delicious. After Han Li ate the food, the servant was clearing away the remaining dishes when his Third Uncle leisurely walked in.


    ¡°How was it? Was the meal suitable to your taste? Do you miss home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I miss home¡­¡± Han Li replied in his childish voice.


    Third Uncle seemed satisfied with Han Li¡¯s response. He began to talk to him about his daily life and bragged about many of his experiences. Gradually, Han Li became less shy and started to laugh and talk with his Third Uncle.


    In this manner, two days quickly passed.


    On the third day, after Han Li finished dinner, he was waiting for his uncle¡¯s stories of Jiang Hu when a carriage stopped in front of the restaurant door.


    (TL: Jiang Hu ¨C World of Martial Artists)


    This carriage was painted a shiny black color and even the horse was a rarely seen golden steed. But what attracted the most attention was that on the frame of the carriage was the word ¡°Mystery¡± written in silver characters in the middle of a red triangle emblazing a black banner. The image on the banner also emitted an unfathomable air.


    Seeing this banner, every martial arts expert in the area knew that this carriage belonged to one of the two local overlords in the area, the Seven Mysteries Sect. It seemed that an esteemed guest had arrived in Green Ox Town.


    The Seven Mysteries Sect was previously known as the Seven Supreme Sect. Two hundred years ago, the sect was established by an extremely famous martial master named ¡°Sovereign of the Seven Supreme¡±. Having once swept across and dominated the Jing Province and the nearby Shu Province for a few decades, the Sovereign of the Seven Supreme was resoundingly famous. But after he was afflicted with illness, the power of the Seven Mysteries Sect took a devastating hit and its influence dropped drastically. In the end, the Seven Mysteries Sect was forced out of the main city of the Jing Province by the combined efforts of its rival sects. A hundred years ago, the sect was forced to relocate to an extremely remote area called the Celestial Rainbow Mountain. From then on, they rebuilt their roots in that third rate region and became a local powerhouse.


    Locally, the only other power that could rival the Seven Mysteries Sect was the Feral Wolf Gang.


    The Feral Wolf Gang was originally a gang of horse-mounted bandits from the Jing Province that had no qualms about burning, killing, looting and pillaging. After a while, an army dispatched by the imperial court encircled and fiercely suppressed the bandits. Some of the bandits accepted the amnesty granted to them by the imperial court while the remaining bandits reformed themselves into the Feral Wolf Gang. The Feral Wolf Gang was exceedingly cruel and bloodthirsty, retaining their former characteristics of having no qualms about committing atrocities. Thus, whenever they clashed, the Seven Mysteries Sect was always at a disadvantage.


    Even though the Feral Wolf Gang controlled more towns than the Seven Mysteries Sect, the gang didn¡¯t know how to manage the towns effectively to run businesses and generate income. In comparison, the wealth of the towns controlled by the Seven Mysteries Sect vastly outstripped the towns under Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s control. Jealous of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s prosperity, the Feral Wolf Gang made plans to take over the Sect¡¯s territory, resulting in the longstanding conflict between the two major powers. The conflict gave the current Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect endless headaches. Because of the Feral Wolf Gang, the Seven Mysteries Sect have been accepting an increasing number of disciples in recent years.


    After the carriage stopped, a skinny forty year-old man jumped down. His movements were extremely nimble, indicating that he was a powerful expert. He seemed to be very familiar with Fatty Han¡¯s restaurant and walked pompously towards the room Han Li was residing in.


    Upon seeing the forty year-old man, Fatty Han immediately greeted him respectfully.


    ¡°Protector Wang, why has an esteemed person such as yourself personally made the trip?¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± Protector Wang coldly snorted.


    ¡°The roads here haven¡¯t been peaceful lately. Because of this, there¡¯s a need to strengthen the defenses. Thus, the elders ordered that I personally come. Don¡¯t speak any more rubbish. Is this the child you wanted to nominate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, this is my nephew. I hope that Protector Wang will take care of him.¡±


    Looking at the impatient look on Protector Wang face, Third Uncle immediately retrieved a heavy-looking pouch and secretly passed it over to Protector Wang.


    After he assessed the weight of the pouch, Protector Wang¡¯s impatient demeanor visibly relaxed.


    ¡°Fatty Han, you truly know how to conduct yourself! On the way back, I will make sure that all of your nephew¡¯s needs are well cared for. Anyways, it is getting pretty late now. We had best hurry on our way.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Seven Mysteries Sect


    The smell inside the carriage was unpleasant, but this could hardly be surprising. The optimal capacity for this carriage was only ten people, but currently there were about thirty young children squeezed into the carriage. Even if young children had smaller bodies than adults, the space inside the carriage was intolerably cramped.


    The clever Han Li had chosen a seat near to the sides when he had first entered the carriage and was now stealthily observing the other children.


    The children who had registered or been nominated to take the test at the Seven Mysteries Sect could be segregated into three different groups based on their clothing and bearing.


    In the first group, there was a youth wearing silk clothing seated in the center of the carriage, surrounded by the majority of the children.


    This youth¡¯s name was Wu Yan. He was 13 years old, one of the oldest children to be seated inside the carriage. Normally, he would not be even here since his age had already exceeded the age limit, but one of his older female cousins was married to someone of authority inside the Seven Mysteries Sect. Therefore, Wu Yan¡¯s age was purposely overlooked and he was allowed to join the selection. Wu Yan¡¯s family ran a martial arts dojo, so he had access to a considerable amount of wealth. From a young age, he had practiced external martial arts. Even though his talent could not be considered excellent, when facing against Han Li¡¯s type¡ªthose children who had never practiced martial arts before¡ªit was more than enough for Wu Yan to trample them underfoot.


    It was very clear that children like Wu Yan, who came from powerful wealthy families and had previously practiced martial arts, could be considered the elite within the group of children inside the carriage.


    They were from different backgrounds: some came from the families of shopkeepers, some came from the families of workers, or families of craftsmen, etc. However, they all had one special thing in common; they grew up in the city. Thus, from an early age, they had learned from the elders of their families on how to observe people and know what was beneficial for them. Because of this, these people surrounded Wu Yan and repeatedly called out ¡°Young Master Wu¡± and ¡°Big Brother Wu¡± to curry favor. Wu Yan seemed to be used to being fawned over.


    The third group of people were people like Han Li; this group came from remote and poor villages. They usually made do with what they had, were poor, and had suffered a life of hardship and strife. Only five to six people belonged to this third group, creating a minority inside the carriage. They usually kept to themselves, and had a quiet demeanor, not even daring to speak or laugh loudly. They were a refreshing change when compared to those loud children.


    After the horse carriage exited Green Ox Town, it sped westward and made a few detours to visit other locations and collect even more children. On the fifth day, they managed to arrive at the Celestial Rainbow Mountain, the home of the Seven Mysteries Sect, near sundown.


    The first thing the children saw after exiting the carriage was the beautiful, captivating sunset. It was only when Protector Wang started to rally the children that they woke up from their daze and continued proceeding forward.


    Celestial Rainbow Mountain was originally Setting Wind Mountain. Legend has it that during ancient times, a five-coloured wind blew past this location, instantly transforming the mountain. After this place was discovered by humans, they realized how beautiful the sunset looked behind the rosy pink clouds. Inspired by the majestic image, the humans decided to rename this place Celestial Rainbow Mountain.


    The Celestial Rainbow Mountain was the second largest mountain in the Jing Province after the Bai Mang Mountain. It was extremely spacious, spanning a radius of ten Li. The Celestial Rainbow Mountain was actually a mountain range consisting of ten mountain peaks, each of them being incredibly dangerous, and under the control of the various divisions of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The main mountain peak of the Celestial Rainbow Mountain was named the ¡°Setting Sun Summit¡±; it was treacherous and dangerous beyond comparison. Not only was it extremely steep, there was only a single path between the peak and base of the mountain. After the Seven Mysteries Sect rebuilt their roots in this area, they set up a total of thirteen checkpoints on the path up the mountain. Some of these checkpoints were hidden while others were out in the open. They were prepared for every single route that the Feral Wolf Gang might use to invade the mountain.


    As Han Li followed the escorts in front of the group, he surveyed his nearby surroundings. Suddenly, the escorts stopped as waves of friendly and amicable voices rang out.


    ¡°Little Brother Wang, why did you arrive so late? You¡¯re two days late.¡±


    ¡°Division Head Yue, we were delayed by the journey here, sorry for causing you to worry.¡± Standing in front of all the children, Protector Wang replied respectfully as he bowed to a red-faced old man. Protector Wang¡¯s stern facade was instantly replaced by a look of fawning.


    ¡°Which batch of children is this?¡±


    ¡°This is the batch number seventeen.¡±


    ¡°En!¡± This Division Head Yue pompously looked towards Han Li and the other children.


    ¡°Send them to the courtyard, let them rest for tonight. Tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll begin the selection process. Send those who fail or break the rules back down the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Division Head Yue.¡±


    Walking atop of the mountain¡¯s stone steps, the children were tremendously excited, but no one dared to speak loudly. Despite their young age, the children somehow knew that this place would determine their destiny.


    Protector Wang was in the lead and greeted several figures on the way to the children¡¯s sleeping quarters. It could be seen that he was familiar with a lot of people and was quite popular in the region.


    The majority of the people they met on their way were all wearing green clothes and equipped with a blade or sword. Even those that appeared empty-handed wore pouches full of mysterious items around their waists. From their bearing and conduct, one could tell that all of these people were somewhat proficient at martial arts.


    Han Li and the rest of the children were brought to a mountain peak that seemed lower in height in comparison to the other mountain peaks. On the summit, there was a house made of mud, built for the children to sleep in during the night. As he slept, Han Li dreamed that he was wearing silk, had a golden sword in his hands, and possessed peerless martial arts, soundly beating the village blacksmith¡¯s sons who he previously were no match for. Then he woke on second morning, still reminiscent of his dream.


    Protector Wang did not let the children enjoy breakfast. Instead, he brought all of the children down the mountain to a steep slope containing many bamboo shoots. There, Division Head Yue and a few other youths whom Han Li didn¡¯t recognize were already waiting for them.

 Chapter 4

    Bone Refining Cliff


    In front of the children, Division Head Yue hollered, ¡°Everyone, listen well. Inside the bamboo forest, there¡¯s a small path on which you¡¯ll proceed forward where you will eventually reach the Bone Refining Cliff of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The first area of the path will be the bamboo forest. The second area will be a rocky slope region. The last area will be the cliff. Only those who have managed to climb the Bone Refining Cliff by noon will be disciples of our Seven Mysteries Sect. If you finish after noon, although you won¡¯t become an Inner Disciple, you can still become an Unofficial Disciple as long as your performance demonstrates remarkable prowess.¡±


    Han Li naturally did not understand what it meant to be an Unofficial Disciple. He only knew that all he had to do was to climb the cliff. Casting his gaze forward at the uneven, steep slope, he saw many lengthy bamboo shoots sprawled across the surface of the cliff. Seeing this, it seemed that the first obstacle should be pretty easy!


    Studying the other children, Han Li was unwilling to lose to those in his age group. The atmosphere quickly became tense for the other children as well.


    Division Head Yue cast a glance at the rising sun and said, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s almost time, prepare to set off! Don¡¯t be afraid, your seniors will be protecting you from behind in case there¡¯s any danger.¡±


    Han Li turned his head and glanced at those unrecognizable youths.


    These people were the senior disciples, so they should be from an earlier batch. Han Li could not help but think, ¡°How impressive, if I managed to join them, could I wear the same robes of an Inner Disciple?¡±


    As he was blindly pondering, Han Li discovered that the other children had already rushed into the bamboo forest. Seeing that he was left behind, Han Li quickly started moving forward.


    Once the thirty children rushed in, they stopped moving as a group and scattered within the spacious bamboo forest. Behind Han Li was a lanky senior disciple with a cold look on his face, silently following Han Li. Han Li was a bit fearful, but he did not dare to start a conversation and waste time. Slightly intimidated, he lowered his body and proceeded to tread on the steep slope.


    This stretch of bamboo forest looked ordinary on the outside, but after Han Li walked for a distance, he found that it was slowly becoming more and more difficult to move forward. His footsteps got heavier, and gradually, Han Li began to use one hand to pull the bamboo shoots, using the momentum of the bamboo springing back to its original position to propel him forward.


    Han Li persisted in this manner for quite some time, At a certain point, he became extremely exhausted, so he had no choice but to find an empty space to sit down and rest, his breath leaving him in heavy bursts of air.


    After taking a breather, Han Li turned his gaze and saw the lanky senior behind him. Although the ground was very steep, this senior disciple was standing nonchalantly on the ground as if this was nothing to him. His body was totally devoid of dirt, standing erect like the bamboo shoots nearby, while he silently looked at Han Li in the distance.


    Looking at the cold glance of this senior, Han Li felt fear in his heart and rapidly turned his head back. He also heard sounds of heavy breathing in front and deduced that one of the faster children was also making use of this opportunity to rest. After a short break, Han Li swiftly resumed his journey.


    The slope was perilously steep, and Han Li¡¯s energy reserve got smaller and smaller.


    He decided to lie flat on the ground and claw his way forward instead of walking on his legs; such that if he exhausted his energy, he would not fall flat on his face. Luckily, his clothes were made of strong materials; if not, his limbs and knees might have been damaged by being dragged across the rocky ground.


    As he almost reached the end of the bamboo forest, Han Li felt that it was very tough to complete the last few steps. This was because as the stones and rocks on the ground increased, the number of bamboo shoots decreased.


    Han Li finally reached the point where there were no more bamboo shoots for him to use for support. Han Li slowly moved inch by inch past this last stretch of road and overcame the first obstacle.


    The moment he walked out of the bamboo forest, he could only see a vast expanse of land. In front of him was an incomparably huge, rocky mountain. On top of the gargantuan mountain were a few skinny kids, slowly climbing up the stone cliff along with a few senior disciples keeping a close watch on them. Han Li did not dare to hesitate any longer and rushed to make his way to the front of the huge rocky mountain.


    The mountain consisted of layers and layers of sedimentary rocks stacked upon each other and appeared very eroded. In some places, the ground crumbled when touched. Of course, there were also solid slabs of broken stone, but finding them was extremely perilous as they would lead to injury. Han Li had only practiced the most rudimentary of martial arts and as such, his hands were already filled with injuries after his trek through the bamboo forest. At the same time, his clothes were torn and tattered around his knees, and the flesh and muscles hidden by his clothing were also scraped and injured. Although the wound on his knee was small, Han Li gritted his teeth every time it came into contact with the jagged rocks; the pain almost more than he could bear.


    The few children in the lead had already climbed the furthest. Seeing the others ahead of him, Han Li refused to give up. The moment any thoughts of giving up flashed past his mind, images of his Third Uncle and his family would appear, giving him the motivation to carry on. With the memories of those he loved urging him to continue, Han Li relentlessly proceeded forward.


    Before Han Li left for the Inner Disciple Examination, Han Li¡¯s father and Third Uncle reminded Han Li that the test would be extremely tough. If he did not persevere to the end, Han Li would have no chances of joining the Seven Mysteries Sect. At this moment, Han Li no longer cared about joining the sect. Instead, the only source of motivation pushing him forward was an unwillingness to give in and the urgency to catch up to the others in the lead.


    Han Li raised his head and noticed that Wu Yan was currently in the lead. Wu Yan was older than Han Li and had even practiced martial arts; unsurprisingly, he had a stronger body compared to the others.


    Once again, Han Li turned his gaze backwards and saw that he had surpassed quite a few children, many of which were still rushing forward. Sucking in a deep breath, Han Li increased the speed of his ascent.


    Despite exhausting the majority of his strength, he still hadn¡¯t shortened the distance between him and those in the lead. As the unyielding sun climbed towards the center of the sky, Han Li¡¯s body got heavier and heavier, making it harder for him to reach the summit. In the meantime, Wu Yan had already reached the top of the huge mountain.


    Near the summit of the a hundred-meter-tall mountain was the incredibly steep Bone Refining Cliff. Over ten ropes, each with knots the size of a fist, hung from the top of the cliff. Wu Yan selected one and began to climb up the cliff.


    Han Li gazed over at Wu Yan, who was in the lead, and felt resigned in his heart. He knew that he could not catch up to those in front in the short amount of time left until noon.


    The notion of failing was quickly erased by the sudden pain that flared up from his injuries. The waves of fiery pain sapped the strength from his limbs. Feeling his body fall downward, Han Li frantically grasped a stone with one hand. His heart was beating erratically as he rapidly pasted his body onto the side of the mountain, not daring to make any sudden motions.


    After a moment, he calmed down, using his hand to test the strength of the stone slab. Only after he determined it was secured in place did he manage to let go of his worries.


    Looking downwards, Han Li saw that the lanky senior was in a half-squatting position with his arms extended out, preparing to catch Han Li if he fell. Seeing that Han Li was safe, however, the senior retracted his arms.


    Han Li felt relief in his heart. If he really fell down the cliff, all of his efforts would have been wasted! After a short moment, he slowly inched forward and crawled towards the remaining ropes hanging down the Bone Refining cliff.


    Finally, he arrived at the bottom of a rope. The sun had almost reached the center of the sky, indicating that there was only one hour before the time limit was up. At this moment, Wu Yan had already ascended the cliff and he turned his head to gaze at the remaining children. Just as Han Li was climbing the rope, his gaze coincidentally met Wu Yan, only to see him giving a thumbs down gesture to the slower competitors. After laughing maniacally, Wu Yan continued onward.


    With anger rising in his heart, Han Li grabbed ahold of the rope and began to climb.


    However, Han Li had long since used up all his energy. Currently, even holding the rope tightly was a challenge for him, let alone climbing the rope.


    Miraculously, Han Li climbed up to the first knot on his rope. Sitting on it, he felt as if his body had turned into cotton, unable to move a single finger. He turned his head and look at all the children behind him. Some of them had already given up, sitting down on the stone mountain and breathing heavily. Like Han Li, they had exhausted all of their strength and were on the verge of collapse.


    Han Li could only bitterly smile; he had greatly underestimated this test. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t among the last of the children. After looking at the senior disciples¡¯ cold gazes, he decided to carry on. Even though he had no chances of completing the test before noon, finishing late was better than hanging limp on a rope.


    Han Li extended both of his stiff hands and used the strength he had recovered during his break to slowly climb up the rope. But at this moment, Han Li¡¯s hands stopped responding to his will; he even lacked the strength to maintain a grip on the rope. Han Li paused there and lingered for a moment before reluctantly deciding to remain there seated on the knot.

 Chapter 5

    Doctor Mo


    After a brief moment, Han Li felt a tightening sensation on his waist as his body grew light. His body was suddenly lifted upwards.


    Turning his head, Han Li saw the lanky senior helping him ascend the cliff. With one hand around Han Li¡¯s waist, the senior disciple climbed up the cliff with nimble legs. Han Li could not help but notice that the sun had already reached the center of the skies. It was noon.


    ¡°So I failed the test after all.¡± Han Li felt depression set in his heart. It seemed unfair. Even though he had desperately pushed forward, almost to the point of disregarding his life, why couldn¡¯t he compare to the other children?


    In an instant, the Bone Refining Cliff appeared before him. There were six other children resting on top of the cliff. Out of the six, only Wu Yan had the strength to have a conversation with a middle-aged old man wearing a dark blue garb. Division Head Yue as well as Protector Wang were also standing near him. They were waiting for the senior disciples to escort the rest of the children up the Bone Refining Cliff.


    After all the children had been escorted up the cliff, Division Head Yue stepped forward with a solemn expression on his face as he began to address the kids:


    ¡°This time round, only seven of you passed. Out of this group, six will enter my Bai Duan Division and formally become our sect¡¯s Inner Disciples.¡± Division Head Yue spoke slowly at the crowd of children.


    ¡°As for Wu Yan, the first disciple to reach the top of the Bone Refining Cliff, he performed outstandingly and, as such, will be directly sent to the Seven Supreme Division to learn the sect¡¯s secret skills and martial arts.¡± After speaking, Division Head Yue glanced at the old man wearing the dark blue garb. The old man twirled his beard around one hand while nodding in satisfaction at Division Head Yue.


    ¡°As for the others¡­ ,¡± Division Head Yue contemplated the outcome of the remaining children for a moment before rubbing his chin and saying softly:


    ¡°Zhang Tie and Han Li, although these two did not pass the test, they still performed admirably. Their determination will allow them to cope with the pain of practicing martial arts. The two of you will be Unofficial Disciples assigned to an instructor of our sect for the next half year. After half a year, you will be tested again. If you pass, you¡¯ll be able to become Inner Disciples, but if you fail, you will be sent to join the Outer Disciples, helping the sect handle its external affairs.¡±


    Han Li stole a glance at the person named Zhang Tie. Like Han Li, Zhang Tie had begun climbing the rope but failed to reach the summit of the Bone Refining Cliff before midday.


    ¡°Protector Wang, give the rest of the children some silver coins and send them back to their homes,¡± said Division Head Yue as he gave a cold stare at the children who failed the exam.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Protector Wang complied with the order and he led the remainder of the children back down the cliff.


    ¡°Zhang Jun, Wu Ming Rui, the two of you will assist me in sending the rest of these children to the Vice Division Head and Instructor Li.¡±


    Two senior disciples stepped forward and separated Han Li and the rest into two groups before leading them down the cliff. One of the senior disciples was the lanky senior that had always been behind Han Li. As they were descending the cliff, Han Li could not help but steal a glance at Wu Yan and discovered that he was still chatting with the old man in a dark blue robe, seemingly without any intent of moving from the spot.


    ¡°He¡¯s different from the rest of you. In the future, he will most likely be a core disciple. Only core disciples are sent to the Seven Supreme Division to train in the sect¡¯s secret arts. Once he completes his training, at the very least, he will have the rank of a Protector.¡± The voice belonged to the long and thin face, who could tell what Han Li was thinking. From his tone, Han Li could hear undisguised hints of envy mixing with jealousy.


    ¡°Hmmph, isn¡¯t Wu Yan just pulling strings and depending on his family¡¯s connections? If it wasn¡¯t for his older cousin being married to Sect Leader Ma, how could he be selected as a core disciple with such meager skill? He already surpassed the age limit but he was still sent to the Seven Supreme Division,¡± the senior said in a freezing tone that was comparable to a cold wind on a winter day.


    ¡°Zhang Jun, have you gone mad? How dare you gossip about the Sect Leader¡¯s decisions? If this news was spread, both of us could suffer from cruel punishments and end up in dire straits!¡± After hearing Zhang Jun¡¯s words, the other senior with the long and thin face felt shock in his heart and rapidly checked his surroundings to make sure no one heard Zhang Jun. Only after discovering that there were no other disciples did he heave a sigh of relief.


    The senior with the cold countenance snorted as if he were harboring hatred in his heart, but after Wu Ming Rui¡¯s warning, he stopped talking. Only then did Han Li understand that the senior with the cold countenance was Zhang Jun. Listening to their conversation, Han Li could roughly understand what they were talking about. Wu Yan entered the Seven Supreme Division, not because of his own skills, but because he had the backing of the Sect Leader!


    As they walked along the mountain path, these two seniors both thought of the sect¡¯s internal affairs, which filled them with sadness. Lacking the mood to converse, they silently led the children forward. The rest of the children also dared not speak out of turn; perhaps they were thinking of the differences between the Seven Mysteries Sect and their hometowns.


    Just as they were passing through a forested region, a sixty year-old man emerged from the woods. He was tall and thin with a yellow tinge to his skin and a head full of white hair. As he approached them, he coughed with every step, causing many of them to worry that he was suffering a great deal and could collapse at any moment.


    The senior disciples, upon seeing this old man, did not show a trace of worry on their faces. Instead, they respectfully greeted the old man with a bow.


    ¡°Doctor Mo, this disciple greets you. Is there anything that you need this disciple to handle?¡± Zhang Jun, unlike his previously cold demeanor, now had an expression full of respect. To Zhang Jun, this old man in front of him was worthy of more respect than Division Head and even the Sect Leader.


    ¡°Oh, is this the latest batch of disciples?¡± The old man continued coughing and asked with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Yes, among the eight of them, six are official Inner Disciples and two are Unofficial Disciples,¡± responded Zhang Jun.


    ¡°Coincidentally, I¡¯m currently in need of some manpower, specifically an alchemy apprentice and an herb gatherer. Let these two follow me instead.¡± Doctor Mo randomly raise his finger and pointed, just as luck would have it, towards Han Li and Zhang Tie, the two Unofficial Disciples.


    ¡°This disciple will obey your words. These two Unofficial Disciples actually caught eyes of the esteemed Doctor Mo, their karma must be exceptional¡­The two of you, why are you still standing there? Hurry and come to pay your respects to Doctor Mo. If you are able to learn a thing or two about the arts of healing from this esteemed elder, you will be extremely fortunate.¡± The two seniors had no traces of hesitation or objection on their face. The senior with the long and thin face, Wu Ming Rui, flattered Doctor Mo in order to curry favor with him.


    Han Li and Zhang Tie, upon seeing the two senior disciples¡¯ sudden change of heart, had no objections. They could only accept in silence and follow the old man into the forest.


    Doctor Mo led the two of them down a small path that meandered through the forest. The path turned east and west before suddenly stopping in front of an entrance leading to a luscious green valley.


    On the left side of the valley was a courtyard used for farming medicinal herbs that emitted a fragrant smell into the air. After they entered the courtyard, Han Li spotted many herbs that were unknown to him. On the right side of the valley were lines of houses in various sizes. Looking in all four directions, Han Li saw no exit besides the gateway from which they entered.


    ¡°This valley is called the God Hand Valley. Other disciples will not dare enter this valley unless they are suffering from injuries.¡± The old man stood in the middle of the line of houses and pointed to a smaller house. ¡°For now, this will be your home. Rest and replenish your energy. When night falls, look for me in my house so I can inform you about several things.¡±


    ¡°The two of you can call me Old Mo.¡± The old man huffed and considered for a moment before saying:


    ¡°Doctor Mo is also acceptable.¡±


    After speaking, Doctor Mo ignored the two of them and slowly walked towards an impressive looking house, coughing with each step.


    Completely exhausted, Han Li did not bother to check with Zhang Tie before entering the house and selecting a bed to fall asleep on. He was satisfied, because, at this moment, he was halfway to becoming an Inner Disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

 Chapter 6

    Nameless Oracular Formula


    ¡°Get up, get up.¡±


    A barely audible sound came from above Han Li, rousing him from his deep slumber. As soon as he opened his eyes, a huge face appeared in front of him. In shock, Han Li pushed himself backwards. Only then was he able to see that the owner of the face that had frightened him to death was the boy named Zhang Tie.


    ¡°Hurry up and come eat something. After you¡¯ve finished, we need to see Old Mo.¡± Zhang Tie passed some steaming white buns over to Han Li.


    ¡°Where did you find this food?¡± Han Li stared blankly for a moment before accepting the buns.


    ¡°At a kitchen near the valley, I saw a ton of people eating food, so I also grabbed a portion. After I had finished, I realized that you hadn¡¯t eaten yet, so I grabbed two buns for you.¡± Zhang Tie smiled sincerely at Han Li.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Brother Zhang.¡± Han Li was somewhat touched. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked quite a bit older than himself, he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out the words ¡°Brother Zhang.¡±


    ¡°No¡­no problem. I¡¯m too used to labor. If I¡¯m idle even for just a moment, I always feel a bit¡­.uncomfortable. If you ever need any help in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. I have nothing else but strength.¡± Zhang Tie seemed to be somewhat embarrassed, as he began to stammer.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast or lunch and was somewhat starved. In just a few bites, he devoured one bun. With just a bit more effort, both of the large buns completely disappeared into his stomach.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we should go see Old Mo.¡± Han Li burped a few times and looked out the window towards the setting sun. After mentally calculating the time, he decided that it was probably about time to go see Doctor Mo.


    Zhang Tie didn¡¯t object, following Han Li to Doctor Mo¡¯s house.


    There were rows of bookshelves along all four walls of Doctor Mo¡¯s residence. These shelves were densely packed with various books.


    ¡°Old Mo!¡±


    ¡°Old Mo!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Doctor Mo¡¯s back was tightly pressed against his chair as he was currently engrossed in reading the book in his hands. He didn¡¯t seem to have noticed the two people¡¯s arrival, nor had he heard their greetings. The two of them were still children after all, so when they saw Doctor Mo ignore them, they were at a loss on what to do, unsure of what would be the best course of action. Thus, they could only stand to one side and wait.


    Finally, by the time Han Li¡¯s feet had begun to turn numb, Doctor Mo slowly placed his book down onto the table next to him. He coldly looked over at the two children and picked up his teacup to drink a few sips before slowly saying:


    ¡°From this day on, you two will be accepted as my Unofficial Disciples. I will teach you some general knowledge on picking medicinal plants and refining medicines. I may also teach you two some life-saving healing techniques. But I will absolutely not teach you any martial arts.¡± Doctor Mo expressionlessly put down his teacup.


    ¡°I will teach you two a set of body and spiritual cultivation chants. Although it won¡¯t allow you to successfully subdue your enemy, it will strengthen your bodies. If you guys really want to learn some martial arts, you can go learn them from some other instructors. If you do so, I won¡¯t object, but I¡¯ll check your progression on this set of cultivation chants in half a year. If you don¡¯t meet the standard, I¡¯ll force you out to become an outer disciple. Do you two understand?¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s tone suddenly became much more serious. It looked like he attached great importance to this set of chants.


    ¡°We understand.¡± Han Li and Zhang Tie replied in unison.


    ¡°You two should leave now. Come back tomorrow morning.¡± Doctor Mo waved his hands at the two of them, gesturing for them to go out. He then picked up his book and began reading it again.


    Before Han Li left, he couldn¡¯t help but glance back at the book in Doctor Mo¡¯s hands. It was a pity that he didn¡¯t know how to read; he could only tell that the title was made up of three large, black characters. Unfortunately, Han Li didn¡¯t recognize them.


    As soon as Han Li walked out of Doctor Mo¡¯s residence, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but let out the breath he had been holding. He didn¡¯t know why, but just now, he hadn¡¯t even dared to breathe in Doctor Mo¡¯s presence. His mind had also been incredibly tensed. Now that he had left, he immediately loosened up, returning to his normal state.


    During the following few days, Han Li¡¯s excitement never faded. He¡¯d finally become a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Although he was still just an Unofficial Disciple, it was still better than the children that had been sent home. Even if he didn¡¯t pass the test in half a year, he could still become an Outer Disciple like Third Uncle. In Han Li¡¯s opinion, Third Uncle was a person of great status and position, so he didn¡¯t concern himself over the examination in half a year. He even secretly hoped from the bottom of his heart that he wouldn¡¯t pass. That way, he could leave the mountain earlier to see his parents and his most beloved younger sister.


    During the following few days, Doctor Mo would teach them some medicinal knowledge in the mornings. In the afternoons, he would make them study the body¡¯s twelve main meridians, energy channels, and acupoint locations. As for the little he taught them of martial arts, he made them maintain the horse stance and hit straw dummies.


    A month later, the two of them were completely isolated from the other children. They no longer spent time learning anything else besides the chant. Ever since Doctor Mo had begun teaching them, they spent most of their time practicing the nameless chant. Doctor Mo strictly ordered them to not tell the chants to anyone else. If even a small segment was leaked, Doctor Mo would harshly punish them and kick them out of his apprenticeship.


    During this period of time, Han Li began to have a better understand of the Seven Mysteries Sect and Doctor Mo. The Seven Mysteries Sect had a disciple named Wang Lu, who possessed the teachings handed down by the Sovereign Seven Supreme. Wang Lu became the Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, and he split the sect with the help of the three other Sect Leaders. They divided the sect into two segments ¨C the Inner and Outer Branch. The Outer Branch had a total of four divisions, namely the Flying Bird Division, Treasure Gathering Division, Four Seas Division, and External Blade Division. The Inner Branch also had four divisions, namely the Hundred Forge Division, Seven Supreme Division, Consecrated Division, and Blood Blade Division. In addition to the Inner and Outer Branch, there was a Council of Elders that reported to the Vice Sect Leaders and the Sect Leader.


    Doctor Mo was originally not a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. A few years ago, Sect Leader Wang carelessly fell into an enemy¡¯s trap while outside of the Celestial Rainbow Mountain and was heavily injured by the multiple attacks from the opposing party. As he wavered on the brink of death, his allies were unable to do anything about it. Just then, they happened to encounter Doctor Mo whose brilliant healing and effective medicines saved Sect Leader Wang¡¯s life. Sect Leader Wang naturally couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely grateful for Doctor Mo. He later found out that in addition to his profound medical expertise, Doctor Mo was a strong martial arts practitioner, which convinced Sect Leader Wang to invite Doctor Mo to join his sect. The elders carefully picked a small valley in the mountains to erect a residence specifically for Doctor Mo¡¯s use in order to make the shift as comfortable as possible. The valley soon became a venerated place within the Seven Mysteries Sect thanks to Doctor Mo. Although none of the disciples had ever witnessed his skills, nor did they know how strong his martial arts was, Doctor Mo had used his brilliant medical expertise to save quite a few disciples¡¯ lives. Thus, although he was normally expressionless and was a man of few words, he received a great amount of respect from the Inner Disciples.

 Chapter 7

    The Difficulties of Cultivating


    Han Li slowly transferred energy from his meridians back to his Dantian. He had managed to reach the 7th cycle of Qi circulation today, and Han Li knew that his body had already reached the limit of what it could handle. If he were to try to do another cycle, all his meridians would completely rupture, inciting a pain worse than death. Even though he was a courageous person, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but break out in cold sweat at the thought of this pain.


    It had already been half a year since Han Li joined the sect, and the official Unofficial Disciple exam had ended slightly over two months ago.


    Only a small portion of the Unofficial Disciples were officially promoted to the Inner Branch. Most Unofficial Disciples weren¡¯t able to pass this point and had no other choice but to pack their belongings and become a disciple of the Outer Branch.


    The children that didn¡¯t pass would generally enter the Treasure Gathering Division or the Flying Bird Division. For those that showed outstanding performances, they would receive another step further in their training and would then have the chance to join the more respected External Blade Division. Of course, it was only natural that the Four Seas Division was the most respected of the four Divisions, but unfortunately, they only accepted those that made names for themselves through their martial arts. If one didn¡¯t have a certain level of expertise in martial arts, it was pointless for them to even dream about joining the Four Seas Division; these immature and inexperienced children were even less worthy of any mention.


    When Han Li recalled the details of the examination from two months ago, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit frightened.


    A few dozen miles away from the Celestial Rainbow Mountains was a neighboring desolate mountain where a group of people were sparring. There were a few senior disciples who excelled in martial arts and were fiercely locked in combat. With each and every test, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit of joy at the misery of others.


    During their entire stay at the Seven Mysteries Sect, Han Li and Zhang Tie had never taken such a terrifying test before. Doctor Mo had said that his examination would only test them on the cultivation chant, but Han Li didn¡¯t believe the test would be as easy as it sounded. Looking back, Han Li could clearly remember the intense effort he had to put into his cultivation.


    According to Doctor Mo, this oracular chant was only a single part of a set. Within half a year, Han Li and Zhang Tie had successfully comprehended the first layer of the cultivation chant, which Doctor Mo would be examining. If the two were able to overcome Doctor Mo¡¯s expectations, then they could become Doctor Mo¡¯s personal disciples and even share the same benefits as the Inner Disciples.


    Not to mention, Han Li had also heard from others that the treatment the Inner Disciples and Outer Disciples received was so vastly different that it spoke volumes of how enormous of a difference there was between the two. He then realized how ignorant he had been and cast away any thoughts of becoming an Inner Disciple. Han Li would be satisfied by just joining the Seven Mysteries Sect and receiving some silver to send back to his family. Everything else had seemed irrelevant because, above all else, he truly desired to help his poverty-stricken family. His only goal was to be able to take money home so he could provide his family with a better life.


    After learning Doctor Mo¡¯s chant, Han Li had not once stopped cultivating. He spent every possible moment of day and night relentlessly practicing the chant. Because Doctor Mo hadn¡¯t given them any pointers on how to cultivate, Han Li could only theorize by himself. After discussing with other young cultivators, he discovered they were using the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s ¡°Positive Yang Energy¡±, a self-meditated cultivation method.


    Relying on both the chant and the Positive Yang Energy, he cultivated assiduously for 3 months, but Han Li was shocked to realize that his progress was extremely slow! He had spent a great deal of effort and yet he was rewarded with one small thread of cool energy inside of his body. The energy was so infinitesimal that he could barely notice that it was there. If he hadn¡¯t checked his body carefully for results, he would not have noticed the strand of energy.


    Could this be the rumored True Qi the instructors had talked about? Han Li suddenly came to this realization.


    The other disciples cultivating the Positive Yang Energy had told him that there was a distinct flow of warm energy and Qi being generated within their bodies. However, the thread of energy in Han Li¡¯s body was extremely cold, completely opposite from the energy gained from cultivating Positive Yang Energy! Looking at the results, it was obvious Han Li was very far behind the other disciples.


    Those who used the True Qi from the Positive Yang Energy cultivation were able to punch a fist-sized hole through a small tree trunk and leap three meters into the air. Han Li, however, after circulating the strange Qi in his body, felt practically no different from his normal state. The only difference he could tell was that his spirit was more vigorous and his appetite was even more ravenous than before he came to the mountain. But what use was that? Seeing that the other children on the mountains were gaining ridiculous power, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected.


    After realizing that he had barely made any progress, Han Li had nearly given up on his several months of hard work. He thought that with such a huge gap between himself and the others, he would not have a chance to catch up to the other children in the remaining amount of time before Doctor Mo¡¯s test and successfully pass it. It would be better to plan for his trip back home instead.


    Incidentally, Han Li one day came across the cultivating Zhang Tie and realized something. Ever since Zhang Tie had started his cultivation with this mysterious oracular formula chant, his body showed no changes at all. There was no effect; not even a small amount of True Qi could be seen!


    Knowing that he had at least succeeded in forming one strand of True Qi, Han Li regained the confidence he had thrown away earlier. With the remaining amount of time, he furiously tried to cultivate the oracular chant.


    He worked even harder than before, training like a madman.


    Han Li began to use every single second to meditate and cultivate. Even when he was sleeping, he kept his body upright in a meditative position in hopes of having even a slight breakthrough. Of course, this intensive training method could not be maintained for longer than a few days. If he strained himself past his limit, his lack of sleep would make him unable to efficiently cultivate.


    What puzzled Han Li the most was that after Doctor Mo imparted the oracular chant to the two of them, he stopped interacting with them. Even their questions on cultivation had been ignored by him as if he did not even notice their existence.


    Every day, Doctor Mo would bring out the book with the three black characters written on the back cover and study it, staring intently as if the lines of text outlined the image of a beautiful woman and the cover was made of pure gold. At the beginning, Han Li and Zhang Tie thought that Doctor Mo no longer wanted to be a medical doctor but rather was studying bitterly to pass an imperial exam. After the two children learned to read, however, they recognized the three words on the back cover, which read ¡°Scripture of Longevity.¡± Doctor Mo was reading a book about how to cultivate oneself to the point of extending one¡¯s lifespan.


    In that moment, the two children suddenly realized that Doctor Mo wasn¡¯t trying to pass the imperial exam; he was trying to live thousands of years like a river turtle.


    (TL: turtles were thought to be able for live for thousands of years)

 Chapter 8

    Entering the Sect as a Disciple


    After half a year of relentless cultivation, Han Li was finally going to take Doctor Mo¡¯s test.


    Zhang Tie was fidgeting as he stood close to Han Li. His behavior was nothing strange. Zhang Tie had told Han Li that for the past six months, he had made no progress on the oracular chant given to them by Doctor Mo.


    Han Li knew that Zhang Tie¡¯s efforts in cultivating the oracular chant were no less intense than his own. Although Zhang Tie was unlike Han Li, who practiced like a madman, the efforts he expended could still be considered conscientious and diligent!


    Strangely, the oracular chant seemed to be useless to Zhang Tie. No matter how much effort he put in, he wasn¡¯t able to produce even the slightest amount of effects. It seems like Zhang Tie would never successfully cultivate the oracular chant.


    Han Li¡¯s mind was unsettled. He knew that Zhang Tie would probably fail the test. Even though Han Li was slightly successful in learning the oracular chant, he was not stronger than Zhang Tie in any way, so there was a high chance of both of them failing Doctor Mo¡¯s test.


    Fearing the worst, Han Li assiduously cultivated. By the time of the exam, the strange energy flowing in his body had increased by a little. If the energy was as thin as a strand of hair in the past, it was now slightly thicker, resembling a thread of cotton. Even so, this did not reassure Han Li, who feared he might not pass Doctor Mo¡¯s test.


    ¡°Are you guys prepared? Let me take a look at the fruits of your cultivation.¡± Doctor Mo squinted his eyes as he sat and coldly stared at the two of them.


    ¡°We are ready!¡± Han Li and Zhang Tie could only put forth a bold face and agree.


    Doctor Mo, slowly rose from his chair and stood up. He put the book that always seemed to be nearby down on the table.


    ¡°Extend your hand¡±


    ¡°Circulate your Qi for me to see.¡±


    Doctor Mo held Zhang Tie¡¯s right wrist with one hand and placed his other hand on top of Zhang Tie¡¯s Dantian.


    After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Doctor Mo retracted his hands and closely evaluated Zhang Tie.


    Zhang Tie¡¯s face was flushed as he nervously put his hands behind his back, lowering his head and not daring to look Doctor Mo in the eye. He knew Doctor Mo had most certainly discovered that he made no progress in the oracular chant and would probably punish him to teach the two of them a lesson.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    To their surprise, Doctor Mo didn¡¯t even show the slightest indication that he would punish Zhang Tie. Some slight hints of disappointment flashing past Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes were the only reactions Doctor Mo had. After examining Zhang Tie, he turned to Han Li and motioned for him to come closer. He then held Han Li¡¯s wrist and began the inspection.


    ¡°His touch feels just like ice. It doesn¡¯t feel like the touch of a living human,¡± Han Li mused in his mind.


    The skin on Doctor Mo¡¯s hand was dried and full of calluses. As he held Han Li¡¯s hand, Han Li could feel slight waves of sharp pain.


    Perhaps it was because the external interference agitated the energy within Han Li¡¯s body, but the strange flow of energy actually started to circulate by itself. It flowed through his meridians and energy channels, passed all his acupoints from his Dantian to his head, and flowed to his four limbs. It completed a full cycle before flowing back to his Dantian. The moment the strange flow of energy circulated throughout his entire body, Han Li¡¯s pain from Doctor Mo¡¯s touch immediately dissipated.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Doctor Mo involuntarily let out a sound of surprise; it appeared that he had discovered the strange flow of energy in Han Li¡¯s body.


    ¡°Quick, circulate your energy according to that chant that I taught you once again.¡± Although Doctor Mo tried his best to suppressed his elation, traces of madness and excitement still flashed through his eyes, causing Han Li to be secretly alarmed.


    ¡°Slowly, slowly¡­let me take a good look.¡± Doctor Mo added as his usually cold tone of voice became rushed, placing his other hand on Han Li¡¯s Dantian.


    Han Li could feel both of Doctor Mo¡¯s hand tremble slightly. As Han Li circulated the strange energy, Doctor Mo became quite agitated.


    ¡°Not bad! Not bad! This feeling¡­this is the feeling that I wanted. I¡¯m not wrong, I¡¯m not mistaken! Hahaha!¡±


    Doctor Mo, after a thorough examination, could no longer hold back and started laughing maniacally, both his hands tightly clutched on Han Li¡¯s shoulder. Even his normally squinty eyes enlarged as they intensely stared at Han Li. It was as if he had seen a rare and valuable treasure, his eyes flashing with faint traces of madness.


    Han Li¡¯s ears were ringing from Doctor Mo¡¯s unceasing laughter and he felt slight pain on his shoulder. Seeing the madness in Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes, Han Li could not help but feel terror in his heart.


    ¡°Good, very good.¡± From the expression on Han Li¡¯s face, Doctor Mo could tell that he was terrified. Only then did Doctor Mo realize that he had been overeager; thus, he controlled himself and regained his composure.


    ¡°In the future, you must work as hard as you¡¯re working right now. From this day onwards, you will be promoted to my personal disciple.¡± After saying that, Doctor Mo released his tight grip on Han Li¡¯s shoulder and proceeded to pat him in encouragement.


    Doctor Mo regained his usual calm look almost as if his loss of control had never happened. But from his occasional glances at Han Li, one could tell that he was still tremendously excited.


    ¡°As for you¡­¡± Doctor Mo finally shifted his gaze onto Zhang Tie.


    Zhang Tie was thunderstruck by the events that unfolded earlier. Seeing that Doctor Mo shifted the topic of conversation to him, Zhang Tie awoke from his daze with a start.


    Just thinking that he failed the assessment and would be asked to leave the mountain caused traces of bitterness to appear on Zhang Tie¡¯s face as he looked at Doctor Mo.


    ¡°Your talent is questionable. Despite such a long period of time, you still could not produce even a small trace of energy. Accepting you as my personal disciple would be too much of a stretch.¡± Doctor Mo repeatedly shook his head.


    Zhang Tie¡¯s heart fell down to the bottom of an abyss after seeing Doctor Mo shaking his head.


    But suddenly, Doctor Mo seemed to have thought of something interesting, as he gazed at Zhang Tie with a bizarre expression in his eyes.


    ¡°Looking at your bone structure, I may have a suitable technique for you. I just wonder if you are willing to learn from me¡­¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s sudden shift in conversation caught everyone by surprise. It was as if Doctor Mo wanted to allow Zhang Tie to pass the test.


    The moment Zhang Tie heard Doctor Mo, how could he reject the offer? He immediately gave his consent and said that he would be willing to learn from Doctor Mo.


    ¡°Excellent! The two of you can depart first. Tomorrow, I will hand you both new cultivation techniques.¡± It could be seen that Doctor Mo¡¯s current spirits were excellent!


    Han Li and Zhang Tie both looked at each other and felt that today¡¯s test had been full of twists and turns. After all, both of them actually passed, leaving them both satisfied and pleased.

 Chapter 9

    Way of the Armored Elephant


    Looking back, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but give a knowing smile.


    In the half year that Han Li spent with Zhang Tie, because their personalities matched well with each other, the two had naturally become very close friends.


    Han Li slowly stood from his crossed-legged position and rubbed his calves. After sitting in the cross-legged position and meditating for a long time, his legs had become numb, and even some of his bloodstreams felt clogged.


    After kneading them for some time, his legs returned back to their normal state. Standing up, Han Li dusted himself in his usual custom before exiting the stone chamber.


    Turning his head back to look at the stone chamber used for cultivation, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sneer at himself.


    This entire chamber was made of solid granite while the doors were made of a giant piece of crocidolite. If a normal human wanted to break into this room, he or she would need to spend at least three hours hacking at the doors with an enormous axe.


    (TL: crocidolite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riebeckite )


    In the Seven Mysteries Sect, only the Sect Leader, Elders, and Division Heads were allowed to use this type of silent cultivation chamber. Not even Inner Disciples were allowed to use them as they pleased! This cultivation chamber was created for those practicing profound cultivation techniques to guard their practice against any external disruption and in order to prevent qigong deviation. Han Li didn¡¯t know what methods Doctor Mo had used, but the Sect somehow granted him the usage of his own personal cultivation stone chamber, built into the side of the cliff of the God Hand Valley.


    (TL: Qigong deviation is when cultivation goes awry.)


    After the cultivation chamber was built, Doctor Mo had assigned it for Han Li¡¯s sole use. Seeing such a gift, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel humbled by Doctor Mo¡¯s benevolence.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s treatment of Han Li was perhaps too good to be true. Ever since Han Li had become his official apprentice, Doctor Mo had personally dipped into his own supply of herbs for Han Li to consume. Not only that, Doctor Mo also created an unknown medicinal bath for him to soak his body in. Han Li didn¡¯t know what types of herbs were being used, but as he watched Doctor carefully refine those herbs, his normally impassive face revealed a hint of reluctance. Even Han Li could figure out that these herbs were extremely valuable.


    Clearly, these benefits were extremely useful to him, causing Han Li¡¯s cultivation speed to increase severalfold. Han Li had recently succeeded in mastering the first layer of the mysterious formula chant imparted to him by Doctor Mo.


    During his process of breaking through, his meridians had nearly ruptured several times and he had suffered from some moderate internal injuries. But thanks to Doctor Mo¡¯s expertise in the healing arts, the injuries to his meridians were easily repaired, and with the aid of the medicinal herbs, Han Li did not suffer from any serious, permanent damage.


    Every time Han Li was even slightly injured, Doctor Mo would become even more worried than Han Li himself. This worry manifested itself the entire time he treated Han Li, making Doctor Mo very tense. It was only when Han Li¡¯s injuries began recovering that he let out a sigh of relief.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s concern went far beyond that of a normal relationship between master and disciple and caused Han Li to feel a little uneasy about the situation. If it were not for his Third Uncle or the fact that no one ever walked out from these valleys, Han Li would have thought that Doctor Mo was actually his long lost relative based on the attention that he had been showing to Han Li.


    (TL: the author did not make it clear how Han Li¡¯s Third Uncle prevented him from thinking this)


    Walking out of the cultivation chamber, Han Li lazily stretched his body and walked away from the cliff. After he had become an official disciple, Han Li and Zhang Tie moved from their original quarters into their own personal house.


    As he passed by Zhang Tie¡¯s room, Han Li shot a glance inside.


    As it turns out, Zhang Tie wasn¡¯t inside. Han Li thought that he was probably by the Crimson Water Peak¡¯s waterfall, cultivating his new martial arts technique.


    After the examination, Doctor Mo instructed Han Li to continue practicing the oracular formula chant and refused to teach him any martial arts. However, in an attempt to pacify Han Li, Doctor Mo personally instructed Han Li in the art of healing without holding anything back. Whenever Han Li had a question about medicine, Doctor Mo would answer right away, even going as far as allowing Han Li to look through the various books in Doctor Mo¡¯s library to find an answer to his question.


    As for Zhang Tie, Doctor Mo fulfilled his previous promise and imparted a set of martial arts to him.


    The martial arts Zhang Tie practiced was extremely peculiar. According to Doctor Mo, it was an extremely obscure branch of martial arts named the ¡°Way of the Armored Elephant¡±. Even the name of this particular martial art was rarely heard of, let alone the existence of practitioners who actually cultivated it.


    It differed from the martial arts of regular practitioners in Jiang Hu. Generally, the progression of cultivation for normal martial arts ranged from easy to difficult. As the level increased, so would the difficulty. Thus, the higher the level, the more effort it would take for one to achieve a breakthrough. Zhang Tie¡¯s particular martial art style was divided into nine layers, with the initial three layers being the easiest to cultivate, following the same principle as normal martial arts. However, starting from the fourth layer, the difficulty of breaking through was increased to a monstrous level in addition to suffering the excruciating backlash caused by practicing the Way of the Armored Elephant. Many cultivators of this set of martial arts could not bear such excruciating pain and would stop their progression at the fourth level. Not to mention the 5th level nor the 6th level, the excruciating pain would only increase with each level!


    (TL: Jiang Hu= World of Martial Artists)


    After breaking through from the sixth layer into the seventh, there would be no further bottlenecks, and cultivation would be much smoother. The only drawback was that the cultivator would need to suffer from monthly bouts of intense pain.


    This intimidated many people who desired to cultivate the Way of the Armored Elephant. This particular branch of martial arts was slowly dying out.


    This martial arts style was very peculiar. When it reached a high enough level, its strength would become truly astounding. It was said that those who reached the ninth layer had bodies as tough as gemstones. They were impervious to all weapons, even fire and water! Even palms strike, fist techniques, and legendary swords and sabers wouldn¡¯t be able to injure them.


    But what made people most envious was that after cultivating this branch of martial art, practitioners would gain the tremendous strength of an elephant. After reaching a high enough level, their strength would be limitless. They were capable of catching live wolves and ripping tigers apart, as well as other unparalleled feats.


    Those who had heard of this style both feared and adored it. Other than the creator of this martial art, there was no other individual who had managed to cultivate it to the ninth layer. Legend has it that the creator of this martial art was born without the sense of pain! That was the reason why he was able to create such a perverse martial art and execute it to its greatest potential.


    Although Doctor Mo had explained the benefits and consequences in its entirety to Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie had no concerns about the harm it could bring to his body. He coveted the strength the Way of the Armored Elephant could bring him and promised right away to cultivate in this style of martial arts. Without even looking for another style suitable to him, Zhang Tie had already reached the peak of the first layer in two months.


    In order to break through the first layer of the Way of the Armored Elephant, Doctor Mo had suggested that every afternoon, Zhang Tie should go to the Crimson Water Peak¡¯s waterfall and cultivate under the impact of the surging waters.


    According to Zhang Tie, this method really did have a godly effect. The difference between the peak of the first layer to the second layer was only paper thin, and as long as he worked a little harder, he would break through the bottleneck with relative ease!

 Chapter 10

    Mysterious Bottle


    Han Li slowly followed the path from the God Hand Valley out of force of habit. His steps automatically carried him towards the Crimson Water Peak.


    He did not have anything important to do at the moment, and as such, he followed his normal schedule and visited Zhang Tie, who was training at the Crimson Water Peak. Zhang Tie grimaced in pain, allowing the impact of the waterfall to temper his body as he cultivated the Way of the Armored Elephant.


    Not everyone could withstand the torturous pain from cultivating this particular martial arts. Even the first layer already required one to suffer excruciating pain. To reach the ninth layer, wouldn¡¯t it require one to cultivate to the point of insanity, losing their skin in the process?


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder if Zhang Tie already regrets his previous decision. The excruciating torture one had to endure to practice the Way of the Armored Elephant is impossible to imagine,¡± Han Li thought as he walked, carelessly kicking the fallen leaves and branches that were blocking his way.


    ¡°Maybe after a few more days, the two of us will go and beg Doctor Mo for another martial arts skill for Zhang Tie so that he won¡¯t need to suffer from excruciating pain each time he practices.¡± Having absorbed himself in thought trying to think of methods to allow Zhang Tie to escape from this torturous path of practice, Han Li slowly roused himself to look at his surroundings.


    Han Li tilted his head as he gazed at the line of trees by his side. Currently, the year was approaching the late stages of autumn. The trees¡¯ branches were all naked and devoid of leaves. Piles of sticks and dead leaves layered the small paths. Walking on them felt like walking on cotton. Han Li found this experience extremely comfortable.


    In that moment, the sounds of weapons clashing drifted over from a nearby mountain peak, as well as the many loud cheers.


    After hearing the noises, Han Li glanced in the direction of the mountain peak, annoyed that his good mood had been disturbed.


    The noise came from disciples of the Hundred Forge Division. They were training the disciples selected to join their division in the various arts of weaponry.


    Everytime Han Li saw other sect members gathering and undergoing their training sessions, slight hints of jealousy surfaced in his heart. He wanted to wield a real weapon and demonstrate his skills as well. What a waste! After he officially became a disciple under Doctor Mo, he had been strongly forbidden from practicing such things. Doctor Mo strongly emphasized that Han Li was to devote all of his time to the nameless oracular chant.


    Therefore, Han Li could only stare with wide and envious eyes. Occasionally, to scratch his itch, he would borrow a few weapons from some of the other sect members he was on good terms with and practice with them.


    How truly useful was it to cultivate the mysterious chant? Up until now, Han Li had not seen any positive effects of his constant cultivation. Other disciples had already strengthened their body and mastered impressive martial art techniques. If the path of martial arts was compared to a marathon, Han Li was certain that he had remained at the starting point and hadn¡¯t advanced in the least.


    Even Zhang Tie, who had cultivated for two months, had some beneficial changes to show for his efforts. His skin and muscles had become tougher, and his level of strength was also noticeably higher than before.


    However, if Doctor Mo had not accepted Zhang Tie as an Unofficial Disciple, he would not have passed the Unofficial Disciple Test two months ago. If he had not passed the test, then staying on the mountain would be impossible, let alone sending money back home!


    If Zhang Tie was unable to cultivate another branch of martial arts, his path would be forever sealed.


    On one hand, Han Li was grumbling about the unfairness of their situation. On the other hand, he was reassuring himself that since he passed Doctor Mo¡¯s test, he would not be kicked out of the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    Han Li retracted his gaze from the other sect members, but he continued to think about Doctor Mo¡¯s irritating commands. Distracted and in low spirits, he gazed at the two lines of trees alongside the road as pangs of dejection struck him.


    All of a sudden, Han Li sucked in a mouthful of cool air, his facial expression turning ugly. Out of reflex, he squatted down and used both his hands to tightly clamp on the big toe of his right foot, doubling over in the grass. A sudden, painful flare-up had caught Han Li unaware. His face became a pale white as waves of fiery pain assailed his right foot.


    Evidently, Han Li had accidentally kicked against an extremely hard object hidden in the piles of leaves.


    Han Li arched his body and used both of his hands to wrap around his foot. After he lowered his head and removed his shoes, he began to blow heavily on his injured toe; while his brain flooded with pain, he was worried that his swollen toe might have been injured to an extent that would impact his day-to-day activities


    After a long moment, Han Li craned his neck and peered downwards to that pile of leaves, trying to find the ungodly, dastardly stone that caused him to be injured.


    Haphazardly lying about, the fallen leaves were all the same reddish-yellow color. They obscured him from finding the target he sought.


    Han Li wrinkled his forehead and surveyed the ground before finding a slightly long and thick tree branch. Holding the branch, he stood up carefully.


    Unwilling to give up, Han Li used the branch in his hands and continued to probe piles of leaves.


    Ai! He spotted an object the size of a fist.


    Han Li paused momentarily and considered the object in front of him. The culprit, the sinful object that caused injury to his great self, actually had the shape of an elongated bottle. The surface of it was stained with mud, and its original color was impossible to discern. Overall, it looked extremely commonplace.


    Initially, Han Li thought that this was an ordinary little bottle, but in his hands, the bottle was extraordinary heavy, its weight vastly different from that of a normal porcelain bottle.


    Could this bottle be made of gold? No wonder it caused so much pain when he kicked it. but.. bottles made of gold were rarely seen¡­


    Made of gold¡­.? Han Li¡¯s interest in this bottle peaked as he temporarily forgot about the waves of pain arising from his toe.


    As Han Li wiped off the excess layer of mud, the original color of the bottle began to unveil itself. The bottle emanated a shiny green glow, and there were intricate black green leaf patterns engraved on its surface. At the head of the bottle, there was a bottle cap that tightly sealed the mouth of the bottle.


    Hmm, could the interior be hiding something precious? Han Li placed the bottle close to his ear and gently shook the bottle, but he didn¡¯t feel any movements from the inside of the bottle.


    Unwilling to give up, Han Li placed his hands on the cap of the bottle and tried to pry it open. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was to no avail.


    Curiosity was burning in his heart, and just when he was about to use another method to open it, the pain from his foot suddenly flared up again.


    Damn! He had forgotten that the toe of his right leg had been injured after coming into contact with the porcelain bottle.


    Looking at his injury, it seemed he could not visit Zhang Tie today. Han Li decided to return to his residence and apply some medicine on his injured toe before taking his time to figure out the secrets this mysterious bottle was holding.


    In order to keep the bottle from being spotted by others, Han Li stashed it inside his robes regardless of how dirty the bottle was. Turning back, he limped step by step back to his home.

 Chapter 11

    Difficult to Open Bottle


    Han Li didn¡¯t meet many people on the way back except for a few senior disciples who were curious at why Han Li was limping his way back. But because he didn¡¯t say anything, they didn¡¯t pay much attention to him.


    As he returned back to his room, the pain in his toe got increasingly unbearable. Han Li sat on his bed and took off his shoes to examine his injury.


    The swelling was incredible! His right toe had an impressive bulge on it, while the cuticle on his toe turned blood red and resembled a big chili.


    Han Li quickly took out a bottle of herbs from beneath his pillow. Concocted meticulously by Doctor Mo, this medicine sped up blood clotting to an astonishing degree. Doctor Mo didn¡¯t easily give away medicine of this caliber. It was originally meant for Zhang Tie, who would inevitably suffer an injury while practicing the Way of the Armored Elephant. Han Li didn¡¯t think that he would be the first to use the medicine.


    Opening the medicinal bottle, a strong herbal fragrance filled the room. He applied a small amount on his injury and immediately felt a relaxing sensation. Just as Doctor Mo had said, it had an immediate effect; Elder Mo¡¯s medicine was truly amazing!


    Han Li took a clean cloth and wrapped up his foot before putting his shoes back on.


    Excellent! The pain was slowly subsiding.


    He began to take small steps, as if testing his pain threshold, nodding in satisfaction as he felt that moving was easier than before.


    Now, it was time to solve the enigma posed by the mysterious bottle that had caused such an injury to him.


    Han Li took out the bottle from his robes and wiped it clean to restore its natural luster.


    This bottle wasn¡¯t all that big, and a single hand could wrap around the entire length of its neck. It was actually smaller than the bottle that contained Doctor Mo¡¯s medicine. The bottle had a shiny green luster and was engraved with a dark green leaf pattern that seemed almost alive. When Han Li felt the contours of the designs on the surface of the bottle, it was almost as if there were actual leaves embedded onto the bottle itself.


    Weighing the bottle in his hand, Han Li had no idea what type of metal was used to make this bottle, or if it was even porcelain. The bottle didn¡¯t have a cold, metallic feeling to it, nor did it have the gloss of porcelain.


    Han Li had observed the bottle for a good while, and the only thing he could be certain of was that he didn¡¯t know what material was used to make it. The shade of green seemed intrinsically part of the material itself, not a color that was added after it was made.


    Seeing how tightly the bottle was sealed, Han Li naturally became curious. Eyeing the bottle, he strongly desired to see whether or not there was something inside.


    Once more using his strength, he tried to pry open the cap of the bottle.


    One try, two tries, three tries¡­It was as if the cap of the bottle was fused into the neck. It was almost as if it was refusing to move.


    Han Li was astounded; back when he first picked up the bottle, due to waves of pain assailing him, he couldn¡¯t use his full strength to open it and didn¡¯t realize how stubborn the bottle was. But now that Han Li had finished tending to his foot and was using his full strength, he was surprised that he could still not pry open the bottle.


    Han Li tried to twist the lid once more until his arms began to ache, but there was still no success, so he had no choice but to stop.


    He stretched and loosened his arms, moving his wrist about. Just now, he had expended a large amount of energy to open the bottle, and his efforts had strained his wrist.


    Holding the bottle under his eye, he began to inspect it even closer. Unfortunately, there was no secret mechanism under the lid that would allow him to easily open it.


    This made Han Li frustrated. He wasn¡¯t able to open the bottle, so how would he know if there was something inside or not? If it was sealed up this tightly, then there was definitely something precious inside.


    Han Li held the bottle tightly in his hand, looking at it with a vacant look. In the end, he had decided that he would let Zhang Tie, who was many times stronger than him, give it a try and see if he could open it. He knew that the current Zhang Tie could easily lift over 10 buckets of water up and down the mountains as if it was nothing. These days, it was Zhang Tie who refilled the water in the huge water tank every day.


    After he decided, Han Li headed towards Zhang Tie¡¯s place, hoping that he would return soon.


    Waiting for someone was truly unpleasant; Han Li felt that time was passing by extremely slowly. Finally, after waiting for a long time, a creaking sound was heard as Zhang Tie pushed open the door.


    Looking up, Han Li saw that Zhang Tie was wearing only a thin piece of clothing. His entire body was steaming as he perspired freely. Han Li knew that this was the result of his cultivation, so he didn¡¯t find it strange.


    Seeing as Han Li was already in his house waiting for him, Zhang Tie was stunned. But before Zhang Tie could say anything, Han Li impatiently thrust the bottle towards him.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, please lend me your assistance and help me open this bottle.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find this? It looks rather nice!¡± Zhang Tie remarked as he took the bottle.


    Zi! Zi! Zi! [TL Note: Sound of twisting bottle]


    ¡°Ai! This bottle is so tightly sealed. It¡¯s so hard to pry it open! What was used to make this?¡± Zhang Tie cut straight to the chase: he wasn¡¯t able to open the bottle either.


    ¡°Gah! I can¡¯t do it; this bottle won¡¯t open! Why don¡¯t you find a senior disciple to help you?¡± Zhang Tie shook his head apologetically and handed the bottle back to Han Li along with the suggestion.


    ¡°Even you can¡¯t open this?¡± Han Li was getting more anxious and couldn¡¯t help but pace around the room.


    ¡°Ai! What happened to your leg?¡± Zhang Tie inquired as he noticed Han Li¡¯s foot.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing; I kicked a rock on the road.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t know why but he didn¡¯t want to tell Zhang Tie about his surprise encounter with the bottle just yet. Right now, he wanted to keep the bottle his own personal secret.


    Han Li was feeling very disappointed in his heart. He didn¡¯t want to sit around and chat with Zhang Tie at the moment, and after briefly asking about how his cultivation was progressing, Han Li immediately left the room and returned back to his own place to think of a way to resolve his personal problem.


    Returning back to his room, Han Li put the bottle on the table and stared intensely at it. At the same time, his mind was trying to think of solutions to open the mysterious bottle.

 Chapter 12

    Breaking the Bottle


    Peng!


    Han Li tightly grasped the bottle with his hands, and with anger in his eyes, used his entire strength to smash the bottle against the table.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t use my own body¡¯s strength, then I shall use other means to break it open,¡± decided Han Li after thinking of numerous ways to open the vexing bottle.


    Han Li had long since figured out that using brute strength and violence was not a solution.


    This type of method, although simplistic and crude, was usually the most effective.


    But the moment he thought of that beautiful bottle with its mysterious and intricate designs being smashed into smithereens, Han Li could feel a dull ache in his heart pulling him back, causing him to be extremely unwilling to let go of such a beautiful treasure. If there were any other methods to open the mysterious bottle, Han Li would choose those instead of using brute force.


    If he asked the other senior disciples for help, they might be able to open it, but Han Li had unknowingly started to treat the mysterious bottle as a treasured item and was extremely reluctant to let others know of its existence.


    The current Han Li was almost driven to insanity by his curiosity regarding the mysterious bottle. Although he knew that it might just be an empty bottle, he was still willing to bet that the bottle was protecting something precious!


    The more he was unable to open the bottle, the more his curiosity grew.


    If he couldn¡¯t solve the mystery inside the bottle, then he would never be able to sleep well at night.


    After he decided on his course of action, Han Li stealthily sneaked in a tool shed, selected a small iron hammer from the multitude of tools lying about there, and brought the hammer back to his residence. (TL: I know this might be confusing. Wielding a hammer requires body strength, and Han Li previously said he wasn¡¯t going to rely on his body¡¯s strength. However, wielding a tool is viewed differently from using one¡¯s own strength because it adds a certain mechanical advantage that can accomplish what the body is unable to do)


    Back in his house, Han Li pried half a brick from a corner in his room and placed the bottle on top of the brick.


    Han Li raised the hammer with his right hand, and swiftly smashed down onto the bottle¡¯s body!


    Peng!


    Afraid of using too much strength and accidentally smashing whatever was inside, Han Li used only a fraction of his strength in order to test the bottle¡¯s hardness.


    Only after inspecting the bottle and finding that it was undamaged did Han Li relax. He started increasing the amount of strength he used in each strike.


    Peng! 50% strength.


    Peng! 70% strength.


    Peng! 100% strength.


    Peng! 120% strength.


    Han Li exerted more and more of his strength into each hammer blow. As the motions of his arms got more and more frantic, the speed of the blows grew faster and faster. Even after he had cracked the brick underneath, the bottle laid there innocently without a single scratch on its surface.


    Han Li was dumbstruck, unable to comprehend the hardness of the bottle. Using his hands to feel its surface, there were no traces of damage. That glossy green surface remained unblemished without any signs of Han Li¡¯s furious attempts.


    This was completely beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations!


    Han Li was absolutely certain now that this bottle was made from an unusual material. There was a 90% possibility that this item was lost by someone of a high status. The owner may have already sent people to comb the mountainside in search for this mysterious object. If Han Li wanted to keep it, he had to be sure to hide it in an extremely secretive location and not let others know of its existence.


    In his heart, Han Li followed the philosophy of ¡°finders, keepers, losers, weepers.¡± As long as one did not obtain the item by stealing or robbing, to Han Li, the item obtained was his by right. If it was some ordinary item, Han Li might have been willing to return it back to the owner, but this mysterious bottle? Not a chance! Looking at the bottle, he surmised that this item had most likely been misplaced by either some rich kid from a big family or someone with a high status. Sadly, Han Li did not have any good impression of people from both of these categories.


    Since childhood, Han Li was from an extremely poor family. Despite working very hard and living like dogs, they were often unable to afford to have a full meal. In the Seven Mysteries Sect, there were two types of people. The first type were those who threw their money about, wasting it on decadent luxury. They treated money as if it were water, spending it freely and without concern. Every time Han Li saw this, an uncomfortable feeling of rage would rise in his heart. The second type of people were those who looked down on the disciples who were born in rural villages. They would often abuse the less fortunate with scathing words and malicious actions. If there so happened to be any conflict between them and the villagers, however small the conflict was, the second type of person would usually form into groups and beat up the poorer kids. Han Li himself had his fair share of abuse. He had been beaten up by the rich kids until his face was swollen and he was unable to get up from bed. Han Li had to rest for a few weeks in order to fully recover.


    As for those within the sect that possessed both money and status, Han Li also did not have good impressions of them. A good example was Protector Wang. Despite accepting his Third Uncle¡¯s bribes, Protector Wang did nothing to aid Han Li when he was taking the test. Instead, Protector Wang had been biased towards Wu Yan. Despite the fact that Han Li did not have the chance to see many of the grand figures residing in the sect, their image had long been tarnished by the actions of Protector Wang.


    Whenever these two types of people lost their belongings, Han Li had no intentions of returning the items. He would even prank them by hiding the items in obscure locations.


    After thinking of this, Han Li decided to remove the pouch which always hung upon his neck. His mother had personally sewn the pouch out of water-resistant leather. Inside the pouch was a good luck charm made from the tooth of a wild boar. His mother hoped this would protect him from danger and illnesses.


    Han Li open his pouch and hid the mysterious bottle alongside his good luck charm. He then swiftly sealed the pouch and placed it around his neck.


    After doing so, he surveyed his surroundings; luckily, there was no one who had seen him or the mysterious bottle.


    After taking so many precautions, Han Li felt more secure and threw away all of his concerns that the owner would discover the object and take it from him.


    Han Li stealthily replaced the hammer in the tool shed and casually walked back to God Hand Valley. As he limped back to his residence, night had fallen.

 Chapter 13

    Strange Phenomena


    Because Han Li¡¯s leg was injured, Zhang Tie personally delivered the food to Han Li¡¯s house and accompanied him for dinner.


    Looking at the clumsy Zhang Tie in his house, moving the chairs and setting the table, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but find it funny. Zhang Tie¡¯s care caused traces of warmth to enter his heart.


    After the table was set, both of them joked around as they ate, pushing food in their mouths while asking about their individual cultivation progress.


    The moment Han Li brought up the Way of the Armored Elephant, Zhang Tie sighed dejectedly.


    Currently, Zhang Tie had only managed to cultivate the martial skill to its first layer but was already half tortured to death by the immense pain. He had to soak himself in foul-smelling herbal baths every night as well as suffer beatings from Doctor Mo designed to toughen his body and strengthen his bones.


    This method of boorish cultivation had caused Zhang Tie many sleepless nights. Because his entire body was swollen from the beatings, the moment his skin touched his bed, he would grit his teeth in pain.


    To him, cultivating the Way of the Armored Elephant was nothing but a nightmare.


    With regards to Han Li¡¯s cultivation of the nameless oracular chant, Zhang Tie could not help but feel envy in his heart.


    He felt that Han Li only needed to spend his time peacefully in meditation like a monk. Hearing Zhang Tie¡¯s emotions, Han Li had nothing to say in his defense. He was also aware that his cultivation was much easier when compared to Zhang Tie¡¯s arduous labor.


    Han Li could somewhat understand Zhang Tie¡¯s fear towards the Way of the Armored Elephant. As he progressed through the nine layers of the Way of the Armored Elephant, he would have to bear unimaginable pain.


    Despite the difficulty, Zhang Tie had persisted, refusing to give up. Han Li could not help but admire and respect Zhang Tie for his unyielding personality.


    If Han Li were in Zhang Tie¡¯s shoes, he would never have chosen to practice such a domineering skill. Even if the skill could turn him into a world-shaking expert overnight, he would still reject it.


    The two of them had almost finished dinner as they were talking excitedly about martial arts. Once the meal was over, Zhang Tie cleared the bowls and bid his farewell. Before leaving, he still reminded Han Li to take care of his injured foot and to go to sleep early.


    Standing at the door, Han Li watched as Zhang Tie left and quickly returned back to his house, closing all the windows except for a slight opening in the skylight to allow some air to flow through before taking out the mysterious bottle from his leather pouch.


    Han Li was only a ten year-old child with a short attention span. After studying the bottle for a short period of time, he quickly got bored. With his foot injury, Han Li also felt somewhat tired out by today¡¯s turn of events. Unknowingly, he fell asleep on his bed with his hand holding onto the bottle.


    Time passed by. Just when Han Li was sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt an icy cool feeling flowing from his hand.


    Han Li involuntarily shivered, and he forcefully opened his heavy eyelids, gazing at his hand in a daze.


    ¡°Oh!¡± He immediately sat up with his mouth open from shock, to such an extent that saliva dripped down from his gaping mouth. He no longer felt sleepy; instead, his attention was fixed on the strange sight in front of him.


    Rays of white light could be seen beaming through the gap from the skylight. The beams concentrated around the bottle Han Li held in his hand, forming many rice-sized white dots of light on the surface of the bottle. It gave the impression that the bottle was enveloped by the rays of white light.


    The rays of light looked extremely gentle, not menacing at all, and that icy cool feeling originated precisely from the rays of light!


    Han Li swallowed a big gulp of saliva and finally turned his eyes away from the bottle. As if it burned his hand, he quickly threw the bottle to one side before scrambling to the other side of the room.


    After a moment of vigilance, he realized that nothing was wrong and slowly inched towards the mysterious bottle.


    The mysterious bottle enveloped by the white light, other than looking beautiful, seemed to possess an aura that was not of this world.


    Han Li hesitated for awhile before using his finger to poke the bottle a few times. Seeing there was no reaction, he cautiously picked up the bottle again. Putting the bottle on the table, he laid on the nearby bed and closely examined this never-before-seen phenomenon.


    Han Li focused his full attention on the mysterious bottle for about an hour and a half without even blinking before he finally realized some of the secrets that the mysterious bottle was hiding.


    The mysterious bottle was incessantly absorbing the rice-sized beads of white light surrounding it. No, not simply absorbing; it was as if the beads of white light had a will of their own and were fighting with each other in order to be the first to enter the bottle.


    Han Li viewed this extremely bizarre event and used his fingertip to touch a bead of white light.


    It felt icy cold! Other than this, there was nothing special about it.


    Han Li inclined his head and looked upward.


    The rays of white light were still beaming through the gap in the skylight as if they had no intention of stopping.


    Han Li surveyed the interior of his room to make sure the doors and windows were all closed before inclining his head to look at the skylight once more.


    Han Li was suddenly hit by a thought. He lightly pushed open the door, popped his head out and peek at his surroundings.


    Luckily, it was the middle of the night; other than insects, there was no one else.


    Han Li returned back to his room, grabbing the bottle and putting it back inside the pouch before hurrying outside again.


    He ran towards a remote location before stopping.


    Surveying all four directions and ensuring there was no one nearby, Han Li cautiously removed the bottle from his pouch and placed it gently on the ground.


    While the mysterious bottle had been sealed in his pouch, the white rays of light had disappeared.


    However, Han Li was not worried.


    As he expected, after waiting for a while, rays of white light began congregating around the bottle from all four directions. This time round, the rays were much denser than the rays produced in his house. They tightly enveloped the mysterious bottle in a shroud of white light, forming a ball of light the size of a human head.

 Chapter 14

    Mysterious Liquid


    ¡°Ah!¡± Han Li cried out with excitement and pumped his fist into the air.


    By doing so, he revealed that he was indeed still a child.


    His assumption seemed to be correct; when the bottle was in the dark room, the amount of light attracted to it was quite small. But when in a wide and open area, the amount of light attracted to it was far greater in quantity.


    But what caused the light to gather? What use did it serve? Although he didn¡¯t know the answer, Han Li felt he was close to solving the riddle behind the mysterious bottle.


    Han Li knew that he would soon unravel the secret of the mysterious bottle, which made him tremendously excited.


    At dawn, the light that had gathered around the bottle slowly faded away.


    After making sure that there was no one nearby observing his actions, Han Li returned his attention to the bottle¡¯s status.


    Then, he bent down to pick the bottle and inspected it.


    However, there seemed to be no difference since it was still impossible to open!


    Han Li felt disappointed, but seeing how morning was arriving, he unwillingly put away the bottle and prepared to leave.


    After all, he still wanted to return to the stone chamber to practice his cultivation.


    For the next following nights at fixed intervals, the bottle would undergo the same experience. Countless specks of light would fly towards the bottle like moths to a flame. No matter how big or small the specks of light were, they were greedily devoured by the bottle.


    Initially, Han Li thought that the bottle would continue to undergo the same process for an unknown amount of time, but on the 8th day, something unexpected happened.


    Han Li went back to the remote place in the mountains and placed the bottle in its regular spot. The absorbance of the specks of light continued for half an hour when all of a sudden, the bottle stopped absorbing. The dark green designs on the bottle began to emit a green radiance as golden words manifested on the surface of the bottle. The strange words on the bottle were imposing and firm, but the written strokes were unusual. The words seemed to belong to an ancient era, the characters flickering incessantly.


    But this weird occurrence had ended as suddenly as it began. Aside from the golden words that were now imprinted onto the bottle, everything else remained the same.


    After seeing so many strange things happening with the bottle in the past few days, Han Li was no longer as surprised as he had been in the past. Even the appearance of the golden words did not surprise him very much.


    Casually grasping the bottle in his hand, he tried to open the bottle on a whim.


    And much to his extreme surprise, the lid popped off with barely any effort.


    ¡®No way!¡¯ Han Li stared at the bottle in shock.


    With next to no effort or thought, Han Li¡¯s problem regarding how to open the bottle had been suddenly resolved. How could it be so easy to open?!


    Repeatedly looking down at the bottle to confirm that what he was looking at was not fake, he tried to calm his agitated heart before looking straight into the bottle.


    Inside the bottle was a jade green drop of liquid no bigger than a soybean. As it flowed around inside the bottle, the entire inside of the bottle reflected a green luster.


    What was this drop of liquid?


    Han Li was disappointed; he had put in so much effort only to be rewarded with some seemingly mundane liquid.


    Disappointed, Han Li put the bottle back into his pouch before turning around and dejectedly returning to his room. His previous excitement had been thrown to the farthest corners of the earth in a sudden rollercoaster of emotions.


    Although he had finally opened the bottle, he was absolutely disappointed with the result.


    Han Li was prepared to take his time to discover what secrets that drop of jade green liquid held. Perhaps in the future, it would be able to give him an unexpected surprise!


    Right now, what he wanted to do most was to go back and sleep. For the past few days, he had not been able to sleep properly, which even cut into his daytime cultivation, making his progress so inefficient to the point where even Doctor Mo had inquired him about it.


    Ever since Han Li had become Doctor Mo¡¯s disciple after breaking through the first layer of the chant, he felt that there was no longer a need to practice the chant. Disappointed by the chant¡¯s effects on his body, or lack thereof, he was unwilling to continue relying on it to cultivate.


    For that, Doctor Mo fiercely reprimanded him.


    As a result, Han Li was unenthusiastic and without spirit every time he cultivated.


    Seeing this, Doctor Mo became desperate and angry, beginning to doubt his choice in a disciple.


    Thinking about his situation, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel wronged. However, he was just not in the mood for cultivation.


    But what Han Li couldn¡¯t imagine was that, after waking up on the second day, he was once again motivated and threw his entire body into cultivating like a madman.


    The reason for him to cultivate in such a manner was simply because of a single, simple statement Doctor Mo had made.


    ¡°For every single layer you improve with this chant, I will increase the amount of silver issued to you by another fold.¡± Doctor Mo had seen the thirst Han Li had for money and figured out a way for Han Li to be enticed. This way, Han Li motivated would have enough motivation to cultivate.


    For the next few days, Han Li dedicated himself to cultivation, hoping to break through to the second layer.


    Every day from morning to noon and from noon to night, he would enter the stone cultivation chamber and cultivate. Any thoughts about how repetitious, mundane, or boring this lifestyle was immediately got thrown out of Han Li¡¯s head.


    For the sake of Han Li¡¯s cultivation, Doctor Mo had even temporarily sealed off the God Hand Valley. Even when he treated patients, he would treat them outside the valley for fear of disrupting Han Li.


    Han Li was now so focused on breaking through that he even forgot about analyzing the effects of the bottle¡¯s jade green liquid.


    Autumn went by as winter came, then spring rolled in before summer arrived.


    In a flash, four years had gone by¡­ Han Li was now 14 years old.


    He grew up to be a taciturn, determined and tan-skinned rustic youngster. Based on his external appearance alone, he looked no different than any other common peasant farmer. His looks did not warrant any attention; he was not extraordinarily handsome, and neither did he have a noble¡¯s elegance.


    This was the result of living in the stone cultivation chamber every day. He would travel back and from there to his home. Occasionally, he would go to Doctor Mo¡¯s residence to learn about medicine and to read from Doctor Mo¡¯s collection of books. The entire valley was his world to live in, and thanks to his hard work, he had finally broken through to the third layer!

 Chapter 15

    Four Years Later


    Doctor Mo was extremely satisfied with the amount of effort Han Li dedicated to his cultivation.


    However, he still felt that Han Li¡¯s rate of progress at breaking through to the next layer in the oracular chant was too slow.


    These past few years, the illness Doctor Mo was suffering from had been getting more serious. He would cough countless times a day, with the bouts of coughing getting more and more frequent while lasting longer and longer.


    As the condition of his body worsened, Doctor Mo started to pay more attention to Han Li¡¯s cultivation. From his relentless urging, one could see the anxiety in his heart.


    For some reason, Doctor Mo attached enormous importance to Han Li. Not only did he increase payment in terms of silver, Doctor Mo¡¯s gaze was even filled with the tender emotion as if he were examining a rare treasure.


    Despite this, Han Li, who had reached the third layer in the oracular chant, noticed an underlying truth with his extremely acute senses. Han Li inadvertently discovered that behind Doctor Mo¡¯s warm and friendly gaze hid a trace of coldness and extreme greed, which made Han Li feel uncomfortable


    That gaze that Doctor Mo threw at him actually caused Han Li to be frightened from the tips of his hair all the way to the marrow in his bones. He felt that Doctor Mo saw him more as an object instead of as a living being.


    This made Han Li felt puzzled. What could he possibly have that Doctor Mo desired?


    ¡°Of course, there was nothing I have that he would be interested in,¡± Han Li assured himself after thinking deeply.


    There were even times when Han Li thought that he was overly tired from cultivating the nameless chant, but he would shake his head in shame. He could not help but blame himself; after all, berating Doctor Mo behind his back was an ungrateful act.


    However, he did know the exact reason why, in the deepest recesses of his heart, he still held a feeling of caution whenever he interacted with Doctor Mo. As time passed, this feeling of caution got stronger and stronger.


    Currently, there was a huge problem facing Han Li. He had already reached the bottleneck of the third layer, but Doctor Mo¡¯s stock of precious herbs had already run dry.


    Obviously, Han Li was not a genius by any means. If it was not for the assistance of the medicinal herbs, his cultivation progress would have long stagnated.


    Every time he met Doctor Mo, Han Li could not help but to feel a sense of shame.


    Doctor Mo had practically spent all of his fortunes to painstakingly aid Han Li in his cultivation, creating favorable conditions for Han Li, and yet¡­ Han Li was unable to satisfy his request.


    This made Han Li extremely unwilling to meet Doctor Mo¡¯s gaze whenever there was an inquiry by Doctor Mo regarding his state of progress.


    Strangely enough, for God knows what reason, the highly skilled Doctor Mo was unable to know Han Li¡¯s progress without being told by Han Li. Thus, he was kept in the dark regarding the problem of Han Li¡¯s bottleneck.


    However, not long ago, the guilt in Han Li¡¯s heart caused him to seek out Doctor Mo and confess about the bottleneck he faced in his cultivation.


    After Doctor Mo heard that in the past year, there had not been the slightest progress in Han Li¡¯s cultivation, his normally expressionless face became extremely unsightly.


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, Doctor Mo did not rebuke him. Instead, he told Han Li that he would be gone from the valley for a period of time to gather the necessary herbs and reminded Han Li to continue devoting his efforts into cultivating the oracular chant.


    Two days later, Doctor Mo brought along a case filled with tools needed to extract herbs and left the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    After he left, Han Li was all alone in the God Hand Valley.


    As for his good friend, Zhang Tie, he had already cultivated to the third layer of the ¡°Way of the Armored Elephant¡± two years ago and had disappeared without a trace. Zhang Tie only left a letter of farewell, stating that he wanted to explore Jiang Hu. This incident caused a great disturbance in the sect. After that, there were rumors that Zhang Tie¡¯s family was spared from punishment after Doctor Mo pleaded on their behalf. Han Li felt that the entire matter was extremely bizarre, and after thinking about it, he was sure that there was more than meets the eye regarding this matter. Regardless, Han Li held no position of importance in the sect; thus his words were ignored, and this matter had long since been swept under the rug. After contemplating, Han Li thought, ¡®Could it be that Zhang Tie was so afraid of the backlash caused by the fourth layer of his martial skill that he ran away?¡¯


    Putting his thoughts of Zhang Tie aside, Han Li cultivated for a few days inside the valley but was still unable to make the slightest bit of progress. Since he was a hot-blooded male, he decided to explore the Celestial Rainbow Mountains instead of staying cooped up in the God Hand Valley.


    As he walked along the mountain paths, the paths that he knew so well actually held a tinge of unfamiliarity; he could not help but feel slight traces of sadness in his heart.


    These past few years, because of his cultivation, it was as if Han Li was staying in a prison, unable to take a single step outside the valley.


    The disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect should have already long forgotten his existence.


    On the roads, Han Li met a few disciples that were under patrol duty. From their perspective, this stranger wearing the robes of an Inner Disciple filled them with suspicion. It was only after much explanation that Han Li managed to convince them that he was indeed a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    To avoid any more situations like that, Han Li decided to traverse along the small trails that were separated from the main road.


    As he expected, he met no other disciples, and this enabled him to travel faster with no interruptions.


    Looking at the beautiful scenery and listening to the birds chirping, Han Li felt that, for that moment, it was as if all that was troubling him had melted away.


    Suddenly, the sound of weapon clashing rang out as the air erupted with a cacophony of cursing voices emitted from the ravine of a nearby mountain.


    ¡°What? There are so many people gathered in such a remote location?¡±


    Great curiosity arose in Han Li¡¯s heart, and no longer fearing the questions of other disciples, he followed the noises and came close to the source of the sound.


    What a big crowd! Han Li stare mutely in shock.


    The ravine, completely hidden by the forest, was a small area. Despite this, there was a total of a hundred people crowding together in the ravine! There were also people standing on the branches of giant trees.


    Two groups of people were staring at each other, and a thick sense of enmity emanated from both groups.


    The group of people standing on the left side consisted of a total of 11 or 12 people while the group on the right side consisted of 6 or 7 people.


    Han Li discovered that these two groups were of similar age as him! All of them were about 15 ¨C 20 years old.


    A slight smile hung on his lips as he thought, ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    From this group of people, Han Li could pinpoint a few familiar faces.


    ¡°Fang Yu Bao, Zhang Da Lu, Ma Yun, Sun Li Song¡­., Ai! Fatty Wang is even more obese than the last time I saw him! This person is¡­ Metalhead Liu.Ze! Ze! He was actually so tanned back then. To think that his skin is so fair and white now, has he become someone that lives on the earnings of a woman so he can sit and be lazy the whole day?¡± Han Li sniggered as he climbed the huge tree as he began to lose himself in his memories.


    (TL: Ze! Ze! ¨C the sound of clicking one¡¯s tongue)

 Chapter 16

    Little Abacus


    Down below, two barehanded youths were locked in close quarters combat. One was fat but held a steady composure and possessed herculean strength. This was Han Li¡¯s good friend, Fatty Wang. Fatty Wang¡¯s plump body boasted fists of mighty strength and a loud yell to accompany every punch. With each punch, a gust of wind followed. The other fighter was like a rat. He did not bother to block any of the punches thrown at him and instead chose to evade them. It appeared that he wanted to fight a war of attrition, exhausting Fatty Wang before finishing him off.


    Seeing how his good friend was in the battle, Han Li naturally hoped Fatty Wang would win.


    After a while, Fatty Wang still showed no signs of slowing down. Although Han Li did not practice martial arts, his intuition told him that Fatty Wang would not lose.


    He looked around in hopes of finding someone who could explain what was happening here.


    Han Li saw a person sitting not too far away on a rock. It was a youth constantly gesturing while crying out, ¡°Hit his head, kick his waist, ai ya! Almost! That¡¯s right, kick his butt, use all of your strength¡­¡±


    This youth was beaming radiantly as he cheered.


    It almost felt as if he was standing right next to Fatty Wang, giving words of encouragement as his personal coach.


    Han Li concluded that this person was pretty interesting, so he slowly climbed down the tree to get to where he was.


    ¡°Senior, do you know the two who are fighting and why they¡¯re fighting?¡± Han Li asked politely.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®do I know¡¯? Is there anything that I, Little Abacus, don¡¯t know? Of course I know everything about the fight! Who are you? How come I¡¯ve never seen you before? Did you just join the sect? No, that¡¯s not right, there¡¯s still over half a year until the next disciple examination, so who are you then?¡± This person was very enthusiastic at first, but when he realized he had never seen Han Li before, his expression became serious and even a little suspicious.


    ¡°I am Han Li, a friend of Fatty Wang, who is fighting there,¡± Han Li replied simply.


    ¡°Fatty Wang¡¯s friend? I know all of his friends, and you¡¯re not one of them!¡± The person became more and more wary.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been in closed door training for the past few years. Not knowing who I am is not surprising,¡± Han Li half lied.


    ¡°Is that right? You too joined the sect as a disciple 4 years ago? To think that would be something, that the omniscient me didn¡¯t know .¡± He looked at Han Li¡¯s clothes, appearing to believe in Han Li¡¯s word.


    The person known as Little Abacus and Han Li talked about a few unrelated subjects until he finally answered Han Li¡¯s question.


    ¡°Junior Disciple, what you don¡¯t know is that this is all because of a woman. That is¡­¡± the self-proclaimed smartypants said as he began to explain in great detail. Indeed, he seemed to know most of the sect matters that were floating around.


    It seemed that there were 2 people involved. One was called Wang Yang, who was Fatty Wang¡¯s cousin, and the other was Zhang Changgui. The two were both disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect, but one was an Outer Sect Disciple while the other was an Inner Sect Disciple.


    While these two had grown up in the same town, neither of them had ever spoken with each other. This all happened because of a girl. The girl was betrothed to Wang Yang from an early age, but one day, while traveling back home, the head of the Zhang family had caught a glimpse of her and decided to give her to Zhang Changgui. Using his money and influence, he had taken both her and her family, ignoring Wang Yang¡¯s engagement. This grievous news had dealt a heavy blow to Wang Yang as he had long since been infatuated with her. Knowing that there was no way he¡¯d be able to oppose the Zhang family, he jumped to his death in the river.


    Even though it was a tragedy, his death should have ended the matter.


    But who could have guessed his close cousin Fatty Wang, after learning what had happened, would refuse to let his cousin go unavenged? After confronting Zhang Changgui, the two vowed to duel, agreeing that the loser would be the winner¡¯s slave.


    Zhang Changgui may have been arrogant, but he was not stupid. He understood that, in martial arts, he was inferior to Fatty Wang. He requested that he be allowed to bring friends who could help out and join in to fight multiple rounds. Fatty Wang readily agreed.  Afterward, Zhang Changgui used his money to look for disciples within the Outer Sect to help him. Although Fatty Wang was poor and had no money, he was a good friend to many disciples within the sect, and many of them had decided to come to his aid


    As a result, many had come to show their support, which led to a great amount of hostility on the verge of exploding.


    Hearing this, Han Li had realized that this conflict had grown too serious to settle without any bloodshed.


    Unexpectedly, a small spar had blown up into such an enormous affair.


    ¡°You are here to help Fatty Wang, right? If they don¡¯t abide by the rules, then we will move in and beat them until they wet themselves in fear. Let them know that we peasants are not easy to bully.¡± The youth spoke without stopping for a single breath.


    Han Li gave a bitter smile as he realized that he should not get involved. After all, picking a side would only serve to make enemies, and because of his few years of cultivation, his impulsiveness had long since been whittled away. Plus, Han Li had never learned any martial arts and wouldn¡¯t be able to beat even the weakest disciple. After watching the competition, it would be better for him to return back to the valley.


    ¡°Good!¡± Suddenly, the youth cried out loud.


    Upon hearing the youth, Han Li turned his head back to look at the fight. As it turns out, Fatty Wang¡¯s enemy slipped up and was struck in the forehead by a large fist, smacking him to the ground already unconscious.


    Immediately, a part of the crowd cheered in support while the others had nasty looks on their faces.


    Fatty Wang¡¯s face had a look of pride on it as he pumped his fist upward. Slapping his butt, he walked swaggeringly back towards his side, smug about his victory.


    From Zhang Changgui¡¯s side came two people who took the fainted disciple away.


    Then, each side produced one individual. One was carrying a saber while the other carried a sword.


    (TL: In this novel, when we mention ¡®saber¡¯, we mean Dao , the Chinese saber, a thick single-edged sword. When we say ¡®sword¡¯, we mean Jian , the Chinese sword, thin and double-edged.)


    Each of them had fiery looks on their faces, but neither said a word. Holding their weapons up, they began to clash, the sound of ringing metal filling the air.

 Chapter 17

    Senior Disciple Li (1)


    Their weapons could only be seen as flashing blurs as the saber and the sword clashed with no clear victor.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t able to keep up with the fight at all, only understanding that the fight was very intense. The difficulty or effectiveness of their movements and which person had the advantage were far beyond his scope of knowledge.


    ¡°Junior apprentice brother Han, I don¡¯t know which sect master you¡¯ve trained under, but I¡¯m sure your martial arts has made massive improvements after training in isolation, right?¡± Little Abacus curiously asked.


    Every Inner Disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, after two years of practicing their fundamentals in the Hundred Disciples Hall, would be separated and be apprenticed to a master to learn more profound martial arts. Only after they finish their apprenticeship would they be able to hold a permanent position within the sect.


    In the case that a disciple displayed remarkable strength in the Disciple Examination, they wouldn¡¯t even need to practice fundamentals for two years. Instead, they would directly enter the Seven Supreme Division, where the Sect Leader or Vice Sect Leaders would personally impart some knowledge onto them, giving them a formidable advantage akin to a carp leaping over a dragon gate.


    (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_in_Chinese_mythology )


    Within those two years of practicing one¡¯s fundamentals, those with outstanding potential, would also be noticed by some elders and accepted as their personal disciple. Backed and taught by such a powerful figure, these disciples¡¯ prospects couldn¡¯t even be compared to those of other disciples.


    After hearing that Han Li had only just come out of seclusion, Little Abacus was even more sure that he hadn¡¯t heard of this person before. He naturally assumed that Han Li was a prestigious Inner Disciple, so he had been very respectful to him in hopes of gaining favor.


    ¡°A few years ago, an honored elder took me in as his disciple, but please understand, I cannot disclose just who this elder is.¡± Han Li knew what the other disciple was trying to do, so he had to maintain a matter-of-fact expression while also pretending to carry around an air of arrogance.


    ¡°Is that right? Senior Apprentice Brother Han is quite lucky then. Your position within the Inner Sect must be high and your potential unlimited. This Junior Disciple hopes that, in the future, Senior Disciple will lend a hand towards his juniors.¡± Little Abacus didn¡¯t particularly care about why Han Li concealed the name of his master. Whichever honored elder he was, he was surely stronger than his own master, so Little Abacus¡¯s tone had immediately changed.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, just one look at you and I know that you are definitely not someone ordinary and that you will be successful without any difficulties.¡± He continued to flatter Han Li.


    ¡°This person¡¯s skin is so dark, and his face looks rather stupid as well. How could he be the disciple to an honored elder while I am so clever but haven¡¯t been noticed by any elders yet?¡± Little Abacus secretly muttered to himself while maintaining a respectful expression.


    Han Li had recognized the change in his speech as well. One second he was Junior Disciple Han, and the next he was Senior Disciple Han. This was far too funny for Han Li to bear.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t look down on Little Abacus for that. Trying to gain favor with those higher than oneself was one¡¯s natural instinct. Someone who wanted a better life first needed to know his or her place. The people who understood this were ones who were successful in life.


    But what was most disappointing was that the words Han Li had just said were primarily true. Han Li could only be considered nothing more than smuggled goods when compared to those true personal disciples of honored elders. Any other disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect could easily beat him. If he were to try to flaunt his status and be arrogant, the truth would be quickly revealed.


    Han Li forced out a smile as he calmly listened to Little Abacus¡¯s flattery. It was almost as if he were at a dinner party.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han must be strong in martial arts. If he were to enter the ring, he would definitely beat these fighters into sorry states, definitely¡­¡± Little Abacus continuously flattered Han Li while also watching the match.


    ¡°Ai! How strange, such a prestigious disciple should have formidable internal strength but why does he look utterly unimpressive? He looks scrawny and weak, and his eyes don¡¯t have the shine of those who had broken through their acupoints. No matter how closely I look, he is nothing but a normal kid that doesn¡¯t know any martial arts.¡± Little Abacus became more and more bewildered.


    ¡°The outcome has been decided.¡± Han Li¡¯s light voice had immediately broke Little Abacus from his pondering.


    Surprised, Little Abacus swiftly look back at the ring.


    As it turns out, the saber wielder had his weapon knocked to the side. One arm was limp, while the other clutched at a wound. His face was ashen, but he did not declare his surrender. This wasn¡¯t surprising since the strength between the two disciples wasn¡¯t all that much different. If he hadn¡¯t slipped up just then, they would have been evenly matched.


    When Little Abacus saw this, there was a look of disappointment on his face, and he said softly, ¡°What a shame.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What do you mean by ¡®shame¡¯?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t see anything noteworthy, but it seemed that this was not the case for the youth next to him.


    ¡°If Fatty Wang¡¯s team had won this fight, then this would have been their 3rd victory, and their best-three-out-of-five contest would have ended. It¡¯s a shame that he couldn¡¯t end it here!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, the remaining person on Wang Dapang¡¯s side is our strongest disciple in martial arts. He uses the Lightning Fast Saber, which is incomparably fierce and able to smash through metal! Haha! To be able to witness Senior Disciple Li¡¯s strength firsthand, I didn¡¯t come here for nothing. No matter who appears on Zhang Chang Gui¡¯s side, our victory is assured.¡± Little Abacus, who was just depressed about their loss, quickly became excited once more as he began to talk about this Senior Disciple Li.


    ¡°So this will be the final match?¡± Han Li asked. He wondered who this Senior Disciple Li was. It seemed he really knew nothing about the major figures in the sect.


    At this moment, a grim figure came up to Fatty Wang¡¯s side. The youth was holding a long saber as he walked up to the middle of the ring. Without saying a single word, he closed his eyes.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li!¡±


    Seeing this youth come up to the ring, everyone grew excited as they all began to call out his name. With each shout, they grew louder until they eventually began to shake the entire ring with the magnitude of their voices. At this moment, there wasn¡¯t one single person that was cheering for a specific side; there was only one unanimous cry for this youth.

 Chapter 18

    Senior Disciple Li (2)


    Was this Senior Disciple Li very famous? What is his background? Han Li was extremely surprised by this Senior Disciple Li¡¯s popularity.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know who is Senior Disciple Li?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was in seclusion for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I had actually forgotten. My memory is really bad. How could there be any disciple in the Seven Mysteries Sect who don¡¯t know about Senior Disciple Li? It was this preconception that caused me to accidentally forgot about your seclusion.¡± Little Abacus suddenly realized as he hurriedly apologized.


    ¡°Could you tell me more about this Senior Disciple Li?¡±


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, of course I can! Well, every junior disciple within the sect knows the story of Senior Disciple Li.¡± Little Abacus, seeing Senior Disciple Li¡¯s opponent hesitating, took this opportunity to explain the legend of Senior Disciple Li to Han Li.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, I don¡¯t like to boast, but the story of Senior Disciple Li is known to both the junior and senior disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.¡±


    After a short introduction, Little Abacus began to reveal the story of Senior Disciple Li, and the story was legendary indeed.


    This Senior Disciple Li entered the sect about 4 years ago but was from a different batch than Han Li. He too failed the preliminary test and entered the sect as an Unofficial Disciple. But after half a year, not only did he achieve the best results out of all the Unofficial Disciples in his group, he also sparred with the other senior disciples. Defeating over 30 senior disciples single-handedly and breaking many records, Senior Disciple Li had gained a lot of attention from the higher ups in the sect. After an intense inspection, everyone was shocked that the bones of Senior Disciple Li were extremely ordinary and even his potential was determined to be limited. This made all the higher ups disappointed, so none of the higher ups accepted him as their personal disciple. After the 2 years of basic training, he was delegated as a disciple of a Protector and only after managing to learn the most basic of martial skills in the Seven Mysteries Sect. The Windstorm Saber Technique that he was proficient in was one of the most commonly taught martial skills in the Seven Mystery Sect.


    If that were the end of his story, Senior Disciple Li could not be considered legendary but rather someone with a good beginning and a weak ending. But after a short while, relying solely on this seemingly common martial skill, the Windstorm Saber Technique, he swept across all of the disciples in that year¡¯s annual competition. Using just a single technique and ranked 16th, he became the cream of the crop within his generation, which garnered the attention of the higher ups once again.


    In the subsequent yearly competitions, Senior Disciple Li was incomparably bold and powerful, sweeping across all of the competitors like a sharp sword. He obtained an astonishingly high rank, gaining pride and face for all the new disciples. In last year¡¯s annual competition, he actually was ranked 3rd! One must know that the disciples in the first 2 ranks had already been in the sect for over 10 years! These two disciples were members of an older generation, their age roughly 27 or 28, and they had a much greater internal strength compared to Senior Disciple Li. There were also many who believed that if Senior Disciple Li had the same level of internal strength as the 2 top ranked disciples, Senior Disciple Li would undoubtedly be ranked the 1st.


    Precisely because of this, Senior Disciple Li captured the attention of the higher ups once again and was specially nominated to be sent outside of the sect to undergo training and help out with the Seven Mystery Sect¡¯s various external affairs. While disciples of the same generation were still undergoing training, Senior Disciple Li had long rendered meritorious service for the sake of the Seven Mystery Sect and had even been nicknamed ¡°Tiger Li¡± in Jiang Hu. After which, he was allowed to enter the Seven Supreme Division and obtained the chance to practice higher grade martial arts.


    Han Li could not help being moved. After he heard the story, if everything he heard was real, Senior Disciple Li was indeed extraordinary. Senior Disciple Li started as an Unofficial Disciple and yet he could achieve the results he had today, how admirable indeed!


    On the side of Zhang Changgui, they reluctantly sent out someone out after a long period of discussion.


    The disciple they sent out looked to be relatively strong, unsheathing a gleaming sword with the thickness of a finger from the scabbard that hung around his waist. The disciple holding the sword was certainly not a person with an ordinary background.


    After Senior Disciple Li sensed that someone entered the ring, he slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to be filled with radiance.


    Senior Disciple Li shouted out loud. His sudden shout, akin to a thunderclap. reverberated through the entire region, causing buzzing sounds in everyone¡¯s ears. His opponent was likewise affected by the shout and an expression of fear began to surface on his face.


    As he shouted, Senior Disciple Li had already drawn his saber. With a flash of movement, one deceptive action released over tens of blade shadows, trapping his opponent in an encirclement of numerous blades.


    However, Senior Disciple Li¡¯s opponent was quick witted and vigilant. Although he had panicked slightly, the movement of his sword was insidious and crafty, and he managed to parry all of the blade strikes with an impenetrable defense!


    ¡°Who is this person?¡± Han Li could not help but ask.


    ¡°He is the son of the fifth Elder, Zhao Zi Ling. The skill he executed, Willow Swordplay, is extremely tough to fight against.¡±


    ¡°How good is he compared to Senior Disciple Li?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, Senior Disciple Li is still stronger.¡± Little Abacus said with pride glowing on his face.


    ¡°Hmm, why didn¡¯t Zhang Changgui send out a stronger expert instead?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Zhao Zi Ling was already the strongest among them. Among us, the junior disciples, who would be able to defeat Senior Disciple Li? No matter who they send, it is useless.¡± Little Abacus gloated with a hint of taking pleasure in their opponent¡¯s misfortune.


    Indeed, although Zhao Zhi Ling¡¯s swordplay was not chaotic, he had lacked any killing intent. He was pressured almost to the point of defeat by Senior Disciple Li. Also, those with more experience could tell with a single glance that Zhao¡¯s defeat was only a matter of time.


    Han Li watched for a moment before another suspicion rose in his heart.


    ¡°There is one thing I still find strange. Why are all the disciples here of the younger generation? What about all our seniors? Even if the rules prohibit them from entering the fight, for the sake of excitement, there should still be one or two coming to spectate. However, there isn¡¯t even a single senior disciple. Why is that so?¡± Han Li candidly voiced out the suspicion in his heart.


    Little Abacus, after hearing Han Li¡¯s question, had a total change in his expression and had a bizarre look on his face as he gazed at Han Li. This made Han Li feel extremely puzzled. Could it be that he had asked a question that was considered taboo in the sect?

 Chapter 19

    Battle in Jiang Hu


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, you are really deaf to the outside world. This was such a massive event in the sect and yet you didn¡¯t know about this? Even though you were in seclusion, your master should have spoken of it to you.¡± Little Abacus¡¯s tone seemed to get more and more suspicious.


    After hearing the question, Han Li did not even bother to speak. Instead, he took out a medallion and passed it over for Little Abacus to inspect.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, what are you doing? When have I ever doubted you? How could I not believe you?! The moment I saw you, I realized that you looked familiar, I must have met you a long time ago, hehe!¡± Little Abacus quickly scanned the medallion, and upon finding out that Han Li was indeed the disciple of some Elder, he frantically laughed to defuse the tension.


    ¡°Now, can you tell me?¡± Han Li was still concerned about the question he asked earlier.


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    ¡°Damn, this is terrible, I hope I didn¡¯t offend this guy.¡± Little Abacus mumbled as his heart shuddered, then he told the whole truth of the matter to Han Li.


    For the past few years, the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Feral Wolf Gang had more and more clashes for the sake of the control of the nearby wealthy towns. In total, the two major powers had over 10 clashes, and they both suffered plenty of casualties. Trained as mounted bandits, the members of the Feral Wolf Gang were extremely ferocious as if they were unafraid of death, and they would go berserk at the sight of blood. The disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect despite having superior martial arts, did not possess the right kind of killing intent that was necessary, and when fighting the Feral Wolf Gang, they would always avoid causing too much damage. Thus, in the end, the Seven Mysteries Sect would suffer more casualties. After a few rounds of battle, the higher ups of Seven Mysteries Sect could not take this lying down and thus, they had mobilized the majority of disciples within their sect to smash the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s members into smithereens. There were two reasons why the Seven Mysteries Sect did so. First, the control of the towns within its territory was too valuable to be lost, and secondly, to have the disciples become used to bloodshed, allowing them to gain practical battle experience in Jiang Hu.


    Even so, despite the Inner Disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect holding the advantage during the last few battles, there had been too many casualties. Even some of the older seniors had failed to return to the sect alive. After Little Abacus said this, he could not help but sigh.


    After that, the sect leaders changed the strategy by letting the Inner Disciples take care of some minor missions and gain experience elsewhere in Jiang Hu. After they were used to combat, they would come back and join the clash against the Feral Wolf Gang. By doing so, it effectively minimized the number of casualties. Now, after each Inner Disciple had two years of training in the sect, they would be sent down the mountain to take charge of some minor missions to gain experiences before they were tasked to fight against the Feral Wolf Gang.


    (TL: Repetitive, I know)


    And so, the older senior disciples had already been sent out of the mountain, leaving only a few defenders and the junior disciples who had not yet completed their training.


    After listening, Han Li suddenly understood why there were differences on the mountain now compared to 4 years ago.


    Dang! A sound rang out as a sword flew into the sky.


    Zhao Zi Ling¡¯s left hand was pressing on a wound on his right hand, and as he retreated a few steps, his face turned pale while he breathed heavily.


    Under Senior Disciple Li¡¯s ferocious saber techniques, Zhao Zi Ling had no time to retreat, and thus, he had no choice but to use the sword in his hand to block the attack. Because his internal strength was insufficient, the weapon he held had been flung into the air because of the clash.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li, you are formidable indeed. This junior brother admits his defeat.¡± Zhao Zi Ling forcefully smiled as he bowed slightly.


    Loud exclamations rang out among the spectators.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li, what a graceful martial skill!¡±


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li, excellent saber techniques!¡±


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li, please give me some guidance!¡±


    Cries of admiration rang out for their idol, the sound reverberating through the entire region.


    Senior Disciple Li kept the huge saber lifted in the air while his cheeks turned red. Initially, it seemed that he wanted to say something, but his expression suddenly changed as he furrowed his brows as if thinking of something.


    Senior Disciple Li said coolly, ¡°I still have urgent things to do. Goodbye.¡±


    Turning around, Senior Disciple Li relied on a movement technique to swiftly leave the area.


    ¡°Ze Ze! Not only is Senior Disciple Li proficient in the saber arts, his movement technique is superior as well!¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    Words of praise began to ring out.


    Han Li furrowed his brows. This Senior Disciple Li¡¯s martial arts were indeed not bad, but it seems that he liked to be in the limelight, just like a teenager.


    After he reflected, Han Li could not help but smile bitterly. He himself was not any older than Senior Disciple Li, and yet, his thinking was so overly matured, just like an old man¡¯s. It seems that after practicing the oracular chant, his mental state had matured at a faster rate when compared to his peers.


    ¡°Junior Brother, up to now, I still haven¡¯t learned your true name,¡± Han Li eyed Little Abacus nearby as he suddenly thought of the question.


    ¡°My name is Jin Dong Bao. However, Senior Disciple Han can just refer to me as Little Abacus.¡± Little Abacus was excited after Han Li asked for his name. He figured that he had gained the favor of Han Li and would be able to use him to back him in the future.


    ¡°Next time you are sick or injured, come look for me. I will treat you for free.¡± Han Li patted his shoulders, turned his body and walked back into the forest region. He left behind a dumbstruck Jin Dong Bao, who was still pondering over what Han Li¡¯s words meant.

 Chapter 20

    Essence Extraction Pill


    After leaving the mountain region, Han Li could still hear the voices discussing how to settle Fatty Wang and Zhang Chang Gui¡¯s dispute. Han Li decided not to concern himself about the matter.


    Whenever he thought Little Abacus¡¯s dumbstruck expression, he could not help but laugh out loud. His small excursion outside the valley had indeed lifted his spirits, and he was no longer as depressed as before.


    He ventured out of the forest and walked straight ahead. A small creek appeared at the end of the path.


    Han Li inclined his head upwards and looked at the fiery hot sun before lowering his head to avoid the glare and to drink some water from the creek. He felt that taking a bath right now would not be a bad idea.


    As he bent downwards, with both of his hands entering the cool creek water, a voice filled with pain sounded out and reached his ears.


    Han Li was surprised. To think that there would be people in such a remote region.


    Following the sound of the voice, Han Li wandered upstream and found a person wearing a disciple¡¯s robe lying on the ground, his body convulsing while his limbs flailed about.


    The moment Han Li saw the person, he knew that the disciple was suffering from an acute illness and if he didn¡¯t help now, there might be a danger of death.


    Han Li rushed over and took out a wooden box from his robes. From the wooden box, he drew out silver needles that seemed to reflect the light as he pierced them into the acupoints on the disciple¡¯s back.


    After he was done with the acupoints on the disciple¡¯s back, he turned the body of the disciple around and began to work with the acupoints located on his chest.


    When the disciple¡¯s body was turned, Han Li sucked in a breath. He was shocked beyond measure. This person¡­ this person, who was flailing about earlier, was none other than the Senior Disciple Li that participated in the battle earlier!


    Stunned, Han Li could only gaze at the facial features of Senior Disciple Li.


    The current Senior Disciple Li did not have the air of a peerless expert at all. There was no heroic demeanor to be seen anywhere, only a cold face full of pain and suffering as his features contorted together and white foam leaked from his mouth. It was obvious that Senior Disciple Li from suffering from too much pain to bear, and he was almost to the point of being unconscious.


    Han Li regained his calm as he muttered to himself. Akin to flowing water, the silver needle in Han Li¡¯s hand begin to prick the acupoints on Senior Disciple Li body continuously over 10 times. At the final prick, Han Li wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead and released a breath. The usage of the silver needle and strength needed to pierce each acupoint exhausted a huge amount of energy from him.


    After Senior Disciple Li¡¯s body was riddled with silver needles, he finally woke up and regained consciousness.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Senior Disciple Li tried to say something, but he didn¡¯t have enough strength, so he could not say more than a few words.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the God Hand Valley. Save your breath and slowly recover your strength. I can only remind you that your illness is very strange. In my estimation, only my teacher Doctor Mo would be able to save you. But sadly, he is currently away from the mountain.¡± Han Li took the pulse of Senior Disciple Li as he furrowed his brows in thought.


    ¡°The¡­ Medci..ne..is..at..¡± Senior Disciple Li¡¯s face paled as his lips shivered, lifting his arms to gesture at something, but he was unsuccessful.


    ¡°You have medicine to cure the illness on your body?¡± Han Li roughly understood his meaning, and he questioned Senior Disciple Li.


    ¡°Ye¡­.s¡± Senior Disciple Li saw that Han Li understood his meaning, relaxed his features and nodded his head.


    Han Li was no longer polite as he searched Senior Disciple Li¡¯s body for the antidote. He found many useless items, and amongst them, there was a small white jade bottle which he took out. This bottle was made of expensive material and was also tightly sealed. He guessed this was what Senior Disciple Li was looking for.


    As he took the bottle and glanced at Senior Disciple Li, his guess turned out correct. Senior Disciple Li¡¯s expression was full of joy as he frantically blinked his eyes.


    Han Li unsealed the bottle, and contrary to his expectations, there was no fragrance of herbal components drifting out, but rather extremely pungent smell.


    The moment Han Li smelled the pungent smell, his expression turned nasty as he cautiously took out a pink color pill out from the bottle. This pill was extremely beautiful to behold, yet the pungent smell that was emitted from the pill caused people to have difficulty breathing.


    ¡°Is this a medicinal pill?¡± Han Li regained his calm face.


    Senior Disciple Li was still unable to speak, but he blinked his eyes to convey to Han Li that this was the right pill.


    ¡°This Essence Extraction Pill was created from orchids, crab tailed flower, hundred year-old egg of blue ant¡­ as well as 23 other rarely seen ingredients. After the pill is concocted, it takes on a pinkish hue and emits a pungent smell. Ingesting it could unlock all of the potential of the human body, consuming the lifeforce in exchange. Am I right?¡±


    Han Li coldly glanced at Senior Disciple Li as he listed the pill¡¯s descriptions word by word with an unmistakable tone in his voice.


    The moment Senior Disciple Li heard Han Li words, his face paled as if devoid of blood, and a frantic expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°If you ingest this medicine, you would need to repeatedly ingest it after a certain period of time in addition to suffering the excruciating pain. If you refuse to ingest the second pill after eating the first, in the best scenario, you would be paralyzed and in the worse scenario, you could even die! From the first time you ingested this pill, fate has already decreed that you would be dead in less than 10 years as the pill forcefully unleashes your potential at the expense of burning your life force,¡± Han Li said without stopping.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you try to lie to me that this is not the Essence Extraction Pill.¡± Han Li said.


    After hearing what Han Li had said, an expression of hopelessness appeared on Senior Disciple Li¡¯s face while an indescribable shock appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°Are you shocked because this particular medicine is very rare, and yet I know what it is?¡± Han Li could tell what Senior Disciple Li was thinking.


    ¡°The answer is simple. I, too, have eaten a pill like this.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words broke the tension as he continued to shock Senior Disciple Li. After a while, Senior Disciple Li had an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°The way I ate the pill was different from how you ate it. I only ate a total of 1 pill, but I separated the pill into 10 portions, which I slowly ingesting over a long period of time. The small amount of drug I consumed was not able to do any harm to my body. Because this particular pill and the smell it emitted was too obvious, I had a very strong impression of this pill, so I easily recognized yours. I had always thought that other than me, there would not be a second person to ingest this type of pill, but who would have thought, my fellow disciple had consumed the pill as well.¡±


    After saying this, Han Li gaze contained a hint of admiration as well as pity for Senior Disciple Li.


    Unwilling to see the pitiful gaze fixed on him, Senior Disciple Li closed his eyes. However, his heartbeat was erratic and his mind was in chaos.


    ¡°You should have consumed these pills for a few years already. If you refrain from consuming it now, I could beseech Doctor Mo to concoct an antidote for you. Although the medicine cannot recover the life force you lost, it should still be able to grant you 20-30 years worth of life. But sadly, your martial skills would be lost forever. If you continue ingesting this pill, I can deduce from the backlash that happened earlier that you would have at most 5-6 years worth of life left, but obviously, your martial arts would only get better and better, even stronger than the might you displayed today. Since you dared to eat such a pill, this tells me that you are a person with an iron will. Since only you can decide your own fate, do you want to throw away this medicine or keep relying on it?¡±

 Chapter 21

    Painkilling Medicine


    Senior Disciple Li¡¯s eyelids lightly shuddered as he pondered intensely, trying to decide which was the better path for him.


    After a short moment, his tightly closed eyes snapped open as he stared intently at the pill in Han Li¡¯s hand with a feverish gaze.


    Han Li did not say anything more and inserted the pill into Senior Disciple Li¡¯s mouth. The white foam around his mouth did nothing to stop him from swallowing the pill, and after it was fully ingested, Han Li slowly retracted all of the silver needles from Senior Disciple Li¡¯s body.


    After the retrieval of all the silver needles, the Essence Extraction Pill began to take effect. Senior Disciple Li¡¯s pale face started to take on a reddish hue. At this moment, his body started to convulse again and his limbs started to shiver as a low drone issued from his throat.


    Senior Disciple Li did not want to be a laughing stock in front of Han Li, so he tried unsuccessfully to suppress his pain-filled voice.


    The low drone involuntarily got louder and louder as the shivers got more intense. It was only after a long period of time that the droning began to slowly subside.


    Finally, Senior Disciple Li recovered as his face returned to its normal, pale color, and his body stopped convulsing. This signaled that he successfully endured the last of the backlashes from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill.


    Senior Disciple Li straightened his body, crossed his legs, and close his eyes in order to enter meditation, attempting to circulate his Qi to heal his injuries. Han Li found a clean, large rock nearby and sat down on it, watching Senior Disciple Li.


    After the time it took to eat a meal, the Senior Disciple Li, who was in a state of meditation, abruptly wrenched open his eyes and drew his saber in a flash, placing the shining blade on Han Li¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Give me a reason not to kill you!¡± Senior Disciple Li¡¯s eyes were full of coldness and filled with killing intent.


    ¡°I just saved your life. Is that not a good enough reason?¡± Han Li stated calmly with no change to his expression except for the twitching of his brows. If one did not study Han Li¡¯s face intently, they would not have seen it.


    Senior Disciple Li¡¯s face slightly softened, but his eyes were still filled with killing intent as he stared at Han Li.


    ¡°Before I made the decision to save you, I already guessed that you might kill me to protect your secret, but I didn¡¯t think that your action would be so fast.¡± Han Li bitterly laughed as his face was filled with self-mockery.


    ¡°Ke! Despite knowing that saving you would bring calamity upon myself, I, a student of medical arts, couldn¡¯t simply sit by and watch you die.¡± Han Li sighed.


    As Senior Disciple Li heard his words, his face took on a somewhat embarrassed expression, and he shifted the saber from Han Li¡¯s neck a little but did not fully remove the blade.


    Han Li secretly let out a breath of relief, and he continued his speech more determinedly.


    ¡°You have no need to worry that I would divulge your secret. One look at my face and you would know that I¡¯m not one to gossip, if you are still worried, I could swear a binding oath. You should be able to tell that I¡¯m not skilled in martial arts, so if you discovered that I broke my vow, you could easily kill me,¡± Han Li calmly suggested.


    ¡°Okay, swear a binding oath then.¡± Senior Disciple Li said straightforwardly.


    It was only now that Han Li relaxed. Before he saved Senior Disciple Li, he could infer that Senior Disciple Li was not one to forget a kindness, but he was not completely sure of his assessment. If he was wrong and Senior Disciple Li was a person that returned kindness with viciousness, he would only be able to defend himself with his secret life-saving method.


    Knowing that he would not have to use it, Han Li stealthily retracted his hand from within his robes.


    After Han Li swore a binding oath, Senior Disciple Li finally retracted the saber and returned it to its sheath.


    Han Li slightly felt a slight trace of blood on his throat, caused by the keen edge of the saber. It was sticky to the touch, and as Han Li heartbeat returned to normal, he could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.


    ¡°What a close call! My evaluation prior to saving Senior Disciple Li was not comprehensive enough. I¡¯m determined to learn from this mistake and to prevent my life from being in the control of someone else¡¯s hands ever again.¡± He still had some fear lingering from this event.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no guarantee of my safety, I will definitely not save others in the future.¡± Han Li decided immediately.


    This was the first time Han Li had saved someone, but the experience left him with a bad taste in his mouth. This event only helped to reinforce that the world was full of unexpected turnouts, and the last vestige of kindness in him was slowly being discarded away. Even though he had not turned evil, he was far from being a saint.


    ¡°You have saved my life and agreed to keep the matter a secret. I, Li Feiyu, owe you a big favor henceforth. As long as I¡¯m still alive, no matter what you need help with, you can look for me. As long as I am able to accomplish the task, I will definitely help you.¡± As he reclaimed the items that Han Li ransacked through, Senior Disciple Li stated his vow straightforwardly, using his own name as a guarantee after he fully recovered from the pill¡¯s backlash.


    ¡°I fear that I currently have nothing to trouble you with, but you should already have plenty of troubles, no?¡± Han Li had a slight smile on his face as he faced Senior Disciple Li with another question.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Li Feiyu was startled and slightly lost his composure.


    ¡°Anyone would have easily guessed. You are just a normal disciple under a Protector, yet with your skills, you have surpassed disciples of the Vice Sect Leaders, Division Heads, and Elders. How could they possibly let you live peacefully!?¡± Han Li¡¯s response was like a needle drawing blood; with a single prick, he went straight to the heart of the matter.


    Senior Disciple Li¡¯s expression was gloomy and overcast as he agreed in silence.


    ¡°Your troubles are your own, I have no wish to interfere and cannot interfere even if I wanted to, but, for the excruciating backlash from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill, I could help you lessen the pain.¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡± Li Feiyu suddenly snapped to attention as his previous gloomy expression was replaced with anticipation and excitement. He was giddy since the backlash of the Essence Extraction Pill was extremely torturous.


    ¡°Why would I lie to you when there is nothing beneficial for me to gain by doing so?¡± Han Li glanced at Senior Disciple Li. He had already concocted a remedy that would greatly lessen the pain felt by others, a medicine that he researched in his spare time for Zhang Tie. It was extremely effective, greatly cutting off the nerves ability from to feel pain.


    ¡°This is truly excellent! Excellent!¡± Li Feiyu clasped his hands as he looked at Han Li with wonder and excitement.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me with such an expression? I do not have the medicine on me right now. I need to return to God Hand Valley before I can concoct it for you.¡±


    After Li Feiyu heard what Han Li said, he had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He had just threatened to kill Han Li and now, he was requesting his help.


    ¡°Tomorrow at noon, wait for me at the entrance of the God Hand Valley. I will hand you the remedy in that location, but since Doctor Mo is currently away, I can¡¯t allow anyone to simply enter the God Hand Valley,¡± Han Li explained.


    ¡°Very well, I shall be there on time. Thank you, my dear brother.¡± Scared that Han Li would change his mind, Li Feiyu quickly responded with his confirmation.


    ¡°My name is Han Li, the personal disciple of Doctor Mo. Your cultivation in martial arts is so high, you can just directly call me Junior Brother Han in the future.¡±


    After Han Li heard the words ¡°my dear brother¡± he couldn¡¯t help but shiver and thus, quickly told Senior Disciple Li his name to prevent him from calling Han Li any more embarrassing titles.

 Chapter 22

    Qigong Deviation


    Looking at Li Feiyu¡¯s back as it gradually disappeared as he walked away, Han Li quietly stood where he was, lost in contemplation.


    After they had agreed to meet at noon the next day, Senior Disciple Li took the initiative to bid Han Li goodbye, saying that he had to meditate to fully heal his injuries.


    After they had spoken for a long time, Han Li did not ask Li Feiyu why he had consumed the pill. Han Li knew that even if he had asked, it would be useless because things that already happened could not be changed.


    From his observations, Li Feiyu was willing to forsake his future, just for a short 10 years of fame and glory. This probably meant that he had some underlying reason, which left him with no choice but to do so. No one would willingly commit suicide, so if Han Li really did question Li Feiyu, it would be like rubbing salt on his wounds.


    Obviously, what Han Li did was correct. Before Li Feiyu left, when he saw that Han Li did not question him about the reason why he was taking the Essence Extraction Pill, he was grateful for Han Li being considerate. Han Li knew that although Li Feiyu did not mention anything, he assumed that he owed Han Li a favor.


    Han Li was prepared to fulfill his promise to Senior Disciple Li, so not only would he not spread the secret, he would also concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li.


    The reason for him doing so was simple. Since Senior Disciple Li was not a vile person, nor did he really want to kill Han Li, Han Li thought that he might as well use this opportunity to increase the amount of favors that Senior Disciple Li owed him. So, in the future, Senior Disciple Li would find it hard to turn down his requests.


    In the next few years, Li Feiyu¡¯s martial skills would only exponentially increase as the Essence Extraction Pill burnt his life force, so he would be of immeasurable help to Han Li in the future. Even if Han Li did not need this favor, it did not matter much. Being able to help a character like Senior Disciple Li also caused Han Li to feel happy in his heart. Although Senior Disciple Li may not be a good person, Han Li knew that after the events that transpired today, Li Feiyu wouldn¡¯t jeopardize  him.


    Han Li ran the whole sequence of events that happened today through his mind again. It was only when he was certain that everything had been accounted for that he returned to God Hand Valley.


    After he strolled back to the God Hand Valley in a relaxed manner, Han Li began preparations to concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li. It was relatively simple for Han Li to concoct this medicine, as he could find all the ingredients he needed in the nearby medicinal herb garden. The only thing that was slightly complex was the concocting process. One must give it their full attention; if not, the chance of failure would be high.


    After a busy afternoon, Han Li concocted a year¡¯s supply of the pain-relieving medicine Senior Disciple Li needed. He did not produce more intentionally as he wanted Senior Disciple Li to seek him out after all of the medicine was consumed so that he could increase his importance in Senior Disciple Li¡¯s eyes. This way, Senior Disciple Li would not be able to easily forget his favor.


    In the middle of the night, Han Li was suddenly struck by a sense of loneliness as he raised his head to gaze at the stars in the pitch black sky and begin reminiscing.


    He was thinking of his family back in his village!


    He had left the village 4 years ago, and ever since he arrived at the mountain, he had been assiduously cultivating the nameless oracular formula every day and had no time to visit his family. The only thing he did to lessen his heartache was to send taels of silver back every month, hoping that his family was living a better life. He deeply treasured the letters that his parents wrote, even though there wasn¡¯t much written in the letters other than telling him that everything was good in his family, his Second Brother had married, and things were getting better because of the silver he sent back. Reading these letters made Han Li feel much better. However, over the years, Han Li felt that the tone of the letters was gradually becoming more and more polite as if they were writing to a stranger! Initially, this caused fear to blossom in his heart, as he did not know what to do in this situation. However, as time passed, this feeling of fear gradually numbed as the image of his family in his mind gradually became blurred.


    He reminisced about matters of the past, thinking back to that warm feeling of the time when he was still back in the village when melancholy suddenly hit him. That warm feeling was very valuable to him as he knew that he would never be able to savor it again.


    Han Li placed his hand on his chest, using his fingers to grip the good luck charm that was in the leather pouch hanging around his neck.


    Whenever he was frustrated, he would only need to hold the good luck charm to calm himself down¡­ But tonight, after holding it, his heart only got more and more flustered, and he was unable to calm down.


    He was unable to control his emotions because there was a depression in his heart, which in turn caused bizarre bodily reactions from Han Li. His blood started to surge as the Qi in his body ran rampant.


    ¡°Qigong Deviation!¡± These two words appeared in his mind. Han Li stood up, and drew in a huge breath, forcibly suppressing his chaotic state as he told himself to calm down. Now that Doctor Mo was away, he could only depend on himself to solve this crisis.


    He did not know why he was suffering from Qigong Deviation, and his mind continued to ponder. Even though now was not the best time to question the reason, he still tried finding the root cause and cut the problem at its root as it was the best way to recover from Qigong Deviation.


    Han Li rotated his head as he surveyed his surroundings, but nothing seemed suspicious.


    He touched his chin with his right hand and at the same time, his hand also knocked against something on his chest.


    ¡°Leather pouch, Good Luck Charm¡±, the names of these 2 items appeared in his mind.


    ¡°Could it be the good luck charm that caused the reaction?¡± Han Li was not sure, but he had no time to hesitate now as the condition of his body was getting worse and there were signs that he would soon be unable to control the surging Qi.


    Han Li tore the leather pouch off his neck decisively and flung it away from him.


    ¡°No, something is wrong, I feel even worse. The surge in my Qi and blood is getting more violent.¡±


    Han Li forcefully suppressed the surging Qi as he stared at the leather pouch with his bloodshot eyes, hoping to find the reason why he had suffered more after he flung the pouch away.

 Chapter 23

    Tests


    Maybe lady luck was smiling on him. Abruptly, a sudden thought flashed past his mind.


    He quickly rushed towards the leather pouch which he had discarded and with a deft movement, took out the good luck charm that was hidden inside neatly and quickly.


    The moment his palm brushed against the good luck charm, a refreshing feeling was emitted from the bottle and eventually calmed his heart. His previous frustrations and melancholy all disappeared without a trace, and his Qi and blood stopped surging, returning back to his normal state.


    Currently, Han Li had no interest in discovering the root of the problem that occurred earlier. Holding the good luck charm in his palm, he brought it forward in front of his eyelids, pressing it against his face. Gently caressing it,  Han Li  focused all of his attention on the bottle.


    After half a day, Han Li heaved a sigh of relief, diverting his attention away from the good luck charm.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know that the phenomenon that happened to him earlier was not because of ¡°Qigong Deviation¡± but rather because he suffered from a ¡°Heart Demon¡± that all cultivators would eventually face. Luckily, he discovered it in its early stages and fought it off by focusing on an object that was familiar to him. If he hadn¡¯t, the Heart Demon would have entered his soul and controlled his body from within, causing him to bleed to death from his meridians. Of course, Han Li wouldn¡¯t learn about this until after he truly stepped on to the path of cultivation in the future.


    Han Li circulated his Qi around his whole body and realized there was nothing abnormal. What made him gasp in astonishment was that instead of suffering injuries, his cultivation level had unknowingly increased by a great extent! Although he did not make a breakthrough from the third layer to the fourth, but because of his struggle against the Heart Demon, he had reached the peak of the third layer earlier than expected and was only a hair length away from breaking through to the 4th!


    Because of this unexpected stroke of luck, Han Li had a smile on his face. However, he had to forcefully suppress the agitation in his heart. He was afraid that his unstable emotions would lead to another attack by the Heart Demon. Han Li was uncertain whether he could survive it intact if another attack took place. He took the good luck charm that had saved his life and replaced it inside the leather pouch before hanging it on his neck.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Han Li realized that there was an object long forgotten by him inside the leather pouch. An object that had been left lying about in there for a few years ¨C the mysterious bottle!


    Han Li had completely forgotten about the mysterious bottle. The moment he saw it, he remembered the past events.


    The current Han Li was an archive of knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed the Han Li from four years ago. In these 4 years, he had read all the books in Doctor Mo¡¯s residence and gained much knowledge. He also cultivated the nameless oracular chant, which effectively strengthened his mind. Looking back at the disturbance to his Qi, he could effectively deduce that this mysterious bottle was a treasured item with effects that were far from ordinary


    What Han Li needed to do now was to delve into and unravel the secrets of the bottle and to see if it could be used to benefit himself. There was no way he would just leave it lying around in the leather pouch and waste such a mysterious object.


    Han Li took out the bottle and inspected its entire surface as if he were trying to look for something that he had missed out on during his inspection 4 years ago.


    But no matter how much he inspected, there were no new discoveries.


    Han Li wasted no time and opened the cap of the bottle. Floating inside of the mysterious bottle was the jade green droplet of liquid that had manifested 4 years ago! It was no different than from when it first appeared in the bottle.


    However, Han Li was positive that the secret of the bottle lay in the jade green droplet of liquid. To test his theories, he would need to find some small animals to perform a few cruel, live experiments.


    It was midnight, the sky pitch black outside. The darkness made it simply impractical for him to hunt for live animals. And after experiencing the attack of the heart demon earlier, Han Li was already somewhat exhausted. Even if he could catch a live animal, how would he be able to see if there were any changes to the test subject if it was pitch dark? Any actions Han Li could make would be a waste of effort.


    After contemplating, Han Li decided to rest and recover his energy before experimenting the next day. He told himself that there would be a big surprise waiting for him tomorrow, and with that thought, he drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning, after washing himself, Han Li went to eat a hearty breakfast. After that, he immediately went to speak to the head of the kitchen of the Seven Mysteries Sect, procuring two lively gray hares for a few tales of silver before returning back to the valley.


    After he returned to the valley, Han Li chose a more spacious location inside the herb garden and tied the rabbits to a stake, letting them stay outside in the blazing sun for quite a period of time.


    After the rabbits were dizzy from the heat and were almost dying of thirst, Han Li took out the mysterious bottle and poured the mysterious jade green droplet of liquid into a bowl before diluting it with water.


    The mysterious droplet of liquid was about the size of a bean and easily dissolved in the water, causing the whole bowl of water to turn into a jade green color.


    Han Li placed the bowl near the rabbits and waited for them to drink the water. Being out in the blazing sun for such a long period of time, the rabbits scampered up and drank the water in the bowl in big gulps. Han Li was unwilling to allow the rabbits to drink the entire bowl of diluted water, and after half of the water was gone, he removed the bowl from the rabbits¡¯ reach.


    After that, he stood to the side and observed, patiently waiting for any reactions from the rabbits.


    After a short moment passed, about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the rabbits started to frantically jump about, their actions becoming more and more agitated and ferocious. Their bodies began to undergo an astounding mutation. Their fur and skin started to protrude lumps the size of a chicken egg. The lumps multiplied until they covered the rabbits¡¯ bodies. From afar, Han Li felt that the rabbit looked quite comical. The lumps had caused the rabbits to grow bigger by a single size, swelling up until both of the rabbits grew to the size of watermelons.


    Looking at the mutation of the rabbits, along with their tortured shrieks, Han Li felt a bit of fear in his heart.


    What just happened before his eyes was completely outside of his expectations. If the mysterious liquid was a potent poison or a miraculous medicine to increase cultivation, he would still not be so shocked. He did not expect that the rabbits would actually grow lumps all over their bodies and expand to such a size, becoming grotesque beyond belief.

 Chapter 24

    A Panicked Decision


    Looking at the rabbits in front of him, he saw that they continued to grow larger and expand.


    Han Li had at last realized that something was wrong. He suddenly remembered something. He looked at the porcelain bowl in his hand like a snake and threw it to the side by the medicine field. He then turned around and took to his heels, running straight away from the rabbits for more than ten meters before stopping.


    Just as he thought of turning around, one after another, two sounds simultaneously exploded over. Han Li shuddered and turned his head for a look. As expected, each of the two rabbits had turned into a bloody carcass, exploding into several chunks. Flesh and blood were scattered, covering a patch of grass with a blanket of blood. Two pits appeared in the places where the rabbits had been originally tethered to. Surrounding the pits were the rabbits¡¯ messy remains. Bloody chunks of meat sprinkled the ground. This was a spectacle too terrible to observe.


    Han Li let out a breath and sat down on the ground. He feared that if he had not reacted quickly enough at that instance, he would¡¯ve been caught in the explosion. Although he might not have been seriously injured, having his entire body drenched in rabbit blood and dregs of meat would not have been a pleasant affair.


    Waiting until after his heart calmed, Han Li stood up and walked next to the pits.


    After seeing the mutilation at the site, he took a look at the shattered porcelain bowl by the medicine field and was dumbfounded.


    Han Li originally believed that he would have discovered the green liquid to be some sort of panacea, but he did not expect it to be such a frightening thing. Poison was poison, but it made the rabbits die so tragically! No matter what he said to himself, he could not pass this off as a trick. It was far too frightening! Han Li was not unfamiliar with deadly poisons. Under Doctor Mo¡¯s several years of instruction, Han Li was experienced with many poisons capable of delivering an instant death, but none of them were capable of killing a man so terribly.


    After a while, Han Li regained his composure. Keeping his head calm, he made plans to depart from the medicine field.


    Because it was soon going to be noon, he had to finish mixing the secret medicine to give to Senior Disciple Li. As for everything here, he would deal with it once he finished delivering the medicine.


    With these thoughts in mind, Han Li did not take another look at the scene of the explosion, leaving all these troubles behind for later, and returned to his residence. After resting for a moment, he brought the medicine to the entrance of God Hand¡¯s Valley.


    Han Li was very punctual. He arrived at the entrance just as noon arrived. Li Feiyu seemed to have been anxiously waiting for him for a while now.


    He alone waited at the valley¡¯s entrance. He wore a white embroidered gown. However, he carried along the longsword that had previously left Han Li a deep impression. Since Han Li had not arrived yet, Li Feiyu¡¯s face showed a sliver of worry, anxiously looking towards the direction of the valley.


    As soon as he saw Han Li finally arrive, he put away his expression of anxiety. The corner of his mouth slightly rose, his face exposing a smile.


    ¡°Junior Disciple Han, you are truly quite punctual! You said noon, and you arrived right on time. I was waiting here for almost an hour,¡± Li Feiyu said half jokingly, half complaining.


    ¡°I am quite embarrassed. Blending the medicine took too much time yesterday, so I didn¡¯t sleep until it was very late. In the morning, I woke a bit late. As soon as I finished taking care of a few matters at hand, it was almost noon already.¡± Said Han Li. Half of what he said was true.


    ¡°Junior Disciple Han¡­medicine, the medicine, did you finish mixing it?¡± Because Senior Disciple Li was anxious and a little hurried, he had actually spoken with somewhat of a stutter.


    Han Li did not directly answer Senior Disciple Li¡¯s question. He calmly smiled, slowly taking out a large medicine bag out from his bosom. With a swing of his arm, he threw the medicine over to Li Feiyu.


    ¡°Every time before you consume the Essence Extraction Pill, take the medicine by mixing a spoon of the medicinal powder with cooled boiled water, and it will alleviate all of your pain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Junior Disciple Han! Thank you, Junior Disciple Han!¡± Senior Disciple Li was wild with joy. Even if it could only ease his pain, he would have regarded it as great news. The pain from taking the Essence Extraction Pill made it so that he would shiver even when it wasn¡¯t cold. He had tried many painkillers, but they all had no effect. Since Junior Disciple Han knew all of the characteristics of the Essence Extraction Pill and had taken it before, perhaps this medicine would actually be effective.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. Wait until after the medicine works before thanking me. In addition, this is only a year¡¯s worth of medicine. I currently used up all of the medicinal ingredients I had available. I won¡¯t be able to make any more for you until I gather enough medicinal ingredients,¡± Han Li spoke bluntly.


    ¡°No problem. Isn¡¯t this a year¡¯s worth? This is enough for the time being. Regardless of whether or not this medicine is effective, I, Li Feiy,u appreciates Junior Disciple Han¡¯s kind intentions.¡± Senior Disciple Li had at last acquired what he desired. His expression returned to normal and was no longer artificial. He very straightforwardly expressed a humble feeling of respect towards Han Li.


    Han Li faintly smiled. Not saying anything else, he took the initiative to part ways with Senior Disciple Li.


    With the secret medicine in Li Feiyu¡¯s hand, his head was filled with thoughts of quickly returning and testing the efficacy of the medicine. Seeing that Li Feiyu had no urge to bother Han Li any further, the two mutually took their leave.


    After returning from the valley entrance, Han Li first went to clean up the medicine fields. The rabbit remains, bloodied earth, and broken bowl shards were soon completely swept into a hole. Then, he endlessly covered the two earth pits by pushing it flat with dirt. Just like that, it appeared as if there were no difference in the landscape between its current state and its state before the experiment.


    Satisfied, Han Li clapped his hands to get rid of any dust particles. He looked all over the place, checking if there was anywhere he had overlooked.


    When his eyes fell onto where the porcelain bowl had shattered, he could not help but mutter to himself.


    He remembered very clearly that when he threw away the bowl, the diluted water within had spilled all over a small portion of the medicine field, landing on several medicinal herbs. He couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat hesitant since he didn¡¯t know whether these medicinal herbs would become poisonous after absorbing the water. Also, if someone were to eat these poisonous herbs, would they also experience the same horrible death as the rabbits? Should Han Li immediately destroy these poisonous plants? This chain of questions abruptly rose in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Han Li had pondered for half a day, unable to come to a decision. After examining the plants once more, he decided to only do another small experiment. If in the following days, the medicinal herbs really became poisonous, it still wouldn¡¯t be too late for him to destroy them.


    After deciding, he looked around to see if there was nothing else he could do and went back to the stone room to practice. He hoped that he would be capable of breaking through and continue advancing his foundation.


    Han Li currently no longer cared about the chant¡¯s specific usefulness. His cultivation of this chant had already become instinctive. If he did not cultivate it, Han Li wouldn¡¯t know what else he could do in the mountain valley. Stubbornly cultivating this chant to a greater layer of cultivation had already become his current life¡¯s entire goal.


    After an afternoon absorbed in cultivation, Han Li dispiritedly discovered that he truly was not a genius. Although he felt the distance from the fourth layer could be pierced through by a finger, he couldn¡¯t advance an inch forward and had diligently cultivated the whole afternoon in vain.


    It seemed he couldn¡¯t cultivate any further without the support of medicinal elixirs. Otherwise, it would be very likely that he would forever stay at the peak of the third layer, unable to advance any further.


    Han Li¡¯s mind began to hope expectantly that Doctor Mo would return a bit earlier and was lucky enough to have found enough medicinal ingredients to help Han Li break through his current predicament.

 Chapter 25

    Interference of Success


    Another night passed. Han Li woke up at the crack of dawn and walked towards the medicine field. He wanted to observe whether or not the medicinal herbs had changed in any way.


    Before he even entered the medicinal field, he could suddenly smell several rich medicinal fragrances.


    Han Li was slightly dazed, but soon after, his mind stirred. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s¡­¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but increase his pace until he finally arrived in front of several medicinal herbs that were emitting an intense fragrance.


    Were these the medicinal herbs from yesterday? Han Li didn¡¯t dare to trust his eyes. Using his hands, he fiercely slapped his slightly drowsy face until the pain made him stop.


    ¡°The leaves of this Yellow Dragon Grass has some hints of purple, the Bitter Lotus Flower actually has flowered nine petals, and the skin of this Forgotten Sorrow Fruit has turned black, ha ha! Ha ha!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter anymore. Usually, Han Li was calm and composed, but this time, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh heartily while facing the sky.


    ¡°This time I came across a great fortune. These medicinal herbs only needed one night to develop properties that require two years of age. All of their appearances turned to that of herbs aged more than ten years. Seeing the color of the leaves, the shape of the fruit, and the petals¡¯ fragrance¡­there are all qualities that belong to rare herbs that have already matured for quite some time.¡± Han Li carefully examined all of the medicinal herbs, confirming they were identical to those described in medicine books. They were truly rare medicinal ingredients that have been aged for a great length of time.


    ¡°If I can mature medicinal herbs with this method, how many rare medicinal ingredients will I have?! I can also sell the medicinal herbs that I don¡¯t use. If that happens, how much silver will I make¡­?¡± Han Li was unable to restrain his excitement and started to let his imagination run wild.


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts further developed and he became more elated. He felt that he had truly picked up a treasure this time. All of a sudden, he somersaulted a few times. At this moment, he no longer maintained his normal calm appearance and expressed the excitement entirely like that of a normal 14-15-year-old adolescent.


    After a while, Han Li had finally calmed down, and his brain recovered its sharp wit. He began to think of how to deal with the somewhat difficult problems that were brought by this huge meat pie that fell from the sky.


    (TL: ¡°huge meat pie that fell from the sky¡± is a Chinese idiom for a fortuitous encounter)


    First of all, there seemed to be no problems with the external appearance of these medicinal herbs. However, he still had not tested their medicinal properties. After all, they only became like this after they absorbed that strange liquid. Who knew whether their internal elements were abnormal? Yesterday, he had seen those rabbits¡¯ miserable demise with his own eyes. He still had to be careful.


    Secondly, the green liquid within the small mysterious bottle had already been used up. He did not know whether the strange phenomenon that created the liquid drop would happen again. Perhaps it was an occurrence that only happened once. At night, he would go to confirm it himself.


    If there were no problems with these two matters, then he truly needed to grasp the details and particulars of the drug-inducing ingredients in this manner. Then he would have complete control over this inconceivable method.


    Han Li later pondered, arriving at the conclusion that if he were unable to resolve his few difficult problems that were earlier mentioned, this huge meat pie would only be a passing flower lost in a fog.


    After everything was taken into account, Han Li began experimenting.


    He first went to the large kitchen outside of the valley and asked the manager for another pair of gray-haired rabbits. Han Li¡¯s actions made the kitchen manager both happy and somewhat puzzled. Why does this youngster keep on buying live rabbits? Could it be he wants to butcher them himself and practice his culinary skills?


    Han Li didn¡¯t care about what others thought of him. He didn¡¯t keep the rabbits at the medicine fields like before; instead, he bound them to the gate of his room so that he could conveniently observe how they change at any time.


    After that, he went to the medicine fields and carefully picked the matured medicinal herbs. He made quite a few rolls of bone and muscle enhancing medicines and mixed them into the rabbits¡¯ favorite foods. Everyday, he fed them three such meals to test whether these medicinal herbs were poisonous.


    With this finished, Han Li anxiously waited for nightfall. He felt time pass very slowly. Later, the moment he had been expectantly waiting for had finally arrived


    Just as the sky began to grow dark, Han Li ran out and took the small bottle from the back of his room and set it on the ground. He concentrated on the small bottle, anticipating its change.


    As a quarter of an hour went by, the bottle showed no activity.


    Then half an hour went by, but the bottle still didn¡¯t show any activity.


    And three-quarters of an hour¡­¡­


    As time elapsed, Han Li¡¯s heart had sunk more and more. He had stayed awake until daybreak. The bottle, however, was still no different from before.


    He was completely dispirited. Could it be that this bottle was truly usable only once? Or did he not do something correctly?


    Han Li strengthened his spirit and looked at his surroundings.


    ¡°There are no suspicious areas apart from the somewhat black sky.¡± Han Li said to himself.


    He suddenly stopped, at a loss for words. He lifted his head and gazed at the sky. The sky was black and cloudy; not a thing could be seen. ¡°The sky is a bit dark¡­¡± At these words, Han Li suddenly understood


    ¡°Could it be that it¡¯s because the clouds are preventing any light from the moon or the stars from falling on the bottle?¡± Han Li recalled that the bottle¡¯s previous transformation occurred during a clear sky. There had been nothing in the sky sheltering the moons and the stars, but today, there was gloomy weather. The whole sky was covered with black clouds.


    Han Li¡¯s hopes were raised but he saw the color of the sky turn a bit pale. He knew that a clear sky would not happen tonight. He put away the bottle and prepared to test it again once the sky was clear.


    However, contrary to Han Li¡¯s expectations, the next half month had uninterrupted drizzling and persisted until now.


    Han Li looked at the continuous waves of drizzle outside. His mind was gloomy, and he continued to grow more anxious as he waited for the weather to clear. It had continued to drizzle down constantly without end or even the slightest intention of stopping.


    He turned around towards the interior of his room and looked at the two rabbits, which had escaped the rain. They had a healthy and lively appearance, making Han Li even more depressed. Ever since the rabbits ate their medicine-infused food, not only were there no problems, they were even more vigorous than before. In these past ten days, Han Li had carefully watched them every day to confirm the rabbits had no symptoms of poisoning. Instead, because they ate the bone and muscle strengthening medicines, they became even more healthy.


    Not only did this good result fail to make Han Li happy, it also made his mind somewhat worried about his losses and gains. He hadn¡¯t the slightest means to make himself calm. Whether or not the bottle could produce more green liquid had already become the key to all of his problems. In addition, the lingering, lousy weather made it so that he was unable to test his theory. How could this not make Han Li utterly depressed?

 Chapter 26

    Medicinal Student


    Just as Han Li became convinced that the rain would be endless, the sun finally rose into the sky and cleared away the clouds.


    Han Li had already discovered the secret of the bottle half a month ago, and thus he was naturally impatient. On that clear night sky, Han Li saw once more the miracle from 4 years ago. Little by little, small orbs of light encircled the bottle before merging into one big sphere.


    Upon seeing this miracle once more, Han Li raised his head excitedly. It seemed the bottle was usable more than just one time. It could repeatedly regenerate the droplet of mysterious liquid as long as there was moonlight!


    After another seven days of waiting, the mysterious droplet of liquid finally formed. When Han Li saw the contents of the bottle, he was tremendously happy and excited. Now that he knew that he had a steady stream of precious herbs, he would no longer have to worry about insufficient resources.


    The value of an medicinal herb was determined by its age. The older the medicinal herb was, the more precious it would be as its medicinal effects would grow more potent with age. At the same time, an ingredient that was more precious would naturally be harder to find. Some ingredients could only be found in the depths of the forest or hanging from sheer cliffs. For those who didn¡¯t risk their lives, there was no way that they would be able to find these precious ingredients.


    Although there were several pharmacies that specialized in cultivating these rare herbs, these herbs were generally harvested so quickly in order to satisfy the large demand that they never got a chance to grow very large. For that reason, most weren¡¯t stupid enough to try and cultivate herbs for a long period of time and instead chose to harvest them as soon as possible.


    Only the wealthy families could afford to grow and cultivate rare herbs for stockpiling in the case of a crisis. Since the herbs were not only rare strains but were also planted for a long time, their effectiveness was many times greater than that of common herbs. There wasn¡¯t a need for a specialist to cultivate the plants either! Not only did these families pass on their money from generation to generation, the herbs they had spent so much time on would be passed down as well. As a result, time was not an issue for these families. For centuries, these herbs would be cultivated in this way. In the case of both money and rare herbs, common people had no access to such a stockpile.


    Occasionally, rare ingredients would appear briefly on the market, only to be purchased by the richer families. This slowly increased the prices of herbs and ingredients to the point that some of the herbs had been labeled as priceless.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t been too optimistic about Elder Mo¡¯s ability to procure the precious herbs needed for his cultivation. But now, there was no need for him to worry. With this mysterious bottle, he would be able to create many ingredients in a short amount of time.


    With a strange feeling in his heart, Han Li had been experimenting with the mysterious droplet of liquid on herbal ingredients for the past 10 days.


    One time, he diluted the green liquid and sprayed it on some herbs. The result after two days was that the plant effectively grew two years¡¯ worth. This was much better than the original product, and with this experiment, Han Li had learned an important rule.


    On the next experiment, Han Li did not bother to dilute the jade green droplet, letting a drop of the green liquid fall onto a stalk of ginseng. On the second day, Han Li had unexpectedly seen that the ginseng became virtually indistinguishable from wild hundred year-old ginseng. This experiment made Han Li happier than ever, not because he now owned a rare ingredient, but because he had confirmed the usage of the mysterious droplet of liquid.


    Afterward, Han Li decided to set aside some of the green liquid for experimentation, while the rest would be placed in other containers like porcelain, jade bottles, and even silver bottles. However, he soon discovered that none of the bottles were able to contain the liquid for longer than a minute. After the liquid was taken out from the bottle, it needed to be used within a minute. Otherwise, it would slowly disappear without a trace. Even the diluted form of the liquid had the same result, albeit it could last for a longer amount of time. Even if other liquids were mixed together, they would disappear without a trace soon afterward.


    After many attempts, Han Li gave up on storing the liquid in any other container. It appeared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stockpile this mysterious liquid. Thus, Han Li could only proceed to test the herbal aging properties of the green liquid.


    Han Li brought out a bundle of Three Crow Grass and used the liquid on it. Almost immediately, it had turned into a hundred year-old yellow colored Three Crow Grass. Just from a single drop of the liquid, its age would increase by 100 years!


    After seeing such an effect, Han Li made extensive use of the liquid for the next two months. Every time he was able to acquire more liquid within this bottle, he would drip it onto this strand of Three Crow Grass. It gradually turned from a yellow color to a yellowy black color. In the end, it turned jet black which was the result of it successfully aging to become a thousand year-old Three Crow Grass.


    After the success of this particular experiment, it would appear that with patience, the Three Crow Grass would be able to be constantly aged and thus improved. However, there wasn¡¯t much point to this. He was already satisfied to know that he was able to deliberately harness the liquid¡¯s effect. Besides, he didn¡¯t need such ancient ingredients; just about a hundred years old would be enough for him.


    After this long series of experimentation, Han Li finally decided to take a break. It came to his attention that Elder Mo had been away from the mountain for quite a long time now.


    Right now, Han Li was holding the thousand year-old Three Crow Grass in his hand while he sat back on his bed with a lackadaisical expression.


    His eyes were looking at the Three Crow Grass as if he was studying it. But in reality, if one were to look at the disorderly eyes of Han Li, they would know that he wasn¡¯t paying attention to the Three Crow Grass at all. Instead, he was staring off into the sky, thinking of everything else.


    He no longer had the feeling of joy from when he first created this 1000-year old Three Crow Grass. Instead, he was now thinking about the dangers this little bottle could bring to him, and what precautions he should take.


    Han Li had seen time and time again in the books of Elder Mo¡¯s library about people who suffered terrible fates as a result of acquiring a precious treasure. This bottle in his hand was definitely a precious treasure. If someone else were to discover the existence of this bottle, then he doubted that he would live to see the next day. For example, if a hall leader was to find out, then there was no way they would let this go. They would stop at nothing to seize the treasure and kill the owner, before letting anyone else find out.


    ¡°I cannot tell anyone of this bottle, and I must be careful of how I use it. The way this bottle collected light was far too noticeable and could easily be discovered by anyone watching,¡± Han Li thought to himself. He had to keep his mouth shut about this in order to ensure no one would be able to find out his secret.


    ¡°However, I am in a position where I need to use herbs to cultivate. If I don¡¯t use this bottle, it would be a terrible waste. I must find a way to get the best of both worlds.¡± He thought about his cultivation needs for a moment with some sadness. It went without saying that his cultivation was the top priority. Even Doctor Mo was aware that Han Li had barely made any progress in the past few years.

 Chapter 27

    Creating Legendary Elixirs.


    Chapter 27: Creating Legendary Elixirs


    While Doctor Mo was away, Han Li knew that the bottle would temporarily be safe within God Hand Valley because he was the only one there. Normally, no outsider would rashly enter the valley. This guaranteed a small time period where it was unlikely for anything unexpected to occur.


    Han Li had already estimated when Doctor Mo would return. If Doctor Mo could not find any good medicinal ingredients in the nearby regions, he would probably want to go look in more remote locations. It was very likely that he would have to go to one of the ancient forests deep in the mountains where men rarely ventured. Only in those kinds of desolate regions would there be any chances of obtaining a few rare medicinal ingredients. However, Doctor Mo would need at least a year in order to travel into the mountains, gather medicinal ingredients, and return to the valley.


    Doctor Mo had already been absent for almost half a year. Han Li estimated that he had another six to seven months before Doctor Mo returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect. With the time he had left, Han Li would do his utmost to hasten the growth of as many useful medicinal herbs as possible. He knew that he could not blindly squander the green liquid, so he planned to acquire only the medicinal ingredients that he would use in a few precious formulas.


    Han Li quickly proceeded to make the medicines that would augment his strength and help him break through bottlenecks. They were exactly the medicinal formulas that Doctor Mo had left the valley to concoct. However, Doctor Mo was forced to venture outside of the valley due to a lack of necessary medicinal ingredients. Any one of these ingredients would be virtually impossible for an ordinary household to obtain on the market because of their sheer rarity. The cultivators of Jiang Hu would even fight over these rare treasures with all their might.


    (TL: Jiang Hu , martial world)


    With Doctor Mo¡¯s extremely brilliant medical expertise, he could concoct medicines that only he knew how to concoct, including never before seen formulas. Even so, although Doctor Mo knew the method of producing these medicines, he was unable to do anything if he lacked the ingredients. Doctor Mo could only sigh.


    When Han Li had previously studied the art of healing under Doctor Mo¡¯s tutelage, he had been greatly interested in these rare recipes. Although he never previously expected that he would be able to concoct these precious elixirs, he remembered many of these recipes. Doctor Mo had met Han Li¡¯s enthusiasm to learn these formulas with an indifferent attitude. Whenever Han Li asked, Doctor Mo would teach Han Li with great detail; nothing was concealed from his disciple. Doctor Mo probably believed that his formulas and knowledge would be lost forever if he didn¡¯t pass them down.


    Concocting these formulas had now become Han Li¡¯s pastime. He eagerly went to the fields every day to accelerate the growth of the medicinal herbs in accordance with the formulas¡¯ requirements. When doing so, he didn¡¯t dare to relax in the slightest since he knew that his time was limited. He had to hurry and finish mixing these medicines before Doctor Mo returned. Once the doctor arrived, Han Li would conceal and put the bottle away, no longer able to easily use the bottle once more.


    Han Li did not have even the slightest degree of confidence that he would be able to use the small bottle in Doctor Mo¡¯s presence without revealing its power. He knew in his heart that Doctor Mo was an extremely shrewd and careful person. So Han Li did not intend to tell Doctor Mo about the bottle¡¯s secret.


    Han Li thought the relation he had with Doctor Mo was quite peculiar. It was definitely not as simple as an ordinary master-disciple relationship.


    Doctor Mo often looked at him with a peculiar look. This always made Han Li think that Doctor Mo was concealing a deadly secret from him. Especially in the past two years, Han Li felt that this feeling had grown even stronger. This made Doctor Mo and Han Li incapable of having the intimate relationship between a common master and disciple. If there were nothing to say, there would be silence.


    Doctor Mo had actually treated him exceptionally well in his daily life, never physically or verbally abusing Han Li. In addition, Doctor Mo spared no pain or effort to help create the best conditions for Han Li to cultivate the chant. However, there seemed to be a barrier of separation that existed between the master and disciple, an awkward atmosphere that drifted between them.


    Doctor Mo clearly realized that this gap existed. However, he did not feel the slightest need to remedy the mutual indifference between master and disciple, leaving it to be. The only time when he directly involved himself in Han Li¡¯s life was whenever he urged Han Li to increase the pace of Han Li¡¯s cultivation. Every time Doctor Mo visited Han Li, the grotesque aspect of his gaze gradually lessened, so much so that after a long period of time, it was no longer displayed.


    However, Han Li¡¯s keen sixth sense faintly informed him that Doctor Mo hadn¡¯t truly abandoned his plans, but rather ingeniously concealed his intentions. Thus, Han Li¡¯s vigilance against Doctor Mo had deepened further. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly dare let Doctor Mo know of the bottle¡¯s secret?!


    Han Li had learned an unshakable lesson from reading numerous history books: ¡°refrain from hurting others but guard against those trying to hurt you.¡±


    Regardless of whether Doctor Mo truly wanted to harm him, strengthening Han Li¡¯s vigilance wouldn¡¯t be a bad decision, even if his feelings were mistaken. If Doctor Mo had truly intended to harm him, Han Li¡¯s strengthened vigilance could possibly prevent him from suffering a severe injury. If his sixth sense was mistaken, then a strengthened vigilance wouldn¡¯t harm him. Either way, Han Li wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to harm his master. Han Li was still Doctor Mo¡¯s apprentice and would do his utmost to be a filial apprentice.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t too comfortable with his feelings regarding Doctor Mo. After all, this kind of strange master-disciple relationship was completely unheard of in the Seven Mysteries Sect. Thinking of this, Han Li could not help but sigh.


    The mysterious green bottle absolutely couldn¡¯t be used once Doctor Mo returned. However, Han Li knew that even if he managed to somehow hide it from Doctor Mo, another person from the Seven Mysteries Sect might uncover the secret by accident. His best choice was to hide the bottle away forever and act as if it had never existed.


    Unwilling to forever separate himself from the bottle, Han Li made up his mind to use the bottle cautiously and secretly once Doctor Mo returned. Once he came upon this decision, Han Li relaxed his mind and fell asleep on his bed.


    In the following months, Han Li secretly used the bottle¡¯s green liquid to accelerate the growth of large quantities of precious medicinal ingredients. He then used these medicinal ingredients in accordance with the formula, concocting many rare medicines. But in the process of concocting the elixirs, many failures had occurred. Each failure had left Han Li a lasting soreness since the ingredients used to make the medicines were rare and of the highest quality. Each failure represented a waste of an innumerable amount of silver. However, he could not be blamed. These were the first time he compounded these formulas, so failing several times was inevitable. Even if Doctor Mo had personally compounded these medicines, he would have made one or two mistakes. Only in this way could Han Li console himself.


    ¡° Yellow Dragon Pellet,¡± ¡°Pure Spirit Powder,¡± ¡°Gold Essence Pill,¡± and ¡°Vitality Raising Pellet.¡± These rare medicines, rarely seen on the market, were placed in tens of small bottles. One by one, they were neatly arranged in front of Han Li. As Han Li looked at these small bottles, his face lit up with delight. With these miraculous medicines, he could reach the fifth and sixth layer without expending too much effort, not to mention the fourth layer.


    Among these medicines, ¡°Yellow Dragon Pellet¡± and ¡°Gold Essence Pill¡± would assist him in increasing his strength, thereby raising his power, and had the wonderful effect of rebuilding his body and bones. ¡°Pure Spirit Powder¡± was a world-famous detoxifying panacea, capable of dissolving thousands of deadly poisons. Lastly, ¡°Vitality Raising Pellet¡± was a legendary medicine that had a surprising effect on internal injuries. Regardless of how many grave internal and external injuries one suffered from, so long as the person eating the pill remained alive, any injury would be immediately healed, allowing one¡¯s life to be preserved.

 Chapter 28

    Doctor Mo Returns


    Originally, Han Li hadn¡¯t planned on concocting medicinal pills for other purposes than aiding him in his cultivation. But after thinking about it, he decided that, no matter what, he was still a martial artist! Who knew if one day he would be struck by a natural disaster or get embroiled in the rampage of one of the various martial factions in Jiang Hu and be killed? It would be for the best to prepare some medicines for wounds and poisons in advance, because if he were to be injured or poisoned without having any medicine nearby, that would be too unfortunate.


    With this mindset, Han Li had decided to make more of two types of medicines, Pure Spirit Powder and Vitality Raising Pellet, to prepare himself for any accidents. One person could only live one life after all, and Han Li didn¡¯t want to die an untimely death.


    Because he was constantly making medicines, his cultivation with the chant had slowed down considerably. But this was unavoidable, since there were many things in the world to be perfected, and there would surely always be something that one had to give up on.


    (TL: AKA cost-benefit analysis)


    After refining medicinal pills for half the day, he began to consume them, starting with the ¡°Yellow Dragon Pellet¡± and the ¡°Gold Essence Pill.¡± These two medicines each truly deserved to be considered the panacea of legends that could shock everyone with its power. After eating them, he had effortlessly broken through the bottleneck and reached the fourth layer of the chant.


    Once he reached the fourth layer, Han Li had immediately felt the difference between his current and past self. His five senses had exploded into a whole new realm as everything had suddenly turned brighter and much more distinct. Previously, he wasn¡¯t able to make out minute features out in the distance, but now he was able to see them on an enlarged scale, clearer than ever. With his eyes, he could easily see the small insects that were crawling about the edges of his room. His sense of hearing had completely changed as well. Sounds he had never heard before could be heard to a noticeable degree, like the rustling sounds of an earthworm crawling through the ground or the buzzing sounds of an insect flying through the air. These sounds were so loud, it was almost as if they were taking place next to his ear. Everything could be heard so clearly, but aside from that, Han Li could even make out some new scents thanks to his improved sense of smell.


    Han Li was overjoyed because this was the very first time that his efforts in practicing this chant had actually paid off. This made him realize that the oracular chant he was condemning before was not totally useless; instead, it had a mysterious and unique aspect to it that could only be unlocked through cultivation.


    Previously, even though his senses did indeed improve each time he had broken through to a new layer, none of those changes were as drastic as when he had reached the fourth layer. It was almost as if he had become a completely different person.


    Aside from this, he also felt that his body movements were a lot quicker than before. Even his mind and vitality had grown stronger. Even if Han Li didn¡¯t sleep for 3 or 5 days, he still felt as wide awake as always.


    With so many changes occurring, Han Li sat there and took note of each and every single change to his body. These changes opened a new world of sensation to him, and so he was reluctant to do anything other than relish in these feelings.


    Only now did he realize that all of these changes had appeared only at the fourth layer of the chant. It could be considered that he was at the small-success stage of the oracular chant only after reaching the fourth layer.


    He couldn¡¯t help but think that this fourth layer had brought about such an unforgettable sensation! If the fourth layer was like this, then surely breaking through to the fifth or even sixth layer would be even more magnificent!


    Soon after Han Li finally broke through and understood the subtleties of this cultivation method, his master¡ªDoctor Mo¡ªhad finally returned to the valley. However, he wasn¡¯t alone, as he had brought back a mysterious person.


    The moment Doctor Mo returned to the valley, Han Li heard his all too familiar cough. He had been in his cultivation room striving to advance one more layer, but the moment he had heard Doctor Mo¡¯s voice, he left the room to head down to the valley and greet him. It had been a year since he had last met his master, so it was time to meet Doctor Mo once again.


    The moment Han Li saw Doctor Mo, he was extremely shocked. Doctor Mo was still the same in figure, but there was an ashen complexion on his face with the smallest hint of anger. Although he had originally been yellow with illness, he had never looked so haggard in such an extreme manner as he did now.


    But what surprised Han Li the most was the mysterious person behind Doctor Mo. The person was wrapped in a black mantle that completely covered every single part of the body so that not a single inch of skin could be seen. The figure was rather large and was taller than Han Li by at least two heads. Because of the mantle that covered the entirety of the person¡¯s body, Han Li wasn¡¯t able to determine the person¡¯s facial appearance. At the very least, he could tell that the person¡¯s expression was especially fierce and extremely ugly.


    Han Li suppressed the questions on his mind as he hurriedly greeted Doctor Mo with a respectful tone and waited for Doctor Mo to say something back.


    He knew that while the Doctor Mo did not care for such traditions, there was an expectation for a disciple to greet their master respectfully. This was something that could not be discarded as a useless tradition since it flattered the master, making the master more likely to treat the disciple well.


    Han Li had also understood Doctor Mo¡¯s thoughts. Since Doctor Mo had always pushed him to practice the chants to cultivate and had not seen Han Li in a very long time, he would undoubtedly ask about how far he had gotten with the chant.


    As expected, the moment Doctor Mo saw Han Li approach him, he stared blankly for a moment before coughing twice and speaking up.


    ¡°How far have you gotten with the chant? Have you made a breakthrough?¡± There was an anxious look of hope on his face.


    Han Li long since expected that this question would come and had prepared an answer beforehand.


    ¡°I¡¯m still the same, without experiencing any significant change.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t want to tell the truth of his progress because there would be no way for him to explain his sudden massive increase in training speed. It would have been impossible for Han Li to break through from the third layer to the fourth layer with his own talent in such a short amount of time.


    ¡°Extend your arm.¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s expression sank and his voice became stiff.


    Han Li carefully paid attention to Doctor Mo¡¯s expression. His heart shook for a moment before becoming calm once more.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of having his pulse taken to measure the True Qi in his body. This was because, after reaching the fourth layer, Han Li had discovered that he could freely manipulate the inner workings of his body, such as the intensity of his True Qi. He could easily control his True Qi so that it would resemble that of the third layer. With this underhanded method, he had no fear of Doctor Mo¡¯s inspection.

 Chapter 29

    Rising Conflict.


    Chapter 29: Rising Conflict


    Doctor Mo¡¯s face showed no emotion. His eyes were half open and half closed while his hand was wrapped firmly around Han Li¡¯s wrist.


    His attention was completely concentrated on the True Qi within Han Li¡¯s body. He remained silent for quite some time.


    After the time it takes to make a cup of tea, Doctor Mo let out a deep breath, as if he were releasing all the vexation from his mind, and opened his eyes. A vigorous brilliance shot from his cloudy eyes, rendering any man incapable of facing him.


    His expression was somber. It was very obvious to Han Li that he was dissatisfied, but Doctor Mo did not release harsh words of criticism.


    He swung his arms indifferently, showing Han Li that he was about to leave.


    Han Li perceptively followed close behind him. Although he was very curious about the mysterious man at his side, Han Li knew it was not the time to inquire as he wished.


    After he entered the room, Doctor Mo somewhat tiredly sat in the armchair and leaned back into it, half sitting, half reclining. The vigorous brilliance had already scattered, revealing his old sickly self.


    The mysterious man had followed closely from the beginning. When Doctor Mo sat down, he stood behind Doctor Mo¡¯s chair, his back upright and motionless.


    Han Li knew that Doctor Mo was currently dissatisfied, but he was unwilling to open his mouth and stir Doctor Mo¡¯s foul mood up. Mimicking the mysterious man, he walked to the middle of the room and lowered his head toward Doctor Mo, staying tactfully still. He waited for Doctor Mo to start his questioning.


    For a long time, nobody spoke. Han Li was somewhat baffled and lost his patience. He thought quietly about raising his head and stealing a glance at Doctor Mo.


    ¡°If you want to look, look. Why would you possibly want to be sneaky?¡± Just as he raised his head halfway up, Doctor Mo¡¯s cold, strict voice traveled over.


    Han Li was startled for a second and then, he obediently raised his head. His gaze circled around Doctor Mo¡¯s face and immediately withdrew from it.


    Han Li¡¯s face had an unusual expression. His heart sunk as if he were in a perilous situation, constantly rolling around in his chest.


    How did Doctor Mo¡¯s face suddenly become so strange? On his gray, withered face, there was a faint layer of black Qi. It was as if the black Qi had life, extending an innumerable amount of tiny tentacles and scurrying threateningly across his face. This caused Han Li to be even more fearful. Doctor Mo had replaced his former, everyday rigid expression with an expression of fierce resolution. He was watching Han Li attentively with a truly malicious gaze. The corner of his mouth revealed a slight mocking sneer.


    Han Li felt the situation wasn¡¯t favorable towards him. A somewhat restless mood spiraled in his mind while an ominous atmosphere began to spread freely in the room.


    He cautiously and vigilantly decided to retreat half a step. He withdrew a cylinder from his sleeve, causing his stressed mental state to relax a bit. At this moment, he suddenly heard Doctor Mo¡¯s soft mockery.


    ¡°A petty trick? You even dare to take it out and show it off?¡±


    Doctor Mo¡¯s body moved. He stood from his half reclined position with a strange momentum. ¡°Hehe.¡± With a smile, his body flickered towards Han Li¡¯s side as if he were a spectre before giving a cold laugh.


    Han Li¡¯s expression greatly changed. He knew this turn of events was far from good and hastily lifted his arm. However, his entire body went numb and he was incapable of moving a single step.


    It was only until this moment that he saw that Doctor Mo¡¯s finger leave the acupoint on his chest.


    Doctor Mo was truly too fast. To Han Li¡¯s surprise, he couldn¡¯t even perceive in the slightest when Doctor Mo had taken action.


    ¡°Venerable Senior Mo, What are you going to do? Has this disciple done something wrong? Sir has always talked without hesitating. Is there any need to press this disciple¡¯s acupoint?¡± At this moment Han Li was no longer capable of keeping his calm. He said this to Doctor Mo with a forced smile.


    Doctor Mo did not speak at all. He only hit his back a few times and lightly coughed. His appearance was much like a senile senior, too weak to resist the wind.


    Han Li had just seen Doctor Mo assume a decisive and violent appearance. How could Han Li possibly dare to regard him to be some common ill old man? Instead, Han Li attached Doctor Mo¡¯s artificial frailness with even more importance.


    ¡°Doctor Mo, what about your status? There is no need to lower yourself to this disciple¡¯s level. What disadvantage would you have from undoing this disciple¡¯s acupoint? This disciple will take responsibility and forget about this matter.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li had continued to spout many pleasant, flattering lines.


    However, Doctor Mo did not pay any attention to him and instead reached into Han Li¡¯s sleeve and removed the hidden cylinder. Then, he looked at Han Li with a gaze of mockery and contempt.


    Seeing this situation, Han Li¡¯s heart suddenly sank to its greatest depths. He originally had the intention of using speech to arouse sympathy from Doctor Mo, but his plan had completely failed.


    It appeared that Doctor Mo wouldn¡¯t give the slightest opportunity for Han Li to gain an advantage.


    Han Li gradually grew quiet. His face became eerily calm, and he looked back at Doctor Mo with a gaze lacking even the slightest amount of emotion.


    Suddenly, everything in the room had seemed to become entirely still. There was absolute silence, like the calm before a storm.


    ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡± Doctor Mo had suddenly let out three ¡°Good¡±s.


    ¡°You are worthy of being a person that I, Mo Juren, have taken notice of. So you can hold a straight face even at this moment, calm in your hour of peril. It seems the advantage I gained by pressing your acupoint was not in vain.¡± Doctor Mo suddenly praised Han Li.


    ¡°Just how do you plan on dealing with me?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t answer Doctor Mo¡¯s words and asked a question instead.


    ¡°Hehe! How will I deal with you?¡± Doctor Mo repeated Han Li¡¯s question, refusing to answer.


    ¡°How will I deal with you? It will depend on your own performance.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow, vaguely guessing a few of Doctor Mo¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say. Use your intelligence. You should be able to somewhat understand, right?¡±


    ¡°I can only guess a bit, but I don¡¯t understand the exact specifics of your plan.¡± Han Li did not deny it, stating it very bluntly.


    ¡°Very good, that is the correct way. You can ask me any questions, don¡¯t keep them to yourself.¡± Doctor Mo face wore a sinister smile. The black Qi on his face thickened into many layers, causing his appearance to become even more malevolent. ¡°I know you have always been guarded against me and did not truly see me as your master. But regardless, it does not matter. I also do not truly see you as my disciple.¡± Doctor Mo said this with a slight snort.

 Chapter 30

    A Hero¡¯s Final Road


    ¡°How old do you think I am?¡± His cheek muscles visibly throbbed as he stiffly asked this strange question.


    ¡°Based on your appearance, you look to be older than sixty years old, but since you asked this question, your age must not match your appearance. You are either much older or much younger than you appear to be.¡± Although Han Li was astonished, he continued to speak with a calm voice.


    ¡°Ze ze! For a brat from the countryside to become a sharp and intelligent person, you sure live up to the name of an ¡°Eternal Spring Arts¡± cultivator!¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s mouth continued to praise Han Li, but he stared at his disciple with a feverish gleam.


    ¡°You guessed correctly. I am only thirty-seven this year.¡± A number that caused Han Li to feel disbelief came out from Doctor Mo¡¯s mouth


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible?¡± Han Li said in surprise, unable to maintain his composure.


    ¡°Impossible! It is indeed impossible! The people who see me, not even mentioning sixty, would tell others that I am an elder in my seventies. I¡¯m afraid no one would be able to guess my true age, ¡° Doctor Mo said as his voice suddenly became high and sharp in pitch. To Han Li¡¯s ears, the ear-piercing sound caused extreme discomfort, as if it touched upon a sore spot within his heart.


    ¡°I, Mo Juren, used to be so famous in my early years that at one point in time, within the Lan Province of the State of Yue, I barehandedly established my own spot within the heavens, making a name for myself. Heihei! At that time, everybody heard of my prestigious name ¡°Ghost Hand¡± within the Lan Province. Regardless of whether they were righteous or evil, those who followed me lived while those who went against me died.¡± Doctor Mo resumed his normal pitch and used a deep and slow tone to narrate his story. Following his own narration, his eyes emitted a sharpness that was comparable to a blade¡¯s edge, as if he were back in the past when he was high spirited and in a position of power.


    Listening to Doctor Mo¡¯s story, Han Li was secretly shocked. He never thought that his master would have had such a renowned name at one point in time.


    ¡°Regrettably, good things don¡¯t last forever. Right when I entered my thirties and was preparing to take a big step forward in spreading my name, I fell under the plot of a despicable character and was poisoned by my own trusted aide. Even by relying on my impressive medicinal knowledge I was only able to prevent the poison from flaring up but was unable to completely recover, causing my power to decrease dramatically. As a result, I was unable to maintain my position in the north. Fearing that my enemies¡¯ clans would take advantage of my weakness, I was forced to abandon my profession and family in order to disappear without a trace. I could only travel to other parts of the State of Yue to look for a cure to help me regain my previous skills.¡± As he was narrating, Doctor Mo became lost within his own story and tightly clenched his two fists. His fingernails dug into his palm, causing flesh blood to flow, but he did not notice this. Only his face revealed any expression; his teeth gnashed together, giving him a savage appearance. Doctor Mo¡¯s vicious expression could cause anyone who witnessed it to tremble in cold sweat, showing that he still harbored a bone-deep hatred for the despicable figure who poisoned him.


    Listening to the deep hatred within his words, Han Li could not help but feel goosebumps. A cold feeling began to rise within his heart.


    ¡°Heaven has eyes, and through some mysterious means, I came upon a strange book called ¡°Scripture of Longevity.¡± I spent tremendous amounts of energy trying to understand it, and from reading it, I found a shortcut to recover my former martial prowess. I followed the steps, and¡­¡± Doctor Mo suddenly stopped, but his face betrayed him by showing anger and remorse.


    ¡°As a result, you now look like a demon,¡± said Han Li as he tried to help Doctor Mo complete his sentence.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I didn¡¯t think that by following the steps within the book, I would regain my former powers at the cost of an accelerated aging into a prematurely aged old man that resembles a mixture between a human and a corpse.¡° Doctor Mo sadly dropped his head and was too dejected to express any anger at Han Li¡¯s satiric comment.


    ¡°By now, you should have found out the reason for your accelerated aging, right?¡±


    ¡°It was because my method was inappropriate, causing evil Qi to invade my body. For me, the energy consumed in a single day is equal to the energy needed to live ten days as a normal human. As a result, I am constantly overtaxing my lifespan. Thankfully, I have proficiently trained in a skill to take care of my body and have followed the instructions in the book to concoct a secret medicine which decreases the speed of my aging, allowing me to last all these years.¡±


    ¡°How does this chant I cultivate relate to your problem?¡± Han Li bluntly addressed the root of the problem.


    ¡°Not long after I became the way I am now, I learned from the book of a method to solve this issue, and this is the ¡®Eternal Spring Arts¡¯ which you are practicing. I just need a practitioner that reached the fourth stage of the Eternal Spring arts to use his Qi to massage and stimulate my secret acupoints. That will break me away from my current plight and will allow me to regain my lost life force.¡±


    (TL: acupuncture points ¨C > acupoints )


    ¡°Why do you specifically need me? Can¡¯t you just find a random person to cultivate the chant?¡± Han Li muttered to himself for a moment, revealing a question that has been buried within himself for a long time.


    ¡°Do you think this Eternal Spring Arts Technique can be cultivated by just any random person? This chant not only requires a young man to cultivate from an early age but also requires its cultivators to have a body that contains ¡®spiritual roots.¡¯ Even though I don¡¯t know what ¡®spiritual roots¡¯ are, I have looked through countless hundreds of disciples before you, all of which were incapable of cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts Technique,¡± said Doctor Mo with an annoyed face.


    ¡°It requires such conditions?¡± Han Li stared blankly; he never thought that training in this chant would require such strict conditions.


    ¡°In my last remaining months, I thought that I would never find someone who could cultivate the incantations, so I gave up and started to wander. I never thought that I would suddenly meet the Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, who was also being plotted against. As a similar individual suffering from similar circumstances, I gave a hand and saved the Sect Leader¡¯s insignificant life. Immediately, the Sect Leader invited me to the Seven Mysteries Sect, where I became a valued member. I had planned on living the remainder of my life on the mountain, hidden in seclusion. Heihei*! But all of a sudden, a miracle happened! Originally, I was worried that my medicinal skills would not be passed on, so I invited the two of you into the valley to accept you two as my disciples. As luck would have it, on a whim, I let you two try to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts incantation. Maybe it was because I was still holding onto a small bit of hope. But there seemed to be demons and gods at work* since I suddenly let you two try out the Eternal Spring Arts incantation. In reality, even if you two had been unable to cultivate the incantation, I would have still accepted you guys as my disciples and bestowed upon you all of my medicinal knowledge, but I would never have thought that you would have a reaction to the incantation. Haha! It seems Heaven never halts one¡¯s path to cultivation!¡±


    (TL: *Heihei= small chuckle


    *demons and gods at work (idiom)= when an event is only explainable by the supernatural)


    Doctor Mo revealed all this in one breath, causing his face to look red from the lack of air. He appeared very pleased with his stroke of good fortune.


    ¡°I have not yet cultivated up to the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts Technique, so why did you stop me at this moment to discuss this matter with me?¡± Han Li finally asked the question he was most concerned about.


    ¡°You only have yourself to blame for this! I spent so much blood and energy on you, yet you still can not satisfy my demands, always playing tricks on me. You are only lacking this one last step, yet you choose to continue on slowly, unwilling to advance to the next layer. Originally, I was planning to wait another two years, but when I went down the mountains this time, I was recognized by a member of an enemy clan. Through an intense battle, even though I won and had killed my enemy, I consumed large amounts of energy, which greatly shortened my lifespan. Even if I were to use all of my abilities, I would only be able to prolong my life for another year. How can I possibly wait any longer?¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s originally proud expression vanished without a trace, replaced by a savage expression as he roared out at Han Li.


    After Han Li finished listening, his expression remained the same. He didn¡¯t reveal even a trace of being stirred.


    However, his heart was like a raging sea, which was completely different from his confident and unwavering appearance.


    Even though he knew from the beginning that Doctor Mo had been placing an unsettling importance on Han Li¡¯s cultivation, he never thought that there would be such an intense story behind this. Doctor Mo¡¯s identity and experience far surpassed the scope of his imagination.


    (TL: Title Explanation. As you know grand ¡°heroes¡± in wuxia and xianxia aren¡¯t always kind and benevolent. They are often vicious, ruthless and merciless, and are ¡®heroic¡¯ from their grand feats and strength. The actual title is defined as a formidable character which I found to be best translated as ¡°Hero¡±.)

 Chapter 31

    Insect Corpse Pill.


    Chapter 31: Insect Corpse Pill


    Han Li felt numbed as fear, regret, and helplessness filled his heart. Despite trying to delay the inevitable, he was still unable to figure out how to extricate himself from this predicament, and as a result, he grew panicked.


    He was, after all, still very young, unable to win against Doctor Mo¡¯s vast years of experience in Jiang Hu. Doctor Mo could most likely counter any cunning and ruthless method that Han Li came up with. Feeling as exposed as a paper tiger, Han Li started sweating profusely.


    Doctor Mo took note of the myriad expressions that flashed past Han Li¡¯s face and was immensely satisfied with the pressure he caused. From his experiences, only when one was unsettled and confused would it be easier to extract the truth.


    ¡°You really think that I was delaying my cultivation on purpose?¡± Han Li was surprised that Doctor Mo came to this conclusion.


    ¡°Obviously. It¡¯s already been two years and yet you weren¡¯t able to reach the fourth layer? You really think I can¡¯t read what you¡¯re thinking? In the past, you only spent 3 years reaching the first three layers so even if the fourth layer was difficult to cultivate without the aid of spiritual herbs, it would impossible for you to have no progress in your cultivation,¡± Doctor Mo explained as his eyebrows arched up, emitting a killing intent. It was as if all the dissatisfaction that he ever felt was bubbling out to the surface today.


    ¡°Seems like no matter how I try to explain, Doctor Mo will never believe me.¡± Han Li smiled bitterly. Never would he have thought that because trying to hide the progress of his cultivation would lead him into a deeper hole filled with Doctor Mo¡¯s endless suspicion. He really kicked the stone on which he had placed himself.


    (TL: ¡°kicking the stone on which he had placed himself¡± = digging your own grave)


    ¡°Enough! I have no wish to listen to any more of your bullsh*t. I shall give you one more year. Do you think you will be able to reach the fourth layer by then?¡± Doctor Mo coldly laughed as he stared icily at Han Li, waiting for his answer with a serious expression on his face.


    Han Li¡¯s mind was very clear. He knew his answer would not only affect Doctor Mo¡¯s life but also his own survival.


    ¡°I should be very clear that there is no way I will be able to say no. Come, unlock my acupoints.¡± Han Li relaxed as he accepted the inevitable.


    After Doctor Mo heard his words, his face recovered slightly as praise reflected in his eyes. However, he did not unlock Han Li¡¯s acupoint immediately. Instead, he took out an exquisitely carved seal boxed from within his robes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be assured by your words alone. What would happen if you say one thing but do another; if you refuse to invest any effort in your cultivation, there would not be any difference from now. Because my own life is at stake, I have to add another layer of insurance,¡± stated Doctor Mo in an icy tone.


    Before opening Han Li¡¯s acupoints, Doctor Mo had to take extra measures to ensure his success. He cautiously unsealed the box, removed a white pill and placed the pill in the center before unsealing Han Li¡¯s acupoint. Before Han Li could move, Doctor Mo already placed the white pill in front of him.


    ¡°You are an intelligent person. There is no need for me to waste time talking too much, you should know what to do.¡± Doctor Mo looked at him, harboring malicious intents in his heart.


    Han Li moved his numbed limbs about, and without saying anything, he took the white pill out from the box. In front of Doctor Mo, Han Li immediately placed the white pill inside his mouth and swallowed it, unwilling to show any signs of weaknesses.


    Clap clap! ¡° Excellent! He who suits his action to the times are great men indeed. As long as you help me return back to normal, I will reward you greatly. There is already a rift between us, so it is impossible for me to accept you as my disciple and pass onto you other techniques, but still, granting you a life of wealth is still possible for me.¡± Doctor Mo clapped his hands as he sincerely promised Han Li his reward.


    ¡°Now, you should be able to tell me the effect of the pill I just consumed in case I accidentally overstep the restrictions and lose my life,¡± Han Li expressionlessly asked Doctor Mo.


    ¡°Keke, the name of this pill is the Insect Corpse Pill. It¡¯s concocted from pure herbal components but in addition, the recipe requires different poisonous worm eggs. After being consumed, it will incubate inside your body for a year. You can rest assured, though. In this one year, I can guarantee that it will not affect you. After one year, once you consume the antidote, the pill will melt away, leaving no traces behind. However, if you do not consume the antidote after a year, the worm will hatch within your body and consume your innards for nourishment, eating you from inside out and leaving you in so much pain that you would rather die than suffer the agony. The pain will last for a total of three days and nights, and you will slowly die an agonizing death.¡± Doctor Mo slowly explained the effects of the pill as he silently warned Han Li.


    After Han Li heard the effects of the pill he just consumed, shudders involuntarily spread throughout his body as his expression changed for the worst. Anger inflamed his heart, but before he could do or say anything, Doctor Mo unleashed his trump card.


    ¡°Oh right, I heard that your family is living pretty well thanks to you. Do they have enough silvers to spend? If not, just let me know. Since you¡¯ll be doing me a great favor, I will specially take care of your family members for you.¡± Doctor Mo smiled as he patted Han Li¡¯s shoulder.


    Han Li froze as his face turned green. Doctor Mo¡¯s words made it impossible for his spirit to be calm and still.


    Using the last vestige of his determination, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep silent. He was worried that he would say something to Doctor Mo that he might regret. Han Li understood that there was no way Doctor Mo would not use his family against him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Doctor Mo. I promise to reach the fourth layer within a year.¡± Without a choice, Han Li bit his lips as he assured Doctor Mo.


    Under Doctor Mo¡¯s threats, Han Li could only submit. He was still unable to sever the last trace of humanity in his heart and disregard the life and death of his parents.


    Now, Han Li¡¯s weakness had been grasped by Doctor Mo, and even if he wished to die, he would still have to seek the approval of Doctor Mo. Han Li knew that he had been thoroughly defeated this time.


    After Doctor Mo heard Han Li¡¯s words, he released a sigh of relief. His nervousness was not less than Han Li¡¯s, but Doctor Mo¡¯s face was akin to a stone mask as he had managed to keep his emotions under tight control.


    ¡°This Eternal Spring Arts in indeed extraordinary. This young brat is still so young but is already difficult to handle.¡± Doctor Mo did not know whether he felt envy or jealousy in his heart.


    Actually, the effects of the Eternal Spring Arts varied for those who cultivate it. As for Han Li, he had already been quite intelligent since he was young, so after cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts, his wisdom grew beyond his peers.

 Chapter 32

    Heroic Spirit.


    Chapter 32: Heroic Spirit


    Han Li turned his body as he prepared to leave. When he reached the entrance, he asked a final question.


    ¡°Ever since he arrived, the brother standing behind Doctor Mo has not said a single word. Where did he come from?¡±


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s question, Doctor Mo deigned not to answer and only replied with a cunning laugh.


    ¡°You are so intelligent, why don¡¯t you take a guess? I¡¯m sure you will be able to find out.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and proceeded to leave Doctor Mo¡¯s residence. It was unknown whether he was just unwilling to make a guess or unable to get the correct answer.


    After he stepped out of the door, Han Li¡¯s expression turned heavy and downcast.


    ¡°In this conflict between Doctor Mo and I, I was as helpless as a baby chick, completely under his control. I was really too naive, thinking that my small amount of cleverness would be able to outfox him. In the end, the Five Poisons Water that I concocted was unable to display its full might and was wasted. When I return, I must seriously think about how to best increase my strength.¡±


    Thinking of this, he turned to the direction of his residence and began walking in large strides. He appeared to be extremely unwilling to be controlled by Doctor Mo.


    Back at Doctor Mo¡¯s residence, Doctor Mo stared dumbstruck at the floor. There was a bowl-sized hole cut out on the wood panels. Just now, due to his carelessness, he almost died to the poison that had corroded the floor. Because the poison was so potent, Doctor Mo could not help but curse in anger:


    ¡°That son of a turtle, when did he learn to concoct such a deadly poison! I have never taught him before. It seems like I have underestimated him; he can be extremely cruel and merciless, even to an extent that he can turn his back on old associates.¡±


    (TL: ¡°son of a turtle¡± or ¡°turtle egg¡± is a Chinese pun for ¡°bastard¡±)


    Han Li did not know that he had caused such a great shock to Doctor Mo. After returning to his room, he slumped his head on his bed as sleep overtook him. The battle of strength and wits had exhausted him, and thus, he needed rest to recover.


    After a long period of time, Han Li slowly roused himself from his sleep as he sat up and looked to the skies. Dawn was already approaching. It seemed as if he had slept much longer than he expected.


    The Han Li who had awakened did not get off from his bed immediately. Sitting on his bed and resting his chin on both of his hands, he started analyzing ways to escape from Doctor Mo¡¯s control.


    Obviously, he was safe for this one year period. Because Doctor Mo needed to protect his own life, he would certainly not make any moves against him within this period of time. But after the year passed, it would be hard to guarantee anything.


    Han Li did not worry about the ¡°problem¡± of Eternal Spring Arts. He had already broken through to the fourth layer a few days ago. He was not worried because he was extremely confident that he could even reach the 5th level after a year.


    The ¡°problem¡± of the Insect Corpse Pill was easily settled as well. When the time came, Han Li would just need to stop suppressing his true abilities and simply wrestle the cure away from Doctor Mo.


    All of a sudden, Han Li thought of something. He pulled out the medicinal bottle and took from it a droplet of jade green medicinal pill before consuming it. After a while, the effect of the medicine took place as he silently observed himself inwardly.


    ¡°Ke! Doctor Mo did really tell the truth about the Insect Corpse Pill. The Pure Spirit Powder, which was a panacea for most of the world¡¯s poisons, was unable to have any effect when consumed to combat the effects of the Insect Corpse Pill. It seems like I must really wait for a year before I can obtain the antidote.¡± Han Li murmured.


    He got down from his bed and paced around his room, trying to think of other alternatives to his problems.


    Han Li did not completely believe the words that Doctor Mo had told him earlier. Despite this, he had no choice but to comply to Doctor Mo¡¯s demands because he held Han Li¡¯s weakness in his palm.


    Han Li was unsure if Doctor Mo¡¯s promise was real. If it was real, it was simple as merely following Doctor Mo¡¯s instructions¨C¡ªHan Li would be assured and would have no need to come up with any preparations. But if Doctor Mo was lying to him, Han Li knew that he would probably suffer a fate worse than death a year from now if he did not prepare any countermeasures.


    Han Li repeatedly analyzed all of the possible ways to attack his problem and felt that there weren¡¯t any good solutions.


    Now both Han Li and Doctor Mo were in dire straits. Han Li was afraid that Doctor Mo would harm him after he accomplished his objective. On the other hand, Doctor Mo was worried that Han Li might not practice his cultivation assiduously and that the delay would cost him his life.


    Initially, Han Li had some methods that he could use to threaten Doctor Mo, but who would have expected that Doctor Mo would grasp his weaknesses so quickly and use his family as insurance?


    ¡°Could it be that I don¡¯t even have the slightest control over my own life?¡± Han Li helplessly sighed.


    ¡°No, there is no way that I would allow this to happen. Leaving my destiny in the hands another would undoubtedly be the most foolish decision I have ever made.¡±


    Despite saying so, even after contemplating for a long period of time, Han Li was still unable to think of any good solution. Eventually, he decided on a solution that wasn¡¯t exactly a solution.


    He decided to increase his strength in every aspect. Even if Doctor Mo wanted his life one year from now, Han Li would still have some insurance against Doctor Mo.


    This was truly a stupid idea. He could only passively defend and could not actively attack. But currently, he could not think of any other way besides increasing his own strength!


    After making his decision, Han Li decided to go out for a walk. He opened his door and walked outside his residence, stretching his body while yawning.


    ¡°My destiny lies in my own hands! I will never let others control my fate!¡±

 Chapter 33

    Private Exchange.


    Chapter 33: Private Exchange


    Han Li hoisted up a rope attached to a bucket and threw the bucket into the mountain spring. Once the bucket was filled to the brim with spring water, he pulled it back up.


    Without expending any strength, Han Li easily lifted the wooden bucket above his head, and with a flick of his wrist, a ¡°Hua¡± sound rang out as the water in the bucket poured over his head, drenching him all the way to his toes.


    ¡°How refreshing!¡±


    ¡°How comfortable!¡±


    Han Li and another youth both exclaimed in delight. The water was a soothing effect in the hot summer climate. The heat was unbearably hot, so as they poured spring water over their bodies, they shivered in delight.


    ¡°Heh heh! Junior Disciple Han, you really found a good place. This creek was well hidden, and yet you somehow managed to discover it,¡± The youth with a callous look on his face suddenly stated.


    ¡°This is nothing.There are even more remote places that are harder to discover. I have only managed to find a few, but it¡¯s a pity that none of the locations I found had spring water as magnificent as this one,¡± The other youth straightforwardly replied.


    The youth who replied, was Han Li, and the one with the callous expression was none other than Li Feiyu.


    Ever since Li Feiyu obtained the first delivery of pain-relieving medicine from Han Li and tested them, he found that the medicine¡¯s effectiveness was extremely good. One dose diminished the backlash caused by the Essence Extraction Pill by a great amount.


    After experiencing Han Li¡¯s pain-relieving medicine, Li Feiyu couldn¡¯t live without it. Whenever he didn¡¯t use the medicine, he would suffer a painful backlash from the Essence Extraction Pill. Although Han Li had given him a year¡¯s supply of pain-relieving medicine, Li Feiyu had completely used up his supply within a few short months.


    Facing the pain of the backlash that almost broke his limits, Li Feiyu had no choice but to thicken his skin and ask Han Li for help. The current Han Li wanted to increase his own strength, so he used Li Feiyu¡¯s needs to his own advantage. After knowing that Li Feiyu was selected to enter the Seven Supreme Division, Han Li asked Li Feiyu for secret skills stored in the Seven Supreme Division in exchange for pain-relieving medicine.


    The usually silent Li Feiyu agreed immediately upon hearing Han Li¡¯s request.


    In order to not let others discover the secret agreement between him and Li Feiyu, Han Li decided to explore the Celestial Rainbow Mountain for a remote location where they could do their trade in private.


    The two of them decided to secretly meet up after a set amount of time. In their secret location Han Li would hand over the pain-relieving medicine to Li Feiyu, and Li Feiyu would teach Han Li some of his secret arts that he gained from the Seven Supreme Division.


    Just like this, they were both extremely satisfied by their trade, which continued for half a year.


    Li Feiyu and Han Li had taken to each other during this half year. Unknowingly, they became close friends that could talk about anything under the sun..


    Li Feiyu was very satisfied with the spot Han Li found, specially the small creek it contained. They stood in a medium-sized depression surrounded by tall mountain peaks. In order to gain access to it, they had to crawl on their hands and feet through an extremely narrow tunnel.


    Most importantly, this place had a flowing spring, which they had access to during the unbearably hot summer!


    After they exercised and bathed themselves in the cool mountain spring water, they felt an incomparable sense of comfort and satisfaction.


    Once they were done washing themselves, Han Li glanced at Li Feiyu and asked, ¡±Earlier, you taught me the Ferocious Serpentine Strike. Although it¡¯s a formidable technique, it is too vicious, so I don¡¯t think it is suitable for me. Are there any other techniques that are more gentle?¡±


    ¡°Junior Disciple Han, do you really think that I am the only disciple in the Seven Supreme Division or that I can learn whatever I wished to learn? I could only select a small amount of techniques to study. Not to mention, my martial arts has always been overbearing in nature, so of course I would pick a formidable ¡°hard¡± technique .¡± Li Feiyu explained to Han Li, exasperated by his request.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li is the leader amongst all the disciples. How could you be comparable to the normal disciples in the Seven Supreme Division?¡±


    Noticing hints of anger, Han Li unabashedly began to praise Li Feiyu.


    ¡°It is not so simple, but to think that I actually managed to make our ¡®Great Genius Han¡¯  sing songs of praises.¡± Li Feiyu smiled as he teased Han Li.


    ¡°What genius? I¡¯m always defeated by you after a few moves.¡±


    ¡°Heng! That was because I used my True Qi to execute my techniques. There is nothing to boast of. If I did not use my True Qi, i¡¯m afraid that I would definitely lose to you within a hundred moves.¡±


    ¡°Is there even anyone who doesn¡¯t use their True Qi when fighting? Senior Disciple Li is too humble.¡±


    ¡°Humble? I¡¯m not humble at all! You did not start learning martial arts until recently and had never sparred with anyone before. The only thing you learned was some useless oracular formula. To think that within such a short span of time, you have already comprehended the intricacies of each martial technique that i thought you. If you are not a genius, then who is? That oracular formula seems to have no effect on increasing your might, so why are you still assiduously practicing it every day?¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled to himself as he thought, ¡°You think that I want to learn this? Right now, I might as well be riding on top of a tiger. Even if want to stop practicing it, Doctor Mo wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°Junior Disciple Han, I¡¯m not saying this just for the sake of talking. Based on the talent you displayed this past half a year, I know that you have great potential. I strongly urge that you discard the stupid oracular formula and concentrate on learning martial arts techniques with me. I dare to guarantee that you would only need a span of two years to become strong enough to everyone. I have no doubts that after two years, both you and I will dominate the Seven Mysteries Sect!¡± Li Feiyu tried persuading him.


    Han Li felt somewhat moved in his heart. Although Li Feiyu had said these words many times, making Han Li feel irritated, the senior disciple did have some good points. Not only that, Li Feiyu sincerely cared for Han Li¡¯s future.


    Han Li shook his head, showing his rejection of the idea, and quickly changed the topic.


    ¡°In the Seven Supreme Division, are there any supreme martial arts techniques that restrict opponents without consuming True Qi?¡±


    Li Feiyu, seeing how quickly Han Li changed the topic, stopped trying to persuade him. He didn¡¯t want to force Han Li since he knew that Han Li was the same as him: a keeper of a secret that he wanted to keep hidden.


    Li Feiyu lowered his head to ponder before mentioning, ¡°There is indeed a strange sword technique that does not require True Qi to execute, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± The moment Han Li heard that there was a technique he could use, he was overjoyed and quickly asked for more information.


    ¡°This particular set of sword techniques has been passed down in the Seven Supreme division for over a hundred years, but there has never been a disciple who was able to successfully master it. Even the Elder who created this technique passed away before mastering. This technique is known as the Blinking Sword Art. Don¡¯t you think that the name for this technique is bizarre?¡±

 Chapter 34

    Blinking Sword Art


    ¡°Blinking Sword Art?¡± Han Li murmured.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! What do you think this set of sword techniques has in common with eyes blinking? Isn¡¯t the name funny?¡±


    ¡°Have you practiced this set of sword techniques before?¡± Han Li asked curiously.


    ¡°Of course not. Who would practice such a useless set of sword arts? It¡¯s all form and no power. Ever since this sword technique was created, no one has chosen to practice it, let alone me, Senior Disciple Li.¡±


    ¡°I was told that if the creator of this set of sword techniques hadn¡¯t saved the Sect Leader¡¯s life countless times and left a will for it to be placed inside the Seven Supreme Division, the Seven Supreme Division wouldn¡¯t have even considered storing this type of swordplay.¡±


    With his cold countenance, Li Feiyu was someone whom Han Li would never have thought of as a big mouth. Who would have thought that Li Feiyu would list all of the techniques and stances for this particular sword art before Han Li opened his mouth to speak. Li Feiyu would only act in this manner when privately facing Han Li. In the presence of a disciple other than Han Li, he would revert back to the cool Senior Disciple Li who was revered by every other disciple.


    After hearing Li Feiyu speak, Han Li¡¯s intuition told him that this was the technique he was looking for.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Li, could copy this set of sword techniques from the Seven Supreme Division and bring it to me?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! No problem! If you were to ask about any other martial arts, I might not be able to guarantee success since there would be people guarding it. But as for the Blinking Sword Art, you can count on me. However, copying it is too much of a hassle, so I will just steal the original book for you. Once you record the techniques listed down, just give it back to me, and I will stealthily return it to its original location. This way, no one would notice its absence.¡± Li Feiyu nonchalantly made a bold suggestion.


    Han Li felt that Li Feiyu was very confident about this, and as such, agreed to his suggestion.


    Initially, Han Li was concerned that Li Feiyu might accidentally overlook or miss a portion of the technique when copying it down, but since he wanted to steal the original copy of the technique, Han Li could be more at ease.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I should go back and practice my martial arts. If not, the Seven Supreme Division might discovered that I sneaked out.¡± Li Feiyu dried his body and donned his clothes in preparation to leave Han Li¡¯s secluded mountain hideout.


    Before Li Feiyu left, Han Li reminded him to be cautious when stealing the sword technique manual.


    After Li Feiyu left, Han Li returned back to God Hand Valley as well.


    Upon stepping inside the valley, Han Li could see the mysterious figure that Doctor Mo bought back from afar, standing motionlessly as a guard outside of Doctor Mo¡¯s residence. It was as if the summer heat did not affect him in the slightest way.


    Han Li, as he neared to the entrance of his own residence, halted his steps and glanced at the silent, mysterious man guarding Doctor Mo¡¯s doorstep.


    Ever since Doctor Mo threatened him, Han Li had felt an extreme interest regarding what the mysterious figure looked like underneath his hood. Han Li had never heard him speak a single word after arriving at the valley, causing him to wonder if the man had been mute since birth.


    What was even more surprising was that this mysterious man seemed to have an elephant constitution; he could silently stand on guard for an entire day without being exhausted. In Han Li¡¯s heart, only the word ¡°freak¡± could be used to describe this mysterious figure.


    He had once tried to communicate with this man, but the mysterious figure was akin to a block of wood, eliciting no response no matter what Han Li said to him.


    Han Li truly felt that Doctor Mo was amazing for being able to train a person to an extent where the person became similar to a puppet. The mysterious figure had no weaknesses or emotions. In addition, it was equipped with herculean strength and was completely obedient to Doctor Mo¡¯s orders. This was Han Li¡¯s judgement regarding the mysterious man Doctor Mo brought back from his travels.


    Han Li knew that this mysterious man could very well be used by Doctor Mo to suppress him in the future, but despite of this, he was unable to find a solution or a weakness to exploit.


    The only thing that aroused Han Li¡¯s suspicion was that he could vaguely feel a sense of familiarity whenever he viewed the mysterious man¡¯s back; it was as if he had encountered this man somewhere before. However, no matter how hard he pondered, he could not recall why this man¡¯s back seemed so familiar to him.


    After a while, Han Li let out a sigh and he closed his door. Returning back to his residence, he knew that unless Doctor Mo gave a different order, the mysterious man would likely continue standing on guard without resting.


    Feeling slightly confused in his heart, Han Li decided not to worry anymore and jumped onto his bed, laying his head on his interlocked fingers. On his bed, Han Li slowly closed his eyes as he tried to organize his thoughts and memories of the events that had transpired today. He repeatedly dissected and analysed the techniques that Senior Disciple Li taught him until he could grasp the essence behind them.


    This was an effect of Han Li¡¯s fifth layer of cultivation in the Eternal Spring Arts: Eidetic Memory!


    Taking full advantage of his Eidetic Memory, Han Li crammed as many martial arts techniques as he could get hold of into his brain, analysing them over and over. His Eidetic Memory was what caused Li Feiyu to call him a genius.


    Two months ago, Han Li had used medicine that he concocted to forcefully break into the fifth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts!


    Both the Yellow Dragon Pellet as well as the Gold Essence Pill had incredibly strong medical effects that widely surpassed Han Li¡¯s estimation. These two concocted pills could be considered priceless treasures!


    However, he had already consumed over half of his stock. From what left, Han Li estimated that it should be barely enough for him to breakthrough to the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts. Rubbing his hands in glee, he wondered what surprises the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts had in store for him.


    There was only half a year left until Doctor Mo¡¯s time limit. Although Han Li had learned some martial arts from Li Feiyu, he was unable to combine the martial arts techniques with his True Qi, He could at most display the forms, but he could not manifest the true might behind the martial arts techniques he learned from Li Feiyu.


    Against clumsy and weak people, it was more than enough to deal with them. However, if he wanted to fight against Doctor Mo with such low level skills, it would be very laughable. It was the same as hitting a dog with a meat bun, producing no effects at all.


    Just thinking about this caused worry to arise in Han Li¡¯s heart. How troublesome; the Eternal Spring Arts enhanced his body in multiple ways but it couldn¡¯t be used for battle or slaughter!


    Now, it seemed like he could only depend on the Blinking Sword Art, hoping that it would create a miracle and give him a chance to survive whatever ordeal would take place.

 Chapter 35

    Theft of Secret Manuals


    On an afternoon ten days after their agreement, Han Li sneaked out of God Hand Valley in order to meet Li Feiyu.


    In actuality, Han Li couldn¡¯t have snuck out even if he tried. Doctor Mo was aware of Han Li¡¯s every movement and simply let Han Li move with unrestricted freedom.


    The amount of freedom he was granted initially caused Han Li to be suspicious of Doctor Mo¡¯s intentions, but after leaving the valley several times without detecting any signs of his movements being tracked, Han Li began to feel relieved. Reassured, he continued to carry out his own plans within God Hand Valley.


    After a long period of deliberation, Han Li gradually deduced the reason why Doctor Mo granted him so much freedom:


    Doctor Mo had been patient and accommodated Han Li¡¯s needs because it was in his best interest to do so.


    Although Doctor Mo used his two trumpcards, the Insect Corpse Pill as well as the lives of his family, to threaten Han Li, he knew that such methods would not be able to fully control his disciple. Han Li would only feel vengeance in his heart, thus causing his cultivation progress to be half-hearted. Therefore, if Doctor Mo did not restrict Han Li¡¯s freedom, Han Li would no longer feel as oppressed or have a shadow over his heart. After all, even though Doctor Mo wanted Han Li to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts, there was no way he could tie Han Li up and forced him to cultivate at knifepoint.


    After Han Li deduced the reason, his guts got bigger and bigger. In the past, he would try his best to sneak out of the valley, without alerting Doctor Mo. But now, he would just swaggering walk out of the valley.


    On the surface, Han Li seemed not to be affected by Doctor Mo¡¯s hidden surveillance, but in reality, he was extremely cautious to not reveal what he was scheming..


    After he walked out of the valley, Han Li activated his Eternal Spring Arts, causing his perception to rise to an unearthly level. His heightened perception could accurately register any living being within a radius of about thirty meters.


    Han Li believed that even if Doctor Mo was secretly watching him, there was no way Doctor Mo could escape from being detected.


    Although Han Li knew that it was impossible for him to win in a direct confrontation against Doctor Mo, he was confident that his five senses surpassed Doctor Mo¡¯s own senses.


    After walking for some time, Han Li cautiously entered their previous hiding spot where he and Li Feiyu had enjoyed the refreshing bath earlier.


    The moment he entered, Han Li noticed that Li Feiyu had already arrived and was sitting next to the pond.


    Li Feiyu had lowered his head, observing his bare legs soaking in the cooling water pond. ¡°Pu tong¡± ¡°Pu tong¡± He kicked his legs above the surface of the water, causing the pond to be disturbed by small waves. Li Feiyu lost himself in the excitement of his unusually childish actions.


    When Li Feiyu heard the sound of Han Li entering, he did not even turn his head and complained straight away. ¡±Junior Disciple Han, you are getting more and more late to our meetings, making me wait more than half a day every time. Can¡¯t you try to arrive earlier?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡­¡± Han Li flicked the mud stains off his robes as he tried to explain more.


    ¡°Catch this.¡±


    Li Feiyu did not wait for Han Li to finish his explanations before tossing a large bundle towards him.


    ¡°What is this? Is this something delicious?¡± Han Li asked, but after grabbing the bundle, he could feel the hard and unyielding objects stored inside. They didn¡¯t seem like food that could be eaten.


    ¡°You only know how to eat! Didn¡¯t you want me to get for you the manual for Blinking Sword Art?¡± Li Feiyu glared at Han Li.


    ¡°What? This is a sword manual? Are you sure you are not mistaken? Did you accidentally grab a stone from your backyard?¡± Han Li hoist up the huge bundle. An expression of disbelief could be seen in his face.


    ¡°So heavy!¡± Han Li exerted his strength to hoist the bundle, but it was so heavy that he fell over.


    ¡°HAHA!¡± Li Feiyu began to laugh wildly, unable to suppress it any longer. He rolled on the ground, laughing his ass off in childish glee.


    Han Li suspiciously glanced at Li Feiyu before staring at the huge bundle once again.


    Peng!


    A sound rang out as he kicked the huge bundle. It seemed like there really was a book wrapped inside.


    No longer paying attention to Li Feiyu,  he squatted besides the large bundle and used his hands to feel what was inside.


    He quickly stopped. Wasting time to guess the contents of the bundle was an extremely foolish action.


    A pair of clean, white palms grasped the complicated knot of the bundle. Using all of his fingers, he forced the knot open.


    Pa pow!


    The crisp sound of clapping hands rang out.


    Han Li did not immediately opened the bundle. Instead, he turned his head and stared at his ¡°evil¡±, laughing friend, Li Feiyu.


    It was unknown when, but Li Feiyu had already stopped laughing and put on his shoes.


    Currently, he was furiously clapping his hands while cheering for Han Li, oblivious to the pain from his red-tinged palms.


    ¡°Excellent! Every time I see you execute the ¡®Silk Wrapping Palms¡¯, I find it incredible. That technique seems to have been designed for you alone! Since the time that I taught to you, only a span of two months has passed.¡± Li Feiyu continued clapping his hands and praising Han Li.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that in order to see me demonstrating that technique, you purposely tied a convoluted knot on such a large bundle?¡± asked Han Li, slightly agitated.


    ¡°Of course not. Once you open the bundle, you¡¯ll understand.¡± Li Feiyu smiling countenance suddenly turned serious.


    Curious and bewildered as to why Li Feiyu would suddenly speak with such a tone, Han Li cast his gaze onto the bundle once more.


    He deliberated for a moment before stretching his index finger and middle finger, lightly grasping the edge of the item inside the bundle, and dragging the hidden item out in the open.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Beads of sweat appeared on Han Li head as his two eyes almost popped out of their socket


    ¡°How is it? Are you shocked?¡± Li Feiyu slowly walked towards Han Li, patting him on his shoulder.


    At a loss for words, Han Li stiffly turned his body, and looked straight at Li Feiyu.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me with that expression? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll marry you, alright?¡± Li Feiyu laughingly teased Han Li.


    After hearing Li Feiyu¡¯s words, Han Li cleared his mind.


    ¡°I want to make it clear between us! From this moment on, I don¡¯t know you, nor have you met me before.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice got louder in intensity as he roared furiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my vision is blurry or if you¡¯ve gone insane! You actually stole half of the Seven Supreme Division¡¯s secret manuals?! If you¡¯re discovered, both of us will suffer a fate worse than death!¡± As he hollered at Li Feiyu, Han Li pointed his finger at the pile of secret manuals in front of him.


    On the top left hand corner of the manuals were several characters written in gold: ¡°Seven Supreme Division, Secret Library¡±

 Chapter 36

    Shocked.


    Chapter 36: Shocked


    Seeing that Han Li became furious, Li Feiyu did not get angry. Instead, Li Feiyu remained indifferent.


    He tilted his head, stuck his pinky into his ear, and concentrated on cleaning his ear. Han Li¡¯s reaction was an appropriate and expected one.


    After Han Li had vented his anger, he saw that Li Feiyu remained as brazen as a city wall, almost as if he had not heard any of Han Li¡¯s remarks. Han Li calmed down, sensing that something was off.


    ¡°You are not a fool, nor are you an egomaniac. You wouldn¡¯t do anything that would get yourself killed. You must tell me what your reason was behind such a reckless action right now,¡± Han Li gravely demanded.


    Li Feiyu, seeing that Han Li¡¯s anger was quickly being replaced once again by reason, felt somewhat regretful. He assumed a wronged and pitiful appearance and repeatedly complained of this injustice by shouting, ¡°Heavens! I¡¯m being wrongly accused!¡±


    ¡°A moment ago, I was actually about to give you an explanation, but you didn¡¯t even give me a chance to open my mouth!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re complaining about me, am I truly no longer a person in your eyes!?¡±


    This kind of whining was obviously fake. Anyone who took a quick glance at this farce would feel annoyed after seeing through the act.


    Han Li also could not help but think of taking advantage of the situation and stepped forward, fiercely kicking Li Feiyu, who was resembling a sh!t-eating dog.


    ¡°Give me less acting and more explaining. Quickly!¡±


    ¡°You scoundrel. If the junior disciples that admire you see your lazy appearance, your image as a powerful and confident fighter would be completely shattered.¡± Han Li gave him a bit of a mocking expression.


    Han Li currently had no time to vent his anger and argue with Li Feiyu. If this secret exchange was not handled well, the two of them would face enormous consequences.


    Li Feiyu seemed to realize what Han Li was thinking at this moment and no longer ridiculed or denounced him. Rather, he lazily walked over to the bundle and picked up a rare book.


    After standing up straight, his face had a mysterious radiance. With a smile that was simultaneously not a genuine smile, he handed the book over to Han Li. Afterwards, signalling with his eyes, Li Feiyu beckoned Han Li to look at the book¡¯s cover.


    Han Li reached out with his hand to receive the very thin and rare book, giving Li Feiyu a look filled with doubt.


    He was at a bit of a loss, not knowing what sort of crafty scheme Li Feiyu was plotting.


    ¡°Open it and take a look for yourself. If you do, you¡¯ll understand everything.¡± Li Feiyu deliberately used a mysterious tone in order to coax Han Li into examining the book.


    ¡°What, you can¡¯t say it outright? What¡¯s the point of trying to keep it a mystery?¡±


    Although hesitation was evident on Han Li¡¯s face, he flipped through the pages of the book.


    He opened the cover, revealing the first page of the rare manual. The top of the page, neatly written in black and white, were three large words: ¡°Blinking Sword Art¡±.


    ¡°En!¡± Han Li was slightly astounded.


    Han Li was astonished that the first book Li Feiyu had given to him was exactly what he desired.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose your focus. Come and see the rest of the books.¡± Li Feiyu tossed over a few nearby rare manuals in succession.


    Han Li caught the books one by one and was completely stunned after quickly skimming through their entirety..


    All of their titles were clearly written with black and white characters: ¡°Blinking Sword Art¡±.


    Only after a long while had passed did Han Li lift his gaze from the books in his hands.


    Pointing his finger at the large pile of secret manuals on the ground, Han Li asked stammeringly, ¡°You¡­ you cannot possibly tell me¡­ that these¡­. these¡­ these are all manuals for ¡°Blinking Sword Art¡±!


    ¡°I am very sorry, Junior Disciple Han. You have indeed guessed correctly.¡± Li Feiyu shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands; his face wearing an expression of helplessness.


    Although Li Feiyu seemed apologetic, his feelings did not coincide with his words. The corner of his mouth rose faintly as he derived pleasure from Han Li¡¯s frustration.


    ¡°This is impossible! There are almost a hundred books here, so how could all of these possibly be manuals for Blinking Sword Art?¡± Unable to stomach Li Feiyu¡¯s cheap tricks, Han Li questioned Li Feiyu because he was filled with great doubt.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me? Who was I even supposed ask in order to verify that they were the right manuals without getting caught?¡±


    ¡°I was at the corner of the Seven Supreme Division¡¯s library when I suddenly came upon so many rare manuals sharing the same name. I, too, was shocked!¡± Li Feiyu rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, giving off the appearance of having lingering trauma.


    Soon after, he saw Han Li¡¯s dumbfounded expression and couldn¡¯t help but laugh heartily.


    Li Feiyu would later say that seeing Han Li suffer such a shock was indeed a rare and impressive sight.


    Ordinarily, Han Li¡¯s face was always calm and composed, as if he always had a card up his sleeve. For Han Li to be shocked was near impossible.


    At this moment, Han Li had such a numb, foolish look that made Li Feiyu feel that these past few days had been well worth the taxing effort.


    After a moment, Han Li had at last cleared his mind.


    He tightly grabbed several books with his hands and lowered his head, deep in thought. Then, with a thought, he looked up and asked neither slowly nor rushed, ¡°Did you count how many manuals were in the bundle?¡±


    ¡°In total, how many manuals did you bring?¡± Han Li once again asked.


    ¡°Naturally, I counted the manuals multiple times. Altogether, there are seventy four books, all with the same name.¡± Li Feiyu immediately replied, without any hesitation.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t know the exact quantity of manuals and fail to return one or two books, we might draw ourselves unwanted attention, which might prove troublesome,¡± Han Li immediately explained.


    He softly pinched the somewhat yellow pages, slowly turning them over as he carefully skimmed one of the secret manuals in his hand.

 Chapter 37

    Three Restrictions for Cultivation.


    Chapter 37: Three Restrictions for Cultivation


    The crisp sound of pages flipping was pleasant to Han Li¡¯s ears.


    However, Li Feiyu hated that sound.


    He ignored Han Li, who was concentrating on reading, and walked towards the mountain spring. He pulled out a long saber from the mud and started practicing.


    Han Li glanced over at him. Seeing his friend¡¯s overwhelming energy, Han Li stopped paying attention to Li Feiyu¡¯s movements and shifted his concentration back to the book in his hands.


    Han Li could read at a shocking speed of ten lines per glance. He quickly finished the thick book and grabbed another book without even lifting his head to look.


    He kept his eyes partly closed while reading, showing a pensive expression from time to time. His eyes were glued to the book¡¯s pages and unwilling to detach themselves for just a single moment. The way that his head followed his gaze and moved back and forth gave him the appearance of an elegant intellectual.


    As time flew by, Han Li rapidly browsed through the Blinking Sword Art¡¯s many manuals.


    When he finished reading the eleventh manual, he suddenly stopped and threw the book back in his bag.


    He closed his eyes to rest for a little bit.


    Once he felt better, he sat down cross-legged and started cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts, striving to comprehend all the information he had just read.


    Han Li¡¯s facial expression shifted back and forth from excited and lively to serious and dispirited.


    Not knowing how much time had passed, Han Li finally opened his eyes and was shocked by what he saw in front of him.


    He didn¡¯t realize that Li Feiyu had sneaked up so close to his face while his eyes had been closed. Li Feiyu was in such close proximity that their noses had almost touched.


    ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be practicing with your saber?¡±


    ¡°Junior Disciple Han, can¡¯t see you what time it is right now? You¡¯re asking a stupid question.¡± Li Feiyu pulled back his body and twitched his lips.


    Han Li realized just then that the sunlight had dimmed.


    He lifted his head and looked up. The sky was currently a blueish-grey colour, which meant that it was already evening.


    ¡°Cough! Time has really flown by while I was cultivating. I didn¡¯t notice that it was this late already.¡±


    Han Li stood up and moved around a little bit.


    ¡°So? Did you find anything interesting in the book?¡± Li Feiyu looked at Han Li passionately, hoping that Han Li could tell him about the Blinking Sword Art.


    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not bad. I think this technique will suit me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! What do you mean ¡®not bad¡¯?¡± Tell me the actual truth,¡± said Li Feiyu in a slightly dissatisfied tone.


    ¡°Specifically, these rare books are a combination of different techniques. In other words, there is no full set in here. They have all been pieced together from different martial arts styles,¡± Han Li slowly explained.


    ¡°Then what is the meaning of the name ¡®Blinking Sword Art? Is it even an actual sword art? Why is the name so strange?¡± Li Feiyu was still unsatisfied by Han Li¡¯s response, so he kept asking questions.


    ¡°Blinking Sword Art actually exists, but the manuals that pertain to it are only a small portion within the big mash up,¡± Han Li said with patience.


    ¡°As for the name of the Blinking Sword Art, there is a special reason for it.¡±


    ¡°What reason? Why can¡¯t you say it all at once? Stop talking sentence by sentence, you are just like the old people in town.¡± Li Feiyu glared at Han Li; he couldn¡¯t stand Han Li¡¯s slow explanation.


    At Li Feiyu¡¯s urging, Han Li couldn¡¯t do anything else but speed up his clarification.


    ¡°According to the books, this sword art manipulates light to affect the opponent¡¯s eyesight, thereby giving the user a chance to land a decisive blow. It often makes your opponents lose their lives the moment they blink, hence the name ¡®Blinking Sword Art¡¯.¡±


    ¡°There is actually such a strange sword art? There are quite a few eccentric martial artists in this world!¡± Li Feiyu showed a lot of interest after listening, but quieted right after Han Li¡¯s next sentence.


    ¡°This sword art has three restrictions. It cannot be practiced by those have cultivated True Qi, those who lack perseverance, or lastly, those without talent.¡±


    When Li Feiyu heard the first requirement, he immediately gave up on cultivating the sword art. His True Qi was already at trained to a formidable stage. There was no way that he would be willing to disable his own internal strength to practice this new skill, which he knew next to nothing about.


    Since he had completely lost interest in the rare books, Li Feiyu didn¡¯t want to stay there any longer.


    He stood up and was getting ready to leave, but before he left, he warned Han Li  to copy the rare books as soon as possible so he could bring back all the original copies when they next met. Even though these rare books weren¡¯t valued very much by other people, but if they disappear for a long time, it would still attract attention.


    Not long after Li Feiyu left, Han Li left the place as well.


    The whole landscape of the mountainous region was covered by layers of fog, causing it to be slightly dark. A forest of thistles grew on both sides of the narrow mountain paths. When a gust of mountain wind blew through the forest, a ¡°hua lala¡± sound would be emitted. The leaves on the branches on both side of the path would flutter about frenziedly, akin to bared fangs and dancing claws.


    On the somewhat seemingly sinister mountain road, Han Li rushed toward God Hand Valley.


    Because he left mountain when the sun was beginning to dim, the sky was completely dark by the time he walked halfway to the valley.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for his Eternal Spring Arts, which sharpened his night vision, Han Li wouldn¡¯t have been able to rush down the mountain in this dark environment. After all, this small road was not well tread. The road was filled with dangerously placed twists and turns. If one were not careful, an accident was likely to occur, thereby claiming his or her fragile life.

 Chapter 38

    Encountering a Midnight Spy


    Walking in the pitch black forest, Han Li heightened his senses. Ordinary humans wouldn¡¯t be able to clearly see the path in front of them, but for Han Li, it was as clear as day.


    Despite his advantage, Han Li continued to be cautious. His caution was not honed by hunting ferocious wild beasts, but rather developed into a habit by hiding from Doctor Mo.


    After the Seven Mysteries Sect relocated to the Rainbow Celestial Mountains, the beasts and creatures inhabiting the mountains and forests were eradicated in order to ensure the safety of the sect members. In addition to the ferocious beasts, even normal wild animals, such as the venomous snakes, had been hunted and turned into food for the disciples.


    Han Li¡¯s vigilance was not a part of his natural personality. He had developed it after experiencing Doctor Mo¡¯s schemes so that he could prevent any unwanted dangers.


    The mountain¡¯s bone-chilling wind got stronger and stronger, giving off a shrill sound that caused his hair to stand on end. The distant Han Li, upon sensing the wind, hastened his pace as he stepped across the boundary that marked the edge of the forest.


    He lightly sighed. Walking alone in this pitch dark made his heart grow heavy. Han Li quickened his pace once more, increasing his stride in order to leave the forest as soon as possible. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew towards him.


    After enduring the strong gust of wind, Han Li paused as if he had discovered something bizarre. He furrowed his brows and tilted his neck, as if he was trying to listen for something.


    Han Li¡¯s expression quickly turned serious. He heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the distance. Although the footsteps were extremely light and the owners of the footsteps were far away from him, Han Li could determine that there were two individuals rushing closer towards his direction.


    He lightly lept away and hid himself in the forest next to the mountain path without making a single sound.


    There was a large tree about thirty meters away from the path. Han Li hid himself behind the tree, curling himself into a ball. If one were to examine the tree from the front, he or she would not be able to find any traces of Han Li.


    It was only after finding a good hiding spot that Han Li gradually began to calm down.


    This time, Han Li was not being overly sensitive; there was something truly strange going on. It was highly illogical for two people to prowl around a remote location in the middle of the night. Han Li was eighty percent positive that the two mysterious figures were hiding something fishy up their sleeves.


    Han Li did not want the mysterious figures to kill him for discovering their secret, even if he did so by accident.


    However, if there were no dangers facing Han Li, then there would be no problem for him to eavesdrop on their secrets. Han Li was no hypocrite; he merely understood that if good fortune delivered itself to his doorstep, he would be a fool not to take advantage of it.


    ¡°¡­Descending the mountains¡­ arrange well¡­.time..people¡­.Commander¡­.¡±


    Waves of low-sounding voices drifted over from far away. At this moment, the mountain wind was blowing extremely strongly. As a result, most of the words had been scattered by the wind, leaving only a small portion of the conversation that made its way into Han Li¡¯s ears.


    Han Li was astounded to think that he had managed to discover a portion of their secret. In this region, the only person with the title of Commander was the ¡°Golden Wolf¡± Jia Tianlong from the Feral Wolf Gang. This person had great enmity with the Seven Mysteries Sect. Now that Han Li had heard his name in this remote location, it provided much food for thought.


    Jia Tianlong was a ruthless, blood-drinking demonic figure in the eyes of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s disciples. Rumors told that he was a broad-shouldered man with a fat waist, long teeth, and a livid face. He supposedly ate human flesh and drank human blood three times a day. Many of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s junior disciples were frightened out of their wits just by hearing the rumors of such a devilish figure.


    However, according to Li Feiyu, the rumors were far from the truth. Contrary to the rumors, Jia Tianlong was skinny and weak with exquisite facial features. He was quite young, in his early thirties. The rumors regarding how he ruthlessly killed people, however, were true. Jia Tianlong could not be judged by his appearance. After all, based on his facial features alone, no one would expect him to be able to control the other members of the gang.


    Han Li gathered his thoughts as he tried to remember all that he knew about Jia Tianlong. Sucking in a cold breath, he curled up even tighter, trying to lower the sound of his breathing.


    ¡°¡­this time¡­. steal¡­.list of names¡­.kill¡­.¡±


    Another part of the conversation drifted over, clearer than before. The two mysterious figures were getting closer and closer to Han Li


    Han Li did not even dare to breathe loudly. He knew that if he were to be discovered now, only death would await him. The two of them were likely spies from the Feral Wolf Gang, and they would definitely not let an outsider know of their secret.


    ¡°¡­.Plan¡­must¡­not¡­.quickly¡­¡±


    Gradually, the voices of these two mysterious figures got even lower. It seemed like they had reached the crux of their discussion, which meant that they were about to reveal the most crucial information.


    After a short moment, the voices got louder again, but Han Li could not hear them clearly; he could only hear the sound of the mountain wind blowing through. The outlines of these two mysterious figures passed by Han Li and gradually disappeared into the distance.


    Han Li still did not dare to make any movements for a long period of time. Only after activating the Eternal Spring Arts and determining that there was no one near him in a thirty meter radius did he slowly reveal himself.


    This time around, he had avoided certain death. Luckily for him, he managed to discover the movements of these two spies early on. If Han Li had met them face to face, he would surely have been killed to protect their secret. Even worse, based on his own martial skills, he did not even have a single shred of hope that he would survive such a confrontation.


    Han Li stood motionlessly at the same location. Lost in his thoughts, his fingers lightly rubbed his chin while he gazed at the direction where the two spies had disappeared.


    From the fragments of the secret conversation he heard, he could gauge that in the near future, the Feral Wolf Gang would undertake some action that would prove greatly detrimental to the Seven Mysteries Sect. There was a high probability that this action would have a close connection with the ¡°list of names¡± that was previously mentioned.


    What surprised him the most was that Han Li had already identified the identity of one of the figures despite of not being able to see their facial features. Even though the two mysterious figures had not spoken much, Han Li could match one of their low voices to the kitchen steward on the mountain of the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    The steward, who had sold rabbits to Han Li back then, gave him a low impression. He had a mustache and an ignorant face, and he loved to take advantage of others. To think that he was actually a spy from the Feral Wolf Gang once again reminded Han Li that one could never be too cautious.


    But reflecting back upon it, this was something to be expected. Only with a position such as a kitchen steward could a spy been able to enter and leave the mountains and pass along any news that he or she had obtained without arousing any suspicions.

 Chapter 39

    Abnormal Requirements.


    Chapter 39: Abnormal Requirements


    However, Han Li was quite unfamiliar with the voice of the other spy. He must have never met this person before. However, judging from the spy¡¯s voice, his age must be relatively young, around 20 years old.


    Unfortunately, in order to insure his own safety, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to steal a glance. He feared that these two men practiced martial skills that could detect his spying gaze, enabling them to be aware of nearby outsiders. The potential gains were not worth the potential losses.


    After this slightly dangerous event, the trip after became quite safe.


    Han Li finally returned home after his regular supper time.


    As always, Doctor Mo mysteriously paid him a visit and gave him a glance that lacked any interest. Aside from delivering a few concocted medicines, he normally left Han Li to do as he wished.


    Han Li seemed as if he had not noticed the medicines that Doctor Mo had delivered. They were all created from rare medicinal ingredients that were gathered from his previous expedition away from the mountain. Han Li believed that Doctor Mo had abandoned his expectations of him and had some other malevolent scheme prepared.


    For now, Han Li completely disregarded the precious medicine Doctor Mo had delivered. But in order to avoid raising suspicion from Doctor Mo, he pinched his nose and swallowed it down.


    He threw away any suspicion that the medicines were laced with poison. Currently, any harm Doctor Mo inflicted onto Han Li would only be hurting himself.


    With regards to seeing the Feral Wolf Gang spies, Han Li thought of the best method to deal with them on the way back to his residence.


    Although he wasn¡¯t deeply passionate towards the Seven Mysteries Sect, he was halfway to becoming an Inner Disciple. How could he possibly be impartial toward a harmful affair toward the Seven Mysteries Sect before his eyes and ignore it completely?


    He had long thought of a best candidate to handle this matter¡ª¡ªLi Feiyu, the famous Senior Disciple Li.


    According to Han Li¡¯s observation, perhaps the reason Li Feiyu consumed the Essence Extraction Pill was because he greatly valued being in the center of attention far greater than a common man andand possessed no small amount of ambition. He had always dreamed of entering the upper divisions of the Seven Mysteries Sect, further becoming the focus of attention.


    Han Li had previously suspected that Li Feiyu probably thought he was in the last stage of his life, and thus he became even more frantic and hungry for fame.


    If Han Li allowed Li Feiyu to perform a large contribution to the Seven Mysteries Sect, Li Feiyu would certainly be excited to no end. This way, Han Li would be able repay Li Feiyu for stealing the sword manuals.


    Thinking of the Blinking Sword Art, Han Li felt a wave of emotion.


    Han Li did not tell any lies regarding the Blinking Sword Art to his good friend. This sword art truly did not suit Li Feiyu. However, Han Li did not reveal many of the details.


    An essential rule of survival was that one should always keep a few secrets, regardless of who they were being kept from.


    Although Li Feiyu and Han Li seemed to have a close relationship, it was hardly exceptional.


    However, the contents written in these secret manuals were quite different from common martial teachings.


    It seemed to Han Li that, rather than to say it was a sword art, it would be more appropriate to call it sword ingenuity. It was a complete integration of weather, timing, favorable positioning, and secretive assassination techniques against all kinds of factors and people; such a skill was rarely seen. It was pure killing skill; as soon as the sword was drawn, death approached.


    These books described different environments, times of day, and the utilization of diligently practiced secretive sword skills. There were all kinds of sure-kill techniques that would cut down an enemy in a single strike.


    The manuals taught those that learned these sword skills to make use of every tree and strand of grass in the terrain, as well as light rays of all intensities and angles, in order to hinder the opponent¡¯s vision. During the split second the opponent was weakened, the user would take advantage  of it and kill them in an instant.


    This was a mysterious technique that required much attention and skill to execute. Without the slightest talent, it would be impossible to understand this sword art.


    Therefore, those who learned this mysterious technique must excel in the five senses.  Their vision and hearing must far exceed that of an ordinary person by many levels if there were to be the promise of even the slightest results.


    Even if they had the requirements to achieve that stage, there would inevitably be a few disciples who would covet the Blinking Sword Art¡¯s formidable power and choose to cultivate it immediately after reaching the minimum requirement.


    However, mastering the sword art required an excessive amount of effort. In addition, it had even harsher requirements. Those who cultivated this mysterious technique could not possess pure inner strength. Otherwise, their body would suffer from complications when trying to execute the technique. This made cultivating the sword art quite difficult.


    Even if someone with True Qi was lucky enough to succeed, if the True Qi in their body became too vigorous during actual combat, the sword maneuvers would unwittingly produce deformations. These deformities left large gaps for the opponent to take advantage of, thereby causing life-threatening calamities.


    These requirements basically severed away the majority of those attempting to cultivate the technique. In Jiang Hu there was a common saying: ¡°To practice the fist and neglect skill will end with one¡¯s effort in futility.¡±


    To not practice inner strength was an enormous taboo. Anyone who would abandon their cultivation of True Qi and spread their name with ineffable sword swordplay would truly be the laughingstock of Jiang Hu.


    Therefore, only the remaining few still had the intention to continue cultivating the technique.


    However, even if those individuals had plenty of talent and had no problem with abandoning True Qi, the final difficult barrier would thoroughly dispel their intentions of continuing down this path.


    The final obstacle was the excessively complex nature of the Blinking Sword Art and the painstaking memorization of the meticulous conditions in which each of the sword maneuvers within the sword manuals could be applied.


    Seeing such a large pile of thick secret manuals would intimidate any average person at first glance.


    Each sword manual represented a sword maneuver, and each sword maneuver could be broken into hundreds of sword forms. Every sword form must be carefully selected for different environments and different times of day. To fully master the Blinking Sword Arts, one had to make complete use of different techniques for every situation.


    The tremendous quantity of sword skills, let alone cultivation, could make one¡¯s head ache. Not to mention that this further required the complete memorization and comprehension of every sword maneuver and sword form.


    The previously mentioned abnormal requirements have obstructed an innumerable number of motivated disciples, making them endlessly curse in their heart at the Elder who had established this sword art. With the passage of time, the Seven Mysteries Sect gradually lost interest in this sword technique. Believing it impossible for someone to train in this martial technique, many disciples thought that the Elder had baselessly and casually fabricated these martial teachings as he was facing death¡¯s door. Otherwise, why would there be these excessive requirements? This was deliberately designed to be difficult for disciples that were unaware of how things stood. As a result, these secret manuals were put away on a shelf, no longer catching anyone¡¯s interest.

 Chapter 40

    Origin of the Secret Technique


    Those who complained did not know that the Elder who created this particular sword art had a very deep and profound level of skill. However, his meridians were injured during a battle against another cultivator of Jiang Hu. As such, he had been unable to cultivate True Qi.


    In order to protect his status in the sect, the Elder had kept the matter a secret. From then on, he acted mysteriously, pretending that he had overwhelming strength to deceive all of the members in the sect.


    Ever since then, however, it had been undeniable that he lacked the ability to protect himself.  He had to rely on wit and experience from that moment on, protecting himself through deception


    That era was when the Seven Mysteries Sect stood at the height of its power.


    When this Elder realized that his power would never recover, he became depressed and organized many covert raids on the smaller sects. He acted behind his superiors¡¯ back by using deceptive schemes that hid his movements.


    During the raids, he forcibly seized many secret martial arts manuals, hoping to find a top-level skill that he could cultivate without True Qi.


    After many years of research, the Elder did indeed discover many mysterious techniques that didn¡¯t require True Qi. However, none of them suited him.


    He was greatly depressed.


    However, this Elder had talent and intelligence that far surpassed the norm. Suffering from depression and frustration, he decided to combine all the unfathomable martial techniques that he had discovered, thus creating his own set of top-tier skills.


    Once the notion appeared in his mind, he was fully obsessed by it. He intended to create a special set of technique unique to himself. This was something that all martial artists aspired to do. With his full attention and effort, he threw himself wholeheartedly into research. Eventually, fearing distractions, he entered into closed-door meditation and did not bother himself with matters of the sect..


    Creating a set of skills was an extremely difficult thing to do. Not to mention the fact that the skill he intended to create had to be a top-tier skill that did not require True Qi to execute.


    Creating this unprecedented martial skill was a process filled with many hardships that vastly surpassed his expectations. However, his determination and willpower was beyond that of a normal human. After half a lifetime¡¯s worth of efforts that he expended over the course of ten years, he finally created his skill, the ¡°Blinking Sword Art¡±.


    That Elder was extremely excited, spreading the joyous news to his sect members. However, he discovered that the Seven Mysteries Sect had regressed tremendously and was now a shadow of its former self. The Seven Mysteries Sect been attacked and surrounded by an alliance of various sects; it  could be wiped out at any moment.


    The Elder was furious and alarmed upon hearing the news. Using the skill he had just created, he unleashed its godly might, killing many top tier opponents and terrifying those that remained. Under the encirclement of the various sects, he managed to slaughter a bloody path out to safety, creating immense merit for the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    Regretfully, although the sect managed to avert the disaster, the Elder was at the brink of death. He could only pass on his newly created skill and place it in the Seven Supreme Hall, leaving it behind for the other disciples before he passed away.


    What was even more regretful was that, even after all this years, none of the following generations had managed to successfully cultivate this particular skill other than Han Li. As a result, this bright pearl was hidden under the dust, never to see the light of the sun.


    Han Li had no idea of the history behind the Blinking Sword Art. Even if he knew, he would not be moved. To him, as long as this particular sword art could allow him to protect his own life when he clashed against Doctor Mo, it was already sufficient. Why care about its history? Its creation process? Han Li had no interest in such mundane details. He was a practical man, Han Li would not be interested in spending his time and energy to understand things that had no benefits to him.


    In his own residence, Han Li lit an oil lamp as he laid in front of the table. He repeatedly flipped through the pages of the manual underneath the candlelight.


    He had no intentions of copying the manuals. What he was planned to do was to use his Eidetic Memory and memorise all the contents within the secret manuals. This way, he could always have the contents in his mind without arousing suspicions.


    Regarding Doctor Mo, Han Li still maintained a high sense of alertness. He was not foolish enough to think that he would be safe because Doctor Mo had slackened his supervision. If Doctor Mo knew about all the secret manuals he had in his residence, wouldn¡¯t all his plans come to naught?


    Under the dusky yellow light from the lamp, crackling sounds rang out, reminding Han Li that he had been studying for a long time and that it was time for him to get some rest.


    However, Han Li had no intention of stopping. He fully immersed himself in the contents of the secret manuals, absorbing all the information they contained into his mind.


    As the light popped, a shadow appeared on the wall and began to sway back and forth in the flickering light. Han Li continued to sit there, immersed in the sword manuals, and didn¡¯t budge an inch. His body contrasted sharply with this almost demonic shape; however, if one looked closely, he or she would see a sort of harmony between the two.


    As time passed, the shadow behind Han Li became fuzzy as it slowly faded away into nothingness. Outside, dawn had broken.


    Unknowingly, Han Li had spent an entire night studying.


    Pa!


    A soft sound rang out as the light from the lamp died out. Only then did Han Li come to his senses.


    He lifted his head and looked at the oil lamp before glancing at the daylight that shone outside his residence. A bitter smile rose from the bottom of his heart.


    To think that he had actually spent a day studying and researching killing techniques. He had truly changed from his former self.


    Han Li lost himself in contemplation for a moment before standing up and stretching his body, causing cracking sounds to ring out. After doing so, he left his residence and went to collect a basin of cold water from the nearby well in order to wash himself. Han Li activated the Eternal Spring Arts, regaining his energy and causing all the fatigue from the previous night to melt away.


    After a whole night of study and research, Han Li already knew that he had to fully understand the principles behind this set of martial arts techniques. If he did not practice it for at least eight to ten years, there was no way he would be able to master it. Even a genius would at least need two or three years in order to yield some results.


    Time waits for no one!

 Chapter 41

    Leaving a Message on a Night¡¯s Departure.


    Chapter 41: Leaving a Message on a Night¡¯s Departure


    Han Li didn¡¯t have much time left. At most, he had another four to five months before he and Doctor Mo completely revealed their trump cards. Before then, he had no choice but to acquire skills to defend himself.


    As a result, he ultimately decided to only cultivate the simpler and easier mysterious techniques that could be used immediately. The more difficult ones would be put to the side temporarily. After he managed to escape the tiger¡¯s den, it would not be too late to resume practicing them.


    This would greatly cut down his cultivation time, enabling him to quickly and thoroughly master many of simpler secret techniques.


    Han Li¡¯s mind understood. Even if he could completely master this secret technique, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily be Doctor Mo¡¯s match.


    If Doctor Mo hadn¡¯t been lying last time, his strength would be comparable to that of a region¡¯s illustrious overlord. Han Li did not know how many ferocious and vicious moves hadn¡¯t been exposed during their last counter. He feared that the skills that Doctor Mo had revealed was only a fraction of his true strength.


    As Han Li thought of Doctor Mo¡¯s monstrous agility, a burst of cold fear entered his mind.


    He was well aware that the time he had to learn was short and that any threat he could muster against Doctor Mo would be awfully marginal, almost negligible, but to have his hands tied and allow himself to be manipulated was something Han Li could not allow.


    Han Li knew that if he were to raise his hand against Doctor Mo, he would only have one decisive opportunity to seize a victory. Doctor Mo would most likely look down on him. Only by using Doctor Mo¡¯s carelessness and negligence against him would Han Li be able to catch him off guard and possibly obtain the opportunity to live.


    In the following days, Han Li finished memorizing all of the Blinking Sword Art manuals. From the manuals, he selected the secret techniques that would were the most useful to him. He began to research them, meditating on the cultivation paths that would yield the quickest results.


    He racked his brains for a few days. An entire set of cultivation methods from the manuals were laid out before him.  Within this short time period, he was able complete such a complicated task, making him feel pleased that his efficiency was extraordinary.


    During the second half of the month, Han Li handled a few trivial affairs, fully preparing himself by making sure that there was nothing left to worry about.


    First of all, he returned the secret manuals to Li Feiyu and took the opportunity to tell him about his encounter with the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s spies as well as the real identity of the kitchen steward.


    After Li Feiyu heard this, he was pleasantly surprised. He embraced Han Li¡¯s shoulders and repeatedly said, ¡°Good brother¡± for presenting him with such a great merit without taking any of the credit. This moved him greatly.


    However, he didn¡¯t know that Han Li¡¯s life was currently busy. How could Han Li possibly think about catching a spy? By telling Li Feiyu, Han Li wouldn¡¯t have to trouble himself with the matter and would also be currying favor from the senior disciple at little cost to himself. What would Han Li have against this?


    Once he finished his business with Li Feiyu, Han Li paid a visit to the sect¡¯s most skilled blacksmiths.


    He then placed orders for several daggers and secretly requested a few minor modifications. In addition, he ordered a few seemingly useless and obscure items, including several small exquisite iron bells. He also requested that all the items be forged with haste. As a result of his large purchase, Han Li had spent a considerable amount of silver, causing him to feel a slight heartache.


    Several days later, Han Li received his order from the blacksmiths. Seeing the shining daggers and small exquisite bells, he was very satisfied. He showered the blacksmith with praise, knowing that his silver was not spent in vain.


    That night, Han Li left his residence and disappeared without a trace. The only thing he left behind was a slip of paper on his bedside with the following words:


    Elder Mo,


    You need not worry, I did not run away and hide. I merely felt that being with you in the valley was far too stifling to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts. For this reason, I decided to find a different secluded location in this mountain and enter closed door cultivation.  Please be at ease. After four months, I will punctually return and meet with you.


    With respect,


    Han Li


    Reading this out loud while sitting on his armchair, Doctor Mo grabbed the slip of paper in his left hand and quietly looked at it, his face still covered by dark clouds. On the side of the table, there was another note from the blacksmith, detailing Han Li¡¯s recent order.


    (TL: Doctor Mo had a strange dark cloud on his face when he returned to the valley)


    At this moment, Doctor Mo lightly tapped the desk with a finger from his right hand.


    Pu pu


    No other sound echoed.


    Suddenly, he coldly snorted. The paper in his hand turned to fine ash and drifted into the air.


    He stood up unsteadily and paced around the room. Doctor Mo wrinkled his brow in contemplation. After pacing back and forth a few times, he stopped and said to himself, ¡°Little bastard, although I don¡¯t know what sly plan you have in mind, you will not escape the palm of my hand regardless of what trick you play. I need you too much to allow that to happen.¡±


    After he finished speaking, Doctor Mo suddenly turned around and walked to the window. A low and lengthy whistle left his mouth. Immediately after, a small and obscure yellow feathered bird flew into the window. It flew several circles around the room before landing on his shoulder.


    A single small bird stood firm. It affectionately rubbed its beak against his face, letting out a melodious ¡°glulu¡±.


    ¡°Alright, I know you¡¯re hungry. Here, it¡¯s your favorite Yellow Chestnut Pill.¡±


    Upon seeing the bird, Doctor Mo¡¯s gloomy face revealed traces of a doting smile. From his pocket, he took out a yellow ball of bird feed and put it into the little bird¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Go. It will be like before. Follow that person diligently. If he leaves the mountain range, return to me immediately.¡± Doctor Mo spoke to it as if he were talking to a person.


    ¡°Glulu.¡± After finishing its meal, the little bird let out an excited coo and flew around the room. After hearing his words, it left through the window and  its figure faded away into the sky.


    ¡°Humph! Under the surveillance of the Cloud-Winged Bird, known to travel even faster than a flying arrow, I wonder what tricks you will pull,¡± he said to himself sinisterly.


    ¡°Four months? I will wait for the day of your arrival. It appears that my plan will be a success! Who would dare obstruct my progress? If they obstruct my plans, I will kill them! If a god hinders me, that god will die! If a Buddha hinders me, then that Buddha will die!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Doctor Mo suddenly laughed wildly, his eyes filled with a crazed expression.

 Chapter 42

    Cloudwing Bird.


    Chapter 42: Cloudwing Bird


    ¡°You are too full of yourself. That little brat is brilliant and is definitely someone who will spare no expense to achieve his aims. Don¡¯t count your chickens before they hatch and carelessly overlook things, lest you suffer your downfall at the hands of this little brat.¡± Suddenly, the voice of a youthful man rang inside Doctor¡¯s Mo¡¯s mind.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s expression changed in an instant, as though it was covered by frost. He icily replied:


    ¡°Yu Zhitong, you better not intrude in my business. Do you think you are qualified to tell me what to do? If I can succeed, I naturally won¡¯t forget about my promises towards you. Instead, the question is whether you are scheming behind my back. Are you withholding some crucial parts of the cultivation art you imparted to me and hoping that some accident will befall me?¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s voice was filled with suspicion as he replied.


    The youthful man¡¯s voice seemed somewhat terrified of Doctor Mo, and he hurriedly assured:


    ¡°How could there be any mistakes? Didn¡¯t you already test it on some animals? Other than the one that passed away due to its unfamiliarity with the cultivation art, didn¡¯t the rest survive? The failed experiments shouldn¡¯t hinder your plans, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! That better be the case. It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t cultivate. If that weren¡¯t the case, my chances of succeeding would be increased by a large degree.¡± As Doctor Mo heard the explanation from that mysterious voice, the last shred of caution in his heart melted away.


    After finishing his sentence, that mysterious voice maintained its silence as though it was taught a lesson, leaving Doctor Mo to mumble crazily to himself. This caused the entire room to be filled with an eerie atmosphere.


    At this moment, Han Li was holed up in an unassuming cave. This cave was even more secretive and remote than the meeting place he found with Li Feiyu.


    The layout of the area revealed that the only path to this cave was obscured by two mountain peaks that formed the shape of a line. The mountain ravines were swamped with shrubs and plants on both sides of the path, making the path impossible to traverse. The only way to arrive at the cave was through a hidden rope that dangled from the top of one of the mountain peaks. Other than that rope, there were no other entryways.


    (TL: the original Chinese says that the mountains formed the shape ¡°?¡±)


    Thorny trees surrounded the area and occupied the majority of the area, only leaving a small piece of land where Han Li could cultivate. At the top of the mountain cave, there were some unknown vines weaved together into a natural canopy, so Han Li had no concerns that he would be accidentally discovered by random prying eyes.


    Han Li removed the items that he held on his body, placing them below an enormous mountain rock, and returned back to the center of this area. He closed his eyes, falling deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing traces of determination in his eyes as he lightly said, ¡±Let¡¯s start practicing from the Soft Bones Art.¡± And just like that, Han Li embarked on his path to cultivation.


    What he didn¡¯t realized was that not far from him was a yellow-coloured bird perched onto a tree branch, constantly monitoring his movements. Because Han Li had no intentions of escaping, the yellow bird did not immediately rush to inform its owner.


    And within the mountain cave, a single glance could tell that there was no one else inside the cave. The only ones who were there were Han Li and that little yellow bird, which was preening its feathers as if it had forgotten its original mission.


    Suddenly, a grey-coloured bird flew inside the canopy. It rested on top of a yellow pile of wood before taking off again.


    In that instant when the yellow-colored bird saw a bird of the same species appear before it, its expression turned somewhat human-like as it became filled with disdain.


    The little bird that just arrived stood on one leg as it contemplated its surroundings. When it discovered the yellow bird, it flexed its wings, wanting to fly over.


    Abruptly, something unexpected occurred. A yellow palm appeared out of nowhere, catching hold of the grey coloured bird in a single attempt.


    This sudden change caused it to be terrified. It struggled in vain with its life on the line. No amounts of efforts could allow it to regain its freedom.


    At this moment, the little bird understood that what it had mistaken for a pile of yellow wood was actually a yellow-robed youth. This yellow-robed youth had a dark complexion and extremely ordinary looks. Other than his clear eyes, he had no other attractive features.


    The youth smile slightly, looking at the struggling bird in his hands. When it finally grew tired, he opened his palms as he stated gently:


    ¡°You can go. Don¡¯t be so foolish next time. Look carefully before you attempt to rest.¡±


    Once the bird regained its freedom, it no longer bothered with the yellow clothed youth. It frantically flapped its wings and flew out of the cave opening.


    As his gaze followed the path of the flying bird, the youth stood there mutely. Only after a moment passed did he begin to mutter under his breath:


    ¡°Seems like my breath control and concealing techniques are already somewhat proficient. Next, I must practice my assassination techniques.¡±


    After speaking, Han Li walked towards a small wooden house which he had built, and on the way there, he involuntarily glanced at the yellow-colored bird.


    This bird¡¯s strange actions had caught his attention about half a month ago. This bird would always perch nearby, observing his actions, as if the bird had gained intelligence.


    When he first saw it, he was amazed and captivated by the intelligence of the yellow bird.


    He tried to capture it but was unsuccessful no matter what methods he used. This bird seemed to have no inclination to be fooled. It even stared at Han Li as if he were an idiot, causing Han Li to smile bitterly.


    Afterwards, in a fit of anger, he tried to use direct force, but before he even got near, the yellow bird would soar to the skies, out of his reach. Whenever Han Li left, it would return back to its original spot. Han Li had no other ideas and thus could only stare at it from his original position.


    On the surface of his mind, Han Li no longer concerned himself with the bird. In his heart, however, he had already deduced that the bird was here for a reason. Perhaps the bird was sent here by Doctor Mo to spy on his movements.


    Even so, Han Li had no cause for concern. As long as the one doing the monitoring was not Doctor Mo himself, how many details could the little bird reveal? And in addition, he was amazed by the intelligence that this little bird possessed and was thus unwilling to use poison to deal with it.


    At this moment, Doctor Mo was in a stone chamber, using the bones of wild beasts to form a strange array formation. As he arranged the formation, he was discussing matters with the mysterious voice from earlier, not knowing that Han Li had already discovered the method he was using to spy on Han Li.

 Chapter 43

    Fully Prepared.


    Chapter 43: Fully Prepared


    At this time, the Seven Mysteries Sect was undergoing a major event.


    It turned out that the idol of the current generation of disciples, ¡°Senior Disciple Li¡±, possessed a perception far beyond that of his peers. He quickly saw through two of the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s spies and their plot to steal the names of the disciples that were undergoing adventures away from the mountain. With ten fellow disciples, they captured them in one move. This was quite a meritorious deed.


    Several days later, Sect Leader Wang awarded Li Feiyu the position of Protector in the presence of many disciples. This caused him to stride forward to the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s mid rankings, leading to a rise of great sensation. Li Feiyu¡¯s reputation had grown even greater.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know of this at all. He was currently sealed off in a wooden house in the mountain, undergoing special training. Aside from occasionally going to the kitchen to get some food, he did not have any contact with others. He naturally did not know that his close friend was currently held in such high regard.


    Summer passed, followed by autumn. Time passed quickly until the arranged date had finally arrived.


    In the ravine of the overgrown forest, there was a strange, incomparable silhouette midst the overgrowth of the dangerously sharp and thorny branches. None of the sharp branches were able to obstruct the floating, smoke-like figure. In the thorny undergrowth, he weaved between the thick net like a fleeing demon. In a moment, he had appeared nearby; in the next, he was already a distance away. These motions were absolutely quiet, as if there were not a fleshly body but rather an incorporeal form.


    Finally, this silhouette stopped on top of a tree trunk. Vertically standing at its peak, he surveyed the surrounding distance.  This was Han Li, with some success from his cultivation regime.


    Currently, the clothes on his body had turned to little more than worn, tattered rags, revealing the his bare flesh. His hair was like a ruffled crow, while his face was a mixture of black and white. His original appearance couldn¡¯t be made out. What was most astonishing were the small exquisite iron bells, each hanging from his neck, waist, arms, thighs and ankles.


    Seeing these iron bells and then thinking about Han Li¡¯s ghost-like movements in the forest, it would be hard to differentiate Han Li¡¯s body technique from the movements of an actual demon.


    Motionless, he turned his head toward the direction of God Hand Valley. He muttered to himself, ¡°Just in time. I had just become proficient in the Shifting Smoke Steps on this final day. With this technique, I have a slightly greater assurance of self-preservation.¡±


    Although the expression of his face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly,  the joy in his eyes wasn¡¯t concealed at all.


    After several months of diligent research and training, Han Li wielded a number of formidable secret techniques. He held quite a bit of confidence in them. Although he wasn¡¯t convinced that they could withstand Doctor Mo¡¯s unfathomable skills, he held some confidence that he could defend himself.


    A light breeze came. Han Li felt a slight chill on his body. He lowered his head to look at his ¡°clothing¡±. Thinking about his current appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile.


    Recalling his training with Shifting Smoke Steps, he still had some lingering fear. In the forest undergrowth where he cultivated the technique, he had lived through a truly frightening experience. When he started training with this strange technique, he was covered all over with cuts and bruises from scraping against the unavoidable, stiff thorns.


    Fortunately, he possessed Vitality Raising Pellets.  In addition to treating internal injuries, they unexpectedly had an amazing effect on external injuries. After eating one, not only did it staunch the wound, there wouldn¡¯t even be a scar by the next day.


    Han Li clicked his tongue in marvel. This medicine was incredibly more potent than common concoctions. The only thing that confused him was why the medicine was named ¡°Vitality Raising Pellet¡±. It seemed to him that the names ¡°Scars Away¡± and ¡°Staunch Bleeding¡± would be more appropriate.


    If the experts that created the Vitality Raising Pellet knew what Han Li was thinking, they would have likely spit out blood from anger. This elaborate and elusive healing panacea had actually been compared to the ¡°Golden Wound Medicine¡±, a common Jiang Hu elixir, by Han Li, who thought that it was only relatively stronger. How could these experts not die from anger?!


    However, because he had practiced in such a dangerous environment, Han Li was able to make the fullest of his potential. Within this short time, his Shifting Smoke Steps had reached the level of proficiency where he could immediately put it to good use.


    In addition, Han Li¡¯s Eternal Spring Arts had just recently and unexpectedly broken through to the sixth layer. This was the highest layer of the chant that Doctor Mo had given him. Were it not for the assistance of those tens of elixirs, even if he were to exert all of his strength, it would have been unlikely for him to achieve this level of success in this lifetime.


    After a few years of cultivation, Han Li had quite a bit of understanding and experience with the Eternal Spring Arts. He felt that this level of success was very unusual. Regardless of the means by which he cultivated, the effectiveness and results were completely different from common martial arts.


    Initially, Han Li thought that the success rate of cultivating this particular martial art, as well as the speed of comprehension, depended on one¡¯s individual talent.


    One bestowed with good aptitude would naturally perform as expected, without any obstructions. Even if one had no external assistance, by means of hard work, he or she would be able to reach a high layer.


    But if one¡¯s aptitude was no good, once a certain layer was reached, he or she would be unable to advance a single step further without the assistance from elixirs. Han Li estimated that in a normal cultivator¡¯s lifetime, he or she would stop at that very point without the slightest advance. This idea was very much reflected upon himself. In the past, he managed to cultivate to the third layer very smoothly, but at the fourth layer, he was met with incomparable difficulty and did not advance in the least.


    However, if one had elixirs, the impossible would become possible, and it would be possible for one to break through the limitations of their natural aptitudes and advance to another layer. With this in mind, it is obvious how greatly cultivation depended on the power of medicine!


    However, those like Han Li, who ate elixirs everyday like snacks, were reckoned to be nonexistent in the entire world. Therefore, it would be reasonable to say that the even more difficult fifth and sixth layer had been effortlessly cultivated by Han Li, who had not encountered the difficulty that he had faced from cultivating to the fourth layer.


    The cultivation of the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts, aside from making Han Li feel more vigorous than before, made his mind even sharper. For the time being, he hadn¡¯t discovered any other wonderful effects. What was strange was that ever since he cultivated this Eternal Spring Arts, his spirit, mind, and five senses were somewhat strengthened with each increasing layer, but it had little effect on his body¡¯s health. He had no choice but to make his body sturdy and his footsteps light. In addition, his cultivation of the Eternal Spring Arts had formed a new energy flow, which Han Li called pseudo-True Qi. Although it moved through the channels of True Qi, it did little more than make his sense of touch more sensitive. It did not have the same formidable might as True Qi.


    Having trained this much, he was certain that the sixth layer wasn¡¯t the end of the chant. Perhaps it had the further wonderful effects that would be revealed in the later layers.


    Thinking of this, he helplessly shook his head and sighed. With regards to his current relationship to Doctor Mo, the final layers of cultivation was a matter he could only dream of.


    Halting his imagination, Han Li jumped, softly leaving the floor. Not a sound was produced. Then, with long strides, he walked to his residence.


    Tomorrow, he would meet with Doctor Mo, but before then, he had to make full use of his innate skills. His mind planned each step of his encounter with Doctor Mo in advance. He carefully pondered every finite possibility of the dangers that had yet to occur and formulated an optimal plan for responding to the threats that he simulated in his mind.

 Chapter 44

    Antidote.


    Chapter 44: Antidote


    The sun hung high up in the sky. Despite this time of year being the beginning of autumn, the heat from the sun was scorching hot.


    Doctor Mo was in his room, fidgeting. Although he was confident in his methods of dealing with Han Li, he could not be completely at ease.


    Suddenly, sounds of footsteps could be heard, slowly approaching his residence.


    When he heard the sounds of the familiar footsteps, Doctor Mo was filled with joy. He rushed hurriedly and opened the door.


    As expected, standing outside the door was his long awaited target ¨C Han Li.


    Looking at him as Han Li walked towards him, Doctor Mo fiercely suppressed the glee in his heart before allowing a trace of smile on his face.


    ¡°Not bad, you are indeed punctual. Seeing that you have made no attempts to escape, I¡¯m truly happy. This means that you are intelligent. Let us enter the house before we have a good discussion.¡±


    The expressions on Doctor Mo¡¯s face was like that of a kindly elderly neighbor. The smile on his face was akin to a blooming flower.


    ¡°You can relax, I didn¡¯t set any traps in the house,¡± Doctor Mo quickly explained to him, seeing the alertness in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Hmph! Since I¡¯ve dared to come, why would I be afraid to enter your residence?¡± Han Li immediately replied, as if he couldn¡¯t stand the slightest provocation.


    After he replied, Han Li took a step to enter the residence.


    Doctor Mo immediately shifted his body to the side, allowing Han Li to enter. After Han Li entered, he extended his hands, attempting to close the door, but before he could do so, Han li interjected without turning back his head:


    ¡°if you dare to close the door, I will assume that you have some tricks up your sleeves. There¡¯s no way I would still discuss anything with you.¡±


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Doctor Mo panicked. However, he swiftly recovered and left the door open. Unsatisfied, he exclaimed:


    ¡°I truly want to have a discussion with you. I mean no harm towards you. Since you are not willing to let the door be closed, we will just leave it open then.¡±


    After saying this, Doctor Mo reclined on his chair. The two of them silently stared at each other. They have not met for half a year, and thus, they were considering and gauging each other carefully.


    In Han Li¡¯s eyes, Doctor Mo had clearly declined a lot. He looked even more aged and withered now, no different from a 70 year-old grandfather. Involuntarily, he murmured in his heart, ¡°Could it be that what he said was true? All he wanted to do was to recover his vital energy? Was there truly no other sinister plan?. Did I overthink things? ¡°


    As Han Li studied his surroundings, his pupils swiftly contracted. That muscularly built, mysterious figure was standing silently at one corner, like some sort of corpse. If Han Li had not meticulously scanned every corner, he would surely have missed him.


    After his prior inspection of Han Li, Doctor Mo was extremely satisfied with his condition. As such, he warmly stated, ¡°Looking at the current you and comparing it to the person who had just entered the sect back when he was only ten years old, you have already grown so much.¡±


    The sudden shift in conversational topic and the change in atmosphere caught Han Li off-guard, making him wary of Doctor Mo¡¯s intentions. However, in his heart, Han Li raised his alertness to its maximum level. This sly old fox, the salt he had eaten was much more compared to the rice Han Li had consumed*. If Han Li was the slightest bit careless, he would undoubtedly fall into a trap.


    (*chinese idiom meaning that the Doctor Mo¡¯s experience was far greater than Han Li¡¯s)


    ¡°Old Mo, I will forever engrave your care towards me in my heart, never forgetting it. Whatever request you have, I will try to fulfill it.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression warmed, as if he had turned back to the obedient disciple he had been ages ago.


    ¡°Excellent! Excellent! Your words prove that I have not wasted my time and efforts on you. Come, let me see how much your progress with the Eternal Spring Arts has improved.¡± At that moment, Doctor Mo seemed to assume the role of the kindly teacher. Standing up, he directly attempted to take Han Li¡¯s pulse.


    ¡°Sly old fox, how cunning and thick-skinned.¡± Han Li cursed in his heart as he swiftly side-stepped, avoiding Doctor Mo¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Old Mo, don¡¯t be in such a hurry, I can truthfully tell you that my Eternal Spring Arts have reached the fourth layer. However, I want you to give me the antidote to the Insect Corpse Pill first. After I¡¯m cured, I will let you inspect my progress.¡± Han Li smiled as he used a sincere tone while talking to Doctor Mo.


    ¡°Oh! Oh my, my mind must have become muddled. My memory is no longer as good as before. Initially, I intended to give you the antidote the moment you stepped in.¡± Shock adorned his features as Doctor Mo seemed to have recalled something.


    He withdrew a silver flask from inside his robes and took out a black-colored, ordinary looking pill, which he tossed towards Han Li.


    Han Li acted clumsily and ¡°barely¡± managed to catch the pill that was tossed over to him. Bringing it to his nose, he sniffed it. Waves of spiciness were released from the pill. He inclined his head to look at Doctor Mo, only to find Doctor Mo smiling at him.


    He hesitated, suspecting the authenticity of this antidote.


    Yet, there was no way for him to avoid ingesting it because the Insect Corpse Pill would soon activate. If he did not ingest the antidote now, it was equivalent to committing suicide. Han Li believed that Doctor Mo would continue acting cautiously and refrain from giving Han Li a fake antidote. Han Li¡¯s expression turned heavy as he chose to swallow the antidote, waiting for its medicinal effect to take place.


    At this moment, Doctor Mo was extremely relaxed. He began to chat nonchalantly with Han Li, as if he had forgotten what his real purpose was.


    Not long after, Han Li could feel a surging wave of immense pain originating from his stomach, but the pain swiftly subsided. He quickly began to inspect his own body and realized that the Insect Corpse Pill had disappeared without a trace. Joy filled his heart, and his face broke out with traces of a smile.


    Naturally, the changes had not escaped from Doctor Mo¡¯s notice. He waited for Han Li, who was completing his inspection. With a huge smile on his face, he said:


    ¡°Ah, Han Li, when I gave you the Insect Corpse Pill to ingest, it was merely to give you extra motivation. If not for that, I think you might have have broken through to the fourth layers of the Eternal Spring Arts so easily!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for Doctor Mo¡¯s beautiful intentions. However, I hope that such intentions will not be needed in the future.¡± After recovering, Han Li¡¯s state of mind improved, and he began to slightly believe Doctor Mo¡¯s sincerity. He was not as directly opposed to Doctor Mo as before.


    ¡°Now, will you allow this old man to take your pulse?¡±?


    Doctor Mo¡¯s words caused Han Li¡¯s expression to grow unsightly. To think that Doctor Mo would still request examine his cultivation. Who knew whether Doctor Mo would decide to grab this opportunity to further control and harm him?

 Chapter 45

    Sneak Attack and Bared Teeth.


    Chapter 45: Sneak Attack and Bared Teeth


    Han Li lowered his head as he pondered. It seemed that there was no way he could avoid Doctor Mo¡¯s Inspection.


    Doctor Mo had actually given him the antidote without hesitation, showing his clear sincerity. If Han Li still tried to beat around the bush, Doctor Mo¡¯s suspicion would be raised, causing him to think that Han Li had not yet broken through to the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts and instead was lying to him with false words. If that were the case, things would likely take a turn for the worst, causing many unexpected occurrences beyond his control.


    Nevertheless, Han Li had long anticipated this moment and made his preparations. Even if Doctor Mo had malicious intentions towards him after taking his pulse, Han Li still had several ways to guarantee that he would be able to escape..


    As he thought of this, Han Li raised his head. He glanced at Doctor Mo with both eyes before saying, ¡°Old Mo, seeing how willingly you presented me the antidote, I will trust you one last time. I hope you will not cause me to be disappointed.¡±


    After that, he extended his right wrist towards Doctor Mo while silently observing the the other party¡¯s reactions. If anything seemed out of place, he would instantly retract his arm.


    Regretfully, Doctor Mo maintained the false smile on his face. He could not detect any changes in Han Li. The only expression he made was a slight twitch of his eyebrow after Han Li agreed. Swiftly, he regained his original expression. It appeared that Doctor Mo had long expected Han Li to agree to his request.


    Doctor Mo made no reply as he silently extended his left hand and placed it onto Han Li¡¯s wrist. The smile on his face was slowly reined in, causing Doctor Mo to exhibit an extremely serious expression, as if he were carrying out an incomparably holy act.


    Han Li secretly caused his body to manifest the Qi of the fourth layer. When he saw Doctor Mo¡¯s expression, he raised his caution and alertness to the highest stage while his left hand slowly dipped towards his waist, where he had hidden a recently manufactured short sword.


    Slowly, extreme joy broke out on Doctor Mo¡¯s face. From taking Han Li¡¯s pulse, he had discovered that there were unceasing waves of a mystical energy circulating within Han Li¡¯s body, its intensity far exceeding his expectations.


    Despite him being a cunning old fox with vast worldly experiences, he could not help but tremble slightly upon seeing that his only hope for salvation lying before him actually had a chance of succeeding. Excitement shone on his face. His smile was extremely radiant and couldn¡¯t be compared to the fake smile he had on his face earlier.


    ¡°This is too wonderful! You really broke through to the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts! HAHA! This is too amazing! HAHAHA!¡­..¡± Doctor Mo began to laugh uproariously, not bothering to maintain his previous facade in front of Han Li. The sound of his laughter reverberated through the whole house but yet¡­ his hands remained tightly clamped onto Han Li¡¯s wrist, as if he had no intentions of letting go.


    ¡°Old Mo, what is the meaning of this? Let go of me.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression turned chilly; he had expected something of this nature to occur and had attempted to retract his hand immediately after Doctor Mo¡¯s inspection, but Doctor Mo had given him no such chance.


    ¡°Let go of you? Sure!¡± Doctor Mo ceased his laughter. However, expression on his face changed.


    He suddenly unleashed a roar: ¡°Tai!¡±


    Han Li felt his ears rumble as the world turned dark before his eyes. His body lost its balance, and he collapsed onto the floor. His left hand, which had been grasping onto the short sword¡¯s hilt, fell limply to the ground.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Even though his mind was clear, Han Li¡¯s body refused to listen to his commands. Despite all of his precautions, he still suffered from Doctor Mo¡¯s sudden sneak attack, causing him to unable to react in time.


    ¡°Brat, you are still a greenhorn. No matter what tricks you have up your sleeves, you have no way to execute them now.¡± Everything was going as he had predicted. Doctor Mo couldn¡¯t help but grin and appear smug after achieving his objective.


    ¡°Come over here!¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s left hand pulled Han Li over, dragging Han Li¡¯s body towards his legs. Lowering his own body, Doctor Mo extended the index finger of his right hand and jabbed at the paralyzing acupoints located in front of Han Li¡¯s chest region.


    Peng!


    A sound rang out. Doctor Mo¡¯s finger met resistance as if it had attempted to pierce into a metal plate. His fingers trembled from the waves of pain that assailed him. For some reason, his acupoints-stimulating technique had failed.


    ¡°What is happening?!¡± He became shocked as his heart shuddered involuntarily.


    ¡°Could it be that he wore a layer of metallic armor underneath his shirt?¡± Doctor Mo wondered, surprised by the resistance.


    His gaze involuntarily searched Han Li¡¯s body. However, seeing how thin Han Li¡¯s clothes were, he shook his head and immediately discarded the idea.


    In the moment during which Doctor Mo was distracted, Han Li regained control over his body. His recovery abilities were far beyond what Doctor Mo had imagined.


    Han Li¡¯s true cultivation was at the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts. He had truly not wasted his time and efforts in cultivating. His recovery rate was extraordinary, far surpassing even his own expectations.


    At this moment, Doctor Mo decisively discarded his train of thought, causing all of his confusion and suspicion to dissipate. He began to think of another method to control Han Li, but in that instance, he discovered that Han Li¡¯s wrist, which currently locked firmly into his grasp, suddenly became extremely smooth, as if it were soaked with oil. There was no way for him to forcefully exert his strength and lock onto Han Li¡¯s wrist.


    Disbelief clouded his features. He tried again, but Han Li¡¯s hand was akin to an earthworm in the soil, easily slipping out of his fingers. Doctor Mo grew increasingly frantic.


    Han Li would not believe him again no matter how much Doctor Mo pleaded. After Han Li was free, he began to roll his body on the floor towards the far end of the room. He only dared to stand up once he was at a far distance away from Doctor Mo.


    The current Han Li had no expression on his face. Both of his eyes stared coldly at Doctor Mo.


    There was no need for Doctor Mo to say any more nonsense. Although Han Li did not know the reason behind Doctor Mo¡¯s actions, he could tell that Doctor Mo most assuredly had bad intentions.


    It seemed like what Doctor Mo had said earlier was all a bunch of nonsense, not worth an ounce of belief.


    For the sake of his family as well as his own safety, Han Li drew the short sword, which had been hidden near his waist. This short sword was only a foot long, yet incomparably sharp. Its blade gleamed with a green light. This was a first-rate short sword indeed!


    ¡°Today, either you or me will perish. Only one of us can walk out of this place alive,¡± Han Li coldly stated, baring his teeth in anger was he glared at Doctor Mo.

 Chapter 46

    Cleaving a Body with One Blow.


    Chapter 46: Cleaving a Body with One Blow


    Doctor Mo looked slightly astounded at his left hand, then returned his gaze to Han Li. He said disdainfully, ¡±Interesting. It seems like you really didn¡¯t idle around for a year, even unexpectedly training in such a strange skill. But you did really think that you could become my opponent by relying on a few jack-of-all-trades skills?¡±


    ¡°It seems I have not fought for a long period of time. Personally taking part to exercise my limbs is not a bad idea. I will let you make the first move!¡±


    Han Li did not pay attention to Doctor Mo¡¯s insult. He had already decided to gain the initiative by striking first. As the saying goes, be the first to act and take any opportunities.


    The short sword in Han Li¡¯s left hand was brought towards the front of his body, attracting Doctor Mo¡¯s gaze. But from his inner right cuff, he quietly slipped down a white paper bag, dropping it into the center of his right hand. After that, he lifted his hand to scatter a wide stretch of fine white powder from the white paper bag. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a thick white smoke that enveloped Han Li entirely, making his figure appear unclear and indistinct. Moreover, the white smoke quickly diffused throughout the entire house and made the whole room into a vast expanse of whiteness. Even if one were to hold his or her hand out, he or she wouldn¡¯t be able to see even his or her fingers. Han Li had strangely disappeared amidst the smoke.


    Doctor Mo wrinkled his brows. Han Li¡¯s move was beyond his expectations, but in his heart, he disregarded it. Because of his experience against this kind of third-rate trick, he had many ways to counter it. It was only because he was afraid that the smoke would prove to be troublesome that he held his breath. With his deep profound skill, not breathing for forty-five to seventy-five minutes was no problem at all.


    ¡°Hmph! What insignificant talent! And you still dare to show off in front of me!¡± Doctor Mo snorted coldly. Suddenly, his right hand slapped an empty spot within the smoke. The smoke stirred as if it were being hit by a large club, and it immediately surged upwards, revealing a large distinct hole.


    Though he could not see Han Li¡¯s silhouette, Doctor Mo did not stop. Striking everywhere from all sides, he released more than ten strikes in a row, making the smoke in the house completely disperse out from the front door. The room returned back to normal, apart from the missing Han Li.


    ¡°Strange. This brat truly has some ability. Even when I am in front of him, he can make himself disappear as if he had ceased to exist.¡± Doctor Mo was astonished, but he did not panic in the slightest. He had kept a constant watch of the door and its vicinity. Even if a flea flew past, it would not escape his detection.


    He carefully ran his eyes across the entire house. The surrounding bookshelves, a desk and a chair were untouched; everything appeared to be the same. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Thus, how could such a big fellow like Han Li disappear completely in a small place like this?


    Doctor Mo¡¯s expression changed. There were slight misgivings in his heart, but he boldly coughed a few times. He then unsteadily walked to the place where Han Li disappeared from, wanting to take a closer look at what actually happened.


    When he was a few feet away from the area where Han Li disappeared, he stopped and squinted both eyes. He faintly felt a discernible killing intent direct at him from nearby, getting ready to make a move.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes radiated energy that was used to carefully sweep the room. But even so, he was unable to discover anything abnormal. He began to worry that there was no one nearby; could it be that Han Li decided to go up to heaven or down to hell?


    ¡°To go up to heaven or down to hell,¡± Doctor Mo was completely lost in his thoughts and was thinking as if he had realized something critical. While he was pondering over it, there was a sudden ¡°dang¡± sound above his head.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Doctor Mo suddenly realized that Han Li had concealed himself in the beam of the roof. He was unable to look up in time. With a shout, Doctor Mo raised his hand upwards and struck his palm severely to stun his opponent in one move.


    Following the powerful strike, an explosion rumbled out, but the only sound that that was audible was sharp and clear ¡°dang¡±.


    Doctor Mo was somewhat puzzled and hurriedly lifted his head to inspect the beam. He couldn¡¯t help but to stare foolishly at the empty space above, where not even a ghost of a reflection could be seen. There was only a small black metal bell hanging from the beam of the roof, jingling incessantly in the wake of his strike. This was the source of the ¡°dang¡± sound. Not even Han Li¡¯s shadow was there!


    During the time in which Doctor Mo was looking upwards, a wisp of cold light, with the abruptness of a thunderbolt, pierced violently towards Doctor Mo¡¯s lower abdomen from under his foot. Its speed was incredibly fast, comparable to lightning or raging fire. He was able to detect it only when it was about to touch Doctor Mo¡¯s garments.


    Doctor Mo turned pale with fright. In a great rush, he reacted instinctively and twisted his body. His whole body seemed as if it did not have a spine as he bent backwards, his body bending into the shape of an arch. This dangerous short sword blow just barely scratched his belly, making a small cut. It nearly slashed open his chest and eviscerated him. (TL: the original Chinese says that he formed an iron bridge. Imagine him forming a bridge with his body by bending backward into an inverted U)


    After experiencing that attack, Doctor Mo did not dare to relax. As if the sole of his feet had contained springs, he jumped backwards several meters without changing his posture. Only after retreating did he dare to rise and look alarmingly yet furiously at the direction where the short sword¡¯s flashing light had emerged from¡­


    Only to see that the ground where Doctor Mo had stood just moments ago began to slowly swell. Unexpectedly, the swell became bigger and taller until Han Li finally emerged. He had used a combination of Soft Bones Art, Breath Control Art, and False Hiding Technique.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s clothes were the same color as the yellow ground. His left hand carried the same short sword that had nearly hit Doctor Mo, and his eyes expressed an annoyed look. It seemed Han Li felt that it was a pity that he missed his target just now.


    Startled by the previous slash, his heart was beating madly from fear of that short sword. He was not an inexperienced recruit who had never faced danger, but even so, there were only a handful of instances during which he faced a near death experience. What made this experience even more frightening was that it was caused by Han Li, whom Doctor Mo had always looked down upon with disdain.


    He took a deep breath, his expression finally becoming serene, and said in a dry and rough voice, ¡°It seems that I have underestimated you, my dear young disciple. Your display of skill was not bad. You are truly worthy of me taking you seriously.¡±


    After saying this sentence, Doctor Mo slowly raised both hands to his eye level and gazed tenderly at his hands without saying a single word. His gaze was similar to passionately looking at a lover, forgetting completely about Han Li.


    Han Li raised both his eyebrows and sneered. He grasped his short sword tightly in one hand and slowly approached Doctor Mo in small, measured steps.

 Chapter 47

    Demonic Silver Hand vs Shifting Smoke Steps.


    Chapter 47: Demonic Silver Hand vs Shifting Smoke Steps


    ¡°Demonic Silver Hands¡±


    These three words rang out slowly from Doctor Mo¡¯s mouth as if they had drifted over from a far away place. They possessed unfathomable demonic energy, causing Han Li to involuntarily freeze, halting his steps.


    Just as Doctor Mo¡¯s voice faded, a surge of immense killing intent seemed to explosively gush forth from Doctor Mo¡¯s body. The intensity of this killing intent was comparable to that of howling winds and torrential rains, increasingly getting stronger from all four directions, covering the entire residence.


    As Han Li strode forward, he clashed directly with the sudden surge of killing intent, and was involuntarily forced back a few steps before he could stable his body, standing upright.


    The expression on Han Li¡¯s face underwent a huge transformation as his heart rapidly sank. He knew that Doctor Mo had finally stopped underestimating him and thus decided to use an ultimate technique to deal with Han Li. It seemed like his encounter with Han Li¡¯s short sword had truly angered Doctor Mo.


    ¡°Hehe! Little brat, to think you could witness my ultimate technique, the Demonic Silver Hands. Your level of good fortune is normally accumulated over three lifetimes.¡± (TL: Last sentence is an idiom: the blessing of three lifetimes)


    Doctor Mo¡¯s ear-shattering roar still buzzed incessantly into Han Li¡¯s ear. Luckily for Han Li, Doctor Mo did not infuse the technique from earlier with his Qi. Doctor Mo disliked using this method to achieve victory, causing Han Li to be slightly less worried.


    However, after hearing Doctor Mo boast about his ultimate technique, The Demonic Silver Hands, Han Li could not help but stare at the hands of his opponent.


    After he looked, Han Li¡¯s face froze as he went slack-jawed, dumbstruck by what he was seeing.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s hands, originally as thin as tree branches, were swollen to more than twice their original size. What was even more terrifying was that his yellow and pallid skin had actually undergone a physical change and took on a silvery hue. Under the bright rays of the sun, it reflected a cold golden light, appearing to be indestructible and completely constructed from silver.


    ¡°This is Doctor Mo¡¯s true strength?¡±


    After looking at Doctor Mo¡¯s hands, Han Li¡¯s heart sank even further. He clutched his short sword¡¯s hilt with a single hand while rivulets of sweat involuntarily appeared on his palms, causing his grip to be wet and slippery. His combat experience was severely limited, so a single new skill displayed by his opponent was sufficient enough to cause Han Li to worry, turning the atmosphere heavy.


    On the surface, however, Han Li appeared unaffected. With a calm countenance that did not reveal the slightest bit of worry, he seemed to look down upon the ultimate technique Doctor Mo was displaying.


    Doctor Mo was ultimately unsatisfied. He began to see Han Li in a whole new light, but he still felt that displaying his supreme technique in front of a young teenager was truly overestimating his opponent, akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. As such, he initially expected Han Li to be frightened and beg him for mercy. Only then could Doctor Mo soothe his pride.


    ¡°Do you know that I extremely hate the expression on your face? A brat who is still stinking of his mother¡¯s milk can act so bold, as if he has everything under his control,¡± Doctor Mo coldly stated, making no attempt to mask his disdain and hatred towards Han Li.


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Letting Old Mo feel disgusted is my honor. I think that in the future, I should further nurture my talent in this area.¡± Han Li sarcastically replied, hoping that his sarcasm would cause his opponent to slip up and give him an opportunity.


    However, Han Li¡¯s obvious intentions were seen through. Doctor Mo stopped speaking and slammed his palms together, causing a ¡°peng¡± sound to ring out, similar to the sound of grinding metal. His intent was to cause fear in the heart of his opponent.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s figure shook as he leapt in the air and maneuvered his inflated silver palms. Like a raging wind and as robust as Mount Tai, he rushed towards Han Li.


    Doctor Mo did not intend to waste any more time to capture Han Li. He would unleash his ultimate technique through a single strike.


    With a heavy expression, Han Li focused his full attention on Doctor Mo¡¯s attacking stance. After Doctor Mo had lept into the air, Han Li raised his hands and aimed at the weak point of any individual: his neck.


    Doctor Mo slightly gawked when he saw how audacious Han Li was. Han Li actually intended to face his ¡°hard¡± technique head on? Doctor Mo couldn¡¯t help but feel joy in his heart as he laughed manically. ¡°Go to hell!¡± He directed a silvery hand to catch Han Li¡¯s short sword and aimed his other hand at Han Li¡¯s shoulder blade. Both hands smashed through the air with frightening speed.


    However, although the palm strike towards Han Li¡¯s shoulder blade looked tyrannical and terrifying, Doctor Mo only used half of his strength in that strike, which totally contrasted with his shout earlier. He was worried that he would critically injure Han Li and ultimately be unable to use him in his plans.


    Han Li naturally did not know of the truth of this matter, and as such, he treated the attack very seriously. There was no way he would use his own body to test the toughness of his opponent¡¯s silvery hands. Instead, he lightly shook his wrist, causing the short sword to slash horizontally instead of drawing circles in the air. He intended to use this move to protect the upper half of his body.


    Doctor Mo snorted, but the trajectory of his hands remained unchanged, still relentlessly pursuing the short sword without the intent to evade.


    Dang! A crisp sound rang out as Han Li¡¯s short sword slashed into the silvery palm, causing a few sparks to fly. However, the short sword did not manage to leave even a scratch on Doctor Mo¡¯s palm.


    Doctor Mo made use of this opportunity. Flipping his palm, he extended a finger and flicked it against Han Li¡¯s short sword without giving Han Li the chance to retract his weapon. As Han Li felt an explosive tremor, part of his short sword¡¯s blade broke and flew far away, burying itself in the wall.


    The other silvery hand formed a claw that arched towards Han Li¡¯s shoulder blade, hoping to seal Han Li¡¯s movements and catch him alive.


    Although situation was rapidly taking a turn for the worst, Han Li showed no signs of panic. He slightly shifted his shoulders and sprinted forward, his body transforming into a column of smoke in front of Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes.


    Seeing such a vanishing body movement technique, Doctor Mo felt shock in his heart. However, he continued his attack, positioning both his hands in front of him like a screen to contain and block the smoke. He had no intention of letting Han Li escape.


    The smoke was truly abnormal; it hesitated for a moment before darting slightly in all four directions as if it were contemplating which direction to escape to. It moved in a strange angle and evaded the screen. In the blink of an eye, the smoke sped towards the leftmost corner of Doctor Mo¡¯s residence before stopping and transforming back into Han Li.

 Chapter 48

    Lies.


    Chapter 48: Lies


    Doctor Mo landed gently on the spot where Han Li had originally stood. Without pause, he turned around to face Han Li. The proud look on his face was gone; instead, all that remained in Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes was shock.


    At this time, Han Li wasn¡¯t doing very well either. He kept inhaling deeply while sweat collected on his forehead. Although his face was pale, his cheeks were flushed with a strange red color.


    These were all signs that pointed towards one fact: the evasion technique that Han Li pulled to save his life had consumed most of his energy. It was highly probable that he would not be able to pull off the same trick the next time.


    Taking a deep breath, Han Li tried to relax his body in order to relieve his muscles¡¯ strains from using Shifting Smoke Steps. All he could do now was to make the most of any time to recover so that he would have a better chance of winning in the next exchange.


    Han Li glanced down again at his left hand, which was still slightly shaking. There was no way he could use his numb left hand to wield his short sword. It seemed that all the hard work he spent training himself to wield the short sword with his left hand was all for naught. He could only count on his right hand for the rest of the fight.


    When he thought about it, he smile bitterly to himself. He lost most of his energy and couldn¡¯t use the marvelous Shifting Smoking Steps anymore. Even worse, he could only use one hand to fight. Since the situation couldn¡¯t get any worse, he decided to use his trump card.


    Han Li looked at the sun outside the house, estimated its position, and thought that it was a good time to execute his next technique.


    He peeked again at the short sword stuck in the wall, and knew that it was impossible for him to get back his weapon. Doctor Mo wouldn¡¯t let him just go and take it back.


    Han Li mumbled for a little bit and pulled out another weapon from his bag. This one was also a half-foot short sword with a scabbard, but since it was too short, it was more fitting to call it a dagger instead of a sword. When pulled out of its scabbard, it looked like a normal dagger with an abnormally thick blade that had been polished and sharpened.


    Han Li threw the scabbard aside and switched the dagger to his right hand. He extended his right arm, pointing the dagger at Doctor Mo in an offensive stance.


    Doctor Mo saw what Han Li was doing, but he didn¡¯t hurry to attack. He put both of his hands on his back and spoke softly with a kind face:


    ¡°Han Li, you surprised me when you repeatedly dodged my attacks, but do you think your luck will last forever? The movement technique you used just now was quite good, but it has its own limitations. Judging by your physical strength, it¡¯s impossible for you to pull it off again. Just surrender like you should have in the beginning. You should be able to see by now that I have no intention to seriously hurt you. Just listen to me, maybe it won¡¯t be as bad as you thought.¡±


    Doctor Mo¡¯s change of attitude made Han Li have goosebumps all over his body. He had changed from a gentle teacher to a cold-hearted and unfeeling figure. Now, he was using meaningful and heartfelt words to try to convince Han Li to surrender¨C Han Li didn¡¯t know what to say. Doctor Mo actually thought Han Li would be that stupid and fall for this obvious lie?


    However, his words caused Han Li to gain some confidence. Doctor Mo wouldn¡¯t have used this childish trick to fool Han Li if he wasn¡¯t growing desperate.


    Han Li thought seriously for a while. He then signed and shook his head. Without a word, he waved his dagger at Doctor Mo and showed him his refusal.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s veins on his forehead suddenly bulged. Seeing Han Li ignore his words and use his weapon to provoke him, Doctor Mo couldn¡¯t suppress his anger any longer.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you!¡±


    He quickly took a big step forward and ferociously said, ¡°So close yet so far apart.¡±


    Suddenly, Doctor Mo¡¯s body nimbly moved to a spot only a few steps from Han Li,  as if he were capable of shrinking space, a feat that evoked extreme fear in those who had witnessed this technique before.


    Han Li, too, had a look of extreme shock displayed on his face. He swiftly retreated two steps backwards, increasing the distance between him and Doctor Mo, before brandishing his dagger horizontally in front of his body. The blade weaved a dance of cold light in the air, blocking Doctor Mo¡¯s path forward as if Han Li had forgotten the previous suffering he had faced after clashing directly with Doctor Mo.


    Doctor Mo coldly laughed. Of course he would not remind his opponent. He separated his palms and attacked Han Li from two directions, completely disregarding the dagger¡¯s strange dance.


    As the two silvery hands approached the rays of light emitted from the dagger¡¯s dance, a bright laughter floated out, akin to what a hunter would do as he watches his prey step into a trap that was prepared beforehand. It was a laugh filled with immense satisfaction.


    The laughter dulled Doctor Mo¡¯s reactions and made his heart slightly tremble. As he slowed down his attacks, he heart a cold voice saying:


    ¡°You have completely fallen for my trap. Look at the dagger in my hand!¡±


    After hearing this, Doctor Mo involuntarily shifted his gaze over, only to see that the dagger had stopped its dance. In place of it, Han Li made a strange stance. He arched the upper half of his body and moved the sword down to his waist. The lower half of his body was stretched tightly like a nocked bowstring. His overall posture was similar to an arrow that was about to be shot from a bow.


    Other than emitting rays of green light, there wasn¡¯t anything else strange about the dagger in Han Li¡¯s hand. This caused Doctor Mo to be astonished. Could it be that Han Li adopted such a weird posture just to distract him?


    Thinking of this, glee blossomed in his heart. Doctor Mo wanted to sneer at Han Li, only to find Han Li rushing forward like an arrow of incomparable sharpness. Shooting forward like a bullet, Han Li¡¯s advance caused Doctor Mo¡¯s expression to change.


    Hurriedly, Doctor Mo once again joined his separated palms together, intending to use his palms to suppress the edge of his opponent¡¯s blade. Strangely, the dagger only slightly wavered and somehow transformed into more than ten daggers that waved around in the air before piercing towards Doctor Mo from different directions.


    Doctor Mo loudly snorted. In his heart, his evaluation of Han Li dropped by a few degrees. In front of an expert such as him, Han Li actually chose to use such an ordinary technique? Wasn¡¯t that equivalent to seeking death? Doctor Mo could tell with a single glance where the body of the true dagger was.


    As such, he squinted his eyes, targeting the position of the true blade. He increased his attack speed with the intention to crush the real dagger into pieces, causing Han Li to lose a weapon.

 Chapter 49

    Hidden Within Concealment.


    Chapter 49: Hidden Within Concealment


    Once both parties were about to make contact, Han Li slightly moved the edge of his dagger. The blade¡¯s angle had only shifted slightly, but in Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes, his whole world had turned into chaos due to this seemingly minuscule but earth-shaking change.


    The small light reflected on the dagger¡¯s edge suddenly gave rise to a dozen extremely dazzling white balls of light. The radiance was incomparably intense, and Doctor Mo could not stop it from shining directly into his eyes.


    ¡°Not good.¡± He secretly cursed in his heart as he hastily retreated backwards, immediately shutting his eyes. But by then, it was too late. The white light had already entered his eyes and prevented him from attacking.


    In that instant, Doctor Mo felt his eyes heat up, and his eyeballs began to ache incessantly. Tears dripped down from his eyes without restraint, and he had no time to wipe them away. He endured the discomfort with much difficulty and strained to open his eyes, but all he could see was a vast expanse of whiteness; even an object¡¯s silhouette appeared like the layers of a mirage, fuzzy and indistinct.


    He instantly felt angry and frightened. Because of his own carelessness, he regretfully fell for his opponent¡¯s crafty trick once again.


    However, Doctor Mo had traveled the country for a long time and thus had plenty of experience in handling various kinds of dangerous situations. He continuously retreated several steps backwards to try and gain some distance away from Han Li and buy himself some time to recover. Simultaneously, he withdrew his palms to the front of his body and waved them relentlessly. Relying on the invulnerable Demonic Silver Hands, he protected the crucial areas of his upper body.


    He had already decided that before his eyes recovered, he would not take the initiative to attack. Any offensive attack would have to wait until he could see clearly again before making a move. Doctor Mo was aware that he was yet again caught within the brat¡¯s trap.


    Currently, Doctor Mo¡¯s contempt for Han Li had disappeared from his heart. The level of danger in his struggle against Han Li was not inferior to the life-and-death battles against formidable opponents from his earlier years.


    Even though he could not see Han Li¡¯s movements, Doctor Mo twitched his ears and listened with rapt attention, trying use his sense of hearing to determine Han Li¡¯s next move.


    Suddenly, Doctor Mo vaguely saw a shadow flash by. Shortly after, there was a sharp noise and a surge of cold wind coming from his front.


    Doctor Mo did not panic at Han Li¡¯s attempt to assassinate him; instead, he was delighted. Han Li¡¯s strategy was somewhat naive. If Han Li had silently hid at one side to mount a sneak attack, Doctor Mo would have truly been worried. However, there was nothing to fear from a bold frontal attack. He had already trained his hearing to the point of perception, able to distinguish between the sound of wind, a thrust of a dagger, and an attack from an embroidery needle¨C he was able to hear perfectly.


    Doctor Mo heard the noise clearly, but his hand deliberately slowed down to make a small opening in front of him. Sure enough, the surprise attack immediately changed direction, deviating from its neutral path and making a beeline for his throat.


    Doctor Mo grinned hideously. His right hand, which had been waiting the whole time, suddenly made a move. He quickly grasped firmly onto the edge of the blade as he did not fear the sharp edge of the dagger at all.


    Han Li was aware of the turn of events and violently exerted some force to pull the dagger back a few times. But in the grasp of the Demonic Silver Hands, the dagger did not budge at all, making Han Li¡¯s attempts a waste of effort.


    Doctor Mo felt a little proud of himself, but he did not dare to be careless for a moment because he was afraid that Han Li would realize this chance and release his grip on the dagger to run away. With disregard for his ability to see, Doctor Mo abruptly executed a move using hundred percent of his power with one hand. He pulled the dagger to one side, planning to pull Han Li firmly away from his front and personally hold him down. Instead, Doctor Mo felt that his hand was as light as a feather, as if there was nothing in his palm.


    He was greatly startled. He had definitely grasped the edge of the blade, so how could his hand be light all of a sudden? Even if Han Li had managed to loosen and release the dagger from Doctor Mo¡¯s grasp, it shouldn¡¯t have caused Doctor Mo¡¯s hands to become lighten this abruptly.


    Doctor Mo did not have enough time to think about it. His body acted on reflex and maneuvered evasively. At once, his head dropped to one side, and he leaned over with all his might. His neck was bent in an unfathomable angle in an attempt to avoid a fatal attack.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s many years of bitter training in profound skills had finally displayed their usefulness. At this moment. Doctor Mo felt something cool, a sharp object, brush against his neck. It barely grazed his skin and did not result in further injury.


    After dodging this attack, Doctor Mo feared that Han Li still had some moves in reserve. Without thinking, he actually copied one of Han Li¡¯s previous escape tricks¨C he dropped his whole body to the floor and rolled away. Only after rolling a great distance from Han Li did he dare to rise and stand.


    He hastily used two fingers to put pressure on the blood vessels in his neck to stop the bleeding.


    At this moment, some fear arose in him. A moment ago, he felt that he could not hide anywhere within the room, but he did not expect his body¡¯s instincts to be brought into full throttle and actually manage to escape death by random chance.


    He had been thinking hard up to this point, but eventually Doctor Mo could not help but raise his head to glance at Han Li. At this time, he discovered that he could see the objects within the room with clarity. He was unaware at which point in time his vision returned back to normal.


    Doctor Mo could only see Han Li glaring at him with dissatisfaction, obviously discontent with Doctor Mo¡¯s continuous evasion of his blade.


    Han Li carried in his hand a sharp, inch-long weapon. From its shape, it resembled an odd awl, but its handle was the original dagger hilt. The weapon as a whole looked somewhat grotesque. The surface even had some blood stains on it. This was indeed the strange weapon that had injured Doctor Mo.


    Doctor Mo turned gloomy, his eyes filled with fury. He kept having narrow encounters that threatened to cost him his life. Doctor Mo was about to lose his patience and about to burst with anger, but he noticed that his right hand was still holding on to something.


    He looked down and saw an immobile blade. He lightly lifted it up to get a closer look. Suddenly, he realised that this blade was hollow; the space within the blade was similar to the shape of the sharp awl. This blade was merely a cover used to conceal the awl from his vision.


    Because of this discovery, the rage that filled him was suddenly extinguished thoroughly.

 Chapter 50

    Aromatic Coiling Silk.


    Chapter 50: Aromatic Coiling Silk


    Doctor Mo finally figured out why Han Li had been determined to keep the door opened the moment he entered the room. Han Li¡¯s request foreshadowed his use of the sun¡¯s glare. Doctor Mo¡¯s opponent was of such a young age. How could he be this thorough? This meticulously calculated sinister chain of events made this old and experienced figure of Jiang Hu unable to fight back. Han Li¡¯s profound schemes did not match his age and experience. Could it truly be that this person was truly a natural genius, perhaps even a reincarnated prodigy?


    He pondered deeply. The more he thought about it, the more his fear grew. A cold sweat covered Doctor Mo from head to toe.


    Enduring this frustration, Doctor Mo grew far more wary of Han Li. He cautiously and solemnly faced the youngster. For a short while, he did not dare to act again.


    Han Li also did not know why Doctor Mo had was just staring at him without the slightest intention to attack. For a short while, both sides had silently decided to cease hostilities. They gazed at each other in anxiety.


    After a moment passed within this awkward atmosphere, Han Li suddenly started speaking. His sentence would leave Doctor Mo dumbstruck and distracted:


    ¡°Elder Mo, why don¡¯t we make peace? Or how about I surrender? What do you think?¡±


    Saying this, Han Li swung his arms. He straightforwardly threw down his weapons and gazed at Doctor Mo with a smile, exposing rows of pure white teeth. Just like that, he donned the appearance of a simple and honest youngster from the countryside.


    ¡°Surrender?¡±


    Doctor Mo originally believed that his ears had gone bad. However he immediately reacted. Looking at Han Li¡¯s discarded awls, he did not have slightest degree of trust, so he fiercely asked, ¡°What¡¯s your plan? Don¡¯t think that I would trust your false words. You want to surrender? You could¡¯ve done that from the start. There was no need to wait until after we became irreconcilable adversaries. What else is up your sleeve?¡±


    Han Li looked at Doctor Mo with a smile and did not speak. Instead, he seemed to tacitly agree to his criticisms. These two had once more sunk into confrontation.


    After a short while, Doctor Mo seemed to think of an extremely funny matter. He unexpectedly lifted his body, put both hands on his abdomen and laughed at the top of his lungs. The laughter was unrestrained, and tears flowed out from the corners of his eyes.


    ¡°Haha! Ha! Haha! Truly¡­. This is truly interesting. I had actually forgotten such an important aspect. I had actually truly been¡­been the target of your traps,¡± said Doctor Mo in an ambiguous manner in between his disjointed laughter.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow, but soon after, he smoothed it out.  As he glanced outside the window, the corners of his mouth formed a strong smile, and he calmly said, ¡°Elder Mo, don¡¯t you feel that this delay has gone on long enough? It¡¯s about time to finish this.¡±


    Doctor Mo grew slightly distracted and stopped his hearty laughter.


    He slowly straightened himself and stiffened his face. With an expressionless face, he stared at Han Li for a long time before coldly replying, ¡°I, too, feel that it is time to conclude this.¡±


    The two suddenly calculated their respective chances of succeeding. In that split second, they both thought of ways to force their opponent to reveal their cards.


    After a moment of awkward silence, Han Li slowly opened his mouth. He held no other thoughts other than the confidence of being able to force Doctor Mo to concede.


    ¡°Elder Mo, did you know¡­ that your life is already in my hands?¡± Han Li¡¯s words could leave a person utterly astonished.


    ¡°My life is already in your hands?¡± Doctor Mo sneered; his face had an expression of distrust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that wound of yours is a bit peculiar?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I took a careful look at it. Your dagger doesn¡¯t have¡­.¡± Doctor Mo refused to believe his words, but halfway through his own reply, his expression greatly changed. He recalled that what had injured him wasn¡¯t that dagger but rather that hidden awl.


    ¡°It seems I don¡¯t need to say any more. Elder Mo already understands my meaning.¡± Han Li looked at Doctor Mo with a snicker.


    ¡°Even if I were poisoned, you forget. Your medicinal techniques were all taught by me. There is no poison I cannot remove,¡± Doctor Mo calmly said. His face immediately went back to normal.


    ¡°Hehe! I forgot to say. The poison that I applied on my blade was ¡®Aromatic Coiling Silk¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Aromatic Coiling Silk?¡± Doctor Mo let out a soft cry of surprise. This had greatly exceeded his expectations.


    ¡°Correct, Elder Mo surely knows how difficult it is to deal with this poison!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, how could you possibly concoct such a poison? I didn¡¯t divulge even an segment of its formula.¡± Doctor Mo¡¯s appearance was still strong, and he seemed to be unconvinced of Han Li¡¯s words. However, from the strange sensation he felt from the wound, his heart was already certain that Han Li somehow managed to concoct the poison.


    Seeing that Doctor Mo was still not admitting defeat, Han Li sighed. He would have to explain further.


    ¡°You have long forgotten that I was given complete access to your library. This recipe was slipped into an obscure medical book, but had I not been attentive, I fear that I would have missed it.¡±


    Doctor Mo recalled this fact. Back when he had originally obtained this recipe, he casually slipped a detailed copy of the medicinal formula into a random book because he was afraid he would forget the convoluted procedure, which required too many ingredients. Later, he completely forgot about this piece of paper because he had far too many affairs to handle. He hadn¡¯t expected this to benefit Han Li and cause him such a huge problem.


    ¡°We should take a seat and have a proper discussion. Let us shake hands and make peace!¡± Han Li confidently said.


    Humph! Doctor Mo did not take notice of Han Li; his brain was hard at work remembering the effects of the Aromatic Coiling Silk.


    Aromatic Coiling Silk. This name did not sound dreadful in the slightest. In passing thoughts, people even found that it sounded elegant and romantic. However, its poisonous strength was like the yearning of an infatuated woman: unbearable and bone-deep.

 Chapter 51

    Giant Man Displays his Might.


    Chapter 51: Giant Man Displays his Might


    Once the Aromatic Coiling Silk poisons the body, the toxin would enter the blood vessels and gradually spread throughout the entire body.


    Ordinary mortals would not be in any danger, but to cultivators, this poison would be extremely fatal after a short amount of time. The cultivator affected by the poison could not recklessly disrupt his or her internal True Qi, or else the poison would flare up and cause the blood in the body to flow backwards, resulting in immense pain and suffering.


    However, if one was poisoned for a longer period of time, the toxicity would penetrate the body, making the situation worse.


    Even if a person managed to recover somewhat and properly control of his or her True Qi, he or she would still have to consume the antidote on a daily basis. Otherwise, gradual changes would occur within the bones, causing the body¡¯s foundation to wither. The body would curl up, paralyzed and unable to move. Eventually, the body would melt into a pool of mud.


    Even more terrifying was that once the poison penetrated the bones, nothing could be done to extract it. The individual could only rely on long term treatment in order to survive. The poison would not flare up for the time being; instead becoming like a thread of carnal love, forever plaguing the victim¡¯s body.


    The poison was made up of a variety of materials, many of which could be replaced. Although the end product would be the same, the specific toxicity would change according to the person who concocted it, making the poison unique to its maker. Naturally, the antidote would also be unique. Only the person who manufactured the poison would be able to prescribe the correct antidote and suppress its toxicity. Even if others knew the method of making the Aromatic Coiling Silk, they would have no way of concocting an antidote specifically geared to combat the Aromatic Coiling Silk that someone else had produced.


    This way, the poisoned individual¡¯s puny life would be within the hands of the one who poisoned him. Unable to rebel or resist, the victim could only be obedient.


    Doctor Mo racked his brain for any memories regarding the Aromatic Coiling Silk, filtering through his vast knowledge. He then understood the reason behind Han Li¡¯s fearlessness.


    Doctor Mo sneered in his heart, but his facial expression did not change. He indifferently asked, ¡±Is this your last trick?¡±


    ¡°Brat, it seems you have ran out of moves, so just obediently admit defeat!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank upon seeing no changes in Doctor Mo¡¯s expression. At this point, Han Li was sure he had miscalculated something since Doctor Mo seemed to have entirely disregarded his threat.


    Doctor Mo did not seem provoked in the slightest, making it seem that he truly paid no mind to the Aromatic Coiling Silk in his body.


    Even more so, Han Li was clear that because of this, he was in a very disadvantageous position. It looked as if his opponent was greatly certain that he could seize Han Li.


    Seeing Han Li remain silent, Doctor Mo laughed and deviously looked at him before saying loudly, ¡°Iron Slave, capture him for me.¡±


    Once Han Li heard this, he immediately remembered that after entering the house, he thought that he had forgotten something very crucial: Iron Slave. However, he had no time to mull over it. Instead, Han Li used the tip of his toes to hook the awl that was beside his leg. It automatically jumped into his hand.


    In an instant, a large shadow rushed from the corner of the room with a fierce wind following close behind. Its speed was incredibly fast, and it appeared before Han Li in a second, rendering him unable to evade.


    Helpless, Han Li could only use the sharp awl in his hand to stab towards the shadow¡¯s lower abdomen. He hoped he would at least be able to resist for a while so that he could have a chance to retreat and recover his breath.


    Stabbing the abdomen with the small awl was not the most optimal move, but Han Li had no other choice. His opponent was just too tall, and the weapon Han Li was using was only a few inches long, which made the abdomen the only area it was capable of reaching.


    Han Li suddenly felt like he had just collided against some kind of monster. It was as if a large wooden object had smacked his extended wrist, directly dislocating it from his arm. Subsequently, his body fell back a few steps due to the impact. The awl in his hand seemed to have struck a rock and was sent flying, disappearing without a trace.


    Han Li was unfathomably startled and angry. Just after barely stabilizing his body, the large figure appeared before him in the blink of an eye. Immediately, Han Li felt a sharp pain on both his shoulder as two large hands latched onto his shoulder blades tenaciously, pinning him down.


    Han Li struggled with all of his might, but it was as if an enormous mountain were pressing down on his body, rendering him unable to move at all.


    He was not able to do much in this kind of situation. In a moment of desperation, he lifted up his knee and aimed ferociously towards the weak point between the large shadow¡¯s legs.


    ¡°OUCH!¡±


    It was so painful that Han Li was constantly dripped with cold sweat. Upon unleashing an attack that would have normally been fatal on his opponent, he discovered that the giant shadow was incomparably solid. His kneecap broke into many pieces just like a the pieces of a hen¡¯s egg cracking upon hitting the egg against a rock.


    However, Han Li¡¯s move only provoked his opponent. The large hands above his shoulders suddenly increased their pressure. Han Li was in so much pain that he feebly collapsed to the ground, almost losing consciousness.


    ¡°Easy, Iron Slave. I still have use for this person,¡± Doctor Mo loudly commanded..


    After those words were spoken, Han Li felt his shoulders lighten, and the pain was greatly reduced. In his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief. For once, he thought that Doctor Mo¡¯s voice was pleasant to hear. But after rejoicing for a moment, his creeping suspicions resurfaced in his mind.


    From the very beginning of their fight, Han Li found that, for some unknown reason, Doctor Mo would become lenient towards Han Li at crucial points in the scuffle, afraid that Han Li might hurt himself. Naturally, Han Li knew that Doctor Mo was not the sort of benevolent person that would intentionally go easy on him. There was definitely some sinister affair going on that Han Li wasn¡¯t aware of. Doctor Mo¡¯s concern that Han Li would hurt himself was why Doctor Mo had been cautious when taking action against Han Li because he did not dare to attack violently. If not, the two would have been at each other¡¯s throats.


    Han Li secretly made up his mind to fully exploit this aspect when negotiating with Doctor Mo and then think of a way to escape his opponent¡¯s evil clutches.


    As Doctor Mo walked to the front of Han Li, he could see through everything that Han Li was thinking. He let a sneer flash across his face as he felt around Han Li¡¯s chest and extracted a mirror. He couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat dumbstruck at this object. As it turned out, it was this object that had protected Han Li¡¯s chest from Doctor Mo¡¯s strike.


    Without saying anything, he slightly nodded his head and took out a rectangular yellow wooden box from his bosom. This box was remarkably exquisite, and its surface was engraved with a dragon and a phoenix. Anyone could see that it was a rare and precious object, and thus rarely seen by ordinary people.


    Doctor Mo faced Han Li and solemnly opened the lid of the box, revealing a few strange, identical silver blades. They somehow resembled a combination between a dagger and a sword. The body of the blades were very peculiar; they were curved into half moons, their lengths similar to that of stiletto knives.


    When Doctor Mo took out one of the silver blades, Han Li saw that, oddly enough, the sinister blade was as thin as a piece of paper. The cold light flashing on the blade¡¯s surface was enough for Han Li to know that the blade was razor sharp. Using it to slice human flesh would be as easy as cutting clothes. The tip of the handle on the silver blade was even more bizarre; inlaid on the tip was an extremely ferocious and sinister-looking demon head, which had a pair of horns and eyes that were tightly shut.


    Doctor Mo lifted this sinister blade and glanced knowingly at Han Li out of the corner of his eye.


    This action left Han Li absolutely horrified. His inauspicious thought seemed to be true: Doctor Mo wanted to use the sinister blade to cut him.

 Chapter 52

    Seven Ghost Devouring the Soul.


    Chapter 52: Seven Ghost Devouring the Soul


    Han Li¡¯s face started to turn green as he helplessly stared at Doctor Mo lifting the sinister-looking blade high up in the air. Under the beams of sunlight, the edge of the blade sparkled intensely, showing it¡¯s sharpness conspicuously. His heart involuntarily began to panic, but his intellect told him that Doctor Mo was only intimidating him. Since Doctor Mo had expended so much effort to capture Han Li alive, he definitely wouldn¡¯t kill Han Li off so easily.


    As the sharp blade was seen descending slowly from the sky, targeting to pierce through his body, Han Li still remained silent, forcefully maintaining an expression of resoluteness.


    Just when the strange sinister blade was half an inch away from splitting his head that even the tip of his hair could feel the waves of coldness generated by the sinister blade, Han Li slowly closed his eyes as a hint of regret flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Could it be that Doctor Mo is really going to kill me? If I had known earlier, I would have begged for mercy, there might have been a sliver of hope for me to survive. I am still very young; I really don¡¯t want to die like this. If the news of my death reached my parents, would they feel sad? Would they regret sending me to the Seven Mysteries Sect?¡±


    At that fine line between life and death, all kinds of distracting thoughts arose in Han Li¡¯s mind, threatening to overwhelm him. All of a sudden, Han Li¡¯s seemed to have experienced all the joys and sorrows of life at this instant, gaining enlightenment regarding the matters of life and death.


    Ka cha! The sound of the sinister blade piercing a human body sounded out.


    Han Li¡¯s body shuddered slightly, but surprisingly, he did not feel any pain from that.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Han Li opened his eyes in surprise.


    The moment Han Li opened his eyes, he was shocked.


    Unexpectedly, he saw that the sinister blade was lodged in between Doctor Mo¡¯s shoulder blades and penetrated deeply into his body to the extent that only the handle of the blade remained on the outside, trembling slightly. There was no blood despite the grievous wound, revealing that the edge of the blade was exceptionally sharp While Han Li remained bewildered by the sight, Doctor Mo, against all sanity and reason, actually started to praise Han Li.


    ¡°Excellent! you little brat. You do have some guts indeed! Not crying out for mercy even when you were half an inch from death. Excellent! Hahaha¡±


    ¡°When i was out journeying in Jiang Hu in the recent past, I met plenty of heroes who claimed that they were not afraid of death. But the moment they landed in my hands, just under the slightest bit of pressure, they instantly turned from a proclaimed hero into a coward, falling to their knees and begging for their lives.


    Han Li froze. He stuttered incoherently, unsure of what to reply.


    Previously, he almost gave in to the pressure and soiled in his pants. Only by gritting his teeth and forcibly enduring it did he manage to not to cried out. It was also because in his heart he believed that Doctor Mo would not have killed him just like that and thus he luckily passed this ¡°test¡±. Moreover, Han Li also has his pride as a man and he was unwilling to change his stance to beg Doctor Mo for mercy.


    Facing the praises from Doctor Mo, Han Li of course would not correct him. But countless contradictions arose in his heart, uncertain whether should he be happy or disappointed.


    Just as a multitude of thoughts swam around in Han Li¡¯s mind, Doctor Mo swiftly grabbed the rest of the sinister blades and proceeded to impale every part of his body deeply, only leaving the demonic heads of the sinister blades exposed.


    After Han Li recovered from his state of shock, he realised that there was a total of 7 sharp blades impaled in Doctor Mo¡¯s body. The blades are inserted in both of his shoulders, both of his legs, his lower abdomen and rest of the blades were embedded in front of his chest. When looked at from afar, Doctor Mo gave off the impression that his body was hacked apart and dismembered in the midst of chaos.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know whether he should he be happy or terrified by Doctor Mo¡¯s self mutilation. Could it be that method was a prelude to a very powerful martial art? Could Doctor Mo be using the powerful martial art to deal with Han Li?


    After Doctor Mo finished impaling himself, he entered into a state of meditation, no longer speaking a word and ignoring all distractions.


    Han Li¡¯s heart shuddered slightly. He felt that this was a divine opportunity to escape. Just when he wanted to make a move, however, he abruptly stopped, appearing to have realised something.


    Han Li smile bitterly. How could he have forgotten the giant fellow not far from Doctor Mo¡¯s side? That giant fellow had always been observing Han Li¡¯s movements, how could he have the chance to escape!


    It appeared that before entering his meditative state, Doctor Mo had already planned out everything meticulously. He was unafraid of any tricks that Han Li might have up his sleeves. This strange giant fellow named ¡°Iron Slave¡± seem to have originated from some place mysterious. His body was the same as Doctor¡¯s Mo ¡°Demonic Silver Hands¡±, the toughness of his body was such that even the fatal weakness of the male species (groin area) was impenetrable by sword or spears. All of Han Li¡¯s plans to escape was destroyed by the mere presence of this man.


    As Han Li was silently cursing the giant fellow in his heart, a change that seemed demonic in nature occurred in front of him.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s facial features started to twitched, followed by violent trembling of his whole body. His facial features contorted grotesquely, as if he was bearing tremendous pain. Along with the sinister blades impaled in his body, people observing would not help but be terror-stricken, as if that they could feel that there was an emergence of a extremely chilled air rising in the room Doctor Mo was in.


    All of a sudden, Doctor Mo stopped trembling. However an extremely weird low-toned roaring noise emitted from deep inside his throat. This sound has the feel of a savage primal beastiliy. At that instant, Doctor Mo appears to be no longer an old man but rather a terrifying primordial beast from the wilds!


    Following which, a even more horrifying thing happened. The ghostly mist that appeared on Doctor Mo¡¯s face a year ago, materialized again.


    Compared to a year ago, the ghostly mist that appeared now was distinctly different. Other an increase in the volume, the colour of the mist now was blacker than black. When it appeared on Doctor Mo¡¯s face, it was akin to him wearing a pitch-black mask obscuring his original features.


    Shadowy tentacles also started to emerge from the ghostly mist. In addition to this, the ghostly mist underwent a earthshaking change. Amidst the shadowy tentacles, the black fog seemed to have gained texture, becoming shiny and velvety. It seemed to have a will of its own, expanding and contracting uncontrollably, giving the appearance of it dancing madly on Doctor Mo¡¯s face.


    Both hands of Doctor Mo assumed the lotus hand gesture, contorting into a strange position. His lips were moving slightly, as if he were muttering some spell incantations, only that his voice was too low that Han Li could not catch what he said.


    Alongside of Doctor Mo¡¯s strange gesture, the ghostly mist on his face seemed to be extremely agitated. Just like pouring ice cold water on a boiling hot pan, the ghostly mist started to surge and seeth, creating a lot of small tentacles that were writhing threateningly in the air. It seemed that they wanted to stop Doctor Mo from doing something..


    Just as the black fog was at its most saturated point, Doctor Mo suddenly opened his eyes. Despite the intense blanket of black fog, Han Li could still see Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes were full of vitality and concentration.


    ¡°Seven Ghost Devouring the Soul!¡±


    Doctor Mo roared out the name of the secret art that he is planning to use on Han Li.

 Chapter 53

    Handsome Man.


    Chapter 53: Handsome Man


    As Han Li heard the name of the skill, his heart involuntarily shuddered. What happened next left an everlasting impression on him. It reminded him that there were still a lot of things in this world that were unknown.


    As Doctor Mo roared, the seven sinister blades embedded in his body started to tremble. A buzzing sound was emitted from the demonic heads of the blades, getting louder and more acute by the second as if they were coming to life.


    As Doctor Mo witnessed the sinister blades vibrating, he mumbled something fervently. Han Li could not catch what he said but he knew that it could not be anything good.


    Doctor Mo stood up, circled around the room, and finally stamped his foot in anger. He reluctantly raised his index finger and stuffed it into the mouth of one of the demonic heads.


    An incredible and inconceivable thing happened. That demonic head that was supposedly dead actually opened its mouth and chomped down on Doctor Mo¡¯s index finger, as if it was enjoying some heavenly delicacy.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s body slightly shuddered, as if he was forcibly suppressing the intense pain. Because of the black fog that was obscuring his features, Han Li could not see Doctor Mo¡¯s expression but he guessed that surely it would be hideous.


    In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the hunger of the demonic head was finally sated. Satisfied, it opened it¡¯s mouth to release the finger while the buzzing sound started to abate.


    Next, Doctor Mo began to feed each of the demonic heads in succession before unwillingly withdrawing his finger.


    After completing this, Doctor Mo resumed the lotus hand gesture from before, mumbling the spells incantation and shouting out ¡°Seven Ghost Devouring the Soul!¡± again.


    This time, the seven sinister blades did not start vibrating. Strangely enough it seemed that nothing inconceivable was going to happen. However¡­The eyes of the demonic heads all shot open at the same instant! Revealing pairs of blood-red eyeballs, together with their mouths that were stretched wide open, they appeared to be trying, in futility, to suck something from the air.


    The ghostly mist on Doctor Mo¡¯s face begin to convulse and expand, as if it could sense the danger of an imminent threat. The movements of the tentacles got increasingly intensive and violent but to no avail.


    Seven extremely fine lines of black threads appeared on the top of the ghostly mist, weaving beautiful arcs in the air. Following an unseen energy, the lines of black thread accurately seeked out and were devoured by the mouths of the demonic heads that appeared to be eagerly waiting.


    Han Li stared in shocked silence. All that transpired occurred right in front of him, so the details of every action by the ghostly mist and demonic heads, however minute, were deeply engraved in his mind. He was so close that when the mouths of the demonic head was stretched open, he could even see their teeth clearly.


    It was the first time that Han Li had such close proximity contact with the mysterious energies from another plane of existence. He was awed and stunned by the feeling. The demonic heads of the strange sinister blades as well as the ghostly mist on Doctor Mo¡¯s face emanated out a heavy demonic air. This phenomenon could not be explained by common sense. In the past, Han Li had never believed in matters of the supernatural. If it were not for him personally experiencing this today, he would absolutely never have believed in it.


    Yet how could Han Li not be unnerved..? Elements of stories from myths and legends were actually happening in front of his very own eyes.


    At this moment, the state of Han Li¡¯s mind was in turmoil. Knowing that he was the target, Han Li was unsure of how should he react in the face of this extremely bizarre, inhumane power.


    Gradually, the ghostly mist on Doctor Mo¡¯s face slowly started to dissipate. The volume of the mist visibly thinned as the demonic heads devoured it, leaving behind a final layer of darkness and resulting in a faint shadow that clinged onto Doctor Mo¡¯s face.


    As the mist faded, the facial features of Doctor Mo slowly began to be visible, but the moment Han Li saw the face of Doctor Mo, he was thunderstruck, gawking like a retard.


    There was too many things that left him astonished today. However, all the things that had happened before were diminished by what he saw now.


    The exposed facial features belonged to a man about 30 years old in the prime of his life. If one observed for a longer period of time, he or she could tell unquestionably that this was Doctor Mo. He had managed to recover at least a few decades of his vitality!


    A face with a trace of heroic air, eyes that belied with dazzling charm, and a cold smile on his lips, no matter how you look at it, it was a face full of charisma, the face of a extremely handsome man! Deeply alluring and bewitching, it was a face destined to be a lady-killer. Regardless of young virgin girls or old sultry cougars, no females could defend against this sort of charm. At the slightest flick of his finger, as long as he desired it, there would certainly be females delivering themselves to his embrace, unable to extricate themselves from the river of love and obsession.


    After witnessing Doctor Mo¡¯s face, Han Li actually felt like there was someone grinding his heartstrings, smashing his heart to pieces. It appeared that this pretty boy countenance was greatly capable of arousing jealousy in other males.


    As the last remnants of the ghostly mist was devoured by the demonic heads, Han Li suddenly remembered that Doctor Mo had told him before that he was only 30 years of age. It was only because of an accident during the recovery of a grievous injury which drained away his vitality did he become old and decrepit.


    From the looks of it, at the very least up to this point, Doctor Mo did not lie to him. This should be Doctor Mo¡¯s original face, it was just that the methods Doctor Mo used to restore his looks was too mysterious and unfathomable.


    At this moment, Han Li realised that alongside Doctor Mo¡¯s features regaining their youthful look, his body.. and even his hair all underwent miraculous transformations. That jetblack hair, that sturdy body; without a shadow of a doubt it was certain that the physical energy of Doctor Mo had been rejuvenated to the pinnacle stage of his youth.


    ¡°But since Doctor Mo had a way to recover his vitality, why would he still go all out to capture me?¡± Han Li questioned himself.


    Regarding this, Han Li had his suspicions. After he recovered from the shock, he realised that he was still in immense danger. Neurons started firing rapidly in his brain, repeatedly analysing everything and hoping to find a path of escape.


    From Han Li¡¯s perspective, it appeared that Doctor Mo had been struck dumb. Doctor Mo was just standing there in silence.


    After some time had passed, he finally raised his hand. Using an expression that was akin to looking at a precious newborn baby, Doctor Mo attentively studied his new shiny and velvety skin. After examining himself, he slowly closed his eyes, propping his chin against both of his palms and gently caressing it as if he were enjoying the long bygone feeling of youth.


    Looking at the narcissism that clouded Doctor Mo¡¯s features, Han Li felt like vomiting. He could not grasp what Doctor Mo was feeling right now ¨C that intoxicating feeling of recovered vitality.


    ¡°Old man Mo, looks like you have fully regained your vitality, hehe let me congratulate you first. It seems that you no longer require disciple¡¯s help, so could you possibly let disciple off the hook? No matter what issues you have in the future, your disciple would help you without question.¡±


    Han Li was running out of patience. Up to now, he was still unsure of what methods Doctor Mo was going to utilise to deal with him. Han Li pretended to be ignorant and questioned Doctor Mo, hoping to know his fate before making any decisions.

 Chapter 54

    Lock Talisman.


    Chapter 54: Soul-Lock Talisman


    ¡°Han Li, you are really flexible, knowing when to make compromises and concessions. However, letting you go? Do you think it¡¯s even possible?¡± Doctor Mo sneered. Han Li was shocked at the sound of Doctor Mo¡¯s voice


    When Doctor Mo spoke, his voice contained faint traces of charisma, anyone who listened a sense of attraction and contentment. Compared to his previously bitter and insipid voice, this was totally different. It appeared that in comparison to his current looks, the beauty of his voice was not any worse off.


    Surprisingly, this was the first time Doctor Mo ever called Han Li by his name. Although it does not mean anything much, it allowed Han Li to feel slightly appreciated as it was much much better than being called ¡°little brat¡± every single time.


    On the surface, one could not really sense any imperfections from the current Doctor Mo. Every single one of his movements was graceful beyond comparison. A handsome man indeed, there was no trace of the senile old geezer from back then. Han Li was sure that back in his youth, Doctor Mo relied on that face of his to dazzle countless females.


    ¡°So what on earth do you intend to do to me, just tell me directly.¡± Han Li was not a female and thus he was not affected by Doctor Mo¡¯s handsome face. Furthermore, Han Li could tell from the previous conversation that Doctor Mo seemed to have no intentions of sparing him, and as such, there was no need for Han Li to leave him with any pretense of cordiality.


    ¡°What do I intend to do? HAHAHA!¡± Doctor Mo leisurely stretched his recently revitalized body, coldly smiling without any intent to answer Han Li while taking out another unknown object.


    The unknown object was revealed to be a small holding pouch made from extremely fine silk. The glow reflected off of the silk was extremely radiant, just like the blazing flames of a phoenix. It was extremely eye-catching. Furthermore, the embroidery was exceptionally exquisite. One could certainly tell that this was no ordinary object.


    What could this small holding pouch contain? Could it be another bizarre artifact just like the sinister blades from before? Asking himself these questions, Han Li felt curiosity grow within his heart.


    Doctor Mo cut Han Li¡¯s silent speculations short by quickly opening the pouch of holding. Following this, he cautiously drew out a rumpled piece of yellow paper.


    Han Li was somewhat disappointed. However, he knew that the more ordinary looking an item is, the more difficult would it be for him to anticipate its uses. Caution arose in his heart as he became extremely focused. Thinking back to the incomprehensible events that happened earlier and seeing this seemingly ordinary piece of yellow paper, Han Li was sure that there were bound to be countless enigmatic mysteries behind it.


    Doctor Mo gently held the piece of wrinkled paper between two of his fingers, carefully smoothing it with a serious demeanour. Han Li was now able to see that the piece of paper was not large, about the size of a palm and yellowish with a hint of mold, giving the appearance that this talisman had been created many years ago.


    The most noticeable thing was that the piece of paper was shining with a silvery light, materializing silvery wisps of lines in the air. The lines slowly formed into many strange symbols in the air. Han Li had absolutely no knowledge of these foreign symbols.


    The moment he saw them, however, his heart started to feel as if there were an unfathomable and mysterious energy pulsing within the floating symbols. Even the qi he obtained from the Eternal Spring Arts was moving in his body erratically as if it sensed immense danger, leaving Han Li stupefied.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Han Li quickly focused all his attention on the strange symbols, hoping to understand the mysteries behind them.


    The symbols twisted here and curved there, zigzagging around the air, yet there seemed to be something miraculous hidden within the strangely shaped symbols that he was unable to grasp. It was a pity that there was insufficient time for him to figure them out.


    In this instance, Doctor Mo arrived in front of Han Li. When he saw Han Li concentrating exclusively on the yellow paper in his hand almost to the point of being obsessed, a slight hint of mercy involuntarily flashed in his eyes.


    He gently lowered his head, moved his lips closed to Han Li¡¯s ears and slowly said in an extremely low pitched voice:


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me Han Li, I am also left with no choice, so you best willingly submit to your fate and await reincarnation. I am going to take over your shell of a body now.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say? What is the meaning of this?!¡± Han Li was shocked awake by Doctor Mo¡¯s words. He was so terrified by them to the point where his soul almost scattered and flew out of his body. He could sense that a fate worst than death will happen to him momentarily.


    Han Li no longer cared about the threat of the giant fellow behind him and fiercely struggled for his life. Hidden within his clothes, he still had a few items that may proved helpful in creating a distraction, thereby giving him a path of escape.


    ¡°Iron Slave, suppress him fully, don¡¯t even give him the chance to flail about.¡±


    Doctor Mo¡¯s orders destroyed his last chance for freedom. Two gigantic palms, akin to small mountains, were securely pressing him down, not giving him a chance to move.


    Rivulets of sweat flowed down Han Li¡¯s face all the way down to the ground. He opened his eyes wide, gritted his teeth and listened to Doctor Mo¡¯s incomprehensible muttering.


    Once Doctor Mo began chanting, the piece of yellow paper, wedged between Doctor Mo¡¯s finger, started to flutter intensively at the sound of the spell incantation despite the lack of wind.


    Meanwhile, the silver symbols in the air started to shine with a mysterious silvery glow.


    Even though Han Li¡¯s movements were sealed, he was still clear headed. He understood that the mysterious silvery glow signified that Doctor Mo was about to make his move.


    Doctor Mo looked solemnly at the talisman, and when the last of the symbols glowed with that mysterious silvery light, he roared in delight. Using various special methods, he waved the yellow paper wildly in the air, writing the word for ¡°seal¡±.


    After the word ¡°seal¡± was completed, a thunderclap noise rumbled out.


    At the same time, the talisman was pressed firmly onto Han Li¡¯s forehead, staunchly sticking there.


    As the talisman came into contact with his forehead, Han Li lost control of his bodily functions. He couldn¡¯t even blink. Despite this, he was still able to see with his eyes and hear with his ears.He was currently the same as a normal human, unable to circulate his internal energy, akin to a walking zombie.


    (TL: ¡°walking zombie¡± refers to a person who is unable to cultivate internal energy. In other words, a regular mortal)


    This type of feeling was totally different from that of his acupoints being sealed. After one¡¯s acupoints are sealed, although one could not move, they are still able to feel numbness and itchiness. The current Han Li, however, was not able to feel anything.


    Waves of terror assaulted Han Li. He did not know how Doctor Mo was going to control his body and steal his identity. Was this considered a successful attempt?


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, your body should still be able to sustain this state for a little while longer.¡° Doctor Mo muttered, although Han Li was unsure about whether he was talking to Han Li or to himself.

 Chapter 55

    The Third Person.


    Chapter 55: The Third Person


    ¡°You truly are quite cunning,¡± said Doctor Mo. ¡°If you were left to your own devices, even I would have some difficulty dealing with you.¡± Doctor Mo spoke in a calm and unhurried tone as he lifted Han Li and carried him outside of the house.


    It was still very hot outside, which made Han Li realize that although he thought he had been in the house for a long time, the events had lasted shorter than he expected.


    Doctor Mo continued to effortlessly carry Han Li as if he were a weightless object, walking at a leisure pace until he passed the medicine garden and came upon a remote cliffside. The silent giant continued to follow Doctor Mo¡¯s footsteps, refusing to leave his side almost as if he were his shadow.


    Through his own eyes, Han Li was able to see that there was more to the cliff than met the eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realized that carved into the cliff was a stone room he had never seen before. This room was similar to the stone room Han Li had cultivated in before, but this stone room was covered with a layer of limewash.


    From its rough appearance, Han Li judged that the room was constructed recently. He was certain that he would be able to smell the pungent smell from the limewash.


    Afraid that somebody might come along and disrupt his plan, Doctor Mo ordered the giant, ¡°Iron Slave, stay outside and stand guard. If you see anyone near the house, kill on sight.¡±


    He then easily opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His familiarity with the layout of the room suggested that Doctor Mo built this place himself.


    Han Li assumed that with the door tightly-shut and closed windows, the room would be pitched black, but contrary to his belief the room was filled with candles of many different shapes and sizes that were brightly illuminating the room to the point where it seemed as bright as the outside daylight.


    The room left Han Li speechless, but even if he wanted to say something, he was unable to control his body.


    Since he could not control his body, Han Li had no choice but to examine the interior of the room. He noticed a strange pattern in the center of the room. It seemed to be made of some sort of powder, but Han Li was unable to get closer look.


    At the edge of the strange pattern were fist-sized pieces of jade that glowed in the candlelight. With a glance, it was obvious that each piece of jade was a rare and priceless item. If an expert on precious stones were to see such priceless treasures set on the ground, he would feel such an immense heartache that he would be unable to sleep for several nights.


    At this time, Han Li felt his body being roughly thrown by Doctor Mo. His body made a ¡°putong¡± sound as he crashed into the center of the pattern with his body facing upwards. Unable to move his body, he could only capable of staring at the ceiling.


    To say the least, Han Li was extremely anxious from being unable to anything in his current situation. The fact that he failed to see any of Doctor Mo¡¯s actions made him unable to calm down and heightened his fear. The only consolation he had was that he was not facing the ground or else he would have been been unable to to even look at the ceiling.


    Pu Pu Pu¡­ *sound of puffing*


    A string of strange sounds heightened Han Li¡¯s fear and confusion, but he soon realized that it was the sound of Doctor Mo blowing out several candles. Gradually, the room became dimmed.


    Han Li did not know the purpose of this action, but he did not have much time to ponder on its meaning since Doctor Mo suddenly opened his mouth and said:


    ¡°The method you mentioned, will it really work?¡­ Well I¡¯m betting everything on it¡± said Doctor Mo in a cold tone that sounded out of place. This caused Han Li to be bewildered as he did not know if he was the one being spoken to. There were only two people in this room, him and Doctor Mo, so who else could he be talking too. Did Doctor Mo forget about the cursed yellow paper that prevented him from speaking?


    ¡°I guarantee it will work. After all, how could the Seven Ghost Technique that I passed on to you be fake?¡± A new voice suddenly replied, seemingly out of nowhere. At this point Han Li was beyond being surprised at the sudden appearance of a new character because all the strange things he experienced in the past few hours far exceeded the amount of strange things he heard in the past few years. Instead of being astonished, Han Li calmly deduced from the sound of the man¡¯s voice that he must be a young adult around the age of 20.


    ¡°Heng! What¡¯s the point if it ends up failing halfway?!¡± (TL: ¡°Heng¡± is an exclamation, not the name of the mysterious man)


    Right afterwards, Doctor Mo released a out a string of curses which caused no amount of shock to Han Li. This type of vulgarity was nothing special coming from Doctor Mo, but his sudden transformation into a pretty boy made his dirty words seem out of place, allowing Han Li to feel a hint of sardonic pleasure in his pitiful situation.


    ¡°If you suddenly pull a trick at the end and make me fall into your trap, who am I to turn to then?¡±


    Not waiting for the young voice¡¯s reply, Doctor Mo continued on with a self-preserving tone, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your useless guarantees. I know you are already dead since I was the one who killed you. How could you not hold bitter hatred for me and try to look for any opportunity to gain revenge? Do you think you can deceive me? ¡±


    Not giving the other person any chance to refute him, Doctor Mo kept talking almost as if he were taking this chance to pour out all his pent up thoughts and insecurities.


    The mysterious man did not react to Doctor Mo¡¯s spiel. As a result, the only audible sound within the penetrative silence of the stone room was Doctor Mo¡¯s breathing


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat as he finally processed the fact that the mysterious young man was deceased. That would make him some sort of ghost, would it not? Also, from what Doctor Mo revealed in his tirade, it seemed that the weird technique he just used was learned from the man he had killed!


    The mysterious man finally replied angrily, ¡°Well, what else do you want me to do? I already swore on my ancestors, my parents, my whole family, and even on my family name, are you still not satisfied?¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart jump a beat as he realized that the mysterious man was so perverse and demented that he would swear on so many of his family members just to gain Doctor Mo¡¯s trust. At first he felt a sense of connection as they both seemed to be in dire straits but that feeling quickly disappeared from Han Li¡¯s mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You can¡¯t do anything to me right now since your body has been destroyed, leaving behind your soul. You can¡¯t even see the light of day, and what little strength you have left is useless against me¡± Doctor Mo said in a slow and deliberate manner in order to maintain his facade.

 Chapter 56

    Battle of the Light Globes.


    Chapter 56: Battle of the Light Globes


    ¡°Yu Zhitong, I just want to remind you again that if anything happened to me, you won¡¯t be any better off.¡±


    ¡°You know that your soul won¡¯t last long in its current state and that you depend on me to help you look for a new body. So if there is anything you want to say, say it now while there is still time. I will not be angry unless it turns out you failed to tell me some crucial knowledge¡± said Doctor Mo as he was unwilling to give up any attempts at trying to pry out hidden information from the mysterious youth.


    From these words, it becomes evident to Han Li that Doctor Mo was in fact very afraid of Yu Zhiyong doing something at the final moment that would cause his downfall and was looking for more reassurance that his plans have not been tampered with.


    In response to Doctor Mo¡¯s words, Yu Zhitong, who fully understood the risks involved with harming Doctor Mo, replied smoothly, ¡°There is no point in me tampering with your plans, and if I do then may my family suffer heaven¡¯s retribution.¡±


    Besides, after using the Seven Soul Devouring Technique, at the price of your fundamental essence, you would temporarily receive a certain amount of magic power, enabling to use a few simple spells; but your existence now is currently that of a soul, once your fundamental essence is used up, are you sure you could still execute such a spell?¡± After Yu Zitong swore a venomous oath against harming Doctor Mo, he prodded at his weaknesses and leaving no way for Doctor Mo to back out.


    Although Han Li wasn¡¯t religious, listening to their dialogue made Han Li pray silently to the Heavens that Doctor Mo would give up his evil plans. It seems like a ridiculous thing to do, but it was the only thing he could do.


    ¡°Okay, I will use what I trust and ignore what I don¡¯t. Since there are such great benefits, it is only natural that there would be some risks,¡± said Doctor Mo after making up his mind.


    Hearing this, Yu Zhitong seemed quite happy and excitement appeared in his words. ¡°See, that is the correct mindset. Think about it. You were originally a mere mortal without spiritual roots, unable to step onto the path of immortality. But if this plan becomes a success, that will no longer be the case! With your new body and powerful spiritual foundation, any large sect or clan would beg for you to join. Not only that, your body would be immune to sickness and death, allowing you to live five times as long as a normal mortal!¡±


    ¡°Haha, then I will trust you on this matter. Do not worry, I, Mo Juren, am a man of my words. What I say will most definitely be done. Once I am successful in this endeavor, I will immediately help you find a suitable body with a strong spiritual foundation. I promise you that I won¡¯t let you down, Little Brother Yu.¡± After listening to Yu Zhitong¡¯s promises, Doctor Mo initial worry was gone as he took up a kinder tone, addressing Yu Zhitong with close familiarity.


    ¡°Then if that is the case, I thank Big Brother Mo. After your success, I will single-handedly teach you each and every one of the cultivation techniques I have in my possession¡± said the cunning Yu Zhitong; he knew he had successfully lured in Mo Juren with his words.


    Han Li listened as the two shamelessly talked about using his body without asking for his opinions. Even though he realized that he wasn¡¯t able to do anything given his current situation, he couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed at how they don¡¯t give him any face.


    Once Doctor Mo dispelled his doubts and made up his decision to follow through with the plan, he no longer delayed, immediately pulling out some golden needles and stabbed them into his mixue acupuncture point located in the back of his head. He was immediately invigorated, his body filled with enough energy to perform the next step of his plan and increase his chances of success.


    He strode to where Han Li lay, sat him upright into a meditating position, and then proceeded to sit in front of Han Li with his arms crossed over his chest, tightly hugging his shoulders.


    Then, Doctor Mo executed a Celestial Technique. With a wave of his hand, a red beam of light shot out from his palms and hit the pattern that was laid out underneath Han Li, causing the jades placed around the perimeter of the diagram to glow.


    Doctor Mo proceeded to whisper the spell incantation that held an enchanting and bewildering effect, causing those who heard it to feel drowsy. As the chant continued, Han Li felt a deep sense of weariness, causing everything to become a blur as he slowly lost consciousness.


    ¡°Not good¡± thought Han Li, knowing fully well that this was the intended effect of the mysterious chant and that once he fell unconscious, his body would be possessed. Holding onto this thought, Han Li resisted the temptation to sleep. Thoughts of biting his tongue and pinching himself were quickly disregarded as he was not in control of his body, so in the end, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to fight off the effects of the spell and fell to a deep slumber. Right before he fell unconscious, the last image he saw was the handsome face of Doctor Mo. At that moment, however, Doctor Mo looked more like an ugly devil than a handsome figure. The last words Han Li wanted to say to Doctor Mo was, ¡°Your ugliness suits you.¡±


    Within the endless darkness of his subconscious, Han Li dreamt a very strange dream. In his dream, he was a fist-sized globe of green light that was happy and free in his own little world.


    But not long after, a thumb-sized yellow globe carrying an evil intent suddenly invaded his dream. Upon seeing the green globe, the yellow ball of light aggressively charged at the green globe of light, suddenly revealing its mouth to bite down upon the green globe that was Han Li. Of course Han Li was not weak, and he also opened his mouth to retaliate. After just a few exchanges, Han Li easily ended the battle by swallowing the yellow globe of light. The victorious Han Li rejoiced in his victory, but soon enough another intruder entered his subconscious. This foreign entity was also a green globe of light that was many more times the size of Han Li, but it did not contain the same glow and luster of Han Li¡¯s globe of light. When the enemy saw Han Li¡¯s globe of light, it was shocked; hesitation appeared on its features.


    After Han Li experienced the amazing taste of devouring other globes of light, the sight of a new enemy did not cause Han Li to give much thought to his opponent¡¯s power as he charged right at his enemy with the intent of devouring him. The enemy, seeing Han Li¡¯s attack, reluctantly chose to charge forward and engage in battle. Even though the opponent was many times bigger than Han Li, its attacks were only slightly stronger than the yellow globe of light Han Li recently devoured. Upon realizing its disadvantage, the invader tried to turn and escape, but Han Li was unwilling to let it leave so easily and gave chase, biting at the fleeing invader. The invader was very tricky and slippery; every time Han Li seemed to have caught it, the green globe would cut off the part that was caught and continue to flee. In the end, the invader managed to flee, but its body mass was one third its original size. Although Han Li was reluctant to let his opponent go, there was nothing he could do about the matter and so decided to wait around for more enemies to invade so that he could also devour them. Sadly, no more globes of light came, and he continued to float around.

 Chapter 57

    Body Awakening, Enemy Perishing.


    Chapter 57: Body Awakening, Enemy Perishing


    Hidden within the depths of his heart, an icy chill slowly appeared and quickly spread throughout Han Li¡¯s body, rousing Han Li from his stupor.


    When Han Li became clear headed,the first thing he felt was an immense pressure in his head, followed by waves of pain across his entire body. He felt indescribably weak as one would feel at the onset of a serious illness, and he was unable to open his heavy eyelids no matter how much effort he expended.


    Still feeling a bit dazed, Han Li managed to recall the events that occurred right before he passed out.


    Han Li was struggling for control over his body when an immediate sense of panic flashed through Han Li¡¯s mind, causing adrenaline to flood through him, sharpening his befuddled mind and allowing him to quickly assess the situation around him.


    ¡°Yi!¡± He exclaimed in shock as he realized that his mind had not been taken over by Doctor Mo. True, he could barely move his eyelids, not to mention the rest of his body, but the waves of pain spreading throughout his body told him clearly that he had regained control over his own body and that Doctor Mo had failed in his plans.


    ¡°Why did Doctor Mo¡¯s plan fail? Did he do something wrong?¡±


    Filled with surprise, Han Li was able to think of one plausible explanation for his current situation.


    Barely containing the excitement within his heart, Han Li patiently waited for his body to regain some of its energy before he tried once more to open his eyes. After a short but strenuous battle he managed to crack open his eyelids to see the what was going on around him.


    The first image he saw when he opened his mind was the sorry state Doctor Mo was in: his hair was all white, his face was thin, wrinkled, and haggard. It seemed like he was at least ten years older than he was before his youthful transformation. With this appearance, it was impossible to imagine him any older. His features seem to embody the meaning of the word ¡°old,¡± and he was now simply a poor old man.


    In front of Han Li, Doctor Mo¡¯s eyes were wide open as he stared at Han Li with a look of unbridled terror.


    Han Li himself was equally shocked, and his muscles immediately tensed. All sense of weakness left his body as the only thought that rang out within him was to make the first move and gain the upper hand.


    Clearly learning from his previous lesson, Han Li was unwilling to once again fall under someone else¡¯s control.


    But afterwards, Han Li realized something strange. His opponent¡¯s face seemed to be frozen in fear and there was no sign of breathing from Doctor Mo. It became apparent that he was dead and may have been dead for quite a while now.


    Unwilling to let down his guard, Han Li continued to stare deeply, with eyebrows furrowed, at Doctor Mo¡¯s facial features in search of anything that might give him away.


    After a whole thirty minutes of careful scrutiny, Han Li was forced to admit that Doctor Mo was indeed dead for he did not hold any resemblance to that of someone who was still alive.


    Hesitating, Han Li carefully crawled up to him and stretched out one hand to grasp Doctor Mo¡¯s wrist while his other hand was placed under the his nose. In this position, he waited for a while, but there was still no reaction.


    It was only with this final affirmation of Doctor Mo¡¯s death that Han Li felt his heart settle and relax. The sense of oppression he had felt in his heart was finally discarded.


    Until now, Han Li had always carried some doubts within his mind as he did not believe his biggest enemy, the cunning and crafty Doctor Mo, would die so easily from an unknown cause of death.


    Han Li scratched his forehead, only to realize that the ¡°Soul-Lock Talisman¡±, which had been fixed to his forehead, had disappeared without a trace. This made Han Li feel strange. He would later learn about talismans and sealing techniques, and only then would he realize what had happened! It seems that all the power in the yellow talisman had been used up and thus it had disintegrated into dust, so Han Li was unable to find it.


    The now relaxed Han Li, decided to continue being cautious and started to scan the area around Doctor Mo to see if there were any traces of life.


    Han Li noticed that the candles were still lit, signaling to him that he had not been out for a long time. The jade pieces, on the other hand, had lost all their previous luster and seemed to have been degraded, unable to catch anybody¡¯s eyes.


    Shifting his attention towards the left side corner of the stone room, he focused on an object that had previously evade Han Li¡¯s detection.Han Li was not a stranger to this object. This object was the invading green globe from his dream that had managed to escape from his grasp but not before having one third of its mass devoured by Han Li.


    At this time, it desperately tried to dig into the corner of the room, apparently afraid of Han Li and trying its very best to hide from his sight.


    Amused, Han Li looked at this scene with one hand stroking his chin.


    Then, he quickly stood up and strode over to the ball of light.


    Only when he was half an inch away from the ball of light did he stop and slowly open his mouth:


    ¡°I think we both know each other. You should be Yu Zhitong. Am I correct?¡±


    The green light, which contained Yu Zhitong, started to tremble and flicker at the sound of Han Li calling its name, but after pausing for a moment it started to shine brightly again.


    ¡°You guessed correctly. It seems you truly are Doctor Mo¡¯s disciple. You are just like him, tough and hard to deal with,¡± said the ball of light, accepting its fate. From its voice, Han Li could tell that it really was the young man whom Han Li heard conversing with Doctor Mo.


    It did not try to hide its identity and instead confirmed Han Li¡¯s thoughts. Now knowing what he was dealing with, Han Li asked, ¡°Since you were one of the culprits trying to take my life and possess my body, shouldn¡¯t you provide me with an explanation?¡± Han Li did not reveal any anger as he talked to the culprit; instead, he had a rather calm demeanor.


    Even so, Yu Zhitong, seeing Han Li¡¯s indifferent attitude, was at a loss regarding what to do, feeling a sense of dread within his heart.


    In the recent battle between their two souls, he experienced first hand Han Li¡¯s might and even had a portion of his soul devoured, causing his Internal Qi to drop by half. The remaining half of his Internal Qi could only be used to perform minor incantations that had neither the power to kill Han Li nor the power to protect himself , allowing a sense of fear to ingrain itself within his heart.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    He knew that, Han Li had recently escaped from a life threatening situation and therefore would not be emotionally stable. Although he may look calm and collected, who knows how he was truly feeling. In a sense, he was comparable to a volcano about to erupt as no one is able to accurately predict a dormant volcano¡¯s destructive power.


    Caught, Yu Zhitong¡¯s best option for him was to comply with all of Han Li¡¯s demands without testing his patiences with riddles or trickery. The last thing he wanted was to anger Han Li and suffer from his rash actions.


    ¡°I want you to honestly tell me everything concerning what you are and exactly how you came to know Doctor Mo. Right now, the only resource I have in my disposal is time, so I will listen to all you have to say.¡± As he spoke, Han Li seemed to be wearing a mask, his face hiding all emotional fluctuations from Yu Zhitong¡¯s wary perception.

 Chapter 58

    Immortal Cultivator.


    Chapter 58: Immortal Cultivator


    ¡°Kek! Speaking of which, I am also a victim.¡±


    The moment he opened his mouth to speak, Yu Zhitong tried to get Han Li¡¯s sympathy, doing his best to downplay the relationship between him and Doctor Mo, even to the point of breaking all ties. However, his act was in vain. Han Li was not moved at all! Without much of a option, Yu Zhitong had no choice but to continue explaining.


    ¡°Originally, I was an Immortal cultivator.¡±


    Yu Zhitong honestly told Han Li about his history, explaining every details about the circumstances from how he got to know Doctor Mo to how he ended up in his current state. Of course, in his tale, he made himself out to be the victim in the story, pushing all responsibilities and negative connotations on to the head of the dead Doctor Mo. After all, dead men tell no tales.


    Han Li naturally would not completely believe what he had said. But comparing the story he just heard, alongside with Doctor Mo¡¯s words back when he was still alive, Han Li deduced that about 70-80% of the story he just heard was true. It was highly improbable but not totally impossible for the circumstances to occur as they had.


    After removing parts of the story that seemed inconceivable, Han Li already had a rough understanding of the truth.


    From what Han Li understood, regarding his past, Doctor Mo had no reason to lie to him. The stories he heard from Doctor Mo, that he got ambushed and decided to search for ways to regain his original powers and appearance, should be true. There was no need for Doctor Mo to lie to him about that.


    However, Han Li recalled that Doctor Mo told him earlier that he discovered a mysterious book that outlined a way to regain his vitality. After considering all that transpired, Han Li decided that the story was false, because it does not match with what Yu Zhitong had said! Ultimately, Doctor managed to regain his youth because of Yu Zhitong, yet, he was also cursed because of Yu Zhitong.


    Originally, Yu Zhitong was a member of a cultivation clan. He had managed to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts to the 7th level. It could be said that he had some expertise, but ultimately, because of his limited talent, he made no advancement in the Eternal Sprint Arts and thus was unable to meet the requirements to enter the Foundation Establishment stage.


    Cultivators who were not at the Foundation Establishment stage could not be considered cultivators at all. At most, they could only be considered powerful mortals, halfway to the point of stepping into the realm of immortal cultivators. Because Yu Zhitong was unable to achieve a breakthrough, he decided to explore the secular world for enlightenment, hoping to make a breakthrough in his state of heart, overcoming the bottleneck that forbade him from reaching Foundation Establishment stage!


    Of course, he hoped that he would be able to come across rare precious herbs so that he could concoct spiritual pills to aid him in his cultivation. However, he knew that the chance was slim at best; after all, it was only a matter of luck.


    With high hopes and expectations in his head, the 20 year old Yu Zhitong arrived at the place cultivators called the ¡°secular world.¡±


    The captivating world out there was full of wondrous events and distractions, causing Yi Zhitong to be dazzled and lost in their splendor. His original state of mind could not be regarded as solidly stable; In less than a few years, it had already degraded! He became nothing more than an influential clan¡¯s honored guest and began to enjoy the world¡¯s luxurious splendors. As a result, his immortal¡¯s heart had gradually weakened.


    Regarding traitors of the clan, after a 100 years, disciples like Yu Zhitong would have their names formally removed from the clan registry. The act of doing so was equivalent to declaring that the traitorous disciples would have no more connections to the clan and would be considered a mortal. Disciples like Yu Zhitong would never be able to return to the clan. Unless one of his direct descendants had an enormous potential to walk the path of an immortal cultivator, he would not be allowed to return.


    If this carried on, Yu Zhitong would have lost the chance to cultivate, but living a life of decadence and wallowing in riches would still be highly possible. This was an extremely common occurrence for cultivators who failed to break through to the stage of Foundation Establishment, so there was nothing to make a fuss of.


    One day, it was unknown whether the heavens were helping him or if Lady Luck decided to smile on him, but as Yu Zhitong was strolling the streets of the city, he decided to enter a spiritual pharmacy on a whim. To his surprise, he actually spotted a rarely seen and extremely beneficial spiritual herb there. The name of the spiritual herb was known as the ¡°Blood Spirit Grass.¡± For those who were not familiar with herbs, it was extremely common for them not to recognise this since the external appearance of this grass was about 95% similar to the ¡°Blood Sweat Grass¡±. Who knew that the ignorant shopkeeper would actually place the two grasses together.


    Yu Zhitong was naturally exulted as he saw the ¡°Blood Spirit Grass¡±. With this spiritual herb, it would greatly increase his chances of breaking through the bottleneck. Ingesting the spiritual herb was akin to fanning flames; the sparks in his immortal¡¯s heart gradually started to blaze again.


    Who would have known that just when he was about to purchase the herb, another immortal cultivator also entered the shop. Seeing such a beneficial spiritual herb in front of him, he fought with Yu Zhitong over the purchase of the Spirit Blood Grass.


    Seeing this situation, the shop owner offered them a solution. The herb would be sold to the one who offered the highest bid. Eventually, Yu Zhitong managed to win the bidding war by a narrow margin.


    After winning, he hurriedly left the store. He knew that the other cultivator would not give up so easily. Yu Zhitong was in a panic, and decided that returning to his clan was the safest way to proceed. But half way on the road, the other cultivator caught up to him and a huge battle began.


    The other cultivator was stronger than him and thus Yu Zhitong ended up suffering a miserable defeat. Yet, he was still unwilling to relinquish the spiritual herb. Gritting his teeth, Yu Zhitong decided to use his last resort: he took out his only remaining treasure bestowed on him by his clan, putting on a deceptively brave front by showing a fake intent to perish together with his opponent. This way, Yu Zhitong managed to scare the other cultivator away.


    Even though he had achieve victory, the current him was riddled with injuries. It was at this moment where he met Doctor Mo, who had also been trying to find a remedy for himself.


    With his lack of experience, Yu Zhitong did not know the saying that human hearts are tough to fathom, and he stupidly revealed the fact that he was carrying an extremely beneficial spiritual herb.


    Just like that, Yu Zhitong invited a calamity upon himself. He did not know that Doctor Mo was desperately searching for a cure for his own injuries. Now that he knew there might be an efficacious spiritual herb on Yu Zhitong¡¯s body which might have the chance to save him, he exhausted all his methods trying to obtain the herb from Yu Zhitong.


    However, how could Yu Zhitong agree? He too needed the miraculous effects of the herbs to recover from his injuries. The current him was no different from an ordinary mortal.


    Seeing that his efforts of negotiation was unsuccessful, hatred formed in his heart. Doctor Mo calm himself and appeared to accept his fate with a sigh. He was cunning and could afford to wait for a good opportunity. Doctor Mo decided to poison Yu Zhitong to death.


    In normal circumstances, ordinary poisons would all be ineffective against Yu Zhitong. However, the poison Doctor Mo administered was an unusual poison with no antidote!


    Already suffering from heavy injuries, Yu Zhitong now had the potent poison to contend with. Struggling with every movement, he appeared to be on the verge of dying. It was at this moment that Doctor Mo revealed himself and walked swaggeringly towards Yu Zhitong.


    Only now did Yu Zhitong understand what had happened. There was no way he would allow Doctor Mo to succeed just like that. Even in such dire circumstances, he must find a way to persist longer! Under great anger, he had no choice but to utilize the ¡°Blood Soul Curse¡±, transmuting all the blood essence and spiritual energy in his body into a blood curse, spitting it on Doctor Mo¡¯s face. After which, Yu Zhitong¡¯s soul swiftly departed his body.


    After his soul departed his body, only did Yu Zhitong realised that he had made a mistake. He had forgotten to prepare a soul binding treasure, so there was no item that could temporarily house his soul! With no choice, he had to enter Doctor Mo¡¯s body. After all souls without something to tether them would inevitably dissipate.


    As the blood curse splattered on Doctor Mo¡¯s face, he was terrified, but after he calmed down and realised that nothing strange is going to happen, he relaxed his guard and stopped thinking about it.


    Based on his rudimentary knowledge of medicinal pills, he searched Yu Zhitong¡¯s corpse and immediately consumed any pills he could find. As expected, pills from a immortal cultivator were unusually effective. After he consumed the pills, Doctor Mo¡¯s Internal Qi was restored.


    Doctor Mo laughed crazily, and took Yu Zhitong¡¯s belongings, including the Eternal Spring Arts, which he could not understand. Before he left, Doctor Mo decided to make a comeback and gain revenge on all his enemies after his injuries recovered.

 Chapter 59

    The Three Big Inviolable Rules.


    Chapter 59: The Three Big Inviolable Rules


    Doctor Mo did not have many happy days. The Mortality Decimation Curse revealed its deadly side effects, causing him to age at the rate of one year for every passing day.


    He was terrified at the rate he was aging and tried everything to find a way to control the abnormal effects of the curse, but there was little to no success.


    He knew that if this continued on, he would not live for much longer, as his body would begin to fail him and he would eventually die like any other old man. Yu Zhitong, on the other hand, was in even more pain. When his soul entered Doctor Mo¡¯s body, it was slowly but painfully being assimilated into Doctor Mo¡¯s soul.


    Assimilation, a passive event, would occur if one¡¯s soul remained in a foreign body for a prolonged period of time. Since one body can contain only one consciousness, the stronger soul would try to subdue the weaker soul, thus beginning the long process of assimilation.


    Yu Zhitong decided out of desperation to reveal everything he knew concerning why they wanted Han Li¡¯s body. He was reluctant to do so not because he was good at heart loyal to Doctor Mo but rather because he was fearful of the the cultivation world¡¯s Three Big Inviolable Rules.


    First, cultivators must not forcefully possess the bodies of normal mortals as they were unable to withstand the immense amount of stress, causing the body to ultimately burn out.


    Second, only those with greater magic power will be able to successfully overtake the body of a cultivator with weaker magic power and not suffer from any form of counterattack. The greater the disparity between the levels of power, the safer it would be for the the one attempting the possession.


    Third, a cultivator is only able to perform body possession once in his entire life, no matter how powerful their magic power is. If they were to attempt to perform body possession a second time, their soul will perish without fail.


    Although the number of people who tried to break the three rules is unknown, the Three Big Inviolable Rules have never been broken. These three rules limited countless evil cultivators who tried to use the body possession technique and prevented them from creating calamity in the mortal world. The Heavens frowned upon actions that go against Heaven¡¯s Will because no matter what, the Heavens would not allow cultivators to throw the world into chaos.


    If Doctor Mo had been a cultivator, Yu Zhitong would not be in his current predicament as he would have had a viable chance at possessing Doctor Mo¡¯s body but since Doctor Mo was a normal mortal without a hint of Spiritual Qi, there was no way for Yu Zhitong to possess his body for fear that halfway through the possession, Doctor Mo¡¯s body would be unable to handle the stress and ultimately break down.


    Even if Yu Zhitong was able to find another body to possess, the process of assimilation was inevitable and he might fall under a more dire predicament as every time he leaves and enters a new body, he loses a bit of his Spiritual Qi, which will quickly be expended. When this happens, Yu Zhitong will no longer be able to enter and exit someone¡¯s body at will and may even be indefinitely stuck in someone¡¯s body and ultimately be assimilated.


    It is also important to note that without a body, he was unable to replenish his magic power through meditation, so every time he used magic power it was lost forever. At the same time, his magic power also leaked out at a slow but steady pace and even he didn¡¯t know how long his soul could maintain its current form.


    So unless Yu Zhitong found a cultivator capable of using small amounts of magic power and had a body capable of withstanding possession,he would not take any risks and leave his current body, which was that of Doctor Mo.


    Just when Doctor Mo¡¯s body was about breakdown because of the blood curse, the aftermath would leave Yu Zitong¡¯s soul without a body to lodge in.


    After the collapse of Doctor Mo¡¯s body under the blood curse, leaving him without a body to return to, and the fact that Han Li may consume his remaining life force, Yu Zhitong decided to temporarily place aside his hatred and give Han Li anything he wanted, even going as far as betraying Doctor Mo, revealing how they met and their plans, along with the stakes and benefits involved, without holding anything back.


    When Doctor Mo first heard of Yu Zhitong¡¯s plan for revitalizing his body, it made him express anger, but he quickly realized that this was a perfect opportunity and quickly pledged to achieve their goal, revealing him to be a man of dignity.


    First, Doctor Mo must follow Yu Zhitong¡¯s instructions and control his consciousness so that it does not assimilate his soul. Yu Zhitong also taught Doctor Mo a few secret techniques that allowed him to slow down the rate of aging he suffered from his curse while also temporarily allowing him to use magic power.


    Then Doctor Mo must find someone with strong spiritual roots who was also able to practice the Eternal Spring Arts, teach him the incantation and then wait for when the time was right before Doctor Mo used his temporarily gained abilities to use magic power to forcefully take over the other person¡¯s body in order to start a new life.


    Doctor Mo¡¯s sincere desire to traverse the path of cultivation was ridiculed constantly by Yu Zhitong since he knew firsthand how impossible it was for normal mortals to use magic power. Doctor Mo was merely a mortal cultivator of the mouth with no spiritual roots in his body. (TL: ¡°cultivator of the mouth¡± means he only talks about cultivating without actually doing it.)


    After Doctor Mo succeeded in overtaking a body with spiritual roots and had sufficient time to rest he would then proceed to help Yu Zhitong find a suitable body to possess and then provide any aid to help Yu Zhitong possess his new body.


    From the conditions above it seems like Doctor Mo receives the most benefits from this deal, but that couldn¡¯t be helped since Yu Zhitong was caught in a bad position with his remaining soul force under constant threat of assimilation. In the end, Yu Zhitong was forced to accept this unfavorable agreement and take a bit of loss. However, it was not clear if he really was taking a loss; after all, the only person who knew the exact terms of the agreement was himself.


    At one point, Yu Zhitong suggested that Doctor Mo should go back to his family and ask for help, but the rapidly aging man refused to even consider that option, much to Yu Zhitong¡¯s constant annoyance.


    What came afterwards didn¡¯t warrant much discussion as Doctor Mo spent most of his time trying unsuccessfully to look for a suitable body and reluctantly entered the Seven Mysteries Sect, where he accepted Han Li as a disciple and taught him the Eternal Spring Arts. The rest that occurred was not worth mentioning as they were either mentioned by Doctor Mo himself or was experienced by Han Li himself.


    After Han Li finished hearing those words, he let out a long sigh as some of the confusions and questions within his heart were answered by Yu Zhitong. Seeing how Yu Zhitong did not continue, Han Li¡¯s face grew darker and he coldly said, ¡°It seems you still haven¡¯t told me how Doctor Mo died.¡±


    Yu Zhitong hesitantly opened his mouth and said ¡°Is there else worth explaining? Doctor Mo underestimated your cultivation speed of the Eternal Spring Arts and his magic power was not as strong as yours, so therefore he was unable to take over your body, resulting in his soul being devoured.¡±


    ¡°So, the yellow ball of light that first entered my body was Doctor Mo and the second green ball of light was you,¡± Han Li stated calmly, almost as if the invasion of his body had not been a big deal.


    ¡°Well¡­ about this, at that time I thought that both you and Doctor Mo were exhausted and I did not want to waste this opportunity and so I thought I might borrow your body for a bit,¡± Yu Zhitong replied awkwardly.


    ¡°Heng! I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not the reason why you attacked. I think that you had it all planned out from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Yu Zhitong, I bet that when you were first explained the process of body possession to Doctor Mo, you didn¡¯t have any good intentions and therefore didn¡¯t bother to mention that the success rate of body possession was directly correlated to the strength difference.


    ¡°Do you know what I think? I think that you had it all planned out from the beginning. You made Doctor Mo use the self-mutilating Seven Soul Devouring Technique against my fourth level cultivation of the Eternal Spring Arts, which are near equal in terms of power, so that we would both become exhausted to the point of perishing together. After the battle came to a draw, you would then step in and reap the benefits of Doctor Mo¡¯s painstaking work and ultimately take over my body. Did I guess correctly, Cultivator Yu?¡± Han Li calmly stated his assumptions in the time it takes for several breaths.


    After a long moment of silence, Yu Zhitong let out a sigh expressing his dejection. Without refuting, he said ¡°I originally wanted to give you empty praises but now I sincerely mean it when I say that you are extraordinarily smart, even outshining your master Mo Juren, that cunning fox.¡±


    ¡°You guessed correctly. All of this was planned out by me, but I never would have thought that your talent for cultivation was so high that you would train up to the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts, only one layer below me, in such a short period of time. Not only did you easily swallow Doctor Mo¡¯s soul, but my heavily depleted soul force was not even a match for you and I even lost a large portion of my soul to you.¡±


    Once finished, his tone suddenly turned prideful ¡°Ha! That Mo Juren was only a normal mortal yet he wanted to stand on equal footing with us cultivators. Was he even worthy?


    ¡°Moreover he dared use such despicable means as to get rid of my cultivating body and still wanted to step onto the path of cultivation! He was simply daydreaming!¡± The hatred Yu Zhitong had kept bottled in his heart for a long time finally revealed itself.


    ¡°But you are different, you were born with spiritual roots and intelligence above the norm. Staying in the secular world would be too much of a pity! If you are willing to help me find a new and suitable body, I am willing to act as your guide, introduce you to the elders of my clan, and accept you as my disciple. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 60

    Poison Test.


    Chapter 60: Poison Test


    Yu Zhitong was very confident he could sway Han Li since he did not believe that there was anyone who could resist stepping onto the path of cultivators and the temptation of immortality.


    He thought back to how Doctor Mo hated him but still ended up working with him and even occasionally tried to get on his good side, believing this would make Yu Zhitong more submissive.


    Much to Yu Zhitong¡¯s disappointment, after Han Li heard his enticing promise, he did not reveal even a hint of excitement, his face remaining as impassive and unmoving as ever.


    ¡°As for the matter of cooperation, we can discuss that later. Right now, I still have one question that I hope you would provide me with a clear answer.¡° Han Li said softly as he calmly stared at the ball of light.


    ¡°If I answer this question of yours, then you will be willing to cooperate with me?¡±


    ¡°That depends on your answer and if it is to my satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°Okay, ask away!¡± Yu Zhitong promised immediately and demonstrated his understanding of the concept that ¡®one must learn how to yield under pressure¡¯.


    Han Li did not immediately answer, but instead raised his head up to the ceiling in a contemplative matter as if he were thinking deeply about how he should phrase the question.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s solemn face, Yu Zhitong couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of fear creep up within his heart as he himself wondered what kind of headache-inducing question Han Li would ask him.


    ¡°I want to know if there are any negative side effects from devouring Doctor Mo and a portion of your own soul because I currently feel a pain in my head almost as if it ¡®s being filled to the point of exploding with information that I am unable to recognize,¡± said Han Li, finally mentioning the one worry he had since he had woken up.


    After listening this question and realizing that Han Li was worried about such a small problem, Yu Zhitong immediately felt unease in his heart dissipate, and even his voice lightened up.


    ¡°Hehe! So you were worried about this. Well, little brother, you worry too much. In fact, you don¡¯t need to put this matter at heart. If you really want to know, the information you feel stuffed into your brain will slowly disappear within a year or two, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°So what you are saying is that the things I swallowed are absolutely useless and that I am completely unable to hold onto them? I don¡¯t trust you on this,¡± Han Li said coldly as he glared at the Yu Zhitong with traces of suspicion evident on his face.


    ¡°Saying that you can¡¯t even hold onto a bit of it is not actually true, but what you can hold onto is indeed only a small portion of it,¡± Yu Zhitong quickly added onto his explanation out of fear that Han Li would misunderstand something.


    ¡°For example, you will be unable to touch the included memories, experiences, and emotions, and even if you did absorb them, there is a high chance that you will instantly become mentally crippled , your personality will develop split versions of itself, your consciousness will collapse, and your brain will ultimately burst, leading to your death.


    ¡°You have to understand that the soul is the most precious thing a person can possess, how can it be so easily combined with other things? It is true that you can absorb someone else¡¯s soul and have it temporarily rest in your subconscious, but to make it your own is simply wishful thinking. Otherwise, if a simple body possession can allow you to absorb all of one¡¯s memories, experiences, Qi techniques, then wouldn¡¯t that cause the whole world to fall into chaos? If things were that simple, then who would honestly practice cultivation along with going out and exploring the different realms of this world when they could obtain all this through simply possessing someone else¡¯s body.


    ¡±Once a soul has been consumed, the only thing that can be used is a little bit of the energy the devoured soul has left which could then be used to bolster one¡¯s own reservoir of energy for a short amount of time. It¡¯s due to the fact that this types of energy escapes the fastest, staying within the body for only a few days before it dissipated along with the devoured soul. Once it¡¯s gone, you will be unable to use it.¡±


    As Han Li continued to listen to Yu Zhitong¡¯s explanation, he slowly put down the last strand of doubt he carried within his heart because he could tell from Yu Zhitong¡¯s tone that he was not lying. After all, it became increasingly obvious that Yu Zhitong was seeking out a similar cooperation with Han Li similar to the one that he had with Mo Juren. He knew that Han Li was testing him, so he did not dare to lie.


    When Yu Zhitong finished the last sentence of his explanation, he saw Han Li nod his head and couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of relief as he knew that Han Li believed him. At the same time that Yu Zhitong brighten up a bit, he asked hurriedly: ¡°Little Brother Han, it seems like you are satisfied with the answer I provided, so don¡¯t you think that now would be a good time to discuss our terms of cooperation?¡±


    ¡°Of course, being able to work with a cultivator is my utmost pleasure!¡± Han Li said in a sincere tone, flashing a big smile that revealed his white teeth that gleamed in the candlelight.


    ¡°Really?¡± Yu Zhitong asked excitedly in disbelief as he did not even have to try to persuade Han Li, who agreed all by himself.


    ¡°Of course¡± Han Li answered crisply.


    Then he pulled something out of his clothes and said to Yu Zhitong in a familiar tone ¡°Now that we are partners, you wouldn¡¯t mind doing a small test for me before we discuss any further, right?¡±


    ¡°Test?¡± Yu Zhitong paused for a moment, before looking at the familiar looking cylindrical object in Han Li¡¯s hand while a bad feeling crept back into his heart.


    ¡°That correct. More specifically, a poison test¡±


    Han Li uttered these words as he lifted up the cylinder-shaped object before moving his thumb a little, which then caused some black liquid carrying a rancid smell to shoot out straight towards its target.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Yu Zhitong emitted a sharp and painful scream as the black liquid covered the whole green globe of light. The green globe dimmed significantly, showing that the injury he had received was not light.


    ¡°You, you dare attack me, to poison me¡­¡± Yu Zhitong screamed hoarsely, still in disbelief as he was unable to accept the event that just transpired.


    Han Li did not pay attention to Yu Zhitong¡¯s angry shouts and instead reached for the dagger located on his belt just above his abdomen. He then swiftly unsheathed it with a ¡°shua,¡± revealing a shiny blade.


    The dagger was one of those rarely seen ¡°jade daggers,¡± which had blades that were incomparably flexible. The dagger in question was as wide as a knuckle and about half a meter long.


    Han Li only obtained this double-edged dagger by paying larges amounts of money in order to get the blacksmith to custom-make it according to Han Li¡¯s specifications. Since Han Li did not specialize in weapons, he did not have an opportunity to bring out this dagger during the struggle with Doctor Mo, but it seemed like the time has come for him to use it.


    Previously, Han Li had kept this weapon hidden on his body and almost didn¡¯t have an opportunity to use it. His face darkened and his original smile disappeared by half the thought of almost not being able to use the dagger that he paid a large amount of money to obtain.


    He looked at the trembling ball of light with apathy and, without saying word, took a flying step forward as he savagely hacked at the green globe as if he were chopping a block of wood.

 Chapter 61

    Destroying the Spirit.


    Chapter 61: Destroying the Spirit


    Yu Zhitong¡¯s soul was stuck in the corner of the room, and just like a fly trapped in a sealed house, it could only randomly smash against the walls. Every time it thought it could escape, the dark liquid would force it back to its corner, causing it to be constantly weakened.


    Even though his soul grew weaker because of Han Li¡¯s repeated attempts at trying to cut him with his dagger, what really made him despair was the mysterious black liquid that was corroding his soul.


    Since the moment the black liquid touched his soul, Yu Zhitong had felt his life essence trickle away, feeble and powerless. It also tore away at the little magic power he had left, which was even deadlier. This prevented Yu Zhitong from performing magic, causing his casted magic techniques to fail repeatedly. It was as if he were completely restricted.


    ¡°Why are you trying to kill me? Why¡­?¡±


    Faced with Han Li¡¯s ruthless attacks, the ball of light that was Yu Zhitong released a howl filled with anguish, but Han Li did not care about Yu Zhitong¡¯s unwillingness to die.


    Not long after, Yu Zhitong became quieter as he gradually weakened until he was finally unable to emit a sound or show a hint of movement.


    Seeing Yu Zhitong¡¯s stillness, Han Li did not immediately stop his attack. Instead, he continued to observe the ball of light, which had dimmed until it resembled the weak flame of a candle.


    After a while, Han Li gave a cold answer:


    ¡°I would never believe you, a person so despicable that you would easily and willingly swear a poisonous oath that condemned your family and ancestors to a gruesome death under Heaven¡¯s wrath. If I did work with you, then I would following Doctor Mo to his death.¡±


    With a chilling glare, he gave Yu Zhitong¡¯s flickering soul one last glance before turning around, and without hesitation, he swiftly pushed open the heavy door.


    With the door thrown open, a few sharp rays of sunlight shot inside and landed on the globe of light. Upon contact with the the dying soul, the sunlight burned Yu Zhitong¡¯s last remaining soul force, causing it to turn into a curl of smoke that promptly disappeared into the air with a ¡°Pu!¡±


    With this, the last of trace of Yu Zhitong was cleanly wiped away from this world by Han Li.


    To say that Han Li knew that Yu Zhitong feared the light was not exactly true. He first thought of this idea when he recalled how Mo Juren, upon entering the room, quickly blew out several candles. If he did not remember this event then he would still be hacking at the globe of light to no avail, causing an immeasurable worry to arise in his heart.


    Although Han Li had eliminated Yu Zhitong¡¯s life essence with ease, he had prepared an extra tube of Seven Poison Water in advance in case his plan didn¡¯t work.


    Compared to the Five Poison Water, which Mo Juren took away from him, this second tube contained extra ingredients that greatly increased its potency. One of the added materials was the Flowered Mushroom which was extremely deadly to normal mortals and even more effective against immortal cultivators. The effect of its potency could be seen in how Yu Zhitong was unable to use magic, allowing his soul to be easily destroyed.


    This was the reason why Han Li splashed some Seven Poison Water on Yu Zhitong¡¯s soul. From his research of a variety of legends, there was a visible trend that ghosts, monsters, demons, and the like are afraid of chicken blood, black dog blood, and other similar bodily fluids, so in this case, Han Li treated Yu Zhitong as a ghost.


    By guessing randomly and through pure coincidence did Han Li manage to kill Yu Zhitong, if Yu Zhitong knew that his death was based on speculation, he would have died again from vomiting.


    Han Li was not clear about all the effects of his Seven Water Poison but he was certain that when he opened the door, Yu Zhitong would die without fail, and it was only with this fact reassuring him that he acted so mercilessly and ruthlessly.


    Now he was finally free and did not have to live a life of constant worry about a knife placed at his throat nor did he have to be ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Han Li calmly strode back to the center of the stone room where he stayed for a moment before he suddenly jumped up a good three meters and opened his mouth to shout out his heart¡¯s joys. After he finished releasing his pent up emotions, he finally returned back to the childish nature of a 16 year-old.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally free!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m finally free!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m..¡± Han Li¡¯s voice was suddenly cut short almost as if a knife had swiftly descended on him when he saw the giant man standing in the doorway to the stone room. It was the giant man who Mo Juren referred to as ¡°Iron Slave¡±.


    Han Li¡¯s face immediately became ugly and unsightly as he stared at the giant figure in front of him. He suddenly felt his shoulders ache as he realized that he had committed a huge mistake, he had forgotten about the giant man¡¯s existence, and therefore forgot to ask Yu Zhitong about the Mo Juren¡¯s and the giant man¡¯s relationship along with his weakness.


    The only consolation Han Li had was the fact that the giant man did not show any interest in the stone room and continued to wander around the premise of the door, still following Mo Juren¡¯s final command without throwing a single glance into the open room.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but furrow his eyebrow as he thought that the Iron Slave was the hardest type of person to deal with since it did not listen to reason or persuasion and would only follow orders given by its master. The other problem was that if Han Li couldn¡¯t defeat him in battle and the only thing that stood a chance of winning was the poison he concocted. However the cylinder that once held the poison now lay empty on the floor.


    This thought caused Han Li to pace back and forth in the stone room, scrambling to think of a plan to deal with the Iron Slave, but after a lot of thinking, his mind was in a mess and he still did not have a plan.


    Inadvertently, Han Li¡¯s gaze fell upon Mo Juren¡¯s dead body.


    Suddenly, he had an idea.


    ¡°Maybe I can find something on his body that can be used to restrain the Iron Slave,¡± Han Li immediately thought.


    He quickly glanced outside and saw that the Iron Slave was still pacing back and forth with no signs of tiredness or an intent to go near the stone room.


    Seeing this, Han Li calmed down a bit as he quickly walked up to Mo Juren¡¯s body and shamelessly stretched out both of Doctor Mo¡¯s arms to begin carefully examining every inch of his dead corpse.

 Chapter 62

    Deal.


    Chapter 62: Deal


    Han Li removed all kinds of weird oddities one by one from Mo Juren¡¯s body. Some were items that he recognized while others were foreign to him. He sorted these objects in two piles that he placed next to him.


    While sorting out all the objects, Han Li had a fair share of surprises, causing him to exclaim a few times. The amount of objects Mo Juren carried on his self was not small, and some were even dangerous and life threatening objects.


    A tube of some mysterious poison


    A bag of sand dipped in lethal snake venom.


    Ten or so incredibly sharp boomerangs.


    As the number of items on the floor increased, the more panicked and unsettled Han Li became. He realized how lucky he had been when battling against Mo Juren. If the other had not wanted to capture him alive, Han Li would have most likely died.


    After wiping away the cold sweat from his face, Han Li laughed mockingly to himself: ¡°Me, a living man, is afraid of a dead man¡¯s possessions¡±.


    After removing all the items from Mo Juren¡¯s body he started to carefully sift through all the suspicious looking items.


    ¡°This small bottle is so foul-smelling, but it must be some kind of antidote, so it should be okay.¡±


    ¡°This weird looking weapon looks oddly similar to a wheel, and even though I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s used for, it shouldn¡¯t be related to the Iron Slave, so I¡¯ll first put it to the side.¡±


    ¡°As for this spice bag¡­¡±


    Han Li continued to fiddle and inspect each item while talking aloud to himself, making it seem as if he was in high spirits when suddenly he found himself holding a small bag.


    WIthin his hands was a normal looking spice bag that, under normal circumstances, would not catch the eyes of others. However, Han Li knew that since it was on Mo Juren¡¯s body, it would not be anything but simple.


    Han Li weighed the small spice bag in his hands in hopes of gaining insight on its contents but he only noticed that the bag was exceedingly light and could not possibly contain anything heavy. After weighing it for a second time, he felt that that there might be a paper-like object, or something similar, hidden within the small bag.


    Han Li prepared himself mentally before opening the bag, and just as he expected, he saw several sheets of paper tucked inside.


    He glanced at the paper and noticed that it was written in Mo Juren¡¯s handwriting, which caused a heavy feeling to weigh down his heart. After briefly skimming the paper, he did a double take as he re-read the note and realized that it was Mo Juren¡¯s personal will.


    Han Li felt bewildered, and due to his curiosity, he carefully read the contents on the few pieces of paper.


    After he finished reading, Han Li lifted his head upward and stared for a long time before releasing a heavy sigh. Furrowing his brows, he felt an extremely heavy weight descend over his heart.


    With his hands clasped together on the back of his head, he looked like an old man as he paced aimlessly. He would first walk two steps then stop and ponder upon something. After realizing he couldn¡¯t fully grasp his thought, he would continue to pace a few steps before stopping once again to think.


    Just like this, Han Li continued to pace around, mimicking a donkey circling around Mo Juren¡¯s body. His face became unsettled; one moment it was bright red, and the next it would turn white, showing the raging emotions he felt within himself, unable to be pacified.


    If Li Feiyu saw Han Li¡¯s unstable mindset, he would probably mock him with loud ridicule.


    The reason for Han Li¡¯s change was Mo Juren¡¯s will, which left behind some extremely terrible news that left him with one of two difficult choices. Within the antidote for Insect Corpse Pill that Mo Juren had previously given him was a rare type of poison that could only be removed by his family¡¯s Precious Warm Yang Jade. Apart from this treasure, even legendary antidotes could not save him.


    Written on the few sheets of paper, Mu Juren¡¯s will clearly stated that the poison he used on Han Li was for the worse case scenario that Mo Juren would die from failing to possess Han Li. So, in preparation of any unsettled business he might have after his death, he decided to include one final, simple exchange with Han Li in his will, allowing Han Li and the deceased doctor to benefit greatly. Mo Juren would be able to take care of any unsettled business while Han Li would be able to gain a large amount of wealth and an indescribable amount of benefits.


    As for whether Yu Zhitong would be the last one alive, Mo Juren did not give it a second thought. He only briefly mentioned him in his will, saying that Yu Zhitong was weak by nature and afraid of death, and although he was a bit smart, that was the extent of his current capabilities. Mo Juren also mentioned that even though Yu Zhitong was an immortal cultivator, he would never become anything great, and for this reason he was quickly disregarded as being the last person alive.


    Once Han Li saw this, he laughed bitterly in his heart at how Mo Juren did not predict that in the end, he would fall into the trap of the innocent looking Yu Zhitong. If Han Li had not hid his real Eternal Spring Arts cultivation level, he would most likely have ended up like Mo Juren, allowing Yu Zhitong to receive all the benefits. Of course, Mo Juren had also planned to achieve his fantasies of becoming an immortal cultivator by taking over Han Li¡¯s body. It seemed like no matter what kind of cultivator one became, one must not underestimate others.


    In his will, the trade Mo Juren proposed was very simple. He wrote that in a year or two, the poison would become effective. To remove this poison, Han Li must make a trip to Mo Juren¡¯s home. Mo Juren had wives and daughters, along with a decently sized business. He had made arrangements for them before he left, but he feared that if he were absent for an extended period of time, his enemies would have evil intent against his family. For this reason, Han Li must rush to protect his wives and family members before the situation escalated and preferably help them escape from the bloody world that is Jiang Hu so that they can live a normal life without want.


    As a way of compensating and removing any of Han Li¡¯s suspicions, Mo Juren¡¯s will betrothed one of his daughters to him and gave him a dowry of one half of all his assets along with the Yang Jaded Treasure.


    Before Mo Juren left, he had given the precious jade to his wives for safekeeping and also explicitly told them that it was to be used as part of their daughter¡¯s dowry, so even if Han Li did not want to wed his daughter, he would be forced to.


    Of course, Mo Juren clearly pointed out that his enemies¡¯ clans were very large and influential. They also contained many cultivators. The sheer number of members made it hard for the clans to supervise and control all of their members, and with Han Li¡¯s current abilities, he wouldn¡¯t be capable of dealing with them head on. For this reason, he specifically prepared two false identities for Han Li and carefully hid them in a secret location unknown to anyone besides Mo Juren. Furthermore, he even left behind a token belonging to Mo Juren and a handwritten letter. At the same time, he also left a list of names that clearly stated his trusted aides, those he suspected of plotting against him, and the names of his enemy clans within his letter. He also wrote out several things Han Li must take note of.


    Finally, to express the sincerity of his will, he even left behind how to control and summon the Iron Slave and the Cloud Winged Bird.


    What caught Han Li¡¯s attention was how Mo Juren vaguely pointed out the fact that the Iron Slave was actually a soulless corpse whose soul has already entered the cycle of reincarnation, as if to make him not feel unwell. These words caused Han Li to be at a loss. Did he really seem to be of the overly emotional sort?


    However, even without mentioning the poison within his body, when Han Li was faced with such great riches, he had felt rather tempted. Han Li had always been sensitive to money and was therefore very interested in Mo Juren¡¯s proposal. As for the betrothal to Mo Juren¡¯s daughter, Han Li felt an odd feeling well up within himself. He was around the age when he would experience his first set of romantic thoughts. Furthermore, he knew from Mo Juren¡¯s original appearance that his daughter could not be anything but beautiful.


    But the risk he faced was no small matter. If he was not careful, he might end up having to pay with his life. Mo Juren¡¯s enemies are not simple characters!


    Mo Juren had carefully constructed a watertight plan to take care of any unsettled business, using the chance to start a new life filled with beautiful women and immense wealth as a collective incentive in order to tie Han Li to Mo Juren¡¯s family, effectively mixing safety and danger together by forcing Han Li to swallow this honey-wrapped poison pill. (TL: ¡°Honey-wrapped poison pill¡± means a situation that looks appealing but contains many hidden dangers)

 Chapter 63

    True Appearance


    Han Li paced around the room several times before stopping.


    ¡°Should I accept Doctor Mo¡¯s deal right now, or should I wait I¡¯m absolutely sure there is no cure before making my decision¡­¡± Han Li was helpless, unable to come to a conclusion.


    Then, he looked outside at the Iron Slave and thought back at the unintelligible chant left behind at the end of Mo Juren¡¯s will. A sense of curiosity rose within his heart as he prepared the steps to control the Iron Slave.


    Han Li bent down and retrieved from within the pile of items a brass bell small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. The brass bell was delicately crafted with harmonious proportions that made it look pleasing to the eyes. With one glance, he could tell that it was the work of a skilled artisan. The only difference this bell had from an ordinary one was the bell frame, which had faint traces of blood stains, making it particularly eyecatching.


    Han Li carefully inspected all the features of this so called ¡°Soul Guiding Bell.¡± From its surface, he was unable to see what was so special about it, but by following Mo Juren¡¯s structions, he could control the frightening Iron Slave. Such an object was inconceivable!


    Han Li held onto the small bell with his left hand and a dagger with his right hand. Slowly and cautiously, he walked out past the stone door and approached the Iron Slave.


    When he was twenty feet away from the large man, he stopped walking, unwilling to move any further. If he moved even one foot closer, he might not be able to protect himself from any accidents. At this moment, the Iron Slave was standing straight with his back faced towards Han Li.


    Dang! A crisp and clear sound rang out from the bell after Han Li used his dagger to softly hit the copper bell.


    Han Li briefly wrinkled his eyebrows. The sound was the same as that of a normal clock, so how could it possibly control the Iron Slave?


    His heart wavered slightly. His body shrank down a little as he prepared himself to run back to the stone room at the first signs of failure.


    Hearing the ringing from the bell, the Iron Slave¡¯s shoulder shook almost imperceptibly. Seeing this reaction, Han Li felt delighted, and he quickly continued to strike the bell.


    Dang! Dang!¡­ The bell sounded out in quick succession and the Iron Slave¡¯s body shuddered accordingly until even his walking became staggered, unable to stand firmly, causing him to finally fall face down on the ground, unconscious.


    The Iron Slave¡¯s immense body, upon impact with the ground, unsettled a large amount of dust that caused the unprepared Han Li to sneeze consecutively, making him look battered and dirtied.


    But at this time, Han Li could care less about his appearance. He quickly pounced on the Iron Slave and reached his hands out to tear away the his cloak, revealing a bloated face that shocked and absolutely horrified Han Li.


    Han Li forcefully endured the uncomfortable feeling within his heart, unwilling to continue to inspect the Iron Slave any more. Using his dagger to lightly cut open his own wrist, Han Li allowed some of his blood to flow out unobstructed, dripping onto the Iron Slave¡¯s face until his face was completely smeared with blood before Han Li found a clean strip of clothing to tie around his wrist in order to prevent further bleeding. Then he calmly stood to the side to watch the Iron Slave¡¯s reaction.


    Then, strangely enough, all the blood on the Iron Slave¡¯s face slowly sank into his skin without a single drop left behind, causing Han Li, who was watching off to the side, to be dumbstruck to the point where he was oblivious to the fact that he exerted too much pressure on the wound, causing fresh blood to seep out of underneath the cloth.


    Once the blood was completely absorbed, the Iron Slave opened both eyes and slowly got up. He looked incapable of speech; both his eyes seemed lifeless, without a trace of emotion.


    But when the Iron Slave turned his head to look at Han Li and their eyes made contact, Han Li heard a ¡°weng¡± sound within his mind. A strangely foreign yet familiar feeling arose within Han Li¡¯s heart, almost as if something foreign suddenly appeared within his heart. This feeling was like a pet he personally raised, constantly revolving around Han Li, longing for its name to be called out. (TL: weng= onomatopoeia for buzzing or droning)


    Han Li was surprised but immediately calmed down because he saw that the Iron Slave¡¯s once rigid and deadpan face was now filled with complete obedience. Seeing this gave Han Li the feeling that he was able to control the Iron Slave¡¯s fate. It was a fascinating and novel feeling.


    Han Li suppressed his pleasant surprise and calmly gave the large man a command to test his limits.


    ¡°Go and tear that stone wall for me.¡±


    Without saying a single word, the Iron Slave walked over to the stone door with a few large strides, raised his two fists together above his head like a large hammer, and with three to five strokes smashed apart the door. As swift as a wind, he returned to Han Li¡¯s side, awaiting his next command.


    Han Li, who had been downcast from reading Mo Juren¡¯s will, could not resist anymore and grinned widely from ear to ear. With this strong helper always waiting for orders, would there be any normal dangers in the future capable of harming him?


    Han Li was thinking about his wonderful future while he fervently sized the giant man from head to toe.


    The more he looked at the giant man, the happier he felt. His originally ugly view of the man now seemed more pleasing to the eye, even going as resembling a familiar face to Han Li.


    ¡°A familiar face?¡± Han Li was both frightened and shocked by his own realization.


    How could he think that this ugly face looked familiar when it was his first time seeing it?


    Faced with these questions, Han Li started to closely investigate the giants man¡¯s nose and eyes in an attempt to find the answer.


    Gradually, he discovered that if he were to take the giant man¡¯s bloated face and shrink it to its original size, this face would not be considered ugly to look at. In fact, the Iron Slave¡¯s face would even look honest and straightforward, giving Han Li a sight he found both familiar and horrifying.


    Han Li¡¯s face turned pale. After half a day of silence, he reached out both hands to gently touch the giant man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, is that really you?¡± His words sounded downcast making him appear to be tranquil.


    The face he had pieced together was remarkably similar to that of his good friend, ¡°Zhang Tie.¡± Thinking back to Doctor Mo¡¯s last few ineffable words, Han Li was completely sure that the giant man and Zhang Tie were somehow closely related. Was it really as it was described in the letter? If the giant man was made from Zhang Tie¡¯s empty body, then his soul was already long gone. But how did his body become so huge and frightening?

 Chapter 64

    Crooked Soul.


    Chapter 64: Crooked Soul


    Han Li used his hand to feel the giant man¡¯s body temperature while staring into his lifeless and inarticulate pair of eyes. Within his heart, he was trying to guess all the bitter experiences Zhang Tie had experienced.


    Doctor Mo had most likely colluded with Yu Zhitong to kidnap Zhang Tie, a Way of the Armored Elephant practitioner, giving the false pretense that he left and tricking the numerous eyes and ears within the Seven Mysteries Sect. Then, they secretly used some kind of magic technique to remove Zhang Tie¡¯s soul, causing his body to become as grotesque as it was now. The effects of their technique were similar to that of the backlash from cultivating the Way of the Armored Elephant.


    Han Li¡¯s guess was not very different from what had actually transpired.


    After administering his test, Doctor Mo suddenly had the idea of combining the Way of the Armored Elephant with Yu Zhitong¡¯s Corpse Refining Technique to create a group of subservient and powerful puppets that could sweep across Jiang Hu. However, he was only able to create this one soldier who Doctor Mo treated as his treasure. He usually kept the Iron Giant hidden somewhere at the bottom of the mountains, and the only time Doctor Mo took the Iron Giant out of hiding was when he returned to the mountain.


    But Yu Zhitong was not the least bit interested in this dubious reanimated corpse; in fact, he even snorted disdainfully because when he still had his body, he had been capable of using Qi to deal with these kinds of reanimated corpses without much difficulty. In addition, this animated corpse was incomparable to the high ranked reanimated corpses of cultivators; as a result, it was only useful in the mortal word. The only positive side was that the materials were easier to gather, the process of refining was simpler, and anyone with a little bit of Internal Qi could use this technique.


    After a while, Han Li removed his hand from the giant man¡¯s face and turned his unsettled eyes away from his body. His gaze landed upon the destroyed stone door, his mind still in a daze.


    In that moment, he felt his heart grow cold, not because of Zhang Tie¡¯s situation but rather because of his own cold and detached attitude.


    He originally thought that when he found out about his friends¡¯ miserable downfall, he would furiously lift his head up and shout out, ¡°Mo Juren! Yu Zhitong¡± with intense hatred.


    But in actuality, aside from some sadness, his discovery did not stir up any fury, almost as if the one who fell under these circumstances was not his good friend Zhang Tie but rather a stranger who was not related to him in any way.


    Was it because he knew that the Zhang Tie in front of him was only an empty shell and not the Zhang Tie he once knew? Or was it because his heart had become too cold?.


    Han Li¡¯s cold and detached behavior caused fear to manifest in his heart. He realized right then that he had changed too much to the point where he was foreign to himself!


    Han Li finally awoke from his stupor and looked at the giant man with eyes filled with turmoil, unsure of how to address ¡°him¡±.


    Thinking of what Doctor Mo said about a ¡°lost soul¡± and a ¡°walking corpse,¡± Han Li gazed through forlorn eyes and softly said, ¡°Brother Zhang, I imagine you have moved on to the next life, so you have no need for your body. Please allow your little brother to use it! I will definitely be careful, and I hope that you will not blame me for my actions.¡±


    After saying a few words and finding peace, Han Li faced the giant man and said:


    ¡°Since you are the body Brother Zhang left behind and don¡¯t have an independent soul of your own, I will call you ¡®Crooked Soul¡¯ ! I hope you can provide me with a helping hand in the future.¡±


    Learning to Han Li¡¯s words, the giant man stood there stupidly without moving, and aside from looking tame and obedient, there were no hints of reaction. It seemed like he really lacked a consciousness and could only be commanded into action.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I am saying these words to body that can¡¯t even think for itself, this is so silly!¡± Han Li mockingly he shook his head and lightly strolled inside the stone room.


    ¡°Crooked Soul, keep up.¡±


    Once Han Li recovered from his downcast state, his expression returned to normal as if he had never been dejected at all. The truth indeed reflected his guess: he had become abnormally cold hearted and rational, not able to be easily disturbed by his own emotions.


    Han Li, who was about to step onto the path of cultivation, was unsure of whether this outstanding change would be a source of great calamity or great fortune.


    For a short time afterwards, Han Li spent a good half day in order to deal with the aftermath of the situation.


    He not only had to bury Doctor Mo¡¯s corpse under some big tree but also had to destroy and throw away all the items in the stone room. He even ordered Crooked Soul to beat up the stone room, tearing everything in the room beyond recognition. Only when he was unable to tell the room¡¯s original appearance was he willing to stop and rest.


    After this destruction was over, the day had already transitioned into the evening, and the sun was already setting.


    Han Li stood in front of what used to be the stone room, now a stone heap, seizing everything up once and making sure nothing was overlooked before he was satisfied.


    ¡°Crooked Soul, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°We still have several matters to take care of tomorrow! It¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t have a conscious and can¡¯t open your mouth to talk; otherwise, I would have someone I can discuss with, which would help make things proceed more smoothly.¡±


    Under the illumination of the setting sun¡¯s fiery red glow, Han Li dragged along a slender and tall shadow. While walking, Han Li constantly talked to the giant man, whom he referred to as ¡°Crooked Soul.¡± At last, he found a companion to whom he could confide in without the fear of being complained against. Crooked Soul¡¯s expression was cold and detached, making him similar to that of the leader of a neighborhood gang.


    After arranging a hiding place for Crooked Soul, Han Li returned to his own dwelling. Once inside his house, he acted like a man who hasn¡¯t returned back home in a long time, touching and rubbing the chairs and tables, looking everywhere, and talking to himself:


    ¡°Ah, Today was an extremely long day! It seems like this day was longer than the first 10 years of my life!¡±


    Abandoning all of his worries, he came crashing down on his bed, covered his head with his pillow, and began falling asleep.


    He was very tired! He could not bare the mental and physical exhaustion.


    ¡°But, being able to live is truly wonderful!¡± He couldn¡¯t help thinking this, and as he entered into sleep, the corner of his lips lifted up in a slight smile.

 Chapter 65

    Medicinal God Han Li.


    Chapter 65: Medicinal God Han Li


    Han Li lay reclined on the chair that Doctor Mo often sat on, and in his hand, he held a book that read Eternal Spring Arts Incantation¡± on the leather cover. The contents were indeed from one of the volumes of the Eternal Spring Arts Incantation. He read it with keen interest, engrossed by its contents.


    Doctor Mo often held this book in his hands, reading it countless times without growing sick of it. This abnormal situation used to puzzle Han Li. But today, he found out the reason behind Doctor Mo¡¯s strange action, which helped him understand that the doctor had not been looking for some method to maintaining his health, but rather he was trying to hardest to comprehend the Eternal Spring Arts Incantation! Doctor Mo had been unwilling to give up on his own inability to cultivate magic power. Instead of placing his complete faith in Yu Zhitong¡¯s promises regarding Spiritual Roots, Mo Juren had continued to persist in his attempts to understand the Eternal Spring Arts.


    Han Li discovered this secret volume in a secret compartment along with several other item. The book not only contained the first six layers of the chant he had cultivated but also another two layers that he has never seen before. This unexpected discovery caused Han Li to feel greatly excited.


    Once Han Li knew that the he was cultivating a legendary technique that could call the wind and summon the rain, his thirst for cultivation grew.


    After all, who doesn¡¯t want to be an immortal deity!


    When the sun was precisely in the middle of the sky, warm rays shone down through the broad skylight and landed on Han Li, who was reading comfortably, causing him to squint his eyes into thin cracks.


    Han Li slightly lifted up his head to look at the skylight and felt that it was slightly dazzling.


    He conveniently used the open book to cover his face and block the shining light of the sun.


    Once he felt the blackness in front of his eyes, his heart felt more comfortable as he once again silently committed the seventh layer of the chant to memory.


    He recently discovered that due to his continued use of medicinal assistance, he was about to reach a breakthrough in the Eternal Spring Arts into the seventh layer. The earlier he understood the next few layers, the more beneficial it would be for him when he broke through the bottleneck.


    More than half year passed since the day Doctor Mo tried to forcibly seize his body.


    Two days after the event, in order to cover up Doctor Mo¡¯s death, Han Li personally wrote a letter imitating Doctor Mo¡¯s handwriting saying that he wanted to return to his hometown to visit his family. Using Doctor Mo¡¯s name, he passed on this letter to one of the sect¡¯s senior disciples.


    Within the letter, he shamelessly used Doctor Mo¡¯s tone of voice, claiming that Han Li had succeeded all of Doctor Mo¡¯s medicinal expertise and that he could substitute him in seeing and treating patients while Doctor Mo was on his long journey. The fake Doctor Mo was unsure of when he would be back, and so in the letter, he also requested the help of several sect members to temporarily look after his duties until he returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect..


    After handing in the letter, several Sect Elders clearly did not show any hints of doubt since Doctor Mo often left the mountain for months on end in order to gather herbs. In addition, Doctor Mo had a respected position within the Seven Mysteries Sect and was venerated for saving Patriarch Wang¡¯s life, so he was free to do as he liked.


    But several Sect Elders expressed differing opinions concerning the letter¡¯s content about how Han Li has succeeded all of Doctor Mo¡¯s medicinal expertise. Half believing it while the other half doubted the validity of the letter.


    Although most of his patients where sect disciples with small cases of fevers, knife wounds, and the like, Doctor Mo¡¯s main responsibility was to treat the Division Heads, Elders, and other high ranking figures. The majority of the other disciples had to find one of the other few doctors on the mountaintop for treatment.


    Thus, at first, several senior members did not immediately allow Han Li to take up Doctor Mo¡¯s responsibilities They first made Han Li treat some disciples in order to test his abilities.


    Han Li was not the least bit bothered by other people¡¯s doubts regarding his medicinal abilities, and he carried an indifferent attitude for all those he treated. The only reason he proposed to take up Doctor Mo¡¯s job was because he fancied the God Hand Valley and its decent medicinal garden.


    If he could continue to stay within the mountain valley and let everyone in the mountain valley fall under his control, he would be able to freely use his secret jade bottle in the mountain valley to speed up the growth of rare herbs without fear of other people discovering his secret.


    Also even though this small mountain valley was currently inhabited by one person, if Doctor Mo did not come back after a period of time, the Division Heads or Elders might take back the valley on a whim.


    As a result, in order to demonstrate his medicinal prowess, Han Li expended large amounts of energy to treat the throngs of disciples who came to look for aid and secretly used the rare herbs whose growth he increased every day. Thus, his medicinal knowledge coupled with his magnanimous use of rare and precious herbs caused those who came to receive medical treatment to believe his ability to create miracles after eating medicine that immediately cured their ailments.


    As he predicted, word of his medical ability that was claimed to be able to bring back the dead spread like a loud thunderclap on a clear day, rapidly causing a sensation throughout the whole Seven Mysteries Sect. Everyone on the mountain knew that within their ranks existed a young, talented medicinal god. This medicinal god¡¯s abilities were so profound that they were unmeasurable! Under his rescue and medical attention, regardless of whether it was external injuries, internal injuries, or any other miscellaneous or deadly injuries, the most he needed three days to return a patient to full health.Compared to Doctor Mo¡¯s medicinal abilities, Han Li¡¯s prowess seemed to soar with great success.


    In reality, Han Li¡¯s medicinal abilities were more lacking than Doctor Mo¡¯s except Doctor Mo would have never squandered so many precious herbs, so he was far surpassed by Han Li when measuring the length of recovery.


    Han Li once again helped a seriously injured disciple recover back to full health in a few days. Seeing Han Li¡¯s feats, the high ranking figures could not sit any longer. Barely one day passed before they sent someone to invite him over.


    This time, the person who wanted to meet him was unexpectedly someone he had met before. It was the Sect Leader Ma who Han Li had met at Bone Refining Cliff. (Note: Sect Leader Ma appears in Chapter 5 after the Inner Disciples Examinations ended)


    This Sect Leader Ma had clearly long forgotten Han Li, a nondescript Unofficial Disciple. Thus, when he met Han Li, he clearly expressed his wish to allow Han Li to take over Doctor Mo¡¯s job. Furthermore, Han Li could enjoy all of Doctor Mo¡¯s benefits. Of course, Doctor Mo¡¯s venerated position could not be given to him yet because Han Li was still too young. At 17 years old, Han Li could not cause others to worship him. But then again, his official monthly salary depended on his position.


    In the end, Sect Leader Ma even expressed how if there are anything Han Li was dissatisfied with, he could bring it up and they would take care of it accordingly.

 Chapter 66

    Eccentric Rule.


    Chapter 66: Eccentric Rule


    Sect Leader Ma¡¯s generous attitude made it clear to Han Li that as long as any conditions he brought up were not excessive, the sect would most likely deliver it. With the sect¡¯s help, his anticipated objective could be easily reached.


    But then again, this kind of generous treatment was not often seen in the entire Seven Mysteries Sect. It was obvious that the leaders of the sect were fully aware of the importance a highly talented medicinal god had for cultivators in JiangHu.


    As a result, Han Li did not hold back and asked that God Hand Valley would be handed over to be his personal residence. He claimed that he did not want outsiders to disturb him in the valley while he researched and studied the art of healing.


    This condition was not one that was naturally accepted by Sect Leader Ma. The Sect Leader probably wanted to rope in Han Li and unexpectedly took the initiative to offer Han Li a young and pretty maid to serve his daily needs.


    Han Li, suddenly faced with this unexpected bargaining chip,felt his heartbeat quicken, and just as he was about to tacitly agree, he calmed down and thought of all the secrets he was hiding. Feeling a bit distressed, Han Li rejected the offer.


    Han Li¡¯s action caused the Sect Leader Ma to show considerable admiration and to view him in a new light. He continued to compliment Han Li, saying that at such a young age, Han Li was quite handsome and that if Sect Leader Ma had a daughter, he would marry her to Han Li.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at these words because it wasn¡¯t that he rejected feminine charm but that he couldn¡¯t afford to at this moment.


    And just like this, the entire God Hand Valley became Han Li¡¯s private territory. Outsiders were not allowed to casually enter.


    Regarding any visitors, Han Li specifically placed a large clock at the entrance of the valley. It didn¡¯t matter who wanted to meet Han Li; they just needed to strike the clock, and Han Li would promptly exit the valley to meet them. This eccentric rule was written in bold characters next to the clock, even a few of the middle to upper rank members could not avoid this rule.


    The reason why Han Li laid down this eccentric rule was to completely prevent any last possibility of the secret of his bottle from leaking out. As long as no one broke into the mountain valley, Han Li could guarantee the bottle¡¯s heaven-defying properties from being known by a second party.


    At first, this rule was not an issue for the lower ranked disciples, but it caused many high ranking members to be very dissatisfied. They believed Han Li viewed himself to highly, not knowing how high the sky was or how deep the earth was. Not even Doctor Mo was this haughty, so how could Han Li, a trifling disciple who just finished his apprenticeship, dare to act so presumptuously?


    But after Han Li saved someone who suffered a heavy and life-threatening wound from the brink of death and aided in his recovery, all signs of complaint disappeared without a trace, and no one brought up the eccentric rule again.


    No one wanted to offend someone who may save their lives countless times like the medicinal god over a small and trivial matter. They naturally believed that forcing visitors to ring a bell to meet him was a strange habit unique to temperamental medicinal gods.


    The following days passed one by one, and even the Sect Elders gradually followed Han Li¡¯s rule; when they wanted to ask for medical help, they would send someone to respectfully sound the big clock to call for Han Li.


    God Hand Valley¡¯s eccentric rule gradually turned Han Li into a legend of sorts in the Seven Mysteries Sects.


    What was ridiculous was that he was not even ranked in the sect! He didn¡¯t have a high ranking position, nor did he hold any position of power. He was still a low ranking disciple! But then again, who has seen such a popular disciple in the sect? Even the Sect Elders who came to visit him would address him as Doctor Han. Not many people dared to directly address Han Li by his name.


    Of course, this did not apply to Li Feiyu, also known to Han Li as Senior Disciple Li.


    Li Feiyu still maintained his cold and detached disposition in front of others, but he every time he saw Han Li, he became sloppy and carefree. His treatment of Han Li had not been changed by his new identity as a medicinal god, unlike Fatty Wang and the other disciples who had drifted apart and became more respectful. There were no traces of politeness whenever Li Feiyu addressed Han Li by his name.


    This made Han Li feel a bit of gratitude. He still wasn¡¯t accustomed to living a life of solitude.


    Just thinking about Li Feiyu¡¯s expression whenever he laughed, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but think of another individual¡¯s face..


    Recently, he unexpectedly met someone else who had ridden the same carriage as Han Li up the mountains several years ago. Now an inner sect member of the Seven Supreme Division, Wu Yan had contracted a strange illness that was was untreatable by all of the doctors who were sent to treat him, tormenting him to no ends. In the end, he had no choice but to use Sect Leader Ma¡¯s name to ask for Han Li¡¯s help to cure his illness.


    Wu Yan¡¯s memory was quite good, and when he met the famous Doctor Han, he recognized with a single glance that he was one of the children who came on the same carriage as him??Han Li. His face revealed a shocked look that was still fresh fresh in Han Li¡¯s memory to this day. That year, Wu Yan¡¯s attitude towards Han Li was not exceptionally good, even a bit vile.


    Seeing Wu Yan¡¯s awkward appearance, Han Li truly felt like laughing. Normally, he would would not treat Wu Yan¡¯s illness because of their shared history, but in order to not damage his reputation as a medicinal god, he even increased the amount of prescribed medicine so that Wu Yan would recover from his illness in two short days.


    During the period of recovery, however, the large amount of prescribed medicine made Wu Yan suffer even more pain. This was Han Li¡¯s way of lightly reprimanding the previously vile-tempered youth.


    Han Li was not as magnanimous as he appeared to be. He wouldn¡¯t forget a single grudge.


    Just like this, Han Li slowly replaced Doctor Mo¡¯s position on the mountain and was even considered to be one tier above Doctor Mo.


    In God Hand Valley, Han Li would take out the small bottle, put it inside an empty space within the valley, and allowed the mysterious green liquid to form every seven to eight days. With the mysterious green liquid, he would hasten the growth of rare and ancient herbs, which he would refine into medicine with the utmost care.


    Only a small portion of these herbs were used on those who visited him to seek medical aid; the majority of the herbs were taken and used for Han Li¡¯s personal use. He would use them to cultivate and refine Yuan Qi and to push forward in his cultivation of the Eternal Spring Arts.


    Han Li gently shifted the body within the late Doctor Mo¡¯s chair to find a more comfortable position.


    Although the chair he sat on was indeed Doctor Mo¡¯s armchair, this place was not Doctor Mo¡¯s house but rather Han Li¡¯s residence. He had taken all the items he thought would be useful from Doctor Mo¡¯s house and, with no trace of politeness, claimed them as his own, moving them into his own residence. As for the position in which Han Li was sitting, even if someone saw his disrespectful actions, they would not do anything because in their eyes, the current Han Li¡¯s worth far exceeded that of Doctor Mo¡¯s. People were surprisingly very realistic and practical!


    Doctor Mo¡¯s residence was far bigger than Han Li¡¯s, so moving into the bigger house would have been more suitable.


    Unfortunately, Han Li thought that living there was a bit weird. After all, he was the main cause of Doctor Mo¡¯s death. Brazenly living in the house of someone he killed with his own hand would cause his heart to become heavy and cold. As a result, living in his own residence (tl: he calls it his ¡°own doghouse¡±) was far more reassuring and comfortable to Han Li.


    However, whenever he thought of Doctor Mo, Han Li would naturally be unable to forget the sad fact that he was still under the control of a dead person.


    In the period of time after Doctor Mo¡¯s death, he carefully examined his own body, both internally and externally, countless times. He was still unable to refine that thread of cold Yin Qi hidden within his Dantian. Han Li tried to use the Pure Spirit Powder and other famous poison-dispelling methods, but sadly none of them were effective. It seemed like the long journey he would have to take in one year¡¯s time was unavoidable.

 Chapter 67

    Fireball Technique.


    Chapter 67: Fireball Technique


    Han Li, who had been sitting still for half a day, suddenly raised his left hand and straightened one of his fingers, making him appear unfathomably mysterious.


    But not long after, the space half an inch away from his erect fingertip suddenly fluctuated, and several small sparks of fire appeared. When the sparks first appeared, they immediately made a ¡°ZiLa¡± sound as they twisted and turned in the air to form a walnut-sized ball of red flames. Although this fireball was not big, a blistering heat emanated from this small ball of fire, permeating the entire room.


    As Han Li reclined, his face was still covered by his book. He appeared to be asleep, if not for the fact that the small fireball at the tip of his finger continued to release ¡°ZiLa! Zila!¡± sounds of high temperature combustions. This, coupled with his unmoving fingertip, made Han Li appear particularly eye catching.


    As minutes inched by, the fireball continued to maintain the same vigorous energy, not revealing any hint of being extinguished. However, Han Li eventually shifted. The finger he used to support the fireball started to tremble slightly. The trembling from his finger grew to affect his wrist, then his entire arm. Soon, even his whole body started to tremble.


    Abruptly, Han Li sat up on the armchair, not even aware that the book had fallen away from his face and onto the ground.


    His two eyes stared unwaveringly at the fireball on his fingertips, his face red from holding his breath. From his forehead to his neck, his exposed skin revealed many small beads of sweat, appearing as if he had just finished performing some intense exercise that made his body overheat.


    After a short while, the fireball started to sway alongside Han Li¡¯s intense rocking. The floating flame would be large in one moment, then small in the next, unable to maintain a constant state. Not long after, it became small once again. The flame shrank into a spark and dissipated into thin air.


    Once the fireball disappeared, Han Li felt like a man who had his backbone removed. His fireball had greatly consumed his energy. Extremely drained, he reclined his body once more on the chair.


    ¡°This Fireball Technique is vexing to train in! Even though I¡¯ve researched this technique for half a year, I¡¯m still unable to have complete control over it! The most I can manage is extend its duration by a little bit.¡± Talking to himself, Han Li stared at the ceiling.


    It turned out that the last few pages of the Eternal Spring Arts Book contained several magic techniques. At first glance, it was evident that these were beginner level techniques for cultivators who just entered the sect. Since all he knew was the Eternal Spring Arts Incantation, this made Han Li feel like he obtained a treasure, and for several consecutive nights, he was unable to sleep due to his excitement.


    Since he had witnessed firsthand Doctor Mo using a few of the magic techniques, it was no surprise that he would be this excited. Han Li had found Doctor Mo¡¯s strength terrifying, so he viewed the formidable collection of techniques with great interest.


    Unfortunately for Han Li, who was currently at the peak of the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts Incantation, he was like a beggar holding a golden bowl and asking for alms. Since he was never taught any basic magic technique, he was unable to perform even the simplest spell. But now he suddenly came upon several technique incantations. How could he not be pleased?


    The final pages of the book had five techniques and their respective incantations. They were ¡°Fireball¡±, ¡°Soul-lock Talisman¡±, ¡°Imperial Flight¡±, ¡°Telekinesis¡±, and ¡°Heaven¡¯s Eye.¡± To Han Li, all of the techniques and their incantations were still very ancient, profound, and hard to comprehend.


    This was no surprise since the incantations were composed of words and phrases from an ancient language. Even though he had read quite a few books, he had a very superficial understanding of the ancient texts, so he was unable to immediately grasp certain meanings.


    Helpless and without a choice, Han Li finally began studying the Eternal Spring Arts as if his life depending on it, driving straight into piles of different books that were related to old, classical languages. He bitterly studied the incantations¡¯ meanings every day and night, racking his brain several tens of times over every phrase and every word. Refusing to quit, Han Li was resolved to completely comprehend all of the techniques listed in the book.


    Even though he had never gone to a school or academy to obtain a formal education, he understood that making a mistake while cultivating boundlessly powerful energy would be more difficult to deal with than an infuriating obsession and might very well take this small life of his. Thinking of his own personal well-being, Han Li was filled with trepidation and fear, not daring to be even a slight bit careless.


    After three months of intensive research, Han Li finally was able to gain a level of mastery over the theory behind the incantations and apply them. As a result, he was finally starting to truly practice these techniques.


    However, Han Li¡¯s insane method of studying delivered a large mental blow to his enthusiasm and stamina.


    He had originally planned to rely upon his intelligence, which was enhanced by the Eternal Spring Arts, and thought that learning magic techniques shouldn¡¯t be difficult, but who knew that he would suddenly oddly become baffled. He obviously knew the theory theory behind the techniques, but when it came time to applying them into practice, he could never manage to succeed; no matter what he did, he could not do it right. He did not know whether it was because the spells were wrong, he read the incantations incorrectly, or his magic power was not in the right place. Unable to discover the reason why, Han Li felt extremely slow-witted.


    Han Li did not know what was causing his failures, but if it was a deficiency in magic power, he would eat another two spiritual herbs and the problem would be solved.


    However, this was a problem that he was unable to wrap his head around. Han Li came to the conclusion that his innate talent for performing Celestial Arts was not as great as he thought it was.


    It was only after a long period of bitter training that he finally gained a bit of success in the Fireball Technique and the Heaven¡¯s Eyes Technique. As for the other three magic techniques, he did not succeed; he was unable to even reach their initial layers.


    With great dismay, he could only concentrate on the Fireball Technique and Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique. He placed quite a bit of hope into these two Celestial Arts since they were the only ones he could comprehend.


    Among these, the Fireball Technique¡¯s power did not disappoint Han Li; in fact, it greatly surpassed Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    Despite of the Fireball Technique¡¯s small size, it contained a terrifyingly high temperature that could not be underestimated. There was nothing that the Fireball Technique couldn¡¯t burn.


    Even if the fireball touched a blade made of tempered steel, the area the fireball touched would immediately be melted into liquid steel upon contact.


    Faced with this inhumanly frightening power, Han Li even threw the fireball into a puddle of water to test it. Upon contact, the reaction of the puddle of water was similar to that of oil, and immediately lit up instead of extinguishing the fireball.


    After thoroughly understanding the Fireball Technique¡¯s immense power, Han Li finally realized why Yu Zhitong looked down upon mortals with a lofty attitude.


    Now that Han Li thought about it, a mediocre cultivator who knew a Celestial Art similar to the Fireball Technique could easily kill experts in Jiang Hu. If it was a slightly stronger cultivator, then he could easily sweep across Jiang Hu, unrivaled under the heavens.


    The difference in power was simply too immense. It was no wonder that Yu Zhitong looked at normal mortals as if they were insects he could crush underfoot.

 Chapter 68

    Poisoned.


    Chapter 68: Poisoned


    As for the other techniques, Han Li held high expectations for the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique after witnessing the terrifying power that the seemingly simple Fireball Technique contained.


    After executing it, however, Han Li understood that this magic technique was simply a small transfer of energy into one¡¯s eyes. There was hardly any difficulty worth mentioning, making it appear as if it were easy to master.


    However, the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique seemed easy to master because its difficulty was directly proportional to the strength of its target. It grew increasingly more difficult to master it as the target¡¯s strength increased. Its functions focused primarily on checking the strength and purity of the magic power belonging to cultivators, making it a useful support-type magic technique.


    At first, Han Li was exhilarated and used the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique on both of his eyes. He then used his eyes, now filled with magic power, to inspect his own body¡¯s condition. Through his enhanced perception, he saw a dim layer of white light permeating his body. The closer he got to his Dantian, the more dense the white light became.


    The white light was his magic power. When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but extend a hand to touch the white light. However, he felt nothing at all. He noticed that magic power was similar to air; both were incorporeal and without form, and only through the use of the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique could he hope to inspect it.


    But after several consecutive inspections, Han Li completely lost all interest in the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique.


    His loss of interest was due to the fact that he was all alone in the entire Seven Mysteries Sect. Who could he use the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique on? He couldn¡¯t possibly spend the whole day narcissistically examining himself!


    Therefore, aside from intensifying his training of the Fireball Technique, which he hoped to be able to familiarize himself with in order to use it during actual combat, Han Li turned his attention to other types of magic technique that he had yet to learn. He began practicing other magic techniques slowly and in a repetitive manner, hoping for more breakthroughs.


    Slightly regaining a portion of his body¡¯s energy, Han Li could only sigh after thinking about the difficulty of training in other magic techniques. The frequency of his complaints, however, decreased significantly over time as he continued practicing the techniques.


    Dong¡ª Dong¡ª


    The clock near the valley entrance was sounded; its chime spreading into the valley.


    Han Li wrinkled his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t know why, but recently, the amount of people who came for help had suddenly increased. Furthermore, a majority of them had broken hands, broken arms, knife wounds, projectile wounds, and other similar external injuries.


    He did not dare to neglect his patients because aiding a person is like aiding in putting out a fire*. He collected himself and grabbed his medical bag. After exiting his house, Han Li made a beeline for the valley entrance. (TL: *idiom: both saving a person and putting out a fire need to be done immediately and with the utmost care)


    Outside the valley forest entrance early in the morning, Han Li saw a high ranking disciple wearing embroidered clothing. The disciple anxiously paced to and fro near the big clock like an ant on a hot pan.


    Upon seeing Han Li, he immediately hurried towards him.


    ¡°Doctor Han, please follow me. My master has been poisoned and is on the verge of death. I respectfully ask if you would take a look to see if you can remove the poison from his body.¡±


    As this person approached, Han Li realized that the disciple had a familiar face. Having seen him a few times, he realized that the man was Elder Li¡¯s most favored disciple, Ma Rong, who had previously come to visit Han Li several times on behalf of his master, Elder Li. Therefore, Ma Rong could almost be considered an acquaintance.


    ¡°Poisoned?¡± Han Li asked while immediately walking down the road. As they hurried along, Han Li asking darkly about the details behind Elder Li¡¯s misfortune. Han Li was aware that there were some poison that even he himself had no experience with.


    ¡°Yes, my master got into a fight with a member of the Feral Wolf Gang while travelling down the mountains to take care of some business. In the end, he was not careful and suffered an attack from a dark green seed looking item. At first, my master was not overly worried and even retaliated by killing his opponent. Who knew that the poison would suddenly take effect on the way back up the mountain, causing him to fall unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Have you tried to seek the aid of other doctors?¡±


    ¡°Of course we did. If it was any ordinary poison, then I would not have come to trouble Doctor Han. Those quack doctors, other than knowing that my master suffered from a rare poison, knew nothing else; they did not even dare to prescribe a medicine.¡± Ma Rong spoke with an extremely dissatisfied face.


    As Han Li listened, his facial expression did not change. As he hurriedly followed Ma Rong down the path, the only noise he made was ¡°En.¡± Soon, however, doubt arose in his heart.


    Truthfully, he was not extremely well versed in curing poisons. If it was an internal or external injury, he could depend on several types of medicinal herbs. If he had to treat some rare deadly poison, however, he was not sure that he would be able to provide a solution to the problem.


    Even though he had the Pure Spirit Powder, an antidote that could cure hundreds of poisons, the world contained an innumerable amount of poisons. Who knew whether the Pure Spirit Power could cure the specific poison that was harming Elder Li? The few local doctors were not completely useless in the healing and dispelling poisons; otherwise, they would have been kicked off the mountain by the Elders of the Seven Mysteries Sect. After all, the sect could not afford to raise a group of incompetent medical disciples who were unable to heal even the smallest of injuries.


    However, they did not dare to even prescribe a simple prescription, showing that this poison was a troublesome problem that they have never encountered before. Han Li could only survive by having many hidden cards and being able to adapt himself to any situation. Even if he was unable to save Elder Li, it wasn¡¯t likely that it would lower his own reputation. After all, there was no medicinal god that could cure every sickness.


    As Han Li was carefully refining his plan, Ma Rong practically forced Han Li to run lightly while grasping the sleeves of his garment. In this manner, the two hurried towards Elder Li¡¯s residence.


    Seeing him so energetic, Han Li knew that their master-to-disciple relationship was pretty deep.


    Han Li felt slightly sorrowful because he thought back to his relationship with Doctor Mo. Although they were master and disciples in name, their actual relationship was similar to two enemies. If only their relationship had been as harmonious as the one between Ma Rong and his master.


    In the depths of his heart, Han Li had always held a form of respect towards Doctor Mo. After all, his medicinal knowledge and Eternal Spring Arts had been imparted to him by the deceased doctor.


    But sadly, things were not meant to be. The heavens dictated that the two would be unable to live in the same world, forcing them fight an intensive battle in which Doctor Mo died accidentally by Han Li¡¯s own hands.


    Thinking about his past memories, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Afterwards, Ma Rong brought him to Elder Li¡¯s place.

 Chapter 69

    Li Feiyu and the Young Lady.


    Chapter 69: Li Feiyu and the Young Lady


    Elder Li¡¯s residence was not extravagant; instead, it was merely a small, humble house. Surrounding several houses in close proximity was a two meter high, half a meter thick dirt wall encircling a simple courtyard. Facing the path was an arched, half-moon gateway through which Han Li could see that the courtyard was filled with many visitors.


    Stepping into the courtyard, Han Li realized that the actual number of people was much higher than what he saw from outside the gate. They gathered in groups of twos or threes, discussing Elder Li¡¯s state in low voices.


    Han Li had already heard that Elder Li was a good-natured person in the Seven Mysteries Sect. Regardless if one was a lower-ranked disciple or an esteemed colleague, he rarely got angry with anyone, nor did he scramble for power and profit in the sect. As a result, many figures in the sect, both the important and the insignificant, had nothing but compliments for the old man, causing his popularity to be very high. Not that Elder Li was suffering from an poison-induced illness, everyone with high status in the sect would eventually pay their respects either personally or through a representative. Not a single person failed to do so regardless if their reason for coming was heartfelt or hypocritic.As a result, the courtyard soon became filled by a throng of people.


    Once Han Li came in, he was recognized by the people in the courtyard. The lowest Protectors immediately surrounded him, each striving to be the first to greet him


    ¡°How are you, Medicinal God Han?!¡±


    ¡°Doctor Han came!¡±


    A wave of well-wishing rang out and continuously battered his hears. Even if he didn¡¯t want to hear the endless noise, he had no choice but to endure.


    Seeing these faces brimming with enthusiasm, Han Li similarly showed a bright smile that did not lose to the crowd in terms of splendor. However, although he appeared to be extremely courteous, he was actually sick of false pleasantries.


    Fortunately, those with high status, such as the Vice Sect Leaders and Consecrated Elders, implicitly nodded their heads in Han Li¡¯s direction, showing their acknowledgement of his arrival without making a move to approach him.


    Seeing that they did not make it uncomfortable for Han Li by making him greet them, Han Li had a good impression about these esteemed individuals.


    Because of Ma Rong¡¯s low status, he was unable to anything besides stand to the side with a look of concern. As the Protectors tried to get closer to Han Li with their constant stream of pleasantries, Ma Rong¡¯s face revealed worry while both of his bands rubbed against each other nonstop.


    Finally, after Han Li finished greeting the last person, Ma Rong couldn¡¯t wait any longer and immediately rushed forward, grabbing Han Li¡¯s arm with one hand and charging straight into the house. This rude and impetuous action angered a few people who wished to get on good terms with Medicinal God Han, revealing a bit of their displeasure.


    On the outside Han Li had a forced smile, but he was actually quite pleased with Ma Rong¡¯s decision. This way, he could finally get rid of those incessantly annoying people without having to offend anyone.


    With a sense of urgency, Han Li was pulled into living room by Ma Rong.


    There were not very many people inside, except a few family members and two Elders. Sect Leader Ma was also there, but what surprised Han Li the most was that Li Feiyu was also inside the room.


    Han Li was shocked. According to what he knew, there was no relationship between Li Feiyu and Elder Li, so why did he showed here?


    Just as his stomach was about to burst with questions, Han Li noticed that Senior Disciple Li was comforting a petite girl with tears flowing down her face. Li Feiyu¡¯s highly focused expression was laced with traces of emotion, a look that was very different from the one he usually showed to his fellow disciples.


    Looking at Li Feiyu¡¯s enamoured appearance, Han Li suddenly realized what was going on. Startled, he couldn¡¯t help but think that it was extremely funny.


    Han Li promptly and carefully scrutinized the young lady¡¯s appearance, wanting to see just what kind of beauty could make Li Feiyu disregard everything for the sake of love.


    The young lady looked to be around fifteen to sixteen years of age and was wearing a jasper hairpin. In addition, she wore a lotus green dress, giving the originally sweet and pleasant facial features a naughty and mischievous air. Despite of this, her two eyes were swollen red, making her seem lovely yet pathetic. Her dejected appearance gave people an urge to lovingly bring her into a hugging embrace.


    ¡°Zeze! She really is one fair young lady.¡± Han Li exclaimed for several moments in his heart, thinking that Li Feiyu falling under this lady¡¯s love snare was pardonable. In his heart, there was still a trace of envy and jealousy, not knowing when he himself would also be able to have an intimate companion.


    Maybe it was because he realized that Han Li was studying this young lady, but Ma Rong was quick to introduce everyone within the house to Han Li in order for him to establish a sense of familiarity.


    Sect Leader Ma and a white faced Elder Qian whom Han Li had saw before naturally did not need any introductions, and he immediately took the initiative to step forward to check the body.


    ¡°Greetings Sect Leader Ma, Elder Qian!


    ¡°Hehe! The young Doctor Han has arrived!¡± Sect Leader Ma acted as if he were Han Li¡¯s close friend, almost as if there was no difference between their status.


    ¡°Doctor Han is Doctor Han, why do you have to mention the word ¡®young¡¯?¡± Han Li silently curse within his heart in disagreement with Sect Leader Ma¡¯s phrase.


    On the other hand, Elder Qian¡¯s attitude was cold and detached. He merely nodded his head, acting in complete opposite to Sect Leader Ma. Han Li was not offended by Elder Qian¡¯s indifference, since he knew that Elder Qian practiced a special cultivation method that required him to sever his feelings and desires, causing him to treat everyone with the same cold and indifferent attitude.


    In addition to Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian, there was another tall, sturdy, and red-faced Elder with whom Han Li wasn¡¯t familiar with. This Elder¡¯s palms were rough and coarse, and all ten of his short fingers were thick and solid; from this, it was evident from a single glance that this Elder trained in a special martial art.


    ¡°This is Elder Zhao, my master¡¯s close friend. His previously job was to supervise the Treasure Gathering Division outside the mountain. He just came back two days ago.¡± Ma Rong said while introducing the Elder to Han Li.


    Towards Han Li, Elder Zhao was neither cold nor warm. He made an ¡°en¡± sound with his nose, not saying a word, but the doubt in his eyes was evident. He clearly didn¡¯t trust the invited Medicinal God Han¡¯s skills due to his young age.


    Since Elder Zhao didn¡¯t seem to have a favorable attitude towards him, Han Li would naturally not take the initiative to fawn over Elder Zhao. Following Elder Zhao¡¯s example, Han Li used a flat tone to give his respects, then tried his best to avoid the other person. (TL: The original raw Chinese was ¡°attach himself onto the other person¡¯s hot buttock¡±


    (A message from the author of ¡°A Record of a Mortal¡¯s Journey to Immortality¡±) Tomorrow I will bring myself together and amend all the unreasonable areas the readers have brought to my attention, so I can only release one chapter today. I hope that the readers will forgive me! I will strive to make this book even more amazing than it currently is. Thank you all for your patience!

 Chapter 70

    Instigation


    It was obvious that Sect Leader Ma sensed the pair¡¯s animosity. Not only was he not worried, his face revealed a hint of a cheerful look.


    ¡°Even though young Doctor Han is of a young age, his medicinal skills can be said to have reached perfection. I believe that under Doctor Han¡¯s care, Elder Li can rise from the brink of death,¡± he suddenly said, praising Han Li¡¯s medicinal abilities.


    ¡°Really? With him being so young, is his medicinal expertise that exceptional? Well, I don¡¯t really believe you. Don¡¯t tell me that his medicinal knowledge is even better than Doctor Mo¡¯s medicinal knowledge!¡±


    After hearing these words, a few family members became at a loss, unsure of what to do.


    They didn¡¯t want to place Elder Li¡¯s fate in Han Li¡¯s hands, nor did they even hope that this little medicinal god could cure the poison and save his life!


    To open their mouths to refute Elder Zhao¡¯s words also did not seem appropriate; the party in question was Elder Li¡¯s friend and also an Elder in the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    ¡°Hehe! Elder Zhao is not aware that little Doctor Han is Doctor Mo¡¯s proud disciple, and his medicinal expertise already far surpasses that of Doctor Mo.¡± Vice Sect Leader secretly smirked, adding firewood to the fire.


    ¡°Even if this little boy of about years of age started learning when he was still in his mother¡¯s womb, how exceptional can his medicinal expertise be? I still won¡¯t believe you unless I personally see it with my own eyes,¡± said Elder Zhao, shaking his head like a palm-leaf fan. He was still unwilling to directly criticize Han Li and thus fall under Vice Sect Leader¡¯s trap by offending someone whom he shouldn¡¯t have offended. Elder Zhao might have seemed like a rude and impetuous individual, but regardless of his attitude, he was not a fool who would rashly insult another member of the sect without confirming the identity of the person he was judging. After all, he had been able to hold the high status of an Elder and maintain this position.


    In response, Han Li rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, ¡®Why do I need to prove to you whether my medical skills are good enough?¡¯ He knew that Sect Leader Ma intentionally drew out this response, but Han Li still felt a bit depressed.


    It was very apparent that this Elder Zhao and Sect Leader Ma were not of the same faction and even had a bit of a hostile relationship.


    ¡°The Mixed Circular Palm that Elder Zhao practices in has been trained to perfection. Its might is boundless!¡± Sect Leader Ma said. Seeing Han Li look displeased with Elder Zhao, Sect Leader Ma felt the joy within his heart become even stronger, making him uncontrollably cry out random and strange phrases.


    ¡°Heng! How can it compare to Sect Leader Ma¡¯s highly polished Mysterious Yin Finger?¡± It seemed that Elder Zhao did not care for the other¡¯s identity as a Vice Sect Master. Deadpanned and with no traces of politeness, Vice Sect Master Ma retaliated with a phrase of his own.


    ¡°Haha! Elder Zhao has wrongly praised me.¡±


    It was evident that Sect Leader Ma a type of person who hid knives within their smiles. He did not really mind Elder Zhao¡¯s sarcastic tone, smiling as he calmly received the other¡¯s false compliment.


    This was not the first time Elder Zhao had faced this type of situation, nor could he do anything about it. He could only shut his mouth, unwilling to nag with his thick-skinned opponent. He inwardly felt that there was something he couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around concerning the other¡¯s words.


    Even though Sect Leader Ma was not in the same faction as Elder Zhao, this was the first time they had revealed the conflicts of the upper echelons in front of so many juniors. It was unknown whether there were any tricks involved.


    As he listened to the two opposing parties exchanging harsh words, Han Li¡¯s expression did not change in the least as he pretended to be ignorant and unknowing of everything. But within his heart, he knew that Sect Leader Ma was once again trying to instigate a rift in the relationship between Han Li and Elder Zhao.


    Sect Leader Ma had been indirectly attacking his opponents with words ever since he met Han Li, trying to rope this highly skilled medicinal god into his faction, thus expanding his influence.


    However, Han Li had never even considered joining the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s internal struggle for power.


    It was not because he was intentionally aloof from political and material pursuits or that he was arrogant, but because ever since he came into contact with Doctor Mo, Yu Zhitong and similar people of high status, his aspirations were a lot higher, especially since he learned two different types of spells. He already viewed the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s internal struggle with minimal importance.


    Although Han Li was not weak, he did not want to offend those of a higher status. It was for this reason that he chose to avoid giving a clear reply, neither accepting nor declining the invitations from the upper echelon.


    Just like that, it was Sect Leader Ma¡¯s turn to have endless headaches.


    Even though Han Li¡¯s profound medicinal skills made it so that he could act stubbornly, Han Li was dragging out his response for too long of a period, making Sect Leader Ma extremely frustrated. To this day, Han Li had still refused to join his faction, nor had he given a direct answer.


    But in order to prevent Han Li from entering other factions, Sect Leader Ma had to do his best to ruin the relationship between Han Li and the other upper echelon members, inciting disharmony. Whether these childish tactics were effective or not, Han Li did not know, but up until today it was the first time that an upper level faction had annoyed him greatly.


    Right now, Sect Leader Ma was doing his best to undermine Han Li¡¯s opinion of Elder Zhao, presumably wanting him to have no good memories of this Elder.


    Ma Rong, noticing the start of a c*ckfight, felt a bit of panic within his heart and hurriedly continued his introductions.


    ¡°This is my master¡¯s wife, Li Shi.¡± He began by pointing at a middle aged woman who had some resemblance to the young lady.


    ¡°This is¡­..¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡­¡±


    The young lady by Li Feiyu¡¯s side was introduced last. Her name was Zhang Xiuer. Unexpectedly, she was Elder Li¡¯s niece.


    When he introduced Li Feiyu, the other intentionally pretended to not recognize Han Li, revealing a cool, unapproachable appearance. This made Ma Rong, who had initiated the introductions himself, feel awkward; he hurriedly whispered an explanation to Han Li, saying:


    ¡°Protector Li has always been like this. This is his normal temperament and is not specifically directed at you, Doctor Han, so please do not take this personally.¡±


    Han Li smiled slightly, knowing that Li Feiyu did not want to reveal their relationship in front of so many people.


    ¡°His demeanor means nothing to me. I would not lower myself by begging for attention from other people. Right now, it is better to look at Elder Li¡¯s condition than to waste time by arguing! Saving lives is more important.¡± Han Li intentionally made a dismissive comment toward Li Feiyu.


    Ma Rong, upon hearing this, put his heart at ease and invited everybody into the bedroom of the sick patient.


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s statement, Li Feiyu¡¯s lips twitched a bit, appearing nonchalant. When everyone turned their bodies, he suddenly made a funny face towards Han Li¡¯s direction then quickly returned to his normal appearance, making it seem as if nothing had happened.


    Han Li strongly resisted his urge to smile. Soon after, he closely followed Senior Disciple Li¡¯s footsteps, coming up to the front of Elder Li¡¯s bed.


    Upon seeing the facial features of the person on the bed, the normally bold Han Li couldn¡¯t help but suck in a cold breath. Now he finally understood why the other doctors were not willing to prescribe medicine.


    Right now, the originally benign-faced Senior Elder Li remained unconscious, but there were spots of poison, the size of copper coins, extending from his face to his neck region and from his hands to his legs. Each spot of poison appeared to be different from the others because they varied in a plethora of abnormally bright colors. Everyone who saw them became visibly apprehensive. What was even more problematic for Han Li was that Elder Li¡¯s lips were greenish black and his facial features were enshrouded in a layer of dark air. This meant that the poison was in its late stages, thus making the complex task of saving Elder Li¡¯s small life more difficult.

 Chapter 71

    Pure Spirit Powder


    Han Li locked his eyebrows and remained quiet.


    He had just finished taking Elder Li¡¯s pulse and examining his tongue and pupils. He made a cursory decision that this poison was a blend of different poisons, the same as the Aromatic Coiling Silk he had used before. Han Li didn¡¯t have the ability to remove the poison by targeting one type of poison at a time. He could only try to use the Pure Spirit Powder and other unorthodox methods.


    Thinking about this, Han Li secretly cursed the other doctors who didn¡¯t have the courage to remove the poison and pretended to look like they were investigating, thus leaving him with this difficult problem.


    After a moment, Elder Zhao could not hold back anymore and asked:


    ¡°You small child! Can you save Elder Li or not? Say something!¡±


    ¡°Elder Zhao, you are too impatient. Can¡¯t you see that Doctor Han is trying to think of a solution? Be more patient!¡± Before Han Li answered, Sect Leader Ma, who was standing nearby, once again pretended to be Han Li¡¯s ally and taunted Elder Zhao.


    Elder Zhao stared and opened his mouth as if to say something, but Han Li didn¡¯t wait for him to start talking. He gave a slight cough, halting further conversation.


    Han Li¡¯s cough raised a surprised look from the people inside the house. At this moment, Han Li remembered that he was only slightly over ten years old, but he, albeit somewhat comically, coughed like a old man. The irony of the situation, however, didn¡¯t matter. He had completed his goal and didn¡¯t want to listen to the pair¡¯s argument anymore.


    ¡°This is a blend of different poison, which makes it very troublesome to remove. I can¡¯t promise that I can completely remove this poison, but I can try. The process of removing the poison is risky, and it may even hasten Elder Li¡¯s death. Do you still want me to proceed?¡± Han Li pretended to be awkward and finished his statement.


    For him, it was better to not take the effort to remove the poison seeing that his chances of succeeding were not very favorable.


    Han Li¡¯s words made the family members look at each other. No one dared to agree and let him immediately start removing the poison, but they knew that other than Han Li, no other doctor would be capable of curing Elder Li.


    After a while, Elder Li¡¯s wife, Lady Li, suddenly asked:


    ¡°Doctor Han, what is your rate of success for saving my husband?¡±


    ¡°Fifty percent,¡± Han Li said without hesitating.


    ¡°Very well. Doctor Han, please do your best to save him. If anything happens to my husband, it will be because of the will of Heaven. I will never resent you, Doctor Han.¡± Lady Li showed no hesitation, making up her mind so decisively in a manner that Han Li didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re not going to reconsider?I think it¡¯s incredibly risky considering that this doctor is very young!¡± Elder Zhao grew slightly anxious and wanted to dissuade Lady Li from being overly impulsive.


    ¡°I¡¯ve considered it thoroughly. If Doctor Han doesn¡¯t remove the poison, my husband will not live past tonight. Why not take the risk and try even if there¡¯s only a fifty percent chance of success?¡± Lady Li put her head down and said softly.


    ¡°This¡­..¡± Elder Zhao could not reply with even a single word.


    Han Li briefly glanced at the other individuals and seeing how they did not oppose Lady Li¡¯s decision, he removed a green porcelain bottle from his medicinal bag. From within the bottle, he took out a red medicinal pill.


    ¡°Someone bring a bowl of warm water, dissolve this pill within the water, and have Elder Li drink it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± A clear and melodious voice rang out before Han Li finished speaking.


    Right after answering, the red-eyed Zhang Xiuer, who had been previously standing to the side, started walking out.


    Li Feiyu stared distractedly before following her out. This caused Han Li to not help but feel unbridled disdain towards Li Feiyu.


    A moment later, Zhang Xiuer walked in with a helpless face, both hands empty. Li Feiyu followed closely behind, carefully holding a small white porcelain bowl.


    The crowd within the room, upon watching this scene, couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of a smile within their hearts. Their faces revealed the happiness of watching a good show, making Zhang Xiuer¡¯s face blush and give forth a rosy red halo. Her hands rubbed against each other, revealing the appearance of a helpless and humble daughter.


    Zhang Xiuer¡¯s reactions lowered the nervous atmosphere in the room, easing the tension within their hearts.


    Li Feiyu straightforwardly gave the bowl to Lady Li.


    ¡°Doctor Han, please verify whether this bowl of water will suffice.¡± Lady Li turned her head to ask for Han Li¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°It will do.¡±


    Han Li swept his eyes over the white bowl. He then took the bowl with a single hand and threw the medicinal pill into the water. In a blink of an eye, the entire bowl of water was dyed with a red color.


    ¡°Have Elder Li drink this immediately. Women are more careful, so it will be better if you accept the task.¡± Han Li stretched out his hand and the bowl towards Lady Li.


    Lady Li hurriedly agreed, not daring to decline Han Li¡¯s request.


    To her, every single one of Han Li¡¯s words affect her husband¡¯s life, so how could she not listen attentively?


    ¡°Just what is this medicine?¡± The wide eyed Elder Zhao asked with trepidation, voicing the question everyone in the room wanted to know as he looked at Lady Li pour the big bowl of medicinal water into Elder Li¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°This is a type of antidote that I personally concocted. Hopefully, it will be effective against the poison within Elder Li¡¯s body,¡± answered Han Li, downplaying his profound medicine.


    He did not want other people to know of the Pure Spirit Powder¡¯s existence. It would be better for him to keep a low profile so that this spiritual elixir would not bring him a headache.


    After the time it takes to eat a meal, the veil of dark air covering Elder Li¡¯s face began to recede, gradually turning light. The spots of poison on his body turned from dark to light and started to shrink.


    With these obvious changes, even an outsider would be able to tell that the poison in Elder Li¡¯s body was progressively being eliminated, pushing Elder Li on the path of recovery.


    After seeing this, the people within this room couldn¡¯t help but feel their faces beam with happiness as they looked at Han Li in a whole new light. Only Elder Zhao was unable to completely wipe away his view towards Han Li, using his nose to make a soft ¡°heng¡± noise, but his expression had softened quite a bit.


    Seeing how he had not taken any other steps to alleviate the poison and yet it was already vanishing, even Han Li was startled.


    The effectiveness of the Pure Spirit Powder completely exceeded his expectations. His next thought was that perhaps the poison afflicting Elder Li had not been as impressive as he thought it was.


    Seeing these positive developments, Han Li had some concerns, and there were two reasons why.


    The first reason was that he had just said that the process of counteracting the poison would contain some risks, but the poison ended up easily dispelled. The others might think that he had intentionally tricked them. Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as slapping himself on the face?


    Secondly, if the Pure Spirit Powder was so effective in dispelling poison, how come it couldn¡¯t treat the poison within his own body? This made him feel even more anger and concern regarding the poison within his body.

 Chapter 72

    Removing Poison


    Han Li secretly cursed, but he silently maintained the smile on his face. In order to maintain his image as a medicinal god, he had to act as if he had planned everything in advance.


    Han Li¡¯s calm appearance helped him deceive those who were present, letting them believe that the efficiency of the medicinal pill was within his expectations and making them feel more admiration towards him.


    Sect Leader Ma smiled very cheerfully and lightheartedly, showing a sense of pride as if Han Li was already his subordinate. He was currently the one who was the most likely to gain Han Li¡¯s support, and as a result, he laughed as joyously and freely as he did.


    But not long after, the situation took a drastic change.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Zhang Xiuer cried out in fear.


    ¡°The black air on Uncle¡¯s face is resurfacing.¡±


    These words caused everyone to become startled. A few of them gathered impulsively around Elder Li to take a closer look at him. Elder Zhao was among them.


    Upon hearing Zhang Xiuer, Han Li felt his heart pause momentarily, but he did not immediately join the crowed. Instead, he stiffly moved closer to the front of the bed.


    Lady Li was a meticulous lady with a sharp perception, and she hurriedly called out for two juniors to move away from the bed and make room for Medicinal God Han so that he could make a diagnosis.


    Han Li, seeing that there was a space near the bedside, calmly walked up to carefully investigate the situation.


    Approximately after the length of time for half a stick of incense to burn, Han Li was positive that the poison had not been completely removed, leaving behind a faint and indistinct black air on Elder Li¡¯s face.


    Having reached the final verdict, Han Li slightly turned his head to glance at Zhang Xiuer, thinking that this young lady had made a fuss over nothing.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze contains a bit of disapproval that was discovered by Li Feiyu, who had been constantly staring at Zhang Xiuer. He returned Han Li¡¯s glance, unwilling to allow Han Li to offend the goddess of his heart.


    Han Li was speechless. It seemed that once Li Feiyu fell to the snares of love, he would value his beloved over his friends.


    Han Li returned his composure and continued to scrutinize Elder Li¡¯s condition, refusing to be nagged by a simpleton of a man who had been easily swayed by a woman.


    Aside from the remaining black air on Elder Li¡¯s face, the spots of poison on his body, upon reaching the size of a soybean, maintained their size instead of continuing to grow even smaller. Due to the remaining poison in his body, Elder Li still remained unconscious.


    Seeing the current situation, Han Li knew that he might finally be able to use his backup plan and not have to worry about the lies he told. It was just the right time to demonstrate his own foresight.


    ¡°Fetch a basin full of clear water,¡± Han Li said with an unquestionable tone.


    This time, the task did not fall upon Zhang Xiuer. Ma Rong rushed out before anyone could respond.


    Han Li turned around and solemnly said to Elder Qian and Sect Leader Ma:


    ¡°Next, I will need two people to help me, using their inner strength to force the poison within Elder Li¡¯s body to move towards a few key acupoints. I will then use an acupuncture needle technique to release the blood and detoxify the poison, forcing the poison out of his body. Will you two will be able to handle it?¡±


    Sect Leader Ma¡¯s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but he still agreed; Elder Qian, on the other hand, coldly nodded his head and agreed in a straightforward manner.


    ¡°Why do you have to specifically use those two people, am I not qualified to help?¡± Elder Zhao asked unhappily, believing that Han Li had underestimated him.


    Han Li silently sighed, knowing that he had to clearly explain to this obstinate man.


    ¡°The Mixed Circular Hand that Elder Zhao practices should be based on external martial art techniques! Thus, regarding the purity of inner strength, I believe that Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian are much more suitable.¡± Han Li said in a patient, warm tone.


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡±


    Towards Han Li¡¯s tactful reply, Elder Zhao was at a loss for words.


    Han Li no longer felt any resentment towards this buffoon and spoke to the rest of the people in the room with a commanding tone:


    ¡°Aside from Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian, everyone please step outside for now. The method to remove the poison from Elder Li is not suitable for people to watch. It requires absolute silence, so we must not be disturbed by others.¡±


    Once Han Li finished speaking, his words made the people in the room feel foolish. Lady Li was the first to understand as she respectfully said a single phrase, ¡°I leave my husband in your care.¡± She was the first to discreetly leave the room.


    With Lady Li as an example, the others, regardless of whether they were willing or not, could only return one by one back to the living room.


    After Ma Rong brought back a basin of clear water, Han Li immediately hurried him out and tightly closed the door room, leaving a crowd of confused people looking at each other in dismay outside the room.


    A quarter of an hour passed by, but the door had yet to open. Even though the only obstacle separating the crowd from the interior of the room was a door, not even a single sound was heard from within.


    This peculiar silence caused the crowd of people, who was waiting for news, to be irritable and restless. A trace of a shadow wordlessly crept into everyone¡¯s hearts; even Lady Li, who initially appeared to be calm, had some hints of restlessness, not to mention the fiery-tempered Elder Zhao, who had paced the living room back and forth countless of times.


    Just when the people in the living room had completely lost all their patience, the room door opened with a ¡°GaZhi¡± sound.


    The crowd reflexively shifted their gaze for a moment, converging their eyes at the same place. The atmosphere immediately became heavy while containing a bit of anxiety.


    Han Li calmly walked out. His weariness was evident on his face, but when he saw the crowd of people and their intense stares, he revealed a small smile.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. The remainder of the poison has been completely removed, and after a good night¡¯s rest, Elder Li will regain consciousness some time tomorrow.¡±


    Han Li said these words with great confidence. In reality he himself did not think that the removal of the poison would proceed so smoothly with not even the slightest complication.


    After hearing these words, Lady Li and the others revealed a smile one by one,their originally depressing attitudes completely swept away. Several impulsive people wanted to barge in and take a look, but Han Li stretched out a hand and stopped them all.


    ¡°Elder Li¡¯s body is currently very weak and it is best that avoid too many people or loud noises to expedite the expulsion of the poison. Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian have expended a great deal of inner strength, and are currently re-adjusting their breathing. I think that the less people enter, the better. The best case scenario would be if Lady Li were the only one who could enter,¡± Han Li told Lady Li solemnly.


    After hearing these news, Lady Li could not possibly have any other thought. She swiftly nodded her head and could not help but express her thanks to Han Li. She soon rushed into the room by herself in order to see her husband with her own eyes.

 Chapter 73

    Li Feiyu¡¯s Thoughts


    Upon entering the house, Lady Li smelled a strong odor and saw Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian sitting cross-legged in front of the bed with their eyes closed and in the process of harmonizing their breathing.


    In the space between the two people, a basin of black blood emitted a horrid stench


    According to Han Li, their faces were a bit pale due to the large amount of energy that they had expended for the sake of treating Elder Li.


    Lady Li¡¯s heart was suddenly filled with gratitude towards the two men.


    Although she did not know any martial arts, from what she had just seen and heard, she knew better than to bother the two people and quickly slowed down her steps, lightly approaching the front of the bed and looking towards the person lying in the bed sheets.


    She only saw Elder Li sleeping soundly on the bed. The painful look between his brows had completely disappeared, although his face still looked greenish-yellow. The black Qi was gone, and the poison spots on the body also disappeared, leaving behind tiny scars that were nearly invisible to the human eye.


    Seeing that the poison had almost been completely removed, Lady Li couldn¡¯t help but cry out in joy


    A moment later, she wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. She remembered that she should go back and thank Han Li again, and thus she promptly gathered herself and quietly walked back to the living room. Once she stepped out of Elder Li¡¯s room, she was immediately surrounded by people who assaulted her with rounds of questions that never ended, so she did not have the chance to see Han Li.


    She couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the fact that Han Li was absent, so she hurriedly asked Ma Rong and the other people where he had gone.


    After listening to their reply, Lady Li realized that Han Li had prescribed a rejuvenating drug before leaving nimbly excusing himself, not staying a moment longer.


    After hearing this, Lady Li was speechless for quite a while, but within her heart she had already made a firm decision. She decided that once Elder Li¡¯s body recovered, the couple, husband and wife, must personally pay a visit to Han Li and give a large sum of money in thanks for saving Elder Li¡¯s life.


    Lady Li did not notice that within the room, aside from medicinal god Han Li, there was another person missing. Li Feiyu had left instead of staying around Zhang Xiuer like a constant shadow


    On the side of some obscure small road, Han Li, who had recently left Elder Li¡¯s house, was laying on the grass with his hands under his head, relaxing under a lush and dense tree.


    Just when he had finished counting to a thousand, a black shadow suddenly pounced on his body. He became very aggressive, as if he was deeply annoyed by the disturbance.


    ¡°Hey! Stop messing around! How come every time we meet, you always try to jump me? I¡¯m not Zhang Xiuer!¡±


    After Han Li finished speaking, the black shadow nimbly turned around in midair, landing on Han Li¡¯s side as light as a feather, his posture was elegant to the extreme. It was precisely Li Feiyu who had followed him.


    ¡°Han Li, wouldn¡¯t that dark and swarthy appearance of yours be completely shamed when compared to lady Zhang Xiuer?¡±


    After hearing his words, Li Feiyu was irritated. and gently lifted his right toe to poke at Han Li¡¯s buttocks in a reprimanding manner.


    Hearing his response, Han Li rolled his eyes and smoothly stood up.


    ¡°It seems that our Senior Disciple Li values his beloved over his friends. I trully am not prudent when it comes to making friends!¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense, what did you call me out for? You have to know that I finally found a rare opportunity to get close to Zhang Xiuer, but I¡¯m wasting it by meeting with you! If you can¡¯t say something worthwhile, then don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to get away with it!¡±  Li Feiyu appeared to be distraught and deeply angered by Han Li because he was randomly called out.


    ¡°Did I call you out? How come even I did not know of it? Did I personally say it?¡± Han Li intentionally pretended to be shocked by exaggerating his surprise.


    ¡°When you came out of the room, you winked at me. Only a blind man wouldn¡¯t have seen it. Stop beating around the bush. If you have nothing to say, then I truly must return.¡± Li Feiyu turned around if he wanted to leave, preventing Han Li from being able to tell whether or not his attitude was a bluff.


    Han Li did not plan to continue teasing his friend. His expression suddenly changed as he sternly told Li Feiyu, ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for being meddlesome. As your friend, I want to confirm something. Does Zhang Xiuer know that you are taking the Essence Extraction Pill and that you only have a few years left to live?¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Li Feiyu turned silent. His face became deadly pale, without a visible hint of blood.


    Han Li sighed softly, knowing that he did not need to ask any further. The answer was evident in Li Feiyu¡¯s expression alone.


    ¡°Why must you always interfere with my affairs!¡± Li Feiyu¡¯s expression was extremely sorrowful, finally speaking after a long, agonizing pause.


    Han Li did not reply to Li Feiyu¡¯s question; instead, he softly patted the other¡¯s shoulder, trying to console him.


    ¡°You must have heard before that if you invest too much in this kind of relationship, your sorrows will only grow.¡± Han Li finally spoke what was on his mind after Li Feiyu had somewhat calmed down. He phrased this with a wise tone, making Li Feiyu pause for a moment.


    ¡°I am trying to pull you out of the trap before you fall too deep so that you will suffer less pain in the future,¡± Han Li warmly said, supplementing his words.


    Li Feiyu looked at Han Li with a strange look in his eyes.


    ¡°What, do you have a problem?¡± Asked Han Li. He was disturbed by Li Feiyu¡¯s gaze and hurriedly looked at him up and down.


    ¡°You little brat, how old are you that you can speak this way? Why do you speak as if you were an old, rosy hand when it comes to relationships? Don¡¯t tell me that you have already experienced the love of a woman?¡± Li Feiyu suddenly opened his mouth to ask.


    ¡°Of course not, these words come from reading books. I think they are very reasonable, so I used them to explain things to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So it¡¯s like that, I say! How can a presentable man with an unrestrained and natural appearance like me know less about matters of the heart? Do I need your lengthy criticism? Our relationship exists only in my mind!¡± Li Feiyu released a lengthy sigh, continuously patting his own chest as if he had received a big scare.


    Han Li was speechless. Wasn¡¯t this fool¡¯s recovery way too quick? He was just talking about living and dying, and in the blink of an eye, he was once again laughing like an idiot, still an emotional person.


    But Han Li was stubborn as a mule and asked, ¡°Are you really giving up on Zhang Xiuer? You won¡¯t take action when you see her in another¡¯s embrace?¡±


    Li Feiyu¡¯s giddy appearance immediately turned extremely cold. Filled with killing intent, he declared, ¡°I will chop off the hand of anyone who dares to touch Zhang Xiuer!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the things that happen after I die, but as long as I¡¯m alive, Lady Zhang Xiuer belongs to me.¡± The tone of his words could turn anyone into solid ice.

 Chapter 74

    Imperial Flight Technique.


    Chapter 74: Imperial Flight Technique


    Han Li looked at Li Feiyu¡¯s domineering face with respect and remained silent, not knowing what to say.


    Suddenly, Li Feiyu¡¯s imposing air was abruptly retracted, returning him back to his jovial self. He suddenly winked his eye at Han Li and loudly said:


    ¡°What do you think? Wasn¡¯t my imposing air realistic? Wasn¡¯t it overflowing with such an air of dominance, a formidable quality, that it made you admire me to the point of prostrating yourself in admiration, immediately resolving your heart to vow your loyalty and devotion to me?¡±


    Hearing these arrogant words, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but laugh bitterly because he was actually moved by the Li Feiyu¡¯s resolute words. However, Li Feiyu¡¯s last words immediately reverted him to his true colors.


    Han Li harshly stared at him for a short moment and gnashed his teeth together before saying, ¡°Formidable character? I see you¡¯re more like a coward!¡±


    Li Feiyu did not mind this harsh criticism; instead, he started laughing loudly in a very carefree manner, apparently very happy that he could manipulate Han Li in this way. However, Han Li slowly recovered his composure, and while Li Feiyu was still laughing, he indifferently said:


    ¡°I have already reminded about your predicament, which you clearly understood. Now, I will solemnly ask you once again. Would you be willing to dispell your martial arts? If you do, I might still be able to prolong your life for a few more years, enabling you to live with Zhang Xiuer for a longer period of time. Will you truly not consider this option?¡±


    Li Feiyu¡¯s laughter suddenly choked to a stop. His face deepened and his eyes fiercely pierced into Han Li, who closed his mouth.


    But Han Li¡¯s expression remained the same and did not falter in returning his gaze. After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Li Feiyu retracted the penetrative gaze from his eyes. His complexion returned to a much better state.


    ¡°Han Li, I have already told you that I will definitely not consider voluntarily discarding my martial arts. I know that you are looking out for me, but don¡¯t mention this again, alright?¡± he said with a unyielding attitude. His words containing a beseeching tone.


    ¡°Moreover, do you think that Zhang Xiuer will be able to look up to me if I became a mediocre person without the strength to even win against a chicken?¡± Li Feiyu asked with a mocking tone.


    Han Li was speechless. He turned his head to one side, and his eyes followed the small road that Li Feiyu had come from. After calmly looking around for a moment, he opened his mouth to say:


    ¡°Since you have already made your decision, then I will no longer try to persuade you otherwise. Hurry up, you should leave right now; hopefully, you and Lady Zhang Xiuer can become a happy couple.¡±


    At Han Li¡¯s words, Li Feiyu¡¯s face was immediately covered in a smile. He strongly patted Han Li¡¯s shoulder several times.


    ¡°Good, brother, these are the kinds of words that I love to hear. As of today, they are also the words that make me the happiest. I will be leaving first.¡±


    With a few leaps, he disappeared down a small road, his silhouette vanishing without a trace.


    ¡°Oh, how it aches!¡± Han Li quickly grabbed at his shoulder. Li Feiyu¡¯s multiple slaps had secretly contained Inner Strength, making his shoulder immediately swell until it looked like a small red bun. This time, his suffering was not small.


    ¡°This fool actually used Inner Strength to retaliate just because I poked at his sore spot,¡± Han Li thought, grimacing in pain while fishing out a medicinal paste. He took off his upper garment to spread the paste across his shoulder to heal his injury.


    ¡°Sigh! It is with great difficulty that I finally do a good deed, but this is how I end up. I really am not suited to doing good deeds! I should probably get back to comprehending my magic techniques! The next time I see him, I¡¯ll get my revenge for this incident,¡± Han Li thought with a hint of annoyance.


    After a long stretch of time had passed, Han Li turned 18 years old.


    In this period of time, the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Feral Wolf Gang had continued fighting until they finally declared war on each other.


    Since then, several small skirmishes and big clashes had broken out at the border between the two powerhouses. All of the disciples, including Han Li, were affected by these battles, making Han Li feel endless sorrow and grief.


    The large clock outside the valley rang out more frequently than usual as a result of the increased number of injuries, giving Han Li the opportunity to practice quite a few difficult medicinal techniques, causing him to have great progress in his medicinal expertise.


    But even with Han Li¡¯s magical hands that seemed able to bring the dead back to life, there were still quite a few high ranking sect members who had succumbed to their injuries. They either died in the battlefield or on the way back from the front lines, not even giving Han Li the slightest opportunity to save their lives.


    It was also because of this that both sides revealed their young prodigies, who assumed the positions of their fallen comrades.


    These talented youths included Wusha Sanying Erbao from the Feral Wolf Gang and Jie Shuangxiong from the Seven Mysteries Sect. Li Feiyu was also included among these talented youths because he had personally beheaded Zi Yizhang, thus obtaining the revered position of Division Head of the External Blade Division. Li Feiyu could already be considered as a person of high authority. His relationship with Zhang Xiuer was also progressing rapidly, already to the point where marriage discussions were held.


    Aware of the upcoming marriage, Han Li could only sigh. Who could know whether what Li Feiyu was doing was right? After all, he was not Li Feiyu nor had Han Li walked in his shoes. Thus, Han Li was incapable of making a decision regarding Li Feiyu¡¯s course of actions


    But thinking back, Han Li would not have had the courage to seek for his loved one¡¯s hand in marriage while knowing that his death was imminent.


    As a result, Han Li could only pretend to be deaf and mute. He was aware that no matter how close he was to Li Feiyu, there were some lines he could not cross. Li Feiyu was his good friend, so of course Han Li had to be considerate of his choices.


    Additionally, an extremely important matter recently occurred, forcing him to divert a large portion of his attention.


    Through countless failures, Han Li finally learned how to use the ¡°Imperial Flight Technique¡±.


    The Imperial Flight Technique was similar to Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique. Both of them were supplementary techniques and could only be performed on one¡¯s own body instead of on others¡¯. However, its practical use was better than Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique by a substantial amount.


    After using Imperial Flight Technique, Han Li felt his body become as light as a swallow. Just by lightly tapping his toe on the ground, he was able to flash by several tens of feet without expending the slightest effort. In addition, the high speed sensation of rushing through the air was so addicting that Han Li would wildly run around the valley five or six times on a daily basis. Aside from his small addiction, he became an expert of Qinggong. (TL: Qinggong is a Chinese martial arts technique that involves running up a plank supported against a wall. In wuxia, the practitioner is eventually able to walk over water and travel as light as a feather, etc. For more information, here is a wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinggong)


    Of course, this acceleration was different from acceleration achieved by using the technique ¡°Shifting Smoke Steps¡±. Shifting Smoke Steps was the sect¡¯s secret technique that made the impossible possible by using a copious amount of power to increase speed within a short distance. This kind of movement technique could only reveal its greatest potential in narrow spaces.


    In contrast, Imperial Flight Technique gradually used magic power in small amounts throughout its execution, minimizing the burden on the body. Han Li was capable of running wildly at will without developing any of the symptoms that were normally exhibited when the body was undergoing extreme stress. Moreover, this technique would continue until he ran out of magic power or until he willingly stopped supplying magic power. As a result, Imperial Flight Technique was an essential technique commonly used by low level cultivators while travelling across the land.

 Chapter 75

    Using Magic Techniques.


    Chapter 75: Using Magic Techniques


    Since mastering the Imperial Flight Technique, Han Li had become even more intrigued by the potential of the other two magic techniques, ¡°Soul-Lock Talisman¡± and ¡°Telekinesis Technique¡±, so he spent large amounts of time and energy, hoping that one day he could make a sudden breakthrough like he did with the Imperial Flight Technique and gain a flash of insight.


    But after spending some time on valuable research, Han Li discovered that he was unable to use these two techniques. It wasn¡¯t because of an inherent defect in Han Li¡¯s constitution, but rather because his body wasn¡¯t strong enough for either technique.


    As described in the book, the Soul-Lock Talisman was a type of charm that one had to prepare beforehand. Han Li used yellow paper that he bought from a nearby small town and followed the book¡¯s instructions, drawing the pattern with a writing brush.


    Even though the book did not describe what materials should be used to create the talisman, he kept thinking back to Doctor Mo¡¯s silver-colored talisman. He naturally adopted the use of this precious and luxurious silver powder. Whether this material was effective or not, Han Li did not know, but his homemade talismans soon looked exactly like the illustrations found in the book.


    What a shame! Even though the talismans¡¯ appearance was identical, it was still not enough.


    Whenever Han Li performed the activation incantation, the writing on the magical talisman would not emit a dazzling silvery light that had appeared back when Doctor Mo used the Soul-Lock Talisman. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary occurred either. It was an utter failure, causing him to fall into a predicament with no room for improving it. He didn¡¯t know whether his failure was due to an error in chanting the incantation, his inability to grasp how to do it, or a mistake in creating the talisman.


    But after a more recent investigation, a different result was revealed.


    After an intensive series of studies about materials, folklore, and magic techniques, Han Li finally discovered that the talismans used by cultivators were not objects that ordinary mortals would recognize. They were not made of ordinary papers and materials, but rather materials that only cultivators would know how to process into talismans. These materials could only be found in special areas accessible only to cultivators. Because of this, even though he had performed the incantation gesture perfectly, he never succeeded.


    Telekinesis Technique also followed the same logic.


    Han Li used to believe that he could cast the Telekinesis Technique on whatever item he casually picked. He practiced on common household items, such as knives, blades, etc, but failed in every attempt.


    But now that Han Li was more informed, he finally understood that the Telekinesis Technique could only control objects that had been specially crafted for cultivators. It would not work on ordinary items.


    As a result, Han Li took the weird and bizarre items he gained from Doctor Mo, including the Soul Luring Clock and the seven silver knives used in the Seven Soul Devouring Technique, and used them as a medium for the Telekinesis Technique. After some experimenting, however, not a single item could be used to perform the technique. This made Han Li be extremely disappointed. None of these items could be used with the Telekinesis Technique; he had no choice but to stop until he found a suitable object.


    (TL: The Soul Luring Watch is the watch that Han Li and Doctor Mo used to control Crooked Soul)


    Since he knew that his problem was a lack of suitable objects for the Soul-Lock Talisman and the Telekinesis Technique, Han Li could only shift his attention elsewhere. He intended to take the other secret martial arts skills and magic techniques in order to combine them and increase his own strength, raising him to new levels in a relatively short period of time.


    After entertaining this wild fantasy , Han Li once again resumed his bitter and difficult training. He quickly completed several small achievements.


    After several attempts, he successfully fused together the Shifting Smoke Steps technique and the Imperial Flight Technique.


    Although he thought of it as a fusion, it was actually just Imperial Flight Technique followed by Shifting Smoke Steps. The harmony and compatibility of the two techniques had to be carefully controlled; otherwise, mistakes would easily occur. For this reason, Han Li devoted quite a bit of energy and attention to these aspects.


    But just with this, he was able to remove the disadvantages of the Imperial Flight Technique and the heavy energy consumption of the Shifting Smoke Steps, gradually perfecting both techniques. He appeared as a mixture of lightning and fire whenever he unpredictably shifted to the next location, appearing and disappearing in different spots.


    Not long after, Han Li also gained a novel insight on a different application of the Fireball Technique.


    Normally, the user would use their own magic to launch the small fireball towards the enemy. Although this was the technique¡¯s original function, Han Li thought that this was not the technique¡¯s limit.


    A movement expert would be able to easily avoid the small fireball, which depended on one¡¯s magic power to fly slowly, thus restricting Han Li¡¯s ability to fight at close quarters against the cultivators of Jiang Hu. He might as well use only half of the energy he originally needed to cast the flashy Fireball Technique. When the fireball appeared, instead of shooting it out directly, he would first control it with his hands like a small blade, taking advantage of its destructive, unstoppable power.


    Han Li was confident that he could easily kill any skilled opponent with his heavily modified technique.


    With his new trump cards to rely on, Han Li could finally relax, no longer having to worry about his own ability. He could finally be confident enough to travel to the Lan Province to get the antidote for the poison within Han Li¡¯s body.


    (TL: Lan Province was Doctor Mo¡¯s previous home, although this is the first time that it was mentioned by name)


    In addition to perfecting his techniques, Han Li had been treating precious herbs as if they were snacks, eating them to break through to the eighth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts and thus allowing his magic power to greatly increase.


    Simply based on the current density of his magic power, Han Li surpassed Yu Zhitong in his original corporeal form, but in terms of techniques, Han Li could not compare himself to him. Back when Yu Zhitong was cultivating in his clan, he had received pointers from his seniors and exchanged notes with his peers. He was much stronger than Han Li, a half a bottle of vinegar.


    Han Li was not aware of this, but even if he were, he would not have been concerned. He was not arrogant enough to believe that learning one or two basic magic techniques would allow him to compete and stand on even ground with other cultivators. His current enemies were still the mortals of the secular world, not the cultivators of Jiang Hu.


    As a result, Han Li was not arrogant; instead, he was merely enjoying his own success. Just as he was preparing to find an excuse to leave the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Feral Wolf Gang suddenly suggested holding peace talks.


    When the news spread, it caused the Seven Mysteries Sect to be in an uproar. In recent battles it had been the Feral Wolf Gang who had the upper hand, constantly pressuring the Seven Mysteries Sect. Under such circumstances, why would the Feral Wolf Gang want to engage in peace talks? Was it possible that there was a hidden trick? This raised suspicions within several people.


    In a short period of time, calls for accepting and rejecting the peace talks rang out in succession within the Seven Mysteries Sect. All of the elite members had their own views. Li Feiyu was among those who stubbornly refused.


    Those who opposed the peace talks and those who supported the talks voiced their opinions in equal clamors. Neither side could come out from the argument as a clear winner. In the end, Sect Leader Wang had to put his foot down and make a decision. He declared that the Seven Mysteries Sect would hold the peace talks, and if the conditions weren¡¯t too ridiculous, then the two powerhouses would shake hands. If the conditions were too extravagant, they would continue fighting.


    Even though this kind of filthy decision was unable to satisfy either party, it was the only compromise available. The Seven Mysteries Sect was forced to proceed in this manner.


    (TL: The original Chinese said ¡°mixed in mud¡±)

 Chapter 76

    Negotiations and Eruptions.


    Chapter 76: Negotiations and Eruptions


    After several discussions between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Feral Wolf Gang, the two agreed to meet and discuss at a place called ¡°Falling Sand Slope¡±, located between their two borders.


    As for the members of the delegate teams who will participate in the discussions, the Feral Wolf Gang adamantly proposed that both sides must have one figure of high authority as an expression of good faith. Otherwises, there was no need to hold this discussion.


    When this condition was brought forth, it did not cause an an uproar within the Seven Mysteries Sect since this was a very normal condition for negotiations.


    Of course, neither side was willing to send their highest ranking elite to such a dangerous situation. The Seven Mysteries Sect would at most send out an auxiliary sect leader while the Feral Wolf Gang would sent out an auxiliary member of a similar status to maintain their reputation. Hence, this condition was not a problem.


    As a result, both sides agreed on a set date for the negotiations, and when that day came around, both groups sent out a hundred or so members to join the meeting.


    In order to prepare for any possible ambush the Feral Wolf Gang may set during the negotiations, the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect participating in the negotiations had made a meticulous back-up plan.


    In addition to the delegate team, which consisted of five members, the remaining one hundred sect members formed a large squadron led by Vice Sect Leader Wu, the sect¡¯s second strongest member. The one hundred sect members were all high level experts within the sect. These members were all known Protectors and were worshipped as core sect members. Among them included several Elders, Division Heads, high ranked members and the like. A squadron formed by such esteemed members was truly worth of being considered a grand battle formation


    With so many experts forming the procession, even if the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s entire elite troops attacked at once, they would probably not be able to block the sect¡¯s advance. Each member of the Seven Mysteries Sect, from the highest to the lowest member, felt great deal of confidence.


    For this reason, if there was anything that hinted foul play, the negotiators could depend on these highly skilled martial artists to quickly kill their way out of the entrapment and return to their own territory, where there would be countless numbers of sect brothers responsible for receiving them, assuring them a safe retreat.


    Li Feiyu also volunteer to join. For him, who did not have much time to live, the more dangerous the place, the more his thirst to would grow.


    Once the negotiation date approached, the procession that took up nearly half of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s top experts set out on their journey. To them, this journey would take at least half a month¡¯s time and would be slow and arduous.


    Han Li did not hold this matter with much importance. Whether or not the negotiations succeeded did not matter to him. He was getting ready to leave this place for the outside world to temper himself, so what did the rise and fall of the Seven Mysteries Sect have to do with him?!


    As long as they did not involve him, he too lazy to care about the matter.


    So during the days before the squadron would leave for the negotiation, he remained calm and leisurely about accelerating the growth of the medicinal herbs he might require in the future. Moreover, he started to collect a few precious seeds of herbs in preparation for future uses.


    Han Li already decided that once the delegate team returned to the mountain, he would official say his farewells to a few members of the sect. If the sect¡¯s elite members were unwilling to let him leave, he did not mind revealing a bit of his true power in front of them for them to witness his might and completely give up on holding him back.


    In reality, secretly leaving would be the most convenient option, but Han Li was worried that when they couldn¡¯t find him, they would cause trouble for his family. He decided that conspicuously bidding the sect¡¯s elite members farewell while revealing a bit of his power to intimidate them was necessary.


    As for his excuse for leaving, Han Li had already spent a long time thinking it through. All he needed to say was that he missed Doctor Mo and wanted to search for his master. As for whether the other believed him or not, Han Li did not care at all. With his power supporting him, how could he be worried about what they thought?


    Whenever Han Li thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but lift the corner of his mouth and reveal a hint of a cold smile. The current Han Li could extinguish the lives of a few sect members if he wanted, and it would be as easy as turning a palm.


    Of course, these was all just thoughts. He would not do anything drastic like killing sect members.


    But Han Li would have never imagined that four nights after the negotiating team left, a shabbily dressed person with long and unruly hair and covered from head to toe in dust would suddenly barge into his house. His eyes completely bloodshot, and with white lips, he hoarsely said to him a single breath:


    ¡°The negotiation team is finished. Sect Master Wu, the Protectors, the Consecrated Elders, the Elders¡­they¡¯re all dead.¡±


    Han Li was dumbstruck upon hearing this, but before he even opened his mouth to ask¡­


    Du¡­.


    Suddenly from somewhere in the mountain range, a sharp and penetrating sentry warning rang through the air.


    Bang bang¡­


    It was followed by was another wave of muffled sentry warnings.


    Dong, dong¡­


    Ding ding¡­


    Peng peng¡­


    All sorts of warning sounds rang out in the same manner, followed closely by countless cries of battle rising and falling in succession throughout the mountain. Among the noise was the faint sounds of weapons clashing against each other. In that one moment, the entire mountain area, which had been covered with serene clouds tinged with sunset hues, became a giant battleground where members were massacred.


    Han Li¡¯s face changed. He was unable to continue listening to the man talking in front of him, and with a flash of his body, Han Li appeared outside of his residence. He quickly looked in all four directions, found the highest building, and slightly stamped his foot, his body appearing on top of the building. He then looked into the distance outside of the valley.


    His visage became very unsightly and gloomy. Not far within his vision, the mountain seemed to be filled with flames that reached the skies, people rushing around, and sword flashes gleaming nonstop. Moreover, there were sounds of close combat everywhere. The warning sounds that rang out merged with angry shouts in a frenzied mass of noise.


    Hearing the wind moving behind his back, he asked without turning his head: ¡°Li Feiyu, is it the Feral Wolf Gang?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who would have thought that they had planned so meticulously? After practically annihilating the negotiation team, they immediately moved up the mountain to slaughter the remaining survivors.¡± The dusty informant with long and unruly hair was precisely Li Feiyu, who had left four days prior. His current voice was dripping with pent up rage, unwilling to accept the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s actions.

 Chapter 77

    Countermeasure.


    Chapter 77: Countermeasure


    ¡°But what is strange is how they broke through the sentry outposts surrounding mountains. When we retreated back up the mountain, we clearly called out to the sentries to be on high alert,¡± Li Feiyu said to himself, full of doubt.


    ¡°There is nothing strange about this. The Feral Wolf Gang already made plans for this massive assault a long time ago. Secretly inserting spies within the sentries is an easy matter. It would be normal for the undiscovered spies to silently take over the sentry posts,¡± Han Li lightly said.


    ¡°But if the Feral Wolf Gang wanted to easily take over the different divisions, that would be impossible. I reckon that they plan to surround all the division halls on the mountain but not attack them. Then, they will gather all their experts to concentrate their attacks on the main division located at Setting Sun Summit. They only need to capture or kill the Sect Leader, and the rest will follow suit.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do now? Should we go to Setting Sun Summit?¡± Li Feiyu¡¯s questions impatiently followed one another.


    Han Li was speechless. After quite some time, he suddenly turned his body towards Li Feiyu and gravely said:


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me something crucial. The negotiation team had so many highly skilled experts, so how could they be completely wiped out? Logically speaking, the Feral Wolf Gang shouldn¡¯t have that much strength.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Li Feiyu¡¯s facial muscles tensed for a moment, and he couldn¡¯t help but stick out his tongue to lick his cracked lips. Revealing a hint of a bitter smiling expression, he said:


    ¡°They fired large quantities of crossbows in rapid succession. These crossbows happened to be military-grade.¡±


    ¡°Military-grade rapid fire crossbows?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct¡±


    ¡°It was our second day since we left the mountain. We were walking in a field, and since we were still in our own territory, everyone was pretty relaxed. In that moment, countless Feral Wolf Gang members appeared from all sides, and in each of their hand was a stiff crossbow. Soon, the sky was covered by a rain of crossbow bolts. The sneak attack caused those disciples with lacking martial art skills to die on the spot amidst the chaotic rain of bolts. Only a few martial art experts or the extremely lucky ones were able to dodge this first wave, but many carried injuries, which weakened their martial art skill by quite a bit. I am also one of those who were lucky; otherwise, I would not have made it back.¡±


    Speaking up to this point, Li Feiyu still had some lingering fears, his eyes unconsciously revealing traces of dread. It seems like the image of a volley of crossbow bolts provoked quite a big reaction from Li Feiyu.


    ¡°After the volley of arrows, the others experts appeared, and everyone took part in a bitter battle. The remainder of our forces decided break apart our formation, going in separate ways in order to increase our chances of survival.¡±


    ¡°My luck was also good. In the enemy¡¯s¡¯ eyes, I was not high on their kill list, so only a few people followed me, and their martial arts skills were not very profound, allowing me to slaughter my way out. But as I was rushing back, I discovered that the Feral Wolf Gang had overrun our checkpoints one by one in quick succession. They were waiting for those who escaped the ambush to walk into their trap. After falling for the trap two times, I no longer dared to go seek help.¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted to know about the situation of other sect members, I later steeled my resolve and straightforwardly ambushed a Feral Wolf Gang Law Enforcer wearing blue clothes. From him, I found out that Sect Leader Wu and several other Elders have all died in battle at the hands of the countless experts that surrounded them, leaving only those who fled like me, who was not considered neither too important nor too weak.¡±


    ¡°After learning of this news, I did not dare to dally any longer and rushed back up the mountain with all the strength I could muster. Halfway up, I coincidentally met two other people who, like me, had managed to escape death. Together, we continued to escape for one day and one night, finally returning back to the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Once we returned, the other two left for Setting Sun Summit to notify Sect Leader Wang that the negotiation team had been completely wiped out. I fabricated an excuse that I had to heal my wound and secretly came to meet with you in order to discuss our counter-attack.¡±


    ¡°Although Sect Leader Wu and countless others died during the ambush, a few disciples managed to escape. Our status within the sect is neither high nor low. Who knows if the higher ups will be driven by fury and place all the blame on us, making us scapegoats.¡±


    ¡°Even though I have not finished telling you everything, the Feral Wolf Gang is slaughtering its way up the mountain. You must tell me what we should do right now!¡±


    Li Feiyu said all this in a single breath with a helpless expression.


    Hearing this, Han Li wrinkled his eyebrow and tilted his head to think.


    At this moment, the sounds of slaughter became all the more intense, and from time to time, the mournful sound of people dying would ring out, making those who hear it do nothing but tremble.


    ¡°Do you still have subordinates on the mountain?¡± Han Li asked, his voice becoming extremely solemn.


    ¡°Yes, I still have twenty some subordinates located in several houses near Elder Li¡¯s residence. I originally planned to take them out to settle some matters after the negotiation team returned.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll first go to Elder Li¡¯s residence to gather the others as well as to take the opportunity to meet up with Lady Zhang Xiuer and Elder Li. As for our next step, we will make a decision after we learn more about the situation,¡± Han Li calmly said, appearing to be extremely rational.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Right now, it¡¯s chaos outside, I am very worried about Xiuer!¡± Li Feiyu exclaimed with a bit of worry.


    Han Li glanced at Li Feiyu, completely at a loss regarding his thoughts. On one hand, Li Feiyu was extremely worried about Zhang Xiuer, but on the other hand, he clearly understood that he did not have long to live yet he still adamantly wanted to marry her, clearly knowing that she would become a widow!


    ¡°This contradictory fellow!¡± Han Li secretly gave his good friend a not so pleasant evaluation.


    Han Li lightly jumped and descended from the rooftop. Shortly afterwards Li Feiyu followed him down.


    ¡°Let me go gather some things, then we will leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but you have to hurry. I¡¯m really worried about Xiuer¡¯s safety.¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li could only remain speechless.


    The other was constantly muttering ¡°Xiuer¡±, sounding extremely sappy and making Han Li feel a bit of despise mixed with jealousy.


    Han Li no longer continued to pay attention to the love-stricken Li Feiyu. He minded his own business and proceeded to enter his own house, starting to swiftly collect all sorts of different yet essential items.

 Chapter 78

    Forest Massacre.


    Chapter 78: Forest Massacre


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Unable to hold himself back, Li Feiyu hurriedly asked Han Li upon seeing him walking out from his residence.


    Han Li glared at Li Feiyu before walking to another smaller residence, closing the door, and coldly stating:


    ¡°Crooked Soul, come out. Tonight will all depend on you.¡±


    Even before the sound of Han Li¡¯s voice faded away, a ¡°Peng¡± sound rang out. The wooden door was like a piece of paper, disintegrating into dust as the shadow of a huge body walked out.


    Both of Li Feiyu¡¯s eyes somewhat straightened as he froze. He gazed at that huge giant in front of him that was emitting an demonic aura. However, a hood was wrapped around its head, obscuring its features.


    The huge giant silently walked behind Han Li.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Li smiled. Now, it was his turn to urge Li Feiyu along.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Li Feiyu gasped, as if he just awoken from shock.


    He had a strange expression as he gazed from Han Li to the giant before closing his mouth and silently leading the way out of the valley.


    Han Li stared at the back of Li Feiyu and he snickered before walking faster, catching up with his friend. The giant Crooked Soul followed closely behind.


    Han Li was extremely pleased with Li Feiyu¡¯s discreteness. This was because the both of them had mutual respect of their privacy. This was also one of the reasons why they became such close friends


    Their walking speed was extremely quick, and in the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at the entrance of the valley. Just as Li Feiyu raised his leg to step into the forest, Han Li abruptly extended his right hand and caught Li Feiyu¡¯s shoulder, stopping him from moving any further.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Feiyu asked, bewildered and dissatisfied. One must know that his heart was very anxious, akin to a raging fire.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone coming, and there¡¯s more than just one of them,¡± Han Li gently explained.


    Li Feiyu was shocked and immediately focused his senses to listen, but even after a long while, there was nothing to be heard.


    Suspicion apparent in his eyes, he stared at Han Li, but Han Li disregarded his gaze and did not provide an explanation to him.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Just as Li Feiyu opened his mouth, Han Li abruptly raised a finger, placing it upon his lips and signaling for Li Feiyu¡¯s silence.


    Li Feiyu furrowed his brows. Although he was extremely unwilling, because of force of habit, he decided to listen to Han Li and stayed silent.


    Quite a while passed by. This time around, Li Feiyu¡¯s expression grew heavy as he turned his head in amazement to gaze at Han Li. He had finally heard the sound of many footsteps ringing out; it seemed like there truly was a group of people.


    ¡°Enforcer Sun! Beside this forest, there¡¯s both a huge bell-shaped valley and a small road. Seems like this is the God Hand Valley that the Vice Commander informed us of.¡± A brash sounding voice rang out from the direction of the forest.


    ¡°Right. According to the map and this huge bell shaped valley, there¡¯s no mistake. This is the place. You all better remember, the Commander has issued an absolute order: we are to abduct the divine doctor alive. No one is allowed to hurt him; otherwise, that person will be dealt with according to rules of the gang. Understood?¡± Another sharp sounding voice rang out, akin to that of a mother hen commanding her little chicks.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    A series of confirmations sounded out at the same moment, and judging from the voices that replied out loud, there should have been over 10 people. Their breath-control seemed pretty strong, making them all seem like martial arts experts.


    ¡°Other than that blue-robed Enforcer, the rest of the Feral Wolf Gang are all Elites. The blue-robed Enforcer is akin to the Protectors from our sect, while the Elites were akin to the Inner Disciples,¡± Li Feiyu mumbled in a low voice, explaining to Han Li.


    Li Feiyu knew that his good friend had never once shown the inclination to care about their sect¡¯s matters, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue asking Han Li how he was able to notice the sound of the footsteps that far away. Instead, he opted to use the time to explain the situation and what their identities were to Han Li, intending to warn Han Li not to be careless.


    The moment Han Li heard Li Feiyu speak, he instantly understood what Li Feiyu was trying to convey. He lightly smiled and said nothing. From the look on his face, it appeared that Han Li was extremely unconcerned.


    Li Feiyu was growing increasingly more anxious.


    ¡°Based on my current strength, there¡¯s no way to clash directly in a one-on-one fight with that blue-robed Enforcer, not to mention their Elites surrounding him. I know that you would usually have a lot of cunning plans, so quickly list whatever ideas you have! If not, it will soon be too late to take action.¡± Li Feiyu¡¯s sentence was enunciated extremely quickly because the group of people had already entered into the forest and started to walk towards them.


    ¡°If not, let us temporarily hide first, evading the vanguard of our enemies.¡±


    Li Feiyu suggested a seemingly excellent idea, but what was lamentable to Li Feiyu was that Han Li had no intention to heed his advice.


    ¡°Crooked Soul, other than that blue-robed Enforcer, I want you to annihilate everyone in that forest.¡± Han Li turned his head, looking at the giant man as he commanded in a cold tone.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Feiyu was thunderstruck after he heard the words that Han Li had uttered.


    But even before he recovered, that huge giant behind Han Li moved with the speed of a hurricane, rapidly dashing away in the pitch-dark forest. Almost immediately, the voices of the Feral Wolf Gang members cried out. ¡°Ai Ya!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Sh*t, there¡¯s an ambush.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡­ what is this monster! Arghhh¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Run, quickly! Arghh!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Mournful cries of shock rang out in the forest, turning into a cacophony of miserable shrieks before they slowly faded away. Before long, there was only silence.


    Li Feiyu blankly stared in the direction of the forest with a face full of disbelief.

 Chapter 79

    Questioning.


    Chapter 79: Questioning


    Similar to grabbing hold of a little chick, the huge giant carried the blue-robed man with a single hand and rapidly walked out of the forest. Its body, covered with blood stains coupled with the sight of its green robes, was similar to the brilliance of a blossoming peach flower.


    Li Feiyu sucked in a breath of cold air.


    As the huge giant walked in front of the two, it tossed the blue-robed man onto the ground. Shortly after, Li Feiyu could smell an acrid smell of blood wafting towards him.


    Li Feiyu¡¯s expression underwent a tremendous change as he unconsciously stepped backwards, making a warding gesture with his hands.


    The huge giant did not concern itself with Li Feiyu¡¯s actions; instead, it strode forward and stood behind Han Li, becoming silent and motionless as if it had never left that spot.


    Only then did Li Feiyu let out a breath of air. He suddenly let out a laugh as he looked at the blue-robed man on the ground while surreptitiously stealing glances at the calm Han Li.


    ¡°I say, how can you still be so calm and collected! So the reason was because of the expert behind your back! Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? You caused me to panic this whole time.¡± Although appearing very relaxed on the surface, Li Feiyu¡¯s heart was wildly trembling as he started to guess at the relationship between the green-robed giant and Han Li.


    Han Li could tell what Li Feiyu was thinking, but he had no intention to explain anything to him. An enigmatic smile broke out on Han Li¡¯s visage as he calmly said:


    ¡°This blue-robed Enforcer should know plenty of information. Who among us is going to interrogate him? I feel that you, Division Head Deputy Li, should have more experience in this than me. Shall I leave him to you?¡±


    Noting how Han Li dodged the question, he knew that Han Li had no intention of introducing the huge giant to him; as such, he couldn¡¯t help but feel worried in his heart.


    However, regarding the interrogation of the Enforcer, he was extremely interested. After he heard Han Li¡¯s suggestion, he swiftly accepted the proposition like a boat flowing along with the current,.


    Li Feiyu lifted the blue-robed man, lightly dashed into the forest, and started his interrogation while Han Li leisurely sat down on a nearby grass patch.


    After a while, Li Feiyu came out of the forest with a gloomy look on his face.


    ¡°Why are you so fast? Is there any news that we could use?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t stand up; he merely twitched his brows as he asked.


    ¡°Hmph! That craven coward, I haven¡¯t even done anything to him, and he already told me everything. As for news, there are two pieces of information. One good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear about first?¡± Li Feiyu replied in a depressed manner.


    ¡°Give me the good news first! At least we would be happier after hearing it,¡± Han Li indifferently said.


    ¡°The good news is that your guess regarding the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s plan was right.


    The auxiliary forces have no intention of initiating the attack instead want to surround the valley by taking possession of the other mountain peaks. Meanwhile, their main force is mobilizing towards the Setting Sun Summit to launch an aggressive attack. He said that they have already gained control of many important outposts.¡± Li Feiyu sounded calm as though he did not care about the safety of those with high level of authority.


    ¡°If that was the good news, there¡¯s no need to ask. The bad news must be truly terrible.¡± Han Li rubbed his nose as he said this with confidence.


    ¡°Crow mouth, you are spot on. The bad news is that several small sects, such as the Metal Spear Association and the Broken Water Sect, have joined the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s attack against the Celestial Rainbow Mountains. It Seems like our Seven Mysteries Sect is going to face an imminent catastrophe.¡± (TL: ¡°Crow mouth¡±: a person who always says pessimistic things)


    Han Li froze in shock after hearing the news; this was outside of his expectations.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t care about the number of attackers; it would be best to meet up your young beloved and underlings and leave here under the cover provided by the chaotic battle.¡± Han Li was quite collected as he made a rational suggestion.


    Li Feiyu quickly indicated his consent, as this plan suited his needs.


    ¡°And that fellow, how did you handle him?¡± Han Li suddenly asked


    ¡°I killed him. Are you saying that we should have brought him along?¡± Li Feiyu coldly replied.


    After hearing this, Han Li let out a small smile as he put one hand on the ground and sprung up from his sitting position.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We should try to avoid any enemies. If we are unable to do so, kill all those who discover us; there is no need to show mercy.¡± Han Li had spoken lightly, but his words contained boundless killing intent and bloodlust.


    A few li away from God Hand Valley, Elder Li¡¯s courtyard was currently swamped with people. There were males and females, all young and old. They appeared to know not the slightest bit of martial arts and were discussing something in low voices with frightened expressions on their faces.


    Two black-robed figures, equipped with swords and sabers, were nearby the courtyard, guarding vigilantly. Compared to the people inside the courtyard, they were extremely eye-catching.


    In the living room of one of the residences, two people were in the middle of a discussion.


    ¡°I object to sending people outside. Our defensive position here is not that strong; if I still send people out, wouldn¡¯t our position weaken further? No, absolutely not!¡± A middle-aged fatty with a huge pot belly sprayed saliva all over the place as he shook his head rapidly, objecting with determination.


    ¡°But we have no idea what¡¯s going on out there. If we don¡¯t send people to scout, wouldn¡¯t that be akin to blinding ourselves? This is too passive.¡± The person who was arguing against the fatty was none other than Ma Rong¡ªElder Li¡¯s cherished disciple.


    ¡°Passive? So be it. The things that happen out there have nothing to do with me, and to me, safety is most important. This is the best place to be in this situation. Don¡¯t tell me you are going to defy my orders?¡± The fatty blinked his small eyes and suddenly took out a golden yellow tablet from his robes, shaking the command medallion in front of Ma Rong as a look of  insufferable arrogance appeared on his face.


    Ma Rong glanced at the fatty before looking at the command medallion. Sighing, he cupped his hands and replied, ¡°The little me does not dare. I shall follow your esteemed orders.¡±

 Chapter 80

    Encountering the Enemy.


    Chapter 80: Encountering the Enemy


    This command medallion was equivalent to having Sect Leader Wang¡¯s personal authority. To possess the medallion enabled one to command all the disciples with a rank lower than an Elder. This fatty happened to be Sect Leader Wang¡¯s trusted aide, who was rumored to be Sect Leader Wang¡¯s close cousin. Therefore, any orders or messages that Sect Leader Wang had would be communicated through this man.


    Not long ago, Sect Leader Wang had granted this command medallion in a hurry, relying on the fatty to ask Elder Li, who was up on the mountaintop, to discuss certain matters. However, after this fatty finished relaying orders, he felt that immediately hurrying back after sunset would be too exhausting. By taking advantage of the dutiful trust bestowed on him, he stayed at Elder Li¡¯s mansion to take a moment of rest before returning down the mountain.


    Elder Li helplessly accommodated him because he did not dare to offend him. He arranged for Zhang Xiuer and several other disciples to take him down the mountain as soon the sun set.


    After a short amount of time, however, momentous changes occurred on the mountaintop due to the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s assault. This fatty¡¯s cowardice was incomparable, so naturally, he was unwilling to return alone.


    However, the people in the courtyard were the many family members of the disciples belonging to the Seven Mystery Sect. Most of them did not know any martial arts, and because of their inability, they lost their heads from fear once the sound of chaos reached them. What could they possibly do?


    Fortunately, Ma Rong was quite decisive. He promptly requested help from the twenty disciples that Li Feiyu left under his control and gathered all of them together. Since they were all rounded up, they were prevented from running amok in the night and encountering any mishaps.


    Because this place was quite remote and built on the mountain pass, these people would not understand anything that was going on. Even if they had heard the alarm and the loud battle cries, in the end, all the noise belonged to affairs that happened outside¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t understand what was happening.


    Thus, after Ma Rong had quickly finished analyzing the situation, he planned to dispatch a few people to go outside and ask around for news. At this time, the fatty, who was incapable of even the slightest ability in martial arts, acted under false pretenses. Not only did he prevent them from scouting for information, he also relied on the command medallion to snatch away Ma Rong¡¯s authority over these Outer Sect junior disciples. After that, he planned to secure the location and bury his head in the sand.


    Ma Rong knew the importance of having accurate information about the enemy. He tried discussing this matter of importance several times with the fatty, but the fatty was too scared to care. Because the fatty was abusing the authority of Sect Leader Wang¡¯s command medallion, Ma Rong wasn¡¯t even allowed to personally scout around. It seemed apparent that the fatty thought Ma Rong was his personal guard for the preservation of his life.


    As such, Ma Rong was inside the living room, as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof, and walked around in circles. Nevertheless, he still followed this ignorant fatty.  In the Seven Mysteries Sect, harsh discipline was given to those who disobeyed orders and took actions without permission.


    Light offenses were punished by the destruction of one¡¯s cultivation and expulsion from the sect. However, it would be difficult to preserve one¡¯s life if he or she had committed a heavy offense because the only punishment available was beheading the offender. Ma Rong was fully aware that the world-shaking events occurring outside could likely be a matter of life or death for the sect, but he was unable to move a single step.


    At this moment, Ma Rong wished that he could slap this so called ¡°superior¡± to death. Meanwhile, Han Li and Li Feiyu did not have the slightest knowledge about what was happening, so they were hurrying to Elder Lil¡¯s residence as a result.


    On the journey there, they met several bandits and had to either avoid or dodge around their enemies. They also hid their tracks as frequently as possible. When they were only a li away (half a kilometer) from Elder Li¡¯s residence, they ran directly into a group of black-clothed people and thus were unable to conceal their presence. This was their first encounter with the enemy.


    Currently, there were over ten black-clothed people holding steel sabers. They surrounded Han Li, Li Feiyu, and Crooked Soul from every direction.


    From examining their footwork, it seemed to Han Li that those who had a single line of white embroidery on their sleeves were the weakest of the group as well as the majority of the members. The martial artists with two white lines embroidered on their sleeves were a little stronger, but the strongest opponents were the ones with three white lines. It was clear that the man with scars on his face was the leader of this group.


    As the scar-faced leader carefully sized up the men whom he had surrounded, he secretly felt somewhat baffled.


    It was not surprising that the scar-faced leader felt this way. Standing in the middle of the trio, Li Feiyu had disheveled hair, and his appearance was dirty and worn; he looked as if he were a cook from the mountains. Han Li¡¯s eyes were emotionless, while his skin was dark like a farmer who did not know martial arts. However, their lofty builds had produced greater pressure. They also wore bamboo hats. Besides them was a bloodstained Crooked Soul.


    Standing together, these three seemed out of place as they stood together. Even though the scar-faced leader had plenty of experience in Jiang Hu, he was somewhat puzzled.


    He sent a gaze toward his subordinates, signalling at them to not let their guard down. He then loudly yelled toward the opposing party, ¡°Regardless of who you are, the Seven Mysteries Sect has already fallen. Surrender and your lives will be spared!¡±


    Han Li smiled, turned his head to Li Feiyu, and said, ¡°Who will handle this? Or would you rather have Crooked Soul take care of this?¡±


    As Li Feiyu heard his words, his eyes flashed with an ominous glint. He sternly replied, ¡°From these people¡¯s clothes, they should be low level disciples of the Broken Water Sect. I¡¯ve hunted and killed bandits from the Feral Wolf Gang for a long time. Let me vent my resentments onto them. Besides, it just so happens that I have a use for their weapons.¡±


    By the time Li Feiyu had finished talking, the enemy forces were fanned out like a rainbow. In a blink of an eye, Li Feiyu was already in front of the closest man dressed in black.


    The man in black was surprised and almost forgot about flourishing his steel saber. However, he found that the saber in his hands were suddenly in the hands of his enemy. He hastily recoiled in panic, but it was already too late. A line of light flashed, separating his head from his body.


    With a series of movements that were neat, nimble, and as quick as lightning, Li Feiyu had already killed many of the Broken Water Sect disciples with the stolen saber before they could react against him.


    The complexions of the people who remained began to greatly change, especially the leader with the disfigured face. Because his martial arts were far greater than the others, his heart had sunk the furthest. He clearly remembered encountering disastrous experts in the past. Back then, he couldn¡¯t contend against them in the least; therefore he decisively commanded, ¡°Everyone, retreat! Scatter! Quickly send out the signal and call the experts for reinforcements.¡±


    This sentence caught the attention of the other men in black clothes, and they quickly fell back. Because of their original positioning in a circle, they scattered in all directions, fleeing rapidly. Some had run to the side, grabbing something from their bosom. They seemed to have fished out the so-called signal.


    A black-clothed man with two embroidered lines ran the fastest. With just a few steps, he had already fled several zhang. (TL: 1 zhang is equal to 10 chi, or 3.58 meters)


    He secretly rejoiced, thinking that there was some hope in fleeing for his life.  However, he failed to notice a cool feeling on the back of his neck. A half-inch point pierced through his adam¡¯s apple and then immediately disappeared without a trace. Seeing this, he couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed with shock. He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs, but suddenly he couldn¡¯t feel his body. Losing all his strength, he stared helplessly at his body as he slowly collapsed, his back limp on the floor. He was no longer capable of moving even a single step.


    At this moment, he realized that a sword had unexpectedly penetrated his throat.


    This black-clothed person felt unresigned. He had obviously escaped the furthest, so how could he have died so quickly?


    With great effort, he turned his head to the side. Facing death¡¯s door, he saw in his final moments an intermittent shadow that had appeared behind the second furthermost distant black-clothed man. With a slash as light as a feather, the shadow flashed and faded away. After that, another fellow sect disciple appeared, and a similar white light flashed. The sword pierced the throat of a fellow sect disciple yet again. Like him, their bodies fell onto the meadow with blood leaking from their throats.


    After witnessing the shadow¡¯s assassinations, this black-clothed man smiled and accepted his death because he knew he would not die alone. Soon he would be accompany by many others. That shadow was like a demon, and it was unlikely that a single one of the black-clothed disciples could slip away from this demon¡¯s grasp.

 Chapter 81

    Jia Tianlong.


    Chapter 81: Jia Tianlong


    At this moment, ¡°Golden Wolf¡± Jia Tianlong appeared smug. Because of the excitement, his normally pale and gloomy face had a slight flush.


    It was no wonder that he had such an expression. After all, the Seven Mysteries Sect was Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s archenemy. Under his elaborate scheme, all those who were still alive would fall before him. As the Commander of Feral Wolf Gang, he had the right to be arrogant.


    He stood halfway between the base of the mountain and Setting Sun Summit. As it turned out, there were around fifty to sixty red-clothed members of the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s Iron Guard surrounding the sentry post on the border of Seven Mysteries Sect. Jia Tianlong had spent a substantial amount of painstaking effort to meticulously groom his army. Not only were they all highly capable in martial arts, they also had undying loyalty to Jia Tianlong.


    He had always regarded this army as a precious asset and would not normally utilize it in ordinary battles. However, at this moment, he brought the entire army with him just to completely intimidate the small and mid-sized gangs that were beginning to stir up trouble. The chiefs of Metal Spear Association and Broken Water Sect, who had been planning to rebel, were forced to obediently listen to his orders.


    After all, the smaller gangs did not wish to see Feral Wolf Gang standing alone. They all hoped that the two great powers would forever be in the midst of a struggle, creating cracks in which the smaller gangs could exist.


    Jia Tianlong did not have a decisive personality. Had it not been for the fact that Jia Tianlong had kidnapped the children of the gang chiefs as well as promised the smaller gangs a profit for helping the Feral Wolf Gang in this endeavor, the smaller gangs would have changed sides a long time ago.


    At this thought, Jia Tianlong involuntarily turned his head back to glance at several of the gang chiefs that were standing nearby.


    All of the people present were downcast. Seeing Jia Tianlong gaze towards them, they either glared back at him or avoided looking at him in the face.


    Looking at this situation, Jia Tianlong laughed coldly in his heart. Returning his attention to his front, he started thinking of a plan to annex all these small gangs after he took down the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    In front of Jia Tianlong, there were close to a thousand men present, all wearing different kinds of clothes and holding different weapons. They attacked the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s sentry posts like a swarm of bees. Because there was no formation due to the neglect of cooperation between these people, there were a lot of casualties.


    However, Jia Tianlong did not care because the people who were currently attacking were not from his Feral Wolf Gang. They were people that belonged to the Metal Spear Association and the Broken Water Sect. In the first place, he did not place any hope in their ability to take over Setting Sun Summit. He only wanted them to waste the sentries¡¯ energies, so that his elite troops and crossbows could easily pick off the remaining exhausted sentries.


    Thinking of those military-grade rapid-fire crossbows, Jia Tianlong¡¯s calm expression revealed a trace of delight.


    This time, the Feral Wolf Gang easily gained a winning advantage through the killing machines that were used by the gang¡¯s troops.


    Otherwise, it would have been impossible to annihilate the opponent¡¯s troops. Even if a dozen of the Setting Sun Summit¡¯s sentry posts were taken down, the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s troops would suffer a great loss in strength, making it very detrimental for his future plan to annex the smaller gangs.


    Jia Tianlong did not spend a slightest bit of effort on the military-grade crossbows; instead, they appeared out of nowhere in his home.


    Every time Jia Tianlong recalled that matter, he would immediately feel at ease.


    This happened three months ago when he was at his headquarters, planning an assault on the Seven Mysteries Sect. Out of the blue, there was an officer claiming to be his relative who wanted to see him. Jia Tianlong felt somewhat astonished and met with that person. It turned out that the person was truly his older cousin from his father¡¯s side. Apparently, around ten years ago, when Feral Wolf Gang was still a group of horse-mounted bandits, a portion of the gang had been ordered by the Jing Province¡¯s imperial court to enlist in the army in return for amnesty. This cousin was among that group of men. As years went by, his cousin was unexpectedly landed the position of Deputy General in the army. Coincidentally, when his cousin was on the road escorting some goods across Jing Province, he had heard of Jia Tianlong, Commander of Feral Wolf Gang. He naturally had to come and visit this cousin of his.


    When the two people had met, they exchanged some rueful greetings. Then, they both had talked about their experiences over the years. As Jia Tianlong mentioned the recent skirmishes against the Seven Mysteries Sect, his cousin off-handedly proclaimed that their resistance would quickly fall if he provided Jia Tianlong with a hundred rapid-fire crossbows of good quality. Jia Tianlong would be able to kill everyone in the Seven Mysteries Sect until there was no one left.


    Though his cousin might have mentioned it casually, Jia Tianlong listened with intent as his heart skipped a beat. He tried asking his cousin if it was possible to give him the hundred crossbows. His cousin slightly laughed and told Jia Tianlong honestly that the goods he was transporting were exactly these rapid-fire crossbows. It was not that he could not give Jia Tianlong any, but rather that he could not give away too many. He only had to bribe the government officials receiving the goods with a few taels of silver.


    Jia Tianlong rejoiced at what his cousin said and spent the two silvers at once, exchanging them for three hundred rapid-fire crossbows from his cousin. Jia Tianlong entrusted them to his trusted subordinates to utilize them well, resulting in the recent series of victories.


    ¡°Their defense has been broken!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a breach!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    A burst of earthshaking sounds rang out, startling Jia Tianlong from his thoughts.


    He was somewhat shocked and hastily raised his head to look towards the mountain peak, only to see that the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s sentry posts had really been breached and were jam-packed with people from the smaller gangs.


    Jia Tianlong wrinkled his brows as he felt that something was a bit strange. According to the strength of the defending guards, it was reasonable to say that the last stretch ought to be even more difficult to attack. How could it be taken down by some miscellaneous troops? Perhaps there was some other conspiracy in play?


    A gloomy expression appeared on his face. Any one that was familiar with Commander  Jia Tianlong would know that this was a sign that he was not pleased in his heart. If anyone provoked him during this time, that person would wish he or she was dead.


    ¡°Since it has been breached, why are we not moving?¡± A voice sounding like a broken gong rang out. There was no hint of respect for Commander Jia Tianlong contained in that sentence.


    Commander Jia Tianlong would have been extremely angry, but instead, he turned around and respectfully said, ¡±Master Zhang, I feel that there is something fishy about this breach. I¡¯m afraid there might be a trap located inside. It¡¯s better to be a bit more cautious!¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? With me by your side, how can these ordinary people even be able to hurt you? Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve been here for close to an entire night, I¡¯m extremely tired. The faster we dispose of these Seven Mysteries Sect bastards, the faster I can rest my old bones.¡±  This voice did not sound old at all, but he let out an overflowing archaic tone that was very irritating to the ear.

 Chapter 82

    Monk Golden Light.


    Chapter 82: Monk Golden Light


    The person who spoke was a three feet tall dwarf standing beside Jia Tianlong.


    The dwarf was forty years old and had a thin body frame that was covered by a red robe embroidered with gold thread. On his finger and around his neck were, respectively, a gold ring and an extremely thick gold chain. Around his waist, several gold bells hung from his belt. Even his gold teeth reflected a golden light whenever he opened his mouth. This was a look that only the rich could afford to have.


    At this moment, impatience clouded his features; evidently, he was extremely unsatisfied with Jia Tianlong¡¯s cautiousness.


    Disguised as a wealthy merchant from a village, the dwarf actually dared to show such disrespect towards Jia Tianlong. This caused the loyal Iron Guards standing nearby to glare at the dwarf with extreme rage smouldering in their eyes.


    This dwarf could obviously see the rage within the eyes of Jia Tianlong¡¯s loyal Iron Guards, and he coldly laughed, as if he did not put them in his eyes at all. He even arrogantly stated:


    ¡°Commander Jia, you spent 3,000 taels of gold to invite me over. Surely the money you spent was not just for me to passively stare in vain for an entire night, correct?! Whoever you need me to deal with, just tell me directly. However, you don¡¯t need me to deal with the Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, right? Against such a weak person, you can just settle it yourself. Why do you still need to spend money and hire me for assistance?¡±


    ¡°Just a mere Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect truly does not warrant the attention of Immortal Master. The reason why I invited Immortal Master was because the Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect still has three senior martial uncles. On the surface, these three people have been declared dead, but in reality, they have been undergoing closed-door cultivation inside a hidden chamber on Setting Sun Summit. I¡¯m afraid that their current cultivation bases have already broken through to the Transformation Realm. Against these martial uncles, ordinary experts would not be a match for them. These three people are the strongest pillars of the Seven Mysteries Sect; thus, I have no choice but to humbly beseech Immortal Master to deal with them for us.¡± Jia Tianlong sounded extremely pathetic, without a hint of anger in his voice.


    Jia Tianlong had coincidentally met this red-robed dwarf in a Daoist temple near the border of the Savage Lands. A self-proclaimed ¡°Monk Golden Light¡±, this martial arts expert was equipped with immense magical powers, and he had demonstrated techniques for controlling flying swords and cultivating an invulnerable steel body.


    After Jia Tianlong personally witnessed this, he was deeply mesmerized by the might displayed by the two techniques.When he suspected that the dwarf was most likely someone who had walked the fabled path of Immortals, he decided to establish a relationship with him.


    After knowing that the dwarf had an extreme obsession with gold, Jia Tianlong immediately gifted a huge amount of gold to the dwarf. With this, he had finally moved the dwarf¡¯s heart, obtaining a promise that the dwarf would help him with his problems just once.


    Thus, Jia Tianglong acted meek and humble like someone from the junior generation whenever he was in the dwarf¡¯s presence, not daring to reveal the slightest bit of disrespect. He was very clear in his heart: this Monk Golden Light was someone that his tiny Feral Wolf Gang was unable to contend with.


    After Monk Golden Light heard his request, he let out a crazed laughter. Once his laughter subsided, he exclaimed arrogantly, ¡°Just a few mortals? Leave them to me! No matter how high their cultivation bases have reached, no matter how strong their martial arts are, they would definitely not be a match for my flying sword technique! You can just relax!¡±


    ¡°Then, I will have to trouble Immortal Master. The rewards I promised will definitely be delivered, and what¡¯s more, I¡¯ve decided that after the matter is settled, the reward will be increased by 2,000 taels of gold.¡± Jia Tianlong appeared overjoyed as he increased the reward without hesitation. After all, he knew that his helper was certainly not amiable. It was better if he directly used gold to speak.


    After Monk Golden Light heard this, traces of a smile broke out on his wizened face. He nodded his head in satisfaction, obviously happy with the increased reward.


    After obtaining the guarantee of such a powerful figure, Monk Golden Light, Jia Tianlong no longer remained cautious and commanded his forces from the Feral Wolf Gang to rush to the top of the Setting Sun Summit to prepare to attack the main division of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡ªthe Seven Supreme Division.


    Because there were so many people rushing up the summit, Jia Tianlong and the rest of the Iron Guard had to expend tremendous effort to finally arrive at the entrance of the division.


    Staring at the main division of his most hated enemy, Commander Jia was still taken aback by the majesty of the Seven Supreme Division Hall. He felt that the main hall of his Feral Wolf Gang was nothing but a dog tunnel, unbearable to be looked upon when compared to this place.


    Looking at the empty acres of land on top of Setting Sun Summit, there were quite a number of halls constructed from bluestone¡ªone large building, followed by six smaller ones.


    Although the dim light from the torches was insufficient to fully see the details of the buildings in the dark of the night, the imposing and majestic aura of the bluestone halls was still capable of astonishing the members of Feral Wolf Gang and the other small sects. The attackers did not immediately start their attack, but rather surrounded the bluestone halls, with the intent to not even allow a single fly pass through.


    ¡°Indeed, our opponent is a sect that has existed for over 200 years; this level of wealth simply could not be matched by the clans and sects that have only existed for a decade. How extravagant!¡± Jia Tianlong silently exclaimed in his heart.


    He had already decided that once the Seven Mysteries Sect was eliminated, he would immediately move over to the main bluestone hall and designate it as his center of command. Such a majestic building would only benefit a status such as his own.


    Jia Tianlong glanced at the main hall¡¯s pitch-black entrance. After observing his surroundings, he slowly raised his right hand into the air.


    In that moment, silence descended upon the people surrounding the Setting Sun Summit as the gazes of the crowd turned to Jia Tianlong¡¯s hand. They knew that once the arm was swung down, it would signal the start of the attack.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Suddenly, a cold voice drifted over from the pitch-black main hall.


    Pa da! Pa da!


    A wave of footsteps rang out from within as the sound grew clearer and clearer.


    Finally, a white-robed, middle-aged man emerged. This figure had a wooden hairpin on, and the only equipment he had on his body was a longsword in a white scabbard. His face was incomparably pale, but his eyes were bright. Wherever he looked, those who met his gaze felt as if sharp swords had cut into their hearts, causing them to shiver despite the warm air.


    After leaving the hall and walking ten meters away, he stopped as he slowly contemplated the crowd standing in front of him, without a trace of fear in his eyes.


    Finally, his vision landed upon Jia Tianlong¡¯s right hand that was raised up in the air. His gaze moved from Jia Tianlong¡¯s right arm to Jia Tianlong¡¯s face.


    ¡°Jia Tianlong.¡± This middle-aged man shouted out the name of Commander Jia.


    ¡°Wang Juechu.¡± Not wanting to appeared weak, Jia Tianlong also shouted out the name of his adversary.


    ¡°Speaking of which, this is the first time that we¡¯ve met face to face as the respective leaders of our individual camps, is it not? My dear Sect Leader Wang!¡± Jia Tianlong used a leisurely tone as traces of a mocking smile hung upon his lips. He slowly retracted his extended right arm from the air.


    Wang Juechu stared expressionlessly at Jia Tianlong without saying anything. The atmosphere began to grow increasingly tense.


    ¡°Sect Leader Wang came to this place alone, could it be that you intend to surrender?¡± Smiling, Jia Tianlong asked this question with a hint of ridicule


    ¡°You are correct. I wanted to discuss with you matters regarding a surrender,¡± the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s Sect Leader, Wang Juechu, replied icily, similar to an sculpture made of frigid snow.

 Chapter 83

    A Huge Pitfall.


    Chapter 83: A Huge Pitfall


    ¡°Do you truly plan to surrender?¡± Jia Tianlong felt somewhat surprised.


    ¡°To surrender is to surrender. However, which side will surrender to whom? That has not yet been decided!¡± Saying this slowly, Sect Leader Wang narrowed his eyes and consciously brought his hand to the longsword¡¯s hilt.


    ¡°What is the meaning behind your words?¡± Jia Tianlong¡¯s face sank, but soon after, he waved his hand, signaling his men to surround Sect Leader Wang.


    Immediately, his Iron Guards rushed forth from behind him and surrounded Wang Juechu in a semicircle. At the same time, they took out powerful crossbows. With flashes of green light, the Iron Guards pointed their crossbow bolts at him.


    It seemed that with a single command from Jia Tianlong, they would indiscriminately release a barrage of arrows without hesitation, immediately shooting at Wang Juechu on the spot.


    ¡°You believe that just because we moved the sect¡¯s lower ranked disciples to Setting Sun Summit, we had never thought of an external enemy invasion and thus were incapable of resisting?¡± Sect Leader Wang¡¯s voice contained a somewhat menacing and sinister tone as he seemed to have turned a blind eye to the crossbow bolts.


    Hearing these words, Jia Tianlong¡¯s heart slightly sunk. His mind felt a trace of obscure foreboding. He didn¡¯t interrupt the Sect Leader Wang¡¯s words and instead continued to have a gloomy expression on his face. Jia Tianlong wanted to hear what his enemy ultimately had to say.


    ¡°The one who migrated the sect to this location was the seventh generation Sect Leader, Sect Leader Li. Not only did that person have great skill and strategies, he was also an expert in construction and machinery. He was named the top genius of his generation.¡± With this said, Sect Leader Wang shortly paused, expressing a hint of admiration.


    He opened his mouth and continued: ¡°Sect Leader Li selected Setting Sun Summit as the sect¡¯s main hall. There were two reasons for this. One reason is that the mountain peak is dangerous. Because it is easy to guard and hard to attack, it is an exceptional defensive location strategically. The second reason is that within the center of this mountain peak lies a vast natural stalactite cave. This cave is wonderful beyond compare. It occupies nearly two-thirds of the Setting Sun Summit. Seeing this marvel, Sect Leader Li made plans in his mind to integrate of all the construction techniques he possessed with the terrain of the stalactite cave, and he turned the entire mountain peak into a huge natural pitfall. So long as there were people to activate the mechanism, the entire mountain peak would immediately collapse, burying all the people on the summit.¡±


    After Sect Leader Wang finished talking, he stayed silent. He swept his eyes over the crowd before him with a cold gaze that one would use on a corpse.


    After Jia Tianlong finished hearing this, he stood in amazement. He naturally did not believe the opposition¡¯s words, but after a few moments, he did not know how he would refute Sect Leader Wang¡¯s menacing words.


    The others on the mountain clearly heard these words. They all couldn¡¯t help but become restless and talk about it softly. A few of the somewhat clever ones had even begun to slowly draw closer to the only road off the mountain. They were prepared to wildly rush off the mountain the moment something went wrong.


    ¡°Silence! Those clamoring or flailing about will be killed mercilessly!¡±


    Jia Tianlong quickly regained his calm. Seeing his own men turn disorderly on just a bluff, he couldn¡¯t help but become irritated. He knew that if he did not immediately put a stop to their restlessness, the situation would become a lot harder to control. He soon acted without thinking and loudly issued a stern command.


    Jia Tianlong¡¯s order was well executed by his loyal subordinates. After they beheaded a few of the cowards that had attempted to escape, the rest were intimidated and quelled, their roars suppressed.


    However, Jia Tianlong understood that this suppression was only superficial and temporary. If he could not confirm what the opponent had said were lies, regardless of what gang or faction the men belonged to, they would all be unable to stay here at ease. He feared that this rumor would spread and cause all of them to flee.


    ¡°You can¡¯t convince us that your words are true on the mere basis that you said them!¡± Jia Tianlong strongly restrained the anger in his heart, intending to personally expose Sect Leader Wang¡¯s fabrication.


    ¡°Of course not. I have plenty of proof. Just stay here and see it for yourself. Regardless of whether or not you heard properly, if someone were to see my proof and intends to escape or possibly continue their assault, I would activate the entire mechanism and end us all.¡± Wang Juechu¡¯s words were filled with desire to kill as his menacing intentions were undoubtedly revealed.


    Jia Tianlong carefully examined his enemy¡¯s expression, trying to find some mistake or gap in his state of mind. Unfortunately, Wang Juechu¡¯s face was ice cold through and through. No indication of falsehood had appeared, nor was the slightest degree of false confidence shown.


    Jia Tianlong couldn¡¯t help but murmur to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Sect Leader Wang¡¯s words were not a deception, but rather an actual scheme to destroy anyone on the summit, including the sect?¡±


    ¡°Activate the second mechanism!¡± Wang Juechu suddenly turned his head to the sect hall and loudly commanded.


    He then turned his head to the side and began staring at the comparatively small stone hall, no longer paying attention to Jia Tianlong.


    Seeing his opponent look down on him in such way, Jia Tianlong couldn¡¯t help but be angry. With great difficulty, he resisted the anger in his heart and inwardly resolved himself. So long as the opponent¡¯s evidence did not satisfy him, he would immediately give the order to turn this Sect Leader Wang into a human-shaped hedgehog.


    However, Wang Juechu¡¯s strange stare towards the stone hall had aroused the attention of the Feral Wolf Gang members. They couldn¡¯t help but turn their gazes as well, wanting to see if anything strange would occur.


    The Feral Wolf Gang members were all restless. None of them took notice of two people wearing Broken Water Sect clothing lowering their heads and whispering.


    ¡°Han Li, do you think what our Sect Leader said was true? Don¡¯t tell me that this huge Setting Sun Summit is truly hollow? I have come here several times before and never felt anything amiss in this place.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Sect Leader Wang is trying to deceive them in order to stall for time?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    A young man was talking to a taciturn youth in the midst of the crowd, discussing the offensive. It seemed that they had great doubts regarding Wang Juechu¡¯s explanation.


    These two people were not bystanders, but were in fact Han Li and Li Feiyu, who had rushed to Elder Li¡¯s residence in disguise.

 Chapter 84

    A Tremendous Battle.


    Chapter 84: A Tremendous Battle


    Earlier, Han Li was afraid that the Broken Water Sect¡¯s disciples would escape and alert the other enemies, so he had to personally get involved. Using Shifting Smoke Steps and Imperial Flight Technique in unison, he easily killed all the enemies in a short span of time. Li Feiyu, who was thinking of continuing his attack, was dumbstruck. Only then did he realize Han Li¡¯s true strength.


    After recovering from his dazed state, Li Feiyu was shocked that Han Li was able to possess such astonishing skill. Han Li¡¯s battle prowess was a result of cultivating Blinking Sword Art.


    This kind of thinking caused him to panic the moment he stepped up into the arena and immediately disturb his own inner strength, wishing he had cultivated in the Blinking Sword Art.  Luckily, he knew the bitter truth¡ª regardless of time or aptitude, it was too late for him to switch to a different sword art.


    Further down the road, Li Feiyu continuously threw up his heart¡¯s grief and sighed heavily at the lucky bastard, Han Li, for being able to learn such a terrifying skill.


    Han Li was not in the mood to comprehend his good friend¡¯s sour mood. Instead, he started to ruthlessly kill all the enemies he met, intending to reveal his true strength.


    All the enemies that encountered Han Li¡¯s strange technique were neither able to withstand nor receive a single blow. They all breathed their last breath of air, and even the high-ranked experts were no exception.


    With Han Li¡¯s exhibition of might, the two of them easily reached Elder Li¡¯s residence and saw Ma Rong. They received news from Ma Rong that Elder Li and Zhang Xiuer had already ascended Setting Sun Summit.


    Upon hearing this grievous news, Li Feiyu¡¯s face turned green.


    He knew that the current Setting Sun Summit was an extremely dangerous place. Zhang Xiuer entering that area was like setting a foot into the Gates of Hell.


    With the lack of a better option, the two of them discussed for a moment and came out of Elder Li¡¯s residence, hurriedly heading towards to the direction of Setting Sun Summit. But upon their departure, there was a minor disturbance.


    When the two of them were about to leave, that loathsome fatty, the trusted aide of Sect Leader Wang, took out the command medallion and ordered them threateningly to stay behind or else he would deal with them according the Sect¡¯s rules.


    Currently, Li Feiyu was very impatient as he was only concerned with Zhang Xiuer¡¯s safety. He could care less about the Sect rules, so he extended his hand and knocked the long-winded fatty unconscious to the ground. Then, he ordered his subordinates to continue protecting everyone while he and Han Li turned and left quickly.


    When they reached the vicinity of Setting Sun Summit, the two of them were frightened by the sheer numbers of enemies. Knowing that it was impossible to charge forward, Han Li and Li Feiyu discussed with each other and came up with a brilliant plan.


    They knocked out two disciples of Broken Water Sect and changed into their clothes. Then, they took advantage of the dark sky and the crowd¡¯s confusion to stealthily mix in with those who were about to attack the mountain, follow the stream of traffic, and easily reach Setting Sun Summit. There, Han Li and Li Feiyu had heard everything that Sect Leader Wang had said. Because Crooked Soul¡¯s body was too conspicuous, they found an area at the bottom of the mountain in which they could hide him and left him there.


    After hearing that the Setting Sun Summit had kept such a deadly trump card that enabled it to perish with its enemies, Li Feiyu could not conceal his doubts and started to repeatedly ask Han Li, hoping that his good friend might set his heart at ease.


    ¡°Regardless whether this is true or fake, the most important thing to us right now is to quickly enter the main hall and meet with your young beloved and secretly slip away. You must be aware that regardless whether the information is authentic or not, staying here is too dangerous!¡± Han Li finally replied in a low voice.


    ¡°This is all true, but under the watchful eye of the crowd, how it is possible to go in secretly?¡± Li Feiyu asked, with a worried look on his face as he lowered his head.


    ¡°Sigh. We can only wait and see if any opportunities arise later on.¡± Han Li was also feeling quite helpless.


    Just as the two of them hiding at the back of the crowd started to get agitated, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled. At first, it was just a slight tremor, but subsequently, it became quite violent. A lot of people were unable to stand and began to tumble one by one onto the ground. Following the summit¡¯s trembling, there were also several mountain boulders that began to roll down.


    ¡°Not good! The mountain peak is about to collapse. That surnamed Wang wants to bring us down along with him!¡± Some reckless person within the group shouted in a panic.


    When people heard this, the majority of them became even more panic-stricken. Some even disregarded previous Wang Juechu¡¯s warning and frantically tried to escape towards the road¡¯s intersection in an attempt to flee the mountain peak that they believed was about to collapse.


    Boom! A rumble of explosions rang out as the surrounding area started to collapse. The ground also shook more intensely.


    Hearing the loud noises, everyone thought that this was the start of the collapse of the mountain peak and couldn¡¯t help but to give up all hope.


    At this moment, Jia Tianlong was alarmed and furious. Even though he was escorted by the loyal Iron Guards, he was at a loss in his heart, unsure of what to do.


    He couldn¡¯t help but to look towards Monk Golden Light. Jia Tianlong smiled wrily after he clearly saw the look of panic on Monk Golden Light¡¯s face.


    So this person was also unable to protect himself!


    Jia Tianlong¡¯s initial admiration for this figure was immediately reduced.


    ¡°Hehe! And here I thought people from Feral Wolf Gang were all fearless heroes. Turns out you are all a mob!¡± At this moment, Wang Juechan suddenly ridiculed. Despite the confusion at the summit, Wang Juechan¡¯s words transmitted to everyone¡¯s ears, clearly caused by pure skill.


    Following his words, the ground miraculously stopped trembling. It was as if the mountain peak had suppressed its anger in a split second, recovering its former tranquility.


    At this moment, the crowd discovered that the small stone hall had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind an astonishingly large hole. A few courageous people took two paces forward and looked down from the edge. They couldn¡¯t help but gasp at the sight of the large, pitch-black hole. Since it was impossible to see the bottom of the hole, they knew that its depth was unfathomable.


    ¡°Commander Jia, can this evidence be considered proof of what I have to say?¡± Wang Juechan coldly asked.


    Jia Tianlong¡¯s face paled slightly. He did not reply immediately; instead, he surveyed his surroundings¡­


    Only to see that everyone beside him had panicked and uncertain looks on their faces. In addition to the ordinary gang members and other gangs¡¯ members, even the Iron guards by his side had unsightly looks.


    Looking back, Jia Tianlong understood that he would be unable to accomplish his goal of completely annihilating Seven Mysterious Sect within a single night. It seemed that he needed to retreat first and consider the matter carefully once more before making a decision.


    ¡°Whatever conditions you have, you can state them, but you should be well aware of the situation. Even though it¡¯s like this, we are both tied, so don¡¯t go overboard!¡± he exclaimed, not willing to accept the current outcome. As he turned his head around, there was a slight hint of extreme fury within his words.

 Chapter 85

    Bloody Battle, Death Contract.


    Chapter 85: Bloody Battle, Death Contract


    ¡°I only have two conditions, and they are simple,¡± Wang Juechu expressionlessly said.


    ¡°First, your men have to evacuate outside of my sect¡¯s sphere of influence, and they have to do so in groups under the supervision of my sect¡¯s disciples.¡± His tone hardened considerably.


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s not a problem.¡± Jia Tianlong replied without hesitation.


    Seeing how his opponent answered so steadfastly, Wang Juechu coldly laughed as he directly told Jia Tianlong his second condition.


    ¡°Second, both you and I have to sign a death contract and fight in a duel before you all can leave.¡±


    ¡°Death contract!¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Has he gone mad!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    As Wang Juechu¡¯s sentence left his mouth, it caused a huge ruckus to break out among the crowd. All those who heard the sentence had varied expressions on their faces. Some were excited, some were ashen, while some were eager to see the outcome of the duel.


    After hearing Sect Leader Wang¡¯s conditions, Jia Tianlong¡¯s expression flickered before swiftly reverting back to its normal state.


    ¡°Did I hear that condition incorrectly? Both of us sign a death contract and fight until there is only one survivor?¡± After his seemingly nonchalant question, Jia Tianlong broke out into a laugh.


    ¡°No, your ears are fine. This is to collect the blood debt for Vice Sect Leader Wu and the others who died. Thus, I have no choice but to propose this: a death contract between you and me,¡±  Wang Juechu stated coldly, staring directly at Jia Tianlong with his hand on his sword.


    Jia Tianlong laughed but did not give an immediate reply. His eyes flashed while he pondered. It appeared that he did not dare to treat this lightly and would only answer after deep contemplation.


    Voices broke out in discussion among the crowd. Even the oblivious Han Li couldn¡¯t take it anymore and chose to question Li Feiyu, who was standing by his side, instead.


    ¡°What is a death contract? Seems like it¡¯s something incredible!¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t even know about death contracts? This is too inconceivable! Of all the ways to settle the disputes of Jiang Hu, this is, by far, the most famous and bloody method!¡± Stunned with amazement, Li Feiyu explained with a facial expression akin to the fascination of meeting a ghost.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say! You should know that I barely know anything beyond God Hand Valley and have no interest regarding matters of Jiang Hu. Is it really so strange that I did not know?¡± Han Li replied in a low tone, seemingly in a bad mood.


    ¡°Oh! Right, true enough, I almost forgot.¡± Li Feiyu scratched his head in embarrassment.


    ¡°The death contract is often used by two parties who have great hatred and enmity towards each other. Before their battle, they would sign a life-death statement, stating that after they enter the battle, they would battle until there would only be a single survivor. If someone left halfway, not only would that person¡¯s reputation plummet and face everyone¡¯s disdain, anyone in the entirety of Jiang Hu would have the right to kill him. Because all the people of Jiang Hu believe that death contracts are extremely sacred, those who destroy or taint the essence of this contract will be annihilated as a warning to others.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more is that most of these battle are staged in arenas where people have often fought to death, consequently appearing even more bloody and cruel than normal. In recent years, the number of people using this method to resolve their disputes has lessened.¡±


    Li Feiyu slowly and elaborately explained.


    After hearing the explanation, Han Li furrowed his brows as he understood the true meaning of death contracts. He seemed to disapprove of Sect Leader Wang¡¯s decision to enter into a death contract with Jia Tianlong. From his perspective, this would only end with one dead and one grievously injured. In the first place, if there was to be such an ending, it might as well not be started at all. Sect Leader Wang might as well just let the enemy go free or just kill the enemy straight away, saving himself from all this unnecessary trouble.


    ¡°Fine, I agree. Let¡¯s enter into a death contract.¡± After repeatedly deliberating, Jia Tianlong¡¯s gaze roaming about before riveting on the figure of Monk Golden Light. Then, he made his final decision.


    Since Jia Tianlong¡¯s opponent wanted to use this as an excuse to kill him, wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity for him to remove the roots of the troublesome Seven Mysteries Sect?


    Jia Tianlong was very clear about what Wang Juechu was thinking. He obviously wanted the support of his three hidden martial uncles! But what a pity, he had already knew of their existences through reports from his spies and had already prepared countermeasures against them.


    With the immortal cultivator and his flying swords techniques by his side, his chances of winning the battle was definitely more than ninety percent.


    As long as he killed Wang Juechu as well as the remaining experts of the Seven Mysteries Sect during the deathmatch, it would be worth it. Even if his attack failed this time around, there was no cause for concern, because the next time he attacked, the Seven Mysteries Sect would no longer have any strength to resist. After all, nurturing an expert was not something that could be done within a single year.


    Thus, this was the reason why the cautious Jia Tianlong would now chose to take such a risk and agree to sign the death contract.


    ¡°Sect Leader Wang! According to rules of the death contract, you should be the one to select the time and location of the battle. I will have no objections, but as for the number of fighters and methods of battle, I should be the one to decide, am I right?¡± An enigmatic smile spread on Jia Tianlong¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hmmp! You are right,¡± Wang Juechu answered somewhat unwillingly.


    ¡°Okay, then. I want the number of people fighting to be a hundred; fifty men from each party in a battle royal.¡± With no signs of being courteous, Jia Tianlong directly stated his request.


    ¡°Fifty people? Battle royal?¡± Sect Leader Wang¡¯s cold face actually revealed a hint of surprise.


    Death contract battles allowed multiple people to take part to prevent one side¡¯s strength to be greatly depleted. However, twenty or thirty people was already considered excessive, and Jia Tianlong¡¯s proposed method of battle¡ªbattle royal¡ªwas rarely used in comparison to one-on-one battles.


    However, since it was Wang Juechu himself who requested the death contract battle, there was no way he could take back his words. Moreover, he was extremely confident in the battle prowess of his three senior martial uncles. Even if it was a battle royal, victory would most assuredly belong to his side.


    Moreover, as long as he was able to kill Jia Tianlong, it would be worth it no matter how great a price he had to pay. As long as this scheming Jia Tianlong died, he was sure that the forces under him would almost immediately try to fight to be the next gang leader, resulting in the gang splintering into different groups as they vied for power and authority. This would no longer make them a threat to Wang Juechu¡¯s Seven Mysteries Sect.


    As he thought of this, Sect Leader Wang nodded his head, agreeing to his opponent¡¯s request.


    ¡°Men, go prepare the arena and the death contract!¡± Wang Juechu commanded in a stern voice to the people standing behind him.

 Chapter 86

    A Sudden Change.


    Chapter 86: A Sudden Change


    Following his orders, thirty brightly-dressed disciples rushed from the sect hall.


    None of these people uttered even a single word. In front of the hall, they wordlessly used wooden stakes and ropes to create the arena for the death fight. From their swift movements, it was evident that these people were proficient in martial arts, unlike the common low-ranking disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect


    Witnessing the site of the duel being created, Li Feiyu asked Han Li in distraught, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that we¡¯re going to hide here the whole time. Are we going to do nothing and idly watch their duel?  This isn¡¯t right!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t right? Your young lover is currently not in danger and is actually quite safe. We¡¯ll wait for the duel to finish. Once the Feral Wolf Gang evacuates, we¡¯ll take advantage of the disorder and stealthily make our way to Young Lady Zhang. Since the survivors of the Seven Mysteries Sect will most likely want to use you as a scapegoat and place all the blame on you, the two of you have to escape to a faraway place where they can¡¯t find you,¡± Han Li said indifferently. It seemed that he didn¡¯t have a deep sense of belonging towards the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be eloping? That won¡¯t do; Xiuer wouldn¡¯t agree to it!¡± Li Feiyu shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it.


    ¡°Then knock her out and take her away by force. By the time she wakes up, it would be too late to change anything. Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡± Han Li replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°You¡­.¡± Li Feiyu angrily glared at Han Li, unable to speak another word.


    While these two individuals were completely engaged in a conversation with each other, Sect Leader Wang solemnly received two blood-red scrolls. These were the death contracts. He took one for himself and ordered someone to bring the other to Jia Tianlong, who was across from him.


    As Jia Tianlong accepted the document, his expression changed to one of solemness. He carefully opened the document and cautiously skimmed through it. Once he verified that there was no problem, he nodded his head and closed the document. He then began selecting soldiers to fight in the deathmatch.


    After filtering through his available men, he selected thirteen elite experts from the Feral Wolf Gang. In addition, he selected tens of martial artists with acceptable talents from the smaller gangs in order to lessen his own losses. In any case, once they signed their names on the death contract, these martial artists would have to fight with all their might in order to preserve their insignificant lives, regardless of whether or not they were willing. As for the remaining candidates, Jia Tianlong picked some of his capable Iron Guards. Of course, Monk Golden Light was certain to take the stage. Jia Tianlong was completely counting on the great martial prowess of this Immortal cultivator¡¯s flying sword technique.


    While Jia Tianlong was busy, he did not notice that Wang Juechu had returned to the stone hall. Until now, Jia Tianlong still hadn¡¯t seen Sect Leader Wang return, making Jia Tianlong think that Wang Juechu was probably having difficulty deciding the candidates for the deathmatch.


    When the deathmatch stage had been thoroughly completed, Sect Leader Wang brought out three to four hundred people out from the hall.


    Within this crowd was a mixture of young and old disciples of both genders. However, each and every one of them had a spirited light in their eyes and walked with steady steps. It was evident they were the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s elites. The ones Jia Tianlong was most cautious of were the three figures following behind Wang Juechu.


    The first individual wore a fluttering scholar¡¯s jacket, and his face appeared intellectual and scholarly-like. The second was tall and sturdy with his chest bare. His full beard, resembling steel needles, gave him a valiant appearance that was incomparable. Last was a person wearing gray clothes. He carried a long sword on his back and had a cold expression.


    At first glance, these people seemed to be middle-aged men, thirty to forty years old. However, close examination revealed that they released an aura that exuded the passage of time, an aura equivalent to that of an elderly man of seventy to eighty years. It made onlookers feel like the ages of these middle-aged men did not match their young external appearances.


    (TL: ¡°passage of time¡±:  literally means the blue sea turned into mulberry fields. Figuratively, it represents the worldly passage of time or how time brings a great change to the world.)


    Jia Tianlong¡¯s mind was clear. These three were definitely Wang Juechu¡¯s three martial uncles. It seemed that the Seven Mysteries Sect would not hold anything back, even going as far as summoning its reserves.


    Thinking of this, Jia Tianlong leaned to the side and pointed his finger at those three martial uncles for the dwarf Mink Golden Light. He asked, ¡°Monk. I don¡¯t know how you feel about those three, but can you take them down?¡±


    ¡°They are nothing more than ordinary folk. With a wave of my flying swords, their small lives will be finished. What is there to be worried about? Do you not trust me?¡± Monk Golden Light said this with a somewhat dismissive tone and gave Jia tianlong a dissatisfied glare.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, I wouldn¡¯t dare! I merely asked without thinking. Please do not take it to heart, Monk.¡± Jia Tianlong promptly responded with a smiling face, fearing that he might have offended the person on whom he was currently most relying.


    ¡°Humph! ¡± After the dwarf heard these words, his anger gradually vanished.


    Only after seeing this did Jia Tianlong¡¯s heart calm down. This great Immortal cultivator was truly not easy to please!


    He bitterly smiled to himself and hastily turned his body before shouting loudly, ¡°Are you not ready? Begin signing the death contract!¡±


    Following this berating voice, those from the Feral Wolf Gang that were participating the deathmatch started to solemnly write down their names on the death contract. After they signed their names, their fighting spirit burst forth.


    Not to be outdone, Wang Juechu commanded with a cold voice, ¡°Sign the death contract!¡±


    Immediately, tens of warriors who had been chosen to participate emerged from the crowd of Seven Mysteries Sect members and walked forward to sign the death contract.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze naturally fell on those who marched out as he tried to see if there were any acquaintances among them. He also saw Sect Leader Wang¡¯s three martial uncles. However, he didn¡¯t take them to mind. He skimmed the crowd with a hurried glance until an elderly man with a blue-green jacket entered his line of sight.


    With a single look at this old man¡¯s appearance, Han Li could not help but exhale in a low voice, ¡°Elder Li!¡±


    This was the man whose life Han Li had actually saved before, Ma Rong¡¯s Master¡ªElder Li. He was unexpectedly a participant of the deathmatch.  This was far beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    Han Li retracted his gaze and hastily turned his face. Slapping Li Feiyu¡¯s shoulder with all his strength, he said, ¡°Did you see that? Elder Li is there, and wants to sign the death contract!¡±


    Li Feiyu expressionlessly stood there, motionless, as he surveyed the distance from an elevated view. As if he hadn¡¯t heard his friend, Li Feiyu had an extremely stupefied expression.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the matter?¡± Han Li was somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Even if Elder Li wants to sign the death contract, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to die, right?¡± He strangely asked.


    Once Li Feiyu heard those words, his vision finally returned. He blankly gazed at Han Li and uttered a sentence that instantly stunned Han Li.


    ¡°Xiuer¡­. Xiuer, she is also there. She also wants to participates in the death contract battle!¡±


    Upon uttering these words, Li Feiyu face instantly became extremely unsightly.

 Chapter 87

    Prominent Skill.


    Chapter 87: Prominent Skill


    ¡°Where?¡± Han Li hastily asked after he came to his senses.


    ¡°There!¡±


    Following Li Feiyu¡¯s gaze, Han Li finally found a pale-faced Zhang Xiuer within the corner of the crowd. At this moment, she was standing with two other girls who were also participating in the deathmatch. Wearing thin white clothing, she slightly bit her almond lips, making her whole figure seem like a white colored flower, lovely and fragile.


    ¡°How could weak women like Lady Zhang participate in such a bloody battle? Did that one surnamed Wang make a mistake?¡± Han Li, who was still unwilling to believe his eyes, questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Xiuer is also an inner disciple of the Seven Supreme Division, did I not tell you before?¡± Li Feiyu replied, smiling bitterly as he said something that Han Li felt was unexpected.


    Han Li remained silent and speechless.


    It was clearly evident that the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s remaining experts were few in number and that Sect Leader Wang did not have any protective feelings for the fairer s*x. In order to prevail in this dire situation, he even sent out a girl like Zhang Xiuer, almost as if he was planning to stake everything on this one move.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll get straight to the point: I want to be with Zhang Xiuer. Take care of yourself!¡± Li Feiyu lightly said, placing his hand onto Han Li¡¯s shoulder. He then turned his body and walked towards the arena.


    He hadn¡¯t even walked two steps before he heard a light sigh from behind him, followed closely by a fluctuation in the air. Instantly, another person appeared by his side: Han Li.


    ¡°What¡¯s so big about this, isn¡¯t it only a death contract battle? This small situation is not difficult for me to handle. Since we are friends, I can help you with this small matter.¡± Han Li said with a hint of a smile.


    Having heard this, Li Feiyu did not say anything further and exerted his strength to pat Han Li¡¯s chest, quietly saying, ¡°Good brother! Thank you so much!¡±


    Han Li kept a smile on his face, not saying another word. It was just as he said: the reason why he followed was partly because he knew Li Feiyu for quite a long time, so their relationship was quite close. As such, Han Li was unwilling to look on helplessly as Li Feiyu ventured off by himself. On the other hand, Han Li was a highly skilled and bold individual. He did not believe that the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s so-called experts could pose much of a threat to him with his Fireball and Imperial Flight Technique. On top of this, he also was a bit eager to test his own strength.


    The two men strode forward, squeezing through the crowd and heading straight for Wang Juechu¡¯s side. Halfway, the two ripped off their Broken Water Sect uniforms, revealing their Seven Mysteries Sect attires.


    Han Li and Li Feiyu¡¯s sudden appearance and change in identity caused both sides to stare at them foolishly. No one tried to prevent their movements, allowing them to easily arrive in front of Wang Juechu.


    ¡°Division Head Li.¡±


    ¡°Doctor Han.¡±


    Upon seeing Li Feiyu, Zhang Xiuer was pleased beyond expectation. Her coquettish face revealed her to be pleasantly surprised, and if the area wasn¡¯t filled with so many people, she might have thrown herself in her lover¡¯s embrace, pouring her heart out.


    Sect Leader Wang also recognized the two individuals, his eyes revealing a trace of surprise. To him, their sudden appearance was very unexpected.


    ¡°External Blade Division¡¯s Division Head Deputy Li Feiyu pays his respects to the Sect Leader.¡± Li Feiyu spoke loudly.


    ¡°The two of us wish to sign the death contract and join the deathmatch.¡± He directly stated his request, not waiting for the others to question him about his appearance. Meanwhile, Han Li stood to the side without making a sound, maintaining an appearance similar to that of Li Feiyu and Sect Leader Ma.


    Hearing Li Feiyu speak, Sect Leader Wang swallowed down the words he was originally obligated to ask. The cold look on his face revealed a hint of a smile as he warmly said:


    ¡°Very well! As expected of our Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s loyal disciples. With Division Head Li joining the battle, the sect will surely receive a better chance at victory. However, I think it would be better if Doctor Han does not join; after all, his medical expertise is very crucial to our sect. If something were to happen to him in the deathmatch, it would be a fatal loss.¡±


    Hearing these words, Han Li gave a faint smile. Instead of waiting for Li Feiyu¡¯s explanation, he shifted slightly, causing his his body to disappear right in front of Sect Leader Wang.


    Sect Leader Wang was surprised, and just as he was about to look in all four sides, he heard Han Li¡¯s lazy voice drift over from behind him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my own skill is worthy of Sect Leader Ma¡¯s attention, but if I were to enter the deathmatch, I believe that I would be able to protect myself! Therefore, I hope that Sect Leader will accept my loyalty.¡±


    Sect Leader Ma¡¯s heart was overwhelmed with shock. He would have never thought that Han Li, who was renown in the sect for his medical expertise, would also possess such a terrifying martial skill. Unexpectedly, Han Li was able to soundlessly penetrate Wang Juechu¡¯s defense and approach his back without attracting Wang Juechu¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Such terrifying skill! Just who exactly is this person? Hidden within our sect, just what is his purpose?¡± A train of fearful ideas sprang forth in quick succession within Wang Juechu¡¯s mind.


    He turned his body and looked at the seemingly harmless Han Li. Sect Leader Wang couldn¡¯t help but draw his gaze to his own three martial uncles¡­


    Only to see that the three martial uncles¡¯ facial expressions had also changed slightly. Their eyes revealed a hint of shock, making it evident that Doctor Han¡¯s skill caused them to feel unrestrained fear.


    A series of different thoughts rushed around in Sect Leader Wang¡¯s mind, but he finally made a decision.


    He abruptly laughed loudly before cordially saying:


    ¡°Doctor Han¡¯s heart must have been wholly devoted to the sect. As the Sect Leader, how could I possibly refuse?¡±


    He then used his finger to point at the two disciples whose skills were the weakest out of all of them. They stepped out of the line-up, allowing Han Li and Li Feiyu to take their places. Sect Leader Wang also allowed Han Li and Li Feiyu to use black ink to write their names in the blood-red death contract, permitting them to become members of the deathmatch.


    The commotion within the Seven Mysteries Sect was naturally witnessed by Jia Tianlong, and even though he felt that the adding of two experts was a bit unexpected, he did not put it within his heart. After all, he believed that the fleshy body of mortals would be unable to stop Monk Golden Light¡¯s flying sword technique.


    Therefore, both sides finished signing their respective death contracts and exchanging them, thus signaling the start of the deathmatch. Only one side would be able to leave alive.

 Chapter 88

    Golden Light Barrier.


    Chapter 88: Golden Light Barrier


    Monk Golden Light had a prideful expression on his face as he stood in the middle of the arena with the members of the Feral Wolf Gang standing behind him.


    Before he emerged, he had already guaranteed Jia Tianlong that he alone would be sufficient to face all the challengers from the Seven Mysteries Sect. But of course, the price for his services would have to be adjusted accordingly from the previously agreed amount of 5,000 taels of gold to 8,000 taels of gold.


    The moment when Monk Golden Light thought about the rewards he would be receiving after the battle, a fiery heat rose in his heart. He stared disdainfully at the crowd, straining himself to hold back from slaughtering all the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    Instead of being with Li Feiyu, Han Li stood at the other side of the crowd.


    Since Li Feiyu and Zhang Xiuer were standing together, whispering sweet words of affection to each other, Han Li naturally would not be so rude as to intrude into the personal world of the two lovebirds.


    ¡°Seriously, what is he thinking about when he is with his young lover? To think that they could still talk about their emotions and love right now when we are about to fight for the sect¡¯s survival!¡± Han Li felt a sour taste in his mouth.


    After he came back to his senses, Han Li, like the rest of the sect members, stared curiously at the dwarf standing in the arena.


    ¡°The Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s participants all hiding in the back. This is too incredible! They actually allowed such a dirty-looking dwarf to begin the fight? Could it be that the dwarf has some sort of strange and profound martial technique?¡± Han Li blinked his eyes as he pondered in his heart.


    Sect Leader Wang¡¯s thoughts flowed down the same path as Han Li¡¯s. Instead of rashly allowing his sect members to swamp the arena, he selected a Protector wielding a saber to test the waters. It seemed like he intended to scout out his opponent first before making a decision so that there wouldn¡¯t be any accidental casualties.


    Although the battle format was supposed to be a battle royal, if one side only sent out a single man, it would unquestionably become a one-on-one fight. As Sect Leader Wang thought about this, he decided to act as such.


    When Monk Golden Light saw only a single man approaching him, he roughly knew in his heart what his opponent was thinking.


    ¡°He he.¡± The sound of a strange laughter emerged from his throat. His voice was capable of breaking apart drums, causing those who heard it to tremble uncontrollably.


    The Protector that Wang Juechu sent out was a strong warrior more than thirty years old with an extremely valiant appearance. His hands, wielding the saber, were tightly clustered with visible green veins. One look was sufficient enough for one to know that he was extremely proficient with the saber. Even after hearing Monk Golden Light¡¯s strange laughter, his heart remained unshaken, which proved that he had experienced countless battles..


    As Monk Golden Light saw the strong warrior approaching him, he stopped his weird laughter and nonchalantly took out a piece of yellow paper from inside his robes. The yellow paper was inscribed with words and patterns that glowed with a golden light, and Han Li could tell with a single glance that this item was extremely valuable.


    The dwarf ignored the approaching warrior. Instead of moving forward, he held the yellow paper in one hand and started chanting an incantation.


    Although the strong warrior from the Seven Mysteries Sect was unsure of what mad plot his opponent was hatching, his fighting experience was incomparably vast, and he understood that it would be best to finish off the dwarf before the dwarf completed the incantation, in case the battle became disadvantageous for him.


    As a result, he didn¡¯t even pause to think before his body vigorously leapt into the air, drawing close to the body of Mink Golden Light with a few steps. He raised the steel saber in his hand, and with a glint of cold light, he struck against the head of his opponent. The strike was swift, ferocious, and heavy, filled with all of his strength.


    As soon as his eyes witnessed the edge of the saber landing on Monk Golden Light¡¯s head, the incantation had already been completed. Before the steel saber could come into contact with his body, Monk Golden Light held the piece of yellow paper against his body. Abruptly, a piercing ray of golden light flashed, emanating from the hand that held the yellow paper.


    This extremely golden piercing ray of light blinded the strong warrior, but he did not have the slightest hint of panic, continuing to swing his steel saber downwards.


    Dang! The sound of metal clashing resounded throughout the entire arena.


    The strong warrior felt a wave of heat from web of skin between his thumb and index finger as the saber he was wielding almost flew out of his hands, causing him to be shocked. Although both his eyes had not managed to see clearly, he knew that the situation was perilous. He tiptoed as he backtracked a distance of several zhang before pausing. Brandishing his saber, he maintained his position.


    At this moment, he could hear the crowd in the arena letting out gasps of shock and astonishment.


    The strong warrior began to get worried after hearing the crowd¡¯s reaction. He desperately wanted to know what had happened and why was his clash with the dwarf so bizarre. Fortunately, his eyes had recovered his vision, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze forward¡­


    Only to see the dwarf standing motionlessly several zhang ahead of him. His entire body seemed to emit an aura of golden light an inch wide around him. This golden light was akin to a thick armor, enveloping the dwarf and giving him a level of protection that was impervious to even the wind and rain. The Protector¡¯s saber attack had struck the barrier of the golden light and did not manage to even wound the dwarf¡¯s body. The Protector did not understand the origin of the golden light that was as tough as steel and iron. It had actually made his saber attack ineffective.


    Although the Protector had vast amounts of experience, this was the first time he had seen such an incredible thing, causing him to be stunned.


    Wielding the steel saber, he was worried, not knowing whether he should advance or retreat.


    Not only was the Protector stunned, the spectators in the crowd were astonished as well.


    Within Jiang Hu, the number of individuals who knew Immortal cultivators were extremely sparse, especially within such a remote location like State of Yue. As such, the golden light manifested by the yellow paper was extremely mysterious and unfathomable to the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    Jia Tianlong felt joy in his heart as he witnessed those from the Seven Mysteries Sect looking at each other with dismay. Standing at the back of the crowd was Han Li, who was even more astonished than the others.


    Han Li knew that on this mountain peak, there was no one other than the dwarf who understood how to use magic techniques. It was obvious to him that the dwarf used an incantation similar to the that of Soul-Lock Talisman. However, Han Li felt that this technique was even more powerful than the Soul-Lock Talisman.


    When no one was watching, Han Li quickly activated Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique by reciting its incantations. Having activated it, he hurriedly turned his gaze in the dwarf¡¯s direction.


    He saw that beneath the golden aura, there was a flickering white light on the dwarf¡¯s body. When compared to the golden aura, this white light was too faint. If one was not looking for it, he or she would have most likely not been able to notice its existence.


    This dwarf was actually an Immortal cultivator whose magic power was much lower than Han Li¡¯s. This caused Han Li to be delighted and anguished at the same time.


    He was delighted because, as a beginner, his magic power was richer when compared to the dwarf¡¯s, which signified that the dwarf had merely dabbled in Immortal cultivation. Han Li also felt anguished because he did not know whether or not the dwarf knew any other magic techniques of which he was not aware. As such, he was not sure if he would be able to handle the dwarf.

 Chapter 89

    Spear and Shield.


    Chapter 89: Spear and Shield


    Han Li turned his head to look at Sect Leader Wang, who had a gloomy countenance. In that moment, the three men standing near Sect Leader Wang had a great change in expression and started talking amongst themselves. It seemed that the dwarf¡¯s golden light was not something to be trifled with.


    Covered by the golden light, the dwarf started laughing with his head facing the sky. Soon after, he domineeringly shouted, ¡°This venerable master is standing here motionlessly and will allow you to attack as you please. If there is no one here capable of breaking this Monk¡¯s Gold Barrier, then not a single one of your insignificant lives will be spared.¡± After this was said, he gave an arrogant sneer.


    Monk Golden Light¡¯s speech had thoroughly changed the Seven Mysteries Sect disciples¡¯ apprehension into rage. Immediately, many valiant martial artists wanted to rush out from the crowd and charge straight toward the dwarf. However, Sect Leader Wang stopped them.


    Wang Juechu waved his arm, signaling the Protectors at the scene to return. Then, he said a few words to the tall and sturdy man, who nodded his head and walked step by step toward to the dwarf, upright and unafraid.


    As the dwarf saw the fully-bearded man walking toward him, a malicious gaze flashed in his eyes.


    Because his natural body was deformed, he had been ridiculed since a young age. As a result, he especially detested bold individuals with tall and lofty figures. This man before him fell within his scope of resentment. He was already thinking of what cruel method he should use to torment him.


    The bare-chested man was one of Wang Juechu¡¯s three martial uncles. If one did not see his full bearded face, they would have thought him to be an oaf. However, his true age had already passed a cycle of sixty years. He used to be known as a valiant and brave individual in the Seven Mysteries Sect, killing countless enemies for the sake of the sect. Confronted with this strange golden barrier, he naturally would not act rashly.


    This person examined the barrier and glanced at Monk Golden Light protected within. He cracked a smile, and with two extended fingers, he flicked the golden barrier, causing a clear ¡°Dang¡± sound.


    This frivolous act agitated Monk Golden Light. He sinisterly said, ¡°Do you wish for this Immortal master to send you to an early reincarnation?!¡±


    As the martial uncle listened to these words, his expression changed. He unexpectedly strode forward a single step, arriving at the dwarf¡¯s side. Lifting his leg once more, he appeared behind the dwarf.


    In order to get to the mind of Monk Golden Light, the martial uncle circled around him with long strides and increasingly faster revolutions. In a blink of an eye, his figure became indistinct; Monk Golden Light was incapable of seeing him clearly.


    Monk Golden Light had become dizzy from the opponent¡¯s continuous rotations, causing the fury in his heart to intensify. Without taking the time to think, he brought his hand to the inside of his robe, seemingly with the intention to take something out.


    Just then, the circling bearded man naturally took notice of his opponent¡¯s actions.


    He suddenly let out a long whistle that resembled a dragon¡¯s cry and a tiger¡¯s hiss. The whistle was both strong and lengthy. It shook the ears of everyone on Setting Sun Summit with a droning noise that also affected leaves and branches of the trees nearby.


    After Monk Golden Light heard the whistle, his shaking hands were rendered powerless. His hand stretched toward his bosom, but unexpectedly, he did not withdraw it.


    Suddenly, the sharp, loud sounds of bursting joints came from the bearded man. They grew more and more hurried until finally the sounds were like the winds and rain of a torrential storm. The sounds had even covered the whistling.


    The bearded man had circled to the front of the dwarf and stopped. He then stopped whistling and the sound of his joints bursting had stopped.


    At this moment, those who were clear-headed discovered that the bearded man¡¯s body had changed dramatically since his revolutions. The muscles on his chest and arms were greatly bulging outwards and were pure black, as if cast in living iron. When compared to the dwarf, it was as if he were a giant.


    While Monk Golden Light was gasping for air, he took out a thin long box from his bosom. This wooden box was completely dark and was covered by a paper talisman that sealed the contents.


    Without waiting for the dwarf to tear off the paper talisman, the gigantic spirited man extended his huge hand like a palm leaf fan, and without politeness, he ruthlessly smashed against the golden light. The strike rocked the barrier, deforming it and causing the dwarf to sway incessantly, making the unstable dwarf incapable of tearing off the paper talisman.


    Monk Golden Light¡¯s mind was overwhelmed with shock. He was fully aware of the might of the golden barrier surrounding him. This man was actually capable of striking and deforming it, which required a great amount of godly force. The contempt in his heart could not help but almost entirely vanish. His hands moved more quickly to tear off the paper talisman.


    With the sound of tearing paper, the talisman had finally been ripped off.


    Monk Golden Light¡¯s face showed an expression of joy. He then heard a ¡°Thump¡± as the bearded man unleashed strikes against the golden barrier in quick succession. The dwarf¡¯s body swayed accordingly and was unable to remain standing, causing his buttocks to fall to the floor.


    Only at this moment did he discover that the man had used both hands and legs to assault the golden barrier like a squall. His current golden barrier was the same as kneaded dough. With the opponent¡¯s punches and kicks creating new dents, bulges, and warped deformations on the barrier, it seemed that the layer of golden light could break at any moment underneath the martial uncle¡¯s fierce assault.


    Seeing this, Monk Golden Light¡¯s expression drastically changed. Flustered, he was no longer capable of maintaining the poise of an Immortal master, and instead proceeded to chant an incantation. Unfortunately, he had made many errors in this hurried attempt, so there wasn¡¯t the slightest result. That black box hadn¡¯t moved even a jolt.


    In the back, Jia Tianlong saw everything and was somewhat amazed.


    On one hand, he was amazed by Monk Golden Light¡¯s idiotic actions and obliviousness. On the other hand, he felt awe as he witnessed the martial prowess belonging to Wang Juechu¡¯s martial uncle, who could test the power of the golden barrier belonging to Monk Golden Light. The barrier could truly be considered impervious to sword and spear. Water and fire couldn¡¯t penetrate it either, similar to its ineffectiveness against a diamond-hard shield.  Unexpectedly, this golden barrier was trembling greatly under this person¡¯s punches and kicks, and accumulated deformations according to the martial uncle¡¯s wishes.


    This was truly inconceivable. This man¡¯s skill was a great and profound mystery!


    He recalled that there still existed two more similar experts in addition to the bearded man. For the first time since he had rashly agreed to the opponent¡¯s deathmatch, Jia Tianlong felt slightly regretful. He now understood why the opposition had requested a deathmatch with complete confidence. Wang Juechu actually had these three freakish experts to rely on. If Jia Tianlong were in his shoes, he would have also requested a bloody battle.


    Thinking of this, Jia Tian Long looked at the disadvantaged dwarf. He already considered whether or not he should send assistance to this self-proclaimed Immortal master to avoid having this expert die such a muddle-headed death without even using his flying swords technique.

 Chapter 90

    Flying Sword?.


    Chapter 90: Flying Sword?


    From the situation in the arena, it seemed that the violent man held an absolute advantage. However, no one knew that this particular person, who seemed to be incomparably mighty, was actually secretly grumbling to himself.


    Every fist he unleashed caused a portion of the barrier of golden light to cave in. The impacts fiercely vibrated the barrier; it would only be a matter of time before the barrier would be totally destroyed.


    But no one knew that every time the man¡¯s fists had come into contact with the golden light, the man could feel a sharp wave of rebound energy that seemed to reciprocate the strength he used. Currently, all four of his limbs were grievously damaged. He knew that once his the effects of his skill faded, all of his limbs would probably be immensely swollen.


    In addition, the barrier of golden light had an insane recovery rate. After a short while, the portions that he caved in with his attacks would immediately return back to their original shapes, as if the barrier was never damaged in the first place. Moreover, his previous attacks were aimed randomly at the barrier of golden light, merely causing its shape to be distorted, but other than that, there seemed to be no other effect on the barrier whatsoever.


    The tall and sturdy man continued in this manner for a period of time, while the barrier of golden light vibrated intensely, as if it would break apart at any moment.


    Now, the thoughts of everyone present went in the opposite direction. They understood that this tall and sturdy man¡¯s attacks were unable to destroy the golden barrier. His immense strength would at most be able to create some dents on the barrier, but it would not able to completely destroy it.


    So not only did Jia Tianlong abolish the idea of sending reinforcements, but the dwarf also regained his former composure.


    But because he had embarrassed himself earlier, Monk Golden Light¡¯s features seemed to have a trace of embarrassment, and as he stared at the strong and sturdy man, his gaze became increasingly malevolent. But because he was suffering the barrage of attacks from his opponent, his body was unable to stand straight, and every magic technique he intended to cast misfired. As such, he stopped his incantations and stared intently at his opponent while muttering a string of curses under his breath in an unknown language.


    As for the tall and sturdy man, he did not feel any changes, so he continued frenziedly attacking the golden barrier. The spectators all thought that this individual had boundless energy and would never need to rest.


    Clang Clang Clatter! Exerting his full strength, that ferocious man unleashed two strikes and a kick before turning his back in retreat. That massive frame of his did not seem to hinder his speed.


    The man¡¯s actions caused the spectators to be shocked. A commotion arose shortly after.


    Monk Golden Light was shocked as well, but he swiftly flew into a rage. He hurriedly sat down and crossed his legs. Placing a black box horizontally onto his lap, he began to mumble an incantation. Both his hands were extended in front of his chest in a strange position as he shivered forcefully, expending a seemingly tremendous amount of energy. Looking at the violent convulsions shaking the dwarf¡¯s body, everyone present thought it was as if all the fingers on his hands possessed the strength of a thousand jin.


    (TL: 1 jin is equal to 0.5 kg or 1.102 lb)


    At this moment, the tall and sturdy man had already left the area designated for the Seven Mysteries Sect, as if he wanted to retreat back to the crowd. However, he suddenly heard a loud voice from behind his back. ¡°Rise.¡± He saw the face of Wang Juechu, who was standing in front of him, fall drastically as the the audience collectively shouted out, ¡°Be careful!¡±


    The tall and sturdy man trembled as he hurriedly dodged to the left and cast a side glance at the dwarf¡­


    Only to see a ray of grey light swiftly approaching his previous position, missing him by a narrow margin.


    His heart froze, but he relaxed, since he had managed to dodge this hidden weapon attack. He would be reunited with his two senior martial uncles soon and could then take a breather


    But before he had even completed this thought, he felt an extreme pain in his right arm. As he turned his gaze, another exclamation of shock could be heard from the audience. Within that cacophony of noise, the voices of his two senior martial uncles were heard, filled with immense worry and apprehension.


    That man was slightly stunned, as if he did not understand what had happened. At this moment, he saw another ray of grey light appear in his line of sight, piercing through his chest. Looking at the shape of the weapon, it appeared to be the same hidden weapon that he had dodged earlier.


    The man was shocked and angered. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, but as the sound ¡°Pu tong¡± rang out, his body collapsed on the ground. It was only at this moment that the man realized that his right arm had already been broken without him being aware. Fresh blood flowed unceasingly from the wound.


    ¡°What happened?¡± The man asked, his stomach full of confusion and unwillingness. But soon after, his vision went black as his consciousness faded into oblivion.


    Even until the point of death, he was not able to understand what had happened, but the members from both the Feral Wolf Gang and the Seven Mysteries Sect were able to see clearly what had happened.


    From what they understood, after Monk Golden Light had finished his incantation and shouted ¡°Rise¡±, a ray of grey light shot forth from the black box, spiraling around the head of the dwarf before following the direction that his finger was pointing in and flying towards that tall and sturdy man.


    Although the man dodged out of reflex, avoiding the strike through his chest, he had no way to avoid the attack that was directed to the back of his arm. It seemed that the ray of grey light was incredibly sharp. Even after slicing his arm, the man still had no knowledge or realization that something had happened.


    Afterwards, the crowd was even more astounded. After the ray of grey light was avoided, it continued following the finger movements of the dwarf, flying far ahead in front of the warrior and abruptly changed directions. It pierced straight through the chest of the defenseless man and easily robbed him of his life.


    Everyone was stunned into silence by what had just occurred and instinctively fixed their gazes on the ray of grey light that had returned to the dwarf and was now spiraling above the dwarf¡¯s head.


    The words ¡°Flying sword¡± appeared involuntarily in the majority of the spectators¡¯ minds. Although these people did not know about the existence of Immortal cultivators, even they had heard of the various legends and miraculous stories of flying swords.


    This ray of grey light was extremely similar to the rumored flying sword used by the legendary Immortals.


    Could the unsightly dwarf be one of the fabled Sword Immortals? The majority of the crowd fixated their gazes, now filled with respect, at the dwarf. The title of ¡°Sword Immortal¡± was enough to cause many mortals to be filled with fear.


    Monk Golden Light now held his head high with his chest out, considering himself to be unparalleled in this world. He manipulated the ray of grey light to soar above his head in a wild dance until it resembled a huge grey python, causing exclamations of awe to come out from the Feral Wolf Gang. On the other hand, those representing the Seven Mysteries Sect were speechless and downcast. Imminent defeat was apparent in their hearts.


    If one were to say that the morale of Jia Tianlong¡¯s men was greatly increased while that of the Seven Mysteries Sect was greatly diminished, he or she would not be wrong. After all, Jia Tianlong had managed to enlist the aid of a Sword Immortal. Han Li was the only one in the crowd who felt extreme joy in his heart.


    Han Li realized that this Monk Golden Light¡¯s flying sword technique was exactly the same as the Telekinesis Technique that he himself had learned. Although he did not know if the ray of grey light was indeed a sword, he knew that Telekinesis Technique could only control tangible objects; this fact was undeniable.


    Currently, Han Li¡¯s heart surged with the intent to fight. It seemed that his interest towards this fellow Immortal cultivator was growing increasingly high.

 Chapter 91

    Stealing Treasure.


    Chapter 91: Stealing Treasure


    While that dwarf was immensely satisfied with himself, Han Li was scheming in his mind.


    Two men quickly jumped out from the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s side. After they jumped from the crowd, without saying anything, they rushed straight toward the dwarf as quick as lightning. They were Wang Juechu¡¯s two remaining martial uncles.


    These two men wore grieving expressions. It was obvious that the tall and sturdy man¡¯s death had greatly saddened them. As a result, they felt endless loathing for Monk Golden Light and paid no attention to his sword¡¯s transcendent movements. They were consumed by the thirst to kill the opponent and take revenge on behalf of their fallen comrade.


    Sect Leader Wang had originally planned to block their reckless actions, but acknowledged that this dwarf, capable of mystic techniques, had to be confronted sooner or later. These two martial uncles were the only ones capable of threatening the dwarf. Rather than blocking them now, it would be better to take advantage of his martial uncles¡¯ desire for revenge and have them clash with the dwarf immediately.


    Thinking of this, Wang Juechu swallowed the words that he was about to say to call them back.


    Monk Golden Light had learned his lesson not long ago and did not dare to look down on these opponents. He propelled the grey light toward the two with one finger. The grey light immediately changed into a long beam of light and flew directly towards them.


    The uncle who resembled a scholar immediately suspected that the flying sword¡¯s grey light would fly toward them. He raised an eyebrow and raised his hand, launching a thin silver line from his sleeve. It collided against the grey streak of light head-on, stopping it for a second. However, the grey streak of light then rushed forward, as if nothing had happened. It seemed that the silver line did not have much of an effect.


    The others could not clearly discern the nature of the silver line, but with the extreme eyesight bestowed upon him by the Eternal Spring Arts, Han Li was able to see it very clearly. It consisted of tens of silver needles fired off in succession in a straight line. However, he did not know what method the scholar had used. Such a powerful technique, capable of violently launching out many thin, feather-light needles, had greatly interested Han Li.


    Seeing that the silver needles had no effect, the scholar did not panic and instead began revolving his body like a spinning top. Immediately after, his revolving silhouette ejected countless cold beams of light varying in size that split into two parts. One portion turned into a silver stream that directly struck the grey light, producing a sharp crackling sound as they hit each other. Unfortunately, it was unable to destroy the grey streak of light. The other portion flew straight towards the dwarf, colliding against the golden barrier. ¡°Ding ding.¡± The impact itself was a spectacular sight.


    The grey streak of light launched itself against the silver stream, causing an unending amount of debris fragments to fall. Because they were completely shattered, one could no longer make out their original appearance, but the objects that ricocheted off the golden barrier were intact, only taking minimal damage. These objects formed the silver stream and consisted of a few throwing knives, prayer beads, iron lotus seeds, metal coins, and a myriad of concealed weapons. There were even a few unfamiliar items that could not be named.


    Monk Golden Light was slightly surprised. However, he immediately curled his lips and thought that these mundane, common metal weapons could not possibly fend off his treasure for long.


    ¡°TAI!¡± A huge shout like that of spring thunder resonated through the arena, shocking everyone present and leaving them in awe.


    At this moment, everyone discovered that the grey-clothed man, who had originally rushed out alongside the scholar, had drawn the precious sword from his back at an unknown moment and was steadily walking toward the grey light. About two inches of light emanated from the tip of the sword that he was holding. The light continuously grew and shrank, giving off a menacingly cold air.


    ¡°Sword Point!¡± It was unknown who had first shouted the name of this supreme sword skill that every swordsman would yearn for, even in their dreams.


    Suddenly, there was an explosion! Passion flared both from inside and outside the stage!


    If one were to say flying swords were but a rumor from legend, then Sword Point would be a legend of Jiang Hu that all swordmen would yearn for!


    Currently, not only did Sword Point and flying swords appear in succession, but also their immediate confrontation. How could anyone not burn with anger at being unable to witness such a scene? This was a moment that could make life feel worthwhile!


    At this moment, however, Jia Tianlong was not excited with the crowd. Instead, those around him felt a cold aura being released as he felt the flow of cold sweat. Only now did he understand what it felt like to be terrified in hindsight!


    Although he previously knew the Seven Mysteries Sect was hiding three great experts, he did not anticipate that this expert would have a great enough skill that he would be able to use Sword Point. Had he not request this Monk Golden Light to act, Jia Tianlong feared that this grey-clothed person, capable of using Sword Point, could kill each and every person on his side.


    While Jia Tianlong¡¯s frightened expression paled, the grey-clothed man had already arrived below the grey streak of light.


    At this moment, it was unknown whether the scholar had exhausted his supply of hidden weapons or the scholar had deliberately stopped, but the scholar¡¯s bodily rotation halted all of a sudden, breaking the silver stream that was pushing against the grey light.  No longer facing any resistance, the grey light naturally fell towards the head of the grey-clothed man.


    The grey-clothed man grasped his sword with both hands and fearlessly leaped high into the air. He waved the point of his sword and ferociously struck the grey light.


    A clear ¡°Dang¡± sound spread through the air. The grey-clothed man fell to the ground from midair and staggered back several steps. Soon after, he opened his mouth and spouted out a mouthful of blood, his expression becoming dispirited and listless. The first three inches of the longsword in his hand had disappeared and turned into a flat bulge.


    The grey streak suffered through this strike like a shot bird and fell from the sky.  Even after landing in the dust, the grey light¡¯s brilliance did not wane. Instead it continued pulsing incessantly, appearing intact and completely vigorous.


    Seeing this event, both crowds simultaneously cried out in surprise. However, the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s cries were brimming with joy, while Jian Tianlong¡¯s side was brimming with worry.


    The scholar was also elated, but he hesitated for a moment as he looked at the winded grey-clothed man and the eyes of the dwarf. Nevertheless, his body flew towards the dwarf, preparing to dispatch the enemy.


    Without waiting for the scholar to fly out even a few steps, the grey-clothed man suddenly yelled from behind, ¡°Quick, dodge!¡±


    The scholar¡¯s mind was startled, but he immediately began to move. However, he felt a cool sensation from his neck and saw the grey light fly past him. He witnessed a headless body run forward a few steps that soon fell to the floor. The back of that body seemed exceedingly familiar. As the scholar thought of this, his consciousness quickly faded.


    Monk Golden Light was completely arrogant at this moment. He once again commanded the grey light on the ground to suddenly rise and fly towards the grey-clothed man, the sole survivor of the three experts. He was immensely proud of the small scheme he used to get rid of the scholar.


    Just as he planned to immediately kill what was left of the Seven Mysteries Sect after killing this grey-clothed man, he suddenly heard a sentence from a figure within the crowd. ¡°This thing of yours flying about, I¡¯ve grown fond of it. How about you give it to me and let me play with it?¡± Just as he heard this, he felt a formidable spiritual power approach his grey light and forcibly sever his connection with it, snatching it away from his control.


    The grey light that was originally flying toward the grey-clothed man turned in midair and flew into the crowd.


    Wherever the gray light went, people lost their heads in fear and were dodging it all over the place. Only a common-looking youth of only seventeen to eighteen years stood unmoving from his original spot. This youth smiled toward Monk Golden Light for a moment, exposing his pure white teeth that contrasted against his tan skin. He then pointed to the grey light, which obediently fell into his hand.


    ¡°An Immortal cultivator!¡± The dwarf¡¯s heart trembled and his complexion fell, becoming pale beyond comparison.

 Chapter 92

    Sword Talisman.


    Chapter 92: Sword Talisman


    Everyone who had seen this young man¡¯s actions all thought that their eyes must have failed them.


    Originally, when they saw the grey light turn and fly towards the crowd from the Seven Mysteries Sect, they believed the midget had changed his mind, intending to first kill off the rest of the humble martial art disciples and then handle the grey-clothed person.


    Who would have imagined that the grey streak would fly into the crowd and actually land on the hand of a seemingly ordinary disciple, who effortlessly received it. This was far too much to believe!


    The Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s side, including Sect Leader Wang and the grey-clothed man, felt both pleasantly surprised and relieved from the unexpected rescue.


    Wang Juechu was in ecstasy and was even more glad that he had the foresight to agree to let Han Li participate in the deathmatch. He knew that the survival of the participants in the deathmatch, as well as the survival of the Seven Mysteries Sect,  would henceforth depend entirely on this profoundly mysterious Doctor Han Li.


    Li Feiyu had understood what Han Li had stolen. At this moment, his mouth had dropped open and did not close for a while. Although he knew his close friend was somewhat outstanding, to be able to take away the Immortal cultivator¡¯s flying sword was a feat Li Feiyu could only dream of, making him absolutely giddy.


    This actually went as far as to make Zhang Xiuer, Elder Li, and the opposing Jia Tianlong wide-eyed and speechless. Each of their facial expressions was very wonderful to behold.


    Numerous gazes were shot out, included fear, doubt, and pleasant surprise, but all of them fell onto Han Li. Han Li had an smooth expression and was smiling all along. It seemed that he did not have even the slightest care for the spectators¡¯ attentive gazes.


    However, no one knew that behind that calm appearance,  his mind was filled with endless depression.


    Only the Heavens knew that Han Li absolutely did not want to take action! His original plan was to wait for the dwarf to negligently drop his golden barrier and then mount a sneak attack. Until then, he would conceal himself in the rear and use very small fireballs to easily kill the opposition.


    But who would have thought that the plan of the Heavens would supercede that of men? Han Li, from simply seeing the grey streak fly about, had stirred an uncomfortable irritation and unconsciously used a technique he had learned earlier through endless practice: ¡°Telekinesis Technique¡±. The result was an easy seizure of the object.


    Such a simple seizure was greatly unexpected. Han Li simply extended his magic power towards the grey streak and easily erased the dwarf¡¯s spiritual power, establishing a connection between him and the grey light.


    On one hand, Han Li had effortlessly seized control of the opponent¡¯s treasure and was secretly delighted. On the other hand, he now had no choice but to confront the dwarf, making him somewhat uneasy.


    He clearly understood he did not possess enough force to break the the opponent¡¯s tortoise shell. The only thing giving him comfort was that his magic power had exceeded his opponents several times over.


    Of course, the slightest sign of unease could not be seen in Han Li¡¯s expression. That was because he was fully aware that if one held the psychological high ground, then they would possess a great advantage in a true confrontation and would somewhat increase the odds of success out of thin air. This was a trick he had learned from within the Blinking Sword Art manuals.


    As a result, after recognizing the dwarf as a great enemy, Han Li showed the opposite and instead showed an expression of having a card up his sleeve.


    He leisurely moved the treasure he had just taken back and forth in his hands. The grey streak remained spirited, and its length was indeterminate, its true form still unclear.


    Han Li raised his head to take a glance at the somewhat pale dwarf and slightly smiled. He lightly rubbed the grey streak in between his hands. The grey streak¡¯s brilliance was immediately exhausted, revealing its true appearance. It was actually a Daoist paper talisman. In addition, a picture of a small grey sword was drawn on this peculiar talisman.


    The small grey sword on the paper talisman was drawn vividly and lifelike, as if it were real. In addition, there was no magic power urging the small sword to move, yet it emitted a faint flowing light on its own, as if it were an exceptionally sharp sword. Its cold aura was menacing.


    However, he had second thoughts regarding this Daoist talisman. Recalling the previous great display of its outstanding mysterious power, he felt somewhat satisfied. After all, its ferociousness was seen with his own eyes; he was certain it will be quite useful later on.


    Han Li easily pocketed the talisman in his bosom. He didn¡¯t dare to swaggeringly use this item in front of its previous owner. Who knows what tricks the opponent could do with the talisman? In addition, he was quite unfamiliar with the Telekinesis Technique, having never practiced it on a suitable object. He supposed that if he were to use this object now, it would be very difficult to injure his opponent with it.


    Across from him, Monk Golden Light stared helplessly as Han Li pocketed the treasure he had taken from him. He could not help but become furious, but he did not have the courage to step forward and tear it away from him. It should be known that since the opponent was able to easily erase his spiritual power from the talisman, his opponent¡¯s magic power should be several times deeper than his own. He truly did not have the courage to contest against him.


    Han Li saw that the dwarf was strained. Monk Golden Light was clearly angry but did not dare to speak, knowing that he was already subdued by his opponent. Not knowing who was superior, Han Li¡¯s nerves couldn¡¯t help but want to settle this matter even more.


    Finally, deciding to be a fox masquerading as a tiger, Han Li exerted the Imperial Flight Technique on his body; his figure flashed several times until he arrived in front of the dwarf.


    Seeing Han Li move in the way that gods appeared and demons vanished, Monk Golden Light grew even more fearful. He could not help but recoil several steps, timidly saying in a soft voice, ¡°What are you going to do? I¡¯m not conquering this region¡¯s resources, nor did I take any spiritual herbs or Immortal elixirs. I only received a few of these mortals¡¯ gold, nothing more. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t violate your local clan¡¯s interests. You have no reason to kill me.¡±


    Hearing these words, Han Li was secretly delighted. He knew the opponent had mistaken him as a representative of some Immortal cultivation clan. His confidence suddenly rose a bit. He deliberately gave a faint smile, and soon after, he feigned a mysterious identity and softly asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know who Your Excellency is. Why have you taken the initiative to participate in mortal affairs and disturb the local order of the secular realm? This puts my clan in a difficult position!¡±


    Hearing the opponent¡¯s mind town and thinking that Han Li lacked the intention to dispose of him, the dwarf immediately roused his spirit. His two small eyeballs spun around in several circles and he hastily said in an evasive manner, ¡°I am a disciple of the Ye Clan from the Qin Ye Mountain Range.  I was simply passing by. Because I was an old friend of the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s Commander, I couldn¡¯t resist their plea and decided to help them out. By no means did I have any intention of deliberately offending your clan. Brother, I hope you¡¯ll forgive me. What is the name of your noble clan? In the future, this humble man will certainly visit your clan to apologize for this offense.¡±

 Chapter 93

    Raging Flames Burning the Enemy.


    Chapter 93: Raging Flames Burning the Enemy


    After revealing the fact that he was someone from the Ye Clan, the dwarf involuntarily puffed out his chest. As if he could draw support from the words he just spoke, the tone of his voice also got more bold. It seemed like he was extremely confident about the fame associated with the name ¡°Ye Clan from the Qin Ye Mountain Range¡±.


    Seeing how courageous the dwarf became all of a sudden, Han Li knew that the Ye Clan had to be a famous Immortal clan.


    However, even though the dwarf had such an impressive backing, he had still panicked during the start of the fight and made mistakes that clearly showed that he did not lie. He was just a nobody within the Immortal clan. His life or death held no significance to the clan, which would not stir even if he perished.


    Han Li made his judgement within a few short moments. In his heart, he had already decided to finish off his opponent, since he knew that there wouldn¡¯t be any future repercussions.


    This deduction destroyed the last thread of sympathy within Han Li, whose heart began to surge increasingly with a strong murderous intent.


    After all, his opponent¡¯s magic power could not be compared to Han Li¡¯s. Even the dwarf¡¯s movements and actions were that of an idiot, despite the dwarf being an Immortal cultivator. However, how rare was it to find a Immortal cultivator here! Even if there were no conditions of a deathmatch, Han Li would not give up this chance and reject this big gift. In addition, Han Li could easily deduce that the dwarf was not a kind-hearted being based on his mannerisms and speech. Thus, when Han Li moved into action, he did not have the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Qin Yeling¡­Ye Clan¡­could it be he¡¯s from that famous clan?¡± Surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as if he believed the dwarf¡¯s words.


    Since his opponent dare to use this name to intimidate him, Han Li silently guessed that this clan should be quite famous among Immortal cultivators.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly that Ye Clan. Brother, you¡¯ve actually heard of the Ye Clan, so I believe you won¡¯t purposely make things difficult for me.¡± Seeing how the great name of the Ye Clan affected Han Li, the dwarf started to boast and speak in a loud voice.


    ¡°Ye Clan?¡­¡­¡± Han Li pretended to hesitate, as he scratched his head, displaying an expression of contemplation.


    Upon seeing this situation, joy bloomed in that dwarf¡¯s heart. He immediately rushed to the side and frenziedly hit the drum, creating a cacophony of noise. He was extremely afraid that the situation would turn out disadvantageous for him if this dragged on.


    ¡°How about this: I will bring you to see one of the clan¡¯s elders and we¡¯ll let the upper management decide how we should deal with this. How about it, brother?¡± Han Li replied as if he was being put into a difficult position.


    ¡°No need for such troubles! This is just a small matter. If you want the elders to get involved in such a small affair, I¡¯m afraid it would leave a bad impression in the eyes of the elder and would be greatly detrimental to your future progress!¡± The moment the dwarf heard Han Li¡¯s reply, he couldn¡¯t help but jump in shock. He hurriedly put on a caring face, trying to dissuade Han Li.


    Monk Golden Light saw Han Li as an inexperienced young Immortal cultivator who was travelling to gain worldly experience. He thought that Han Li had always been trapped inside his clan and made to cultivate. The only possible explanation for Han Li¡¯s youthful age and his profound magic power was that he had only recently come out to the secular world.


    ¡°Thank you, brother, for your reminder!¡± Han Li appeared very touched, lowering his head as he pondered. Extending his arms, he took out the talisman with the picture of a small sword etched over it.


    ¡°This is the first time I met you, but brother has already shown such great care for me. I think I shall return this treasure to you, its original owner!¡± Deceptively, Han Li spoke in a sincere tone, although there were some lingering traces of unwillingness in his expression.


    The dwarf was extremely happy. To think that the Immortal cultivator in front of him was so naive that he would want to return the treasure that the dwarf had just lost.


    Afraid that any hesitation would cause Han Li to change his mind, the dwarf stopped thinking further about it and hurriedly decided. As he waved his hands, the golden barrier around him dissolved completely. He extended his hand to get back his talisman and rudely said, ¡°Since brother is so sincere, I will no longer be polite!¡±


    Seeing the dwarf had extended his hand in an attempt to grab the talisman, Han Li¡¯s expression abruptly underwent a huge change. He pointed to the back of the dwarf and excitedly called out, ¡°Clan Leader! Why has this esteemed elder arrived at this place?!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the dwarf froze, so frightened that he no longer cared about the treasure. He turned his head around, but there was no one there, only silence.


    ¡°Oh sh*t!¡± No matter how stupid the dwarf was, he knew that he had fallen for Han Li¡¯s trap. Hurriedly turning back his head, he could only feel a hot sensation near his chest. Soon after, flames started rising up his body, covering him in a sea of flames. In the blink of an eye, the dwarf was incinerated into ashes.


    After this moment, Han Li let out a long sigh and retracted the hand that he had used to shoot out the fireball earlier. Using the small ¡°Fireball Technique¡± and killing his opponent with a single move, the whole process seemed extremely simple, but he had actually expended a great deal of effort under a lot of pressure in order to come up with this plan. Now that his sneak attack had succeeded, a joyful smile broke out on his face, and he praised himself silently.


    Jia Tianlong and Wang Juechu had clearly seen what happened just now, but they did not understand what they saw. Because neither Han Li nor the dwarf was willing to let others listen in to their conversation, they had spoken in extremely low tones. The spectators were too far away and thus were unable to hear their voices.


    They only knew that upon seeing Han Li, the dwarf got extremely afraid, but after exchanging a few sentences, the dwarf appeared to be sincerely begging Han Li for something. During the final moments, they saw that when the dwarf¡¯s back was turned, Han Li had abruptly unleashed a fireball and incinerated the Feral Wolf Gang¡¯s backer, easily disintegrating him into a layer of white dust.


    Jia Tianlong felt a bitter taste in his mouth, so bitter than it seeped deep into his heart. How could this have happened? Originally, the outcome was in their favor, but why did it end up like this? After this unremarkable disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect appeared, everything was suddenly turned upside down. Even Monk Golden Light, an Immortal cultivator, was burned to a state where he couldn¡¯t be any more than dead.


    On the other hand, Wang Juechu¡¯s emotions were naturally opposite from that of his great enemy. He tightly gripped to the hilt of his long sword that was placed on his waist, and was looking over with an excited expression. Squatting in an ungraceful posture, he looked at Han Li, who easily swept away the dwarf, while showing a fervent expression on his face.


    The current Han Li was very excited. However, this was not just excitement from winning against the dwarf. From Monk Golden Light¡¯s ashes, he discovered a few items that had not been burned into ashes.


    There weren¡¯t many items¡ªonly a talisman, a command medallion and a book.


    The talisman was the one that the dwarf had used to erect the golden barrier. Although Han Li did not know the incantation, it was still sufficient enough to drive him wild with joy. Currently, the thing that he needed most of all was a protective measure that could be used to save his life.


    The command medallion was a black, triangular shape object. On one side, there were golden words carved upon it, ¡°Immortal Ascension¡±, while on the other side, the word ¡°Command¡± was engraved in silver. The entire command medallion didn¡¯t seem to be made from metal, but it was heavy and solid to the touch. Han Li had no idea what it could be used for.


    And as for that book, Han Li knew that this had to be some extraordinary object, given the fact that it wasn¡¯t burned into a crisp after he unleashed his Fireball Technique. But after flipping through a few pages, he realised that this book was actually a genealogical record of some sort, a record of those that were surnamed Qin. Han Li did not know what this had to do with Monk Golden Light, nor why it was so important that the dwarf carried it in his possession.


    ¡°This dwarf said that he was a disciple from the Ye Clan, but he brought along a genealogical record of those who were surnamed Qin. Could he be a bastard child of the Ye Clan?¡± Greatly disappointed, Han Li made a few malicious guesses.

 Chapter 94

    Complete Victory.


    Chapter 94: Complete Victory


    Although he had obtained these three items, he was not capable of immediately using any of them. However, Han Li still collected them without a trace of politeness.


    Han Li then stood up and brushed off the dust on his body. Using a smile that wasn¡¯t truly a smile, he looked toward Jia Tianlong and the rest of the Feral Wolf Gang.


    ¡°Do you intend to break your own meridians or would you rather have me personally send you off?¡± Han Li¡¯s tone was very polite, but the meaning of his words did not give the Feral Wolf Gang the slightest amount of leeway.


    Hearing these words, Jia Tianlong felt an extraordinary cold feeling permeating through his body and freezing his entire face.


    He constantly warned himself to remain calm and that there would be a method to deal with this man. However, he could not help but wipe his forehead that was covered by a layer of cold sweat. Jia Tianlong forced a bitter smile, knowing that he didn¡¯t need a mirror to know that his current complexion was, without a doubt, extremely unsightly.


    With great effort, he turned his head around to look at everyone from the Feral Wolf Gang, only to find that the complexions of his men were also pale. All of them were frightened and wore expressions that foretold the imminent arrival of a great catastrophe. These people were at a loss, not knowing what to do. The slightest will to fight could not be seen in their panic-stricken eyes.


    Jia Tianlong was dispirited. Facing the Seven Mysteries Sect, he looked at his archenemy, Wang Juechu, who was coldly gazing back with a look that could kill. For the most part, the rest of the crowd had hateful expressions and a thirst for revenge.


    Jia Tianlong was at a loss. As he unconsciously looked outside of the deathmatch arena, his gaze fell upon his originally loyal and devout subordinates. The previous feelings that they had had and what their expressions currently expressed had nothing in common with each other. There were some who were anxious and others who were aloof, but the majority of them had unexpectedly cheerful expressions. They were all whispering in each other¡¯s ears, evidently feeling pleasure from Jia Tianlong¡¯s misfortune.


    ¡°This will not do! We, ourselves, will decide whether or not we will die here! We will survive and continue to complete our hegemony!¡± It was unknown whose expression it was that touched Jia Tianlong¡¯s nerve, but frenzy suddenly flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°Men, come! Iron Guards, advance and prepare your crossbows! The rest of you, wait for your orders!¡± All of a sudden, Jia Tianlong loudly bellowed with a great amount of inner strength.


    Jia Tianlong was worthy of being a commander. Even though the men participating in the deathmatch were previously at their wits¡¯ end, his roar that contained inner strength roused all their spirits, making the men seem as if they had just woken from a dream. Regardless of whether they were from the Feral Wolf Gang or just experts of a small faction, they all had a pillar of support. One after another, they wiped their fists and rubbed their palms, adopting a determination to fight to the death.


    Han Li slightly wrinkled his eyebrow and gave a light snort. With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked towards Jia Tianlong.


    ¡°It seems like I still have to waste a few more movements!¡± Han Li thought while laughing to himself.


    ¡°Fire the crossbows!¡± Seeing his opponent enter into range, Jia Tianlong licked his dry lips and gave the order without hesitation.


    Immediately, hundreds of green steel crossbow bolts fiercely shot toward Han Li. They formed a large mass in front of Han Li, preventing even the wind and rain from passing through.


    An astonishing scene occurred. When Jia Tianlong saw the Han Li across from him face the oncoming crossbow bolts, the youth did not have the slightest amount of fear. Instead, he gave Jia Tianlong a strange smile before his body began to blur. Those approaching crossbow bolts passed through Han Li¡¯s figure without the slightest obstruction and flew off into the distance. In that split second, it was as if his  body was incorporeal. Soon after, underneath the full light of day, his body shook several times and disappeared without a trace.


    Jia Tianlong¡¯s complexion ashened. Just as he instructed his subordinates to be careful, Han Li had suddenly appeared only a few dozen steps away from them.


    Without waiting for Jia Tianlong to give the order, the Iron Guards disorderly shot out arrows from their crossbows once more. This time, the bolts were followed by flying knives, sleeve-sprung bolts, and a number of other hidden weapons. Combined, they were like a swarm of bees shooting towards Han Li. The attack made these people look at each other in dismay. Their opponent was no longer in their sight, having disappeared without a trace.


    Just as Jia Tianlong became alarmed, he suddenly heard two miserable shrieks from behind him. He was taken aback and immediately turned around.


    He saw two Iron Guards near him turn into human fireballs. He also saw that the youth who had earlier disappeared now had his palms pressed against the guards¡¯ bodies. In the instant his palm left their bodies, the two Iron Guards had already turned to ash. As the youth¡¯s palms parted, Jia Tianlong faintly saw a flickering red light from the center of his hand, but he didn¡¯t know what astonishing technique Han Li had used.


    What Jia Tianlong saw was a demonstration of magic techniques and martial arts being perfectly used simultaneously. A red light glowed from both of his hands; each glowing light was a small fireball from the Fireball Technique.


    Han Li slowly circulated magic power through his body, returning the small fireballs to their original size. Then, his figure disappeared once more and immediately reappeared at other end of the crowd. Once again, another Feral Wolf Gang member was turned into a raging fireball.


    In this manner, Han Li intermittently disappeared and reappeared within the crowd. Each time he appeared, there was a victim. Regardless of where he touched the victim with his hand, that person would immediately combust and thoroughly disappear from the world.


    Jia Tianlong blankly looked ahead with eyes that lacked even the slightest spirit. His complexion turned ash-gray, like that of a corpse.


    In that short moment, more than half had died under Han Li¡¯s hand. Those remaining felt insecure, and one after another, they began to flee in every direction. However, in the face of the opponent¡¯s ghost-like body technique, these people were reduced to ash, one after another.


    By the time he was down to his last subordinate, Jia Tianlong¡¯s fiery spirit was already smothered. The Commander of the Feral Wolf Gang had become completely numb.


    He knew that the fact that he was not touched by Han Li up until now was a meaningless facade, deliberately upheld by his opponent. However, he was the only one remaining now, so he reckoned that the deadly fire would eventually descend onto his own head soon.


    Han Li did not let Commander Jia Tianlong wait any longer. After he got rid of the Commander¡¯s last subordinate, Han Li did not hesitate and immediately flashed behind Jia Tianlong. Han Li gave Jia Tianlong preferential treatment by sending him off with a complete fireball.


    After the great Jia Tianlong was delivered to the next world, Han Li clapped his hands and softly said to himself, ¡°It seems that killing this many people is not too difficult of a matter. I told you earlier to settle it yourselves. That would have been much better! There would have been less suffering as well, but you made me settle this personally. The feeling of being on fire must have certainly been unpleasant!¡±


    (TL: ¡°delivered to the next world¡±: ¹éÎ÷ in Chinese literally means ¡°return west¡±; this is a euphemism for dying, but it implies that a person has returned to theWestern Paradise , a reference to Buddhism.)

 Chapter 95

    Demonic Name Resounding Famously.


    Chapter 95: Demonic Name Resounding Famously


    Han Li raised his head and stared at the arena. Regardless of whether they were members of the Seven Mysteries Sect or the Feral Wolf Gang, all of them had no hint of color on their faces as they stared at each other with expressions of dread and fear.


    Whether it was retrieving the ¡°flying sword¡±, killing Monk Golden Light, or instantly turning Jia Tianlong¡¯s ten bodyguards into ashes, all of these actions indicated that not only was Han Li an Immortal cultivator like Monk Golden Light, but he also lacked kindness or mercy. His methods were even more cold-blooded and ruthless than that of Monk Golden Light.


    Thus, wherever his gaze landed, the people in the direction of his glare would lower their heads and hide. Nobody dared to meet his gaze. The current Han Li was capable of invoking fear into everyone.


    ¡°Still not getting lost? Could it be that you want to stay on the mountain and have me send you off?¡± Han Li coldly said in the direction of the Feral Wolf Gang members.


    The sound of his voice could not be considered loud, but the thousands of people currently at the mountain summit could hear him clearly, causing them to be terrified by his voice.


    ¡°Quick, let¡¯s escape! If we linger here, he will burn us to death!¡± An unknown person shouted.


    Simultaneously, the Feral Wolf Gang and the rest of the invaders from the smaller sects instantly became chaotic as they pushed one another, trying to be the first to run off the mountains. The stream of people rushing down caused the small mountain path to be extremely crowded. Along the way, many of them were grievously injured and even trampled to death.


    Shortly after, the Setting Sun Summit was emptied, other than the members from the Seven Mysteries Sect, there was no one else.


    Wang Juechu was astonished and elated. Never would he have thought that the danger his sect faced would be so easily averted or that Jia Tianlong would be destroyed so forcefully. However, there were also traces of uneasiness in his heart despite his happiness.


    He knew that since Han Li could easily avert their disaster, he could also pressure the Seven Mysteries Sect with ease or even destroy it, causing them to become the current Feral Wolf Gang.


    As Sect Leader Wang thought of this, traces of worry once again appeared in his initially relaxed heart. Involuntarily, his gaze shifted to the center of the arena.


    ¡°Ai! Where¡¯s Doctor Han?¡± The shocked Sect Leader Wang drew in a sharp breath.


    Earlier, that indeterminable expert, Han Li, had disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Did anyone see Doctor Han?¡± Wang Juechu hurriedly asked.


    ¡°No idea!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    Almost everyone in the crowd had no idea where Han Li went, but this was only to be expected. After all, their attention had been fixed on the method that Han Li used to burn his opponents. Who would dare to turn their gaze from that inhumane monster? Because of his ghostly body movements, if Han Li didn¡¯t want them to track his movements, it would be extremely simple to achieve.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for him anymore. I saw that he had mixed himself with the crowd and has already departed from Setting Sun Summit.¡± Many gray-robed men opened their mouths and asserted this once their countenance recovered.


    ¡°Already left? Where was he going?¡± Sect Leader Wang had a complicated look on his face. He bitterly smiled, murmuring to himself.


    As he contemplated his surroundings, his gaze landed on to the a certain corpse.


    Wang Juechu¡¯s eyes suddenly shined with a bright light as his lips curled into a smile, revealing the look of a crafty old cheater.


    At this moment, an incomparably excited Li Feiyu talking to Zhang Xiuer. Because his good friend suddenly exposed himself as a powerful expert, Li Feiyu didn¡¯t notice that he became the focus of someone¡¯s attention.


    Just like this, the Feral Wolf Gang and the rest of the invaders retreated rapidly out of the Celestial Rainbow Mountains. They abused their horses, rushing through the night, in order to quickly leave the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s territory. Because the power of the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s upper echelon had been severely damaged, Sect Leader Wang did not send men to pursue the retreating invaders.


    That day was an extremely long day. Once the day had passed, both the Feral Wolf Gang and the Seven Mysteries Sect laid down their flags and ceased their drum beats, entering a ceasefire to recuperate from their losses.


    This time around, the battle between both parties was a fight with many twists and turns. Before long, word spread of a legendary Immortal, as well as a demonic figure. This legendary tale caused members of both good and evil sects to discuss this topic relentlessly, transforming the story into one that would echo endlessly through multiple generations.


    In the story, the great battle began with a supreme sword wielder, capable of unleashing sword beams from his sword, fighting against a Sword Immortal that could fly by stepping on his flying sword. In the end, the Sword Immortal¡¯s flying sword techniques were too mysterious, even mightier than the sword beams, and thus the Sword Immortal easily defeated the supreme sword user. Making use of this opportunity, a fiery demon suddenly appeared and killed the Sword Immortal right after the supreme sword user and the Sword Immortal had injured each other. The demon also went berserk, invoking his flames to kill over 1,000 spectators. One of the casualties was the unlucky Jia Tianlong, Commander of the Feral Wolf Gang. He died without a corpse, disintegrating into dust.


    At the border of God Hand Valley, Han Li heard the story in which he became a fiery demon from Li Feiyu¡¯s mouth. He stood his ground in shock, speechless. Meanwhile, Li Feiyu was cracking up and bending over in laughter to such an extent that he couldn¡¯t even straighten his back after half a day,


    It was noontime, the fifth day after the deathmatch.


    That night, Han Li silently hid himself within the crowd and left Setting Sun Summit. Once he found Crooked Soul, they returned back to God Hand Valley.


    Once he was back, he hung a sign that stated that he would refuse to meet with anyone, even the Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s highest authority, because of seclusion training.


    Naturally, because of the fame behind Han Li¡¯s name, the top-level figures did not dare to show any sense of dissatisfaction, nor did they dare to intrude God Hand Valley without an invitation.  They could only wait obediently outside the valley for a period of time and sigh as they returned back the way they came.


    During the following days, Han Li began using the dwarf¡¯s sword talisman to practice the Telekinesis Technique.


    Because he knew that he didn¡¯t have much time left, he would practice his Telekinesis Technique even before the sun rose. Every day, he made the glowing talismans soar through the valley and fly unhindered in a dance until his energy was depleted. Afterward, he would close his eyes to replenish his energy before resuming his practice.


    In this manner, Han Li repeatedly persisted his dry and dull training that lasted for three days until he had fully mastered the initial stage of the Telekinesis Technique.

 Chapter 96

    Flaw


    While practicing his control over the talisman¡¯s flight, Han Li discovered that using the ¡°Telekinesis Technique¡± to propel the talisman would turn it into a gray streak of light. Although it was incomparably sharp, there were some major limitations when it was put into full use even though it could cut through nearly everything and attacked according to his will.


    First of all, propelling this gray light cost too much magic power!


    Once Han Li cultivated to the eighth layer of Eternal Spring Arts, he could continuously use Fireball Technique one hundred times.  However, when controlling the gray light, his magic power could only persist for a short quarter of an hour before it was completely exhausted.


    He currently remembered that earlier, Monk Golden Light had not immediately made use of the gray streak. His magic power was far too limited and could only control the talisman for a pitiful amount of time.


    This explained why he had put up such weak resistance when Han Li seized the gray streak. While the the dwarf was controlling the gray streak, the dwarf had probably expended more than half of his magic power. In addition, Han Li¡¯s magic power was originally far greater than that of the dwarf¡¯s. When contesting in magic power with the dwarf, it was natural for the dwarf to be completely and utterly defeated.


    In addition, another problem with the gray streak was that its attacking distance was quite limited. The gray streak could only be easily controlled within a radius of about seventy meters. Outside of this range, his control would become rigid and sluggish. Occasionally, he would lose control. When flying outside the range of about a hundred meters, the grey streak would completely change back to its true form as a talisman and drop to the ground.


    With regards to those two flaws, Han Li believed that once his magic power advanced, those problems would gradually be alleviated. However, there was one last problem: the talisman¡¯s fatal flaw.


    After using the talisman several times, Han Li became aware that the cold light emitted from drawing of the small gray sword slowly grew weaker the more he used it. It seemed that its lifespan was gradually reduced. In other words, this talisman had a limited number of uses. When the number of times it could be used passed the limit, it would be completely exhausted and die a ripe death.


    Once Han Li had somewhat learned to control this gray light, he immediately stopped practicing. After all, he wanted to be able to use this talisman during a crucial moment of dangerous situations. Perhaps in a later crisis, this item would be able to save his tiny life.


    In the same way, Han Li believed that the golden talisman that could transform into a golden barrier also had a similar restriction. However, for the time being, he didn¡¯t know the incantation to use it. He could only store it away and prepare it for future use.


    After Han Li had rested, he investigated the triangular command medallion and the Qin Clan¡¯s manual. Unfortunately, he gained nothing from these objects.


    Five days passed in this manner. The moment when Han Li removed the sign saying that he would not see others, Li Feiyu rushed in like a fart. When he saw Han Li, he told him about the rumor of him turning into a demon.


    These rumors left Han Li speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He could only harden his face and give Li Feiyu an unhappy look. Li Feiyu was obviously making fun of him.


    Li Feiyu finally stopped laughing heartily and slowly restrained his smile. He said to Han Li with a solemn voice, ¡°You should be able to guess the reason why I came here.¡±


    ¡°En! Is it not because the sect¡¯s many elders did not feel at ease with me and sent you to scout out my attitude?¡± Han Li dully replied with indifference.


    ¡°Hehe! As long as you know.¡± As if he were burdened by the elders¡¯ great trust, Li Feiyu let out a sigh.


    ¡°However, what do you plan to have me, your close friend, report back to those fellows? In order to bribe me, they have already promised to promote me from my position as the External Blade Division¡¯s Division Head.¡± Li Feiyu immediately smiled  mischievously once more.


    Han Li wrinkled his brows. After thinking about it, he gently said, ¡°It seems that the great Sect Leader Wang and those previously mentioned elders are uneasy. Let¡¯s clear up this matter; otherwise, they won¡¯t be able to feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°Then it will be like this! Return and tell Sect Leader Wang that at noon tomorrow I will personally go to Setting Sun Summit to see him. Let him know that he does not need to be uneasy.¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    ¡°Good! With these words, I can report back.¡± Li Feiyu shrugged his shoulders with a noncommittal answer.


    After that, Han Li and Li Feiyu wildly chatted for a moment. It had even gone as far as Han Li showing Li Feiyu the Fireball Technique at close range, greatly opening Li Feiyu¡¯s perspective and leaving him envious for the rest of the day.


    This continued for a short while more before Li Feiyu took his leave and left the valley to report back to Wang Juechu.


    Han Li stood at the room¡¯s doorway and gazed at Li Feiyu¡¯s departing figure from a distance, lost in thought for a long time. He suddenly smiled mysteriously and entered the room, closing the door behind him.


    The next morning, as the sky grew brighter, Han Li climbed Setting Sun Summit with the utmost secrecy. He continued stealthily until he had entered Sect Leader Wang¡¯s room.


    When Wang Juechu woke up, he saw the silhouette of a person standing upright next to his bed. His complexion became unsightly, but he managed to squeeze out a stiff smile. Somewhat unnaturally, he asked, ¡°Doctor Han Li, why did you come? I hope you¡¯ll forgive me for not welcoming you! But didn¡¯t we agree to meet at noon? Why has your venerable self come so early?¡±


    Han Li coldly glanced at Sect Leader Wang. This glance made all the hairs on Wang Juechu¡¯s body stand on end. Sect Leader Wang¡¯s face was as if had he suffered the pain from being cut with a knife.


    Seeing Wang Juechu look frightened, Han Li could not help but be secretly pleased with himself. He looked at Wang Juechu after executing the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique, giving himself some particular effects. A few days ago, his research discovered a new use for the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique: he could use the Heaven¡¯s Eye to cause the spirits of ordinary mortals to be in awe.


    ¡°There is no reason. I simply felt that if I were to come earlier, everyone¡¯s minds might be a bit more clear-headed. That way, they wouldn¡¯t force any unpleasant affairs upon the other party.¡± The slightest expression could not be discerned from Han Li¡¯s face, although his tone seemed somewhat ill-intentioned.

 Chapter 97

    Backhand Transaction.


    Chapter 97: Backhand Transaction


    As soon as Sect Leader Wang heard this, his heart could not help but thump like a drum.


    Yesterday, he and the other Elders had received Han Li¡¯s message from Li Feiyu that he would come to Setting Sun Summit tomorrow at noon.  Some of these people had immediately felt that Han Li was far too dangerous and lost their reason, proposing during the meeting to take action and seize the opportunity to kill Han Li.


    However, this proposition suffered great opposition from a different group. They recognized that such actions were far too dangerous and that they were likely to suffer great retribution if they failed.


    Those wanting to take action immediately divulged rumors for quite a while and dreamed up many justifications during the night for the purpose of intense refutation.


    Actually, all of these people were well aware that the accusation that Han Li was far too dangerous was all but just a pretense.There were some people that were envious of his cultivation technique and had planned to conspire against him in order to reap gains from Doctor Han Li. Perhaps even those who opposed the accusations possessed similar intentions. It was just that they would use milder and more covert methods compared to the people who outright conspired against Han Li.


    In Sect Leader Wang¡¯s presence, both of these groups quarreled with anger and excitement. From the beginning of each meeting to its quick dispersion, no side had truly convinced the other. Instead, they continued to argue garrulously.


    Finally, when the surviving martial uncle, the gray-clothed man, saw that the conflict showed no signs of settling down, he coldly said a few words to immediately calm everyone down.


    ¡°Could it be you aren¡¯t afraid of his elders coming to find him after he¡¯s killed?¡± The gray-clothed man¡¯s words were like a bucket of cold water, immediately sobering the Elders¡¯ feverish minds.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Han Li is so young, but he¡¯s already this ferocious. He must definitely have an Immortal class elder behind him. Even if we cover up the nature of his death, when his elders come, wouldn¡¯t everyone here die a tragic death?¡±


    When they understood that killing Doctor Han would be equivalent to killing themselves, those who originally advocated an attempt to poison Han Li had completely changed their minds. However, one or two of them were still blinded by greed and persisted, though they now suggested more moderate methods to deal with Han Li instead.


    Sect Leader Wang had just heard Han Li speak some profound words. He felt somewhat guilty, and believed that Han Li possessed great magic power. Because Wang Juechu did not know how Han Li had learned the details of the dispute that occurred the day before, he grew even more cautious.


    However, Wang Juechu had been a Sect Leader for many years, so his experience and shrewdness were extraordinary. He quickly broke away from the effect of the Heaven Eye¡¯s Technique and regained his normal expression.


    ¡°Medicinal God Han Li, why do you say these words? This entire sect couldn¡¯t possibly thank your venerable self enough.¡± After Wang Juechu had examined the situation, he decided to explore the meaning behind Han Li¡¯s words.


    ¡°Then why did I hear that there were people who wanted to harm me?¡± Han Li stated in a dull tone while laughing grimly.


    As Sect Leader Wang heard this, he was initially frightened, but after looking for signs of anger from Han Li, he soon calmed down slightly. Since Han Li did not speak with an angry tone and had come to see him by himself, he may have simply heard a few rumors without knowing specific details. It seemed that Wang Juechu still had some leeway to repair the relationship between Han Li and the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    ¡°Medicinal God Han Li might have misunderstood. Yesterday, a few degenerates had indeed appeared in the sect in an attempt to forget favors and violate justice. However, please be relieved. These people have long been captured and are under strict observation. The great majority of the sect are nevertheless grateful towards you, Doctor Han. We absolutely wouldn¡¯t take actions that would harm our friends and benefit our enemies.¡± After pondering for a moment, Wang Juechu spoke those words with an awe-inspiring righteousness.


    Hearing this, Han Li grimly laughed in his heart. Ever since he had revealed his strength and assisted the Seven Mysteries Sect though this calamity, he had reminded himself to be careful of the proverbs ¡°the birds are gone, the bow is put away¡± and to ¡°destroy the bridge after crossing the river¡±. He did not believe that the others would have kindness and be thankful towards him, but the hearts of men were truly hard to fathom. He resigned himself to the words that the great men have once said: So long as there were benefits, forgetting favors to violate justice and not recognizing one¡¯s family were no less common than drinking water.


    This was also one of the reasons why he had refused to meet with the conspirators after Han Li had returned to the valley. He had deliberately made these Elders cool their heads; otherwise, the torch of greed would completely burn away their reason.


    Although he had told Li Feiyu to deliver a message that he would meet with the Elders, Han Li did not plan to meet them on schedule.


    Even though his current strength was far greater than that of an ordinary expert from Jiang Hu, if the Elders were to use a few shameful methods, there would be far too many methods capable of killing him.


    As a result, he intentionally arrived half a day earlier for the sake of his safety, stealthily meeting with Sect Leader Wang by himself.


    Just now, he had merely probed Wang Juechu a little. This great Sect Leader Wang had revealed all that he originally wished to conceal. It seemed that these Seven Mystery Sect Elders had truly thought over such matters and wanted to act against him.


    However, this did not matter! Regardless of whether the other party truly wanted to act against him or were just contemplating about it, they would not elicit any anger from him. By the time he finished his business with the number one figure in the Seven Mysteries Sect, he would have already gone far away. Thus, he would no longer have any relations with them.


    After looking at Wang Juechu for a moment, he mysteriously said, ¡°I won¡¯t speak any more nonsense! I won¡¯t hide this from you, Sect Leader Wang. After this meeting between your venerable self and I, I will depart from this place and travel to a faraway land.  It is very likely that I will not return to the Celestial Rainbow Mountains. Before I leave, I wish to make a deal with Sect Leader that would be beneficial to both parties.¡±


    ¡°A deal?¡± Hearing that Han Li would leave, Sect Leader Wang was stunned. However, after hearing that he wanted to make a deal with him, he was even more bewildered.


    ¡°What kind of deal can I do for Medicinal God Han?¡± He could not help but be somewhat perturbed.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    When noon arrived, Han Li did not appear at Setting Sun Summit¡¯s sect hall at the time he had originally set. Instead, Sect Leader Wang arrived to the meeting place last, trembling with excitement.


    The great Sect Leader Wang proclaimed on the spot that they did not need to wait for Han Li because Han Li had already left the Celestial Rainbow Mountains. He did not know where he went, but he guessed that Han Li had departed the Jing Province and even State of Yue. As a result, all their troubles had already faded away.


    When those who were present heard these words, they all widely opened their eyes and looked at each other in shock. The entire meeting room was absolutely silent. ¡°He isn¡¯t here anymore? Then haven¡¯t our plans turned to bullshit? Why, why did he leave?!¡± These people had helpless thoughts circulating in their heads.


    (TLN: ???? ¨C ¡°the birds are over, the bow is put away¡±: to get rid of someone once he has served his purpose. ????- ¡°to destroy the bridge after crossing the river¡±:  to abandon one¡¯s benefactor upon achieving one¡¯s goal. ????- ¡°to forget favors and violate justice¡±: to kick a benefactor in the teeth. ????- ¡°not recognizing one¡¯s family¡±: to be self-centered and not make any allowances for the needs of a relative.)

 Chapter 98

    Return to the Village.


    Chapter 98: Return to the Village


    Not long after Han Li had left the Celestial Rainbow Mountains, Sect Leader Wang announced that he had decided to accept Li Feiyu as his successor and had promoted him from Division Head Deputy to Division Head of the External Blade Division. From then on, Wang Juechu had placed an immense amount of care and trust on him. Furthermore, Han Li¡¯s third uncle would make a careless blunder and break the sect rules in the future several years from now. When he should have been worrying for his life, Sect Leader Wang had intervened and defended him.


    And as for Sect Leader Wang himself, he became grievously injured after facing several formidable enemies in one of the sect¡¯s future conflicts and was drawn to the brink of death. But every time the sect members thought that he would finally succumb to his injuries, Sect Leader Wang would consume a medicinal pill from a jade bottle and somehow miraculously survive. Not only that, but he could also still prance about, full of vitality. This caused others to feel somewhat jealous, and they probed him for details about the origins of the medicine. But of course, Wang Juechu would never divulge the secret; instead, murmuring inconsequential words whenever they asked him. Thus, all those who wanted to know his secret returned empty-handed.


    After Wang Juechu passed away, he left behind a medicinal pill named ¡°Vitality Raising Pellet.¡± By this time, there were only three pills left inside the jade bottle. These three pills caused a storm of blood and brought endless troubles for Wang Juechu¡¯s descendants. Nevertheless, these were all events that would take place in the future, so there was no point discussing them right now.


    As for the current Li Feiyu, he was holding a few bottles in his hand and a paper note. He had just returned back to his residence from Zhang Xiuer¡¯s place, and discovered several items that suddenly appeared in his house.


    The paper note was left by Han Li, and the information it contained was very simple: Han Li had left the Seven Mysteries Sect and might never return. The note also mentioned that inside the bottles were medicinal pills that he had painstakingly concocted. They would be able to extend Li Feiyu¡¯s lifespan, so Han Li hoped that Li Feiyu wouldn¡¯t reject his gift.


    On the back of the paper, there was an impression of Han Li¡¯s smiling face near his signature. Adjacent to the smiling face was a sentence congratulating Li Feiyu and Zhang Xiuer, hoping that they would marry soon and have many babies together.


    After Li Feiyu recovered from his shock, he ran out of his residence and rushed up a small mountain peak that was close to his home.


    On the mountain peak, Li Feiyu gazed towards the main gate of the Seven Mysteries Sect, only to see a field of green. He was unable to discover a single silhouette, but he waited motionlessly for half a day before drawing in a huge breath. Trembling as emotion showed on his face, he said in a low voice, ¡°Take care of yourself! I wish you well on your future path!¡±


    Only then did Li Feiyu slowly descend from the mountain peak. Depression emanated from his lonely back.


    At this moment, a horse-drawn carriage was trotting on the pathway, heading east.


    Han Li and Crooked Soul were sitting inside the carriage. Although this four-wheeled carriage was not that cramped, Han Li had spent three taels of silver and temporarily rented the vehicle so that only the two of them were within the carriage.


    This wooden carriage appeared worn and tattered on the surface, but the interior was actually extremely clean and tidy. Not only that, the two horses that were pulling the carriage were at the prime of their life, filled with strength and vitality. With vigorous strength, they pulled the carriage along with such swiftness that it could be comparable to flying.


    It was precisely because Han Li had noticed these two details that he was willing to spend three taels of silver to rent the carriage. Normally, only one tael of silver would be sufficient to rent this kind of carriage.


    The driver was a skinny tanned middle-aged commoner who refused to partake in conversation. Other than the time Han Li had initiated a conversation and asked for directions, he wouldn¡¯t speak any unnecessary words, making Han Li feel satisfied.


    Next to Han Li was Crooked Soul, who had an immense stature and a mask to cover its face, making it seem extremely mysterious. If the driver was a gossip, there would surely be many troubles.


    The intelligent yellow-feathered Cloud-Winged Bird stood on Han Li¡¯s shoulder. Its eyes were half-closed, as if it were resting.


    Crooked Soul, who was in the seat facing Han Li, carried a large package. Other than some clean clothes, the package contained gold, silver, and some bottles that were pretty heavy.


    As for the rest, such as Doctor Mo¡¯s will and certain small miscellaneous items, Han Li carried them on his body, out of fear that he would misplace them.


    Han Li sat quietly in the carriage, listening to the sounds the wooden wheels made as they turned, with no fluctuation in his expression. There was no reason for him to be downcast about leaving the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    The only thing that he would not bear to leave behind was his intimate friend, Li Feiyu. But with the knowledge that his counterpart had received his note and the pills that he had concocted, Han Li hoped that these would be sufficient enough for Li Feiyu to carry out the second half of his life in peace.


    Thinking of this, he stretched this body, rested his back on the cushioned seats, and dozed off. As for his destination, he had already informed the driver earlier: the small village from which he had originated.


    Although he knew that it was impossible, he hoped beyond hope that, the moment he opened his eyes, he would be able to see the faces of his family surrounding him.


    He had left home for so many years that their faces had long blurred in his memory. Thus, before Han Li truly started on the next leg of his journey, he needed to see his family members one last time. If not, his heart would never be at ease.


    ¡°I wonder how my little sister is doing right now. She should already be 16 or 17, a grown woman! According to the letters that I received, it seems that she was betrothed to a good family and is currently preparing to get married.¡± A weak and small figure appeared in Han Li¡¯s mind just as he was falling asleep. The owner of this figure was always behind him, calling out ¡°Fourth brother, fourth brother!¡±


    ¡°Time truly passes by extremely fast!¡±


    In this warm atmosphere with his own memories, Han Li fell asleep. This time, he slept soundly and was at peace, similar to the times when he was young and his parents were beside him, protecting him from danger.


    After five days of travelling along the yellow earthen path, Han Li finally saw a village far off in the distance.


    There was the low wall made of mud, the rows of rice paddies, and that bumpy road full of potholes. All this had once captivated Han Li so the extent that he had dreamt about it daily; now, it finally appeared in front of his eyes.


    Han Li suppressed the excitement in his heart. He allowed the driver to stop the carriage far outside the village, while Crooked Soul remained in the carriage. Then, Han Li walked towards the direction of the village. The closer he got, the faster his heart thumped.


    Han Li had not felt such an irresistible emotion in a long time!

 Chapter 99

    Departure


    Finally, Han Li entered the village, advancing step by step.


    As he walked through the village entrance, he heard a burst of joyous sounds from musical instruments. Strangely, not a single person could be seen as he walked through the village¡¯s small streets.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. The empty streets and the joyous sounds were memories from his childhood that he couldn¡¯t be more familiar with. This was clearly someone¡¯s wedding celebration. Everyone in the village would celebrate and join in on the fun.


    Han Li lifted his spirits and slowly spread out his spiritual sense. By doing so, he discovered that both young and old had gathered together at the village center as he expected. However, the place they had gathered at felt so familiar to Han Li. Was this not the house where he had lived?


    Han Li was surprised by no small amount.


    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡± Han Li had a faint guess at last.


    He sped up his pace, hastily passing by many households and turning many corners until he saw the sight the before him.


    Several hundred villagers were surrounding an earthen courtyard.


    Inside the courtyard, there were many tile-roofed houses that were in better condition than the houses nearby. A large banner with celebratory words hung from each entrance. In addition, there was a small group of instrumental performers that was making quite a bit of noise at the front of the courtyard.


    There were some villagers who stood, others who crouched, and a few who were not paying attention and simply sitting on the ground. Gathered into groups of three and four, they whispered and sometimes engaged in heated arguments. Some continued to look at the courtyard with envy.


    In addition, there were many children joyfully chasing one another under adult supervision.


    Seeing this familiar scene, Han Li¡¯s mind was distracted for a time. In this split second, it was as if he had returned to his childhood from long ago and was with the other children, chasing them while making lots of noise.


    ¡°Zeze! The Han Family¡¯s fourth daughter truly has good fortune. I heard the husband is a state official from the city, a truly studious and scholarly individual.¡± (TL: ¡°zeze¡±- the sound of a tongue clicking.)


    ¡°Truly? And she is going to be his legal wife?  She¡¯s going to have the status of an official¡¯s wife!¡± (TL: Legal wife as opposed to being a concubine.)


    ¡°I heard that the Han Family had delivered a frighteningly large dowry: several dozen taels of snowflake silver!¡±


    ¡°They are truly wealthy!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The village women¡¯s noisy gossiping roused Han Li from his stupor.


    ¡°The Han Family¡¯s fourth daughter? Isn¡¯t that my little sister?! Could it truly be the day of my little sister¡¯s wedding?¡± Han Li felt a burst of vague emotions continuously surging inside him.


    Though what he thought remained a mystery, Han Li hid behind a large nearby tree several steps away, attentively and unwaveringly staring at the courtyard gate.


    Suddenly, someone shouted from a distance, ¡°The sedan chair has arrived! The groom has come to receive the bride!¡±


    Upon hearing these words, the villagers were in an uproar, instantly becoming a boiling cauldron of voices!


    ¡°The bride has emerged!¡±


    ¡°The bride has emerged! Quickly come and see!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The clamoring even surpassed that of the shrilling children. Han Li¡¯s spirit shook as he fervently continued to watch the courtyard gate.


    Creak.  The wooden courtyard gate opened. More than a dozen men and women came out, escorting a young woman wearing a red wedding dress in between them.


    This young woman¡¯s chin was sharp, and her appearance was graceful, belonging to a girl 16 or 17 years old. At this moment, her face was bashful.


    Han Li widely opened his eyes and attentively observed this young woman¡¯s appearance, trying to find some resemblance with the little sister from his memories.


    Aside from her general facial appearance and the corner of her eyes, he found no other trace of familiarity from his olden days. The rest of her appearance could no longer be associated with the little sister from his memories.


    ¡°Sigh! A girl changes eight times from childhood to womanhood. These words truly makes sense!¡± Han Li bitterly smiled and then swept his gaze to the people at her side.


    ¡°This fatty is third uncle. I can already tell who he is with a single look. He¡¯s just as fat as before!¡±


    ¡°That large tanned person at the side is Eldest Brother Han Tie. That woman close to his side should be his wife!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li¡¯s mouth muttered as he called their names out one by one. This somehow made him relax a little.


    When his gaze fell upon an old gray-haired couple, Han Li ceased speaking.


    Motionless, he blankly stood behind the tree. His expression became extremely complicated.


    Among these emotions included happiness, timidness, and bewilderment.


    His parents had aged far greater than Han Li had anticipated. When he had gone up the mountains, he remembered that his mother¡¯s hair was jet-black. However, all of her hair was now ash-colored. Furthermore, his father¡¯s originally straight back was now hunched over.


    Han Li remained speechless, while his mind became dizzy like a ball of paste. Because of everything that had occurred, he didn¡¯t notice that it was already dawn.


    By the time he cleared his head, his little sister had already sat in the red silk sedan chair and was carried off into the distance. Following closely behind was a scholar mounted on a large cyan horse.


    Han Li focused his sight to look at the sedan chair that was moving further away. He gazed at his parents in the crowd, and then closed his eyes.


    After he had deeply engraved the appearances of his parents and several kin into his heart, he turned around. His face expressed unwavering determination as he walked toward the village¡¯s exit with large strides.


    Han Li knew that if he were to walk across the village entrance once more, he would come across these people and spend the rest of his life here.


    He clearly knew that ever since he had gained insights in the Eternal Spring Arts and learned about the existence of Immortal cultivation, he had walked on a path completely different from that of ordinary mortals.


    Regardless of whether there would be misfortune or happiness, prosperity or hardship, he would never regret his choice!


    Translator¡¯s Note:


    Thank you for reading! This is the end of RMJI Book 1. I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed the series so far.

 Chapter 100

    Jia Yuan City


    The Lan Province is the eighth largest of the thirteen provinces in the State of Yue. It is located in the southern region of the State of Yue. Despite its small size, it is said to be quite wealthy, second only to the Xin Province. With fertile land, countless rivers, lakes, and canals running through the region, as well as constant favorable weather, the province was extremely suited to growing grain and rice. Thus, it became the State¡¯s largest producer of crops.


    Located in the center of Lan Province was Jia Yuan City. Although it wasn¡¯t the Lan Province¡¯s capital, it was, without question, the largest city its province. The Great Lu Canal, which spanned from the north to the south of the province, passed through the center of the city. In addition, several roads and waterways also ran through the city. As a result, the city¡¯s transportation was highly developed and could be considered the hub of water transportation, as well as the main road of trade and commerce in the region. Every year, an innumerous amount of merchants and travelers passed through, spurring an enormous amount of trade at this location. Therefore, the fact that Jia Yuan City became the largest city in the province was not strange in the least.


    In Jia Yuan City, there was traffic of all sorts. Docks and boatmen were numerous, and could be found anywhere in the city. Boatmen, cart drivers, and unskilled laborers were as many as number of the hairs on an ox.  There were several tens of thousands of people, including Sun Ergou, who relied on the harbor to make a living. (TL: ???: Sun Ergou. Sun being a surname (not the star in the sky) and Er¡¯gou meaning Second Dog)


    Like his name suggested, Sun Ergou had long, slanted eyebrows and crooked eyes. In addition, he had the appearance of a ruffian, a cross between a rotten pear and a spoiled jujube . However, because he was skilled in flattery and reading body language, he had actually been able to secure the position of minor gang leader. Managing several tens of unskilled porters, he made a living off the harbor transporting the goods and luggage of passing merchants.


    This was the reason why Sun Ergou¡¯s many subordinates had hastily gathered at early dawn and respectfully addressed him with ¡°Good morning Grandpa Er!¡± and ¡°Grandpa Er has come!¡± (TL: In Confucianism, status is often associated with age. That is why you often see in Chinese stories, ¡°I, your father.¡± or ¡°This grandpa [referring to self]¡±, as a way of acting arrogant.)


    ¡­¡­


    Hearing these greetings, Sun Ergou could not help but be somewhat smug. After all, being addressed as ¡°Grandpa¡± indicated that here, he was someone of status. Consequently,  he exhibited an air of arrogance. He finally responded to his subordinates¡¯ greetings after snorting from his nose, ¡°Who is Grandpa Er? Shouldn¡¯t it be Grandpa Ergou?¡±


    ¡°It should, but here, there¡¯s only a two-legged dog imitating a man!¡± (TL: A play on words from his name. ?? Ergou, Er  ? Two,  Gou ? Dog.)


    ¡°Haha! Haha! ¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The burst of mocking and ridicule could not mask the words that entered Ergou¡¯s ear.


    After Sun Ergou had heard this, his face suddenly sunk, and his mood dropped in an instant.


    He slowly turned his head and looked to the several tens of people at the other side of the dock. He brought his gaze down to a large, burly, dark-skinned man as a hint of hate flashed in his eyes.


    Among all the people that Sun Ergou hated the most in the entire city of Jia Yuan, this large, dark-skinned man would absolutely make it into his top three. If someone were to tell him that he or she would use the wealth of Sun Ergou¡¯s entire family to thoroughly make this large, dark-skinned man disappear from the world, Sun Ergou might hesitate, but if he or she changed it to only half of Sun Ergou¡¯s wealth, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to agree in the least. Naturally, this was because he led a life of decadence; the so-called entirety of his family¡¯s wealth wasn¡¯t much to begin with.


    No one had known what the dark-skinned man¡¯s name was for quite a long time. The people at the harbor either addressed him as ¡°Grandpa Black¡±, or his nickname, ¡°Black Bear¡±. He was the leader of the small gang ¡°Iron Fist Group¡± while Sun Ergou held a similar status in the ¡°Fourth Level Gang¡±. As a result, these factions had arrived at this dock to supervise the porters of their respective sides.


    A mountain cannot hold two tigers, let alone this minuscule dock. As a result, the two gangs have had tense relations since. After several conflicts over merchant customers, their relationships grew even more vile. Whenever the two gangs saw each other, they would sneer in contempt and shove each other aside, falling short of a full-on conflict.


    If the subordinates acted in this manner, then what was there to say about the greatest beneficiaries of the business here, Sun Ergou and Black Bear? These two figures looked at each other with great dislike. However, as the young gang leaders, these two knew that the Iron Fist Group and the Fourth Level Gang were allied gangs. They had united to fend off the comparatively larger ¡°Poison Dragon Gang¡±. As a result, although the two had wanted to drive the other away from this place and monopolize the dock, they could only restrain themselves for the time being. However, they accumulated resentment and fury against one another and vented their feelings through their subordinates¡¯ verbal conflicts. Their exchange of insults had become a common occurrence that took place every morning.


    As a matter of fact, Sun Ergou¡¯s subordinates did not even wait to initiate a conflict. Many clever, eloquent subordinates struck back without a trace of politeness.


    ¡°Do you know what animal is the most stupid of them all?¡±


    ¡°Bears!¡±


    ¡°Which of bears are the most stupid?¡±


    ¡°Black bears without a doubt!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    When Black Bear had originally heard his own subordinates ridicule the other party, his face wore a proud expression. However, his elated face darkened after hearing these words. Sun Ergou started to smile. Pleased, he patted the shoulders of several subordinates to further encourage them.


    Black Bear¡¯s subordinates were not to be outdone. Those on Sun Ergou¡¯s side were not polite either. A great deal of filthy words spurted out from both sides. Everyone became each other¡¯s old grandpa, and neither side feared the other. Naturally, the conflict at the dock was not pleasant to hear. Vulgar unpleasantries of all kinds were exchanged.


    As the leaders of their respective gangs, Sun Ergou and Black Bear cooly looked at each other. Since they were people with status, they naturally could not join in the abusive, quarrelsome racket.


    Just as these two sides¡¯ mouths and tongues were about to dry, saliva suddenly splattered. One of Sun Ergou¡¯s subordinates cried out in alarm, ¡°A boat is drawing near!¡±


    These words roused Black Bear¡¯s near one hundred cursing subordinates, who all exhaled in surprise. They all stopped making noise and immediately turned their gazes toward the river bank. After all, shining white silver was far more attractive than the fleeting verbal delight.


    However, when Black Bear¡¯s group looked toward the boat in the dock, they were somewhat disappointed. It was only a small flat boat. At best, it would only have three to five merchant customers, which was not a large amount of business at all.


    This was not surprising, given that this dock was rotten and small. In addition, its location was far from the city. Under these circumstances, it was only natural that no big boats would come here. However, during peak season for trade and commerce, other docks would have no space for large boats, so merchants would have no choice but to disembark here.


    After this small boat stopped at the dock, two people climbed off board.  One appeared to be a common youngster about seventeen to eighteen years old. The other was a large man at least two heads taller than an ordinary person.


    The youngster wore a common azure garment, and a small yellow bird perched on his shoulder. Just as he stepped off board, he looked around. He had the appearance of a rural villager that had entered the city for the first time. The huge man wore a green gown and a mantle over his head. His facial appearances were unclear because he wore his clothes in a strange manner. The huge man followed close behind the youngster, refusing to fall even a step behind. Based on his appearance, it seemed that he was a servant.


    The huge man and the youngster were actually Han Li and Crooked Soul; they had traveled on the road for three consecutive months before arriving at Doctor Mo¡¯s homeland.


    TL Note: This is the start of Book Two.  You¡¯re in for a great ride.


    Please checkout our Patreon or donate  if you are able. It greatly helps the translation effort and will increase the release rate.

 Chapter 101

    Troubles Brought Upon by Riches.


    Chapter 101: Troubles Brought Upon by Riches


    Han Li had traveled in a southeastern direction from his hometown and rushed straight towards the Lan Province.


    On the way, he had met with other travelers, but when they arrived at the bustling city streets, Han Li had left their company to take a shortcut on a path that ran through the desolate wilderness. He didn¡¯t face much danger even halfway through the journey. In fact, the only slightly dangerous incident he had encountered was when he had met several hungry wild wolves during his stay at some remote region in the vast wilderness. Although the wolves were the ones hunting Han Li, they ended up as Han Li¡¯s dinner instead.


    Han Li had traveled through two other provinces before finally arriving at Lan Province with a body covered in dust.


    The moment he entered the Lan Province, he was amazed by the massive water channels he saw, sprawling from one end to the other and accessible from all directions. After all, he came from a region where there was mostly just mountainous wilderness. There weren¡¯t many places to see small lakes, not to mention big lakes and canals. As for drinking water, they would usually obtain it from wells or small creeks.


    Thus, Han Li was extremely interested in the boats and crafts that were sailing on the water canals. In the end, because of his curiosity and obsession, he had spent some money and rented a small boat, savoring the taste of his virgin sailing experience.


    After ten days of pleasant sailing, Han Li had arrived at Jia Yuan City, which was mentioned in Doctor Mo¡¯s will, and sailed into an unremarkable dock.


    The first impression the dock gave Han Li was that it was far too decrepit.


    The dock was constructed entirely from simple wooden panels. Not only was the place narrow and crude, but rotten baskets and broken bags were also strewn about, making the dock incomparably dirty. Standing on the two bamboo piers at the sides of the dock were several tens of barechested men who wore only short pants and emitted a strong odor from their sturdy builds.


    Currently, all these sturdy males were staring unblinkingly at him and Crooked Soul. Not only that, but there were also some who even revealed a fervent look in their eyes. Han Li was surprised for a moment, but he immediately smiled faintly.


    Before disembarking from his small boat and descending onto the dock, the boatman had warmly reminded him that inside Jia Yuan City, the pier had an unwritten rule: no matter the amount of cargo that a passenger brought, he had to hire a porter from the pier to help him. If not, the passenger would face negative, unkind treatment from the harbor gangs and might even get beaten up.


    Since this was Han Li¡¯s first time here, he had no intentions to disrupt the social customs, so he honestly asked, ¡°I need to hire a porter. Is there anyone available?¡±


    Sun Ergou retracted his sight. From his previous inspection, he could already tell that the youth who had just left the boat was a young master from some rich clan. Not only that, but also the giant man was most likely his bodyguard. This type of pair was frequently seen throughout the year whenever young masters from wealthy clans came to visit Jia Yuan city. These young masters were often here to expand their horizons and spend their money before going back to boast. Thus, there wasn¡¯t much to be bothered about them.


    But these types of people, who loved to slap themselves until they were swollen in order to look imposing, made for perfect targets! As long as he used sweet words to flatter them, these country bumpkins would scatter their money about freely. As a result, they were a good source of business to the shopkeepers here.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s turn this time around. According to his prior agreement with Black Bear, the two gangs would take turns doing business with the unsuspecting tourists, and stealing customers would not be tolerated. As for the amount of money to be made, it depended on their luck. The day before, they had made a deal ensuring that today was the Black Bear Gang¡¯s turn.


    Thinking of this, Sun Ergou glanced over to the side, only to see Black Bear¡¯s men discussing in a low voice. Shortly after, a man ran excitedly towards the direction of the youth.


    ¡°Out of the question. It¡¯s impossible for you to carry my belongings alone. Call another person over.¡± Han Li commanded as he looked at this robust man, glanced at the large amount of baggage on Crooked Soul¡¯s back, and lightly shook his head.


    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m strong enough to carry such a small luggage with just one hand. There¡¯s no need to look for others.¡± The muscular man wasn¡¯t willing to split his earnings with the other porters. Not only that, he was sure that there was no way he wouldn¡¯t be able to carry the baggage unless it was filled with stones.


    After he finished speaking, the muscular man walked in front of Crooked Soul, with the intent to snatch the luggage away.


    Han Li sighed. Inside the luggage, there was about two thousand taels of silver, as well as an assortment of other random items. The total weight, which was not light at all, was impossible for ordinary humans to carry.


    But seeing how passionate the muscular man was, Han Li could only helplessly signal Crooked Soul to hand the baggage over to the muscular man before he tried to snatch it.


    As expected, once the baggage was in the muscular man¡¯s hands, his countenance underwent a drastic change. He expended his energy but could only walk a few steps before running out of breath. Embarrassed, the man had to put down the baggage and eventually called one more person for help.


    Han Li finally nodded his head in satisfaction upon seeing that the two of them were able to carry the baggage. He quickly left the harbor, walking on the path that led to the city,


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li lacked knowledge about how the world functioned. Although his experience in Jiang Hu was limited, he could sense the pair staring at him through eyes filled with greed. Little did they know that they were about to invite trouble of a magnitude that they would not be able to handle.


    Seeing the youth¡¯s back moving further and further away, Sun Ergou retracted his covetous gaze. He suppressed the joy within his heart and locked his eyes with the eyes of Black Bear, who was on the opposite site of the dock. Both of them knew that within the baggage, there was most likely an immense wealth.


    As expected, Black Bear was also filled with joy. He slightly hesitated before flashing a look over to Sun Ergou, who intuitively walked towards a nearby rubbish dump. Before this huge source of wealth, even if Black Bear was the one who killed Sun Ergou¡¯s father and stole his wife, he would also be willing to put aside all grievances and work together. After all, ¡®Humans die for wealth, while birds die for food¡¯. (TL: ¡°????,????¡± (idiom): man will do anything in his power to become rich)


    ¡°50-50!¡± Sun Ergou said in a low voice.


    ¡°30-70! This was originally our prey.¡± Black Bear directly refuted.


    ¡°40-60, and I can¡¯t lower it any further. Your explanation is not enough to make me concede.¡± Sun Ergou stated in a sly manner, hitting the nail on the head.


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Black Bear hesitated. Naturally, he wanted to maximize his own profits.


    ¡°Hmph! You can take your time to think all you want, but I¡¯m afraid that people from the other gangs already have their eyes on this fat sheep.¡± Sun Ergou coldly snorted.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do it your way. Let¡¯s strike our palms to seal the deal.¡± Black Bear was obviously agitated by Sun Ergou¡¯s words, but he quickly agreed to the offer.


    Pa Pa Pa Sun Ergou and Black Bear spat on their palms and struck each other¡¯s palms three times, forming a temporary alliance.


    ¡°Okay, quick, we need to catch up to him before he disappears into the crowded areas.¡± Sun Ergou hurriedly exclaimed.


    ¡°Hehe! Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ve already instructed the two whom he hired as porters to lead him into a baackwater alley. Let¡¯s hurry over there now to intercept them.¡± Considering himself quite crafty, Black Bear laughed.


    ¡°Excellent! What a cunning plan, my old brother!¡± Sun Ergou¡¯s expression broke into joy, but inside, his heart shuddered. He silently reminded himself to increase his guard when dealing with Black Bear.

 Chapter 102

    Murder on Arrival


    Walking away from the dock, Han Li had his two porters walk in front of him and lead him to a nearby inn. He planned to first have a proper rest and then think of his other affairs.


    These two men didn¡¯t hesitate to lead Han Li into the city. On the way, they turned seven corners and changed directions eight times. After they walked for a good while, he hadn¡¯t seen the slightest trace of an inn.


    Although Han Li continued to follow behind the two porters, he saw that with each passing road intersection, his surroundings became increasingly desolate.He wrinkled his brow.


    Although he hadn¡¯t lodged within a large city before, he still knew that it was impossible for an inn to be established in such a secluded place. What customers would possibly arrive here?


    Thus, when they brought him into a filthy, dark alley, Han Li bitterly smiled. He felt that he should immediately restrain the two and torture them into telling him what they sort of scheme they were planning.


    Just as Han Li had thought to act, ten large men suddenly appeared further up ahead in the alley. These men seemed somewhat familiar. Indeed, he had seen them earlier, at the docks.


    These men held a variety of iron clubs and daggers. At this moment, they gazed at Han Li and Crooked Soul with malicious intent. In addition, those two porters who were carrying Han Li¡¯s luggage suddenly charged into the crowd and turned their heads, giving Han Li a sinister smile.


    Han Li sighed. It seemed he no longer needed to interrogate them because he realized their plan. He didn¡¯t expect that, as soon as he stepped foot on Doctor Mo¡¯s hometown, he would come across a cheap plot to kill him for his money.


    ¡°Boy, don¡¯t blame our cruel hearts. You should blame whoever let you bring this much silver for your bad luck!¡± A coarse voice spoke from behind him.


    Han Li turned to look, finding seven to eight robust men appear behind him. They were led by two men: one of them was tall and burly, and had black skin, while the other had a crooked head and rat eyes. They were Black Bear and Sun Ergou.


    This was not the first time these two had done this kind of shady business, plotting to kill and steal. They clearly understood that, so long as the job was done cleanly and no witnesses remained, the authorities would not take notice of it. After all, even if someone were to report a missing foreigner, the amount of people that went missing each year was far too great. It was impossible to expend the great amount of effort to look for them one after another.


    That was why, after Black Bear had finished talking, he did not hesitate to signal several men to charge. Those men brandished their deadly weapons and quickly surrounded Han Li and Crooked Soul.


    Seeing these large men¡¯s bloodthirsty, cruel appearances, Han Li could not help but feel a desire to kill flash through his eyes. He knew that these men had done such deplorable acts on more than one occasion; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t reek so strongly of blood.


    ¡°Kill them all! Do not hold back!¡± Han Li coldly commanded Crooked Soul.


    Upon hearing Han Li, Crooked Soul let out several soft roars, each roar carrying a trace of excitement. It suddenly charged out, rushing directly into the crowd.


    Hu! The giant let out a punch as fast as lightning, hitting a large man¡¯s head. That robust man became like a bag of sand, flying crookedly into a stone wall. His blood and brains streamed all over the ground; only half of his head remained.


    At this time, one man wielding a dagger and another with a crude iron club took this opportunity to attack Crooked Soul¡¯s back.


    Crooked Soul didn¡¯t turn its head. Instead it waved its arm behind its neck, slashing around in a semi circle.Peng, peng! The pair¡¯s weapons flew into the air, along with the hands grasping them. Fresh blood dripped down between their thumbs and forefingers.


    Crooked Soul immediately stood on a single leg and swept the other leg behind him like a sickle as fast as the wind. The two assailants were immediately kicked in the abdomen and flew more than three meters away. They fell onto the ground, motionless.


    When the others saw these events, they sucked in a breath of cold air. A look of fear flashed in the faces of the men surrounding them. They became somewhat hesitant to attack.


    Even though they had stopped their hands, Crooked Soul shot its arms out without restraint, smashing the skulls of the two men who were at his side. Without Han Li¡¯s command, it would not stop its hand of its own accord.


    Sun Ergou and Black Bear¡¯s complexions were very unsightly. It was very clear that this large figure that they had mistaken as an ordinary bodyguard was actually a peerless expert.


    ¡°Kill this man! Each person who participates will be rewarded twenty taels of silver!¡± Sun Ergou had an unclear premonition in his mind and hastily sent out the several ¡®experts¡¯ at his side by issuing a great reward.


    As soon as the men beside Black Bear and Sun Ergou heard this, their faces showed an expression of joy. These shallow martial artists only knew some basic boxing skills and naturally couldn¡¯t tell that, against Crooked Soul, the difference in their strengths was like the distance between Heaven and Earth. They had merely believed that their opponent was simply a little stronger than them and slightly more skilled. Thus, they possessed no fear at all. Now, galvanized by the temptation of a great reward, they charged towards Crooked Soul one after another.


    After Black Bear heard Sun Ergou¡¯s words, his face twitched, but his face soon became calm. Without saying a single word, his gaze simply drifted erratically to and from Han Li.


    Currently, Black Bear was constantly complaining to himself.


    He and Sun Ergou were different. He was able to climb to his current position because he could rely on his strength in an exchange with real weapons. This was why, in addition to having an adequate physique and exceptional eyesight, he could enter the ranks of third rank martial artists.


    As a result, when he saw Crooked Soul fight, his heart jumped like a spear. When his heart finally fell to the ground, he could see that Crooked Soul¡¯s skill was great profound. Even if the two gang leaders were to join the fray, their odds of success would not necessarily be high, let alone with their weak subordinates, who were like kittens and puppies. However, he didn¡¯t dare to flee because this large man had clearly not exerted his full strength. If Crooked Soul were to see him attempting to escape, Black Bear feared that he would die a faster death.


    In order to live, it seemed that he could only attack that rustic youngster, whose status was far greater than the large man¡¯s. Only by threatening this man with a hostage could Black Bear possibly escape from death. As for the silver, he wouldn¡¯t dare ask for it. With such a ferocious bodyguard, perhaps he was the young master of some wealthy provincial lord. He was clearly the son of some influential family and was disguising himself for a stroll. Today, Black Bear could escape death. Even if he had the blessing and protection of the Gods, taking the heavy bundle was naturally an entirely different matter!


    Black Bear thought of this and decided to take advantage of his subordinates¡¯ charge. After he signaled Sun Ergou with his eyes, he stealthily approached the stage.

 Chapter 103

    Subdue.


    Chapter 103: Subdue


    Han Li had his back facing Black Bear, who was standing alongside the battling crowd. Although Black Bear tried his best to soften his footsteps, how could it possibly escape Han Li¡¯s notice?


    As the distance between Black Bear and Han Li shortened to just a few steps, Black Bear started to sprint, moving frenziedly like a demon. Han Li lightly shifted his body slightly and pivoted to directly face Black Bear, revealing a smile on his face.


    Black Bear was shocked out of his wits, but he could no longer stop his momentum. Helplessly, he could only roar as he extended his black hairy hands, grabbing ruthlessly towards Han Li. He estimated that Han Li was just someone without much battle experience, and should have been shocked immobile by his savage, demon-like rush, thus rendering him vulnerable


    Upon seeing the black, burly man recklessly raise his hand against him, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly sunk. His body flickered and disappeared right in front of Black Bear¡¯s eyes.


    Black Bear¡¯s roar became stuck in his throat as he quickly halted his steps, planning to run away. Suddenly, he felt the point of a sword that shone brilliantly like snow coming into contact with his throat before it disappeared once more. Black Bear rapidly covered the bleeding wound with his hands and attempted to speak. However, only some unintelligible grunts was heard before his corpse fell onto the ground.


    The color of Sun Ergou¡¯s face turned waxy yellow. He had witnessed the youth moving like a specter as he appeared behind Black Bear¡¯s back and easily sliced Black Bear¡¯s throat with a flexible sword he had drawn from his waist. Afterward, the youth took out a white cloth and wiped the blood off his sword.


    The young man raised his head and flashed a smile at Sun Ergou, almost as if he could sense Sun Ergou¡¯s gaze.


    As if he had seen a poisonous snake, Sun Ergou quickly retracted his gaze. His long-time enemy, Black Bear, had just died, but he felt not a hint of joy or excitement. On the contrary, he felt sad and mournful, like a person in distress.


    He was completely awake now, and he knew full well that this young man was no fat sheep, but rather a King Yan from Hell who wanted his life. (TL: King Yan : the god of death and a ruler of one of Hell¡¯s eighteen levels)


    The only slight trace of hope that Sun Ergou had left was whether his subordinates were able to defeat Han Li¡¯s giant bodyguard. If that were the case, then he would still have a chance at surviving, enabling him to negotiate with the young man and thus saving his insignificant little life.


    But as soon as Sun Ergou saw the situation unfolding over there with the young man¡¯s giant bodyguard, he became dumbstruck like a wooden chicken.


    Lacking the strength to move even a single muscle, over twenty burly men were lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. The giant bodyguard glanced coldly in Sun Ergou¡¯s direction.


    Although a mantle was obscuring the giant¡¯s features, Sun Ergou could still feel a bestial, bloody aura emanating from the large figure, causing his waxy yellow face to turn pale white.


    Han Li observed the variation of expressions on Sun Ergou¡¯s face, and from his movements, Han Li determined that this person did not know martial arts. Looking at Sun Ergou¡¯s face of abject terror, Han Li disdained from dealing with Sun Ergou personally.


    ¡°Crooked Soul, kill him!¡± Han Li commanded.


    ¡°No! Please! I surrender, I¡¯m willing to give up all my fortune to young master. I¡¯m willing to work like a slave, and I know all the news floating around Jia Yuan City! I could be a good lapdog for young master¡­¡± Sun Ergou walked over, step by step, towards the large man, whom he viewed as a demon. Begging for mercy in a panic, he frightenedly limped across the ground.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Han Li originally wanted to ignore Sun Ergou¡¯s words, but as soon as he heard that Sun Ergou knew all the news regarding Jia Yuan City, his heart was moved, he became filled with joy.


    ¡°Stay your hand for now.¡± He commanded to Crooked Soul, who was about to twist Sun Ergou¡¯s neck. Han Li walked forward, stopping right in front of Sun Ergou.


    ¡°Are you very familiar with Jia Yuan City?¡± Han Li smiled as he asked, taking on the very appearance of kindness.


    Just earlier, Sun Ergou had seen Han Li¡¯s ruthless side, so how would he dare to be slow to reply? Immediately, his voice quavered as he shouted, ¡°Very familiar, extremely familiar. I grew up here so I know everything that happens here as if it were on the back of my hand.¡±


    Now it was as if he had grabbed onto a life-saving strand of grass; he couldn¡¯t help but wish he could make himself sound more useful by a tenfold so that Han Li would feel that he was still of use.


    Hearing Sun Ergou¡¯s reply, Han Li touched his own nose in consideration before pulling a bottle out from his robes.


    He took out a white, longan-sized medicine from the bottle and handed it to Sun Ergou. (TL: a longan  is a fruit belonging to the same family as the lychee)


    ¡°Either you consume this or you die.¡± Han Li told him in straightforward manner.


    The hand that Sun Ergou extended to take the medicine trembled violently. He hesitated while looking at the white pill in his hands before shifting his eyes to meet Han Li¡¯s cold gaze. Coughing a few times, he had no choice but to ingest the pill.


    ¡°Good, I can trust you now.¡± Satisfied, Han Li nodded his head.


    ¡°The name of this pill is Rotten Heart Pill, and it was personally concocted by me. Every month, you need to consume the antidote, or else your inner organs will rot, causing you to die. I believe that you are an intelligent man, and you will serve me to the best of your abilities.¡± Han Li coldly and threateningly stated.


    Sun Ergou was already prepared in his heart, but upon hearing the effects of the pill he had just consumed, he couldn¡¯t help but to wail pitifully, appearing extremely depressed.


    ¡°Relax. As long as you help me settle what I need to do in the Jia Yuan City, I will neutralize the poison and return your freedom back to you. Based on your martial skills, I can¡¯t really put you to good use anywhere else.¡± Han Li used both the stick and carrot, giving Sun Ergou the assurance that as long as he completed his task well, there was still some hope that he would be freed.


    ¡°Truly, young master?!¡± Sun Ergou¡¯s expression slightly trembled upon hearing this news.


    ¡°Take these taels of silver with you and clean up this place. I don¡¯t wish for this matter to spread, do you understand?¡± Han Li commanded as he tossed a bag of silver over to him.


    After catching the bag, Sun Ergou weighed it in his hand. It was heavy, as if there were about 200 taels of silver inside.


    An expression of joy appeared on his face. He realised that if he could work for such a man with riches and authority, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.


    ¡°Young master, please leave this to me. I will handle this well, without creating any trouble for you!¡± He laughed as he patted his chest proudly.


    ¡°Okay, I shall leave first to find an inn. Tomorrow morning, come look for me. Since you yourself claim to be the local head in Jia Yuan City, you should be able to find out which inn I will stay in.¡± Han Li commanded again, without a trace of politeness in his voice.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Tomorrow morning, I will be there, waiting for young master¡¯s commands!¡± At this stage, Sun Ergou could only be described as ¡°eager¡± to become Han Li¡¯s lackey.


    Han Li smiled as he gestured to Crooked Soul, who picked up the baggage, and left the alley. After walking a distance, Han Li turned back and glanced at Sun Ergou, only to find him him obediently standing there at the same spot. Sun Ergou was using his eyes to respectfully send Han Li off, showing an expression of fear and loyalty.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± Han Li suddenly felt that this person was extremely interesting and intelligent. Perhaps he could really put him to good use in a sticky situation.

 Chapter 104

    Information.


    Chapter 104: Information


    ¡°The gang I founded, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, possesses 64,000 common gang members. Core gang members include more than seven thousand people. It is also one of the three great overlords of the Lan Province. Its main branch is set up in Jia Yuan City, and its side branches are¡­.


    ¡°Throughout my life, I married five women and witnessed the birth of two daughters. My apprentices¡­.¡±


    ¡°First Wife Jin, she had a gentle disposition. She was the sole daughter of the Golden Lion Escort Company¡¯s Head Escort Chief, Jin Can. She has already passed away, leaving behind her daughter, Mo Yuzhu.


    (TL: When talking about his wives, Doctor Mo is listing the order in which he married them and their maiden clan name.)


    ¡°Second Wife Li was educated and well-balanced. She was the daughter of some rich household. Unfortunately, she did not have any children.


    ¡°Third Wife Liu has a bold disposition, but she is rather ambitious. She is the younger sister of Quling City¡¯s Lord and Wind Sect¡¯s Sect Leader, Liu Feng. She bore no children. Pay great attention to her.


    (TL: ¡°Quling¡± means ¡°crooked tomb¡±)


    ¡°Fourth Wife Yan is my younger female cousin from my mother¡¯s side. She has a calm disposition, excels in scheming, and has great ingenuity. She raised one daughter, Mo Caihuan. Before I departed, I bestowed most of my authority over Fearsome Flood Dragon Association to her. You can trust her.


    ¡°Fifth Wife Wang is taciturn. She was infatuated with me and was previously First Wife Jin¡¯s personal maid. She did not bear children, and she secretly grasped hidden strength. You can trust her unconditionally.


    ¡°Adopted Daughter Mo Feng Wu is the daughter of my confidant and subordinate. After her parents died, I received her as an adopted daughter. Before I left, she had just turned seven and was exceptionally intelligent.


    ¡°Yan Ge, Eldest Disciple. His aptitude is common. I have already passed on the cultivation methods for Demonic Silver Hand over to him. Before I left, he was twelve years old. His temperament is average.


    ¡°Zhao Kun, Second Disciple. I already passed on the Sleeping Dragon Arts to him. Before my departure, he was ten years old. His temperament is indiscernible.


    ¡°Ma Kongtian, my sworn little brother. He serves as a protector for the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association. His temperament¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Han Li held in his hand a paper filled with handwriting: Doctor Mo¡¯s will.  Currently, he was inside Hui Yuan Inn¡¯s top room, walking to and fro repeatedly as he remained lost in thought.


    The will was written attentively. Not only did it clearly explain the powerhouse that Doctor Mo had established, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, but it also crudely described the temperament of his wives thoroughly. This caused Han Li¡¯s heart to sink slightly.


    What was mentioned in his will were matters from ten years ago. The present state of affairs were sure to have had undergone an absolutely earth-shaking change.


    How should this be done? Should he contact Doctor Mo¡¯s wives or steal the Yang Jaded Treasure and escape without a trace? These decisions required Han Li to fully understand the current state of affairs.


    Thus, the local thug he subdued yesterday, Sun Ergou, was of great use to him. Han Li could probably acquire a lot of useful information from him.


    After Han Li carefully read through the will, he put it away into his bosom. Then, lost in thought, he raised his head, walked to the bed, and sat down.


    He spread his legs and raised his palms to the sky before setting them on his knees. Afterwards, he shut his eyes and began to inspect his body¡¯s condition.


    The thread of cold yin poison inside his dantian had started spreading outward a month ago. It was originally just a trace of an indistinct shadow, but it had currently condensed into a black pea-sized sphere. In addition, it slowly beginning to grow in size.


    (TL: Dantian generally references to a place below your navel where essence and Qi gathers.)


    According to Han Li¡¯s estimates, he would have two months at most before this yin poison thoroughly broke out. When that time came, he feared that he would truly be hard-pressed to escape death.


    Just as Han Li was worried sick as he secretly resolved himself to acquire the ¡°Warm Yang Precious Jade¡±, someone knocked on his door.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Han Li coldly said, as he opened his eyes.


    The room door softly opened, and Sun Ergou walked in with his head lowered. As soon as he saw Han Li, he acted with the greatest of courtesy, declaring respectfully, ¡°Greetings, Young Master! Sun Ergou has come to hear Young Master¡¯s assignments!¡±


    ¡°Not bad, you found me quite quickly.  You truly do have some skill!¡± Han Li said in satisfaction. He then stood up from the bed, and then, with his hands behind his back, he walked in front of Sun Ergou.


    ¡°I am indebted by Young Master¡¯s praise. If I could not perform such a small, trivial task, then for what reason would Young Master have spared my humble life?¡± Sun Ergou¡¯s happy face showed a great loyalty.


    When Sun Ergou had returned that day, it wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t thought of informing his superiors of the matter regarding Han Li and have experts come to take revenge. But when he thought of the ¡°Rotten Heart Pill¡± that he had consumed, his courage thoroughly disappeared.


    After a night of great consideration, he couldn¡¯t think of any other options and was left with no choice but to obediently pay Han Li a visit. He only wished that when he provided his assistance in the future, he would be given the antidote to this frightening ¡°Rotten Heart Pill¡±.


    ¡°First tell me your status! From your appearance that day, it would seem that you¡¯re a small chief.¡± Han Li indifferently said.


    ¡°I am a dock overseer for the Western City district¡¯s Fourth Level Gang. I have about 450 subordinates, and could be considered a minor gang leader.¡± Sun Ergou replied respectfully.


    ¡°Fourth Level Gang?¡± Han Li dully asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Fourth Level Gang is one of the 33 small gangs in the western part of Jia Yuan City. It has about a thousand gang members, but most of them are dock coolies. The gang head is the ape, Shen Zhong Shan. He has three great protectors as subordinates.¡± Sun Ergou immediately gave the complete details discreetly. Although he had revealed information about his gang to an outsider, his face didn¡¯t have the slightest amount of shame.


    (TL: coolie : an unskilled native laborer.)


    ¡°That large dark skinned man I took care of yesterday, was he also part of the Fourth Level Gang?¡±


    ¡°He was not. That person was called Black Bear, and he was a gang leader of the Iron Fist Group, another one of the 33 gangs. We were not on good terms with one another.¡± Sun Ergou replied with a flattering smile.


    ¡°Even though this is just the western part of the city, there are already so many small gangs. Thus, in the entire Jia Yuan City, the total number must be quite large, right?¡± With his hands behind his back, Han Li unhurriedly returned to the front of the bed.


    ¡°Of course. In the entire Jia Yun City, there are more than forty small gangs with a thousand members or less. There are seven to eight medium-sized gangs with three to four thousand members. With regards to the large gangs that have over ten thousand members, there are only three.¡± Sun Ergou stood there, speaking with absolute honesty.


    ¡°Tell me about the state of affairs in the both the large and medium-sized gangs.  You don¡¯t need to tell me about the small gangs!¡± Han Li pulled up his sleeves and sat down on the bed. Afterwards, the calm Sun Ergou started talking.

 Chapter 105

    Shocking News.


    Chapter 105: Shocking News


    ¡°The three largest gangs in Jia Yuan City are the Brothers¡¯ Union, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, and the Heavenly Tyrant Sect. The smaller gangs are the Iron Spear Association, the Sworn Brotherhood, the Azure Clothed Gang, the Spring Rain Building, the Gold Sword Sect, the Dark Riverboat Gang, the Diamond Sect, the Setting Sun School, and several other sects.¡±


    Sun Ergou named all these gangs in one breath. Panting, he continued, ¡°The strongest of the three large factions is the Heavenly Tyrant Sect. It is allied with the Gold Sword Sect and Azure Clothed Gang, and they occupy the Eastern City district, which is the most prosperous district. The Brothers¡¯ Union, which is slightly weaker, is allied with the Iron Spear Association, the Dark Riverboat Gang, and the Sworn Brotherhood, occupies the Northern City district. The weakest, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, rules over the Southern City district, alongside the Spring Rain Building, the Diamond Sect, and the Setting Sun School. Lastly, the chaotic Western City district is divided amongst numerous smaller gangs. Although these small gangs are constantly involved in power struggles, if a larger power wanted to invade the Western City district, then the smaller gangs would cease fighting and face the external attackers. Thus, the entire Jia Yuan City could be considered a four-sided confrontation.¡± Sun Ergou¡¯s words came out like a torrent from his mouth, never ending. Without even pausing to think, he had explained the general state of affairs of every power within the city.


    After Han Li heard the explanation, he muttered to himself for a moment before thoughtfully asking, ¡°I¡¯ve heard people say that the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was one of the Lan Province¡¯s three overlords, and that Jia Yuan City was where it originally established its headquarters. How did it become the weakest of the three large gangs of the city?¡±


    ¡°Young master, what you said is ancient history. Many years ago, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was truly ferocious, and its power nearly encompassed the entire Lan Province. As a superpower during that time, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association had its headquarters located in Jia Yuan City. It was originally intolerant of other gangs stepping in, and as a result, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association controlled the entire city by itself. Back then, the other gangs didn¡¯t even dare to show their shadow under the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s intimidation. However, for an unknown reason, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association suddenly decayed in power overnight. Not only did it lose some of its territories, the power of its headquarters in Jia Yuan City greatly waned in power. Thus, gangs of all sizes took advantage of this opportunity and emerged from hiding. After several bloody battles, the situation we have today took shape.¡± Sun Ergou explained this while remaining extremely politely.


    ¡°Do you know why the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association suddenly weakened?¡± Han Li slowly asked Sun Ergou, furrowing his eyebrows.


    ¡°This¡­.. to tell you the truth, this humble person¡¯s status in his gang isn¡¯t very high. I truly do not know much about this, and the few things that I do know were told to me by other people. It seemed that the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association had an internal conflict that led to a civil war. Its decline can also be attributed to other large powers, that suppressed them from behind.¡± Slightly embarrassed at himself for not knowing enough information, Sun Ergou gave Han Li a vague answer.


    ¡°Oh, so it was like that!¡± Han Li slightly smiled. It seemed he had guessed this was the situation earlier.


    ¡°Who is currently in charge of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association? You should at least know who.¡± Han Li asked.


    ¡°I do know who. The person in charge of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association is Lady Yan, the widow of the former Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s leader, Mo Juren.¡± Sun Ergou hastily replied.


    ¡°Widow?¡± Han Li was astonished.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The original founder of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, Master Mo, died. Does his wife not become a widow?¡± Sun Ergou blinked and grew somewhat hesitant. He did not know if he said something wrong.


    ¡°Who said that the association¡¯s Master Mo died?¡± As his complexion turned colder, Han Li sensed that something was out of place.


    ¡°Everyone in Jia Yuan City knows about this. A year ago, Ghost Hand Mo Juren¡¯s last disciple revealed that he had obtained Association Master Mo¡¯s will and keepsakes. With these in his possession, he announced Master Mo¡¯s death at the Mo estate.¡±


    ¡°Last disciple? What was his name?¡± Han Li calmly asked, raising his eyebrow.


    ¡°He is Wu Jianming, a twenty year-old pretty face. Rumors have it that he has already inherited Mo Juren¡¯s teachings and his martial arts are incomparably high.¡± Sun Ergou carefully told Han Li. At this moment, he already realized something. He was certain that this person was somehow related to the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, and seemed to be paying close attention to that Young Master Wu.


    ¡°In addition¡­.¡± Sun Ergou seemed as if he wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t dare to.


    ¡°If you have something to say, then speak frankly! Don¡¯t hold back! If this information is true, I will bestow upon you great rewards.¡±


    ¡°I have heard people say that this Young Master Wu is intimate with the Master Mo¡¯s daughter, Mo Yuzhu. I have also heard that they will soon marry each other.¡± Hearing that there would be compensation, Sun Ergou spoke the truth freely, with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Marriage!¡± Han Li chuckled and suddenly stood up.


    He paced back and forth several times in the room. Afterwards, he looked up to the ceiling and stopped. He seemed to be thinking of something.


    ¡°Hear this well! Your mission is quite simple. From today on, you will secretly gather information for me regarding the Mo Estate. As for Young Master Wu, the more details about him, the better.¡±


    ¡°Take this silver. If this affair goes well, there will be even more rewards! Go handle it.¡± Han Li casually tossed Sun Ergou a pouch of silver.


    ¡°I will follow your orders. Esteemed Young Master, please be at ease, for I will handle this matter well. This humble man will no longer trouble you and shall take his leave.¡± Sun Ergou clutched the silver in his hands and walked out, beaming with joy. Before leaving, he had even took the time to politely close the door.


    ¡°This esteemed Young Master is truly generous with his money. All he wants me to do is a trivial task of gathering information. It seems that choosing to follow this person on that day was truly the right choice!¡± Sun Ergou excitedly thought. At this moment, the matter of the Rotten Heart Pill had been pushed to the back of his head.


    After seeing Sun Ergou¡¯s happy face as he walked out, Han Li lightly sighed. He suddenly felt somewhat regretful. He had been here for a mere two days and had already given away so much silver. This made him feel like a money squanderer.


    ¡°It is no matter. This silver could be considered as silver from Doctor Mo¡¯s account, with even with the addition of a bit of interest,¡± Han Li thought, finding joy in his sorrow.


    ¡°However, this Young Master Wu Jianming is truly a clever person for actually trying to be the first to use his own identity to infiltrate the Mo Estate, effectively acquiring power and wealth simultaneously. His courage is certainly admirable!¡± Han Li stroked his nose with a cold smile.


    ¡°It seems that a visit to the Mo Estate is inevitable. Otherwise, the Precious Warm Yang Jade will not be included in the dowry and instead will lie in that person¡¯s hand,¡± Han Li thought, somewhat regretfully.

 Chapter 106

    Clothed Man.


    Chapter 106: Blue-Clothed Man


    On Southern District¡¯s busiest street, South Hill Street, there was a huge residence the size of several acres. The residence¡¯s courtyard had a large black gate from which a hanging sign revealed two words: Mo Estate. Beneath the sign, eight large, imposing men were stationed evenly on both sides of the gate. Each of these formidable men held his head high and chest out with complete concentration. With just a glance, people would never dare to look down upon their well-trained and valiant appearances.


    The three-story Fragrant Restaurant was just across the street from the Mo Estate. The popularity of this large restaurant resounded in the entire Jia Yuan City. In addition, its signature drink, Hundred Scents, was famous for being a great wine, and it attracted many famous customers who passed by.


    It was currently time for the midday meal. As a result, the Fragrant Restaurant was packed with people. All the tables from the first floor to the third floor were packed with eating patrons.


    On the road, those who were about to pass by restaurant would smell the strong aroma of food and drool with hunger, completely captivated by the smell.


    On the second story, a youth sat next to the window, watching the street. There were quite a few tasty side dishes on his table, along with a bottle of the famous ¡°Hundred Scents¡±. Behind the youth stood a large, intimidating man. This youth was none other than Han Li, who was scouting for information.


    At this moment, Han Li gazed down at something from the window. He turned a small wine cup that was filled to the brim in his hand, but his food sat on the table, untouched. Overall, he seemed absent-minded and careless.


    Han Li shot a tilted glance at the nearby Mo Estate before looking down to the streets below him. His face¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. Raising his head to drink the cup of wine, he continued to look outside mysteriously.


    Han Li had already asked about Doctor Mo¡¯s two biological daughters and his adopted daughter. They had all grown up to become as delicate as a flower, as refined as a precious jade, beautiful and charming. They were known as Jia Yuan City¡¯s three great beauties. As a result, they were often referred to as the three prides of the Mo Estate.


    Because of their beauty¡¯s great fame, they have been wooed by far too many young masters and heroic elites to count.


    Among these women was Mo Yuzhu, a peerless beauty. Amongst the three, she was the one who was the most pursued. Thus, the news of her betrothal roused a great ruckus and broke the hearts of the men who were trying to woo her. There were a few martial artists that had challenged this Young Master Wu one after another. Wu Jian Ming ended up defeating sixteen of these rivals of love in succession, thus consolidating his reputation as a peerless martial artist and causing him to be inseparable and closely intimate with Mo Yuzhu.


    Han Li thought that this matter was truly somewhat amusing and ridiculous. Others didn¡¯t know that this Young Master Wu had some sort of inside information. However, Han Li was aware of the entire situation.


    Wu Jianming was sure to have been dispatched from Doctor Mo¡¯s enemy school. It seemed that the Doctor Mo¡¯s long absence had caused his enemies to grow suspicious; this Young Master Wu had probably arrived to scout out the situation. Han Li did not know by what means he had been able to obtain the trust of the Mo Estate, but the letter alone probably shouldn¡¯t have been enough to easily convince Doctor Mo¡¯s wives.


    Han Li used his finger to lightly tap the table as he contemplated about the matter.


    ¡°Young Master, please sit here! The dishes you ordered should arrive at once.¡± The waiter wearing a short, white jacket hurriedly led a blue-clothed man, who was twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old, to the second floor. In addition, the waiter had the man sit at an empty table next to Han Li. He then hastily returned to the first floor to take care of the other customers.


    This blue-clothed man was handsome. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and somewhat of a heroic air about him.


    After he sat down, he took a quick glimpse around his surroundings and just happened to meet Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    Han Li felt a profound indescribable valiance from within the man¡¯s gaze that made him feel as if his very being was being absorbed. After a moment of shock, Han Li quickly turned his head away as his complexion faintly changed.


    This person was also greatly surprised. However, after giving Han Li a cold glance, he immediately turned his head, no longer paying any heed to Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion turned somewhat pale. Just a moment ago, a glimpse at that person had given him a feeling like that of having one¡¯s guts seen from inside out, overwhelming him with great shock.


    This was Han Li¡¯s first time experiencing such a glance, the kind of glance that made him feel as if his entire being had been completely exposed.


    After the blue-clothed man waited for his dishes to fill the table, he began to eat. Not only did he eat quite heartily, he also ate as if there were no one else there.


    At this moment, the frustrated Han Li was somewhat restless and worried.


    Although he currently didn¡¯t use the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique to observe the man, he felt quite a large amount of spiritual energy faintly emitting from the man¡¯s body, making Han Li stiff from awe. He clearly understood from this person¡¯s magic power that the man¡¯s cultivation no doubt was far deeper than his own.


    Back when he looked at the cultivators Yu Zhitong and Monk Golden Light, he had only seen feeble, pathetic magic powers that completely lacked the fundamental essence of life. Upon his encounters with them, he had been able to easily get rid of them both. Thus, Han Li still didn¡¯t understand a lot about cultivators. In his mind, cultivators were a mysterious existence. He truly didn¡¯t know how how he should respond to another cultivator stronger than himself.


    ¡°Could I not treat this blue-clothed man like Monk Golden Light and unceremoniously eliminate him with my own hand?¡± Han Li¡¯s mind could not help but think in the worst direction.


    While Han Li¡¯s thoughts were in turmoil and fear, the blue-clothed man had finished eating. He wiped his mouth with a hand towel, dropped a silver ingot on the table, and left like a breeze. From the beginning until the end, he never looked at Han Li again after their initial glance; it seemed that the man had completely forgotten about Han Li.


    Han Li waited until after this person had completely left the restaurant before exhaling deeply and lying down on his chair, paralyzed. Although the time during which the blue-clothed man ate was short, Han Li felt as if an entire day had passed by. The stress placed upon his mind was far too great. He felt as as if he had just fought a battle of life and death.


    At this moment, the blue-clothed person appeared at the corner of the street. A thirty-year old man wearing a yellow jacket was waiting there for him.


    ¡°Old Fourth, why have you come so late? We still have to meet up with Eldest Brother and the others!¡± The yellow-jacketed man had some discontent in his voice.


    ¡°Hehe! Second Eldest Brother, don¡¯t be angry! It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t had mortal food for several years. I just went to have a taste!¡±  The blue-clothed person said with a joyful smile.


    ¡°You glutton! How many times do I have to say this? We Immortal cultivators should cleanse our heart of desires and abstain from gluttony, but you never listen! Your consumption will, at the very least, damage your nature greatly.¡± The yellow-jacketed man glared at the blue-clothed person and sourly lectured him.


    ¡°Hehe! I know, I know, you don¡¯t have to tell me that again! Oh yeah, back at the restaurant, I saw another cultivator.¡± The blue-clothed person tried to change the topic, hastily mentioning his encounter with Han Li.


    ¡°Oh! Really? Was his magic power deep or shallow?¡± Sure enough, this had captured the yellow-jacketed man¡¯s attention.


    ¡°His magic power was quite light. It seemed as if his cultivation base had just reached the seventh or eighth layer. He barely has the qualifications to participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly.


    ¡°This truly does not make sense. With such shallow magic power, did he come to the Lan Province to exploit some sort of opportunity? Could it be that he truly believes that he will come across unexpected success and obtain the final victory at the great Immortal Ascension Assembly?¡± The blue-clothed man flung these words from his mouth.


    ¡°Is he young or old?¡±


    ¡°He looked to be seventeen to eighteen years old.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, he definitely followed his elders here in order to increase his experience and broaden his horizons. I reckon that in the Immortal Ascension Assembly ten years from now, this talent would genuinely be able to participate.¡± The yellow-jacketed man said with a smile.


    ¡°I say! When you say it like that, his talent can be considered decent. If he comes back in ten years, he could reach my level.¡± The blue-clothed man said proudly.


    ¡°Stop boasting! Your cultivation base has merely reached the tenth layer. Every year the Immortal Ascension Assembly produces many cultivators at this level. Once you¡¯ve trained to the eleventh or twelfth layer, then you will be given the qualifications to boast.¡± The yellow-jacketed man said while laughing cheerfully.


    ¡°Truly, if I hadn¡¯t used the Foundation Establishment Pill, I could have trained to a level higher than the tenth layer, but then, what Immortal Ascension Assembly could I have participated in? I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find a master.¡± The blue-clothed man pouted and murmured before following the yellow-jacketed man and leaving the area.

 Chapter 107

    Mo Yuzhu.


    Chapter 107: Mo Yuzhu


    Han Li naturally did not know about the conversation between the blue-clothed man and the yellow-jacketed man. He was still celebrating the fact that he had just escaped from a calamity. Although he was angered by the blue-clothed man¡¯s disregard for him, Han Li was extremely clear about the disparity in their strengths. Now that he had ¡°escaped¡±, he felt as though he had just escaped death, so Han Li became extremely relaxed.


    After his encounter with the blue-clothed man, Han Li¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t calm down, so he could not recover his initially peaceful state of mind. Sighing, Han Li stood up and prepared to leave the inn.


    At this moment, the sounds of horses galloping suddenly rang out in the large street outside of the inn. The sound was getting closer and closer as the horses galloped into the vicinity.


    He was just about to stand up, but his attention was piqued. He sat back down and cast his gaze once again to the large street. According to the report by Sun Ergou, the sounds that the incoming horses were making was the sign that the Most Estate¡¯s eldest daughter, Mo Yuzhu, was returning back to the city from her travels outside. Rumors had it that this precious lady from the Mo Estate didn¡¯t enjoy doing what other girls her age did. Ever since she was young, she only showed interest in wielding the spear and becoming the leader of a gang. Thus, her elders organized an expert from the Fearsome Flood Dragon to teach her martial arts.


    What was truly shocking was that this Miss Mo especially loved hunting, a sport that was supposed to be an activity exclusive to males. Every two to three days, Miss Mo would travel to the forest outside the city to hunt. This incited the various clans¡¯ young masters, who wanted to woo her, to go hunting with her, chasing after eagles and hounds in hopes of obtaining her good will. Naturally, after Young Master Wu had arrived, he too joined in this activity.


    After Han Li had heard the news, he was also curious about this eldest daughter from the Mo Estate. After all, a girl with such a character was rarely seen. He hoped that such a lady wouldn¡¯t disappoint him.


    Now, there were over ten horse riders galloping from the end of the street. The frontmost riders consisted of a man and a woman. The male had a pair of sword-shaped eyebrows, a bright gaze, a lanky figure, and the look of a handsome, heroic youth. The female was wearing a fiery red hunting suit, along with a purple-colored veil to cover her face, hiding her facial features.


    In the blink of an eye, the group of hunters passed the front of the inn, past Han Li¡¯s sight, and finally stopped at the gate of the Mo Estate.


    The two burly guards who were originally standing there immediately greeted them. One of the guards, a man with a face full of pockmarks, respectfully greeted:


    ¡°Eldest Miss and Master Wu, both of you are back. How was today¡¯s harvest?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad! Tang Er, lead the horse away and help me take care of this wild game.¡± The female wearing the hunting suit ordered. Before she dismounted her horse, she extended her hand to take off the veil that had been covering her face, revealing a face that could startle hearts and move souls.


    ¡°Roger that, Miss!¡± The one named Tang Er showed that he dared not to even gaze upon the enchanting visage of this female as he hurriedly took over the reins and led the horse away, walking towards a side gate.


    Although the inn and the Mo Estate were a distance away, Han Li could still see about seventy to eighty percent of the girl¡¯s features as he involuntarily drew in a huge breath. That shining snow-white skin, that dainty little nose, those black, sparkling eyes, and those ruby red lips were all capable of sinking fishes and causing geese to fall from the skies.


    ¡°This lady is none other than Mo Yuzhu! No wonder she¡¯s capable of causing all the young masters in Jia Yuan City to go crazy for her. For such a supreme beauty, even toppling over empires wouldn¡¯t be strange.¡± Han Li could not help but to think of her in such a way.


    By this time, the other hunters behind the handsome youth had all dismounted. Servants came forth and led their horses away.


    The youth smiled as he walked in front of Mo Yuzhu and whispered something to her, causing Miss Mo¡¯s face to redden. She gently hammered the shoulder of the male youth before shyly glancing at him and eventually running through the gate. The youth laughed as he walked inside with a elegant demeanor.


    ¡°This person was Wu Jianming? He really does know how to coax a girl. In any case, his looks are still passable.¡± Han Li sourly stated in his heart. He knew that if they were to compete based on looks, there was no way for him to win against the handsome youth.


    ¡°It seems that Mo Yuzhu and this handsome young master have a deep relationship!¡± He furrowed his brows, feeling slightly pressured. It seemed to him that this matter would not be settled as easily as he had imagined.


    ¡°No matter what, I must obtain and secure the Precious Warm Yang Jade. After all, there is an extraordinary yin poison in my body that might explode earlier than the predicted date!¡± Han Li was deeply worried and anxious.


    He contemplated about the Mo Estate again before summoning the waiter, settling his bill, and returning to the inn that he was staying at.


    After he pondered long and hard, Han Li decided to use the most direct and effective method. He planned to infiltrate the estate in the middle of the night and visit Lady Yan, the wife of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s former leader. He intended to use the items that Doctor Mo had left for him and expose that imposter in the Mo Estate. As for how he was going to get the precious jade, he could only wait and see, moving step by step.


    Since he had already made up his mind, Han Li no longer concerned himself regarding the consequences of his decision. He shut his eyes and began to prepare himself mentally for his night-time activities.


    However, Mo Yuzhu¡¯s beautiful face kept surfacing in his mind during this span of time. No matter what he did, he wasn¡¯t able to banish his thoughts about her.


    ¡°Did I fall in love with that girl?¡± Han Li asked himself, somewhat unnaturally.


    He consoled himself, saying, ¡°Such a ravishing beauty, it¡¯s only normal that I would be attracted to her. I may not like her for certain.¡±


    As someone who already made half a step onto the path of cultivation, although he had never had a relationship before, Han Li still tried his best to avoid matters such as love and courtship between the opposite s*x even though he had never had a relationship before.


    About three in the morning, Han Li changed into a set of black clothes and sneaked out of the inn.


    He lightly sped past the roof and easily evaded the patrol on the streets, arriving outside of the Mo Estate. After he checked out the, he smiled to himself, then transformed into smoke. As he drifted past the eyes of the guards, he entered into the backyard of the Mo Estate without alerting them or causing them to notice anything out of the ordinary.

 Chapter 108

    Entering the Mo Estate at Night


    Behind the Mo Estate lay a garden, not small in size, in which many rare flowers and herbs were planted.  The flowery fragrance that the garden emanated was still revitalizing even though it was night time. Han Li involuntarily breathed in deeply.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Han Li suddenly slightly exclaimed. Although the fragrance of the flowers was thick, he could still differentiate between the familiar smells of herbal medicine.


    ¡°Someone planted medicinal herbs in here.¡± Han Li lightly smiled. This familiar herbal scent caused him to feel extremely curious about the person who had planted the herbs. It appeared that someone within the Mo Estate had inherited Doctor Mo¡¯s medicinal skills.


    Han Li did not dare to hesitate any longer. He continued on the little path and walked towards the areas that were lit up.


    Along the way, Han Li discovered that there were quite a few hidden sentries. He would not have detected the Mo Estate¡¯s tight security if it weren¡¯t for his heightened senses.


    Since he had already discovered the hidden sentries, sneaking past them became an extremely easy task.


    Han Li stopped in front of a small, two-story building.


    He chose this spot because he could sense that security was much tighter in this particular location. There were about twenty to thirty people guarding this area.


    This particular two-story building was well lit; he knew that there was probably someone of extreme importance who had yet to fall asleep, which coincidentally suited his purposes.


    Making use of the dark night, he moved at a lightning-fast pace, his body blinking as he arrived at the bottom of the building. Using the strength in his legs, he easily jumped up onto the second story of the building. The whole process took but an instant. The surrounding sentries did not even notice that Han Li had already infiltrated the building.


    Han Li kept his body close to the walls, causing his shadow to merge into the night, before pricking his ears, trying to use his sense of hearing to discern any movements in the building. Although Han Li could only hear a single female talking, he could discern that there was more than one person in this building.


    ¡°The branch from Chang Ping Town sent over 7,300 taels of silver


    ¡°The branch from Luo Gu Town sent over 5,800 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°The branch from Lan Yue Town sent over 10,500 taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Wu Ling Town¡­¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°This is all of the profits that we received last month from our association¡¯s various branches. Overall, it¡¯s about twenty-five percent less than the profits we gained in the same month of last year.¡±


    The sound of a melodious female voice that was filled with vitality drifted into Han Li¡¯s ears. The moment that he had heard it, he speculated that it belonged to a youthful female. She was somewhat unhappy, judging from the last words she had spoken.


    ¡°Mother, these branch managers are getting bolder and bolder; the tribute they offer is increasingly less as the months go by.¡± The youthful girl angrily stated.


    ¡°I am well aware!¡± Another low, attractive voice rang out.


    ¡°Could she be one of the three ladies of the Mo Clan?¡± Han Li was somewhat shocked at his good luck. It seemed that the other woman in the room was Doctor Mo¡¯s wife.


    ¡°Every time you say that you¡¯re aware about this, why don¡¯t you offer some ideas on how to settle this? If this continues, then all of our branches will no longer put us in their eyes one day.¡± The youthful girl complained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any good ideas right now. You must know that the branches are controlled by Fifth Mother. The others in the Mo Clan have no way to interfere!¡± The woman could only helplessly reply.


    Afterwards, the exchange of words stopped, allowing silence to descend.


    After several moments, the youthful girl¡¯s voice rang out in an unwilling tone: ¡°Mother, could it be that we allowed Fifth Mother to have sole control over the branches? After Uncle Ma and the others got into a dispute, their in-fighting pushed into branches into a position where they became the pillar of support for our Fearsome Flood Dragon Association. Mother, since you are the representative for the Flood Dragon Association, this power should instead be in your control.¡±


    ¡°What you said is correct. The year when your father left, he had passed the authority of the branches over to Fifth Mother, I don¡¯t really have an excuse to interfere. And because Fifth Mother grants us a large portion of the monthly tribute, I don¡¯t have the face to bring up the topic.¡± The woman replied.


    ¡°But the strength of our Fearsome Flood Dragon Association is actually extremely weak. If we don¡¯t consolidate our strength, how can we ever rise again? Father is not thinking straight! He handed the reins of the association to you, but why did he also give Fifth Mother the authority over the branches?¡± The tone of her words was filled with resentment.against her father.


    ¡°Stop your nonsense! Your dad did this; naturally, he had a deeper meaning behind his actions. It¡¯s not your place to criticize!¡± The woman berated the youthful girl.


    ¡°I understand. I acknowledge my mistake, alright? Seems like Mother is still deeply in love with Father!¡± The girl acted out of the ordinary and started laughing at her mother.


    ¡°This child¡­¡­¡± The woman loved her daughter very much. Speechless, she could only laugh bitterly.


    Han Li had already confirmed that the woman in the room was the Lady Yan he was looking for. In addition, the girl should be Mo Caihuan, the daughter of Lady Yan and Doctor Mo. He was fortunate for having found who he had been looking for in such a quick fashion.


    Han Li extended his hands, touching the letter and the items left behind by Doctor Mo, and prepared to reveal himself to the two of them.


    ¡°Mother, that faker was extremely irritating! Today he found me at the garden and actually tried to shamelessly curry favor with me. He intended to to sell me a few of his strong points, trying to appear as one who is skilled in both studies and martial arts. How disgusting!¡± The girl added the last bit coquettishly, startling Han Li and making him withdraw the foot that he had originally extended into the room. (TL: use of ¡®faker¡¯ is to refer to the person with the fake identity, Wu Jianming)


    ¡°You better be more courteous to the one surnamed Wu. After all, he is your fiancee in name. Don¡¯t let him notice anything that could make him suspicious!¡± Lady Yan¡¯s tone grew heavy as she reminded the girl.


    ¡°Cough! This beautiful me is always surrounded by admirers, but you want me to act as though I¡¯ve fallen head over heels with that man? That¡¯s too difficult of a task for me! If it were up to me, I would have run him through with a sword long ago,¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°This matter is also out of our control. Although we know that the one surnamed Wu is a fake and have fully investigated his background, we have no choice but to sacrifice the reputation of your older sister by interacting with him to buy some more time. After all, our enemy is too strong; if they realize that they can¡¯t win against us through wits, they might use force, making us lose any chance of victory!¡± Lady Yan¡¯s voice was filled with tiredness, revealing traces of physical and mental exhaustion in her voice.

 Chapter 109

    A Visit.


    Chapter 109: A Visit


    ¡°This man surnamed Wu is truly repulsive. Fabricating a letter and actually using Father¡¯s name to marry Eldest Sister¡­ truly infuriating!¡± Mo Caihuan uttered hatefully. Her despise for Wu Jianming was bone deep.


    ¡°Fortunately, it only mentioned your Eldest Sister. If the person that he had requested to marry was either you or Fengwu, I would truly not know what to do! With both of your temperaments, how could either of you possibly endure and falsely cope with this person?! The only one who has to suffer is Yuzhu. I don¡¯t know when Lord Husband will return, and whether or not he will blame this mother¡±, Lady Yan softly told her daughter and sighed.


    ¡°Mother, how could Father blame you? Wasn¡¯t it Eldest Sister who took the initiative to socialize with the man surnamed Wu?¡± Mo Caihuan immediately consoled Lady Yan.


    ¡°Foolish child, Yuzhu has no option but to do this for the sake of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association and the Mo Estate! However, the most Mother could do was have your eldest sister interact with that fake. There is no way I can truly marry your eldest sister to him. If we cannot delay the wedding, then we will be forced to be hostile and capture him!¡± Lady Yan¡¯s voice grew cold as she spoke this last sentence.


    Once Lady Yan uttered these words, the room¡¯s atmosphere returned to a state of calm. It was clear that this mother-daughter pair knew what hostility would entail.


    ¡°When will Father finally return?¡± Mo Caihuan faintly asked a moment later.


    ¡°When your father left, he had said that the latest that he could return would be five to six years from then, the earliest being two to three years,¡± Lady Yan sadly replied.


    ¡°However, it has been almost ten years. I can no longer clearly remember my father¡¯s appearance!¡± Mo Caihuan slowly said.


    ¡°Be at ease! Your father happens to be an outstanding genius of his generation. With his hidden skills, there are no problems that he can¡¯t overcome! He was definitely delayed over some important matter, and will soon return to the Mo Estate.¡± Although Lady Yan was speaking to her daughter, she was trying to comfort herself as well.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Second Sister Fengwu concocted a rejuvenating cosmetic elixir for me to give to you. Mother, why don¡¯t you try it out? I heard its effects are quite good!¡± In order to break the room¡¯s heavy atmosphere, the girl suddenly changed the subject and started chatting about another matter.


    ¡°This child¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Following along with the mother-daughter pair¡¯s mundane gossip, Han Li didn¡¯t hear any other useful information.


    Han Li discovered from their dialogue that Lady Yan¡¯s relationship with Doctor Mo was quite intimate. It seemed that Han Li could trust her. After a moment of contemplation, Han Li felt that personally appearing and tolerating this fake Young Master Wu was a better alternative by far than allowing the possibility of something insidious occurring. Nevertheless, Han Li had to first secure the Precious Warm Yang Jade.


    As he thought as such, Han Li fished out a dragon ring, one of Doctor Mo¡¯s keepsakes, from his bosom. He then quietly walked towards the room window and threw the ring into the room through an opening in the paper window covers.


    ¡°Dang¡± The clear sound of the ring falling to the ground resounded from the room.


    A moment later, Lady Yan¡¯s voice, neither arrogant nor humble, came from inside the room.


    ¡°Who is this expert that honors my humble home with his presence? Lady Yan has not yet welcomed you. I hope you will forgive me!¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled and refrained from replying. He heard the girl¡¯s frightened voice.


    ¡°How strange! How did this ring come from?  This ring seems very familiar¡­ it¡¯s just like the ring you wear, Mother!¡±


    ¡°Mother! Come look!¡± It was clear that Mo Caihuan had picked up the ring and handed the ring over to Lady Yan.


    ¡°Dragon ring!¡± Lady Yan cried out in alarm.


    After Han Li had heard the other party recognize the keepsake, he lightly knocked twice on the door before saying in a clear voice, ¡°Under Teacher Mo¡¯s orders, Disciple Han Li has come to pay his respects to Martial Mother!¡±


    (TL: ¡°Martial Mother¡±- literally. ?? Teacher¡¯s Wife. )


    After those inside the room had heard Han Li¡¯s words, there was an immediate and absolute silence! Han Li¡¯s words had clearly left them in shock for a short while.


    ¡°Come in!¡± After a moment, Lady Yan¡¯s voice invited him into the room.


    It was at this moment that Han Li lightly opened the room door and stepped inside.


    Upon entering the room, Han Li saw a beautiful, thirty year-old lady. Sitting behind her was a dainty girl around fifteen to sixteen years old. The girl and the beautiful woman shared a striking resemblance. With just a single glance, one could tell that they were close blood relatives.


    At the moment, the beautiful, married Lady Yan fiddled with the dragon ring he had just thrown into the room. Han Li¡¯s arrival had not elicited a change to her flat expression.


    Mo Caihuan stood behind Lady Yan and blinked her jet-black eyes, curiously sizing Han Li up. The corner of her mouth rose and revealed a smile that was not a smile. From head to toe, she released a strange, almost supernatural smell.


    After they had assessed Han Li, he walked forward and carried out a courtesy toward Lady Yan.


    ¡°Greetings to Teacher¡¯s Fourth Wife!¡±


    Lady Yan¡¯s eyes blinked with a look of surprise. Although Han Li¡¯s appearance was not astonishing, his action was quite unexpected.


    However, she didn¡¯t immediately respond to Han Li¡¯s greeting; instead, she raised her left hand, revealing her own dragon ring.


    Lady Yan gently brought together both rings. In front of their eyes, the two rings¡¯ dragon designs fit together, without even the slightest gap.


    ¡°You are right, this keepsake is authentic! However, do you have Lord Husband¡¯s written letter on you?¡± Lady Yan gently asked, now revealing a few traces of a smile.


    As soon as Han Li heard this, he took out the letter that had been prepared long ago and handed it over to her with both hands without saying anything further.


    Lady Yan, seeing Han Li act respectfully towards her, nodded her head in satisfaction as she accepted the letter. Then, she unfolded it and carefully read its contents.


    Han Li withdrew to the side while calmly observing the expression on the face of his teacher¡¯s wife. He thought about the change in her attitude towards him as a visiting disciple and a future son-in-law.

 Chapter 110

    Fox.


    Chapter 110: Fox


    Han Li had already read over the the contents of this letter several times. The letter was not at all complex; it merely sent word that Han Li was Doctor Mo¡¯s last disciple and that Lady Yang could place her complete trust in him. In addition, he could be used to settle any troublesome disputes the Mo Estate may currently have. As long as Han Li could preserve the Mo Estate¡¯s safety, Lady Yan was to choose one of Doctor Mo¡¯s three daughters as Han Li¡¯s bride. The letter also laid clear instructions that the dowry was to include the ¡°Precious Warm Yang Jade¡±. It even went as far as to say that Doctor Mo was currently occupied with an important matter and could not return and reunite with his wives. This way, Lady Yan and his other wives wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him.


    (TL: ¡°????¡± means a master¡¯s last disciple, which implies that Han Li is Doctor Mo¡¯s successor.)


    Although Han Li could not find anything unfavorable towards him in the letter, he was certain that that the letter contained a few of Doctor Mo¡¯s tricks. Han Li knew that it was impossible for the outer writing to be so simple.


    However, he could not find the method to reveal the hidden message. In addition, he wished to bring this letter to the Mo Estate as soon as possible. Only after gathering his courage did he deliver this letter to Lady Yan, but he was especially careful to monitor Lady Yan¡¯s each and every move at this moment. He truly wished that this Fourth Wife wouldn¡¯t make something out from the letter and then immediately turn hostile, demanding his arrest in order to avenge her late husband.


    Fortunately, the terrible scenario that Han Li imagined did not occur. After Lady Yan finished reading the letter, she simply tensely wrinkled her brow. Her face then wore an expression of great worry as she seemed to have made some difficult decisions.


    ¡°Huan¡¯er, go call your Second Mother and Third Mother, even your Fifth Mother. Tell them there is news of Lord Husband!¡± Lady Yan turned her head and instructed Mo Caihuan with a resolute tone.


    ¡°Understood, Mother! I¡¯ll go.¡± Mo Caihuan knew this matter was serious, so she left obediently. However, just before she left the room, she pursed her lips and smiled towards Han Li. It seemed she was rather interested in this fellow.


    ¡°You are called Han Li?¡± Lady Yan raised her head, revealing a graceful and elegant expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Fourth Martial Mother!¡± Han Li sincerely replied.


    ¡°Could you tell me how Lord Husband accepted you as a disciple?¡± Lady Yan asked with a smile.


    ¡°I will do as you ask!¡± Han Li hesitated for a moment, but soon after, he felt that there was nothing to hide about the events that led to his acceptance as a disciple. Using a few select memories, he slowly told Lady Yan a summary of what had happened.


    ¡°Eight years ago, because Teacher Mo¡¯s old injury had yet to healed, he lived in seclusion at the Jing Province¡¯s Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯s Celestial Rainbow Mountains. There, I had met him for the first time upon entering the mountain¡­¡± Within Han Li¡¯s version of the course of events, three sevenths of it was false. The information that he could not divulge to Lady Yan was either completely revised or lightly skipped over. Even like this, however, the story had greatly captured Lady Yan¡¯s attention and interest.


    Han Li recounted the course of events with three- sevenths being false. The information he could not divulge to Lady Yan were completely adapted or lightly skipped over. However even like this, the story had greatly captured the attention and interest of Lady Yan.


    ¡°¡­. and that¡¯s how I became his disciple. Around three months ago, Teacher Mo was preoccupied with an important matter and was unable to spare any time to visit his family. However, he feared that he had left the Mo Estate for far too long and that there would be enemies creating trouble for his wives, so he told me to leave the mountain first, come to the Mo Estate to find the Teacher Mo¡¯s wives and wait for the his wives¡¯ orders.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so important that could prevent my Lord Husband from arriving home first?¡± After Lady Yan head Han Li¡¯s adapted version of the course of events that led to his discipleship, she sighed before faintly asking this question with a trace of grief.


    ¡®Who is returning home? Doctor Mo has already been dead for soon to be two years; the corpse I buried underneath a tree is nothing but bones now!¡¯ As Han Li heard this, he somewhat laughed to himself. However, with a face of humility, he replied, ¡°What matters? Teacher Mo did not tell me. However, I am certain that it is an absolutely important matter!¡± Han Li said somewhat ambiguously.


    ¡°Humph! Did your master command you to keep it a secret from us?¡± Lady Yan asked with an enigmatic smile. However, the tone in her words was somewhat discontent.


    ¡°It is by no means like that!¡± Han Li quickly said. He secretly bitterly smiled to himself. This Lady Yan was truly mistrustful!


    With an unresigned appearance, Lady Yan opened her mouth to ask a few more questions.


    At this moment, however, the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard outside the room.  Before the owners of the feet entered the room a lovely and charming voice spoke.


    ¡°Fourth Sister, I hear there is news of Lord Husband. Is this true? That devil left us ten years ago; does he want us sisters to becomegrass widows ?!¡±


    Han Li had been distracted with this sweet voice, but soon after realizing what was said, he became startled.


    ¡®This great aunt is far too bold!¡¯ Han Li thought, amazed.


    ¡°Third Sister, pay more attention to your words. There is still another person in this room!¡± A slightly rougher woman¡¯s voice said in an angry fashion.


    ¡°I know this already! However, I heard the that person delivering the news is Lord Husband¡¯s close disciple! It is impossible to keep up pretenses! What do you say, Fifth Sister!¡± The charming voice had said, slightly happily.


    ¡°Impossible. Since Fourth Sister has called us to come, this man should at the very least be seventy to eighty percent trustworthy.¡± An ice cold voice said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Fourth Sister¡¯s judgement is truly admirable!¡± The sweet, charming voice said, giggling. It was unknown whether this was said ironically or in genuine praise for Lady Yan.


    After Han Li heard these words, he stole a glance at Lady Yan, who was pressing her hand against her head with a helpless expression on her face. It seemed that the owner of that lovely voice often gave her headaches.


    The room door finally opened, and several beautiful women entered in succession. Mo Caihuan followed, entering last. However, she pouted with her small red mouth, appearing somewhat melancholic.


    The frontmost woman was approximately thirty-one to thirty-two years old. She was tall, beautiful and composed with delicate features, and there was a scholarly air about her. She must have been talented since a very young age.


    Han Li inwardly nodded his head and brought his gaze to the young woman next to her. This one appeared twenty-three to twenty-four years old.


    The moment Han Li saw this woman¡¯s appearance, he felt his brains buzz. For an instant, he thought he had seen a lost goddess. His entire person had sunk into her gorgeous beauty and was unable to free himself. This woman¡¯s tender, beautiful figure was unexpectedly somehow even more gorgeous than Mo YuZhu, whom he had seen during the day. In addition, the woman¡¯s incomparable grace was something Mo Yuzhu couldn¡¯t possibly have. If one were to say there were trulyfox-spirits on this Earth, Han Li would unconditionally be convinced as this woman was a completed transformation.


    Han Li was currently swooningly dizzy. Without Han Li knowing why, a thread of cold Qi from his Dantian suddenly escaped and flowed along his meridians toward the center of his head. After it completed one circulation, Han Li suddenly cleared his head.


    After recovering his mind, Han Li was startled and didn¡¯t dare to look to look at this woman again. He hastily avoided her gaze.


    ¡®This young woman could cause the death of an entire country. With the mere look, she can turn a man¡¯s soul and spirit upside down! Does she not know that her own exceptional appearance possesses demonic power?! Or is this some sort of trained seduction technique?¡¯ Han Li speculated while being overwhelmed with shock.


    The young woman saw Han Li look at her, but apart from being somewhat infatuated, he soon regained his mind. Her eyes could not help but flash a look of surprise.

 Chapter 111

    Beautiful Woman.


    Chapter 111:  Beautiful Woman


    Han Li quietly used his Eternal Spring Arts to stabilize his mind before daring to even lift his head. His eyes skipped over the alluring woman and moved on to the last woman.


    The last wife to enter appeared to be twenty-six to twenty-seven years old. Although she was a charming beauty, one look at her ice-cold face would stop anyone in his or her tracks. In addition, ever since she entered the room, her cold stare had been aimed straight at Han Li.


    Lady Yan saw these people come in and stood from her seat, gently greeting them.


    ¡°Greetings Second Sister and Third Sister! Fifth Sister has also come!¡±


    ¡°Fourth Sister, you are too formal. We are all of the same family; there is no need to be so polite!¡±  Without waiting for the woman in front to speak, the extremely bewitching young woman covered her almond mouth and laughed. That laugh contained an alluring charm, causing Han Li to experience a burst of desire and a shaken spirit. He was speechless without end.


    ¡°Little Sister doesn¡¯t dare. Sisters, please take a seat.¡± Lady Yan slightly smiled and offered her own chair to the wife in the front. She did not sit until after the wife sat.


    The one called ¡°Fifth Sister¡± was an elegant and refined woman. She silently sat across from Lady Yan.


    After the married women entered, Mo Caihuan knowingly closed the door and moved behind her mother. Her bright full moon eyes were spinning randomly across the room. It was unknown what exactly she was thinking.


    ¡°This youngster is the one that delivered the message?¡± The woman of about thirty years of age looked at Han Li and faintly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. According to the letter he delivered, this is Lord Husband¡¯s successor.¡± Lady Yan easily replied. Soon after, she said respectfully to Han Li, ¡°This is your Second Martial Mother. Are you not going to pay your respects?¡±


    (TL Note: ¡°Martial Mother¡±- Literally ?? Teacher¡¯s Wife. Instead of ¡®Second Martial Mother¡¯ it could be ¡®Teacher¡¯s Second Wife¡¯ and so on. )


    ¡°I pay my respects to Second Martial Mother!¡± Sharp-witted, Han Li stepped forward and formally bowed to the married woman.


    ¡°Stand up! Since this is Lord Husband¡¯s favored disciple, there is no need to be overly polite.¡± The married woman said with a smiling expression.


    ¡°This is your Third Martial Mother and Fifth Martial Mother.¡± Lady Yan pointed to the abnormally gorgeous young woman and the elegant and refined woman, introducing them one by one to Han Li.


    ¡°Greetings to Third Martial Mother and Fifth Martial Mother!¡± Han Li saw the young married women to be no more than a few years older than him. After a second of hesitation, he also bowed courteously.


    Han Li looked at Lady Yan with a face of doubt. She faintly smiled and said with a warm voice, ¡°Your Third Martial Mother stopped the aging of her face with a technique. Although she looks to only be of about twenty years, she is about the same age as your Second Martial Mother.¡±


    After Han Li heard this, he inwardly nodded his head, satisfied that his own guess hadn¡¯t been too far off. This alluringly beautiful young woman naturally practiced an unusual secret art, otherwise how else could she have captivated him with her mere appearance and rendered unable to control himself.


    ¡°Second Sister, this is Lord Husband¡¯s hand-written letter, please look over it!¡± Lady Yan handed Han Li¡¯s letter to Second Wife Lady Li. After Lady Li finished reading it, she passed the letter to the other two wives.


    Once the elegant and refined young woman, the last wife to read the letter, finished looking over the it, the several wives were stunned into completely silence.


    Even the seemingly frivolous and gorgeous young wife, Lady Liu, had a solemn expression on her face. Completely lacking the boldness and alluring charm she possessed a moment ago, Lady Liu was instead showing an unexpected composure.


    When Han Li saw the appearance of Doctor Mo¡¯s several wives, he could not help but grow uneasy. He did not know what significant information the letter had revealed to cause these wives to be so serious.


    However, Han Li¡¯s calm expression hadn¡¯t changed since he first entered the room, making the wives think that he was reliable and had the bearing of a general.


    ¡°Han Li! Your Teacher¡¯s letter has shocked us Martial Mothers far too greatly, so we¡¯ll need to properly talk this over. You¡¯ve come here from far away, surely you must be tired. You should spend the night here at the Mo Estate. Tomorrow, we will call you for questioning.¡± Since Lady Yan had held the power of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association in her hand for several years, each and every one of her movements possessed an unspeakable dignity. Ultimately, she was the first to speak and instruct Han Li.


    ¡°This junior follows your orders!¡± Han Li replied with the complete obedience.


    The other wives did not block Lady Yan; it seemed they also agreed to have this outsider Han Li withdraw so that they could discuss a few sensitive matters.


    ¡°Huan¡¯er! Bring your father¡¯s disciple Han to the rear residence and find him a clean room for him to have a proper rest,¡± Lady Yan ordered Mo Caihuan.


    ¡°Xi! I got it! Senior Disciple Han Li, follow me!¡± Mo Caihuan blinked her eyes several times, slightly wrinkled her nose, and started to be somewhat unwilling. However, she immediately thought better of it and agreed with a smile across her face.


    ¡°You are forbidden from bothering your Senior Disciple! Otherwise you will be punished by clan rules!¡± Lady Yan knew the thoughts of her good for nothing daughter like the back of her hand, thus giving her a verbal warning in advance.


    ¡°Alright, I understand!¡± Pouting her face, the young girl unwillingly agreed.


    Han Li was speechless! If Lady Yan hadn¡¯t said anything, would this dainty young woman have played some tricks on him?


    Han Li looked at Mo Caihuan with a peculiar gaze, and for the first time, he no longer saw this girl as adorable.


    As a result of her mother¡¯s interference, Mo Caihuan dispiritedly walked out the door.Han Li followed behind with an unmoving expression.


    Waiting several moments after Han Li had left the room, Lady Yan broke the silence in the room with her solemn voice.


    ¡°Fifth Sister, I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you to take a look around and see whether or not that boy has truly left or if he has secretly returned and is hiding somewhere. We¡¯re still not sure!¡±


    After the elegant, refined Lady Wang heard this, she wordless left the room, and disappeared into the dark.


    ¡°Fourth sister, you overestimated that boy. How could he possibly be so skilled?¡± A light flashed in Third Wife¡¯s pretty eyes.


    ¡°Third Sister, you¡¯ve truly forgotten about one thing. A disciple of our Lord Husband can¡¯t possibly be ordinary.¡±


    ¡°I believe our Mo Estate is quite heavily guarded. What¡¯s more, this building is an important location where I handle the association¡¯s affairs. Not far from here, there are twenty to thirty hidden sentries densely standing guard. But even with all of our defenses, he was still able to stealthily infiltrate his place without drawing my or Caihuan¡¯s attention. Do you think that this is something an ordinary expert can achieve?¡± Lady Yan quietly said.

 Chapter 112

    Hidden Message.


    Chapter 112: Hidden Message


    ¡°From Fourth Sister¡¯s argument, it appears that the youth named Han truly has some ability!¡± Second Wife Li gently said, while slightly wrinkling her eyebrows.


    Third Wife hesitated a moment before sighing and speaking her mind. ¡°There is no need to say anymore. His concentration is already far greater than the fake¡¯s. I remember when that pretty boy Wu saw my face, my Grand Heavenly Fox Technique had infatuated him for an entire day before he recovered. The one named Han was initially only somewhat bewildered, but he had immediately cleared his mind afterward; it can clearly be seen that his mental energy is outstanding. He is by no means ordinary!¡±


    After hearing these words, the three wives became quiet. Everyone appeared thoughtful, as if they all had something bad to say.


    After a moment, Lady Yan bitterly smiled and took the initiative to speak first. ¡°With such a ferocious person, it¡¯s impossible to discern whether or not he will bring fortune or disaster to our Mo Estate.¡±


    ¡°Take out the secret letter. Once everyone sees it, it will be clear!¡± These words came from outside the room, and were not spoken by Lady Yan, but rather by the refined, elegant Fifth Wife. She walked into the room.


    ¡°I have already inspected the surrounding area very carefully. There are no outsiders within a two-hundred meter radius, and the sentry guards were reinforced as well!¡± Fifth Wife said expressionlessly.


    Lady Yan lowered her head in thought and eventually opened her mouth.


    ¡°You all surely remember the words Lord Husband gave before he left. After he departed, if someone delivered an unmarked letter without a hidden message, it would prove that he is safe and that we may feel at ease. However, if the letter was marked and concealed a hidden message, then it would definitely contain news that would be far from good. We must prepare ourselves mentally. As for this letter¡­¡±


    ¡°We all saw that the letter was marked and concealed a hidden message. Regardless of how grim the news is, this is something we must face sooner or later. Let us take out and read the true letter.¡± Third Wife¡¯s voice was no longer sweet and charming, but was instead brimming with sorrow.¡±


    ¡°Very well! Since everyone has finished preparing themselves, we will now uncover the hidden message!¡± Lady Yan said decisively.


    No longer hesitating, she grabbed a teacup and kettle from a nearby desk and proceeded to fill the cup halfway with cool water. She then grabbed her dragon-shaped ring and lightly twisted it several times, unexpectedly separating it in two and thus exposing a hidden, white medicinal powder.


    Lady Yan carefully poured the medicine powder into the teacup and then looked to the people at her sides.


    Second Wife Li gazed at Lady Yan and was the first to stand.


    She gracefully arrived in front of the desk and raised her hand. Her pure white finger unexpectedly also wore a similar ring.


    Lady Li took out a small amount of medicinal powder from the ring and poured it into the teacup. However, her powder was red, and seemed to differ from Lady Yan¡¯s.


    Third Wife and Fifth Wife followed with similar actions. They both had dragon rings that contained a yellow and a black medicinal powder respectively.


    Lady Yan waited until after everyone had finished before picking up the teacup and lightly swirling it. As a result, the originally multicolored liquid actually became clear.


    ¡°Finished! The water has become clear. Second Sister, you are the most skilled with your hands; it would be best if Elder Sister were to smear the paper!¡± Lady Yan modestly said to Second Wife Li.


    After Lady Li heard this, she faintly smiled. With the letter and the medicinal water, she began to work.


    During this short amount of time, aside from Lady Li smearing the medicinal water on the letter¡¯s surface, there was a complete silence, causing the room¡¯s atmosphere to become more tense.


    ¡°It is done. The letter has been completely smeared. Next, we should have Fifth Sister help dry this letter with her inner strength!¡± Lady Li straightened her body, wiping the fragrant sweat off her forehead and speaking to Fifth Wife with a smile.


    The cool, elegant young woman nodded her head and swiftly took the damp letter.


    She then extended her other hand, and with a slight use of force, a faint, blazing heat was emitted from her palm. She placed her palm three inches away from the letter and slowly dried it.


    After a short period of time, the letter was completely dried, and the letter¡¯s black ink had completely disappeared. In its place appeared some faint red handwriting. This was Doctor Mo¡¯s scheme to use Han Li to deliver a message to his wives, a hidden message.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t aware about what happened in the room after he left. At the moment, there was a little demoness standing before him that caused him to feel a large headache!


    While on their way, this third young lady Mo had unexpectedly and brazenly requested a so-called ¡°first meeting gift¡± from her Senior Martial Brother.


    ¡°What kind of present would Junior Martial Sister like?¡± Without a better option, Han Li helplessly pinched his nose and prepared himself to satisfy her request.


    ¡°Any precious stones¡­ jewelry¡­ or perhaps something fun and interesting will do! I¡¯m not very picky! Actually, if you don¡¯t have anything, then giving seven to eight thousand taels of silver will also do. This can be regarded as your test!¡± Mo Caihuan said innocently without a trace guilt as she blinked her large dark eyes.


    ¡°Seven to eight thousand taels of silver?¡± When Han Li heard this, he nearly fell to the floor.  This little demoness was like a lioness widely opening her mouth, not the least bit fearful for her life.


    ¡°Taking into account everything I have on hand, I don¡¯t possess such an amount of silver. Even if I did, it would be impossible to give it to her. Does she take me for a foolish squanderer!¡± Although Han Li thought this, his expression didn¡¯t change. However, looking at the girl¡¯s expression, there was quite a bit of meaning in her gaze.


    Mo Caihuan was quite clever. With just a glance, she could make out some of Han Li¡¯s thoughts.


    She slanted her small mouth and deliberately shouted in surprise, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Han, you don¡¯t have a gift to commemorate your first meeting with this adorable Junior Martial Sister? You should know that the year when I first met Young Master Wu, he gave me a ten thousand silver banknotes as pocket money!¡±


    The moment Han Li heard this, he grew angry! Of course, the one surnamed Wu is scheming for your family¡¯s wealth to receive twice the amount in return! I don¡¯t have the slightest intention to give you such a gift. In addition, your father planted a yin poison in me. My small life could end at any moment!


    Han Li was furious, but he simply looked up to the sky. Without moving, he looked at this little demoness and began wondering which item he had on hand was worth the least!


    Mo Caihuan saw this Han Li as an unsophisticated, dark boy who was actually playing the fool and not saying a word. He did not take notice of her, causing her heart to be somewhat worried.


    Ever since last year, after she had swindled a great amount of money from Young Master Wu, she dreamed of another person to take advantage of every night.


    Now after all that trouble, she had another opportunity. But this guy, who seemed to be her father¡¯s true disciple, was unmoved and even had a face thicker than a city wall. How could he act so hard and indifferently toward such a cute girl as herself? He didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of sympathy! Did he not notice her practiced tears quickly flowing down her cheeks? Still remaining indifferent, he was truly infuriating!

 Chapter 113

    Winding Fragrance Pill.


    Chapter 113: Winding Fragrance Pill


    The air in the night skies could not have been considered cold, but Mo Caihuan¡¯s delicate face was slightly turning green. Both of her eyes were ruthlessly staring at Han Li. In her heart, she was silently gnashing her teeth at this thick-skinned Senior Apprentice Brother.


    At the moment, both of them had been standing on this little path that wound through the back courtyard for a quarter of an hour while suffering from the cold. They did not move as much as a single step. Originally, after Mo Caihuan realised that Han Li was impervious to her three ultimate moves¡ªacting cute, acting coquettishly, and using tears¡ªshe could only helplessly gnash her teeth in frustration and stop walking. She initially intended to use these moves to trap Han Li, but succeeded to no avail. Now she could only unwillingly and pitifully stare at Han Li, locking her gaze with him, hoping that her opponent would give in.


    But upon seeing the pitiful state Mo Caihuan was in, Han Li involuntarily let out a laugh.


    Her expressions actually reminded Han Li of his good brother Li Feiyu. Previously, whenever Li Feiyu had wanted Han Li to help him with something, he would use the exact same expression on his face, hoping to move Han Li into helping him. After some time, Han Li became completely impervious to these kinds of expressions.


    Thus, as Mo Caihuan used her best pitiful puppy look onto Han Li, Han Li remained motionless, standing there while admiring Mo Caihuan¡¯s performance. He frequently shook his head, indicating his sarcasm.


    Underneath Han Li¡¯s vicious counterattack, Mo Caihuan was utterly defeated. She could only stop the puppy look she had been utilizing until now and exchange it with a ferocious look of rage.


    Actually, Mo Caihuan already started to regret her actions. If her mother were to find out about this, she was afraid that not only would she not be able to con anything from Han Li, but she would also taste the discipline of their clan¡¯s rules.


    As she thought of this, she glared hatefully at Han Li. This little bumpkin, couldn¡¯t he just give something to her? Didn¡¯t he know that girls exist to be coaxed? He was truly nothing but a country bumpkin!


    As of the moment, she had already forgotten about her outrageous request she had demanded earlier from Han Li.


    Although Han Li had no experience in coaxing girls, he knew that he would nonetheless have to borrow the strength of the Mo Residence and thus could not afford to offend them. As a result, after Mo Caihuan¡¯s anger burned for some time, he slowly inserted his hands into his robes, trying to find a suitable trinket to appease this little demoness.


    Han Li finally took out a green jade bottle. Inside the bottle, there were a few flaming red pills that release an extremely strong fragrance.


    These pills were known as the the ¡°Winding Fragrance Pills¡±. Taken by royal concubines, this pill had no other other effect other than causing the one who ingested the pill to emit a mesmerizing fragrance. Not only did this fragrance last for a long time and was pleasant to smell, but it also could provide the additional effect of protecting the user from insect bites. That was why this pill was a favorite among the royal concubines.


    Treating the Winding Fragrance Pill as a gift for the young girl, however, was quite a pity. Concocting this pill required a few main ingredients that were rare and precious. Even in such a prosperous place as the royal capital, the main ingredients were always found to be in short supply, unable to meet the royal court¡¯s demand. In the end, the pill had been lost with the passage of time.


    Han Li would never concoct such a pill that would do nothing to aid him. But during his stay in the Seven Mysteries Sect, he finally caved in and concocted some of these pills for Li Feiyu to coax Zhang Xiuer because he was unable to withstand Li Feiyu¡¯s urging.


    All he had was just one bottle with only a few pills remaining. Initially, Han Li had wanted to use these pills to cloak himself from insect bites, but now, he could only use this to coax the little demoness standing before him.


    Han Li threw the jade bottle in the girl¡¯s direction. Mo Caihuan fumbled with it for a bit and finally caught the jade bottle. ¡°What is this?¡± A smile finally broke out on Mo Caihuan¡¯s face. She finally received a gift from this petty man in front of her! Although this was nothing much, this was sufficient to light up a smile on Mo Caihuan¡¯s face.


    ¡°This pill is known as the Winding Fragrance Pill, and its effects are very mystical. It can¡­¡­¡± Han Li explained the pill¡¯s effects to Mo Caihuan, causing her to be extremely happy and satisfied.


    Much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, after the girl opened the jade bottle and sniffed the fragrance, she immediately closed the lid of the bottle and assumed a defensive stance. With a ¡°defending against perverts¡± gaze, she looked at Han Li and carefully said:


    ¡°This pill is not a pill that knocks people unconscious or works as an aphrodisiac right? Why is the fragrance so familiar to the aphrodisiacs that my sisters described?. Are you planning to do something perverted to me!?¡±


    After hearing this, Han Li was stunned for a prolonged period of time, becoming completely speechless. He suddenly felt like vomiting blood. This girl¡¯s thoughts were too hard to predict! To think that she actually likened the fragrance of the Winding Fragrance Pill to an aphrodisiac!


    Now, Han Li don¡¯t even know whether should he be impressed this lady¡¯s cautiousness or cry loudly because of an unjust accusation! ¡°Looking at your reactions, this pill seems to be authentic, but I still have to let my Second Sister experiment on it before I can use. After all, women have to place cautiousness above everything they do.¡± Mo Caihuan told Han Li this in a righteous manner.


    ¡°Cough! Cough¡­¡­, do what you will.¡±


    Speechless, Han Li could only cough to mask the embarrassment on his face. He felt that it would be better for him to maintain a distance between himself and this little demoness. If he didn¡¯t, he would never know when his depression would push him to his death.


    ¡°However, if this pill does have all the effects you listed, I shall consider you to have passed the test! After today, if you ever require any help in the Mo Residence, you can look for Caihuan! I will just require some small compensation, but in return, I will settle your problems for you.¡± Mo Caihuan shook the bottle while happily smiling.


    ¡°Okay, Junior Apprentice Sister! Senior Apprentice Brother does have something that requires your help.¡± Han Li recovered his former disposition as he smiled insincerely. As he replied to Mo Caihuan, he thought evilly in his heart, ¡°Seeking assistance from you, a money grubber? In your dreams!¡±


    Mo Caihuan naturally could not hear Han Li¡¯s inner thoughts. She felt satisfied because Han Li had acquiesced to her. All of a sudden, she felt that Han Li was pretty interesting fellow and was even quite comely to look at.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Senior Apprentice Brother! I will find a bigger and better room for you so you don¡¯t have to suffer!¡± Mo Caihuan smiled brilliantly as she led the way.


    Standing behind her, Han Li finally heaved a sigh of relief as he slowly followed her footsteps.


    ¡®Such a strange girl. He would never be together with her. Don¡¯t say that this bossy miss suddenly fell in love with an ordinary person like him. Even if she really did fall in love with him, he would straight out reject her. Just based on her unreasonable actions that were already so tough for Han Li to deal with, he could never endure it if they really got together.¡¯ Han Li silently thought in his heart, decisively removing Mo Caihuan¡¯s name from the list of potential candidates for his wife-to-be. (TL: Han Li is talking about himself in third person)

 Chapter 114

    Yan Ge¡¯s Infatuation


    Han Li finally went into one of the side rooms of the Mo Estate in order to retire for the night. Mo Caihuan was tactful enough to not linger around, and she quickly excused herself. Her sudden behaviour as a refined lady left Han Li somewhat surprised.


    Han Li did not know whether there would still be danger as he was still unclear about the attitude of the people in Mo Estate. As a result, he was unable to get any real rest and only dozed off a little on the bed.


    The next morning, while Han Li was still groggy, there was someone outside knocking the door.


    ¡°Could it be that little demoness?¡± Han Li frowned, but soon shook his head. ¡°This smooth knocking sound is definitely not Mo Caihuan¡¯s style. But only a few people know that I¡¯m staying here.¡±


    Han Li was a bit suspicious. He found a towel to wash his face, then went to open the door. A twenty year-old youth with thick eyebrows and big eyes stood outside.


    Once this youth saw Han Li came out, he took a glance to look at Han Li from top to bottom, then respectfully cupped one fist in the other hand and greeted Han Li enthusiastically, ¡° You must be Junior Apprentice Brother Han! I am Yan Ge. I could also be considered as your Eldest Apprentice Brother!¡±


    ¡°Yan Ge!¡± Han Li¡¯s thoughts raced. This person was Doctor Mo¡¯s eldest disciple.


    ¡°Haha, even though I am Master¡¯s first disciple, my aptitude is not that good. I didn¡¯t receive much of Master¡¯s own techniques and even humiliated him!¡± Yan Ge told Han Li frankly.


    When Han Li saw that this youth was unperturbed, he immediately had a good impression towards Yan Ge and promptly returned the greeting, ¡°Senior Apprentice Brother Yan, good morning! Please come in and talk!¡±


    ¡°There is no need. Several of our Martial Mothers asked me to come here. They are looking for Junior Disciple Han for something, and they want you to make a trip down.¡± Yan Ge chuckled and beckoned with his hands.


    Han Li was stunned for a moment when he heard this, but he swiftly nodded his head and complied. He closed the room door and walked beside Yan Ge.


    Yan Ge was very interested in Han Li¡¯s affairs. Along the way, he openly asked Han Li many things. He was extremely curious about the local customs and culture of Jing Province and asked about them endlessly.


    When the two of them passed through the garden in the backyard, they unexpectedly met a young man and lady. They were Mo Yuzhu and Wu Jianming, both of whom Han Li had seen from afar yesterday. The two were walking together in the garden, like a pair of intimate lovers. It was as if Han Li¡¯s own possessions were stolen by someone else, and that feeling left a bad taste in his mouth.


    Evidently, Mo Yuzhu and Wu Jianming discovered Han Li and Yan Ge, so the former pair headed towards them. As the two sides got closer to each other, Mo Yuzhu swept a glance across the ordinary looking Han Li but didn¡¯t say anything. However, Young Master Wu was suspicious of Han Li as he sized Han Li up.


    ¡°Senior Apprentice Brother Yan, good morning! This little brother looks unfamiliar. Whose disciple does he belong to?¡± Wu Jianming laughed as he asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    At first, Han Li thought that Elder Brother Yan, who was beside him, would take the initiative to cover for him and counter Wu Jianming¡¯s remark. Who knew that after waiting for so long, there was still no sound from the person beside him? Feeling puzzled, Han Li can¡¯t help but to raise his head and look at Yan Ge.


    In the end, Han Li was so infuriated that he was rendered speechless.


    Currently, Yan Ge looked infatuated and spellbound, gazing dumbly at Miss Mo Yuzhu, fully into the realm of ecstasy. How could he still respond to Wu Jianming!


    ¡°This little brother is Third Martial Mother¡¯s distant nephew. Under the orders of my parents, I was to pay a visit to Third Martial Mother and request a job from her.¡± For the lack of a better option, Han Li could only turn his head back and take matters into his own hands. Han Li spoke obsequiously while intentionally acting all embarrassed and shy.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like this.¡± Once Wu Jianming heard Han Li¡¯s words, he completely lost interest in Han Li. This was not surprising. Han Li¡¯s outer appearance was too ordinary, and he did not possess any characteristics of a person who studied martial arts. How could this be missed by the eye of Young Master Wu.


    Instead, Young Master Wu turned his head and his expression darkened. He was greatly unsatisfied with the silly look that Yan Ge was showing towards Mo Yuzhu. After all, the beautiful lady beside him was his supposed fianc¨¦e.


    Right now, Han Li was close to Mo Yuzhu so he clearly saw all of her expressions. She was frowning slightly and had a somewhat unpleased look. Clearly, she was not tolerant of Yan Ge¡¯s brazen look of adoration.


    ¡°Senior Apprentice Brother Yan, if there is nothing else, Young Master Wu and I will retire first.¡± Mo Yuzhu¡¯s apricot lips opened slightly. She coldly extended a small courtesy to Yan Ge and moved her delicate body to leave the area. Wu Jianming snorted at Yan Ge and chased after her without saying anything else.


    Han Li watched their backs departing as the corner of his lip revealed a slight trace of an odd smile. Afterwards, he turned around to look at Senior Apprentice Brother Yan and discovered that Yan Ge was still gazing foolishly at Mo Yuzhu.


    Han Li sighed. This guy was truly lovestruck. However, Miss Mo did not seem to have a good impression of him and may be frightened off by his fervent pursuit.


    Han Li hit Yan Ge¡¯s shoulders with all his strength, jolting the latter¡¯s body. The vacant look disappeared, and he was finally roused from his stupor.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I made a joke out of myself in front of Junior Apprentice Brother Han!¡± Yan Ge, who recovered back to his rational state of mind, was blushing madly. He was extremely ashamed of the spectacle he made of himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. When facing a fair and graceful lady with a noble character to match, this is a male¡¯s natural instinct. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.¡± Han Li explained while laughing.


    When Yan Ge listened to Han Li¡¯s words, he did not feel relieved. Instead, he laughed bitterly and slowly said, ¡°Not to keep you in the dark, but I grew up together with Yuzhu. During this period of time, even though we were not childhood sweethearts, we were both innocent playmates with deep feelings for eachother. Unfortunately, when Yuzhu grew up, she treated me like a brother without showing any other interest in me. As a result, after being rejected by her several times, I could only give up and wish that she finds a good husband who can give her a lifetime of happiness. But one look at Yuzhu today, I find that I am still unable to free myself from my emotions and unknowingly made a show of myself.¡± There was a hint of self-ridicule when Yan Ge spoke the last sentence.


    Han Li did not speak again after he heard Yan Ge¡¯s explanation. Instead, he looked at Yan Ge from head to toe, like viewing a rare antique. Previously, he only came across this kind of affectionate person from books and other stories. He never imagined that he would one day witness it with his own eyes.


    If what Yan Ge said was true and sincere, Han Li didn¡¯t know whether to admire Yan Ge¡¯s infatuation or secretly curse him for his extreme foolishness.


    On the way back, Han Li purposely used other topics to draw Yan Ge away from his thoughts and allow Yan Ge¡¯s mood to return back to normal. The two of them talked merrily until they reached the small building where Han Li sneaked into last night. Several of Doctor Mo¡¯s wives were already waiting there ceremoniously for Han Li¡¯s arrival, preparing to give Han Li a nice surprise.

 Chapter 115

    A Startling Change.


    Chapter 115: A Startling Change


    Just as they reached the second floor, before Yan Ge could knock on the door,  Lady Yan¡¯s voice came from within the room.


    ¡°Is it Han Li and Yan Ge?¡±


    ¡°That is right, Fourth Martial Mother!¡± Yan Ge hastily stopped and respectfully replied.


    ¡°Yan Ge, return first. Just Han Li entering alone will do.¡± Lady Yan¡¯s faint voice could be heard from within. That distinct, cold voice could not help but touch Han Li¡¯s heart.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Yan Ge was clearly very respectful of Lady Yan, and he followed her command without the slightest hesitation. After he smiled to Han Li, he quietly descended from the second floor. Only Han Li remained upstairs, waiting outside the room.


    Han Li coldly looked at the room door, but instead of immediately entering, he released his spiritual sense and scoped out the situation inside the room. He didn¡¯t wish to go in alone, only to be ambushed and killed by a room of hidden soldiers, so it was better to be a bit careful!


    It was very quiet in the room, and the number of people inside wasn¡¯t large. Han Li could only hear the breathing and heartbeats of Lady Yan and a few others. It appeared that there wasn¡¯t anyone that shouldn¡¯t be there. This greatly relieved Han Li.


    Thus, he stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door twice. He then opened the room door, planning to take a quick look before entering. However, what he saw in the room greatly changed Han Li¡¯s complexion. His step had stiffly halted mid air.


    The room was the same as the night before; the chairs, desks, and decorations were all exactly the same. The only thing different were the beautiful women¡¯s style of dress. Lady Yan and the other beautiful wives were all wearing white silk mourning clothes from head to toe. They all sat on chairs and unwaveringly gazed at Han Li with cool eyes.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion turned somewhat pale. However he was not scared but rather annoyed with the deceased Doctor Mo.


    It was very clear why Doctor Mo, that old fox, had forced him to travel such a great distance. It seemed that he had guessed correctly: that letter had contained a hidden message that gave the tigresses news of Doctor Mo¡¯s death. It was as if they were waiting for Doctor Mo¡¯s murderer to visit them voluntarily!


    Han Li took a deep breath and returned his complexion to normal. He then entered the room in large strides; without a trace of politeness, he looked for a chair and arrogantly sat across from the wives. After seeing them not say a single word, he planned to observe how these women would deal with him in the end.


    It was clear Han Li¡¯s completely unrestrained action was intended to tear away at their faces. However, largely against his expectation, he had thrown them into confusion. each of their expressions having nothing in common.


    Second Wife Li¡¯s expression turned green. It was clear this Han Li, who had so clearly said ¡°Martial Mother¡± yesterday, was now daring to brazenly act as if he were meeting with those of the same generation. This Second Wife was born of a scholarly family and paid great attention to generational separation. Now that she had come across this chap who was unfilial towards his master, how could she not tremble with anger?


    (TL: ?????? separation of the young and old generations- respect your granny, kids)


    Third Wife Liu differed greatly from Lady Li. Not only did she refrain from getting angry, she also looked toward Han Li with a very interested expression. However, because of her astonishing glamor, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to look at her directly, and had simply looked at her with a sweeping gaze.


    Lady Yan and the cool, elegant Lady Wang were about the same. They wordlessly looked at Han Li with gazes brimming with a freezing chilliness.


    ¡°Your courage is awfully great, my Lord Husband¡¯s last disciple!¡±  After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Lady Yan eventually opened her mouth, her words containing a mocking intention. Everyone could clearly hear her ridicule.


    ¡°Martial Mothers, whatever you wish to know or wish to say, please say them directly. I don¡¯t wish to hear nonsense or unnecessary words!¡± Han Li said with a blank face.


    Han Li had clearly understood; if a wife were to bicker about how terrible she felt, and then the other wives would engage in a verbal duel. Rather than expand a great deal of effort to resolve this, he felt that he may as well get straight to the core problem. This was what he believed.


    Since there were no saber lights or sword shadows belonging to hidden experts inside the room, Han Li speculated that the wives currently had no plans to dispose of him. It seemed they either had misgivings or had demands for him. Since it was like this, there was no need to be too polite. In any case, Doctor Mo¡¯¡¯s death was an invitation for disaster; he had nothing to be ashamed of.


    ¡°You¡­.¡± Although Lady Yan had much knowledge about all sorts of battles between men, the rupturing tone of Han Li¡¯s words nearly made her speechless.


    ¡°Fine, I will ask then! Was my Lord Husband killed by your traitorous hands!?¡± Second Wife could not help but want to spit fire from her elegant eyes. Her scholarly air had completely vanished, leaving behind only a face of resentment.


    ¡°Second Sister!¡± Lady Yan wrinkled her brow  and softly called her as if to prevent the Second Wife¡¯s questions from immediately causing both parties to fall into disagreement.


    ¡®This Lady Li is actually quite frank to directly bring the most crucial question to the table.¡¯ Han Li inwardly sneered, thinking of this.


    ¡°It could be said that I killed him, but it could be also said that he killed himself!¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    This sentence caused the wives sitting across from him to be shocked. They believed that Han Li would either readily deny it or simply brazenly admit it. What were they supposed to do if they could not make sense of the answer?


    Second Wife Li stared blankly for a moment,  but she immediately became agitated. She clearly believed that Han Li was playing with them.


    ¡°What is this nonsense? It was clearly you who harmed him.¡± Lady Li tremblingly retorted.


    ¡°How are you certain that I killed him? Did you see it with your own two eyes?¡± Han Li asked, no longer polite. He clearly understood that Doctor Mo had written that he was murdered in the letter. Naturally, they weren¡¯t completely certain whether or not he had died by Han Li¡¯s hand. Han Li guessed that the letter, which Doctor Mo had set aside for these wives, contained nothing but a few speculative words. As a result, Han Li could completely refute these misgivings.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said this, tell us women how our Lord Husband was murdered once through. If you were truly unrelated, we won¡¯t deliberately treat you unjustly.¡± The cool, elegant Fifth Wife Wang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

 Chapter 116

    Falling Out.


    Chapter 116: Falling Out


    Hearing these words, he raised his head to yawn. Then he sneered, saying, ¡°Treat me unjustly? Those are some grand words.You think I am truly scared of your Mo Estate?¡±


    ¡°Were if not for the many days I had Teacher Mo for a master, imparting onto me his great medicinal expertise, and the foul reputation I would receive for bullying women¡­ Humph! Against you, with only a single hand, I could kill this entire Mo Estate without allowing even a dog or chicken to remain!¡± Han Li¡¯s words chilled to the bone, his expression extremely sinister.


    Han Li determined his plan. Since he was unable to cheat the Mo Estate of the precious jade, he would adopt a sinister attitude and only used unyielding methods. He planned to show a bit of his skill and have the wives know that this man was difficult to handle, forcing them to hand over the ¡°Precious Warm Yang Jade¡±.


    When Lady Yan and company had first heard Han Li¡¯s fierce words, they all had stunned expressions. But soon after, they smiled bitterly. Third Wife Liu even bent backwards from her blossoming laughter.


    It was clear that these wives were not convinced by Han Li¡¯s words. But soon, their faces were completely frozen.


    That was because Han Li had extended a finger. A fireball suddenly appeared at his fingertip. When this winecup-sized fireball appeared, the entire room¡¯s temperature suddenly rose. It was as if the wives had entered a scorching summer.


    Then Han Li cooly gazed toward them, as if he were trying to find a target for his Fireball Technique, in order to have these wives know he was somewhat ferocious. However, he did not expect that before Han Li made a move, Lady Li couldn¡¯t help but yell ¡°Cultivator!¡± with an expression of fear.


    The rest of them also turned deathly pale. Looking at the five wives with an ice-cold expression, he saw that they were emotionally moved and looked at Han Li with gazes full of astonishment.


    These women knew about the existence cultivators but were unexpectedly frightened by Han Li. Their expression appeared even more gloomy.


    ¡°You truly are a cultivator?¡± Third Wife Liu widely opened his beautiful eyes, asking with some doubt.


    Han Li snorted. Hu La! Without saying anything further, he simply shot the fireball toward the table next to Lady Liu and reduced it to to ash in the blink of an eye.


    This action filled Lady Liu¡¯s face with fright, completely whitening it. She immediately stood and recoiled several steps away from the ashes before shakily coming to a stop. Currently, if any other man saw that lovely, delicate face, they would have immediately fallen crazy for her.


    Unfortunately, Han Li absolutely could not appreciate this view. He was currently staring at Lady Li, who had shouted ¡°Cultivator!¡±. He asked with a cold voice, ¡°Second Wife, how do you know of cultivators? Could it be you¡¯ve seen other cultivators before?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lady Li became terrified. She was greatly fearful of  Han Li¡¯s status of a cultivator.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask Second Sister. I will tell you about matter regarding cultivators!¡± From the side, Lady Yan closed her eyes with a tired expression before interrupting Han Li¡¯s questioning.


    ¡°Oh, then could you enlighten me?¡± Han Li stroked his nose, his expression somewhat relaxed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something to hide. Jia Yuan City has a large population, and everyone knows of the existence of cultivators.¡± After Lady Yan opened her eyes, she said this with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Even some people outside the city have seen the wars between cultivators with their own eyes. It is said they could call the wind, summon the rain, and control blasts of fire. Each and every one of them is like a living Immortal.¡± Lady Yan said this and looked at Han Li with a peculiar gaze.


    ¡°So it was like that!¡± Han Li patted the back of his head; he had unexpectedly forgotten that Jia Yuan City was not at all a small region like the Celestial Rainbow Mountains. Having cultivators appear here seemed to not be such a rare occurrence. Yesterday, did he not see that blue-clothed man!?


    ¡°Then did Teacher Mo also know the existence of cultivators?¡± Han Li thought of something and could not help but carelessly ask.


    ¡°Of course he knew. Lord Husband had seen the wars between cultivators with his own eyes.¡± Lady Yan felt that nothing good would come from hiding anything and replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Doctor Mo was quite infatuated with cultivators. So it turned out that he had previously seen a true cultivator! Unfortunately, he did not have spiritual roots and wasted his many schemes, even bringing slight benefits to myself,¡± Han Li thought


    However, Han Li suddenly felt somewhat baffled. Why was Lady Yan currently so obedient? Whatever he asked, she sincerely replied. The slightest temperament was absent. On the mere basis that he was a cultivator, the other party had completely surrendered. Han Li found this hard to believe.


    Han Li carefully observed Lady Yan¡¯s expression and found that she had an easy, relaxed expression with some slight impatience.


    ¡®Could it be she¡¯s stalling for time?¡¯ Han Li wrinkled his brow and released his spiritual sense. There was not a sign of a single outsider intruding near the building.


    Han Li looked around and suddenly stood. He walked around the room, carefully observing in every direction.


    It seemed there was nothing suspicious, and the furniture in the interior of the room were quite simple. Apart from the tables and chairs, it was the same as yesterday. All except for a white candle, half melted from its burning wick.


    ¡°Candle?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze fell upon the candle. He had originally believed the white candle was lit in memory of Doctor Mo, and thus he did not mind it. But now he remembered; since they had been holding a memorial service for their Lord Husband, why did they not light any incense? This was somewhat abnormal.


    Thinking of this, Han Li used his nose to carefully smell and found the air to to smell like sandalwood. This fragrance was far too light. If one did not deliberately pay attention, they absolutely could not perceive this.


    When Lady Yan saw Han Li look at the candle,  she stood slightly less naturally. But after Han Li sniffed the air, her face greatly changed. At this moment, Han Li¡¯s face broke into a smile that was unusually cheerful.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Even if you discovered the trick of the candle, it¡¯s already too late. This bewitching drug can intoxicate a thousand men. When ordinary people smell this, their bones loosen and their muscles become soft, losing all power in their limbs. Even when martial artists smell this, they lose their True Qi and martial arts. Even if you¡¯re a cultivator, you¡¯ve already been in this room far too long to remain unaffected.¡± Lady Yan somewhat lost her patience and spoke those testing words.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I feel that my luck is not bad at all!¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    ¡°When I was at the Seven Mysteries Sect, I have long heard of the methods employed by Jiang Hu¡¯s Ghost Sect, including their poison. I have received an extremely deep impression of bewitching scents because I had previously suffered hardships and experienced dangers from which I couldn¡¯t protect myself. Because even a common man could use poisons to easily kill a great expert, I long racked my brains for a solution until I finally figured out a way to protect myself from the silly methods of incapacitating drugs and poisons.¡± Han Li somewhat contently stated.


    Lady Yan and company looked at each other in dismay. What kind of method was this? How could it be that he had still not collapsed? This must¡¯ve been true. As of currently, the ladies¡¯ complexions had already turned completely white.


    ¡°As for what method¡­.¡± Seeing that the wives could not help but want to hear him spill his secrets, even tilting their ears, Han Li could not refrain from chuckling inwardly,  ¡°I don¡¯t plan on telling you because I have a habit of not revealing my secrets to my enemies!¡± Han Li said with a deadpan expression.

 Chapter 117

    Reconciliation.


    Chapter 117: Reconciliation


    When these women heard Han Li¡¯s words, their complexion rapidly changed from white to red, slightly increasing their beauty.


    Lady Yan was the first to calm down. She lightly straightened the jade pin in her hair bun and once again said calmly, ¡°Even if your esteemed self is a cultivator and does not fear this bewitching scent, are you not worried about the Yin poison in your body?¡± Nevertheless, she used her last trump card.


    The moment Han Li heard what she said, his smiling face immediately turned cold. Sure enough, Doctor Mo gave the only weapon that could be used to blackmail him to these women.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I have the cold poison in my body. But before this poison flares up, I don¡¯t mind turning this entire residence upside down and utterly slaughtering everyone!¡± Han Li spoke in a flat tone, but the women clearly heard the threat within his words.


    Lady Yan was silent for a while and did not open her mouth to speak. The rest of them also did not say anything. It seemed that when it came to life and death matters, the one making decisions in Mo Residence was still Fourth Wife Yan.


    ¡°Since the both of us have scruples and we are not willing to let both sides suffer, let¡¯s have a good talk.¡± Lady Yan said cool-headedly after that moment of silence.


    ¡°Of course. I also don¡¯t plan on dying so uselessly at such a young age!¡± Concerning his own life, Han Li did not put up any airs. He gladly agreed to her suggestion.


    Hence, he went back and sat in front of Lady Yan.


    ¡°However, before we start discussing, I, your servant, would like your esteemed self to repeat how my Lord Husband got murdered. After all, we were once husband and wife. We would only be reassured if we knew the real cause of his death. But be at ease, even if Lord Husband died by your hands, we would not have any ulterior motives. After all we are orphans and widows, we cannot go looking for trouble and personally seek the road to death.¡± Lady Yan¡¯s last sentence was spoken so desolately, making it seem as if Han Li was the kind of evil tyrant who bullied women and children.


    One look at Lady Yan¡¯s face and Han Li can¡¯t help but have a headache. Even though he knew Lady Yan was just acting, when he saw her miserable state, he felt his heart soften a little.


    Wasn¡¯t it just telling them how Doctor Mo was murdered? There was nothing to cover up in this matter. After all, Han Li acknowledged that Doctor Mo¡¯s death was not his fault. Instead it was Doctor Mo and Yu Zhitong who should be blamed for courting disaster.


    ¡°Alright, I can describe Teacher Mo¡¯s death in detail. But after you all have listened and still insist on taking revenge on me, I will oblige you at anytime!¡± Han Li agreed to their suggestion after pondering for a while.


    ¡°Many thanks to Young Master!¡± When Lady Yan heard that Han Li was willing to speak the truth, her face immediately opened up and revealed a delighted look.


    ¡°This was what happened. I was deceived by Doctor Mo,after practising Eternal Spring Arts for four years, only then did I discover¡­¡±


    Han Li patiently told them how he was cheated, poisoned by Doctor Mo and forced to practice the Eternal Spring Arts.


    He explained that Doctor Mo had wanted to occupy his flesh body by entering his body and consuming his fundamental essence. Naturally, Yu Zhitong had then appeared and narrated the entirety of his schemes. Han Li finally discovered about his body¡¯s Yin poison and had no choice but to come to the Lan Province and detoxify himself with the Precious Warm Yang Jade. He narrated the events the way they truly happened. Han Li wanted these wives to know that in the occurrence of Doctor Mo¡¯s death, Han Li was the true victim. He hadn¡¯t slighted the Mo Estate in the least.


    After Lady Yan and the other wives finished hearing Han Li¡¯s heart-shaking tale tale, they couldn¡¯t help but look at one another.


    If Han Li¡¯s words were true, then their Lord Husband¡¯s death was not truly Han Li¡¯s fault. In addition, hearing the methods that Doctor Mo had used and his shrewdness, they greatly matched the long-acquired impression they had of their dead husband. Furthermore, the bits of information that the hidden letter revealed didn¡¯t contradict his story in the slightest. They estimated that his story should more or less be true.


    ¡°If your esteemed self had spoken the complete truth, then our Lord Husband¡¯s death truly was not yours to blame. This was rather the fault of Yu Zhitong¡¯s ruse; otherwise how else would our Lord Husband have died?¡± Lady Yan lightly sighed. Her words made Han Li raise an eyebrow.


    ¡®This Lady Yan is far too favorable toward her own Lord Husband. With a few words, she easily pushed the entirety of Doctor Mo¡¯s wrongdoings onto the deceased Yu Zhitong, cleaning Doctor Mo of the blame entirely, as if he were also a victim.¡¯ Han Li stared at Lady Yan with widened eyes. Although his mouth did not say anything, his expression showed a strange emotion and made his meaning completely clear.


    Lady Yan, under Han Li¡¯s attentive gaze, did not blush or jump. She only turned a blind eye.


    Han Li inwardly bitterly smiled. This woman¡¯s face was quite thick, not one bit thinner than a man¡¯s! He could not help but turn his head to look at the expressions of the other wives.


    Third Wife Liu still had a smiling, cheery appearance and didn¡¯t have the slightest change. When she saw Han Li looking over, she gave him several flirtatious glances, causing Han Li to remain silent.


    When Second Wife Li saw Han Li looking at her, she looked ill at ease and faintly lowered her head. She certainly was worthy of being called a girl from a wealthy family, as well as educated and well balanced. It was clear she was somewhat ashamed of Lady Yan¡¯s words from a moment ago.


    As for Fifth Wife Wang, although this cool, elegant young woman was expressionless, she was entirely focused on tangling her fingers together, exposing an abnormality of her heart. As for her attitude, Han Li did not know.


    ¡°However, according to Young Master¡¯s words just now, we have no deep animosity or hate toward one another. In that case, it would be best to conduct peace talks.¡±  Lady Yan opened her almond lips and faintly said this.


    When Han Li heard Lady Yan¡¯s words, he turned his head and faintly stated, ¡°What is there to discuss? Give me the Precious Warm Yang Jade, and I will turn around and leave, certain to no longer disturb the Mo Estate!¡±


    ¡°That is out of the question!¡± Lady Yan faintly smiled and immediately gave a flat decline.


    ¡°Why is it unacceptable?¡± Han Li said, unagitated.


    ¡°Yesterday, Young Master was outside this servant¡¯s room and should have heard much of the vile situation the Mo Estate is in! It should be quite clear to you, sir, that without external assistance, our Mo Estate will be completely exterminated. It is only a matter of time. If it is like this, then it would better to have Young Master cleanly kill us sisters instead and have death end all troubles!¡± Lady Yan pitifully lamented with red eyes.


    When Han Li heard this, he bafflingly stared at Lady Yan without speaking, directly looking at Lady Yan¡¯s scarlet cheeks. However, she stubbornly continued to refuse to meet Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    Han Li let out a long sigh. He now knew where Mo Caihuan, that little demoness, learned her clever schemes; it was clearly from imitating this older demoness.

 Chapter 118

    Choose One.


    Chapter 118: Choose One


    ¡°With all this said and done, what do you all think? Be honest, I don¡¯t want to have to beat around the bush again!¡± Han Li coldly said. It seemed he wasn¡¯t influenced by Lady Yan¡¯s act in the slightest.


    Lady Yan wrinkled her brow. The youth in her presence was far more difficult than she had anticipated. Neither hard nor soft methods were effective; rather, she had no way of knowing how to deal with him.


    ¡°Could it be that you truly want us to immediately hand over our last resort and reveal our affairs to the enemy?¡± Lady Yan was somewhat unresigned.  With the many years of handling the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s power, she clearly understood when to be a bit lenient and when to immediately put one entire hand on the table!


    She turned her head to look at Fifth Wife Wang. Within these sisters, only Lady Wang was able to oppose her decisions. Therefore, she looked at her to see whether or not Lady Wang had a proposal.


    ¡°The matter of discussion with this person, I will leave to Fourth Sister, with whom I have no objections whatsoever!¡± Lady Wang saw the meaning in Lady Yan¡¯s gaze and said, as cold as ice.


    When Lady Yan heard this, she was inwardly elated and had somewhat calmed her heart.


    ¡°Very well. Since Sir does not want to beat around the bush, then we sisters will get right to the point and directly tell you the conditions.¡± As these words left Lady Yan¡¯s mouth, she completely regained  her bearings as the leader of one of Jia Yuan City¡¯s three major gangs. The feeling of that delicate, powerless young married woman from before was completely obliterated.  Her body dispersed the prestige of a leader.


    ¡°Good. From the beginning, I wanted to engage in talks as equals!¡±  Han Li faintly smiled.


    ¡°So long as you exterminate the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s sworn enemies, the Rainbow Sect and The Hegemon¡¯s Villa, the Mo Estate will no longer trouble you in the future, and we will also immediately offer you the Precious Warm Yang Jade. Furthermore, we will let you choose one of our daughters, whomever you fancy, as your wife.¡±


    ¡°However, if you¡¯re unyielding in your plan rob the precious jade from us, or perhaps threaten us sisters, then your esteemed self will have been mistaken. I have already handed over the precious jade to my trusted confidant; if there is the slightest sign of trouble, then it will immediately be destroyed, ending us in mutual destruction.¡± Lady Yan said with an imposing expression.


    ¡°Lady Yan, are you not afraid of the wind cutting your tongue!? Have me, this one person, exterminate the Rainbow Sect and the Hegemon¡¯s Villa? You must be truly absurd for thinking of this!¡± Han Li seemed to have already anticipated Lady Yan¡¯s threat and wasn¡¯t alarmed at all.


    He had already known that the Precious Warm Yang Jade could not be acquired by acting rashly. Aside from their threats, he still didn¡¯t know how many secret recruits they harbored, and thus capturing the other party and interrogating the whereabouts of the precious jade would simply end in failure. It would be best to make the other party willingly give it to him.


    ¡°Young Master Han, are you not a cultivator? How could these people of Jiang Hu  be a match against your distinguished self? In addition, we don¡¯t want your to kill the gang in its entirety. Causing a few of their main leaders to disappear would be enough.¡± This time, the gorgeous young Third Wife, after giving Han Li a soul-shaking, enchanting smile, said this with her graceful voice.


    ¡°What about being a cultivator? I don¡¯t know of other cultivators, but I do know of my own abilities with clear certainty. You can¡¯t just foolishly send one person to confront a large gang of several thousand members. Do you all truly believe that cultivators can outrageously murder ordinary people without fear of repercussion?¡±


    Han Li coldly glanced at Third Wife. The aweing chilliness froze her smiling expression. Under the effects of the Eternal Spring Arts and a vigilant mind, he returned the gaze of her bewitching charming technique. How could it possibly affect him!?


    ¡°Why? Does Young Master mean that there are limitations to what cultivators can do to ordinary people?¡± Lady Yan asked, somewhat surprised by this revelation.


    ¡°I am not very certain of the specific details. After all, I haven¡¯t been a cultivator for long, so I wasn¡¯t truly in contact with these rules.¡± Han Li dully said. Then he looked at Lady Yan, who looked as if she wanted to say something, and waved his hand, preventing her from talking. He continued coldly, ¡°However, if your brains aren¡¯t lacking, it should be clear that cultivators can¡¯t act against mortals as they desire. After all, your so-called Lan Province¡¯s three great hegemons and the three great gangs of Jia Yuan City still exist. They could have fallen to the schemes of unrighteous cultivators countless times. Perhaps even beautiful women like yourselves would have already become their playthings.¡±


    Han Li final sentence was completely blunt, turning the wives¡¯ complexions across from him to become scarlet and their eyes to show a bit of alarm.


    ¡°But this is merely Young Master¡¯s guess. It¡¯s not at all certain to be true!¡± Lady Han was still somewhat unwilling, still attempting to persuade Han Li.


    ¡°So long as there is the possibility, this person will not perform actions that would bring destruction upon himself.¡± Han Li fundamentally did not give Lady Yan¡¯s fantasies the slightest leeway, and he said this without a trace of politeness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that your venerable self plans to take our daughters¡¯ dowry with a sleight of hand and leave us with nothing?¡± Lady Yan¡¯s complexion was somewhat unsightly. She said the word ¡®dowry¡¯ with an especially heavy emphasis.


    Hearing her say this, although Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, his heart could not help but be somewhat depressed.


    ¡°The Yin poison within me was originally given to me by your Lord Husband. Right now, I won¡¯t trouble you even if I am cured. What is there to think about?¡± Han Li thought somewhat hatefully.


    However, Han Li knew if he were to say these words at this moment, these wives would not take it well and certainly wouldn¡¯t give him the Precious Warm Yang Jade.


    As a result, Han Li gave in and muttered to himself. Then he raised his hand, cleared his throat, and said with a clear voice, ¡°I will give you two choices. Choose whichever you fancy.¡±


    ¡°One is to have your Mo Estate immediately pack your baggage and prepare to travel far from the Lan Province. Find a place where the power of your enemy clans cannot reach you and live as a common wealthy household. You would live the rest of your lives peacefully and completely separate yourselves from the fights between Jiang Hu¡¯s factions. This entire journey will be safe, I completely guarantee it; any forces that your enemies send to pursue you will unable to be harm you.¡±


    Han Li stopped there and looked at the change in the wives¡¯ expressions.


    Apart from a slight change from Second Wife Li, Lady Yan and Third Wife Liu were completely silent. It was clear what they thought of the proposal. Han Li didn¡¯t feel the need to look at Fifth Wife Wang since it would be impossible to make out anything useful from her icy appearance.


    Han Li looked at this situation and inwardly sneered several times. Lady Yan and Lady Liu were rather ambitious people. It was impossible for them to want to give up the power of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association and live as rural village women. When he had raised this proposal, he already understood this clearly.


    ¡°And the other choice?¡± Third Wife Liu noticed that Han Li stopped and could not but question him.


    ¡°There is one other choice¡­¡±


    Han Li left his chair and stood. He looked up to the room before slowly telling the wives the other choice.

 Chapter 119

    Unexpected Information


    ¡°I could make the exception to act this once and cause the leaders of only one of the two gangs to disappear. After all. if the two hegemons were to simultaneously encounter misfortune, it would be far too easy for capable people to take note of this. The risk would increase significantly, so it isn¡¯t worth it for me to brave this strange danger. Furthermore, apart from these two options, I will not yield in the slightest!¡± After Han Li said this, he hardened his face and spoke no more. He coldly waited for the wives¡¯ reply.


    After Lady Yan and the others heard Han Li¡¯s two choices, their faces had a concealed expression of pleasant surprise. However, after they looked at each other, they still hadn¡¯t immediately decided.


    ¡°Could your distinguished self please let us sisters talk this over for a moment? Afterwards, we will give Young Master a reply. After all, this is no small matter, we must greatly think this over!¡± Lady Yan prudently said.


    ¡°Of course, I am not unreasonable.  But at the latest, I require an answer by tomorrow morning. The rest of today should be enough for you to discuss this over.¡± After Han Li said this, he no longer took notice of them and left in a relaxed manner.


    Han Li climbed down the stairs and did not return to his room. Instead, he gave the burly gate guards a baffled sight as he arrogantly left the Mo Estate. After he determined there was no one following him, Han Li returned to the inn he where stayed at initially.


    As he entered the inn, Sun Ergou hurriedly welcomed him.


    ¡°If there is anything to say, say it in my room!¡± Without waiting for Sun Ergou to start speaking, Han Li indifferently commanded him.


    ¡°Yes, Esteemed Young Master!¡± Sun Ergou respectfully followed behind Han Li.


    Entering the room, Han Li sat on the couch and stretched himself before saying indifferently, ¡°Seeing your urgent appearance, it seems you have something important to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, there has been an extraordinary event. I must report it to you, sir.¡± Sun Ergou mysteriously replied, unintentionally advancing half a step


    ¡°If there is something to say, then say it.  Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Han Li looked at Sun Ergou with a tilted glance.


    ¡°Hehe! This humble person isn¡¯t feigning mystery. A rather unexpected event has occurred. This humble person obtained the exact information to present to Young Master. Recently, a large number of Immortals have gathered in Jia Yuan City to meet together in some sort of ¡°Great Immortal  Assembly¡±. I¡¯ve heard that so long as you can participate in this meeting,  even common folk can immediately become an Immortal as a member of an Immortal clan.¡± Sun Ergou said, his saliva splashing around.


    ¡°Immortals?¡± Han Li was slightly surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there have been people that have seen them with their own eyes. Immortals that can soar the skies, harness the mist and even expel lightning or shoot flames. Young Master, what do you say? If one does not have any luck, how could they possibly see an Immortal as they please?¡± Sun Ergou asked somewhat enviously. Seeing his appearance, it seemed he had completely replaced himself with a person who couldn¡¯t wait to see an Immortal.


    Han Li had already stopped listening at this point. What Sun Ergou called Immortals were actually cultivators. However, how did a gangster find out about the meeting of cultivators? Han Li was somewhat shocked.


    ¡°How do you know of this? Do you know the much about the person who gave you this information?¡±Han Li asked with interest.


    ¡°This information is completely reliable. It is what my gang brothers have told me. However, because my gang leader is afraid of Immortals, he ordered us to seal our lips. Only the upper division of the Fourth Level Gang knows this information. I have also obtained similar information from a drunken noble. I imagine that Young Master, being such an expert, would be interested. As a result, I hastily rushed over and waited until Young Master had returned.¡± Sun Ergou said, eager to take credit for his information.


    ¡°Oh! I will not forget your hard effort! However, first specifically explain how those in your gang evaded the notice of those Immortals after learning this information?¡± Han Li earnestly investigated in detail. This related to the reliability of the information; therefore, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be careless.


    ¡°I also heard that drunk noble said it was like this¡­¡± Sun Ergou didn¡¯t dare to speak false words and honestly informed Han Li.


    ¡°Originally, the news from a small gang leader of the Fourth Level Gang. Several days ago, he was conducting a large business transaction in the west city outskirts, but who would have thought the information was incorrect? The other party was far too greedy and had planned to kill everyone before escaping with the wind.


    ¡°In order to escape pursuit, he hid in a tree hole in the nearby woods. But unexpectedly, although the enemy had not found him, an incomparably large, monstrous eagle suddenly fell from the sky. That eagle¡¯s frightening appearance scared the gang member stiff.


    ¡°This man was quick-witted in the moment of crisis and suddenly thought to use the widely-spread Jiang Hu ¡®Turtle Breath Art¡¯. He used it on himself to reduce his breath and heartbeat to the extreme, thereby entering a state of feigned death and evading the eagle¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he heard a dialogue from a young couple on the eagle¡¯s back. There were actually people on the eagle¡¯s back! However, because the eagle was so large and the man was panicked, he had not noticed the people on it earlier.


    ¡°Just like that, he faintly heard about the Great Immortal Assembly. At that time, he also realised the young male-female couple were Immortals, but his Turtle Breath Art ran out of time, causing him to lose consciousness.


    ¡°By the time he had awakened, it was already the morning of the next day. The couple and the monstrous eagle had long departed without a trace. Thus, with no better option, he stamped his feet and beat his chest before returning crestfallen to the gang .


    ¡°The moment he returned, he was immediately yelled at, so he could not help but tell his superior of this. When his superior heard this, he didn¡¯t dare to cover it up and reported it to our gang leader, ¡®Ape Armed¡¯ Shen Zhongshan, who gave the command to seal our lips.¡±


    After Han Li finished hearing Sun Ergou¡¯s story, although his face did not change, his heart stirred uncontrollably.


    A great many cultivators were meeting together! This was a golden opportunity that only occurred once every hundred years. If he could join, he would be able to come into contact with the world of cultivators, and he would no longer have to grope in the dark as he was doing now, arbitrarily trying to find the path of cultivation.


    Han Li strongly suppressed the excitement in his heart and thought for a moment. With a profoundly calm head, he asked, ¡°Did that person hear the Immortal couple say where they were holding the gathering of Immortals?¡±

 Chapter 120

    Scheming to Seize a Gang.


    Chapter 120: Scheming to Seize a Gang


    ¡°He did not mention the time, but from the way he spoke, it appears that it¡¯s going to be not too long from now. As for the meeting place, it seems like it was not mentioned.¡± Sun Ergou said as he scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.


    Han Li frowned. Apparently, the information that Sun Ergou possessed was not one hundred percent accurate. There were definitely some aspects that were overlooked.


    Han Li bowed his head and pondered for a while. Suddenly, he had an epiphany and thought of a brilliant idea.


    He cautiously gave Sun Ergou a once-over, then abruptly smiled and said, ¡°Sun Ergou, I¡¯m very pleased with the way you handle affairs recently, especially the major contribution you¡¯ve made with the latest information. As a result, I am prepared to reward you heavily!¡±


    When Sun Ergou heard this, he was so elated that his face brightened up subconsciously.


    Sun Ergou never would have thought that a few pieces of information would merit the appreciation of this esteemed Young Master and lead to a reward. It seemed that handling affairs for this person was truly refreshing. Although he didn¡¯t know why Han Li would reward him so handsomely, Han Li wouldn¡¯t give him a large amount of gold and silver treasure, would he?


    Sun Ergou couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination run wild.


    ¡°Do you have any interest in becoming the Commander of the Fourth Level Gang?¡± Han Li¡¯s question was so earth-shattering that Sun Ergou¡¯s surprised face changed so drastically, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.


    ¡°Young Master must be joking and teasing this servant! This servant has little ability and character, how could I qualify to be a Commander?!¡± Sun Ergou muttered sullenly.


    ¡°Why not? With me supporting you from behind, even a small group like Fourth Level Gang would be easy to obtain! Or are you willing to just be a minor gang leader and take care of the harbor for the rest of your life?¡± Han Li said cajolingly as he laughed softly.


    When Sun Ergou heard this, many expressions crossed his face. There was surprise, fear and mostly excitement.


    As a man, who would not imagine himself being surrounded by beauties one day? Having all the authority in his hands and being able to control someone¡¯s life or death¡­what a marvelous idea!


    Buried at the bottom of his heart, Sun Ergou¡¯s innermost ambition was lightly ignited by Han Li¡¯s few words. But Sun Ergou still had a few qualms and thus did not immediately agree with Han Li.


    ¡°The martial arts of our Commander and the three great Protectors is certainly not weak. Can Young Master be certain that he can subdue them?¡± Sun Ergou asked tentatively in a low voice.


    ¡°Subdue them? Haha, what¡¯s the use of that? Just kill them all!¡± Han Li said coldly as he regarded them with little importance.


    Sun Ergou couldn¡¯t help but to shudder when he heard this. This Young Master¡¯s killing intent was truly too great! If he did not agree, Sun Ergou was afraid that he might be dealt with immediately.


    ¡°Since Young Master speaks highly of this servant, this servant¡¯s life is bound to Young Master. I will listen to and obey your every command.¡± Under Han Li¡¯s coercion and persuasion, Sun Ergou was finally willing to take some risks.


    ¡°Good, this is how it should be!¡± Han Li nodded his head in satisfaction.


    ¡°Give me your Commander¡¯s most recent movements.¡± Han Li asked willfully.


    ¡°There is one that is noteworthy. Recently, he has been going to the Eastern City¡¯s most popular brothel, the Clear River Brothel, every afternoon. He has been entranced by the leading girl, Xiao Jinzhi. However, the three great Protectors would also accompany him, so I¡¯m afraid it might be a bit hard to deal with. Why not wait for a few more days and find a better opportunity?¡± Since Sun Ergou had already agreed with Han Li, he would immediately do everything he could for sake of his life and glory.


    ¡°No need. Since we already know the time and place, taking their small lives will be very easy.¡± Han Li mentioned causally.


    ¡°But once they die, you¡¯re afraid you won¡¯t have the capability to take over Fourth Level Gang, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Within the gang, this servant is only a minor leader. There are many other who have higher ranks and better qualifications than me¡± Sun Ergou said shamefully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I said I¡¯d make you the Commander of the Fourth Level Gang, you¡¯ll definitely be the Commander. I will temporarily dispatch Crooked Soul to watch over you. He can get rid of all those that rebel against you and be your personal guard for the time being.¡± Han Li declared confidently.


    Afterwards, Han Li rushed to the room next door and knocked calmly three times. A short moment later, Crooked Soul appeared in front of them.


    ¡°Keep this close to you and conceal it well. As long as you have this object on you, Crooked Soul will obey all your orders. He will get rid of your enemies and help you ascend to the position of Commander.¡±


    Han Li took out the Soul Luring watch from his bosom. He caressed it softly for a while, then handed it over to Sun Ergou.


    Although the person holding Soul Luring Watch was not the master of Crooked Soul, he could still command Crooked Soul. This was another method of control on Crooked Soul that Doctor Mo taught Han Li. Furthermore, if the former owner dripped his blood essence onto the Soul Luring Watch, other people would not be able to tamper with it. Hence, Han Li was not afraid that Sun Ergou might have evil plans or other intentions.


    Sun Ergou had personally seen Crooked Soul¡¯s display of his mighty power, so he was especially surprised to receive the watch, increasing his courage drastically.


    ¡°Many thanks to Young Master¡¯s great kindness. This servant will definitely repay this favor with my life!¡± But Sun Ergou was very clever. He knew that despite being the Commander of the Fourth Level Gang, he was actually just this Young Master¡¯s puppet. Thus, whenever there was an opportunity, he would fervently express his loyalty.


    ¡°Head back and prepare first then! Once that Commander is dead, you should take advantage of the confusion and assume control of Fourth Level Gang. But you must remember this: send me the fellow who saw the Immortal couple. I want him unharmed as I have things to ask him. Did you get that?¡± Han Li¡¯s last sentences were very strict, clearly attaching great importance to this task.


    ¡°Please be at ease, Young Master. This servant will definitely send him to you in one piece. I will absolutely not disappoint Young Master!¡± Sun Ergou immediately patted his chest and vowed with devotion written on his face.


    ¡°As long as you understand, then that¡¯s good. Bring Crooked Soul along with you then. The next time you see me, you will already be the Commander!¡± Han Li told him without batting an eye.


    ¡°This servant will retire now!¡± Sun Ergou noted Han Li¡¯s notice to leave and tactfully retreated out of the house with great speed. Crooked Soul followed closely behind.


    The moment Sun Ergou left the house, Han Li stood up. Within the house, Han Li turned in a semicircle and suddenly let out a prolonged mellow whistle. Then, from the outside, the Cloud-Winged Bird dived in and landed on Han Li¡¯s shoulder.


    Han Li extracted a bottle from his bosom and poured out the Cloud-Winged Bird¡¯s favorite Yellow Chestnut Pill, which he gently fed to the bird. Then he softly said, ¡°Little fellow, catch up with the person who just left the house. If he leaves the city walls to escape, immediately return and tell me.¡±


    When the Cloud-Winged Bird finished listening to Han Li¡¯s words, it chirped intelligently and proceeded to fly out of the window, disappearing into the sky.

 Chapter 121

    Clear River Brothel.


    Chapter 121: Clear River Brothel


    Shen Zhongshan¡¯s current mood was quite good. He was currently sitting in a private room of the Clear River Brothel and embracing an exceptionally beautiful girl, using his large hands to grope her delicate body in a vulgar manner.


    Maybe it was due to Shen Zhongshan¡¯s impatience, but his handling caused the gorgeously enchanting maiden to giggle nonstop.


    ¡°Miss Jin, I think you should just submit to our Gang Leader already! This is the first time our Gang Leader has been so infatuated with a woman. He came here in such a hurry even though the gang¡¯s affairs have not been completely dealt with.¡± The person who said this was a dark fatty who wore loose-fitting gray garments. His waist was as large as a bucket, and his legs were twice the size a normal person¡¯s.  After speaking, he was somewhat gasping for breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Miss Jinzhi! Our Gang Leader has visited your establishment every afternoon for five days in a row and spent a large sum of money! Furthermore, you profited quite a bit. You only let our Gang Leader embrace you for a while and never let him spend the night with you even once. This just doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± The one who spoke this time was a middle aged scholar with a mole on his face. His eyes exuded a hidden fierceness, making him seem like a scheming person.


    Currently, besides Shen Zhongshan, there were three other people in the room. They were none other than Fourth Level Gang¡¯s three Great Protectors.


    The dark fatty was ¡°Mad Fist¡± Qian Jing. Disregarding his oddly plump size, he was actually extremely proficient in the ¡°Berserk Eighteen Strike¡± and had killed many reputable experts.


    The Confusian scholar was ¡°Malicious Scholar¡± Fan Ju. Even though he practiced a very swift and fierce ¡°Snow Wind¡± sword technique, what made his name famous worldwide was his dark heart, fierce methods, and sinister intentions.


    Standing at one side was a dark-clothed person who had not spoken a word since the start. He was the strongest out of the three Great Protectors, ¡°Throwing Dagger¡± Shen San. His unique skill of sending out eighteen throwing daggers in succession had previously helped Shen Zhongshan get rid of many experts who pursued a vendetta against him. In addition, Shen San was also Shen Zhongshan¡¯s distant relative. Thus, he was the one Shen Zhongshan regarded the most highly in the Fourth Level Gang.


    Just like Shen Zhongshan, each of the three Protectors had a pretty girl sitting in their embrace. But these girls were nothing like the girl in Shen Zhongshan¡¯s embrace. She was delicate, charming, flirtatious and finely developed in figure.


    At this moment, when the giggling little Jinzhi heard ¡°Mad Fist¡± and ¡°Malicious Scholar¡± Fan Ju¡¯s words, her eyes immediately began to tear up, as if a teardrop might fall at any moment.


    ¡°When Master Fan and Master Qian speak like this, you are wrongly accusing Jinzhi. The moment others see Master Shen, they would immediately know that he is a hero! To be able to fly together and nest together with Master Shen, that is all that Jinzhi wishes for!¡±


    ¡°However, both of you also know that my body belongs to Clear River Brothel. Without the brothel¡¯s Elderly Lady Wang¡¯s approval, if Jinzhi were to leave and receive patrons without permission, I will be beaten to death. Why doesn¡¯t Master Shen go and ask Elderly Lady Wang? If she agrees to let Jinzhi receive patrons, then I will definitely wait upon Master Shen diligently tonight.¡± The lead prostitute of the Clear River Brothel spoke in a sincere tone of sweet reasonableness and looked at Shen Zhongshan with extreme adoration.


    Her words seemed quite believable yet fake at the same time, making Qian Jin and Fan Ju look at each other speechlessly in dismay.


    Of course they had asked for the price of spending the night with little Jinzhi. Using the excuse of little Jinzhi having never spent the night with a patron before, Elderly Lady Wang demanded an exorbitant price that made Gang Leader Shen Zhongshan¡¯s heart skip a beat. Thus, they had never reached an agreement.


    It was even more impossible to use force to negotiate. The Clear River Brothel was the property of Jia Yuan City¡¯s third largest gang, the Heavenly Tyrant Sect.


    After hitting a snag with this giant red card, Qian Jin and Fan Ju could only vent their frustration on the Clear River Brothel¡¯s girls who were in their arms. Only after groping them ferociously did they let the matter drop.


    ¡°Hehe, many thanks to the two worthy little brothers for being concern about my affairs. But don¡¯t worry, two days ago I made a great business deal. This small amount of money isn¡¯t too much. On the contrary, you, beautiful lady, cannot go back on your words! You must properly wait upon this Lord Master when the time comes!¡± The lustful Shen Zhongshan said contentedly as he suddenly turned towards little Jinzhi, who was in his embrace, and nibbled her fragrant cheek.


    Shen Zhongshan was a huge man with very hairy arms and chest. His two arms were much longer than that of an average human. Thus, his whole person looked like a beast wearing clothes, truly so ugly that he could frighten people.


    A few years ago, this extremely boorish man used ¡°Open Arm Punch¡±, a skill that he mastered to perfection, to kill the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s predecessor, Gou Tianpo, and his trusted aides, the four great Warlords, thereby seizing the position as Gang Leader. Therefore, in the entire Jia Yuan City, he was definitely a part of the top ranking experts and must not be underestimated.


    ¡°Master Shen¡±, Little Jinzhi appeared very bashful when Shen Zhongshan sneakily bit her cheek and behaved like a spoiled child in his arms, making Shen Zhongshan quite pleased with himself as he laughed heartily.


    Dong dong! Dong dong! Right in that moment, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The dark fatty, ¡°Mad Fist¡± Qian Jin was unhappy and shouted out the question in a bad mood.


    ¡°I am here to deliver beverages to the gentlemen in the room.¡± The voice of a youthful male came through from the outside.


    ¡°Then why are you taking so slow to deliver? I¡¯ve already complained that there are not enough drinks!¡± The dark fatty spoke without thinking when he heard the reply.


    In the wake of Qian Jin¡¯s words, a young man wearing servant clothes came in. The ordinary-looking youth was holding a tray with both hands. There were several dishes and two bottles of alcohol on the tray.


    ¡°Quickly bring the alcohol here. I want to see how it tastes like!¡± Fatty Qian Jin was a typical drunkard. Thus his eyes immediately brightened up and he clamoured incessantly when he saw the two bottles of alcohol.


    ¡°Yes, this servant will carry it to you!¡± This person, with an appearance of a young servant, walked forward a few steps and placed a wine cup on the table.


    The moment the fatty saw the wine cup, he immediately grabbed it in his hand and wanted to down it to taste its flavour.


    ¡°Wait, fatty!¡± The quiet black-clothed person, Shen San, suddenly stopped Qian Jin from pouring the alcohol into his mouth.

 Chapter 122

    Kill by Poison.


    Chapter 122: Kill by Poison


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Qian Jin asked, baffled by Shen San¡¯s warning. Due to his continuous trust in Shen San, he unconsciously stopped himself from drinking the alcohol.


    ¡°The one who originally served the food wasn¡¯t you but was someone else?¡± Shen San did not pay notice of the fatty¡¯s misgivings but instead kept his hand on the saber at his waist and slowly stood. He coldly asked the young servant with the wine.


    ¡°Because there are too many guests, Li Er went to another room to run some errands. I am his replacement. Uncle, what¡¯s wrong?¡± This young servant was looking attentively at Shen San. His complexion turned completely white after a moment as he replied, completely fearful.


    Seeing this person¡¯s expression, Shen San¡¯s expression had somewhat relaxed; however he still seemed ill at ease. He turned his head to the little Jin embraced by Shen Zhongshan and asked, ¡°Miss Jin, do you know this person? Is he truly a person from your Clear River Brothel?¡±


    ¡°This¡­?¡± This amazing beauty showed an expression of embarrassment, but still somewhat awkwardly said, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal this from you, Grandpa Shen, This person does seem really unfamiliar, however, our Clear River Brothel contains over several hundred people. For this woman, having not seen someone before is not such a strange matter.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Little San, aren¡¯t you bothering Miss Jin? How could such a delicately sweet beauty recognize everyone beneath her? Could it be you believe that this person infiltrated this establishment as an assassin?¡± Shen Zhongshan unconcernedly asked as he lowered his head onto the attractive woman at his side and took a few strong whiffs.


    ¡°Boss, we make our livings on the blade¡¯s edge. It would be to our utmost advantage to be careful!¡± Shen San face was expressionless and he sent a rigid look at the youth delivering the plate.


    ¡°Hehe! This person¡¯s footsteps are careless, and his eyes have no spirit. With a single look, you can tell he is no martial artist. If you still don¡¯t feel at ease, I still have a method that will identify his authenticity.¡± The Malicious Scholar Fan Ju coldly laughed several times and darkly stated.


    Ever since he entered the Fourth Level Gang, he had long been dissatisfied with the trust Shen Zhongshan placed in Shen San as well as the claim that Shen San deserved the title of the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s brains. He decided to disgrace Shen San rather nicely.


    ¡°Oh, what kind of method? My old pal Fan, don¡¯t hesitate to test it out.¡± Although Shen Zhongshan had said this with a very heroic appearance, he actually cherished his small life rather greatly. As a result, he immediately withdrew his previous remark and approved Fan Ju¡¯s examination.


    ¡°Since this person doesn¡¯t know martial arts, if he truly wanted to harm us, he would have simply tampered with our food and drink. So let¡¯s have him try it out and have the truth come to light!¡± The Malicious Scholar said with a card up his sleeve.


    ¡°Brother Fan, good plan! Boy, first drink some of this wine for uncle and eat some of the food too. If you have the slightest hesitation, uncle will immediately wring your head.¡± The dark fatty Qian Jin applauded happily and then loudly berated the young servant.


    When the black-clothed man, Shen San, heard Fan Ju¡¯s words, he truly felt that this method was truly not bad and did not speak any words of opposition. He coldly looked on as a bystander.


    As for that Shen Zhongshan and little Jinzhi in his bosom, they also had no complaints.


    Consequently, the young servant that delivered the wine and food, with a sullen face, drank a cup of wine and ate a few mouthfuls of food.


    Seeing this person come out unscathed after eating the food and drinking the wine, Fan Ju complacently smiled and said to Shen San with great emphasis, ¡°It seems my boy, Shen, was overly cautious. This person is truly just a servant. Next time, by all means, don¡¯t sweep everyone¡¯s wine again.¡± With this said, he threw several spoons of food into his mouth and slowly chewed.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Shen San snorted, not at all paying attention to Fan Ju¡¯s oblique accusation but instead sat back down with a relaxed body.


    ¡°Haha! It¡¯s not important! It was just a misunderstanding.¡± Shen Zhongshan naturally knew that his two subordinates did not get along well. However, this was what he had wanted to see. As a result, he feigned an outspoken laughing smile.


    ¡°Since this was a misunderstanding, this young servant can leave now. This silver can be regarded as a gift to you!¡± Shen Zhongshan felt around for two taels¡¯ worth of silver and tossed it towards the young servant.


    ¡°Thank you, uncle. Since I have no other business here, this servant will ask to be excused!¡± The youth, dressed as a young servant, saw the silver with delight and withdrew in high spirits, closing the room¡¯s door as he left.


    ¡°Aiya! Uncle Shen is truly generous. In the future you can¡¯t be stingy toward Jinzhi either!¡± Little Jinzhi¡¯s sweet, coquettish voice spread throughout the room.


    ¡°Of course, beautiful. You are uncle¡¯s dearest treasure! So long as you serve this uncle well,  he definitely won¡¯t treat you unfairly! Come brothers! Let us all drink a cup! We won¡¯t be returning sober!¡±  Shen Zhongshan¡¯s broken, harsh voice spread outside the room, where the youth could hear everything clearly.


    The youth outside the room suddenly sneered. He did not immediately leave but rather secretly eavesdropped in the vicinity, standing there like a ghost. He was motionless, as if he were waiting for something.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, frightened yelling abruptly came from within the room, ¡°Poison! The food and drinks are laced with poisoned! I¡¯ve been poisoned!¡± Just after he said this, the man strangely laughed two times before his breath halted. It appeared that this voice belonged to the dark fatty, Qian Jing. (TL:The time it takes to make a cup of tea: 5 minutes)


    ¡°Slut! You actually conspired to murder the gang leader! I want your life!¡± Shen Zhongshan roared with starling anger. However it appeared to be too late, and after involuntarily letting out two hollow laughs, he actually fell to the ground, dead.


    ¡°Poison Expert¡± Fan Ji and Shen San fearfully looked at each other and spoke in unison, ¡°That young servant poisoned us!¡±


    ¡°That young servant must surely have the antidote!¡±


    The two men immediately pushed the women in their embrace away and dashed out the door as if their buttocks were on fire.


    Unfortunately, just as they left the door, they let out a ¡°Haha¡±  before slowly falling to the ground.


    ¡°It seems that the dark fatty drank the most and therefore was the first to have the toxin take effect! That Shen Zhongshan must have also drank quite a bit and was the second. As for the black clothed person and the scholar, although they did not drink much, the toxicity of my ¡®Laughing Soul Powder¡¯ is fierce. So long as a single drop is consumed, death will be certain, without a doubt.¡± The youth leisurely thought. Afterwards, he waited for a moment before opening the door and entering the room.


    Taking a single look within the room, he saw that not a single life had remained. Even little Jinzhi and the other three women drank a cup and had long since taken their dying breath.


    After Han Li looked once through and confirmed for certain that that none were still alive, did he swiftly leave the doom.


    ¡°Once the news that Shen Zhongshan succumbed to poison spreads, people will surely believe that he was killed by his enemies of Jiang Hu. It shouldn¡¯t provoke any greatly troublesome people.¡± Han Li thought as he relaxed himself on the way back.


    ¡°This Pure Spirit Powder is truly effective. So long as I take a dose in advance, not only can I protect myself against all kinds of poisons, but I can also protect myself against bewitching scents and other odd drugs. Last time, I used it against Lady Yan and the other wives, much to my amusement.¡± He smiled somewhat oddly and could not help but grope the inside of his bosom.


    On the way back to the inn, Han Li saw no one noteworthy. He then entered his room and lied down on his bed, soundly sleeping.


    This was a habit Han Li unintentionally acquired. So long as he finished some great matter, he was particularly fond of lying down and falling fast asleep, properly loosening the exhaustion of his body and mind.


    As Han Li slept soundly, the deaths of Shen Zhongshan and his three great Protectors had been discovered by the Clear River Brothel. As a result, when the news spread throughout the Fourth Level Gang, there was much uproar caused by many ambitious people.


    No one had thought to investigate Shen Zhongshan¡¯s death, because in Jia Yuan City, the strong preying on the weak was the law of the land. Shen Zhongshan had also climbed to his position after murdering the previous Fourth Level Gang¡¯s leader. Consequently, the remaining leaders of the Fourth Level Gang only cared about who was going to fill the vacancy left by the previous gang leader¡¯s death.


    As a result, incompetent candidates and those who remained unconvinced all competed in a fiery melee for the position of Gang Leader. Eventually for the Fourth Level Gang, this broke out during the same evening.


    The morning of the next day, the outcome was shockingly discovered by common gang members of the lowest gangs, those who had never taken part in the melee; in the entire Fourth Level Gang, the one left standing was unexpectedly Sun Ergou, who could barely lift his eyes from exhaustion.


    Last night, this Sun Ergou had actually killed the rest of his senior opposition. Once no one dared to stand in opposition against him, he smoothly ascended to the position of Fourth Level Gang¡¯s Gang Leader. Furthermore, the other gangs in the western city district were given notice, confirming his succession.


    After Han Li, the one that plotted this behind the scenes, rose from a comfortable sleep, he showed up in the Mo Estate at the small and rather unique building. He was facing the still-standing Lady Yan and several other beautiful women. However, behind them were the three great beauties of Jia Yuan City¡ª¡ªTeacher Mo¡¯s three tender daughters.


    Han Li had seen Mo Yuzhu and Mo Caihuan before, and thus his gaze was mostly focused on Doctor Mo¡¯s adopted daughter, Mo Fengwu.


    Wearing a yellow jacket, Mo Fengwu had a face shaped like a goose egg. It seemed she was sixteen to seventeen years of age, and her entirety was filled with an extraordinary gracefulness, giving Han Li the impression of a dainty spirit.


    At this time, because Han Li was attentively watching Mo Fengwu, she had somewhat shyly lowered her head, revealing an exquisitely slender, snow-white neck. Upon seeing this, Han Li could not help but secretly swallow his saliva several times.


    ¡°Young Master Han, refrain from looking at my clan¡¯s Fengwu with such a lustful gaze! Our Fengwu¡¯s face is quite thin! Are we not going continue yesterday¡¯s topic?¡± After the Third Wife smiled bewitchingly, she said these words to Han Li with her charming voice.

 Chapter 123

    Business Deal.


    Chapter 123: Business Deal


    ¡°Topic? What topic? I came here asking for your final decision! Do you want to depart from here and live in secrecy? Or would you rather have me dispose of one of your great adversaries?¡± After Han Li withdrew his gaze from the yellow jacketed beauty, he straightened his face and said this, not polite in the least.


    After Lady Yan heard Han Li¡¯s words, she wrinkled her brow and slowly said this to Han Li, ¡°Young Master Han, don¡¯t be in such a hurry! After we sisters thoroughly thought this through yesterday, we had decided to choose the second option. However we wish to change the terms a bit.¡±


    ¡°I already emphasized that I do not wish to haggle with the several madams over the terms. This matter cannot be changed. Either agree to my conditions or choose one of the two choices.¡± Han Li said, suddenly showing displeasure.


    ¡°Young Master, what do you think about my daughters¡¯ looks?¡± Lady Yan did not take notice of Han Li¡¯s displeasure and unexpectedly turned the conversation toward the three Mo sisters.


    ¡°National grace with the scent of divinity. To praise the innate beauty of these women with these words would not be excessive!¡± Han Li was surprised but immediately replied with a light smile. He somewhat vaguely understood Lady Yan¡¯s plan.


    (TL: ¡°Outstanding beauty¡±: ????, national grace, divine fragrance )


    ¡°Our request is well within reason. So long as your distinguished self can eliminate the heads of the Rainbow Sect and the Hegemon¡¯s Villa, not only will we give you the Precious Warm Yang Jade for detoxification, but you can also take all three sisters as your wives and concubines. Were you not looking at Fengwu just a moment ago? So long as you agree, she could be of your Han clan!¡± Lady Yan earnestly said, pointing behind her to Mo Yuzhu and the ther daughters.


    ¡°Fourth Mother!¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Mo Yuzhu and Mo Caihuan¡¯s expressions greatly changed, and they could not help but cry out. It was clear that these two had not been informed of this and were frightened pale by Lady Yan¡¯s rash promise.


    Apart from Lady Yan¡¯s complexion turning slightly pale, she had still kept her calm.


    It was no surprise that they were so alarmed. Han Li¡¯s appearance was truly not astonishing at all, and he was a world of difference away from the two¡¯s image of their ideal husband. They didn¡¯t share a single common trait with him. How could they be willing to marry themselves to Han Li?


    ¡°Stop talking! This is a matter that I and your mothers have already decided upon. If you do not comply, you will be expelled from the Mo Estate.¡± Lady Yan said with a cold voice as she lowered her face.


    Hearing these words being uttered, the three Mo sisters were all stunned.


    Mo Yuzhu slightly bit her almond lips as her complexion ashened. The dazed Mo Caihuan gazed toward her Second Mother and Fifth Mother, both of whom usually loved her the most dearly, while begging with her eyes. Only Mo Fengwu was somewhat better, but her body had lightly trembled. She motionlessly leaned against the wall.


    ¡°There is no need to threaten the young ladies! I cannot agree to your conditions. It¡¯s like how that old saying goes: ¡®no matter the circumstances, I will not brave pointless hazards¡¯. I quite cherish my little life!¡± After a moment of silent, Han Li replied with a lowered voice, flatly rejecting Lady Yan¡¯s proposal.


    As for Han Li, to say that his heart was not move when facing the three beautiful Mo Sisters would be a completely false statement. However, Han Li had already carefully considered that if he were to kill the other two hegemons of the Lan Province, it would surely provoke the notice of someone observant and cause life-threatening disaster to descend upon him.


    Just by thinking about it, after the Rainbow Sect and the Sole Hegemon¡¯s Villa¡¯s collapse, Lady Yan was certain to bring the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association to great power and become the greatest beneficiary.


    In addition, with the abrupt appearance of a stranger in the Mo Estate suddenly taking Mo¡¯s three tender beauties as his wives, it would undoubtedly imply that he was this matter¡¯s greatest contributor as well as the killer!


    If this were to provoke some mysterious force that watched over cultivators, then nothing good would happen to this dabbler in cultivation. It was more than likely that he would not be able to keep his little life. In that case, what use would there be for the exquisite, ravishing, dainty beauty of these three Mo Sisters?


    As a result, Han Li inwardly gave himself a bitter smile and shoved the appearance and fragrance of the three great beauties to the side.


    As for whether the Mo sisters were fond of him or not, Han Li could not care less. So long as he obtained these beautiful women, then acquiring their hearts was only a matter of time! However, to say this at this moment was already useless. If Han Li¡¯s previous words had scalded the hands of the three Mo sisters like a sweet potato, that absolutely didn¡¯t trouble him at all! He currently planned to dissolve the cold Yin poison from his body as soon as possible and then depart from this quarrelsome place. As for whether the Mo Estate would later acquire disaster or fortune, that had nothing to do with him.


    Han Li spoke of his rejection. Although the faces of Lady Yan and the other wives weren¡¯t good, the Mo sisters have grown a rather favorable impression of him. Even the youngest, Mo Caihuan, smiled through her fake tears that created a devil¡¯s mask with which she disguised herself in front of Han Li.


    In addition, even Mo Yuzhu¡¯s and Mo Fengwu¡¯s impression of Han Li had soften by considerably, causing them to view him in a new light.


    Lady Yan sighed. The rest looked at each other with meaningful glances, and then turned their bodies. Helpless, Lady Yan said, ¡°Since Young Master Han hasn¡¯t changed his mind, then we will leave the matter alone! We will reach a deal according to Young Master¡¯s conditions. So long as Young Master Han can kill the Hegemon¡¯s Villa Sovereign, ¡°Furious Lion¡± Ouyang Feitian, we will hand over the Precious Warm Yang Jade that will let your distinguished self be detoxified.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! You women are quite good at scheming! I heard this Ouyang Feitian is at the prime of his life and has yet to have children. The Hegemon¡¯s Villa will almost certainly collapse immediately after his death. Its subordinates would be in complete disarray, too busy to worry about the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association.¡± Han Li stroked his nose, softly laughing.


    When Lady Yan heard Han Li¡¯s words, she gave Han Li a cold glance.


    ¡°It is not as you say. Do you know who it was that sent Wu Jianming here? It was by the order of this Sovereign Ouyang. In addition, Wu Jianming is Ouyang Feitian¡¯s seventh disciple, and is extremely doted upon.


    ¡°The Sovereign of Hegemon¡¯s Villa was of the same generation as our Lord Husband and is of nearly the same age. From the beginning, he has been ambitiously wanting to proclaim himself Sovereign of the entire Lan Province, and thus he employed the tactics ¡®first weak then strong¡¯, striving to first consume the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association and then deal with the Rainbow Sect. ¡°


    ¡°Several years ago, he instigated my Lord Husband¡¯s sword little brother Ma Kongtian and my Lord Husband¡¯s second disciple, Zhao Kun, to attempt to split the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association. In the end, it was seen through by us sisters, and we killed those two and their accomplices in advance. However, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s strength had been greatly damaged. We had to retreat step by step under the pressure from the Hegemon¡¯s Villa¡¯s advancing army. As a result, we had no choice but to pull back our men and entrench ourselves in Jia Yuan City.¡±


    Lady Yan softly spoke of a few of the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association¡¯s secrets.


    ¡°However, your current influence in Jia Yuan City seems to not amount to much either. Couldn¡¯t the Hegemon¡¯s Villa just exterminate you in a single vigorous attempt?¡± Han Li thought for a moment and asked, slightly puzzled.


    ¡°Heehee! Ouyang Feitian, that madman, doesn¡¯t dare to attack here. Naturally, he has his reasons. If you want to, so long as you agree to our sister¡¯s original conditions, I will tell Young Master.¡± Third Wife Liu giggled, telling half-truths with her alluring voice.


    ¡°Hehe! Let¡¯s forget about it then. I was just a bit curious!¡± Han Li remained completely calm and collected.


    ¡°Really! Not a single bit masculine, without even the slightest intention of bringing out a bit more force!¡± Third Wife Liu said with her small mouth, as if teasing Han Li.


    Lady Yan and the others turned a blind eye to the Third Wife¡¯s actions; however, the three Mo sister¡¯s faces had turned red. After all, their own elder had teased the man they were originally about to marry right in front of his face. Outrageous!


    Mo Caihuan pouted and firmly glared at Han Li.


    However, Han Li seemed to not notice this in the least, as if he were in his own world. Instead, he replied, ¡°Third Martial Mother speaks of this quite lightly.  Since a bit of force could cost me my own life, I¡¯m fine with not being a masculine man! I¡¯m fine so long as I am a man!¡±


    Perhaps Han Li¡¯s last sentence was a bit too frank, because not only did it stun Third Wife Liu, who pursed the lips of her enchanting smile, it also annoyed Second Wife Li and Lady Yan.


    ¡°Young Master, how do you plan to take Ouyang Feitian¡¯s life? This person spends his days hiding deeply within the villa and rarely leaves. Not only is he at the pinnacle of martial arts, his shrewdness is outstanding. He is quite a difficult opponent to deal with.¡± Lady Yan firmly said with a stiff complexion.


    ¡°Lady Fourth shouldn¡¯t worry about that. You just have to prepare me a good horse and a portrait of this person. Then I will make him disappear from this world.¡±


    ¡°I hope so!¡± Lady Yan softly spoke.


    ¡°Back to the previous topic¡­shouldn¡¯t you give me a guarantee that when I return from my completed task, you women will not become hostile and refuse to acknowledge your debt!?¡± Han Li intoned, soft as a feather.


    ¡°What kind of guarantee does your distinguished self want?¡± Lady Yan didn¡¯t show any discontent but rather seemed to have already anticipate this demand.


    ¡°Inside this bottle, there is a medicine pill. I must ask everyone to take this poison, but I will not say what it is. In any case, wait for day I come back after killing Ouyang to exchange the antidote for the Precious Warm Yang Jade.¡± Han Li felt around for a porcelain bottle before setting it on the table and coldly staring at Lady Yan and her family members.


    (TL: In Chinese the word of medicine ¡°?¡± also means poison.)


    Lady Yan did not say anything further and extended her fine lily-white hands to grab the bottle. She poured out a jade green pill and looked to Lady Li and the others before tilting her head up and swallowing it.


    ¡°Good courage! Good decisiveness! You are truly worthy of leading the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association.¡± Han Li could not help but give praise. His gaze then moved toward the rest of the women.

 Chapter 124

    Fengwu.


    Chapter 124: Fengwu


    ¡°My sisters do not need to take the poison! Is my life not enough as collateral?¡± Lady Yan, who previously swallowed the pill, prevented Second Wife Li from taking the poison.


    When Han Li heard Lady Yan¡¯s words, he was slightly stunned, exposing an appearance of surprise.


    After he immediately muttered to himself, he slightly nodded his head and said, ¡°Since Fourth Martial Mother feels so deeply for her sisters, I, Han Li, will not be an unreasonable person! Fine, Second Martial Mother and the rest do not need to take the poison.¡±


    After Han Li said this, he took the bottle from Lady Yan¡¯s hands and stored it in his bosom.


    ¡°Since this affair has been concluded, I will first take my leave. Tomorrow at this time, I will come back to the Mo Estate for the portrait and other necessary items, then I will directly head to the Hegemon¡¯s Villa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your troubles, Young Master!¡± Lady Yan and the others stood up to send him off.


    Han Li faintly smiled, turned his body as easily as wind, and left the room.


    Just as Han Li had left the small building, there were the sounds of many hurried footsteps from behind him.


    ¡°Senior Apprentice Brother Han, wait a moment. My second sister has come to find you for a certain matter!¡± Han Li heard the shouting voice of that young girl, Mo Caihuan, and sighed. He helpless turned his body.


    He saw that little demoness take the lead at the front, followed by Mo Fengwu and Mo Yuzhu. They were all walking straight toward him.


    Mo Caihuan overtook Han Li by a few steps. Then she widely opened her eyes, walked around him in a circle, and smacked her lips incessantly as if she were looking at a rare object!


    Alright! Senior Apprentice Brother Han, I was already quite bitter from being cheated! However, I didn¡¯t expect that you were also a faker! You actually went as far as to use a some small thing to trick me into moving around in circles.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he rolled his eyes at this girl. What ¡®small thing¡¯? This girl clearly wants a better gift, and thus, he must leave at once!


    ¡°Third sister, don¡¯t be rude. Stop making trouble for Young Master Han.¡±


    This was the first time Han Li heard Mo Fengwu¡¯s voice. It was completely gentle and soft, like velvet, and could give a person a sense of comfort.


    ¡°What! Am I not taking revenge on behalf of our mothers? Who let this guy act so lofty in front of my mother!?¡± Mo Caihuan angrily asked.


    Sure enough, the words Han Li heard fit his expectations. This girl had came here purely to vex him. In that case, he no longer paid notice of the little demoness and turned his head to Mo Fengwu , ¡°Second junior apprentice sister, is something on your mind that compelled you to find me?¡±


    Having Han Li speak to her caused her to complexion to slightly red. However, she continued, softly saying, ¡°Fengwu came to find Young Master to simply know whether Third Sister¡¯s Winding Fragrance Pills were truly gifted by Young master. Has my father¡¯s medical expertise been completely passed down to Young Master?¡±


    When Han Li had first seen Mo Fengwu, he had quite a favorable impression of her. Now that he had seen this shy jade person speak so tenderly, his mind could not help but feel a large amount of sympathy toward her.


    (TL: ¡°Jade Person¡±: ?? lit. jade person, refined beauty, I got tired to saying the word beauty¡­ )


    As a result, he politely said, ¡°In response to second junior apprentice sister¡¯s question, Han Li will naturally say all he knows. Junior apprentice sister Caihuan¡¯s Winding Fragrance Pills were truly gifted by me. I have also indeed learned many medicinal recipes and obtained great medical expertise. This Winding Fragrance Pill was such a recipe¡­.Could it be that junior apprentice sister Fengwu is greatly interested in this?¡±


    Ever since Han Li had seen the medicinal herbs growing in the back garden, he knew for certain that there was someone here learning Doctor Mo¡¯s medical expertise. Now that he saw Mo Fenwu ask this, his mind knew that it was most likely to be the jade person before him.


    As expected, after Han Li said these words, this young woman, who originally seemed extremely gentle and quiet, displayed a cheerful expression from her eyes as she said, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal this from Young Master. Ever since Fengwu was a child, she was greatly interested in Father¡¯s medical skills and meticulously studied many of Father¡¯s medical books and experiences. Unfortunately, when Father departed the Mo Estate, Feng Wu¡¯s age was still young, and thus, what she had acquired was quite limited.¡±


    After she finished speaking, Mo Fengwu was somewhat hesitant, but still she continued, ¡°Therefore, Fengwu has a request which she hopes Young Master will be able to complete¡­.Is it possible for your distinguished self to give a copy of father¡¯s medical skills and insight to Fengwu to let her learn a few things and deepen her own medical expertise?¡±


    After she said these words, this second junior apprentice sister from the Mo Estate blushed. It was clear that to boldly request this of him was quite embarrassing for her.


    After Han Li finished hearing the jade person¡¯s request, he didn¡¯t think of it in the least and immediately agreed.


    ¡°No problem. Tomorrow, when I come to the Mo Estate, I will give the few of Doctor Mo¡¯s remaining manuscripts and prescriptions to second junior apprentice sister. Naturally, these already belonged to the Mo Estate. I had originally planned to hand them over to Fourth Martial Mother, but since second junior apprentice sister wants them, giving them to second junior apprentice sister would be the same.¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    ¡°A great many thanks, Young Master! Fengwu can¡¯t help but be grateful!¡± Mo Fengwu¡¯s face showed an appreciation for his decision.


    ¡°Second sister, why in the world are you thanking him? Did you not hear him say that those objects originally belonged to us? He should be giving them to you of his own volition.¡± The nearby Mo Caihuan blinked several times before interrupting.


    After Han Li heard the words of the young girl, he shot her a glance and thought, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t your second sister, such a gentle and pleasant beauty, requesting this of me, would I still return these items, which fell into my possession, to the Mo Estate? I wouldn¡¯t even think of it!¡¯


    ¡°Third Sister, don¡¯t speak drivel. Young Master Han will bring us Father¡¯s remnants without the slightest hesitation. This sufficiently shows Young Master¡¯s intentions.¡±


    Seeing something amiss between Han Li and Mo Caihuan, Mo Fengwu hastily chided the young girl and then pulled her away. After she gracefully bowed to Han Li,  she took her leave.


    From the beginning to end, the Mo Estate¡¯s eldest daughter, Mo Yuzhu,  hadn¡¯t said a word. After she saw her two sisters depart, she took a deep look at Han Li and left.


    ¡°The Mo Estate¡¯s eldest daughter, what meaning did her glance hold? Does she appreciate me, loathe me, or even both?¡± Han Li threw Mo Yuzhu a departing glance, somewhat at a loss.


    However, Han Li shrugged his shoulders and thought of it no longer. He then left the Mo Estate.


    By the time Han Li returned to the inn, the newly appointed Fourth Level Gang¡¯s Gang Leader Sun Ergou and one other person had already been waiting for a while outside his room. Naturally, Crooked Soul was there as well.


    After Han Li saw Sun Ergou, he nodded his head and pushed open the room¡¯s door. Sun Ergou and the other person immediately followed him inside. Then each person had a man respectfully standing on either side of them to attend to their needs.


    After Han Li sat down, he sized up the stranger that came in with Sun Ergou. He was a robust man of perhaps thirty years and had a frightening face as well as a fearsome appearance.


    ¡°Seeing your bright red face, you must¡¯ve already acquired the seat as the Gang Leader of the Fourth Level Gang!¡± Han Li faintly said to Sun Ergou.


    ¡°Take a seat! Take a seat! It was because of this Young Master¡¯s backing that this servant is where he is today!¡± Sun Erhou hastily replied, beaming with joy.


    ¡°So long as you know! I will not meddle with the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s affairs, but you must use the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s power in accordance to my instructions. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind switching in a different Gang Leader.¡± Han Li coldly warned.


    These words made Sun Ergou, originally lost in joy, immediately shiver, greatly clearing his clouded mind.


    ¡°I will follow Young Master¡¯s instructions at any cost. Even if it costs me my life, I will do it!¡± Sun Ergou assumed a loyal appearance in a rush.


    Han Li faintly let out an ¡°En¡±, no longer taking notice of Sun Ergou and instead turning his gaze to the other man.


    ¡°You were the one that heard the Immortals¡¯ conversation?¡± Han Li asked, rather interested.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This servant Xi Tieniu had truly heard this!¡± The robust man respectfully replied.


    (TL: ¡°Tieniu¡± ??- Iron Bull)


    Though this person might be strong and tall, he was not at all stupid. He clearly understood that this unremarkable youth before him had elevated Sun Ergou, who was originally of the same status of himself, to the Gang Leader¡¯s position. Thus, he didn¡¯t dare be negligent.


    Han Li was very satisfied. So long as this man was clever, this affair would be handled smoothly.


    ¡°Tell me about the day when you saw the Immortal couple, from start to finish. If I am satisfied, I¡¯ll have you be Sun Ergou¡¯s assistant and turn you into the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s Vice Gang Leader.¡± Han Li knew that only with the attachment of rewards would others work with enthusiasm. As a result, he made such an unrestrained promise.


    As expected, when Xi Tieniu heard what was said, he was delighted. He excitedly slapped his chest immediately, expressing that he would surely satisfy Han Li.


    When Sun Ergou heard these words, he was somewhat unwilling. However, he didn¡¯t dare to show the slightest bit of disagreement on his face.


    As a result, after Xi Tieniu calmed down a bit, he narrated the day he came across the  Immortals once through and in great detail.


    Xi Tieniu¡¯s account and the finer details spoken by Sun Ergou were much different, but the overall course of events were almost entirely the same.


    ¡°This Immortal couple, did they mention any time or place?¡± After Han Li finished hearing Tieniu¡¯s statement, he asked of the matter that he was most concerned about.

 Chapter 125

    Plans.


    Chapter 125: Plans


    ¡°Time? Place?¡± When Xi Tieniu heard this, he was stunned momentarily. It seemed he had no recollection of it. But now, seeing Han Li so serious, he knew this was the crucial point of his service. He lowered his head and pondered deeply, trying to recollect his memory.


    Half a quarter of an hour later¡­.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Xi Tieniu suddenly shouted, raising his head. His face was completely cheerful.


    ¡°I heard the female Immortal tell her male companion that before they participate in the Immortal¡¯s Great Assembly, he was to accompany her to an Immortal gathering place called the Great South Valley.¡±


    (TL: Great South (Tainan)?? could almost mean southmost or the most southern)


    ¡°Great South Valley?¡± Han Li softly murmured to himself. He had never heard of it before, not even the slightest impression.


    Han Li turned his gaze to Sun Ergou. If this place had a name, then this local gang boss should have a bit of information.


    ¡°There is no such place in Jia Yuan City! If there is truly such a valley, I would remember it quite clearly.¡± Sun Ergou creased his brow and shook his head left and right.


    ¡°Did you for some reason remember incorrectly?¡± Han Li brought his gaze back to Xi Tieniu as he spoke in a cold, severe tone.


    ¡°I absolutely did not. That woman also said that, as long as they hurry for half a day, she would be able to attend the meeting with her friend at Great South Valley.¡± Xi Tieniu said, hastily swearing to the heavens.


    ¡°Half a day! If a person were to walk by foot then they would no longer be in the vicinity of Jia Yuan City. But if these two were rushing on flying beasts, then the scope would be great. Even so, it shouldn¡¯t stray from the boundaries of Lan Province.¡± Han Li inwardly pondered.


    ¡°Do you two know of any places called ¡®Great South Valley¡¯ or with names that include ¡®Great South¡¯?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression eased a bit as he asked the two.


    ¡°Sun Ergou and Xi Tieniu looked at each other and spoke nearly at the same time:


    ¡°Great South Temple.¡±


    ¡°Great South Mountain.¡±


    ¡°There are two places called Great South?¡± Han Li was surprised. Groaning, he started to have a small headache.


    ¡°Young Master, there isn¡¯t! There is only one!¡± Sun Ergou hastily replied.


    ¡°That Great South Temple was build on Great South Mountain.¡± Xi Tieniu added, not to be outdone.


    ¡°Oh! Very good. Then it seems that Great South Valley should located there,¡± Han Li easily stated.


    ¡°But Young Master, we have never heard of a ¡®Great South Valley¡¯ near Great South Mountain! It could be wrong.¡± Sun Ergou warned with doubt.


    When Han Li heard this, he chuckled, ¡°It isn¡¯t wrong, it¡¯s this place!¡±


    ¡®You aren¡¯t cultivators, so of course you wouldn¡¯t know of this place. I suppose that there should be some sort of cultivator¡¯s residence,¡¯ Han Li excitedly thought.


    ¡°Where is the lowest point of this Great South Mountain?¡± After Han Li¡¯s excitement, he recalled that this place wasn¡¯t well known and asked without thinking.


    ¡°Young Master, Great South Mountain is in the Lan Province¡¯s southmost area.¡± Sun Ergou respectfully said.


    ¡°Lan Province¡¯s south?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow. The Hegemon¡¯s Villa and the Sovereign he was to assassinate were right in the center of the Lan Province, out of the way and absolutely inconvenient. It seemed that he would have to make several trips.


    ¡°Sun Ergou, after you return, have Xi Tieniu become the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s Vice Commander. I know you aren¡¯t too willing but since I already promised this person, the promise must be kept.¡± Han Li instructed Sun Ergou.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to refuse, Young Master. Your wish is my command. I wouldn¡¯t voice even half a complaint!¡± When Sun Ergou heard this, he had a fright. Recalling what Han Li had said before, his complexion turned pale.


    ¡°Be at ease, I am well aware of your loyalty. This bottle contains the antidote that will completely dissolve the poison in your body. Just like I promised, you will have nothing further to fear. I treat everyone fairly, so I will certainly not cheat you.¡± Han Li removed a bottle of medicine and handed it over to Sun Ergou.


    When Sun Ergou saw this, he was pleased beyond expectation. The Rotten Heart Pill inside his body had made his meals unappetizing and his sleep restless. Now that he could completely remove it, how could he not be moved?


    ¡°Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master! This servant will certainly repay this favor even if he were to die the cruelest death!¡± After Sun Ergou took the bottle, he sincerely said these words.


    Han Li non-committedly nodded his head.


    The reason why he had given the cure to Sun Ergou so frankly was mostly because he felt that giving Sun Ergou a dose of antidote every month would be far too troublesome! Since he would be far away from Jia Yuan City for a prolonged period of time, he decided to forego using poison to control Sun Ergou. Of course, if someday these two truly betrayed him, Han Li wouldn¡¯t care about it in the least. He would just immediately kill the two and find their replacements.


    In addition, Han Li had no use for the Fourth Level Gang as of now. He had already prepared the Fourth Level Gang to be a fallback plan in case all else failed.


    Han Li clearly understood that in this world, there were no loyalty nor betrayal without reason. By using force to control others, it would be the easiest method to acquire the desired results. But at the same time, it was also the worst method, because the party being forced may retaliate at any time. As a result, if one were to instill some loyalty, it would be best to include both incentives and punishment.


    Hence, Han Li gave Sun Ergou the cure. On one hand, he would greatly raise Sun Ergou¡¯s loyalty for a long period of time. On the other, Xi Tieniu and Sun Ergou would feel meaning behind his words: Results will merit rewards and mistakes will be punished. This benefited Han Li¡¯s long term control over the two.


    That was what Han Li had thought after some deliberation.


    After Han Li saw Sun Ergou consume the cure, he suddenly said something that made Sun Ergou both frightened and happy.


    ¡°I will leave Crooked Soul in your care later on, but I won¡¯t allow you to use it to provoke quarrels. Although this Crooked Soul may be ferocious, there are a great many extraordinary eccentrics in this world. You might be so unlucky as to provoke a deathly calamity. Keep this inmind!¡± Han Li said with a heavy tone.


    ¡°Of course, I will keep this in mind. I will properly make arrangements for Sir Crooked Soul. Esteemed Young Master, please feel at ease.¡± Sun Ergou was like a chick pecking grain, nodding his head incessantly.


    ¡°Were it not for the fact that I no longer need Crooked Soul as a personal bodyguard, his far too eye-catching appearance, and the inconvenience of him following me on a long journey, there is no way I could hand over Crooked Soul to this person¡¯s care!¡± Thinking this, Han Li sighed and inwardly shook his head, somewhat reluctant to part with his large companion.


    ¡°Look out for yourselves! In the coming days, you do not need to come see me, I will soon leave on a prolonged journey far from here, and I do not know when I will return.¡± Han Li softly waved his hand as he told them to leave.


    When Sun Ergou and Xi Tieniu heard these words, they respectfully withdrew from the room, leaving Han Li as the sole person within. Even so, he was still contemplating about something.


    ¡°This Great South Valley, at the very bottom of Great South Mountain¡­what sort of cultivators will there be? If I come to their door without prior notice, would it be improper? Would I encounter danger?¡± Han Li foolishly thought. As of now, he could not help but let his mind wander and enter a state of selflessness.


    Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, two months had already passed. At this moment, Han Li could not longer be found in Jia Yuan City. Furthermore, Han Li¡¯s silhouette would no longer be seen for quite a long time.

 Chapter 126

    Great South Mountain, Great South Valley, and a Youth.


    Chapter 126: Great South Mountain, Great South Valley, and a Youth


    Guang Gui City was located in the southernmost part of the Lan Province. Not very large in size, the city contained only a few hundred thousand people, one fifth that of Jia Yuan City.  However, this place was surrounded by mountains from three sides with the fourth side against a lake. Unlike the rich nobles¡¯ vacationing destinations, this graceful environment facilitated the growth of several rarely-seen fruits, a local specialty that caused this small city to have quite a reputation.


    Great South Mountain was located not far west of Guang Gui City. It stood three thousand meters high as the Lan Province¡¯s fourth tallest mountain and was enveloped in mist all year long. On the mountain¡¯s peak, there was a moderately sized temple, Great South Temple. Because this temple¡¯sdivinations were quite accurate, every year a few high ranking officials and nobles went out of their way to come pray, giving large amounts of monetary offerings to the temple. As a result, it earned a widespread reputation for burning incense without interruptions at its temple front.


    Currently, in the woods down at the base of Great South Mountain, a person was sitting in the dense undergrowth beneath a huge tree. His hands grasped a flickering red light that was pressed up against his Dantian as it repeatedly rocked back and forth.


    Suddenly, this person¡¯s body shook, and he let out a gloomy groan. He lowered the shining red object in his hand, exposing its true appearance. It was actually a top-quality fine azure jade. Not only was this fine jade completely pure, there were also several faint traces of red light seeping out from within the depths of the jade. Upon seeing this, any passerby could make out this jade was no mundane object and held considerable value.


    This person slowly withdrew the azure jade from his abdomen and raised his head to look at the sky, showing that he was a common male youth. He was precisely Han Li, who had disappeared from Jia Yuan City.


    Han Li then lowered his head and looked at the object in his hand. His face could not help but expose a cheerful expression.


    Ever since the day he obtained this Precious Warm Yang Jade, it had continuously extracted the cold Yin poison from his body. As a result, the poison was completely extracted only after half a month. Even so, it had not been easy. When drawing out the poison, Han Li greatly suffered from an aching itch that entered his bones. He still had lingering trepidation every time he remembered the experience.


    However, this Precious Warm Yang Jade was truly a treasure. It actually contained Spiritual Qi, expelling his poison to great effect and with much ease. He feared if he had not acquired this, he would need tens of days to thoroughly remove his body¡¯s poison.


    Thinking of this, Han Li returned the precious jade into the wooden box beside him, which he then carefully hid it away on his person.


    As Han Li stood up and moved his stiff limbs about, his thoughts drifted back to his experiences these past two months.


    After Han Li had finished making his arrangements, he went to the Mo Estate the following day and obtained information on Ouyang Feitian and the Hegemon¡¯s Villa. He then rode on a precious horse gifted by the Mo Estate and hastily journeyed day and night, eventually arriving at the Hegemon¡¯s Villa within ten days.


    After several days of continuous spying and infiltration, Han Li acquired a golden opportunity and sent out his precious talisman towards Ouyang Feitian, who was admiring the full moon all alone. Sacrificing a use of his sword talisman, he beheaded him in a moment and took his life.


    The course of events went by exceptionally smoothly. Not a wave of commotion arose, nearly causing Han Li to suspect that the person he had killed was perhaps a fake. Afterwards, he inspected the dead body on several places, finding Ouyang Feitian¡¯s personal scar and birthmark and confirming that he did not kill the wrong person. Han Li then sighed and brought the head back to Jia Yuan City.


    After he returned to the Mo Estate and gave Ouyang Feitian¡¯s severed head to Lady Yan for inspection, she told him that Ouyang Feitian practiced Jiang Hu¡¯s top defensive technique, ¡°Overlord¡¯s Armor¡±. He had long since trained his entire body until was impervious to sword and spear, reducing the sharp edge of a blade to something like mud; it would be difficult to even cause the slightest wound. Nevertheless, she hadn¡¯t expected Han Li to actually bring back his head.


    Only now did Han Li understand that this Ouyang Feitian had most likely considered his sword talisman to be a concealed weapon.  As a result, he did not dodge, letting Han Li dispatch him in such an effortless manner.


    The remaining matters were simple. After Lady Yan finished confirming the identity of the severed head, she brought out the precious jade and exchanged it for Han Li¡¯s antidote. Although Han Li obtained the precious jade, Lady Yan urged him to stay, only to be met with denial. He was not in the mood to exchange pleasantries with the people of the Mo Estate. He then immediately departed from Jia Yuan City once more and rushed over to Great South Mountain.


    On the way, Han Li cured his poison while thinking of how he should befriend the cultivators of Great South Valley.


    Because Han Li didn¡¯t know whether the other party was evil or just, he did not plan to bravely come knocking on their door. In case the cultivators were evil and demonic,  he did not want to voluntarily deliver himself to their door like a dish to be swallowed in a single bite!


    As a result, just as Han Li reached Great South Mountain, he went to the neighboring villages to ask about Great South Valley and listened to a few anecdotes and a few queer and bizarre matters.


    According to the villagers, the northern side of Great South Mountain faced a very mysterious mountain slope covered year long by a dense fog. Travelers who entered it wouldn¡¯t be able to see their five fingers in front of them.


    It was reasonable to say that for the Great South Mountain to have some mountain fog was quite ordinary. However, such a thick mountain fog enveloping an area year round was quite a bit inconceivable.


    As a result, a few of the more courageous villagers had already braved the fog several times. But what was astonishing was that every time someone entered, they would unwittingly lose their direction. Not long after, they would unintentionally move away from the mountain fog and arrive where they had started, causing people to feel amazed to no end.


    Because this mountain slope was so queer and that people could enter without any sort of consequence, even more villagers happily and tirelessly rushed in, wanting to unravel this riddle. However, the villagers had somehow provoked the anger of the mountain slope¡¯s dense fog. Ever since an unknown day, all the villagers that entered the strange slope did not immediately exit the dense fog, but were instead trapped for two to three days, completely weakened by hunger. Only then were they able to walk away from the fog.


    Thus, no one had dared to rush the strange mountain slope ever again. The villagers eventually became accustomed to that place and turned a blind eye to it.


    After Han Li heard this, he was overjoyed.


    Han Li knew this strange mountain slope was most likely the place he was looking for. Furthermore, even if this place wasn¡¯t that Great South Valley, it was certain to be the residence of some cultivators.


    What Han Li was most happy about from the villagers account was that the temperament of the mountain slope¡¯s master could not at all be regarded as malicious. He shouldn¡¯t be a cultivator that would immediately kill him should they meet. Hence, there should be much leeway in meeting him.


    Although that was the case, Han Li still wouldn¡¯t pay a visit without a plan. Instead, he would stay in the woods. Only after he completely prepared his body¡¯s concealed weapons would he go and pay a visit in his peak state. That way, if something were to go wrong, he was quite certain that he would be able to escape.


    After Han Li thought of this, he planned to lodge in a villager¡¯s house, eat some food and stay the night. The day after he would go visit that strange slope.


    Thus, Han Li walked away from the woods towards the nearby small village.


    Just as he was about to enter the small village, Han Li saw a fifteen to sixteen year-old youth wearing white clothes. He stood at the village¡¯s entrance with several villagers around him, joyfully talking about something.


    Han Li was slightly surprised that an outsider had appeared here at this moment. It was quite possible that this was no ordinary person, so naturally, Han Li took a glance at him with the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique.


    With just a look, Han Li¡¯s heart was overjoyed. It turned out that this white clothed youth¡¯s body was enveloped in a faint spiritual light slightly lesser than his own. This youngster was also a cultivator.


    The youngster in the distance seemed to have sensed someone looking at him and turned toward Han Li. Once he saw Han Li, his face immediately lit up with a happy expression, and hehastily ran over in an instant.


    ¡°Is this brother also heading toward Great South Valley? Brother, I am Wan Xiaoshan of the Dry Precipice Mountain¡¯s Wan Clan! Want to go together to pay our respects?¡± This youth ran until he was panting and without waiting for his breath to steady, he impatiently said this to Han Li.


    (TL: ? Wan of the Wan Clan literally means ten thousand. ¡°Xiaoshan¡± means Little Mountain)


    Han Li glanced at the youngster¡¯s delicate features and delicate skin, all of which were characteristics belonging to an influential family¡¯s Young Master who lived like a prince.


    ¡°Of course we can. However, do you know where Great South Valley is located?¡± After Han Li heard his request, Han Li said this while remaining completely calm.


    ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve only heard my clan members say that Great South Valley was on Great South Mountain¡¯s northern face. Its gate is covered in dense fog all year long. However, I don¡¯t know the specifics. I¡¯ve asked a few of the villagers where Great South Valley is located, and they also don¡¯t know! But Brother is sure to know, right?¡± Somewhat embarrassed, the youth scratched his head before looking at Han Li with a hopeful gaze.


    ¡°Little Brother, is this the first time you¡¯ve journeyed abroad?¡± When Han Li heard the other person¡¯s words, he suppressed the happiness in his thoughts and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Big Brother guessed correctly! This is my first time traveling so far from home.¡± The youth somewhat bashfully nodded his head.


    ¡°Alright then, follow me! I will bring you along.¡± Han Li hadn¡¯t been completely certain that the strange slope was the Great South Valley he was trying to find, but now that he heard the youth¡¯s words, he was completely certain.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! This time I can learn and experience quite a bit!¡± When the youth heard Han Li¡¯s words, he could not help cheerfully say this with excitement.


    Seeing the youngster like this, Han Li faintly smiled. From the words that had just left the youth¡¯s mouth, he was able to understand a bit more about cultivators.


    ¡°What do you want to learn and experience by going to Great South Valley?¡± Han Li slowly walked to the strange slope with the youngster. The place had long been secretly scouted by him several times, and he had remembered the place very clearly.


    ¡°There¡¯s too much to say. I want to look at the secret arts and magic techniques belonging to other clans and schools. I also want to trade with them for things that I like.¡± The youngster spoke without thinking.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Han Li softly agreed. However, his mind was somewhat puzzled. When he heard the youth¡¯s voice, he felt that this Great South Valley wasn¡¯t just a gathering of numerous cultivators. Could it be that some greater event would later occur?


    Han Li grew anxious at this thought.

 Chapter 127

    Knowledge on Spiritual Roots.


    Chapter 127: Knowledge on Spiritual Roots


    And just like that, the two of them walked together while chatting lazily, randomly about all sorts of topics. Although they were ¡®chatting lazily¡¯, it was better to say that Han Li was the one asking the questions while the youths was the one answering. From the mouth of the youth, Han Li finally obtained some news about the world of cultivators as well as finally understanding some of the fundamental facts about that world.


    For example, the levels of cultivation could be classified into the lower realm, middle realm and higher realm.


    The lower realm consisted five stages: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation. The middle realm consisted of Void level, Integration Level, and Great Ascension Level. And upon reaching the higher realm, it could be said that one truly stepped into the realms of Immortals. Cultivators at the higher realm could fly through the skies and visit the Immortal realm with a lifespan as long as that of heaven and earth.


    However, it was easier said than done! It was extremely tough to cultivate to such a level.


    Not to mention cultivating all the three realms. Even in the most basic, the lower realm, there was no one in the history of State of Yue who had successfully cultivated to the peak of the Deity Transformation stage. At most, they were stuck in the Nascent Soul stage. But even then, reaching Nascent Soul was exceedingly rare. Only a few eccentrics with great luck and karmic fortune would be able to do so.


    According to the youth, an individual¡¯s lifespan was directly linked to his cultivation level, and each successive breakthrough would prolong his lifespan.


    Mortals, at most, could only live for 100 years, but even that was very rare among mortals.


    For cultivators who successfully stepped into Foundation Establishment, they would have a lifespan of 200 years. This was very common. And if an individual was lucky enough to reach Core Formation, his lifespan would be further doubled to 400 and 500 years. And¡­if that individual somehow managed to meet a fortuitous encounter through have extreme luck and managed to form his Nascent Soul, then, congratulations! His lifespan would be extended to a 1000 years! As along as the person in question was a cultivator, this was all within the realm of possibility!


    Suddenly, the white-robed youth stopped here. He was extremely envious of those eccentrics with a lifespan of 800 to 1,000 years. These people had ten times the lifespan of a normal human!


    Han Li was awestruck as he listened by the youth¡¯s side, but he had already guessed that lifespan of cultivators would be longer when compared to that of ordinary humans. But what he hadn¡¯t expect was that the differences in lifespan would be so ridiculous! 1,000 years of life, wouldn¡¯t that mean that the eccentric had become a 1,000 year-old tortoise? Han Li thought in his heart somewhat maliciously.


    But if just reaching the Nascent Soul stage would enable you to live so long, what about Deity Transformation stage? And the further stages in the middle and higher realms? How long would they live then?


    Han Li finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and indirectly asked..


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Maybe they can live forever, enjoying eternal youth?¡± The youth exclaimed.


    ¡°Legend has it that cultivators who reached the ¡®Great Perfection¡¯ circle of the Deity Transformation stage have to leave this world and travel to a higher realm in another space. But as to where and what the higher realm is, no one knows, because no one has ever returned from there.¡±


    ¡°No one has ever returned? Then how do we determine the different levels of the Deity Transformation stage?¡± Han Li asked somewhat dejected;y. However, the youth in front of him probably could not answer this as well.


    Other than the different levels in cultivations, Han Li now had a general understanding of the cultivation clans and sects within the State of Yue.


    The youth may not know matters of other places, but regarding the State of Yue¡¯s cultivation world, the youth seemed quite knowledgable as he proceeded to explain in great details.


    From his mouth, Han Li knew that in the State of Yue, there existed a total of seven cultivation sects: the Masked Moon Sect, Yellow Maple Valley, Spirit Beast Mountain, Clear Void Sect, Saber Transformation Dock, Heavenly Imperial Fortress, and the Giant Sword Sect. Out of these seven, the Masked Moon Sect was the most powerful. Spirit Beast Mountain was a close second, and as for the rest, their power levels were roughly evenly matched.


    If one were to say that these various cultivator sects were the great tree providing support for the whole of State of Yue, the other various cultivator clans and families would be the leaves and branches that depended on the great tree for survival.


    And according to the youth, the ancestors from the Immortal cultivators clans were once disciples of the cultivator sects. The bloodline of the sect disciples eventually flowed out over the generations and slowly became a cultivator clan.


    Thus, one could say from this that all cultivators possessed something called ¡®spiritual roots¡¯.


    ¡®Spiritual roots¡¯. What exactly were they? Not even Immortal cultivators know everything about them, but what they did know was that if a person lacked spiritual roots, that person couldn¡¯t aspire to traverse the path of cultivation. After all, if one had no spiritual roots, how could he even absorb Spiritual Qi? And if Spiritual Qi couldn¡¯t be absorbed, how could he become an Immortal cultivator?


    Of course, those who were born with spiritual roots were extremely rare among the commoners. It could be said that there would only one would be born with spiritual roots in a batch of tens of thousands, and thus, there were only a selected few who would be able to embark on the pathway to become an Immortal. But still, the majority of those with spiritual roots lived out their lives as a commoner since it was extremely difficult for individuals to know if they possessed spiritual roots or not, causing great headache to recruiters from the Immortal sects.


    Even possessing spiritual roots did not guarantee that one was qualified to enter the Immortal sects. This was because there were differences in grade among spiritual roots.


    As the saying went, spiritual roots could be categorised into five categories: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The majority of cultivators had roots an impure mixture of four or all five of the attributes. Although these people was able to absorb Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, they would progress extremely slowly in terms of their cultivation. At most, they could only reach the third or fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage before reaching a bottleneck that halted all hopes of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.


    Spiritual roots with a mixture of four or five attributes were known as ¡°false spiritual roots¡± in the Immortal world, while spiritual roots of two to three attributes, were known as ¡°true spiritual roots¡±. Those with true spiritual roots would naturally cultivate many times faster when compared to those with false spiritual roots.


    And as for spiritual roots with only one attribute, they known as ¡°heavenly spiritual roots¡±; those who received them were truly favored by heavens. With heavenly spiritual roots, regardless of which of the five attributes the spiritual root belonged to, the cultivation rate would be faster by two to three times when compared to those with true spiritual roots. And upon reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, they would not encounter any bottlenecks when attempting to break through to Core Formation. If true spiritual roots already increased the rate of cultivation, the heavenly spiritual roots would make people angry to a point of vomitting blood, as they enabled the individual to reach Core Formation easily without facing any bottlenecks.


    One must know that in a group of ten Qi Condensation cultivators, even with the aid from a Foundation Establishment elder, only one of them would be able to reach Foundation Establishment. But as for Core Formation, not even one in 100 Foundation Establishment cultivators would be able to reach it.


    The probability of reaching Core Formation could only be described as immensely difficult, which was why many people were envious of those who possessed heavenly spiritual roots. Every time someone with heavenly spiritual roots appeared, they would be frenziedly sought after by the Immortal sects. After all, this meant that in the future, their sect would have an additional Core Formation elder, furthering consolidating the power of their sect.


    However, being so precious and rare, the chance of something like the heavenly spiritual root appearing was close to nil, only once in several hundred years. Other than these spiritual roots, there was still a type of spiritual roots that did not belonged to any of the five attributes. This other kind of spiritual roots was known as ¡®mutated spiritual roots¡¯, and the rate of its appearance was much more frequent, about once every 20 to 30 years.


    Mutated spiritual roots referred to spiritual roots that evolved through the combination of any two or three of the five attributes.


    Example, a spiritual root of both earth and water attributes undergo a mutation and evolved into that of the lightning attribute; Metal and water attribute mutated and evolved into the ice attribute. Not only that, there were also darkness attribute roots and wind attribute roots, as well as countless other variations.


    For individuals who possessed mutated spiritual roots, although they would still meet a bottleneck when attempting to step into Core Formation, their cultivation speed was roughly equal to those with heavenly spiritual roots. Furthermore, if those with mutated spiritual roots were able to find a cultivation art that matches their attribute, they would undoubtedly be the strongest among their generation, capable of fighting against three to four cultivators at the same cultivation level.


    As a result, those with mutated roots were also greatly welcomed by the Immortal sects.


    However, even finding individuals with true spiritual roots was a headache for recruits from the Immortal sects, let alone heavenly spiritual roots and mutated spiritual roots.


    That was because it was simply impossible for Immortal recruiters to go into every nook and alley, demanding people to turn their children in for testing. And even then, true spiritual roots were pretty uncommon, with only one in every five to six individuals appearing with spiritual roots. Hence, some Immortal sects eventually collapsed simply because they could not find or groom anyone with spiritual roots.


    Regarding this embarrassing situation, many cultivators investigated and realised that spiritual roots were usually passed on through bloodline.


    For example, if a man or a woman possessed spiritual roots, the children they birthed would have a 25 percent chance of being born with spiritual roots. And naturally, if both the mother and the father were possessors of spiritual roots, the children they birthed who have a higher probability of inheriting spiritual roots.


    After this matter was discovered, many people grew agitated.


    This agitation was directed towards the young sect members. Under their elders¡¯ pressure, many youth from the various sects were forced out to the secular world to get married and settle down. Only after having a son or daughter would they be allowed to return back to their sect for cultivation.


    Whenever the sects lacked of disciples, they would select the descendants of their disciples with spiritual roots. This way, the rate of finding people with spiritual roots would greatly increase.


    The problematic situation faced by Immortal sects could finally be considered partially resolved.


    Eventually over time, more and more people with spiritual roots were born, which paved the way for the formation of cultivator clans and families.


    These cultivator clans might not possess high-level cultivation arts, but they do not face a shortage of low-level cultivation arts and techniques. Eventually, they became the external window that the Immortal sects could use to reach out to the secular world.


    This essentially meant that behind each cultivator clan was backed by a powerful Immortal sect. Having explained all of this, this white-robed youth felt extremely satisfied. It had been far too long since he last showed off his knowledge.


    The feeling of when the listener was fully focused on the words he spoke made him feel extremely happy and well-disposed towards Han Li. Hence, so he held nothing back, wanting to show off his knowledge in front of Han Li. Naturally, Han Li was pleased with such an arrangement, and he oftentimes interjected appropriately, giving the white-robed youth another chance to expound on his knowledge. What a pity, this hill that was shrouded by fog wasn¡¯t very far from the village. After a few hours, both of them had already arrived at the hillside.


    Having traveled only a short journey, Han Li couldn¡¯t help being somewhat dissatisfied for not having enough time to learn more regarding the matters of the cultivation world. He deeply wanted to walk back to the village again so that he could expand his knowledge, but he knew that it was impossible to do so. Sighing, he looked at the youth beside him with disappointment misting over his eyes.

 Chapter 128

    Great South Small Meeting.


    Chapter 128: Great South Small Meeting


    ¡°Which clan is Brother from?¡±  After the youth finished looking at the dense fog with excitement, he seemed to have remembered something, so he turned his head to ask.


    When Han Li had chatted with the youth just a moment ago, he realized that in the world of cultivators, aside from cultivation sects and clans, the number of rogue cultivators was not small.


    The majority of these so-called rogue cultivators were either the last generation of a fallen cultivation clan or people like Han Li, mortals who accidentally stumbled upon some cultivation art and voluntarily entered the world of cultivators. Furthermore, the rogue cultivators from declining sects were separated from their inheritance; their cultivation was, for the most part, not at a high stage, generally lingering at Qi Condensation. As a result, cultivation clans have rarely treated rogue cultivators with high regard and had somewhat held them in contempt, just like how rich families from the secular world looked down upon poor and destitute families.


    ¡°I do not come from a clan, but rather I¡¯ve cultivated by myself!¡± After Han Li thought for a moment, he decided to speak the truth. After all, pretending to be a member from another clan was far too easy to expose.


    ¡°Your esteemed self is a rogue cultivator!?¡± Although this was quite unexpected to the youth, his face didn¡¯t wear the slightest look of discrimination but instead had a look of pleasant surprised.


    He excitedly circled around Han Li, looking at Han Li as if he were a rare object.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Little Brother just say a moment ago that cultivation clans looked down upon rogue cultivators? How are you still so happy?¡± Han Li asked, somewhat amazed by this.


    ¡°They do, but don¡¯t confuse our Wan clan with other cultivator clans. Our Wan clan has always treated rogue cultivators well!¡± The youth pridefully replied. He seemed quite proud of his clan¡¯s practices.


    ¡°Our Wan clan¡¯s ancestors were originally rogue cultivators. However they were fortunate enough to enter a cultivation school, becoming official disciples of the Giant Sword Sect. At this point, our Wan clan was established, and because of our origins, the rules of our Wan clan have always made it forbidden to discriminate against rogue cultivators.¡± The youth said with a smile.


    ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t limited to our Wan clan. A few other clans¡¯ ancestors were also rogue cultivators, therefore they also bear no ill will toward rogue cultivators. However, these clans take up far too small a portion of the entirety of cultivation clans. That is why there is the saying that cultivator clans discriminate against rogue cultivators.¡± The youth added while shaking his head.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that! It seems I am quite lucky. My first meeting was with a little brother from this sort of clan, the Wan clan.¡± After Han Li heard the other side¡¯s response to his identity as a rogue cultivator, he had somewhat loosened his guard around the youth.


    ¡°However Brother, throughout the entire journey, you¡¯ve asked about so many commonly known matters in the world of cultivators. Could it be that brother is a new cultivator that had just left the mountain?¡± The youth turned his eyes, saying this with sudden realization. It was unknown why he became intelligent all of a sudden.


    When Han Li heard this, his face slightly smiled, and he used his hand to pat the youth¡¯s shoulders. He said somewhat apologetically, ¡°I hadn¡¯t meant to deliberately fool Little Brother, but I had just entered the world of cultivation. I had a few misgivings!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I don¡¯t mind! However, this Big Brother should tell me his name! In the future, you should directly call me Xiaoshan, I won¡¯t mind.¡± Wan Xiaoshan was clearly a familiar kind of person, saying this without a care in the world.


    ¡°Hehe! I am Han Li. I truly just entered the world of cultivation. I hope Brother Xiaoshan will take care of me!¡± Han Li¡¯s impression of Wan Xiaoshan was quite favorable, causing the tone of his words to become much more amiable.


    ¡°No problem. If there is something Big Brother Han doesn¡¯t understand, do not hesitate to ask. Hehe! Who would have thought that I, Wan Xiaoshan, would be instructing others?¡± Wan Xiaoshan proudly said.


    ¡°If I have any questions, I will certainly ask Xiaoshan. However, shouldn¡¯t we enter the valley?¡± Han Li slightly smiled, pointing to the sky.


    ¡°Aiya! I almost forgot about our true affair.¡± After Wan Xiaoshan looked to the sky where Han Li¡¯s finger was pointed, he immediately shouted, flustered.


    The youth busily searched himself for quite a while before finally taking out a paper talisman from his bosom.


    After he made several gestures with his hands and softly spoke several phrases, he threw the paper talisman into the sky. It transformed into a streak of fire that burst into the dense fog, not longer capable of being seen.


    ¡°Big Brother Han Li, wait a moment. My announcement talisman will soon enter the valley. The people in the valley will release the spell and guide us there.¡± After the youth saw Han Li somewhat entranced in the direction that the flame had disappeared, he quickly explained,


    ¡°Oh!¡± Han Li nodded his head, expressing his understanding.


    ¡°Big Brother Han Li, on this visit to Great South Valley, surely you have brought quite a few goods to exchange? Can you tell me? Don¡¯t feel embarrassed, this Little Brother will say what he brought first!¡±


    ¡°I brought a dozen elementary low-grade blank paper talismans, two elementary low-grade Invisibility Talismans, two elementary low-grade Fleeing Earth Talismans, one elementary mide-grade Rapid Thunder Talisman, a dozen elementary low-grade Ice Bullet Talismans, an ingot of source iron, a bottle of elementary grade cinnabar, a bundle of whiskers from the Three-Tailed Cat demon beast, medicinal herbs¡­.¡± Wan Xiaoshan didn¡¯t take notice of the dumbstruck Han Li as he murmured and counted his fingers,listing out his stockpile of items.


    ¡°Done! Now it¡¯s Big Brother Han¡¯s turn to say! Big Brother, why is your complexion so white? You¡­¡± The youngster blinked. He looked at Han Li, not understanding why Han Li was speechless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that to enter Great South Valley, I must prepare items beforehand?¡± Han Li complexion was unsightly.


    ¡°There is no such rule!¡± Wan Xiaoshan bluntly replied.


    Having heard this, Han Li complexion immediately improved.


    ¡°However, those that come to Great South Valley at this time are certain to participate in Great South Small Meeting. Who wouldn¡¯t bring any items? This only happens once every five years; the occasion is for us younger generation of the Lan Province to set up a trading event! Especially for the great Immortal Ascension Assembly that our Lan Province will hold a month from now. Those who pass by to participate in Great South¡¯s Small Meeting are numerous. Could it be that Big Brother did not come to take part in the famous Great South Valley¡¯s Small Meeting?¡± The youth said, shocked. He looked at Han Li with a gaze lacking confidence.


    Han Li bitterly smiled.


    ¡°Brother Xiaoshan, I truly didn¡¯t know that this place would have a Great South Small Meeting. I merely found out by accident that this place harbored other cultivators. I came to make friends, nothing more. How could I have specially prepared some items beforehand?¡± Han Li helplessly said as he spread out his hands.


    ¡°So it was like that! That is far too unfortunate. Big Brother Han Li has no choice but to squander this golden opportunity. You should know that there are no opportunities to those who lack goods and materials.¡± Wan Xiaoshan said with a face full of pity, repeatedly sighing at Han Li.


    ¡°However, I can¡¯t say that I have nothing on me that I can¡¯t trade. At the very least, do I not have these two talismans?¡± Han Li thought, mocking himself.


    At this moment, the dense fog in front of the two suddenly split as if a person had cut it with a knife, creating a small path that could fit two people shoulder to shoulder. With a glance, one could not see the other end of the small path, which seemed to be quite a distance away.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± The youth looked toward Han Li with a wry yet happy face before joyfully rushing in first and disappearing onto the road.


    Han Li carefully observed the small path with indifference for a moment, before walking in with striding steps. He walked with stable steps, calm and unhurried.


    This path seemed to be quite long, but after walking for a short period of time, he arrived at the end.


    Once Han Li walked off the path, something was suddenly revealed before him, a rarely seen fully lush, green valley. The valley was closed off from three sides by mountains. Its only entrance was the mountain side sealed off by dense fog where Han Li had originally entered.


    This entire region was quite large, no less than sixteen acres. At the center, there was a large fenced off area with a jade palace pavilion where somewhat bizarrely dressed people left and entered.


    (TL: actual measurement was 100 mu ? or 16.5 acres.)


    In front of the pavilion, there was an expansive azure brick plaza occupied by many people resembling small traders. The entire plaza was set up with small vendors¡¯ stalls. From time to time, he would see one or two people pressed against the front of a booth. They would look at a few things or perhaps softly ask a few questions, but Han Li rarely saw anyone who reached a deal.


    Having seen this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take in a deep breath.This was the world of cultivators! All the people here were cultivators. Being able to see so many cultivators all at once had left Han Li in somewhat of a trance.


    Han Li softly shook his head, clearing his mind a bit. He constantly reminded himself that he wanted to enter a previously unimaginable world. The people here were most likely able to eliminate him with ease. He must be more cautious and subdued.


    With this thought, Han Li turned his head to look at the path that by now had already completely disappeared and raised his leg to walk toward the bright stage.

 Chapter 129

    Daoist Master Qingyan.


    Chapter 129: Daoist Master Qingyan


    Han Li merely walked a few steps before he heard a voice calling him from far away.


    ¡°Over here, Big Brother Han!¡±


    Turning his gaze in the direction of the voice, he saw Wan Xiaoshan standing beside a green-robed elderly man, incessantly waving his hands to get his attention.


    Han Li lightly smiled as he walked over. When he approached the side of the elderly man, Wan Xiaoshan started an introduction, ¡°This elderly figure is from Great South Valley, Daoist Master Qingyan. He is my father¡¯s bosom friend. The recent Great South Meeting was organised and held by him and a few other elders.¡±


    The moment Han Li heard the youth¡¯s words, he involuntarily cast a few glances at the green-robed senior.


    This elderly man was tall and skinny and wore a green scholarly robe. With wide shoulders, long hands, and a pockmarked face, he looked rather terrifying.


    After introducing him, the youth spoke to the elderly, ¡°Brother Han is someone I met when I was adventuring outside the valley. Although he is a rogue cultivator, we hit off extremely well. Senior Martial Uncle must take care of him as well!¡±


    The old man regarded Han Li, and suddenly, he shut his eyes, saying:


    ¡°Little Brother Han, your wood attribute cultivation art is not bad. Reaching the eight layer at such a young age¡­your achievements are seen extremely rarely even in our cultivation world!¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled in his heart after he heard the praise of this old man. If it were not for him consuming a large amount of spiritual herbs and pills, how would he have reached the eighth layer so easily? If it weren¡¯t for that, he estimated that he would still be at the third and fourth layer.


    But still on the surface, he respectfully replied with a touch of modesty: ¡°Elder Qing, thank you for your praise, but I was just lucky.¡±


    The green robed old man nodded his head and stopped talking to him. Turning his gaze back onto Xiaoshan, he asked, ¡°Little fellow, those in your family have already arrived and are very worried about you. They asked me to bring you to them the moment we met. You should follow me as I led you to them now!¡±


    Upon hearing the news, Wan Xiaoshan couldn¡¯t help but to show a face of depression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that seventh sister and ninth brother came along as well? I¡¯m most afraid of their constant nagging¡­.Is it acceptable if I don¡¯t go?¡± Wan Xiaoshan gazed at the old man with hopeful eyes.


    The green-robed old man stopped smiling and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, of course I have to go back!¡± Wan Xiaoshan sank his head as he replied in a depressed tone.


    ¡°Hmmph! Your guts are not small, and you actually dared to sneak out without informing your family. If you met an Immortal cultivator who was unscrupulous in the middle of your journey, do you think you would still be alive?¡± The old man harshly berated Xiaoshan while glancing at Han Li out of the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this old man hinting that I¡¯m someone with a crooked heart, an extremely unscrupulous Immortal cultivator, and that I tried to get near to Xiaoshan for some other motive?¡± Han Li observed coldly towards the side, understanding the intent behind the old man¡¯s words.


    ¡°Hai! It¡¯s so hard to meet someone I can talk to about everything under the sun, but it seems like we have to be separated temporarily! If I don¡¯t leave and Daoist Master Qingyan were to use his methods, I don¡¯t even know if I can leave here alive.¡± Han Li helplessly exclaimed in his heart.


    ¡°Since Brother Wan wants to go back to meet his family, I shall go by myself and explore the place first. If we have an opportunity in the future, I will certainly treat Little Brother to a drink.¡± Han Li clasped his hands as he spoke to Wan Xiaoshan and Daoist Master Qingyan.


    ¡°Aiya! Don¡¯t leave so fast, I still want to introduce you to¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Little Brother Han still has something he has to take care of. You shouldn¡¯t disrupt his plans.¡±


    Wan Xiaoshan saw that Han Li was leaving and frantically wanted to try and say something, but he was stopped by Daoist Master Qingyan.


    Seeing this unfolding, Han Li smiled towards Wan Xiaoshan before turning and departing.


    Meanwhile, that youth followed behind the old man with a face full of depression, as though he was being dragged to his execution ground. He walked slowly towards his family¡¯s direction.


    Even though Han Li had been treated like that by Daoist Master Qingyan, he wasn¡¯t annoyed.


    After all, as an elderly man, he would have plenty of life experiences. Seeing someone like Han Li, who came from an unknown background, he would surely view him with suspicion. Any normal mortal old man would surely do so, not to mention a senior such as Daoist Master Qingyan.


    However, Han Li did not have any malicious intents towards Wan Xiaoshan; he purely wanted to understand matters about the world of cultivators.But now with the appearance of Daoist Master Qingyan, it seemed that he would have to find some other way to get more knowledge about the world of cultivators. Unknowingly, he started to move closer to the Immortal cultivators¡¯ shops.


    The cultivators¡¯ shops were situated in a spacious market, lined up in the shape of a ¡°?¡± design around the market. This way, it was easier for the potential customers in the crowd to browse their merchandise. Lining up in small groups of two to three, the customers split themselves up as they explored the stores, giving the market the atmosphere of a rowdy night market.


    It was already approaching late evening, and the lights on the streets flickered into life.  The majority of the merchants lit up their bronze lanterns that contained neither wick nor wax. Instead, the lanterns housed white stones that released a soft light, illuminating the streets.


    The light emitted was stronger than ordinary candlelight. Not only was it capable of illuminating a small region, even the nearby streets were illuminated as well. To Han Li, this was an extraordinary treasure! Han Li couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue as he exclaimed in wonder


    The skies turned dark, but the crowd was even more populated than before. The majority were Immortal cultivators hidden in the crowd, causing the liveliness of the area to be even more rampant. Han Li slowly neared the market, but he didn¡¯t bring his horse in. Instead, he observed from the outside, taking note of all the Immortal cultivators he saw.


    Because now, at such a close distance, the attire of the Immortal cultivators allowed Han Li to widen his scope and knowledge.


    Some of the cultivators had shabby robes on, only covering their private areas, with other parts of their bodies bare for all to see. While others were heavily robed in clothes, not revealing any parts of their skin, a total opposite when compared to the shabbily dressed cultivators. What was more ludicrous was that there was fellow who was obviously a man but was dressed like a woman. This almost caused Han Li to vomit, but luckily these type of strange people weren¡¯t often seen. Although the other cultivators were dressed strangely, Han Li was still able to accept it.


    After his observation, Han Li¡¯s countenance suddenly flickered as his eyes grew brighter.


    He discovered, that those in the market, regardless of whether they were merchants setting up stores or Immortal cultivators visiting the markets, all of them were between 10 and 20 years of age. He couldn¡¯t even spot a Immortal cultivator older than 30.


    This was just as Wan Xiaoshan had described it. Taking place every five years, ¡°The Great South Meeting¡± was an event targeted young Immortal cultivators. It appeared that those who were older or had a higher status wouldn¡¯t appear here. Even Daoist Master Qingyan wouldn¡¯t dare to show his face here.


    Thinking of this, he let out a sigh of relief. After all, these old fellows were tough to handle, and if they wanted to deal with him, they would easily be able to do, so just like using a finger and pressing an ant to death. No trouble at all.


    However, although the ones in front of his eyes were all young Immortal cultivators, their individual levels of power weren¡¯t weak. If Han Li were to compare himself with these cultivators, he could only be considered someone at the mid-tier, average standard. Back in Jia Yuan City, Han Li had once met the blue-clothed man, who was so much stronger than him. Over here, there were five to six Immortal cultivators on the same level as the blue-clothed man, which made Han Li perspire with nervousness.

 Chapter 130

    Becoming a Member.


    Chapter 130: Becoming a Member


    ¡°Brother, why are you waiting here by yourself? Are you waiting for a friend?¡± A bright and clear voice suddenly came from behind Han Li, giving him a start.


    Han Li slowly turned around and saw six to seven people standing not far from him. The one who spoke was a 27 or 28 year-old cultivator dressed in Daoist robes. This person had a blemishless white face and regular features. He held a  horsetail whisk in his arm and was looking at Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°Does this Daoist priest have business with myself?¡± Han Li did not understand the other party¡¯s questions  and instead asked him a question in return.


    ¡°Hehe! Don¡¯t misunderstand, we aren¡¯t looking at Brother with evil intentions. It¡¯s just that we saw Brother stand by himself with an appearance of curiosity towards everything. That¡¯s why we guessed your esteemed self was a rogue cultivator that attended the meeting alone and thought we¡¯d come and make friends. We¡¯re all rogue cultivators much like your esteemed self.¡± The Daoist priest explained with a face of benevolence.


    ¡°You are all rogue cultivators?¡± Han Li was slightly shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If your esteemed self is a rogue cultivator, then it would be best to stay together with us. That way, everyone will be able to look after each other during this meeting.¡± These words came from the delicate and pretty face of a young woman with a scar. Beside her was a large, fully bearded man carrying a broadsword on his back. The two seemed to be married.


    ¡°Yes, previously lone rogue cultivators that participated in the trade meet were regularly humiliated by those from large clans because they were too weak!¡± The Daoist priest solemnly said.


    Hearing these two¡¯s words, Han Li had somewhat understood the other party¡¯s intentions.


    This group of rogue cultivators were afraid of being bullied by those from cultivator clans during the meet. As a result, they voluntarily gathered together and created a small gang in an attempt to acquire the ability to defend themselves.  That was why they looked everywhere for lone rogue cultivators.


    Since the other party¡¯s intent was clear, Han Li naturally could not refuse these kinds of good intentions. After all, he truly needed a small group to shield him from the rain; he did not care that this could only be considered a temporary thing.


    However, he still needed to carefully ask the other party several questions before being able to join them with ease.


    ¡°Since you several people have looked out for me, I won¡¯t conceal anything. I truly am a rogue cultivator. However, if you wish for me to join your group, could you first introduce yourselves and say what I must do as a member of your group?¡± Han Li calmly admitted his identity as a rogue cultivator, but as soon as the people in front of him revealed happy expressions, he put forth his request.


    ¡°It seems that Brother still has some misgivings! Haha! This is no matter. When the others had barely joined, they spoke almost the same exact words as your esteemed self!¡± After the Daoist priest and the others heard Han Li¡¯s words, not only did they not show an expression of displeasure but instead, they looked at each other and laughed heartily. Afterwards, the Daoist priest said these words:


    ¡°I will give you an introduction of these several friends!¡± The Daoist priest pointed to the several rogue cultivators and said to Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°These two are blood brothers from the Dark Blue Wolf Mountains, Hei Mu and Hei Jin.¡± The Daoist priest pointed to the youthful pair and calmly introduced them.


    (TL: ?? Hei Mu ¨C Black Tree, ?? Hei Jin- Black Gold.)


    These two cupped their hands towards Han Li, and Han Li calmly returned the courtesy.


    ¡°This is Flying Lotus Cave¡¯s Vagabond Hong Lian and Pu Lu Mountain¡¯s Master Ku Sang.¡± This time, he pointed to the ordinary young lady and the small, bitter faced Buddhist monk.


    (TL: ?? Hong Lian means Red Lotus.)


    ¡°As for them¡­¡±


    ¡°We are a married couple from Skywater Village, Hu Pinggu and Xiong Dali.¡± The Daoist priest had pointed to the young woman and that large bearded man who had not yet spoken. With a chuckle, the young woman quickly took over the conversation.


    The Daoist priest wasn¡¯t angry from being interrupted and calmly laughed instead.


    ¡°This humble Daoist is the Daoist Priest of Crouching Ox Mountain¡¯s Young Ox Crown, Gua Shan. My Daoist name is ¡®Qing Wen¡¯. Hehe, this humble Daoist is this small group¡¯s founder and current leader for the time being. However this humble Daoist cannot command anyone and only speaks first during external affairs!¡± The Daoist priest humbly introduced himself last and also gave the general characteristics of this small gang.


    (TL: In this chapter, the Daoist priest was originally named Song Wen ??, but the author changes this to Qing Wen?? in all later chapters.)


    This Daoist priest also had quite a bit of bearing. This person didn¡¯t seem bad at all!


    In addition, the others¡¯ magic power didn¡¯t seem weak for the most part. Most of them had the magic power equivalent to the seventh or eighth layer of Eternal Spring Arts! This Daoist Priest Qing Wen was even more formidable. Although he hadn¡¯t reached the level of the blue-clothed man, he was much stronger than Han Li.


    After Han Li pondered for a moment, he felt that joining these people had many advantages with no disadvantages. He then said, ¡°Since everyone is a rogue cultivator and group affairs are handled well, I, Han Li, would like to join you for the time being.


    ¡°Very good, Brother Han has joined. The strength of our group has increased yet again!¡± After Daoist priest Qing Wen heard Han Li¡¯s words, he immediately replied in a cheerful tone.


    The others had also revealed a happy expression. After all, Han Li¡¯s magic powered seemed to be not weak and would be of no small assistance to them.


    ¡°Is our entire group here?¡± Han Li asked, currently looking left and right.


    ¡°There are still two more. One is currently sound asleep in a room. The other is strolling around.¡± Hu Pinggu curled her lip. It seemed she did not look at these two people particularly favorably.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t as bad as Lady Hu says. One simply wanted to sleep for a bit, and the other wanted to have some fun!¡± The small Buddhist monk defended on behalf of the two people.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Hu Pinggu felt some discontent upon hearing Buddhist Monk Ku Sang words, and wanted to say a few other things.


    ¡°Enough! Everyone mustn¡¯t argue. After all everyone had originally come to an agreement. Except for when we battle an external power, when we all must unite and follow orders. We all have freedom during all other times and can do as we wish!¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen hastily stepped forward to mediate.


    Although this Lady Hu did not appear outwardly happy, she did not pester and argue afterwards. After all, Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s strength was quite powerful, so she could not help but give him face.


    ¡°Wait until evening, then Brother Han will be able to meet with the two. I will give you an introduction at that time. Those two truly stand out from the masses!¡± The Daoist priest had a helpless appearance. It seemed the two were quite troublesome.


    When Han Li saw this, although his interest was greatly piqued, he found it embarrassing to question this matter closely.


    Next, Daoist Priest Qing Wen asked Han Li if he planned to move together with them or stroll by himself.


    Han Li naturally chose the latter, not surprising Daoist Priest Qing Wen. Because those who had just entered Great South Valley were naturally quite curious, they would for the most part favor moving alone. However, it would take about the same time for him to finish looking if they were to move together.


    The Daoist priest was also quite conscientious. After telling Han Li a few taboo subjects and a few common conventions, making sure he understood the Great South Small Meeting completely, he gave Han Li a talisman.


    He pointed to a pavilion¡¯s small bannered floor and told Han Li that the pavilion was where they were staying. The talisman he gave Han Li was a key to open the small floor¡¯s restrictive spell, allowing Han Li to rest there when he were tired.


    Afterwards these several people said their goodbyes to Han Li and disappeared from the dim light of night, leaving him not knowing whether they were continuing to look for other rogue cultivators.


    Han Li continued to looked at the rear figures of these several people until they were already too far away to be seen. He then lowered his head to look at the talisman in his hand. There was a silver glisten on the yellow talisman. It was a talisman charm he was unable to make sense of. It seemed truly quite clever.


    After Han Li muttered to himself for a moment, he softly smiled.


    He folded the paper talisman and put it into his bosom. Then, after a deep look in the direction that Daoist Priest Qing Wen disappeared, he turned around and walked toward the plaza without the slightest hesitation.


    After he entered the plaza, Han Li became like the other cultivators; he slowly walked on one side while turning his head to look at the goods of each and every vendor¡¯s stall.


    According to what Daoist Priest Qing Wen had mentioned a moment ago, these cultivator transactions generally used two methods.


    The first method would be to exchange items for items. A few cultivators would trade a few goods they didn¡¯t need but were still hesitant to part with for goods that they urgently needed. As a result, those who set up a vendor stall would not have any successful transactions for several days. This was quite a common occurrence.

 Chapter 131

    Spirit Stones and Spirit Talisman


    Another more popular method was to use something called ¡°spirit stones¡± as a form of currency in business transactions among cultivators to buy and sell goods.


    As the name implies, a ¡°spirit stone¡± is a type of stone that was full of the world¡¯s Spiritual Qi. The amount of Spiritual Qi accumulated in the spirit stone is a huge supplement for cultivators.


    If a cultivator absorbed the Spiritual Qi within the spirit stone during meditation as he cultivated, his speed of cultivation would reach astonishing rates. After all, the scattered Spiritual Qi that a cultivator would have to absorb and refine by himself was quite different from having pure, refined Spiritual Qi next to him that he could absorb and refine as he wished.


    However, this was not a spirit stone¡¯s greatest effect. The most important usage of the spirit stone was for magic techniques and to set up a formation spell.


    Whether or not a high-grade formation spell succeeded and was effective, it all depended upon the effectiveness of the spirit stones used. A good spirit stone would not only guarantee the success of the formation spell, it would also increase the power dramatically.


    However, the amount of spirit stones used for magic techniques was far above the utility of formation spells. This was because a cultivator had to rely on his own magic power cultivation to determine the grade and effectiveness of the magic technique he wanted to execute. Since it was almost impossible to rely on oneself and use a high-grade magic technique, spirit stones became the best magic power amplification object.


    If a cultivator cast a very powerful magic spell while holding a spirit stone in his hand, the Spiritual Qi within the spirit stone would continuously replenish the cultivator¡¯s loss of magic power during magic casting. In this manner, it was able to support magic techniques one would originally be unable to use.


    Therefore, the spirit stones had become the best option for cultivators to gain the upper hand and win from a position of weakness. They were also the best strength recovery tonic after magic power was greatly depleted, and would increase one¡¯s chances of survival during a fight by leaps and bounds.


    Spirit stones have so many uses and amazing effects, so naturally, the value for a spirit stone rose as well.


    But because of the vast consumption of the spirit stones, along with the excessive exploitation and continuous decline of their ore veins, spirit stones had gradually became a precious luxury good in the present day of the cultivating world. In short, it became a cultivator¡¯s optimal safeguard for business transactions and the only circulating monetary currency. Furthermore, there was even a collaborative decision on the detailed differentiation on a spirit stone¡¯s specifications and grade.


    Spirit stones were grade into four grades according to the amount of spirit power they contained. The four grades comprised of low-grade spirit stone, mid-grade spirit stone, high-grade spirit stone and ultra-grade spirit stone. In addition, according to the different attribute of spirit power spirit stones stored, they could also be categorised into the five elements: Metal spirit stone, Wood spirit stone, Water spirit stone, Earth spirit stone, and Fire  spirit stone. Moreover, there are also rarely seen spirit stone attributes such as Wind (?) spirit stone and Thunder spirit stone. But those spirit stones were very rare.


    These kind of extremely precious items like spirit stones, Han Li don¡¯t even possess a single piece of it.


    He admitted that he did not have any sort of goods on him to use for an exchange. Hence from the start, he had intentions to widen his horizon, so he looked around without any restraint and continued his journey.


    Even though Han Li¡¯s appearance was indifferent and calm, the items at the vendors¡¯ stalls made his heart stir and greatly envious.


    Ignoring the rest of the items, even the plain white talisman paper that every vending stall offered was subject to his attention. Despite the fact that this object was very common, it was currently what Han Li needed the most.


    Even though Han Li still did not know the meaning of the level or grade of this talisman paper and what specific difference it had, he knew that with his present power, the elementary low-grade talisman paper was definitely enough for him to fully execute the Soul-Lock Talisman.


    Therefore, if he could acquire a few talisman papers, he could immediately use one more type of magic spell, instantly increasing his strength quite a bit.


    Of course other than the talisman paper, there was a rich variety of spirit talisman such as ¡°Thunder Fire Talisman¡±, ¡°Fire Dragon Talisman¡±, and the ¡°Huge Force Talisman¡±. All of these caused Han Li to be rather tempted.


    While Han Li was still standing in front of an unassuming vendor¡¯s stall, he saw a spirit talisman that was exactly the same as the Daoist paper talisman that released a golden barrier, which he owned. Beside it, a signboard clearly wrote: ¡°Guardian Talisman, metal elementary mid-grade defensive spirit talisman, worth nine low-grade spirit stones¡±.


    Han Li had shopped at many vending stalls, so he had come to understand the prices of these Daoist paper talisman. One low-grade spirit stone could buy a dozen elementary low-grade plain white talisman paper. But fully refined elementary low-grade Daoist paper talismans, depending on the different types of magic spell, were sold separately for two pieces of low-grade spirit stones.


    As for the elementary mid-grade spirit talisman, promptly translating a few could sell for six to ten spirit stones. Moreover, defensive spirit talisman were more expensive than offensive spirit talisman.


    As Han Li himself had the same type of object, he naturally wanted to take note of it.


    After carefully examining stall¡¯s Guardian Talisman, Han Li discovered the other talisman¡¯s Spiritual Qi was much better than the one he kept in his bosom. It was clearly a new product that has not yet been used, but he reckoned that his worn and old product could only be sold at one third of its price at best.


    Coming to this conclusion, Han Li laughed bitterly. It seemed that among cultivators, he was still a pauper. He couldn¡¯t help but to touch the article he had on him. Suddenly, he jolted when he remembered that he had a spirit talisman inscribed with a picture of a small sword in his bosom.


    Although he still didn¡¯t know the name of the talisman, Han Li believed that this talisman was worthed more than the Guardian Talisman.


    When he thought of this, Han Li began to pay close attention to every vendor, taking note to see whether the same Daoist paper talisman with the picture of a small sword was being sold.


    Unfortunately, after going around so many stalls, he still did not see a similar product. Instead, at an area with five to six cultivators gathering around, Han Li found someone selling an elementary high-grade spirit talisman.


    The signboard beside the spirit talisman wrote: ¡°Soaring Sky Talisman, Wind-attribute elementary high-grade flying-type spirit talisman, price is at 30 low-grade spirit stone or exchange for consolidation-type pill medicine of equal value¡±.


    The moment Han Li saw the signboard, his heart was startled.


    After going around many stalls, this was the first elementary high-grade spirit talisman that Han Li had seen. He couldn¡¯t help but to attentively view it. As expected, that spirit paper talisman¡¯s Spiritual Qi was astonishingly rich unlike all the previous low-grade and mid-grade spirit talisman he inspected in the other stalls.


    A huge barefooted horsefaced man, who was standing around and viewing the talisman, was unable to restrain himself and asked, ¡°20 pieces of spirit stones, are you willing to exchange?¡±


    The stall¡¯s owner was a capable and vigorous youth. He used his hand and pointed to the signboard, then paid no heed to that person any longer.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a flying-type talisman. It¡¯s not even an offensive or defensive spirit talisman. 20 pieces is more than enough!¡± The horsefaced man made a bid mentioned, dissatisfied.


    ¡°Hmph! If it was really an offensive or defensive spirit talisman, you think I would still settle for only 30 pieces? If you don¡¯t have 50 pieces, I won¡¯t even let you have a look! If you want to benefit at the others¡¯ expense, go to other places! I don¡¯t welcome it here.¡± The youth finally said coldly. But the moment he opened his mouth, he made the huge man¡¯s face turn entirely red.


    ¡°Good lad! I, Qin Yeling¡¯s Ye Bao, will remember you. After this gathering ends, let¡¯s compare skills with each other.¡± The horsefaced huge man said exasperatedly.


    (TL: ¡®Ye Bao¡¯ (??) means ¡®Leaf Leopard¡¯)


    ¡°Qin Yeling.¡± Originally Han Li was beaming happily as he viewed by the side, but after suddenly hearing the name of this place, he grew alarmed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the birthplace of the dwarf I killed? Although the midget¡¯s words might not have been true, I must still be careful of this huge man who claims to be from the Ye Clan.¡±


    Thinking up until here, Han Li subconsciously retreated back a few steps, quietly left the area, and went to the next vendor. But he already kept in mind the exchange of consolidation-type pill medicine written on the signboard.


    Han Li remembered that he still had a lot of unfinished Yellow Dragon Pellets and Gold Essence Pills, but he didn¡¯t know if those were the types of pills that the youth was requesting for. When there were less people around, he would go again and ask! If he was really successful, then he would have some capital and would be able to exchange for some necessary items.


    After Han Li considered this, he turned his head to glance at the youth¡¯s stall and discovered that Ye Bao had unknowingly left to go somewhere else and was no longer there. Among the remaining people left, there was another person who fished out a bottle and handed it over to the youth.


    The youth opened the bottle and smelled it a bit, but he then shook his head and returned the bottle to the owner. The owner of the bottle could only leave the place with a face full of regret. The others seemed to have come together with that person and also left shortly afterwards. Currently, there was no one in front of that stall.


    Seeing this, Han Li was delighted and slowly returned to the front of the youth¡¯s stall. When the youth saw Han Li, he smiled distractedly, clearly recognising the person who came by once just now.


    Han Li did not care that the youth laughed and said, ¡°I have two types of medicine. Can we see if they are suitable for your request?¡±


    After speaking, he took out two small porcelain bottles, one green and one blue, and placed it in front of the youth.


    Instead of speaking nonsense, the youth reached his hand out to take the two porcelain bottles and opened the lid one by one. He then brought the bottle openings closer to his nose and smelled hard at both bottles separately. Afterwards, his face revealed a thoughtful expression.


    The youth muttered to himself for a while and did not immediately return to normal. Instead he gently pushed the porcelain bottles towards Han Li.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Han Li blinked and asked.


    ¡°To tell you the truth, the pill medicines in both bottles were better than the ones I saw from the previous few people. But to me, they still not enough.¡± The youth hesitated for a moment, but he still shook his head and refused.

 Chapter 132

    The Harvest.


    Chapter 132: The Harvest


    When Han Li heard this, he was greatly disappointed, but it also did not surprise him. After all, the Yellow Dragon Pellet and Gold Essence Pill were mortal spiritual medicines. To ordinary people these may be miracle medicines, but to Immortal cultivators, these were indeed lacking.


    Since the youth did not look up, Han Li also did not want to be long-winded, so he reached out to take the porcelain bottles back.


    ¡°Although these pill medicines are indeed a bit lacking, if you have more bottles, I will exchange with you!¡± The youth suddenly spoke, looking quite sympathetic.


    After hearing the youth¡¯s words, Han Li¡¯s arm that was reaching out was immediately withdrawn. He laughed lightly.


    ¡°Did I say that I only have two medicinal bottles?¡± Han Li spoke slowly as he narrowed his eyes to focus on the youth.


    ¡°You have more?¡± The youth was slightly surprised, but he immediately revealed a cheerful expression.


    ¡°Of course, but if you want too many, I would still need to consider whether to agree with this transaction.¡± Han Li said noncommittally, as he was afraid that the youth might take advantage of the situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! I don¡¯t need a lot, just three bottles will do. It will be enough to allow me to break through the bottleneck in a short period of time.¡±  The youth cheered up, appearing very passionate, which was very different from his previously cold demeanor.


    This wasn¡¯t surprising. Who would bear to part with any consolidation pill medicine that was able to improve one¡¯s cultivation? There wasn¡¯t even enough to use on oneself! This was also the main reason why the youth had not exchanged the flight talisman these past few days.


    Han Li¡¯s Yellow Dragon Pellet and Gold Essence Pill were not considered top-notch spiritual medicine to Immortal cultivators, but thanks to the advantage of quantity, it was sufficient to allow the youth to break through to the tenth layer after being stuck at the peak of ninth layer for so long, thus increasing the youth¡¯s power drastically.


    However, only Han Li, a rascal who ate this type of medicine as mere snacks, could afford to use pill medicine for the exchange. Even so, Han Li was fully aware of the reason behind not exposing one¡¯s wealth. Han Li didn¡¯t want to the youth to have the impression that he could easily take out huge amounts of pill medicine without having any regrets.


    Hence, Han Li touched his chin, making an appearance of pain as well as reluctance to part with his belongings.


    ¡°Is that so? Isn¡¯t it too many? I have to exchange all the medicine I have on me!¡± Han Li intentionally muttered softly.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a lot! After all, this is an elementary high-grade spirit talisman. Think about it, if you had this spirit talisman with you, when you meet any dangers, you can immediately soar far into the sky. You can even fly faster than most of the birds. It¡¯s equivalent to having another chance to live! Furthermore, as long as the talisman¡¯s Spiritual Qi doesn¡¯t disperse, it can be used repeatedly many times. It is truly a useful spirit talisman!¡± The youth saw Han Li looking like he was going to give all his pill medicine,  so he strongly promoted the advantages of his Soaring Sky Talisman and flourished the smile on his face even more, afraid that Han Li would be unwilling and back out of the transaction.


    ¡°If we want to exchange, then fine. Give me a dozen of those talisman papers as a treat. That book too!¡± Han Li added when saw that the youth really wanted his pill medicine, so he straightforwardly pointed at a dozen slips of plain white talisman paper and an old book titled ¡°Manual of Basic Incantations¡±.


    The youth was shocked for a moment, but when he saw Han Li pointed to the low-rank talisman paper and an incantation book that was impossible to sell off, he was immediately delighted and agreed to it.


    So this was how Han Li obtained Soaring Sky Talisman and even managed to acquire a dozen slips of talisman paper as well as the incantation book that he had his eye on from the very beginning.


    Han Li flipped through the old book. In the book, there were all kinds of most basic elementary incantations, including seven to eight low-grade magic techniques and an elementary mid-grade ¡°Earth Thrust Technique¡±.


    To other Immortal cultivators, this kind of book was worthless, but it made Han Li extremely satisfied.


    This was because Han Li was currently lacking in these types of basic incantation techniques. Even though the stall in front of him sold manuals that were better and more complete, their prices were astonishing.


    One manual titled ¡°Comprehensive Collection of Elementary  Incantations of the Five Elements¡± was priced at 90 pieces of low-grade spirit stones, and another called ¡°Fundamental Water Incantation Talisman Techniques¡±  was priced at 60 pieces of low-grade spirit stones. Although all these books were thick and contained more incantation techniques, the current Han Li really couldn¡¯t buy them at all.


    (TL: ¡°Five elements¡± refer to the Five Phases :  Wood (? ), Fire (? ), Earth (? ), Metal (?), and Water (? ))


    After obtaining these goods, Han Li felt a little tired and was not in the mood to continue strolling, so he directly exited the plaza and headed towards the pavilion.


    Not long after leaving the plaza, Han Li turned his head to look and discovered that there were even more people within the plaza. It seemed like there were many of those night owl-like Immortal cultivators who prefered the nighttime.


    When Han Li got closer to these palace-type buildings, he discovered that the towers were actually built using extremely precious paulownia wood and large pieces of limestone. Not only was every floor carved with a picture of dragons and phoenix and was very refinely constructed, there was even a faint fluctuation of spirit power coming from one of the nearby towers. Perhaps it was the restraining technique that Daoist Priest Qing Wen mentioned.


    Han Li walked around for a lap, and and after finally finding the pavilion he was looking for, he walked towards it.


    But about three meters away from his destination, Han Li suddenly felt like he slammed into something after an invisible immense force abruptly pushed him and forcibly forced him to retreat far back.


    Han Li was somewhat startled yet excited. It appeared that there was a lot of things he still didn¡¯t know about in the cultivation world, and he desperately wanted to learn everything.


    As Han Li thought about this, his heart beat faster. He used the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique and gazed towards the small building.


    In the end, Han Li saw a faint layer of green light in front of him, obstructing the way. The whole pavilion was covered in the same green light, as if a huge bowl had been overthrown and was covering it.


    Han Li stepped forward once again, extended a finger, and lightly jabbed the green light. There was a soft and extremely elastic feeling. Using a bit more strength, there was a faint force that bounced back. The defense power of the green light was quite effective.


    Since Han Li managed to understand the effect of the green light, he stopped investigating it. He took out the talisman that Daoist Priest Qing Wen gave him and walked closer towards the light screen. In the end, the green coloured light screen immediately cleared away in ripples. A round hole soon appeared for Han Li to pass through.


    Han Li kept the talisman properly and strided in unceremoniously towards the tower. At this moment, the round hole slowly became smaller until it finally closed fully, returning the light screen back to its normal appearance.


    The tower in front was not considered to be very big. There were only two stories and was about 33 meters tall. But from the looks of the area of the land, there was plenty of space to spare for ten or more people to live.


    Han Li smiled and lifted his leg to enter the building. Upon entering the first floor¡¯s hall, other than the two large eight-seat square table, there were ten wooden chairs with simple and elegant upholstery. There was even a few Immortal cultivators.


    The small Buddhist Monk Ku Sang was sitting on the floor at the corner of the hall with his head lowered. His eyes were shut and he was chanting Sanskrit, looking like he was a senior monk. As for the other people, Han Li has not seen them before.


    ¡°Master Ku Sang, is Daoist Priest Qing Wen not back yet?¡± Han Li asked politely as he walked towards the Buddhist monk.


    The small Buddhist monk paid no heed to Han Li and continued to mutter some words, until Han Li became impatient with waiting. The Buddhist monk opened his eyes and said to Han Li with a look of apology, ¡°Almsgiver Han, please do not blame me. I was reciting the Diamond Sutra up to a crucial point, so I was unable to reply to your question immediately. Please do not get mad at me!¡±


    Han Li heard the Buddhist monk¡¯s reply and laughed dryly, ¡°How is that possible? I admire focused people the most.¡±


    Hearing Han Li say that, the small Buddhist monk laughed and leisurely said. ¡°Daoist Priest Qing Wen and the others are currently waiting for Almsgiver Han at the second floor. They instructed me to immediately tell you to go up once I saw you. It seems like they are looking for Almsgiver for some matters.¡±


    (TL: ?? Almsgiver or benefactor is a traditional way buddhist monks address others.)


    Han Li became somewhat gloomy when he heard this.


    Really! Even though there were people looking for Han Li, this small Buddhist monk not only failed to immediately tell Han Li, he was still so slow and long-winded. In the future, it would be better to be further away from the same type of people as the small Buddhist monk. The further the better!


    Han Li silently cursed in his heart, but his face remained unchanged as he nodded his head. He walked towards nearby stairs in the hall and headed up to the second floor.


    Upon entering the second floor, Han Li saw the two brothers Hei Mu and Hei Jin talking at the stairway entrance. Once they saw Han Li coming up, they quickly stopped their conversation and welcomed Han Li.


    ¡°Brother Han, Daoist Priest Qing Wen is currently waiting for you in the house. Follow both of us brothers to go over there!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was calm, and he did not utter a single word. He followed the two brothers around seven to eight turns along the corridor and entered a house.


    There were many people in the house. Apart from the Buddhist monk, everyone else was here. There were even two strangers that Han Li did not recognise.


    One of them was a 16 to 17 year-old youth, and the other was a 21 to 22 year-old fatty with fair skin. It seemed that these two were the rascals that even caused a headache for Daoist Priest Qing Wen.


    ¡°Brother Han is here! Quickly sit!¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen said to Han Li as he very politely pointed to a chair beside him.


    Han Li nodded and sat there.


    ¡°These two people are Yunmen Ravine¡¯s Wu Jiuzhi and Shitou Valley¡¯s Huang Xiaotian,¡± Qing Wen pointed to the youth and fatty separately and introduced them to Han Li.


    (TL: ?? (Jiuzhi) means nine fingers. ?? (Xiaotian) means filial piety, sky/heaven)

 Chapter 133

    Thieving Skills


    ¡°Aiya! I am Wu Jiuzhi. As soon as I saw Brother, I felt particularly familiar. Could it be we were brought together by the karma between our previous incarnations? Come! Let us later drink some wine and become sworn brothers!¡±


    As soon as Daoist Priest Qing Wen had finished speaking, this happily smiling chap suddenly scurried over and threw himself in front of Han Li. He extended a hand to firmly grasp Han Li¡¯s arm and then said these words with a face of deep emotion.


    Han Li was initially startled, but soon after he softly smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t be brothers, but can you not touch my body so casually with your hand? My tastes are quite ordinary; I don¡¯t have even the slightest interests in beautiful, young men!¡±


    Han Li mockingly said with a slight smile. An arm was suddenly raised into the air and turned over by Han Li; it was grabbed by the wrist as quick as lightning. This wrist had already been secretly extended halfway into Han Li¡¯s front jacket.


    ¡°Cough, cough! This is truly strange. How did my hand run off into Brother¡¯s bosom? It was definitely impatient to greet Brother Han once I saw him!¡±  The youth separated from Han Li on the spot. First he blushed with a surprised complexion, but after a few dry coughs and a few murmurs, he slowly withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.


    Han Li did not have any intention of holding back the youth¡¯s wrist. When the youth used force, Han Li had voluntarily let go.


    At this time, Han Li had actually grew quite an interest toward this Wu Jiuzhi. He was obviously a cultivator but he uses the thieving skills of a person from Jiang Hu. This pickpocketing of his was truly quite interesting.


    However, his technique was quite excellently practiced. Were it not Han Li but another cultivator, they would perhaps be truly unaware of his dirty trick. Surely quite a few people in this room had already suffered from his antics!


    Just as Han Li thought this, he heard Hu Pinggu¡¯s schadenfreude-laced voice.


    ¡°Boy Wu, have you met your match? Brother Han actually caught you at the scene. Are you going to continue boasting that your thieving skills are top notch with these petty thefts of yours?¡±


    ¡°What about it? This young master is satisfied. You want me to steal from you one more time? What haven¡¯t I stolen? You don¡¯t have anything of the slightest value from head to toe. What have you come to Great South Meeting for?¡± Wu Jiuzhi harshly said, curling his lip.


    ¡°What did you say, brat!? Did I not yet settle your debt the last time you stole from me?¡± Hu Pinggu suddenly jumped from her chair with an ashen complexion.


    In addition, her fully bearded husband, though he did not say anything, had his hand on the broadsword behind his back with eyes glaring at the youth. Han Li would later find out this Xiong Dali was actually a mute and therefore relied on his wife for all his affairs.


    ¡°Enough! We are all cultivators and should remain amiable. You two back down. Do not argue again.¡± When Daoist Priest Qing Wen saw this, he wrinkled his brow. However, after the words of conciliations were said, he solemnly said toward Jiuzhi,  ¡°Brother Wu, I know your thefts are only for fun, but you must return the objects to their owner every time. You mustn¡¯t have malicious intention. However, if you continue to do this, you will provoke disaster sooner or later. Not all of your victims will be easy to deal with. If you were to offend somebody from a cultivator clan, it wouldn¡¯t be that we wouldn¡¯t want to help but rathe that we simply couldn¡¯t. That is why you shouldn¡¯t pull these kinds of pranks anymore!¡±


    When the youngster heard Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s heartfelt words, he could not help but feel embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and sincerely mentioned, ¡°Actually on the journey to the Great South Valley, I accidentally obtained these thieving skills. But because I found it amusing, I could not help but practice it subconsciously on everyone. However, since this Brother Han could defeat this little brother, others at the great assembly should be much more difficult to deal with. That¡¯s why everyone should feel relieved since this little brother will not play with his life and will not use his stealing skills at the great assembly.¡±


    When the Daoist priest heard the youngster¡¯s words, his face showed an overjoyed expression.


    ¡°Brother Wu¡¯s talent is quite outstanding. At this age, he¡¯s already trained to the great circle of eighth layer. He is the true genius among us cultivators. It¡¯s better that he behaves himself this way.¡±


    ¡°This Little Brother will not let down Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s expectations. I request that everyone will better take care of me in the future!¡± Wu Jiuzhi gave a deep salute to everyone individually. After doing so, the hatred towards him was resolved.


    Although Hu Pinggu face still had a somewhat angry expression, her complexion was much better than before. It seemed she had reluctantly accepted his goodwill.


    Daoist Priest Qing Wen turned his head over and said to Han Li with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Brother Han who had just joined us would immediately perform such a great service. This humble Daoist wishes to thank you!¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled and declined with a soft voice, ¡° What does this have to do with me? This matter was completely handled by Daoist Priest!¡±


    The Daoist priest shook his head with a smile and spoke no further. However, at this moment, the drone of an indistinct voice sounded out.


    ¡°Daoist Priest, for what did you call us all over? Why doesn¡¯t this Buddhist monk join in?¡±


    It turned out to be the fair skinned fatty had uttered these words.


    However, this man was actually qualified to speak to Qing Wen in this manner.


    Han Li have been long aware that among them, the fatty had the greatest magic power, deeper than that of Qing Wen. That was why no one dare to mock the fatty¡¯s coarse words. Even that Wu Jiuzhi had a deadpan appearance and didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of difference.


    ¡®It seems this world of cultivators is just about the same as the secular Jiang Hu. Only those possessing strength will be respected!¡¯ Han Li thought as he saw this jeer.


    ¡°Hehe! Brother Huang is quite an impatient person! Very well, this humble Daoist will reveal the reason why he has called all of you here.¡± Qing Wen waved his horsetail whisk and said without the slightest trace of anger.


    ¡°The Great South Meeting has already passed half of its duration. It will be concluded in ten days. Shouldn¡¯t everyone conclude their business? If you want to setup a vendor¡¯s stall, then it would be best if we do it together. That is why I sought to discuss this with everyone.  As for Master Ku Sang, he already finished exchanging the items he brought. Therefore he needn¡¯t again participate in this discussion.¡±


    ¡®So it was like that. I should indeed exchange some items for a few spirit stones and buy a few other items!¡¯ The people in the room started to whisper.


    After a lively discussion, everyone except Han Li expressed interest in setting up a street vendor¡¯s stall the next day.


    ¡°Brother Han does not wish to participate?¡± Wu Jiuzhi asked, somewhat amazed.


    The others also looked toward Han Li with doubt.


    ¡°I initially only brought a few items with me. Last night, I happened to meet a few appropriate customers and already finished exchanging everything! That is why I don¡¯t plan to participate with you.¡± With a calm look, Han Li indifferently explained.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that! You really don¡¯t need to be bothered with us! Brother Han is truly fortunate to have finished exchanging his items after just arriving.¡± Hu Pinggu mentioned somewhat enviously.


    The others also shot Han Li an envious ¡°You are truly lucky¡± look.


    After Han Li heard this, he smiled and spoke no further.


    Daoist Priest Qing Wen saw that business discussions were finished. He happily stood and said, ¡°We should all rest well tonight and wake up spirited tomorrow. I hope you will all earn good profits!¡±


    Once everyone heard this, they also stood and smiled, preparing to leave.


    At this time, Daoist Priest Qing Wen seemed to have remembered something. His expression suddenly turned serious, and he said to everyone, ¡°By the way, after the Great South Meeting finishes, everyone shouldn¡¯t depart by themselves! I heard that after the past few Great South Meetings ended, a few rogue cultivators such as ourselves disappeared without a trace. It  would be better to be a bit more careful! It can be assumed that who is involved would not miss the opportunity to attend the Great Tian Wutai Immortal Ascension Assembly! Everyone should stay together to enhance their safety!¡±


    After everyone heard the Daoist priest say rogue cultivators had gone missing, the Hei Brothers and Hu Pinggu¡¯ faces paled. Rogue cultivators Hong Lian and Wu Jiuzhi were bewildered. Fatty Huang Xiaotian coldly snorted with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°Right. Us brothers approve of Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s words. It would be better to stay together as a group.¡±


    ¡°As a married couple, we do not disagree!¡±


    Both the Hei Brothers and Hu Pinggu with her husband agreed. It seemed they were greatly fearful toward this matter.

 Chapter 134

    Great Immortal Ascension Assembly


    ¡°Now is not the time to talk about some Immortal Ascension Assembly. The topic we should be discussing right now is regarding the issue of our fellow cultivators going missing.¡± Hu Pinggu said somewhat resentfully towards the youth.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Give Brother Wu a proper explanation. Maybe there are others who are unclear of the details about the Immortal Ascension Assembly.¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen said with a smile, but Han Li felt that he was intentionally looking at Han Li.


    Han LI¡¯s heart trembled with fear, could it be that Daoist Priest Qing Wen saw through something?  Han Li already tried his best to hide characteristics of a new Immortal cultivator and even go as far as to avoid touching certain people. But nowadays, it seemed that it was still unable to be conceal from these certain people¡¯s eyes. This Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s eyes were definitely really fierce.


    ¡°Since Daoist Priest Qing Wen said it like that, then I better explain it properly to Brother Wu!¡± Seeing this, Hei Mu¡¯s spirits were lifted, and he looked like he had a lot to say.


    So everyone returned to their original seats once again, except for Fatty Huang Xiaotian.


    ¡°I already know about the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly. I will return to rest first, you guys go ahead.¡±


    Fatty said with a cold expression. He did not wait for anyone else to speak and left the house, leaving behind a house full of people looking at each other in dismay.


    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t take offense. Brother Huang¡¯s cultivation art is a bit weird, and he is relatively addicted to sleep. It is not that he intentionally treats people coldy!¡± Qing Wen, with irreproachable manners, hurriedly exonerated Huang Xiaotian on his behalf.


    The majority of the people in the room who heard this all laughed bitterly. Take offense? Who dared to take offense? That person was a powerful man who had more magic power than the Daoist priest!


    The atmosphere in the room became somewhat awkward.


    ¡°Brother Hei Mu, please continue!¡± Wu Jiuzhi broke the atmosphere as he urged on.


    Hei Mu heard it and laughed, then continued to talk about it.


    ¡°When talking about Great Immortal Ascension Assembly, one must mention the Foundation Establishment Pill, the medicine pill that makes all the Qi Condensation stage cultivators go mad.¡­..¡±


    In order for a Qi Condensation cultivator were to enter Foundation Establishment and become a part of the true cultivating world, aside from cultivating their foundation cultivation techniques to the seventh layer, they still needed to consume the spirit medicine, ¡°Foundation Establishment Pill¡±, which only major sects could manufacture. Only then would there be hope of breaking through the bottleneck of that realm and succeed into Foundation Establishment.


    This contributed to Foundation Establishment Pill¡¯s famous name ¡°Immortal Ascension Pill¡±, making those Immortal Cultivators go mad.


    Even in the Immortal cultivator major factions, the Foundation Establishment Pill was in critically short shortage.


    Because the Foundation Establishment Pill¡¯s raw materials were extremely hard to find, even if all the cultivators¡¯ sects throughout the entire state of Yue collaborated and acted together to provide materials and great effort every ten years, they could only hope to make a few new cauldron medicine pills, about one thousand measly pieces.


    But even if all these medicine pills were to be divided equally among every faction, there would be no way to satisfy their own needs. As a result, the Foundation Establishment Pill never appeared outside the world of cultivators.


    However, in the cultivating world of the entire state of Yue, there were still a lot of existing cultivators who practiced their foundation cultivation techniques until the seventh layer. These people were in urgent need of Foundation Establishment Pills to attempt to break through the bottleneck.


    Thus, on one hand, because of the shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills, the big sects had monopolized the medicine pill. On the other hand, there was an increasing number of rogue Immortal cultivators that were in need of Foundation Establishment Pills but could not find a single piece in the outside world. There were already conflicting views from both sides very early on. So much so that at one time, there was deep animosity from short-tempered minor Immortal cultivators towards these sects.


    Those from the major Immortal cultivator factions naturally became aware of the poor outlook of the situation, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about it for the time being. After all, they didn¡¯t have enough Foundation Establishment Pill for themselves, so how could they take out some and give them to outsiders!


    But in this whole world, there were no difficult problems that couldn¡¯t be solved. Eventually in this crisis, there was an unknown genius from a sect who solved it.


    Unexpectedly, he thought an idea. Every time there were freshly manufactured Foundation Establishment Pills, major sects would pick out outstanding rogue cultivators from the outside world, allow them to join the major sects, and give them the Foundation Establishment Pill to consume.


    This way, the sects could stem the outflow of Foundation Establishment Pill, thereby preventing manure water from flowing to other fields. This also eliminated the dissatisfaction of minor Immortal cultivators. After all, to be able to join one of the major Immoral cultivator factions, how could these cultivators not be content? The factions could even pick out disciples who have outstanding aptitudes. It truly was a good situation that could satisfy everyone.


    (TL: ??????? lit: don¡¯t let one¡¯s own fertile water flow into others¡¯ field , keep the valuables within the family )


    But the method of selection must be fair and strict to prevent any disputes caused by gossips. If not, there would be an opposite effect.


    Hence, the sects would choose their elites and use arena-style combat to let newcomers strive for the chance to enter their sects.


    Each of the Seven Great Sects would take ten disciples and ten pieces of Foundation Establishment Pills to award the final victors.


    Naturally, they would set an age limit. Anyone above forty years old would not be allowed to enter. Even though these people may have good aptitudes, their future prospects in cultivation would not be good.


    This was how the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly was born!


    The majority of the people who were able to obtain victory in the arena were those with profound magic power as well as talented individuals with aptitudes surpassing others, making those Immortal cultivator sects very pleased to obtain these excellent quality disciples.


    All the grievances of the other Immortal cultivators disappeared after the establishment of this Great Assembly. All their attention was focused on the once-in-a-decade opportunity to make a big break.


    Thus, the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly was organised in this way. And every time there would be 70 lucky winners who became disciples of the Seven Great Sects, making other Immortal cultivators go even more frantic.


    At the end, almost all of the Immortal cultivators who were of an appropriate age and were in the Qi Condensation stage felt that they are no weaker than their peers. They would go all out and try a few times to fight on the arena, hoping to gain an unexpected success and transform from a carp into a dragon.


    But this arena was not easy to beat since magic was not easy to control for these second-rate Immortal cultivators. Each assembly would have a lot of dead or injured casualties, which also created intense rancor among the challengers.


    Hei Mu spent half a day talking about this. Qu Jiuzhi, who was listening with keen interest, gained a lot from this. Han Li, who was sitting beside and listening in, benefited even more from this lecture and had a deeper understanding towards the world of cultivators.


    ¡°If I were to succeed, would I also be able to become a disciple of a major sect?¡± After listening, Wu Jiuzhi¡¯s face was full of yearning.


    ¡°Are you dreaming? With your level, you would be dead if you tried to rush and grind even if you weren¡¯t injured!¡± Hu Pinggu ridiculed without restraint when she heard Wu Jiuzhi¡¯s words of reverie.


    ¡°Oh, why can¡¯t I do it? Although my cultivation art is at the eighth layer, am I still qualifications to get on stage and fight?¡± Wu Jiuzhi did not get angry this time, and instead he consulted with Hu Pinggu.


    Hu Pinggu was somewhat shocked, but after hesitating for a while, he said, ¡°Boy Wu, do you know what kind of people were in the seventy winners last time? And how many cultivators, who were of similar caliber as yourself, were injured or dead?¡±


    ¡°I hope Lady Hu would be so kind as to give me a reply.¡± Wu Jiuzhi replied rather sincerely.


    ¡°I witnessed the previous Great Immortal Ascension Assembly¡¯s entire battle, and there¡¯s still some lingering fear when I think about it.¡± It was as if Hu Pinggu remembered something very frightening, as her complexion turned paler.


    When her fully bearded husband saw this, he immediately placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Hu Pinggu turned her head and lovingly looked at her husband, her complexion easing up.


    ¡°Both of us don¡¯t want to participate in the single-elimination open tournament, only to look. We are prepared to stay in Qi Condensation forever. Since you all still have ambitious goals, then let me tell you some cruel aspects of the tournament. Otherwise, you will die without ever knowing what happened to you.¡± Hu Pinggu said indifferently.

 Chapter 135

    Frightening News.


    Chapter 135: Frightening News


    ¡°First of all, those registering in the competition must have achieved the seventh layer of their Five Elements foundation cultivation technique. This is the minimum requirement to take a Foundation Establishment Pill. Secondly, their age must be less than forty. Those surpassing this age shouldn¡¯t even think of slipping through because those in charge of the great assembly¡¯s registrations are able to use bone observation techniques to look at every participant¡¯s true age.¡±


    (TL: ¡°Five Elements¡± Five Phases :  Wood , Fire , Earth , Metal , and Water )


    ¡°So long as one follows those two conditions, then anyone can register. There are no other restrictions! As a result, however, these open single elimination tournaments become even more desperate!¡±


    ¡°You think that the many people here at Great South Valley are ordinary? The majority of those here actually came here for the Immortal Ascension Assembly. It should be known that the Great South Meeting was originally but a trade meet for the local young cultivators of the Lan Province. During meetings in previous years, there were only several hundred people! Take a look. As of now this valley has at least a thousand people. In addition, people that come from even farther regions will arrive one after another during the last few days. During that time, the business of the Great South Meeting will be at its highest level.¡±


    ¡°These people are the reason why we¡¯ve come to participate in the Great South Meeting early. On one hand, we wish to exchange for a few necessary goods. On the other, how could one not want take advantage of this opportunity? First, one may observe potential opponents of the Immortal Ascension Assembly. It is good to not only know ourselves but also know our enemies!¡± Hu Pinggu added with a bitter smile.


    When Wu Jiuzhi heard this, his complexion greatly changed, and he aghastly said, ¡°According to Lady Hu, there were experts in the valley that cultivated to the tenth layer in their cultivation technique. Will they also participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly? What is there to compete in? Aren¡¯t those with lower cultivation courting death?¡±


    ¡°This might not be certain. Who said that higher tier experts would always beat those of lower tiers? Even if their magic power is slightly weaker, they can use a somewhat more powerful magic talisman or use some formidable magic tool that they¡¯re carrying to beat down those with greater magic power.¡± From those who originally entered the room, Hei Jin, who had yet to speak, suddenly spoke out boldly, shocking everyone in the room!


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what Brother Hei Jin said makes sense.  In a war of cultivators such as ourselves, the slightest deepness or shallowness of one¡¯s magic power is not most important. What is most important is one¡¯s control of their magic might and its agile usage as well as the power they can draw from items they are carrying!¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen said, completely agreeing.


    ¡°Brother Hei Jin and Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s words must indeed hold some truth, otherwise this Great Immortal Ascension Assembly need not convene at all. They would only have to compare the depth of their magic power.¡± Hu Pinggu smiled.


    After hearing Hei Jin and the others¡¯ words, Wi Jiuzhi still wasn¡¯t happy.  With a brow of worry and a face on the verge of tears, he incessantly muttered, ¡°Formidable magic tools¡­ powerful magic talismans¡­.¡±


    Hu Pinggu didn¡¯t take notice of Wu Jiuzhi at this time but instead continued, saying, ¡°Because there are too many people participating in the single elimination tournament, there will be seven stages set up at the Immortal Ascension Assembly, representing the Seven Great Cultivator Sects of the State of Yue. Whoever wishes to become that sect¡¯s disciple, can advance onto the stage to compete. The match selection uses an instant win policy. Two people will compete, the winner will stay for next stage, and the loser will be immediately eliminated. Then another two will have a match. This will continue until everyone competes once. Then they will start the next stage of the competition, which will continue until the final ten remain. These ten will become the cultivation sects¡¯ inner disciples and need not to participate in the sect¡¯s greatly intense competition to obtain the qualifications to receive Foundation Establishment Pills. It could be said to have reached the heavens with a single step! The course of the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly tournament were as such. However, it is is not as simple as I have said. In reality, the matches are a desperate sight to behold and are simply indescribable.¡± After Hu Pinggu said this, she let out a sorrowful sigh.


    ¡°I remember that in the fights from the last competition, there were nineteen tenth layer cultivators who died. Even a couple of eleventh layer experts also met the same end by mutually taking one another down! As for ninth and eighth layer cultivators, those who died during the match were much greater in number. No less than a hundred had died. After all, in the final several rounds, there would be no one that would lightly renounce their path to become a dragon. The number of dead and injured then would be even more tremendous.¡± Having said this, Hu Pinggu had an expression of regret.


    ¡°When one¡¯s foundation cultivation technique reaches the eleventh layer, do they still have to go compete in a match? I¡¯ve heard people say that cultivation sects voluntarily recruit these sort of outstanding talents. Why did those two people have to fight in a match as if their life depended on it!¡± A woman¡¯s voice suddenly spoke. It was actually the habitually silent young woman, Vagabond Hong Lian, that had spoken.


    When Hu Pinggu heard her words, she smiled.


    ¡°I also had the same question as Young Sister Hong Lian during that particular year. I was completely puzzled despite a great amount of pondering. Afterwards, I met an old senior that was a rogue cultivator like us. His explanation allowed me to realize why!¡±


    ¡°Brother Wu and Brother Han, it seems you also have this question!¡±


    ¡°They are not the only ones who don¡¯t understand. Us two brothers also don¡¯t understand. Tenth layer geniuses have a well lit path that they do not walk. Why would they possibly want to insist on walking a small wooden plank? A moment of distraction will cause one¡¯s death!¡± Hei Mu also tensed his brow with a face of puzzlement.


    ¡°I see Daoist Priest Qing Wen is calm and composed. He probably figured this out already. How about Daoist Priest come and explain it to them?¡±Hu Pinggu chuckled several times and lightly threw the question toward the Daoist priest.


    This somewhat surprised Daoist Priest Qing Wen but he immediately and silently conceded.  After muttering to himself for a moment, he said, ¡°Actually, those two were from cultivator clans. Their eleventh layer cultivation was the result of consuming many medicinal pills.¡± He shook his head, seemingly disapproving of the two¡¯s methods.


    ¡°Is using medical pills to promote their cultivation level not a normal thing? They should still be able to join a cultivation sect!¡± Wu Jiuzhi widely opened his eyes, somewhat unconvinced.


    ¡°Brother Wu forgot one thing. Those who are above forty and have practiced to the eleventh layer in their cultivation technique may be considered geniuses by us, but those ancient great sects see those people as having merely common talents. They would barely qualify to enter the sect as a reserve disciple. Otherwise, these people would have entered the large cultivation sects at an earlier time when they were younger as official disciples. It¡¯s just that their clan members felt that being able to barely enter a cultivation sect as such would have no future prospects. Therefore, they agreed to not compete against those disciples more talented than themselves for the qualifications to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills and simply stayed behind for closed-door cultivation. After several tens of years later, they would simply come out to the Immortal Ascension Assembly to amaze the world in a single feat and immediately acquire the qualifications  to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill through a shortcut. However, their clan hadn¡¯t expected that two with the same plan would coincidentally come across one another, resulting in mutual destruction. Were it not for that, their wishes were certain to have been fulfilled.¡±


    While Daoist Priest Qing Wen said this, he incessantly sighed. Everyone had attentively listened from the beginning.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said that recent Immortal Ascension Assemblies have grown more and more intense. Eleventh and tenth layer experts previously unheard of have appeared one after another.¡± Hei Mu muttered to himself.


    Young Lady Hong Lian and Wu Jiuzhi were shocked silent. It was clear that this information had greatly surprised them.


    ¡°Think about it. On one side there are great experts meticulously nurtured and fully armed by cultivator clans. On the other hand, there are us: destitute rogue cultivators. Do you think us rogue cultivators are more likely to succeed?¡±


    Hu Pinggu¡¯s expression was cold with slight self-deprecation!


    ¡°According to what was said, those cultivation sects obtain the disciples they want through the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly. It is an overjoyous yet phoney affair. Are we slapping our own face to look big and imposing?¡± Han Li stroked his nose, seemingly in thought.


    ¡°Brother Han isn¡¯t wrong. In this world, what is three parts completely beautiful and good? Having two parts beautiful is good enough!¡± Hu Pinggu threw a glance at Hei Mu, making him faintly blush.


    ¡°Could it be us rogue cultivators are truly inferior to disciples of cultivator clans? Even those leftovers from the cultivator sects are that much stronger than us common rogue cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t want to admit it, the odds of a master emerging from us rogue cultivators are far lower than that from the cultivator clans. Let alone a single one of us, all of our manpower and resources can not be compared to ours. The conditions outside of a sect are far too lacking when compared!¡° Daoist Qing Wen added somewhat bitterly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard from a friend that even if we were to luckily become a disciple of a cultivator sect and consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill, the number of those successful in achieving Foundation Establishment is far too low!¡± Hei Mu said dejectedly.


    ¡°Enough, everyone don¡¯t be crestfallen! We are still young. If we are unsuccessful this time, we still have an opportunity in ten years! Perhaps in the future we will enter a cultivator clan as a disciple! For now, let¡¯s talk about how we will gather together after the assembly!¡±


    After Daoist Priest Qing Wen let everyone blew off steam, he changed the subject.


    ¡°There is nothing to say. At that time, I will leave with everyone. After hearing about how amazing the people of the world of Immortal cultivators are, I truly wouldn¡¯t dare to travel by myself.¡±


    Daoist Priest Qing Wen helplessly shook his head and looked toward Vagabond Hong Lian.

 Chapter 136

    Yan Clan


    ¡°I will also travel with everyone.¡± Vagabond Hong Lian declared quite bluntly.


    ¡°Good, good! Brother Han, do you also plan go with us as well?¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen had a happy appearance and then asked Han Li.


    When Han Li heard this, he hesitated.


    It would be reasonable to say that for a young person like him, it would be best to follow this small group. However he didn¡¯t know why, but in his heart, he felt that something wasn¡¯t right. Had he truly made that decision, he was certain to regret it.


    ¡°I will decide after the conclusion of the trade meet! I am not anxious!¡± Han Li said with a smile. He decided to first wait a bit before making a decision.


    ¡°Yi!?¡± Han Li¡¯s words clearly went against their expectations and shocked everyone.


    ¡°For what reason does Brother Han hesitate? Us rogue cultivators are together so that others can¡¯t bully us. What¡¯s even more is that Brother Han was able to see through my thieving skills. This little brother has much interest in swapping pointers with you at a later date!¡± Wu Jiuzhi said somewhat dissatisfied.


    After Han Li heard the youth¡¯s words, he did not get angry. He only smiled and spoke no more.


    ¡°Hehe. Brother Han didn¡¯t say that he was certain to not get along with us on the journey. He simply said that he wanted to think about it. That too is only natural!¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen immediately mediated.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Daoist Priest Qing Wen spoke the words in my mind. I have a few secret problems that are truly somewhat difficult to say. That is why I must be a bit cautious.¡± Han Li seemed to be very grateful towards Daoist Priest Qing Wen and gave an expression that he was speaking from his heart.


    ¡°So it turned out I was just being mettlesome!¡±  The youth felt as if he had became ostracized and became displeased.


    Daoist Priest Qing Wen helplessly smiled. With the look of an elder brother apologizing for a mischievous little brother, he inwardly apologized to Han Li.


    Han Li naturally did not take this matter to heart. Since this matter had already been resolved, everyone stood up one after another and took their leave. Han Li looked for an empty room on the second floor to retire for the night.


    On the second day, except for Han Li and the Buddhist monk, everyone else left the building and went together to the vendor stands.


    At this moment, the Buddhist monk was in the hall of the first floor meditating and chanting scriptures. Han Li was in his room, lightly stroking a dozen paper talismans and lost in thought.


    ¡°These so-called elementary low-grade paper talismans have a slight flicker of spiritual light. They¡¯re largely different from the paper talismans of the secular world, not because the materials are special but rather due to the addition of some kind of magic technique.¡± Han Li thought.


    Han Li took out the paper talismans, which he originally planned to use in order to learn the Soul-Lock Technique. However, he suddenly remembered he couldn¡¯t seem to draw the Soul-Lock Talismans on the bright side. He still needed a writing brush and cinnabar sand, two items that seemed to be sold at vendor stalls. Could it be that these paper talismans couldn¡¯t used in conjunction with secular objects and were limited to items unique to cultivators?


    With this thought, Han Li could not sit still in the room, so he decided to go find the Buddhist monk. In any case, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide the fact he was a novice cultivator. He may as well calmly and directly ask.


    ¡°Almsgiver¡¯s thoughts are correct. To successfully draft a spiritual talisman, apart from having to refine the talisman paper from special materials, you also must use a concoction of demonic beast blood and cinnabar. As for the writing brush, it depends on the situation!¡± After Buddhist Monk Ku Sang heard Han Li¡¯s question, he peacefully answered.


    (TL: ?? Almsgiver is a title that Buddhist monks traditionally address others by.)


    ¡°Master Ku Sang, what do you mean that it depends on the situation?¡± Han Li earnestly asked, sitting across the monk. His appearance didn¡¯t hold the slightest amount of shame.


    ¡°Most of the brushes cultivators use to draft spiritual talismans, apart from those created from the spiritual hair from demonic beasts, are made of heavenly bestowed precious earthly charcoal. These can increase the rate of success when creating talismans as well as the talisman¡¯s might.  However, if you do not have them, you can even use common secular brushes, but if you do, the rate of success is far too pitiful.¡± The Buddhist monk lightly shook his head. He seemed to disapprove of Han Li using that last method to refine talismans.


    ¡°Many thanks for Master¡¯s instructions. I will go out to see whether I can exchange for a brush to make talismans!¡± Han Li stood and cupped his fist towards the Buddhist monk.


    ¡°Almsgiver, take care!¡± The Buddhist monk closed his eyes once more and continued the great undertaking of his meditation.


    It seemed he would have to go out today! He remembered that the brush and cinnabar were not inexpensive. It would cost approximately six or seven low-grade spirit stones. Could it be that he would have to sell the flight talisman he had barely been able to acquire?


    Han Li thought this as he walked. People were also exciting the building and walked over to the marketplace.


    Since it was currently morning, cultivators on the road were grouped in two and threes and were not at all lonely. However, they seemed to all be heading toward the marketplace. It appeared that the majority of them were like his own group, heading out to set up a vendor¡¯s stall.


    ¡°Quick, look! A huge bird!¡± A male cultivator suddenly cried out in alarm.


    Soon after, a large shadow swept across the road Han Li and other cultivators were treading.


    Han Li was quite startled and hastily raised his head to look.


    He saw a two-headed monstrous bird about the size of a calf, flying past over him.


    This bird somehow seemed to resemble an eagle and also something else entirely. Grey feathers covered its entire body. Its wings were seven feet wide, and it possessed a pair of sharp sickle-like claws. Above the two neck were two bald, fierce bird heads with four eyes that glowed with a green light.


    What a frightening demonic bird!


    ¡°How unsightly!¡±


    ¡°How large!¡±


    ¡°Quickly capture it, it would make a great mount!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The cultivators below stopped one after another and started to talk. It seemed that there were even a few eager to try to capture it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t value your lives! That is the ¡®Two-Headed Duck¡¯ a spiritual bird raised by the number one cultivator clan, Guyu Mountain¡¯s Yan Clan. It¡¯s certain to have a member of the Yan Clan riding on it. Are you looking to bring about your own destruction?¡±


    These ice cold words woke up a few from their beautiful dreams.


    ¡°Yan Clan? One of the large cultivation sects, the cultivator clan that hold Core Formation experts in reserve?¡± Someone cried out.


    ¡°What other Yan Clan is there? I came here a bit earlier and already saw the Two-Headed Duck.  I also found out that a brother and sister from the Yan Clan are participating in the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly¡¯s tournament!¡± The cultivator said, proudly showing off.


    ¡°No! The Yan Clan¡¯s sent people to participate in the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly! Previously, they never sent anyone! If they did, then wouldn¡¯t there definitely be two less spots?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If one were to come across the two from the Yan Clan, it would be great misfortune!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The complexion of these cultivators were somewhat unsightly, and a few even deeply sighed.


    Han Li coldly looked at the monstrous bird flying into the distance without speaking. After seeing this demonic bird, it was clear this was the monstrous eagle that Xi Tieniu had seen before and the male and female immortals were the brother and sister from the Yan Clan.


    Han Li grew deep in thought and passed through the rowdy nearby cultivators, going on his way.


    In the end, he faintly smiled and walked with ease.


    Currently, the people in the plaza were quite numerous. Although it could not compare with yesterday night¡¯s liveliness and bustle, it could be considered completely crowded.


    Han Li groped the pill medicine in his bosom and decided to see whether he could exchange this medicine for some items.


    As a result, He didn¡¯t enter from the the entrance he previously used and entered the plaza from the other end. He planned to begin his stroll from the other side.


    On the way, Han Li occasionally browsed left and right, looking at vendor stalls¡¯ various materials and talismans. A few odd and wonderful magic tools also gave him a feast for the eyes.


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s footstep stopped in front of some vendor¡¯s stall. He looked at a thin book on display, somewhat lost in thought.


    The tile showing the book¡¯s price noted: ¡°Eternal Spring Arts¡±, wood attribute foundation cultivation technique. Costs two low-grade spirit stones.


    ¡°I want this book!¡± Han Li calmly said to the vendor after he picked up this book and flipped through it.

 Chapter 137

    Golden Sincerity Brush


    ¡°Two spirit stones!¡± A clear, melodious female voice reached Han Li¡¯s ear.


    Han Li was shocked. He discovered that the vendor sitting across from him with their head buried in a book was actually a sweet and charming young lady.


    ¡°This book doesn¡¯t have anything missing?¡± Han Li asked after he recovered.


    ¡°Nothing. First through thirteenth layer of the Eternal Spring Cultivation Art is completely there, with not a single missing line.¡± The young lady answered with an easy-going manner.


    Han Li nodded his head. Then he flipped through several pages before closing the book.


    ¡°Would you exchange it for medicine pills?¡± Han Li asked straightforwardly.


    ¡°Medicine pills?¡± The young lady was somewhat stunned, widely opening her beautiful eyes.


    ¡° It depends on the medicine. If it¡¯s for healing or illness, it will be extremely costly!¡± The young girl spout out as she stroked her forehead.


    Hearing this young lady¡¯s words, Han Li knew this matter was of great importance and bluntly handed over a bottle of ¡°Yellow Dragon Pellets¡±.


    ¡°Consolidation medicine, it can progress once¡¯s magic power!¡± Han Li said assuredly.


    ¡°Consolidation medicine?¡±


    The young woman who was originally calm grew somewhat tense. She moved toward Han Li and lightly took the jade bottle. She tossed out a medicine pill and lowered her head to smell the medicinal quality.


    Han Li stood above her and clearly saw the young lady¡¯s exposed, flawless neck. In addition, because the young woman was too close to him, the scent of a refined clan daughter assailed his nose and caused Han Li¡¯s heartbeat to involuntarily speed up. His complexion also grew slightly red.


    ¡°It truly is a medicine pill that can progress one¡¯s magic power!¡± A moment after the young woman smelled it, she shouted with pleasant surprise.


    She raised her head and looked at Han Li with a happy expression, expectantly saying, ¡°Do you still have more of this medicine pill? If so, I will exchange for how much you have. You can select the things in my stall as you wish. If there is nothing that will do, I can also purchase it with spirit stones!¡±


    With this said, the young woman tightly held the medicine bottle. Her eyes were unblinkingly fixed onto Han Li, afraid that she would hear him say ¡®no¡¯.


    Seeing the charming and gentle young woman suddenly tense up, Han Li found it funny. However, he could not help but think to himself that he had underestimated the value of this medicine pills a bit. In the future, he should be a bit more prudent!


    ¡°Young woman, don¡¯t be anxious. First let¡¯s finish the business before us. Will it be fine to talk about it further then?¡± Han Li originally thought to refuse her. However, when he saw the clear expression in her eyes, he unknowingly recalled his little sister all of a sudden. His heart softened for a moment and those words slipped out.


    ¡°I am truly embarrassed! I¡¯ve somewhat forgotten my manners.¡± The young woman seemed to have became aware of her lack of manners, and her complexion turned scarlet.


    ¡°This book only requires two pills of this kind of medicine.¡± The young lady said after she calmed down.


    When Han Li heard this, he felt the her price could be regarded as fair, so he agreed. Then his gaze swept across the other goods in her stall.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    An unremarkable small grey bag piqued Han Li¡¯s interest. This bag was unusual; the bag¡¯s opening was bound tightly by a thin red rope, and its interior was bulging! Han Li reached out to grab it.


    ¡°This is a bag of Seven Star Grass seeds. Seven Star Grass of ten years or more is the best material to create paper talismans.¡± The young lady clearly said.


    Han Li¡¯s heart was moved. This would be quite useful. However, he put it down in front of him without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°The other items seem to be of no use to me.¡± Han Li slowly said after looking through once more.


    ¡°You truly won¡¯t select anything else? This Cold Ice Talisman is quite power. There is also this Returning Spring Talisman, it can restore a great portion of your physical strength¡­¡± The young lady was somewhat resigned and took the initiative to give Han Li recommendations.


    Having seen the young woman¡¯s ¡°you¡¯re young and naive so you don¡¯t know¡± appearance, Han Li could not help but laugh.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± The young woman blushed once more.


    ¡°I actually only wanted to buy cinnabar powder and a brush for drawing talismans. Unfortunately, you have neither here!¡± Han Li spoke the rarely said truth.


    ¡°Cinnabar powder and talisman drawing brush!¡± The young lady wrinkled her brow and exclaimed somewhat hesitantly.


    She lowered her head and muttered to herself for a moment. It greatly seemed that she had made up her mind. Suddenly, she raised her head toward Han Li and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have cinnabar powder, but I have a top quality talisman brush made from the neck hair of the demonic beast, Golden Eyed Ape. However, its price is quite high. I don¡¯t know if you have enough medicine pills to exchange for it.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat amazed. However, he kept smiling and said, ¡°So long as it is good, I will be able to satisfy young lady with regards to the medicine pills.¡±


    When the young lady heard this, she felt relieved.


    She took out a spiritual talisman and used her hand to make several cutting motions over the talismans. She then threw it into the air, and it disappeared in a blaze.


    ¡°Your esteemed self, please wait a moment. My elder brother will bring it shortly!¡± The young woman added, somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°No problem. So long as it is truly a good item, I don¡¯t care about waiting for a bit longer!¡± Han Li calmly said.


    After this, Han Li and the young woman had nothing to say during this time, which caused them feel a rather ambiguous feeling.


    Han Li actually somewhat indulged in this peculiar feeling and faintly smelled her delicate fragrance as he breathed. The young lady had her head lowered and was looking at the end of her feet. It was unknown what she was thinking. However, when Han Li saw her spotlessly white neck, he blushed a bit.


    ¡°Little Sister!¡± A large voice abruptly shattered the subtle atmosphere, causing Han Li to not help but want to ferociously glare at the voice¡¯s owner. However, when Han Li turned around, he could not help but start after he clearly saw the figure approaching.


    He was a large tall and sturdy man with a stature no less than that of Crooked Soul. He was currently rushing toward them. On the way, he bumped into a few cultivators, who swaying side to side. Those cultivators were originally angry. However, after seeing the huge man¡¯s far beyond normal stature, they all exposed an expression of shock and hesitated; without a better option, they pinched their nose and let it go.


    When the young woman saw the large man¡¯s actions, she had a bit of a headache. Her elder brother¡¯s behavior was far too rude and careless. Did this not give cause and reason for other cultivators to arouse dislike for him?


    ¡°This is for Little Sister! I brought the items over.¡± The huge man was enveloped with a squall as he charged toward Han Li¡¯s side. He extended his hand, which was the size of a palm-leaf fan, and revealed a slender wooden box that he handed over to the young woman.


    The young lady inwardly complained about her elder brother¡¯s rudeness and carelessness. Then she handed over the wooden box toward Han Li, indicating that Han Li should open it and examine the contents.


    Han Li took the case. After taking a glance at the young woman, he opened the case, exposing a golden brush that emitted a faint yellow light from tip to shaft.


    ¡°This brush is called Golden Sincerity. Its tip was created from the neck hair of the grade two demonic beast Golden Eyed Ape, and its shaft was created from a blend of gold essence and crow iron. Then it was refined under a Foundation Establishment cultivator¡¯s well-learned ritual fire for three days and three nights. Only then was this brush successfully completed.¡± The young woman softly explained. However, this woman stared at the brush with an expression that she was reluctant to part with it.


    Although he didn¡¯t completely understand what the young woman said, he knew this brush was not at all ordinary and had a great origin. He couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed that she was willing to part with this object. Could it be for those medicine pills?


    ¡°This young woman truly wants to exchange this brush with me? This is an impressive treasure!¡± Han Li used his finger to lightly stroke the smooth shaft and looked at the engraving on brush¡¯s tip. ¡°Golden Sincerity¡±, he confirmed with a deep voice.


    The young woman saw Han Li¡¯s doubt. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to speak the truth and dismiss the other party¡¯s doubts of the object¡¯s origin, else he dare not trade.


    ¡°This brush is an item handed down by my clan. It was used by some talisman creation expert. However, it is unfortunate that us two siblings do not have the slightest talent for creating talismans and would only squander this item in vain. In addition, my elder brother wishes to participate in this upcoming Great Immortal Ascension Assembly. His cultivation arts have already reached some sort of bottleneck and must break through with the support of medicinal power. As a result, I wish to use this object to exchange for your esteemed self¡¯s medicine pills.¡±


    ¡°How is it that when I met you, the man¡¯s cultivation had reached a bottleneck! Isn¡¯t this too timely?¡± Han Li thought with doubt.


    Actually, Han Li thought incorrectly!


    Of those in preparations for the Immortal Ascension Assembly¡¯s competition, seven to eight out of ten were stuck at a bottleneck and were unable to break through. Because each and every person understood that they still had potential to push forward to another layer, they would not likely immediately participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly¡¯s tournament, but rather hide away and continue painstakingly cultivating, hoping to reach a further layer. When they would participate in the next great assembly, they would break through and hold a higher position in the assembly.  This caused every Immortal Ascension Assembly to have an amazing demand for medicine pills that progressed one magic power.

 Chapter 138

    The Skill of Creating Talismans.


    Chapter 138: The Skill of Creating Talismans


    Han Li was on the way back to the building, exceptionally happy with the wooden box containing the ¡°Golden Sincerity Brush¡± in his pocket.


    He used three bottles of Golden Dragon Pellets and four bottles of Golden Essence Pills to exchange for the young woman¡¯s treasured item and the bag of Seven Star Grass seeds. After, he casually bought some cinnabar sand from other vendor stalls and rushed back full of anticipation and joy.


    After he opened the restriction barrier and entered the small building, Han Li saw the small Buddhist monk meditating and did not disturb him. Instead, he went to the second floor and returned to his room.


    After Han Li arranged the cinnabar and the talisman paper on the desk, Han Li took out the Golden Sincerity Brush and became absorbed in creating Soul-Lock Talismans.


    According to the Soul-Lock technique¡¯s method to create talismans, the steps were: channel spiritual power through right hand and slowly pour it into the brush shaft being held. Then lightly dip the brush tip into the cinnabar and draw the talisman incantation onto a slip of talisman paper.


    A quarter hour later, Han Li wore a happy expression on his face and stretched his somewhat stiff body.  He looked at the spiritual talisman flickering a silver light on the table and could not help but feel elated.


    From its appearance, this spiritual talisman was exactly the same as the one used by Doctor Mo. Although its Spiritual Qi was slightly weaker, it was of no matter as it was far better than the false goods Han Li practiced with. After all, those practice materials were only similar in appearance and didn¡¯t have the slightest spiritual power.


    Han Li took the newly created spiritual talisman and excitedly studied it.  After he was done, he prepared to attempt the Soul-Lock technique. Unexpectedly though, before he executed the spell, the spiritual power on the paper talisman sudden grew chaotic and showed signs of violence.


    Han Li was shocked and reacted instantly, hastily throwing the talisman away.


    Puchi. The Soul-Lock Talisman suddenly combusted into the air without reason and turned into a ball of fire, reduced to a pile of ash.


    Han Li blankly looked into the air and remained silent. A while later, he sighed. It seemed that talisman was a failure.


    Han Li felt somewhat dispirited, but he did not yet lose his confidence. After all, he felt that the talisman from a moment ago was quite close to being a success. He believed if he were to exert his strength and create several more, he was certain to have success.


    For the next half day, Han Li manufactured Soul-Lock Talismans one after another. However, he had continuously failed.


    The spiritual talismans he created did not combust by themselves but instead suddenly turned into a small explosion when injected with his magic power. Furthermore, there were also spiritual talismans that would rapidly lose their spiritual power and become useless paper.


    When Han Li saw the last paper talisman he completed explode into shreds with a bang, the typically cool-minded Han Li could not help but raise his head to the roof and abruptly shout curses, ¡°Damned Heavens, you¡¯re playing with me! A dozen paper talismans, how could I not succeed a single time! This is only an elementary low-rank Soul-Lock-Talisman! Could it be that today was not a good day?¡±


    After these words left Han Li¡¯s mouth, he felt his depression with had greatly lightened, and his mood became a bit happier.


    He tilted his head and pondered. Then he raised his eyebrow and looked at the remaining smaller half left in the small box of cinnabar and the Golden Sincerity Brush. He felt that the cause was not from either of these because his spiritual power poured into the brush shaft very smoothly and the cinnabar boldly imprinted the Spiritual Qi onto  talisman paper. It didn¡¯t seem fake.


    Since Han Li could not find the reason after a moment of careful consideration, he decided to ask the small Buddhist monk and see whether or not he could dispel his doubts. At this moment, Han Li felt that on the path of cultivation, there would be teachers that could give directions. This was truly important.  His heart was rather moved at the thought of formally becoming an apprentice to a master.


    After the small Buddhist monk heard Han Li¡¯s complaints over the failure of his talismans, he stared at Han Li with an exceptionally odd gaze as if his face had suddenly sprouted a small white flower.


    When Han Li saw the Buddhist monk¡¯s reaction, his heart was somewhat startled. He didn¡¯t know if there was something amiss from the words he had just said, causing the other party to stare at him in this way.


    ¡°Almsgiver Han Li, I fear you understand too little about creating talismans!¡± The small Buddhist monk eventually said.


    ¡°Master Ku Sang is correct. This is the first time I¡¯ve created talismans.¡± Han Li honestly admitted.


    ¡°Among us cultivators, those of us who personally create talismans are few. If there is anything requiring the use of a talisman, they would generally purchase or exchange for it at a marketplace. Even if they are from a great clan, they must also do this.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Han Li was amazed.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Those masters experienced and specialized in creating talismans are too few. In addition, the cost to nurture a qualified talisman expert is far too great. Only with the strength of those large cultivation clans can they be nurtured.


    ¡°Almsgiver Han felt very vexed after having failed a dozen times in succession, right?¡± The Buddhist monk asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve used up my materials and money. I purchase enough to make several Soul-Lock Talismans!¡± Han Li said, upset.


    ¡°However, does Almsgiver know? For novices beginning to learn to create talismans, failing a hundred times in succession is a normal matter. If a person were to have slightly less talent, to persist in having several hundred failures wouldn¡¯t be strange! Only after creating over a thousand talismans would your rate of success possibly gradually increase. This is only with regards to creating a single type of  spiritual talisman. If you were to change it to another kind of talisman, even if you are no longer a novice, you would generally fail at the beginning. Nevertheless, those with frightening talent are astonishing to see. As a result, qualified talisman masters cannot be nurtured without the practice of several tens of thousands attempts. However, how many people did Almsgiver Han Li think would succeed with this amount of material? Not cultivator clans but only great cultivation sects can foster a talisman master. In addition, they would only be able to contribute elementary talismans. If they were to practice creating middle grade talismans, those great sects would likely lose their fortunes. It would be an unbearable burden. After all, the higher grade the talisman,  the more costly the talisman creation materials would be.¡±


    The Buddhist monk said all of this, causing Han Li to be dumbstruck.


    ¡°Then why do vendor stalls still sell cinnabar and talisman paper!¡± Han Li had second thoughts and felt something was wrong.


    ¡°Hehe! Cinnabar and talisman paper are sold to cultivators who use talisman techniques.¡± The small Buddhist monk said with a smile.


    ¡°Talisman techniques?¡± Han Li did not understand.


    ¡°It is the same as Soul-Lock Technique your esteemed self was practicing. They are magic techniques that require the use of a talisman created in advance! The magic technique would be stored within the talisman paper, allowing the talismans to be used at convenience. A talisman technique¡¯s spiritual talismans are incapable of simply being aroused by spiritual power; they require a particular incantation to use. However they generally aren¡¯t complicated and are quite easy to obtain.


    ¡°Because talisman techniques frequently require a corresponding talisman, talisman users feel that buying talismans are too expensive. As a result, they are like Almsgiver. They would go and practice drawing talismans. Although the cost of the materials are not small, they would be able to eventually support a single type. That is why if Almsgiver truly wishes to practice the Soul-Lock Technique, it would be best create one¡¯s own talismans in the long term. If this technique is not commonly used, then Almsgiver may as well spend some money to buy a few Soul-Lock Talismans as reserves.¡± The small Buddhist monk softly preached, eventually giving Han Li a suggestion.


    ¡°Thank you for Master Ku Sang¡¯s pointers!¡± Han Li sincerely gave him a deep salute.


    ¡°Almsgiver is too polite!¡± Buddhist monk returned the salute.


    ¡®This small Buddhist monk actually speaks much. In the future if there is anything hard to understand, I may as well ask him for guidance.¡¯ Han Li thought to himself as he returned to the room.


    ¡®Currently, closed-door talisman creation practice is impossible! I should find some time to buy a few Soul-Lock Talismans for emergency use. My body has long achieved the peak of eighth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts. Now that I¡¯ve acquired the cultivation method for the last layers, I should be able to break through the bottleneck and enter the ninth layer. In addition, I acquired several new magic techniques to practice. I should wield them a bit sooner and increase my strength.¡¯


    The moment Han Li pushed open the room door, he had already finished pondering about his future plans.


    Like that, Han Li sat in room in the coming days. During the daytime, he would take a great amount of medicine and sit in meditation, refining Qi and cultivating the Eternal spring arts. At night, he would run into a desolate area in the valley and practice his newly learned magic techniques.


    These were ¡°Quicksand Technique¡±,¡±Freezing Technique¡±, ¡°Flight Technique¡±, ¡°Binding Technique¡±, ¡°Sound Transmission Technique¡±, ¡°Body Concealment technique¡±, ¡°Fire Blossom Technique¡±, and the most difficult to practice, ¡°Earth Thrust Technique¡±.


    After ten days of painstaking cultivation, on the final day of the Great South Meeting, he broke through to the ninth layer of Eternal Spring Arts, causing Wu Jiuzhi and company to be dumbstruck. Daoist Priest Qing Wen even praised Han Li as a genius amongst rogue cultivators.


    However, Han Li was well aware that were it not for the ten bottles of medicine pills he consumed, how else could he have easily overcome the bottleneck! However, he no longer carried many medicine pills on him. It seemed he should take the time to concoct some pills once more!

 Chapter 139

    Destroyed Magic Treasure Fragment.


    Chapter 139: Destroyed Magic Treasure Fragment


    As for the other magic techniques, the ¡°Body Concealment Technique¡± and ¡°Sound Transmission Technique¡± were auxiliary magic techniques similar to that of the ¡°Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique¡±. So long as one somewhat comprehended magic power, they were able to learn it. As a result, Han Li effortlessly mastered them.


    Among these, the Sound Transmission Technique was a talisman technique that required a Sound Transmission Talisman, which Han Li had seen being used several times.


    The ¡°Body Concealment Technique¡± was an extremely common magic technique. By attaching spiritual power to one¡¯s body, the body becomes enveloped in the environment¡¯s colors, causing people to have difficulty perceiving the user. This magic technique, however, holds little value because the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique can easily break through it. It fundamentally could not be used to escape the notice of other cultivators.


    The ¡°Quicksand Technique¡± and ¡°Freezing Technique¡± were magic techniques with areas of effect. The first used magic power to turn the earth in an area into sand. The other could freeze the water in an area into ice.


    The might of these two magic techniques depended entirely on the deepness of the magic power used and intention. If a Deity were to put it to use, turning a 1000 li of fertile land into desert and the Chang Jiang River into a glacier would not be impossible.


    The reason as to why they were classified as elementary low-grade magic techniques was only because these two magic techniques were quite easily learned. Even Qi Condensation cultivators with few layers were able to easily master them. However, their magic power would be limited, and their range would be pathetically small.


    When Han Li originally practiced these two magic techniques, they were quite power intensive. However, when he suddenly broke through to the ninth layer, his magic power rapidly increased, allowing him to use his magic techniques as he wished. He could already control an area the size of a tabletop and could turn it to sand or freeze it as he pleased, causing Han Li to be greatly excited.


    As for the remaining magic techniques, Han Li was unable to grasp them at the moment. He could only helplessly deliberate and study them later in the future. Because the Great South Meeting was about to end, the amount of young cultivators that came to do business would reach its peak in its last two days.


    At this moment, Han Li was in the large business plaza that was crowded to the brim with 2000 cultivators. The amount of vendor stalls were also several times greater than before. For the most part, they wished to grab onto this final opportunity and peddle their leftover goods. In additional, an unknown amount of higher level cultivators that emerged from long cultivation began to appear one after another, also wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to observe those who could become formidable opponents.


    Han Li bitterly smiled. Although he had already entered the ninth layer, while he was walking amongst the crowd of cultivators, he discovered many people that were above the ninth layer.


    Currently, Han Li no longer had any spirit stones, and his medicine pills were few in number.  Since he had no intention of getting rid of his treasures, he simply followed the stream of people from vendor stall to vendor stall. He went simply to hear other cultivators¡¯ comments and views on the trades of goods to further his experience and knowledge.


    Hearing others speak truly broadened Han Li¡¯s horizons, causing him to understand quite a bit about magic tools and materials. For example, magic darts that automatically pursued enemies, gourds that could shoot flames, long sabers capable of freezing people  with a cut, Silver-Winged Ant eggs that could be used to create medicine, scales of a 100 year-old Iron Lined Serpents that could be used to craft tools, and so on.


    The more Han Li heard, the more he felt fascinated. Han Li had arrived at the center of the plaza before he knew it.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. I don¡¯t want what you¡¯re offering, give me something else in exchange!¡±¡±


    ¡°This is a destroyed magic treasure fragment! It is more than enough for your alms bowl!¡±


    ¡°What use would I have for this ruined fragment? Could it be that you couldn¡¯t find a Core Formation expert to refine it? Don¡¯t think you can exchange it with my Returning Winds Alms Bowl!


    The sound of an intense quarrel arrived from the front of a vendor¡¯s stall.


    ¡°Destroyed magic treasure fragment?¡± Many people let out sounds of surprise, immediately causing nearby cultivators to stir a commotion. After a moment of chaos, the vendor¡¯s stall was surrounded by an impenetrable crowd.


    It should be known that magic treasures weren¡¯t something that low level cultivators would even dare to dream about. However, one had unexpectedly appeared in the Great South Valley. Even if it were only a ruined fragment, it was still a marvel, causing these cultivators to become like cats smelling fish. The itch in their hearts was hardly tolerable.


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡±


    ¡°Is this the magic treasure?¡±


    ¡°Clicks tongue, it¡¯s truly beautiful!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a rag!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Because Han Li was quite close to that vendor¡¯s stall and was already quite faster than common cultivators, he managed to rush in the crowd and obtain a good position, allowing him to clearly see everything.


    Looking at the vendor stall, Han Li saw a 27 to 28 year-old man standing in front of the stall. This man had dark skin and thick limbs. At first glance, one would think a farm peasant had snuck into the Great South Valley. However, those who looked at the man¡¯s magic power with the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique could not help but let out a breath of shock. This dark skinned man was actually a great expert of the tenth layer.


    ¡°Competing against this person, isn¡¯t that courting death?¡± A few cultivators inwardly weighed with surprise. They then brought their gaze toward the vendor stall¡¯s owner. The vendor seemed to be a common black-clothed man with the appearance of having magic power of only the seventh or eighth layer.  However, when he confronted the man before him, his face didn¡¯t have the slightest expression of fear.


    There were a few that took notice of the embroidered tree leaf design on the vendor¡¯s collar. Only then did the cultivators realize that this person was a disciple of the well known Ye Clan of the Qin Ye Mountain Range. It was no wonder he held such confidence.


    Between these two people on the stall was an oddly-patterned yellow alms bowl and a small piece of translucent cloth.


    This item was like a rag, wrinkled with its rim ruined unevenly as if a dog had gnawed on it. The only aspect attracting attention was the twinkling white radiance that appeared occasionally. It was somewhat peculiar.


    This was the destroyed magic treasure fragment? After seeing this object, many people in the crowd were greatly disappointed. It was greatly inconsistent with what they imagined within their minds.


    ¡°This ruined magic treasure is quite wonderful! By using it to cover an item, it will immediately become invisible. Not only will its Spiritual Qi not leak out, but it also won¡¯t obstruct Spiritual Qi from entering.¡± The dark man had a cold face.


    After this was said, he immediately immediately took out small silver mouse from his sleeve.


    ¡°The grade one demon beast, Gold Eating Mouse!¡± The cultivators standing in a circle yelled out the name of the rat and caused a small uproar.


    ¡°He is truly worthy of being a tenth layer expert! He actually captured a grade one demonic beast!¡± Many people could not help but think this.


    At this moment, the dark man picked up the ¡°cloth¡± and wrapped it around the mouse!


    The result was miraculous! The silver mouse and the ¡°cloth¡± immediately disappeared. Although many people used the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique, they weren¡¯t able to see anything.


    The man, having seen everyone¡¯s shock, was somewhat satisfied. Afterwards, the hand that held the white mouse wrapped in the ¡°cloth¡± suddenly showed movement.


    ¡°Not just living animal, nonliving items will also have the same effect.¡±


    After this was said, the man took out a knife emitting a threatening Spiritual Qi and put it on the ground. Then he covered it in the ¡°cloth¡±, causing it to disappear without a trace or even the slightest trace of Spiritual Qi.


    ¡°It is truly wonderful!¡±


    ¡°It can make things invisible!¡±


    ¡°Clicks tongue. Inconceivable!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Those who were watching around were discussing spiritedly.


    ¡°How about it? There is value in exchange it with your alms bowl!¡± The man then took off the ¡°cloth¡± and put away the knife.


    ¡°I will not exchange it! If I want something to be invisible, I only need to buy an elementary mid-grade vanishing talisman. For such a small thing, you would have me hide my head and legs?¡± The vendor shook his head and said mockingly.


    ¡°Did I not tell you? This is a destroyed magic treasure fragment. It wasn¡¯t refined by a Core Formation expert but that of Nascent Soul. Those experts¡¯ levels are not the same. Who would be able to see through the efficacy of its concealment? How could a vanishing talisman compare to it!¡± The dark man angrily said.


    ¡°You spout extravagant descriptions once more! I absolutely have no use for this thing, why would I want it! You had better give me thirty spirit stones or something of equivalent value for this alms bowl!¡± The vendor coldly retorted.

 Chapter 140

    Determination to Win.


    Chapter 140: Determination to Win


    ¡°You¡­¡± The man seemed to be extremely angry. His two hands formed fists, and he advanced a step.


    ¡°What? Could it be that you¡¯re thinking of forcing the trade? Those of our Ye Clan aren¡¯t good targets to bully!¡± The vendor turned his eyes and said without a trace of politeness.


    ¡°Humph! The Ye Clan is quite impressive!¡± Although the dark man did not apologize, he released his fists. He was clearly afraid of retaliation from the Ye Clan.


    The man was suppressed by the mere mention of the Ye Clan and was exceptionally angry. He was a tenth layer expert and was accustomed to others speaking highly of him. Currently he had accepted this embarrassment and had planned to brush his sleeve then ago. However, in his heart, he would truly hate to part with this ¡°Returning Winds Alms Bowl¡± as this magic tool was well-suited with his cultivation art. If he were able to acquire it, his strength would increase greatly. However as of current, apart from the destroyed magic treasure fragment, his other possessions were quite useful, and his spirit stones had been used up over the past several days, leaving him in his current predicament.


    ¡°Brother, sell your treasure fragment to me, I will give ten spirit stones.¡± A grey-clothed man that was watching emerged from the crowd. He sincerely said, cupping his fist in front of the man.


    ¡°I won¡¯t sell it! If you want to buy it, then give me thirty spirit stones.¡± The dark man shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it. That price was fundamentally unacceptable.


    ¡°Sigh. Your esteemed self¡¯s destroyed magic treasure fragment, if it were only a slightly great price, then it would be worth it. Unfortunately, it is truly too small. The amount of goods it can conceal is too few!¡± The grey-clothed man, having been rejected by the man, exposed an expression of regret and returned into the crowd without further negotiation.


    ¡°Would you sell it for twelve spirit stones?¡±


    ¡°Thirteen?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Cultivators from all directions were looking at the destroyed magic treasure fragment with great interest. Even if they couldn¡¯t use this item, they could slowly study it! Who knows what they would be able to achieve enlightenment in!


    Like that, the price rose to twenty after a moment,bidded by a naive-looking, round-faced youth.


    In face of such a high price, others no longer spoke out. They all felt this price was quite high. If the were to grow any higher, it would be far too damaging! After all, to these low level cultivators, having ten spirit stones would be regarded as quite well-off. In addition, the man from a moment ago was most likely the disciple of a clan. Only they could possibly be that rich!


    ¡°Twenty?¡± The dark man¡¯s expression changed. The bid had reached his minimum! If he were to pair it with a few other objects, he would be able to exchange with the vendor for the ¡°Returning Wind Alms Bowl.¡±


    ¡°You want to pay twenty spirit stones?¡± The man amiably said toward the round-faced youth.


    Although nobody knew why, after a moment, the youth¡¯s face was red. Then after another moment, his face turned white, and he became extremely frantic.


    ¡°I¡­. don¡¯t¡­. have that many spirit stones!¡± After the round-faced youth stammered these words with frustration and unease, the surrounding spectators were shocked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t! They why did you just yell that? Could it be you said it to deliberately amuse me!¡± When the dark man heard this, the man¡¯s belly full of anger erupted out from his body, rigidly pressing down onto the youth with formidable grandeur.


    ¡°I simply saw everyone shouting out prices for fun! Without thinking, I also opened my mouth! Brother, please forgive me!¡± The round-faced youth hastily apologized to absolve himself. His brow was beaded with sweat, and soybean-sized sweatdrops tumbled down. He was merely a fifth layer cultivator; how could he resist such spiritual pressure!


    ¡°Who just shouted nineteen? I am willing to freely give a spirit stone to allow your esteemed self to purchase this item!¡± The youth resourcefully yelled at once.


    Unfortunately, those all around were extremely quiet. It seemed that person had already changed their mind!


    ¡°How about the brother who shouted eighteen!¡± When the youth say the dark man¡¯s increasingly scornful face, he nearly wept. He was an insignificant, young cultivator. He only had two spirit stones on him, acquired from a year of bitter labor.


    Just as the people thought they were about to see quite a good show, ¡°Wait a moment!¡±, a relaxed voice suddenly sounded out. A person entered the stage, calling out to the dark man.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The black man looked at the person with a gloomy face. His temper had already been ground to dust. If this person wanted to have a feud, he wouldn¡¯t mind taking them both out. Although this person was not weak, he was only of the ninth layer!


    ¡°This person has taken an interest in this item and desires it!¡±  That individual pointed at that ¡°cloth¡± and said with a smile.


    The one the dark man had mistaken to be a cultivator looking for a fight was not a bystander, but Han Li.


    Originally when Han Li heard this person say that this destroyed magic treasure fragment could turn things invisible and conceal Spiritual Qi, his heart was stirred, and his mind formed a vague opinion.


    By the time the dark man had concealed the knife, Han Li¡¯s opinion in his mind grew clear. He became determined to possess this destroyed treasure fragment.


    ¡°How much will you purchase for it?¡± The dark man was surprised, but a moment later, his expression eased as he asked this question.


    ¡°This person does not plan to purchase it, but rather use this object to exchange for it.¡± Han Li calmly took out a talisman from his sleeve, allowing those surrounding the stall to clearly see it.


    ¡°A flight talisman!¡± A few knowledgeable people cried out in alarm!


    ¡°It¡¯s an elementary high-grade spiritual talisman!¡± The other cultivators were awed. After all, elementary high-grade talismans had only appeared five or six times since the beginning of this Great South Meeting. In addition, each and every one of them had been sold at astonishing prices!

 Chapter 141

    Writ of Immortal Ascension.


    Chapter 141: Writ of Immortal Ascension


    With a look at this flight talisman, the dark man and the vendor stall owner were visibly moved. Their view of Han Li grew much more serious. After all, those possessing elementary high-grade talismans were unlikely to be a nobody.


    ¡°Good, I will exchange!¡± The dark man was very straightforward. With such an obviously advantageous trade, who wouldn¡¯t trade?


    ¡°However, before we trade, I wish to try something you have said before, whether or not this treasure fragment will obstruct a concealed object from absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the outside world. If it is true, this person will immediately trade for it. If it is not true, this person will not take the loss and trade!¡±


    When the dark man heard Han Li¡¯s words, he was surprised. However, after clearly hearing the content of his words, he smiled.


    ¡°The words I have spoke regarding this object¡¯s effects are all true.  Please do not hesitate to test it!¡± The dark man confidently spoke.


    When Han Li heard this, he was was not polite. He took out a object resembling a wine cup from his body. He then picked up the ¡®cloth¡¯ and covered it. Waiting until after the wine cup disappeared, Han Li extended his finger and condensed a white ball of Spiritual Qi the size of a bean. He lightly dropped it on the cloth, resulting in the ball of light completely disappearing, as if it were swallowed.


    When Han Li saw this, his face showed a happy expression. He lightly grabbed the ¡®cloth¡¯ in his hand and removed it. The wine cup appeared, and ball of light that disappeared a moment ago was flowing inside.


    ¡°Not bad! Brother did not speak falsely. I want this destroyed magic treasure fragment. As for this flight talisman, it belongs to your esteemed self!¡± Han Li took the ¡®cloth¡¯ and put it in his cuff. Afterwards, he cupped his fist toward the dark man.


    ¡°Good! Your esteemed self is straightforward.¡± When the dark man heard this, he was exalted and lowered his body to take the flight talisman. After he hastily looked all over it to confirm it wasn¡¯t fake, he smiled.


    Han Li faintly smiled and did not say anything further. He turned around and squeezed through the crowd. However, before he even took a few steps, he heard several comments from the crowd.


    ¡°This man is foolish! To actually trade a high-grade talisman for such a weak item!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That fragment is so small, what use does it have? To exchange for such a thing is fundamentally not worth it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, maybe he has a clever use for it!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly sneered several times. ¡®How could these cultivators know that this object is of immense importance to me?¡¯


    ¡°This brother, please wait! Wait for me!¡± Having not walked very far, Han Li heard a voice from behind him, approaching him in a hurry.


    Han Li was slightly surprised. Could they be yelling him? He could not help but turn his head.


    He saw a person not too far away, running towards him with a forehead beaded with sweat while calling out to him. It was unexpectedly the round-faced youth who had nearly brought disaster upon himself.


    Han Li blinked a few times and then stopped. He curiously wanted to know what business this buffoon would have with him to have pursued him at the very end.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve finally caught up to you!¡± The youth chasing him said while gasping for breath.


    ¡°Does this brother have something on his mind?¡± Han Li looked at him with doubt.


    ¡°This is for you! It could be considered thanks for Elder Brother¡¯s help out of the troublesome situation.¡± Without saying anything further, the youth handed Han Li a booklet. Then he bashfully ran back.


    Han Li was slightly surprised, but he immediately smiled. There was such a simple and honest person among the cultivators. This was truly unexpected. He did not pursue him, and instead he took a look at the book in his hand.


    ¡°Record of Qing Xi¡± was the book¡¯s title. It didn¡¯t seem to be a magic item. Han Li looked through a few pages with interest.


    (TL: Qing Xi ?? means Young Creek)


    It seemed to be the journal of a senior cultivator ¡°Daoist Master Qing Xi¡± of the State of Yue who did not like cultivating but instead enjoyed travelling to different places. It contained allusive legends and such with detailed notes. There were also some pages with relevant vivid and lifelike drawings. Although Han Li only looked through a few pages, he held quite an interest in this item and put the booklet into his bosom.


    After that Han Li didn¡¯t come across any particular affairs. He felt a bit bored and returned to his residence. Inside his room, Han Li lied down on his bed and looked through ¡°The Record of Qing Xi¡±.


    Of the contents in the book, a few were Master Qing Xi¡¯s personal experiences and others were merely gossip. However, not one of them wasn¡¯t bizarre. There were rarely heard unusual matters and secrets that cultivator clans would never tell others. It was unknown how Master Qing Xi had learned of them.


    Han Li read with great interest. However, when he reached the final page of the booklet, there were the drawings of seven distinct command medallions. At the very bottom of the drawings were several lines of words: ¡°Writ of Immortal Ascension¡±, created by the Seven Great Cultivator sects of the State of Yue. It was the each cultivator sect¡¯s award for accomplishing tremendous achievements within a cultivator sect. So long as one holds the cultivator¡¯s sect command medallion, they would receive the same treatment as the final victor of the Immortal Ascension Assembly! It would bestow the qualifications to become an inner court disciple and receive Foundation Establishment Pills. However, this object had always been handed down within the sect. Common cultivators would have no chance of seeing them. As a result, these portrayals were simply according to their appearances from rumors.


    At the end, Master Qing Xi used somewhat smaller characters to write these words: this writ can be traded between cultivator clans. The age when writs were first issued was a time long ago. As a result, the cultivator clans that issued writs recognized the writs but not the people! So long as someone holds a writ, they they would take a step toward the heavens. It could be said to be a low level cultivator¡¯s defiance of the natural order!


    After Han Li finished reading the explanation below, he took another look at the seven illustrations and felt his tongue dry up. His heart beated with intensity.


    Originally when Han Li heard the words ¡°Great Immortal Ascension Assembly¡±, he faintly made an association with the dwarf¡¯s strange command medallion. One side of the command medallion had two words engraved: ¡°Immortal Ascension¡±. This made Han Li feel as if these two things had something in common.


    After he heard the others talk about the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly in detail, there were no words relating to the Writ of Immortal Ascension. He believed this to be no more than a coincidence and left it in the back of his mind. However, he didn¡¯t expect the booklet he unexpectedly received to have the object¡¯s origin and true use. In addition, the function of this Writ of Immortal Ascension was this great!


    Han Li grew more and more excited, hastily taking out the black command medallion. After briefly comparing it with the illustration, he found it to be grealy similar to its design.


    ¡°¡®Yellow Maple Valley¡¯, This Writ of Immortal Ascension was issued by the Yellow Maple Valley!¡± Han Li muttered to himself as he stroked the command medallion in his hand.


    ¡°However, how did this precious item enter the hands of a lowly cultivator like Monk Golden Light?¡± Han Li doubtedly thought after calming down.


    In fact, that dwarf was truly the previous owner of that command medallion!


    It turned out that in the outstanding and famous Qin Ye Mountain Range, apart from the Ye Clan, there was also another equivalent Clan that resided there, the Qin Clan. Because those two clans had many intermarried relationships, they got along quite well!


    This Writ of Immortal Ascension was an object passed down from the ancestors of the Qin Clan. However, they did not use it because the Qin Clan could no longer find a genius cultivator who deserved the writ! That was why they would rather continue to pass it down and were unwilling to waste this treasure for no reason.


    However, after many generations, because the males of the Qin Clan grew more sparse, they gradually declined. In contrast, the Ye Clan grew even more prosperous and developed. They influenced the cultivation world so much that everyone knew that the Qin Ye Mountain housed the Ye Clan, while the Qin Clan became forgotten!


    During Monk Golden Light¡¯s generation, he was actually the sole remaining male from the Qin Clan, and his aptitude was strange and lacking. He fundamentally could not possibly achieve Foundation Establishment. Because of his aptitude, the large difference in strength between the two clans, and the fact that their relationship as in-laws was a matter long expired, the Ye Clan decided to acquire the several treasures of the Qin Clan. In addition, that Writ of Immortal Ascension was the treasure they wanted to possess to most!


    Although Monk Golden Light¡¯s cultivation talent was lacking, his ability to read body language was actually quite good. With the fact that he was also cowardly, just as the Ye Clan had planned to make a move, the dwarf, having caught wind of this earlier, had already fled, taking a small sword talisman and the Writ of Immortal Ascension. As for the other treasures, because they were sealed away, Monk Golden Light could not acquire them in a short amount of time and was forced to reluctantly abandon them, setting them aside for the Ye Clan.


    As a result, Monk Golden Light had been on the run for over ten years, and lived in seclusion in some Daoist temple deep within the wilderness. He relied on his shallow magic power to plunder drink and food and became free and unfettered. After a period of time, he had thought to use the Writ of Immortal Ascension, but that notion had gradually weakened. He reached the conclusion even if he were to take the Foundation Establishment Pill, he would not be able to achieve Foundation Establishment. Since that was the case, there was no need to go to a large cultivator sect as a low level disciple and suffer hardship!


    Like that, after the assault on the Seven Mysteries Sect, Han Li had conveniently acquired this Writ of Immortal Ascension.

 Chapter 142

    Attack to Kill


    Han Li was completely ignorant of the Qin Clan¡¯s situation. However, this did not obstruct his ecstatic mood. While he excitedly walked around the room, he incessantly fiddled with Writ of Immortal Ascension in his hand. In addition, the more he looked at this command medallion, the more pleasing to the eye it became.


    After the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Han Li calmed down the excitement in his heart. He began to think of his plans for the future and the feasibility of traveling to Yellow Maple Valley to formally become an apprentice to a master.


    After a night of restless, difficult sleep for Han Li, the Great South Small Meeting had at last come to an end. From the beginning of the morning of the second day, many cultivators had already begun to leave the valley. The people inside the valley had already been reduced to less than half.


    During the afternoon, there were several slightly older senior experts who appeared in the plaza. After they said a few encouraging words of praise, they declared the formal termination of the Great South Meeting. That Daoist Master Qingyan was also one of those experts.


    Suddenly, in groups of three or four or perhaps like wild geese, the remaining cultivators flew into the sky and floated there. At this moment, Daoist Priest Qing Wen and the other went to find Han Li, inviting him to journey with them once more.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li declined their invitation, greatly angering Wu Jiuzhi and the Mo Brothers. Even Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s complexion was somewhat unsightly.


    ¡°Since Brother Han is unwilling to travel with us, Qing Wen will not force you. Take care of yourself on your journey, Brother!¡± After a sigh from Qing Wen, he said this with a regretful tone.


    He then patted Han Li¡¯s shoulders and departed the valley with the others.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t discovered that during the second that Daoist Priest Qing Wen patted Han Li¡¯s shoulders, a bit of colorless and formless fine powder left Qing Wen¡¯s cuff and scattered on Han Li¡¯s clothes. In addition, the area sprinkled with dust was slightly unusual but nothing could be seen.


    When Wu Jiuzhi and company left the thick fog of the valley, Daoist Priest Qing Wen had fallen behind them at an unknown time and took advantage of the thoughtlessness of the several people while exposing a sinister appearance. He suddenly raised his cuff and sent a stream of flame toward the sky. It disappeared into the shrubbery at the side. His face then resumed his normal rightful and strict appearance, as if the actions from a moment ago had not occurred.


    Han Li did not completely understand what Daoist Priest Qing Wen just did, but due to his continuous habit of being cautious, he didn¡¯t immediately set off from the Great South Valley but rather waited the night inside the valley. When it was early morning with the dew shining brightly, he stealthily slipped away from the valley in a manner that even gods and ghost could not see.


    (TL: ??????: Gods don¡¯t know and ghosts don¡¯t see)


    After he left the Great South Valley, Han Li identified the direction. He used the Imperial Flight Technique and lightly tapped his foot against the ground, propelling him about ten meters away. Like that, his clothes fluttered into the distance.


    Not long after he departed the valley, two people hurriedly rushed over. In front of them was a green ball of light the size of a thumb guiding their way. After they turned to where Han Li was just a moment ago, they followed in the direction that Han Li flew off to. Those two people precisely followed the green light¡¯s directions.


    Han Li did not yet stop on the journey, not even resting after having traveled over a hundred li . When he arrived at a small hill, he stopped to sit down and eat a few things, recovering his exhausted body and magic power as well.


    Han Li did not know that his actions, having not followed common conventions, caused the two pursuing behind him to curse endlessly.


    This was not surprising. They had set out on their pursuit before the light of day. Had they not marked Han Li¡¯s body, they would have probably lost him. However, their original plan to set a trap ahead of him and ambush him had fallen through!


    What made the two even more incomparably angry was that Han Li¡¯s leaps and steps and traversed more than a hundred li, causing the two to eat a bellyful of dust. They were so tired they could drop! After all, these two had been cultivators for a long time and were accustomed to living like princes. Having to bitterly rely on their legs to travel a long distance, these two had not experienced this in quite a long time.


    It was not known how much time had past since Han Li had sat down cross-legged inside a depression of the hill and shut his eyes, motionless. It appeared he entered a state of selflessness. Apart from the sounds of the hill¡¯s wildlife around him, he heard no other noise


    It was at this time that somewhere from the nearby earth, the ground broke and emitted several tens of streams of white light directly toward Han Li.


    The originally motionless Han Li suddenly opened his eyes and saw the cold light. His body suddenly soared into the air without reason, and he lightly landed with both feet on an open space to the side.


    Pupu! Those white lights naturally missed their target. The true identity of the sparkling and half transparent white lights that had attempted to strike Han Li during meditation was more than ten incomparably sharp ice awls!


    When Han Li saw this, his expression became gloomy.


    He stretched out his right hand and extended his five fingers, Zilala! After a burst of explosive sounds, five small fireballs appeared at his fingertips. These fireballs, compared to the fireballs of the common Fireball Technique, were smaller by more than half!


    ¡°Your esteemed self should taste this person¡¯s fireballs!¡± Han Li shouted awe-inspiringly while gazing at the place where the ice awls flew from. Then he slightly bent his fingers and suddenly shot them. The five fireballs flew out in a line.


    As soon as the fireballs were about to touch the floor, the image of yellow-clothed man suddenly appeared. Then the man flashed, and his image appeared elsewhere. He happened to avoid the fireball attack.


    Bang! The small area where Han Li¡¯s fireballs exploded left a few large holes that released a blistering hot air. A few of the places exposed signs of melting from high temperature, causing the man who had dangerously escaped death to break out a cold sweat.


    At this time, Han Li did not pay attention to the holes but rather firmly stared at the yellow-clothed man who jumped out.  He was a slender, thirty year-old man with a cunning face.


    ¡°Why did you ambush me?¡± Han Li coldly asked.


    When the yellow-clothed man heard this, he rolled his eyes. He sinisterly laughed several times and said, ¡° You will know in your next life!¡±


    Soon after, he suddenly yelled with a cold voice, ¡°Go!¡±


    Han Li was shocked. Just as he was about to move, he heard two slight sounds of ground breaking beneath him. Then, two large hands twinkling with a yellow radiance emerged from the ground like lightning and firmly grabbed Han Li¡¯s legs. It was as if he were immediately bound with steel chains, causing Han Li to be unable to move a single step.


    ¡°Brat, your death is certain. Your legs can¡¯t move. Let¡¯s see how you will dodge my icicle technique!¡± The yellow clothed man proudly said with an evil smile. He raised his two hands toward Han Li and began to mutter to himself.


    As a result, the threatening cold air in front of his hands gradually condensed into white crystals, eventually taking the form of sharp ice awls.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion greatly changed. His hand pressed against his waist. The tinkling of small bells rang and a cold light flashed. He took out a shining long sword, and without hesitation, he chopped down.


    Clang! It was as if the sword had struck rock and emitted sparks. In addition, those yellow large hands were unscathed!


    Han Li was alarmed and angry. When he thought to make another attempt, the yellow-clothed man across from him wildly laughed.


    ¡°Haha! Die, brat!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart sunk, and he immediately raised his head.


    He saw twenty sharp ice awls fiercely shooting toward his entire body, without giving him a method to dodge.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression became incomparably grave. He took a deep breath and bit down on his teeth. Without moving, his body strangely twisted left and right. Most of the ice awls were unexpectedly dodged by his movements. Only his right shoulder and left leg were incapable of evading and were pierced through with the ice awls. In an instant, blood flowed from the wounds and leaked through his clothes.


    Pa! Han Li threw away the long sword in his hand. With his ten fingers, he sealed the blood vessels near his wounds at a lightning fast speed, causing the bleeding to suddenly stop. Then the originally complacent yellow-clothed man widely opened his eyes, not believing what he had just seen.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew dark. He used the strength in his two calves and unexpectedly twisted them as if they had no bone. After a burst of popping sounds from the legs, he suddenly shrank his body into a ball while he was still alive, and his whole body suddenly fled upward. His legs were like a slippery fish, slipping out from the stiff grasp of those two large hands. He then shot into the air and landed more than thirty meters away, coldly staring at the large hands.


    ¡°Impossible! How did his legs slip out from the grasp of my Tremendous Strength Technique?¡± From the earth below the hands spoke a muffled, angry and alarmed voice.


    Then the two hands stiffly emerged out from the earth, revealing a burly silhouette covered in a bold yellow light.

 Chapter 143

    Beheading


    The large man that had just emerged from the ground and the yellow-clothed man started to chase after Han Li.


    As they chased him, they were afraid that Han Li would run far away again. After recovering a bit of magic power, they immediately grouped up and planned their next attack.


    At this time, Han Li felt a scorching pain from his wounded thigh. It seemed that his movements from a moment ago had worsened his injury.


    However, now was not the time to think about that problem! The large man that had concealed himself in the ground a moment ago took out a long saber covered in black Qi and fiercely charged toward Han Li.


    When Han Li saw his opponents¡¯ figures, he observed that although they were quite fast, their movements were stiff. It was clear these people only relied on the support of magic techniques. His heart could not help but slightly relax. It should be known that Han Li¡¯s strange and quick movements would prevent them from catching up to him!


    With that thought, Han Li no longer paid attention to the large overbearing man and placed his attention onto the yellow-clothed man instead, as the man had taken out a dark green gourd. He had pointed the mouth of the gourd toward Han Li, seemingly wanting to cast a magic technique!


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re looking? Die!¡±


    The large man charged next to Han Li with a greatly flourished yellow light on his body. He lifted his demonic long saber and chopped it down toward Han Li.


    Han Li snorted. His body flashed, appearing outside the reach of the saber.


    ¡°You were fooled, boy!¡± The large man wildly laughed.


    A black light from the long saber in his hand flashed, and turned into a long black rope. Like a long snake, it closely followed and twisted toward Han Li, neither locking him down nor letting him go!


    Han Li was startled, and his body immediately grew strangely indistinct. One moment he was at the left, then right, then front, then back, as if there were several Han Li¡¯s encircling the large man.


    When the large man saw this, he grew greatly intimidated. However, he immediately protected his body with the ¡°Earth Armor Technique¡± and no longer paid it any attention to Han Li¡¯s afterimages.  Instead, he hastily moved his flexible black rope and did his utmost to pursue Han Li¡¯s true body.


    Pengpeng. Pengpeng. Han Li swept past the side of the large man. During that instant, he fiercely shot fireballs at the large man with both hands around him. As they hit his body, the yellow light shook for a moment. Unfortunately, it recovered at once.


    ¡°How could this meager Fireball Technique break through this Uncle¡¯s defensive technique!¡± The large man¡¯s face was savage, and the movement of his hands grew even more rapid; the movements of the black rope didn¡¯t relax even the slightest.


    Han Li felt somewhat anxious! Although the large man¡¯s black rope was somewhat slower than him, he was unable to cope with it. His dared not slow down his body¡¯s movements, else he was certain to be caught. Although he didn¡¯t know what sort of magic tool the black rope was, it was quite troublesome! However, he didn¡¯t dare to negligently let it wrap around him!


    He busily glanced toward the yellow-clothed man and saw that his expression was solemn. The magic tool gourd in his hand started to release a secretive azure light. It was unknown what would about to emerge from within!


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. If this continues, I won¡¯t be able to survive! If I don¡¯t brave a few risks, I will die!¡± Han Li thought to himself, having seen the desperate circumstances.


    As a result, Han Li rushed to take out the guardian talisman he received from Monk Golden Light. This Guardian Talisman was a type of talisman technique. Its incantation had long been acquired from Buddhist Monk Ku Sang. Now he had finally used it.


    Han Li softly chanted the incantation verses. Because he was in the middle of moving, it sounded somewhat ambiguous. However, the talisman¡¯s golden characters started to brighten. When the golden characters were completely shining, Han Li suddenly slapped the talisman onto his body. A golden light suddenly appeared and covered his body with a golden barrier. However, his body suddenly became slower, and the black chain overtook him and wrapped around him.


    The usage of a Guardian Talisman caused one¡¯s movements to slow. Han Li had already tested this and was well aware. Although the black rope wound around him several times, when it was obstructed by the golden light, he did not panic! He knew that his gamble was correct as the golden barrier protected him against the magic tool¡¯s assault.


    When the large man saw this, he let out a low roar. He charged forward with large strides, with obnoxious, dazzling yellow light on his fists. They seemed to be supported by an unknown cultivation technique.


    Having learned a lesson from last time, Han LI did not let the large man get close. He suddenly crouched and pressed both hands against the floor. Then he muttered an incantation, suddenly causing his hands be slightly enveloped in a yellow light.


    When the large man saw this, he was slightly startled and hastily stopped. However, it was already too late. The floor below him completely turned into soft and weak quicksand, causing his legs to be deeply buried to his thighs and to become flustered.


    ¡°Strike!¡± A sharp voice entered Han Li¡¯s ear.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sunk as he looked toward the yellow-clothed man.


    With only a single look, Han Li saw seven to eight black spheres the size of chicken eggs emerge from the mouth of the black gourd and rush toward him.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew very unsightly, and the yellow light in his hands scattered. He then took out a wooden box from his bosom.


    At this time, the several spheres were already in front of him and ruthless pounded against Han Li¡¯s barrier. The barrier was incessantly deformed, as if it could break at any moment.


    Han Li didn¡¯t take notice of this crisis and sat down cross-legged, putting the wooden box on his knee. He then rushed an incantation.


    Pengpeng! Pengpeng! Pengpeng! The spheres¡¯ attacks were fierce and didn¡¯t cease attacking the golden barrier for even a moment, causing the golden light to gradually dim. It seemed the barrier would break and that death would approach.


    At this time, Han Li shouted with a roar, ¡°Rise!¡±


    With this order, a gray light about three meters long shot forth from within the wooden box. This ray of light resembled a flood dragon that had emerged from the water; it flew several circles and all directions, and hacked all of the spheres into two one after another as if they were its nemesis, turning them to dust.


    ¡°Treasure talisman!¡± The yellow-clothed man loudly shouted as if he had seen a ghost.


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred. However, he did not think of it further as the large man had already escaped from the trap. However, after seeing Han Li¡¯s gray sword light, his complexion grew deathly white! Not only did he not think to rush toward Han Li, but he also turned around and wildly fled.


    Thought at this time, Han Li was already resolved to kill. How could he let these people leave? He pointed to the large person, and the sword light immediately and fiercely pursued, appearing behind the large man¡¯s body.


    It coiled around the large man¡¯s neck and his skull easily tumbled to the ground. It was as if the yellow light protecting his body didn¡¯t exist, not affecting it in the slightest.


    When the yellow-clothed man saw this, he had actually dared to stay there for the moment. He took out a talisman and slapped it onto his body, causing him to spout out a pair of large yellow wings.  He lightly flapped them and soared off, flying to a distant place.


    Han Li then commanded the sword light to pursue, closely following behind the yellow-clothed man. The yellow-clothed man flew even faster, and the grey light was unexpectedly unable to overtake him for a time.


    Han Li felt slightly anxious, and his heart grew fierce. He then used all of the magic power he had without reserve. It was as if that grey streak had immediately consumed a tonic and suddenly sped up, piercing through the chest of the yellow-clothed man and thoroughly bringing peace to Han Li¡¯s heart.


    The yellow-clothed man screamed and fell from the air.


    Han Li grew greatly cheerful and recalled the gray light. He dashed toward the man, hoping to capture him alive and carefully interrogate him.


    Unfortunately when Han Li arrived at the crash site, the yellow-clothed man couldn¡¯t possibly be any more dead. He simply fell to his death, causing Han Li to be quite depressed!


    Since there were no living mouths, he could only search the two bodies and see whether he could find any useful clues.


    After Han Li impolitely plundered all the items on the two men¡¯s bodies, he did not find any relevant items. Even so, he struck it rich! These two men actually had fifty low-grade spirit stones as well as a few talismans and magic tools!


    Han Li could not make head or tails of their assault and was somewhat puzzled. He also did not know whether or not these two had anything to do with the missing rogue cultivators. However, he didn¡¯t dare to stay here too long. After consuming a few medicine pills, he continued on his way.

 Chapter 144

    Dispute over a Foundation Establishment Pill.


    Chapter 144: Dispute over a Foundation Establishment Pill


    The Jian Province located in the north of the State of Yue was ranked second amongst the thirteen provinces. Its land is comprised of many hills and its population is sparse. It also bordered the State of Yuan Wu.


    The Tai Yue Mountain Range was located at the western part of the province and spanned over several thousands of li. In addition, all sorts of beasts and birds of prey existed in great numbers within the desolate mountain forest. On occasion, even woodcutters and hunters would start rumors of having seen Immortals and monsters, further shrouding the location in mystery.


    Naturally, no common man would have thought that for several thousand years, the center of this mountain range had been the home of one of the Seven Great Cultivator Sects, the Yellow Maple Valley!


    From the view above, it appeared no different from other mountain ranges; the ridges were steep and the forest was lush. However, it was completely an illusion as it was actually covered in a wondrously large, sect-wide formation. Underneath the formation were countless towers and grand halls that had been built long ago. There were even cultivators busily about, flying at low altitudes on top of leaf-shaped pedal magic tools.


    Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s current Sect Master Zhong Lingdao was already a hundred years old. However, he still had the middle-aged appearance of having three long strands of facial hair, comprising of a mustache and beard. He was a late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a calm, natural disposition and was skilled at organization. Within the sect, his prestige was high. The sect elders and his fellow apprentice brothers held much confidence in him.


    However, this always calm, fully confident Sect Master Zhong was currently tensing his brow as he sat in the main hall¡¯s head seat. He somewhat helplessly watched an intense dispute in front of him between a middle-aged man and an old man. In the great hall, there were more than ten other cultivators at both sides, each with a different expression. These were the stewards of Yellow Maple Valley.


    ¡°Elder Martial Brother Murong! It is obvious that several months ago, we had already distributed all of the Foundation Establishment Pills. However, my grandnephew¡¯s reservation was actually cancelled and given to a rogue cultivator. This is outrageous!¡± The old man shouted with fury toward the direction of the middle-aged scholar.


    This was truly astonishing. This old man was undoubtedly much older than the middle-aged person, but he still addressed him as Elder Martial Brother!


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye, this was not an accident! For the first time in several hundred years, someone had entered the sect through the use of a Writ of Immortal Ascension. How could we ignore this? We must give this person a Foundation Establishment Pill!¡±  The middle-aged scholar calmly said with his expression unchanged.


    ¡°However, this person is simply not a person from a cultivator clan and is merely a rogue cultivator. Do we still have to give him a Foundation Establishment Pill under those circumstances? As I see it, simply letting him enter the sect is enough. With that much, he would regard that as a great fortune!¡± The old man disputed while flushed with anger.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye, these words should not be uttered! How do you know that his ancestors were not from a cultivator clan? Perhaps his clan simply declined and then he became a rogue cultivator! Moreover, who can guarantee their own clan will not weaken with age! Perhaps one day Junior Martial Brother Ye¡¯s Ye Clan will also decline. When the moment comes where one of the Ye Clan¡¯s future generation brings the Writ of Immortal Ascension, will our Yellow Maple Valley not give them a Foundation Establishment Pill and only have them enter the sect?  If Junior Martial Brother dares to swear this poisonous oath in front of all is us, I, Mu Rongshan, will turn around and leave alone the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill.¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s composed and confident words turned the old man¡¯s face white then green, leaving him speechless.


    How could the old man possibly dare to swear such a troublesome oath! Even if he were to swear it, only he would would stand aside and leave the matter. Who knew whether others would step in?


    ¡°However, why must my grandnephew¡¯s pill be given away? Are the others¡¯ out of the question?¡± The old man asked, unreconciled.


    ¡°You must ask why this Junior Martial Brother¡¯s grandnephew is far too lacking! When tested, his rank was actually near last.¡± The middle-aged man shook his head with the appearance of regret.


    Seeing the person across from him act in this manner, the roots of the old man¡¯s teeth ached with hatred! However, for the benefit of his grandnephew, he couldn¡¯t do anything to him. With great resolve, he continued, ¡°My grandnephew¡¯s ranking is truly a bit poor, but he is not last in the ranking of those that have not yet taken the Foundation Establishment Pill! Are there not still two others?¡±


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother is correct, There are two others that were tested and ranked lower than your grandnephew. However those two¡¯s circumstances are truly unusual! They simply have grievances toward Junior Martial Brother¡¯s grandnephew!¡± The middle-aged man said with a voice of great pity.


    ¡°What is unusual? If you don¡¯t give me a convincing reason, I will not swallow the tone of your voice!¡± The old man was nervous and let out fierce words.


    ¡°Such a willful display! What is there not to swallow? Those two people are truly unusual. Skipping over these two, Junior Martial Brother¡¯s apprentice was chosen. I had also agreed to this. As for the grounds, Junior Martial Brother need not ask; I can give you an explanation.¡±


    Zhong Lingdao, having seen the old man unexpectedly say such words, lowered his face and berated him.


    Seeing Zhong Lingdao speak in such a way, the old man¡¯s heart trembled with fear! He only knew that during the test, that there should have been two behind his grandnephew. As for who, he truly did not know. This left him truly indignant and dissatisfied! Could it be there was truly some sort of exception that caused even the strict and impartial Sect Master to side with them?


    Zhong Lingdao waved his hand, gesturing the middle-aged scholar to return to his original seat. He then sighed and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye, I fear that this time I truly must wrong your grandnephew! Of those two people, one is Martial Aunt Hong Fu¡¯s sole descendant from the secular world. That is why although the young girl originally did not meet the test standards, I had chosen her to enter the list of those who will receive the Foundation Establishment Pill. Surely Junior Martial Disciple doesn¡¯t want to take away this person¡¯s Foundation Establishment Pill?


    When the old man heard the name Hong Fu, he was startled. His complexion immediately undergone a great change and was filled with fear and trepidation.


    ¡°Since it is Martial Aunt Hong Fu¡¯s descendant, it is only natural to take care of her. How could this Little Brother disrespect his elders in this way! This Little Brother is convinced of this person¡¯s arrangement and concedes.¡± The old man spoke with his face somewhat pale.


    Having seen the old man¡¯s expression as such, Great Sect Master Zhong was not at all surprised. After all, she was the sole female descendant of the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Core Formation expert, Martial Aunt Hong Fu, whose temper was known to all. If he truly deprived the young girl¡¯s qualifications to Foundation Establishment, the old man wouldn¡¯t just be out of luck, perhaps even this Sect Master would have no good days ahead of him!


    ¡°And the other one?¡± The old man was still unresigned. Although he knew this remaining person was certain to have sufficient justification, he was still asked with a mind grasping for a fluke.


    ¡°As for the remaining one, his body has a strange wind attribute spiritual root. Is this enough justification?¡± Zhong Lingdao unhurriedly answered as he twirled his long beard with his fingers.


    When the old man heard this, he remained silent. Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s sect rules had an article that stated: Heavenly roots and unusual spiritual roots took precedence in Foundation Establishment. There was nothing he could complain about.


    However, although his grandnephew was not his grandson by blood, ever since he entered the sect, he dearly looked at his growth since the very first days. He was even more intimate toward him than his very own grandsons. How could he have the heart to tell him that his qualifications for Foundation Establishment had been revoked!


    ¡°Then my grandnephew is truly without hope? It should be known that if he were to wait another ten years, he would miss the optimal period to reach Foundation Establishment and would lose his chance to enter Foundation Establishment in this lifetime!¡± The old man¡¯s words were somewhat bleak, stirring up a burst of whispers among those seated.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye, there is actually a way!¡± A somewhat gloomy, long-faced old man with a hawk nose stood and consoled the old man surnamed Ye.


    ¡°What? Senior Martial Brother Wu has a method?¡± When old man Ye heard this, his spirit shook. Within the sect, this Senior Brother Wu was well known for being resourceful. Perhaps he truly had a method!


    The old man surnamed Wu slightly smiled and didn¡¯t immediately respond. Instead he turned to Zhong Lingdao and saluted to him, asking him with a clear voice, ¡°May I ask Sect Master, what were the properties of the spiritual roots of the person who brought the Writ of Immortal Ascension? Have you tested him yet? What was his aptitude?¡±


    ¡°It seemed to be not particularly good! Junior Martial Brother Wang, you personally tested him. Why don¡¯t you tell us!¡± Zhong Lingdao  asked someone from the left side of the row.


    ¡°Yes, Elder Martial Brother, Sect Master!¡± A middle-aged wearing light green clothes stood and indifferently said, ¡°This person¡¯s age is not old. He is eighteen or nineteen years of age. He has reached early ninth layer in a wood attribute foundation cultivation technique. His spiritual roots are the four attributes except for metal. They could be classified as false spiritual roots. From judging as a whole, this person¡¯s aptitudes are at the bottom. However, he has come across fortuitous encounters and diligently trained, otherwise how else could he reach his current state? If he were to have no other strokes of luck, in this lifetime, he would at most train to his foundation cultivation technique until the eleventh or twelfth layer, unable to enter Foundation Establishment. Even if he were to take a Foundation Establishment Pill, his odds of entering Foundation Establishment are only one percent¡­¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± The old man surnamed Wu waited until Junior Brother Wang said this before loudly interrupting.


    ¡°What is good?¡± The old man surnamed Ye could not help but ask.


    The others looked at the old man surnamed Wu with doubtful gazes. Only Zhong Lingdao wrinkled his brow, he already had a bit of a guess in his mind.


    ¡°May I ask Sect Master, if the person that came took the initiative to renounce the Foundation Establishment Pill, would it be regarded as going against our promise!?¡± The old man surnamed Wu asked.


    ¡°Of course. However, no one is allowed to use threats or force to accomplish this matter. Otherwise, our Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s reputation will be ruined!¡± Sect Master Zhong softly and solemnly said.


    ¡°Hehe! Sect Master, please feel at ease! This is only natural!¡± The old man surnamed Wu faintly smiled and then turned his head toward the old man surnamed Ye, saying, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye, you don¡¯t mind spending a few items to purchase his Foundation Establishment Pill, right? It should be known with such lowly aptitude, the rate of success to enter Foundation Establishment is pitifully small. This should be a great opportunity. He can to renounce the Establishment Foundation Pill to obtain something far more practical!¡± The old man named Wu said with a fully confident appearance.

 Chapter 145

    The Unexpected Guest.


    Chapter 145: The Unexpected Guest


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Senior Martial Brother Wu truly has a good idea!¡± The old man surnamed Ye¡¯s two eyes shined with excitement.


    Then he turned his head to Zhong Lingdao and expectantly requested, ¡°Sect Master, could I see the owner of the Writ of Immortal Ascension? I wish to do business with him and exchange something for his voluntary renouncement of the Foundation Establishment Pill!¡±


    When Zhong Lingdao heard this, he muttered to himself hesitantly before nodding. However, he reminded the old man that he mustn¡¯t overstep his boundaries and force the transaction before letting Junior Martial Brother Wang see the uninvited guest.


    The old man and Junior Martial Brother Wang exited the main hall. After stepping on a leaf-shaped magic tool, they immediately soared into the sky toward Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s guest-welcoming building.


    In a room of the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s guest-welcoming building, a youth was lying on a bed, looking at the roof while lost in thought. He was precisely Han Li who followed them to Yellow Maple Valley after the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly¡¯s conclusion.


    After Han Li had killed the two cultivators who ambushed him, with no further external encounters, he hurried to some hidden mountain peak in the Lan Province to participate in the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly that was soon to convene and compare what he saw with the desperately fought tournaments described by Hu Pinggu.


    After the life-and-death contests, with each stage having a final victor, the Seven Great Sects¡¯ representatives finally emerged. Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s representative was that Junior Martial Brother Wang.


    After having seen Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s representative and taking a moment of careful deliberation, he still resolved himself to take the risk and hand over the Writ of Immortal Ascension for this man to see, causing the representative to be startled.


    The representative immediately stated that he could bring Han Li back to the sect. As for the specifics towards him and the Writ of Immortal Ascension, it would be the decision of their Sect Master. After all, regaining the Writ of Immortal Ascension was a matter four to five hundred years overdue!


    Han Li was naturally unopposed, otherwise he would have to find Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s mountain entrance by himself. It would be far too exhausting for him.


    Like that, the other cultivators looked at Han Li with gazes of amazement. He sat on an immense boat-shaped magic tool with ten victors from the tournament and the representative Junior Martial Brother Wang. When he returned to Yellow Maple Valley, he was brought here to wait for a reply. As for the other ten, they had parted. It was unknown where they had gone.


    Han Li waited here for three to four days and did not leave his room. Aside from an eleven to twelve year-old male servant delivering him food every day on schedule, he did not see anyone else.


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li was actually obedient and sincere, but after that representative surnamed Wang arranged his living conditions and tested his spiritual root attributes, he immediately told him that because he still wasn¡¯t a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, the room would have a few restrictive techniques. For the time being, he would be unable to leave the room, otherwise he would trigger the restrictive techniques, causing him to be restrained.


    Having heard the representative surnamed Wang, Han Li naturally did not bring embarrassment upon himself. In addition, after having become aware that he possessed four attribute false spiritual roots, Han Li mood took a turn for the worse.


    Although Han Li already knew that his own cultivation aptitude was rather poor, after hearing it with his own ears, he became sad and dispirited for an entire day. It seemed that if he wished to remain on his path of cultivation, he would have to rely on the external power of medicine pills and such.


    However, after he ascended to the ninth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts, he felt the effectiveness of ¡°Yellow Dragon Pellet¡± and ¡°Golden Essence Pill¡± greatly lessening. They did not aid him as greatly as before. It seemed he must find several other spiritual medicine recipes and concoct some medicine pills truly fit for a cultivator, else the pace of his cultivation would be delayed.


    Just as Han Li was immersed in thought, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door. In addition, it was the sound of not just one person. Han Li roused his spirit. It seemed that after suffering through several days, the information he was waiting for had come.


    ¡°Young Friend, have you become accustomed to living here?¡±


    The room¡¯s door softly opened, and the voice of the representative named Wang spoke. This man soon entered the room, followed by a blushing old man.


    ¡°Greetings, Immortal Wang!¡± Han Li immediately jumped from the bed and respectfully greeted him. He was fully aware that nobody would find fault with extra courtesy. Were he to humble his attitude a bit, he would only receive benefit and no detriments.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Han Li glanced at the old man and asked, puzzled.


    ¡°This is my Senior Martial Brother, surnamed Ye.¡± Junior Martial Brother Wang smiled and then explained.


    Surnamed Ye? Han Li was startled. Could it be that the matter of having taken the writ after killing Monk Golden Light was revealed? Was it the Ye Clan member who sought him? However, although this old man¡¯s complexion wasn¡¯t too good, he did not have the appearance of great anger. It seemed he had some other mysterious reason. Han Li felt apprehensive, though this was not expressed in the slightest on his face. With the same respectful tone, he said, ¡°So it was Immortal Ye!¡±


    The old man sized up Han Li once through. How could Han Li look and feel so terribly ordinary? There wasn¡¯t anything the slightest bit out of the ordinary. He couldn¡¯t help but feel uncertain toward his purpose coming here.


    As a result, after he heard Han Li¡¯s greeting, he put on a gracious face and smiled, saying, ¡°Hehe! Young Friend Han need not be overly courteous. Since Young Friend Han arrived to our Yellow Maple Valley holding the Writ of Immortal Ascension, Young Friend is already a sect disciple. Calling me Martial Uncle Ye will suffice; you need not regard yourself as an outsider!¡±


    After Han Li heard the old man¡¯s words, his heart greatly lightened. However, his mind was still somewhat unconvinced.


    Since the other party had spoken so politely, it seems he did not have a vendetta against him. Though, wasn¡¯t this level of politely a bit too excessive? How could he be said to not be an outsider! Han Li was at a loss.


    ¡°Young Friend Han, Senior Martial Brother Ye did not speak wrongly! The current Sect Master had already agreed to allow Young Friend to become a sect disciple. In addition, a Foundation Establishment Pill has been prepared for Young Friend!¡± Junior Martial Brother Wang said with a light smile.


    ¡°Truly?¡± When the always steady and calm Han Li heard those words, he could not help but grow excited. He wished he could dance for joy and vent his feelings.


    Seeing Han Li act in such a manner, Junior Martial Brother Wang smiled. He did not feel very surprised; it seemed he had already predicted Han Li¡¯s reaction!


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Wang, I wish to speak with Martial Nephew Han alone. Could you withdraw for a moment?¡± The old man had grown somewhat impatient and finally spoke what he wanted to ever since he entered the room.


    ¡°Of course, this Junior Martial Brother will return to sect master first. After Senior Martial Brother and Martial Nephew Han finish speaking, come back together!¡± Junior Martial Brother Wang inwardly sighed. After giving Han Li a faint glance, he left the room.


    At this moment, the only two remaining in the room were  old man Ye and Han Li.


    Han Li was stunned at what had happened before him. How could this one surnamed Wang just walk away after being told? The one left along with him, the fellow calling himself Martial Uncle, what matter does he have to speak with him! Although he didn¡¯t know what this Senior Martial Brother Ye was up to, Han Li had a faintly bad premonition.


    The old man saw that Han Li was uneasy, but he didn¡¯t care in the slightest. He was convinced the things he could put forward were certain to cause this youth inexperienced with the world to widely open his eyes and smoothly complete the transaction.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Han, Martial Uncle is a straightforward person, therefore I will not beat around the bush and openly say it! My business is related to your given Foundation Establishment Pill. I wish to purchase it from Martial Nephew. What does Martial Nephew think about it?¡± The old man got right to the point.


    ¡®He actually wants to purchase my Foundation Establishment Pill! Did he not mishear? How could he sell it to someone else!¡¯ When Han Li heard this, he was shocked. However soon after, his complexion greatly changed and became unsightly.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Han, do not hesitate to be at ease. I will not offer nothing in exchange for Martial Nephew¡¯s Foundation Establishment Pill. Seven or Eight mid-grade spirit stones, a few elementary mid to high grade spiritual talismans, and several kinds of first-rate magic tools. Martial Uncle still can bring out more things. If these truly won¡¯t do, Martial Uncle still has a few magic power progressing medicine pills. Although they are incapable of being compared to a Foundation Establishment Pill, they are spiritual medicines hard to come by even in the sect.¡± The old man hastily explained after clearly seeing Han Li¡¯s complexion change.


    After Han Li heard these words, his complexion was much better. He heard the sincerity in the other party¡¯s words. It seemed this Martial Uncle had no intention of harshly and unreasonably scramble to rob him. Indeed, he truly wished to buy his Foundation Establishment Pill.

 Chapter 146

    Closing a Deal.


    Chapter 146: Closing a Deal


    ¡®Although I have never seen the Foundation Establishment Pill with my own eyes, I, Han Li, know its value and its importance very clearly! Think about it, at the Tian Wutai Great Immortal Ascension Assembly, nearly thousands of cultivators fought a battle of life and death, and for what? Wasn¡¯t it because of the temptation of this Foundation Establishment Pill! And this Martial Uncle Ye thinks he could just trade it away with some spirit stones and magic tools, does he really think that I am some youngster who just came from the mountains?¡¯ Han Li thought to himself while laughing coldly on the inside, but on the outside he appeared respectful, as if he was truly listening carefully to what the Martial Uncle Ye had to say.


    The old man surnamed Ye was satisfied with Han Li¡¯s response. After all, this future disciple didn¡¯t reject him as soon as he brought up the trade for the Foundation Establishment Pill. It seemed like this could go somewhere. He never thought that he could easily trade the Foundation Establishment Pill with the items that were mentioned earlier from the very beginning. Anyone who was not an an idiot would know to not trade this precious item for something so cheap. What he said earlier was merely a test!


    But now, looking at Han Li¡¯s attitude, there seemed to be the possibility of negotiation. He was overjoyed!


    If Han Li was willing to trade, the old man was very confident that he could satisfy Han Li¡¯s demands and trade it for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Just thinking about it made the old man surnamed Ye¡¯s smile grow even wider. It even felt like Han Li was less of an eyesore than before!


    ¡°Martial Nephew Han, I¡¯m sure you know about the attribute of your spiritual roots! To be honest, with Martial Nephew¡¯s aptitude, even by taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, the rate of successfully entering Foundation Establishment is very low! At most, the Foundation Establishment Pill would boost your magic power, and maybe level up your basic powers two or three layers! If so, taking the Foundation Establishment Pill would be too wasteful! To Martial Nephew, it would be best to trade it for something more practical and worthy, if¡­¡± the old man started talking endlessly to tempt Han Li.


    Even though Han Li looked like he was paying close attention to Martial Uncle Ye, he was already analyzing, calculating the pros and cons in his head.


    Honestly, he knew very well that what the old man said was true. The chance of attaining Foundation Establishment after taking merely one Foundation Establishment Pill was almost too low! But if Han Li gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill that easily, he wouldn¡¯t forgive himself. Because even if the chances were low, wasn¡¯t there still a slight possibility of success?


    But if he doesn¡¯t give up the Foundation Establishment Pill to this Martial Uncle Ye in front of him, then his life in Yellow Maple Valley would definitely be unenjoyable. It was likely he would cause this person to hold a grudge for no reason. He also seemed to have some power in the Yellow Maple Valley. If that was the case, then it would be troublesome.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Ye, may I please ask who you are requesting the Foundation Establishment Pill for? I am sure that Martial Uncle Ye doesn¡¯t need this item anymore!¡± Han Li thought for a while and decided to probe the old man¡¯s intentions.


    Even though the old man was interrupted by Han Li, he did not seem unhappy at all. Hearing Han Li¡¯s question, he hesitated a little, but still told Han Li,


    ¡°Since you asked, I, Martial Uncle, have nothing to hide. I am requesting this Foundation Establishment Pill for someone surnamed Ye¡¯s grandnephew. Will Martial Nephew please fulfill our wish?¡±


    Han Li laughed bitterly in his heart after hearing this, and thought:


    ¡®Grandnephew, I guess that¡¯s a tight enough family relationship! If he can make the Martial Uncle Ye try so hard, and to even ask to trade the Foundation Establishment Pill from a junior, he must be extremely lovable! Looks like if I really don¡¯t trade with him, there is a hundred percent chance that I will provoke this old man. After that, I would never be able to settle in the Yellow Maple Valley. I can only swallow my pain and agree to trade! As for how I¡¯m going to achieve Foundation Establishment, I will have to think of some other ways in the future. I still have that mysterious little bottle, and if I have the recipe and time, what medicine can¡¯t I make?¡¯


    After Han Li finished considering the pros and cons, he had made his choice. However, he wanted to get the most out of the trade, so he acted as if he was struggling and having trouble deciding.


    ¡°Martial Uncle, it¡¯s not that Junior is disrespecting Senior, but the Foundation Establishment Pill is also incredibly important to Martial Nephew! Even if Junior has low potential, isn¡¯t there still a sliver of hope? If I just give up this opportunity to become Foundation Establishment now, then Junior would really have no chance with the great path!¡±


    After the old man heard Han Li out, he couldn¡¯t help but to scoff in silence! He thought to himself: ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be considering the higher path with your low qualification. You are completely overestimating your own abilities.¡±


    But on the surface, the old man was still persuading him patiently from different angles while making a lot of empty promises. He continued to pressure and change Han Li¡¯s decision into agreeing to trade the Foundation Establishment Pill.


    Hearing these empty promises, Han Li laughed coldly in his heart, but he kept on saying words with uncertainty and making himself sound even weaker. This thrilled the old man even more, as he continued to bargain with an even higher price.


    ¡°Martial Nephew! If you are willing to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill, I can let you choose any chore you want from the chores that the disciples at the Valley are required to do!¡± Seeing Han Li was on the edge of agreeing to the deal, he finally played his trump card.


    ¡°Chores?¡± Han Li was really stunned this time.


    ¡°Yes, you should know that the low level disciples at Yellow Maple Valley must complete an assignment every month. For example: going to a few mines and supervise the miners, be an administrative disciple at a city market owned by our sect, take care of the Valley¡¯s rare creatures, or growing some wonderful, spiritual medicines. Based on how the job was completed, the sect will hand out some low-grade spiritual stones to these disciples as a reward. And I, Martial Uncle, am responsible for distributing these types of jobs in the Valley. So if there are any jobs that Martial Nephew would like, it would be all up to me,¡± the old man surnamed Ye said proudly, seeming like he truly did have the power and confidence.


    But having listened to this, Han Li was speechless! It seemed like no matter where he was, there were always people who used their powers for their self interest, including major cultivation sects like the Yellow Maple Valley.


    But when he mentioned the job about planting incredible medicinal plants, it interested Han Li. He felt like this job was made for him. Additionally, Martial Uncle Ye already promised a lot of good deals. If he kept dragging it out, it might start to seem like he was being too greedy, so he should close the deal when he could!


    Right about now, Han Li finally acted like he was moved, and said to the old man in a bitter tone:


    ¡°Since Martial Uncle Ye has gone out of his way like this, if I still don¡¯t agree to trade with you, it would seem like I¡¯m not giving you face. If you can really give me what you promised, then your grandnephew can have Martial Nephew¡¯s Foundation Establishment Pill. I hope your grandnephew can successfully reach Foundation Establishment!¡±


    Once the old man heard this, he was delighted, and sincerely promised,  ¡°Martial Nephew doesn¡¯t have to worry about a thing, Martial Uncle always delivers on his promises. But when we meet the Sect Leader later, you are free to tell him about the trade that was on the table, but don¡¯t bring up the deal that we had privately!¡±


    Han Li took the hint, smiled and humored him, ¡°I can assure Martial Uncle, Junior knows what to do, I would not do something that stupid.¡±


    Hearing this, the old man broke into a smile. He was very satisfied with Han Li¡¯s cooperative behavior.

 Chapter 147

    The Particulars Within The Valley.


    Chapter 147: The Particulars Within The Valley


    After Han Li and Old Man Ye finished their business, Han Li was brought to the main hall on a flying magic tool toward the main hall to reply to Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Sect Master Zhong Lingdao.


    Not long after, Han Li stood in front of the immense stone palace hall that was several tens of meters tall and was curiously sizing up several Yellow Maple Valley disciples who were standing guard at the gate. These people¡¯s magic power was far more profound than Han Li¡¯s. At the very least they had reached the tenth layer or higher of their foundation cultivation technique. Han Li could not help but be inwardly surprised toward this sect¡¯s cultivators¡¯ strength and impressive appearance.


    Just a moment ago, when he and Old Man Ye arrived at this place, Old Man Ye had him first stay outside the hall. He was to wait for Sect Master Zhong¡¯s summons before going in by himself. This caused Han Li to awkwardly wait outside the palace hall, making him break into a string of silent curses.


    After a long while, a white-clothed middle-aged man came outside and directly arrived in front of Han Li. He coldly said, ¡°Follow me in. Sect Master summons you.¡±


    Then, without waiting for a response from Han Li, he returned, paying heed only to himself. Han Li inwardly smiled bitterly. It seemed a ninth layer Qi Condensation cultivator such as himself, simply could not be put into the person¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t want want to say more than a single phrase to him!


    Although he was discontent toward this person¡¯s arrogance, Han Li clearly understood his own importance here and obediently followed after him, entering the main hall.


    After passing through three large gates guarded by disciples, Han Li then saw Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Sect Master Zhong Lingdao, a middle-aged man with a long three-strand beard.


    On the two sides of the large hall sat more than ten people, each differently clothed. When Han Li entered, after he sized up Han Li a moment and saw that his appearance was common and uninteresting, he shifted his vision away, uninterested.  In addition, that Old Man Ye and that Junior Martial Brother Wang were also sitting within.


    ¡°This young fellow is called Han Li?¡± Sect Leader Zhong serenely asked.


    ¡°That is right. Disciple Han Li meets Sect Master!¡± Han Li appeared to very sincerely step forward and formally salute him.


    ¡°There is no need to be overly polite! Since Young Friend carries the Writ of Immortal Ascension, this Sect Master will certainly respect the rules established by our exalted predecessors and have young friend enter the sect.¡± Zhong Lingdao amiably smiled like a blowing spring wind and lightly brushed his sleeve.


    Just as Han Li was about to lower his body, he felt a soft incorporeal power around his thigh softly supporting him and rendering incapable of continuing to formally pay his respects. This had startled him, and he felt some reverence toward the Sect Master.


    ¡°Not only will Young Friend enter the sect, but he will also obtain the qualifications to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. I heard Junior Martial Brother Ye said that Young Friend renounced his Foundation Establishment Pill and gave it to someone else. Is this true?¡± Sect Master Zhong did not speak much rubbish and directly spoke of the purpose of his summon to the palace hall.


    ¡°That is right, Sect Master! Disciple feels his aptitude is lacking, and taking the Foundation Establishment Pill is truly too extravagant. Instead, I gave this precious item to a Senior Martial Brother who needed it more!¡±


    After Han Li uttered these words, he felt his heart faintly ache. This was because of the Foundation Establishment Pill! This wasn¡¯t some kind of ordinary medicine pill that he could eat between meals!


    If one were to release a Foundation Establishment Pill into the world of cultivation, it would be a wonder if it hadn¡¯t stirred up the winds of a bloody rain! Although he could rely on his mysterious small bottle, he had no confidence that he could perfectly refine a spiritual pill like the Foundation Establishment Pill! These particular words he had just said were not from the heart.


    Han Li was very reluctant to part with it. However, his appearance was completely obedient and deferential, greatly satisfying the majority of those in the palace hall.


    ¡°Good! Young Friend Han, this Sect Master is greatly gratified by your decision. However, Young Friend should not hesitate to be at ease. This Sect Master will not let Young Friend perform this sacrifice in vain!¡± After this was said, Zhong Lingdao turned his head and looked toward Old Man Ye.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ye! Young Friend Han releases his Foundation Establishment Pill for the use of your grandnephew. However, Junior Martial Brother must compensate Young Friend for his loss. You must satisfy him!¡± Zhong Lingdao solemnly said.


    ¡°Hehe! Sect Master, please feel at ease. I will definitely satisfy Martial Nephew Han!¡± The old man saw matters unfold as he imagined, smoothly reaching an agreement. He couldn¡¯t help but burst with joy, repeatedly agreeing in response.


    Having seen the old man appear this way, Zhong Lingdao fiddled with his long beard and faintly smiled. This difficult problem had unexpectedly been effortlessly resolved and satisfied both sides. This made the Great Sect Master let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill has been resolved, and from this day onward, Young Friend Han will be a disciple of this sect. Junior Martial Brother Wang, arrange Martial Nephew Han¡¯s residence and briefly explain the valley¡¯s sect rules. First, have him see a Cultivation Guidance Disciple. If there is remarkable progress, then there may be another promotion!¡± Zhong Lingdao commanded Junior Martial Brother Wang with words in a way dripping water would not reveal.


    ¡°I will follow your orders, Sect Master!¡± Junior Martial Brother Wang stood and accepted his commands.


    Thus, this Martial Uncle Wang immediately brought Han Li out of the palace hall and started to explain a few of Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s various rules and tell him a few bits of general knowledge. Han Li attentively listened and more or less understood formed an initial understanding of Yellow Maple Valley.


    Yellow Maple Valley had about ten thousand disciples in total. Of these disciples, at ninety percent were at the Qi Condensation stage. There were only a few hundred Foundation Establishment stage disciples. Those people were the central power of Yellow Maple Valley.


    Above them were great Core Formation stage experts. There were only a few several. They were fundamentally in seclusion year-round and were no longer interested with the affairs of the valley.  Unless it was a major event involving the life or death of Yellow Maple Valley, Sect Master Zhong would ordinarily not see these people¡¯s faces.


    As for the sole Nascent Soul expert in the valley, he was the Martial Uncle Ancestor of Sect Master Zhong and his subordinates. It was said that he was already over nine hundred years old. Not only was his magic power unfathomably deep and his Daoist techniques thoroughly profound, his Nascent Soul could exit his body and mentally journey thousands of Li away. He was a true Immortal on this earth. However, this elder had long left the valley and was no longer within the State of Yue. He had already left to travel to other various countries. Who knows when he would return to the valley?


    As the Qi Condensation disciples were quite numerous in the valley, it was impossible for all of them to consume the Foundation Establishment Pill! Only the most outstanding disciples with the best aptitudes would be able to have this privilege.


    Therefore, every ten years, the valley¡¯s disciples who were younger than thirty would engage in a series of selections . The competition¡¯s fierceness was not at all inferior to the external Great Immortal Ascension Assembly. On the whole, only true cultivation geniuses who practiced their foundation cultivation technique to the eleventh or even twelfth layer could distinguish themselves and obtain the qualifications for a Foundation Establishment Pill.


    Of the several hundred best disciples who passed the strict selection, only twenty to thirty would enter Foundation Establishment after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. The rest would at best advance their magic power a step and reach the peak of their foundation cultivation technique but never pass it.


    Naturally, the disciples in the valley were divided into three levels of hierarchy.


    The lowest were the disciples who had not yet taken a Foundation Establishment Pill. These people were the most numerous within the valley, and their magic power were the most shallow. These people ordinarily undertook lowly tasks and cultivated for the least amount of time. However, although they may be the lowest ranked in the valley, they had quite a grand name, ¡°Honored Disciples¡±.


    (TL: the ?? ¡°Honored¡± in honored disciples also means attendant.)


    With slightly higher positions were those who had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill, but were unable to enter the Foundation Establishment stage. These disciple¡¯s foundation cultivation technique had basically reached their peak. Their magic power was far greater than those Honored Disciples. They were even able to use a few simple mid-grade cultivation techniques. As a result, they assumed the duty of leading and administering these numerous Honored Disciples. They were commonly called ¡°Consul Disciples¡±.


    Those with the highest positions were the disciples who had entered Foundation Establishment. They were the favorites of the Heavens and were regarded as true Immortal cultivators; true experts who had stepped foot on the path of Immortal cultivation.


    After these people succeeded in entering Foundation Establishment, they were permitted to find a region with abundant Spiritual Qi and create an Immortal¡¯s cave to cultivate alone. They need not undertake any lowly tasks and only concentrate on cultivating. In addition, every year they would be granted all sorts of uncommon materials and a large amount of spirit stones to support and expedite their cultivation. Their sole duty was to aid the sect when it encountered great enemies . To disobey this order was unacceptable.


    Apart from the disciples of Yellow Maple Valley, there were the true powers that controlled the sect from within, the many stewards.


    These stewards were those disciples who, after entering Foundation Establishment, cultivated for an amount of time and were aware that they were unable to enter Core Formation. They voluntarily renounced their continued cultivation and were willing to enter the inner valley¡¯s specialized administration, performing various duties. Old Man Ye and those tens of people within the main hall were all these kinds of stewards.


    Actually, Sect Master Zhong Lingdao was a high level steward. However, he took charge of the entire sect¡¯s overall planning and was the steward of all the stewards.


    True decisions regarding the life or death of the sect were decided by those reclusive Core Formation experts. Their mere existence allowed Yellow Maple Valley to be viewed upon as one of the towering Seven Great Immortal Sects, and made it so that evil spirits dared not to cause harm to the sect. Otherwise, Yellow Maple Valley of the Seven Great Immortal Sects would have already been long exterminated countless times from those demons with profound magic power.


    Naturally, the information mentioned above did not come from this Martial Uncle Wang but was secretly inferred by Han Li from inquiries and Martial Uncle Wang¡¯s words.


    This allowed Han Li to have a clear understanding of his status and environment. This would later be of no small assistance to him when interacting with fellow sect disciples.

 Chapter 148

    Old Man in Gray.


    Chapter 148: Old Man in Gray


    Martial Uncle Wang took Han Li with him on a leaf-shaped magic tool and flew for a couple of hours. They landed on a lush verdant mountain range, within an area crowded with flat houses. These shabby houses were built using rocks from the mountain, and there wasn¡¯t a single person inside these houses. They seemed like they were all empty, and this puzzled Han Li!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. These houses are truly empty. This place is meant for the new disciples to live in until they improved their magic power, then they will move out and look for somewhere else to live. It happens it is currently the beginning of the ten-yearrotational cycle. The new disciples haven¡¯t joined the sect yet, so the houses are temporarily empty,¡± Martial Uncle Wang spotted Han Li¡¯s confusion and explained softly. This cleared Han Li¡¯s bewilderment.


    Martial Uncle Wang led Han Li the way as they walked among houses, making so many turns that Han Li felt dizzy. Then they finally stopped at a house that was larger than the other normal stone houses. He didn¡¯t explained much to Han Li and started yelling loudly, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Lin, open the door. I brought a new disciple to pick up the items!¡±


    As soon as Martial Uncle Wang finished yelling, the door opened outwards automatically in a whoosh. Seeing this, Martial Uncle Wang walked in without any hesitation. Han Li paused a little, and followed him into the house.


    Inside the house, it was more spacious than it looked outside. This amazed Han Li, wondering what the house was tempered with.


    But the specific situation inside the house gave Han Li a certain feeling, and it was the word ¡°messy.¡±


    All kinds of different items were piled here and there. Some were clothes, some were weapons such as knives and swords. But from the wave of spiritual power the weapons were giving off, they seemed to actually be pretty well-made magic tools.


    Aside from these things, there were also some other daily items such as shovels and hammers. Those items were also giving off strong spiritual power, it seemed like the items had been. refined into something like a magic tool. This broadened Han Li¡¯s horizons. What kind of special effect did these tools have?


    At the center of the house, there was an eight-seater square table. Facing the door and sitting behind the table was an old man in gray clothes with fluffy hair. The old man ignored them as the two of them walked in the house, instead being focused on a small shiny knife, carving a yellow wood about the size of his palms that he held in his hands.


    Martial Uncle Wang saw this, he frowned slightly, but his facial expression turned back to normal immediately. He didn¡¯t walk up and interrupt the old man working, instead he pulled a chair from the corner of the room, sat across the old man, and waited quietly for the old man to finish carving the wood.


    Han Li blinked his eyes when he saw the situation and stood behind Martial Uncle Wang without saying a word while waiting sensibly with him.


    The old man in gray was moving his hands fast like the wind while wood chips fell from in between his finger. After merely the time it took to make a cup of tea, a life-like little monkey appeared within his palms.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s carving skills have improved a lot since the last time I saw you!¡± Martial Uncle Wang just then complimented while smiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing impressive. I had nothing to do, so I was just killing time! How come Martial Brother Wang has the time to come and visit my humble residence?¡± The old man in gray said carelessly, but his eyes were already looking straight at Han Li and seemed to have guessed what the two of them were doing here.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too important, just wanted to get the equipments that all new disciples who join the valley¡¯s sect would receive for this Martial Nephew Han,¡± he smiled and answered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t all the new disciples from the Immortal Ascension Assembly receive their equipments? How come there¡¯s another one? And his aptitude is so poor! Did our Sect Leader Zhong¡¯s standards really became that low, he would recruit someone so untalented into the valley!¡± The old man in gray said bluntly right in front of Han Li, making Han Li sound completely useless. From his tone of attitude, it doesn¡¯t seemed like he respected the Sect Leader Zhong as much either.


    Hearing this, Han Li naturally felt extremely awkward, and Martial Uncle Wang was also smiling bitterly.


    He knew that because of what happened back then, this Junior Martial Brother Lin had been holding a grudge against their Senior Martial Brother, the Sect Leader, ever since. But in front of this junior, Han Li, how could he possibly pick on the young!


    So, he coughed a little and changed the topic, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, this Martial Nephew Han was the one who brought the Writ of Immortal Ascension and joined us in the Yellow Maple Valley! It counts as an exception, so his aptitude is not important. What¡¯s important is that the sect needs to keep our promise.¡±


    ¡°The Writ of Immortal Ascension!¡± The old man in gray was very surprised and looked at Han Li once again.


    ¡°Tsk tsk! If you say so, then this fellow must have a lot of luck, and he can take a Foundation Establishment Pill?¡± The old man said with a loud voice and looked at him with a look that said, ¡®fellow, you¡¯re truly a lucky b*stard!¡¯


    ¡°Hehe, normally that would be the case. But Martial Nephew Han and Martial Brother Ye made a deal, and he gave up this Foundation Establishment Pill automatically,¡± Martial Uncle Wang smiled and mentioned.


    ¡°Gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill?¡± The old man was startled at first, but for some reason his expression darkened right away, and after a moment of silent, he said something that surprised Han Li.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing he could give it up! The most important thing about being human is knowing your limits. Knowing what to give up and what to take at this young age, this quality is a lot stronger in him than in me!¡± The expression of the old man in gray seemed to be incredibly lonely. The expression in his eyes, which were originally cold, became more kind.


    But after Han Li heard what the old man said, he was confused and didn¡¯t take it to heart!


    ¡®Knowing your limits? That was because I had no choice, so I gave up the precious Foundation Establishment Pill! If it weren¡¯t so, who would give it up!¡¯


    Without Han Li mentioning the complaints his heart, the old man suddenly put on a straight face and stood up. He used his hands to lightly and continuously claw at the space around them. An item suddenly appeared in his hand, and the items kept increasing. The whole process stunned Han Li.


    ¡°A Yellow Silk Shirt, a Azure Leaf Magic Tool, an everyday refinery set, one Fierce Sun Sword and Cold Moon Saber each, and a tenfold storage pouch,¡± The old man listed all the items in his hands coldly and put them on the table.


    ¡°The items are all here. Little fellow, take them away! As for Martial Brother Wang, who is a busy person, I will not ask you to stay. Please see yourselves out!¡± After saying this, the old man took out another piece of wood from his chest, started sculpting once again, no longer paying attention to the two of them.


    Seeing this, Martial Uncle Wang sighed, stopped saying anything else, and told Han Li to pick up the items. As soon as the two of them walked out of the stone house, the door automatically closed up with a loud bang!


    Martial Uncle Wang looked at the shut door and shook his head. He then prepared to leave the place with Han Li.


    ¡°Oh! You don¡¯t have to carry that many items in your arms, just put them in your storage pouch!¡± Martial Uncle Wang turned around and saw Han Li carrying everything in his arms, standing like an idiot beside him. His foolish look amused him, so he spoke to remind him.


    After Han Li heard what he said, he put the things in his arms on the ground and found the black cloth pouch among the items. ¡°This is the tenfold storage pouch?¡± Han Li was a little confused!


    He picked up the pouch, looked at the incredibly small opening, and then looked at the enormous swords and items. He hesitated a little since he didn¡¯t know how to stuff them in the pouch.


    ¡°This is your first time using a storage pouch, so let me demonstrate!¡± Martial Uncle Wang was understanding. After he recognized Han Li¡¯s confusion, he reached over and took the pouch.


    ¡°All you have to do is aim the opening of the pouch at what you want to put in, inject some magic power into the pouch,  and focus on the item. It will be sucked in automatically!¡± Martial Uncle Wang said as he demonstrated it himself.


    He pointed the opening downwards, and the white light in his hand flickered. A bright, white light shot out from the pouch and covered everything that was on the ground. Those items immediately shrunk under the white light, and as soon as they reached a certain size, they were sucked into the pouch. Han Li, who was watching on the side, was surprised and amazed!


    ¡°You use the same method when you want to take out an item. You just have to focus on the item that you want to take out with your magic power beforehand,¡± Martial Uncle Wang said as he returned the pouch to Han Li.


    ¡°But there are a few rules when it comes to using the storage pouch. Martial Nephew Han, you must remember them carefully!¡± Martial Uncle Wang put his hands behind his back and spoke seriously.


    Hearing this, Han Li nodded like a chicken pecking rice.


    ¡°Firstly, the storage pouch can only hold and shrink a certain amount or size of items. If the pouch sucked in something that¡¯s too big or too many in quantity, it will lose its ability, and you won¡¯t be able to put more items inside of it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, the storage pouch cannot store living things. If you put a live creature inside it, then it will die for sure!¡±


    ¡°Lastly, and also the most important rule you must keep at heart: Low¨Cgrade storage pouches do not have the ability to recognize their owner, so whoever steals your storage pouch can take the items inside! Hence, don¡¯t reveal your storage pouch easily in front of other cultivators. You should hide it carefully, or else you could get into serious trouble.¡±

 Chapter 149

    Chores.


    Chapter 149: Chores


    After Han Li heard these words, he naturally kept them in mind.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve received everything, come with me to see the cultivation guidance disciple!¡± After Martial Uncle Wang said this, he brought Han Li to the flying magic tool and flew.


    On this flight, the distance they traveled was far shorter. In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. There was a huge stone building built into the mountain. The stone sign on the front of the building had the words ¡°Cultivation Guidance Pavilion¡± written in golden characters. It was quite busy with a few young disciples nearby, entering and exiting.


    Martial Uncle Wang did not say anything this time and just walked in, taking the lead. Han Li closely followed behind. It was clear that a few disciples recognized this Martial Uncle Wang; they had continuously saluted and greeted him. Martial Uncle smiled with a nod. It seemed that his reputation in Yellow Maple Valley was truly quite good.


    After entering the stone building, Han Li unexpectedly discovered that the back half of the Cultivation Guidance Pavilion actually extended into the depths of the mountain. Its interior was extremely vast and had rows of stone doors standing side by side with disciples both entering and exiting through them.


    Just as Han Li thought to take a good look, Martial Uncle Wang pushed open the third room door on the right side and walked in heedlessly. This caused Han Li to hesitate somewhat; he did not know whether he should follow closely behind him.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Martial Uncle Wang did not have Han Li wait long. After a moment, he emerged from the doorway and  called out to Han Li.


    There weren¡¯t many people in the room. Inside, there was a black-clothed disciple about thirty years old. He deferentially stood to the side of Martial Uncle Wang. After he saw Han Li enter, he kindly smiled toward him.


    ¡°This is Wu Feng; he is responsible for the cultivation techniques of new disciples. If you have any questions with regards to cultivation techniques in the future, you can ask him for guidance. With regards to understanding elementary cultivation techniques, Wu Feng is of the top ten!¡± Martial Uncle Wang¡¯s words held great admiration toward this fellow.


    ¡°I request Senior Martial Brother Wu to give me much guidance in the future!¡± Han Li respectfully saluted. He clearly understood that this person would be his cultivation technique master in the future. How could he slight him!?


    ¡°Hehe! Martial Uncle praises me too much! In truth, I merely have a superficial, incomplete knowledge of cultivation techniques. I can exchange pointers with Junior Martial Han to gain understanding!¡± This Senior Brother Wu politely added.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Wu, I clearly understand your knowledge on cultivation techniques. There is no need to be too modest! I will hand over the matter of Martial Nephew Han¡¯s cultivation technique to you. Currently, I simply brought him so the two of you can be acquainted. After that, I still have to bring him to other places to introduce him.  He will not be present here for long!¡±


    Martial Uncle Wang was quite straightforward. After he said those words, Elder Martial Brother Wu respectfully sent them off. They promptly departed from the room.


    Next, this Martial Uncle Wang responsibly and diligently brought Han Li to several other essential places and introduced him to many Honored Disciples. Furthermore, he gave him an explanation of a few everyday matters to take notice of before returning him to the gray-clothed old man¡¯s stone house. He had Han Li choose a stone room to live in before leaving Han Li and returning alone.


    Han Li stood in front of the stone room he chose and sized up the simple and crude residence with a bitter smile.


    At this moment, he already knew that so long as he trained his foundation cultivation technique to the tenth layer, he would be able to leave and move to a residence in a place called the Mysterious Earth Mountain. The disciples there would have much more freedom! Not only could they establish their own residence on the mountain, but there were also no restrictions on the style and dimensions of the houses. Han Li could not help but look forward to this.


    Although his cultivation technique had yet to reach the tenth layer, Han Li did not intend to stay at this stone house for long.


    Afterwards, he lightly smiled and suddenly took out the flight Azure Leaf Magic Tool from his storage pouch. Then he poured magic power into the magic tool and tossed himself to the sky.


    Initially, Han Li was unfamiliar with this object, and he flew abruptly from left to right, high to low. It wasn¡¯t smooth in the least. However, not long after, he easily mastered it and could fly similarly to Martial Uncle Wang, confidently and freely with his hands behind his back..


    Although this magic tool was easy to master and simple to control, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t very fast. It was only a bit faster than a steed. This was not surprising as the disciples in the valley only had so much power. Although the Azure Leaf Magic Tool was a bit lacking, it was still Han Li¡¯s first time flying. Hence, he exhilaratingly amused himself for quite a while.


    ¡°Hehe!¡± After a hearty laugh, Han Li satisfied his craving for flight and directed the magic tool toward a certain direction.


    On the way, he brushed past several other disciples who were similarly flying. Perhaps it was because Han Li¡¯s face was quite unfamiliar, but the majority of these people looked at Han Li with several gazes of curiosity. However, when they saw that his cultivation technique was merely of the ninth layer, they disdainfully kept away.


    Although Han Li saw these people¡¯s actions, he did not show anything in his face. Even so, he inwardly released a bitter laugh several times. It seemed that these so-called great sect cultivators were not any different from mortals of the secular world. They were just as snobbish!


    Just as this thought passed through Han Li¡¯s mind, he arrived in front of a large building complex. Then, with large strides, he walked into a large hall with a sign that hung ¡°Hundred Opportunities Hall¡±.


    Inside the hall was a middle-aged Honored Disciple. When he saw Han Li enter, he was somewhat surprised. He could not help but ask, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, how did you return so quickly? What about Martial Uncle Wang?¡±


    This was a place Martial Uncle Wang had just had hurriedly visited with Han Li. This was an Honored Disciple Han Li had just met. That was why when he saw Han Li return, he was greatly surprised.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu, when I arrived here a moment ago, I heard this was the place where one could receive chores work, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Could it be that Junior Martial Brother wants to receive an assignment so quickly? Junior Martial Brother Han is a new disciple. According to the rules, you can first familiarize yourself with the circumstances within the sect for a month before you receive a task. There is no need to feel so anxious!¡± The Honored Disciple spoke in astonishment.


    ¡°Hehe! That¡¯s no issue! I currently want to find something to do. Are there any plant-growing jobs that currently lack manpower?¡± Han Li faintly smiled.


    ¡°That is not how it works. All the missions that disciples receive are randomly distributed. Regardless of what you¡¯re up to, no one is allowed to select their duties! Only if they can prove that they truly have some respective ability in the field would they be given consideration!¡± This Honored Disciple replied, embarrassed.


    When Han Li heard this, he creased his brow. Could it be he truly had to find Martial Uncle Ye?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Have Martial Nephew Han choose as he wishes!¡±A somewhat familiar voice came from behind Han Li, slightly frightening him. He turned his head to look. It was unexpectedly that Old Man Ye; he did not know when he had stood behind him. He was smiling toward Han Li.


    ¡°Hall Master has returned!¡± When the middle-aged Honored Disciple saw the old man, he immediately greeted him.


    ¡°En, I have returned!¡± The old man flippantly said.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Ye!¡± Han Li immediately greeted him with respect.


    ¡°Hehe, Martial Nephew Han came here quite quickly! I returned here to give my subordinates an explanation to let Martial Nephew Han select his tasks at will!¡± He half-jokingly mentioned. It seemed that this Martial Uncle Ye¡¯s mood was pretty good.


    ¡°I am thankful for Martial Uncle¡¯s concern! I also came to take a look. Could I inconvenience Martial Uncle to find a suitable task?¡± Han Li asked, apparently bashful.


    ¡°I am the one in charge here. What inconvenience is there? Honored Disciple Yu, take out all the plant-growing tasks and let Han Li choose as he wishes!¡± The old man magnanimously waved his hand, signalling his subordinate to follow his orders.


    This Honored Disciple Yu was dumbstruck by those words. After he took a deep glance toward Han Li, he hurriedly looked for the scrolls that recorded the chore tasks. In his mind, he could not help but think that he had some sort of relationship with his superior.


    ¡°The plant-growing tasks are all listed here. Take a careful look, Junior Martial Brother Han!¡± Honored Disciple Yu offered him the azure jade slips he returned with.


    Han Li said a word of thanks and took the slips. He earnestly looked through them.


    ¡°Look after the thirteen Five Flower Trees. Every year, each of them produces two white fruits.¡±


    ¡°With great care, take care of the 300 year-old Fire Cloud Ginseng. Ensure that its spiritual nature is not lost.¡±


    ¡°Grow a field of Moon Plum Grass. Hand over a hundred jin of its hay every season.¡± (TL: Jin ? = .5kg)


    ¡°Look after the Yellow Jade Bamboo Forest,¡­.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The slips had all kinds of plant-growing work. There was truly a great amount! However, there were still a few that had yet to be read by Han Li. When he rummaged through the rest of the slips, a task much to Han Li¡¯s satisfaction was found.


    (TL: The ? Kun in ??? Mysterious Earth Mountain is one of the Eight Trigrams ?, it representing Earth. )

 Chapter 150

    Reluctant Consent.


    Chapter 150: Reluctant Consent


    ¡°Take over the Azure Stone Mountain Range¡¯s Hundred Medicine Garden. Requires a set amount of rare drug ingredients to be handed over every year.¡±


    When Han Li saw the gold characters written on the slip, Han Li was extremely joyful. He raised his head toward Honored Disciple Yu and pointed to the slip, saying, ¡°I desire this task. Senior Martial Brother Yu, could you present this to me?¡±


    After he heard Han Li¡¯s words, Honored Disciple Yu pieced together a smile. But once he clearly saw the task Han Li had picked, the cheerful smile on his face became forced.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, please pick another task. This garden task is extremely difficult. It doesn¡¯t suit Junior Martial Brother!¡± Honored Disciple Yu very sincerely said. However, when he saw Han Li¡¯s puzzled appearance, he further explained, ¡°Ever since the task was hung here several years ago, many have already attempted to compete it. However, all of them failed. Not only did they fail to receive an award, they were fined a great number of spirit stones. It could be said to be one of the most difficult tasks here. Even if Junior Martial Brother Han is joking, each disciple I assigned this slip to were quite talented in growing plants!¡±


    After Han Li heard these words, he inwardly laughed. However, after some contemplation, he did not plan to give up. He modestly asked, ¡°Could Senior Martial Brother tell me, in what way is this task difficult? How could there be no Senior Martial Brother that completed it? Isn¡¯t it just supervising the medicinal herbs in the garden? How is this hard?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Martial Nephew chose Senior Martial Brother Ma¡¯s medicine garden assignment?¡± The nearby Old Man Ye after heard these two¡¯s dialog, did not wait for the middle-aged Honored Disciple to reply. He wrinkled his brow and rushed to interrupt them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Junior Martial Brother Han took a fancy to Senior Martial Uncle Ma¡¯s extremely difficult assignment.¡± The middle-aged Honored Disciple did not know whether to laugh or cry.


    After the old man heard this, he wore an enigmatic smile.


    ¡°Haha! Martial Nephew Han truly knows how to choose! He actually fancied the most troublesome task! However, this task truly causes one¡¯s head to ache! There have already been a great many who were forced to receive this assignment and complained to me before. However, because Senior Martial Brother Ma was not willing to easily alter the conditions of rewards and penalties, I could not do anything! If Martial Nephew Han wishes to know the details of this task, he can follow me into the hall and take a look at the relevant files. It is much more compelling than hearing from the word of mouth!¡± It was unknown why this Hundred Opportunities Hall¡¯s Hall Master Ye was so forthright toward Han Li. He went as far as to open the door for him in passing.


    Han Li inwardly wrinkled his brow. This Martial Uncle Ye was a bit too enthusiastic! Although he had given his Foundation Establishment pill to him, it had seemed to be an equal trade. Why was he acting so intimately toward him?


    Han Li strongly pushed aside the suspicions in his mind and put up an appearance of being overwhelmed by Martial Uncle Ye¡¯s favor toward him. Then he followed the old man who took the slip to some room at the back of the main hall. All sorts of files were piled up in the room.


    The old man lightly waved his arm with the slip in his hand. Then the slip flashed, and a scroll flew toward into his hand. He offered the scroll to Han Li.


    Since he was already being offered, Han Li impolitely took the scroll and quickly rifled through it.


    The scroll¡¯s contents weren¡¯t long. It simply contained the written accounts of the disciples who were assigned to take care of the medicine garden. That was why Han Li looked through them quickly. A short moment later, he mostly understood the details and difficulty of the assignment.


    ¡°How about it? You should change to another assignment! Although this task¡¯s rewards are quite generous, it isn¡¯t something an ordinary disciple can accomplish.¡±  Martial Uncle Ye said with great concern.


    After Han Li heard those words, he muttered to himself for a moment. He firmly shook his head, ¡°Many thanks to Martial Uncle Ye! However, this task is much to my liking. I don¡¯t need to switch to another assignment, because I am picking it!¡±


    When the old man heard the determination in Han Li¡¯s words, he felt somewhat amazed. However, he said nothing else and nodded, giving his consent. He then immediately brought Han Li out of the room. After a moment of hesitation, he somewhat unnaturally added, ¡°Martial Nephew Han, with regards to the goods agreed from our deal with the Foundation Establishment Pill, could their delivery be slightly postponed? Martial Uncle has been recently wanting to refine a Qi Gathering Pill. What I have at hand is truly rather limited. I fear it wouldn¡¯t be too convenient for me. However Martial Nephew, please feel at ease. I will be able to repay my debt in full within a year.¡±


    When Han Li heard these words, he was surprised for a moment. However, he immediately smiled.


    ¡°What is Martial Uncle Ye saying? Since it is inconvenient for Martial Uncle, I can give as much time as he needs. There is no need to bring up the matter of repayment in the future. This could be considered filial respect given to Martial Uncle from the younger generation.¡±


    Han Li felt that currently he was acting truly falsely. His heart was undoubtedly depressed, and he loathed the other party¡¯s breach of their promise. However, his face wore a smiling expression and said the words that would make the other party happy. ¡®This is probably brought about by the young one¡¯s grief!¡¯ Old Man Ye bitterly thought.


    ¡°What meaning do Martial Nephew¡¯s words hold? Could it be that you believe this elder is one who breaks his promises and doesn¡¯t keep his words? This elder won¡¯t cheat Martial Nephew of the promised items even the slightest!¡± When Old Man Ye heard Han Li¡¯s words, not only was he unhappy, he had also stiffened his face and wore an expression of honor. His appearance expressed that he wouldn¡¯t do such actions of lowly character.


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s reluctant smile nearly fell apart!


    This elder¡¯s face was quite thick. He obviously intended to renege on the majority of goods; even so, he insisted on keeping up the false appearance of uprightly keeping his promise. He was truly a typical hypocrite!


    Han Li repeatedly restrained himself and incessantly cursed inwardly. However, his face¡¯s smile was slightly delayed. He changed his expression to one of sincerity, and used a tone of voice even he found sickening to say, ¡°Martial Uncle is blaming this younger generation wrongly! Actually, Martial Nephew thought that since Martial Nephew had just entered the sect, the promised items were far too extravagant for this junior. As a result, Martial Uncle would temporarily withhold the majority of goods so that this junior would not use  waste them.¡±


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s empty words, Old Man Ye¡¯s expression was eased. He faintly nodded his head and said, ¡°Martial Nephew Han¡¯s words truly have some sense! If a newly admitted disciple became too dependant on these mere worldly possessions, it would truly hinder his cultivation! Then let us act according to your words. The majority of the goods will temporarily be left with me. If you have a need for them in the future, do not hesitate to come take them!¡±


    ¡°Then thank you for your trouble, Martial Uncle!¡± Han Li wore a strong smile and consoled his heart repeatedly. These were merely worldly possessions. He couldn¡¯t afford to offend the old man in front of him! Later, when there was an opportunity, he would definitely return to collect both principal and interest.


    ¡°Hehe, this is nothing! Let us go!¡± The old man¡¯s mood seemed to turn for the better.


    The following matter was much easier. With this Martial Uncle Ye¡¯s assistance, Han Li smoothly went through all the formalities and took the jade medallion, representing his assignment. Then he was enthusiastically led by an Honored Disciple to the Azure Stone Mountain Range¡¯s Hundred Medicine Garden.


    Old Man Ye stood at the entrance of the Hundred Opportunities Hall and saw Han Li¡¯s figure gradually fly off to the distance. His complexion was gloomy as he remained silent. It seemed he was thinking of something.


    ¡°Has Junior Martial Brother Ye¡¯s heart gone soft?¡± A deep voice suddenly came from behind him.


    ¡°It is not a question of whether my heart has gone soft. Rather, using these methods to deal with a disciple that had just entered the sect feels somewhat improper. Not only does this Martial Nephew Han say one thing, he inwardly thinks another. He may report this to Sect Master!¡± The old man didn¡¯t say anything else, but his words carried a faint unease.


    ¡°Hehe, report?¡± The person behind him sneered.


    ¡°What? Is Senior Martial Brother Wu not uneasy?¡± Old Man Ye eventually turned around, saying these words to a somber Senior Martial Brother Wu.


    ¡°What is there to worry about? This boy is not aware of the arrangements we made beforehand. Say that the goods were left with you. Don¡¯t say that you won¡¯t give it to him but that they were temporarily in your care! What reason would there to be to report?¡±  Martial Brother Wu said, having thought it out.


    ¡°However, I quite admire this boy! His age is young, yet he understands when to advance or retreat. This is remarkable! If he didn¡¯t have such poor aptitude with his false spiritual roots, I would have truly felt the notion to have him enter the sect!¡± Martial Brother Wu continued, his face exposing an appearance of regret.


    ¡°Luckily, this person doesn¡¯t have a rigid way of thinking, otherwise we would have to use a different trick. That would be far more inconvenient!¡± Old Man Ye said leisurely.


    ¡°Enough, these is nothing to be uneasy about this boy! Us two will pinch our noses and think of him like we would think of an ant. Junior Martial Brother Ye need not waste so much money. However, don¡¯t forget what we agreed on in advance!¡± Senior Martial Brother Wu suddenly changed the topic. His words also held some hidden meaning.


    ¡°I will not forget. I will give you half of this newly refined Qi Gathering Pill. Ke! To tell the truth, if my grandnephew wasn¡¯t in the middle of becoming Foundation Establishment and required the assistance of large quantities of precious medicine pills, I truly would not have such thick face to trick a junior in this way!¡± Old Man Ye lightly shook his head, looking like he lost his integrity with age.


    When Old Man Wu heard these words, he smiled and did not speak. With great satisfaction, he thought to himself, ¡°Since this Junior Martial Brother Ye has just committed an underhanded act, it could be considered something I could use to handle him. I don¡¯t have to worry about discussing business with him in the future. He will not oppose me.¡±

 Chapter 151

    Hundred Medicine Garden


    Even though Han Li didn¡¯t know what Martial Uncle Ye and the Old Man Wu talked about after he left, he felt extremely upset!


    Ever since he went through with what happened with Doctor Mo, it was the first time he encountered a situation where he knew there would be trouble ahead but had no choice but to jump into the mess. This made Han Li very annoyed, but also reinforced his opinion that the weak were also the prey to the strong in the cultivating world.


    ¡°If you have a need for them in the future, do not hesitate to come and collect them!¡± The thought of this made Han Li laugh coldly. In the future, he would make sure to let Martial Uncle Ye know that his belongings would not be taken away that easily!


    He stood on the ground and looked afar as the Honor Disciple turned to the Hundred Opportunities Hall. Because the Hundred Medicine Garden was not far ahead, the owner of the medicine garden set up some small restrictive formations on the small valley in between the two hills to keep outsiders from intruding.


    Han Li came across some of the nearby restrictions after walking for a small distance. His path was blocked by a white light.


    However, he didn¡¯t panic. Instead he raised a piece of jade tablet and shined it in front of him. A green light immediately shot out from the tablet and into the restrictions. Han Li then waited patiently.


    ¡°Come in!¡± A dry voice came from inside, but it sounded if the source was right by Han Li¡¯s ears. Then, the restrictions in front of him all disappeared, melted away like snow.


    Seeing this, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to linger and walked inside with haste.


    Following the small path in front of him, Han Li stopped at a courtyard with a plaque that read ¡°Hundred Medicine Garden.¡± The courtyard was at least a few acres large. Before he even entered the courtyard, a thick smell of medicinal herbs came from inside and aroused Han Li¡¯s spirit.


    ¡°What are you doing standing outside like an idiot? Hurry up and come inside, I still need to go out for errands!¡± Han Li was startled, but immediately followed the order and walked in.


    Standing inside, Han Li was then able to clearly see the situation inside the garden.


    In the center of the garden stood a few cottages built from hay and bamboo. The garden itself was surrounded by trenches that were squared out evenly. Each field were filled with greens, and there were many medicinal herbs that Han Li knew of or was familiar with, and some that looks like strangely-shaped plants, making the entire garden¡¯s Spiritual Qi overflow. Even when a cultivator like Han Li took a deep breath, it felt extremely refreshing.


    ¡°Come into the house!¡± The owner of the voice saw him dawdling and seemed to become a little impatient.


    Han Li smiled lightly, and didn¡¯t take it to heart as he walked into the cottage.


    Inside the cottage stood a short, skinny old man. He looked at Han Li, who had just come in, with dissatisfaction. From the old man¡¯s looks, he seemed to be around fifty years old. He had a withered and yellow small mustache and a pair of cloudy, small eyes that were rolling around.At first glance, he truly looked like a big rat that had successfully become human.


    ¡°You¡¯re the disciple that the Hundred Opportunities Hall sent to take care of the garden? You¡¯re too young, and your skills are too poor! Is the fellow surnamed Ye brushing me off? How come the people he sent are worse and worse every time?¡± The small, skinny old man¡¯s face darkened when he saw Han Li¡¯s appearance, and he started ranting.


    ¡°Disciple Han Li greets Senior Martial Elder Ma!¡± Han Li already knew from the records about the small, old man¡¯s strange temper, so he wasn¡¯t too surprised about it, and immediately went up and bowed.


    ¡°Hmph! Do you know how serious you will be punished if you cannot complete your mission? It¡¯s not too late to go back and tell my Junior Martial Brother to send another person!¡± The small, old man rolled his eyes and snapped.


    ¡°The medicine garden must be maintained, the medicinal herbs must not die, and every month a certain amount of medicinal herbs must be delivered! If that¡¯s all, Junior is quite confident!¡± Han Li doesn¡¯t seem to be shakened.


    Hearing what Han Li said, the old man was a bit surprised. It was the first time he met a garden-managing disciple who confident from the start. He looked and judged Han Li once again, but the doubtful expression in his eyes didn¡¯t lessen.


    ¡°You, come with me!¡± The small, old man suddenly barked coldly and walked out of the cottage. Han Li followed him without any hesitation.


    ¡°How many of these medicinal herb can you recognize?¡± The small, old man pointed at the plants in the garden and stared at Han Li with slanted eyes.


    ¡°One of of ten.¡± Han Li quickly swept his eyes across the garden, and replied softly.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the small, old man hesitated a little but laughed coldly right away,


    ¡°Little fellow, if you truly can recognize one out of ten of the medicinal herbs, I will let you manage the garden and will not utter another word!¡±


    With that said, Han Li smiled slightly and left the side of the small, old man.


    ¡°Midnight Flower, Yellow Ball Grass, White Crane Flower, Full Moon Grass¡­¡± Han Li took a walk in the garden while casually calling out the names of the medicinal herbs that he was familiar with.


    At first, the small, old man was looking at him mockingly, but after listening for a while, his face expressed amazement. Han Li mentioned a lot of medicinal herbs that were not well-known, and for some of them, even he had to put a lot of work to know the efficacy of the remedy. Han Li¡¯s response surprised him.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Han Li had just finished telling less than half of the plants he knew when the small, old man spoke and stopped Han Li¡¯s ¡®performance.¡¯


    ¡°Very good, looks like you¡¯re not completely bragging! This medicine garden will be in your management for now. This is the restrictive medallion. Take care of it!¡± The old man¡¯s expression showed satisfaction as he dexterously took out a dark-green wooden tablet and threw it to Han Li.


    ¡°Inside the house are some notes on my years of experience years with growing medicinal herbs. You need to take a good look at them since you¡¯re still not familiar with most of the herbs. Don¡¯t kill them!¡± The old man touched his mustache and exhorted.


    ¡°Thank you for Senior Martial Elder¡¯s reminder. This disciple will keep it in mind!¡± Han Li said respectfully.


    ¡°Cough! I hope your ability is as useful as your mouth, that way I can truly be free from this medicine garden, and not delay this Elder¡¯s cultivation any longer. This medicine garden is Elder¡¯s private garden, so if you really can take on this job, Elder will not mistreat you. But I must warn you beforehand, if you can¡¯t do it, then get out as soon as possible and have someone replace you. Do you understand?¡± The old man said with both kindness and severity.


    Hearing his blunt words, not only did Han Li not get mad, he also grew more fond of him. He thought that the old man was a lot better than that Martial Uncle Ye. At the very least, the old man wasn¡¯t a hypocrite. So he quickly nodded and said ¡®yes.¡¯


    After briefing on a few things that needed attention when managing the garden, the small, old man then went back into the cottage, packed up in a hurry, and left the garden by flying without looking back.


    Watching Senior Martial Elder Ma as he left, Han Li randomly picked a cottage, cleaned it up, and made it his room.


    Because he had been busy the whole day and didn¡¯t had the chance to rest, even a cultivator like Han Li would feel tired, so he climbed onto the bed and went to sleep.


    To him, even if something huge were about to happen outside, it would not be too late to solve it after he regained his energy. The sky went dark just in time.


    The first day Han Li joined the Yellow Maple Valley as a new disciple passed without any twists and turns. On the second day, when Han Li finally woke up feeling energized, his path to cultivation officially began.


    During the following days, Han Li spent the mornings studying the notes the old man left for him. At night, he secretly buried the mysterious little bottle in a corner of the medicinal herb field and covered it up with destroyed magic treasure fragment that he exchanged for a high price to conceal the prodigious sign of it absorbing the Spiritual Qi.


    And just like that, besides that corner having a thicker Spiritual Qi than other places, there was nothing else that would catch people¡¯s attention. This put Han Li¡¯s cautious heart at ease.


    Martial Uncle Ye brought the so-called ¡®compensation items¡¯ for the Foundation Establishment Pill a few days later to Han Li, but he only gave Han Li less than one fifth of what they originally agreed on. As for what happened with the pill, this Hall Master Ye seemed to have forgotten already, and Han Li also pretended like it never happened.


    But even so, Han Li still became rich all of the sudden over one night. He received two mid-grade spirit stones, dozens of low-grade spirit stones, three well-made magic tools, and several talismans.

 Chapter 152

    Two Years Later.


    Chapter 152: Two Years Later


    This was the first time Han Li had seen mid-grade spirit stones. One was a fire attribute spirit stone with a sparkling red light. Another was a dark-yellow earth attribute spirit stone. These were the most commonly seen mid-grade spirit stones.


    They looked to be entirely different from the faint attributes of those low-grade spirit stones. It wasn¡¯t their luster that was different, but rather that their spiritual ripples were much stronger. It was impossible for one to be mistaken as low-grade.


    In addition, those three magic tools were quite good. Naturally, the goods refined by a Foundation Establishment expert did not lose to the low quality goods Han Li had seen at the Great South Meeting.  Indeed, they were far more powerful.


    One of them seemed to be a ring made of fine steel. When casting it, it would automatically fly out and bind an enemy. Within a certain distance, it could freely change its size. Han Li became interested in it and poured all the magic power in his body into the ring. The ring actually emitted a faint yellow light and expanded to the size of the inside of the cottage, causing Han Li to be speechless.


    Another magic tool was a pitch-black pole with a small triangular flag. This magic tool was not simple to use. So long as spiritual power was poured into the flag, with a wave, it would immediately turn into a cloud of black fog, causing the enemy¡¯s spiritual sight to fail and conceal the tracks of the user. It was a great defensive magic tool.


    These two magic tools were first-rate goods rarely seen in the outside world. Although this caused Han Li to initially be wild with joy, he still had the final auxiliary-type magic tool. It was a brass bottle that prevented the spiritual power of any object it stored from dissipating


    When Han Li held this bottle magic tool, he immediately thought of his problem with preserving the mysterious green liquid.


    Ever since Han Li found out about the existence of spiritual power, he had long suspected that the small bottle absorbed and condensed the natural Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth during the night. Previously, he hadn¡¯t any appropriate means to confirm this, so he could only bury these assumptions in the depths of his heart.


    With the appearance of this yellow bottle magic tool, he could finally had a method of confirming is assumptions. As a result, on that evening, he stored the condensed green liquid into the brass bottle to test whether the brass bottle could retain the green liquid.


    However, the result left him greatly disappointed.


    The brass bottle could only preserve the green liquid for a time, extending its use from its original quarter hour to a full day.  Past this time limit, the green liquid in the bottle would disappear without a trace. It seemed this liquid was not at all so simple as Spiritual Qi condensed from Heavens and Earth. There was certain to be something more complicated mixed within.


    After this test, Han Li knew more about his present situation, but he was unable to easily answer this riddle at his current stage stage. Thus, he no longer troubled himself to think of this question and intended to drift with the waves in the future, letting nature take its course. In any case, the present function of this small bottle would give Han Li endless benefits.


    Having let go of the matter that was gnawing at his mind, Han Li began to efficiently use the green liquid and produced batches of Yellow Dragon Pellets and Gold Essence Pills. He prepared these medicine pills, which had previously lost much of their effectiveness, while trying to find the recipes of more spiritually potent medicine pills within the valley.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that this matter was not urgent.


    If a new disciple that had just entered the sect were to go asking about for medicine pill recipes so conspicuously, he would undoubtedly be telling others that he was hiding something! He mustn¡¯t arouse the suspicions of others, thereby bringing about his own misfortune.


    As a result, Han Li prepared to take a true, years-long secluded cultivation until he thoroughly understood the inner affairs of the sect. When he was no longer a newcomer to Yellow Maple Valley and no would would pay notice of him, he would reconsider the problem of acquiring recipes.


    As for the medicine ingredients Han Li must hand over regularly, he need not worry. With the assistance of the diluted green liquid, how could the medicinal herbs not ripen overnight? This was a completely trivial matter. He had already intended to live in the medicine garden for a long time. Surely that Martial Elder Ma wouldn¡¯t have anything against it.


    Thus, every day, Han Li busily attended his regular affairs.


    During the day, after he finished looking through the small old man¡¯s notes, he would diligently run towards the cultivation guidance disciple, Wu Feng, and learn quite a few incantations for practical elementary magic techniques.


    In addition, Han Li would eat large amounts of those Yellow Dragon Pellets and Gold Essence Pills on a daily basis as if they were sweets. According to Han Li¡¯s thoughts, since quality is out of the question, he would have to offset this by relying on quantity! If these medicinal pills were like little drops creating an ocean, there would be results.


    Like that, time passed by! Unwittingly, Han Li became a member of one of the Seven Great Cultivator Sects, Yellow Maple Valley, and remained there for two years.


    Within these two years, many things had happened. The sect¡¯s ten-year recruitment period began not long after Han Li¡¯s secluded cultivation. From noteworthy cultivator clans if all sizes, over a thousand youths with acceptable spiritual roots entered the Yellow Maple Valley Sect. There were even two siblings among them that both possessed mutated spiritual roots. In addition these mutated spiritual roots were thunder spiritual roots, which were widely known for their destructive power.


    When these two brothers appeared, they greatly attracted the attention of the valley¡¯s upper echelon. Even a Core Formation expert who had long secluded himself made an exception to leave and observe their bones. He publically declared that so long as these two were capable of reached Foundation Establishment, he would stop his seclusion to personally instruct these two brothers.


    When this was stated, their fellow martial brothers were greatly envious. However, aside from those two, there were also several other disciples who were geniuses with rare aptitudes.


    For example, a youth from a small clan surnamed Li had unexpectedly reached the peak of the ninth layer in his foundation cultivation technique at the age of twelve without having previously taking any medicine pills. It could be said he improved surprisingly fast. He wasn¡¯t at all inferior to those who possessed mutated spiritual roots.


    A different, eight year-old boy surnamed Wang was even more extreme.  Not only was he a direct descendant of the great Wang Clan, his innate ¡°Profound Yin Eyes¡± could actually cultivate the long lost ¡°Eyes Imposing Deity¡¯s Light¡±. It could restrain all ghosts and phantoms in the entire world.


    Of course, apart from those two, there were also several other outstanding talents that were far greater than ordinary disciples. With the recruitment of these top disciples, it could be considered a grand harvest, causing Sect Master Zhong to be unable to conceal his happiness for several days. Many individuals believed that the sect had caught the Heavens¡¯ attention and was being placed above the other sects!


    However when others came to the valley, they found that the strongest of the Seven Great Sects, the ¡°Masked Moon Sect¡± had actually received a young woman with heavenly spiritual roots. This caused the recently proud Great Sect Master Zhong to become speechless for half a day.


    However, regardless of what was said, this batch of newly accepted disciples attracted the attention of many within the sect. The low-level disciples who had been accepted slightly earlier talked about their talented Martial Juniors every day. When their foundation cultivation technique improved, who knew what they were capable of!


    Thus, underneath these many dazzling rays of light, Han Li, who entered the sect with the Writ of Immortal Ascension,  was thoroughly forgotten by Sect Master Zhong and all the other stewards.


    Having also spent his entire day running around the medicine garden without going out of his way to see others, a pitifully few amount of disciples recognized him. Perhaps only that cultivation guidance disciple Wu Feng and the Hundred Opportunities Hall¡¯s Honored Disciple Yu occasionally remembered Han Li. After all, those two met him when he asked for guidance toward cultivation techniques or when he received spirit stones each month.


    Regardless of how others regarded him, Han Li was currently very satisfied with cultivating in half seclusion. In addition, the small old man who collected medicine ingredients every several months was very pleased! After all, Han Li was able to hand over the required goods on time. Where else could he find a garden caretaker that wouldn¡¯t fall behind on his payments?


    Thus, in order to hold onto this genius garden caretaker Han Li, the old man gave greater and greater spirit stone rewards. From the original two low-grade spirit stones, he eventually rose to a monthly five spirit stones, causing Han Li to become a large earner among low-level disciples. It should be known that the average income of ordinary disciples was only three spirit stones per month. This further greatened Han Li¡¯s impression of Martial Senior Ma.


    As for that reneging Great Hall Master Ye, who embezzled more than half of his goods, rumors had it that the grandnephew whom he put his hopes into was not able to achieve Foundation Establishment after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. His grandnephew helplessly stayed at the peak of Qi Condensation, greatly vexing him. When Han Li heard of this, he inwardly laughed and immediately felt his mood improve considerably.


    Furthermore, after pushing down countless medicine pills, Han Li¡¯s Eternal Spring Arts tenaciously broke through two layers in succession, finally entering the eleventh layer and causing him to obtain a medium rank among low-level disciples in the valley. Also, the Yellow Dragon Pellet and Gold Essence Pill had completely lost their effectiveness. Although he consumed many of them, there were no more results!


    With this, Han Li had no choice but to advance his plan and find other medicine pills.


    Fortunately at this moment, there wasn¡¯t anybody in the valley that was interested in a nobody like him. So long as he was a bit careful, his actions would not attract attention.

 Chapter 153

    Yue Lu Hall


    Han Li stood on a stone platform halfway up the Great Shaman¡¯s Mountain. About ten meters wide, the stone platform was a huge Immortal¡¯s abode entirely covered by a spell formation: Yue Lu Hall.


    (TL: ?? Yue Lu of Yue Lu hall, means the base of a tall mountain)


    This ¡°Yue Lu Hall¡± was the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s specialized storage for magic tools, medicine pill recipes, and secret technique manuals. In addition, it offered all sorts of assistance for pill and magic tool refining as well as a few common raw materials. It could be regarded as one of the most important places in the sect. Thus, not only was it covered in many layers of spell formations, but it was also patrolled by over a hundred disciples in case outside enemies invaded. It was also said that there was a Core Formation martial ancestor secluded within, keeping watch all year in case other great experts were to invade this place.


    After Han Li went over the relevant information in his mind, he calmly walked forward.


    Just as he landed, there were several gazes that sized him up from a secret location. However, upon seeing Han Li¡¯s magic power was ordinary, they quickly vanished. Even if it were merely that, Han Li was secretly startled.


    Since Han Li was unable to respond to these people, they demonstrated that they either had first-rate concealment magic tools or their magic power was truly above his, which meant that they were elite disciples of the twelfth layer or above. How could this not cause Han Li to be even more cautious!


    After walking forward several steps, he stopped. Then he softly chanted several verses and raised his hand, releasing a stream of red light toward the seemingly empty space in front of him.


    As a result, the empty space fluctuated for a moment, and a wall of light appeared with a flash of red light, blocking him. Immediately after, two disciples wearing red clothes appeared behind the wall of light.


    ¡°Were you the one who triggered the restrictive spell?¡± A red-clothed disciple coldly asked.


    ¡°This one is Han Li, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we care who you are? Since you haven¡¯t reached Foundation Establishment, you need a sponsor! Bring out the token of trust of one who vouches for you! ¡± The disciple explained, impatiently interrupting Han Li.


    After Han Li heard those impolite words, he did not angry. He took out a jade talisman from his bosom and set it down on the ground in front of the wall of light.


    At this time, the cold-mouthed red-clothed disciple held his hand again wall of light. A hole the size of a hand appeared in the wall.


    The other red-clothed disciple who had yet to speak lightly waved his hand, causing Han Li¡¯s jade talisman to fly like a small wing through the hole and into his hand.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Ma is your sponsor?¡± The red-clothed disciple who looked at the jade talisman exclaimed, somewhat astonished.


    ¡°It truly is a token of trust that Martial Senior Ma has given to my humble self.¡± Han Li honestly replied. However, he was shocked from his heart. The age of these two red-clothed men weren¡¯t very old. However, they were actually Foundation Establishment experts. This had greatly shocked him!


    It should be known that in a cultivation sect, status was not determined by seniority. Status was determined by the depths of their cultivation. After all, the path of cultivation could only be tread by the strong!


    ¡°That Senior Brother Ma who is obsessed with refining pills all day?¡± The red-clothed disciple at the side asked in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he even vouches for people? This is truly shocking! Are you his personal disciple or a blood relative or something else entirely?¡± The red-clothed disciple holding the jade talisman, repeatedly asked with curiosity.


    ¡°No, this junior simply takes care of his medicine garden on Martial Senior Ma¡¯s behalf. For this token of trust, this disciple has agreed to look after the garden for free for a year!¡± Han Li currently didn¡¯t dare to slight them and respectfully replied with a bitter smile.


    What he said was completely true.


    Actually, when Han Li began to plan to acquire pill recipes, he thought that because this Martial Senior Ma planted so many medicinal herbs, he would have conducted a great amount of research on pill concoction. He was certain to have many medicine pill recipes on hand! That was why several months before, Han Li took advantage of the period when the small old man arrived to take the medicine ingredients and made a few indirect inquiries.


    The result caused Han Li¡¯s eye¡¯s to become foolish-eyed. When the small old man heard these words, he immediately shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it. Regardless of what Han Li said, he was rejected. According to this Martial Senior Ma, his pill recipes were the results of the experience of a pill refining master¡¯s countless failures. How could he possibly give them to others that casually? It was unconditionally impossible!


    However, when Han Li earnestly explained that he only wanted those original, unaltered pill recipes, the small old man looked at him and impatiently told Han Li in a blunt manner to go to Yue Lu Hall and find them himself. Why should he be inconvenienced in such a way to help him? Like that, Han Li was forced to work a year for free in exchange for the small old man¡¯s token of trust and was able to presently come to Yue Lu Hall.


    ¡°Hehe! It turned out to be like that. I was under the impression of the rumor that Senior Brother Ma¡¯s temper suddenly changed!¡± After the two red-clothed men listened, they looked at each other with a smile. These words were spoken with a snicker by the one holding the jade talisman.


    ¡°Alright, you may enter!¡±


    The red-clothed men simultaneously cast a spell on the wall of light, causing the wall of light to rigidly squeeze open a three-meter-wide passage. It was just enough for one person to pass through.


    When Han Li saw this, he hesitated for a moment. Then his figure immediately flashed, and he was within the wall.


    After he entered the wall of light, something caused him to become greatly surprised.


    When he was outside, because of the red wall of light¡¯s obstruction, Han Li was not able to see the interior. Now that he was inside, apart from a small circular spell formation, he saw that the mountain was unexpectedly bare; there weren¡¯t any buildings at all, causing Han Li to be incomparably puzzled!


    ¡°Take care of this jade talisman. Every time you come here, there will be a routine inspection. That is the rule here.¡± After they released their spell on the wall of light, the person who examined the token of trust returned the jade talisman to Han Li.


    ¡°Many thanks to these two martial uncles!¡± Han Li withdrew his curious glances and saluted as respectfully as he could. He hoped to give these two men a good impression of him. After all, he would be returning here often in the future.


    ¡°En, follow me!¡±


    It was obvious Han Li¡¯s inclination was not in vain. These two¡¯s expressions grew much more mild. After all,  the majority of those who came here were disciples of the same generation. Naturally they wouldn¡¯t be as overly courteous as Han Li, causing the two to have a favorable impression towards Han Li.


    ¡°However, Martial Nephew Han, why did you want to come to this Yue Lu hall? Regardless of whether one is starting to refine pills or magic tools, it would be best to wait until one is Foundation Establishment. You¡¯ve come here a bit too early!¡± One of the red-clothed men asked. At this time, these two men were bringing Han Li towards the circular spell formation.


    ¡°This junior simply witnessed Martial Senior Ma refine many pills. He also saved a few raw materials while caring for the garden. That was why he wished to test his luck and see whether or not he may find a suitable recipe to refine a few medicine pills to progress his cultivation. After all, Martial Nephew¡¯s aptitude is truly poor and can only rely on external power.¡±  Han Li replied half truthfully, deliberately falling behind the two people half a step.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that! However, Martial Nephew shouldn¡¯t be too hopeful. After you enter, you will understand my meaning.¡± The other man lightly shook his head, not very optimistic of Han Li¡¯s goal.


    At this time, the three had already walked in front the circular spell formation. Then a red-clothed person indicated Han Li to stand in the middle of the spell formation. The two stood to the left and right of the spell formation.


    ¡°Usually, the use of this transportation formation requires the payment of a low-grade spirit stone. However since it is Martial Nephew¡¯s first time, we will exempt you this time. Next time, however, we will be completely acting in accordance to the rules.¡±  One of the men said with a weak smile.


    Just as those words were uttered, the two men each released a stream of red light toward the spell formation in an extremely practiced manner. Then the several spirit stones imbedded in the formation shined brightly.


    Without having the chance to thank the two, he suddenly felt the sky spin and saw his surround scenery to become, indistinct. Then a brilliant light flashed and Han Li arrived in an unfamiliar hall. He was currently standing in a spell formation exactly like the one he had used before.


    ¡®So this was the rumored transportation formation. Truly wonderful!¡¯ Han Li inwardly exclaimed in astonishment. After his feelings of discomfort from the formation faded away, he swept his gaze across the large, extraordinary hall.

 Chapter 154

    Elder Xu and the Scripture Storage


    The hall Han Li stood in was very peculiar. The cylindrical-shaped, enormous room was roughly over a hundred meters wide and about fifteen meters tall. The green stone wall surrounding the area had light-red crystals embedded within, and on the floor there was a thin layer of white sand, which made the whole hall seem clean and tidy.


    But if someone were to look up, they would be stunned to find white stalactites hanging down everywhere from the ceiling. This place was actually a stalactite cave, and it was slightly transformed by people into how it looked like today.


    Surrounding the hall were three evenly-spaced tunnels. Two of the tunnels were marked with the character ¡°Tool ?¡± and the character ¡°Pill ?.¡± There was nothing carved on the last tunnel, nor were there any labels nearby.


    Since there was no one in the hall at the moment, Han Li swept his eyes across the room, hesitated a little, and went to the tunnel with the character ¡°Pill ?¡± carved at its entrance.


    The tunnel wasn¡¯t long. After more than ten steps and a turn, a slightly larger house appeared at the end of the tunnel. In the house there was a long table, and an old man with his face glowing stood beside the table as he looked at Han Li with a big grin.


    And behind the table, there were several old, worn out shelves against the wall, the tops covered with cauldron furnaces, raw materials, and some other random, strange items that Han Li had never heard of before.


    The old man, smiling broadly, spoke before Han Li could say anything, ¡°Young Friend, you look unfamiliar. It¡¯s your first time here, isn¡¯t it! Less and less new faces are coming to this damned place! An old fellow like me is already tired of all these stiff, old faces here. It¡¯s great to see a younger, new face!¡± The old man shook his head and said with a welcoming tone.


    Han Li already realized that the Heaven Eye¡¯s Technique didn¡¯t work on the old man. He couldn¡¯t tell the depth of the old man¡¯s cultivation, which meant that the old man was another expert of Foundation Establishment. How could Han Li dare to ignore him!


    And so, he immediately paid his respects and said, ¡°Junior greets Senior Martial Uncle. This is Martial Nephew¡¯s first time here at Yue Lu Hall. Senior Martial Uncle please point me in the right direction!¡± Han Li humbled himself before this senior.


    ¡°Young Friend, if you have any questions, just ask. Also, I am surnamed Xu. Call me Senior Uncle Xu or Elder Xu. Don¡¯t call me Senior Martial Uncle. An old fellow like me doesn¡¯t like hearing that!¡± The Elder immediately corrected his title to Han Li. It seemed like he cared about it considerably.


    ¡°Then¡­ Junior will obey!¡± Han Li hesitated, and agreed since it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He felt that the old man was strange.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, now let¡¯s talk about why you¡¯re here.¡± The old man surnamed Xu continued in satisfaction.


    ¡°Junior wants to look for formulas related to medicine pills, read some books, and research the methods for refining pills.¡± Han Li tried his best to speak subtly and indirectly. He didn¡¯t wish to draw people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Books about refining pills and formulas? Just follow this stairs straight up!¡± What surprised Han Li was that the Elder didn¡¯t seem like he was going to ask at all. After he casually took out a black command medallion and casted a spell, a flight of stone stairs leading towards the ceiling appeared out of nowhere into the empty space next to the shelves,


    Han Li was overjoyed. He immediately hastened towards the stairs, but just as he was about to go up, this Elder Xu suddenly made a sly expression.


    ¡°Reading in the library on the second floor will cost you one low-grade spirit stone every two hours. You are not allowed to take the original from this place, and if you want to copy the contents, there will be a fee of ten spirit stones for each copied document.¡±


    Han Li haven¡¯t even stepped onto the foot of the stairs when Elder Xu, who was behind him, spoke the rules in a tone that was neither too fast nor too slow. Han Li¡¯s steps stuttered, and he almost cursed out loud.


    The fee was too expensive! Not to mention the copying fee of ten low-grade spirit stones, the reading fee for two hours a spirit stones alone would stop a lot of poor disciples.


    A low level disciple could only earn about twenty to thirty spirit stones each year through their respective jobs! But after their cultivation and daily expenses, only a few spirit stones could be saved in reality.


    Hence, this type of fee was definitely unethical! Han Li¡¯s impression of this Elder immediately made a 180 degree turn. What a profiteer!


    Even though Han Li¡¯s face now shows an unusual expression, he didn¡¯t stop because of what the Elder said. Instead, he threw a low-grade spirit stone into the Elder¡¯s hands without looking back and headed to the second floor in a hurry.


    ¡°Interesting! I can¡¯t believe this kind of fee didn¡¯t scare him away. Looks like he is someone with some money. Hehe. Looks like I will be able to gain some wealth!¡± Seeing Han Li going up the stairs so forthright, this person who called himself Elder Xu couldn¡¯t help it but smile until his eyes resembled half moons. He rubbed the spirit stone on the corner of his clothes and examined it closely in front of his eyes. He exposed his stingy cheapskate side and was completely different than the approachable expression he had when Han Li first met him.


    Han Li struggled to suppress how upset he was. After he calmed down, he carefully examined what was on the second floor.


    The room was different than what was in his imagination: wide, bright, with countless books and bamboo slips filling the big room. Even though the room on the second floor wasn¡¯t small, the items that were there were so few that it was truly disheartening.


    Two dusty bookshelves, a dirty table, and a broken chair; these was all the furniture in the room. Of course there was also twenty to thirty old, yellow books on the bookshelves, a few worn-out bamboo slips on the table, and two jade cylinders that had lost their original color.


    ¡°This shabby? Did I walk to a wrong place? What kind of a major cultivation sect¡¯s secret library is this! This place looks like some poor student¡¯s run-down study room.¡± Han Li was hit hard by what appeared before him in the room. If it weren¡¯t because he was hesitant due to Elder Xu¡¯s hidden power, he would have almost certainly rushed downstairs, grabbed his collar, and questioned him.


    After taking a deep breath, Han Li calmly walked in front of a bookshelf, randomly picked out an old book, and read it carefully.


    ¡°Five phases of Heaven and Earth corresponds to the five viscera, the location where the acupuncture needle strikes can change one¡¯s life essence¡­¡± He only read the first few lines of this book, immediately felt surprised, and closed the book to look at the cover.


    ¡°Hua Clan¡¯s Secret Acupuncture Technique¡± These five words appeared in front of Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Han Li¡¯s facial expression immediately darkened, but not because the book wasn¡¯t exceptional. The records in this book described the rare method of acupuncture, which could even cure patients who were on the edge of dying and stimulate the patient¡¯s¡¯ potential. But what did acupuncture techniques have to do with refining pills?!?! What was even more staggering was that he had already read this book countless of times back when he under Doctor Mo¡¯s tutelage. He even memorized it by heart. This was suppose to be a medical book in the secular world. Why would it be here?


    A series of questions popped into Han Li¡¯s mind, and it made him lock his eyebrows in confusion. But when his eyes landed on the rest of the books on the bookshelves, he had an even more ominous feeling about it.


    Han Li went through the rest of the old books In a hustle. After going through every single book, his face darkened a little more. And after he went through all the books on another bookshelf, Han Li¡¯s expression was as dark as the sky before a storm was about to hit.


    None of the twenty books were about refining pills. They were either methods used to save patients or home remedy for strange and complicated diseases. The most absurd thing was that there was even a poison expert¡¯s narration about ways to use poison. They were all books used in the secular world.


    ¡°Two hours are up. Keep reading and there will be additional fee of spirit stones!¡± Suddenly, Elder Xu yelled from downstairs.


    Hearing this, Han Li was speechless. These trashy books were worth spirit stones? But when he turned and looked at the items on the table, he felt doubtful, took out another spirit stone, and threw it down to the foot of the stairs.


    ¡°I received the spirit stones, Young Friend. Keep reading. This Elder will stop interrupting!¡± Elder Xu grinned and spoke from downstairs.


    Han Li stopped paying attention to the Elder because he knew clearly that to the old man who didn¡¯t hide his desires, whether or not he paid his respects wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that Han Li kept giving him more spirit stones and letting him make a profit.


    But Han Li didn¡¯t plan on wasting another spirit stone, so this time he moved faster when going through the bamboo slips on the table with a speed that was obviously faster than before. He only had to go through the contents briefly instead of reading them sentence by sentence.


    Under the smooth, white light coming from a giant moon light stone on the roof, Han Li¡¯s mood went up and down while flipping through the bamboo slips. After he went through all of the bamboo slips, Han Li put the bamboo slips back to where they came from and sighed softly.


    This time, these bamboo slips really did contain formulas and reports for a few medicine pills, but unfortunately, judging from the ingredients, these medicines all had effects similar to the ¡°Yellow Dragon Pellet¡± and the ¡°Gold Essence Pill.¡± To Han Li, whose Eternal Spring Arts was currently at eleventh layer, they didn¡¯t have much effect on him anymore.


    Therefore, Han Li¡¯s only hope was on those two jade cylinder that were the size of his fist. Hopefully, what they recorded would not let him return empty-handed.

 Chapter 155

    Depression.


    Chapter 155: Depression


    Han Li picked up the jade cylinder and blew it, exposing its true emerald-green glisten.


    He pressed the cylinder against his forehead and slowly submerged his mind within it. An astonishing medicine pill refining formula appeared in his head. Unexpectedly, it was the Foundation Establishment Pill refining formula that Han Li had longingly yearned for. The process had quite a few steps: spanning from gathering raw materials to condensing the pill. This discovery gave him a delightful surprise!


    For a while, he didn¡¯t go see the other jade cylinders. Then he hastily skimmed through its entirety. However, when his spirit read the words ¡°Must be refined with Innate True Fire for success¡±, Han Li stared blankly for a moment with a feeling of great foolishness.


    Innate True Fire was a Daoist astral fire that only Foundation Establishment experts possessed. It was a basic magic that only one possessing the cultivation of Foundation Establishment could perform. Its power could be gradually strengthened when refining Qi during meditation to the point where, after one achieves Core Formation, the true fire could become a Samadhi fire from legend, capable of charring everything under the heavens.


    However, how could Han Li, a Qi Condensation cultivator, possibly draw out this Innate True Fire? Only after he entered Foundation Establishment would he be able to ignite it.


    However, if Foundation Establishment Pills were required to become Foundation Establishment, and refining them required Foundation Establishment¡¯s Innate True Fire, then they were truly interlocked in a vicious, unbreakable circle.


    This made Han Li depressed to the point of wanting to knock his head against the wall!


    To find a Foundation Establishment Expert to help him refine pills was completely unacceptable. This was equivalent to exposing the secret of the small bottle to them. That assistant he asked for help would be likely to become his very own murderer.


    Distraught, Han Li stood anxiously in front of the desk for a long while, before returning it to its original spot. Then he absent-mindedly picked up another jade cylinder and wiped it clean, exposing a fiery color.


    ¡°The matter of Foundation Establishment Pill can only be reconsidered in the future! Let¡¯s first take a look at what¡¯s inside here. Perhaps there is a wondrous medicine pill formula within!¡±  Han Li was a bold and decisive person, having immediately put away the Foundation Establishment Pill cylinder to the side. He then turned to examine the red-colored jade cylinder, hoping for a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Face Setting Pill.¡± Just as Han Li pushed his consciousness into the jade cylinder, those three words entered his mind, causing him to immediately feel a trace of disappointment. However, Han Li reassured himself for a moment. ¡°Although this may be its name, this medicine pill effect might not necessarily be what I believe it to be. Perhaps it has some strange effect!¡±


    However, the following words completely crushed Han Li¡¯s extravagant hopes: It can cause one¡¯s appearance to remain young forever. The descriptions of the pill¡¯s effect was of no use to him.


    Han Li stood there motionless and said nothing. His mind still continuously suppressed the scathing threads of an evil flame¡¯s smoke as he inwardly cursed without restraint.


    ¡®What kind of trashy book collection is this? It doesn¡¯t have any recipes that it should. It¡¯s actually just a hideous mess of a collection! How could they wrongfully treat us cultivators to these acupuncture needle secret technique, these Face Setting Pills and such! They even arrogantly arranged all this here¡­.¡±


    When Han Li felt that this trip was nearly a complete waste, that loathsome voice spoke.


    ¡°Your time has ended. If you want to extend¡­.¡±


    ¡°I am heading down!¡±


    Han Li did not feel like wasting another spirit stone and prepared to leave, taking the jade cylinder containing the Foundation Establishment Pill refining formula with him.


    However, just as he walked to the stairs, he hesitated. He felt that although the ¡®Face Setting Pill¡¯ was of no use in progressing one¡¯s magic power, it could still be sold to other cultivators. Most importantly, this Face Setting Pill did not require the so-called Innate True Fire. It was something he could create right now.


    With this thought, Han Li returned to the front of the table and took the red jade cylinder. He then quickly returned to the stairs and climbed down.


    ¡°How was it, Young Friend? Have you made any gains?¡± When the old man saw Han Li, he asked Han Li with a smile on his face. However, why did Han Li find those words so false?


    ¡°Elder Xu, is the floor above truly the sect¡¯s medicine pill formula storage? How could there be so much rubbish and trash? Is there some other collection room?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t care about mocking the old man and instead asked the question he had been holding back for quite a long time with a depressed face.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s expression, he could not help but laugh with an evil smile.


    ¡°Ever since this old man began taking care of this place, Young Friend was not the first to ask this question. Almost every disciple who arrives at Yue Lu Hall for the first time and looks upstairs asks this old man that same question. However, if you want to know the entirety of this matter¡­¡± This Elder Xu deliberately dragged out his sentence, but the meaning of his words could not be more obvious.


    He had a rigid expression that demanded payment, truly rendering Han Li speechless. This person before him, a Foundation Establishment Expert, was clearly a profiteer from the secular world with the appearance of stingy cheapskate.


    Currently, Han Li finally realized why he did not want him to call him ¡°Martial Senior¡± and instead address him as ¡°Elder¡±. If he were to perform those actions as a Martial Sect Senior then, he would not be able to brazenly profit from these small tricks with his superiors pretending not to notice.


    Han Li¡¯s raised his eyebrows for a moment. Without saying anything further, Pa-pa, he placed the two jade cylinders in front of the old man¡¯s table.


    ¡°This Junior originally thought to copy these jade cylinders. However, it seems that I currently do not have enough spirit stones! Since its like that, this Junior will only copy one. As for the other, this Junior will save it for the next trip.¡± Having lived in the secular world for so long, Han Li slightly struck back to avoid his appetite from growing larger.


    ¡°Young Friend wants to duplicate two of them?¡± The Elder Xu greatly smiled and widely opened his eyes.


    ¡°Originally, yes. However, this Junior wishes to learn the answer to the previous question, and he doesn¡¯t have enough!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Since Young Friend is this frank and straightforward, I will naturally answer that previous question free of charge. Let this old man first give copies to this Young Friend!¡± The old man hastily grabbed the two jade cylinders and took two white jade cylinders from the shelf behind him. He hastily duplicated them, fearful of Han Li going back on his word.


    ¡°The duplication is complete, take care of them well!¡± The old man¡¯s movements were incomparably quick, leaving Han Li dumbstruck until he received the jade cylinder copies.  After Han Li received the duplicates, the old man then looked at him with a ¡®why are you still not quickly taking out the spirit stones?¡¯ expression.


    The corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched, then he opened his mouth to say something. However, he didn¡¯t say anything. After a moment of silence, he neatly took out twenty low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and wordlessly handed them over to the old man.


    The old man took the offered spirit stones with a happy grin, and for a short while, he was unable to conceal his happiness. Only after he counted the spirit stones three to four times did he notice Han Li waiting to his side for a reply.


    At this moment, Elder Xu was perfectly content with the spirit stones he received and sized Han Li up with a gaze like Han Li was a rich man.


    ¡°You truly cannot judge a person by their appearance! Young Friend¡¯s background was unexpectedly this profound and was truly to this old man¡¯s surprise. Although this old man is greedy, he is a man who keeps his promises. Today, if Young Friend has a question, do not hesitate to ask. This old man will definitely satisfy and repay Young Friend!¡± After the old man returned his gaze toward him, he solemnly said this with an unexpectedly serious and proper image,


    Han Li was slightly surprised, but without a trace of politeness, he requested the answer to the previous question.


    ¡°The answer is quite simple. The majority of medicine pill recipes were lost long ago. Not only for our Yellow Maple Valley Sect, but also for the other sects¡­even the entire cultivation world is like this!¡± The old man leisurely answered.


    When Han Li heard this, he was startled and looked at the old man with a puzzled gaze.


    ¡°Young Friend, calm down. It will be clear once you think about it. Why are medicine pill recipes valuable?  Naturally it is because they are capable of using heavenly materials and earthly treasures to create medicine pills for us cultivators to consume.¡±


    ¡°However, Young Friend did not think about this before. In this world,  heavenly materials and earthly treasures are quite limited. In addition, each plant requires hundreds if not thousands years to mature and be of use. During this time, the amount of cultivators do not decrease but instead increase year after year. As a result, the materials used in these pill recipes gradually grow sparse, eventually becoming completely extinguished. By the time the people of the cultivation world took noticed of this grave problem, the heavenly materials and earthly treasures of this earth were long gone. Only a few particular regions still have a few of these ingredients remaining. These regions are incomparably dangerous even for us cultivators and are not easily braved.¡±


    ¡°Thus, we were thoroughly severed from a source of raw materials, and the medicine formulas became worthless. Who would attach value to them? After an extremely long period and several great calamities upon the cultivation world, these medicine pill recipes gradually disappeared from history. The few that remain could be counted upon one¡¯s fingers, and the Foundation Establishment Pill was merely one of those that remained.¡±

 Chapter 156

    Earth Lung Fire.


    Chapter 156: Earth Lung Fire


    After Han Li heard the old man¡¯s reason, his face¡¯s expression did not change, appearing neither accepting nor denying those words. He nodded his head and said nothing. He picked up the jade cylinder duplicates, and turned around, walking toward the passage.


    ¡°Since Young Friend wants to refine pills, would you like to come again and buy a few pill furnaces? I will sell them a bit cheaper.¡± The old man saw Han Li leaving and hastily offered to sell his own goods.


    ¡°I do not need them. For the time being, I cannot use them!¡± Han Li did not turn around and simply waved his hand goodbye.


    ¡°That is truly unfortunate. This pill furnace of mine can bear the high temperatures of earth fire!¡± Elder Xu regretfully said, having seen that his business was not successful.


    ¡°Earth fire?¡± Han Li stopped at the entrance of the passage.


    ¡°It is Earth Lung Fire, a bit more impressive than Innate True Fire.¡± The old man indifferently mentioned.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that pill refinery requires Innate True Fire? Can this Earth Fire replace it when refining pills?¡± Han Li tried his best to keep his voice calm. However, his heart was thumping greatly. He knew that he might¡¯ve already found a solution out of his Foundation Establishment Pill refinery predicament.


    ¡°Hehe! It seems Young Friend is completely ignorant that Earth Fire has long replaced Innate True Fire in pill refinery! However, this is nothing serious. Basically, those who have learned a thing or two about pills should all know this. I will explain this to Young Friend free of charge!¡± The old man saw Han Li¡¯s interest, causing his spirit to stir. He even deliberately added the words ¡®free of charge¡¯ as an especially heavy bait.


    How could Han Li not hear the meaning in the other party¡¯s words? He could not help but bitterly smile. The old man clearly implied that although he would tell him free of charge, he would only speak a sentence for free. To say seven or eight sentences free of charge, the difference was far too great.


    However, this matter was of great importance, and Han Li would not be able to tangle with him once more.


    As a result, he directly walked back and instantly agreed, ¡°So long as Elder Xu¡¯s words about Earth Fire are true, then I will select one of your pill furnaces!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! My pill furnaces are absolute top quality goods. They are certain to satisfy Young Friend!¡± Elder Xu saw that an agreement was smoothly met and could not help but smile with squinted eyes.


    ¡°At first, Innate True Fire was used to refine pills, but this was during an ancient time long ago! The current pill refinery of the cultivation world borrows the Earth Lung Fire from Profound Yang Earth to temper and refine medicine pills. Long ago, our ancestors already discovered that Earth Fire not only had purer essence and higher temperatures than True Fire, it was also longer lasting and more stable. Its success rate was usually much greater than when using True Fire to refine pills. Furthermore, it was also equivalently effective when used to refine tools. That is the reason why so long as cultivation sects and a few of the larger cultivation clans have the qualifications, they will all have their own Profound Yang Fire Earth to provide their younger generations with refined pills and refined tools. Only wild cultivators, those whose powers are truly alone and are unable to borrow Earth Fire, would use the more highly likely to fail True Fire method to refine pills.¡± The old man shook his head as he narrated a large speech that passed through his mind.


    ¡°Then this sect also has Earth Fire that can be borrowed for use? Elder Xu should definitely know where.¡± Han Li was elated, but he resisted the excitement in his mind and preserved his reason in order to ask about the crucial location.


    ¡°Hehe¡­.¡±


    When the old man heard Han Li¡¯s question, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh heartily. He smiled at Han Li and blinked his eyes, as if he were puzzled!


    ¡°When Young Friend had just entered Yue Lu Hall, didn¡¯t he see a passageway without any signs? That passage leads to the Profound Yang Earth Fire. If you pay a few spirit stones, you will be able to borrow some Earth Fire for use!¡± After an easy smile, the old man eventually told Han Li the truth.


    ¡°Is this really true?¡± Han Li could not help but expose a happy expression, and the corner of his mouth slightly rose.


    ¡°This old man is already this old, how could he cheat a junior such as yourself?¡± Elder Xu replied, somewhat annoyed.


    ¡°It was this Junior¡¯s slip of the mouth! Please forgive me, Elder Xu!¡± Although Han Li felt that the old man was greedy, he would not deceive a junior in this matter like that. He sincerely said this with a modest tone.


    ¡°Humph! Seeing that Young Friend¡¯s age is so young, this old man will forgive you this once!¡± The old man¡¯s expression eased. However, his face stiffened immediately after. ¡°However, it would be favorable if you were to purchase a pill furnace. This old man might not offer them anymore.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, Han Li could not help but bitterly smile. This Elder truly won¡¯t neglect this advantageous moment of vulnerability!


    ¡°Are those the pill furnaces?¡± Han Li asked, pointing to the shelves behind the old man. They held cauldron furnaces of various sizes.


    ¡°Obviously not. Those are simply common trash. They are only capable refining some inferior medicine pills. How could they withstand the heat of Earth Fire? Genuine quality pill furnaces are all here!¡± The old man recovered the true qualities of an unscrupulous businessman and gleefully patted the unremarkable gray pouch at his waist.


    The old man took off the gray pouch and lightly patted it as he looked to the ground beside him. Then an azure light swept out a row of interesting, antique-styled, unusual pill cauldrons on the floor.


    ¡°How about it? This is the old man¡¯s collection of pill furnaces. Every single one is a work of quality, absolutely not some common trash!¡± The old man said somewhat complacently. He picked up the nearest cauldron furnace and lightly struck it.


    ¡°They are truly quite good!¡± Once the cauldron furnaces appeared, Han Li sensed that they emitted traces of Spiritual Qi. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft ¡°Yi¡±.


    However, this actually made him more interested in the old man¡¯s unremarkable pouch. This was absolutely a high-grade storage pouch that exceeded the capabilities of his own storage pouch. Otherwise, it would be impossible to hold such a great volume of goods.


    ¡°Hehe! This old man wasn¡¯t boasting. Xu Mou is truly an expert at refining cauldron magic tools. Most of the sect¡¯s low level disciple¡¯s cauldron furnaces come from this old man¡¯s hand. These few are the finest of the finest!¡± The old man saw Han Li become somewhat moved and was unable to contain his joy.


    Han Li faintly smiled and did not speak any words of retort. He calmly walked next to the cauldron furnaces and looked down, beginning to choose.


    ¡°This is a Rahu Cauldron. It is capable of absorbing a flame¡¯s high temperature, generally increasing the success rate of medicine pills¡­ It can also¡­.¡±


    Every time Han Li picked up a cauldron furnace to examine it, Elder Xu would stand to the side and jabber incessantly praises, wishing he could talk about each one of these rare and incomparable treasures all day long. If Han Li didn¡¯t immediately buy one, it would be as if he would be wronging the Heavens! Han Li could not help but bitterly smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s this one!¡± Han Li took every cauldron furnace and examined them all once through. After he muttered to himself for a moment, he pointed to the smallest silvery cauldron furnace.


    ¡°Clicks tongue! Young Friend truly has a good eye. This silver threaded cauldron is the best among the pill cauldrons, a rarely produced magic tool.  Among all of my pill cauldrons, this treasure is the best among them!¡± When Elder Xu saw Han Li raise the smallest cauldron, he was somewhat astonished. However, he immediately resumed his normal expression and rambled a mouthful of praises.


    ¡®What does this have to do with a good eye? I have to think about the limited space in my storage pouch. It can only hold this cauldron!¡¯ Han Li unhappily thought when he heard the old man¡¯s noisy words.


    Finally, after haggling over the price with the old man, Han Li settled on the price of thirty-two low-grade spirit stones and purchased the object. Then he departed without the slightest hesitation.


    Although the time Han Li was in contact with Elder Xu was short, he had already spent over fifty spirit stones. Even though it could be said that he was considerably wealthy, it still greatly caused his heart to ache. As a result, he was truly unwilling  to stay here any longer, even if the old man were to passionately urge him to stay.


    After exiting Elder Xu¡¯s room. Han Li returned to the hall with the transportation formation. However he didn¡¯t immediately leave the palace hall, but after a moment of consideration, he instead walked through the passageway that wasn¡¯t marked with a character.


    At the end of the passageway appeared a huge stone door barring the way. A rainbow luster continuously circulated through the stone door. With just a look, one would know that it had an extremely impressive restrictive spell so that one wouldn¡¯t dare to act without thinking.


    To the side of the stone door, there was another small stone room. Within the room was an ugly man with lumps across his face. This ugly man was merely at the peak of Qi Condensation. However, he looked at Han Li with a proud and cold gaze, leaving Han Li in a bad mood!


    But what kind of person was Han Li? Although there was hatred in his heart, his appearance was relaxed as he inquired three times, only to be met with an unwillingness to reply to any of his requests. However, this allowed Han Li to clearly understand the circumstances of this situation and what was going on!


    Afterwards, Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to the other party¡¯s rudeness. He courteously said goodbye and took his leave. But before he left the room, he heard the ugly man muttering.


    ¡°A destitute, low level wretch of a disciple also wishes to learn pill refining? Did you already refine your brains into mush? A guy with all talk and no action, vainly wasting so much of this uncle¡¯s saliva!¡±


    When Han Li heard the other party¡¯s words, his figure didn¡¯t change the slightest. However, he hid the coldness he felt toward the ugly man, a coldness capable of scraping frost. A flash of murderous desire flashed through his eyes.

 Chapter 157

    Murong Brothers


    After Han Li left the Yue Lu Hall, he said goodbye to the two people in red and flew towards the Hundred Medicine Garden with his magic tool.


    In the air, Han Li kept thinking about refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, while looking down at the continuous hills with indifference. Suddenly, a loud, rumbling burst came from beneath and surprised him. He couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look¡­


    Only to see lightning flickering on one of the hills, and there were some faint applause coming from there. It brought up Han Li¡¯s curiosity; he landed from his magic tool nearby and automatically started to get close to the source.


    ¡°Murong Brothers, another one, show us what you¡¯ve got!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the first time I saw the shape of lightning that closely, it¡¯s so frightening!¡±


    ¡­


    As soon as he arrived at the top of the hill, Han Li heard a noise coming from the front, and the name ¡®Murong Brothers¡¯ moved his heart.


    ¡°The genius brothers with thunder spiritual roots who just entered the sect, isn¡¯t their last name ¡®Murong¡¯! The loud burst from before¡­are these brothers, the focus of so much attention, demonstrating their skills?¡±


    At this moment, he saw clearly that there were about thirty to forty disciples of varying ages on a hilltop, huddled in a loose circle and pointing to two eleven or twelve year-old youngsters in the middle of the circle while talking excitingly.


    There were several charred pits within the circle. The edges of the pits were melted because of the high temperature, and they released light cyan-blue smoke. After a breeze blew by, the burnt smell was everywhere.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li hastily went over and looked carefully at the youngsters. The two of them had delicate features, fair and tender skin, and they looked very similar. However, when they blinked their eyes, they looked like little elves.


    At this moment, because of the crowd¡¯s attention and praise, the two of them were blushing with excitement. After they looked at each other, they chanted a spell at the same time, and lightning flashed in the hands of the two, followed by two thin bolts of lightning flying out. They landed on the ground nearby with two loud bangs and a burst of bright, white light, creating two more pits in the ground.


    ¡°This is the thunder attribute¡¯s Thunder Palm? Regardless of its power or sound, this was more powerful than the Fireball Technique, Icicle Technique, or other magic techniques that are of the same level. Thunder attribute magic techniques are indeed the most destructive magic techniques!¡± Han Li was astonished and also envious of the brothers¡¯ spiritual roots attribute.


    Obviously, Han Li wasn¡¯t the only one with this mentality. The other disciples who were watching them were also looking at the two with envious looks, while hating themselves for not being blessed by the Heavens with this kind of high-grade attribute that made everyone jealous!


    The brothers demonstrated their thunder spell a few more times among the crowd of applause, but their strength were clearly starting to fall behind their will. After all, they were still too young.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? It seems the power of thunder spiritual roots is merely this. I say it¡¯s probably not even as good as my wind spiritual roots!¡± Just then, a lousy man¡¯s voice sounded from the crowd across where Han Li stood, and the surrounding people couldn¡¯t help but look in that direction.


    A young man and woman were standing together side by side. The man was tall and handsome, and the woman was beautiful like a flower. They were obviously a pair of couple who were madly in love. That man looked proud, and seemed to be dismissive of the Murong Brothers¡¯ Thunder Palm, and the woman was blushing because so many people were looking at her. Her reddish face was even more charming.


    ¡°Who is this man? He¡¯s so wild!¡±


    ¡°Wind spiritual roots? Isn¡¯t that also a type of mutated spiritual roots! This man has mutated spiritual roots?¡±


    ¡°I know this man. He is Senior Martial Brother Lu, and he indeed has mutated spiritual roots. His wind spells can be very powerful!¡±


    ¡°Even if he also has mutated spiritual roots, why is he saying things like this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s out of jealousy! After all, back then among the low-level disciples, he was the only one who had mutated spiritual roots. But now, there are suddenly two more who are even more qualified than he is. Of course he would feel unbalanced!¡±


    ¡°What? So narrow-minded!¡±


    ¡°Hush! Be quiet, don¡¯t let him hear this. He¡¯s very vengeful. Being targeted by him would be very terrible!¡±


    ¡­


    Because of the young man¡¯s appearance, everyone around were whispering together. It appeared that this person wasn¡¯t that popular around here.


    ¡°Hmph! Little fellow, I will show you what real mutated spiritual roots are!¡± The young man¡¯s face sank when he saw people discussing him like this. He walked into the circle and declared proudly, ¡°The two of you, feel free to attack me with your thunder spells. If I dodge for even a half step, I will kowtow and admit my wrongs to you two little demons!¡±


    Seeing Senior Martial Brother Lu being so arrogant and looking down on them for no reason, the Murong Brothers were so mad that their faces became pale.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna dodge?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And no magic tools allowed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two brothers were indeed biological brothers. They each added a rule favoring them and finalized it. The young man was also arrogant, so he didn¡¯t even take the two brothers seriously and accepted their conditions without any objections.


    ¡°Good, then us two brothers will take care of Senior Martial Brother!¡± The two teenages said angrily in unison.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu, will you be okay like this?¡± The young man¡¯s female companion started to worry.


    ¡°Hehe! What¡¯s there to worry about dealing with two kids? Martial Sister Cheng can rest assured!¡± The young man waved his hand indifferently and stood in front of the Murong Brothers in an ostentatious manner.


    The two youngsters looked at each other, and suddenly came close together. They each held out their hand and took each other¡¯s hand, while the other finger pointed to the sky. Together, they chanted the same exact spell!


    Seeing this, the young man sneered, and casted a defensive spell onto himself. A cyan-blue mask immediately surrounded him, and wrapped him tightly inside.


    ¡°Thunder Chain Strike.¡±


    The biological brothers finally finished casting their spell, and they pointed their finger at the top of the young man¡¯s head. A dark cloud about the size of ten meters appeared above him. A white light flashed in the cloud, and a lightning bolt as wide as a finger landed on the cyan-blue shield. The lightning hit the shield so hard that the shield shook violently, and the young man¡¯s expression changed. Apparently the power of the lightning was out of his expectations.


    But this lightning-shock was just the beginning. From the dark cloud that was floating in the air, more of the same lightning attack fell and hit the shield until it flickered and grew dark, on the edge of breaking apart.


    The young man¡¯s expression darkened again, as he suddenly made some complicated, dazzling finger gestures, growled deeply, and pressed his hands tightly against the light shield wall. The light mask suddenly glowed in blue. Not only was it repaired, but it also seemed to be even thicker than before.


    But the Murong Brothers naturally wouldn¡¯t give up the advantages that they possessed, so they also sent a variety of spells up into the air and made the dark cloud expand until its diameter was about ten meters. The falling lightning grew thicker and more frequent.


    Faced with the two brothers¡¯ fierce attack, this Senior Martial Brother Lu was even more surprised and angry, and he didn¡¯t know what to do. He never expected them to grasp the elementary mid-grade Thunder Chain Technique at such a young age. He was hit so hard he couldn¡¯t withdraw from the fight, and he could only cast counterattack spells. He suffered at such a disadvantage in front of so many people.


    Just like that, the youngsters on one side were using all their strengths to support the dark cloud¡¯s lightning attack, and on the other side, the young man was struggling to keep casting defensive spells to reinforce the cyan-blue shield. This competition turned into an unexpected tug of war.


    Normally, if one side attacked and the other defended, the attacker would naturally have a greater advantage, and they could save a lot more magic than the defender. However, the Murong Brothers who were attacking had already used up a lot of magic power during the demonstrations just now, and they didn¡¯t have enough magic power from the beginning. Also, the young man surnamed Lu was a lot older after all, so the maturity of his magic power couldn¡¯t be compared to those that had just entered the sect like them. By fighting a battle of attrition, they had their backs against a wall.


    Under everyone¡¯s sight, that dark cloud released the last few bolts of lightning and then dispersed, leaving a clear sky. Depleted of magic power, the youngsters were forced to first stop the lightning.

 Chapter 158

    clothed Woman.


    Chapter 158: Blue-clothed Woman


    When the young man saw this scene, he coldly laughed.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already received your attack, is it not my turn to attack?¡± When these words were spoken, he had already been protected by a barrier. He brought his hands together and suddenly drew a curved moon with his hands, causing a huge arc of azure light to appear from his hands.


    ¡°Taste my azure arc chop!¡± The young man said darkly. Then the disk of light shot out, whistling toward the two people across from him.


    This person¡¯s attack stirred up the crowd. Regardless of who was watching, the Murong Brothers fundamentally couldn¡¯t resist this magic technique. They had no defense to speak of.


    The youngsters were alarmed and were at a loss. After glancing in every direction, they dashed to the left and the right, running into the crowd.


    ¡°Open!¡± The young man suddenly shouted.


    Following the shout, the flying azure arc unexpectedly split into two by the young man¡¯s hand movements and immediately pursued the two youngsters.


    It just so happened that one of the youngsters saw that among the crowd, Han Li had the deepest magic power. As a result, he headed straight towards him without the slightest hesitation, immediately frightening Han Li.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t the slightest intention of involving himself in this matter. He knew that even if the young man was unbridledly savage, he wouldn¡¯t dare to brazenly injure the Murong Brothers. At most they would be frightened and teased for a time. Thus, he absolutely didn¡¯t take the initiative to interfere.


    Even more surprising was that youngster was exceptionally cunning. For example, he wanted to use Han Li as a shield! But how could Han Li possibly follow the other party as they wished? As a result, Han Li¡¯s body flashed, disappearing from his original location. Then the youngster pounced into the air, angrily cursing in tears. With no better option, he frantically tried to flee.


    A rubbing sound came from the trembling ground, precisely from the direction in which the other youngster was running. Afterwards, dust blew in every direction, and the voice of a male cursing came from within. It was clear that someone was not as wise as Han Li and did not break away from his role as a living shield.


    After the dust dissipated, he saw a ten-meter-tall, thick wall of earth marked with a half-moon groove several feet long. Behind the wall stood a coarse, short youth about twenty years old, carrying a strange wooden walking stick. With a wave of his hand, the wall created an opening. After that, he walked out with a cheerful Murong youngster close to him.


    ¡°You with the surname Lu, what is the meaning of this? Did you not see that others were here? And you still actually attacked! Did you want to chop at him along with me?¡± The coarse, short youth asked, both angry and startled.


    Senior Martial Brother Lu snorted and didn¡¯t pay notice of the coarse, short youth¡¯s reproachful question. Instead, he somberly operated his remaining half azure arc blade and sped up its pursuit toward the youngster on Han Li¡¯s side. Having seen the azure arc¡¯s neutralization, he truly planned to not let the other youngster go.


    ¡°Stay your hand!¡± A young woman¡¯s delicate, scolding voice came from the sky. Then a raging blaze dropped from the sky, completely engulfing the azure arc chasing the youngster. The raging flames turned into a ball and disappeared.


    ¡°Who? Who was it that broke my spell?¡± The young man surnamed Lu asked angrily, raising his head to the sky.


    Above everyone was a blue-clothed woman who had arrived at an unknown time. She looked to be a fairy with a garish appearance and skin, as if she had been congealed from fat. This woman¡¯s slim willow waist, beautiful jade neck, blue royal clothing, and tall-styled hair cause people to looked with a hesitant and venerable gaze.


    ¡°So it was Junior Martial Sister Nie! I was actually asking who has such magic power!¡± After seeing the blue-clothed woman, the young man surnamed Lu, who was originally in a rage, immediately changed his expression and warmly saluted her with elegant poise.


    ¡°Elder Martial Brother Lu, look at my face. Is this competition over?¡± The royally-dressed woman coldly asked while stepping on a magic tool.


    ¡°Hehe, since it is Junior Martial Sister Nie¡¯s desire, then I will comply with the rules.¡± The young man replied with a smiling expression.


    The royally-dressed woman nodded and did not speak any further. She dropped from the sky and walked over to the Murong Brothers.


    ¡°Elder Martial Sister Nie, your arrival was truly timely. Otherwise, we would have faced a disastrous end!¡± The youngster who had just escaped calamity immediately ran over to the blue-clothed woman as soon as he saw her, grinning ear from ear. The other brother also grinned and hurried over from the earth wall.


    ¡°Return. Face the wall and ponder about your misdeeds. You are not allowed outside until after you¡¯ve trained to the ninth layer in your cultivation art.¡± The woman lightly said without a trace of anger. The slightest change in emotion could not be detected.


    When the Murong Brothers heard this, they immediately became crestfallen. They both agreed and drooped their heads.


    After the blue-clothed woman finished taking care of the two brothers, she turned her head toward the coarse, short youth and unexpectedly burst into a smile, overshadowing all nearby life in an instant. She opened her small almond lips and said, ¡°Many thanks for Senior Martial Brother¡¯s assistance. Else this Junior Martial Disciple Murong¡¯s mishap would have brought shame to this little sister¡¯s teacher!¡±


    ¡°It, it was nothing¡­¡±


    When the coarse, short youth saw the other party¡¯s gorgeous smile, he was stunned, foolishly giggling and stuttering between his words.


    When the males all around saw this preferential treatment, they could not help but be fiercy envious of this man¡¯s encounter with a beautiful woman. They all greatly regretted why they did not act a moment ago. As a result, they all gazed at the man with piercing gazes of envy.


    When the young man surnamed Lu saw this, malice flashed through his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and maintained his cultured and refined appearance. Apart from the female companion besides him, only Han Li who was coldly looking on seemed to notice this peculiarity.


    Although that Junior Martial Sister Chen was an exquisite and ravishing beauty, dainty as a flower, her looks were far inferior to the woman surnamed Nie. Thus, when Junior Martial Sister Chen saw the blue-clothed woman appear, she feared that Senior Martial Brother Lu would become infatuated with her and immediately ran to Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s side, grabbing the young man¡¯s arm. Afterwards she shot a hostile stare at the other party.


    The blue-clothed woman naturally felt the other party¡¯s ill will, but she didn¡¯t mind in the least. Instead, when she was about to leave with the Murong Brothers, she faintly shot a glance at Han Li. Her beautiful voice immediately rang through his ear.


    ¡°Although the magic of your esteemed self is not weak, this kind of chivalric behavior is truly disagreeable to this young woman. I hope that the next time I see you, Junior Martial Disciple will somewhat change his ways.¡±


    (TL: ???? ¡°Chivalry¡± Lone Righteousness- to be righteous regardless of one¡¯s surroundings.)


    After Han Li heard the blue-clothed woman¡¯s words, he slightly wrinkled his brow. It seemed that she had completely seen through his evasive action. It did not leave this woman with a favorable impression and even left a rather bad impression.


    However, he wasn¡¯t a saint. To know fully well that someone was trying to exploit you and do not try avoid it, was that not idiocy? The coarse, short youth actually didn¡¯t have chivalry. However, he was currently being stared at by the fellow surnamed Lu. Perhaps the fellow would kill him in the future. If that moment came, would that beautiful woman even avenge him? Han Li thought this with a scoff.


    He did not know why but Han Li absolutely couldn¡¯t stand this peerlessly talented beauty. He found pretty daughters of humble families to be much more pleasing to the eye. Thus he didn¡¯t care even the slightest what this Senior Martial Sister Nie thought. He only hoped that she would not pay attention to him.


    At this moment, there was no trace of the beautiful, blue-clothed woman and her company. After Senior Martial Brother Lu took a fierce glance at the coarse, short youth and departed from the mountaintop with his female companion, the remaining people had nothing left worth seeing and disorderly dispersed.


    Han Li departed on the flying magic tool and returned to the Hundred Medicine Garden.


    After he entered his room, Han Li impatiently took out the two jade cylinders and looked at the duplicate containing the method to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. He began to carefully study it word by word.


    Although Han Li¡¯s mind was lively, his expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. Several hours later, Han Li let out a long breath and put the jade cylinder down. Closely afterwards, he sunk into deep thought and reflection.


    After a long moment, he let out a deep breath and stood, tightly wrinkling his breath. He then walked into the medicine garden. He began to sweep his graze over the plants within the garden, muttering to himself. ¡°Thousand Knotted Flower, Black Peony Grass, Gold Essence Ginseng and the thirty-one other complementary drug ingredients are of no problem. They are all in the garden. Only a few need to aged considerably, requiring several hundred years of maturity. However, the most important medicines, Chalcedony Mushrooms, Violet Monkey Flowers, and Sky Spirit Fruit, are quite troublesome! They are unexpectedly not here. Furthermore, I¡¯ve never heard of them before.¡±


    Han Li hesitated for half a day before deciding to ask others. Naturally, couldn¡¯t he just ask the small old man, a medicine master?!

 Chapter 159

    Spiritual Medicines of Heaven and Earth


    After Han Li finished planning, he put down the jade cylinder and picked up the other.


    The ¡°Face Setting Pill¡± was far simpler to refine when compared to the Foundation Establishment Pill. It didn¡¯t require True Fire to refine, and there were no medicine ingredients he was unfamiliar with. All of the ingredients were quite common.


    What made him speechless was that many of the drug ingredients actually required the maturity of a thousand years or higher before they could be used as material for a Face Setting Pill. It was not wonder why he never heard of this medicine pill before. After all, what cultivator with spiritual herbs over a thousand years old would waste such a precious treasure in the Face Setting Pill, which was completely useless to cultivators? This caused the Face Setting Pill to be known to a rare few in the cultivation world.


    However, this wasn¡¯t a problem to Han Li. He simply had to induce maturity for a slightly longer period of time. Thus, he decided to put off the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill. Instead, he planned to refine the Face Setting Pill with the furnace and see whether its effects were truly as miraculous as the recipe said, capable of preserving one¡¯s appearance the moment the pill was consumed.


    Six or seven days later, when the old man came again to collect medicine ingredients, Han Li stood within the medicine harden and directly asked the old man about the three wondrous medicine ingredients without covering much up.


    ¡°Chalcedony Mushroom, Violet Monkey Flowers, and Sky Spirit Fruit?¡± The old man stroked his small mustache and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Hehe! It seems Martial Nephew already obtained the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill, which is why he wants to ask about these three medicine ingredients! However, Martial Nephew, could it be you truly wish to personally refine pills?¡± Martial Senior Ma slanted his mouth and looked at Han Li with a ¡®You are truly overestimating your own ability¡± gaze.


    ¡°Naturally not. However, this Junior is completely ignorant of these medicine ingredients. Where would Junior be able to look for those several hundred year-old auxiliary medicine ingredients? Within Elder¡¯s garden, the oldest herb is the Flower Dragon Grass, over a hundred years old. Under these circumstances, how could Martial Nephew extravagantly think to refine these pills?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t tell the truth and coped with flattering words.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t plan on refining pills, why are you asking about those three wondrous ingredients? This old man is quite busy and doesn¡¯t have the leisure to chat with you!¡± The small old man stiffened his face and stubbornly said.


    Han Li had long expected this Martial Senior Ma eccentric temperament and didn¡¯t panic in the slightest. Instead, he smiled and continued, ¡°This Junior simply saw those three ingredients and noticed that their names were very peculiar. Furthermore, I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention their appearance or medicinal properties. That is why I am very curious and asked without thinking it through. However, what your Martial Nephew doesn¡¯t understand is why Martial Senior¡¯s medicine garden doesn¡¯t contain any of the three wondrous ingredients. With such rare ingredients, Martial Uncle should have thought up of every possible method of obtain seeds and cultivate them within the garden. Could it be these wondrous ingredients are extremely difficult to cultivate and that Martial Senior is unable to grow them?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Don¡¯t tell me you doubt Martial Senior¡¯s skills? The reason why none of these ingredients are in the garden has nothing to do with my skill. Rather, they are transformed by the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. They are breeds that grow on their own. As for where to find the seeds? Even if one were able to find a seedling, because the region they grow in is far too peculiar, they are unable to survive in ordinary environments, even if one were careful and diligent. Otherwise, why else would I let them slip by?¡± The small old man was not lightly provoked by Han Li¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed.


    ¡°There are no seeds? How is that possible!¡± Han Li could not help but cry out.


    ¡°Humph! How is it not impossible? It should be known that these type of ingredients have nearly vanished from the outside world. However, if they are very useful to cultivators and were capable of being grown by humans, every great immortal sect would have already done so by now. Why else would they allow the amount of Foundation Establishment Pills being produced to decrease with each passing year?¡± The small old man rolled his eyes at Han Li, and replied bitterly.


    His words gave Han Li an icy feeling at the bottom of his heart. The maturing effect of the green liquid was great. However, if there simply weren¡¯t any seeds at all, how could he induce maturation? How could he create something from nothing!


    ¡°If there is nothing else, then I will leave first! After two months, I will come back and take more medicine ingredients.¡± This Martial Senior Ma didn¡¯t notice the changes in Han Li¡¯s face and instead turned around, preparing to depart.


    ¡°However, every ten years a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills are produced. Where do they come from? If what Martial Senior says is true and the ingredients grow in peculiar environments, then there must be a fixed location where they grow!¡± Han Li¡¯s mind went through a lightning-fast revolution and immediately thought of another method. It didn¡¯t matter if there were no seeds since there would at least be immature sprouts! He could find a few and induce maturation. As a result, he hastily asked this.


    ¡°It seems your curiosity is not small at all! However, I urge you to stifle the thought. If you go to that sinister region to find those three wondrous ingredients, it would be equivalent to suicide.¡± The small old man lazily turned his head. After coldly uttering those words, he paid no more attention and flew off.


    Han Li was left stunned, standing in his original spot without moving for a long while.


    ¡°These three wondrous medicine ingredients, I must get ahold of them. Even if he won¡¯t tell me, can I not ask others?¡± Han Li calmly said to himself. He looked at the sky and let out a deep breath.


    During his two years in Yellow Maple Valley, apart from Martial Senior Ma, the other disciples he was familiar with were Honored Disciple Yu and Cultivation Guidance Disciple Wu Feng.


    Honored Disciple Yu schemed deeply and was very snobbish. Han Li was not fond of dealing with this person. As a result, the first one he sought was actually that Senior Martial Brother Wu Feng. If he could not obtain any clues from him, then he could only make a trip to the greedy old man at Yue Lu Hall. In all likelihood, he would know. However, he would like to avoid being bankrupt!


    When Han Li arrived at the low level disciple area of the Cultivation Guidance Pavilion, Wu Fung happened to be giving a few youngsters an explanation of low-grade magic techniques. When he saw Han Li, he simply gave a faint gesture before proceeding with his work.


    Han Li did not mind. He knew Wu Feng simply had a strong sense of responsibility and didn¡¯t mean anything rude.


    With regards to Senior Martial Brother Wu, Han Li truly felt some admiration toward him. Even after this Cultivation Guidance Senior Martial Brother took the Foundation Establishment Pill and remained at the peak of Qi Condensation, his comprehension of low-grade magic techniques had truly reached perfection. He was able to deduce many things from one look, causing Han Li to exclaim in astonishment. Furthermore, the benefits he himself received were not shallow.


    If it were just this, Han Li would have merely had a good impression of him and not at all be filled with this kind of deep respect. What astounded him was that when this Senior Martial Brother fulfilled his responsibility to guide cultivation, he treated all fellow apprentices who asked for guidance in magic techniques equally favorably, without exception. He put his heart and soul into imparting his understandings and insights. He seemed to never conceal any selfishness. This truly amazed Han Li to a great degree.


    In truth, Han Li initially did not trust the person to be of this character. However, he believed that the effort put in for a mere appearance was particularly excessive for a hypocrite he happened to meet. Thus, he treated him neither coldly nor warmly and showed respect at a distance.


    But after truly being in contact with him over a year, each and every action he commonly treated people with truly confirmed to Han Li that he was no fraud. He genuinely and sincerely aided his fellow apprentices. This left Han Li at a lost for words for a long while.


    Although he was unwilling to follow Senior Martial Brother Wu¡¯s ways, he naturally no longer had any suspicions against his character. Thus, he intended to become acquainted with him. Although they still hadn¡¯t reached the level of familiarity to the degree of best friends, their relationship was on far better terms than that of ordinary disciples.


    Thus, he patiently waited to the side.


    This Senior Martial Wu¡¯s explanation was truly attentive. The mid-grade elementary ¡°Fire Serpent Technique¡± was actually explained no less than two full times. In addition, he demonstrated it several times, letting multiple people learn from experience.


    Apart from the techniques Han Li originally learned, he truly didn¡¯t not learn any of the other Five Elements magic techniques. In the period of these past two years, he merely pieced together the techniques he had yet to learn.


    This caused Han Li be be completely disappointed in his aptitude, and greatly increased his desire for the Foundation Establishment Pill.


    After the guidance had finished, the several youngsters departed and took their leave. Wu Feng then asked Han Li with a smile, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, you haven¡¯t come here for quite a while! Have you decided to begin learning mid-grade magic techniques?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he bitterly smiled. Dispirited, he replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother should know about my aptitudes. I already wasted two years learning those lower elementary magic techniques. To learn even more difficult mid-grade magic techniques, would require at least seven to eight years to complete. The way I see it, it would be better to leave it be!¡±


    When Wu Feng heard this, he wrinkled his brow. He said somewhat reproachfully, ¡°How can Junior Martial Brother be so dejected! It should be known that even if your aptitudes are a bit inferior, diligence can fill the difference. There is still a great chance of success.¡±

 Chapter 160

    Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire.


    Chapter 160: Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire


    After Han Li heard his well-meaning advice, he could not help but casually agree. Afterwards, he asked about the Foundation Establishment Pill medicine ingredients.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han wants to know the source of Chalcedony Mushrooms and other spiritual medicines?¡± Wu Feng asked, astonished.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Senior Martial Brother has already been at the sect for many years. He should know something about this!¡± Han Li asked expectantly.


    After Wu Feng heard this, he murmured to himself for a moment and said, ¡°Naturally, I know a bit. However, I urge Junior Martial Brother to bury this thought! Not only is the place incomparably dangerous but it is also fundamentally impossible to approach. Only during a specific time and place and with the assistance of the Sect Elders would you be able to enter.¡±


    When Han Li initially heard that Wu Feng knew something, Han Li was delighted. But the following words alarmed him and caused him to question it closely.


    So it turned out that these spiritual medicines had been scarce in the cultivation world for a long time. They simply disappeared from common regions. The sole places where they could currently be found were those so-called forbidden areas.


    Since they were capable of being called forbidden areas by cultivators, these regions must naturally be extremely dangerous. They were generally vile environments located in desolate places. Some were demon lairs and could only be reached by a journey of slaughter. There were also locations with a few ancient restrictive spells that required a great deal of effort to break through them.


    For Yellow Maple Valley and the other cultivation sects, all of their Foundation Establishment Pill medicine ingredients previously came from one forbidden area. That location was continuously sealed by an ancient wind attribute restriction.


    The restrictive spell was quite impressive. Originally, no matter how much strength the cultivator sects used, they had no hope of opening it. However, though it was unknown how, someone had actually later discovered that this restrictive spell had a five-day period of weakness every five years. During this time, if several Core Formation experts simultaneously used force against the restriction, they could create a temporary opening and let a certain amount of people inside.


    However, once the opening appeared and the cultivators tried to go in, something unexpected occurred.


    Those of Foundation Establishment and greater were all hindered by another eccentric restriction. But those of Qi Condensation were not obstructed in the least and were able to collect and bring back a great amount of rare spiritual medicines.


    This discovery caused a great commotion in the cultivation world of the State of Yue. As a result, the Seven Great Cultivator Sects would dispatch disciples below Foundation Establishment into the forbidden area to gather a great amount of spiritual medicines. Naturally, the Foundation Establishment Pill medicine ingredients were of the highest priority.


    At the start, the disciples of cultivation sects could harvest without assault. After the first harvest, the chosen disciples all said that this was a very comfortable task. However, with each passing harvest, the spiritual medicine within the forbidden area gradually grew more sparse, causing each sect to dispute over the wondrous medicines. Greater actions began to continuously occur until several hundred years ago, when a disciple lost his life in the struggle.


    The first loss of life caused each of the large sects to completely tear off their faces and bluntly fight; the weak were prey to the strong. The Heavens and Earth favored none, and the sects encouraged their disciples to pillage from others, causing the forbidden area to be thoroughly stained with the color of blood.


    Like that, the spiritual medicines gradually decreased, and the fights within the forbidden area grew increasingly fierce and bloody.


    In the last hundred years, due to the great brutality of close combat, less than one third of the disciples who entered the forbidden area were able to come back alive. Each of the sects¡¯ loss of junior elite disciples was not small! This caused each of the sects¡¯ disciples to call the forbidden area the ¡°Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡±. One by one they began to avoid going. One time, there was even an awkward scene where not a single person wished to enter.


    As for forcing people, that was naturally out of the question.


    If the disciples didn¡¯t sincerely enter the forbidden area to search for medicines,  then they were certain to work halfheartedly. A majority of them would hide and wait until it was safe before leaving.


    This hadn¡¯t previously happened before, causing the upper echelon to seethe with anger. However, they had no alternative. After all, these people were originally unwilling to go. Being forced to brave those strange dangers, how could they possibly be criticized for not being willing!


    As a result, each of the sects in the State of Yue steadily watched the spiritual medicines with increasing interest. However, the amount of disciples willing to accept the risks were very few; thus causing the sects to start using heavier rewards to recruit disciples to enter the forbidden area. Those who brought back spiritual medicines from the forbidden area would be given even greater rewards, attracting much attention.


    The other sects did not say this, only Yellow Maple Valley did!


    Several times after the tradition began, the sect directly stipulated in writing that so long as a disciple registered to participate, they would be bestowed a mid-grade spirit stone and spiritual tool beforehand to serve as encouragement.


    As for those who were truly capable of bringing spiritual medicines from the forbidden area, the sect would further reward them according to the quality and quantity of the medicines. From spirit stones and spiritual pills to magic tools, all that one could think of was possible, even secretive rewards as great as a Foundation Establishment Pill. This was sufficient for low level disciples to stake it all.


    These great rewards naturally caused the cultivation sect to experience a great surge of registrations for a time. This surge was maintained for the next two to three times and then completely declined.


    The bloody reality caused the many disciples to wake to the realization that these great rewards did not come without cost!


    Because of the initial excitement over the great rewards, the original survival rate of those who fought in the forbidden area actually lowered from less than one third to less than one fourth after the introduction of greater rewards. Of those who survived, those capable of bringing out spiritual medicines were even fewer, and the majority of them were gravely injured. They fundamentally didn¡¯t reap any rewards, not to speak of even recieving a Foundation Establishment Pill.


    This was what Han Li was told after asking Wu Feng about the source of the spiritual medicines.


    After hearing everything he had to say, Han Li felt nothing except depression!


    He didn¡¯t expect that gathering some medicine ingredients would require going to some forbidden area and, moreover, engaging in close combat with the disciples of other sects. Only by being the final victor would one be able to leave. Furthermore, the rate of survival was astonishing. Less than one fourth of the disciples were able to leave this so-called, ¡°Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡±.


    The hazards one would have to brave were far too great! Han Li wasn¡¯t some expert. Among the low level disciples of Yellow Maple Valley, he was merely of medium strength.


    As a result, without profound magic power and no powerful magic techniques, he could only rely on their several magic tools and his mind¡¯s quick wit.


    Relying on just this, how could Han Li believe himself to be one of the four that survive?


    This caused Han Li to become angry, and he could not help but ask Wu Feng, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t each Immortal sect restrict their disciples and collaboratively divide the spiritual medicines? It should be known these medicines will inevitably be refined into Foundation Establishment Pills. Isn¡¯t there no need to quarrel and tear into one another, thereby planting the seeds of hatred and revenge?¡±


    After Wu Feng heard this, he immediately replied with a bitter laugh, ¡°Junior Martial Brother does not understand. Although they will all be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, the distribution of the number of medicine pills would completely depend on the spiritual medicines available.  Under these circumstances, how could they not do their utmost to fight for the spiritual medicines?¡±


    After Han Li heard this, he remained silent for a long while.


    Finally, with a belly full of worry, he asked about the next ¡°Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡± and found out that it was in half a year. After several warnings from Senior Martial Brother Wu, Han Li left the Cultivation Guidance Pavilion and returned to Hundred Medicine Garden.


    Over the course of the next few days, Han Li dispiritedly thought of this matter, repeatedly pondering about the stakes and risks involved.  He attempted to compel himself to pick the more sensible option.


    It was clear that in the State of Yue, apart from this forbidden area, these three spiritual medicines would not be found. Otherwise, the Seven Great Immortal Sects need not shed blood every five years and cripple themselves.


    If Han Li did not want to brave these strange dangers, he could only hope to find the spiritual medicines in regions outside the State of Yue. Else, he would be completely without hope of achieving Foundation Establishment and become a pile of bones within a hundred years. However, after a careful thought, he knew that leaving the country to look for spiritual medicines was even more hopeless.


    However, if he truly participated in the ¡°Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡±, the three-fourth death rate was far too large! At that point, his possibility of death was immense! This truly caused Han Li to feel bewildered!

 Chapter 161

    Market City.


    Chapter 161: Market City


    After several restless nights of troubled sleep, Han Li carefully mulled over his thoughts of self-preservation and the thought of forever losing the opportunity for his Immortal path and his willingness to face unknown danger to reach Foundation Establishment. He gradually became inclined to the latter. After all, he had not resigned to have such an ordinary life!


    However, his cautious nature caused him to rush a trip to Yue Lu Hall. After he confirmed the bitter reality of the Trial by Blood and Fire and the lack of heavenly spiritual medicines outside of the area with the greedy old man, he thoroughly abandoned his wishful thinking.


    Since he clearly understood that he had no path of retreat, Han Li was fiercely determined to give his all in the Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire. He would either find the spiritual medicines within that would allow him to reach Foundation Establishment or fall to his death in the struggle within the forbidden area.


    With the determination to either live or die, Han Li began his preparations to travel to the forbidden area in half a year. Within this short time, he had to further his strength in order to improve his chances to survive.


    It was impossible for him to reach the eleventh layer of the Eternal Spring Arts without the assistance of medicine pills. If he wanted to increase his strength, he could only learn a few new magic techniques and purchase a few powerful talismans and magic tools.


    New magic techniques were not much of a problem. In all likelihood, if he were to mention it to Senior Martial Brother Wu, he wouldn¡¯t refuse to teach him. However, with his aptitude, he would only be able to either learn two elementary low-grade magic techniques or a mid-grade magic technique in half a year. As for elementary high-grade magic techniques, it would be better not to think of them. Thus the quickest way to increase his strength would be by using talismans and magic tools.


    Regarding magic tools, Han Li currently had a few. As for magic tools that could be used in combat, apart from the ring and the small black flag that Martial Uncle Ye gave him, he also had the long saber capable of turning into a rope and the gourd that could release automatically-attacking spheres that he got from the two yellow-clothed men who tried to kill and rob him.


    As for when he entered the sect, he received a Fierce Sun Sword and Cold Moon Saber. They were simply the lowest level of magic tools, capable of attacking with a bit of flames and cold Qi. They were fundamentally unimpressive.


    As for talismans, Han Li was originally extremely lacking in them. Fortunately, from the goods that the shady Martial Uncle Ye didn¡¯t embezzle from him, he had quite a few talismans. He was truly given over ten elementary mid-grade talismans and two rarely-seen high-grade talismans, greatly increasing his confidence.


    Furthermore, Han Li still had the small sword talisman that he still didn¡¯t know what do with. In fear, the yellow-clothed man he beheaded called this a talisman treasure. It should have a grand origin. It would simply be seen as stolen property, so he didn¡¯t dare to let others know of this talisman.  He kept the two words ¡°Treasure Talisman¡± in his head a secret and intended to find an opportunity to ask others about it.


    Naturally, when facing the extremely terrible ¡°Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡±, having only these objects was certainly not enough. As a result, Han Li planned to leave the sect mountains and make a trip to a nearby sect¡¯s market city to buy a few top quality magic tools and talismans.


    However, he didn¡¯t have the backing of many spirit stones. This purchasing trip was certain to not go as one would wish.


    Although Han Li had quite a few spirit stones he could use, in his future trip to the forbidden area, these spirit stones were important support in a prolonged fight, causing him to be quite reluctant about parting with them.


    A few thoughts later, Han Li decided to cultivate a few precious thousand-year medicinal herbs in the little time he had to exchange for spirit stones or to simply barter.


    Actually, creating a few Face Setting Pills would probably be better, perhaps slightly increasing the value of the thousand-year medicinal herbs. However, Face Setting Pills truly required too many medicinal ingredients. There was not enough time to actually collect all the materials. As a result, he could only directly use drug ingredients to exchange.


    But in order to not arouse suspicion from the sect, Han Li inwardly decided that he would only sell the cultivated medicine ingredients to cultivators outside the sect. Were he to directly use medicinal ingredients to do business in the sect, he was certain to arouse the attention of others.


    As a result, with a plan in mind, Han Li began to work.


    He first visited Wu Feng and picked the most practical elementary magic technique, ¡°Qi Restraining Technique¡±. It was an auxiliary-type elementary mid-grade magic spell that could resist the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique. As long as this technique was used beforehand, one would not appear to the naked eye and one¡¯s Qi would be completely restrained.  Its purpose was to conceal one¡¯s self.


    Naturally, this magic technique was of no use against experts at Foundation Establishment or above. It was, however, completely effective against the high-layer cultivators of Qi Condensation. This technique was far more practical compared to the ¡°Body Concealment Technique¡±.


    However, the reason why Han Li didn¡¯t pick any attack or defense-type magic techniques was completely due to his own true combat experience.


    Because of the time when he fought other cultivators in close combat, he discovered that in a fight between cultivators, there were far too few opportunities to completely execute the incantations of mid-grade magic techniques. There were far more opportunities to use magic tools and the low-grade magic techniques with the shortest execution time. Talisman methods were the next quickest in defending and attacking. That was why in a battle, it was more practical to use talismans rather than mid-grade magic techniques or higher. Naturally, if one had a companion that fought for time to cast a magic technique, that was a different argument.


    When Han Li obtained the cultivation incantation of this technique, he detailedly asked Wu Feng the specifics of cultivating this technique and then began to practice it with his heart and soul. However, as a mid-grade magic technique, this Qi Restraining Technique was completely different compared to the auxiliary magic techniques he previously learned, such as the ¡°Imperial Flight Technique¡± and the ¡°Body Concealment Technique¡±. Its cultivation was extremely difficult. It seemed that completely mastering it within half a year was truly no small challenge.


    Like that, Han Li bitterly cultivated the ¡°Qi Restraining Technique¡± during the day, and gathered green liquid and concentrated on cultivating several often-used spiritual grasses during the night. In addition, in order to prevent Martial Senior Ma from discovering these medicinal herbs, he specially staggered the cultivation of the medicines between the periods he arrived to pick up the medicine ingredients. He also planted the medicine in the most remote corners of the garden. After all, the scent of herbs a thousand years old or more stood out quite a bit.


    However, it was fortunate that this Senior Martial Senior had always come to collect right on schedule. He was neither early or late, and would hurriedly arrive and hurriedly leave. He seemed to be completely busy, though Han Li didn¡¯t know what he was busy with.


    Han Li had no interest in what the old man was doing. He would say it was for the best that Martial Senior Ma was continuously busy. With no chance of interference by snooping, Han Li was allowed to cultivate medicine at a larger scale.


    By the time Han Li initially grasped the ¡°Qi Restraining Technique¡±, four months had already passed.


    He also eventually cultivated two thousand-year old spiritual medicines. It was believed that medicinal ingredients of a hundred or more years were difficult to find in the current cultivation world. They were certain to produce a small and pleasant surprise in the market city.


    Han Li received a command medallion allowing him to exit the sect mountains from his acquaintance, the Hundred Opportunities Hall¡¯s Honored Disciple Yu.


    Actually, the disciples of Yellow Maple Valley had the chance to leave once a year. However, as cultivators wouldn¡¯t want to squander this period of time by going out, the disciples who took the opportunity were very few in number.


    After Han Li flew out of the sect mountains¡¯ large restrictive formation, he flew to the northeast, straight toward the market city.


    With this said, Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city had quite the reputation. It was more prosperous than any other sect¡¯s market cities.


    Because the Tai Yue Mountain Range that spanned over the Jian Province was close to the northern State of Yuan Wu and there was a non-hostile relationship between the cultivation world of the State of Yuan Wu and the cultivation world of the State of Yue, cultivators from the State of Yuan Wu would come to Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city to do business and bring many unusual goods not present in the State of Yue. It could not be said that it was not an unexpected and nice surprise, attracting quite a few rogue cultivators and cultivation clans to the city.


    This market city was established in the northeast of the Tai Yue Mountain Range. That was why Han Li arrived there after flying for more than half a day.


    When he grew near, Han Li didn¡¯t immediately rush over. Instead, he changed his gray cloth jacket and all the garments on his body that would identify him as a Yellow Maple Valley disciple. After he was done, he appeared as if he were a common cultivator. Then he walked over to the market city.


    According to the code of conduct of the cultivation world, cultivators were not allowed to fly within five li of the market city, which was why Han Li encountered many hurried travelers traveling on foot throughout his journey. Among these travelers, there were many who dressed very peculiarly, causing Han Li to suspect that they were cultivators from the State of Yuan Wu. It seemed that this market city was quite popular.


    While Han Li was blindly pondering, he had already arrived at the entrance to the market city.

 Chapter 162

    Myriad Treasures Store


    Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city looked like Han Li¡¯s hometown, Green Ox City. The entire market was only one street that pointed north and south. In the south, there were dozens of houses of various sizes. Some were tall, some were short. Some were buildings, while others were just huts. It was very inconsistent and uneven.


    These were all industries of the Yellow Maple Valley, but only less than half were personally managed by Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples. The other large half was leased to the cultivator families and rogue cultivators who usually dealt business here. Most of these businesses were stores that traded raw materials, talismans, and magic tools. There was also a five elements bookstore that specialized in selling elementary spells, and there were two restaurants and inns that were convenient for people to get food and rest.


    Aside from the lower level disciples at the market city, there were also a number of Foundation Establishment experts who stayed there regularly, keeping order in the city and preventing people from causing trouble.


    A large portion of the northern part of the street was empty. It was reserved for cultivators who wanted to set up a shop on the spur of the moment. As long as they paid the Yellow Maple Valley disciples with a low-grade spirit stone, foreigners could set up a shop for a whole day on the side of the empty street without any interference. They would even have the protection of the disciples during the time that they had set up a shop, enabling them to have no fear of any enemies who would want to take revenge.


    With these measures encouraging foreign cultivators to come here and do business, along with the special geographical location of the market city, the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city had been prosperous for many years. There would even be rare items that would appear from time to time in the market city, attracting even more cultivators.


    However, because Han Li wanted to avoid arousing suspicion, he didn¡¯t enter the market city from the convenient south street entrance. Instead, he circled around and entered from the north. Before setting foot into the street entrance, he covered his face with a blue cloak in case there was anyone here who could recognize him.


    It was already the afternoon. The street of the market city didn¡¯t seem to have many people at a first glance. However, this was normal. After all, this market city was not some secular world downtown market that would be noisy all day long. The people who were qualified to come here were unique cultivators; you would only find one cultivator in ten thousand people! It was already pretty good to have this many people.


    Han Li mocked himself a little after realizing this fact and walked towards the small shops on the side of the street. He decided to see if there was anything worthwhile in the small shops before going to the large stores.


    After going through all the small shops, Han Li¡¯s heart sank. The magic tools and talismans at these small shops were completely useless to him, with the exception of three or four items that could barely be considered passable. Buying them would only be a foolish expense, so he stopped wasting his time. He turned around and sprinted towards the large stores.


    ¡°Seven Opportunities Pavilion.¡±


    ¡°Wind Guiding Study.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Crafts Store.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    This time, Han Li didn¡¯t recklessly find a random store to walk into. He took his time and slowly strolled along the street. After he familiarized himself with the name, size, and type of each store, he picked the one that looked the largest and frequently had cultivators streaming in and out: Myriad Treasures Store. He went inside.


    From simply hearing the store¡¯s name, one could tell that the owner of the store was confident of his goods, so Han Li hoped to find some rare treasures here and not leave empty-handed.


    Han Li slightly hesitated as soon as he entered.


    The bright hall was large enough to accommodate dozens of people without feeling crowded. There was an extraordinarily long front desk, built with preciousRed Aleurite wood, and seven or eight servants in blue uniforms. All of this gave off an impressive atmosphere of grandeur.


    In the hall, two of the servants in blue were explaining something to a few people who looked like customers.


    Inside the counter, there was a large variety of items. From the style of the items, it seemed like they were things that only cultivators would use. From the lowest grade raw materials to the commonly used talismans and magic tools, the Myriad Store had everything.


    Han Li smiled. It seemed like he had really found the right place.


    At this moment, a servant in blue came over and said with a big smile, ¡°Esteemed  customer, what are you looking for? Do you want me to help introduce you to something? This store¡¯s goods will definitely satisfy all of our customers¡¯ needs!¡±


    ¡°I want to look at magic tools and talismans, but I only want the best. Do not show me inferior goods!¡± Han Li spoke softly through his cloak.


    The servant in blue was slightly stunned by this remark, but then he carefully looked and judged Han Li¡¯s manners. After making sure he wasn¡¯t joking, the smile on his face grew even wider. He knew he must be a big customer, so he quickly invited Han Li in and personally led him to the VIP room on the second floor.


    The furnishings upstairs were different from the decor downstairs. Not only was the scale of the second floor a lot smaller, but there were some antique furniture on the second floor. It was decorated in an elegant, comfortable, and cozy manner. The most surprising thing was that there was a precious incense burner and a bundle of burning incense in the corner of the room that filled the room with a faint smell of sandalwood.


    A gentle-looking, middle-aged man holding an old book was standing in the room, reading its contents aloud. He seemed to not have any magic power like a completely ordinary man.


    Han Li was somewhat stunned. This place did not look like a place to do business. Instead, it looked like some rich person¡¯s home. The person who was reading saw Han Li come in and calmly closed the book. The servant in blue who had escorted Han Li quickly walked up to the man and whispered a few words.


    After the middle-aged man finished listening, he cupped his hands and said with a smile,


    ¡°I am Myriad Treasures Store¡¯s shopkeeper, Tian Buli. How should I address you?¡±


    ¡°Li Feiyu,¡± Han Li unceremoniously borrowed his good friend¡¯s name.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s Brother Li. Brother, please sit down!¡±


    The middle-aged man led Han Li to sit down, then ordered the servant, ¡°Go brew a pot of our best Jade Cloud Tea!¡±


    After Han Li sat down, the middle-aged man started asking politely. ¡°This is the first time Brother Li came to this store, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Shopkeeper Tian is really observant. This is indeed the first time I have visited this store.¡± Han Li deliberately changed his voice and made himself sound like a tough man with a deep voice.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s your first time visiting this place. As long as you are willing to come here, it shows your favour to our Myriad Treasures Store. This store will definitely satisfy Brother!¡± Shopkeeper Tian confidently said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to go through the trouble of going to multiple stores if I could just find all the items I need at one store! I hope this store¡¯s goods are really exceptional,¡± said Han Li in a dubious tone.


    ¡°Hehe! Brother Li can rest assured about that. Our store¡¯s credibility is definitely one of the best on this street. If this store can¡¯t satisfy Brother, then there¡¯s no need to bother checking out the other stores!¡± said the shopkeeper unhurriedly, exuding confidence.


    At this moment, a serving maid came upstairs with a teapot and several teacups. The refreshing smell of tea filled the room before she had even approached the two of them.


    Shopkeeper Tian waited for the serving maid to set up the tea set and took a sip first. While smiling, he said, ¡°This is a special tea made here in the store. It¡¯s rare in other places. Not only does it smell refreshing, but drinking it can make people energized. Brother Li can give it a taste.¡±


    Han Li looked at the fragrant tea in front of him. He shook his head lightly and said in a slightly impatient tone,


    ¡°Shopkeeper Tian, we can drink tea later. First, let¡¯s get down to business!¡±


    ¡°I never thought Brother would have such an impatient personality! Very well! Please wait a moment, I will be right back!¡± Shopkeeper Tian stood up with a slightly disappointed expression. He cupped his hands towards Han Li and went downstairs, leaving Han Li alone.


    After approximately the time to brew a cup of tea had passed, Shopkeeper Tian once again appeared before Han Li. However, this time he was carrying a few brocade boxes that were in different sizes.


    Shopkeeper Tian patted the brocade boxes and spoke with a grin. ¡°I heard that Brother Li wants the best magic tools and talismans from the servant downstairs, so I went downstairs to the collection room and brought up a few pieces of treasure that I have collected for a long time for Brother to see. I hope Brother Li is happy with them!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes widened when he heard this. He was very curious about the content in the brocade boxes. He wondered what rare items they would have to be in order for them to be called treasures by the shopkeeper, and whether or not the content would be above his expectations.


    Shopkeeper Tian had already placed the brocade boxes on the table and opened each of them for him to see. However, Han Li noticed that as soon as the brocade boxes were opened, two magic pressures that were definitely stronger than him came out of nowhere and tightly locked onto his every move.


    Han Li was surprised at first, but quickly understood that this was a security measure that the Myriad Treasures Store had employed to secure the treasures in case he were to suddenly steal the items inside the brocade boxes. He then relaxed and had a deeper understanding of the Myriad Treasures Store¡¯s ability.

 Chapter 163

    Brocade Treasure Box


    At this moment, Shopkeeper Tian started to present the item in the small brocade box.


    ¡°A set of Gold Beetle Swarm Blades, with one mother blade and eight children blades. It was created from fine iron and gold. Refined by a Foundation Establishment expert for three days and three nights. So long as one holds the mother blade, one can simultaneously control the eight children blades to attack the enemy, causing the enemy to be unable to defend against these incomparably sharp blades.¡± He introduced the set of peculiar light gold blades while pointing to its case.


    Han Li did not speak and carefully examined the handle for a moment. He nodded his head and put it down.


    ¡°Flying Dark-Iron Shield, a very scarcely seen defensive magic tool. It was refined from a large chunk of Cold Yin Earth. Not only is it incomparable solid and indestructible, it¡¯s also embedded with a spell. It can revolve in any direction and automatically defend,¡± said Shopkeeper Tian while picking up a tiny shield the size of a palm. Then he passed it over to Han Li to let him carefully look over it.


    Han Li took the shield into his hand and lightly stroked its decorative design. After he muttered to himself for a moment, he asked, ¡°Can I try out the spell for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. Brother Li, please do not hesitate to use it!¡± Shopkeeper Tian said in a relaxed manner.


    Since he said as such, Han Li was not polite and slowly poured magic power into the shield in his hand.


    As a result, the metal shield shined a black light. In a blink of an eye, it enlarged several times over, and it even flew out of his hand and floated in the air. Furthermore, it slowly began to circle around him. Its size seemed just enough to cover a few vital points on the body.


    Han Li was pleased. After attentively controlling it for a moment, he could control its movement as he pleased, much to his expectation; it was quite nifty and agile.


    After trying it out, Han Li was very pleased with that magic tool. What he was currently most lacking was this kind of life-saving magic tool. With this shield, his odds of surviving the Forbidden Trial of Blood and Fire was surely to increase quite a bit.


    However, Han Li hadn¡¯t immediately express anything. He simply returned the iron shield to the box without speaking. Then he waited for the other party to continue their presentations.


    Shopkeeper Tian was not at all discontented with Han Li¡¯s method of handling things and continued to enthusiastically recommend the next article, a blue ball the size of a pill.


    ¡°Heavenly Lightning Seed. Several hundred years ago, after a mysterious expert accidentally severed heavenly lightning, he managed to successfully condensed it. Each grain possesses great power. It is said that even if a Foundation Establishment expert resisted this lightning head-on, he was certain to turn to ash and smoke. There were originally seventy-three grains. However, after the passage of time, there are not many left. This one grain cost this store a great amount to take possession of it.¡±


    After Shopkeeper Tian said this, he could not help expose a somewhat complacent expression. This lightning bead was clearly a precious rarity.


    When Han Li heard this, he was emotionally moved. It could actually kill a Foundation Establishment expert! Something of such great might couldn¡¯t be found by chance! If he could acquire it, then it would be equivalent to a trump card for his trip to the forbidden area. However, he feared the price would be high enough to scare people away! Why else would they not have sold it until now?


    After Shopkeeper Tian presented the blue lightning bead, he spoke no further. Instead he looked at Han Li with great anticipation. Then he lifted the cup of fragrant tea and took an unhurried taste. Although the table had a tightly-closed brocade box that had yet to be introduced, he hadn¡¯t spoken even a single word about it.


    Han Li faintly smiled, fully aware of this Shopkeeper Tian¡¯s intention. He knew this was the time that he should show the other party his own strength. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily see the treasure in the final brocade box.


    Before he came, apart from the two-thousand year-old spiritual herbs, he also brought along all of his spirit stones, comprising of two mid-grade spirit stones and nearly a hundred low-grade spirit stones.


    However, Han Li was not likely to lightly make use of these spirit stones. He was only relying on those two spiritual herbs.


    Frankly, although Han Li knew that spiritual herbs of over a thousand years of age were extremely rare in the cultivation world and that their value should be high, he didn¡¯t know the concrete cost in spiritual stones for these magic tools. He did not have a true estimate.


    However, he understood that by using the herbs to obtain that small shield and the Gold Beetle Swarm Knives, he should have some extra spirit stones left over. As for that Heavenly Lightning Seed that he further wanted to acquire, he was not very hopeful.


    He didn¡¯t suddenly take out both of his spiritual herbs. Instead, he took out a small wooden box with something seemingly precious and exceptional inside.


    The reason why Han Li acted as such was because he was fully aware that  ¡°A man wants to be adorned with clothes, but a Buddha wants to be adorned with gold¡±. He knew that if this presentation went well, the value of his medicine herbs should somewhat increase, thereby making the chances that he would suffer losses unlikely.


    Han Li did not open the lid of the small box but rather passed the case to the man in front of him.


    Shopkeeper Tian had secretly paid close attention to Han Li¡¯s actions all along. When he saw this scene, he did not speak any objections and accepted the box. After a moment of careful observation, he carefully opened the lid.


    ¡°Yi!¡±


    Once he clearly saw what was within the box, Shopkeeper Tian was somewhat amazed. However, his expression grew displeased soon after.


    ¡°Brother Li plans to use this Yellow Essence Mushroom to exchange for this store¡¯s treasures? How is this rare? Unless it is a great item of two to three hundred years or more, it fundamentally isn¡¯t worth anything,¡± Shopkeeper Tian coldly uttered.


    Han Li coldly chuckled several times and didn¡¯t say anything else. He was studying the other party¡¯s recent appearance at his own pace while tasting the fragrant tea that had been poured for him a moment ago.


    Having seen Han Li¡¯s fearless actions, Shopkeeper Tian was somewhat doubtful. He mustered all of his spirit and lowered his head, carefully examining the spiritual herb in the box once more.


    ¡°Xi!¡±


    Shopkeeper Tian took a good look at it and suddenly breathed in a cold breath of air. Immediately, he stood from his chair in excitement and moved the box to a more adequately-lit portion of the room. He excessively examined it and then muttered to himself, ¡°Impossible. Could it truly be over a thousand years old? Or is it simply resembling it?¡±


    Han Li clearly saw the other party¡¯s expression and heard his words, causing his heart to finally grow calm. He was now certain that the value of his thousand year-old spiritual herbs was greater than his previous estimates, not lower. In addition, it seemed that he had a good chance of acquiring that lightning bead.


    After a moment of examination, Shopkeeper Tian suddenly became aware of his lack of manners and the fact that he revealed information about the true circumstances to the other party.


    However, he was unable to change anything now. The object before his eyes was  completely embedded in his state of mind. So long as this object were truly that thousand year-old item of the highest quality, he would overpay to have this thousand year-old spiritual herb remain in the Ten Thousand Treasures Store. Doing so would give his Ten Thousand Treasures Store countless benefits.


    However, he was currently embarrassed as he had never seen a thousand year-old spiritual herb before. He only knew of its reputation, and hence, he was truly unable to be give a certain estimation of the maturity of that herb inside the box. He only knew that if the Yellow Essence Mushroom before him didn¡¯t have a medicinal potency of a thousand years of more, it should absolutely be of seven to eight hundred years or more. It would still be a very precious object; he was certain of least that much.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    After a long moment of inspection, Shopkeeper Tian called a young servant from downstairs.


    ¡°Go and invite Elder Ding to come. Tell him there is a valuable object here that I need him to appraise,¡± he solemnly ordered.


    Afterwards, Shopkeeper Tian took advantage of this chance to have a completely honest chat. However, they completely avoided talking about the medicine herb, as if the medicine herb in the small box had been forgotten for the moment.


    Not long after, a grey-haired old man escorted by a young servant slowly climbed up the stairs.


    When Shopkeeper Tian saw this, he immediately went to respectfully greet him and offered his seat to this elder before standing to the side. It seemed this Elder Ding was truly a person of reputation.


    However, Han Li had already guessed that this person was like Shopkeeper Tian, a common old man. He didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of cultivation.


    ¡°Shopkeeper Tian, you called this soon-to-be buried old man here. Could it be that there¡¯s something you couldn¡¯t call someone else for?¡± Trembling, the old man asked after gasping several times.

 Chapter 164

    The Secret of the Treasure Talisman


    ¡°Elder Ding, may I trouble you to look at this item? Even though Junior feels like it could be a thousand year-old spiritual medicine, I am not completely sure. I hope Elder Ding can identify the age of this herb.¡± Shopkeeper Tian requested in a humble tone and handed over the wooden box.


    ¡°Thousand year-old spiritual herb?¡± Elder Ding found it hard to believe it when he heard it, but he still took the brocade box.


    ¡°Elder, please take a close look! Is it really a thousand year-old Yellow Essence Mushroom?¡± Shopkeeper Tian suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked rapidly.


    The Elder didn¡¯t respond. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on looking at the shape, color, even the pattern. He even put the box under his nose and sniffed it slightly several times.


    Han Li had hand-raised this medicinal herb with an accelerated process, so he knew very well whether or not this spiritual medicine was a thousand years old. Knowing this, he sat on the side with a leisurely expression and acted as if he didn¡¯t see what the Elder was doing. What he was considering was only how he should bargain with the Myriad Treasures Store.


    Shopkeeper Tian was the exact opposite of Han Li, and he watched the Elder¡¯s each and every single move without blinking. The unfearing manner he carried himself with when he first met Han Li was already completely gone. At this moment, his face was filled with a complicated expression, a mixture of expectations and worry, due to the possible outcomes..


    Finally, Elder Ding placed the box gently on the table, closed his eyes and went into deep thought  as he pinched his beard. He then opened his eyes, and said calmly with a very positive tone,


    ¡°Congratulations, Shopkeeper. This is indeed a Yellow Essence Mushroom that is over a thousand years old. It has also just been unearthed not long ago, and the efficacy of this medicine has not detracted at all, so it is a top-quality thousand year-old herb. This Elder can guarantee this!¡±


    Hearing this, Shopkeeper Tian¡¯s face showed a joyous expression. He then respectfully escorted the Elder down the stairs. Overjoyed, he picked up the box holding the spiritual herb and looked at it several more times.


    ¡°Shopkeeper Tian, shouldn¡¯t you and I start talking about the deal?!¡± Seeing that the other party seemed to have forgotten that the owner of the spiritual herb was still sitting on the side, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but remind the Shopkeeper of his presence.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Ah!¡­ I am so silly. Brother Li, please forgive me!¡± Slightly surprised, Shopkeeper Tian then remembered that this spiritual herb didn¡¯t yet belong to the Myriad Treasures Store. He slightly blushed, his face turning red.


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s fine! But how do you plan on trading? Seeing how Shopkeeper Tian was fond of this item, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t disappoint me!¡± Han Li chuckled and remarked as he slightly mocked the other party.


    At this moment, Shopkeeper Tian¡¯s expression returned to normal. He then put the item that was in his hands back on the table and said, ¡°Since Brother Li can take out a thousand year-old spiritual herb, you must not be an ordinary cultivator. Hence, I will be straightforward to Brother without any of my usual business schemes. I will give you a fair price!¡±


    With that said, after a moment of thought, he continued with a sincere tone, ¡°Brother Li can trade this spiritual herb for any of the two items from the brocade box that I have previously showed you, or you can trade it for only the item in the last brocade box. If none of the items satisfy you, then this store can also pay you with enough spiritual stones to buy the spiritual herb. Brother Li, what are your thoughts?¡±


    Han Li felt the sincerity in the other party¡¯s words. After pondering it over and over again in his heart, he felt that the price was reasonable, and since it was not beyond his bottom line, he was on the verge of accepting the deal. But before that, he still wanted to see the item in the last brocade box.


    But it turned out that Han Li didn¡¯t even have to ask. Shopkeeper Tian had already opened the last brocade box and pushed it in front of Han Li, as he said with a smile, ¡°The item inside this box is this store¡¯s most precious treasure. However, whether you like it not will depend on if Brother has good taste!¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s curiosity increased. He looked inside the box, and immediately he was stunned. Inside the brocade box, there was a single, lone talisman inscribed with the image of a golden brick. The image shimmered with a golden light and looked realistic.


    After taking a good look at the item, Han Li¡¯s thoughts couldn¡¯t stop spinning. He immediately thought of his talisman, the one with a small gray sword drawn on it. Could it be the same thing?


    ¡°Treasure talisman?¡± Han Li took a deep breath and asked in an uncertain tone.


    The shopkeeper showed an expression of astonishment. He exclaimed in surprise,


    ¡°I did not expect that Brother Li would actually recognize this item! Usually, very few cultivators know about this treasure. Brother is truly knowledgeable, I am impressed!¡±


    After Han Li listened to what he said, he laughed bitterly and shook his head. With a sigh, he replied, ¡°You look too highly upon this man surnamed Li. I merely heard about the treasure talisman; I actually don¡¯t know much about it. Since Shopkeeper Tian was able to take this item out, you must know a bit about this treasure talisman. I hope you will teach me about it!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s remarks were all spoken from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to take the opportunity gain a thorough understanding of the treasure talisman and avoid being confused about it further down the road.


    Shopkeeper Tian was surprised as he looked at Han Li. He felt like this wasn¡¯t something that needed to be kept as a secret,  it¡¯s just that not a lot of people knew about it. Even so, it wasn¡¯t worth the effort to offend the big customer in front of him, so he agreed very easily and explained everything he knew about the ¡°treasure talisman¡±.


    The ¡°treasure talisman¡± was an item with great background, a special item that could only be made by cultivators above Core Formation.


    The high-level cultivators who refined magic treasures would insert some of the magic treasure¡¯s power into special talisman paper so that other cultivators could temporarily use the power of the magic treasure from this special talisman. It had the characteristics of both a talisman and a magic treasure. Cultivators who were aware of their existence jokingly called them ¡°fake magic treasures¡±, but even so, they still deeply coveted them.


    This type of ¡°fake magic treasure¡± was very special. Even though it must be made by cultivators above Core Formation, any cultivator could use it, regardless of skill level. Even Monk Golden Light, the cultivator whom Han Li had killed, could use it well despite having cultivated only three or four layers.


    However, cultivators below Foundation Establishment couldn¡¯t use condensation techniques, so they could only use ten to twenty percent of the treasure talisman¡¯s power. Compared to top magic tools, this didn¡¯t seem to be much higher.


    After Foundation Establishment, however, cultivators would be able to use Mind Condensation Arts and make full use of the treasure talisman¡¯s might. Even though its power didn¡¯t resemble the earth-shattering, sea-roaring, mountain-shattering might of a true magic treasure, it was enough to disdain any other magic tool. Hence, cultivators after Foundation Establishment all wished to have a ¡°treasure talisman¡±. This would give them an advantage in battles and let them disregard other cultivators.


    Even though a ¡°treasure talisman¡¯s¡± powers were astonishing, it would keep on consuming the magic treasure¡¯s power that was held within. If the powers were exhausted, then the treasure talisman would be completely useless. Therefore, the question of the treasure talisman¡¯s usage was something that could not be taken lightly.


    Furthermore, the creation of the ¡°treasure talisman¡± was not a simple matter.


    Because magic treasures were objects that could inherently be refined only by Core Formation cultivators, they were incredibly rare. They also needed to be refined day and night within a cultivator¡¯s true essence to increase its power and could not lightly be shown to others. As a result, the same could be said as to which magic treasure the ¡®¡®treasure talisman¡± was created from.


    Creating a ¡°treasure talisman¡± was equivalent to harming the magic treasure since it siphoned off a portion of its power, and the owner of the magic treasure must refine the magic treasure for a long time to recover its might. Such actions were typically self-harming. Therefore, under normal circumstances, no cultivator who was above Core Formation would do such foolish actions.


    But as the old saying went, the affairs of the world were in constant flux. The seemingly foolish action of refining a ¡°treasure talisman¡± would be done continuously by most of the high-level cultivators when their times were almost up. It was for the sake of the younger generations and juniors, a small fortune in power and assistance.


    As for the magic treasures left behind by predecessors, after a long amount of time of being refined and inherited by successors, the magic treasure would no longer be completely compatible with the new owner¡¯s mind. In addition, half of the magic treasure¡¯s original power would be lost, so it required the user to also achieve Core Formation or else the magic treasure would only be wasted and rendered unusable. Therefore, compared to keeping the magic treasures, refining ¡°treasure talismans¡± for the younger generation was more suitable.


    But there were a lot of limitations to refining a ¡°treasure talisman¡±.


    Firstly, each ¡°treasure talisman¡± could seal the power of a magic treasure, but only one tenth of of the magic treasure¡¯s power, and it could only reduce, not increase. Hence, even if multiple ¡°treasure talismans¡± sealed the same magic treasure, their strengths were uneven and could vary.


    Secondly, not only would refining treasure talismans reduce the power of the magic treasure, it would make the owner lose a lot of strength, so continuous refinement of ¡°treasure talismans¡± was an impossible scenario. Every time a treasure talisman was refined, the magic treasure owner would have to recover for three to five years to regain his strength. And this was in the case that one would not waste true essence and would no longer intend to refine magic treasures ever again, or else the time would be even longer.


    Hence, in the cultivating world, there often appeared scenario like these.


    When high-level cultivators approach the end of their life, they would prepare to die while sitting proudly and without regrets. They would leave their most valuable items, usually a piece of magic treasure that had its power decreased greatly and several ¡°treasure talisman¡± that sealed the same power. This must be said to be a helpless matter!

 Chapter 165

    Night Encounter


    After hearing Shopkeeper Tian¡¯s explanation, Han Li had a better understanding about the treasure talisman. He couldn¡¯t help but look at the treasure talisman inside the brocade box once more.


    ¡°This store bought the  Golden Light Brick treasure talisman from a small family for a substantial price. It¡¯s a brand new treasure talisman, more than enough to exchange for Brother Li¡¯s thousand year-old spiritual herb!¡± Shopkeeper Tian promptly said in a tone that suggested he was in an unfavorable position.


    Han Li sneered to himself. He did not believe the act the other party was putting on. At most, they were just fulfilling each other¡¯s needs. In Shopkeeper Tian¡¯s eyes, Han Li¡¯s spiritual herb was certainly higher in value than this piece of treasure talisman.


    ¡°What do you think? Which item will Brother Li exchange for?¡± Shopkeeper Tian finally asked with a smile.


    Hearing this, Han Li hesitated for a moment and couldn¡¯t make up his mind. He originally wanted to check out a few more stores and see if there were any better magic tools, but the items in front of him were pretty decent and satisfied him. He was reluctant to give up any of the items, especially that Golden Light Brick treasure talisman. That would be of help to him in the future, so he absolutely had to get his hands on that item.


    ¡°These few items, I like them all. I am planning to have all of them!¡± After considering for a while, Han Li made a decision.


    He felt like it might not be a bad thing if he just bought everything at the Myriad Treasures Store. At least it would reduce the attention he would receive and limit the impact to only the Myriad Treasures Store.


    ¡°All of them? Brother Li must be joking!¡± After Shopkeeper Tian heard what Han Li said, his face darkened. He thought Han Li was being greedy and unrealistically trying to exchange all of the treasures from the brocade boxes with one spiritual herb.


    Seeing this, Han Li smiled. He didn¡¯t offer an explanation, but rather took out an identical box from his storage pouch and put it on the table.


    ¡°I will use two thousand year-old spiritual herbs to exchange for all of ther treasures in your brocade boxes!¡± Han Li unhurriedly said with control of the matter.


    Shopkeeper Tian was surprised and overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t bother to respond to Han Li¡¯s conditions and hastily checked the newly appeared spiritual medicine. When he made sure the new spiritual herb was indeed the same thousand year-old spiritual medicine as the first, he then looked at Han Li once again with a strange gaze. After all, a person who could bring out two rare  spiritual medicines was worth his Myriad Treasures Store¡¯s attention.


    Han Li was wearing a cloak, so Shopkeeper Tian wasn¡¯t able to clearly see the other party¡¯s expression. Because of this, the other party felt even more mysterious. Therefore, after a slight hesitation, he said decisively, ¡°Very well. Since Brother Li says so, I will take a step back and agree to your conditions. But this person surnamed Tian has a small attached request. In the future, if Brother Li possesses any more of such spiritual medicines, I hope Brother will prioritize this store. This person surnamed Tian will definitely offer a price that will satisfy you.¡±


    Han Li gave a few dry laughs and nodded lightly without giving an actual response, but in his heart he was already sighing, knowing that the other party still became suspicious. It looked like he should limit these types of deals where he exchanged spiritual herbs for treasure as much as possible in the future, else he might attract a fatal disaster.


    Shopkeeper Tian didn¡¯t know Han Li¡¯s real thoughts, but seeing that Han Li nodded and agreed, he was overjoyed. If the person in front of him who was surnamed Li could really give him thousand year-old spiritual medicine, the price of taking a step back today would have been completely worth it!


    And so, Shopkeeper Tian and Han Li exchanged, and after putting away each of their items, both of them were happy.


    Han Li left the Myriad Treasures Store just like that. He didn¡¯t even dare to stay at the market city for even a second longer. He quickly walked past the market city¡¯s flying limit, and he immediately flew away from this place.


    Because he was afraid that the Myriad Treasures Store would sent some experts to secretly track him, he didn¡¯t blatantly fly directly towards Yellow Maple Valley. Instead, he flew straight away from the Tai Yue Mountain Range. After travelling for three or four entire days, he was then at ease, turned around, and flew back towards the Yellow Maple Valley.


    During an evening three days later, Han Li entered the outer ring of the Tai Yue Mountain Range. Because the sky was about to darken, for the sake of his safety, he found a hidden cave to spend the night in and decided to head back to Yellow Maple Valley the following day.


    This cave happened to be located halfway up a certain hill. There was even a messy pile of rocks blocking the entrance of the cave. From the outside, it was hard to discover the cave. Han Li just happened to be able to stay inside.


    After eating something, he changed his clothing, leaned against the stone wall, and started meditating. It unknowingly passed to the second half of the night while Han Li seemed to be asleep, when he suddenly heard the sound of rustling clothes and moving wind.Bang. It seemed like someone outside the cave had landed on the ground on both feet. Han Li was startled and suddenly awoke.


    ¡°Could it be that people from the Thousand Treasures Store are coming after me?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst possible scenario.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, this is a good, remote location. I think this place is it!¡± A familiar male voice sounded outside the cave.


    Han Li was a bit shocked, but he was finally relieved. If it wasn¡¯t the Myriad Treasures Store coming after him for the treasure, then the other party was just passing through. There was nothing for him to worry about.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, there¡¯s no need to look at me like that. Since you have never enjoyed the feeling of a s*xual relationship between a man and a woman, this Senior Martial Brother will love you dearly so that Junior Martial Sister will not waste her life as a woman. Your beauty will vanish at any moment, which would be a waste of your fair skin.¡± The man¡¯s voice was neither fast nor slow. It was extremely tender, but the contents of his words were truly obscene and ruthless.


    Han Li breathed in a cold breath of air. Who was the person outside? How could he use this kind of tone and say these ¡®r*pe first then kill¡¯ words? It was really impressive! Outside, there was only the sound of the man, but not the sound of the woman. This meant that this ¡°Junior Martial Sister¡± had already been suppressed. She probably wasn¡¯t able to open her mouth right now.


    But the man¡¯s voice was so familiar. He should be someone whom Han Li had seen before. Thinking of this, Han Li¡¯s curiosity increased, and he couldn¡¯t help but quietly move towards the entrance of the cave.


    Rip! The sound of the woman¡¯s clothing cut through the air, along with the man¡¯s indecent laugh.


    ¡°Here, first take a Joyful Meeting Pill! Otherwise it won¡¯t be pleasurable!¡±


    ¡°Cough, Junior Martial Sister! Why do you look at Senior Brother like that? Actually, didn¡¯t you really want to pair cultivate with me after reaching Foundation Establishment?! This could be considered me fulfilling your wish! Haha¡­¡± The man seemed to be carried away as he laughed hysterically.


    At this moment, Han Li carefully moved to the entrance of the cave and started peaking outside.


    A man in white was squatting by a young woman and recklessly caressing her delicate body, pulling down her clothing from time to time.


    The woman¡¯s hair was a mess, so Han Li wasn¡¯t able to see her face clearly. But her body was already like a tender-white sheep, half-naked, revealing her white, bouncy skin, especially her half-hidden and half-revealed bosom. Her breasts were capable of elevating people¡¯s blood pressure and deeply evoking a man¡¯s natural instincts.


    ¡°So it was him!¡±


    After clearly seeing the man¡¯s face, Han Li was somewhat surprised but also suddenly realized.


    The man was the narrow-minded ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± who fought against the Murong brothers. He was a malicious, two-faced person. All Han Li wondered was exactly which poor Martial Sister had become the tiny white sheep underneath his claws!


    Han Li didn¡¯t know if it was because this ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± had heard what Han Li was thinking, but he unintentionally moved aside the messy hair in front of the woman¡¯s face. It revealed a beautiful yet extremely vicious face.


    ¡°How could it be her?¡± After Han Li saw the woman¡¯s face clearly, he almost bit his tongue.


    Wasn¡¯t this the ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± who had shown affection for ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± from the very beginning?! She was already in a relationship with that ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡±, so why would this ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± go out of his mind and play the act of raping and killing his own partner? But as Han Li examined ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s¡± glaring, fire-shooting eyes, it didn¡¯t seem like the normal teasing between couples!


    Han Li blinked his eyes and was feeling a bit confused.


    ¡°Found it.¡±


    Suddenly, ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± stopped pawing the woman and yelled in glee. A tiny, delicate storage pouch appeared in one of his hands.


    ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± stopped paying attention to ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡±. Instead, he poured the storage pouch, and out came a large pile of items, such as magic tools, talismans, and private items like the woman¡¯s clothing and underwear.


    ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± ignored everything else, and instead went through the items among the jars, bottles, and boxes, as if he were searching for something.

 Chapter 166

    Savage


    ¡°Haha! I found it! I knew that Junior Martial Sister was certain to carry it with her, and sure enough, I was right!¡± Senior Martial Brother Lu was wild with joy, finding a small red wooden box after rummaging through her things.


    He had already opened the lid, but because of Han Li¡¯s angle, Han Li could not clearly see what was within the box. His curiosity was extremely great, but he didn¡¯t dare to act blindly.


    It should be known that since this person was so savage as to able to act against his own female companion, if he were to discover this Junior Martial Brother, he was certain to kill Han Li in order to silence him. He would not be left alone.


    In addition, he previously witnessed the power of the other party¡¯s wind attribute magic techniques. Regardless of whether it was used to attack or defend, they were incomparably sharp. How could someone compete against this all-purpose magic? Even more was that the other party¡¯s magic power was far deeper than his own, at the center of the twelfth layer. Just like that, regardless of magic power or magic techniques, he was at an absolute disadvantage. It appeared that he had no chances of success.


    But Han Li knew that if he truly fought with his all, he would be able to contend against him. After all, with his original magic tools and the magic tools he had just acquired, he couldn¡¯t possibly be a pushover. If that moment came, it would be uncertain who would kill whom.


    Regardless, Han Li had no interesting in using his life to play hero and save the beauty. After all, he had no relations to that Junior Martial Sister Chen. It was she who had eyes but did not notice that she took an ingrate for a lover, thereby delivering herself to him. Who was to blame? Why would Han Li want to put his life on the line for no reason or cause? He certainly didn¡¯t have such a great resolve.


    As a result, he intended to quietly watch this show until the end. Afterwards when that ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± walked away, he would have nothing to do with him. Naturally, Han Li would be certain to later pay more attention to this ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡±. After all, this was the first time he had seen a person capable of becoming this cruel and savage. Seeing him this ruthless, Han Li could only concede defeat.


    With this thought, Han Li stealthily used the Qi Restraining Technique he had recently learned. He feared that the other party would accidentally react to his existence and cause him to have no option but to fiercely fight to the end.


    At this moment, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± placed the small wooden box into his own storage pouch. Then he depravedly laughed several times and moved closer to ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± at his side.


    He excitedly proceeded to tear away the maiden¡¯s clothing while speaking his thoughts to himself, causing Han Li, hidden to the side, to tremble with disgust upon hearing him.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, you mustn¡¯t blame me! There is nothing Brother can do about this. You should know that crafty and unruly girl, Dong, kindly said that so long as I thoroughly sever my relationship with you and reach Foundation Establishment, she will pair cultivate with me. She could request that Great Aunt Ancestor of hers in the sect, Martial Aunt Ancestor Hong Fu, to personally accept me as her disciple, imparting great world-shaking godly knowledge. This is a golden opportunity bestowed by the Heavens. This Senior Martial Brother doesn¡¯t wish to miss this and therefore has no better option but to wrong Junior Martial Sister.¡±


    The ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± lied down on the floor with flames in her eyes. After she heard him empty his heart out, she shook like a leaf from anger, wishing she could immediately get up and ruthlessly bite away at him to appease the resentment in her heart.


    Unfortunately, this unfaithful lover had earlier used the ¡°Wind Binding Technique¡± to restrict her entire body. She was fundamentally incapable of moving in even the slightest and was even unable to open her mouth to rain curses. She could only move in accordance to his will.


    After she heard her former lover¡¯s words, her limbs became colder, and her face grew pale.


    ¡°Sigh! If Junior Martial Sister weren¡¯t the Chen Clan Leader¡¯s only daughter, I might¡¯ve let Junior Martial Sister go. But I am truly afraid of Junior Martial Sister¡¯s love changing into hate, possibly drawing support from the Chen Clan¡¯s power to retaliate against Elder Brother. They would also spread this matter to all places, causing Elder Brother¡¯s reputation to fall. In addition, I have also heard people say that Martial Aunt Ancestor Hong Fu loathes fickle and unrighteous men the most. That is why for Senior Martial Brother¡¯s wonderful opportunity and reputation, Junior Martial Sister must disappear from this world! Surely no one would suspect me; after all, we were previously such a loving couple!¡± Senior Martial Brother said this hypocritically. Still, his hands didn¡¯t stop in the slightest. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s¡± clothing was entirely torn apart in the blink of an eye, leaving her completely bare.


    Having seen the beautiful scene before his eyes, Elder Martial Brother Lu¡¯s eyes became even more lustful. His fingers slowly began to slide across her smooth skin, wanting to carefully sample her appearance. He continued saying, ¡°However, what tempted me the most was that Junior Martial Sister, just like me, had actually yet to consume her Foundation Establishment Pill. She probably also wished to wait until after a great success in her foundation cultivation technique to take the pill! After all, if it is taken like that, the odds of achieving Foundation Establishment are slightly increased.¡± As he spouted this out, he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Regardless, since Junior Martial Sister wishes to hand it over to Elder Brother along with her untouched and innocent body, it can be seen that she does not hate to part with this Foundation Establishment Pill. I am also somewhat worried that taking one Foundation Establishment Pill truly is not enough. I fear that I may fail at becoming Foundation Establishment. After all, even if I have mutated spiritual roots, there is still a chance I may fail at achieving Foundation Establishment. However, now that I have Junior Martial Sister¡¯s pill, achieving Foundation Establishment isn¡¯t a problem at all.¡±


    With this said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± withdrew his hands and took out the wooden box he just put away and an azure porcelain bottle. He looked to his left and right hands with a complacent appearance.


    Having stealthily heard everything while concealed behind a stone, Han Li was lost in thought.


    All of a sudden, two Foundation Establishment Pills had appeared before his eyes; this was far too great a temptation.


    After all, did he not plan to participate in the Trial of Blood and Fire for Foundation Establishment Pills? If he wasn¡¯t required to brave that strange danger to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, he would naturally be eager to give it a try.


    With this thought, Han Li attentively observed ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s¡± every movement. If the other party exposed an opening, he would not hesitate to immediately act and kill this person, seizing the two Foundation Establishment Pills.


    Presently, that ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± appeared peculiarly ill. Her bitterly resentful expression had gradually faded away, replaced by an intoxicated expression. Her bare skin appeared pink, and her sweet lips trembled without letting out a sound.


    ¡°Hehe! It seems the Joyful Meeting Pill¡¯s effects have appeared. Currently, Junior Martial Sister is surely feeling extremely unwell. To repay Junior Martial Sister¡¯s great kindness, Elder Brother can only thank you for a moment and let Junior Martial Sister experience the feeling of wanting to live and die. This can be regarded as paying back Junior Martial Sister¡¯s affections in the past.¡±


    Without the slightest shame, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± thought this out loud and put away the objects in his hand. He began to move his hands toward his belt, seemingly intending to undress so that he may fornicate her as he pleased.


    With this seen, Han Li¡¯s heart beated. If he could take advantage of ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± after he stripped naked and attack him then, the other party would surely be confused, enabling him to finish it in one fell swoop.


    Han Li thought more and more, feeling that his certainty of success was great. Then he paid greater attention to Senior Martial Brother Lu and subconsciously looked several times at his face.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    After Han Li looked several times more, he immediately discovered the problem.


    Although this Senior Martial Brother Lu was flusteredly removing his belt, the time he took was rather far too long. Until now, his belt was still properly connected and hadn¡¯t loosened one bit. What was even more strange was that Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s face wore a hurried expression, but his eyes were calm and sober, without the slightest disarray. There was even the intention of a sneer concealed within.


    Thump. Han Li¡¯s heart beated. This was far too abnormal. His heart grew vigilant, and he hastily widened his spiritual sense. He then took out a ¡°Water Barrier Talisman¡± and slapped it onto his palm.


    Just as he finished this, Han Li suddenly felt something flying towards him from his left without a sound. Had he not previously opened his spiritual sense, he may have simply been unable to perceive it. This caused him to be frightened and furious.


    Han Li didn¡¯t think any further and hastily slapped the talisman onto his body. A deep blue barrier immediately wrapped around him. At the same time, an azure rope flew toward him and wound around him. The blue light interrupted it just in time.


    ¡°Yi!¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± and Han Li let out a sound at the same time. However, Senior Martial Brother Lu was somewhat surprised that his sneak attack had failed while Han Li was startled and furious from nearly falling into his sinister, cunning trap.


    ¡°Good! Good! You¡¯ve reacted quite quickly. It seems your esteemed self is truly not simple. However, my dear friend has spectated for such a long time. Shouldn¡¯t you come out and have a chat with Senior Martial Brother Lu?¡± Senior Martial Brother Lu retracted the azure rope to his hand. He coldly and calmly said these words towards where Han Li was hiding. It seemed that he had discovered a trace of him earlier.

 Chapter 167

    Fierce Battle (1).


    Chapter 167: Fierce Battle (1)


    Since he was already exposed, there was no point in further hiding.


    Han Li took a deep breath. With the dazzling protective barrier activated and a magic tool in each hand, he walked away from behind the rock.


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    After he clearly saw Han Li¡¯s appearance, this ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± shouted with surprise. He actually recognized Han Li.


    Han Li was slightly startled by his shout, and his heart sunk a bit.


    This Senior Martial Brother Lu had merely seen him once from that time on the hill in the midst of a chaotic fight. Several months had already passed and yet he actually still recognized him. Not only did this man have great memory, but he also had outstanding shrewdness and a careful mind.


    Regardless of the circumstances, Han Li could not consider this good news.


    In fact, he already faintly felt that the Senior Martial Brother before him could be considered a similar kind of person as himself, equivalently merciless and good at scheming.


    The particular arrogance he showed off in front of others was absolutely a similar smokescreen like Han Li¡¯s low-key profile. However, Han Li had unexpectedly aroused another person¡¯s attention, while Senior Martial Brother Lu was able to conceal his true colors, deliberately having others look upon him with scorn.


    Regardless, Han Li believed that he himself was incapable of being as shameless or as cruel and savage as him. From the beginning, he had only pursued his ordinary path of self-improvement.


    During the time that Han Li¡¯s heart was apprehensive, Martial Brother Lu¡¯s expression grew solemn. He seemed to have also come to some sort of realization and looked at Han Li with an ominous gaze, not concealing his killing intent in the slightest.


    Han Li let out a sigh. He originally wished to spout out a few misunderstandings and see whether he could fool him. But currently, seeing his appearance and knowing his shrewdness, he didn¡¯t have the slightest chance to deceive him. He was certain only one of them could be left alive. He shouldn¡¯t waste energy to create a misunderstanding, as he could not longer strike first and gain the upper hand.


    With this thought, Han Li remained silent and raised the fine steel ring in his left hand, producing a strange whistle. It then charged straight toward Senior Martial Brother Lu. Soon after, the dark green gourd in his right hand lit up, and five or six dark indistinct spheres spouted from its mouth and followed after the steel ring.


    Han Li was not done, however. He made a slight gesture with his empty left hand, and several red fireballs appeared in an instant. He slightly moved his sleeve and lined up the fireballs. He then suddenly threw them toward Senior Martial Brother Lu, whispering the word, ¡°Go.¡±


    Carrying a blazing hot Qi, the fireballs separated into four different directions like a swarm of bees and attacked Senior Martial Brother Lu from distinct angles.


    In this move, Han Li had nearly utilized all of his previously acquired magic tools. He didn¡¯t use the treasure talisman in an all-out attack, since it would have been made complicated by the fireballs¡¯ movement. In addition, it would have wasted the great effort Han Li put into learning this technique from Wu Feng as an instant-kill move against an unprepared opponent.


    Actually, if Han Li had been familiar with the new magic tools and could have quickly mastered them, he would have already used all of them at an earlier time without restraint. After all, the strength of his new magic tools was far greater than that of his old magic tools.


    However, Senior Martial Brother Lu did not remain idle while Han Li acted. He brought out a large azure flag on a pole about a Zhang long. The banner had a long-clawed, dancing, ferocious azure flood dragon embroidered in an azure light.


    At this time, Senior Martial Brother Lu saw Han Li¡¯s successive attacks and was surprised. He couldn¡¯t help but be extremely flustered.


    The reason why he brought out his most powerful magic tool, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, was because he thought similarly to Han Li: He wanted to kill him immediately to silence him.


    But he absolutely didn¡¯t expect Han Li to unleash an overbearing attack as soon as he appeared without saying even a word. Furthermore, his attack was vicious, with an indomitable intent.


    With no better option, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± decided against launching an assault and passed the azure banner to his right hand. Then he moved his left hand toward the storage pouch from his waist and took out a yellow talisman.


    He looked at the high-grade talisman with reluctance before clenching his teeth and threw it in front of him, rapidly muttering to himself.


    In an instant later, Han Li¡¯s steel ring was letting out a faint yellow light. It was not far from Senior Martial Brother Lu and was about to pound against him.


    Senior Martial Brother Lu pointed at the yellow talisman with his free hand and loudly shouted, ¡°Wind Wall Technique, rise!¡±


    Following that loud shout, the yellow talisman turned into a white hurricane over ten Zhang tall. It stood in front of Senior Martial Brother Lu, obstructing the path of the steel ring.


    Pu. The steel ring penetrated into the hurricane but was immediately blown side to side. After rotating several times, it was suddenly flung back.


    As for the spheres that arrived soon after, they were even more useless, only capable of revolving outside the hurricane. They didn¡¯t even have the ability to enter the gale.


    Seeing these circumstances, Han Li¡¯s complexion slightly changed. He hastily pointed to the fireballs and immediately turned them into two huge crescents, agilely attempting to flying off in two directions in a futile attempt to further attack Senior Martial Brother Lu.


    ¡°Hehe! Beautifully thought!¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Lu coldly laughed. With an extremely skilled, one-handed incantation gesture, he pointed to the center of the wind wall, causing the hurricane to separate into two. They separated extremely quickly and once again obstructed the fireballs.


    Pengpeng.


    Several sounds of explosions rang. The fireballs were unable to evade once more and could only meet against the wind wall.


    The hurricane trembled several times, swallowing up the fireballs and causing them to disappear without a trace. Han Li felt overwhelmed with shock.


    At this moment, under Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s control, the two hurricanes turned back into one.


    ¡°Such a minor talent dares to show off his incompetence! Although I know neither the name nor the origin of Junior Martial Disciple, tonight your death is certain!¡± Senior Martial Lu said with a savage smile.


    Soon after, he only saw his hands meet, holding the Azure Flood Dragon Banner once more and waving it with all his might.


    Han Li was somewhat nervous since his opponent was far more troublesome than he expected. Such a swift and fierce chain of attacks had actually been so effortlessly dealt with. Although the opponent waved that banner, nothing unusual had yet to happen, but from looking at the opponent¡¯s imposing appearance, he knew that this Senior Brother Lu¡¯s counterattack would absolutely be nothing to scoff at.


    ¡®It seems I have no choice but to use the talisman treasure,¡¯ Han Li coldly thought.


    However, he was currently unable to make full use of the talisman treasure with a condensation technique. As a result, every time he used the talisman treasure, he would need to fight for a certain amount of time to execute the spell that would propel the talisman treasure to vanquish the enemy. For this reason, his defense must be absolute.


    With this thought, Han Li took a look at his opponent. He only saw Senior Martial Brother Lu waving his azure banner. The banner gradually grew brighter and started emitting a blinding azure light, causing the azure flood dragon to become even more sinister and frightening. It seemed the opponent was on the verge of starting his assault.


    Han Li no longer hesitated and moved his hand. Hu. The ring flew back and stopped several feet away above his head and began to hover above.


    ¡°Grow.¡± With this soft shout, the steel ring let out a large yellow light and hurriedly expanded. It stopped growing larger when it reached the size of a small table.


    ¡°Fall.¡± That steel ring obediently fell with Han Li at the center of the circle. Then it began to swivel around, forming a large protective barrier.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t stopped there. After he put away the gourd, he took out his newly acquired shield as an offering. It grew several times larger outside the blue light barrier and softly floated in front of him, emitting a black light.


    Like that, Han Li had three layers of defense. His outermost later was the large and fine steel ring. In the middle was the Flying Dark-Iron shield. The innermost layer was the blue light barrier he had used at the very beginning.

 Chapter 168

    Fierce Battle (2)


    After all this was done, Han Li was satisfied and took out the small gray sword talisman treasure. He then sat down cross-legged and began to cast the spell, intending to attack with the treasure talisman as soon as possible.


    At that moment, the Senior Martial Brother Lu across from him finally gathered enough Spiritual Qi for the Azure Flood Dragon Flag and launched a tempest-like attack.


    As soon as he stopped waving the banner, he pointed the banner toward Han Li. Wu wu.Suddenly, over ten azure wind blades appeared and raced out from the banner toward Han Li.


    The speed of these wind blades was far too swift. In a blink of an eye, they had left Senior Martial Brother Lu and were next to Han Li. Wind attribute magic techniques were truly not lacking. The speed of their attacks were greater than other elemental magic techniques by over fifty percent.


    Were it not for the defenses he had prepared in advance, Han Li feared that he would not have been able to react and would have already been beheaded by these multiple wind blades.


    Just as Han Li was startled, the wind blades fiercely collided against the outermost fine steel ring. Azure and yellow rays of light sparkled continuously along with the sound of cutting strikes.


    When the rays of light disappeared, the originally smooth steel ring¡¯s outer layer had over ten overlapping foot-long grooves. The entire magic tool was clearly already worn and damaged. Regardless, it was fortunate that this magic tool was continuously swiveling as it was attacked, causing the wind blades to all attack at different places. Otherwise, the ring would have already been broken and allowed the blades to penetrate his first line of defense.


    Both Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Lu felt surprised from this outcome.


    Han Li felt that although this steel ring magic tool was originally not intended for defensive use, it was a genuine, high-quality magic tool, and the quality of its material was naturally unquestionable. However, he didn¡¯t expect that a mere few trifling wind blades would have almost destroyed it.


    Senior Martial Brother Lu was even more surprised. This Azure Flood Dragon Banner was a famous top-quality magic tool. Because it matched the properties of his spiritual roots, he had paid a bitter, heart-wrenching price to acquire it.


    Not only could this magic tool effortlessly and instantly cast the Wind Blades Technique and other simple magic techniques, when it absorbed a certain amount of Spiritual Qi, all of the wind attribute attacks that the banner cast were amplified. This was why each of those wind blades from a moment ago, although they appeared to be the simplest kind of elementary low-grade magic techniques, had power comparable to that of a mid-grade magic technique.


    In other words, the seemingly simple attack from a moment ago was actually a concentrated bombardment of over ten mid-grade magic techniques. Despite this, it wasn¡¯t even able to destroy the outermost huge metal ring. How could this Senior Martial Brother Lu not be apprehensive or even fearful toward Han Li?


    Although Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Lu both felt that the other party was ruthless, their following actions were quite different.


    Because Han Li had yet to control the talisman treasure and was unwilling to give up halfway, he could only bitterly brace himself for the incomparably swift and fierce attack that was certain to come.


    And with Senior Martial Lu¡¯s superior intellect, when he saw Han Li arrange a defensive position and remain motionless after the previous attack, he knew that Han Li was certain to be preparing a trump card. Not some high-grade magic technique attack but a ferocious magic tool.


    As a result, he did not hesitate and madly poured spiritual power into the banner in his hand. He then pointed the banner toward Han Li, releasing a violent flurry of azure wind blades.


    This time, the wind blades were relatively small but steady and persistent, taking the form of long azure torrents. The torrents rushed forth, causing azure and yellow light to appear from the fierce strikes.


    This time, Han Li¡¯s steel ring was only able to persevere for a short period of time before suddenly producing a heavy boom. Yellow light greatly scattered, and the high-quality fine steel ring finally broke.


    With nothing obstructing the wind blades, they rampantly charged straight forward. However, they were met by another top-quality magic tool, the Dark-Iron Shield. It obstructed their way, and bursts of black and azure light were produced from the collisions.


    The Dark-Iron Shield was very different from the steel ring magic tool.


    First of all, the ring¡¯s quality was a grade inferior. This shield was a top-quality magic tool of the same grade as the Azure Flood Dragon Banner. In the cultivation world, who could possess such rarely-seen objects? The steel ring was simply a high-quality magic tool. Although it could not be said to be a commonly seen item since they were widely possessed, the cultivators who had the status to possess one or two of such items were still a sparse few.


    Secondly, although this iron shield didn¡¯t have the slightest potential for attack, as a magic tool specialized in defense, its defensive power exceeded that of even four of those steel rings. Not only was it durable and sturdy, but there were also several specialized defensive enchantments attached to the shield, causing its defensive power to greatly increase.


    As a result, the stream of attacks that consisted of over a hundred frantic wind blades was effortlessly intercepted by Han Li¡¯s floating shield. It stood like a mountain in a storm and emitted black light. It didn¡¯t move even the slightest, giving off the appearance that it had plenty effort to spare.


    When Senior Martial Brother Lu saw this, his mind grew furious, but he merely gave a cold snort. He shook out both his hands, no longer releasing wind blades from his banner point. Then he gripped the banner pole, and his hands suddenly emitted a great white light as if a flood of spiritual power was leaking from his body, rushing forth into the banner pole.


    After receiving such a huge amount of spiritual power, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner¡¯s azure light grew even more dazzling, as if there was an azure sun rising in the middle of the night; few would dare to look straight at it.


    Because Senior Martial Brother Lu used too much magic power, his complexion grew extremely pale. However, he still wore a fierce and cruel expression. It seemed he was fully aware that further delay was sure to bring trouble, so he intended to deal a finishing blow at all costs.


    (TL: ???? A long night is fraught with dreams -¡°further delay was sure to bring trouble¡±.)


    Following a low roar from Senior Martial Lu, he forcefully tossed the Azure Flood Dragon Banner into the air. Then he performed finger incantation gestures at great speed and pointed toward the banner, shouting, ¡°Flood Dragon Transformation!¡±


    The Azure Flood Dragon Banner overflowed with azure light and released it in every direction. In an instant it transformed into a huge azure flood dragon over thirty meters long. It was vivid and lifelike, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as if it were an exact copy of the embroidery on the banner.


    ¡°Go.¡± Without the slightest hesitation, Senior Martial Brother Lu commanded with his finger. That flood dragon immediately opened its huge mouth and fiercely pounced straight toward Han Li. Then, a loud and deafening ¡°Dang¡± rang out. The head of the flood dragon was struggling against the Dark-Iron Shield.


    Azure light and black light simultaneously blazed. At the moment, they seemed evenly matched. However, not longer after, the shield¡¯s black light rapidly grew weaker at a rate that could be seen with the naked eye.


    It appeared that this shield would meet a similar end to the preceding magic tool, but all of a sudden, a clear voice spoke, ¡°Withdraw.¡±


    Following this sound, the iron shield immediately grew smaller and quickly retreated. Then the azure dragon¡¯s Qi greatly blazed and ferociously pursued it. It widely opened its mouth as if wanting to swallow both Han Li and the shield.


    However, at this moment, a brilliant gray streak of light about ten meters long flew from Han Li, who was originally sitting cross-legged. It assumed the form of a huge sword. Without showing weakness, the sword struck against the flood dragon¡¯s head, causing them to mutually tangle around each other.


    For a moment in the air, the azure light suppressed the gray light. A moment later, it was the gray streak that restrained the azure light. For a short while it was unknown which was stronger.


    As for the iron shield, after it reverted to its original palm size and fell into Han Li¡¯s hand, it was returned to his storage pouch. At this moment, all of his magic power was being used to carry the treasure talisman¡¯s attack. He had no leftover magic power to offer the shield.


    The current treasure talisman¡¯s gray streak transformation was incomparable to the time he used it to kill the yellow-clothed men. One could actually make out the sword within the light, and its power was greater by at least four times.


    It should be known that in the hands of Monk Golden Light, the treasure talisman could only transform into a gray streak that was one foot long. In the hands of Han Li when he was practicing the Telekinesis Technique, the treasure talisman could turn into a light streak several feet long. But when Han Li used it to kill the yellow-clothed men, the treasure talisman¡¯s light streak had been about a three meters long.


    As of now, Han Li¡¯s magic power had already reached the eleventh layer. Not only did its length greatly increase, becoming about ten meters long, its shape also faintly resembled a huge sword as well. Its brilliance dazzled the eye, and the radiant streak moved as it pleased with an astonishing grandeur, causing people to look on with surprise. Were it not in this enhanced state, this treasure talisman might not have necessarily been able to withstand the Azure Flood Dragon Banner¡¯s transformation.


    From this, it could be seen that a treasure talisman¡¯s might not only depended on the might of the magic treasure sealed within but also the amount of magic power refined by its user. The deeper the user¡¯s magic power, the more thoroughly the talisman treasure¡¯s might may be displayed.


    He truly did not know what shape the talisman treasure would take if he used it after he entered Foundation Establishment. As Han Li controlled the gray streak to tangle with the azure flood dragon in battle, however, he did not know why but he was unexpectedly distracted by a sudden thought.

 Chapter 169

    Fierce Battle (3)


    Han Li¡¯s and Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s magic power was being steadily being absorbed into the ¡®sword talisman¡¯ and the ¡®Azure Flood Dragon Banner¡¯. Both their bodies and minds were focused on their struggle. They didn¡¯t dare to be careless or negligent in the slightest.


    Neither of them held any effort or magic power in reserve to prevent the other from overwhelming them. They both clearly understood that the slightest carelessness on either side would cause them to immediately lose their life along with the treasure; there was no longer a path for retreat.


    Thus, the struggle between the azure flood dragon and the huge sword unexpectedly developed into a battle of attrition to see whose magic power would be exhausted first.


    When the two realized that the quantity of their remaining magic power was the crucial point of the battle, they both took action to increase their own spiritual power. They took out spirit stones and held them in their hand to absorb their magic power.


    However, Senior Martial Brother Lu had a low-grade wind attribute spirit stone, while Han Li had a mid-grade earth attribute spirit stone. This discovery caused Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s complexion to become unsightly, and he became exceptionally frightened and alarmed.


    A Qi Condensation disciple unexpectedly possessed a mid-grade spirit stone that only sect cultivators at Foundation Establishment or higher could obtain. This greatly surprised him as it was widely known that mid-grade spirit stones replenished spiritual power far faster than low-grade spirit stones. In terms of replenishing spiritual power, he was at a great disadvantage.


    Regardless, Senior Martial Brother thought better of it. His magic power was already much deeper than his opponent¡¯s. Even if his opponent replenished his magic power faster than he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to persist for long. After all, the little bit of magic power that was replenished would be consumed at the same rate as it was used. It was truly insignificant.


    With this thought, Senior Martial Brother Lu calmed down and concentrated.


    But when Senior Martial Brother Lu saw Han Li¡¯s next action, Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s expression changed once more to an appearance of disbelief and amazement.


    Han Li voluntarily removed his blue protective barrier in front of Senior Martial Brother Lu and openly revealed his true body.


    Although Senior Martial Brother Lu was outstandingly intelligent, his opponent¡¯s actions caused his mind to be in a state of confusion. He did not know what Han Li was thinking.


    Could it be that Han Li was no longer worried that his wind blades could take his life?


    Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s thoughts surged several times throughout his mind but did not hesitate for long. He decisively extended his left hand toward the sky and formed a faint azure wind blade.


    However, Han Li did not wait for Senior Martial Brother Lu to finish condensing his wind blade and flung his arm toward the opponent. The huge sword rigidly tangled with the azure flood dragon suddenly resonated with great radiance. Han Li actually took advantage off his preoccupation with the wind blade to suddenly shake off the azure flood dragon and shot straight toward Senior Martial Brother Lu.


    In this short moment, Senior Martial Brother Lu was startled and frightened by no small amount. If he persisted in forming the wind blade and attempted to launch it, he may be able to take Han Li¡¯s life. But equivalently, the giant sword would execute him, and he was also certain to lose his life, ending both sides in mutual destruction.


    Although the wind wall had yet to dissipate, this huge sword was able to contend with the Azure Flood Dragon Banner¡¯s transformation. That hurricane would certainly be easily destroyed by the huge sword and would be unable to obstruct it for even a fraction of a second.


    This Senior Martial Brother Lu was unable to accept this outcome. He still had vast prospects and a beautiful future. He was simply unwilling to meet his end in the wilderness against this unknown person.


    With this in mind, he thought no further. He gave up on the wind blade and wildly channeled all of his magic power toward the azure flood dragon and summoned it toward him.


    That Azure Flood Dragon Banner was truly an amazing wind attribute magic tool. With the entirety of Senior Martial Brother Lu strength, it met Han Li¡¯s huge sword halfway and once again entered a struggle.


    Seeing this, Senior Martial Brother Lu let out a sigh of relief, his body covered in cold sweat.


    Thus, in the following period of time, Senior Martial Brother Lu attempted to cast magic techniques several more times, wanting to attack Han Li.


    However, Han Li used the same technique every time, forcing him to withdraw. Although Han Li hadn¡¯t the least bit of protection, he was unable to act against him. Senior Martial Brother Lu was incomparably sullen and was forced to rely on his deeper magic power, thereby continuing to deplete it.


    At this moment, Han Li took out various small herbs and such from his storage pouch and stuffed them into his mouth. As he chewed the large mouthfuls, Senior Martial Brother Lu was dumbstruck; he didn¡¯t know what other sinister plot his opponent was planning.


    He could not guess what his opponent was planning and was baffled, causing Senior Martial Brother Lu to feel bleak. He had a bad premonition. However, he cherished his life far too much. Although he was far more shrewd than normal people, he had been at his wits end for a while.


    As more time passed by, Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s heart gradually grew heavier.


    At last, the azure dragon¡¯s light began to dim but the huge gray streak was as dazzling as before. Senior Martial Brother Lu could not help but be frightened. He shouted out hoarsely, ¡°Impossible! My magic power far exceeds yours. Even if you¡¯ve been replenished by a mid-grade spirit stone, it is impossible for you to currently have energy remaining. You should have exhausted your magic power before I did!¡±


    Soon, the azure flood dragon was on the verge of collapse. Senior Martial Brother Lu yelled out; his shout was like the last bark of a wild dog that fell into a well, full of objection.


    When Han Li saw his plan completely realized, he could not help but smile. After he heard the opponent¡¯s words, his mouth slightly slanted, causing his smile to become a sneer.


    He didn¡¯t have the leisure to explain all of this to a dead man as killing him was the most urgent affair. He was also almost entirely out of magic power, so how could he afford to waste that effort on the enemy?


    With that thought, Han Li paid no attention to the opponent¡¯s question. He pointed at the huge sword, causing its radiance to become even more magnificent. It gradually whittled away at the azure flood dragon until it was only about three meters long. Its azure light was so dim that it could nearly no longer be seen.


    When Senior Martial Brother saw this, he became completely desperate. Thus, the desire to stake it all rose in his heart, and his eyes gradually shone with madness.


    Without speaking, he gradually retrieved the little magic power remaining in the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, causing it to return to its original form in an instant and fall from the sky. Then, without regard for the huge sword rushing forth to execute him, he used his remaining magic power to condense a huge wind blade and ruthlessly throw it toward Han Li without the slightest hesitation.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart trembled. While the opponent rushed to throw the wind blade, he directed the huge sword to behead the opponent. Then without staying to look at the aftermath, Han Li fled, already rushing out about ten meters away.


    After previously receiving the wind blades, Han Li knew of their frightening speed. If he didn¡¯t immediately use ¡°Shifting Smoke Steps¡± to avoid it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend himself. He would have been caught unprepared and be cut into two, dying with grievances and unable to rest in peace.


    The wind blade was truly extraordinarily fast. It already reached the location where Han Li had just fled from. However, it unexpectedly followed the direction Han Li was fleeing in and fiercely shot out once more.


    Han Li did not think any further and used ¡°Shifting Smoke Steps¡± to its greatest extent. In a small area, he continuously shifted left and right, transforming into several afterimages, causing the wind blade that was closely chasing him to be unable to catch up.


    Han Li clearly understood that if he fled in a straight line, he would certainly be cut down by the wind blade. By using fine and delicate movements, he would be able to defend himself without worry. This was the reason why he dared to abandon his defensive magic technique.


    Puchi. The wind blade suddenly lost control and disappeared into the earth, leaving a deep groove.


    Han Li let out a long breath. At this moment, he calmed his panicked heart. Using a movement technique from the mortal world to evade a cultivator¡¯s attack was truly a frightening affair.


    Han Li sat on the ground and then looked across from him.


    He saw that the wind wall had already disappeared and that Senior Martial Lu, who had been hiding behind it, was cut into two pieces. The two-pieced corpse laid there motionlessly. Next to it was a huge sword with a dimming radiance.

 Chapter 170

    Spoils of the Battle.


    Chapter 170: Spoils of the Battle


    Han Li raised his hand and beckoned to the sky. That huge sword immediately turned its point and flew back. When it was in front of Han Li, it returned to its original talisman form and fell toward his hand like a light feather.


    Just as Han Li reached out his hand to the treasure talisman, Zila, it turned to flames. A short moment later, it turned into a pile of ash and disappeared with the mountain wind.


    Seeing this, Han Li stood there, expressionless. A moment later, he bitterly smiled.


    This ¡°treasure talisman¡± could be considered utter scrap. Even at the start of the fight, it no longer had much power remaining. Too much time had passed in the close struggle, eventually consuming all of its power. This caused Han Li, who deeply knew of its value, to feel great heartache, but he could do nothing about it.


    After all, being able to kill a formidable enemy such as Senior Martial Brother Lu did not come without cost! Regardless, the opponent¡¯s Azure Flood Dragon Banner was actually quite an impressive loot. It was sufficient enough to make up for the loss of this treasure talisman. Not to mention the two Foundation Establishment Pills he had yet to plunder!


    With this thought, Han Li could not help but burst with joy, feeling that this fierce battle had actually been worth something.


    If he could take these pills and succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment, he wouldn¡¯t need to participate in braving the strange and dangerous ¡°Trial of Blood and Fire¡±. After all, the number of cultivations as strong as ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± was sure to be substantial! He feared there would be even quite a few cultivators who were even more troublesome.


    A moment later, Han Li was absorbing a spirit stone in his hand. After he recovered his magic power to some degree, he stood up, wanting to pick up the Azure Flood Dragon Banner not far away from him.


    Just as Han Li straightened his back, an acute stab of pain came from his Dantian, making it feel as if countless steel needles were suddenly stabbing into it. Han Li doubled over from the pain. His complexion was incomparably pale as he grimaced in pain.


    Han Li was motionless. After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, he took a deep breath and felt the pain slightly weaken.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was somewhat gloomy; the corner of his mouth twitched several times.


    As for why this was happening, he was well aware. The reason was the great amount of aged medicine herbs he had swallowed a moment ago. Although he was able to promptly absorb some of the herbs¡¯ spiritual power, much of it gathered at his Dantian as foreign rejection. Mixed among this were many unclear medical impurities. If he didn¡¯t purify them in time, they were certain to cause no end of trouble.


    Although Han Li fully knew that swallowing the spiritual herbs was undesirable and certain to harm himself, he had done so to preserve his life. He had no better option but to take the risk and try. Sure enough, this method of forcefully absorbing Spiritual Qi had been of great help during the prolonged battle.


    However, just devouring medicine herbs was not enough to allow Han Li to persevere to the end. Apart from replenishing his spiritual power with the mid-grade spiritual stone to defeat the opponent, there was another crucial point contributing to his victory: the cancellation of his defensive magic technique, the ¡°Water Barrier Technique¡±.


    In the previous two years that he spent studying and practicing basic magic techniques, Han Li unexpectedly learned from Wu Feng that a majority of the low-level disciples had a misunderstanding over the use of talismans: they believed that apart from the spiritual power they used to activate the talisman, talismans did not further consume any of the user¡¯s power.


    In reality, the moment the talisman was activated, it continued to use a sliver of magic power from its connection to its user, allowing the user to conveniently control the magic technique. If the magic technique did not disappear, the user would continue to be drained of magic power to preserve the spiritual connection.


    Because Qi Condensation disciples were unable to see or interact with these sorts of spiritual threads, in addition to the minuscule amount of magic power used in the short term, a majority of the disciples overlooked this, resulting in false understandings.


    Although there were several disciples who knew the truth, they felt that this matter was insignificant. As a result, this information was not actively spread among low-level disciples. Wu Feng was one of those few who knew. When he told Han Li this during a casual chat, Han Li deliberately kept it in mind. After several personal tests later, he verified it to be true.


    As a result, in the middle of that fierce battle of attrition, Han Li remembered this and decisively revoked his defensive magic technique, saving quite a bit of magic power. Although it seemed to be a negligent amount at first, the magic power it would consume was not insignificant after a long period of time.


    Like that, Han Li relied on this bit of preserved magic power to persevere a bit longer against the opponent. Had he not relied on those two advantages, he might¡¯ve not been the one who lasted longer .


    Thus, Han Li undoubtedly felt that this victory had been exceedingly dangerous to have exhausted all of his means simply to save his life. The opponent¡¯s strength was truly greater than his own!


    However, regardless of how the story was told, the one left alive was him.


    After Han Li felt this pain slightly lessen, he forced himself to stand and started to slowly move, eventually reaching where the Azure Flood Dragon Banner had fallen down. He forced himself to to pick up the magic tool and delightfully examined it before finally putting it away in his storage pouch.


    Then, he walked over to ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s¡± corpse. After he looked at the extremely bloody scene with slight disgust, he waddled around to look for loot.


    His storage pouch was easily found on the upper half of the corpse.


    Han Li impolitely took out the items from the storage pouch and emptied them all out. Soon enough, he saw the case and bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pills.


    Feeling elated, he could not help but look at these items. He hastily lowered his body to pick up the case and bottle. Then he opened them, finding a lustrous blue medicine pill in each container. Although the scent was somewhat pungent, the pills contained formidable spiritual power.


    Han Li wore a strong smile on his face. He was immediately certain that the Foundation Establishment Pills were genuine. Even so, he currently had no mind to look through the other goods. After all, this place was where a battle had just occurred. He did not stay there for long and hurried to slip away.


    Han Li swiftly put away the items and carefully concealed Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s storage pouch. He felt a bit of relief and could not help but straighten out and stretch his body.


    At this moment, he heard the sound of wind behind him, as if something was charging over. Han Li was startled and immediately thought to escape, but he suddenly felt a violent burst of pain from his Dantian, causing his body to suddenly become sluggish. Then a fragrant, smooth woman¡¯s body energetically embraced him from behind.


    Han Li was stunned and struggled to get free. However because of the stabbing pain from his Dantian and the fact that his limbs were lacking strength from having just fought, he could not free himself.


    Under these circumstances, although Han Li already faintly guessed the identity of the person behind him, he could not help but glance behind him. But just as he turned his head halfway, a beautiful and gentle face was already intimately pressed up against him and was incessantly using her sweet lips to madly kiss Han Li. As expected, it was ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± who originally could not move a single step.


    It turned out that this Junior Martial Sister Chen previously couldn¡¯t move because of the Wind Binding Technique. However, Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s battle didn¡¯t reach her location, so she was able to entirely avoid the battle while lying down. After the fight, she actually hadn¡¯t the slightest injury.


    Before the battle started, the effects of the Joyful Meeting Pill had already flared out, causing ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± to be delirious with a burning passion. Her eyes were filled with delusion, completely wanting to join together with another person. However, she was bound by a magic technique and was unable to budge in the slightest, still appearing quite innocent. But deep in her heart, she was tormented by greater and greater lustful desires.


    A moment ago, the Wind Binding Technique¡¯s effects expired and ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡±, who had just obtained her freedom, was brimming with the excitement of lust. Thus she instantly charged toward the sole male nearby, Han Li, and tensely embraced him. From above, this appeared to be an extremely romantic scene.


    However, Han Li was a genuine virgin. After the frenzy of kisses from Junior Martial Sister Chen, Han Li felt his mind shake as a peculiar feeling surged forth. Since Han Li had never flaunted himself as a gentleman of honor, Han Li did not feel it beneath him to experience having this woman in his lap. As a result, the passionate Han Li with no trace of politeness reached out from behind him and embraced Junior Martial Sister Chen.


    Feeling Han Li¡¯s response, ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± felt even more unbearable. Although she never experienced the affair between males and females, her natural carnal instincts still caused her to begin to tear away at Han Li¡¯s clothes.


    Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s actions caused the infatuated Han Li to sober up. He didn¡¯t dare to tangle with fire once more and hastily felt for a Soul-Lock Talisman with his right hand. Then, with some difficulty, he aroused the few strands of magic power he had just recovered and used the Soul-Lock Technique to restrain Junior Martial Sister Chen.


    Afterwards, he softly struggled to free himself of Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s alluring bosom and gently placed the woman on the ground.

 Chapter 171

    Return.


    Chapter 171: Return


    Han Li half-squatted next to Junior Martial Sister Chen in passing and lowered his head to look carefully at the soft and captivating appearance of this lustful woman.


    That curvaceous, plump body had naughtily exposed the abdomen, even slightly exposing a few ¡®mysterious¡¯ areas, causing Han Li to become dry at the mouth and grow somewhat dizzy.


    He clearly understood that so long as he wished, the extraordinary beauty before him would immediately allow him to experience ecstasy that would seep into his very bones and allow him to become a true man. But after he blankly looked for long while, Han Li reluctantly shifted his eyes away, returning his gaze towards the woman¡¯s face.


    He wrinkled his brow and suddenly extended his forefinger toward her almond lips, softly wiping them. After he felt that moist smoothness, he quickly retracted his hand and softly sniffed it.


    ¡°It truly is the Joyful Meeting Pill. It seems he didn¡¯t lie!¡± Han Li said to himself. A short moment after, it seemed he completely regained calmness.


    ¡°Great beauty, it seems your luck is quite good. Had you consumed some other aphrodisiac, I fear I would have truly ended your life early! However, since it is the Joyful Meeting Pill, I don¡¯t necessarily have to. It can be assumed that you have already sunk into a hallucination and fundamentally cannot remember my appearance!¡± Han Li softly said as he lifted the woman¡¯s chin with his hand and looked into her beautiful, bewitching eyes.


    ¡°In truth, the safest method would be to have you to disappear from this world. After all, even if you are hallucinating, you still might have a somewhat indistinct impression. Although this probability is very low, you should rejoice! Even though I am not a good person, I am not so vicious and fond of killing. I am also soft-hearted towards women. If you were a man, I would have cut you down without hesitation.¡± Han Li continued to talk to himself, helplessly and bitterly smiling.


    Once this was said, Han Li became silent for a moment. After rigidly staring at the woman¡¯s dainty appearance for a good while, he lowered his head and suddenly kissed the woman¡¯s beautifully soft and alluring almond lips. Feeling him somewhat clumsily sucking on her lips, the woman passionately responded. After a long moment of ecstasy, Han Li reluctantly parted with the woman¡¯s alluring lips.


    ¡°The affair between males and females is truly wonderful! Although I cannot truly experience ecstasy, this intimate mouthful could be considered a reward for the kindness of saving your life!¡± Han Li muttered, appearing absolutely reluctant to suffer a loss.


    As for this woman¡¯s Foundation Establishment Pill, because he had seized it from the hands of Senior Martial Brother Lu, Han Li would not return it.


    ¡°Sigh! Your current appearance can truly tempt men. Had I not heard from Old Man Ma that men and women who lose their virginity have a reduced chance at reaching Foundation Establishment, how could I possibly reject such a fine occasion and be forced to throw away my heart¡¯s desires!¡± Han Li¡¯s complexion began to return to tranquility. However, he lightly shook his head, exposing a deeply regretful appearance.


    After all, between the pleasures of the night and the undertaking of cultivation, which was more important? Han Li immediately reigned in his lust and cleared his mind.


    As for why that Senior Martial Brother Lu didn¡¯t mind drugging and raping this woman, Han Li didn¡¯t need to think deeply to arrive at a conclusion. Seeing such an outstanding pretty boy, he had probably lost his virginity long ago, so he had no qualms about doing so. As a result, lacking the confidence to attempt reaching Foundation Establishment and delaying in taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, he convenienced Han Li.


    Since Han Li¡¯s decision was already set,  he did not intend to waste any time.


    First, he used fireballs to smash a large hole not far away and threw Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s corpse inside. Then he burned the corpse to ashes and filled the hole until it was flat with dirt, thoroughly exterminating traces of the corpse.


    At the location of the battle, he felt that there were a few extremely district landmarks and used the long saber in his storage pouch to thoroughly slash and ruin the area, removing the slightest visible trail. Then, after he draped his own clothes on Junior Martial Sister Chen, he carried her, hurriedly flying away from that place.


    After he flew west for more than a hundred Li, he found a rather large concealed cliff and descended.


    After he placed the woman down beneath the large rock, Han Li thought to immediately fly away, but he turned his head to glance at this woman¡¯s blushing appearance and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Then he turned around and moved closer to Junior Martial Sister Chen.


    He fished out a white porcelain bottle from his bosom and poured some white medicine powder into his palm. Then he used a finger from his other hand to scoop some of it into the woman¡¯s almond lips. He helplessly said to himself, ¡°Although this Joyful Meeting Pill¡¯s lustful poison cannot take a person¡¯s life, it will not be dissolved for a long period of time, greatly injuring a person¡¯s strength. I suppose doing this good deed won¡¯t take much effort. This Pure Spirit Powder will be enough to dissolve the poison!¡±


    As Han Li said this, he saw the woman unconsciously lick the medicine. With the lovely appearance of her breathing on his finger, Han Li saw her lose her vigor.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to stay here much longer. He hastily put away the medicine bottle and hurriedly sailed his magic tool far away from there. He knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long before the woman would become clear-headed. If he did not depart, he could encounter great trouble.


    Han Li flew in the middle of the night on the shortest route toward Yellow Maple Valley before resting for a short moment. After the sky brightened, he entered the valley with an air of confidence and returned to the Hundred Medicine Garden.


    After he entered the garden, he immediately shut himself away. For three days and three nights, he cleared away the majority of the impurities from his Dantian. After there weren¡¯t enough remaining impurities to hinder him, he slowly recovered his lost true essence.


    Despite this, the aftermath of the great battle still left Han Li¡¯s strength greatly depleted. He reckoned that after a couple of months of recuperation, he would return to his peak state. This caused Han Li to feel that this entire event had been very much worth it.


    At this time, Han Li was sitting at his desk, admiring the greatest spoils of the battle, the two blue Foundation Establishment Pills the size of a broad bean. After he carefully scrutinized them for two hours, he returned the Foundation Establishment Pills to a copper bottle, an auxiliary magic tool, so that their Spiritual Qi would not dissipate.


    As for the azure bottle and the wooden box, he naturally destroyed them to prevent anyone from discovering what he wished to remain concealed.


    With this said, it was already several days after that battle. His losses had truly been not small. Not only was his flying sword treasure talisman destroyed, that high-quality magic tool, the fine steel ring was also sacrificed. With regards to this, Han Li felt somewhat regretful.


    However, his spoils were also great. Apart from the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, Han Li found two other notable magic tools from Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s storage pouch, the azure rope he used to launch a sneak attack on him as well as a silver white hook. They seemed to both be high-quality magic tools. This was sufficient enough to make up for his loss of magic tools.


    Not to mention the several tens of low- to mid-grade talismans and over twenty low-grade spirit stones.


    It was unfortunate that there were no elementary high-grade talismans. There was only the Wind Wall Technique talisman that Han Li had turned to scrap during the battle.


    Han Li took advantage of this opportunity to arrange all of his loot once through. Apart from the items he would personally use and the very precious items, he destroyed the rest to avoid future troubles.


    After that, he started to impatiently think about the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pills.


    Han Li was completely ignorant of how to consume the Foundation Establishment Pill.


    Was it as simple as swallowing the Foundation Establishment by itself, or was he required to prepare other medicines in advance and perform other actions? Should he even draw support from some external power? Common conventions say that such a rare medicine pill should truly have some specific qualities.


    Because Han Li hadn¡¯t acquired the Foundation Establishment Pill beforehand, there was nothing he previously had to pay attention to. He planned to wait until after the Trial by Blood and Fire to ask around. After all, failure in the Trial by Fire would render everything else worthless. He didn¡¯t expect to possess the Foundation Establishment Pill now and, moreover, have two of them at that.


    This was a pressing matter.


    Half a day later, Han Li arrived at the Cultivation Guidance Pavilion.


    He returned to his residence, blankly resting his upper body on the table. After being lost in thought for quite a few hours, he suddenly smashed his fist against the corner of the table, causing his fist to turn completely red. He ignored the pain as if it wasn¡¯t there.


    Not long before, on the pretext of wanting to learn new magic techniques, he made a few indirect inquiries toward Wu Feng for the majority of the day. Eventually, he uncovered the method of taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. However, this did not result in good news for him in the slightest.


    It turned out that to take the Foundation Establishment Pill and pass the barrier to Foundation Establishment, it did not require consuming any medicine beforehand or external aid. Unexpectedly, it merely required direct consumption.


    It was reasonable to say that this news couldn¡¯t be better for Han Li. However, Wu Feng¡¯s next words struck Han Li in the head. There would be a new problem that arose after taking the medicine, causing Han Li to feel greatly perplexed. Once again, Han Li found himself facing a dilemma.

 Chapter 172

    Choice.


    Chapter 172: Choice


    At the northern region of the Jian Province, at some desert mountain at the border of the State of Yue and the State of Yuan Wu, stood several tens of yellow-clothed people of various height. Their clothes were fluttering with the wind, and their ages had nothing in common; there were some who were old and gray-haired with a face full of wrinkles, near the end of their lives, as well as smooth-skinned, white-teethed and red-lipped juveniles who had yet to enter adulthood. They all stood silently in rows.


    At the front was naturally an imposing old man. With his hands behind his back, he motionlessly looked toward the sky, lost in thought. There were four men and one woman behind him, each with a respectful bearing. Among them was that Martial Uncle Wang who had brought Han Li to enter the sect. He currently had a solemn expression.


    Behind those five people, there were two orderly rows of yellow-clothed disciples, all with different expressions. A few were nervous, others were either ill at ease, unconcerned, or even glancing all around. There were a few smiling silently, not showing their true intentions.


    At the end of the last row, there was a common dark-skinned youth with lowered eyes. He had been looking at the edge of his feet from the very beginning. He didn¡¯t dare to shift his gaze in the slightest, seeming unusually shy.


    However, none of these people knew that this yellow boy was silently cursing with resentment.


    This youth who was different from the others was Han Li. The group of yellow-clothed individuals were the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples who were about to join the Trial by Blood and Fire.


    Han Li ultimately decided to participate in this almost certain-death excursion. The matter of the two Foundation Establishment Pills was a hapless joke.


    A month before, after Han Li found the method to take the Foundation Establishment Pill from Wu Feng, he was greatly shocked.


    It turned out that those taking the Foundation Establishment Pill must enter seclusion for three months and must use up all of the medicinal power before exiting. Otherwise, the medicinal power would scatter,greatly reducing the pill¡¯s efficacy. That was why finding out whether or not one succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment required several months.


    Having to wait for such a long time greatly discouraged Han Li.


    His original plan after acquiring the two Foundation Establishment Pills was to first take the pills and then see whether or not he had to participate in the Trial by Fire. If he were lucky enough to reach Foundation Establishment, then he definitely wouldn¡¯t go to such a dangerous region. After all, only one in four survived; it was truly too frightening.


    If he failed after taking the pills, then it would be imperative that he would enter the forbidden area. If two or three Foundation Establishment Pills wouldn¡¯t do, then he would refine three, four or even more pills. He was convinced that his aptitude was far too lacking, and only by taking several Foundation Establishment Pills would he be certain to enter Foundation Establishment.


    However with the restriction that he must be secluded for three months after taking the pill, Han Li¡¯s plan was thrown into disarray, causing him to face an awkward situation where he couldn¡¯t get everything he wanted.


    (TL: ¡±????????¡±; literal meaning: you can¡¯t have both the fish and the bear¡¯s paw)


    Now, he had to either take the Foundation Establishment Pill and completely give up on entering the forbidden area, or he could temporarily put away the Foundation Establishment Pill and wait until after the Trial by Blood and Fire to consume the pills. It was impossible to have the best of both worlds.


    After pondering this for almost half a month, Han Li felt that with regards to his terrible aptitude, even if he were to consume both of the Foundation Establishment Pills, his chances of entering Foundation Establishment were still quite low, so he could not give up on the Trial by Blood and Fire.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t like Han Li hadn¡¯t considered waiting five more years to participate in the next Trial by Blood and Fire. At that time, even if he failed to enter Foundation Establishment, his Eternal Spring Arts would have definitely reached its peak. As such, he would have a much greater ability to defend himself.


    However, not long after Han Li thought of this, the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s upper echelon made a declaration that greatly shocked the cultivation world of the State of Yue, causing this idea of his to vanish into thin air.


    The details were: five years from now, the forbidden area of the Trial of Blood and Fire would be placed under a temporarily sixty-year seal. During this time, the Seven Great Sects would work together and forbid anyone from entering and gathering medicine.


    Sealing the forbidden area temporarily was not a rare affair. Almost every three to four hundred years, the Seven Great Sects would do this.


    Because the forbidden area was often opened, the Spiritual Qi within would leak in great quantities. The appearance and growth of spiritual medicines would also suffer as a result. This temporarily seal was to allow the density of Spiritual Qi to return to normal levels.


    However, although the Seven Great Sects adopted this measure, the spiritual medicines of the forbidden area were still sparse year after year and were increasingly difficult to find. Those particular spiritual medicines required to refine pills were especially rare.


    According to a deduction of some knowledgeable expert from the Seven Great Sects, if one truly wanted to restore the spiritual medicines within the forbidden Area to regular quantities, they must seal the area for no less than a full millennium. This temporarily seal was nothing more than a postponement of the eventual exhaustion of the forbidden Area¡¯s spiritual medicines. After all, the growth of spiritual medicines wasn¡¯t a matter of merely one or two days.


    Despite the actual circumstances within the forbidden area, nobody was able to deny or confirm this conjecture. However, the leaders of the Seven Great Sects were incapable of such a painful decision.


    The quantity of Foundation Establishment Pills was closely related to the rise and fall of their sects.


    If there was a shortage of these pills lasting fifty to sixty years, the Seven Great Sects would merely suffer some superficial damage. However, if several hundred or even a thousand years passed without Foundation Establishment Pills, then not just the Seven Great Sects, but also the entire cultivation world of the State of Yue would be confronted with a life or death crisis.


    After all, an area without Foundation Establishment cultivators, could that be still be called a ¡°cultivation world¡±? If the time came, the cultivation clans and rogue cultivators would all depart the State of Yue and look to survive elsewhere. At that time, the Seven Great Sects would not be an exception.


    As a result, although they knew that frequently opening the forbidden area was a folly equivalent to killing the chicken that laid the eggs, the Seven Great Sects could not help but do so.


    They could only hope that before the spiritual medicines of the forbidden area were truly extinguished, they could produce other spiritual medicines to replace them.


    This caused the Great Sects¡¯ Core Formation experts, even those Nascent Soul eccentrics, to go out of their way to look for another source of spiritual medicines or to find another solution to prevent their respective sects from falling.


    Naturally, Han Li could not have known this. But with this new information, there was no way Han Li would dare to wait five more years for the next Trial by Blood and Fire.


    Even slow-minded individuals would realize that when the forbidden area opened in five years, it would unconditionally be a storm of blood.  Each of the Great Sects¡¯ elite disciples would be put forth in order to scavenge for the last time before the forbidden area was sealed away. If Han Li did not participate in this Trial by Fire, then he would be bringing about his own destruction.


    Even if this announcement caused the upcoming trip to the forbidden area to have greater troubles and more desperate battles, regardless of this, the next was certain to be even more bloody.


    As for the folly of participating in the Trial by Blood and Fire fifty years later, he didn¡¯t even think of it.


    By then he would have passed optimal age to enter Foundation Establishment. Even if he were able to barely enter Foundation Establishment, he would certainly not be able to tread the path of cultivation for much longer. This was not the outcome Han Li desired.


    With that way in mind, Han Li enlisted to participate in the medicine-gathering group and waived his life away. Unexpectedly, the appearance of that Martial Uncle Wang caused Han Li to feel greatly surprised and somewhat regretful.


    When Martial Uncle Wang saw Han Li, he was even more surprised.


    On one hand, he was greatly astonished that this new disciple would participate in the Trial by Blood and Fire. On the other hand, he almost couldn¡¯t believe how far Han LI¡¯s cultivation had advanced. With Han Li¡¯s aptitudes, how could he progress with his cultivation from the ninth layer to the eleventh layer within such a short period of time? This was far too shocking.


    If Han Li were an outstandingly talented disciple, then it wouldn¡¯t be strange; it would be more strange if he hadn¡¯t reached the eleventh layer by now. However, he had personally tested Han Li¡¯s false spiritual roots. How could he have cultivated so fast?


    With regards to his spiritual roots, for Han Li to enter the sect at the ninth layer was already extraordinary.


    Usually, only by being bestowed magic power by an Elder and frequently consuming a few spiritual medicines, along with diligent and bitter cultivation, could someone be able to achieve this. However, with Han Li currently standing before him with a cultivation base at the eleventh layer, he was incomparably shocked.


    Since Martial Uncle Wang was doubtful, he impolitely pulled Han Li to the side and tested his attributes once more. The result was the same as before and stomped any suspicions of mutated spiritual roots.


    This caused Martial Uncle Wang to be at a loss.

 Chapter 173

    The Gathering


    Han Li responded with ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± to all of the questions, insisting that his cultivation today was all because of his hard work. As for how he was able to cultivate and improve at this alarming rate, Han Li used a mysterious story that he had previously prepared about how he mistakenly ate a magical fruit when he was a child. He told this to Martial Uncle Wang, then blamed everything onto the magical fruit. He prepared this excuse specifically to handle this kind of situation.


    Han Li knew that a believable lie should consist of seventy percent truth and thirty percent falsehood, so the magical fruit that he describe wasn¡¯t solely from his imagination. It was a fruit that had been rumored for thousands of years: the Immortal Clan¡¯s ¡°Dragon Scale Fruit¡±. It was said that people who ate it could be reborn and could soar in the sky. As for whether or not it truly existed, there was no way for Han Li to find out, but regardless, no one had ever actually eaten it.


    As soon as this Martial Uncle Wang, who had read many books, heard Han Li¡¯s description of the magical fruit, his eyes brightened up. He actually found an ancient book from somewhere called the ¡°Record of Wondrous Objects¡±, and found an article regarding the ¡°Dragon Scale Fruit¡± for Han Li to identify.


    As things had gotten to this point, Han Li would naturally admit it with ease. Amazed, Martial Uncle Wang made a ¡°tsk-tsk¡± sound.


    Han Li also told him that once he picked the fruit, the plant¡¯s original roots immediately withered away and died. That way, there would absolutely be no more of this fruit even if they went back to the original location. This was to make sure the other party would not try asking around in an attempt to find more of the fruit for himself, thereby completely putting an end to the story.


    As for whether or not this person would be greedy, believed it to be true, or tried to go elsewhere to find another such fruit, it was none of his business. Let him busy himself with it!


    Han Li knew very clearly that even though Martial Uncle Wang acted as if he completely believed him, and even though Han Li had answered all of his questions, there was no way of knowing how much he actually believed him.


    The other party was probably in half belief and half doubt, in between trusting and not trusting. So with this Martial Uncle Wang, Han Li should avoid and hide from him if possible in the future, as well as pay more attention in case the other party got suspicious.


    But Han Li believed that as long as he could successfully enter Foundation Establishment, then his identity would be quite different. Even if Martial Uncle Wang still had doubts in his heart, he wouldn¡¯t provoke him that easily. After all, the cultivation world spoke with strength!


    Finally, Han Li brushed off the questions about his own cultivation. As for Martial Uncle Wang, it was unclear whether or not he was apologetic about all the questionings from before, but he didn¡¯t make things difficult for Han Li at the registration. He helped him through all the paperwork very easily, and warned him about some precautions he should prepare prior to entering the f orbidden area.


    Han Li gave a mouthful of thanks, then said goodbye and left.


    After he returned, he greeted the little old man and temporarily stopped his work at the medicinal herb garden so that he could prepare for the Trial by Blood and Fire without any distractions.


    Hearing this, the little old man was silent for a while. He used a strange expression that said ¡°You¡¯re already dead¡± and kept on staring at Han Li. This made Han Li¡¯s heart uneasy for a long time.


    But what surprised him was that before this Senior Martial Uncle Ma left, he gave Han Li two bottles of medicine without any hesitation. He said coldly, ¡°One bottle for internal use, and the other for external use.¡± He then flew away on his flying magic tool with an indifferent expression.


    This gesture slightly warmed Han Li¡¯s heart.


    After the past two years of spending time together, he understood that although the little old man¡¯s temperament was eccentric, he was a person with a cold appearance and a warm heart. He was just somewhat absorbed in the art of medicine creation. He was being treated with warmth now, which meant that Senior Martial Uncle Ma already saw him as his nephew, making Han Li feel moved.


    Three days before entering the forbidden area, Martial Uncle Wang finally sent Han Li a letter, urging him to gather at the meeting hall to get ready to go.


    When Han Li arrived, the disciples who registered for the Trial by Fire and Blood were all gathered there, silently judging each other.


    There were more than ten thousand disciples from the whole Yellow Maple Valley that were of Qi Condensation. Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t know all of them, but there was still one woman that Han Li couldn¡¯t be more familiar with. Not only did Han Li know this woman, he had seen and even touched her whole body: the ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± who got drugged and almost raped by ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡±.


    Speaking of which, after ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± had been killed by Han Li, it caused a small commotion in the Yellow Maple Valley. Even though this person hadn¡¯t even reached Foundation Establishment, he was after all an owner of mutated spiritual roots, making him a low-level disciple that the sect¡¯s upper echelon paid close attention to.


    As for ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡±, after she came back, for an unknown reason, she didn¡¯t discuss what had happened on that night to anyone and refused to speak of the matter.


    As a result, the ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± who had disappeared for a long time was treated as a missing person. After contacting different disciples and searching within the sect without getting any results, this matter was slowly dropped.


    These types of people disappeared from the valley all the time. It¡¯s not like similar situations had never occurred before. ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± wasn¡¯t the first, and he definitely wouldn¡¯t be the last.


    After the initial reaction period had passed, no one in Yellow Maple Valley ever mentioned ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± again, as if he never even existed. This situation put Han Li at ease, but he also felt a cold chill.


    It was expected that most cultivators were people who restrained their desires. If one day Han Li himself disappeared, the reactions within the sect would presumably be not as overwhelmed by the reactions they were having now! Most likely in the blink of an eye, he would be completely forgotten, and no one would waste their time or energy trying to inquire about his whereabouts.


    Ever since he entered the sect, he had absolutely made the right decision by maintaining a low profile and a cautious attitude.


    After all, the road of cultivation was very long, so there was a high possibility for accidents to happen. If Han Li attracted more attention to himself or did stupid things to show off, then a low level cultivator who didn¡¯t even have a background and support like him would be squashed to death by a stronger existence at any moment on the long road of cultivation. The possibility of stepping on the road of cultivation in another life would be so low it was almost nonexistent.


    Han Li originally didn¡¯t believe in reincarnation that much, but ever since he had come in contact with the cultivation world, he had become less doubtful.


    The attitude of ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± was obviously different from before. Han Li was not sure if it was because she was affected by her lover¡¯s betrayal, but she didn¡¯t have any makeup on. She seemed cold but elegant, and her whole body was emitting an atmosphere that demanded strangers to stay away. During this time a few young guys tried to talk to her because they were attracted by her beauty, but they were all shot down in defeat.


    It wasn¡¯t because the men were cheap. This woman¡¯s cold and arrogant expression not only did not reduce her beauty, but it also added a bit more mysterious charm to it. It made all the surrounding male disciples try to sneak a peek at her. This kind of charm was even more attractive than the image of a timid, lovable little woman that she had when she was with that ¡°Martial Brother Lu¡± before.


    But after Han Li saw this, he was annoyed.


    There was no question that another woman who despised men was born into this world. After experiencing the betrayal of her lover, it probably won¡¯t be easy for this woman to open her heart to another man. She probably even decided to grow old and die alone.


    This ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± didn¡¯t recognized Han Li. Han Li deliberately walked in front of her a few times, but he only received a cold expression in response. She obviously saw him as one of the people who was trying to show off to her.


    Han Li was relieved. The psychedelic power of the Joyful Meeting Pill really was strong. This woman didn¡¯t remember him at all. Because of this, the last thing for him to worry about was completely eliminated.


    But when he thought about how passionate and desirable her naked body looked that night, and then saw how cold and frozen ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± looked now, Han Li¡¯s heart was filled with desire and regrets.


    Speaking of which, the reason she would participate in the Trial by Blood and Fire was likely thanks to him. After losing the Foundation Establishment Pill, if this woman wanted to achieve Foundation Establishment, she would have to gamble for it just like him. After all, this trip to the forbidden area was the only fast path to getting a Foundation Establishment Pill.


    The disciples who were participating in the trip to the forbidden area in the Yellow Maple Valley were truly the sect¡¯s elite, all of them strong and muscular. Just counting the disciples who reached the peak of thirteenth layer, there were as much as five or six of them.


    Most of the other disciples were at the twelfth layer. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± was at the middle of the twelfth layer.


    The rest of the disciples were in the eleventh layer, and there were only three of them. Besides Han Li, there was an old man whose hair was all white and a young fellow who looked sixteen or seventeen. Seeing them made Han Li feel an uneasy chill in his heart. The three of them were probably only there to make up for the numbers and to be cannon fodder.


    Following past customs, the low-level disciples who could enter the forbidden area in the Seven Great Sect could not exceed twenty-five people. The number could only be less, but not more. For the past few times, they couldn¡¯t get enough people at all. Usually they only got about ten people to participate in the Trial by Blood and Fire.


    But this time, not only did the maximum number get reached, many elite disciples appeared here. This proved that this trip to the forbidden area for gathering medicinal herbs would definitely exceed the normal standards of the past, and the number of people who could survive would certainly be less than a quarter.


    Seeing this expected scenario, Han Li, aside from cursing in his mind, was feeling completely helpless! It was no question that these elite disciples must have each been given extra incentives by the higher powers within the sect, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have appeared here.

 Chapter 174

    Martial Ancestor Li.


    Chapter 174: Martial Ancestor Li


    After they heard Sect Master Zhong Lingdao¡¯s encouragements, two honored disciples entered the halls with trays in their hands.


    One of the trays had a gold-threaded storage pouch. The other tray had a small pile of multicolored mid-grade spirit stones. It seemed it was time to fulfill what was previously agreed. This could be considered the encouragement to fight! Han Li thought this slightly maliciously.


    The mid-grade spirit stones were basically free for everyone to choose. Han Li already had an earth attribute and a fire attribute mid-grade spirit stone, so he picked a blue, water attribute spirit stone. Nobody fought him over this.


    However, when spiritual tools were extracted from the storage pouch, the disciples gave cautious glances.


    This storage pouch was unlike common storage pouches. It only required spiritual sense to store items instead of spiritual power. In addition, any spiritual power that was injected could later be absorbed by the items stored within. This bag also interrupted a cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense inspection. So long as one extended their hand, they would be able to take out any stored spiritual tool. As for what item they would take out in the end, it would be hard to say. They could only determine it with the feel of their hand.


    This storage pouch was specialized to extract spiritual tools and had been refined precisely for this purpose. Otherwise its practicality couldn¡¯t be compared to that of common storage pouches, of which case who would use it!?


    Although it was completely filled with high-quality magic tools, defensive magic tools were rarer than offensive magic tools. Furthermore, as high-quality defensive and offensive magic tools, their characteristics were greatly different.


    If one could take out a suitable magic tool, their odds of surviving the Trial by Blood and Fire were sure to slightly increase. For those disciples lacking magic tools, they would be even more meticulous.


    However, Han Li did not care.


    On his previous trip to the city market, he swept clean the entire treasure collection that the Ten Thousand Treasures Store had accumulated for many years and was able to obtain two magic tools of the finest quality. Not to mention the Azure Flood Dragon Banner as well as other high-quality magic tools he acquired afterwards.


    To receive just another high-quality magic tool did not excite him.


    When it was Han Li¡¯s turn to step forward, most of the people had already drawn a magic tool from the bag. As for what magic tool they drew, they naturally did not say and did not take them out for others to see.


    Han Li extended his hand toward the pouch and randomly made a blind grab, acquiring a peculiar-looking object. His heart grew excited, and he instantly put it into his storage pouch while taking a stealthy glance. After moment of slight distraction, he immediately put it away.


    At this moment, the person behind him already impatiently moved forward. When Han Li saw this, he tactfully left and returned to the place where he originally stood.


    With the magic tool selection concluded, a few people came in from outside the hall. They were the many stewards Han Li saw when he first entered the sect. Martial Uncle Wang and that Old Man Ye whom Han Li truly despised were included among them.


    These people all had an unusual expression. They all respectfully escorted a square-faced old man at their center. There wasn¡¯t even a single person who dared to whisper to one another.


    The old man appeared fifty to sixty years old with his hair somewhat gray. However, he had a healthy red face and a spirited complexion with a pair of naturally imposing tiger eyes. With a single look, one could tell that this person was of a resolute disposition.


    After his gaze swept past the disciples, Han Li immediately felt that his five viscera and six bowels had been clearly seen by this person, causing him to be overwhelmed with amazement.


    The moment Great Sect Master Zhong saw this man walk in, he hastily welcomed him as ¡°Martial Uncle Li¡± with a faint trace of flattery. Seeing this, the disciples were greatly stunned.


    However, the other stewards¡¯ expressions were as usual. Not only did they lack any contempt but they also showed great envy when they saw this elder respond to Zhong Lingdao with a few words. It seemed that to have this elder respond to the words ¡°Martial Uncle¡± was a seldom held honor.


    As Han Li and the other unknowing young disciples were astonished at the sight before them, Sect Master Zhang introduced this elder to the crowd of disciples. The name of this ¡°Martial Uncle Li¡± was a name Han Li and company had long heard of. He was one of the Core Formation Martial Ancestors that they had never seen, Martial Ancestor Li.


    This trip to the forbidden area would be led by Martial Ancestor Li along with a squad of stewards, including Martial Uncle Wang.


    After Sect Master Zhong¡¯s introduction, Martial Ancestor Li very clearly and concisely said the two words ¡°Set off¡±, concluding Han Li¡¯s and the other juniors¡¯ first encounter with him. Then he took the lead, departing from the hall.


    Han Li and company were completely dumbfounded. However, they hurriedly followed closely at the stewards¡¯ urging.


    As the disciples left the hall, they inhaled a breath of cold air.


    Just as they left the hall, they saw a huge brilliant silver monster over twenty Zhang long, suspended in midair. Its enormous body produced an oppressive grandeur, bringing about a feeling of suffocation. That Martial Ancestor Li was standing on top of the head of the monster and watching them with indifference.


    Han Li rubbed his eyes and then carefully looked several times as his heart continued to jump. What he clearly saw was unexpectedly a seldom seen Silver Python. However, this python was truly extraordinary. Its head had an additional jet-black horn, causing it to appear ever more terrifying and malevolent.


    ¡°This is the strength of a Core Formation Expert. He¡¯s even able to cause this demonic beast to yield and follow his orders as he pleases. This is far too incredible!¡± Han Li was completely convinced by this Martial Ancestor¡¯s method.


    If he were to reach Core Formation, then he would also hold such great magic power. Han Li felt all the blood in his body flow backwards from excitement.


    Before he saw Martial Ancestor Li, Han Li felt that his vague and muddled path of cultivation was not clear.


    But after this moment of shock, the might of this Martial Ancestor¡¯s profoundly amazing magic gave him a clear figure to pursue on the path of cultivation, greatly securing his confidence to cultivate the path of immortality.


    ¡°Everyone, come up and stand well-behaved! My Horned Silver Python¡¯s flight speed is far faster than your magic tools. It will only require two days to reach the destination!¡±


    It was as if Martial Ancestor Li did not see the chaotic circumstances below him. After he lightly stroked the Silver Python¡¯s huge horn, he gave this instruction with a tranquil expression.


    Like that, Han Li and company stood on the python with fear and trepidation and rushed through their journey for two days and two nights. Eventually they arrived at some nameless desert mountain.


    This Martial Ancestor truly did not speak falsely. The speed of this monster¡¯s flight was truly astonishing, far greater than what the disciple¡¯s flying tools were capable of. It was only natural, as none of them had a good flying tool.


    When they arrived, the crowd of disciples received a few bits of information from the stewards. This was where the sects agreed to assemble. The Seven Great Sects would assemble there and set off together to the forbidden area since the power of a sole sect or clan was not enough to enter the forbidden area.


    The appointed time was tomorrow morning. However, because the forbidden area was within the borders of the Jing Province, Yellow Maple Valley was considered to be half a host. As a result, the sect arrived a day earlier and would wait for the other sects at this mountain.


    Right now, the crowd of disciples could freely move. Tomorrow, they would have to meet together and move in an orderly fashion.


    Since the stewards have said as such, Han Li and the others naturally dispersed. They went about the mountain doing their own things, making a few final preparations on the eve of a great battle.


    Thus, among the twenty-plus yellow-clothed disciples, there were those who sat cross-legged and honed their spirit, and others who took out their magic tools and continuously wiped them clean. There were also those who were blankly lost in thought with an appearance of deep worry.


    But there were even several people who chatted as usual, filled with ease. They were completely relaxed, as if they were on a sightseeing trip. Han Li paid particular attention to these few people.


    At this moment, Han Li heard the sounds of footsteps behind him, and he slightly wrinkled his brow. In order to remain inconspicuous, he deliberately chose to sit alone at an unremarkable corner. Why would someone come here?


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han! My humble self named Xiang salutes you! I wish to speak to Junior Martial Disciple about tomorrow¡¯s early trip to the forbidden area! This concerns Junior Martial Brother¡¯s life or death. Could we have a chat?¡±


    The aged but smooth voice caused Han Li¡¯s brows to became even more tense.


    Although Han Li had not yet seen the voice¡¯s owner, Han Li could already tell that this man was crafty and could be considered untrustworthy. He immediately assumed that trouble had come to find him!


    However, Han Li understood that it would be better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain. Although he was completely unwilling, he reluctantly turned around and saw two people behind him, one old and one short.

 Chapter 175

    Clear Void Sect.


    Chapter 175: Clear Void Sect


    After he clearly saw the two people¡¯s appearances, Han Li inwardly sighed. They were unexpectedly the same as him, disciples who have cultivated to the eleventh layer. One appeared old, but his eyes showed a trace of cunning. The other appeared honest and naive. It was clear that he was an inexperienced youngster.


    This strange pair had sought him, causing Han Li to truly feel a bit surprised. However, Han Li faintly guessed their purpose in coming after some slight thought.


    ¡°Is there something on these Senior Martial Brother¡¯s minds?¡± Han Li coldly asked from courtesy. But he used an unintimate tone, undoubtedly revealing his attempt to have them retreat from an awkward situation..


    Clearly, this Senior Martial Brother Xiang¡¯s face was far thicker than Han Li imagine. Not only did he not mind Han Li¡¯s thousand miles distant tone,  but actually used a familiar and enthusiastic tone.


    ¡°Hehe, does Junior Martial Brother Han have a good plan for tomorrow¡¯s trip to the forbidden area? Our magic power is quite meager. It¡¯s quite possible that we will be the first to fall in a fiery melee with the other sects! Wouldn¡¯t it be better for us to negotiate and think of a countermeasure?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he blinked his eyes several times and didn¡¯t speak. Nevertheless, he was completely certain of the other party¡¯s intentions. Their words were pretty close to his own guesses.


    It seemed this old schemer planned to rope in a few disciples with feeble magic power and have them move and fight together, increasing security by much as well as greatly increasing their odds of survival.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that this action came with both advantages and disadvantages.


    If people were to concentrate in one place, the area they could search would be considerably less, greatly decreasing the amount of spiritual medicines they could find. As for how the spiritual medicines would be distributed in the end, that was also hard to say!  It would probably be decided by strength.


    Han Li naturally hadn¡¯t the slightest interest in an alliance. Not only would there be no advantages but he was also more than likely to be used as cannon fodder.


    As for this old schemer, he probably held no good intentions and was certain to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain by resorting to self serving manipulations.


    The old man saw that Han Li remained speechless after he finished speaking. He couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious, so he flusteredly said, ¡°I actually have an idea. Perhaps Junior Martial Disciple has heard these words before, but this idea will absolutely ensure that everyone survives safely through the trip!¡±


    The old man put up a profoundly mysterious expression and squeezed the wrinkles on his forehead for a moment; Han Li found his appearance to be quite humorous.


    The yellow-haired youngster next to him seemed to greatly admire this old schemer. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, he exposed an expectant expression towards the old man.


    Since he absolutely wasn¡¯t going to join their alliance, Han Li was unwilling to be tangled any further and bluntly rejected, ¡°I am sorry. My humble self is not accustomed to working with others. I also do not intend to do so this time as well. If Senior Martial Brother wishes to join hands with others, then it would best to look for other Junior Martial Brothers!¡±


    Han Li spoke very straightforwardly and incisively.


    Han Li knew that only by clearly showing that he wasn¡¯t an inexperienced novice would he able to make the other party give up and not continue to tangle with him. Otherwise, if this Senior Martial Brother Xiang felt there was the slightest chance to convince his fellow sect member, he would mostly likely continue to pester him. Han Li did not want to be bothered by this person.


    When Old Man Xiang heard this, he realized he sought the wrong target. Although the person before him seemed quite young, his words were practiced and careful. He was clearly an experienced person who had passed through trials and hardships. The old man spoke no more rubbish and took his leave with a slightly angry appearance.


    Han Li saw them head in the direction of another disciple who was currently meditating on top of a rock.


    Han Li faintly smiled and turned his body back, continuing to observe the several noteworthy fellow sect members. However, this time he saw ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± and a woman of a common appearance standing next to her. There were a few talented and handsome men faintly gathering nearby.


    The corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth moved several times. Although he did not know why, he felt unfavorably towards those few men. He finally decided that what was out of sight was out of mind, and looked for an uninhabited area to close his eyes and rest..


    Like that, the next morning had arrived. All of the disciples arrived at the mountain peak once more and stood in orderly rows, waiting for the arrival of the other Immortal sects.


    After waiting for several hours, they had yet to see a single person, causing Han Li to inwardly rain endless curses. He almost suspected that the other sects were doing this deliberately as to consume the physical strength of everyone from Yellow Maple Valley.


    However, what caused Han Li to feel even more distraught was that, as chance had it, ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± had been assigned to stand to his right. With the familiar scent of her body occasionally entering his nostrils, his imagination was somewhat let loose as if he was returning to that extremely alluring night.


    In order to cover up the oddities from his face, with no better option left, Han Li lowered his head and feigned the appearance of great unease. However, his heart was filled with great and unending complaints. She was a pretty woman, but could her beauty go as far as for him to lose his self control?


    However, this Martial Ancestor Li whom Han Li greatly admired stood at the very front. He stood with his face to the sky and was able to stand in such a manner for an unexpectedly long amount of time. It was unknown whether or not he went on a mental journey or if he was pondering about something!


    Suddenly, Han Li felt a disturbance in his surroundings. It seemed that something happened!


    He could not help but raise his head.


    His fellow sect members all looked up toward the sky without exception and looked toward the horizon. Han Li also followed their gazes.


    He saw that there were several star-like twinkling streaks of light in the deep blue sky, gradually growing larger. A short moment later, a series of black dots also appeared.


    Underneath the black dots, the silver lights flashed; it seemed the black dots were riding the streaks of starlight across the sky.


    Seeing this marvel, everyone became even more restless.


    ¡°Quiet! What kind of children are you? This is the Clear Void Sect¡¯s flying magic tool, the Rainbow Snowsilk. Do not make a fuss and lose face for our Yellow Maple Valley.¡± A short and stout middle-aged steward turned his head to give several reprimanding words with a dark complexion.


    Those words were quite effective. The restlessness was immediately settled, and after that, there were only occasional whispers.


    At this moment, the black dots already became clear. Each of them was a cultivator wearing gray Daoist robes. The majority of them were true Daoist Priests, each holding a horsetail whisk with their hair tied up into a bun. However, those who did not wear Daoist robes appeared to be mortals, as if they were sheltered children who had yet to leave home.


    Han Li and the others clearly saw that the stars beneath their feet were actually a stiff white rainbow bridge covered with dazzling specks of silver white light. It was unknown how the specks of light were embedded within the object.


    As Han Li carefully watched the scene, the white rainbow bridge carrying the Clear Void Sect¡¯s members descended onto the mountain and landed across from the members of Yellow Maple Valley.


    Their leader, a middle-aged Daoist Priest, lightly moved his hand, and the white light flashed. The Rainbow Snowsilk¡¯s rainbow bridges disappeared, and in his hand appeared a brocade object.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Benefactor Li would be leading this time. This humble Daoist Fu Yunzi greets you!¡± This Daoist Priest walked several steps to the front of Martial Ancestor Li and spoke with radiant happiness. From his tone, it seemed they were acquaintances.


    ¡°Humph! If this old facetious Daoist could come, then why couldn¡¯t I come?¡± Martial Ancestor Li bluntly said with both hands behind his back.


    ¡°Hehe, within each sect, we¡¯ve entered Core Formation the latest. If we didn¡¯t do these errands, who would?¡± The Daoist Priest didn¡¯t mind in the least, and he swung his horsetail whisk with a constant smile.


    ¡°This old facetious Daoist is wily and cunning. Last time, you brought suffering upon me. Don¡¯t think you will get the chance to do so again!¡±


    ¡°What is Benefactor Li talking about? Recognizing lost bets is a right and proper matter. Who was possibly wronged?¡± The Daoist Priest laughed.


    When Martial Ancestor Li heard this, a cold light flashed through his eyes. It seemed that he was about to be angry, but he immediately thought of something and stepped down with grandeur, unwillingly saying, ¡°After that chunk of iron essence was refined into your great azure sword, its power greatly increased; This Li spent ten years purifying it but nonetheless had to cheaply give it away to this old facetious Daoist!¡±


    His words contained great grievances. It was clear he felt much heartache over that iron essence.


    ¡°Hehe, so it turns out that the renowned Immortal Master Li actually cared so much about a mere piece of iron essence! Fine, this time I will produce another item, one definitely greater than that iron essence. If you win this bet, you will be able to make up for your previous loss.¡±  The Daoist Priest said with a smile as he twirled his beard.

 Chapter 176

    Making a Bet.


    Chapter 176: Making a Bet


    ¡°No bet! Absolutely not! Do you think that I would do the same thing twice?¡± Martial Ancestor Li shook his head as if he were beating a drum and voiced his refusal.


    ¡°No bet? Benefactor Li¡¯s standards are actually so high. Does the blood from the inner core of a demonic flood dragon not even enter his eyes?¡± The Daoist priest wore an astonished expression as if he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    However, when Han Li saw his expression, he felt it was very false.


    ¡°Blood from a flood dragon¡¯s inner core?¡± Although Martial Ancestor Li originally intended to absolutely refuse to be pulled into a relationship with the Daoist priest, when he heard the name of the item, his expression abruptly changed, and his words somewhat trembled.


    ¡°Yes! If Benefactor Li wants to know about this item, I shall explain. Thirty years ago, at the dangerous rapids of the State of Yuan Wu¡¯s Coiling Dragon River, I paid a great price for this item so I could procure it for Benefactor!¡± The Daoist Priest calmly and leisurely said while eating up the other party¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Impossible! How could the blood of a flood dragon be acquired, not to mention blood kept in its inner core. This is not something that can be said without thinking. Are you making fun of me?¡± Martial Ancestor Li sobered up from his excitement and exposed an appearance of doubt.


    ¡°Is this humble Daoist not a monk? I would not lie. Benefactor can take a look for himself.¡±


    The Daoist Priest did not want to waste time explaining and merely flipped his hand, revealing a white sphere filled with wisps of blood. Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s eyes widened, wishing he could rush over and grab it.


    ¡°If Benefactor¡¯s Horned Silver Python were to consume this core and undergo secluded cultivation for ten to twenty years, in all likelihood it would leap from the middle stage of Foundation Establishment to the late stage. With another hundred years of bitter cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible  toenter Core Formation.¡± The Daoist Priest¡¯s words were filled with enticement.


    When Martial Ancestor Li heard these words, he coldly snorted and stiffened his face. It seemed he was unmoved, but his indefinite and flickering gaze exposed the restlessness of his heart.


    ¡°With such a rare wager, why is Benefactor hesitating for so long? Could it be you truly don¡¯t think very highly of the strength of your valley¡¯s disciples?¡± The Daoist Priest curled his lips, goading him to accept.


    ¡°To say the disciples of our Yellow Maple Valley are inferior to those of your Clear Void Sect is overcritical.¡± Martial Ancestor Li wore a displeased expression.


    He swept his eyes past the party behind the Daoist Priest and immediately gained a rough estimate of the Clear Void Sect¡¯s disciples. Their strength was about the same as that of the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples.


    ¡°Fine, I will gamble! However, what treasure of mine would you have me wager?¡±


    After a moment of consideration from Martial Ancestor Li, he felt that his odds of winning were fifty percent. With the addition of his extreme longing for that inner core, he eventually nodded and agreed. However, he still cautiously asked that question.


    ¡°Hehe, this humble Daoist isn¡¯t interested in any of Benefactor¡¯s other treasures. If he happens to luckily win, then he desires Benefactor to give this humble Daoist two equivalent chunks of iron essence twenty years from now. The essence of Benefactor Li¡¯s True Fire is clear. It is quite famous among the Seven Great Sects. For you, this is surely a trivial matter!¡± The Daoist Priest said with squinted eyes and a smile. Even so, a faint trace of treachery was contained within his words.


    ¡°You want two equivalent chunks of iron essence?¡± Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s complexion was unsightly and he almost jumped immediately after hearing these words.


    ¡°You old facetious Daoist, you plan to have me toil bitterly!¡±


    ¡°How is that? So long as you win, you aren¡¯t required to. This is the inner core of a grade two demonic beast, equivalent to that of us initial Core Formation stage experts. It is absolutely worth the price.¡± The Daoist Priest said while shaking his head.


    Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s complexion grew uncertain. After a moment, he eventually extended his palm and coldly asked, ¡°Are we following the same rules as last time? Which sect gathers the most spiritual medicines, followed by the quality, and lastly the number of people who leave the forbidden area alive!?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will be the same as before.¡±


    The Daoist Priest was greatly happy and hastily extended his palm. He struck it against the other party¡¯s, officializing the bet.


    A sharp Pa! sound out.


    Although the Daoist Priest struck his palm, he wasn¡¯t happy in the least and was actually grieving.


    The palm he struck was not Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s, but rather a different, filthy hand. This hand strangely appeared between the two and was covered with grease and filth. Nobody knew when it had last been washed!


    Two sects¡¯ disciples who had been closely paying attention to the two Martial Ancestors¡¯ dialogue were stunned by this ghostly scene.


    ¡°Senior Qiong!¡±


    The Daoist Priest and Martial Ancestor Li yelled at the same time with a green complexion.


    ¡°Who is a Senior? I don¡¯t dare to be regarded as such. I am at Core Formation, much like yourselves. It¡¯s just that I happened to enter it a few years earlier!¡± The lazy voice that came from between them was spoken by a queerly dressed man.


    This person wore a blue garment with several patches and had short hair that was several inches long. He had an azure cloth bag at his waist that had been washed pale. Even though his bag made it seem like he was a person who loved cleanliness, his face was smothered with dark grease to the point where his true face could not be seen.


    ¡°A few years? More like several hundred!¡±


    After clearly seeing the person¡¯s appearance, Martial Ancestor Li  and the Daoist Priest bitterly smiled. They both let out a regretful sigh, ¡®It was this person as expected¡¯. However, they didn¡¯t dare to show the slightest disrespect.


    Not only was this eccentric a step into the Nascent Soul stage, but his age alone was large enough to scare people. Furthermore, his self-created Incorporeal Evasion Technique had shaken the cultivation world and was well-known in the cultivation sects of nearby countries.


    It was unknown whether it was because his death was imminent or if he was unable to enter Nascent Soul, but in the past hundred years, he had become more and more eccentric and became very fond of teasing other Core Formation experts. Nearly all of the tens of these high-level experts had been pranked to exhaustion.


    However, there was nothing even his sect¡¯s Great Martial Ancestors could do to him.


    With regards to the deepness of his magic power,  this person was number one among Core Formation Experts. As for background, he was a member of the strongest sect among the Seven Great Sects, the Masked Moon Sect. If one were to look for one of the sect¡¯s Nascent Soul ¡°Authorities¡± to lecture him, these ¡°Authorities¡± were likely to ignore those people as they were unwilling to invite trouble over such trivial matters!


    As it was, this person was among the higher powers in the cultivation world, known for being an evil tyrant and a hoodlum. Essentially, whoever saw him was subject to the whims of fate! They could only hope that his mood for the day was good, else suffering from his small tricks would be unavoidable!


    When this ¡°Senior¡± suddenly graced them with his presence, how could Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest not be startled and feel their stomachs grow restless!? These two people have already suffered from his torment!


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve made a wager, just so that you¡¯re not too lonely, count this rotten old man in as well!¡± This great Senior¡¯s mood seemed to be quite good; however, his words caused the two to complain incessantly.


    ¡°Senior must be joking. How could the disciples of our sects compare to the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s brilliant students? We would be certain to lose, so there is no need to gamble. We respectfully concede!¡± said the Daoist Priest with a forced smile.


    Martial Ancestor Li closed his lips, but his face revealed an expression that showed he was a hundred and twenty percent in favor of those words.


    When the exalted old man heard this, he coldly laughed several times and turned his eyes, strangely saying, ¡°How could I take such an unfair advantage? Be at ease, so long as the performance of both your sects surpass my own, then that will count as my loss. Afterwards, you can then decide who won among yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    When the Daoist Priest heard this, he could not help but let out a breath of relief. Although this person was moody and laughed or scolded as he desired, his words were certainly resolute and decisive, and he never turned his back on a promise. With that said, this wager could be regarded as fair, even giving the two a small advantage.


    ¡°I refined these three Incorporeal Needle treasure talismans at a whim, but I don¡¯t have any juniors, so I will stake them in the gamble!¡± This Elder raised his hand, suddenly revealing three talismans with a seven-colored needle drawn on each one. He then put them away in an instant.


    When Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest saw this, they were unable to conceal the alarm on their faces. They couldn¡¯t help but look at each other and make out the greed in each other¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 177

    Righteous and Evil of the Cultivation World


    This treasure was refined from the essence of the five metals and was meant to be integrated with this man¡¯s creation, the Incorporeal Evasion Technique. It could arrive without a shadow and leave without a trace. As it could injure without form, it was truly difficult to deal with.


    It was said that it would even give Nascent Soul experts a grand headache; it was one of the treasures this Senior relied on to oppress others.


    Even if they obtained the Formless Needle treasure talisman, on the mere basis of its miraculous invisibility, it could be considered a wondrous life-saving treasure. At the very least, Core Formation experts would be unable to cope with this strange object.


    ¡°Good, this one will wager in accordance to this exalted Senior¡¯s words!¡± After slight consideration, the Daoist Priest agreed after feeling that the terms were acceptable.


    As for Martial Ancestor Li, with the thought of reaping huge benefits, he clenched his teeth and tacitly agreed.


    Pa! Pa!


    The three mutually struck their palms with each other, making their wager official.


    ¡°Senior, why have you come here? Could it be that the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s group consists of only you?¡± Once the three separated, the Daoist Priest suddenly thought of something and asked this question.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought a group, so the sect can feel at ease. The one leading the sect is that girl Ni Chang. I¡¯ve merely come along to see whether or not there were any new ferocious young people in any of the other sects,¡± the esteemed Senior unhappily remarked after widely opening his eyes.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve taken a look, they¡¯re pretty much the same! I reckon that the truly talented disciples in Martial Nephew¡¯s sect would hardly be put forward. They would certainly be treated like treasures. Think about it! Without experiencing dangerous encounters, what¡¯s the use if they are talented? The moment they meet nefarious entities, they will be slaughtered like sheep!¡±


    This Senior seemed to greatly disapprove of the sect¡¯s way of handling things and wore a ¡°You are all gravely mistaken¡± expression.


    When Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest heard this, their faces didn¡¯t change in the slightest, but they were cursing silently in their hearts.


    ¡®This old eccentric actually says this easily. How would our sects lightly bring out our more talented disciples to participate in this Trial by Fire where they¡¯re almost certain to die? Do you think of us as idiots! They could go elsewhere to get experience, why insist in coming to this Trial by Blood and Fire?¡¯


    Naturally, these words could only be smothered in their bellies. They absolutely wouldn¡¯t dare to speak this in front of this man. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t that just be bringing misfortune upon themselves? The Daoist Priest and Martial Ancestor were rather tactful.


    Naturally, this further proved that in the cultivation world, those with large fists have simple reasoning.


    The disciples of the two sects clearly heard about the matter of the trio¡¯s wager on the trip to the forbidden area and could not help but burst into an uproar. Their expressions had nothing in common and appeared extremely odd.


    Naturally, no one would be so stupid to directly denounce the three, so they could only keep their resentment to themselves. Otherwise, with the mere movement of their pinkie, the lives of these novice cultivator were forfeit.


    When Martial Ancestor Li saw those two depart, he turned around to sweep his face across the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples. Then he coldly said a few words that caused Han Li and the others to be stunned, ¡°I am aware that you feel our wager on your lives seems to hold you in far too little regard. Were it someone else, perhaps they would  provide an excuse, but I have always disdained this! I will clearly tell you that this is the true appearance and cruel nature of the cultivation world. This can be considered a few words of advice.¡±


    ¡°Hear this well. In the world of cultivation, regardless of whether you¡¯re a righteous person from a prestigious clan or an evil fiend who abandoned the Dao, advancement is an act against nature where only the strong survive. However, those who are righteous progress slowly, and their success will flow naturally where conditions are correct; their cultivation arts are relatively gentle. But they often act villainously under the false pretense of exterminating evil and defending the Dao, mostly hypocrites that feign righteousness. Those demonic sects that follow the Dao of Devils make every effort to greatly advance their magic power, blindly pursuing formidable, mighty cultivation arts and fiercely cultivating malicious amount of Yin energy. They are also disliked for being opportunistic. Although they claim to be following their heart¡¯s desires and displaying their true nature, in reality, their actions gradually become more extreme as they progress in cultivation. They lose their human nature until they become bloodthirsty and cruel.¡±


    ¡°However, regardless of whether the sect lies on the righteous or evil side, it is only a matter of how they are portrayed. In reality, both follow the rule that the weak are prey to the strong. Us cultivators are the same as the mortals of the secular world! Experts on the higher realm of cultivation look upon low-level cultivators as powerless insects. They are unworthy of being spoken to and will die in a single strike. This is a normal matter.¡±


    With this said, Martial Ancestor Li paused. His voice seemed to hold some disapproval toward these so-called righteous and evil sects. This attitude caused the disciples to feel somewhat confused. A somewhat bold disciple could not help but ask, ¡°Martial Ancestor, is our Yellow Maple Valley righteous or villainous?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! We are neither righteous nor villainous. The other six sects are also the same.¡± He replied with a cold smile.


    ¡°You are all young, and the time since you¡¯ve entered the sect is short. That is why you haven¡¯t yet been informed of the history of the State of Yue¡¯s cultivation world!¡±


    ¡°A thousand years ago, our State of Yue was like the other regions, in opposition between Righteousness and Evil. During that time, the Seven Great Sects were small sects that had yet to enter the fray. In order to survive, they were forced to become righteous or evil according to the way the wind blew. If a side¡¯s strength was slightly greater, those small sects would join that side.These Great Righteous and Evil Sects fundamentally looked down upon them with contempt. However, later the Righteous and Evil sides broke out into an extremely desperate battle that exhausted all of their experts. After that battle, their strength was greatly depleted, so they no longer had the strength to suppress Yellow Maple Valley along with the other small sects. After a period of time, our Seven Great Sects managed to join hands and surpass the two sides, thoroughly extinguishing their ideology and avoiding future problems.¡±


    ¡°The current cultivation arts you¡¯ve learned are actually the spoils of war from back then. This was the period when our Seven Great Sects established ourselves as the lone great powers in the State of Yue. If there are still Righteous or Evil sects that wish to invade this place, our seven sects will immediately join hands and repel them. We will absolutely prevent them from establishing themselves. As a result, the cultivation arts our Seven Great Sects teach include those from both Righteous and Evil sects along with a few unique ones as well. In the dispute, we could be regarded as neutral.¡±


    When Martial Ancestor Li said this, he couldn¡¯t help but wear a content expression.


    ¡°Previously, you all continuously and bitterly cultivated in the valley. Whenever you left the sect mountains, you¡¯ve all traveled around the large area of the State of Yue but have never met with the true world of cultivation, nor have yet experienced the dark and bloody side of the cultivation world. However during earlier periods, on the sides of Righteousness and Evil existed the Five Great Cultivation Schools side by side: Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, Devilish, and Demonic. The degree of chaos during that time exceeds your very imagination, making it seem as if pillaging and genocide were simply common occurrences¡±


    With this said, his expression grew completely solemn, but soon after his face relaxed. Then he coldly added, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to wake you all up a bit to prevent you all from becoming arrogant. Remember that in the world of cultivation, if your strength does not equal another¡¯s, don¡¯t blindly speak respectful words. This so-called respect can only be given to those experts far above the rest, otherwise you¡¯ll be bringing about your own destruction! Hehe, I wonder how many of you will live to truly comprehend these words after a few days?¡±


    When Han Li and the other disciples had heard this, they were already at a loss for words and were exceptionally shocked. The words spoken to these disciples were far too surprising.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve heard the wager we made previously. This particular wager, however, is quite significant to me! So long as I win the wager, I definitely won¡¯t treat you all unfairly. Those disciples who help me win will be heavily rewarded. As for the one who contributes the most, I will personally take him as a disciple after he reaches Foundation Establishment.¡±


    The Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples who still hadn¡¯t comprehended the ¡°sincere advice¡± were suddenly excited by the grand promise following it.


    To be able to become an apprentice to a Core Formation expert, those who received this privilege were but a few tens. This was a golden opportunity that only occurred every thousand years!


    Seeing the crowd before him excited with eagerness in each of their eyes, Martial Ancestor Li faintly smiled and was greatly satisfied. So long as he won this wager, to remember three or four disciple¡¯s names was a trivial matter. At most he would simply settle down in some area and pass down some superficial cultivation arts. Wasn¡¯t that matter easily resolved?

 Chapter 178

    Masked Moon Sect


    Han Li was moved after hearing the reward. He knew clearly that on the path of cultivation, he could definitely go through less trouble if a master could guide and point him in the right direction. This would benefit his cultivation.


    But at the same time, this Martial Ancestor Li was definitely not someone he could lie to easily. Han Li had plenty of secrets himself, and if he was in contact with him for too long, Han Li was afraid that he would sense that something was wrong. If Martial Ancestor Li questioned him, it would be Han Li seeking his own death.


    Moreover, hearing those pieces of ¡°advice¡± he gave earlier, this person must not be someone who cherished the relationship between a master and a disciple. He would most likely use the discipleship to have others prey on the weak and kill for the treasure.


    After thinking about it carefully, Han Li¡¯s somewhat enticed mind calmed down right away.


    The other Yellow Maple Valley disciples didn¡¯t have these kinds of misgivings. They were each rubbing their palms as their morale rose greatly. Now they not only had to battle for their survival, but they also had to fight for their own future.


    Han Li unconsciously took a look at Junior Martial Sister Chen and saw her blushed cheeks, her fists that were held tightly, and her shining eyes. It looked like she had made her decision.


    Han Li sighed to himself and didn¡¯t bother to keep paying attention to other people from the Yellow Maple Valley. Instead he looked towards the Clear Void Sect.


    That Daoist Priest was shooting off his mouth to the people of the sect. He acted very excited from time to time and made those young Daoist Priests cheer each time. Each one of them was excited. It seemed like the brainwashing was successful. Of course, there were also some elder Daoist Priests whose expressions remained calm all along, not affected whatsoever.


    Just as Han Li thought it was interesting and was enjoying it, someone suddenly yelled,


    ¡°Look! The people from the Masked Moon Sect are here! It¡¯s the Heavenly Divine Moon Boat!¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li was stunned and looked up into the sky.


    A small bright, white dot was shining in the sky, slowly approaching.


    Its speed was extremely fast. No long after, it was in the sky above the mountain. It was actually an enormous ship sculpted from green jade. Outside the wall of the ship was a delicate drawing of a dragon and a phoenix, making the ship seem extremely luxurious. There was even an incredibly large white shield surrounding the ship.


    The ship was filled with a large crowd, half of them men and the other half women, all of whom were clad in white. The one leader was an attractive young woman who was well-dressed. Each of her movements was amorous and stirred people¡¯s souls.


    After this woman got off from the jade ship and removed the white shield, she opened her almond-shaped lips lightly and said, ¡°Two Martial Brothers, Martial Uncle Qiong, here is Ni Chang¡¯s greetings!¡±


    Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest couldn¡¯t dare to keep her waiting and immediately returned the courtesy. On the other hand, that Senior Qiong grinned on contrary, when suddenly his figure became blurry. He disappeared into the air, leaving a sentence and some prideful yet strange laughter.


    ¡°Seven days from now, I will come back here. Prepare the wager beforehand! This time I will surely win!¡±


    The Daoist Priest and Martial Ancestor Li looked at each other. They didn¡¯t know why this old man had such confidence! They checked earlier, and even though the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s disciples were indeed stronger than their two sects, there was no reason to boast.


    The young woman¡¯s beautiful eyes looked around, and she asked out of curiosity. After finding out the details of the bet, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh; her laughter could shake a flower¡¯s branches and suck in people¡¯s hearts and souls.


    That young woman¡¯s flirtatious manner made many of the young male disciples from the three sects stare blatantly and almost drool.


    But the Daoist Priest and Martial Ancestor Li couldn¡¯t care about the wonderful scene in front of them since both of their hearts just dropped. They felt like they had walked into a trap, and their faces couldn¡¯t help but become bitter.


    Was it possible that the Masked Moon Sect had some kind of trump card prepared for this trip that could suppress both of the sects?


    The two of them controlled themselves. Even though they felt gloomy about this, they felt embarrassed to directly ask the young woman for the whole story. As for the beautiful young woman, Celestial Ni Chang, she naturally pretended not to know about it and took pleasure in doing so. She led the conversation away and started chatting about some other interesting things.


    The sight of Han Li and the other male disciples from Yellow Maple Valley had already focused onto the large crowd of female disciples that just arrived.


    They had previously heard that the Masked Moon Sect promoted pair cultivation techniques, so at least half of the recruited disciples were females, and they absolutely did not accept below-average appearances.


    Now seeing it for themselves, the female disciples¡¯ reputation was really well-deserved. This group of women were each ravishingly beautiful, as fair as a flower, and gorgeous like the moon. Watching them made them keep drooling, their minds running wild.


    Han Li was slightly better off. Although for a moment he feasted his eyes, with his outstanding willpower he was quickly able to restrain his mind and calm his heart.


    That was when he realized that the female disciples from the Masked Moon Sect seemed to be used to being watched by so many people at the same time. Their expression didn¡¯t change as they chatted among themselves freely. Some of them even winked a few times towards the people who were watching them, making those spectators lose strength in their legs and have butterflies in their stomachs without knowing what to make of it.


    But the male disciple¡¯s reactions were exactly the opposite. Each of their eyes showed anger. They especially cared of the young girls beside them, so they furiously returned the gaze of everyone who was staring.


    Han Li smiled softly. He understood just by looking at the men and women standing together in pairs that even if these pairs were not really couples, they must be pairs that had been arranged for cultivation. That was why the male disciples were so furious! They probably already saw the person beside them as their private property, even if the female disciples didn¡¯t think the same way.


    Strangely, Han Li noticed that the male disciples were staring not only at the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples, but also toward the people from the Clear Void Sect.


    Under his curiosity, he turned his head and saw that the small and vigorous Daoist Priests were indeed peeking at the young girls from time to time and then immediately turned their sight away, as if they were afraid of being caught in their act. They seemed extremely sneaky.


    Han Li tried to press down the hilarious feeling in his heart, afraid that he would actually laugh out loud!


    Although he wasn¡¯t sure whether he got the right impression, Han Li kept having the feeling that the female disciples from the Masked Moon Sect were giving more flirtatious winks to the small Daoist Priests than to the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s side.


    This left him speechless for a while.


    But when he thought better of it, Han Li felt dreadful in his heart. These disciples did not come here to flirt but rather for a battle of survival. If each of the sect¡¯s young disciples went up against the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s female disciples, Han Li was afraid that they would lose a third of the battle even before the fight started. After all, not everyone would be able to directly take down these beautiful women.


    But what puzzled Han Li even more was that the disciples from the Masked Moon Sect, regardless of whether they were either a man or a woman, they were all very young. Not one of them was old, which didn¡¯t make sense. If someone were to say that some of these people were actually old monsters that possessed eternal youth, Han Li would absolutely not believe it. Watching their flirtatious actions, they were at most about twenty years old, and there were no signs of aging on their figures.


    But since this Trial by Blood and Fire was known as a suicidal trip, it was impossible for so many young people to come here to die on their own volition. Even if that were the case, it was impossible for them to come in so many pairs. Han Li would die before he believed that their relationships were all so deep that they could live and die together.


    Both the Yellow Maple Valley and the Clear Void Sect had some elderly figures in their line-up.


    Because their time was almost up, even if they didn¡¯t participate in this trip to the forbidden area, they wouldn¡¯t live long. Therefore they vainly attempted to make a last-ditch effort. If they could successfully obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill and then luckily enter Foundation Establishment, their fate would be completely different. Even though there would definitely be no hope of cultivating to Core Formation, it would still be a gain to be able to live for another hundred years.


    Even though there weren¡¯t that many old folks with these thoughts who came to participate in the Trial by Blood and Fire, there was still a total of seven or eight from the two sects, and yet the Masked Moon Sect didn¡¯t have any. This was a bit strange in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest seemed to have realized that something was wrong, and their faces darkened even more. Even though they were still chatting with Celestial Ni Chang from the Masked Moon Sect, anyone could tell that they have drifted off in their minds.


    Shortly after, the rest of the four sects all arrived one by one. The ones who left the biggest impression on Han Li were the ones from the Giant Sword Sect and the Spirit Beast Mountain.


    Everyone from the Giant Sword Sect was male. They were all dressed in black, each with a giant, sheath-less sword on their backs. With extremely cold expressions on their faces, they each gave off a murderous spirit.


    The people from the Spirit Beast Mountain were dressed in very colorful and flashy clothing, wearing all kinds of leather with numerous pockets. There even seemed to be living creatures moving around in their clothes. This frightened the disciples from the other sects to no end.


    As for the people from the Saber Transformation Dock and the Heavenly Imperial Fortress, aside from how they each dressed, they were at least considered normal people in Han Li¡¯s eyes. They were like the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples, and many of them were whispering with nervous faces.

 Chapter 179

    Breaking the Barrier


    While the leaders of every sect gathered together to discuss how to open the forbidden area, Han Li was not idle. He was sizing up the vicious characters of each of the sects.


    Toward a few experts at the peak of the thirteenth layer of their cultivation art, Han Li was calculating whether he could hide, escape or hide behind someone. Han Li absolutely didn¡¯t wish for another battle like the one he had with ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± and exhaust every last drop of magic power.


    It should be known that this situation was completely different from that last time. This time, he didn¡¯t face a single enemy, but rather great numbers of red-eyed cultivators. If he did not preserve his strength and continuously maintain his power to strike back, he would certainly be one of the first to be eliminated.


    While he was looking from the side and pondering, Han Li suddenly felt as if someone was staring at him. He was slightly alarmed and could not help but return the gaze.


    A female disciple from the Spirit Beast Mountain was somewhat evasively looking at Han Li. After seeing her beautiful face, he unexpectedly felt somewhat familiar with her.


    Han Li was shocked. He recognized that woman. A slim figure appeared from the depths of his memory.


    ¡°It¡¯s her, the girl who sold me the Golden Sincerity Brush at the Great South Valley. How did she enter Spirit Beast Mountain set and participate in this Trial by by Blood and Fire?¡± The young woman was even more charming than he had remembered, causing him to be somewhat doubtful.


    However, her easily blushing face remained fresh in his memory, and he felt very favorable towards her!


    With this thought, he could not help but smile toward the young woman.


    It was obvious the young woman had clearly seen his smile since her two cheeks were suddenly flushed red. It seemed she was as easily embarrassed as before!


    The fully bearded man who stood behind the young woman seemed to notice the actions of Han Li and the young woman, and his complexion sunk. He suddenly said something to the young woman in a stern voice, and the young woman¡¯s expression immediately paled. She lowered her head silently, no longer daring to look towards Han Li¡¯s direction!


    That man did not let the matter go and stared at Han Li with a malicious gaze.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. It seemed the days that the girl spent at Spirit Beast Mountain had been harsh. This fully bearded man was actually one of the vicious characters he had taken note of a moment ago, one of the disciples with a cultivation at the thirteenth layer. This young woman was being so carefully watched by him; it was certain she had suffered quite a bit.


    However, Han Li was not a person from Spirit Beast Mountain. Furthermore, once they were in the forbidden area, those who weren¡¯t enemies at the moment would become enemies. He naturally did not respond to the provocation and paid no attention to the grimace aimed at him.


    Han Li¡¯s action angered the bearded man until his face flowed with blood. However, he had no method to grab Han Li, and with no better option, he turned his head to the young woman and roared several words in a low voice, provoking the nearby Spirit Beast Mountain disciples until they raised their eyebrows. Most of them glanced at the young woman with a look of hatred.


    Han Li grew sullen and felt much pity toward the young woman. However, because he was separated by such a long distance, he was unable to clearly hear what the bearded man was saying.


    Because he did not want to wrong this young woman again, Han Li no longer incited this boor who knew no manners toward women. Though, Han Li was confident that he had sufficient methods to cause this person to seethe with anger without being able to retaliate.


    At this moment, each of the sect¡¯s Martial Ancestor finished their talks and returned to their sect¡¯s disciples. They then brought their juniors into the air, flying toward the famed forbidden area.


    After flying for several hours toward the border of the State of Yuan Wu, they fell onto an expansive yellow earth slope that had no end. Apart from a pile of stones, not a single blade of grass could be seen. There was only a vast, endless yellow as far as the eye could see.


    ¡°Could it be here?¡±


    Han Li and the others felt greatly surprised. This truly did not look like a place where spiritual objects of Heaven and Earth were nurtured.


    Several of the Core Formation experts gathered again to say a few words, Then a tall and sturdy expert from the Giant Sword Sect suddenly walked out alone. After he walked forward about ten steps, he stopped.


    He extended his left hand, and yellow light surged forth from the floor. It was as if a yellow dragon sprung forth from the mud and condensed into a giant mud sword in his hand.


    With a finger from his right hand, he softly stroked the sword from the handle to its point. A bright white light shined along his finger, making the mud sword gray in an instant, turning it into a giant heavy stone sword.


    This skill of turning mud into stone was a mid-grade magic technique, causing the disciples of the seven sects to be astonished and widely opening their horizons.


    After this was done, the expert from the Giant Sword Sect did not stop. Instead, he felt the sword in both hands and lowered his body. With a large shout, he threw the stone sword as fast as a meteor, sharply launching straight it into the sky.


    This event shook the hearts of those who were present. When the stone sword barely flew the distance of several tens of steps, it immediately touched something. After a sudden tremor, it turned to fine dust, and an azure light covered the great expanse of the sky, causing everybody¡¯s skin to shine with an azure glow.


    While the crowd of disciples was scared witless,  the azure light intensely surged for no reason, causing countless wind blades to scream out. They madly flew out everywhere, creating a wall of wind blades that neither wind nor rain could penetrate. The wind wall had no end to either side, and nobody knew where it ended. The azure light let out the hisses of wind from all direction.


    If someone were to enter the wall, they would immediately know the feeling of death from a thousand cuts and turn into tens of thousands of pieces.


    ¡®This restrictive barrier is truly astonishing, and yet nobody knows what kind of remarkable ancient expert was able to set up such a tremendously ferocious spell formation. In comparison, Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s protective formations are like that of a child playing around. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡¯ Han Li thought, inwardly sighing.


    At this moment, the Giant Sword Sect¡¯s expert shook his head and walked back. The remaining leaders declared that the time had yet to come and told the disciples to first rest for a short time. They would open the forbidden area in a moment.


    Like that, the person from the Giant Sword Sect did the same thing every two hours to test the strength of the restrictive barrier. When the fourth stone word was thrown, the amount of wind blades rushing forth from the azure light clearly decreased by a great amount.


    With these circumstances, the six other Core Formation experts took the same actions and flew out shoulder to shoulder.


    Martial Ancestor Li held out his hand; a ring-shaped object about a foot-long slowly emerged from his palm, releasing a fierce silver radiance. The Daoist Priest patted the back of his head and spouted out an inch-long azure light from his mouth. As it flew down the wind, it lengthened, transforming into a flying sword several feet long.


    The other five respectively let out extremely dazzling items: a pink ribbon, a dragon-like walking stick, a huge black green sword, a long saber emitting red light, an official¡¯s seal flickering with yellow light.


    The seven items from the seven people enhanced each other¡¯s brilliance, creating the appearance of a ring that charged directly into the great formation of wind blades.


    These were the magic treasures that these experts created after years of bitter temperament once they entered Core Formation.


    Each of the sect¡¯s disciples didn¡¯t dare to be negligent. Under the orders of their Foundation Establishment Seniors, they all stood behind the seven ancestors in seven columns, preparing to enter the forbidden area at any time.


    A burst of loud rumbling sounded out as the seven magic treasures fiercely fought against the wind blades. All sorts of rays of light shot off in every direction, producing a strange whistle from time to time that caused the disciples who were watching to become very nervous.


    Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s foot-long ring spun and revolved continuously, releasing silver lights that at some moments seemed large and other times seemed small as if it were communicating with spirits.  Countless wind blades struck against it.


    The azure flying sword transformed into a flood dragon more than thirty meters long. Each of the sword strikes carried a strange cry that astonished one¡¯s soul.


    The other five magic treasures were also remarkable, especially that Mei Tianque¡¯s yellow seal. It was the most powerful. Each time it crushed down, it was as if a small mountain arose with the sound of thunder bursting out. However, after each attack, it withdrew and returned to its original form. Furthermore, its flight was slow and clumsy.


    Although the might of the seven magic treasures were astonishing and the large formation wind blades considerably weakened, it was still incomparably strenuous. Every step toward the wind wall required a great amount of effort. Before long, faint traces of sweat could be seen on the foreheads of these seven experts.


    After six to eight hours of fierce fighting, the seven experts were sweating profusely. However, their magic treasures were finally winning, and they were able to beat open a passage in the wind wall about three meters wide. Nobody could see what existed beyond the passage.


    ¡°Quickly enter! We won¡¯t be able to endure for long!¡± The Daoist Priest took the initiative to yell. Because he had the weakest magic power among the seven, he was also sweating the most.


    When the disciples of the seven sects heard this, they dared not be negligent and flew into the passage in alternating turns.


    At that moment, everyone was silent with dark expressions. They all know that once they entered the forbidden area, everyone would immediately become an enemy of life or death. Even fellow apprentices from the same sect could not be trusted.


    Han Li stood in the middle rear of the column formations. In front of him was a Giant Sword Sect disciple, and behind him stood a disciple from the Saber Transformation Dock.


    The passage was not long, simply a distance of sixty meters away. In the instant Han Li flew out of the exit, the scene before him caused him to feel a moment of dizziness. Before his very eyes, the people behind him and the exit had disappeared without a trace.

 Chapter 180

    Black Dragon Pond


    The dark gray rotting earth was dotted with continuously bubbling muddy puddles, grotesque and twisted trees, and an unknown short blood-red grass beneath his legs. The air was filled with a strange, pungent odor. This was what Han Li observed once he grew clearheaded.


    Han Li could not help but be curious towards the bizarre environment. Han Li first diligently looked in all directions to see whether or not there were people around him. After all, the greatest source of danger were the sect disciples that entered the forbidden area along with him.


    It seemed that he was quite lucky. Within about a hundred meters, there was no one aside from himself. He softly let out a sigh.


    However, he did not yet relax his guard but rather held onto a talisman with one hand and the ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± with the other so that he would be absolutely safe.


    At that moment, Han Li was able to slightly calm himself. He carefully observed his surroundings for anything strange.


    Han Li was not frightened from having suddenly appeared in an unfamiliar area. Before the trip to the forbidden area, those stewards had given everyone detailed information concerning the forbidden area.


    The information mentioned that once someone entered the forbidden area, they would be affected by some shifting formation spell and be instantly transported to some corner in the forbidden area. As for what location, that would depend on the individual¡¯s luck.


    If one was able to be transferred to the area closest to the center, they would be able to gather many spiritual herbs. These figures would be the greatly fortunate ones. One could also be delivered directly beneath the stares of several demonic beasts. If that were the case, there wouldn¡¯t even be a bloody battle. They would be fundamentally incapable of escaping with their body intact. As for those with even worse bad luck, they might be delivered to some dangerous area and would immediately die. Naturally, these sort of circumstances were minimal.


    The circumstances that occurred the most were those like Han Li, transported to some corner of the forbidden area and only able to blindly move forward.


    The reason why those circumstances occurred, according to the deduction of those senior experts, was because of the manner by with they broke the barrier and entered.  Since they used an improper method to enter, it was only natural they would activate a few restrictions and encounter a few mishaps.


    While Han Li cautiously paced the vicinity in a circle, he compared the nearby environment with the information he had memorized. He eventually remembered some very useful information accumulated by the disciples who left the forbidden area; it was vastly useful to those who entered for the first time.


    ¡°The Black Dragon Pond is located in the forbidden area¡¯s northeast corner. The pond is about a hundred meters deep at its center, with a radius of over ten Li. There are many Rotting Bone Flowers, Serpent Slug Trees, and other similar plants that can be used to create poison, but their value is not much.¡±


    ¡°At the center of the Black Dragon Pond, every tens of years or so, a few clumps of ¡°Cold Smoke Grass¡± appear near the pond water. This is a wondrous herb that can be used in an extensive number of applications. If possible, gather as many as possible since the sect is sure to exchange great rewards for them. However, one must pay attention to the pool¡¯s depths as it may conceal a group of lower grade one demonic beasts, the Cold Ice Toads. However, they have a meek nature. So long as one does not take the initiative to provoke them, they will not pose much danger.¡±


    After Han Li went over the information several more times, he had several thoughts in mind.


    According to common conventions, the closer one was to the center of the forbidden area, the rarer spiritual items one would find along with stronger demonic beasts guarding them. The Black Dragon Pond was located near the outer edges but not in the outermost layer. If he hurried, he would be able to reach the innermost region within a day.


    With this thought, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to use flying tools. Instead, he jumped up a large, lush tree and surveyed in every direction. After he clearly identified the direction, he jumped down.


    The pool was south of Han Li and happened to lead towards the forbidden area¡¯s central area. It seemed he would be able to take a look in passing.


    Han Li used a concealment technique on his body. Afterwards, he carefully walked forward on the path with quick and light footsteps. It was unknown if it was because Han Li was excessively nervous, but after walking several Li on the path, he had yet to encounter anything unexpected. It seemed he was the only person in the Black Dragon Pond area.


    When he heard the sound of flowing water, Han Li was able to slightly relax his tense mind.


    After chopping down winding branches that obstructed his path, he was able to see a deep dark-green pond. Nobody had yet to approach it. The forest¡¯s chilling air already caused Han Li to shiver.


    ¡®This is the Black Dragon Pond?¡¯ Han Li curiously sized it up.


    The size of the pool could not be considered large, and its surrounding area was filled with Serpent Slug Trees. However, the surface of the water actually emitted traces of cold Qi that could be seen with the naked eye. Even the land next to the pond produced a layer of sparkling ice. The intensity of the pond water¡¯s icy coldness could clearly be seen.


    Han Li did not pay attention to these few things. What he cared about were the tens of bundles of the short white fluffy grass growing close to the water¡¯s edge. The grass stalks had five leaves and were a pure white all over. They also emitted a faint white Qi that enveloped them like smoke. They truly seemed to have a somewhat spiritual appearance.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this must be the Cold Smoke Grass. It doesn¡¯t differ in the slightest from the information¡¯s description!¡± Han Li muttered to himself, inwardly rejoicing.


    Although this herb had no relation to his Foundation Establishment Pills, him being able to easily acquire this from the start was truly a good omen.


    Han Li habitually swept his gaze left and right before walking over. However, his expression suddenly changed. He lowered his body, lightly taking a few steps. After he concealed himself behind a few branches, he expressionlessly looked toward the left side of the dense woods.


    Not long after, the silhouette of a person flashed by. A blue-clothed man walked out while looking around. From the look of his clothes, he seems to be someone from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress. This person was extremely careful. With each step, he turned his head three times and incessantly looked in all directions. It seemed he was firmly holding something in his fist; he should have already made preparations for an attack. He walked toward the direction of the ¡°Cold Smoke Grass¡±.


    Han Li sighed. It seemed he would have to retreat without results.


    Since the opponent was this cautious, Han Li wouldn¡¯t be able to succeed in a sneak attack against him. He did not intend to have a large battle with this person, as braving great dangers for such nonessential items was far from worth it!


    ¡°Come out! I¡¯ve already seen you, stop concealing yourself!¡±  About ten steps away from the Cold Smoke Grass, the blue-clothed man suddenly halted and turned around, loudly shouting those words.


    Han Li was frightened. He thought that he had not been careful and and left a trace. But immediately after, he could not help but coldly smile because although this blue-clothed man had shouted out loudly, his eyes were looking from place to place. He was basically not looking toward Han Li¡¯s hiding spot but was rather spouting out falsehoods.


    Han Li happily smiled. He saw that after the blue-clothed man loudly shouted for a while longer, he went to pick the Cold Smoke Grass with relief. The blue-clothed man thought he was clever, but this actually caused Han Li to hesitate in deciding whether or not he should take advantage of the other party¡¯s moment of carelessness to approach him from behind.


    Han Li¡¯s plan was not acted out, however. The blue-clothed man quickly picked three to four clumps of white grass with extremely quick movements. It seemed this person understood that long delays invited trouble.


    Han Li inwardly shook his head and decided to retreat. His primary objectives were the three main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pills. Before he fulfilled his goal, it would be best to preserve as much of his strength as possible.


    With this thought, Han Li quietly drew away. When he withdrew more than thirty meters away, he felt at ease to hurriedly rush away and avoid meeting with that person after he finished plucking the medicine.


    But Han Li had yet to leave when a scream came from the direction of the pond. It seemed to be the death cry of that blue-clothed man.


    Han Li had a cold shiver. After a moment of hesitation, he grit his teeth and turned around. He had to fully understand what had happened so he could avoid falling to the same fate.


    When Han Li covertly returned to the vicinity of the pool, two ferocious-looking men appeared at the side of the pond. It seemed these brightly-clothed men were from Spirit Beast Mountain.


    At this moment, they were happily digging through the storage pouch of the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple. At their side were over ten large blue toads. The body of the blue-clothed man had over ten large holes in it. He couldn¡¯t possibly be more dead.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yu, this plan was too clever. When we discovered this idiot, we didn¡¯t attack him from the front but instead hurried and hid near Black Dragon Pond. After scattering some beast controlling powder on the water, the nest of Cold Ice Toads obediently listened to us. Hehe. I didn¡¯t expect a bit of noise would draw his attention and allow the demonic beasts to abruptly attack the fellow from behind. A great amount of icicles spouted out, immediately killing this idiot. He probably hadn¡¯t even thought he would have been killed by a group of low-level demonic beasts before he died. This fellow truly had quite a bit of wealth on him! Senior Martial Brother, instead of grabbing the medicine, wouldn¡¯t it be better to hide here and wait for others to take the Cold Smoke Grass as bait?¡± After saying this with greed, the younger man firmly kicked the corpse of the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple.


    (TL: Fun fact, the ¡°Black Dragon¡±?? in Black Dragon Pond is the same Black Dragon ?? (wul¨®ng) in Oolong Tea.)

 Chapter 181

    A Fight to the Death and Rainbow Moths


    ¡°Humph! In your dreams!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t using your brain to think about it! Us two martial brothers were lucky enough to be transported together. We are already really lucky. At the very least, our chances of survival are much greater. Being able to get rid of this man was just luck. Do you believe I am patient enough to play the game of idly waiting for prey? Don¡¯t be scared of meeting ferocious men and have our teeth throb. Are we not already playing with our lives by entering this place? Besides, how could there be anyone in this damnable place? We should go to the center area as soon as possible and take advantage of the danger. This is the best plan!¡±


    The older Spirit Mountain Disciple was clearly the stronger of the two. He was also much more clever. While he was lecturing him, he was also vigilantly sweeping his eyes over the deep forest in every direction.


    Having seen this, Han Li grew even more careful and used his Qi Restraining Technique to its utmost. He also held his breath, not daring to expose himself in the slightest. As for the stupid thought of taking them on by himself, Han Li didn¡¯t even think of it. There was no way he would do something so dumb.


    One of the two had magic power at the beginning of the twelfth layer. The other was at the higher step of the twelfth layer. If they were to join hands, he wouldn¡¯t just have little chance of success, he simply wouldn¡¯t be able to resist their great strength.


    Thus, Han Li could only stare blankly as the two gathered the very last of the Cold Smoke Grass and set fire to the corpse of the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple. Lastly, the two men stored the Cold Ice Toads into a red-colored storage bag and then disappeared to the other side of the dense forest.


    Just after the two departed, Han Li did not immediately walk out. Only after he waited for a moment did he reveal himself from the foliage. After he stood, he looked thoughtfully in the direction of the two people.


    It seemed it was more or less like he had thought; there were many like-minded people here.


    It was no wonder since these were people who took the risk to participate in the Trial by Blood and Fire. How many of them wouldn¡¯t think to go the center for those spiritual items of Heaven and Earth? It would be difficult to avoid battle! After all, spiritual items that reached maturity were truly limited. There were fundamentally not enough for each sect.


    Han Li¡¯s face darkened. He bitterly thought this while standing in place for a while.


    He had witnessed with his own eyes as the blue-clothed person, who was just as careful as himself, silently disappeared from this world. It was unknown how many similar events occurred throughout the forbidden area. This caused Han Li¡¯s confidence in fulfilling his objective to sway by no small amount!


    He truly did not know whether or not it was a good idea to go on this trip to the forbidden area. Perhaps if he had taken those two Foundation Establishment Pills, he might have been able to reach Foundation Establishment and fundamentally not need brave this strange danger.


    Han Li felt discouraged and had a faint notion of retreating. After all, while continuing was easy to say, one¡¯s thoughts would be in turmoil with the shadow of death looming in their mind.


    After several hours, Han Li left the vicinity and advanced toward the center of the forbidden area.


    After a moment of contemplation, Han Li¡¯s reason won over. He knew that those recent thoughts of carefulness were only his own weakness looking for an excuse. Thus, he strengthened his mind and resumed walking on the path.


    Han Li did not follow behind the two and instead took a detour, indirectly advancing even though the two from Spirit Beast Mountain took the closest and fastest route.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t being paranoid. With his abilities, the opponents would be able to find him. In addition, he was also fearful of Spirit Beast Mountain¡¯s exceptional beast-controlling method. He did not know whether the opponent had any unusual methods of discovering a pursuer, but it would be best to maintain his distance.


    It should be known that he originally used the small Cloud-Wing Bird, which had minor human intelligence, to track and monitor specific individuals from a long distance. It could be assumed that Spirit Beast Mountain also had a similar controlling method. Their methods were certain to be even more crafty and covert. After all, they were cultivators; how could the methods of Jiang Hu possibly compare?!


    With regards to the Cloud-Wing Bird, Han Li felt a bit of regret. When he entered Yellow Maple Valley, in order to prevent arousing attention, he released the bird into the Tai Yue Mountain Range, allowing it to freely move about.


    As a result, the bird frequently returned to look for its master, Han Li, for its favorite food, the ¡°Yellow Chestnut Pill¡±.


    However, after a long period of time, it gradually returned fewer and fewer times. By the time Han Li realized his mistake, the bird had already become wild and had actually flown to some far-away land, never to be seen again. This caused Han Li much heartache as it would have been of much use on this journey within the forbidden area.


    What Han Li did not know was that his decision to take a roundabout route truly allowed him to escape calamity.


    After the two disciples from Spirit Beast Mountain left the Black Dragon Pond, each of them released Rainbow Moths over a large area.


    These beautiful flying insects immediately scattered in every direction, densely spreading over an area of about three hundred meters. The color of their bodies then gradually changed, slowly matching with its surroundings. The colors of their body blended in so well that they could not be easily seen without a careful examination.


    Furthermore, even if a few careful people discovered these moths, they would most likely believe them to be native to the forbidden area and not suspect them.


    Thus, these colorful moths became natural sentries for the two. So long as someone entered their range of awareness, they would immediately alert the two and allow them to plan a response in advance.


    These numerous insects formed a living alarm network. As alarms, they could be said to be flawless, an expert trick known to Spirit Beast Mountain disciples. Although disciples of their own sect would know of this beforehand, they would have no method of passing through the moths and mounting a sneak attack against the two.


    Actually, with regards to Han Li¡¯s decision at Black Dragon Pond, it could be considered a great fortune. Those two from Spirit Beast Mountain did not yet release the Rainbow Moths at the pond and only released them after leaving. Otherwise, Han Li would not have escaped their notice.


    This wasn¡¯t a matter of negligence or forgetfulness. The moths were naturally fearful of the cold. If the temperature was a bit too low, they would freeze and die one by one. It would be truly regretful for the two.


    This Black Dragon Pond¡¯s water was of a strange nature and possessed an incomparable coldness. All the land nearby the pool transformed into a winter-like terrain. Under these circumstances, how could they dare to release their Rainbow Moths, only to see them die?


    Han Li wasn¡¯t aware in the least that his actions had prevented calamity. He was currently standing below a strange cliff, speechlessly looking at two wretched corpses by his feet.


    One of the corpses wore black skintight clothes and had a tall and bulky stature with large palms. There was a thin dark-red line of blood across his neck. The eyes were still open with an expression of unwillingness. It seemed he died discontentedly. The body appeared to be that of a Giant Sword Sect disciple.


    As for the other body, it was of medium stature and was badly mutilated. What was most significant was its face was not intact. There was a huge sword that was thrusted all the way through his head; he had been impaled to the floor with it while he was still alive, causing bits of brain and blood to flow on the ground. However, a strange transparent thread was coiled around the ring finger of his right hand. Underneath the sunlight, he saw a faint flicker.


    Han Li carefully studied the corpse of the Giant Sword Sect disciple for a very long time. Then he suddenly lifted the corpse by the tip of its feet and looked toward the red line at the neck, giving the head a light kick. As a result, the large head immediately rolled to the side. He did not need to use much strength.


    This person had long been split in two.


    Han Li sighed and looked toward the other corpse. Although he didn¡¯t have a face, Han Li already knew his identity since the corpse wore yellow robes similar to his own. There couldn¡¯t be stronger proof. However, he did not know which of his Yellow Maple Valley Martial Brothers the corpse belonged to!


    He clearly understood that these two died killing each other!


    Han Li lifted his head and looked toward the cliff peak without moving. He had already reached a final conclusion. In his mind, he imagined most of what took place between the two.


    From all the marks, the Giant Sword Sect disciple should have exceeded the power of Han Li¡¯s Senior Martial Brother by an entire layer.


    The corpse of the yellow-clothed disciple was badly mutilated and was riddled with injuries. The unreconciled expression on the black-clothed person¡¯s head clearly explained this matter.


    Although the Senior Martial Brother from his sect was in a disadvantageous position, it was clear this person loved scheming. The only magic tool he used was actually that transparent thread. He definitely made use of his enemy¡¯s careless attitude as he was about to win. At the very last moment, he used this item to launch a sneak attack, severing his opponent¡¯s head and killing the Giant Sword Sect disciple.


    However, he clearly didn¡¯t expect that the black-clothed man had enough strength left to launch his sword before he died. It was unknown whether the Yellow Maple Valley disciple was either too wounded to avoid the strike or if he had made a mistake on the verge of victory, but in the end he was impaled, resulting in a battle without a victor.

 Chapter 182

    A Young Woman and Thread


    Since it was clear how these two had died, Han Li could only pray that his Senior Martial Brother had a pleasant journey to the yellow springs and would reincarnate soon. Then, with no trace of politeness, he plundered their bodies.


    (TL: The yellow springs is part of the Chinese underworld ??)


    In any case, these people were already dead. Han Li would naturally kindly accepted their storage pouches.


    After a search once through, he couldn¡¯t find them!


    His expression became grave as he carefully searched through them once more, but he still could not find them!


    Han Li felt the hair on his body grow cold and stiff. His heartbeat started to accelerate.


    There was actually a fourth person here. It was this person who took away their storage pouches! Although this person had most likely long departed from this place, he could not guarantee that this person was not observing nearby, using these two corpses as bait and waiting for him to make a mistake.


    Facing away from the cliff, there was large area of grass, tall enough to hide a man. Han Li was currently half-squatting near the corpses with his back facing the grass. This caused him to be greatly worried! There might be someone hiding behind him.


    Han Li didn¡¯t move and remained in a squatting position. From behind, it would appear he was still focused on the corpses.


    However, he had already quietly taken out magic tools and talismans and used the entirety of his consciousness to silently release his spiritual sense, attempting to find the person who might be hiding there.


    The outcome of his spiritual sense search did not surprise Han Li. Everything nearby was normal, and there were no unusual fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.


    With nothing being out of the ordinary, there must definitely be someone nearby. This person must be using the ¡°Restraining Breath Technique¡± to hide their body¡¯s magic power, making Han Li naturally unable to find them. The reason why Han Li searched with his spiritual sense was to beat the grass and scare the snake!


    TL: ???? ¡°beating the grass to scare the snake¡±- alerting the enemy as to intimidate or scare them.)


    At the very least, the opponent who existed in his thoughts wouldn¡¯t dare to act blindly.


    The outcomes he truly expected was either that he had scared himself with groundless fears and there was nobody here, or the person who had restrained their breath this entire time and was spying on him would see no opportunity to take advantage of him and therefore would not plan to act.


    After a moment, Han Li stood and turned around to the large area of tall grass. After he sized up the area several times with a cold glance, he suddenly leapt away without saying a word, transforming into a black dot as he gradually grew farther away.


    When Han Li¡¯s figure had completely disappeared without a trace, rustling suddenly came from within the originally peaceful tall grass! A slim figure walked out. It was actually a young girl with fluttering white clothes.


    This girl appeared young, only about fifteen to sixteen years old.  However, her appearance was pure, and her face appeared innocent and adorable. In this place of life and death, such a fairy-like charmer had appeared! It was truly hard to believe.


    From the look of her clothes, she should be affiliated with the Masked Moon Sect!


    The young woman looked the direction Han Li disappeared and smiled with pursed lips.


    With a voice overflowing with age, she said to herself, ¡°Your bravery and wisdom isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s your magic power that¡¯s a bit lacking. It seems there is also a large problem with your aptitude. There isn¡¯t much potential that can be drawn out. If not for that, you would¡¯ve surely been one of those who would make it out alive!¡±


    ¡°Regardless, the technique he used to run away seemed to be Qinggong from the mortal world. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t weak, and was actually truly interesting!¡± The young woman lightly raised her sharp chin with opened eyes, showing an expression of considerable interest.


    If Han Li had heard those words, he would only be stunned with fear.


    Her words were far too accurate. With just a few words, she was able to sinisterly point out his strengths and weaknesses as if she understood him more than himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go for now. I am still preoccupied with other business! However, the next time I see you, young fellow, I won¡¯t let you off so easily.¡± The young woman said with a bit of unwillingness as she wrinkled her nose, creating a mischievous crease.


    It was as if Han Li had become her newly acquired toy. She was greatly interested in him, causing her to regret having to leave.


    In the end, the young woman pouted with her small mouth and took out a talisman. With a wave of her hand, she was enveloped in dazzling green light and disappeared.


    If there was someone present who had saw that scene, they would perhaps immediately feel heartache and loudly curse this woman¡¯s clan, hoping it would wither. She actually squandered a talisman that was rarely seen in the cultivation world, a ¡°Wood Evasion Technique¡± talisman, as she pleased.


    That was an elementary mid-grade talisman!


    It should be known that if an average person had this Wood Evasion Talisman, although it wasn¡¯t enough to be a family heirloom, it was something that could only be used in a matter of life or death since its most optimal use was to escape death.


    Han Li did not know any of this, so he naturally felt no heartache. Even more so, he couldn¡¯t have known that there was a woman who was greatly interested in him and thought about him often. He still believed that he had lightly escaped from a predicament and was currently rejoicing.


    Regardless of whether or not there was truly someone there, Han Li did not intend to look into it further. After all, the closer he approached the central area, the more common enemies would become. They would set up similar ambushes, and attacking others would gradually become a common occurrence.


    To preserve his own life, he must spare no effort to avoid all sorts of unnecessary conflict.That was Han Li¡¯s current plan of operation.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if Han Li gained nothing from those two corpses.


    With this thought, Han Li held out his hand. There was a ball of transparent thread in his palm. As he departed, he picked up that item in passing; it was the thread-like magic tool that had been used to kill the Giant Sword Sect Disciple.


    Han Li poured a bit of magic power into the magic tool, which gradually became taut and straight. In the end, it unexpectedly became a perfectly straight thread over thirty meters long. Han Li controlled and waved the thread as he wished for a moment, and he immediately felt that this item had clever uses!


    After he was finished, he truly thought this was the perfect weapon for an ambush.


    Because of its near invisible properties and its incomparably sharp and completely flexible cuts, Han Li could confidently behead his opponents without them even knowing.


    He truly did not know what material was used to refine this thread. If it was able to become even longer, then there would be countless clever uses!


    Han Li¡¯s mood grew as he willed the thread through more than ten large nearby trees. All of them were cut in two without the slightest resistance. This caused Han Li to be greatly happy as even more uses began to grow in his mind.


    Han Li did not know that at this time, near the center of the forbidden area, the disciples of Saber Transformation Dock and the Clear Void Sect were engaged face to face in close combat.


    Because each party had five to six people, their strength was about the same, making them evenly matched.


    This was the first large scale deathmatch in the current Trial by Blood and Fire. The reason was so that they would be the first to enter the central area and pick the spiritual medicines. If they were able to extinguish their opponents here, then naturally they would take advantage of their good fortune!


    The final outcome was that the skills employed by the Daoist Priests from the Clear Void Sect were a notch higher. After they killed the majority of their opponents, the remaining two from the Saber Transformation Dock fled with injuries. The Clear Void Sect disciples then took the initiative to enter the central area.


    Within the central area, not only would there be many wondrous flowers, bizarre fruits, and other spiritual items of Heaven and Earth, there would also be strong grade one demonic beasts guarding those items, powerful enough to go head to head against peak Foundation Establishment disciples.


    Every time a demonic beast was killed and the medicine was collected, so long as more spiritual medicines grew, demonic beasts would also indescribably appear, although it wouldn¡¯t necessarily be the same kind of demonic beast. This already puzzled the sects¡¯ many experts to no end. Could it be the demonic beasts were also born spontaneously from the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth? This vastly differed from their previous understanding.


    According to their knowledge, demonic beasts should be formed from living wild animals. Only after subconsciously absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for many years would they be able to occasionally evolve into a demonic beast. The probability of animals evolving was not at all like that of developing cultivators among humans; the animal¡¯s odds were far greater.


    Furthermore, over the years, each of the sects¡¯ disciples were only able to gather spiritual medicines on the outskirts of the central area. If they were to approach closer to the center, they would encounter a few restriction spell and traps, becoming trapped or erased. In addition, the further they entered, the more formidable the demonic beasts became. Since the disciples were minor figures with no method to resist, they could only obediently pace back and forth at the outskirts of the central area.


    Regardless if it were Clear Void Sect disciples, not even those who made the first move would be able to take advantage and take the medicines there!


    At this moment, Han Li had come across the greatest crisis on his trip within the forbidden area. At some narrow road, there was a Spirit Beast Mountain and a Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple blocking both sides of the road.


    Han Li actually recognized the large man from Spirit Beast Mountain. He was that fully bearded man who had been staring at him earlier. Currently, he was looking at Han Li with an evil smile, exposing a ¡°You¡¯re already dead¡± expression.

 Chapter 183

    Harmonic Spiritual Talisman


    Chapter 183: Harmonic Spiritual Talisman


    Han Li tasted some bitterness from his mouth. He did not think that as greatly careful and tremendously cautious as he was, he would still be ambushed. Furthermore, it was one of the worst possible circumstances, between two people!


    Currently, he was in a zone called the ¡°Skyline¡±. Its environment was extremely dangerous. If one did not use flying magic tools, the entire region only had a narrow small path that led to the central area.


    Lining the two sides of the small path were incomparably steep cliffs. Although Han Li was not weak in the light body martial arts of the mortal world, he would not dare to rashly climb them!


    As for flying directly over with flying magic tools, the idea was even more absurd. It would be a suicidal action, openly allowing others to launch an attack. Why even think of it!? None of the sects¡¯ disciples would ever perform such folly! Furthermore, the bitter experiences of his predecessors taught him that flying was an absolutely prohibited action in the forbidden area, else one would leave a corpse.


    When Han Li entered the vicinity, he hesitated for quite a while. However, he ultimately didn¡¯t dare to take the shortcut by flying over the mountain peak. As a result, he was forced to openly follow the small road on foot.


    Naturally, Han Li was completely wary of the dangers in this area. On the entire way, his nerves were tightly strung. But even so, just when he had walked through the path opening, his path was blocked from the front and back by two people without even the slightest warning.


    When Han Li saw the bearded man¡¯s fierce expression, he knew that to talk arrogantly at this moment was of no use at all! First he slapped the defensive Water Barrier Talisman on his body, and then he brought out the Flying Dark-Iron Shield. Additionally, he took out the magic tool ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± and his few elementary high-grade ¡°Earth Prison Technique¡± talismans.


    The fully bearded man and the person behind him looked at Han Li¡¯s actions with cold eyes without the slightest intention of stopping or attacking him. It seemed the two were completely confident; they felt entirely certain that they could handle Han Li and appeared calm.


    This was no surprise! The person behind him was already at the peak of the twelfth layer. Not to mention the fully bearded man had already cultivated to the thirteenth layer. Facing an eleventh layer fledgeling such as Han Li, they naturally felt that it would be a trivial matter!


    When Han Li saw this, he licked his dry lips and inwardly sneered to himself. Since his opponents were so negligent, he would naturally exploit this opportunity.


    Thus, remaining completely calm, Han Li faced his body to the side so that his enemies were to his right and left, as if they were horns, to avoid being attacked in the back. As expected, these two did not take the opportunity to attack jointly.


    These were the strongest enemies he had ever faced since he entered the world of cultivation. Even so, Han Li wasn¡¯t fearful of them in the least.


    Although he did his utmost to avoid fighting with others, it wasn¡¯t because he had no confidence in himself. Even though Han Li¡¯s magic power was greatly lacking and would be a disadvantage in a battle of attrition, the top quality magic tools and the treasure talisman he possessed were enough to make up for this deficiency.


    Furthermore, if it truly did not work out, he could take out the ¡°Heaven¡¯s Lightning Child¡± and eliminate a person. Was that not an easy matter?


    But whether or not he was willing to use it was an entirely different matter.


    However, Han Li had a bit of doubt. Why would the fully bearded man and the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple not fight one another and instead team up? If they were disciples from the same sect, it would be an ordinary matter. However, these two were obviously not from the same sect!


    ¡°Boy, your courage isn¡¯t small! Outside the forbidden area, you actually dared to mock me and exchange flirting glances with that sl*t. Now I will take your life as an apology!¡± The fully bearded man said fiendishly.


    Then he turned to the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple and said, ¡°Brother Yan, I have a grudge against this fellow. Hand this person over to me. I want to treat him properly and let him know that you can¡¯t be so reckless in the cultivation world! Before you offend someone in your next life, first remember this before you speak!¡±


    When the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple heard this, he shrugged his shoulders without care and said, ¡°Do as you like. I¡¯ll just stand to the side. However, don¡¯t be like last time and throw him off the edge! Otherwise, you¡¯ll owe me a life-saving favor!¡±


    ¡°Haha, that time was a complete accident! This time I¡¯m handling a fledgeling. If I use half my strength, I¡¯ll have enough to spare!¡± The fully bearded man¡¯s face was red, but soon after he slanted his mouth and said this with disdain.


    ¡°Ke, you should do your best! I truly don¡¯t wish for there to be a day I hear of your death. After all, we¡¯ve been good friends for many years. To find a person of agreeable temperament is truly difficult!¡±


    The Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple shook his head. It seemed the fully bearded man¡¯s arrogance gave him great headaches, but he did not believe that the opponent before him posed any threat to his old friend. Besides, he was attentively watching from the side!


    At the side, Han Li did not shut out the two¡¯s dialog and heard it clearly. From the words he heard, the doubts in his heart were cleared.


    Unexpectedly, these two were originally friends. Furthermore, their relationship was rather good.


    This was rather troublesome! These two were certain to coordinate together against enemies far better than common temporary alliances. Hearing their words, it seemed they had cooperated on more than one occasion!


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel greatly depressed!


    ¡®It seems I can only use the Lightning Child. But first, it¡¯s important that I dispose of one of them. Then I will be able to handle the remaining one much more easily! However, this is too strange! Originally, each sect¡¯s disciples were randomly transported. How could they happen be transported to the same area and happen to meet? This is truly incredible!¡¯ Han Li hatefully thought. He felt greatly indignant toward their luck.


    Han Li did not know that the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple had also joyfully thought this in his heart.


    When this person saw the fully bearded man walk toward Han Li, his mind couldn¡¯t help but think that he was able to meet his good friend due to the great work of the ¡°Harmonic Spiritual Talisman¡±.


    ¡®High-grade Harmonic Spiritual Talisman, this item is truly useful. So long as we enter the forbidden area during the same moment and use the talisman at the same time, our Spiritual Qi will temporarily bind together, and the restriction formation will transport us to the same area. Although I heard the odds of success is fifty percent, the price of the talisman was exceptionally more expensive than ordinary elementary high-grade talismans. But in the end, we were able to wait in that location and successfully ambush several disciples who passed through. It was a great harvest!¡¯


    ¡®Besides, I, Yan, am not foolish! Spending such a large price to brave the strange dangers of the forbidden area, was it not in order to openly kill and plunder the many individuals who were covetously gazing at those spiritual medicines? There will be great harvests without any repercussions. This one is convinced that so long as us two join hands and don¡¯t come across those fierce experts, our objective will be easily and effortlessly accomplished. Then, when it is near the end, we will pull back and find a place to hide. We¡¯ll stay there until it¡¯s time and safely leave! This is truly a flawless plan. Only I could have thought of it!¡¯ The Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple thought of his future prospects after he left and could not help but think beautiful narcissistic thoughts. His mind naturally did not think of the great battle that was about to occur.


    At this moment the fully bearded man took out a green leather pouch and sent Han Li an evil grin as he approached. It seemed he wanted to dispose of him.


    However, it was unknown if it was because of his good friend¡¯s warning, but he used a talisman halfway,. He became covered in a green-colored light barrier that increased his defense.


    Seeing these circumstances, Han Li wrinkled his brow. He had a bit of a headache!


    He was originally going to act fearful of the Spirit Beast Mountain disciple¡¯s actions and prepare to make use of this person¡¯s negligence, getting rid of this person first. But now that his opponent released a defensive magic technique, this was no longer something he could do in a short amount of time.


    Naturally, if he used ¡°Heaven¡¯s Lightning Child¡±, this person wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything even if he had other methods. However, this was a one time use consumable. If it wasn¡¯t a crucial moment of life or death, Han Li would not use it!


    Since using it was out of the question, Han Li naturally planned to attack the the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple instead.


    He saw that the person had both hands behind his back with his head raised to the sky. He was currently pondering about something, not taking note of anything happening at all. Han Li was exalted; he knew there was an opportunity to exploit!


    Without taking the time to think, he used the ¡°Earth Prison Technique¡± talisman in his hand, throwing it toward the fully bearded man.


    As a result, the talisman turned into a stream of yellow light in midair, fiercely shooting toward his opponent. It actually covered the barrier of the fully bearded man¡¯s defensive magic technique. It took the shape of a larger yellow barrier and firmly trapped him within, not allowing him to move an inch forward.

 Chapter 184

    Might of the Golden Light Brick


    When the fully bearded man saw Han Li with his hand still on the talisman, he was not worried. The wood attribute defensive barrier he wore had frightening defensive power that could fundamentally ignore common attacks.


    Furthermore, on the basis that his opponent was a novice who cultivated to the eleventh layer, he didn¡¯t believe that he could possess a talisman of great strength. At most, it would be an elementary mid-grade talisman.


    Because of this, he continued to walk forward without taking notice, opening his pouch as if he were about to bring something out.


    But when he was suddenly rooted in place by the yellow light barrier which he recognized as the ¡°Earth Prison Technique¡±, the fully bearded man¡¯s expression finally changed, realizing that things had taken a turn for the worse.


    At this time, a strange dark green snake with a pair of purple wings leapt out out from his pouch. As soon as it appeared, the snake immediately made a few odd ¡°gua gua¡± cries and began to viciously attack the yellow barrier, causing the barrier to tremble continuously; its strength was not small.


    When the fully bearded man saw this, his spirits were slightly lifted. He took out another pouch to release another spirit beast, hoping to combine their efforts to break through the earth prison. He was confident that he would be able to escape in a short period of time!


    When he escaped, he would definitely pull out his opponent¡¯s ribs one by one to quench the hatred in his heart.


    Han Li didn¡¯t even pay attention to his surrounding enemies; in a swift movement, he rushed towards the man from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress. His movements were quick, and throughout the whole way he seemed to be darting in and out of view, even leaving behind a series of afterimages, making him seem almost phantom-like.


    At the same time, Han Li gently patted the storage pouch near his waist. The original ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± suddenly switched with another similarly small magic tool that he clutched tightly in his hand.


    At this time, the man from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress finally awoke from his beautiful dream, instantly seeing the strange scene unfolding in front of him. His expression changed dramatically. He hurriedly backed up and flipped his palm, causing a talisman to appear.


    Meanwhile, Han Li was still at least thirty meters away from him. The man relaxed, thinking that there was more than enough time to cast the talisman.


    However, before he was able to use his spiritual power to activate the talisman, he was stunned to see that the charging Han Li suddenly smiled mysteriously at him. In turn, one of Han Li¡¯s hands gently waved at him, a movement similar to a greeting between two familiar friends. At the same time, he also felt a slight itch on his neck, as if he had been bitten by a mosquito.


    The man from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress stared blankly, yet to realize the other side¡¯s intention. In a moment of turmoil, his eyes dimmed as he lost consciousness.


    ¡°Brother Yan!¡±


    Standing off to the side, the fully bearded man from Spirit Beast Mountain involuntarily cried out with wide eyes, having seen the whole thing clearly.


    He personally saw that Han Li was able to kill his close friend with a simple wave of his hand from about three meters away. His friend¡¯s head rolled on the ground with a ¡°gu lu lu¡± sound, separated from its body. However, the now headless body continued to back up a few steps until it fell over on the ground, blood spurting from its neck about a few feet high with ¡°hu hu¡± sounds.


    The fully bearded man suddenly felt his hands and feet turn ice cold with a cold sweat down his back.


    The methods the opponent used to kill his friend were too demonic! He had seen clearly that his friend was killed without contact, and the opponent for sure hadn¡¯t used any kind of magic technique.


    ¡°Boy, as soon as I get out I will hack you to pieces!¡± Although he felt beads of cold sweat exuding from his forehead and was filled with grief for his friend, the fully bearded man maintained a menacing attitude to strengthen his courage, bracing himself and standing firm.


    In actuality, however, he had decided in his heart that as soon as he escaped from the Earth Prison Technique, he would immediately run far away, biding his time. Revenge was a dish best served cold, after all!


    The boy in front of him was too strange. Not only did he have the high grade Earth Prison Technique talisman, but he also could kill people with invisible weapons, making him truly difficult to deal with! Getting revenge for his friend is indeed important, but first he must preserve his own life!


    It turned out that the seemingly ferocious fully bearded man was actually a person as cowardly as a mouse that bullied the weak yet feared the strong! Most people would be surprised by this!


    Of course, Han Li had no way of knowing his opponent¡¯s thoughts; all he saw was that the opponent had released another pangolin-like beast that, along with that strange snake, had begun to fiercely attack the yellow barrier. The fully bearded man had also taken out a pair of iron-rod-like magic tools to aid the two beasts in smashing the barrier, causing it to flicker with light incessantly.


    The Earth Prison Technique could not be maintained for much longer!


    As soon as Han Li realized this, he took out his ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman with one hand, bringing it in front of his eyes and staring at it intently in order to activate it. If he were to use any other normal magic tool, he simply could not feel at ease! His opponent, after all, was a thirteenth layer expert; if he was unable to kill him with one blow, there would be big trouble when his opponent escaped! Until now, he still remembered the exhausting battle with Senior Martial Brother Lu ¨C and at that time Senior Martial Brother Lu had only been at the twelfth layer!


    Despite this, he had not expected that he could actually use the transparent thread to finish off a twelfth layer opponent. However, the fully bearded man was already on guard and would not be defeated so easily!


    The fully bearded man under the Earth Prison Technique, seeing the weird movements of the talisman in Han Li¡¯s hands, felt his heart tense. He tightened his grip on the pair of black iron cudgels. But the yellow barrier of the Earth Prison Technique was extremely strong! Even if it had changed shape and darkened to the point of being in danger of fracturing, it continued to maintain its integrity! Upon seeing this, the fully bearded man became so angry that he almost vomited blood!


    At this time, he suddenly felt a gust of an astonishing amount of spirit power rocketing up from Han Li¡¯s direction. He couldn¡¯t help but slowly turn his body and look in his direction.


    He saw Han Li¡¯s hand emitting a strong golden light, and a lustrous, shining golden rectangular object slowly rose up, floating in midair.


    ¡°Treasure Talisman.¡±


    The fully bearded man¡¯s expression changed dramatically, and he began to yell in terror. He had realized the nature of the Golden Light Brick.


    What he didn¡¯t know, however, was that Han Li¡¯s face at this moment was also deathly pale with alarm. The floating object was furiously draining all of his inner magic power steadily, without any way of stopping it; it seemed as if it would suck him dry.


    The quietly complaining Han Li, as he was suffering, began to curse the store that had sold him this item, ¡®How is this a treasure talisman? It¡¯s clearly a leech that wants to kill me!¡¯


    However, when a third of his magic power had been drained, the treasure talisman finally stopped its wild movements and calmed down. Control over it once again returned to Han Li.


    At this time, Han Li did not hesitate and pointed, causing the Golden Light Brick treasure talisman to immediately shoot out. It flew straight towards the fully bearded man, who was still trapped under the Earth Prison Technique. His face became ashen from fright.


    The golden brick began to expand, and in the blink of an eye, it became as large as a room. Spiritual Qi revolved around it and radiated golden light in all directions; its pressure was truly astonishing. When it reached the fully bearded man¡¯s forehead, the golden brick was like a small mountain in size, and it came down with a violent clap.


    Peng!


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    After the loud sound and fully bearded man¡¯s blood-curdling scream, the entire earth shook violently.


    Han Li was both surprised and happy; his expression was somewhat strange.


    Was it really possible to eliminate a thirteenth layer disciple that easily? Han Li had some doubts.


    As soon as he retrieved the treasure talisman, the Golden Light Brick immediately returned to its original form and flew back into Han Li¡¯s hand. An extremely large crater had formed in the place where the golden brick had slammed into the ground, almost thirty meters wide and a meter deep! As for the fully bearded man and his spirit beasts, they had become a pile of mud, indistinguishable from one another.


    The fully bearded man really had been killed! Han Li was at a loss. It was as if he couldn¡¯t resist a single strike in the slightest.


    Was it that the fully bearded man was too weak or that the Golden Light Brick was simply too strong? Han Li was unable to decide. However, after generating such a loud noise, it was no longer safe to stay in this place!


    Han Li quickly became sober. After he destroyed the two corpses, he took the five or six storage pouches and left the area, leaving the Skyline.


    Continuing to walk forward would most likely have led to a large forest, which was incidentally also an ideal place to ambush and kill people. Perhaps after entering the forest there would be another fierce battle waiting for him. Thus, before entering, he decided to find a place to rest a little and restore his magic power in order to protect himself.

 Chapter 185

    The Strong.


    Chapter 185: The Strong


    While Han Li was on the outer edges of the forest, he found a dense, large tree. When he jumped on top of the tree to recover his strength, the entire forbidden area had reached the first climax of the Trial of Blood and Fire¡¯s massacre.


    Various strong individuals revealed their fangs one by one and began to purge the nearby weaklings. The closer they were to the center of the area, the more frequent and bloody the massacres became.


    Of course, ¡°experts¡± of equivalent strength would occasionally run into each other. They would look past the other person and reach a wordless, mutual understanding, simply brushing past one another. It was not time for them to do battle yet.


    With this said, of the many disciples from various sects in the forbidden area, the majority could be divided into three types of people!


    One kind were those who were extremely weak, people whose cultivation were only around the eleventh or even tenth layer.


    They all had very different reasons for entering this forbidden area; if it wasn¡¯t because of hardships against their will, it was because they were forced, or it was because they were hopeful in their luck to take advantage of a crisis for their own gain. Regardless of their reasons, they were all part of the bloody massacre¡¯s lowest level, only able to play the role of being slaughtered.


    Often after the first day in this forbidden area¡ªapart from a few people with the most clever and particular self-preservation methods¡ªthese weaklings were almost completely purged by others.


    Of course, people like Han Li could rely on strange treasures and fierce incisiveness, but he could be considered an exception!


    The second kind were those like the fully bearded man; although their magic power was not weak, their self-regard and strength could not compare with the experts, and they were aware that to obtain a spiritual item was beyond hope. They were unwilling to battle with the highest-layer experts inside the forbidden area for the spiritual herbs, instead turning their attention to the first type of people. They intended to use this opportunity to kill these people and steal their treasures, quietly becoming very rich.


    These kinds of people inside of the Trial of Blood and Fire, for the first two days, were quite active. When the third day began, however, the remaining victors would automatically lie low in the forbidden area, refusing to reveal themselves anymore.


    This was because they were very clear that after the third day it was time for the ¡°experts¡± to have showdowns with one another. If these middle-strength people ran into such an expert during this time, it would absolutely be a one-way trip to death.


    Of course, there were also a few who were either arrogant or did not have a grasp of their own strength and would charge directly into center of the battle for the spiritual medicines. Their bodies would never be found.


    However, most of the people grabbed opportunities early and withdrew quickly, and were often the most common type of person in the Trial of Blood and Fire. In contrast, the strongest individuals would die tragically one by one, as if part of some kind of joke.


    Thus, the last type of people became the least common.


    These people were at the top of the pyramid, and they were the most elite disciples of the various sects that had entered the forbidden area. They were the ones that the various sects had placed their high hopes on. As for the other disciples of the same schools, they were at the most cannon fodder, meant to aid the plans of their various sects!


    This group was elite¡ªtheir magic power was profound, complemented by magic tools with astonishing power! They only had one goal, which was to kill all the disciples of other sects and steal away enough spiritual medicine!


    The extent of the first massacre at the start lay in their mutual, wordless understanding to first get rid of the trash and all those who were only there to take advantage of the situation. This was to prevent these people from obstructing their movements and, in general, any problems from sprouting up.


    In addition, the news that someone had been one step in front of them to the central area did not make them panic or become edgy. Entering it was easy, but if they wanted to bring spiritual medicine out, that would be incredibly difficult!


    The massacre continued to progress, but because Han Li was still a distance away from the central area, he was still not able to involve his recovered self.


    However, other weaker members were not as lucky as Han Li, and many were brought into the middle of the massacre even as they desperately struggled to free themselves to protect their own lives!


    And Saber Transformation Dock¡¯s Su Er was one of these people.


    Today, Su Er¡¯s face was deathly pale, staring at the person in front of him with an expression of pure terror. This person was big and was carrying a giant silver sword.


    It was this person who had, right in front of Su Er, already killed the other two disciples from Saber Transformation Dock. Under his giant silver sword, it didn¡¯t matter what kind of high-grade weapon and protective armors were used; it was as if they couldn¡¯t even withstand one attack, being ripped apart one by one as if they were thin paper. They were inevitably sliced in two.


    However, it was because there were those two other disciples from the same sect that Su Er, seeing that the situation was far from good, seized the opportunity to slip away, falling into confusion as he ran.


    Unfortunately, the big man didn¡¯t seem to have the idea of letting him go, instead persistently chasing him for a few dozens of hours and finally catching up to him here. This caused him to thoroughly lose hope!


    ¡°If you kill yourself, I can leave you an intact corpse!¡± said the big guy expressionlessly and with a cold glare.


    ¡°You¡­ you can go die!¡±


    In the midst of his hopeless situation, Su Er, who knew that he would not live much longer, erupted in fighting spirit. He took the only two high-grade magic tools he had on him and, in one breath, threw them all out.


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    The big guy spoke this very deliberately. Next, the huge silver sword flew from his back into the air. As if without effort, the two magic tools were broken into pieces; in the same motion, Su Er was also cut into two pieces.


    After finishing all of this, the big guy did not even bother to look at Su Er¡¯s corpse; instead, he spun on his heel and left without even the idea of moving towards the storage pouch. To him, the only magic tool he needed was the huge silver sword! Any other magic tool or precious item would only distract him and would be a big hindrance to his cultivation!


    ¡­¡­


    At the same time, at a small brook near the central area, a female disciple of the Masked Moon Sect controlled a magic tool like a scarf while drenched in sweat. She was currently bitterly defending herself from two red, shiny daggers, but it seemed as if at any moment she would be unable to defend herself any longer.


    ¡°Could this Senior Martial Brother wielding daggers please let this Junior Martial Sister go? I am willing to serve Senior Martial Brother with my body tonight!¡±


    Since this woman was at death¡¯s door and was past caring about shame, she used a woman¡¯s greatest advantage and tried to seduce him. But would it succeed? Based on their encounters and the tactics he had used, she had absolutely no idea.


    ¡°Fine, withdraw your magic tools and I¡¯ll agree!¡± The person speaking was an eighteen or nineteen year-old male wearing a earthy-colored robe. He had delicate features, red cheeks and white teeth, all the characteristics of a delicate, handsome male.


    Having said this, he stopped his two daggers in midair and lightly smiled at the woman.


    The Masked Moon Sect female was delighted and hurriedly gave him two winks. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly allowed the scarf to descend, retrieving it into her hand. Then, she stuck her breasts out, as if she was about to say something.


    Unfortunately, before she could open her lips, the handsome male¡¯s face suddenly expressed a killing intent. His finger violently pointed, and in a surprising turn of events, two red flying daggers immediately cut in a criss-cross. The woman, without a whisper, fell to the ground, fresh blood puddling on the floor.


    ¡°Sl*t! Even someone as common and unrefined as you thinks that they can seduce me, Han Tianya!¡±


    (Note: The Han (?) used here is different from Han Li¡¯s surname(?).)


    The handsome male¡¯s face bore an expression of disgust, his voice suddenly becoming intense. Next, he took out a pleasant-smelling handkerchief from his waist, delicately wiping the dust on his face. His movements were very gentle and reserved, as if he were an unmarried daughter of a noble household.


    ¡°I should hasten my journey; perhaps there will be others along the road who will also provide some entertainment!¡±


    After thinking this aloud, the male carelessly tossed the handkerchief he had used to wipe himself onto the female¡¯s face, leaving with a swagger.


    ¡­¡­


    Deep in the forest, a disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain lay dead on the ground. A yellow-robed, middle-aged man stood nearby. He was currently shaking his head and staring at the sky, mumbling something to himself. Behind him were a few extremely fierce beasts lying on the ground, not moving, without a breath!


    ¡­¡­


    On top of the barren mountain, an ugly-faced, green-robed man was frantically controlling about a large swarm of huge bees, besieging a few people dressed like Daoists.


    ¡­¡­


    Just like that, the strong massacring the weak could be found everywhere in the forbidden area. Although Han Li did not see all of this, he could faintly smell a bloody scent drifting through the air.


    However, he had no time to look into the whole story, instead sitting on the treetop without moving, gradually restoring the magic power in his body.


    The time passed by very quickly, and more than half of the first night in the forbidden area had already gone by. What shocked Han Li was that in this area, the amount of extremely bright light was the same during both daytime and nighttime. The entire sky was always an overcast color, making people who saw it feel somewhat unsettled.


    When his magic power had been restored enough and as Han Li was rejoicing quietly in his heart, the sound of hurried footsteps and heavy gasps suddenly came from far away, slowly getting closer. It was as if there was someone running towards the very tree that Han Li was meditating on.

 Chapter 186

    Making a Move


    The corners of Han Li¡¯s mouth moved slightly. He couldn¡¯t help but curse in his heart, but his tightly closed eyes had no choice but to open.


    Although his magic power was still a tiny fraction from being fully restored, there was a person coming his way. He didn¡¯t dare arrogantly continue to meditate, especially under conditions where he didn¡¯t know how things stood with the person who was coming!


    ¡°Which Senior Martial Brother is here? Quickly save this Little Sister!¡±


    A woman wearing yellow robes came running out from the nearby forest, staggering to the bottom of the tree where Han Li was. She wore an expression of panic and raised her head to the treetop, calling for help. It was as if she had determined that up there was her own knight in shining armor. Not too far behind her, a person¡¯s white shadow walked over unhurriedly. Their behavior sharply differed from the woman¡¯s terrified appearance, as if they were feeling quite leisurely!


    Seeing all this, Han Li rolled his eyes. He was very unhappy with this woman¡¯s behavior of inviting disaster. As for the her ability to discover the location of his hiding place, he did not find it surprising.


    Before all of the Yellow Maple Valley disciples had departed, Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao made use of a type of ¡°pulling¡± magic that allowed these disciples, within a certain range, to perceive each other¡¯s position. Of course, this magic had a time limit on it, being only effective for ten days. The purpose of this magic was to allow disciples of their own sect to support each other, thus greatly increasing their likelihood of success.


    It is said that the disciples of other sects were also under the effects of a similar magic technique.


    Han Li, having no  other choice, gave the woman a glance.


    He actually recognized her; she was a fellow female disciple that stood together with Junior Martial Sister Chen. Apart from her figure, which could comparatively stir up many fires, her appearance was extremely plain.


    After Han Li had coldly stared at the woman¡¯s desperately pleading appearance, he did not carelessly and immediately jump off the tree. Instead, he closely sized up the white shadow following her through a very small gap in the leaves.


    Regardless of whether he saved the woman or not, Han Li wanted to gauge whether the magic power of the oncoming person was strong or weak before deciding. He did not want to stake his own small life for a woman who was a total stranger.


    If the white shadow¡¯s magic power was average, Han Li would of course make a move and kill them without any respect, thus acting as a ¡°hero saving a beauty¡±. However, if their magic power was frighteningly deep, Han Li had to carefully consider whether he would join up with the woman under the tree to escape together, or if he would instantly escape without a trace!


    However, to prepare for any situation, he still placed his hand on top of his storage pouch, retrieving the ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Mother Blade¡± magic tool and a defensive talisman. In addition, he took the nameless transparent thread and deftly wrapped it around his finger.


    ¡°Zeze, your running looks really ugly! Are all of Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s female disciples as useless as you?¡°


    The white shadow slowly walked closer, revealing their real face; in fact, it was a woman in her prime, wearing a white, flowing shirt. Her face also had some pleasant features, but her two eyebrows were slightly lifted, and she wore an evil expression.


    Although she spoke this word to the yellow-robed female under the tree, her eyes with killing intent kept drifting towards the top of the tree. It was evident that she was not as arrogant as she had said about herself; she still had some misgivings towards the hidden Han Li who would not reveal himself!


    ¡°Twelfth layer cultivation.¡±


    Having easily seen the opponent¡¯s cultivation depth, Han Li¡¯s heart let out a breath.


    However, he still had a few suspicions. The disciple of the same sect under the tree also had a twelfth layer cultivation, so how had she been chased to this miserable state! Did the opponent have some particular trick or some kind of strong magic tool?


    As Han Li was puzzling over this matter, the white clothed female coldly made a ¡°Heng¡± noise. Suddenly, her sleeves were flung out, and two streaks of white light came flying out, directly rushing towards the yellow-robed female.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother save me! My magic tools are all destroyed and I can¡¯t protect myself!¡± The yellow-robed female¡¯s face drained of color, and she quickly cried out.


    These words had just left her mouth when two streaks of golden light came down like lasers from the treetop, meeting the white light halfway there and fighting it. It was Han Li who had activated the ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Mother Blade¡± in his hand , and the two golden streaks were merely two of the blades.


    The yellow-robed female looked delighted, finally calming down.


    The only reason Han Li made a move was because on one hand, the white clothed female was not so scary and that he could deal with her; on the other hand, it was so that he could find a helper for the rest of his journey to prevent him from going alone against enemies. After all, a twelfth layer cultivator from the same sect would have use in future battles!


    ¡°Finally you are willing to make a move! I thought that your esteemed self would continue to act mute and dumb!¡± The white-clothed female said mockingly. Her face did not show any kind of surprise, but spreading her hand, a huge sphere of fiery light came charging directly towards the treetop.


    With a rumbling sound, the top half of the big tree emitted a bright red light, turning into ash in the blink of an eye. However, there was still no sign of anyone appearing, causing the white-clothed female to stare blankly.


    ¡°What a powerful, large fireball talisman, and this young lady was actually willing to part with it!¡± Han Li said with an enigmatic smile. Han Li¡¯s figure suddenly appeared from behind the half burnt tree.


    ¡°Eleventh layer cultivation?¡±


    The white-clothed female first stared blankly then revealed a disdainful expression.


    This occurred just as the yellow-robed female¡¯s expression had begun to relax, and she instantly started to panic, quietly complaining incessantly in her heart. She had originally thought that he was an expert Senior Martial Brother from her sect, but didn¡¯t expect that it would actually be a novice Junior Martial Brother whose magic power was not even as strong as hers.


    ¡°If you had just obediently hidden on the side and watched, perhaps this young lady would have been in a better mood and had mercy on you. But since you made a move, then both of you can stay lovers in death!¡± The white clothed female said sinisterly as her two eyebrows stood straight and became more violent. She allowed her originally somewhat graceful appearance to become malevolent.


    Han Li smiled lightly, and wordlessly controlling the vibrations of the golden blades, carelessly walking towards the woman.


    ¡°Stand still, what are you trying to do?¡±


    The white-clothed female quick-wittedly shouted out, raising her hand and patting a protective talisman on her body to set up a barrier.


    At this time, Han Li was only sixty meters away from her! How unfortunate for him!


    In fact, the last time he used the transparent thread, easily killing the Heavenly Imperial Fortress, Han Li had taken a great interest in this  battle tactic. When he was on top of the tree, he saw that the white-clothed female had not setup any defensive-type magic. Hit by a bout of inspiration, he naturally wanted to recreate the same scene from last time.


    Unfortunately, the opponent was very alert, having determined that something was not right very early on and quickly closed up this loophole. What caused Han Li to raise his head and sigh loudly was that females were indeed much more cautious than males!


    Since pulling a trick wouldn¡¯t work, naturally only using force remained.


    The previously disappointed Han Li did not waste any more words. After casting his defensive magic, he gently shook the Golden Beetle Mother Blade in his hand and viciously leaped towards his opponent.


    The yellow-robed woman saw that Han Li¡¯s magic tool was not ordinary, and moved with newfound initiative. Han Li immediately threw out a talisman, which became a long fire snake that shot out in that direction.


    The white-clothed female began to laugh coldly; her lily-white hands lightly propped up a palm-sized small mirror that appeared in her hands.


    She lightly shined the mirror, and a beam of greenish light shot out, blocking the oncoming golden blades and fire snake. Stopped in midair, the blades and the snake were left to spin aimlessly and were incapable of dropping, as if they were restricted by a spell.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes were straight! What was this magic tool? How was it so unnatural? Seeing as this magic tool could freeze in place the magic tools and magic skills of others, was it even possible to battle?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Junior Martial Brother, her magic tool can only freeze one area at a time, and every time it can only freeze for a quarter of an hour and a half before it loses its effectiveness!¡± The yellow-robed female, seeing Han Li¡¯s shock, immediately consoled him.


    Only after hearing this was Han Li able to calm down, but the next sentence that the female disciple from the same sect said immediately caused Han Li¡¯s heart to once again jump.


    ¡°However, this evil woman is the descendant of one of Masked Moon Sect¡¯s elders and has many strange magic tools that have been passed down to her. It would be best for Junior Martial Brother to be even more careful!¡±


    Han Li was speechless.


    ¡°No wonder that of the two twelfth layer female disciples, this Senior Martial Sister from the same sect, would lose in such a sorry way. In fact, the opponent is a woman with many treasures! If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have jumped out and shown off as a hero!¡± Han Li already felt great regret, realizing that most likely another fierce battle was about to begin!

 Chapter 187

    Yellow Freckled ¡°Feng Yue¡±


    The white-clothed woman, seeing that her magic tool was effective and had blocked Han Li¡¯s gold blade, revealed a content expression on her face.


    ¡°I was wondering why you would jump out as if you had overestimated your abilities! It turns out that you have a top quality magic tool!¡± she laughed derisively. However without hesitation, she flipped her hand again, revealing a pink-colored crystal ball. She held it out and pressed it against her forehead.


    ¡°Not good, this crystal ball can corrode other people¡¯s magic tools. Junior Martial Brother, stop her quickly; all of my magic tools were destroyed in this manner,¡± the yellow-robed female hastily warned as her face¡¯s color greatly changed.


    Han Li¡¯s heart thumped once, and he raised his hand without thinking, throwing out the silver hook that he had just wrapped in his hand. The hook became a streak of silver light and flew towards the female¡¯s crystal ball.


    The white-clothed female;s mouth slightly slanted, and her ten fingers pinched together a strange incantation gesture. She hit the crystal ball on her forehead with a streak of red light.


    As a result, the crystal ball that had sucked in the magic power began to emit large amounts of red light and began to spin on its own. Then, it spurted forth streams of pink liquid, which took the shape of a liquid cloud with the round ball as its center. Although it was only about ten meters, it covered the space above the woman in a bright red sheet.


    Han Li hesitated for a moment, unwilling to allow the silver hook to shoot into the red liquid so easily. Instead, he maneuvered it into dipping downwards, heading directly for the white-clothed woman underneath.


    At the same time, he also took another high quality magic tool¡ª¡ªan azure rope. He quietly threw it out, as sneakily as if it were a spirit snake. The rope stuck closely to the ground and silently advanced forward.


    ¡°Decay!¡±


    The white-clothed female suddenly pointed the crystal ball, and the cloud of liquid immediately split off a small piece, which flew to the ground. In an instant, it wrapped up the white light passing from below into itself and caused it to decelerate enough to reveal the silver hook¡¯s original shape!


    Seeing all of this, Han Li grew anxious in his heart. However, he bluntly decided to abandon the silver hook. Soon after, he hurried the azure rope to stealthily and securely tie up the white-clothed woman, temporarily tying both her and her barrier into a largesticky rice dumpling . Although the white-clothed woman had numerous magical treasures, she was caught up in a moment of flustered confusion and was unable to immediately struggle free.


    At this very moment, Han Li fished out the ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman without hesitation!


    Although Han Li had no idea how long the azure rope could bind the opponent, he could only take a risk and attempt it. Hopefully, he could use the treasure talisman to kill the opponent before she was able to escape from being bound.


    The yellow-robed female, although she appeared to be plain, was actually somewhat quick-witted! Although she no longer had any magic tools or strong talismans left, she still continue to use small magic spells, such as a few large fireballs or ice hammers and the like, continuing to attack the liquid binding the silver hook without stopping as well as that small mirror. She hoped that she could save a few of Han Li¡¯s magic tools in order to increase their chances of success.


    Unfortunately, these kinds of attacks were at most attempts at ineffective solutions and had little effect.


    ¡°Humph, you want to bind me with trifling high-grade magic tools? In a moment I will make you recognize your own idiocy!¡± Despite being bound by the azure rope, the white-clothed woman still spoke this with unrivaled arrogance.


    Han Li was disinclined to respond to his opponent, instead picking up his ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman, steeling himself for the experience of having his magic power savagely sucked away again.


    But at that moment, from the thick forest behind the woman suddenly exploded a huge amount of Spiritual Qi from a terrifying source.


    Han Li stared blankly; before he was able to react to what had happened, a yellow tip streaked by flashily, shooting out from the depths of the forest like lightning. In an instant, the streak shockingly penetrated through Han Li¡¯s azure rope, the woman¡¯s barrier, and the white-clothed woman herself. Before the white-clothed woman was even able to cry out, her body had already toppled over where she had stood.


    Han Li¡¯s initial reaction to this scene was one of shock, but he quickly thought of something and wanted to act; however, it was already too late.


    A blue shadow flashed a few times, as if it were a meteor chasing the moon, and appeared next to the corpse of the woman. In one swift motion, he ripped off the storage pouch on her waist and began laughing loudly, revealing an expression of ecstasy.


    Having already been a step too late, Han Li sighed, vexed. However, thinking of his own small life, he still strongly braced himself, coldly gazing at this person¡¯s every move.


    The arriving person was a middle-aged man whose face was full of scars. His two eyebrows were slender, and he had a nose hooked like an eagle¡¯s beak. His whole body contained an evil Qi, causing people who saw him to immediately tremble and want to show respect from a distance. Han Li, upon seeing that his cultivation was actually at the peak of the thirteenth layer, felt a heaviness in his heart.


    ¡°Feng Yue, you are the savage Feng Yue of the Heavenly Imperial Fortress!¡±


    Unexpectedly, before the blue-clothed person was able to open his mouth, the yellow-robed female yelled out in dismay. The expression on her face was as if she had just met one of the scariest demons! She was even much more afraid than when they had been chased by the white-clothed female.


    ¡°Hehe! I didn¡¯t expect that this girl would recognize this uncle and obediently stand there! After uncle sees how the harvest is, I¡¯ll come to deal with you!¡± The blue-clothed person merely glanced at the yellow-robed female before lowering his head and searching through the storage pouch right before their eyes.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and dully watched this person as his eyes flickered. Although he didn¡¯t know the great origins of this person, he was greatly displeased with the Senior Martial Sister¡¯s habit of making a big fuss out of nothing!


    As far as Han Li was concerned, it didn¡¯t matter who the oncoming person was; his own position could not become disordered. The stronger the enemy, the more he had to remain calm!


    He glanced at the magic tools that were now free and stretched out his hand, causing the golden blade and silver hook to return to him.


    The golden blade was still alright and was as new as it was before, but the silver hook¡¯s appearance gave Han Li quite a fright! The previously shiny, silver magic tool was stained with spots of rust and was riddled with holes. It was now similar to a ruined edge and had lost much of its Spiritual Qi, drastically reducing its usefulness.


    It was at this time that Han Li realized what the yellow-robed female had meant when she had talked about magic tools being ruined; the pink liquid the crystal ball had spurted out was incredibly ruthless! If anyone¡¯s magic tool touched it, it would likely need to retreat three feet!


    The regretful Han Li was attracted once more to the dazzling yellow light in front of the blue-clothed person.


    This was a weirdly shaped small blade with a shaft; the shaft was at least a foot, but the blade was only about three or four inches. The whole blade was translucent and incisive, releasing a glaring yellow light.


    It was this type of strange object that had hit and slain the white-clothed woman in one hit.


    Han Li stared intently at this item; his expression slowly became gloomy, figurative black clouds gathered overhead on his face, and his mouth was tightly pressed together. However, the two words ¡°treasure talisman¡± kept flashing through his head unstoppably.


    Judging from the small blade¡¯s power, which approximately matched that of its radiant appearance, and it¡¯s frightening explosion of Spiritual Qi, all the evidence pointed to the item being similar to his ¡°Golden Light Brick¡±. It was a treasure talisman that possessed the power of a magic treasure.


    This realization filled Han Li¡¯s mouth with a taste of bitterness!


    He raised his head and gazed at the mixed yellow sky. Although he could not tell what period of time it was, he was confident it was already the morning of the second day. He was wondering if his own luck had been wasted all during the first day so that on the morning of the second day, he would run into such terrible luck!


    First, he encountered a Senior Martial Sister from the same sect, forcefully turning him into a shield and causing him to become the opponent of the female from the Masked Moon Sect who had many treasures. In the end, her top grade magic tool had been powerful beyond compare, and he almost had no way to deal with it!


    Now, some madman Feng Yue had also arrived; not only was his magic power much higher than his own, he also had a treasure talisman on him. All of these made him more powerful than the jade-stealing woman by a significant amount! How could he possibly escape from this situation?


    He didn¡¯t reckon that this madman would spare the two of them merely because of a good mood. It seemed like he could only fight with all his might!


    As Han Li was thinking this, the opposing Feng Yue had finally finished thoroughly searching the storage pouch. He lifted up his head with an expression of light happiness; it seemed that his harvest was not small!


    He laughed maliciously and was about to say something to Han Li and the woman, but then he noticed the small mirror and crystal ball that had fallen on the ground. His eyes flashed with greed and he waved his hand, wanting to suck the two magic tools into his hand.


    Unfortunately, before the two magic tools had taken flight, a tiny, tiny fireball came flying over from far away and disrupted the movement of retrieving the magic tools. This forced him to back up a step and, in one wave of his hand, release a similar fireball to attack it. This caused Feng Yue¡¯s to become extremely angry in his heart, and his face revealed an extremely ferocious look!


    This fireball had been released by Han Li. After seeing the power of the small mirror and the crystal ball, how could he allow them to land in the opponent¡¯s hands? The yellow-robed female, on the other hand, had been frightened by Han Li¡¯s movements, almost crying out!


    Feng Yue slowly turned to look at Han Li. The scars on his face began to move, as if they were individual, living earthworms, causing people to tremble with fear.


    ¡°How do you want to die! Is it for me to cut you into pieces, one piece at a time, or do you want me to cook you inch by inch with a large fire?¡±


    When the yellow-robed female heard this, her body trembled, and her face became deathly pale beyond comparison. She could no longer withstand the fear in her heart, and she secretly looked around to her left and right, beginning to come up with other ideas.


    ¡°I want you to die!¡± Han Li replied with a light smile. His smile was very natural and lighthearted!

 Chapter 188

    A Bad Reputation


    Feng Yue¡¯s ugly face was extremely unsightly; he had never imagined that the opponent would actually dare to mock him. The rage in his heart suddenly began to soar.


    Although he wasn¡¯t yet Foundation Establishment, by relying on a few decent magic tools and cruel, savage methods, his fearful name was widespread among the lower-level disciples!


    One should know that in order to get revenge, he shut other cultivators into some dark room and tortured them constantly for three days and three nights. Their piteous cries rang out day and night without stopping before they were viciously slain.


    Normally, when ordinary disciples heard his name, their faces would become deathly pale, and they would immediately retreat far away.


    With this evil reputation, he should have long been finished off by Foundation Establishment experts who found him displeasing to the eye. However, he was also extremely clever; although he was incomparably savage to lower-layered cultivators, he would flee as soon as he caught wind of someone whose power greatly surpassed his own. He would escape back to the Heavenly Imperial Fortress and hide out; the people in the Heavenly Imperial Fortress, to protect their reputation, naturally would not deliver him up.


    As such, those pursuing him often would refrain from harming innocents to chase him. They could only stare at him, watching him act freely and leisurely.


    After waiting for those pursuing him to lose interest, Feng Yue would again arrogantly exit the fort, continuing to cruelly treat other cultivators. After this had happened a few times, those experts could only pinch their noses and were disinterested in involving themselves again! Feng Yue also knew his place and would not attack those from important backgrounds and those intimate to them.


    (TL: pinch their noses means to ignore it, like a stinky smell.)


    As such, Feng Yue¡¯s behavior within the Seven Great Sects became increasingly ferocious and bold, and his evil name spread far and wide! This made his personality even more unrestrained, and he became incredibly conceited, adopting an arrogant and violent attitude! He did not have a shred of respect for any of the low-layered cultivators other than a few disciples from his sect whose reputations were not below his.


    But today, Han Li, an eleventh layer rookie, went so far as to say he wanted to kill him! How could the arrogant and accustomed Feng Yue contain his rage!


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    The agitated Feng Yue was not willing to allow Han Li to speak for even one more second; he touched the small blade in front of him, and it became a streak of yellow light, flying directly at Han Li¡¯s forehead. He had decided to cut off the opponent¡¯s head in one move. He believed that, although the opponent had set up a blue, water-based barrier, the barrier would break under one attack of his own treasure talisman, and the person inside it would die.


    Han Li, of course, would not allow the opponent to do whatever he wanted. He sneakily raised his hand, throwing out a small, black shield that began to expand on its own after leaving his hand. The yellow streak was firmly blocked outside at roughly a distance about six meters away.


    As soon as the small blade¡¯s yellow streak and the black light on the shield collided, several ¡°zhi zhi¡± sounds were emitted. Although the yellow streak immediately gained the upper hand and forced the black light to steadily retreat, the small shield, unwilling to be outdone, continued to emit black light, tenaciously resisting the yellow streak.


    At this point, the yellow streak would be unable to break through and enter in any short amount of time.


    Seeing this, Feng Yue¡¯s expression was one of shock, while Han Li sighed lightly.


    Feng Yue didn¡¯t expect that Han Li would have a rare, top quality defensive magic tool; at the same time, Han Li felt reassured because his previous guess had been correct.


    His use of the Flying Dark-Iron Shield to directly counter the opponent¡¯s treasure talisman with force had actually been quite risky. If the opponent¡¯s treasure talisman was powerful beyond his expectations, then his head would have hit the ground a long time ago.


    When Han Li and ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± had battled, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner had been able to hold out against his flying gray sword talisman for half a day. Even if Feng Yue¡¯s small blade was somewhat stronger, the Flying Dark-Iron Shield could probably withstand it for at least a short time.


    It was only because of the above reasoning that Han Li was willing to take this risk.


    Seeing that he temporarily didn¡¯t need to worry, Han Li immediately grabbed the ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± talisman in his hand, preparing to activate it and shoot down the opponent in one blow!


    But before he was able to rotate the spiritual power in his body and begin to cast the talisman, Feng Yue suddenly yelled out, ¡°Sl*t! Where are you trying to run?¡±


    Then his body image flashed; he appeared in a nearby patch of dense forest, blocking someone off.


    The person who was trying to sneakily run into the dense forest was none other than the yellow-robed woman.


    It turned out that this woman, seeing that her odds of success were low and recognizing Feng Yue¡¯s fearsome reputation, became fearful in her heart. She decided to use the moment while Han Li and Feng Yue were battling to run away, fleeing without a trace.


    Han Li had long noticed this woman¡¯s activity; although he was somewhat resentful in his heart, he wasn¡¯t interested in doing anything about it.


    Since she seemed to be unable to help if she stayed, if she wanted to leave it was up to her!


    However, she had first betrayed their agreement of cooperation, so he would not try to prevent her from attempting to flee. On the other hand, he would no longer help her; whether she survived or perished depended on herself alone!


    Han Li had coldly decided to ignore this woman, but the fury of Feng Yue was still burning, and he would not be so easily deceived.


    He had long ago developed a strong hate for both Han Li and the yellow-robed woman because of the words that Han Li had spoken. When he saw this woman trying to flee, he was naturally unwilling to let her go! This was why he suddenly flew to block the yellow-robed woman¡¯s path.


    When Han Li¡¯s Senior Martial Sister saw this, she was so frightened that she became like a mortal, turning around and running. All of her magic skills had been forgotten.


    When Feng Yue saw this, his ugly face throbbed a few times, and he slipped away, again standing in front of that woman. He raised his hand without hesitation, causing his large hand to glow with yellow light. He then inserted this hand directly through her chest, protruding out her back; the hand became a bloody hand that dripped with blood.


    The yellow-robed female¡¯s corpse fell to the ground, her eyes opened wide; however, her eyes had lost their vigor. Before she died, perhaps she regretted her rash decision to leave Han Li¡¯s side, but there was no medicine for regret that she could eat in this world!


    Based on the fact that the opponent had no more magic tools or strong talismans left, Feng Yue, having just slaughtered the yellow-robed female at close range, removed his hand and purposefully licked the blood still dripping from his finger. Then, he smiled maliciously at Han Li.


    When the Han Li hiding inside the shield saw this, his face turned green, and he pressed his lips tightly together. Although he didn¡¯t yell out, he had definitely been scared out of his wits, Feng Yue delightedly thought.


    In reality, the reason he had been able to win against his opponents so easily in the past was mostly due to his fearsome reputation. When people who fought against him thought about the fate worse than death that they would suffer at his hands, they would already be fearful even before they fought. Naturally, their fighting abilities would suffer greatly, and losing became inevitable.


    Today, Feng Yue saw that although Han Li¡¯s cultivation was not very deep, the magic tools he had were quite strong. Thus, he intended to use this kind of scare tactic to weaken Han Li¡¯s fighting ability and gain the upper hand.


    Now, looking at Han Li¡¯s expression, it seemed as if his tactics had worked. Feng Yue was secretly happy in his heart, swaying on his feet as if he were showing off. He returned to his original position in front of Han Li.


    The color of Han Li¡¯s face was indeed not pleasant to look at, and the feelings in his heart were also not worth mentioning. However, it wasn¡¯t because of the opponent¡¯s bloody methods; rather, it was because he was preparing to move like lightning that he felt his head starting to hurt like crazy.


    The last time Han Li had used the ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman, he realized that although its power seemed to be much greater than the flying gray sword talisman, in real battles with other opponents, there were actually a few large drawbacks.


    Its destructive power was truly frightening; if one was hit by it, lower-layered cultivators would be obliterated no matter how many magic tools or protective barriers they had on them. They wouldn¡¯t make a big difference. However, this treasure talisman¡¯s drawbacks were also incredibly apparent. It could only be used after sucking up a large amount of the user¡¯s magic power, and its lack of speed or mobility would leave people speechless.


    If it was possible to bind the opponent beforehand, this treasure talisman¡¯s surprising function would be greatly increased; it would be the best tool for killing people. But if someone were to use only the Golden Light Brick to kill their enemies, it would be an unthinkable thing to do. Unless the opponent¡¯s magic power was depleted, using a few random supportive techniques would allow someone to easily dodge this treasure¡¯s attack.


    Thus, this ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman was actually not like the flying sword treasure talisman or Feng Yue¡¯s small blade treasure talisman in the sense that it was not meant for a dogfight. Instead, it was purely effective for generating huge amounts of destructive power, similar to the official magic treasures of Core Formation experts from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress.


    Because Han Li no longer had any magic tools that could bind the enemy, his original plan was to use multiple golden blades to slow down the enemy, and then use the Golden Light Brick to launch a surprise attack when the opponent was least expecting it. According to Han Li¡¯s reasoning, although success wasn¡¯t one hundred percent guaranteed, there was still approximately a fifty percent chance!


    However, after seeing Feng Yue¡¯s movements, Han Li knew this plan was simply unrealistic. Based on the opponent¡¯s display of speed that was not slower than the Shifting Smoke Steps, it would be easy for him to escape from the magic tool dogfight at any time.


    Han Li was extremely vexed, but he was also somewhat bewildered. Could it be that this Feng Yue was the same as him, having origins from Jiang Hu?

 Chapter 189

    Extermination By Lightning


    Although Han Li could not understand how Feng Yue¡¯s movements were so fast, suspicions began to arise in his heart.


    But now was not the time to get to investigate; he had no choice, but to put away the ¡°Golden Light Brick¡± treasure talisman. He waved the ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Blade¡¯s¡± mother blade in his hand, causing all of the children blades to fly out like a swarm of bees, turning into eight streaks of golden light. They all aggressively shot towards Feng Yue, relying on the chaos the large numbers would create in order to obtain victory.


    If the opponent was willing to withdraw the yellow streak to protect himself, it would obviously be better; he would be able to force a stalemate for quite some time, but Han Li was not confident in this idea. Based on the opponent having such a widespread reputation, his true strength definitely would not be limited to this. The previous attack seemed to intend to probe him.


    As expected, when Feng Yue saw Han Li¡¯s golden blades flying towards him, he wasn¡¯t panicked in the slightest.


    He laughed coldly a few times, and an item that he had just taken out began to emit light; it was a yellow umbrella-shaped magic tool.


    Feng Yue didn¡¯t actually cause the umbrella to leave his hand; instead, when he saw the eight streaks of golden light appear in front of him, he leisurely opened the umbrella. A spherical barrier made of yellow light appeared and immediately covered up all of Feng Yue¡¯s body. When the golden blades hit the ball of light, they exploded with strange ¡°pi pi pa pa¡± sounds, and all of the golden blades easily rebounded.


    This was also a high-grade protective magic tool, and judging by its strength it definitely surpassed that of Han Li¡¯s Flying Dark-Iron Shield.


    Han Li¡¯s facial color changed dramatically, becoming slightly wane. Feng Yue began to laugh crazily and loudly, and his expression was one of delight.


    This was not surprising; ever since he had obtained the ¡°Yellow Parasol¡±, he had never been harmed by any low-layer cultivators. Seeing Han Li¡¯s frightened appearance, he naturally felt extremely carefree in his heart.


    Feng Yue valued this umbrella far more than the knife treasure talisman. Treasure talismans could only be used for a limited amount of time; when their energy was used up, they became useless pieces of paper. On the other hand, the ¡°Yellow Parasol¡± could be used an unlimited number of times!


    Han Li sighed and cut off his spell, pointing with one finger; all of the golden blades were summoned back to him and returned to their original shape upon landing in his hand.


    Feng Yue didn¡¯t know what Han Li planned to do, but since he was still being protected and felt carefree, he focused all of his attention on controlling the yellow streak,


    Based on protective ability and scope, the ¡°Flying Dark-Iron Shield¡± possibly was much worse than the ¡°Yellow Parasol¡±; however, what Feng Yue didn¡¯t know was that in terms of flexibility, this small shield definitely was much better than most normal defensive magic tools.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter how frantically Feng Yue made the yellow streak move or how wondrously it hovered; they were all completely blocked by the shield outside. It was at this time that he realized if he didn¡¯t utterly destroy this shield, he would have no way of getting to Han Li!


    His face revealed an expression of resent, and he was forced to return to his old tactic of using the yellow streak of the knife to slowly wear at the iron shield. Despite the fact that the black light being emitted from the shield had already been decreased by a significant amount, the remaining light was enough to resist for a short period of time.


    At this time, Han Li, seeing that there was no way for him to secure victory, clenched his teeth and made a heart-wrenching decision.


    He returned the golden blades to his storage pouch and switched it out for a small, azure-black gourd. He raised the gourd high into the air, and seven or eight black spheres flew out from it; these spheres flew towards Feng Yue, light as a feather.


    Feng Yue was naturally aware of Han Li¡¯s movements, and thus he stared blankly for a moment. This was because the gourd magic tool was simply too common; lower-layer cultivators all knew about these cheap magic tools, and almost all of them had tried using such items before.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether the tool that contained the spheres was a gourd or a bottle or a pot; although the spheres that came shooting out of it were very enticingly called ¡°Primeval Beads¡±, their strength as compared to top-quality magic tools was simply too small.


    But it was also because of this that Feng Yue began to suspect something in his heart.


    He didn¡¯t wait for the spheres to come near him; instead, he reached out and placed an ¡°Ice Spear Technique¡± talisman into his hand. Then, he raised it, and the talisman immediately became a crystal-clear, brilliantly white ice spear, which he resolutely threw to meet the spheres.


    With a crisp ¡°peng¡±, the ice spear flew knocked away three or four of these spheres before shattering. White fragments of ice dispersed in midair, as if they were flowers scattered by heavenly maidens. These fragments of ice became a small rain of hail, beautiful in an unexpected way.


    Seeing these circumstances unfold, Feng Yue finally began to relax, and he once again focused his attention onto Han Li himself. This was because at this time, an azure banner had suddenly appeared; on this banner was the image of an azure dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. It appeared incredibly realistic, as if it were about to jump out.


    Feng Yue¡¯s experience was very abundant, and with one glance he knew this definitely was a top-notch, high-grade magic tool; he could not afford to underestimate its strength!


    Meanwhile, Han Li was controlling this flag, allowing its surface to begin to accumulate azure-colored spiritual light. This light was very dazzling, and its strength was truly not small.


    Although Feng Yue was completely confident in his Yellow Parasol, his prudent and cunning personality caused him to unblinkingly stare at this azure flag, afraid that this magic tool would have some kind of odd power and could break through his defenses.


    As for those Primeval Beads, he had long realized that those were red herrings meant to disturb his line of sight, and so he ignored them. Based on the pitiful destructive force of the Primeval Beads, even if they were to hover around the Yellow Parasol for an entire day it would be impossible for them to disturb his defenses even slightly.


    However, Feng Yue became increasingly distressed and bewildered after seeing Han Li take out one high-grade magic tool after another.


    He guessed that Han Li and that woman with many treasures were the same and that he was the disciple of some expert. His desire to kill Han Li became even more urgent.


    He feared that if the opponent was able to survive, it would cause him no end of trouble. Even more so, the opponent had witnessed the entire process of him killing people and stealing their belongings. If the elder of the woman with many treasures came looking for him, he would have a lot of trouble on his hands.


    Right as Feng Yue was attracted by the Azure Flood Dragon Banner and his killing intent was rising, those Primeval Beads flew in front of him and ran into the barrier created by the Yellow Parasol. After making some silvery noises from attacking the barrier, the foremost few beads were easily repelled out.


    When Feng Yue heard that sound, he instinctively lowered his head to take a look.


    ¡°Relying on those Primeval Beads to attack me is too arrogant! These aren¡¯t even worth mentioning; even¡­¡±


    ¡°Yi! Why is this one so small; it¡¯s even colored blue¡­¡­¡±


    Feng Yue had just sneered when he discovered a Primeval Bead that had revealed a blue bead hiding inside of it after it had been reflected. It was only as large as a pill, much more modest in size than regular Primeval Beads.


    Feng Yue startled a little; before he was able to come up with an idea, the blue bead had already hit the ball-shaped barrier.


    ¡°White light! A magnificent, blinding white light!¡±


    This was the last color that Feng Yue ever saw in this world. His body slowly turned, and then he never knew anything again.


    In the eyes of Han Li, when the blue bead came into contact with the yellow light, it immediately exploded out with silver light in a sphere a few Zhang wide. It noiselessly enveloped the larger half of Feng Yue¡¯s body. After this, the white light disappeared without a trace, revealing Feng Yue¡¯s stupefied expression, as if he were ready to fight another day.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank, but before he could move, a light gust of wind blew. Feng Yue¡¯s body suddenly collapsed like grains of sand and turned into ash that blew away with the wind.


    All that remained were the halves of two small legs and the pair of shoes on his feet. They stood all alone on the ground, creating an unspeakably strange scene.


    When Han Li saw this, he was not afraid. In fact, he immediately sat on the ground and breathed in deeply, allowing his heart, which had been stuck in his throat, to calm down.


    It was only after using his greatest last resort, the ¡°Heavenly Lightning Seed¡±, paired with a whole string of movements meant to cover it up, that he was able to completely wipe out Feng Yue from the face of the earth.


    But Han Li¡¯s expression was not actually one of joy; rather, it displayed both self-deprecation and bitter laughter.


    This was not too surprising, given that the Trial by Blood and Fire had only entered the second day; he had already used all of his magic treasures, as well as his ultimate trump card he was saving as a last resort. How could he possibly be happy?


    When he thought about the remaining three days, as well as the unknown number of violent people he would meet like Feng Yue, his heart sank again even as he had just begun to relax.


    However, if he hadn¡¯t used the Heaven¡¯s Lightning Child, it would have definitely been difficult for him to escape; the Flying Dark-Iron Shield had reached its breaking point. In addition, considering the opponent¡¯s high-grade magic tools as well as the woman with many treasures, he definitely had not suffered a loss; in fact, it would be more accurate to say that he had struck it rich!


    Han Li began to think better of his situation, and his countenance was revived; he hurriedly looked to the opposite side. But as soon as his eyes fell upon the site, Han Li¡¯s mouth fell wide open, rendering him speechless for a significant amount of time!

 Chapter 190

    Black Boots


    Because Feng Yue had originally been standing, apart from that pair of boots, there was nothing else on the floor. The storage pouches Han Li had in mind disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li stood straight like a carp jumping on water, and then, as if his buttocks were on fire, he hurriedly charged over.  After searching for a great long while in the area where Feng Yue disappeared, he couldn¡¯t find the slightest trace of the storage pouch.


    ¡°Could it be that the power of the Heavenly Lightning Seed was so powerful? Did it actually turn the storage pouch into ashes along with the person?¡± After Han Li searched his surroundings with his hands several times, he eventually came to an extremely depressing answer.


    Unresigned, Han Li expanded the search area by several times, but the result was the same. However, he was actually able to acquire the rich girl¡¯s small mirror and crystal ball. Furthermore, because the owner had already died, he was able to recover the small blade treasure talisman.


    When Han Li saw these three items, he thought that the loss of his Heaven¡¯s Lightning Child, the high-quality magic tools: the silver hook, and the azure rope, as well as the storage pouches that were destroyed by the Heavenly Lightning Seed, he looked up to the sky speechlessly.


    However, regardless of what was said after this great battle, he was nonetheless the winner against the much stronger Feng Yue, who had turned to dust.


    Not knowing whether to consider it a profit or a loss, Han Li was only able to mock himself.


    When he thought of Feng Yue, Han Li unconsciously looked at what was left at him: a pair of halved legs. He could not help but lightly shake his head. He then lifted his hand, releasing two fist-sized fireballs straight toward them. Since this person was already dead, he naturally must thoroughly dispose of the legs to prevent others from discovering this. Who knew what others troubles could arise?


    Pengpeng. The flames immediately covered them. In the blink of an eye, aside from those jet-black boots, everything else had turned to ash.


    Satisfied, Han Li nodded his head and turned around, thinking to depart.


    ¡°Boots? How strange!¡±


    ¡°How could normal boots come out unscathed from my fireballs?¡±


    Just as Han Li took a small step to leave, he immediately saw his mistake and hurried to turn around. He looked toward those seemingly ordinary boots with an odd expression.


    With a careful look, Han Li was unable to discover anything irregular. Not only were these boots not destroyed by the fireballs, but they also didn¡¯t have a single trace of being burned. Furthermore, they faintly released slight spiritual ripples.


    ¡°Magic tool?¡±


    Han Li asked with great bewilderment.


    He hesitated for a moment and walked several steps over, lowering his head and picking up the pair of black boots.


    ¡°Light and soft, but they are still very tough! They shouldn¡¯t be cloth or silk boots. They seem to have been made from the hide of an animal!¡± Han Li concluded after stroking the boots for a while.


    Because he was close to them, Han Li was able to feel the boots¡¯ faint Spiritual Qi.


    They were certainly magic tools! In addition, they were likely to have been constructed from demonic beast leather.


    Seeing these leather boots, Han Li faintly thought of something. He somewhat impatiently took off his cloth shoes and exchanged them for these leather boot magic tools.


    They were very comfortable and soft, as if there was nothing there! This was what Han Li first thought when he wore those boots.


    He carefully observed the boots after wearing them for a while. So far, nothing extraordinary had occurred.


    Wrinkling his brow, Han Li took a small step.


    Huchi. Han Li¡¯s body suddenly blurred and appeared over a three meters away, light as a feather.


    ¡®Imperial Flight Technique! No, it¡¯s much quicker than the Imperial Flight Technique!¡¯ Han Li thought, pleasantly surprised.


    At this moment, Han Li finally knew the secret behind Feng Yue¡¯s incomparably fast and nimble movements. It was probably because of these boots that he was able to move so strangely and as quick as lightning.


    Wearing these boots, Han Li started slowly walking on the ground, gradually familiarizing himself with the boots¡¯ performance. He gradually grew faster and faster, finally making use of Shifting Smoke Steps to speed up.


    Before, Han Li¡¯s fastest movements had been able to make his body blur, even causing afterimages to remain. After he put on these boots, Han Li became even faster, causing several identical phantoms to appear simultaneously, all using the same movements and all with the same smile. However, when all of the phantoms simultaneously and gradually converged, Han Li stood there at the center.


    Motionless, Han Li stood blankly at his original location as if he were pondering about something, but he then howled with laughter and continued to laugh until tears were flowing out.


    After he laughed for a long while, Han Li bent his waist and flashed with an azure light. His entirety turned into an azure wind and actually disappeared into air without a trace.


    At this moment, the entire place was extremely quiet. Apart from the occasional rustling of the wind, there were no other sounds.


    A burst of rumbling sounds suddenly sounded out. The nearby trees suddenly started to break apart in a strange manner from the center. The cuts were clean and smooth, making the trees resemble the flat of a mirror; however, it was clear that there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight.


    The speed at the trees breaking grew quicker and quicker. A short moment later, all that remained of the trees within a hundred meters were tree stumps.


    At this moment, Han Li, enveloped in a faint azure light, appeared with a brow filled with sweat. However, he was faintly smiling and was unable to conceal the joy on his face.


    Shifting Smoke Steps, leather boot magic tools, along with the Imperial Flight Technique, actually caused Han Li to become so fast that he was able to temporarily break away from the sight of an ordinary person¡¯s naked eye, as if he had become invisible, disappearing without a trace.


    According to Han Li¡¯s estimates, even an outstanding cultivator with the aid of the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique would only be able to see a faint glimpse of him by exerting all their strength. If they didn¡¯t use a defensive magic technique, Han Li would be a great threat.


    Currently, so long as Han Li concentrated and a person was within an area of about ten meters away, even if it was a distance of hundred meters, it would take Han Li at most a single breath to reach them.


    Naturally, this speed exceeded the limits of the human body; Han Li was only able to maintain the speed for a short amount of time. If he maintained it for too long, his entire body would break down. After all, such high speed movements were extremely stressful on Han Li¡¯s body.


    However, it was already fast enough for him to kill the opponent several times. Especially if it were a situation where he used the thread magic tool, his power would increase many times over.


    Han Li lowered his head. With a sigh, he caressed the leather boots on his feet for a long while.


    He felt that this item was extremely suited for him. Even if someone wanted to use some treasure talisman to exchange for them, he wouldn¡¯t even consider it!


    With his confidence increased several times over, Han Li excitedly looked around in every direction.


    When he saw the corpse of the yellow-clothed woman, he lightly sighed and used a fireball to blast open a hole. He buried the woman¡¯s body extremely crudely. That was to the limit of what Han Li could do.


    After he finished this, Han Li¡¯s figure flashed and disappeared into the forest. He currently wanted to hurry towards the central area.


    However, Han Li did not know that after the massacre of the first day that the disciples spent in the forbidden area, only seventy disciples from the various sects remained. Less than half of those who had entered the forbidden area remained. The majority of these were the elite disciples of each sect, and they had all promptly arrived near the central area, preparing and waiting idly for the second day¡¯s great purge.


    Those they believed to be weak had all been mercilessly eliminated one by one.


    Of course, the rich girl and the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciple Feng Yue who had been killed by Han Li were among those who had participated in the slaughter. However, they were now dead, naturally disappearing without a trace!

 Chapter 191

    Disloyalty and Solitude


    To the west side of the central area, precious medicine herbs grew in the ravines. Three cultivators were battling fiercely with a three-eyed Flame Wolf; a middle-aged man wearing the robes of the Giant Sword Sect controlled a huge azure sword, which blocked most of the Flame Wolf¡¯s attacks. At the same time, a yellow-robed old man and a young man wearing a gray Daoist robe provided supporting attacks from the sides.


    In a short time, the disciple from the Giant Sword Sect went all out and beheaded the wolf¡¯s body in one fluid swing, getting hit by a huge fireball in the process. Then, he sheathed his giant sword and began to laugh while looking into the sky.


    ¡°Brother Meng¡¯s magic power is truly profound, capable of killing even this three-eyed Flame Wolf in one slash! You are worthy of being called one of the Giant Sword Sect¡¯s rising stars¡­¡­¡±Upon seeing these circumstances, the yellow-robed old man immediately ran over diligently and began to unceasingly fawn over him; his face bore no traces of flushing.


    If Han Li was there, he would have recognized this old man as the one who had initially invited him to form an alliance with the weaker members. His name was Xiang Zhili. However, the young disciple from the same sect as him was no longer there; it seemed that when they were being transported, he had strayed off.


    ¡°Hehe, if it wasn¡¯t for Brother Xiang and Daoist Priest Li¡¯s assistance from the sides, success would not have been so easy!¡± The middle-aged man who wore a black robe and held his sword was actually very modest.


    ¡°Brother Meng, there¡¯s no need to be courteous! You were able to get rid of this kind of demonic beast, so you deserve all the credit. There¡¯s no room for debate!¡± The other young Daoist Priest, although young in age, spoke neither overbearing nor in a servile way. He was clearly an experienced individual.


    Hearing what was spoken, a trace of a smile appeared on the black-clothed, middle-aged man¡¯s face, but he immediately spoke a few more modest sentences.


    ¡°Speaking of which, the other people who are still fighting really are silly! If they knew that the three of us could actually work together to defeat these demonic beasts and collect medicinal ingredients despite being from different sects, it¡¯s possible that they would be so shocked their jaws would fall off!¡± The black-clothed man spoke, suddenly changing the subject.


    ¡°Of course! This all came about because of Brother Xiang! If it wasn¡¯t for Brother Xiang making everything thoroughly clear, perhaps Brother Meng and I would probably still be fighting to the death!¡± The Daoist Priest nodded his head as he spoke.


    ¡°You praise me too highly! You are both extremely smart people; all I did was speak the truth! Nobody needs to waste their lives trying to retrieve items that could never end up in the hands of people like us. How great is it that everyone ignores the precious medicinal ingredients outside of the central area because they¡¯re too busy killing each other! In addition, if we all work together, dealing with these demonic beasts is a piece of cake!¡± Xiang Zhili giggled happily, glibly and repeatedly declining politely.


    Hearing this, the other two people began another frenzied round of flattery.


    ¡°Okay, we should quickly move and pick the ¡®Fire Dragon Grass¡¯! Everybody gets an equally large portion!¡± It was the black-clothed man who first ran out of patience and spoke. His voice revealed a hint of urgency, and after saying this he began to walk towards a few clumps of red grass behind the body of the Flame Wolf.


    Hearing this, Xiang Zhili and the Daoist Priest smiled at each other with hidden meanings in their eyes; then, they walked towards him, their mouths full of words of agreement.


    The two of them hadn¡¯t realized, however, that the black-clothed man with his back facing towards them suddenly revealed a trace of a dark and strict expression. However, it quickly disappeared.


    ¡­¡­


    South of the central area, in a small area covered with yellow sand, a male and a female disciple from the Masked Moon Sect were using ice awls to continuously puncture the desert ground as if they were looking for something.


    However, after half a day, they still had not obtained anything.


    ¡°This sl*t, where exactly did she hide! After finding her, I will definitely claw out her eyes!¡± The female disciple appeared to be incredibly enchanting, as beautiful as a flower, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she became sinister and vicious to the extreme. If men heard her speaking in this way, they would shiver.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, let¡¯s just let it go! The time that the sect arranged is about to pass; if we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll be late!¡± The male disciple weakly said. It seemed as if he was very scared of this Junior Martial Sister.


    ¡°Humph! It¡¯s the fault of a worthless piece of trash like you. You couldn¡¯t even keep track of a tenth layer cultivator girl. She actually slipped away from right underneath our noses! If this spreads, people will make laughingstocks out of me and my sister, the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Twin Beauties!


    But words were just words in the end. The female disciple glanced at the brightness of the sky, and did not dare to continue to search. She didn¡¯t want to interfere with the major plans of her sect; even if her status was special and she had a strong backer, they were all relatively unimportant.


    On the other hand, she was also unwilling to leave this place with her tail between her legs; after hesitating many times, she gritted her teeth and pulled out a blue talisman.


    Looking at this talisman, she laughed evilly, and abruptly tossed the talisman behind her.Then, she quickly ran out from that area until she was about a hundred meters away before stopping and turning around to watch from there.


    Seeing this, the male disciple complained incessantly under his breath, but he quickly followed after her, not daring to slight her.


    At this time, the talisman became a huge black cloud, roughly the size of fourty meters; the sky above the area was completely covered up by the cloud, and the nearby temperature abruptly dropped, becoming incomparably cold.


    In no time, countless massive ice awls began to fall from the black cloud at an increasing speed, and in a very short amount of time the entire area was densely packed with ice awls stuck into the ground. It was as densely packed as the needles on a cactus.


    In the time it took to boil a pot of tea, the black cloud slowly dissipated. At this time, the entire desert sparkled like crystal.


    The female disciple opened her eyes wide, sweeping across the entire desert, which was virtually impossible to stand on. However, she didn¡¯t see even a trace of anything peculiar.


    Her face viciously fell, and she unhappily shouted at the male disciple. She resentfully took the lead and left the area. Her so-called cultivation partner naturally followed closely behind her.


    The Masked Moon Sect woman who had just left didn¡¯t notice that in a corner of the ice-awl covered desert, a trace amount of red liquid had seeped out. Unfortunately, its color was too light, and so it escaped the notice of that female disciple.


    After half of a quarter of an hour, when the dark red had begun to spread, a spherical small bubble suddenly emerged from the yellow sand, becoming increasingly large and increasingly noticeable.


    In the end, the sand bubble exploded in a raging torrent, and a green-robed female tumbled out of it, a long, slender awl stuck into her shoulder. Fresh blood flowed from the wound, covering half of her body already. Her hand was tightly gripping a yellow handkerchief; radiance flickered on its surface, as if it were not a common item.


    The woman slowly crawled to her feet. When she looked at the wound on her shoulder, her sleek eyebrows tightly knitted.


    She raised her other hand and lightly grabbed the latter half of the ice awl; then, gritting her teeth, she pulled out the ice awl. The woman delicately groaned in pain, and tears leaked out of her graceful eyes. Fresh blood poured out from the site of the wound.


    However, she couldn¡¯t afford to wipe away the tears on her face; she didn¡¯t dare delay. After a brief flurry of movement, she retrieved a flowery porcelain bottle from her storage pouch. She dumped out some yellow medicinal powder onto her wound, and the blood immediately stopped gushing from her wound.


    After finishing, the green-robed woman sat down on the desert sand and hugged her knees, unmoving. After a brief moment of time, she suddenly buried her head in her hands and began to cry. However, because she was scared of drawing the attention of other people, this woman kept her crying volume to a minimum.


    After the time it took to eat a meal had passed, this female disciple from Spirit Beast Mountain finally stopped weeping. She raised her head. Gazing at the uninhabited desert, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver!


    She bit her lip, and then struggled to stand up. After vacillating for a long time, she finally determined her direction and staggered towards the central area. The woman¡¯s pretty and pleasant face still had some tear stains on it, but at the same time, she wore a stubborn and resolute expression that didn¡¯t seem to match her appearance.


    This woman was the one who had sold Han Li the ¡°Golden Sincerity Brush¡±. However, now that she had been wounded and was walking silently on the sandy ground alone, she was even more beautifully pitiful, causing people to want to take care of her.


    After a brief moment of time, she continued to onward with her wounded body as she disappeared into the yellow sands.


    ¡­.

 Chapter 192

    Flying Snakes


    After walking on the route for a little less than half a day, Han Li finally reached the outer reaches of the central area.


    Han Li felt that something was unusual; the entire way here, absolutely nothing had occurred, and he hadn¡¯t run into anybody else attacking him from afar!


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t know that the people who had come in the same direction earlier had all been killed off by those so-called ¡°elites¡±. The people behind him, on the other hand, were disposed of, having run into Feng Yue and the woman with many treasures.


    Like that, although there were some fish that escaped the net, they all knew that to steal treasures from others was impossible at this point. Thus, they covered up their tracks and found a place to hide, sticking their head into the ground like an ostrich. This was the open secret of how the weaker cultivators would preserve their own lives in the Trial by Blood and Fire!


    If Han Li wanted to obtain the three main ingredients to refine his Foundation Establishment Pill, he obviously could not follow in their footsteps. That was why he currently stood in front of a stone wall about ten meters high, intently looking at it with a strange expression.


    On the side of the stone wall, not too far away, stood an interesting and appealing large bronze door. The door had many markings on it that Han Li could not understand; they were written in an ancient language that almost looked like a decorative design.


    Since this copper door was wide open today, people must have already gone through it.


    According to the information that Han Li knew, there should have been four kinds of these copper doors, each one in each of the cardinal directions. They were the only entrances into the central area. The areas not including the doors were surrounded by a stone wall that didn¡¯t seem to be too high.


    If one didn¡¯t want to enter through the bronze doors, instead wanting to seize every possibly opportunity and jump over the stone wall to get into the central area, these people would definitely be incredibly unlucky. They would be sliced into shreds by the wall¡¯s wind restriction spell.


    Of course, Han Li knew this and naturally wouldn¡¯t idiotically choose to climb over the wall. The only reason he was closely watching the wall¡¯s movements was entirely because this section of the wall was truly somewhat different from the others. Its surface contained an extra ¡°thing¡± that other normal walls did not have.


    On top of this wall stood three people wearing different clothing. They had been impaled by a thick ice awl, their limbs nailed together to form the Chinese character ¡°large (?)¡±, which hung on top of the wall in a row. Seeing that there was no odor at all, they must¡¯ve already been dead for a long time.


    The fresh blood that poured out of the four wounds coagulated into a purplish-black solid; this solid was all over the place, both on top of the wall and nearby. According to Han Li¡¯s speculations, at the time that these people had been nailed on top of the wall, the majority of them had not yet died. However, they had later tragically died on the wall due to blood loss.


    There were no clues or trails left next to the three corpses, but if one thought about it carefully, anyone could realize that these people were killed to make an example of. The goal was to scare away people arriving later from entering through this door!


    Han Li very carefully inspected the painful expressions of the three corpses, then licked his somewhat dry lips and walked expressionlessly towards the copper door. It was as if the miserable fates of those three people had not affected him that much.


    In reality, however, Han Li knew his own feelings quite well; the previous scene had really left him apprehensive! It was apparent from the way those three people died that their killer most likely was someone whose heart was twisted; if he were to fall into that person¡¯s hands, he would be a bit more fortunate if he hurried to kill himself.


    However, Han Li had already come here; naturally, he wouldn¡¯t flee from here simply because of a little fear. Today, in front of him were the true extreme dangers. He would have to summon up his own courage and barge in this time!


    Like this, Han Li walked through the door, carrying a stomach full of uneasiness. However, he maintained his composure on the surface, as leisurely if he were strolling around in his home¡¯s backyard.


    He had just entered when he was greeted by the scene of a paradise of fragrant flowers and birdsong. All kinds of odd flowers and grasses, as well as many strange trees with unknown names, were strikingly everywhere. Silver chrysanthemums as wide as bowls, blood-red strange trees, purple grass releasing a strange smell, yellow bamboo as thick as a person, etc. ¨C these were all rare items that were very difficult to even see in the outside world. In the midst of these precious plants actually was a serpentine path made of crushed rocks; this path extended from where Han Li was standing to a faraway place, obscured by all of the vegetation. From a brief glance, it seemed as if there was no end to this path.


    Seeing this surprising scene, Han Li briefly stared blankly, but he immediately subconsciously took a deep breath. What dense Spiritual Qi! The dense, heavy, and mixed smell of plants contained a Spiritual Qi that just soaked into a person¡¯s lungs, causing Han Li¡¯s spirits to rise.


    This kind of paradise, no wonder it could bring forth all the spiritual medicines that exist! Han Li was deeply moved.


    ¡°Boy, have you gawked enough?¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Sounding like a broken gong, a noise, suddenly came over, causing Han Li¡¯s heart to shiver with fear. He couldn¡¯t help but cry out.


    ¡°Hehe! Since you¡¯ve seen it already, you can die in peace!¡± This person completely ignored Han Li¡¯s inquiry, instead talking out to himself out loud.


    At the same time, two green shadows slyly streaked out from a flower patch on the side, silently charging towards Han Li¡¯s back.


    Although his back was facing these green shadows, they were not concealed from Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, who was already on guard. His expression grew grim. His upper body had not moved at all, but his body had already automatically shifted laterally a few feet, causing these two green streaks to pass by him both in front and behind him.


    In the middle of the chaos, Han Li glanced at the green shadows. They were straight, thin, and long, like chopsticks, and their entire bodies were green and had some faint black characters on them. Their appearances were truly somewhat strange.


    However, in the chaos, Han Li had no time to look closely at them. Even though he had easily neutralized the opponent¡¯s attack, his expression was still solemn, and he didn¡¯t dare to be careless. The miserable appearance of the three people outside the door was still vivid in his mind; he did not want to end up with a fate similar to theirs.


    Thus, the cloudy-faced Han Li¡¯s eyes began sweeping in all directions, flickering without stopping, in order to find the hiding enemies. However, at this time a strange whistle suddenly came out of that person¡¯s mouth; hearing it would make one¡¯s heart extremely uncomfortable!


    When Han Li heard it, he briefly froze; just as he was trying to figure out what the opponent¡¯s intentions were, his facial color changed drastically, and he flew backwards at an almost inconceivable rate. This time, Han Li flew at least ten meters away before stopping.


    What caused Han Li to move in such a manner had actually been those green streaks that had only narrowly missed him! Because they weren¡¯t very far in front of Han Li, they suddenly began to twist around, at the same time unfolding a pair of pale green, translucent wings.


    They were actually two flying snakes with wings; when they had attacked Han Li, their bodies were always stretched tightly, causing Han Li to mistakenly believe that they were inanimate objects. With a gentle flap of their wings, their bodies rapidly turned around 180 degrees as quickly as lightning; in fact, they were not slower than Han Li, who had used the Shifting Smoke Steps. How could this not make Han Li incredibly cautious!?


    These two flying snakes reared their heads, and four small green eyes released an ice-cold chilliness. They were baring their fangs at Han Li, about to take another attacking stance against him.


    ¡°Boy, you run pretty quickly! But even if you were quicker, could you be quicker than these two Jungle Mountain Flying Snakes? It would be better if you obediently allowed my lovely snakes to bite you once, and you would feel no more pain!¡± The person with the rough throat was somewhat astonished by Han Li¡¯s movement speed, but he clearly had more faith in his flying snakes, which was why he mockingly said what was spoken above.


    ¡°Rubbish!¡±


    Han Li cursed in his heart, but he didn¡¯t actually speak those words out loud! It wasn¡¯t because of fear of the opponent that he didn¡¯t speak; but rather, those two strange snakes had already become two streaks of green, charging forwards in a blur.


    Halfway there, they suddenly split into two and wordlessly agreed to slash out in arcs, flanking from both his left and his right.


    Seeing this, Han Li naturally could not afford to talk back apart from quietly cursing in his heart for a few moments. His body nevertheless could not be much slower than the green streaks as he shot backwards; in the blink of an eye, he and the green streaks had flown in many circles in this small area, as if he was unwilling to stop his feet for even a moment.


    At this point in time, he completely relied on the spiritual boots on his feet to run, but he didn¡¯t use the Shifting Smoke Steps or the Imperial Flight Technique.


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li was being negligent and purposefully looking down on his opponent; rather, after encountering two fierce battles in a row, and adding on the fact that he had just reached his limit when practicing with these boots, his energy had not completely recovered. Thus, if he had not reached a life or death crisis, Han Li was unwilling to use the energy-squandering Shifting Smoke Steps. As for the Imperial Flight Technique, it was the same principle; having already obtained good fortune in getting the spiritual boots, adding on the speed boost of the Imperial Flight Technique would cause the burden on Han Li¡¯s body to be too great and would not aid the recovery of his energy.


    Of course, Han Li would also not allow the two flying snakes to chase after him to no end.


    Although Han Li did not dare to carelessly wear a barrier and cause himself slow him down, to test whether the barrier or the strange snakes were stronger, he still had many methods to get rid of the two small snakes! It was only that most of his attention had been focused on the hidden person controlling the snakes, who in the end had never come out, thus allowing the two flying snakes to attack him. Seeing that this person had seemingly decided to completely rely on these two flying snakes to kill him, Han Li naturally would not continue to be polite.


    Han Li¡¯s decision had been made. He flipped his hand, and a Flame Serpent Talisman appeared in it. Two of his fingers pinched this talisman together, and he was about to excitedly throw it out and start a wild game barbecue!


    ¡°Cloud Step Boots?


    ¡°Stay your hand, I have something to say!¡±


    The person with the rough throat recognized the spiritual boots on Han Li¡¯s feet, and he immediately yelled out to ask for a pause in the battle, sounding full of incredulity. He stopped the two green streaks with an unknown method of yelling! The two snakes paused in midair and flew backwards along the original route, slipping into the vegetation and disappearing without a trace.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li knitted his eyebrows; after slightly hesitating, he decided not to throw out the talisman in his hand, but he kept his hand cautiously resting on top of his storage pouch.

 Chapter 193

    Division Between Enemy and Friends


    ¡°Old Feng¡¯s treasured boots? How did you acquire them? What is your relationship? As far as I know, that guy truly treasures his Cloud Step Boots. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t lend them to others!¡±


    Following these few words, a gaudily dressed person came out from an unknown place and dropped down from a huge flowered tree more than sixty meters away from Han Li. He had a medium stature, eyes of different size, and a black pocked face. He appeared to be about forty years old and had seven to eight different pockets of various sizes.


    However, his unbearably ugly face was shocking! His two eyes were rigidly staring at Han Li¡¯s spiritual boots. It seemed he did not dare believe that Han Li was wearing the ¡°Cloud Step Boots¡±.


    ¡°Who is your esteemed self? Why have you attacked me?¡± Han Li did not reply to his question and instead bluntly asked this question. He truly didn¡¯t wish to be lead by the nose and be suppressed by the other¡¯s presence.


    When the ugly man heard this, he was surprised but immediately grew angry, his ugly face turning vicious. He raised his hand, wanting to immediately teach this brat before him a lesson in appreciating the kindness of others. However, he soon thought of something and immediately restrained his wrath with great effort, lowering his hand. He still very fiercely said, ¡°Boy, don¡¯t believe that just because you wear Old Feng¡¯s spiritual boots, I won¡¯t dare to teach you a lesson! When that old fellow Feng Yue gave you those spiritual boots, did he not mention the name of Spirit Beast Mountain¡¯s Zhong Wu? Regardless, I am quite baffled. You are obviously someone from Yellow Maple Valley. How could he give those boots to you? Could it be that you are Old Feng¡¯s illegitimate child? No, you don¡¯t look quite like him!¡±


    As the ugly man said this, he was sizing up Han Li with a peculiar gaze.


    This time, it was Han Li¡¯s turn to be angry. He snorted with an unsightly expression and coldly said, ¡°Will your esteemed self refrain from wantonly making casual contact with others? That guy Feng Yue has already long been dead. These boots were peeled off his corpse!¡±


    ¡°Dead? That madman Feng Yue?¡±


    The ugly man¡¯s originally overbearing closeness, after hearing Han Li¡¯s words, jumped three feet into the air and became unceasing bewilderment! Soon after, he couldn¡¯t help but fall back several steps, once again measuring up Han Li.


    ¡°You killed him?¡± The fiendish man let out a deep breath as his eyes spun, asking with a harsh voice. He ceased becoming cruel and vicious.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you want to avenge him?¡± Han Li moved his hands behind his back. Motionless, he silently looked at his opponent.


    From within the storage pouch, he secretly took out the thread and quietly wound it around his ring finger.


    The reason why Han Li was so calm facing this person and admitted that he had killed Feng Yue was actually mostly to give him established power. He hoped this person would back out without a fight and no longer bother him. He did not wish to immediately engage in a battle where neither would win and waste his much important time for medicine gathering.


    Although he heard from this person¡¯s tone that it was as if he had friendly relations with Feng Yue, Han Li believed that the possibility of him truly taking revenge on behalf of Feng Yue wasn¡¯t too large! After all, they were cultivators. The majority of them were those with few and fickle desires. Even more, this person was a villainous man.


    Naturally, if the opponent insisted on taking revenge on behalf of Feng Yue, Han Li could only strike first to take the advantage. He would consume much of his physical strength to fully use his movement techniques and catch the opponent off guard, using the thread wound around his finger to quietly wrap around his neck and stealthily finish him off.


    However, Han Li fully understood that the odds of success for this sort of surprise attack was not too high! The odds of success were only thirty to forty percent.


    Because the distance between him and this ugly man was too far, although Han Li could rush through the sixty meter gap with his movement technique, there was no guarantee of a one-strike kill! In addition, if the opponent felt like using a defensive magic technique, his thread would become useless.


    ¡°Revenge? What kind of joke is that? Do I look like someone that bored?¡± As expected, it was as Han Li had thought. After the ugly man heard Han Li¡¯s words, he chuckled and said those words with disdain.


    ¡°Previously I truly had a friendship with that man; However, it wasn¡¯t some deep friendship. Since this person  is already dead, There is naturally no longer a friendship!¡± The ugly man shamelessly said. Although, his words clearly revealed his position, he wasn¡¯t embarrassed in the slightest.


    Han Li remained silent. Although he did not relax his guard, he slightly relaxed his heart. It seemed he would need to fight a heavy battle immediately after entering the central area.


    ¡°But young brother, you are truly formidable and fierce! You were actually able to deal with that guy Feng Yue, especially with his top-grade magic tools, zeze! Some of those magic tools are truly hard to come by!¡±


    The ugly man stroked his nose and became far more affectionate toward Han Li, changing the way he addressed him! However, after he asked this, it seemed as if he indistinctly fell back several steps, greatly increasing the distance between them.


    Having seen this scene, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile to himself!


    According to Han Li¡¯s estimations, if they were to immediately have a falling out and fight, the odds of success just declined, making success unlikely. If this ¡°expert¡± was as cunning and experienced as Han Li expected, he wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with!


    Furthermore, he guessed that the opponent most likely believed that he obtained all of Feng Yue¡¯s magic treasures. As a result, he faintly showed off the appearance of being afraid of retaliation.


    After he became aware of this, Han Li smiled but did not speak. Since he didn¡¯t say whether he obtained the magic tools, he didn¡¯t need to say it, causing this evil man further annoyance and a greater fear of retaliation.


    ¡°That masterpiece on the wall in front of the gate, is that your esteemed self¡¯s doing?¡± Han Li faintly asked, thinking of the scene in front of the gate.


    ¡°Nonsense! That was the work of that demon from the Saber Transformation Dock, Han Tianya. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have done such a pointless thing! It was a great pity of such blood and flesh that was wasted. It would have been better if I fed it to my little ones; I heard the flesh of cultivators are a great supplement for them.¡±


    As Han Li listened, he couldn¡¯t help but faintly smile. However, when the ugly man said those words, he took out a large pouch from behind his back and threw out a bloody chunk of flesh, causing Han Li¡¯s smile to become forced. There were even faint signs of his expression breaking.


    The evil man peeked at Han Li¡¯s current expression and couldn¡¯t help but secretly reveal his intentions.


    In the end, this Yellow Maple Valley disciple was far too young and far too soft!


    With just a few of his words, he caused his mind to become restless. It a true battle broke out, this definitely would¡¯ve been a significant mistake.


    However, for this person to be able to kill that Feng Yue, he could truly be cause for surprise! But how could he see or think that such a extremely common appearance could truly be such a ferocious character?


    It could be said that with this guy¡¯s young age and meager magic power, even if he had several good magic tools, he wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Feng Yue¡¯s Yellow Parasol and his great quantity of top quality magic tools equivalent to the Cloud Step Boots! Still, that guy Feng Yue nonetheless fell underneath this boy¡¯s hand. This matter was truly a bit strange, but he did wear the Cloud Step Boots; this was undeniable.


    Could it be he really didn¡¯t kill him but was able to acquire them from some other fortunate occurrence?


    Zhong Wu pondered about this, but he was still confused. He was unable to accurately judge Han Li¡¯s true strength. This caused him to take the initiative to test this with his own hands. If he tried to kill him but couldn¡¯t¡­naturally such a clever man as himself wouldn¡¯t take such a dangerous action!


    After the ugly man remained puzzled and gave much deliberation, he took out his cloth pouch and blinked his uneven eyes several times. With a face full of smiles, he said to Han Li, ¡°Oh wait, I still haven¡¯t asked .What is Young Brother¡¯s surname. Do you think you could tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Han Li.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t something worth concealing. Han Li calmly replied with an improved complexion.


    ¡°So it turned out to be Brother Han! I previously hadn¡¯t heard of Young Brother¡¯s great name. Surely, your distinguished self is one of Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s new and rising stars? How much does Brother Han understand about the central area?¡± Zhong Wu appeared very cordial as if he were speaking to a friend he hadn¡¯t seen for many years.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but Brother Zhong is many years my senior. He surely must know much more than Han Li!¡± Han Li did not know what the other party was planning, but he grew greatly vigilant.


    ¡°Hehe! Brother Han, if you were to trust this one named Zhong, wouldn¡¯t it be better for us to exchange our information on the central area? How about it? This is something that would benefit the both of us.¡± After Zhong Wu hesitated for a moment, he eventually spoke his true intentions with a soft voice.


    After Han Li heard this, he was startled and inwardly contemplated this. Although it was strictly stated in the rules that exchanging his sect¡¯s information without the approval of sect elders was not allowed, in reality, it was an act that disciples did much of! Thus, after a short moment, he wore a smile and said, ¡°Sure. After we exchange resources, we will each greatly benefit.¡±


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s great. I knew it, Brother Han isn¡¯t some overly careful person. Come! We¡¯ll put our information into jade slips and then exchange them with each other. Zhong Wu¡¯s face full of pockmarks of all sizes was glowing with excitement as he continuously rubbed his hands. It seemed he was greatly expectant of Han Li¡¯s information.


    When Han Li saw this, he greatly sneered several times; however, his external appearance was naturally in complete agreement.


    To create a copy of information was a very effortless task! After the time it took to make a cup of tea, they finished making their copies and threw the jade slips to each other.


    When they each had the jade slips in hand, they both roughly examined the contents. After they confirmed it seemed to be information of the central area, they both looked at each other with a smile containing an ulterior motive.


    Within this small amount of time, it was naturally impossible to forge false information! However when the copies were made, some crucial information would be overlooked; this was naturally mutually understood!


    After this event, Zhong Wu and Han Li seemed to all of a sudden become much closer! Zhong Wu actually told Han Li a few remarkable stories from the world of cultivators! Seeing these two laugh and talk so closely, it was truly hard to believe that not long ago they had been nearly irreconcilable adversaries. It seemed these two were experts in knowing when to retreat!


    Although Han Li wore a beautiful smile and appeared as if he was interested in this chat, he was truly cursing endlessly in his heart.


    ¡®If you want to chat, then chat! Why would you continue to maintain such a long distance!¡¯ So long as he advanced a step, the other party would take two steps back with a hearty smile. Although Han Li had no intention to kill him, the other party¡¯s degree of cautiousness caused Han Li to be dumbfounded.

 Chapter 194

    The Secret Information of the Central Area.


    Chapter 194: The Secret Information of the Central Area


    However, Han Li was not impatient! The central area of the forbidden area was truly different from the outer regions.


    In areas outside of the central area, spiritual grasses and wondrous fruits for the most part grew without patterns and at random; one could find traces of them at any location, and it was often first come first serve. Those who managed to pick them would also immediately retreat far away. Thus, in these areas, conflicts over medicinal ingredients very rarely occurred. More often, people would die either because they were being cleaned up by other people or because others were killing them to steal their treasures.


    However, in the central area, things were not the same! According to the lucky disciples who had been able to return, this central area was very large, taking up almost a third of the forbidden area, and was entirely encircled and surrounded by the stone wall. If one started counting from the four large copper doors, the entire area could be split into three outer layers. It was similar to a common fruit, containing the skin, the ¡°meat¡±, and the pit; each layer was very distinct. How very peculiar!


    The elegant picturesque place that Han Li was currently in was the outermost layer of the central area.


    According to the information, the distance to the next layer was actually not too large; it should only be half a kilometer. Inside this layer, the plants and flowers were all incredibly rare and scarcely seen, not easily found elsewhere in this world. However, very few of these could be used to create spiritual medicines for them to be of any practical use to cultivators. Everybody could only admire and fiddle around with them.


    Many people from the Seven Great Sects reasoned that this layer was purposefully arranged in this way by the master of the forbidden area, intending to turn this layer into a flower garden of sorts. The extremely eye-catching and contested plants were originally used by the owner of the forbidden areas to relax and enjoy. If one wanted to find anything of use, it would be better to go to other areas to look, and one would comparatively need to worry less!


    The high-grade spiritual medicines that were useful to cultivators all grew within the second layer of the central area. The disciples from various sects entering this area were all mostly aiming for this layer. The three main ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill were also in this layer and were naturally their main goal. Han Li was also determined to get these spiritual ingredients!


    Speaking of this second layer, when Han Li merely saw the information related to it, he was stunned for quite a while!


    This second layer was a huge ring-shaped mountain range; the entire year, it was completely sealed off by fog so dense that one couldn¡¯t see their hand in front of their face. This mountain also contained caves, secret valleys, cliffs, and other natural formations. There were also stone houses, stone temples, and other human constructs, as well as many kinds of spiritual ingredients grew in these locations.


    (TL: ¡®ring-shaped mountain range¡¯ means a ring of mountains chained together)


    The materials that the ugly man and Han Li had primarily exchanged were the distribution charts of the locations of these spiritual ingredients. This was because nobody could guarantee that when they walked into these locations, the currently existing materials would exist in the area which they were in. Thus, in this aspect, the more distribution charts one had, the better, since one could more easily piece the information together and begin searching!


    However, the fog on these mountains was too thick and wide! When cultivators normally entered this mountain, they would permanently be lost within this dense fog and could only slowly feel their way forwards, one step at a time. As for whether or not they could emerge again, that depended entirely on their own luck.


    But what caused one¡¯s head to hurt even more was that countless demonic beasts lived on the ring-shaped mountain range, from the lower grade one Flame Mouse and Chasing Wind Rabbit to the peak grade one Golden Light Python and Ice Fire Wolf. It roughly contained all of the grade one demonic beasts that the Seven Great Sects had heard or would hear about in the future.


    Even the seven or eight of the weakest of demonic beasts could be easily dealt with by a sixth or seventh layer cultivator. However, if the the elite disciples from the Seven Great Sects were to meet peak-level beasts, their only option was to escape as quickly as possible.


    Luckily, the last kind of demonic beast was very rare in these mountains, and most of them had become guardians of some spiritual ingredients. It would be unlikely to come across them!


    Thus, the majority of the more vicious demonic beasts were of upper grade one. However, they could be easily dealt with under the cooperation of many of the elite disciples. Of course, if one were to run into them alone, a bloody battle would be inevitable.


    Regardless of whether it was the dense fog on top of the mountain or the demonic beasts that occupied the mountain, if they were to encounter one of these alone, these proud and arrogant elite disciples might reluctantly try to take a risk and enter to pick spiritual ingredients. However, if two of them encountered each other, they would have no choice but to look at each other in dismay. Going up and down the mountain under these circumstances was definitely a one-way trip!


    Thus, the first few groups of disciples that had ever entered the forbidden area only picked some normal spiritual ingredients outside the central area before considering it done. They had never entered the ring-shaped mountains before!


    However, a few excursions later, a cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect had racked his brains and defined a magic treasure called ¡°Precious Moon Sun Pearl¡±. This object actually could not attack enemies or protect oneself; its only use was to emit a strange light that could pierce through many kinds of dense fog or poisonous miasma. It was specially created for use in the forbidden area!


    As expected, the Masked Moon Sect disciples that obtained this treasure were able to shine very brightly in the next opening of the forbidden area!


    With their backs faced against the other sects, and after getting rid of most of the dense fog, they began to reap the rewards of the ring-shaped mountains. Relying on that time¡¯s harvest, they produced large quantities of Foundation Establishment Pills; then, they broadly recruited other disciples, and their sect¡¯s strength increased greatly. From then on, the Masked Moon Sect was established as the State of Yue¡¯s top cultivator sect.


    However, as the saying goes, there wasn¡¯t a wall in this world that didn¡¯t let wind through! News of the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s use of the Precious Moon Sun Pearl to harvest a great amount of spiritual ingredients still spread. Not long after, the other six sects came looking for them, unwilling to let them keep their profit to themselves.


    (TL: ¡°There isn¡¯t a wall in this world that doesn¡¯t let wind through¡± means that there is no such thing as an absolute secret.)


    The Masked Moon Sect, unwilling to anger everyone yet also unwilling to give up their precious pearl like this, finally gave it up after bargaining with the other six sects. Ever since, this became the common item of the Seven Great Sects.


    The Seven Great Sects would take turns wielding this treasure. After every trip to the forbidden area, the sect holding the precious pearl would have to hand it over to another sect for preservation.


    However, regardless of which sect controlled the precious pearl, as soon as they entered into the forbidden area, disciples of that sect would have to, under the supervision of disciples from other sects, use this treasure at a certain time period according to a rule that was set beforehand. One could not purposefully hasten or delay the dispelling of the fog.


    This way, all of the disciples that had reached the central area on time could enter the ring-shaped mountain range at the same time to pick spiritual ingredients. This method appeared incredibly fair.


    This kind of agreement made it seem as if the Masked Moon Sect had suffered heavy losses, since they had no choice but to give up their dream of claiming the spiritual ingredients in the forbidden area for themselves. However, the Masked Moon Sect had been able to avoid the destruction of their entire sect, leaving them the opportunity to gradually increase their strength.


    As of current, the Masked Moon Sect was the most outstanding one of the Seven Great Sects, and its strength could be said to be bottomless! If the various sects did not join together, it would be impossible to defeat them!


    This was also the reason why Han Li was not impatient and couldn¡¯t calmly lie to the ugly man!


    This time, the Seven Great Sects had already arranged the time for the clearing of the dense fog before entering. It would be on the morning of the third day.


    Earlier, Han Li had no time to rest and was rushing towards the central area precisely because he was afraid that he would have been stopped by somebody, thus preventing him from entering the mountain when it was time. Now, since he had already entered the central area, there was no need to be anxious anymore! If he were to rush to the second layer now, he would only be there to stare at the dense fog!


    As for the third layer within the center of the forbidden area, it was even more mysterious!


    As long as one stood at the peak of the ring-shaped mountains, anyone could clearly see that within the vast area contained by the second layer, there was a huge, soaring pagoda roughly three hundred meters tall erected in the central area. Surrounding the pagoda was a dense, green forest, causing the water flow to be obscure around the pagoda. This place was the supposed third layer and was also the centermost part of the forbidden area!


    When the elders from the Seven Great Sects heard the descriptions given by their own disciples, they immediately knew that it was the dwelling of the owner of the forbidden area. They truly coveted the items inside of this pagoda!


    However, at the border between the second and third level, there was a strong restrictive barrier with an unknown name still operating, a layer that stopped all of the disciples who tried to barge their way in through it. This restrictive barrier was not one that could be broken by a Qi Condensation cultivator, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators and above also had no way of entering that section of the forbidden area. Thus, the items contained in this pagoda were still a complete mystery!


    Han Li had no interest in the huge pagoda in the third layer! To him, being able to find enough spiritual ingredients in the second layer and then immediately being able to retreat was already cause to thank the heavens and gods for their blessings and protection.


    Han Li coped with the ugly man in front of him for a full quarter of an hour before he finally freed himself from his nagging, entered a patch of vegetation on the side, and immediately disappeared! Before disappearing, he glanced at the opposing person and saw that that Zhong Wu continued to lazily stand in the same spot, as if he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of leaving!


    It seemed as if these ¡°experts¡± would not rest until they had gotten rid of the vast majority of the disciples who had come to take advantage of the situation for their own gain! Most likely, the other three doors would have people who were doing the same thing!


    As Han Li thought this, he began to search for something in a place far away from the copper doors.


    Underneath a giant tree, Han Li discovered an inconspicuous tree hollow, causing his heart to become happy.


    After slipping in headfirst, he prepared some small protective measures at the opening of the whole, and without thinking about anything else, he proceeded to fall into a deep sleep.


    Han Li needed to rest well, because when the fog around the ring-shaped mountains was to be broken early next morning, only the Heavens knew what would happen! He first had to recover peak condition before completing his business.


    However, he believed that those who could stand in front of the ring-shaped mountains tomorrow morning, waiting for the dense fog to be broken, would definitely not be very numerous! Each one would likely not be easier to deal with than that Feng Yue!


    Han Li slept very soundly. It wasn¡¯t until early in the morning of the second day that he started to slowly awaken.


    The most important day in the forbidden area finally was drawing near!

 Chapter 195

    The Strength of the ¡°Precious Moon Sun Pearl¡±.


    Chapter 195: The Strength of the ¡°Precious Moon Sun Pearl¡±


    After Han Li awoke, he did not immediately leave the tree hollow. Instead, he sat down cross-legged in the tree.


    The spiritual power surged within his body, and his magic power had returned to its peak.


    The feeling of soreness had already disappeared without a trace, and his strength was vigorous.


    Han Li had finished inspecting himself, and he slowly opened his eyes. His heart was incredibly satisfied!


    This was when he stood up and inspected the talismans and magic tools in his storage pouch, finishing up his last-minute preparations.


    Han Li preciously did not have the time to carefully look through the few storage pouches he previously took from the fully bearded man and his associate. Now, he would naturally search through them once to see if there were any usable magic tools.


    Truthfully, regardless of whether it was the storage pouches of the fully bearded man and his partner or the storage pouches that they had taken from others, the magic tools in the pouches were numerous, but their quality was incredibly low. After seeing this, Han Li was at a loss for words!


    Combined, the five storage pouches contained twenty three magic tools ¨C five low-grade ones, seven mid-grade ones, and eleven-high grade ones.


    One of the storage pouches actually only contained two low-grade magic tools and two mid-grade ones; there were no high-grade magic tools at all. This discovery caused Han Li to be stunned for a long time, causing him to sigh with sorrow.


    The net worth of normal disciples and elite disciples were really as different as the heavens and the earth!


    This pile of storage pouches did not contain a single top-grade magic tool. No wonder when Han Li had bound the fully bearded man with his ¡°Earth Prison Technique¡±, he seemed to have no method to escape. He could only watch as he was crushed to death by the ¡°Golden Light Brick¡±.


    When Han Li thought about the number of top-grade magic tools that the woman with many treasures and Feng Yue had, he felt incredibly helpless towards the poverty of regular disciples!


    No wonder when other people saw his weak cultivation base, they would subconsciously think that his strength was feeble and could be easily bullied. No one would consider the question of what strong magic tools he might have.


    Now, Han Li could finally understand why so many disciples had been so excited when they had found out that the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s meeting hall was handing out high-grade magic tools! It seemed like the Yellow Maple Valley that he was part of treated these average disciples pretty well! They were actually willing to use several scores of high-grade magic tools to encourage their morale!


    In reality, Han Li had guessed incorrectly concerning this matter! Even if the various sects sent out their elite disciples to the forbidden area, they very rarely owned any top-grade magic tools.


    People like the woman with many treasures, who had top-grade magic weapons from head to toe, were very few in number even among the elite disciples. In addition, most of them came from influential backgrounds. Regular elite disciples would fall short even in flattery!


    In this way, Han Li, who had three or four top-grade magic tools on him, could already cause these so-called elite disciples to drool! All in all, before reaching Core Formation, with the exception of the treasure talismans, each extra top-grade magic tool could change one¡¯s strength beyond recognition!


    While Han Li was in the Yellow Maple Valley, because his contact with other Senior Martial Brothers had been too rare, he was an amateur when it came to the matters of the cultivator world. He still subconsciously believed that the elite disciples all had a pile of top-grade magic tools!


    This was not surprising; ever since he had had the huge battle with ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡±, all of the enemies that he had encountered were owners of top-grade magic tools. This caused him to give rise to the misconception that top-grade magic tools were not rare.


    Now, although he had realized the regular disciples¡¯ lack of magic tools, he still did not completely understand the worth of top-grade magic tools. Was this would be a misfortune or a blessing to Han Li?


    Han Li naturally neglected the low and mid-grade magic tools; he would not consider using them. He then tried out each of the high-grade magic tools before selecting three of the strongest and most practical ones to use as backup magic tools.


    A deep blue flying dagger, a golden alms bowl, and a jade pot! These were the items that Han Li had chosen.


    The flying dagger and the golden alms bowl were all pure attack-type magic tools, and there was nothing of particular note about them. However, the jade pot was uncommon; it actually was a rarely seen support-type magic tool.


    The pot could spurt out a green poisonous miasma and surround the area near the enemies, causing them to die from poison! At a first glance, the usefulness of this pot seemed to be pretty good, but in fact it was a magic tool of little value. Any barriers of the five elements could all block the poison; it was impossible to use it to actually poison a cultivator!


    If it wasn¡¯t because Han Li thought that this green poisonous fog could temporarily obstruct the enemy¡¯s vision and bring the opponent a certain amount of inconvenience, he truly might not have chosen this magic tool.


    Once he sorted out everything on him, Han Li silently slipped out of the tree hole after estimating the time. Then, after determining his direction, he began to slowly travel on his way.


    It was definitely out of the question to fly directly into the ring-shaped mountain after the dense fog had been dispersed! He would be noticed by countless demonic beasts that could fly and would be surrounded and attacked to death. In bygone years, there had been a few small paths to safely enter the ring-shaped mountain. Han Li directly headed towards the closest tunnel.


    The entrance to the tunnel was not too far, and with a bit of effort Han Li hurried to the location specified by the information!


    After hiding behind some large tree, looking at the limitless fog considered to be as big as the sky, Han Li was truly stunned!


    The misty fog virtually covered the heavens and the earth! One could forget about seeing the entrance to the ring-shaped mountain; Han Li could not see clearly even one Zhang into the thick fog!


    No wonder nobody had dared to climb this mountain before the ¡°Precious Moon Sun Pearl¡± existed! When he thought about the fact that inside this fog one would have to suffer constantly from the attacks of various demonic beasts that would come and go without warning, he was speechless for quite some time!


    Since the fog was still so large, it seemed as if the Heavenly Imperial Fortress disciples in possession of the precious pearl had not yet begun to activate their spell and dispel the fog!


    Thinking in this manner, Han Li stood behind the tree and began to silently wait!


    Directly facing the large fog, the place where Han Li was waiting was overgrown with lots of wild trees and wild brush. There was no problem for ten or so people to hide in them.


    Although Han Li had not discovered the existence of other people all around him, he also knew that other people were definitely nearby. After all, there were only a few of these routes going up the mountain. It was only because the time for entering the mountain was imminent that other people hadn¡¯t paid any attention to his arrival.


    Time passed by hour by hour.


    After Han Li had bitterly waited three to four hours, he suddenly felt a frightening spiritual power coming from his southwest direction. Next, a soaring white pillar of light flew into the sky at a faraway location! In the skies above the boundless sea of fog, the light aggregated into a huge sphere of light.


    Although the light sphere had been formed, the light pillar didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of stopping and continued to incessantly pour energy into the sphere. Thus, the sphere of light got larger and larger and more and more dazzling. Finally, it was actually as if a new sun had risen into the sky, causing people to not dare look at it!


    A brief moment later, the light column disappeared from view, only leaving that gigantic sphere of light floating high in the sky.


    However, the duration of the sphere of light was pitifully short; in the blink of an eye, it began to distort its shape, and it surface began to depress like a piece of dough. This caused Han Li, who had seen the whole sequence of events, to be stupefied; his mouth hung wide open, and he forgot to close it!


    With an earth-shaking ¡°Bang!¡±, the huge sphere of light finally bursted open high in the sky, and became countless fist-sized, beautiful dots of light that floated down. They sprinkled down towards the large stretch of fog like an extremely glamorous rain of light.


    When each sphere of white light fell into the dense fog, it immediately caused the nearby dense fog to become alive like a flood dragon and automatically rush towards the heart of the spheres of light. However, the thick fog was immediately dissolved upon contact with the spheres of light, but the spheres of light also dimmed significantly.


    When more of the spheres of light came into contact with the large fog, the entire area of dense fog changed like a frightening landslide or a tsunami, and all of the mist was incessantly boiling and roiling! It was just as if a huge demonic beast was resisting being bound, and was in the last throes of its resistance.


    Both of Han Li¡¯s eyes stared unblinkingly at everything that had happened; it was the first time in his entire life that he had ever witnessed the true strength of an incredible magic treasure! In the aftermath of his shock, the depths of his heart were filled with feelings of envy and desire!


    After the struggle between the fog and the sphere of light, the fog finally began to slowly thin out. The silhouette of the dangerous and tall ring-shaped mountain appeared before Han Li and others for the first time.


    ¡°How tall!¡±


    This was the admiring exclamation of all those who had clearly seen the ring-shaped mountains, and Han Li was no exception as one of these people!


    The ring-shaped mountains before him was truly frighteningly tall!


    Looking up, the mountains appeared to reach a height of a three kilometers. It was soaring through the clouds so the peak was not visible. Strange eye-catching cliffs and rocks were abundant on the mountains¡¯ exterior. Those that were not taking cover near giant trees were found throughout the mountains. What caused people¡¯s hearts to be even more surprised was that the two sides of this mountain extended indefinitely into the distance. One did not know how long one would have to continue in order to figure out its extremities.


    However, the mountain ridge on this side of the mountains in front of Han Li and the others was incredibly flat, not nearly as steep as other directions. It seemed as if this was the road to take up the mountains.


    At this time, a few faint and low demonic beast howls could be heard coming from within the mountains. Their sound was mournful and sinister, causing people who heard to tremble with fear!


    Han Li was currently staring to the point of being dazed!


    With a ¡°whoosh¡±, a yellow shadow shot out of the patch of underbrush on Han Li¡¯s side like an arrow. He leaped into the midst of the dark mountain and disappeared from view.


    This movement seemed to have triggered the nerves of the other hidden people. Immediately, several more people jumped out at the same time and rushed forwards together. Right as they were about to enter the forests on the mountain, however, a few people slightly widened the distance and entered into different areas of the ring-shaped mountains!


    Han Li had not yet emerged. He planned to observe exactly what kind of people would choose the same route to enter the mountain as him!

 Chapter 196

    Han Li¡¯s Plan


    In a short amount of time, a blue-clothed youth wearing an expression of cold indifference, an elderly Daoist Priest with an entire head of white hair, and an azure-clothed gorgeous young woman walked out in succession. They all reached a tacit understanding and chose different locations to enter the mountainous forest.


    Han Li continued to wait for about another quarter of an hour. Seeing that no other people appeared, he performed a last-minute check on the items he had and copying the people before him, chose a direction that nobody had yet walked into and silently dived in.


    What Han Li didn¡¯t know was that, not long after he entered, the ugly man Zhong Yue that he had seen just yesterday appeared in front of the tunnel. He gazed at the dark road to go up the mountain and coldly laughed a few times; he released ten or so yellow dots that flew into the mountainous forest, then calmly followed after them.


    At this time within the forbidden area, near the broken restrictive entrance, the people that the Seven Great Sects had left behind as guards looked worriedly in the direction of the forbidden area. Han Li¡¯s Martial Ancestor Li was one of those people.


    However, it could not be known whether he was worried about the success of his own disciples or if he was more worried about losing his bet!


    The mood of the other Core Formation Daoist Priest from the Clear Void Sect was not much better! Speaking of which, ever since that Senior Eccentric Qiong from the Masked Moon Sect had forced his way into the bet, he no longer had any self-confidence in the bet that they had made beforehand. In an instant, it became apparent he was somewhat worried about his own gains and losses.


    This was not surprising; the blood of a flood dragon¡¯s inner core had been incredibly difficult to obtain. He had basically spent all of his family fortune to obtain it. If he lost it so easily to someone else, even if his attained mental state had been higher, perhaps he would be unable to sleep for a number of years in a row because of heartache!


    The Daoist Priest stealthily sized up the only person in this group who had a composed expression: the young female leader Celestial Ni Chang from the Masked Moon Sect.


    The sole female in the midst of these seven great Core Formation experts had not revealed any trace of worry ever since the disciples from the Seven Great Sects had entered the forbidden area.


    The more the Daoist Priest watched the woman¡¯s smiling appearance, the stronger his anxiety became. When he connected this to strange Senior Qiong¡¯s expression of having a card up his sleeve when making the bet, he felt the blood of the flood dragon¡¯s inner core seemingly fly away from his own pocket and had already become the possession of another!


    As he thought this, the concerned expression on his face became even more strong! People who didn¡¯t know this would have truly mistakenly believe that he was deeply worried for the disciples from his sect inside the forbidden area!


    After some more time, the Daoist Priest finally could not endure it any longer. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, he quietly moved closer to Martial Ancestor Li, asking with a concerned expression, ¡°Martial Ancestor Li, the Yellow Maple Valley disciples that you sent out this time should be pretty talented! Even so, the people from our two sects might really lose to that strange Senior Qiong! Still, this Daoist Priest has some faith in the disciples from the Clear Void Sect that entered the forbidden area!¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say? Does Daoist brother look down upon our Yellow Maple Valley?¡± Martial Ancestor Li began to display an expression of displeasure upon hearing this.


    ¡°Haha! Of course not, this Daoist Priest just feels a little peculiar about the disciples that the Masked Moon Sect sent out this time. I just can¡¯t feel at ease!¡± the Daoist Priest laughed, explaining himself with a big smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one! This Li also perceives that something is fishy. In previous times, when have the disciples the Masked Moon Sect sent out been so young? And they are all in male-female pairs! Could it be because they think this trip to the forbidden area is for the brats to play house?¡± Martial Ancestor Li said sullenly; apparently, he had also been unable to feel at ease concerning this time¡¯s bet.


    When the Daoist Priest heard what Martial Ancestor Li said, he incessantly and repeatedly nodded his head, apparently very much in agreement with what he had just said.


    ¡°However, this fellow Daoist should be at ease; since Li dared to make this bet, he definitely has some trust in the disciples from his sect. Their strength will definitely not be lower than disciples from your sect,¡± Martial Ancestor Li said slowly after giving the Daoist Priest a glance filled with deep meaning. His voice contained some heroic spirit.


    ¡°Heh heh! Since Benefactor has said this, this Daoist Priest feels much more relieved! Then I will not disturb you any more.¡± The Daoist Priest¡¯s expression immediately relaxed upon hearing the answer that his heart wanted, and he laughingly took his leave. He returned to his original location and sat down to regain his composure, quietly waiting for the results to come out a few days from now.


    Martial Ancestor Li, after following the Daoist priest as he left with his eyes, suddenly snorted softly. Using only a voice that he could hear, he faintly said to himself:


    ¡°Fu Yunzi, you old facetious Daoist, don¡¯t think that I wouldn¡¯t know whatever plan you come up with! Aren¡¯t you hoping that our two sects will join hands to triumph over the Masked Moon Sect, only to have your Clear Void Sect come to pressure our Yellow Maple Valley? Heh heh! Although I don¡¯t know what kind of impressive disciples the Clear Void Sect has sent into the forbidden area, but this time our valley has sent out the top three Qi Condensation disciples like a hive of bees. Otherwise, do you think I would have made this bet with you all?¡±


    As Martial Ancestor Li spoke, his face revealed a bit of cunningness; no trace of the concerned expression from before could be found. Clearly, he was also an old fox who kept things hidden.


    Han Li naturally did not know of the scheming of the two Core Formation experts outside of the forbidden area; his path was currently being blocked by a brown, massive wild boar.


    This wild boar, apart from its skin color and huge body size, as well it being many meters tall, appeared to be exactly the same as a normal wild boar.


    However, as soon as Han Li saw this beast, he immediately recognized that it was one of the most commonly seen demonic beasts on the ring-shaped mountain, the ¡°Mountain Pushing Hog¡±. This demonic beast, other than having rough skin and a slightly larger strength, only knew an innate ¡°Stone Skin Magic¡±. Its intelligence was also incredibly low, so it would not be hard to deal with.


    At this time, the ¡°Mountain Pushing Boar¡± huffed deeply a few times, and in a flash of yellow light, its entire body was covered by a shining white stone armor. In turn, it aggressively charged fiercely in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li¡¯s expression did not change; he stood in the same place and quietly waited for the charging attack of this beast right until it was only about twenty meters away from it. He then waved his hand, and his figure flashed; he had already shifted behind the demonic beast.


    ¡°Mountain Pushing Boar.¡±


    Its truly huge body continued to charge towards the direction Han Li was originally standing in for about ten meters before panting once; then, its entire body, from the tip of its nose to its tail, neatly split into two in one moment, and its multicolored internal organs spilled all over the ground. It had actually been completely cut open by Han Li¡¯s thin thread magic tool!


    Han Li retrieved the transparent thread. Glancing at the dead ¡°Mountain Pushing Boar¡±, he gently shook his head and immediately jumped on top of a tree to leave this location. This was because he knew that soon the smell of blood from the demonic beast¡¯s corpse would attract a huge wave of demonic beasts with extremely acute senses of smell. It would still be best for him to slip away luckily as early as possible!


    It had already been a few hours since Han Li had entered the ring-shaped mountain¡¯s dense forest. However, in this short amount of time, he had unfortunately encountered four demonic beasts.


    Of these four, three had been low-level ones, and Han Li naturally slaughtered them in one blow without the slightest bit of courtesy. However, that medium-level Flying Feather Peacock had five-colored tail feathers that could independently chase after and injure both people and defenses, causing Han Li¡¯s head to hurt quite a bit. Luckily, although it was classified as birdkind, its speed was not actually fast. Thus, afterwards Han Li decided he might as well practice his movement technique, and in one breath he left it behind, disappearing without a trace. It was only in this way that he had avoided this pointless battle.


    Today, Han Li incessantly sighed as he leaped around from tree to tree as if he were flying.


    Now, he finally knew the extent to which the ring-shaped mountains were populated with demonic beasts.


    For the time being, he was still in the outer fringes; the majority of the demonic beasts he had met had been in the low-level and were not too hard to deal with. But in another period of time, when he had entered into the deeper parts of the ring-shaped mountain, perhaps medium or high-level demonic beasts would appear in waves. At that time, other than fleeing in a panic, Han Li was truly unable to think of any other tactic for escaping.


    No wonder the amount of information on the hiding locations of these spiritual medicines was so little! Perhaps the disciples who had entered this mountain before had spent the greater half of their energy hiding from these demonic beasts, and the remaining time could only be used to search those seven or eight locations once. However, this was still not enough to guarantee a harvest every time one searched!


    ¡°It looks like my chances of gathering enough spiritual medicines is not too high,¡± Han Li thought with melancholy.


    The direction Han Li was currently darting in was the a concealed cave where the ¡°Purple Monkey Flower¡± grew.


    Based on the information, this location shouldn¡¯t have any large value. Because this cave had been harvested once only in the past hundred or more years, the only things inside should be some seedlings close to becoming ripe; there was no way to use them to concoct pills.


    ¡°A seedling?¡± When Han Li thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but lightly smile for a moment!


    What Han Li needed was this seedling that these bystanders would not touch!


    The reason why he dared to take the odd risk of entering the forbidden area and why he was so sure that he could snatch food from the jaws of a tiger in the midst of all these ¡°experts¡± to obtain the ¡°spiritual medicines of heaven and earth¡±! The main reason was that from the start he had set his sights on the yet-to-ripen seedlings! Only in this way could he avoid clashing with disciples from other sects as much as possible. Then he would be able to run to a few more locations, and gather some more items that were useless in other people¡¯s eyes.


    When he took these spiritual medicine seedlings back with him, he could use the green liquid from the mysterious small bottle to hasten their growth. In this way, it was not too different from directly picking ripe spiritual medicines.


    Although he had heard from that Martial Uncle Ma that these saplings could not be preserved for too long outside of the forbidden area, only able to survive one to two years or so, this amount of time was already sufficient to accelerate their ripening cycle. After all, in order to be used in the Foundation Establishment Pill, their age did not need to be too great; merely four or five hundred years was sufficient for them to be used to refine the pill.


    Now, the only complication was that he didn¡¯t know if the remaining three days were enough for him to harvest enough quantities of spiritual medicines. Because the locations where the seedlings grew were all over the place, and adding on the fact that he could be obstructed by those demonic beasts along the way or start conflicts with disciples from other sects, Han Li felt unsure about everything.

 Chapter 197

    Giant Centipede


    Chapter 197: Demonic Beast ¨C Giant Centipede


    ¡°I¡¯ve arrived. Which cave is this?¡± After four hours, Han Li stood on a black rock about half a person high. He was sizing up a cave opening that was several meters tall.


    ¡°It seems to be nothing out of the ordinary!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t rashly enter but instead carefully observed the surroundings for a while. Although it could be said he was running short on time, he would never carelessly put himself into danger!


    The secret cave mentioned in the information would appear quite unremarkable from the outside. As Han Li was traveling, he saw many similar simple caves in the wild that lacked even the slightest remarkable trait. He also didn¡¯t know how the original founders were able to discover this cave. This caused Han Li to admire them even more!


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li was convinced that there weren¡¯t any demonic beasts or anybody laying in ambush nearby and carefully walked toward the cave.


    The cave was completely natural and consisted of a light azure mountain stone. There were no traces of artificial digging within. Han Li came to this conclusion after he looked at the cave walls as he walked toward the cave.


    Then, Han Li¡¯s body flashed and stealthily walked into the cave. However, just as he walked about ten steps, Han Li stopped. This was because after he turned two corners, his surroundings had already become pitch dark.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and searched through his storage pouch, taking out a moonlight stone the size of an egg. After he took it out, a soft white light clearly illuminated the vicinity. When Han Li saw this, he could not help but shake his head.


    His original intention was to silently tread deeper into the depths of the cave and see whether or not there was a demonic beast guarding within. If there was one, Han Li would stealthily give it a lethal strike and save his effort! However, with the appearance of the moonlight stone, he became a clear target. How could he mount a sneak attack now?


    Han Li lightly held the shining moonlight stone in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he used his other hand to slap on an earth attribute defensive barrier. Then he crouched and continued on with light steps.


    As the cave¡¯s interior was not spacious like the wilds, his fast movement technique was certain to meet restrictions. With a layer of protection on his body, he was much more at ease. Although his speed was greatly reduced, he obviously couldn¡¯t choose to have both speed and protection. Han Li clearly understood this and therefore had no complaints about it.


    This cave was very long and narrow. After Han Li walked for no less than a quarter hour, he saw no sign of reaching the end. This caused his heart to feel apprehension, and he could not help but doubt that he had found the wrong location and instead found a nest of top grade demonic beasts!


    Fortunately, after walking several tens of meters, Han Li¡¯s worry had disappeared once he looked to the corner on his left. That was because at the left corner, there were many faint white lights illuminating his sight.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart was filled with joy. He quickly put away his moonlight stone and quietly walked through. Since this place already had lights located at the corners, it seemed he would be able to continue on with his original plan!


    Stealthily, Han Li slowly peeked the corner and what he saw caused him joy. But soon after, he was inwardly grumbling.


    In front of him was truly the end of the cave. Furthermore it was a large natural stone hall. Not only were there many shining glittering stalactites, but near the interior there was a small purple stone wall with three to four small light azure flowers growing on it.


    These small flowers were about an inch large. Their several petals were all bafflingly curled in the same direction, unexpectedly creating a unique appearance. From a distance it looked as if they were several small monkeys smiling at something comical; this truly caused one to be greatly startled!


    ¡°There is no question, these are definitely the ¡®Purple Monkey Flowers¡¯. Although the color of its petals and stem were azure, it was because they aren¡¯t mature yet.¡± After Han Li saw these flowers, he immediately thought this with a pleasant surprise.


    However, when he turned his gaze toward the ground below the azure stone wall, Han Li¡¯s expression immediately grew bitter. There was actually a giant centipede about three meters long lying on its stomach. It had shiny pitch black spikes on its shell, antennas about a meter long, and a terrifying sinister appearance. Without moving, Han Li became greatly frightened.


    Although he had yet to kill any poisonous insect demonic beasts, he had long heard of their terrible reputation.


    According to others, poisonous insect demonic beasts were far more troublesome than bird or beast-type demonic beasts. Furthermore, the majority of them had extremely powerful poison, often causing people to die immediately upon contact. That was why if it wasn¡¯t required, it was no wonder people avoided provoking this kind of demonic beasts as much as possible.


    Since the centipede was this large, at the very least, it should be a medium level demonic beast. Being high level also wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. As such, how could Han Li not take in a cold breath and grimace?


    Now, he had to provoke it as this centipede was guarding the ¡°Purple Monkey Flowers. If he did not take care of this large poisonous insect, to think of picking the spiritual medicines off the wall was pure idiocy.


    Han Li held his breath and slowly withdrew his head. His movements were extremely careful to avoid waking up the huge centipede that seemed asleep.


    He leaned against the stone wall, and with wrinkled eyebrows, he lowered his head, pondering how he should deal with this demonic beast.


    By relying on the might of his top-grade magic tools, attacking rashly wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. By just using the golden light brick treasure talisman, he would be able to flatten the demonic beast in one slam. However, that action would consume quite a bit of magic power and he would be unable to maintain his peak condition.


    The road back was still quite long! He was certain that he would be facing more and more dangers, and because he had to rush against time, he could not spend half a day to travel back, meditate, and replenish his magic power.


    After a long period of deep thought, Han Li had a moment of brilliance and thought of a good plan.


    Before he made a move, he first cautiously stretched his neck to take a look at the centipede. When he saw that it was sitting there motionlessly, he calmed down. He then faintly smiled and disappeared into the darkness of the path.


    Not long after, Han Li then returned, beaming with happiness.


    The protective barrier he wore could no longer be seen. Furthermore, he did not continue moving stealthily but rather turned the corner with a swagger, walking into the large hall where the giant centipede laid.


    With Han Li¡¯s loud movements, how could the giant centipede not notice? If it hadn¡¯t, a better name for it would¡¯ve been ¡®stupid beast¡¯ instead of demonic beast. When it saw Han Li, The several meter-long centipede immediately grew vigilant and raised its head. It continuously waved two coarse long antennas that released strange and extremely frightening hissing noises.


    When Han Li saw this, he did not say anything and merely raised his hand. Several small fireballs flew toward it at extreme speeds and struck the beast¡¯s head, producing a series of explosions.


    After the blaze faded away, Han Li clearly saw the demonic beast¡¯s head remain a shiny jet black after being struck by the fireballs, and it actually hadn¡¯t left the slightest mark, leaving Han Li speechless. It seemed that what others had told him wasn¡¯t wrong. This poisonous insect demonic beast was truly troublesome!


    Although the huge centipede did not receive any injuries, it was thoroughly infuriated by Han Li¡¯s recent provocation!


    From its mouth¡¯ two sharp teeth, it shot out a cloud of red poison mist, overbearingly surrounding Han Li.  It seemed it wanted to drown Han Li in the poison.


    Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t foolishly stay still and allow even the slightest of this incomparably strange poison to touch him. Without a protective barrier slowing him down, as the tip of his feet touched the ground, he became faster than the poison mist flying around in the cave and turned around, running out of the tunnel. It appeared as if he was afraid of the demonic beast¡¯s poison mist and fled from defeat.


    The huge centipede naturally did not let Han Li easily leave, and it slithered extremely fast toward him. It followed him through the large hall as if it were a gust of wind. It seemed that its mad rush was not slower than Han Li¡¯s speed. When Han Li turned his head to take a look, he became shocked and quickened his pace, increasing the distance between them and disappearing into the passage.


    The giant centipede hissed strange sounds and followed without hesitation. The demonic beast had slithered through this passage countless times. It was naturally much more familiar with it than Han Li and was able to chase him down not long after. At this point, it could already clearly see Han Li¡¯s back.


    The demonic beast centipede was greatly pleased. Its feet grew faster, fiercely charging forward!


    At this moment, Han Li suddenly stopped. He actually turned his head around, looking at the demonic beast with a chuckle and no longer running any further. It seemed that he completely abandoned the idea of running!


    As such, in the blink of an eye the giant centipede leaped toward Han Li, who was only about ten meters away. Just as it was about to joyfully tear and ravage the small human before it with its fangs, it felt a fierce pain from its abdomen, causing it to stop. It immediately fell to the floor from the pain as black poisonous blood spurted forth from its body.


    Although it did not know when, the huge centipede had unexpectedly been cut by an extremely sharp blade at its weakest part, the abdomen. Without knowing, it was neatly cut open and actually received a large wound. With such a mortal wound, it was no wonder the centipede was suffering this much!


    Standing to the side, Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of this opportunity to beat it while it was down. He raised his hand and released a sphere of golden light, and a sparkling blue wind blade toward the centipede¡¯s two antennas.

 Chapter 198

    Conflict


    With a ¡°Bang!¡±, the two high-grade magic tools merely made two small open cracks in the antennas before being crisply being bounced aside, causing Han Li to be temporarily stunned.


    ¡°So hard! They could almost compare to the quality of a mid-grade magic tool!¡± Han Li secretly cried out that he was lucky; if it wasn¡¯t for him using some small tactics, dealing with this huge centipede would really waste a lot of time.


    Han Li, seeing that the flying dagger and the golden alms bowl weren¡¯t very effective, easily retrieved them.


    Although this bug had already received a mortal wound, its vitality was too vigorous, and it continued to incessantly roll around. It seemed like it would not die in a short amount of time. Thus, he knitted his eyebrows and displayed his movement technique; with a burst of speed, he flashed over the demonic beast¡¯s head and showed no interest in whether the beast lived or died. Directly following the tunnel passageway, he returned to the stone room.


    Within the stone room, the few ¡°Purple Monkey Flower¡± seedlings were still waiting there safe and sound, causing Han Li¡¯s heart to be filled with joy!


    He took out a jade box about as large as a bundle of branches from his storage pouch and placed it on the ground before using his flying dagger to carefully cut out the entire small purple rock along with the ¡°Purple Monkey Flower¡±. Then, he levelled the flying dagger and used it to carry the rock back to his hand. It was placed inside of the jade box and sealed off carefully.


    When all of the spiritual medicines had been completely individually harvested by Han Li, it wasn¡¯t until they were all stored that he took a long, relaxed breath. His state of mind had greatly calmed down.


    He stretched lazily, then carelessly swept over the stone room again to confirm that he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything in this place before calmly walking out.


    When Han Li walked past the place where the giant centipede had received heavy damage, that demonic beast was already lying still on the ground. It was completely dead, and the huge pool of black, poisonous blood from its body caused this section of the cave to be pervaded by a strange smell that made people want to throw up. When Han Li smelled it, he felt somewhat dizzy and lightheaded.


    Han Li startled, knowing that this was the effect of the poisonous nature of the blood diffusing into the air, so he quickly consumed some ¡°Pure Spirit Powder¡±, causing the uncomfortable feeling to abate.


    He walked about twenty meters away from the corpse of the centipede and stopped. Then, he let out his flying dagger and wildly stabbed it seven or eight times; seeing that it really had not moved at all, he finally relaxed and continued on his way.


    But having just walked a few steps, Han Li¡¯s figure bent at the waist and stooped down to pull out a short black knife. He used two fingers to gently wipe off the black mud around the knife¡¯s edge, and the short knife immediately shone with golden light. In fact, it was one of the children blades of the ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡±.


    It turned out that the reason Han Li was able to so easily cut into the demonic beast¡¯s abdomen was because in the moment he had disappeared, he had stuck the eight children blades of the ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± blade-side-up into the ground of the cave in one breath. He lined them up along the tunnel and left the front half of the incomparably sharp blades on the floor.


    Because he was worried the golden blades would be too bright and would be discovered beforehand by the demonic beast, Han Li used some black silt to smother the blade¡¯s edge and turn it black, causing it to become the same color as the pitch-black cave. This way, it would be difficult for the demonic beast to discover it.


    Thus, after chasing Han Li to this section of the cave, its abdomen had been secretly sliced open by these golden blades stuck into the ground upside down as the huge centipede was so close to the ground and met its fate of being buried there. The poor poisonous bug, known as a high-level demonic beast, had yet to put to use its arsenal of extremely potent poisonous techniques, but just like that it had been carelessly and utterly plotted against by Han Li. This was truly an unjust way to die!


    Although Han Li had yet to know the centipede that he had killed was a high grade demonic beast, he knew that even if this poisonous bug hadn¡¯t been one, it definitely would¡¯ve been at least one of the medium grade demonic beasts. Thus, he was extremely satisfied in his heart that he had been able to deal with this poisonous bug so easily!


    Now, he took seven or eight steps in a row and bent over after every step. Finally, he had cleaned all of the golden blades and retrieved them. Then, he immediately raised his feet to leave the area when he inadvertently glanced at the corpse and hesitated for a moment before walking towards it.


    As soon as he walked in front of the huge centipede¡¯s corpse, Han Li impolitely used the gold blade in his hand and cut towards the head, back, and tail sections, piercing them once. In the end he discovered that its back was the section that had the hardest shell; the gold blade¡¯s thrust could only penetrate half an inch deep. Only by continuing to apply force downwards could it slowly cut in.


    Seeing this, Han Li no longer hesitated! He immediately released all of the recently retrieved eight Gold Beetle Swarm blades and expended a great deal of effort to cut off the shell of the centipede¡¯s back portion.


    In no time, a few chunks of hard shell a few feet wide had been cut straight off and were carefully placed into his storage pouch. These were more than enough to block one attack from a top-quality magic tool and were good items that were hard to obtain. If they were to be made into a makeshift inner armor, it would definitely be very useful to him.


    In reality, according to Han Li¡¯s original intention, he was itching to cut off all of the centipede¡¯s shell and bring it away. But if he were to do this, it would waste too much time, and to the current Han Li, time was the most sorely lacking!


    Thus, Han Li could only leave the cave with a little regret, and he immediately shot towards the next already predetermined harvesting location. There similarly should be a few ¡°Spirit Sky Fruits¡± that had yet to ripen in that location.


    Meanwhile, as Han Li was continuously following his plan, collecting various kinds of spiritual medicines that were yet to ripen, explosive conflicts had erupted between elite disciples in a few locations where everybody knew there were ripe spiritual medicines to harvest! In addition, there were only these few locations where people precisely knew the spiritual medicines had ripened. The huge conflict between the ¡°experts¡± from various sects was inevitable!


    Within a quiet valley southwest of Han Li, three people who were currently caught in a deadlock, each of them unwilling to back down over two ¡°Purple Monkey Flowers¡±, a plant that Han Li had just obtained.


    Only, these two Purple Monkey Flowers were not a pale-azure color, but rather a glamorous purple, and they released a thick smell of rare perfume. In addition, in front of these two strange purple flowers was a strange deer growing fire-red antlers from its head. Its body had been split into two and lay in a pool of blood; evidently, it died a long time ago.


    Not far from the corpse of the strange beast, there were three people standing in a triangle, each with different robes. However, none of them made a move, as if they were very afraid of the other two.


    ¡°What exactly are the intentions of you two? This Flaming Antler Deer was killed by me, so the spiritual medicines should also belong to me!¡± Finally, one person opened his mouth with an expression full of rage.


    The speaker was a roughly twenty-year-old youth wearing a blue robe. His appearance was very handsome, and his figure was slender. One of his hands held an azure-colored flying cross, and the other held a yellow pearl. The two objects dazzled with spiritual light; with one glance, one could tell that they were exceptional magic tools. No wonder that person was able to kill that seemingly abnormal high-level demonic beasts on his own.


    ¡°Daoist brother, I didn¡¯t expect that we would meet again today; we both truly have a predestined fate!¡± This time, the one who spoke was an ordinary elderly man wearing an azure robe and leaning on a walking stick. He seemingly appeared to be quite amiable, but he in fact did not even acknowledge the youth¡¯s inquiry, instead beginning to converse with the other middle-aged Daoist Priest.


    ¡°Yes, I also had not thought that I would run into Master Li again today!¡± said the Daoist Priest with a calm expression. He carried a plain and long sword in its sheath and similarly did not even glance at the youth.


    The youth from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress flew into a rage; his own talent was not normal, his family background was highly regarded, and his figure was elegant and handsome. He had always been other people¡¯s focus no matter where he went, but now he was being humiliated in this way by these two fellows. How could he not become infuriated!


    But before he was even able to open his mouth to say something else, the following sentences from the elder and the Daoist Priest immediately caused the color of his face to greatly change, and he began to panic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not bring up the past. Today, this place has two spiritual medicines; it so happens that you and I can split them evenly. How about if each person gets one?¡± The elder did not speak any superfluous words and invited the Clear Void Sect Daoist Priest to an alliance in order to split the spiritual medicines.


    When the middle-aged Daoist heard this, he did not appear to be surprised; instead, after a brief pause, he nodded his head and complied:


    ¡°We might as well. Our strength is roughly even; even if were to battle each other, two hundred injuries would be the result. Let¡¯s do it this way. I have no objections!¡±


    The youth had clearly heard the conversation of the two people in front of him; he was both frightened and angered in his heart!


    Although he knew his magic tools were extremely powerful, he instinctively felt that he would not be their opponent once they joined hands. However, if he were to just give up the spiritual medicines that he was just about to obtain like that, no matter what he said he was still unwilling!


    After a few hurried spins in his brain, the youth suddenly quickly flashed backwards and shot directly towards the two spiritual medicines. He wanted to grab the spiritual medicines and immediately escape far away.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    The youth had just begun to move when the azure-robed elder¡¯s face fell, and threw the walking stick in his hand. It became an azure streak of light that shot towards the youth. The speed of this walking stick, which had become azure light, was simply too quick; it had only flashed a couple of times before arriving in front of the youth, barring his path.


    The youth was very stunned; what was this magic tool, and why was it so fast? However, since things had already progressed to this point, he didn¡¯t give it much thought. He lifted his hand and the his azure flying pitchfork went forward to meet the walking stick; however, his figure showed no sign of stopping and he continued to shoot forward. It seemed that he would not give up before he had grabbed the spiritual medicine!


    ¡°Little friend, it is already too late! It would be better for you to leave as quickly as possible. Don¡¯t force this Daoist Priest to go on a killing spree today!¡± The youth had not taken two steps before a calm and cold voice came from behind him, as if it was directly pressed up behind him, scaring the youth so badly that his soul flew outside of the sky!


    The youth¡¯s face became deathly pale and he turned his head around. Sure enough, that Daoist Priest was only three meters away from him. He was currently looking and laughing at him!


    The deathly pale youth did not continue to speak; he immediately turned around and shot outside the valley, not daring to even turn his head around for a glance. He knew in his heart that there was a wide gap between his strength and the strength of these other two people. Continuing to fight for the spiritual medicines was asking to die; the opponent¡¯s willingness to let him escape was already hard to believe!


    ¡°Hehe! Daoist brother¡¯s Spiritual Fox Steps have become much more powerful than before. It truly has reached perfection!¡± The elder, seeing that the Daoist Priest had let the youth escape, felt that it was extremely strange; however, he had not made a move to block him, but rather began to compliment the other person.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s only a minor accomplishment!¡± The Daoist Priest said leisurely as he glanced indifferently at the disappearing back of the youth.

 Chapter 199

    Brother and Sister Chen


    ¡°Is Master Li somewhat confused as to why this Daoist Priest let that person leave?¡± The middle-aged Daoist Priest was silent for a moment, then suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.


    ¡°Hehe! I am a little bit. This little boy¡¯s magic tools were pretty good; even I was somewhat tempted when I saw them!¡± The elder actually spoke very frankly, not attempting to conceal his thoughts.


    ¡°Then Master should get rid of this idea as quickly as possible; this person cannot be killed!¡± the Daoist Priest said with a certain amount of caution and knitted his eyebrows.


    When the azure-robed elder heard this, an expression of doubt briefly flitted across his face, but he did not yet open his mouth to ask anything. He knew that since the conversation had already progressed to this point, based on the other person¡¯s personality, a clear explanation would definitely be provided soon after.


    As expected, the Daoist Priest stiffly continued, ¡°This person has strong connections to Heavenly Imperial Fortress¡¯s Ma Yunlong; its best to avoid rashly provoking him!¡±


    When the elder heard this, he was moved and couldn¡¯t help but say with surprise, ¡°Do you mean that Ma Yunlong from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress who a century ago was the person who had the most hope of entering the Core Formation stage?¡±


    The Daoist Priest bitterly laughed and sighed, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t that person, who else would it be? I have seen this person a few times. The Dustfall Pearl in that youth¡¯s hand was that person¡¯s famous magic tool; there¡¯s no way I could be wrong! Thus, this youth must be strongly related to Ma Yunlong. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t touch this youth!¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks for this Daoist friend¡¯s reminder! Otherwise, I would really have made a big mistake! Sigh, we had better harvest these spiritual medicines as early as possible. We don¡¯t want any other unexpected guests!¡± The elder immediately suggested, finally having recovered to his normal state from his earlier shock.


    The Daoist priest naturally cheerfully agreed; then, the two people cut off a ¡°Purple Monkey Flower¡±, one from each side, and then immediately parted ways.


    Similar scenes were playing out in the few other locations; however, their conflicts far less peaceful, instead creating incredibly intense sparks as they clashed.


    To the side of a certain stone room on a mountain ridge on the ring-shaped mountain, four people from two different sects were battling while controlling many kinds of magic tools.


    Among these were a male and female, both wearing yellow attire; they were Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples.


    The male of about forty years had a scholarly appearance. He held a silver, shining, huge pen and a golden, brilliant book in the middle of his hand. With a wave of his hand, the silver marks and the sky full of golden light attacked the two opponents until their sweat stuck to their back and their faces had turned green.


    Although the pretty, young woman also controlled a blue and yellow pair of flying swords, supporting off to the side, any discerning person could tell just from a glance that her strength was vastly weaker even when compared to that of the two opponents, not to mention when compared with her own partner! She was basically useless. Instead, her extremely powerful partner had to save her a couple of times!


    Their opponents, however, were not two people from the same sect.


    One of them wore a green mask of light and controlled a flying snake about as wide as a bowl and a swarm of huge wasps. The ugly male ferociously defending himself from the Yellow Maple Valley male¡¯s large-scale attack of gold light was actually Zhong Yue from Spirit Beast Mountain, who had exchanged information with Han Li.


    The other person was a pretty and gentle male youth completely clothed in azure; most likely, he was a Saber Transformation Dock disciple.


    The two red flying daggers fluttering in front of him shot light out in all direction; just from one glance one would know that they were not common magic tools. These magic tools, which were originally attack-type flying daggers, now became two curtains of light about as large as a wagon wheel in front of him, straining to block the silver marks like a sky full of stars against a sparkling silver talisman.


    ¡°Stay your hand, stop fighting, the two of us surrender! The one surnamed Chen, consider yourself vicious, the spiritual grasses within the stone room belong to you!¡± The Saber Transformation Dock youth could no longer endure, and he finally opened his mouth to give in.


    When the ugly Zhong Yue to the side heard this, apart from having a slight expression of unwillingness, it did not actually prevent him from speaking. It could have been considered to be a taciturn understanding of the male youth¡¯s words. He returned the flying snake and swarm of wasps back to his side.


    ¡°Heng! How could we let you off so lightly and allow you to surrender as you wish!¡± the weakest female from Yellow Maple Valley said somewhat unwillingly as she lifted up the long hair on her forehead. Earlier, she had been directly ignored, so she had to suppress a stomach full of restlessness; thus, her tone became very malicious.


    ¡°What are you thinking? Do still want to kill me? I¡¯m afraid you may not have the skill to!¡± When the Saber Transformation Dock male heard this, he began to screech in aggravation, like he was a girl who had just received a great fright. Thus, the other three people couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps.


    ¡°Of course we won¡¯t! My seventh little sister was only speaking out of anger! You two only need to worry about leaving. I will definitely not get in your way!¡± The middle-aged Yellow Maple Valley male said, his eyebrows slightly wrinkled. He immediately glared at the female to prevent her from further speaking ill words and then spoke to Zhong Yue and the others with a peaceful expression.


    ¡°Hehe! Brother Chen really is worthy of being called the Chen Clan¡¯s prince; your bearing is much different than those of certain girls. Then we will take our leave!¡± The Saber Transformation Dock youth suddenly became peaceful again, and his voice had returned to that of a normal male, in an instant seeming like he was a graceful, handsome prince. The great contrast would cause people to be very flabbergasted!


    After saying this, the youth and Zhong Yue glanced again at that stone room, unwilling to part with it, then left that place with some heartache, disappearing without a trace behind the rocks of the mountain.


    ¡°Big Brother, why didn¡¯t you kill those two people? All we needed was to exert some more effort, and we could have immediately wiped them out!¡± After watching the two of them leave, the pretty female was finally unable to resist turning her head and asking the middle-aged male this.


    ¡°Seventh Little Sister, I¡¯ve discovered that ever since that incident, you have become somewhat extreme! You want to take other people¡¯s lives so easily, but do you know who these two people are? They both come from incredibly well-known and large families; although they are still very far from our Yan, Chen, and other great clans, one cannot easily look down on them. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t rashly start a feud!¡±


    ¡°In addition, even if we really wanted to kill them, we would more than likely not succeed! You should know that although it seemed as if the power of the golden book and silver pen had pushed those two to an imminent crisis, in reality it was under the premise that they had no intention of running away. If we were really to try to kill them, they aren¡¯t idiots; they would obviously immediately flee. By that time, I would not be able to do anything to them even if my golden book and silver pen were stronger! I would only be suddenly inciting revenge upon my household!¡±


    The Yellow Maple Valley middle-aged male first used a pampering tone to lightly rebuke the young woman, then explained in great detail the reason why he was unwilling to kill them. This caused that female to suddenly be enlightened!


    ¡°Oh, right, Seventh Sister! That brat from the Lu Clan, after plotting against you, has never revealed himself anywhere else; it seems as if he really was killed by the person who saved you. If it¡¯s really so, he can consider himself lucky. Otherwise, I would definitely make him feel as if death is better than living to let him know the fear of daring to scheme against our Chen Clan. The person who saved you, however, is worth thinking over! I spent a lot of energy to investigate the disciples from our sect who had been missing for a few days, but in the end I didn¡¯t actually discover anybody who could pose a threat to that brat from the Lu Clan. You must know that although that bastard¡¯s magic power is not worth mentioning, his Azure Flood Dragon Banner is really a pretty good top-grade magic weapon! Since they were able to save you from his grasp, that person must not be too weak; could he be an outsider cultivator who just happened to pass by?¡± The female¡¯s big brother suddenly switched to a tender and caring tone as he spoke to his ¡°Seventh Sister¡±.


    It turned out that this ¡°Seventh Little Sister¡± was actually the ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± who had become as cold as ice and frost; however, in front of this person who was her older brother, she had evidently recovered a bit of her inherent nature. Thus, when she heard his words, her face immediately blushed and she threw a tantrum, ¡°Bah! Why would you bring up that guy? He saved me, so what! I was left all alone in that desolate area, but he actually took my Foundation Establishment Pill and luckily escaped! Most likely, he is also not some good person!¡±


    Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s tone was filled with injustice and hatred!


    In reality, what caused her to be so ashamed and indignant was not that, but rather it was because as soon as she thought of this person, she would recall that embarrassing night where her head was not clear and her entire body had felt hot and naked.


    And those two beasts had willfully caressed her entire body from head to toe with their callous hands as well as the thick male smell from the other person¡¯s body were even more engraved in her memory.


    However, because she was more than a little humiliated and angry, Junior Martial Sister Chen tried her hardest not to think about that incident, instead suppressing them within the deepest corners of her heart. Today, hearing her own big brother bringing it up, she couldn¡¯t help but develop a headache, causing her face to alternate between red and white as she sank into contemplation.


    When Junior Martial Sister Chen absentmindedly regained consciousness, she discovered her own big brother staring at her with deep meaning, seemingly smiling without smiling. It was as if all of her secrets had been completely seen through by him! This caused her blushing to become even more apparent!


    Junior Martial Sister Chen, feeling incredibly bashful, simply stomped her tiny foot and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go harvest the medicine!¡±


    Watching the back of his most beloved younger sister, the middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but smile lightly. He had already had a scheme in mind!


    Then, he followed and walked after her.


    ¡­¡­


    In a certain dense forest, a green-clothed young woman was furiously biting her lips, controlling a small, white statue. She was currently embroiled in a difficult battle with a two-headed strange snake. It seemed as if for a period of time they were neck and neck; behind the strange snake was a completely fire-red tree. On its branches grew a number of fist-sized red fruits.


    ¡­¡­


    A line of white-clothed males and females silently walked within a long and narrow underground tunnel; it seemed as if their ranks numbered roughly fifteen or sixteen people. All of the surviving Masked Moon Sect disciples in the forbidden area were actually all here, and the one at the very front was the fairy-like young woman who had earlier seen Han Li from afar!

 Chapter 200

    Young Women


    The white-clothed young woman, although she appeared to be very pure, actually wore a solemn expression at this time, and her entire body was shrouded by an odd silver sheen. This caused her to appear even more mysterious!


    What surprised people the most was that the white-clothed males and females following her all appeared to be apprehensive. There weren¡¯t even any low whispers, and their expressions as they gazed at the young woman¡¯s back were that of reverence!


    The crafty and unruly woman who had appeared in the desert along with her cultivating companion were in their midst. However, no trace of the arrogant expression on her face could be found; she did not dare to even breathe heavily, just like the other people around her. She appeared to be especially lovable and well behaved!


    Suddenly, the youthful celestial woman at the lead stopped her steps, and the entire procession behind her naturally stopped as well.


    A wide opening was not far in front of them, and a deep, green pool appeared; within the center of the pool were a few reef rocks protruding from the surface of the water. On these rocks grew roughly ten Lingzhi mushrooms, which shone like jade and were especially conspicuous.


    ¡°Is it here?¡± The youthful celestial woman crisply asked without even turning her head as she gazed at the pool with a great deal of interest. Her voice appeared to be particularly delicate.


    ¡°Yes! Martial Ancestor, the top level Jade Crocodile demonic beast is hiding within the pool. The past few times we came to harvest ingredients in the forbidden area, a disciple from our sect was buried within the belly of this beast. However, another person was able to escape and survive!¡± An older woman flashed out of the flock of Masked Moon Sect female disciples and responded while bowing very respectfully to the youthful celestial woman.


    ¡°Martial Ancestor?¡± If any of the disciples from the other six sects heard this, perhaps they would be so shocked their jaws would dislocate!


    According to the rules of the cultivating world that determined seniority by strength, this young, fairy-like woman could only be addressed in this way if she were one of the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Core Formation cultivators! And weren¡¯t Foundation Establishment cultivators and above not allowed to enter the forbidden area this time! What was going on? Looking at the appearances of the other Masked Moon Sect¡¯s disciples, who were not amazed by this at all, it seemed like they had known this secret much earlier!


    ¡°Okay! Got it, you can withdraw!¡±


    At this time, the youthful celestial woman pompously gave this instruction; her face revealed a capable expression that did not match with her age.


    Then, she spoke again to the people behind her, ¡°Prepare yourselves! In a moment, I will lure the Jade Crocodile out of the water surface, and you will use the ¡°Yin Yang Pulling Magic¡± combined assault secret technique that you have recently learned, attacking together in pairs. Surely, relying on the killing strength that can defeat Foundation Establishment disciples in one blow, this hunt is definitely not a problem. Then, we can go to the next top level demonic beast¡¯s hideout and continue to clean out these spiritual medicines that others had previously not dared to harvest!¡±


    The young woman was not loud, but her words indicated her full self-confidence. When the male and female disciples heard this, no one revealed any doubtful expressions, instead all answering in agreement.


    This youthful celestial woman then turned around and open her purple red lips. A thumb-sized pink ring slowly spurted out from her mouth. Next, a wind rose; in the turn of an eye, the ring became roughly the size of a forehead and began to emit a low droning cry. It was dazzlingly brilliant and extremely unnatural!


    Based on this ring¡¯s manner of appearing, the light it radiated, and its enormous amount of spiritual power, one could determine that it was absolutely a genuine magic treasure.


    Could this young woman truly be a Core Establishment cultivator?


    In no time, an extremely loud noise first came out from within this hundred meter deep secret cave. Immediately afterwards, numerous low howls, like those of a water buffalo, also came out; those howls were filled with wrath, but presently repeated rumblings of thunder also began to sound out, temporarily strengthening the howls before they immediately weakened. Then, various kinds of loud noises and crackles incessantly came out, finally completely drowning out the howls, which never sounded out again.


    After numerous hours, the youthful celestial woman led the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s male and female disciples out from some hidden passageway. The male and female disciples behind her were each incredibly excited, displaying a face of youthfulness.


    This was not surprising; opportunities to slaughter a grade one top level demonic beasts were not often available to these Qi Condensation novices. Today, they had not actually expended much energy to kill that extremely mean and ferocious Jade Crocodile; how could they not be excited?


    Of course, if it weren¡¯t for the youthful celestial woman using her magic treasure, the ring, to block more than half of the demonic beast¡¯s attack, they could not have perfectly ended this conflict without any casualties, so their gazes at the young woman¡¯s back were even more respectful!


    The young woman¡¯s gaze towards the male and female disciples behind her had no trace of care, and she continued to indifferently walk in the front. It was as if killing a first tier top level demonic beast was not something that could faze her at all!


    After a short amount of time, the flock of Masked Moon Sect disciples disappeared into the nearby dense forest without a trace.


    ¡­¡­


    In other places just like that, scenes of disciples from various sects killing the demonic beasts to obtain the spiritual medicines continued to play out. Occasionally, conflicts would also occur over these spiritual medicines. Strangely, however, people being killed in these conflicts were actually very few in number. Usually, as long as people who understood they were no match for the opponent retreated, the person with the upper hand would also not use excessive force; instead, they would hurriedly harvest these spiritual medicines and leave quickly for the next location.


    With regards to this kind of situation, most people were very clear in their hearts! This was mostly because everyone¡¯s remaining time was not much, and opportunities for these bloody battles were better spent going to other locations and seeing if there were any profits. The real time for everyone to kill each other and steal the opponent¡¯s spiritual medicines was on the last day, when everyone was returning from their rewarding journey. On that day, there would definitely be blood, and wouldn¡¯t be like the previous two days, where one could lightly allow their opponents to escape!


    Han Li also knew a little about these things, so he had taken opportunity of these two days where the disciples from various sects were still willing to mutually restrain themselves to furiously hurry from one location to the next. Anytime a medium level and above demonic beast appeared in his path, he would immediately use a movement technique to evade around it, unwilling to be hindered by them for even a fraction of a second!


    One did not know whether Han Li had some stroke of good luck; apart from the first cave he wanted to harvest medicine from, where he had encountered that poisonous bug demonic beast, the huge centipede, no guardian demonic beasts appeared in any of the next four locations. Thus, he easily harvested the spiritual medicines without expending even a tiny amount of excess energy, causing Han Li to be wild with joy! If the following events were to proceed as smoothly as before, harvesting enough spiritual medicines was not a problem at all!


    At this time, the third day in the forbidden area was almost over!


    Han Li was currently leaping from treetop to treetop at lightning speed without stopping; along the way, he had encountered two low level ape demonic beasts, who disintegrated with a couple waves of his hand, having been completely broken apart.


    Now, Han Li was rushing towards his last destination of the day, a small stone temple near the peak of the mountain. Reportedly, there was more than one type of spiritual medicine and strange herbs growing in that location; the Sky Spirit Fruit that he needed the most was also in there.


    However, although the time for the Sky Spirit Fruit to ripen had yet to come, the few other kinds were all ripe for the picking! Thus, Han Li guessed that there would definitely be demonic beasts guarding them, and there was also a possibility that disciples from other sects could have gotten there earlier.


    However, Han Li did not care; he even looked forward to someone getting there before he did; that way, they could help him clean up his path, saving him from having to waste a few extra movements. In any case, this person would definitely not be interested in spiritual medicines that were not yet ripe!


    Right as Han Li was thinking all of these positive thoughts, the stone temple¡¯s shadow could finally be seen off in the distance. It indeed could not be considered big!


    But before Han Li could get close to that place, the sound of a fierce battle had already drifted over.


    Han Li¡¯s heart became happy; it seemed as if there truly was someone who would help him open up his path. Thus, his figure immediately contorted, and after a few flashes, he silently drew closer to the stone temple.


    In the empty space in front of the stone temple, there actually was not the scene of a wild male fighting a demonic beast that Han Li had expected to see in his heart. Instead, it was a black-clothed, barefoot, and square-faced man controlling a huge silver sword that was pressuring a slender, green-clothed woman to the point that she could not breathe easily.


    This woman¡¯s only defensive method was a silk handkerchief that shone with a yellow light; however, its surface was cloudy and pale. She had been completely suppressed by the silver sword to a disadvantage, and could only bitterly endure.


    Off to the side, the corpse of a huge red wolf and a white young eagle lay, having been split into two. The fresh blood that flowed from their bodies covered the ground, and the piercing smell of gore filled the area. It seemed as if they had died not too long ago.


    Seeing all of this, Han Li¡¯s jaw couldn¡¯t help but silently drop wide open; it wasn¡¯t because those two¡¯s battle had shocked him, but rather because that green-clothed young woman was actually the easily embarrassed young woman who had sold him that Golden Sincerity Brush. This caused Han Li to be completely astonished!


    This was because Han Li had already discovered that the young woman¡¯s cultivation base was extremely shallow when the disciples from the various sects had gathered together outside of the forbidden area; it was merely at the tenth layer. Thus, he expected that this woman, after entering the forbidden area, had either already passed away long ago, or she should have been quietly hiding in some location!


    But today, he had seen her use a top-grade magic tool to fight to the death with a not to be trifled with disciple from the Giant Sword Sect in the central area of the ring-shaped mountain. How could this not cause Han Li to feel incredibly shocked!


    ¡°Little girl! It¡¯s not too late to quit and leave. You should know that I was always being lenient with you. But I trust that someone who doesn¡¯t want to kill a female doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they won¡¯t kill a female! If you continue to nag me, you and that white eagle will share the same end!¡± the barefoot man said filled with killing intent; his expression was chilly, and he was somewhat annoyed at this point.


    One should know that he had been annoyed by this young woman from Spirit Beast Mountain who had appeared from Heaven¡¯s knows where for more than half an hour. His last shred of patience had long since been depleted. If the opponent continued to be unable to tell good from bad, he might actually kill a delicate flower!


    The young woman¡¯s face was deathly pale. However, after gritting her teeth, she said extremely stubbornly, ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing to let me have the few Fierce Yang Blossoms inside, I won¡¯t leave even if I die!¡±

 Chapter 201

    Martial Idiot


    Chapter 201: Martial Idiot


    When the barefoot man heard this, his heart filled with vigorous rage! This woman already had difficulty protecting her own life, yet she still continued to repeatedly raise her baseline!


    ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡±


    Thus, he laughed, annoyed, and said three ¡°Good¡¯s¡±..


    ¡°Then today you can die here!¡±


    Having said this, he pointed the huge silver sword out, and the huge sword immediately shot out brilliantly, releasing an extremely dazzling sword tip. Next, a relentless pressure shot out ruthlessly towards the young woman¡¯s forehead.


    When the young woman saw this, she gritted her teeth and hurriedly commanded the silk handkerchief to become a yellow plate roughly the size of a wheel to directly block it.


    With a ¡°rip¡±, the this top-grade magic tool that had been completely spent had actually been cut into pieces by the full-force huge silver sword, floating everywhere in the air. The silver sword brilliantly flashed, and under the control of the big man, it unhesitatingly continued to stab at the bitterly smiling young woman.


    With a clear ¡°dong¡± sound, when the silver sword was ten meters away from the young woman¡¯s forehead, it was blocked by a golden flying dagger that came shooting over from the side. Then, it danced in the air as a ball of golden light above the young woman; it would not allow the silver sword to drop even an inch.


    ¡°Who is it? Get out here!¡± The barefoot man¡¯s face fell, and he made a gesture, retrieving the silver sword. Then, his eyes swept like lightning towards the side and tenaciously stared at a huge mountain rock, unwilling to let it go. This was because he had seen very clearly that the gold blade had flown out from there.


    ¡°Hehe! The weather today is pretty good! Why would everybody fight and kill each other? It would be much better if we all sat down and had a nice, pleasant conversation!¡± A figure flashed out from behind the rock, and an average-appearing yellow-robed youth spun out. This person rubbed his head, then raised his head to look at the sky and spoke this with a laugh.


    However, this youth¡¯s face was filled with helplessness! It was precisely the Han Li who, seeing that the young woman¡¯s life was in danger, had no choice but to make a move and saved the green-clothed young woman.


    Han Li could only look at the sky and be speechless; he had actually made a move without thinking more about it upon seeing the young woman¡¯s gloomy countenance! This was truly breaking one of his rules to always play it safe. He had gotten himself into a troublesome situation for no reason; truly, beautiful women brought disaster!


    However, Han Li also knew that this mostly was because the impression that woman had left on him was truly too deep. He was also unable to watch this person of whom he had a very favorable impression die right in front of his eyes and act indifferent! It seemed like his heart could not actually be considered hard; he really wasn¡¯t a vicious, merciless, and ambitious character who wouldn¡¯t recognize his own family!


    Han Li bitterly laughed and let his imagination run wild for a while.


    However, he had already stirred up the trouble and could only strengthen his spirit and cope with it for a moment. Luckily, after experiencing the battles with the woman with many treasures and Feng Yue, Han Li had a bit more confidence in contending against these elite disciples. Thus, he was not panicking in his heart and had grabbed a few things in his hand much earlier.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± The green-clothed young woman had now finally seen Han Li¡¯s face clearly and couldn¡¯t help but cover up her almond-shaped lips and cry out in surprise. She revealed an expression of disbelief.


    Seeing that the young woman had only just recognized who her savior was and appeared to be quite dazed, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but be in a good mood and think it was funny!


    However, on the surface he still only gently nodded at the young woman, then turned around and continued to say to the barefooted man, ¡°How does this brother look upon my suggestion? It would be better if your esteemed self would let this woman go, and then you can go on your Closed Sun Path while we can go our Lonely Wood Bridge. Everyone can mind their own business, and thus wouldn¡¯t the peace not be disturbed!¡±


    Han Li was still holding onto the thought that if he could avoid striking, he would avoid striking, and so he spoke the aforementioned words! In addition, starting a fiery battle with an ¡°expert¡± for no reason could, perhaps, also force him to take measure to preserve his own life; it truly would not be a sensible decision!


    But Han Li had never expected that the barefooted man in front of him would actually turn a blind eye to his words, instead staring with great interest at the Gold Beetle Swarm Mother Blade. It was as if to him, this golden blade interested him much more than Han Li himself.


    This kind of action from the opponent caused Han Li to become somewhat quietly resentful! He strongly endured the annoyance in his heart and was thinking of saying something when suddenly the man opened his mouth. This opening of his mouth caused Han Li to stare blankly.


    ¡°The golden blade in your hand should be part of the same set as the one floating in the air, right? Since it can block my silver sword¡¯s attack without being damaged for a while, it should be a top-grade magic tool! Did I guess correctly?¡± The Giant Sword Sect¡¯s barefooted male casually opened his mouth and asked with a bright shine in his eyes. His vigor suddenly rose in an extremely shocking manner!


    Han Li blinked a few times and was somewhat confused; he didn¡¯t know what the opponent¡¯s intentions were! However, he still thoughtlessly spoke and replied,  ¡°You are correct, they really are a top-grade magic tool. Furthermore¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! Knowing this is enough. You can attack! If you can beat me, I will not only spare this woman¡¯s life, but even the spiritual medicines inside of the stone room will all belong to you two!¡± This person didn¡¯t even wait for Han Li to finish talking before immediately interrupting what he was going to say. His face was filled with fanaticism, and he spoke the words that caused Han Li to be dumbstruck.


    This person was actually a ¡°Martial Idiot¡± in the world of cultivators! At this time, Han Li suddenly realized this point, and he suddenly felt full of gloom, unable to speak even a sentence!


    (TL: Martial idiot means someone who only lives to fight.)


    ¡°On guard!¡±


    The big man did not wait for Han Li to reply and actually did not even release a barrier, instead immediately controlling the silver sword and turning from the young woman¡¯s direction towards Han Li, aggressively pouncing over.


    After knowing how things stood with the opponent, Han Li understood that saying anything else would be wasting his time; thus, he immediately shook the mother blade in his hand, and the other seven blades flew out from his storage pouch. They became seven streaks of golden tips that flew forward to meet the opponent¡¯s huge, silver sword without any sign of weakness.


    However, Han Li did not actually pull out a defensive talisman to increase his own protective barrier.


    This was because, after seeing the silver sword break through the young woman¡¯s silk handkerchief, Han Li was very clear in his heart that this silver sword¡¯s strength was truly too shocking. Under one stab from it, regular barriers would break instantly and the person would be killed, not even able to withstand one attack. Thus, it would be better to not add on defensive techniques; in this way he could rely on his movement technique¡¯s unpredictability to deal with the opponent¡¯s strange attacks!


    As Han Li was contemplating this, apart from the gold blade guarding near the young woman, the other seven blades had already become entangled with the huge silver sword. It was as if seven golden snakes and a huge python were incessantly rolling around and tearing into one another; both did not show any weaknesses!

 Chapter 202

    Silence


    Chapter 202: Silence


    Just as Han Li ordered the seven children blades to intercept the silver sword, he soon immediately felt his opponent¡¯s strength.


    With only this single huge sword magic tool, the large man immediately and unwaveringly pushed down on all of the golden blades. The seven golden streaks formed a defensive golden net.Under the tyrannical collision against the huge silver sword, the golden blades were completely defeated and weren¡¯t even able to suppress it in the slightest. Instead, the golden blades radiance rapidly grew dim from the silver sword streak¡¯s strike; a clear sign that the golden blades were breaking down. It seemed to be only a matter of time before they would be destroyed much like the young woman¡¯s handkerchief.


    However, Han Li had yet to experience the might of the silver sword and was surprised. In accordance to might, his ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± were only common trash among top-grade magic tools. Being no match against the silver sword was within expectations and nothing to make a fuss over. As a result, Han Li pointed his finger, wanting two of the golden blades in the struggle to shoot toward the large man. He wanted to first test the opponent¡¯s defensive methods. Besides, he wanted to see whether this was an opportunity he could exploit! After all, if someone were dead, there there would be no point in how strong someone¡¯s magic tools were.


    Two of the golden streaks Han Li was controlling were just about to turn, wanting to fly toward the man¡¯s legs. Unexpectedly, the opponent¡¯s huge sword suddenly resonated with silver light, and with the sword hilt at the center, it rapidly whirled. In an instant it turned into a huge silver disk and released countless threads of attractive force from its center, causing the nearby golden blades to become incapable of moving in the slightest as if they were weighed down by a thousand kilograms. The two blades wanting to leave naturally weren¡¯t able to luckily escape.


    These scene caused Han Li to be stunned from alarm. As soon as he regained his senses, he hastily looked toward the large man. As expected, the opponent was using a strange magic technique. His hands were dancing with the wind as if he were gesturing some sort of circles.


    Han Li didn¡¯t give it much thought and promptly patted his storage pouch. A flying blue dagger and a gold alms bowl flew out. The two items didn¡¯t stop at Han Li¡¯s side and shot straight toward the large man.


    Although the hands of the barefoot man from the Giant Sword Sect were not idle, Han Li¡¯s actions were clear. He sneered for a moment. Then he suddenly changed the incantation gestures in his hands and held his bare hand against the flying dagger and alms bow, pointing at the two objects from a distance.


    Han Li immediately felt the result. He lost his connection to the two magic tools that were originally in their control. Woosh. Woosh. The two magic tools actually flew over twenty meters away and were sucked in by the floating huge sword¡¯s silver vortex.


    Pu. Pu. Just as the two high-grade magic tools were about to enter the huge silver sword¡¯s rapid vortex, they were unable to endure for that short moment and burst into fragments like fireworks. Those sparking magic tool fragments made an exceptionally beautiful meteor shower.


    Han Li¡¯s mouth was currently dry. He completely did not expect the opponent¡¯s cultivation and silver sword to be this great. Not only were his ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Blades¡± trapped, his two high-grade magic tools were disposed of, thoroughly destroyed without the slightest of effect. This truly caused him to become apprehensive.


    Bang! The sound of the explosion greatly frightened Han Li. His complexion rapidly paled as he looked over to the source of the sound. As expected. the original seven of the golden swarm blades turned to six with a beautiful golden rain of sparks appearing from the center of the silver vortex. Under the large man¡¯s control, the silver vortex was actually starting to destroy and absorb the golden blades.


    When it had only started to destroy high-grade magic tools, Han Li would only be apprehensive. But now that the golden blades started to disappear, Han Li truly felt some heartache. These were top-grade magic tools! Furthermore, because they were a complementary set, each loss would significantly reduce its power.


    With his extreme heartache, Han Li no longer hesitated and flipped his right hand, taking out the small mirror from the girl with many treasures. Han Li hurriedly poured spiritual power into the mirror and then pointed it to the sky, immediately spouting out a brilliant azure mist from the mirror. The mist immediately returned the huge silver sword vortex to its original appearance. It trapped the silver sword and the remaining golden blades in the azure light, causing them to become completely motionless in midair.


    The barefooted man¡¯s completely complacent expression immediately disappeared without a trace when he saw Han Li¡¯s small mirror. With a pale expression, he loudly cried out, ¡°The Azure Stasis Mirror! How did you acquire this item. Isn¡¯t that the life-saving magic tool of the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Shuang Jiao? Could it be that you killed her?¡±


    After the large man said this, he looked at Han Li with an incredulous gaze as if he had done some sort of treasonous action in defiance of the natural order. This caused Han Li to feel a moment of unrest!


    From the opponent¡¯s tone of voice, it seemed as if this top-grade magic tool was able to cause him a great amount of inconvenience. Han Li could not help but stop his hand for the time being, wanting to hear what the opponent had to say.


    ¡°What¡¯s the idea? I didn¡¯t kill her, I received it from the one who killed her, from the hands of that guy called Feng Yue. Could it be that there¡¯s something strange? ¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow, saying this with an unsightly expression.


    ¡°Hehe, these words of your esteemed self, would the Martial Ancestor of Masking Moon¡¯s Shuang Jiao believe them? Will a Core Formation Expert or a Masking Moon Sect Elder believe the mere trifling words of a Qi Condensation disciple?¡± The large barefooted man said with a sneer, coldly laughing several times.


    Han Li¡¯s heart suddenly sunk. He knew that if what he had said was true, then he would have no chance to explain himself! He hadn¡¯t the slightest evidence to exonerate himself and prevent himself from dying. Instead, he had that malicious woman¡¯s magic tool in his possession. As it was, that Masked Moon Sect Elder would most likely not let a ¡®murderer¡¯ like him get away.


    ¡°This is far too troublesome!¡± When he thought that a Core Formation expert would take note of his small life, not only did Han Li¡¯s mouth grow painfully bitter and dry, but he also felt gloomy to the point of wanting to spit out blood.


    With this said, he was being treated extremely unjustly! Not only did he not kill her, but he also killed Feng Yue, which could be considered revenge on her behalf! But now the result was a Core Formation expert pursuing him while he had no method to prove himself innocent!


    After all, how could a person who could kill a Qi Condensation disciple with her fingers like it was no different from squashing an ant ever possibly listen to him! His own elders of Yellow Maple Valley would mostly likely not act on behalf of a nobody such as him and offend an elder of the Masked Moon Sect!


    The more Han Li thought, the more he felt that what his future held was anything but good. Could it be that after he left the forbidden area, he would have to travel far away and flee death by living with a concealed identity in another country? Han Li truly did not want to take that path!


    The large man clearly saw Han Li¡¯s gloomy expression and could not help but laugh heartily, rejoicing in his misfortune.


    As the barefooted man¡¯s laughs grew louder, Han Li¡¯s expression grew increasingly darker! A timid voice came from the side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all keep it a secret and not tell anyone else. Is that fine?¡±


    The young green clothed woman, who listened clearly form the side, interrupting with some hesitation.


    ¡°Keep it a secret?¡±


    Han Li and the large man were startled, unable to keep their emotions in check. Then they looked at each other with a strange expression and suddenly shut their mouth, keeping silent.


    The words that the young woman had wanted to say caused the two who were baffled to immediately swallow in fear. With opened pupils, their eyes could only spin around incessantly; they didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    During the silence, Han LI suddenly put his hands behind his back and slowly paced back and forth nearby. Meanwhile, the large man was rigidly staring at Han Li¡¯s every movement with an extremely solemn appearance.


    In this peacefulness that caused people¡¯s heartbeat to slowly accelerate, after the time it took to make a cup of tea, the large man with a solemn expression opened his mouth and broke the silence.


    ¡°I truly did not think of that. Us two were actually reminded by a young girl! It seems the phrase ¡®the actors were confused but the onlooker saw clearly¡¯ is truly not false! Just now, your distinguished self intended to kill me in order to silence me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. If there was a second path, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have the heart to kill this brother! Brother¡¯s sword controlling technique could be said to be marvelous beyond compare! This one truly admires it!¡± Han Li sighed, halting his steps nearby and helplessly saying as he faced the large man.


    ¡°It seems that even with a death oath, your esteemed self will not be convinced!¡± After a short moment, the large man said this overbearingly with an encompassing radiance shining from his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I only believe that dead men can keep secrets!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression sunk as he replied with a bone-chilling tone.


    ¡°Good, since this is the case, we don¡¯t need to speak rubbish. Only one of us will leave here alive!¡± the barefooted man heroically said with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Only one of us will live? That¡¯s wrong. It should be said that your esteemed self¡¯s death is certain!¡± After Han Li heard the large man¡¯s words, he strangely smiled and lightly said this as he shook his head.


    ¡°Nonsense. Do you believe that because you¡¯ve trapped my Silversheen Sword for the time being that your victory is certain!? I have many methods you have yet to experience!¡± The large man grew furious as he heard Han Li¡¯s words, and he immediately yelled in response. In addition, he raised his arm, and  silver light suddenly sparkled from his hand. A sword streak similar to the silver sword unexpectedly appeared in midair.


    ¡°Your esteemed self did not yet take note of this. The distance between us is already within thirty meters!¡± Han Li was looking at the large man with a peculiar expression and sighed. Soon after, his figure became indistinct and completely disappeared into the air.


    ¡°So long as I am within thirty meters of someone and no defensive technique are used, that person¡¯s life or death is basically mine to decide!¡± Han Li¡¯s voice became a hollow echo. Suddenly, he appeared pressed up behind the fear-stricken large man. He said the last word of his sentence as he appeared.


    ¡°And now you are already dead!¡± Han Li softly muttered this as he slowly withdrew the thread he had just waved.


    The large man motionlessly looked forward with a lifeless expression. A thin red line suddenly appeared on his neck. His head was still for a moment before smoothly rolling off his neck, truly as dead as dead can be.


    Han Li then turned his body and looked at the two-part corpse. A trace of pity flashed on his face. This large man¡¯s strength was no less than that of Feng Yue. However, he was careless and actually let Han Li approach to such a close distance. His death could not be regarded as unjust!


    ¡°Do you also want to kill and silence me?¡±


    Han Li suddenly heard these feeble words, laced with suspicious vigilance and restless fear.

 Chapter 203

    Worry-free Needle and Forgetful Dust Pill


    Han Li began to bitterly laugh. Although he had gotten rid of the fellow from the Giant Sword Sect, he still had to deal with the largest problem at hand!


    The green-clothed young woman¡¯s slim and frail body, her deathly pale and thin face, and the panic in her eyes were all completely and distinctly reflected in his eyes the moment that Han Li slightly shifted his eyes and swept the scene. It seemed as if the shock she had received was truly not small.


    He did not respond to the young woman¡¯s inquiry, instead bending over and picking up the storage pouch on the big man¡¯s corpse. Then, he flicked the tip of his finger, and a small fireball hit the corpse, turning it into ash in a brief moment. Afterwards, he used the Azure Stasis Mirror to withdraw the azure light binding the silver sword and the gold blades together, then released the huge sword and the golden blades, storing them in his storage pouch.


    It was only at this time that Han Li turned around and walked towards the young woman expressionlessly.


    When the young woman saw that Han Li truly was getting closer to her, her already deathly pale face became even more pale without a trace of blood. She could not help but fearfully shrink back a few steps.


    ¡°What do you want to do? If you come over, I won¡¯t be polite anymore!¡± The green-clothed young woman finally mustered up her courage and reached her hand into her storage pouch, pulling out a small black sword and pointing it at the Han Li in front of her. However, Han Li had determined in a glance that this sword was only a trash mid-grade magic tool. It seemed like that yellow silk handkerchief was that woman¡¯s only top-grade magic tool!


    ¡°Is this how this young lady treats the great kindness of being saved?¡± Han Li suddenly rubbed his nose and asked as he smiled.


    ¡°The great kindness of being saved?¡± The young woman stared blankly for a moment, somewhat confused by Han Li¡¯s drastic change in appearance from before to now. It seemed as if she had not yet recovered from it.


    ¡°This young lady is really an eminent person with a short memory! If I hadn¡¯t made a move back then and saved this young woman from that person¡¯s sword, why would I want to make any kind of shady business like silencing you!¡± Han Li said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, I¡­¡­ I was scared and I forgot!¡± The young woman was suddenly enlightened and remembered this matter, so she hurriedly explained as her face flushed, stuttering in a bewildered manner. If one saw it, one would feel pity.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much! However, it is somewhat inconceivable that we would actually meet here after having the pleasure of having met once at the Great South Valley!¡± Han Li waved his hand and said cordially. He didn¡¯t know why, but whenever he saw this woman¡¯s bashful appearance, Han Li felt incredibly intimate, as if he were with his own younger sister from his family.


    ¡°My name is Han Li. What is this young lady called?¡± Han Li opened his mouth and asked very carelessly.


    ¡°I¡­¡­ I¡¯m called Han Yunzhi,¡± the young woman said after a brief moment of hesitation, her face scarlet. She felt incredibly bashful after voluntarily speaking her name in front of this young man. (TL: Her surname (?), meaning lotus blossom, and Han Li¡¯s (?) are different.)


    ¡°Han Yunzhi? A very good name, it fits this young lady!¡± Han Li lightly laughed, repeating the young woman¡¯s name.


    ¡°Really!¡± The red color on Han Yunzhi¡¯s face rose again.


    ¡°However, why did young lady Han enter the Spirit Beast Mountain and come to attend the Trial by Blood and Fire?¡± Han Li asked, somewhat curious.


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Han Yunzhi¡¯s face displayed a moment of difficulty. She hesitated and chose not to say it.


    ¡°Hehe! Since it¡¯s somewhat difficult to answer, you don¡¯t need to tell me. I was only asking thoughtlessly!¡± Han Li added in empathy, causing Han Yunzhi to feel very grateful.


    ¡°Right, we had better enter the stone room and gather the spiritual medicines, lest a long night is fraught with dreams and other people arrive here!¡± Han Li suddenly said after carelessly conversing with the young woman for a while. (TL: ¡°A long night fraught with dreams¡± means a long delay might lead to more hitches.)


    Han Yunzhi nodded repeatedly when she heard this, but afterwards she said again, somewhat abashedly:


    ¡°Big brother Han, could you let me have those few Fierce Sun Blossoms? I only want those flowers; I won¡¯t ask for anything else more!¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a problem; even if young lady Han had not said it, I was already planning on doing it this way!¡± Han Li replied after hearing this, lightly laughing.


    ¡°Many thanks, Big Brother Han!¡± When the young woman heard this, she immediately expressed her thanks repeatedly, her face revealing a joyful expression. She felt even more grateful towards Han Li.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s like this, why doesn¡¯t young lady Han go gather the Fierce Sun Blossoms first! Don¡¯t let me accidentally take them away!¡± Han Li recommended calmly, laughing once.


    ¡°Okay then!¡± Hearing this, the young woman felt that it was somewhat reasonable and lowered her head, paying her respects to Han Li. Then, she turned around to walk towards the stone room.


    But when the young woman had just turned around, she suddenly heard Han Li sigh. Then, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and her vision went black, falling unconscious onto the ground. However, when she was a few feet from the ground, she was stopped by being hugged from behind.


    It turned out that Han Li had taken advantage of the moment the young woman had turned around to suddenly move himself behind Han Yunzhi and gently knock her out with one blow. He then used his two hands to hold her soft, jade-like body.


    Han Li, holding up the young woman¡¯s curves and smelling the beautiful and serene smell of the young woman¡¯s body, was shaken in his state of mind! He couldn¡¯t help but to lower his head and kiss the young woman¡¯s fragrant cheek. However, he immediately regained his senses and bit the tip of his tongue, immediately becoming much more sober. Looking at the young woman¡¯s beautiful appearance, he began to bitterly laugh incessantly.


    He first gently laid the young woman against a wall of the stone room, and then in a flash he entered the room. After a brief moment, when he had cleaned out all of the spiritual medicines inside of the room, he walked out again. He then picked up the young woman again, and his figure swayed a bit before disappearing in an outcrop of mountainous rocks to the side.


    Inside a naturally-formed stone cave near the peak of the ring-shaped mountain, Han Li laid the young woman flat on the ground. Then, he sat cross-legged to the side, closed his eyes, and began to recover.


    Han Li finally opened his eyes. A mysterious light flickered in them, and he displayed his incredibly fast movement technique. He finally was able to recover some energy. It was only now that he retrieved a palm-sized, delicate silver box from his storage pouch.


    Han Li gazed at this silver box and seemed to be somewhat entranced.


    After a while, he silently opened the lid to the box, revealing a neatly arranged row of silver needles inside! They were exactly the acupuncture items that he had often used before at the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    Han Li lifted his hand and gently caressed the silver needles of all sizes. The figures of Doctor Mo, Li Feiyu, etc. couldn¡¯t help but be vivid in his mind; it was as if his life in God Hand Valley was something that transpired only yesterday. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh with much sorrow!


    After a brief mental journey, Han Li¡¯s train of thought finally flew back to him. He settled his mind, and then used two fingers to deftly draw out a long and thin silver needle in a very practiced motion. The needle appeared between his fingers.


    Then, Han Li looked at the young woman and then at the needle in his hand; a helpless expression appeared between his eyebrows.


    ¡°Young Lady Han, if it wasn¡¯t for me being eased by this needle technique, which can eliminate a person¡¯s short-term memory, I really wouldn¡¯t know how I would deal with my secret being revealed! Although I believe that you would sincerely try to keep my secret for me, during this time too many accidents will occur. Perhaps you would unintentionally leak it out, or other people would use secret techniques to dig out this matter without you knowing. I have no choice but to protect against this!¡± Han Li murmured to himself.


    Immediately, he brought out a red porcelain bottle and poured out a strong-smelling fiery red medicinal pill from it. He then unhesitatingly stuffed it into the young woman¡¯s mouth. TL: ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    ¡°Luckily I also brought the Forgetful Dust Pill that I had carelessly concocted before with me; this way, I can fully display my Worry-free Needle Technique without having to worry about the future. Although it is still slightly dangerous, there shouldn¡¯t be any big problems anymore; you will only forget the things that have happened in this half day. I really didn¡¯t expect that the needle technique I had learned from Doctor Mo¡¯s relics could actually be used today in the cultivating world,¡± Han Li said with affection as he touched the young woman¡¯s beautiful hair.


    After a few hours, Han Li walked out of the cave, his face deathly pale. He hastily hid in a nearby large tree, and then attentively watched the circumstances at the tunnel entrance.


    After a quarter of an hour, Han Yunzhi walked out with a vacant expression, holding a few Fierce Sun Blossoms in her hand. She peered around at the cave entrance a few times, a hand on her forehead; her eyes slowly revealed a strange expression.


    Suddenly, it seemed as if she had thought of something important; she hurriedly placed the Fierce Sun Blossoms inside of her storage pouch, and she hurriedly left that area, shooting down the mountain.


    Not long after she left, Han Li leaped down from the tree. After gazing at the direction the young woman had disappeared to, he let out a long sigh, then slowly headed towards a dense forest on the other side.


    The third day in the forbidden area had finally ended; the fourth day¡¯s arrival, to Han Li, went much less smoothly than the day before.


    If it wasn¡¯t encountering and being chased by other strong demonic beasts, it was that his information had mistakes; the locations where spiritual medicines grew didn¡¯t actually contain the ones that Han Li needed. As for the demonic beasts guarding the spiritual medicines, their numbers also abruptly increased; in just half a day, Han Li had killed three medium level and two high level demonic beasts in immediate succession. Regardless of whether it was his magic power or his physical energy, Han Li was unable to endure the exertion!


    Now, Han Li stood below a huge cliff, assessing his harvests. Although the quantities of the three spiritual medicines had not completely reached his expected goal, they were just barely enough. Even if he were to leave the forbidden area now, it was not something that he could not accept.


    In addition, the information from the Yellow Maple Valley clearly indicated that there were no more locations were spiritual medicines were yet to ripen. The remaining locations were all from the information that he had exchanged with Zhong Yue; there were actually a few more!


    However, previously Han Li was always afraid that the other person¡¯s intelligence was inaccurate, leading him on a wild goose chase and wasting his time. But when Han Li skimmed through this externally-obtained information again, he immediately discovered that there was another location not too far from his current position that concealed and grew many spiritual medicines.


    That place not only had spiritual medicines that had yet to ripen; there was even supposed to be many ripe spiritual medicines. This caused Han Li to be somewhat tempted. According to his speculations, if the ripe spiritual medicines there hadn¡¯t already been taken by Zhong Yue, they still should have been taken first by other people. However, the yet-to-ripen spiritual medicines should still be there!


    Since it was still early and he did not have a predetermined destination, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing for him to run there and take a look. Even if the information was incorrect, he would not have any losses!


    Having reached this intention, Han Li could no longer sit still; after resting for a brief moment, he leaped up to depart.

 Chapter 204

    The Stone Temple and the Underground Passageway


    The place that Han Li intended to go to was located within some basin on the ring-shaped mountain; it was surrounded by large, strangely-shaped rocks that shielded it from the elements. Square in the middle of this basin was an ancient, huge azure stone temple. Although the stone temple was huge, the door to the temple was pitifully small; it could only allow two people to enter in side by side. This gave Han Li, who was standing on top of the rocks and gazing at it, an extremely strange feeling of discordance.


    Han Li knitted his eyebrows and jumped off the rocks; then, he leisurely walked near the temple door, raising his head to look at this stone temple.


    As he looked at it, the suspicion on his face became even more evident.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that on this stone temple¡¯s surface, pale, azure light would occasionally flow; however, when he wanted to take a careful, close look at it, he was unable to see any difference. After doing this a few time, he began to quietly whisper to himself. Could people really have set some kind of magic technique here?


    Han Li lowered his head, scanning the ground around him; he was unable to find any traces of people arriving before him, causing him to squint his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something odd! Although this basin is somewhat remote, with this huge temple here, there¡¯s no way that other people haven¡¯t discovered it. Even more so, my own information was given to me by that guy Feng Yue; how could he not have arrived at this place before!¡± In a moment, Han Li¡¯s heart had already run through numerous different ideas; he subconsciously felt that something was wrong.


    But he was also somewhat unwilling to leave this place just like that.


    Thus, he retreated a few steps, feeling around inside his storage pouch; a golden blade appeared in his hand, and he flung it into the air. It became a streak of golden light, fiercely striking a random azure stone on top of the temple door. With a ¡°Puchi¡±, the azure stone flooded with azure light, safe and sound, while the golden blade flipped a few times in the air, having been reflected tens of meters away.


    Han Li shook his head and turned around, about to leave this place.


    ¡°The main goal is to avoid pointless dangers and walk out of the forbidden area alive; this stone temple is so strange, it¡¯s best if I don¡¯t go in there,¡± Han Li thought, his expression unchanging.


    But Han Li had just taken two steps when the color of his face dramatically changed; his figure flashed, and he disappeared into the air. Then, Han Li¡¯s figure appeared again inside of the temple door, but it immediately disappeared again into the stone temple.


    At this time, a huge flock of Masked Moon Sect disciples suddenly appeared on some of the rocks of the basin to the side; the leader was the seemingly young fairy woman, who was actually a Martial Ancestor of the Masked Moon Sect.


    At this moment, the young woman gazed at the temple door where Han Li had disappeared with a trace of suspicion. She had felt that there was someone in this place, but now she saw that there was not a single person in sight. Could her instincts have been wrong?


    The young woman stood still, unwilling to believe any falsehoods. She gently closed her eyes and released her tremendous divine sense all at once. In the end, other than their group of people, she did not sense that there were any other cultivators nearby the basin area. However, when her divine sense swept over the stone temple, it was repelled outside by some kind of strength, causing the young woman to be shocked. However, she immediately began to rejoice, a trace of laughter hanging on her face.


    Upon first glance, she had already discovered that this stone temple had already had a restrictive technique cast on it by someone; this did not surprise her. Because the ten or so demonic beasts they had swept aside all had a restrictive technique cast on their secret acupuncture points, this could not amount to much! However, the restrictive technique here could not be penetrated even by her divine sense. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation; the superficial restrictive techniques from before simply could not compare!


    In a moment of excitement, the young fairy woman did not want to pursue the matter from before anymore. She trusted that even if there really were one or two disciples from other sects nearby peeping, they would definitely not be willing to create a disturbance with so many people from the Masked Moon Sect! Thus, she took the lead to walk towards the stone temple.


    Han Li, at this time, was standing in the large lobby of the stone temple, so anxious that he was spinning around frantically in circles!


    He had just been about to leave! Thus, he had first let out his divine sense to assess the situations in his surroundings and prepare to leave.


    However, he had never expected that just as he had released his divine sense, he would immediately sensed a huge group of cultivators so close to him. He was so surprised that all of the blood in his body almost congealed, and so he flashed into the stone temple without thinking. Regardless of which of the other six sects these people outside were from, if they saw him here, one would not need to think too much to know what his fate would be.


    In reality, if it weren¡¯t for his energy expenditures being too high in these past two days, he completely could have used his extremely speedy movement techniques and unabashedly shake off these cultivators from his sleeve and leave. Unfortunately, based on his current condition, this kind of movement technique could not be used many more times; even if he wanted to run, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run very far.


    Currently, he was safe, hiding inside the stone temple! However, he also had been blocked in by that group of cultivators, with no way of leaving anymore.


    Actually, this stone temple¡¯s construction was too simple! After entering the temple door and walking through a serpentine, winding hallway, an empty, large lobby appeared in front of his eyes. The entire hollow, large lobby actually did not have even a single place for him to hide. Upon looking at the attitude of the flock of people outside, they definitely came for this stone temple. Wishing for those people not to come inside was purely a vain attempt!


    In actuality, to say that there definitely was no place for him to go was not entirely true.


    In front of Han Li¡¯s eyes, in the center of the large lobby, was a black tunnel surrounded by jade railings. The tunnel entrance had a row of stairs, directly slanting into the ground from the entrance. It was also incessantly blowing out warm, humid air; it was truly difficult to imagine where this tunnel would lead one to.


    However, Han Li could also guess without thinking that the place this tunnel led to would definitely not be a nice place; it would definitely be extremely ruthless, which was why he had been hesitant to enter. However, there truly were no other places for him to hide in this large temple! This caused the cold sweat on Han Li¡¯s forehead to gush out all at once with a ¡°shua¡±.


    And a this time, the sound of chaotic footsteps came floating over from the temple entrance; it seemed that group of cultivators had already entered the stone temple and would enter this lobby in the time it takes to roll one¡¯s eye.


    Seeing this, Han Li seeing this, bitterly sighed in his heart; then, gritting his teeth, he lightly jumped over the railings and slipped into the tunnel.


    After entering the tunnel, Han Li¡¯s surroundings were pitch black. He used his hand to reach into his storage pouch and retrieve the moonlight stone, and only then did his surroundings light up.


    The entire tunnel could not be considered to be large. It was entirely built out of azure stone and could allow one person to barely pass through it. Han Li touched the stone wall in passing; it was somewhat damp and slippery.


    He did not dare to tarry at all, fearful that the people behind him would catch up to him. Thus, he walked downwards carefully.


    After following the stone steps underneath his feet one by one for a few hundred steps, the originally narrow tunnel slowly began to widen, and it could already fit two people side-by-side with no issues. However, the humid wind blowing from in front of him became increasingly hot, causing Han Li to sweat profusely; he had long been drenched with sweat from head to toe.


    After walking down close to another hundred steps, Han Li estimated he was already roughly a hundred or more steps below the earth¡¯s surface. The azure tunnel finally disappeared. When he walked out of the tunnel¡¯s entrance, what appeared before his eyes was actually a strange swampy world.


    This underground world was only three hundred meters or so high, but its circumference reached the length of a few kilometers; with a glance, sludge emitting black water bubbles was everywhere. That hot, humid wind was being generated in the air above the swamp, speedily flowing through the tunnel behind Han Li; then, it would bring back in more clean air from outside the tunnel, thus actually forming an equilibrium of flow rate.


    All around the swamp were these tall, large mounds of black dirt; at the other end of the swamp grew a few tens of differently colored strange spiritual herbs. The few kinds of spiritual medicines that Han Li required were also in this group, and their quantities were truly not low either.


    However, all of this was not as attractive of Han Li¡¯s attention as a small white jade pavilion in the middle of the swamp. This was because a golden, huge chest, roughly ten to twenty meters long and five meters wide, was floating in midair in the pavilion. Its lid was tightly shut, and its body had faint golden light flowing around it; one glance and one could tell it was definitely not a common object.


    Han Li only glanced at it a few times before immediately shifting his gaze; this wasn¡¯t because Han Li was not moved by the treasures inside of this golden chest, but rather because a huge group of malicious people were about to arrive. It would be best to quickly find a hiding place, since this was the truly pressing matter! Otherwise, his small life would be lost; what use would the treasures be to him!


    Han Li¡¯s figure swayed a bit, and he slipped over to a random dirt mound far away from the tunnel entrance; then, he restrained his Qi in one breath utilizing a full-strength concealing technique. Next, he lay on top of the dirt mound unmoving; after hiding his appearance, Han Li was already beginning to blend into one entity with the black dirt. Gazing at it from afar, one would not be able to easily discover his traces.


    Han Li had not prepared all of this for too long before the young fairy woman¡¯s figure appeared on the stairs at the tunnel entrance.


    As soon as she appeared, she indifferently assessed the circumstances in this area; when she saw the huge golden chest in the white jade pavilion, her previously expressionless face finally began to be emotionally moved, and her eyes gradually revealed a fiery passion. Although she had heard disciples from her sect describing the golden chest here, she was much more astonished upon seeing it up close and in person.


    The young woman walked down the steps, neatly standing in front of the swamp; the male and female disciples of the Masked Moon Sect following closely behind her all clambered and surged forth in an instant, forming a straight line behind the young woman.


    In a place not too far away from where he had clearly seen all of this, he could not help but quietly grow apprehensive. At the same time, his curiosity was greatly aroused regarding that leading young woman¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Is this where the Black Scaly Python is hidden?¡± The young woman¡¯s voice delicately sounded out, yet it was filled with an unspeakable dignity.


    ¡°Reporting to Martial Ancestor, that huge python is hidden inside of the swamp; it has previously swallowed ten or so disciples from various sects who had wanted to obtain the treasure chest. Its vicious reputation is widespread, and it has caused this place to become a forbidden area where disciples from the various sects no longer dare to come. However, this demonic beast truly is much stronger than regular top level demonic beasts; this one still hopes that Martial Ancestor takes special care!¡± a young woman replied respectfully, lowering her head.


    ¡°Heng! Did you think that I would be unable to even deal with a grade one demonic beast?¡± The young woman¡¯s delicate small face fell, and she adopted a ridiculous elderly air. However, this caused the expression of the white-clothed woman who had replied to drastically change, repeatedly saying ¡°I do not dare!¡±


    ¡°You can withdraw! Everyone, follow the original plan to act; no matter how powerful this Black Scaly Python is, it definitely isn¡¯t the ¡®Yin Yang Pulling Magic¡¯s¡¯ opponent! No matter how strong it is, it is still a grade one demonic beast!¡± the young woman said with an unquestionable tone, lifting the spirits of all the disciples behind her.

 Chapter 205

    Watching the battle


    Chapter 205: Watching the battle


    After giving orders to all of the disciples, the young woman turned around and looked at the swamp in front of her, using a faint voice to murmur to herself: ¡°It seems like that object should be inside of this chest! The previous few locations were all a waste; all I got was some trash!¡±


    The young woman¡¯s voice was inaudible; apart from herself, the other disciples could not hear anything at all. They were all extremely excited for the imminent, upcoming big battle.


    After the young woman¡¯s orders had been passed down, the male and female disciples from the Masked Moon Sect immediately stood side-by-side with their Dao companions. They actually both reached out a hand very skillfully and held them together.


    Suddenly, the two overlapping hands individually emitted a blue and red strange brilliance; then, following down their arms, it spread to these disciples¡¯ entire bodies, causing the six pairs of Masked Moon Sect disciples to be covered with light, red light shrouding the males¡¯ bodies, blue light shooting off of the females, forming a strange blue-red criss-cross shape. Only three disciples remained, one male and two female, having already lost their Dao companions. They could only bring out some magic tools, merely making some basic preparations.


    Han Li lay on the mound of dirt. Although he had not heard the young woman murmuring to herself, he had exactly heard the female disciple in front call her ¡°Martial Ancestor¡±. This instantly caused him to almost bite his tongue and injure it in a moment of surprise!


    ¡°Martial Ancestor of the Masked Moon Sect¡±, what was this notion? Han Li was already no longer a rookie in the cultivation world, and he was very clear about this situation. That was a Core Formation cultivator expert who was of the same level as his sect¡¯s Martial Ancestor Li! That this kind of an expert would actually appear in the forbidden area, which was restricted from cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage and above, caused Han Li¡¯s head to whirl!


    At this time, seeing that all of her sect¡¯s disciples were properly prepared, the young woman began to take action contentedly!


    He only saw the young woman slightly open her dainty mouth and blow out her own magic treasure, the precious Pearl Sparrow Ring. When this item came out from her mouth, it immediately flew into the air above the swamp, whirling in the air; it actually became the same size as a room in a house.


    Next, the young woman beneath it formed hand incantations for a magic technique and pointed with her finger; a streak of red light shot from her hand to the ring. In an instant, that round ring¡¯s color rapidly changed from pink to a fiery, blazing red.


    On top of the dirt mound, Han Li was stunned by what he saw. This kind of impact and strength¡­if one said that this wasn¡¯t a magic treasure, one could beat him to death and he wouldn¡¯t believe it.


    Since the young woman could control this magic treasure, her being a Core Formation cultivator was undoubtable. But how could she have muddled her way into the forbidden area, and why did her magic power seem to be only of the peak of the Qi Condensation stage? This string of questions flew around in Han Li¡¯s head, but he still had no way of answering them.


    The young woman had yet to take the next step when the swamp below began to show signs of movement. With a certain part of the swamp as the center, the nearby silt began to roil; in addition, the roiling area became greater and greater, and the waves higher and higher. It actually slowly formed into a huge protrusion, the sight of which was extremely shocking.


    A trace of doubt flitted across the young woman¡¯s face when she saw this; based on her memories, the Black Scaly Python had never seemed to be this imposing!


    However, seeing that the demonic beast¡¯s appearance was imminent, the young woman did not dare to hesitate. Her two hands formed hand incantations for the Blue Flower magic technique, with her attention connected to the huge Pearl Swallow Ring, which began to spin in the air. In a short amount of time, it became blurry because of how fast it was spinning; the hundreds of fireballs inside of it also became a red sea of fire in the time it takes to roll one¡¯s eyes, actually dissolving into one entity.


    ¡°Go¡±


    The young woman spit out as her magic technique suddenly stabilized.


    All of a sudden, the round ring¡¯s spinning stopped abruptly, and the encapsulated sea of flames thus suddenly became a thick, large fire cyclone pillar that aggressively shot out downwards, directly spurting towards the huge protrusion from the swamp.


    However, before the flame column had neared the swamp, a column of black, inky water as thick as a bowl¡¯s opening shot out of the silt protrusion with a ¡°puchi¡±, just in time to block the flames shooting towards it.


    Suddenly, the explosions from both sides began to emit ¡°zila¡± noises, and a large ball of mist immediately rose up in pieces, causing the surroundings to be steaming with fog in the time it takes to roll one¡¯s eyes. Everything became blurry.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the Black Scaly Python!¡±


    The young woman¡¯s originally somewhat doubtful expression, upon seeing the column of water that was as dark as ink, immediately changed as she spoke.


    As if replying to the young woman¡¯s words, the sound of a wail came from the vast white fog; an extremely strange, piercing scream began to sound and pierce towards the sky. Then, with a ¡°hula¡±, an extremely hot gust of wind began to blow, causing the surrounding white air to disappear with a roll, revealing the true colors of the demonic beast.


    A black, swarthy, snake-shaped demon covered with huge scales appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    This seemingly snake-like yet not a snake demonic beast¡¯s bulk was not actually too big, only thirty to forty meters long; however, its entire body from head to toe was shrouded by a layer of faint black fog, appearing extremely demonic. In addition, its external appearance from head to tail was not much different from that of a regular black python. Of course, its black and shiny hug scales were an exception.


    ¡°Inky Flood Dragon!¡±


    The young woman, upon clearly seeing the demonic beast¡¯s appearance, couldn¡¯t help but cry out; her face revealed an apprehensive yet excited expression.


    However, the ten or so disciples standing behind her were somewhat puzzled. Wasn¡¯t this the ¡°Black Scaly Python¡±? Since when did it became some ¡°Inky Flood Dragon¡±?


    The young woman couldn¡¯t afford to explain clearly to all the disciples because the demonic beast floating numerous meters above the ground had already found the main culprit in disturbing its rest. The two small, green eyes on the side of its head flashed malevolently; it opened its mouth, and another black column of water leaped towards the people from the Masked Moon Sect.


    ¡°Beast! Looking to die!¡±


    The young woman knew very well the strength of the Inky Flood Dragon; although this demonic beast seemed as if it was young, she did not dare to be careless at all! She hurriedly controlled the Pearl Swallow Ring, instantly releasing a red ring of light that suddenly flashed and blocked in front of the young woman. Then, a string of fireballs came flying out from within the ring, causing that black water to be stopped halfway to its destination.


    ¡°Receive, Speed, Restrain, Arrest, Lock!¡±


    The young woman¡¯s two hands formed a half-half contained a full-moon as she awe-inspiringly spit out these five words from her mouth.


    The huge Pearl Swallow Ring, when these five words had just left her mouth, began to jitter rapidly in midair; then, it began to emit a low ring, and disappeared into thin air. This caused the spiritually wise Inky Flood Dragon to blink its small eyes, staring blankly because of it.


    But the next instant, the ring actually directly appeared on the demonic beast¡¯s forehead while humming. It took advantage of the demonic beast¡¯s slowness to react and instantly sank down, then rapidly became much smaller. In the blink of an eye, the Pearl Swallow Ring actually abruptly wrapped around the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s midsection, and then a fiery light rose up rapidly on the ring. Instantly, half of the demonic beast¡¯s body was enveloped in the fierce flames.


    ¡°Move quickly! I can¡¯t contain this Inky Flood Dragon for too long.¡±


    Although the Pearl Swallow Ring had securely wrapped the demonic beast, the young woman didn¡¯t have any relaxing expression; instead, she sent out commands behind her with anxiety.


    Although the Masked Moon Sect disciples behind her did not know how the Black Scaly Python had suddenly become the Inky Flood Dragon that their Martial Ancestor informed them about, this did not prevent them from releasing the offensive that they had prepared a long time ago.


    ¡°Attack¡±


    Under the orders of a relatively elderly, white-clothed female, ten columns of red and blue intersecting light were released from these male and female disciple¡¯s bodies, emitting an appalling ¡°chi chi¡± sound that tore through the air. They unmistakably attacked the immobile demonic beast.


    A series of loud ¡°hong hong¡± sounds spread out; when these columns had just reached near the demonic beast¡¯s body, they were forcibly blocked by the faint black fog that shrouded its body. Fierce bursting sounds rang out.


    ¡°Continue to attack, the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s protective fog can¡¯t hold on much longer!¡± The young woman commanded hastily, her eyes sharp. At the same time, she continued to push the red flaming technique on the Pearl Swallow Ring, causing the flames surrounding the demonic beast to become even more vigorous.


    Under the string of commands from the young woman, the Masked Moon Sect disciples incessantly shot out individual columns of red and blue light, hitting the demonic beast¡¯s body. Although they had yet to break through that layer of black fog, they had already caused that demonic beast to howl and go crazy; it bared its teeth and viciously shook the two halves of its body that were able to move, furiously trying to break free from the ring¡¯s grasp. However, its struggle was futile; under the young woman¡¯s all-out efforts to restrict it, the round ring was fixed in midair, not moving even a little, thoroughly locking down its body.


    Watching from the side, Han Li was struck with fright; he had never seen the spectacle of a group of cultivators this large battling a common enemy. Even more, the appearance of the magic treasure and fact that the opponent was a demonic beast that wasn¡¯t weak was a big eye-opener for him.


    However, Han Li also decided that whether the demonic beast beat its enemies or the Masked Moon Sect people killed the demonic beast, he would quietly sneak away after the big battle. This was not the time to casually expose his own tracks!


    ¡°Wu¡­¡­¡±


    Just as Han Li was entertaining all sorts of ideas in his head, the Inky Flood Dragon suddenly let out a long cry, its sound numerous times louder than before; at the same time, its scream was filled with pain.


    Han Li was started and immediately fixed his gaze there.


    He saw that the black fog on the demonic beast had already completely dissipated, and a bowl-opening-wide bloody hole had appeared on the area of its body covered by the huge scales. Evidently, it had been hurt by the red and blue columns of light. The agony also caused the demonic beast¡¯s struggling to become even more crazy!


    ¡°It seems that the people from the Masked Moon Sect are of a higher skill level!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but think after seeing this.


    ¡°Not good, you guys be careful! I can¡¯t contain this Inky Flood Dragon anymore!¡±


    But at this time, the young woman¡¯s voice traveled over, causing Han Li to stare blankly for a moment. It seemed like it would not be easy to say who the winner would be!

 Chapter 206

    Accident


    Chapter 206: Accident


    This young woman¡¯s words obviously caused those Masked Moon Disciples to be startled; based on their experiences from the past two days, as long as the top level demonic beasts had been bound by their Martial Ancestor, not a single one was able to escape the ring¡¯s restriction in a short amount of time. How was this demonic beast able to escape so quickly?


    Although their hearts were filled with doubt, they did not dare to ignore the young woman¡¯s warning, and they immediately became extremely cautious; of course, the attack of the red and blue columns of light from their hands became even more fierce. In the time it takes to roll one¡¯s eyes, ten or so more bloody holes appeared on the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body. The fresh, red flood dragon blood stained a large part of the swamp below it red.


    Of course, this enraged the flood dragon even more; it opened its mouth and let out a piercing, endless howl, causing the entire underground area to quake and drone. This caused all of the people there to be hit by a sudden bout of dizziness as everything seemed to spin.


    With a ¡°rip¡±, a strange tearing sound rang out in midair! When everybody regained consciousness and focused on taking a look, their expressions drastically changed.


    The round ring magic treasure was still floating in midair unmoving; however, the Inky Flood Dragon demonic beast within it had disappeared into thin air, leaving behind its tattered skin which hung on top of the round ring and fluttered incessantly. This demonic beast had actually shed its skin and escaped!


    Not only were the Masked Moon Sect disciples surprised, but even the young woman, when she saw the scene in front of her, was extremely stunned!


    When she had yelled at her sect¡¯s disciples to be careful, it wasn¡¯t because she had expected this flood dragon to shed its skin.


    The Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s escaping power was too great; her magic strength truly was not enough to continue to contain it. Having experienced the restrictive power of the Pearl Swallow Ring, the demonic beast should have also known this. So why would it make a move that hurt so much of its vitality? Could it be¡­¡­!


    The young woman¡¯s heart moved, and she thought of a frightening reason. Her face was painted completely white, and she hurriedly searched everywhere for the Inky Flood Dragon, wanting to verify her own extremely terrible guess!


    ¡°It¡¯s over there!¡±


    A sharp-eyed Masked Moon Sect disciple was the first to discover the demonic beast incessantly swimming around near the topmost part of the underground area; at this time, it had a completely new look, its form very different from how it was before.


    Its black body had become snow white, without scales, and its originally 30-40 foot long body had increased to 50-60 feet, and it also widened significantly; only faint scars remained where it had been injured, so faint that it was almost invisible. The most shocking thing was that the triangular snake body had grown a inch-long, jet black sharp horns, a faint light shining through it. Its midsection had also grown an extra pair of incomparably sharp white claws. This demonic beast had actually turned from a snake into a flood dragon, and its form had become exactly the same as the legendary flood dragon.


    Seeing this form of the Inky Flood Dragon, the people from the Masked Moon Sect were naturally extremely shocked. However, before they were able to make any moves, the young woman standing at the very front gave out an order with an ashen face that caused them to feel very stunned.


    ¡°Everyone immediately retreat, the Inky Flood Dragon has already reached grade two! Its strength is far above Core Formation cultivators; all of us combined are not its opponent. Immediately escape this area, I can delay it for a short while.¡±


    After the young woman said this solemnly, she immediately waved her hand, causing that Pearl Swallow Ring to return in front of her. She then assumed a completely defensive posture.


    When the male and female disciples behind her heard this, they started to hesitate somewhat; although that Inky Flood Dragon had shed its skin and its appearance had drastically changed, they were just inflicting heavy wounds on it. It was hard for them to believe that the strength of this demonic beast, could become vastly different in the blink of an eye.


    But in the moment that they hesitated, it was enough for them to regret it for life! This was because the white Inky Flood Dragon suddenly moved its body and rushed like lightning towards the space above all of the Masked Moon Sect people; then, it opened its mouth wide, and an endless torrent of purple liquid spurted out of its mouth.


    ¡°Quickly hide, you can¡¯t receive it!¡±


    The young woman hurriedly yelled out, her expression one of anxiety; at the same time, the Pearl Swallow Ring immediately increased multiple times in size, and it flew out and blocked the greater half of the purple liquid.


    Hearing this, some of the more quick-witted disciples, either immediately turned around and slipped into the azure stone tunnel or advanced a few steps and hid within the cover of the round ring magic treasure. The remaining five or six disciples, however, were confident in the strength of their magic tools; not only did they not hide, but they actually released one or two shiny objects, protecting their own foreheads. It seemed as if they decided to face it head-on!


    ¡°Idiots!¡±


    The young woman, seeing some of the disciples not listening to her words, revealed a furious expression, green light flashing across her face. However, her magic power was limited, and she had no way to increase the cover of the magic treasure. She could only leave them to fend for themselves!


    As expected, what happened afterwards proved that what the young woman had said was true. The purple liquid that didn¡¯t land on the round ring magic treasure fiercely spurted towards those disciples¡¯ foreheads. Those magic tools that, at a glance, did not seem common, flashed a few times, then emitted a few plumes of azure smoke and disappeared under the onslaught of purple liquid, having been completely melted.


    Those few Masked Moon Sect disciples only had time to yell out before disappearing without a trace under the onslaught of purple liquid. Only a large hole a few tens of feet deep remained where they had once stood. This caused the faces of the surviving Masked Moon Sect disciples to become deathly pale.


    At this time, having wiped out those few disciples, the oppressive feeling from the Inky Flood Dragon slightly dissipated, and it finally closed its mouth and stopped spitting. Instead, it gazed at the young woman with cold eyes. It was as if it was very clear that this Martial Ancestor from the Masked Moon Sect was its formidable adversary.


    ¡°Why are you still staring? Still not quickly leaving! This beast just turned from a snake into a flood dragon; its should not have too much Dan liquid remaining, and it won¡¯t lightly spit it out!¡± The young woman coldly commanded with a chilly face, not pay attention to the gaze of the Inky Flood Dragon.


    Then, she bitterly said to herself: ¡°You¡¯re only a small snake that just reached grade two, yet you still dare to act so arrogantly in front of me. If I had recovered the magic power that I originally had, I would¡¯ve captured you long ago and have you guard my Immortal¡¯s Cave!¡±


    Ignoring the young woman¡¯s unwilling expression, how could the other Masked Moon Sect disciples, having seen the tragedy that befell those few people, dare to stay even for a moment? They immediately and obediently retreated into the tunnel with a ¡°hula¡±, and then rushed wildly towards the outside.


    Not long afterwards, sounds of a demonic beast¡¯s roars came from behind them, as well as the young woman¡¯s gentle scolding and the rumbling sounds of a battle. These disciples scrambled wildly up the stairs, while at the same time being filled with fear.


    Their Martial Ancestor had clearly said that she could only entangle it for a short while; if they walked too slowly and were caught again by the Inky Flood Dragon, each person would receive a mouthful of that frightening purple liquid. There was no room to dodge in this tunnel, so they would die an unjust death!


    At this time, the young woman was flying back and forth in the air and incessantly harassing the Inky Flood Dragon, her fragrant sweat dripping from her body. That Pearl Swallow Ring magic treasure was superbly used by her, provoking the demonic beast to roar in anger continuously. However, the flood dragon was also unable to do anything to the young woman, whose movement techniques were extremely abrupt.


    The young woman obviously had yet to use her full strength, only using one hand to control the Pearl Swallow Ring while the other hand held a fire-red spirit stone, continuously sucking out its Spiritual Qi in an attempt to recover her own magic power.


    After the young woman felt that enough time had passed; she retrieved the fire attribute spirit stone and took out a bright gold talisman.


    Without saying anything else, she took advantage of when the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s attention was fully attracted by the Pearl Swallow Ring to raise her hand, and that talisman became a streak of golden light, shooting towards the demonic beast. When it arrived in front of its body, the golden light suddenly separated into countless golden strands, suddenly and securely binding that demonic beast. It was unable to move even a tiny bit, angering it and causing another burst of wild roars.


    A trace of mockery flitted across her eyes when she saw this; then, she reluctantly glanced at the golden chest floating in the white jade pavilion before gritting her teeth and flying back to the tunnel entrance and landing there. She was very clear that this intermediate mid-grade golden strands talisman could not bind the demonic beast for too long; it would be best for her to leave this place early. As for the treasures inside of that golden chest, she would think of ways to obtain them later!


    The young woman landed, wanting to raise her leg and step into the azure stone tunnel, but a deafening cry suddenly came thundering from the tunnel; this cry came closer and closer and grew louder and louder, causing the young woman to be a little alarmed and uncertain. The elegant foot that she had raised actually did not dare to enter the tunnel for a while.


    A dazzling azure light suddenly appeared within the tunnel, sweeping through the tunnel like a torrential tide. Wherever it went, all of the azure stone tunnel seemed to come alive, furiously extruding towards the middle. In the blink of an eye, the many tens of feet tall tunnel appeared to have no gap whatsoever. When the young woman saw this, she hurriedly retreated numerous steps, as if she had seen a ghost, and couldn¡¯t help but cry out:


    ¡°Small Five Elements Xumi Mountain Magic!¡±


    Then, her face was deathly pale, and she stared foolishly at the disappearing tunnel. The self-confident expression she had always had disappeared completely in an instant.


    At this time, in midair behind the young woman, the golden strands on the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body began to tear inch by inch. This demonic beast was about to break through its restrictions in the time it took to roll one¡¯s eyes. When the young woman had recovered and turned around to see this happen, her heart thumped even harder, as if it had fell into an abyss.


    In the big lobby of the stone temple, outside of the tunnel, ten or so Masked Moon Sect disciples were staring rigidly at a white-clothed woman; she was actually the crafty woman who had called herself one of the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Twin Beauties. However, at this moment her face was pale, and she seemed to be completely at a loss!


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Zhao, what exactly did you do just then? Why is it that after you threw a strange talisman into the tunnel, the tunnel opening disappeared? Could you wanted to murder the Southern Palace Martial Ancestor?¡± a male Masked Moon Sect disciples asked sternly with a panicked expression.


    This was not a laughing matter! If this Martial Ancestor really was to never come out again because of this, their fates would be tragic! After they returned, at best their cultivation bases would be completely destroyed and they would be expelled from the sect; at worst, their lives would be in danger, and they would have to suffer . They were very clear about the significance of a loss of a Core Formation cultivator to the sect; thus, they became increasingly anxious.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! I only placed an intermediate low-grade ¡°Small Five Elements Talisman¡± near the entrance, intending to wait for the demonic beast to chase over to activate the talisman, giving it some pain to eat!¡± the white-clothed young woman exclaimed, completely flustered.


    She was very clear that no matter how strong her background was, it would be useless in the face of causing this kind of disaster! Thinking of the frightening consequences of the young woman not coming out, this woman felt her hands and feet grow cold!


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense! Let¡¯s try and see if we can open up this tunnel and rescue the Southern Palace Martial Ancestor!¡± snapped a somewhat aged male disciple.


    This sentence¡¯s utterance immediately reminded the Masked Moon Sect disciples; they hurriedly pulled out various colorful magic tools and surrounded the area that was originally the tunnel entrance, incessantly slamming them down, trying to break through the restrictions and save the young woman.


    After a few hours, in the underground world a few hundreds of feet below, the young woman opened her eyes wide and gazed in disbelief at the person who had suddenly appeared. With a hand gesture, this person sent out seven golden blades to attack the Inky Flood Dragon while the other hand released a black iron shield, blocking the spitting attack of the Inky Flood Dragon and preventing it from reaching the two people.


    This person was the Yellow Maple Valley fellow that she had once seen and felt he was somewhat interesting. This person, when her magic power had been depleted from flying around and avoiding the attacks of the Inky Flood Dragon for those few hours, had suddenly appeared from an unknown location, saving her when she was in critical danger.


    At the same time that Han Li was barely parrying the attacks of the Inky Flood Dragon, he glanced quickly at the young woman¡¯s completely surprised face and bitterly laughed in his heart.


    Originally, Han Li was leisurely watching the entertaining battle between the Masked Moon Sect and the Inky Flood Dragon. In fact, after the Inky Flood Dragon had evolved and leveled up, apart from being very stunned, he did not feel panicked at all. However, when the young woman had wanted to retreat and after the azure stone tunnel¡¯s entrance had suddenly disappeared, Han Li could not continue to sit there idly.


    Wasn¡¯t the disappearance of the tunnel entrance implying that no matter whether it was the young woman or the demonic beast, he would be unable to leave regardless of who was left! This caused Han Li to begin to panic.


    At this time, the Inky Flood Dragon that had escaped and the young woman began to fight again; obviously, this Masked Moon Sect Martial Ancestor was completely at a disadvantage.


    Even if she continued to coax that round ring magic treasure into attacking the Inky flood Dragon, the defensive ability of the demonic beast with new skin had reached the point where it was unbelievably strong. Regardless of whether she used the round ring magic treasure that spurted out fierce flames to incinerate the Flood Dragon or directly used the body of the magic treasure to attack, she was unable to inflict any serious wounds to it. At most, she would bruise or burn a small section of its body, causing this beast to become even more berserk. Its chase of the young woman also became more frantic, even forcing the young woman into desperate situations numerous times.


    However, this Masked Moon Sect Martial Ancestor carried many intermediate talismans on her, which caused Han Li to gain a significant amount of enlightenment. Rarely seen talismans like the ¡°Fleeing Earth Talisman¡±, ¡°Water Prison Talisman¡±, ¡°Firebird Talisman¡±, etc. were used in a row and were each clearly seen once by Han Li.


    Whenever the young woman was about to be injured by the demonic beast, she would throw one out, immediately resulting in strange effects that turned peril into safety. Unfortunately, the young woman obviously did not have any talismans with great destructive power, so every time she could only barely preserve herself. It seemed like relying on talismans to injure the Inky Flood Dragon would not be possible!


    The struggle inside of Han Li¡¯s heart became even more fierce upon seeing this young woman being thrown into a panic by the Inky Flood Dragon,


    If the tunnel was still intact like before, Han Li naturally would not be concerned with the survival of this Martial Ancestor of the Masked Moon Sect; however, having seen the tunnel mysteriously disappear, this place had become a dangerous location, and Han Li¡¯s mentality naturally would be greatly different from before.


    In addition, he had heard the Masked Moon Sect Martial Ancestor call out some ¡°Small Five Elements Xumi Forbidden Technique¡± with his own ears, as if she was very clear as to what had caused the disappearance of the tunnel. Thus, the hope of escaping from this place still had to lie with this woman. He knew nothing about forbidden techniques and the like, so this young female ¡°expert¡± absolutely could not die right now!


    However, Han Li also refrained from moving rashly, fearing that the young woman would have some kind of lethal last resort. Thus, it wasn¡¯t until the young woman had exhausted her energy and threw out all kinds of talismans, reached her wits end, and her face revealed an expression of hopelessness, that Han Li made a move to save this young woman.


    The young woman, apart from rejoicing at Han Li¡¯s sudden appearance, felt somewhat upset! She had seen, exceptionally clearly, Han Li¡¯s intention to allow the battle with the Inky Flood Dragon to proceed to this point.


    However, no matter what, dealing with the increasingly ferocious Inky Flood Dragon was the most pressing matter, so after the young woman had rested for a moment, she wordlessly began to coax her magic treasure to attack.


    When Han Li brushed with the Inky Flood Dragon, he began to quietly complain. When he had been watching the young woman battle with this beast, he had not seen at all that this demonic beast was so strong. It wasn¡¯t until now, when he had personally taken the stage, that he experienced the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s terror.


    His ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Mother Blade¡± could be considered to be a premium product even among top grade magic tools, but when those streaks of golden light got close to the Inky Flood Dragon, they were carelessly swatted away by its two claws and its tail, immediately flying backwards roughly a hundred feet away. They had no strength to hold their own at all.


    Even if Han Li relied on quantity, using a few golden blades at one time was enough for one or two golden blades to stab the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body as a fluke, but apart from leaving a white mark, there was no other effect, leaving Han Li completely silent.


    In addition, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be sloppy against the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s attacks. Not to mention allowing the opponent¡¯s claws or tail to come into contact with him, Han Li would even use the iron shield to block every drop of the black water that the opponent occasionally spit out.


    Just like that, this magic tool that had saved Han Li numerous times was also corroded by the unremarkable black water, forming many holes. One truly did not know how much longer it would be able to last.


    If the strength of this black water was already this frightening, wouldn¡¯t that even more ruthless purple liquid be even more unreasonable! No wonder those Masked Moon Sect disciples had died so straightforwardly; magic tools were of absolutely no use!


    The more Han Li fought with the Inky Flood Dragon, the more apprehensive he became; he virtually completely relied on his movement techniques to dodge the demonic beast¡¯s fierce attacks. Those golden blades simply could not block the opponent at all.


    No wonder the young woman had told her sect¡¯s disciples to immediately leave this area! Apart from people with outstanding movement techniques like himself, Han Li really could not find many Qi Condensation disciples who could deal with this demonic beast even for one moment.


    It was at this time that the young woman¡¯s Pearl Swallow Ring came up, instantly decreasing the pressure on Han Li by a great amount. After all, this round ring magic treasure was still able to create some pain for the Inky Flood Dragon, causing it to be somewhat wary of it.


    ¡°Little fellow, you hid there for so long, why didn¡¯t you make a move earlier? If you had made a move earlier, perhaps I would still have an opportunity to inflict a heavy wound on this beast!¡± the young woman asked resentfully as she controlled her magic treasure¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°I was worried you would kill me and steal my treasures!¡± Han Li replied very obediently, instantly stifling the young woman from speaking for a while.


    Han Li was very clear that despite this woman¡¯s apparent youth, if one were to discuss her true age, she would definitely be old enough to act as his grandmother with some more to spare, so he should display less of his cleverness ! It would be best for him to speak his thoughts frankly to allow both sides to ally with one another and fight the enemy instead of being a hindrance to each other.


    As for the other person¡¯s identity as a Core Formation expert and the discrepancy between his status and hers, Han Li purposefully feigned ignorance and ambiguously passed over it. At any rate, based on the other person¡¯s current power, she were still unable to control him! Han Li held no fear in his heart today for this young woman who had lost most of her magic power.


    ¡°Young fellow, you have so many thoughts at such a tender age; I only fear you may not live for very long!¡± said the young woman with a bitter tone after being low-spirited for a while.


    Hearing this, Han Li laughed once and did not make a retort. However, he quietly said in his heart: ¡°If I had thought any less, I might have died many times already, not to mention in the future!¡±


    Seeing that Han Li did not continue to speak, allowing her to say that much, the young woman lost some of the anger in her heart and began to consider a plan to deal with the enemy.


    Do you have any way of inflicting a heavy wound on this flood dragon? If you do, quickly say it!¡± The young woman, seeing that the two of them, even after forming an alliance with Han Li for a short while, were still being chased around everywhere in disarray with no spare room for retaliation, finally could not endure it and asked.


    ¡°I do have one, but it requires for the opponent to be bound for a short amount of time; you cannot allow it to move!¡± Han Li hurriedly replied as he used the iron shield to block another spitting attack by the Inky Flood Dragon while his figure leaped around incessantly, attempting to widen the distance between him and the Inky Flood Dragon.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to use the last magic power I have; I can still bind it for a short moment. Hopefully it¡¯s enough for you to use! But is your method reliable?¡± The young woman¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that, and she closely followed the flood dragon that was chasing after Han Li, using the Pearl Swallow Ring to fiercely bash the flood dragon¡¯s body before hurriedly saying.


    ¡°I have a very powerful treasure talisman. It definitely can break through this flood dragon¡¯s defenses!¡± Han Li said with full self-confidence. He did not believe that this demonic beast would still be able to block the full-force attack of the Golden Light Brick.


    ¡°Treasure talisman?¡±


    When the young woman heard this, her heart was filled with joy. She had never expected that the Yellow Maple Valley young man in front of her eyes actually could obtain such a rare item. Although she also had a few treasure talismans, their strength was not even on par with her Pearl Swallow Ring! Since the other person had so much self confidence, it seemed like it should be a purely destructive treasure talisman; this was definitely an extremely rare object!


    Since she realized that Han Li¡¯s method was feasible, the young woman immediately stopped in midair, then started the incantation that had once bound the flood dragon before. The Pearl Swallow Ring securely wrapped around the demonic beast¡¯s body again, causing it to start struggling in anger.


    Han Li, seeing this golden opportunity, immediately placed the Flying Dark-Iron Shield in front of his body. Then, he pulled out the Golden Light Brick treasure talisman and sat down cross-legged!

 Chapter 207

    Slaughtering a Flood Dragon and Victory Spoils


    Under Han Li¡¯s control, the Golden Light Brick treasure talisman manifested the magic treasure¡¯s material existence after a brief moment; a golden, foot-long brick floated into midair, light shining in all directions.


    The spiritual power inside of Han Li, like flooding river water, poured unstoppably into this brick. Not long after, one third of his magic power had been sucked away. This caused the gold light above his head to become even more dazzling; one simply would not dare to look at it directly!


    While the young woman was using all her energy to enclose the Inky Flood Dragon, she was closely watching Han Li¡¯s every movement. When she saw that gold brick emerge, she finally let go of her originally somewhat perturbed state of mind. She knew that Han Li did not lie and that this treasure talisman really could break through the demonic beast¡¯s defenses.


    It seemed as if the Inky Flood Dragon could also detect the discouraging turn of events, and its two claws tenaciously grabbed the two sides of the round ring, its attempts to escape becoming even more violent. It actually caused the young woman¡¯s Pearl Swallow Ring to begin to tremble! This caused the young woman¡¯s expression to change, and she hastily shouted at Han Li, ¡°Hurry up, it¡¯s about to escape!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he did not dare to hesitate and pointed his finger at the treasure talisman on his forehead. In an instant, the gold brick flew with a ¡°whizz¡± towards the Inky Flood Dragon, and halfway to its destination it suddenly began to metamorphose drastically, becoming like a small mountain, ferociously smashing down at the Inky Flood Dragon.


    The struggling Inky Flood Dragon knew that the situation was far from good, but its two green eyes suddenly glinted ominously, and it opened its mouth, causing the purple liquid that Han Li was very afraid of to spurt out again. It blocked the falling golden brick perfectly, actually causing it to have no way of descending for a while.


    Seeing this, the young woman and Han Li were both surprised. Han Li had to focus on controlling the golden brick, so he could only stare helplessly at it, unable to do anything, but the young woman bit her apricot lips and pulled out a yellow pearl from her bosom. With a raise of her hand, she slammed it towards the demonic beast, which was in a deadlock with the golden brick.


    With a ¡°Bang¡±, the pearl slammed into the head region of the Inky Flood Dragon and immediately burst open. Instantly, a small cloud of yellow fog shrouded the Flood Dragon¡¯s body, causing the Inky Flood Dragon to begin to howl in panic. Naturally, the purple liquid that was being shot out also stopped.


    Without the purple liquid to block, the somewhat weakened tip of light from the golden brick descended at once, perfectly and solidly slamming onto the flood dragon¡¯s body. A huge, earth-shaking sound exploded out, and a dazzling gold light lit up the entire underground area in a flash, but it immediately became pitch black again, reverting to its normal state.


    Next the golden brick that had returned to its original size turned again into a streak of gold light, flying to Han Li¡¯s side.


    Only the dying demonic beast was left in midair.


    Half of the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s head region had been smashed to a pulp, and a flood dragon eye had completely burst out of its socket, flying to an unknown location. The other eye naturally was still there, but it was also incessantly bleeding. The entire Inky Flood Dragon seemed to be incredibly miserable!


    It seemed like this demonic beast was not far from dying.


    Seeing this, the young woman rejoiced in her heart and hurriedly pulled out a small crystal vase from her storage pouch, then muttered some words at the small vase. Then, she pointed at the Inky Flood Dragon, and a few strands of black air came flying out of the lip of the vase, eerily wrapping around the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body.


    Not long after, a small green flood dragon completely different from the previous Inky Flood Dragon was forcibly shot out from within the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body. Although it bared its fangs and brandished its claws, struggling fiercely, it was still slowly pulled into the small vase.


    When the young woman closed the vase, she closely assessed the miniature flood dragon inside of the Few Eyes Vase and was unable to conceal the smile on her face; her entire person began to beam with joy. Then, she glanced at the corpse of the Inky Flood Dragon closely again; it had already lost the odor of death. She began to ponder.


    Han Li, seeing the young woman¡¯s activity, immediately realized that she had collected the primordial spirit of that flood dragon; although he didn¡¯t know what the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s primordial spirit could be used for, based on the young woman¡¯s elated reaction, he knew it was considerably valuable.


    At this time, the young woman reached out her hand and retrieved the Pearl Swallow Ring; the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse immediately fell from midair, happening to land right in front of Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Since I took this flood dragon¡¯s primordial spirit, its corpse can be left for you. After all, it was killed by the two of us!¡± the young woman said calmly, flying and landing next to Han Li side.


    When Han Li heard this, he glanced at the perfectly satisfied young woman, then lowered his head and looked at the fleshy body of the Inky Flood Dragon. He said melancholically in his heart:


    ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say. Giving this corpse to me, perhaps it¡¯s because you reckon that I have no use for it. In addition, this Inky Flood Dragon is as sturdy as a turtle shell, and both you and I are very clear about this! It seems like you want to watch me make a fool out of myself!¡±


    Thinking to this point, Han Li caused a cold light to flash across his hand, and a huge silver sword appeared in his hand; it was precisely the extremely strong magic tool from the barefooted man from earlier.


    Han Li wordlessly stabbed the huge sword with force. With a ¡°puchi¡±, this silver sword actually sank three inches into the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s corpse. Although it wasn¡¯t stabbed too far in, it had finally broken through the flood dragon¡¯s defenses, causing the young woman to the side¡¯s jaw to drop in astonishment, unable to close it for some time.


    Han Li, seeing the young woman¡¯s expression, found it to be laughable in his heart and continued to wave around this sword, about to stab down again.


    ¡°Halt, let me see this sword!¡± said the recovered young woman slowly, staring at that silver sword with a look of amazement, causing Han Li to become startled.


    ¡°What is there to be afraid of? I am a dignified Core Formation cultivator, what kind of treasures have I not seen before? It¡¯s just that this sword of yours is really somewhat strange and I¡¯m somewhat curious is all!¡± snapped the young woman, seeing that Han Li was somewhat hesitant, and rolled her eyes at him.


    Although the young woman¡¯s appearance was young, her charming, flirtatious gaze actually caused Han Li¡¯s heart to speed up, unable to control himself!


    ¡°This sword really does have some problems; after I obtained it, I don¡¯t know why but I have no way of controlling this sword. Otherwise, we would not have been in such tough straits when dealing with the Inky Flood Dragon earlier!¡± Since the young woman said so, Han Li could only force himself to hand over that sword to the young woman as he slowly explained.


    As of right now, he was still unwilling to fall out with the young woman; after all, based on her unhurried movements in the face of desperate circumstances, she should know how to get out of this place and should have a well-thought-out plan in her heart. And the young woman did not seem to be on guard against him; it seemed like she was somewhat clear about his thoughts, not afraid that he would attempt some kind of sneak attack.


    ¡°Zeze! Sure enough, it¡¯s true; it really is too extravagant!¡± the young woman sighed with regret after receiving the sword. After she had closely caressed it and identified it, her face revealed an expression of extortion.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask, seeing that the young woman had seemingly noticed something.


    ¡°Nothing really! The reason why this silver sword is so sharp is only because silver essence was added into it, which is usually only used when refining magic treasures. In addition, its quantity is not small, more than enough to allow this item¡¯s quality to reach that of normal magic treasures!¡± said the young woman indifferently, carelessly returning the sword to Han Li


    ¡°Silver essence?¡± said Han Li, a bit surprised.


    ¡°Even if I told you, you wouldn¡¯t understand! Only True Fire from a Core Formation cultivator or above would be able to extract raw materials for magic treasures in large quantities from pure silver; it¡¯s extremely precious. My Pearl Swallow Ring also contains this kind of material,¡± said the young woman somewhat impatiently.


    Hearing this, Han Li cursed again in his heart: ¡°I asked you precisely because I didn¡¯t know! If I knew, would I need to ask?¡±


    Although he had clearly seen the young woman¡¯s unwillingness to speak any further, Han Li still turned a blind eye and continued to ask:


    ¡°Why can other people use this sword to meet enemies while I simply have no way to control it?¡±


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s manner of asking until the end, the young woman became somewhat unhappy in her heart, but she still replied indifferently:


    ¡°The original owner of this sword had used a heart-refining technique to refine it. This kind of method is extremely corrupt, so of course other people have no way of using it! Unless you were to melt down this sword and re-refine it, this sword can only be a useless object to other people!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression was somewhat ugly; he originally had held very high hopes for this sword, but if what the other person said was true, his hopes would be completely dashed!


    ¡°A useless object? I don¡¯t see it! Can¡¯t I still use it now?¡± Han Li said coldly and abruptly after a few moments of silence. Then, he began to control the silver sword in an unrestrained way, wildly stabbing at the Flood Dragon corpse; in the time it took to roll one¡¯s eyes, he had cut open the Inky Flood Dragon.


    The young woman, seeing Han Li¡¯s extremely crude butchering appearance, couldn¡¯t help but knit her eyebrows and retreat a few steps, increasing her distance from Han Li. Then, she bleakly said:


    ¡°Although this Inky Flood Dragon had just entered grade two, its entire body is full of valuable raw materials! Flood dragon skin can be refined into good armor, its sharp horns and claws are the most important raw materials in refining top-grade magic tools, and the remaining core liquid inside of it is also necessary to refine a few precious pills!¡±


    Seemingly for no reason, the young woman explained everything clearly in great detail to Han Li, causing him to feel somewhat unsettled apart from being amazed. He didn¡¯t know what the other person¡¯s intentions were!


    ¡°What a pity! If this Flood Dragon had entered the third grade, the flood dragon core within its forehead definitely could cause many Core Formation cultivators to fight furiously for it; whether for refining pills or magic tools, it¡¯s incredibly useful!¡± sighed the young woman regretfully all of a sudden.


    ¡°Flood dragon core? What color is it? Is it this?¡± Han Li suddenly pulled out a red, fist-sized sphere from the Flood Dragon¡¯s midsection, holding it and mentioning it to the completely surprised young woman.


    ¡°Yi! What is this? Did you retrieve it from the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s body?¡± The young woman, feeling this was something unanticipated, couldn¡¯t help but scoot closer to Han Li to take a close look at it.


    ¡°It really is somewhat similar! It¡¯s only that this Inky Flood Dragon has obviously only just entered the second grade and cannot possibly produce a flood dragon core. In addition, this Inky Flood Dragon is a vile, water attribute Inky Flood Dragon, so its inner core should be blue! Let me touch it and see what it is.¡± After gazing at it for some time, the young woman finally could not endure it anymore and took the soft, velvety sphere from Han Li¡¯s hand, stroking it a few times.


    But at this time, with a ¡°pu¡±, the sphere actually burst open on its own for no reason, and a large cloud of red smoke immediately shrouded Han Li and the young woman within it.

 Chapter 208

    Joyous Meeting


    Chapter 208: Joyous Meeting


    Han Li felt that he was having an incredibly marvelous, erotic dream; the person with him in the dream had a burning passion, but he could never clearly see the face of the peerless beauty


    But even if the erotic dream were better, there would always be a time when he would wake up. Han Li, after an unknown period of time, finally awoke from his glamorous dream.


    But as soon as he opened his eyes, what he saw was a gorgeous, peerless face and a pair of snow-like cold pupils. This beautiful face was both unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time, causing Han Li¡¯s heart to thump once,


    ¡°You woke up!¡± said the eighteen or nineteen year-old woman indifferently, her voice containing no trace of affection. This caused a slight chill to rise from Han Li¡¯s back when he heard it.


    Speaking of a chill, Han Li discovered that his entire naked body was tightly embracing a similarly naked beautiful woman. The woman¡¯s face was first crimson, but immediately her sleek eyebrows rose vertically, and her jade-like face frosted over. She coldly spat out:


    ¡°Have you had enough! Take your dog paws off of me and let me go right now!¡±


    Started, Han Li instinctively retrieved both of his hands, letting go of this woman.


    This great beauty, seeing that Han Li had let go of herself, hurriedly used one hand to push herself off the ground. Her eye-catching, curved body immediately stood up from Han Li¡¯s chest.


    But just as the extremely beautiful young woman¡¯s slender waist had straightened, she yelled out, her flowery face losing its color with pain. Her body shook once, and then she fell again into Han Li¡¯s chest, causing Han Li to again experience the feeling of soft jade covering his torso.


    Han Li did not consider himself to be a base person, but he definitely did not consider himself to be a person with noble character.


    So when this beautiful woman had thrown herself into his arms, he regained his focus and immediately rode his hands up, pressing the woman up against his body. The, he gently kissed the woman¡¯s tender, alluring lips, causing the words that the woman had wanted to berate Han Li with to be forcibly shocked away. Underneath Han Li¡¯s hot kisses, her slender eyebrows slowly smoothed out, and she began to fall into a trance.


    What followed was a case of ¡°when conditions are right, success will naturally follow¡±!


    Han Li and the young woman wordlessly enjoyed the taste of ecstasy between a man and a woman once again. This, compared to the experience they had when the two of them were in a state of semi-consciousness, caused them to become even more intoxicated and made them even more crazy and forgetful!


    Today, the beautiful woman¡¯s two eyes were tightly pressed up against Han Li¡¯s chest, her two cheeks flushed red, her chest rising and falling indefinitely. Evidently, she had yet to awaken from the greatest stimulus. Han Li embraced this beautiful woman with one hand, and the other hand was incessantly fondling the woman¡¯s round and well-developed area with a desire to continue.


    After an unknown amount of time, the gorgeous woman¡¯s breathing finally stabilized, and her expression had finally returned to normal. She slowly opened her eyes.


    This time she didn¡¯t say a single sentence to Han Li, immediately pushing aside Han Li¡¯s mischief-causing hand from her body. She stood up with a bleak expression and walked towards a nearby storage pouch. Han Li slightly started, but after a moment of hesitation, he did not obstruct this woman.


    The young woman retrieved a set of snow-white garments from the storage pouch and gently put them on. Not too long afterwards, she finished getting dressed, causing her entire temperament to change in an instant; she began to appear graceful and poised. At this time, she turned her head around to glance at Han Li, then stared blankly for a moment!


    This was because Han Li had long since stood, neatly clothed, not too far behind her. He was currently gazing at her with an admiring and tender gaze, causing this woman¡¯s state of mind to stir. A trace of a strange feeling crept into her heart.


    ¡°You should be very clear about what kind of person I am! The things that happened between us were only mistakes! Just pretend it was all a dream!¡± the young woman said faintly, gently curling her sleek hair.


    ¡°I know!¡± Han Li answered peacefully after a moment of silence, rubbing his nose.


    ¡°If a third person finds out what happened today, I will kill you!¡± the young woman suddenly stated in a cold tone.


    ¡°I will not breathe a word. If this matter travels to the outside world, you can just kill me!¡± Han Li warmly responded with a faint smile.


    ¡°Hmph! As long as you know!¡± Seeing that Han Li agreed instantly, the woman did not actually feel happy in her heart; in fact, she began to feel somewhat vexed, and her tone became even more vile.


    After saying this, the woman and Han Li remained silent in a stalemate for some time; neither of them uttered another sentence.


    Although the woman was a Core Formation cultivator, she had always spent her time cultivating as a child; as for the affairs between males and females, she was not much different from normal young women. Thus, although she had instinctively forced Han Li to not transmit this matter to the outside world, her thoughts were still in turmoil, unsure of how to face this matter.


    Han Li was not much better than the woman; he had never expected that his first intimate relationship with a woman would actually be with a female Core Formation cultivator. In addition, it was with this kind of a peerless talent and beautiful person, completely different from the sweet-tempered, pretty daughter from a humble family that he had imagined. This caused him to laugh bitterly. Would this one-night affair be a blessing or a curse to him?


    But regardless of what it would be, Han Li had already seen that the woman did not harbor the malevolent idea of killing him to silence him, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. Many favorable impressions spawned towards this great beauty with whom he had already experienced the affairs of a husband and wife. But these were only favorable impressions; if the other person still wanted to become hostile and make a move, Han Li decided that he would not resign himself to death!


    ¡°What exactly was that sphere? How could it cause you and me to¡­¡­¡± Han Li was the first to open his mouth, but after saying half of the sentence, he did not continue; however, he trusted that the other person would be able to understand his meaning.


    ¡°That was the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s prostate capsule; I didn¡¯t expect that this beast actually was a very rarely seen male flood dragon, and I actually carelessly forgot this matter! This capsule contains an aphrodisiacal fog; when it contacts any female, it will immediately erupt.¡±


    ¡°So it was like that!¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li was finally enlightened! The riddle in his heart was finally resolved.


    ¡°Then your current appearance, why is it different from before¡­..¡±


    ¡°I practice a sect-unique cultivation technique, the Silk Woman Reincarnation Technique. This magic technique, although somewhat strange, can allow a person to remain perpetually young. Every ten years, this magic technique will cycle through once. My magic strength would have gone through the cycle, and I thus naturally would have restored my young appearance. But after what happened between you and me, this technique was temporarily broken, so I got a little older!¡± the young woman explained casually after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t have any troubles, right?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t help but ask this question.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. My magic technique is already a great success; even if my virginity has been broken, I will only lose five to six years of magic power; this to me does not count for much!¡± said the woman coldly, glancing at Han Li with a complicated expression.


    Hearing this, Han Li became silent. He knew that the other person¡¯s heart still contained a significant amount of resentment towards losing her virginity. He could only remain silent and face it!


    This woman truly felt that she had been extremely wronged!


    She had just then secretly sized up the other person a few times and had confirmed once again that this Yellow Maple Valley disciple was truly completely average, whether in terms of appearance or natural talent. And she had actually done things that should only be done  between a husband and wife with this person. How could this not cause her, who had always been proud and arrogant, to feel incredibly dejected!


    But she was also somewhat reluctant of the idea of killing this person to relieve the hatred in her heart. After all, the other person was the male who had taken away her virginity, and she inevitably had a few strange feelings towards this person. This caused her to feel both anger and hatred!


    ¡°What time is it now? It shouldn¡¯t have passed the time limit of five days, right?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask after suddenly recalling something.


    Upon hearing this, the woman, whose state of mind was already unstable, felt an abrupt fright spring up in her heart, but immediately afterwards, she calmed down and said calmly:


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been that long. The sedative contained in the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s aphrodisiacal smoke should be very low in concentration! At most, we were unconscious for five to six hours.¡±


    ¡°But if we want to leave, we also must make our preparations now; this dangerous area is not so easy to exit from,¡± added the woman, knitting her eyebrows.


    ¡°However, before all of that, you have no opinions on me taking this treasure chest, right?!¡± inquired the young woman as she glanced coldly at Han Li, her almond lips opening slightly.


    Hearing this, Han Li bitterly laughed; although at the moment he could not sense the depth of that woman¡¯s magic power, it was definitely above the Foundation Establishment stage. How could he dare to fight with her over the treasure chest!


    The woman, seeing that Han Li did not utter a word, coldly smiled and leaped towards the white jade pavilion. In the end, she very smoothly retrieved the golden chest into her storage pouch, then flew back to Han Li¡¯s side.


    ¡°Those spiritual medicines¡­¡­!¡± Seeing that the woman had not harvested those spiritual medicines, Han Li stammered, somewhat baffled.


    ¡°I have no need of them; if you like them, you can harvest them all!¡± The woman glanced at Han Li and said without geniality after hearing this.


    Hearing these words, Han Li became very happy in his heart. He had just been worrying that, after exiting the forbidden area, he would not have enough spiritual medicines to turn in to his sect and would seem suspicious to others! Thus, he unhesitatingly immediately flew over, and in the time it took to roll one¡¯s eyes he retrieved tens of spiritual medicines.


    The woman stood in the same spot and coldly watched Han Li¡¯s movements without making a sound. Only after Han Li harvested the medicines and return, did she slowly and solemnly say, ¡°To break free from this place requires cooperation between the two of us; we cannot successfully leave this place if one of us is missing¡­¡±

 Chapter 209

    Return


    Inside the large stone temple hall, the sound of rumbling continued to echo. The Masked Moon Sect disciples were strenuously using magic tools, smashing open a large tunnel many meters deep.  However, regardless of what magic tool stuck inside the stone tunnel, they could only pound away a chunk of rock about an inch wide. This caused everyone to become even more discouraged as they pounded away.


    After several hours, all of the disciples blankly sat on the ground and wordlessly looked at the large hole as if they were all lifeless. As of this moment, they had wanted to rescue their Martial Ancestor, but they didn¡¯t hold the slightest confidence in doing so! All of them started to think about the fearsome consequences of losing their Martial Ancestor and started to think of their path to escape.


    Right at this moment, a large sound came from outside the stone hall, and the earth rumbled for a moment more, as if there was a tremendous battle occurring outside. This caused the disciples to be faintly surprised.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A few disciples looked at each other in dismay. Two male disciples immediately exited the stone hall with quick steps to see what was happening.


    ¡°Martial Ancestor!¡±


    Soon, the sound of great rejoice came from the disciples outside the hall. Although these loud noises were clearly heard by disciples inside the stone hall, they could not help but look at each other in shock and immediately charged out like hornets from their nest.


    Over thirty meters away from the hall entrance, there was a large hole several meters wide. Nearby, there was a remarkably beautiful woman wearing fluttering white clothes. From her appearance, it truly seemed she was the young female Martial Ancestor. At this moment, the Masked Moon Sect Martial Ancestor coldly looked at the distance with an expression of indifference, completely ignoring the two male disciples who were standing behind her.


    This immediately jolted the originally wildly happy disciples, as if cold water had been poured on their heads.


    ¡°Could it be this Martial Ancestor intends to investigate and stir up the restrictive formation?¡±


    With this thought, all of the disciples could not help but look at the two dainty female disciples at the center, causing these women¡¯s complexion to become deathly white and tremble with fear!


    After the white-clothed woman fully surveyed the area for a quarter of an hour, she slowly turned her head to look at the many disciples behind her. She coldly ordered, ¡°Set off!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Just as Han Li was flying from tree to tree with a body as agile as a monkey, he hurried off the mountain with a speed not inferior to the Imperial Flight Technique.


    Currently, his body was surging with spiritual power. His body actually contained magic power of the thirteenth layer. Han Li felt a bit infatuated with this fantastic feeling of greatly increased magic power. However, he was unable to persistently release this great amount of spiritual power for a long period of time. He estimated that there were still several hours left before this disappeared.


    In order the leave the underground swamp, that woman had reason to cooperate with him and used some kind of secret magic to temporarily send a portion of the restriction spell¡¯s magic power to Han Li, causing Han Li¡¯s originally eleventh layer power to ascend to the peak of Qi Condensation.


    Then the two used a Pearl Swallow Ring and a Golden Light Brick treasure talisman to forcibly break open a tunnel from underground to the surface.


    During these course of events, whenever Han Li¡¯s magic power was exhausted the woman silently transmitted more magic power toward Han Li. As a result, when the two were able to leave from underground, Han Li had completely exhausted the Golden Light Brick treasure talisman and turned it to waste paper, whereas the young woman had used up twenty to thirty years of cultivated power. These losses couldn¡¯t be considered anything but disastrous!


    With this said, the woman¡¯s Silk Woman Reincarnation Technique was truly strange!


    Within the reincarnation cycle, she was able to transmit the restrictive spell¡¯s magic power to another male but was unable to remove the restriction off herself and pass it onto a female. Furthermore, the magic power that could be transmitted was limited to the cultivation of the male. As Han Li was only at Qi Condensation, the amount of magic power he could contain was the thirteenth layer of his foundation cultivation technique. It was impossible for him to enter the realm of Foundation Establishment.


    Because Han Li had just received magic power from the woman prior to breaking their way to the surface and separating, he still had the magic power of thirteenth layer cultivation for the moment, allowing him to experience this wondrous sensation a while longer.


    ¡°Nangong Wan.¡±


    In his heart, Han Li softly said this. Just as Han Li was about to depart from the woman, he asked for her name.


    However, when Han Li thought of how the woman begrudgingly told him, he grew a bit sad!


    He clearly understood without saying that he was a Qi Condensation disciple. Even if he were to enter Foundation Establishment, it would be impossible for them to have any sort of relationship. After all, their positions in the cultivation world and their lifespans were truly as different as heaven and earth. As a result, he could only bitterly accept the woman¡¯s heartlessness during their departure.


    Han Li understood himself well. He knew that if he entered Foundation Establishment, he would have a slight chance. But currently, he could only look upward to her. With the great size of Yellow Maple Valley, there were over ten thousand cultivators, but only a trifling few were able to reach Core Formation. Han Li, knowing that his aptitude was lacking, didn¡¯t even have the slightest of confidence.


    Just as Han Li was thinking this, his expression suddenly grew dark. Woosh. His body suddenly disappeared into the air. A few moments later, however, his body appeared where he originally was, but now he was holding a storage pouch. At this time, the headless corpse of a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple fell off a nearby large tree.


    Han Li lightly swept through the things inside the storage pouch and lightly shook his head. He then leaped and departed.


    ¡­¡­


    The afternoon of the fifth day after the forbidden area was opened, the many individuals from various sects waiting outside the forbidden area for quite a long time finally moved. The seven Core Formation cultivators strenuously opened the entrance once again. They then looked at the dark passage, waiting for the first of ones to appear with serene expressions.


    It was very clear that breaking the magic barrier was far easier than it was five days ago. Furthermore, when the passage appeared, the seven Core Formation experts put away their magic treasures, but the passage actually didn¡¯t disappear, maintaining a steady connection to the forbidden area.


    Behind the seven, there were several tens of Foundation Establishment leaders with someone nervous expressions. This was related to the next distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills, so this event was quite important to these stewards.


    As for the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s ¡°Senior Eccentric Qiong¡±, it was unknown when he appeared on the large rock nearby, but he was watching the several people with glee. When he saw those he made a bet with, his gaze became rather peculiar.


    After half an hour after the passage opened, a middle-aged Daoist Priest with a calm expression walked out. His clothes were lined with ash and dirt and had several notable holes and bloodstains. It seemed that he had left the forbidden area after fighting a bitter battle.


    After the middle-aged Daoist Priest appeared, he saluted the Clear Void Sect¡¯s Core Formation cultivator and quietly sat down cross-legged to the side.


    When the Core Formation cultivator saw this, he looked at the middle-aged Daoist Priest with a smile and lightly nodded his head repeatedly.


    Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s expression was peaceful, without the slightest of emotion, but Senior Eccentric Qiong rolled his eyes and gave a dissatisfied snort.


    The next to walk out from the passage were a feminine man from Saber Transformation Dock; Zhong Wu, the ugly man from Spirit Beast Mountain; a blue-clothed youth from Heavenly Imperial Fortress; and Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Chen siblings, along with other disciples. All of them more or less had traces of injury. Every one of them walked to their sect elders¡¯ location with expressions of exhaustion and sat down cross-legged to rest.


    After the time it took to eat a meal, another large batch of disciples walked out. This group of people were different from the loners who had previously emerged. They were all in groups of twos and threes. Furthermore, every person¡¯s face had greatly varying expressions. There were those who were greatly joyful, those who were completely dispirited, and those who had an expression of great relief.


    Adding this group of people to the several that arrived before, more than twenty of the seven sects¡¯ disciples had already returned. However, they still didn¡¯t see a single person from the Masked Moon Sect. This caused the other six sects to wear and expression of astonishment. However, Senior Eccentric Qiong¡¯s expression along with Celestial Ni Chang and the rest of those from the Masked Moon Sect did not change in the slightest, as if they had a card up their sleeve.


    After another hour passed by; aside from two disciples who appeared, there were no other traces of those from the Masked Moon Sect. There were still only two hours left before the passage closed. At this moment, Senior Eccentric Qiong and Celestial Ni Chang glanced at each other, slightly revealing an expression of unease.


    The appearance of a person suddenly flashed at the passage entrance. A youth from Yellow Maple Valley appeared. This person had a common appearance with neat clothes, and hurried on his way, having the appearance of an unstoppable thunderbolt killing several people in succession. This person was Han Li.


    When the Masked Moon Sect members saw the image of a person at the passage entrance, their faces wore an expression of joy. But when they clearly saw that it was someone from Yellow Maple Valley, they immediately became greatly disappointed.


    At this moment, Han Li took a look at the surrounding situation and slowly walked to his sect¡¯s position. He copied the others and sat in formation. Coincidentally, he happened to sit next to the Chen siblings.


    It appeared that compared to the other six sects, Yellow Maple Valley disciples numbered the greatest among those who left the forbidden area alive!


    Apart from Brother and Sister Chen, there were also the old man as well as the youth. With the addition of Han Li, there were actually five. Compared to the three to four survivors from the other sects, especially the trifling two from the Giant Sword Sect, It could be considered much greater in number! This caused Martial Ancestor Li to be unable to conceal the joy in his heart as he wore a spring wind on his face.


    When the Chen siblings and the other two saw that Han Li, an eleventh layer disciple, was actually able to leave the forbidden area completely intact and without injury, they could not help but show an expression of amazement. However, as if they immediately thought of something, they looked at Han Li with a gaze of contempt and did not pay further attention to him.


    Obviously, they all believed that Han Li was a coward, concealing himself and hiding from battle. He certainly harvested nothing.


    As the time for the passage to close grew closer, those from Masked Moon Sect appeared one by one. This caused Senior Eccentric Qiong and Celestial Ni Chang to be unable to sit still with an expression of unmistakable worry on their faces. This caused Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest at the side to become secretly delighted. It seemed the Masked Moon Sect truly had a mishap.


    Han Li, who saw all of this, wrinkled his brow and felt a bit of surprise. He definitely escaped from the underground swamp with Nangong Wan. Why did the others from the Masked Moon Sect not yet appear? He could not help but be a bit worried about that woman!

 Chapter 210

    The Gamble


    Han Li suddenly thought of the other young woman that he had encountered inside the forbidden area and couldn¡¯t help but glance in the direction of Spirit Beast Mountain. In the end, he discovered that Han Yunzhi was cutely sitting cross-legged on the ground, her expression very even. There did not seem to be anything unexpected, causing Han Li to let out a sigh of relief.


    Near the closed tunnel entrance, those from the Masked Moon Sect appeared increasingly unsightly from worry.


    As for the people from the other sects, although they outwardly appeared to be anxious for the Masked Moon Sect disciples, flower of happiness had contrarily bloomed in their hearts. After all, the Masked Moon Sect was State of Yue¡¯s strongest sect and had long attracted the jealousy of others. These few were naturally happy to see an opportunity to weaken its power.


    Perhaps because their wishes had gone awry, the opposite of their desires occurred; when the passageway was only a quarter hour away from closing, a white shadow flashed within the passageway, and a group of ten or so Masked Moon Sect disciples walked out in an orderly fashion. Their leader was the extremely alluring beauty Nangong.


    Seeing them walk out, the Senior Eccentric Qiong¡¯s reaction was acceptable, only letting out a long sigh. That Celestial Ni Chang couldn¡¯t help but pounce at her, tugging on the arm of the beautiful Celestial Nangong. She began to ask her questions with extreme concern, her face revealing an expression of anxiety.


    The other sects felt puzzled upon seeing this.


    This was no surprise. Although Nangong Wan had met with these Core Formation cultivators several times, she had worn a veil and never revealed her true appearance. Thus, these people did not actually know that the beautiful, flowery young woman before them was actually the ¡°Celestial Nangong¡± that they had met with numerous times.


    Seeing this woman had safely returned, Han Li was also very pleased. After all, she was the first person he had joined bodies with. Even if he clearly knew that there was no way to continue their relationship, in his heart he still couldn¡¯t help but worry about her.


    However, the smiles on Martial Ancestor Li and the Daoist Priest¡¯s face had become somewhat forced. This was not unexpected; ignoring how many spiritual medicines the Masked Moon Sect had harvested, even the number of people that had walked out of forbidden area alive had surpassed the combined numbers of the people from their two sects. How could this not cause the two of them to be extremely depressed!


    ¡°All of the disciples should have emerged by now. The ones who didn¡¯t appear¡­¡± muttered the leader of the Spirit Beast Mountain, clearing his throat.


    But before he had finished his sentence, a person came scrambling out of the tunnel that was just about to close. It was actually that old, crafty Xiang Zhili from Yellow Maple Valley; only, the Giant Sword Sect and the young Daoist Priest originally harvesting the spiritual medicines with him had disappeared without a trace.


    The old man had just crawled out of the passageway when thunderous vibrations came from the direction of the forbidden area; next, an azure light flashed, and the passageway fragmented, finally disappearing completely.


    At this time, even if there were still people inside the forbidden area who had yet to come out, it would only be a dead end for them. This was because any disciple who had not exited in time in the past never appeared again even at the next opening of the forbidden area. They had all disappeared for an unclear reason, and this was also the reason why other people were not willing to waste time.


    However, the fact that this old, crafty Yellow Maple Valley tenth layer cultivator could actually escape at the very end was truly beyond expectation. They couldn¡¯t help but size up Xiang Zhili.


    ¡°Brother Li, I didn¡¯t expect that your esteemed valley actually had so many talents! Not only eleventh layer cultivators could walk out of the forbidden area, even tenth-layer strength disciples can preserve their lives and exit. Your esteemed sect truly uses the correct method of teaching your disciples, I am truly in admiration!¡± Seeing that only two people from his sect had left the forbidden area, and that the barefooted male whom he had high hopes for had not come out while two low-level disciples from the Yellow Maple Valley had come out and preserved their own small lives, the cultivator from the Giant Sword Sect couldn¡¯t help but feel his anger rise. He said these two sentences mockingly.


    When Martial Ancestor Li heard this, his face fell. He also reckoned that Han Li and Xiang Zhili had both stayed in hiding and did not reveal themselves, wanting to seize any opportunity available. He could not help but bitterly glare at the old, crafty man, but he still had no choice but to protect the two of them with his words:


    ¡°The cultivation technique of these juniors is too superficial. Being able to preserve their own lives can also be considered to be their own good fortune; as for what method they used, the others and I, as their senior generation, have no need to add on any blame!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    The Giant Sword Sect expert, seeing Martial Ancestor Li put on such an act, found it extremely objectionable and wanted to say something else. However, Senior Eccentric Qiong opened his mouth, somewhat impatiently.


    ¡°What is there for you two to argue about? Since the person could survive, this is the skill of the junior generation; do you want them to stubbornly charge forwards even if they clearly know it is impossible! However, little fellow Li! Quickly examine the results of the bet. The earlier we know, the earlier our hearts will be at ease; do you want the elderly me to wait here for even longer?¡±


    This old man was clearly taking advantage of his age, but Martial Ancestor Li and the man from the Giant Sword Sect actually really did not dare to make this person unhappy. They could only glance at each other before laughing the matter off. Otherwise, if this old freak started holding a grudge against them, they would have some really bad luck!


    Thus, under Senior Eccentric Qiong¡¯s urging, Fu Yunzi of the Clear Void Sect and Martial Ancestor Li could only pinch their noses and move closer to him. Then, each of the disciples from the three sects that had come out of the forbidden area individually displayed the harvest that they had in order to determine the winner and loser of the bet!


    The Clear Void Sect¡¯s Daoist Priests who had walked out from the forbidden area were only four in number. However, when the middle-aged Daoist Priest that had been the first to walk out of the forbidden area brought out his spiritual medicines, the faces of all the people present changed slightly.


    ¡°Fully mature three hundred year-old Blood Blue Pearls, two three hundred-year-old Sky Spirit Fruits, three four hundred-year-old Chalcedony Mushrooms¡­¡­¡±


    The Daoist Priest brought out eleven or twelve spiritual medicines in a row, individually placing them on the ground. The quantity was extremely high, greatly astonishing the surrounding people. Only Fu Yunzi, who had made the bet, was lightly smiling with content, as if he was very satisfied by the stunned looks of the others.


    Not only that, the spiritual medicines that the elders from Yellow Maple Valley and the male Masked Moon Sect disciples had placed earlier were far less, each person merely placing a few herbs.


    Next, the harvest of the second Daoist Priest was finally not as excessive, but there were still seven or eight spiritual medicines, significantly greater than harvests under normal circumstances! This caused Martial Ancestor to begin to feel unsettled, and Senior Eccentric Qiong¡¯s look of laughter was also retrieved; he became serious for the first time.


    Hearing of the matter concerning the bet, the experts from the other four sects naturally became interested and  individually came forward to take a look. When they saw this scene, they also quietly considered it amazing!


    However, the spiritual medicines of the Chen Clan brother and sister pair after them finally allowed Martial Ancestor Li to be somewhat delighted, since their combined harvest neared twenty herbs, already roughly the same as those two Daoist Priests. The next Clear Void Sect disciple¡¯s harvest was finally normal, only four herbs.


    As for the Masked Moon Sect disciples, they maintained an average quantity; three people in a row had five or under herbs, causing the Daoist Priest and Martial Ancestor Li to quietly sigh in relief.


    However, the next youth from Yellow Maple Valley to place his spiritual medicines delayed for a few moments; with great shame he only pulled out three spiritual medicines. This caused Martial Ancestor Li to become so angry that his nose almost became crooked. He almost opened his mouth to berate him. This was because he did not have any belief that Han Li or the crafty old man could contribute much!


    According to sequence, it should have been Han Li¡¯s turn to go forwards, but who knew that crafty Xiang, with a stride, would grab the place in front of Han Li, respectfully pulling out two Purple Monkey Flowers. This caused Martial Ancestor Li to feel great surprise, and his expression instantly became somewhat more pleasant; however, it was merely somewhat more! Although he had one or two more spiritual medicines than the Clear Void Sect in front of him, as long as the other side¡¯s last individual could bring out a normal amount of spiritual medicines, he would definitely lose. He had absolutely no hope that Han Li¡¯s harvest would be too large, reckoning that Han Li at most would be like the crafty old man. Throwing two or three spiritual medicines would already be not too bad, and it could be considered the due diligence of these lower-level disciples.


    Thinking to this point, Martial Ancestor Li couldn¡¯t help but glance at Fu Yunzi, only to see the other person¡¯s restless appearance; he was also currently glancing at him. The two of them slightly started, then immediately averted their gazes, continuing to closely follow the gambling game.


    The last Daoist Priest to step forward was a white-haired elderly man. When he walked to the front, he calmly brought out one herb after another; his slow dilly-dallying manner caused all of the people to continuously roll their eyes.


    However, when he had pulled out five spiritual medicines in a row and was still reaching into his storage pouch, Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s expression instantly sank, while Fu Yunzi began to beam with joy. As for the Masked Moon Sect disciples, those two people were unable to endure anymore and walked over, expressing their interest.


    Greatly beyond any expectations, this last white-haired Daoist Priest actually pulled out seven spiritual medicines in a row, causing all of the onlookers to feel greatly surprised.


    When Martial Ancestor Li saw this, his expression had already become incredibly ashen, while the Daoist Priest excitedly turned his attention to the other Masked Moon Sect disciples, reckoning that his victory over the Yellow Maple Valley was already secure.


    At this time, Han Li stepped forward. Other people only indifferently glanced at him before returning their gazes to the Masked Moon Sect, completely ignoring him.


    Martial Ancestor Li also saw this scene, but he similarly did not glance at Han Li at all, reckoning that he had already lost his opportunity to make a comeback. This eleventh layer disciple¡¯s appearance would only be to make a fool of himself; thus, he naturally would not give Han Li any face.


    Han Li did not pay attention to the movements of other people, and even more didn¡¯t have the idea of saving some ripe spiritual medicines and bringing out less.


    This was because each sect¡¯s ranks contained two other stewards, who had one or two smelling spiritual beasts by their sides. These kinds of squirrel-like strange beasts could smell out any hidden hundred-year-old or above spiritual medicines from a distance of thirty feet. Even if they were inside a storage pouch, they could not escape notice.


    Thus, every disciple that exited the forbidden area, after voluntarily turning in all of their spiritual medicines, also had to be smelled by these small beasts once over before being allowed to leave. This was to prevent against disciples with malicious plans to smuggle a secret stash of spiritual medicines!


    Arriving at the location, Han Li held a storage pouch in his hand that he had prepared a long time ago. Then, he rudely flipped his hand, dropping it on the table. After a burst of white light, a huge pile of roughly twenty or so multicolored spiritual medicines formed a huge pile on the ground.

 Chapter 211

    The Winner


    ¡°Quick, look over there!¡±


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to believe it!¡±


    When this pile of spiritual medicines suddenly appeared on the ground, a few sharp-eyed individuals began to cry out in surprise!


    These few yells immediately attracted the gazes of other people; of course, Martial Ancestor Li and Fu Yunzi were included in this group.


    However, when the two people saw clearly the spiritual medicines at Han Li¡¯s feet, the Daoist Priest¡¯s grin immediately froze, while Martial Ancestor Li, after staring blankly for a moment, began to laugh loudly with pleasant surprise. This big pie that fell from the sky caused his heart to burst with joy.


    After Martial Ancestor Li had realized his own loss of self control and stopped laughing, he stared at Han Li with a beaming gaze, assessing him constantly; how come when he looked at Han Li, he felt that Han Li was very pleasing? On the other hand, the Daoist Priest¡¯s face had become ashen, still unable to believe that he had lost just like that; naturally, his gaze towards Han Li held great unhappiness.


    ¡°Daoist brother, this is done! Do you still want to trouble a member of the junior generation?¡± Martial Ancestor Li humphed after glancing at Fu Yunzi¡¯s expression. He took a stride and blocked in front of Han Li, saying this with a straight face.


    Today, Han Li had just helped him with a great service; he naturally could not allow this member of the junior generation to be frightened by Fu Yunzi in front of this many people. Otherwise, his face would be entirely gone.


    The Daoist Priest, being scolded by Martial Ancestor Li like this, realized that given his own identity, glaring at a Qi Condensation disciple in this way was incredibly wrong. Other people would mistakenly believe he was trying to secretly retaliate against a member of the junior generation, so he hurriedly averted his gaze towards Martial Ancestor Li and forced a laugh:


    ¡°Martial Ancestor Li, it¡¯s a misunderstanding. This Daoist Priest was only thinking that based on this young man¡¯s cultivation base, it is truly inconceivable that he would be able to harvest so many spiritual medicines; I was only taking a few extra glances at him!¡±


    The Daoist Priest made a huge effort to put on a nonchalant appearance, but as soon as he thought about that flood dragon inner Dan, he felt his heart bleed incessantly, and his expression had no way of returning to normal.


    Martial Ancestor Li coldly laughed twice and noncommittally did not continue to speak. After all, he had achieved a great victory in today¡¯s bet and was unwilling to continue to provoke the other person.


    However, he was also somewhat suspicious of Han Li¡¯s ability to obtain so many spiritual medicines, but in front of so many people from other sects, Martial Ancestor Li was unwilling to interrogate Han Li now and could only turn a blind eye to it. Not to mention, at this moment his heart was on fire; as long as he could triumph again over the Masked Moon Sect people, he really would have made it big on this expedition to the forbidden area. Naturally, he could not deal with these trivial matters. As long as he could win this gambling game, he couldn¡¯t care less about what stealing methods Han Li used to get the spiritual medicines.


    The Daoist Priest, seeing Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s appearance, naturally realized the other person¡¯s thoughts. Could he, as the eliminated participant, only continue to observe who won between Senior Eccentric Qiong and the other person with an angry heartache?


    But Senior Eccentric Qiong¡¯s expression was not much better than that of the Daoist Priest. The spiritual medicines that the few Masked Moon Sect disciples had turned in were all common, truly causing him to be unable to laugh.


    Just as Martial Ancestor Li was in high spirits, the situation suddenly took a rapid turn. The quantities of spiritual medicines that the last few Masked Moon Sect disciples turned in suddenly all reached ten or so in number, in an instant surpassing even the sum of the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s and Clear Void Sect¡¯s harvest by five or six herbs, winning the last round of the bet.


    This turn of events immediately knocked Martial Ancestor Li into a stupor, while Senior Eccentric Qiong let out a long sigh of relief and began to laugh strangely.


    ¡°Bring it, bring it, turn over that demonic flood drgon inner Dan! I was just wanting to refine a furnace of good pills, and this inner Dan is the best medicinal catalyst!¡± Senior Eccentric Qiong impolitely demanded his betting spoils from Fu Yunzi on the spot .


    Upon hearing this, the Daoist Priest Fu Yunzi forced a smile and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth.


    Seeing this, Senior Eccentric Qiong glared unhappily.


    ¡°What, the well-renowned Clear Void Sect¡¯s Fu Yunzi, could it be that you want to renege on this debt?¡±


    ¡°Renege on this debt? Do I dare to renege on a debt with Senior Eccentric Qiong?¡±


    Fu Yunzi naturally did not really mean to renege on the inner Dan. It was only that the loss of this kind of precious item hurt him greatly, and he was instinctively reluctant to part with it.


    But today, now that Senior Eccentric Qiong said it like that, his face alternated between red and white. After fiercely stomping his foot, he tossed a white sphere to the other person, then turned away with an expression of physical pain written on his face, unwilling to look. That sphere was the inner Dan of a demonic flood dragon.


    Senior Eccentric Qiong grabbed the inner Dan with a raise of his hand. After closely inspecting it, he beamed with joy, but he still muttered:


    ¡°It seems that its quality is not too good, and its spiritual Qi is not really sufficient. It looks like it¡¯s just passable; I¡¯ll have to make do with it!¡±


    This sentence caused the Daoist Priest¡¯s face to turn red when he heard it. He almost vomited blood and died with anger, and he hurriedly departed from this individual to a faraway place, lest his Dao heart die from depression.


    ¡°Daoist friend Li, you¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Li will send representatives with two chunks of iron essence within twenty years!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! It¡¯s still Daoist friend Li that is straightforward. I have nothing else to say!¡± Senior Eccentric Qiong nodded his head with satisfaction, then returned to the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s side, very pleased with himself.


    This round of gambling had many twist and turns, truly causing the various bystanders from different sects to feel very amazed. In the end, seeing Martial Ancestor Li and Fu Yunzi¡¯s attempts to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it, everyone gloated. Who told them to gamble with this Senior Eccentric Qiong anyways!


    No matter what, this time¡¯s expedition to the forbidden area had ended.


    The leaders of the various sects, having received all of their own disciples¡¯ spiritual medicines and letting them be checked by the spiritual beasts once, all said their goodbyes one by one and left, bringing their followers with them.


    Those from the Masked Moon Sect were the first to leave, and so after they had said goodbye and stepped onto the Heavenly Moon Divine Boat one after the other, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but glance at the Celestial Nangong in their midst. However, that woman, from boarding the boat to its eventual departure, never did glance back at him, causing Han Li to feel wronged in his heart.


    However, Han Li could also be considered a person with a strong state of mind, and in no time he had recovered to normal and continued to watch the other sects leave.


    When she was leaving with the Spirit Beast Mountain disciples, Han Yunzhi glanced at Han Li and gave him a benevolent smile. This actually caused Han Li to feel somewhat warm in his heart.


    Yellow Maple Valley, as the host of the forbidden area, naturally would have to be the last to leave. Thus, when the other six sects all left, only the Yellow Maple Valley sect remained all alone outside of the forbidden area.


    However, Martial Ancestor Li didn¡¯t just take his followers and leave; instead, he raised his head and gazed in the direction of the forbidden area silently. However, all the other people knew that this Martial Ancestor, having just lost a bet, could not be happy in his heart. Thus, nobody ignorantly went up to urge him on; they could only stand and watch behind him.


    After half a day, Martial Ancestor¡¯s mood seemed to be somewhat better; although he did not turn around, he finally opened his mouth. His first sentence was directed at Han Li.


    ¡°The disciple that turned in the most spiritual medicines, what is your name and how many years has it been since you entered the valley?¡±


    When the other people heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but reveal an expression of envy; to have one¡¯s name known by this high-ranking Martial Ancestor meant that in the future one would definitely have great benefits. Han Li started slightly and, not daring to delay, immediately said with respect:


    ¡°Named Han Li, this disciple entered the valley nearly three years ago!¡±


    ¡°Han Li?¡±


    Martial Ancestor Li slowly repeated Han Li¡¯s name, as if he were considering something. He didn¡¯t actually reply immediately; instead, he caused all the people behind him to turn and look at each other. They didn¡¯t know what this Martial Ancestor Elder¡¯s intention was! But Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s next sentence caused Han Li¡¯s heart to shiver, and he raised 120% of his attention.


    ¡°Han Li, tell me the process that you went through to obtain these spiritual medicines, I want to hear it!¡± asked Martial Ancestor Li, seemingly arbitrarily.


    Although Han Li was alert in his heart, he had long before made preparations for being interrogated by others concerning this matter. Thus, he was not panicked. He calmly said:


    ¡°Yes, Martial Ancestor!¡±


    ¡°This matter is actually very much due to a fluke! On that day, although disciple had hidden in the ring-shaped mountain, regrettably no real rewards were to be had. However, on the afternoon on the fourth day, disciple actually found two people fighting over a few sprigs of chalcedony within a very remote cave. One was the barefooted, silver-sword-carrying Giant Sword Sect disciple, and the other was a Heavenly Imperial Fortress person with scars covering his face. Disciple thus secretly hid in.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡±


    Just like that, Han Li vividly began to describe a tale of taking advantage of the two people¡¯s conflict. In addition, he did his best to exaggerate his unexpected luck, causing the Chen brother and sister, as well as the other disciples, to feel incredibly jealous, their envious intent extremely apparent.


    Martial Ancestor Li, upon hearing Han Li¡¯s account, silently nodded his head, feeling that only in this way could it possibly happen. Otherwise, how could a disciple with a low cultivation technique like Han Li possibly harvest so many spiritual medicines? It seemed like the other person truly was incredibly lucky and that it had been a complete coincidence.


    Believing that he had figured out the story behind this matter, Martial Ancestor Li did not want to continue wasting time interrogating. However, after pausing for a while, he suddenly said to Han Li with a solemn expression:


    ¡°Han Li, your services towards the sect this time were not small! Although I did not win the bet, I must still reward you greatly. I plan to receive you under my tutelage, and you can be one of my few disciples. Are you are willing?¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li instantly froze and didn¡¯t know how to respond for some time!


    And when the other Yellow Maple Valley people heard this, they first received a great shock, then tenaciously glared at Han Li, revealing an expression of disbelief!


    This was too inconceivable. They hadn¡¯t heard wrong, had they?! This Martial Ancestor Elder, would actually receive this person as a disciple so easily? This person, whether discussing qualifications or cultivation technique, was extremely average. One could truly not tell if this person had any qualities that stood out, allowing him to be noticed by Martial Ancestor Li!

 Chapter 212

    A Sudden Understanding


    Chapter 212: A Sudden Understanding


    Normally, a lower-layer cultivator being accepted by a Core Formation cultivator as a disciple would definitely be an extremely bizarre matter, a situation that one could not even dream about. However, when Han Li was in shock after he heard these words, he instinctively detected that something was not right.


    Based on his aptitude and magic technique, how could this kind of a good fortune fall upon his shoulders? As for the explanation that it was a great reward for his supposed great services to Yellow Maple Valley, Han Li believed it even less. If this Martial Ancestor had won the bet and, in a moment of excitement, accepted him because of this success, it might have actually been somewhat sincere. But even though he had clearly lost in a total mess, he still wanted to accept him as a disciple; this was enough to make Han Li think!


    While Han Li was running through all these mental gymnastics, Martial Ancestor Li began to become displeased.


    When he had said that he would accept Han Li as his disciple, he originally thought that the other person would definitely be incomparably ecstatic and immediately agree readily. But who expected that Han Li actually stood blankly in the same spot, his expression one of amazement. He actually didn¡¯t immediately respond, which caused Martial Ancestor Li to feel somewhat resentful.


    However, on the outside, Martial Ancestor Li naturally still had to maintain the poise of a Martial Ancestor, so he indifferently said:


    ¡°Han Li, if you aren¡¯t willing to take me as your master, you only need to clearly say it; I will not force you! I can separately bestow a few magic tools upon you as compensation!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he knew that although the other person¡¯s words were pretty, he definitely was not happy in his heart. Han Li was very clear even without thinking hard what the consequences of offending this Martial Ancestor would be. In addition, for a Qi Condensation disciple like him to refuse a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s acceptance of a disciple excessively defied common sense. Perhaps after he refused the offer, he would attract even more troubles.


    Thinking to this point, he gritted his teeth. No matter what the other person¡¯s attempts towards him were, he would first deal with the situation in front of him.


    ¡°Disciple is obviously delighted to be able to kowtow under Martial Ancestor¡¯s tutelage, it is this disciple¡¯s honor! Earlier it was just that disciple was too happy and completely forgot to speak; please forgive disciple, Martial Ancestor!¡± Han Li said with a hurried tone, his face blushing strongly as he pretended to regain his focus after being exhilarated.


    Then, Han Li very tactfully kowtowed a few times to Martial Ancestor Li, immediately performing the ritual of formally becoming a disciple.


    ¡°Very good! From today onwards you are my, Li Huayuan¡¯s, disciple; this Jade Light Saber magic tool can be regarded as a greeting present.¡± A smiling, exuberant expression appeared on Li Huayuan¡¯s face, and he reached his hand out to support Han Li. Then, he handed him a long, greenish-jade saber. Judging from the spiritual light flickering on it, it definitely was a top-grade magic tool.


    Han Li solemnly received the long saber with his two hands, then kowtowed again to express his respect before standing up again, pretending to be unable to contain his joy.


    The other disciples watched dumbstruck, fires burning in their eyes. Their gazes towards Han Li were extremely peculiar, wishing that the person to receive the magic tool was themselves instead of Han Li, whom they had long considered to be unpleasant to their sight.


    Although Han Li was unclear about the thoughts inside other people¡¯s hearts, the provocative gazes individually landing on his body allowed him to roughly guess it, and he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly laugh in his heart!


    If it was possible, he actually hoped that the attention of this Martial Ancestor could have been placed on another person instead of himself, an unlucky bastard! One had to know that he still remembered very clearly the lesson he had learned from his previous master, Doctor Mo! Even better, today another master with even greater ability and many schemes had come; this caused Han Li to be speechless!¡±


    ¡°When after a period of time your Foundation Establishment succeeds, I will come take you to my place personally and receive you as an official disciple. It doesn¡¯t matter if your Foundation Establishment has not yet occurred; I will also give you some pointers on your cultivation technique,¡± Martial Ancestor Li instructed Han Li.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Han Li, naturally having no more opinions, very obediently complied.


    ¡°Okay, the time is not early, let¡¯s return to Yellow Maple Valley!¡± declared Martial Ancestor Li after glancing at the color of the sky.


    Next, everybody once again climbed onto Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s silver python and, after a few days of flight, returned to Yellow Maple Valley.


    As soon as they had entered the valley, Martial Ancestor Li Huayuan brought two stewards with him and went ahead to the official hall. The other people dissipated one by one, returning to their own homes, awaiting the prizes that would be awarded a few days later.


    ¡­¡­


    Within a small cottage in the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Hundred Medicine Garden, the little Senior Martial Uncle Ma opened his eyes wide, staring at Han Li as if he had seen a ghost. He muttered in his mouth nonstop:


    ¡°This is impossible; not only did you not die, you also picked up a fortune in the forbidden area, turning in twenty or so spiritual medicines in an instant, and you were accepted by Martial Ancestor Li as an in-name disciple!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Uncle Ma! Isn¡¯t my good fortune deep and my good luck stunning!¡± Han Li said, smiling yet not smiling, as he sat opposite the little old man as if he were very pleased.


    The little old man¡¯s facial expression returned to normal upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, but he began to gaze at Han Li with a strange expression in his eyes. His gaze caused Han Li to feel somewhat apprehensive, unsure of what the other person¡¯s intentions were.


    ¡°Little fellow Han, your harvest from this time¡¯s expedition to the forbidden area truly is not small. It has far exceeded all of my expectations!¡± said the little old man with a long sigh.


    ¡°I also did not expect it!¡± Han Li leisurely responded.


    ¡°But do you know the real purpose for why Junior Martial Uncle Li accepted you as an in-name disciple?¡±


    (TL: The change in Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s title here is mostly due to Senior Martial Uncle Ma¡¯s seniority and status as compared to Martial Ancestor Li.)


    The somewhat sympathetic tone revealed in the little old man¡¯s next sentence caused Han Li to jolt, but immediately after he began to rejoice. However, he was still strongly resisting the movements in his heart; he pretended to be confused and asked in astonishment:


    ¡°Senior Martial Uncle Ma, could it be that Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s accepting of disciples has another reason?¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Uncle? Hehe! Since Junior Martial Brother Han Li has already kowtowed to Junior Martial Uncle, you can just call me Senior Martial Brother Ma. I no longer dare to respond to the title Senior Martial Uncle!¡± said the little old man slowly and methodically, gently shaking his head.


    ¡°Cough! Why does Senior Martial Uncle Ma laugh at Junior Martial Nephew, who doesn¡¯t know that seniority in the cultivation world is assigned by cultivation technique? As long as I have not yet entered the Foundation Establishment stage for one day, Senior Martial Uncle Ma is naturally still my senior,¡± said Han Li very sincerely, and immediately poured a cup of medicine flower tea for the little old man, handing it to the other person.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad! You indeed can be taught! It seems like you have not yet lost your wits because of this matter, so I will tell you now beforehand. In reality, even if I don¡¯t say it, you will know in three to four more days,¡± said the little old man faintly, nodding his head in satisfaction.


    Hearing this, Han Li was slightly startled, but he concentrated his attention on hearing the other person¡¯s next utterance. One had to know that he had always been on edge with regards to the matter of Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s sudden acceptance of him as a disciple. Thus, he naturally would not pass up an opportunity to get the inside story beforehand.


    ¡°What rewards do you think you can get, having turned in this many spiritual medicines?¡± the little old man suddenly asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°It should be exchangeable for two Foundation Establishment Pills! I had asked around earlier; if one turns in around ten spiritual medicines, one can exchange them for one Foundation Establishment Pill,¡± Han Li responded obediently. He knew that the other person would definitely have a reason for asking this kind of a question.


    ¡°Hmph! In a few days, when the rewards are granted, you will only have the portion of one Foundation Establishment Pill. You can stop dreaming about getting two!¡± said the little old man somewhat mockingly.


    ¡°What? How could it be this way! Could there be people who embezzle the rewards?¡± Han Li almost bounced up, an expression of disbelief on his face.


    There isn¡¯t any embezzlement; no one dares to do that! Only your rewards have decreased. All the others should be recieving their entire reward. Otherwise, who would be willing to participate in the next Trial by Blood and Fire!?¡± the little old man explained with a slanted mouth.


    ¡°Could the reason be due to Martial Ancestor Li?¡± Han Li asked seriously after tilting his head and thinking for a moment.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be considered to be too stupid, since you found the heart of the matter so quickly. It really is because Martial Ancestor Li accepted you as a disciple that it would be this way!¡± The little old man nodded, admiration flashing through his eyes.


    ¡°This sect has an unwritten practice; if there is any clear master-disciple relationship, the master has the right to take half of the disciple¡¯s tribute to the sect as a gift to thank the master. Of course, this is limited to the first time, and cannot be repeated. The spiritual medicines you harvested in the forbidden area can be considered to be a kind of tribute to the sect. Thus, I reckon that the reason why Martial Ancestor Li so zealously accepted you as a disciple is most likely because he wanted your ten or so herbs as a gift. The spiritual medicines that are passed on are halved, and so your rewards are naturally also halved, so you should not hope for two Foundation Establishment Pills anymore,¡± the little old man explained thoroughly to Han Li.


    Han Li knitted his eyebrows, but he revealed no traces of anger or dissatisfaction, only lowering his head soundlessly. This caused the little old man to feel somewhat shocked and sense that something was off. He naturally did not know that not only was Han Li not angry, he actually let out a long sigh and relaxed the heart that had always been tight.


    It turned out that this new master had wanted his spiritual medicines; this had really been outside of his expectations, but it also caused Han Li to begin to relax. To Han Li, who was about to refine these pills, one Foundation Establishment Pill could not amount to much! As long as he could succeed in refining these pills, he couldn¡¯t care less about the loss of merely one.


    The little old man didn¡¯t know Han Li¡¯s attitude. Seeing that Han Li didn¡¯t make a sound, he thought that Han Li was holding in a stomach of stuffiness but was good at controlling it and didn¡¯t let it leak out. Thus, he lightly laughed and began to comfort Han Li:


    ¡°Although you get one less Foundation Establishment Pill, you exchanged it for being accepted as Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s in-name disciple; you haven¡¯t suffered a huge loss, so it¡¯s not too bad. One has to know that your talent is not very good; even if you were to use two Foundation Establishment Pills, your hopes of successfully entering the Foundation Establishment stage are not too high. It¡¯s more worth it to use one in exchange for gaining Martial Ancestor Li as an influential backer; this way, even if in the future you are still in the Qi Condensation stage, pretty much no one in the sect will dare to provoke you. You should know that although Martial Ancestor Li was not sincerely accepting you as his disciple, you are still carrying his influence. Which regular disciple or steward would give you trouble lightly? In addition, as far as I know, Junior Martial Uncle Li is very protective of his face!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat moved in his heart. When the little old man had sent him the two bottles of pills before he went to the forbidden area, he could already tell that the other person was someone with a cold exterior but a warm heart; this person¡¯s character truly was not bad! But with these words, Han Li remembered them in his heart even more; it seemed as if the other person was worth building a deep relationship with!


    Although Han Li thought this in his heart, outwardly he still pretended to be barely moved by what the little old man said, and after bitterly laughing a few times, he finally opened his mouth to speak, and carelessly spoke with him for a bit.


    This Senior Martial Uncle Ma, seeing that Han Li had seemingly recovered from this setback, was very happy in his heart, and not long after he said his goodbyes and left. The Hundred Medicine Garden naturally was once again under Han Li¡¯s care.

 Chapter 213

    Preparation.


    Chapter 213: Preparation


    Although the journey to the forbidden area had only taken ten days, Han Li felt as if several years had passed. Thus he lied down on his bed in the Hundred Medicine Garden for a long while basking in comfort and longing.


    Not only did he finally return with his life intact from this trip he gambled his life with, he had also perfectly accomplished his goals. Now he could indulge in a truly worry-free and sound sleep. It seemed that all of the struggles from the mortal world were far away from him in a flash as he slept.


    Han Li slept until the afternoon of the second day before awakening.


    After Han Li woke up, he quivered with excitement. He immediately started to set up his plans for the future!


    His first matter of business would naturally be to mature the three main medicines as soon as possible and properly preserve them. As for the other auxiliary medicine ingredients, he would naturally leave them for last. However, complete preparation for all of this was not a matter of tens days or half a month. According to Han Li¡¯s estimates, at the very minimum, he would need several years before being completely ready to start refining the pills.


    As a result, Han Li wasn¡¯t in a hurry with his spiritual medicines. Instead, he arranged his harvest from the forbidden area.


    The result was that he obtained over ten mid-grade spirit stones, several hundreds of low-grade spirit stones, a large pile of magic tools of all grades, several chunks of the centipede demonic beast¡¯s outer shell, several materials from the Inky Flood Dragon, and a bunch of rubbish.


    However, apart from these items there were two items that Han Li were most interested in: a figurine holding a bow and arrow and a lustrous silver book page.


    This figurine was mainly carved from wood, with complete ears, nose, mouth, and eyes; it seemed gentle, as if it were alive. Furthermore it was dressed from head to toe in an extremely realistic metal armor suit with a bronze bow in hand. This was the magic tool that Han Li  previously acquired from his elders; it was the high-grade magic tool ¡®Puppet Bowman¡¯.


    After he obtained the magic tool, Han Li did not make use of it. That was because this magic tool required a secret soul splitting technique. The puppet required a sliver of spiritual sense to enter it in order to control it.


    This soul splitting technique was not possible until one reached Foundation Establishment! It should be known that only cultivators at Foundation Establishment or higher have the sufficient spiritual sense to endure the pain of dividing one¡¯s soul. With the mere spiritual sense of a Qi Condensation cultivator, before even completing the soul splitting, the person would have already fallen into demise and gone mad.


    It is often said that an Immortal¡¯s spiritual sense could be used to look in all directions and to scan through items. However, this isn¡¯t the true significance of splitting one¡¯s soul. Originally, spiritual sense was nothing more than a small external technique.  However, after cultivating the secret technique to split one¡¯s soul, it would be equivalent to having one, even several separate individual divine senses, with each divine sense capable of controlling several tools. The more times one divided their soul, the more magic tools they could control simultaneously.


    It should be known that when Qi Condensation disciples normally confronted an enemy, at most they could use two magic tools at the same time. If they used any more, they would no longer be able to control them with ease. After all, who didn¡¯t have five or six magic tools on hand? If they were to throw them all at their opponent, it would definitely be ineffective and would cause the opponent to be baffled for a moment!


    After Han Li fiddled with the figurine for a good while, he placed it down and took a look at the silver book page.


    This silver book page was from the spoils Han Li obtained from the barefoot man of the Giant Sword Sect. The top was bumpy, textured with many peculiar decorative designs. It seemed very mysterious. Han Li pondered over it for the majority of the day without even a clue and could only set it aside for the time being.


    Like that, in the following days, Han Li studied the silver book page while waiting for news from the upper echelon. He was seeing whether or not what the old man had said was true, that his reward had been reduced!


    On the afternoon of the fourth day, Martial Uncle Wang and an unfamiliar steward went to find Han Li and only brought a single Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward. What they said was basically the same as what the small old man had said! Martial Ancestor Li had taken away the spiritual medicines under the pretext of his disciple¡¯s filial tribute to his master.


    After Han Li heard this, he coldly chuckled to himself but his exterior appearance didn¡¯t reveal the slightest complaint. Seeing this, the two stewards, who originally believed that they would have to waste time explaining clearly, let out a sigh of relief. Then they left, saying goodbye with beaming smiles.


    After Han Li saw the pair¡¯s departure, he laughed at himself for a moment and put away his newly obtained Foundation Establishment Pill. Now he could take the time to shut himself away and consume the Foundation Establishment Pills after he refined them. After all, for each day he couldn¡¯t refine medicine pills, Han Li would be unable to peacefully enter seclusion.


    Like that, month by month passed by. Three years of time flashed by and Han Li¡¯s pill refining preparations were finally completed. Within this rather lengthy period of time, several matters had occurred.


    After Junior Martial Sister Chen consumed her rewarded Foundation Establishment Pill, she bitterly cultivated for an entire year. In the end, she succeeded in establishing her foundation and entered Foundation Establishment. However, her elder brother¡¯s luck wasn¡¯t very good. Although it was his second time consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill, he had failed to make a breakthrough and lingered just outside of Foundation Establishment. It was said that this Great Young Master of the Chen Clan had lost complete confidence in the Immortal path and simply left the sect, returning to his clan to handle affairs.


    Furthermore, Han Li¡¯s reputation in Yellow Maple Valley had gradually risen, and he could now be considered a minor celebrity!


    With regards to the tale of his great stroke of luck in the forbidden area, obtaining a large number of spiritual medicines and becoming the in-name disciple of Martial Ancestor Li, it had fluttered about through the sect on the first year of his return, causing other low level disciples to burn with great envy. But by the second year, this matter had gradually settled down.


    However, there was still a small incident during this time. That Old Man Ye who reneged on over half of the agreed items suddenly sent over the rest of the long overdue items without exception. There was even a bit extra! This caused Han Li to greatly experience firsthand the ease and confidence brought by having a greatly influential backer, and he could not help but be secretly pleased by his position! It seemed that his position of being an in-name disciple of Martial Ancestor Li had quite a few truly good benefits!


    (TL: ¡°Having an influential backer¡± ¨C literally ¡°´óÊ÷µ×ϺóËÁ¹/the shade is plentiful underneath a large tree¡±)


    However, with regards to paying his respects to his master, Han Li truly had no words to say! Apart from being assigned as an in-name disciple to the man and receiving a personally transcribed copy of the ¡¶Azure Essence Sword Arts¡· from him, Han Li did not hear anything else from him in these three years. It seemed that he had completely forgotten about Han Li long ago!


    Apart from a few unspoken complaints, Han Li was quite satisfied with his current situation. He currently was wholeheartedly throwing himself into the first steps of refining the Foundation Establishment Pills. He naturally did not wish for anyone to disturb him.


    However, his life of near seclusion had finally come to a close. About three days ago, Han Li finished maturing the last auxiliary spiritual medicine he required and thus possessed all his ingredients. All he needed was one last thing!


    After several days of ordering and packing, Han Li packed his ripened spiritual medicines in a neat order and headed toward Yue Lu Hall.


    Yue Lu Hall was exactly the same as Han Li had last seen it several years ago. Naturally, those who were guarding the transportation formation had already been replaced with another two Foundation Establishment disciples. However, the procedure was the same along with the same intolerant gazes, causing Han Li to laugh inwardly. Regardless, he still entered Yue Lu Hall without any trouble.


    Walking along the signless passage, Han Li saw that ugly man who caused him much unhappiness.  He was currently sleeping inside the stone room!


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. After muttering to himself for a moment, he took out a small bell magic tool. Then he walked up to the ugly man and lightly shook the bell next to his ear.


    This small bell wasn¡¯t much to Han Li¡¯s ear but it caused to ugly man to act as if his buttocks were on fire. He immediately jumped and loudly yelled unclearly, ¡°What¡¯s happening! Who is it? Yi! What are you up to?¡±


    The ugly man was still clearly half asleep. For the moment, he actually didn¡¯t use coarse language toward Han Li! Han Li didn¡¯t see this as rude and immediately mentioned his title as an apprentice to his master.


    ¡°This one is Martial Ancestor Li Huayuan¡¯s disciple and wishes to borrow Earth Fire for his own use. Will your distinguished self open the door?¡±


    ¡°Martial Ancestor Li?¡±


    The ugly man had clearly heard of Martial Ancestor¡¯s famous name and immediately jumped. He hurriedly and repeatedly said several praises and turned around, walking to the stone door. After he had just walked two steps, he immediately thought of something and then turned around, sizing up Han Li with a doubting gaze.


    When Han Li saw this, he clearly understood the other man¡¯s intention. After a moment of hesitation, he took out the ¡¶Azure Essence Sword Arts¡· Li Huayuan had delivered to him and presented it to the ugly man. On it was Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s personal signature.


    He did not think that this ugly man not only knew of Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s name but also recognized a bit of his handwriting. After he looked at the book for a bit, he respectfully returned it to Han Li. He then said with a smiling face, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether this Junior Martial Brother wishes to refine tools or refine pills. I will certainly arrange it for Junior Martial Brother!¡±


    Han Li was originally relying on Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s name to see whether or not he could get a few special considerations with regards to Earth Fire. Seeing that the ugly man tactfully took the initiative to say these words, Han Li said with a relaxed expression, ¡°This one plans to refine a few pills and hopes that a room can be arranged with rather mild and stable Earth Fire. I trouble your esteemed self!¡±


    Previously, Han Li asked the small old man about the approximate circumstances of the Earth Fire grounds and knew that this location was where the rooms for Earth Fire was arranged for use. Thus he had said those words.


    ¡°That is easy to do. This one will immediately arrange it for Junior Martial Disciple! However, the service charge¡­,¡± the ugly man replied, seeming embarrassed.


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smiled. He unexpectedly took out a mid-grade spirit stone and handed it over to the ugly man, leisurely adding, ¡°This one will naturally pay the amount of spirit stones in accordance to the norm! Because the time to refine these pills will be long, this mid-grade spirit stone can be considered an advanced payment. If it is too much, then I¡¯ll take back the difference!¡±

 Chapter 214

    Earth Fire Room.


    Chapter 214: Earth Fire Room


    ¡°Hee hee! Good, good! I will prepare everything for Junior Martial Brother right now!¡± The ugly man, seeing that Han Li had actually given him a mid-grade spirit stone, immediately beamed with joy.


    One had to know that although the generally accepted exchange rate in the world of cultivators was one hundred low-grade spirit stones for one mid-grade spirit stone, in reality those willing to use a mid-grade spirit stone to exchange for one hundred low-grade spirit stones were very few in number.


    This was because everyone knew that under the same circumstances, the speed of absorbing Spiritual Qi from a mid-grade spirit stone was much faster than when using low-grade spirit stones. Just based on this point, everybody wanted to keep a mid-grade spirit stone and naturally would not pay much attention to low-grade spirit stones.


    Of course, the situation when exchanging high-grade spirit stones with mid-grade spirit stones was the same.


    After the ugly man had happily received this fire-attribute spirit stone, he treated Han Li even more obsequiously. He immediately led Han Li before a huge, five-colored stone door and pulled out a purple command medallion from his waist, pointed it at the stone door, and shook it.


    Red light flashed across the purple command medallion and a wisp of rosy light shot from it, precisely hitting the door; this caused the five-colored flowing light to rapidly gyrate. Finally, with a few ear-splitting ¡°creaks¡±, the stone door slowly rose, revealing a black tunnel behind it. This tunnel was a few tens of feet high and was square in shape.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, the room with Earth Fire is just past this walled stone path. Let¡¯s head over there now!¡± said the ugly man to Han Li ingratiatingly as he squeezed out a few traces of a smile.


    ¡°En!¡± Han Li nodded his head without saying anything, then took the lead to walk into the tunnel.


    ¡°Although this dock stone cannot be considered a rare item, it is still not a very common material in this world. To be able to find so much at one time and then use it as bricks to construct the tunnel and the room, it was only after a few Martial Ancestors with great ability from previous generations had spent a great deal of effort that it was constructed. Due to dock stone¡¯s ability to resist high temperatures and the strange effects of refining using Earth Fire, no big accidents have occurred yet ever since this Earth Fire began to burn!¡± said the ugly man, showing off a little as he led the way.


    Han Li¡¯s interest was greatly aroused when he heard this; he couldn¡¯t help but touch the black stone wall off to the side and found that it was smooth and ice-cold!


    ¡°This dock stone, where is it produced? It can actually resist Earth Fire, which is thirty percent more powerful than true fire. It truly is something special,¡± Han Li expressed his approval, a rarity, and casually asked.


    ¡°This? I heard that although it isn¡¯t too rare of an item, our State of Yue really doesn¡¯t produce any of it; these were all obtained by the Martial Ancestors from a state extremely far to the west. It really was extremely troublesome!¡± explained the ugly man.


    Just like this, Han Li followed behind the ugly man. In the time it took to roll one¡¯s eyes they had passed the other two similarly large stone doors, finally walking out of the dock stone tunnel. They appeared within an extremely large, round-shaped lobby.


    This large lobby was similarly constructed of dock stone, but it was four or five hundred feet in diameter and was taller than a hundred feet; it was shockingly enormous! Evenly distributed white stone doors of identical size surrounded the huge lobby, roughly thirty of them in total.


    There were no traces of other humans in the large lobby, only Han Li and the ugly man, both of whom had just arrived.


    Han Li, after curiously sizing up the place, heard the ugly man say with a laugh:


    ¡°Underneath this large lobby is the location where the Earth Fire gathers and burns the brightest; thus, the sect opened up a total of thirty-six Earth Fire refining rooms here; the best rooms for refining pills are number eighteen and number nineteen.¡±


    ¡°However, number eighteen is already occupied by a Senior Martial Uncle, so Junior Martial Brother should use room number nineteen! Although it is somewhat worse than number eighteen, the flame intensity and stability are also extremely outstanding,¡± said the ugly man with a grin. As he spoke, he led Han Li in front of a door with ¡°nineteen¡± painted in gold on its surface,


    Hearing this, Han Li did not say anything and silently nodded his head, indicating his assent.


    The ugly man, seeing this, immediately pulled out a jade tablet and stuck it on the door, and the white stone door automatically opened. Then, the ugly man and Han Li entered this room.


    The room was square; its surface area was average, only eighty or ninety square feet in size; however, in the heart of the room was a round heap a few feet wide, and a fist-sized gourd was hanging from each of the four walls. A jade green meditation mat was also in a corner not too far away.


    The round heap was similarly made of dock stone and was extremely flat, only half a foot tall. However, eight lifelike, fire-red miniature dragon figures were inlaid at the edges of the round heap. In addition, the mouths of the dragons were slightly elevated, aimed at a location in the air above the heart of the round heap, and they assumed a very lifelike spitting position.


    After clearly seeing the circumstances inside of the room, Han Li felt quite astonished, but before he even opened his mouth to ask, the ugly man had already gotten close to the round heap and took the initiative to explain to Han Li.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, this is this room¡¯s Earth Fire opening; the Earth Fire needed to refine pills shoots out from these eight dragon bodies. In addition, one can adjust the intensity and height of the flames according to one¡¯s needs. The exact technique to control it is inscribed on the surface of the stone heap,¡± explained the ugly man, pointing at the round heap.


    However, he then pointed at the four gourds hanging on the walls and said:


    ¡°Within these gourds is spark sand, which can temporarily add to the intensity of the Earth Fire; if Junior Martial Brother feels that the Earth Fire¡¯s temperature is not high enough, you can use these to temporarily increase its intensity, but the duration will not be long. In addition, Junior Martial Brother should carefully put away this jade tablet. Once the door to the room closes, all contact with the outside world will be cut off. Unless numerous Core Formation cultivators put their strength together, nobody can enter from the outside, so Junior Martial Brother can be assured that there will be absolutely no one who will disturb you!¡±


    Hearing these words, Han Li began to rejoice quietly in his heart; this kind of a completely sealed off environment was just what he needed, and he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a few traces of delight.


    At this time, seeing that his explanations were good enough, the ugly man said goodbye and took his leave.


    Han Li, after watching the ugly man walk out of the room, immediately used the jade tablet and caused the stone door to seal shut. Then, he excitedly walked to the round heap and, after circling it many times, began to closely inspect those eight spitting dragons.


    In the past few years, Han Li had purposefully spent a huge amount of time researching techniques for refining pills, all for the sake of refining this Foundation Establishment Pill. Thus, he could not be considered a stranger to the Dao of Alchemy. He knew that whether or not refining a pill succeeded was related mainly to the control of the fire, as well as opening the furnace to retrieve the pill at the right timing.


    As for the composition of the ingredients and their quantities, after being put into practice countless times by former generations, they had already been clearly described on the recipe, so one did not have to consider it. Of course, appropriately increasing or decreasing the quantities needed to form a pill once was acceptable. As long as one followed the fixed scale, both increasing or decreasing the quantities of the ingredients was permitted.


    However, while it was easy to say, actually doing it would be extremely difficult!


    After accurately controlling the pill furnace¡¯s fire, one also had to grasp how to open the furnace at the right time. Who knew how many prospective alchemists these two great problems had confounded!


    Even the current, most well-known masters of alchemy could not help but admit that even if they were to personally attempt it, the success rate of forming a pill would still not be too high, only roughly a fifty-fifty chance of success, and this was for refining the pills they were the most proficient at. Thus, one did not even have to mention any regular alchemist!


    The success rate of refining a pill completely depended on whether or not the alchemist¡¯s experience was plentiful. The more an alchemist had refined a pill, the higher their odds of successfully refining a pill would be. Thus, both alchemists and talisman masters were neck-and-neck for the two most profitable careers in the cultivating world, and thus they were also the two most popular occupations.


    From his inquiries, he was actually clear about these things, and he knew that based on his novice self, wanting to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill at this moment was purely a dream. Thus, he had already planned out from the start to refine these Foundation Establishment Pills one by one!


    In this way, no matter how many times he failed, he would not feel too distressed about the loss of spiritual medicines. And the amount of spiritual medicines he had prepared was enough to refine more than a hundred pills; he trusted that this many ingredients would be sufficient for him to accumulate enough experience early on.


    Having made a decision, Han Li committed the method of how to use the dragons to memory. Then, he began to form the appropriate hand seals, and shot out eight streaks of red light towards the dragons in a row. The dragons immediately absorbed red light, and their mouths opened; a purple flame as thick as a chopstick spurted out from each of their mouths separately. Instantly, the high temperature of the flames began to diffuse throughout the air inside of the room, causing Han Li to be quietly shocked.


    Then, Han Li tried adjusting the thickness of the flame, as well as finely manipulating the height of the flames spurting from the dragons. When he could control them with ease, he extinguished the flames from the dragons. Next, he walked towards the prayer mat and sat down cross-legged, then began to restore his energy.


    Han Li sat for the greater half of a day; after feeling that his energy and physical strength had reached their optimal condition, he opened his eyes and stood up, preparing to begin refining the pills. Thankfully, Han Li¡¯s cultivation technique had luckily passed the tenth layer, allowing him to refrain from eating; thus, he did not need to eat.


    Now, Han Li fished out the silver threaded cauldron that he had bought that day from his storage pouch, then placed a floating technique onto it, causing it to stop in midair directly above the round heap. This magic technique was also one that he had specifically cultivated for today¡¯s task, and he had used up many days learning it.


    Han Li once again shot out red light towards the dragons, stimulating the release of the purple Earth Fire.


    Because ingredients had not been placed inside of the cauldron, Han Li controlled the fire and made it extremely thin, as thin as a silk thread. Then, he caused the silver threaded cauldron to begin to rotate in midair under the heating of the eight flames.


    After a quarter of an hour, the silver threaded cauldron was already blisteringly hot and emitted a shockingly high temperature.


    Seeing this, Han Li pointed at the small cauldron, causing its lid to immediately fly into the air, revealing the opening of the cauldron. He flipped his right hand, and a white jade bottle appeared in it; the bottle contained a precise quantity of fine spiritual medicine powder that he had prepared earlier.


    Controlling the small bottle, Han Li dumped the medicinal powder inside of the bottle completely into the silver threaded cauldron; then, he immediately tossed this bottle and retrieved another bottle from his storage pouch, continuing to repeat the same motion.


    Like this, Han Li completely dumped all of the ten spiritual medicine powders that he needed into the silver threaded cauldron, finally replacing the lid and covering it up again. The first step was finally completed, seemingly in a perfect manner, and no mistakes had occurred.

 Chapter 215

    Refining Pills and Foundation Establishment


    Under Han Li¡¯s manipulation, the purple fire that the eight dragons spat out became almost as thick as a finger. As the silver threaded cauldron¡¯s rotation speed slowed down, the flame¡¯s center started to faintly tremble.


    As time passed by, the small cauldron released a medicinal fragrance that could stir up a person¡¯s spirit. However, Han Li clearly understood that at this moment, he was still very far away from forming a pill; at the very least, he would need to use an even more intense flame and coagulate the pill in an instant. Only in this way would he be able to produce the pill.


    With this thought, the purple flame under Han Li¡¯s control became even more dazzling, becoming even as thick as a bowl, causing the entire silver threaded cauldron to be enclosed within the flames. From afar, the small cauldron had already become a massive fireball, and the medicinal fragrance became increasingly heavy.


    Han Li knew without guessing that this was the medicinal powder beginning to coagulate into a pill, and so he became increasingly careful.


    But right at that moment, a muffled explosion came from the cauldron; although its sound wasn¡¯t loud, it caused Han Li¡¯s heart to sink, and his expression was somewhat ugly.


    After hesitating for a moment, Han Li sighed and stopped the Earth Fire. Then, with a wave of his hand, he opened the lid of the scalding small cauldron and reached his head out to take a look.


    Within the cauldron were numerous chunks of light-blue solids that had split; it seemed like they were the waste products from the yet-to-coagulate pill!


    Han Li shook his head and retrieved another jade box, placing it on the ground. Then, he controlled the silver threaded cauldron and flipped it, dumping these waste pills into the box, then stowed them away. Even if these were waste pills, they were still composed of various spiritual medicinal powders that had yet to coagulate; Han Li could not bear to just throw them away like that. Who knew if in the future he would have any other uses for them!


    After completing all of this, Han Li went back to sitting on the prayer mat until the silver threaded cauldron had completely cooled down before starting to refine pills again.


    He performed the same procedure with the same powder ingredients and the same technique when controlling the flame, but unfortunately, each time he still failed on the coagulation step.


    This time, Han Li¡¯s face had no expression; when his condition had been properly adjusted, he silently began the next cycle¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­A month¡¯s time passed. The ugly man, seeing that Han Li had yet to come out of the Earth Fire room, felt very shocked. However, he was even more excited, because in this way he could charge even more fees.


    After two months, stone door number eighteen still did not open; apart from the elation in his heart, the ugly man also felt great astonishment.


    Three months¡­¡­


    After six months, Han Li still showed absolutely no indication of coming out. Now, the ugly man¡¯s joy had long since disappeared completely, leaving behind only an expression full of anxiety and a stomach that felt unsettled.


    Nearly half a year¡¯s time, with regards to pill or weapon refining, was not actually a very rare occurrence. The ugly man had seen even longer periods of seclusion numerous times!


    But the people who had spent that much time in the Earth Fire room were all at the very least disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage! It was truly his first time seeing a Qi Condensation disciple like Han Li spend so long inside there refining pills.


    In addition, Qi Condensation disciples could only hold out at most a month without eating; could this disciple of Martial Ancestor Li have brought in food and drink with him, allowing him to persevere for so long?! The ugly man thought with a doubtful expression.


    Inside of the Earth Fire room, Han Li sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, looking at the twenty or so vividly blue Foundation Establishment Pills floating in front of him, an expression of deep thought on his face.


    These pills were all the rewards that Han Li had received from spending countless amounts of his blood, sweat, and tears during this past half year. Obtaining them was truly difficult beyond comparison!


    Han Li had been unable to pass even the coagulation step for the first twenty or so refinements. Looking at each of the waste pills, his heart felt very pained. He had almost given up, deciding that after he had returned and learned the proper alchemy techniques from other alchemists, he would start refining Foundation Establishment Pills again. Although the amount of time he would waste would be incredibly long, it would be better than for him to vainly squander his spiritual medicines!


    However, before he was about to leave, he decided, perhaps by a stroke of divine inspiration, to open the cauldron and make another refinement. And this time, as if by the aid of the gods, the pill actually coagulated; in addition, when he opened the furnace to retrieve the pill, he was miraculously able to successfully retrieve it on his first try. Thus, he obtained his first Foundation Establishment Pill that he had created by his own hands.


    This Foundation Establishment Pill, apart from being slightly smaller, was exactly the same as the other three medicinal pills that he already had. This caused Han Li¡¯s spirit to be greatly stirred up!


    With this time¡¯s encouragement, Han Li gritted his teeth and dispelled the idea of returning; he calmed his heart and continued.


    Following this time¡¯s experience of success, Han Li¡¯s success rate in coagulating the pill immediately began to increase like crazy; within three refinements, he successfully coagulated the pill once. As for opening the furnace, Han Li had extraordinary innate skill; he successfully retrieved more than half of the medicinal pills from the furnace on his first try. This was something that Han Li had never expected could happen!


    During this period of time, when Han Li felt extremely hungry and thirsty, he would take out the bottle of fasting pills that he had received from the little old man and eat one; then, he would be able to persevere for another month! He had obtained this bottle of fasting pills by exchanging them for a few hundred-year-old herbal medicines! Today, they just so happened to come in handy.


    Like this, when the raw materials Han Li possessed were almost completely used up, he had obtained this batch with a frightening amount of Foundation Establishment pills; the number of medicinal pills in this batch greatly surpassed his initial expectations!


    Early on, when he had heard about the great difficulties of refining pills, he reckoned that it could be considered pretty good if he were to even obtain seven or eight of them! But today it seemed that it was not as excessively difficult to refine as he had heard from the cultivating world! Could those alchemists be misguiding other cultivators? Or was it that he truly had an innate talent for refining pills!


    Han Li felt perplexed!


    In reality, Han Li had thought too far to the left; the technique for refining pills was actually even more difficult than was spread around in the outside world. It would be impossible for one to groom an alchemist with average talent without twenty to thirty years of time and a nearly astronomical amount of money.


    And the Han Li of today, with respect to his skill in refining Foundation Establishment Pills, could already be considered part of the upper echelon when compared with other average alchemists! The reason why such an inconceivable phenomenon could occur was completely due to Han Li¡¯s nearly half a year of refining the same pill.


    One had to know that even the most rich and imposing sects would have no way of having an adequate supply of precious ingredients to allow an alchemist to refine the same pill for half of a year¡¯s time.


    This kind of thing was somewhat possible if one were to consider the lowest grade medicinal pills! However, if it were low-grade medicinal pills, what need was there for one to purposefully refine and accumulate experience? In any case, the ingredients were cheap, and if it was not refined successfully one could just start again.


    Han Li did not understand this, and so naturally he did not figure it out; however, after briefly mulling over it, he let it go. This was because he had suddenly had the idea of immediately swallowing the Foundation Establishment Pill and attempt to break through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck.


    This thought was extremely strong, causing Han Li to consider very seriously the possibility of undergoing closed-door cultivation in this Earth Fire room.


    ¡­¡­


    After eleven months, the stone door to the Earth Fire room that Han Li was in remained tightly shut with no sign of opening.


    On this day, the ugly man was numbly gazing at the nineteenth stone door with an anxious expression! He was certain that something had definitely occurred to Han Li inside. Otherwise, even Foundation Establishment cultivators should have already come out.


    He was not actually worried for Han Li as a person; rather, he was seriously afraid that Martial Ancestor Li would, after discovering his disciple¡¯s mishap, would take out his anger on him. In addition, although he was a close relative of Sect Leader Zhong, which was the reason why he could watch over this area, the ugly man was very clear that if Martial Ancestor Li really became angry over this, his supporter would definitely not get him out of this predicament.


    Just as the ugly man¡¯s stomach was filled with anxiety, the stone door in front of him suddenly flashed with a white light, then it opened soundlessly. Next, a person walked out, flushed with success; this was Han Li, who had been inside of the room for close to a year.


    The ugly man reacted after a long time and was instantly both surprised and happy; he hurriedly took a few steps forward with a mouthful of complaints:


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, why have you only come out now? If you hadn¡¯t come out, I would¡¯ve¡­ Yi! You¡­¡­!¡±


    The ugly man had just spoken a few sentences when his eyes suddenly became round, as if he had seen a ghost. He pointed at Han Li, his mouth open and his tongue tied; he was unable to say anything!


    ¡°What, is there something wrong with me?¡± Han Li asked with a slight smile, glancing at the light that suddenly flashed across the person¡¯s face.


    ¡°Your¡­¡­ your cultivation! Am I¡­¡­? Could¡­¡­ could you be in the Foundation Establishment stage?¡± The ugly man regained his focus after a long time and asked while stammering with a confused and alarmed expression.


    ¡°Yes! After I refined the pill, I felt that the environment here wasn¡¯t bad, so I swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill and underwent closed-door cultivation. In the end, I successfully broke through the bottleneck; now, I truly am a Foundation Establishment cultivator!¡± Upon hearing the other person ask in this way, Han Li declared proudly while stretching lazily.


    ¡°Reach Foundation Establishment here?¡±


    The ugly man glanced at the Earth Fire room behind Han Li, then glanced at Han Li, still unable to believe it! Undergoing Foundation Establishment inside of an Earth Fire room specifically for refining pills, this was truly his first time hearing of anything like this!


    However, after moving his lips a few time, he did not voice the questions that he had. Not only was the other person Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s disciple, simply based on his identity as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was already not someone that a Qi Condensation disciple like him could afford to provoke.


    ¡°What, is it not allowed?¡± Han Li casually glanced at the other person and asked impolitely. He immediately emitted the pressure that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could release. This caused the ugly man, who was very close to him, to instantly be forced many steps backwards, and he began to sweat profusely.


    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t; there are no such nonsensical rules from above. Congratulations to Martial Uncle on his great success during his seclusion!¡± The ugly man was actually very clever, immediately nodding his head and bending over at the waist, saying this while laughing with him. Even his previous way of addressing Han Li as ¡°Junior Martial Brother¡± was immediately changed to ¡°Martial Uncle¡±.


    Since the other person had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage today, he could be considered the ugly man¡¯s elder; to be somewhat more deferential was a necessity.


    The ugly man was able to adopt a very lighthearted perspective! He understood very thoroughly what the appropriate behavior should be towards those with greater power in the cultivating world!

 Chapter 216

    Medicinal Power.


    Chapter 216: Medicinal Power


    Seeing how careful the ugly man was, Han Li felt embarrassed from trying to find an opportunity from him. He had no better option than to revoke his original intention of teaching him a lesson. After all, apart from the ugly man¡¯s previous rudeness to him, he had made no other great offenses toward him!


    With this thought, Han Li expression relaxed as he insipidly said, ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing else, I will take my leave!¡±


    With that said, Han Li departed, light as a feather.


    For a very long moment, the ugly man looked at Han Li¡¯s departing figure and finally gave a long sigh. He then mumbled to himself, ¡°This is truly against reason! He hid himself inside the Earth Fire room and casually secluded himself, succeeding in Foundation Establishment. As for me. how could I, who found a quiet room and a great amount of supplementary medicine pills, not actually succeed! No wonder! Since this person has been accepted as Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s disciple, it seems his aptitude is certainly beyond normal!¡±


    The ugly man actually blamed Han Li¡¯s success on heavenly talent! If Han Li himself heard this, he would perhaps bitterly laugh without end!


    At this moment, Han Li had already left Yue Lu Hall. The two individuals guarding the transportation formation had already been exchanged with two others. Otherwise, if they saw Han Li suddenly reach Foundation Establishment from Qi Condensation, they would have likely been astonished.


    Han Li slow drove his flying magic tool through the sky without the slightest of worry as he thought back to his experience of entering Foundation Establishment.


    When Han Li had finished refining the Foundation Establishment Pills five months before, after some deliberation, he felt that undergoing Foundation Establishment in the Earth Fire room wasn¡¯t a bad idea. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about others suddenly intruding and interrupting his seclusion, forcing him to leave things half finished!


    Thus, with his mind made up, Han Li consumed one of his original three Foundation Establishment Pills and then began to make use of medicinal power spreading throughout his body!


    The power of the Foundation Establishment Pill flared very quickly. After several short hours, Han Li felt a small inferno roaring and steadily growing inside his Dantian. All the other parts of his body felt colder than ice. Altogether, he felt a completely distinct feeling of ice and fire!


    However, this feeling only continued for a short amount of time before the inferno in his Dantian disappeared without a trace. The rest of his body also returned to its normal temperature, causing Han Li to be a bit stunned!


    After a moment of bewilderment, Han Li complexion greatly changed as he placed his hands against his Dantian without letting go.


    Because at that time, a fierce pain similar to seven or eight daggers simultaneously ripping into him occurred. Not prepared for this in the slightest, Han Li became incomparably pale, slack-jawed, and beaded with sweat the size of soybeans while his entire body bent into a complete curl!


    While Han Li was painfully curled into a ball on the floor, he was raining curses in his heart. Why did the people who gave the pill to him never mention the pain that came after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill!


    But without even completing his curses, the sharp pain in his Dantian suddenly turned into an explosion.


    This explosion turned into countless threads of warmth, immediately flowing throughout his body¡¯s meridians and reaching even the marrow of his bones. But the warmth then turned into a strange, unbearable itch, as if there were countless ants crawling all over his body. This caused him to want to bang his head against the wall and slightly alleviate his suffering.


    This torment that nearly caused Han Li to go mad continued for the time it took to eat a meal before it gradually diminished. At this moment, Han Li was finally able to support himself against the corner of the wall and stand with much difficulty. Sweating profusely, he was completely covered in a layer of an indescribable gray substance. Furthermore, it was sticky and emitted an unspeakably strange odor.


    ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t care about this at all! What was on his mind was that his cultivation had progressed to the twelfth layer. Furthermore, he was comfortably warm from head to toe without the slightest of discomfort.


    It was very clear that the Foundation Establishment Pill from before had already improved his bodily structure, cleansing his marrow and replacing his tendons. As for the warmth in his body, it should be residual medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill. However, after he absorbed it, he used it to increase his magic power. This must be the reason why disciples seclude themselves for three months after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. Otherwise, this medicinal power would gradually fade away after time had passed.


    Han Li now started truly following the steps laid out by those in Foundation Establishment and sincerely sat down, absorbing the residual medicinal power.


    However, Han Li quickly discovered that the bits of residual medicinal power that remained in his body could only slightly deepen his magic power and could not again be used to improve his physique.


    If it were only one Foundation Establishment Pill, after cleansing the marrow and replacing the tendons, none would naturally let this good opportunity to increase one¡¯s magic power pass by, so they would seclude themselves for three months to thoroughly absorb the medicinal power. They naturally wouldn¡¯t easily abandon it.


    However, Han Li was not the same. He had great amounts of Foundation Establishment Pills on hand. These bits of residual medicinal power weren¡¯t enough to enter his eyes! What he was concerned with was improving his physique several times, eventually entering Foundation Establishment! After all, cleansing the marrow and replacing the tendons was the crucial point of breaking through Foundation Establishment.


    After sitting in meditation for over ten days, Han Li clearly understood this.  Naturally, he did not have the patience to wait several months before taking his second Foundation Establishment Pill.


    After some contemplation, he came to the conclusion that taking consecutive Foundation Establishment Pills shouldn¡¯t cause any large problems. At most, there should be an excess of residual medicinal power, but this was nothing. After pondering several more times, he took a second Foundation Establishment Pill without waiting any further.


    These was a similar pain and a similar tingling itch. Han Li, who was already prepared, still suffered greatly! However, Han Li had already felt this before, and the sensation seemed to feel slightly lesser than before. However, the impurities that were released from his body were not small. It seemed that his aptitude was truly terrible!


    After taking his second consecutive Foundation Establishment Pill, Han Li did not feel anything strange about the residual magic power in his body. Naturally, the warmth in his bones felt slightly stronger. There weren¡¯t any problems at all! Furthermore, his magic power had leaped to the thirteenth layer, the peak of Qi Condensation.


    As such, Han Li started organizing his thoughts. He shouldn¡¯t take the Foundation Establishment Pills one after another. Each medicine pill had a similar effect of cleansing one¡¯s marrow, further releasing more impurities inside Han Li¡¯s body!


    However, when he took the third pill, Han Li clearly felt the Foundation Establishment Pill¡¯s marrow cleansing effect decrease noticeably, discharging less and less impurities. But at the same time, the true essence and magic power within his body underwent a fantastic change.


    The original condition of his true essence, after undergoing several Foundation Establishment Pill, had gradually consolidated, changing further into liquid. After his seventh Foundation Establishment Pill, apart from a small area at the core of his Dantian, his true essence had turned completely into liquid.


    However, after taking the seventh Foundation Establishment Pill, the residual magic power in Han Li¡¯s body approached saturation. The original feeling of warmth throughout his body had now turned into a scorching heat, causing Han Li to hesitate!


    He truly did not know if whether or not chaos would stem from the great amount of medicinal power released once he took the eighth Foundation Establishment, ! But Han Li felt that he was truly close to reaching Foundation Establishment. It was perhaps only one or two pills away!


    After slight contemplation, Han Li¡¯s thirst for Foundation Establishment won over, and he took his eighth Foundation Establishment Pill.


    However, when this medicine pill entered his belly, the residual medicinal power that he was barely able to control cried out, suddenly exploding. This heated up the meridians throughout Han Li body, causing his consciousness to become faint!


    However, when Han Li woke from his scalding body, he discovered a pleasant surprise. While he was unconscious, he actually succeeded in breaking through, already entering Foundation Establishment.


    Exhilarated, Han Li immediately thought of jumping into the air to release his excitement! But when he straightened his back, his entire body heated up and he once again fell to the floor, causing him to become greatly scared!


    Although he had entered Foundation Establishment, the residual medicinal power of the eighth pill was not eased in the slightest and still flowed throughout his body. It was still very much dangerous!


    Under his current circumstances, he immediately cultivated and absorbed his medicinal power. Otherwise, it could explode once again at any time.


    Although Han Li clearly understood the method of resolving this crisis, he was still incessantly grumbling inwardly, without the slightest of happiness.


    Apart from the ¡¶Azure Essence Sword Art¡· Han Li had on hand, what other Foundation Establishment cultivation method did Han Li have?! With just a look at his newly accepted master and how negligently he treated him, one could tell how crappy this cultivation technique was!


    Furthermore, Han Li had already flipped through the book several times and made a few inquiries to others.


    This sword art was truly common. Nearly all the Foundation Establishment disciples of Yellow Maple Valley had refined two or three layers. However, none continued to cultivate deeper than three layers. Han Li didn¡¯t clearly ask about the specific reason but the worthlessness of this sword art could be clearly seen!


    Under these circumstances, although Han Li did not want to cultivate it, he could only force himself to.


    With no better option, he took out the ¡¶Azure Essence Sword Arts¡·and spread it out in front of him. Then he sat cross legged and cultivated in accordance to the book.


    This Azure Essence Sword Art spanned through nine layers. The first three layers could be cultivated by Qi Condensation disciples. The middle three layers and last three layers could only be cultivated by Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators. Furthermore, for every three layers cultivated, one could use a divine ability exclusive to that sword art.


    After cultivation the first three layers, without using a magic tool, one could use a single palm to release a sword streak about three meters long. Its power wasn¡¯t bad, capable of contending against high-grade magic tools!


    After cultivating the middle three layers, one could release a protective sword shield on one¡¯s body in an instant. Although its defensive power was about the same as an elementary mid-grade defensive talisman, it could counterattack with a sword streak. When the sword shield received an attack, a sword streak would automatically be released to counterattack.


    As for the last three layers¡­

 Chapter 217

    Sword Art.


    Chapter 217: Sword Art


    As for the divine ability upon completion of the last three layers of the sword art, it was the ¡°Sword Shadow Splitting Light¡± technique; the prerequisite to cultivating it was the possession of a flying sword magic treasure. Of course, flying sabers were also acceptable.


    After completely cultivating it, when using this  divine ability to deal with enemies, one could borrow the sword light from the flying sword to create an illusion of a sword shadow completely identical to the flying sword. This could interfere with the enemy¡¯s line of sight and attack the enemy along with the original sword. Although the sword shadow¡¯s initial formation had only ten percent of the strength of the original sword, as one increased the sword art¡¯s layer, its strength could increase. When it reached the ninth layer, it would have reached one-third of the original sword¡¯s strength.


    In addition, when cultivating the sword shadow, one could produce not just one illusion; from the seventh layer onwards, every additional layer one reached would allow one to produce an additional sword shadow. In this way, once one reached the pinnacle of the Azure Essence Sword Art, one could have three shadows that appeared to be identical to the original sword, yet only had one-third of its strength.


    Thus, this ¡°Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique¡¯s¡± divine ability seemed to be not too bad, and he could still cultivate it.


    But Han Li already knew that there definitely must be something fishy about this! Even though Yellow Maple Valley had so many Foundation Establishment cultivators, nobody had taken the time to deeply cultivate this technique. Thus, he deeply regretted not listening clearly back then to reason behind the sword art¡¯s lack of popularity, only believing that he definitely would not cultivate this Azure Essence Sword Art. Thus, he had casually and carelessly passed over it.


    Now, although Han Li clearly knew that this magic technique had a great problem, he couldn¡¯t help but to summon his courage and cultivate it at least once; he could only hope that this technique would not have any kind of consequence that would cause him to become obsessed.


    However, after thinking closely about it, although other people had not deeply cultivated it, they still succeeded with two or three layers. In this way, it seemed like there shouldn¡¯t be a big problem with cultivating it a little bit.


    Holding onto these self-assuring thoughts Han Li helplessly took in the medicinal strength about to flare up within his body according to the method of the Azure Essence Sword Art.


    Han Li had only rotated his cultivation technique once before feeling a sudden rumble. The feeling that he got when his absorption of the medicinal power caused his magic strength to rise greatly almost made him cry out in happiness!


    Immersed in this kind of marvelous feeling, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but allow the magic technique to rotate one time after another, as his consciousness slowly slunk off to a faraway place.


    After sitting there for an unknown length of time and having cleaned out the last bits of medicinal strength in his body, Han Li finally regained consciousness from his wonderful experience.


    The now-sober Han Li stared somewhat sluggishly for a moment, but immediately afterwards he stood up without saying anything. Then, he squinted his eyes and tilted his head, thinking for a moment. He suddenly raised his arm and gestured in front of his body, and an azure, misty sword streak a few feet long instantly shot out of his finger. Its chilly aura was incredibly threatening, and it appeared to be incomparably sharp.


    Seeing this cold light, Han Li actually did not feel happy; instead, he began to laugh bitterly! Then, with a sudden shake of his hand, the azure light actually expanded ferociously, in an instant becoming roughly ten feet long, almost piercing the rock wall on the other side.


    ¡°Dammit! I didn¡¯t expect that the remaining medicinal power would be so strong; I actually cultivated to the fourth layer of the sword art in an instant! Who knows if there will be any big side effects!¡± Han Li whispered to himself with a cloudy and uncertain expression on his face.


    ¡°No matter, at most I just won¡¯t cultivate this sword art in the future anymore!¡± Han Li muttered, then let his arm fall. The azure-colored sword streak completely disappeared.


    However, Han Li¡¯s curiosity had been greatly piqued, and he still picked up the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡± manual, and flipped through the sections related to using the sword as a shield to protect the body, committing them to memory.


    Then, Han Li lowered his head and contemplated in silence, closing his eyes. Immediately afterwards, he abruptly opened his eyes, and a strange shield appeared around his body.


    This azure-colored shield was very similar in size to other defensive items, but its outer appearance was not the usual smooth shape; instead, it appeared to be like a porcupine, with sharp streaks protruding from it. In addition, it seemed to be emitting faint traces of some kind of evil spirit.


    ¡°This is the protective sword shield?¡± Han Li carefully inspected the spiked shield in front of him with a certain amount of astonishment.


    ¡°The sword manual says this shield can autonomously send out sword streaks and counterattack opponents. What a pity that I have no way to test it out right now!¡± Han Li thought regretfully.


    Next, Han Li moved his hands and feet, then closely inspected the true essence inside of his body; after discovering that there truly did not seem to be anything wrong, he relaxed and carefully put away his possessions, leaving the Earth Fire room. Then, he just so happened to directly run into the ugly man!


    When he thought of the ugly man¡¯s shocked expression towards him, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but laugh in his heart in midair.


    At this time, the sky was growing lighter, and Han Li returned to the Hundred Medicine Garden; he didn¡¯t run into a single person the entire time.


    Back then, when he had used the excuse of finding a location to undergo closed-door Foundation Establishment cultivation, the medicine garden naturally returned to the hands of the little old man. This caused him to feel extremely unhappy, and he had spent much time blowing his beard and staring.


    When Han Li entered the garden, the little old man was absorbing the Spiritual Qi from his surroundings with his eyes closed in front of his cottage. Although he did not open his eyes, he still accurately yelled out Han Li¡¯s name. This was unsurprising, considering that due to the restrictions on the Hundred Medicine Garden, apart from the little old man, only Han Li could enter or leave as he pleased.


    However, right when this Senior Martial Uncle Ma had called out Han Li¡¯s name, he suddenly felt something and abruptly opened his eyes, staring at Han Li in disbelief.


    ¡°You actually successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage?¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Uncle Ma, this disciple truly luckily entered the Foundation Establishment stage!¡± Han Li bowed in greeting courteously and said with a gentle laugh.


    Although the little old man stared blankly with shock for some time, he slowly returned to normal. However, he still muttered to himself:


    ¡°This is too unbelievable! He actually entered the Foundation Establishment stage!¡±


    After he murmured these two sentences, he suddenly corrected his expression and said with respect:


    ¡°Since we are both Foundation Establishment cultivators right now, you don¡¯t need to bring up the three words ¡®Senior Martial Uncle¡¯ anymore; from today onwards, we should refer to each other as Martial Brothers! Since I am somewhat older, if Junior Martial Brother does not despise it, you can just call me Senior Martial Brother Ma!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Han Li nodded with a smile and did not oppose it. This kind of determining seniority based upon one¡¯s realm was a tradition of the cultivating world; this was nothing to be modest about!


    Following, the little old man, who was also Han Li¡¯s Senior Martial Brother Ma, entered the room together with Han Li. Then, they each sat down at a table and began to steep a pot of good tea.


    They had not been sitting for long when the little old man impatiently asked about how Han Li had reached the Foundation Establishment stage.


    Han Li naturally would not tell the other person the real circumstances; however, he did not hide that he achieved Foundation Establishment in the Earth Fire room, obediently revealing it to the other person. This was because if the other person investigated even a little, he would be able to easily discover this matter.


    He only said that he had rented an Earth Fire room from Yue Lu Hall, then swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill that the sect had given him and cultivated behind closed doors for near a year; he did not know how, but somehow he luckily succeeded.


    As he listened raptly to what Han Li said, the little old man clicked his tongue ¡°zeze¡± incessantly, calling the situation strange.


    When he had heard the story that Han Li had told him, he blinked his eyes and said to him:


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han! From what you said, your experience of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is not too different from other people! Even you could reach Foundation Establishment with this kind of a natural ability; all I can say is that Junior Martial Brother was extremely lucky. Even a success rate of one percent is enough for you!¡± In the past few years, the little old man had become very familiar with Han Li, so when he spoke he was very direct and did not conceal his envy towards Han Li. In fact, even a jealous expression was emerging from his face.


    ¡°Hehe! This can only mean that I, Junior Martial Brother, am extremely lucky; I also did not expect that I could enter the Foundation Establishment Stage so easily!¡± Han Li laughed and said with a grin.


    ¡°However, since Junior Martial Brother Han has successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage, you have to let the sect head know so that Sect Master Zhong can record your name down on the books! In this way, Junior Martial Brother will be treated according to how high-level disciples are treated, and the amount of spirit stones one receives after reaching Foundation Establishment is not trivial!¡± said the little old man in a joking manner.


    ¡°Much thanks to Senior Martial Brother¡¯s pointers!¡± When Han Li heard this, his expression changed, and he said this sincerely.


    ¡°This can¡¯t count for much! No matter how you see it, we have known each other for so many years; the things that I should remind you of, I will do my best to tell you,¡± said the little old man casually, waving his hand.


    ¡°In reality, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the best benefit that the sect gives is still allowing Foundation Establishment disciples to pick at will a location in the Tai Yue Mountain Range. There, one can create their own cave and undergo isolated cultivation! Furthermore¡­¡±


    Following, the little old man explained to Han Li in detail many things that one should pay attention to upon entering the Foundation Establishment stage, causing Han Li to nod his head continuously as he listened.


    But when the other person had finished explaining these things and was leisurely conversing with Han Li, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask him about the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡±.


    ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art!¡± A surprised expression flashed across the little old man¡¯s face!


    But after he had deeply glanced at Han Li, he didn¡¯t question him further. He thought for a while and then opened his mouth:


    ¡°This Azure Essence Sword Art, I truly have heard others talk about it, and a few have actually cultivated it to the third layer. This sword art is not actually a technique from our Yellow Maple Valley; instead, it is a technique from a sect that we had extinguished many years ago called the Profound Sword Sect. In addition, it originally was not nine layers, but rather thirteen. Reportedly, when the Profound Sword Sect¡¯s Sect Master saw that his sect was about to be extinguished, he wanted to destroy the sword art right then and there, but a few of the Martial Ancestors from our sect were not slow in making a movement, forcefully seizing half of the technique. The remaining half was destroyed and lost forever. Thus, the version of the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡± being circulated is only a fraction of the whole! At most, one can cultivate it to the Core Formation stage before there is simply no way to continue cultivating it. From hearsay, the complete sword art could be cultivated even up to Deity Transformation stage, but who knows if that is true or not?¡±


    The little old man spoke up to here while waggling his head, then reached his hand out and picked up the teacup in front of him to take a drink. Then, he continued to say:


    ¡°Although the Azure Essence Sword Art, missing its later stages, is somewhat inferior when compared to other first-rate cultivation techniques, its strength is truly still not bad! The instantaneous characteristics of the sword streak and protective sword shield are even more sought after by a significant number of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Thus, if it was so easy to cultivate it, a significant number of people all over the sect would be willing to cultivate it as their main technique! After all, the techniques of the Nascent Soul stage are too far away from us, and we would have no way of using them.¡±

 Chapter 218

    Pros and Cons.


    Chapter 218: Pros and Cons


    When Senior Martial Brother Ma spoke up to here, he stopped for a moment. An expression of regret surfaced on his face, and he continued to say:


    ¡°Unfortunately, after one cultivates this sword art to a deep layer, there is an intolerable flaw. Starting from the fourth layer, when using the Azure Essence Sword Art to absorb Spiritual Qi from the environment, every few days the strange phenomenon of one¡¯s cultivation scattering will occur. A small portion of the magic power that one gained from cultivating this magic art will bafflingly dissipate on its own a few days later. This has truly stumped many people!¡±


    ¡°The speed of loss at the fourth layer of this sword art is not too frightening; only one tenth of the newly cultivated magic power will dissipate. If one were to spend even a little effort, common cultivators would still be able to make up for it! But if one steps into the fifth or sixth layer, the rate of loss of spiritual power would be frightening; an additional loss of one tenth is added on every layer, causing one¡¯s bitterly cultivated magic power to continue to greatly dissipate. That is also to say, twenty percent of newly cultivated magic power will be lost at the fifth layer of the sword art, and thirty percent at the sixth layer. In this way, who would still dare to cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art?¡±


    ¡°In addition, the highest layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art that our sect¡¯s disciples used to cultivate was the sixth layer. Above the sixth layer requires that one must be at the Core Formation stage to cultivate it; however, when this kind of cultivation technique reached the sixth layer, one would already lose close to a third of one¡¯s spiritual power. How could these experts still dare to take this incredible risk! If at the seventh layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art one still continued to lose a huge amount of spiritual power, wouldn¡¯t these experts be incredibly wronged?!¡±


    ¡°One has to know that progressing one layer in a Core Formation stage cultivation technique is much harder! This Azure Essence Sword Art is already incomparably difficult to cultivate; nobody would be willing to waste ten or so years or even decades to take this incredibly stupid risk. Even more, this Azure Essence Sword Art is fragmented and incomplete, and it isn¡¯t some kind of divine technique! There simply isn¡¯t enough motivation for them to take this risk.¡±


    ¡°However, this sword art¡¯s sword streak divine ability is truly very practical; simply giving up on it like this is somewhat of a pity. Thus, some people will only cultivate the first three layers of the Azure Essence Sword Art, and it has since become a very successful supporting technique. Thus, one doesn¡¯t need to worry about losing one¡¯s cultivation and can still continue to use the sword streak divine ability. Of course, even if one only cultivated the sword streak divine ability, it would require these disciples to spend four to five years of solitary cultivation to achieve it.¡±


    After hearing the little old man¡¯s lengthy explanation, Han Li could only stare with his mouth open. When he finally regained consciousness, he only felt a bad taste in his stomach!


    It couldn¡¯t be! He had already cultivated to the fourth layer of the sword art! According to what the little old man said, if in the future he wanted to continued cultivating the Azure Essence Sword Art, a tenth of the magic power he cultivated would dissipate for no reason. In addition, the deeper the layers, the more the loss of magic power would accumulate!


    How could he continue to cultivate like this?


    However, since everything had become very clear, no matter what he would not behave foolishly and continue to cultivate. Cultivation of the Azure Essence Sword Art would end here.


    Han Li had not made this decision for long before the little old man¡¯s next words moved Han Li¡¯s heart again, and he felt that there was something off!


    ¡°Although the Azure Essence Sword Art has such a great drawback, it still has its own unique characteristics. Otherwise, it would not have become the signature technique of a sect back then,¡± the little old man suddenly remarked with some regret as he pressed his lips together.


    ¡°I once heard someone say that although cultivating this sword art is extremely slow, every time one successfully cultivates a layer, one may enlarge their meridians and have profound, wonderful effects on the Dantian. This causes the magic power of cultivators that have cultivated this sword art to be somewhat more profound than that of a cultivator of the same level.¡±


    ¡°But exactly how much more profound can it be? This depends on how many layers of the sword art one has cultivated.¡±


    ¡°But based on records from before, the only disciple that cultivated this Azure Essence Sword Art to the sixth layer, when he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, had magic power roughly a third greater than that of other cultivators in his level. This extra magic power was exactly the same amount as the magic power that he had lost while cultivating the Azure Essence Sword Art. This kind of coincidence must be mentioned; this sword art is truly somewhat profound!¡±


    The little old man had seemingly studied this Azure Essence Sword Art quite a bit, and the more he spoke, the more his spirits were lifted up. Afterwards, spittle was even flying from his mouth, and he was very animated! This caused Han Li to hurriedly bring up some other matters, forcibly changing the subject from the Azure Essence Sword Art. Only then did Senior Martial Brother Ma return to normal.


    To Han Li, even if this sword art had any other marvelous characteristic, he still would not cultivate it.


    His aptitude originally was already not good; there must be something wrong with his brain if he intentionally cultivated this extremely slow, incomplete magic technique unless he did not want to reach Core Formation!


    Even with those common cultivation techniques, Han Li reckoned that if he were to discover a few medicinal recipes, there was still somewhat of a possibility of him reaching Core Formation!


    Han Li chatted with the little old man for a while longer before taking his leave.


    Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he naturally could no longer watch over the medicine garden for the other person; thus, he returned to the cottage that he normally lived in. After a little bit of cleaning up, he swiftly headed towards it.


    At the time, the sky was very bright, making it the perfect opportunity for him to go to the official hall and take care of business.


    The excitement in Han Li¡¯s heart had yet to retreat completely, since he had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. His only thought was that he would take care of his business, then immediately open up a cave for himself!


    Han Li had looked forward to this for a long time! After all, once he had his own patch of ground, he wouldn¡¯t need to be stealthy anymore no matter what he did, and he could do whatever he wanted in his own area.


    The more Han Li thought about it, the more excited got; in no time, he had unconsciously arrived at the council hall.


    The two young disciples guarding the big door obviously didn¡¯t recognize Han Li; however, they had clearly seen with a glance Han Li¡¯s identity as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Thus, they naturally did not dare to delay Han Li just because he was young!


    The two people stepped forwards simultaneously and immediately bowed to Han Li, showing their respect:


    ¡°This Martial Uncle, is there something that you need us to help you with?¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he thought it was somewhat funny. If he had met these two people a year ago, perhaps he would even have to call them Senior Martial Brother! Today, his status had greatly increased because he had reached Foundation Establishment, and he immediately became their senior! Han Li felt that he was not used to it.


    However, seeing these people, whose ages were similar to his, greet him with such respect, he felt pretty good!


    ¡°Is Sect Master Zhong here? I have something I need to discuss with him!¡± Han Li said arrogantly.


    These two Qi Condensation disciples couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other after hearing Han Li say this. The person on the right then replied, ¡°Sect Master has gone to the Hundred Opportunities Hall to take care of business, but he should be back quickly! How about Martial Uncle wait for a moment in the pavilion hall?


    Han Li slightly knitted his eyebrows, but immediately returned to normal and said carelessly:


    ¡°Okay! Since it¡¯s like this, I will just wait for a bit!¡±


    ¡°Great! Martial Uncle, this way, please!¡±


    The other person was also very clever, and he took two steps backwards, then led Han Li there.


    Following this person, Han Li passed through the large lobby and was brought to a slightly larger room in the hall. Not only was this room extremely clean and tidy, a few pen and ink drawings were hung on the four walls, creating an elegant, scholarly atmosphere.


    ¡°Martial Uncle can wait first here for a moment; when the Sect Master returns, this disciple will immediately report to him!¡± The youth skillfully poured a pot of fragrant tea for Han Li, then retreated.


    Han Li nodded his head as he watched the youth¡¯s retreating figure, but then shook his head!


    He first nodded because he felt that whether it was this youth¡¯s eyes or his bearing, both caused


    Han Li to feel great satisfaction; it was as if he had no flaws, and that he had undergone a special training to get this kind of a face!


    But when he shook his head, it was because he felt grieved for these low-level disciples!


    For a cultivator to be forced to behave like a common servant instead of undergoing closed-door cultivation, taking turns watching the door and pouring tea, it truly was highly regretful!


    Thinking about it now, if he hadn¡¯t used a Foundation Establishment Pill to buy out Elder Ye, perhaps his circumstances would not be much better than this person. He would similarly be required to bow and serve them cups of tea; perhaps he would be even more restricted!


    Just as Han Li was sitting in the room, tasting the fragrant tea as many thoughts raced in his heart, Sect Master Zhong returned after a brief period.


    When he heard from his manservant disciple that a young Foundation Establishment cultivator was looking for him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished. This was because he could not remember this person based on the description given to him by manservant disciple; out of the hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples, he had not found a person similar to this.


    ¡°Twenty-five or twenty-six years old with somewhat dark skin and a plain appearance¡­who could this be?¡± Zhong Lingdao was thirty percent surprised and twenty percent curious, so he hurriedly walked towards the guest lobby where Han Li was at.


    When he entered the room, he saw a youth with an average appearance wearing a Yellow Maple Valley uniform, gazing at a flowery painting on a wall with his back towards the Sect Master. He was currently staring at it with great interest!


    However, apparently the movements Sect Master Zhong made when he entered the room had been heard by the other person. Thus, this person immediately turned around, and greeted him with a bow:


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sect Master! Junior Martial Brother Han Li has come to see Sect Master!¡±


    ¡°Han Li?¡±


    When Sect Master Zhong heard this name, he felt that it was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it before! But when he carefully looked at the other person, apart from having a somewhat familiar face, he did not remember exactly who this person was. This caused him to feel somewhat ashamed in his heart, and a trace of awkwardness was revealed on his face.


    ¡°Han¡­¡­ Junior Martial Brother Han, please sit; no need to be polite! Senior Martial Brother, as the Sect Master, has been busy with business and arrived a little late. Junior Martial Brother, please don¡¯t take offense!¡±


    Zhong Lingdao was a sly old fox who had seen many big winds and waves; with a few careless, ambiguous sentences, he had easily dissolved the awkward mood that he created by not recognizing the other individual.


    (TL: ¡°winds and waves¡± ¨C a lot of hard experiences)


    Han Li was not actually shocked that Sect Master Zhong could not recognize him!


    One had to know that the last time Han Li had seen this person was five years ago. At that time, he was only a low-quality and low-aptitude Qi Condensation disciple. Thus, Sect Master Zhong naturally would not put him in his heart, let alone have any kind of deep impression of him.


    If the other person was actually able to recognize him on sight, Han Li would feel greatly shocked!

 Chapter 219

    Discussions.


    Chapter 219: Discussions


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sect Master, Junior Martial Brother was able to cultivate to Foundation Establishment by a fluke, thus he has come to Sect Master to inform him of this matter. I hope Sect Master could award me the privilege of establishing an Immortal¡¯s cave.¡± Han Li was not long winded, directly stating his purpose in coming.


    ¡°You¡¯ve just cultivated to Foundation Establishment?¡± Zhong Lingdao first stared blankly before soon coming to realization.


    To receive a Foundation Establishment Pill then waiting until the most opportune moment before consuming and succeeding in Foundation Establishment was not a rare matter! This Sect Master Zhong considered Han Li to be one of those cases.


    ¡°Hehe, congratulations to Junior Martial Brother Han on entering Foundation Establishment! The sect¡¯s high-level disciples has increased by one. This is truly a matter worth celebrating!¡± Zhong Lingdao said with a faint smile as he twirled his long whiskers.


    ¡°This one was only lucky. This was thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the sect!¡± Han Li replied, gleaming with radiance.


    After Zhong Lingdao heard Han Li¡¯s courteous words, he carefully sized up Han Li. At this moment, he felt Han Li was becoming more and more familiar. He must¡¯ve seen him before. But after a moment of thought, he could not remember when or where.


    As such, Zhong Lingdao could not help but nod his head and muttered to himself, bitterly entering deep thought.


    As Han Li saw this, he found this very funny and did not bother him. Minding his own business, he raised the teacup and slowly tasted the tea within.


    After a short moment, with a flash of realization, Zhong Lingdao actually thought of the matter of the Writ of Immortal Ascension. He could not help but connect the youngster who originally stood in the main hall to the calm Junior Martial Brother before him.


    Zhong Lingdao, having recalled Han Li¡¯s circumstances, could not help but sharply raise his head. He cried out with a face full of surprise, ¡°It¡¯s you, the disciple who entered the sect with the Writ of Immortal Ascension! You actually succeeded in Foundation Establishment?¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Sect Master actually remembers me! My matter of being able to enter the sect was truly thanks to Sect Master¡¯s assistance!¡± When Han Li saw that the sect master had remembered him, he did not panic and instead lightly smiled toward Zhong Lingdao, expressing his thanks.


    Having heard the words ¡®Senior Martial Brother Sect Master¡¯, Zhong Lingdao realized this was no longer the rogue cultivator who originally entered the sect but a Foundation Establishment Cultivator such as himself! Thus, after a brief expression of astonishment, he resumed his calm expression and mildly remarked, ¡°It was nothing. This sect master has handled affairs in accordance to the rules for many years! However, Junior Martial Brother Han was actually able to cultivation to Foundation Establishment with false spiritual roots. It is inconceivable! It this were to spread, Junior Martial Brother would be immediately known throughout the cultivation world!¡±


    Although Zhong Qingdao external appearance seemed to have returned to normal, his words revealed the astonishment in his heart.


    This was no surprise, as Sect Master Zhong clearly understood Han Li¡¯s original circumstances. A person with four attribute spiritual roots being able to attain Foundation Establishment was truly hard for him to accept.


    Han Li saw this and smiled. With a half-joking tone, he said, ¡°This one did not expect when he took the Foundation Establishment Pill, he would actually reach Foundation Establishment. The only explanation is that I was assisted by the Heavens, which saw a fool like me and gave me outrageous luck!¡±


    When Han Li said this, he actually made the other party laugh!


    ¡°But Junior Martial Brother Han, wasn¡¯t your Foundation Establishment Pill given to Junior Martial Disciple Ye¡¯s grandnephew? How did you obtain another Foundation Establishment Pill?¡± Right after Sect Master Zhong chuckled, he had seconds thoughts on something he didn¡¯t understand and asked.


    ¡°Hehe! Senior Martial Brother Sect Master, didn¡¯t you give me a Foundation Establishment Pill?¡± Laughing in his heard, Han Li responded to this with chuckle.


    ¡°Me?¡± Zhong Lingdao responded, puzzled. How could he possibly not have any memory of this?


    ¡°Could it be that Sect Master has already forgotten? Among the several people who returned alive from the forbidden area, there were three who were awarded a Foundation Establishment Pill. I was one of those people!¡± Han Li eventually said after putting away his smile.


    ¡°You are the in-name disciple accepted by Martial Ancestor Li?¡± Zhong Lingdao grew excited, longer able to keep his calm appearance,


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I am the disciple that Master Li Huayuan accepted on the trip from the forbidden area!¡± Han Li did not deny, directly acknowledging this.


    ¡°So it was like that. So that was why the name ¡®Han Li¡¯ sounded so familiar. So it turned out that two years ago, the name of the disciple that everyone was bubbling about belonged to Junior Martial Brother!¡± Zhong Lingdao¡¯s eyes expressed even more astonishment as he spoke with a slightly more genial tone.


    Zhong Lingdao¡¯s intentions were clear. Since Han Li had already reached Foundation Establishment, becoming Martial Ancestor Li¡¯s official disciple was practically already determined. He naturally did not want to arouse any contempt from Han LI. He inwardly thought to himself, ¡®Since it was like this, this Junior Martial Brother Han must¡¯ve reached Foundation Establishment by a complete fluke. Otherwise with his aptitude, Foundation Establishment absolutely wouldn¡¯t be possible even out of a hundred times!¡±


    Although Zhong Lingdao truly felt uneasy, he naturally spoke to Han Li with a few courteous words. Then he had Han Li wait a short moment before going to fetch a register.


    Han Li naturally agreed and waited for his return.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Zhong Lingdao walked out with a white jade slip. Then in front of Han Li, he used a golden brush to write Han Li¡¯s name at the very bottom of the densely written list of names. He was finally put into the record!


    When Han Li saw this, he grew delighted. He knew that he could now properly have his own Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Zhong Lingdao regularly conducted various matters for new Foundation Establishment disciples. When he saw Han Li¡¯s smiling face, he could somewhat guess what Han Li was thinking. Thus after a faint smile, he took out three mid-grade spirit stones and five small and thin flags that were shrouded in white mist, handing them over to Han Li.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Han Li could somewhat understand being given mid-grade spirit stones. This was the award for the sect¡¯s Foundation Establishment disciples! But whatever were these five palm-sized flags? There seemed to have Spiritual Qi and felt strange to the touch. It seemed as if they weren¡¯t ordinary magic tools, how strange!


    Without waiting for Han Li to ask,  Zhong Lingdao held out his hand, handing over a jade slip to Han Li. He then explained, ¡°These spirit stones are a one time reward that is given to all new Foundation Establishment disciples. Every year from now on, you will receive a mid-grade spirit stone without having to do any menial labor!¡±


    ¡°As for these several trace bewildering flags, they are an essential item for establishing your Immortal¡¯s cave. Although they are used to arrange a trace bewildering magic formation, it is the most simple of small scale formation spells. However, it is enough to prevent mortal people and animals from trespassing. Naturally, if Junior Martial Brother is proficient in formation spells, he will not need to use these small flags. Furthermore, the jade slip contains formation establishing arts and controlling techniques. Naturally, a few other matters a Foundation Establishment disciple should be aware of are included within. After Junior Martial Brother leaves, please take a look at them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Senior Martial Brother Sect Master!¡± Han Li accepted the jade slip with both hands and expressed his thanks continuously.


    These items were what Han Li currently required the most, hence he was unable to contain his joy!


    After these matters were finished, Han Li chatted with Sect Master Zhong for the time it took an incense stick to burn before taking his leave and departing from the main hall.


    After departing the stone hall, Han Li thought to fly out of Yellow Maple Valley and look for a place to establish his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    On his way, however, he looked through the jade slip that Zhong Lingdao had given him and immediately changed his mind. He then turned his flying magic tool to a different area.


    ¡°Qilin Pavilion¡± A rather grand and resounding name. It was one of Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s most important locations!


    That was because it was the sect¡¯s specialized area for raising and taming spirit beasts.


    ¡°Spirit beasts¡± were actually demonic beasts. After these demonic beasts were tamed by cultivators, they would naturally be called spirit beasts!


    This Qilin Pavilion¡¯s spirit beasts were mostly of grade one. Although there were a few individual grade two spirit beasts, they were left there by others and could not be ordered at will.


    However, although there were only grade one spirit beasts, they provided numerous convenient services to the sect¡¯s many disciples. For example, transporting people, guarding households, seeking spiritual medicines, aiding in attacking enemies and so on. Han Li had charged over there asking for a spirit beast by the name of ¡°Twin Pupil Mouse¡±.


    It resembled a common mouse, but it had the innate divine eyes of a spirit beast. This was what Zhong Lingdao¡¯s jade slip had recommended he use as an assistant for finding the optimal place to establish his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    This intermediate grade one spirit beast¡¯s twin pupils were able to easily see through dense fog, rivers, trees and other obstacles hindering a cultivator¡¯s line of sight. Furthermore, it was innately fond of burrowing its nest in areas with dense Spiritual Qi.


    With some slight training, this Twin Pupil Mouse was an optimal scout for finding spirit eye areas! They were a favorite among the sect¡¯s disciples.


    This was not the first time Han Li came to Qilin Pavilion. He had previously come several times to handle affairs. He hurried past the front gates, not finding this place to be all that unfamiliar.


    He suddenly appeared from the sky, dropping at the base of a small jade-green mountain belonging to the Qilin Pavilion, the wondrous beast mountain¡¯s guest welcoming station. A low-level female cultivator immediately walked out to greet Han Li, ¡°Martial Uncle, are you here to rent a spirit beast?¡± These words were sharp and clear. This sixteen to seventeen year-old female disciple could not help but look at Han Li with an expectant expression.


    Han Li saw this and faintly smiled, saying, ¡°Right now, are there any Twin Pupil Mice available? I wish to rent one for two days!¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course we do! I will go bring one for Martial Uncle!¡± When the female disciple heard this, she smiled and happily replied.

 Chapter 220

    Spirit Well Spring.


    Chapter 220: Spirit Well Spring


    After the female disciple went to retrieve the spirit beast, Han Li quietly waited at the welcoming station, occasionally glancing at the spell restrictions surrounding him.


    Apart from the mountaintop that Han Li was at, the other areas on this spirit beast mountain were all contained by individual multi-colored restrictive magic spells; these divided it up into differently sized resting places for spirit beasts.


    Every area sealed by the restrictive spells had a domestication place for one kind of spirit beast. Apart from the disciples on duty at the Qilin Pavilion, other people were not allowed to enter. This was because they were afraid that others would startle the spirit beasts, or that the beasts that were not yet domesticated would harm outsiders.


    Thus, although the entire Spirit Beast Mountain seemed to be very quiet and peaceful, in reality at least nearly a thousand different spirit beasts lived there; the scale was not so surprising.


    That female disciple did not make Han Li wait for long; after the time it took to eat a meal, she walked out of some restricted area with a fist-sized small beast in her bosom, hurrying directly towards Han Li.


    ¡°This is the Twin Pupil Mouse; the price of renting it is one low-grade spirit stone every day!¡± said the female disciple to Han Li respectfully while using a hand to gently stroke the soft fur of the little beast.


    ¡°Okay, here are three spirit stones; I will use it for three days!¡± said Han Li indifferently to the female.


    ¡°After three days, Junior Martial Uncle only needs to release this Twin Pupil Mouse, and it will return to the Qilin Pavilion by itself. During this period of time, I hope that Junior Martial Uncle will treat this beast well. This pouch contains its favorite Earth Pear Fruit; should Junior Martial Uncle find the time, he can feed it a few.¡± The young woman received the spirit stones, then handed the spirit beast to Han Li and took out a small white pouch as she said to Han Li.


    Han Li nodded his head, then freely received it.


    Then, under the young woman¡¯s respectful gaze, he flew away on his flying magic tool.


    Han Li flew directly northwest.


    As Han Li hurried there, he couldn¡¯t help but size up the lovable Twin Pupil Mouse in his bosom.


    At a glance, this yellow little beast really seems like a normal earth mouse. The two species both had similar body proportions, the same yellow fur, and a slim, long tail.


    The only difference was that its face sported a pair of large eyes, very different from those of normal mice. Despite this being the only difference, however, it immediately caused this beast to become extremely cute!


    The fact that a trace of five-colored light could be seen flashing across its eyes simply served to accentuate this beast¡¯s mystique.


    Even someone as indifferent as Han Li couldn¡¯t help but stroke it a few times when he saw this beast¡¯s cute appearance. The idea of whether or not he should also raise a Twin Pupil Mouse emerged in his mind!


    However, Han Li was also clear that, despite this small beast¡¯s docile nature, it was nonetheless a genuine intermediate grade one demonic beast.


    Thinking to this point, Han Li fiddled with the beast¡¯s little ear one more time; after gazing at it shaking about amusingly for a while, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a laugh. It was as if the child that had been buried inside of his heart for so long had broken out once again.


    Han Li flew in this manner for a day straight before finally stopping at the most northwestern part of the Tai Yue Mountain Range.


    Another fifty kilometers north from this location, one would have entered the State of Yuan Wu; that place was the territory of the State of Yuan Wu¡¯s great sect, the Heavenly Star Sect. In addition, they had established a market city which rivalled that of the Yellow Maple Valley.


    One hundred kilometers west was the smallest administrative district in the Jian Province and State of Yuan Wu ¡ª the boundary of the Xi Province.


    This province was also the only place where the Seven Great Sects had not stationed a single garrison. This was because apart from incredibly tall, sandy slopes, the Xi province consisted of a boundless desert that took up greater than three-fourths of its area. The entire combined population of the province was only a hundred thousand people or so; thus, it had no resources or people to use. Naturally, this place would not enter the eyes of the Seven Great Sects.


    There were two reasons why Han Li chose to open up a cave near this place.


    The first reason was that this desolate location of the Tai Yue Mountain Range bordered the State of Yuan Wu on one side and was near the Xi Province on another side; they were both locations where very few disciples from his sect would pass through. In this way, he wouldn¡¯t have anyone to disturb his cultivation.


    Second was that this was not far from the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city; if he wanted to sell some medicinal ingredients or buy something, he could easily make exchanges here without worrying about being recognized by others!


    It was with this train of thought that Han Li picked a location where the Spiritual Qi was not the best, unlike the caves of other Foundation Establishment disciples, which were all densely packed into locations where the Spiritual Qi was the densest.


    Upon descending, Han Li wrapped a slim rope that he had prepared beforehand around the Twin Pupil Mouse¡¯s neck to prevent it from running too fast and thus keep him from losing the small thing. Then, he pulled out a yellow, round fruit from the small storage pouch and tossed it to the small beast, allowing it to gnaw on it.


    After a moment, the Twin Pupil beast became energized, having demolished the pear. After gently calling out ¡°xu xu¡± twice, it shot into a nearby patch of grass with a ¡°whizz¡±, disappearing without a trace.


    Han Li leisurely followed the rope.


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li stood on one side of the arduously steep mountaintop, gazing at the three hundred or so feet tall mountain wall opposite him. He stared at the sight blankly!


    This was because the rope on his hand, passing through a narrow hole in the rock, directly extended into the mountain wall facing him.


    It was currently the afternoon of the second day. Having gone through two days of bitter searching, the Twin Pupil Mouse suddenly began to frantically rush forwards the moment it drew near the mountain wall. After rushing Han Li to this location, it slipped into the mountain through the small crack.


    Han Li looked at the taut, thin rope in his hand, and his curiosity was greatly piqued. He thought for a moment, then instantly patted his storage pouch, and that huge silver sword appeared in Han Li¡¯s hands.


    Han Li grasped the rope tightly with one hand and swung the silver sword with the other; in an instant, as if he were cutting tofu, the narrow crack in front of him widened to a rough entrance that a person could crawl through.


    After crawling in headfirst, he immediately activated a protective barrier around his body; then, he followed the string, cutting open the mountain rock with each step, slowly progressing. All of the falling pieces of rock and dust were blocked by his water-attribute barrier, keeping his entire body neat and tidy.


    This kind of physical work continued for more than an hour, and a thirty-foot-long simple, crude stone tunnel slowly formed. When Han Li hacked again with his sword, a sudden ¡°crash¡± sounded, and the stone wall was finally broken open.


    Han Li was very happy when he saw this. He used enough effort to wildly stab a few times, causing the stone wall to be completely hacked open. Then, he took a big stride out.


    A roughly thirty-foot-large naturally formed cave appeared before his eyes. Han Li had just entered this area when a gust of dense Spiritual Qi pounced forwards, causing him to feel greatly stunned!


    However, his gaze still followed the rope in his hand, only to see that the thin rope stretched all the way to the center of the cave. There was actually a miniature spring mouth that gurgled with spring water; the Twin Pupil Mouse was actually lying in the middle of this water bed that was a few feet large, contentedly swimming around in it.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    This time, Han Li was truly shocked; this was because almost all of the dense Spiritual Qi in this cave came from this spring.


    He hurriedly walked over, scooped up a handful of spring water, and began to carefully examine it.


    ¡°This is a spirit well spring; there definitely can¡¯t be a mistake!¡± Without expending too much effort, Han Li confirmed the guess in his heart.


    ¡°Even though the Spiritual Qi contained in the spring water is not as exaggerated as rumors suggest and this spring mouth is very small, it truly is a rarely-seen spirit well spring,¡± Han Li muttered to himself in disbelief, his two hands sticking into the water.


    Then, he closed his eyes, feeling the strands of Spiritual Qi being emitted from the water. The grin on his face couldn¡¯t help but grow wider.


    Speaking of spirit springs, one also had to mention spirit veins and spirit wells in the cultivating world!


    The Spiritual Qi in the world was not actually evenly distributed; some places were denser in Spiritual Qi, while others were more sparse. Thus, after a long period of time, spirit veins of varying sizes would usually form in areas with dense Spiritual Qi.


    Large spirit veins could be tens of thousands of kilometers long, while small ones could be as small as a few kilometers, truly pitifully small. But regardless of size, when these spirit veins were formed, they would automatically release faint amounts of Spiritual Qi, causing the location¡¯s Spiritual Qi to circulate unceasingly. Resources in such areas would never dry up.


    But in locations with different spirit veins, the amounts of spiritual Qi produced were not necessarily even either. Those locations with the densest accumulation of Spiritual Qi were naturally the most suitable for cultivators to meditate and cultivate at; thus, they were called ¡°spirit wells¡± by the cultivating world.


    The so-called ¡°spirit wells¡± were generally invisible, and their existences could only be realized by a cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense. However, when a location was designated as a spirit well, it was the location in the spirit vein where Spiritual Qi was at its greatest; this was undoubtable!


    Although spirit wells were formless under normal circumstances, only acting as a substitute name for any given location, if a spirit well¡¯s Spiritual Qi was excessively dense and could be preserved for a long period of time, it would gradually produce a true physical form and become a spirit well object, such as a spirit well pearl, stone, fountain, or the like. There were even the legendary supreme spirit well trees.


    The appearance of a spirit well¡¯s physical manifestation was a very rarely seen occurrence. Not a single one hadn¡¯t experienced numerous tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years, as well as a stroke of luck, before forming.


    Thus, the Spiritual Qi emitted by these true spirit well objects was much denser than that of common spirit wells. Meditating and cultivating near them would definitely have the profound effect of increasing one¡¯s rate of cultivation.


    The best spirit well objects could even increase one¡¯s cultivating speed by twenty or thirty percent. In addition, when these true objects were formed, even spirit well trees or fountains could all be moved away by a person¡¯s magic power without having its effectiveness diminished.

 Chapter 221

    The Heavenly Star Sect and Spell Formations


    Spirit well objects were quite miraculous. They would naturally be pursued by all cultivators who pursued the Heavenly Dao to even the point of madness! Whenever a spirit well object appeared in the cultivation world, it would cause a storm of blood at that location.


    In the present cultivation world of the State of Yue, the Seven Great Sects had already acquired a few spirit well objects, but if a small clan or sect were to acquire these treasures, they¡¯d only be inviting a calamity upon themselves.


    Yellow Maple Valley had a spirit well stone, three spirit springs, and several other spirit well objects, all of which were bluntly distributed among the Core Formation experts and higher. Even the great Sect Master Zhong was unable to possess one.


    Naturally, the great Nascent Soul Martial Ancestor possessed a great number of them.


    Han Li absolutely didn¡¯t expect with just a common Twin Pupil Mouse, he would have been able to find a nearby spirit well object so easily within the span of a day!


    Although this spirit spring was the lowest among spirit well objects, the spring¡¯s mouth was pathetically small, and its efficacy was probably limited, a spirit well object was still a spirit well object. At the very least, he would cultivate faster than those at common spirit well locations. So long as it sped up his cultivation even the slightest, it was still good.


    However, even though he was surprised and extremely happy, Han Li still felt a bit puzzled.


    Weren¡¯t spirit well objects only able to take shape within areas with the densest Spiritual Qi? The Spiritual Qi at this mountain peak wasn¡¯t particularly thick, so how was it able to form?


    Even so, since the Heaven had dropped him such a great meat pie, Han Li would not let it go.


    Although a spirit well spring was able to be moved, only a Core Formation expert would have the means to do so. Anybody on a lower stage of cultivation would not yet have the ability to do so, let alone Han Li. Since he couldn¡¯t move it, he decided to establish his Immortal¡¯s cave at this location. Thus he planned to make the spirit spring cave into his own secret training room and keep it well concealed.


    Han Li immediately chopped open a passage and carried out an expansion.


    With one hand waving the silver sword and the other controlling several gold blades, Han Li undertook the great task of establishing his Immortal¡¯s cave. Meanwhile, the Twin Pupil Mouse had plunged itself into the spirit spring and was unwilling to come out. The sounds of its snores could be heard afterwards.


    Relying on the silver sword¡¯s sharpness and the quantity of golden blades, Han Li labored for half a day, creating a somewhat large premature layout for his Immortal¡¯s cave. He carved out thirteen rooms of various sizes and three halls a sixth of an acre large.


    Although the cave walls of his rooms were still very coarse, not having undergone any meticulous work, at the very least it could be considered a home! This caused Han Li to let out a breath and relax.


    He now suddenly recalled the Twin Pupil Mouse and hastily took advantage of this moment to return to the spirit spring. He picked up the still sleeping small mouse by the nape and flew off a few hundred kilometers before dropping it off, letting it return to Qilin Pavilion by itself.


    For the time being, Han Li¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave had only one exit. That was why after he returned, he immediately took out several tens of low-grade spirit stones and the five small flags, setting up the small scale trace bewildering formation in accordance to the jade slip and completely concealing the exit with a formation spell. Thus, if someone were to look from the outside, they would see an intact mountain wall. They would essentially be unable to see the cave opening.


    After finishing the most basic defenses, Han Li used the silver sword to carve out a simple stone bed. Then he hurriedly lied down, falling asleep. He was truly tired!


    For the next several days, Han Li was busy without end.


    He found an area of flat earth near his concealed Immortal¡¯s cave and planted a few spiritual medicine seeds.


    Among these seeds were a few common medicine seeds from the mortal world as well as rare seeds he had gathered from Hundred Medicine Garden after spending several years there. This place was on the verge of becoming Han Li¡¯s personal medicine garden, where future spiritual medicine seedlings would sprout and flower.


    In the time he had left over, Han Li looked for few solid slabs of bluestones on the mountain, cutting them off and sculpting them into stone tables, desks, and other tools. He then placed a set in each of the rooms. Finally, he meticulously cut smooth the walls and embedded them with a few moonlight stones, causing the inside of the cave to be as bright as day.


    Han Li¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave was finally established!


    Even so, it was clear that the defenses of this Immortal¡¯s cave could be easily be destroyed with a single blow. It was truly incapable of allowing Han Li to cultivate with an easy heart. According to his thoughts, he would need a similar comprehensive restriction spell as the one protecting Hundred Medicine Garden, at the very least. Otherwise, if an enemy were to invade as he was cultivating, the consequences would be more than terrible!


    Han Li was an amateur at formation spells. He fundamentally couldn¡¯t arrange even the most basic of formation spells, let alone the more difficult restriction spells.


    However, he also didn¡¯t plan on learning! It should be known that the Dao of Formation Spells were as vast as the sea. If he were to learn it halfheartedly, he wouldn¡¯t have any small success even with ten or twenty years! He absolutely couldn¡¯t let it interfere with his cultivation in the slightest, since any wasted time was an intolerable loss!


    This world may have a genius that could gain profound insight into formation spells without hindering their cultivation rate, even to the point where such a monstrous cultivation genius could manipulate the Dao of Formation Spells. But Han Li clearly knew that he absolutely wasn¡¯t such a person.


    For him, if he were even the least bit distracted in that field, then even his slightest hopes of entering Core Formation would be obliterated forever.


    But fortunately, this world still had formation flags, formation plates, and other magic tools capable of easily putting down a formation.


    Although by using such, one generally wouldn¡¯t be able to put down ferocious, large-scale formation spells,  Han Li currently only wanted a standard formation spell to defend his Immortal¡¯s cave so he that could feel mostly at ease. Besides, if it truly wasn¡¯t possible, he would just set several enshrouding formation spells instead. He would make up for the deficiency in defense through quantity.


    Han Li planned to go to the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city. They were certain to have restrictive type magic tools there.


    Thus in the days ahead, after Han Li¡¯s several medicinal plants budded, he immediately used the green liquid to expedite their maturation. He planned to use thousand year-old medicine ingredients to exchange for the necessary items at the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city. This time, he would only reveal one thousand year-old herb to avoid having others provoke or suspect him, thereby preventing unnecessary troubles.


    After a short two months, Han Li matured his medicinal herb by a thousand years.


    Then he flew northward with the medicine herb along with some other items he wished to exchange, such as the materials from the Inky Flood Dragon, the hard shell of the centipede as well as other rare materials. If the price was suitable, be it spirit stones or magic tools, he wouldn¡¯t mind exchanging them. In any case, he also wouldn¡¯t halfheartedly learn how to refine magic tools.


    As Han Li flew, he wore a cloak to guard against anything unexpected.


    With Han Li¡¯s greatly increased magic power, he was able to cover over fifty kilometers in less than half a day.


    Entering the State of Yuan Wu, Han Li looked from east to west from up above. He did this not only to look for the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city, but also because he felt rather curious about the State of Yuan Wu. But after looking at the scenery, it didn¡¯t seem any different from the State of Yue!


    The State of Yuan Wu and the State of Yue were similar. They were both medium-sized nations nearby one another.


    Although these two nations were only a third of the size of the great states of Tian Luo and Feng Du, they were still much larger than the small nearby states of Jiang and Cha Yun.


    (TL:ÌìÂÞ¹ú State of Tian Luo, can mean heaven gathering. ·ç¶¼¹ú State of Feng Du, can mean wind capital. Jiang and Cha Yun are just names.)


    Although these two were the largest nations in the area, they were surrounded by ten other minor nations. As for the smallest nations, there were several tens of those nearby that were densely scattered. Furthermore, rumors had it that in a land far away, there existed a great supreme nation that was large beyond belief!


    In the cultivation world of Yuan Wu, the righteous and demonic sects were equal in strength and were in a state of deadlock. The Heavenly Star Sect was one of the core figures of the righteous sects, possessing no less strength than Yellow Maple Valley.


    (TL: Reminder, most states are in a war between righteousness and evil. The State of Yue was taken over by neutral powers.)


    While Han Li was thinking about the matters of the Heavenly Star Sect, the leaf magic tool below his feet suddenly sunk, slowly descending to the earth as if it suddenly lost its flight ability.


    Seeing these unfavorable circumstances, Han Li not only felt no fear, but he also felt a sliver of happiness. It seemed he had already arrived near the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a restriction spell prohibiting flight.


    Descended onto the ground, Han Li walked north about four kilometers before coming across a group of buildings somewhat bigger than Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city.


    The Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city was very strange, and it differed completely from Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s market city! At its center, there was a huge pavilion about a hundred meters tall. Scattered around it were several buildings only a tenth of its size, causing the city to emit an appearance of order throughout.


    Because the sign attached to the center pavilion was truly too large, Han Li was able to clearly make it out from a kilometer away as ¡°Stardust Pavilion¡±. It seemed there was no need to ask whether this was the personal shop of the Heavenly Star Sect.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li tread the kilometer.


    In accordance to habit, Han Li did not move impulsively. Instead, he circled the outer layer of the market city, slowly strolling through once and uncovering the circumstances of the market city.


    Needless to say, there were many stores here that widened Han Li¡¯s perspective and made him grow eager!


    There was a tool refinement room that would accept a cultivator¡¯s materials at any time and refine them into magic tools at the owner¡¯s request. Furthermore, the store¡¯s sign boards were not humble. They actually professed they were capable of refining even top-grade magic tools. Furthermore, if refinement failed, then they would return the value of the materials two-fold in the form of spirit stones. Naturally, if one didn¡¯t have materials, they would still be able to order a magic tool, but the price was guaranteed to be far from inexpensive.


    There was a different store refining talismans. Its details were nearly similar to that of the tool-refining store, and it similarly made custom talismans!


    The others were slightly different. There was a spirit beast institute, specialized in the sale of all kinds of trained demonic beasts. They even had a few advanced grade one demonic beasts. If he were to purchase one as a spirit beast guard, it wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea.

 Chapter 222

    Tool-Refining Expert


    Han Li only saw twenty or thirty cultivators in the outer areas. There didn¡¯t seem to be many people in the desolate market.


    ¡°Could everyone have gone to the Stardust Pavilion in the center?¡± Han Li started to mutter somewhat in his heart.


    However, he did not intend to immediately head over to the Stardust Pavilion.


    That was because that tool-refining store¡¯s claim was too arrogant! If the talisman refining store failed, then they would return the material¡¯s equivalent twofold in spirit stones! This piqued his curiosity. Thus, when Han Li finished circling around it, he couldn¡¯t help but walk inside.


    The storefront could not be considered to be large, consisting of only three rooms and an outer courtyard!


    When Han Li entered the foremost hall, he saw a middle-aged figure dressed like a Confucian scholar in the midst of a discussion with a white-haired yet red-faced elder. A muscular man with dark skin stood to the side with a respectful expression.


    The middle-aged man and the elder were currently fixated on their discussion; although they saw Han Li enter, they indifferently continued their conversation. It was the strong man who did his duty and walked forwards a few steps, then asked very politely:


    ¡°Does this guest want to buy magic tools or place an order to have one made?¡±


    ¡°Let me first take a look at the magic tools in your store before deciding whether or not I want to place an order!¡± Han Li replied evenly.


    ¡°Very well. Does this guest want to look at mid-grade or high-grade magic tools?¡± the muscular man asked happily, seeing that business had actually come to their door.


    ¡°Top-grade magic tools! In addition, I want the finest ones amongst all the top-grade magic tools!¡±


    Han Li was not loud, but this sentence immediately shocked the muscular man into a daze! The two people who were talking up a frenzy immediately shut their mouths and stopped talking, instead blankly staring and sizing up Han Li!


    ¡°This guest wants to see top-grade magic tools, and even wants the finest ones?¡± After regaining his senses, the muscular man couldn¡¯t help but confirm whether or not he had heard correctly!


    Top-grade magic tools were not something that any ordinary person could buy, frequently costing hundreds of low-grade spirit stones. Average cultivators, even if they saved up spirit stones for their entire lives, might not even be able to buy one, while Han Li had asked to see the best top-grade items right off the bat. Naturally, this explained why the muscular man had lost his self-control for a moment!


    ¡°Little Black, come back! You cannot be disrespectful to this Senior!¡± That white-haired elder finally recognized Han Li¡¯s identity as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His expression couldn¡¯t help but change, and he hurriedly commanded the muscular man to retreat.


    ¡°This little elder is the owner of this store; if Senior has any business, just say so!¡±


    This elder and that Confucian scholar were still Qi Condensation cultivators; for an ¡°expert¡± like Han Li to come into a small shop like his, he couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat unsettled.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much. It depends on whether or not your place has any good magic tools. If you have any ones that are suitable, I will buy one or two!¡± The elder instantly let out a sign after hearing these words from Han Li, but he still spoke somewhat awkwardly:


    ¡°Unfortunately we can only disappoint Senior; although my shop does have two or three top-grade magic tools, they are only used to promote this store. They are not actually so extraordinary.¡± The elder, when faced with a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Han Li, did not dare to conceal anything, and so he could only say the truth.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li felt quite disappointed. However, he also couldn¡¯t help but silently berate himself for his stupidity! Even if the sign hung outside of the store were to be even more exaggerated, it was still only a method for them to attract business; he had actually treated it as if it were true!


    Han Li shook his head, and turned around, about to leave. However, when he neared the door, he still turned his head around and spoke somewhat unhappily.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the claim that you have the ability to refine top-grade magic tools is also just empty words!¡±


    ¡°No! Senior is mistaken. This small shop does business with integrity; the sign outside is completely true with no falsehoods! As long as you have the appropriate materials, Elder Xu can really refine a top-grade magic tool,¡± the white-haired elder hurriedly replied, seeing that the shop¡¯s reputation had been involved.


    ¡°You can refine top-grade magic tools?¡± Han Li felt very surprised, and a look of doubt flashed across his eyes. His words were filled with questions.


    He had thought that there was someone else who could refine the magic tools; he hadn¡¯t expected it to be this elderly person.


    No wonder Han Li didn¡¯t believe it. Refining top-grade magic tools was not like refining mid or high-grade magic tools, which could be refined by common fire. Instead, similar to refining a  Foundation Establishment Pill, it required tempering by Earth Fire or Innate True Fire to successfully refine it.


    But this elder was only a Qi Condensation cultivator and would not possess Innate True Fire, while this location did not seem like a place with Earth Fire. So how could this person refine a top-grade magic tool?


    ¡°This is the first time Senior has come to this elder brother¡¯s shop, so it¡¯s very normal to not understand this! The origins of Elder Brother Xu¡¯s Dao of Tool-refinement originates from his clan, and his talent in refining tools is definitely not below that of tool-refining masters from other great sects. In addition, for the past few hundred years, the Xu Clan had taken care of an elementary grade two Fire Raven; the demonic fire it spits out is even somewhat stronger than Innate True Fire, so it¡¯s more than enough to refine top-grade magic tools.¡± The middle-aged Confucian scholar that had been sitting silently on the side suddenly opened his mouth and explained on behalf of the elder. However, this only increased Han Li¡¯s doubts.


    ¡°Demonic fire? I¡¯ve only heard of using True Fire and Earth Fire to refine pills or tools; I¡¯ve never heard that it was also possible with demonic fire!¡± Han Li expressed slight disbelief with knitted eyebrows.


    ¡°Hehe! There are things that Senior does not know! Using demonic fire to refine tools or even pills requires a few special skills that are not officially recognized by the great sects. It has been thought of as a minor, unorthodox technique and is not very widespread. If our clan hadn¡¯t haphazardly obtained this Fire Raven, we also would not take the time to research this path.¡± The elder continued the Confucian scholar¡¯s words and addressed some of Han Li¡¯s doubts.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that!¡± Although Han Li had heard the other person¡¯s description, he still had not seen it personally, and so he was still somewhat apprehensive.


    ¡°Does Senior also want to order a custom top-grade magic tool?¡± asked the elder with curiosity, seeing that the other person had lowered their head to ponder over something.


    ¡°If I give you enough materials to refine a top-grade magic tool, how much certainty do you have?¡± Han Li raised his head and asked noncommittally.


    ¡°This depends on the quality of the materials as well as the requirements Senior has towards the magic tool. If the materials are average and the requirements for the magic tool are also average, I have a one-third chance of succeeding. However, if the refinement of the top-grade magic tool fails, the store will not refund the materials, because the rates of failure are too high! The two-fold compensation is only with regards to mid and high-grade magic tools; otherwise, perhaps this little elder would have already compensated himself to death!¡± Upon hearing Han Li ask this, the little elder was secretly happy in his heart, and he immediately and respectfully replied.


    One had to know that what tool-refinement experts like him lacked the most was high-quality materials to refine with. The process of refining a few top-grade magic tools would greatly increase his tool-refining skill!


    In addition, although the individual in front of him did not sound old, he was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator! The materials he could bring out would definitely not be normal. This caused him to look forward to it very much!


    ¡°I do have some materials, and I can let you try to refine them once. However, while you are refining the magic tool, I must be watching from the side. You can rest assured knowing that I will definitely not disturb you, and as long as the refinement is a success, I will give the leftover ingredients to you as a reward! I won¡¯t let you work in vain!¡± Han Li made up his mind and said the aforementioned words after a moment of silence.


    To Han Li, exchanging those precious Inky Flood Dragon materials for spirit stones was not as beneficial as directly refining them into a useful magic tool!


    One had to know that although the number of top-grade magic tools he had currently was high among Qi Condensation disciples, he was unclear about it when compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators! However, he guessed that other people definitely would not have too few either.


    ¡°Excellent! Does Senior want to refine it right now? This little elder can begin at any time!¡± the elder cried out with anticipation, seeing that Han Li really wanted to let him refine a top-grade magic tool. He immediately became excited and agreed to Han Li¡¯s conditions.


    ¡°There are still some things I need to buy; when I finish my business, I will come back and we can begin!¡± Han Li shook his head and added after hearing this.


    ¡°Okay then! In that case, Junior will wait for Senior!¡± The elder, seeing that Han Li did not seem to want to let him begin his work immediately, couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat disappointed, but immediately afterwards, he recovered his state of mind. The elder said this respectfully.


    Knowing that everything had been arranged, Han Li did not want to stay here any longer. After casually saying goodbye, he turned around and walked out of the store.


    But before he had even walked a few tens of feet away from the store, the voice of the Confucian student suddenly came from behind him.


    ¡°Senior, please stop for a moment!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s figure paused; after hesitating for a moment, he stopped moving. Then, he turned around and saw the Confucian scholar chasing behind him. At this time, he was looking at Han Li with a face full of smiles.


    ¡°Is there something you need?¡± Han Li knitted his eyebrows and asked coldly.


    He did not really like people who disturbed him for no reason.


    ¡°This Junior wanted to ask Senior if you came to this market intending to buy something. This Junior¡¯s name is Wang Ziling, and I am often around this market. Perhaps my help can save Senior a significant amount of time!¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li sized up the Confucian student with some confusion; suddenly, he lightly smiled and asked:


    ¡°Are you a frequent hire?¡±


    Although the Confucian scholar couldn¡¯t see Han Li¡¯s expression clearly due to the cloak, he could clearly hear the laughter in Han Li¡¯s voice, and his heart loosened up. He immediately replied:


    ¡°Senior guessed correctly; this Junior occasionally spends his time there. I am not exclusively hired by that one store, so Senior can feel free to relax!¡±


    Han Li somewhat carelessly nodded his head, but he indifferently said:


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t mind whether or not you are specifically hired by the store, this time I want to buy a few formation flags and formation plates. It seems like the best decision is to go to the Stardust Pavilion. I don¡¯t think that I need any help!¡±

 Chapter 223

    Secret Store, Auction


    When the Confucian scholar heard Han Li¡¯s words, he stared blankly for a moment before immediately smiling. Then he joyfully said, ¡°Senior, it is fortunate that you¡¯ve told me this, else you would have gone on a trip in vain! Although the fame of the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s formation spells is quite renown, this does not apply to the Stardust Pavilion¡¯s top formation flags and formation plates. Although there are many and various formation flags and formation plates inside the Stardust Pavilion, they are only common rubbish sold to small cultivator clans and rogue cultivators. Formation spell tools of true quality are not released by the Heavenly Star Sect. This is because if their finest spell formation items were released to outsiders, the gaps in their formation could be seen through. As they say, the gains do not make up for the losses!¡±


    As the Confucian scholar was explaining off to the side, he stole a look at Han Li. However, the hood of Han Li¡¯s cloak prevented his face from being seen, and so the scholar couldn¡¯t make out the slightest of emotion, much to his great frustration.


    ¡°From your tone, it sounds as if you know where I can find the items I want!¡± Although Han Li was greatly surprised from the Confucian scholar¡¯s words, he still maintained his flat, calm tone, completely hiding his inner shock.


    When the Confucian scholar heard this, he first looked left and right several times. After there was no one around, he secretly whispered, ¡°If Senior believes this Junior, he can introduce you to a secret store that very few know about. Although that location has a small issue about its past history, all of its goods are high quality and rarely seen! I believe that Senior will certainly be able to find satisfactory formation spell tools there.¡±


    ¡°Secret store?¡±


    Although Han LI¡¯s voice was still low, he was actually inwardly startled by the Confucian scholar¡¯s words.


    In the past several years, Han Li had heard rumors of a secret store once or twice. Han Li knew that if the Confucian scholar spoke truthfully, this would be a truly rare chance to broaden his horizons.


    ¡°It seems that Senior also know a bit about the secret store. Hehe! This is great. In that case, there¡¯s no need for Junior to waste time explaining. There are probably still four to six hours left before the secret store¡¯s monthly auction. If Senior wishes to go, please decide soon. I will be able to immediately show you the way!¡±


    When the Confucian scholar saw Han Li display no disgust upon the mention of the secret store, he could not help but secretly rejoice. He knew that chasing after this client was most likely the correct course of action for him to take.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t too far?¡± Han Li suddenly asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t far. The secret store is within the market city. Does Senior approve?¡± The Confucian scholar grew a bit excited. By giving the secret store a potential customer, he was able to reap a significant percentage in spirit stones.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± After he let out a relaxed breath, Han Li¡¯s tone was no longer cold.


    ¡°This one will lead the way!¡± The Confucian scholar had a happy expression and took the initiative to lead.


    After the Confucian scholar turned seven corners, he brought Han Li in front of a small lodge. The door was secured, and there was no sign on the door. It seemed very unremarkable.


    The Confucian scholar lightly knocked on the door with a certain rhythm.In response, the door opened. A woman about thirty years old walked out. This woman¡¯s looks were average, and her cultivation was only at the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation, truly unremarkable.


    ¡°Lady Zhang, this one brings a new customer. He also wishes to participate in the auction.¡± Wang Ziling did not wait for the woman to speak and hastily introduced Han Li with great energy.


    After Lady Zhang heard Wang Ziling say he brought a customer, she did not show an expression of joy but scowled instead, as if she wasn¡¯t in agreement. But after she took a clear look and saw that this customer was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her expression changed to a slight smile.


    ¡°This time, you¡¯ve brought a proper customer rather than the trash you previously brought! A Foundation Establishment Senior! Senior, please come in!¡± Although this woman¡¯s cultivation was very low, she didn¡¯t look at Han Li with any reverence. Instead, she seemed to consider Han Li an ordinary customer.


    ¡°Senior, this one can only bring you to this location. He will first take his leave!¡± Wang Ziling blushed from the woman¡¯s words and hurried to say his farewell to Han Li.


    After seeing the Confucian scholar¡¯s figure disappear into the distance, the woman stepped to the side, signaling Han Li to enter.


    After he entered, he saw that all sorts of shoddy materials for pill and tool refinement were arranged out for display like an ordinary raw materials shop.


    Han Li carefully observed the woman, who closed the door and then respectfully said, ¡°Please follow me, sir.¡±


    With that said, the woman took a few steps to the corner of the room. She then pressed her hand against the ground.


    Yellow light flashed from her hand, when all of a sudden a large hole opened from the ground. The woman called out to Han Li, indicating that he was to follow her lead.


    After a moment of slight hesitation, Han Li walked into the tunnel and cautiously followed. However, the ever cautious Han Li naturally stayed on guard.


    The tunnel was very short. After about thirty meters, there was a somewhat small stone door. Two black-clothed men stood in front of either side of the door, each wearing a devil¡¯s mask.


    After Han Li took a look at the two black-clothed men, his expression immediately grew heavy. They were actually Foundation Establishment cultivators like him! Furthermore, one of them was mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Han Li could not help but be wary of this store¡¯s strength.


    The woman pushed through the stone door as if she hadn¡¯t seen the black-clothed men and brought Han Li inside. The two black-clothed men also turned a blind eye, neither speaking nor obstructing them.


    After Han Li entered the room, he grew distracted. A large, majestic hall appeared before his eyes.


    Vermillion fur rugs, snow-white jade walls, palace lanterns hanging from the ceiling¡­ all of this gave off an appearance of the greatest wealth from the mortal world. It seemed the owner of this room was quite wondrous!


    The large hall was shaped as an oval with a diameter of about a hundred meters. Seven or eight lines of chairs were arranged in the hall with several tens of uniquely dressed cultivators seated upon them. Across from them was a lone, empty table, not far from which were three sandlewood chairs.


    Seeing Han Li and the woman enter, the people sitting could not help but look in their direction.


    After those gazes swept past Han Li, he felt his body quiver with a cold sweat. His expression greatly changed. More than half of those people were cultivators in late-stage Foundation Establishment!


    At this moment, Han Li realized why the woman at his side did not show any semblance of reverence toward him. At this place, he was but a common sight!


    ¡°Your esteemed self has come at a good time! The auction was about to start. This small woman will no longer accompany you; I must return upward to take care of a few matters!¡±


    Han Li helplessly looked at the several cultivators in the hall and silently looked for a remote corner before sitting down.


    At this moment, he already noticed that the cultivators here were concealing their faces like him, using cloaks to hide their true features. It seemed no one was so stupid enough to let others discover their identity.


    Although the people in the hall weren¡¯t few in number, no one was speaking. The incomparable silence caused the air to carry a trace of tension.


    When Han LI saw this, he also remained extremely well-behaved. Aside from some malicious guesses of any acquaintances he would recognize here, he wholeheartedly paid attention to the wooden door directly behind the long table. It seemed that the owner should be preparing behind that door.


    After Han Li sat there for five to six hours, the wooden door behind the table finally opened. Three people walked out one by one.


    From their appearance, they seemed identical to the guards at the stone door. It was unable to see who was master and servant.


    At this moment, they stood behind the long table. The person standing on the right first spoke with a low and hoarse voice, ¡°Welcome to our trade fair, fellow Daoists of the cultivation world. Among our current customers, there are old and regular customers as well as newcomers. But this does not matter, as this store treats everyone equally!¡±


    When the person on the right finished, the person on the left immediately started talking, ¡°This trade fair is completely fair. When someone shouts out a price in spirit stones, everyone must use spirit stones to compete. If someone doesn¡¯t have sufficient spirit stones, they will be able to use an item of equivalent value as collateral. As for its specific worth, all three of us will jointly evaluate it. In short, the highest price will acquire the item on sale.¡± This person¡¯s voice was completely different. It was shrill and quiet, very much falsetto, causing those who heard it to feel at great unease.


    ¡°Finally, after all the items in the store have been sold, everyone is free to conduct business during this time. If there are any items you wish to sell or exchange, you will be able to step forward and present them at will and trade them independently. We will not mettle in the slightest and will only offer the place to conduct business. Alright, everything has been said. Let the trade fair begin!¡±


    The middle person¡¯s voice was actually simple and loud, resonating throughout the room.


    Following these words, the three flashed to the side, appearing on the sandlewood seats behind the table. At this moment, a very tall and thin middle-aged man with a shrewd appearance walked out from the wooden door.


    This man walked to the table and coughed several times before declaring, ¡°This auction will be directed by me. The first item for auction will be the top-grade magic tool, Fire Cloud Sword. This item¡­¡±

 Chapter 224

    Mechanical Puppet Beasts.


    Chapter 224: Mechanical Puppet Beasts


    The first item being auctioned was a rather powerful top-grade magic tool, causing Han Li to feel somewhat surprised.


    This was especially because this articulate tall, thin figure had colorfully and dynamically described the magic tool as unparalleled and hard to find on the earth. Even Han Li, when he heard it, had a slight impulse of pulling out his spirit stones to buy it, not to mention other cultivators who desperately lacked top-grade magic tools.


    As expected, the base price of two hundred spirit stones had just been revealed when three or four impatient individuals immediately called out bids. In the blink of an eye, this Fire Cloud Sword¡¯s price had been raised to more than three hundred spirit stones, causing the other cultivators, who had originally also wanted to call out a price, to immediately extinguish this train of thought!


    Although the fire cloud attacks of the Fire Cloud Sword weren¡¯t too bad, it was obviously one step inferior to a top-grade magic tool of true quality! Spending three hundred spirit stones for it seemed to be somewhat in poor taste.


    However, even if there were people unwilling to buy it, naturally there were others willing to be taken advantage of!


    To the people who were willing to buy it, although the items that would be auctioned off later would be finer in quality, there was no way for them to obtain it. It was better and more realistic for them to buy the decent top-grade magic tool in front of them.


    Thus, this Fire Cloud Sword reached a price of four hundred spirit stones due to the contentions between a few Qi Condensation cultivators; it was sold off relatively successfully.


    The cultivator wearing a doll mask happily returned to his seat after turning in his spirit stones, holding the sword in his hands. It seemed like he was going to take it home and make it his family heirloom. This caused other cultivators to think that it was somewhat humorous.


    The tall and skinny figure waited for the person to return to his seat, then cleared his throat and said:


    ¡°The second item this store will auction is naturally a tool-refinement master¡¯s greatest love, a top-grade Red Sky Gathering Furnace. This furnace has been passed down through the hands of many great tool-refinement masters; it is an exquisite item that has refined many top-grade items, such as the Phantom Sound Sword, Azure Flood Dragon Banner, Black Flame Pearl, and many others. From hearsay, this furnace has the ability to grant additional properties when refining tools. However, as for whether this claim is true or not, even this store does not know! Thus, the base price is four hundred spirit stones, which is definitely not a high price.


    As the man spoke, he pulled out a fire-red pill furnace from his storage pouch and placed it on the table for everyone to see


    With a boom, the atmosphere in the room erupted even though none of the cultivators in the room had spoken yet. Many people were staring dead-on at the pill furnace with fiery gazes; evidently, they all fancied this item.


    Han Li quietly sat in the corner, coldly watching all of that was happening. When he heard that the Azure Flood Dragon Banner in his hand also came from this furnace, he couldn¡¯t help but feel quite shocked; however, this was only shock!


    He knew nothing about refining tools, so he naturally would not know the price range for this pill furnace. He definitely would not make a move if it was an item that he didn¡¯t know how to use! Han Li could do at least this much. In addition, although the number of spirit stones he had were not low in number, he still had to save them for crucial moments!


    ¡°Four hundred and fifty!¡±


    ¡°Four hundred and seventy!¡±


    ¡°I put forth five hundred spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    No matter how Han Li thought, the price of this pill furnace, named the ¡°Red Sky Gathering Furnace¡± skyrocketed to a frightening amount in no time!


    ¡°Seven hundred eighty stones!¡±


    This was the bid that a fat-figured person wearing a yellow cloak on his head called out, gritting his teeth!


    ¡°Eight hundred!¡±


    A female cultivator not too far away from the fatty, leisurely called out an even higher bid, causing the fatty to grip his hands tightly together.


    Before his eyes, the prices became sky high. The others had already given up on bidding. They could only look on with unwillingness and watch the two arrogant Foundation Establishment cultivators continue to shout out increasingly large prices.


    ¡°Eight hundred and fifty pieces! If this lady can call out a bid higher by even one spirit stone, this pill furnace will be given to you!¡± The fatty said viciously as he raised the price again, staring at the female cultivator with an angry expression.


    ¡°Eight hundred and fifty-one!¡±


    The fat cultivator¡¯s words had just left his mouth when the female cultivator laughed coldly and intentionally called out a number one figure higher. This caused the fat cultivator¡¯s big face, which was hidden inside the cloak, to appear as red as blood. But after furiously shooting a poisonous expression at the other person for a brief moment, he actually did not call out another bid.


    Just like that, this Foundation Establishment female cultivator spent a very high price and bought this famous pill furnace; even so, was it worth the amount she paid?


    Perhaps this time¡¯s bidding was too fierce, and it stimulated the nerves of all of the cultivators. Just like that, the originally cold atmosphere in the room instantly heated up, and all the top-grade magic tools and precious materials were completely gobbled up by all of the enthusiastic cultivators.


    But after twenty or so items had been sold off, Han Li had still yet to see items like the formation flag or formation plate for sale, causing him to grow impatient.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but silently think that if none of the items he needed appeared in this auction, he might actually have to make a trip to the Stardust Pavilion. Even buying a few of the most basic spell formation tools was better than having none at all!


    Just as Han Li was thinking, the skinny and tall man in front listed the name of the next item being auctioned.


    ¡°Top-grade magic tool, a pair of mechanical puppet beasts! Its strength is comparable to that of a ninth layer Qi Condensation disciple. In addition, it is completely faithful and will defend its owner to the death! If you buy this item, it¡¯s like having two personal bodyguards around you at all times. The base price is only a hundred spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°Mechanical puppet beasts? Isn¡¯t my own top-grade magic tool also called a Puppet Bowman? Could they be the same kind of object?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart moved, and he sat up straight. He began to watch attentively.


    The skinny tall male had already brought out two shiny black doll-like objects! They were only as large as a fist, and their appearance seemed to somewhat resemble a lion or a tiger, but that similarity was limited; one did not know what kind of strange beast they were based on.


    ¡°There are many guests who have probably not heard of, or very rarely heard of, the Dao School of mechanical puppets!¡±


    This is a kind of Dao magic that originates from refining magic tools, yet it is completely different from a magic tool. Although not many of us here know this, this magic is incredibly popular in the westernmost regions. There is even a sect called the Thousand Bamboo School that relied on this to establish their sect, and they have already developed this Dao technique to an extreme. Rumors have it that top-level mechanical puppeteers can contend with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators! In addition, rating these mechanical beasts as top-grade magic tools was this store¡¯s decision, when in reality, according to the official classification of mechanical magics, they should be considered grade two puppet beasts!¡±


    Seeing the cultivators below did not seem interested in these mechanical beasts and noticing the awkward silence when no one called out a price, this man hurriedly recited the speech that he had memorized beforehand all at once, hoping to pique the cultivators¡¯ interest.


    Although the cultivators below had become somewhat curious after he had finished speaking, no one was willing to do something as silly as pay a hundred spirit stones to buy two doll-like items! In addition, what use would two bodyguards at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation be to the cultivators present?


    ¡°One hundred spirit stones!¡±


    A noise sounded out from the corner; there was actually a person who wanted to buy this toy! Instantly, all of the cultivators¡¯ gazes turned towards that corner.


    However, this person was not Han Li; rather, it was some person with a covered face sitting in another corner. He had covered his entire head with a large grey bag, appearing to be an extremely ridiculous and strange person!


    ¡°A hundred and fifty spirit stones!¡±


    Just as other cultivators felt that the strange person was being wastefully extravagant, the sound of another strange, stiff voice calling out a price resounded in the room.


    Now, all of the cultivators in the room were stunned and couldn¡¯t help but glance towards the person who had called out the new price.


    A burly person wearing a green cloak sat in the last row of seats, his hands hugging his shoulders. The sound of a new price came from this person¡¯s mouth. When all of the people glanced at this person, this person actually stared back at them coldly, not revealing any trace of uneasiness!


    ¡°Two hundred spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°I will pay three hundred pieces!¡±


    ¡°Four hundred!¡±


    ¡°Six hundred!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the blink of an eye, these two people raised the price of the puppet beasts one after another to an unbelievable price!


    At this time, even if the many cultivators in the room were more stupid, they would be able to tell that something was off!


    ¡°Could this pair of puppet beasts be hiding some frightening secret?¡± At this time, this kind of a thought was rising up in all of the cultivators¡¯ hearts.


    All the cultivators in the room glanced at each other a few times, and their hearts began to beat loudly. There were even a few financially strong and hasty individuals who directly entered the bidding.


    However, a few older cultivators were still somewhat suspicious even as their hearts stirred.


    These two people couldn¡¯t have been secretly hired by the store, could they?! Could they have purposefully raised the price of this unprofitable item to incite the rest of them to spend excessively?


    The cultivators thinking of this were not few in number, and Han Li was one of the most skeptical ones. Thus, he continued to indifferently watch on, seemingly unmoved in any way.


    ¡°I will pay nine hundred spirit stones with the addition of this item!¡±


    Seeing the number of cultivators participating in the auction increasing, the burly, strange man panicked in his heart, and he actually pulled out an item from his storage pouch. Then, he took a few large steps forward and stood before the skinny, tall man, placing it on the table. He used a rough tone of voice to say:


    ¡°This kind of an item is worth many thousands of spirit stones! It¡¯s more than enough to exchange for these puppet beasts; quickly give them to me!¡±

 Chapter 225

    Iron Essence, Spirit Medicines


    Seeing that the situation was about to get out of hand, the skinny tall male had quickly retrieved the pair of puppet beasts into his storage pouch!


    Now, seeing that the burly man had pulled out a black, junk-metal-like object in order to force him to bring out the auction items that had soared in price, he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes and say impolitely:


    ¡°Everybody, please calm down! You there, we will appraise the item¡¯s worth ourselves, but for now it is more appropriate for you to return to your seat and sit down! Otherwise, this store will assume that you are purposefully creating trouble, and we won¡¯t be polite to you anymore!¡±


    Upon hearing the thin, tall man¡¯s threatening words, the burly man grew very angry at first.


    In his own sect, he was a person with a great identity. When faced with this kind of annoyance,  tens of thousands of people would respond to his call! He immediately raised his fists and was about to break out in anger!


    However, when that person glanced at the strange figure wearing a hood on his head, he discovered that the other person was watching him like a statue; a trace of gloating flitted across his eyes, causing the burly man¡¯s heart to quiver! After thinking better of it, he actually forcefully restrained the anger in his heart, suddenly turning around and returning to his seat.


    Some cultivators who had thought that they would see an entertaining scene play out couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat disappointed.


    The auction of the puppet beasts was going to continue! However, that black item had already been handed to the trio sitting on the sandalwood chairs. At that time, they were discussing the item in low tones. Although their exact expressions were unclear because they were wearing masks, their solemn attitude was clearly seen by all of the cultivators!


    That palm-sized, black piece of foundry iron was examined thoroughly multiple times by the three figures before they finally reached a unanimous decision. Then, a black-clothed person stood up in their midst and loudly declared:


    ¡°One piece of high-quality iron essence, worth two thousand spirit stones!¡±


    Then, that person returned to his seat without saying another word.


    ¡°Iron essence?¡±


    The cultivators who heard these two words couldn¡¯t help but feel shock in their hearts! The person who had wanted to call out another price immediately shut his mouth tight, unwilling to say another word!


    Everybody thought with consternation, could this fellow actually be a Core Formation expert? Otherwise, where did he obtain the iron essence!


    This was a magic treasure material that could only be refined by a Core Formation expert¡¯s Dan fire. Under normal circumstances, cultivators who finished refining this ingredient would immediately assimilate it into their own magic treasures to raise its strength! They would not allow this kind of material to be easily spread out.


    If even a tiny bit of this iron essence magic treasure ingredient were to be mixed into a regular magic tool, its strength would greatly increase; even raising a grade was not an impossibility! Thus, the value of this ingredient was outrageous!


    The burly man from earlier, could he be a Core Formation cultivator who had purposefully suppressed his aura and pretended to be at the Foundation Establishment stage?! Low-level cultivators could not tell the depth of a Core Formation cultivator!


    Just when all of the cultivators were frightened in their hearts and had many suspicions¡­


    The skinny, tall man, under the prompting of the three people behind him, finally opened his mouth again and shouted:


    ¡°Is there anyone else who is willing to place a bid above two thousand nine hundred? If not, this pair of puppet beasts will all belong to to this brother!¡±


    The skinny, tall man seemingly still wanted to pull the price slightly higher; thus, he purposefully uttered these words leisurely, obviously intending to stall for time.


    But which cultivator in the large room still dared to randomly call out prices!


    Since these people were able to attend this time¡¯s auction, they naturally were not common characters. Either they were important figures from a cultivator clan or they had reached the Foundation Establishment stage; however, when faced with a suspected Core Formation expert, which one of them dared to ask for trouble?


    In addition, even if this person was not a Core Formation cultivator, this person at least had a Core Formation expert backing him. Thus, even if one coveted the puppet beast¡¯s secrets, there was no one who was willing to signal themselves out, so they could only stare at the treasure.


    The strange person who had gone tit for tat with him from the beginning similarly sat without saying a word. Nobody knew if he had been frightened by that piece of iron essence or if he was embarrassingly short of money and simply couldn¡¯t pull out that many spirit stones.


    Upon hearing about the iron essence, Han Li also felt very shocked. That cheap master of his had lost two pieces of iron essence to Senior Eccentric Qiong. At that time, seeing his master¡¯s depressed expression, he knew that this item was extremely precious and valuable.


    Just like that, this pair of puppet beasts fell into the burly man¡¯s hands without any further contest. When he received the puppet beasts, he was so excited that his hands shook slightly!


    However, this provoked the cultivators¡¯ recklessness even more. A large portion of them even wished that they could just seize it in order to precisely research the secrets hidden within!


    After receiving the puppet beasts, the burly man wearing a cloak immediately left his seat and walked towards the stone doors, but when he reached them, he discovered that the stone doors had actually been tightly shut from the outside! He forcefully pushed on the door twice, but it did not budge an inch!


    ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡±


    ¡°Could it be that even though I bought an item, I¡¯m still not allowed to leave?¡± The man¡¯s tone of voice became somber; his accent, which was already somewhat strange, became even more pronounced and uncomfortable to hear.


    ¡°Of course not! When the trades finish, we will immediately open the doors and allow you to leave. However, we cannot do so right now.¡± The person who spoke directly at this moment was not the skinny, tall man running the auction, but rather the black-clothed person sitting on the left.


    ¡°What? What kind of reasoning is this? I want to leave this place immediately!¡± The man began to rage, and his voice grew increasingly loud.


    ¡°Regretfully, this truly is this store¡¯s rule. We use some of these methods to prevent any kinds of unfortunate accidents from occurring! Sir, surely it can¡¯t be that you can¡¯t even wait this small amount of time!¡±  With a low, hoarse voice, the black-clothed person on the right exclaimed in a very gloomy manner.


    ¡°Humph! Of course I can continue to wait. Do you think that I¡¯m afraid of you? I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want to see if any good items will come out next!¡± It was unknown what this man had thought, but he suddenly changed his attitude and swaggered back to his seat.


    This caused the others to stare blankly and feel greatly shocked. What was this person thinking? Could it be that the longer this person stayed here, the more in danger he would be?


    At this time, the majority of the cultivators present had already seen that this person truly was in the Foundation Establishment realm. Otherwise, how could he be content with being put into his place? However, the secret store¡¯s representatives had seemingly known the actual situation of the burly man from the beginning and didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of backing down!


    Since the burly man did not leave, the auction in the room continued! However, the hearts of the majority of the people did not return to the auction; there was actually the cold scene of two items in a row being auctioned without a single person calling out a bid. This caused that skinny, tall man to begin feeling incredibly awkward.


    However, this auction had also neared its end. The really precious items and the climax of the auction had finally begun!


    ¡°Top-grade spiritual medicine, one thousand year-old Yellow Essence Mushrooms. I will not say any more superfluous words. Everyone here is most likely even clearer than I am about this medicinal herb¡¯s value!¡±


    The skinny, tall man had just finished saying this when a green jade box appeared in his hand.


    Then, he put on an act and glanced at all of the cultivators; seeing that everyone¡¯s attention had been attracted by the thousand-year-old herbal medicine, he said, secretly happy:


    ¡°This thousand year-old spirit medicine has only appeared a few times in the past hundred years; buying it to refine spiritual pills will definitely result in realm-shattering creations. It is the optimal opportunity to greatly increase one¡¯s magic power. Thus, the base price starts from five hundred spirit stones!¡±


    Having said this, the skinny, tall man pulled off the lid to the jade box, then picked it up and showed the medicinal herb to the cultivators.


    In an instant, a thick, medicinal fragrance filled the entire large room, causing the cultivators to feel both surprised and happy!


    They were surprised because they had never expected that this kind of unique treasure would appear at this auction! They were happy because if they were able to buy it and use it to refine medicine, it would be exactly like the other person had said¡ªbetter than any top-grade magic tool! After all, what was being raised was one¡¯s own magic power, instead of any kind of borrowed, external power!


    Thus, after the skinny, tall man mentioned the base price, someone impatiently opened their mouth!


    ¡°A thousand spirit stones!¡±


    As soon as one cultivator opened his mouth, the price of this spiritual herb had doubled! This caused many people who wanted to call out a price to be infuriated to the point of shouting abuse at them incessantly! However, immediately afterwards, people continued to raise the price.


    ¡°A thousand two hundred spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°A thousand¡­¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The people calling out prices continued one after another; in the blink of an eye, it broke through the large bottleneck of two thousand. Meanwhile, Han Li was staring at the thousand year-old spiritual medicine on the table in a trance!


    When he first heard about the thousand year-old spiritual herb, he did not pay much attention to it. He only thought that a thousand-year old herb had been discovered in another location.


    However, when the skinny, tall man showed off the thousand year-old Yellow Essence Mushroom in the box, Han Li immediately determined that the purported top-grade spiritual medicine was actually one of the two that he had sold to the Myriad Treasure Store earlier. This was because he had personally raised this spiritual medicine, so how could he not recognize it?


    However, since the spiritual medicine was already in the hands of the Myriad Treasures Store, Han Li wouldn¡¯t worry himself about the matter anymore! Thus, after slightly blanking out for a while, Han Li regained consciousness, watching the many cultivators fight with one another as if nothing had happened.


    Hearing the rapid auctioning noises from these cultivators, Han Li felt somewhat self-satisfied in his heart!


    After all, to have an item that one previously possessed cause other people to be so frantic could also be considered a source of pride!

 Chapter 226

    Five Elements Reversal Formation.


    Chapter 226: Five Elements Reversal Formation


    A few cultivators quickly ran out of spirit stones on hand, and one by one, they started to put up a few rare goods as collateral. In addition, each item became increasingly expensive and rare, causing Han Li to feel overwhelmed!


    ¡°I¡¯ll use my Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment set in exchange for that spiritual herb!¡±


    It was unknown who suddenly said those nervous words that caused the rowdy and disorderly cultivators to become quiet.


    It wasn¡¯t because this person voice was loud, but because he uttered the truly famous name of ¡°Reversal Five Elements Formation¡±. It was a name known to nearly everyone that there were few who did not know! In a few aspects, this formation was absolutely more valuable to a few cultivator clans and cultivator sects than the thousand year-old spiritual medicine.


    Apart from covering a small area and having no offensive power, this reputed restrictive formation spell could transform and conceal a sect mountain, confusing and trapping enemies. It wasn¡¯t weaker than the large protective formations of those great sects in the slightest.


    If their own clan or sect had such a wondrous formation, they would have no reason not to use it.


    However, it was said that if one were not a great formation spell master experienced with this kind of impressive restrictive spell, one would have to spend about a year of hard work and a great amount of labor and resources and still not be able to set it up, not to mention turning such a wondrous formation into a magic tool!


    If this were true, this auction would be a truly wondrous matter that would greatly broaden one¡¯s horizons!


    When Han Li heard this, a lively expression flashed through his eyes, and his spirit was moved. He then turned his head to look at the person who spoke those words.


    It was an extremely unremarkable Qi Condensation disciple with a short and thick stature wearing a tiger mask. It was truly not the person one would expect of someone that would possess such a wondrous item! However, a bit of anxiety could be seen from his eye.


    ¡°Your esteemed self possesses a Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment set?¡± After a moment of surprise, the tall and thin man asked this calmly as he sized up the youth with a gaze full of suspicion. Although he didn¡¯t seem very convinced, if the other party truly possessed this formation spell magic tool, the thousand year-old medicine herb would naturally go uncontested to this person.


    When the other cultivators heard this, they all waited to hear the youth¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I have it, but as of now, it is incomplete. It can only bring out a tenth of the spell formation¡¯s strength. But if you were to agree to give this one the medicine herb, this one will guarantee that within several years, he will be able to multiply the might of the formation establishment tools to at least half of its proper strength.¡±  When the youth saw so many people look at him, he could not help but panic a bit, As a result, he stuttered out the true matter with regards to the thousand year-old medicine herb.


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t true and was instead a defective experiment!¡± When the many cultivators heard this, they were greatly disappointed. Originally, if he truly had this magic tool, they would have bid even greater amounts of spirit stones for it. But now that that it was known to be defective, there was naturally no interest!


    The formation masters of the cultivation world were far rarer than pill and tool-refining experts! This was because one must decide to deeply study formations to the point where one would even abandon the Great Dao! After all, a person had limited energy. Within a finite amount of time, it was impossible to simultaneously cultivate and delve into the profoundness of formation spells.


    Thus, there were people who decided to the find the spell formation master backing the youth after the termination of the trade fair.


    After all, a spell formation master capable of researching such a wondrous formation spell magic tool would certainly be capable of laying out a spell formation on site! As for those from a few clans and small sects, so long as they were able to protect a few vital areas with this wondrous formation, even if it wasn¡¯t in the form of a mobile magic tool, it made no difference!


    ¡°Could it be that your esteemed self is joking!? We are an auction. Who has any reason to wait several years for results! Since I see that you are young, I will drop it this time! The next time you carelessly bid falsely, do not blame this store¡¯s representatives for being impolite!¡± When the thin and tall man heard those empty words, his face immediately sunk, and he replied harshly.


    When the short, coarse youth saw this, his exposed mouth quivered as if he wanted to say something. However, the man in charge of the action paid him no more heed and turned his head, causing the youth to let out a long sigh and helplessly sit back down.


    When Han Li saw this, he narrowed his eyes. After carefully looking at the youth several times, he firmly memorized the youth¡¯s manner of dress and figure.


    At this moment, the thousand year-old herb had reached the price of two thousand spirit stones with the addition of several false moonstones from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    That tall and sturdy man who exchanged the iron essence for the puppet beast did not immediately leave. He actually sat leisurely in his chair as if he wanted to participate in the free trade. But instead, the strange person concealed underneath the hood immediately hurried out as soon as the stone doors opened. This caused a few who were observing from the side to be puzzled.


    Han Li didn¡¯t trouble himself over this matter and instead looked after matters pertaining to himself! He originally planned to wait until the period of free trade to look for the short, coarse youth and see whether or not he could acquire the formation establishment magic tool.


    Although the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡± establishment tool could only recreate a tenth of its original strength, It was enough for Han Li¡¯s purposes.


    After all, he had heard of the grand reputation of this wondrous formation and was convinced that Immortal¡¯s cave.


    But Han Li did not expect that when he looked in the direction of the youth, he would be immediately surrounded by four to five cultivators wanting to discuss some matters with him.


    This unexpected situation caused Han Li to feel a bit annoyed. At the same time, he was a bit anxious. Could it be that they were the same as him, also wanting to purchase that incomplete formation establishment set?


    However, Han Li¡¯s worry was unfounded!


    After those people chatted a bit with the youth, they looked at each other in dismay, immediately shaking their heads and leaving. The only person who remained was the short, coarse youth, dejectedly standing there with a hung head.


    Han Li grew greatly delighted and walked several steps forward. He then coughed and thought of what to say. However, without waiting for him to speak or even taking a look at him, the short, coarse youth dejectedly said, ¡°If you do not have a thousand year-old spiritual medicine, then please do not disturb me! The spell formation master backing me immediately requires a spiritual medicine to save his life! Currently, we cannot give you any large formations!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he felt greatly surprised. But then he said this with a light smile, ¡°What if I have a thousand year-old spiritual medicine but do not wish to find a spell formation master to set down a formation?¡± He said this with a joking chuckle.


    This youth was only a Qi Condensation at the beginning of the tenth layer. Han Li had no need to be wary of him and thus spoke as he wished.


    ¡°Senior has spiritual medicine?¡± This youths consciousness was immediately roused and looked happily toward Han Li.


    Han Li did not immediately reply and instead looked in every direction.


    It seemed as if no one was paying attention to this location. The other cultivators were looking at the others displaying their magic tools for trade.


    ¡°Shall we go somewhere else to have a chat? There are too many people here!¡± Han Li softly said, pointing to an unremarkable corner.


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡±


    The short, coarse youth agreed without the slightest hesitation. They walked over to the nearby corner and were twenty meters away from the nearest cultivator. After Han Li set up a soundproof barrier with ease, they didn¡¯t need to worry about others eavesdropping.


    With this said, ever since Han LI reached Foundation Establishment, he immediately mastered the minor magic techniques he previously couldn¡¯t use in the slightest! He had transcended realms from his previously clumsy and slow incapabilities, causing Han Li to feel happy for a long while. This soundproof barrier was a minor magic technique he learned in passing.


    ¡°Senior truly has a spiritual medicine? It must be a thousand years old or higher! Seven to eight hundred year-old medicine ingredients are not enough!¡± When the youth saw Han Li set up the barrier, he spouted this out impatiently. It seemed he was very worried!


    Han Li looked at him indifferently and didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he directly took out the case that was holding the spiritual medicine from his storage pouch.


    Although it wasn¡¯t the thousand year-old Yellow Essence Mushroom that had been sold, it was an equivalently aged thousand year-old Violet Osmanthus Flowers. Since he didn¡¯t specify a particular medicine ingredient, it seemed that so long as the medicinal herb was at least a thousand years old, it should be fine. According to Han Li¡¯s estimates, the youth most likely wanted a thousand year-old medicinal herb to extend someone¡¯s life. As a result, he wasn¡¯t particularly fussy.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± The youth fixedly stared at the case, his face full of expectation.


    ¡°Your perception is not wrong. It truly is a thousand year old medicinal herb. However, before I open it, shouldn¡¯t we have a chat about what item Your Highness will be using to exchange for this medicinal herb!?¡± Han Li asked coldly. Since the other party demanded it from him, it was only natural he would have them bleed for a moment! These rarely seen formation establishing magic tools, Han Li wanted to have a few more on hand as it was always good to have spares.


    ¡°What does Senior wish for? Apart from the magic tools Junior has on hand, there is nothing else worth trading!¡± After the youth heard Han Li¡¯s words, he was startled for a moment before saying these words with slight embarrassment.


    ¡°Do you feel that a badly damaged formation establishment magic tool can be exchanged for this thousand year-old spiritual medicine?¡± When Han Li heard his words, he did not reveal any expression of disappointment and instead replied with an indifferent voice.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The short, coarse youth scratched his head in puzzlement. He strongly felt such an exchange wasn¡¯t suitable.

 Chapter 227

    Making Friends.


    Chapter 227: Making Friends


    ¡°Is Senior interested in the art of tool-refining?¡± The short, stocky youth hesitated for a long time before suddenly forcing out such a sentence, causing Han Li to feel greatly stunned.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Han Li felt some uncertainty.


    ¡°Could it be that you want to pass down a tool-refining technique!¡± Han Li asked without thinking.


    ¡°Senior guessed it! The only thing I can take out is the tool-refining technique that I have on me!¡± the youth exclaimed somewhat dejectedly.


    When Han Li heard this, he was speechless! He had only wanted to obtain a few formation flag and plate items; who wanted to learn how to refine tools? Even more so, who did this youth think he was! His tool-refining technique was so rare? The cultivators who knew about refining tools were not few in number!


    ¡°However, because of ancestral rules, Junior can only give you the experience that I have accumulated; I cannot teach you this technique personally!¡±the youth immediately stammered , complementing his previous sentence.


    Han Li blinked his eyes,and was at even more of a loss for words!


    Seeing that Han Li, upon hearing his suggestion, continued to be silent as if he were unwilling, the youth couldn¡¯t help but begin to feel anxious. He no longer care about concealing his identity, and he hurriedly blurted out truthfully:


    ¡°My grandfather used to be a tool-refining elder from the Divine Weapons Sect; his technique in tool-refining had long since reached great heights! My own tool-refining technique was taught to me hand in hand by my grandfather. For Junior to hand over his tool-refining heart to you today is already breaking the ancestral rules! As for how much Senior can gain depends completely on Senior¡¯s good fortune! However, I can guarantee that they are all secrets that have never been spread to outsiders from the cultivation world!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression finally changed upon hearing that this youth was a descendant of a Divine Weapons Sect tool-refining elder!


    Didn¡¯t this Divine Weapons Sect stand side-by-side with the Heavenly Star Sect and the Thousand Wonders Monastery as one of the three great sects in the State of Yuan Wu!  The tool-refining techniques there, as well as the formations of the Heavenly Star Sect and the Thousand Wonders Monastery¡¯s Dao of Talismans, were all incredibly well-known by many cultivators in the neighboring states.


    In this way, it seemed that the other person¡¯s tool refinement insight was truly not average! Although Han Li would most likely not end up learning it, even having it in his possessions could be a bargaining chip. Who knew if in the future he would have some use for it?


    Han Li made a decision in his heart; however, he still asked:


    ¡°Can your Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment magic tools really be further improved?¡±


    ¡°It definitely can be! My friend has long reached perfection in the Dao of Formations; adding on my tool-refining technique, improving this formation establishment magic tool will not pose a big problem!¡± Seeing that Han Li asked that question, the youth knew that he had most likely agreed. Thus, he immediately became joyful and assured Han Li, patting his chest.


    Han Li nodded his head and did not continue speaking. However, he took the lid off the box in his hand, and immediately a medicinal fragrance filled with Spiritual Qi filled the soundproof barrier. The youth lightly sniffed it a few times, then used his eyes to closely examine it several more times. The delight in his eyes greatly increased, and he nodded his head repeatedly to express his satisfaction.


    Seeing this, Han Li gently smiled; he reached out his hand and handed it over.


    The youth hurriedly and happily stretched out his hand to receive it. However, when he grabbed a corner of the box, wanting to take it away, it seemed that this box containing the spiritual medicine had grown roots on Han Li¡¯s hand and did not budge at all! This caused the youth to stare blankly, and a surprised expression was revealed on his face.


    Han Li, seeing the other person raise his head and look at him at a loss, couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    It seemed like this individual truly was an influential family¡¯s young master who had not experienced many trials and hardships! He still did not recognize such an obvious hint from Han Li?


    Helplessly, Han Li could only use his mouth to clarify for the other person:


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you also take out that set of magic tool and your tool-refining insights? That way, we can exchange the goods at the same time! Isn¡¯t doing it this way somewhat more appropriate?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡­, Senior spoke correctly; Junior forgot this matter in my excitement!¡± The short, stocky youth finally was enlightened, and he let go of the box, his face blood red. He clumsily pulled out a stack of items from his storage pouch.


    ¡°Here are eighteen formation plates and thirty-six formation flags; these are the complete set of the Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment magic tools. As long as you follow the instructions on this piece of jade and set them up exactly as described, the formation will immediately take effect. Also, this Yunxiao technique insight manual was compiled from twenty years of my tool-refining experience; I hope that Senior can avoid spreading it around in the future to prevent the Divine Weapons Sect from coming to your door. This is because many of the tool-refining techniques in here are all secrets of the Divine Weapons Sect!¡± the youth explained in great detail. In addition, he also gave Han Li a significant piece of advice.


    When Han Li heard these words, his impression of this youth became even more favorable! Another idea suddenly emerged in his heart!


    After hesitating for a moment, Han Li stuffed the box in his hand into the bosom of the other person, then received the stack of item from the other person¡¯s hand.


    Han Li¡¯s sudden movements, which were contrary to his usual behavior, actually caused the short, stocky youth to feel at a loss, as if he didn¡¯t know what he had done wrong.


    ¡°Yunxiao technique insight! Yunxiao is your name, right? What is your surname?¡± Han Li changed the indifferent expression he had used earlier; he received the items and gave them a few cursory glances before amiably asking the youth.


    ¡°Junior¡¯s surname is Ji, Qi Yunxiao! Does Senior have any more instructions?¡± The youth hesitated for a moment, but he still ended up speaking. However, he did not know what Han Li¡¯s intentions were.


    ¡°Nothing really. I just wanted to tell you that although I have received your collection of insights, I will use a sealing technique to seal it and will not touch it for five years. If in these five years, you can truly successfully improve this spell formation set for me, I will return the manual to you without having looked at a single page. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Really? Then Junior can¡¯t thank you enough! Senior can rest assured concerning this matter of improving the Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment magic tools! Even if Junior¡¯s friend does not successfully improve it, I will still try to persuade him to make a truly great formation for Senior!¡± After hearing Han Li say this, the youth was overjoyed and hurriedly assured him.


    Han Li gently smiled and picked up the ¡¶Yunxiao Experience¡·manual, holding it in his hands.


    Following Han Li¡¯s muttered incantations, a row of silver runes suddenly appeared on his hands; after circling in his palms for awhile, they entered the book and vanished! At the same time, a silver light flashed across the ¡°Yunxiao experience¡± manual, and a faint silver light dissipated from it. This caused the entire book to suddenly became a chunk of silver, with no way of opening it even a tiny bit!


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve finished sealing it! Now, circulate your Spiritual Qi through the seal. In this way, when we make the exchange in the future, you will know whether or not I¡¯ve broken the seal!¡± Han Li sealed the book, then threw it over. The youth caught the book with surprise and happiness.


    The youth stared at it slack-jawed for a moment, but with a stomp of his foot, he left some Spiritual Qi on the seal. Then, with an expression both of doubt and gratitude, he returned the book to Han Li.


    At this time, Han Li had pretty much figured out the other person¡¯s state of mind. He knew that immediately gaining the other person¡¯s trust was an impossible task! But when he returned the sealed book to the other person after a number of years, he would presumably be able to secure the friendship of both the youth and that magic formation master, building up a relationship with them.


    Of course, determining whether or not the other person was really worth building a relationship with still required them to interact for a long period of time before it would become clear!


    Thus, Han Li stowed the book away. After asking for a method to communicate with the youth, he floated away without another superfluous sentence and left the area.


    The youth was left in the same location with an expression of disbelief. He had obtained this thousand year-old spiritual medicine just like that? He fiercely squeezed the hard medicine box, and an expression of both confusion and excitement was revealed in his eyes.


    Han Li naturally was in a very good mood, and he headed towards the tool-refining store.


    Qi Yunxiao¡¯s tool-refining technique and his backer¡¯s identity as a magic formation master were much more valuable than a lifeless book! If he could build up relations with them, perhaps in the future it would be very helpful for his cultivation path! Han Li had no doubts about this!


    Han Li finally returned to the store that had received his contract. There, the white-haired elder was waiting anxiously for his arrival.


    When he saw that Han Li really had kept his promise and returned, the store owner immediately beamed with joy and had the dark-skinned man quickly bring tea and rare fruits. He personally accompanied Han Li to sit down at the table and incessantly addressed him as Senior. Although Han Li was a thick-skinned person, his face still faintly blushed.


    Next, Han Li took out the centipede¡¯s back shell out in front of the elder. This caused the elder¡¯s expression to change, and he immediately picked up a small piece, carefully caressing it and identifying it.


    ¡°This is the shell of an advanced grade one poisonous insect demonic beast; it truly is a very good tool-refining ingredient! Especially since the demonic beasts in the outside world are decreasing in number, encountering a poisonous insect demonic beast is an especially rare circumstance,¡± the elder said with a smile. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out.


    The materials the other person possessed were all within his expectations. They weren¡¯t junk metal or any kind of miscellaneous garbage; instead, they were actually the outer shell of a poisonous insect demonic beast! They were extremely good materials, highly suited for crafting armor or shield-like magic tools.


    According to his estimation, prior to being refined, these bug shells could forcefully receive an attack from a top-grade magic tool without any serious damage! If it were successfully refined, it naturally could effortlessly reach the ranks of a top-grade magic tool.


    The white-haired elder became happier the more he looked at it, and he happily picked up these pieces of shell, about to begin. However, he was stopped by Han Li!


    ¡°Store owner, don¡¯t be hasty! There are still some ingredients that I haven¡¯t brought out yet!¡± Seeing the elder¡¯s frazzled behavior, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but knit his eyebrows together and wonder if he had found himself the wrong tool-refining master!

 Chapter 228

    Puppet Cultivator.


    Chapter 228: Puppet Cultivator


    ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± The elder first stared blankly, but then he immediately became even happier; he laughed giddily for quite some time.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what sort of materials Han Li would pull out next, saving the best for last was a principle of common sense. His gaze towards Han Li was filled with even more expectation!


    Although Han Li was somewhat doubtful of this store owner¡¯s tool-refining methods, he would be unable to find another tool-refining master that he trusted more for some time; thus, he could only somewhat hesitatingly place the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s raw materials onto the table.


    However, he had already decided in his heart that if this elder was unable to identify the origins of these materials, it would prove that the other person¡¯s experience and methods would be problematic! If that time came, he would at most allow the elder to refine the hard shell in front of him.


    As for the high-quality materials from the Inky Flood Dragon, he would have to wait to find a superior tool-refining master!


    Since Han Li had made this plan, he naturally followed the elder¡¯s expression and movements even more closely.


    In the end, when he saw the pile of materials that Han Li had taken out, the elder spat out his mouthful of clear tea onto the ground in front of him with a ¡°puchi¡±.


    ¡°This is a flood dragon¡¯s hide¡­¡­even its horns, fangs¡­¡­these are its eyes! Heavens, could Senior have single-handedly killed an evil flood dragon?¡± The white-haired store owner was shocked out of his normal behavior; he gazed at the materials in front of him with disbelief, incessantly muttering to himself.


    No wonder this elder was so shocked! Demonic beasts like the flood dragon had already disappeared from nearby cultivation worlds for a long time. Even if there were some in hiding, this kind of evil flood dragon, which had seemingly evolved into a grade two demonic beast, was comparable to a cultivator beyond the Foundation Establishment stage.


    Apart from Core Formation cultivators, how could average Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly be its opponent!? Even if that many cultivators in Foundation Establishment took action together, the pile of flood dragon materials in front of him was too complete! It was practically as if Han Li had dismembered an entire flood dragon and directly carried it over.


    Could he have taken ownership of the complete corpse for himself, leaving nothing for the other cultivators? Or did this person have some terrifying method that allowed him to take care of this flood dragon on his own?


    The elder¡¯s imagination began to run wild as he fumbled around with these materials.


    It was only now that a reverent attitude appeared in his heart towards Han Li!


    The fact that the store owner had been able to immediately recognize these materials was somewhat beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    He originally believed that even if the other person was able to recognize these items, it would perhaps still require a lot of time and energy for him to do so. But since the elder had so easily identified the materials, Han Li gained some more faith in him.


    ¡°Store Owner Xu recognized them so quickly. This actually has assured me a lot. Then, Elder Xu, please begin refining!¡± Han Li politely said after thinking things over in his heart.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! Senior please have faith; when I, Xu, was still an apprentice, I refined a flood dragon corpse once before with my father. My grasp of it will definitely not be small!¡± the elder replied, nodding his head repeatedly. He held one of the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s talons in his hand, unwilling to put it down!


    Seeing this scene, Han Li felt that it was somewhat comical.


    However, he also understood that this elder most likely was a person who was obsessed with refining tools. Otherwise, even if the materials were better, he would not have lost his self-control like this. In this way, however, Han Li felt even more at peace, since this meant that this person¡¯s mastery of tool-refining should be pretty exceptional.


    Thus, the elder led Han Li to the rear courtyard, bringing the materials with him!


    ¡­¡­


    After half a month, Han Li finally walked out of the store¡¯s front door. He slowly left with a light smile on his face after turning around and gazing at the store.


    When he was outside of the market¡¯s prohibited flying zone, Han Li lifted his hand, and a small, exquisite white boat shot out from his sleeve. It floated in front of him a few feet off the ground and began to gently shake.


    Han Li gazed at it lovingly for a moment before flicking his finger; an azure streak of magic power hit the boat. Instantly, the small boat slowly expanded in size. After a brief moment, it had become a small canoe that could fit several people.


    Han Li¡¯s figure gently shook when he saw this scene, and he got on the boot. Then, in a flash of white light, Han Li disappeared along with the boat, appearing thirty feet or so in the air!


    ¡°This Divine Wind Boat that was refined using the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s fins and tail is really an incredibly flying magic tool. Although it is far from being able to contain as many people as the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Heavenly Divine Moon Boat and has no defensive abilities, based on speed alone it should be a very rarely seen flying magic tool. In this way, I will never have to use the leaf-shaped magic tool that travels as slowly as a turtle!¡± Han Li said to himself as he stood on the bow of the ship; a trace of happiness was revealed on his face.


    Han Li suddenly sent his spiritual power into the small boat¡¯s frame. In an explosion of bright white light, the Divine Wind Boat immediately became a streak of white and shot forwards. Its speed was extremely fast, more than enough to cause regular cultivators to stare, tongue-tied!


    Han Li sat at the front of the ship, gently closing his eyes and reveling in the sensation of speed that he had never before experienced.


    He reckoned that even if he were to fly at half the speed of the Divine Wind Boat, he could return to his cave in little more than an hour. Then, he would prepare to set up the weakened Five Elements Reversal Formation. Once he finished, he could cultivate in peace!


    Just as Han Li was thinking this, he suddenly felt a strong burst of Spiritual Qi flying speedily towards his Divine Wind Boat from a location below him! Although he didn¡¯t know what was attacking him, based on the immense Spiritual Qi that he felt, if it were to hit the small boat, the outcome would be the destruction of the boat and his death!


    Han Li was both surprised and furious, and he abruptly opened his eyes wide! Then, the small boat below him suddenly doubled in speed, whizzing numerous tens of feet away.


    At the same time, a huge column of yellow light passed through the location where Han Li was just in a moment ago, flying into the distance without scattering. This caused Han Li¡¯s expression to become gloomy!


    ¡°Could there be people who knew I would pass through this place and set up an ambush for me ahead of time?¡± Han Li could not help but think this in his surprise and fury. Then, he immediately pulled out two azure-red dual-colored spheres, gently touching them together.


    A ¡°peng¡± sounded out.


    Instantly, a surge of dense, azure-red fog simultaneously shot out of the two spheres, rapidly enveloping Han Li. In addition, it continued to expand; in the blink of an eye, it had become a huge azure-red cloud roughly a hundred feet in size. Han Li¡¯s figure completely disappeared in the cloud of fog.


    With the protection of this azure-red cloud, Han Li slightly lowered his guard, coldly gazing at the earth below!


    When he saw clearly the circumstance below, Han Li¡¯s jaw dropped wide open, and he had no way of closing it for quite some time. This was because there was a gang war going on below him!


    Four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators were at a disadvantage, confronting nearly a hundred enemies that had completely surrounded them. In addition, their opponents were all expressionless and spiritless; they were actually all tiger and leopard mechanical puppet beasts. There were even a few humanoid mechanical puppets, very similar to the one in Han Li¡¯s storage pouch.


    Although the seemingly slow movements of the puppets made them seem easy to deal with, when one puppet was defeated or destroyed by these cultivators¡¯ magic tools, a few more puppets would walk out of the nearby forest and reinforce them, causing the numbers of puppets surrounding them to be constant and unchanging.


    In addition, these puppets¡¯ offensive abilities were very frightening!


    When these mechanical beasts occasionally opened their mouths, a huge column of light as big as a bowl, identical to the one that had almost hit Han Li, would shoot from their mouths. However, their columns of light were multicolored, representing their various attributes.


    It seemed as if Han Li had been accidentally shot at by them!


    As for those humanoid puppets, they were even stronger! There were puppet bowmen that were the same as the puppet bowman in Han Li¡¯s possession. They directly shot out finger-wide multicolored light arrows from the long bow in their hands. Although their strength was not as great as the light columns shot by the mechanical beasts, they were superior because they formed an endless onslaught.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that these cultivators had combined their efforts to set up a huge barrier, perhaps they would have long since died under the indiscriminate barrage of light arrows and columns.


    However, what gave them the greatest headache was still those spear and saber-wielding close-combat puppets. Not only were those puppets wearing heavy armor,  the weapons in their hands all shone with light, indicating that they were all genuine low to mid-grade magic tools.


    Although there were only ten of them or so, they attacked incessantly after thoroughly surrounding the barrier. Under the onslaught, the barrier began to crumble, and its brightness fluctuated! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that there were two cultivators pressing their hands to the barrier and replenishing its magic power at all times, it would have most likely been broken through numerous times already.


    It wasn¡¯t that the cultivators really couldn¡¯t do anything about these puppets!


    They were, after all, Foundation Establishment cultivators; not only was their magic power very deep, the magic tools they possessed were also frighteningly powerful. In this small amount of time, thirty or forty puppets had already been demolished by their attacks.


    However, no matter how strong the magic tools in their hands were, the number of puppets in the forest seemed to be inexhaustible. They continuously supplemented the existing number without stopping, and so the battle became one of attrition. The more these cultivators fought, the colder their hearts grew!


    Han Li, hiding in midair within the azure cloud, was also stunned by what he saw! It seemed as if in this span of time, nobody had yet discovered his existence; that column of light had been nothing but an accident!


    Finally, one cultivator ran out of patience. He suddenly added on numerous layers of protective spells onto his body. Then, waving a banner-shaped defensive magic tool, he directly escaped out of the large barrier, flying towards the sky. It seemed as if he wanted to flee from this area!


    Seeing this, the other few cultivators couldn¡¯t help but break the silence and begin to curse him out.


    However, their curses had just left their mouths when a gigantic column of light tens of feet wide suddenly shot out from the forest. In a flash, it directly hit the cultivator in midair. He was immediately turned into a fireball, leaving him no time to even whimper before he fell to the ground. Whether he was alive or dead was a mystery.

 Chapter 229

    Huge Tiger


    The curses of the few cultivators who were furious after their companion left them without saying anything had already disappeared. They gazed at each other, seeing a trace of dread in each others¡¯ eyes.


    Just then, although they had been in an extremely disadvantageous position, they actually did not feel any worry in their hearts apart from a slight feeling of vexation. They all reckoned that even if they couldn¡¯t kill off all these mechanical puppets, escaping through the air was still something that could be easily accomplished!


    But now, the escapee¡¯s fate immediately shocked them out of their wishful dreams! He had so many protective spells on his body, and he was even wielding a defensive magic tool, but even so, he was actually unable to withstand that column of light in the slightest. How could this not frighten them?!


    In addition, the higher one¡¯s cultivation base, the more one feared death! They had, with great difficulty, achieved a point where they could live slightly longer than regular people. There was also the possibility that they could live even longer, so how could they be willing to die so easily!


    However, that frighteningly thick column of light was simply too powerful!


    If it hadn¡¯t been directed at the fleeing cultivator but rather at their protective barrier¡­these people really didn¡¯t know if they could have received it.


    The more these cultivators thought about it, the more they panicked! They couldn¡¯t help but begin to think about retreating.


    But now, even if they wanted to retreat, the opponent would not easily let them go now that he had the advantage! This caused them to be caught in a dilemma.


    Hiding in the clouds high above their heads, Han Li was also shocked by that domineering column of light to the point that his body emanated cold air! Now he was even more unwilling to rashly reveal himself.


    However, he was also not very willing to just leave this place in this manner.


    Thus, he could rely on the outstanding speed of the Divine Wind Boat to escape even after being discovered. Han Li continued to stay in midair, observing what transpired!


    However, the azure-red cloud of smoke that Han Li¡¯s magic tool had transformed into was truly somewhat eye-catching if he left it floating in midair above the cultivators and puppets! Luckily, while Han Li had been in mid-flight, he had greatly increased the altitude of the small boat to a distance of about thousand feet.


    Thus, Han Li had yet to be discovered by the surrounded cultivators or the figure in the forest controlling the puppets.


    However, Han Li also knew that this method could not be carried on indefinitely, but if he were to retrieve the cloud of smoke, he would definitely be exposed in midair.


    Besides, the top-grade magic tool ¡°Azurefire Miasma¡± that had been refined from a pair of flood dragon eyes could conceal Han Li¡¯s figure, causing enemies to be unable to determine his exact location. In addition, the remaining blood of the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s Dan had been incorporated in the dense, azure-red fog. This would cause the people who unwittingly came into contact with the cloud to feel dizzy and lightheaded, slowly being poisoned without even knowing!


    With such an incredible defensive and stealthy magic tool at hand, how could Han Li not choose to use it?


    In his desperation, Han Li suddenly saw a grey cloud floating in a nearby location above where he was hiding. He instantly rejoiced in his heart and slowly drew near to it. Finally, both him and the protective cloud around him entered the cloud.


    Now, any traces of Han Li had been completely covered up!


    Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about being discovered, he continued to watch the battle down on the ground with reassurance.


    Evidently, that supreme beam of light earlier had dispelled the self-confidence of these Foundation Establishment cultivators. Thus, although they were still attacking with their various magic tools and the fight appeared to be very intense, Han Li could see that the strength of their attacks was far weaker than they were originally.


    This was obviously because everyone had their own ulterior motives and appeared to be unwilling to resist the enemy together anymore.


    Just as Han Li was quietly shaking his head, an elderly cultivator within the barrier seemingly also became aware that something was wrong. He suddenly yelled loudly towards the forest, ¡°Does Sir really want to continue the slaughter? We are all disciples from various sects of the State of Yuan Wu; if you kill us, you will have wronged the State of Yuan Wu¡¯s entire cultivation world. Are you not afraid of incurring a fatal disaster?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Fatal disaster?¡±


    ¡°If you had said so before I killed that cultivator who had wanted to fly away, perhaps I would have considered it. However, now that someone has already died, offending once is still an offense. It would be better to kill everybody off. Perhaps this way, no one will know of this matter!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any malicious intentions! As long as you are willing to make peace, we will swear an oath that we definitely will keep this matter a secret!¡± a significantly younger cultivator hurriedly vowed.


    ¡°Hmph! Swearing an oath? I don¡¯t believe in such trifles! You guys were stealthily following behind me for such a long time, yet you still say that you don¡¯t have any malicious intentions? Could it be that you want to invite me to a meal? Besides, I am not a person from the State of Yuan Wu. Even if I did offend the cultivation world of your state, what can you do? Do you want to follow me back to the Thousand Bamboo School to demand justice? If that¡¯s really the case, I, Mo, very much admire your sect¡¯s elders¡¯ boldness!¡±


    An extremely harsh voice came from within the forest. Upon hearing this voice, Han Li thought that it sounded very familiar!


    ¡°It¡¯s him?¡± Han Li quietly thought, somewhat surprised.


    Based on the sound of his voice, it was definitely the burly man who had bought the mechanical puppet beasts at the auction! Hearing their exchange, it was obvious that these cultivators had secretly followed this person right after the auction had ended. They probably wanted to use some dishonorable methods to discover the puppet beasts¡¯ secrets! Who knew that this Thousand Bamboo School fellow became aware of their actions a long time ago and actually laid a trap for them, instantly trapping them here?


    ¡°Everybody, we have no choice but to go all out against him. He has already made it clear that he wants to silence us!¡± The first cultivator to speak was not stupid; he immediately attempted to arouse the fighting spirit of the other cultivators, intending to fight to the death!


    ¡°Do you even have the qualifications to go all out against me? Don¡¯t talk about going all out if you can¡¯t even win against my puppet beast army! I have toyed around enough with you people; it¡¯s best if I hurry up and send you on your way!¡± The burly man¡¯s tone was still just as harsh, but the killing intent in his words was undoubtedly revealed!


    Just as his words left his mouth, a loud, earth-shaking sound suddenly emerged from within the forest; then, booming, heavy footsteps came charging out of the forest, causing the cultivators inside the barrier and Han Li, who was in midair, to glance around wildly, not knowing exactly what had occurred!


    Although the footsteps were very heavy, they were very quick; in the blink of an eye, they had arrived in an area nearby the forest. Now, all of the people could see what was happening clearly! A roughly fifty- or sixty-foot-tall puppet tiger leapt out of the forest. The burly cultivator, still wearing a cloak, was naturally sitting on the head of the giant tiger.


    Upon seeing that the puppet tiger was so enormous, the few cultivators were all secretly shocked and couldn¡¯t help but think of the huge column of light that they had seen earlier. It was likely that it had been shot by this beast!


    After it appeared, the burly man did not say anything superfluous and directly patted the tiger¡¯s head.


    Instantly, the puppet tiger beneath him slowly opened its lower jaw; faint white light began to condense in its huge mouth! The other puppets that were attacking the barrier instantly stopped one by one, retreating a few steps in an orderly fashion!


    These cultivators obviously knew that the situation did not look good, so all of them reached out their hands and pressed them against the barrier; this was the only barrier that could save their lives! As for escaping the barrier and flying away, everybody had once harbored this idea but learned from the unfortunate cultivator¡¯s mistake. Nobody dared to lightly make such a move!


    The huge column of white light appeared once again! This time, the domineering light column was actually forcefully blocked by the cooperative efforts of the few cultivators with the help of the barrier, temporarily creating a stalemate!


    Although Han Li was very high up in the sky, by virtue of his extraordinary eyesight, he could still clearly see that these cultivators did not appear happy even though they had successfully blocked the column of light. Instead, their faces became pale after pouring such large quantities of their spiritual energy into this barrier!


    However, Han Li believed that this destructive attack could not continue for long and would be over before long! The few cultivators inside the barrier also seemed to understand this principle, so they each continued to grit their teeth and bitterly hold on!


    As expected, the column of light was maintained for a brief moment before gradually thinning, then disappearing from the tiger¡¯s mouth!


    Having received a new lease on life, the cultivators revealed joyful expressions as they finally retrieved the hands that they had placed on the barrier, letting out a big sigh.


    However, the burly man coldly laughed upon seeing this. He suddenly uncovered a secret panel on the tiger¡¯s head, then flipped his hand and tossed a mid-grade fire attribute spirit stone into opening. Then, the originally extinguished white light in the tiger¡¯s mouth began to shine again, causing the other cultivators to become completely dazed when they saw this scene!


    Han Li gnawed on his lips even more, speechless at the extravagant expense. One mid-grade spirit stone for an all-out attack! How was this a battle tactic? It was clearly using piles of spirit stones to forcefully bash these cultivators. It seemed like the Thousand Bamboo School in his faraway country was extremely rich and had huge stores of spirit stones!


    Just as Han Li¡¯s imagination was running wild, the cultivators who were originally able to work together finally scattered under the extremely large threat facing them.


    This was because the magic power they had remaining was not very much; continuing to forcefully resist would only bring them an earlier death! Thus, it would be better for them to each rely on their own luck and escape individually!


    As expected, the burly man willed the huge tiger to attack two of the cultivators one after the other with the huge column of light. Their fates were almost the same as the first individual; their bodies were charred black, and their remains were truly too horrible to look at.

 Chapter 230

    Trap


    Two cultivators flew off into the distance to escape. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the sky. The burly man sat astride the tiger and coldly looked at them as they departed. It seemed he didn¡¯t want to pursue them at all!


    Hiding in the clouds, Han Li felt a bit bewildered. A moment ago, it seemed this person was vicious and merciless. There was no way he would let them off so easily, unless¡­¡­could he have something up his sleeve?


    As Han Li was casually making a few guesses, he suddenly heard the ice cold voice of the burly man. ¡°Your esteemed self, you¡¯ve been watching this scene for quite a long time. Are you waiting for an opportunity to dispose of this elderly man?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he was greatly startled.


    ¡°Could it be that although I was hiding at such a high altitude, he was still able to see me?¡±


    With this thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but gulp. He felt his heart beating in his throat.


    After witnessing the ferocity of these mechanical puppets, Han Li did not wish to suffer the same fate as the other cultivators and become a target of the huge tiger¡¯s attacks.


    The speed of that transcendent light beam was far too fast, and its might was frightening! According to Han Li¡¯s estimates, if he were to directly face it, apart from fleeing with the utmost speed on his Divine Wind Boat, he would truly have no other method to safely escape the light beam attack.


    After slight consideration, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but want to escape far away through the sky and avoid provoking fatal disaster! But after he took a look at the burly man¡¯s actions, all thoughts of this immediately disappeared.


    That was because the direction the puppets pointed their weapons was not toward him in the sky. Instead, they were pointed toward a small mound of earth not far away.


    Han Li was so startled he nearly bit his own tongue!


    There was actually a third person here, yet Han Li hadn¡¯t noticed him in the slightest.


    Crash. The sound of earth shifting drifted over from the small earth mound. A single eccentric wearing a gray hood on his head emerged, standing opposite of the burly man.


    ¡°So it really was you!¡±


    ¡°Who in the world are you? It seems as if you know a bit about the secrets of this mechanical puppet!¡±


    The burly man looked at him with a bone-chilling glare, viciously staring at this eccentric.


    ¡°Huang Long, I haven¡¯t seen you for so many years. It seems your fiery temperament hasn¡¯t changed!¡± After a moment of silence from the hooded eccentric, he said a few words that caused the burly man and Han Li to feel great amazement.


    ¡°How do you know who I am! Are you an acquaintance of this one named Huang!¡±


    Having heard the other party speak out his name, the burly man could not help but reveal an expression of shock. However, since his identity was already exposed, his disguise was worthless. He then bluntly tore off his cloak and threw it to the floor.


    A fierce-looking man with a short sallow hair was revealed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve properly abandoned being your Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s Great Protector; now you are five thousand kilometers away doing what? Could it be because you wanted to conceal the half-complete Great Development Technique in your puppet beast?¡± The eccentric ignored the burly man¡¯s actions and asked this leisurely.


    ¡°You¡¯re still not revealing your identity? Don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡± Having heard the other party attack his greatest secrets, Huang Long¡¯s expression changed as he hastily berated back with a stern voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten? I, the one who originally taught you the first layer chant of the Great Development Technique in secret?


    After a moment of hesitation, the eccentric eventually divulged this, causing the other party¡¯s face to greatly change. Huan Long stepped back several times.


    ¡°You¡¯re Senior Martial Brother Lin?¡­ Impossible. Senior Martial Brother Lin passed away many years ago. You dare to play with me!? I will take your life!¡± After a moment of shock, he immediately yelled back furiously. Then with a vicious appearance, he waved his hand. The hundreds of puppets immediately stepped forward to surround the eccentric from afar.


    ¡°It seems that Junior Martial Brother Huang still hasn¡¯t forgotten his feelings from old times. This makes Brother very happy!¡± The eccentric¡¯s eyes suddenly grew soft, and he tore off the hood on his head, revealing his true identity.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lin!¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle Lin!¡±


    The large man and Han Li, who had been paying attention this entire time, nearly shouted at the same time. However, while the large man actually shouted out loud, Han Li mere cried out in his mind.


    This eccentric was the old man named Lin who liked carving. Han Li had seen him in that stone room the day he entered Yellow Maple Valley. Because the small monkey he was carving at the time was extremely adorable and lifelike, the old man had left a deep impression on Han Li, so Han Li was thus able to recognize his present appearance.


    ¡°It truly is Senior Brother Lin. Why does Senior Brother have such an aged appearance? Furthermore, you haven¡¯t already¡­¡± Although the large man yelled this, he still went through a moment of disbelief before grabbing the Senior Martial Brother Lin in front of him with both hands, wearing an expression of great emotion.


    ¡°Hehe! Junior Martial Brother Huang, this brother only faked his death that day. That death was only¡­ What are you doing!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s Martial Uncle Lin was saying this with a smile, but his expression immediately changed. He suddenly shook off the hands of this Junior Martial Brother Huang with fright. Two deep wounds as thin as chopsticks appeared on his wrists. Black blood freely bled from the wounds; there was clearly poison within them.


    ¡°It seems Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s mind has spoiled during these many years of hiding. How could you be this careless and let your Junior Martial Brother injure your wrists? Tsk tsk! That was Black Thread Venom that I acquired from the Venomous Poison Sect with quite some difficulty. I¡¯m afraid that it is quite hard to get rid of! This is Senior Martial Brother¡¯s fault. Since you¡¯re feigned your death, how could you want to form a relation with your previous subordinate and futilely try to steal the second half of the Great Development Technique? The current School Master Jin is very unhappy, so he sent this Junior Martial Brother to come and clear the weeds!¡± Huang Long coldly chuckled several times before mocking him.


    ¡°Good! Good! Truly my good Junior Martial Brother is passionate toward me!¡±


    After a short moment of fury, Senior Martial Brother Lin quickly regained his calm. He hastily moved his hands as fast as the wind, forcing some of the poisonous blood out. He then took out a green jade bottle and poured all of the yellow medicine powder it contained down his throat. Rigidly staring at the large, yellow-haired man, he said with an ice-cold expression, ¡°It seems the information that my good subordinate gave me was all false! The second half of the Great Development Technique simply does not reside within the puppet beast. This was all a trap to lure me in! But what baffles me is how the secret shop managed to cooperate with you in this manner.¡±


    ¡°Money moves people¡¯s hearts. This proverb from the mortal world applies to the cultivation world all the same! So long as the school pays enough, nothing is impossible!¡± Huang Long said with a slanted mouth.


    Then he turned his head, and yelled off to the forest at the side, ¡°Come out! Everyone come and see the handsome and confident School Master Lin¡¯s only son, the great Martial Brother Lin!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Little Sister has heard of Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s reputation for a long time. It is a pity that she had entered the sect late and didn¡¯t get the chance to see your face!¡±


    ¡°Humph! What Senior Martial Brother Lin? I only see the corpse of an old dog!¡±


    The voice of a dainty woman and the coarse voice of a jealous man came from the woods. A man and a woman then walked out side by side.


    ¡°Let me introduce Senior Martial Brother to these two. They are new Great Protectors of the school?¡ª¡±


    Huang Long was currently thinking of willfully teasing him for a moment; this Senior Martial Brother Lin had pressured him from above during those past years. However, without even finishing his sentence, he already knew he had fallen into Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s trap. Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s figure suddenly whirled as he disorderly waved his hands without stopping. Black specks radiated in a large area, shooting out from his body in all directions.


    Then, the countless radiant specks on the floor immediately flickered without end. One by one, small and fully-armed puppet soldiers emerged and grew in size. There were more than two hundred in the vicinity; it was an extremely marvelous sight.


    ¡°Be careful, this fellow has reached the third layer of the Great Development Technique and is able to control these many puppets! We must all tangle him down by any means or else he will escape. So long as the poison in his body flares up, even with his heavenly skill, he can only wait to be captured.¡± After Huang Long said this, he ordered his subordinates to attack.


    After the man and woman glanced at each other, they also released two hundred puppets and began to attack.


    Suddenly, a new wave of puppet attacks was launched. All kinds of light arrows and beams were shot out endlessly. At the same time, there were many armed puppet soldiers and puppet beasts tangled in combat! This scene caused Han Li, who was viewing this from above, to be dumbstruck.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see clearly what had happened towards the end, he was able to vaguely make out about seventy to eighty percent.


    That Senior Martial Brother Lin whom he had met before formally entering the sect actually originated from the Thousand Bamboo School. Furthermore, he was the child of a school master! But it was clear he had already lost his influence when he chose to conceal himself at Yellow Maple Valley until now! But because he sought to acquire this Great Development Technique, Martial Uncle Lin had become the subject of the new school master¡¯s wrath. Members of his former sect were sent to thoroughly exterminate him.


    When Han Li clearly understood this relationship, he could not help but sigh.


    Then he looked at the frenzy below. He knew that this wasn¡¯t something an initial stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could opportunistically stick his hand into, but rather something he should escape from as best as he could out of fear that he could get himself caught up in it.


    Clearly understanding his own interests, Han Li immediately put away the Azurefire Miasma, and moved his Divine Wind Boat with the greatest speed, immediately turning into a rainbow streak that cut through the sky.


    Han Li¡¯s extremely large movements were naturally noticed by the four below, causing them to grow greatly frightened; they could not help but slow down their fighting.


    None of them expected that someone had actually been eavesdropping on their conversation all along. It seemed that the person who had heard their secret wasn¡¯t weak, but after seeing Han Li tactfully flee into the distance without intending to help anyone, the four looked at each other and wordlessly agreed to continue their battle.

 Chapter 231

    Disaster Knocking on the Door.


    Chapter 231: Disaster Knocking at the Door


    Flying as fast as he could, Han Li returned to his Immortal¡¯s cave after a short while.


    Without doing anything further, he took out the formation establishment jade slip that Qi Yunxiao had given him and immersed his consciousness into it, carefully reading the method of using the formation establishment magic tools.


    Han Li decided to push his previous plans to the side and first set up the great formation around his Immortal¡¯s cave. After all, those cultivators were fighting not too far away; he did not feel safe!


    The setup of the Five Elements Reversal Formation was quite simple.


    After precisely inserting the formation flags and burying the formation plates, he was required to place down several small-scale magic formations with spirit stones outside of the formation center to provide the large formation with sufficient spiritual power.


    Like that, the large formation was able to immediately function. Furthermore, the formation¡¯s master only needed to know a few simple control commands and use the master formation flag on hand to ceaselessly shift and control the formation patterns, trapping enemies within illusions.


    Han Li inserted the formation flags and buried the formations plates. Then he begrudgingly embedded several mid-grade spirit stones. These were half of all the spirit stones he possessed, and the loss caused his heart to ache for the majority of the day. But because he didn¡¯t want to reduce the power of this great formation, he could only resign himself to parting with his wealth.


    Though if he were to exchange some spiritual medicines of a certain age at the market city, Han Li would be able to acquire a great amount of spirit stones, but the odds of others discovering his secret and putting him under torturous interrogation would increase threefold. If he were not cautious and careful, he could¡¯ve been attacked from all sides like that scene he just witnessed!


    After testing the large formation¡¯s operations, it seemed quite effective, but the specific defensive trapping ability could only be tested during an enemy trespass. But regarding its ability to completely shroud the vicinity of the Immortal¡¯s cave for several acres without the slightest of abnormalities, Han Li found it to be greatly worth it.


    Han Li, now feeling completely safe, returned to his chambers and started to think about his cultivation.


    If he wanted even the slightest chance of entering the cycle of Core Formation, he would have to possess a top-grade cultivation technique, talent that one in ten thousand didn¡¯t even possess, as well as the greatest of fortunes.


    The problem of Foundation Establishment fundamentally didn¡¯t compare! After all, Foundation Establishment only required sufficient aptitude and one or two Foundation Establishment Pills; with this, the odds of entering Foundation Establishment were rather large.


    As for Core Formation, even with all of the above-mentioned circumstances, cultivators truly capable of entering Core Formation were few in number. Thus, every time a core formation cultivator appeared, almost every clan and sect would convene to celebrate without reserve. Furthermore, news of this would spread quickly throughout the cultivation world.


    The reason why the Masked Moon sect had become the number one cultivation sect in the State of Yue, apart from having over a thousand Foundation Establishment disciples, a number that far exceeded that of other sects, was because they had more than ten Core Formation Experts; this allowed them to look down upon the other six sects with disdain!


    Han Li knew that his own aptitudes were disastrous, far below that of other Formation Establishment disciples. The only cultivation technique he possessed was a very dubious ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡±, a cultivation technique he couldn¡¯t use under any circumstance! His current chances were as thin as a veil. He could only hope that his luck would fare better.


    As such, Han Li currently seemed to be at a complete disadvantage in all areas!


    But after a moment of pondering, Han Li felt that although his aptitude was rather poor, with the mysterious small bottle he possessed that could mature spirit medicines along with his skill at pill-refinement, this was not an obstacle that could not be overcome. Also, destiny couldn¡¯t be grasped with a person¡¯s power, so he did not need to mull over it. All he could do was strive to increase his own chances of reaching Core Formation and find a suitable top-grade cultivation technique for his own use.


    With his goal set on finding a cultivation technique, Han Li first thought of his cheap master, Li Huayuan.


    Although he had merely taken in Han Li as an in-name disciple, he should be willing to impart a few cultivation techniques to him. After all, he was a Core Formation Expert; perhaps Han Li could pick out a cultivation technique and even receive a pointer or two!


    With this thought, Han Li decided to return to Yellow Maple Valley the next morning and ask about the whereabouts of his master¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave to seek some instruction. It was highly likely that his master had yet to hear the news of his success in achieving Foundation Establishment.


    As he thought this, he found it truly funny! Ever since Li Huayuan took him in, Han Li hadn¡¯t been called upon even a single time. It was as if this in-name disciple didn¡¯t exist at all, causing Han Li to feel upset!


    Naturally, as vexed as he was, Han Li couldn¡¯t take the initiative to call on him and make his master feel like Han Li was being far too indiscreet!


    But now that Han Li had reached Foundation Establishment, he could truly go to find this master of his! Even so, although he was his master¡¯s disciple, he would actually have to go and ask a few baffled strangers, much to his extreme embarrassment!


    Han Li laughed at himself for a moment before slowly falling asleep on his stone bed with a bitter smile.


    After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, a sudden and intense quake forcefully roused Han Li from sleep. As he was still half asleep and did not fully understand the situation, he almost believed the quake was a dream of his.


    But another violent quake came, causing Han Li¡¯s last trace of sleepiness to disappear without a trace. Apart from the earth shaking, an explosive rupture came from outside his Immortal¡¯s cave. It was clear that someone had touched his own restriction spell and was forcefully attacking his great restriction formation.


    Han Li was startled and furious! He immediately ran out of his bedroom and charged straight out of his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Outside the Immortal¡¯s cave was a dense barrage of light arrows and beam attacks coming from several mechanical puppets floating in the sky. When Han Li saw this, he was so shocked that he nearly bit his own tongue.


    What was going on? Because he was afraid of attracting trouble, he didn¡¯t interfere with yesterday¡¯s matter. But after he returned to his home, they were actually able to find him. Furthermore, from their overbearing manner, it seemed they had some sort of misunderstanding. Could it be that when he flew away yesterday, they were able to track him?


    During this time of desperation, Han Li¡¯s mind was actually clear and his mind produced several scheming responses one after another.


    ¡°The people inside had better listen well! Hand over the one who has escaped into your cave. So long as you hand over that person to us, we will not disturb this dwelling¡¯s master any further. These is no reason for your esteemed self to offend our Thousand Bamboo School and invite calamity by defending strangers!¡±


    Even under these people¡¯s fierce, unrestrained assault, their attempt to dissolve the Five Elements Reversal Formation produced no visible effects A man¡¯s persuasive voice came down from the sky, belonging to that person Huang Long.


    When Han Li heard this, he could not help but look up.


    In the patch of sky with the most puppets, a green jade raft was suspended in the air. There were six or seven differently clothed individuals with Huang Long at the very front. Behind him were the man and woman Han Li had seen before, as well as four other slim men who looked completely similar. They were rarely seen quadruplets! It seemed they were reinforcements from the Thousand Bamboo School in a rush.


    When Han Li heard they wanted him to hand someone over, he was startled. With complete doubt, he looked toward the center of his Five Elements Reversal Formation and saw a still person lying facedown near the entrance of his cave; it was unknown whether he was dead or alive!


    When Han Li saw this figure, the doubt in his stomach disappeared. He inwardly cursed without end!


    It seemed this Senior Martial Brother Lin ran over here to escape and somehow entered Han Li¡¯s cave by mistake. As Han Li had attracted so much trouble toward him, how should he respond? But seeing how the great might of this damaged formation actually resisted such a berserk attack, Han Li felt much safer and wasn¡¯t as panicked as he was originally.


    Thus, after he wrinkled his brow, Han Li held the formation flag in hand and entered the formation spell, walking toward Senior Martial Brother Lin.


    Han Li used both his hands to forcefully turn Senior Martial Brother Lin onto his back. After carefully looking at his face, Han Li¡¯s expression immediately became unsightly, unable to say a single word.


    That was because he had no words to say to a dead man! With a jet-black face and trails of blood from his seven orifices, this Senior Martial Brother Lin had long since stopped breathing!


    Han Li let out a sigh. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out into the body¡¯s bosom. Han Li wanted to find the puppets in Senior Brother Lin¡¯s storage pouch as he was greatly interested in these types of unfair methods of combat.


    But just as Han Li¡¯s hand opened the corpse¡¯s jacket, a faint green ball of light seized the opportunity to suddenly fly out and throw itself toward Han Li¡¯s face like a shooting star. Han Li shouted ¡°Aiya!¡± with fright, and his body fell backward!


    Just as the ball of light was heading toward Han Li¡¯s face, Han Li¡¯s right hand suddenly flashed with white light and shot forth like lightning, tightly grabbing hold of the green ball of light. The light ball that he grabbed seemed to moan in pain.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, please spare my life! Junior Martial Brother, I was completely wronged by the Qiu Clan and was forced without any other option! So long as Junior Martial Brother is willing to release me, I guarantee that Junior Martial Brother will receive enormous profit!¡± Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s repentant voice entered Han Li¡¯s mind and promised great reward.


    ¡°Did you try to possess my body just now?¡± Han Li ignored the enticement with a dark face.


    ¡°This¡­, it was just as Junior Martial Brother described it! However, I was confused during that time; I will certainly compensate Junior Martial Brother for the fright! I wish that Sir Junior Martial Brother will be gracious and will not stoop down to Senior Martial Brother¡¯s level,¡± Han Li heard Senior Martial Brother Li¡¯s embarrassed response along with repeated apologies.

 Chapter 232

    Great Development Technique


    When Han Li heard the other person¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t actually open his mouth to say anything. Instead, he lowered his head and began to think while he tightly grasped the other person¡¯s primordial spirit with a single hand that glowed with white light!


    After a long while, Han Li lifted his head up and said coldly:


    ¡°If your primordial spirit¡¯s invasion had taken me by surprise, would you have had mercy on me? Your magic power is much deeper than mine even though we¡¯re are both at Foundation Establishment. More likely than not, I would have been consumed by you.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words were overflowing with ill intent!


    ¡°I can tell you a secret and give you an exceptional cultivation technique!¡± Senior Martial Brother Li was greatly frightened and began to send transmissions through his primordial spirit.


    ¡°Secret cultivation technique? Could this be the Great Development Technique of your Thousand Bamboo School?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s indifferent sentence immediately caused the primordial spirit¡¯s green light to flash; in addition, it began to transmit with shock, stuttering:


    ¡°How do you know of this matter? You¡­¡­ you¡¯re the person who was snooping yesterday!¡±


    At this time, Senior Martial Brother Lin finally realized what had happened.


    ¡°Okay, since you know that I am not clueless about your situation, you should obediently tell me everything! You wouldn¡¯t want me to immediately destroy your primordial spirit!¡± Although Han Li spoke very casually, this caused Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit to tremble in his hand.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Junior Martial Brother pretty much hear all that there was to say yesterday?¡± Senior Martial Brother Lin let out a long sigh and asked faintly.


    Meanwhile, those people from the Thousand Bamboo School outside the formation, seeing that no response came after they transmitted their words through the large formation, couldn¡¯t help but be shamed into anger; they released their puppet beasts, unleashing a new round of attacks. The large formation became lively once again, but the interior of the formation was still just as calm as before apart from some noise and aftershocks!


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, what strange formation is this? It can actually withstand this fierce attack; it truly is unbelievable!¡± Senior Martial Brother Lin interjected upon seeing this scene; he purposefully acted surprised and spoke.


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t worry about my formation, and don¡¯t recklessly change the subject either. I have absolutely no interest in the internal strife of your Thousand Bamboo School. All I want to know is whether you have a portion of the Great Development Technique and if you gain any remarkable abilities as you cultivate it. If you want to purposefully stall for time, I will immediately destroy you,¡± Han Li said, his tone suddenly becoming cold as he knitted his eyebrows.


    Next, the white light on his hand abruptly flourished, and with a gentle force of his finger, he instantly caused Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit to cry out repeatedly that he wouldn¡¯t dare!


    ¡°This Great Development Technique is the original secret technique created by my sect¡¯s founding ancestor. It is a secret technique specifically used to greatly increase one¡¯s divine sense, as well as to split one¡¯s primordial spirit. This is also a necessary cultivation technique for our Thousand Bamboo School to cultivate in order to use the puppets; only when one has cultivated this technique can one imprint one¡¯s divine sense on all the numerous puppets and control them with ease! Otherwise, even if I were to refine more puppets, what use would they be to me if I couldn¡¯t control them all at once?¡± Senior Martial Brother Lin said unhurriedly, not daring to procrastinate after tasting Han Li¡¯s methods.


    ¡°Since it is a basic cultivation technique of the Thousand Bamboo School, why would you still need to scheme about it? You even mentioned something about another half. What was your fight all about?¡± Han Li continued to ask expressionlessly.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to hide. Although the Great Development Technique is a foundational cultivation technique of my Thousand Bamboo School, the fundamental teachings of our school cannot be easily spread to the public. Thus, the Great Development Technique that the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s disciples cultivate is only the abridged version of the first layer. Although it is easy to cultivate, even after completely cultivating it, it is still far from the strength of the first layer of the actual Great Development Technique. In addition, the real manual for the Great Development Technique can only be cultivated by the high-level cultivators in the sect.¡°


    ¡°The people outside must have all cultivated the first two layers of the actual Great Development Technique to be able to control nearly a hundred mechanical puppets at once! Because I have cultivated the third layer of this technique, I am even better than them and can control three hundred at once. However, only the school master and his successors have the right to cultivate the Great Development Technique past the third layer!¡±


    ¡°During a rebellion within the Thousand Bamboo Sect, my father was plotted against by the current school master, Jin Nantian; even the entire Great Development Technique manual was forcefully taken away. I, as the young school master, was taking care of business outside of the school at the time. Because I had no way to resist the situation, I could only find a substitute to fake my death and left, hiding in the State of Yue, five thousand kilometers away. At that time, although I didn¡¯t have the entire Great Development Technique, because I was the only son of the school master, I still knew the cultivation technique for the first four layers. Thus, I compiled it all into the first half of the Great Development Technique.


    ¡°Originally, I had wanted to spend the last years of my life here, but who knew that my breakthrough to the third layer of the Great Development Technique was just around the corner? This caused my desire for revenge to greatly rise. In a moment of confusion, I contacted a group of my loyal subordinates, asking them to steal the incantations for the final three layers for me, but who knew that my fate would turn out this way! I don¡¯t know if they were captured after failing to steal it or if they directly betrayed me!¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Lin spoke slowly this time and in great detail, but when he reached the end, his voice was filled with wrath and objection!


    Han Li coldly watched the other person¡¯s primordial spirit vent its anger and didn¡¯t make any moves. When the other person had finally calmed down somewhat, he continued to interrogate without politeness:


    ¡°What exactly is the secret that you just mentioned?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡­? I hope that¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Stay your hand, I¡¯ll speak, I¡¯ll tell you right now!¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit hesitated a little bit as if it wanted to bring up some conditions. However, Han Li didn¡¯t even give him the opportunity to speak any further; he directly gave the other person another taste of suffering, almost shattering Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit. This caused the other person to immediately change his tune, panic-stricken!


    ¡°If you won¡¯t do this the easy way, we¡¯ll do it the hard way! It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t raise any conditions before telling me everything that I want to hear.¡± Han Li¡¯s tone was cold and bone-piercing.


    Senior Martial Brother Lin had been completely shaken by Han Li¡¯s vicious tactics; he said hurriedly with fright:


    ¡°In actuality, this secret is related to the Great Development Technique; in addition, it has been widely spread in the upper echelons of the Thousand Bamboo School. It¡¯s only that nobody knows whether or not it¡¯s true! However, when my father was still here, he secretly told me that there was a fifty to sixty percent chance that this secret was true!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when it started, but in the upper echelons of our Thousand Bamboo School, a rumor was secretly spread that anyone who cultivated the Great Development Technique to a high enough layer could form their core much more easily than regular cultivators, and it would be easier for them to break through the bottlenecks in their cultivation. This was because the previous school master¡¯s heir¡¯s success rate of forming his core was extraordinarily high.¡± After a brief pause, he still told Han Li the secret.


    ¡°It can raise one¡¯s chances of entering the Core Formation stage?¡± The originally cold-faced Han Li finally changed his expression!


    ¡°Yes; if Junior Martial Brother is willing to help me find a corpse so that I can refine and control it, I am willing to share the incantation for the first four layers with Junior Martial Brother. Afterward, we can join forces and devise a way to take the remaining layers from the son of that thief surnamed Jin. Then, we can reach Core Formation together; wouldn¡¯t it be much faster?¡± He began to move his non-existent mouth again, attempting to entice Han Li.


    Han Li ¡°hmph¡±ed and didn¡¯t say anything; instead, he lowered his head again and began to think bitterly, causing Senior Martial Brother Lin to instantly feel uneasy yet again!


    ¡°There is only a fifty or sixty percent chance that it can raise one¡¯s success rate for Core Formation?¡± Han Li suddenly raised his head and muttered, his eyebrows tightly locked together.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, a fifty to sixty percent chance is already pretty good. After all, this is related to the formation of a gold core; you should at least try it!¡± Senior Martial Brother Lin added hastily upon seeing this. In reality, what his father had told him was not actually a fifty to sixty percent chance, but rather a thirty percent chance. As his words were leaving his mouth, the success rate had been doubled.


    ¡°Is this Great Development Technique easy to cultivate? Apart from increasing one¡¯s divine sense, can it increase one¡¯s cultivation base? In addition, how long has Senior Martial Brother Lin been in the Foundation Establishment stage, and how long have you been cultivating this Great Development Technique?¡± Han Li suddenly asked coldly, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°Cultivating speed is decent, and it can add ever so slightly to your cultivation base¡­¡­, I successfully reached Foundation Establishment over a hundred years ago; at that time, I was only twenty years old! I started cultivating the Great Development Technique after reaching Foundation Establishment. Yi, why does Junior Martial Brother ask these questions?¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Lin had never thought that the other person would suddenly ask a train of questions. After staring blankly for a moment, he could only stammer and answer the first two questions because he had not had time to prepare his defenses. However, he answered the last two questions very clearly.


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed as if he were very satisfied with the other person¡¯s responses. However, the right hand that was holding onto Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit suddenly flashed with bright white light; then, he tightly closed his fingers! The primordial spirit in his hand only had time to let out a tragic yell before it instantly became dots of starlight, forever disappearing from this world.


    ¡°What a terrible coincidence! The thing I hate the most is being possessed by other people; this reminded me of some unpleasant things. In addition, although I am truly piqued by the Great Development Technique, it is difficult to cultivate and cannot increase one¡¯s magic power. How could I cultivate it as my primary cultivation technique!¡±


    ¡°If my magic power hadn¡¯t even been cultivated to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, what use would the Great Development Technique be to me even if I were to cultivate it diligently? This fellow¡¯s natural talent was pretty good, but after cultivating this Great Development Technique for nearly a hundred years, he was still only at the peak of the third layer, and because he was distracted, his magic power hovered around that of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. A fish and a bear¡¯s paw, how could they be so easily linked together? In addition, there is nothing strange about the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s previous school master being able to balance the two and form a Golden Core. Since he could become a head of a school, he definitely would possess a peerless innate talent and could be considered a one in ten thousand genius. Thus, the credibility of the claim that the Great Development Technique can increase one¡¯s chances of forming one¡¯s core is even lower! I am definitely not considered a genius, so I have no faith that I can cultivate both my own magic power and the Great Development Technique to any deep point!¡±


    (TL: A fish and a bear¡¯s paw means you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too.)


    ¡°The worst is that he doesn¡¯t even possess the entire Great Development Technique; he even wants me to become an enemy of a sect school. Isn¡¯t this just bringing about my own destruction? Even if I were to let you go, who could guarantee that you wouldn¡¯t bear a grudge about today¡¯s matters and use underhanded methods behind my back!¡±


    ¡°Please tell me, with all these reasons, how could I let you go!?¡± Han Li muttered to himself, looking at the right hand that had taken the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

 Chapter 233

    Lei Wanhe


    As it stood, this was the second cultivator whom Han Li had eliminated after his primordial spirit abandoned his body.


    Within battles, most cultivators wouldn¡¯t separate their primordial spirit from their body as it required a certain amount of time to perform; during this period of time, one could not move about freely.


    During a battle between cultivators, who would give their enemy enough time to escape!? Long before one would have the time to separate their primordial spirit from their body, they would have already died more than ten times. Furthermore, only those in the Nascent Soul stage or later would be able to separate their primordial spirit from their body in an instant with the help of their Nascent Soul.


    This Senior Martial Brother Lin was just as unfortunate as that Yu Zhitong!


    (Note: Yu Zhitong was the primordial spirit inside Doctor Mo.)


    He originally thought to pass through the location of Han Li¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave and head straight to Yellow Maple Valley for treatment and protection. However, he accidentally burst into Han Li¡¯s great formation and was completely trapped in the shifting illusions of the formation, unable to escape in the slightest. He helplessly looked on as the poison spread through his body and could only detach his primordial spirit from its corporeal vessel.


    This also caused Senior Martial Brother Lin to hold resentment towards the great formation¡¯s master. Because he required a flesh body to be revived and assumed Han Li to be his killer, he thought to seize Han Li¡¯s body regardless of the consequences.


    However, he didn¡¯t think in the least that Han Li would be so swift that he could stop Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit even after being caught off guard and exterminate him.


    Now that this person was already dead, Han Li naturally didn¡¯t think about the dead man¡¯s words in the slightest. He now had to deal with the great problem that was lying outside of his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Although the attacks of the Thousand Bamboo School were frightening, Han Li didn¡¯t see a single trace of damage on his great formation, putting him at great ease.


    Furthermore, he was confident that these people wouldn¡¯t dare to stay here too long!


    Although this place was remote and could be considered the outskirts of the Tai Yue Mountain Range, it was still an area within Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s influence. After performing such loud movements, Han Li did not believe that they weren¡¯t afraid of the consequences! He reckoned that even though their current attacks weren¡¯t effective against the great formation, they had already reached the stage where it was hard to stop halfway!


    (TL: Hard to stop halfway, originally ÆﻢÄÑÏ ¡°after riding a tiger, it is hard to get off¡±)


    Actually, Han Li wasn¡¯t against the idea of handing over Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s corpse to send them on their way.


    However, the trace of one¡¯s primordial spirit leaving their body was far too obvious.  When they acquire the body, they would only pursue the matter even further! Thus it would be better to make like an ostrich and hide within the great formation. In any case, the other party couldn¡¯t break through this Five Elements Reversal Formation.


    With this said, Han Li could only praise himself! He actually had such foresight to set up his great formation at the very first chance.


    Otherwise, he would certainly have become their prisoner without the slightest of resistance.


    However, although there currently appeared to be no problem with the great formation, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to return to his Immortal¡¯s cave and sleep. He simply took a stone chair out from his home and sat down and rested his eyes.


    Since these people used puppets to attack, Han Li was somewhat worried about a persistent attack.


    After a whole two hours of indiscriminate attacks, the great formation finally showed the first sign of change. The formation that was originally as peaceful as water began to flicker with dim azure light. The formation covering the sky began to ripple like water from the light arrow and light beam attacks coming from above.


    Seeing this, those from the Thousand Bamboo School began to grow excited. After all, seeing this kind of change meant that the formation could be destroyed by force. With more strength, it was possible to burst the formation open. In truth, if the barrier maintained its originally peaceful appearance, Huang Long and company would have decided to retreat.


    Just as the Thousand Bamboo School planned an even greater offensive and Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed, a thunderous roar came from the distance, ¡°You dare to cause such ruckus in the Tai Yue Mountain Range and even dare to attack our sect disciple¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave? Since you are tired of living, this old man will send you off!¡±


    This roar left Han Li, who was protected by the great formation, with his ears ringing and with a pale complexion, not to mention those outside of the formation. Having directly heard the roar, they were swaying side to side, nearly falling off their boat.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Core Formation cultivator! Quickly retreat!¡±


    Although Huang Long seemed to be the crude and ferocious sort, he was actually the shrewdest among them. Thus, after he heard this person¡¯s voice contain such power, his face lost color, and he immediately wanted to escape!


    But it was clear that Huang Long had underestimated the flight speed and the immeasurable magic power of a Core Formation cultivator! Just as those several people were putting away their puppets in a panic and intending to escape, thunder and lightning suddenly appeared on the horizon. White light flew across the sky, closely followed by a strand of silver light. In a blink of an eye, it arrived in front of them, scaring them so much that their spirits nearly left their body. They were unable to retrieve the remaining puppets and instead jumped up to escape individually.


    However, the huge streak of silver light that spanned over thirty meters simply didn¡¯t give Huang Long and company any chance. The streak of light suddenly separated into six or seven smaller silver light streaks, surrounding those from the Thousand Bamboo School, all of whom were already in mid-flight.


    ¡°Senior, please spare our lives. We¡­.¡±


    Huang Long grew terrified, and he hastily wanted to say something. However, these silver lights didn¡¯t stop in the slightest. They lightly coiled around them. Then after several soft thunderclaps, these people who were vainly trying to escape had all turned to ash. Huang Long did not have the fortune to escape this end.


    At this moment, all of the silver lights converged into one, revealing a very large fatty.


    All that was seen of his eyes were two slits. His chins were folded with many layers; it was unknown how many there truly were. In addition, his waist was as thick as a barrel. This was undoubtedly the fattest person Han Li had seen in his lifetime.


    But it was this very person who was able to become a Core Formation cultivator. Furthermore, from the techniques he used, it seemed that he had lightning attribute mutated spiritual roots. This caused Han Li to be greatly shocked.


    Regardless of the newcomer¡¯s appearance, this person did break Han Li¡¯s encirclement. Furthermore, this person was an elder from Yellow Maple Valley. As a result, after Han Li witnessed the extermination of the fellows from Thousand Bamboo School, Han Li opened his great formation without the slightest of hesitation and hastily flew up on a magic tool to greet him.


    When he was in front of the fatty, Han Li respectfully saluted him, ¡°Martial Nephew Han Li pay his respects to Martial Senior. Great thanks to this Martial Senior¡¯s assistance! If it weren¡¯t for Martial Senior, my life may not have been guaranteed!¡±


    Ever since Han Li was flying up, the fatty had been sizing up Han Li with his eye slits. When he saw Han Li respectfully greet him, his huge face revealed a slight smile. It seemed he had a pretty good first impression toward Han Li.


    ¡°I am your Martial Senior, Lei Wanhe. You can call me Martial Senior Lei! How could these people from the Thousand Bamboo School attack you without cause? Could it be that you provoked them?¡± The fatty dove straight to the heart of the matter. It could clearly be seen that this Martial Senior Lei was a shrewd person who wasn¡¯t easily fooled.


    (TL: À×Íòº× Lei Wanhe. His name means (Thunder) (Ten Thousand) (Cranes) )


    Han Li inwardly shivered, but with his expression remained calm as always, he gave this Martial Senior an explanation while omitting some unnecessary details. Naturally, Han Li did not mention his affairs at the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city or his extermination of Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit.


    Lei Wanhe remained calm throughout the explanation, but when he heard that Senior Martial Brother Lin had died from poison while inside the formation, he said, ¡°So he turned out to be a fellow from the Thousand Bamboo School. I knew when we took him into Yellow Maple Valley that this person would certainly bring trouble. However, I didn¡¯t think that after so many years, there would still be people sent to kill him. That Great School Master Jin¡¯s mindset is quite narrow.¡±


    This Martial Senior Lei Wanhe didn¡¯t reveal any sorrow. After a light sigh, he asked,  ¡°Where is Martial Nephew Lin¡¯s corpse? Lead me to it!¡±


    ¡°As you wish! Martial Senior, this way!¡± How could Han Li dare to refuse? He hastily led him into his great formation.


    As Han Li walked, he was inwardly rejoicing.  Fortunately, since he had been busy with those from the Thousand Bamboo School, he didn¡¯t touch the storage pouch on Senior Martial Lin¡¯s body. Otherwise, the situation would become unsightly!


    ¡°Yi! This great formation of yours is rather unusual. It seems that even if I didn¡¯t come, those scoundrels still wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything to you!¡± Not long after Lei Wanhe entered the Five Elements Reversal Formation, he made out a few of its intricacies.


    ¡°Hehe. These are merely high-grade formation flags that I exchanged for quite a bit of money from the market city! How could they enter Martial Senior¡¯s eyes!¡± When Han Li heard the fatty¡¯s praise, he could not help but rejoice inwardly, but he still spoke quite modestly!


    ¡°No, this formation spell of yours has a great origin. Even if I were to try to break through this formation without using any tricks, it would be quite difficult to break through.¡± Lei Wanhe shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it, continuously disagreeing.


    At this moment, the two had arrived. Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s corpse was openly lying on his body, completely intact.


    When the fatty saw this, he waved the a pair of fans in his hands. The corpse immediately flew to the pair of palm-leaf fans. Lei Wanhe then examined the body without restraint.


    ¡°It seems what you said was true. The far east¡¯s Venomous Poison Sect¡¯s poison has spread throughout his body.¡±


    After the fatty finished his inspection, he nodded his head, but his following words caused Han Li to inwardly shiver.


    ¡°However, before his body had completely decayed, his primordial spirit should have left his body. Perhaps Martial Nephew Han Li has seen it?¡± The fatty threw the corpse onto the ground and calmly asked Han Li.

 Chapter 234

    Restrictions and Spiritual Medicine


    When Han Li heard this, he secretly said in his heart, ¡°Sure enough, he asked about this matter!¡±


    However, he still appeared stunned outwardly and exclaimed, ¡°Primordial spirit? This disciple has not seen any sort of primordial spirit; could Senior Martial Brother Li¡¯s primordial spirit have left his body before he died?¡±


    Han Li had decided in his heart long ago that as long as the other person asked about the primordial spirit, he would insist that he didn¡¯t know anything. Could he really tell his Martial Senior that he had extinguished the primordial spirit after it tried to possess him?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see it?¡±


    The fatty gazed at Han Li for a while with an enigmatic smile; his gaze caused Han Li¡¯s to feel unsettled, and his heart thumped repeatedly.


    ¡°Mn, since you didn¡¯t see it, Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit could have been lost inside the great formation and dissipated on its own!¡± the fatty said indifferently, his face twisting after a moment.


    Hearing this, Han Li let out a sigh.


    However, he was very clear in his heart that the fatty did not believe what he said, but based on Martial Senior Lei¡¯s seemingly nonchalant attitude towards Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s survival, he would not investigate too seriously.


    After all, everyone knew that the first thing a cultivator¡¯s primordial spirit would do after leaving the body was to immediately attempt to take over someone else in order to be revived; however, apart from Han Li, no other cultivators were present in the formation, so the only body that could be possessed would have been Han Li¡¯s. Since Han Li was still fine, it could only mean that Senior Martial Brother Lin had failed to possess his body and his primordial spirit had been eliminated.


    As for whether or not Han Li¡¯s body had been appropriated by Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit, could Senior Martial Brother Lin be controlling Han Li¡¯s physical body?


    The answer was even more obvious at a glance!


    This was because possessing someone was very harmful to the primordial spirit; even if the possession was successful, there was simply no way to control someone else¡¯s body freely without spending at least a week to recover behind closed doors. Naturally, this Martial Senior Lei could see through it.


    Thus, both Han Li and Lei Wanhe were both well aware of how Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s primordial spirit met his end!


    However, because his initial impression of Han Li was pretty good and he was too lazy to ask about this kind of matter, this fatty allowed the topic to pass somewhat carelessly. On the other hand, Han Li, who understood clearly what was happening, still pretended to be confused because he knew that no matter what his reasons were, if this matter were to spread, he could not escape from the offense of mutilating a cultivator from the same sect. This would be very unfavorable towards him.


    But in this way, Han Li actually felt that this Martial Senior Lei was much more pleasant than his own master.


    ¡°Martial Nephew¡¯s cave is truly too crude! How can you welcome outsiders in this way? Although we cultivators aren¡¯t too concerned with these things, it still has to be at least barely passable!¡± For some reason, this Martial Senior Lei didn¡¯t leave this location after finishing up his business; instead, he stood at the entrance to Han Li¡¯s cave and began to slowly evaluate.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li bitterly laughed for a moment; he had only used a few days to leisurely construct this cave; how could he find time to be meticulous? However, Han Li thought of another matter after hearing his Martial Senior mention this.


    Thus, after laughing briefly, he respectfully said to Lei Wanhe:


    ¡°Martial Nephew has a few matters that I want to ask Martial Senior Lei about. Can Martial Senior Lei come into this disciple¡¯s cave and rest for a moment so that this disciple can slowly explain it to Martial Senior Lei? In addition, this disciple has a few mature medicinal herbs; I want to ask Martial Senior to appraise them so that this disciple can use them to refine pills with reassurance.¡±


    ¡°Medicinal ingredients!¡±


    The fatty¡¯s expression originally did not change when he heard that Han Li had some questions for him and wanted him to enter his cave. However, when Han Li mentioned that he had a few old medicinal herbs, a trace of a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded in agreement.


    Thus, Han Li invited Lei Wanhe into the hollow, large entrance hall; then, he said he would go and retrieve his spiritual herbs and asked Lei Wanhe to wait for a brief moment. Afterward, he hurried into his storage room and retrieved two six or seven hundred-year-old herbs, then returned to the lobby.


    Han Li didn¡¯t carry those few spiritual medicines inside of his storage pouch with him at all times to preserve their medicinal properties over a long period of time.


    Using jade boxes or other similar magic tools to store spiritual medicines was only a temporary method; over long periods of time, its medicinal strength would still slowly leach away. Thus, practically every cultivator¡¯s cave had a secret storage room. Only in this way could one guarantee the medicinal properties of the spiritual medicine would not be lost.


    However, because Han Li was worried that this Martial Senior Lei¡¯s spiritual sense was extraordinary, thus allowing him to see the items hidden in his storage room as well as the spirit well spring, he had activated the Five Elements Reversal Formation¡¯s spiritual sense blocking magic much earlier.


    Now, if this Martial Senior Lei wanted to snoop around, he would most likely be very disappointed at this moment!


    That jade slip had made it very clear that breaking off one¡¯s spiritual sense was very simple to implement as an additional ability, so when this ability had been refined into the set of magic tools, it was similar in strength to the complete formation, not weaker than it in the slightest. This was also the only effect in which it was comparable to the complete formation.


    After Han Li had set up the large formation, he had once tested the strength of this ability; as expected, his spiritual sense could only spread a few feet around him. There was simply no way for him to further increase the range of his spiritual sense.


    As for this Martial Senior Lei, even though he was a Core Formation cultivator and his spiritual sense would inevitably surpass Han Li¡¯s, he most likely would not be able to search beyond the hundred-foot-long entrance hall. This was also the reason why he dared to invite the other person in. Otherwise, the other person could use his spiritual sense to sweep both the secret storage room and the spirit well spring that he had sealed up.


    He believed that this Martial Senior Lei Wanhe most likely did not harbor any ill intentions.


    However, it would probably have been worse if he hadn¡¯t invited this Martial Senior Lei into his cave at the beginning, which would only serve to increase the fatty¡¯s suspicions. After all, if a Martial Senior were to arrive in front of a junior¡¯s cave but wasn¡¯t invited into the cave, it would truly be somewhat out of the ordinary.


    Even if the other person were to overlook it initially, once they thought about it carefully after the fact, wouldn¡¯t it be even more of a disaster?


    In addition, there were some things that Han Li actually wanted to ask this fat Martial Senior, and he genuinely wanted to develop some connections with this person. After all, he was a Core Formation cultivator; if Han Li were to build up a positive relationship with this Martial Senior, it would be very beneficial to him in the future.


    As Han Li quietly thought this to himself, he held two medicinal boxes in his hand and walked into the entrance hall. Then, in front of Lei Wanhe, he took off the covers of the boxes one by one, asking the other person to perform the so-called identification.


    At this time, Lei Wanhe felt very unhappy in his heart.


    This was because he had actually sent out his spiritual sense when Han Li went to retrieve the medicinal ingredients, wanting to survey and size up the extent of his cave.


    This wasn¡¯t because he had any malicious intentions; rather, it was a subconscious action that he performed as a Core Formation cultivator.


    However, his spiritual sense had only left his body a distance of roughly a hundred feet before it could not continue to disperse even an inch; it felt incredibly sluggish as if five hundred kilograms had been placed on his spiritual sense!


    This caused Lei Wanhe¡¯s large face to immediately reveal an expression of shock.


    It wasn¡¯t that he had never been in circumstances where his spiritual sense was limited. He had experienced these circumstances many times in the caves of cultivators he had good relations with. This meant that there were some restrictions in place that could cut off one¡¯s spiritual sense.


    However, his friends were all Core Formation cultivators; the fact that their caves had these kinds of restrictions was not so strange. However, this Martial Nephew was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and this cave appeared to have been constructed not long ago. For this kind of restriction to appear in this cave was quite strange indeed!


    Lei Wanhe did not actually connect the appearance of this restriction with the formation outside of the cave.


    This was because to him, it was already very impressive for the large formation outside the cave to have such a strong defense. If it could also be manipulated to break off one¡¯s spiritual sense, wouldn¡¯t it be similar to the great protector formations of some small sects?


    How could such a strong restrictive formation appear outside of a Foundation Establishment cultivator¡¯s cave!


    This Lei Wanhe most likely never could have imagined that Han Li¡¯s formation was actually the simplified version of the widely known ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡±! Even if its magic power was only one-tenth that of the original formation, it would not be much worse than a city faction¡¯s great formation!


    Thus, when Han Li opened the medicine boxes for him to look at, the fatty¡¯s heart was still pondering this matter. His gaze did not actually immediately go towards the contents of the box. It was as if it didn¡¯t matter whether he looked inside the box or not!


    However, when his gaze finally landed upon the two six or seven hundred-year-old medicinal herbs, his originally laid-back attitude immediately disappeared! As for restrictions and spiritual sense, he tossed these to the back of his mind.


    At this time, Lei Wanhe¡¯s eyes existed solely for these two medicinal herbs that released a very pressing Spiritual Qi!


    ¡°This disciple bought these two spiritual medicines in the secular world for quite a few spirit stones; however, Martial Nephew¡¯s experience was too shallow, and I had no way of determining the age of the medicine, which is why I never used them. Martial Senior Lei¡¯s arrival today is very timely; you can help Martial Nephew identify them!¡±


    ¡°Mn! ¡­¡­¡±


    Lei Wanhe didn¡¯t hear what Han Li said at all! He carelessly ¡°Mn¡±ed a few times before carefully picking up a spiritual medicine and scrutinizing it in detail.


    Han Li secretly watched the other person¡¯s expressions very carefully and lightly smiled in his heart. It seemed he had picked the correct spiritual medicines!


    He had heard others mention that Core Formation cultivators¡¯ need for spiritual medicine greatly surpassed that of Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    After reaching the realm of Core Formation, one mustn¡¯t easily say that they wished to turn their Core into a Nascent Soul. It wasn¡¯t a matter of simply cultivating one¡¯s magic power a layer higher, it was a matter that was beyond difficult.


    Thus, taking lots of medicinal pills became the common way for Core Formation cultivators to raise their magic power.

 Chapter 235

    Han Li¡¯s Intentions


    The common medicine pills of this world were of no use to a Core Formation cultivator.


    Only medicine pills refined with medicine ingredients that were aged over several hundred years and a few spiritual medicines that were born from Heaven and Earth could increase the speed of their cultivation. Thus, Core Formation cultivators would have to travel far and spend a majority of their time to search and scrape together extremely rare medicinal ingredients.


    This was also why when Li Huayuan saw the great amount of spiritual medicines Han Li took out from the forbidden area, he fundamentally thought of every means to immediately accept him as a disciple. He was truly too covetous toward these spiritual medicines of Heaven and Earth!


    Actually, even if Li Huayuan hadn¡¯t been the one to bring the group to the forbidden area and it was instead Lei Wanhe or another Core Formation cultivator, it was unlikely they would¡¯ve let a portion of Han Li¡¯s spiritual medicines slip by. In most cases, they would¡¯ve used a similar trick. Li Huayuan, on the other hand, was truly a bit stingy and only made Han Li an in-name disciple!


    However, taking medicine pills was only of assistance toward progressing one¡¯s magic power. They still had to seclude themselves in meditation and absorb Spiritual Qi for a time. Bitter and diligent cultivation was the true way to turn Spiritual Qi into one¡¯s own magic power!


    Otherwise, if one took medicine pills and didn¡¯t spend time to refine Spiritual Qi afterwards, it would be of no effect and wouldn¡¯t increase one¡¯s magic power in the slightest. After all, external Spiritual Qi and one¡¯s magic power were fundamentally two different things.


    There were also ancient records of people who took-heaven defying medicine pills, resulting in their bodies exploding. As a result, wanton use of medicine pill beyond one¡¯s limits could be extremely dangerous.


    In addition to increasing magic power, when one encountered a bottleneck, using the spiritual power of the medicine pill to break through was a common action taken by many cultivators; its common use further proved its efficacy.


    Cultivators who could break through bottlenecks without drawing the support of medicinal power were far too few in number in the cultivation world. Furthermore, they were all geniuses who appeared only once every hundred years.


    Those possessing heavenly spiritual roots were the ones with the greatest aptitude, but when those possessing mutated spiritual roots came across a bottleneck, they had no method to break through without using medicine pills; they were similar to those possessing ordinary spiritual roots in this aspect.


    This cultivator Lei Wanhe happened to have come across this sort of bottleneck. Thus, in order to refine supplementary medicine pills, he had gone on a search in the secular world and had just returned.


    However on this trip, he didn¡¯t have much luck at all. Apart from two medicinal herbs that were slightly older than four hundred years old, he had ended up empty handed. This caused him to hold a belly full of grievances!


    This was also the primary reason why he immediately killed the cultivators from the Thousand Bamboo School when he laid eyes on them. If he hadn¡¯t vented his feelings at that very moment, his mood would likely not have improved for quite a long time. It could only be said that Huang Long and his company were too unfortunate and happened to run into this foul-mooded demon.


    Up to this moment, Lei Wanhe¡¯s mood was continuously fluctuating


    In his three-hundred-year-long experience as a cultivator, he had never seen such spiritual herbs before. When these two spiritual herbs entered his eyes, he immediately made an accurate judgment of their age. He couldn¡¯t help but become exalted after doing so.


    He was currently planning to refine Soul Strengthening Pills but was lacking medicinal herbs that had reached a maturity of five hundred years; thus, he went on this trip that had nearly taken a full year. However, after browsing everywhere, including the State of Yue¡¯s large and small market cities as well as the great medicine stores of the mortal world, he still hadn¡¯t found any medicinal ingredients that satisfied him.


    He could only reluctantly take the two mediocre four hundred year-old herbs and make his preparations!


    However, he knew in his heart that using these spiritual herbs to refine the Soul Strengthening Pills wouldn¡¯t be enough. Perhaps their medicinal efficacy would be greatly reduced when he created them and wouldn¡¯t be of much assistance to him. However, he truly did not have any appropriate core medicines at hand; could he even refine them?


    He continued his search, but he only ended up squandering his time.


    Even if a great medicinal ingredient had actually appeared somewhere, it would have long been hastily acquired by a cultivation sect or clan. By the time he arrived, there wouldn¡¯t be a single strand of medicine left. As for the cultivation worlds of nearby countries, looking there would be even more uncertain!


    That was why when he heard that this Martial Nephew had medicinal ingredients of a certain maturity, his heart beated. He decided to take a look, entering the incomparably crude and simple cave dwelling.


    Actually, Lei Wanhe thought to himself, ¡°How could a Foundation Establishment disciple possibly stumble on good medicinal ingredients? It¡¯s most likely a two or three hundred year-old medicinal herb.¡±


    After all, he had searched for such a long time but could only acquire four hundred year-old medicinal ingredients. This was also because he was a Core Formation Expert; no one dared to compete with him over them.


    All of a sudden, this pair of six to seven hundred year-old medicinal herbs before him. This caused him to become absolutely baffled and overly joyous from the surprise!


    Thus, although it seemed that his eyes were staring at the two medicinal herbs, appraising it, he was actually already considering how he would ask this Martial Nephew to hand it over to him.


    After all, leaving such rare items in this Martial Nephew¡¯s hand would be far too much of a waste! They would reach their greatest potential in the hands of this great cultivator Lei if he refined them into pills.


    However, he was also an old fox of many years; he had already thought of a good excuse in the blink of an eye.


    He coughed two times, and after reluctantly returning the medicinal herbs to the case, he turned his nearly obscured neck toward Han Li and amiably said, ¡°These two medicinal herbs are truly rarely-seen items of value; they are over six and seven hundred years of age! Martial Nephew must have spilled quite a bit of blood to acquire them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This disciple spent quite a bit of strength to acquire them from an auction at a secret store! At that time, there was also a thousand year-old spiritual herb that appeared; unfortunately, this disciple lacked the power to acquire it. He could only helplessly look on as others bought it. This caused disciple to feel rather regretful!¡± Han Li replied with half-truths.


    ¡°A secret store even had thousand year-old herbs!¡±


    When the fatty heard this, he nearly jumped up from his stone seat!


    Hearing Han Li speak of this regretful affair, he felt so much distress. It was as if his heart was being gouged out.


    To think that a Core Formation Cultivator who racked his brain on how to find spiritual herbs and spiritual medicines and visited secret stores of all locations and even seven or eight clans, could miss such a fortuitous event such a this? If he had been there, no such treasure would be able to escape his grasp! Even if he had to spend more spirit stones, he absolutely would be willing to!


    As he thought of such an extremely rare and great opportunity, he looked at the brat before him who had let it go. Panting with rage, the fatty wanted to boldly hold Han Li¡¯s neck in his hands and interrogate him! He would do this despite clearly knowing that the other party was a Foundation Establishment Disciple who couldn¡¯t afford such an extremely expensive item.


    ¡°Fine. A miss is a miss! Perhaps there will be another opportunity in the future!¡±


    The fatty eventually calmed himself down and had no choice but to reluctantly say a few words of comfort toward Han Li. After all, he still planned to acquire his two spiritual herbs! He couldn¡¯t let these herbs slip from his fingers.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Han, how do you intend to use these two spiritual herbs? Could it be that you¡¯re thinking of handing it over to the sect¡¯s pill-refining experts? But as your Martial Senior, I must warn you that the pill-refining experts in our Yellow Maple Valley are truly terrible! If you were to deliver such precious items to them, they would absolutely extort you. Your losses would be truly great!¡± the fatty advised, using the sincere and earnest manner of an elder.


    ¡°How could I give it to them to refine! Disciple intended to use these spiritual medicines to exchange for a few items! After all, just to buy these medicinal herbs, this disciple nearly lost a family fortune! How could I easily squander them?¡± Han Li shook his head. His words caused Lei Wanhe to feel greatly surprised, making him choke on his previously prepared script.


    However, the fatty had a second thought: ¡°This Martial Nephew wants items in exchange for the medicinal herbs? Is that all he wants? On the basis of my own status as a Core Formation Expert, apart from those extremely scarce pill and tool-refining ingredients, how could I not satisfy this disciple? This is a good opportunity to fairly and honorably exchange for it!¡±


    With this thought, Lei Wanhe¡¯s eyes grew more squinted from smiling, making him appear increasingly more amiable.


    ¡°What items does Martial Nephew Han want? The collection that this Martial Senior has procured over the past several hundred years is not small! Perhaps I have items that will satisfy Martial Nephew,¡± The fatty happily stated as he blinked his small eyes.


    ¡°Ah! Could it be that Martial Senior wants these spiritual herbs? If it¡¯s like that, this disciple can give a herb to Martial Senior as a Junior¡¯s filial offering!¡± At this moment, Han Li appeared to have realized this and quickly spoke with reverence.


    When Lei Wanhe saw that Han Li was so quick-witted to actually not bring up the matter of the exchange and instead immediately offer an herb as a gift, he could not help but feel greatly happy; Han Li also became increasingly more pleasant to look at.


    However, the fatty¡¯s goal was both of the herbs! There was a still one herb left, and he would hate to have to let it go.


    As a result, Lei Wanhe waved his hand and grandly said, ¡°Martial Nephew Han, what is this? Could it be that I, Lei Wanhe, am someone who covets the items of his Juniors? Do not hesitate to say what you need. Martial Senior will immediately find it and exchange with you fairly. I absolutely won¡¯t let Martial Nephew suffer any losses! Do you want to exchange it for a top-grade magic tool? Or any medicinal pills that you currently need?¡±


    When Han Li heard the other party¡¯s grand words, he grew greatly happy. He had maneuvered in such a large circle, waiting for these words to be spoken out loud. However, with his outward appearance hesitant, he said in embarrassment, ¡°I will not hide this from Martial Senior Lei. Disciple is very interesting in the Dao of Pill-refinement. However, the storage room in Yue Lu Hall doesn¡¯t have any practical pill-refining recipes. Disciple later found out that the pill-refining skills of ancient times has nearly died out. The current pill-refining skills of my fellow martial disciples and Seniors were all either bitterly researched for several tens of generations or happened to be discovered from ancient ruins. Each are as precious as one¡¯s own life and are not easily acquired. Thus, disciple intended to use these two spiritual herbs to exchange for pill formulas that he could use for himself!¡±

 Chapter 236

    Ancient Formula.


    Chapter 236: Ancient Formula


    ¡°Exchange for pill formulas?¡±


    The fatty¡¯s originally smiling expression instantly froze!


    ¡°This disciple knows that pill formulas are precious to every Martial Brother and Senior, so I won¡¯t be too picky! It¡¯s enough as long as it can slightly raise this disciple¡¯s cultivating speed in Foundation Establishment. I will definitely not pick and choose!¡± Han Li said very sincerely.


    After a certain conversation with the small old man from whom Han Li had learned about the circumstances behind pill formulas in the cultivating world, he racked his brains on how to obtain a few pill formulas for his own uses. After all, he owned a secret technique for ripening medicinal herbs; how could he not exploit this advantage as much as he could!


    However, the slightly better pill formulas all landed in the hands of Core Formation cultivators; even if Foundation Establishment disciples had one or two pill formulas, they could only refine insignificant medicine pills. Thus, his original plan was based off of his master, Li Huayuan, but since he had run into this Martial Senior Lei, Han Li immediately changed the target of his plan.


    No matter how one looked at it, this Martial Senior Lei was easier to manipulate than that master of his.


    This was not merely Han Li¡¯s intuition; Li Huayuan was truly too stingy towards this in-name disciple of his. In addition, he was even more demanding and restricting because of their master-disciple relationship.


    Most likely, if today¡¯s methods had been used on Li Huayuan, Han Li¡¯s master would only need to make an understatement and say, ¡°Good filial piety!¡±, taking away these two spiritual medicines in a justified way. Han Li would have to act as if he had been moved to tears and thank his master for kindly accepting his offering.


    Now, with great difficulty, he had finally encountered another Core Formation cultivator, so naturally he wanted to seize this rare opportunity.


    ¡°You want to exchange medicinal formulas? This truly is a very tricky matter.¡± Lei Wanhe¡¯s expression finally eased up after he seemingly thought of something. Then, his eyebrows became tightly knit, as if he were uncertain about it!


    Upon seeing this, Han Li did not feel disappointed; in fact, he began to yell ¡°There¡¯s a chance!¡± in his heart. Otherwise, this Martial Senior Lei would not have this kind of an expression.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s useful to this disciple, any pill formula is fine; Martial Nephew won¡¯t make things difficult for Martial Senior!¡± Han Li hurriedly lowered his demands a notch.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Han! Martial Senior does have some pretty good pill formulas, but these things are all the foundational, secretly transmitted formulas that only my clan possesses; I truly cannot bring them out to exchange with you!¡± Lei Wanhe said with regret, shaking his head.


    Han Li was incredibly disappointed after hearing this! He didn¡¯t attempt to cover up any of his emotions, so when the fatty noticed this, he began to laugh and said:


    ¡°Although I cannot exchange my clan¡¯s pill formulas with you, I still have a few ancient formulas on hand! Some I found within historical ruins, while others I obtained by exchanging with friends. There¡¯d be no problem if I were to exchange them with you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then this disciple thanks Martial Senior!¡± Han Li hurriedly thanked with joy.


    ¡°Wait until I finish speaking, it¡¯s still too early to thank me!¡± the fatty interjected disapprovingly, waving his hand.


    ¡°Since we are going to make an exchange, as a Martial Senior, I need to make one thing clear,¡± the fatty said seriously, causing Han Li to be startled slightly!


    ¡°Please, Martial Senior, say it; this disciple will definitely listen to your teachings!¡± Han Li immediately answered respectfully.


    ¡°What do you mean listening to my teachings? I want to tell you the bad news first before you regret it in the future!¡± Lei Wanhe glanced at Han Li and added indifferently.


    ¡°If you follow these ancient formulas to refine medicinal pills, the result will all be genuine top-grade spiritual pills. But most importantly, the ingredients of these pill formulas are truly too difficult to find! I don¡¯t know if you will be able to obtain these items. Of course, although these ingredients are difficult to find, they definitely do exist in this realm. It¡¯s not the same as some other ancient formulas, where the ingredients have already gone extinct for an unknown number of years! In reality, many of the newly researched pill formulas are only the results of testing many ancient formulas with substitute ingredients, so although the ingredients for refining pills are there, the pills¡¯ effectiveness decreased significantly. This is truly something that the cultivation world can do nothing about!¡±


    The fatty¡¯s words shocked Han Li multiple times upon hearing them. However, he still understood the other person¡¯s meaning.


    ¡°Martial Senior¡¯s meaning is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very easy; after you obtain the pill formulas, if you truly can¡¯t find all the ingredients to refine the pills, look for a substitute and try it out. Who knows, there might be a chance you¡¯ll succeed!¡± the fatty solemnly said to Han Li.


    When Han Li heard this, he was speechless! However, he was clear in his heart that this Martial Senior probably felt that the ingredients for the pill formulas he was about to exchange for were truly too difficult to obtain. Most likely, he felt somewhat sorry; thus, he gave Han Li a reminder!


    It seemed in this way that Martial Senior Lei¡¯s integrity was not too bad! Han Li secretly thought this, but he nonetheless put on a lovable outward appearance, repeatedly saying ¡°okay¡±, demonstrating that he was not considering backing out from the exchange!


    Seeing this, Lei Wanhe was extremely happy in his heart. He still felt that he had taken advantage of this Martial Nephew too much and felt somewhat sorry! After thinking for a moment, he spoke once again:


    ¡°How about this, you have two spiritual herbs here! We¡¯ll exchange one herb for one formula! This Martial Senior can¡¯t let you take too much of a loss!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he stared blankly for a moment! However, immediately afterward he began to exult with joy, and his positive feeling for this Martial Senior Lei instantly increased greatly!


    He repeatedly thanked Lei Wanhe; this time, Han Li said it out of complete sincerity without any pretense!


    ¡°Enough. This is the list of pill formulas. Pick two! All of the medicinal pill attributes and the necessary ingredients are listed in there. When you have finished picking, I will give you the actual pill formulas!¡± Saying this, the fatty pulled out a jade slip and tossed it towards Han Li.


    When Han Li excitedly received this item, he felt that something was strange! When had this Martial Senior prepared this catalog!?


    But this question only flashed briefly in the back of his mind. Han Li received the jade slip, then very carefully scanned it, looking for any appropriate pill formulas.


    This Spirit Gathering Pill and this Qi Refining Powder!¡± Han Li retrieved his consciousness from the jade slip then excitedly exclaimed.


    ¡°Spirit Gathering Pill, Qi Refining Powder?¡±


    The fatty indifferently nodded his head after hearing this and didn¡¯t say anything. He immediately pulled out two more jade slips from his storage pouch and tossed them out.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s no longer early; I should be heading back!¡± The fatty happily stored the spiritual herbs on the table, then immediately said his goodbyes and left. Now that he had gathered all his ingredients, he hurried back to refine his own Soul Strengthening Pill!


    Upon hearing this, Han Li hurriedly stood up to escort him out.


    However, when Han Li was escorting him to the cave entrance, he suddenly remembered something. He then asked the other person about the whereabouts and cave location of his master, Li Huayuan.


    When the fatty heard that Han Li was actually Li Huayuan¡¯s in-name disciple, his shock was not small; however, he still told Han Li the location, then flew away on a streak of silver light.


    Han Li watched Lei Wanhe completely disappear before happily pulling out the jade slips with the pill formulas on them, playing around with them for a while. After a long time, he turned around, wanting to return to his cave!


    However, Han Li had only taken two steps before an object near the cave attracted his attention. With a glance, it was actually Senior Martial Brother Lin¡¯s body lying on the ground, curled up; it even preserved the posture of having been thrown out by the fatty.


    Han Li started for a moment, then walked towards it without hesitation. When he reached the corpse, he bent down and began to search.


    He remembered very clearly that Martial Senior Lei had not touched anything on the corpse. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because he was too ashamed to do it in front of a junior like him, or if the items of a Foundation Establishment disciple simply couldn¡¯t enter his eyes.


    As expected, Han Li found a storage pouch on the corpse¡¯s waist.


    This caused Han Li to begin to grin widely! After all, he was very interested in those puppets; the other person¡¯s storage pouch should have a huge pile of them!


    But when Han Li examined the storage pouch, the smile on his face gradually disappeared. The storage pouch actually did not have a single puppet inside of it! Apart from a few spirit stones and two bottles of regular medicinal pills, there was only an unassuming jade slip inside. This caused Han Li¡¯s fired up mood to immediately be extinguished!


    ¡°He clearly controlled so many puppets that day. How could all of them have disappeared¡­could they all have been destroyed?¡± Han Li muttered to himself with an unhappy expression on his face.


    Han Li¡¯s guess was actually pretty much correct.


    On that day, Senior Martial Brother Lin had controlled numerous puppets and was able to fight evenly with his opponents. However, when the quadruplets from the Thousand Bamboo Sect killed the two escaping cultivators, they hurried over to harass him. Senior Martial Brother Lin, seeing that the circumstances were not good, immediately detonated all of his puppets. He then took advantage of the confusion and rushed out into the forest. Thus, not even a single mechanical puppet could be found in his storage pouch!


    In his disappointment, Han Li carelessly pulled out that jade slip. Then, as if it were a routine, he sent his consciousness into it, then carelessly gave it a few cursory glances.


    All of a sudden, Han Li¡¯s eyes greatly widened, and the lazy expression on his face instantly froze.


    This was because as soon as his divine sense entered the jade slip, three golden words emerged: ¡°Great Development Technique¡±!

 Chapter 237

    Paying Respects.


    Chapter 237: Paying Respects


    ¡°Great Development Technique¡±. This was what Han Li had repeatedly heard of from Senior Martial Brother Lin, the cultivation technique that the primordial soul tried to entice him with. He was actually able to rummage through his body as he wished and easily found it. This caused Han Li to feel ecstatic beyond belief!


    This ¡°Great Development Technique¡± had actually been carried on Senior Martial Lin¡¯s body! This truly went against his expectations.


    Han Li truly didn¡¯t know whether this Senior Martial Brother Lin had been extremely stupid or extremely clever!


    He quickly skimmed through the jade slip with the Great Development Technique once through and found that it was as Senior Martial Lin had said. There truly were only incantations up to the fourth layer.


    However, what appeared next caused Han Li to feel even more shocked.


    After he finished completely looking through the Great Development Technique, a scripture called the ¡°True Puppet Insights¡± appeared immediately afterward, completely instructing him on how to refine puppet beasts and soldiers of all grades. It was a very detailed and extraordinary puppet creation collection!


    After Han Li looked through it for a moment, he immediately withdrew his excited consciousness and wore an extremely happy expression. But after he looked at the jade slip in his hand, he soon though of something, and his expression suddenly became strange.


    The Great Development Technique and the True Puppet Insights were a pair. If he simultaneously cultivated them, they would be flawless together.


    So long as he cultivated the both of them to a certain layer, he would surely be like Huang Long, a single person who relied on a great amount of puppets to remain unwavering against several cultivators of the same strength level and didn¡¯t give them the slightest opportunity to resist!


    This kind of power that suppressed other Foundation Establishment cultivators caused Han Li¡¯s heart to thump!


    However, he was very clear that there was a certain flaw. It was very possible that it would interfere with his own cultivation and cause his originally indistinct chances of Core Formation to be completely null. This was a matter where the gains did not make up for the losses.


    As for the odds that the Great Development Technique could promote Core Formation, Han Li simply did not trust that kind of baseless nonsense.


    Han Li lowered his head and pondered for a moment. This was a very hard choice! He shook his head and first put away the jade slip into his storage bag before deciding to deal with it in the future.


    After all, deciding whether to cultivate the Great Development Technique along with the puppet creation technique that had dropped from the sky was a bit too sudden. This was a matter to be thought over after his heart calmed down!


    Regardless, this harvest had caused Han Li to be excited! He suddenly thought that although the storage pouches of Huang Long and his fellow disciples had all been thoroughly decimated by Lei Wanhe¡¯s lightning attribute sword light, there were a few puppets that they had not retrieved in time still standing outside the formation.


    These were good items that would be a waste not to acquire!


    With this thought, Han Li left the great formation in a good mood.


    As expected, not far from the formation¡¯s outer boundary, he found many palm-sized puppet soldiers and mechanical beast that had shrunk since nobody was controlling them. However, there weren¡¯t as many as Han Li had imagined, only about twenty. The rest had been turned to ash by Lei Wanghe¡¯s sword light.


    But even if that was the case, Han Li collected them one by one while in high spirits.


    In one moment, he managed to sweep up so many good items. Han Li still wished to continue, wishing for hundreds of more puppet soldiers to appear before his eyes so he could gather them all. Han Li found this attitude of his to be laughable; this greed was truly insatiable!


    After a few words of self-mockery, Han Li returned to his Immortal¡¯s cave and prepared to study the ancient formulas. The next day he would go to where his master, Li Huayuan, lived and see whether or not he could get some decent cultivation techniques.


    ¡­¡­


    The morning of the next day. Han Li stood on his Divine Wind Boat and flew straight toward the eastern part of the Tai Yue Mountain Range.


    Yesterday, Lei Wanhe had told him that his master¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave was located at the peak of a particular mountain. It also seemed that Li Huayuan was busy with something inside his Immortal¡¯s cave. If there was a moment to go find him, now was the time.


    With the speed of the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li didn¡¯t have to spend much time to find the region that Lei Wanhe had pointed out. As expected, the location was well hidden by an azure mountain and green rivers.


    Han Li stood at the mountain peak above a huge waterfall and took out a sound transmission talisman from his bosom. He softly spoke a few words and then threw it out. The talisman then turned into a stream of fiery light, rushing toward the huge waterfall and disappearing from sight.


    After the time it took an incense stick to burn, the curtain of water separated, revealing a large cave. Then, from within, a slim Confucian scholar who appeared over thirty years old flew out. When he saw Han Li, he immediately gave a warm greeting, ¡°Are you Junior Martial Disciple Han? This one is Master¡¯s eldest disciple, Yu Kun. You can call me Senior Martial Brother Yu!¡±


    After the Confucian scholar said this, he flew down with great ease, arriving by Han Li¡¯s side. He then looked at Han Li with a wide smile.


    ¡°I pay respects to Eldest Senior Martial Brother!¡± Han Li shouted this out of extremely caution.


    When this Eldest Senior Martial Brother Yu Kun saw Han Li¡¯s expression and his well-behaved greeting, his smile became even stronger. He said even more amiably, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Eldest Senior Martial Brother. Eldest Senior Martial Brother? That is far too formal! Just address me as Senior Martial Brother Yu. I have already heard of Junior Martial Brother¡¯s situation from Master. Junior Martial Brother Han was actually able to acquire such a large harvest from the Trial by Blood and Fire. That truly was a remarkable feat!¡± Yu Kun repeatedly praised him.


    Han Li played along with a few forced laughs. He didn¡¯t know why this person was so courteous to this in-name disciple; it caused him to be quite uneasy!


    ¡°I originally heard that Junior Martial Disciple¡¯s aptitude wasn¡¯t very good. But now, I see you have actually reached Foundation Establishment. This is truly a matter worthy of celebration!¡±


    Yu Kun seemed to have been long aware that Han Li had reached Foundation Establishment. As a result, he hadn¡¯t expressed any surprise toward Han Li¡¯s success in entering Foundation Establishment. However, he still incessantly congratulated Han Li; this caused Han Li to become even more suspicious and vigilant.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master is still waiting inside the cave for Junior Martial Disciple! It¡¯s better to not let our elders wait for long. Let¡¯s first enter the Green Ripple Cave!¡± It seemed Yu Kun had just thought of something. After he patted the back of his head, he said this with a chuckle.


    When Han Li saw the other party¡¯s expression, the corner of his mouth twitched, but his face maintained a solemn and respectful expression. He agreed at once and flew through the water curtain.


    After he passed through the water curtain, a small, naturally-formed valley appeared before his eyes. Not only was it as beautiful as a spring day, but the trees were green and the water clear. Furthermore, there were a few remarkably strange small animals jumping about in an adorable manner!


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Han Li¡¯s mind tumbled! The scene before him¡­could it be that his own master, a respected expert, was fond of raising small animals? The thought barged into Han Li¡¯s mind unexpectedly!


    ¡°Hehe! What? Is Junior Martial Brother surprised? You¡¯re not the only one who reacted this way. Every visitor that comes is astonished! However, these weren¡¯t raised by Master but rather are the treasures of Master¡¯s wife! You mustn¡¯t harm them by any means, else the Mistress will absolutely end you!¡± Yu Kun chuckled, revealing an ¡®I already knew you would be greatly surprised¡¯ expression.


    ¡°Master¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Mistress Zan is only at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the Master dotes on her very much! You must act good-natured and get along well with her.¡± Yu Kun said this as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Yu Kun brought him further into the large cave, where much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, he saw not only his master, Li Huayuan, but also a young, beautiful, twenty-seven or twenty-eight year-old woman!


    Nothing needed to be said about his own master¡¯s ice cold face but when he saw Han Li, Li Huayuan revealed a slight smile. Although Han Li thought the young woman was beautiful, how could he dare to look in front of Li Huayuan!  He only took a quick look and stepped forward, respectfully saluting, ¡°Disciple Han Li greets Master!¡±


    ¡°En! You¡¯ve come! This is your master¡¯s wife, greet her as well!¡± Li Huayuan was greatly satisfied with Han Li¡¯s respectful and solemn bearing and pointed to the young woman at his side.


    ¡°Disciple pays respects to Master¡¯s wife!¡± Han Li inwardly sighed. He could only salute to this woman who didn¡¯t seem much older than himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, no need to be overly polite!¡± When the young woman saw Han Li step foward to pay his respects, she said this with a smile. Her voice was soft and pleasant, displaying the sweet temper of a woman from a river village. As expected, she was an extremely dainty woman!


    ¡°Han Li, I¡¯ve only heard of the matter of your success into Foundation Establishment a few days ago! To tell the truth, this matter was rather hard for me to believe and amazed me by no small amount!¡± Li Huayuan said this with a smile and an incomparably gentle tone. This caused Han Li to truly feel overwhelmed by his superior¡¯s favor.


    ¡°This was disciple¡¯s fluke. Achieving Foundation Establishment also shocked this disciple!¡± Han Li¡¯s face was slightly red, appearing as if he were embarrassed.


    ¡°Hehe! Great luck also reflects one¡¯s own aptitude. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t those born with outstanding aptitudes have even greater luck?¡± Li Hua Yuan shook his head and said this with a smile.


    ¡°Ah! This¡­¡± Not once did Han Li think he would feel so embarrassed and be rendered speechless!

 Chapter 238

    Yu Kun¡¯s Fearsomeness


    ¡°Humph, this fellow has only been a disciple for a short while; don¡¯t use a lecturing tone immediately upon meeting him!¡± the young woman said gently to Li Huayuan upon seeing Han Li¡¯s uncomfortable appearance, a trace of laughter in her eyes.


    ¡°Okay! Husband knows. No matter what, this good disciple is also my wife¡¯s savior; as his master, I must compensate him well!


    Li Huayuan glanced at the young woman with a tender gaze, then turned around and said to Yu Kun standing to the side:


    ¡°You can withdraw for now; your master¡¯s wife and I are going to talk individually with your Junior Martial Brother Han. Don¡¯t let anybody disturb us!¡±


    ¡°As you command, Master!¡±


    Yu Kun respectfully replied, then stole an envious glance at Han Li before quietly withdrawing.


    ¡°Savior? Reward?¡±


    Now, Han Li was truly stunned; he really didn¡¯t know when these two words had suddenly become related to him! When had he earned a reward for saving someone, and how could he himself not know about it?


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s confused appearance, the young woman couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said:


    ¡°Lord Husband, why don¡¯t you explain it to him! Your disciple doesn¡¯t know anything yet; don¡¯t let his head be filled with fog!¡±


    Hearing the young woman¡¯s words, Li Huayuan lightly smiled, and explained to Han Li, nodding:


    ¡°Han Li! By now you should know the reason why I accepted you as my disciple back then! There¡¯s no embarrassment for me to talk about it; as your elder, I truly did covet your spiritual medicines. Thus, I used the excuse of receiving you as my disciple to take away a half of your portion. Otherwise, you should have received two Foundation Establishment Pills, not just one! However, although I confess that I caused your rewards to decrease for no apparent reason, you could have in turn also used my reputation to your advantage, and people wouldn¡¯t lightly offend you. This could be considered my way of making things up to you. After all, with regards to your natural talent back then, even if you were to have an extra Foundation Establishment Pill, it seemed like your chances of successfully establishing your Foundation were nonexistent!¡±


    Li Huayuan said, his expression nonchalant as if he did not feel that there was anything inappropriate about what he had done!


    ¡°But soon after, the situation changed; not long after I obtained these spiritual medicines and was about to refine them into pills that could increase one¡¯s magic power, an accident suddenly occurred while my wife was cultivating, plunging her into danger. Luckily, I hadn¡¯t used your spiritual medicines yet, and thus I was able to temporarily preserve her life. In the few years afterward, I was able to use the remaining spiritual medicines to refine a pill that could save her, causing my wife to finally recover in the past few days! Because of this, when I told my wife about the origins of these spiritual medicines, my wife immediately expressed that I must reward you. After all, her life was preserved solely because of your spiritual medicines. You could also be considered her savior!¡±


    When Li Huayuan talked about the young woman¡¯s life-threatening condition, his expression changed, as if he were reliving the dangerous circumstances of those times. It seemed as if he really dearly loved the young woman beside him.


    ¡°After I heard her say that, I felt that what she said was very reasonable, and  so I wanted to officially accept you as my disciple before you reached the Foundation Establishment stage. But who knew that before I could make a move, I had already received the news that you had successfully established your Foundation; this really surprised me! After all, I had previously said that as long as you entered the Foundation Establishment stage, I would officially accept you as my disciple. Thus, this could no longer be considered some kind of reward. I could only think of other ways within my abilities to reward you¡±


    Li Huayuan finally explained the whole situation once, causing Han Li to become somewhat dazed upon hearing it.


    He never expected that meat pies falling from the sky could actually land on his head; even when he heard Li Huayuan personally say that he would reward him, Han Li still did not dare to believe it. Instead, he could only stand there, stunned.


    ¡°What about this? Since it seems you haven¡¯t thought it through yet, you can think about it in your cave for a day; tomorrow morning, you can come to your master and raise a request. You have to think about it carefully; normally your master is not a very generous person, so this is an opportunity that is hard to come by!¡± the young woman gently said to Han Li, glancing at Li Huayuan.


    This caused Li Huayuan to dryly laugh a few times as if he were somewhat embarrassed!


    Han Li, who finally regained consciousness, hesitated for a moment. Originally, he wanted to request a cultivation technique, but upon being reminded by his master¡¯s wife, he could not refuse the other person¡¯s good intentions, so he nodded his head and accepted.


    Then, Li Huayuan called Yu Kun to give Han Li a tour of the cave.


    This Senior Martial Brother immediately agreed with a smile, then brought Han Li and walked out. They had not yet left the large lobby when he had already begun to introduce Han Li to the entire cave.


    ¡°Master, your Green Ripple Cave is about a few hundred acres in size; as for rooms¡­¡­¡±


    The young woman, after seeing Han Li and Yu Kun walk far away, suddenly said to Li Huayuan with a smile:


    ¡°Do you think our new disciple can handle Yu Kun¡¯s harassment? Every time I see Yu Kun open his mouth, I feel a headache coming on even if he hasn¡¯t said anything yet! Yu Kun¡¯s long-windedness truly causes many headaches.¡±


    ¡°Yi! Not to mention you, even I have no way of dealing with him! Han Li definitely cannot endure for too long!¡± Li Huayuan said with helplessness.


    ¡°This is also true! But what kind of request do you think this disciple of yours will make?¡± the young woman suddenly asked as she opened her round eyes. A trace of cunning could be found within them.


    ¡°What requests could he make besides pills, cultivation techniques, magic tools, and the sort! If it weren¡¯t for madam¡¯s relentless requests to reward this disciple, I really would not be willing to be so generous.¡± Li Huayuan had not even handed anything out yet but he already appeared to be in excruciating pain.


    ¡°What are you talking about! If you don¡¯t repay his saving grace, the Ice Heart Technique that I cultivate would contain many leaks, and I would not be able to cultivate it to the Great Circle of Completion! Then, in the future, how could I enter the Core Formation stage and spend the rest of my life with you?¡±


    The young woman first gave Li Huayuan a haughty look, but her next sentence was filled with deep affection, causing Li Huayuan to feel greatly moved upon hearing it! He thumped his chest and expressed that he would definitely fulfill Han Li¡¯s requests and that he would not allow any troubles to be left in the way of his wife¡¯s cultivation.


    Han Li naturally did not know that the huge meat pie that fell on his head was actually related to the young woman¡¯s cultivation technique.


    At that moment, he was following Senior Martial Brother Yu, wandering around, but in his heart, he still felt that the arrival of this kind of good fortune was too sudden! This caused him to feel strangely unsettled.


    ¡°Yi, Senior Martial Brother Yu has time to come to this Sword Discussion Hall; how about us Senior Martial Brothers exchange a few magic techniques!¡±


    When Yu Kun had brought Han Li near an extremely large stone room, an extremely buff man just so happened to be walking out of it. When he saw Yu Kun, he carelessly said this. However, his gaze was constantly sweeping over Han Li.


    ¡°Who hasn¡¯t heard about the combat strength of Fourth Junior Martial Brother¡¯s Five Elements magic technique? It is the number one under Master¡¯s family! I think I¡¯ll pass and not make a fool of myself!¡± Yu Kun¡¯s expression first changed upon hearing the man¡¯s words, then laughed and refused.


    However, he suddenly turned around and pointed at Han Li while laughing:


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t introduced Fourth Junior Martial Brother to this individual; he is the new disciple that Master is going to accept. He is the Junior Martial Brother Han who is soon to become our Eighth Junior Martial Brother!¡±


    ¡°And this is your Fourth Senior Martial Brother Song Meng; you can just call him Senior Martial Brother Song! Everyone come meet each other; after today we will all be Martial Brothers from the same family!¡±


    ¡°Eighth Junior Martial Brother!¡±


    When this fourth Junior Martial Brother heard these words, a radiant light shone out from his eyes, focusing directly on Han Li!


    Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, but in his heart, he quietly sighed. This individual was clearly a battle-crazy individual; being gazed at him could not have any good outcomes.


    Thus, before this individual even opened his mouth, Han Li spoke first:


    ¡°Greetings, Fourth Senior Martial Brother. Junior Martial Brother has just recently entered the Foundation Establishment stage; I ask that Senior Martial Brother take good care of me!¡±


    Having said this, Han Li greeted him.


    However, these words from Han Li caused this man to reveal a disappointed expression. He lost interest in Han Li, and after indifferently nodding his head a few times, he didn¡¯t glance at Han Li even once. Then, he coldly walked directly between the two of them, leaving to attend to his own business!


    Only Han Li and Yu Kun remained, and they looked at each other in dismay for quite some time.


    ¡°Haha, Junior Martial Brother Han, please don¡¯t take offense; Junior Martial Brother Song just has this kind of a strange temper. Although outwardly he appears somewhat cold, in actuality his personality is pretty good!¡± It was still Yu Kun who recovered first, and with a few sentences he shook off the awkward atmosphere.


    Han Li naturally adopted an understanding attitude, and the two of them immediately continued on their way, laughing and talking.


    Although the cave was not small, apart from Li Huayuan and his wife as well as that Song Meng, there were no other people in such a large place. Han Li did not encounter any of the other five Senior Martial Brothers. Afterwards, Han Li learned that the other five were all like him and had their own caves outside; they would occasionally come to pay their respects to Li Huayuan and his wife.


    As for Yu Kun and Song Meng, they had grown up next to Li Huayuan and his wife; as such, they already had very deep feelings for them, so they naturally would stay in this place instead of building their own cave.


    As Han Li was idly chatting with Yu Kun, he finally gained some understanding of the other few cultivators; however, he had unwittingly finished touring the entire cave.


    This Eldest Senior Martial Brother¡¯s spirits seemed to rise the more he spoke, so he just pulled Han Li and began to walk towards his own room, wanting to continue their extended discussion.


    Although Han Li felt slightly surprised, he didn¡¯t mind, and so he indifferently followed him over. After all, this person was the Eldest Senior Martial Brother, so he still had to give him this face.


    In the beginning, he was intently listening to this Eldest Senior Martial Brother, hoping to find a few pieces of useful information.


    But not too long after, this Senior Martial Brother Yu¡¯s ability to chatter away was revealed to be truly frightening, and Han Li slowly began to experience it firsthand.


    The endless flow of words snuck into his head like evil spirits, causing Han Li¡¯s head to begin to hurt, having heard them for numerous hours.


    It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Han Li finally realized the truth: the attitude this Eldest Senior Martial Brother had shown when he had come to pick Han Li up was not enthusiasm! It was clearly that a hard-to-find guest had finally appeared to satisfy his addiction to flapping his lips!


    After another moment, Han Li could not longer take it, his physical fatigue finally growing too extreme. He hurriedly escaped from the other person¡¯s room, then found a room used to accommodate guests and collapsed.


    Hearing this Senior Martial Brother Yu¡¯s verbal attack was truly damaging to one¡¯s soul!


    Han Li had completely served this person¡¯s urges! Han Li¡¯s horizons had been broadened; this world actually contained men who could chatter like this!

 Chapter 239

    Choice.


    Chapter 239: Choice


    After a day in the Immortal¡¯s cave, Han Li stood in front of his Master Li Huayuan and his wife. He then heard his master indifferently say, ¡°Han Li, have you finished thinking about what you want your Master to give you? You can say it now!¡±


    ¡°Disciple wants a cultivation art compatible with him. He hopes Master can give one or two of them!¡± This didn¡¯t need to be deeply thought about. Han Li, who had long known this answer, immediately blurted it out.


    When Li Huayuan heard this, he didn¡¯t show any surprise and instead faintly smiled to his wife at the side. He seemed to be saying, ¡®How about it? I wasn¡¯t wrong. He wanted a cultivation art, as expected!¡¯


    Then he returned his gaze to Han Li and calmly said, ¡°En, your choice isn¡¯t bad!  First, let Master examine your spiritual roots and then I will decide what cultivation art to give you.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he didn¡¯t dare to hesitate and immediately approached him. His master grabbed his wrist and quickly circulated energy around his meridians.


    ¡°Apart from metal cultivation techniques, all other attributes can be cultivated! You actually had four attribute spiritual roots, how shocking! On that day, I only saw that you had false spiritual roots but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be to such a degree!¡± After a moment of examination,  Li Huayuan¡¯s expression grew slightly strange, and he sighed.


    When the young woman at the side heard this, she also revealed an expression of slight surprise. She remained silent and could not help but size up Han Li.


    ¡°Disciple¡¯s aptitude is inferior and has disappointed Master!¡± Han Li¡¯s face was a bit red as he replied this with slight shame.


    ¡°This is nothing. Since the Heavens have allowed you to reach Foundation Establishment, you surely have your own luck. But since it is like this, your choices for cultivation are a bit troublesome!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?


    When Han Li heard this, he blinked. Although Han Li did not take the initiative to ask, he displayed great doubt!


    ¡°Really! Give disciple a proper explanation. You are always so vague! Actually, what your Master means was that he originally wanted to let you choose a decent cultivation art, but now that he has seen your spiritual root attributes, he¡¯s hesitant! After all, the better the cultivation art, the harder it is to cultivate! It would be better to let you cultivate a simpler cultivation art so that you advance a bit more quickly!¡± The young woman rebuked Li Huayuan and gave Han Li an explanation with a warm tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My wife read my thoughts.¡± Li Huayuan repeatedly nodded his head. He then continued to explain, ¡°The cultivation arts of Immortal cultivators can generally be classified into three main types in accordance with speed and effects! For the first time, after it is cultivated, one¡¯s magic power progresses at a speed that is similar to that of inferior cultivation arts. However, it grants an supplementary divine ability that can suppress enemies and seize victory; it¡¯s power is likely to be outstanding and extremely suitable for combat. If one¡¯s magic power is at a lower layer, they will be able to, with slight difficulty,  prevail against cultivators of a higher layer. Thus, cultivators who know they are unable to enter Core Formation most likely choose this type of cultivation art.¡±


    ¡°The second type of cultivation technique is the exact opposite. These cultivation techniques progress one¡¯s magic powers at an astonishing rate and are easy to cultivate. But naturally there is a flaw; the advantage of the first type of cultivation technique is precisely this type¡¯s fatal flaw. Furthermore, although those who cultivate the second type come across far fewer bottlenecks than those who use the first type of cultivation techniques, this kind of cultivation art has no powerful self-defense methods, and their divine abilities are pathetic! Those who choose this method are doomed to spend their life cultivating and are the weaker among cultivators of the same grade. But similarly, they wish to cultivate to the highest layer in vain pursuit of the Heavenly Dao. Those who choose this path are not few. After all, this is the easiest method to approach Core Formation.¡±


    After Li Huayuan said this, he stopped for a moment and then looked at Han Li with a smile, ¡°What kind of magic technique does disciple wish to use? Perhaps there is a type between these two that fits you?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he paused for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but hesitate; he asked, ¡°Master, were there not three kinds? Why have you only explained two?¡±


    When they both heard Han Li¡¯s question, the young woman gave a knowing smile. Li Huayuan faced Han Li and answered, ¡°Apart from the first two types, there are the extraordinarily few cultivation arts that exist of the third type. Many cultivators pursue these top-grade cultivation arts. However, as your master, I do not recommend you cultivate these! Furthermore, none of your seven Senior Martial Brothers chose to cultivate these cultivation arts! Although they combine the several strong aspects of the first two type of cultivation arts, having both great power and astonishing magic progression, they have many restrictions. They are increasingly difficult as one progresses, and they are very dangerous to cultivate. If one is not careful, they will be beyond hope! Your Master¡¯s wife cultivates such a top-grade cultivation art but she was not careful and nearly died. Thus, if one cultivates these cultivation arts without transcendent aptitude, it would be a near equivalent to suicide!¡±


    ¡°Although I have two or three of such top-grade cultivation arts, would you be able to succeed with them? Naturally, because I do owe you compensation, if you must choose these top-grade cultivation methods, Master will give them to you. However, if you encounter dangers or difficulties in the future, you will only be able to rely on yourself!¡±


    Li Huayuan clearly did not approve of Han Li selecting these last types of cultivation arts and warned Han Li in advance.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and sunk his head in thought. This was a truly hard decision.


    But not long after, Han Li lifted his head with clear eyes. It was obvious that he made his decision.


    ¡°Master, please forgive this disciple¡¯s rudeness! Disciple wishes to ask in advance, what cultivation art did Master cultivate?¡± Han Li suddenly asked.


    ¡°Hehe! Your master cultivated the top-grade cultivation technique ¡¶True Sun Arts¡·. However, your master has a body only second to that of heavenly spiritual poots, a ¡®Three Yang Body¡¯. Cultivating this art suited me like a fish to water and was far superior to other cultivation arts! Otherwise, how could Master form his Golden Core?¡± Although Li Huayuan did not predict Han Li¡¯s question, he had still arrogantly replied.


    ¡°Disciple understands. Then disciple will select the second type of magic techniques!¡± Han Li said with a peaceful expression.


    ¡°The second type?¡±


    Li Huayuan¡¯s expression slightly changed, but after a second, it returned to normal. Under the appearance of deep thought, he reexamined Han Li. When the young woman at the side heard this, she also wore a rather interested expression.


    ¡°You chose the second choice, so how could Master say anything against this? If your cultivator¡¯s heart is resolute, then Master will truly be grateful. However, you should know the so-called easy refinement of magic power only applies to those with rather good aptitudes. Furthermore, even if they have outstanding aptitudes, only a few of them will be able to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment. Thus, your master leans toward you choosing the first type of cultivation arts. With your prospects of achieving Core Formation so uncertain, at the very least, you¡¯ll be able to hold your head high among your fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators and accept no humiliation. In truth, regardless of what type of cultivation art is chosen, those who achieve Core Formation are few in number! Originally¡­¡±


    Li HuaYuan originally thought to give Han Li a few words of advice, but as he said this, he seemed to have recalled something. With his mood serious, he actually remained silent!


    When the young woman to the side saw this, she lightly sighed and said to Han Li, ¡°Han Li, think of this well: What kind of cultivation art do you truly want? Although your choice does not match our thoughts, if your cultivator¡¯s heart is truly resolute, your Master will naturally not oppose you. If you overestimate your own abilities and absolutely insist on choosing the top-grade magic techniques, although we as husband and wife will not object, we will be greatly troubled. After all, it would no longer be a question of the resolution of one¡¯s cultivator¡¯s heart but rather that of biting off far more than one can chew.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Your Master¡¯s wife has spoken your Master¡¯s thoughts. Your Master will not say more. I will only ask you once more, is that your final decision?¡± Li Huayuan¡¯s attention returned just as the young woman finished speaking, and he nodded his head in approval.


    ¡°Yes, Disciple has firmly decided!¡± After Han Li calmly listened to Li Huayuan¡¯s wife¡¯s words, he replied with a deep tone.


    ¡°En, since you¡¯ve made up your mind, follow me to my library. Madame, please wait here. Han Li and I will return in a moment.¡± When Li Huayuan heard this, he said no more and stood up, bringing Han Li out and leaving the young woman to wait behind.


    The library room wasn¡¯t far away from the main hall and also wasn¡¯t very large. It was only a normal-looking short stone room. However, the stone room had a flaming barrier protecting it, denying entry to outsiders.


    Li Huayuan stood in front of the barrier. Without care, he extended his finger toward the surface of the barrier and casually swiped, causing the barrier to immediately open a three-meter gap, just enough for two people to enter through.


    He then easily pushed open the stone door and led Han Li in.


    After Han Li entered, his eyes greatly widened. Inside the room, all sorts of jade slips, book pages, boxes, and collections were suspended in midair, displaying strange lights of all colors. There were more than sixty items; they were Li Huayuan¡¯s collection of cultivation techniques that he had gathered over several hundred years.


    ¡°All the items here are under my restrictions. If someone aside from me or my wife personally reaches within, the formation spell within the stone room will immediately activate, and they will be completely trapped inside.¡± Li Huayuan explained to Han Li with satisfaction. However, Han Li heard the trace of warning within those words, so he repeatedly nodded his head, expressing his understanding.

 Chapter 240

    Pages of a Book .


    Chapter 240: Pages of a Book


    Seeing that Han Li was quite discreet, Li Huayuan revealed an expression of satisfaction. Then, he reached his hand out in midair and gently grabbed at something; instantly, a red streak of cloud flew out from his hand, wrapped around a jade slip, and brought it back to his hand.


    Li Huayuan didn¡¯t even glance at it and directly handed it to Han Li; then, he used the same method to grab seven or eight items in a row before halting. At this time, Han Li was already holding a huge pile of items, too many for his eyes to take in.


    ¡°These cultivation techniques can all progress one¡¯s magic power quickly, and they are also easy to cultivate; pick one to use as your main cultivation technique. You have to put the other ones back in their original position. When you have finished picking one out, come tell me!¡± Li Huayuan said to Han Li indifferently. Then, he sat down cross-legged on a prayer mat in the stone room.


    Han Li felt that his eyes were seeing stars; although there weren¡¯t many cultivation techniques, they all had their own unique attributes.


    For example, one of them, the ¡°Essence Gathering Technique¡±, apart from having a decent speed in increasing one¡¯s magic power, also had the ¡°Essence Gathering Spirit Armor¡±, an incredibly practical minor divine ability. When facing an enemy, in addition to the protection of a defensive magic technique, one could condense one¡¯s magic power into spirit armor as an additional layer of protection. It could serve as a life-saving technique, and the spirit armor¡¯s defense could also slowly increase as one progressed in the Essence Gathering Technique.


    Another jade slip recorded the just-as-impressive ¡°Mirage Spirit Art¡±, which also included the ¡°Mirage Shadow¡± ability. One could produce an avatar exactly like oneself at any time to confuse enemies. The higher one¡¯s cultivating layer was, the more avatars one could produce, which would confuse enemies even more.


    Apart from these two kinds of cultivation techniques, the other cultivation techniques included small abilities that were extremely suited for escaping despite not being too powerful. It seemed as if the creators of these cultivation techniques were also very clear that these cultivation techniques would not allow individuals to fight fiercely against others; instead, it was more important to flee with one¡¯s small life.


    However, after Han Li had browsed through all of them once, a golden page inside a jade box jolted Han Li awake.


    That was because this page¡¯s script and size were too familiar. Han Li confirmed that it was identical to the silver page that he himself possessed! The only difference was that this page seemed to be thinner, and its surface did not have those strange patterns; instead, it was covered with densely packed ancient writings. But when he took a closer look, the technique that was recorded was a common magic technique, the ¡°Essence Concentration Technique¡±. Its ability was also an extremely average support technique called the ¡°Spirit Gathering Technique¡± and could only increase the speed at which Spiritual Qi was gathered.


    (TL: The silver page first appeared in Chapter 213 )


    Han Li studied the golden page numerous times, but doing so only increased the uncertainty in his heart. However, he also knew that even though he had a strong urge to pull out the silver page in his storage pouch and compare the two of them, now was not the time to solve this mystery.


    Regardless, he had to make a decision now, otherwise he would arouse his master¡¯s suspicions.


    With this in mind, Han Li hefted this golden page in his hand and made his decision.


    As such, he opened his mouth and said to Li Huayuan, who was resting with his eyes closed:


    ¡°Master, I have made a decision. I choose this cultivation technique!¡±


    When Li Huayuan heard this, he opened his eyes. Seeing the golden page in his hand, he was slightly startled, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He simply nodded his head and brought him out of the stone room.


    The young woman had been waiting for the master-disciple pair. When she saw them return, she smiled warmly before asking:


    ¡°How is it, did you make a decision?¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Madame¡¯s concern. This disciple has already made a selection!¡± Han Li respectfully answered.


    ¡°Then I can be at peace!¡± Hearing this, the young woman smiled happily again. It was as if she cared even more about this matter than Han Li did, which surprised him.


    ¡°Alright, since you have been repaid for saving my wife, let us talk about the matter of officially accepting you under my guidance! Are you genuinely willing to enter my tutelage and officially become my disciple?¡± Li Huayuan suddenly asked, his expression thickening.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, and he hurriedly stepped forth, knelt, and said:


    ¡°Disciple Han Li¡¯s heart is genuine; I do not dare to have even a trace of pretense.¡±


    Although Han Li spoke in this way, in actuality he began to mutter in his heart:


    ¡°If you genuinely take care of me, I will naturally be a hundred percent sincere and willingly be your disciple until the very end. However, if you have any bad intentions, I will not be so silly as to be manipulated by you!¡±


    Li Huayuan naturally did not know the thoughts in Han Li¡¯s heart. Otherwise, he would have exterminated Han Li with one hand a long time ago.


    ¡°Right, us cultivators are simple people; from today onwards, you are Li Huayuan¡¯s official disciple. I hope that you¡¯ll diligently cultivate in the future so that my reputation doesn¡¯t wane.¡± Li Huayuan lightly smiled with a warm expression.


    Han Li and Li Huayuan fulfilled the roles of a filial disciple and a compassionate master for a while, but soon after receiving Li Huayuan¡¯s instructions, Han Li bid farewell and left.


    As he was leaving the cave, he happened to run into that Eldest Martial Brother Yu. In the end, this individual insisted on sending his Junior Martial Brother out. However, how could Han Li, who had just yesterday experienced firsthand the devilish, unceasing chattering, inflict such pain upon himself? He declined profusely on the spot; in the end, the other person left with a regretful expression, and Han Li was able to escape the entanglement.


    As Han Li stood upon the small boat, he couldn¡¯t help but think about all that had happened in the past two days.


    His impression of his master, Li Huayuan, was much better than it had been before, especially since his master¡¯s attitude sharply differed from the indifference he showed during the expedition to the forbidden area. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he had saved his master¡¯s wife or because he had successfully established his Foundation, but now he was finally being viewed with importance by this Core Formation cultivator.


    Regardless, Han Li finally felt that this trip had not been in vain; not only did he obtain a large backer in the cultivation world, he also obtained that golden page. Now, he could hope to reveal the secrets hidden in the silver page.


    Even if he had no way of unraveling its mysteries, Han Li did not mind; at the very last, he would cultivate the ¡°Essence Concentration Technique¡±. Although this cultivation technique didn¡¯t have any great effects, Han Li had other ways of protecting himself, so he did not worry about this matter.


    When he returned to his own cave, Han Li immediately went into his own room and hurriedly pulled out the gold and silver pages from his storage pouch, carefully comparing the two.


    The silver page was still the same as the last time he studied it; Han Li placed both the silver page and the gold page in front of his eyes and superimposed the two. As expected, they were identical in size. With one glance, one could tell that they were closely linked.


    Han Li took these two pages, one on the left and one on the right, weighing them individually in each hand. He judged that the silver page was slightly heavier. It seemed as if his speculation that the golden page was somewhat thinner was not incorrect; their thickness was truly different.


    Han Li tilted his head and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he took only the silver page and raised it to his eye, carefully scrutinizing the strange patterns on it and stroking it with his hand incessantly.


    At this time, his eyes twinkled indefinitely as if there was a very difficult problem ahead of him that he could not make a decision about.


    However, an unwavering expression still appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    He suddenly placed the page between his two hands, then he gently rubbed his hands together. Instantly, the silver page was enveloped in a fierce flame, casting a red glow onto Han Li¡¯s face. However, he did not care at all, instead staring at the page in the flames without blinking. At this time, the surface of the page was beginning to melt due to high temperatures,


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and then an expression of joy surfaced on his face because the silver page, now with its surface layer melted, actually revealed a golden light ¡ª sure enough, the page contained a secret.


    Seeing this situation, Han Li carefully controlled the flames, not allowing the golden layer to also be damaged. However, Han Li clearly was overly worried; the newly-revealed golden page seemingly didn¡¯t fear being roasted by the fierce flames and didn¡¯t warp at all.


    When a brand-new golden page was completely revealed, Han Li waved his hand, and the flames immediately disappeared. Then, he began to read the newly-obtained page, his heart beating like crazy.


    He only read the first few words before he froze, stunned. His expression instantly became extremely unsightly.


    That was because this page was actually a manual written to teach people how to control flying swords and was specifically geared towards those who cultivate sword arts; although it appeared to be extremely remarkable, it was something that Han Li simply did not need.


    It seemed as if that bare-footed man from the Giant Sword Sect had cultivated the page¡¯s contents. However, though these techniques may have been considered treasures to Qi Condensation disciples, to Han Li, who had reached the ¡®Great Success¡¯ stage of Foundation Establishment, they were only average and simply had no way of piquing his interest.


    Han Li was still unwilling to give up!


    He closely examined it one more time, even going so far as to use the fierce flames to burn it again, but he made no further discoveries.


    The more Han Li looked at this golden page, the more he felt resentful. He had busied himself with this for the greater half of the day!


    Having wasted so much time, he actually obtained such a useless item. How could he not feel extremely depressed? Han Li was especially provoked upon seeing the two words ¡°Sword Art¡± because he had already cultivated an Azure Essence Sword Art; could it be that he would have to cultivate yet another sword art?


    The gloomy-faced Han Li suddenly grabbed the page and threw it into midair. Immediately afterward, he used his right hand and pointed, shooting out an azure sword edge as wide as a bowl, directly hitting the page. Han Li decided to completely destroy this thing, lest he become angry just from looking at it.


    With a ¡°puchi¡±, the explosion that Han Li had expected did not appear; instead, the azure sword edge, like a clay ox entering the sea, landed on the page and instantly disappeared without a trace, as if it had been gobbled up.


    (TL: Clay ox entering the sea means disappearing with no hope of returning)


    ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± Han Li was very shocked, but immediately afterward his heart moved as his spirits were instantly aroused.

 Chapter 241

    Three Essence Revolutions Technique.


    Chapter 241: Three Essence Revolutions Technique


    He raised his hand and cast a ¡°Floating Technique¡± on the golden page that had fallen in his hand, causing it to float many feet in the air, acting as a target. He then began to use small bursts of Azure Essence sword edges to attack it bit by bit, eagerly gazing at the page which seemed to absorb all of the sword edges like a bottomless pit.


    While doing this, Han Li had also tried to shoot an ice arrow towards it to see if that magic spell could also be absorbed. In the end, one arrow caused the page to go flying, scaring Han Li into stopping this kind of risky behavior; he obediently continued to shoot sword edges into it.


    Han Li¡¯s Azure Essence sword tips of the fourth layer should have been pretty strong, but the true essence in his body was about to be completely exhausted, yet the page did not respond at all; this caused Han Li to silently complain!


    He truly did not know whether or not all his hard work would go to waste if he didn¡¯t satisfy this page¡¯s absorption of sword tips all in one go!


    Just as Han Li was conflicted about whether to proceed or stop, the page finally began to change, and the golden light on the page¡¯s surface exploded out. The page was no longer able to absorb the sword tips; instead, it began to reflect them, carving quite a few holes in the walls of the cave.


    Han Li repressed the excitement in his heart, and he watched the page¡¯s transformation without blinking at all.


    The light on the page slowly began to retreat and converged into words of light as large as ants. The page soon became densely dotted with golden light, like the stars in the sky, causing Han Li to feel great shock!


    Then, with a ¡°patter¡±, the floating spell suddenly lost its effectiveness, and the golden page fell straight to the ground. Han Li, still in shock, instinctively and immediately stretched out and grabbed the golden page.


    But just when Han Li¡¯s fingers made contact with this item, it was as if the words of light had found an outlet and rushed in through that hand, fiercely channeling themselves throughout his entire body.


    Han Li was greatly shocked, and the color drained from his face! He hurriedly wanted to toss aside the page, but the page forcibly stuck itself onto Han Li¡¯s hand as if it were alive. Han Li was unable to shake it off despite his best efforts.


    The transmission of the words of light was just too fast; in an instant, all of the words of light had crawled all over Han Li. Glistening words of light covered Han Li¡¯s body from head to toe, appearing incomparably strange.


    Han Li was helpless and scared witless!


    Suddenly, the words of light appeared to have received a command and flocked toward his head. The countless words seeped into his brain in an instant, but because of the sudden rush, Han Li immediately held his head while screaming in pain.


    If the current circumstances continued for even a bit longer, Han Li¡¯s brain would most likely violently burst. Fortunately, the pain only lasted a short moment before the words of light all finished entering his head. Han Li then weakly fell to the ground and was unable to move in the slightest.


    After no less than the quarter of an hour, Han Li regained some of his spirit and was finally barely able to stand. Although the pain inside his head had greatly alleviated, buzzing still lingered, and his nerves were stretched thin.


    Han Li hurriedly climbed into the stone bed, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing, allowing his mind to completely relax.


    Han Li meditated like that for three days and three nights. Not only did all feeling of discomfort disappear from his head,  but he also figured out the reason behind the overflow of words of light.


    ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡±! Furthermore, it was the complete magic art, all thirteen layers without any gaps or lost sections. It could even be cultivated all the way until the legendary Deity Transformation stage without question. These were the main details that were brought forth from the words of light.


    Just as Han Li started to receive this information, he was faintly shocked but his face didn¡¯t show a shred of happiness.


    This was because of the supplementary cultivation technique at the very end, the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡±. At first, this piqued Han Li¡¯s interest, so he looked through it as he wished.


    After browsing the first few passages, he blankly stared for a moment. He believed that he had misunderstood, but after he read through that part several more times, he was convinced that he was not mistaken, causing Han Li to enter a state of raging ecstasy.


    This ¡°Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡± actually possessed the miraculous, heaven-shaking effect of evading the Core Formation stage bottleneck! This information seemed like a voice from the Heavens, causing Han Li to believe that it was a dream.


    Ever since he entered the world of cultivation, nearly every cultivator had talked about the problems of Core Formation. Everyone had sighed and shook their heads! All have said that breaking through to Core Formation was basically reliant on one¡¯s luck. It was a matter completely decided by the Heavens! Naturally, those with excellent aptitude had already cultivated to the peak of Foundation Establishment and possessed the qualifications for Core Formation. In addition, those possessing heavenly spiritual roots naturally did not have any problems in this area.


    To be blunt, Han Li¡¯s confidence in achieving Core Formation was almost nil! With great difficulty, he spent all his life trying to find a way, so at this point, he was truly reluctant to give up! Thus, even as nonexistent as his chances were, his thirst for Core Formation and his will to fight for it only grew stronger!


    But now, a straight path to Core Formation appeared before him, allowing him to bypass the bottleneck. How could Han Li not be in ecstasy?


    But regardless of Han Li¡¯s excitement, this cultivation art couldn¡¯t be considered a shortcut. In fact, it was completely unverified.


    The expert who created this cultivation technique and the Azure Essence Sword Art had long since reached Core Formation when he created these techniques, which he based on an insane idea about Core Formation! He stated at the very end of the cultivation technique that even if one completely followed the cultivation technique and fulfilled all that was required, the odds of immediate formation of a core was only one half!


    However, this was enough for Han Li! Even if one were to say only one in ten instead of one in two odds, it would be enough for Han Li to pursue it without hesitation.


    But after Han Li¡¯s moment of ecstasy, he carefully analyzed the cultivation technique, and what he found decimated his hopes. Even if Han Li were a person with strong aspirations, he could not help but appear to have taken a direct blow, his face increasingly pale.


    Those cultivating the Three Essence Revolutions Technique obviously needed to first cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art since this technique was originally founded on its basis. Although the Azure Essence Sword Art was extraordinarily difficult to practice, that was not the most important point. What caused Han Li¡¯s face to become unsightly was due to the meaning behind the technique¡¯s name. The individual must first cultivate to the sixth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art then disperse their sword art cultivation, after which they must cultivate all over again.


    According to its founder, only like this would someone be able to use the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡±. By repeating cultivating his magic power, his true essence would able to further compress and have his magic power become several times more pure. After doing this three times in succession and cultivating back to the peak of Foundation Establishment, he would be able to form a core in his Dantian with ease.


    According to this expert¡¯s conjectures, a Gold Core was originally created by solidifying one¡¯s true essence and condensing it. If the true essence was already solidified, forming a core would naturally be effortless!


    Even if Han Li felt that what this expert said was reasonable, he was truly hesitant to foolishly disperse his own cultivation.


    This wasn¡¯t because Han Li was scared of the hardship of regaining his lost cultivation but rather because he wasn¡¯t confident that he would be able to cultivate three times within his lifespan.


    Even if he had the assistance of the small mysterious bottle, this was a matter of extreme risk! After all, according to the expert¡¯s plan, it would take longer and longer to cultivate as he would need to condense and compress his true essence more each time.


    The great benefits of doing this were, without a doubt, extremely great. It would allow him to have true essence and magic power several times greater than that of common cultivators, but at the same time, he would certainly be required to spend more time than common cultivators.


    With a trifling two hundred years of life, would he be able to do all of this? Han Li truly did not know!


    After a moment of indecision, Han Li looked toward the golden page that he received from Li Huayuan. Only after an inspection of what it contained would he be able to come to a decision.


    As a result, an equivalent sword stream entered the gold page and was rewarded with an equivalent headache. Han Li experienced it once more, accepting the contents of the other gold page.


    ¡°Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword¡± This was what entered in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Han Li became extremely interested and patiently arranged the words of light before pouring through it.


    It turned out that inside the gold page were actually instructions for how to refine a Core Formation flying sword magic treasure called ¡°Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword¡±. This wood attribute flying sword was actually quite similar to Han Li¡¯s ¡°Gold Beetle Swarm Blades¡± as it was refined as a set of magic treasures.


    At least twelve wood attribute flying swords were required to form a set. It was quite strange. Naturally, if he were able to collect enough materials and had enough true essence, he could theoretically refine thirty-six or even seventy-two as a set.

 Chapter 242

    Making Talismans.


    Chapter 242: Making Talismans


    Han Li carefully put away for the two golden book pages and planned his future actions meticulously.


    Since he wanted to cultivate the Three Essence Revolutions Technique, the small mysterious bottle¡¯s green liquid must be used to its full extent. Thus, he quickly gathered together the materials for the two ancient formulas. If it could be bought, it was bought; he let nothing slip away.


    With this said, apart from spiritual power, the green liquid also had other components, but they still remained a complete mystery to him. There was no way that Spiritual Qi by itself was able to miraculously mature plants.


    After entering Yellow Maple Valley, he had researched it several times. regardless of how diluted the spiritual liquid was, with just a tiny drop of green liquid mixed with water, all the animals that tasted it had similarly exploded. It wasn¡¯t a matter of how diluted the green liquid was but rather its unknown components running rampant.


    After receiving several similar results, Han Li was forced to begrudgingly give up.


    But using the mysterious small bottle to simply refine pills was a bit narrow! Han Li felt that using its wondrous effects to mature plants had many more uses; to use it just for pills seemed wasteful.


    After a moment of consideration, Han Li felt that with Foundation Establishment battles, apart from magic tools and cultivation techniques, mid-grade or higher talismans were an absolute necessity. However, these mid-grade talismans were extremely expensive! A single talisman often cost several tens of spirit stones. Han Li could only shake his head repeatedly!


    A good number of these mid or higher grade Five Elements talismans had truly great power. They could take the place of incisive Daoist magics, capable of saving one¡¯s life.


    If a magic technique¡¯s grade was too high, then even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to use it, it would require no small amount of magic power and time. As such, purchasing a few of these talismans was essential as a life-preserving last resort.


    Thus, Han Li decided to refine talismans, actual mid-grade talismans.


    Because refining talismans required blank talisman paper refined from spirit herbs of a certain maturity, Han Li wanted to bring out the bottle and make full use of its wondrous effects.


    Naturally, high-grade talismans couldn¡¯t be made with this method. Those required spirit hides of a few particular demonic beasts, and Han Li was currently not capable of acquiring such hides.


    As for the cinnabar used to refine talismans, there was no need to be picky since most of the supply was refined from the blood of a few spirit beast species, the majority being extracted from domesticated spirit beasts. It fundamentally wasn¡¯t worth much.


    One had to be somewhat selective with the talisman brushes used to make talismans. However, Han Li already had the Golden Sincerity Brush, which should suit his needs.


    When Han Li thought of the Golden Sincerity Brush, he naturally thought of that young, easily embarrassed Han Yunzhi and couldn¡¯t help but slightly smile. At this moment, she was probably at Spirit Beast Mountain!


    But in the blink of an eye, Han Li regained his focus and once again pondered about the feasibility and risks of refining talismans.


    He had the tools and an unending supply of materials. The fundamental problem of a talisman-refinement expert, having enough materials, was no problem for him. Currently, the only restriction he had was his cultivation of mid-grade and higher Daoist magics.


    Talisman-refinement experts must first be able to use a magic technique before refining it onto a talisman. Otherwise, there would be nothing to inscribe onto the talisman paper. After all, talismans were only a method of sealing a magic technique in advance.


    When he thought of having to cultivate mid-grade magic techniques, Han Li felt a pounding headache!


    He didn¡¯t know whether it had to do with his spiritual roots, but when he practiced Daoist magics of the Five Elements, he felt that his talent was extremely lacking. Even after spending several times more effort and time than other cultivators, he wouldn¡¯t make the slightest of gains and remained completely ignorant of the magic¡¯s essence!


    However, after he entered Foundation Establishment, he was able to easily learn those few elementary magic techniques. Furthermore, he was proficient enough to perform most of them in the blink of an eye. But for mid-grade magic techniques, it was the same as before. He could only look up to the sky and sigh!


    Han Li knew that if he arduously cultivated a few mid-grade magic techniques, he would most likely be able to seal and imprint a few talismans. He had no extravagant hopes of being able to refine all of the mid-grade magic techniques he wished.


    With a great amount of mid-grade talismans, not only would he have a great advantage in battle, but he could also sell them openly without arousing the suspicion of others.


    Thus, Han Li was freed from the plight of lacking spiritual stones. He currently didn¡¯t dare to conspicuously take out spiritual herbs to trade for spirit stones!


    Furthermore, Han Li had further thoughts. If his cultivation truly scattered and he had to cultivate back what he lost, during that time, he would unquestionably be at his weakest. If an enemy or someone with a grudge found him, how wouldn¡¯t he be in great danger!? After all, the world of cultivation wasn¡¯t some peaceful world; anything could happen.


    But if he had a lot of talismans on hand, he would be able to preserve a certain amount of strength. Even if he couldn¡¯t subdue an enemy with the assistance of talismans, he could most likely escape with them.


    Although learning how to refine talismans would surely interfere with the advancement of his magic power, regardless of how he saw it, it would only take up some of his time. The gains were greater than the losses!


    After Han Li tossed and turned several times in his chambers, he decided to simultaneously cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art and practice talisman-refinement. Having made his decision after much deliberation, Han Li immediately set into motion.


    During the next few days, he made two trips to his own sect¡¯s market city as well as the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city to look for seeds and sprouts of spiritual herbs used in talisman paper refinement.


    The materials written in the ancient pill formulas were naturally extremely rare and priceless materials. Fortunately, Han Li didn¡¯t have any problems with the maturity of these medicinal herbs and was fortunate enough to gather enough materials for the ¡°Qi Refining Powder¡±, causing him to be overjoyed.


    As for the materials for the talisman paper, because he was starting with low grade-talismans, they were easily required. Of course, a large amount of cinnabar was indispensable.


    After three or four days, Han Li created an opening in his great formation outside his Immortal¡¯s cave and entered it, closing it behind him. Then he entered secluded cultivation for his first time after reaching Foundation Establishment.


    ¡­¡­


    Time does not stop for cultivation. Four years passed in the blink of an eye.  Underneath the concealment of the formation spell, the cave¡¯s entrance had been tightly closed since that day and hadn¡¯t been opened since.


    Then one day, a blue streak of light suddenly flew from the distant horizon. After it circled several times around the great formation, it turned into a chuckling Confucian Scholar holding a blue wooden board in his hand.


    ¡°So this is young Junior Martial Brother¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave! Why did you pick such a remote place? Furthermore, the Spiritual Qi also isn¡¯t very abundant. If Martial Senior Lei hadn¡¯t given me a few directions, it would have truly been hard to find!¡± The Confucian Scholar muttered to himself with an expression of surprise.


    Soon after, the Confucian Scholar sized up the great formation outside the Immortal¡¯s cave, suddenly displaying a desire to test it out.


    ¡°Martial Senior Lei said this young Junior Martial Brother¡¯s great defensive formation was incomparably ferocious and that if a Core Formation Cultivator were to come, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to break through. This must truly be false. How could it possibly be so ferocious? Should I give it a try?¡±


    But after a bit of consideration, the Confucian Scholar dejectedly hung his head and said to himself, ¡°Forget about it. This will interfere with Master¡¯s plans!¡±


    With that said, he took out a sound transmission talisman and looked at Han Li¡¯s great formation. The sound transmission talisman suddenly turned into a streak of fiery light and silently entered the formation.


    Then the Confucian Scholar immediately threw the wooden board in his hand into the air and left, flying away on his flying magic tool.


    At this moment, in the secluded room with the spirit well spring, Han Li was meditating with his eyes closed.


    His appearance was actually exactly the same as four years ago, without the slightest of change. However, his body was enveloped in a layer of faint azure light that continuously flickered, appearing as if it were an exceptionally beautiful illusion.


    But if someone were to look at around, they would be beyond speechless. That was because there were talismans of all grades scattered around Han Li, from the elementary low-grade ¡°Fireball¡± and ¡°Ice Arrow¡± techniques to the elementary high-grade techniques ¡°Earth Wall¡± and ¡°Fire Cloud¡± and more. It seemed as if this were a large storehouse for talismans. In addition, there were a few empty boxes of cinnabar as well as stacks of blank talisman paper scattered about, appearing extremely messy.


    Not knowing how much time had passed, Han Li wrinkled his brow in response to something and opened his eyes.


    After a moment of thought, he suddenly stood and walked out of the seclusion chamber. As soon as he stood, all of the talismans and other items on the floor silently entered his storage pouch. His room instantly became spotless.


    As he walked out of the seclusion chamber, Han Li waved his hand, and a small yellow flag appeared in it. Then he threw it out, turning the small flag into a streak of yellow light that flew outwards.


    Before Han Li could finish walking to his bedroom, the small flag that had turned into a yellow light returned with a streak of fiery light in tow.


    When Han Li saw this, he calmly moved his hand and summoned the small flag into it. He opened his other hand and shot out azure light toward the fiery light before him.

 Chapter 243

    Medical Efficacy .


    Chapter 243: Medicinal Efficacy


    Han Li flicked his finger, and the streak of azure light flew into the flame; with a ¡°bang¡±, the flames shot up a few feet, and Li Huayuan¡¯s voice suddenly came out of it clearly.


    ¡°Immediately come to Green Ripple Cave! Your master has something to talk to you about!¡±


    After these words, that streak of flame light immediately exploded into a shower of sparks that filled the sky, dissipating without a trace.


    After Han Li heard the message, he rubbed his nose and entered his own room, his expression calm.


    Upon entering his room, Han Li pulled out a small wooden trunk from underneath the stone bed; the trunk contained ten or so different styles of storage pouches. Han Li pulled out the one that he was currently carrying, then dumped out the large pile that had been stored inside the trunk. Then, he divided them individually by type and quality, placing them into different locations.


    Next, Han Li shoved the trunk back into its original place, hesitated for a brief moment, then headed directly for the main entrance to the cave.


    ¡­¡­


    Standing on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li began to recall the circumstances of his cultivation and talisman manufacturing during these past four years, his expression somewhat heavy.


    When Han Li sealed his cave, he had set up a small, very well-hidden medicinal garden in his cave. Although it wasn¡¯t large, it was enough for him to nurture his medicinal herbs while cultivating. The benefits of doing it this way were that when he was behind closed doors, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the medicinal herbs he was ripening being discovered; there would be no need for him to leave his cave, and he could be completely self-sufficient.


    For this, he had purposefully opened countless small hidden holes in the rock wall near the medicinal garden to allow sunlight to enter, which the little bottle could use to absorb Spiritual Qi. Of course, the locations of these small holes were all definitely in the effective range of the great formation, so he didn¡¯t need to be concerned about others finding it.


    As for the large medicinal garden outside, Han Li naturally planned to use it as a protective decoy!


    With the small medicinal garden, Han Li could assuredly ripen his spiritual medicines while refining medicinal pills using Innate True Fire. Although True Fire was somewhat worse than Earth Fire, it was superior in its stability and safety; in addition, Han Li wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the number of times that he failed to refine them!


    The medicinal pills refined from the ancient recipes were, as expected, no small matter.


    After Han Li had refined the Qi Refining Powder and consumed it, he experienced afresh the kind of explosion of Spiritual Qi that he had felt when establishing his Foundation, causing him to immediately sit down in shock and begin to refine it, not daring to have the slightest amount of neglect.


    This shocking outcome naturally caused his magic power within the first year of closed-door cultivation to vigorously shoot up, far outstripping any of his expectations.


    Extravagantly ingesting medicine saved Han Li the time he would have spent on absorbing Spiritual Qi and allowed him to throw himself directly into refining it into magic power. His efficiency in increasing his magic power naturally multiplied many times.


    This caused Han Li to be unable to contain his joy! Recultivating the Azure Essence Sword Art three times suddenly became a very realizable prospect!


    Although the Azure Essence Sword Art truly did strangely cause a portion of one¡¯s magic power to dissipate every few days just like how he had been told, with one pouch of Qi Refining Powder every six or seven days, this defect could be completely overlooked.


    During this time, Han Li also ingested a Foundation Establishment Pill out of curiosity; in the end, its effect was minimal, so Han Li completely gave up on this train of thought.


    However, in the latter three years, a matter that greatly surprised Han Li occurred.


    Starting from the second year, the surge of Spiritual Qi when ingesting the Qi Refining Powder gradually decreased year after year until the fourth year, when the same thing that had happened to the Yellow Dragon Pellet and the Golden Essence Pill back then happened once again. The Qi Refining Powder lost all of its effectiveness! No matter how many pouches Han Li ingested, he could not feel any Spiritual Qi.


    Han Li¡¯s head hurt, and he also began to feel greatly distressed!


    That was because this was definitely not because the Qi Refining Powder was insufficient to keep up with his rate of growth. Based on this Qi Refining Powder¡¯s medicinal properties, using it all the way to the late stages of Foundation Establishment should not have posed any problems; after all, it was a pill based on the ancient formula! Even for Core Formation cultivators it might be quite useful.


    The circumstances were completely different than with the Yellow Dragon Pellet and Golden Essence Pill; those pills couldn¡¯t keep up with his cultivation layers, and he had anticipated their failures a long time ago.


    After musing over it hundreds of times, Han Li used the medical arts that he had learned before to draw a conclusion: perhaps he had used the overly powerful Qi Refining Powder too frequently, finally causing his body to generate a natural resistance to its medicinal properties. Thus, this kind of medicinal pill gradually lost its efficacy for him.


    Han Li was unable to determine the veracity of this conclusion. After all, in the cultivation world, no one else was able to extravagantly consume medicinal pills every few days! Naturally, he had no precedent to compare to, nor could he borrow someone else¡¯s experiences.


    However, Han Li still hoped that if he stopped using this medicinal pill for a certain period of time, the Qi Refining Powder would regain its effectiveness.


    Holding onto this kind of thinking, Han Li stopped using medicinal pills in the remaining year, switching over to conventional methods to cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art.


    However, having become accustomed to the speed of magic power increase when taking spiritual medicines, it was very difficult for him to endure the slow speeds of obediently cultivating using conventional methods. Even more so, using this method to cultivate, based on his natural talent, it would be a miracle if he could cultivate it once in his lifetime, let alone three times!


    After enduring a year of cultivating at the speed of a turtle, the results still brought Han Li great disappointment. Upon ingesting the Qi Refining Powder again, it still had no effect. It seemed as if this medicinal pill had completely lost its effectiveness; he could only search for other spiritual medicines.


    As a result, even if Li Huayuan had not used a sound transmission talisman to call him, Han Li had already decided to take a trip outside his cave.


    After all, he still possessed another ancient recipe for which he had not yet prepared raw ingredients for; only by refining this kind of spiritual pill could his magic power vigorously shoot up again. In addition, he planned on searching for a few more pill recipes; if the Spirit Gathering Pill also lost its effectiveness like the Qi Refining Powder, Han Li could only resort to taking another kind of pill every few years.


    As for refining talismans, the process went extremely smoothly.


    Every day, he would set aside the first half of a day, starting by practicing low-grade magic techniques that he could already perform, not treasuring the raw materials and crazily refining talismans nonstop. This kind of wasteful method, which other talisman-refinement masters could not even conceive of, caused Han Li¡¯s skill in talisman-refinement to rise continuously. Now, he could just barely refine elementary high-grade talismans, even though his success rates were still pitifully low!


    He had already decided that the next time he cultivated behind closed doors, he would begin to practice refining mid-tier magic spells and attempt to refine mid-grade talismans; these were his primary goals for talisman-refinement.


    In addition, while he was behind closed doors, Han Li also refined seven or eight Face Setting Pills in his free time apart from Qi Refining Pills and ingested one out of curiosity. If it could truly preserve his appearance, Han Li naturally would feel extremely happy; after all, nobody would wish for the day when one becomes white-haired, even if cultivators¡¯ fleshly bodies aged at an extremely slow pace.


    At this time, because his pill had lost its effectiveness, Han Li was incredibly depressed in flight; however, he was still somewhat curious about why his master Li Huayuan would suddenly want to see him. He couldn¡¯t help but guess reasons as to why after four years he would take the initiative to seek him out.


    In this way, Han Li arrived at the Green Ripple Cave, his mind preoccupied with many things. Only after sending a voice transmission did he realize that the one who opened the restrictions for him was no longer that Eldest Brother Yu, but rather a twenty year-old handsome male with red lips and white teeth.


    Before Han Li was even able to open his mouth, this youth first said to him indifferently:


    ¡°It¡¯s Junior Brother Han, right? I am  Wu Xuan, Master¡¯s sixth disciple. Master wanted me to wait here for you for a while; come with me!¡±


    After  Wu Xuan said this, he didn¡¯t even glance at Han Li once and turned around, then left. This caused Han Li to rub his face, baffled.


    ¡°My face isn¡¯t that unpleasant, is it?!¡±


    Han Li could only somewhat helplessly and unhappily follow closely after him. Naturally, there were no words spoken between them, and they directly arrived at the guest lobby just like that. Three people were sitting on the chairs in the lobby, and two people stood beside them.


    The people sitting were Li Huayuan, his wife, and a red-clad woman around thirty years old. Although her appearance was decent and she still possessed some charm, her face was icy cold, faintly revealing a killing intent rarely possessed by cultivators.


    At this time, Li Huayuan was seemingly saying something to the woman; based on his expression and words, he seemed to respect this woman very much.


    As for the two people standing to the side, one was the Fourth Senior Martial Brother Song Meng that he had met before; the other was an eighteen or nineteen year-old young woman, who was also fully clothed in red. Her face could be considered pretty, but she wore a flirty expression, and it seemed from her appearance that she was very closely related to the red-clothed woman.


    ¡°Han Li, come over and meet your Martial Senior Hong Fu!¡±


    Li Huayuan, upon seeing Han Li walk in, immediately called him over with a happy tone. Then Wu Xuan silently walked over to Song Meng¡¯s side, standing with his hands clasped together.


    ¡°Martial Senior Hong Fu!¡± Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what was going on, he naturally would not lack respect when it was necessary.


    The red-clothed woman, upon hearing Han Li¡¯s greeting, did not immediately indicate anything; instead, she closely inspected Han Li from head to toe.


    After a long while, her face finally revealed a trace of a slight smile, and she said with a somewhat harsh voice:


    ¡°En, very good!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! It seems like Martial Senior Hong Fu is very satisfied! Although this disciple of mine only has an average appearance, he is genuinely a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he¡¯s also very lovable and clever, having won my heart!¡± Seeing the red-clothed woman¡¯s satisfied expression, Li Huayuan instantly broke out into a smile and began to heap praises upon Han Li.


    Han Li felt as if he had been drenched in cold water, not knowing the reason why!

 Chapter 244

    Pair Cultivation


    ¡°Satisfied¡­what does he meaning, satisfied?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he did not know why he felt uneasy. All he knew was that when he heard Li Huayuan incessantly praise him again, he had an even worse premonition!


    Furthermore, he already discovered that ever since he entered the room, that young woman had shot several stealthy glances at him with an expression of complete discontent. In addition, when this Martial Senior Hong Fu said that he was very good, his figure slightly shook and he hastily lowered his head.


    Meanwhile, a gaze filled with hostility swept toward Han Li, frightening him for a moment. He couldn¡¯t help but return the gaze. It was actually Seventh Senior Martial Brother Wu Xuan who had previously introduced him.


    When Wu Xuan saw Han Li respond to his gaze, his face contorted with surprise. He immediately shifted his gaze with a guilty appearance.


    When Han Li saw this, he was filled with suspicion! However, his expression maintained his usual patient and calm expression. Seeing him instinctively maintain his calm, the red-clothed woman inwardly continued to nod her head!


    ¡°It will be this child. I feel like he is very suitable. I will first return with Xuan Er and will calmly wait for good news from Martial Disciple!¡± the red-clothed woman suddenly said as she nodded her head.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister, be at ease. I will surely make the proper arrangements.¡±


    Li Huayuan saw that the woman wanted to leave, so he hastily consented and saw them both out. As Han Li regained his senses, Martial Senior Hong Fu had already left with that young woman.


    When Li Huayuan and his wife brought Han Li and the others to the main hall, they were beaming with happiness, both smiling without saying a word.


    The two returned to their seats and sized up Han Li without end. It was unknown what intention they had.


    ¡°Han Li, as your Master, I must first congratulate you!¡± Li Huayuan happily looked at Han Li for a moment before suddenly saying such senseless words. This caused Han Li¡¯s heart to beat harder and be even more uneasy.


    ¡°Disciple truly doesn¡¯t know what to be happy about. Master, please enlighten me!¡± Han Li respectfully said with a dark foreboding dwelling in his heart.


    ¡°Xixi! This is an extraordinary matter. When your Martial Senior Hong Fu saw you, she was interested in having you and that disciple of hers to form a bond as pair cultivation companions!¡± The young woman did not wait for Li Huayuan to reply and was the first to unravel the riddle, causing Han Li to become dumbstruck.


    ¡°Become pair cultivation companions?¡± Han Li muttered and became despondent. This was far too surprising!


    ¡°What is this? This is a fine thing that others dream of having but can¡¯t obtain! You should know that female cultivation disciples are originally few in number. Those capable of cultivating to Foundation Establishment are pathetically fewer. Also, pair cultivation a mutually beneficial method to enormously advance the cultivation of both sides. Others will not be able to find such a boon even with a lantern!¡± Li Huayuan said with a happy expression.


    With what he said, to be able to form a relationship with Martial Ancestor Hong Fu who possessed profound magic power was greatly advantageous. Who didn¡¯t know that this Female Immortal Hong Fu stood near the top of ratings in the State of Yue for Core Formation Cultivators! In Yellow Maple Valley, her magic power was only second to the great ancestor.


    After thinking about the benefits of forming a close relationship between disciples, Li Huayuan had a dignified, old-fashioned bearing and chuckled continuously.


    ¡°This disciple had never thought of pair cultivation before. This is truly unexpected! Moreover, there are so many male cultivators with appearances and aptitudes far greater than this disciple; how could she come to find me?¡± With his wits returned, Han Li could only bravely reply to his question. However, this caused him to remain greatly perplexed.


    ¡°Hehe! This is disciple¡¯s good luck! Your Martial Ancestor Hong Fu previously had an emotional wound when she was young and came to completely loathe frivolous, handsome men. Thus, she came to select a companion for her disciple. Naturally, males she finds unpleasant to the eye were beneath her consideration. As such, finding a disciple with a similar age and looks that do not disgust her could not be found with the several hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples inside Yellow Maple Valley. Your Martial Senior Hong Fu has visited several Immortal¡¯s caves similar to your master¡¯s, and you were the first one she saw that she was completely satisfied with,¡± Li Huayuan said with satisfaction.


    ¡°As for aptitude, your Martial Senior isn¡¯t particularly picky. The disciple of your Martial Senior, that young woman who stood at her side today, although her aptitude isn¡¯t nearly as ridiculous as your own, she is also mediocre and isn¡¯t exceptional in any way. I heard that she had to take three Foundation Establishment Pills and many precious medicines in order to barely reach Foundation Establishment.  If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was a close descendant of your Martial Ancestor, there absolutely wouldn¡¯t be much reason to spend such a large amount attention on that girl, but because of their relationship, the girl received much favor!¡± Li Huayuan explained to Han Li.


    He then nodded for a moment and sighed, continuing, ¡°Actually in the start, I hadn¡¯t thought to recommend you but instead call forth your Seventh Senior Martial Brother. After all, whether it¡¯s appearance or aptitude, your Senior Martial Brother Wu Xuan exceeds you by no small amount! Although I knew that your Martial Senior Hong Fu has some prejudice against handsome men, I held a slight hope to try for a fluke. You should know what resulted. Your Senior Martial Brother Wu was unable to pass by your Martial Senior and was denied, though I did see that Dong girl greatly approve.¡±


    After Li Huayuan said this, he looked at Wu Xuan, causing his face to become very red and be at a complete loss.


    Han Li suddenly realized why his Senior Martial Brother was hostile and cold towards him; it was because he had been eliminated as a candidate. It seemed he and the young woman had taken a liking to each other! However, Li Huayuan words ¡°Dong girl¡± caused Han Li to recall of the matter of ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± whom he had previously killed.


    (TL: The Dong girl and Martial Senior Hong Fu were first mentioned in Chapter 166 by Senior Martial Brother Wu, who wanted to rape Junior Martial Sister Chen)


    On the night of ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± brutal display, he seemed to have mentioned the name of that Dong girl and Martial Ancestor Hong Fu. Could it be that this girl had been on good terms with that wretched ingrate?


    With that thought, Han Li felt uncomfortable from head to toe. His impression of Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s disciple immediately dropped down without the slightest good opinion towards her. After he heard Li Huayuan¡¯s analysis, he felt that he had to thoroughly extinguishing this matter.


    In truth, Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly opposed to pair cultivation, let alone if the other party was a disciple of a Core Formation cultivator. Becoming a Dao companion with such a figure would bring endless benefits. He didn¡¯t immediately agree with apprehension as the secrets he held were too many. He truly couldn¡¯t allow for anyone to stick close to him.


    As of current, Han Li couldn¡¯t agree to such an absurd matter. He had no interest in picking up a girlfriend! Furthermore, that Dong girl should have a favorable impression toward young confident and handsome men. She simply wouldn¡¯t fancy him.


    With this thought, Han Li hesitated for a moment and said somewhat unnaturally, ¡°Disciple feels that this is somewhat inappropriate. On one hand, this is somewhat too unexpected. Disciple hadn¡¯t prepared himself in the slightest! On the other hand, Disciple saw that Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s disciple wasn¡¯t satisfied toward this disciple. Although Senior Hong Fu may be strongly pressuring her, creating a good chance for Disciple, in the end a strongly wrung melon isn¡¯t sweet! Master, please look for another disciple and give him a try. Perhaps there would be a more appropriate candidate than this disciple!¡±


    When those words left Han Li¡¯s mouth, the intent of rejection in those words was undoubtable, slightly surprising Li Huayuan and his wife.


    The young woman seemed to have thought of something but didn¡¯t speak. His master wrinkled his brow and seemed somewhat irritated.


    ¡°You hear this out. Your master has already patted his chest, agreeing to this matter with your Martial Senior Hong Fu. How could I go back on it? Even if there were more appropriate candidates, your master would not go back on his word. As for your worries that the girl isn¡¯t willing, that is a matter not worth fussing about! Of us cultivators, how many Dao companions are there that immediately have affinity for one another? Even if they spent a long time with each other, they naturally wouldn¡¯t all be completely harmonious!¡± Li Huayuan had a somewhat strict tone. His words faintly carried a trace of rebuke.


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly complained without end, but when he immediately searched for an excuse, he was unable to find one! But at this moment, the young woman suddenly said a few words that startled Li Huayuan, finally breaking the siege on Han Li.


    ¡°Han Li, you and that Dong girl entered the sect around the same time, and your time to enter Foundation Establishment wasn¡¯t too far from her¡¯s as well. During this time, have you heard the rumors flowing around?¡±


    ¡°Rumors?¡± The young woman¡¯s words stunned Li Huayuan. He couldn¡¯t help but ask this with surprise. When he saw Han Li¡¯s silent tacit agreement, he felt even more surprised.


    ¡°This was something that several close friends and I chatted about a few times. I heard a few bits of rumors, but they most certainly couldn¡¯t be true!¡± The young woman faintly bit her lips, as if she were embarrassed to have said this.


    ¡°You two, leave for a bit. Han Li by himself will be enough!¡± When Li Huayuan saw his wife act as such, he muttered to himself for a moment. Then he waved his hand, gesturing for Song Meng and Wu Xuan to leave the guest room. Han Li was now the only disciple inside.


    Song Meng was indifferent. When he heard the order, he saluted and asked to be excused. Although that Wu Xuan didn¡¯t dare to disobey his master and closely followed behind Song Meng, there was a trace of unwillingness on his face. He looked at Han Li with a rather peculiar gaze. After Han Li noticed this, he sunk into deep thought.

 Chapter 245

    A Long Journey and Mishaps


    ¡°Now there are no outsiders here anymore; why doesn¡¯t Madame speak the truth! That way, I can determine what appropriate action to take, lest there be anything that I didn¡¯t consider appropriately,¡± Li Huayuan said, his expression respectful.


    When the young wife heard this, she glanced at Han Li, who was scratching his head and smiling bitterly, then finally opened her mouth and said:


    ¡°In the past two years, I unintentionally heard a few pieces of information concerning this matter, but whether they¡¯re true or not, I don¡¯t know. From hearsay, this Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s female disciple is not restrained at all in the matters between males and females; when she was in the Qi Condensation stage, she had unclear relationships with numerous males. People have even privately fought for her, almost leading to disciples from the same sect killing each other. In the end, Martial Senior Hong Fu flew into a rage when she found out, grounding her to the confines of her cave and increasing supervision until she established her Foundation, at which point she was released again. But not too long after, word spread that she had gotten into a relationship with the young master of the Feng Clan and seemingly intended to cultivate as a pair with him. However, Martial Senior Hong Fu hates people from the Feng Clan the most, so she naturally would not agree to this matter and locked her up again. In the past two years, no such news has spread. Because there was no solid evidence to support these claims, I never paid any attention to them. Thus, when Martial Senior Hong Fu took her disciple along to visit, I didn¡¯t think about this matter. Now, seeing Han Li¡¯s extremely unhappy appearance, I felt that it was somewhat strange and suddenly remembered the rumors.¡±


    The young woman¡¯s somewhat apologetic remarks caused both Han Li and Li Huayuan to become slightly dazed upon hearing them.


    Li Huayuan had never expected that the young woman surnamed Dong would actually have such a sloppy reputation, yet he had so hastily agreed to Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s requests; how could this be a good thing! Likewise, Han Li naturally did not expect that this young woman not only had an unclear relationship with Senior Martial Brother Lu, but she actually had such a long string of lovers that! Even Han Li did not know how extensive it was. This rendered him to speechless once again.


    ¡°Wife, are you speaking the truth? Is Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s disciple¡¯s reputation really so poor?¡± Li Huayuan asked in disbelief. He could restrain himself no longer and stood up, then began to pace anxiously around the room continuously.


    This was no longer simply a question of whether or not Han Li was willing to pair cultivate anymore. If he really allowed his own disciple to accept such a woman, his own reputation would definitely not improve.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Because this matter was somewhat carelessly mentioned by someone else, perhaps even the person who told me this doesn¡¯t know whether it¡¯s true or not!¡± The young woman sighed helplessly.


    Upon hearing these words, Han Li rolled his eyes and cried out loudly in his heart: ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know if it¡¯s real or not? At least this little girl definitely had an unclear relationship with ¡®Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯, otherwise how could he so easily try to kill his former female companion?¡±


    Of course, Han Li wouldn¡¯t say these words out loud; instead, he stood awkwardly in the same spot, acting as if he were saying ¡°as long as you know about this matter, I¡¯ll be okay, Madame¡±. This caused Li Huayuan to immediately feel a headache coming on upon seeing him.


    Now that he knew about what had happened, Li Huayuan naturally would not force Han Li to agree to this matter; even he had intentions of reneging. However, this Martial Senior Hong Fu was not a person to carelessly slander. In addition, his reason for reneging was not appropriate to talk about plainly. How could he not feel incredibly vexed?


    After Li Huayuan paced around the room a number of times, he still couldn¡¯t think of any strategies. After his eyes slanted, he discovered that Han Li was still standing to the side, eagerly awaiting for his reply as his master; he couldn¡¯t help but feel even more dispirited in his heart and said with no happiness:


    ¡°You can return first; when your master¡¯s wife and I have discussed this matter, we will let you know how we are going to deal with this matter, alright?¡±


    Anxiously standing to the side, Han Li was also worried that the other person wouldn¡¯t care about the facts of the situation, forcing him to agree to this matter of pair cultivation. But now, upon hearing Li Huayuan¡¯s instructions, his heart relaxed, knowing that this matter would most likely not go through.


    Thus, he agreed extremely happily and slipped out.


    Then, Han Li hurriedly flew away from the cave under the watchful gazes of Song Meng and  Wu Xuan, who were standing guard outside the large lobby.


    Han Li finally received Li Huayuan¡¯s voice transmission talisman after three uneasy days. In the end, upon hearing the results of the negotiations between his master and Martial Senior Hong Fu, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look up at the sky and let out a huge sigh!


    ¡­¡­


    Half a month later, in front of Green Ripple Cave¡¯s waterfall, Li Huayuan and his wife, as well as Female Immortal Hong Fu, were all there to send two people off. These two people were about to undertake a long journey but wore somewhat stiff expressions, only submissively answering incessantly. They did not possess any of the excitement that people who were about to take a long journey would normally have.


    This male and female pair was Han Li and Female Immortal Hong Fu¡¯s disciple Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    ¡°Han Li, on this trip you two must be careful and help each other out! I heard that the cultivation world hasn¡¯t been so peaceful lately, and cultivators will often disappear. At first, it was just Qi Condensation disciples, but recently even Foundation Establishment cultivators have been involved in accidents!¡± Although Li Huayuan had only exhorted Han Li simply with a few sentences before the two of them left, Han Li still felt quite moved in his heart.


    However, Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s words to the young woman were a big eye-opener to Han Li.


    ¡°During this entire trip, you have to listen to your Senior Martial Brother Han¡¯s words and behave yourself. If anything happens this time, don¡¯t blame me on not speaking my feelings as your master.¡± Martial Senior Hong Fu¡¯s extremely blunt words caused the young woman¡¯s face to turn deathly pale, and she repeatedly nodded her head, wearing an extremely pitiful appearance.


    Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er both flew into the air on their magic tools, then flew towards the south, disappearing along the horizon.


    As Li Huayuan watched the dots of light from these two people slowly disappear, he suddenly and somewhat anxiously said to Female Immortal Hong Fu:


    ¡°Does Martial Senior really have the faith to allow those two people represent you and me at the Yan Clan¡¯s Treasure Seizing Assembly? You surely know that those two have only just established their Foundations not too long ago. They don¡¯t even stand a chance!¡±


    ¡°What, does Martial Junior Li fear that not sending competent disciples will damage your reputation, or are you regretful about the ¡°Yin Yang Tower¡± treasure talisman that the Yan Clan is taking out this time?¡± Female Immortal Hong Fu rebuked, glancing sideways at Li Huayuan; this caused him to laugh bitterly.


    ¡°Of course my husband does not have this intention. But I wonder, why didn¡¯t Martial Senior Hong Fu send out her strongest disciples? Han Li and young lady Dong, when compared to those true Foundation Establishment experts, definitely won¡¯t withstand even a single blow. Does Martial Senior want to use this opportunity to pair the two together?¡± the young woman gently explained for Li Huayuan after gently laughing once.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Li, your wife really is a good wife! It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have this kind of intention. Of course it would be best if she could develop a relationship with your disciple along the way! However, this was not my original intention; my main purpose is still for Xuan¡¯er to experience some setbacks during this trip to the Yan Clan and kill off some of her arrogance. I heard that the Yan Clan has a young woman with heavenly spiritual roots who will also be attending this Treasure Seizing Assembly. In this way, Xuan¡¯er will be able to realize the difference between her and true geniuses instead of believing that she is extraordinary among female Foundation Establishment cultivators and not knowing how things really stand.¡±


    ¡°Because she was the only descendant of my deceased elder brother, I¡¯ve pampered her too much! She actually dared to do such indecent things, creating such scandals by mixing with a few male disciples? She completely corrupted her clean reputation as a woman! If I hadn¡¯t examined her body many times to ensure that she had preserved her virginity, I would¡¯ve exterminated her with one palm, lest others think that our Dong Clan produced such a dishonest woman.¡±


    The red-clothed woman said these things coldly, but at the very end it seemed as if her words were referring to something. This caused Li Huayuan and his wife to glance at each other, having understood the meaning in her words, their faces revealing awkward expressions!


    One day, Li Huayuan and his wife had gathered up their courage to stammeringly bring up the matter of reneging on the arrangement with this Martial Senior Hong Fu. In the end¡ªgreatly outside of his expectations¡ªthis Martial Senior of his, whose temper was normally not too good, actually let out a soft sigh and agreed. This caused the two of them to become extremely happy!


    However, Hong Fu still raised one condition, which was that Han Li would accompany Dong Xuan¡¯er on a trip outside to attend the upcoming ¡°Treasure Seizing Assembly¡± hosted by the Yan Clan.


    The State of Yue¡¯s number one clan, the Yan Clan, had invited disciples of Core Formation experts from the few neighboring states to gather together in their ¡°Treasure Seizing Assembly¡±, most likely to improve relations with all the Core Formation cultivators and benefit the Yan Clan¡¯s future expansion. They had even taken out the legendary ¡°Yin Yang Tower¡± treasure talisman this time to serve as the number one prize; of course, there were also a substantial amount of other unique treasures, magic tools, and spiritual medicines.


    Thus, many Core Formation cultivators who received the invitation all sent out their strongest disciples to attend this great assembly. After all, that ¡°Yin Yang Tower¡± treasure talisman was something that even Core Formation cultivators greatly coveted!


    Of course, because of distance constraints, the chance that Core Formation cultivators outside of the State of Yue would send people to participate was not too high. Instead, it was still cultivators from the state that made up the majority of the participants.


    When Li Huayuan heard the other person¡¯s conditions, he initially felt that to allow Han Li to participate with his weak cultivation base in this year¡¯s great assembly was truly too big of a waste!


    However, upon considering it once more, he realized that his two strongest disciples were out taking care of business and would not be able to rush to this year¡¯s great assembly. If he were to send other disciples, they definitely wouldn¡¯t stand a chance at taking first place. Even if they were to reach other rankings and received a few magic tools or the like, he looked upon them with disdain! Thus, he agreed.


    Li Huayuan and his wife originally believed that this matter was over, and so they had wanted to say their goodbyes and then leave. But who know that Female Immortal Hong Fu suddenly wanted his wife to stay for a while, saying that there were a few matters that she wanted to discuss with her alone? Having said this, she only chased out Li Huayuan, who had a stomach full of doubt.


    In the end, half a day later, the young master¡¯s wife, upon returning from Hong Fu¡¯s cave, told Li Huayuan something that left him dumbstruck.

 Chapter 246

    Dong Xuan¡¯er


    This Martial Aunt Hong Fu brought the young woman to the back room and had her examine the flawless arm of the deeply blushing Dong Xuan¡¯er. The gecko cinnabar on it revealed that her chastity was shown to actually be intact. This caused Han Li¡¯s Master¡¯s Wife to be greatly shocked!


    (TL: Gecko cinnabar supposedly tells if you¡¯re a virgin.)


    From the appearance of her flirtatious behavior, how could this Dong Xuan¡¯er possibility not have had intercourse! On the day that the couple tried to renege on the matter of pair cultivation, they had pretended to not know of the rumors and remained ambiguous.


    However, they completely didn¡¯t expect that the girl¡¯s reputation had long been common knowledge. This very matter was what drove the couple to renege on their agreement for the sake of their reputation.


    While the young woman was astonished, Hong Fu explained to her. Because her disciple desired the wondrous effect of preserving her appearance, she had first cultivated the top-grade magic technique she had on hand, the ¡°Spring Transformation Art¡±, which altered the bearing of her appearance though cultivation. A few cultivators with women essence identification techniques had seen Dong Xuan¡¯er and assumed she had already lost her virginity, giving birth to many unflattering rumors.


    (TL: the Spring ´º in Spring Transformation Art can also mean joy, lust, and youth)


    It was without a doubt that this disciple truly did not care much for her own reputation and actually had a rather familiar relationship with many male cultivators. However, because of the seductive effect of the Spring Transformation Arts along with her extraordinary status, to have no illicit affairs with any of the male cultivators who were circling around her was a truly remarkable and unexpected matter.


    However, the male cultivators who stayed by her side grew more numerous as Dong Xuan¡¯er gradually formed a habit of shooting flirty looks at young men, immediately planting the strange notion that she wanted them to get underneath her skirt. This even went far enough as to cause discord between a few men, all rivals for her affection!


    Fortunately, as a prerequisite for Hong Fu allowing this girl to cultivating the Spring Transformation Art, she was not allowed to throw away her chastity. If she didn¡¯t find any trace of the gecko cinnabar, Master Hong Fu would have immediately dispersed her magic power and would have forced her to live on as a mortal. This was to prevent Dong Xuan¡¯er, who had bewitchment techniques from cultivating the Spring Transformation Art, from ruining the principles of the Dong Clan.


    Underneath very restrictive conditions, although Dong Xuan¡¯er had often sent flirting glances at these young men, she hadn¡¯t dared to step too far out of line!


    However, these small antics slowly reached Hong Fu¡¯s ears and caused this female Core Formation cultivator to become furious. She firmly punished Dong Xuan¡¯er and immediately confined her in a restrictive formation for a period of time.


    But it was already too late, and Dong Xuan¡¯er terrible reputation had already spread throughout Yellow Maple Valley. This rumor had quickly spread and was fundamentally impossible to stifle. Even the Core Formation cultivator Hong Fu was unable to do anything about this!


    Currently, even if those cultivators who knew of her reputation found out that Dong Xuan¡¯er had truly remained chaste, they wouldn¡¯t dare to become pair cultivation companions for the sake of preserving their own reputation.


    However, she had reached a stage of cultivation for Spring Transformation where she was required to pair cultivate in order to progress her magic power, else it would regress.


    As for those cultivators who still sought Dong Xuan¡¯er, Hong Fu did not find any that satisfied her, finding faults in their moral character and lewd attempts. But eventually she made a trip to Li Huayuan¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave and chose Han Li.


    Having heard all of this, the young woman wore a very embarrassed expression and returned to Li Huayuan¡¯s side. After she told her husband, they both remained silent for a good amount of time.


    =Although the couple had truly mistaken Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s purity, it was as Hong Fu had said. Even if she had remained truly chaste, her reputation was truly spoiled, preventing Li Huayuan from willingly allowing his own disciple from being pair cultivation companions with her since the damage to his own reputation would be far too great. Thus he could only feel guilt toward this Martial Aunt Hong Fu.


    In order to make up for his guilt toward Hong Fu, Li Huayuan naturally didn¡¯t obstruct Han Li¡¯s trip to the Treasure Seizing Assembly in the slightest. Instead, he spared no effort to facilitate this long trip for Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    In Li Huayuan¡¯s mind, with regards toward Han Li¡¯s terrible impression toward Dong Xuan¡¯er, this long trip would change nothing. In truth, ever since his seventh disciple  Wu Xuan had first seen Dong Xuan¡¯er, that girl had constantly remained in his mind. Several days before, he had actually summoned to courage to ask Li Huayuan whether or not he could raise the issue to Hong Fu to see if she would reconsider  Wu Xuan.


    Naturally, Li Huayuan couldn¡¯t agree to such an absurd action. After fiercely rebuking this disciple, he sent the disciple out to handle external affairs to avoid having  Wu Xuan stir up trouble within the mountain.


    After the strict scolding,  Wu Xuan became much more obedient and obeyed orders to handle matters, but Li Huayuan was still clearly able to feel this disciple¡¯s wily thoughts were still present He couldn¡¯t help but sense an oncoming headache.


    After seeing off the two young cultivators, Female Immortal Hong Fu chatted with the husband and wife a bit more before departing.  Li Huayuan and the young woman entered Green Ripple Cave and started their daily cultivation as the matter of Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er had been set aside for the time being.


    ¡­¡­


    The number one clan of the State of Yue, the Yan Clan, had its foundation in the unremarkable Lin Province. Not only was the area of this province ordinary, but the population was also of an average number. It could be said to be a completely ordinary land.


    Qing Liang Town was a common small town of the Lin Province. Were it not for the exceptional scenery of Yan Liang Mountian, there wasn¡¯t anything that the population could have said to distinguish this place from any other. The Yan Clan¡¯s most important location, Yan Ling Castle, was located within Yan Liang Mountain.


    Currently, Han Li held a sheet of paper in his hand. This was the invitation letter to the Treasure Seizing Assembly. The location of the assembly¡¯s meeting place was written on it, Yan Ling Castle.


    After taking another look at the invitation letter and seeing that he wasn¡¯t mistaken, Han Li calmly put it away. Then he heard mocking words of ridicule from the girl at his side.


    ¡°You really are a blockhead! You actually read the invitation letter five or six times through and still don¡¯t feel ease. You truly have no small amount of shortcomings!¡±


    This young woman¡¯s voice was very soft, yet it contained a deep allure. It was very capable of charming males and would even drive younger men wilder.


    However, Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest; it was as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. He unexpectedly raised his hand and shot three bowl-sized fireballs to the sky, erupting when they were high enough. He then insipidly said, ¡°If the Yan Clan still doesn¡¯t send people to us after another moment, then we will leave and wait until tomorrow. Junior Martial Sister, since you have enough energy to quarrel, you may as well keep an eye out at a higher area and see if there is anyone else nearby just in case.¡°


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Han¡¯s guts are truly very small! We are at the entrance of the Yan Clan and you still believe there are any dangers? I see that you are a completely foolish and paranoid person!¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er slanted her red lips and lazily said this. She leaned against a pine tree without the slightest intent of obeying.


    At this moment, Han Li and the young woman stood at the peak of a somewhat small mountain, waiting for something to happen.


    This was where the invitation letter indicated they would pick up guests. However, the two had arrived a while ago but they still hadn¡¯t seen anyone from the Yan Clan. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but grow greatly alert for fear there would be some mishap.


    However, this little ¡°princess¡± Dong viewed Han Li¡¯s cautiousness with contempt, believing Han Li was merely cowardly!


    It has already been seven or eight days since they left Green Ripple Cave.


    But on the journey, perhaps due to having inharmonious dispositions, the two found each other rather displeasing to the eye. A man and a woman would have some have feelings toward each other during such a long journey, but with them, not the slightest feeling had developed.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er did not know why her bewitching flirts that had charmed hundreds of male cultivators hadn¡¯t the slightest effect on Han Li. Because of her wicked disposition, not long after she failed to control Han Li, she burst out, releasing a great temper.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to the young girl and fundamentally ignored her rudeness. He only uttered one sentence: I can tell Martial Aunt Hong Fu the exact words you just said. This immediately stifled Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    Although the young woman was accustomed to being spoiled with affection, she knew that Hong Fu was truly furious regarding her own reputation.


    She truly took to heart the warning she was given when she had departed! If the loathable man before her truly told her master a few unpleasant words, heavy criticism would be unavoidable. Even locking her up again wouldn¡¯t be out of the question.


    Recalling her last period of confinement, Dong Xuan¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Although she wasn¡¯t willing to be completely subdued, she didn¡¯t dare to act as recklessly as before.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t make it too difficult for her, even allowing the girl to have cheap victories in verbal exchanges, not caring in the least. But if Dong Xuan¡¯er was the slightest bit excessive, he would bluntly bring up Martial Senior Hong Fu, immediately rigidly suppressing Dong Xuan¡¯er without the slightest leeway. After all, before departure, Hong Fu had spoken to the two, allowing Han Li to hear her stern warning.


    On the journey, as this girl eloquently mocked and taunted him without end, as if he hadn¡¯t heard her words, Han Li only hurried on the journey. But when he insipidly mentioned Hong Fu¡¯s words, the originally eloquent Xuan¡¯er¡¯s expression greatly changed, and she didn¡¯t dare to be so impudent.


    Thus, the two hurried on their journey as they clashed during the day and slept during the night. Several days later, they eventually reached the peak of Yan Liang Mountain.


    However, they were greeted by unexpected silence. The people from the Yan Clan should have already appeared, but the two of them have had the to wait for over half a day, causing them to be a bit impatient.

 Chapter 247

    Yan Siblings.


    Chapter 247: Yan Siblings


    Perhaps they had been too impatient, but to the sky west of the mountain peak, two black dots eventually appeared. Two huge two-headed demonic birds gradually flew closer. They were the Two-Headed Ducks he had previously seen at the Great South Gathering. Saddled upon the demonic beasts were a man and a woman.


    When she saw that strangers had appeared, the originally lazy Dong Xuan¡¯er immediately roused her spirit and stood straight. She curiously stared at the large two-headed birds as they approached.


    ¡°We are truly sorry for having you two wait so long. This one is Yan Yu. The other is Yan Ling, my younger sister. We have come to bring you to Yan Ling Castle.¡± When the two ducks flew onto the mountain peak, the man and woman immediately jumped off. The young man firmly stood and said this with an apologetic tone.


    ¡°It is no matter, we also didn¡¯t wait very long!¡± Before Han Li could even open his mouth Dong Xuan¡¯er daintily said this with bright eyes after having seen this heroic-looking man, Yan Yu. Her voice was extremely smooth, causing Han Li to raise his eyebrow upon hearing her.


    Hearing Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s new voice, it was as if the wicked and unruly woman he spent the past few days with had transformed into a girl from a noble house!


    Yan Yu naturally did not know of this. When he saw Dong Xuan¡¯er, a young woman as pretty as a flower, and heard her soft words aimed at him, his heart immediately shook, and a peculiar feeling rose. He straightened his back and brightly said, ¡°Actually, there were Yan Clan disciples waiting here for guests. However, the disciples that were waiting here had to take care of some mishap. As such, there was no one here and you two were neglected! On behalf of the Yan Clan, I, Yan Yu, apologize to the two of you and hope you do not take offense.¡±


    When Dong Xuan¡¯er heard this, she wore a smooth smile, and attraction flashed through her eyes. Just as she thought to say something else, Han Li¡¯s dull voice suddenly reached her ear, ¡°With Junior Martial Sister¡¯s appearance, aren¡¯t you afraid of the repercussions from Martial Senior Hong Fu?¡±


    When she heard this, Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s expression greatly changed. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. This bizarre scene caused the Yan siblings to be a bit puzzled!


    Yan Ling was a young woman that was fifteen or sixteen years old. She seemed to be a lively and charming person. She continuously switched her gaze between Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er with her bright black eyes, giving people the impression that she was extremely clever.


    ¡°It was as Junior Martial Sister Dong had said. It was nothing; you were only a bit late. This one is certain that the Yan Clan wouldn¡¯t deliberately treat guests coldly! However, I am a bit baffled. What sort of mishap did the disciples who were originally here to receive guests encounter? Could it be that they clashed against guests?¡± Stopping Dong Xuan¡¯er careless use of the Spring Transformation Art¡¯s seduction, Han Li lightly coughed two times and said a few polite words. He then made an inquiry of this ¡°mishap¡± that was mentioned under the guise of a joke.


    ¡°This¡­¡± When Yan Yu heard Han Li¡¯s words, he face wore a difficult expression. It was as if he were troubled about something and couldn¡¯t say it clearly!


    ¡°Han Li, since it isn¡¯t convenient for this Senior Martial Brother Yu. Don¡¯t bother him as you wish! We should first travel to Yan Ling Castle and take a look. There should already be quite a few people there, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let us go to Yan Ling Castle! There have already been many guests who arrived. They are currently discussing cultivation insights and are making all kinds of exchanges! Let us go now so you two should be able to participate.¡±


    When Dong Xuan¡¯er saw Yan Yu hesitate a bit, she said a few friendly words on his behalf and caused that Yan Clan disciple to greatly relax. He repeatedly agreed, and his good feelings toward Dong Xuan¡¯er grew even greater. At the side, Yan Ling faintly became aware of Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s ¡°bad intentions¡± and unhappily pouted with her small mouth.


    At this moment, without paying heed to Dong Xuan¡¯er, Han Li only faintly smiled and nodded his head in agreement, saying, ¡°Then I must ask Senior Martial Brother Yan and Young Lady Yan to lead the way. Junior Martial Sister Dong and I are fine following from behind.¡°


    Noticing that Han Li didn¡¯t further press the question, Yan Yu grew happier. Then he said apologetically, ¡°I will first lead the way. I must ask that you diligently keep close. I hope you do not take offense!¡±


    Although Yan Yu said this politely, Han Li clearly sensed that his words were largely directed to Dong Xuan¡¯er. It seemed that this Yan Clan disciple had already quickly fallen to Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s gentle grasp.


    Han Li inwardly laughed coldly several times. He was disinterested in getting involved with Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s absurd matters and feigned ignorance. Then he took out Li Huayuan¡¯s invitation letter, nimbly handing it over to Yan Yu. That Dong Xuan¡¯er also took out her invitation letter from Female Immortal Hong Fu and handed it over with her slim lily-white hands. The alluring scent of her body and the luster of her jade-white skin dazzled Yan Yu for a moment, and he actually forgot to accept the letter.


    His little sister was no longer able to stand idle and angrily took the invitation in place of Yan Yu. Her elder brother was then woken up by Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s soft chuckles, causing him to deeply blush.


    ¡°There are no problems with Junior Martial Brother Han and Junior Martial Sister Dong¡¯s invitation cards. Let us set off then!¡±


    After Yan Yu handed back their invitations, he mounted the two-headed duck, feeling strange. He occasional stole a few glances at Dong Xuan¡¯er on the way. But at this moment, that wicked and unruly girl was actually displaying a decent and honorable appearance. This caused the Yan Clan elite¡¯s imagination to run wild!


    The four leaped off the ground in succession and headed straight back to where Yan Clan siblings had come from.


    After flying for tens of kilometers, the group landed at an area between two mountains.


    At this moment, Yan Yu searched for a command tile he had on hand and firmly held it with both hands, violently pouring spiritual power into it. Suddenly, the command tile emitted a magnificent yellow mist of light over a large area, shooting toward the empty area ahead of them.


    When the yellow light swept past the originally empty area, a rainbow-colored thread of light suddenly appeared! Then this rainbow streak of light flashed and scattered before their eyes, revealing an imposing ancient castle in the originally empty mountain ridge.


    It seemed the huge walls reached about a hundred meters in height. There were even countless tall buildings that reached over the walls. Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er felt this was rather unfamiliar and a bit too much to take in!


    ¡°This is our Yan Clan¡¯s most important location, Yan Ling Castle. We are honored to welcome Junior Martial Brother Han and Junior Martial Sister Dong!¡± Yan Yu suddenly straightened his appearance before solemnly saying this.


    Han Li smiled. Just as he thought to say something, at his side Dong Xuan¡¯er suddenly yelped ¡°Yi!¡± She gazed at the castle with an expression full of shock.


    Seeing the girl with such an expression, Han Li naturally followed her gaze.


    He only saw a martial competition stage to the side of a castle with two floating, differently dressed male disciples in a confrontation. One was wearing the brown clothes of the Yan Clan, a man with a swift and fierce appearance. The other had a curled beard, gray eyes, dark skin and yellow hair. He was wearing an azure robe; he appeared quite strange!


    There was a giant barrier of white light enveloping the stage; the barrier seemed to be sparkling. Outside of the light barrier, there stood two crowds, one to the east and one to the west. What was most eye-catching were the types of clothing worn by the two crowds. One of the crowds were standing in formation and were absolutely silent, having the bearing of regular training. They were those from the Yan Clan. The other crowd mostly consisted of eccentrics with curly beards. They were all wearing green robes and had green eyes and yellow hair. There were also a few average people in there.


    After Han Li clearly saw this, he wore a somewhat amazed expression. He could not help but look at the Yan siblings to his side. Perhaps they had an explanation?


    Without waiting for Han Li to open his mouth, Yan Yu¡¯s expression became a bit unnatural after watching this scene. To the side, Yan Ling clenched a fist and said completely furiously, ¡°They actually started another challenge. They even act so viciously. This is truly outrageous!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart shook. He then asked a probing question, ¡°Could it be that these people aren¡¯t the Yan Clan¡¯s guests?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, they aren¡¯t! These fellows came knocking on our door and injured two of our disciples, a fifteen year-old Junior Martial Brother and a sixteen year-old Junior Martial Brother. Furthermore, they insisted on participating in the Treasure Seizing Assembly. I don¡¯t know what the elders were thinking, but they actually agreed. This is truly infuriating!¡±


    Yan Ling hadn¡¯t noticed Yan Yu¡¯s gaze, a clear sign for her to stop. But she continued unrestrained, releasing a girl¡¯s small temper. When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh! Yan Yu then wore an embarrassed expression, not knowing what to say!


    ¡°It seems this is the main reason why we were waiting on the mountain peak for so long! Could Senior Martial Brother Yu tell Xuan¡¯er a few details?¡± Without Han Li needing to inquire, Dong Xuan¡¯er curiously hooked onto Yan Yu as if she had bewitched him. After a moment of hesitation, Yan Yu gave a straightforward answer.


    ¡°These people arrived this morning at our Yan Ling Castle. When they arrived outside the castle, they had no invitations and wanted to break through, injuring two of the Junior Martial Brothers who were receiving guests. When the other disciples hurried after received the request for help, intending to teach these fellows a lesson, they did not think that these people would actually take out a letter and a token that actually made the squad elders grow solemn. They even swallowed their words and courteously invited them into the castle.¡±


    ¡°However, these people didn¡¯t know their place, and immediately after entering Yan Ling Castle, they requested the Yan Clan to exchange pointers with them. After some consideration from the elders, they agreed to give them a bit of difficulty. The competition would be ten matches, all between Foundation Establishment disciples! I fought two competitions ago for several matches. As for the results¡­¡± Yan Yu shook his head, his expression somewhat mournful. It was clear that the Yan Clan was in a disadvantageous position.

 Chapter 248

    Rivals


    ¡°Normally in a competition, casualties and injuries are nothing, a very common matter. But these people don¡¯t cultivate any cultivation techniques. Each and every one of them uses poison and Yin magic arts of the Devilish Dao. All the disciples who went against them were defeated. They either indescribably fainted or were poisoned by mysterious means. All of their injuries were extremely cruel and are unable to be easily treated. But fortunately, because these people felt a bit of fear being inside Yan Ling Castle, there were no serious injuries or deaths. This really is the only silver lining! Sigh, if you two currently saw the Yan Clan on stage, it would truly be too shameful!¡± Yan Yu said with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°When we went left, we heard that the elders were no longer able to hold their ground and had already called Elder Brother¡¯s subordinates, the Martial Arms Hall disciples. They are the elite disciples of the Yan Clan, cultivating secret magics. They will certainly teach these fellows a lesson.¡± Yan Ling could not help but say this, waving a clenched fist.


    ¡°Making trouble, what does a little girl know about fighting and killing? Right now, these guest have already had us come to receive them and bring them back. Hurry, have Uncle Li send more disciples to welcome the guests, else would you have the other guests wait longer?¡± Yan Yu stiffened his face and rebuked his little sister. Then he sent the unhappy young girl on her way.


    At that moment, Yan Yu turned towards Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er and explained, ¡°Because there had recently been many guests, there have been many shadier characters mixed in among them. As a result, a portion of the protection formation guarding the Yan Clan Castle has been activated. Currently within the castle, there has been many particular areas in the castle that no longer allow the use of sound transmission talismans and other long-distance magic techniques. Thus, I could only send my younger sister off! My younger sister and I weren¡¯t originally supposed to welcome guests, but the castle is currently short of hands and there have been many people harboring malicious intentions dropping on our door, forcing us to temporarily lend a hand.¡± After Yan Yu said this, his face sunk as he gazed into the distance, watching the magic battle between the Yan Clan disciple and the eccentric.


    ¡°That being said, Senior Martial Brother Yu is an elite disciple of the Yan Clan. Surely you are of a high position in the Yan Clan!¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er eyes gleamed as she said this with a sweet smile. Since she was already beautiful, this suddenly strong grace caused Yan Yu to despondently sink into her gaze for a moment.


    ¡°This¡­ It¡¯s nothing!¡± Yan Yu restlessly muttered to himself. He didn¡¯t know what to say. He only felt that this young lady Dong was far too beautiful, as if she were the perfect sweetheart of his dreams!


    She giggled! ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Yan, I don¡¯t know if it is convenient, but could we go look a look at the competition over there? This one wants to see who dared to cause trouble at the sacred Yan Clan!¡±


    Dong Xuan¡¯er felt that Yan Yu¡¯s expression was rather amusing and laughed crisply several times. She wanted to tease him some more, but she did not think that Han Li would suddenly speak and interrupt what she was going to say next!


    ¡°Ah¡­ you want to watch? Of course you can! This match is against my own Senior Cousin of the Martial Arms Hall. His Dao spells are refined to the point where he is among the top ten. Surely he can give his opponent a hard time!¡± Han Li had roused Yan Yu. At first, he stared blankly, but he soon delightedly replied.


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly smiled. On one hand, Han Li knew that he had no reason to deny Yan Yu. On the other, he felt that this time, the chances for victory against Dong Xuan¡¯er were great, allowing him to feel refreshed.


    As such, they flew toward the competition stage nearby and walked toward the crowd.


    After Han Li walked closer, he became startled upon discovering that there were no less than a hundred cultivators watching. Furthermore, from their appearances, a majority of them weren¡¯t from the State of Yue but rather travelers from other countries. It was truly strange!


    Han Li was greatly puzzled, but as a guest, it wouldn¡¯t be proper for him to ask about too many things! He could only hold his curiosity in his belly and feign ignorance.


    As for Dong Xuan¡¯er at the side, she was smiling and happily chatting with Yan Yu. However, she gave a slight look at Han Li with surprise in her eyes. It seemed she wasn¡¯t just a pillow embroidered pretty face after all!


    It was unknown what this wicked and unruly girl planned to do, but she was the same as Han Li; although they felt that something was fishy, they didn¡¯t want to ask. This caused Han Li to be a bit gloomy.


    ¡°Xuan¡¯er, you also came! This is great. I thought Martial Senior Hong Fu hadn¡¯t released you!¡± Of three people who walked by, one was a male cultivator with an elegant face who happened to turn his head and saw Dong Xuan¡¯er. This person immediately wore an extremely happy expression and quickly walked over, calling her with great affection.


    When this person ran over, Dong Xuan¡¯er stared with a smile, but Yan Yu grew somewhat annoyed. His gaze started to continuously flicker.


    As an outsider, Han Li¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest! He clearly understood that this person was most likely one of Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s previous toys! Could this be the ¡®Feng Clan youngster¡¯ that his master¡¯s wife had previously mentioned?


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Feng! I truly did not think that Martial Senior Du would send Senior Martial Brother to this assembly!¡± An exceptional expression flashed on Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s face, and after she rolled her eyes, she calmly greeted him as if this person was an ordinary friend.


    This caused Yan Yu¡¯s expression to improve by much, but this Senior Martial Brother Feng was startled and immediately paid attention to Yan Yu and Han Li who were at Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s side.


    Fortunately, Han Li saw this person¡¯s gaze. He then faintly smiled and took a half step back from Dong Xuan¡¯er, revealing his innocence. But when he saw Yan Yu giving an unrestrained gaze in return, Senior Martial Brother Feng clearly knew who his enemy was. His expression immediately darkened as he sized up Yan Yu several times.


    Although Han Li found this scene somewhat funny, he was somewhat baffled! Rumors had it that Dong Xuan¡¯er and this Senior Martial Brother Feng had long wished to pair cultivate! But now, this wicked and unruly girl no longer treated this Senior Martial Brother Feng favorably! Could it be that the rumor was wrong?


    As Han Li thought of this, Han Li shook his head, disinclined to further this matter. He didn¡¯t want to waste energy by pondering about such gossip.


    As a result, he walked a few steps away, leaving the three behind.


    Han Li didn¡¯t care if this Senior Martial Brother Feng and Yan Yu were rivals in love, and he cared even less about whether everything went Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s way. At this moment, he was completely focused on the battle inside the light barrier.


    Yan Yu truly did not boast!


    This elder cousin of his was truly a sight to behold. The earth attribute Dao technique he used had reached perfection. He had rushed forth, summoning stones the size of several meters from his palm to smash the opposition. The barrage seemed endless. A yellow triangular banner was erected in front of him, summoning a yellow wind. The wind tightly wrapped around him as protection.


    However, this green-robed opponent wasn¡¯t going to take it lying down! He madly hissed and fluttered like a viper, weaving a black net in front of him that wind and rain couldn¡¯t penetrate. The rocks were all bounced back by the net. A few happened to directly bounce back, keeping the hands and feet of that Yan Clan elite busy. As for magic tools, the green-robed opponent had six to seven shining white magic skulls floating all around him. It was unknown what purpose they served.


    As such, one person wildly attacked and one steadily guarded; for the time being, a deadlock had occurred!


    But it was very clear that these two were probing each other out and hadn¡¯t made any real moves. As a result, although the scene was very lively with stones flying throughout the sky and surging black Qi, they were both calm and composed, neither hurried nor impatient; the slightest appearance of strain was not shown.


    As Han Li watched, he was entranced. But then he heard Dong Xuan¡¯er say, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Han, what do you say?¡± This slightly distracted him. Without even turning his head, he reflexively replied, ¡°Yeah¡±.


    But when he said ¡°Yeah¡±, Han Li immediately felt this was a mistake and hastily turned his head.


    He only saw those two, who should¡¯ve been hostile rivals in love, suddenly show an undesirable expression towards him as if they were teaming up in opposition of a common enemy.


    It was obvious he had been framed by that wicked and unruly girl!


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard it! Senior Martial Brother Han also admits it. I must stay close to him on this journey. This was an order that came from my own Master!¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er lamented with a cute, pitiful appearance. She took advantage of the thoughtlessness from the two¡¯s infatuation and immediately had Han Li become the scapegoat, leaving him dumbfounded.


    During his time of carelessness, this Dong Xuan¡¯er took advantage of this vulnerability and passed on two great annoyances onto him. It was obviously her revenge towards him because he had long used Hong Fu¡¯s name on the journey to greatly suppress her. Surely if those two taught him a lesson, her mood would greatly improve.


    Han Li looked at the two as they gazed onto him like prey and sighed. Just as he thought to say something, the two¡¯s expressions suddenly changed, and their gaze shifted onto the stage behind Han Li. Yan Yu¡¯s expression became especially strained.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li naturally realized that something had happened and hurriedly turned his head.


    He saw the deadlock in the light barrier break!


    The person from the Yan Clan had already stopped summoning the huge stones and was grasping a yellow-green paper fan with both hands. He strenuously waved his fan toward his opponent. This paper fan clearly should¡¯ve been light but every time he waved the fan, he seemed to consume a great amount of physical strength, causing his face to lace with sweat!

 Chapter 249

    Competition.


    Chapter 249: Competition


    With every wave of the fan, dense green fog shot out from the fan, directly heading toward the green-robed eccentric in front. With these seven to eight fan waves, the purple fog had long become incredibly thick and tightly enveloped the other person, forming a large purple sphere!


    The green-robed eccentric was enshrouded in a sphere of black Qi, which blocked the green fog from entering it.


    The black Qi and the green fog incessantly roiled and bit at each other, as if they were both alive. But regardless of how it was seen, under the control of the Yan Clan disciple, the green fog had a large advantage and was steadily suppressing the black Qi further and further.


    ¡°My cousin¡¯s Bone Rotting Treasure Fan is an extremely well-known top-grade magic tool; if one comes into contact with even a tiny amount of the poisonous fog it releases, it will definitely melt away one¡¯s flesh. However, my cousin always used to believe that this fan is too vicious, and so he was unwilling to use it lightly. But now that he is taking this seriously and has used it immediately, it is apparent that he has already determined not to allow the other person to retreat with their entire body intact!¡±


    Seeing this, Yan Yu smiled exuberantly, explaining to the Dong Xuan¡¯er standing to the side.


    ¡°Whoa! Is this fan really so well known? Do you know how it would compare to the famous Wind Lightning Fan? Which one is more powerful?¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er lightly smiled, and the corner of her mouth raised slightly, putting on an exciting, foxy charm.


    ¡°Based on power alone, this fan may not be as strong as the Wind Lightning Fan. But as long as a cultivator with wood attribute spiritual roots uses it, the magic tool can be easily controlled unlike the Wind Lightning Fan; Unless one has both wind and thunder attribute spiritual roots, one cannot release the Wind Lightning Fan¡¯s full power! Thus, this Bone Rotting Fan¡¯s value is even above that of the Wind Lightning Fan!¡± Yan Yu was barely able to suppress the fantasies in his thoughts and carefully explained it, his heart beating wildly upon seeing Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s enchanting smile.


    ¡°What rubbish! This kind of a common top-grade magic tool, how can you even compare it to the Wind Lightning Fan? To have even one-tenth of its power would already be considered decent! In reality, I think that this fan is not even as powerful as the magic tool I possess, the Purple Light Cymbals.¡± A jealous expression surfaced on Senior Martial Brother Feng. Dong Xuan¡¯er and Yan Yu were talking and laughing with one another, so he intentionally spoke sardonically.


    ¡°You dare to look down upon the magic tools that my Yan Clan refines? Good! Let me see the power of your Purple Light Cymbals, then!¡± Yan Yu, hearing the other person belittle the Bone Rotting Fan¡¯s power like that, couldn¡¯t help but want to test the other person a little out of anger.


    ¡°Good, I was just wanting to experience the magic power of the Yan Clan¡¯s gifted disciple anyways!¡± Senior Martial Brother Feng heard the other person¡¯s words, then coldly laughed once and immediately agreed.


    The two had seemingly forgotten all about their common enemy Han Li for the moment.


    ¡°Ah, forget about it, this junior sister was only carelessly asking! Why is it necessary to become so enraged? The two Senior Martial Brothers should each take a step back; is this not possible?¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er seemed as if she was discouraging them, but in reality this caused the two people to be unwilling to show weakness in front of their sweetheart. Neither of them was willing to lose face in front of Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    Of course, for these two people to immediately begin fighting was also not entirely likely! After all, the two of them were only jealous of each other; what they said earlier was all only said in a moment of anger! They were still aware of the misgivings in their heart. However, if Dong Xuan¡¯er were to tease both sides with a few more sentences, the outcome would be difficult to predict!


    Although Han Li did not care about this conflict, he still heard the things going on beside him very clearly and couldn¡¯t help but secretly shake his head. He felt that this wicked and unruly woman was truly a demon who stirred up trouble; sure enough, there would be disturbances no matter where they went. No wonder that Hong Fu always wanted him to control this little girl.


    Even so, both the one surnamed Feng and Yan Yu both did not appear to be stupid people, so how come now they seemed to be so impulsive and aggressive? Could this Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s seductive technique actually be so powerful? Would even late Foundation Establishment cultivators unwittingly have their mental states affected?


    After Han Li thought about it again, he couldn¡¯t help but feel inwardly shocked!


    However, Han Li was disinclined to ask these two muddled people! As for which one of them survived, what did it matter to him?


    But Han Li also felt that it was somewhat strange. No matter how this flirtatious Dong Xuan¡¯er could bewitch people into falling head over heels for her, in his eyes, Dong Xuan¡¯er had no charm whatsoever, nor did he get aroused.


    In reality, Han Li wasn¡¯t the only one who wondered about this matter, Dong Xuan¡¯er was even more depressed! Her seduction technique, for some unknown reason, was actually completely ineffective against the most annoying person. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve sent him turning about in circles; how could she let him be such threat on the journey here?


    Just when Han Li and Dong Xuan¡¯er were both thinking about such things, the situation in the arena suddenly drastically changed.


    The black Qi enveloped by the green fog suddenly contracted and began to thinly spread out; in the blink of an eye, the green-robed person who was deeply hidden suddenly came into view. The few skulls surrounding him opened their mouths and began to furiously suck in the black Qi all around, causing the black Qi to thin.


    Although the opposing Yan Clan member did not know what the other person intended to do, since the other person had destroyed his own defenses, he naturally would not be polite. He immediately pointed the fan in his hands, and the green fog immediately surged forwards just when the black Qi had no power to respond!


    ¡°Brat, you want to show off in front of me just based on some poisonous fog? You are acting quite recklessly! You still don¡¯t know yet that we are all Martial Ancestors who play with poison!¡± the green-robed person guffawed, laughing strangely a few times.


    Next, he stretched out a palm and quickly tapped the heavenly spiritual covering of those skulls. These skulls immediately expanded to the size of chariot wheels. Their ghastly white exterior was then covered in a layer of black Qi, appearing even more strange and malevolent.


    Suddenly, they sucked in all of the remaining black Qi and abruptly opened their large mouths, absorbing the green fog that had originally been blocked outside into their mouths. In addition, with every breath they sucked in, they expanded slightly as if they were eating.


    Across from him, Yan Yu¡¯s elder cousin was shocked. He hurriedly directed the treasure fan in his hand, wanting to retrieve the green fog, but clearly he was already too late. Only one-third of the original poisonous fog could retreat; the majority was all swallowed up by the opponent¡¯s skulls.


    The yellow-green surface of the fan became pitch black, causing all the members of the Yan Clan to feel pain in their hearts; they knew that from today onwards, the power of this Bone Rotting Fan would be greatly reduced!


    This Yan Clan disciple had yet to pull himself together from the destruction of his magic tool when the aggressively expanding huge skulls, under the control of the green-robed person, flew towards him making ¡°wu wu¡± noises. In a flash, they appeared before his eyes, causing him to be greatly frightened, hurriedly reaching his hand towards his storage pouch.


    However, those skulls simultaneously opened their mouths, and numerous streaks of pitch-black columns of light simultaneously shot out, converging into a huge column of light. It actually instantaneously broke a hole in the Yan Clan member¡¯s protective yellow wind, knocking him out. He lost consciousness and fell through the air with a ¡°gudong¡±.


    A Yan Clan disciple standing to the side, seeing that the victor had already been determined, was naturally unwilling to see a member of his clan fall and be severely injured, so he immediately flew out alone to catch Yan Yu¡¯s cousin, then flew back.


    ¡°The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s profound techniques are, as expected, peerless and exquisite; our Yan clan actually lost four out of five of the matches. Should we begin the sixth match next?¡± a Yan Clan elder stepped out and said coldly to those who called themselves the Ghost Spirit Sect. Despite his aged appearance, his eyes shone brightly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it! It¡¯s not too late to hold the remaining five matches after the Yan Clan¡¯s Life and Death Hall¡¯s disciple comes. I have long heard of the great reputation of the Yan Clan¡¯s blood cultivator!¡± A mysterious person wearing a silver demonic mask stepped out from the group of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples. From his gentle, refined, and rich voice, he seemed to be a very young male.


    ¡°Okay! Since the young Sect Master really has such refined interest, my Yan Clan is naturally willing to accommodate! Then, today¡¯s competition will temporarily end here!¡± The elder was first shocked upon hearing this; however, unwilling to show weakness, he agreed, then waved his sleeve, turned around, and left.


    The young Sect Master did not mind. He gently laughed, then elegantly turned around and brought his men, leaving the area.


    The other onlooking cultivators, after taking in this treat for their eyes, also silently began to disappear.


    Han Li gently shook his head when he suddenly heard the sound of Yan Yu muttering to himself, ¡°How is this possible, my cousin actually also lost? He is an expert of our Martial Arms Hall!¡±


    ¡°What expert, wasn¡¯t he still easily defeated by the opponent?¡± Senior Martial Brother Feng curled his lips; he naturally would not easily let an opportunity to attack his love rival  slip by.


    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face revealed an expression of rage which was about to flare up, but Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s following sentence immediately delighted him.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yan Yu, I have been traveling for numerous days and am somewhat tired; can you arrange for a suitable room to allow this junior sister to rest a moment? Any other exchange activities can wait until tomorrow!¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er said lazily, suddenly stretching her lithe waist.


    ¡°Of course I can! Junior Martial Sister Dong, I will bring you to a room specifically prepared for female cultivators. Junior Martial Brother Han and others, do as you please!¡± Yan Yu happily said, appearing as if he were putting on a show.


    Han Li lightly laughed; he didn¡¯t have any objections.


    He had already safely brought Dong Xuan¡¯er to Yan Ling Castle, thus successfully finishing his duty. As for any other matters, he couldn¡¯t worry about them, and he didn¡¯t want to worry about them! This being the case, he lightly mentioned that he wanted to take a look at the surroundings, then left the group of people.

 Chapter 250

    Meeting an Old Friend.


    Chapter 250: Meeting an Old Friend


    As Han Li wished to be far away from Dong Xuan¡¯er, Senior Martial Brother Feng and Yan Yu naturally looked forward to this!


    Thus, not only did Yan Yu not attempt to stop him, but he even very warmly gave him a jade slip containing a map of Yan Ling Castle so that Han Li could save some time and directly head to his destination instead of running all over the place like a dizzy fly.


    As for Dong Xuan¡¯er, although she felt very surprised that Han Li had suddenly let go and stopped restricting her, she was naturally very happy that she had regained her independence and, like a fish in water, could be among many male cultivators. Of course, she still used an astonished expression to glance at Han Li a few times; no matter how much she thought about it, she could not decipher the intentions behind his movements.


    ¡°Intentions? Hmph, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to carry around a burden with me. Also, moving as an individual is much more unrestrained!¡± Han Li thought extremely leisurely while walking on the azure stone roads of Yan Ling Castle, his hands clasped behind his back. From time to time, he would gaze at the shops to his left and right.


    These were all selling talisman, tool, and pill refinement materials, and there were also a few that sold low-grade magic tools; however, the store owners were mostly mortals with no magic power.


    This was not that strange; the land of the entire Yan Ling Castle was extremely large, and the population was around a few hundred thousand. However, those who had spiritual roots and could cultivate magic techniques were only a small portion; the vast majority were all mortals.


    Of these mortals, who originally should have been living in the secular world, some did not have spiritual roots but were of the bloodline of the Yan Clan, while others were relatives of Yan Clan disciples. After all, marriages only between fellow members of the Yan Clan was something that was highly inappropriate, so they appropriately assimilated some new blood, allowing the Yan clan to continue to be preserved and strengthened.


    Of course, to maintain secrecy, these mortals who had entered the Yan Ling Castle could never leave the city; they could only grow old and die of sickness here. Although they no longer had to worry about basic necessities, it was still an extremely sorrowful matter.


    The new people who had been transferred in were not so bad; at least they had seen the teeming world outside. However, those who had been born in the castle but did not have spiritual roots did not have even a single opportunity to see the outside world.


    Even so, of the mortals who initially entered the castle, not a single one was coerced! They all were at the end of their ropes or had received the great aid of the Yan Clan, and were willing for it to be this way. Adding on the fact that Yan Ling Castle was heavily guarded and was shrouded by formations and mortals who tried to secretly leave the castle were immediately killed upon discovery, no one had heard yet of any mortal successfully escaping from this area.


    Of course, Han Li did not guess this information; rather, it was a small piece of information included on the jade slip with the map. Thus, Han Li had a rough impression of this Yan Ling Castle in his mind.


    Now, he was headed to a teahouse in the city. This was because, based on Han Li¡¯s understanding, the majority of cultivators liked good tea very much, and a teahouse was an essential location for all cultivators to visit. Han Li felt that he could perhaps meet up with some other cultivators there and join up with a small group; this was an opportunity to exchange that was very difficult to come by. After all, to completely ignore the outside world was also not desirable!


    At the end of this stone street, near a three-way intersection, one should be able to see the teahouse sign. Han Li, thinking in this way, couldn¡¯t help but quicken his steps.


    However, the sound of an intense argument between a male and a female suddenly could be heard from some shop to the side. Next, following a male¡¯s angry howls, a dressed-up young woman angrily walked out from the room, directly rushing towards the stone road and just so happened to run into a flabbergasted Han Li.


    This young woman was extremely beautiful, so Han Li, who possessed the same weakness as every other male, couldn¡¯t help but absent-mindedly glance at her. In the end, when Han Li saw clearly the young woman¡¯s appearance, he instantly stopped in place, shocked.


    The young woman, seeing Han Li¡¯s gazing at her without restraint, felt incredibly aggravated in her heart!


    However, she had also lived in the castle for a long time; although she had no magic power, she could tell Han Li¡¯s identity as a cultivator based on his attire. Although because she was angry and humiliated she did not pay attention to Han Li¡¯s appearance, only feeling that he seemed somewhat familiar, she still strongly resisted her anger, gently lowering her head yet saying stiffly:


    ¡°Esteemed cultivator, could you let this young woman pass? I am already married! This esteemed individual, gazing at a common young woman in this way, are you not worried that you are lacking in proper manners?¡±


    After saying this sentence, the young woman was not actually worried; after all, inside Yan Ling Castle, discipline was tight, and there were restrictions preventing cultivators from disturbing the lives of mortals. The punishment for disobeying this was extremely severe! Naturally, mortals also had to preserve their absolute respect for cultivators; if they neglected this, the cultivators could deal with them as they wished.


    In addition, because they were in a public place, she was even more unafraid that the other person would have any kind of improper conduct.


    But the young woman had lowered her head for a long time, yet she did not see the cultivator in front of her move at all. Since he did seem to intend to allow her to pass yet did not openly reprimand her either, this caused her to feel somewhat shocked; she couldn¡¯t help but raise her graceful body and glanced over.


    In the end, an impulsive face with an enigmatic smile appeared before her eyes. This face¡¯s familiarity immediately brought the young woman to a night in a rear courtyard ten years ago; the scene of an incomparably stingy Senior Martial Brother and a clever, sly little girl arguing with each other was vivid in her mind!


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother?¡±


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister!¡±


    The young woman finally recognized this face that had not changed at all. Han Li, after hearing the other person call him Senior Martial Brother, became absolutely sure that this ¡°beautiful enough to eat¡± young woman was truly the clever, sly little girl he had met many years ago¡ªMo Caihuan, Doctor Mo¡¯s youngest daughter, the one whom he had personally called Junior Apprentice Sister!


    ¡°Are you really Senior Martial Brother Han Li?¡± Mo Caihuan was first extremely stunned. She asked with mixed feelings, but she still appeared to not dare to believe it.


    ¡°Is the Winding Fragrance Pill I gave you still effective?¡± Han Li suddenly asked in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Senior¡­¡­ Senior Martial Brother, it really is you!¡± Seeing that Han Li had named the gift he had given her back then, Mo Caihuan no longer had any doubt. Her eyes suddenly turned red, and she began to sob, as if she had been greatly wronged.


    Han Li was dumbfounded at the moment! After all, they were still on the stone road, so there were still passerbys and a few cultivators walking through; if this beautiful young woman were seen crying in front of him, wouldn¡¯t all kinds of assumptions made about him?!


    Thinking of this, Han Li scratched his head, then summoned his courage and said to Mo Caihuan:


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, how about we find a different place to talk! This does not seem to be the right place to have a conversation.¡±


    ¡°En!¡­¡­ I¡¯ll listen to Senior Martial Brother,¡± Mo Caihuan said obediently, temporarily stopping her crying.


    Her behavior just now greatly shocked Han Li! After all, the Mo Caihuan in his memories was like a little demoness; for her to suddenly be so gentle and obedient was truly something that he was not used to. But what place was relatively peaceful? Han Li thought to himself and glanced at the street somewhat melancholically.


    ¡°Come to my house! My mother is also there,¡± Mo Caihuan suddenly opened her mouth and said after she had calmed down a little.


    ¡°Fourth Martial Mother is also at Yan Ling Castle?¡±


    Han Li was shocked!


    It seemed like something big had really happened at the Mo Estate. Otherwise, with Lady Yan being the head of the Mo Estate, they would not lightly leave that place.


    ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Brother! My mother is afflicted by a very severe illness! You must save her!¡± Tears flashed in Mo Caihuan¡¯s eyes as she bitterly begged him.


    ¡°Okay, if there¡¯s anything, we can talk about it once we reach your mother¡¯s place. As long as it isn¡¯t an incurable disease, Senior Martial Brother can still cure it!¡± Seeing Mo Caihuan¡¯s pitiful appearance, Han Li naturally thought of the carefree life that she led at the Mo Estate. Thus, his heart couldn¡¯t help but soften, and he comforted her with his words.


    ¡°En! I trust Senior Martial Brother¡¯s words. That year, Second Elder Sister said that Senior Martial Brother¡¯s medical technique was already above hers. Now that you¡¯re here, my mother can be saved!¡±


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s promise, Mo Caihuan stopped weeping and began to laugh. When he saw her tender and beautiful appearance, Han Li was unable to stop himself from becoming absent-minded; luckily, he immediately sobered up before he made a fool of himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, my house is not far from here. As soon as we pass through one more street, we¡¯ll be there. When my mother meets Senior Martial Brother, she will definitely be very happy!¡± Mo Caihuan very naturally pulled onto Han Li¡¯s sleeve, leading him forwards as they walked. She seemed to be elated, as if she had found a pillar to lean on.


    A young woman taking the initiative to pull along a male, walking on the street in public, naturally attracted the sidelong glances of many bystanders. Luckily, Han Li¡¯s attire as a cultivator meant that nobody dared to say anything unpleasant in front of the two of them; as for what they would discuss when they were far away, it would be difficult to say!


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, how did you and your mother end up here? Did something happen at the Mo Estate?¡± Han Li and Mo Caihuan had been walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Just when Mo Caihuan was not paying attention, he gently retrieved his sleeve and asked, not revealing his thoughts.


    ¡°This matter will take a long time to explain! The Mo Estate was destroyed seven years ago, and the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was also expelled!¡± Upon hearing this, Mo Caihuan faintly trembled, and her expression darkened as she responded.


    ¡°Then what about the other two Mo Junior Martial Sisters and their mothers?¡± Although Han Li had long since guessed the situation pretty well, he still sighed and asked about the situation of her other family members.


    ¡°Second and Fifth Mother both died, and I¡¯m not sure about the rest. Because my mother and I had to kill our way out and at the time everything was too messy, everyone could only escape on their own!¡± Mo Caihuan¡¯s voice began to shake. Clearly, she was suffering internally.


    Note: Han Li meets Mo Caihuan and Lady Yan in Chapter 109

 Chapter 251

    Destruction


    Seeing Mo Caihuan¡¯s appearance, Han Li knew that now was not the time to ask for the whole story, so he no longer pursued it. Just like that, Mo Caihuan brought him to a small store on a side road, then stopped.


    ¡°This place?¡± Han Li was slightly amazed, and he glanced at Mo Caihuan inquisitively.


    ¡°Yes, this is the place! My mother and I do some small business here; we only wanted to earn some spirit stones to buy some medicinal pills to suppress her illness,¡± Mo Caihuan said somewhat embarrassed as her face reddened. Then, she took the lead and walked in.


    Seeing this, Han Li smiled. He didn¡¯t say anything and simply followed her inside.


    ¡°Mother, look who I¡¯ve brought here!¡±


    Han Li had just stepped into the store when he heard Mo Caihuan speak as if she were presenting a treasure! Next, another female voice that Han Li was familiar with also spoke, but it was somewhat older.


    ¡°Who else could come? Ever since your eldest uncle Zhu died, only the neighbor, Aunt Xiang Lian, has come to see us!¡±


    There was no doubting that this voice was Lady Yan¡¯s voice, although it was much more hoarse than before!


    ¡°No, Senior Martial Brother has come. I ran into Senior Martial Brother in the castle!¡± Mo Caihuan excitedly shouted.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother? Didn¡¯t your few Senior Martial Brothers die a long time ago! You silly child, your mind is probably becoming muddled,¡± Lady Yan brought up, clearly somewhat worried.


    At this time, Han Li was already clear on the circumstances in the store.


    A sixty- or seventy-foot small room, numerous wooden counters with neatly placed low-grade talismans placed on them, and a few unprofitable materials. There was also a wooden door leading to the inner rooms, and behind the wooden counter was a woman lying on a bamboo armchair, gazing at Mo Caihuan in front of her with a worry-stricken face.


    This was none other than Lady Yan, whom he had not seen for nearly ten years!


    However, her appearance had aged significantly, and from her face it was clear that she was ill; one could only see a shadow of the formerly beautiful woman between her eyebrows.


    Han Li¡¯s entrance naturally attracted the attention of Lady Yan. When she saw clearly that it was Han Li, she first was shocked and couldn¡¯t help but want to stand up, but this clearly was not something that she, with her severe sickness, could do; she only straightened half of her body before she once again fell back down. The nearby Mo Caihuan hurriedly reached out and held her up.


    ¡°You are Han Li?¡± Lady Yan strenuously panted a few times; like Mo Caihuan, her shock was not small, but in addition to her shock, a trace of expectation and happiness appeared on her face.


    Han Li naturally knew what the other person was thinking in her heart, but after hesitating for a moment, he still took a few steps over and greeted her respectfully:


    ¡°Fourth Martial Mother, greetings!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­ you are still willing to recognize me as your teacher¡¯s wife? You don¡¯t hold a grudge about what happened back then?¡± Happiness flashed across Lady Yan¡¯s face upon hearing Han Li call her ¡°Fourth Martial Mother¡±, but she also asked this out of suspicion, not daring to believe it.


    ¡°What happened back then, when we were determining who was in the wrong, me or Master Mo, we will not talk about it for now. However, the master-disciple relationship between me and Master Mo was genuine; thus, I still should call you Martial Mother,¡± Han Li replied, his expression calm.


    ¡°As for the issue of the poison he forced into me, it¡¯s even more irrelevant! Aren¡¯t I standing here in perfect condition?¡± Han Li added carelessly. Now, based on his identity as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he naturally did not need to hold a grudge against these mortals. The furious disputes he had with Lady Yan and his master¡¯s other wives, he naturally did not place them in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, based on your intellect your life should be very good in the cultivating world! Not like me and your other Martial Mothers, who have all become stray dogs¡­¡­ sigh¡­¡­¡± Lady Yan had just sighed with regret when her face suddenly became blood-red, and she was hit by a bout of coughing.


    ¡°Mother, you¡¯re okay, right? Senior Martial Brother¡­¡­¡± Mo Caihuan began to panic, and she hurriedly began to gently stroke Lady Yan¡¯s chest. Her gaze towards Han Li was filled with pleading.


    ¡°Let me take a look!¡±


    Han Li could not resist Mo Caihuan¡¯s grief-filled gaze; he gently sighed, then reached his hand out and grasped the pulse on Lady Yan¡¯s wrist. After a brief moment, his expression naturally relaxed, and then he said:


    ¡°It¡¯s not serious; it¡¯s just that her old wound has begun to act up again. Her illness is a result of this wound compounded with the lack of rest and years of overly taxing her mind and body!¡±


    ¡°Is it easy to cure?¡± Mo Caihuan asked anxiously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I had to deal with these old wounds ten years ago, it truly would have been somewhat difficult! But now, it¡¯s a trivial matter!¡± Han Li said comfortingly. Then, he took out a box of needles from his storage pouch and performed an acupuncture technique on Lady Yan, causing her to immediately stop coughing!


    ¡°In the future, take one pill every day. After ten or so days, you should be completely cured!¡± Han Li said self-confidently as he pulled out a small bottle and handed it to Lady Yan.


    Lady Yan¡¯s whole body did not feel uncomfortable at all! The disease that had plagued her for years actually and truly had gone without returning. At this time, she glowed as if she had been revitalized and gotten a few years younger. Now that she received the bottle, she felt her mood surge even more; what was she to say?


    ¡°Han Li¡­¡­¡± Lady Yan had only just begun to express her gratitude when Han Li spoke and interrupted her.


    ¡°Now, can you tell me exactly what happened to the Mo Estate, as well as how you guys arrived at Yan Ling Castle?¡± Han Li still wanted to understand exactly how this had occurred.


    A sorrowful expression appeared on Lady Yan¡¯s face upon hearing this, and she slowly began to recount what happened that year!


    It turned out that when Han Li had taken care of Ouyang Feitian of the Hegemon¡¯s Villa, it truly had allowed the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association, which had been prepared for it, to take a large advantage and swallow up the greater half of the land and benefits. However, the other overlord in the State of Lan, the Rainbow Sect, responded rather quickly as well, swallowing the remaining smaller half. In this way, the State of Lan now consisted of two powers living side by side.


    But since the equilibrium between the three powers had been broken, naturally the same mountain could not house two tigers!


    In the end, when the Mo Estate-led Fearsome Flood Dragon Association and the Rainbow Sect exchanged blows, they discovered that they had made a grave mistake! They should not have let Ouyang Feitian die like that! This Rainbow Sect¡¯s strength had vastly exceeded the outward strength that they displayed. In just one battle, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association suffered a huge defeat.


    After that, the Fearsome Flood Dragon Association was pulled up from its roots, and the Mo Estate also met with attacks from numerous experts. The helpless women could only break through the siege and run for their lives. In the end, Second Wife Lady Li and Fifth Wife Lady Wang lost their lives when breaking through, and when the others escaped from the siege, they immediately split up and went into hiding.


    As a result of their actions, Lady Yan and Mo Caihuan were heavily pursued. Just when it seemed the two were about to lose their lives, a middle-aged man who called himself Yan Zhu saved Lady and, upon obtaining their consent, brought them into Yan Ling Castle, becoming mortals of the Yan Clan fortress.


    Yan Shu was only a Qi Condensation, low-status disciple in Yan Ling Castle, and his ability was limited, but he still treated both Lady Yan and her daughter very well.


    After a year, Lady Yan decided to bluntly marry this person to repay him for saving them. But because Mo Caihuan¡¯s beauty was so moving, out of fear of it attracting trouble, Lady Yan decided to publicly proclaim that Mo Caihuan was a widow who had been married before. After cursing her husband to die, she entered within the castle. In this way, when Mo Caihuan had someone in her heart and wanted to genuinely marry someone, she could give up her surname to whomever she chose.


    Lady Yan and her daughter actually lived two peaceful years inside the castle. Unfortunately, Yan Zhu was involved in an accident while carrying out a mission for the clan and was buried in a foreign land. Suddenly, Lady Yan and her daughter had no one to rely on, nor could they leave the castle. They could only continue to depend solely on Yan Ling Castle and use their pension of spirit stones to start up a small shop, doing whatever bleak business they could.


    As long as they continued like this, although the store¡¯s income was not great, it was enough to allow Lady Yan to see a doctor and buy medicine and keep the illness repressed. However, the store that always sent their store low-grade talismans suddenly became inaccessible to them, causing Lady Yan¡¯s small store to be on the verge of collapse.


    What kind of person was Lady Yan? She immediately saw through the core issue of the situation. After analyzing the situation, she discovered the person who was messing with their shop behind the scenes.


    As it turned out, some cultivator who lived nearby had taken a liking to Mo Caihuan after seeing the mother and daughter walk past his door often. He actually did not care about the rumors of Mo Caihuan having cursed her husband and directly proposed a request to marry Mo Caihuan. Lady Yan naturally would not agree, and so in the end, this cultivator left in a rage.


    As such, the person messing with things behind the scenes naturally was ready to emerge!


    When Han Li ran into Mo Caihuan on the street today, it just so happened to be when Mo Caihuan was looking for another supplier and had a large argument.


    Lady Yan thoroughly and slowly spoke, while Mo Caihuan occasionally added a few sentences. Han Li roughly understood the whole story at this point! However, when hearing that Mo Caihuan was being forced to marry someone, he couldn¡¯t help but gently laugh a few times.


    Who would expect that there were actually people who were willing to forcefully take the little demoness! However, this little demoness had truly grown into a big demoness in the years that he had not seen her, with a figure that could kill many people!


    ¡°Han Li, after so many years of cultivation, your cultivation should have advanced beyond the ninth layer, right?¡± Lady Yan glanced over Han Li once again before politely asking. Having stayed in Yan Ling Castle over these years, although she had no way of cultivating, she knew quite a bit of common knowledge regarding the cultivation world.


    ¡°It¡¯s decent! Martial Mother no doubt wants me to deal with this cultivator¡¯s pestering; this person must be trouble, no?¡± Han Li gently laughed before straightforwardly speaking.


    Hearing this, Lady Yan was somewhat embarrassed and relieved! From Han Li¡¯s tone, it seemed that he was willing to help.

 Chapter 252

    Separation.


    Chapter 252: Separation


    ¡°Do you know a bit about the details of this person¡¯s cultivation? If he isn¡¯t an important disciple or the Yan Clan and his cultivation isn¡¯t high, I can go have a chat with him and should be able to smoothly resolve this,¡± Han Li calmly said as he rubbed his nose.


    In fact, he clearly understood that being able to force a mortal girl required a high enough cultivation. Thus, he could only be a bit careful about this.


    ¡°I had Caihuan investigate this matter before. Apparently his fundamental cultivation had reached the fifth layer. Although his surname is Yan, he is certain to be an unimportant character of the Yan Clan. Otherwise, if he were an important disciple, why would he live among us mortals!¡±


    Lady Yan was worthy of being the former head of the Mo Estate. Even though she had reached such dire straights, she managed to neatly arrange this matter and thoroughly understood it.


    ¡°This is of no question! In a moment, Junior Martial Sister will just have to show me the way, then I¡¯ll go and settle this problem!¡± When Han Li heard this, he nodded his head and replied.


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother! I knew that Senior Martial Brother was certain to help!¡± When Mo Caihuan clearly heard this, she sweetly called out with extreme happiness.


    ¡°Han Li, we¡¯ve truly troubled you! If we hadn¡¯t, how else could this mother and daughter possibly challenge a cultivator?¡± Gratitude flashed through Lady Yan¡¯s eyes but then she sighed and helplessly added, ¡°Although this place appears to restrict cultivators from harassing us mortals, there are far too many counts of cultivators humiliating mortals, but how could the Yan Clan possibly punish all those cultivators! Moreover, if a mortal is not careful and actually start a feud with a cultivator, he would evaporate without a trace. This is a rather common occurrence.¡±


    Han Li had heard the unwillingness to be powerless in her words. After all, compared to the grandeur of the ultimate power grasped by the Mo Estate, their current life of swallowing their anger was, as Lady Yan had described, truly humiliating.


    After Han Li heard this, he was silent for a moment, Then he asked a few questions of his misgivings.


    ¡°Master¡¯s Wife, Junior Martial Sister should have long reached a suitable age for marriage. Why hasn¡¯t she found a suitable partner within the castle yet? If she married a cultivator, wouldn¡¯t you have someone to rely on?¡±


    ¡°Marry?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry those Yan Clan cultivators!¡±


    Just as Han Li had finished speaking, Lady Yan bitterly smiled as Mo Caihuan loudly rejected this with an entirely unhappy expression.


    ¡°Why?¡± Han Li was somewhat astonished.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother! The cultivators of the Yan Clan fundamentally do not treat us mortal girls justly! If a mortal were to marry to them, she would basically be treated as a mortal slave, nothing more. It would be undesirable for any girl to be in this position since she would be beaten and scolded often. I would rather remain single for my entire life than marry!¡± Mo Caihuan¡¯s voice was quick and anxious. It was clear she greatly feared this.


    ¡°Han Li, you didn¡¯t know this but your Junior Martial Sister made a friend here, a mortal in this castle, and she was married to a Yan Clan cultivator. The result was not as expected. She was frequently abused, and when her appearance aged, they found an excuse to abandon her, leaving her extremely miserable! That cultivator then married again to a young pretty woman. Sigh, if only there were a good-natured cultivator like her stepfather¡­there are truly too few of them there. I am also unwilling to subject Caihuan to hardship. As for marrying her to a mortal, her perspective is too large, how could she possibly put them in her eyes!¡± Lady Yan explained Mo Caihuan¡¯s actions.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that! But if that¡¯s the case, will Junior Martial Sister never get married her entire life?¡± Han Li naturally asked, wrinkling his brow.


    When Han Li said this, Lady Yan¡¯s expression changed as if she wanted to say something. But after a moment of hesitation, she decided to not say it. It was unknown what Mo Caihuan was thinking since she too lowered her head and remained silent.


    Then Han Li realized the atmosphere felt a bit amiss, as if¡­


    He immediately broke the mood, saying, ¡°Junior Martial Sister, show your Senior Martial Brother the way. Let¡¯s resolve this matter first and talk about this later!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Mo Caihuan hesitated for a moment before agreeing. When Lady Yan saw this, she did not have any intention to oppose.


    Thus, Han Li and Mo Caihuan departed from the store for the time being and went straight toward the cultivator¡¯s residence, which was quite far away.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what layer is your cultivation? When you knocked on his door, it appeared to be like a mouse seeing a cat. He called you ¡®Senior¡¯ incessantly and bowed to you so many times! With that kind of respect, it was as if he saw his own ancestor.¡± Mo Caihuan returned to the lively bearing that Han Li remembered. On the desolate path on the way back, she continuously giggled. That was how a young twenty year-old woman should act!


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled and humbly answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just a layer higher. According to the customs of the cultivation world, he truly should be calling me ¡®Senior¡¯!¡±


    When Mo Caihuan heard this, happiness flashed through her eyes, and she giggled even more.


    ¡°Regardless, when I remember that funny expression when he saw me, I can¡¯t help but laugh!¡±


    This time, Han LI didn¡¯t say anything and only silently smiled toward Mo Caihuan. After a moment, Mo Caihuan became shy and turned her face away, saying nothing else.


    But a moment later, she said something that greatly surprised Han Li.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, without spiritual roots, is there truly no method to cultivate? I also want to be a cultivator like you!¡± Mo Caihuan turned her head toward him with a face of grief and a voice with hope.


    When Han Li saw this scene, he felt slight heartache but could only remain silent. Ever since ancient times, it was impossible to cultivate without spiritual roots. This has been a constant, rigid truth of the cultivation world for hundred of thousand of years! How could he possibly have great enough ability to break this!


    When Mo Caihuan saw Han Li¡¯s expression, her originally blazing heart grew cold. She knew that this extremely capable Senior Martial Brother also to have no method for this.


    She could not help but become saddened, silently falling a few steps behind Han Li. The journey slowed, and the two appeared to become quiet.


    When the two weren¡¯t far away from the small shop, Han Li suddenly stopped and turned towards Mo Caihuan, saying, ¡°I still have matters to attend to and can¡¯t return to see Martial Mother! Let¡¯s depart here. Fortunately, I will be here at Yan Ling Castle for several more days. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to see you in the future.¡±


    ¡°What? Senior Martial Brother wants to leave now?¡± Mo Caihuan was startled at first but then appeared greatly disappointed.


    ¡°En, here are a few tens of spirit stones. Give them to Martial Mother to set them aside for emergencies. Right now, this is all I can do!¡± Han Li took out a small leather pouch from his storage pouch and handed it over to Mo Caihuan.


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother!¡± Mo Caihuan said this with a soft voice, appearing extremely feeble. Reluctance to separate appeared in her eyes.


    When Han Li saw this display, he didn¡¯t know why, but he felt a peculiar pain in his heart.


    After he hesitated for a moment, he took out a silver bottle and tossed out a pink pill.


    ¡°Take this. Although it won¡¯t make you a cultivator, it will make it so your appearance will never age and you will forever stay young. This can be considered my present to you as your Senior Martial Brother!¡± Han Li said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I¡­¡±


    When Mo Caihuan heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but be pleasantly surprised. Her desire to say the words in her heart grew stronger. However, Han Li did not let her say them. He flicked his finger and the medicine pill flew into her mouth, causing her to involuntarily swallow.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, I am leaving! You and Martial Mother take care of yourselves!¡±


    When these words were spoken, Han Li faintly shook and his appearance remained for a second. He then completely disappeared.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother!¡±


    Mo Caihuan called out, astonished. She hurried rushed forth several steps and looked around in every direction. Could there still be any trace of Han Li?


    Helpless, Mo Caihuan could only slowly walk back to the store with a saddened expression.


    After a short moment, Han Li appeared in a room not too far away. After he silently looked on for a moment more, he disappeared again without hesitation.


    Although Han Li was not certain what this Junior Martial Sister was going to say to him, he could make a fairly accurate guess.


    But unfortunately, while they were destined to meet, they were not fated to be together! His feelings toward her had not reached that stage.


    Not to mention his lifespan as a Foundation Establishment cultivator was truly far too different from her own. That was also why he was unwilling to touch these feelings. After all, powerlessly seeing the people he loved wither before his eyes was truly something Han Li found intolerable!


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Heavenly Crane Residence¡± The name of this teahouse appeared before Han Li. It was an ancient building, three stories high. As expected, it was somewhat imposing.


    With only a rough look, Han Li did not think deeper and entered. This was because he had already felt over ten vibrations of magic power within the building, all of which were on par with his own. Only cultivators on the stage of Foundation Establishment or greater could release such spiritual power.


    He entered the teahouse and swept his gaze across without stopping in the slightest. Then he went up to the second floor. This was because on the first floor, there were only mortals without the slightest magic power.


    Although there were a few cultivators on the second floor, the majority of them were of the Qi Condensation stage. They were fundamentally unable to enter Han Li¡¯s eyes at this moment. Han Li felt the fluctuation of magic power grow greater as he approached the third floor, Han Li¡¯s real objective.

 Chapter 253

    Ghost Spirit Sect.


    Chapter 253: Ghost Spirit Sect


    When Han Li entered the third floor, he immediately felt several spiritual senses sweep past him, causing his heart to shiver.


    These investigators¡¯ magic power was of mid Foundation Establishment stage, far greater than an early Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself. During his four years of secluded cultivation in his Immortal¡¯s cave, his magic power had approached the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but he still had yet to pierce through a paper-thin bottleneck, much to Han Li¡¯s disappointment.


    However, these thoughts were rather ordinary. After all, with the speed of his four years of cultivation and having almost reached mid Foundation Establishment, he had already surpassed the speed of normal cultivators. Also, this final paper-thin bottleneck was the first he had encountered in Foundation Establishment. This was not something that could be broken through solely with medicinal assistance, but rather, it also required a certain auspicious opportunity.


    If he were to just consume many different medicines, it would only deepen his magic power a bit, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily step over and advance through this layer.


    As Han Li thought of this, he roughly understood everything on the upper floor and sized it up once through,


    The people of the third floor were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it was obvious that they were divided into two groups. One group was dressed in the style of the Seven Great Sect of the State of Yue. The others were disorderly dressed, marking them as foreign cultivators.


    There were only five cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. They all sat at a table and were talking about something with a soft voice. They seemed to be somewhat close. As for the other cultivators, there were seven or eight, sitting alone or in pairs. They were drinking tea with cold faces and weren¡¯t whispering or talking.


    With such a contrast between movement and stillness, Han Li felt an oppressive, hostile atmosphere.


    Han Li¡¯s arrival naturally aroused the other cultivators¡¯ attention. Apart from the few who had examined him at the beginning, the others also turned to study him. Then, without hesitation, Han Li walked toward the table with cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. After all, he was one of them, an ally.


    Han Li¡¯s movement caused the foreign cultivators to turn a blind eye to him! Then the people from the seven sects stood up and welcomed him with a faint smile.


    Wearing the Yellow Maple Valley uniform, Han Li naturally did not need to say anything about it. These people were already quite familiar with it.


    ¡°This one is Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Han Li! I see there are several Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters!¡± Han Li bowed. Of the five before him, three were actually mid Foundation Establishment and the other two were early Foundation Establishment like himself.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han! This one is the Clear Void Sect¡¯s Wu Fazi. This is Junior Martial Brother Wu Youzi. These three are Junior Martial Brother Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain, Senior Martial Brother Ba of the Giant Sword Sect, and Junior Martial Sister of Heavenly Imperial Castle.¡± The eldest of the two Daoist Priests sitting at the table politely saluted him and gave him a cursory introduction.


    ¡°Since Junior Martial Brother has come, first sample the Yan Clan¡¯s famed Snowbell Tea! This teahouse specializes in providing top-grade goods for us external cultivators!¡± Cultivator Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain was a cheerful middle-aged man. Once Han Li sat down, he immediately took the teapot and poured Han Li a cup of cloudy white spiritual tea.


    Han Li nodded with a smile in response and then took a light sip.


    Regardless of whether this person had sincerely poured tea for him, their appearances were convincing.


    ¡°Good tea!¡± Not paying particular attention to these people, Han Li could not help but praise the tea.


    As the tea went down, he immediately a slight cold chill rise from his stomach. The tea had left a strong lingering fragrance throughout his mouth.


    When Cultivator Wu heard this, his smile grew slightly stronger.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s appearance is rather unfamiliar. Are you a newly accepted brilliant disciple of a Yellow Maple Valley Martial Senior?¡± The twenty year-old Junior Martial Sister Fang with a common appearance calmly asked.


    ¡°My master is Li Huayuan. I was formally accepted as his disciple upon achieving Foundation Establishment. My age is but a few trifling years! I hope Senior Martial Brothers and Sister will give me a pointer of two!¡± Han Li responded with a sincere expression.


    ¡°How could we possibly talk about giving pointers! Everyone mutually exchanges a pointer or two with one another. Since Junior Martial Brother Han was able to become Martial Senior Li¡¯s disciple and was even dispatched to this location when you were so young, you are certain to be outstanding. There is no need to undervalue yourself so much!¡± The one speaking this time was the middle-aged man from the Giant Sword Sect. Although he appeared sincere and considerate, the words coming out of his mouth revealed none of that, leaving Han Li somewhat surprised.


    Han Li naturally said a few more modest words. As such, apart from that thin, short and silent Wu Youzi, Han Li and the others broke into an excited discussion.


    ¡°What were you talking about just now?¡± After a few more niceties, Han Li steered toward this topic, asking as he wished.


    ¡°It was nothing! We were guessing the reason as to why so many cultivators from foreign countries had come to Yan Lin Castle. This is truly unusual! Although the Yin Yang Pagoda is very precious, it¡¯s certainly not this attractive.¡± When Wu Fazi heard Han Li¡¯s question, he answered with a solemn expression.


    These words dispelled Han Li¡¯s doubts. He could not help but repeatedly nod in agreement.


    ¡°We made a few comments about it a moment ago but weren¡¯t able to come to a conclusion.¡±


    ¡°We all felt that the odds of an outstanding treasure appearing in this area were not high. Because if this were the case, not only would there be Foundation Establishment cultivators, Core Formation stage experts would have already long arrived and wouldn¡¯t be nearly as peaceful. As for their true reasons, we have no way of knowing,¡± said the Fang woman from Heavenly Imperial Castle.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have careless suspicions. Surely in two days, on the start of the Treasure Seizing Assembly, everything will be made known. I actually feel a bit uneasy toward the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who arrived today. Overall, I feel that these people are of the wrong sort! They actually repeatedly beat down the disciples of the Yan Clan and truly cause too much mishap. Do any of you know their origins?¡± The middle-aged man named Wu asked with a wrinkled brow. His chuckling smile could no longer be seen; it seems he was truly felt great unease toward these cultivators.


    Cultivator Wu¡¯s question immediately caused this group of cultivators to look at each other in dismay!


    This was the first time they had heard of this sect, but how could they be a righteous group with that name of theirs? They most likely tread the Devil Dao. Nobody knew whether they were a sect from a nearby country, but regardless, they were able to cause a local powerhouse like the Yan Clan to be afraid of the consequences and remain timid even after they injured so many of their disciples. It seemed their aggressive arrogance knew no end.


    The majority¡¯s expression had changed except for that of Wu Youzi, who had yet to speak. Only his expression hadn¡¯t changed. It seemed he knew something of this Ghost Spirit Sect, causing everyone to be somewhat expectant.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, do you know of this Ghost Spirit Sect?¡± Wu Fazi asked with great surprise. His Junior Martial Brother had never been fond of interacting with others, but he did enjoy flipping through all sorts of books. Perhaps he truly knew a thing or two!


    ¡°The Ghost Spirit Sect, one of the six sects of the State of Tian Luo. They are experts on controlling ghosts and enslaving demons. They are also proficient in poisonous techniques and a few dark techniques. Although they are the weakest of the six sects, they are more powerful and wealthier than the strongest sect in the State of Yue, the Masked Moon Sect.¡±


    After Wu Youzi raised his head and coldly said this, he once again turned silent. However, these few words were enough to cause everyone¡¯s expression to greatly change.


    ¡°A Devil Sect of the State of Tian Luo? No wonder the Yan Clan submitted themselves to humiliation! They are absolutely several times more powerful than our own seven sects. In our region, apart from the Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du, no other country¡¯s cultivators would have the power to resist an invasion from them.¡± The man from the Giant Sword Sect turned pale as he mentioned this.


    ¡°We can¡¯t make a mistake about this. How would a great power suddenly come to our State of Yue and participate in such a small Treasure Seizing Assembly?¡± the Fang woman asked, not daring to be fully convinced. Her words naturally carried some doubt.


    ¡°¡¶Heavenly South Letter¡· Second Scroll, Article Four!¡±  Wu Youzi spoke with a cold voice.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The female cultivator didn¡¯t understand at first, but after a moment, she understood his meaning.


    Every great sect had a set of ancient records, in particular about the customs and relationships of every country, as well as a few fantastic tales and interesting anecdotes; they also touched quite a bit on the affairs of the cultivation world. However, because there was far too much, the female cultivator had only hurriedly looked through a few books before she became disinclined to look further. Could it be that the matters of the Ghost Spirit Sect could be found in these records?


    She wasn¡¯t the only one. The others also expressed doubt. Wu Youzi then reluctantly said, ¡°On the second scroll, not only does it detail the Ghost Spirit Sect but it also roughly introduces the other five sects of Tian Luo!¡±


    From Wu Youzi¡¯s certain appearance, the others were convinced of his words. This time, apart from being shocked, the others began to ponder as to why the Ghost Spirit Sect suddenly appeared at the Yan Clan. Han Li habitually massaged his temples and sunk into deep thought.


    The State of Tian Luo¡¯s six sects intended to invade the State of Yue?


    No, that¡¯s not right. The States of Yue and Tian Luo were separated by two small countries, the States of Che Ji and Jiang. Before invading the State of Yue, they must first invade these two small countries.


    Although these two countries are small, the strength of their cultivation worlds was not small at all. If they were to join with the seven sects of the State of Yue, it would be extremely difficult for the six Devil Dao sects to silently and easily invade the two countries.


    Besides, the nearby Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du would look upon them with a careful eye! Surely they wouldn¡¯t give them the opportunity to expand their strength.


    After Han Li thought it through, Han Li ruled out the most terrible situation!

 Chapter 254

    Yan Clan Ancestor.


    Chapter 254: Yan Clan Ancestor


    Could it be that the Ghost Spirit Sect was moving by itself, independently from the other five Devil Dao sects? If this were the case, the Righteous sects wouldn¡¯t need to fear much. Even the Yan Clan had the power to deal with the people of the Ghost Spirit Sect. After all the Yan Clan had many Core Formation cultivators on guard!


    After Han Li thought of this, he felt a bit more at ease.


    Even if the heavens were to truly fall upon them, those of high status would go to stop it! Whatever shady business the Ghost Spirit Sect had, what did it have to do with a trifling Foundation Establishment disciple such as himself? Let the Yan Clan deal with it! He only had to be a bit careful; after all, the fires that harm the gates affect the fish in the pond.


    (TL: Disaster can affect those who aren¡¯t targeted)


    He didn¡¯t know whether the others shared his thoughts. After a moment of fear, their expressions gradually become normal. Unexpectedly, no one further raised the subject. Instead, they chatted a bit about experiences and questions with regards to cultivation. All of this greatly interested Han Li, and he instantly joined in the discussion.


    Time passed very quickly and the sky gradually darkened. The group had their fair share of talking, and the foreign cultivators left not long ago; it was time to bid farewell.


    Their exchange of experiences left them with no small amount of gains, especially the means and opportunities used to make a breakthrough by the mid Foundation Establishment cultivators! This alone made this trip worth it for Han Li and the other early Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    The middle-aged man surnamed Wu, who clearly wished for this discussion to continue, raised the topic of another meeting. Tomorrow, several of them would meet at a remote location and continue on with their long chat. Furthermore, they would also be holding a small-scale exchange of goods. How could this not be a wonderful opportunity!


    This suggestion received everyone¡¯s approval; Han Li naturally did not oppose.


    Thus, the discussion was complete, and they left one by one.


    Han Li then marked an inn that he passed by on his map. This inn specialized in receiving external cultivators.


    This inn was located in the southeast corner of Yan Ling Castle. The rather unremarkable inn wasn¡¯t very large. It was clearly inferior to other inns, so not many cultivators went there.


    Despite of this, Han Li sought this place because it was peaceful and less popular. Because there were fewer people, the odds of getting tied up into trouble was also smaller. Furthermore, the close proximity to the city walls meant that Han Li could easily escape if any mishap occurred!


    After all, the appearance of the cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect had left Han Li uneasy. Making preparations for the unexpected in advance was a practice he often used to be careful.


    This ¡°Pleased Wind Inn¡± didn¡¯t have many cultivators as expected. It also wasn¡¯t lively, and the people staying there were reclusive. Han Li got his own room without anyone making a fuss, much to his satisfaction. He immediately found a clean spot in his room to sit down.


    As for where that Dong Xuan¡¯er was staying, Han Li did not care to look for her. After all, by the time the Treasure Seizing Assembly started, he would be certain to see her. When the time came, he only had to return to Yellow Maple Valley! As Han Li thought this, he fell into a deep sleep.


    During the night, while many cultivators started to sleep or sat in meditation to refine Qi, at the tallest building in Yan Ling Tower, inside the heavily guarded room inside the ¡°Wind Cloud Pavilion¡±, the command center of Yan Ling Castle, there was a red-haired old man who paced back and forth with both hands behind his back and a deadpan expression.


    Not far from him stood three gray-robed old men wearing extremely respectful expressions.


    ¡°Zi Jun, those Ghost Spirit Sect youngsters truly wanted to come see me this night?¡± The red-haired elder eventually stopped pacing and faintly looked at the elder in the middle.


    ¡°That is right, Venerable Ancestor! After the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect concluded the martial competition, he told me this in private!¡± This person respectfully answered.


    ¡°En!¡± The red-haired elder expressionlessly nodded his head, but radiance flashed through his eyes.


    At this moment, a black-robed middle-aged man walked in and saluted, saying, ¡°Venerable Ancestor, Elders, the guest has arrived! We have already arranged the great hall, but his two bodyguards have said they are unwilling to wait outside the hall. A few guards tried to force them out, but instead they wouldn¡¯t budge; it seems at least one of them is at Core Formation. How do we deal with it? Venerable Ancestor, please give us clear instructions!¡±


    ¡°Core Formation cultivator? That¡¯s not odd at all! Without a bodyguard for a grand young sect master, how could that Ghost Spirit Sect Master feel at ease with him coming here! Let us go and see! I actually was curious to see what this young sect master looks like underneath his mask for quite a while; it turned out to be a sneaky ghost.¡± After the red-haired elder heard the black-robed man¡¯s report, a trace of a scowl appeared on his face as he unpleasantly said this.


    Afterwards, he took the initiative to walk out the room, and the others naturally followed closely behind him.


    Upon entering the main hall, the red-haired elder saw a lanky youth wearing a silver devil mask. He was completely still, sitting in the guest seat.


    There stood two green-robed men behind him. One of them had a face with many layers of wrinkles and a head of white hair. He couldn¡¯t have looked older. The other was a boy with white teeth, red lips, and two pigtails on his head.


    At the center of the hall, there were seven or eight black clothed cultivators lying unconscious on the floor, each with a face filled with black Qi.


    ¡°Who am I to compare? So it turned out to be the renowned Li Brothers. It is no wonder that you do not put my Yan Clan into your eyes.¡± When the red-haired elder saw the two green-robed men, his pupils slightly shrunk, but he still remained expressionless as he said this.


    He walked over to the master¡¯s seat, pulled up the sleeves of his jacket, and sat down. He then lightly clapped his hands two times. Several black-clothed men walked into the hall, wordlessly dragging out the unconscious men.


    ¡°Hehe, who would¡¯ve thought that our brother¡¯s reputation would be so large. Everyone knows of the Yan Clan¡¯s Venerable Ancestor! Zeze! We are truly honored to have you as our brother! However, right now Big Brother Lia Zhi and I are responsible for protecting the young master, who is carrying out the Master¡¯s affairs! If you have any business, Senior Brother Yan, please discuss it with our young master.¡± After boy with the innocent appearance smiled, he spoke with a coarse voice like a broken gong. The Yan Clan guards that heard this were greatly startled.


    (TL: Zeze is the sound of him clicking his tongue)


    When the red-haired elder heard what he said, his heart shivered. He had heard of the impressive reputation of these two devils. With this said, it seems this young master was not a simple character. His gaze then fell on the silver-masked youth.


    After sizing him up for a moment, he insipidly asked, ¡°You are the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect? Why do you wear a mask? Could it be you have something shameful to hide?¡±


    ¡°You are wrongly blaming this Junior. This Junior wears a mask for other, more difficult, reasons, not because of something shameful. If Senior truly wishes to see, then this Junior will naturally take off his mask and let Senior take a look,¡± the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect said with a faintly cheerful voice. His words were neither humble nor arrogant.


    ¡°Humph! What is so good about a man¡¯s appearance? This old man has no such inclinations! Why did your people from the Ghost Spirit Sect suddenly come to our Yan Clan from so far away? Furthermore, you¡¯ve clearly shown you wanted to meet with me. My people have arrived as you have seen. Just say whatever superfluous words you prepared as you wish. This old man no longer has the patience to deal with you much longer.¡± After the Yan Clan¡¯s Ancestor looked at the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect indifferently, he ruthlessly said this, layering his words with a hostility that matched his loftiness.


    ¡°Hehe, since Senior Yan has said as such, this Junior will not beat around the bush and speak bluntly. My Lord Father wished for this Junior to deliver a letter to Senior. He also wished for Junior to say two words for Senior to hear.¡± Even when the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect saw how the Yan Clan Ancestor treated him, he still remained calm and poised.


    ¡°What letter! I have never seen your father before. What¡¯s more is that the Yan Clan and your Ghost Spirit Sect never had such friendly relations. What letter needs to be delivered to this old man? You even want to tell me two words in secret. Are you playing with me?¡± Old man Yan looked at the Li Brothers for a moment and saw that they hadn¡¯t moved in the slightest.


    The Yan Clan Ancestor found it hard to truly believe this was the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master.


    Naturally, the Li Brothers saw the doubts of the Yan Clan¡¯s ancestor and looked at him with a smile. They then made no further movements.


    At this moment, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master took out a jade slip he had on hand, stood up, and walked several steps forwards, but the Yan Clan Ancestor remained sitting and didn¡¯t have an intention of holding out his hand to receive it. Instead, after he took a look at the jade slip, he said extremely coldly, ¡°I will see this letter later. First say those two words of yours! After this old man hears them, I will decide whether or not I want to look at the letter!¡±


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master heard those words, he didn¡¯t move. Instead, he sighed behind his mask and slightly moved his lips, spitting out the two words for the old man to hear.


    Although those from the Yan Clan could not hear those two words, after the Yan Clan Ancestor heard them, his body suddenly stirred. Letting out a deep breath, he stood from his chair; his expression extremely dark.


    ¡°Give me the letter, then follow me to a private room!¡± After a moment of uncertainty, the red-haired old man said this with fierce resolution.


    Thus, in the presence of many Yan Clan Disciples, the Yan Clan Ancestor brought the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect to a private room covered with layers of restriction spells.


    However, the two Core Formation Cultivators who had accompanied him stayed outside. The slightest of unease could not be seen. It was as if they had full confidence in the security of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master.


    All of them waited through the entire night.

 Chapter 255

    Secret Meeting.


    Chapter 255: Secret Meeting


    Han Li glanced at the expert¡¯s pill formula before him and wrinkled his eyebrows, speechless.


    This was the second afternoon since Han Li had arrived at Yan Ling Castle.


    After participating in a fervent discussion with some newly joined members from morning till noon, the ten or so cultivators from their various sects within the room began to exchange for items that they each needed. Every person took turns listing what items they required and what items they were willing to trade to see whether or not there were other cultivators present willing to exchange.


    In fact, even in this kind of a small-scale exchange meeting, there were a few cultivators who took out some high-quality items.


    For example: the woman from the Heavenly Imperial Fortress surnamed Fang pulled out a Heavenly Flower Stone. This was the best material to refine a top-grade earth attribute magic tool. It could also be used to refine average earth attribute magic treasures.


    Another new addition, a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, pulled out the egg of an advanced grade one demonic beast, Whistling Wind Eagle. After it hatched, it would be a rather useful assistant to a cultivator, capable of both acting as a sentry and searching for objects.


    The items the other people took out, although they were not as impressive as the previous two, were materials and items that would be quite hard to find in a market city.


    Among all of these items, Han Li actually did find a medicinal herb necessary to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill; this exceeded Han Li¡¯s expectations, causing him to excitedly exchange it for seven or eight elementary high-grade talismans. Of course, as its age was not sufficient, he would need to return to mature it. However, this trade left both sides grinning from ear to ear.


    When it was Han Li¡¯s turn to speak, he bluntly brought out his own elementary high-grade talismans for trade. He mentioned the medicine ingredients he was lacking for the two medicine pills, and after a moment of hesitation, he also mentioned that all sorts of pill formulas were available for trade.


    Han Li was not able to acquire all the materials required for the ancient pill formulas, but it was only natural since they were rarely seen. The majority of these cultivators had never even heard the names of the materials Han Li listed. Although a few had heard one or two of those names before, they had none of those materials on hand. As for pill formulas, these cultivators naturally would not exchange them for talismans. They all knew that Han Li had said it without much thought.


    Han Li, seeing that he had talked for a long time, yet no one stepped forwards to make an exchange, knew that he didn¡¯t have much hope. Thus, he disappointedly decided to sit back down when all of a sudden, someone unexpectedly opened his mouth and said:


    ¡°Are you accepting all pill formulas? I have a pill formula here, but it¡¯s somewhat strange. Can you take a look and judge how many talismans it can be exchanged for?¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li became happy in his heart, and without thinking any further, he opened his mouth and said:


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s fine! As long as it¡¯s a pill formula, I am willing to make a trade.¡±


    After this was said, Han Li took note of the person who had wanted to trade a pill formula. It was actually that cold, reclusive Daoist Priest, Wu Youzi.


    After Wu Youxi heard Han Li¡¯s words, the trace of a rarely-seen smile appeared on his face. Then he took out an azure jade slip and gave it to Han Li. When the other cultivators saw that there was someone who had exchanged a pill formula for talismans, they couldn¡¯t help but whisper for quite some time with astonished appearances.


    Wu Youzi¡¯s Senior Martial Bother Wu Fazi then unexpectedly turned a blind eye and closed his eyes to rest.


    After Han Li scanned through the pill formula, he somewhat understood why Wu Youzi had taken it out to exchange with him.


    This was actually an ancient pill formula. Not only that, but a pill used by ancient cultivators specialized in raising spirit beasts, the ¡°Spirit Feed Pill¡±. According to what was written on the formula, not only did a majority of demonic beasts greatly love to eat it, but after prolonged consumption,  it would have the wondrous effect of promoting the spirit beast¡¯s grade. It was the optimal medicine pill to nurture spirit beasts.


    Seeing this, Han Li was startled! How could this cultivator trade such a valuable pill formula? But when Han Li took a look at the materials required for refining it, he suddenly mocked himself. Now he knew why the other party didn¡¯t value this formula in the least.


    For average cultivators, the materials required to refine the ¡°Spirit Feed Pill¡± were truly astonishing. It required nearly as many precious and rare materials as Han Li¡¯s own ¡°Qi Refining Powder¡±.


    As for the materials that were hard to gather, even if one gathered enough of these rare materials, who would use them to refine this ¡°Spirit Feed Pill¡±? Naturally, a cultivator would keep the materials for use on his own body; after all, the progression of one¡¯s own magic power was more important than that of a spirit beast.


    ¡°Benefactor, you said that any pill formula is fine. You can¡¯t go back on your word!¡± Although this lanky Daoist Priest showed a trace of shrewdness, the originally honest and sincere impression he had given Han Li caused Han Li to bitterly smile.


    However, while this pill formula was of not use to others, it held obvious value to Han Li. Naturally he wouldn¡¯t let it slip by.


    Han Li lowered his head in thought. He then took out ten elementary high-grade talismans from his storage pouch and gave them to the Daoist Priest. This should be enough to satisfy him; after all, common cultivators would have regarded this recipe as trash, else this Daoist Priest would have long traded it with Spirit Beast Mountain instead of keeping it among his possessions to this day.


    As expected, Wu Fazi took the talismans and did not speak further, satisfied.


    After Han Li sat down, a cultivator immediately stood up and said somewhat impatiently, ¡°I have iron wood, aged a few several hundred years. This¡­¡±


    The trade for this item caused the room¡¯s atmosphere to become even more fervent!


    Meanwhile, inside the Yan Clan¡¯s Wind Cloud Pavilion¡¯s official hall, a secret clan assembly had convened.


    All of the stewards and elders who held power all sat down in two rows, attentively listening to the Yan Clan Ancestor. Beside the Yan Clan Ancestor stood an absolutely peerlessly stunning woman who appeared seventeen or eighteen years of age, beautiful as a fairy should be.


    ¡°The Ghost Spirit Sect raised conditions for the Yan Clan¡¯s return. They are rather generous. Not only will they lend us the ¡¶Thousand Spirit Sutras¡· to the Yan Clan, but they will also promise that a person from our Yan Clan will serve as their deputy sect master. Their only request is that Yan¡¯er must marry their young sect master and pair cultivate the Great Blood Spirit Arts with him. Furthermore, the position of the Yan Clan Master must be succeeded by their children. Naturally, the position of the Ghost Spirit Sect Master must also be succeeded.similarly.¡± The Yan Clan Ancestor calmly said this. Although his voice wasn¡¯t very loud, it had clearly reached everyone¡¯s ear, as if he were speaking right next to them.


    (TL: The Yan Ñà of the Yan Clan and the name of the girl Yan¡¯er ÑÉ have the same sound but are written differently.)


    ¡°Everyone, speak. What path should our Yan Clan proceed? You should all know that our late Yan Clan ancestors were originally cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect who were at discord with other cultivators within the sect and established our estate in the State of Yue. The current Ghost Spirit Sect Master can be regarded as my Martial Nephew. Because of this, everyone shouldn¡¯t have any misgivings on those sentiments. Focus and consider only the benefits and losses to our Yan Clan.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master brought some information. The Six Devil Sects of the State of Tian Luo will invade the State of Yue in five days. The States of Jiang and Che Ji already surrendered half a month ago, and most of the two country¡¯s sects have been extinguished. The small portion that surrendered has become subordinate sects to the Six Devil Sects. Thus, even if our Yan Clan doesn¡¯t agree to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s conditions, we must consider what happens after the Seven Sects of the State of Yue are extinguished and how our Yan Clan will survive. This is the problem that should be at the forefront of our consideration.¡±


    Without waiting for the rest of the Yan Clan to address the previous question, the Yan Clan Ancestor threw out an even more astonishing matter, causing everyone to madly comment on it.


    ¡°What?! The cultivation worlds of the States of Jian and Che Ji have already been taken over? This is impossible!¡±


    ¡°The strength of those two countries isn¡¯t weak at all! How could they fall against the Six Sects of the Devil Dao without years of resistance? How could you speak of them falling?¡±


    ¡°How could they have won so quickly? Could it be there is something greater at play? A secret?¡±


    Clearly, those who held power in the Yan Clan found it hard to believe this information.


    ¡°Enough! Those with questions should ask them one by one. How could we possibly move forward with all this ruckus?¡± When the Yan Clan Martial Ancestor saw this, he answered with a cold expression.


    After these words were spoken, the ruckus in the large hall was immediately silenced. Then all the gazes focused onto a middle-aged Confucian Scholar sitting to the right of the red haired-elder.


    When the Yan Clan Ancestor clearly saw the situation, he wrinkled his brow and amiably said to the Confucian Scholar, ¡°Xuan Ye, how do you see things? You are the source of wisdom for our Yan Clan. These matters relate to the life and death of the Yan Clan; please analyze them with all your heart!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Venerable Ancestor!¡± The Confucian Scholar didn¡¯t dare to be negligent and hastily replied.


    ¡°However, can this descendant first ask a few questions before saying anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course you can! Do not hesitate to ask any questions you have! I will say all that  I know,¡± the Yan Clan Ancestor solemnly pledged.


    After receiving the Yan Clan Ancestor¡¯s reply, the Confucian Scholar nodded his head and solemnly asked, ¡°First of all, is the might of this Great Blood Spirit Arts very great? Also, how will niece¡¯s heavenly spiritual roots affect the cultivation of this technique after she pair cultivates with their young master? Secondly, how did they find our Yan Clan and know that we originally came from the Ghost Spirit Sect? Lastly, were they the only ones who informed Venerable Ancestor of the occupation of the Six Devil Dao Sects in the States of Jiang and Che Ji? If this is true, shouldn¡¯t the Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du be hurrying to respond?¡±


    In a single breath, the Confucian Scholar asked three questions¡­

 Chapter 256

    Conspiracy.


    Chapter 256: Conspiracy


    When the Yan Clan Ancestor heard the Confucian Scholar ask only the crucial points, he couldn¡¯t help revealing an expression of admiration and surprise. He then replied:


    ¡°Great Blood Spirit Arts. Although our late Yan Clan ancestors did not carry this cultivation art, this letter seems to think extremely highly of this cultivation art, praising it as the number one devil art of the¡¶Thousand Spirit Sutras¡·. After refining it, one could even take a leading role in the Six Sects of the Devil Dao. It could also be said to be one of the most fearsome secret techniques. However, this technique is far too overbearing. In order to prevent any accidental harm, a man and a woman must pair cultivate it. It is also extremely important that their spiritual roots be of sufficient quality. If they are not, then it can only be cultivated to the second or third layer at the very most, simply nothing worthy of note. Thus, if one had captivating heavenly spiritual roots, they would absolutely become an ideal partner for pair cultivation. This young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect happens to have extremely rare dark spirit roots, an ideal partner for cultivating the Great Blood Spirit Arts. If he and his partner had ideal peak aptitudes and truly cultivated the Great Blood Spirit Arts, they could cultivate this art to its very deepest and be put at the forefront of the six sects. As a result, this Ghost Spirit Sect did not hesitate to rope us in, even risking telling us information on the the eve of the invasion of the State of Yue to secure the opportunity for the Ghost Spirit Sect to be proclaimed hegemon of the entire Heavenly South Region.¡±


    ¡°As for how they knew of the history of the Yan Clan, there is an even better explanation. Before our ancestors passed away, they already established contact with the Ghost Spirit Sect. I suppose it was at that time that our Yan Clan was brought to their attention. As for Yan¡¯er, it¡¯s likely they have conspired for quite some time, all in order to take advantage of this golden opportunity and have our Yan Clan agree to this matter with both incentive and force.¡± After the Yan Clan Ancestor said this, he bitterly smiled. It was clear that their late ancestors¡¯ rash contact with the Ghost Spirit Sect had left them without much choice.


    ¡°Also, on the matter of the invasion of the Six Devil Dao Sects, they were the ones who told me. But as for the seizure of the States of Jiang and Che Ji, our Yan Clan noticed something amiss several days before their arrival. The men we have stationed in those two countries should have sent us regularly scheduled information by now, but we have yet to receive any message. This should verify their story. As for how they easily seized the two countries? According to their explanation, the six sects had already bribed many members of the two country¡¯s sects and clans in advance. As a result, with an ambush of formidable strength and the aid of several traitors, the two countries fell in one blow. Right now, the six sects should be purging the remnants who refused to pay allegiance. As for using us to prepare for the invasion of the State of Yue, this is naturally to avoid taking greater losses.¡±


    ¡°As for the Righteous Dao Alliance in the State of Feng Du, you can¡¯t hope to count on them. Not long before this meeting, I received information that the Righteous Dao Alliance had already invaded a neighbouring mid-class country and nearly seized all of it. It seems certain that these two great powers already made a deal under the table and have thus started their large-scale expansion operations.¡±


    The Yan Clan Ancestor clearly listed explanations one after another. Those who heard this were shocked!


    ¡°The Devil and Righteous Dao have simultaneously started to expand their influence? Hehe, if this is true, it is rather amusing!¡± After the Confucian Scholar listened to the Yan Clan Ancestor¡¯s answers, he said a few thought-provoking words with a smile.


    ¡°Xuan Ye, what meaning do your words carry?¡± A white-haired Confucian Scholar sitting across from him impatiently asked.


    ¡°Second Uncle! It is nothing, merely a guess of mine. This guess has nothing to do with our Yan Clan. Let¡¯s talk about the situation of our Yan Clan first!¡± The Confucian Scholar responded, shaking his head and waving it off as he wished.


    ¡°Humph!¡± The old man was met with a tactful rejection and resentfully glared at the Confucian Scholar. But in front of the Yan Clan Ancestor, he could only angrily sit back down.


    ¡°Wo! After this meeting, can I hear this small guess of yours?¡± The Yan Clan Ancestor asked with some interest.


    ¡°If Venerable Ancestor wishes to hear, Xuan Ye naturally won¡¯t hide it from you.¡± When the Confucian Scholar saw this, he hastily bowed and respectfully replied.


    ¡°Good! However, let¡¯s first talk about the matter before us. If we were to make a wrong choice about this, it¡¯s not a matter of not being annexed; it¡¯s a matter of offending them and enduring a clan extermination under the combined might of the six sects.¡± A trace of helplessness was revealed in the red-haired elder¡¯s words. After all, while the Yan Clan¡¯s power wasn¡¯t too weak, even with the addition of their hidden strength, they wouldn¡¯t be able to put up the slightest resistance.


    ¡°En! Venerable Ancestor is correct. Currently, the Yan Clan must fear both ends! If we agree, they might take the opportunity to swallow us whole. If we refuse, then their strength will be far too great and will bring upon us endless trouble!¡± The Confucian Scholar wore an expression of contemplation.


    ¡°Even so, my opinion is that we should still agree to their conditions and enter the Ghost Spirit Sect!¡± The Confucian Scholar eventually gave a firm answer.


    Without waiting for the slightest of opposition from the Yan Clan, he continued,


    ¡°Everyone has thought about it from the very start. If we refuse their conditions, what sort of fearsome consequences would occur? But did everyone think about whether we could exhort enough benefits out of the seven sects by refusing the Ghost Spirit Sect? To the best of my knowledge, it seems we currently have good relations with the seven sects. But secretly, they are scared that the power of our Yan Clan will further grow and threaten their interests. Thus in the recent years, they have already indistinctly suppressed us in all areas.Even if we don¡¯t agree to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s conditions and leak the information of the Devil Dao invasion to the seven sects, it is quite possible we wouldn¡¯t be able to fish for any advantages. After all, the resources of the State of Yue have long been divided between the seven sects. How could they spit out things for our Yan Clan? Furthermore, during the six sect¡¯s invasion of the State of Yue, even if the seven sects of the State of Yue were able to acquire the assistance of cultivators from other countries to resist the Devil Dao, their chances of victory aren¡¯t very high. Clinging to victory is our Yan Clan¡¯s path to survival. After all, the loser would be incapable of honoring its promise.¡±


    ¡°Equivalently, agreeing to the Ghost Spirit Sect doesn¡¯t come with just harm. We should also be aware of the benefits! Setting aside the benefits of Yan¡¯er learning the Great Blood Spirit Arts and the position as deputy sect master, becoming a member of the Ghost Spirit Sect is a golden opportunity to expand the influence of the Devil Dao! As such, after the Yan Clan joins with them, we will be able to openly and brazenly expand our influence as well. Of course, we must be careful so we aren¡¯t considered weapons by the Ghost Spirit Sect and consume our manpower in vain. As long as we can expand the power of the Yan Clan until we can reach equal footing with the Ghost Spirit Sect, they will naturally be unable to annex us. If our power becomes far greater than their own, then perhaps we may have the Ghost Spirit Sect be named ¡®Yan¡¯!¡±


    The Confucian Scholar said all of this frankly and with confidence, describing the prospect of a beautiful future and rousing the spirits of quite a few people.


    Naturally there were a few old men who still felt incomparably uneasy. After all, how could the Ghost Spirit Sect have any good intentions towards them and sincerely give them the time to gradually strengthen themselves?


    However, the Confucian Scholar¡¯s next words wiped away their doubts.


    ¡°Naturally, we can¡¯t leave ourselves too vulnerable. We don¡¯t have a single means of restricting them! If the other party truly wanted to have us submit to them, then let¡¯s have that young sect master and the two Core Formation cultivators accompanying him along with Ruyan and two elders exchange a life and death curse. Thus, they wouldn¡¯t be able to harm our Yan Clan for at least two to three hundred years. During this time, our Yan Clan will be able to greatly expand its influence. If the Ghost Spirit Sect doesn¡¯t agree to this measure, then we fundamentally cannot rely on the other party¡¯s goodwill. This would prove all of your previous doubts, that this was merely a trap for our Yan Clan.¡± The Confucian Scholar provided a method to authenticate the other side¡¯s sincerity. The Ancestor and others who listened repeatedly nodded their heads; they felt this method was very reliable.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, Yan Wen, Yan Ji! All of you go to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s guest room and sign a life and death contract with them. If they do not agree, immediately activate the great formation inside the hall and trap them there.¡± After the Yan Clan Ancestor closed his eyes to think for a moment, he opened his eyes and gave his command.


    ¡°We follow your orders, Venerable Ancestor!¡±


    The young girl next to the Yan Clan Ancestor sweetly smiled and gracefully walked to the front of the hall, accepting her orders. She was accompanied by two middle-aged men.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, be careful. If something is amiss, you should first escape. I will arrange for elders to provide support from outside the hall!¡± The Yan Clan Ancestor clearly doted in this young Yan Clan girl, so much so that great concern was shown on his face.


    ¡°Be at ease, Venerable Ancestor! I have the protection of the Violet Cloud Flag, so I¡¯ll definite escape should any danger show up!¡± The young woman adorably comforted him and walked out of the hall with the two middle-aged men.


    As the old red-haired man saw his most favored female descendant walk out, he still felt uneasy. Then without taking the time to think, he issued a series of commands and laid out an inescapable net surrounding the guest hall in order to rescue Ruyan if needed and prevent the other party from escaping.


    Inside the official hall, there was a tranquil atmosphere. All those within were waiting with anxiety for the return of Ruyan and the other two.


    After the time it took an incense stick to burn, a voice transmission talisman suddenly flew into the official hall and headed directly toward the Yan Clan Ancestor¡¯s hand. The Ancestor lightly pinched the sound transmission talisman, and Yan Ruyan¡¯s sweet voice was heard.


    ¡°Venerable Ancestor, the matter has concluded. The other party agreed to the contract that the two Senior Martial Uncles and I proposed. The life and death contract was performed smoothly. I am currently keeping the other party company in the main hall. Because the other party still wishes to further speak to Venerable Ancestor, I request that Venerable Ancestor prepare.¡±


    When the Yan Clan Ancestor and other Yan Clan members heard that the life and death contract was successful, they all let out a sigh of relief. But when they heard the that the other party wished to come to the main hall, everyone stared.


    ¡°Everyone is immediately dismissed! Only Xuan Ye will remain here with me!¡± The Yan Clan Ancestor muttered to himself for a moment before firmly giving his command.


    At his command, the various elders and stewards within the hall immediately dispersed.

 Chapter 257

    Blood Sacrifices and a Glamorous Male.


    Chapter 257: Blood Sacrifices and a Glamorous Male


    The Yan Clan Ancestor and Confucian Scholar both waited for a while before the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master and Yan Ruyan walked into the debate hall.


    ¡°Since my Yan Clan has already agreed to an alliance with your esteemed sect, does young sect master have any other comments?¡± When the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor opened his mouth again, he was obviously much milder; clearly, he was avoiding the fact that the Yan Clan would be a subordinate of the Ghost Spirit Sect in the future.


    ¡°Why does Elder Yan need to act so ceremoniously? Since Ruyan and I are now under a life and death oath, this can be considered our wedding contract! Elder Yan, in the future you can just call me Wang Chan; you don¡¯t have to call me young sect master!¡± Wang Chan said as gracefully as the wind after gently bowing in greeting.


    ¡°How can this be allowed? You and Ruyan¡¯er have yet to wed each other, so how can I be so disrespectful to the young sect master? After all, the Yan clan now is about to become a branch of the Ghost Spirit Sect,¡± the Yan Clan Martial Ancestor expressionlessly refuted, shaking his head and twirling the short beard hairs on his chin.


    Hearing the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor speak like that, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master knew that the other person¡¯s wariness towards him had not been completely dispelled yet; thus, he didn¡¯t force the issue and laughed, then said:


    ¡°In reality, the reason why Wang Chan asked Martial Ancestor to come with Miss Ruyan and meet again was because I wanted to ask how Martial Ancestor was preparing to fulfill the arrangement. After all, in five days our six sects are going to officially attack the State of Yue. At that time, if the Yan Clan doesn¡¯t promptly leave, it will become somewhat complicated.¡±


    ¡°Young sect master can rest assured concerning this matter; although our Yan Clan appears to have many clan members, in reality we will abandon a few outer clan members who are too far removed from the bloodline, as well as commoners with no magic power. After all, transferring all the clan members at once is not quite realistic! The Yan Clan is very clear about this matter!¡± said the Confucian scholar first.


    ¡°Since Yan Clan is prepared to sacrifice, this junior now can rest assured. After all, if the Yan Clan were to move all at once, it would be impossible to not be noticed by the Seven Sects; at that time, your leaked reputation won¡¯t be good! This individual should be the Yan Clan¡¯s Master Xuan Ye, the ¡®Hundred Untold Secrets¡¯. It¡¯s an honor to meet you at last!¡± the young sect master of the Ghost Spirit Sect gently laughed and said as the eyes behind his mask sized up the Confucian Scholar.


    The Confucian Scholar¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but tremble upon seeing that the other person had called out his name and title with one glance. However, his face still wore a calm expression.


    ¡°Junior wanting to find Martial Ancestor was not just this; I also want to know how Yan Clan is planning on handling the two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators currently inside the castle. Many of them are the backbone disciples of the seven sects! Since the Yan Clan must immediately leave within two days, running into them at that time would be extremely unfortunate!¡± said the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master without changing expression; however, the meaning in his words caused the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor and the Confucian Scholar¡¯s expressions to change.


    ¡°Young sect master¡¯s meaning¡­¡­.¡± The Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor said somewhat gloomily.


    ¡°What about this? To cultivate the Great Blood Spirit Arts requires the blood sacrifice of cultivators¡¯ souls in order to smoothly begin cultivation. What about giving us these cultivators to allow our Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Shadowflame Great Formation to refine their physical bodies and leave the souls for Miss Ruyan to begin establishing her Foundation? So many thick souls of Foundation Establishment cultivators should definitely be enough for Miss to easily cultivate the first layer of the Great Blood Spirit Arts.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master indifferently proposed an incomparably vicious idea, causing the hearts of the Confucian Scholar and Yan Clan Martial Ancestor opposite him to feel a chill.


    ¡°Absolutely not! If it were just the people of the Seven Sects, then maybe it would be fine! There are only so many people gathered here because cultivators from other states received word that we would choose a paired cultivation partner for Ruyan. Our Yan Clan definitely cannot do something that would offend everyone!¡± After the Confucian Scholar¡¯s shock, he hurriedly opened his mouth and spoke, as if he were afraid that the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor would actually agree to the proposition.


    ¡°Xuan Ye, you don¡¯t have to be agitated! I haven¡¯t become confused to that stage yet!¡± the Yan Clan Martial Ancestor said, waving his hand at the Confucian Scholar as his face darkened.


    Then, he said coldly to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master:


    ¡°Young sect master¡¯s idea really is a good one! But if we truly did it your way, although the world is large, there will be no place for our Yan Clan to appear ever again. The Yan Clan will not take the initiative to make a move on the invited cultivators; however, I can send someone to gather the cultivators of the seven sects in one location. As for how to deal with them and whether we can gather that many, that will depend on your ability.¡±


    The Confucian Scholar, upon hearing the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor say this, let out a sigh and repeatedly agreed.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master heard this, an unhappy light flickered through his eyes, and he slowly opened his mouth to speak, somewhat dissatisfied, ¡°These cultivator¡¯s souls are to be used for Miss Ruyan, and the people who profit are the Yan Clan¡¯s members, yet the Yan Clan is unwilling to provide any assistance? This behavior is too unjustifiable!¡±


    The Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor was startled slightly. However, the crafty him immediately said, his expression firm, ¡°Ruyan is going to be married to young sect master soon and become young sect master¡¯s wife. If anyone were in your position and made some effort, this is seemingly right and proper! Of course, when our Yan Clan officially becomes part of the Ghost Spirit Sect, naturally we will not have mercy on the members of the Seven Sects. However, no matter how you say it, the Seven Sects¡¯ disciples were invited by us this time. If our Yan Clan were to make the first move, our reputation to the cultivators of other states would be unbearable. Of course, if we were to just let them go like this, it would also be somewhat improper. Thus, it¡¯s best if young sect master¡¯s men make a move; that way, our Yan Clan can excuse ourselves to the cultivators from other states. In addition, I believe that, based on the two Core Formation Experts at young sect master¡¯s sides, would be impossible for you to not capture a few tens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators?¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master glanced deeply at the Yan Clan Martial Ancestor before lowering his head to contemplate. After a long while, he lifted his head and glanced at Yan Ruyan, who had not opened her mouth from the very beginning, then indifferently said, ¡°Since Martial Ancestor says it like that, then our Ghost Spirit Sect will act as the villains this time. All of these cultivators¡¯ souls can be the dowry that Wang Chan gives to Ruyan!¡±


    ¡°Haha! This old man will accept Young sect master¡¯s dowry for Ruyan. Ruyan, quickly pay your respects to young sect master, his dowry is no small matter!¡± A trace of a smile emerged on the Yan Clan¡¯s Martial Ancestor¡¯s face upon seeing that the Yan Clan would not need to make a move against the cultivators in the castle.


    ¡°Thanks for young sect master¡¯s intentions, Ruyan will remember them in her heart!¡± The stunning young woman gracefully stepped forwards and gently paid her respects as she spoke sweetly. Her face¡¯s seemingly bashful, delicate appearance caused a peculiar expression to flash across the eyes of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master.


    ¡°Miss Ruyan being able to cultivate the Great Blood Spirit Arts as soon as possible is also a good thing for Wang, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    ¡°Please, after Martial Ancestor has thought it through, tell Junior the location you are gathering the Seven Sects cultivators to, and then you can just wait for the good news. Now, Wang Chan will leave first.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master politely and elegantly spoke a few sentences, then said his goodbyes, bowing the Yan Clan Ancestor.


    The Yan Clan Martial Ancestor and the Confucian Scholar in the room glanced at each other with deep meaning¡­¡­.


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li felt a great headache.


    All of this pain originated from the confrontation involving the three familiar people and one stranger in front of him.


    The familiar people were Yan Yu and Senior Martial Brother Feng, as well as Dong Xuan¡¯er, who was pressed against the bosom of an incomparably glamorous man.


    ¡°Glamorous¡±


    These two words immediately were attached to this man¡¯s figure when Han Li saw the man¡¯s face clearly.


    This man was truly too beautiful and androgynous; no doubt, his ability to hurt both men and women was extremely strong. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was wearing male attire, even if one were to treat him as a great beauty, perhaps one would not feel too surprised. However, what surprised people even more was that although his appearance was so exceptional, nobody felt that he was even slightly inappropriate; everything was coordinated and decent.


    If it were under normal circumstances, Yan Yu and Senior Martial Brother Feng would not have any ill feelings towards this kind of man. However, today, their eyes were almost spitting fire as they fiercely and relentlessly glared at this cultivator wearing purple clothing.


    Not only was it because Dong Xuan¡¯er was being hugged by him¡ªmost importantly, Dong Xuan¡¯er was foolishly gazing at this stranger¡¯s beautiful visage, a drunken expression on her face.


    Han Li glanced left and right, his eyebrows tightly knitted. At the same time, he broke the silence in his heart and began to curse loudly. He only wanted to go down the nearby roads to return to the hotel after the meeting. Who knew that in such a remote alleyway he would encounter such a scene of jealousy!


    Today, even if he wanted to hide, he would have no way of doing so!


    After all, before leaving for Yan Ling Castle, Martial Senior Hong Fu had urged him to control Dong Xuan¡¯er. If he didn¡¯t see her, he could have pretended to not know about Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s preposterous behavior. However, now that he had run into her face to face, if he didn¡¯t ask at all, he would have no way to justify himself!


    Even more, these two individuals had completely sunk beneath Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s dress. When they saw him, they first froze; next, they actually ran over to him happily, wanting him to quickly pull Dong Xuan¡¯er away from that male cultivator.


    After all, no matter how they looked at it, the danger Han Li posed to them was so small it could be ignored when compared to that glamorous male. It seemed like they had selected Han Li as their last resort.


    As Han Li listened to complaints of the two cultivators who had become completely upset with jealousy, he closely sized up the glamorous male and Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s drunken expression.


    Based on what these two said, they had accompanied Dong Xuan¡¯er in the afternoon to a few of the most reputable stores to buy some raw materials and talismans, but who knew that in one of the stores they would happen to meet this person?


    As soon as she saw that person, Dong Xuan¡¯er immediately became infatuated; she took the initiative to intertwine herself to the other person, and her movements became even more over-the-top. The more they saw, the more their rage increased. What caused them to almost vomit blood was that, when this person saw Dong Xuan¡¯er wrap herself around him, he unreservedly accepted it, even going as far as having the notion of taking Dong Xuan¡¯er away.


    How could these two accept this turn of events? Thus, they blocked off this male in this small alley, wanting him to leave Dong Xuan¡¯er behind.


    But this male coldly laughed once, then said that as long as Dong Xuan¡¯er was willing, he absolutely would not obstruct her at all. These words immediately caused the two to pitifully stand there in vain. No matter how they looked at Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s expression, she had thrown herself into his arms of her own accord.

 Chapter 258

    Bewitchment.


    Chapter 258: Bewitchment


    When Han Li more or less understood what had happened at the alley, he discovered quite a few oddities.


    First of all, he was unable to see the other party¡¯s approximate age from his beautiful appearance.


    From his smooth and delicate skin, he seemed to be about twenty years old. However, from his gaze and bearing, he seemed to be of about thirty or forty years of age. His facial appearance seemed to faintly display some kind of frivolousness as if he were a pompous young master.


    However, he was able to see with a glance that the other party was merely at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. This was the reason Han Li dared to remain. If he were late Foundation Establishment stage, Han Li would have further considered whether or not he should be involved in such a contrived affair.


    Secondly, since the moment he appeared at this place, Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s detached gaze had swept past him, but still turned her head back to indulge in looking at this gorgeous man, as if Han Li had actually become a stranger. This was quite fishy!


    ¡°Who are you? Are you also be an admirer of this young lady? Let me, Tian, first say this clearly: Unless this young lady voluntarily leaves, nobody had better think of make this beauty leave my embrace.¡± When the gorgeous man saw that Han Li, whose appearance was unremarkable, and noticed that his cultivation was only at early Foundation Establishment, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal an appearance of disdain. Then, after he patted Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s fragrant shoulder, he said this without concern.


    Despite seeing the other party show such scorn for him, the slightest of anger could not be seen on Han Li¡¯s face. During this time, his gaze repeatedly switched between this man and Dong Xuan¡¯er, observing them. He then darkly yelled, ¡°Who is your esteemed self? To actually use bewitchment magic on a cultivator of our seven sects, your courage is quite great!¡±


    When he heard Han Li¡¯s words, the glamorous man¡¯s expression slightly changed, but he immediately recovered. Then he said with a smooth expression, ¡°You are babbling nonsense. This young woman and I are together because we find each other¡¯s company pleasant. If you all do not step aside, don¡¯t blame me for mercilessly taking action!¡±


    Yan Yu and Senior Martial Brother Feng, who had also heard Han Li¡¯s words, suddenly realized what had happened. They then aggressively surrounded the glamorous man and angrily said, ¡°I was wondering why Dong Xuan¡¯er would suddenly not take notice of us as if she were possessed. It turns out that a despicable fellow like you used an evil spell to bewitch her. Quickly undo your magic technique, or don¡¯t blame me for being impolite with my Violet Light Cymbals!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, I also thought something was amiss! How could Dong Xuan¡¯er leave with a stranger like you without any reason. It turned out you were a sorcerer! I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Young Lady Dong!¡±


    As Senior Martial Brother Feng and Yan Yu said this, they each took out their own magic tools, a pair of purple cymbals and a short spear, intending to use them.


    Confronting the threats of an early Foundation Establishment and a mid Foundation Establishment disciple, the glamorous man¡¯s face was covered with a layer of chilliness. He coldly said, ¡°You overestimate yourselves!¡±


    At this moment, Han Li felt that something was not right. He unconsciously felt that this glamorous man was extremely dangerous, and thus his mind churned for a moment. He suddenly transmitted his voice loudly towards Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s ear, ¡°Dong Xuan¡¯er! I see you are doing fine, no? Are you not afraid of Martial Senior Hong Fu confining you?¡±


    Yan Yu and Senior Martial Brother Feng didn¡¯t sense Han Li¡¯s voice transmission in the slightest, but the glamorous man seemed to have sensed something. After he glared at Han Li, he hastily lowered his head to look at Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    At this moment, Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s face revealed an expression of shock as she unexpectedly struggled fiercely to leave the gorgeous man¡¯s embrace, withdrawing several steps away. Her face then revealed a slight expression of confusion as if she had woken up from a great dream.


    When Yan Yu and Senior Martial Brother Feng saw this, they were greatly exalted.


    Seeing that the gorgeous man¡¯s expression had become unsightly and that he wanted to walk towards Dong Xuan¡¯er, the two instantly reacted, stepping forward and separating the glamorous man from Dong Xuan¡¯er. How could they possibly allow Dong Xuan¡¯er, who had broken free with difficulty, to once again come under his evil spell!


    After Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s consciousness had fully recovered, she seemed to have though of something extremely dreadful and did not dare to look at the glamorous man any further, abruptly running toward Han Li with panic. Then she hid several steps behind Han Li, thoroughly breaking away from the glamorous man¡¯s resentful gaze.


    At this moment, her body was incessantly trembling, and her face wore an expression of fear. The slightest of her wicked and unruly behavior had vanished.


    The gorgeous man expression grew dark. He looked at Yan Yu and Senior Martial Feng with a malicious gaze and then finally rigidly stared at Han Li.


    Seeing these three look at him with a wary expression, he knew that seizing away Dong Xuan¡¯er today would be impossible.


    By the time Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s consciousness had returned, the three had tied him down and bothered him long enough for peach trees to fully blossom. Furthermore, if a fight occurred, it would attract a great number of cultivators; he did not wish to be recognized at this place.


    But ever since he was small, he had yet to let such a golden prize be snatched away from him.


    With this thought, the glamorous man¡¯s face became slightly twisted. He formidably declared, ¡°Today¡¯s matter has yet to be concluded. I will remember you three! You should all prepare yourselves!¡±


    With that said, the glamorous man¡¯s body flashed with a rainbow radiance and turned into a red light, flying off into the distance. Only Han Li and the others remained, albeit with squinted eyes!


    ¡­¡­


    At the Pleased Wind Tavern where Han Li was staying, Han Li and the others heard Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s account of her bewitchment by the gorgeous man.


    ¡°¡­I did not know why, but when I met his gaze, I immediately felt my mind slip away and couldn¡¯t think of anything. All I could think of was wanting to do my utmost to win his favor, hoping he would do anything to me. It was as if¡­ as if he were my fated master. I was unable to muster any resistance. However, this was definitely my first time seeing him. How could this have happened? I am certainly unwilling to become anybody¡¯s slave!¡± When Dong Xuan¡¯er said this, her face became increasingly pale. It was obvious that the feeling of just having her body and mind controlled by that gorgeous man had caused her to feel a fear greater than her fear of death.


    Han Li and the two other males mutually looked at each other with unsightly faces and said nothing after a while. This glamorous man¡¯s bewitchment technique was far too difficult to deal with! If this magic technique were fully used on them three, they would also be unable to resist!


    ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s no need to be anxious. Although the other party¡¯s bewitchment technique was incredible, it should have no effect on us three!¡± Han Li leisurely said after a moment of contemplation.


    ¡°How did Junior Martial Brother Han come to have such a brilliant opinion?¡± When Senior Martial Brother Feng heard Han Li¡¯s words, his spirit shook.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. If his bewitchment technique could work on us males, do you believe he would have departed with that hateful gaze without using it on us? Perhaps he was lacking magic power and didn¡¯t have enough to use it again. However, when we were confronting him, we truly felt that his magic power was not lacking. Thus we can believe that the first case is most likely,¡± Han Li calmly explained.


    Having heard these words, Senior Martial Brother Feng and Yan Yu simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Since the other party could only use this ferocious bewildering technique against females, the two no longer feared the technique. As for his magic power and magic tools, the two had nothing to fear.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Han! If us female cultivators come across this person, are we certain to be controlled for the rest of our lives? I cannot accept this!¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er said this with a deathly pale complexion and looked as if she wanted to cry. This was the first time she had said ¡°Senior Martial Brother Han¡± with this much grief.


    When Han Li heard this, he remained silent. He wasn¡¯t an admirer of hers. If she wanted someone to protect her, then she shouldn¡¯t be looking at him!


    However, Han Li did not know that ever since Dong Xuan¡¯er had been rescued from that fearsome mind-control, Dong Xuan¡¯er unconsciously became more dependant on Han Li. Seeing herself in this dangerous situation, she had automatically pleaded for him to take action.


    With Han Li having yet to come up with a response, the other two felt sour and patted their chests toward the sky, each expressing their desire to protect Dong Xuan¡¯er for the next few days and prevent that sorcerer from again succeeding by all means.


    When Dong Xuan¡¯er heard what they had to say, her heart grew slightly more eased.


    After all, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators protecting her, it seemed she wouldn¡¯t have any problems. The first attempt to control her had gone smoothly as she had not expected it. But with her additional vigilance, the next attempt to control her would not be so easy.


    Thus, Dong Xuan¡¯er recovered a bit of her spirit. Not long after, she was laughing and playing around with the two; her own charms had reached an extreme, mesmerizing them to the point where they didn¡¯t know which way was north.


    When Han Li saw this, he didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    It could be said this Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s cultivation art and that gorgeous man¡¯s bewildering technique were actually different methods that led to similar results, but the former wasn¡¯t nearly as overbearing.


    However, her charming technique was certain to be an extremely high-grade bewildering technique. It could completely bewilder a man and completely take away his body and mind. From what Han Li had seen, it wasn¡¯t different from that glamorous man in the slightest! They were equally as dangerous!

 Chapter 259

    Movement of the Wind


    However, even as Han Li sighed, he was somewhat puzzled!


    Although Han Li wasn¡¯t proficient in bewitchment techniques, Han Li knew a thing or two about them.


    Every cultivator mastered the ¡°Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique¡±. It could even be considered the most basic of bewitchment techniques. If the gap in magic power between two cultivators was far too great and the stronger cultivator caught the other party off-guard by looking at his eyes while activating the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique, then the cultivator on the receiving end would become stunned during a fight.


    Other kinds of bewitchment-type magic techniques also relied on a huge disparity in magic power in order to control the victim¡¯s mind by force.


    By common conventions, there wasn¡¯t a large enough gap between Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s early Foundation Establishment cultivation and that glamorous man¡¯s mid Foundation Establishment cultivation where a gaze would immediately control her to such an absurd degree. If the other party were a Core Formation cultivator casting the bewitchment technique, then it would be somewhat possible.


    However, from that glamorous man¡¯s expression and his resentful expression when he departed, this did not seem to be the case at all. It was absolutely impossible that he was a Core Formation cultivator pretending to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator in order to play with them.


    With this thought, Han Li finally felt somewhat more at ease. After all, with that glamorous man¡¯s resentful expression when he left, Han Li would have to be diligently on guard.


    When he had lifted his head in contemplation, he noticed that Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s lovely, pitiful appearance had long disappeared as she was flirting with the other two.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li secretly let out a sigh and stood, wanting to head back to his room.


    However, when Han Li put his hand on the wooden door, having not yet open it, he suddenly heard a man¡¯s loud voice from outside the inn.


    ¡°Guests of the inn, listen well. Tomorrow, the Treasure Seizing Assembly will be divided into two divisions. The cultivators of this country will be conducted on the west side on Yan Ling Castle. The cultivators of other countries will be conducted on the east side. We request all guests to arrive early. Those that arrive late will automatically be disqualified.¡±


    After this voice repeated this message three more times, the speaker seemed to have left.


    When Han Li heard these words, he was startled. But soon after, he didn¡¯t pay it any mind and walked into his room.


    Although Han Li was surprised at the separation of cultivators in the competition, he didn¡¯t sense that anything was inappropriate.


    After all, if cultivators of the seven sects and foreign cultivators were to compete, they were certain to provoke no small amount of incidences. This kind of xenophobic mentality was common in all places. This could clearly be seen at the previous confrontational circumstances in the teahouse.


    As Han Li though this, he sat cross-legged on his bed, intending to meditate and refine Qi throughout the night as preparation for tomorrow¡¯s Treasure Seizing Assembly.


    ¡­¡­


    In some room inside Yan Ling Castle, the glamorous, devilish man sat on his wooden chair. Several men and women in front of him respectively made reports. As the man listened expressionlessly, a slight radiance flashed through his eyes. No one knew why he then coldly smiled.


    ¡­¡­


    At this moment, on the west side of Yan Ling Castle¡¯s mountain peak, there were over ten green-robed Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators bustling about, burying a few things underground. The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master and the two Core Formation Experts were indifferently looking down at the scene from the midair.


    ¡°How are things? This last-minute Yin Fire Great Formation is so feeble. Will it be effective?¡± the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master suddenly asked.


    The old man of the Li Brothers coughed a few times, he said while shaking his head, ¡°Young Sect Master, be at ease! There is no problem at all. Although this is a last-minute formation spell, our disciples are managing it. It will be able to display its trapping efficacy. Naturally if the late Foundation Establishment cultivators in the formation used the might of some particularly astonishing magic tools, this may not be the case, but the large majority of these cultivators are certain to be unable to escape.¡±


    ¡°En, I am feeling relieved! The twelve guards I brought from the Ghost Spirit Sect won¡¯t remain idle. That  should be more than enough to handle the stragglers who escape the net!¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master said without worry.


    The Li Brothers felt there was no problem and didn¡¯t further speak.


    In truth, if they didn¡¯t require the souls and primordial spirits of these cultivators to be completely intact, the two Li Brothers would be able to take care of it. Exterminating a few Foundation Establishment cultivators was a trivial matter, but how could they be bothered to do so! The Li Brothers thought with pride.


    ¡­¡­


    Several thousands of kilometers away, in a secret room of Yellow Maple Valley, seven to eight Core Formation Experts had gathered together, nervously listening to a spotlessly clean yellow-robed old man speak. After listening to the old man¡¯s words, all of their complexions grew extremely dark.


    Han Li¡¯s master Li Huayuan, Female Immortal Hong Bi, and even that fatty Lei Wanhe was among them. Their expressions were all extremely disturbed.


    Not long after the cultivators left the secret room, the entirety of Yellow Maple Valley flurried with zeal.


    Sound transmission talismans fluttered down throughout the whole sky. Below the storm of talismans, a storm of cultivators was disorderly rushing about on flying magic tools. A few moments later, groups of cultivators left Yellow Maple Valley during that very night, separately rushing forth in different directions.


    This very scene equivalently unfolded in the other six sects. Furthermore, every sect had messengers rushing back and forth without end. It seemed as if the cultivation world of the State of Yue had become bloodthirsty overnight.


    In the following days, clans of all sizes in the State of Yue received a conscription order sealed by a Sect Master of the Seven Great Sects, calling upon each of the clan¡¯s outstanding disciples. Disobedience would be met with violent extermination from an enforcement squad.


    Naturally, when the conscription order arrived at the Yan Clan three days later, no one responded. By the time, the Yan Clan was already deserted.


    ¡­¡­


    Because Han Li and the other Seven Sect cultivators were too far away, they naturally did not know of this matter.


    As a result, on the second day, just as light had begun to shine, a few cultivators had arrived on the west side of the mountain peak. A huge spell formation had already been established at that location. At the center of the formation were two middle-aged men dressed in Yan Clan apparel with their eyes closed.


    At the back of the spell formation was a short stone platform. On that stone platform stood over ten Yan Clan members faintly covered in mist, talking about something. It seemed they were waiting for all the cultivators to all be present before starting the assembly.


    Han Li had already arrived on the mountain peak. He hadn¡¯t appeared with Dong Xuan¡¯er but rather arrived early by himself. On the mountain peak, he ran into a middle-aged Giant Sword Sect disciple surnamed Ba who had also arrived early. The two were chatting when something suddenly came to Han Li¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Elder Brother Ba, what does this spell formation do? Do you know?¡± After Han Li sized up the huge spell formation several times, he had found it irksome each time. After a moment of chatting, he couldn¡¯t help but ask this.


    ¡°I am embarrassed. This one doesn¡¯t understand much about spell formations, but I reckon it should be a protective barrier type restriction! After all, a competition between Foundation Establishment disciples must be contained, else the small mountain wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand our bustling!¡± The cultivator surnamed Ba stoked his chin, not paying it much mind.


    ¡°Oh! That seems likely!¡± Although Han Li said this, he faintly felt an uneasy air from the spell formation. This was not something he could sense with the deepness of his magic power but rather a reaction completely stemming from his intuition.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and looked in every direction. At this moment, over thirty cultivators had already arrived. The Daoist Priests from the Clear Void Sect, that woman surnamed Fang from Heavenly Imperial Castle, and others he recognized began to appear. Furthermore, they all gathered into groups of three and four to talk about a few things.


    ¡°Brother Han, let us greet them! Wu Fazi and the other have already arrived!¡± The cultivator surnamed Ba saw the others assemble and suggested this to Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°Brother Ba, do not hesitate to go! This little brother still has a few things to think about. Please do not let me trouble you!¡± Han Li lightly shook his head, unwilling to join together with so many people. It seemed a bit too troublesome.


    The Giant Sword Sect Disciple shrugged his shoulders. Although he was a bit puzzled, he walked over by himself. After all, such good opportunities to make friends with cultivators from other sects were hard to come by, so he wouldn¡¯t lightly let it go.


    When Han Li saw the man surnamed Ba leave, he didn¡¯t stay at that location. Instead, he habitually sought a secluded location and walked to the farthest corner away from the spell formation. Then he indifferently looked at the movements of the other cultivators.


    An hour later, Dong Xuan¡¯er and that Senior Martial Brother Feng had finally arrived. Furthermore after they arrived, they entered the crowd of Yellow Maple Valley cultivators. Not long after, Dong Xuan¡¯er stirred up many intimate reactions from several men as if she were a fish in water. In addition, there was no trace of that Yan Yu who originally kept close to her side. Han Li felt somewhat surprised from this.


    At this moment, the many cultivators who donned Yan Clan clothing on the stone platform were actually Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators counting the number of people that appeared.


    ¡°Young Master, we are still short two people. Furthermore, it is not longer early. Should we further wait?¡± After they counted the number of people, a Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator reported this to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to wait any longer! Immediately notify the two elders to start the great formation! If time runs too long, a few clever cultivators may sense that something isn¡¯t right. That would be even worse! As for those two cultivators who didn¡¯t appear, from the twelve guards, have guard eight and guard twelve go and exterminate them. Regardless of the reason why they didn¡¯t appear, do not let them leave Yan Ling Castle alive!¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master didn¡¯t hesitate to give his command. Killing intent permeated throughout his words.

 Chapter 260

    Trap.


    Chapter 260: Trap


    The cultivators beside the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master accepted their orders, transmitting a message to the Li Brothers while still under disguise. But with a startled expression, they turned their face to the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master and further asked for directions, ¡°Young Sect Master, the two elders said there are three cultivators who are too far away from the spell formation. If we start, they will not be restricted by the formation spell. Please instruct us on how to draw those three closer!¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master eyes showed some amazement. He inwardly wrinkled his brow.


    These circumstances were beyond his expectations. It could be said that the range of the last-minute Yin Fire Great Formation restriction range was not small, but there were still people that weren¡¯t within scope. This was quite strange.


    With this thought, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master Wang Chan first raised his head and took a look. Sure enough, he discovered three people who weren¡¯t within range of the spell formation.


    Two of these people were a man and a woman from the Masked Moon Sect. They were kissing outside the northeast corner of the formation and whispering sweet nonsense underneath a large tree. The feeling of love was dense there, and they kept away from the crowd.


    In the west, next to some mountain rock over thirty meters away from the formation boundary, stood a yellow-robed male youth who looked rather ordinary. The one who was insipidly observing the mountain peak was Han Li, who valued carefulness above all else.


    ¡°So it¡¯s those three!¡± Wang Chan said to himself thoughtfully.


    After he muttered to himself, he quietly said a few words to the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator next to him. The subordinate who heard him incessantly nodded his head in agreement.


    This Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator dressed in Yan Clan attire walked onto the earth platform and into the mist. Then he stood not far away from the spell formation and started loudly shouting, ¡°All guests that have come to participate in the assembly, come forth to register your name. After everyone has been accounted for, the Treasure Seizing Assembly will formally start¡­¡±


    This person¡¯s shout immediately attracted the attention of the other cultivators. They couldn¡¯t help but draw closer to the spell formation one by one. The couple from the Masked Moon Sect somewhat unwillingly walked forward into the range of the spell formation¡¯s restrictions.


    Seeing this scene, Wang Chan couldn¡¯t help but faintly smile underneath his mask. However, when his gaze turned to Han Li in the west, his cold smile immediately ceased.


    That was because Han Li actually didn¡¯t move in the slightest. He didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of registering his name. He had unexpectedly folded his arms and was engrossed in watching the crowd of cultivators gather together.


    ¡°What sect is that disciple from?¡± After a while, Wang Chan coldly asked this.


    ¡°From his clothing, he should be a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley!¡± A Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator seemed to sense that the young sect master was in a bad mood. He carefully replied.


    ¡°Tell the two elders to start! This Yellow Maple Valley disciple seems to have some idea. To have me make use of myself is pretty impressive.¡± Wang Chan insipidly said. However, a faint blood-red color could be seen from his eyes; it seemed to be releasing a faint scent of blood.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± The several Ghost Spirit Sect guards shivered and respectfully answered.


    ¡­¡­


    Watching from a distance, Han Li was leaning against a mountain rock. He seemed to be watching the group of cultivators register with a smile on his face. However, if one were to look at him closely, one would discover that his smile was forced and stiff. Furthermore, his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.


    ¡°Those Yan Clan members are actually Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators!¡± A moment ago, Han Li made this shocking discovery.


    Originally, when these Ghost Spirit Sect members had disguised themselves as Yan Clan members, Han Li hadn¡¯t the slightest suspicion. When he heard was required to go up to register, he had intended to comply.


    However, the moment when the person in the back raised his hand and called out to the crowd of cultivators, Han Li frighteningly discovered that Yan Clan member actually had dark green fingernails about half an inch long, exactly the same as the fingernails of the yellow-haired Ghost Spirit Sect eccentrics!


    Han Li was extremely shocked and immediately felt as if cold water was poured on his head. His heart felt extremely cold.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way an ordinary person could have such dark green fingernails. Could it be they are¡­.¡±


    After Han Li made some incredulous conjectures, he was naturally unwilling to step forward.


    At this time, he did his utmost to preserve a slight smile on his face as his eyes whirled in every direction, quietly observing. However, his surroundings seemed to be very ordinary. There didn¡¯t seem to be anybody lying in ambush. Could it be that person¡¯s fingernails were just a coincidence?


    Han Li immediately refuted the thought that this was a coincidence! In this world. how could there be so many coincidences? Furthermore, even if it were truly a coincidence, he still wouldn¡¯t take such a risk, especially with such a suspicious-looking spell formation.


    With this thought, Han Li didn¡¯t further hesitate. With a wave of his hand, his Divine Wind Boat immediately appeared in his hand. Having not yet thrown it out, a lazy voice could suddenly be heard from above him.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that someone at such a young age as yours would have some foresight! You were able to see our mistakes so quickly and wanted to leave! Could it be you didn¡¯t want to save your own sect members?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart sunk. Without thinking, he suddenly stepped on the ground with the tip of his foot, and his figure suddenly leaped away behind him. When he shot out over thirty meters away, he finally stopped. But he then slapped his body and a red barrier suddenly enveloped him. Simultaneously, an azure light barrier appeared behind the red barrier, close to his body.


    At this moment, a slightly astonished gasp came from midair. It wasn¡¯t known whether it was a gasp of admiration at Han Li¡¯s quick reaction or his amazement toward having activating two protective barriers at nearly the same time.


    After hearing this, Han Li felt slightly more at ease. Then with a solemn expression, he raised his head toward the sky.


    About thirty meters in the air, he saw a person with a silver mask and green robes standing on a huge pitchfork that was about ten meters long. The dark green pitchfork was surrounded by a layer of black Qi, causing those who saw it to feel incomparably cold.


    Having seen this, Han Li¡¯s heart grew cold, and he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! It seems I don¡¯t need to introduce myself to you. It is great that you know who I am! However, you have best take the initiative to enter that formation and live a bit longer, else I will immediately extract your soul!¡±


    The blood in Wang Chan¡¯s eyes seemed to have grown far more concentrated than when he was on the earth platform. His eyes were now mostly red and faintly released a trace of violence. From a single look, Han Li¡¯s heart continuously stirred. He didn¡¯t know what fearsome secret technique he cultivated.


    However, when he heard the words ¡°enter that formation¡±, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but raise his eyebrows in shock. He turned his eyes and the scene that unfolded before him caused his expression to become dreadfully dark.


    At an unknown time, a huge black light barrier had been created from the center of the huge formation, spanning over three hundred meters in radius. A dense dark red fog filled the barrier. Not only did it cloud the scene within, but not the slightest sound could be heard, as if there was no one inside.


    Surrounding the light barrier stood eight green-robed cultivators. They were attentively staring at the scene within the dark barrier, not a single one of them looking in their young master¡¯s direction.


    It seemed the subordinates of this young sect master seemed to have complete confidence in him!


    After Han Li swept his gaze back, he quickly regained his bearings. He didn¡¯t dare to be further distracted.


    Without a doubt, although this Ghost Spirit Sect young master was only of mid Foundation Establishment, he was an extremely fearsome opponent. If Han Li was careless for even a moment, he would remain at this location for eternity.


    With this thought, Han Li held out a talisman in his hand and a white light emerged from his palm. He held his hand out to the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a shield of white scales that covered his front. With his other hand, he threw out his Divine Wind Boat about thirty meters behind him, where it gently floated in the air.


    The next step of Han Li¡¯s plan was naturally to board the Divine Wind Boat and immediately escape. Only an idiot would stay here and resolutely risk their life against the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master!


    Let alone fighting the young master of an outstanding sect, even if he was able to defeat this young sect master, there would be many assistants waiting afterwards! He had no plans to meet his end in a crowd of enemies!


    Thus, Han Li thought to hurriedly return to Yellow Maple Valley and report to his superiors of the cooperation between the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Yan Clan as his utmost priority. As for that Dong Xuan¡¯er and that Senior Martial Brother Feng, they could only hope that their masters would come and save them.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s movements, Wang Chan wildly howled with laughter, causing Han Li to feel a violent chill.


    ¡°Thinking of running? How about you let me send you to the other side!¡±


    Having said this, this Ghost Spirit Sect young master suddenly spun around on his pitchfork, and in an instant, a scarlet, blood-red fog raced forward, aggressively sweeping toward Han Li in the form of a bloody cloud over thirty meters wide.


    When Han Li saw this, he didn¡¯t dare to further hesitate. He leaped into his Divine Wind Boat and used its maximum output. In the blink of an eye, the boat with its passenger turned into a streak of white light, rushing toward the sky to escape.


    ¡°Hehe! Boy, you know nothing! My Great Blood Spirit Arts¡¯ evasion methods are truly more than just fast; you won¡¯t be able to escape!¡±


    Wang Chan¡¯s wild laughs continued to follow behind Han Li.


    Although he didn¡¯t turn his head, Han Li felt that the other party¡¯s voice was getting closer and closer.


    This person¡¯s evasion technique was truly a bit quicker than his Divine Wind Boat¡¯s top speed! Han Li¡¯s complexion became slight dark green!

 Chapter 261

    Great Blood Spirit Arts.


    Chapter 261: Great Blood Spirit Arts


    In the blink of an eye, the blood cloud behind him chased Han Li¡¯s streak of white light for over fifty kilometers. However, the distance between the two gradually shrank to about thirty meters.


    As Han Li inwardly complained without end, Wang Chan who was chasing him on the blood cloud was greatly amazed!


    Although the Great Blood Spirit Arts blood evasion technique did not dare to proclaim itself as the fastest among the six sects, its speed was certainly among the top five secret arts in all the sects, much faster than that top-grade flying magic tools. But even though he was using the complete strength of his flying evasion technique, he was unable to overtake Han Li¡¯s small boat by now. While this surprised Wang Chan, his desire to kill also grew stronger.


    Han Li knew that if this wild rush continued, in the time it took to make a cup of tea, he would likely be caught. He had to do something now!


    Thus, his hand touched his storage pouch, and a stack of elementary fireball talismans appeared in his hand. Without thinking much further, he madly threw them behind him and continued his wild rush forward. He immediately heard the sounds of explosion behind him.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look!


    He only saw the front of that vigorous, wild blood cloud. It seemed to have scattered from the explosions and appeared a bit thinner, faintly revealing the figure of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master.


    Han Li felt joy. Just as he wanted to throw out the rest of his talismans, inside the blood cloud, Wang Chan suddenly moved his hand. A green light flew straight toward Han Li and grew larger as it approached. This was Wang Chan¡¯s flying magic tool that he originally stepped on.


    With no better option, Han Li immediately threw them at the green pitchfork instead of towards the blood cloud. Twenty to thirty fireballs exploded in rapid succession against the huge pitchfork covered in black Qi. It tumbled several times in succession and was unable to further approach.


    But during this moment of interference, the blood cloud had once again returned to its original form, wildly dancing like a furious flame.


    At this moment, Wang Chan suddenly let out several sharp whistles to the sky. Following these heaven-piercing whistles, the blood cloud suddenly increased dramatically in size. In an instant, it nearly filled the entire sky; its influence had actually become nearly omnipresent.


    Immediately after, the overflowing blood cloud increased its speed by several times. As if it were a violent tsunami rushing down a mountain, it arrived in front of the Divine Wind Boat. Furthermore, with the sudden increase in speed, it surrounded and trapped Han Li in midair.


    Frightened, Han Li hastily stopped his Divine Wind Boat from colliding with the blood cloud and took out a magic tool that appeared to be jet black claw from his storage pouch. At this moment, that strange green pitchfork silently attacked from behind.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    As if Han Li had eyes behind his head, he threw this magic tool behind him, releasing a deep roar! As he released it, this claw immediately turned several meters large and fiercely grabbed the attacking green pitchfork.


    The green pitchfork didn¡¯t give up without a fight, releasing several strands of black Qi from its tip. An instant later, the huge claw was surrounded by twisting layers of black Qi, unable to move in the slightest.


    When Han Li saw this, he performed a hand incantation, and black meter-long streaks emerged from the claw and rustled about, scattering the black Qi that was holding it down and preventing the Qi from taking shape.


    ¡°Not bad! Not bad! As expected, it isn¡¯t a common top-grade magic tool. It was actually able to easily break the Yin spirit threads from the Yin Jade Pitchfork. It seems that me personally taking action was not in vain!¡± Wang Chan¡¯s voice erratically came from different locations within the blood cloud. At the same time, the green pitchfork hummed for a moment and then retreated into the blood cloud, disappearing without a trace.


    These were a pair of top-grade magic tools refined from flood dragon claws, ¡°Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp¡±. Having retrieved it, Han Li vigilantly looked in every direction.


    At this moment, the blood cloud had already covered the entire sky, obscuring even the slightest cracks. All he could smell from the air was the disgusting scent of bloodlust.


    If he didn¡¯t use his strength to carve out a path, he would be unable to escape. The moment Han Li thought this, he released the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp.


    But without waiting for him to finish, the blood cloud in front of him suddenly boiled. Then two blood-red monsters about three meters tall emerged. These two monsters had fangs, claws, a short horn, a sharp pointed tail, and eyes that were a deep red just like Wang Chan¡¯s. Waving their sharp claws, they pounced towards Han Li.


    ¡°These are?¡±


    This was the first time Han Li saw monsters such as these. From their appearance, they seemed to be exactly like imps from folklore. However, Han Li still felt fear and hastily threw the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp towards them. With a single light grasp, the imp was completely broken, turning back into a blood cloud that returned to its source.


    Han Li felt a bit more at ease. They weren¡¯t hard to handle at all!


    But just as Han Li thought it would be a simple job, he could hear Wang Chan¡¯s mocking laugh from every direction.


    ¡°Hehe! Your esteemed self, don¡¯t relax too early! Although my Great Blood Spirit Arts¡¯ blood ghosts are extremely easy to dispatch, the show has just begun!¡±


    Hearing these words, Han Li¡¯s heart sank.


    However, his heart was still firm and unyielding. He wouldn¡¯t let the opponent¡¯s words move him to easily! Regardless of the consequences, he revolved his magic tool and struck into the blood cloud. As a result, the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp stirred up the blood cloud and easily drilled into it.


    Han Li felt joy. But an instant later, the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp became lifeless and lost mobility as if it were on the verge of collapse. Han Li was greatly startled and hastily attempted to retrieve the magic tool with all his strength before he completely lost control. Fortunately, the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp was able to leave the blood cloud and flew back to his side.


    ¡°Yi! This magic tool of yours was actually able to somewhat endure my blood cloud¡¯s corruption. This young master wants it even more!¡±


    Wang Chan lightly let out a sound of surprise before revealing unconcealed greed.


    At this moment, the blood cloud rumbled from every direction and blood ghosts began to crawl out one after another. They pounced, racing towards Han Li.


    Han Li wore a dazed expression and then brandished the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp in an overbearing manner, running into the blood ghosts and immediately ripping them apart, turning them back into blood clouds.


    When Han Li had killed over a hundred blood ghosts and still saw there was a steady stream of blood ghosts being born from every direction, he let out a sigh. Sure enough, the circumstances seemed extremely terrible. These monsters were endless, much to his surprise. When he killed one, another would be born from the blood cloud. There were about thirty monsters at any one time.


    It seems that this Ghost Spirit Sect young master wished to tire him to death in this place.


    With this thought, Han Li was naturally unwilling to continue.


    He patted his storage pouch with his hand and took out several stacks of elementary mid- and high-grade talismans, about seventy or eighty in total. Then, in a single breath, he threw all of them to a single side of the blood cloud. Immediately after, fireballs, icicles and other such things showered out. Furthermore, Han Li personally cast several fire serpents closely behind the barrage.


    After previously seeing that a rapid succession of fireballs were able to somewhat scatter the blood clouds, Han Li had long committed it to heart. Now he was relying on these magic techniques to hopefully break open a path for him to escape.


    ¡°You sure know how to dream!¡±


    Wang Chan darkly yelled with a deep voice. Han Li unexpectedly had so many talismans on hand, which truly exceeded his expectations. After all, aside from elementary high-grade talismans, other talismans weren¡¯t much use to Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    However, although this Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator was proud and arrogant, he truly didn¡¯t dare to allow his blood cloud to receive these magic techniques. After all, he only cultivated the Great Blood Spirit Arts to the second layer, so the cloud was unable to withstand such a great bombardment of magic techniques. As for magic tool attacks, because of the blood cloud¡¯s magic tool corruption properties, he wasn¡¯t particularly afraid of them.


    Following his shout, several black human skulls suddenly appeared in midair between the blood cloud and the barrage of magic techniques before simultaneously opening their mouths and spurting out puffs of black Qi, immediately obstructing these magic techniques. After a burst of violent explosions, apart from the shaking of human skulls, the blood clouds behind them weren¡¯t disturbed in the slightest.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion darkened, and couldn¡¯t help looking in the other directions. But without waiting for him to act, black skulls had already appeared in the other directions of the blood cloud. At this moment, Wang Chan¡¯s cold chuckles could be heard, ¡°You believed there was an opportunity to take advantage of? Obediently become food for my blood ghosts! I truly wish to see the bloody scene as you are torn apart by my blood ghosts. Surely the scene will be bloody and extremely beautiful. I am getting a bit impatient to see it!¡±


    Hearing this Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master howled with laughter once more, his insanity was quite obvious.


    ¡°Madman!¡±


    As Han Li controlled the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp to deal with the blood ghosts, he was anxiously thinking of a plan to respond, his forehead laced with cold sweat.


    At this moment, Han Li had already taken out a mid-grade spirit stone and held it in his hand, starting to replenish a bit of his magic power. After all, killing an unending stream of blood ghosts was quite difficult for an early Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself!


    Wang Chan was sitting cross-legged at the peak of the blood cloud, continuously using hand incantations to hasten the manifestation of blood ghosts. He was entirely free of worry.


    Although the magic power of this Yellow Maple Valley cultivator wasn¡¯t very high, the magic tools he had were truly strange yet exceptional. After this fight, there would be quite a few more fine magic tools to add to his pouch. He couldn¡¯t help but be slightly please with himself. The crazed bloodlust residing in his heart seemed to have been alleviated by no small amount.


    Suddenly a ¡°Bang¡± could be heard from within the blood cloud. A thick, dark red fog appeared. In an instant, Han Li¡¯s figure hid within the fog, which slowly started to spread. Not long after, it enveloped the blood ghosts and started to merge with the blood cloud.


    Wang Chan was greatly startled. But when he found that this dense, dark red fog merged with his own blood cloud and had been absorbed, he immediately calmed down.


    Although this dense fog had been continuously absorbed by the blood cloud, it hadn¡¯t decreased in the slightest. That dense dark red fog had caused the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master to be unable to see Han Li¡¯s actions at this moment. He grew greatly suspicious!

 Chapter 262

    Escape


    After a few more moments, the blood cloud remained hazy without the slightest noise coming from it. When those little ghosts approached the densest area of the fog, they would immediately be cut into shreds; no activity could be discerned.


    At this moment, Wang Chan could sit still no longer. His two hands formed a seal, and the skulls floating on the surface of the blood cloud opened their mouths wide. Ten or so black columns of light as wide as a bowl shot out, heading directly towards Han Li¡¯s original location from all directions.


    ¡°Peng¡± A light tremor sounded out.


    Within the dense fog, a faint white light flashed and moved about; in the fierce collisions between the black and white colored streaks, a white screen of light became faintly discernible inside the dense fog, slightly startling the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master. However, immediately afterwards he recalled the white scale shield that Han Li had tossed out from the very beginning.


    Wang Chan knit his eyebrows; after hesitating for a moment, he still began to speak to himself:


    ¡°Since there are so many high-quality magic tools to be obtained, I am willing to lose some blood essence! Otherwise, this brat may use some deceptive technique to escape.¡±


    Having said this, Wang Chan suddenly reached out his right index finger and placed it on the corner of his mouth. Then, he gently bit it, squeezing out an extremely dense drop of fresh blood from the wound, and gently dripped it on the blood cloud below him. Next, his two hands reached deeply into the blood cloud, concentrating on hastening the magic technique.


    Following Wang Chan¡¯s slow uttering of the incantation, the red cloud originally enshrouding Han Li slowly began to revolve faster and faster, gradually extruding towards the center. Those blood ghosts automatically disappeared without a trace.


    The azure-red dense fog, following the increased speed of revolution of the blood cloud, was very quickly swept away and absorbed into it, causing the center to slowly to become clear, revealing a huge, white light barrier. This light barrier, with a white scale shield as its center, was like a bowl that was flipped upside down.


    Near the center of the light curtain, Han Li was holding a strangely-shaped dagger in one hand, letting out astonishing yellow streaks. In the other hand, he held a folded, sparkling talisman, wanting to unleash its offensive power. Two spheres, one azure and one red, were floating next to him, continuing to emit dense dark red fog. Wang Chun saw all of this very clearly.


    ¡°You¡­..¡± Seeing this, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master coldly laughed a few times and wanted to continue sneering at him.


    However, he had just spit out one word when he saw the Han Li below him suddenly open his palm; that small dagger gently shook and became a yellow blade many tens of feet long, shooting directly towards Wang Chan.


    At the same time, the folded talisman in his other hand was tossed out, unleashing ten or so raging fire dragons that flew over all at once.


    ¡°Brat, magic tools can not break through my Great Blood Spirit Arts, unless¡­¡­¡±


    Wang Chan was originally moving the skulls carelessly about and causing them to spit out more black Qi, but as soon as he contentedly said the word ¡°unless¡±, he suddenly thought of something, and his expression immediately changed as he rocketed into the air like a crane, flying away from the blood cloud.


    At the same time, that yellow blade, with a few ¡°pu pu¡±s, attacked and broke into pieces numerous skulls blocking the way. Next, it broke a gap through the blood cloud along with the fire dragons, charging ferociously towards where the young sect master was originally sitting. Next, a streak of white light rapidly flew out from the gap, closely followed by the yellow blade, which had turned around.


    ¡°Treasure talisman!¡± Wang Chan yelled, both surprised and outraged.


    In his moment of negligence, he did not expect that when Han Li had used the dense fog, it was actually just to buy time to use a treasure talisman. Otherwise, even if his opponent had treasure talismans, the young master definitely would not allow the other person to have time to activate it. However, the probability of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator possessing a treasure talisman was truly very small, leading to his oversight on this matter.


    But even if the other person had a treasure talisman, based on his identity as the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master, how could he fear them? He had also brought along two treasure talismans, and one of them was actually an extremely rare treasure talisman with a particular attribute. Naturally, he would not Han Li let escape just like that.


    The furious Wang Chan leaped into the blood cloud, once again causing this blood cloud to roll together and rise up; he controlled it so that it was as fast as a shooting star, catching up to Han Li.


    Standing on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li coldly watched the blood cloud drawing near in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. He suddenly waved one hand. Immediately afterwards, the yellow blade suddenly thrusted out, directly shooting towards the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master hiding in the blood cloud.


    However, Wang Chan had prepared himself much earlier; he tossed out the item in his hand, and a bright, golden skull manifested, then increased in size. Its huge mouth actually clamped down on the yellow blade with one bite, stopping if from advancing even a tiny bit.


    Han Li was surprised and hurriedly tried to retrieve it. However, that yellow blade, apart from bouncing around in the skull¡¯s mouth a few times, was unable to release its power.


    Wang Chan grinned, and the blood cloud next to him began to expand again, causing Han Li to feel a chill in his heart; it seemed like he was about to be bound again. However, at this instant, the blood cloud that had been boiling suddenly died down. The expression of Wang Chan, who was forming magic hand seals, changed even more; not only did the flying cloud¡¯s speed slow down, his face actually became faintly covered with an azure black layer.


    Han Li, who was constantly observing the opponent, was greatly startled upon seeing this scene.


    He saw that a panicked expression appeared on the face of his opponent, who let out a long howl, not even paying attention to the golden skull that was locked in a stalemate with Han Li. Wrapped in the blood cloud, he flew backwards along his original path like lightning. Puzzled, Han Li stared in a daze, stopping in place.


    After some hesitation, he turned both the yellow blade and the golden skull into two talismans, easily retrieving them into his hand. Then, he gazed at the slowly disappearing figure of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master, still unsure of what to do.


    He didn¡¯t have enough guts to give chase.


    However, upon hearing the other person¡¯s wailing slowly fade, Han Li immediately realized something and hurriedly urged the Divine Wind Boat into changing directions before disappearing into the horizon.


    ¡­¡­


    Not long after, the Han Li who had just escaped from danger began to feel great regret after thinking about it carefully!


    He finally knew why the opponent didn¡¯t chase him and instead had turned around. The opponent had been poisoned by the extremely toxic Inky Flood Dragon venom!


    This all was because the opponent dared to absorb large quantities of the poisonous fog that the ¡°Azurefire Miasma¡± released into the blood cloud.


    When this dense fog was being refined, according to his requests, the remaining poison from the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s core was refined and incorporated into the fog as well. Today, this blood cloud, which had absorbed the dense fog and still contained large amounts of toxins, had definitely been reabsorbed by this young sect master when he chased after Han Li. Thus, after he had become poisoned, how could he not retreat in shock!


    The more Han Li thought, the more he felt regret in his heart. Since he didn¡¯t realize it until now, perhaps he had some mental illness! He had just let a good opportunity to kill a strong opponent and take even more of the treasure on him slip away; this truly caused Han Li to feel somewhat depressed!


    However, as for why the opponent didn¡¯t even retrieve a treasure talisman as powerful as this golden skull and just ran away, Han Li just couldn¡¯t understand it!


    Han Li didn¡¯t know that at another location, the similarly extremely prudent Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young sect master, who had fled when the situation turned ugly, was also foaming with rage! At his side, the two Core Formation cultivators, the Lishi Brothers, looked at each other.


    It turned out that just as Wang Chan had traveled a short distance during his retreat, he ran into the two Ghost Spirit Sect elders who had just dispatched all of the Seven Great Sect disciples at once. Because they were worried about this young sect master¡¯s safety, after considering things carefully, they finally caught up.


    Having seen Wang Chan now poisoned, they naturally used their profound magic power to help him force out the toxin immediately.


    This young sect master quietly guessed the reason why he had been poisoned, but he mistook Han Li¡¯s unintended actions as purposefully laying a trap for him. This caused Wang Chan, who had never before suffered such large losses, to immediately hate Han Li to the bone, and he quietly began to view him as a formidable opponent.


    With these two trains of thought haunting Wang Chan, he didn¡¯t give up hope completely. Disregarding the still somewhat weak condition of his body, he fiercely chased in his original direction along with the two elders for a few hundred kilometers without success. However, the vexation in his heart became like a fish bone that permanently lodged itself in his heart.


    As for that golden skull treasure talisman that he had been forced to give up because it was entangled with the opponent¡¯s treasure talisman and he couldn¡¯t retrieve it back then, he did not actually care too much. After all, it had been used many times; at this point, it was most likely a wasted product whose strength was almost depleted. Even if it was retrieved by Han Li, he could only use it once or twice, so it wouldn¡¯t be very useful.


    However, what caused his rage to soar was that just when he returned to the small mountain peak where he had set the ambush, a Ghost Spirit Sect guard reported to him that a group of people from the Harmonious Bond Sect, part of the Six Devil Dao Sects, had suddenly launched a surprise attack on them.


    Although there were no casualties, two female cultivators whom the guards had subdued had been forcefully seized by the group. Based on the leader¡¯s outstanding appearance, it was the Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s Sect Master¡¯s second son, Tian Buque, Wang Chan¡¯s junior whose reputation was not smaller than his own, but whose tactics were vicious.


    Upon hearing the bad news, although only Wang Chan¡¯s eyes dimmed on the surface, he felt like puking blood! Han Li and Tian Buque could now be considered to have become part of Wang Chan¡¯s must-kill list.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Notify the Yan Clan Elder to immediately begin our retreat!¡± After a long while, Wang Chan let out a sigh and finally said this coldly.


    At that moment, Han Li flew towards Yellow Maple Valley without the slightest delay. On the way there, he ran into a mixed group of cultivators from Saber Transformation Dock and the Masked Moon Sect. Then the leading late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivator dropped an unexpected announcement: he was being conscripted!

 Chapter 263

    True Strength


    Han Li took a look at the warrant in his hand. It was a conscription order for all traveling disciples, signed by every sect master. He felt extremely depressed!


    The conscription order had to be genuine as the sect masters¡¯ spirit emblem wasn¡¯t something that could be forged. However, he truly did not want to follow these orders!


    From the other party¡¯s words, Han Li had learned about the Six Devil Dao Sect¡¯s invasion and the great, unavoidable calamity that was about to fall upon the State of Yue¡¯s cultivation world.


    Regardless of whether or not the Seven Sects of the State of Yue could resist, innumerable cultivators were certain to die. Even Core Formation Experts would have their core destroyed and perish in no small number.


    Thus, when Han Li learned of this astonishing information, what he wanted to do the most was to immediately return to his Immortal¡¯s cave and seclude himself for several tens of years.


    However, he also knew that this was merely a pipe dream. As a disciple of the Seven Sects, how could he so easily escape from this great inferno?


    While Han Li thought about this, he had already been conscripted by the Masked Moon Sect cultivator in front of him. At this moment, the Masked Moon Sect cultivator said with a smile, ¡°Has this Junior Martial Brother clearly read it? Could Junior Martial Brother state his name and cultivation? We will be working together in the future, so the more we know about each other¡¯s capabilities, the better!¡±


    Han Li composed himself, looked at this person, and then looked at the thirty-plus cultivators behind him. Among these cultivators, there were three late Foundation Establishment cultivators. The rest were Qi Condensation disciples. This caused Han Li to be slightly at ease. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem this assignment was going to be very difficult.


    With this thought, Han Li cupped his fist and said, ¡°Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Han Li! Early Foundation Establishment!¡±


    Although the Foundation Establishment cultivators could clearly see each other¡¯s cultivation, it was a matter of courtesy. Han Li sincerely carried this out. After all, the other party included late Foundation Establishment disciples with cultivation bases far greater than his own. He wasn¡¯t willing to rashly offend them. Soon after, Han Li asked with misgivings, ¡°Brother, why do you not suspect my identity? Right after you stopped me, you immediately showed me the conscription warrant. Surely you didn¡¯t rely solely on my Yellow Maple Valley uniform?¡±


    When Han Li originally saw this group of Saber Transformation Dock and Masked Moon Sect cultivators, Han Li originally planned to flee. However, he didn¡¯t think this fellow with amazing eyesight would flash several times and appear in front of him, blocking his way and announcing that he was being conscripted.


    ¡°Hehe! In the last Trial by Blood and Fire, this one had previously seen Junior Martial Brother! I didn¡¯t think that several years afterwards, Junior Martial Brother Han would actually reach Foundation Establishment. This is truly a matter worth celebrating!¡± This male Masked Moon Sect cultivator who appeared thirty years old said this with a slight smile, causing Han Li to feel great surprise.


    ¡°Who is your esteemed self?¡±


    Upon hearing the other party¡¯s words, Han Li began to feel that he felt somewhat familiar. It seemed that the man really had seen him at the Trial by Blood and Fire!


    ¡°This one is Xuan Yue, a steward of the Masked Moon Sect. Last time, I accompanied Martial Aunt Ni Chang¡¯s squad. There, I saw the shocking scene of Junior Martial Han¡¯s great harvest with my own eyes!¡± The man lightly chuckled, saying this with deep meaning.


    At this moment, Han Li suddenly realized something. This person was one of the four Masked Moon Sect Foundation Establishment leaders from that time. Han Li hadn¡¯t paid much attention to him, so he only remembered a vague impression. But after some further thought, he became slightly shocked. He had been in a hurry just now, but this person was actually able to recognize him with a glance from such a far distance. This was truly incredible.


    ¡°This one knows that Junior Martial Brother Han had been hurrying on his journey and certainly had some urgent matters. However, this one is truly lacking manpower for this mission and had no better option than to have Junior Martial Brother provide a bit of assistance,¡± Xuan Yue politely explained.


    When Han Li heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile, thinking, ¡°This late Foundation Establishment cultivator, you already took out the conscription warrant. How could I possibly refuse! I can¡¯t say no unless I want to be branded for being insubordinate.¡±


    As Han Li thought this, he took another look at the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him and could only summon the courage to say, ¡°Since Senior Martial Brother Xuan explained this, I will naturally follow your commands! However, this one must report an important matter to his sect master. I hope that Senior Martial Brother Xuan¡¯s sect members will deliver this information!¡±


    Han Li then systematically narrated what had occurred at Yan Ling Castle in full detail. Naturally, Han Li had left the details of his escape ambiguous.


    As such, when Xuan Yue and the others heard of this, they turned pale with fright. They hastily sent two Qi Condensation disciples to each sect to deliver this information. Then with unsightly expressions, they continued on their way with Han Li.


    Considering their current strength and the collusion between the Yan Clan and the Devil Dao, they didn¡¯t dare to criticize him for leaving the others behind. They could only pass this scalding hot potato to the Seven Sects by dispatching messengers to them. Naturally, the validity of Han Li¡¯s information would be verified by the upper echelon.


    As they journeyed on route, Han Li eventually learned of their assignment from the other cultivators. They were being sent to reinforce the garrison of a particularly large spirit stone mine. The original security assigned there was fundamentally incapable of resisting a minor Devil Dao raid.


    Knowing that his assignment wasn¡¯t to become cannon fodder in an upfront melee against the Six Devil Dao Sects, Han Li finally let out a sigh of relief.


    In truth, even if he returned to Yellow Maple Valley, he was likely to be immediately be dispatched on a mission. Furthermore, his assignment might not necessarily be better than this one.


    Although this assignment was slightly dangerous, so long as he was a bit careful, the possibilities of making it through in one piece was rather high. After all, this spirit stone mine of theirs was only somewhat large, spanning over ten mountains. If the enemy wanted to mount a raid on the seven sect¡¯s spirit mines, it was likely they would target the largest mines first.


    With this thought, Han Li¡¯s conflicted mood faded away as he became much more familiar with Xuan Yue and the other cultivators throughout the following days.


    Several days later, the group of cultivators finally arrived at a large wasteland within the borders of the State of Yue. That spirit stone mine was located within a huge canyon in the wasteland that was more than three hundred meters deep.


    Under Xuan Yue¡¯s guidance, they flew into the canyon, which was concealed by a formation spell. At the same time, several Seven Sect cultivators came out to greet them.


    The leader of the original guards of the spirit stone mine was an old man at early Foundation Establishment wearing Heavenly Imperial Fortress clothes. Besides him were five or six Qi Condensation disciples.


    With such weak guards, it was no wonder the upper echelons of the seven sects had anxiously dispatched support.


    The old man who called himself Yu Xing led them into a huge cave dwelling inside the canyon. There, he gave Han Li and the others a detailed explanation on the circumstances of the spirit stone mine.Then, Xuan Yue swiftly and decisively arranged their defenses.


    He took out over ten formation flags and formation disks and had the male cultivators arrange an autonomous attack formation named the ¡°Four Fiend Formation¡± underneath the illusion formation. He also had Han Li and the other cultivators divide into groups to take turns patrolling and standing guard near the spirit stone mine in order to prevent enemy raids. Cultivators not on duty could meditate and cultivate their magic power.


    Han Li was very pleased with Xuan Yue¡¯s arrangements.


    Like this, Han Li would be able to compensate for the deficiencies in his strength!


    From what he experienced from his fight with the Ghost Spirit Sect, Han Li had come to understand that his previous manner of relying on strategy and nimble movement to deal with the enemy was fundamentally incapable of dealing against enemies with large disparities in strength. Upon meeting a ferocious character like the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master, everything he could possibly muster had appeared powerless before him. Even the treasure talisman he had put high hopes in had almost been snatched away. He was no longer able to once again fix his problems with a single blow.


    If it weren¡¯t for the surprising effects of the poisonous fog released by the ¡°Azurefire Miasma¡±, he would have long been buried underneath the yellow earth. Even his very own soul may have been collected by his opponent and tormented in more than a hundred ways. When he thought of that dreadful fate worse than death, Han Li felt chilled to the bone!


    A great fear of that top-grade Devil Dao secret technique, the Great Blood Spirit Arts, had been born in Han Li¡¯s heart!


    He clearly understood that if he were to come across the Ghost Spirit Sect young master again, it was likely he would only be able to resign himself to death against his opponent¡¯s secret techniques. Unless he cultivated the Azure Essence Sword Art to Core Formation, its divine abilities fundamentally wouldn¡¯t be able to contend against that opponent.


    During the Six Devil Dao Sect¡¯s invasion of the State of Yue, the Seven Great Sects had vigorously struck back during the confusion, so melees between cultivators became commonplace. During this time, long-term plans had become secondary in favor of quickly increasing one¡¯s strength, allowing a cultivator to preserve his life in this period of chaos.


    Thus, his original plans for cultivation must adapt!


    The Azure Essence Sword Art would be set aside for the time being. He would first cultivate the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± to substantially increase his strength.


    Having previously seen the overbearing power of mechanical puppets, Han Li was convinced that even if he could only cultivate the first layer of the Great Development Technique, he would have enough power to defend himself. After all, he already had several tens of mechanical puppets on hand.


    Naturally, he would have to study those puppet sutras and hope he would be able to create a few simple mechanical puppets in the short term. With that along with the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± he would have a continued source of strength throughout his time in Foundation Establishment.


    After repeatedly pondering over this several times, Han Li felt this decision was correct and cultivated the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± during his time off duty. At the same time, he also used a few simple materials he had on hand and started attempting to create elementary mechanical beasts, devoting his energy to creating puppets similar to his figurines.

 Chapter 264

    Mechanical Puppets and the Great Development Technique.


    Chapter 264: Mechanical Puppets and the Great Development Technique


    On the wasteland, a meter-long lizard stuck its head out from a heavily eroded rock and looked around, preparing for the day¡¯s hunt.


    But just as it crawled out several meters from its nest, a yellow monster about three meters long suddenly leaped out from the sandy soil. It used its two front claws and mouth, pouncing at the lizard and easily breaking its neck. Holding the corpse in its mouth, it then hurriedly rushed forth in some direction.


    This strange beast had four claws and a long pointed tail. It appeared to be a huge lizard but its entire body was extremely hard. As it ran, it made creaking noises; it was actually a mechanical figurine.


    When this strange animal ran about half a kilometer, it reached a yellow-robed man sitting in meditation on a flat rock. Then it tossed the dead lizard next to this man¡¯s side and ran off.


    This yellow-robed man wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest. His expression remained unwavered.


    He calmly moved his hand. The dead lizard at his side slowly flew up several feet in the air before stopping.


    Then this yellow-robed man extended his forefinger to the lizard¡¯s head and muttered something.


    Not long after, a faint white light slowly emitted from his extended forefinger.


    As he continued his incantation, the white light grew increasingly bright until it became blinding.


    ¡°Swiftly!¡±


    Seeing that the crucial moment had not yet passed,  yellow-robed man yelled this in a low voice.


    The white light on his forefinger shot out a white thread that entered the deepest part of the lizard¡¯s skull. Then the yellow-robed man strenuously pulled back at the thread. His expression was solemn as he exercised extremely caution.


    Eventually, under the yellow-robed man¡¯s careful gaze, the white thread pulled out a green sphere of light from the lizard¡¯s corpse. It was light as a feather, only as large as his thumb.


    When the yellow-robed man saw this, he beamed as if he had acquired a rare treasure.


    A light flashed from his other hand, revealing a small light yellow jade bottle. Poof. Streaks of multicolored lights shot from the bottle, sweeping the green ball of light into the bottle.


    At this moment, the yellow-robed man let out a deep breath as if he were relieved of a burden, wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead. It could clearly be seen that his previous action had expended no small amount of energy.


    ¡°This soul extraction technique truly isn¡¯t something an early Foundation Establishment cultivator is easily capable of using. The probability of success is far too low. There is only one success for every three or four attempts. It seems I¡¯ll have to spend the whole day here.¡± The yellow-robed man looked at the small jade bottle in his hand and muttered to himself. His face wore a slight expression of helplessness.


    This man was Han Li, who was currently practicing the ¡°Great Development Technique¡±.


    The reason why he appeared at this barren area, about fifty kilometers away from the spirit stone mine, was because he wanted to gather animal souls. This was normally something that only people of the Devilish Dao would do. The reason as to why Han Li was currently doing this was because he was studying the ¡°Puppet Sutras¡±.


    Originally, after he studied the initial step of the puppet refinement technique, Han Li discovered that puppet refinement not only required the normal materials used to refine magic tools, but it also required the souls of living creatures. Otherwise, if it were refined without a soul, it wouldn¡¯t have any spiritual properties and would fundamentally be the same as a common figurine.


    The greater the grade of the puppet, the greater the soul it contained. Only as such would the puppet¡¯s efficacy be displayed. For this reason, at the end of the ¡¶Puppet Sutras¡·, it included three techniques commonly used by those of the Devilish Dao: ¡°Soul Extraction Technique¡±, ¡°Soul Concentration Technique¡±, and ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±.


    This ¡°Soul Extraction Technique¡± was the magic technique that Han Li had used to extract the soul from the dead lizard.


    Not only was the power of this magic technique weak, but its rate of success was also low. Furthermore, it could only be used on corpses that had recently died. Compared to the secret techniques of the Devilish Dao that specialized in dealing with souls, it could be said the difference in power was far too great!


    However, the sole benefit of this magic technique was that it required an extremely lower amount of magic power. Mid Foundation Establishment cultivators would be able to frequently use it. Naturally, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator such as Han Li could also use it with difficulty, but the rate of success wouldn¡¯t be particularly high.


    The ¡°Soul Concentration Technique¡± was a magic technique that condensed souls. After all, powerful souls weren¡¯t easily found. Normally, high-grade puppets would use artificially strengthened souls that were refined from combining several, tens, or even several tens of weak souls. Although these kinds of souls weren¡¯t as good as innately strong souls, they were far stronger than using low-grade souls. Thus, this magic technique was a required technique to learn puppet refinement.


    The last was ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±. As its name implies, it is a magic technique used to refine and transform souls. After all, souls had to be refined together with the puppet. Raw souls weren¡¯t capable of being used. They must first undergo a particular method before they could be used for refinement.


    As for that lizard-like mechanical beast from before, after Han Li refined his first independent thread of spiritual sense from the Great Development Technique, it was the first mechanical puppet he personally refined. As for the souls he used, they were yellow mice¡¯s souls he conveniently acquired.


    Before that happened, Han Li had already failed seven or eight times. His success rate was truly nothing to brag about.


    But when Han Li sent his thread of separated consciousness into the puppet to control it, it felt incomparably wonderful! It felt far more responsive than operating magic tools, but it still wasn¡¯t as genuine as moving one¡¯s own limbs.


    In reality, his thread of consciousness and this mechanical beast seemed to have the relationship of superior and subordinate. The puppet would act in accordance to any orders given through his thoughts. As for how the puppet specifically moved, the puppet would decide by itself. In addition, what the puppet was capable of seeing and hearing, Han Li was also able of clearly sensing it. This caused him to be greatly pleased.


    The first time Han Li controlled a puppet, he felt a great childish and playful curiosity. Apart from the only elementary puppet beast he created, he also played around and operated a few higher grade mechanical puppets he had on hand. He got to fulfill his childhood dreams of playing with figurines.


    As he controlled these puppets, Han Li gradually began to experience a few limitations of these puppets.


    First, these puppets could only be controlled one and a half kilometers away from him. Any further from this distance and the mechanical puppet would be incapable of movement. Also, his thread of consciousness would return to him. Han Li guessed that this was the maximum distance his divided consciousness could be separated from his body. As his cultivation and primordial spirit improved, this limitation would also increase.


    However, the next flaw was a deficiency of the puppet technique that he was unable to compensate for. When these puppets received their orders, there was a delay before they took action during which they were unable to move as they desired. In true combat, his opponent would very likely be able to take advantage of this flaw.


    Even with these two flaws, this puppet technique was no trifling matter. By only further creating strands of spiritiual sense and cultivating to the first layer of the Great Development Technique, he would be able to mutually contend with formidable Foundation Establishment characters.


    After all, with over ten assistants at his side, even if they only had the strength of Qi Condensation, it would be more than enough to strengthen his defense.


    At the very least, if he were trapped again by that Ghost Spirit Sect young master, he wouldn¡¯t need to fear that endless army of blood ghosts as the actions of his low-grade mechanical puppets would only consume a few low-grade spirit stones.


    Only that huge tiger puppet from the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s Huang Long with its amazing strength would consume mid-grade spirit stones. However, Han Li reckoned that the puppet beast was of grade three or higher. It was capable of destroying a barrier created by several Foundation Establishment cultivations joining hands in two attacks. From this, its fearsome might could clearly be seen.


    But unfortunately, his Martial Senior Lei used his magic treasure to turn that puppet into ashes. Else if Han Li had gotten hold of it, it would be an incomparably sharp trump card.


    As he thought of the advantages of having that huge tiger puppet, Han Li began to set his heart on refining such a puppet.


    After eventually refining several tens of elementary grade one puppets, Han Li decided to attempt to refine an elementary grade two puppet. This was something he had previously seen before, the main puppets the Thousand Bamboo School used to fight. So long as he was able to refine puppets of this grade, he wouldn¡¯t need to be scared of using up his puppets.


    However, refining grade two puppets couldn¡¯t be done with scrap. It required nearly all the materials needed to create a high-grade magic tool. The most important material was a large quantity of ironwood several hundred years old. This particular material also cost the most.


    Actually, if Han Li was in his Immortal¡¯s cave, nurturing ironwood of a particular age wasn¡¯t a problem at all. However, with his current responsibilities, Han Li could only painfully acquire it by having others gather a great amount for him from distant market cities.


    Now that he had materials, he had to acquire an appropriate soul. After all, the soul of the most common animal inside the canyon, the yellow mouse, was far too weak. Even if he concentrated a bunch of their souls, it wouldn¡¯t produce a very remarkable improvement.


    Thus, Han Li set his eyes on the yellow mouse¡¯s predator, the wasteland lizard.


    As of this moment, Han Li had gone through three to four months of hard effort and had also created several strands of spiritual sense. Those several strands of consciousness had been used to control several low-grade puppet beasts to scour the entire wasteland for these lizards. Thus, the previous scene had occurred.


    After Han Li put away the small bottle that contained the lizard¡¯s soul, he closed his eyes and continued to cultivate the ¡°Great Development Technique¡±, slowly strengthening his primordial spirit.


    This ¡°Great Development Technique¡± was crucial to using puppet techniques. Han Li didn¡¯t dare to slack off!


    However, the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± truly deserved to be the core doctrine of the Thousand Bamboo School. It simply couldn¡¯t be compared to common consciousness-splitting secret techniques!


    Ordinary consciousness-splitting techniques merely split off a small portion of one¡¯s  spiritual sense through force. The number of strands of spiritual sense that could be produced relied entirely on the strength of one¡¯s primordial spirit. Moreover, these techniques were unable to bolster the primordial spirit.


    The Great Development Technique made up for this deficiency. When it was cultivated, it gradually strengthened the primordial spirit to the point where it could even be as strong as naturally powerful primordial spirits. Furthermore, its method of splitting the spiritual sense was far more safe and exquisite than that of common techniques, allowing divisions of spiritual sense far finer and greater in number without hindering the primordial spirit.


    With this comparison, it was no wonder the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± was considered the core of Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s teachings and why Senior Martial Brother Lin had constantly longed for the final three layers of the chant.


    [TL: The Development ÑÜ in Great Development Technique ´óÑܾö can mean spread or overflow, explaining its specialization in creating threads of divided consciousnesses (spiritual sense).]


    [TL: In chapter 232, Senior Martial Brother Lin pleaded for his life with the Great Development Technique after trying to take over Han Li¡¯s body.]

 Chapter 265

    War Situation


    According to the ¡°Great Development Technique¡±, after cultivating it to the first layer, splitting over ten strands of divine sense would be of no problem. After reaching the second layer, one could divide up to a hundred. Upon reaching to the third layer like ¡°Senior Marial Brother Lin¡± had done, one could split their consciousness into several hundreds of strands.


    When he thought of being able to control several hundreds of puppets in a battle after reaching the third layer, Han Li had felt a bit strange.


    However, this abnormal feeling was due to Han Li being unstoppable among Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    But once he reached Core Formation, he would have to refine several hundreds of puppets of grade three of higher, equivalent to the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Otherwise, no matter how many he refined, they would unable to withstand a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s attack. That scene where Fatty Lei had swept away several hundreds of the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s grade two puppets was still clear in his mind!


    Since refining each grade two puppet required the materials for a high-grade magic tool, to refine an even higher grade puppet would require materials for a top-grade magic tool at the very least!


    As such, if Core Formation cultivators who cultivated the puppet technique wished to suppress other Core Formation cultivators of the same strength, they would have to spend enough materials for several hundreds of top-grade magic tools at the very least. From this thought, Han Li could not help but be apprehensive for a long while!


    Not to mention the materials that would be wasted from refinement failure, as well finding hundreds of strong enough souls.


    This was also a major reason so few knew of the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s puppet technique.


    After all, a sect¡¯s strength was evaluated on the number of Core Formation cultivators it possessed. With regards to battles between Core Formation cultivators, the Thousand Bamboo School was powerless while other sects thrived.   Even if their Foundation Establishment disciples were ferocious, they could only hole themselves up in a single region and become a mere local hegemon.


    Naturally, this was just some speculation from Han Li after he cultivated the Great Development Technique and the puppet techniques!


    However, this puppet technique would cause Han Li¡¯s strength as a Foundation Establishment cultivator to substantially increase. This fact wasn¡¯t false in the least! As of now, Han Li couldn¡¯t be bothered with future deficiencies.


    After all, this great war stirred across the cultivation worlds of several countries had just started!


    Not long after Han Li started guarding this spirit stone mine, a great ambush had unfolded at some desolate desert mountain between the Six Devil Dao Sects and the Seven Sects of the State of Yue.


    Han Li gradually came to know the specific circumstances. Originally, Spirit Beast Mountain of the Seven Sects was actually a branch of Devil Dao¡¯s Controlling Spirit Sect, but the neutral sect had secretly eliminated the Devil Dao¡¯s intermediaries several thousand years ago and buried them in the State of Yue.


    As for this invasion of the State of Yue, the Devil Dao had planned to take advantage of their formal relationship and hoped to use the same tactic they had used to seize the State of Jiang and Che Ji to great effect.


    But who could have known that the ancestors of Spirit Beast Mountain had passed on their unwillingness to be part of the Controlling Spirit Sect to their descendants through the past thousands of years? They were absolutely unwilling to have another overlord suddenly appear above their heads.


    As a result, after Spirit Beast Mountain released this information to the other six sects, they used an unknown method to convince the Devil Dao sects to attack a stronghold of Seven Sect cultivators.


    As they mounted a raid with several thousand cultivators, they were ambushed by a great number of Seven Sect cultivators on route. With the Seven Sect¡¯s absolute advantage, the Devil Dao suffered a great loss, even losing two Core Formation cultivators during the fight.


    This was a great blow to the Six Devil Dao Sects, and naturally it was greatly celebrated by the Seven Sects of the State of Yue, greatly boosting their morale. Humiliated, the Six Devil Dao Sects flew into a rage and began their large-scale assault.


    Not to be outdone, the Seven Sects laid out their defensive formations.


    Among the common border shared by the State of Yue and the States of Jiang and Che Ji, over ten great battles had occurred there, resulting in the deaths of over ten thousand cultivators. With the additional deaths of seven or eight Core Formation cultivators, the battles had been extremely desperate!


    On the day a few cultivators came to pick up spirit stones, they told the guards this with lingering fear. This caused Han Li and other cultivators who heard this to become extremely apprehensive, secret rejoicing at not needing to fight in the war. Just by seeing how many Core Formation cultivators died in battle, one could imagine how dreadful the situation has become!


    However, the Six Devil Dao Sects were one of the two great powers in the Heavenly South Region. Their strength truly couldn¡¯t be compared to the likes of the cultivation world of the State of Yue.


    After seven or eight battles, the Seven Sects clearly understood they would not be able to continuously withstand the opposition¡¯s fierce assault. If the Seven Sects didn¡¯t prepare and establish great restriction formations in advance as cornerstones of their desperate struggle, they would be defeated without much resistance.


    But even if this were the case, the Seven Sects wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand for long.


    During this time of certain crisis for the State of Yue, the Seven Sects had sent requests to the cultivators of the mid-level States of Yuan Wu and Zi Jin to come to their aid.


    Before the Seven Sects had started their war against the Six Devil Dao Sects, it turned that they had already wisely sent eloquent messengers to the two country¡¯s sects to request aid.


    When the cultivation sects of these two countries received these letters, they were naturally afraid that after the Devil Dao seized the State of Yue, their countries would be the next ones to be taken over. Without having the messengers spend time pleading, they agreed to provide aid. Joined together against a common enemy, the two countries sent a majority of their cultivators to provide assistance during that starry night.


    This new alliance greatly reduced the disparity in strength between the State of Yue and the Six Devil Dao Sects. By relying on the protection of their powerful great formations, they were able to firmly resist the Devil Dao¡¯s assault.


    As such, the Six Devil Dao Sects¡¯ plan to seize the State of Yue in a single burst was naturally shattered.  The war sunk into a deadlock and became a battle of attrition.


    As a result, large decisive battles became less frequent while smaller scale surprise attacks at the rear occurred in great number on both sides, particularly at locations where materials and spirit stones were produced. These raids eventually became the primary objective of the Seven Sects and Devil Dao.


    Perhaps the warfront was too far away, but this specific spirit stone mine had not yet suffered an enemy attack. This was nothing short of a miracle! After all,  other equivalently-sized spirit stone mines had all already suffered three to four raids.


    But the more the raids occurred, the more the Seven Sects became ill at ease. Half a month later, a group of twenty cultivators were dispatched as support, headed by a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    Thus, the spirit stone mine naturally became far stronger! However, like a mountain longs for rain, Han Li felt a desire to cultivate the Great Development Technique even more diligently. The distance to break through to the first layer was still far away.


    Among the second group of Qi Condensation disciples to come, Han Li unexpectedly came across an acquaintance, that ugly man Zhong Wu1 he previously met at the Trial by Blood and Fire.


    Zhong Wu also recognized Han Li.


    However, now that Han Li had a cultivation base at Foundation Establishment, his expression darkened all over, switching between shock, envy, admiration, as well as many other emotions. Seeing him once again truly astonished Han Li.


    Finally, Zhong Wu bitterly smiled. He saluted Han Li in advance and somewhat unwillingly called him ¡°Senior¡±.


    Resisting a smile with difficulty, Han Li insipidly replied.


    When Han Li thought of Zhong Wu¡¯s many changing expressions as he sat in meditation, he couldn¡¯t help but knowingly smile and opened his eyes. At this moment, his mood was truly unsuitable for cultivating the Great Development Technique; he would continue when his heart became tranquil!


    ¡­¡­


    Time passed by quickly. Spending a small portion of time on guard duty and the majority of his time cultivating the Great Development Technique and refining mechanical puppet beasts, a month passed for Han Li. During this time, Han Li could clearly feel that he was on the verge of breaking through the first layer of the Great Development Technique.


    This caused Han Li to be pleasantly surprised!


    With regards to Han Li¡¯s cultivation of Five Element Daoist magic and the Azure Essence Sword Art, his aptitude toward them was shown to be inferior! However, he was able to cultivate this Great Development Technique extremely smoothly and without the slightest difficulty, feeling as if success flowed naturally. In addition to feeling happiness, Han Li also felt awe in his heart!


    As for this first grade two mechanical puppet, after failing over ten times, he finally refined it two days ago. Although it was a bit crude when compared to the puppets of the Thousand Bamboo School and its strength was rather inferior,  it caused Han Li to beam with happiness. After preparing materials brought to him by other cultivators, he started refining them in great quantity.


    But today, just as Han Li was sitting in meditation in a quiet room, he heard an extremely sharp whistle from the outside. Then people loudly yelled, ¡°Not good! The Devil Dao is attacking! Prepare to fight!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. His expression became solemn as he left the quiet room.


    At this moment, the Seven Sect cultivators who were originally meditating and resting in the cave solemnly walked out just as Han Li had. After they mutually looked at each other, they walked out of the cave dwelling one after another.


    The Masked Moon Sect¡¯s late Foundation Establishment Xuan Yue and Spirit Beast Mountain¡¯s Lu Tianmeng were expressionlessly floating underneath the offensive formations and looked up from the great canyon.


    Over ten cultivators who were on duty stood behind him with anxious and frightened expressions. But after they saw Han Li and the others coming to support them, they became far more calm.


    Han Li followed Xuan Yue¡¯s gaze and looked up from the great canyon. As expected, there were traces of enemies, about twenty or thirty assailants.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that since the enemy had dared perform a raid from such a distance, it was likely that they were all at late Foundation Establishment; they wouldn¡¯t have brought any Qi Condensation disciples to weigh them down.


    Thus, in terms of strength, they were absolutely weak in comparison! This battle was not likely to go very well!

 Chapter 266

    Fierce Battle


    Han Li¡¯s side had nine Foundation Establishment cultivators and over sixty Qi Condensation disciples. Although they were a bit weaker than the opposition, they had the Four Fiend Formation, so it wasn¡¯t as if they were completely defenseless.


    As a result, Xuan Yue called out, having Han Li and the other cultivators hide near the Four Fiend Formations and observe the enemy¡¯s movements.


    At this moment, Han Li was able to take a distinct look at the Devil Dao attackers.


    They were all wearing either red or yellow robes. It seemed they were cultivators from two sects.


    Standing at the forefront were an ordinary-looking red-robed young woman and an old yellow-robed man  who appeared to be sixty to seventy years old. Their cultivation wasn¡¯t particularly special, one being at early Foundation Establishment and the other at late Foundation Establishment. They were talking to each other with slight smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Be careful. These people are from the Devil Flame Sect and the Heavenly Fiend Sect.¡± Lu Tianmeng, being the only one who had experienced multiple encounters with the Six Devil Dao Sects, said this to the other cultivators with great caution as if he felt great fear towards the people from these two sects.


    When the Han Li and the other cultivators heard this, their expressions naturally grew increasingly serious.


    At this moment, the young red clothed woman stopped chatting, turned her head, and insipidly said a few words.


    Because Han Li and the others were too far away, they weren¡¯t able to hear very clearly what she said, but her words made the red-robed cultivators behind the young woman move forward before slowly flying down toward the canyon¡¯s four offensive formations.


    At this moment, the yellow-robed old man also silently waved his hand, and his yellow-robed cultivators became streaks of yellow light that headed toward the Four Fiend Formation. Within the formation, Han Li and the others unknowingly held their breaths and impatiently revealed their magic tools.


    These yellow-robed cultivators naturally didn¡¯t foolishly charge straight into the formation. Instead, they stopped about a hundred meters away from the Four Fiend Formation. Then, magic tools flew out, aggressively throwing themselves at the great formation.


    The collisions of the magic tools¡¯ wondrous light and the Four Fiend Formation¡¯s azure, red, blue, and yellow-colored restrictions released waves of thunderous explosions, causing the expressions of the Seven Sect cultivators underneath to slightly change.


    ¡°Half of you will go out to deal with those Heavenly Fiend cultivators. Do not let them break the great formation! The other half, be on guard against the Devil Flame Sect cultivators!¡± The Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Xuan Yuee muttered to himself for a moment before decisively giving his orders.


    Then a small pure white sword flew out of the formation and turned into a streak of white light, obstructing a flying saber as well as bead magic tools.


    Hearing those words, a team of cultivators followed Xuan Yue and also released several of their own magic tools, obstructing most of the opponent¡¯s offense. Han Li was naturally one of these people. With flawless proficiency, he released his ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Blades¡± to form a net of golden light, trapping a long azure spear magic tool.


    Because Han Li had chosen to battle the owner of the magic tool, who had the same level of cultivation as he did, the battle seemed extremely tense as golden light and azure streaks danced about. But in fact, Han Li was easily in control and had the time to take a look at other areas of the battlefield.


    The situation appeared to be handled!


    The cultivators at Han Li¡¯s side were mostly Qi Condensation disciples. Their magic tools could not compete with their enemies¡¯. Only with the cooperation of five or six members would they barely be able to resist the attack of a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. But because they were underneath the protection of a great formation, these cultivators were able to dodge into the formation during a time of crisis and avoid death. As for the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they naturally were the same as Han Li, each blocking a yellow-robed cultivator in a dazzling light show.


    ¡°So this is the strength of the Six Devil Dao Sects.¡±


    Han Li felt this was a bit strange. If their enemy¡¯s strength were as such, then how could defending the spirit stone mines prove to be such a problem!


    Just as he thought this, the red-robed cultivators from the Devil Flame Sect eventually arrived beside the Four Fiend Formation. This caused Lu Tianmeng and the cultivators that had yet to act to diligently pay attention to them. A few of the younger Seven Sect cultivators were somewhat eager to act.


    The red-robed cultivators didn¡¯t immediately enter the fight. Instead, they stood in a strange formation.Following a command, they all took out a fiery red banner with a Golden Crow on a scorching sun, releasing a brilliant red light. From a single look, one could this this was no ordinary object.


    ¡°Not good! These people are Wild Flame cultivators! They want to release an Azure Sun Devil Flame. Quickly block them!¡±


    When Lu Tianmeng saw these red-robed cultivators act so calmly, he felt an ill premonition in his heart. As they stood in a battle formation and each took out a banner, he suddenly recalled an astonishing scene he witnessed from the day he fought in a great battle against the six sects. He couldn¡¯t help but shout with a whitened complexion.


    This Spirit Beast Mountain cultivator then instantly rushed out of the formation and hastily reached for the storage pouch at his waist, immediately releasing two flying centipedes about a meter long.


    These two centipedes were covered in sinister black and yellow stripes and sprouted dark green translucent wings. Under Lu Tianmeng¡¯s hurried whistles, they charged toward the red-robed individuals with an ominous light emitting from their eyes.


    Upon hearing these words, although the other Seven Sect cultivators that had yet to act did not know what ¡°Wild Flame cultivators¡± and ¡°Azure Sun Devil Flame¡± were, they knew that since it was able to cause their late Foundation Establishment captain to become bewildered, it was no small matter, so they did not hesitate to follow his orders.


    The other Foundation Establishment cultivators followed closely behind Lu Tianmeng and also sent their magic tools after the two centipedes towards the red-robed cultivators.


    At this moment, more than ten Wild Flame cultivators were still chanting as they held the large banners without moving in the slightest, turning a blind eye to the attacking cultivators. This caused Lu Tianmeng and the other cultivators to grow greatly excited.


    The very first to arrive in front of the Devil Flame Sect cultivators were one of the two flying centipedes. It opened its mouth and ruthlessly sprayed out dark green poisonous gas.


    But at this moment, something shocking had occurred.


    With the green poisonous gas having not yet left the huge centipede¡¯s mouth, several slender streaks of silver light flickered from its body. Its body then suddenly fell to pieces, having been cut by the streaks of light.


    WIthout waiting for the Seven Sect cultivators to recover from their shock, the same scene immediately occurred to the other centipede. This caused Lu Tianmeng¡¯s expression to greatly change, and he hastily stopped moving. He then took out a small shield and placed it in front of his body.


    Overwhelmed with shock, the several cultivators behind him also took out defensive magic tools and defensive talismans, fearing they would meet a similar end as the centipedes.


    However, something even more outrageous occurred!


    Just as the few magic tools that had closely followed behind the centipede began their attack, an abundance of fine silver strings appeared in front of them, tightly wrapping around them without allowing the slightest of movements.


    The Seven Sect cultivators that had just left the great formation looked at each other in dismay. In a moment, they no longer knew what to do!


    ¡°Quickly use the Spirit Light Technique. There are others in front of those red-robed cultivators, hidden by some sort of secret concealment art!¡± After a flashing blue light from his eyes, a cultivator who had experienced a loss of a magic tool shouted this out with shock.


    These words caused the other cultivators to suddenly come to a realization. However, only Foundation Establishment cultivators could use the Spirit Light Technique. Qi Condensation disciples could only helplessly watch!


    Han Li also used the Spirit Light Technique to look at that location!


    He had seen the entire previous scene and was shocked by no small amount! Now that he was reminded to use the Spirit Light technique, he saw several indistinct white silhouettes in front of the Devil Flame Sect cultivators that were holding the banner. These figures held a long slender sword-like weapon in one hand and controlled a thin silver thread in the other, restraining the magic tools.


    At this moment, after Lu Tianmeng and the other cultivators had discovered the white silhouettes, they did not hesitate to attack with all sorts of magic tools and magic techniques, suppressing the white silhouettes. However, those white silhouettes held on tenaciously. Regardless of what magic tool or Daoist magic was used, they seemed to cause no large injuries to the white silhouettes as if they simply had immortal bodies.


    But fortunately, the white silhouettes could only use one hand to slice and the other to tangle. With a bit of careful dodging from the Seven Sect¡¯s side, the silhouettes only method of attack was neutralized!


    ¡°What sort of crafty thing is this?¡±


    Han Li exclaimed in great surprise! These silhouettes obviously weren¡¯t those of ordinary humans. Could they be refined sacrificial ghost spirits?


    As he thoughtfully pondered this, he commanded the golden blades in front of him. This careless attitude finally offended the middle-aged Heavenly Fiend cultivator!


    As the cultivator commanded the azure spear to tangle with Han Li¡¯s golden blades with a darkened face, he noiselessly patted his storage pouch. A continuously spinning white bead suddenly flew from it.


    After this bead charged out, it grew to the size of a room as it flew, fiercely striking toward Han Li¡¯s head.


    Even though Han Li wasn¡¯t paying much attention, how could he not notice such large movements from the enemy?


    He calmly chopped his hand through the air, and an azure sword streak several meters long flew from his hand towards the bead. The sword streak chopped against the bead and was unable to advance for the moment.


    Then, Han Li took out his ¡°Black Dragon¡¯s Gasp from his storage pouch. As the sword streak was on the verge of collapse, it took its place and formed a deadlock with the bead. This caused the Heavenly Fiend cultivator to become extremely angry, but he had no other option at the moment!


    ¡°Not good!¡±


    Lu Tianmeng¡¯s extremely anxious shout caused Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble. He hastily looked to the side and noticed that the red-robed cultivators had stopped chanting. At the same time, they lifted their banners into the air. The top of the banner began to faintly emit an azure flame.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the Azure Sun Devil Flame.¡± Han Li widely opened his eyes and rigidly stared at the azure flame, feeling a bit restless.


    Seeing the opponent finish casting their magic, Lu Tianmeng¡¯s heart completely sunk! However, he wasn¡¯t even close to breaking through the white silhouettes before him!

 Chapter 267

    Flaunting the Power of Devil Fire


    ¡°Retreat! Everyone, retreat to the great formation!¡± Lu Tianmeng yelled in a moment of desperation after seeing the azure flames on those large flags grow thicker and thicker, then took the lead to fall back, fleeing towards the large formation behind him.


    Hearing this, the cultivators next to him immediately instinctively followed their captain and retreated.


    Xuan Yue did not hesitate and similarly ordered a retreat.


    However, the cultivators on Han Li¡¯s side, apart from a few cultivators who had a steady advantage and could retreat at any time, were all entangled by the opponents¡¯ ferocity and had no way of escaping. Han Li¡¯s opponent similarly mounted a ferocious offensive, attempting to contain Han Li.


    However, Han Li coldly laughed. After retrieving his other magic tools, he tossed out the White Scales Shield, forcefully blocking the opponents¡¯ attacks and easily returning to the great formation. The Heavenly Fiend Sect¡¯s cultivators could only bitterly watch and stop their footsteps outside of the formation.


    Seeing that more than half of his unit was stuck outside the formation, unable to escape, Xuan Yue began to fight even more fiercely, knowing in his heart that the situation was not good. But just as he wanted to go assist the other cultivators, Lu Tianmeng instantly pulled him back the moment he began to move.


    ¡°It¡¯s already too late! The Azure Sun Devil Fire has already been summoned!¡± Lu Tianmeng said with an ashen expression, shaking his head.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li finally noticed that between the flags of the red-robed flag bearers, azure flames had already shot out. Ten or so flame columns shot into the air, converging into a giant azure fireball tens of meters in diameter, gently floating in midair and swaying imposingly; it was incredibly eye-catching.


    ¡°This?¡±


    After being startled, Xuan Yue was about to say something. However, the following movements from those red-robed cultivators immediately caused his expression to become extremely ugly.


    Those red-robed individuals pointed the tips of the flags at the Seven Great Sects cultivators who had been entangled outside of the formation. Instantly, the huge fireball became ten or so smaller fireballs about a meter wide with a ¡°pu¡±, shooting directly towards these cultivators.


    The speed of those azure fireballs was incredibly frightening. In the time it took to blink, they had already aggressively flown in front of the cultivators from the Seven Great Sects.


    Naturally, these people had long discovered the transformation of the large fireball; they all instinctively used various kinds of magic tools to receive the attacks of the azure fireballs. An extremely low number of them used a few talismans to execute Daoist magic in an attempt shoot them down.


    Unfortunately, because these azure flames were the so-called ¡°Azure Sun Devil Flames¡±, they were extremely frightening!


    Regardless of whether it was the magic tools or the Daoist magics, as soon as they encountered the azure fireball, they were like moths in a flame, silently melting away completely.


    Seeing this unbelievable scene, the faces of those cultivators became as deathly pale as snow!


    Before they could think carefully about it, ten or so fireballs simultaneously slammed into them. The protective barriers and similar magic spells were all completely destroyed upon contact. Furthermore, their bodies instantly became reduced to nothing under the demonic fire, not even leaving a single trace behind.


    After seeing this massacre, how could the remaining cultivators who had not been hit dare to hesitate at all! Either they had been gravely wounded by the Heavenly Fiend Sect cultivators or they simply dropped the tangled-up magic tools, directly fleeing towards the great formation.


    However, two or three people panicked, and they immediately died under their opponents¡¯ magic tools.


    In this way, the Seven Great Sects cultivators defending the spirit stone mine had suffered the deaths of nearly ten Qi Condensation disciples and one Foundation Establishment cultivator. As soon as they brushed against the enemy, their losses were very great!


    However, the Azure Sun Devil Flame¡¯s might was not limited to this!


    Under the guidance of the red-robed cultivators, those azure fireballs became one entity once again, directly becoming a sea of flames that rushed towards the Four Fiend Formation.


    At this moment, the expressions on the faces of the ones hiding inside the formation drastically changed, and a fear spread through all of the cultivators.


    Seeing this, Xuan Yue wrinkled his brow and directly asked asked Lu Tianmeng, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu, what¡¯s going on with these azure flames? How can Foundation Establishment cultivators release such frightening True Fire? This great formation¡¯s restriction ability should be able to block the attack of the flames, right?¡±


    Lu Tianmeng couldn¡¯t help but begin to bitterly laugh after hearing the other person¡¯s string of questions. However, upon seeing that all the other cultivators were attentively watching him, he could only helplessly explain:


    ¡°To tell the truth to you all, when I, Lu, was battling in the warfront, I only occasionally witnessed this Azure Sun Devil Flame¡¯s fearfulness! As for whether or not it can break the Four Fiend Formation, I have no way of guessing! Only, I heard afterwards from a senior that this kind of demonic fire cannot be carelessly released; not only are these Wild Flame cultivators required to cultivate in this kind of Azure Sun Devil Flame technique, every time they release it they pay a price in lowering their own cultivation bases. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so difficult to defend against!¡±


    These words from Lu Tianmeng caused Xuan Yue and the other cultivators to glance at each other, revealing dispirited expressions!


    At this time, the fierce azure flames finally slammed into the four-colored restrictions of the great formation; a low rumbling sound, like an explosion, sounded out, immediately attracting the attention of all the cultivators present.


    They saw that the azure waves incessantly slammed against the four-colored light barrier, wave after wave, causing the light barrier to ripple nonstop. However, in the end it blocked these frightening demonic flames, causing the Seven Sects cultivators in the formation to let out a sigh of relief.


    However, Han Li and the others did not relax for long before they were on edge once again.


    That was because as time went on, the four-colored light barrier was already slowly dimming under the repeated onslaught of the vicious azure flames; clearly, this was a sign that the great formation was about to shatter. And although those red-clothed people were also drenched with sweat, waving their large flags, they definitely had no problem in holding out for a while.


    All of the cultivators inside the formation now began to furiously rack their brains on ways to retreat and get out of there!


    Based on the circumstances of the other spirit stone mines that had been ambushed, although the Seven Sects cultivators who fell into the hands of the Devil Dao were not immediately killed, they would be immediately escorted to the enemy. It was unknown what the Devil Dao were planning to do with their hostages.


    However, the hatred built up between the Seven Sects and the Six Devil Dao Sects after their consecutive battles could be likened to a deep sea! How could either side treat their hostages well? This concern was especially made worse since the opponent often practiced the inhumane method of extracting one¡¯s soul; this caused the Seven Sects cultivators to feel even more uneasy!


    Thus, unless there was no other way out, no one would bring up the matter of surrender.


    ¡°I know of a tunnel directly leading to a location around ten miles away. That should be enough for us to escape alive!¡± The elder Yu Xing, who had been standing guard here for ten or so years, suddenly said with a peaceful expression.


    Like a large boulder creating huge waves, these words instantly shocked Xuan Yue and the other cultivators, then exciting them immediately afterwards.


    ¡°Martial Brother Yu, is this really true?¡±


    ¡°Great, now we can finally escape!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The Seven Sects cultivators who were originally panicking had suddenly became much more lively and were unable to contain their joy.


    Han Li was also rather happy. After all, he truly had no way to deal with those Azure Sun Devil Flames. Even if he were to go all out, he wouldn¡¯t know where to start.


    Xuan Yue and Lu Tianmeng restrained the excitement in their hearts and, after confirming again the veracity of the tunnel from Yu Xing¡¯s mouth, hesitated for a moment before issuing the order to retreat!


    As for the spirit stone mine, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it; at most, the opponents would destroy the tunnel entrance, halting the production of spirit stones. The Devil Dao cultivators wouldn¡¯t even take a few spirit stones from the mine. Even the mortals who worked the mines wouldn¡¯t normally be injured in the battle.


    Thus, all they needed to do was make themselves scarce and slip away.


    Under Yu Xing¡¯s lead, Han Li and the other fifty or so cultivators guarding the mine entered a certain underground tunnel in the spirit stone mine. However, just when they entered the underground tunnel, everyone felt the entire canyon tremble for a moment.


    ¡°The Four Fiend Formation has been broken through!¡± Xuan Yue shouted expressionlessly.


    Instantly, the cultivators sped up their footsteps even more.


    ¡­¡­


    The inside of the tunnel was lit up by the many moonlight stones in the cultivators¡¯ hands. One could tell from the potholed walls of the tunnel that it was man-made, causing all of the cultivators to feel somewhat shocked.


    Based on Yu Xing¡¯s brief overview, this tunnel was originally an extremely long spirit stone vein. It had been carved out by the miners as they progressed along the vein, harvesting the spirit stones. It eventually led to another exit.


    Thankfully, this tunnel existed and Yu Xing remembered it. Otherwise, they really would have had nowhere to escape today!


    These words caused the other cultivators to repeatedly nod their heads in agreement.


    But just at this moment, the tunnel suddenly began to shake violently. After a few loud rumbles, it began to slowly fall apart.


    Countless clumps of dirt and huge stones rained on the frightened cultivators, directly burying them. The entire underground world became pitch black once again.


    ¡­¡­


    After many hours, at a certain stone wall in a naturally-occurring underground cave, a large hole suddenly opened up with a ¡°huala¡±. Next, a lizard-like puppet beast rushed out of the hole, stretching its head to size up its surroundings. It then jumped back into the hole.


    After the time it takes to cook a meal, the lizard mechanical beast jumped out again from the stone wall, only this time a person crawled out as well, closely following behind. This was none other than Han Li, who had encountered the collapse yet managed to survive the disaster.


    Han Li stood up, and glanced at the surroundings, his face revealing a joyful expression. He had just received a new lease on life!

 Chapter 268

    White Spider


    Han Li was currently in a stalactite cave open from all sides. Although he did not know how big it truly was, it absolutely couldn¡¯t have been small.


    After Han Li took a look in every direction with a moonlight stone in hand, he had come to that conclusion.


    In the split second when the tunnel collapsed into dirt and falling stones, Han Li quickly flew and activated his protective barrier. As a result, although he was deeply buried underneath the earth from the series of tremors, he still had the leeway to take deep breaths and move slowly.


    However, the earth tremors were too great, and Han Li no longer knew where he was, incapable of identifying his direction. He had no choice but to release several lizard puppet beasts he had on hand and have them simultaneously dig in different directions, hoping to find a way out.


    At this moment, he felt great regret for not having previously learned the Earth Evasion Technique. If he had, he could just smoothly shuttle through the earth. Now, he could only have his puppet beasts move forward as he slowly crawled.


    As for using magic tools to open a path, Han Li completely rejected it as soon as he thought of it.


    Under the current circumstances, negligently squandering magic power was not wise, especially without knowing a clear route. Furthermore, using magic tools while underneath the earth was truly far too dangerous! With a single mistake, he would be caught in another collapse.


    As such, Han Li first controlled several puppets and scouted everything within a certain range once through before choosing the mostly likely route to escape from. Like this, after many hours of dull crawling, he eventually arrived at this mysterious stalactite cave. This caused Han Li¡¯s completely taut heart to thoroughly relax.


    The feeling of surviving a calamity was truly wonderful!


    Han Li turned his head to look at the hole he just crawled out of. He was certain there were others who had also managed to preserve their life while trapped underneath the collapsed tunnel, but whether or not they were able to find a path to life was hard to say!


    Because they were trapped in an airtight area, even if they were Foundation Establishment cultivators, they wouldn¡¯t last for very long. Qi Condensation disciples were even less likely to survive!


    However, while Han Li was rejoicing in his fortune, he felt a bit puzzled.


    How could it be that soon after they entered the tunnel, the tunnel would collapse from an earthquake? Could it be the Devil Dao had arranged ghosts to cause this? Han Li felt that this guess was most likely true.


    ¡­¡­


    On the surface, the Devil Dao cultivators had just greatly damaged the spirit stone mine¡¯s opening, using magic tools to completely smash the cave within to pieces.


    High up above the spirit stone mine, yellow-robed old man was facing the red-robed young woman, regretfully saying,


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Lian, you are treating this small problem greatly! Just to get a few stray dogs, you  used an earth-shaking talisman, an extremely rare mid-grade talisman!¡±


    ¡°Humph! To run away from me, Lian Feihua, how could it be so easy! Although rooting out this spirit stone mine happened to be just an insignificant mission, to truly let them run away so easily makes me feel ill at ease!¡± The red-robed young woman slanted her mouth, saying this without concern.


    When the yellow-robed man heard this, he didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    Using this to justify wasting a rare talisman, it was truly too ridiculous! But even so, she was the Devil Flame Sect Master¡¯s only daughter! Sigh, he was only a Heavenly Fiend Sect Enforcer. He should just mind his own business.


    With this thought, the old man shut his mouth and kept quiet.


    Not long after, the spirit stone mine was completely destroyed by the Devil Dao cultivators. They flew away, eventually flying off into the horizon.


    After a day, a huge Seven Sects medicine cultivation yard hidden rather far from this place was raided by the same group! They stole all the medicinal herbs that could be used and cleanly set the saplings ablaze with Azure Sun Devil Fire!


    This matter immediately seized the hearts of the Seven Sects¡¯ upper echelon. Compared to the spirit stone mine Han Li had guarded, it was insignificant.  By using only a bit of time, the mine would be restored. However, the plundered and burned spiritual herbs needed several tens of years to grow again.


    The Seven Sects¡¯ upper echelon furiously dispatched experts to pursue and kill them. But who would have thought that the enemy would meet with reinforcements or that the Seven Sects would suffer a small loss from the ambush?


    With such continuous losses, the Seven Sects naturally wouldn¡¯t submit to humiliation! After recovering a bit of strength, they took the initiative to begin a second wave of large-scale battles, once more opening another prelude.


    ¡­¡­


    Underground, Han Li wrinkled his brow. He finally identified the direction of the wind within the cave. He had his puppet beasts find the path forward as he crawled after them.


    After passing through several tens of caverns, the stalactite caves became larger and larger.  The largest cavern could fit over a hundred people without problem. The further he moved, the stronger the wind flow, which caused Han Li to be a bit more at ease. After all, with wind, there would be an opening to the surface.


    Just as Han Li entered a new cavern, he ran into six or seven people. They were Yuan Le, Lu Tianfeng, and other cultivators. Unexpectedly, Zhong Wu was there as well.


    When they saw Han Li alongside two puppet beasts, they blankly stared with surprise.


    But soon after, as Xuan Ye smiled and thought of saying something, a mournful scream came from the other direction, causing everyone¡¯s expression to change, revealing fright.


    Without inquiring anything from Han Li, Xuan Ye and Lu Tianmeng looked at each other and immediately followed the scream with hastened steps. No one dared to be negligent, applying all sorts of defensive magic techniques and magic tools as a precaution.


    When Han Li saw this, he hesitated for a moment. In the end, he took out his white scale shield and slowly followed. However, he didn¡¯t use a defensive magic technique. This way, he would be able to use both the Imperial Flight Technique and soft body movements. He always believed that in narrow quarters, speed was more important than defense.


    After they passed through three or four large caverns, they arrived at a huge stalactite cave and suddenly saw a frightful scene before them.


    At the center of the cavern, a sparkling crystal white spider over ten meters large was using its huge sharp teeth to bite at a badly mutilated corpse. The corpse was wearing white clothes, clearly revealing its former identity as a Masked Moon Sect disciple who had managed to flee from being buried alive. Near the corpse, there were three or four thoroughly worn-out magic tools.


    But what was most noticeable was the huge spirit stone vein behind the spider. Surrounding it was an extremely ancient hexagonal transportation formation. To the side of the transportation formation, there was a rainbow-colored skeleton sitting cross-legged in meditation, levitating a meter into the air. Its hand was grasping a lustrous blue command medallion that was radiating faintly.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    After a Qi Condensation cultivator swallowed his spit, he dryly asked. No one knew if he was asking about this monstrous spider, the transportation formation, or the skeleton with the command medallion. Naturally, no one answered.


    Perhaps it was because this person¡¯s voice had alarmed the spider, but the monster suddenly stopped gnawing.  It raised its head and glared at the party that had invaded its cavern with an ice cold gaze.


    This caused Han Li¡¯s and the other cultivator¡¯s hearts to tremble as they hastily prepared to fight.


    But a moment after this monster took a glance, it lowered its head and continued to gnaw at the corpse, turning a blind eye to the crowd of people. This caused everyone to look at each other in dismay!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    When a Masked Moon Sect cultivator saw his fellow sect member had died at the jaws of this spider, he felt grieved from his death and raised his hand, fiercely throwing a flaming dart magic tool toward the spider.


    This caused Lu Tianmeng and the other experienced people to jump in fright, inwardly cursing this person¡¯s imprudence.


    ¡°Peng¡± The clear sound rang out as the flying dart struck the head of the spider, which hadn¡¯t attempted to dodge in the slightest. Unexpectedly, it bounced back. Not the slightest trace of damage could be seen on the insect beast. Furthermore, the point of the dart had become slightly bent.


    The other cultivators¡¯ eyes nearly dropped from their sockets. This spider¡¯s outer carapace was actually this hard¡­it was far too ridiculous!


    ¡°Everyone, attack!¡±


    Xuan Ye fiercely glanced at that rash fellow sect member and had no better option than to call for everyone to simultaneously attack. This was because that spider had already stopped eating and was slowly walking towards them.


    After these words were said, over ten magic tools flew out at the same time. They all struck the huge spider with all sorts of divine powers. Han Li had also sent out his golden blades.


    At this moment, underneath the dazzling barrage of attacks, the spider¡¯s body had become completely covered by strong light, almost as if it had been instantly killed by those attacks. But after the sounds of clatter were heard, the brilliance of the magic tools¡¯ attack had dimmed. Five or six lower grade magic tools even completely lost their spiritual properties, falling to the ground.


    When Han Li and the other cultivators saw this, they turned pale with fright. They each took the same action, drawing their gazes to their magic tools.


    In the end, the top-grade magic tools were still in good condition. However, the high-grade magic tools suffered heavy damage. As for the lower grade magic tools, they fell to the floor. Once again, the slightest trace of damage couldn¡¯t be seen on the white spider, which continued to leisurely crawl towards them.


    ¡°Withdraw!¡±


    After Li Tianmeng and Xuan Ye looked at each other, they both happened to shout the same word.


    Although they were a bit curious about the transportation formation and the command medallion,  the price to kill that demonic monster was far too high. Furthermore, the return to the surface was far more important.


    But during this time, the white spider opened its mouth, and a shining white liquid sprayed out everywhere.


    After seeing the fearsomeness of this monster, who dared to be so stupid as to touch this unknown liquid? Everyone similarly flashed to either side.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Han Li came to a realization after thinking of something and couldn¡¯t help but cry out.


    The other cultivators were slightly startled; they hadn¡¯t fully realized what just happened.


    The liquid suddenly turning into a huge net. The spider than pounced at the cave opening and stood on the web. Much to their surprise, it tightly sealed the entrance they had just used to enter.


    The other cultivators¡¯ expressions changed. At this moment, they discovered that this stalactite cave seemed to only have one exit!

 Chapter 269

    Blood Red


    ¡°Could it be it wishes to eliminate us in one stroke?¡± Zhong Wu asked with a white complexion.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Xuan Yue didn¡¯t speak and raised his hand instead. Seven to eight fireballs flew from his hand, shooting toward the dense spiderweb.


    Peng peng! The spiderweb was left completely intact. Not even the slightest sign of a burn could be seen.


    At this moment, the others weren¡¯t surprised. They had clearly anticipated that this spiderweb wasn¡¯t so fragile.


    During this moment, the white spider slightly bent its legs, and with ferocious power, it pounced straight toward Xuan Yue¡¯s direction with its entire body.


    Xuan Yue¡¯s expression darkened. He pressed a yellow talisman against the ground, and immediately after, it noiselessly dissolved into floor.


    Subsequently, a huge stone spike sharply rose not far away, precisely hitting the abdomen of the spider as it leaped in midair. The spider was rigidly pinned to the roof of the cavern, incapable of moving for the time being.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    When Lu Tianmeng saw this, he loudly shouted and revealed an expression of happiness.


    Then, he threw out a dark green bag with the bag¡¯s opening pointed at the spider at the ceiling, revealing faint warm light.


    At this moment, the spider trapped at the cavern ceiling started hissing. It drew its legs towards its abdomen and held the stone spike tightly. Then it fiercely exerted force.


    The sounds of crashing stones were heard. The tip of the stone spike had actually been easily crushed into countless falling stones.


    After recovering its freedom, the demonic beast jumped down. When it had broken the stone spike¡¯s tip, its small eyes flickered with green light as if it were angered.


    It lowered its body and then straightened it. It seemed to want to pounce toward the cultivators once again.


    But at this moment, the warm light rushed out from the bag and precisely swept away the spider as it was midair. Then as quick as lightning, the light returned, with it the spider that had unexpectedly shrunk as it was collected into the bag.


    Han Li and the others at the side were startled. Such a seemingly ferocious spider had actually been so easily captured alive. This was truly hard to imagine.


    Lu Tianmeng also wore an expression of pleasant surprise.


    Although the might of his ¡°Sun and Moon Pouch¡±  was quite considerable, it had already been used many times to collect a large number of demonic beasts. Even so, it was still able to smoothly capture this spider, which caused him to be greatly surprised. Feelings of ecstasy then began to rise in his heart. If he could tame such a demonic beast, wouldn¡¯t his power increase by several times?


    With this thought, although Lu Tianmeng had regained his calm, his happiness was displayed on his brow. He impatiently waved at the green bag, and it slow flew back under everyone¡¯s gazes.


    The other cultivators naturally knew what such a live demonic beast meant to a member of Spirit Beast Mountain. They couldn¡¯t help but display an expression of envy. However, just as this expression was revealed, that flying bag suddenly stopped in midair and moved no more.


    Lu Tianmeng grew frightened and hastily attempted to retrieve his bag by forcefully using more magic power. However, after the bag swayed several more times, it still stopped in midair.


    Everyone watching from the side knew something was amiss. They hastily went on guard.


    The surface of the leather bag suddenly became bumpy; it seemed that demonic beast was causing these oddities from within the bag. These strange occurrences continued for a short moment before disappearing. But soon after, it suddenly began to swell and with a loud bang as the bag exploded into pieces. The white spider had actually forcibly destroyed the magic tool and restored its original size.


    After once again escaping constraint, the demonic beast clearly entered a craze. Its translucent pure white body gradually turned red and began to shoot off fearful blood-red rays of light. It began grinding its mouthful of sharp teeth, releasing fearful crackling noises.


    When Lu Tianmeng and the others saw this, they all solemnly drew back several steps, planning to use explosions from magic tools to increase the distance between them.


    However, the blood red spider cut forward with its many legs and charged toward the two cultivators furthest away as fast as lightning.


    After seeing only two streaks of white light flash by and hearing ¡°Pupu¡±, the two cultivators¡¯ defensive barriers had been destroyed in a single strike, their bodies severed in two, meeting a violent end. Among these two was unexpectedly that ugly man Zhong Wu. Unfortunately, he had believed he was safer as he was farther away!


    After seeing the two cultivators¡¯ deaths along with the spider¡¯s lightning-fast movements, the others that had scattered the farthest turned pale with fright and feared they would follow the pair¡¯s footsteps.


    However, they were too late. The demonic beast¡¯s body had already flashed and turned into a streak of blood-red light, shooting toward the Saber Transformation Dock cultivator.


    This cultivator¡¯s face became deathly pale. He grit his teeth, shooting two black throwing knives at the approaching spider.


    However, the spider opened its mouth, and shining white liquid shot out toward the throwing knives, causing the throwing knives to lose their magic power and fall to the floor. Then it leaped up with its huge body and bit off the head of the Saber Transformation Dock cultivator. The headless corpse spouted out blood like a fountain, causing those who saw it to become aghast.


    The others, Han Li included, no longer hesitated and immediately sent talismans and magic tools to smash its head!


    However, even since the spider¡¯s body turned blood red, it became as fast as the wind. Within this narrow cavern, the magic tools and magic techniques simply couldn¡¯t follow its nimble movements. A short moment later, another two cultivators met their violent end underneath its fierce teeth.


    Although one of them had timely used a colored scarf to obstruct its advance, in the blink of an eye, the spider shredded through the scarf and killed him. This spider¡¯s legs and fierce teeth were truly sharp! Their hardness was absolutely that of a top-grade magic tool or higher.


    At this moment, only Lu Tianmeng, Xuan Yue, and Han Li had remained! The trio¡¯s complexion had become ashen with extreme fear and anger!


    If they were in an open area, then these cultivators wouldn¡¯t have died so easily. After all, with flying magic tools, they definitely would¡¯ve lasted longer!


    Bang! The spider flashed to the side of Lu Tianmeng. As it attempted to cleave his body in two through his protective barrier, a black object appeared to obstruct it.


    This flat and round object appeared to be a small shield, but under careful observation, its surface seemed to have cracks. It was actually a miraculously strange turtle shell. Apart from a shallow mark that remained from the strike, it was completely intact; it was truly astonishing.


    Seeing it had no effect, the huge spider immediately gave up on Lu Tianmeng and flashed with red light, arriving at Han Li¡¯s side with its jaws open.


    However, Han Li¡¯s cold expression shook several times. His body suddenly became vague and immediately disappeared. He then appeared over twenty meters away. This caused the demonic beast to unexpectedly stay still from surprise.


    During this delay, Xuan Yue took out a small yellow cup and arrived next to the spider. After the small cup flashed with yellow light and expanded, Xuan Yue slapped it underneath, trapping it once again. Afterwards, Han Li expanded his Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp to its greatest size and cautiously hovered over the cup, fearing another escape from the demonic beast.


    ¡°You two, be at ease. My Heaven Shrouding Cup was refined from copper essence, a material used to refine magic treasures. It absolutely wouldn¡¯t be able to escape!¡± After Xuan Yue¡¯s expression relaxed, he explained this to Han Li and Lu Tianmeng.


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed, and he retrieved his Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp. It seemed he was truly at ease.


    However, Lu Tianmeng walked to the front of the copper cup and took a few looks at it before muttering to himself and shaking his head with worry, saying, ¡°This won¡¯t do! I feel unassured! Continue using your cup to trap the beast and give me time to prepare a magic treasure and thoroughly kill this monster.¡±


    When Xuan Yue heard this, he wrinkled his brow, but he didn¡¯t say anything and followed along.


    Han Li then looked at the transportation formation and the skeleton¡¯s command medallion. After a moment of thought, he walked to the side and sat cross-legged in meditation, leaving the previous matter up to the other two.


    At this moment, Lu Tianmeng took out a treasure talisman flashing with azure light. He pressed it between his palms and slowly filled it with spiritual power.


    It was obvious that a late Foundation Establishment could use a treasure talisman quickly without having to charge it with power. A short moment later, he separated his hands, and an exquisite small rod shot forth and revolved around his head.


    ¡°Are you ready? I¡¯m going to release the demonic beast!¡± When Xuan Yue saw this, he asked this with concern as he controlled the small cup.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. You both can die at ease. That Greater Displacement Medallion is mine!¡± Lu Tianmeng widely opened his eyes, suddenly revealing a sinister appearance.


    After this large shout, the tip of the short rod released innumerable rays of light. In a flash, one rod became two, two became four and four became eight¡­. In the blink of an eye, over several hundred similar small rods had appeared. Each of the small rods released a small, buzzing rumble.  Then, under Lu Tianmeng¡¯s control, the majority of the rods charged toward Xuan Yue in a dense formation, while a small portion went toward Han Li as he was meditating cross-legged.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression slightly changed. He didn¡¯t dare to clench the item in his hand and rigidly stared at the approaching talisman treasures. Xuan Yue¡¯s expression was dull, as if he were turning a blind eye to this crisis.


    Seeing the pair¡¯s expression, Lu Tianmeng¡¯s proud expression froze. As he shouted ¡®Not Good!¡¯ in his mind, he thought to take out the tortoise shell. However, behind him, the sound of the ground rupturing came from behind him. Then, a streak of red light struck at his side.


    Suddenly, Lu Tianmeng¡¯s body fell to the ground in two pieces. Right after, the red light leaped back a certain distance away and stopped. It was unexpected the blood red spider that had escaped its trap at an unknown time.

 Chapter 270

    Beheading.


    Chapter 270: Beheading


    Once Lu Tianmeng had died, the magic power supporting the several hundred small rods disappeared. In an instant, they dissolved into specks of azure light and converged together, forming a treasure talisman that gently fell to the floor. At this moment, all that was left was Han Li, Xuan Ye and the blood red spider.


    Xuan Ye expressionlessly started at Han Li and didn¡¯t make any movements. Han Li then looked at the blood red spider and then looked at Xuan Ye. He then silently raised his hand and brought out his white scale shield. Simultaneously, eight streaks of white light appeared at his side; they were revealed to be Han Li¡¯s puppet beasts.


    Xuan Ye¡¯s expression became slightly moved as he raised his hand to recall the small yellow cup. He insipidly said, ¡°I truly did not think that Junior Martial Han Li was actually an expert in puppet techniques. However, it seems you haven¡¯t cultivated it to perfection. Do you think with so few puppets, you could be considered my opponent?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he expression didn¡¯t change. He only coldly asked, ¡°Did you release the spider intentionally?¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡±


    Xuan Ye bluntly acknowledged this. Then he flipped his hand and summoned a red muslin cloak.


    ¡°Are you not worried about overreaching yourself and allowing yourself to die to this demonic beast?¡± Han Li coldly laughed after he licked his dry lips.


    ¡°Hehe! Me, die? Against a mere grade four demonic beast with a bit of toughness and brute strength?¡± Xuan Ye mockingly said. HIs face was filled with disdain and contempt.


    ¡°Regardless, you should go and properly play with that crystal spider! Hope you¡¯ll be able to preserve your life!¡±


    With that said, he covered his body with the muslin cloak. Although he was still there, all the scents from his body completely disappeared.


    Han Li was slightly surprised. He couldn¡¯t help but look at that muslin cloak several times.


    At this moment, Xuan Ye slowly retreated to a corner of the cavern with a slight smile on his face. It seemed he didn¡¯t want to be involved at all. Han Li¡¯s thoughts whirled in his mind several times and guessed several uses of that muslin cloak. His complexion couldn¡¯t help but change, and he hastily looked at the spider.


    After seeing the blood-red spider stare at him with an ominous glint, he heard the sound of crackling come from its fierce teeth. It seemed he had already become its hunting target


    After Han Li pondered for a short moment, his body flashed as he rushed toward the corner Xuan Ye was resting.


    But when the blood spider saw Han Li move, its blood red light brilliantly shined, and it charged towards Han Li.


    However, he had already prepared his puppet beasts, which opened their mouths, taking turns to shoot out light beams at the spider as it drew near. When the beams hit the red spider¡¯s body, it tumbled several times back. At this moment, it had no method to further pursue Han Li.


    When Xuan Ye saw Han Li approach him at great speed, his heart trembled.


    He was greatly fearful toward Han Li¡¯s lightning-fast movement technique. How could he let Han Li approach him so near? He reacted by tossing the small cup in his hand towards Han Li. Then radiance shot forth from his body; a set of fire red leather armor appeared on his body. Having lost its usefulness, the muslin cloak had been put away.


    When Han Li saw the giant cup barrier approach him, he waved his hand, causing a small mirror to appear in his hand. At the same time, a brilliant azure mist shot forth and immediately turned the huge cup back to its original size, halting it in midair.


    ¡°Azure Stasis Mirror!¡± Xuan Ye shouted in alarm. This was a famous top-grade magic tool from his own sect. How could he not know of it!


    Suddenly, Xuan Ye panicked and moved erratically!


    He originally believed this ¡°Heaven Shrouding Cup¡± would have bought him some time. However, it hadn¡¯t slowed down Han Li¡¯s charge in the slightest. How could he not be in a fluster?


    Fortunately, he was still over thirty meters away. Xuan Ye took out an ¡°Ice Storm Technique¡± talisman and threw it out. It immediately turned into a dense barrage of ice spikes. He assumed that since Han Li would use his white scale shield to defend, he would slow down his movements, giving Xuan Le enough time to take out an impressive magic tool.


    When Han Li saw the barrage of ice spikes, a cold light flashed through his eyes, but he inconceivable waved his hand, retrieving the small shield into his storage pouch. At the same time, he suddenly increased his speed. His body became distorted in incomprehensible transformations and charged straight through the icicle barrage without the slightest of injury.


    When Xuan Ye saw this, his calm expression thoroughly disappeared, his complexion becoming incomparably pale.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li had already appeared in front of him. Lacking the time to use any magic tools, he could only madly pour the entirety of his spiritual power into his fiery armor and hope the defensive power of this top-grade defensive magic tool was enough to save him from the crisis before his eyes.


    Seeing the dazzling radiance released from his opponent¡¯s armor, murderous intent rushed forth from Han Li¡¯s eyes. He opened his mouth, and a black needle that had been prepared long ago shot out from his mouth when it was least expected, producing an extremely grim hiss as it pierced the air. It flew toward the opponent¡¯s armor with extreme speed, creating a world-shakingly loud clap upon impact.


    A huge streak of azure sword Qi then appeared from thin air, and with a flash, Han Li was already standing behind Xuan Ye.


    Xuan Ye blankly stood at his original location. At the pit of his stomach, a fist-sized hole had appeared on his armor, causing the armor¡¯s spiritual Qi to disappear, turning the armor to scrap metal. Then without warning, his head suddenly fell to the floor. After Han Li had suddenly broken his armor, he used an azure essence sword streak to immediately behead him. Naturally, Han Li had already taken his storage pouch as he passed by.


    Han Li looked at the storage pouch in his hand and felt an indescribable feeling in his heart!


    He was unexpectedly able to kill a late Foundation Establishment cultivator; he had trouble believing he had just done so!


    However, Han Li clearly understood that the reason why he was able to kill Xuan Le was because he had caught him off guard and because Xuan Le was restricted by the narrow terrain.


    If it were a normal high-level battle between cultivators, Xuan Le absolutely wouldn¡¯t have given him the opportunity to approach. Separated by a distance of over a hundred meters and with the assistance of flying magic tools, Xuan Le wouldn¡¯t be slower than Han Li¡¯s extremely limited movement technique and could move about as he wished.


    In order to destroy this person¡¯s armor, Han Li had to consume a single-use explosive magic tool refined from the fledgling horn of the Inky Flood Dragon. It had been mutually destroyed along with the opponent¡¯s armor.


    When this fledgling horn was refined, the magic tool shop owner continuously felt regret. If the Inky Flood Dragon had grown another twenty to thirty years, its horn could¡¯ve been refined into an extremely powerful magic tool and wouldn¡¯t need to produce such a fragile consumable magic tool.


    But from what happened today, by allowing him to kill a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, this item was truly worthwhile!


    After Han Li put away the Azure Stasis Mirror and the small cup, a series of explosions suddenly appeared from behind him. This caused him to stop and instinctively react, patting his storage pouch. Several grade two puppet beasts flew out from his pouch and blocked the blood spider¡¯s advance. A few seconds later, the puppets had been cut and gnawed to pieces.


    At this moment, the blood spider lowered its head and once again charged towards Han Li!


    Han Li raised his hand and sent forth his Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp in its greatest size, stopping the huge spider in midair.


    Soon after, light beam attacks from his puppet beasts continuously shot at the demonic beast¡¯s blood red body. It was eventually suppressed to the point where it was incapable of moving forward.


    In a moment of desperation, the blood-red spider sprayed out several spider webs from its mouth. Fortunately, Han Li had already seen the demonic beast use this before, and his body immediately flashed, avoiding it. As for the puppet beasts, although they weren¡¯t able to avoid being to tangled in the spider¡¯s threads in the slightest, Han Li was able to instantly take the tangled ones into his storage pouch and exchange them for fresh puppets. The puppet¡¯s attack continued without the slightest of delay.


    Han Li immediately thought of using a talisman treasure but couldn¡¯t help but dispel the idea against this opponent. After all, using protective barriers and magic tools was unwise and would result in him being trapped by the spider¡¯s webs.


    With no better choice, Han Li let out a sigh and could only maintain his attacks against the spider. He didn¡¯t dare to relax in the slightest.


    After a quarter hour, it turned out as Han Li had predicted. The blood red spider¡¯s body gradually lost its color, its shell beginning to show bumps. It was clear that this demonic beast¡¯s true essence was almost exhausted,  rendering it incapable of using spiritual power to reinforce its body to withstand the attacks.


    When Han Li¡¯s face revealed a slight smile, the spider seemed to realize the situation was far from good and attempted to flee Han Li¡¯s offensive entrapment several times. As it attempted to leap to the cavern¡¯s exit, it was swiftly suppressed and pushed back by a burst of the puppets¡¯ light beams. In the end, it was actually restrained to one spot by Han Li¡¯s ever-changing entrapment.


    When the entirety of the demonic beast¡¯s true essence had been exhausted, it could only shrink into a ball without any power to counterattack. Han Li then took out the incomparably sharp silver-pointed sword and took several steps forward, beheading the spider. As expected, although the beast¡¯s external shell was hard, without any magic power to reinforce its body, its defenses were easily sliced through by the sword.


    Han Li finally sat down on the floor, exhausted. He remained silent for half a day.


    After a long while, he took a look at the dead cultivators lying in every direction and felt for the first time that the lives of cultivators were fragile. This caused him to feel sorrow in his heart. Would he also meet his end at the hands of another cultivator or end up in the stomach of a demonic beast one day?


    After he fully rested, Han Li first gathered the small rod treasure talisman and then searched through the dead cultivators¡¯ storage pouches.


    Finally, he approached the transportation formation with caution. His gaze continuously flickered between the rainbow skeleton and command medallion.


    ¡®Greater Displacement Medallion! That was what Lu Tianfeng called it!¡¯ Han Li thought as he sunk into contemplation.

 Chapter 271

    The Greater Displacement Medallion and an Ancient Transportation Formation


    ¡°Greater Displacement Medallion¡± Han Li had never heard of this name before! Seeing that Lu Tianmeng and Xuan Yue had acted to eliminate all others, this object was obviously precious.


    However, facing the strange appearance of the rainbow skeleton, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to rashly act.


    He took out his golden blades and carefully touched the skeleton with it. Seeing that nothing happened, he felt reassured and walked closer, attentively sizing up the command medallion.


    The blue luster of the command medallion faintly released twinkling light similar to gems. The medallion was engraved with simple decorative designs and an ancient character. It was clearly an object of ancient origin. As for other areas, Han Li didn¡¯t find anything noteworthy. The spiritual power contained within wasn¡¯t very large either.


    Han Li pondered for a moment and used his golden blade to lightly pick at it, causing the command medallion to easily fall from the hand.


    After picking it up with his hand, he noticed that it wasn¡¯t made of metal as he had imagined. It was both flexible and hard. It seemed to have been refined from wood.


    After Han Li fiddled with it for a moment, he attempted to inject it with a bit of spiritual power.


    But then a huge suction force came from the command medallion, taking a great amount of spiritual power away from his body. Fearful, Han Li cut off the spiritual power connection without delay, causing the suction force to disappear.


    Having suffered, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to recklessly attempt it again and carefully put the command medallion away in his storage pouch.


    Then he looked at the several layers of the mysterious transportation formation. He felt very curious regarding where the transportation formation went!


    Naturally, Han Li didn¡¯t attempt to recklessly use it. Furthermore, even if he truly had such idiotic thoughts, he would be incapable of acting upon them. This was because a corner of the transportation formation had already been damaged. Although the damage was not much, it was sufficient to cause the transportation formation to be inoperable.


    Han Li blinked his eyes and suddenly took out a jade slip. He started to record the transportation formation¡¯s appearance and decorative design, preparing to ask others about it and see if he could restore the transportation method. He was greatly looking forward to this!


    After doing all of this, Han Li looked around the huge cavern to see if there was anything he had missed.


    As a result, behind a coarse stone pillar, he had discovered two sparkling translucent eggs, each about the size of a fist.


    When Han Li saw this, he was pleasantly surprised. Without guessing, he already knew they were the eggs of the spider demonic beast.


    Having personally experienced that spider demonic beast¡¯s ferocity, how could Han Li miss this opportunity? He immediately looked for a leather pouch that specialized in holding spiritual beasts from a Spirit Beast Mountain cultivator¡¯s storage pouch. Then he carefully put the spider eggs into the bag and then stuffed the bag into his pocket.


    With this harvest, Han Li looked around even more attentively, but unfortunately he found nothing else.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t mind as he was perfectly content with his spoils.


    He returned to the white spider¡¯s corpse and dismembered it with no trace of politeness, stuffing the limbs into his storage pouch. Then he took Xuan Yue, Lu Tianmeng and the other cultivators¡¯ corpses and used fireballs to turn them into ashes, burying them there.


    When Han Li looked at the rainbow skeleton, Han Li threw a few fireballs at it in passing, intending to turn it to ash. But as a result, the skeleton fused with the inferno and condensed into seven to eight small rainbow pearls. This greatly shocked Han Li, and he collected them with curiosity.


    Han Li then wanted to leave this place, but in order to make it so the transportation formation wasn¡¯t discovered by anyone else, he used azure essence sword streaks to destroy the cavern entrance as he was leaving and completely block the passage. Naturally, he also committed this place to his memory so that he could find it in the future.


    After that, Han Li followed the direction of the wind in the stalactite cave, finding an extremely hidden opening. He had finally returned to the surface.


    Because Han Li was afraid of Devil Dao cultivators wandering around in the vicinity, he didn¡¯t dare to delay and piloted his Divine Wind Boat in the direction of the Tai Yue Mountain Range.


    Seven to eight days later, Han Li returned to Yellow Maple Valley. After he went to report about their losses to a steward who was on duty, he remained on standby at his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    At this moment, he knew the second wave of war had already started. Furthermore, the Seven Sects had received vigorous assistance from two neighboring countries at the very start of the star, and it seemed as if they were currently winning against the six sects. This caused the atmosphere in Yellow Maple Valley to greatly ease up; it was no longer as pessimistic as it was the beginning of the war.


    After returning, Han Li saw that everything inside his Immortal¡¯s cave was the same as before. He relaxed, deeply breathing out.


    Although it could be said that returning to his sect now wasn¡¯t sensible as he was likely to be assigned to fight, any Seven Sects disciple that shrank back as battle approached and used excuses to avoid being conscripted was severely punished; Light punishments took away spirit stones, heavy punishments crippled one¡¯s magic power. These things weren¡¯t tolerable in the least!


    Furthermore, others have told him that Seven Sects had already dealt over a hundred punishments of varying degrees.


    Also, regardless if they fled the battlefield, disciples with no assignments or had already completed their assignments were required to report back to the sect within a certain amount of time! If there weren¡¯t any reasons for not returning within the timeframe, one would be judged for punishment.


    Naturally, consequences for blunt evasion without reporting back or fleeing to another country grew even harsher. They would be chased by a Seven Sect enforcement squads for the rest of their lives until they were killed. So long as the Seven Sects existed, the pursuit would never end.


    At this moment, Han Li was unwilling to break away from Yellow Maple Valley and flee the State of Yue; naturally, he openly returned to obey orders.


    In truth, according to his deductions, how could there be a single peaceful haven in the Heavenly South Region if it was suffering from the simultaneous expansion of the Devilish Dao and the Righteous Dao? The cultivation worlds of every region would be in a state of war. It was only a matter of time. As such, he may as well stay in the State of Yue; after all, one¡¯s homeland was hard to leave!


    The first thing Han Li did when he returned to his Immortal¡¯s cave was to soak the spider eggs in the spirit well spring. The Spiritual Qi should slowly incubate and grow them.


    Then he quickly secluded himself for two days and finally finished refining the first layer of the Great Development Technique. He didn¡¯t know whether it was a coincidence, but the Azure Essence Sword Art simultaneously broke through to the fifth layer after a long period of no progress, much to his surprise. This caused Han Li to enter mid Foundation Establishment.


    When Han Li sensed this, he greatly rejoiced. After all, every increase in cultivation would increase the chances of one¡¯s survival within this period of chaotic unrest.


    But what baffled Han Li was that even after several days, the sect had yet to assign him a mission, This caused Han Li to feel uneasy!


    According to his experiences, the rarer the tasks, the more dangerous and troublesome they would be!


    But now that Han Li thought better of it, they were currently at war against the six sects, so there were no safe missions! If he nearly lost his life guarding a spirit stone mine, then who knew what would happen on a different assignment!


    After these considerations, Han Li¡¯s mind became calm once more. Should he take advantage of this short break to start investigating this ¡°Greater Displacement Medallion¡±?¡±


    As for his master Li Huayuan and Hong Bi, he didn¡¯t need to explain the matter of Dong Xuan¡¯er to them. As Core Formation cultivators, they had long since left the sect on missions.


    In the Heaven¡¯s Knowledge Pavilion within Yellow Maple Valley, Han Li spent two days of frantic searching, eventually finding a simple introduction of the ¡°Greater Displacement Medallion¡±  in a book called ¡¶Knowledge of Cave Mysteries¡·.


    According to the book, this lustrous blue command medallion was actually used by ancient cultivators to transport themselves across extremely long distances. One must have this magic tool or else the journey¡¯s safety couldn¡¯t be guaranteed.


    By only possessing a similar ¡°Shifting Movements Medallion¡±, a cultivator wouldn¡¯t die from the pressure of being transported through a long distance of space. As for short distance teleportation, the pressure could be disregarded. For example, with the small transportation formation at Yue Lu Hall, Han Li hadn¡¯t felt the slightest bit of discomfort.


    As for how the Shifting Movements Medallion guaranteed the safety of long-distance transportation, the book didn¡¯t explain. Furthermore, the method to create the Shifting Movements Medallion had long been lost during the turmoil of the ancient cultivation world. Existing ¡°Greater Displacement Medallion¡± had also disappeared one by one without a trace. In current times, it had already become an item of lore, an item that nobody was heard to possess.


    However, in the current cultivation world, this may not be the case!


    Because ancient transportation formations had become an object of legend earlier than the Greater Displacement Medallion, a single such formation could not be found in the Heavenly South Region, though this could not be said for other places. It was slightly possible one could be found in in a desolate area or a sect¡¯s hidden grounds.


    But in the current cultivation world, the farthest a transportation formation could travel was about fifty kilometers. As for ancient transportation formations, they could travel for over several millions of kilometers. They fundamentally couldn¡¯t be compared. Even as such, a sect or clan could only afford the construction of three or four transportation formations. Any more would be far too much of an expense.


    Now that Han Li clearly understood the usage of the Greater Displacement Medallion, the first thought that came to mind was ¡®Could it be that the underground transportation formation was an ancient transportation formation?¡¯


    This guess caused Han Li¡¯s heart to wildly thump! He knew the odds of this were high.


    If this were true, with this Greater Disposition Medallion and with a repaired transportation formation, he could immediately travel to a place at least five million kilometers away. He wouldn¡¯t need to get further tangled in this mess between the Seven Sects of the State of Yue and the Six Sects of the Devilish Dao. He could travel to a new place and continue his cultivation there.


    With this thought, Han Li found he was unable to restrain himself.


    He started to look for books regarding ancient transportation formation to see whether or not there was a method to restore that underground transportation formation.


    Han Li spent many days searching through the libraries of the Heaven¡¯s Knowledge Pavilion. However, he hadn¡¯t found a single formation spell book with regards to ancient transportation formations.


    This caused Han Li to become greatly disappointed!


    At this moment, Han Li thought of a single person who could perhaps help him restore this formation.

 Chapter 272

    One Year


    The person Han Li thought of was naturally Qi Yunxiao, whom he had made a pact with several years ago.


    Since Qi Yunxiao, a friend and formation spell master, was proficient in the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡±, surely he should be very knowledgeable about other formations.  This ancient transportation formation could also be considered a formation spell. As such, perhaps this friend of his could help him restore the formation.


    As Han Li thought of this, his heart felt greatly moved. After thinking about the dates, he realized that the day the two had arranged to meet again shouldn¡¯t be far away. However, he could be dispatched on a mission at any time, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to immediately leave to go find him. It seemed he had not choice but to postpone the trip.


    After a moment of contemplation, Han Li felt slightly disheartened and was no longer in the mood to further look through formation spell books, returning to his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Returning to his Immortal¡¯s cave, Han Li discovered that the spider eggs had grown larger. It seemed the spirit well spring was quite effective at accelerating their incubation.


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately drew a simple spirit-controlling spell formation, a cultivator¡¯s basic method for controlling infant demonic beasts. He then bled several drops of essence blood into the spell formation and placed the spider eggs within. The spell formation took effect, and the two white eggs absorbed the essence blood. Han Li then placed them back into spirit spring.


    As Han Li finished this, a sound transmission talisman arrived and told him to go the main hall without delay.


    His heart trembled. He knew his assignment has finally come.


    ¡­¡­


    On the main battlefield between the Seven Sects of the State of Yue and the Six Sets of the Devilish Dao, at a patch of stones in the Golden Drum Plains at the common border between the States of Yue and Che Ji, Han Li was controlling two streaks of light formed from his Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp and several golden blades. He was madly attacking an early Foundation Establishment disciple from the Ghost Spirit Sect at all sides.


    Although the black Qi on his opponent¡¯s body surged formidably and had several human skulls faintly howling around him, under the violent storm of attacks from Han Li¡¯s two magic tools, Han Li quickly found an opening and chopped him into pieces.


    Han Li skillfully snatched the other¡¯s storage pouch from his body. Yet another person had disappeared from this boundless wasteland.


    By the time he reaped his harvest, the sky had already turned dark. As usual, the Core Formation cultivators of the Devil Dao and the Seven Sects should have come out to fight.


    If the battle spread to his location, he was certain to die an unjust death!


    Han Li recalled a battle between Core Formation cultivators that he had previously witnessed with his own eyes; Fear still lingered in his heart!


    The magic battle between the cultivators of Saber Transformation Dock and the Controlling Spirit Sect had shattered the heavens and earth and swept back and forth over several kilometers.


    From then on, so long as the sky was the slightest bit dark, he made an early return even if he turned up empty-handed.


    A year before, he and several others had received orders to escort a spirit stone transport to this location. Afterwards, they would remain there and become high-grade cannon fodder for the Seven Sects, participating in multiple successive large-scale battles. The battle that had just occurred deep within the Golden Drum Plains was such a battle, where over a thousand scattered enemies mutually killing one another was a common occurrence.


    What was even more baffling was that ever since the second campaign between the Devil Dao and the Seven Sects had resulted in a draw, the two sides facing each other across the vast Golden Drum Plains would engage in a large skirmish every month, as well as random battles, both small and large, occurring every day.


    The so-called ¡®large skirmishes¡¯ involved both sides dispatching over a thousand troops in a mutual struggle. For small melees, each side would dispatch small groups of cultivators spanning from groups of three to five or even solitary cultivators to the center of the Golden Drum Plains, all of whom sought to kill enemy cultivators.


    Large skirmishes didn¡¯t go as one would expect. Although both sides had fought fervently enough, the number of casualties were quite small. If a side truly tried their utmost, the other side would activate their core defensive barrier, so it would become extremely difficult to harm them.


    For other smaller skirmishes, because the strength of Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators were incomparable, they tacitly agreed to reserve the time between morning and early evening for close skirmishes between Foundation Establishment cultivators after each side had probed one another out. When night arrived, Core Formation Experts would appear, and a great battle would occur.


    Core Formation cultivators fought alone, one on one, even if they were likely to be defeated or sustain heavy injury. But if their lives were in danger, the speed at which a Core Formation cultivator could flee with all their strength was truly astonishing!


    A year passed in this manner. Each side had suffered several hundred losses of Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Core Formation cultivators, their losses also were not few. This caused the leaders of both sides to feel great heartache at their losses and a bit of depression.


    As for Qi Condensation cultivators, because their magic power was meager, they could only prepare their strength and had preserved the entirety of their numbers.


    However, with this passing year of war on the battlefield, sabotage and raids had not ceased, causing both the the Devil Dao and the Seven Sects to feel they could not endure much longer! Both sides simultaneously attempted to weaken the other and accumulate their own strength. They both clearly understood that the moment of their decisive battle was soon drawing near.


    After two hours on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li arrived at his allied camp.


    Wood and stone rooms of various sizes could be faintly seen from within the great restrictive formation, scattered about without any semblance of a pattern. These were improvised buildings created by cultivators with wood and earth attribute Daoist magics. Naturally, the camp was divided into regions accordance their sects.


    Han Li first went to his dwelling, a stone room that wasn¡¯t very large.


    After he firmly closed the door, he temporarily sealed the room with essence restriction formation flags.


    Then, Han Li took out the items from the storage pouch he obtained today and laid them out before starting to pick through them.


    ¡°Again with heaps of human skulls and small flags! Apart from the Ghost Spirit Sect, who else would have such use for these ghostly items? Yi! This sword isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯ll keep it as a spare. This¡­¡± After Han Li muttered to himself as he quickly separated the magic tools that would be of use and would remain. Those that were of little value and could not be used would go into a separate storage pouch.


    After Han Li put everything into the storage pouches, Han Li removed the formation and walked out.


    He turned several corners and eventually walked toward a very conspicuous room.


    This wooden room spanned a length of hundred fifty meters and was painted with golden paint all over. When the sun setted, it glimmered as if it were truly made from gold.


    Han Li impolitely pushed the door and entered. The room was bustling with activity and had several tens of trading stalls set up by cultivators. There were even more cultivators who were currently haggling over the price or picking items from the trading stalls.


    With great familiarity, Han Li hastily rushed through several stalls and turned the items in his storage pouch into spirit stone with great speed. After all the items had disappeared, he had about a hundred more spirit stones.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay any further attention to anything else and went to the center of the room toward the largest vendor stall.


    This vendor¡¯s stall spanned over twenty meters, nearly three to four times bigger than that the other vendor stalls. The stall¡¯s owner was a chubby mid Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    Han Li didn¡¯t say any superfluous words and immediately threw a storage pouch full of spirit stones toward the fatty, impolitely saying, ¡°Elder Brother Chen, I have gathered five hundred spirit stones for the Dragon Cry Grass.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, well if it isn¡¯t Brother Han! Truly impressive, you managed to gather this many spirit stones so quickly!¡± When the fatty saw Han Li, he immediately beamed with a smile. Then he sunk his consciousness into the storage pouch within his chubby hands to count the spirit stones.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad! It really is five hundred spirit stones! Here is the Dragon Cry Grass. Make sure to put it away properly!¡± Fatty Chen then took out a jade box with a joyful smile and handed it over to Han Li.


    Han Li took the small box and immediately opened it to see what was inside. He then nodded his head and put it away. Afterwards, he asked the fatty with slight anticipation, ¡°With regards to my previous requests for pill formulas, is there any news? So long as there¡¯s a pill formula, I am willing to pay a bit more!¡±


    ¡°Old pal, pill formulas are extremely rare. Although Foundation Establishment cultivators are likely to have some, they are extremely treasured items. Who would dare to take them out and sell them? Furthermore, if dear friend wishes to have pill formula that are of use to Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be even more difficult. I¡¯ve spared no effort, but even so, I truly haven¡¯t been able to find any!¡± When Fatty Chen heard Han Li¡¯s words, he face grew bitter as he poured out his complaints.


    Feeling slight disappointment, Han Li wore an indifferent smile and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If there¡¯s nothing, then forget it! I still must thank Elder Brother Chen for helping find those two formulas earlier!¡±


    When Fatty Chen heard those words, he happily smiled, saying, ¡°Those two nearly ruined pill formulas were something I picked up over my many years. I didn¡¯t dare to be confident that you would actually want them! However, dear friend wished to take them and experiment to see whether he could improve them. This is something ordinary people wouldn¡¯t dare to do. After all, the energy and time required to do so is far too great! It¡¯s a feat that perhaps would be accomplished with the constant efforts of multiple generations!¡±


    The fatty said this while feeling slightly moved.


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Ever since Han Li arrived here, he shockingly discovered that within the camp¡¯s improvised market, there were many rare goods that couldn¡¯t be found in market cities. From medicinal herbs and raw materials to magic tools and cultivation techniques, it nearly had them all.


    All the medicinal ingredients he lacked for the Spirit Gathering Pill were easily gathered within the market. With only a bit of maturation, he¡¯d be able to immediately progress his magic power once more.


    With this fatty here, Han Li only had to spend about a thousand spirit stones for two of his greatly desired pill formulas, much to his pleasant surprise!

 Chapter 273

    A Timely Encounter


    After pulling out a majority of the spirit stones in his pocket, Han Li even collected a majority of the ingredients necessary for the new ancient pill formulas.


    As for the remaining missing ingredients, Han Li gritted his teeth and risked taking out two four-hundred-year-old spirit herbs to sell. His other option was to participate in a few more assignments to kill Devil Dao cultivators. In this way, not only could he earn a reward of a considerable amount of spirit stones, he could also exchange the items found in the enemies¡¯ storage pouches for even more spirit stones.


    Based on the numerous treasure talismans he possessed and the strength of the Great Development Technique, even if Han Li ran into late Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could escape from the opponent safe and sound. Similarly, if early or mid Foundation Establishment cultivators were to run into Han Li, they naturally would not have any strength to retaliate and could only flee for their life from Han Li.


    Of course, how could important Foundation Establishment cultivators like the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master participate in these kinds of operations?


    Just like this, Han Li earned himself a small bit of reputation among the Seven Sects Foundation Establishment cultivators this past year.


    Everyone knew that a vicious character had emerged from the Yellow Maple Valley. While his cultivation base was only that of the mid Foundation Establishment, he inconceivably hunted down over ten  Devil Dao cultivators and was still able to return whole.


    Han Li used the spirit stones that he had exchanged for to gather all the remaining ingredients for the ancient pill formulas. Upon hearing that the campgrounds of a few other sects also had similar exchange locations, Han Li asked Fatty Chen to be on the lookout for pill formulas, but now it seemed there wasn¡¯t much hope.


    Just as Han Li wanted to say goodbye to the other person, a gust of fragrant wind suddenly reached his nose.


    Slightly stunned, Han Li twisted his head around to take a look; an elegant and cold female cultivator was approaching from behind.


    Upon clearly seeing that newcomer¡¯s touching face and that dainty body with full assets, Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, but in his heart, he was somewhat uneasy! It was actually Junior Martial Sister Chen, with whom he had had skin-to-skin contact before. As soon as he thought about the provocative and erotic scene from that night, a strange feeling surged up in his heart.


    Come to think of it, he and this woman had not run into each other ever since the departure from the forbidden area, so he didn¡¯t know when she had arrived at this camp.


    ¡°Fifth Uncle, this is the item that you asked for!¡±


    Junior Martial Sister Chen indifferently sized up Han Li. Soon after, a trace of shock flashed across her eyes, but she still arrived in front of Fatty Chen and handed a storage pouch over to him.


    ¡°Hehe! Niece Qiaoqian, your arrival is too timely; I was just thinking about these goods!¡± Fatty Chen said with delight upon seeing Junior Martial Sister Chen, his jowls flapping.


    ¡°Fifth Uncle?¡±


    Han Li was stunned by Fatty Chen¡¯s title for quite some time!


    He never expected that this fatty whom he had known for the greater half of a year was actually Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s senior. Just based on his mid Foundation Establishment cultivation base, his status in the Chen Clan would definitely not be low.


    After initially glancing at Han Li, Junior Martial Sister Chen did not send a single glance in Han Li¡¯s way. This cold treatment caused Han Li to feel unhappy in his heart!


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Chen, I will take my leave now, but I will definitely come visit you in the future!¡± Han Li said politely, unwilling to stay any longer. He turned his head around and walked out of the market.


    At this time, Chen Qiaoqian finally gazed coldly at Han Li¡¯s disappearing figure; her eyebrows were tightly knit as she asked Fatty Chen, who was inspecting the storage pouch:


    ¡°Fifth Uncle, was this scaredy-cat trying to buy something from you?¡±


    ¡°Scaredy-cat?¡±


    Fatty Chen was shocked by Chen Qiaoqing¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes, the fellow who was just standing here!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about¡­¡­ Han Li?¡± Fatty Chen blinked his tiny eyes as an expression of disbelief surfaced on his face.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about him. Is there something wrong with that?¡± Chen Qiaoqian asked, somewhat curious.


    Back then, during the expedition to the forbidden area, Han Li had not given this Junior Martial Sister Chen any good impressions. She always reckoned that Han Li was someone who had run into a great deal of good fortune and always took the opportunity to escape from a fight.


    Fatty Chen sat in silence for a moment before suddenly sighing, saying with a strange tone:


    ¡°Qiaoqian, you¡¯ve just arrived here and are ignorant about some matters. Although I don¡¯t know why you think this guy is a scaredy-cat, your fellow sect member¡¯s reputation here is not small! He is an extremely strong character who exterminated over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators in succession and is definitely not a mediocre individual. I even want to recommend this person to the clan leader after a few more battles. If we can win over this guy, he will be a great help to us!¡±


    ¡°He exterminated over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators?¡± Junior Martial Sister Chen asked, the cold expression on her face turning into one of amazement; she truly did not dare to believe what she was hearing.


    She couldn¡¯t help but gaze blankly at the exchange location¡¯s front door, but by now, Han Li had already left the room for quite some time.


    After walking out of the exchange location, Han Li pondered for a moment, then headed towards his master Li Huayuan¡¯s residence, preparing to pay his respects to his master according to common convention.


    As a Core Formation cultivator, Li Huayuan¡¯s residence could not be compared to those of regular cultivators! He lived in a cozy little house in the middle of a large formation; his wife naturally lived together with him.


    As for Han Li¡¯s seven Senior Martial Brothers, apart from the eldest, who was still standing guard outside of the Green Ripple Cave, all the others had missions and were not present here. The only ones remaining here were Han Li and his Fourth Senior Martial Brother, Song Meng.


    The first day that Han Li arrived and went to see Li Huayuan, his cultivation base of mid Foundation Establishment caused his master to feel great shock!


    After all, Han Li had only successfully entered Foundation Establishment a few years ago.


    Under normal circumstances, even cultivators with good talent would need to spend ten or more years before advancing from early to mid Foundation Establishment, so Han Li¡¯s sudden advancement in leaps and bounds naturally aroused Li Huayuan¡¯s curiosity.


    After finding no evidence from searching Han Li¡¯s body, he asked some questions related to the cause for Han Li¡¯s cultivation base to grow so quickly.


    Han Li naturally would not reveal the truth; instead, he put on an act of confusion, as if he also didn¡¯t know what had happened, causing Li Huayuan to feel depressed for quite a while before dropping the matter altogether! After all, he was currently confronting grave difficulties. He was not in the mood to spend too much time investigating this matter.


    As for the matters of the Yan Clan defecting and Dong Xuan¡¯er falling into enemy hands, Li Huayuan and Hong Fu both already knew about it. Apart from being extremely enraged by this, they did not actually blame Han Li too much.


    After all, the opponent¡¯s strength was too great; for Han Li to be able to escape with his life was already not an easy feat.


    Just as Han Li was thinking these things, he had already arrived outside of Li Huayuan¡¯s residence!


    What shocked him was that his Fourth Senior Martial Brother Song Meng was actually standing outside the room with his arms hugging his shoulders, strangely full of energy as if he were a posted sentry standing guard.


    Upon seeing Han Li, Song Meng¡¯s face revealed a trace of laughter. He said in a deep voice:


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, you¡¯ve come to pay your respects to Master once again!¡±


    Han Li gently laughed and gave an ¡°en¡±.


    After Han Li had become somewhat famous, Song Meng forced Han Li to spar with him privately. Although Han Li had relied on a magic tool to penetrate his defenses and claim a small victory, he slowly began to feel friendlier towards Han Li, and between the two of them, they actually began to laugh and talk with one another.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, Master is currently discussing with some guests, so you should wait outside for now! Come to think of it, I¡¯ve made some progress in my cultivation technique; why don¡¯t you spar with me in a bit!¡± Song Meng smiled as he explained to Han Li, but immediately after he made an invitation that caused Han Li¡¯s head to hurt greatly.


    Ever since Senior Martial Brother Song had lost to him, every so often he would ask that Han Li spar with him one more time. However, how could Han Li be willing to reveal his true strength? Naturally, he firmly refused every time.


    If this were the Yellow Maple Valley, this Senior Martial Brother Song wouldn¡¯t be so easy to shake off! Luckily, many strong cultivators were in this campground, and many opponents as well. Song Meng, seeing that he did not succeed after pestering Han Li a few times, was unable to bear his own temperament and went to go find other people.


    Only then could Han Li finally let out a sigh of relief!


    Thus, upon hearing Song Meng¡¯s last sentence, Han Li bitterly laughed once; no matter what, he did not dare to easily agree to what was being discussed!


    However, Han Li was very interested in Li Huayuan and the group of guests with him.


    After all, for Song Meng to use such respectful words meant that the people in the room most likely were Core Formation cultivators. But just when he wanted to gather some information from Song Meng, the tightly-shut door suddenly opened, and a few male and female cultivators walked out from inside.


    Li Huayuan and his wife followed closely behind, clasping their hands and sending them out.


    As expected, they were all Core Formation cultivators! Han Li clearly saw that of the four men and three women, their cultivation bases were unfathomably deep!


    He and Song Meng did not dare to block the road and hurriedly split, one left, one right, helplessly standing to the side!


    Li Huayuan instantly saw Han Li, but he only gave a light smile before paying no further attention to him. The other cultivators naturally also glanced at Han Li, but most of them ignored him after that. After all, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator was truly nothing worth taking note of.


    However, a slender and perfectly figured female cultivator with a veil over her face suddenly stopped after her gaze swept over Han Li, her figure shaking. At the same time, a strange, difficult-to-discern light flashed across a pair of bright eyes.


    ¡°Has Celestial Nangong met this lowly disciple before?¡±


    Upon noticing this female cultivator¡¯s strange behavior, the other cultivators couldn¡¯t help but glance at this woman somewhat strangely; even more, Li Huayuan opened his mouth to ask this, feeling even more shocked.


    As soon as the words ¡°Celestial Nangong¡± reached Han Li¡¯s ears, Han Li¡¯s heart jumped. A surge of indistinct emotions rampaged through his heart.


    Although he forcefully maintained his expression, he still couldn¡¯t help but glance at this female cultivator.


    (TL: In Chinese the five flavors Îåζ are: spicy, salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. Basically, that earlier phrase meant his heart was in emotional turmoil.)


    (Note: In Chapter 165, Junior Martial Sister Chen was attacked by Senior Martial Brother Lu. Junior Martial Sister Chen was saved by Han Li resulting in Han Li acquiring two Foundation Establishment Pills. )


    (Note: In Chapter 208, Han Li slayed the Inky Flood Dragon with the help of Celestial Nangong. The Flood Dragon released an aphrodisiac upon death, leading to a passionate night.)

 Chapter 274

    Appointment


    ¡°No! It¡¯s just that he looks very similar to an old friend that I haven¡¯t seen in a long time.¡± The strange expression in Celestial Nangong¡¯s eyes disappeared, and she recovered her clear, cold gaze.


    This sentence caused Han Li¡¯s heart to feel a tart, slightly bitter taste.


    ¡°Oh, then this is really coincidental!¡± Li Huayuan gently laughed and said, sizing up Han Li once again. However, Han Li¡¯s face was as calm as water, not revealing even the slightest odd reaction.


    The other cultivators glanced at each other once; although they all revealed knowing expressions, only the heavens knew how much they truly believed!


    This Celestial  Nangong also knew that these words were unlikely to obtain the trust of the others; however, she still offered no defense and floated away. The remaining people all gazed at Han Li with deep meaning before saying their goodbyes to Li Huayuan and his wife.


    The smile on Li Huayuan¡¯s face slowly disappeared after sending off all the guests. He knitted his eyebrows, then turned around and said to Han Li indifferently:


    ¡°Follow me into the room, I have some things to ask you!¡±


    Seeing this, Han Li bitterly complained to himself, but he could only agree. As for his master¡¯s young wife, she gently assured Han Li with a few sentences, then followed him into the room.


    When Han Li walked into the guest lobby, Li Huayuan was sitting on the chair, appearing very thoughtful.


    ¡°You and Nangong Wan of the Masked Moon Sect know each other?¡± Li Huayuan, upon seeing that Han Li was in front of him, stopped his contemplation and directly asked Han Li this without beating around the bush at all.


    Han Li was silent for a while upon hearing this, weighing his options in his heart many times. He knew that Nangong Wan¡¯s strange behavior had definitely been noticed by his master and that he would have no way of making something up to get by; thus he could only nod his head in acknowledgement:


    ¡°This disciple truly had a fateful encounter with this Martial Aunt Nangong once!¡±


    Upon hearing Han Li confess this so easily, Li Huayuan actually felt that it was somewhat strange, and the expression on his face immediately became warmer.


    ¡°Can you tell me what exactly happened?¡± The young woman¡¯s curiosity was greatly aroused upon hearing these words from Han Li, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask this question. Just then, Nangong Wan had directly denied that she and Han Li knew each other, yet now this disciple suddenly said that they did know each other; there definitely would be some interesting stories involved.


    When Li Huayuan heard his wife ask this, he also nodded his head and gazed at Han Li; it seemed that he also wanted to know the whole story.


    ¡°Master, please forgive me. Because this matter involves some of Martial Aunt Nangong¡¯s personal matters, this disciple once promised her that I would absolutely not leak this matter; please forgive me, Master and Master¡¯s Wife!¡± Han Li tactfully refused, having long prepared a completely fair excuse.


    Hearing these words, Li Huayuan and his wife were incredibly astonished; after glancing at each other, Li Huayuan thought first before slowly speaking, as if he were deliberating over something.


    ¡°Since you made an agreement with her, I naturally cannot force you to break that promise. However, Master would like to remind you that it¡¯s best to limit contact with this Celestial Nangong! One should know that the charming techniques of the Masked Moon Sect are quite impressive, and I¡¯m worried that you will fall under her Dao without even realizing it or are even blatantly ignoring it. But since you appear to be clear-minded and are clear with your words, I am somewhat more assured.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart relaxed upon hearing this. He repeatedly said ¡°yes¡± in agreement.


    The last shreds of unease in Li Huayuan¡¯s heart disappeared upon seeing Han Li¡¯s respectful expression and attitude. He even happily gave Han Li some pointers and answered his questions on cultivation; Han Li naturally listened extremely attentively, not willing to let a single one of Li Huayuan¡¯s sentences slip by.


    After asking some questions about Han Li¡¯s experiences while cultivating for a long while and being quite satisfied with Han Li¡¯s responses, Li Huayuan suddenly said something extremely surprising.


    ¡°Han Li, right now I have a personal matter that I would like you to take care of. Are you willing take up the task?¡±


    ¡°Personal matter?¡±


    Han Li was surprised in his heart, but he immediately answered without reserve:


    ¡°If Master has something on his mind, you can just tell me. This disciple will naturally do his best to complete it!¡±


    Li Huayuan was very pleased with Han Li¡¯s lack of hesitation and stood up, pacing a few steps before saying in a deep voice:


    ¡°In reality, it isn¡¯t something that¡¯s too dangerous! I just want to ask you to temporarily act as a bodyguard, ensuring the safety of a family member!¡±


    ¡°Bodyguard, protect someone?¡± Han Li felt somewhat stunned, but he still silently awaited Li Huayuan¡¯s next words.


    ¡°We originally wanted your Fourth Senior Martial Brother Song Meng to go at first, but recently I heard that you killed many Devil Dao cultivators, which greatly shocked both me and my wife! I never expected that such a fierce individual could emerge from under my tutelage; I also heard that even people from the other six sects often talk about you! Because of this, I would feel more at peace if you were the one to go!¡± Li Huayuan gently laughed; one could see that at this moment, his mood was very good.


    At the same time, the young woman to the side similarly said, smiling:


    ¡°In addition, Song Meng has stayed in the Green Ripple Cave ever since he was young and hasn¡¯t gained much outside experience. His worldly experience is greatly lacking, This alone is one reason why you must be the one to go! After all, the person you must protect is a mortal from the secular world.¡±


    Upon hearing the words of praise from Li Huayuan and his wife, Han Li wore an extremely shy expression and laughed, slightly embarrassed. However, with regards to them wanting him to protect some commoners, although Han Li¡¯s expression appeared normal, in his heart he was still somewhat depressed.


    What kind of dangers would an ordinary commoner encounter? Randomly sending a Qi Condensation disciple was more than enough to act as a bodyguard; why would they want him, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to go?


    Perhaps Li Huayuan guessed Han Li¡¯s misgivings, because he gave both an explanation and a narration:


    ¡°The person I want you to protect is a descendant of my Senior Martial Brother, who once saved my life. However, his only son was a mortal with no spiritual roots; with no way to cultivate, he can only stay in the secular world. Thus, before he died I promised that as long as I lived for one more day, I would definitely ensure the safety and prosperity of his descendants! I¡¯ve secretly supported this family for the past hundred or so years by providing many riches and completely eliminating any dangers.¡±


    Li Huayuan stopped speaking, as if he were thinking on past matters. But afterwards, he collected his expression and said:


    ¡°However, I received notice in the past few days that the Six Devil Dao Sects may send out a few low-level disciples and mix them into this state¡¯s secular world and then clean up some of the people that our Seven Sects are secretly supporting. They want to damage the supply of basic materials that the secular world supplies to our Seven Sects. Because of my relationship with this family, they will most likely also be taken out by the Devil Dao¡¯s cultivators. Thus, I must have a representative who can go forwards to preserve the safety of this family when the storm hits. Of course, if the Devil Dao cultivators don¡¯t go looking to start trouble with them, all the better.¡±


    After hearing this, Han Li respectfully nodded his head, indicating that he understood.


    ¡°Okay, I will write a letter to the current clan leader to tell them your identity and situation; he is also the only person who knows about the matter between me and the previous Martial Ancestor. I have also already told others that during this period of time, your trip will count as a mission. This way you don¡¯t have to worry about being punished. In addition, this jade slip contains detailed information on the entire clan. Bring it with you when go back to your lodgings and pack your bags. You will depart tomorrow morning, lest the situation suddenly change if you wait!¡± Li Huayuan ordered after thinking for some time.


    ¡°As you command!¡± Han Li bowed, then gently answered.


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li sat on the Divine Wind Boat, flying tens of feet above the ground at full speed.


    His current destination was not the location of the clan that he was supposed to protect in the capital of the State of Yue¡ªYuejing; rather, he was flying directly towards the State of Yuan Wu.


    Taking advantage of the somewhat increased freedom of this mission, Han Li was hurrying to make the meeting that he and Qi Yunxiao had set. In addition, he wanted to see if that formation master was able to repair the damaged ancient teleportation formation.


    If the Seven Sects were to face a great defeat in a battle, this would be his last resort for escaping. Otherwise, if the Six Devil Dao Sects were to have their hands suddenly freed, he could only do his best to survive under their suppression and encirclement; how could he have any time to continue his cultivation in that situation?


    Han Li estimated that if no accidents occurred on this trip, a short duration of twenty days would be more than enough to take care of his business without delaying the mission Li Huayuan had given him. Thus, he could continue to move forward assuredly.


    Qi Yunxiao and Han Li¡¯s meeting location was in a certain teahouse in a small city in the State of Yuan Wu.


    Based on what Qi Yunxiao said, the teahouse was opened by one of his subordinates; so once Han Li found that location, he could easily contact Qi Yunxiao.


    Han Li moved as fast as lightning the entire way; even if he occasionally encountered a few other cultivators, he would just brush past them without paying them any additional attention. He had no intentions of chatting with them. After flying nonstop for seven or eight days, Han Li finally arrived at the small ¡°Golden Horse City¡±.


    In order to not create a commotion, Han Li landed and put away his magic tools a few kilometers away from the city. Then, he walked slowly towards the city gate.


    Although this Gold Horse City was not large, the outside of the city door was bustling with people coming and going, seemingly very busy.


    Han Li¡¯s appearance was plain, and the robes he wore had long since been exchanged for a worn-down Confucian robe. When squeezed in the midst of all the people entering the city, he did not draw attention whatsoever; in this way, he followed the flow of the people into the city.


    This teahouse¡¯s reputation was not small; Han Li randomly found a child to inquire about the location of the ¡°Clear Spring Teahouse¡± and actually easily got the answers he was looking for. He then walked towards the place.


    Naturally, when Han Li was standing in front of this ¡°Clear Spring Teahouse¡±, he began to assess it with great interest.

 Chapter 275

    Fragrant Tea


    Chapter 275: Fragrant Tea


    This teahouse wasn¡¯t large. It was only a single story building with three rooms. Before having even entered, Han Li could already smell the fragrant scent of tea!


    Han Li was somewhat surprised. Although Han Li didn¡¯t not understand much about the intricacies of tea, he felt a slight trace of Spiritual Qi from the tea fragrance.


    His heart stirred, and he did not hesitate to enter any further.


    The three rooms were arranged side to side with one large room and two small. At this moment, it was filled with groups of three to four tea guests. The tea shop didn¡¯t have any empty seats, so seven to eight differently dressed patrons peacefully waited at the side.


    Even though the tea shop had many guests inside, there wasn¡¯t a single person making a ruckus.


    The majority of them softly closed their eyes and sipped the fragrant tea before them. There were only a few people who were whispering.


    On the wall of the largest room at the center, a several-meter-long yellow paper banner hung from the top of the wall. On it was written, ¡°Every guest is limited to one pot per day¡± in large and bold calligraphy; it was quite eye-catching.


    When Han Li saw this, he found it funny. This was the first time he heard of those making a living from selling food or drink limiting the quantities that others could buy.


    However, he only laughed away and didn¡¯t take the trouble to think of it further. Instead, he swept his gaze across the room and immediately spotted a person appearing to be the shopkeeper pacing back and forth in a corner.


    This should be the tea shop¡¯s shopkeep. He appeared to be over forty years old and had short facial hair, giving him an exceptionally shrewd appearance.


    At this moment he was standing at the front counter, using an abacus with a lowered head. From time to time, he turned his head to look at his ledger.


    Han Li walked several steps over and stood in front of the desk, remaining calm and silent. This caused the shopkeep to look up with a bit of surprise.


    Once he clearly saw Han Li, his expression immediately changed. He hastily put his abacus and ledger to the side and left the front counter.


    With slight reverence, he respectfully asked, ¡°Is there any matter this Junior may help Senior with? This one will spare no effort!¡±


    This shopkeep was unexpectedly a cultivator in addition to a shopkeep, but his cultivation was pathetically low. He was only at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.


    Now that he was facing a senior with unfathomably deep cultivation, his heart was naturally restless.


    Han Li didn¡¯t say anything further, He lightly wiped against the desk counter with his sleeve pocket, leaving behind a sparkling azure jade pendant on the counter.


    When the shopkeep saw this jade pendant, he stared blankly at it. But soon after, he said with an expression of pleasant surprise, ¡°So it turned out to be Senior Han. This Junior is lacking in manners! Young Master Qi has already told me that Senior would arrive in the near future. This Junior has been waiting for you for quite a long time!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he put away his jade pendant and peacefully said, ¡°I wish to now see your clan¡¯s young master. Please show me the way!¡±


    ¡°I will follow your orders, Senior!¡±


    He first called over two of the store¡¯s waiters, and after telling them a few words, he brought Han Li to the back door and left the town, heading west.¡°Gold Horse Town¡± had a large expanse of yellow green hills on its west side. They were countless and varied of all sizes. The shopkeep brought Han Li through the hills with much familiarity and made several turns. They then arrived at a sunken depression that spanned over fifteen acres.


    At the center of the depression were seven to eight white stone rooms. To the east and west of the rooms, there were several batches of thinly spread azure bamboo.


    After the shopkeep brought Han Li to this location, he bowed to Han Li and said, ¡°Senior, the young master is within the rooms. However, the rooms are surrounded by a few formation spells. Normally I would report to the young master before bringing an outsider in, but since the young master has already told me about Senior Han, if Senior closely follows behind me, you can enter. Otherwise, you will activate the formation spells


    Han Li thoughtfully look around the depression and the disorderly azure bamboo, indifferently saying, ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t hesitate to lead the way.¡±


    When shopkeep¡¯s heard Han Li, he let out a deep breath and carefully brought Han Li to the rooms.


    His path forward was quite peculiar. In one moment he would walk forward three steps, then walk back two steps, then walk five steps, then turn around and step six steps that way. It was quite chaotic, it was as if there was no pattern that could be discerned.


    As such, the two slowly approached the rooms at the center of the depression.


    ¡°Young Master, Senior Han has arrived. Please come out and see for yourself!¡± When they were about thirty meters away from the room, the shopkeep let out a breath and loudly yelled toward the largest room.


    ¡°Senior Han has come? That is great! However, please wait a moment! I will be right out.¡± Qi Yunxiao¡¯s pleasantly surprised voice came from within the room, but soon after, a smothered ¡°Bang¡± could be heard, followed by Qi Yunxiao¡¯s bitter cursing.


    ¡°Sigh, another failure!¡±


    When the stone door opened, Qi Yunxiao walked out with an appearance of disappointment. He carried the scent of a blazing fire on his body.


    However, after he saw Han Li, his face suddenly became bright and excitedly approached, saying, ¡°It really is Senior! This is truly great! Please follow me, let Junior show your hospitality as a host. This place has some top quality tea. Let¡¯s have a few cups.¡±


    Qi Yunxiao cordially invited Han Li into a room. His movements had become much more experienced since Han Li had last seen him several years ago.


    ¡°Then I must thank you!¡± Han Li knew that he still had to request his help and was very polite.


    After that, he entered the room and sat near a long table that was three meters long.


    ¡°Senior, that¡­¡± Once Qi Yunxiao commanded the shopkeep to make a pot of tea, he turned his hand and seemed to hesitate, wanting to ask Han Li something.


    With a silent smile, Han Li took out the book ¡¶Yunxiao Experience¡·and placed it on the table. The book¡¯s flickering silver light had remained, showing that the seal was still intact.


    When Qi Yunxiao saw this book, his spirit shook. But when he thought to reach out and take it, he suddenly thought of something and promptly said, ¡°Senior, please wait a moment.¡± He hastily walked out.


    Han Li faintly smiled, as if he had guessed his intentions.


    Not long after, Qi Yunxiao animatedly returned to the room with a small wooden box about a foot long.


    ¡°Senior, this is a set of formation establishment magic tools for the improved Five Elements Reversal Formation. Although its strength isn¡¯t as high as the spell formation¡¯s original might like I predicted, the improved formation is still more powerful than the formation I gave you originally by three times!¡± Qi Yunxiao said somewhat apologetically. It seemed he was still a bit worried since he hadn¡¯t improved the formation establishment magic tool¡¯s power to what was previously agreed.


    ¡°Three times?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression changed, his heart feeling extremely amazed.


    A tenth of the Five Element Reversal Formation was already enough to completely satisfy Han Li, who felt there was no need for further improvement. Even a Core Formation cultivator such as Lei Wanhe had felt this formation was quite a pain to deal with. If he truly improved the formation to the point where it was three times more powerful, it could resist even Core Formation cultivators.


    With this thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but want to look inside the wooden box. Meanwhile, Qi Yunxiao picked up the silver book and carefully looked at it.


    When Han Li opened the box, he saw a set of formation flags and plates with oppressive Spiritual Qi.


    Han Li took them out for a careful look. This set of magic tools had much more formation flags and formation plates than the previous set.  Furthermore, the decorative design and written seals were obviously more complicated. It appeared that what he said wasn¡¯t false. Its strength was far greater than its previous iteration.


    Han Li put away the formation flags with satisfaction and then took a look at Qi Yunxiao.


    At this moment, Qi Yunxiao had lightly stroked ¡¶Yunxiao Experience¡·with a smile. It seemed he made a similar inspection and confirmed the seal had remained.


    ¡°I am very satisfied with these improved set of formation establishment magic tools. I have truly troubled you, fellow Daoist,¡± Han Li said with a slight smile.


    ¡°Senior¡¯s words are over-exaggerating. This one is truly grateful that Senior returned this book with its seal intact. This Junior should be thanking you greatly!¡± When Qi Yunxiao heard Han Li¡¯s words, he shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it and cordially replied.


    Han Li smiled, and after saying a few more modest remarks, he chatted a bit with Qi Yunxiao.


    The shopkeep came a moment later and served two cups of lovely emerald green tea.


    The tea¡¯s fragrance was clearly far richer than the tea from the ¡°Clear Spring Teahouse¡±. Obviously, higher grade tea leaves released slightly heavier amounts of Spiritual Qi.


    Under Qi Yunxiao¡¯s eager invitation, Han Li took two sips. He immediately felt his mouth refreshed and his mind cleared. He couldn¡¯t help but praised it, saying, ¡°Good tea! I didn¡¯t know tea leaves could be blended with Spiritual Qi. It¡¯s too wonderful for words! I assume these must¡¯ve personally be made by fellow Daoist. I am truly in admiration.¡± Han Li¡¯s words were actually said with sincerity. To be able to blend Spiritual Qi with common tea leaves, this was something Han Li had never heard of. Furthermore, the tea¡¯s fragrance was incomparable, far better than the top teas of the mortal world.


    When Qi Yunxiao heard Han Li¡¯s words, he wore an embarrassed expression and hastily explained, ¡°Senior misunderstands. This tea was not refined by this Junior. My close friend gave it to me as a present. These tea leaves were the result of nearly ten years of my close friend¡¯s research in the mortal world.¡±

 Chapter 276

    Taking Action


    Chapter 276: Taking Action


    ¡°Close friend? Could it be the individual whom fellow Daoist wanted to save with the spirit herb?¡± Han Li seemed to have casually asked this, but he was inwardly very happy. He had been bitterly worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the subject of that formation master by Qi Yunxiao¡¯s side. He naturally couldn¡¯t let this golden opportunity slip by.


    Qi Yunxiao was stunned when Han Li asked this question and was a bit hesitant.


    But soon after, he thought of something and made up his mind, nodding his head, ¡°Senior is not wrong. This spirit tea was made this one¡¯s close friend. As for that previous matter, it was thanks to medicine created from Senior¡¯s thousand year-old spirit herb that my friend¡¯s life was saved. However, although her life had been saved, her injury is recovering extremely slowly. Therefore¡­. Therefore, this Junior wants to shamelessly ask Senior if he has another thousand year-old spirit herb. Even if it isn¡¯t a thousand year-old spirit herb, as long as it¡¯s seven or eight hundred years old, it would fulfill my wish for my close friend to fully recover. This one is willing to promise all sorts of formation flags in exchange for the spirit herb.¡±


    After that was said, Qi Yunxiao had a face full of anticipation and was attentively staring at Han Li.


    When Han Li heard Qi Yunxiao¡¯s words, he was slightly surprised, but his heart soon relaxed. Since the other party still sought something from Han Li, it seemed he would naturally succeed in his request for the other party to repair the transportation formation.


    However, his face naturally wore an awkward expression; he would make Qi Yunxiao feel like he would owe Han Li a favor!


    With this thought, Han Li muttered to himself for a moment. After a long moment later, he said with reluctance,  ¡°This one does have such a spirit herb on hand. However, this one intended to refine a medicine pill with it and use it. This is truly¡­.¡±


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t finish his sentence, the hesitant expression on his face was enough for Qi Yunxiao to imagine the difficulty of this matter.


    After all, Qi Yunxiao should clearly know what refining a top-grade medicine pill signified to a cultivator.


    When Qi Yunxiao first heard Han Li had such a medicinal herb on hand, he immediately revealed an appearance of wild happiness. However, when he heard the words that followed, his expression became extremely apprehensive. Without even waiting for Han Li to finish his sentence, he immediately said with a half-pleading tone, ¡°Junior knows that making Senior Han Li give a spirit herb is a bit forceful. However, this one truly feels great anguish from seeing his dear friend suffering day after day! So long as Senior agrees to cede the spirit herb, this one will allow Senior to chose from this one¡¯s formation establishment magic tools as he wishes. Even if Senior wishes to take them all, Junior will have no complaints.¡±


    When Han Li heard the other party¡¯s words, his heart was greatly moved.


    Even if this Qi Yunxiao¡¯s formation establishment magic tools weren¡¯t as abnormal as the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡±, they were sure to be rarely-seen quality goods. If he had several more sets on hand, he would be able to increase his defenses by no small amount. Even better were the formation spells with extremely powerful offensive capabilities; if he could trap strong enemies within the formations, it would also be another incisive method of attack.


    However, the main objective of this trip was to have the other party restore the damaged transportation formation. If he were to take a few formation establishment magic tools, then this matter couldn¡¯t be fulfilled, and if he asked for too much, he would give the other party the impression that his greed was insatiable. Han Li did not currently wish for these two to become hostile towards him.


    After Han Li pondered about this, he intended to refuse the other party¡¯s exchange and raise the matter about the transportation formation. But at this moment, the flustered yell of a young woman suddenly came from outside.


    ¡°Young Master Qi, it¡¯s bad! My clan¡¯s young madam has encountered mishap! Please save my clan¡¯s young madam!¡±


    Qi Yunxiao¡¯s face immediately changed once the voice penetrated the walls.


    He hastily stood and left the room without even said anything to his guest, Han Li. The shopkeep standing to the side similarly ran out the room with a panicked and pale face.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows, but his expression didn¡¯t change. Still, he felt puzzled and slowly walked out with hands behind his back.


    Outside the room, Qi Yunxiao and the shopkeep were attentively and nervously listening to a talking woman who appeared eighteen or nineteen years old.


    This girl was pretty and had fair skin. As she was talking about something, she had an anxious appearance. She immediately shut her mouth with fright when she saw a stranger, Han Li, walk out of the room. An expression of vigilance flashed from her eyes.


    Seeing this, Han Li gave a smile without paying it any mind and stood still. He didn¡¯t walk any further.


    But after Qi Yunxiao turned to look at Han Li, it appeared as he had grasped life-saving medicine and flew to Han Li¡¯s side. He excitedly pleaded to him, ¡°Senior, this one¡¯s close friend is currently being restrained by cultivators with malicious intent. Right now, only Senior can save her. So long as Senior agrees to take action, this Junior will be sure to give heavy payment as equivalent thanks!¡±


    ¡°Could Daoist Friend Qi please give me a few details? Is the young woman spoke of, your dear friend, the formation spell master?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow, asking with some surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The Five Elements Reversal Formation establishment magic tools that Senior previously used were jointly refined by this one and that young lady!¡± Qi Yunxiao hastily said as he looked at Han Li with impatience.


    It was at this moment that the pretty woman then discovered that she was incapable of seeing how deep Han Li¡¯s cultivation was even with her cultivation base at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation. This caused her to open her mouth in shock and then look at Han Li with fear.


    Han Li then turned his body to the woman and said with a deep voice, ¡°Could this young woman explain it once more? I want to know the whole story!¡±


    Although Han Li knew this was the best opportunity to gain favor, he needed to know the enemy¡¯s strength and numbers. He didn¡¯t wish to fail and be in need of rescue himself.


    ¡°¡­.Oh! It¡¯s like this. Today, the young lady and I arrived somewhere nearby¡­¡± When the pretty woman saw Han Li ask her this, she couldn¡¯t help but repeat the story once through in a fluster.


    Originally, this young woman¡¯s  young madam had ran out of high-quality tea leaves to refine into spirit tea. As per previous custom, she went to the nearby Jade Cloud Mountain to pick a few, leaves, but she unexpectedly ran into a group of male Qi Condensation cultivators. When the master and servant saw so many cultivators appear, they already felt something was wrong and intended to immediately leave the mountain.


    But who would have thought that there was a person from these group of cultivators who would recognize one of the women as a formation spell master who had set up a formation spell for some small clan. This person immediately informed this matter to his colleagues; As a result, this group was filled with evil intent and intended to capture this woman alive, forcing her to give them her knowledge of formation spells.


    However, the young madam was exceptionally quick-witted and didn¡¯t wait for the opponent to act, having her servant rush off the mountain to escape. But as she herself was halfway down the mountain, she discovered people relentlessly pursuing her. They were growing increasingly closer and would soon overtake and capture her.


    Without a better option, she could only use the formation flags she had on hand to arrange a simple formation spell in the middle of the forest, protecting herself. Then she had this servant rush towards Qi Yunxiao in order to call for help.


    As Han Li heard the other party¡¯s account, he muttered to himself indecisively.


    According to the young woman, the enemy consisted of only seven or eight Qi Condensation disciples. He no longer had any qualms and quickly decided that he must help them.


    With this thought, Han Li nodded his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll follow the lead of this young lady!¡±


    After saying this, under Qi Yunxiao¡¯s grateful gaze, Han Li threw out his sleeve, and a small white boat appeared, enlarging itself before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Everyone, get onboard! We must save someone from danger. Although this magic tool is a bit small, it flies extremely fast and will have no problem flying with four or five people.¡± Han Li¡¯s body flashed and reappeared in front of the small boat. He then turned his head and said this to the others.


    Qi Yunxiao and the young woman came to a sudden realization and boarded the small boat. But when the shopkeep also thought to board it, Qi Yunxiao stopped him and said, ¡°Uncle Lin, your cultivation is far too low. If you were to go, there would be many dangers. Please stay here! We will immediately return after we save her!¡±


    When the shopkeep heard this, he appeared hesitant. But he knew that Qi Yunxiao meant him well, so he remained with some slight unwillingness.


    Thus, Han Li and the others flew on the small boat and turned into a streak of white light, disappearing off the edge of the horizon.


    Han Li quickly flew the Divine Wind Boat south with all his strength. Its quick speed caused the two passengers to keep their eyes wide open from surprise. Not long after, they arrived above a besieged formation spell in a forest.


    At this moment, there were seven or eight people viciously attacking the spell formation with magic tools. It seemed the layer of faint azure light that covered the forest had weakened to the point of near destruction.


    When Qi Yunxiao saw this, his eyes grew red, and he immediately wanted to jump off. However, Han Li held him still and insipidly said to him, ¡°Don¡¯t rush! It seems the magic tools they are using aren¡¯t bad. From this alone, they seem to be from some cultivation clan. Since they knew this young lady was a formation spell master, even if you were to repel them here, they would continue to tangle with you in the future. It would be better for me to help you eliminate them cleanly and wipe away the problem entirely!¡±


    When Qi Yunxiao heard that these people would unceasingly tangle with him in the future, he couldn¡¯t help but angrily nod his head.


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled and then looked at the unknowing cultivators below; cold light flashed from his eyes.


    He suddenly raised his two hands, and two streaks of black light and six streaks of yellow light flew out. In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of these cultivators and easily encircled the frightened assailants. They all fell to the floor one by one, killed by Han Li instantly.


    Qi Yunxiao and that maid looked at the scene, overwhelmed with shock. Although they knew the difference between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators was certain to be great, they did not think at all that Han Li would be able to quickly kill so many people with ease. It should be known that the highest cultivation base among these men was the twelfth layer. Qi Yunxiao himself was only at the ninth layer.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay any attention to these two¡¯s gazes of reverence and had the flying magic tool descend.


    Without waiting for the Divine Wind Boat to completely touch the ground, Qi Yunxiao hastily and impatiently leaped off, rushing into the forest. He yelled with great nervousness, ¡°Yin¡¯er! Are you alright! The enemies have all died! You can come out now!¡±

 Chapter 277

    Xin Ruyin


    Chapter 277: Xin Ruyin


    When Han Li saw Qi Yunxiao throw himself into the forest, he widely smiled.


    Although Han Li wasn¡¯t very experienced with the matters between men and women, after seeing him lose such self-control, it was quite obvious how Qi Yunxiao viewed this woman who was proficient in formation spells. It definitely wasn¡¯t merely a good friendship; it was most likely a relationship of deep affection between a man and woman. Why else would he be so nervous?


    That servant girl also followed him, burning with anxiety.


    Han Li patiently waited outside the forest. A moment later, Qi Yunxiao and that pretty servant girl were happily walking out the forest, accompanied by a blue-clothed woman.


    With no trace of politeness, Han Li took a direct and careful look at this blue-clothed woman.


    She was of medium stature, had a delicate, small nose, and a pair of bright eyes as clear as water. When she and Han Li looked at each other, she revealed a faint smile.


    It seems this Qi Yunxiao had already told this woman about his identity.


    To tell the truth, this woman¡¯s facial appearance was not remarkable, not quite as good as that pretty servant girl.


    However, her graceful and easy demeanor, refined movements, and black pupils that seemed to be able to speak more than made up for her somewhat lacking appearance. If someone were to see this woman, they would not feel this woman¡¯s appearance was lacking but would rather feel stunned. It was impossible to mistake who was servant and master among the pair.


    When Han Li saw this woman¡¯s exceptionally elegant bearing, he felt a great headache.


    He didn¡¯t need to guess. This woman was absolutely of the quick-witted, clever sort; a woman far more intelligent than normal. It was likely that negotiating with this lady would expend a great deal of effort; it absolutely wouldn¡¯t be as easy as dealing with Qi Yunxiao where he was in full control of the situation.


    ¡°Many thanks to Senior for coming to rescue me! This young woman is Xin Ruyin. I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± The blue-clothed woman leisurely walked in front of Han Li and gracefully saluted him several times while saying this with composure. Her voice was as sweet and smooth as silver!


    ¡°Young Lady Xin, there is no need to be overly polite. This one only expended a bit of effort! However, let us quickly return. It¡¯s likely these people have some backing. If they have seniors nearby, it would be quite troublesome.¡± Han Li politely said as he waved his hand, faintly urging the several people to hurry on their way.


    When Qi Yunxiao heard Han Li¡¯s words, he somewhat anxiously nodded his head in agreement and said, ¡°That¡¯s right Yin¡¯er! Let us hurry and leave this place. This place is far too dangerous!¡±


    Ever since Qi Yunxiao saw Xin Ruyin, his eyes hadn¡¯t parted from her spotlessly pure and dainty appearance. At this moment, he spoke incomparably intimately, causing Han Li to feel a bit sick from sappiness!


    The two cheeks on Xin Ruyin¡¯s slightly red face quickly became flushed.


    She glanced somewhat shyly at Qi Yunxiao, and after a moment of hesitation, she slightly opened her mouth and replied.


    ¡°Fine, Let use leave from here. However, these corpses¡­¡± Xin Ruyin looked at the corpses and thought of saying something else.


    ¡°This can be solved quickly by burning them into the earth!¡± Han Li said without paying it mind. He raised the five fingers of his right hand, and seven to eight small fireballs flew out, immediately turning the corpses to ash. Only their storage pouches remained on the ground.


    Seeing Han Li destroy the corpses with such familiarity caused the woman¡¯s face to slightly change and her heart to slightly tremble!


    But she wasn¡¯t some common frail girl; soon after, her face turned to normal, and she spoke a bit with Qi Yunxiao.


    ¡°I have no use for the items in these storage pouches. If this young woman doesn¡¯t turn her nose against it, do not hesitate to go take them, but be sure not to leave any traces.¡± At this moment Han Li turned his head and gently said this to the pretty servant girl at Xin Ruyin¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Senior, are you truly giving them to me?¡± When this young servant girl heard Han Li, her face revealed a pleasant surprise. She couldn¡¯t help but ask again, finding it hard to believe.


    When she saw Han Li lightly smile and nod his head in affirmation, she immediately said many words of thanks and happily ran over, gathering the storage pouches one by one. From her point of view, it was an absolutely happy occasion, as if the heavens had dropped a huge meat pie on her head. These pouches were sure to be filled with treasures!


    When Xin Ruyin saw this scene, she was slightly startled. But soon after, her expression returned to normal, and after saying a few polite words to Han Li, she boarded the floating small boat with Qi Yunxiao.


    After that pretty servant girl boarded while happily grasping the pile of storage bags holding high-grade magic tools, Han Li¡¯s body flashed and was the last to board the small boat. Spiritual power immediately flowed from his legs, and the boat magic tool flew off.


    ¡­¡­


    Halfway on the journey back, the blue-clothed woman made a proposition to Han Li and Qi Yunxiao to land at her place so she could formally express her thanks for saving her life!


    Having the opportunity to get closer to the longtime target of his affection, how could Qi Yunxiao possibly say the word ¡°no¡±? He eagerly agreed. Han Li also felt that this was a good opportunity to mention his request to restore the transportation formation and did not oppose.


    Thus, under Han Li¡¯s control, the small boat turned and flew northwest at great speed.


    Under Xin Ruyin¡¯s directions, Han Li arrived at a small unremarkable mountain several hours later.


    Apart from a bit of fog surrounding this mountain, Han Li didn¡¯t notice anything noteworthy. It was extremely ordinary, much like countless other nameless mountains of the world.


    But Han Li clearly understood that a formation spell master¡¯s residence would have certain protective measures in place, most likely an impressive formation spell. However, he didn¡¯t know much about the Dao of Formation Spells, and although he wasn¡¯t able to detect anything mysterious nearby, he didn¡¯t dare to be the slightest bit contemptuous.


    Under the direction of the blue-clothed woman, Han Li stopped at a group of bamboo rooms halfway up the mountain. This place was Xin Ruyin¡¯s residence.


    Xin Ruyin brought Han Li and Qi Yunxiao to a rather large bamboo room to rest. She and her servant went to another room to bathe and change clothes. After all, the two had quite a bit of dust on their clothes after being relentlessly pursued. To girls who naturally love cleanliness, this was a truly unbearable matter.


    Han Li sat on a bamboo chair and looked at the restless Qi Yunxiao with interest. From time to time, Qi Yunxiao would walk to the door and take several glances outside. It was as if this short moment was a difficult wait of three years for him. It was the appearance of someone deeply in love.


    Han Li found this truly amusing, and he couldn¡¯t help but slightly raise the corner of his mouth, revealing a somewhat mysterious smile. When Qi Yunxiao just happened to turn around, he happened to see this.


    Qi Yunxiao completely blushed and made some vague explanations before sitting down at his original seat with embarrassment.


    ¡°A graceful and virtuous woman and a noble man make a good match. This is a just and honorable matter! Why does Fellow Daoist Qi mind it so much?¡± Han Li sampled some of the high-quality tea on the table. After smiling indifferently, he said this with an appearance of ease.


    ¡°Senior! No¡­. I don¡¯t¡­.¡±


    Qi Yunxiao became increasingly flustered!


    At this moment, that servant girl came in and Qi Yunxiao finally relaxed. Not long after, Xin Ruyin walked into the room with a graceful bearing. Her white garment resembled a lotus blossom in bloom, causing those who saw her to become extremely dazzled.


    ¡°Ruyin will engrave this debt to Senior Han and Elder Brother Qi in her heart! Please let this humble woman pour you cups of wine and tea as a token of appreciation!¡± After Xin Ruyin entered the room, she went to the side of the servant girl and took a pot of tea from her. Then she sincerely poured a cup for the two.


    After Han Li took the cup of tea, he bitterly smiled and inwardly sighed, ¡°I truly don¡¯t understand this woman! Her words don¡¯t reveal anything. Although she hasn¡¯t promised anything, she isn¡¯t letting us choose anything either!¡±


    When Qi Yunxiao saw that his beloved was serving him tea, he was happy beyond recognition! When he drank a cup of tea, he didn¡¯t taste it in the slightest. He only giggled foolishly without end!


    When Xin Ruyin saw Qi Yunxiao with this appearance, she felt a great headache. She could only turn toward Han Li and chat a bit. She thought to make some inquiries about Han Li¡¯s identity and see which sect or great clan he was from.


    After all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was certain to have some backing.


    Naturally, Han Li wasn¡¯t naive enough to easily reveal his background and deliberately answered vaguely, skirting around her inquiries.


    After the chat was over, the woman unexpectedly didn¡¯t end up with any useful information. This caused Xin Ruyin to feel gloomy and even more vigilant against Han Li!


    From Xin Ruyin¡¯s perspective, even if Han Li came to help so quickly, Han Li may also hold similar intentions as that previous group. To guard against the unexpected, she naturally became far more careful and used her mind to the greatest extent.


    ¡°Senior Han, since you have saved Ruyin, do not hesitate to choose any formation flag and plates that this one has already refined. At this moment, this one happens to have many sets. Could Senior take a look and see if he is satisfied with them?¡±


    Qi Yunxiao finally became a bit sober from his infatuation and said a few words to Han Li.


    This caused Han Li to be a bit surprised and also greatly happy. He was finally able to mention the problem he was most concerned with.


    When Xin Ruyin heard this, she was startled. But soon after, she smiled toward Qi Yunxiao with great appreciation. This caused Qi Yunxiao to further giggle foolishly with happiness.


    ¡°With regards to formation flags and plates, there¡¯s no rush! This one has another matter for which he wishes to seek help from Fellow Daoist Xin. If you are able to help this one solve this matter, there will be no need to bestow any rewards. Instead, this one will give you an eight-hundred-year-old spirit herb that I had planned to refine a pill so that you can treat Fellow Daoist Xin¡¯s illness.¡± Han Li¡¯s sudden words caused the two to become greatly shocked.


    ¡°Senior wishes to cede the spirit herb?¡± When Qi Yunxiao heard these words, he couldn¡¯t help but stand and simultaneously ask this with pleasant surprised.


    At this moment, he was completely absorbed in his wish to treat his beloved¡¯s illness and felt greatly moved.

 Chapter 278

    Year Appointment


    Chapter 278: Half-Year Appointment


    Being the one involved, Xin Ruyin started to become similarly excited!


    After all, this regarded a complete recovery from her long-lasting affliction. However, her expression changed from dark to bright several times. She hesitated and said while biting her red lips, ¡°What sort of matter does Senior wish for Junior to help with? Please do not hesitate to say! As long as it doesn¡¯t violate my conscious and morality, this young woman will certainly agree!¡±


    When Xin Ruyin said this and looked at Han Li with clear eyes, she feared Han Li would be unable to answer to her request.


    Seeing this woman¡¯s cautiousness, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but give a knowing smile.


    This reminded him of his own circumstances at the beginning of his journey of cultivation. He had also been very cautious and feared that treading the wrong path would result in his death.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Xin doesn¡¯t need to be so nervous. I only want fellow Daoist to restore a formation spell. So long as you are able to restore it, I will offer you the spirit herb!¡± Han Li soon answered with a calm expression. He didn¡¯t evade her straight gaze, but rather met it with a magnanimous gaze.


    After Xin Ruyin heard this, she was a bit skeptical.


    She then let out a breath and relaxed, blossoming a lovely appearance. She said, ¡°If it is truly a matter of restoration, then it will be no problem! Ruyin will do all she can to restore it. Senior, please be at ease.¡±


    The girl¡¯s originally neutral expression suddenly became a clear and bright smile. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but be stunned by the beauty of her charm! There was no need to mention that her long-time admirer, Qi Yunxiao, had long since fallen into a spell of imbecility from the smile and was incapable of waking himself.


    When Xin Ruyin saw the strangeness of Han Li¡¯s gaze, she couldn¡¯t help blush a bit more, causing her charm to become even more lovely.


    At this moment, Han Li hurriedly restrained his previously out-of-control mind and continued, ¡°Truthfully speaking, although this one knows that Fellow Daoist Yin¡¯s research into formation spells is certainly deep, I don¡¯t know if it can truly be repaired. Also, the original formation is incapable of being moved, thus this one made a copy of its designs. I hope fellow Daoist will be able to look at the designs and repair it!¡±


    With this said, Han Li took out the jade slip from his storage pouch and handed it over to Xin Ruyin. She immediately injected her consciousness into it with great curiosity.


    After examining it, she involuntarily cried out from shock, ¡°Ancient transportation formation?!¡±


    When Han Li heard her shout, the biggest worry in his heart disappeared without a trace!


    ¡®As expected, that transportation formation was an ancient transportation formation. Now, let¡¯s see if this woman can repair it.¡¯


    As Han Li thought this, he couldn¡¯t help but pay close attention to Xin Yurin¡¯s facial expression, afraid that she would reveal an expression of embarrassment!


    After Qi Yunxiao heard the words ¡°ancient transportation formation¡±, his face became filled with amazement, and his eyes widened from astonishment.


    After no less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn had passed, Xin Ruyin took a long stretch and eventually withdrew her consciousness from the jade slip. Then she lowered her head and entered deep contemplation for a moment before raising her elegant head, earnestly saying to Han Li, ¡°This is a genuine ancient transportation formation. Someone at my level normally wouldn¡¯t be able to repair a completely ruined ancient transportation formation, but the damage on this formation is quite small, mainly at one small corner. Fortunately, I¡¯m familiar with this specific portion of the formation spell, having studied a few ancient formation spells. As a result, I should have a good chance to restore this ancient transportation formation.¡±


    When Han Li heard those words, his naturally filled with happiness, but her following words were a devastating blow.


    ¡°However, these ancient spell formations are rarely used, and my research into them isn¡¯t very deep. Thus, Senior must give me some time so I can completely restore the design of the ancient transportation formation in the jade slip!¡± Xin Ruyin continued with a face of slight embarrassment.


    ¡°Of course. How long does Fellow Daoist Xin think it will take? I will certainly return by then.¡± After Han Li thought for a moment, he agreed.


    ¡°Even though I only studied ancient formations for a short time, half a year should be enough!¡± Xin Ruyin said without the slightest of hesitation. It seems she had come up with an estimate earlier.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. After half a year, I will come to pick up the restored design. I hope young lady Xin will not disappoint me!¡± When Han Li heard this, he nodded his head with a faint smile.


    At this moment, Han Li formally entrusted the restoration of the ancient transportation formation to this female formation spell master, Xin Ruyin. Then he spent the afternoon further chatting with Qi Yunxiao and company before bidding his farewell.


    Before departure, Han Li urged the two to be a bit more careful. It would be best to move farther away. After all, there would certainly be people sent to track down the killers of that group of cultivations. Since they were in the vicinity, they would truly be too easy to discover.


    When Han Li said this, Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin took a look at each other and displayed an appearance of embarrassment. They declined to comment on Han Li¡¯s suggestion to change residence.


    Although Han Li felt baffled and worried, he didn¡¯t inconvenience them with further words and hurriedly flew his magic tool to the State of Yue.


    ¡­¡­


    The capital city of the State of Yue, the renowned Yuejing!


    Not only was it the largest city of the State of Yue, it also happened to be located at the very center of the country. Its roads led in every direction, making it the heart of the entire nation¡¯s economic trade.


    Naturally, the land of such a city had long been completely occupied. Not only was the price of housing several times greater than that of other cities, but there were also many individuals willing to pay this price but none willing to sell!


    After all, living in Yuejing itself was a symbol of one¡¯s status.


    Also, the entire city of Yuejing was divided into four districts: north, south, east, west.


    The imperial city was located in the north district. Naturally, only members of the royal family were permitted to live there. Across the city was the south district, home of bureaucrats and officials of all ranks. So long as one monotonically spent half their time on duty, they would have the qualifications to live there. If no one in a household hold an official¡¯s position, that household would naturally be forced to move to another district!


    (TL Note: in YuejingÔ½¾©, Ô½ Yue is the name of the country and ¾© jing means the capital of the country. So the name of the city literally means the capital city of Yue. )

 Chapter 279

    The Great Wealthy Qin Residence


    Chapter 279: The Great Wealthy Qin Residence


    Within the city of Yuejing, the south district was distinctly different from the west district.


    The west district¡¯s tall and great residences were actually jaggedly arranged flat rooms. Those who lived there were all lower-class workers with odd jobs, small peddlers and merchants, and other impoverished people. Naturally, a portion were loafers who came from other districts aftering being kicked out of their household.


    Far and away from the west region, the rich merchant households existed in the east district.


    Although these households didn¡¯t have anyone working in the bureaucracy and couldn¡¯t live in the south district, their grand residence and courtyards were more magnificent than any other. None of them spared their great wealth in order to bring their households name to fame, suppressing other nearby great families and putting themselves on top.


    Naturally, there were a few famous households that the others nearby fundamentality couldn¡¯t compete against. Not only was the amount of land they owned great, but also their riches and prestige far exceeded the others¡¯. The people who lived in these households were merchants that were beyond extremely wealthy


    In a corner of the east district, such an extremely rich and powerful household existed, the Qin Residence.


    Their residence spanned over one and a half acres. If one knew exactly how much land cost in Yuejing, one would be speechless for a long while.


    Not only was the Qin Clan extremely wealthy, but they also controlled a fourth of the copper mines in the State of Yue. Furthermore, it was said that their clan master possessed remarkable ability and had officials that specifically spoke on their behalf in the royal court.


    As such, even the servants of this great and noble household held great confidence, having more sway in their household than other servants.


    The gatekeeper of the Qin Residence, Qin Gui, also thought as such.


    Every time someone came to the Qin Residence requesting to meet with the clan master, regardless of their identity or background, even if they were a bureaucrat, they were always completely polite towards even a low servant of the Qin Clan and didn¡¯t dare to offend them in the slightest.


    As time passed, this caused Qin Gui to feel as if he himself were superior.


    Thus, every time someone sought to pay respects and meet someone from the Qin Clan, their gifts naturally couldn¡¯t be small. Otherwise, Qin Gui wouldn¡¯t look upon them favorably; he might even wait three or four days before reporting their presence to a superior.


    Naturally, if a great character knocked on their door, Qin Gui would act in accordance to custom, complete loyal subservience.


    Towards those young masters and young madams who entered and left the estate frequently, he would eagerly and attentively be at their beck and call.


    Although many of the masters whom Qin Gui served weren¡¯t completely satisfied with him, word spread recently that he would be promoted to become an external steward and would go out to take control of some business. After Qin Gui heard this, he became increasingly happy, and in the following days, he felt that his steps were as light as a feather.


    Right now, Qin Gui was arrogantly sitting a stool and lying in a shady, cool spot against the gate. This morning, the clan master had left to discuss some business. The several young masters and young madams had already left with their noble friends to take a stroll at Chongshan Temple. Currently, apart from the madams within the estate, only the widowed young madam Biao remained.


    This caused to him let out a breath of relaxation, glad of the chance to take a break.


    When Qin Gui was half asleep with a light cool wind blowing against them, he suddenly heard the shy voice of a male youth in front of him.


    ¡°Excuse me, is this the Qin Residence?¡±


    Just as Qin Gui was about to fall asleep, this voice had disturbed him and woken him up. He felt extremely wronged and couldn¡¯t help but loudly yell with great anger while his eyes remained closed, ¡°Who are you shouting to! Are you wailing at a funeral! Can¡¯t you see that the great Gui is lying down!¡±


    With that said, Qin Gui was completely unwilling to open his eyes to take a look. His face wore an extremely resentful expression.


    From the other party¡¯s timid voice, he felt that the owner of the voice was but a minor character who dared to treat him so imprudently.


    Qin Gui eventually had a clear look at the person before him, a coarsely-dressed man who appeared about twenty-four years old. He had an extremely ordinary appearance and had an early smell coming from his body. He was clearly one of those country bumpkins that had just arrived from the countryside!


    (TL Note: the word meaning country side bumpkin is actually earth steam bun ÍÁ°ü×Ó, heh; he¡¯s a steambun(idiot) that came from the countryside. )


    Seeing this, Qin Gui became increasingly arrogant.


    He sat up from his chair, and without saying anything further, he began showering down admonishments nonstop. It was as if disturbing the great Qin Gui¡¯s rest was a severe and unforgivable sort of crime!


    While he was reprimanding the newcomer, Qin Gui¡¯s saliva splattered all around and continued spraying there for more than the time it took to make a cup of tea. This rustic youth appeared as if he hadn¡¯t understood the great Qin Gui and appeared to at a loss for words. He could only listen to Qin Gui¡¯s tirade with a foolish expression!


    After a long while, Qin Gui clearly vented the fiery resentment within him before reluctantly stopping his verbal attack.


    Soon after, he gave the youth a slanted look. It seemed as if he wanted to say something to him. He then casually asked, ¡°What are you doing at our Qin Residence? We aren¡¯t lacking laborers or servants. Hurry up and leave! The servants at this residence aren¡¯t the same as other servants! We won¡¯t take in those with muddy origins. Come back after you find a backer!¡±


    Relying on his past experiences, Qin Gui immediately concluded this youth whose clothes still stunk of dirt was certainly someone who wildly imagined to work at the Qin Residence!


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for work¡­ Qin Yan is my uncle. My family told me to deliver this letter to Uncle Qin!¡± The youth had recovered from the tempest of verbal abuse. After hearing Qin Gui¡¯s words, he took out a wrinkled letter from his bosom and stuttered, giving Qin Gui an explanation.


    ¡°What? The lord is your uncle!¡±


    Qin Gui had felt his mouth go dry, so he went to go take a few gulps from a nearby teapot. But when he immediately heard the youth¡¯s words, he spit out a mouthful of tea from shock and asked this with a face pale from fright.


    ¡°This¡­ I also don¡¯t know. But my family had me address him as Uncle Qin!¡± The youth shook his head with a somewhat embarrassed appearance.


    However at this moment, Qin Gui no longer dared to easily mock him. If this person truly had some relation to his own lord, then nothing good would come out of it.


    Then after a moment of hesitation, he carefully asked, ¡°That letter, could you let this one take a look at it? Please be at ease, esteemed sir. This one only wants to look at the surface of the letter. He doesn¡¯t dare to tear it open!¡±


    When the youth heard what Qin Gui said, he unexpectedly agreed, nodding his head. As he handed it over, he muttered something, ¡°I originally wanted to hand this letter to you so you could quickly hand it over to Uncle Qin!¡±


    Qin Gui took the extremely wrinkled letter and immediately looked at it several times.


    Ordinary servants normally wouldn¡¯t be able to read, but during Qin Gui¡¯s childhood, he had spent half a year in a private school and was actually literate. As such, the much desired duty as gatekeeper fell upon him.


    ¡°To be personally opened by Honorable Nephew Qin Yan!¡±


    These large pitch-black words on the letter caused Qin Gui¡¯s heart to beat wildly. From their tone, it seemed the letter was written by his own lord¡¯s senior.


    WIth this thought, Qin Gui¡¯s face immediately changed. With great effort, he squeezed out a faint smile and said to the youth, ¡°Young Master, our clan¡¯s lord is not here right now, but his wives are within. Would you like to pass this letter onto his wives?¡± Qin Gui couldn¡¯t help but greatly change his attitude and immediately upgrade the youth¡¯s title.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do! This letter must be personally opened by Uncle Qin!¡± After the youth hesitate for a moment, he resolutely shook his head.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that. Then should I first make a report to the madams and see how they respond to your esteemed self?¡±


    Qin Gui didn¡¯t dare to let the youth leave. If this were an important matter and he were the one to interfere, then great misfortune would come around to meet him. But if he handed this matter over to the madams, then it wouldn¡¯t matter what he did; as a long-time servant, he had his own scheming.


    The youth readily agreed.


    After Qin Gui let out a breath of relief, he hastily went to call for a passing servant to help him watch the youth and ran into the residence.


    When other servants came across him and saw that he was running as if his buttocks were on fire, they were a bit shocked.


    Qin Gui immediately ran to the back court and said a few words to the head maid there before returning to the entrance to deliver a response with relief.


    Having returned to the entrance, Qin Gui hastily said a few words to the youth with a smile. A young attractive maid ran over.


    When she arrived in front of the two, she took several curious glances at the completely rustic youth and relayed a madam¡¯s reply. The youth would first rest in a side room and wait for the return of the lord before his identity was judged to be true or false. After all, there were a great many members of the Qin Residence; he could by the child of a senior¡¯s concubine that came knocking on their door!


    Since the higher ups had already dealt with this issue, Qin Gui felt at ease and continued to guard the main gate.


    That young maid then brought the youth to wait at a guest room for the time being.


    On the way, several people saw the youth¡¯s rustic appearance and glanced at him several times in surprise, causing the youth to greatly feel uneasy. He simply lowered his head and continued following while looking the young servant girl¡¯s back.


    When the maid turned her head and saw the youth¡¯s strange behavior, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She looked several at the man with beaming smiles, finding it quite entertaining.


    When a side room in the front wing was arranged for the youth, the young maid repeatedly warned the youth to not run around and returned back to report while giggling.


    After the young maid left the room, the youth with the originally clumsy appearance suddenly straightened his back, and the foolish dullness in his eyes could no longer be seen. This person seemed to appear confident and at ease. The slightest trace of his rusticness could no longer be seen.


    ¡°I truly did not think this Qin Clan was actually so well-known! It¡¯s impossible for the Devil Dao to let such an obvious target pass by.¡± The youth took a look outside the room and slightly wrinkled his brow, muttering a few words to himself.


    Han Li had exhausted himself by flying at top speed for over ten days before finally arriving at Yuejing. The Qin Residence was the target Li Huayuan requested Han Li to protect.


    However, when Han LI thought of the identity Li Huayuan arranged from him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel greatly gloomy.


    In the letter, Li Huayuan had the Qin Clan Master arrange the identity of a Qin Clan side branch descendant, causing Han Li to play a destitute relative from the countryside. This was to fool the Qin Residence so he could remain for a long time.


    Although Han Li disliked the identity of being a destitute youngster from the countryside, his disguise didn¡¯t require any effort. After all, Han Li was the genuine child of peasant family of some remote countryside village. Thus, he didn¡¯t need to put much effort to closely resemble the right tone and mannerisms.


    After Han Li shut off the room, he meditated and refined Qi on the bed. He hoped that while he protected the Qin Residence, he would be able to slightly progress his own cultivation.


    It was already evening by the time Han Li completed a cycle of cultivation. At this moment, someone finally knocked on the door.


    Han Li¡¯s spirit shook, and the expression on his face soon completely vanished. He immediately resumed the appearance of the foolish rustic youngster.


    Once he opened the door, he saw a servant standing before him.


    ¡°My clan¡¯s lord has returned. The madams are currently calling for you. Follow me!¡± The servant said to Han Li with no trace of politeness. He then turned around and left. It seems Han Li wasn¡¯t worthy enough for the servant to put him in his eyes.


    This was of no surprise. The gatekeeper Qin Gui was the same.


    As a madam¡¯s trusted aide, he had seen many destitute relatives of the Qin Residence arrive every year like an autumn wind. Naturally, he didn¡¯t particularly pay them much mind.


    This person thought was it was most likely the lord would meet with this country bumpkin, give him some silver, and then send him on his way. He basically wouldn¡¯t stay in this residence for much longer!


    Han Li sincerely agreed and followed this person out of the side room, heading straight towards the Qin Residence¡¯s receiving hall.


    At this moment, there was a graceful and magnificent madam who appeared over forty years old. She was sitting next to the Qin Clan Master Qin Yan and talking about Han Li¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Since he dares to come knocking on our door with a letter, he most likely isn¡¯t a fake! It seems he was truly sent from a clan senior to come visit us.¡±


    ¡°Let us see what request he has in the end. If it isn¡¯t excessive, then we will completely satisfy it! Don¡¯t snobbishly cast out this branch clan member and soil our reputation. We cannot lose face because of this.¡±


    Qin Yan was over fifty years old, but because he had took care of his health well, he appeared only forty years old, not elderly in the slightest. After he drank a gulp of swallow nest tea and moistened his throat, he said this leisurely.

 Chapter 280

    Interview


    ¡°Lord clearly understands that our clan does not lack silver. However, our face cannot be ruined in the slightest!¡± His wife sitting across from him said a smile. She embodied the image of a perfect wife.


    When Qin Yan saw this, he was completely satisfied!


    This Third Madam had followed him for so many years but her consideration for finer details hadn¡¯t decreased in the slightest, causing him to feel more reassured in them!


    Even ordinary matters of all sizes with regards to the Qin Residence were handed over to her. Furthermore, her orders were always extremely satisfactory.


    ¡°Lord, I have already sent people to fetch him. After lord husband sees him, I will handle this small matter!¡± His wife continued, speaking with a gentle voice.


    When Qin Yan heard this, he faintly smiled, but when he thought to say something else, a servant made a report from outside the room.


    ¡°Lord, Qin Ping has brought the guest. Do you want to call him in now?¡±


    ¡°Tell Qin Ping to bring him in!¡±


    Without deeply thinking, Qin Yan gave his command and simply closed his mouth. He then gave an apologetic smile to his third wife.


    ¡°I will follow your orders!¡±


    The servant agreed and spoke no further.


    Qin Ping entered the guest hall with a simple-minded youth following behind him.


    As this male youth walked in, he looking left to right in the guest receiving hall as if he were extremely curious about within it.


    When the two walked into the hall, Qin Ping made his report and automatically withdrew. The only one who remained was the youth restlessly facing Qin Yan and his wife.


    When Qin Yan and his third wife saw the youth¡¯s bewildered expression, she couldn¡¯t help but look at him with a knowing smile. Qin Yan lightly coughed and then amiably said to the youth, ¡°I¡¯ve heard this little brother has a letter for Senior Qin. Is this matter true? Could you hand that letter over to me so I could take a look?¡±


    The youth, Han Li, looked at the Qin Clan Master and revealed some hesitation. With a bit of uncertainty, he asked, ¡°Are you really Uncle Qin? My grandfather said from his own mouth that this letter could only be given to Uncle Qin himself!¡±


    When the third wife heard Han Li¡¯s words, she was slightly startled but soon smiled, almost unable to restrain her laughter.


    Inside the main guest receiving hall of the Qin Residence, how could anyone dare to arrogantly pretend to be the Qin Clan Master? This youngster¡¯s question was truly amusing!


    When Qin Yan heard this, he blankly stared for a moment before revealing a wry smile.


    With no better option, he could only say, ¡°This one is the genuine Qin Clan Master. However, whether or not I am your esteemed self¡¯s Uncle Qin, I must read the letter before I know!¡±


    Qin Yan appeared to be beaten, much to the amusement of his third wife watching from the side. Within Yuejing,  nearly no one did not know of the renowned master of the Qin Clan. But who would have thought this rustic younger would have actually have doubts? It truly made for a good story!


    Having heard Qin Yan¡¯s words, confidence bubbled forth on Han Li¡¯s face, and he brought out the crinkled letter, quickly creasing it before handing it over to Qin Yan.


    Qin Yan, who had long lost his patience, had difficulty resisting the urge to go over and snatch the letter but managed to maintain his poise until he received it.


    However, he didn¡¯t immediately open up the letter. Instead, he took a deep look at Han Li and suddenly put the letter on the table, lightly clapping his hands two times.


    Clap Clap. An old man with a head full of white hair walked into the hall, wearing an azure jacket.


    Without saying anything further, Qin Yan pointed to the letter. The old man then immediately advanced towards the letter. He brought the letter under a bright light and carefully observed it. In the end, he returned the letter to the table.


    ¡°There are no problems.¡±


    After spitting out these words, the old man bowed and retreated. He hadn¡¯t made a single noise this entire time, as if he were a ghost.


    Feeling assured, Qin Yan faintly squinted at Han Li, and when he saw Han Li¡¯s baffled expression, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Then without any further doubt, he skillfully opened the letter and took out the letter for a close look.


    When the third wife saw this, she gave Han Li friendly smiles. She then raised a teacup in front of her, wanting to take a sip.


    However, before the cup even touched her lips, she saw Qin Yan pant as he read the letter. He suddenly stood with a face filled with extreme and bizarre amazement.


    ¡°Lord, what¡¯s the matter? Could it be the letter is fake?¡± The third wife was shocked, hastily putting down her tea cup and asked with great concern.


    ¡°No, this letter is genuine! Furthermore, it is a letter from my Senior to whom I owe great favor.¡± Qin Yan¡¯s expression returned to normal almost instantly, his tone of voice once again quite calm.


    Then he looked at his beloved wife as if there was nothing wrong and sized up Han Li.


    ¡°Your esteemed self is called Han Li?¡± Lord Qin inquired. Although his tone was the same as before, the third wife somehow felt something was amiss!


    Just as this madam met with doubt, Han Li nodded with all his strength, ¡°That¡¯s right! I am Han Li! Is it as my grandpa has said? Can I stay here?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Of course. When I was a child, I saw Elder Li Huayuan with my father. I did not think that today I would see his descendant. I will treat you as if you were my own nephew.¡± Qin Yan suddenly gave a hearty laugh. His loud and clear voice caused the nearby servants to look at each other in dismay. They did not know why their clan master was so happy within the guest hall.


    ¡°Come! Accompany with me a nearby room and tell me how Elder Li Huayuan is doing. As for the others, they are not allowed to follow. My dear nephew Han Li and I will have a proper chat.¡± Qin Yan grabbed Han Li¡¯s arm and said this cordially. Then he dragged Han Li to the side door and blocked his third wife, who had also wanted to follow.


    This caused his third wife to feel greatly shocked and confused!


    She could only helplessly look on at Lord Qin and Han Li as they left through the side door. However, she didn¡¯t dare to disobey and secretly follow them.


    At this moment, she had a head full of doubt and suspicion!


    Han Li followed Qin Yan, and they arrived at an extremely quiet side hall.


    Without saying anything further, Qin Yan turned an ancient vase that was decorating the hall. Soon after, a concealed room suddenly appeared from the wall.


    When Qin Yan saw this, he entered without the slightest hesitation. After Han Li faintly smiled for a moment, he followed him in.


    Although the concealed room wasn¡¯t very large, it was fully furnished!


    Not only were there desks and chairs but there was also a bookshelf about three meters high within the room; the room appeared extremely refined.


    ¡°Since your esteemed self came from Immortal Li¡¯s sect, then you should be a cultivator. Just now in the guest hall, I was extremely rude. I hope Immortal Han won¡¯t blame me.¡± When Qin Yan sealed off the secret room, he apologized to Han Li with a respectful expression.


    ¡°It was nothing. I can¡¯t blame those who didn¡¯t know! Besides, this act will have to continue.¡± After Han Li casually sat down in the chair next to him, he said this without much care. At this moment, his appearance completely changed and resumed his confident, easy bearing.


    ¡°Many thanks to Lord Immortal¡¯s magnanimity!¡±


    When Qin Yan heard this, he grew even more respectful. He then stood at the side and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest dissatisfaction.


    After all, what did it mean to be an Immortal cultivator? Qin Yan clearly understood this; they were living legends equivalent to gods!


    Even more, without the help of that Immortal Li, his Qin Clan absolutely wouldn¡¯t have been as illustrious and prestigious as it was today. In heart and appearance, Qin Yan didn¡¯t dare to be disrespectful in the slightest.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit, Qin Clan Master? There is no need to be overly polite! The Immortal Li you spoke of is actually my own master, so you can¡¯t be considered  a stranger to the Li Clan.¡± Han Li answered with a smile.


    ¡°I do not dare. This one is but a mortal. How could I be disrespectful to an Immortal? This one will stand to the side and listen to Immortal Han¡¯s commands.¡± Qin Yan repeatedly waved his hand, refusing to sit down. This caused Han Li to thoughtfully mutter to himself for a moment, but he did not further press him.


    ¡°I do not know what brings Immortal Han to this place. Immortal Li¡¯s letter only mentioned your identity as an Immortal. The letter didn¡¯t mention any specific matters. Could you please inform me about a thing or two?¡± Qin Yan carefully asked the question he was most concerned with.


    His father had explained to him before he passed away that Immortal Li, who greatly favored the Qin Clan, would only appear when there was danger, personally bringing his fellow sect members to provide assistance. But what danger had the Qin Clan come across now?


    Han Li looked at him and saw that the Qin Clan¡¯s master appeared worried. After another moment of thought, he said with deliberation, ¡°The matter is as such. It involves the cultivators of foreign countries. We received information that¡­¡±


    With an ordinary expression, Han Li slowly narrated to Qin Yan how the Six Devil Dao Sects would likely act against the Qin Clan by using terms that a mortal would most likely understand. This greatly shocked the Qin Clan Master.


    After half a day, Qin Yan finally stuttered out, ¡°This¡­ the cultivators of other countries want to act against us mortals? This¡­ how is this good?¡±


    This Qin Clan Master was at a total loss of what to do.


    Han Li faintly smiled and calmly comforted him, ¡°There is no need for the Qin Clan Master to be worried. The cultivators infiltrating into the State of Yue have low magic power. Under my watch, they won¡¯t be able to easily act against your clan!¡±

 Chapter 281

    The Qin Residence and Young Madam Biao


    Chapter 281: The Qin Residence and Young Madam Biao


    After two hours had passed, Han Li left the secret room with Qin Yan, once again returning to his country bumpkin appearance.


    Having returned to the guest room, the Qin Clan Master looked at his third wife and immediately ordered them to arrange a clean room in the back of the residence as Honorable Nephew Han would be staying with them for an extended time.


    The surface reason was plain. As his Senior, the lord wanted to cultivate this Junior and pay back the kindness that the boy¡¯s elders had bestowed upon him.


    When the third wife saw this, her jaw dropped, but she didn¡¯t say any words of opposition!


    When the exceedingly shrewd woman clearly heard this, she knew that Qin Yan already made his decision and wouldn¡¯t change his mind. Furthermore, she could perceive that this Honorable Nephew Han had something suspicious going on with her lord husband.


    But since Qin Yan didn¡¯t tell any of the particulars, she naturally wouldn¡¯t perform any actions that would provoke disfavor.


    However, she had guessed with a bit of wild imagination that since he was so serious toward this Honorable Nephew Han, it was possible that when Qin Yan was young, he had left an illegitimate child while he was out fondling flowers and trampling grass. How else could he turn so pale from reading the letter and be so cordial right after?


    The more the lively-minded third wife thought of this, the greater she felt this to be true. She felt a bit unhappy, but she appeared as if nothing happened and acted increasingly familiar toward Han Li.


    As such, under Lord Qin¡¯s repeated suggestions, Han Li followed Qin Ping to see his residence until he was fully satisfied.


    This time, Qin Ping¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t as rigid as before. Instead, his face wore a smile as he continuously addressed him as ¡°Young Master Han¡±. He had selectively forgotten his previously cold behavior.


    Although Han Li appeared overwhelmed by a superior¡¯s favor, he secretly sighed to this mortal servant. His art of changing in the direction of the blowing wind was truly superb. He was unexpectedly able to switch from arrogance to deference without the slightest appearance of embarrassment.


    He didn¡¯t know whether to say that his face was thick-skinned or if he was long accustomed to such events.


    Soon after Qin Ping brought Han Li on a small path to the back of the residence. They arrived at a peaceful three-room courtyard.


    The exquisite and refined surroundings were exceptionally peaceful, causing Han Li to inwardly nod his head; it was very much to his liking.


    It seems this Qin Yan had gone through quite a bit of thought to give him such a suitable dwelling.


    ¡°Young Master Han, this is your residence! This is the best courtyard within the Qin Residence. If someone were not the lord¡¯s valued guests, they basically wouldn¡¯t be allowed to live here!¡± After Qin Ping let Han Li into the courtyard, he fawningly gave Han Li an explanation.


    Han Li scratched his head and naively grinned. He repeatedly giggled as if he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    With great tact, Qin Ping switched to a different subject, ¡°Young Master Han hasn¡¯t eat dinner yet, no? This servant will go the kitchen and bring you some food. Please wait for a moment!¡±


    With that said, Qin Ping respectfully withdrew from the courtyard and left.


    As Han Li saw this person gradually grow farther, he faintly smiled and entered the rooms.


    The room¡¯s arrangements greatly matched the environment, each piece of furniture being uniquely elegant.


    After he went through it once through, Han Li found it increasingly agreeable. He couldn¡¯t help but think of who arranged the place like this.


    That Qin Ping had moved quite quickly! Not long after, a female servant arrived with a large bamboo tray holding food.


    Smelling the fragrant scent of food, Han Li, who had fasted for several years, felt a bit ravenous and impolitely swept clear the several delicate dishes with a bowl of rice.


    In the end, Qin Ping saw what remained of the meal and naturally found it a bit funny. But his appearance still remained respectful as he invited Han Li to the hall. Lord Qin wanted to introduce Han Li to the members of the Qin Residence.


    ¡­¡­


    When Han Li arrived at the guest hall for the second time, it wasn¡¯t just Qin Yan and the Third Madam. There were also twenty to thirty men and women sitting and standing about.


    When Qin Yan called out Han Li to sit beside him with great familiarity, a few of the older members within the hall were surprised, but the others didn¡¯t react. The young madams and lords of the Qin Clan, however, were unable to keep their calm. The more favored young master immediately asked with dissatisfaction:


    ¡°Grandfather, who is this brother? Us brothers and sisters have never seen him before; could you have called us here because of this person?¡±


    Qin Yan naturally heard the unhappiness in his grandson¡¯s voice, but he didn¡¯t give him any face, instead glaring at him before saying coldly:


    ¡°Get back! Do you have the right to speak in this place? What ¡®this person¡¯, ¡®that person¡¯! This is Han Li, my Honorable Nephew Han. His elder has bestowed our Qin clan with great favor during a time of life and death. You are forbidden from being disrespectful to him!¡±


    This sentence from Qin Yan instantly caused everyone in the room apart from his third wife to cause a commotion.


    Various conjectures and curious gazes simultaneously landed on Han Li, who wore a perfect unsettled appearance, shifting around a few times as if needles were being poked into his rear.


    As for the Qin Clan¡¯s young master, he silently retreated, his face alternating between frightened red and embarrassed red.


    He absolutely did not expect that Qin Yan, who normally doted on him, would now speak so mercilessly towards him. This caused him to lose a lot of face in front of so many brothers and sisters!


    Because of this matter, this young master naturally would not have any goodwill towards Han Li! Of course, he was not so naive that he would make any ill-intentioned moves towards Han Li, especially after Qin Yan had given such orders.


    After all, it seemed like this country bumpkin had a very high standing in his grandfather¡¯s heart. He didn¡¯t wish to lose Qin Yan¡¯s favor because of this matter.


    With this person set as an example, other people naturally would not make any hostile movements. Instead, many people revealed kind appearances after meeting Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    At this time, Qin Yan pointed out and introduced all the people in the room to Han Li with a smile:


    ¡°This is my eldest son Qin Zhi, who is currently helping me organize all of the business in Yuejing. He has a pretty good head on him. This is my second son¡­¡­¡±


    Even as Han Li pretended to wildly nod his head, he secretly memorized every Qin Clan member that Qin Yan introduced; after all, these people were the ones that he needed to protect!


    However, this elderly Lord Qin could really procreate; in total, he had five sons and three daughters, and he even had quite a few grandsons and granddaughters.


    In their midst, the eldest and second son all seemed to be around thirty years old and even had families. The one who had taken the initiative to ask a question was the eldest son¡¯s second son.


    But what was funny was that Qin Yan¡¯s youngest fifth son was only five or six years old, a little child who could only suck his thumb.


    When Han Li thought about that sixteen or seventeen year-old youth being forced to call this child with a drippy nose ¡°Fifth Uncle¡±, he felt that it was quite comical.


    As for Qin Yan¡¯s wives, apart from the third wife he had met earlier in the morning, there was another forty year-old or so second wife, as well as seven or eight relatively young concubines.


    Qin Yan¡¯s first wife was not in the hall; at the moment, it was said that she was praying to Buddha and abstaining from eating meat. She would no longer come out to see anyone.


    Apart from these people, there were two forty year-old or so males; naturally, they were Qin Yan¡¯s second and third younger brothers.


    They were each responsible for a portion of the Qin Clan¡¯s business and could be considered the more important members of the Qin Clan. Of course, they likewise had a few sons and daughters in the room, but Han Li only memorized these people¡¯s names, too lazy to pay them any further attention.


    After all, the energy he possessed as one person was limited; he could only focus on protecting the people Qin Yan introduced in this room.


    ¡°Yi! Where is Young Madam Biao?¡±


    When Qin Yan introduced all the people inside the room once, he suddenly discovered that they were missing a person; he couldn¡¯t help but ask this to his third wife sitting beside him.


    ¡°Lord, Young Miss Biao felt that as a widow, it would not be too appropriate for her to meet any outsiders, and thus she didn¡¯t come! Should I go and call for her?¡± the third wife softly asked. A hesitant expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Qin Yan thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Martial Nephew Han is not an outsider; it¡¯s best if she comes and sees him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±


    ¡°Little Lian, go quickly and call for the Young Miss Biao; tell her that the lord asked for her to come!¡±


    The third wife indifferently commanded a young maid standing behind her.


    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± This little maidservant who previously guided Han Li immediately and quickly ran out through a side door with small steps.


    At this time, Qin Yan turned his head around and said in a low voice to Han Li:


    ¡°There¡¯s one more person who didn¡¯t come, a young woman whom my first wife saved seven or eight years ago while she was visiting her parents.¡±


    ¡°This woman is extremely pitiful. Not only did she lose her memory because she hit her head, her body was covered with wounds. My wife¡¯s character is pretty good, so after treating her and seeing that the girl had no place to go, she had one of her brothers take her in as an adopted daughter, at least providing her with some shelter!¡±


    ¡°However, this woman truly is unlucky. Although she was married to a groom picked by her adoptive father, she was only married for three days before her spouse actually slipped and fell into a river because he was too drunk. It¡¯s reasonable to say that such a young woman would naturally choose to remarry, but this woman actually has the temperament to die chaste and decided to live as a widow for the husband whom she only lived for three days with. This is a hot topic around here, but it has given my wife¡¯s clan a great amount of face!¡±


    ¡°Afterwards, her adoptive father passed away due to sickness. My wife, seeing that the truly pitiful young lady was watching over an empty house all alone, decided to bring her over here to accompany her. In passing, she would also ease this woman¡¯s anxiety!¡±


    As Qin Yan spoke, he sighed incessantly!

 Chapter 282

    Transformation


    Chapter 282: Transformation


    When Han Li heard Qin Yan¡¯s words, although he appeared shocked, he rather disapproved. He felt that most of the time, these pitiful women were led astray by tales of noble women who didn¡¯t remarry.


    When the young masters within the hall heard that Young Madam Biao was coming, they all incessantly whispered with happy expressions as anticipation appeared in their eyes. This surprised Han Li, but he soon came to the realization that this Young Madam Biao must be a beauty as delicate as a flower and as refined as jade.


    Just as Han Li thought this, a young maid and a young woman dressed in white arrived at the guest hall.


    Although this woman had beautiful long and light eyebrows and seemed extremely gentle and quiet, she also emitted an indescribable fiery charm from head to toe, giving her a lovely and emotionally stirring bearing. When a majority of men looked at her, they all felt an urge to hold her in their embrace and show tender love for her.


    As immature and inexperienced youngsters, they continuously gave her fierce gazes with wide eyes.


    It seemed that this Young Madam Biao had been the target of the Qin Clan young masters for quite some time!


    However, when Han Li clearly saw this woman¡¯s appearance, shock flashed through his eyes. The foolish and dull expression on his face suddenly disappeared. Fortunately, Han Li was able to suppress his heart a moment later and restored his original appearance.


    Because this transformation happened in less than a second and everyone in the hall was gazing at the young woman, his secret hadn¡¯t been revealed.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s heart resembled constantly broiling storm.


    The appearance of ¡°Young Madam Biao¡± had greatly changed from before, and the young woman¡¯s grace had slightly changed as well. However, from the intelligence flowing through her eyes and her delicate oval face, Han Li recognized this ¡°Young Madam Biao¡± with just a single look. She was one of the few faces he had seen at the Mo Estate several years ago, the graceful young woman who lived to research the art of healing, Mo Fengwu.


    When Mo Fengwu entered the room, everyone saw her face slightly redden, and she lowered her head as she walked. Naturally, she did not see Han Li, who sat next to Qin Yan.


    When Qin Yan saw his juniors acting unbecoming of themselves, he grew extremely annoyed!


    Cough, cough.


    His face tightened, and after coughing several times more, the young men who were absorbed in Mo Fengwu¡¯s beauty woke up and retracted their gazes one after another, assuming the appearance of upright gentlemen. They feared they had angered their clan master!


    ¡°Ping¡¯er! Sit next to your aunt.¡± The third wife thought to hurriedly call out, having Mo Fengwu sit at her side.


    ¡°Thank you, Third Aunt!¡±


    Mo Fengwu gently said a word of thanks and neatly walked to the side of the third wife, sitting down upright.


    ¡°Ping¡¯er, don¡¯t stay in your room all the time. It¡¯s bad for living people. It¡¯s much better to walk around outside!¡±


    It was obvious Qin Yan found Mo Fengwu very pitiful as his tone was very mild.


    ¡°Many thanks to Uncle. Ping¡¯er understands!¡± Mo Fengwu docilely replied without raising her head.


    ¡°Sigh!¡±


    When Qin Yan saw this, he softly sighed.


    Although this adopted daughter obediently responded every time, once she returned, she would continue as always. Qin Yan was helpless. Then he thought to continue on with proper business and introduced Han Li to Mo Fengwu, ¡°Ping¡¯er, I¡¯ve had you come here to introduce you to someone! This is Han Li, my dear nephew Han. He is the descendant of a Senior who has done our family a great kindness. Come take a look at him! In the future, make sure to get along with this Elder Brother of yours!¡±


    Han Li was fully focused on Mo Fengwu¡¯s movements. When this woman heard the words ¡°Han Li¡±, her body slightly trembled, and her heart immediately beat faster.


    After a long while, Mo Fengwu slowly raised her head, revealing her beautiful face. At this moment, that the emotionally touching sereness of her beauty and her almond lips touched together, leaving a faint reply, ¡°Hello Dear Brother Han!¡±


    It seemed as if Mo Fengwu truly did not remember Han Li.


    After hearing her pay her respects to Han Li, it seemed as if he were stunned by her lovely appearance. He finally said ¡°Hello dear sister¡± with much difficulty.


    This caused the young spectators to the side to smile and laugh without end.


    Qin Yan coldly swept his eyes past them, and it immediately grew quiet. Han Li then dimwittedly scratched his head and appeared at a loss of what to do.


    The following matters were much more simple.


    Qin Yan coldly proclaimed to the many people of his household that Han Li would be staying at the Qin Residence for some time. During this time, he would assume the role of a young master of the Qin Residence, making it forbidden for others to slight him, else there would be heavy punishment.


    When those words were spoken, those of Qin Residence started looking at Han Li with a peculiar gaze. At this moment, it wasn¡¯t just the third wife who was guessing at Han Li¡¯s and Qin Yan¡¯s true relationship.


    ¡­¡­


    At night, Han Li was lying down on his room¡¯s bed without sleeping. He was looking at the roof, as if he were worried about something.


    Pengpeng! The sound of two light knocks came from outside the room. Han Li, who hadn¡¯t fallen asleep, slightly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a mysterious smile.


    Han Li then calmly stood up and opened the room door.


    Outside the room stood a woman concealed by a cloak.


    When this woman saw Han Li open the door, she immediately dropped her hood, revealing her lovable appearance. This was Mo Fengwu, who had pretended to not recognize Han Li earlier that day.


    When Han Li saw this, he silently moved his body to the side. Mo Fengwu then walked in without the slightest hesitation.


    Han Li stood at the door and released his spiritual sense. He didn¡¯t discover anybody within the vicinity. It seemed that Mo Fengwu had been careful when she came here.


    He softly closed the door and turned his head. He saw Mo Fengwu had silently undone her cloak, revealing her ample and alluring dainty body. Then with no trace of politeness, she sat on the side of the bed, expressionlessly looking at Han Li.


    Han Li sighed!


    Apart from her appearance, he truly found it difficult to draw a connection between this cold and detached woman and his impression of that gentle young woman who loved the healing. Her experiences these past many years had transformed her into a greatly unfamiliar person.


    ¡°Should I address you as Junior Martial Brother Han or Dear Brother Han?¡± A displeased expression flashed through her eyes as she coarsely asked this.


    ¡°Call me Han Li, Young Lady Fengwu!¡± Han Li leisurely said as he restrained his thoughts.


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Mo Fengwu¡¯s face flashed with disappointment. But soon after, she said with a relaxed appearance, ¡°I don¡¯t know why Young Master Han, an Immortal cultivator, arrived here at the Qin Residence, and I also don¡¯t care to know these secrets! I came here only to ask young master to kill one of Fengwu¡¯s foes out of respect for your relationship with my father as your master.¡±


    When she said this, Mo Fengwu was incapable of maintaining her cold and detached appearance. She nervously looked at Han Li, fearing that Han Li would refuse.


    Han Li¡¯s expression had remained the same all along, but he did not immediately decline. Instead he picked up a pot of fragrant tea that had finished steeping and silently poured Mo Fengwu a cup. Then he slowly said a few words that shocked the woman.


    ¡°Could it be the person you want me to kill is the Sect Master of the Rainbow Sect?¡± After Han Li took a seat across from Mo Fengwu and unhurriedly said this, he took a neutral glance at her shocked, beautiful appearance.


    Mo Fengwu¡¯s shock quickly faded away.


    She look at Han Li with a strange gaze several times; after a long while, she bitterly said, ¡°It seems Junior Martial Brother Han already knew of this matter with the Mo Estate. It¡¯s true that nothing can be concealed from you Immortal cultivators!¡±


    Although Mo Fengwu said these words softly, Han Li heard a trace of hidden resentment within them. Furthermore, this resentment was unexpectedly directed toward him!


    After a moment of consideration, Han Li understood why she was like this.


    Afterwards, he lightly chuckled and explained, ¡°It seems that Young Lady Fengwu has misunderstood! Regardless of how this one says it, he does have a friendship with the Mo Estate. If I had truly known the Mo Estate was experiencing a catastrophe, at the very least, I would have let the Martial Mothers escape unscathed and allow them to live the rest of their years in peace. As for other matters, it would be hard to say.¡± As Han Li explained, he became extremely sincere.


    He was not fearful of Mo Fengwu holding grudges against him. However, Han Li couldn¡¯t unload the cause of this obscure injustice onto himself.


    When Mo Fengwu heard Han Li¡¯s words, she only said ¡°Oh.¡± Her face resumed her cold and detached appearance. Han Li didn¡¯t know whether this woman had truly believed his explanation just now.


    When Han Li saw this, he shook his head, and after a moment of hesitation, he could only inform her of the truth. Originally because of the truth¡¯s connection with the world of Immortal cultivators, he had been reluctant to tell her.


    ¡°In truth, this matter with the Mo Estate¡¯s misfortune was told me to by the girl Caihuan. She is currently together with Fourth Martial Mother.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re saying that Caihuan and Fourth Mother are still alive?!¡± After Mo Fengwu heard this, she grew excited and found it hard to believe. Two red blushes appeared on her pure white face from the excitement.


    ¡°Of course they¡¯re alive. To say they are currently living at an exceptionally concealed location wouldn¡¯t be wrong!¡± Han Li softly added.


    In truth, after he escaped Yan Ling Castle, he made some inquiries about the circumstances of the mortals at Yan Ling Castle after the Yan Clan left.


    In the end, the castle had become deserted, so the mortals took advantage of this, leaving Yan Lin Castle. Afterwards, all traces of that mother and daughter vanished.


    TL: The Mo¡¯s Fearsome Flood Dragon Association had two direct competitors: the Hegemon¡¯s Villa and the Rainbow Sect. Han Li was previously sent to kill the Hegemon¡¯s Villa Sect Master for an antidote to Dr. Mo¡¯s poison before he went to the Great South Trade Meet.

 Chapter 283

    Old Affections


    Chapter 283: Old Affection


    Han Li felt that if he told Mo Fengwu that Mo Caihuan and her mother had disappeared, he would be telling her far too much.


    So long as Mo Fengwu knew that her family still lived in this word, that was enough! Wether or not this girl would be able to meet with Mo Caihuan and her mother depended on the world.


    Han Li then briefly recounted the events of how he came across Mo Caihuan, causing Fengwu to nearly cry tears of joy.


    Mo Fengwu clearly understood that because of Han Li¡¯s identity as an Immortal cultivator, he didn¡¯t need to fabricate such lies to deceive such a weak girl as herself. The reason why the other party was being so polite to her was most likely due to that fated meeting with him so many years ago.


    Thus, Mo Fengwu brought her hands together in joy and raised them to her chest, silently praying for a moment before returning to her normal state.


    However, her expression toward Han Li was clearly no longer as cold as before.


    She clearly realized that in all likelihood, were it not for Han Li¡¯s assistance at Yan Ling Castle, Lady Yan and her daughter would still be in a predicament!


    ¡°Many thanks to Young Master Han telling me about the whereabouts of Caihuan and fourth mother.¡± After Mo Caihuan calmed down, she slowly gave her thanks.


    But without waiting for Han Li to reply, she said, ¡°Although my younger sister and her mother are alright, the whereabouts of my eldest sister and my other mothers are unknown. They¡¯ve most likely fallen to some evil scheme. Fengwu cannot help but want to avenge them! However, Fengwu lacks the strength. Can Junior Martial Brother Han help me?¡±


    Mo Fengwu¡¯s words revealed a feeble appearance. A layer of fog covered her eyes in an instant, as if she were about to sob from grief.


    When Han Li saw this, he stoked his nose and felt a headache!


    He originally thought that if she knew of Mo Caihuan and her mother¡¯s whereabouts, she wouldn¡¯t be so anxious to take revenge. But he didn¡¯t think that Mo Fengwu, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for so many years, would become to strongly attached to this matter!


    To tell the truth, killing a Qi Condensation cultivator would be far easier than killing a mortal with status for no reason.


    Han Li learned the reason why after he entered Yellow Maple Valley. It turned out that all the many provinces of the State of Yue had been clearly divided between several large clans and the Seven Great Sects.


    So long as a powerhouse of great influence had existed for some time within a province, cultivators would secretly pay some attention to them. Some would even be provided assistance from cultivators


    Originally, the Lan Province¡¯s Mo Estate and the Hegemon¡¯s Villa were new and developing powers. Thus, they weren¡¯t contacted by cultivators. Else, when Han Li was sent to kill the Hegemon¡¯s Villa¡¯s Ouyang Feitian, how could he have gotten away so easily without being investigated?


    However, the Rainbow Sect was different.


    That sect had been established more than a hundred years ago and was regarded to be ancient. Thus, the Spirit Beast Mountain of the Seven Great Sects, the controller of the Lan Province, tacitly approved of them. The shadow of Spirit Beast Mountain was most likely looming behind them. As a result, when the Mo Estate fought against them, they suffered great defeat.


    As a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, he couldn¡¯t kill a major mortal leader supported by another sect for no cause or reason; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain himself.


    However, with the recent invasion of the State of Yue by the Devil Dao, the secular world had suffered damage. This gave him a good opportunity to act during this time of crisis. With just a bit of carefulness, he shouldn¡¯t have any problems.


    As Han Li thought this, he didn¡¯t expose any emotions. Instead, he stood up and paced back and forth within the room.


    After another moment of consideration, he gazed at Mo Fengwu¡¯s charming face and calmly said, ¡°Young Lady Fengwu, normally I wouldn¡¯t be able to agree to this request since doing so would bring about great problems for me! But the recent circumstances in the cultivation world are quite peculiar. An opportunity might actually arrive. Let¡¯s do it like this! If there¡¯s an opportunity in the future, I will attempt to eliminate the Rainbow Sect¡¯s master. But if it is truly impossible, I hope Young Lady Fengwu will extinguish her thoughts for revenge!¡±


    When Mo Fengwu heard Han Li¡¯s words, she immediately began crying tears of joy. Seeing her bright and beautiful crying beauty caused Han Li to become despondent for a moment.


    The year he first saw Mo Fengwu, he was quite moved by that sweet-tempered second young madam of the Mo Estate. To this day, that memory still gave him a kind and warm pleasant feeling, causing him to recall it fondly!


    That was the first time he felt feelings of romantic passion!


    This small promise was none other than a show of affection!


    Despite this thought, his appearance was the same as always. He planned to bury this emotion deeply in his heart and no longer speak of it again.


    From Han Li¡¯s agreement, Mo Fengwu eventually looked over to him with happiness.


    Her face was filled with appreciation. She didn¡¯t say anything further and walked toward Han Li. Suddenly, she pressed her soft and fragrant lips lightly against his face. Then, with a bashful and slightly perplexed expression, she said, ¡°With Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s promise, even if you can¡¯t kill that person, Fengwu cannot thank you enough!¡±


    After saying this, the young woman silently donned her cloak and hurriedly left his room.


    Han Li touched the spot on his face where he had been kissed with an odd expression. Not long after, he held his chin with a single hand and sunk into deep thought for a very long time.


    ¡­¡­


    At daybreak on the second day, Han Li woke up from Qi refining meditation and thought of the events that happened last night. He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. If Mo Fengwu also possessed spiritual roots, he would definitely introduce her to Yellow Maple Valley and cultivate the Great Dao as her Dao Companion.


    With this thought, Han Li washed his face and walked out of the room.


    He intended to become familiar with the layout of the Qin Residence and then further consider his other matters.


    But he didn¡¯t think that just as he walked out, he would discover the smiling Qin Ping in the courtyard.


    Without waiting for Han Li¡¯s astonished inquiries, he quickly stepped forward and explained, ¡°This one was ordered by Lord Qin to serve as Young Master¡¯s personal servant for the time being. In the future, if Young Master Han requires any errands to be done, do not hesitate to tell me.¡±


    As Qin Ping spoke to Han Li, his expression was respectful and excited.


    His thoughts were quite simple. Although this Young Master Han came from a small region and people wouldn¡¯t see him as very bright, this person was at the center of the lord¡¯s eye and held the lord¡¯s complete favor.


    Besides, if he served this Young Master well, perhaps he might also invite the lord¡¯s favor!


    As Qin Ping thought this and made his own selfish calculations, he constantly looked down at this young country bumpkin master with disdain, especially when he first heard he was to be his servant!


    Qin Ping had already been told by a madam¡¯s maid that this was most likely to be the lord¡¯s illegitimate child. So long as the lord lived, who would dare to treat this young master unfairly? Also, how long he would follow Young Master Han was a matter that would depend on how the tides changed.


    This would raise his position far faster than running errands for the third madam!


    Han Li naturally didn¡¯t know of this person¡¯s true thoughts, instead feeling only that Qin Ping conducted himself in accordance to Qin Yan¡¯s wishes. He knew he was unfamiliar toward Yuejing and the Qin Residence, so having this person immediately come to guide him was quite timely!


    Just as Han Li thought this, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile. Then he bluntly said to Qin Ping, ¡°I haven¡¯t yet seen a large portion of these buildings, so I want to take a look around. How about you accompany me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡±


    Given his first assignment, Qin Ping enthusiastically answered.


    As such, Han Li had Qin Ping lead the way and strolled around the huge Qin Residence.


    Although he spoke of the women¡¯s quarters, it wasn¡¯t suitable for Han Li to see them up close. Even so, when people saw them pointing it out from a distance, they didn¡¯t dare to say any gossip. After all, Qin Yan¡¯s previous words affected the entire Qin Residence.


    ¡°This is the Second Master Fugui¡¯s courtyard. Apart from the second Lord, his two youngest sons also live there. Neighboring that¡­¡±


    Qin Ping guided Han Li quite well. Unbeknownst to him, han Li secretly committed every name that Qin Ping told Han Li as well as where each master lived.


    But when he spoke of ¡°Young Madam Biao¡± Mo Fengwu¡¯s residence, Han Li¡¯s mind stirred. He paused and looked at it for quite a long time before turning his head away.


    Not a long time after, Han Li finished looking through the Qin Residence once through, but somehow it seemed that Han Li was not yet content.


    In the end, he bluntly had Qin Ping bring him out of the Qin Residence and out to a lively place in Yuejing. As they wandered randomly, Qin Ping continued to give him explanations.


    ¡­


    The entire morning passed by as they walked through a few scenic spots in Yuejing.


    Qin Ping¡¯s originally enthusiastic expression had long disappeared. At this moment, he was limping behind Han Li with a bitter face.


    Who would¡¯ve thought that even after walking for so many hours without the slightest amount of rest, he would still be forced to continue to comment and explain without end? Anybody would feel similarly frustrated in this situation.


    Qin Ping even went as far as to suspect whether or not he had chosen the wrong master.

 Chapter 284

    Whispered Discussion


    Although Qin Ping was a servant within the Qin Residence, he would normally call a carriage whenever he went outside. He had never traveled so far on foot as he had today.


    This tormented him by no small amount!


    Qin Ping could feel his two heels faintly bruising, and his feet felt like they were pincushions being pricked. Not to mention that his throat had long become hoarse from talking too much.


    However, when he saw his own new master was greatly interested by a small porcelain store and continued on to look in every direction, he could only grit his teeth and reluctantly follow.


    After all, he couldn¡¯t tell his master that he was tired. How could a servant such as he dare to complain!


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry. Do you know a place where we can eat lunch?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s unbelievably honest words stirred Qin Ping¡¯s heart, and he repeatedly agreed after arriving at Han Li¡¯s side. Then he made an extremely polite suggestion and immediately led the way to a small restaurant not too far away, praising the restaurant¡¯s exquisite signature dishes.


    Han Li found this humorous but still wore an ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide¡± expression. QIn Ping then went in first, entering the two-story restaurant.


    The first floor only had commoners eating simple dishes. The second floor, however, was where those of status went to eat.


    Qin Ping naturally did not have Han Li eat on the first floor, although it seemed that his master had some intention to.


    There weren¡¯t many guests on the second floor, only three to four groups of people.


    At one of the tables, there were actually five truly notable figures, three men and two women.


    When Han Li walked onto this floor he naturally looked at this group of people with surprise. This was because those five were actually Qi Condensation cultivators of the tenth layer or higher; the appearance of cultivators in a mortal establishment was quite unusual.


    ¡®Could they be from the Six Devil Dao Sects?¡¯ Han Li first thought.


    Han Li immediately restrained the Spiritual Qi in his body and used the ¡°Drawing Qi Technique¡± that he learned after achieving Foundation Establishment, withdrawing all of his Spiritual Qi into his body. As such, in the eyes of those with far lower cultivation, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between Han Li and just another mortal.


    ¡°Young Master, please sit over here!¡±


    Qin Ping dragged Han Li over to a table by the window with great difficulty as his feet ached. Then he used to sleeves to wipe down the wooden chair before inviting Han Li to sit down with a full smile.


    Han Li revealed embarrassment and promptly called Qin Ping to sit down as well.


    This time, Qin Ping wasn¡¯t too polite and, and after declining a few times, he sincerely sat down.


    His feet were truly in pain, but he was unable to break away from his status as a servant. Fortunately, this Young Master Han who just entered the capital wasn¡¯t particularly attentive to formal etiquette.


    Having seen two people sit down, a waiter swiftly walked toward them and humbly asked, ¡°What would these two guests like? This restaurant has many signature dishes that are quite renowned.¡±


    ¡°I want a table of all your best dishes, and bring your signature dishes as well. Also, use your very best ingredients. My Young Master is a Young Master of the Qin Residence!¡± Qin Ping knew that Han Li certainly didn¡¯t know how to order food and took the matter into his own hands, ordering on Han Li¡¯s behalf. After he mentioned the ¡°Qin Residence¡±, the servant¡¯s expression became far more lively.


    Sure enough, the reputation of the Qin Residence was quite useful. After the waiter heard this, he immediately nodded his head, bowed, and even said a few words of flattery. He then rushed back after taking their orders.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t interested in flaunting his power to some servant. He was entirely focused on the cultivators sitting not that far from him.


    But what baffled him was that was that the thirty year-old blue-clothed man seemed familiar, as if he had seen him before.


    Han Li thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. He absolutely wasn¡¯t someone he was very familiar with.


    The men, including the blue-clothed man whom Han Li found familiar, all drank a cup of alcohol with a face of worry. The two beautiful women were simply staring at their cups of alcohol, not even moving their chopsticks. It seemed they didn¡¯t have an appetite.


    From their appearances, they encountered no small amount of hardships. They truly didn¡¯t seem likely to be Devil Dao cultivators infiltrating the State of Yue.


    The blue-clothed man seemed to be the youngest of the group apart from a woman who appeared several years younger.


    ¡°Young Master, the food has arrived. Please eat first!¡± At this moment, Han Li heard Qin Yan¡¯s respectful words from the side.


    The servant had already neatly and nimbly arranged the dishes onto the table!


    ¡°Hehe, let us eat together!¡± Han Li smiled with slight embarrassment and opened his mouth, revealing his pure white teeth.


    At this moment, Han Li started to eat without restraint and looked to be completely focused on chewing. But in truth, he was stealthily releasing his spiritual sense, closely paying attention to the several cultivators nearby.


    When Qin Ping saw Han Li start to eat, he naturally moved his chopsticks about.  At that moment, the eldest cultivator among them, an old man with a dark face, stopped drinking and suddenly released an invisible soundproof barrier around them. Then he said, ¡°Everyone, eat. Since our lives have fallen to the hands of others, we, companions from Mist Mountain, can only walk one step at a time! Regardless of how it is said, not having our souls scattered is far better than what happened to other cultivators.¡±


    Although the soundproof barrier was in effect and the dark-faced old man¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, Han Li could clearly hear it. Soundproof magic techniques used by Qi Refining cultivators were ineffective against Han Li¡¯s astonishing spiritual sense.


    However, the old man¡¯s words caused Han Li to know something was amiss; he could hear there was something being hidden from those words.


    Perhaps due to the dark-faced old man¡¯s words, the two women silently ate some food.


    However, they still seemed absent minded. It was most likely they tasted nothing!


    ¡°Eldest Brother, will we truly be manipulated by them from now on? This truly won¡¯t do. We can secretly tell the seven sects. Surely they will deal with them!¡± After the blue-clothed man took two heavy drinks, he said this with a fierce complexion.


    The dark-faced old man sighed. ¡°Fourth Brother! The matter isn¡¯t so simple.¡± He lightly shook his head and revealed a sense of helplessness.


    Hearing the old man¡¯s words, the youngest white-clothed woman couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Eldest Brother, why can¡¯t we? Could it be those from the seven sects don¡¯t want to kill villains? In the State of Yue, at least several hundred have died by their hands to preserve the Dao.¡±


    When the white-clothed woman said this, her face displayed unwillingness.


    When the middle-aged man and woman saw the fierce reply, they silently looked at each other with a bitter smile. It seemed these two clearly understood what the dark-faced old man had misgivings about.


    When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat amazed. He felt that he had just faintly grasped onto something immensely huge.


    However, he maintained his cover by eating several more dishes, causing Qin Ping to praise Han Li¡¯s great appetite.


    Han Li smiled with a slight blush as if he realized his actions were improper and slowed down the speed at which he was eating.


    At this moment, the dark-faced old man sighed and started to give the blue-clothed man and the white -clothed woman an explanation.


    ¡°In truth, calling the seven sects for help is simply useless!¡±


    ¡°First of all, us rogue cultivators clearly understand the current circumstances of the seven sects. All of their manpower is focused on stopping the invasion of the Devil Dao, so how could they divert manpower to help us rogue cultivators? They even face against Foundation Establishment cultivators. If the seven sects sent ordinary cultivators, they would fundamentally be unable to act. Otherwise, how else would the Devil Dao have captured us so easily!¡±


    ¡°Secondly, even if the seven sects were truly worried about preserving the Dao and they had actually sent forth men to eliminate our assailants, don¡¯t forget that they were wearing masks. We don¡¯t know anything about their appearance. Furthermore, they surprised us at an abandoned temple they happened to find, so any sort of help wouldn¡¯t have arrived on time. We simply have no means to act against them! Not to mention they put some sort of strange restriction on our bodies. If we don¡¯t follow their orders on time, it¡¯s likely we will be killed immediately! Also, is it certain that those from the seven sects will be able to remove our restrictions? Since they dared to let us leave so easily, they probably designed these restrictions themselves. They certainly aren¡¯t so easily destroyed!¡±


    As the dark-faced old man said this, the more wrinkled his brow became. It seemed he spoke with despair.


    ¡°Then we can truly only side with the villains and help them trap other cultivators?¡± The white-clothed woman¡¯s complexion greatly paled. She was clearly unwilling to do this.


    ¡°Fifth Sister! It is as Eldest Brother has said. Right now, we can only walk one step at a time! Fortunately, we have some time before we¡¯ll be forced to act. During that time, hopefully us five friends from Mist Mountain will find a way to disobey them and escape!¡± The tall and thin forty year-old man spoke, consoling her.


    But these several people all knew that those words were flowery lies meant to deceive themselves! They hadn¡¯t been able to think of anything plausible these past few days. Would likely was it that they¡¯d find a way after a few months?


    With that said, these people became silent. Worry bubbled forth in their hearts.

 Chapter 285

    Disregard and Rumors


    After Han Li heard all of this, he understood nearly everything.


    What these people unexpectedly said had to do with the disappearance of cultivators in the State of Yue during the past recent years.


    These several people had probably been captured by the masterminds behind the plot and then let go after being threatened. But from hearing their tone of voice, they were already being controlled and forced to harm others.


    All sorts of thoughts quickly churned through Han Li¡¯s mind, but after a short moment, he decided that this matter was better left untouched.


    After all, these people were the reason behind the disappearance of many cultivators. Even so, they had been freely acting to this day but still remained unexposed. This by itself explained how exceptionally cunning they were, and how truly out of the ordinary these people must be.


    Furthermore, since they could control Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might have Core Formation cultivators behind them!


    He himself was but a mere lone Foundation Establishment cultivator. During such troubled times, it would be better to not invite disaster upon himself.


    With this decision in mind, Han Li immediately withdrew his spiritual sense and no longer paid attention to this group of cultivators.


    Although this group of people was unfortunate and pitiful, he was not one to show kindness for no reason. He also didn¡¯t want to brave this huge danger that had nothing to do with him.


    He could only hope they would find better fortune!


    Furthermore, the current seven sects were as the dark-faced man had deduced. The entirety of their power was focused on repelling the Devil Dao. They basically had no men to spare. Even if Han Li helped inform them of this matter, they most likely wouldn¡¯t care for something unrelated to themselves.


    Han Li could only think this with disregard.


    Since he didn¡¯t need to split his attention to hear the whispered conversation, Han Li became focused on eating. From time to time, he would pretend to be curious, pointing to a few novel things out the window and asking Qin Ping about them.


    Naturally, Qin Ping continued to give Han Li full and detailed explanations. While he did so, most of the table¡¯s food entered Han Li¡¯s stomach, causing Qin Ping to click his tongue. He inwardly thought that this young master not only had vigorous energy but also a voracious appetite!


    At this moment, the cultivators sitting on the table climbed down to the lower floor. Han Li clearly saw them leave with dejected spirits. It seemed that they hadn¡¯t thought of  a good solution within this short span of time.


    Seeing this, Han Li had Qin Ping settle the bill after eating several more mouthfuls of food.


    However, Qin Ping happily smiled. He took out a small Qin Residence medallion and arrogantly walked to the first floor.


    Not long after, he went back up and made a report to Han Li, ¡°Young Master, I showed them the pocket medallion. I told the shopkeeper to go to our Residence at the end of the month to settle the bill. As such, we don¡¯t have to bring silver with us to pay our bill. Every month, the young masters of the Qin Residence are given several hundred taels of silver as spending money. I have already logged the meal bill under the Young Master¡¯s name.¡±


    When Han Li heard this he was slightly surprised. Once again he felt the luxury of the Qin Residence!


    However, a blank expression appeared on his face as he careless nodded his head several times. Then he brought Qin Ping to the lower floor.


    In the afternoon, Han Li didn¡¯t think to continue on foot. Having learned from previous pain, Qin Ping suggested calling for a carriage. They then made a trip to several significant locations in Yuejing.


    Although they couldn¡¯t visit many of the sites, Han Li finally felt that he had a general idea on the topography and street layout. It was unlikely that the Qin Residence would¡¯ve met their doom as Han Li was having a look in the capital city.


    Night came. Han Li returned to the Qin Residence, fully satisfied.


    At this moment, the gatekeeper Qin Gui hastily rushed out of the gatehouse to greatly ingratiate himself to Han Li without even waiting for him to step off the carriage.


    He was afraid that this newly appeared Young Master Han would bear a grudge about yesterday¡¯s matter for having not respected him. He needed to have Han Li¡¯s impression of him improve!


    But how could Han Li be bothered to remember such a thing from yesterday when he had other things to worry about? He had long forgotten about the matter!


    At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of how he could protect the Qin Residence. It was truly no good. He had to protect Qin Yan¡¯s life at the very least, else he would have to explain himself to Li Huayuan.


    With this thought, Han Li came to a decision and entered the Qin Residence with ease.


    At night, Han Li directly went to find his Uncle Qin while avoiding all others.


    After a moment of detailed discussion within the secret room, Han Li returned in high spirits.


    On the next day, those related to Qin Yan had suddenly discovered that an unfamiliar youth had appeared at his side. Furthermore, he seemed completely unsophisticated, unlike anyone native to Yuejing.


    With great enthusiasm, Qin Yan introduced this youth to all familiar with him as a descendant of a senior from his own clan. His close friends then said they would properly support Han Li in the future and other such things!


    Qin Yan¡¯s friends weren¡¯t officials or nobles but rather hugely wealthy and influential merchants.


    Although they found it quite baffling that a youth was following Qin Yan so closely, after they made a few inquiries about Han Li, those wily old foxes naturally looked upon Han Li as kind and friendly seniors.


    Han Li also made contact with the upper echelon of Yuejing eventually.


    ¡­¡­


    In the blink of an eye, two months had passed by!


    Han Li appeared to have truly become a young master of the Qin Residence. Not only was his treatment the same as Qin Yan¡¯s own descendants, but up until this day, regardless if it was business, social niceties, or visiting a guest in his residence, Clan Lord Qin always brought Han Li along at his side without exception. It appeared as if he want to cultivate Han Li with great effort.


    As such, the rumors that Han Li was Clan Lord Qin¡¯s illegitimate child quickly spread outside of the Qin Residence. Even asristocratic families acquainted with the Qin Residence had long heard of these rumors!


    However, Qin Yan completely ignored these rumors and left them to the imagination, causing everyone to tacitly agree and further solidifying the rumor as truth!


    As a result, the younger generation of the Qin Clan became impatient. It was unknown whether it was incited by the senior generation, but with clever pettiness and overconfidence, they unexpectedly started to make indirect inquiries on the validity of these rumors.


    However, Han Li continued to play the unwitting fool, so naturally those people left without any results.


    As time passed, the people of the Qin Residence tacitly understood that Han Li was a young master of the Qin Residence and believed Han Li to be greatly loved by Qin Yan. However, they thought it was a result making up for guilt towards Han Li!


    Although several of the young masters and madams of the Qin Clan that had originally been doted on by Qin Yan felt greatly unsatisfied from this, under the great pressure of their lord grandfather, they didn¡¯t dare to make any obvious action against Han Li. They could only pinch their nose and resist for the time being.


    However, they cursed Han Li behind his back on more than one occasion, calling him a country bumpkin and the like.


    However, these people did not know that at night, when Han Li was refining Qi and cultivating in his room, he would periodically envelope the entire Qin Residence with his spiritual sense. Although he wasn¡¯t able to sustain it for very long, it was more than enough to discover quite a few secrets!


    Han Li clearly heard these people¡¯s indignant words.


    Although Han Li wouldn¡¯t teach these inexperienced and naive children a lesson, their seniors, who were secretly polishing plans to disgrace him, left Han Li somewhat speechless.


    He wouldn¡¯t bother with these mortals, but if the Devil Dao were to suddenly strike, these people would naturally be the last to be protected. That would be Han Li¡¯s minor retaliation!


    One day, Qin Yan was unexpectedly invited to a banquet by an extraordinarily important person, a prince!


    It was said that this prince¡¯s favored concubine had recovered from great illness, so he was arranging a great banquet in celebration.


    Although the Qin Clan weren¡¯t the richest merchants in Yuejing, their power and influence absolutely were in the top three, so they would naturally be given an invitation card.


    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t just Qin Yan who was invited. The invitation mentioned that the prince wished to make friends with the young masters and ¡°talented women¡± of the Qin Clan. It is said that the Young Prince had particularly wanted them to go!


    With no better choice, Qin Yan could only go together with his juniors.


    The juniors who learned of this news immediately rejoiced with happiness on the spot!


    However, ever since Qin Yan heard that the Qin Clan was in the middle of a crisis, he naturally couldn¡¯t allow his juniors to fool around outside during this time.


    If the Devil Dao were actually carefully watching them as Han Li said, then they would be facing certain calamity!


    Thus, within these last two months, Lord Qin had been using a variety of excuses to forbid his juniors from leaving the premises. How could this not cause the lazy and spoiled Qin Clan young masters and madams from complaining endlessly?!


    What angered them even more was that Han Li wasn¡¯t much different from them in age, yet he had permission to leave early and return late, to indulge in pleasure and forget about duty. This caused these people to loudly cry out with injustice.


    Now that there was such an opportunity, these Qin Clan juniors were naturally in high spirits since they would all go together.


    ¡°Prince Xin¡±, the prince who invited them, was one of the younger brothers of the King of the State of Yue.


    From what Qin Yan said, although he was a member of the royal family, he was very forthright and made many friends!


    Not only did high-ranking officials, nobles, and greatly wealthy merchants all wish to meet him, even common butchers and strange Jiang Hu eccentrics were rather familiar with him.


    Of course, in order to prevent arousing ill intentions, he didn¡¯t dare to closely associate with high ranking and greatly influential military officials and bureaucrats.


    As such, the prince had a great reputation among the commoners of Yuejing. Furthermore, he had garnered quite a bit of praise.


    When Han Li heard this, he had a general impression of this prince. As for the specifics, he would naturally need to lay his eyes on him first!


    After all, although his surface reputation was quite good,  such great characters were more often shady characters underneath!

 Chapter 286

    Prince¡¯s Residence


    Chapter 286: Prince¡¯s Residence


    Prince Xin¡¯s Residence actually wasn¡¯t in the imperial city. Instead, it was constructed in the south district. After Han Li and company sat in a carriage for two hours, they eventually arrived at a certain street.


    The architectural styles of the south region and the Qin Residence were clearly different. Most of the buildings here were constructed to standard and template.


    How great an official¡¯s position was, meaning how high they were in that position, could be clearly told by the size and style of their residence.


    All of the officials¡¯ residences were located at this district. The strict following of feudal rank and elevation strictly divided the officials. Nobody here dared to alter these buildings as they wished, else they would break a law and invite punishment.


    As a relative of the King, Prince Xin possessed royal status, so naturally his residence was one of the best in the south district.


    The mansion residence¡¯s area was larger than the Qin Residence by about a half. However, this was balanced by huge residential rooms.


    When the carriage to Prince Xin¡¯s residence stopped, Han Li took a look at the mansion residence and immediately felt that the mortal world was thriving in wealth.


    The residence¡¯s gate was over fifteen meters tall and over ten meters wide. Thickly wrapped with yellow copper, it was embedded with several tens of huge nails, appearing quite luxurious and imposing.


    In addition, there were two ten-meter stone platforms to the sides of the gate, each with a fierce azure lion statue. They were each sparklingly polished through its entire body, so bright they were hard to look at.


    But what awed people the most from Prince Xin¡¯s residence were the sixteen neatly armored palace guards standing on the steps outside the gate. Prince Xin had borrowed these guards from the imperial city barracks to prevent any mishap from happening.


    The steward of Prince Xin¡¯s estate was a small old man. In the place of the host, Prince Xin, he was on the steps greeting every new guest with a smile across his face. He didn¡¯t dare to neglect even a single guest.


    At this moment, several tens of carriages of various sizes had stopped in front of the residence¡¯s gate, occupying nearly all of the empty space in front of the mansion.


    In front of the huge azure stone platforms, five or six guests who had yet to enter the residence were exchanging greetings. Their clothes were magnificent, their movements elegant; it seemed their status was not low.


    Seeing this, Qin Yan straightened his clothes and over-cautiously stepped off the carriage.


    After a diligent glance in every direction to ensure there were no cultivators nearby, Han Li left the carriage at ease.


    As for the young masters and madams of the Qin Clan, they left the carriages as soon as they arrived. They stood in front of the mansion, talking cheerfully.


    Han Li looked at the guests who were still in front of the steps and discovered that apart from the juniors of the Qin Clan, almost all the other guests had also brought along their children and other such youths.


    ¡°Could it be that the so-called Prince Xin deliberately sent all of these invitations to the Prince¡¯s Residence as a pretense to deliberately gather youths to this place?¡± With this thought, Han Li felt there wasn¡¯t any substantial evidence and took a glance at Qin Yan.


    From his wrinkled brow, it seemed Qin Yan was also slightly surprised.


    ¡°Grandfather, we¡¯re going in first! The young prince is waiting on us!¡±


    A sixteen to seventeen year-old Qin Clan young master saw that his lord grandfather still hadn¡¯t moved far from his carriage and couldn¡¯t help but gather the courage to say these words under the encouragement of his siblings. He seemed afraid that Qin Yan would criticize him.


    ¡°Alright, I got it. Everyone can go in!¡±


    Greatly going against these youngsters¡¯ expectations, Qin Yan nodded and happily agreed. This caused these youths to feel slightly overwhelmed by favor! They couldn¡¯t help but happily walk among their peers.


    However, without waiting for Qin Yan to bring these people forward, the steward of the Prince¡¯s residence immediately spotted this group after dealing with another guest. He immediately took the initiative to welcome them with a large smile. Walking over to them, he said very cordially, ¡°Sir Qin, you¡¯ve arrived at last! My Lord Prince talked for several days about how you haven¡¯t come to visit for so long. Please enter as soon as possible! I¡¯m sure the Prince will be very happy to see you, Sir Qin!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, recently, I haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    This steward of the Prince¡¯s residence wasn¡¯t ordinary. With just a few eloquent words, he was able get everyone who heard him to smile and feel warm inside.


    Qin Yan couldn¡¯t help but smile as he chatted with this steward with ease.


    However, because there were still guests arriving at the prince¡¯s residence, the steward couldn¡¯t speak much longer with Qin Yan and brought them inside the residence. Then after a few modest words, he quickly went back to the residence¡¯s gate.


    Although Han Li remained at Qin Yan¡¯s side, he remained silent. However, the moment when Han Li looked at the back of the steward, suspicion flashed through his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but although Han Li definitely didn¡¯t feel any spiritual power fluctuating from the steward¡¯s body, Han Li suddenly felt his blood run cold when this man drew near, as if a fearsome demonic beast were approaching him. This caused Han Li to feel greatly uneasy!


    Although Han Li did not know why he felt this, he had always fully trusted his senses. He immediately added this steward to the list of names he should be wary of.


    ¡°Honorable Nephew Han, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll give you an introduction to a few old friends of mine!¡± When Qin Yan saw the steward depart, he said this toward Han Li with a smile.


    This caused the several Qin Clan members standing next to Qin Yan to immediately grow sour. They all felt that this clan lord of theirs was far too biased.


    However, Han Li only smiled to himself. He knew this was truly just an excuse Qin Yan came up with so that Han Li could stay by his side at all times.


    They were then led to a large guest hall of Prince Xin¡¯s residence by Qin Yan.


    There seemed to be over a hundred people in the hall. But although there seemed to be many guests, since people arrived in groups of two and three, the Qin Residence¡¯s party of eight was the same size as parties from three sects.


    At this moment, Prince Xin had yet to appear in the hall. It seemed he wouldn¡¯t appear until all his guests were present.


    Just as Qin Yan arrived at the entrance of the large hall, he was immediately cordially called out by a few familiar long time friends.


    Qin Yan naturally saluted and replied to them all. But when he swept his eyes across the room, he said a few words of apology and walked over to a sickly old man accompanied by a young man and a young woman.


    The man had an earnest face with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Although the woman¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t outstanding, her large eyes were provocative, and she looked through the juniors at Qin Yan¡¯s side with no trace of politeness. Han Li was naturally among those she had swept her eyes over.


    ¡°Senior Brother Hua, I didn¡¯t think such a great medicine god as yourself would show up here! I would have thought that with your disposition, you would decline an invitation to such an occasion.¡± Qin Yan walked in front of the old man and sat down next to him with no trace of politeness, teasing him with a soft voice.


    ¡°Ke! I originally thought not to come, but the strange illness afflicting the prince¡¯s concubine had been cured. This greatly piqued my curiosity, and I thought to see what expert doctor was able to perform such a miraculous feat!¡± The old man that Qin Yan familiarly addressed as ¡®Senior Brother Hua¡¯ softly replied with a faint smile.


    ¡°Oh! So it¡¯s like that. So the rumor that Prince Xin had invited Senior Brother to treat his favorite concubine¡¯s illness wasn¡¯t just a rumor. Could it be that Senior Brother Hua¡¯s healing arts weren¡¯t enough to treat this illness?¡±


    When Han Li saw Qin Yan¡¯s great astonishment, he reasoned that the medicinal expertise of this old man should be very well known within Yuejing.


    ¡°Hehe, there are countless odd and fantastic illnesses in this world. I only gained my current reputation through pure luck! There are a few strange untreatable illnesses that are quite strange and difficult even with my medical expertise.¡± The old man smiled without seeming to mind. His view of the world seemed quite wide.


    ¡°But I still can¡¯t believe it. There is actually another great doctor within Yuejing who has superior medicinal expertise?¡± Qin Yan shook his head. He seemed to hold much confidence in this old man¡¯s healing arts.


    But when Old Man Hua heard this, he faintly smiled and didn¡¯t speak any further. Then he pointed to the young man and woman at his side and said, ¡°These two are Hua Nan and Hua Fang. You¡¯ve seen them before. Come over and greet your Grandpa Qin!¡±


    Old Man Hua was clearly viewed with much respect in these two¡¯s eyes. This pair agreed without the slightest hesitation and rushed over to salute and greet Qin Yan.


    ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t think that your grandson and granddaughter would suddenly grow so big since the moment I took my eyes off them so many years ago. I don¡¯t have anything good to give on hand. How about I give them these jade-embedded pendants as a welcoming gift!¡± As Qin Yan amiably said this, he felt around his body and took out a pair of flawless dark-green jade pendants. From a single look, one could tell these items were exceptionally valuable.


    Although a strange expression of satisfaction flashed through the man¡¯s eyes, it quickly disappeared. The woman¡¯s face, however, was filled with joy, and she looked at the jade pendant with her fiery gaze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. If you want them, then take them! Old Brother Qin is no stranger to our household!¡± When Old Man Hua saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but yell this with a smile.


    When they heard this, the man and woman then dared to take the jade pendants that Qin Yan offered them. Their expressions were quite happy.


    ¡°Apart from this one, I¡¯ve already seen the other juniors several times already. Could it be the dear nephew who recently arrived at Yuejing?¡± The old man¡¯s gaze then arrived at Han Li, sizing him up with great curiosity.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is Han Li! He¡¯s a descendant of my Senior.¡±


    ¡°Honorable Nephew Han! This is your Senior Uncle Hua, one of the two great medicine gods of Yuejing!¡± At this moment, Qin Yan then thought to introduce Han Li to this Senior Brother of his.


    ¡°Greetings to Senior Uncle Hua!¡± Han Li sincerely shouted to him.


    ¡°En, not bad, not bad!¡± Old Man Hua truly did not see anything that was outstanding about Han Li but he still spoke those words of praise.


    But after a moment of thought, he remembered the rumors that were being spread about the youth. He hesitated for a moment before taking out a small white bottle with his wrinkled shriveled hands and offered it to Han Li.


    ¡°This is a Heart Protecting Pill that I meticulously refined! Although I don¡¯t dare to say it will cure anything, common small illnesses and injuries will not be a problem. I will give this to Honorable Nephew Han to protect himself!¡±


    When the words left the old man¡¯s mouth, Han Li immediately felt the envy and jealousy of the Qin Clan members behind him. Hua Nan and Hua Fang also revealed an expression of shock. The fame of this ¡®Heart Protecting Pill¡¯ was obviously greatly renown!

 Chapter 287

    Immortal Master


    Chapter 287: Immortal Master


    Han Li, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, naturally wouldn¡¯t pay any attention to the medicinal pills of mortals. However, at this moment he definitely could not refuse the other person¡¯s goodwill; thus, he hesitated slightly and then received it with a bashful expression.


    ¡°Haha, Honorable Nephew Han! This Heart Protecting Pill was refined from Brother Hua¡¯s secret recipe; it isn¡¯t easily given to other people. Bringing it out today as a welcoming gift is being quite generous!¡± Qin Yan knew that Han Li wouldn¡¯t place much value on this item, but he still tried to say a few pleasant-sounding sentences for his good friend, hoping that the elder surnamed Hua would leave a good impression on Han Li.


    The elder glanced at Qin Yan strangely a few times, not knowing what he and Han Li meant by saying these things in front of him.


    He had only given such a precious medicinal pill to this youth in order to give Qin Yan some face! How could this extremely expensive pill otherwise be given to a stranger he had just met?


    Just as the elder was hesitating about whether or not to ask, a sharp sound entered the room:


    ¡°Prince Xin has arrived!¡±


    The servant¡¯s transmission immediately caused all of the clamor in the room to immediately subside; all of the people glanced respectfully towards one of the side doors in the room.


    Four maidservants first walked out of that door, standing on both sides of the head seat. Then, a man and a woman leisurely walked out.


    The man was a forty year-old middle-aged man with a beard a few inches long. His square face and tiger-like eyes exuded a natural dignity and power. The other was a twenty-three year-old beautiful woman dressed in palace attire, her long dress trailing on the ground.


    Seeing them walk in, all of the people sitting stood up and paid their respects to the male and female:


    ¡°Prince, Madam, greetings!¡±


    Because this young woman was not Prince Xin¡¯s original wife¡ªshe was only the concubine he most recently favored¡ªthese people could only call her ¡®Madam¡¯.


    ¡°Everyone is a good friend of this Prince; there¡¯s no need to be so courteous. Come, everybody sit down.¡±


    The way that Prince Xin spoke was very different from the impression that his face gave; it was very mild and straightforward, causing people¡¯s favorable impression of him to rise! The beautiful concubine next to him naturally did not say anything. She simply stood there with a charming smile.


    When the others heard these words, they all glanced at each other and smiled before sitting down.


    ¡°This Prince has a straightforward personality. If I have something to say, I will just say it to everyone!¡± Prince Xin spoke with a smile a moment after he sat down.


    This sentence caused all the people facing him to begin to speak animatedly.


    ¡°Prince, if you have anything to say, please say it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have known Prince for many years now. Everyone knows the kind of attitude that the Prince has.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It was obvious that while there were some who spoke genuinely, there also others who spoke simply to flatter Prince Xin.


    ¡°The reason why I¡¯ve invited everyone here today is because my beloved Qing¡¯er¡¯s sickness has been completely healed. This Prince¡¯s joy dictates that I have some excitement and celebrate without restraint! In addition, this Prince has an enormous piece of good fortune that I want to give everyone. As for whether one has enough karma to obtain it, that will depend on individual luck.¡±


    Prince Xin¡¯s words greatly exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations; they couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other.


    Had the Prince gathered these people together solely to give them a piece of good fortune? This was too inconceivable!


    ¡°Hehe, Qing¡¯er, look. Isn¡¯t everyone somewhat surprised just like this Prince had expected?¡± Not only was he not angry, Prince Xin actually gave a light laugh as he addressed the beautiful concubine by his side.


    Hearing this, the beautiful woman called Qing¡¯er chuckled gently and then responded with a lovely voice:


    ¡°Prince, perhaps anyone who heard these words would feel somewhat surprised! Everyone¡¯s response is only natural.¡±


    Prince Xin laughed and stroked the short beard on his chin after hearing this woman¡¯s words. Then, he turned around and explained to the shocked gathering:


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for everyone to be puzzled! It¡¯s like this; Qing¡¯er¡¯s strange illness was actually cured by a newly arrived expert. This expert can call the wind, summon the rain, breathe in fire, and spit out ice, a true and genuine Immortal. In addition, after curing Qing¡¯er¡¯s illness, this living Immortal was actually able to immediately recognize that this Prince¡¯ young son has spiritual roots and can comprehend Immortal techniques. He thus accepted this Prince¡¯ inferior son as one of his disciples; not long from now, my son will embark on the path of cultivation.¡±


    Having spoken up to this point, Prince Xin couldn¡¯t help but reveal a delighted expression on his face.


    A potbellied person in the crowd immediately called out:


    ¡°Immortal cultivator, could this person be an Immortal cultivator from lore?¡±


    This sentence instantly sparked a commotion amongst everyone in the large room.


    Although cultivators were regarded as extremely mysterious by mortals in the secular world, all of the people sitting here were not ordinary individuals; naturally, they had all more or less heard of something along those lines. Some of their ancestors had even made deals with a few cultivators.


    Even nowadays, there were always rumors circulating in the outside world that there were cultivators standing guard inside the imperial palace; this caused all the people to revere cultivators even more.


    Now that the visitors in the room had actually heard that a living Immortal had come to Prince Xin¡¯s mansion, most of the people in the room instantly revealed extremely excited expressions.


    Hearing this, Qin Yan was initially shocked in his heart, and he couldn¡¯t help turning his head to glance at Han Li.


    However, the Han Li in his sight expressed nothing, and his face appeared to be normal.


    Seeing this, Qin Yan did not dare to ask more questions; he could only turn his head back and listen to Prince Xin¡¯s next words.


    At this time, Seeing that everyone had been stunned by his words, Prince Xin laughed and continued to speak:


    ¡°Naturally, this Prince has also asked this expert, and he confirmed that he is an Immortal cultivator. In addition, under this Prince¡¯s earnest urging, he is willing to stay a few more months here and teach this Prince ways to maintain good health. This Prince also discovered that this Immortal came specifically to accept some disciples with the karma to be an Immortal. Upon knowing this, this Prince immediately thought of all of you. Not only this, but I even asked all of you to summon all of your younger relatives because this Immortal master is willing to accept both female and male disciples. In a moment, I will invite this Immortal Master Wu to step out and introduce him to everyone. As for whether or not they have this good fortune, it will depend on their karma.¡±


    If the words he had spoken before were only meant to arouse the envy of everyone present, the Prince Xin¡¯s following words were naturally like a huge meat bun that had just landed on everyone¡¯s heads, surprising them all. Instantly, the sound of people expressing their deep gratitude began to sound out.


    An Immortal cultivator! This was a real Immortal walking on the earth. As long as one succeeded in cultivating, he or she could live a few hundred years and would even know how to use Immortal magic and techniques. If these important figures¡¯ own offsprings were lucky enough to become a disciple, how great a backing would that be?!


    When Han Li heard this, a strange feeling rose in his heart even though his expression appeared to be wooden.


    He initially thought he had found the trail of the Devil Dao once Prince Xin spoke of the living Immortal.


    But upon hearing that the Immortal wanted to wantonly accept disciples, something didn¡¯t seem right. How could cultivators who infiltrated other countries to cause trouble draw attention to themselves in such a way? Wasn¡¯t that setting themselves up as a target? Unless this cultivator was¡­¡­


    Just as Han Li was thinking about this, in the midst of all the excitement, the living Immortal finally appeared in the room with an arrogant expression.


    He wore a gray Daoist robe, and his hair and beard were completely white. His face was ruddy like an infant¡¯s, appearing completely like a legendary expert. This kind of image caused the majority of the people present to instantly believe his identity despite him having yet to use any sort of magic.


    However, when Han Li saw this ¡°Immortal master¡± who looked like he came straight out of a painting, he was speechless for quite some time.


    This was but a mere fifth- or sixth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator; if Han Li were to stretch out a finger, perhaps he could easily pinch him to death.


    But this kind of ¡°expert¡± was enough to cause high-ranking mortals to crowd around him, incessantly flattering and fawning over him. They hoped that this old Immortal would grant them a favor and accept one of their sons or daughters as a disciple.


    When Qin Yan saw this, couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat restless; the elder behind him displayed an even more anxious gaze. They were both worried that if they were to act too late, all of the karma would be completely taken away by the other people.


    Just as Qin Yan was hesitating, Han Li¡¯s voice suddenly came from beside him.


    ¡°Relax, this person is not of the Devil Dao! As for whether or not you want your descendants to take him as their master, that¡¯s entirely up to you! I am only here to ensure the safety of your Qin Clan! However, the cultivation of this ¡°Immortal master¡± is¡­¡­ Ha ha!¡±


    While laughing coldly, Han Li¡¯s voice suddenly disappeared.


    Qin Yan was shocked; he hurriedly glanced at his surroundings only to discover that apart from himself, no one seemed to have heard what was spoken to him. That old Brother Hua was still asking him incredulously why he didn¡¯t also head towards the Immortal master to allow his descendants to try out their karma.


    At the same time, Elder Hua realized that this was why the strange illness that he had no way of curing was instantly cured by that person. It was because he was a cultivator!


    Having said this, the elder couldn¡¯t be bothered to convince Qin Yan anymore; similarly, he also drew near to the white-haired elder. His grandson and granddaughter naturally followed closely behind him.

 Chapter 288

    Enchanting Confrontation


    Chapter 288: Enchanting Confrontation


    Seeing that even the normally extremely steady Elder Hua behaved in such a hurried manner, Qin Yan finally made his decision.


    Although he could tell Han Li¡¯s disdain for this Immortal master from his tone, the other person was still a cultivator who was willing to accept disciples!


    As for whether this immortal master¡¯s cultivation layer was high or low, he did not have the time to worry about that too much.


    Originally he had given thought to have his own juniors apprentice themselves to Han Li. However, in the time he spent in contact with Han Li, he realized that Han Li hadn¡¯t the slightest interest in accepting disciples and was unable to pursue this matter.


    His father had told him that when the first generation of the Qin Clan had grown wealthy, Immortal Master Li Huayuan made a trip to the Qin Clan to see if any of the children had Immortal karma. Unfortunately, not a single person had such luck, and Li Huayuan could only return with disappointment.


    During Immortal Master Li¡¯s next visit to the Qin Clan, the matter of accepting disciples wasn¡¯t raised. According to the words of Immortal Master Li Huayuan, the Qin Clan¡¯s Immortal karma had only appeared for a single generation and that the Qin Clan descendants wouldn¡¯t have any destiny of becoming his disciples.


    But now an opportunity for cultivation had appeared before his eyes; Qin Yan naturally had to give it a try.


    With this thought, Qin Yan made his decision and called out for his several juniors to go over.


    Han Li looked at the scene with a cool eye and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Since he already gave Qin Yan a brief explanation, he naturally wouldn¡¯t further mettle with their business.


    With that said, Han Li hadn¡¯t paid attention to whether the young masters and young madams of the Qin Clan had any spiritual roots. Among the mortals of the secular world, perhaps only one in ten thousand had spiritual roots. It was truly a pitifully small few!


    Just as Han Li thought this, he suddenly saw that of the crowd of Qin Clan juniors who went over to Immortal Master Wu, two of them unexpectedly turned their head towards him and sneered at him. They appeared proud and satisfied, as if they were mocking him.


    After Han Li saw this, he blankly stared for an instant before immediately breaking out in silent involuntary laughter.


    Obviously, when these few people saw that Qin Yan didn¡¯t call for Han Li to see if he had immortal karma, they believed that their Lord Grandfather Qin actually truly loved and favored them the most. Thus they appeared extremely content.


    After Han Li inwardly shook his head, he felt disinclined to pay more attention to them and instead looked around the hall.


    At this moment, those who remained seated without moving were an extreme few, only six or seven. The majority of those who had previously chosen to cut themselves off were displaying complete regret at this moment.


    The only thing that aroused Han Li¡¯s attention was a senior and a youth sitting at the corner of the hall.


    The elderly person was an azure robed old man over sixty years old with a head of gray hair. He appeared to be calmly tasting green tea, as if he wasn¡¯t paying mind to the matter of Immortal karma before him. The youth was smooth-skinned with delicate features. He occasionally looked in Immortal Master Wu¡¯s direction with disdain.


    Although these two appeared to be sitting quite leisurely, when Han Li saw the two, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a slight smile.


    This old-young duo were unexpectedly both cultivators. Furthermore, their cultivation wasn¡¯t bad. The azure-robed old man appeared to have a cultivation base of the ninth layer while the youth cultivated to the sixth layer, not lower than that of Immortal Master Wu.


    But what slightly shocked Han Li was that he didn¡¯t know what technique they used. They were able to almost completely restrain their own Spiritual Qi. Were it not for Han Li¡¯s greatly superior cultivation base, he truly wouldn¡¯t have easily been able to make out that they were cultivators.


    As for that Immortal Master Wu, he naturally didn¡¯t have the ability to make out anything strange from the two.


    This technique, capable of concealing one¡¯s Spiritual Qi from similarly ranked cultivators, immediately caught Han Li¡¯s interest.


    If he could learn this method, then wouldn¡¯t it give him decisive opportunities during battles with similarly ranked cultivators?


    With this thought, Han Li took a careful look at the two.


    As a result, Han Li discovered something strange.


    The pretty youth was actually a disguised woman with delicate white ears and thin holes on her earlobes.


    Han Li was slightly stunned. That youth accidentally saw Han Li blankly staring at her and couldn¡¯t help but blush, returning a fierce glare back.


    The movements of the young woman wearing men¡¯s clothes aroused the attention of the old man by her side. He wrinkled his brow and turned his head, taking an expressionless glance toward Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled toward the old man.


    The azure-robed old man felt greatly surprised!


    He originally believed that it was some clan¡¯s frivolous young master that had seen through his granddaughter¡¯s disguise and was looking at her with an obscene gaze. But he didn¡¯t expect that it was a completely unremarkable youth who was actually looking at her with a completely reckless and fearless manner.


    The azure-robed old man grew a bit angry in his heart, and after muttering to himself for a moment, he softly closed his eyes.


    This movement surprised Han Li for a moment, and he couldn¡¯t help but immediately guess, ¡®He closed his eyes¡­ Could it be he wants to¡­¡±


    Having yet to complete his thoughts, the old man¡¯s following actions completely confirmed Han Li¡¯s guess.


    He saw the old man open his eyes and look at Han Li with a gaze filled with purple brilliance. He actually used a bewitchment type technique on Han Li; it seemed he wanted Han Li to make a fool of himself on the spot in order to teach him a small lesson.


    When Han Li saw this, he found it a bit humorous.


    An old man at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation actually wanted to use a bewitchment technique on a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself? Was he courting death?


    By only striking back with a bit of magic power, he would certainly reverse the magic technique onto his opponent.


    However, since Han Li was interested in obtaining the other party¡¯s Qi restraining technique, he naturally didn¡¯t want them to feel great animosity towards him.


    Thus, he could only wear a slight smile on his face and look at the old man without the slightest appearance of anything strange.


    This caused the azure-robed old man¡¯s cold smile to slowly become an expression of shock, immediately exposing an appearance of amazement.


    The old man inwardly yelled ¡®Not good!¡¯, but when he thought to move his eyes away, it was already too late.


    The moment Han Li met the old man¡¯s gaze, a faint yellow radiance flashed in his eyes. His gaze drew the old man like a magnet, causing the old man to be incapable of moving his eyes away.


    The azure-robed old man became scared and shocked while simultaneously feeling great regret.


    He hadn¡¯t thought at all that this youth, who didn¡¯t appear to have the slightest bit of magic power, was actually a cultivator! Furthermore, his cultivation was vastly greater than his own.


    Had he known sooner, he wouldn¡¯t have used the ¡°Nightmare Technique¡± and allowed his consciousness to fall under the other party¡¯s complete control, incapable of breaking free of his grasp.


    The old man became increasingly fearful, and in an instant, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans, his face ashen. However, his eyes were still rigidly staring at Han Li.


    The young woman wearing male clothing at his side eventually saw that her senior wasn¡¯t moving. She anxiously pulled on the old man¡¯s sleeve with haste.


    Surprisingly, this tore away at the azure-robed old man¡¯s confinement, allowing the old man to easily break away from Han Li¡¯s gaze and freeing him from the backlash of the Nightmare Technique.


    Right now, the azure-robed old man felt that he had barely escaped from entering the cycle of reincarnation. During this time, his mind had lagged behind, and he couldn¡¯t help but blankly stare for a moment. After a moment, he seemed to have woken up, and his consciousness returned to his body.


    However, the back of his clothes had been thoroughly soaked with cold sweat.


    At this moment, he hastily said a few words with a soft voice and a terrified expression to the young woman. Afterwards, he didn¡¯t dare to look in Han Li¡¯s direction again.


    The azure-robed old man clearly understood that the young woman couldn¡¯t have possibly broken his daze so easily, which meant that he must have been treated leniently by the other party.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why the other party had done so, it would be better for this grandparent-grandchild pair to go far far away from here.


    The cultivation base of the youth with a common appearance was truly fearsome.


    Furthermore, what puzzled him was that although he had used the Heaven¡¯s Eye technique to examine him, he couldn¡¯t see the slightest fluctuation of magic power on his body. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have rashly used the ¡°Nightmare Technique¡±.


    ¡°Could it be this person¡¯s person¡¯s cultivation has reached¡­¡±


    Once the azure-robed old man made his guess, his face grew green.


    If it were as he guessed, then hadn¡¯t he provoked a major power that should never be provoked?


    With this thought, the sliver of consciousness that the old man had just recovered became turbulent.


    Startled, the young woman in male clothing looked at the old man¡¯s face as it changed between green and red. She felt great astonishment, seeing this.


    In her mind, her grandfather, who was always calm and collected with an expression as steady as Mt. Tai, was actually dumbfounded! Could it be that the seemingly-ordinary youth was truly so fearsome?


    With this thought, she couldn¡¯t help but have the urge turn her head and study Han Li.


    However, without waiting for her to move her head, the old man seemed to have seen through the young woman¡¯s intent and suddenly whispered to her gravely, ¡°Don¡¯t provoke that youngster. If my guess isn¡¯t wrong, then he¡¯s likely to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. You mustn¡¯t provoke him no matter what!¡±


    ¡°What? A Foundation Establishment cultivator! Impossible, he¡¯s only a youth!¡± The young woman covered her gasp of shock with her jade hands. She turned pale and didn¡¯t dare to be too loud.

 Chapter 289

    Immortal¡¯s Technique


    Although the young lady¡¯s charming face revealed doubt, she knew her grandfather wasn¡¯t one to babble nonsense and became extremely shocked! She could only resist further looking in Han Li¡¯s direction with some difficulty


    Seeing that he taught the other party a small lesson without truly harming him, Han Li was fully satisfied.


    At this moment, his lips slightly moved and transmitted his voice over.


    Then the azure-robed old man immediately heard Han Li¡¯s voice.


    ¡°After you leave the Prince Xin¡¯s mansion, don¡¯t hurry to depart. Wait for me at the mansion¡¯s back gate. I have a few matters to ask you!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was filled with the unquestionable tone of a command, stunning the old man and causing him to inwardly curse in his heart without end.


    ¡°Could it be this expert doesn¡¯t want to let this grandparent-grandchild pair go? What plan does he have for these two in mind! Regardless, it¡¯s fortunate for me that the other party doesn¡¯t seem to be the merciless type. There shouldn¡¯t be any danger! Furthermore, being able to form a relationship with a Foundation Establishment cultivator is an invigorating opportunity that¡¯s hard to come by for a clan.¡±


    The azure-robed old man could only think these comforting thoughts. However, his heart was a mess, and he was suffering internally without end!


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled and returned his attention to the old white-haired Daoist.


    At this moment, Immortal Master Wu had already finished inspecting the majority of the crowd and still hadn¡¯t found someone with Immortal karma.


    The youngster who were declared to lack Immortal karma could only dejectedly return to their seats. Their seniors naturally didn¡¯t have any pleased expressions.


    ¡°What¡¯s Immortal karma? He¡¯s clearly looking for people with spiritual roots. However, this old Daoist isn¡¯t a completely ignorant and appears to truly be looking to accept disciples! Otherwise, he could just casually point to a few random people.¡± Han Li thought indifferently as he saw the old Daoist examining each of the youths for spiritual roots with extreme care.


    However, Han Li felt that looking for disciples here was truly futile. Among these fifty to sixty people, the chances of finding someone with spiritual roots were truly too low!


    Just as Han Li thought this, the old white-haired Daoist loudly shouted, ¡°This child has Immortal karma. I can accept him as my disciple!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he blankly stared. He couldn¡¯t help but look at this person with Immortal karma.


    He only saw a simple and fat youth standing in front of Immortal Master Wu with a vacant expression, not knowing what to do.


    A large pot-bellied middle-aged man wearing purple silk robes stood next to the boy He closely asked with an incredulous expression, ¡°Immortal Master, my clan¡¯s child Jing truly has Immortal karma? Are you mistaken!¡±


    This man felt that a huge meat pie had truly fallen on his head and didn¡¯t dare to believe it. For so many years, this son of his had never shown the slightest of talent or accomplished anything. But now, the youth who only ate and didn¡¯t give back to society had unexpectedly caught the eye of this Immortal master. The youth¡¯s father truly didn¡¯t know if he was dreaming.


    ¡°Hehe, Benefactor, be at ease! This humble Daoist has already examined this boy many times. Your son truly has Immortal roots and can study Immortal techniques together with the prince¡¯s son.¡± When Immortal Master Wu saw this, he twirled his white beard around his finger and smiled.


    ¡°Many thanks, Immortal Master! Many thanks! Although this one isn¡¯t a wealthy and great noble, we still have a bit of meager land. Tomorrow, I will certainly prepare a great offering for accepting my son as your apprentice! Son! Quicky¡­ Quicky kowtow to the Immortal Master!¡± After the middle-aged man verified this matter with certainty, he danced with joy and began speaking incoherently.


    When the youngsters who hadn¡¯t been chosen saw this, they were dumbfounded.


    The person who entered Immortal Wu¡¯s eyes was Fatty Tong, whom they had always regarded as useless!


    This kind of useless person actually had Immortal roots. This was far too hard to believe!


    Not only did the youngsters think this, but their seniors also couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay and feel that this was quite incredulous.


    After all, this useless youth Tong Jing had been chosen instead of their own sons.


    Han Li¡¯s expression, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t the slightest bit strange.


    People who possess spiritual roots weren¡¯t always handsome and confident or ravishly beautiful. Furthermore, there wasn¡¯t the slightest relationship with their capacity for knowledge either. There was absolutely no pattern that could determine whether someone possessed spiritual roots.


    Otherwise, cultivator clans wouldn¡¯t have appeared, and cultivator sects wouldn¡¯t have to go out and seek brilliant students either.


    However, to actually find someone with spiritual roots in a small group was a bit surprising to Han Li. It seemed that the luck of this Daoist Priest wasn¡¯t bad!


    Naturally, the others in the hall didn¡¯t understand this grain of truth that Han Li and the other cultivators clearly knew.


    They all whispered to each other in soft voices.


    There were a few shrewd individuals among them who started to doubt the authenticity of this Immortal Wu and were slightly hesitant to come forward to test themselves when they heard this.


    As such, the old Daoist was met with a moment of awkward silence.


    When Prince Xin saw this, he showed displeasure.


    However, those in the hall had been his good friends for many years, so he couldn¡¯t just say something unpleasant. He could only tactfully say to the old Daoist, ¡°Immortal Master Wu, everyone here is but a common mortal. They have not yet witnessed Immortal techniques and magic. Could Immortal Master please reveal your power and broaden everyone¡¯s horizons?¡±


    Having heard Prince Xin¡¯s words, everyone immediately grew quiet and waited to see what the Immortal Master would say.


    The old white-haired Daoist muttered to himself for a moment and openly agreed. Then he called for everyone to follow him to the open area in front of the large hall.


    Following the old Daoist¡¯s words, everyone flowed out of the large hall. Han Li also followed them out, but he did so indifferently.


    Surprisingly, that grandparent-grandchild pair didn¡¯t move. It seemed they were deeply worried about Han Li¡¯s appointment with them.


    Outside the guest hall, the old Daoist stood while surrounded by the crowd and started to cast magic.


    From the gestures his hands executed, his even stance, and his faint muttering of incantation in a low voice, his appearance grew even more mysterious.


    As such, the spectators around him held their breath and rigidly stared at the old Daoist without moving.


    But when Han Li heard this incantation, he inwardly rolled his eyes.


    At this moment, the old Daoist joined his palms, and after he separated them, two roaring, fist-sized fireballs appeared in his hands. The nearby temperature suddenly rose, and the smell of flames filled the air.


    This was none other than the ¡°Fireball Technique¡± that all cultivators with fire spiritual roots knew!


    But what was viewed as a common occurrence to cultivators immediately caused the nearby crowd to gasp in surprise. They felt it was truly inconceivable!


    But the next scene not only caused these mortals to continue with their stupefaction, but it also greatly shocked Han Li.


    That was because the old Daoist then changed his hand incantations and caused the roasting fireballs to gradually fuse and transform before the crowd¡¯s eyes.


    First, the combined flame gradually grew wings. Then a pointed beak, immediately followed by thin claws and a tail, transforming into a small and exquisite flame bird.


    ¡°Could it be the Firebird Technique!¡±


    Having seen this, Han Li nerves tightened, not daring to believe his eyes in the slightest.


    The ¡°Firebird Technique¡± was a genuine mid-grade magic technique, one that Han Li himself was unable to grasp. However this mere Qi Condensation cultivator was unexpectedly able to use it on the spot. It was truly far too hard to believe! It was no wonder that Han Li wondered if he had seen incorrectly.


    However, Han Li¡¯s shock only lasted for a short moment.


    Soon after the old Daoist casted his magic, Han Li discovered a huge discrepancy between this fire bird and the genuine ¡°Firebird Technique¡±.


    Although this small bird created from fireballs resembled the appearance of the firebird magic technique, the discrepancy in size was far too great.


    When the firebird from the ¡°Firebird Technique¡± spread its wings, it spanned over three meters. Instead, the firebird that this old Daoist created was only the size of a fist. It was fundamentally impossible to mention them on equal terms.


    But what truly convinced Han Li that this was but a false firebird technique was the magnitude of its fluctuation of magic power.


    The destructive power of the true Firebird Technique wasn¡¯t something a Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to receive. However, the magic power fluctuations of this small and exquisite sparrow-like firebird were exactly the same as a fireball; it wasn¡¯t greater in the least.


    It seemed it was merely a change of shape!


    After Han Li thought this through, he was in good spirits and found it quite funny!


    He had nearly been tricked by this small trick. It truly caused one to lose face!


    However, this person¡¯s flame manipulation technique was truly astonishing! Han Li didn¡¯t know whether he could match the fine control of flame that this Qi Condensation cultivator could accomplish.


    This old Daoist piqued Han Li¡¯s interest!


    In his next performance, the old Daoist thoroughly verified Han Li¡¯s thoughts.


    After seeing the small firebird spread its wings and soar, it immediately fell to the floor and transformed into a dog that cheerfully ran around the old Daoist.


    Not long after, the small dog transformed into a fire snake, then transformed a small person¡­


    This series of astonishing performances left these mortals dumbstruck and speechless with gaping mouths, having never seen magic techniques before.


    Then the old Daoist suddenly pointed a finger from his hand and made the final transformation of the flame into a small horse. The new form charged towards a small cherry sapling to the side. In the blink of an eye, the flame combusted and turned the sapling into ash.


    This was the end of the old Daoist¡¯s show.


    At this moment, the spectators woke from their daze and did their utmost to hail the old Daoist ¡®Immortal Daoist¡¯.


    Their original doubts had long been cast away. How could they show the slightest bit of disbelief!

 Chapter 290

    Young Prince


    Prince Xin looked at the cheering crowd with a smile, feeling content in his heart.


    With regards to cultivators, they used to appear before great noble and influential clans. But for some unknown reason, they gradually stopped, not making much contact with the mortal world. As such, people such as the Immortal Master quickly became the stuff of folklore. Even as a kin of the royal family, this was the first cultivator Prince Xin had seen with his own eyes.


    The shocking display of magic techniques that the old Daoist revealed naturally caused Prince Xin to feel great face.


    Of course, Prince Xin did not know that during the period when cultivators still appeared in the secular world, the cultivation world had yet to establish the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly.


    During those times, low-level rogue cultivators as well as those from cultivation clans with no hope for Foundation Establishment gave up their aspirations and wished to live out their lives in the mortal world in wealth and splendor. However, with the appearance of the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly, cultivators could fight for their hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment. With this assembly, why would they choose to appear in the mortal world ever again? Naturally, they would be bitterly cultivating in seclusion deep within the mountains.


    Of course, those without the heart to cultivate like Yu Zhitong, who became a depraved cultivator in the secular world, were an exception, and their numbers were quite few. They would become honored guests of great, affluent noble clans and enter complete seclusion, not daring to allow outsiders to know of their presence.


    After all, to become a guest of some mortal clan was a matter that would cause extreme loss of face in the cultivation world.


    As such, although it wasn¡¯t rare for cultivators to appear in the secular world, those willing to associate with influential nobles and become their esteemed guests were extremely few in number.  Also, the cultivators who mingled with mortals kept all knowledge of their actions extremely concealed in order to prevent their fellow cultivators from looking down on them.


    This crowd of guests truly hadn¡¯t seen other cultivators before. Naturally, they drew the frightening conclusion that the old Daoist was a celestial being from his beautiful fire-manipulation technique.


    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, the white-haired old man returned to the large hall with a proud appearance.


    At this moment, these people couldn¡¯t wait to be tested and impatiently called out to him as  ¡°Immortal Master¡±. They immediately crowded about him, wanting Immortal Master Wu to examine them for spiritual roots.


    With vigorous spirit, the old white-haired Daoist looked through everyone who remained without refusing anyone.


    Unfortunately, the juniors of the Hua Clan and the Qin Clan didn¡¯t have any spiritual roots; they were only but common mortals.


    This information dealt a heavy blow to those who stepped forward to be examined. They could only dejectedly leave the old Daoist¡¯s side.


    It seemed Immortal karma was truly not so easily come by!


    As such, people began to look at that increasingly prominent young fatty ¡°Tong Jing¡¯s¡± rare spiritual roots with envious glares. This caused the father and son standing at the old Daoist¡¯s side to smile widely, unable to contain their emotions.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained the same as he saw Qin Yan bring back the dejected young masters and madams of the Qin Clan. When they looked at Han Li, they had a somewhat wretched appearance.


    ¡°I am still unconvinced! Why does that good for nothing have spiritual roots and we don¡¯t? Aren¡¯t we a hundred times better than him!¡± A dainty Qin Clan young madam mumbled to herself with disbelief.


    ¡°Enough, don¡¯t speak nonsense! With the life you have now, what¡¯s there to complain about?¡± Qin Yan¡¯s expression darkened as he turned his head to rebuke the young woman before sitting down.


    These words caused the Qin Clan¡¯s well-known pungent loudmouth to pout; an unsatisfied expression still remained on her face.


    At this moment, Old Man Hua brought his grandchildren over. Without saying a word, he sat at Qin Yan¡¯s side.


    After they looked at each other, they suddenly wore bitter smiles as if they were fellow brothers sharing a mutual pain.


    ¡°Dear Little Brother Qin, it seems that the Fatty Tong suddenly made it in this world!¡± Old Man Hua said jokingly.


    ¡°Sigh! This is quite normal. Anyone that has good children would¡¯ve immediately become a patron of that Immortal master!¡± Qin Yan sighed again and said this with a begrudging tone.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    Old Man Hua and Qin Yan began to have a chat.


    But while they were chatting with each other, they were also diverting their attention toward the actions of Immortal Master Wu and Prince Xin.


    At this moment, Prince Xin was looking at the juniors being tested for Immortal roots. He then turned his head towards a young maid and whispered something to her.


    The young maid immediately went out the side door to carry out the mysterious order given to her.


    After that, Prince Xin turned his head around and coughed several times. He then leisurely said with a smile, ¡°Following the celebration of my favored concubine¡¯s recovery, my son Quanzi and Honorable Nephew Tong will be apprenticed to Immortal Master Wu. Everyone, please celebrate and give them your regards!¡±


    With that said, Prince Xin extended his hands without the slightest of hesitation and fiercely clapped.


    Clap! Clap!


    Applause soon rang out as pairs of cleanly-dressed maids and servants walked in from outside the hall with trays of fine foods and wine in their hands.


    Then with incomparable skill, they walked over to each table. Each winecup was filled to the brim with shining pink wine. The large hall was filled with the scent of dishes and alcohol in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Come, this prince will raise the first cup!¡± Prince Xin loudly yelled, raising a winecup respectfully given to him by a servant over his head.


    ¡°Cheers to the Prince!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Immediately after everyone drank a cup, the atmosphere of the hall surged.


    Not long after, the many guests started toasting cups to one another.


    The banquet had finally started!


    Prince Xin and that Honorable Nephew he called Jing¡¯er were talking and laughing during the feast, seemingly deepening their friendship. The expected arrogance of a prince wasn¡¯t seen.


    It was no wonder that Qin Yan and the others held such praise for Prince Xin!


    That Immortal Master Wu didn¡¯t take a seat. Instead, when Prince Xin raised his wine cup, he wordlessly left.


    This caused many who thought to suck up to Immortal Master Wu during the banquet to feel greatly disappointed.


    However, this kind of thinking was quite ordinary. How could a living Immortal drink, party and lavishly feast like a mortal!


    After they thought it through, these people gave up. Letting go of their previous intentions, they went to feast with the others.


    Halfway through the feast, Prince Xin called for a group of female dancers to perform an elegant and complicated palace dance to add to the enjoyment. This caused the atmosphere to soar to the climax.


    At this moment, a white-clothed youth who appeared about twenty years old entered the hall. He appeared very cultured and had a tall, thin stature. Each and every one of his movements held an elegant poise. This was absolutely the image of an ideal lover that many young women held in their hearts.


    ¡°Ming¡¯er, come and greet your uncles!!¡± When Prince Qin saw this youth, he immediately happily called out to him.


    Fortunately, Prince Xin just happened to be at Qin Yan¡¯s table. Thus, the refined youth walked over with a smile.


    ¡°It is good to see you again, uncles!¡± The youth courteously said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to be called that! The young prince is too polite.¡±


    Qin Yan and Old Man Hua didn¡¯t dare to overreach themselves and hastily stood to greet him.


    ¡°Ai! You two are his seniors. Ming¡¯er should be greeting you with courtesy. Why do you act like outsiders?¡± Prince Xin interjected with some dissatisfaction.


    When Qin Yan and Old Man Hua heard this, they looked at each other and appeared somewhat embarrassed.


    Those words weren¡¯t incorrect! However, how could these two treat a member of the royal family as their junior!


    However, these two cunning old foxes changed the subject with a few quick words. Afterwards, they introduced the juniors behind them, allowing the exceptionally forthright prince to recognize them. This was a seldom opportunity for the juniors to make themselves known!


    Naturally, Han Li was included among those introduced.


    When Han Li was introduced, Prince Xin¡¯s eyes brightened as he repeated sized up Han Li several times with great interest. His face wore a mysterious smile. It was clear this person knew a few details of the rumors surrounding Han Li.


    This caused embarrassment to surge forth on his face again.


    ¡°Ming¡¯er, come over here. Come meet this Honorable Brother Han!¡±


    It was unknown what Prince Xin was thinking, but he unexpectedly had the young prince meet Han Li with a smile.


    Having heard his father, the young prince walked over and politely called out ¡°Elder Brother Han¡±. Then he cupped his hands toward Han Li, maintaining a gentle expression the entire time.


    Somehow, each moment carried out by this elegant and graceful young prince enchanted the several nearby young madams of age, leaving them unable free themselves from his charm.


    Han Li returned the salute with a lost and foolish appearance, as if he were too nervous. In his heart, however, he felt himself in perilous situation, preventing him from maintaining his calm.


    When this young prince moved forward to salute Han Li, he unexpectedly gave him a feeling of danger similar to that of the mansion¡¯s steward. Although it didn¡¯t feel as strongly oppressive as that of the steward, it was undoubtedly the same feeling of danger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Han Li became extremely shocked as his heart sank into bewilderment.

 Chapter 291

    Xiao Clan


    Chapter 291: Xiao Clan


    This handsome young prince naturally didn¡¯t know what Han Li was thinking. Instead, he said a few warm words of greetings to the previously acquainted Qin Clan juniors and chatted with them, causing two of the young madams to blush. Their affection appeared to surge.


    When Han Li saw this, he coldly laughed inwardly.


    This young prince was indeed questionable. If these Qin Clan madams truly threw themselves into his arms, there definitely wouldn¡¯t be a good result.


    Even if the young prince were to taste them and then leave them bare, Han Li wouldn¡¯t find it strange at all!


    After a short moment, Prince Xin said a few modest words to Qin Yan and brought the young prince away to socialize at another table. This caused the Qin Clan juniors as well as the Hua pair that was speaking the prince to feel disappointment.


    Han Li took advantage of when nobody was paying attention and took a look at the back of the young prince, muttering under his breath as something flashed across his eyes.


    After several hours later, the feast came to an end.


    Once the guests were fully satisfied, they started to say their goodbyes to Prince Xin.


    Qin Yan had also brought Han Li and his juniors say their goodbyes. They then departed from the front gate of Prince Xin¡¯s residence.


    Just as Lord Qin thought to have Han Li board the carriage with him, Han Li suddenly asked something, much to his surprise.


    ¡°Uncle Qin, could tell me who those two are? Do you know?¡±


    Although Han Li¡¯s words were polite, Lord Qin didn¡¯t dare to slight him. He hastily turned his head to look and answered, ¡°Honorable Nephew Han is talking about those two? Yi! That¡¯s the lord of the Xiao Clan! He¡¯s the owner of a famous restaurant in Yuejing, the Leisurely Cloud. Since he is a very low-profile character, I am not very familiar with him. As for the unfamiliar youngster by his side, he should be his grandson!¡±


    After Qin Yan saw that Han Li was looking at this grandfather-grandchild pair, he wore an expression of surprise. He didn¡¯t know why Han Li suddenly became interested in these two.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like that! Uncle Qin, you should leave first. I will return to the residence a bit later.¡± Han Li thoughtfully nodded his head and then replied.


    Without waiting for Qin Yan¡¯s reply, he slowly walked next to the small path around the residence¡¯s wall.


    Qin Yan blankly looked at Han Li¡¯s back and then stealthily turned his gaze towards the Xiao Clan Lord, feeling a bit puzzled.


    But after a bit of thought, Qin Yan decided to board the carriage and ordered his servant to drive away.


    Thus, the Qin Clan carriages departed from the front gate of Prince Xin¡¯s residence and returned to the Qin Residence in the east district.


    Those Qin Clan young masters and madams simply didn¡¯t discover Han Li¡¯s disappearance. Instead, they were in the back two carriages discussing what had transpired at Prince Xin¡¯s residence today.


    They were incomparably excited! They felt that although they didn¡¯t have Immortal karma, they had stories to later flaunt off to their friends once they returned.


    ¡­


    After Han Li walked for the time it took to make a cup of tea, he eventually reached the back gate of the prince¡¯s mansion after walking around the tall walls of Prince Xin¡¯s estate.


    At this moment, the tall back gates were securely closed. Not a single person was in sight.


    Han Li smiled and felt this was just right. This way, he wouldn¡¯t have to use any concealment magic techniques.


    He arrogantly stood in front of the back gate and raised his head to look at the sky with idle boredom.


    After a moment of time, Han Li became blankly lost in thought.


    Suddenly, Han Li felt there were people approaching with cowered backs. He lowered his head and took a cold look.


    The only people he saw were the Xiao Clan Lord and the young woman dressed in male clothing. They walked over from the other side of the residence¡¯s gate. When the old man saw Han Li, his figure became sluggish and exposed an appearance of hesitation. On the other hand. the young woman by his side wore an extremely curious expression and didn¡¯t hold the slightest appearance of fear.


    The old man immediately realized something, and his expression immediately became tranquil. He walked forward in large strides, the young woman closely following after him.


    ¡°This junior Xiao Zhen greatly thanks Senior for the lenient treatment inside the prince¡¯s mansion! If this one has offended you, Junior is willing to apologize.¡±


    After walking in front of Han Li, this Lord Xiao was still unable to determine how deep Han Li¡¯s cultivation was and became shocked. Feeling even more reverence toward Han Li, he rushed to salute him and respectfully apologize.


    Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change after receiving the salute. He then faintly said, ¡°You aren¡¯t bitterly cultivating in some secluded area with abundant Spiritual Qi. Why have you appeared in Yuejing? Could it be you were reluctant to depart from your worldly affairs and splendor? Were you unwilling to continue your cultivation?¡±


    Regardless of the outcome, Han Li first accused the old man of an unwarranted charge in order to easily overwhelm the other party and impose his own will; this would allow later affairs to flow more smoothly.


    ¡°Senior misunderstands. Because this junior¡¯s age is far too old, he no longer has a chance to reach Foundation Establishment. Thus, the clan appointed him as the steward in charge of our sources of revenue in the secular world. It isn¡¯t about returning to the secular world and staying there.¡± When the azure-robed old man heard Han Li¡¯s words, his heart relaxed, and he replied with a calm appearance.


    ¡°You are the disciple of a clan?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t easily let them off and closely questioned this.


    Han Li wanted to get a feeling on where this grandfather-grandchild pair stood. If they were from a few famous cultivation clan, Han Li would be unwilling to provoke them. However, the surname Xiao didn¡¯t seem to be from a well-known clan!


    After he heard Han Li¡¯s question, the old man hesitated for a moment. He turned his head to the young woman by his side before sincerely replying:


    ¡°This Junior is from the Yun Province¡¯s Feng River Mountain Stream¡¯s Xiao Clan!¡±


    ¡°Feng River Mountain Stream¡¯s Xiao Clan?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and carefully thought about it. He was certain he had never heard of such a name.


    ¡°Senior doesn¡¯t need to think so much about it. The Xiao Clan this Junior belongs to is but a small clan. Having never heard of it is a normal matter.¡± Lord Xiao¡¯s face sank as he said this mockingly.


    Han Li was a bit surprised. After he sized up Lord Xiao several times, he calmly asked with his normal expression, ¡°You speak quite straightforwardly. Are you not afraid that I would immediately exterminate you two?¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t react to Han Li¡¯s words. However, that young woman appeared to be a small kitten that had her tail stepped on. Her expression tightened as she immediately put her hand on her waist. There was no question that the bulge she was grasping was a storage pouch.


    But soon after, the young woman saw that neither her grandfather nor Han Li truly moved to act. With a red face, she put her hand away but was at a loss of where she should place it. She dilemma appeared extremely adorable!


    When the old man saw this, he glanced at the young woman affectionately before turning his head to Han Li and saying with a bitter smile, ¡°Although this one is incapable of seeing through the deepness of your esteemed self¡¯s cultivation, he is certain you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This one clearly understands this.¡±


    ¡°Junior doesn¡¯t believe that he has any magic tools, medicine pills, or any such treasures that a high-level cultivator would covet.¡±


    ¡°If Senior truly was such a person, Junior would be unable to do anything. With this one¡¯s meager cultivation, running and resistance is futile. One may as well surrender and fulfill Senior¡¯s wishes instead of having him take out his anger on this one¡¯s entire clan! Junior only asks that Senior treat this one leniently and let this one¡¯s granddaughter go. She is this Junior¡¯s sole remaining descendant.¡±


    The old man¡¯s last few words were extremely dismal. This caused the young woman to become extremely frightened and angry. She hastily said with discontent, ¡°Grandpa, you need not be afraid! If he truly wishes to act against you, we will fight together! Then we won¡¯t need to fear him!¡±


    When Han Li heard the words of Lord Xiao and the young woman, he stared blankly for a moment. But once he fully understood what the pair planned to do, he became amused.


    Apart from this old man¡¯s dreary words and appearance of selfless martyrdom, Han Li didn¡¯t see the slightest sign that he was seeking death. In fact, his magic power fluctuations indicated he was storing power in preparation. There wasn¡¯t the slightest intention of surrender!


    If it was clear he wanted to kill them for treasures, they intended to stake it all in a fight.


    That young woman was also quite amusing.


    Although her words were indignant, whenever she wasn¡¯t looking at Han Li with her black shining eyes, she was incessantly looking around, frequently exposing a crafty air.


    However, this young woman didn¡¯t know that ever since Han Li had completed the first layer of the ¡°Great Development Technique¡±, his spiritual sense was far stronger than that of common cultivators. Her petty tricks had already fallen into Han Li¡¯s grasp.


    Han Li inwardly thought, ¡®Perhaps this ¡°Feng River Mountain Stream¡¯s Xiao Clan¡± was something off the top of his minds. As for whether there is such a clan, even he doubts it!¡¯


    Thus, Han Li wore a mysterious smile on his face as he silently look at the two of them.


    Since he neither said these two could leave nor did he make any hostile movements, the grandfather-grandchild pair stayed still for the time.


    From the beginning, the old man and the young woman had preserved their solemn and grim appearance.


    But after some time had passed, Han Li indifferent stared at them with a lazy appearance. The old man Xiao and the young woman eventually looked at each other in dismay.


    ¡°What does Senior intend to do?¡± The young woman was unable to endure in the end. Breaking past the old man¡¯s restricting gaze, she jumped in front of Han Li and loudly asked, pointing at Han Li with an expression of grievance.

 Chapter 292

    The Powerful


    Chapter 292: The Powerful


    Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, so she couldn¡¯t make out any anger from his gaze. However, the old man could clearly feel cold intent coming from Han Li¡¯s body.


    Afraid, the old man had yet to pull the young woman behind him when Han Li¡¯s body released a shocking grandeur. The fearsome spiritual pressure that was accumulated actually caused the nearby young woman to fly back seven or eight steps. She didn¡¯t have the slightest power to resist.


    Fortunately, the old man¡¯s eyes and hands were swift. His figure flashed behind the young woman, his hands clapping her shoulders to stop the young woman¡¯s body from being pushed further back.


    At this moment, the young woman¡¯s face was as pale as paper. After personally experiencing the fearsomeness of Han Li¡¯s cultivation, she couldn¡¯t help but lose herself to fear and look at her grandfather behind her.


    The old man¡¯s appearance was equivalently unsightly!


    Before this, the old man had a few bits of confidence that with their combined strength, they would be able to escape Han Li¡¯s grasp. But now that they experienced a small demonstration of his true strength, this thought was thrown away.


    Foundation Establishment cultivators were fearsome and far exceeded what he had imagine. They absolutely weren¡¯t figures that a small cultivator could provoke.


    The old man broke out in an endless old sweat. He had actually been planning to carry out a small trick on Han Li with his granddaughter¡¯s help!


    The old man had never seen an expert like Han Li before, a foolish cultivator who only knew how to bitterly cultivate! Fortunately, he had accumulated a vast experience, so his response was faster than average.


    Could it be this person was an old eccentric who had lived for over a hundred years, keeping his appearance young through some sort of appearance-halting technique?


    The more the old man thought about it, the more he felt this was true and the greater the terror he felt in his heart!


    After the old man felt the spiritual pressure coming from Han Li¡¯s body grow increasingly stronger as time passed, the old man couldn¡¯t help but gulp and immediately beg with a trembling stomach, ¡°Senior, please let us off leniently. This one¡¯s granddaughter was far too young. She doesn¡¯t know what is high or low. Senior, please calm down!¡±


    After Han Li gave the old man a cold glance, he suddenly stopped emitting the frightening grandeur from his body; it seemed Han Li saw through true meaning behind his words. In an instant,  the pressure had become completely hidden as if entrenched in deep water.


    With hands trembling from fear, old man Xiao took his hands off the shoulder of the young woman who had become well-behaved long ago. After taking a stealthy look at Han Li, she immediately turned her gaze away, not daring to directly look at him.


    Her current behavior was as different as Heaven and Earth from the fearless expression she had shown before.


    However, this dainty young woman was now extremely startled pale. much like a frightened small bird. It was a truly a lovingly heart-stirring appearance.


    (TL: moe)


    Seeing this, Han Li felt something being revealed before his eyes. This was the first time he had discovered a woman who held such a fragile beauty; it truly moved the heart and soul. Her overall appearance gave him a breathtaking feeling, and he couldn¡¯t help but glance several times.


    After carefully looking over the young woman¡¯s appearance, although he made out that she wasn¡¯t very old, only fourteen or fifteen years of age, she was a rarely seen beauty. Given a few more years, she would most likely mature into an extraordinary beauty that would drive men mad.


    Because Han Li¡¯s gaze toward the young girl was a bit too strange, the old man¡¯s heart furiously sunk when he saw this.


    ¡®Could it be he had us come here because her appearance was to his liking? Did he take a fancy to my granddaughter¡¯s beauty? That isn¡¯t good at all. With this person¡¯s great magic power, we won¡¯t be able to resist him!¡± The old man¡¯s imagination ran wild with deep worry.


    ¡°Since you two aren¡¯t willing to reveal your clan, you are probably clanless rogue cultivations. I won¡¯t make it difficult for you. I had you come here for a trade, after which you may leave.¡±


    After a long moment of silence, Han Li eventually spoke.


    ¡°A trade?¡±


    The old man blankly stared. He faintly felt that he had been thinking incorrectly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I took a fancy to something you possessed and wanted to propose a trade with you!¡± Han Li replied with a dull expression.


    When the old man heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the young girl and think, ¡®Does he want to me to trade away my own granddaughter?!¡¯


    But when he thought about it more, it seemed truly unlikely, because apart from the several glances he took a moment ago, he hadn¡¯t taken another look at his granddaughter.


    With this thought, the old man relaxed a bit and said with solemn respect, ¡°I don¡¯t know what caught Senior¡¯s eye, but since we are only juniors, we will naturally offer it to Senior! However, this small old man doesn¡¯t know what item this Senior wants.¡±


    The old man¡¯s last words revealed the misgivings in his heart.


    When Han Li saw the other party¡¯s tact, his appearance eased up and he revealed a slight smile.


    ¡°What cultivation technique did you use inside the hall? You were actually able to conceal your Spiritual Qi so well that the Qi Condensation Daoist Priest wasn¡¯t able to see through your identities.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t directly reply to the old man. Instead, he asked him a question with a mild tone.


    After revealing such a strong face, he naturally used a slightly appeasing tactic. Using both hard and soft methods was the ideal strategy!


    When they heard Han Li¡¯s question, the two of them couldn¡¯t help but look at each other with doubt before saying with some hesitation, ¡°Senior, this one also doesn¡¯t know what cultivation technique he used.¡±


    Surprisingly, Han Li didn¡¯t get angry. Instead, he continued to look at the old man with an stoic expression. He knew that since the other party mentioned this, they would give him a fair explanation.


    Sure enough, the old man then cautiously continued, ¡°The cultivation technique this one used actually came from a badly damage, nameless Daoist book. It didn¡¯t  even mention the name of this Spiritual Qi restraining magic technique. We only casually practiced it!¡±


    ¡®Nameless Daoist book?¡¯


    ¡°As for where it came from, don¡¯t tell me it was passed down within your clan!¡± After Han Li heard this, his face revealed interest, his words carrying a profound meaning.


    If this magic technique was passed down within a clan, every great cultivation sect would have madly fought to get a hold of this technique. However, Han Li had never heard of such a cultivation technique before!


    ¡°Senior sees clearly. This Daoist book was something my granddaughter found inside a cave while exploring an uninhabited mountain. Apart from this Qi Restraining chant, we didn¡¯t understand anything else from the book. If Senior wants it, Junior will go back to his residence and offer it to you!¡± the old man promised with a compensating smile.


    When Han Li heard the old man¡¯s words, he revealed a satisfied expression and said, ¡°Be at ease, I won¡¯t take your items for nothing! You two return first and wait for me at your residence! Make sure you consider what you want in exchange for it.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was extremely calm. But after he said these words, he suddenly extended his finger, whereupon two soybean-sized green lights shot out from Han Li¡¯s finger. In an instant, it flew into the bodies of the old man and young girl without leaving a trace.


    ¡°Senior, you¡­¡± The old man was frightened and angry. He didn¡¯t think that after he finished speaking, Han Li would suddenly act against the two. Although he didn¡¯t know what happened, he was certain it wasn¡¯t anything good. The young girl also went pale with fright.


    ¡°There is no need to worry! These are only tracing marks. With these, I can accurately find you and eliminate you and your grandchild at any time should the need ever arise,¡± Han Li explained indifferently.


    After hearing these words, the old man let out a breath and bitterly laughed in his heart many times!


    This Senior truly didn¡¯t leave any holes, not even the slightest opening for them.


    With this on their bodies, if they tried to take advantage of the situation and escape, it was likely they wouldn¡¯t make it very far.


    However, the old man Xiao clearly understood the reason behind Han Li¡¯s action!


    If the other party didn¡¯t do this, it was likely that the old man would take his granddaughter and immediately slip away.


    After all, to trade with an expert that could easily kill them was far too scary, especially when the stronger party seemed moody! While there were enormous benefits, the old man would normally require time to think it over and see whether it was worth the risk.


    However, it seemed that now he must carry out this trade whether he wanted to or not.


    He could only hope that after the other party wouldn¡¯t eliminate them after receiving the book.


    In the short time he made contact with Han Li, he truly wasn¡¯t able to make out Han Li¡¯s temperament in the end.


    He only knew that not only was this figure¡¯s magic power profound, but that he was also extremely troublesome! He would use every opportunity and method, and there was nothing he wouldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°Very well! These juniors will wait at their dwelling for Senior to arrive.¡± The old man could only pretend to act as if nothing had happened and say this with great respect.


    ¡°Very good. I will come to take the item at night. You two had best behave!¡±


    As Han Li said this, his body gradually became indistinct. He disappeared without a trace once the last word ¡°behave¡± left his mouth, leaving only air in his place.


    Seeing that Han Li revealed this extremely mysterious skill, old man Xiao could only give up with a deathly pale face.


    He dispiritedly called out to the young girl and slowly walked back home.


    However, the old man didn¡¯t realize that when his granddaughter saw Han Li using those ghostlike movements, great envy flashed in her eyes. Even when the old man called out to her, she reacted as if she had woken up from a dream.


    As the young girl followed after the old man, she turned her head to look at the place where Han Li had disappeared with surprising reluctance.


    ¡®That child is truly mischievous!¡¯ Hiding in a nearby tree, Han Li coldly looked at the two as they departed and shook his head.


    (TL: ¡°mischievous¡±, originally ÈËС¹í´ó: although the body is small, the craftiness is great.)

 Chapter 293

    Infiltration


    Chapter 293: Infiltration


    Han Li was quite familiar with the obsessed expression the young woman revealed as she departed.


    The very first time he saw Li Huayuan control that huge flood dragon, he also had this envious gaze.


    With this thought, Han Li felt that this beautiful young woman was truly interesting.


    After he slightly smiled, he silently disappeared from the tree. He reappeared within the tall walls of the prince¡¯s mansion.


    At this moment, not only did Han Li use the ¡°Invisibility Technique¡± that would hide him from mortals, but he also used the ¡°Qi Restraining Technique¡±, a Qi concealment technique that cultivators could use only after achieving Foundation Establishment.


    He quickly flashed by the scurrying maids and servants within the prince¡¯s residence without anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary.


    After a moment, Han Li infiltrated into the back residence of the prince¡¯s mansion. He secretly hid behind a pillar at some desolate corridor and watched everything nearby with a cold gaze.


    Not long after, a somewhat pretty maid walked nearby. Han Li suddenly shot out a ball of yellow light the size of a fist from his finger, striking the maid¡¯s head. The maid suddenly staggered as if she were about fall onto the floor.


    Without waiting for her to fall, Han Li had already leaped out to grab her and flew back to hide behind the pillar.


    With great skill, Han Li straightened the young maid¡¯s weak body and arranged it so that she faced him. He then opened his mouth and spouted out azure Spiritual Qi, which entered her tightly closed eyes.


    At this moment, the young maid¡¯s eyelids started to move, and she slowly opened her eyes.


    Just as the young maid was waking up, she saw a pair of gold yellow eyes staring at her coldly.


    Just as she thought about yelling loudly and putting up a struggle, strange yellow streaks of light suddenly shot out from those eyes directly into her own.


    The young maid immediately felt the world spin as her vision was filled with a golden yellow color. Then, with a tilted head, she lost consciousness.


    Han Li took another look at the young maid who fainted and lightly sighed before lightly wiping away the sweat on her face.


    Although he could only use the ¡°Soul Controlling Technique¡± for a short among of time, it truly consumed far too much of his attention and felt quite strenuous. It was no wonder that this magic technique was classified as a worthless Foundation Establishment technique.


    Although this magic technique would make the target obediently follow the caster as a slave for a short amount of time, it had great limitations. As such, the cultivators who practiced this magic technique were truly few in number!


    First of all, this magic technique could only be used on mortals. It didn¡¯t have the slightest effect on cultivators. Even if there was a great disparity in cultivation, so long as there was spiritual power coursing through their heads, other cultivators could easily counteract the technique¡¯s bewitchment effect.


    Next, not only must whoever wished to practice this technique be at Foundation Establishment, their spiritual sense must be far stronger than average. Thus. the overwhelming majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators weren¡¯t able to practice this technique.


    With these two restrictions, cultivators with interest in practicing this magic technique were pitifully few.


    However, this was no problem for Han Li.


    Han Li had originally been anxious that he would only be able to grasp a limited set of Foundation Establishment magic techniques. The last time he was in the Heaven¡¯s Knowledge Pavilion, he had read the incantation of this magic technique and memorized it out of curiosity. Once he returned to his cave to cultivate it, he wasn¡¯t met with the slightest resistance and was able to smoothly succeed. This greatly surprised Han Li.


    He now attempted to use the magic technique on this girl, and as expected, he succeeded.


    After taking a cautious glance in every direction, he softly extended his finger, and a small ball of milky white light emerged on his finger tip. Pressed against the maid¡¯s head, the ball of light soon entered her forehead and disappeared.


    The young maid woke up and immediately stood. She blankly looked at Han Li without speaking.


    ¡°What is the background of the steward? When did he enter the Prince¡¯s residence? Where does he often like to go? Who does he often meet with outside the Prince¡¯s residence?¡± Han Li looked at the young maid and rapidly shot out a series of questions.


    He started off with this maid, the one dispatched by Prince Xin to find the young prince at the start of the banquet. It seemed the status of this servant wasn¡¯t low. If he used her, Han Li might actually obtain a bit of reliable information.


    ¡°Which steward is Master asking about?¡± The young maid asked with an expressionless face.


    ¡°The Prince¡¯s residence has more than one steward?¡± Puzzled, Han Li asked with slight surprise.


    ¡°The residence has many stewards in charge of taking care of the Prince¡¯s affairs. For example, there is Steward Li, who is in charge of making purchases, and Steward Di, who is in charge of supervising the residence.¡± The young maid continued with blank eyes.


    ¡°Which steward was greeting guests at the residence¡¯s gate?¡± Han Li softly asked after wrinkling his brow.


    ¡°That is Steward Wang; he has the greatest authority.¡±


    ¡°He is the one I am referring to!¡± Han Li added with a bit of anxiety.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he could use this magic technique to control her mind. Naturally, he had to hurry and ask about the important matters first. Otherwise, he would have to waste more effort after the young maid awakened.


    ¡°According to the seniors in the residence, Steward Wang grew up together with the Prince and accompanied him during his education. He eventually followed the prince for fifty to sixty years. Apart from a routine monthly trip in which he follows the Prince into the forbidden city, he normally doesn¡¯t leave the Prince¡¯s residence and won¡¯t contact anybody outside. If he did meet anyone, it would be among the Prince¡¯s good friends.¡±


    ¡°As for his relationship with the young prince, it¡¯s a bit strange! I¡¯ve heard from the young prince¡¯s previous wet nurse that ten years ago, the young prince used to have a very violent temperament, and his relationship with Steward Wang was anything but good. He even slapped Steward Wang in public before. But throughout the past ten years, the young prince¡¯s entire attitude changed dramatically. Not only did he become polite and refined, but he also became extremely respectful towards Steward Wang, even holding a ceremony to become his Junior. Prince Xin was greatly pleased by this, claiming that they had the gods¡¯ blessings all along,¡± the young girl flatly said.


    When Han Li heard this, his expression didn¡¯t change. He coldly smiled in his heart.


    Although it sounded like this Steward Wang didn¡¯t seem suspicious in the least, the exceptional change in the young prince¡¯s character was enough for Han Li to be certain there was some sort of hidden relationship between the two.


    In addition, for these two to cause a Foundation Establishment cultivator to feel danger, they certainly weren¡¯t common mortals.


    As for the steward¡¯s mysterious background, Han LI didn¡¯t feel like investigating it too deeply.


    He only wanted to make sure the steward wasn¡¯t from the Devil Dao. He didn¡¯t care whether the other party was righteous or evil or whatever secrets he held.


    If he could do less, Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t go asking for trouble.


    After this interrogation, Han Li figured it was most likely that the young prince and the steward had no relationship with the Devil Dao.


    After all, the young prince had been exceptional from the beginning; there hadn¡¯t been a sudden change in ability. If the Devil Dao truly started setting this up over ten years ago, Han Li could only remain speechless.


    With this thought, Han Li sighed and commanded, ¡°Where does Immortal Master Wu live? Lead me there.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Master!¡±


    The young maid obediently stood and walked. Han Li secretly followed her while continuing to conceal himself.


    With the young girl¡¯s guidance, Han Li passed through seven to eight large courtyards and arrived at a peaceful terrace. At that moment, the young girl then stopped.


    Pa! Pa!


    Suddenly, Han Li lightly patted the maid¡¯s back two times using a palm filled with white light. Afterwards, his figure flashed and shot behind a large tree.


    ¡°Yi! Isn¡¯t this the venerable Immortal Master¡¯s residence? What am I doing here?¡±


    The young maid then blinked two times with all her strength and suddenly yelped. The blankness in her eyes could no longer be seen.


    ¡°Who is causing a commotion outside? Didn¡¯t this humble Daoist instruct not to let people come here and disturb his cultivation?!¡±


    The old Daoist Priest¡¯s annoyed voice came from a room in the courtyard.


    When the young maid heard this, her face immediately turned white from fear. Without thinking about why she appeared at this location, she ran away, flustered.


    Creak. The door opened.


    With the appearance of stereotypical Daoist Immortal, the old white-haired Daoist walked out.


    But after he saw there was nobody in the courtyard, his face revealed a sense of confusion.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on! I clearly heard someone talking. I thought the prince had come to find me! Where did the unpleasant person who interrupted my cultivation run off to?¡±


    The old man stood in the courtyard and looked in every direction before furiously returning to his room.


    After he shut his door and faced the room, however, he was completely dumbfounded!


    He only saw Han Li sitting at the table, silently looking at the old Daoist with a beaming smile. He appeared to hold great interest in him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The old Daoist quickly asked as his expression dramatically changed.


    He then reflexively raised his hand and summoned a fireball.


    ¡°What I want is you. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t act against you so casually.¡± Han Li smiled speaking as if hadn¡¯t seen the old Daoist¡¯s fireball. His words didn¡¯t hold the slightest bit of hostility.

 Chapter 294

    Flame Handling Arts


    Chapter 294: Flame Handling Arts


    ¡°Humph! Your esteemed self infiltrated this room with great stealth, yet you still dare to mystify yourself! See if this humble Daoist doesn¡¯t¡­¡± The old Daoist had long been accustomed to flattery from his recent days in the Prince¡¯s residence and instinctively reacted, yelling with a stern voice.


    However, after he used the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique to look at Han Li, his originally furious face immediately became frozen and turned white soon after.


    ¡°Your¡­ your esteemed self is a Foundation Establishment Senior?¡±


    The old man stuttered, unwilling to believe it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already determine that with your magic technique?¡± Han Li indifferently said this with a controlled smile on his face.


    ¡°Senior do not blame me! This Junior had never seen a Senior who had cultivated to Foundation Establishment before. The highest I have seen were Qi Condensation cultivators of the eleventh or twelfth layer. I was truly incapable of judging Senior¡¯s cultivation! I only knew that Senior¡¯s cultivation is unfathomably deep!¡± When the old Daoist heard him, he hastily extinguished his fireball as if he had woken from a dream. He stepped forward with a salute and repeatedly explained with a careful, apologetic smile on his face.


    Han Li was surprised that the old Daoist hadn¡¯t exposed fear like the old man Xiao had. Instead, he faintly revealed a sense of excitement.


    But after some thought, Han Li clearly understood the other party¡¯s thoughts.


    This white-haired old Daoist was part the prime of his life but still lingering at the sixth layer. He was most likely a rogue cultivator with extremely poor aptitude. As such, he was unable to meet cultivators with profound magic power. Even if he weren¡¯t a rogue cultivator, he only interacted with Daoist brothers with cultivation bases similar to his own.


    Now that he saw such a high-level cultivator, he naturally regarded it as such a fortuitous encounter that was hard to come by. He mostly likely planned to fish up some benefits.


    Having thought this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile. If the other party was able to satisfy him, he wouldn¡¯t mind giving him a few benefits.


    Han Li immediately turned his gaze to the old Daoist and leisurely said, ¡°Your guess is correct. I really am a Foundation Establishment cultivator!¡±


    When the old white-haired Daoist heard Han Li¡¯s words, his expression became even more respectful. Naturally, the happiness in his eyes grew a bit stronger as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why Senior suddenly appeared here. Does Senior wish to command this Junior to take care of a certain matter?¡± the old Daoist respectfully asked.


    This person was on the right track. He knew that if he wanted to receive a few benefits from Han Li, he naturally had to do something in return.


    When Han Li heard this, he expressed satisfaction, and with a faint smile, he said, ¡°First let¡¯s talk about your origins. Today I saw your show at the Prince¡¯s residence. Your fire-controlling technique was quite good!¡± Han Li gave a minor praise, but little did the Daoist know that it was actually sincere!


    When the old Daoist heard Han Li¡¯s words, an astonished expression flashed across his face.


    He hadn¡¯t thought that this Senior had seen his performance. He hastily replied with a humble tone, ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that Senior had seen my poor performance! Junior only manipulated the flame technique. I would have taken something else out to show, but my other techniques are a mess! As for this Junior¡¯s origins, it isn¡¯t anything notable. When Junior was young, he unexpectedly obtained the ¡¶Fierce Yang Arts¡· from a cultivator on death¡¯s door. It was at this moment that he entered the world of cultivation. However, it was unfortunate that Junior¡¯s aptitude was too poor, and without any guidance, he could only barely cultivate to the sixth layer.¡±


    ¡°Your fire controlling technique was a technique from that book?¡± Han Li¡¯s interest was stirred, and he asked this soon after.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t. This fire controlling technique was something Junior had cultivated until he reached a bottleneck. Without any method to progress, he could only grudgingly polish and refine some small tricks. But after several tens of years of improvements and modifications, it has become Junior¡¯s greatest accomplishment.¡±


    ¡°It was something you researched on your own?¡± Han Li was inwardly startled. He further examined the old white- haired man several more times, revealing a bit of amazement.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Senior! Junior took this meager magic of his and turned it into a book, the ¡¶Flame Handling Arts¡·. If it isn¡¯t beneath Senior, Junior can take it out and give a pointer or two!¡± The old Daoist saw that Han Li seemed interested in his fire control technique and was struck with inspiration. He hastily took out a thin book from his storage pouch and respectfully handed it to Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, he was slightly startled!


    Truthfully speaking, although Han Li felt that this flame transformation technique was quite strange, he didn¡¯t feel a great desire to obtain this technique.


    He didn¡¯t think that this small fire controlling technique would be of great use to his current self!


    However, the old Daoist took the initiative to show it to him and caused him to feel surprised. Han Li easily received it and took a moment to browse through its contents.


    At the start, Han Li perused the book with an indifferent attitude.


    But as he looked through it, although his expression was as peaceful as ever, he gradually became shocked in his heart!


    The minor knack of flame shape transformation mentioned at the start of the book held no great meaning to the current Han Li. It was merely flashy but hollow inside. But towards the end, the old Daoist mentioned a few vague concepts regarding flexibly applying magic techniques and some feasible practice methods. This caused Han Li to feel a sudden flash of insight and benefiting him in no small amount!


    After a short moment, Han Li gently closed the book.


    Now was not the time to research techniques. When he had free time, he would properly analyze the contents of this book!


    He was confident that this meeting increased his understanding and usage of magic techniques by a whole level.


    ¡°This book, I will take it! I know that although you said would give me a pointer of two, I truly want this book to be gifted to me. As a Senior, I naturally won¡¯t leave you empty-handed. I have a few books on Daoist magic, magic tools of every rank, and even a few medicine pills of great use to a Qi Condensation cultivator. You can choose one from the three options in exchange for this book. I¡¯ll give you the time it takes to make a cup of tea to come to a decision.¡±


    After Han Li took a deep look at the old Daoist, he said a few words that unceasingly excited the old man.


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior! Many thanks for Senior¡¯s favor!¡± The old white-haired Daoist¡¯s complexion flushed red. He even trembled a bit from excitement.


    Han Li faintly smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he closed his eyes, leaned against the chair, and rested.


    The old Daoist started to anxiously pace in circles around the room, finding it extremely difficult to choose one over another.


    ¡°How is it? Have you made up your mind?¡±


    After a moment passed, Han Li felt it was about time. He serenely asked this after having opened his eyes.


    ¡°Senior, I¡¯ve decided. Junior only wants medicinal pills that will allow Qi Condensation cultivators to make a breakthrough.¡± After Han Li¡¯s inquiry, the old Daoist eventually came to a decision and said this with certainty.


    When Han Li heard this, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest of surprise. He reckoned that the other party would choose medicinal pills. After all, magic tools and Daoist books could be acquired after he made cultivation breakthroughs.


    Thus, after giving a light nod, Han Li brushed his gown sleeve against the table and left behind two small jade bottles.


    ¡°These two bottles contain Yellow Dragon Pills. They are substantially effective on cultivators up to the tenth layer. Take them!¡± Han Li calmly said.


    ¡°Tenth layer of Qi Condensation¡­ Many thanks for Senior¡¯s great favor! Many thanks¡­¡± The old Daoist looked at those two bottles of medicinal pills with a fiery gaze. After repeatedly expressing his thanks, he excitedly took the two bottles into his hands.


    He then impatiently opened the lid of the bottle. and after sniffing it two times, he had a completely satisfied appearance.


    ¡°I actually came to find you for another matter. After performing a task, I will naturally give you even more compensation!¡± After Han Li saw the other party carefully put away the medicine bottles, he calmly talked about the main reasons he came there.


    With the heavy reward attached, Han Li was confident the other party would be tempted.


    As a result, the old Daoist immediately beamed with joy after hearing this and said, ¡°Senior, please do not hesitate to tell me of this matter. Junior will carry it out by any means!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smiled and responded, ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. For the next few months, I want you to pay attention to the whereabouts of your disciple, the young prince, and Steward Wang. If anything abnormal happens, all you have to do is tell me!¡±


    Although Han Li deemphasized the matter, when the old Daoist heard this, he was stunned.


    He truly didn¡¯t think that this Senior would want him to monitor two mortals. Furthermore, one of them would be the beloved disciple he had just accepted.


    Having remained perplexed despite much thought, the old Daoist took a careful at Han Li and asked with a probing tone, ¡°Could Senior please illuminate this Junior? Could it be there is something amiss with these two?¡±


    The old Daoist asked this very carefully, fearing he would offend this expert.


    Han Li¡¯s face didn¡¯t show the slightest dissatisfaction. He didn¡¯t immediately reply to the cultivator¡¯s question. After a moment of deliberation, he said in a soft voice, ¡°In truth, I am a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley of the seven sects. The Devil Dao is currently invading our State of Yue; even a rogue cultivator like you should be aware of this! I suspect that these two have a relationship with the Devil Dao. Thus, I need to have someone help me pay attention to their whereabouts, just in case!¡±


    Although Han Li believed Steward Wang and the young prince weren¡¯t associated with the Devil Dao, it was better to be careful. He was unclear with about certain details of their background and felt in his heart that there was something greatly concerning about them. Thus, he sought this old Daoist in advance to monitor the pair¡¯s actions.


    However, he didn¡¯t directly mention any of his actual concerns to the old Daoist and simply mentioned the Devil Dao as a convenient excuse.


    After all, the feeling of danger that Han Li perceived from the two was purely instinctive, so he obviously couldn¡¯t say this out loud.

 Chapter 295

    Keeping an Appointment


    ¡°A relationship with the Devil Dao?¡±


    When the old Daoist heard that Han Li was a Yellow Maple Valley cultivator, he didn¡¯t show any surprise. This was a matter he had previously guessed. Apart from the seven sects, cultivators at Foundation Establishment were truly too few. However, when he heard that his own disciple and Steward Wang were possibly implicated with the Devil Dao, his face immediately became green.


    The reputation of the Devil Dao in the State of Yue was nearly synonymous with bloodshed and ruthlessness. A small Qi Condensation cultivator such as the old Daoist naturally knew of this.


    ¡°Senior misunderstands! I truly examined that young prince¡¯s body. He doesn¡¯t possess the slightest magic power.¡± After a moment of apprehensive and careful thought, he found this hard to believe.


    After all, he had spent some time with the young prince and truly hadn¡¯t been able to observe anything similar to the rumors of the Devil Dao.


    After Han Li heard his words, he didn¡¯t respond with any superfluous words. He simply said this with a serene expression, ¡°As for whether these two are with the Devil Dao, you will be personally paying attention to this in the future. If you discover anything abnormal, you know what to do. I don¡¯t require you take any harmful actions towards to those two; You simply have to keep an eye on them. Additionally, you mustn¡¯t perform any probing actions in any mesaure. If the other party realizes that you¡¯ve uncovered their identities, it¡¯s likely your life will be forfeit!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s final words were a warning to the old Daoist.


    The doubt in the eyes of the old white-haired Daoist immediately disappeared after hearing Han Li¡¯s words. Moreover, he now had a terrified appearance.


    After some slight hesitation, he opened his mouth and said with slight fear, ¡°If by chance these two discover that I¡¯m monitoring them, what should I do! This humble Daoist¡¯s magic power is meager. I truly fear I will have to turn down Senior¡¯s great task!¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li wrinkled his brow.


    This old Daoist appeared to change his mind and wanted to give this up, but this wouldn¡¯t do. It seemed Han Li would have to give him a few more benefits.


    With this thought, Han Li touched his storage pouch and took out an item, lightly placing it on the table.


    ¡°Monitor the two. If there are any dangers, I will give you this high-grade magic tool to defend yourself with. After this matter has ended, this magic tool will officially become your own.¡± Han Li insipidly said to the old Daoist as he pointed to the purple bead emitting a faint radiance on the table.


    ¡°High-grade magic tool!¡± When the old Daoist heard this, his mind immediately shook.


    Normally, he would be pathetically short on money. He wouldn¡¯t have enough money to afford a mid-grade magic tool, let alone a high-grade magic tool!


    ¡°This purple light bead will immediately create a barrier of light to protect your body after you pour magic power into it. I¡¯m confident there aren¡¯t many Qi Condensation cultivators that will be able to break through it. This should be enough to cope with most of the dangers you¡¯ll face.¡± Han Li patiently said with an unchanging expression.


    ¡°This is a defensive magic tool?¡± After hearing its introduction, the old Daoist¡¯s eyes became passionate.


    Defensive magic tools were the most precious and rare kind of magic tool. If this old Daoist were to spend the rest of his years gathering spirit stones, it was likely he still wouldn¡¯t have enough to buy a high-grade defensive magic tool.


    ¡°Alright, this old Daoist will spare no effort to complete this task.¡± After the old white-haired Daoist¡¯s face calmed down, he finally clenched his teeth and agreed.


    It seemed the proverb ¡°Birds die in pursuit of food, men die in pursuit of money¡± applied to the cultivation world as well!


    When Han Li saw the old Daoist agree to take on this greatly dangerous task, although his face revealed a smile, he inwardly sighed.


    ¡°Place this spiritual mark on your body. That way, if anything happens, I can immediately come find you and perhaps save your life! Additionally, I will reward you with an additional bottle of Yellow Dragon Pills after this matter ends.¡± By using this method and placing the spiritual mark on the old Daoist¡¯s body, Han Li was using both force and incentive.


    After the old Daoist saw Han Li do this, he was slightly startled, but he feigned ignorance of Han Li¡¯s true intent and repeatedly expressed his thanks.


    Seeing the old Daoist being tactful, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile as he took his leave. Then after the old Daoist respectfully sent him off, he quietly departed from the Prince¡¯s residence.


    Han Li didn¡¯t intend to immediately return to the Qin Residence. Instead, he casually found a teahouse and calmly contemplated as he tasted the tea. He started to mull over the recent affairs that had occurred to see whether or not there were anything he had done inappropriately or overlooked.


    He regularly examined and reflected on all his previous affairs, a habit that Han Li had acquired over the years. Only by continuously reducing his own failings and making up for his deficiencies would Han Li be able to come out unscathed from the crises of the cultivation world at every step.


    Thus, Han Li sat at the teahouse for a long while. When the sky had gradually begun to darken, he left the teahouse under a waiter¡¯s strange gaze.


    He only called for a single pot of tea and spent half a day drinking it. This was the first time the waiter had seen such a customer. He would later become unable to help but mention this to his friends, causing Han Li to be the unexpected butt of a few mortals¡¯ jokes. The unfortunate Han Li would forever remain oblivious to this loss of face.


    ¡­


    The agreed time by which he would meet old man Xiao had not yet arrived. However, Han Li never intended to truly arrive at the appointed time.


    Even though he was always one to be punctual, it was better to arrive early and prevent them from playing any tricks on him.


    After walking for a moment, Han Li suddenly wrinkled his brow.


    He felt the marks of the Xiao grandparent-grandchild pair appear in the west when they should¡¯ve been in the east as agreed, causing Han Li to feel a bit angry.


    With a cold snort, Han Li took advantage of the lack of spectators and threw his Divine Wind Boat to the sky. He and the boat turned into a streak of white light that rushed through the sky in the pair¡¯s direction.


    The magic technique for using Spiritual Qi to track people was a very common method used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, most people could only sense the marker from a few tens of kilometers away. Han Li, on the other hand, practiced the Great Development Technique and could faintly track it down from over fifty kilometers away, a feat that was truly astonishing.


    This caused Han Li to greatly look forward to practicing the second layer of the Great Development Technique!


    After a moment, Han Li stood on the Divine Wind Boat and coldly looked down at an unremarkable courtyard that was about a hundred meters wide. There were three small, half-worn rooms in the courtyard.


    Standing on the small pure white jade-like boat, Han Li didn¡¯t recklessly descend. Instead, he remained calm and silent as if he were thinking about something.


    In the end, Han Li took a light step, and the small boat immediately fell from the sky like a shooting star.


    But when he was about fifteen meters away from the floor, the magic tool suddenly came to a stop. Han Li¡¯s body moved, and he lightly stepped off the magic tool and landed in the small courtyard. At the same time, he beckoned toward the sky. In response, the small boat shrank and flew into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    This series of events was as smooth and nimble as flowing water; the slightest of noise couldn¡¯t be heard.


    Then, like a demon, he stood in front of the middle room and calmly probed the room for activity with his spiritual sense.


    Han Li clearly felt that within the room, there were two masses of Spiritual Qi faintly accompanied by traces of his own Spiritual Qi.


    As expected, after Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense entered the room, he clearly heard a young woman¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Grandpa, aren¡¯t our actions going to anger him? If that person truly finds us, will the excuses we prepared work?¡± The young girl¡¯s voice was filled with worry. It seemed that Han Li had left a deep and powerful impression on her.


    ¡°Humph! You foolish girl. How could he actually find us relying on just a bit of Spiritual Qi? Your grandpa ate more hardships than you ate meals. Threats, deliberately menacing words, your grandpa has seen them all! I am not convinced his words were true. Furthermore, even if he can activate the magic technique, since we are separated by such a far distance, that Foundation Establishment cultivator won¡¯t be able to accurately sense us. If he goes to the east district, then this person will truly have to go search for us.¡± After a cold snort, the old man chided the young girl.


    ¡°Since it is like that, why didn¡¯t we leave Yuejing during the night? All we did was move to the west district,¡± the young girl retorted, unconvinced.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand? What I said earlier was only your grandpa¡¯s guess! As to whether or not it¡¯s true, that is unclear. If I guessed correctly, naturally we won¡¯t have to face his threats and we¡¯ll be free to leave to a different place. But he is nonetheless a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Perhaps he will be able to trace us from afar with his magic technique. If we ran away from Yuejing and he found us, we would have no excuses. But moving to the west district isn¡¯t the same as running away, so we can just casually use an excuse to explain ourselves.¡± The old man doted on this young girl very much, so he gave her a detailed explanation.


    ¡°Hehe! Grandpa, you are truly cunning! However, I don¡¯t think that person seems to be of the despicable sort. Is it necessary for us to hide from him? According to my thoughts, wouldn¡¯t simply exchanging the Daoist book with him give us great benefits?! In any case, this Daoist book is far too profound for us to understand it.¡± The young girl giggled and said this without care.


    ¡°Humph! The world is dangerous. That is just wishful thinking! By conventional morals, everyone would honorably trade openly, and there would be no reason to scheme. You have yet to realize that for fair dealings to exist, they require both sides to have similar strengths. If one side is strong and one side is weak, how can that be considered fair?¡±


    ¡°Besides, although that Daoist book is of no value to us, it could perhaps be a treasure in his hands. After possessing the treasure, he might immediately exterminate us. Your grandpa has seen this on many occasions throughout his life! How could I possibly trust him? After all, the difference in cultivation between him and us is far too great. He could exterminate without expending the slightest of strength.¡± As the old man said this, his voice became darker. It was clear he was helpless against the reality that his life was in someone else¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be discouraged! Didn¡¯t you say that although that person appears young, he¡¯s likely an old monster that lived an unknown number of years?¡± When the young girl saw this, she hastily consoled him.


    But at this moment, a cold voice from their most feared person suddenly came from outside the room.


    ¡°What? How am I anything like an old monster?¡±


    As the complexion of the grandparent-grandchild pair greatly changed, the originally tightly closed door silently opened and gave way to Han Li, who calmly walked in.


    After he entered the room, Han Li bluntly sat in the host¡¯s seat and then wordlessly looked at the two with an extremely calm expression.

 Chapter 296

    Formal Apprenticeship


    Chapter 296: Formal Apprenticeship


    ¡°What, old monster? Nobody said those words!¡± With a greatly changed complexion, the young girl pushed this forward with a strong smile and hastily lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.


    Han Li chuckled and didn¡¯t bother with the young lady. Instead, he coldly looked at the old man.


    The old man appeared to have lost his head from fear.


    He truly didn¡¯t know how much Han Li heard from the previous conversation, so he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly complain without end. Now he didn¡¯t dare to speak his originally prepared excuse.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Senior would arrive so quickly! This Junior believed Senior would arrive in a few hours at the very least! Let Junior take out that book for Senior.¡±


    WIthout a choice, the old man could only cope with all his might against Han Li¡¯s unfriendly appearance. In a quick-witted move, he immediately mentioned the Daoist book in hopes that he could calm Han Li¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Fine, take it out!¡± After staring at the old man with a sword-like gaze, Han Li eventually said this with a cold tone.


    This caused the old man to recover his wits. It seemed the other party wouldn¡¯t immediately vent his anger.


    The old man hastily agreed and walked to the neighboring room. When the young girl saw this, she moved her legs, also wanting to follow the old man, but the old man stopped her with his gaze.


    What kind of joke was this!


    If both people went to the neighboring room, then wouldn¡¯t they be deliberately angering the other party! It would cause Han Li to believe they were thinking of playing some sort of trick. The old man completely threw these impractical thoughts out, fearing Han Li would have a misunderstanding.


    The young girl could only remain in the room with a pout. She stood silently in her original place, keeping Han Li company.


    The old man¡¯s movements were very quick. In the blink of an eye, he walked over with a shabby wooden box that seemed to contain the Daoist book.


    ¡°Senior, the Qi restraining  technique we use as well as the other teachings of the books are within. Please take a look and see whether it has any use to Senior.¡± The old man walked several steps toward Han Li and proclaimed this with a respectful appearance. He gently opened the wooden box, revealing a slightly blackened yellow leather book, and handed it over to Han Li.


    From a look, one could tell this book came from an ancient era!


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, and after looking at the book in the old man¡¯s hands several times, he nodded his head and received it.


    Although this book had changed color due to the passing of time, when Han Li touched the cover, it felt exquisitely smooth. Furthermore, it seemed extremely durable.


    It appeared that this book wasn¡¯t made from common materials and was instead made from the hide of some sort of demonic beast. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to remain intact for such a long time.


    Han Li lightly stroked the book for a moment, and after muttering to himself, he slowly flipped a page.


    After a few general looks, Han Li wrinkled his brow.


    When he opened this book, extremely unfamiliar and ancient characters entered his view. Han Li was certain he didn¡¯t recognize the marking of these characters. He also hadn¡¯t seen such markings from the collection at Yellow Maple Valley.


    Although he didn¡¯t recognize them, Han Li didn¡¯t waste his time, and he quickly turned through the pages.


    In the last two pages of the book, he discovered a set of nameless chants that appeared to have been added by someone. The characters used in this set of incantations were ancient characters more commonly used in the cultivation world, allowing him to easily read them.


    Han Li knew in his heart that this was the Qi restraining technique, so he took the liberty to analyze it.


    After the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li slowly closed the book, and his face wore a thoughtful expression.


    Putong. Putong. The old man to the side felt his heart violently beat, but he didn¡¯t dare to breath loudly. He knew this moment would decide the lives of him and his granddaughter since Han Li would be revealing how he intended to treat the two of them.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to the old man¡¯s inwardly nervous attitude. Instead, he calmly took out a jade box from his storage pouch and properly put the book inside.


    Then, he turned his face towards the old man and said indifferently, ¡°I will take this book. Tell me right now what items you two want in exchange for it. No matter what, I will fulfill your requests to the best of my ability!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but when the old man and the young girl heard those words, it was as if they heard the sweet sounds of nature.


    At this moment, the two knew that not only were their lives saved, but there were also benefits to be had. They couldn¡¯t help but reveal pleasant surprise!


    ¡°Senior, could you let us discuss it for a bit?¡± Now that the crisis had passed, the old man couldn¡¯t help but want to maximize the benefits from this exchange and immediately asked Han Li with a smile.


    Before Han Li arrived, the pair had been afraid they would be exterminated absolutely without any items being exchanged.


    But now that they heard Han Li¡¯s question, they were naturally caught unprepared!


    Furthermore, now that he realized Han Li wasn¡¯t a merciless, nasty character, the old man gathered the courage to ask that question.


    ¡°Do as you wish. But you mustn¡¯t take too long!¡±


    Because Han Li had acquired a set of very useful secret arts and a mysterious ancient book, he was in a good mood. He allowed them this chance to talk without paying much mind.


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s great favor! We will only take a short among of time,¡± the old man exclaimed with great joy.


    He immediately brought the young woman outside the room, and the two started to mutter in soft voices.


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled.


    Although he could easily exterminate the two, Han Li wasn¡¯t such an evil and pointlessly vicious character. If he didn¡¯t need to, he wouldn¡¯t go back on his word.


    After a short moment, the old man and the young woman walked over with strange expressions on their faces, as if they were a bit worried.


    When Han Li saw them, he was a bit puzzled, but he still asked, ¡°You two have decided?¡±


    ¡°Senior, we have finished discussing. This one¡¯s granddaughter doesn¡¯t want any worldly possessions. Instead, we wish for Senior to fulfill our bold request!¡± After a moment of hesitation, he said this with clenched teeth, slightly surprisingly Han Li.


    ¡°What¡¯s this request?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and unhurriedly asked.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but at this moment, Han Li suddenly had a feeling that something troublesome was going to happen to him.


    After some more hesitation, the old man revealed a helpless expression and continued vaguely:


    ¡°A¡­ Actually, this one¡¯s granddaughter greatly admires Senior¡¯s deep and profound cultivation and techniques. She w¡­ wishes to become Senior¡¯s disciple and is willing to serve as Senior¡¯s attendant. As the sincere wish of this small old man and his granddaughter, we hope Senior will be able to take her as a disciple.¡±


    Just as the old man finished stuttering these words, the clever young girl immediately paid her respects in front of Han Li and kowtowed, knocking her head loudly on the floor. Han Li simply had not predicted this would happen; after a moment of great surprise, he didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry.


    To have him accept a disciple, was this a joke? He was still trembling from fear in face of the cultivation world and was never sure whether he¡¯d be able to defend himself. Now he had to bring something to weigh him down?!


    He certainly couldn¡¯t agree to this matter!


    Regardless, Han Li had to return to the main topic on hand. He could tell that the girl¡¯s aptitude shouldn¡¯t be poor, even if he hadn¡¯t carefully examined it yet. Otherwise, she shouldn¡¯t have been able to reach the sixth layer at such a young age. When Han Li was at that age, the only reason he had reached that stage was because he had the assistance of an insane amount of medicine pills.


    From this, it would be a pity for this young girl to spend her life muddling through starting line of the cultivation world. Although he couldn¡¯t take this young girl as a disciple, he could still introduce her to a master. He actually found the rare mischievous streak in her quite agreeable.


    He clearly remembered that the small old man, Senior Martial Brother Ma, had yet to take in a disciple.


    Furthermore, Senior Martial Brother Ma had once angrily complained that ever since Han Li left the Hundred Medicine Garden, the old man had to personally look after the medicine garden when he could otherwise be taking care of more important tasks. Had the small old man known Han Li would leave the garden, he would¡¯ve taken in an obedient disciple.


    This young girl before him appeared exceptionally intelligent. If her aptitude truly wasn¡¯t lacking, then there was no harm in introducing her to Senior Martial Brother Ma as a potential disciple. As for whether Senior Martial Brother Ma would be satisfied in taking in this young girl as a disciple, that had nothing to do with Han Li.


    With this thought, Han Li revealed a thoughtful appearance and caused the old man and the young girl to believe he was truly thinking of whether to accept her as a disciple, leaving them with excitement.


    ¡°Come over here. Let me look at your spiritual roots.¡± After some contemplation, Han Li waved to the girl and calmly said this.


    ¡°Yes, Senior!¡±


    The girl appeared extremely clever, and after respectfully answering, she nimbly walked in front of Han Li and took the initiative to hand over her slender, flawless white wrist, revealing a slight bit of shyness.


    Han Li lightly grabbed the young girl¡¯s jade wrist with his right hand and started to slowly circulate Spiritual Qi throughout her body. Not long after, he let go.


    ¡°Dual spiritual roots, truly good aptitude!¡± Han Li muttered as he stared at the young girl¡¯s face.


    When the young woman and the old man heard Han Li¡¯s words, joy bubbled up from their faces and they believed that Han Li was about to accept her.


    But Han Li continued, suddenly saying, ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t take disciples! Otherwise, with your aptitude, I would definitely have accepted you.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words caused the grandparent-grandchild pair to feel as if cold water was being poured over their heads. They couldn¡¯t help but blankly stare.

 Chapter 297

    The Breaking of Bad News


    When Han Li saw the young girl¡¯s disappointed expression, he suddenly smiled and gently said, ¡°Although I can¡¯t accept you as a disciple, do not lose heart! I can introduce you to my Foundation Establishment Senior Martial Brother, a potential master. However, whether or not you can become his disciple all depends on my Senior Martial Brother. Is this to your satisfaction?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The young girl¡¯s original look of disappointment vanished. When she heard those words, her spirit immediately shook.


    Without speaking further, Han Li took out a sound transmission talisman and lightly mumbled a few sentences into the talisman. Then he handed it to the young girl along with a jade medallion.


    ¡°Take this talisman and this jade medallion. Bring these with you to Yellow Maple Valley and find a Senior surnamed Ma. At that time, whether or not he will accept you as a disciple will depend on your luck,¡± Han Li added with an indifferent expression.


    The girl didn¡¯t expect that even though Han Li was unwilling to take her in as a disciple, he would give her another opportunity. With her wish once again ignited, she hastily saluted Han Li and expressed her thanks. The old man was equivalently in high spirits.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m uncertain whether he will accept you as his disciple, I will also give you two high-grade magic tools. This could also be regarded as compensation for that Daoist book of yours.¡±


    While Han Li was saying this, he took out an embroidered emerald-green silk cloth and a small blue sword, casually handing them over to the old man.


    When the old man saw this, he appeared pleasantly surprised.


    He originally believed that having Han Li introduce the young girl to a master was quite a good fortune, but he hadn¡¯t thought that Han Li would bestow even more substantial benefits. He couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely grateful.


    The old man hurriedly expressed his thanks once more and respectfully took the magic tools, revealing an extremely content expression.


    He had cultivated for so many years, yet he only had one high-grade magic tool on hand. Now that he acquired two more, how could he not be satisfied?


    Han Li did not stay for long, but before he left, he casually withdrew the Spiritual Qi he had placed on the pair¡¯s bodies. Under their respectful gazes, Han Li flew off and departed.


    After they saw Han Li fly far away, the old man handed the embroidered silk to the young girl and kept the small sword as he roared with laughter. Then they made preparations to leave the next day and go find that Senior Ma at Yellow Maple Valley in order to see whether or not his granddaughter could become a disciple of the Seven Sects.


    However, old man Xiao was a bit puzzled as to why Han Li was mixed among the Qin Clan. Those people were genuine mortals!


    ¡­¡­


    Not knowing old man Xiao had let his imagination run wild, Han Li rushed back to the Qin Residence with joyful anticipation.


    Because he used his magic tool to simply descend into his own dwelling, his return hadn¡¯t aroused anyone¡¯s attention. He then returned to his room without anyone knowing.


    Sensing that this newly acquired set of Qi restraining incantations was quite practical, he opened the ancient book to cultivate it that night.


    The incantation was a minor skill that used a bit of spiritual power. With the support of Han Li¡¯s profound magic power, he had no difficulty grasping it.


    After one night, he almost completely grasped it.


    On the morning of the next day, just as Han Li finished his Qi refinement meditation and felt that his luck was quite good, he suddenly heard a smothered ¡°Bang¡± from within his storage pouch. It seemed that something had broke.


    Han Li¡¯s expression immediately became very unsightly and gloomy.  After a moment, he reached out for his storage pouch and took out a violet bead. It was actually exactly the same magic tool he gave the old Daoist. However, the bead¡¯s sparkling and glossy appearance was split with several deep cracks.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li suddenly walked out of the room, and after checking that no one was in the courtyard, he immediately took out his Divine Wind Boat. With a flash, he boarded the small boat and silently disappeared from the Qin Residence.


    After a quarter hour, Han Li appeared at a small village outside Yuejing. With a still expression, he surveyed the village and its surroundings from the sky as if he were looking for something.


    Eventually, at some remote hills several kilometers away from the village, Han Li stepped off the small boat and stared unwaveringly at a huge poplar tree.


    After a long while, Han Li¡¯s hands formed a magic incantation as he softly spat out the word ¡°Retrieve¡±.


    From the tree¡¯s deeply buried roots, a ball of green light carrying a bead flew out. This bead was a lustrous purple and had several cracks on it. From the size of the cracks, it unexpectedly appeared to be the exact same as the one in Han Li¡¯s hand.


    Han Li sighed and beckoned the ball of light, causing it to fly toward his hand.


    When it entered his grasp, the ball of light immediately vanished into Han Li¡¯s body. Only the bead remained in his hand.


    Han Li muttered to himself for a moment before suddenly shooting a fist-sized fireball from his finger towards the roots of the large tree. In an instant, the poplar tree turned to ash and left a large crater in the ground.


    Han Li stepped forward and carefully examined it, but he didn¡¯t discover anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s most likely that he was caught up in some evil scheme,¡± Han Li muttered to himself, shaking his head.


    Actually, the true name of the ¡°Purple Light Bead¡± magic tool that he originally chose to give the old Daoist was ¡°Purple Light Response Bead¡±.


    These magic tools were refined in pairs. Not only did they release a defensive light barrier, but when one bead¡¯s light barriers was broken, so long as the other bead was within five hundred meters, it would suffer the same damage, quite incredibly.


    These magic tools were extremely common defensive magic tools carried by Dao Companions of the of the Harmonic Bond Sect. After several melees on the border of the State of Yue, he had acquired many of these magic tools. Because he felt they were rather strange, he hadn¡¯t sold them.


    When he gave the old Daoist this magic tool, it was actually so that if the old Daoist encountered any mishap, Han Li would immediately know.


    He absolutely did not think that the old Daoist would use this magic tool after just one night. All of this seemed to point to disaster.


    This went far from Han Li¡¯s expectations and had caught him rather unprepared!


    Han Li motionlessly stood next the hole as if he were contemplating something.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li expression seemed to stir. He expressionlessly threw out the Divine Wind Boat and boarded it, flying far off in a streak of white light.


    This small overgrown hill seemed to have returned to a state of peace. Apart from the chirping of small birds, it seemed lifeless and still.


    ¡°Huuu¡­¡±


    After an hour, a nearby deep voice exhaled for a while.


    Over thirty meters away from the large crater, a person slowly emerged from below a shrub. He was tightly covered in black cloth from head to toe.  A pair of dark glossy eyes could be seen as well as a yellow light barrier.


    But when this person¡¯s entire body came out, the yellow light barrier immediately weakened and soon completely disappeared without a trace.


    After this figure emerged, he diligently took a look at the sky in every direction. Then he said with a deep voice, ¡°Come out! He left!¡±


    After this was said, several locations nearby started to shift, and three similarly dressed people emerged along with their own similar yellow light barriers. However, one of the figures appeared to have a thin, woman¡¯s stature.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, what do we do? We were instructed to capture or kill anyone who came here, but we helplessly let this person go. Won¡¯t there be consequences?¡± A lanky, recently emerged individual couldn¡¯t help but anxiously ask this. From his voice, it seemed he was fairly young.


    When the person who first emerged heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble. He was greatly worried about what the lanky figure had said. They all knew from experience that the ones giving them these orders were vicious.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem! When they gave us our objective, they didn¡¯t say that the person who would come was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This is something far beyond our capabilities. If we had acted, we would only be courting death,¡± the ¡°Eldest Brother¡± said without much confidence.


    ¡°Humph! Eldest Brother speaks correctly. How could we subdue a Foundation Establishment cultivator? I also don¡¯t trust those people. They truly didn¡¯t give us the slightest explanation!¡± The third individual was the sole female. She said this with dissatisfaction.


    After hearing those words, the other three couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile and look at each other in dismay. This little sister of theirs was still so naive even though her life was hanging in the hands of a mysterious enemy. Why would the other party give them an explanation!


    ¡°However, it¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t give us the slightest explanation. I reckon that they just didn¡¯t expect there would be such a huge fish. Else, why would they hand this matter over to us? They would have had a Foundation Establishment cultivator assist us at the very least,¡± the last person to emerge said. He had a tall and thin stature.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If we give them a clear explanation, we shouldn¡¯t be too badly punished!¡± The person with lanky stature hastily agreed as if his spirits had risen.


    But if anybody else heard this, who wouldn¡¯t think these words were anything but self-comfort?


    ¡°Even so, it is a bit strange. For some reason, I feel like I¡¯ve seen this young Foundation Establishment cultivator before. He seems somewhat familiar!¡± He softly muttered to himself with a slightly puzzled appearance.


    Those words greatly startled the other three.


    That girl was especially surprised. Great curiosity flashed through her eyes, wanting to ask further on this matter.


    However, the person they referred to as ¡°Eldest Brother¡± suddenly waved his hand and interrupted, ¡°Enough, we must hurry and leave this place. Let¡¯s leave these matters for later.¡±


    When the woman heard this, she could only swallow her question and nod her head in agreement.

 Chapter 298

    Captured Alive.


    Chapter 298: Captured Alive


    ¡°Could you tell this one where you intend to go?¡±


    Without waiting for them to take out their flying magic tools, a cold voice suddenly came from the sky.


    This ice cold voice chilled them to the bone, causing this masked group of four to become completely pale from fright. They all cast defensive magic almost simultaneously and then scattered, not daring to turn their head.


    About a hundred meters up in the sky, Han Li was standing on his Divine Wind Boat with fluttering clothes. He was expressionlessly looking at them with a gaze containing a ghastly chill.


    Their hearts similar sunk as they all thought the same thing. ¡®When did this person return? Why didn¡¯t we sense him in the slightest?¡¯


    ¡°Scatter!¡± Their leader, the Eldest Brother, shouted without hesitation.


    He then took the initiative to fiercely retreat. At the same time, he threw out a disk magic tool from his bosom and stepped on it, flying away.


    The other three scattered in different directions and flew off.


    These people clearly understood that they fundamentally couldn¡¯t resist a Foundation Establishment cultivator and that it would be better to immediately fly off since their chances of survival would be a bit higher.


    The young woman had the weakest magic power among them. Thus, even though she quickly flew on her flying magic tool, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look at Han Li in the sky.


    As a result, she was surprised by what she saw.


    Han Li was standing on the small boat without moving in the slightest. He didn¡¯t appear to be taking any actions in pursuing the four. Along with the woman¡¯s amazement, she was also secretly delighted to no end, thinking there should be a good chance at escaping unscathed.


    But at this moment, she suddenly heard an extremely frigid and sharp hiss come from her front.


    With alarm, the woman hastily turned her head around and saw a blinding red arrow of light shoot from the sk, heading aggressively straight toward her.


    Aghast, the masked woman raised her hand and threw out an ice spear technique just in time.


    When that lustrous ice spear touched the red light, it shattered into white mist. It was unexpectedly unable to obstructing the red arrow of light in the slightest, allowing it strike against the water-attribute barrier protecting her body.


    Blue light and red light then filled her vision.


    Her body vibrated and was forcibly pushed back by over ten meters, but seeing that her barrier remained intact, the woman sighed deeply from relief.


    At this moment, she took a glance in front of her with fright and anger. Could it be the Foundation Establishment cultivator had comrades lying around in ambush for them?


    After she clearly saw ¡®who¡¯ was in front of her, this masked girl¡®s black eyes went blank as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she saw.


    In front of her were two floating soldier figurines dressed in armor. One of them held a large bow and was currently drawing back the bow with a red light arrow. The other one was holding a broad long saber emitting yellow light as it slowly flew toward her.


    Although the woman was shocked by the fact that these rigid objects could attack her as true people could, she knew that if she didn¡¯t deal with these figurines¡¯ attacks, she wouldn¡¯t be able to smoothly escape.


    With this thought, she clenched her flawless teeth and took out a blue lustrous throwing knife from her storage pouch.


    The high-grade magic tool she held in her hand had cost her all of her savings. Normally, she would absolutely hate to use it, but right now she had to urgently escape and didn¡¯t have much choice.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    The girl softly shouted. That throwing knife then turned into a streak of blue light and shot toward the figurine that was approaching her.


    The blue throwing knife arrived in front of the figurine in the blink of an eye, fiercely chopping at its head without the slightest hesitation.


    Against the masked woman¡¯s expectations, a soft ¡°Dang¡± sounded out. The figurine had raised its long saber with surprising speed and struck the blue throwing knife before continuing to fly mechanically towards the woman.


    The masked woman¡¯s expression greatly changed. Pointing to her magic tool, she commanded it to fly out for several meters and loop in a circle, striking the figurine on its return.


    But what happened next left her dumbstruck. As if the figurine had eyes behind its head, it struck the magic tool approaching from behind.


    This time, the woman was truly panicking!


    Just as she thought to come up with something else, a sharp hiss could be heard as the bow figurine shot out an arrow.


    With no better option, the masked woman hastily flew to the side, wanting to dodge the arrow.


    But much to her surprise, this red streak of light seemed to be manipulated; it mimicked her movements and followed her, catching her off guard. She could only brace for another impact and hope her barrier could hold up once more.


    It was at this moment that the saber-wielding figurine finally arrived in front of her and used its long saber to break through her barrier without resistance.


    Unwilling to allow the enemy to succeed so smoothly, the masked woman hastily moved to escape.


    Thus, the two figurines attacked her from both close range and from a distance. With the cultivation base of the masked woman repeatedly exhausted from her continuous retreats, any kind of escape was out of the question.


    But when the sweat-drenched young woman commanded her throwing knife to block the figurine¡¯s attack with great difficulty, the figurine that was attacking her in close quarters leaped away from her. At the same time, the archer  figurine lowered its bow and no longer attacked.


    When the woman saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. Then she heard a sigh come from behind her, ¡°Sigh! Fifth Sister, you must come back!¡±


    Having heard this, she stopped and then slowly turned around.


    She saw three masked men dejectedly standing behind her. Behind each of them were three or four figurines similar to those that were also next to her. Apart from the soldier figurines, there were also actually several tiger beast figurines among them as well.


    As young woman swept her gaze past them with an appearance of despair, she was subconsciously compelled to return to her original position.


    Her three elder brothers had spiritless gazes as if they were already under control.


    The masked woman raised her head to look at Han Li in the sky and sadly tossed her throwing knife magic tool to the floor. She no longer put up any resistance.


    When Han Li saw this, he raised his hands with no trace of politeness and sent several streaks of green light burrowing into her body, causing her to feel as if a ghost had possessed her. Her body¡¯s true essence became obscure, and she could no longer move as she wished.


    With this finished, Han Li didn¡¯t make any inquiries. Instead, he waved his hand and pulled them onto the Divine Wind Boat he was sitting on.


    He couldn¡¯t stay at this place long. If he didn¡¯t leave, it was likely he might encounter an expert, which would be greatly problematic.


    He randomly chose a direction away from Yuejing. Then, Han Li and the four turned into a streak of white light and flew away.


    Not long after, two people appeared where Han Li and the four had been. However, these people¡¯s clothes were a concentrated red similar to the color of blood, causing anyone who would¡¯ve seen it to feel uneasy.


    The two took a look around before standing in front of a large hole where the large tree used to be.


    After a moment of silence, one of the two suddenly sighed and said, ¡°It seems those five friends from Meng were defeated!¡±


    This person¡¯s voice sounded a bit old. Upon hearing it, one would assume the speaker was not young at all.


    ¡°Humph, there are no remains! Not only did they fail, they must¡¯ve also been captured alive. As there isn¡¯t the slightest scent of blood here, it seems the newcomer was able to capture those four quite easily.¡± The other person said this with an appearance of disdain. This person didn¡¯t seem old, appearing to be around twenty years old.


    ¡°This is a bit troublesome! The five friends of Meng Mountain aren¡¯t the useless sort, else their lives wouldn¡¯t have been spared and they would have already become blood sacrifices. I suppose they hadn¡¯t been overwhelmed by a large number of Qi Condensation and were instead captured by a Foundation Establishment cultivator,¡± the first person said with a bit of concern.


    ¡°What? Are you afraid those people will reveal our secrets? They¡¯re only a few cultivators that our school has recruited from nearby. They simply don¡¯t know any of our school¡¯s secrets. Furthermore, before I sent them on their assignment, I had already activated their seal in secret. They will only live half a day more at most.¡± The youth lightly laughed and said this without paying any mind.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good. If it¡¯s only half a day more, they won¡¯t be able to leak anything. With their bodies having been subjected to the blood incantation restrictions, by the time they discover something is amiss, they will no longer be able to say anything,¡± the old man said after letting out a breath.


    However, the old man changed the subject and said somewhat darkly, ¡°However, why did this happen? Did we not discuss this? We were supposed to turn that old Daoist Wu into our puppet and have him act as your master so that you can slowly show your face in the cultivation world. In this way, our school will be able to carry out our plan and have the core disciples appear in the cultivation world with an open identity. Why would you suddenly barge into that old Daoist¡¯s room and suck in his blood essence? You shouldn¡¯t be lacking in any magic power supplements!¡±


    After hearing the old man¡¯s words, the masked youth bitterly laughed several times and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You think I did it for a supplement? I had no other choice!¡±

 Chapter 299

    Harboring Thoughts


    ¡°Then why?¡± The elderly person exclaimed in a low voice, feeling shocked.


    ¡°My magic power backlashed, and I desperately needed a cultivator¡¯s blood essence to suppress the true essence in my body. Apart from you, the only nearby cultivator was old Daoist Wu. I can¡¯t use you, can I? Just then, the backlash was truly too vicious; it happened two days earlier than I anticipated, and I was almost unable to suppress it,¡± the young person said with a bitter laugh; evidently, he was still quite afraid!


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that. While it¡¯s not your fault, you will still need to properly explain this matter to the higher ups. But based on my estimation, this may have arisen because you were too hasty in cultivating your Black Fiend Asura Technique. You shouldn¡¯t go to the blood prison to cultivate for now. Instead, take some time to consolidate your foundation before pressing onward!¡± The elder slowly said this after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°Rest assured! After I absorbed that old Daoist¡¯s blood essence, my backlash completely withdrew. So long as I am more careful in the future, no such accidents will again occur. Recently, I have also felt that my cultivation speed has been too rapid, so I myself have been considering not going there again!¡± the young person indifferently said.


    ¡°Good, as long as you know about it. However, although this old Daoist has been exterminated, the person who planted a Spiritual Qi seal in this person is still quite troublesome! You must not ignore him. After all, it¡¯s best to think of a way to not leave any traces behind!


    ¡°En, your words sound pretty reasonable! However, I originally believed that anyone who would become friends with old Daoist Wu would also have extremely low cultivation bases. After preparing the trap, I asked those five friends from Meng to set an ambush, but who knew that a big fish would actually appear? Do you think that it was a group of low-layer cultivators or a single Foundation Establishment cultivator who took action?¡± The young person couldn¡¯t resist asking the elderly figure behind him.


    ¡°Hehe! Based on my estimation, it was likely a single Foundation Establishment cultivator! After all, even if there were more Qi Condensation cultivators, once those four were set on fleeing, capturing them all at once is not that easily done,¡± the elderly man with a veiled face said without further thought.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s like this, shouldn¡¯t we temporarily avoid taking risks? When Sect Master comes out from closed-door cultivation, we can continue with some other plan; after all, Foundation Establishment cultivators are not to be lightly provoked!¡± the young man said with some hesitation upon hearing the other person so casually tossing out the identities of the five friends from Meng Mountain.


    ¡°Temporarily avoid? What is there to temporarily avoid? You don¡¯t know yet? Sect Master just sent out a notice that he currently requires a few Foundation Establishment cultivators to serve as blood sacrifices. Since this person took the initiative to appear, we shouldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip past us so lightly! After all, Qi Condensation cultivators are numerous and easy to capture, but isolated Foundation Establishment cultivators are extremely rarely seen!¡± the elderly person said with a cold laugh, his eyes revealing a killing intent.


    The young person with a veiled face, upon hearing this, was slightly startled, but afterward, he still spoke somewhat awkwardly:


    ¡°But now, apart from the Sect Master¡¯s four great blood servants, our sect doesn¡¯t have any Foundation Establishment level experts here in the capital. They are all in different locations, taking care of various matters; we can¡¯t call them back to the capital just for this, can we?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be so complicated! Right now, Sect Master desperately needs a Foundation Establishment cultivator; perhaps you could obtain an opportunity to enter Foundation Establishment just like his four great blood servants?¡± A greedy expression flashed across the eyes of the veiled elderly person.


    When the young man heard this, his spirit was shaken, as if he had been completely swayed by the elder¡¯s words.


    ¡°Okay, I will go back and prepare! We definitely must capture this person,¡± he viciously said.


    Then, the two of them discussed something in low tones for quite some time before inconspicuously leaving the hills, heading for some unknown location.


    Strangely, however, these two people never brought up how they would precisely find Han Li¡¯s location in such a large capital. It was as if this was not even an issue to them.


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile, in a completely deserted area hundreds of kilometers away from the hills, Han Li descended in the Divine Wind Boat, then forced the four people off the magic tool.


    Although these four individuals knew that what happened next would not be something good, they simply couldn¡¯t stir up any rebellious intent and could only listen obediently to his orders, walking off the small boat.


    Han Li, with his hands clasped behind his back, stood in front of the few silent people, coldly sizing them up. After a long while, he opened his mouth and said:


    ¡°Take off your veils! At this point, covering your faces is no longer of any use.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice was completely void of emotion, causing the four people¡¯s figures to tremble briefly before involuntarily glancing at each other.


    ¡°Take them off,¡± the Eldest Brother said helplessly.


    Seeing this, the other three people could only take off their black veils one by one in a dejected manner, revealing their true, unconcealed appearances.


    After Han Li glanced at their appearances individually, his outward expression did not change, but in his heart, he let out a sigh; as expected, it was those five friends from Meng Mountain.


    As he was hovering in midair, listening to these people discussing things, he already felt that their voices were somewhat familiar. Adding on their cultivation method and layers, he naturally connected them to the five friends from Meng Mountain that he had seen just two months ago. All of them were here apart from that forty year-old or so female.


    Although these people¡¯s identities were exactly the same as he had guessed, Han Li¡¯s head still began to hurt incomparably.


    Without even thinking, he knew that the young prince in Prince Xin¡¯s residence and Steward Wang should be the criminals behind the mass disappearance of cultivators.


    He originally intended to do as much as he could to avoid this trouble, but he never expected that this problem would voluntarily come to him. If he had known that it would be this way, he definitely would not have allowed that old Daoist to spy on those two. This was something that had nothing to do with the people from the Devil Dao; rather, he had simply been too careful.


    Anyhow, he never expected that old Daoist Wu would actually be that useless; he had only spied on them for a day before being discovered. He had not even been able to protect his life.


    This caused Han Li to feel even more depressed and speechless!


    If old Daoist Wu¡¯s spirit was in the afterlife and he knew that Han Li was complaining about him like this, perhaps he would feel even more wronged! He hadn¡¯t even begun to spy on the young prince before the young prince charged into his room and sucked out his blood essence for no reason; his death was truly treated unjustly!


    Although Han Li was somewhat wrong about old Daoist Wu¡¯s death, he didn¡¯t know that the young prince and Steward Wang did not know about Old Daoist Wu¡¯s plans to spy on them; even more, they did not know at all that their identities had been revealed to Han Li.


    But this didn¡¯t affect the fact that both sides had sounded an alarm and were aware of enemies within their midst!


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts were very heavy at this moment.


    After all, of the cultivators who had recently disappeared, a few Foundation Establishment cultivators were also included in that mix. If the opponent that he provoked was extremely frightening, perhaps he would follow in the footsteps of the others who had disappeared if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    Normally, since this place was so dangerous, he would naturally flee far away; after all, a wise man foresees and mitigates risks! There really was no need for him to fight to the death with this group of people; the further he could get away from this place, the better.


    But what posed him some difficulty was that he still had the mission of protecting the Qin Clan.


    If, the people from the Qin Clan were to suffer some misfortune during his absence, he would have no way of accounting for it when he reported to Li Huayuan!


    He could not say that he fled because he had felt that Yuejing had suddenly become extremely dangerous.


    As Han Li thought this, his expression began to appear indecisive, causing the four hostages in front of him to feel extremely uneasy.


    They originally thought that since they had been brought to this place with no one else around, the other person was definitely going to press them for information. However, they didn¡¯t expect that this Foundation Establishment youth, after seeing their expressions, would fall into deep thought. His expression became somewhat strange as well. Could he be thinking of some vicious method to torture them?


    After making these random guesses, these individuals felt cold sweat forming on their back, and their mental states became even more unsettled.


    ¡°How does your esteemed self plan on dealing with us?¡± the twenty-something year-old young woman suddenly asked, becoming impatient.


    Hearing these words, Han Li recovered from his deep thinking; after glancing at the woman, he coldly said:


    ¡°Do I need to deal with you? If I were to hand you over to the families of the missing cultivators and say that you are some of the criminals behind the scenes, I trust that they would treat you very well.¡±


    Han Li spoke these words expressionlessly, causing the four people to have no doubts that Han Li would have no qualms about doing this; they couldn¡¯t help but reveal terrified expressions.


    ¡°We never kidnapped those cultivators, not even once! We only did a few¡­¡­?¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking, Fifth Junior Sister! He is trying to trap you with his words!¡±


    The dark-faced old man suddenly barked out severely, abruptly interrupting the woman¡¯s next words. This caused Fifth Junior Sister¡¯s heart to feel shocked, and she couldn¡¯t help but viciously glare at Han Li.


    ¡°Set a trap for you with my words? You regard yourselves too highly!¡± Han Li indifferently chuckled with a mocking smile.

 Chapter 300

    Blood Curse.


    Chapter 300: Blood Curse


    ¡°Hmph! As our senior, you have no need to humiliate us in this way. If you have any methods to torture us with, just use them!¡± The tall, skinny Second Brother of the Five Friends from Meng Mountain suddenly yelled at Han Li; he did not seem to be afraid that his life hung in Han Li¡¯s hands.


    This greatly shocked the other three! In their hearts, this second eldest brother was someone who would think before acting; he was not an impulsive person!


    The thirty year-old youth, who felt that Han Li seemed somewhat familiar, thought for a moment; He suddenly seemed to recall something and immediately turned towards the tall, skinny man, yelling at him with anger and fright, ¡°Second Brother, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to purposefully enrage this Senior and cause him to kill all of us in his anger?¡±


    As soon as this sentence left his mouth, even Han Li was slightly shocked, not to mention the dark-faced elder and the young woman; he had no idea why this youth would say these things.


    In an instant, the Second Brother¡¯s face became incomparably pale and didn¡¯t say anything to defend himself.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, you¡¯re mad! How could Second Brother want us to die?¡± When the young woman heard this, she angrily defended the tall, thin man.


    Then the woman turned her face toward the dark-faced old man to say something. However, she truly hadn¡¯t thought the old man would look so gloomy.


    ¡°Second Brother, is it because Third Sister still remains in their grasp that you thought to have everyone die so that Third Sister may live!?¡± The dark-faced old man coldly asked.


    ¡°Forgive me, Eldest Brother, but you of all people should know his methods. From the hidden meaning behind his words, Third Sister will be certain to suffer a hundred torments under his hand and live a life worse than death. It would be better to have one¡¯s soul fly away and be scattered than to suffer that fate!¡± The thin, tall Second Brother eventually explained with a face of shame.


    When the young woman heard this, her face became incomparably pale. Her lips moved several times, but no words were able to come out.


    ¡°Humph, even if Third Sister is your Dao Companion, you actually have the nerve to use our three lives in exchange for her own?¡± The thirty year-old youth resentfully yelled at the second brother.


    ¡°Second Brother, although Fourth Brother speaks somewhat bluntly, he is not without reason! When we swore our oaths as sworn siblings that year, we promised that we would all live and die together. But now for your selfish ideas, you wanted to deliberately kill everyone. This is unjustifiable!¡± The dark-faced old man¡¯s voice was filled with disappointment.


    ¡°Correct! I wanted everyone to die but what other method do I have? My own flesh and blood is within Third Sister¡¯s stomach. I can¡¯t have my Li Clan become extinct here! Otherwise, who else would take the initiative to seek death? A wretched life is preferable to a good death!¡±


    As his expression alternated between red and white, the thin, tall man couldn¡¯t help but yell this with gripped fists.


    These words immediately caused the old man and the young woman to be slightly stunned and reveal shock. For a moment, they actually didn¡¯t know what to say.


    The woman had her mouth wide open with an expression of complete shock.


    ¡°Are you all finished? If you are, then I will speak!¡± Han Li, who had been detachedly observing from the start, suddenly said this in a cold voice.


    When they heard this, the three were immediately startled, and they suddenly recalled that the one who was actually in charge of their lives was actually the Foundation Establishment cultivator before them.


    Their resentment immediately disappeared without a trace, and they once again looked at each other in dismay.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you are all seeking death or if you¡¯re putting on a play! I only want information on those behind the scenes. If you truly want to die, you will only be able to do so after you tell me information. Did you still think  that you had control over your life and death?¡± Han Li¡¯s emotionless words caused the fours¡¯ complexions to greatly change.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know much of what you want. Furthermore, we have a blood curse restriction on our bodies. We aren¡¯t able to leak any important affairs to outsiders, else we would immediately activate the restriction and our hearts would rupture.¡± The dark-faced old man gritted his teeth and then said this. He seemed to have already given up.


    ¡°Blood curse? That¡¯s a bit interesting. Let me inspect it!¡± Han Li grew very curious and said this with some interest.


    When the dark-faced old man heard this, his spirit slightly shook. After some hesitation, he took the initiative to walk forward and extend his arm, holding onto a thread of hope.


    He had hopes that Han Li would be able to remove the calamity hidden within him. However, he felt these hopes weren¡¯t very likely.


    Those who put the blood curse on them were extraordinarily confident that no cultivator with a blood curse would divulge their secrets. Those who divulged secrets, regardless of whether it was deliberate or not, would die on the spot.


    At this moment, Han Li grabbed his wrist and slowly circulated spiritual power through the old man¡¯s body. At this moment, his expression changed and became incomparably respectful.


    The other three of the Five Friends of Meng Mountain stared at the two with great attention. They hoped this expert Han Li would truly be able to remove the blood curse.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li let go of the old man¡¯s hand and lowered his head in contemplation.


    After a short moment, he raised his head and asked the old man with an unchanged expression, ¡°When they laid the curse on you, did they chant any strange incantations or say some strange words?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s question caused the four to all reveal an appearance of shock mixed with a trace of happiness.


    ¡°They said¡­they said a few strange words we didn¡¯t understand. It seemed as if the incantation came from some sort of ancient dialect. We¡¯re certain we¡¯ve never heard those words before. Also, it was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who laid the curse on us.¡± Without waiting for the dark-faced old man to respond, the thin man excitedly replied first.


    ¡°Furthermore, after they finished these words, they took a bowl of some unknown black blood and put a few peculiar pattern on all our arms. It is incapable of being washed off.¡± The old man promptly added on. He then exposed his entire arm, revealing a strange black and indistinct symbol.


    After Han Li stepped forward and took a careful look, he nodded his head. Then he again lowered his head in thought.


    Not long after, Han Li suddenly raised his head and mysteriously smiled toward them, saying, ¡°I was right! It seems I figured out what this blood curse is!¡±


    ¡°Are Senior¡¯s words true?¡± The dark-faced old man said, trembling. The other three didn¡¯t dare to believe Han Li¡¯s words.


    This blood curse was like a sharp blade at their necks. They had no choice but to follow the orders they were given. If Han Li could truly remove the great danger that resided within their hearts, they would be able to recover their freedom and wouldn¡¯t need to obey their captors any further.


    ¡°This so-called blood curse is actually a kind of oral curse! What created the restriction should be that strange incantation. It has absolutely nothing to do with the black blood mark drawn on your upper arm; that was only a deception!¡± Han Li indifferently explained. It appeared as if he was greatly prepared.


    However, he inwardly sighed from the fluke.


    Fortunately, back when he was looking for information on the Greater Displacement Medallion, he had come across this oral curse technique in a very peculiar book. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have known the slightest thing about it.


    ¡°Is it possible for Senior to remove the curse?¡± The young woman couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s cold reply caused everyone¡¯s heart to drop. The wild happiness they previously revealed was instantly deflated.


    ¡°What is the meaning of Senior¡¯s words?¡± The dark-faced old man hastily wore a smile and carefully asked this.


    At this moment, with the curse removal lying in Han Li¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t dare to offend Han Li in the slightest.


    ¡°There are two methods for removing an oral curse. One method is by knowing the curse¡¯s dispel chant. So long as I have the chant in my hands, I can read it aloud with spiritual power and safely break it. The other method is to use my spiritual awareness to enter your spiritual awareness sea and forcefully wipe away traces of the oral curse. This method requires the spiritual awareness of the one removing it to be greater than the one who cast it. In this way, the imprint can be removed. But if I fail, the oral curse will be triggered. You should clearly know what would happen afterwards,¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and said this harshly.


    ¡°What! It can activate on its own?¡± The young woman couldn¡¯t help but cry out.


    The person who placed the curse on them had used a living person to demonstrate what would happen after the blood curse was activated.


    That scene she witnessed, seeing that person spit out chunks of his heart in a miserable fashion, was still fresh in her memory. It caused her to feel fear from the mere mention of the blood curse.


    The other¡¯s faces were also unsightly. How could they possibly gamble with their lives?


    Han Li looked at them and then coldly laughed. When he thought to say something, the thin and tall Second Brother bravely raised his head and said, ¡°Senior, please remove my curse! The same person put blood curses on all of us. If you can remove mine, then you are certain to remove all the others as well!¡±


    These words caused the other three to open their eyes in surprise and blankly look at him.


    ¡°Second Brother, what are you doing? This is far too dangerous.¡± After the woman regained her bearing, she hastily persuaded them with anxiety.

 Chapter 301

    Poison Expulsion and Breaking Incantations


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything more, I¡¯ve already decided!¡± The tall and thin Second Brother cried out in a resolute voice.


    The young woman grew anxious and hastily turned her head toward the old man and the youth in a request for help.


    After the two looked at each other, the youth remained silent. The old man sighed, saying, ¡°Fifth sister, let Second Brother go! He is repenting for the previous matter! Only like this will he be able to feel more at ease!¡±


    ¡°However, Second Brother¡­¡± The woman still wanted to dispute it further but the Second Brother had already walked in front of Han Li said in a tranquil tone:


    ¡°Senior, please start! Use me as a test.¡±


    These words were tragically moving. However, what happened next caused the four to feel dumbstruck as if cold water was being poured over their heads.


    ¡°Are you four misunderstanding something? When did I agree to remove the blood curse?¡±


    Han Li said this with an icy bone chilling tone, causing the Five Friends of Meng Mountain to look at each other in dismay.


    ¡°If Senior didn¡¯t intend to remove the blood curse, then why did you study the curse on Eldest Brother¡¯s body!¡± Their second brother hastily asked after snapping out of his shock.


    ¡°Did I say that I would remove your blood curse after researching it? I was only curious!¡± Han Li expressionlessly said.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s ice-cold appearance and hearing his ruthless words, this group was stunned!


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t Senior wish to know about those people¡¯s affairs? If you do not remove the blood curse, how can we reply to Senior¡¯s questions?¡± the youth added with a bit of a stutter and a face filled with anxiousness. He absolutely did not his wish to see this opportunity escape from his very eyes.


    After Han Li heard this, he gave him a slanted glance and then coldly laughed several times, wordlessly turning his head to the sky.


    Being asked such an obvious question, Han Li felt it beneath him to answer.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, there is no need to ask. This Senior feels the information he can acquire from us is not worth exchanging for our lives. Thus, he is unwilling to act so easily!¡± The dark-faced old man proved his status as an elder with experience that was incomparable to the youth¡¯s and dove straight to the core of the matter.


    ¡°What conditions does Senior want before he will take action? We only want the blood curse to be removed, so please list your demands. We definitely won¡¯t object.¡± Soon after, the old man calmly continued.


    ¡°Good! Since you¡¯ve said these words, there is no need to speak in circles.¡±


    Han Li suddenly applauded with a slight laugh and then wore a beaming smile.


    From the four¡¯s gazes, they increasingly felt that Han Li was quite temperamental, causing the four to unconsciously feel more fearful towards him.


    ¡°My conditions are very simple! If you want to free yourselves from your ailment, not only will you have to tell me everything you know, you will also have to obey my commands for the time being and help me respond to this group¡¯s attacks. I reckon that they won¡¯t let me off so easily and will want to dispose of us all in the near future.¡±


    ¡°However, you don¡¯t need to worry about being heavily outnumbered. I am a cultivator form Yellow Maple Valley; I only came to Yuejing to handle sect matters. So long as you help me for this period of time, I will be able to request reinforcements. At that time, you won¡¯t need to be afraid of these scoundrels.¡±


    Han Li listed his conditions in an amiable manner and hoisted the banner of his sect with no trace of politeness. With just this, he caused them to become steadfast.


    ¡°Senior is a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley!¡±


    Although the old man had long guessed that Han Li was probably a cultivator from the seven sects, hearing him acknowledge this from his own mouth caused his face to reveal a smile.


    ¡°Alright. In accordance with what Senior has said, we cannot stay uninvolved. After all, once our blood curse is removed, we will certainly become a target of their pursuit. We will be a bit safer by Senior¡¯s side!¡± the dark-faced old man answered very frankly.


    When the youth and woman heard the old man¡¯s words, they smiled without refusing! Clearly they agreed with the old man¡¯s actions.


    The seven sects were much more powerful than the ones who had placed the blood curse restrictions. Naturally, they could be relied on.


    That thin and tall Second Brother had a face of hesitation, however. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated once more.


    ¡°If Senior is truly capable of removing our blood curse, we still have another request. I hope Senior will agree.¡± After the dark-faced old man looked at the Second Brother, he suddenly raised this request with a respectful tone.


    Han Li had been expecting this, so he indifferently said, ¡°What is it? So long as it isn¡¯t too troublesome, I will do my utmost to fulfill it.¡±


    At this moment, Han Li seemed exceptionally easy to deal with from his words.


    ¡°This one¡¯s Third Sister was left behind in a house in Yuejing. Since we¡¯ve been captured by Senior, we don¡¯t know if something will happen to her. We hope Senior will go and save her when the time comes,¡± the old man said with a solemn appearance.


    ¡°Eldest Brother!¡±


    When the tall and thin Second Brother heard these words, his face held a grateful expression.


    ¡°Fine. Since you all are following me for the time being, I will naturally save your companion. But I must urgently remove the severe poison that is within your bodies! Else, in less than an hour, your lives will be forfeit and there will be no curse left to break!¡±


    After Han Li agreed, he changed the topic and said something that caused the four to become scared witless.


    ¡°What severe poison? We should only have the blood curse on our bodies!¡± The youth¡¯s expression greatly changed as he asked this with panic and doubt.


    When Han Li saw the youth doubt his words, he didn¡¯t get angry. Instead he explained this with a stiff face, ¡°When I examined the blood curse, I discovered that in addition to the blood curse, your Eldest Brother is harboring a severe poison. Not only is this poison¡¯s extremely toxic, but it¡¯s also very unstable. I reckon it will break out rather quickly. Fortunately, this one has quite of bit of experience in the Dao of detoxification and will only take slight effort in removing it. You don¡¯t need to worry much about it. Naturally, if you don¡¯t believe me, you  only have to wait an hour more and see whether there truly is poison in your bodies!¡±


    After Han Li said this, the four were convinced for the most part.


    ¡°So it was like that. That must be why the person who gives us our commands suddenly appeared and told us to drink a cup of wine with him. It turned out the wine was laced with poison. We believed that since we already had the blood curse on our bodies, they wouldn¡¯t further act against us. Who would have thought their methods are truly so cruel!¡± The Second Brother¡¯s expression became extremely unsightly as he said this.


    As the youth and the young woman came to a sudden realization, the old man¡¯s face darkened. It seemed he had thought of this matter earlier.


    Since Han Li had already decided to rope in the Five Friends of Meng Mountain to become his assistants, he naturally did not delay and have their poison flare out. He immediately took out a white and an azure porcelain bottle from his storage pouch and tossed them to the dark-faced old man.


    ¡°The medicine pills in each of the bottles can disperse a majority of the poison. The rest of the poison can be destroyed if you slowly circulate your Qi,¡± Han Li said very simply. The dark-faced old man immediately acted in accordance to his words and split the medicine pills with the other three. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he took the initiative to bite down on the medicine pills.


    It seemed the old man clearly understood that if Han Li truly wanted to act against him, he simply wouldn¡¯t trick them with an antidote. Knowing this, he swallowed it without worry.


    Not long after they all took Han Li¡¯s medicine pills, the group felt an intense stomach ache.


    After the young woman¡¯s face became red, she suddenly stamped her foot and flew to a small hill, barely able to fly on her magic tool. However, she was still within Han Li¡¯s control as her flying speed was truly not fast.


    When the other three saw this, they all awkwardly went to find a concealed location, their bodies wanting badly to excrete the poison from their bodies.


    After a moment, the trio¡¯s faces returned to Han Li¡¯s side with embarrassed expressions.


    That woman also returned with a trace of crimson still remaining on her face.


    ¡°Alright. Now I will start to remove the blood curse! Whose first?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t delay and directly said this.


    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯d be¡­¡±


    Just as the Second Brother was about to say something, an incomparably shriveled hand pulled on his arm!


    ¡°Second Brother, you still have Third Sister! Since my old and weary body has no method to enter Foundation Establishment and I won¡¯t live for much longer, I should go first. After all, Third Sister has a small child in her belly and needs someone to help her look after the child!¡± the dark-faced old man said serenely.


    ¡°Eldest Brother! This won¡¯t do! How could I let¡­¡±


    The tall and thin second elder brother appeared emotionally moved and shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it, wanting to disagree.


    When the youth and the young woman saw this, they wanted to open their mouths and request that they first braved the danger!


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue. I¡¯ll have your Eldest Brother be first. After all, I tested his body just a moment ago, so I¡¯ll have a slightly higher chance with him!¡±


    Although the four had displayed a touching scene with their affections as sworn siblings, this was of no concern to Han Li, and he was disinclined from taking this to heart. As of now, he was impatiently wondering whether or not he could break the blood curse. If he couldn¡¯t, everything he had just done would have been a waste and he would have to create another plan.


    Once Han Li said this, the four didn¡¯t have anything to further argue over. The old man walked over to Han Li with a solemn expression.


    After the other three exchanged a mutual glance, they could only look on at the old man with a worried gaze.


    Peng¡­ Peng¡­ A series of six or seven sounds rang out.


    Han Li waved his hand, and several human-sized puppet soldiers wielding weapons appeared by Han Li¡¯s side in a flash of white light.


    ¡°As I am breaking the blood curse, I won¡¯t be able to meet an attack. These puppets are only a precaution. They will take the initiative to attack anyone who approaches within thirty meters of me! You had best go a bit farther away!¡± Without the slightest trace of politeness, Han Li indicated that he held absolutely no trust in them, causing the three to helplessly fall back.

 Chapter 302

    Countermeasures


    In the evening, Qin Yan was repeatedly pacing back and forth in the Qin Residence¡¯s guest hall; his face was somewhat anxious.


    Earlier that day, the servant who was assigned to bring Han Li a meal reported that he wasn¡¯t present. It seemed Han Li hadn¡¯t returned during the night.


    This caused this rarely worried person to become worried, not out of concern for Han Li¡¯s safety but rather because his bodyguard suddenly disappeared without saying anything. How would his Qin Clan respond to any harm done by the Devil Dao?


    ¡°Qin Ping, please go and see whether Young Master Han has returned. Once there¡¯s any news, please immediately come and tell me!¡± Qin Yan commanded somewhat anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± Qin Ping responded with secret delight. Then, he ran out of the hall in an instant.


    From his perspective, it seemed Qin Yan had become increasingly concerned for Young Master Han, further proving that he hadn¡¯t chosen incorrectly. It seemed that his position was soon about to rise in the Qin Residence.


    ¡°But Lord, youths occasionally going out is a very ordinary matter. There is no need to be so worried or anxious!¡± Within the hall, although Qin Yan¡¯s most favored Third Wife said a few exonerating words about Han Li, her voice contained an obviously sour tone.


    This was no surprise. Ever since Han Li had arrived at the Qin Residence, Qin Yan had always kept Han Li close at his side. The Qin Clan young masters and madams who were originally doted on were no longer supported. The Third Wife¡¯s children were also among them; she couldn¡¯t help but feel greatly jealous.


    ¡°Humph. Woman, what do you know?¡± Naturally, Qin Yan heard the meaning in his third wife¡¯s words. However, he was worrying about the life and death of his own clan while this woman was occupied with this small matter of jealousy. After he glared at her, he didn¡¯t pay any further attention to her.


    Qin Yan¡¯s attitude naturally caused the Third Wife to feel wronged, but she knew that what her lord husband hated the most was a woman¡¯s shrew bickering. She could only resist her urge to vent her complaints with difficulty. She said nothing further, worried she would become even more resentful toward Han Li.


    But not long after, Qin Ping suddenly ran back with a delighted expression. Furthermore, once he entered, he loudly yelled, ¡°Lord, Young Master Han has returned. Furthermore, he has brought back a few guests. Young Master Han hopes Lord will be able to arrange them a residence near his own.¡±


    When Qin Yan heard this, his heart had finally relaxed. So long as this great Immortal didn¡¯t suddenly disappear without word, even if he brought back ten, several tens, or even a hundred friends back, he wouldn¡¯t have any complaints.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s Honorable Nephew Han¡¯s request, have them stay at the Clear Sound Courtyard. Also, do not neglect Han Li¡¯s guests,¡± Qin Yan said without taking the time to think.This caused his third wife¡¯s complexion to become increasingly unsightly.


    ¡°Yes, this one will carry this out!¡± Qin Ping energetically ran out again with a completely enthusiastic appearance.


    ¡°Lord, this is somewhat improper! Our Qin Residence is a great clan. To have these strangers suddenly come in, isn¡¯t it a bit too imprudent?¡± The third wife couldn¡¯t help but carefully mention this.


    Her words weren¡¯t aimed at Han Li at all. Rather, she was currently feeling uneasy.


    When Qin Yan heard this, he was slightly surprised, but after a moment of hesitation, he waved his hand and said, ¡°This is of no importance. Friends of Honorable Nephew Han will not prove to be any problem.¡±


    Upon hearing Qin Yan speak such favorable words toward Han Li, the third wife was left speechless.


    ¡­¡­


    At this moment, Han Li was sitting in a chair at his residence. Five people were sitting in front of him, the Five Friends of Meng Mountain.


    The youth in their ranks was currently talking nonstop about something. Occasionally, the others would add in a few comments. Han Li, on the other hand, revealed a somewhat thoughtful expression.


    In the wilderness outside of Yuejing, Han Li was actually capable of using his formidable spiritual sense to erasing the blood curse previously placed on the four. Soon after, he brought these people to infiltrate where a single middle-aged woman was staying.


    Surprisingly, this matter was carried out without the slightest difficulty.


    Although the smoothness of the operation was unexpected, Han Li still broke her blood curse and brought them all back to the Qin Residence.


    In truth, having these people find a different residence was acceptable, but Han Li didn¡¯t fully trust them.


    If they weren¡¯t under his watchful eye, he didn¡¯t dare to guarantee that these Five Friends of Meng Mountains would truly and sincerely fight this great enemy alongside him, even with the favor of breaking their curse.


    People¡¯s hearts were truly hard to fathom!


    Although they may be grateful to him today and were willing to risk their lives for him, tomorrow they might feel like their lives were worth more, becoming despicable and ungrateful. This was truly baffling to Han Li!


    Furthermore, he didn¡¯t share a part of their sworn brotherhood. It was quite likely that they would value their own lives more!


    Naturally, if he were to make use of his own restrictions and poison, he would have absolute control over them. But if he did so, in their eyes he would be no different from their previous slave masters. Over a long period of time, he would be certain to suffer repercussions.


    If he left them with a vile impression, Han Li wouldn¡¯t be able to use them any further. Deep in his heart, Han Li had some other ideas in plan.


    If the Seven Sects were truly able to withstand the invasion of the Devil Dao, he would be able to resume his previous life of cultivation and have these people help him with pill recipes and medicinal ingredients. As such, he wouldn¡¯t need to toil away, needlessly travelling to fetch materials. He could instead use that time for bitter cultivation; his pace of cultivation was certain to greatly increase this way.


    Furthermore, while the cultivation of these Five Friends of Meng Mountain wasn¡¯t too weak, it wasn¡¯t very large either; they were the ideal choice. Thus, Han Li didn¡¯t use such shameful methods in order to control them by force.


    However, Han Li also knew from experience that unless there were enough benefits, low-level cultivators wouldn¡¯t continuously performs errands. Furthermore, he was unsure of their temperament, so he would have to spend more time with them in order to be sure. He would come to a decision once all of this had been concluded.


    ¡°¡­ We are truly ashamed! Until now, apart from recognizing a few cultivators that had also been seized, we haven¡¯t seen the true appearance of the two who gave us our orders! We truly don¡¯t know much about them!¡± After the youth said all of this, he bitterly smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I already know that the other party is from an evil school called the Black Fiend School. Furthermore, the primary reason why they abduct others is to cultivate evil techniques. That alone is enough.¡± After Han Li heard this, he indifferently smiled.


    ¡°Senior Han! How about we stay here and wait for reinforcements before acting?¡± The recently-rescued middle-aged woman suddenly asked a probing question.


    When the other four heard this, they also looked at Han Li with concerned expressions, wanting to see how Han Li would answer.


    When Han Li heard this, he coldly smiled in his heart. It seemed these people were quite eager to halt any interactions with the Black Fiend School. However, how could there be any reinforcements from the Seven Sects! The entirety of the Seven Sects was currently in a war with the Devil Dao. Any forces stationed back at the sects were truly lacking. If he were to go and make a report, he was certain that no one would come.


    But fortunately, on his return a moment ago, he had sent a request to Li Huayuan for help through some Yellow Maple Valley contacts within Yuejing.


    The Seven Sects wouldn¡¯t be bothered by this matter, but it was impossible for his master to ignore him. For the purpose of fulfilling Li Huayuan¡¯s task, Han Li had to provoke such a great problem, and he had no choice but to remain! Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he run from an insufferable problem? If he could, he would have already made his escape!


    But in the end, Han Li truly did not know how many reinforcements would come. He reckoned he would be given a few Senior Martial Brothers.


    With this thought, Han Li answered with a relaxed expression, ¡°Naturally, this is out of the question. At the very least, we should clearly scout the other party¡¯s stronghold and their major figures before reinforcements arrive. This way, we will be able to capture them in a net. To vainly wait at the Qin Residence is far too passive, since doing so will only give them time to track us down, leaving us at a disadvantage. We absolutely cannot allow them to so calmly put everything into order!¡±


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the Five Friends of Meng Mountain looked at each other in dismay. The dark-faced old man stoked his beard and said with a deep voice, ¡°Senior does make sense. However, with the mere clues we have on hand, we will be unable to grab onto their tail! The stronghold we originally stayed at is certain to have been abandoned. We have nowhere to start!¡±


    The Second Brother silently nodded his head and expressed agreement.


    ¡°Be at ease. From your description of those two Black Fiend School followers, I¡¯ve already discovered their identities. So long as they are captured alive, it¡¯s likely we¡¯ll eventually understand the circumstances of the Black Fiend School.¡±


    Han Li seemed to have already predicted this as he calmly replied.


    These words startled the five at first, but soon after, they revealed pleasant surprise. They felt that Han Li had become even more profoundly mysterious!


    ¡°Good! Since Senior Han already has a plan, we will listen to Senior¡¯s commands.¡± The dark-faced old man pledged resolutely.


    When Han Li heard this, he nodded his head with satisfaction.


    ¡°We will move tonight. Only by quickly taking action will the enemy be caught off guard.¡± Han Li narrowed his eyes and coldly said this.


    ¡°Tonight?¡± The Five Friends of Meng Mountain couldn¡¯t help but reveal amazement.

 Chapter 303

    Astonishment


    Although the Five Friends of Meng Mountain were greatly surprised by Han Li¡¯s decision, they felt that his words were reasonable, and so they didn¡¯t oppose him.


    However, when the middle-aged woman asked Han Li about the true identity of the two from the Black Fiend School, she was met with a tactful refusal from Han Li. Han Li only faintly smiled and said everyone would naturally come to know this once they made their move.


    This caused the middle-aged woman to cease further pursuing the matter and reveal an appearance of indifference.


    Not long after, Qin Ping passed on Qin Yan¡¯s commands and arranged a nearby courtyard for the Five Friends of Meng Mountain.


    As Han Li saw them move farther away, an odd expression flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly muttered something to himself that no one else could clearly hear.


    At night, after everyone ate dinner, the Five Friends of Meng Mountain gathered together in the guest hall of the Clear Sound Courtyard. They were preparing to move late at night as Han Li had instructed.


    ¡°This is baffling! I can¡¯t seem to remember!¡± The fourth brother, a thirty year-old youth, incessantly racked his brains around with a confused appearance.


    ¡°Fourth Brother! You still don¡¯t remember?¡±


    The youngest of them, the fifth sister, asked this with a mysterious smile as she lazily sat in her chair.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, you¡¯ve always said that Senior Han appeared familiar and that you had seen his face somewhere. However, you haven¡¯t been able to remember when or where. This doesn¡¯t sound very convincing to your youngster sister. Did you want to have a favorable relationship with Senior Han so badly that this mistook his identity?!¡±


    It was clear that this young woman¡¯s words were filled with ridicule.


    ¡°En, that¡¯s very possible. After all, this Senior¡¯s appearance is quite common, so it¡¯s normal for Fourth Brother to be familiar with him!¡± The second brother teased as he tasted some tea.


    However, his eyes didn¡¯t leave the middle-aged woman at his side for a moment. He was continuously looking at her still attractive appearance and continued to glance at her belly with a sense of happiness.


    However, this third sister, the middle-aged woman, saw the fourth¡¯s brother distraught appearance and couldn¡¯t help but make a scornful face with all her strength, causing him to laugh uncontrollably; his normally shrewd and profoundly strong appearance was nowhere to be found at the moment.


    ¡°Humph! You¡¯re all talking drivel. I¡¯m certain I¡¯ve seen him before, but it doesn¡¯t seem to have been recent. It should¡¯ve been quite a few years back, else I wouldn¡¯t have forgotten about it,¡± the youth said with unwillingless as he unhappily glared at the young woman and the tall, thin man.


    ¡°A few years back? Fourth Brother, several years ago we were bitterly cultivating and didn¡¯t leave seclusion. How could you have seen Senior Han? Could it be that you saw him when you were still wearing diapers?¡± The middle-aged woman chuckled as she made fun of the youth.


    ¡°Third Sister, you¡­¡± The youth cried out angrily to the middle-aged woman with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°Several years ago, Fourth Brother hadn¡¯t always been in secluded cultivation. Could it be you¡¯ve forgotten? Before we met Fifth Sister, we participated in the Immortal Ascension Assembly. After the two to three month journey, we unfortunately returned with failed ambitions, but luckily, we didn¡¯t receive any serious injuries!¡± The dark-faced old man indifferently interrupted with these words.


    ¡°What! Everyone participated in the Immortal Ascension Assembly!?¡± The fifth sister blinked several times and revealed a very curious expression. On the other hand, her Second Brother and the middle-aged woman looked at each other with bitter smiles.


    ¡°There is nothing to say. That was the first time we truly knew the meaning of ¡®viewing the sky from the bottom of the well¡¯!¡± The middle-aged woman sighed.


    ¡°What? Fourth Brother, at that time you said to me¡­. Yi!¡±


    The young woman turned her head with great curiosity to see what her second brother was going to say about the Immortal Ascension Assembly, but she saw that he had a face filled with shock.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The others also saw that the youth¡¯s expression was rather queer, so they asked this with astonishment.


    ¡°Second Brother, do you remember that day at the Immortal Ascension Assembly when Eldest Brother and Third Sister separated from us? I was feeling gluttonous at the time and privately went to a restaurant at Jia Yuan City to sneak in a meal.¡± The youth didn¡¯t answer the other party¡¯s suspicions and suddenly mentioned an old affair from the time. This caused the tall, thin man to feel indescribably strange.


    ¡°Of course I remember. At that time, although I concealed this matter for you, Eldest Brother still found out and fiercely rebuked you!¡± The second brother answered with slight confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. At the time, didn¡¯t I see a young cultivator there who I suspected wanted to participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly? His cultivation was only of the seventh or eighth layer, so we felt that he was overestimating himself,¡± the youth added with a bitter smile.


    ¡°It was too long ago. I don¡¯t remember it very clearly. Why are you talking about this?!¡± the second brother asked, hesitant.


    He truly did not know why his fourth brother was suddenly talking about this matter.


    The others also heard their puzzling words and felt greatly baffled.


    ¡°The young cultivator I saw that year is precisely the current Senior Han1 !¡± the youth said with a dry voice, causing all those present to become dumbstruck.


    ¡°What? Senior Han was the young lowly cultivator?¡± The thin, tall man jumped up from his chair with an unconvinced expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about? Speak clearly!¡± After recovering from astonishment, the dark-faced old man wrinkled his brow and asked this.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Eldest Brother!¡± The thin, tall man hastily gave a general description of what happened that year. When the others heard this, they felt it was inconceivable.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, are you saying Senior Han was that seventh layer Qi Condensation cultivator from back then?¡± The young woman gulped her saliva as she said this. Soon after, she realized her bearing was graceless and couldn¡¯t help but blush.


    As the others were shocked, none of them paid attention to this minor action of hers.


    ¡°Is Fourth Brother mistaken? After all, that matter occurred over ten years ago, and Senior Han¡¯s appearance shouldn¡¯t completely match his age.¡±


    ¡°No, that person was certainly Senior Han! His appearance is exactly the same at that time. Apart from his age, his appearance is completely similar.¡± The youth was shocked at first, but after some thoughts, he became more certain.


    Hearing this youth¡¯s decisive and resolute words, the others looked at each other in dismay.


    In a brief ten years, this person with such low cultivation was actually able to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. These people couldn¡¯t help but feel pain in their heart from this fact.


    For a brief moment, nobody had the thought to further speak.


    ¡°Enough. Regardless of whether Senior Han was the person from that year, he¡¯s currently a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, and we have to treat him as such. Don¡¯t ask him anything you shouldn¡¯t, understood?¡± After the old man muttered to himself for a moment, he became the first to speak.


    ¡°I understand.¡± The youth hesitated for a moment before sincerely replying. His expression eventually returned to normal.


    ¡°Alright. Everyone, return to your rooms and refine Qi! Be sure to make your preparations.¡±


    After hearing these words, everyone gave each other a mutual glance before returning to their rooms.


    Immediately after, the Clear Sound Courtyard became silent.


    About an hour later, the sky grew completely dark.


    A person suddenly walked out from a side room in the Clear Sound Courtyard.


    This person opened the room door with careful secrecy and took a look in every direction. Then that person silently walked out of the small courtyard.


    This person took advantage of the pitch black night to walk to the corner of some faraway place. After some hesitation flashed through her eyes, this person immediately became resolute.


    This person took out a small box from her bosom with some nervousness and thought to open it.


    Suddenly, this person heard a sigh come from behind them, causing her figure to tremble. This person almost dropped the box she held in hand from fright. This was because the voice sounded much like Han Li¡¯s.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± She heard an additional familiar voice almost at the same time; it seemed to be filled with sorrow.


    Then this person clearly saw several individuals come out from nearby with bright moonstones in hand. Underneath the dim moonlight, they appeared to have an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± The dark-faced man asked with much lament.


    ¡°Why what? I¡¯m only testing out a magic tool!¡± This person¡¯s incomparably pale expression gradually returned to normal. She unexpectedly said this as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Hand over whatever¡¯s in your hands and let me see what it is!¡± From the pitch-black darkness, Han Li descended from the sky like a feather and commanded her with a normal expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s improper! Why do I have to let an outsider look at my magic tool! I naturally won¡¯t! Right, Fourth Brother?¡±


    This suspicious figure was actually the young woman among the Five Friends of Meng Mountain.


    At this moment, although she was trying her hardest to preserve her ordinary appearance, she firmly held the small box protectively, absolutely unwilling to let it go.


    ¡°Fifth Sister, give that item of yours to Senior Han!¡± The dark-faced old man grimly ordered with an ice-cold tone.

 Chapter 304

    Blank


    (Name change: Heaven¡¯s Thunder Child -> Heavenly Lightning Seed)


    Chapter 304: Internal Decisions


    ¡°Eldest Brother, could it be you doubt me?¡± The fifth sister said with an unyielding false smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s because everyone trusts you that they¡¯re giving you this chance. You only have to show us what¡¯s in that box. Take the initiative to open it and dispel everyone¡¯s doubts!¡± The old man coldly said.


    Hearing the old man¡¯s words, this fifth sister¡¯s expression became extremely colorful, continuously alternating between shades of white and red.


    When she took a look at the others, they all looked at her with an expression of lament, causing her heart to feel cold. She didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    After a moment of consideration, she came to a decision. Putting away the small box, she quickly took out a blue bead that she raised over her head, saying harshly, ¡°Do not pressure me! You should all recognize this Heavenly Lightning Seed. All I want is to leave this place!¡±


    The woman¡¯s actions caused the expressions of the other friends of Meng Mountain to greatly change, especially that youth who had a particularly good impression of her; his appearance was extremely miserable.


    ¡°It seems we no longer need to see what¡¯s inside that box! Fifth Sister, you have truly associated yourself with evil.¡± The old man furiously yelled and suddenly stepped forward with his hands raised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come over, Eldest Brother! Otherwise I will truly use this on you!¡± The fifth sister revealed a frantic appearance and brought the blue bead in front of her, making a throwing gesture.


    Seeing this, although the old man¡¯s hair went wild, he truly did not dare to approach. After all, he clearly understood the might of this Heavenly Lightning Seed.


    ¡°Fifth sister, do you really plan on using that Heavenly Lightning Seed to deal with all of us? That magic tool was given to you because your cultivation was far too low. We all intentionally pooled together our magic stones to buy this to you for self-defense, especially Fourth Brother, who took out all of his savings for it. Now you unexpectedly want to use it to deal with us? Is this not excessive?¡± The middle-aged woman asked with extreme disappointment.


    When the youth to the side heard this, he moved his lips as all sort of feelings welled up in his heart, but he wasn¡¯t able to say anything.


    When the fifth sister heard the middle-aged woman¡¯s words, her appearance revealed traces of shame, but they faded away in an instant. She then unyieldingly said, ¡°What¡¯s the use in saying all of this? We are not alike. I must reach Foundation Establishment above all else. Those from the Black Fiend School said that so long as I have enough merits, they won¡¯t just give me a Foundation Establishment Pill. They would have me directly enter Foundation Establishment through forceful means. Furthermore, their method wouldn¡¯t carry any danger!¡±


    When the tall, thin man heard this, he wrinkled his brow and couldn¡¯t help but speak.


    ¡°Fifth Sister, it isn¡¯t too late to turn around! Do you really think you can enter Foundation Establishment without a Foundation Establishment Pill? They are certain to bully a youth such as yourself and deliberately fool you!¡± The second brother of the five friends said with great sincerity.


    ¡°Humph! Second Brother, you need not lecture me! As for whether or not this is true, I already know this. For things to have reached this point, there is nothing to conceal. In truth, I had already become a member of the Black Fiend School when they first appeared two years ago. As a result, I am aware of the school master¡¯s great powers which you outsiders couldn¡¯t possibly imagine!¡±


    After the young woman coldly snorted, she uttered a series of words that greatly shocked everyone else.


    ¡°You already entered the Black Fiend School two years ago? The first time we were captured was your doing?¡± The young man who had originally kept silent suddenly interrupted with his question.


    These words immediately caused the other fours¡¯ hearts to surge once more and their expressions to change as they stared at this young woman. They didn¡¯t dare to believe that it was the doing of their fifth sister.


    The fifth sister¡¯s complexion continuously changed between light and dark. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly said, ¡°Correct. I reported everyone¡¯s whereabouts to the Black Fiend School, but I originally had good intentions. I only wanted to give everyone an opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment. With the usual practice of having captives become blood sacrifices, how else would your lives be spared?¡±


    The young woman felt that at this stage, there was nothing left to conceal. Hence, she bluntly spoke the truth.


    ¡°Haha, according to your words, us elder siblings should be thanking Fifth Sister!¡± The dark-faced old man roared with anger, pretending to laugh.


    ¡°Regardless of what you thought, I truly had no evil intentions toward you all! Do not force me.¡± The woman said with her beautiful face all twisted. Then she once again lifted the Heavenly Lightning Seed in her hand.


    At this moment, Han Li suddenly smiled faintly toward the young woman and said, ¡°Heavenly Lightning Seed. That is truly a good item!¡±


    His words seemed to lag behind as his figure became indistinct. Soon after, he disappeared from his original location.


    ¡°You!?¡± The fifth sister was very quick-witted. Once she saw this, she immediately thought to flick her wrist.


    But with the feeling of a light breeze, the hand that held the Heavenly Lightning Seed suddenly tightened. Like a demon, Han Li had appeared closely behind her and was grabbing her flawless wrist.


    ¡°This item is extremely dangerous. It would be better to let me take care of it!¡± With no trace of politeness, Han Li took the Heavenly Lightning Seed by force and put it into his storage pouch.


    When the fifth sister saw that the asset she had relied on the most had been dealt with like child¡¯s play by Han Li, her complexion immediately became ashen. She had actually forgotten to struggle for a moment. For the first time, fear appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°As she is your adopted sister, I will hand her over to you. So long as she starts off by spilling everything she knows about the Black Fiend School, you can do whatever you want with her. However, don¡¯t be so foolish as to release her and let her report back!¡± Han Li looked at the rest of the Five Friends of Meng Mountain with a meaningful glance and said this with a relaxed expression.


    Soon after, white light flashed from his hands and restrained the woman¡¯s dainty body at the speed of lightning. With her true essence fettered, she could no longer move or use magic power.


    Then without the slightest of misgivings, Han Li took the small box from the young woman¡¯s bosom and lightly threw the woman to the absent-minded youth.


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Han!¡±


    The dark-faced old man naturally knew why Han Li had done this. This was a great show of friendship toward them, and therefore he replied gratefully.


    Han Li wordlessly waved his hand, causing several streaks of yellow light to appear from thin air. He had used them earlier to stealthily form a soundproofing barrier nearby. Having completed their purpose, he casually recovered them and slowly disappeared into the night.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, what will we do?¡±


    The second brother looked at Han Li¡¯s vanishing figure with a complicated expression and quietly asked the dark-faced old man.


    ¡°First we will bring Fifth Sister back into the room and restrain her. We¡¯ll deal with her later after we finish tonight¡¯s operations.¡± After the old man muttered to himself for a moment, he said this firmly.


    ¡°That is fine. At the very least, it will give everyone time to cool their heads.¡± The second brother repeatedly nodded his head with approval. Then he turned his head to the youth who was holding the young woman and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, first take Fifth Sister back to the room!¡± The youth blankly nodded his head. He stiffly turned his body toward the Clear Sound Courtyard and carried back the woman.


    Looking at the youth¡¯s miserable appearance from behind, the second brother sighed and looked at him with a pitiful gaze.


    At this moment, the middle-aged woman approached him and said, ¡°Fourth Brother will be alright. He has always been infatuated with Fifth Sister. But now¡­¡± The middle-aged woman repeatedly shook her head, revealing an intolerant appearance.


    ¡°Sigh. I originally thought the two made a good pair, but now that will never come to be.¡± The old man suddenly showed an extremely exhausted appearance.


    The recent series of startling surprises caused this decisive old man with an iron will to feel greatly haggard.


    The eldest members of the Five Friends of Meng Mountain then basked in sorrow for a long while.


    ¡°Yi! It was Fourth Brother who brought Fifth Sister back?¡± The old man¡¯s complexion greatly changed as he suddenly thought of something .


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Eldest Brother! Is there something wrong? Could it be you felt that Fourth Brother would¡­¡±


    After the second brother asked this, his complexion soon greatly changed. He anxiously came to a sudden realization that¡­


    Without saying any more meaningless words, they ran into the Clear Sound Courtyard with great haste.


    Lagging behind, the middle-aged woman revealed a puzzled expression.


    ¡­¡­


    In the Clear Sound Courtyard, the youth sat alone on a char in the guest hall with a blank expression. He appeared to be in a daze.


    In front of him, the dark-faced old man and the tall, thin man looked at each other in dismay.


    No trace of the young woman could be seen.


    ¡°Second Brother, Senior¡¯s restrictions are still present on Fifth Sister¡¯s body. Hurry and chase after her! I will go to beg for Senior Han¡¯s forgiveness and ask him to take action. We mustn¡¯t allow Fifth Sister to return and make a report to the Black Fiend School. If nobody had come to her rescue, then kill her!¡± The old man imposingly said.


    ¡°I understand, Eldest Brother!¡±


    The second brother was stunned at first, but he immediately realized that now was not the time to be merciful and lenient. He solemnly nodded his head in agreement and rushed out.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, you¡­. Sigh!¡± After the old man saw the thin, tall man leave, he turned his head to look at the youth.


    However, seeing that his mind had drifted away, the old man didn¡¯t have the heart to say anything further. He could only sigh and go find Han Li.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If she ran, then so be it! Since Second Brother Gui couldn¡¯t chase her down, then there¡¯s no need to further pursue her.¡±


    Contrary to the old man¡¯s expectations, when Han Li heard that the young woman had fled the Qin Residence, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest of alarm. Instead, he acted as if her escape made no difference.

 Chapter 305

    Last Resort


    Since Han Li said as such, although the old man was filled with doubt, he could only return first.


    Not long after, the second brother returned with an ashen face. As expected, he hadn¡¯t managed to catch up to that Fifth Sister. Fortunately, Han Li¡¯s words assured them that they did not have to worry about incurring Han Li¡¯s wrath.


    At the time, in an extremely remote alley within Yuejing, a slender figure staggered towards the south district; the faint moonlight revealed her to be the flustered ¡°Fifth Sister¡±.


    As she ran, she incessantly glanced behind her, as if she were afraid that someone would suddenly appear behind her.


    Although this woman¡¯s magic power had largely been suppressed by Han Li, her divine sense as a cultivator was still mostly there; upon discovering that nobody else appeared behind her, she finally became somewhat more relaxed in her heart.


    Thankfully, when the youth let her go, he had slipped her a concealment talisman. This was the only reason why she could have escaped to here.


    Not long after she had escaped, the woman discovered a tall thin man¡¯s figure sweeping overhead. Fortunately, she had swiftly used the talisman, successfully dealing with the situation.


    At this time, her Second Brother did not actually go chasing in another direction; instead, he had already returned to the Qin Residence. This was why she dared to run around in the alleys so boldly.


    The place she was headed towards was one of the Black Fiend School¡¯s secret strongholds in the south district. As long as she was able to precisely report Han Li¡¯s location to her superiors, she will have contributed much to the sect! Thus, she would immediately be one step closer to her dream of entering the Foundation Establishment stage.


    That year, when she and a few other Black Fiend School outer court disciples who had performed quite well saw that their mysterious school master¡¯s divine methods allowed a Qi Condensation disciple to establish their foundation, they immediately chose to dedicate themselves to the Black Fiend School so that they could also have a similar fate. Once their contributions reached a certain level, they could also obtain the School Master¡¯s favor and aid in entering Foundation Establishment.


    As far as she knew, most outer court disciples willing to be ordered around by the Black Fiend School all had this intention in mind; thus, she never believed that she had made any mistakes in her decisions.


    After all, based on her natural talent, she had pretty much reached the peak of her cultivation base. If she wanted to advance another layer, or even form her foundation, she had no other choice.


    Although she felt some regret towards her sworn brothers and sisters, since she had embarked on this path, she could only cut off all her natural affection for them. If they were caught, whether they were used as blood servants or forced to follow orders once again depended on the intentions of her superiors. She did not intend to plead for mercy on their behalf; in the future, she would only live for herself and herself alone.


    As she thought these vicious thoughts in her heart, she began to dream about entering Foundation Establishment; it seemed as if her footsteps also sped up significantly.


    Although she was still quite a distance away, she finally saw the street opening to the south district. But just as she became excited and wanted to speed up her steps, she suddenly felt that there seemed to be something wet running down her nose. Baffled, she wiped it with her hand, but what she saw her make entire figure tremble. Her expression was one of fear and surprise.


    Her five snow-white fingers were covered in a sticky, dark-red liquid.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    Fifth Junior Sister panicked and attempted to wipe away the black blood under her nose, but at this time, the blood from her nose began to flood out as if a gate had been opened; in the blink of an eye, fresh blood began to flow out from even her eyes and ears.


    The young woman could only feel her entire body losing strength. Once her legs softened, she directly fell towards the ground.


    At this time, her entire body was incomparably cold; no warmth could be found near her heart. She wanted to call out for help, but her throat was incredibly dry and could not let out any sound.


    Afterwards, her divine sense slowly began to fade. Not long after, she slipped into an eternal darkness.


    The next sunrise, the mortals who bypassed this place would be surprised to find that a puddle of black, filthy blood had suddenly appeared, forcing them to take a detour. It incited quite a few harsh comments.


    In the moment that the young woman had been killed, Han Li was in his room inspecting all of the magic tools and talismans he had, preparing to move out.


    After nimbly cleaning up, Han Li glanced at the round moon outside his window; he revealed a somewhat lonely expression, then suddenly said to himself under his breath:


    ¡°It should be about now¡­the poison should have activated.


    After saying this, Han Li gently sighed, then left the room, heading towards the Clear Sound Courtyard.


    In reality, Han Li¡¯s suspicions about that Fifth Junior Sister had begun when he inspected the poison afflicting the Five Friends of Meng Mountain. Although she had also been poisoned, its toxicity was much less than the everyone else¡¯s; even if it were to flare up, it most likely would not have taken her life.


    On the other hand, Han Li had only gotten rid of the blood curse on her after expending a ton of effort. This meant that when the young woman had received the blood curse, it must have been uninterrupted; otherwise, it would not have left such a deep mark on her divine sense.


    Keeping a cautious mindset, Han Li deliberately placed a small restriction when removing the young woman¡¯s blood curse.


    The restriction¡¯s usage was very simple; it would cause the residual medicinal strength in the antidotes to temporarily aggregate in some area of the body. When needed, it would suddenly turn into an extreme poison. That was because those two bottles of pills contained ¡°Impermanence Pills¡±; they could be used as medicine for curing poison, or they could be turned into poison via a specific method. They were one of the spoils Han Li had collected in the battlefield.


    As for the other friends from Meng Mountain whom he had secretly called over, he made them see firsthand the reality that she had been planted as a spy before capturing the woman, using the opportunity to touch a few spots of her body using spiritual power.


    These touches, apart from being able to restrict a large portion of her magic power, also activated this hidden restriction. As long as Han Li did not deactivate it in some time, the woman would die soundlessly and without a trace, as mentioned previously.


    As for whether or not he should kill this woman, Han Li had felt somewhat conflicted in his heart due to her close ties with the Five Friends of Meng Mountain. However, he definitely could not allow this woman to leak out his relationship with the Qin Clan; that was his bottom line.


    Activating the restriction at the time was only Han Li¡¯s cautious fallback plan. He never expected that it would actually have some use.


    This was why Han Li had been so calm and did not panic at all when the dark-faced elder came back to report in.


    In reality, if this woman had obediently remained in the Qin Residence as a hostage, Han Li would have repressed the restriction from flaring up inside her.


    But now that she had escaped, regardless of if the Five Friends of Meng Mountain had purposefully let her go, the young woman who had disappeared from this world would be unable to send any reports to the Black Fiend School. In addition, he had done the Five Friends of Meng Mountain a big favor, which should be extremely beneficial in reinforcing them!


    Upon entering the Clear Sound Courtyard, the dark-faced old man and the others had already made their preparations; although they weren¡¯t too spirited, they were quietly waiting for Han Li¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Let¡¯s depart!¡± Han Li said crisply after entering the room.


    ¡­¡­


    Under the night sky, Prince Xin¡¯s residence appeared similar to a gigantic, strange beast, deterring any petty thieves that had their sights set on the mansion.


    But tonight, Han Li and the others cast a concealment technique and silently snuck in.


    At this time of night, despite the commotion that had been stirred up due to the old Immortal Wu¡¯s disappearance, the majority of people in Prince Xin¡¯s residence had gone to sleep a long time ago apart from a few guards and sentries; at this moment, most of them were sound asleep.


    Upon entering the palace, Han Li immediately found one of the night guards and cast the Soul Controlling Technique, causing him to reveal Steward Wang and the young prince¡¯s residences, then knocked him out with one palm.


    Then, he said to the four people behind him, ¡°Between the two of them, the young prince¡¯s cultivation layer is the lowest, so we¡¯ll first make our move against him before dealing with Steward Wang.¡±


    The now Four Friends from Meng Mountain had already been shocked to learn that the people in Prince Xin¡¯s palace were from the Black Fiend School. None of them were surprised by Han Li¡¯s words, nodding their heads in assent. Although this young prince was a relative of the royal family, them being cultivators meant that his status as a core disciple of the Black Fiend School was even more taboo.


    Next, the few of them silently drew near to the young prince¡¯s residence, a small, three-story tower.


    There were numerous sentries nearby as well; out of a fear that these people would make trouble once the fighting began, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain stepped forwards and knocked them out before Han Li even made a move.


    As he observed their practiced motions, Han Li secretly nodded his head and felt that having some subordinates was worthwhile!


    Because they had gathered from the sentry that the young prince lived on the third floor, Han Li didn¡¯t let them go upstairs; instead, he placed them in the surroundings to ambush whoever came their way.


    This way, if the young prince happened to be too slippery and escaped from Han Li¡¯s grasp, they could delay this person and give Han Li some additional time.


    Of course, for fear of alerting Steward Wang at the other end of the palace, Han Li didn¡¯t try to conserve any magic power and casted an extremely large soundproof enchantment that spread out hundreds of feet with the small tower as the center, encompassing it all inside.


    Then, Han Li gently flew to the third floor and, in a flash, entered the tower.


    The Four Friends of Meng Mountain gazed at the small tower¡¯s third floor alertly, not even daring to blink. Soon after, a person¡¯s shadow flashed out from inside the tower extremely quickly.


    When these people discovered that it was Han Li, instantly their hearts relaxed, but at the same time, they felt that something was off.


    Did this Senior Han Li succeed so quickly? But how come they never even saw the young prince?


    Han Li descended from the tower, his face cloudy. Upon seeing the four people gather around him, he said, knitting his eyebrows:


    ¡°There was no one on top of the tower, only a mannequin created from an illusion technique. It seems like he was occupied with something.¡±


    These words caused them to stare at each other, not knowing what to do for quite some time.

 Chapter 306

    Crisis


    ¡°Could it be that they fled in advance because Fifth Sister fed them our information? Or could this be some sort of trap?¡± the middle-aged woman asked with a face full of worry.


    ¡°Impossible. If the enemy truly set up a trap, it would have triggered as soon as we entered. At that moment, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to guard against it.¡± Han Li shook his head and rejected this.


    When the others heard Han Li¡¯s words, they couldn¡¯t help but let out a breath of relief, but they still looked around in every direction. As expected, they didn¡¯t find anything unusual.


    ¡°Senior, what should we do next? Should we first retreat and act on a different day?¡± the second brother asked, hesitant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s first go and find that Steward Wang! If he is not here, then we will end today¡¯s operation and retreat immediately,¡± Han Li coldly replied.


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain looked at each other and then silently nodded their heads.


    Han Li released some Daoist magics to retrieve his boundary cores and took the lead, stealthily heading to the side of the Prince¡¯s estate. The others then closely followed behind him.


    Although Steward Wang¡¯s residence wasn¡¯t multistoried like the young prince¡¯s, it was still a small three-room courtyard.


    When Han Li and the others arrived nearby, one of the rooms was unexpectedly faintly lit, as if someone had yet to go to sleep.


    Han Li raised his brow. It seemed this trip wouldn¡¯t be fruitless.


    With this thought, Han Li made a few precautionary incantation gestures to conceal himself and immediately used the nameless Qi restraining technique he had just learned. The spiritual Qi of his entire body immediately dissipated without a trace, as if he had become a common mortal.


    Han Li¡¯s figure flashed, and he suddenly appeared crouched by the wall outside of the room, pressing his ear against it.


    Because this Steward Wang gave Han Li a great feeling of danger, Han Li didn¡¯t have the confidence to release his spiritual sense and have it probe the room for information.


    However, after Han Li listened for only a short moment, he flew back with a drastically changed countenance. He immediately concealed himself behind a huge flowering tree.


    This scene greatly surprised the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, who all witnessed from nearby. However, they then heard Han Li¡¯s voice, ¡°Be careful. The young prince is in the room. Act with your own discretion!¡±


    These words immediately caused their hearts to tremble. They all coincidentally held their breaths and carefully looked at the room, not daring to make the slightest noise.


    Creak. The door opened. A youth wearing a light green embroidered gown walked out. This was none other than the young prince of Prince Xin¡¯s residence.


    After he turned his head and softly said a few words toward the room, he walked a few steps into the courtyard. The door shut itself behind him.


    Soon after, the light behind the room¡¯s paper shutter flashed several times before being completely extinguished. It seemed whoever was inside had retired for the night.


    Han Li expressionlessly stared at the prince¡¯s every movement. What caused him to feel puzzled was that he didn¡¯t feel the slightest magic power from him. However, a faint feeling of danger was enough for Han Li to determine he should be a disciple of the Black Fiend School.


    Perhaps because he was still in his own home, this young prince didn¡¯t return in any hurry. Instead, he walked around like a common mortal, stretching himself and looking at the bright moon in the sky. He suddenly sighed.


    Soon after, he actually paced around the small courtyard with a worried expression as if he was occupied with some difficult problem.


    It seemed he wouldn¡¯t leave for a short while, causing the Four Friends of Meng Mountain to feel greatly helpless!


    Acting now naturally wouldn¡¯t do. Because Steward Wang was in the side room, a fight would naturally rouse him and cause no small problem.


    The best method would be to wait for the young prince to return to his dwelling and strike the targets separately.


    Fortunately, these people were all cultivators and had much patience. Because they were all well-concealed, they hadn¡¯t exposed themselves in the slightest during this entire time.


    After the time it takes to eat a meal, this young prince eventually stopped strolling around and walked out of the courtyard.


    This caused the ambushers to feel joy!


    However, the following scene greatly surprised these people, immediately causing their rage to soar.


    Just when the young prince was about to walk out of the courtyard, he suddenly used an illusion technique. At an unknown time, he had taken out a set of clothes and quickly changed into them. He was masked and wearing blood red in the blink of an eye, dressed just like the person who told them to rob and kill Han Li.


    Although the four friends were filled with rage, they knew what was important and resisted their impulses with great difficulty. Now, they had great trust in Han Li¡¯s words. They knew they were pursuing the correct target.


    Having changed his clothes, the young prince faintly released a demonic Qi from his body and strong magic power fluctuations of the eleventh layer of Qi Condensation. He did not return to his dwelling. Instead, he threw a long, blood-red magic tool into the sky, and with a flash, he flew out on it.


    Seeing this,  Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with yellow light, and he immediately transmitted a message to the other four, ¡°Follow him. Regardless of where he goes, make sure to capture him as he is on his way.¡±


    Heeding Han Li¡¯s orders, the Four friends of Meng Mountain impatiently followed after him on their flying magic tools.


    Han Li, who was left alone to monitor Steward Wang, had deliberately waited in place a while longer.


    Seeing that nothing strange occurred in the room, he hesitated for a moment. Still not at ease, he threw out his Divine Wind Boat and followed after them.


    The speed of Han Li¡¯s Divine Wind Boat couldn¡¯t be compared to the Four Friends of Meng Mountain¡¯s magic tools. After a short moment of following their spiritual Qi marks, he arrived at a desolate temple outside of Yuejing.


    The Four Friends of Meng Mountain were floating in midair. They were bustling around with an ashen complexion and an appearance of continuous indecision. After seeing Han Li, they immediately welcomed him with pleasant surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Seeing this, Han Li wrinkled his brow and slowly asked.


    ¡°We followed him here, but just as we thought to act, he suddenly made his way into the abandoned temple. We don¡¯t know whether that young ghost discovered us. Also, there are restrictions laid down at this temple, what appear to be formation spells. We rushed in for a moment but luckily, we immediately withdrew. We didn¡¯t dare to try again, fearing that there may be others lying in ambush within.¡± Seeing Han Li displeased, the dark-faced old man hastily stepped forward to explain.


    ¡°Formation spell?¡± When Han Li heard this, he felt as if he had a great headache.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t proficient in the Dao of Formation Spells. However, as he was facing these people, he indifferently said, ¡°Let me take a look at it!¡±  Then, he took a careful look with the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique.


    As expected, the area surrounding the ruined temple had abnormal spiritual Qi fluctuations. But after Han Li took a clear look, he let out a large sigh.


    This was only an exceptionally simple Falling Stone Formation, one of the simplest earth attribute formation spells. Although rogue and Qi Condensation cultivators may find this formidable, a small formation spell of this grade was something Han Li could easily break through with brute force even if he didn¡¯t know the specific method to break this formation.


    With this thought, Han Li wordlessly touched his storage pouch and then scattered something from his hands. Immediately after, four tall beast puppets appeared in front of him. Having previously suffered from Han Li¡¯s puppet technique, the four friends subconsciously took a few steps back.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to their alarm and controlled the puppet beasts. They all opened their mouths at the same time and shot huge beams of light with the thickness of a bowl toward the ruined temple.


    Just as the beams of light were about to strike at the ruined temple, a huge semi-circle barrier of faint light suddenly appeared, completely covering the small temple. It was faintly emitting yellow light.


    The beams of light struck the light barrier.


    The yellow light barrier immediately rippled and started to tremble, rigidly withstanding the assault of light beams.


    But at this moment, Han Li acted without the slightest hesitation. He took out his pair of Black Dragon¡¯s Grasps and immediately enlarged them to the size of about three meters. Then he fiercely threw them out toward the light barrier.


    The sound of a sharp rupture rang out. The light barrier was no longer able to endure the succession of strong attacks and had thoroughly collapsed. The Falling Stone Formation disappeared into thin air.


    Having seen this, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain let out a cold breath.


    They did not fully understand what it meant to break a formation spell with brute force.


    This proved that Han Li¡¯s offensive strength was at the very least several times more powerful than the formation spell barrier¡¯s power. Otherwise, the formation would easily dissipate an attack with equivalent power since it drew assistance from the ingenuity of formation principles. The others had just recently suffered a bit from this formation spell and judged this Falling Stone Formation to be quite formidable.


    ¡°Descend! We absolutely can¡¯t let him get away!¡± Han Li said with an icy expression.


    As of now, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain had completely accepted Han Li and immediately agreed, charging downward.


    But at this moment, Han Li and the others heard a sneer from behind them.


    ¡°Are you looking for me? This temple was only a temporary stronghold for my school. Right now, there is no one inside!¡±


    This voice immediately caused the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, who were halfway through their charge, to nearly fall off their magic tools from fright. They hastily turned their heads to look, but their faces immediately became pale from lack of blood.


    About a hundred meters above Han Li and the four friends was the young prince who they had just pursued and a similarly dressed thin, shriveled man next to him. Beside them were over ten black-clothed masked men. From the looks of it, they were just like the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, nearby cultivators whom the Black Fiend School had placed restrictions on.


    However, what was most eye-catching was the large, bald, eyebrowless man with a strong spirit.


    He also wore blood-red clothing, but he didn¡¯t bother to conceal his face.


    This person was a Foundation Establishment cultivator just like Han Li!


    Seeing this, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain all felt an urge to escape death.

 Chapter 307

    Blood Servant


    When Han Li heard the young prince¡¯s voice, his complexion slightly changed, turning a bit pale.


    But when he slowly turned around, his expression returned to normal; the slightest panic couldn¡¯t be seen. Instead, a trace of a cold smile could be seen from the corner of his mouth. He coldly looked at those from the Black Fiend School and that bald Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    Han Li¡¯s calm expression influenced the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, whose hearts grew slightly calmer. After giving each other a mutual glance, they all acted in concert and flew behind Han Li, standing in opposition against those from the Black Fiend School.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! Aren¡¯t you that person from the Qin Residence? You are a Foundation Establishment cultivator?¡±


    When the young prince saw Han Li¡¯s appearance, he had an extremely astonished expression. Although that thin, shriveled man who stood beside him had remained silent, great surprise could be seen from his eyes.


    Only the large bald man who was rigidly staring at Han Li looked upon him with a solemn appearance. He suddenly said, ¡°Be a bit careful. That person is a Foundation Establishment cultivator and is also a layer higher than me. It is likely I¡¯ll need to lay out a Black Wind Formation and draw assistance from the formation to capture him.¡±


    Hearing the large bald man say this, the young prince didn¡¯t show any worry on his face. Instead,  he asked with pleasant surprise, ¡°Sir Blood Servant, if that¡¯s the case, the rewards for offering this person as a blood sacrifice for the School Master¡¯s cultivation should be quite good, no?¡±


    When the large man heard this, he answered with a chuckle, ¡°Of course. All of the Foundation Establishment cultivators we captured so far were only at initial Foundation Establishment. This person¡¯s blood essence is certain to be far greater than the previous few!¡±


    With confirmation from the large bald man, the young prince greedily turned his head to look at Han Li and suddenly laughed heartily.


    ¡°Good, very good!¡± Regardless of the reason why your esteemed self has come here, don¡¯t think that you will leave this place alive.¡±


    ¡°Lay down the Black Wind Formation! Go!¡±


    After the young prince stopped smiling, he shouted this with a cold expression and a stern voice.


    Those black-clothed individuals immediately took out large, jet-black flags and quickly flew around Han Li, surrounding him. Furthermore, they started to wave the flags in their hands.


    ¡°You all just defend. Let me handle them.¡± After Han Li indifferently said this to the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, his image became indistinct and disappeared from his original location without a trace.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    When the bald large man saw Han Li disappear, he loudly shouted from bewilderment, but it was already too late.


    Han Li appeared behind a black-clothed person in an instant. The cultivator who was just waving the flag had immediately stopped and blankly stood in place. Then without any warning, his head soon rolled onto the floor and blood fountained out of the headless body before falling to the floor.


    It was at the moment that the large bald man had just finished the last word of his shout.


    This scene caused the hearts of the other flag-holding cultivators to tremble. They were left stunned, not knowing what they should do! Han Li soon appeared behind another cultivator from thin air, and he promptly died with his head also rolling on the floor.


    Having seen this, the other black-clothed cultivators didn¡¯t dare to hesitate. They all stopped waving their black flags, and they slapped on their colorful defensive talismans and took out all sorts of defensive magic tools.


    But in the blink of an eye, two more black-clothed disciples in the process of preparing their defenses suffered Han Li¡¯s cruel attacks and unexpectedly turned to corpses.


    ¡°Brat, you¡¯re courting death!¡±


    When the large bald man saw this, he gave a deep roar and released strange black-red lights from his eyes. His entire body released a bloody radiance as he charged toward Han Li at an astonishing speed.


    Han Li took a cold look at the large man¡¯s stance along with the bloody sphere of light covering his body before taking a look at the black-clothed men looking at him with alarm from within their defensive light barriers. At that moment, their figures decisively shot over a hundred meters away from the Four Friends of Meng Mountain.


    The large man charging through the air released a bestial roar. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately changed direction and continued to pounce toward Han Li and the others, but for some unknown reason, he didn¡¯t take out any magic tools.


    Seeing this, the second brother¡¯s mind moved. He saw an opportunity and immediately raised his hand, silently shooting out a green triangular thorn toward the large man¡¯s front.


    When the large bald man saw this magic tool fly toward him, his face turned into an evil grin. Not only did he not stop, but he also rushed toward to welcome it.


    The tall and thin second brother grew very happy and excitedly said, ¡°This guy is out of luck. My magic tool is a fine high-quality magic tool. It will certainly make him¡­ Ah! How is this possible? My green pointed thorn!¡±


    Just as he started rambling, he was stunned by the scene before his eyes and involuntarily cried out.


    When this triangular thorn touched the blood-red light covering the large bald man, the blood-red light radiance seemed alive. It suddenly swept in the magic tool force, and no matter how much the magic tool struggled, it was unable to break free in the slightest.


    ¡°Hehe, you dare to make a show of such a minuscule thorn!¡± The large man wildly laughed and extended a large blood red hand, forcibly grabbing the triangular thorn.  The green light of the magic tool in his grasp immediately scattered; it had thoroughly turned to scrap, completely devoid of Spiritual Qi.


    At this moment, not only did the Four Friends of Meng Mountain appear greatly fearful, but Han Li¡¯s heart also heavily thumped. This large bald man definitely didn¡¯t cultivate any common cultivation arts. It was most likely a top-grade devilish art like the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master.


    The large bald man didn¡¯t allow Han Li and the others to think further and arrived in front of them in an instant. A huge blood-red first was raised and fiercely smashed against the light barrier that the Four Friends of Meng Mountain had jointly erected.


    Peng! The light barrier that four Qi Condensation cultivators had jointly released was left with a deep depression after just one strike and immediately grew very dark.


    The complexions of the four friends suddenly changed. Such a ferocious punch would likely turn common defensive magic tools into scrap metal.


    ¡°Senior, could you¡­¡±


    The dark-faced old man turned his head in a hurry and wanted to see whether Han Li had some method to block the opponent.


    After all, against the opponent¡¯s attack, their combined defensive barrier was unable to take another hit.


    Without speaking, Han Li raised his hand and released a dazzling small white light shield. In the blink of an eye, it grew several times larger and steadily placed itself in front of their barrier, just in time to receive the large bald man¡¯s huge bloody fist.


    Bang!


    The ear-piercing sound of the man¡¯s great strike resonated through both Heaven and Earth. The nearby cultivators who didn¡¯t guard against the vibration lost their balance and nearly fell to the floor.


    The Four Friends of Meng Mountain were also off balance for a long while. The only ones whose expressions had remained the same were Han Li and the large bald man.


    Han Li expressionlessly looked at the white scale shield. He saw that although the shield had successfully endured the punch, there was slight depression on its originally flat and even surface. He couldn¡¯t help but be secretly fearful.


    Han Li clearly knew that how sturdy this white scale shield was and couldn¡¯t help but grow even more dreadfully wary of the large man.


    With this thought, Han Li patted his storage pouch without further hesitation.


    Suddenly, two streaks of black light and six streaks of gold light shot out simultaneously toward the large man without restraint. The grandeur of the raging torrent of howling released from the many top-grade magic tools greatly startled the large bald man. He couldn¡¯t help but reveal slight fear from his face.


    He wildly roared, and his body suddenly flourished with a great blood-red brilliance. A moment later, his entire body had been completely enveloped in blood-red radiance, turning into a huge blood-red sphere of light about ten meters large that floated motionlessly in the air.


    Seeing this good opportunity, Han Li¡¯s Gold Beetle Swarm Blades and Black Dragon¡¯s Grasps naturally did not show mercy and fiercely stabbed toward. What resulted, however, left Han Li feeling that something strange had occurred.


    Despite his magic tools chopping down on the sphere of light, the slightest movement hadn¡¯t occurred from within. Furthermore, his magic tools weren¡¯t able to penetrate more than half a foot into the sphere. This protective barrier-like defense had completely withstood his attack.


    Feeling slightly impatient, Han Li suddenly thought of something and hastily looked around him. The scene before him caused him to feel great danger.


    Under the command of the young prince and whom he suspected to be Steward Wang, the black-clothed men had become organized once more. They had faintly surrounded Han Li and the four friends and were waving the black flags in their hand with all their might. The black flags had already begun to hum a ghostly wail. A strange black fog began to continuously revolve around the black flags.


    This scene caused Han Li to recall the scene at the spirit stone mine with the ¡°Azure Yang Devil Fire¡± that could destroy anything. As this summoning ceremony was quite similar to that of the Azure Yang Devil Fire, how could Han Li allow them to complete it!


    With this thought, Han Li immediately pointed his hand and recalled the white scale shield. Then, without an explanation, he forced it into the dark-faced old man¡¯s hand and coldly said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you temporarily use it! I¡¯m going to dispose of the others first.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s figure flashed and appeared outside of the protective barrier. Furthermore, the magic tools that were indiscriminately attacking the blood-red light sphere whistled through the air as they flew toward Han Li. As they continuously revolved around him, they continued to emit a hum.

 Chapter 308

    A Display of Skill


    Han Li glanced at the few magic tools next to him; then, he suddenly reached into his storage pouch and pulled out three identical small tridents.


    He gently tossed them out, and they instantly turned into three streaks of red light, shooting towards a black-clothed cultivator.


    The set of ¡°Flying Flame Chain Tridents¡± was spoils he had plundered from some pitiful unknown soul after the fight with the white spider. Its power was quite good. Furthermore, because it was a set and was easy to control, Han Li had kept it.


    Han Li then pointed at his magic tools. After the two black and six gold streaks of light let out a long cry, they all flew off in different directions.


    At this moment, the frightening power of Han Li¡¯s Great Development Technique was truly displayed. He was unexpectedly able to control so many magic tools without the slightest of disorder.  Seeing so many top-grade magic tools rushing towards them, the flag-holding cultivators revealed shock. How could they possibly withstand these attacks?


    After Han Li hastily threw three streaks of red light toward a black flag, the cultivator holding it thought to dodge by flying on a magic tool. However, after the black flag tangled with the three red streaks of light, it immediately erupted into a ball of black light and broke apart into minuscule pieces.


    Then the three streaks of red light arrived in front of another cultivator without stopping and fiercely struck at his protective barrier.


    Unfortunately for him, it was only the low-grade barrier of a Qi Condensation cultivator. How could it possibly block the strikes of three top-grade magic tools? It was only able to withstand the strike for a short moment before it ruptured and disappeared without a trace.


    With despair in the cultivator¡¯s eyes, he saw the three streaks of red light lightly wind around him, turning him into a huge fireball and then thoroughly reducing him to ash.


    At this moment, the two black and six golden streaks of light flew above two other cultivators and broke through their defenses with similar ease, chopping them in half.


    All of a sudden, the other cultivators grew frantic. Naturally, they found the preservation of their own lives far more important than laying down this great formation.


    The majority of them immediately turned around and flew off. A few cultivators of great courage and of lacking mind proudly released their magic tools to stop Han Li¡¯s attack with all their might.


    It was a pity that Han Li had no intention of tangling with them and completely suppressed them without restraint.


    Oven ten red, black, and gold streaks of light ran around like a swarm of bees. Any attempt to block these streaks with magic tools was like striking an egg against a stone; they would immediately shatter into pieces and disappear from this world. As for the magic tool wielders, Han Li naturally did not let them go and easily disposed of them.


    At this moment, apart from the few black-clothed cultivators who had ran off about a thousand meters away, only the young prince and the masked man who was likely Steward Wang remained, looking on with incredulity. Not the slightest of power was displayed from the ¡°Black Wind Formation¡± as Han Li had the foresight to destroy it beforehand.


    Han Li turned his gaze towards the two, causing them to inwardly shout ¡®Not Good!¡¯. At the same time, they put up their guard and emitted faint black light from their bodies. Their figures instantly became concealed within dense dark Qi.


    ¡°Humph! What deception!¡± Han Li said with a cold laugh.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what technique these two used, it seemed very similar to the large bald man¡¯s devilish technique. However, he didn¡¯t know why the black light on their body differed from the large man¡¯s blood-red light. Could it be the difference in their cultivation level? Han Li pondered with puzzlement.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know that at this time, the two were complaining without end!


    Han Li¡¯s cultivation and incisive magic tools far exceeded what the two had anticipated.


    It wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t seen Foundation Establishment cultivators before, but rather that the might of this Foundation Establishment cultivator, Han Li, was incomparable to the Foundation Establishment Altar Masters of their own school. Let alone one on one, perhaps even two or three simultaneous Altar Masters may not prove to be his match.


    His extremely quick movement technique that was almost indiscernible from the eye. His ability to control over ten strange magic tools by himself at the same time. These were all feats that they had never heard of before.


    Now it seemed that even Sir Blood Servant may not prove to be his opponent even though he had used a secret technique!


    Although these two were conceited about their strength as Qi Condensation cultivators, they didn¡¯t dare to be so presumptuous as to believe that if the two joined together, they would be able to fight against Han Li. Thus, although they released a secret technique from their body, not only did they not advance, but they also started to carefully retreat slowly.


    Unlike the two, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain were absolutely dumbstruck by Han Li¡¯s godly display of strength.


    Although these individuals had known that Han Li¡¯s strength was great, they didn¡¯t know how powerful his great strength was because they had nothing to refer or compare it to.


    But now they¡¯ve seen Han Li take on over ten cultivators with cultivation similar to their own and kill five or six of them in an instant; the survivors fled with fear, not daring to turn their head. Such profound cultivation! Such technique! The four friends had been completely won over.


    Han Li took a deep breath. When he thought to capture the young prince and Steward Wang at the same time, he suddenly heard a brutal mad roar filled with limitless insane rage coming from the blood-red sphere of light.


    When the young prince and his companion heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other with pleasant surprise.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn. No longer able to deal with the two in front of him, he hastily slapped his storage pouch, causing a small exquisite magic tool to appear in his hand.


    Without the slightest of hesitation, Han Li threw it toward the sphere of blood-red light.


    Han Li had thrown down a small yellow cup, and in an instant, it became a huge cup more than fifteen meters wide. This was the ¡°Heaven Shrouding Cup¡± Han Li acquired from the spoils of the Masked Moon Sect cultivator Xuan Le. During that time, this magic tool was able to trap that incomparably fierce blood spider; it was clearly difficult to deal with.


    D¨¡ng! This cup accurately landed on the blood-red light sphere and covered it in a short amount of time. The roar could no longer be heard.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s action, the pair¡¯s joy-filled faces turned blank.


    Could it be that Sir Blood Servant had been so easily detained?


    Han Li then turned his head over and suddenly gave the two a strange smile before raising his hands.


    In the blink of an eye, countless fireballs sprang forth from his hands and shot forth like a violent storm. The nearby sky had been dyed fire-red.


    This scene frightened the pair, and they hastily released defensive disk magic tools in front of them.


    A continuous stream of deafening explosions sounded out, leaving the young prince stunned.


    Because there simply were too many fireballs, a few had directly slipped through the barrier and directly hit the young prince, scattering much of the black Qi that protected his body.


    With a battered body, the young prince was frightened and angry. He clearly understood this great power had definitely been brought forth with great amounts of talismans.


    While waiting for this wave of fireballs to force their way through, he suddenly heard a miserable shriek from his side, causing him to tremble and hastily take a look.


    He let out a breath of cold air. What he saw left him in complete terror.


    The thin, shriveled masked man originally by his side was in Han Li¡¯s hands, powerless. The black Qi protecting his body had completely scattered, and blood poured from his body. Unexpectedly, he only had one arm left.


    This scene caused the young prince to become apprehensive; a truly unsuppressible fear of Han Li had stemmed in his heart. He couldn¡¯t help but curse that blood servant for being so useless.


    Han Li gave an ice-cold look at the young prince and then ripped off the mask from his captive with no trace of politeness, revealing the face of the Prince Xin¡¯s Steward Wang. Steward Wang¡¯s originally shriveled appearance was now twisted from the pain of losing his arm.


    ¡°Impossible. How did you capture him? Our fiendish Qi body protection isn¡¯t so easily broken through!¡± The young prince exclaimed this in one breath. He suddenly raised both his hands and fiercely shot over ten streaks of black light toward Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s blank expression suddenly had a trace of a sneer.


    He raised a single hand, summoning a black shield-like object in front of him.


    In the end, those powerful streaks of black light shooting towards him only resulted in a few muffled sounds.


    The young prince stared with surprise, discovering that this ¡°shield¡± was actually a huge tortoise shell. However, this tortoise shell was black and void of light. It should have been specially refined.


    Seeing this, the young prince averted his eyes and shrouded his body with black light. He flew like lightning, wanting to escape just like the other cultivators.


    However, as a target for live capture, how could Han Li let him go that easily? After his figure flashed, Han Li easily caught up to the young prince, appearing right in front of him. He then raised his hand, and a huge azure sword over nine meters long appeared of out of thin air. Without restraint, it chopped directly at the young prince.


    The young prince saw this and smiled in his heart.


    The fiendish Qi protecting his body corroded all sorts of magic tools. Simply not fearing any injury from the huge sword, he used this opportunity to flee with all his power.


    With this thought, the young prince¡¯s figure shot up in order to sweep past Han Li up above.

 Chapter 309

    Demonic Transformation


    ¡°You can¡¯t withstand it! Quickly, dodge!¡±


    Resisting sharp pain, Steward Wang loudly shouted while in Han Li¡¯s grasp in an attempt to warn the young prince.


    Obviously, his warning came too late.


    Hearing this, the young prince subconsciously leaned to the side, wanting to dodge the point of the huge azure sword. However, the sword suddenly changed its cleave to a slice, softly sweeping past his legs. The black Qi protecting his body scattered from the attack and didn¡¯t have the slightest of effect.


    As a result, the sword sliced through his two calves with great ease. The young prince loudly shouted, fainting on the scene.


    This person who had lived a life of luxury since birth, though he may be exceptionally shrewd, had never experienced such sufferings before. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t able to bear the pain of lacerated legs.


    However, this scene scared Han Li; because he hadn¡¯t used the azure essence sword streak in so long, he believed that he had accidentally killed him!


    After figuring out what just happened, Han Li happily laughed as he picked this person up and flew back to the Four Friends of Meng Mountain.


    Han Li grew very cheerful from his decisive victory, but at the same time, he felt somewhat puzzled.


    From the feeling of danger the young prince and Steward Wang gave him, these two should¡¯ve been far more dangerous. However, he was able to capture them alive very easily. Could it be that his mysterious intuition had started to fail him?


    Han Li shook his head and felt something was strange.


    At this moment, the black-clothed men lingering around had witnessed this scene and knew that remaining there any longer would be unfavorable. After exchanging mutual glances, they started to scatter and escape in the blink of an eye, leaving behind no traces of them ever being there.


    Han Li had no intention of chasing after them. There were only foreign elements, much like the Four Friends of Meng Mountain. They were fundamentally unworthy of a strenuous pursuit.


    As he thought this, he flew back to the Four Friends of Meng Mountain and casually threw down his two captives, saying indifferently, ¡°Treat their injuries. We still need to interrogate them!¡±


    The youth and the second brother immediately acted, catching the two. They didn¡¯t dare to show the slightest negligence.


    At this moment, not only did the Four Friends of Meng Mountain appear respectful, but their hearts were also filled with reverence toward him. Han Li¡¯s recent display of great and profound power left them with an unforgettable impression.


    ¡°Senior¡¯s cultivation is truly profound. It has greatly broadened these juniors¡¯ perspective,¡± the dark-faced old man said with complete respect.


    ¡°It was nothing but minor skill!¡±


    When Han Li saw the four friends¡¯ expressions of reverence, he couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat proud. However, he put on an appearance that such a thing wasn¡¯t worth mentioning, causing the four to feel that Senior Han was profoundly mysterious!


    Dang! Dang! At this moment, these loud bangs caused Han Li¡¯s complexion to slightly change.


    The four friends hastily looked over. After the middle-aged woman took a clear look, she pointed with a panicked appearance and shouted to Han Li, ¡°Senior, quickly look! Your magic tool!¡±


    Han Li had already turned his head over to look at the ¡°Heaven Shrouding Cup¡± trapping the large bald man. Startlingly loud noises rang from within, accompanied by unimaginable deformations appearing on its exterior.


    With each following sound, the wall of the Heaven Shrouding Cup protruded even more. After over ten more large sounds, the cup was no longer recognizable, and slightest resemblance to its original shape could not be seen.


    But what was even worse was that the cup¡¯s yellow light had grown far duller. It seemed that the large bald man could break through the cup at any moment.


    Han Li was overwhelmed with shock!


    Although he didn¡¯t know why this inconceivable scene occurred, it was obvious that this Heaven Shrouding Cup couldn¡¯t contain him. His only choice at the moment was to take other actions.


    With this thought, Han Li retrieved the many magic tools that were orbiting above him and took out seven to eight puppet beasts. He had the four puppets he had originally taken out form a line in front of Han Li and the four friends, creating a barrier.


    Just as this was accomplished, the sound of a huge explosion could be heard as the ¡°Heaven Shrouding Cup¡± magic tool shattered into multiple pieces. Then, an inhuman monster flew out from its remains.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    When the middle-aged woman saw this, she involuntarily cried out. The complexions of the three at her side also turned green with disbelief.


    Even Han Li was astonished at what he saw.


    The large bald man who had leap out completely resembled a demon in both appearance and physique.


    His height was now over six meters. His teeth were sharp and wild. Two black horns protruded from his head. A long, scaled iron tail dragged behind him. But what was most astonishing were the black and red demonic patterns covering his entire body. A majority of his bare body had been concealed by an unspeakably fiendish Qi.


    The large bald man¡¯s original appearance could faintly be made out from his face, but his eyes were glowing with a green ominous light, completely filled with the desire for blood and slaughter. The slightest of humanity no longer remained. He looked toward Han Li and the others with an ice-cold glance and crouched down, like a drawn arrow ready to be shot.


    When the Four Friends of Meng Mountain saw this, they dreaded disaster. But just as they were at a loss as to what to do, they suddenly heard Han Li¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Release your magic tools!¡±


    Following Han Li¡¯s command, over ten puppets in front of them simultaneously opened their mouths and shot out over ten beams of light, striking the transformed demon like lightning. The unguarded opponent was sent tumbling to the ground.


    Seeing this, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain couldn¡¯t help but be greatly joyous and impulsively released their magic tools, attacking the large man from every direction. They wished to quickly dispatch of this frightening monster.


    Unfortunately, their beautiful dream only lasted for a fleeting moment before a stream of fiendish Qi shot toward the sky from the large man as he furiously jumped up. Regardless of what magic tool was attacking him, there wasn¡¯t the slightest of injury. This caused the four friends¡¯ eyes to open wide from shock.


    The transformed demon madly roared to the sky and suddenly started to wildly flourish his arms like windmills, striking at the magic tools that surrounded him. In an instant, his incredibly sharp fingers thoroughly sliced them to bits and turned them into scrap metal fragments.


    Without waiting for the four friends to recover from their shock, the transformed demon¡¯s eyes glowed with jade light and his body shook several times, appearing in front the barrier protecting Han Li and the others. It extended its claws and fiercely swung.


    Crash.


    The dark-faced old man quickly acted and activated the shield blocking the attack just in time. However, five deep claw marks remained on the shield. Furthermore, the old man¡¯s complexion turned extremely pale in an instant; it was obvious his magic power was not enough to maintain the shield against the onslaught.


    Seeing this, the large man laughed evilly and used his other claw to strike the shield at the speed of lightning.


    However, his expression immediately changed. He abruptly withdrew his claw and pulled back his arms, forming a cross in front of his body.


    At this moment, the second wave of light beams came from his front, harshly striking him once more.


    However, this time the transformed demon wasn¡¯t knocked down by the attack. He was only forcibly pushed back by the wave of attacks by about a hundred meters. This caused the dark-faced old man, who received the first claw attack, to finally let out a long breath. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nervously said to the other three, ¡°His attacks are too ferocious. A single person¡¯s magic power won¡¯t last against his strikes. Everyone, gather your strength to power the shield!¡±


    Hearing the words of their eldest brother, the remaining three friends reached out without hesitation and placed their hands on the old man¡¯s shoulders, frenziedly pouring spiritual power into his body.


    In an instant, color returned to dark-faced old man¡¯s complexion.


    The second attack had no effect on the man transformed into a demon, which appeared to become even more violent. As soon as the puppet beasts¡¯ light beams faded away, it immediately charged forward again, brandishing its fangs and claws. But as it was about to strike the white scale shield, another wave of light beams struck it back to its original location.


    Seeing this, Han Li tensely wrinkled his brow.


    Since this monster was able to break through the ¡°Heaven Shrouding Cup¡± and its body could resist the puppet beasts¡¯ light beam attacks, it was clear that common top-grade magic tools wouldn¡¯t have any effects. Only treasure talismans would do any damage.


    With this thought, Han Li didn¡¯t hesitate any further and commanded the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, ¡°Keep it busy with the puppet beasts. I need some time to cast my magic!¡±


    With that said, Han Li did not wait for their response. He took out the azure mist talisman from his storage pouch and solemnly sat down with his eyes closed, the talisman in his hands.


    Han Li didn¡¯t tell them about the matter of the treasure talisman because he understood that as loose cultivators, they most likely would not have known of such a thing, More importantly, now was not the time to explain.


    His neat and incisive methods illustrated that Han Li simply did not tolerate opposition from the Four Friends of Meng Mountain. These four friends also clearly understood this. After they mutually glanced at each other, the dark-faced old man could only gather his courage and agree.


    After that, the transformed demon threw itself forward seven to eight more times in successive attacks, but each attack was met with dejected failure.


    Although that white scale shield was riddled with traces of damage from the opponent¡¯s claws, under the control of the four friends, it was able to obstruct his incisive jade-shattering claws. They were even able to repel it a certain distance away with the additional aid of the puppet beasts¡¯ light beam attacks. Without an immediate succession of attacks from the transformed demon, the four friends were able to somewhat catch their breath.

 Chapter 310

    Royal Family


    Relying on his mid Foundation Establishment cultivation, Han Li was able to activate the treasure talisman several times faster than when he was a Qi Condensation cultivator.


    After a short moment, the azure talisman in his hand turned into a several inch long azure jade rod that sparkled exquisitely and flowed with glimmering light.


    At this moment, the combined magic power of the Four Friends of Meng Mountain had reached its limit. The aggressive swipes of the man transformed into a demon were like repeated hammer strikes against the white scale shield, leaving the four friends exhausted with pale gray complexions.


    ¡°Senior, hurry!¡±


    The dark-faced old man saw Han Li¡¯s talisman transform and couldn¡¯t help but anxiously urge him.


    Han Li did not have the time to pay attention to the old man. Instead, after he saw the transformed demon repelled by the light beam attacks, he immediately poured all of the spiritual power in his body into the jade rod.


    In an instant, the small jade rod floating above his hand released a dazzling blue radiance. It split in two, then two to four and four to eight¡­ In the blink of an eye, it transformed into several hundreds of similar small rods. Each rod released a rumbling hum and continuously trembled as they revolved around Han Li.


    This astonishing scene rendered the Four Friends of Meng Mountain speechless. They believed it to be an illusion, not daring to trust what they saw with their own eyes.


    Without the slightest of delay, Han Li pointed at the transformed demon with a solemn expression. Then, like a bursting dam, the densely packed small rods immediately shot forth in a fierce, grand charge.


    Although the mind of the former large bald man wasn¡¯t clear, as he faced the assault of Han Li¡¯s treasure talisman, he seemed to realize the situation was far from good. Dread appeared on his face. With a flash of red light, he madly galloped away like a shooting star at a speed no slower than the Divine Wind Boat.


    This scene left Han Li stunned and hesitant. The other party had already run over three hundred meters away. Han Li could only see the distant fleeing figure from behind.


    With a sigh, Han Li didn¡¯t give chase. Instead, he lightly waved his hand, causing the jade rod talisman treasure to withdraw and converge into an azure talisman, floating back to his hand.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t want to prevent future problems. However, the remaining uses of the jade rod talisman treasures were limited. If he were to pursue and tangle with him for a long period of time, Han Li didn¡¯t know if the treasure talisman would last. Also, with living mouths already in hand, this choice was comparatively more reliable.


    Seeing such a formidable opponent flee from Han Li, the hearts of the four friends shook as they stood, propping each other up.


    Seeing that their complexions truly weren¡¯t good, after a moment of thought, Han Li took out a small medicine bottle from his storage pouch and handed it over to them.


    ¡°Everyone take one pill. It will help with your injuries,¡± Han Li said with a slight smile.


    Regardless of how it was presented, these people had been quite helpful in today¡¯s battle. He naturally had to show this to some extent in order to have them know that he wasn¡¯t unkind.


    As expected, the four friends revealed a grateful appearance. The old man then respectfully took the bottle and lightly poured four fire-redlongan sized medicinal pills into his hand. Upon smelling its medicinal fragrance, his spirit felt roused.


    As the old man was someone with much experience, he was immediately pleasantly surprised by the great value of the medicine. After he repeatedly expressed his thanks toward Han Li, he took the medicine pill along with the others.


    Just as the medicine pills entered their stomachs, they immediately scattered, warmly flowing into every inch of their bodies. This caused their injuries to feel much lighter, and they felt great joy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave! It will be troublesome if we stay here for long and the Black Fiend School brings reinforcements,¡± Han Li said with a deep voice as he took a look at the captured young prince and Steward Wang.


    The four friends naturally didn¡¯t have any objections. They obediently carried the two captives onto the Divine Wind Boat. Han Li then hastily flew with all of them on board.


    The sky above the ruined temple regained peace once more. No one would¡¯ve been able to tell that a fierce battle between cultivators had occurred here.


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li and company returned to the Qin Residence without a problem and directly descended to their dwelling.


    Fearing that any delay would bring trouble, Han Li made a change of plan and started to interrogate the young prince and the steward that very night.


    Han Li planned to personally interrogate the young prince and hand Chief Steward Wang to the four friends. He was convinced that with the dark-faced old man¡¯s shrewd ruthlessness, he should receive a satisfactory result.


    To make cultivators tell the truth was a comparatively more difficult matter for others. However, Han Li, who had a rough understanding of bewitchment techniques and was proficient in the Dao of medicine, simply had no problem in this regard. This was especially apparent with such a large difference in cultivation.


    Although the young prince had started by absolutely refusing to open his mouth, completely unwilling to answer Han Li¡¯s mild questioning, Han Li force fed the young prince a medicinal liquid with no trace of politeness. As a result, the prince grew dizzy, and his mind sank into delusion.


    Soon after, Han Li used a common bewitchment magic technique, ¡°Hypnotic Eye¡±, and smoothly took control of his mind. Afterwards, the prince obediently answered Han Li¡¯s questions like a puppet.


    Hearing the young prince¡¯s account, Han Li¡¯s appearance changed without end. At the start, he was solemnly ice-cold. In the middle, he was stunned and amazed. By the end, he appeared conflicted and gloomy.


    With the young prince divulging all his hidden secrets, Han Li muttered to himself for a moment. Then he took out a black medicinal pill he had prepared beforehand and expressionlessly stuffed it down the young prince¡¯s throat before walking out of his room, not even giving the young prince another glance.


    This ¡°Soul Breaking Pill¡± was enough to silently kill the young prince.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t feel very good about using poison to kill a defenseless person, in light of the young prince using over ten cultivators as blood sacrifices to cultivate a demonic art, his death couldn¡¯t be regarded as unjust.


    When he arrived at the Clear Sound Courtyard, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain were discussing the interrogation with solemn expressions. Once they saw Han Li enter, they all stood and welcomed Han Li to the head seat.


    Han Li sat down without declining and asked, ¡°So how about it? Did Steward Wang confess to anything?¡±


    The four friends exchanged mutual glances. As the eldest member, the dark-faced old man stood and replied, ¡°Senior might already know this¡­I¡¯m afraid the situation is quite complicated, especially if Steward Wang didn¡¯t lie.¡±


    With that said, the old man stole a look at Han Li. However, Han Li¡¯s expression was normal and didn¡¯t express anything.


    With no better option, the old man deliberated for a moment and forced himself to say, ¡°This one has learned much information with regards to the Black Fiend School from Steward Wang. However, most of it is insignificant. Only one extremely jeopardizing matter is important. That is, the Black Fiend School Master is hiding in the Imperial City. Furthermore, the current mortal emperor of the State of Yue has long since become his puppet, turning the Imperial Palace into the Black Fiend School¡¯s nest. As it happens to be, the Black Fiend School Master is a man called Li Poyun, a eunuch among the stewards within Imperial Palace. It is said that he is in the middle of secluded cultivation.¡±


    When the dark-faced old man said this, he wrinkled his brow. He felt this matter wasn¡¯t easy to handle! After all, even if cultivators held mortals in contempt, they still had to be somewhat wary toward the highest ruler of the mortal world!


    After Han Li heard this, his face didn¡¯t change. However, his heart sighed incessantly!


    He didn¡¯t have hold any fear for the emperor but he knew that the current royal family of the State of Yue was actually in joint cooperation with the Seven Sects.


    Each of the sects had an unwritten rule strictly prohibiting even a half step of entry into the forbidden city. This was to avoid any sect from seizing the royal family by force and leaving the other sects at a disadvantage.


    Thus, for several hundred years, the slightest trace of Seven Sect Disciples had not appeared in the Imperial City of Yue. So long as the State of Yue¡¯s emperor didn¡¯t make any great blunders by not making any offerings to the Seven Sects, the Seven Sects left them completely alone. Perhaps it was this that gave the Black Fiend School an advantageous opportunity.


    Han Li had already contemplated the young prince¡¯s answers many times over, but he was still unsure as to what to do!


    This rule had been maintained for such a long time. Even if he uncovered the true identity of the Black Fiend School Master, who knew if that would atone for his crime of trespassing into the Imperial City? Not only was it possible that he could receive no merits, but he could also be severely punished!


    Being unable to distinguish between what was the right or wrong course of action, he grew extremely annoyed. In the long history of the Seven Great Sects, such occurrences had happened before.


    There were times when the authority of some rules was far more important than the rightness or wrongness of the matter and simply couldn¡¯t be broken in the slightest, causing Han Li to feel greatly afraid of the consequences.


    He wasn¡¯t someone who wished to expend effort only to receive an undesired outcome.


    But returning to the main topic at hand, being able to discover the true identity of the Black Fiend School Master so easily was truly unexpected!


    However, this was a just a chance coincidence. According to the young prince¡¯s knowledge, even Foundation Establishment Altar Lords hadn¡¯t seen the appearance of the school master before and didn¡¯t know of his origins.


    These two were of the few individuals who knew the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s identity. This was completely because Steward Wang and the young prince had a rather familiar relationship to the Black Fiend School Master.


    One of them was the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s older cousin and had saved his life before. The other was his only official disciple and received no small amount of favor. With such intimate relationships, they were able to know the true identities of many important figures.


    Otherwise, in such a large city such as Yuejing, how could two among many of the school¡¯s Qi Condensation disciples hold such influential positions in the school?

 Chapter 311

    Secrets of Blood Sacrifice


    Just as Han Li was considering this, the dark-faced old man continued without stopping, ¡°¡­ We were unable to discover the true circumstances of the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s cultivation. By his side, there are four great Blood Servants closely protecting him, similar to the one we encountered today. It is certain that we are not capable of being their match as we are now. Thus, I recommend to Senior that we do not take the initiative to further provoke them and that it would be best to wait for reinforcements¡­¡±


    ¡°Be at ease. This Black Fiend School Master is at most a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. I¡¯m quite certain he has yet to reach Core Formation.¡±


    Han Li, who had originally been listening from the beginning, suddenly interrupted the old man¡¯s words and said this with much certainty.


    Han Li¡¯s words stunned the dark-faced old man at first, but he suddenly became happy. The others also appeared greatly relieved.


    Although they didn¡¯t know why Han Li was so certain, since it was Senior Han who had said this, it was extremely unlikely he was wrong! A moment ago, they had been discussing that if their enemy happened to be a Core Formation cultivator, they would only be able to flee in humiliation! Even if with the assistance of reinforcements from the Seven Sects, it was still uncertain if the Black Fiend School Master could be dealt with.


    But now that Han Li had said this, the hearts of the Four Friends of Meng Mountain naturally grew much calmer.


    ¡°Could Senior tell us a few things? When we interrogated Steward Wang, he didn¡¯t have the slightest idea about the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s cultivation!¡±


    ¡°Fourth Brother, what nonsense are you speaking? Since Senior Han has said this, it must be completely true.¡± The dark-faced old man fiercely rebuked the youth with a serious expression.


    When Han Li heard their words, he slightly smiled and calmly said, ¡°This isn¡¯t some kind of secret! This information came from the fact that the school master requires Foundation Establishment cultivators to conduct blood sacrifices.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s relaxed voice slowly explained this.


    ¡°Although our Yellow Maple Valley isn¡¯t very involved with Devilish Dao cultivation techniques, we do have some understanding of blood sacrifices, this impatient and destructive evil magic. This devilish art works by taking in other cultivator¡¯s blood essence and using it to boost their own cultivation. This was once a common occurrence in previous devilish sects as it is able to greatly increase a cultivator¡¯s magic power in a short period and skip a great amount of time spent in meditation, bitterly cultivating. As a result, there was a time in the cultivation world when not only the Devilish Dao but even Righteous Sects had many people secretly cultivation this technique.¡±


    After Han Li said this, he coldly laughed, and a slight sneer occurred at the corner of his mouth. Then he continued, ¡°However, this insane cultivation technique not only required the vicious and merciless slaughter of many other cultivators, but it also had a fatal flaw. It is only effective at the level of Foundation Establishment and below. In addition, those who use blood sacrifices are doomed to stay at Foundation Establishment for the rest of their lives without any hope of reaching Core Formation. During that time when so many cultivators secretly cultivated this devilish art, not a single one of them was able to reach Core Formation.


    ¡°What¡¯s worse is that as they consumed the blood sacrifice¡¯s magic power, they would often experience backlash. If one was not careful, he or she would encounterQigong Deviation and die. Obviously, the main reason as to why this cultivation technique disappeared without a trace was because it became taboo amongst all cultivators to consume another¡¯s blood essence. Thus, both the Righteous and the Devil Dao gradually eradicated those who practiced this devilish art.


    ¡°However, it was later said that the Devilish Dao had hated to part with this method of hurriedly increasing their cultivation and instead created a cultivation technique that was known as blood sacrifice. However, this method didn¡¯t directly consume another¡¯s blood essence. Instead, it would use a cultivator¡¯s soul. Although I¡¯ve heard the rise in cultivation wasn¡¯t as sudden or quick as the original blood sacrifice, it shared the same restrictions, preventing Core Formation and containing the same danger of backlash. It was aptly named soul sacrifice. With regards to soul sacrifice, my sect¡¯s ancient records didn¡¯t mention much of it. I only know that once it was established, it was only grasped by a few higher echelon experts of the Devil Dao and wasn¡¯t widely circulated, preventing a massacre in the cultivation world! Furthermore, there are also many other restrictions in other areas.¡±


    In a single breath, Han Li had spoken of many secrets with regards to blood sacrifice. As rogue cultivators, this greatly widened the perspective of the Four Friends of Meng Mountain. At the same time, they also knew why Han Li was certain that the Black Fiend School Master was only at Foundation Establishment. It was very obvious that that Black Fiend School used the first method of blood sacrifice.


    ¡°We have already acquired a rough understanding of the internal circumstances of the Black Fiend School. However, that large bald man escaped, so by now, the Black Fiend School should know of our circumstances as well. They might immediately abandon their nest and flee. As such, if they¡¯ve hidden themselves again, we would be at a disadvantage.¡± The second brother suddenly thought of something and voiced his concern with worry.


    ¡°Impossible! It is currently unlikely for the Black Fiend School to immediately flee. From what I learned from the young prince, the Black Fiend School Master is currently in a crucial point in secluded cultivation at some cave within the Imperial Palace. I¡¯ve heard that the School Master had prepared this secluded cultivation for several years and absolutely wouldn¡¯t give it up halfway through. It¡¯s most likely that they are gathering their forces and guarding against us.¡± Han Li¡¯s tone of words held ridicule toward the Black Fiend School.


    Hearing these words, the four friends¡¯ spirits were roused, and they revealed slight excitement.


    ¡°Senior, then next we must¡­¡± After the dark-faced old man calmed down, he probingly asked this.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to do anything next except calmly wait for reinforcements! Although the other party knows of our circumstances, they don¡¯t know where we are hiding. Furthermore, the people taking care of their business in Yuejing are none other than the two captives in our hands. If the Black Fiend School wanted to go find us, they wouldn¡¯t be able to send any capable men. However, everyone must be a bit careful. In the coming days, stay and properly cultivate within the residence. When reinforcements come, we will then make our decision.¡± Han Li massaged his nose with his hand as he said this with the corner of his mouth slightly raised. His eyes had already become narrow slits.


    With a mysterious smile on his face, Han Li caused the others to feel greatly perplexed.


    ¡­¡­


    The Imperial City of the State of Yue occupied one-fifths of its land. However, a third of the Imperial City was occupied by the glorious and magnificent Imperial Palace.


    Layers of perfectly cut jade bricks formed the palace floors along with countless elegant corridors in addition to many decorative gardens with rarely seen flowers and plants. Even eunuchs and palace maids who had lived in the palace for years would often lose their way, a testament to how extensive the Imperial Palace was!


    It was currently almost midnight. The original bustling of court eunuchs and palace maids had long exchanged for a heavy guard with sentries posted every few meters.


    But under these circumstances, there was still a person whose entire body was tightly covered in a wide cloak swaggering through the layers of sentries with a gold medallion in hand, walking toward the depths of the cold palace hall.


    This person was extremely tall!


    Looking at the sinister palace gate, the mysterious man suddenly shed off his cloak and exposed his massive bald head. This was precisely the large bald man who had escaped from Han Li.


    At this moment, he no longer had his demonic appearance and seemed quite normal. However, his face was pale and seemed lacking in blood; it appeared his origin Qi had been greatly depleted.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Just as the large bald man walked two steps forward, an extremely cold voice came from within the palace hall.


    ¡°Ice Demon, it¡¯s me.¡±


    The large bald man replied without a trace of politeness. He walked through the gate without stopping.


    ¡°So it was Tie Luo! You came back from your mission! But wait, why are your footsteps so weak and your Qi so lacking? Could it be that you, who claims to be seldom harmed by magic tools and impenetrable to ice and fire, suffered quite a bit?¡± the ice-cold voice asked with some shock. But soon after, the speaker took joy in the bald man¡¯s misfortune.


    ¡°Humph, what does an ice-cold fellow like you know? The person I encountered this time was a formidable fellow. Let alone me, even if us two worked together, I fear we wouldn¡¯t be good enough! Were it not for the quick-witted fiend demon transformation I planned in advance, I fear I would have lost my life there,¡± The large bald man replied with a cold smile.


    ¡°You used the fiend demon transformation? No wonder your origin Qi has been injured. It seems that without a month of bitter cultivation, you won¡¯t have any hope of recovering! However, being able to pressure you like this, your opponent must truly be exceptional. Tell me about him!¡± This ice demon held great curiosity in his words.


    ¡°After I first beg the School Master for forgiveness, I will return and tell you this in detail! The School Master¡¯s in-name disciple was captured by the enemy, so right now I don¡¯t have time to deal with you. I don¡¯t know what punishment I¡¯ll receive for this blunder!¡± The large bald man impatiently answered.


    ¡°Old Tie, you might not know, but unlike the others. It¡¯s as if we are all of one heart with the School Master. How could the School Master punish you? At most, he would rebuke you!¡± The ice demon replied with objection.


    But these words soon lagged behind as the originally shut palace hall doors opened by themselves with a creak. An incomparably dark gateway was revealed, similar to that of a demonic beast opening its mouth to devour its chosen prey.


    When the large bald man saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but walk forward hesitantly.


    ¡°Qing Wen and Ye She?¡±


    When the large bald man walked forward through the doors, he immediately asked the white silhouette to the side.


    ¡°They went to the blood prison to cultivate! For the time being, only I remained to take care of things.¡± The image of the white silhouette erratically swayed in the shadows. His body was emitting faint white Qi from all over, preventing the bald man from seeing his true appearance.


    ¡°Humph! That Qing Wen is already at mid Foundation Establishment but yet he still cultivates so diligently. Could it be he isn¡¯t afraid of true essence backlash? And that brat Ye She, when has he ever been so hardworking?¡± The large bald man revealed an expression of astonishment and asked this, puzzled.


    ¡°When you hear this, don¡¯t be envious! That Ye She said he felt that he was about to enter mid Foundation Establishment. Who gave this guy such good aptitude? He can still keep up with us even without cultivating. What can be done!¡± Although the ice demon advised the large man to not be jealous, his own words were filled with a sour tone.

 Chapter 312

    Reinforcements and Peace


    ¡°Ice Demon, it isn¡¯t because you find this guy displeasing to the eye but rather that you want me to pick a fight with Ye She!¡± The large bald man coldly said, glaring at the ice demon.


    ¡°Heehee! That could be true! Regardless, don¡¯t you want to go see the school master? It would be best to go now. The school master has yet to start refining Qi from his latest blood sacrifice!¡± The white silhouette addressed the worry on the large man¡¯s mind, changing the subject without care.


    The large bald man clearly understood that the other party¡¯s words were a slight towards him, but he simply snorted and walked into the darkness with large strides.


    After turning several corners and walking through six or seven courtyards, the large man arrived at an extremely remote but expansive rock garden. At the sight of it, an expression of reverence had appeared on his face.


    ¡°Subordinate Tie pays respects to School Master!¡± The large man loudly greeted with a bow.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Tie Luo! How were you wounded?¡±


    A middle-aged man¡¯s magnetic distant voice came from the rock garden where the Black Fiend School Master had secluded himself. It was likely that this was completely unthinkable to Han Li and the others.


    ¡°Many thanks for School Master¡¯s concern, but this subordinate simply used the demon transformation technique. There is only a bit of damage to my vitality.¡± When the large bald man heard the school master¡¯s words, he gave a careful reply.


    For a moment, the school master didn¡¯t immediately give a reply. After a long while, he faintly said, ¡°From what I can see, this mission was a failure! Otherwise, my in-name disciple should have followed you back for the mission debriefing.¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me, School Master. This subordinate didn¡¯t do his best to protect the young master and Protector Wang, both of whom fell into the enemy¡¯s hands. This subordinate willingly receives the School Master¡¯s strict punishment!¡± The large man gritted his teeth and said this with an appearance of shame.


    ¡°Punishment? Why would I punish you? Since you¡¯ve already used the demon transformation technique, it clearly shows that this enemy was truly too strong. It wasn¡¯t because you didn¡¯t try your best. Besides, they were only a disciple and a protector, so losing them isn¡¯t anything too terrible. If you, on the other hand, were to fall into the enemy¡¯s hands, then I truly would have a headache!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for School Master¡¯s forgiveness. This subordinate will certainly do his utmost for School Master in order to make up for this failure!¡±


    The Black Fiend School Master had skillfully won over his subordinate¡¯s heart, stirring up emotions from the large bald man with his words. In response, the bald man immediately made a great display of loyalty.


    ¡°En, very good! But before anything else, tell me about the fight that occurred. I want to know which sect this cultivator came from. He is unexpectedly so fierce!¡± The Black Fiend School Master was clearly very satisfied with the large man¡¯s words, but he still asked about Han Li with great curiosity.


    ¡°As you bid!¡± The large man hastily agreed.


    ¡°The techniques of the Foundation Establishment cultivator who we wanted to capture were extremely peculiar. He was unexpectedly able to control mechanical beast-like figurines. Furthermore, his strength was not lacking. At the time¡­.¡± The large bald man thoroughly narrated the events of his fight with Han Li and how he used the demonic transformation technique when the situation turned sour.


    After the large man finished, the rock garden was quiet for a moment. The Black Fiend School Master seemed to be thinking of something.


    After a while, a clear and cold voice spoke.


    ¡°Based on the description of this cultivator¡¯s control of figurines, this should be the puppet technique of the Thousand Bamboo School, and thus, he is likely a cultivator from this school. I heard earlier that a few Thousand Bamboo School cultivators had appeared within the borders of Yuan Wu. He is probably one of them. However, your intuition to immediately flee after your demon transformation was a very wise decision. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be speaking here with me now,¡± the Black Fiend School Master said indifferently.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be! Although I am not confident that my transformed demonic body would be able to truly withstand his treasure talisman, were it not for the fact that I was unable to control my own body after the demonic transformation, I would have actually wanted to fight him! Even if I wasn¡¯t his match, I would¡¯ve completely been able to flee without harm,¡± the large man replied with some refusal.


    ¡°Tie Luo, I know that you were able to withstand a treasure talisman once before and came out unscathed. However, talisman treasures greatly differ in power from one another. Even if two treasure talismans were refined from the same magic treasure, their strength wouldn¡¯t necessarily be the same. Also, with this treasure talisman¡¯s strange appearance, I can conclude that you wouldn¡¯t be able to endure his attacks even with your fiend demon transformation. If it were Qing Wen¡¯s wood devil transformation, there may have been some chance of victory.¡± The Black Fiend Sect Master smiled warmly and gave the large man an explanation.


    ¡°Many thanks for School Master¡¯s advice!¡± Still somewhat unconvinced, the large man still expressed his thanks with acknowledgment.


    ¡°School Master, how should we respond to this cultivator? Since the opponent isn¡¯t a cultivator from the Seven Sects, should us four Blood Servants be dispatched to capture him alive and present him for School Master¡¯s cultivation?¡± the large bald man eagerly asked. It was obvious he planned to find Han Li and settle the score.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! It was only a guess that he was a Thousand Bamboo School cultivator. I¡¯m not completely certain, and he may have other helpers. Also, I am at a crucial point of my secluded cultivation and do not wish to provoke any great enemies. Confine all the disciples within the capital in the coming days and have them all remain at the Imperial Palace. These matters will be put off until I reach great success stage in my cultivation. Even if there are no Foundation Establishment cultivators to serve as blood sacrifices, it will only delay my progress by a few months. At that time, apart from Core Formation cultivators, no Foundation Establishment cultivator will be my match.¡± As the Black Fiend School Master said this, his originally flat tone became filled with excitement.


    The Black Fiend School Master¡¯s thoughts happened to be just as Han Li had anticipated.


    ¡°This subordinate wishes good fortune for School Master¡¯s cultivation breakthrough to the great-success stage. This one will immediately arrange for the school disciples at the Imperial Palace to fortify the number of guards. We won¡¯t allow them to disturb the School Master in the slightest,¡± the large man loudly declared with tact.


    ¡°Good, carry out the arrangements!¡±


    After the Black Fiend School Master finished saying this, he seemed to be somewhat tired and didn¡¯t say anything further. Thus, the large bald man respectfully took several steps back, turned around, and departed.


    This location once again became an unremarkable corner of the cold palace.


    ¡­¡­


    Time passed by quickly. It was half a month since Han Li passed on the newly acquired intelligence.


    At this moment, the Black Fiend School and Han Li had taken the same action and withdrew.


    Since the Black Fiend School didn¡¯t dispatch their troops to search wide for the Han Li¡¯s hideout, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to break down the stalemate and rush into the Imperial City, showing his usual calm restraint. It appeared that nothing happened to both sides during this time.


    It would be reasonable to say that the Devil Dao should have already shown themselves, but no information of them had appeared, causing Han Li to let out a great sigh of relief.


    Han Li¡¯s most feared scenario where the Black Fiend School and the Devil Dao would collaborate together and simultaneously stir up vile trouble did not occur. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but secretly rejoice from this.


    According to Han Li¡¯s calculations, even if Li Huayuan sent people over, they would arrive in about ten days at the earliest. Thus, he calmly cultivated every day and didn¡¯t rashly go out. At Han Li¡¯s suggestion, Qin Yan had also stayed in at the Residence for the past recent days and evaded invitations to go out, claiming that he wanted to deepen and enjoy familial ties.


    But on the morning of this very day, as Han Li was meditating and refining Qi on his bed, He suddenly opened his eyes, exposing a trace of cold light.


    ¡°Which fellow Daoists have come to visit? There¡¯s no need to be so secretive. Come out!¡±


    After Han Li coldly said this, he patted his storage pouch and immediately took out the white scale shield, blocking his front. At the same time, his other hand grasped a fire cloud talisman. He appeared as if he were facing a great enemy.


    What caused Han Li to act so seriously was the feeling of shock in response to the appearance of three to four Foundation Establishment cultivators lingering outside the door. Although they used Qi concealment magic techniques, Han Li, who cultivated the nameless chant, could faintly feel their presence.


    Han Li thought to himself with astonishment, ¡®Could it be that the four great Blood Servants of the Black Fiend School have all come?¡¯


    When this thought raced through his mind, Han Li endlessly complained to himself and immediately planned his escape. As for the Four Friends of Meng Mountain and those from the Qin Residence, Han Li couldn¡¯t do anything for them; he could only leave them to find their own luck.


    While Han Li¡¯s mind was filled with these distracting thoughts, not a single magic tool or Daoist technique came from outside as Han Li had expected. Instead, he heard a bright and cheerful voice.


    ¡°Hehe! How about it? I said you wouldn¡¯t be able to conceal yourselves from Junior Martial Brother! Young Junior Martial Brother has already entered mid Foundation Establishment. Don¡¯t show off your mere skill in front of Junior Martial Brother Han.¡±


    This was an extremely familiar voice to Han Li. His mind stirred as he loudly answered, ¡°Could it be that Senior Martial Brother Song has arrived? Let Junior Martial Brother give you his greetings!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words were filled with pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, you¡¯ve guessed correctly!¡± After the voice¡¯s owner said this, he opened the door and strut into Han Li¡¯s room; it was Han Li¡¯s Fourth Senior Martial Brother, Song Meng.


    Two men and a woman stood behind him. Apart from the serious appearance of a young handsome man, the other two looked at Han Li with a smile.


    Among them, a man with a scholarly appearance said with a smile, ¡°Eighth Junior Martial Brother, I¡¯ve heard your name from Master. It¡¯s unfortunate that Seventh Junior Martial Sister and I haven¡¯t had a chance to meet you yet! Now that we¡¯ve finally seen you in person, we¡¯re astounded that you¡¯ve cultivated so quickly and had already reached mid Foundation Establishment! I truly have no words to say.¡± The man clicked his tongue.


    When that elegant woman standing by his side heard this, she concealed a chuckle and brightly sized up Han Li with curiosity.


    Han Li took another glance at the man and woman, but he still didn¡¯t recognize who they were. He immediately stood up from the bed and said with a respectful expression, ¡°So it¡¯s Third Senior Martial Brother and Seventh Senior Martial Sister! Junior Martial Brother has long heard of Senior Martial Brother and Sister¡¯s great reputations. Unfortunately, I also haven¡¯t had the chance to meet you. As for cultivation, Senior Martial Brother had entered mid Foundation Establishment far before me. How could this Junior Martial Brother compare?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words were sincere and left a good impression on his Third Martial Brother.

 Chapter 313

    Decision


    At this moment, Han Li turned his head toward the handsome youth and politely said, ¡°Sixth Senior Martial Brother has also come! The affairs of this little brother have truly troubled Senior Martial Brother.¡±


    Wu Xuan indifferently responded with ¡°En¡± and said nothing more.


    Han Li simply smiled, displaying nothing out of the ordinary. He clearly understood now that ever since that matter with Dong Xuan¡¯er, this Sixth Senior Martial Brother did not find Han Li pleasant to the eye.


    However, Han Li himself didn¡¯t really mind much. After all, this person was much easier to deal with than hypocrites and other such vile characters.


    Right now, however, Wu Xuan was looking at Han Li with a trace of amazement.


    Last time they had seen each other, Han Li was only at early Foundation Establishment. But now, after just a short period of time, Han Li had already entered mid Foundation Establishment. How could Wu Xuan, who was still lingering at early Foundation Establishment, not feel greatly astonished and envious?


    ¡°Senior Martial Brothers, please come in! I¡¯ll go ahead and steep a pot of good tea for you!¡± Han Li invited the four into the room with a smile and then turned around and went inside ahead of the others.


    ¡°There is no rush to drink tea. Let¡¯s first talk about the Black Fiend School¡¯s experts. I¡¯ve always wanted to have a few truly great battles with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Unfortunately, when I was at Master¡¯s side, the old man didn¡¯t allow me or Eighth Junior Martial Brother to freely kill Devil Dao cultivators. Otherwise, I would possibly be in the same boat as Junior Brother Han and be dispatched to the border to engage in mutual combat.¡± When Song Meng and the others entered the room and sat down, he hastily asked this with itching impatience and curiosity.


    This Fourth Senior Martial Brother normally treated people extremely coldly. But now that fierce close combat was imminent, he immediately acted like any other person, becoming excited and unafraid.


    ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯ve heard that success in frontline battles doesn¡¯t rely solely on how many enemies you¡¯ve killed before. What¡¯s most important is one¡¯s own cultivation. Because Junior Martial Brother Han had bitterly cultivated beyond everyone else with great success, he was able to naturally succeed in this area.¡± When the Third Senior Martial Brother Liu Jing heard Song Meng¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but tighten his face and say this with a somewhat rebuking tone.


    Hearing this, Han Li felt greatly surprised.


    He hadn¡¯t thought that these three Senior Martial Brothers would speak mercilessly. He believed that with Song Meng¡¯s temperament, he wouldn¡¯t be immediately rebuked.


    This left Han Li dumbstruck. Song Meng only chuckled and then remained silent.


    While Han Li was left in shock, the three Senior Martial Brothers had suddenly turned their heads to him and amiably said, ¡°Master already gave us a rough explanation, but in these passing days, I¡¯m sure that new information has surfaced. I hope Han Li could give us a detailed briefing.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am also very curious. Who¡¯s part of this evil school that dares to abduct so many cultivators? They truly have great courage!¡±


    Seventh Martial Sister Zhong Weiniang didn¡¯t appear to be much older than Han Li. She had a round face with great clear white skin, and her smile had two shallow dimples; she was truly adorable.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that this Senior Martial Sister Zhong was a genuine genius cultivator. He had heard that by the age of sixteen, she had already entered Foundation Establishment. She was now only one step away from mid Foundation Establishment and received much favor from Li Huayuan and his wife.


    With that thought, Han Li sighed and slowly said, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Zhong probably already knows that the majority of the cultivators abducted by the Black Fiend School were used as blood sacrifices for cultivation. A small number of them were spared, threatened into becoming their wretched followers. As a group of evil cultivators unfit to be seen under sunlight, they would naturally have great courage. Furthermore, after so many years of development, they now have quite a few Foundation Establishment experts, each of them extremely vicious.¡±


    ¡°Blood sacrifice! That evil cultivation art that raises one¡¯s cultivation by absorbing the blood essence of other cultivators?¡± When Wu Xuan heard this, his face hardened, asking this with a trembling voice.


    Song Meng and the others also displayed similar shock.


    ¡°Eighth Junior Martial Brother, are you not mistaken? Is it truly that bloody cultivation art?¡± Liu Jing¡¯s scholarly face had a menacing air and a faint, ominous glint could be seen from his eyes.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart trembled.


    He had heard long ago that although this Third Senior Martial Brother did not have the greatest cultivation among Li Huayuan¡¯s disciples, he was famed among the junior generation of the Seven Sects for his bloody, obsessive hatred of evil and have slain countless degenerate cultivators by his hand. This was the main reason why martial idiots like Song Meng held such reverence toward Third Senior Martial Brother Liu Jing. [1]


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. They have cultivated like this for many years.¡± Han Li naturally didn¡¯t conceal anything about the Black Fiend School and nodded his head with certainty.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, tell us everything that happened,¡± Senior Martial Brother Liu solemnly said to Han Li.


    ¡°The circumstances are as such: I had originally gone to attend a banquet at Prince Xin¡¯s residence with the Qin Clan Lord¡­¡±


    Han Li slowly narrated through the events that occurred since that day at Prince Xin¡¯s Residence. Naturally, secret details involving himself were excluded.


    However, Han Li did not expect that these three Senior Martial Brothers were not easily deceived. They interrupted Han Li several times and carefully inquired about a few unclear details. Since the slightest mistake would cause Han Li to reveal everything, these questions truly caused sweat to flow down Han Li¡¯s back several times.


    This was the first time Han Li felt that weaving lies was truly difficult.


    After he answered all of Liu Jing¡¯s questions, the other three¡¯s complexions greatly changed.


    This small Black Fiend School actually had four Foundation Establishment Blood Servants, not to mention several Altar Masters with similar cultivation bases and that profound school master.


    Furthermore, what was more troublesome was that their nest was actually Yuejing¡¯s forbidden city!


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, should we ask Master for instructions and ask the sect for more men? With just us, I fear it will be extremely difficult to capture the Black Fiend Sect¡¯s school master,¡± Wu Xuan said with hesitation.


    It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to violate the Seven Sects¡¯ entry ban and that he wasn¡¯t entirely confident in his own strength.


    ¡°What? It seems Sixth Junior Martial Brother is somewhat cowardly?¡± When Liu Jing heard Wu Xuan¡¯s words, he raised his sharp eyebrows and spat this out with annoyance.


    ¡°Of course not. I only feel that acting as such is a bit unreliable. According to Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s words, they won¡¯t be able to run for quite some time. As such, asking for Master¡¯s opinion seems more appropriate.¡± Wu Xuan hastily disputed, naturally unwilling to admit this.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good. This elder brother was just suspicious! However, Junior Martial Brother Wu doesn¡¯t need to ask such a worrisome question. When we arrived, Master repeatedly warned us that if we encountered any difficulties, we should ask for assistance from Martial Senior Hui Ming¡¯s disciples, who were sent to the nearby South Crow City for sect affairs. With Master¡¯s and Martial Senior Hui Ming¡¯s friendly relationship, they will be certain to help us.¡±


    ¡°Humph. Since we already know the Imperial Palace has already become a den of evil, how could I, Liu, turn a blind eye to them? Don¡¯t hesitate to follow me in. As for whether our charge into the Imperial Palace will violate the Seven Sects¡¯ prohibition, I, Liu Jing, will bear all the responsibility!¡± Liu Jing declared with an ice-cold expression.


    Everyone at the scene looked at each other in dismay except for Seventh Senior Martial Sister Zhong Weiniang, who looked at him with enchanted eyes. It was obvious she had long fallen for this Third Senior Martial Brother!


    ¡°Good. Since Third Martial Brother has said this, then Junior Martial Brother naturally won¡¯t miss such a good show as this and will fight alongside Senior Martial Brother.¡± Song Meng became excited by Senior Martial Brother Liu¡¯s words and heroically said this.


    ¡°I also won¡¯t leave Senior Martial Brother! I will certainly charge together with him into the Imperial City!¡± Zhong Weiniang repeatedly agreed, having come to her senses.


    When Liu Jing heard these two speak, his face smiled, expressing his gratitude. Then he turned his head toward Han Li and Wu Xuan and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you Junior Martial Brothers intend to do. If you feel that Senior Martial Brother¡¯s methods are inappropriate and do not wish to participate in this battle, this Senior Martial Brother will absolutely not force you!¡±


    When he said this, Han Li hesitated, pondering about the advantages and disadvantages. Wu Xuan, on the other hand, clenched his teeth. After his face changed between red and white several times, he said, ¡°Unless Master permits it with his very own mouth, I will not deliberately violate the prohibition. If Senior Martial Brother truly wishes to personally charge into the Imperial Palace, I will not take part in it. I must first ask Master for instructions!¡±


    His reasons were completely justifiable!


    ¡°You what¡­¡± Hearing these words, Zhong Weiniang stood up with fury filling her chest. She wanted to say something but was stopped by Liu Jing.


    ¡°Sixth Junior Martial Brother¡¯s words are reasonable. To charge together with me into the Forbidden City is a strenuous and unrewarding task. We might also incur further blame after we withdraw!¡± Third Senior Martial Brother calmly commented.


    ¡°What does Junior Martial Brother Han think? Could it be you are also going to mimic this fellow¡¯s example? You are a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator. Surely you aren¡¯t so cowardly!¡± In order to give her beloved a helping hand, Zhong Weiniang did not hesitate to use such shallow provocations. When Han Li heard this, he inwardly rolled his eyes!


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately respond and instead lowered his head in thought, muttering to himself for a moment.


    This Senior Martial Brother Lu was very considerate and did not rush Han Li. Instead, he calmly sat down and waited for Han Li¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Alright, I will go! I was the one who originally raised this matter, so it would be inexcusable if I didn¡¯t go. Furthermore, I truly wish to experience the might of this mysterious Black Fiend School Master!¡± After a long while, Han Li lifted his head and suddenly smiled, saying this with a soft voice. [1]. (TL: Martial Idiot Îä³Õ: obsessed with combat and fighting but not much else.)

 Chapter 314

    Meeting Together


    When Han Li said this, Zhong Weiniang beamed with joy and couldn¡¯t help but praise Han Li. Liu Jing also revealed a grateful expression.


    As for Song Meng, he stepped forward and firmly patted Han Li on the shoulder two times. With a large smile, he said, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t already met you and you were actually unwilling to go, I certainly would have had a falling out with you. However, I already know Junior Martial Brother is a valiant figure!¡±


    With that said, Song Meng glared coldly at Wu Xuan. It seemed that Wu Xuan truly did not have a good relationship with his fellow martial brothers!


    When Wu Xuan saw this, he snorted and said, ¡°Since it is like this, I will find a peaceful place and won¡¯t disturb your grand event. I will tell Master everything that happened and hope that he doesn¡¯t blame you!¡± Having said this, Wu Xuan expressionlessly walked out of the room and left the Qin Residence on his flying magic tool.


    ¡°Sixth Senior Martial Brother is truly outrageous. He actually ran away as soon as a battle approached. It¡¯s unfortunate that he is my Senior Martial Brother!¡± Zhong Weiniang grumbled with great dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Enough. Everyone has their own ambitions, so don¡¯t force him! We must make our plans and arrangements as soon as possible. The faster we move, the safer we will be. After all, who knows if the Black Fiend School Master is able to leave seclusion earlier than we originally thought,¡± Liu Jing solemnly added.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother has much experience in exterminating degenerate cultivators.You plan it! We will act as you say. In any case, when the time comes, I am fine so long as I take part in the fighting!¡± Song Meng exclaimed with an excited appearance.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Song, you¡ª!¡±


    Liu Jing was rendered speechless by Song Meng¡¯s complete lack of plans and was left not knowing whether to laugh or to cry.


    Zhong Weiniang¡¯s eyes became crescent moons as she smiled sweetly.


    Han Li also faintly smiled and did not speak.


    ¡°Seventh Junior Martial Sister, you are quite familiar with Martial Senior Huiming¡¯s disciple, Junior Martial Sister Chen. As such, it would be better if you were the one to go. Right now, she is at South Crow City. Please go and request their assistance!¡± After Liu Jing regained his composure, he calmly asked this of Zhong Weiniang.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen is also here? I haven¡¯t seen her for some time. However, we have quite a good relationship. There should be no question about her assistance,¡± Zhong Weiniang replied with complete confidence.


    When Han Li heard the words ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡±, his heart shook. He thought to himself in confusion, ¡®What a coincidence! Is it really her?¡¯


    While Han Li was in doubt, he heard Liu Jing say something to him.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, I fear we will have to stay at the Qin Residence for a while longer. We will require you to contact the members of the Qin Residence and arrange a quiet residence for us, allowing for peaceful cultivation.¡± The Third Senior Martial Brother spoke calmly.


    Han Li naturally agreed.


    ¡°Then what should I do?¡± Song Meng couldn¡¯t help but impatiently ask.


    ¡°You will remain here and properly take care of the Qin Residence in case the Black Fiend School suddenly launches an attack. I will go to the streets from time to time and look for any movements from the Black Fiend School. Since Junior Martial Brother Han has already revealed their faces, it¡¯ll be harder for us to find them in public,¡± Liu Ming answered indifferently.


    ¡°I understand!¡± When he heard this, Song Meng dispiritedly agreed.


    The following days were extremely peaceful.


    Apart from Zhong Weiniang departing for Nanwu City to request assistance, the others generally remained at the Qin Residence and cultivated. As for Third Martial Brother Liu Jing, he went out several times in accordance with his previous words. However, he didn¡¯t acquire any useful information; it seemed as if all the Black Fiend School disciples had completely withdrawn themselves and went into hiding.


    Wu Xuan was staying at an inn in Yuejing. Nobody knew what he wrote in his letter to Li Huayuan, but once he sent the letter, he casually and leisurely strolled through the bustling, lively parts of Yuejing without any thought of returning to the Qin Residence.


    Nanwu City wasn¡¯t very far from Yuejing, so in less than three days, Senior Martial Sister Zhong returned with three men and two women in tow.


    Among these was an exceptionally cool and elegant woman whom Han Li recognized to be ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡±, Chen Qiaoqian. This caused Han Li¡¯s heart to be on edge.


    When Chen Qiaoqian saw Han Li, she revealed slight shock, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Even if they hadn¡¯t spoken to one another, she was unable to consider Han Li to be a stranger.


    The other three men and one woman were Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s fellow apprentices. Two were at mid Foundation Establishment and two were at early Foundation Establishment. When they saw Liu Jing, they appeared very cordial. It seemed they all recognized him.


    Zhong Weiniang introduced Han Li to everyone present as her newly accepted Junior Apprentice Brother. But after hearing Han Li¡¯s name, the new arrivals apart from Chen Qiaoqian revealed expressions of amazement.


    ¡°You are Junior Martial Brother Han? You truly are quite young! We¡¯ve all heard of Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s great reputation. A single person at the frontlines was able to kill over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Devil Dao. Truly amazing!¡± Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Apprentice Sister shouted with a sweet smile.


    This beautiful twenty-seven year old woman appeared to greatly admire Han Li.


    When these words left her lips, Liu Jing and Zhong Weiniang were greatly shocked.


    These two had been earlier dispatched on assignments and didn¡¯t participate in the second campaign between the Seven Sects and the Devil Dao. Naturally, they hadn¡¯t heard of Han Li¡¯s ¡°great acts¡± in the slightest.


    Now that they heard their acquaintances say this, they felt greatly shocked.


    It should be known that although Third Senior Martial Brother had killed countless degenerate cultivators, he only killed two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators, each time being a bitter and long struggle for victory.


    However, Han Li had unexpectedly accomplished the ¡°great act¡± of killing over ten such Foundation Establishment cultivators, causing these two to feel astonished. They couldn¡¯t help but size up this unremarkable Junior Martial Brother Han once more and feel far more respect toward him.


    ¡°Fourth Senior Martial Brother, we didn¡¯t know about Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s accomplishments. Could you clearly explain why you never told me this?¡± After she recovered her shock, Zhong Weiniang suddenly thought of something and loudly scolded Song Meng, who was standing to the side, concealing his laughter with his sleeve. It was a rather harsh criticism!


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, you never asked me. You only asked about Junior Martial Brother¡¯s cultivation. I believed that Junior Martial Sister already knew about this,¡± Song Meng proudly huffed.


    He had long since anticipated seeing the flabbergasted faces of his two fellow apprentices upon discovering this. As he expected, it was quite the view.


    How could Zhong Weiniang not hear the half-heartedness contained in those words? She gave him a fierce glance. Even though she was unwilling to let the matter drop, Liu Jing stepped in and said with a large smile, ¡°Good! I didn¡¯t think that Junior Martial Brother Han was so exceptional! Like this, we should be able to handle the Black Fiend School Master with greater certainty.¡±


    When he spoke these words, his face appeared overjoyed. However, Han Li felt a chill down his back. With great apprehension, he couldn¡¯t help but think to himself, ¡®Surely this Third Senior Martial Brother doesn¡¯t want to have me duel the Black Fiend School Master by myself?¡¯


    Han Li immediately mocked himself for thinking such a ridiculous thought and threw it to the back of his mind.


    Following that, Han Li and his Senior Martial Brothers feasted with Junior Martial Sister Chen and her fellow apprentices. Although they all had similar cultivation bases and could abstain from eating for long periods of time, they were now in the mortal world. Naturally, they would enjoy their present circumstances and satisfy their desire for good food.


    After they finished eating, Han Li called for Qin Residence servants to clean up the feast. The group then started to discuss how to deal with the Black Fiend School and how to charge into the Imperial City.


    Liu Jing immediately made it clear that he was willing to assume complete responsibility for violating the Seven Sects¡¯ prohibition. Thus, Junior Martial Sister Chen and the others were relieved of their misgivings and agreed to go along with them.


    Based on the intelligence Han Li acquired, apart from the four so-called Great Blood Servants, the odds of the other Altar Masters being present at the Imperial Palace were quite low since they were stationed in various parts of the State of Yue where they managed school affairs.


    Thus, Liu Jing believed that with their current manpower, they were more than enough to handle the Black Fiend School, but they should nonetheless strike as soon as possible to prevent any future mishaps from emerging.


    The others that heard this felt this was reasonable and proceeded to cultivate the entire following day as they were weary from travel. On the night of the second day, taking advantage of the mortals¡¯ need to sleep, they would infiltrate the Imperial Palace in their plan to purge evil.


    At this moment, Han Li looked at everyone talking excitedly with a smile on his face, but he couldn¡¯t help but sneer in his heart.


    These people truly believed the Black Fiend School was feeble and weak! How could this possibly end well!


    After this great battle was concluded, it was hard to say how many of these people would still be left alive!


    Were it not for the secrets he obtained from the young prince and the usefulness it would have toward his chances of entering Core Formation in the future, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t make such a dangerous charge into the Imperial Palace. After all, he had no grudges against those who used the evil blood sacrifice technique to cultivate. All he had to do was leak information to the victims¡¯ clans and friends; in turn, they would take revenge and completely settle this matter.


    As for the principles of punishing the wicked, exterminating evil, and upholding justice, Han Li had always believed that acting in accordance to one¡¯s capabilities was enough.


    If there was no danger and he wouldn¡¯t have to waste too much energy, he would be happy to act. But if his opponents were too strong and they had nothing to do with him, to risk his own life to handle someone else¡¯s affairs made absolutely no sense!


    Although the actions of his Sixth Senior Martial Brother Wu Xuan invited loathing from others, they weren¡¯t disagreeable. Leaving aside his methods, his decision was truly wise. Else, one may act with hot-blooded passion and recklessly brave terrible dangers.


    This time, Han Li had forced himself to agree to their charge into the Black Fiend School¡¯s nest, violating his own principle of self-preservation. However, Han Li felt that this danger was worth braving.


    Because Han Li¡¯s spiritual roots were truly inferior, so long as there was something he could do to increase his chances of entering Core Formation, he was unwilling to let such a boon slip by his fingers. Furthermore, he was somewhat certain of his safe return.


    This is because he had prepared a special trump card that could guarantee his own well-being. Otherwise, with Han Li¡¯s meticulous caution, how else could he possibly agree?!

 Chapter 315

    Preparations for the Unexpected and Suspicion


    In the dead of night, Han Li quietly slipped out of his room without anyone noticing and then flew by himself in the direction of the Imperial City on his flying magic tool.


    While standing on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li looked down at a colossal pitch-black object from above, the huge entrance to the Imperial City. He faintly smiled and flew over it.


    In Han Li¡¯s eyes, the Seven Sects¡¯ mandate forbidding any disciples from trespassing into the Imperial City simply didn¡¯t matter to him. He would only comply with rules that he found to be beneficial to himself; otherwise, he would be absurdly obeying empty rules that only served to stifle his actions!


    He had never been someone who strictly obeyed the rules.


    As Han Li coldly smiled, he had already flown more than three hundred meters above the Imperial Palace and was clearly violating the prohibition.


    Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, Han Li silently surveyed his surroundings; his gaze sweeping across even the most desolate and unremarkable areas.


    His eyes suddenly brightened, and he flew toward an imperial garden filled with azure bamboo.


    Arriving above the bamboo forest, Han Li cautiously swept his gaze in every direction. Then he concealed his body¡¯s Spiritual Qi and slowly descended.


    Han Li clearly understood that although the Black Fiend School controlled the Imperial Palace, they weren¡¯t able to keep an eye on every place. Furthermore, although they had many sentries, with his nameless Qi vanishing chant, he didn¡¯t have the slightest fear of any Black Fiend School members discovering him.


    Besides, from what he learned from the young prince, he was very familiar with the usual arrangements of the Black Fiend School¡¯s sentries. Even if they revised the sentry placements, so long as he doesn¡¯t mindlessly rush into a heavily guarded area, Han Li was completely unworried!


    This place was clearly a forgotten corner of the Imperial Palace. Not only was the Bamboo Forest filled with dried branches and rotten leaves, it also faintly released the smell of decay; the branches and leaves were left uncut, causing the forest to appear lush and thriving.


    Seeing this fifth-acre sized bamboo forest, Han Li revealed a satisfied expression.


    He cast incantation gestures and released a soundproofing barrier, shrouding the entire bamboo forest. Then with a solemn expression, he took out a set of formation disks and flags. This was the improved ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡± that Qi Yunxiao had given him.


    ¡°Even if the Black Fiend School Master is difficult to deal with, with this Five Phases Reversal Formation, we can just take up an invincible position!¡± Han Li looked at the set of magic tools in his hand and muttered this to himself.


    He then strode into the pitch-black forest with a resolute spirit.


    Four hours later, Han Li slowly walked out with an exhausted appearance. Because time was short, he was only able to lay out a small portion of the formation, but it still should be enough. Han Li took a look in every direction, and upon seeing that there was no one there, he released the soundproofing barrier and then flew off on his Divine Wind Boat.


    Han Li had been quiet and hadn¡¯t alarmed anyone from the Black Fiend School during the time he infiltrated the Imperial Palace and set up the great formation.


    Although the four great Blood Servants were exceptionally vigilant due to the instructions of the Black Fiend School Master, the situation was as Han Li had predicted. They had only placed dense sentries outside of the cold palace, but the other locations were now even more lax than before. This was one of the reasons Han Li was able to leave and enter so easily.


    When he flew back to the Qin Residence, the sky was still dark. Han Li chose to spend the remaining time before daybreak to mediate.


    When morning came, he walked out of the room and gathered together with the others in the large hall as if nothing had happened. He chatted and joked with the others as normal. Upon discussion of the upcoming great battle, he didn¡¯t mention the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡± in the slightest.


    In Han Li¡¯s mind, the fewer that knew of this prepared life preservation measure, the better.


    If he didn¡¯t end up needing to use this formation in order to achieve a decisive victory, he would be even more happy. This ¡°Five Phases Reversal Formation¡± would remain as his own trump card.


    Liu Ming and his fellow Yellow Maple Valley sect members naturally didn¡¯t know what Han Li was thinking. But when the topic of this night¡¯s upcoming great battle was mentioned, everyone revealed eager and excited appearances.


    Apart from Liu Jing and two or three others, the rest of them had no experience fighting other Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was the main reason why Han Li didn¡¯t feel very confident about this operation.


    Han Li had continuously believed that cultivators that haven¡¯t experienced their baptism of blood were certain to have a disastrous end, even when facing experienced opponents with lower cultivation. To make a mistake and lose one¡¯s life wasn¡¯t a rare occurrence. Thus, when he saw these people happily chat and laugh, his eyes occasionally revealed a strange expression.


    After all, cultivators that were able to reach Foundation Establishment were certain to have faced some hardship to reach where they were today. However after tonight¡¯s battle, these people were likely to be buried there, which was an extremely pitiful thought.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, could you accompany me for a moment?¡± Chen Qianqiao, who had originally been bantering with Zhong Weiniang, then looked at Han Li¡¯s face and suddenly asked him to accompany her.


    Not only was Han Li amazed by these words, but even Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s fellow apprentices were silently gaping in surprise.


    With a gaze of disbelief, they glanced at Han Li and their young Junior Martial Sister who had always been cold toward male cultivators.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s blank, foolish appearance, Zhong Weiniang rolled her eyes; it was unknown what she was thinking before she suddenly went to whisper a few words in Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s ear.


    Suddenly, this ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± blushed, and after giving Zhong Weiniang a fierce look, she walked out of the great hall in a relaxed manner. She appeared to be quietly waiting for Han Li to follow her.


    ¡°Young Junior Martial Brother, what are you spacing out for? Such a beautiful woman as Junior Martial Sister Chen is waiting for you outside; what are you hesitating for?¡± Liu Jing smiled as he walked over and lightly patted Han Li¡¯s shoulder, saying this jokingly.


    Han Li rubbed his nose with all his strength and wanted to bitterly laugh, but for some unknown reason, he couldn¡¯t even smile. After dryly laughing a few times, Han Li walked out under the envious gazes of the male cultivators.


    If he further hesitated, wouldn¡¯t that appear as if he were truly lacking in confidence? He felt as if he had nothing to be afraid of.


    After he walked out of the hall, Chen Qiaoqian was still lost in thought as she looked in the direction of the garden with heart-moving attractiveness. As she heard Han Li¡¯s footsteps, without turning her head, she coldly said, ¡°Accompany me to the garden. I wish to consult with Junior Martial Brother about a few matters.¡±


    With that said, Chen Qiaoqian didn¡¯t wait for Han Li¡¯s reply. She walked on as if she were certain Han Li would agree.


    Looking at her attractive appearance from behind, Han Li unconsciously wrinkled his brow. After some thought, he silently smiled and walked after her.


    To have a walk with such a delicate beauty was a truly delightful affair.


    Han Li was walking several steps behind Chen Qiaoqian, admiring her graceful and ample body. He already felt that this walk was well worth it. Besides, when he thought of his encounter with this great beauty during that year, he felt something unexplainable from his heart.


    ¡°When I and Eldest Brother saw you that year, we truly believed that your esteemed self¡¯s success during the Trial of Blood and Fire was only due to luck. I truly did not think during that year, Junior Martial Brother Han was actually an expert, disguised as a pig to eat a tiger! Not only did you deceive us two siblings, but I fear you also kept all the other experts present there in the dark.¡± As Han Li was letting his imagination run wild, Chen Qiaoqian indifferently said this with her back facing him.


    Han Li had somewhat anticipated these words earlier and didn¡¯t express any surprise. Instead, he scratched the back of his head and slightly smiled, saying, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Chen is quite funny. Disguised as a pig to eat a tiger? At the time, this little brother was truly fortunate and had only passed through with luck!¡±


    When Han Li said this, his face didn¡¯t have the slightest hint of strangeness as if he had spoken the truth.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, you still wish to deceive me even now?¡± Han Li¡¯s words seemed to anger Chen Qiaoqian. After her voice grew cold, she suddenly turned around and her bright eyes turned ice cold.


    Seeing this, Han Li revealed amazement as if he had no idea as to why she was angry.


    When ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen¡± saw Han Li act this way, she grew even more angry.


    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t further question you about the matters of the Trial of Blood and Fire. But there is one matter that you must sincerely answer!¡± Although her tone grew even colder, her face wore a peculiar expression.


    ¡°What is it? Senior Martial Sister Chen, do no hesitate to ask me. This one will certainly give a sincere answer.¡± Han Li faintly realized something causing his heart to become restless. However, on the surface he still appeared extremely honest.


    ¡°Seven to eight years ago, did you encounter anything on the east side of the Taiyue Mountain Range?¡± When Chen Qiaoqian asked this, her cheeks became slightly red as if she became somewhat shy as she nervously waited for Han Li¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Seven to eight years ago¡­¡± Han Li lowered his head in contemplation as if he were recalling something.


    In truth, Han Li¡¯s heart was pounding.


    ¡®How after so many years, has this person still not given up her thoughts of finding me? Furthermore, her expression is bashful. Could it be she has fallen in love with her savior?¡¯ Han Li thought, feeling greatly puzzled.


    This wasn¡¯t because Han Li was unromantic; rather, it was because he didn¡¯t have any intentions of having a pair cultivation partner.


    Although Han Li had a somewhat ordinary interest toward Chen Qiaoqian, whenever the question of affection was raised, Han Li would automatically eliminate such thoughts without knowing why. Perhaps this was because of the affectionate scene that year between her and ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡±  caused him to be unable to accept this woman until even now.

 Chapter 316

    Disappearance


    ¡°No. Seven to eight years ago, this one was helping Senior Martial Brother Ma take care of his medicine garden, but wasn¡¯t that when the Trial of Blood and Fire take place? Why is Senior Martial Sister Chen asking this?¡± Han Li calmly replied after he raised his head, wearing a flawless expression of curiosity.


    Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s complexion instantly became pale, before momentarily biting her red lips and stiffly saying, ¡°No? Yet, I remember Junior Martial Brother Han had gone out that year, and the timing matches almost perfectly!¡±


    ¡°Oh? That time I went out was in preparation for the Trial of Blood and Fire, buying a few magic tools and talismans. However, when I went out, I didn¡¯t encounter anything out of the ordinary.¡± Han Li calmly denied.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Chen Qiaoqian remained speechless for a long while! She only coldly glanced at Han Li, as if she were truly staring into Han Li¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Since it is like this, there is nothing to say! Junior Martial Brother, you may leave. I wish to be alone in a moment of peace.¡±


    A trace of heartfelt disappointment appeared on Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s face. She gently turned her face to the side and said this with a tiresome voice.


    When Han Li saw this, he sighed. He knew regardless of whether the other party trusted his words, this Senior Martial Sister Chen would no longer disturb him.


    With his distant and respectful tone, this Senior Martial Sister should come to a conclusion. But with her prideful nature, she naturally wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to find him again.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister, I will take my leave!¡± Han Li saluted and without the slightest hesitation, he turned around and left the garden.


    When Han Li could no longer be seen, Chen Qiaoqian turned around and looked in the direction of the garden exit with a complicated gaze. She faintly whispered, ¡°If it isn¡¯t you then who is it? During that year, the only one who went out at the same time and had strength was you, Junior Martial Brother Han!¡±


    With that said, she gracefully walked up to blooming peony flower and nimbly picked the lovely flower with her flawless fingers; she put it up to her nose and took a soft whiff.


    With the fragrant scent of the flower, Chen Qiaoqian sunk into a deep state of contemplation.


    After Han Li left the flower garden, he let out a long sigh. After he shook his head, he quickly returned to the hall with hurried steps.


    When the others saw Han Li¡¯s quick return, they were all a bit startled. However, none of them were so tactless as to take the initiative to ask about the matter.


    Even when a few people made some jokes about Han Li and Chen Qiaoqian, Han Li laughed it away without paying it much mind. His expression wasn¡¯t the slightest bit strange.


    Not long after, Chen Qiaoqian returned and sat down next to Zhong Weiniang with her normal expression. She continued to whisper with her.


    When the others saw this, they naturally found it embarrassing to further joke about the two and immediately changed the topic back to the matter of their battle with the Black Fiend School.


    Time seemed to passed by quickly and the bright sky quickly darkened.


    The Yellow Maple Valley cultivators had already returned to their rooms and were making preparations for their upcoming battle.


    Although they each felt that their party of Foundation Establishment cultivators held a great advantage and that victory should be of no problem, each and every one of them felt very wary. After all, no one wants to carelessly throw their own life away.


    However, when they thought of the many benefits they would gain from exterminating the Black Fiend School¡¯s nest, it was hard for them not to feel excited.


    After all, such opportunities to surround and annihilate Foundation Establishment cultivators without any recourse were incredibly rare. During their vicious fights with the Devil Dao cultivators, their minds would naturally be focused on the struggle of life and death instead.


    This time there wouldn¡¯t only be one or two Black Fiend School Foundation Establishment cultivators. Also, they were certain to have no small amount magic tools and good materials on hand as well! In particular, receiving a share of such spoils was a large reason as to why Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s fellow apprentices even agreed to help.


    Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their life from the mere talk of annihilating a nest of evil cultivators!


    Han Li returned to his room as well, calmly inspecting the puppets he had on hand. Meanwhile, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain were standing in front of him, respectfully waiting on him as if he was their leader.


    After Han Li naturally introduced them to his fellow sect members, the dark-faced old man thought to become closer to these few cultivators and see whether or not he could dredge some benefits.


    However, regardless of who it was, none of them attached any importance to this dark-faced old Qi Condensation rogue cultivator. After speaking a few blunt words, these several people sent them away. This caused them to realize that not every Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Seven Great Sects were willing to associate with them. Thus, they became increasingly respectful toward Han Li.


    ¡°In this fight against the Black Fiend School, regardless of what happens, you are not required to come. It may be better for you to flee the capital during the night.¡± The puppet beast in Han Li¡¯s hand flashed with white light and then he put it away in his storage back. After that, he said this with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°But Senior! How could we flee from the battle!¡± The dark-faced old man hastily spoke on behalf of all of them.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a question of fleeing or not. You are all simply incapable of acting. If you were to personally join in, you would only be wasting your lives in vain. Here are some high grade magic tools. Each of you may take one. Consider them parting gifts from a senior.¡± After Han Li shook his head, he said this with a faint smile.


    With that said, Han Li then swept his sleeve as several exquisite, glimmering magic tools appeared across the table.


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li didn¡¯t have a surplus of top grade magic tools on hand; after he had killed so many foundation establishment cultivators, the number of tools he had received naturally made an astonishing collection.


    However, Han Li had no intention of handing them over to these people as high grade magic tools could be considered a rather good gift to rogue cultivators. He feared that taking out top grade magical tools, he would provoke their greed from them and it would be harder to satisfy them in the future.


    As expected, when the Four Friends of Meng Mountain saw these magic tools, they all displayed joy as they repeatedly thanked him. They also stated that he shouldn¡¯t hesitate to find them at Meng Mountain as they would be happy to take care of any matters he had in the future.


    After receiving the promise that he wanted to hear from them, Han Li gave them face by personally sending them off from Yuejing, causing them to be grateful without end.


    But before they departed, the dark-faced old man suddenly pulled Han Li to the side and carefully said, ¡°Senior, will Fifth Sister appear at the Black Fiend School? Senior doesn¡¯t need to say anything as us siblings truly understand, but I fear that Fourth Brother may have already somewhat guessed. Even though we all don¡¯t want to open that window in the slightest, Fifth Sister sank far too deeply; it would also be good if she were to never appear in front of us again!¡± After speaking these heavy words, the old man seemed to have released a heavy burden and respectfully bid Han Li farewell.


    Han Li waited in place, watching the Four Friends of Meng Mountain gradually grow farther away as pondered about the meaning the of the dark-faced old man¡¯s last words.


    After a quarter hour, Han Li suddenly smiled, before flying back to the city soon after.


    ¡­¡­


    After he returned to the Qin Residence, the sky had already darkened and the group from Yellow Maple Valley were all waiting in the main hall. However, after entering, he shockingly discovered that his Third Senior Martial Brother was unexpectedly absent.


    Astonished, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask Song Meng, who was cleaning a blue longsword magic tool, ¡°Fourth Senior Martial Brother, where is Third Senior Martial Brother?¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu went to go find Sixth Junior Martial Brother to persuade him, as our odds for tonight¡¯s battle will be far greater if Junior Martial Brother Wu agrees to come. But from how I see it, Senior Martial Brother Liu is just wasting time! If that fellow Wu Xuan wanted to help us, he wouldn¡¯t have left in the first place!¡± Song Meng said without raising his head.


    ¡°He went to find Sixth Senior Martial Brother?¡±


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. Just as Han Li wanted to ask a few more particular questions, Liu Jing had returned wearing a queer expression.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Liu, is your Junior Martial Brother Wu still unwilling to come? If it¡¯s like that, then forget about it. Having one less person does not matter as the nine of us are more than enough to deal with that Black Fiend School.¡± The oldest male disciple of Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s group said without care.


    ¡°If it was like, it would be fine! But the key part of my trip was that I simply couldn¡¯t find Junior Martial Brother Wu!¡± Liu Jing unhurriedly said with a bitter smile.


    At this moment all of them, including Han Li, had blank stares.


    ¡°How can that be, Senior Martial Brother Lu? Wasn¡¯t that coward staying at a nearby tavern? Could it be possible that he returned to Master early?¡± Zhong Weiniang blinked with wide eyes and guessed.


    ¡°No! I already asked the inn¡¯s boss about this. After Junior Martial Brother Wu went out yesterday morning, he never returned. The inn¡¯s clothes washer didn¡¯t clean anything of his and nor does it seem he had returned to the sect.¡± Liu Jin shook his head; his words were filled with worry.


    Hearing this, the others began spiritedly discussing about it, but nobody could figure out what had happened.


    However, while off to the side, Han Li faintly thought, ¡®Could it be that Wu Xuan was unlucky and had actually been captured by the Black Fiend School?¡¯


    Perhaps because Liu Jing¡¯s thoughts were the same as Han Li¡¯s, he made this decisive announcement after gazing at the night sky, ¡°Let¡¯s put off the matter of Junior Martial Brother Wu for now. We¡¯re setting off! We must be victorious in our fight so that we may thoroughly exterminate the Black Fiend School!¡±

 Chapter 317

    Four Symbols Formation


    As soon as the curtain of night descended, a group of unexpected visitors flew from the sky into the dark Imperial City. The group consisted of Han Li and eight other Yellow Maple Valley cultivators.


    With their magic tools, they arrived above the pitch-black walls of the forbidden city. The leader, Liu Jing, glanced at this so-called forbidden area. After a slight moment of hesitation, he extended his arm forward with great heroism.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Without hesitation or doubt, Liu Jing resolutely said this, before he took the lead and charged in.


    When the others saw this, they naturally followed closely behind him. The fear toward the Seven Sect prohibition had long ago been tossed to the back of their minds.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t at the front of the charge. Instead, he chose to fly at the back of the group and deliberately fell a bit behind.


    This actually wasn¡¯t because of any particular thoughts; rather, this was because he was silently feeling out the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Great Formation¡± he had installed last night.


    When they arrived several kilometers away from the Imperial Palace, the corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth formed a mysterious smile.


    Excellent! The great formation was still intact and the Spiritual Qi mark he secretly placed wasn¡¯t damaged in the slightest. This caused Han Li to feel exceptionally happy.


    After a moment, the nine of them were hovering above the Imperial Palace as they looked down at the entirety of it.


    ¡°Everyone listen up! For this operation, we will act according to our previously discussed arrangements. Our forces will be divided into two groups. The first group will hurry to the current Emperor of Yue¡¯s sleeping quarters and rescue him from the hands of the Black Fiend School, and prevent them from taking the State of Yue¡¯s Emperor as a hostage out of desperation. The second group will head to the cold palace where the Black Fiend School Master is located and first focus on killing the four Great Blood Servants. Then the two teams will regroup before finally subduing the secluded Black Fiend School Master.¡± With a solemn expression, Liu Jing repeated his plans for the night, causing the listeners to repeatedly nod their heads.


    The members of each team have already been decided. The two female cultivators, Chen Qiaoqing and Zhong Weiniang, formed the first group and will be rescuing the Emperor of the State of Yue. Liu Jing and the rest formed the second group and would throw themselves at the four Great Blood Servants that were guarding the cold palace. Han Li was included among them.


    ¡°Seventh Junior Martial Sister, Junior Martial Sister Chen, be very careful!¡± Liu Jing urged them with great concern before they split up.


    After the two women gave a solemn response, they flew down to the side. They silently disappearing into the darkness soon after.


    ¡°From now on, if anyone sees a cultivator, do not hold back. Any cultivators casually moving about in the Imperial Palace are certain to be enemies from the Black Fiend School. We will begin now! Let us create an opportunity for our two Junior Martial Sisters.¡±


    Han Li and the others followed after them.


    After a short moment, the seven of them descended from the sky in an arrogantly domineering manner and were immediately discovered by the Black Fiend School Disciples guarding the perimeter of the cold palace.


    After many sharp whistles were blown, countless magic techniques and tools assaulted them from every direction.


    ¡°Even mere specks of light dare to outshine the moon!¡±


    After Liu Jing grandly raised his hand, a sparkling silk scarf flew out from his hand. In an instant, the scarf had formed a huge barrier that protected Han Li and everyone else behind it from the incoming attacks. It seemed he was truly confident in the power of this magic tool.


    The moment the silk scarf unfolded, a barrage of magic techniques and tools fell upon it, causing it to release a dazzling white light. Not only was there not the slightest damage on the silk scarf as expected, but a few magic techniques had also been reflected, leaving a few Black Fiend School Disciples battered and confused.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, good move!¡±


    Upon seeing this, Song Meng, who was standing alongside Liu Jing, loudly shouted out in praise. Soon after, he threw away what he was grasping in his hand without any restraint.


    A huge blue sword then appeared out of thin air. This was Song Meng¡¯s favorite top quality magic tool, the ¡°Blue Threaded Sword¡±.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Song Meng formed an incantation gesture with his hands. The huge blue sword then released a long shriek and started spinning itself like a wheel. The sword¡¯s great display left the anxious Black Fiend School disciples in shock.


    When Song Meng saw this, a wicked grin faintly appeared on his face.


    He pointed two fingers toward the Blue Threaded Sword that had transformed into a disk.


    The disk¡¯s blue radiance suddenly shrank and then expanded, shooting out countless threads of blue light and enveloping everything underneath it within a range of about a hundred meters.


    The Black Fiend School disciples that saw this felt their souls leaving their bodies from fright. They all activated various defensive magic tools and techniques in an attempt to block this heaven shrouding attack.


    Successions of wretched screams could be heard.


    A majority of Black Fiend School disciples were unable to withstand the penetrating attack of the countless blue threads of light. They either died a miserable death after turning into honeycombs or managed to survive by protecting their vitals. But even then, the injuries they received from the attack would have left them unable to fight.


    ¡°Myriad Threads Under the Heavens! Good move! As expected, Junior Martial Brother Song¡¯s long famed technique is quite different from the rumors.¡±


    When one of Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brothers saw the might of this attack, he couldn¡¯t help but sincerely praise it. Song Meng¡¯s face revealed slight pride in response.


    At this moment, several people calmly landed at the great entrance of the cold palace. Those Black Fiend School disciples that managed to luckily survive had already lost themselves to fear and didn¡¯t dare to attack..


    ¡°Start the Four Symbols Formation and trap them within.¡± [1]


    Just as the remaining Black Fiend School Disciples were about to confront the their group with fear and trepidation, an incomparably cold voice came from the cold palace.


    A white silhouette releasing a cold and hazy white mist had appeared at the entrance in the blink of an eye. This was the ¡°Ice Demon¡± that happened to be on duty.


    He was the one who gave those orders from a moment ago, with teeth clenched in anger. Now, he was looking at the Yellow Maple Valley Cultivators in both rage and alarm.


    ¡°Humph! This monster will be taking your lives!¡±


    When Liu Jing heard those words, he looked at this person¡¯s cultivation and immediately realized he was one of the great Blood Servants. After he coldly snorted, he shot two streaks of silver light straight toward his head.


    When the others saw this, their magic tools began to shine. They thought to immediately make a united attack against the newly appeared Black Fiend School expert. After all, this wasn¡¯t a practice match against fellow sect members; they naturally wouldn¡¯t fight alone.


    Han Li equivalently took out his six golden blades from his storage pouch and shot them out.


    If this attack was enough to kill this Blood Servant, Han Li would naturally be happy to do it!


    But before their attacks could land, the scenery before their eyes blurred for a moment and underwent a huge change. Everyone was greatly shocked to discover that in the blink of an eye they had suddenly appeared in a world of frost and snow.


    A vast expanse of whiteness surrounded them with bone-chilling winds and huge drifting snowflakes filled the entire sky. Where did that white clothed silhouette go?


    Although Liu Jing and company were shocked, they knew that they had fallen into the Four Symbols Formation. Thus after a brief moment of panic, they had all regained their composure.


    After all, they were Foundation Establishment cultivators from the same sect and had nothing to fear from this minor formation.


    ¡°Hehe! Your courage is quite great, actually daring to injure our School¡¯s disciples! Properly stay put for the moment in our School¡¯s great protection formation.¡± That ice cold voice sounded as if it came from every direction at the same time, causing a truly astonishing impression.


    ¡°Four Symbols Formation?¡±


    ¡°Does anyone here comprehend this formation spell? We had best break out quickly. Else, we will be letting the four great Blood Servants gather together and that would prove troublesome.¡± Liu Jing didn¡¯t take notice of the ice demon¡¯s infuriating words and instead said this to the others with a calm expression.


    When he said this, the others mutually looked at each other and didn¡¯t speak for a short while.


    ¡°I understand a bit of the Dao of Formation Spells and have heard of this Four Symbols Formation before. However, I didn¡¯t particularly study the specific method to break this formation. This formation spell can be considered to be an obscure type. As such, one normally wouldn¡¯t study such a formation.¡± Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Sister hesitantly said, interrupting the awkward silence.


    ¡°This is a bit troublesome. Could it be we have to use brute force to break the formation?¡± Liu Jing wrinkled his brow and muttered to himself with reluctance.


    Relying on brute force to break a formation is admittedly a simple and direct method. However, not only was it more time consuming, but it would also consume a large amount of everyone¡¯s magic power. Which would naturally put them at a huge disadvantage in the great battle following the destruction of the formation. Perhaps this was the true intention of why the enemy has used this formation!


    When the others heard this, they looked at each other with worry and dismay.


    At this moment, a very curious voice spoke out.


    ¡°Yi! Junior Martial Brother Han, what are you doing?¡±


    Song Meng didn¡¯t understand the slightest bit about formation spells and wasn¡¯t troubling himself with thinking about how to break the formation. Instead, he was looking around and actually saw Han Li¡¯s actions.


    Han Li was currently grasping a clear crystal ball magic tool and placed it in front of his eyes. Gazing thought it, he was staring at a particular direction.


    This peculiar action strongly piqued Song Meng¡¯s curiosity, causing him to ask this without thinking.


    This question attracted the other¡¯s attention causing them all to look toward Han Li with puzzlement.


    Han Li put down the crystal ball with an ordinary expression. Then he turned his head toward Liu Jing and said, ¡°I have likely found a gap in the formation!¡±


    ¡°What? You found a weakness!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words caused everyone¡¯s face to reveal pleasant surprise. Liu Jing was particularly overjoyed.


    [1]. The Four Symbols Formation (ËÄÏóÕó) refers to the four divisions of the twenty eight constellations :  Azure Dragon Çàýˆ£üÇàÁú, White Tiger °×»¢, Vermilion Bird Öìȸ, Black Tortoise ÐþÎä.

 Chapter 318

    Qing Wen¡¯s Reappearance


    ¡°As expected, Han Li is far beyond ordinary, being able to find a hole so quickly. What is its weakness?¡± Liu Jing praised Han Li and amiably asked.


    Han Li faintly smiled and suddenly handed the crystal ball over.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, look into this Violet Light Orb and you¡¯ll understand.¡± Han Li pointed in the direction he had just looked at.


    When Liu Jing heard this, he took the magic tool with great curiosity and carefully looked into it.


    After he took a glance, Liu Jing revealed astonishment. After a short moment, he passed the crystal ball back to Han Li and lowered his head, muttering to himself.


    Another moment passed by before he raised his head and anxiously said to the others, ¡°Han Li¡¯s words are true. For some unknown reason, the Spiritual Qi fluctuations in that direction appears much thinner. It seems that this formation was laid out in a hurry and exposed an unintentional flaw.¡± Liu Jing¡¯s voice grew louder as if he were brimming with confidence.


    ¡°Then what does Senior Martial Brother Liu intend to do?¡± Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Sister couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Concentrate all of our attacks at the weak point. I am confident we will be able to break this formation without expending much magic power.¡± Liu Jing said with certainty.


    ¡°Since it is like that, we should act quickly!¡± When Song Meng heard this, he could no longer wait. He immediately raised his hand and released his ¡°Blue Threaded Sword¡±, causing it to spin above his head.


    The others wore expressions of eagerness after hearing Liu Jing¡¯s words.


    When Liu Jing saw this, he no longer hesitated and immediately exclaimed, ¡°Good! Let¡¯s break through this formation and give our enemies a show.¡±


    After this was said, over ten magic tools emitted a dazzling radiance and fiercely shot toward the formation¡¯s flaw.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside of the formation, the Ice Demon felt extremely anxious while commanding the school disciples to take up an encirclement formation.


    Ever since the Black Fiend School Master had requested the four great Blood Servants to remain within the palace, they should have been taking turns to guard in pairs.


    But Xie She, who was originally supposed to be on guard with him, had recently reached the Great Success stage in his cultivation. Using the excuse of wanting to immediately enter mid Foundation Establishment, he stealthily ran off to the blood prison to cultivate. As the Ice Demon was unwilling to offend the brilliant rising talent in the four Blood Servants, he had tacitly turned a blind eye.


    However, that moment of neglect had left him alone while guarding the entrance against an invasion of so many strong enemies.


    However, it was fortunate that he was quick-witted!


    He first used this ¡°Four Divisions Formation¡± to trap the enemy, and then dispatched disciples to the blood prison and the rear palace to quickly fetch the other three Blood Servants without delay.


    He clearly understood that these few Qi Condensation disciples were no match against these strong enemies. But luckily, the enemy had been trapped within the Four Divisions Formation, buying quite a bit of time!


    So long as he could stall for a bit of time, his three comrades would be certain to promptly arrive.


    With the four great Blood Servants acting together, the Ice Demon would have nothing to be afraid of.


    Just as he was thinking this, a loud rumbling vibration could be heard from within the Four Divisions Formation.


    The thick white fog that filled the formation was then fiercely blown away, appearing as if the formation was about to be destroyed.


    ¡°What is this? It is impossible for the Four Symbols Formation to break so quickly. Something must¡¯ve went wrong!¡± When the Ice Demon saw this, his pale face concealed by the cold Qi had turned somewhat green.


    ¡°Sir Ice Demon, the enemies had struck far too quickly. A few of the disciples that were in charge of the formation had died in the attack, causing the Four Symbols Formation to be insufficiently manned. It is possible that the enemy saw through the gap.¡± When a nearby Black Fiend School Disciple saw this, he carefully gave an explanation.


    When the Ice Demon heard this, he became alarmed and furious. Just as he was about to loudly rebuke him, he heard a gentle voice from behind him.


    ¡°Ice Demon, what happened? The Four Symbols Formation had actually activated but it appears unable to hold the enemy.¡±


    When the Ice Demon heard this, he immediately felt relieved.


    ¡°Qing Wen, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve quickly arrived!¡± The Ice Demon couldn¡¯t conceal his happiness and hastily turned his head to look at him.1


    At an unknown time, two people had appeared about fifteen meters behind him.


    One of them appeared thirty years old with a beardless and unremarkable face. He was wearing an azure Daoist robe and looked at the Four Symbol Formation¡¯s strange condition with a solemn expression.


    ¡°Who is invading us? And where is that youngster, Xie She?¡± Tie Luo stroked his bald head with an expression of bloodlust.


    ¡°Right now, Xie She is¡­¡±


    A huge rumbling from the Four Symbols Formation interrupted the Ice Demon. The Four Symbols Formation¡¯s dense fog ruptured and completely disappeared, revealing the silhouettes of Han Li¡¯s group.


    After clearly seeing the number and cultivation of these invaders, Qing Wen¡¯s complexion slightly darkened and Tie Luo appeared greatly astonished.


    ¡°Haha! You evil cultivators believed that a broken formation was able to trap us Yellow Maple Valley cultivators? That¡¯s just wishful thinking!¡± After Song Meng appeared once more before the cold palace, he couldn¡¯t help but loudly yell this with excitement.


    ¡°Yellow Maple Valley?¡±


    Qing Wen and the other two were slightly startled. However, after a short moment of thought, they quickly recovered. Apart from the Seven Great Sects, who else could dispatch so many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the State of Yue?


    ¡°Why have you stormed the Imperial palace in the night? Could it be you are unafraid of violating the prohibition?¡± Without waiting for Liu Jing and company to speak, Qing Wen calmly asked.


    He knew about the Seven Sects¡¯ ban and hoped he could use this to cause Liu Jing¡¯s group to become fearful of the consequences.


    Liu Jing coldly snorted, and before he could open mouth, he heard an alarmed cry from the bald man.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! Aren¡¯t you from the Thousand Bamboo School? How are you together with the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators?¡± As the large bald man, Tie Luo, swept his gaze across them, he discovered Han Li among them and couldn¡¯t help but loudly ask this with amazement and confusion.


    These words left both enemies and allies stunned. In a flash, all eyes gathered upon Han Li.


    At this moment, Daoist Priest Qing We had clearly recognized Han Li and couldn¡¯t help but twitch his face. Disbelief could be seen in his eyes.


    ¡°When have I ever said that I was someone from the Thousand Bamboo School?¡± Han Li coldly gazed at the large bald man and then turned his glance toward Daoist Priest Qing Wen.


    That year at the Great South Meeting, Qing Wen had urged Han Li to travel together with him. Surprisingly, Han Li now found him here.


    As a result of this, he was able to answer the lingering questions from back then; namely, why Qing Wen made such great efforts to journey together with low grade cultivators and why that yellow-clothed man had pursued and attempted to kill Han Li.


    Now understanding the entire story, Han Li was furious and felt an intense desire to kill to Qing Wen.


    ¡°Nonsense. If you aren¡¯t from the Thousand Bamboo School, then why can you use puppet techniques?¡± The large bald man retorted, refusing to let the matter drop.


    ¡°Are we required to tell you the techniques that Junior Martial Brother Han is able to use? Everyone, attack! These people are deliberately stalling for time. Do not fulfill their wishes!¡± Liu Jing¡¯s expression darkened before suddenly saying this with a stern voice.


    With that said, he extended his arm and a streak of silver light directly attacked the Ice Demon in front.


    Upon hearing this, the Yellow Maple Valley disciples suddenly realized and inwardly cursed the enemy¡¯s craftiness. They then released their magic tools without restraint, and immediately joined the fight.


    As Han Li had been staring at Daoist Priest Qing Wen earlier, he immediately performed a pincer attack with Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brother Wang, in an attempt to trap Qing Wen.


    Without speaking further, Han Li patted the storage pouch at his waist, causing over ten streaks of red, black, and golden light to simultaneous soar out. After they hovered above Han Li for a moment, they shot toward the enemy with the sound of a faint explosion.


    Han Li didn¡¯t bother speaking to Qing Wen as he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention to reminisce about old times.


    When Qing Wen and that Senior Martial Brother Wang saw Han Li¡¯s display of immense strength, both of their expressions changed significantly.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang revealed pleasant surprise, while inwardly praising Han Li. ¡®As expected, Han Li¡¯s reputation as an expert that had previously killed many Foundation Establishment cultivators was well-earned; he is truly outstanding!¡¯


    Daoist Priest Qing Wen revealed a cautious appearance and faintly shrouded his body in a layer of azure Qi. Upon seeing Han Li¡¯s vicious actions, he knew Han Li intended to kill him. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t just wait for death like a sitting duck.


    In turn, he also didn¡¯t speak any rubbish before suddenly extending his hand toward the attacking magic tools.


    Five azure bead magic tools flew from his hand and formed a pentagon around him in an instant.


    Then, with a flash of azure light, Daoist Priest Qing Wen was enveloped in a cloud of azure mist as a pentagonal prism barrier appeared around him out of thin air, closely protecting him.


    Han Li¡¯s Golden Swarm Blades, Black Dragon¡¯s Grasps, and Blazing Chain Tridents simultaneously struck Qing Wen¡¯s pentagonal prism barrier, producing an explosion of blinding light. Bursts of radiance flew in every direction, yet the strange barrier was left unscathed from the attack.


    ¡°Han Li, my Azurewood True Barrier can only be broken by Core Formation cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators like yourself aren¡¯t able to damage it in the slightest. You had best give up!¡± Qing Wen suddenly said this with a slight smile, speaking to Han Li in a very intimate manner.

 Chapter 319

    The Four Great Blood Servants


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that!¡± Han Li coldly sneered.


    Han Li then formed an incantation gesture with his hands, causing his magic tools that were attacking the azure barrier to loudly howl, before flying into the sky and converging as one.


    This scene stunned Qing Wen as he didn¡¯t know what Han Li intended to do. However, as he was also of the cunning sort, how could he allow Han Li to perform his magic so easily? His hands immediately shined, producing a dazzling golden ring in each hand that released dense cold Qi. One could tell from their appearance that the rings were extraordinary.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Qing Wen softly yelled as he threw out the rings without the slightest hesitation. They turned into twin golden streaks of light as they directly attacked Han Li.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows in alarm, and with a menacing expression, he tightly gripped his white scale shield.


    However, before those magic tools struck their target, three green foot-long streaks had suddenly flown in from the side and intercepted the two streaks of golden light.


    ¡°Fiendish Daoist, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten about me?¡± Senior Martial Brother Wang flashed Han Li a friendly smile as he controlled the green streaks of light.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt relieved and returned the smile.


    However, Qing Wen wasn¡¯t feeling calm like these two. His complexion darkened as his gaze started shifting everywhere.


    Not long after, he had reached his wit¡¯s end.


    After all, simultaneously controlling the Azurewood True Barrier and Goldlock Rings had nearly used up the entirety of his spiritual sense. He was unlike Han Li, who had learned the Great Development Technique and was able to smoothly control so many magic tools.


    Although he possessed a few incisive magic tools, he didn¡¯t dare to lightly use them. Using the entirely of one¡¯s spiritual sense to control magic tools was very dangerous, as it left the user incapable of paying attention to their surroundings.


    Furthermore, cultivators being able to control over ten magic tools simultaneously in an attack was something rarely seen. In part, Han Li was able to do this because these magic tools were created as sets, and only used the same amount of magic power as three magic tools.


    If it were truly more than ten separate top grade magic tools, even if Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense could support it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to produce enough magic power to activate them.


    Supporting about five magic tools was the limit of Han Li¡¯s magic power. This was why Han Li favored using complete sets of magic tools, as they allowed him to display the full power of the Great Development Technique.


    As for why Han Li was able to control the eight children blades of the ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Blades¡±, it absolutely wasn¡¯t because of direct control. He instead completely relied on the mother blade in his hand to control the children blades. Its current power and flexibility was incomparable to before as it was different as heaven and earth.


    As Qing Wen was hesitating on what action to take, Han Li had finished casting his technique.


    ¡°Giant Sword Technique.¡±


    Han Li said those words with an ice-cold tone.


    Soon after, the magic tools that were spiralling above Qing Wen released a blinding radiance.


    In that tri-colored radiance, the gold, black, and red streaks had intertwined, forming a huge sword of light that spanned over thirty meters in midair.


    This ¡°Giant Sword Technique¡± was something he had learned from the Azure Essence Sword Technique written compilation, the golden page. This was also the only sword controlling technique that he could use with his Foundation Establishment cultivation. Naturally, its might was beyond ordinary.


    Although Qing Wen and Senior Martial Brother Wang were locked in combat with their magic tools, they both revealed expressions of astonishment. Even an idiot could tell just how immensely powerful Han Li¡¯s technique was.


    Qing Wen inwardly complained without end, immediately abandoning the two golden rings. Instead, he hurriedly searched himself and took out a shiny brass mirror.


    At this moment, Han Li pointed at the huge sword of light with an ice-cold expression.


    The huge sword fiercely chopped down from the sky without sound. The crushing blow was about to break through barrier and man with astonishing grandeur.


    Upon seeing this, Senior Martial Brother Wang had forgotten to take advantage of Qing Wen¡¯s moment of distraction to destroy his golden rings. Instead, he was mesmerized while staring at the huge sword¡¯s heaven stunning might.


    His entire mind was occupied with the thoughts of whether or not he would be able to withstand such a strike.


    As the target of the attack, Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s expression grew extremely solemn, and he hastily tossed the brass mirror above him.


    The brass mirror quickly flew out of the light barrier and flashed, producing a yellow cloud about three meters wide above him. In the blink of an eye, it solidified into a huge shield that continuously revolved above him.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion sunk as he formed an incantation gesture with his hand. The huge sword of light thunderously roared and chopped down with even more astonishing might, reaching the brass shield in an instant.


    Along with the sound of an immense explosion, the shield released an immense yellow radiance. But underneath the huge sword¡¯s fierce blow, it was only able to endure for a short moment before releasing a wail as it broke into pieces.


    With nothing left to stop the sword of light, it chopped down on the azure prism barrier, causing it to groan underneath the huge sword¡¯s immense pressure.


    Seeing the huge sword¡¯s astonishing might, Qing Wen¡¯s expression finally became panicked.


    His hands flickered with azure light before he quickly pressed them against opposite sides of the prism barrier. He then did his utmost to pour spiritual power into the Azurewood True Barrier in an attempt to strengthen its defensive power.


    The three-colored light released by the huge sword strained the azure light barrier underneath it, causing the barrier to produce a crackle. With Qing Wen¡¯s desperate assistance, the Azurewood True Barrier managed to withstand the might of the light sword¡¯s downward chop.


    In the following moment, Han Li expedited his magic techniques. He wished to use the huge sword to forcefully break through the light barrier and kill him as revenge for his previous betrayal. On the other side, Qing Wen was madly pouring Spiritual Power into the light barrier in an attempt to exhaust the sword¡¯s strength and save his life.


    At this moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang finally came to his senses and quickly destroyed the two golden rings with ease. He then commanded his three streaks of light to strike Qing Wen in a relentless charge, clearly understanding that Han Li was stuck in a deadlock with Qing Wen.


    So long as he provided even the slightest assistance, he would be the final straw that would tip the scales and overwhelm the enemy, easily killing this formidable opponent. With this, he would be entitled to a significant share of this Blood Servant¡¯s treasure when the time came.


    With that thought, the fire in his heart became even more fervent.


    But as Senior Martial Brother Wang was dreaming, Qing Wen¡¯s complexion greatly changed, and a streak of yellow light shot toward Qing Wen at the speed of lightning. In the following instant, he had disappeared from his original location, allowing Han Li¡¯s tri-colored sword of light to strike at the ground and create a large hole three meters deep.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s three streaks of green light naturally missed its target, causing him to glance in the direction of the yellow streak of light with alarm and anger.


    As expected, Daoist Priest Qing Wen¡¯s light barrier appeared nearly a hundred meters away. A yellow-clothed youth with a lazy appearance stood by his side. He looked at Senior Martial Brother Wang and said with complete calm, ¡°This person had previously saved my life. Could your esteemed self not kill him off so lightly?¡±


    After he said this, he chuckled and continued, looking at Han Li with a smile, ¡°Brother Han, I truly didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d one day meet again. Wu Jiuzhi pays his respects.¡±


    The unperturbed youth was that young cultivator Wu Jiuzhi who had attempted to pickpocket Han Li that previous year at the Great South Meeting. However, at this moment, his body was faintly emitting a strange yellow light and his cultivation had reached the early Foundation Establishment stage. [1]


    ¡°Jiuzhi, this person walks an entirely different path from us. Why must you speak so much? Since you¡¯ve come, all four of us can now fight.¡± Daoist Priest Qing Wen retracted his previously thrilled expression and couldn¡¯t help but resentfully look at Han Li.


    When Wu Jiuzhi heard this, he sighed and didn¡¯t speak any further with Han Li.


    When Qing Wen saw this, he suddenly made two long whistles followed by a short whistle.


    When Tie Luo and the Ice Demon heard this, they revealed pleasant surprise. They immediately leapt out of the Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s joint attack and flew toward Qing Wen and Wu Jiuzhi.


    ¡°What going on? Another one has appeared! This is going to be troublesome.¡±


    When Liu Jing saw the sudden appearance of Wu Jiuzhi, he immediately understood the battle¡¯s circumstances had shifted and couldn¡¯t help but wrinkle his brow.


    Now that four of these truly unordinary Blood Servants had gathered together, it was clear to Liu Jing that the situation had become more difficult to deal with. In the previous battle against the two Blood Servants with his group of five, they weren¡¯t able to even injure one of them. Even with their advantage of numbers, they had only been able to gain the upper hand.


    With that thought, Liu Jing prudently called out for Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Wang to stand beside them.


    As Han Li looked at Wu Jiuzhi who had just appeared, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. During that year, he had quite a favorable impression of that strange, spirited youth. However, gods make fools of men and now the two had no choice but to fight to the death.


    ¡°Demon Transformation.¡±


    Qing Wen and the other Blood Servants realized that by relying on ordinary means, they would be unable to win against Han Li¡¯s group, as they were outnumbered nearly two to one.


    Following Qing Wen¡¯s cold declaration, their bodies all released a blood-red radiance. They then transformed into four cocoons of blood-red light, and began theirdemon transformation, intending to eliminate Han Li¡¯s group in a single move.


    [1]. Han Li met Wu Jiuzhi at the Great South Meeting. At the time , he had attempted to pickpocket him.

 Chapter 320

    Broken Cocoon


    When the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators saw this, they were reminded of what Han Li  had told them about the Blood Servants¡¯ Demonic Transformation. They all knew that during their transformation, the Blood Servants would become easy, stationary targets. Thus, they launched magic tools and techniques, assaulting the four cocoons of light without restraint. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t let go of an opportunity like this to subdue the enemy.


    Unfortunately, as Han Li had said, the light spheres were incredibly hard. Despite the violent storm of attacks, the cocoons remained intact. They didn¡¯t appear to be even slightly damaged, causing the faces of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators to become unsightly.


    ¡°Everyone, if you have any last resorts, use them! Do not hold back! If you don¡¯t use them now, we will be in dire straits when they emerge from their cocoons!¡±


    With that said, Liu Jing immediately withdrew his magic tools and solemnly took out a golden talisman, pressing it between his two hands. He started muttering a mysterious incantation, causing the talisman to radiate with inceasingly dazzling golden light.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what grade that talisman was, he grew alarmed upon seeing it. Since Liu Jing, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, required an incantation to activate it, it meant that this talisman was no common item.


    When the others saw this, they looked at each other and then revealed their hidden capabilities.


    The most eye-catching among them were Song Meng and Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Sister. They both took out an inscribed treasure talisman and then immediately sat down to activate them. Blue and grey radiance emitted from their treasure talismans, causing those who looked on to feel envious.


    Treasure talismans aren¡¯t easy to acquire for Foundation Establishment cultivators, even with the backing of a large clan. Only those who were looked upon with great affection by their seniors would be granted them. Otherwise, with merely their own wealth and status, how could they possibly acquire such a treasure?


    The others were unwilling to be outdone and made a display of their own. They either strenuously used impressive magic techniques or brought out wondrous magic tools for their attacks. Brilliance immediately filled the sky as their magic tools and techniques were chaotically flourished.


    Han Li used neither his talisman treasures nor his astonishingly powerful ¡°Giant Sword Technique¡±. Instead, he chose to use his most energy-efficient method. With a wave of his hands, several heavy objects fell to the ground in front of him, four of his puppet beasts.


    The puppet beasts opened their ice-cold eyes and their bloodthirsty maws, fiercely shooting out several beams of light in a well practiced manner. Han Li stood behind them, taking advantage of the situation to restore the magic power used during the previous fight.


    As he had yet to encounter that Black Fiend School Master, he wasn¡¯t willing to use the entirety of his strength and prematurely exhaust his magic power.


    Han Li intended to preserve his magic power in preparation for any contingencies in the upcoming battle. He had a few more hidden cards, but he wouldn¡¯t reveal them until the time came.


    The appearance of the puppet beasts had somewhat surprised the others, but they immediately went back to focusing on their own matters.


    After all, the techniques one used and the magic arts one cultivated were one¡¯s own secrets; nobody would be so tactless as to ask about them.


    Those who knew the origin of the ¡°Puppet Technique¡± would believe that Han Li had acquired it from Li Huayuan. As a Core Formation cultivator, it wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine that he had killed several Thousand Bamboo School cultivators and acquired a few of their school¡¯s magic arts along the way!


    Thus, the others only felt at most great curiosity toward Han Li¡¯s puppet beasts.


    At this moment, Liu Jing¡¯s golden talisman finished activating. Trembling lightly, it transformed into a streak of golden light before flying toward the blood-red light cocoons.


    An explosion rang out as a burst of golden light created a snowstorm of luminous floating specks that filled the entire sky. The dazzling scene was as fantastical as a dream.


    However, this beautiful marvel concealed an extremely sorrowful desire to kill. During this dazzling scene, Liu Jing formed an incantation gesture, causing the luminous specks in the sky to undergo a strange transformation. Gradually shrinking and expanding, they finally assumed shape of small golden swords. Although the swords were only an inch long, each one possessed a threateningly cold and incomparably incisive air.


    ¡°Thousand Blades Technique.¡±


    Liu Jing said softly, revealing the name of his metal attribute magic technique.


    Everyone who saw this scene, aside from the two who were focusing on activating their treasure talismans, was left stunned.


    Metal attribute magic techniques were the rarest among the five elements, most commonly taking the form of defensive auxiliary magic techniques such as the ¡°Golden Armor Technique¡± or the ¡°Iron Skin Technique¡±. Liu Jing¡¯s offensive metal attribute area magic technique exceeded expectations, leaving Han Li and the others dumbfounded. They all slowed their actions, wanting to witness the entirety of this marvelous spell.


    Thousands of shining, sharp golden swords were suspended above the cocoons of light, emitting a frightening pressure.


    Liu Jing then chanted the activation incantation, causing the small golden swords to hail down and stab into the spheres of blood-red light.


    Pupu. Everyone heard a series of muffled stabs as the golden lights entered the blood-red spheres. Brilliance scattered in every direction like a dense storm of fireworks.


    Under the other¡¯s attacks, the light cocoons had displayed no change. But under this fierce attack, the cocoons began to gradually swell as if knowing the fearsomeness of this attack and responded by taking the initiative to reinforce the blood-red light as increasingly intense waves of light swords struck down.


    When Liu Jing saw this, he felt neither joy nor worry. Since his attacks pressured the light cocoons to change, they were shown to be effective. So long as he increased the power of his attacks, he would be able to break through the blood-red light.


    But at this moment, more than half of the small swords had already fallen and the light cocoons still appeared as red as they were at the start, looking as if they had handled the attacks with ease.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, allow me to lend a hand!¡±


    Song Meng shouted loudly.


    The grey talisman in his hand transformed into a meter-long, gray spear that emitted a strange grey Qi.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of the Blood Servant on the left first; do not scatter our attacks.¡± Seeing that Song Meng had condensed the true form of his treasure talisman, Liu Jing said this with unsuppressed joy.


    Soon after, he pointed at the small swords that had yet to fall.


    Suddenly, the gold swords started falling in a dense barrage toward the cocoon of leftmost blood servant, the Ice Demon.


    Following the rumbling sounds of impact, the cocoon of blood-red light seemed to have shriveled significantly.


    Having seen this, the others joined in, using magic techniques and magic tools in a simultaneous attack. Song Meng followed with his grey spear, causing it to release a sharp chilling wail as it shot forth.


    As the ¡°Thousand Blades Techniques¡± and the others¡¯ instantaneous attacks whittled away at the remaining thin layer of the previously invulnerable blood cocoon, the silhouette within could vaguely be seen.


    The grey spear was able to finally penetrate the cocoon, causing a furious, deafening roar to echo in everyone¡¯s ears. Two sharp, white crystal claws suddenly emerged from the blood-red light, immediately tearing away at the remaining shreds of the blood cocoon with ferocity and revealing the true appearance of the silhouette within.


    It was a half demon-transformed, white monster.


    At first glance, this person appeared to be an incomparably beautiful and refined youth. However, two small white horns protruded from the top of his head and a foot-long pure white tail sprouted out from behind him, each covered with faintly sparkling, white scales. In addition to his two extremely sharp claws, his entire body exhibited layers upon layers of demonic properties.


    Two bowl-sized bloody holes were present on his shoulders. The flesh around them continuously squirmed and contracted, causing onlookers to feel their blood run cold. But in the blink of an eye, the bloody holes completely healed.


    ¡°You¡¯re all courting death!¡± The half-transformed Ice Demon yelled fiercely. Clearly, he had retained enough of his mind to be able to speak.


    Although he didn¡¯t finish his demon transformation, he believed that with the demonic characteristics of his current body, he would be able to buy time for his companions to finish their transformations.


    The complexions of Liu Jing and the others, who had yet to see the demonic transformation, paled after seeing this frightening appearance. Although they had previously heard Han Li mention the strange appearance of the Blood Servants¡¯ demonform, they became extremely shocked and apprehensive upon seeing it with their own eyes.


    Suddenly, several beams of white light struck the Ice Demon¡¯s bare body and immediately sent it tumbling, causing it to appear quite battered.


    Unwilling to hear the enemy¡¯s rubbish, Han Li had immediately ordered his puppet beasts to attack.


    When the others saw this, they came to their senses and madly resumed their barrage of attacks.


    However, the Ice Demon that fell to the floor released a cold mist from its entire body. As the mist spread, he disappeared from his original location.


    This left the others shocked, hastily looking in every direction.


    According to their previous experiences, when such a scene occurred, the opponent had used an evasion technique and quickly escaped. However, such a technique wouldn¡¯t have allowed them to flee far.


    Not a single person could be seen near the three remaining light cocoons. The ordinary Black Fiend School Sect disciples had long fled as they weren¡¯t foolish enough to remain.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart trembled as he suddenly thought of something. He hastily patted his storage pouch, taking out his white scale shield and tortoise shell magic tools. He hurriedly had them revolve around his body as he loudly yelled, ¡°Everyone, be careful! He concealed himself!¡±


    Just as Han Li said this, a woman¡¯s miserable shriek could be heard, causing everyone to hastily look in the direction of the scream in alarm.


    They saw that Junior Martial Sister Chen¡¯s Senior Martial Sister, who was originally sitting down activating the talisman treasure, was now lying on her back. A large hole had appeared on her chest as if someone had reached in and torn out her heart.


    As she laid in a pool of her own blood, her beautiful appearance became slightly twisted as her limbs continuously thrashed about. Her eyes were filled with an incredulous fear before turning into unreconciled denial as her life slipped away.

 Chapter 321

    Unseen Battle


    ¡°Xue Hong!¡±


    One of Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brothers loudly grieved for her; it seemed they were pair cultivation partners. He waved his hands, immediately shooting a black light toward the woman¡¯s corpse that madly attacked its surroundings in an attempt to find the demon who killed her.


    It could be said that the death of this Senior Martial Sister ¡°Xue Hong¡± was truly unjust. Were it not for her competitive spirit, she wouldn¡¯t have used her treasure talisman and might still be alive.


    Before she attempted to activate the talisman treasure, a light muslin defensive magic tool had been hovering at her side. But, in order to hasten the activation of her treasure talisman and cut down magic power consumption, she had retrieved her magic tool¡ª consequently, leaving herself defenseless and her life forfeit.


    It is truly unfortunate that this woman was inexperienced and made such an extremely careless mistake.


    Her enemies had turned into light cocoons in front of her, and her fellow sect members surrounded her; as a result, she dared to activate this talisman treasure with an easy heart. Who could have predicted that the Ice Demon would emerge from the cocoon half transformed and immediately turn invisible before targeting her.


    At that moment, the woman had been in the final moments of activating the treasure talisman and was incapable of immediately stopping; thus, she had fallen prey to the Ice Demon¡¯s malicious scheme.


    When Song Meng had activated his spear treasure talisman, he hadn¡¯t employed any defenses either. However, the might of his talisman treasure was comparatively smaller, enabling him to activate it sooner. Otherwise, he might¡¯ve been targeted by the concealed Ice Demon instead.


    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t just those two that hadn¡¯t set up any defenses, neither had Han Li nor any of the the others bothered to. They naturally wouldn¡¯t waste any magic power to deploy unnecessary defensive magic tools; after all, the light cocoons were targets incapable of striking back.


    They immediately set up defensive barriers with their magic tools after Han Li¡¯s reminder, preventing any further sneak attacks. Cold sweat ran down their backs from seeing Xue Hong¡¯s tragic death; her heart was torn from her chest, leaving her to die in a pool of her own blood.


    But what was most distressing, was that regardless of what methods they used, none of them were able track down this demon.


    They occasionally spotted traces of him, but that demon would again disappear before they could react as if he were constantly changing his location at great speed. The Ice Demon was half transparent and would occasionally flicker in and out of their vision in every direction. Even with specialized autonomous magic tools, they were still unable to find a trace of him as if he had completely disappeared.


    Suddenly becoming fearful for their safety, they began looking in every direction; they had actually been completely suppressed without addition action from the Ice Demon.


    Only Han Li looked at the present scene with a trace of bewilderment.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang who fought alongside Han Li had never seen such a bloody scene before. His currently wore fearful expression with pale complexion.


    Her death appeared to be a nightmare. He had originally imagined that this would be the time for him to show off his divine strength and easily wipe out the enemy. But things had turned out entirely different from how he imagined. Not long before, he had even joked about in which manner they could have possibly met their end.


    With that thought, he looked at the Senior Martial Brother that was Xue Hong¡¯s pair cultivation partner, causing his face to appear even more unsightly.


    Could it be that that the more one feared something would happen, the more likely it was to occur?


    It was unknown whether he was feeling guilty about the appearance of the Ice Demon or felt a desire to act from his helplessness.


    But as he despondently paced back and forth, a transparent ice-cold claw appeared from behind him from thin air, fiercely stabbing toward his heart.


    The small bronze shield that was protecting Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s body was completely autonomous. Without waiting for a command, it flashed toward the strike and blocked it.


    D¨¡ng. Although the sharp, ice-like claws were blocked by the small bronze shield, it was instantly frozen in a layer of thick frost and bluntly fell to the ground, temporarily becoming useless.


    At this moment Senior Martial Brother Wang discovered the astonishing event occurring behind him and felt blood drain from his face. He unconsciously turned around, incessantly looking in every direction, losing his mind to panic.


    After seeing there was nothing behind him, he hesitated for a moment before crouching to pick up the small bronze shield. He wanted to thaw it so that he would be able use it once more.


    ¡°Quick, dodge!¡±


    The nearby Liu Jing loudly yelled in alarm after seeing his actions.


    ¡°Huh?¡± But by the time he realized what was going on, the crisp sound of his protective water-attribute barrier shattering caused him to feel a heart chilling wind down his back.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± At almost the same time Senior Martial Brother Wang realized what was going to happen, the Ice Demon had already left concealment to make a fatal strike.


    In this instant, Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s mind grew blank, filled with only the scene of Senior Martial Sister Xue Hong¡¯s tragic death.


    ¡®I truly didn¡¯t think that it would be my turn so quickly!¡¯


    This was the only thought that occupied his mind.


    But suddenly, his vision became hazy and he felt his body become light. His entire body flew as if he were a cloud being carried by the wind, hearing sounds of wind and thunder underneath him along with a loud, furious yell of surprise.


    Soon after, his two legs met the hard ground and someone was standing before him with absolute calm.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Wang, are you alright?¡±


    While not knowing whether he was alive or dead, he heard a familiar voice full of deep concern.


    Upon hearing the familiar voice, he blankly turned his head and saw Liu Jing looking at him with worry.


    Seeing his face, Senior Martial Brother Wang realized that he was alive and unharmed. With unconcealed happiness, he gratefully said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, were you the one who saved me?¡±


    Senior Martial Brother was frightened from his own voice. From his coarse voice, it could be clearly be seen that he had been truly shaken from the moment before.


    When Liu Jing heard this, he revealed an awkward, embarrassed appearance and said, ¡°I am quite ashamed to say Junior Martial Brother¡¯s survival wasn¡¯t my doing. Junior Martial Brother Han had acted a moment ago to save you and is currently fighting that demon! Sigh, I actually wasn¡¯t completely convinced by your earlier words earlier that Junior Martial Brother Han had killed over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators due to his young age. But now my perspective has been broadened; Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s strength is truly unfathomable!¡±


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han?¡± When Senior Martial Brother Wang heard this, he was shocked.


    He clearly remembered that Han Li had been over fifteen meters away from him. How was be able to make it in time?


    With that thought, Senior Martial Brother Wang hastily turned his head toward the sounds of battle. What he saw left him dumbstruck.


    The location where he was attacked was now completely empty. However, he could hear the clangs of a fierce battle along with snarls and cries of injury. Furthermore, he could see sword Qi and sharp streaks of light flying out of nowhere and strike the nearby terrain, leaving countless deep and shallow grooves.


    After a long moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang finally came to his senses.


    As he thought to ask something about that astonishing scene, a violent wind suddenly blew at that location. A shining, translucent white silhouette appeared, followed by a strange figure that shot forth to attack it, leaving Senior Martial Brother Wang breathless.


    The silhouette attacking the half-transformed Blood Servant appeared even more demonic than his target. His entire body was as transparent as clear crystal.


    ¡°Impossible! How are you able to see through my invisibility!? How are you able to match my speed!?¡±


    The demon¡¯s sparkling face was full of furious surprise and even held a trace of fear.


    However, after those words left his mouth, he let out a bestial snarl and fiercely pounced forward, his body disappearing from sight once more.


    The sound of battle stopped for a moment and Han Li¡¯s cold snort could be heard amongst the silence. The sounds then resumed, becoming even fiercer and were no longer confined to their original location. The sounds began to appear from every direction, causing the others, who could only hear the battle, to retreat with blanched faces.


    The pair cultivation partner of the dead female cultivator was the same and could only helplessly fall back. He feared he would unknowingly become tangled in Han Li¡¯s fight with the demon and die without knowing how.


    They all knew in their hearts that they were unable to intervene in this unseen battle.


    ¡°Quickly, look at the ground!¡± Song Meng shouted out in alarm.


    When the others heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but lower their heads and look. What they saw overwhelmed them with shock.


    At some unknown time, a layer of thick clear ice had condensed onto the ground. Underneath the moonlight, it appeared flawlessly smooth.


    ¡°This demon is quite crafty. He actually transformed the ground and put Junior Martial Brother Han in a disadvantage!¡± Song Meng anxiously said with worry.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Although I don¡¯t know what movement technique Han Li is using, we were all unable to discover any trace of him, and from what we¡¯ve heard, it doesn¡¯t seem that Han Li is at a disadvantage. It is clear that the icy ground doesn¡¯t have much of an effect on him. However, the transformed demon¡¯s craftiness truly caught us by surprise, unexpectedly causing one of our sect members to lose her life. I am truly to blame for this!¡± Liu Jing unhurriedly said this after a moment of silence.


    After hearing this and seeing Liu Jing¡¯s solemn expression, the others didn¡¯t know how to console him. However, these people didn¡¯t know that the Junior Martial Brother Han they spoke of was loudly scolding them in his heart as he fought with the Ice Demon.

 Chapter 322

    Blank


    (TL: Treasure Talisman ¨C > Artifact Seal)


    Chapter 322: Liu Jing¡¯s ¡°True Seal¡±


    Han Li felt furious!


    His anger wasn¡¯t due to the fact that he had saved Senior Martial Brother Wang in a moment of benevolence, or even because he had to fully utilize his Shifting Smoke Steps. Han Li¡¯s anger was due to the fact that Liu Jing and the others were squandering this opportunity to eliminate the three transforming Blood Servants. Once the three Blood Servants finished transforming, a huge dilemma would await them.


    Han Li was reminded of Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s kind assistance during his fight with Qing Wen, and thus, when Han Li noticed that Senior Martial Brother Wang was on the verge of falling in the Ice Demon¡¯s scheme, he instantly flashed forward into order to save him.


    Enraged from Han Li¡¯s intervention, the Ice Demon immediately pursued him, forcing Han Li to deal with him. But soon after, Han Li felt that this Ice Demon would prove extremely troublesome for his fellow sect members and decided it would be better for him to take care of it alone. After all, if even more of his fellow sect members died, they would be lacking in numbers for the upcoming battle.


    However, during his fight with the Ice Demon, he didn¡¯t expect that the others would just stare blankly. They were actually squandering this great opportunity to attack the three remaining light cocoons!


    Even so, Han Li had a faint feeling that the others didn¡¯t even know this opportunity existed due to their fear of the Ice Demon¡¯s ambush. Although they realized that having to deal with the fully transformed Blood Servants would be even more troublesome, they were still hesitant and slightly desired to retreat.


    In reality, Han Li didn¡¯t come here in order to eradicate the Black Fiend School but rather for another predetermined objective. As such, he was unable to run away in a rash manner. Ever since the half-transformed Ice Demon left his cocoon, he had been trying to kill Han Li. But Han Li found that so long as he was a bit careful, the demon did not pose much of threat to him. In fact, he felt that the large bald man was significantly harder to handle in comparison to the demon.


    Following the transformation, the Ice Demon acquired a transparent body, exceptional speed, and some control over cold Qi. Thus, he was now able to utilise his speed to create an illusion of invisibility similar to that of the Shifting Smoke Steps. But due to the Ice Demon¡¯s transparent body, he became even harder to detect.


    Since this strange movement technique could only be displayed on land, as long as they were above ground, they could force the Ice Demon to reveal itself by using large scale magic techniques. After all, his high speed movements were only deadly within a short distance. It was unable to keep up with a cultivator¡¯s flying magic tool.


    Because Liu Jing and company had never experienced this kind of close combat, they felt that their opponent was extremely monstrous and difficult to engage. Fortunately, Han Li had often fought in this manner and naturally held greater experience in fighting such battles.


    With that in mind, Han Li suddenly repelled the demon¡¯s sharp claws with a wave of his silver sword, buying himself a short moment. He then stood still to become visible and he loudly yelled, ¡°Everyone, fly to the skies and continue to attack the other three Blood Servants. I will prevent this demon from attacking you!¡± Following these instructions, Han Li¡¯s figure suddenly flickered, disappearing from sight once more.


    It was not surprising for Han Li that the silver sword¡ªwhich had been looted during the Trial by Blood and Fire¡ªwas able to withstand the demon¡¯s sharp claws. The fact that caused Han Li to become astonished was that the claws were also undamaged.


    When Liu Jing heard Han Li¡¯s instructions, he immediately understood what Han Li intended. Even so, he remained hesitant and felt extremely conflicted.


    Although Liu Jing originated from a large cultivation clan, he had been captured by evil cultivators during his childhood. During that time, he suffered from extreme, agonizing torment to the extent where he had almost lost his life. It was only afterwards that he was rescued by his clan and was apprenticed to Li Huayuan.


    Due to the trauma he had experienced in his childhood, Liu Jing held deep hatred toward evil cultivators. As a result, he followed an iron-blooded policy to kill all evil cultivators on sight, refusing to allow any evil cultivator from escaping his grasp, regardless of what freakish techniques they practiced.


    Much to his delight, these actions rewarded him with great popularity among other cultivators, even causing a few Seven Sect cultivators with higher cultivation than him to look at him with a trace of admiration.


    Although Liu Jing continued to appear unfazed on the outside, his heart gradually began to indulge in these feelings of admiration. In fact, he later took the initiative to root out evil cultivators from every direction mostly for the sake of seeing others gaze upon him with admiration.


    Naturally, Liu Jing hid this fact in the depths of his heart with extreme care and conducted himself as though he were a moral paragon. Thus, Liu Jing became known as an enemy of evil, the ¡°iron-blooded¡± Senior Martial Brother Liu.


    Now that another evil known as the Black Fiend School had appeared, he was compelled to eliminate it. However, they were the strongest evil cultivators he had ever encountered. He wasn¡¯t completely confident that he would be able to rely on his normal magic tools to eliminate the three remaining blood servants. His attack power was lacking and would only serve to end their transformations earlier, resulting in three more half-demons to fight.


    One half-transformed demon was already very difficult to handle. They did not know if they could handle additional half-demons or if they would just be throwing their lives away.


    But if they were to retreat now, they would have just scared the Black Fiend School away, resulting in the complete failure of their mission. If they allowed the Black Fiend School to disappear without a trace and conceal themselves once more, Liu Jing¡¯s painfully nurtured reputation would be thoroughly and irrevocably destroyed.


    The thought of others looking upon him with contempt caused Liu Jing to feel winded and extremely depressed.


    Han Li¡¯s exhortation had forced him to make a choice.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, should we retreat?! The Black Fiend School is far stronger than we¡¯ve imagined. If we¡¯re going to retreat, we must do it now or else it will be too late!¡± Senior Martial Brother Wang softly said after approaching hesitantly.


    Liu Jing could clearly see cowardice from Martial Brother Wang¡¯s shifting gaze.


    ¡®Retreat? If I retreat now, then I¡¯ll appear just as cowardly!¡¯ Liu Jing thought with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Everyone, fly to the skies and protect me as I cast my magic. Let me deal with the three Blood Servants!¡± Liu Jing instructed.


    At the same time, he thought, ¡®It seems I¡¯ll have to use my life-saving measure in this fight! Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to win and preserve my reputation!¡¯


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, you want to deal with the Blood Servants by yourself?¡±


    However, when the others heard Liu Jing¡¯s words, they all looked at him in disbelief, causing Liu Jing to feel a bottomless ache in his heart. But still, his appearance remained calm. Without speaking, he flew directly to the sky on a magic tool as he solemnly retrieved a fire-red jade box from his storage pouch.


    At this moment, Liu Jing had completely recovered his calmness as if he were in complete control. When the surrounding disciples saw this, they glanced at each other and felt slightly more confident as they followed after him.


    A reluctant look covered Liu Jing¡¯s face as he stared at the jade box in his hand. But soon after, his expression became resolved and he placed his hands on the box.


    In an instant, the jade box shattered apart into miniscule pieces, revealing a peculiar talisman covered in red light.


    A fire-red flame bird was inscribed on the talisman; it incessantly flapped its wings as though it was flying freely like a real bird. The bird¡¯s glowing blue eyes even occasionally shifted.


    The most astonishing fact was the scorching Qi the talisman emitted; it caused the temperature within thirty meters to abruptly rise, leaving his allies parched from the scorching heat.


    Song Meng and the others approached and saw the astonishing scene of the talisman unfold.


    ¡°Artifact Seal!¡± Song Meng exclaim upon seeing the talisman.


    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a common artifact seal. This is¡­. a true seal!¡± After seeing the talisman¡¯s strange appearance, Senior Martial Brother Wang cried out as if he had just seen a ghost.


    Those who knew of this ¡°True Seal¡± were dumbstruck.


    While this so-called ¡°True Seal¡± was considered an artifact seal, it was completely different from a common artifact seal.


    First of all, common artifact seals only contained a tenth of the original magic treasure¡¯s might at most. However, a true seal defied this convention, allowing it to contain a third of a magic treasure¡¯s might!


    Secondly, true seals could only be refined with the bloodline of the magic treasure¡¯s master. As a result, only descendants of this specific bloodline would be able to activate and make use of this true seal. If someone else were to attempt to use it, the true seal would destroy itself.


    With such great benefits, there naturally had to be some significant disadvantages; otherwise, all the elders would leave their later generations with only true seals.


    While true seals contained several times more power than an ordinary talisman treasure, its greatest flaw was that it could only be used once. This single use would display the entirety of its might without restraint and leave no second use. As a result, it was far less practical than common artifact seals.


    Additionally, there was another reason as to why so few true seals were passed down.


    After a magic treasure went through the process of bloodline refinement in order to produce a true seal, the magic treasure would suffer permanent and irrecoverable loss in strength. After knowing these restrictions, elder cultivators felt it would be far better to leave behind several ordinary artifact seals for their descendants rather than ruining their own magic treasures which were as precious to them as their own lives.


    Thus, many cultivators joked that there were several times more magic treasures in the cultivation world than true seals. Although these words were slightly exaggerated, they weren¡¯t far from the truth!

 Chapter 323

    Demon Execution


    True seals were several times more difficult to activate compared to common seals. As a result of this, Liu Jing asked his fellow sect members to protect him as he did not wish to meet the same tragic end as his Junior Martial Sister. Finishing his instructions, Liu Jing protected himself using his yellow ring magic tool before he sat down cross-legged on his flying magic tool. With a calm heart, Liu Jing began to pour magic power into the fire-bird true seal.


    As the fire-red talisman¡¯s glow gradually intensified in Liu Jing¡¯s hand, the inscribed fire-bird¡¯s wings became increasingly nimble and lively. It seemed as though the fire-bird would suddenly materialize and fly out from the talisman at any moment.


    Although Han Li was  engaged in battle with the Ice Demon on land, he felt at ease knowing that his fellow sect disciples were taking action. He had feared that his fellow sect disciples would cower and run away in defeat. If he were left alone, Han Li would be unable to obtain the item he desired from the Black Fiend School Master.


    No longer worried about being deserted, Han Li wholeheartedly focused on the enemy before him. Even as a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Shifting Smoke Steps still placed a significant burden on his body. Thus, he couldn¡¯t let this battle of extreme speed drag on; he had to risk an all out assault.


    With that in mind, Han Li incessantly flickered about while brandishing a silver sword in one hand, suppressing the Ice Demon and leaving him winded. With Han Li¡¯s other hand, he silently summoned an item from his storage pouch and wound it around his ring finger.


    Killing intent flashed through his eyes; Han Li charged forward at a fearsome speed, sword grasped in both hands. He suddenly made a vicious attack, inspiring fear in the ice demon.  The Ice Demon hastily fell back and raised his sharp crystal claws in defense.


    D¨¡ng. The ice demon coldly laughed. Taking advantage of the strike¡¯s momentum, the Ice Demon flew backwards and increased the distance between him and Han Li.  At that moment, a slight sneer appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    When the Ice Demon saw this, he felt extremely uneasy. Han Li let go of his sword with one hand and pulled.


    In turn, the Ice Demon felt an indescribable force halt his retreat and could no longer avoid Han Li¡¯s fierce strike. At that moment, Han Li grasped the sword in both hands once more and expressionlessly moved to strike.


    When the Ice Demon saw this, he turned pale and hastily started struggling with all his might. Unfortunately, it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, Han Li had already appeared before him. Han Li¡¯s sword blurred momentarily and countless silver streaks assaulted the Ice Demon as they flashed past each other. At the following instant, two figures appeared beneath the moonlight: Han Li standing with a sword in his grasp and the Ice Demon falling to the ground.


    Having clearly seen this, Song Meng and the others couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely nervous.


    The Ice Demon staggered to his feet and looked at Han Li¡¯s back with an evil grin. As he thought to say something, his expression suddenly froze.


    The sound of a series of sharp ruptures could be heard, revealing countless fine cracks on the Ice Demon¡¯s transparent body. As the sounds continued, the cracks grew larger,  eventually turning the Ice Demon¡¯s body into a pile of broken, translucent ice.


    As the translucent crystals broke down, a complete undamaged claw  weakly reached out with its sharp tips still emitting dense cold Qi. This was the only thing to survive Han Li¡¯s rapid cuts; it was also left completely unharmed.


    Han Li dispassionately looked at the Ice Demon¡¯s remains. Then he turned his gaze toward the dazzling three light cocoons, wrinkling his brow.


    He silently pulled his hand, causing the ice claw to fly toward him.


    From the reflection of the moonlight, a thin transparent thread could be faintly seen between the sharp claw and Han Li. This was precisely the Ice Demon¡¯s cause of death.


    Taking advantage of their close distance during the previous strike, Han Li had controlled the transparent thread on his ring finger to stealthily wind around his claw. Unfortunately, while the demon transformation left the Ice Demon¡¯s body transparent and strong, it had also dulled his senses, allowing Han Li to succeed in taking his life.


    Han Li lowered his head to look at the ice claw, and after a moment of hesitation, he threw it away.


    Since the ice claw was able to withstand his silver sword without harm, he understood it was certain to be exceptionally good material for refining magic tools. But with the knowledge that it was originally a person¡¯s hand, his heart shivered and he was unable to overcome his disgust.


    He walked to the side of the Ice Demon¡¯s remains and casually slashed at the ice pile a few times with a silver sword, fishing out a storage pouch from within. After taking a quick look at it, he carefully put it away. He then silently flew to the sky, wanting to see how his fellow sect members would deal with the three transformed blood servants.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know that during the moment that the Ice Demon had lost his life, a middle aged man in meditation suddenly opened his blood-red eyes and muttered to himself, ¡°Ice Demon has already died? That¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll save me the effort of dealing with him in the future.¡±


    With that said, he calmly closed his eyes as if nothing had happened.


    A shriveled corpse laid before him. From the clear outlines of the bone, it appeared that there was no flesh underneath the skin. The corpse was wearing the clothes of a Yellow Maple Valley cultivator.


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li flew to the sky and before he opened his mouth, Song Meng and the others had surrounded him. With expressions of admiration and shock, they all showered him with praise. Their words even held a trace of reverence. Senior Martial Sister Xue Hong¡¯s pair cultivation partner was flushed with thankfulness toward Han Li.


    Han Li said a few humbling words. He then noticed the blinding red talisman in Liu Jing¡¯s hand and curiously asked about it.


    Someone immediately gave Han Li an explanation about ¡°True Seals¡±, causing Han Li to feel overjoyed and relieved.


    Naturally, Han Li had heard of true seals before. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that Senior Martial Brother Liu would have such a treasure and would be willing to use such a critical life-saving measure.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t known Liu Jing for long and had no way of knowing about Liu Jing¡¯s complicated dilemma over paying such a heavy cost to preserve his reputation.


    In Han Li¡¯s case, he basically didn¡¯t care how others looked at him. So long as his own reputation didn¡¯t get in his way of his rewards, he didn¡¯t care.


    Naturally, if Han Li had the opportunity to leave a good impression without expending much effort, he would be quite willing to do it. But to use something as precious as a ¡°True Seal¡± in order to maintain his reputation, Han Li wouldn¡¯t be willing to do such a foolish thing even if he would be killed.


    Even so, Liu Jing¡¯s action had truly left an impression on Han Li. He even doubted the validity of his long held belief. If there were those in this world that truly acted to exterminate evil, then what would that make him? Could he be considered a ¡°good person¡±?


    Just as Han Li was feeling slightly ashamed, he suddenly heard a ferocious roar filled with the desire of blood and massacre from below.


    Han Li and company hastily looked down in alarm.


    One of the three light cocoons had undergone a huge change, appearing as if the Blood Servant within was about to emerge.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. It seemed he would have to fight another Blood Servant in order to buy time for Senior Martial Brother Liu to finish!


    With that in mind, Han Li started to take action but was interrupted by a tranquil voice from behind him.


    ¡°Everyone, step aside. Allow me to eliminate those three demons.¡±


    Upon hearing this, everyone revealed joy.


    Han Li hastily turned around and saw Liu Jing looking at them with a smile. He had a small, exquisite red bird in his hand. It fluttered about and appeared extremely adorable. Additionally, the scorching Qi in the vicinity had disappeared without a trace at an unknown time.


    ¡®That is the appearance of the true seal?¡¯ Han Li looked at the small red bird with astonishment.


    ¡°Thank you very much for protecting me, everyone!¡±


    Liu Jing flew to the front of the group in a relaxed manner. Under the gaze of the others¡¯ amazement, he acted without the slightest hesitation and lightly blew at the small bird in his hand. With a clear chirp, the small fire-bird quickly flew forward from Liu Jing¡¯s hand.


    At that moment, a light cocoon beneath them had finished its transformation. Puchi. A demon wrapped in azure light emerged from its cocoon. Its shape was quite similar to the half-transformed Ice Demon however, its appearance was a deep azure.


    From the demon¡¯s appearance, once could clearly tell that it was Daoist Priest Qing Wen. But at this moment, he appeared completely crazed as if he didn¡¯t possess the ability to think.


    He let out two mad roars and raised his head to look at the small fluttering fire-bird. His body immediately grew still and the insanity displayed on his face was restrained, revealing an expression of great fear.


    He then lost himself to panic and looked around him. He suddenly flew to the skies covered in azure light; it seemed he wished to escape.


    But at that moment, a fierce explosion erupted from the small red bird, changing it into a large blazing bird about three meters wide. It spread its wings and traveled over thirty meters in an instant, appearing before the demon-transformed Qing Wen. With its sharp red beak, it lightly pecked at him.

 Chapter 324

    The Black Fiend School Master


    The blazing fire-bird flew over twenty meters into the air and pecked at Qing Wen with its huge beak, turning him into a huge, plummeting fireball. When he landed on the ground, he only managed to wretchedly scream twice before turning into a pile of ash without the slightest resistance.


    As Han Li watched on in complete astonishment, the huge fire-bird sharply cried out. Turning its head toward the two remaining light cocoons, it fiercely charged toward them. As a result, a huge pillar of fire erupted into the sky from the location of the cocoons. The two nearly-transformed Blood Servants were instantly engulfed in an ocean of fire.


    The light cocoons were only able to bitterly resist the raging flames for a short moment before completely disappearing. The defenseless Blood Servants then silently swayed for several steps before completely turning to ash.


    The blazing flame appeared extraordinary. Its unexpected ferociousness greatly shocked Han Li, leaving him with another memory of a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s magic treasure¡¯s might.


    Apart from Han Li, his fellow cultivators all had expressions of pleasant surprise.


    ¡°That true seal is incredibly powerful!¡±


    ¡°We were able to eradicate this evil school all because of Liu Jing!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The others excitedly spoke to each other in great excitement.


    From their point of view, with the Blood Servants eliminated, all they had left to deal with was the Black Fiend School Master. As a group of many Foundation Establishment cultivators, there was no reason to believe that they wouldn¡¯t be able deal with a lone evil schoolmaster.


    As Liu Jing saw the fire-bird¡¯s raging flames gradually disappear, he greatly lamented; but after hearing the other¡¯s praises, his spirits were raised!


    ¡°We¡¯ve wasted quite a bit of time. Let¡¯s enter and exterminate the Black Fiend School Master!¡± Liu Jing waved his arm with a mighty, heroic air.


    The others nodded in agreement and followed after him.


    Han Li faintly smiled but as he was about to follow after them, he spotted Senior Martial Brother Wang blankly staring in some direction with a strange expression.


    This somewhat surprised Han Li and he couldn¡¯t help but follow Wang¡¯s gaze. Aside from the white ash of the transformed Blood Servants and the pitifully arranged remains of Xue Hong, what else could he be looking at?


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Wang, did you discover something?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but doubtfully ask.


    ¡°No, no I didn¡¯t discover anything. Junior Martial Brother Han, you are being overly suspicious!¡± When Senior Martial Brother Wang heard Han Li¡¯s question, he immediately shifted his gaze before answering.


    When Han Li saw this, how couldn¡¯t he tell that something was strange? This person had certainly discovered something important but didn¡¯t want to tell the others. Why else would he act like this?


    Han Li became somewhat depressed but with a slight smile, he said, ¡°Since it is nothing, let¡¯s quickly descend. Everyone wishes to go in!¡± Pointing in the direction of the cold palace, Han Li wordlessly descended, leaving Senior Martial Brother Wang to be the last one remaining in the sky. Uncertainty and doubt fluctuating on his face, he eventually stomped his foot and helplessly followed after them.


    As Han Li landed on the ground, he heard a lovely voice from the sky.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Liu, Junior Martial Brother Han, wait for us!¡±


    After a moment of surprise, Han Li slowly turned his head toward the sky. When the others heard this, they stopped and looked in the direction of the voice with happy expressions.


    Underneath the soft moonlight, Zhong Weiniang and Chen Qiaoqian were slowly descending from the sky with an extremely pale middle aged man in tow, suspended by his collar on the flying magic tool.


    The middle aged man wore golden clothes and had a deathly pale complexion. When he saw Han Li and the others, he appeared to become even more panicked.


    When Liu Jing saw them, he welcomed them with a slight smile.


    ¡°It seems that you two were able to smoothly succeed! So this is the Emperor of Yue!¡± After the two female cultivators landed, Liu Jing turned his gaze to the middle aged man and asked without paying much mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! This guy was in meeting with a few officials in some hall. After Senior Martial Sister and I knocked out the officials and grabbed the Emperor, two Qi Condensation disciples rushed out in an attempt to stop us, but we were able to easily dispatch them. Senior Martial Brother Liu, it seems you haven¡¯t encountered any problems either. That¡¯s great!¡±


    When Zhong Weiniang saw Liu Jing was completely unharmed, she incessantly chattered, expressing unmistakable concern for him. This caused Liu Jing to appear embarrassed, much to the entertainment of Han Li.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Chen, are you also alright?¡± Two of Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brothers asked cordially.


    With an indifferent expression, Chen Qiaoqian confirmed this and swept her gaze past the group. When she saw Han Li, she stared at him for a moment before turning away with a complicated expression.


    ¡°Where is Senior Martial Sister Xue Hong?¡± Chen Qiaoqian wrinkled her delicate brow and asked with a feeling of foreboding.


    When those words were asked, everyone¡¯s faces sank, revealing a heavy expression.


    ¡°We lost Xue Hong in the battle.¡±  With great difficulty, Senior Martial Sister Xue Hong¡¯s Dao Companion said this with a voice full of sorrow.


    As soon as they heard this, Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang¡¯s expressions instantly became unsightly.


    Zhong Weiniang immediately became furious, saying, ¡°How could you¡­¡±


    However, she was only able to say half of that sentence before she was interrupted by a miserable cry.


    Han Li and the others were frightened and immediately looked in the direction of the scream with great vigilance.


    A blue-robed man had appeared near them at an unknown time. They saw his hand flicker with red light as he withdrew it from Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s chest. In the following moment, Martial Brother Wang¡¯s lifeless corpse then fell to the ground.


    ¡°I originally hadn¡¯t thought to kill you. However, children really shouldn¡¯t take what isn¡¯t theirs!¡± The blue-robed man said with a beaming smile. He appeared about forty years old and had a very fair complexion. With his slight wrinkles at the corner of his eye, he had a rather benevolent appearance.


    With that said, he bent over and picked up a thumb-sized azure bead from the corpse, causing his smile to grow even larger.


    After they saw this person, Liu Jing and Han Li¡¯s faces sunk at the same time, revealing expressions of extreme caution.


    ¡°Your esteemed self must be the Black Fiend School Master!¡± Liu Jing probingly asked with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Hehe, how smart! I truly am the founder of the Black Fiend School. So, you must be the leader!¡± The old man chuckled.


    When they all heard that this person was supposed to be the Black Fiend School Master, even Han Li couldn¡¯t help but appear shocked. Each of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators then took out their magic tools as they faced this great enemy.


    After Liu Jing¡¯s expression sunk, he deeply exhaled and suppressed the panic in his heart.


    Soon after, he stealthily made a careful gesture to the others and coldly asked, ¡°Correct. I am Liu Jing, the leader of this mission! I¡¯ve come to exterminate your evil Black Fiend School. Even now that you are alone, you still dare to violently kill. You are truly courageous!¡±


    Liu Jing said this awe-inspiring, righteous speech in a fearless display. Although he was very satisfied with his own performance, he became even more imposing as he continued.


    So long as he eliminated this evil school¡¯s master, his name would reach even greater heights among the Seven Sects. In turn, others would look upon him with even greater reverence and admiration.


    With that thought, Liu Jing¡¯s mind gradually became drunk with fervor, and he took out two silver hooks along with a ring.


    Without waiting for the opposition to act, the Black Fiend School Master suddenly flashed a strange smile to him and softly whispered to Liu Jing in a voice only he could hear, ¡°Then you can die!¡±


    At that moment, Liu Jing felt a pain from the center of his chest. Without knowing what had happened, a blood-drenched arm had already pierced through his chest, revealing a round squirming object in its hand.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ Liu Jing couldn¡¯t help but think this in amazement. Perhaps he truly understood what happened, but he was unwilling to believe it.


    Soon after, he felt the world spin around him and his vision turned black. He could still hear several shrieks and the mourning cries from his unrequited admirer, Zhong Weiniang. However, those sounds became increasingly unfamiliar and distant as time passed.


    ¡®Sigh, this young girl really loves to cry!¡¯ Liu Jing had one last, anguished thought before sinking into eternal darkness.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became very unsightly. Before the battle even started, the enemy had already killed two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even Liu Jing, the leader of the group, had actually died so easily.


    With hands stabbed through the corpses of Liu Jing and Senior Martial Brother Wang, Liu Jing¡¯s attacker flashed toward the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s side and flashed an evil grin toward them. This had happened so fast that Han Li had been unable to react.


    After Liu Jing died, Zhong Weiniang was thoroughly stunned and was only able to release heart-wrenching screams. When Chen Qiaoqian saw this, she hastily pulled Zhong Weiniang behind her in an attempt to protect her. She then looked at the attacker with a face filled with fury and remorse.

 Chapter 325

    Peculiarity


    Thud. Thud. Liu Jing¡¯s and Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s corpses were casually tossed to the ground by the ambusher. The corner of Han Li¡¯s eye twitched when he saw this.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve come, don¡¯t think about leaving. I am still lacking Foundation Establishment blood sacrifices!¡± The ambusher smiled sinisterly, causing his white teeth to twinkle underneath the moonlight.


    The ambusher was none other than the Emperor of Yue, who had appeared to be scared stiff just a moment ago. But now, he was no longer that sorry figure that lost himself to fear but a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with magic power fluctuations no weaker than those of the blue-robed man, the Black Fiend School Master.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew ice-cold in response to the sudden appearance of an opponent with such deep cultivation.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know what technique the Emperor had used a moment ago, but he was able to completely conceal his cultivation from all of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators. This reminded Han Li of his prior inability to detect magic power from the young prince and Steward Wang. Unlike the previous occasion, Han Li didn¡¯t perceive a queer premonition of danger, instilling him with even greater fear and caution.


    Han Li flicked his finger, causing the white scale shield and the tortoise shell magic tool to unhurriedly revolve around him.


    As the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators nervously glanced at the Emperor of Yue and the blue-robed man, they took out their magic tools and closely wound them around their bodies, protecting themselves.


    Seeing the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators act as if they were facing a great enemy, the Emperor of Yue and the Black Fiend School Master looked at each other and coldly laughed.


    The Black Fiend School Master  suddenly flashed,  appearing over thirty meters away next to the sparkling ice pile, which were the fragmented remains of the ice demon.


    The Black Fiend School Master glanced at the ice pile and casually held out his hand towards it, which caused a blue bead to fly from the ice demon¡¯s remains into his hand.


    At that same moment, the treacherous Emperor of Yue flashed toward the two blood servants that were turned into ash by the fire-bird true seal. He fiercely slapped the ground, causing a golden and a yellow bead to fly from the ground and toward his hand.


    ¡°Those are¡­?¡±


    When Han Li saw those beads, he drew a connection to the azure bead that was taken from Martial Brother Wang¡¯s corpse. He immediately came to a faint realization on what they were and felt his heart tighten.


    He truly didn¡¯t expect that his objective for coming here would suddenly appear before his eyes.


    These were certain to be related to the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± concerning Core Formation that the young prince had mentioned. However, there were only four such beads here. Where could the final one be?


    At the same time Han Li came to this conclusion,  the Emperor of Yue and the Black Fiend School Master beamed with joy, having gathered the beads.


    Facing towards the sky, the group suddenly broke into laughter. As they continued laughing, they turned their cold gazes toward Han Li and company, revealing an unconcealed desire for murder. Han Li and company couldn¡¯t help but slightly pale in response.


    ¡°Everyone, take to the skies!¡± Thoughts suddenly surged through Han Li¡¯s mind before he finally shouted this and summoned his Divine Wind Boat, flying first to the sky.


    The others were startled at Han Li¡¯s shout. But Song Meng and Xue Hong¡¯s Dao Companion, who held great confidence in him, unconsciously flew to the sky as instructed. However, when Chen Qiaoqian heard Han Li, she hesitated for a moment before dragging Zhong Weiniang along with her to the sky.


    When the Emperor of Yue and the Black Fiend School Master saw this, their faces flashed with astonishment before sneering in unison. While it was clear they were two completely different people, the smiles they gave Han Li left him with the strange impression that they were one,  causing Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble.


    ¡°That boy is quite quick-witted; it seems you¡¯ll have to sacrifice your body earlier than expected!¡±


    ¡°Me? Why not you? Once you take it, it will be irrecoverable!¡±


    The Emperor of Yue and the blue-clothed man faintly spoke beneath them. Hearing their strange comments, Han Li and company felt a cold chill down their backs.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, what are they talking about!¡± Song Meng gulped and moved closer to Han Li..


    Having seen so many fellow sect members die before him, even the battle obsessed Song Meng was unable to maintain his originally fearless drive. He asked Han Li in order to calm his heart. After all, Han Li gave him a feeling of mystery and slight reliability.


    When Han Li heard the question, he bitterly smiled in his heart. As he was thinking of what to say, something occurred below them. Han Li¡¯s expression vastly changed and he immediately swallowed what he was about to say. Chen Qiaoqian then cried out, drawing Song Meng¡¯s fearful gaze to the scene below.


    He saw the Emperor of Yue stick his hand into the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s chest. The Black Fiend School Master had held his arms wide and didn¡¯t struggle in the slightest; instead, he wore a smile on his face.


    The Black Fiend School Master and the Emperor of Yue each emitted a dazzling bloody light. Through the Emperor of Yue¡¯s arm that pierced the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s chest, their bloody lights joined together and the light from the Black Fiend School Master madly surged into the Emperor of Yue¡¯s body. It appeared that the Black Fiend School Master had taken the initiative to deliver himself to the Emperor of Yue, leaving Song Meng dumbstruck.


    The Black Fiend School Master¡¯s brilliance grew increasingly weaker and and his flesh grew increasingly shriveled. Conversely, the Emperor of Yue¡¯s light grew stronger by the moment and even appeared slightly younger.


    ¡°What evil technique is this?¡± Song Meng cried out with shock.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew incomparably dark and he paid no mind to Senior Martial Brother Song¡¯s outburst. Instead, he took a deep breath and suddenly flung his hands outward.


    No less than two hundred fire attribute talismans raced from his hands toward the Emperor of Yue and the Black Fiend School Master. This talisman barrage, consisting of fire serpents, fireballs, and other such fire attribute techniques, was made up of all the fire attribute talismans that Han Li had on hand.


    Halfway through, these talismans turned into a heaven-shrouding display of fire attribute techniques, a huge and overbearing wave of fire. This grand display exerted an even greater pressure than that of Liu Jing¡¯s fire-bird true seal. Such a display of over a hundred talismans being thrown out was extremely rare in the cultivation world. After all, someone would have to spend hundreds of spirit stones to acquire that many talismans.


    This mighty display left the group of Yellow Maple Valley cultivators in shock. Even the despondent Zhong Weiniang blankly stared at the scene in surprise. Initially, the Emperor of Yue was also greatly shocked at the scene. But after he saw they were merely low grade magic techniques, he brushed it off with disdain beneath contempt.


    He understood that the bloody light protecting his body would leave him completely unscathed from those magic techniques, allowing him to pay attention to the important matter before him. So long as he finished this, killing the opposition would be as easy as throwing out trash.


    But for an instant, palpitating fear could be seen in the Emperor of Yue¡¯s eyes as the flames that filled the sky surged down to submerge him and the Black Fiend School Master.


    But as he expected, regardless of how deafening the attack, or how the flames soared, the bloody light surrounding their bodies kept them safe and sound. By then, over half of the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s light had flowed into the Emperor of Yue¡¯s body. The Emperor of Yue now appeared about thirty years old, much to his pleasure!


    When Chen Qiaoqian and the others saw Han Li¡¯s attack, they each followed up by sending down their magic tools. After all, it appeared the enemy was using some sort of evil technique and couldn¡¯t retaliate. Chen Qiaoqian and the others would naturally want to use this opportunity to beat down the enemy.


    Just as they launched their magic tools, a blinding white light ruptured from the Emperor of Yue and the blue-robed man, followed by a deafening explosion. The fluctuating, volatile white light had enveloped the two within it.


    The fearsome amount of spiritual power contained within the white light left the Emperor of Yue with an expression of fright. When Chen Qiaoqian and the others saw this, they were pleasantly surprised and looked to Han Li. This scene must¡¯ve been the work of their fellow sect member.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t appear happy in the slightest and instead, appeared solemn and cold.


    ¡°You are all celebrating far too early! They still aren¡¯t dead!¡± Han Li coldly said with an indifferent glance. His words startled the others, causing them to hastily turn their gaze.


    Underneath the concealment of the resulting smoke and dust, the Emperor of Yue¡¯s Spiritual Qi was still faintly discernable. Although it was still present, his magic power had been greatly decreased.


    The spirits of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators shook from what they saw with their spiritual sense and they commanded their magic tools to spiral around them. Once the Emperor of Yue was visible, they would make a joint attack and get revenge for the tragic deaths of their fellow sect members.


    ¡°Ke¡­ Good! Good! Ke! I truly made an error in judgement. Who would¡¯ve thought that your esteemed self was the most troublesome among the group! You actually hid something among the talismans and managed to break through my protective blood light!¡± A burst of coughs came from the smoke, but as the Emperor of Yue gradually regained a steady voice, his tone became increasingly cold.


    When the others heard this, their expressions massively changed. Han Li was also overwhelmed with shock.


    ¡°A Heavenly Lightning Seed! I truly did not think that there were Foundation Establishment cultivators capable of surviving a Heavenly Lightning Seed!¡± Han Li slowly said under his breath. He then waved his hands and a burst of white light appeared in front of him. Each of the silhouettes gradually became clear as the light faded; the silhouettes were various puppet beasts and soldiers all aiming at the ground.


    After seeing the puppets appear, Song Meng and the others fiercely attacked the Emperor of Yue without hesitation. However, a burst of red light flashed and severed the magic tools¡¯ connections to their owners. Covered in blood and filth, the Emperor of Yue walked out of the smoke and rigidly stared at Han Li with bitter resentment.

 Chapter 326

    Blood Spirit Drill


    Han Li didn¡¯t look at the Emperor of Yue¡¯s resentful gaze. Instead, he looked at the darkened bloody light that remained on his body.


    A golden ruler, a pair of jagged purple blades, and a blue longsword floated within the bloody light. They were the magic tools of Song Meng and company.


    At this moment, they were motionless within the bloody light. It seemed they had completely lost their spirit.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with thoughtfulness; it seemed the devilish light protecting the Emperor of Yue¡¯s body was capable of corrupting common magic tools. The only item Han Li currently had on hand that could resist this evil technique was the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasps.


    Until now, the only person to appear from the cloud of debris was the Emperor of Yue. It appeared as though the blue-robed man, who had claimed to be the Black Fiend School Master, had truly died from the Heavenly Lightning Seed.


    With that thought, even though Han Li¡¯s heart relaxed, he had no intention of giving the enemy an opportunity to catch his breath. Han Li immediately issued a mental order to his puppets to start their attack, launching an unending barrage of light beams and arrows toward the enemy.


    Now fearful of losing even more of their magic tools, the group of Yellow Maple Valley Cultivators chanted incantations and formed hand seals instead, continuously throwing down magic techniques and talismans alongside Han Li¡¯s attack. They all understood that the only way to free themselves from this nightmare would be to strike with all their might.  Otherwise, even more of them would suffer tragic ends.


    When the Emperor of Yue saw this, he expressionlessly swept his arm in front of him. A huge shield of blood-red light appeared, easily blocking the oncoming attacks. However, the bloody light emitted from his body was becoming increasingly weaker and gave the impression that it might fail at any time. This caused Han Li and company to attack with even more fury.


    The Emperor of Yue coldly snorted as he wordlessly took out a small dark green bottle from his bosom.


    He nimbly tossed out a scarlet, longan-sized pill from the bottle that reeked of blood. It didn¡¯t appear to be any sort of good medicine, but he still threw it into his mouth without the slightest hesitation and threw the bottle away; it actually only held a single medicine pill.


    Once the scarlet pill reached the Emperor of Yue¡¯s stomach, Han Li witnessed a shocking scene.  The Emperor of Yue¡¯s expression shook and his bloody light became brilliant once more. In addition, his wounds were healing at a speed visible to the eye. In that short moment, Han Li watched as the enemy recovered all of his magic power and healed all of the wounds he received from the Heavenly Lightning Seed.


    ¡°Damn it! How could such a thing happen!¡±  When Song Meng saw this, he muttered in disbelief, forgetting to throw out his tens of already prepared ice spikes.


    Han Li also couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He didn¡¯t know what pill the opponent took but it had heaven-defying effects.


    He had read all sorts of ancient books, but none of them had mentioned something like this!


    ¡°He used a Cultivation Essence Pill. A life saving medicine pill that can only be refined after cultivating several particular devilish arts and by harming one¡¯s own cultivation. This pill can only be used by its creator as it is fatal for anyone else who takes it.¡± A clear, cold voice came from Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s side, leaving Han Li stunned. Even Chen Qiaoqian turned around with a faceful of surprise.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister Zhong, you¡¯re alright!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! However, the demon that killed Senior Martial Brother Liu is before my eyes and I must kill him!¡± Zhong Weiniang had finally come to her senses. She smiled with great difficulty at Chen Qiaoqian, before saying this with a cold expression.


    ¡°We all wish to kill him. But the problem is that he wishes to do the same to us!¡± Han Li indifferently replied without turning his head.


    Zhong Weiniang turned and looked below in surprise. What she saw suddenly caused her expression to become unsightly.


    As they were talking, the Emperor of Yue, who was below them, withdrew his shield of light. The bloody light that surrounded his body surged and expanded until it was about ten meters thick. The magic tools that were trapped within the bloody light had then started to gradually melt away.


    The radiance protecting his body was now several times larger and his cultivation was far greater than it was previously. As such, the bloody light on his body was now able to easily resist the assault of magic techniques and puppet attacks.


    The Emperor of Yue raised his head to stare solely at Han Li with ice-cold eyes. He abruptly reached his hand out from behind him and grabbed at the air. A fire-red bead then suddenly flew out from somewhere and accurately dropped into his hand.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise as he thought of the blue-robed man that had died from his Heavenly Lightning Seed. It seems that this bead was from his remains and now the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± could be considered complete. So long as Han Li could kill this fiend, he would be able to acquire this treasure that would greatly benefit his Core Formation.


    ¡°Boy, do you have any more Heavenly Lightning Seeds? If you have them, then I¡¯ll stand right here and receive them. I want to see whether your Heavenly Lightning Seeds or my protective devilish art is greater.¡± The Emperor of Yue carefully put the bead away and said this to Han Li in a cold voice.


    Once those words left his mouth, the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators were startled and couldn¡¯t help but look at Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but he inwardly snorted. He calmly replied, ¡°This one is also quite curious whether you are the Black Fiend School Sect Master, or if that other person was. Furthermore, it appears from the current circumstances that your esteemed self had previously absorbed over half of his cultivation before you were interrupted! I am quite puzzled as there are rarely such people willing to act as a sacrifice in this world.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t answer his question but asked a question in return. He returned derision with derision!


    When the Emperor of Yue heard this, he revealed a strange expression that resembled both regret and mockery. But soon after, for some unknown reason, his face appeared increasingly menacing as his eyebrows became downward slanted.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he opened his mouth slightly, quietly sending the four remaining Yellow Maple Valley cultivators a sound transmission that left them shocked.


    Having finished that, Han Li then indifferently said, ¡°Whether or not you believe my words is up to you!¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t use sound transmission for that last sentence, allowing the Emperor of Yue to clearly hear him. The Emperor¡¯s face grew cold, and he suddenly pointed a finger at Han Li, shooting a beam of red light as thick as a thumb toward him in an instant.


    Although the red beam of light was astonishingly quick, Han Li was still barely able to cause both his white scale shield and tortoise shell to superimpose in front of him. Soon after, a barrier of blue light covered his body. Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be careless against this unknown attack.


    Pupu. When Han Li heard this, he unconsciously leaned to his side, before feeling heat in his right shoulder, followed by acute pain.


    After seeing a bleeding, finger-sized hole in his shoulder, Han Li¡¯s face became unsightly.


    He licked his dry lips and turned his gaze toward his two magic tools with disbelief.


    A similar, small hole appeared on the superimposed white scale shield and the tortoise shell; the red light had penetrated both of them without resistance. As for the Azure Essence Sword Shield on his body, it didn¡¯t have the slightest of effect. Upon contact with the attack, it completely dissolved without a trace.


    What Han Li saw caused his heart to drop!


    If his body wasn¡¯t nimble from his long practice with the Shifting Smoke Steps, then his heart would¡¯ve been struck and he would¡¯ve died immediately. A single moment of carelessness like this could cause anyone to lose their life!


    The more Han Li thought of this, the greater the fear he felt.


    Although he knew that the Emperor of Yue had absorbed a majority of the blue-robed man¡¯s magic power, the Emperor¡¯s drastic increase in strength was far beyond his expectations.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t know that as he was stricken by fear from his near death experience, the Emperor of Yue was even more amazed that Han Li had survived his strike.


    Although it appeared that his last move appeared effortless to use, this ¡°Blood Spirit Drill¡± was actually a single use move. Only after compressing one¡¯s true essence by several tens of times would one be able to unleash this surprise killing move.


    This was one of the devilish arts¡¯ killing moves that he cultivated. Not only was the preparation for this unbearably painful, it also required far too much time.


    When the Emperor had previously used this technique, not a single cultivator had managed to survive it. But now, Han Li was merely lightly injured from it; how could he not be shocked!


    Only one Blood Spirit Drill remained within his body. He hesitated, unsure whether or not to use it on Han Li once more.


    When the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators saw that Han Li was injured from the recent attack, their expressions vastly changed.


    Unconsciously, Han Li had already become their pillar of support. For him to be injured so unexpectedly greatly alarmed them.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li spit this out without the slightest hesitation after he shifted his gaze away from his wound.


    He madly poured magic power into his Divine Wind Boat and swiftly flew off to the side.


    When Song Meng and the others heard this, they gave each other a mutual glance before following Han Li¡¯s orders to flee.


    When the Emperor of Yue saw this, he was initially surprised, but then sneered soon after.


    He flashed forward into the air, wanting to chase after Han Li. However, he now saw that over ten uniquely shaped puppets had surrounded him.

 Chapter 327

    Entering the Formation


    ¡°Get lost!¡± The Emperor of Yue yelled gloomily.


    With a long whistle, the bloody light hurriedly enveloped the group of puppets. Then with a savage appearance, he chased after Han Li and company, disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    After a short moment, the motionless puppets suddenly fell from sky. They were all broken into fragments.


    Han Li arrived at the great formation he had set up. Having felt his puppets being destroyed from his threads of consciousness, Han Li felt very regretful. He then called out to the other cultivators to descend and enter the small bamboo forest.


    As Han Li and the others hurriedly descended, the Emperor of Yue had already broken through the puppet encirclement and clearly saw Han Li and the others enter the bamboo forest. This greatly surprised and puzzled the Emperor of Yue but he inwardly rejoiced.


    When he arrived above the bamboo forest and saw that Han Li and the others hadn¡¯t left, he sinisterly smiled and immediately waved his arms. A small chunk of his body¡¯s bloody light then separated itself from him.


    Pupu. The bloody light flashed and fiercely shot into the bamboo forest. Midway, it suddenly enveloped the entire bamboo forest in a huge, shining red barrier.


    Having seen the bloody light silently entrap the bamboo forest, the Emperor of Yue revealed a somewhat pleased expression. So long as this devilish light barrier firmly surrounded the bamboo forest, he would be able to use another secret technique to completely dissolve everything within it. Since the enemy had trapped themselves there, they had better not blame him for being merciless.


    His hands formed a series of dazzling movements, the incantation gestures to activate the secret technique. As he performed these gestures, the bamboo forest was suddenly covered in a blue and white dome of light, that easily stopped the barrier of bloody light from further shrinking. After a moment of surprise, the Emperor of Yue¡¯s expression grew cold.


    ¡®As expected, that group came here for a reason. They had even laid out a formation spell here!¡¯ The Emperor of Yue thought with bitter resentment.


    ¡®But this is nothing! How formidable can a hurriedly established formation spell be? At worst, I¡¯ll just refine the people along with their formation! In any case, I cannot allow them to flee from the Imperial City.¡¯ The Emperor of Yue thought resolutely.


    With a plan in mind, he formed incantation gestures without restraint and immediately cast secret techniques.


    The bloody light that had been stopped, then flashed with a brilliant radiance and attempted to further pressure their spell formation. However, the bloody still had little effect.


    But the Emperor of Yue didn¡¯t stop there. He shallowly cut at himself with his finger, sending off another chunk of bloody light to merge with the devilish light barrier.


    The color of the bloody light barrier grew even deeper, faintly releasing the scent of blood. Anyone who smelled it would feel the desire to vomit!


    Having seen this, the Emperor of Yue appeared slightly pleased. He repeatedly formed more incantation gestures with his hands and cast a series of magic techniques toward the bloody barrier.


    The magic techniques shot into the barrier, causing the barrier to fiercely expand in every direction and its bloody light to become a richer crimson. The azure-white radiance bitterly resisted the increased pressure, appearing as if it would collapse at any moment.


    The Emperor of Yue felt as ease after seeing this.


    From what he currently saw, the deaths of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators was only a matter of time and it was impossible for them to escape. However, the aftermath would be troublesome to deal with.


    ¡®It seems that I can no longer act as the Emperor of Yue. I¡¯ll have to conceal my identity and start all over!¡¯ The Emperor of Yue thought regretfully.


    As the Emperor of Yue was considering his possibilities in midair, Song Meng and the others were overwhelmed with fear inside the bamboo forest.


    Having heard Han Li¡¯s sound transmission, the others quickly retreated to save their lives. With confidence stemming from Han Li¡¯s display of strength, everyone had decided to trust him without discussion. But none of them had expected that they would arrive at such an obscure bamboo forest and actually be trapped within such a dangerous situation.


    Although a defensive formation spell was established at this location, they were surrounded by an impenetrable bloody light. In addition, this formation spell appeared to be on the verge of collapse. With imminent danger approaching, how could these people not panic!


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, is this the defensive preparation that you had prepared?¡± Song Meng muttered this question without confidence.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Is there a problem?¡± Han Li indifferently said, observing the circumstances before him.


    In an instant, Song Meng¡¯s face turned extremely pale. The faces of Zhong Weiniang and Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brother also turned very unsightly.


    Only Chen Weiniang looked at Han Li with a calm appearance. A strange appearance of thoughtfulness flashed through her eyes.


    ¡°Han Li, if you have any other methods, please speak of them. Don¡¯t keep us in the dark! I am confident that you have other methods prepared, not just this magic formation!¡± Chen Qiaoqian suddenly said this in a calm manner.


    The others were startled upon hearing this, and looked at Han Li with lifted spirits. From the caution Han Li had displayed during this night, there was no way that he would¡¯ve made such a foolish move.


    When Han Li heard this, he lowered his head in thought. He then faintly smiled to the others.


    ¡°Be at ease. Since I¡¯ve brought my senior apprentices here, I naturally have something in mind.¡± He said with a calm expression, before patting his storage pouch and taking out a small purple flag. The flag was densely filled with incantation symbols and appeared to be an extraordinary magic tool.


    ¡°Is that a formation flag?¡± Zhong Weiniang asked with astonishment.


    Formation plate and flag type magic tools were very rarely seen in the State of Yue.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister is quite knowledgeable!¡± Han Li agreed, lightly praising his Seventh Senior Martial Sister.


    This greatly surprised the others and slightly strengthened their confidence. It seemed that Junior Martial Brother Han truly did have something else prepared.


    Under their attentive gazes, Han Li held the small flag with both hands. The small, exquisite flag grew several times larger in the blink of an eye and faintly emitted a purple radiance.


    Han Li laid the formation flag flat in his hands and softly muttered an incantation, before loudly spitting out the word ¡°Swiftly!¡± at the end.


    Woosh. The formation flag immediately shot off and could no longer be seen.


    Han Li then took out three more identical formation flags from his bag and did the same thing, having them fly off in other directions.


    After doing this, Han Li coldly glanced at the sky with an almond-yellow formation plate in his hands.


    The formation plate was unremarkable and held no light. However, Han Li then solemnly held the plate flat above his head, causing it to lightly glow.


    A thick beam of yellow light soared from it and into the sky, striking the azure-white light barrier.


    At nearly the same time, beams of gold, azure, red and blue light shot from the sky from four different directions.


    Upon receiving the five pillars of light, the azure-white barrier that was on the verge of collapse immediately stabilized and the faint sounds of ocean waves could be heard from it.


    The sounds above them gradually became larger and more frequent, eventually becoming the sound of unfettered thunder; those who heard it couldn¡¯t help but feel fear.


    As the sounds grew louder, the appearance of the azure-white light barrier unexpectedly changed, becoming a barrier of rainbow light. Despite how the exterior red light attempted to collide with it, the new rainbow light barrier was like a reef below a stormy sea, completely unfazed.


    Seeing this, Song Meng and the others grew at ease and realized that Han Li¡¯s formation was rather extraordinary. It seemingly would have no problem in preserving their lives.


    The Emperor of Yue saw this strange scene and cast several devilish techniques in response. However, as his techniques had little effect against the colorful light beneath his red barrier, he felt that this matter was anything but good!


    His stern, cold face flashed with hesitation and he wrinkled his brow. Then, he abruptly stamped his foot and had the red light flow back to him in streams of various sizes. Then, he turned his body into a ball of red light without hesitation and flew off into the sky at a speed that would leave even Han Li ashamed.


    Strangely, while this person flew off at great speed, he returned at even greater speed. It was unknown why he had returned despite attempting to flee.


    The Emperor of Yue¡¯s face revealed an expression of disbelief as he attempted to fly off another eight times. However, he was unable to fly off more than a hundred meters away each time before obediently flying in a circle and returning to his original location. By this time, the Emperor of Yue no longer appeared bewildered; instead, his face was filled with terror.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li laughed coldly while the others were wide-eyed and speechless. From joy and surprise, Zhong Weiniang had tightly clenched her fist, not noticing in the slightest that her long fingernails had dug into her flesh, causing her to bleed.


    In addition to surprise, other, more complicated emotions had also surfaced on Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s face.


    Han Li took out his tortoise shell and white scale shield and had them revolve around his body. Lacking the time to explain the secrets of the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation,¡± he said with a deep voice, ¡°If anyone has a treasure talisman, use this opportunity to activate it. In a moment, we will launch a joint attack to exterminate him! Since he is already trapped in this great formation, he won¡¯t be able to quickly escape from it!¡± Han Li¡¯s words were filled with great confidence!

 Chapter 328

    Black Blood Saber


    Han Li¡¯s confident words along with the self-assured manner in which he sat down with his azure talisman, inspired Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang to do the same. They took out red and yellow artifact seals respectively from their storage backs and silently sat down cross-legged to activate them.


    Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brother and Song Meng looked at each other with a bitter smile. It wasn¡¯t as if neither of them had artifact seals. Although Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brother had his deceased Dao Companion¡¯s blue artifact seal, he was familiar with neither its power nor its usage. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t just take it out and recklessly use it. As for Song Meng¡¯s grey spear artifact seal, its power had been completely exhausted during the fight with the ice demon.


    As a result, the two could only insipidly wait for the three and protect them.


    At this moment, the Emperor of Yue realized that madly flying around like a housefly was ineffective and stayed motionless in midair.


    After he lowered his head and momentarily muttered to himself, he sinisterly took off the golden crown on his head and allowed his long, disheveled hair to flow in the wind and cover over half of his face. His increasingly demonic and mysterious appearance contrasted with the bloody light emitted from his body.


    He took in a deep breath and suddenly used a sharp fingernail to cut a cross on his wrist. Blood profusely poured out of the cut and merged with the bloody light on his body, causing it to suddenly darken, instantly turning it dark-red.


    Although they were separated by such a large distance, the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators were still able to smell that bloody, vomit-inducing scent. Their faces slightly grimaced but they could only bitterly continue to look on as the enemy casted his magic.


    Seeing that the color of his body¡¯s bloody light had finished its transformation, the Emperor of Yue opened his mouth, and spat out two streams of red Qi toward his wrist. This unknown magic technique immediately stopped the bleeding and caused the deep wound to gradually fade away. However, his complexion was greatly paled from the loss of blood.


    With a stern expression, he took out a dull, jet-black hilt. The hilt was only half a foot long but it appeared extremely worn and completely unremarkable. From the way the Emperor carefully handled the object, it didn¡¯t seem to be a useless item but rather extremely dangerous.


    As he rigidly stared at the hilt, he started to softly mutter an incantation.


    The incantation was neither loud nor easily understood. But from its slow chant, a faintly savage Qi pervaded the air, which gave the others an impression of ancientness.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡± As he watched this from far away, Song Meng couldn¡¯t help but ask with great surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s likely that he¡¯s using a formidable magic technique!¡± Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s Senior Martial Brother said with worry. He was also unable to understand the words of the incantation.


    Although the two didn¡¯t understand what the enemy intended, from seeing him bleed himself, they knew that the Emperor of Yue had taken desperate measures and was giving it his all.


    As the two restlessly watched on, the cadence of Emperor of Yue¡¯s incantation grew quicker and that savage aura became progressively stronger.


    As the Emperor¡¯s eyes flashed with red light, an astonishing scene occurred.


    The hilt suddenly burst out into a ball black light and floated in midair. It rose about a foot above his head before remaining motionless.


    The Emperor of Yue grew increasingly cautious and formed strange hand seals one after another with exceptional skill. The bloody light on his body turned into strands of blood that hurriedly flew toward the floating hilt.


    At the start, there were only several strands of black blood. But not long after, the threads of blood proliferated, becoming ten, several tens and finally over a hundred strands of black blood. Like moths to a flame, they all flew toward the hilt.


    In an instant, the hilt was densely enveloped in the threads of black blood. After wriggling for a moment, the threads condensed into a large sphere of corrupt blood, thoroughly wrapping the blade handle within.


    If one were to carefully look at this foul blood, one would notice a strange red radiance emitting from its otherwise dark appearance, leaving a demonic impression on one¡¯s soul.


    When the Emperor saw this scene unfold as he formed hand seals, he revealed a happy expression.


    He stopped his hand seals, intending to use a different technique. But as he did so, the sphere of black blood released a blinding black light and started squirming fiercely. Then, it started to boil and expand, appearing extremely unstable.


    Seeing this, the Emperor¡¯s expression of joy was completely replaced with one of fear.


    He frantically turned his head, looking in every direction, but when the Emperor once again laid eyes on the blood sphere, his face became misshapen by uncontrollable fear!


    His expression immediately became full of certainty, and he spit out a few profound incantations with a soft roar. He then fiercely bit off the tip of his tongue, and sprayed a mouthful of foul blood along with a chunk of his tongue toward the deformed sphere.


    Once the sphere of black blood absorbed this, it immediately stabilized and its dazzling radiance dimmed.


    Still uneasy, the Emperor of Yue formed over ten rapid incantation gestures in a blur, leaving him out of breath. As a result, every bit of radiance from the blood sphere had disappeared.


    Then, the Emperor finally let out a breath of relief. However, having previously spit out blood essence, his appearance had suddenly aged over ten years, becoming extremely haggard.


    Despite that, he was currently unable to attend to this issue. Instead, he suddenly cut off a chunk of his body¡¯s bloody light and sent it over to the bloody sphere. At the same time, he chanted once more in a deep voice, but because he no longer had the tip of his tongue, his words were unclear.


    The sphere of black blood gradually grew longer. Eventually, when the incantation was complete, the jet-black hilt appeared once more with a blade created from black blood as its saber¡¯s edge; this newly formed saber emitted an astonishingly bloody Qi.


    Upon seeing this saber, the Emperor of Yue appeared to become mad with passion.


    Without further hesitation, he reached out to grab the handle of this saber and casually waved it. Although he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest bit of its might, he still appeared to be extremely satisfied with it.


    After taking a deep look at the saber, the Emperor of Yue let out a long, sharp whistle, turning himself into a huge sphere of black light along with the saber. After which, he suddenly charged toward the bamboo forest, causing Song Meng and company to feel greatly nervous.


    But at that moment, Han Li opened his eyes and stared at the oncoming blood sphere with a cold gaze.


    Although Han Li had been activating his artifact seal a moment ago, he had a clear understanding of his enemy¡¯s actions from his formidable spiritual sense.


    Previously, as the Black Blood Saber had been taking form, Han Li¡¯s wandering spiritual sense had been strongly sucked in by the blade, which wanted to completely absorb it. With great fright, Han Li hastily withdrew his spiritual sense. Fortunately, the black blade¡¯s attempt to absorb his spiritual sense was autonomous and wasn¡¯t the doing of the Emperor of Yue. Thus, he was able to easily retrieve his spiritual sense from the black blade¡¯s grasp.


    Still, this fearful event had left Han Li drenched in cold sweat. If his spiritual sense had truly been absorbed by that evil saber, the consequences would be unspeakable!


    Although Han Li knew how fearsome the saber currently was, he remained completely confident in the strength of this hurriedly established ¡°Five Element Reversal Formation¡±!


    After all, even Lei Wanhe, a Core Formation cultivator, said that it would be difficult to break through his original ¡°Five Element Reversal Formation¡±. Even without completely setting up this upgraded, stronger version of the formation, he was completely confident that a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be unable to break through it in a short amount of time.


    Thus, although he had opened his eyes, his heart remained completely at ease. As these thoughts churned through Han Li¡¯s mind, the Emperor of Yue knocked against the multicolored barrier of light with great force. Zizi! The rainbow light barrier easily resisted the attacks.


    The Emperor of Yue had expected this and evilly grinned. He then tightly grasped the Black Blood Saber in his hand and fiercely slashed at the rainbow light barrier.


    With a sharp whistle, a huge streak of black radiance surged from the saber. Swoosh. The astonishing black saber streak, which was over thirty meters long, had chopped off a large portion of the rainbow light, creating a three meter wide gap.


    When the Emperor saw this, he felt great joy and charged toward the gap without the slightest hesitation. With the incessantly flickering black streak in hand, he had actually entered the rainbow light.


    ¡°No! This is far from good!¡± Song Meng immediately cried out in panic.


    Although the other idle Senior Martial Brother didn¡¯t speak, he appeared far from okay, with an expression filled with worry.


    ¡°There is no need to be alarmed. That rainbow light is only the first layer of defense; this great formation isn¡¯t so easily broken!¡± Having heard Han Li¡¯s indifferent voice, the pair calmed down and faintly smiled.


    Still, they were both greatly astonished that this Junior Martial Brother Han had enough leftover concentration, while activating his artifact seal, to pay attention to their conversation. How truly amazing!


    The Emperor of Yue had immediately charged over thirty meters into the barrier of rainbow light and had clearly seen the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators beneath him. He was able to vividly see Han Li and two others activating their artifact seals.


    He smiled sinisterly and flashed over ten meters, appearing over where Han Li sat. With a light wave of his Black Blood Saber, a black saber streak over thirty meters long chopped down.

 Chapter 329

    Exterminating the Enemy


    When Song Meng and company saw the Emperor of Yue attack the cross-legged Han Li, their hearts grew shocked. Although they were aware of their inability to affect the saber¡¯s attack, Song Meng and company still raised their arms in defiance. In hopes of slowing down the attack, they unleashed a torrent of fireballs and threw eight talismans which transformed into huge stones.


    Unfortunately, their attacks were of no effect; with a light swing, they were easily swept away by the saber¡¯s huge radiance and had completely vanished without a trace.


    The saber streak changed direction once more and fiercely chopped down with vicious intent.


    As Han Li saw the sharp saber streak about to strike him, his expression didn¡¯t change except for forming a slight sneer.


    When the Emperor of Yue saw that Han Li was so calm, he was startled for a moment. Without thinking much more, he continued chopping down with the saber streak.


    The Emperor struck at thin air, as Han Li had suddenly disappeared.


    He discovered that he had returned to his original position at an unknown time, about a hundred meters above the barrier of rainbow light.


    The Emperor of Yue¡¯s appearance became extremely unsightly, and he struck at the rainbow light while clenching his teeth. As the Emperor split open a hole and charged in, he saw Han Li indifferently gazing at him while still seated in his original position.


    This time, the Emperor of Yue didn¡¯t impulsively charge down. Instead, his entire body trembled, shooting out a huge beam of bloody light with astonishing momentum. He immediately followed this up with a black saber streak.


    Since the Emperor of Yue had prepared himself, he was able to clearly observe what followed.


    When the bloody light was about three meters away from Han Li¡¯s head, it disappeared without a trace as if it had been swallowed by something. At that same moment, he felt his devilish light suddenly return to its original location above him.


    The Emperor of Yue was astonished. Naturally, his following strike wasn¡¯t effective in the slightest. Once again, he was outside and high above the rainbow light.


    The Emperor¡¯s face turned pale, revealing panic for the first time.


    He no longer charged downward and instead continuously waved the demonic Black Blood Saber. Endless streaks of crescent saber light flew in every direction in an attempt to break through the formation.


    Not long after the saber streaks flew off, a flash of white light caused the attacks to shoot back towards their original location. He was flustered for a moment before furiously continuing his incisive attacks.


    If the Emperor of Yue had been able to escape formation, he would have believed it contained a mere illusion technique and wouldn¡¯t have felt so anxious. If this were the case, he could easily break through this minor formation by relying on his devilish arts. But now that he was being teleported and his formidable attacks were being bounced back, he felt his heart plummet!


    Only great formation spells known as the ¡°Great Unbreakable Formations¡± would have this type of restriction.


    Already perturbed by this abysmal turn of events, the Emperor of Yue felt a powerful surge of Spiritual Qi from the rainbow light barrier below him, causing his heart to tremble. He tightened his grip on the black saber and his bloody light hastily revolved around him, enveloping him in an impenetrable, blood-red whirlwind.


    Another two equivalently powerful spiritual pressures surged from within the rainbow light. Soon after, the rainbow light hummed for a moment and opened a three meter wide passage.


    A dense cloud of small azure rods swarmed through the passage and rushed toward the Emperor of Yue in a grand torrent. These rods were from the azure rod artifact seal Han Li had just activated.


    Closely following the cloud of rods, a small blazing sword and a yellow crystal ball flew out.


    After the two exited the passage, they underwent a strange transformation. The small red sword grew incredibly large, and the crystal ball emitted a blinding yellow light.


    Under Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s and Zhong Weiniang¡¯s control, the two artifact seals silently split into different directions, attempting to flank the Emperor.


    As he watched these events unfold, the Emperor¡¯s face grew ashen. He madly flourished the Black Blood Saber in his hand and shot out eight huge saber streaks from within the whirlwind. With a sharp crackle of explosions, a majority of the small rods smashed into pieces upon meeting the attack.


    Han Li¡¯s face turned slightly white. Because his mind was connected to the rods created by the artifact seal, he had suffered damage from the strikes.


    This blood saber was powerful beyond expectation. But fortunately for Han Li, he didn¡¯t have to forcefully defend against its blows.


    As for the Emperor of Yue, he was currently making his last stand.


    Even with the obstruction of the saber streaks,  the small red sword, the yellow crystal ball, and the remaining swarm of azure rods were able to seize an opportunity to charge into the bloody wind.


    A storm of sharp whistles immediately rose from within the whirlwind as countless bursts of azure, red and yellow radiance surged against the black streak in confrontation. It was clear that the struggle within was incomparably intense!


    Suddenly, an abrupt yell of fury burst forth, accompanied by the sound of an explosion. The black, red, and yellow streaks of light all violently flashed for a moment before completely disappearing from the blood-red whirlwind. At that same moment, the complexions of Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang paled and their eyes became spiritless.


    ¡°Seventh Junior Martial Sister, are you alright?¡± When Song Meng saw this, he hastily asked with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing; his blood saber is just truly demonic. It was actually able to take down my and Zhong Weiniang¡¯s artifact seals in mutual destruction. Now we will have to see whether or not Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s artifact seal will be able to kill him.¡± Chen Qiaoqian softly said. She took out two blue medicine pills, swallowing one and handing the other to Zhong Weiniang.


    ¡°Your artifact seals were destroyed?¡± When the other Yellow Maple Valley Cultivators heard this, their expressions became astonished. In their minds, only magic treasures should be able to contest with artifact seals.


    ¡°Impressive! I suspect our enemy¡¯s demonic saber is actually a ruined fragment of some kind of magic treasure.¡± After Zhong Weiniang swallowed the pill, her face became flushed and her lips reddened.


    ¡°The ruined fragment of a magic treasure? How is that possible?¡± Chen Qiaoqing asked with astonishment.


    A series of earth trembling booms suddenly rang out from above them, causing them to hastily look up in surprise.


    Separated by a thin layer of rainbow light, a great battle consisting of dazzling, chaotic bursts of azure and blood-red light was occurring above them.


    After a short moment, the bloody light greatly lessened and was thoroughly overwhelmed by the azure light.


    Afterwards, all traces of light had gradually disappeared, revealing the Emperor of Yue standing upright.


    His face had a vacant expression and his lips were trembling much like a piece of porcelain about to collapse. The Emperor fell straight from the sky without resistance, and softly landed on the rainbow light above them; his body nothing more than a pile of crushed flesh.


    Having seen this, all of Han Li¡¯s fellow sect members were rapt with joy. Song Meng even went over to Han Li and excitedly yelled, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han! You¡¯ve killed that monster! I knew you could do it!¡±


    ¡°I released the entirety of my artifact seal¡¯s strength in a single instance to break through his bloody light. Otherwise, it might¡¯ve taken quite a while.¡± Han Li faintly smiled and spoke with a content tone.


    Being able to draw out such a great amount of an artifact seal¡¯s might in a single instance wasn¡¯t something that everyone could do. Only after using and seeing so many distinct artifact talismans did Han Li receive the experience to do this.


    Although such an incisive method to take down the enemy greatly decreased the number of uses for an artifact seal, its power would explosively increase. Such a method proved extremely effective against powerful enemies!


    Han Li had just comprehended this method a few days ago and was able to use this technique when it was least expected. As a result, he was able to deal the finishing blow to his heavily injured enemy.


    Naturally, this artifact seal was fully consumed in the process and turned to ash.


    At this moment, those ¡°Fire Elements Blood Cores¡± were at the forefront of his mind. After saying a few words to Song Meng, he released two puppet beasts without any hesitation and had them directly head over to the Emperor of Yue¡¯s corpse.


    When the others saw this, they didn¡¯t mind in the least. After all, the death of this enemy was almost entirely due to Han Li; naturally, no one would fight Han Li over the spoils.


    Zhong Weiniang unexpectedly appeared somewhat pleased after seeing her sweetheart avenged and repeatedly expressed her thanks to Han Li.


    She also said that when the fallen hear of this in the underworld, they would certainly be grateful that Han Li had avenged them!


    Those words caused Han Li, who had come here with another objective in mind, to feel a bit embarrassed.


    He hastily changed the subject and suggested that the others hurriedly search other areas of the Imperial Palace for any Black School Fiend Disciples that remained hidden. He also said that he had to stay behind and attend to a few matters, such as withdrawing the great formation.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, how could the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators not understand what he had meant? He was clearly giving them the opportunity to loot the remains of the Black Fiend School¡¯s nest.


    Song Meng beamed with happiness while the others found it somewhat embarrassing. Han Li then said, ¡°Let¡¯s rendezvous after I finish putting everything in order. As for the Black Fiend School Master, he should have enough high quality items on his body to satisfy me!¡±


    The others felt this was reasonable and did not further refuse. After all, everyone had suffered quite a bit from today¡¯s great battle.


    Thus, after Han Li withdrew the great formation, the others flew away on their magic tools.


    Only when the others could no longer be seen did Han Li feel reassured enough to wave his two puppet beasts over. They flew back toward Han Li with the results of their search.

 Chapter 330

    Fiend Core


    When Han Li saw that the ¡°Five Element Blood Cores¡± were among the Emperor¡¯s items, he was jubilant.


    He immediately took them from the puppet beast¡¯s mouth and closely examined them.


    From the great spiritual power contained in the cores, Han Li  verified that their medicinal properties were genuine. Relieved, Han Li took out an exquisite jade box from his storage pouch and carefully placed the five Blood Cores inside.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know the specific effects of the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± mentioned by the young prince Xin. But from how urgently the Emperor of Yue had collected these items, their usefulness toward Core Formation should most likely be true.


    Han Li then shifted his attention to the other items: a pitch-black alms bowl, an awl with an inch-long, blood-red spike, and a jade slip emitting a light-grey Qi.


    Upon seeing these items, Han Li felt somewhat fearful of them.


    These kinds of magic tools were commonly used by devilish and evil cultivators. It was likely that such items would have restrictions or curses placed on them, so he wasn¡¯t in any hurry to fiddle with them. Instead, he took in a deep breath and covered his hands in a layer of faint azure light.


    With this protection, Han Li was able to pick up the jade slip with his heart at ease, and carefully examine it.


    Apart from releasing a strange aura, the jade slip didn¡¯t have any sort of obvious restrictions. Han Li let out a sigh of relief and slowly submerged his spiritual sense into the slip.


    As his spiritual sense entered the jade slip, Han Li stood motionless. However, his expression underwent strange changes. First, he appeared pleasantly surprised, then dismayed and finally, extremely cautious with a slight trace of fear.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and found himself in a daze.


    The jade slip¡¯s contents went far beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    It contained information on all of the Black Fiend School¡¯s cultivation arts such as the young prince¡¯s ¡°Black Fiend Asura Art¡±, the four Blood Servant¡¯s ¡°Fiend Demon Art¡±, the Emperor of Yue¡¯s ¡°Divine Blood Light¡± and so on.


    Han Li was shocked to discover that all of these cultivation arts mentioned a book called the ¡°Profound Yin Scriptures¡±; it seemed to be the origin of all these arts. This greatly piqued Han Li¡¯s curiosity.


    But as Han Li hurriedly scoured the jade slip, he was unable to find anything related to the whereabouts of the scripture.


    With no other choice, Han Li could only bury his desire to find the scripture in his heart and focus his attention to some of the strange secret techniques.


    A few of these greatly pleased Han Li. Not only did they resolve some of his long held doubts, but they also mentioned the true use of the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡±.


    Han Li calmed himself and carefully examined the passage.


    It turned out that the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± were formed within the bodies of cultivators who practiced the ¡°Fiend Demon Art¡±, much like how a demonic beast condense a core within their body. It was the most important aspect of the ¡°Fiend Demon Art¡±.


    The reason as to why they were able to turn into fiend demons and didn¡¯t need to use Foundation Establishment Pills to enter Foundation Establishment was because of the formation of this core.


    Although this ¡°Fiend Demon Art¡± didn¡¯t require the use of blood sacrifices, it still greatly increased the speed of cultivation. However, Foundation Establishment was the highest layer this cultivation art could achieve; there would be no hope of reaching Core Formation.


    In fact, the rest of these cultivation techniques were more or less the same and held the fatal flaw of being incapable of reaching Core Formation.


    Of course, their speed of cultivation left others astonished through the additional assistance of blood sacrifices.


    It seems these ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± were supposed to be a solution to the defects of these kinds of cultivation arts.


    The jade slip also mentioned a secret technique called the ¡°Fiend Core Technique¡±.


    According to what was stated by the secret technique, even if one were a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with poor aptitude, so long as they consumed the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± in accordance with the technique, there was a one-third chance of forming a ¡°Fiend Core¡±. This ¡°False Gold Core¡± would be similar to a genuine Core Formation cultivator¡¯s gold core.


    With the successful formation of a Fiend Core, while one¡¯s strength would be inferior to a genuine Core Formation cultivator, the difference wouldn¡¯t be that great. In addition, it would have the wondrous effect of extending one¡¯s lifespan similar to genuine Core Formation.


    When Han Li read this, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. A one-third chance of forming a core? The ¡°Five Elements Blood Core¡± was truly heaven-defying!


    He immediately felt an urge to set everything else aside and consume the Five Elements Blood Cores!


    However, a flaw later mentioned in the description of the secret technique had left Han Li astonished.


    Since the ¡°Fiend Core¡± was an artificial Golden Core, there was no possibility of further improvement. This implied that for the rest of one¡¯s lifetime, there would be no way to further one¡¯s cultivation and progress past early Core Formation Stage.


    If it were only this, Han Li still wouldn¡¯t allow such an opportunity to pass him by.


    This was because the method the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡± used to form a core was truly unpredictable and unreliable. Even if he were able to scatter his cultivation three times, Han Li wasn¡¯t confident it would work.


    After all, this cultivation method was something created from the mere conjectures of the founder of the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡±! No one had ever successfully cultivated it before.


    On the other hand, from the tone of this text, the ¡°Fiend Core Technique¡± was certain to have previously been used.


    A one-third possibility of Core Formation was extremely enticing to Han Li!


    As for the inability to reach Nascent Soul Stage after forming a Fiend core, this matter was too far removed from Han Li¡¯s current situation for him to consider.


    ¡°Nascent Soul Stage¡± was still something Han Li could only dream about.


    At the moment, being able to achieve Core Formation was his highest objective. As for whether or not he could extravagantly hope to condense a Nascent Soul, he would only think about it after he reached Core Formation.


    But the following details of the ¡°Fiend Core Technique¡± left Han Li dumbstruck.


    It said that after the ¡°Fiend Core¡± was formed in one¡¯s body, Fiend Demon Qi would be continuously released for a long period, and it would be capable of gradually eroding a cultivator¡¯s mind.


    Although the erosion wouldn¡¯t leave one completely without mind or memories, decreased mental acuity along with gradually reduced intellect were unavoidable.


    This caused Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble without end.


    What Han Li was most confident of was his mind and quick-wittedness. These were the main reasons that he had been able to remain so free and unfettered in the cultivation world until now.


    Thus, when he read that passage, Han Li had only a moment of internal struggle before completely severing any intentions of using the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡±.


    After reading about the drawback, Han Li was extremely vexed. He had done so much to acquire the ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡±, but it proved to be of absolutely no use to him.


    After a moment of further consideration, Han Li felt that something was amiss.


    If the drawback was so severe, then why would the Emperor of Yue specially cultivate these cores? That cunning old fox certainly wasn¡¯t going to directly consume it.


    With that thought, Han Li looked through the secret techniques once more and his attention was caught by a very interesting secret technique ¡ª ¡°External Reincarnation¡±.


    This was a renowned top grade secret technique of the Devilish Dao; Han Li had heard about it long ago.


    Although there were many techniques called ¡°Reincarnation¡± techniques, the specific cultivation method and effectiveness of these techniques were exceedingly strange and varied. Regardless of the ¡°reincarnation¡± technique, to a Devil Dao cultivator, they were all as precious as their own lives. They were all fundamentally the greatest secrets of each sect.


    The Seven Sects of Yue had previously attempted to collect all the cultivation arts related to reincarnation but ultimately ended up empty-handed!


    Han Li quickly read through this technique several times and grew rapt with joy. He had found a use for these ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡± after all.


    If he had guessed correctly, the Emperor of Yue must have had the same plan in mind. Thus, he had painstakingly cultivated those blood servants in order to condense those ¡°Five Elements Blood Cores¡±.


    As for the blue-robed man, the self-proclaimed Black Fiend School Master who had died from the Heavenly Lightning Seed, that was an incarnation he had refined.


    Only that would explain why the blue-robed man was completely willing to allow his cultivation to be absorbed without the slightest resistance.


    The distracting thoughts that Han Li had pushed to the back of his mind resurfaced as he read through the secret technique.


    As for secret techniques such as the ¡°Cultivation Essence Pill¡± and methods of blood sacrifice, since Han Li didn¡¯t cultivate Devilish Arts, he had little interest in them.


    Only the condensation method of the ¡°Blood Spirit Drill¡± caught Han Li¡¯s eye as he read on. He read through it several times and memorized it.


    After Han Li withdrew his consciousness from the jade slip, he properly digested the information before moving on to the next two items.


    The blood-red awl was the solidified form of the Blood Spirit Drill after leaving the body. It should be quite a useful magic tool.


    As for the pitch-black alms bowl, it must have been the rarely seen magic tool, the ¡°Soul Congregation Bowl¡±. It was specialized in holding the souls of cultivators. Any soul that entered this magic tool would gradually lose its intelligence and become a feral, common soul suitable for refinement or control.


    After only briefly examining this ¡°Soul Congregation Bowl¡±, the dark, cold Qi that the bowl contained caused Han Li to shiver and he hastily deposited it into his storage pouch.The magic tool¡¯s dark, cold Qi gave an impression that countless cultivators¡¯ souls must have been ruined within. The more he made contact with this bowl, the more ill he felt! Han Li clearly understood that without cultivating these kinds of dark arts, he would have no use for this magic tool.


    The more he made contact with this bowl, the more ill he felt!

 Chapter 331

    Orders


    After carefully putting away the items he procured from the Emperor, Han Li looked up toward the rainbow light and quickly flew to a corner of the bamboo forest.


    After a brief moment, Han Li arrived at a huge bamboo stalk with a formation flag stabbed into it and pulled the flag out.


    The rainbow light barrier immediately disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li smiled faintly and flew off to another corner of the forest.


    Soon after, Han Li left the bamboo forest, having retrieved all of the formation flags and disks with exceptional care.


    After experiencing the might of the improved ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡±, Han Li had come to value it far more than before.


    When Han Li calmly walked out of the bamboo forest, something caught his eye: the pulverized corpse of the Emperor of Yue. It seemed that when the rainbow light had disappeared, the body had fallen onto the ground.


    Han Li wrinkled his bow and let out a sigh. He then shot a fist-sized fireball toward the corpse, turning it to ash.


    Han Li would have lamented if the ashes of such a remarkable character had been blown into the wind after death. As such, Han Li patted his storage pouch, and a streak of golden light flew out, blasting a large hole in the ground.


    Han Li then lightly waved his sleeve, sweeping the ashes into the hole with a gentle gust of wind.


    Suddenly, white light flashed. Just as Han Li thought to close the hole, he paused.


    With amazement, Han Li beckoned with his hand, causing an embroidered cloth to fly from the ashes and into his hand.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Han Li took a quick look at it with curiosity.


    This embroidered cloth was slightly yellow and appeared to be ancient. He did not know what it was made from, but it emitted a faint glimmering light. Han Li suspected that the embroidery was actually an indistinct map.


    Han Li¡¯s curiosity was piqued and he hastily examined the map. After looking through it several times, he then lost all interest.


    This was because after careful examination, it was certain to not be any terrain in the State of Yue as it was particularly unfamiliar. The drawing should be of a strange land. Furthermore, the cloth was clearly damaged and incomplete. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was even half of the original map or merely a tiny piece.


    However, since the map only appeared after the Emperor of Yue had turned to ash, it seemed he had used some sort of secret technique to conceal it within his body. Else, his puppet beasts would¡¯ve found it from the start.


    From this, it appeared that the map was extremely important!


    Han Li pondered for a moment before deciding to store the badly damaged map into the jade box along with the Five Elements Blood Cores.


    Now was not the time to unravel this mystery. He had to hurry and find the others.


    After all, with the Emperor of Yue dead, the aftermath would be quite troublesome!


    When Han Li found Chen Qiaoqian and the others in front of the Cold Palace, he was met with some unfortunate news.


    They discovered Wu Xuan¡¯s corpse within the Black Fiend School Master¡¯s private room; he had recently died as a blood sacrifice and had his blood essence absorbed.


    When Han Li heard this, he was startled. But then he smiled bitterly and remained silent.


    Because of this matter with the Black Fiend School, many of his own sect¡¯s Foundation Establishment cultivators had died. When Han Li returned, his master, Li Huayuan, definitely wouldn¡¯t look at him favorably. After all, this matter was brought up because of him!


    After wallowing in the feeling of helplessness, Han Li bluntly passed the responsibility of dealing with the aftermath to Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang. He then found an excuse to return first to the Qin Residence.


    However, Han Li completely had not expected that as soon as he returned, he would meet an entirely unexpected visitor.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Greetings to Martial Uncle Han!¡± A middle-aged man wearing embroidered clothes saluted him.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Ma! Why have you come to find me so late? Has something important happened?¡± Han Li¡¯s eye¡¯s flashed with confusion.


    Han Li, who had just returned from the Forbidden City of Yue, did not expect to find the disciple responsible for contacting the sect from Yuejing to be waiting for him in his courtyard.


    Furthermore, it appeared the disciple had been waiting for quite a long time.


    ¡°Martial Uncle, this one has just received news of an order. All Foundation Establishment disciples must hurry to the Seven Sect¡¯s main barracks at the border. The enemy has delivered a war ultimatum. In two months, the Six Devil Dao Sects will have a battle for supremacy with the Seven Sects of Yue. For this, all hands are to return to the battlefield. In addition, Martial Ancestor Li has sent a message to you!¡± The embroidered-clothed man solemnly said and handed a writ and jade slip over to Han Li.


    When Han Li heard this, he was slightly startled, but he still maintained his calm expression as he took the two items and carefully examined them.


    The writ¡¯s orders were exactly as he had been told. All Foundation Establishment cultivators out on missions are required to assemble at the border camp within a month of receiving the writ and the date of the decisive battle had already been determined. The spiritual signature at the end of the writ was also genuine.


    Having finished reading the writ, Han Li submerged his spiritual sense into the jade slip.


    A hollow image of Li Huayuan appeared within and spoke very plainly. He merely instructed that Han Li no longer needed to protect the Qin Residence and that Han Li along with his other disciples were to return to the border. He had previously received information that the Devil Dao¡¯s plan to infiltrate the State of Yue¡¯s secular world and wreak havoc was canceled for some unknown reason.


    When Han Li heard the few words of Li Huayuan¡¯s hollow image, he was vexed to the point of spitting out blood.


    Han Li strongly suppressed the sullenness in his heart and withdrew his consciousness from the slip.


    After a moment of thought, Han Li looked at the items in his hands and said, ¡°Leave behind the writ and jade slip. I will inform the others about this!¡±


    The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before respectfully replying, ¡°Then, I will have to trouble Senior Uncle!¡±. He then took his leave.


    Han Li didn¡¯t speak any further and watched as the middle-aged man departed. Afterwards, he softly exhaled and slowly returned to his room.


    ¡­¡­


    On the morning of the second day, Han Li and the others sat in the guest hall and discussed their departure from Yuejing.


    ¡°Before I can travel to the border camp and participate in the great battle, I must first pay a visit to my clan. Thus, I will not be able to travel together with you all.¡± Not long after she read the writ, Chen Qiaoqian said this as she lightly bit on her lips.


    ¡°I must deliver Senior Martial Brother Liu¡¯s remains back to his clan.¡± Zhong Weiniang said with a haggard appearance and slightly red eyes.


    Although it wasn¡¯t explicitly said, all the others undoubtedly intended to travel alone as well.


    ¡°I have no plans, so I¡¯ll travel together with Junior Martial Brother Han.¡± Song Meng was quite forthright and patted the shoulder of Han Li beside him.


    ¡°Fourth Senior Martial Brother, I can¡¯t! I also have a few personal matters to attend to.¡± Han Li had previously made plans and declined Song Meng with a slight smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it then!¡± Song Meng appeared very disappointed


    ¡°How about I accompany Junior Martial Brother Song?¡± Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s sole surviving Senior Martial Brother said to Song Meng with a smile.


    Song Meng¡¯s spirits were immediately raised. Now, he would have someone to swap pointers with along the way.


    When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly laugh! He didn¡¯t think that after such a bloody battle, his Fourth Senior Martial Brother would stay completely the same.


    With that, everyone agreed that on the morning of the next day, they would go their separate ways.


    By late afternoon, Han Li had already informed Qin Yan that the danger had come to pass and he would be departing the next day.


    Qing Yan revealed great happiness at the news, but hastily said a few words urging Han Li to stay as a guest. Han Li refused with a faint smile, so Qin Yan could only drop the subject.


    After speaking with Qin Yan, Han Li returned to his residence.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that in an unavoidable garden on the way back, he would encounter Chen Qiaoqian wearing a white skirt with her back to him.


    As she was admiring the flowers, she just happened to be blocking his path.


    Having seen this, Han Li was a bit surprised and found it embarrassing to silently pass by her.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister Chen, what a coincidence!¡± Han Li found a casual encounter preferable to just passing her by.


    However, Chen Qiaoqian suddenly straightened her back and turned around to face Han Li with an appearance as dainty as a flower.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a coincidence! I was waiting for you here!¡± Chen Qiaoqian spoke, slightly opening her almond-shaped lips.


    With a complicated expression on her face, she stared at Han Li with her autumn-colored eyes.


    ¡°Waiting¡­ for me?¡± Han Li looked astonished.


    Although he did not know why, he felt both bitterness and joy in his heart.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiaoqian spoke a few words that left Han Li astonished. ¡°I heard that the White Chrysanthemum Mountains at the outskirts of Yuejing were gorgeous and one of the nearby marvels. Would Junior Martial Brother Han accompany me there to sightsee?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Han Li had originally intended to refuse, but upon seeing the sorrow in her eyes, he had reflexively agreed. Was this the doing of the gods?


    When Chen Qiaoqian heard Han Li agree, her face slightly blushed, revealing a happy expression; it complimented her incomparable beauty.


    ¡°That is great, Junior Martial Brother Han! Let¡¯s go now. If we wait until after the sun sets, we won¡¯t see anything.¡±

 Chapter 332

    A Once Familiar Place


    Immediately after Han Li agreed to accompany Chen Qianqiao, he felt slight regret.


    He had previously came to a clear decision to no longer be tangled with this woman. But now, he had agreed to accompany her for some unknown reason. It seemed he wasn¡¯t as determined as he had thought!


    Han Li inwardly shook his head and replied, ¡°Alright. Then how about Senior Martial Sister ride with me in my Divine Wind Boat. We¡¯ll be able to arrive there much faster!¡±


    With that said, Han Li took out his spotless white Divine Wind Boat and invited Chen Qianqiao to ride with him.


    When Chen Qiaoqian saw this gesture, she smiled sweetly and entered the boat without any objections.


    After a moment of flight, Han Li brought Chen Qiaoqian to the Yuejing¡¯s famed White Chrysanthemum Mountain.


    The mountain was covered with all sorts of chrysanthemums, a majority being white. The scene was truly mesmerizing.


    Contrary to Han Li¡¯s expectations, Chen Qiaoqian didn¡¯t speak to him after arriving on the mountain. They merely walked along the small mountain path minding their own business. Only when they occasionally saw a particularly breathtaking scene would they stop for a moment.


    Han Li did not speak as he followed behind her, dispassionately gazing at her charming body without the slightest shame.


    After two hours, Chen Qiaoqian had climbed to the mountaintop and stood on a small pavilion with Han Li to the side.


    At that moment, no one was on the mountaintop aside from the two; not even a single traveler. As the two were unwilling to speak, it was extremely quiet.


    It was unknown how long this subtle mood continued before Chen Qiaoqian broke it with a few faint words.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, after the great battle is concluded, I fear that I am going to be married off!¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head and reveal an expression of astonishment.


    ¡°The groom is a direct lineage disciple of the great Qin cultivator clan, a disciple of Heavenly Imperial Fortress and a cultivator that has just reached Foundation Establishment! I¡¯ve seen him several times and he seems decent. If nothing unexpected occurs, then he will marry into my Chen Clan and become my Dao Companion.¡± Chen Qiaoqian spoke calmly and turned a blind eye to Han Li¡¯s appearance of amazement.


    After a moment, Han Li¡¯s astonishment gradually waned, and with some hesitation, he politely said, ¡°Then I must congratulate Senior Martial Sister Chen on finding a suitable marriage partner! Junior Martial Brother will certainly prepare a gift for you later¡­.!¡±


    It became clear as Han Li started to speak, that Chen Qiaoqian had no intention of listening to his words; those were not the words she had wanted to hear. She trembled for a moment before releasing a disk shaped flying magic tool and flying off with a cold face.


    After seeing Chen Qiaoqian disappear into the distance, Han Li motionlessly stood in place with a cold expression. After a long while, he let out a long breath and dispiritedly flew off.


    Although Han Li had already made his decision about Chen Qiaoqian, he still felt at a loss when confronted with her interest to marry him.


    This was perhaps a common flaw that all men possessed! Even if they were called cultivators, they had the same emotions as mortals.


    Han Li mocked himself as he flew back to the Qin Residence.


    After returning to the residence, Han Li learned from the others that Chen Qiaoqian had already departed, starting her journey early.


    When Han Li heard this, he bitterly smiled in his heart. It seemed that he had greatly disappointed Chen Qiaoqian, and now, she was preparing her heart to marry someone else.


    Although he was a tad depressed, Han Li wasn¡¯t of the normal sort. With an ordinary expression, he nodded his head and joked around with the others for a while longer.


    Like that, the morning of the second day had arrived and the others left the Qin Residence. Han Li was the last cultivator to remain.


    Before setting off on his journey, he went to secretly pay a visit to Mo Fengwu. After all, they were acquaintances and he wanted to bid her farewell.


    But when he arrived outside her home, Han Li spotted Mo Fengwu through a window, causing him to change his mind.


    This was because Mo Fengwu was accompanying an old woman of about fifty years old that was reading scriptures out loud. She appeared completely at peace.


    After Han Li silently looked on for a moment, he ultimately decided not to disturb her. He turned around and quietly left.


    Toward this particular girl, it may be better if he didn¡¯t meet her!


    ¡®Perhaps living a peaceful life without being reminded of those painful memories is best for her!¡¯ Han Li thought with melancholy.


    Han Li then left Yuejing and first made a trip to Jia Yuan City. Since he had promised to avenge the Mo Estate, he figured that he may as well pay a visit and take a look.


    Although the Devil Dao hadn¡¯t come to stir trouble, he reckoned that Jia Yuan City didn¡¯t currently contain any high level cultivators due to the upcoming great battle. He only had to secretly get rid of the Rainbow Sect¡¯s Sect Master. Even if he angered a few Spirit Beast Mountain disciples, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find out it was him.


    In addition to causing trouble for the Rainbow Sect, he thought he¡¯d take a look to see how Sun Ergou was managing the Fourth Level Gang.


    He had left behind this back up plan several years ago, and now, he wanted to see if it still held any use.


    With that in mind, Han Li rushed toward Jia Yuan City on his Divine Wind Boat.


    The last time he was in Jia Yuan City was over ten years ago. However, many of the memories remained vivid in his mind and left a deep impression on him.


    ¡­¡­


    Five days later, a youth appeared in front of a long established restaurant in Jia Yuan City. This person stood on the side of the street and looked at the restaurant¡¯s sign with squinted eyes.


    The person with the strange expression was Han Li, who had just entered the city. After standing there for a moment, he sighed and calmly walked in.


    He went to the second floor and saw that the table by the window where he had sat at all those years ago happened to be empty.


    Han Li happily walked over to it without the slightest hesitation.


    Just as he sat down, a waiter politely wiped down his table and asked Han Li what he would like to order.


    Han Li faintly smiled and ordered a few delicious appetizers, sending the waiter off to deliver his order. However, he did not come here just to satisfy his desire for delicious food.


    With that in mind, Han Li turned his gaze outside the window.


    The Mo Estate¡¯s huge residence still remained and it still had a burly man standing outside its gates. However, the huge sign on the gate no longer read ¡°Mo Residence¡± but instead read ¡°Li Residence¡± in large, golden words.


    Looking at the ¡°Li Residence¡± sign shining under the sunlight, Han Li unconsciously wrinkled his brow.


    From what he had heard, the Rainbow Sect Master seemed to be surnamed ¡°Li¡±. It seems they now occupied their defeated enemy¡¯s nest.


    Not knowing why, Han Li felt particularly bothered when he saw the sign saying ¡°Li Residence¡±. He found the previous ¡°Mo Residence¡± sign somewhat more pleasing to the eye.


    As Han Li was lost in thought, his dishes were brought by the waiter and simultaneously the sounds of banter were heard on the floor below. Several youths wearing embroidered silk clothes walked up the stairs followed by their burly guards; they appeared to be the young masters of a noble family.


    Among these young masters was a man so thin he might blow away in the wind. He casually swept his gaze over the floor and impolitely beckoned to the waiter.


    The waiter complacently ran over and hastily said with an enchanting smile, ¡°Young Master Xia, do you have any instructions?¡±


    ¡°Call for the shopkeeper. Today, we¡¯re inviting an esteemed guest to dine with us. Have everyone on the third floor leave. We will pay for the damages.¡± This skinny man spoke quite arrogantly.


    The waiter didn¡¯t reveal the slightest bit of dissatisfaction, repeatedly nodding his head, before hurrying off to inform the shopkeeper.


    After a short moment, a forty year old man arrived. Once he saw the thin man, he immediately agreed to his request with a smile. He then brought the waiter to the third floor to apologize to the customers who were already there.


    It was unknown whether this shopkeeper was naturally so quick and efficient or whether this young master had a truly great background.


    Not long after, all of the customers on the third floor had paid their bills and left. Not a single one of them had dared to complain.


    Han Li lazily looked over before he returned his gaze to the bustling streets outside the window.


    The newcomer was only a young master among mortals, an arrogant person only relying on the might of his clan, commonly found at all places. Han Li had absolutely no interest in him.


    At that moment, the youth in charge, Young Master Xia, then nodded with satisfaction and descended to the ground floor.


    Later, the sound of footsteps came up from below. This time, Han Li was startled and couldn¡¯t help but turn his head around and stare.


    This was because among those heavy footsteps, feather-light footsteps could be faintly discerned. Only a Jianghu martial artist who practicedqinggong to a certain stage would be able to display such control.


    This greatly piqued Han Li¡¯s curiosity.

 Chapter 333

    Gang Leader Sun


    A refined and cultured youth was escorted by the young masters to the second floor.


    The thirty-year-old youth had a dashing appearance. From seeing his faint smile, one would have received a greatly favorable impression of him as if they had felt a spring wind. Those near silent footsteps came from him.


    The youth and the young masters were bantering with one another as they swept their gazes across the second floor.


    As Han Li¡¯s common appearance did not catch their attention, they headed up to the third floor. It seemed that this youth was the so called ¡°Esteemed Guest¡±.


    Just as they arrived to the third floor, a stream of servants carrying fine delicacies followed. Afterward the food was delivered, the servants and guards descended. It seems they didn¡¯t want others to hear their conversation.


    Having seen this, Han Li¡¯s interest was piqued, and he secretly extended his spiritual sense upstairs, allowing him to clearly hear their conversation.


    ¡°Senior Brother Li, it is fortunate that you¡¯ve come or else we would¡¯ve suffered a terrible fate! You¡¯ve given us face by agreeing to come here. Come, let us drink a cup in honor of Brother Li!¡± The thin youth¡¯s voice was filled with appreciation.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Those outsiders dared to seize someone underneath the eyes of our Rainbow Sect. Thus, they were violating our sect¡¯s laws and I only did what should¡¯ve been done.¡± The dashing youth courteously said; he appeared quite modest and friendly.


    Hearing the words ¡°Rainbow Sect¡± and ¡°Senior Brother Li¡±, Han Li revealed slight amazement.


    ¡®Could there be such a coincidence? I happened to run across someone related to the Rainbow Sect already!¡¯


    Han Li was stunned.


    ¡°Regardless of how it is said, we would¡¯ve encountered great danger were it not for you. In the future, if Senior Brother Li requires any assistance, we will do our best.¡± A different young master said this as he patted his chest.


    ¡°Many thanks for these Brothers¡¯ kind intentions! However, the person who attempted to kidnap you all must be a renowned character in Jianghu. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have dared to act in a place like Jia Yuan City.¡± The dashing youth changed the subject.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Those kidnappers were quite ferocious. I had been sleeping in my bed but when I opened my eyes, I was already at another place. At that moment, I was truly scared. Fortunately, our elders managed to find your esteemed father. Otherwise, we would have suffered greatly!¡± The thin youth said, horrified of what might have happened.


    ¡°In fact, Sir Wang and the others actually didn¡¯t find¡­¡± The youth surnamed Li and the others continued to chat.


    From the brief words Han Li heard from their conversation, Han Li was able to piece together a general idea of what happened.


    These prestigious young masters had been kidnapped by a Jianghu expert. As such, their elders anxiously sought the Rainbow Sect for help. This youth should be the Rainbow Sect Master¡¯s son, who had quickly come to their rescue. Now, a banquet was being held to thank this young sect master!


    As Han Li appeared to be absent-mindedly looking out the window, he was sifting through the young masters¡¯ flattery of the young sect master for any useful information regarding the Rainbow Sect Master.


    Not long after, the thin youth paid some words of respect which caused Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble with excitement.


    ¡°Senior Brother Li, I heard that Sect Master Li¡¯s sixtieth birthday is coming soon. He is still hearty and vigorous despite his years and doesn¡¯t appear old at all! Your estate should currently be making preparations in celebration of this event. At that time, we must drink a cup with him in his honor!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Father¡¯s cultivation is quite deep, incomparable to that of ordinary people. If you all wish to come, then I will naturally welcome you. Furthermore, my father has returned from his sect branch inspections and is personally presiding over the preparations. That elderly man feels quite strongly about this birthday celebration.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li recalled his spiritual awareness. Since he found out that the Rainbow Sect Master was in the Li Estate, he didn¡¯t need to know anything else. Han Li then set down his cup of wine and put a few pieces of silver on the table, saying with a deep voice, ¡°Waiter, I¡¯ve paid the bill. Keep the change!¡±


    With that said, he nimbly descended.


    The waiter opened his eyes wide and repeatedly expressed his thanks.


    After leaving the restaurant, Han Li gazed in the direction of the ¡°Li Estate¡± with a trace of a sneer. The Rainbow Sect Master wasn¡¯t leaving anytime soon.


    Once night fell, he would pay a visit to the Li Estate. If there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby, he would be able to easily take the life of the Rainbow Sect Master and fulfill his promise.


    But since it was still day and he was short on time, he thought that he should take advantage of this opportunity to handle his other affairs.


    With that in mind, Han Li disappeared into the bustling crowd.


    ¡­¡­


    The ¡°Fourth Level Gang¡± held an impressive reputation within Jia Yuan City. Although they were incomparable to the largest powers, they were among the strongest of the mid level gangs. Their leader, ¡°Sun Ergou¡±1 , rose to prominence in a single feat.


    Naturally, as Sun Ergou¡¯s status was now completely different, no one would dare to address him by name. If anyone saw him now, they would address him as ¡°Gang Leader Sun¡±.


    The Fourth Level Gang was no longer located where it had previously been, over ten years ago. It had relocated to a more prosperous street inside the city.


    As for the gang members, they were no longer impoverished luggage carriers from the docks. Instead of fiercely working to make a living, they created great profits from their territory and had even built a restaurant, pawn shop and other such businesses.


    As a result, the Fourth Level Gang had become increasingly wealthy and Gang Leader Sun¡¯s quality of life had improved in kind.


    As a matter of fact, Sun Ergou had married his ninth young concubine, a famous courtesan in Jia Yuan City, during the last month.


    This young concubine truly knew how to seduce. After this middle-aged Sun Ergou married her, he had lingered in her room every day and had forgotten to leave. As for his other concubines, they had long been placed in the back of his head.


    When it was still day, Gang Leader Sun would joyfully head over to her courtyard.


    With one thought of that coquettish young beauty, he felt a heat in his heart that couldn¡¯t be quelled!


    However, when Sun Ergou entered the fragrant room this day, he was immediately stunned!


    As he entered, he unexpectedly saw a young man sitting in front of him. Once this man saw Gang Leader Sun Enter, he lazily said, ¡°Sun Ergou, I hadn¡¯t thought that you held such skill! The management of the Fourth Level Gang is quite good. It seems I had chosen the right person!¡±


    Not only did this youth address him by his full name, he also spoke to him in a superior tone. This youth was Han Li who had secretly infiltrated into the Fourth Level Gang¡¯s headquarters.


    When Sun Ergou saw Han Li, he immediately recognized him as the person who had originally helped him that year. After all, Han Li looked exactly the same as he did ten years ago due to the fact that he had taken the ¡°Face Setting Pill¡±.


    This shocked Sun Ergou and caused a storm of perilous uncertainty to rage in his heart.


    After a short moment of his expressions changing incessantly, Sun Ergou revealed a respectful appearance as he hastily stepped forward and saluted Han Li, ¡°So it turns out that Young Master had arrived! Sun Ergou pays his respects to Young Master!¡±


    This was quite difficult for the current Gang Leader Sun. He hadn¡¯t spoken with a humble attitude for many years but was unexpectedly still able to do so quite skillfully.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows and revealed surprise upon seeing Sun Ergou¡¯s bearing. Quickly after, he faintly smiled and said with slight curiosity, ¡°It¡¯s alright! You¡¯re a gang leader now. There is no need to be so courteous. My current visit is to see how you¡¯ve grown. I¡¯ll be leaving soon anyways.¡±


    Sun Ergou immediately grew at ease. He had feared that he would have to hand over his authority! As he had held a high position for so many years, he knew a bit about cultivators and that mortals like him couldn¡¯t hope to resist such characters.


    Even knowing this, Sun Ergou was also aware that this person was extremely elusive. He had originally believed that Han Li had given him such great benefits because he would have to act as Han Li¡¯s puppet. But he hadn¡¯t thought that Han Li would release his grasp and conceal himself for so many years. As such, Sun Ergou got a taste of what it was like to be above others!


    He hadn¡¯t expected that this young master would suddenly reveal himself; he had believed that Han Li had completely forgotten about him.


    As he didn¡¯t know Han Li¡¯s objective, he grew truly apprehensive!


    ¡°Yi!¡± Han Li looked at Sun Ergou with surprise.


    ¡°Come over here and let me see your wrist!¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and gave an indisputable command.


    Sun Ergou was startled. After hesitating for a moment, he obediently walked over and extended his wrist.


    Han Li impolitely grabbed his wrist and poured a bit of Spiritual Qi into his body, quickly circulating it through his meridians.


    After a short moment, Han Li released Sun Ergou¡¯s wrist with an indifferent expression and said a few words that left Sun Ergou pale from fright.


    ¡°A hidden poison has started to take effect in your body. At most, you have a month to live.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was ice-cold and emotionless.

 Chapter 334

    A Strange Change


    ¡°Poisoned? That¡¯s impossible. I am quite careful and have a specialist responsible for testing my food and drink!¡± After a moment of terror, Sun Ergou revealed an appearance of unease.


    Hearing this, Han Li was too lazy to explain any further. With a wave of his hand, a streak of azure light flashed and flew into Sun Ergou¡¯s body.


    ¡°Young Master! This is¡­ wh-¡­ what¡¯d you¡­¡± Sun Ergou hadn¡¯t dared to dodge, but was still alarmed.


    ¡°This is True Spirit Technique, it¡¯s capable of visualizing the poison within your body. Go ahead and take a look in a mirror!¡± Han Li sat on a chair and played it down.


    When Sun Ergou heard this, his heart dropped. Then he hastily ran to the corner of the room with a dressing table.


    He hastily scoured the dressing table for a small mirror and then looked into the mirror with great caution. What he saw left him dumbfounded. He saw that his entire face was covered in blackish-purple Qi. From a single glance, he could tell he was severely poisoned.


    ¡°Young Master, please save my life! This one has remained faithful to Young Master this entire time and possesses no trace of disloyalty.¡± Sun Ergou rushed over to Han Li with an expression of fear and knelt while imploring Han Li to save him.


    At this moment, he was almost entirely convinced!


    As Han Li was a cultivator, it was impossible he would waste so much effort to deceive someone like Sun Ergou. If Han Li had truly meant him harm, he could¡¯ve killed him with a flick of a finger.


    After having seen this display of loyalty, Han Li faintly smiled and calmly said, ¡°Be at ease. Although the poison is quite hidden, it¡¯s toxicity is weak. It won¡¯t be able to kill you in a few days. There is no need to be so fussed over nothing!¡±


    Although Sun Ergou had calmed down a bit, he continued his pitiful pleas, ¡°Young Master possesses great power. Please give this one a method to dissolve the poison so that I, Sun Ergou, may continue to serve you faithfully! If Young Master does not trust me then I can swear an oath under poison. This one¡­¡± Although Sun Ergou was now a gang leader, we was still very much afraid of death. Without even waiting for Han Li to speak, he took the initiative to swear his own oaths ¡ª much to Han Li¡¯s amusement.


    ¡®Serve me faithfully? It seems more like he has been receiving benefits without giving anything in return!¡¯ Han Li thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.


    ¡°This is a detoxification pill. After you take this, you¡¯ll be fine but just make sure that your poisoning does not continue.¡± Han Li shook his head before tossing a blue medicine pill to Sun Ergou.


    ¡°Many thanks! Many thanks, Young Master!¡± Sun Ergou received the pill with great joy and repeatedly expressed his thanks. He then quickly climbed up from the floor and properly put away the pill.


    ¡°This poison doesn¡¯t affect one so deeply after only one or two exposures. It should have taken at least several months for it to get to this point! I believe that you should be able to find the poisoner. Surely you can do that at least; isn¡¯t that right, my dear Gang Leader Sun?¡± Han Li lightly chuckled and said half-jokingly.


    ¡°Young Master teases! However, as for who poisoned me, I do have a few suspects in mind.¡± Sun Ergou rubbed the back of his head with a smile.


    As his life had been just saved by Han Li, he was naturally now even more respectful towards him.


    ¡°En! As a cultivator, I can¡¯t be too involved in the affairs of you mortals. I¡¯ll leave it to you! The reason why I came here was because I wanted to see Crooked Soul1 and take him away. Now that I have quite a bit of cultivation, I shouldn¡¯t have any problem bringing him along. Do you have any complaints about this?¡± Han Li¡¯s smiled disappeared as he said this with a deep voice.


    ¡°Young Master wishes to take Sir Crooked Soul away? But Young Master, Sir Crooked Soul is no longer in the Fourth Level Gang.¡± When Sun Ergou heard Han Li¡¯s tone, he incessantly complained in his heart, but he still had to summon the courage to reply.


    ¡°What do you mean? You lost him?¡± Han Li¡¯s face darkened and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees, causing Sun Ergou tremble in fright.


    ¡°Young Master, please calm down! It wasn¡¯t that I had lost him, but that Sir Crooked Soul had run off on his own. Although he is not in the city, he is not too far away, at a nearby mountain forest. I had sent a few people to follow after Sir Crooked Soul!¡± Sun Ergou explained at great speed, fearing that Han Li would act on his anger.


    ¡°He ran off on his own? What going on? Explain it clearly. If it isn¡¯t as you say, then don¡¯t blame me for coming back to punish you!¡± Although slight astonishment had flashed across Han Li¡¯s face,  he still managed to respond with a relaxed expression.


    It was good enough that Sun Ergou knew about Crooked Soul¡¯s whereabouts. But since Crooked Soul was only a walking corpse, Han Li found it hard to believe that he could have run away on his own.


    Seeing that Han Li wasn¡¯t angry, Sun Ergou felt relieved. Not daring to neglect him, he hastily explained, ¡°Ever since Young Master had handed over Sir Crooked Soul to me, I have followed Young Master¡¯s instructions to only use him as a last resort and to not allow others to see him.


    ¡°But an anomaly occurred six years ago with Sir Crooked Soul. That period of time was a crucial moment of expansion for my gang and we were against a mid level gang with a great amount of experts. I had Sir Crooked Soul help me deal with them. During that battle, Crooked Soul had displayed great might and won our gang a decisive victory. But a few days after the battle had concluded, a subordinate I tasked with watching Crooked Soul suddenly came and reported that he had actually started talking. I was extremely astonished and rushed over with the ¡®Soul Guiding Bell¡¯. Then¡­¡±


    Sun Ergou stopped there and bitterly smiled.


    ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t tell me that Crooked Soul attacked you while still in possession of the Soul Guiding Bell?¡±


    Having heard that Crooked Soul could speak, he was greatly astonished. But having seen that Sun Ergou had deliberately kept him in suspense, Han Li unhappily rebuked him.


    Frightened, Sun Ergou continued, ¡°He didn¡¯t attack me. But before I entered his room, Sir Crooked Soul seemed to know that I had arrived; he suddenly broke the wall and ran away as if he was flying. I was completely unable to chase after him!¡± As Sun Ergou said this, he revealed an expression of helplessness.


    ¡°He ran away?!¡± With raised eyebrows, Han Li¡¯s mind seemed to have wandered off into thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Young Master! Although Sir Crooked Soul has done this for several years, for some reason, he is still lingering at the boundary of the forest. Although I¡¯ve tried several times to find Crooked Soul and bring him back with the aid of my gang¡¯s experts, he was always unwilling to see me. Whenever I approached him, he would immediately flee. I had a few experts block his path, but nobody proved to be Sir Crooked Soul¡¯s opponent. Two of my gang¡¯s experts have even died.¡± Sun Ergou said, perplexed.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a great mystery! It¡¯s likely because of the Soul Guiding Compass that you carry! Although I don¡¯t know why control over Crooked Soul was lost, it seems the restrictions I originally put on him were still effective.¡± Han Li coldly laughed before saying this with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°So it was like that!¡± Sun Ergou had appeared to be convinced.


    It seemed that he had previously come to that conclusion as well.


    ¡°Tell me about Crooked Soul¡¯s whereabouts. I will deal with him later. As it seems that this matter isn¡¯t your doing, I¡¯ll have to personally go to see what had happened. Since you no longer have a use for the Soul Guiding Bell, give it to me.¡± After a moment of thought, Han Li said this calmly.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master. My subordinates reported of Sir Crooked Soul¡¯s whereabouts two days ago. He is currently in the west side of¡­¡± Sun Ergou respectfully gave directions to a place about a hundred kilometers outside of Jiayuan City. He then carefully took out the ¡°Soul Guiding Bell¡± magic tool and offered it to Han Li with both hands.


    Han Li nodded his head and examined the magic tool for a moment. He then placed it in his storage pouch, having found that it was in good condition.


    ¡°In addition to Crooked Soul, I came here because I also had a few questions to ask you about the Rainbow Sect. You must answer me honestly!¡± Han Li¡¯s face suddenly grew stiff; his voice once more becoming cold.


    Han Li¡¯s change in tone had clearly stunned Gang Leader Sun. After a short pause, he repeatedly nodded his head like a baby chick pecking grain.


    ¡°What kind of person is the current Rainbow Sect Master? What family does he have? Have any outsiders recently appeared in the Li Estate and have any of them remained?¡± Han Li fired these questions off with a stiff expression.


    Sun Ergou felt his heart tremble, but he answered without the slightest hesitation, ¡°As for the Rainbow Sect Master, this one truly doesn¡¯t understand what sort of person he is. This one had only previously seen him at a distance and I only understand that his martial arts are unfathomable. With regards to family, he has two sons and a daughter; all of whom are married. I¡¯ve heard that his eldest son is presiding over at the Rainbow Sect¡¯s previous headquarters. His second son has followed the Rainbow Sect Master to the Li Estate and is presiding over that. I¡¯ve also heard¡­¡±


    Sun Ergou gave a very comprehensive explanation. It was clear that he regularly put forth great effort into gathering intelligence on the Rainbow Sect.


    As Han Li calmly listened, he unconsciously placed his hand on the table and started to tap; it appeared he was digesting the information.


    When Sun Ergou saw Han Li stay silent for a moment, his heart stirred and he carefully asked, ¡°Could it be because of that matter with the Mo Estate several years ago that you wish to act against the Rainbow Sect?¡±


    Once Han Li heard this, his brow wrinkled as his face became gloomy.


    ¡°You speak too much! Don¡¯t randomly ask about matters you have no right to know! Even more so, do not guess. You wouldn¡¯t want to tragically become one of those poor souls who have lost their memories, right?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s ice-cold voice caused Sun Ergou¡¯s expression to drop and he immediately begged for forgiveness.


    Han Li snorted, letting the matter drop. One couldn¡¯t afford to be polite when establishing authority.

 Chapter 335

    Astonishment


    Seeing that Sun Ergou¡¯s face had broken out in a cold sweat, Han Li knew that his limit had been reached and prepared to give a few benefits to him.


    ¡°Enough. In the future, you can continue to act as Gang Leader Sun. If there is nothing that I need you for, then I won¡¯t be coming to find you. However, I must tell you that I do not know when we¡¯ll meet again. As such, you should take this and put it away. In the future, your descendants will be able to recognize me with this item. So long as your descendants are willing to serve me, I will protect their lives, wealth, and prestige.¡±


    As Han Li said this, he took out a sheet of common blank talisman paper. Swoosh . He clearly tore it in two and handed one half to Sun Ergou while putting away the other.


    When Sun Ergou first heard Han Li¡¯s words, he first appeared astonishment. Soon after, he appeared rapt with joy and knelt down in front of Han Li; he sincerely kowtowed, knocking his head three times against the ground. He then raised his head and earnestly said, ¡°Many thanks for Young Master¡¯s great kindness! Young Master, please be at ease. My Sun Clan shall revere Young Master for many generations and will never renege on this agreement. Else, my clan may face extermination and calamity.¡± With that said, Sun Ergou kowtowed, knocking his head against the floor once more before standing up with a respectful appearance.


    Han Li was somewhat startled from seeing this!


    His original intention was to coax Sun Ergou. But he hadn¡¯t thought that with a mere promise,  that he would be rendered grateful to the point of tears.


    But after a moment of thought, Han Li came to a realization.


    In the mortal world, the continuation of one¡¯s bloodline along with their clan¡¯s prosperity were most important! As such, it was natural for Han Li¡¯s guarantee of the prosperity of Sun Ergou¡¯s later generations to be met with sincere servitude.


    After all, Han Li hadn¡¯t given Sun Ergou any unreasonable orders these past years. As such, he felt that having his descendents continue to serve Han Li was best.


    With that figured out, Han Li felt quite happy. Having Sun Ergou handle his affairs sincerely instead of half-heartedly would be of much greater effect.


    ¡°Good. Since you¡¯ve now sincerely paid allegiance to me, I will naturally  leave behind a few good benefits. Take these two pill bottles. This bottle is filled with medicine that is used for the treatment of external wounds. So long as they still draw breath, they will make a full recovery. As for the other bottle, it is the same as the poison detoxification pill I gave you before and will cure all poisons under the heavens. These should help preserve your life!¡±


    With a flip of his hand, two exquisite porcelain bottles appeared in his hand and he handed them over to Sun Ergou with a calm expression.


    Sun Ergou naturally felt grateful beyond words and would later strive his hardest.


    Afterwards, Han Li gave a few warnings to Sun Ergou before having Sun Ergou respectfully send him off, flying away from the headquarters of the Fourth Level Gang.


    ¡®This backup plan still continues to exist, but when will I next have a use for it?¡¯ Han Li silently thought.


    He was standing at the edge of a street and had turned his head to look around. He had just arrived at the Li Estate underneath the pitch-black night.


    In an instant, his figure blurred and he flew toward the sky on a magic tool. Not long after, he was above the Li Estate.


    Taking advantage of the curtain of the night, Han Li effortlessly descended from the sky and made use of several concealment techniques, noiselessly disappearing into the Li Estate.


    With his previous experience of infiltrating Prince Xin¡¯s Mansion, Han Li was able to skillfully restrain powerful ¡°experts¡± with Soul Lock Talismans and use the ¡°Soul Controlling Technique¡± to inquire about the Rainbow Sect Master¡¯s whereabouts.


    The result left Han Li quite happy. The Rainbow Sect Master was not in a heavily guarded location such as the back mansion and was instead located at his second son¡¯s residence. It seemed as if he was discussing a few matters with him.


    After interrogating a servant in the side garden, Han Li turned him into ashe with a fireball without hesitation.


    Since this person had heard his questions and voice, he couldn¡¯t mercifully spare his life.


    Soon after, Han Li slipped past layers of sentries and arrived at the front of a large courtyard.


    What he saw left him surprised. Four white-clothed men were securely guarding the courtyard gate. Their temples were tense and their eyes attentively shot in every direction. They appeared to be extremely skilled martial artists.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. It seemed these were the Rainbow Sect Master¡¯s personal guard. As they were posted outside, it was likely that the Rainbow Sect Master was currently inside.


    Han Li coldly glanced at the four guards and pondered for a moment. In a blur, he suddenly appeared in front of them.


    The four white clothed men were greatly startled and immediately thought to act. However, Han Li¡¯s body grew blurry once more and turned into four afterimages that simultaneously waved their hands toward the four.


    Suddenly, the four guards silently fell to the floor as corpses. Each of the corpses had a glistening ice spike protruding from their hearts and were covered in a layer of white frost.


    Han Li expressionlessly turned their corpses into ash with fireballs and arrogantly pushed open the gates, entering the courtyard.


    On the way there, Han Li had already searched the Li Estate once through with his spiritual sense. He had found no cultivators, setting his heart at ease and kindling his desire to kill.


    It seemed the Rainbow Sect Master would truly die by his hand.


    Han Li had already made up his mind. Once he entered the courtyard, he would just kill everyone.


    If he left behind any witnesses, Spirit Beast Mountain cultivators would investigate? a rather troublesome matter.


    With that thought, he walked into the courtyard filled with the desire to kill. But when he clearly saw the scene there, he stopped in his tracks.


    There was a young woman in the courtyard embracing a three year old girl and singing a lullaby for her. Although this woman had lowered her head and he could not clearly see her face, her gentle, loving voice caused even Han Li to clearly feel the love the woman had for the child.


    Such a scene was far beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations. The desire to kill had unknowingly disappeared from his mind and he now found himself in a difficult dilemma.


    This woman was the Young Sect Master¡¯s wife. However, Sun Ergou hadn¡¯t mentioned that they had a young daughter!


    Because Han Li hadn¡¯t concealed his movements when he entered, the woman knew someone had entered, despite not raising her head.


    Eventually, she stopped singing her enchanting lullaby and unhappily said, ¡°You¡¯re not going to speak? I had you wait outside so you wouldn¡¯t wake up my Yingzhu.¡± With that said, the young woman coldly turned her head.


    She had clearly considered Han Li to be one of those four guards.


    After the young woman and Han Li saw each other¡¯s appearances, they both cried out in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The expressions on young woman¡¯s face continuously changed from clear and dark. Her beautiful face was covered in shock while containing a trace of bewilderment. She appeared as if she had been caught having an affair while in bed with another man; it was quite ridiculous.


    Han Li did not find this funny in the slightest and his expression became extremely unsightly.


    After a long while, Han Li lightly sighed away a breath of his melancholy and coldly said, ¡°Should I address you as Senior Martial Sister Mo? Or would Mistress Li be better? What will it be, Mo Yuzhu1 ?¡±


    This young woman was actually the eldest among the three Mo Sisters. During that year, she had a majority of Jiayuan city¡¯s young master¡¯s head over heels for her, the peerless beauty of her generation that had no mind for others.


    Although she was now dressed as a young married woman, her beauty hadn¡¯t faded in the slightest, still revealing an astonishing charm that would drive men wild.


    Having heard Han Li¡¯s words, Mo Yuzhu¡¯s face became incomparably pale.  She lost the strength in her legs and her body swayed, nearly causing her to fall on her backside along with her child.


    ¡°Yuzhu! Why do I hear an unfamiliar voice! Who are you speaking with?¡±


    The people inside the house seemed to sense that something was amiss outside. The speaker¡¯s voice sounded familiar to Han Li.


    The house door opened, revealing an old man with white hair and a thirty year old youth.


    During the day, Han Li had previously seen the Young Master Li at the ¡°Fragrant Restaurant¡±. As for the old man, his hair was as white as snow and though his face was wrinkled and red, it gave an amiable impression. When he saw Han Li, his face appeared slightly strange.


    ¡°This person is the Rainbow Sect Master?¡±


    Han Li turned his ice-cold gaze to the old man, asking Mo Yuzhu without a trace of politeness.


    However, Mo Yuzhu could not speak. She was tightly embracing her young daughter, and was staring at Han Li with her mouth rigidly shut.


    ¡°Who are you? What did you do to my wife?¡± When the youth saw that an unknown young man was standing in the courtyard, he was stunned. But when he heard him call her Mo Yuzhu, he grew furious and charged forward, wanting to teach Han Li a lesson.


    However, before he had even taken a step forward, the Rainbow Sect Master stopped him and calmly said, ¡°You are grown now but yet you so recklessly want to charge forward! This person was capable of silently charging through our expert guards. He is certain to be no simple character. Do not be spurred into taking action.¡±


    As expected, this old man was quite capable! From the Rainbow Sect Master¡¯s careful gaze, he was able to deduce that Han Li was not a common character.


    If he truly was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Han Li was certain to be very cautious and view him as a formidable opponent. Unfortunately, he was but a mortal with a sharp mind. In terms of absolute power, Han Li wouldn¡¯t even put him into his eyes.

 Chapter 336

    Yingzhu


    ¡°Since Your Esteemed Self is standing here, it seems that you aren¡¯t an unknown figure! May I ask if Sir is Yuzhu¡¯s old friend? If this is true, then your esteemed self cannot be considered an outsider. Please, enter the room and chat with us.¡± The Rainbow Sect Master suddenly asked this with a chuckling smile; he appeared quite polite.


    These words stunned the youth beside him, who revealed a trace of astonishment.


    When Han Li heard this, his expression darkened, and his mouth formed a sneer.


    ¡°Many years ago, I had learned many skills under the tutelage of Mo Juren. This daughter-in-law of yours can be considered my Senior Martial Sister. Naturally, I cannot be considered an outsider. However, before we go and confuse our relationships, how about we first address the extermination of the Mo Estate?¡±  Having seen Mo Yuzhu married off to an enemy clan, he felt gloomy after recovering from his astonishment and intended to act.


    ¡°You¡¯re a survivor of the Mo Estate!¡± The youth cried out with an appearance of complete surprise.


    The Rainbow Sect Master revealed astonishment, but soon after, his face darkened and his eyes grew indistinct. His body suddenly swelled without warning and gave off a grand pressure.


    ¡°Since you are a remnant of the Mo Estate, don¡¯t think about leaving. Your life will remain here!¡± The Rainbow Sect Master loudly shouted, wearing a completely different expression.


    He then made a large step forward with his hair fluttering about. Left behind in the bluestone that he stepped on was a two inch deep impression. It seemed this person¡¯s power was quite shocking.


    When the youth saw this, this wordlessly slipped to the side, planning on coordinating with his father¡¯s movements.


    Han Li expressionlessly looked at the father and son¡¯s movements. Without saying anything further, he wordlessly raised his hand.Puchi. Several fist sized fireballs appeared above his hand, releasing a scorching air.


    The Rainbow Sect Master had froze, halting his advance.


    ¡°Cultivator!¡± He hoarsely said with an expression of complete disbelief.


    The youth at his side was also dumbfounded.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t intend to waste more words. He pointed his finger, intending to kill the two with fireballs.


    But at this very moment, Mo Yuzhu who was originally embracing her young daughter, appeared resolute. In an instant, she appeared in front of Han Li, blocking his attack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it! I forbid you from killing this child¡¯s father. If you kill him, then you must kill me and my daughter as well.¡± She said with a grieved expression.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. With a burst of loud crackles, the fireballs suddenly swelled to the size of bowls and became even more scorching. Although Mo Yuzhu appeared miserable, she still would not move.


    ¡°Cultivator, there must be a misunderstanding. Our Rainbow Sect¡­¡± Seeing that Mo Yuzhu was protecting him, he felt greatly moved and felt fear that Han Li would truly kill her along with his daughter in anger. Thus, he hastily mentioned their great backer.


    Without waiting for him to finish Han Li coldly interrupted, ¡°Shut your mouth! Neither you nor your father are in any position to speak. I know of your backer, Spirit Beast Mountain, but I don¡¯t care in the slightest. If I hear you two speak again, I will exterminate your entire residence.¡±


    The youth¡¯s complexion became flushed and he didn¡¯t dare to do anything else. He couldn¡¯t help but look at his father with burning anxiousness.


    Although the Rainbow Sect Master still appeared calm, his heart had sunk with worry as his son anxiously looked at him.


    ¡°Give me a reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill them. This is revenge for the Mo Estate. Furthermore, Fengwu had personally requested this of me.¡± Han Li spoke to Mo Yuzhu with an indifferent tone.


    ¡°Fengwu is still alive? That¡¯s great! I was always so worried! Only later had I realized that she had attempted to drown herself.¡± When Mo Yuzhu heard this, she revealed an expression of happiness.


    ¡°Not only Fengwu, but Fourth Martial Brother and Caihuan are also alive and well. However, I feel quite disappointed with you. I¡¯ll give you a moment to convince me. Otherwise, I will be taking their lives.¡± Han Li said with an indifferent tone.  He then raised his hand and caused the floating fireballs to disappear without a trace.


    Having seen Han Li restrained from attacking, the Rainbow Sect Master and son let out a breath of relief. At the very least, their lives were preserved for a moment more. They feared that Han Li would not listen to Mo Yuzhu¡¯s explanation as he was overwhelmed with fury.


    As they had more knowledge of cultivators than ordinary mortals, their fear of them was far greater as well. They were fundamentally unable to resist them.


    Mo Yuzhu¡¯s expression also became relaxed, and after a moment of thought, she spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, considering that you¡¯ve traveled a far distance in order to avenge the Mo Estate on behalf of my father, I must first give you my thanks. However, I must ask Junior Martial Brother, for what reason are you moving to take revenge on my husband? He didn¡¯t move to harm any of those from the Mo Estate. He had only given the order; an order not decided by him but by another party. As for who they are, Junior Martial Brother should know of them as they are also cultivators!¡±


    Han Li grew startled and muttered to himself for a moment.


    How could Han Li not understand what Mo Yuzhu said?


    The main culprit of those who ruined the Mo Estate were without doubt, the cultivators of Spirit Beast Mountain.


    How could Han Li afford to provoke such an enemy?


    But what¡¯s more was that Han Li could not believe the Mo Estate had created an enemy of such a degree.


    With that in mind, he had only considered to vent anger for Mo Fengwu on behalf of their previous friendship.


    If it was just that, it would have been fine.


    After all, regardless of whether the Rainbow Sect Master and his son were innocent, they were still involved in the extermination of the Mo Estate.


    But now that Mo Yuzhu had appeared, married to this ¡°enemy clan¡±, Han Li began to feel that his assumptions were amiss.


    He could only let out a long sigh towards the sky. The Heavens do love making fools of men!


    Since a member of the Mo Estate had an opposing view, Han Li naturally would not strain himself to perform such an undesirable task. Thus after a moment, he slowly spoke with a relaxed expression, ¡°Senior Martial Sister¡¯s words do hold reason. But regardless of how it is said, these two are complicit and killing them could not be considered unjust. What¡¯s more is that once they heard I was a member of the Mo Estate, they had wanted to execute me. It is hard for me to be convinced that they had nothing to do with the extermination of the Mo Estate.¡±


    With that said, his face was shrouded once more in a layer of cold frost, causing the Rainbow Sect Master and his son to appear fearful once more.


    ¡°However, since Senior Martial Sister is involved and the wishes of both sisters differ, I have no intention of becoming the evil one and will leave this to be disputed among sisters. I hope that when the time comes, you will be able to talk it over with Fengwu.¡± With that said, he passed on the whereabouts of the Mo Caihuan and Mo Fengwu to her.


    Having heard this, the Rainbow Sect Master and his son now realized that this cultivator had renounced his desire to kill them and couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief.


    The Rainbow Sect Master stepped toward with a grand smile, hoping to incur Han Li¡¯s favor. However, Han Li¡¯s ice-cold gaze caused the old man to shiver; he no longer dared to continue forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what methods you used to marry my Senior Martial Sister off to your son, but I don¡¯t plan on investigating this irreversible affair. But from now on, you had best treat her well, otherwise¡­¡± Han Li did not finish his words but the threat was clearly heard.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, you misunderstand! I¡­¡±


    Mo Yuzhu hastily thought to resolve this misunderstanding, but before she had finished speaking, the old man had interrupted her, ¡°Sir Immortal, do not hesitate to be at ease. I will be certain to have Quanzi treat Yuzhu well. She will not be wronged in the slightest.¡±


    The Rainbow Sect Master was rather quick-witted, realizing that Han Li didn¡¯t want an explanation but a promise. Thus, he gave a sincere agreement.


    Han Li nodded his head, expressing satisfaction.


    Mo Yuzhu¡¯s eyes flashed with appreciation. After a moment of hesitation, she gently handed over the young girl sleeping in her arms.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, since you are an Immortal now, please carry her! Her name is Yingzhu. Perhaps by touching Junior Martial Brother¡¯s Immortal Qi, she will be bound to receive good karma.¡± Mo Yuzhu softly said.


    Having heard the beautiful woman say this, Han Li was slightly startled. He then faintly smiled and wordlessly received the child, lowering his head to look at her.


    The child possessed an innocent appearance lacking any evil: delicate facial features, and white, rosy skin. Although she was still very young, Han Li could faintly see a future Mo Yuzhu in the making.


    The young girl still remained soundly asleep with a sweet smile, perhaps because she was too tired from her daytime playing.


    Han Li strongly resisted his urge to pinch the toddler¡¯s chubby cheeks. After a light sigh, he took out a misty white jade pendant from his storage pouch and gently placed it in the child¡¯s grasp. He then passed the girl with the pendant back the Mo Yuzhu.


    ¡°This is Passing Spirit Jade. Although it isn¡¯t some rare item, it remains warm during the winter and cool during the summer. In addition, bugs won¡¯t dare to approach her. I¡¯ll give it to her as a token of remembrance.¡± After going through several great battles, Han Li acquired many spoils of war. Not only did he receive all sorts of magic tools, but he also acquired a few rarely found treasures; the Passing Spirit Jade being one of such treasures.

 Chapter 337

    A Concealed Expert, Crooked Soul


    ¡°As for tonight¡¯s matters, I do not wish for Spirit Beast Mountain to know of them. You two should keep this to yourselves!¡± Han Li suddenly raised his head and coldly glanced at the Rainbow Sect Master and his son.


    The old man¡¯s heart trembled in fear and he remained silent with a humble appearance.


    Han Li wordlessly stared at the Rainbow Sect Master for a moment. When he saw that the old man had broken out in a cold sweat, he revealed a smile and then his body blurred, disappearing without a trace.


    While the old man was stunned, he felt a hand lightly pat his shoulder. His body immediately stiffened as he slowly turned his head.


    Han Li was indifferently standing behind him.


    ¡°Does Sir Immortal have any commands? This old man will certainly follow them.¡± The Rainbow Sect Master said with an apprehensive smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to give you a greeting.¡± Han Li replied with a calm expression.


    ¡°A greeting?¡±


    The old man was startled, not fully understanding Han Li¡¯s intentions. But something soon came to mind and he hastily inspected his body with worry. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t find anything unusual and calmed down.


    Han Li then released his Divine Wind Boat and appeared inside with a flash.


    After giving a deep glance at the youth and the old man, Han Li coldly chuckled and flew off in a streak of white light.


    The old man and his son were left completely baffled along with Mo Yuzhu.


    ¡­¡­


    As Han Li flew on his Divine Wind Boat, he unconsciously sneered.


    Although the old man had said that he didn¡¯t dare to tell Spirit Beast Mountain about him, Han Li saw something amiss from his expression.


    Having seen this, Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t ignore a deep schemer who held hatred toward him, even if he was a mortal.


    Therefore, when he had appeared behind him, he secretly took action and had a ¡°Burrowing Worm¡± enter his body with a pat.


    This insect was very strange. It was the size of a fine hair and was nearly invisible to the naked eye, only completely detectable through spiritual sense. So long as it entered the body, it would slowly crawl through one¡¯s blood vessels and eventually reach the heart.


    After one or two years, the infected party would start to experience heart pain and an inability to sleep soundly. The symptoms would grow increasingly severe over a span of several months until the heart pain surges, leading to death. It would appear no different than if he had died an ordinary death from heart problems. Even expert cultivators wouldn¡¯t find anything wrong in the least unless they knew what to look for beforehand.


    Since it would occur such a long time after Han Li had patted his shoulder, no association would be made to Han Li.


    This unscrupulous and strange insect was something Han Li had acquired from the spoils of a Devil Dao cultivator. He initially had no idea what it was until he had someone else appraise it. Now knowing its purpose and usage, he had used it on the Rainbow Sect Master.


    With this, he was able to fulfill his promise to Mo Fengwu without appearing evil in front of Mo Yuzhu. Han Li felt quite pleased with himself.


    Han Li currently no longer cared if they informed Spirit Beast Mountain that Han Li had been there.


    After all, he hadn¡¯t harmed the father or the son in the slightest. Presumably, Spirit Beast Mountain wouldn¡¯t pursue him over such a minor affair. As for the Rainbow Sect Master¡¯s son, he seemed decent. Han Li hoped that Mo Yuzhu would have a happy life with him.


    With that thought, he flew his Divine Wind Boat to the west of Jia Yuan City.


    He wanted to hurry and resolve this matter of Crooked Soul¡¯s peculiarity. Although he didn¡¯t know what Crooked Soul was up to, he definitely couldn¡¯t just leave him alone.


    West of Jia Yuan City was a tall mountain range filled with dense forest. It was said that poisonous snakes and fierce beasts roamed in these parts. As such, people would rarely tread in that region. This was most likely the main reason why Crooked Soul ran there after the peculiarity had arisen.


    Han Li silently observed the densely covered mountain range from the sky.


    After a long while, he took out the ¡°Soul Guiding Bell¡± from his storage pouch.


    He gradually poured Spiritual Power into the bell as he grasped it in his palm. A short while later, the Soul Guiding Bell glowed with faint white light and floated in the air.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    After he threw the small bell, he formed an incantation gesture with his other hand and softly spat out his command.


    The Soul Guiding Bell trembled for a moment before releasing a clear ring. It then flew off at great speed.


    Han Li faintly smiled and chased after it with his Divine Wind Boat.


    By using Crooked Soul¡¯s blood essence that the bell contained, he was able to easily use the bell to track down where Crooked Soul was located. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t do this if the bell was too far away from Crooked Soul. If Crooked Soul was over five hundred kilometers away, Han Li would be powerless to act. But now that the bell had responded, Han Li grew happy, knowing that Crooked Soul was concealed nearby.


    The small bell flew straight for about fifteen kilometers before suddenly descending. When Han Li saw this, he knew he had found his objective and immediately grabbed the small bell in midair. Then, he completely covered the small, glowing bell in a layer of azure light.


    From Sun Ergou¡¯s words, Han Li knew that Crooked Soul could now sense the Soul Guiding Bell. By concealing the bell¡¯s aura, he could avoid having Crooked Soul flee.


    He quietly descended on a small mountain¡¯s peak and started to sweep his gaze in every direction.


    Although it was already dark, Han Li was still able to vaguely see as he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. As a result, he headed straight towards the direction in which the small bell had originally descended, into a large pile of stones on the mountaintop.


    Han Li walked without the slightest sound as if he was a ghost. From Han Li¡¯s measures, he had ultimately caught Crooked Soul completely unaware. Crooked Soul was sitting cross-legged on a huge rock in meditation as if he were refining Qi.


    Hidden behind a rock, Han Li secretly watched Crooked Soul with complete amazement.


    Han Li was able to feel Spiritual Qi within Crooked Soul¡¯s body. His Spiritual Qi fluctuations indicated that he was at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refinement, leaving Han Li stunned.


    Han Li had clearly remembered that Zhang Tie1 was originally unable to cultivate the ¡°Eternal Spring Arts¡± because he didn¡¯t have spiritual roots.


    ¡®Wait! Although Zhang Tie was unable to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts, that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t possess any spiritual roots. It only meant that he didn¡¯t have wood attribute spiritual roots. Could it be that Zhang Tie possessed spiritual roots of another attribute?¡¯ Han Li thought, suddenly coming to a realization.


    ¡®What were the odds! Doctor Mo was actually able to accept two disciples with spiritual roots when a person with spiritual roots couldn¡¯t normally be found among ten thousand mortals.¡¯


    With incredulity, Han Li continued his thoughts, ¡®It is truly unfortunate. Because he didn¡¯t have similar attributed spiritual roots, we ended up with completely different fates. If I happened to not have wood attributed spiritual roots, then would I have ended up¡­¡± Han Li felt a trace of lingering fear in his heart.


    ¡°However, how did Crooked Soul acquire a foundation cultivation technique he could use? Could it be¡­?¡±


    Han Li seemed to have thought of something and wrinkled his brow. His eyes flashed with malicious intent, but he continued to silently watch Crooked Soul cultivate.


    After the time it took to eat a meal, Crooked Soul opened his eyes. He stood up and stretched his limbs.


    His eyes displayed intelligence as if he truly possessed consciousness.


    But when Han Li saw this, his face only appeared gloomier and his expression held a faint trace of maliciousness.


    ¡°Today¡¯s progress wasn¡¯t bad! It seems that in four months, I won¡¯t have to be afraid of the magic tool that controls this body.¡±


    As Crooked Soul revealed happiness, he heard an ice-cold voice from his side.


    ¡°It seems that your esteemed self is quite satisfied with that body!¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Crooked Soul¡¯s expression turned cautious as he hastily looked in the direction of the voice.


    At this moment, Han Li walked out from concealment with an icy expression.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Yi! You¡¯re a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!¡±


    When Crooked Soul discovered that he was unable to see through the depth of Han Li¡¯s cultivation, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal fear.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to know. Why did you occupy and steal that body? That is the body of my close friend, and I personally handed it over to my subordinate for safekeeping. You¡¯ve occupied that body for so many years, so how about you give me an explanation?¡± Han Li calmly said.


    ¡°This body is yours?¡± Crooked Soul revealed doubt as his eyes continuously shifted about. It was clear that he had some sly plan in mind.


    When Han Li saw this, he coldly sneered. He suddenly flipped his hand, revealing the Soul Guiding Bell.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± When Crooked Soul saw Han Li move, he immediately jumped ten meters back like a frightened hare; he then stared at Han Li with a face of vigilance.


    Although he had previously felt the existence of the Soul Guiding Bell, he did not know its specific form. He also didn¡¯t know that the small bell was a magic tool that specialized in controlling his body. He had only believed that Han Li had taken out a magic tool to casually act against him.

 Chapter 338

    A Forced Confession


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay any mind to Crooked Soul¡¯s alarm and scattered the azure light that enveloped the Soul Guiding Compass.D¨¡ng. Han Li tapped his finger against the bell, causing it to lightly ring.


    Thud. Just as Crooked Soul thought of using this opportunity to escape, he fell to the floor on his back.


    ¡°A life origin magic tool! You have the life origin magic tool for this body!¡± Crooked Soul shouted with fear.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know! If you don¡¯t want to suffer then you had best give me an explanation of your origins. I am quite curious. How were you able to invade this body? Aren¡¯t cultivators unable to possess the bodies of mortals?¡± Han Li asked with a calm expression and a flat voice as if he were chatting with a close friend.


    When ¡°Crooked Soul¡± heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Cultivators that possess bodies were loathed in the cultivation world. While it isn¡¯t to the degree where they would be exterminated on sight, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t be looked upon favorably. With the addition of Han Li¡¯s strange behavior, he couldn¡¯t help but feel perturbed while vainly dreaming of escaping.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. I was previously a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but I lost my body in a war against an enemy clan. As a result, I had no choice but to occupy this body.¡± Instead of answering Han Li¡¯s question, he stood up and gave this explanation with a smile.


    ¡°Really?¡± Han Li indifferently commented.


    In truth, Han Li was somewhat surprised to hear that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    However, when Crooked Soul was unable to make out Han Li¡¯s thoughts through his indifferent appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but become scared and hastily plead, ¡°Although this one¡¯s cultivation had dropped to the low levels of Qi Condensation, I still retained a few magic tools and spirit stones. So long as Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t pursue this matter, I would be willing to gift them to you!¡± He had spoken humbly; he clearly understood that he had no choice but to yield while under Han Li¡¯s control.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to his seductive words and asked after a moment of contemplation, ¡°Are you a cultivator of the Seven Sects?¡±


    Han Li appeared to have casually asked this. According to his knowledge, very few Foundation Establishment cultivators existed outside of the Seven Sects within the State of Yue. Only a few large cultivation clans would possess a number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Yan Clan for example.


    ¡°Seven Sects¡­ Ah, yes. I am a cultivator of Spirit Beast Mountain. Could it be that Your Esteemed Self is also a Seven Sect¡¯s cultivator?¡± Crooked Soul said these words calmly, but Han Li was able to spot a trace of fear within his eyes, causing Han Li to feel great suspicion.


    ¡°So it turns out that Fellow Daoist is from Spirit Beast Mountain! How is Young Mistress Han Yunzhi1 doing?¡± Han Li asked with a faint smile.


    ¡°Han Yunzhi¡­ I am truly sorry. This one had been in secluded cultivation for so many years and thus has no recollection of the younger disciples.¡± After being surprised momentarily by Han Li¡¯s question, he made a forced laugh and self-mockingly said.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t familiar with her? Then how about Fellow Daoist tell me the names of a few disciples that you do remember. This one knows many Fellow Daoists from Spirit Beast Mountain. Perhaps I might know a few!¡± Han Li flatly continued with his close questioning.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Crooked Soul appeared somewhat panicked and began shifting his eyes in every direction. His expressions were more honest than his words.


    Seeing that this person had failed to answer, Han Li¡¯s expression grew dark and cold.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, you truly disappoint me! You are still hesitating and now I must force you.¡± Han Li said bluntly. With a blur, his body flashed forward and back.


    Crooked Soul remained motionless in his original location. However, a ¡°Soul Lock Talisman¡± was now attached to the center of his chest, removing any opportunity for him to act. With a panicked appearance, he hastily shouted, ¡°Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this? We can talk about this¡­¡±


    When used on mortals, a Soul Lock Talisman was capable of completely locking down their bodies to the point where they wouldn¡¯t be able to speak. But when used against cultivators who possessed magic power, its efficacy was somewhat lacking. Although there were other methods to immobilize weaker cultivators, there were few that left them capable of speaking and expressing emotion.


    At this moment, Han Li paid no mind to any of his shouts and took out a pitch-black alms bowl from his storage pouch.


    Once it appeared, a sinister Qi filled the air, causing the nearby temperature to drop several degrees. Shortly after, the alms bowl released a ghastly wail and surrounded itself with a strange black fog, causing its ghostly aura to thicken. This was the ¡°Soul Congregation Bowl¡± that Han Li had recently acquired.


    Single-handedly grabbing the magic tool, Han Li ominously glared at Crooked Soul as he approached him.


    As Crooked Soul stared at the strange alms bowl, he appeared bewildered. But he then immediately thought of something and his expression became nervous. He forced himself to say, ¡°What do you plan on doing? Don¡¯t tell me you plan on using a soul refinement technique?¡±


    When he said the words ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±, his eyes revealed extreme fear.


    The ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡± was a notorious, fear-inspiring magic technique in the cultivation world. Some cultivators would even swear death-oaths under threat of this wicked magic technique.


    All of the sects and great clans have specialists that would learn this technique in order to deliver the harshest of punishments to set an example for traitors. This practice had gained it much infamy due to the cruelty involved.


    It was said that practitioners of this technique were capable of extracting one¡¯s soul and using specialized magic techniques to torment them. Rumor has it that direct suffering inflicted on a soul for even a short moment was unbearable even to those with adamant wills. Furthermore, the stronger the cultivator¡¯s soul, the greater suffering they would feel. These gruesome details would cause cultivators¡¯ faces to pale when they spoke of them.


    Rumors of the Soul Refinement Technique have spread all across the cultivation world. The best known among them was the rumor that cultivators capable of the Soul Refinement Technique were able to cultivate a ¡°Soul Tool¡±, a tool inseparably linked to their own souls. Only with such a magic tool would the user be able to fully utilize the Soul Refinement Technique and damn the target¡¯s soul to suffer a fate worse than death.


    Not many cultivators had personally seen a soul tool, but it was said to release a dense, sinister and ghostly aura. Its description closely matched the appearance of the ¡°Soul Congregation Bowl¡±, a magic tool that had held the souls of over a hundred cultivators.


    Thus, with the threatening appearance of the alms bowl and Han Li¡¯s previous threats, this person had mistakenly believed that Han Li was capable of using this ¡°soul tool¡± to perform the dreadful ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±.


    It was no surprise why he thought this. When someone thought of soul torture, the first thing that came to mind was the Soul Refinement Technique. How could he not have been scared out of his wits?


    When Han Li heard Crooked Soul¡¯s words, he remained expressionless despite the surprise he felt.


    In fact, Han Li hadn¡¯t thought of using the ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡± to threaten him. He only wanted to use the dark, icy Qi of the alms bowl to submit his soul to a bit of suffering. But now that Crooked Soul believed that Han Li was capable of using the Soul Refinement Technique, Han Li was prepared to take advantage of his misconception.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you one more time. Tell me about your origin and why you have impersonated a Spirit Beast Mountain cultivator.¡± Han Li coldly responded with a question of his own, not bothering to answer whether or not he intended to use the Soul Refinement Technique.


    Han Li¡¯s evasive answer caused this person to be more convinced of his previous assumption.  With a distressed expression, his lips trembled but no words came out.


    Seeing this, Han Li didn¡¯t continue to talk nonsense. Instead, he started to vaguely mutter an unknown incantation and moved the Soul Congregation Bowl closer to Crooked Soul¡¯s face.


    With regards to the alms bowl¡¯s sinister Qi, even Han Li, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, coldly shivered upon contact with it. As a Qi Condensation cultivator, Crooked Soul would be affected far more strongly.


    Thus, as the alms bowl was placed in front of him, he felt his body break out in a strange, extreme chill as if needles of steel had pierced through the depths of his soul and frozen it stiff.


    After a short moment, he was no longer able to endure the pain and screamed with a twisted expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, I haven¡¯t even used any magic yet. Then, the pain will be a hundredfold more!¡± Han Li suddenly whispered these fleeting words in his ear.


    ¡°A hundredfold?¡± When Crooked Soul heard this, he nearly lost himself to fear.


    He was unable to endure the current pain for even a short moment. To endure a hundred times the pain would cause his soul to disappear in anguish. Having suffered, Crooked Soul was completely certain that this was the rumored, ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±.


    Thus, when he saw Han Li form an incantation gesture, he hastily changed his words to avoid further pain, ¡°Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. I will speak. Please put away your soul tool and refrain from using the Soul Refinement Technique!¡±


    Because of the penetration of the alm¡¯s bowl¡¯s cold Qi, he stuttered, repeating his words as he shivered. Were it not for the protection of the Spiritual Qi in his body as well as the extreme strength of Crooked Soul¡¯s body, he would have long been frozen stiff.


    ¡°Had you been so tactful earlier, you could¡¯ve avoided a bit of pain!¡± Han Li casually moved to put away the alms bowl and spoke as if Crooked Soul had been the one to bring this upon himself.


    In fact, he inwardly let out a sigh of relief.


    Because he wouldn¡¯t talk, Han Li put away the Soul Congregation Bowl shortly after. This was also because Han Li was no longer able to endure the cold, dark Qi of the magic tool, having directly held it in his hand.


    When Crooked Soul saw that Han Li had truly put away the magic tool, he took a deep breath.


    ¡°It would be best if you didn¡¯t think of deceiving me. I will naturally be using magic techniques to test the truth of your words. I hope your esteemed self isn¡¯t so stupid as to keep your secrets. Otherwise, I will scatter your soul and ensure that you will never reincarnate.¡± Han Li spoke with a tone colder than ice.


    Having just suffered greatly, Crooked Soul involuntarily shivered and his expression became extremely unsightly upon hearing those words.

 Chapter 339

    Astonishment


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Your esteemed self had better avoid calling yourself a rogue cultivator. Otherwise, I¡¯d feel inclined to distrust you!¡± Han Li expressionlessly interrupted him.


    Crooked Soul bitterly smiled. It appeared that as he was still unresigned, he had thought to say as such.


    As a result, after some slight hesitation, he dispiritedly said, ¡°It is as Fellow Daoist suspects. This one has an unusual identity; he is not from the State of Yue¡­¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t someone from our State of Yue?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s face revealed a fraction of the shock he felt in his heart.


    ¡°I was actually a Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator from the State of Tiandou.¡± Crooked Soul slowly said.


    ¡°The Devil Dao Controlling Spirit Sect!¡±


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes and stare at him with a gaze as sharp as a sword.


    ¡°That is correct. I arrived at this place several years ago but I hadn¡¯t expected that one of your country¡¯s cultivators would ruin my mystic body and reduce me to this state.¡± As Crooked Soul spoke about the destruction of his body, he wore a helpless expression.


    After a moment of thought, Han Li asked with raised eyebrows, ¡°Your body was damaged six years ago?¡±


    As Han Li¡¯s voice was calm, Crooked Soul was unable to make out Han Li¡¯s interest. He honestly replied, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°After you took possession of this body, you hadn¡¯t thought of returning?¡± Han Li calmly asked.


    ¡°This one had naturally wanted to do so. But it seems your esteemed self doesn¡¯t understand much about our Devil Dao.¡± Crooked Soul¡¯s face continued to appear helpless.


    ¡°What was the matter? Although I know a few things about the Devil Dao, they are only bits and pieces from rumors.¡± Han Li openly admitted.


    ¡°Our Devil Dao is particular about how strength is truth and how the weak are just prey for the strong. Only with strength would one be able to enjoy authority. Originally, my position at the Controlling Spirit Sect wasn¡¯t low. I had a dainty, pretty Dao Companion and a few obedient disciples. But now that my cultivation has greatly diminished, those things would no longer be mine if I returned. My position would most likely be coveted by my fellow disciples and fall to a hidden scheme.¡± Crooked Soul explained with a cold smile.


    After hearing this, Han Li wrinkled his brow and remained silent.


    Crooked Soul continued, ¡°This one¡¯s cultivation was lowered to this stage because he took possession of this body. Thus, this one is confident that he will be able to restore his cultivation within forty years and will be able to openly return. What, did Daoist Friend believe that I wished to remain in this backwater place where even birds don¡¯t go to shit?¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, you haven¡¯t encountered any other cultivators while you hid nearby Jia Yuan city?


    ¡°None. Daoist Friend is the first cultivator from the State of Yue I¡¯ve seen after taking possession of this body.¡± He said with a uneasy appearance.


    ¡°Then why is it that you tried to impersonate a Spirit Beast Mountain cultivator at the start?¡± Han Li closely continued with his interrogation.


    ¡°I believed that your esteemed self was a Seven Sects cultivator and didn¡¯t want to put myself at a disadvantage.¡± Crooked Soul brightly assured.


    Having heard that, Han Li suddenly smiled.


    ¡°Is that the truth?¡± Han Li amiably asked. However, his kind appearance caused Crooked Soul to feel a chill down his back.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Could it be that Fellow Daoist is unsatisfied with something?¡± He cautiously asked with an uneasy expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ve previously heard people say that it is easiest to deceive others with words holding seven parts truth and three parts lies. I wonder, how much of what your esteemed self told me just now is true?¡± Han Li slowly said this as he stared at him.


    ¡°Hehe! Daoist Friend¡¯s suspicions are far too strong. I am telling the truth.¡± Crooked Soul was clearly uneasy. But once he thought of the consequences of telling the truth, he could only boldly continue to hold his ground.


    ¡°How about I mention a few things first? Your Devil Dao has already invaded our State of Yue. As such, we are now enemies. Thus, I now feel disinclined from torturing you for any secrets. I¡¯ll just rip out your soul and save myself some time.¡± Han Li sinisterly said with a calm expression.


    Having recently suffered, Crooked Soul¡¯s complexion turned pale.


    ¡°Invade your State of Yue? How is this possible? The timing is clearly off.¡± In an instant, his pale face revealed an expression of remorse.


    Han Li felt shocked.


    ¡°You knew of this matter? It seems I¡¯ve truly underestimated you. Regardless, even if your status in the Controlling Spirit Sect was great, you are currently only a Qi Refinement cultivator! Don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡± Han Li gradually narrowed his gaze and said with a menacing expression.


    Han Li turned his hand, causing the ¡°Soul Congregation Bowl¡± to appear once more. Its dense, cold Qi immediately filled the air.


    But what happened next left Han Li stunned. ¡°Crooked Soul¡± didn¡¯t reveal any fear and stared at the alms bowl with a strange expression, causing Han Li to feel ill at ease.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t use the ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡±; he was only using it as a threat. If Crooked Soul truly intended to die, then Han Li could only watch on as he perished, taking his body with him.  He did have a few soul extraction spells among the secret blood sacrificial techniques, but unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t practiced them in the least.


    Just as Han Li thought this, Crooked Soul let out a long sigh before saying, ¡°I have a few secrets on me. Furthermore, it has much to do with the life and death of your Seven Sects. However, what will guarantee that you will spare me after I reveal them? You might just kill me and refine my soul afterwards!¡±  When he said the words ¡°Soul Refinement¡±, he couldn¡¯t help but twitch.


    Having heard Crooked Soul speak so solemnly, Han Li stroked his nose and put away the alms bowl once more.


    ¡°What guarantee do you want? So long as it is reasonable, I will consider it!¡± Han Li responded indifferently as if he didn¡¯t consider the secrets to be of importance.


    ¡°Humph! I cannot trust a common oath. But to the best of my knowledge, those that cultivate the ¡°Soul Refinement Technique¡± are able to swear forbidden oaths with their soul tools. If they were to break them, then their Soul Refinement technique will backlash and kill them.


    ¡°Alright, I agree!¡± Han Li agreed with the slightest hesitation, coldly laughing in his heart.


    After that, Han Li took out the Soul Congregation Bowl and made a death-pledge in accordance to Crooked Soul¡¯s words.


    Seeing Han Li so easily and cleanly swear the oath, Crooked Soul grew suspicious and faintly felt that something was amiss.


    ¡°I swore your death-pledge. Don¡¯t tell me that you have other conditions?¡± Han Li stonily interrupted Crooked Soul¡¯s doubts, deliberately revealing discontent.


    ¡°Of course not. This one knows what happens to those who are greedy. However, before I divulge these secrets, Daoist Friend must first tell me about the current circumstances of our Devil Dao and your Seven Sects as I am unsure whether this information is outdated.¡± Crooked Soul was distracted for a moment before explaining with a big smile.


    Han Li revealed a slight trace of hesitation before slowly describing the current circumstances of the Seven Sects and Devil Dao.


    Crooked Soul attentively listened but once he heard of the great battle that was to take place in a month, his face revealed a slight sneer. Han Li, who had been paying close attention to his face, clearly saw this.


    Once Han Li finished, Crooked Soul muttered to himself for a moment before starting.


    What he said first left Han Li at a loss for words.


    ¡°Daoist Friend, if you are willing to hear me out, you have no need to hurry over to the Seven Sects¡¯ border camp. It is very likely the Seven Sects and the cultivators of their allied countries will have already been defeated. If you go, then you will only be throwing your life away.¡± Crooked Soul said with a strange expression.


    With an indifferent face, Han Li coldly stared at him, waiting for an explanation.


    The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with Han Li¡¯s collected demeanor. Although he felt increasing trepidation toward Han Li, he still continued, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know it, but Spirit Beast Mountain was actually one of our own sects. They had never actually broken their secret relations with our Controlling Spirit Sect, and their recent rebellion was just a cover. If I¡¯m not mistaken, this cover was prepared by the six sects in order to wait for the cultivators of the two allied countries, dealing with the three countries¡¯ cultivators in a single move. Presumably, after the battle is over, our Devil Dao will reign over several countries.¡± These slowly narrated words secretly left Han Li in shock.


    ¡°Cover? Isn¡¯t this too much? Spirit Beast Mountain took the initiative to reveal their relationship with your Controlling Spirit Sect. It would¡¯ve been better if they had kept it hidden.¡± Han Li asked with an unsightly expression after recovering from his shock.


    ¡°Did Fellow Daoist truly believe that the other six sects didn¡¯t know of Spirit Beast Mountain¡¯s origins? Apart from Spirit Beast Mountain, there is another sect among your Seven Sects that was once a branch of the Devil Dao, the most powerful among the State of Yue, the Masked Moon Sect. The Masked Moon Sect once originated from the Harmonious Bond Sect. However, the Masked Moon Sect ambitiously planned to become independant and have truly broken their ties with the Harmonious Bond Sect several hundred years ago.¡± The words of the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator continued to leave Han Li in shock.

 Chapter 340

    A Trap


    ¡°Even so, many cultivators were killed in that attack, including two Core Formation cultivators. To take such losses just to conceal Spirit Beast Mountain is inconceivable!¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow, unwilling to be easily convinced.


    ¡°If no Core Formation cultivators died, then how would the other six sects have been convinced? Furthermore, are you really sure that those two Core Formation cultivators were genuine?¡± Crooked Soul sneered.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Han Li stared at Crooked Soul with surprise.


    ¡°To the best of my knowledge, our Devil Dao sects possesses two or three forbidden techniques that forcefully raises the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to nearly the point of Core Formation. Naturally, there are great defects to these techniques, and they can basically only be used once on a cultivator; once used, death by ruptured meridians was inevitable and the duration of their flared cultivation was pitifully short. However, this would have been enough to trick the Seven Sects for one battle.¡±


    Han Li grew silent and was mostly convinced.


    With that in consideration, Spirit Beast Mountain could strike at an opportune moment during the confrontation between the Six Devilish Dao Sects and the Seven Sects along with their allies, and easily collapse the Seven Sects¡¯ arranged formations. With broken formations, the Seven Sects and their allies would be defenseless, falling prey to the Devil Dao.


    ¡°Even if what you said was true, the time for the decisive battle has not yet arrived. If I were to make a report, wouldn¡¯t I be able to turn the tide of the battle? Why would I want to run away?¡± After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li asked with doubt.


    ¡°Do you really believe our Devil Dao will strike in accordance to the time that was agreed? According to our original plans, this announcement was to confuse our opponents and leave them vulnerable as they prepared. Although I don¡¯t know the specifics, I reckon that within a few days, our Devil Dao would launch a surprise attack on the main camp. That should be the moment when the Seven Sects will be most relaxed and reinforcements still distant. Does Fellow Daoist truly believe that your information would arrive in time and that the upper echelons would even believe you?¡± Crooked Soul smirked, clearly relishing the disaster that was about to befall the Seven Sects.


    Han Li¡¯s calm expression finally broke, feeling worried in his heart.


    If the Seven Sects were truly defeated, his coming days would not be easy. He would have to roam across foreign countries to avoid pursuit from the Devil Dao. His only other choice would be to repair the ancient transportation formation and start a new life of cultivation in a foreign land.


    ¡°Your esteemed self appears to fully understand the Devil Dao¡¯s plans. It seems your status was truly high. There is no need to worry. I¡¯m not interested in finding out your true identity. However, I must ask if you have any evidence for this. You can¡¯t possibly expect me to be completely convinced with just words, yes?¡± Han Li solemnly asked after a moment of thought.


    Han Li¡¯s question stunned the Controlling Spirit cultivator for a moment.


    ¡°In a moment of desperation, I had already lost my body. Does Fellow Daoist truly believe there is any evidence that was left behind? If Fellow Daoist has some patience, he will only have to wait a few days to hear the results of the battle.¡± Crooked Soul bitterly smiled before answering as if it had nothing to do with him.


    Han Li coldly smiled in response.


    ¡°Without a body, your soul somehow managed to escape. However, you¡¯re still alive and were even able to recover your magic tools and other valuables; I¡¯m sure you were able to recover such evidence as well.¡± Han Li coollyy said, striking at the heart of the matter and causing Crooked Soul¡¯s bitter smile to freeze.


    ¡°Hehe! It seems I truly cannot conceal this from Fellow Daoist. Yes, I do possess a few secret letters between Spirit Beast Mountain and my own sect. In fact, I was in charge of relaying information in the State of Yue several years ago. But I wouldn¡¯t have thought¡­¡± When Han Li exposed him, Crooked Soul revealed slight embarrassment.¡±


    Han Li inwardly sighed in response to his admission. This person was surprisingly crafty. It seems he¡¯d have to be a bit more careful; he didn¡¯t even know his age.


    ¡°Where did you put it?¡±


    As Han Li bluntly asked this question, he started to sweep his gaze across Crooked Soul¡¯s body.


    ¡°The jade slip letters are in my storage pouch. I placed it at a nearby cave. How about I bring Fellow Daoist there?¡± Crooked Soul appeared to be rather cooperative.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have it on hand?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flashed with doubt.


    ¡°As you know, this body is a reanimated corpse. Although it far exceeds ordinary men, it had lost a majority of its senses. Therefore, I fear that during an unknown moment of carelessness, I would lose my storage pouch. For that reason, I left it behind at my dwelling.¡± Crooked Soul explained this with difficulty, causing Han Li to feel something was amiss.


    Han Li didn¡¯t say anything and carefully searched his body, ending up empty handed. He then asked with an icy tone, ¡°Where is the cave? I will go and find it!¡±


    Seeing that Han Li was so very cautious, Crooked Soul could only gloomily tell Han Li its location.


    Han Li nodded and turned to depart. But something suddenly came to mind, and he turned around to ask, ¡°How did you enter that corpse? Although the body would be easier to possess as it doesn¡¯t contain a soul, it still isn¡¯t a cultivator¡¯s body!¡±


    Han Li was genuinely curious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    His answer caused Han Li¡¯s face to darken. But without waiting for Han Li to speak, Crooked Soul hastily explained, ¡°I truly don¡¯t know why. During that time, I dragged my heavily injured body to Jia Yuan City and was on the verge of death. I could only desperately eject my soul and search in every direction for a cultivator to possess. However, I was unable to find a cultivator anywhere nearby. Just when I was about to give up hope, I found this soulless corpse. In a moment of desperation, I attempted to enter its body. Against all my expectations, I was truly amazed that I had succeeded.¡±


    The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator appeared to be incredulous from this as well.


    Han Li remained silent and stared at him for a moment. He suddenly walked toward Crooked Soul and slapped two additional Soul Lock talismans on his body before vanishing into the darkness.


    Crooked Soul was left behind with a bitter expression. But a short while later, Han Li returned with a strange glare in his eyes. ¡­


    Han Li was able to easily find the cave using the directions given. It didn¡¯t appear to be very large.


    With a wave of his hand, a moonlight stone flew out of his storage pouch. Hovering above his head, the moonlight stone illuminated his surroundings.


    Then, he looked into the dark cave and pondered for a moment before taking out his white scale shield and tortoise shell. With the two magic tools protecting his front, he carefully walked inside.


    Like Han Li expected, the cave was not large. After walking for about twenty-five meters, he saw a cave wall blocking his path, the presumable end of the cave.


    Han Li turned his sharp gaze and found nothing strange. He then lowered his head and looked at the ground.


    According to what Crooked Soul said, the storage pouch should be buried underneath a bluestone and should be easy to find.


    As expected, about six meters away, he found a meter tall pitch-black chunk of what appeared to be stone.


    Without thinking much further, he took several steps forward and closely examined it under the moonlight stone¡¯s gentle light.


    ¡°Xi!¡± Han Li exhaled in surprise.


    Stone it was not. It was clearly a large pile of remains, bones with traces of rotting flesh that released the faint smell of blood.


    After recovering from his astonishment, he discovered that the bones were from fierce predators such as tigers and leopards and had traces of teeth marks as if something had been biting them.


    Having seen this, Han Li sunk into thought before inwardly shouting, ¡®Not good!¡¯ He hastily turned to leave the cave.


    However, it was already too late. A black shadow scuttled out of some unknown place and fiercely knocked against Han Li¡¯s white scale shield.


    Suddenly, he was thrown off with intense force and fiercely slammed into the cave wall. Although he was shielded, the pain nearly caused him to pass out.


    ¡°What is this monster?¡± Han Li thought this with furious alarm through the severe pain.


    But without waiting for Han Li to fall from the cave wall, the shadow pounced toward him once more.


    Han Li reacted in fear, hurriedly placing both his defensive magic tools in front of him.


    D¨¡ng. A clear ring surprised Han Li.


    This time, the impact didn¡¯t carry a great force. Bang. However, the white scale shield was evenly split into two pieces and had fallen onto the floor.


    Han Li nearly bit his tongue from terror.


    Inconceivable! That monster was actually able to split his white scale shield in two!

 Chapter 341

    Blank


    (TL Change: Black Dragon¡¯s Grasps -> Black Dragon¡¯s Claws.)


    Chapter 341: A Difficult Situation


    The ¡°White Scale Shield¡± was a top grade magic tool refined from materials of the ¡°Inky Flood Dragon¡±. It had supported Han Li though many fierce battles. Aside from the time that it had been pierced by the ¡°Blood Spirit Drill¡±, it hadn¡¯t sustained the slightest of damage. Han Li truly found it hard to believe that it was just destroyed by some monster.


    At this moment, Han Li was able to use the moonlight stone¡¯s faint light to take a look at this monster.


    The creature appeared extremely strange and was only about a meter tall. It had a small head perched on a very thin neck. However, its two green, fist-sized eyes unemotionally stared at him with cold, malicious intent.


    What caught Han Li¡¯s attention the most were its two black incisive scythe-like forelimbs; Han Li grew greatly fearful of them.


    This monster had weapons! But how could these scythes be so sharp that they can split his white scale shield in one blow?


    As these thoughts surged through Han Li¡¯s mind, his body flickered, shooting straight toward the cave exit like a loosened arrow.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to last against that monster inside such a small cave. Even if he had several lives, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough; he had to escape in order to stand a chance!


    As Han Li shot forth, the monster silently pursued him with shockingly equivalent speed.


    Like two gales of wind, Han Li and the monster raced the short distance toward the cave¡¯s exit.


    Once he left the cave, Han Li waved his hand without the slightest of thought, shooting a streak of white light in front of him; the white light turned into the flawless, white Divine Wind Boat.


    He planned to take to the skies!


    Since his defensive magic tools were unable to endure the monster¡¯s attacks, he would have to increase the distance in between them and use magic tools to ravage it from afar.


    As Han Li slowed down to bring out his Divine Wind Boat, a black shadow flashed before his eyes; the monster suddenly appeared between Han Li and his Divine Wind Boat.Clang. Clang. It icily stared at Han Li while rubbing its scythe-like forelimbs against each other.


    Han Li felt his heart drop.


    Not only was this monster ferocious, it was also intelligent. This proved quite troublesome.


    But now that they had left the dark cave, Han Li was able to fully make out the monster underneath the moonlight. It was a huge dark-gray mantis that released a strange gray aura.


    Han Li lightly exhaled, suppressing the unease in his heart. His body became blurred for a moment before transforming into six identical images. Each of the illusions charged directly toward the huge mantis. Han Li wasn¡¯t completely confident that the fastest speed of his Shifting Smoke Steps could break through the monster¡¯s guard.


    The mantis¡¯ eyes flashed with green light, and its body also blurred, turning into several similar reflections. Each of them moved to block Han Li¡¯s illusions.


    Han Li¡¯s face became aghast.


    Puff. Puff. One by one, Han Li¡¯s reflections were struck down by the mantis¡¯ blades. Just as Han Li¡¯s true body was about to be struck, he was forced to use his tortoise shell to block its strike. As a result, the strike blew him back to his original location and left a deep scar on his tortoise shell.


    Han Li looked at the scar on the tortoise shell with a pale expression and gulped. It was clear that this magic tool would be unable to endure further strikes.


    Without waiting for Han Li to make any plans, the mantis¡¯ meter-long wings began to shimmer and buzz. The demonic beast had actually rapidly fluttered its wings and lightly hovered off the ground.


    Han Li bitterly swore. How could he possibly forget that mantises were insects capable of flying. Once in flight, this demonic beast will surely be immensely fast.


    For the first time, Han Li lacked confidence in his movement techniques.


    Even so, Han Li hurried used the ¡°Body Lightening Technique¡± along with other auxiliary magic techniques on his body and patted his storage pouch, releasing streaks of gold, black and red light.


    He hurried, wanting use this opportunity to take the initiative.


    However, the demon mantis acted before Han Li could begin his assault. It launched itself into the air and suddenly disappeared without a trace.  An instant later, it reappeared above Han Li and fiercely chopped down, intending to split Han Li into two.


    At this moment, Han Li appeared incomparably calm.


    As the scythe sliced through Han Li¡¯s afterimage, Han Li had completely disappeared. However, his magic tools had remained, spiralling around the demonic beast like a swarm of bees, wanting to shred it into pieces.


    D¨¡ng. D¨¡ng. A series of clangs rang out as the huge mantis swung its scythes at a speed that couldn¡¯t be seen by the naked eye, creating a huge defensive net. In the clash between the magic tools and the mantis¡¯ scythes, three of the golden blades and one of the fire tridents were cut into fragments, turning them into clouds of sparkling dust.


    Han Li took this opportunity to fly off on his Divine Wind Boat while feeling great heartache.


    He urgently recalled his remaining magic tools, causing the streaks of light to rush back toward him.


    However, the demon mantis was unwilling to let him go. It clanged its forelimbs against each other and suddenly charged forward, turning into a black blur as it rapidly advanced. In an unrestrained chain of slashes, two more golden blades were broken, scattering into dust.


    Han Li¡¯s feeling of loss only grew deeper.


    Although this set of ¡°Golden Beetle Swarm Blades¡± couldn¡¯t be considered exceptional among top grade magic tools, it was hard to come by such a large set that was easy to use. Furthermore, he had this set of magic tools for many years and had become quite attached to them. He didn¡¯t expect that a majority of them would be destroyed today.


    Fortunately, Han Li¡¯s most important magic tools, the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws, were still intact. As the pair had managed to survive, it could be considered a silver lining among this terrible situation.


    But with the demon mantis still rigidly staring at him, Han Li was unable to feel hopeful. If he didn¡¯t have a good way to deal with this monster, he might not be able to save his own life, let alone his magic tools.


    With that in mind, Han Li madly poured spiritual power into the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet. The Divine Wind Boat lightly trembled for a moment before soaring into the sky as a streak of white light. Han Li truly believed that this demonic beast would be unable to match the speed of the Divine Wind Boat.


    However, after a short moment of flying, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but recognize how shallow his experience was. The mantis had kept up with him and was slowly catching up!


    At this moment, Han Li was wildly driving forward as he threw several fireballs behind him, attempting to stop the demon mantis from chasing him.


    ¡®This is far too strange. Not only are its attacks fierce and swift, but its flight speed is even quicker. Even my own Divine Wind Boat is slightly slower than it.¡¯ Han Li gloomily thought.


    He was now completely certain that this demon mantis was far more powerful than the white spider he had previously fought.


    This huge mantis wasn¡¯t a mere top grade fourth level demonic beast. It was a fifth grade demonic beast from legend, a monster nearly capable of contending with Core Formation cultivators!


    When Han Li thought of this possibility, he felt more cold sweat on his back and fired fireballs with even greater effort in an attempt to stop the demonic beast¡¯s gradual approach. Each of the fireballs were easily chopped into two, but they managed to slightly slow it down, buying Han Li some precious time.


    Han Li clearly understood that if this continued, the mantis would eventually overtake him. He couldn¡¯t allow this deadlock to continue. Therefore, he separately used a thread of consciousness to enter his storage pouch and see what magic tools could be used for this situation.


    Suddenly, he felt a very soft item with his strand of consciousness, and his mind flashed with inspiration, coming up with a plan immediately.


    Thus, after lowering his head and observing his environment, he fiercely stomped on his Divine Wind Boat, causing it to immediately descend into the thick forest.


    At that same moment, he casually took out eight common magic tools from his storage pouch and recklessly shot them all behind him. Afterwards, he threw five puppet soldiers behind him as well. As soon as they emerged, they shot out dazzling light arrows that closely followed behind the magic tools.


    Although this wild attack forced the mantis to respond, it was able to quickly tear the puppets and magic tools into pieces. But when it thought to resume chasing after Han Li, Han Li had already silently disappeared into the forest without a trace.


    The demonic beast¡¯s eyes continuously flickered with green light and slowly descended. It then circled around the forest, still wanting to find Han Li.


    Down below in the dense forest, Han Li was solemnly staring at the huge mantis in the sky from behind a large tree. His eyes revealed nervousness.


    At this moment, he was wearing a cloak of muslin, hiding all traces of his body and completely isolating him from the world.


    This ¡°Concealing Spirit Muslin¡± was something Han Li had acquired after the fight with the white spider, loot he had acquired from Xuan Yue. Xuan Yue had originally planned to take advantage of this item and use the spider to deal with Han Li but he had died as a result. Not only can this muslin isolate one¡¯s Spiritual Qi fluctuations, it can also hide one¡¯s scent and presence, allowing for complete concealment.


    Han Li had no choice but to use this magic tool, hoping that the demonic beast wasn¡¯t too bright and would leave after searching for a bit. Else, if it persisted, Han Li would be in dire straits.


    But to guard against any contingencies, Han Li had the solidified ¡°Blood Spirit Drill¡± ready in his grasp.


    Although this item had astonishing speed and destructive power, Han Li wasn¡¯t confident that it would be able to kill the demonic beast, having personally witnessed the mantis¡¯ terrifying speed. Thus, he had only taken it out just in case.

 Chapter 342

    Bewilderment


    While holding his breath, Han Li gazed at the huge mantis as it flew several few kilometers nearby before suddenly shooting toward Han Li¡¯s hiding place.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale.


    With a cold face, he firmly held the ¡°Blood Spirit Drill¡± in his hand and began to pour spiritual power into it, causing it to gradually heat up.


    Han Li coldly gazed at the demonic beast as it approached, waiting for the mantis to come closer before releasing the magic tool. Only by doing this would he have a higher chance of injuring or even killing it.


    Naturally, waiting for it to come closer put him in far greater danger, but Han Li was left with no other choice.


    150 meters, 120 meters, 90 meters¡­


    Han Li¡¯s heart violently thumped in his chest, and he couldn¡¯t help but suck in a deep breath as he prepared to release the Blood Spirit Drill in his hand.


    But what Han Li saw next left him dumbstruck.


    When the demon mantis was just sixty meters away from Han Li, it suddenly circled off into another direction, descending not far away from Han Li. After two miserable roars sounded out, the huge mantis flew away without the slightest reluctance, carrying a large mountain boar in its forelimbs.


    After seeing the demonic beast fly away into the distance, Han Li finally let out a long sigh of relief and sat on the ground, despite appearing unbefitting of a cultivator.


    He had just gone through a matter of life or death!


    Had he went ahead and launched the attack, he would¡¯ve ended up just like that boar, as food for the demonic beast.


    He was extremely fortunate to come out unscathed!


    Han Li silently rejoiced. This was the first time he had felt that his luck was quite good.


    But now that he had calmed down, Han Li thought of the culprit that caused all of this, the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator that resided in Crooked Soul¡¯s body.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel burning fury. It was clear the cave was a trap; those jade slip letters were just a fabricated lure.


    Despite his carefulness, he was still no match for that cunning old fox. He had fallen deeply into his trap and had nearly died as a result.


    ¡°Oh, very good! Since I¡¯m still alive, I¡¯d better go and pay you a visit!¡± As Han Li rested, he felt an intense hatred burning inside him that he never felt before.


    Han Li knew that because he stuck three Soul Lock talismans onto Crooked Soul, it would be impossible for him to escape; his cultivation was simply too weak. Once Han Li returned, he would be able to easily take his life.


    When he felt that his physical strength and magic power had recovered, Han Li shot off on his Divine Wind Boat toward Crooked Soul.


    However, he now didn¡¯t dare to boldly fly up into the sky. Instead, he cautiously flew at a low altitude, about thirty meters up in the air, because he was afraid of catching the demonic beast¡¯s attention once more.


    On Han Li¡¯s journey back, the freezing night wind had calmed a majority of Han Li¡¯s raging fury. Once his mind became clearer, he started to reexamine his interactions with ¡°Crooked Soul¡±.


    The words and actions of the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator were well thought out. In addition, with the fearsome strength of the demon mantis, Han Li was beginning to doubt that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    How could such a fearsome demonic beast appear within fifty kilometers of a place like Jia Yuan city? There was no way it could be wild.


    When he thought of the Controlling Spirit cultivator, he couldn¡¯t help but think that this huge mantis was likely a domesticated spirit beast.


    It¡¯s hard to imagine that such a fearsome spirit beast was domesticated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. From his point of view, that mantis spirit beast could handle four late Foundation Establishment disciples; it was beyond ferocious.


    ¡®Could it be that this ¡°Crooked Soul¡± wasn¡¯t a Foundation Establishment cultivator but actually a Core Formation¡­¡¯ Han Li couldn¡¯t help but guess.


    Han Li¡¯s heart jumped!


    Seeing that he was about to arrive, Han Li stopped his advance and entered deep contemplation while still floating in midair.


    How could a Core Formation cultivator be reduced to such a miserable state where their body was destroyed and their soul was cast adrift? Could it be that he was forced to eject his soul because he was no match for another Core Formation cultivator? Or could it be that he ran into a Nascent Soul Eccentric from the State of Yue?


    However, the Seven Sect¡¯s Nascent Soul cultivators have long since detached themselves from the world. Only two or three still remained within the State of Yue. Even among the clashes between the Devil Dao and Seven Sects, Han Li had never heard of a Nascent Soul cultivator taking action.


    Such a display was quite hard to imagine. With just a single wave of a hand, such an expert could easily shatter mountains and overturn the seas.


    However, Han Li felt some resentment toward these Nascent Soul cultivators and inwardly cursed them several times for their detached observation of the wars of lower level cultivators. When would these profound cultivators finally take action?


    ¡®Could it be that was what happened? Is it possible that this Core Formation Expert came across a Nascent Soul Eccentric?¡¯ Han Li speculated in his mind.


    If a Core Formation cultivator truly was trapped inside Crooked Soul¡¯s body, it completely made sense. After all, he knew much secret information about the Devil Dao¡¯s invasion and possessed such a powerful spirit beast as well.


    After further contemplation, Han Li conceded that Crooked Soul was most likely a Core Formation cultivator. This caused him to break out in cold sweat and wear a queer expression, holding traces of both fear and excitement.


    ¡°Could it be that he had disguised himself to lure me in? Did he pretend to have low cultivation to play with me this entire time?¡± Han Li did his utmost to ponder about the possibility of the worst case scenario.


    ¡°Impossible. Those displays of weakness couldn¡¯t be faked!¡± After a moment more of deliberation, he finally arrived at a definite conclusion.


    It was an indisputable fact that he had already occupied Crooked Soul¡¯s body for several years. The only possible reason for this was because he had lost his body, along with his profound cultivation, like he previously said.


    Even with his primordial soul, Crooked Soul would only be able to re-cultivate without any bottlenecks. His current cultivation should be as it appeared.


    Furthermore, Han Li figured out that he was unable to control the mantis spirit beast. Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he have such a fearsome beast follow him as a bodyguard?


    During his current moment of weakness, Crooked Soul¡¯s greatest need was strong protection. That was why he had no choice but to trick Han Li into entering the cave, in the hope that his uncontrollable mantis would kill him.


    With his sharp mind, Han Li mulled through the series of events before gradually realizing the complete truth. His heart grew courageous once more.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t merely taking advantage of someone¡¯s weakness. He was dealing with a Core Formation cultivator, a great enemy belonging to the Controlling Spirit Sect.


    If Crooked Soul managed to run away, he would come back as a Core Formation cultivator and be certain to dismember him into countless pieces.


    Therefore, Han Li absolutely couldn¡¯t leave this person alive.


    Understanding how things stood, Han Li continued his flight without the slightest hesitation and flew onto the small mountaintop.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li arrived on the mountaintop and saw Crooked Soul still held in place. The talismans on his body were still untouched.


    Han Li was jubilant and descended about thirty meters away from Crooked with a relaxed heart. But at the same time, he held a magic tool in each hand.


    Having seen Han Li descend, Crooked Soul appear extremely shocked, as if he hadn¡¯t expected that Han Li would return alive.


    Following that, he forced himself to widely smile, wanting to say something.


    But Han Li just advanced several steps forward and raised his hand, shooting two black streaks of light toward him.


    Since Han Li already decided to kill him, he had no need to speak with him.


    Seeing the fierce and overbearing advance of the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws, Crooked Soul¡¯s complexion paled.


    Recognizing that Han Li wanted to rip him apart, Crooked Soul¡¯s body suddenly flashed, jumping several meters to the side and avoiding the attack.


    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t tell me you forgot about your death-oath?¡± The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator cried out in a fluster.


    He clearly hadn¡¯t expected to see Han Li again and was caught off guard by his attacks.


    Han Li appeared to have ignored Crooked Soul¡¯s words. Instead, he was intensely staring at the three Soul Lock talismans still on his body as if he didn¡¯t dare to believe his own eyes.


    ¡®The talismans weren¡¯t removed but he can still move?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart was filled with doubt.


    However, now was not the time to be distracted by questions. Thus, Han Li snorted and remained silent. He pointed at the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws and caused them to immediately grow several times their original size, turning into two huge black lights before charging toward Crooked Soul.


    Han Li had already made up his mind. Even if he had to sacrifice the body of Crooked Soul, he had to thoroughly eliminate this Core Formation cultivator.


    Seeing that Han Li had no intention to stop until he was dead, Crooked Soul gaped from desperation upon seeing the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws oppressively charge toward him. A streak of green light spouted out from Crooked Soul¡¯s mouth, rigidly blocking the full power of the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws.

 Chapter 343

    Brilliant Green Dagger


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Han Li was greatly surprised that Crooked Soul was actually able to block his full power strike and couldn¡¯t help but stare at the green light.


    The inch-long dagger glimmered with a translucent green brilliance.


    ¡°Magic treasure!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise.


    Regardless of whether it was a magic treasure or not, Han Li was still shocked.


    With just his sixth layer Qi Condensation cultivation, he still was able to use that item to block the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws.


    Han Li was surprised that he still had a magic treasure to protect himself. It¡¯ll be a bit more troublesome, but Han Li would be able to kill him with pleasure andleisurely acquire this treasure.


    He was now completely certain that this person was once a Core Formation cultivator!


    With that in mind, Han Li continued his fierce assault with the Black Dragon¡¯s Claws and flipped his hand, revealing the ¡°Spirit Guiding Bell¡±.


    The reason why Han Li didn¡¯t think of using it from the start was because he thought that it was unnecessary, since Crooked Soul had already been restrained by the Soul Lock Talismans.


    Seeing that Han Li took out the Soul Guiding Bell, Crooked Soul¡¯s eyes flashed with panic. But, soon after, he immediately struck his lower abdomen with a grimace, spitting out an emerald-green ball. As soon as it appeared, it released a soft green light that enveloped his entire body.


    At this moment, Han Li started to ring the Soul Guiding Bell, intending to cause Crooked Soul¡¯s bones to become numb and leave him unable to fight.


    After a series of rings, Crooked Soul stood there unscathed as if he was completely unaffected.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn. It was clear that the green ball¡¯s radiance was protecting him from the bell¡¯s effects.


    With that in mind, he rang the bell two more times. Seeing that it had no effect, he gloomily put it away. Then with a wave of his hand, over ten puppets appeared in a flash of white light. They were Han Li¡¯s last remaining grade two puppets. If these were broken, then he would only be able to use his weak self-made puppets.


    Therefore, Han Li had no intentions of dragging this on further. As soon as the puppets appeared, he commanded them to shoot light beams and arrows in an overbearing assault.


    Upon seeing such a fearsome attack, Crooked Soul clenched his teeth in furious alarm. He hastily flung incantation gestures toward the green ball, causing it to quickly spin and glow brighter.


    Suddenly, the streaks of light interweaved among each other and erupted in a dazzling explosion. Crooked Soul then rode the waves of the explosions to retreat about ten meters.


    Han Li was left dumbstruck. A cultivator at only the sixth layer Qi Condensation was actually able to block the full power attack of a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator; this action was heaven defying. However, when he recalled that this person was once a Core Formation cultivator, he didn¡¯t feel that it was too strange; he¡¯d have a few trump cards after all.


    Crooked Soul inwardly sighed in relief; his secret techniques had managed to block Han Li¡¯s attack. At that same moment, he was mulling over the words he should use to persuade Han Li to stop his furious barrage of attacks. Since he had a pitiful amount of magic power, he wouldn¡¯t be able to last much longer.


    But without waiting for him to speak, Han Li touched his storage pouch after a moment of hesitation and suddenly raised his hand, releasing a blinding flash of red light.


    Crooked Soul was astonished!


    Without understanding what had happened, the floating green ball had ruptured before his eyes, and he felt an agonizing pain from the very depths of his soul. He couldn¡¯t help but scream loudly as he fell to the ground with limbs incessantly flailing about.


    The green light protecting Crooked Soul¡¯s body had disappeared without a trace upon the destruction of the green ball. With nothing left to obstruct the light beams and arrows, he was suddenly overwhelmed as if he were drowning in a torrent of rain.


    Without a master to control it, the green dagger suddenly decreased in power and was forcibly suppressed by Han Li¡¯s Black Dragon¡¯s Claws, as if it was going to collapse at any time.


    Han Li was overjoyed.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that risky strike to be so effective.


    The reason why he hadn¡¯t used the Blood Spirit Drill to directly strike at the heart or the head was because they were not vital points to Crooked Soul, a moving corpse.


    At most, Han Li would only be able to severely injure him while being unable to kill him.


    With that in mind, it would be better to strike at that troublesome green ball.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that the green ball would rupture from a single strike and cause Crooked Soul to meet his end.


    It appeared that the green ball had a close connection to his soul. It was no wonder that he had such an unsightly expression when he spouted it out to face an enemy!


    Could it have been the golden core he had condensed from Core Formation? Han Li sinisterly guessed.


    Han Li then waved his hand, stopping the puppets¡¯ attacks before taking a close look in Crooked Soul¡¯s direction.


    After the streaks of light faded away, Han Li clearly saw a blackened corpse lying on the ground. Han Li was greatly surprised to find that the corpse hadn¡¯t turned into ash.


    Could it be that Crooked Soul¡¯s body was extraordinary because he was a ji¨¡ngshi ?


    Han Li remained motionless, looking at the corpse for a moment and muttering to himself. He then raised his hand to the sky, causing six fist-sized fireballs to appear in the air. ¡°Go¡±. With a single command, the fireballs shot toward the corpse like a loosed arrow.


    Puff. Puff. Han Li indifferently gazed at the corpse as it burned in the inferno.


    An instant later, an egg-sized green sphere of light suddenly flew out from the inferno, wanting to escape.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew cold and his body blurred, appearing behind the ball of light. His hand shot out like lightning, grabbing it while covered in white light. The green sphere of light suddenly let out a miserable scream before Han Li crushed it with his spiritual power infused hand.


    Han Li then blurred, returning to Crooked Soul in an instant. With a wave of his sleeve, the fire on Crooked Soul¡¯s body disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°It seems even a Core Formation cultivator can be duped with a mere illusion technique.¡± Han Li lowered his head to look at the blackened Crooked Soul with a sneer on his face.


    Han Li then carefully examined Crooked Soul¡¯s injuries.


    He was greatly surprised to find that apart from his completely scorched exterior, Crooked Soul¡¯s internal organs and bones were entirely undamaged, much to Han Li¡¯s pleasure.


    Although Crooked Soul was only an empty corpse, Han Li had regarded him as a loyal servant. If Han Li was able to repair him, then he would naturally do so. Besides, he had a plan in mind that required Crooked Soul.


    As such, Han Li lightly rung the ¡°Soul Guiding Bell¡±. Crooked Soul immediately stood up and opened his eyes with a blank expression.


    Han Li nodded his head. Although Crooked Soul had flesh wounds, he should be able to quickly recover with his exceptional regenerative power as a jiangshi.


    Han Li then turned his gaze toward the small shining green dagger floating in the air. Having lost its master, it was now completely still.


    Han Li proceeded to use his Black Dragon¡¯s Claws to gradually suppress it before carefully submerging his spiritual sense into it. He found that he was completely blocked from entering it.


    ¡°It seems like the rumors were true. Without Core Formation cultivation, I will be completely unable to use magic treasures.¡± Han Li thought with annoyance. He could only look upon this magic treasure with envy.


    However, Han Li was still very interested in this magic treasure. After a few cautious tests, he finally grabbed it with his hand and carefully admired it.


    The blade of the dagger was only an inch and a half long.  Without a master to imbue it with spiritual power, its splendor had greatly weakened. However, it still released a mist of cold aura that appeared exceptionally beautiful.


    In addition, the dagger¡¯s body was inscribed with two ancient characters. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but softly whisper upon reading its name, ¡°Green Brilliance.¡±


    Han Li lovingly fiddled with it for a moment before reluctantly putting away the ¡°Green Brilliance Dagger¡± inside his storage pouch.


    Han Li looked around to see if he had missed anything. As a result, his attention was drawn to specks of green light on the ground.


    He went over to take a careful look and discovered that they were fragments of the green ball that had been destroyed by Blood Spirit Drill. Although it had been shattered, its radiance hadn¡¯t diminished in the slightest.


    He walked over and bent down, carefully gathering the shards.


    Although he didn¡¯t know how he could make use of it, Han Li could guess that it should have something to do with a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s golden core.

 Chapter 344

    Exterminating a Demon in a Formation


    Han Li didn¡¯t carefully study the fragments; instead, he carefully swept his surroundings once more. After he was convinced that he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything, he started to think about how he should deal with the huge mantis.


    He didn¡¯t want to let this demonic beast slip by. After all, its forelimbs were rare, high-quality crafting materials, not to mention the other parts of its body.


    As for subduing the monster alive, Han Li abandoned the thought after some consideration.


    He clearly understood that he did not have the experience required to attempt it. Cultivators that control demonic beasts have learned to restrain magic beasts since their childhood and have become extremely familiar with the process. Wanting to vainly keep such a powerful spiritual beast was just wishful thinking.


    As for the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator, he had probably lost control of the mantis when he lost his body and changed appearances. Else, his spirit beast would¡¯ve  remained in his control. The spirit beast would¡¯ve loyally served him for a lifetime and never leave him. It was bound to be more loyal than a human.


    As for whether Han Li should inform the Seven Sects and their allies of this information, he decided to wait for a few days and listen for any news since he had no way of knowing whether the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator¡¯s information was genuine or not. After all, he could travel at great speed. Even if he was a few days late, he would be able to arrive at the Seven Sects¡¯ Camp before the deadline.


    As a result, Han Li spent a day in the dense forest near the mountain cave, secretly setting up the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Great Formation¡±.


    Han Li didn¡¯t lay out a portion of the great formation in a hurry, like he did at the Imperial Palace. He had set up the formation in its entirety; its power was naturally far greater than before.


    At this moment, he saw the huge mantis leave to hunt for food. It had actually brought back a huge black tiger, leaving Han Li astonished.


    This was the first time he had seen this kind of black tiger; it was definitely no common beast. However, it was quite unfortunate that this beast had met its end, merely becoming a wholesome meal for the mantis.


    Having finished his preparations, Han Li quietly snuck into the mountain cave.


    But just a short moment later, he was already rushing out of the cave on his Divine Wind Boat, flying straight toward his formation. A shadow closely pursued him; it was the huge mantis that Han Li had startled.


    Because he had placed the formation nearby, Han Li entered the formation¡¯s territory soon after he left the cave. Although the mantis was somewhat intelligent, it couldn¡¯t possibly comprehend the formation spell and was easily trapped within the formation spell.


    In the following two days, Han Li allowed the huge mantis to frantically run around within the Five Elements Reversal Formation, fully displaying the effects of the illusionary entrapment and the boundaries of area confinement.


    After the two days had passed, the demonic beast was exhausted and no longer moved within the formation. At that moment, Han Li took out many puppets and started to unceasingly harass it from outside the formation, prohibiting it from resting.


    Although the mantis¡¯ attacks were exceedingly fearsome, its defense was just ordinary. Because it couldn¡¯t approach the puppets attacking it, it was forced to use its scythe-like forelimbs to protect itself.


    This continued for half a day until the demon mantis was no longer able to endure, allowing the puppets to strike at its body. Although its injures weren¡¯t heavy, its strength had been mostly exhausted. At this moment, Han Li took turns changing the puppets¡¯ spirit stones.


    Seeing that it was almost time to finish up, Han Li summoned a treasure talisman, a small yellow knife. Under the cover of the puppets¡¯ attacks, it stabbed through the mantis¡¯ head, killing it within the formation.


    Victorious, Han Li walked toward the demon beast¡¯s corpse with barely concealed excitement. He then took out his huge silver sword and cut off its incisive forelimbs.


    Then with great expectations, he slowly opened the mantis¡¯ abdomen. He hoped that this demon beast was truly a grade five demon beast. As such, he would be able to acquire an exceptionally rare demon core.


    Han Li¡¯s face suddenly revealed pleasant surprise, but his expression turned strange immediately after. He was shocked by the items he had taken out of the corpse, several identical shining white ovals with visible veins.


    ¡°Monster beast eggs?¡± Han Li spoke to himself with astonishment. He was a bit confused; he had been expecting a demon beast¡¯s core.


    After Han Li recovered from his astonishment, he removed another seven eggs from the mantis¡¯ abdomen for a total of over ten eggs.


    These eggs were the same size as a chicken¡¯s egg. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but laugh; this was truly a pleasant surprise.


    He immediately thought of something and suddenly wrinkled his brows.  His brows remain furrowed as he placed his finger on a white egg and closed his eyes.


    Shortly after, Han Li¡¯s face became unsightly. These eggs didn¡¯t contain the slightest aura of life and were clearly lifeless. This was quite common with regards to demon beasts. After all, how could an extraordinary demon beast leave behind offspring so easily?


    With a gloomy expression, he tested the rest of the eggs. As expected, all the eggs were lifeless, causing him to feel depressed.


    With an angry heart, Han Li thought of turning the eggs to ash, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided to keep them in a jade container.


    ¡°This mantis wasn¡¯t a common demon beast. Even if its eggs were dead, they could prove to be useful!¡± Han Li said with unwillingness.


    After he picked off the mantis¡¯ gray wings, Han Li turned its corpse into ash and flew off toward the cave. Although his hopes weren¡¯t high, Han Li still wanted to see if there was anything worth taking.


    Han Li¡¯s search resulted in a surprise.


    Inside the cave, Han Li actually found a shriveled, gray-robed corpse. The corpse had an intact storage pouch at its waist.


    As Han Li grasped the storage pouch, his heart was pounding heavily.


    There was no question. This corpse was certain to be the remains of that Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator. When he ejected his soul from his body, he had actually left his storage pouch behind, leaving behind a pleasant surprise for Han Li!


    Naturally, Han Li couldn¡¯t have known that the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator had immediately perished because his injuries were too severe. He was only able to bind his Green Brilliance Dagger and condense a small amount of his Golden Core¡¯s spiritual Qi into that green ball, flusteredly taking two items with him before his soul left his body. After all, if he was too late, then his soul would perish along with his body.


    The storage pouch in his hands had belonged to a Core Formation cultivator. After suppressing the giddy excitement in his heart, he submerged his spiritual sense into the storage pouch and carefully examined what was inside.


    However, after searching through the storage pouch, Han Li no longer felt any of his previously held excitement.


    The huge storage pouch was actually filled with jars and pots. A majority of them were demon beast feed for insects. This was naturally of no use to Han Li. The rest was just a bit better, containing all sorts of named insect specimens.


    After a bit of investigation, Han Li found that most of the insects were still alive, much to his surprise. They had actually survived after several years without care. Their vitality was truly tenacious!


    As for the high grade talismans, magic tools and treasure talismans that Han Li direly needed, not a single one of them could be found, leaving Han Li speechless.


    Fortunately, Han Li had eventually reached the bottom layer of the storage pouch and found a green jade slip that greatly roused Han Li¡¯s interest.


    The slip contained that Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator¡¯s experiences on breeding insects. Not only did it introduce over a thousand unknown insects to Han Li, but it also mentioned the secret techniques that were used to breed and control them. But what caught Han Li¡¯s interest the most was his ranking of which insects were the most ferocious.


    The huge mantis was obviously on the list. Although it was gray, he had called it the ¡°Golden-back Demon Mantis¡±. This caused Han Li to be utterly confused for a moment.


    This huge mantis was only ranked seventy-three in his list of strange insects. There were still over seventy-two even more fearsome insects on that list. Han Li, who had personally witnessed the strength of the ¡°Golden-back Demon Mantis¡±, was stunned.


    Han Li eagerly looked through the list for most of the day before finally withdrawing his spiritual sense from the jade slip. After a moment of contemplation, he started to match the insects in his possession with the description of the fantastical insects he had read about.


    The results left Han Li beyond dissatisfied!


    Without considering any other uses the insects may have, their rankings were far too low! Only two of them were ranked above a hundred and the vast majority of them were ranked among two and three hundred!


    Had that Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator heard Han Li¡¯s complaints, he definitely would¡¯ve cursed him out! How could these strange insects be so easily acquired? Not to mention the top hundred rankings, even insects ranked in the top three to four hundred were rare breeds that were acquired over several hundred years of effort and violent struggle.

 Chapter 345

    A Small Old Man and Bell Tolls


    After looking through the items in the storage pouch, Han Li bluntly moved all of the items into his own storage pouch before slicing the original storage pouch into pieces.


    Although this storage pouch was clearly much better than his own, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to use it as he wasn¡¯t sure if the bag possessed any hidden traces.


    Han Li then rested for another day before he felt that it was about time to leave. With Crooked Soul in tow, he flew toward Yellow Maple Valley instead of the Seven Sects Camp.


    Han Li reckoned that if anything bad occurred at the Seven Sects Camp, the sects would be the first to receive this information. Therefore, he first headed to the sect in order to hear if there was any news. If nothing was out of the ordinary, then he would quickly convene at the Seven Sects Camp.


    After flying for six days, he had uneventfully arrived at the Tai Yue Mountain Range.


    Han Li didn¡¯t notify anyone. Instead, he first secretly returned to his own Immortal¡¯s cave first.


    Once he entered the cave and closed off his formation from the outside, Han Li felt much more at ease. After all, he was in the safety of his own territory.


    Han Li immediately rushed to the secret room containing his spirit well spring.


    He found two fist-sized spiders floating in the spirit well spring, having already hatched from their eggs. Although they weren¡¯t large, one could tell that they were beyond ordinary from their sparkling and translucent bodies.


    Upon seeing Han Li, the small spiders blurred, immediately shooting toward him. Han Li was surprised at first, but something immediately came to mind, and he didn¡¯t avoid them.


    As a result, the two spiders steadily landed on Han Li¡¯s shoulders and mischievously crawled over Han Li¡¯s body.


    Han Li faintly smiled. It seems the soul controlling restriction that used his blood essence had an effect. The two spiders already saw him as their parent and thus had shown such affection.


    Delighted, Han Li picked up a spider off of his body and carefully observed it with curiosity.


    Although spiders generally gave people feelings of great disgust and hate, this spider had a shining, pure-white body. It was extremely beautiful, giving people the notion of wanting to pet it in admiration.


    But what surprised Han Li the most was that the small spider already had the Spiritual Qi of a fourth layer Qi Condensation cultivator. It was already a genuine low grade one demonic beast. It appeared it had great potential!


    With regards to the white spider¡¯s ranking on the list, it was listed as the ¡°Blood Jade Spider¡± at about rank one hundred. Although it was not as fearsome as the ¡°Golden-Back Demon Mantis¡±, it was a rare breed.


    Han Li played around with the two small spiders for a moment before placing them inside a leather bag. Since he didn¡¯t know when he would be able to return, he naturally wanted to carry them with him so that he could properly train them.


    Afterwards, Han Li went to his own bedroom and took out a small chest from underneath his bed.


    The box contained storage pouches filled with all kinds of talismans. Han Li casually took two of them. Since he had nearly used all of the talismans on hand, he had to replenish them.


    Having finished his affairs, Han Li left Crooked Soul in his Immortal¡¯s cave and confidently flew straight toward Yellow Maple Valley.


    Perhaps it was because a majority of the people had already hurried off to the Seven Sects¡¯ Camp, Han Li only came across a few separated Qi Condensation disciples. He casually stopped one and made an inquiry about the circumstances of the valley. No news had arrived about misfortune falling upon the Seven Sects, much to Han Li¡¯s relief.


    But since this had only come from a Qi Condensation disciple, Han Li couldn¡¯t let this matter drop. After a moment of consideration, he headed straight toward the Hundred Medicine Garden. As a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, that small old man should have some reliable information.


    A short moment later, Han Li had appeared above the Hundred Medicine Garden, but he was blocked by the white mist formation spell.


    He had long returned its command medallion to the small old man and could no longer enter the Hundred Medicine Garden as he pleased.


    Although Han Li had already witnessed the power of the Five Elements Reversal Formation, the small old man¡¯s simple illusion formation was still able to obstruct Han Li. Instead of entering by force, Han Li sent a sound transmission talisman instead; after speaking into it, it turned into a streak of fire, flying into the white mist.


    Not long after, the white mist below him blew away, allowing him a path in.


    When Han Li saw this, he chuckled and gently descended.


    When he arrived at the center of the Hundred Medicine Garden, he found two people waiting for him.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Ma, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Han Li grinned at a small old man as he said this.


    ¡°Humph! Even without seeing each other, you still went and found trouble for me!¡± The small old man, the master of the Hundred Medicine Garden, didn¡¯t greet him with a smile and rolled his eyes instead.


    ¡°Hehe! Could it be that such an adorable disciple like Young Lady Xiao is not to your satisfaction?¡± Han Li continued to grin at him completely without concern.


    With a slightly red face, the young woman saluted Han Li and greeted him with gratitude, ¡°Xiao Cui¡¯er pays her respects to Martial Uncle Han. Many thanks for Martial Uncle¡¯s great kindness!¡±


    This young girl was the granddaughter of that Xiao grandparent-grandchild pair.


    When the small old man heard this, he revealed an unsightly expression. But when he wanted to say something, Han Li quickly interrupted him. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Ma, the reason why I came here is because I have a few important matters to discuss with you. It concerns something significant!¡± Han Li suddenly said with a solemn expression.


    Having seen Han Li¡¯s solemn expression, the small old man wrinkled his brow. An instant later, he instructed Xiao Cui¡¯er, ¡°Guard the garden¡¯s entrance. I have a few matters to discuss with your Martial Uncle Han!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± The young woman respectfully replied and silently walked to the garden¡¯s entrance.


    Xiao Cui¡¯er¡¯s obedient action was clearly to the small old man¡¯s satisfaction. He had even revealed a trace of a fond expression.


    When Han Li saw this, he inwardly laughed. This Senior Martial Brother Ma said that he gave him trouble, but he was inwardly fond of Xiao Cui¡¯er. Even so, he was still trying so hard to save face in spite of this!


    The small old man brought Han Li into his guest room. After they both sat down, he insipidly asked, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, shouldn¡¯t you be at the border camp? How do you still have time to come here for questions? Let¡¯s hear what¡¯s so important that you had to come here!¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Ma wore an indifferent expression.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a long story!¡± Han Li sighed and bitterly smiled.


    Because Han Li had been friends with the small old man for so many years, he knew that although the old man¡¯s words were caustic, he had a truly good character. Thus, he had told him about his encounter with the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator. Naturally, Han Li glossed over the finer details of the fight and focused on the possibility that Spirit Beast Mountain was still working with the Devil Dao.


    After hearing Han Li out, the small old man¡¯s expression became stiff.


    A long while later, he eventually asked Han Li with a strange expression, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han! You exterminated the soul of a Core Formation cultivator? And Spirit Beast Mountain is still an agent of the Devil Dao?¡±


    He was in complete disbelief as if he had listened to a tall tale.


    Han Li¡¯s face became bitter in response.


    It was no wonder why the old man was like this. No one could be convinced in such a short amount of time.


    Han Li tensely wrinkled his brow and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know how reliable this information is. That¡¯s why I returned to the sect first to see if there was any news from the border camp. If nothing had happened, I would be able to go there with an easy heart.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t conceal anything from the small old man, fully revealing his great desire to preserve his own life.


    ¡°There is nothing. We¡¯ve only received requests to transport large quantities of spirit stones and other supplies. No negative news had arrived. It has all been very ordinary.¡± The small old man said with a stern expression.


    Han Li lightly sighed and stroked his nose, muttering, ¡°It seems I was completely made a fool of by him! I want to curse that cultivator out to vent my gloominess. Or maybe I should be celebrating that nothing bad had happened to the main camp instead?¡±


    D¨¡ng. D¨¡ng. Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a huge bell continuously tolled from the official hall.


    The small old man and Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    The bell tolls continued for the time it would take to finish a cup of tea before stopping.


    The small old man had an extremely unsightly expression and took a deep breath. He spoke with a deep voice, ¡°No less than eighty-one tolls. It seems your information is most likely true. The circumstances are far from great!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what happened. It might not have anything to do with my information.¡± Han Li calmly said after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Humph! It¡¯d be a miracle if it were not! If it¡¯s not a major defeat at the frontlines, what else would cause the Dragonwaking Bell to toll eighty-one times, representing a extermination level crisis of our sect?¡± The small old man bitterly smiled.

 Chapter 346

    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu


    Han Li and the small old man left the room together. Having heard the series of bell tolls, Xiao Cui¡¯er, who was guarding the garden entrance, couldn¡¯t help but look back at the old man in panic.


    The small old man wrinkled his brow and walked over to her, whispering something in her ear. Afterwards, the young girl was calm once more.


    The old man then called out to Han Li, and the two flew off in the direction of the Official Hall.


    On the way there, Han Li saw many cultivators travelling in the same direction. However, a large majority of them were Qi Condensation disciples; it was clear the sect¡¯s strength had greatly diminished. When the Devil Dao arrived, even with the great protective formations, the sect wouldn¡¯t be able to endure for long.


    With solemn expressions, the two remained silent on their journey. Soon, they arrived at a huge stone hall.


    At this moment, over a thousand cultivators gathered in front of the hall. However, the guards blocked them all from entering. They only allowed cultivators who were at least Foundation Establishment to enter.


    Under the crowd¡¯s complicated gazes, Han Li and the small old man silently entered.


    Once Han Li entered the Official Hall, he was shocked! It was not chaotic like he had expected. Instead, he saw over a hundred cultivators waiting in complete silence, respectfully gazing at a seated person.


    This person wasn¡¯t the Yellow Maple Valley Sect Master, Zhong Lingdao. Instead, Sect Master Zhong Lingdao was actually standing at his side.


    The old man had fully white hair, wore embroidered clothes, and had a yellow, withered expression. But for some unknown reason, Han Li¡¯s heart pounded upon seeing him and he found it hard to stop his limbs from trembling.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ Han Li was amazed.


    The old man had merely gazed at Han Li and the small old man, but that mere gaze caused Han Li to feel his body go ice-cold and his heart to feel stifled, as if his concealed secrets were seen through. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but grow pale from shock.


    ¡°Hm? Your soul cultivation is quite good. What kind of soul strengthening cultivation technique do you use?¡± When the old man saw Han Li, his eyes flashed with amazement.


    When Han Li heard this, he experienced both anger and terror.


    He felt overwhelmed with disbelief. He did not sense any spiritual power from the old man, illustrating that the differences in their cultivation were like heaven and earth. However, Li Huayuan and the other Core Formation cultivators didn¡¯t make him feel this way. Could it be that this person is a¡­


    After a moment of thought, Han Li was left dumbstruck. Having long flung his anger away from even the farthest of clouds, Han Li hastily replied with the utmost respect, ¡°This one reports to Senior that he truly had cultivated a technique that has some relation to the soul. Senior¡¯s gaze is truly perceptive!¡± His reply held a tone of flattery.


    The embroidered clothed old man faintly smiled and lightly waved his hand. Han Li and the small old man then tactfully stood among the crowd.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators had arrived.


    At that moment, Zhong Lingdao respectfully said to the old man, ¡°Venerable Ancestor, all of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present in the sect have already arrived. As for Martial Senior Huang, he won¡¯t be able to return soon. He is currently at Heavenrock Mountain.¡±


    When the embroidered clothed old man heard this, he slightly wrinkled his brow and immediately instructed him with indifference, ¡°Then so be it. We cannot afford to delay this further. We will start first without him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Venerable Ancestor speaks truly!¡± Zhong Lingdao strongly agreed with him.


    The embroidered clothed old man chuckled in response and didn¡¯t say anything further.


    ¡°My fellow martial brothers, let me introduce you all to our Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu. As you have previously heard, he entered Nascent Soul stage three hundred years ago and is our sect¡¯s sole Grand Elder. As of now, our sect had encountered an unprecedented crisis of extermination. Our Venerable Ancestor will fully explain this matter.¡±


    After finishing, Zhong Lingdao stepped off to the side.


    Although a majority of those present had correctly guessed the identity of this embroidered clothed old man, an uproar emerged upon their suspicions being confirmed.


    The crowd looked upon this Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu with a peculiar gaze. In the near thousand years that Yellow Maple Valley had existed, there had only been one Nascent Soul cultivator. At nearly eight hundred years old, it could be said that he was the unaging father of Yellow Maple Valley.


    Ancestor Ling Hu lightly coughed in response to the chaotic situation, immediately silencing the entire hall. Who would dare to not give face to this venerable ancestor?


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve all heard the Dragonwaking Bell, I won¡¯t beat around the bush. As of now, our Seven Sects along with our allied armies have suffered a huge frontal defeat, along with a disastrous amount of casualties and wounded. Although we¡¯ve barely managed to establish a second defensive line, defeat is only a matter of time.¡±


    After the old man said this, all the cultivators in the hall paled. Han Li and the small old man looked at each other with complicated expressions but remained silent.


    ¡°Venerable Ancestor, how is this possible? The day of the decisive battle has yet to come? There is still a month!¡± A middle-aged cultivator couldn¡¯t help but ask this.


    ¡°It is because those at the frontline held the same thoughts as you that the Devil Dao was able to launch such a successful surprise attack!¡± The embroidered clothed old man bluntly rebuked him with dark expression. The middle-aged man thoroughly blushed and saluted him before hastily stepping back.


    No one else dared to be so tactless, having seen the middle-aged cultivator¡¯s embarrassment. As a result, they suppressed the many doubts they held in their heart and silently waited for Ancestor Ling Hu to continue.


    ¡°This disastrous defeat cannot be completely blamed on our own force¡¯s carelessness and their lack of vigilance. There was a traitor among the Seven Sects: Spirit Beast Mountain. While they were solely standing guard, they actually opened the exterior formation and allowed the Devil Dao entry, leading to our disastrous defeat.¡± As the old man said this, he revealed a trace of anger.


    The crowd of cultivators suddenly came to a realization and loudly cursed Spirit Beast Mountain, causing the scene to become chaotic once more.


    ¡°Enough. There is no use in cursing. As the enemy¡¯s means were greater than ours, we have no other choice but to concede defeat. Currently, the most important matter is how to prevent our sect from being exterminated. Our remaining cultivators on the frontlines will only be able to last two or three days at most. Before that time comes, we must evacuate the State of Yue as soon as possible.¡± Ancestor Ling Hu said with exceptional calm.


    ¡°Evacuate from the State of Yue?¡± Once that question was asked, the entire hall grew silent as if they were all stunned.


    As cultivators who had lived their entire lives in the State of Yue, they found leaving hard to accept. For a while, nobody spoke in agreement.


    ¡°What? You find it hard to leave?¡± The old man said indifferently. He was hardly surprised.


    ¡°Venerable Ancestor, could it be that you and the other Nascent Soul Seniors have no method to repel the Devil Dao?¡± Eventually, a thirty-year-old youth hesitantly asked this.


    ¡°Of course we can. If us old fellows were to join hands, we should be able to easily exterminate those Devil Dao cultivators.¡± The old man said straightforwardly.


    ¡°Then, could Venerable Ancestor¡­¡±


    ¡°But you all shouldn¡¯t forget, with the Six Devil Dao¡¯s grand reputation, how could they be lacking in Nascent Soul cultivators? We old fellows had already acted against them, but we were at a disadvantage. As a result, they compelled us to swear a death-oath such that as long as they did not participate in the battles, we wouldn¡¯t either. As such, the battles were restricted to the level of Core Formation cultivators.¡± Ancestor Ling Hu sighed and revealed a surprising secret.


    Han Li suddenly came to a realization as to why he had never seen any battles between Nascent Soul cultivators.


    ¡°If we do not move, they will be able to surround Yellow Maple Valley and deal with the sect in a single move. Since I am bound by oath, I will not be able to save you. Thus, I¡¯ve already decided that the entire sect must depart the State of Yue. Furthermore, we aren¡¯t the only ones leaving. The other five sects will be joining us. As such, we will be able to rise back to power in a foreign land. When our strength is sufficient, we will return and fight for our rightful place in the State of Yue.¡± Ancestor Ling Hu spoke with a cold smile. Obviously, he didn¡¯t seem all to opposed to leaving the State of Yue.


    Having heard the Ancestor¡¯s decisive tone, the others could only follow his commands; they didn¡¯t dare to voice any differing opinions they may have held.


    ¡°Most of the other affairs have been settled. However, there is still one dangerous task that must be done.¡± Ancestor Ling Hu suddenly said something that shocked the crowd, causing them to look at each other in dismay.


    ¡°The following people I point to must follow me to the rear hall. The others will remain and listen to Sect Master Zhong¡¯s evacuation arrangements!¡± The old man then stood up from his seat and expressionlessly walked toward the crowd. The crowd continued to remain in shock.


    ¡°You, you, and you¡­¡± With no trace of politeness, he pointed to over half of the people present; Han Li and the small old man were included among the chosen. After finishing the selection, the ancestor walked toward the rear hall apathetically.


    Han Li and the others were restless and hesitated for a moment before obediently following behind him.

 Chapter 347

    Evacuation


    When they arrived at the rear hall, the old man was standing with his hands held behind his back.


    Seeing that the many cultivators had arrived, he said with a calm expression, ¡°Those of you that I had just chosen have good aptitude or have practiced exceptional cultivation arts. As such, you are the spark that will ignite our sect¡¯s revival. Therefore, I will give you all half a day to immediately return and retrieve your items. Afterwards, Martial Nephew Huang will lead you on your journey.¡±


    Everyone was shocked. Someone then asked in bewilderment, ¡°Venerable Ancestor, don¡¯t we still have two more days before the Devil Dao breach our defensive line? Why the hurry?¡±


    ¡°Humph! While it will take two days to break through our defensive line, do you believe that they will allow those left behind to slip away? They will send men past the defensive line to attack the distant sects, most likely with the objective to obstruct our escape rather than extermination. For this reason, we will sacrifice those outside in order to buy time for you to retreat. But if you dare to leak this matter during the time you are to retrieve your items, our retreat will be met with great chaos, and I will have to personally dispose of the sect.¡± The ancestor¡¯s voice was extremely callous, causing the hearts of those present to tremble.


    ¡°Yes, Venerable Ancestor.¡± ¡­¡­


    Naturally, Han Li and the others didn¡¯t dare to object. They all respectfully agreed and went out to retrieve their items.


    On their way back, Han Li and the small old man parted with much on their minds.


    Because Han Li¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave was too far away, he had to fly at full speed on his Divine Wind Boat.


    Han Li¡¯s heart was in turmoil.


    According to what Ancestor Ling Hu said, Han Li would no longer have to worry about his well-being. If they were to move to another country, he would be regarded as valuable due to the fact that manpower was lacking.


    But at the same time, they would have to conquer territory in a new country in order to establish Yellow Maple Valley. As one of the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, Han Li would be preoccupied with miscellaneous affairs. He would no longer have much time remaining to cultivate!


    Presumably, when this matter had been settled and the six sects have reestablished themselves, he would¡¯ve already come across an opportunity to advance to the Core Formation stage. However, Han Li was unwilling to deal with these troublesome affairs for such a long period of time.


    But as Han Li entertained the idea of making his escape, he had no idea whether or not he was still being observed by that old eccentric¡¯s spiritual sense. He didn¡¯t know if his actions could still be observed at this distance. If this were the case, he would be certain to meet a tragic end if he deserted.


    Han Li felt great regret. Had he known that the situation had deteriorated to this degree, he definitely would¡¯ve fled the country instead of returning!


    Without any other option, Han Li could only return to his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Upon entering his Immortal¡¯s cave, he first headed to his bedroom and took all the talisman-filled storage pouches from underneath his bed. He then went to his storage room and put away his remaining rare medicine ingredients.


    Lastly, he went to the secret room that held the spirit well spring and completely destroyed it, concealing the spirit well spring.


    Since he was currently unable to transport this item, Han Li didn¡¯t want those from the Devil Dao to make use of it.


    Having finished all that, Han Li inspected his residence thoroughly once more. Feeling that he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything, he called Crooked Soul out of the cave before carefully removing and putting away the formation flags and plates of the first set of the ¡°Five Phases Reversal Formation¡±.


    After the formation spell disappeared, he looked at the large entrance of his Immortal¡¯s cave. With an intense gaze, he suddenly released two streaks of black light and smashed the mountaintop, thoroughly concealing his immortal¡¯s cave.


    Subsequently, he released the Divine Wind Boat and brought Crooked Soul on board. After flying a circle around his former home, he finally flew off.


    By the time Han Li returned to the Official Hall, most of the others had already arrived. Leaving Crooked Soul outside, he entered the hall by himself.


    But what surprised him was that apart from tens of Foundation Establishment cultivators, several hundred Qi Condensation Disciples were also gathered outside the hall.


    ¡®Could it be that they will evacuate together with us?¡¯ Han Li thought doubtfully.


    His eyes suddenly brightened upon seeing the small old man and Xiao Cui¡¯er. They were quietly talking to each other with grim expressions.


    Having seen this, Han Li walked over without hesitation.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han!¡± Xiao Cui¡¯er respectfully greeted Han Li when she saw him approach.


    Han Li nodded to her with a smile and then turned toward the small old man, whispering, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are these Qi Condensation disciples travelling with us?¡±


    Han Li spoke in a soft voice to avoid attracting the others¡¯ attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°To avoid being easily abandoned, these disciples either possessed exceptional aptitude or distinguished status. My own disciple also has exceptional aptitude!¡± The small old man spoke indifferently. But when he mentioned Xiao Cui¡¯er, he revealed a trace of pride; Han Li found this somewhat humorous.


    A short while later, Ancestor Ling Hu and a valiant middle-aged man appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just received information that traces of Devil Dao cultivators have been spotted nearby. We must all immediately set off. Obey Martial Nephew Huang¡¯s orders from now on! I will gather the remaining sect members to draw the enemy.¡± Ancestor Ling Hu spoke with a solemn expression.


    Han Li and the others were shocked by what they heard. The Devil Dao were truly swift!


    The valiant middle-aged man who stood by his side followed up, coldly saying, ¡°As time is pressing, I will keep it short. In this evacuation, I only have one demand. You must all listen to my orders. Those that disobey will be regarded as traitors. We will now depart!¡±


    This person was truly quick and decisive! With those brief statements, he respectfully saluted the old man before taking the lead to leave the hall.


    After a moment of astonishment, everyone rushed after him like a swarm of bees.


    As a result, the grand crowd of several hundred cultivators took to the skies and hurriedly flew toward the northeast. ¡­¡­


    Over half a day later, the group had arrived at the Tai Yue Mountain Range. At that point, they slightly increased their speed.


    Standing on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li flew near the front of the group. When the small old man saw that Han Li¡¯s Divine Wind Boat could carry more, he dragged Xiao Cui¡¯er into the boat with him without a trace of politeness. Han Li could only bitterly laugh in response and said nothing more.


    Xiao Cui¡¯er was a bit interested in Crooked Soul who stood behind Han Li and stared at him with wide eyes. Naturally, the young girl was able to somewhat see through Crooked Soul. After asking a few questions, she no longer pressed the issue.


    After travelling over fifty kilometers through the Tai Yue Mountain Range, a streak of white light suddenly shot toward the group from behind. In the blink of an eye, it travelled past the group and into the hand of Martial Uncle Huang. It was a sparkling short sword with a jade slip tied to it.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face darkened and he waved his hand, stopping the group.


    After taking the jade slip off, he casually flung the short sword away. Immediately after, it transformed back into a streak of white light and flew back toward its original location.


    Martial Uncle Huang then probed the jade slip with his spiritual sense. A moment later, his face became very unsightly, and he immediately lowered his head in deep contemplation. It was obvious that a troublesome matter had occurred.


    ¡°The circumstances have changed. All Foundation Establishment cultivators step forward. I must assign you another duty.¡± The middle-aged man turned around and said this with a dark expression.


    These words left Han Li and company stunned. But after they looked at each other, Xiao Cui¡¯er cleverly jumped off the Divine Wind Boat, and they obediently flew forward.


    ¡°Martial Uncle, what happened?¡± Many had witnessed the middle-aged man receiving a message from the flying sword.


    ¡°Venerable Ancestor sent us a message. The Devil Dao is about to arrive. It seems like they knew of our plan and separated into two groups. One group moved to surround Yellow Maple Valley, while the other group chased after us. In order to protect our continued retreat, I require a squad to follow me and draw them away. As I block them, those who remain will follow those that I assign and continue their escape from the State of Yue.¡± Martial Uncle Huang said in an ice-cold tone.


    Their hearts trembled upon hearing his words.


    They weren¡¯t fools. Being assigned to block the Devil Dao would most likely result in death!


    Although a majority of them evaded his gaze, Martial Uncle Huang started pointing without restraint. In a single breath, he had picked over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    While the small old man managed to escape calamity, Han Li was unfortunately among those chosen!


    Those that were chosen became deathly pale, but they didn¡¯t dare to utter any words of refusal.


    With a wave of an arm, Martial Uncle Huang sent the others to continue their journey, leaving Han Li and company behind.


    ¡°We are pressed for time! I know that you all don¡¯t think very favorably of this assignment, but I don¡¯t need to you stake your all to meet the enemy. I only request that you mount an ambush and draw their attention away from our retreating forces.¡± The middle-aged man said with a relaxed tone. He then took out about twenty green jade slips.


    ¡°Memorize the map inside the jade slip and then destroy it! If you are later separated, you will be able to regroup again in accordance to the map.¡± Martial Uncle Huang waved his hand and streaks of green light shot toward the twenty-plus cultivators and floated in front of them.


    Having heard Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s words, the others¡¯ complexion improved visibly. Since they didn¡¯t have to rigidly block the Devil Dao, their chances of survival were much higher. As a result, they all grabbed the jade slips and started to memorize the map contained within.


    Han Li only skimmed through the jade slip in passing and didn¡¯t take it to heart.


    After all, this assignment to remain behind and block the Devil Dao was a rare opportunity to escape. Han Li was unwilling to stay with Yellow Maple Valley to the very end for a later opportunity to reach Core Formation.

 Chapter 348

    Heavenfire Technique


    After seeing that everyone had crushed their jade slips, Martial Uncle Huang revealed an expression of satisfaction.


    His hands then flashed with yellow light, and a small foot-long banner appeared in his hand. The banner was white and glowed with a yellow radiance, rendering its embroidery difficult to discern.


    ¡°I will use the Cloud-Wind Banner to mask the traces of your presence. When the enemy arrives, launch your ambush when they are most vulnerable.¡±


    Martial Uncle Huang then lightly shook the small flag in his hands, releasing countless strands of milky-white vapor from his flag. In the blink of an eye, a huge, hundred-meter-wide cloud had appeared, concealing Han Li and company within.


    Han Li and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were pleasantly surprised by the sudden concealment! This cloud was exceptionally thick, but for some unknown reason, their vision wasn¡¯t obstructed in the least. It would serve as exceptionally good cover!


    Martial Uncle Huang continued his casting, causing the cloud to further expand. Soon after, they could no longer see anything outside of the cloud.


    Han Li was left speechless!


    Although his magic tool ¡°Azurefire Miasma¡± could also turn into a thick cloud, it was incomparable to the Cloud-Wind Banner. Not only was the scope of his Azurefire Miasma smaller, he could only use it on himself; anyone else within it would be poisoned.


    With that thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but glance at Martial Uncle Huang.


    He was sitting down cross-legged with his eyes shut in the cloud. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators were attentively standing behind him. It seemed that they were his bodyguards.


    Han Li stared blankly for a moment. But soon after, he came to the realization that Martial Uncle Huang was using his spiritual sense to scout for enemies. As a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense was great and could detect movements within a radius of a hundred kilometers, he should be capable of detecting them.


    Having seen this, Han Li sat on his Divine Wind Boat and rested. The upcoming fight would be incredibly dangerous. Crooked Soul remained motionless behind him, appearing steadfast.


    After two hours, Martial Uncle Huang spoke, ¡°The enemy has arrived. We¡¯re about a kilometer away from them. We need to intercept their advance.¡± He then took off without another word, bringing the cloud with him.


    Everyone within the cloud naturally didn¡¯t dare to leave its cover and hurriedly followed after Martial Uncle Huang on their magic tools.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and took out his huge silver sword as he flew, giving it to Crooked Soul. Although he didn¡¯t know how useful it would be, it was still better to try to increase one¡¯s fighting capabilities.


    ¡°We are here. The enemy will soon arrive. Everyone, prepare yourselves!¡± Martial Uncle Huang commanded. After a short moment, the cloud had arrived in the enemy¡¯s path.


    Suddenly, everyone¡¯s magic tools started shining, and they began to apply defensive magic techniques to their bodies. Sparkles of light flashed from within the cloud.


    Han Li took out two azure-red spheres and lightly bumped them together. With a muffled thump, a concentrated azure-red mist was released from the two spheres, quickly enveloping Han Li. In the blink of an eye, a huge, twenty-meter-wide azure-red cloud completely concealed Han Li.


    Han Li had unexpectedly used the Azurefire Miasma to form a cloud as a defense while still within Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s cloud. The nearby cultivators were stunned, not understanding Han Li¡¯s intentions.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to his fellow sect members. He grabbed his tortoise shell with one hand and held an common blue throwing knife in the other hand instead of taking out his Black Dragon Claws.


    Han Li clearly understood what he was doing. In his mind, the more low-profile the magic tool, the better. Only then would he avoid any troublesome attention during the raid and easily make his escape.


    Everyone waited attentively, and in the blink of an eye, ten minutes had passed. However, not a single enemy was found.


    A majority of the waiting cultivators grew anxious and impatient. They couldn¡¯t help but look at Martial Uncle Huang with doubt.


    The valiant Martial Uncle Huang now also appeared doubtful, but after a moment of thought, he unhurriedly said, ¡°Everyone, do not worry. I will launch a search with my spiritual sense.¡±


    As he sat down, a deafening series of booms suddenly sounded out from the sky before he could even start. The sounds increased in intensity and occurrence until they appeared to be coming from all directions.


    Alarmed by the sudden noise, the cultivators quickly turned their heads to the sky. What they saw left their faces pale.


    The sky had turned red at an unknown time, and all of the clouds had turned into fiery-red ash clouds as if they were made of boiling lava. The huge rumbling sounds came from bursting pockets of lava within the clouds.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Someone to the side of Han Li shouted in horror.


    ¡°Everyone, be careful! This is the intermediate high-grade ¡°Heavenfire¡± magic technique. Lava will begin dripping from above, with each drop equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator¡¯s strike! If you do not block it, you will turn into ashes.¡± As Senior Uncle Huang said this, his face became extremely unsightly.


    It was clear that the ambushers had now become the ambushed.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s quickly escape! I have no intention of trying to block this!¡± Someone said with panic. He was prepared to fly off immediately.


    ¡°It is already too late! The magic technique is complete, and we are now trapped within it. Everyone, gather together and form a defensive barrier!¡±Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s eyes flashed with coldness as he gave his commands with fierce resolution.


    Having heard his orders, the others suddenly understood the situation and hastily acted together. With a flash of blue light, they erected a huge light barrier.


    In nearly the same instant that the barrier was formed, the intermediate high-grade magic technique started to wreak devastation from the sky. It struck down upon Han Li and company, but the barrier they had just erected managed to easily repel the attacks.


    However, that was only the beginning of the rain of lava. Although the majority of the attacks missed, a significant amount of damage had been inflicted upon the light barrier, causing it to spark with red and blue light.


    Initially, the group felt that they had energy to spare, but the lava soon began dropping at an increased rate and in larger quantities. In turn, the group¡¯s spiritual power expenditure also quickly increased. At this rate, they wouldn¡¯t be able to last for long.


    The barrier of blue light gradually weakened from the assault.


    Fortunately, this formidable magic technique ended as quickly as it began. Just as the barrier was on the verge of collapse, the Heavenfire Technique reached its end, and the clouds of lava disappeared without a trace, causing the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators to feel relieved.


    However, their happy expressions immediately froze a moment later.


    At some point during the attack, they had been silently surrounded by nearly a hundred cultivators. From their attire, they appeared to be from the Devil Dao. They were all looking down at the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators with a trace of ridicule.


    The Yellow Maple Valley cultivators were both furious and frightened! However, the surrounding cultivators were only Foundation Establishment disciples. Not a single Core Formation cultivator was amongst them, causing the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators to sigh in relief. Although they had consumed much of their magic power, they still had a Core Formation cultivator among them. There should be no need to be afraid.


    ¡°How did you know we were here? My Cloud-Wind Banner should¡¯ve concealed us from your spiritual sense!¡± Martial Uncle Huang asked with a sunken expression.


    ¡°I can answer that!¡± A slurred, coquettish voice came from above, causing Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s heart to tremble in fear. He hastily looked toward the sky and saw a man and woman floating down from above.


    The man had a head full of white hair and was shriveled to the bone, appearing as if the slightest breeze could knock him over. The woman was seductively attractive with a slender waist and generous bottom. Every one of her movements tugged at the heart.


    Han Li silently cursed. The two in the air were actually Core Formation cultivators. Their appearance brought greater trouble.


    ¡°Fair Rouge and Skeleton?¡± Upon seeing the two, Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s pupils shrank.


    Without waiting for their reply, he suddenly waved his Cloud-Wind banner and caused the white mist to completely disappear, revealing Han Li and company. While facing such powerful enemies, he naturally couldn¡¯t afford to look after Han Li and his other martial nephews.


    ¡°Heehee, I truly didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist would recognize this couple! This isn¡¯t fair! You recognized us husband and wife, but we are rather unfamiliar with Fellow Daoist. However, I have heard of an ice-cold fellow from Yellow Maple Valley that had a very interesting magic treasure called the Cloud-Wind Banner. Could your esteemed self be him?¡± The seductive woman chuckled as if she didn¡¯t possess the slightest hostility.


    But upon seeing the woman¡¯s delicate, charming smile, Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s expression only grew colder. He continued to stare at her in silence.


    The woman faintly smiled in response to his silence, before suddenly shouting, ¡°How utterly boring. Kill them!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Since Junior Martial Sister wants his life, I will naturally obey!¡± The shriveled ¡®Skeleton¡¯ chuckled and sinisterly said.


    At that moment, Han Li and company heard their Martial Uncle¡¯s voice transmission in their ears, ¡°Once I act, immediately break through their enclosure. Run away as far as you can.¡±


    Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s voice was completely devoid of emotion.

 Chapter 349

    Fleeing to Yuanwu


    Immediately after Han Li and company heard Martial Uncle Huang¡¯s voice, the Cloud-Wind Banner suddenly flashed with blinding yellow light. The burst of radiance contracted and then swelled before exploding.


    A white mist even thicker than before madly rushed forth from the banner and enveloped both enemies and allies in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    A roar from the human skeleton traveled through the fog along with the furious, charming voice of the seductive woman. Afterwards, the sound of huge explosions started echoing through the mist. It was obvious that Martial Uncle Huang was currently fighting with the two Devil Dao Core Formation cultivators.


    Han Li and company didn¡¯t allow this opportunity provided by their Martial Uncle to slip by. At nearly the same moment that the mist appeared, the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators scattered in all directions, flying off on their magic tools.


    Relying on the Divine Wind Boat¡¯s great speed, Han Li shot through the fog.


    Han Li chose to flee in the direction that held the most enemy cultivators. Although the enemies there were numerous, Han Li felt that their magic power and cultivation was weaker, thereby being the best direction to break through.


    However, many of his fellow sect members didn¡¯t understand this, and the majority of them chose the directions that held fewer enemies. Han Li could only look on with disapproval.


    In an instant, Han Li had taken advantage of the chaotic situation to arrive at the edge of the encirclement.


    The mist at the edge of the enclosure was much weaker, allowing the Devil Dao cultivators to notice Han Li¡¯s rushing figure. But because Han Li was using the Azurefire Miasma, they were only able to see a large cloud of azure-red smoke, leaving them stunned.


    However, three nearby Devil Dao cultivators immediately came to their senses and simultaneously launched their attacks. A streak of golden light, three streaks of yellow light, and a large ball of black Qi shot toward Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li snorted and pointed to the tortoise shell, causing it to immediately swell to several times its original size. At that same moment, he madly poured more spiritual power into the Divine Wind Boat in an attempt to fly as fast as possible.


    Han Li had already come to the conclusion that now was not the time to be tangled up in a battle. If other enemies were allowed to ensnare him, he would no longer be able to run. Therefore, he poured most of his magic power into his flying magic tool as it was a race against time to escape. This was only possible due to the great confidence Han Li had in his tortoise shell as it was even harder than his white scale shield.


    While Han Li was still thinking, the golden and yellow streaks of light collided with the tortoise shell. Just as Han Li had expected, they were forcibly blocked. However, the ball of black Qi was unexpectedly tricky, and it suddenly split in two when it smashed against the tortoise shell. The halves slipped around the sides of the tortoise shell before reforming. Although it had been delayed for a moment, it still arrived at Han Li¡¯s side. The ball of black Qi turned into a ten-meter-large ghost head, attempting to swallow Han Li along with his Divine Wind Boat.


    Han Li sneered in response. With a single wave of his arm, over a hundred fireballs appeared, tearing the ghost head apart in an instant. Over the course of the war, Han Li had grown quite familiar with such elementary Devil Dao arts.


    Taking advantage of the opening, Han Li exhaled and sped past the evaporated ghost head. In an instant, he had broken through the enclosure, leaving the Devil Dao cultivators behind him.


    Although their attacks were not successful, the Devil Dao cultivators were naturally unwilling to just let him go. They cursed before hastily chasing after Han Li on their own flying magic tools. However, Han Li didn¡¯t pay any attention to his pursuers, only focusing on flying at the greatest speed possible.


    As Han Li expected, the curses of the Devil Dao cultivators sounded further away and rarer as time passed. Flight magic tools capable of such speed as the Divine Wind Boat were seldom seen after all. Finally, after a mad rush lasting a few hours, not a single person could be seen behind him.


    Even with this, Han Li still didn¡¯t dare to grow complacent and continued speeding along for a moment before slowing down and carefully examining his surroundings. He then stamped his foot on his Divine Wind boat, shooting away once more.


    Han Li¡¯s current condition wasn¡¯t very good. Almost half of his magic power had been consumed in the creation of the united defensive barrier. With the additional magic power consumed during his mad rush, he was in dire need to replenish his magic power! Otherwise, he would be in dire straits if he were to encounter an enemy.


    With that in mind, Han Li descended onto a desolate mountain and put away his Azurefire Miasma. He then found a concealed location behind a huge rock and sat down cross-legged behind it.


    Afterwards, he took out a blue mid-grade spirit stone from his storage pouch and started to replenish his magic power.


    Crooked Soul stood by his side and kept watch.


    Not long after Han Li sat down, a streak of red light flew across the sky in a panic. Soon after, six streaks of black and green light chased after it.


    It was obvious that an unlucky person had managed to get snared a second time.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay further attention to them and slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into a state of emptiness to recover magic power at even greater speed.


    After an indeterminate length of time had passed, Han Li opened his eyes. Having nearly recovered the entirety of his magic power, he was unwilling to stay here for even a second longer.


    He looked up at the sky and saw that it was now dusk; he was just in time to make his escape under the cover of night.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t make any haphazard movements. Instead, he took a moment to carefully observe his surroundings with his spiritual sense and confirmed that there were no Devil Dao cultivators nearby.


    It seemed that they were now pursuing the main Yellow Maple Valley group, after having dealt with the failed ambush.


    With the enemy¡¯s strength in mind, Han Li shook his head. Everything pointed to disaster for the main group.


    Han Li gave it no more thought and released his Divine Wind Boat. After making sure of the direction to the State of Yuanwu, Han Li and Crooked Soul took off.


    Although a majority of the cultivators from the State of Yuanwu had met their end in the State of Yue, it would still take several months for the Six Devil Dao sects to fully conquer the State of Yue. For the time being, the State of Yuanwu could still be considered safe.


    Han Li didn¡¯t plan to go to the meeting location and assemble with the main group. The main group may have already been pursued by the Devil Dao; to go there now would just be looking for more trouble.


    Furthermore, Han Li could take advantage of this opportunity to search for a new place to cultivate. If he were to follow Yellow Maple Valley to another country, he would only be a high-level steward at best. Han Li was unwilling to live such a life.


    If Han Li¡¯s thoughts were correct, after the Devil Dao annexed these countries, they would eventually gather their strength and resume fighting against the Righteous Dao Alliance.


    When that time came, the whole Heavenly South Region would no longer be safe!


    This was in opposition to Han Li¡¯s intention to peacefully cultivate!


    If he were to go the State of Yuanwu now and see how the situation developed, couldn¡¯t he both find out whether or not the transportation formation could be restored and still see how the situation unfolded?


    If the circumstances were truly terrible, he planned to use the transportation formation to travel to a different land and avoid the upcoming war.


    As Han Li silently sunk into contemplation, his Divine Wind Boat turned into a streak of white light, and he disappeared into the horizon. ¡­¡­


    Two days later, Han Li arrived at the border between the State of Yue and Yuanwu after taking a meandering route.


    He turned his head to look at the mountains of the State of Yue and lightly sighed before flying into Yuanwu along with Crooked Soul.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t have known that half a day later, a squad of several tens of Devil Dao cultivators would be stationed at this location. They were responsible for guarding fifty kilometers along the border to intercept any State of Yue cultivators that intended to enter the State of Yuanwu. ¡­¡­


    Once Han Li entered the State of Yuanwu, he first headed toward Golden Horse City.


    After four days, he eventually arrived at the west hills of Golden Horse City.


    Observing carefully from the sky, Han Li eventually found Qi Yunxiao¡¯s residence and slowly descended.


    Han Li jumped off the boat, sweeping his gaze in every direction. What he saw left him stunned.


    The stone rooms leaned at an unsteady angle, and all the rocks and azure bamboo were broken and scattered. They were most likely destroyed.


    In addition, the defensive formations Qi Yunxiao1 had laid out were broken through by force.


    Han Li¡¯s face darkened, and he flipped his hand, taking out a magic tool. He then walked over to the mostly toppled rooms.


    Although it seemed like this had occurred long ago, it was still prudent to be cautious!


    Han Li searched the rooms, and among the destroyed interiors, he found a thoroughly rotted corpse.


    Han Li pinched his nose and took a long, careful look at the corpse¡¯s face.


    He wrinkled his brow. The corpse wasn¡¯t Qi Yunxiao but rather the loyal shopkeeper in charge of his store.


    Much to his relief, Han Li found no other corpses in the other rooms.


    After Han Li finished searching, his expression suddenly grew cold. His body turned into a blur, instantly reappearing on the Divine Wind Boat. He then turned his gaze toward the southern sky.


    Above the southern hills, two streaks of deep blue light shot straight toward his location.


    A moment later, they landed not far in front of Han Li. Once the light faded away, an old man and a youth were revealed.


    The old man had a common appearance, aside from his thin, slender eyes and goatee. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and wore an expression of bewilderment.


    The other person was a handsome youth that appeared to be about twenty years old. He was fiercely staring at Han Li with a baleful gaze, despite being only a Qi Condensation cultivator.

 Chapter 350

    Instant Kill


    Han Li calmly looked at the two without speaking a word. However, he clearly understood that these two most likely had something to do with Qi Yunxiao¡¯s residence being destroyed.


    In response to Han Li¡¯s silence, the youth couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who is your esteemed self, and what is your relationship with that fellow named Qi?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Han Li merely gave the youth a cold glance before ignoring him and turning his gaze back to the old man. It was obvious that with regard to cultivation, the old man was the one who was truly in charge.


    When the youth saw Han Li disregard him, he was furious. Although he knew that Han Li was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his clan was one of the most prestigious clans in the State of Yuanwu. He had never been treated like this before.


    Furthermore, due to the matter regarding Qi Yunxiao, he was already filled with anger. Thus, he clenched his teeth and wanted to release his magic tools. But just as he was about to move his arm, the old man grabbed onto it, stopping him.


    ¡°Not yet! We still don¡¯t know who this person is. We must find that out first before we take further action!¡± The old man stated with a calm expression.


    The youth then glanced somewhat suspiciously at Crooked Soul, who stood behind Han Li. Crooked Soul didn¡¯t have the aura of a living person, yet he could feel magic power fluctuations from his body. He felt that it was inconceivable.


    When Han Li heard this, his eyes narrowed. The old man was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator yet he spoke as if he were not to be trifled with, causing Han Li to grow slightly apprehensive.


    ¡°Were you the ones who destroyed this place?¡± Han Li asked with poise.


    ¡°What relation does Fellow Daoist have with Qi Yunxiao? Are you from the Qi Clan?¡± The old man responded to Han Li¡¯s question with his own.


    Han Li slightly wrinkled his brow. It seemed the other party wouldn¡¯t honestly answer him as he only exchanged one question for another.


    ¡°Seems like we both don¡¯t wish to answer one another. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to exchange answers with each other? That way we can waste less of each other¡¯s time.¡± Han Li asked with raised eyebrows.


    The old man was surprised for a moment. But after pondering for a moment, he agreed.


    ¡°Since I was the one who proposed this, how about you ask first?¡± Han Li said insipidly.


    ¡°Is your esteemed self a member of the Qi Clan?¡± The old man immediately asked without a trace of politeness.


    In turn, Han Li responded without the slightest of hesitation: ¡°I am not!¡±


    Having heard Han Li¡¯s resolute reply, both the old man and the youth were surprised and revealed an expression of doubt.


    ¡°Is Qi Yunxiao currently dead or alive?¡± Han Li unhurriedly asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s still alive!¡± The old man hesitated for a moment before answering.


    The words ¡°still alive¡±, immediately put Han Li¡¯s heart at ease.


    ¡°What relationship does your esteemed self have with Qi Yunxiao?¡± The old man cautiously asked.


    ¡°I have a business deal with him,¡± Han Li coldly responded.


    ¡°A business deal?¡± Surprise flashed through the old man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Where is Qi Yunxiao currently?¡± Although Han Li asked this casually, he was feeling quite worried.


    ¡°I cannot tell you this!¡± The old man instantly rejected.


    ¡°Then I will change the question. Why did you attack Qi Yunxiao?¡± Han Li immediately asked another question without batting an eye at his refusal.


    ¡°He killed members of our Fu Clan. Why shouldn¡¯t we kill him?¡± The youth to the side quickly answered with a sneer.


    The old man wrinkled his brow, revealing a trace of annoyance, but he didn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡°Fu Clan!¡± When Han Li heard this, he was instantly reminded of those Qi Condensation cultivators he had killed while saving Xin Ruyin1 ; he now felt a great desire to kill.


    ¡°So it was like that! However, there are only two of you here. If the Qi Clan were to come here with a formidable character, how would you be able to match them?¡± Han Li casually asked this while appearing indifferent.


    ¡°How could any foreign cultivator sent by the Qi Clan oppose the two of us from the Fu Clan? Could it be that we are not enough?¡± The youth proudly answered Han Li¡¯s inquiry.


    ¡°So, you two are here alone?¡± Han Li suddenly asked with a deep voice.


    ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± The youth was thinking of how to respond with an angry expression, but the old man at his side suddenly asked this with suspicion.


    However, it was already too late. Han Li suddenly raised his arms and shot two streaks of black light toward the youth. Afterwards, he patted his storage pouch, releasing over ten streaks of white light. In the blink of an eye, those lights transformed into puppet beasts and puppet soldiers.


    Once those puppets appeared, they immediately released a mad barrage of light beams and light arrows.


    When the old man saw this, he felt aghast. His body instantly blurred and appeared beside the youth, summoning a copper coin magic tool in front of him. In an instant, it grew to the size of a table and blocked the incoming attacks.


    A series of explosions could be heard as numerous beams of light struck the copper coin. Each strike pushed the old man further and further back, much to his dismay.


    But in the next moment, the youth next to him let out a miserable shriek, causing the old man to hastily turn his head in dread. But as he turned his head, his neck suddenly felt cold and everything went dark.


    After the old man¡¯s headless body fell to the ground, Han Li was the only one remaining in the air with a faintly shining thread tied to the ring finger of his right hand.


    Just a moment ago, Han Li took advantage of the massive, eye-catching assault to conceal his movements. By using the Smoke Shifting Steps, he was able to travel over sixty meters away from his Divine Wind Boat in a few breaths, arriving behind the two. Then, with a wave of his string, he was able to easily behead them.


    Han Li had found this battle to be as easy as dusting off his clothes!


    Han Li found it quite humorous. In a battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators, elemental defensive barriers basically weren¡¯t used because they were unable to block the attacks of top grade magic techniques. They required too much time to activate, and they were far too expensive. Thus, most people used defensive magic tools to protect themselves instead of defensive light barriers that they felt were useless.


    That kind of thinking had given Han Li many openings to take advantage of. This was especially apparent when Han Li originally fought the Devil Dao cultivators at the border as a majority of his kills had died in this manner.


    Now that he thought about it, this particular killing technique was quite similar to that of the Black Fiend School¡¯s Blood Servant, Ice Demon. It was as fast as lightning; by the time they hear the thunder, it was already too late. Unfortunately, this technique could only be used on the ground. Otherwise, Han Li would have no one to fear among Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    Han Li lightly shook his head, feeling a great sense of lamentation in his heart!


    He walked in front of the headless corpses and collected their storage pouches. After he inspected them with his spiritual sense, he felt some disappointment.


    Although they possessed three top grade magic tools, they were of common quality. Han Li did not have much use for them. On the other hand, that copper coin was a rarely seen defensive magic tool.


    With that in mind, Han Li restored it to its original size and had it fly into his hand. After happily admiring it for a moment, he flung two small fireballs toward the headless corpses and turned them into ashes. Back in the boat with Crooked Soul, Han Li circled through the vicinity once before taking to the skies.


    This time, he would go to that small mountain with Xin Ruyin¡¯s residence. He hoped her home was well hidden enough that it hadn¡¯t encountered any mishaps.


    Six hours later, Han Li arrived at the nameless mountain of Xin Ruyin¡¯s residence.


    When Han Li saw that the fog above the mountain was intact and the same as before, he felt overjoyed.


    After musing for short while, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to fly down. Instead, he flew halfway up the mountain before taking out a sound transmission talisman. He then softly whispered a few words into it before throwing it out.


    The sound transmission talisman turned into a fiery streak of light and flew towards the mountain, suddenly disappearing from sight. Soon after, a large portion of the fog rose and completely enveloped him.


    Han Li stood still as he saw a scene bloom before him, leaving him surrounded by gargantuan trees over three hundred meters tall. He couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked, feeling like an ant among the huge trees.


    Still, he knew that once Xin Ruyin received the sound transmission talisman, she should be quick to come meet him.


    As expected, the huge tree illusions turned into thick fog a short moment later. Then the fog parted and revealed a three meter wide passageway.


    The passage was remarkably long. After traveling for over two hundred meters, he was finally able to faintly see its opening and couldn¡¯t help but grow excited.


    But when he was about twenty meters away from the exit, he suddenly heard a hoarse woman¡¯s voice: ¡°Senior Han, who is that person behind you? You shouldn¡¯t be bringing strangers to this place.¡±

 Chapter 351

    Qi Yunxiao¡¯s Death


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smiled and immediately explained, ¡°Young Miss Xin has misunderstood. This individual by my side isn¡¯t a living person. He¡¯s just a corpse that I had refined. Once Young Miss Xin inspects him with her spiritual sense, it will be made clear.¡±


    After Han Li said this, he took the initiative to stop and wait for Xin Ruyin to recognize Crooked Soul as a Jiangshi.


    A short moment later, Xin Ruyin responded, ¡°Ah, I was mistaken. Senior Han, please come in!¡±


    Xin Ruyin¡¯s tone was apologetic but Han Li paid it no mind, flying forward on his Divine Wind Boat with a smile.


    Just as Han Li flew forward, the scene before him brightened as the bamboo rooms that he had seen on his previous trip appeared once more.


    Two woman were standing in front of the bamboo rooms: Xin Ruyin and her pretty maid.


    While both were wearing pure white clothes, Xin Ruyin¡¯s style of dress left Han Li stunned.


    ¡°Widow Xin pay her respects to Senior Han.¡±


    When Xin Ruyin saw Han Li arrive, she stepped forward and gracefully greeted him. However, her haggard appearance raised Han Li¡¯s suspicions.


    ¡°There is no need for Young Lady Xin to be so courteous.¡± Han Li continued on with a few polite niceties.


    At this moment, the young maid behind Xin Ruyin stepped forward and greeted Han Li.


    Han Li inattentively nodded his head in response.


    It was obvious that Xin Ruyin didn¡¯t intend to stand there and have a long chat with Han Li. With a forced smile, she led Han Li to one of the larger bamboo rooms.


    Upon entering the room, Han Li was left dumbstruck.


    Right beside the door, there was a table with a pitch black memorial tablet with the words ¡°Husband Qi Yunxiao¡± carved into it in large characters. There was a small incense burner in front of the memorial tablet with several lit incense sticks slowly releasing smoke.


    Having seen this, how could Han Li not know what had happened?


    Han Li was beyond surprised to find that Qi Yunxiao had actually passed away.


    After he had recovered from his shock, he lightly sighed and took the initiative to approach the table. After taking out an incense stick, lighting it, and paying his respects, he placed it inside the incense burner.


    ¡°Young Lady Xin, how did this happen?¡± After he finished paying his respects, Han Li turned his head and asked in a soft voice.


    ¡°There is much to say. How about I give Senior Han a proper explanation in another room?¡± Xin Ruyin said with a feeble voice as the corner of her eyes reddened.


    As of now, Xin Ruyin was no longer the intelligent and shrewd woman he remembered. He only saw a pitiful young woman.


    In response, Han Li silently nodded his head.


    Xin Ruyin then led Han Li to a neighboring room and sat down.


    The young maid quickly steeped a pot of tea for Han Li and poured him a cup.


    Han Li lightly sipped the fragrant tea before setting down the cup and speaking with a solemn voice, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that after several months, Fellow Daoist Qi would encounter mishaps. The Heavens truly enjoy toying with men! Ah yes, when did Fellow Daoist Qi and Young Lady Xin marry? Had I known about it, I definitely would have sent a gift.¡±


    Xin Ruyin bitterly smiled in response. Without waiting for her to speak, her maid answered on her behalf.


    ¡°Senior, my clan¡¯s young madam decided to voluntarily live as Young Master Qi¡¯s widow after his death.¡±


    Han Li was left utterly shocked and couldn¡¯t help but gaze at Xin Ruyin in astonishment.


    ¡°Young Mei speaks truly! I have decided to observe widowhood on Young Master Qi¡¯s behalf.¡± Xin Ruyin confirmed this, slowly nodding her head in response to Han Li¡¯s gaze of astonishment.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Han Li was left speechless.


    ¡°This one has received lifesaving kindness from Young Master Qi on numerous occasions; a debt that can¡¯t possibly be paid back. If Young Master Qi were still alive, it would only be a matter of time before I married him. Now, I am merely doing what I should!¡± As she calmly said this, Xin Ruyin reached out with her flawless hand and lightly pulled away a strand of her beautiful hair that laid against her forehead.


    Han Li naturally had nothing suitable to say in response. Xin Ruyin then continued, detachedly giving Han Li an explanation of how Qi Yunxiao¡¯s death came to be.


    Due to Han Li¡¯s exhortations, Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin were very careful and rarely went outside after he left. Nevertheless, after two months, Xin Ruyin lacked some direly needed materials to research the spell formation and had no choice but to make a trip to a nearby market city.


    This matter had unexpectedly been found out by Qi Yunxiao. As someone who was wholeheartedly infatuated with Xin Ruyin, he offered to make the trip for her.


    However, they couldn¡¯t possibly have known that the cultivators Han Li had slaughtered to save Xin Ruyin were actually juniors from one of the greatest cultivation clans of the State of Yuanwu, the Fu Clan.


    As many juniors of their lineage had disappeared without reason, the Fu Clan naturally pursued the matter to the finest thread.


    As a result, a few Fu Clan cultivators wandering nearby had come across Qi Yunxiao who had just recently emerged.


    Had Qi Yunxiao been shrewd or experienced enough, he would¡¯ve been able to deal with any situation that arose.


    But unfortunately, he was far too naive and inexperienced.


    After only being asked a few questions related to the disappearance, he lost himself to panic and aroused the suspicions of the Fu Clan members. They immediately wanted to arrest him and bring him back for interrogation.


    Naturally, Qi Yunxiao didn¡¯t wait for himself to be captured. With the formidable magic tools he had on hand, he forcibly escaped from the Fu Clan Qi Condensation cultivators and fled back to his residence.


    As such, Qi Yunxiao had doomed himself to calamity.


    The Fu Clan cultivators were able to quickly track him back to his residence. However, the great formation he had laid down managed to severely injure or kill over ten of their cultivators. In their fury, the Fu Clan had actually dispatched a Core Formation expert.


    After half a day of fierce attacks, they were able to forcibly break through his great formation.


    However, no one had expected that Qi Yunxiao would hastily lay down an even more ferocious illusion formation behind his first formation while the tide was against him. He managed to trap the Core Formation cultivator within, giving him the opportunity to escape.


    Naturally, the other Fu Clan cultivators weren¡¯t going to let him go so easily.


    Although Qi Yunxiao was able to break through their siege by using the remnants of his formation spell, he sustained mortal wounds in the process, and his loyal shopkeeper had died as well. Shortly after arriving at Xin Ruyin¡¯s residence, Qi Yunxiao took his last breath.


    The Fu Clan was unaware of this and resentfully searched for Qi Yunxiao at every location. In addition, they had dispatched experts to monitor his residence.


    In this case, it was the old man and the youth from the Fu Clan that Han Li had killed.


    After hearing Xin Ruyin¡¯s account, Han Li felt a slight twinge of sadness.


    Although Han Li wasn¡¯t a close friend with Qi Yunxiao by any means, he still felt that he was a pretty decent person.


    To think that he would die so young; the world was truly a fickle place.


    ¡°Ah, Senior Han must¡¯ve come here for the ancient transportation formation!¡± Having finished her account, Xin Ruyin suddenly mentioned this.


    ¡°Oh, that matter isn¡¯t urgent¡­¡±


    Han Li spoke with embarrassment.


    After all, her husband had just died. This was not the appropriate time to inquire about such matters.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just about restored the transportation formation. It should be finished in a month!¡± Xin Ruyin continued, not seeming to mind Han Li¡¯s embarrassment.


    ¡°Really?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but grow excited and revealed a somewhat happy expression.


    ¡°Yes, really. Not only will I restore the transportation formation, but I also have two things to give to Senior Han!¡± Xin Ruyin calmly said, taking two jade boxes out of her storage pouch and setting them on the table.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Han Li blankly stared on in surprise.


    ¡°One of the boxes contains¡¶Yunxiao¡¯s Insights¡·, my husband¡¯s collection of tool refinement records. The other box contains a large amount of books on the Dao of Formation spells and my expertise in formation spells. I hope that Senior Han will accept these items.¡± Xin Ruyin faintly said.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. After taking a look at the two jade boxes, he looked at Xin Ruyin with a calm expression and asked, ¡°What do you want, Young Lady Xin? Why do you want to give such precious items to me? Please, speak bluntly!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice held a trace of coldness.


    ¡°I am giving these items as a gift to Senior Han in return for a promise!¡± Xin Ruyin didn¡¯t avoid Han Li¡¯s gaze, revealing an unwavering expression.


    ¡°This promise being¡­?¡± Although Han Li could faintly guess what she wanted, he still asked this with a heavy tone.


    ¡°If Senior Han were to one day enter Core Formation, I wish for Senior Han to thoroughly exterminate the Fu Clan from the State of Yuanwu on my and Qi Yunxiao¡¯s behalf.¡±


    Xin Ruyin¡¯s voice was as cold as ice frozen for countless years. When Han Li heard this, the resentment contained within her words caused even his heart to tremble.

 Chapter 352

    Promise


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately refuse or agree. Instead, he tightly wrinkled his brow and lowered his head in silence, weighing the potential gains and losses.


    Truth be told, Han Li was unwilling to agree.


    As of current, Han Li held little interest in spell formation and tool refinement techniques. Only after he successfully reached Core Formation would he have the time to research such things. In addition, he was unwilling to provoke a huge cultivator clan for no reason, not to mention that he didn¡¯t have the ability to do so.


    ¡°I understand that this request is overreaching, but Ruyin truly doesn¡¯t have any other way.¡± Xin Ruyin gave a bleak smile with a pale complexion.


    ¡°Elder Brother Qi¡¯s death by the Fu Clan was because of the incident that I brought about. If I do not avenge my husband, then I wouldn¡¯t have the face to see him after I die; I would prefer to go to hell!¡± Xin Ruyin softly whispered with a pleading tone.


    When Han Li heard her say ¡®die¡¯, he couldn¡¯t help but raise his eyebrows as he suddenly thought of something. He suddenly raised his head, taking a careful look at Xin Ruyin¡¯s complexion and leaving Xin Ruyin stunned in response.


    ¡°There is something amiss with your complexion. Let me see your veins.¡± Han Li spoke in an irrefutable tone, greatly surprising Xin Ruyin.


    A queer glint flashed from her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she obediently handed Han Li her flawless wrist.


    Han Li impolitely brought two fingers to her wrist and poured a strand of Spiritual Qi into her body.


    A long while later, Han Li¡¯s expression became unsightly.


    ¡°Are you aware that your blood vessels have completely withered away? If this is not addressed, you will die within two years!¡± Han Li coldly said after withdrawing his hand.


    Xin Ruyin faintly smiled in response to Han Li¡¯s assertion.


    ¡°Of course I know this. How could I not know about my own body? My constitution is of the Dragon¡¯s Cry, a male body wrongly born as female. If someone with this constitution were to forcefully cultivate, their meridians would gradually wither away along with their lifespan. For me to have lived this long was by mere luck. Originally, I had hoped to find an ancient formula to cure this illness. However, I failed, merely wasting the many spiritual medicines that Elder Brother Qi had searched for in vain!¡± Xin Ruyin revealed an expression of self-mockery.


    ¡°Young Madam!¡± Xin Ruyin¡¯s maid couldn¡¯t help but shout out with sadness from behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Little Mei! I am only going to see Elder Brother Qi a bit sooner. This is exactly what I desire!¡± Xin Ruyin unexpectedly consoled her maid with a peaceful expression.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew soft and for some unknown reason, he truly felt pity toward her. But unfortunately, Han Li couldn¡¯t do anything about Xin Ruyin¡¯s strange illness and could only watch on as her life and beauty withered away.


    ¡°Since Senior Han now knows of this matter, he should understand why I have acted in this manner. Although Senior is currently only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you are the sole person familiar with Elder Brother Qi and me that has a chance of avenging him. I don¡¯t require Senior to swear an oath. I only want a promise, so that I may pass away with ease.¡± Xin Ruyin returned to her previously calm demeanor and nonchalantly mentioned the matter of vengeance again.


    Han Li stroked his nose with all his strength, finding himself in a rather difficult position. But after a moment of hard thought, he suddenly asked, ¡°What about those from Fellow Daoist Qi¡¯s clan?¡±


    ¡°Humph, the Qi Clan? They are merely a common clan within the State of Yuanwu. How could they dare to offend the Fu Clan? Besides, Elder Brother Qi was only an external branch disciple driven out from the sect. They couldn¡¯t be less concerned! As for me, I¡¯ve learned everything from a nameless formation spell grandmaster. He was a rogue cultivator that had long since passed away.¡± Xin Ruyin understood what Han Li meant and explained her and Qi Yunxiao¡¯s background to Han Li in a soft voice.


    Han Li¡¯s mind grew quiet. He had truly thought that this woman had an alternative.


    ¡°Fine, I can give Young Lady Xin this promise! However, I will only act when I possess the ability to do so. If such an opportunity does not appear in my lifetime, will you regret it?¡± After pondering for a long while, Han Li took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy voice.


    ¡°That will be enough! So long as you can give me hope, it will do. Let me thank Senior Han in advance!¡± Xin Ruyin couldn¡¯t help but widely smile in response, suddenly appearing daintily beautiful.


    Han Li was stunned as he took in her beauty. But soon after, he shook his head and bluntly swiped his sleeve across the table, causing to two jade boxes to disappear without a trace into his storage pouch.


    ¡°Since you require another month to restore the transportation formation, then I will have to trouble Young Lady Xin in a month¡¯s time. I will now be taking my leave!¡± Han Li spoke unhurriedly as he stood up. With this gap of time available, he had quite a few matters to attend to.


    ¡°This one pays Senior her respects!¡± Xin Ruyin said respectfully without further urging Han Li to stay.


    As a result, Han Li flew to the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city with Crooked Soul in tow.


    After a day, Han Li arrived in the vicinity of the market city. After he took out a cloak from his storage pouch and covered his face, he entered the market city with a swagger, bringing Crooked Soul along with him.


    As Han Li walked through the streets of the market city, he was astonished to find so many cultivators trading and bustling about.


    There were several times as many cultivators compared to the last time he came here. In addition to the hurried atmosphere, there were also a few rarely seen Foundation Establishment cultivators within the city.


    After pondering for a moment, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with thoughtfulness. But soon after, he tossed the matter to the back of his mind and went straight toward that magic tool store that helped him craft his magic tools on his previous trip. He had a few materials that could be refined into useful magic tools, thereby increasing his own strength.


    That magic tool store still looked exactly the same as before. Even its arrogant signboard was completely the same.


    Han Li entered the store with a faint smile.


    The circumstances within the store caused Han Li¡¯s brow to slightly furrow.


    The tiny store actually had six people standing and sitting around. When they saw Han Li enter, they couldn¡¯t help but glance at him.


    When Han Li saw them, he swept his cold gaze past them without a trace of politeness. In response, they immediately lowered their heads. As Qi Condensation cultivators, they naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to offend Han Li, a ¡°Senior¡± Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    But a man with a fiendish appearance sitting in a chair looked at Han Li without the slightest hint of fear. Although he was only in early Foundation Establishment, he didn¡¯t turn his gaze away.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay him any mind and walked over to the two store employees that were chatting.


    ¡°Is Store Owner Xu here?¡± Han Li calmly asked the burly man called ¡°Dahei¡±.


    ¡°Senior, who¡­¡± The burly man revealed an expression of doubt.


    Han Li sighed and took out the Black Dragon Claws, revealing them to him. He was assisting at the side as this magic tool was created. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t have recognized it.


    ¡°So it turned out to be Senior! This one will call Master out.¡± The burly man¡¯s eyes brightened, recognizing the Black Dragon Claws as Han Li had expected. He immediately apologized with a wide grin and hastily ran to the back courtyard.


    Seeing that Han Li was the store owner¡¯s acquaintance, the others couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in shock. However, nobody dared to untactfully bother Han Li.


    Not long after, the fully white-haired shop owner welcomed Han Li with a beaming smile. On his last trip, Han Li left him with a significant amount of rare materials. It was only natural for the old man to give him such a warm welcome.


    ¡°This small old man is honored to have Senior come to my shop once more! Does Senior wish to refine more magic tools?¡± After exchanging a few pleasantries, Old Man Xu impatiently asked with a face full of anticipation.


    Han Li faintly smiled and deliberately swept his gaze past the other cultivators in the room.


    ¡°How foolish of me!¡± Shop Owner Xu exclaimed, immediately understanding what Han Li had meant. He then invited Han Li to the rear courtyard and excitedly led the way.


    The others didn¡¯t dare to say anything, except for the large, fiendish man who snorted with dissatisfaction. He was greatly angered at how differently he was treated compared to Han Li, as he was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had even sought out this Tool Refinement Store.


    In response to the large man¡¯s snort, Han Li shot an ice-cold glance at him.


    Han Li had killed no small number of cultivators and unconsciously carried a murderous aura as a result. That single glance immediately caused the large man to feel as if his entire body had turned to ice, and he couldn¡¯t help but reveal an expression of terror.


    Having seen the large man¡¯s expression had changed, Han Li didn¡¯t pay him any further attention and brought Crooked Soul along with him to the rear courtyard.


    At that moment, Dahei cleverly stepped forward and apologized to the others, casually giving them an excuse in an attempt to placate their discontent.


    ¡°Did Senior bring back more materials?¡± When Han Li and Crooked Soul entered the rear courtyard, Shop Owner Xu glanced at Crooked Soul with slight surprise before impatiently asking Han Li.

 Chapter 353

    The Stardust Pavilion


    Han Li wore a slight smile when he saw the old man¡¯s eagerness. He casually took out the materials-filled storage pouch and turned it upside down. A white light suddenly shone, and the materials Han Li obtained from the white spider and demon mantis poured out onto the ground.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The shop owner crouched over and gathered together the white spider¡¯s lower limbs, inspecting them with rapt attention. He revealed an expression of puzzlement.


    Although the old man was a tool refining expert, he didn¡¯t understand much about rare, strange insects. As a result, even if he were able to see that the materials were unordinary, he was still left baffled.


    Han Li smiled for a moment before giving him an explanation, ¡°Most of these materials came from the limbs and shell of a white spider. There are also the wings and forelimbs of a huge demon mantis. They were both grade four demonic beasts. As for the mantis, it was a peak grade four demonic beast and was exceptionally powerful. I hope that your esteemed self will be able to properly make use of these materials. I had to spend quite a bit of effort to obtain them!¡±


    ¡°Materials obtained from grade four demonic beasts!?¡± The white-haired old man shouted in astonishment and immediately sank into ecstasy.


    Not to mention grade four demon beasts, even materials from grade two demon beasts were rarely seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Shop Owner Xu! However, for this set of magic tools, I have a particular request for what is to be created. I will only allow you to work with them if you are able to fulfill my request. Payment will be handled the same as before. If there are any leftover materials, you may keep a portion of them to do with as you please.¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°Senior, please feel at ease. Regardless of the request, this small old man will comply! To be able to personally refine such top-grade materials, I didn¡¯t spend my life pursuing the Dao of Tool Refinement in vain!¡± Shop Owner Xu then picked up the mantis arms  and caressed them with a fanatical gaze.


    Han Li was surprised to see him with such an expression, but his heart grew increasingly at ease. He spoke to the old man with a gentle tone, ¡°The magic tools that I request you refine are rather unusual. I wish for you to refine the spider legs into a set of offensive magic tools. As for the mantis¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Two hours later, Han Li and Crooked Soul left the Tool Refinement Shop.


    He had come to an agreement with Shop Owner Xu after the shop owner inspected the materials. Several days later, the shop owner would finish his plans for the methods of their refinement. At that time, Han Li would return with the materials and they would officially start their refinement.


    But for now, Han Li had an opportunity to take a proper stroll around the market city. His suspicions were finally confirmed by an old man as he was browsing around.


    It turned out that news of the defeat of the State of Yue and their two allied countries had spread to the State of Yuanwu. Regardless of whether they were from a cultivator clan or unaffiliated, all of those in the State of Yuanwu felt both uncertainty and premonitions of hardship.


    Consequently, massive numbers of cultivators flocked to the market city. Many even brought along their rare treasures to trade for direly needed items, thereby increasing their strength to brave the upcoming catastrophe.


    Within a short few days, all the market cities in the State of Yuanwu began to spread news of precious magic tools, pills, and other such items. A great number of cultivators were instantly attracted, leading to great furor within the market cities.


    Naturally, Han Li couldn¡¯t let such a golden opportunity slip by him.


    With that in mind, Han Li began to stroll around the shops, taking a look in every direction.


    As he had expected, there were far more high-quality goods for sale. But much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, there were very few top grade magic tools for sale. Still, it wasn¡¯t as if Han Li had any need for those common top grade magic tools.


    After walking in nearly a full circle, Han Li had only bought a few uncommon medicinal ingredients that he hadn¡¯t seen before; there was nothing else of interest to him. He subsequently headed toward the heart of the market city, the ¡°Stardust Pavilion¡±.


    Having traded in market cities several times, Han Li already knew that if he wanted to buy better goods, he would have to go to the larger, more imposing stores. Only they would have the power to acquire quality goods.


    Though the small vendors might actually possess a few decent items, they had nothing compared to the collection of a large store.


    Not long ago, he acquired many quality items from the ¡°Thousand Treasures Pavilion¡± of the Yellow Maple Valley Market City.


    With that line of thought, Han Li brought Crooked Soul along to the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s Stardust Pavilion, a huge, hundred-meter-tall building.


    Han Li was rendered speechless upon entering.


    This was because there were over thirty cultivators bustling about on the first floor¡¯s hall. They were all surrounding several display counters, talking with red-clothed store employees. Not a single person noticed Han Li.


    Han Li scratched the back of his head and absent-mindedly walked toward a display counter, looking around for the stairs to the second story.


    Three Qi Condensation cultivators stood beside the display counter. One of them was continuously waving a white formation flag while speaking to the store employee in a dissatisfied mumble.


    The Stardust Pavilion employee appeared to not mind at all. From the very start, he had been giving explanations with a wide smile on his face.


    However, when these cultivators saw Han Li and Crooked Soul approach them, they immediately grew silent.


    It was clear that they were very wary of unfamiliar cultivators.


    When the flag-holding cultivator saw Han Li approach, he hastily brought out several tens of spirit stones to give to the store employee before hastily flying off with his friend.


    Han Li gloomily gazed at them as they took off. He felt slightly at a loss!


    But just a moment later, the store employee politely addressed Han Li, ¡°Senior, my sincerest apologies! As this is the first floor, I¡¯m afraid there is nothing of interest here. If Senior truly wishes to find suitable items to purchase, then the floors above the third would be best. Those floors specialize in receiving high-class cultivators.¡±


    Initially, Han Li was somewhat startled, but he soon recovered his usual bearings. He asked indifferently, ¡°Could you give me an introduction to the floors of the Stardust Pavilion?¡±


    The employee appeared slightly surprised, but he respectfully agreed, ¡°Of course. Since it¡¯s Senior¡¯s first time at our Stardust Pavilion, it¡¯s only natural that I introduce our store to you.¡±


    ¡°Our Stardust Pavilion has a total of nine floors. The first seven are open to the public, and the last two are closed off to outsiders. The first three floors are for inferior Qi Condensation cultivators. Floors four through to six are for high-grade cultivators such as yourself. As for floors seven and higher, they are at the service of Core Formation cultivators.¡±


    The employee quickly gave Han Li a general introduction to the store. Han Li nodded his head and then wordlessly walked straight toward the stairs to the second floor.


    The second and third floors were a bit smaller than the first, but the arrangement was obviously more luxurious. It seemed that the farther up he went, the more precious the items that were on sale.


    With that thought, Han Li quickly passed through floors two and three, even directly passing through the fourth floor.


    He had originally thought to head straight toward the sixth floor, but a young, red-clothed servant blocked his way.


    ¡°According to the store rules, you must first gain the approval of the fifth floor shopkeeper before being allowed to proceed to the sixth floor.¡± The elegant, young servant expressionlessly said. Although he was only a Qi Condensation cultivator, he didn¡¯t fear Han Li, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, in the slightest.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and headed toward the fifth floor¡¯s main hall instead of becoming angry.


    Although the main hall wasn¡¯t large, there were several young, pretty female servants waiting there. When Han Li walked in, a man and woman were having a relaxed discussion.


    The man had a common appearance and seemed to be about thirty-five years old. The woman appeared to be nearing forty years old and had the grace of a noble woman. It could be seen that in her youth she was a rarely seen beauty.


    While the two were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, Han Li was surprised to see that the middle-aged woman was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, do you require any assistance?¡± When the middle-aged woman saw Han Li enter, she turned her head and gave him an enchanting smile. She spoke with a melodious voice that soothed those who heard it.


    ¡°I wish to purchase a few truly precious items. Do you have any such items? I don¡¯t care whether it is a magic tool, talisman, or anything else.¡±


    Hearing that Han Li¡¯s tone was rather arrogant, the man glanced at Han Li with slight surprise.


    ¡°Hehe! If Fellow Daoist truly wishes to buy quality goods, then he has come to the right place. So long as you have the money to pay, we will definitely leave you satisfied.¡± Although the middle-aged woman was no longer young, her laughter was just as charming as that of a young woman.


    ¡°But as it happens, this Fellow Daoist also wishes to buy quality goods. Please wait for a bit, and I¡¯ll take out a few items for you to browse.¡± The woman said with a beaming smile.


    She then turned her head and gave a command with a serious expression, ¡°Violet Lotus, come and serve these two esteemed guests some tea!¡±


    ¡°Of course, Madam!¡± The maid standing behind the woman respectfully replied.


    As the middle-aged woman leisurely walked out, the maid poured a cup of tea for Han Li and the man who was originally here.

 Chapter 354

    Madam Lan


    Han Li and that man were seated on different sides of the square table. They took several glances at each other, but neither of them had any intention of talking.


    Cultivators who came here to do their shopping had no intentions of treading too closely to strangers as it would only breed hostility.


    Despite this, the man still shot several curious glances at Crooked Soul who had remained outside the hall by the staircase.


    Thanks to his perceptiveness, he had already made out Crooked Soul to be a refined corpse, but the Spiritual Qi fluctuations he felt from Crooked Soul¡¯s body left him quite baffled.


    After all, cultivator-refined, iron-skinned corpses normally only had immense strength. It shouldn¡¯t be possible for them to possess magic power.


    The man strongly suppressed his desire to ask questions. Although Han Li was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself, he was rather wary of him.


    After Han Li had sipped away most of the tea, the woman finally returned to the main hall.


    This time, she had two strong, robust men following behind her. These two men didn¡¯t possess any magic power and had rather stiff faces. They were unexpectedly two realistic-looking puppets.


    The puppets held a huge tray, wrapped in a bundle of silk cloth. It seemed that the shopkeeper intended on concealing the precious items within it.


    A strange expression flashed from Han Li¡¯s eyes. He had just used his spiritual sense to see through the red silk and find out what was underneath it. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that the unremarkable silk cloth would block him. In his surprise, he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look at the man beside him.


    He also appeared astonished. It was obvious he had done the same.


    The middle-aged woman approached Han Li and the man until she was a few steps away. She wordlessly smiled before she spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve already acquainted myself with you, Fellow Daoist Fan. Might I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist? My surname is Lan. You two Fellow Daoists may call me Madam Lan.¡± The woman gave herself a well-practiced introduction.


    Naturally, Han Li couldn¡¯t awkwardly remain silent so he reluctantly said, ¡°My surname is Han.¡±


    Afterwards, he said nothing further and displayed a cold demeanor, unwilling to speak further.


    Madam Lan didn¡¯t take this to heart. After all, a vast majority of cultivators that came here feigned indifference like Han Li. It was something she had long become accustomed to.


    As a result, she smiled slightly and beckoned to the puppets behind her. The well-chiseled puppets immediately walked forward. Afterwards, Madam Lan extended her flawless finger and lifted the red cloth cover, revealing the several items underneath.


    Han Li and the man surnamed Fan simultaneously gazed at the items on the tray, their eyes gleaming with rapt attention.


    A long sword, short blade, throwing dart, a ring, and a piece of jet-black armor were arranged in a line. From one glance at the sparkling shine each of these items radiated, one could tell that these were not common goods.


    Once the magic tools on the dish were clearly seen, Han Li and the man surnamed Fan had differing reactions.


    The cultivator named Fan intensely stared at the plate with a gaze containing a slight trace of exhilaration. But when Han Li glanced at them, he immediately turned his gaze away, revealing a lack of interest. This greatly surprised Madam Lan, causing her to pay closer attention to Han Li.


    ¡°This item is called the Cold Crystal Blade. It was refined using rare profound crystal and ice jade. Not only are its attacks powerful, it also possesses dark-cold Qi, capable of unknowingly decreasing the power of enemies in a chaotic battle. It truly is a quality item among top-grade magic tools.¡± The woman gave calmly introduced the item after deftly grabbing the transparent, sparkling short blade from the tray and lifting it into the air.


    She then waved the magic tool in her hand, immediately releasing a breeze of icy Qi. As soon as it appeared in the room, the Qi Condensation maids couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°Could Madam let this one take a look at that blade?¡± The man surnamed Fan looked at the magic tool with excitement.


    Madam Lan faintly smiled in response and handed over the blade without the slightest of hesitation. Afterwards, she took a hidden glance at Han Li.


    She only saw Han Li with an indifferent expression. He had merely lowered his head to look at the empty tea cup in his hand. As he did not show the slightest interest in this magic tool, Madam Lan felt slightly disappointed.


    As he was playing around with the short blade in his hand, the man surnamed Fan spoke in a loud voice, ¡°Alright, I want to buy this Cold Crystal Blade. How many spirit stones will it cost?¡±


    Although Madam Lan was somewhat surprised to hear this, she calmly asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Fan intend to look at the other magic tools?¡±


    ¡°There is no need. This one naturally knows that the other items are certain to be better. However, this one is embarrassingly short of money. I reckon that this blade is the only one I can buy. So even if the other items are better, this one does not have the heart to see them. This way, I can avoid feeling envy.¡± This Cultivator Fan spoke rather honestly with a touch of humor. The beautiful Madam Lan raised her hand to conceal a faint smile.


    The woman quickly suppressed her smile and spoke methodically as usual, ¡°This Cold Crystal Blade costs eight hundred spirit stones. Once Fellow Daoist Fan hands over that amount, he may take the item and leave.¡±


    ¡°Good. Could you take a look and check if this is the right amount of spirit stones?¡± Cultivator Fan bluntly took out a storage pouch. In the blink of an eye, a pile of varied- colored spirit stones poured out onto the table.


    Madam Lan effortlessly swept her gaze across the table. With the corners of her lips slightly raised, she said, ¡°How could I distrust you? There is no need to check.¡±


    With that said, the woman took her storage pouch and absorbed the spirit stones on the table.


    Madam Lan¡¯s actions gave Cultivator Fan a very favorable impression. He then revealed an amicable expression before taking his leave.


    But when Han Li saw this, he inwardly laughed in ridicule despite his indifferent expression.


    ¡®What do you mean by ¡°there is no need to check¡±! What was the spiritual sense enveloping the spirit stones supposed to be? Obviously, Madam Lan¡¯s spiritual sense is far stronger than common cultivators and was able to to instantly count the number of spirit stones without anybody knowing. As such, she was able to deliberately say such a clever and convenient line.¡¯ Han Li thought with an inward sneer.


    Madam Lan hadn¡¯t realized that her cheap trick had been seen through by Han Li. After she finished watching Cultivator Fan leave with a faint smile on her face, she turned her gaze upon Han Li once more.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han seems to hold no interest in these items! Could it be that these magic tools aren¡¯t worthy of Fellow Daoist¡¯s notice?¡± Madam Lan asked with a slight smile.


    It was quite strange. She clearly knew that the person before her had inferior cultivation to her own. But for some unknown reason, she felt a trace of strange danger from Han Li, causing her speech to unconsciously become more tactful towards him as she didn¡¯t dare to offend him.


    ¡°While the quality of these magic tools are quite decent, I am looking for magic tools that are a bit more exceptional. They must also be well suited to my techniques! Furthermore, not only am I looking for magic tools and talismans, I am also interested in rare items.¡± Han Li replied serenely.


    ¡°Oh! If Fellow Daoist Han had such requests, he should¡¯ve said them sooner. This one had believed that Fellow Daoist Han would¡¯ve been satisfied with any kind of magic tool, the same as Fellow Daoist Fan.¡± Madam Lan couldn¡¯t help but giggle. She then continued speaking with great confidence, ¡°So long as Fellow Daoist is able to pay the price, our Stardust Pavilion will provide all the items you desire.¡±


    Han Li dryly laughed and directly answered with a question, ¡°Since Madam insists, I will bluntly mention them. Does your esteemed pavilion have any pill formulas useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators for sale? Or any sets of magic tools? Naturally, the greater the number in a magic tool set, the better.¡±


    The woman¡¯s face revealed slight emotion before immediately regaining her calm.


    Madam Lan stared at Han Li with her beautiful eyes before speaking deliberately, ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s requests are truly unusual. Were it half a month ago, I may have been left helpless. But now, my pavilion had acquired two such pill formulas and a set of high-quality magic tools. The prices of these items are truly great. They are not something that I am able to sell. Fellow Daoist will have to continue this conversation on the sixth floor!¡±


    Han Li had anticipated what the woman would say and asked indifferently, ¡°Then am I allowed to go up to the sixth floor?¡±


    Madam Lan lightly brushed her hair before gently smiling. ¡°Of course you can. But in accordance to sect rules, I must first inspect Fellow Daoist¡¯s qualifications.¡±


    ¡°What qualifications?¡± Han Li casually asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple! It is whether or not Fellow Daoist possesses a thousand spirit stones or items of equivalent value.¡± The woman stated with an earnest tone.


    ¡°Is this enough?¡± Without any objections, Han Li took out the storage pouch that kept his spirit stones and tossed it toward the woman.


    Han Li¡¯s collection of spirit stones had reached a thousand long ago. Now, he should be in possession of nearly two thousand spirit stones.


    Madam Lan took the storage pouch and examined it with her spiritual sense. She then nodded her head and said, ¡°Please follow me. I will personally accompany you to the sixth floor.¡±


    When Han Li saw her walking towards the stairs, he silently followed after her.


    The young, red-clothed servant guarding the stairwell silently stepped to the side upon seeing Madam Lan approach. Han Li and Madam Lan then climbed to the sixth floor one after the other.

 Chapter 355

    Redthread Shadowchaser Needles


    To tell the truth, Han Li was quite curious about the sixth floor¡¯s shopkeeper. The fifth floor shopkeeper was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Could the sixth floor cultivator be a Core Formation expert?


    Han Li felt slightly excited.


    Then Han Li glanced at the young, seventeen-year-old woman that stood behind Madam Lan and was left dumbfounded.


    The young woman was dressed rather simply, and her beauty was merely above average. However, for this young mortal woman who was lacking even the slightest magic power to be the sixth floor shopkeeper was truly beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    But what was particularly unusual was what happened when the young woman saw Madam Lan climb to the sixth floor. She continously called out, ¡°Aunty Lan! Aunty Lan!¡± with much intimacy. At the same time, she completely overlooked Han Li, causing him to feel sullen.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xiu¡¯er! There is a guest here!¡± Although Madam Lan¡¯s words were harsh, her tone was filled with obvious affection.


    ¡°Guest?¡± The young woman indifferently glanced at Han Li without the slightest of care.


    ¡°Yes. This Fellow Daoist Han wishes to buy pill formulas and the set of magic tools we previously acquired. Thus, I am bringing him to the sixth floor and having you receive him. I have to go back down. There may be more guests arriving at the fifth floor!¡± Madam Lan spoke with great warmth.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that. But the next time Aunty Lan is free, she must definitely come up and keep me company.¡± The young woman spoke with reluctance.


    Madam Lan gave a kind smile in response before heading back down. The young woman gazed at her as she descended.


    She eventually turned her head to glance at Han Li and spoke coldly, ¡°What sort of pill formulas does your esteemed self want? We possess eight pill formulas, but only two are useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators. In addition, the prices for them are astonishingly high. It won¡¯t just cost several hundred spirit stones.¡±


    When Han Li heard the tone of her voice, he smiled instead of becoming angry.


    ¡°So long as the pill formulas are genuine, price is of no concern.¡± Han Li¡¯s tone was exceptionally grand. The young woman was surprised by his response and earnestly sized him up.


    ¡°Then please wait a moment. I will call for people to bring out the pill formulas and the set of magic tools.¡± The young woman¡¯s expression softened. It was only natural that she acted more pleasantly around a magnanimous guest.


    She merely took out a small bell and lightly tapped it with a rhythm. Then, she casually sat in her chair without the slightest intention of entertaining Han Li.


    Han Li felt somewhat amazed at this. Still, he calmly pulled out a chair and sat across from the young woman. The only thing separating the two was a wooden table.


    Han Li¡¯s action caused the young woman¡¯s graceful brow to lightly crease. Although her expression wasn¡¯t very happy, she ultimately didn¡¯t say anything.


    A short moment later, a young female cultivator walked in, grasping two jade boxes: one large and one small.


    ¡°Place them there.¡± The young woman spoke indifferently as she pointed to the side of the table.


    ¡°Yes, Young Madam!¡± The female cultivator respectfully replied before placing the jade boxes down on the table. She then took the initiative to withdraw.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise upon seeing the female cultivator speak so respectfully to a young female mortal.


    ¡°The pill formulas and the magic tools are here. Your esteemed self should have a look. If they are to your satisfaction, then I will tell you the price.¡± The young woman lightly pushed the jade boxes toward Han Li.


    Since she insisted, Han Li didn¡¯t act with the slightest politeness. He took the small jade box and opened the lid, revealing a red and white jade talisman.


    Han Li touched the two jade talismans and closed his eyes, slowly submerging his spiritual sense within them.


    When the young woman saw that Han Li was inspecting the pill formulas, she took out a thin, white book and started to read through it without the slightest of concern.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and wore an expression of contemplation.


    One of the formulas was similar to the Qi Gathering Pill that Lei Wanhe had previously given him. It was useless to him. As for the other, it wasn¡¯t an ancient pill formula. It was for a pill called the ¡°True Essence Pill¡±. Apart from the required age of the ingredients used, it was rather easy to refine. It was very suitable for his use.


    However, the cost of this pill formula was unexpectedly several times greater than the ¡°Qi Gathering Pill¡± formula. Even Han Li understood the difference in value between ancient formulas and ordinary formulas that were currently used in the cultivation world.


    With that thought, Han Li returned the jade slips to their boxes with an indifferent expression. Then he took the larger box and opened it.


    The magic tools in the box caused Han Li to become stunned from a single glance. The jade box actually contained a set of thirteen fine needles sparkling with red light. Each of the needles were only about an inch long, but their fire-red bodies emitted a fluctuating glow.


    ¡°Flying needle magic tools?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but mutter in astonishment.


    Even with Han Li¡¯s vast experience with magic tools, this was the first time he had seen flying needle magic tools such as these. He suddenly grew very excited. He previously hadn¡¯t seen anyone make full use of them either.


    When the young woman heard Han Li¡¯s murmurs, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look at him with a trace of displeasure. She then continued to read the book without paying him any further attention.


    At that moment, Han Li was carefully examining one of the red needles as he held it in a pinch without paying any attention to the young woman¡¯s displeasure. Naturally, he was aware of her displeasure, but he wasn¡¯t about to accommodate her aloof, arrogant attitude.


    He was now staring at the needle with squinted eyes and a serious expression.


    Although Han Li hadn¡¯t seen any needle-type magic tools previously, he had heard many rumors with regards to the stealthy viciousness of flying needles.


    He had heard that while their offensive power were slightly inferior to ordinary magic tools, their bodies were small, and their flight was quick, thereby being the most suitable weapon to launch an ambush with. As such, many cultivators praised the flying needles to be a ¡®hidden weapon¡¯, causing flying needles to possess quite the reputation in the cultivation world.


    Naturally, there were many reasons as to why flying needle magic tools were so thin. Not only were they refined using peculiar materials, they were also several times more difficult to refine. Because of this, they were rarely seen in the cultivation world. In addition, users of flying needles would often only use them as a last resort since they were unwilling to allow others to know of their existence.


    This was why Han Li received such a shock when he saw a set of thirteen such magic tools unexpectedly appear before him.


    ¡°Young Miss, does this set of flying needles have a name?¡± Han Li felt very pleasantly surprised, but his expression remained calm when he asked the young woman.


    When the young woman heard Han Li, she put down the book and indifferently said, ¡°The Redthread Shadowchaser Needles!¡±


    ¡°Good. I wish to acquire the True Essence Pill along with the set of flying needles!¡± Han Li spoke without the slightest hesitation.


    The young woman revealed a strange expression as she asked with disbelief, ¡°Yi! You truly want that set of magic tools?¡±


    ¡°What is it? Does this set of magic tools have some sort of defect or is your esteemed pavilion unwilling to sell it?¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Your esteemed self is mistaken. Although the Redthread Shadowchaser Needles are extremely precious, our Stardust Pavilion does not wish to keep it. I merely ask this because there is something I must first tell you. This set of flying needles is substantially different from ordinary sets of magic tools. There is no origin controller, nor any child-mother pieces. If you wish to activate them, you must simultaneously control all thirteen needles. Otherwise, they would be useless.¡± The young woman¡¯s eyes and tone were both ice-cold.


    ¡°I must simultaneously control them?¡± Han Li came to a suddenly realization. It was no wonder that these rare flying needles had yet to be purchased. It held such a high requirement for one¡¯s spiritual sense.


    The young woman continued without the slightest of humor, ¡°That¡¯s right. Originally, Aunt Lan and a few others fancied this set of magic tools, but because they were only able to control up to nine needles, they have given up on it.¡±


    ¡°So, all thirteen needles then?¡± Han Li chuckled before suddenly raising his hand, beckoning to the rest of the needles in the box. With a flash of red light, all of the flying needles simultaneously floated. The red needles quickly revolved around Han Li, transforming into thirteen red threads that were difficult for the naked eye to see, creating a finely woven red net in an instant.


    The young woman¡¯s small mouth gaped, revealing an appearance of surprise to Han Li for the first time.


    Han Li soon waved his hand once more, returning the red threads to the jade box which once again revealed their original appearance as needles.


    With an unchanged expression, Han Li asked with a deep voice, ¡°Am I able to purchase these magic tools now?¡±


    ¡°Since your esteemed self is able to use them, of course you can! Together with the True Essence Pill Formula, it will come to a total of four thousand spirit stones.¡± The young woman regained her calm and once again spoke without the slightest humor.


    ¡°Four thousand spirit stones!¡± Han Li looked at the young woman while rubbing his nose. That price had exceeded his expectations.


    ¡°The pill formula is one thousand five hundred spirit stones! The flying needles are two thousand five hundred!¡± The young woman listed the price without the slightest hesitation.


    To tell the truth, the woman didn¡¯t see the four thousand spirit stones as overly expensive. After all, these items were rarely seen within the cultivation world. Were it not for the defeat of the three allied countries against the Devil Dao, they would¡¯ve never sold such valuable items!


    At that moment, Han Li suddenly took a seat and assumed a solemn expression, ¡°At what price does your esteemed pavilion purchase thousand-year-old spiritual medicine?¡±

 Chapter 356

    Disaster and Fortune Come Hand in Hand


    Han Li calmly walked out from the Stardust Pavilion a quarter hour later.


    He turned his head to look at the huge pavilion with a faint, mysterious smile on his face before continuing on with long strides.


    Han Li currently had the ¡°Redthread Shadowchaser Needles¡± and a jade slip containing the True Essence Pill formula inside his storage pouch.


    Moments ago, he had casually asked about the selling price of thousand-year-old spiritual medicine. Instead of taking out any herbs, he took out two boxes each containing a ¡°Face Setting Pill¡± created from thousand-year-old herbs and handed it over to the young woman.


    Han Li vividly remembered the fervent expression of the usually aloof woman when he told her about the Face Setting Pill¡¯s miraculous effect of an unchanging appearance. The sharp contrast with her usual expression had surprised him by no small measure.


    Soon after, the young woman called over a pill refinement expert from the Stardust Pavilion to personally confirm the claims. However, none of them had refined such a pill before.


    In the end, she brought the two medicine pills to the fifth floor¡¯s Madam Lan to verify the legitimacy of the ¡°Face Setting Pills¡± as well as their miraculous effect of preserving one¡¯s appearance.


    After a whispered discussion, the women decided that Han Li could pay for the pill formula and the magic tool set with the two Face Setting Pills along with a thousand spirit stones.


    Now that he thought about it, he felt it was quite funny.


    Being able to eternally preserve one¡¯s appearance was a matter that proved extremely enticing and irresistible to women. Even such a clever schemer with such deep cultivation as Madam Lan revealed the same fervent expression as the young woman upon hearing Han Li say the words ¡°Face Setting Pill¡±. As a result, Han Li came to a complete understanding about how greatly women cared about their appearance.


    However, the amount that Han Li had acquired for the Face Setting Pills had far exceeded his estimations.


    He had originally believed that the pills would get him two thousand spirit stones at most. Therefore, their offer had left Han Li completely satisfied. Naturally, he didn¡¯t attempt to haggle over the price and ignore their generous offer. It was quite fortunate that the two shopkeepers were women. Were it a male shopkeeper, he would have been quite lucky to get a few hundred spirit stones for them.


    After he finished the trade, Madam Lan couldn¡¯t help but ask about the medicine pill¡¯s origin after recovering from her earlier fervor. Han Li thoughtlessly replied, ¡°It was an unintentional discovery,¡± before making himself scarce.


    As Han Li walked out of the Stardust Pavilion, he felt some reluctance.


    He knew that since the Stardust Pavilion was able to take out such rarities as pill formulas and the ¡°Redthread Shadowchaser Needles,¡± they were certain to have even more precious items. It was a pity that he wasn¡¯t able to take out more medicine pills and spiritual herbs for trade as Han Li clearly understood the dangers of openly revealing one¡¯s wealth.


    With regret lingering in his heart, Han Li found an inn that accommodated cultivators and decided to stay there.


    For the remainder of the day, Han Li started to meditate and refine Qi, preparing for the next day when he would have Store Owner Xu refine his magic tools.


    On the morning of the second day, Han Li arrived at the Tool Refinement store in accordance with the appointed time.


    Store Owner Xu had been waiting for him for quite a while. Once he saw Han Li, he immediately called out to him in excitement, urging him to enter the rear courtyard. Han Li gave a slight smile and entered. ¡­¡­


    Half a month later, Han Li finally emerged from the store.


    But this time, he appeared to be the opposite of how he entered and wore a darkened expression as if he were in an exceptionally foul mood.


    Store Owner Xu closely followed behind him with a face full of shame. He was muttering something to Han Li as he followed him.


    Han Li then released a long and heavy sigh, which somewhat alleviated his foul mood. Soon after, he spoke to Store Owner Xu in an amiable tone before slowly walking out of the market city, leaving behind the old man in a daze.


    A short while later, Han Li had left the territory of the market city and flew toward Xin Ruyin¡¯s small, nameless mountain.


    While Han Li stood on the Divine Wind Boat, his expression became sullen once more as he thought of the repeated tool refinement failures in the past half month.


    He had overestimated the tool refinement technique of that Shop Owner Xu, resulting in the almost complete destruction of those precious materials just to make one magic tool set. As for the mantis materials that he had valued the greatest, they had been entirely lost in the refining process.


    Han Li became extremely regretful after the fact and felt an urge to ruthlessly strike down Shop Owner Xu.


    But in the end, when he saw the old man¡¯s great display of shame, he decided to let the matter drop. Even when he departed, he had consoled the old man in an amiable manner.


    Sighing from what had happened, Han Li patted his storage pouch. Five white, flawless flying knives flew out from the storage pouch and continuously spiralled around Han Li.


    After seeing the five knives magic tool set that was refined from the white spider¡¯s legs, Han Li¡¯s mood improved slightly.


    Not only were three of the legs destroyed, but the white spider¡¯s shell that he intended to refine into armor had also been lost. But what he truly hadn¡¯t expected was that the entirety of the huge mantis materials would be completely wasted. This could be considered a great misfortune borne from great fortune. Han Li could only think about this with a bitter smile.


    But this experience taught Han Li that the rarer and more superior the materials, the greater the skill that was required to refine them into magic tools. Even the same person who had refined the Inky Flood Dragon¡¯s materials with great success was not enough!


    During his flight, Han Li appeared to have entered deep contemplation.


    Several days later, he had once again arrived above a small, nameless mountain.


    This time, Han Li didn¡¯t need to use a voice transmission talisman. The formation spell had automatically opened a passage for Han Li.


    Han Li smiled. It seemed that Xin Ruyin had been waiting for his return. After all, the agreed date had nearly arrived.


    After a short moment, Han Li was sitting down in a chair in a bamboo room. Wearing plain clothes, Xin Ruyin sat across from him with a smile.


    Xin Ruyin took out a jade slip and handed it to Han Li. With a gentle expression, she said, ¡°Senior Han, your arrival is quite timely. Yesterday, I just finished restoring the ancient transportation formation. So long as Senior restores the formation in accordance with the design, the ancient transportation formation will be functional.¡±


    From her point of view, restoring the ancient transportation formation proved to be quite challenging, and she was quite happy with her recent success.


    Han Li reached out for the jade talisman. He was extremely happy and had even revealed a rarely seen undisguised smile.


    Although he didn¡¯t intend to immediately make use of the transportation formation, it was bound to be a good backup plan.


    Han Li submerged his spiritual sense into the jade slip to take a look. As he expected, he saw detailed and complete instructions on the ancient formation¡¯s restoration.


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Young Lady Xin!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t drag his thanks into a long-winded speech. Instead, he sincerely said a few words of thanks and carefully put the jade slip away.


    ¡°It was nothing. I personally held much interest in this ancient transportation formation.¡± Xin Ruyin replied with a faint smile.


    Soon after, she thought of something and took out a small, exquisite storage pouch and handed it over to Han Li. She unhurriedly spoke, ¡°I only have another year or two to live at most. These are sets of formation flags and plates that Elder Brother Qi and I refined together. Since I won¡¯t be able to use them, I¡¯ll give them to Senior Han as a present! I hope it proves useful in assisting Senior Han with his future cultivation!¡±


    Seeing that Xin Ruyin had given such an impressive gift with such light words, Han Li was left stunned.


    At that point, he took a deep look at her. After a short moment of silence, he took the storage pouch into his hands and solemnly said, ¡°Although I, Han Li, am not an honorable, kindhearted, or chivalrous hero, I will promise Xin Ruyin once more that as long as I have the strength, I will thoroughly extinguish the Fu Clan from the cultivation world without doubt!¡±


    Xin Ruyin smiled in response. The purpose of her large gift had been achieved.


    The more reluctant someone was to make a pledge, the more sincerely they would attempt to uphold it.


    ¡°If Senior doesn¡¯t have any pressing matters, he can stay at my humble abode for a few days. I do hope to have a chat with Senior Han about the Dao of Formation Spells.¡± ¡­¡­


    Three days later, Han Li left the nameless mountain on his Divine Wind Boat and arrived at White Pond Mountain, a nearby gathering place for cultivators.


    Rogue cultivators and cultivator clan members would often gather here to exchange information of the cultivation world and conduct trade as well.


    Han Li came in order to hear how much the situation had deteriorated in the State of Yue and whether or not the Seven Sects were able to make a turnaround.


    Only after acquiring this information would Han Li be able to decide on his next plan of action.


    The day of the next cultivator gathering had nearly arrived.


    White Pond Mountain wasn¡¯t far from Xin Ruyin¡¯s nameless mountain, and she and Qi Yunxiao had previously went there several times. Naturally, a small meeting such as this would mostly have Qi Condensation cultivators. Only rarely would Foundation Establishment cultivators appear here.


    One day later, Han Li arrived at the base of the so-called White Pond Mountain.


    This mountain was quite large and had three peaks. The tallest and most rugged location, the west peak, was where the meeting would be hosted.


    Han Li turned into a streak of white light as he shot toward the mountain peak.

 Chapter 357

    White Pond Mountain


    The west peak of White Pond Mountain was slightly larger than Han Li had imagined.


    Not only was there an ancient Buddhist temple on the mountain peak, there were also more than ten stone kiosks of varying sizes, each with a group of several cultivators chatting around them.


    Naturally, there were a few straggling cultivators that wandered about the kiosks and the temple.


    It seemed that they were those who had impatiently arrived early for the White Pond Mountain¡¯s meeting.


    Han Li observed the mountain peak from the air for a moment before spiralling down and landing in an obscure corner.


    Soon after, Han Li walked to the nearby stone kiosks with Crooked Soul in tow.


    Because of Han Li¡¯s powerful spiritual sense, he was soon able to clearly hear the whispered discussions of the cultivators within the kiosks.


    One of the whispered conversations in particular captured Han Li¡¯s attention.


    Han Li focused on this four-person conversation and discovered that they were talking about the war situation between the Seven Sects of Yue and the Devil Dao. His interest was roused, and he walked over without further hesitation.


    ¡°This was a great victory for the Devil Dao. Not only were the Six Sects of the State of Yue forced to flee from their homeland, catastrophe will also befall the State of Zijin and our very own State of Yuanwu!¡± A pale middle-aged man sighed deeply after speaking.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In the last great battle, the Six Sect¡¯s power had suffered great losses. The two countries that had fought alongside them also lost sixty percent of their forces as well! The Heavenly Star Sect and the other sects are now facing great pressure!¡± A youth about twenty years old spoke with schadenfreude.


    Among the other three in the discussion, two old men had unchanged expressions and didn¡¯t reply. As for the middle-aged man who had just spoken, he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly laugh, wanting to say something in response.


    But at that moment, he was interrupted by someone¡¯s voice from the side.


    ¡°While it is true that the Heavenly Star Sect finds itself in a dilemma along with the other great sects, the lives of us rogue cultivators and those from cultivator clans will also soon take a turn for the worse. Those of the Devil Dao espouse the belief that the strong should feed on the weak. When that time comes, we definitely won¡¯t be able to enjoy free and easy-going lives.¡± Han Li slowly walked in and spoke the words that the middle-aged man intended to say.


    When the four realised that an outsider was nearby, they were startled and immediately grew silent.


    But when they were unable to perceive Han Li¡¯s cultivation, they all revealed a trace of worry and respectfully saluted Han Li. The middle-aged man then hurriedly rushed to exonerate the youth, ¡°Senior, my honorable nephew spoke without thinking. He doesn¡¯t hold the slightest disrespect toward the sects. I hope Senior won¡¯t take offense!¡±


    These people had unexpectedly presumed Han Li to be a high-grade cultivator from the State of Yuanwu¡¯s cultivation clans. The youth who had just spoken appeared especially nervous.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoists are mistaken. I am but a rogue cultivator. I was only casually adding onto the conversation.¡± Han Li smiled and warmly explained.


    The four relaxed upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words. Although they didn¡¯t know whether Han Li was truly a rogue cultivator, they clearly understood he wouldn¡¯t be pursuing the rash words that had been previously spoken.


    Thus, they gave Han Li a respectful welcome. Han Li then took a seat next to the stone table within the kiosk.


    ¡°Us Juniors are truly honored to have Senior here. However, why would Senior partake in such a lowly exchange of this degree?¡± An old man with a red-flushed face cautiously asked.


    It was obvious why this man was amazed. A small meeting place like White Pond Mountain would normally find it difficult to attract Foundation Establishment cultivators. If such high-grade cultivators wanted to converse, they would normally seek out a higher class gathering spot.


    ¡°First was due to time as I came here from a desolate mountain where I was cultivating. Recently, I¡¯ve heard news that the cultivators from my country, the State of Yue, had suffered a huge loss. I felt that the cultivation world was about to undergo great changes, so I thought I¡¯d discreetly look for information. Do you Fellow Daoists have the latest information on the Devil Dao and the State of Yue?¡± Han Li gave a simplified explanation.


    The four looked at each other for a moment before three of them focused their attention on the shriveled old man among them.


    ¡°The most well informed is naturally our Eldest Brother Ding. After all, the Ding Clan possesses many secular properties in the State of Yue!¡± The red-faced old man quickly said.


    The other two simultaneously agreed, causing Han Li¡¯s eyes to flash with a queer expression.


    Old Man Ding expressed some embarrassment in response. He helplessly said, ¡°Our Ding Clan members in the State of Yue have indeed given us information on recent circumstances. Of course, the clan doesn¡¯t wish for this information to spread but since you are all my close friends and this Senior also wishes to know, I can talk about it. However, I hope you all won¡¯t easily make this information known.¡±


    The other three couldn¡¯t help but grow excited and repeatedly praise him. Even Han Li gently nodded his head.


    The old man lightly sighed and slowly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve just received this information a few days ago. Currently, the State of Yue is in great turmoil. Although the Devil Dao had defeated the Six Sect¡¯s allied armies, a large amount of the Six Sect¡¯s cultivators have broken off from their retreat out of the State of Yue and have been incessantly launching guerilla raids utilizing their familiarity of the terrain. I¡¯ve heard that there were also a few Core Formation cultivators who haven¡¯t retreated, thus keeping the Devil Dao busy. After all, Core Formation cultivators aren¡¯t so easily dealt with. In addition, as the Six Sects have existed in the State of Yue for so many years, they possessed a lot of hidden power and have been causing the Devil Dao¡¯s takeover of the State of Yue to be rather troublesome.


    ¡°As for the State of Yue¡¯s cultivation clans, they have divided into three factions. One faction turned traitor once the Six Sects were defeated; they took the initiative to surrender and pay allegiance to the Devil Dao. Another faction consisted of those that were too closely tied with the Six Sects. Fearing that the Devil Dao would want to take revenge, they fled the State of Yue as the Six Sects had. As for the last faction, they are waiting to see how things will develop before taking action.


    ¡°As for the Six Sect¡¯s long-established key locations, those from the Masked Moon Sect and Giant Sword Sect have yet to be broken through by the Devil Dao. The other four sects have been completely broken through, but it was said that very little had been obtained from the attacks. A majority of the rare items had already been removed by the six sect¡¯s disciples.


    ¡°The way I see it, every day the Devil Dao isn¡¯t able to pacify the State of Yue is another day where the State of Yuanwu or Zijin isn¡¯t attacked. After all, their numbers are great and they were able to simultaneously take down two small countries and a mid rank country in one fell swoop. Since it is only a matter of time before they will fall upon us, they have no problem dealing with the disruptive Six Sect cultivators for the time being.¡± The old man¡¯s slowly spoken words had revealed his own take on the matter.


    The red-faced old man couldn¡¯t help but interrupt and ask, ¡°Eldest Brother Ding, why do you think that the Devil Dao has given us time to breathe, allowing for our country¡¯s sects to prepare for their attack?¡±


    ¡°This is hard to say. After all, I am only aware of the surface information. As for the absolute truth of the matter, I¡¯m afraid that only the highest echelons of the sects know.¡± Old Man Ding slowly shook his head and stole a glance at Han Li.


    It was obvious that he believed Han Li to be a cultivator from a sect of his own country and had refrained from speaking of certain matters.


    Old Man Ding didn¡¯t wish to continue speaking of that issue and suddenly said something with a smile that left Han Li shocked instead.


    ¡°Because the Six Sects of the State of Yue wished for a hasty retreat, they used the strategy of cutting off their own tail. They only brought along their talented elite disciples while leaving behind the rest of their many disciples as ignorant sacrifices. It is said that the ones who most effectively applied this cruel tactic were the highest echelons of Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s disciples. They had their trusted elite make a smooth escape from the State of Yue while sacrificing two whole groups of disciples¡ªnearly all of their cultivators apart from those that escaped. Tsk tsk. Their methods are truly impressive!¡±


    Although the old man said this indifferently, Han Li¡¯s heart suddenly sunk, and his face became faintly twisted. But fortunately, the others didn¡¯t dare to stare at Han Li for long, so none of them noticed this change.


    Strongly suppressing his astonishment, Han Li calmly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Ding, you said that Yellow Maple Valley sacrificed two batches of disciples. How did this happen? I am quite interested!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, since Senior is asking, Junior will naturally answer truthfully. I heard that when the upper echelon of the State of Yue received the news of their frontline¡¯s defeat, Yellow Maple Valley immediately plotted to make a crafty escape. They would first have a group of disciples rush to evacuate but secretly divulge this information to the spies of the Devil Dao, claiming that the group contained their elite disciples. This group would also bring along a large amount of spirit stones and materials, completely attracting the attention of the Devil Dao soldiers. At the same time, they left behind another group of ignorant disciples and had them use the great formation to confront the Devil Dao. With these two groups drawing the enemy¡¯s full attention, Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s highest echelon then had the true trusted elite disciples retreat in the opposite direction with the sect¡¯s thousand years¡¯ worth of savings.


    ¡°I heard that although the number of people to safely retreat from Yellow Maple Valley was the fewest, they had the smoothest retreat. As for the other five sects, although they retreated en masse, they encountered repeated attacks and had to fight for their lives on many occasions. Much of their valuables have fallen into the Devil Dao¡¯s hands as a result. This matter then became widely spread throughout the State of Yue by the Devil Dao.¡± Not daring to slight Han Li, the old man gave him a complete explanation.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he spoke unhurriedly with a soft voice, ¡°Oh, so it was like that! Those abandoned Yellow Maple Valley disciples sure were foolish!¡±

 Chapter 358

    The Endless Sea, The Moulan


    Han Li then suddenly spoke with a gentle smile, ¡°Well then, knowing that the the State of Yue is currently in turmoil is enough for me!¡±


    These incomprehensible words left the four with a feeling of profound mystery. They could only force themselves to give him a smile in return.


    Han Li stood up and said amiably, ¡°You can all go ahead and continue chatting! I am going to go to a different room.¡±


    ¡°As you please, Senior!¡±


    ¡°Best wishes, Senior!¡± ¡­¡­


    The four hastily saw off Han Li with respect.


    Han Li casually beckoned with his arm and called out to Crooked Soul who had stood outside throughout the conversation. They then walked together to another stone kiosk. ¡­¡­


    Four hours later, Han Li stood at a corner of the mountain peak and lowered his head in contemplation.


    He had participated in many discussions about the current affairs of the State of Yue. As a result, he had come to the conclusion that the current situation in the State of Yue could only be described as ¡®chaotic¡¯.


    Under these circumstances, he only had two options.


    One was to use a flying magic tool and fly to a country far away from the State of Yue, in order to find a place suitable for cultivation.


    The other option was to restore the ancient transportation formation and take a gamble to see where the transportation formation would take him. After all, this precious ancient transportation formation was built underground for a reason. It was certain to be linked to a distant location.


    At first glance, he felt that he should obviously choose the first option as it was more reliable. But after some consideration, Han Li felt that it was just as risky.


    To the east and west of the State of Yue were the Devil Dao¡¯s State of Tianluo and the Righteous Dao Alliance¡¯s State of Fengdou. As a result, he would only be able to head north or south.


    If he were to flee north of Yuanwu, there would be several tens of small and mid ranked countries, but Han Li knew that their cultivators wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the attacks of either the Devil or Righteous Dao. Some of them had even attached themselves to the two great powers, becoming their puppets and occasionally engaging in both open and covert struggles with the other side. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the State of Tianluo and Fengdou to conduct a wide-scale turf war, especially since they originally only had a small stretch of common border with one other.


    Those countries would soon be turned into battlefields by the Devil Dao and Righteous Dao Alliance, and Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to stay there.


    But if he were to brave the dangers of travelling through these countries and continue north, he would arrive at the Heavenly South Region¡¯s northmost area, the ¡°Endless Seas¡±, where few cultivators dared to travel.


    Not only was this sea extremely dark, it was also limitless and had many rare species of fishes living within. The fishes were extremely violent and were no less vicious than their high-grade demon beast counterparts on land. Even Core Formation cultivators would find themselves in extreme danger if they fell into the sea.


    The thought of flying across the sea was but a mere fantasy! There was once a Nascent Soul cultivator who was curious about the end of the sea. After preparing fully, he then flew over the ocean water. After flying for over a year, he was still unable to see any end of the sea and hadn¡¯t seen the slightest hint of land.


    At that point, over half of his medicine pills and spirit stones had been exhausted, and he could only resentfully turn back. Otherwise, he would only be able to die at sea when he ran out of spiritual power, even if he was a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Naturally, Han Li wouldn¡¯t indulge himself in the fantasy of crossing the sea. His only thoughts were to head down south.


    South of the State of Yue, after passing through the State of Zijin and then another six countries, one would arrive at the Nine Nations Union, an inseparably close alliance of nine countries of various sizes.


    This alliance between the nine countries was formed mostly for the purpose of combating their fearsome invaders, the Moulan Race¡¯s ¡°Spell Soldiers¡±.


    When speaking of the Moulan Race and their magic soldiers, one wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid mentioning the Moulan Prairies, home of the Moulan Tribes and a close neighbor of the Nine Nations Union.


    The Moulan Race were completely different from the Yan people of the States of Yuanwu and Yue. Their people were completely nomadic, possessing a culture of fearlessness and a love for brandishing their sabers and spears. The Moulan Race were made up of countless tribes of various sizes, where small tribes would consist of several hundred thousand people and the large tribes would number several tens of millions.


    Cultivators also existed within these tribes, but they were called ¡°Spell Soldiers¡± instead of cultivators. It is said that they are indistinguishable from common cultivators, and the divisions of cultivation as well as the cultivation techniques are extremely similar. The only thing that differed were that the spell soldiers of Core Formation rank and higher didn¡¯t care much about external items such as magic tools and talismans. Instead, they were focused on mastering their elemental Daoist magics to perfection. They even had secret earthborn techniques where they merged with the prairie. Their research had produced a variety of extremely strange and formidable magic techniques, and in turn created a new school of magic techniques that distinguished the Moulan, which they called ¡°Spirit Techniques¡±.


    By relying on these incisive ¡°Spirit Techniques¡±, the Moulan Race¡¯s spell soldiers were able to contend and even gain the upper hand against cultivators of equivalent rank.


    As the Moulan Race¡¯s ¡°Spell Soldiers¡± grew increasingly numerous, their need for spirit vein locations and spirit stones intensified to the point of significantly worsening the depletion of cultivation resources. This shortage was further exacerbated by the extreme lack of natural cultivation resources in the Moulan Prairie.


    As a result, the Moulan Race¡¯s spell soldiers had their gazes set upon the abundant Spiritual Qi and resources of the nine countries for as long as anybody could remember. They had often launched attacks against these countries in order to seize their spirit veins, spirit stone mines, and other such resources vital to cultivators.


    Naturally, the cultivation world of the nine countries were unwilling to allow their resources to be seized by these savage cultivators. In the end, a bloody war of magic had erupted.


    In the beginning, the nine countries had individually resisted, but they had quickly suffered defeat at the hands of the united armies of the Moulan Tribes, surrendering a large portion of their resources and land.


    Having now experienced the ferociousness of the Moulan, they learned from their defeat and hastily formed the ¡°Nine Nations Union¡±. By using underhanded and deplorable methods, they were able to gradually defeat the Moulan Tribe¡¯s spell soldiers and retake their land.


    But having just tasted victory, the Moulan Tribes were naturally unwilling to simply give up. After endless years of strife and warfare, mutual hatred had bloomed within both sides. The death toll had grown to such a degree that even the mortals of Moulan and Yan had been influenced.


    As of now, the people of Moulan didn¡¯t dare to set foot within the borders of the Nine Countries. Likewise, those of Yan didn¡¯t dare to travel too deeply into the Moulan Prairies.


    As for how many people there are in the Moulan Tribes, nobody truly knows. The Moulan Prairie was far too large, and the Nine Nations Union had only tangled with a small portion of the Moulan Tribes.


    Although the Moulan Prairie wasn¡¯t endless like the Black Devil Sea, it was said to require five years for someone to travel from one end of the prairie to the other end. Furthermore, ¡°Moulan Prairies¡± was just a name given by the Moulan tribes. At the other end of the prairie lay the Moulan Tribe¡¯s true enemy: the ¡°Soaring Tribes¡±.


    The Soaring Tribes were another nomadic tribe, who called these grasslands the ¡°Heaventide Prairies¡±. This was due to their long-held beliefs in their patron God, the ¡°Heaventide Beast¡±.


    There was no reason for two nomadic tribes to live on the same prairie, and the two ethnicities had formed a relationship of fatal enmity. It was unknown for how long their soldiers and cultivators had been fighting one another.


    In any case, a huge battle was certain to take place every hundred years or so at the center of the prairie. Ten million mortal soldiers would fight, while tens of thousands of cultivators battled throughout the sky. Naturally, the ultimate victor would be decided by the battle in the sky.


    Han Li had learned all of this from rumors and ancient records of all kinds.


    It was said that at the other end of the Moulan Prairie existed an incredibly huge Great Empire. The entire Heavenly South Region wasn¡¯t even as large as a tenth of it.


    Han Li found those rumors hard to believe and had difficulty imagining a country that was over ten times larger than the entire Heavenly South Region.


    Of course, all this had nothing to do with Han Li¡¯s current plans. They were just random thoughts that had rushed through his mind.


    After he set aside his wandering thoughts, he eventually came to the conclusion that the Six Sect¡¯s evacuation wouldn¡¯t end within the nearby countries. They would definitely make a detour to the Nine Nations Union. After all, the cultivators of the nine countries had battles with the Moulan Spell Soldiers every other year and a war every ten years. They would definitely welcome the Six Sects and provide them with great assistance.


    Naturally, the spirit veins and other such locations of value allocated to them would depend on their abilities.


    If Han Li were to return to Yellow Maple Valley, he would just continue to be cannon fodder. This meant he definitely couldn¡¯t head south.


    Although he had already come to a clear answer on what he should do, he received a great headache once he thought about it again. First, he would see whether or not he could restore the transportation formation. If he managed to successfully repair it, he would then reconsider whether or not he would use it.


    ¡®At best, I could return if I¡¯m dissatisfied. At worst¡­ Well, this option did hold a certain degree of danger after all!¡¯ Han Li thought with a bitter smile.

 Chapter 359

    A Surprising Encounter with an Acquaintance


    Having come to a decision, Han Li silently flew off the mountain.


    Later on, when the White Pond Mountain¡¯s meeting convened, those Qi Condensation cultivators that had spoken with Han Li would be left baffled by his absence.


    Han Li first went to the Heavenly Star Sect¡¯s market city to purchase the list of items that he would need to restore the ancient transportation formation. Then, he hurried off to the State of Yue.


    This time, Han Li didn¡¯t take the direct route to enter the State of Yue. Instead, he circled around to a remote part of the border between the State of Yuanwu and Yue and stealthily entered through there. Now that the State of Yue belonged to the Devil Dao, he took steps to avoid entering dangerous territories to prevent having enemies pursuing him the entire way.


    But Han Li didn¡¯t know that because of this precaution, he had unexpectedly avoided a crisis.


    Currently, the majority of the State of Yue¡¯s borders were heavily patrolled. If Han Li had recklessly returned using his original path, he would have been unable to escape their attention, most likely leading to an unavoidable pursuit and battle!


    Having safely entered the State of Yue, Han Li hastily journeyed on routes through the most desolate areas he could find, allowing him to arrive at the spirit stone mine near the transportation formation unnoticed.


    Han Li stealthily observed the spirit stone mine from far away, as it had now fallen into the hands of the Devil Dao. He saw Devil Dao disciples wearing green and white clothing with either a dark green ghost skull or a pink peach blossom tucked within the corners of their sleeves. It seemed they were cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Harmonious Bond Sect.


    Now knowing that the spirit stone mine was being guarded, Han Li stealthily slipped away and entered a nearby secret underground entrance.


    He was able to easily find the concealed cave he had previously collapsed. After using his magic tools to tear the stone away, Han Li was able to take another look at the damaged ancient transportation formation. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the ancient transportation formation safe and sound.


    During the following day, Han Li first used his newly acquired illusion formation flags to thoroughly conceal the secret location. Afterwards, he laid down the formation flags and formation plates of the Five Elements Reversal Formation, laying out a thorough defense for the cave containing the ancient transportation formation.


    This way, he would have enough time to easily escape, even if he was discovered by the Devil Dao cultivators.


    Freed from worry, Han Li started the transportation formation¡¯s restoration.


    The jade talisman clearly stated that restoring the ancient transportation formation required the utmost precision. Even the slightest slant of an unremarkable talisman line could result in an error in the transportation formation.


    After spending an entire seven days, Han Li had only managed to complete less than half of the restoration. But that night, Han Li encountered a huge problem: he had already ran out of the supplies he had bought earlier.


    Han Li was flabbergasted! He had originally bought a bit more than what was mentioned on the item list, but he hadn¡¯t accounted for the wasted materials from the mistakes he would make while repairing the formation.


    He was neither a tool refinement nor a formation spell master. As he was lacking in skill, he had wasted over half of his materials from errors and didn¡¯t have enough left to finish.


    Han Li sighed. It seemed he¡¯d have to go on another trip.


    However, he remembered that a small market town of some cultivator clan lay several days east of the spirit stone mine. Although it wasn¡¯t large, items such as source iron and crystal jade could be found there. Since the core of the transportation formation wasn¡¯t ruined, he would only require a few common materials to repair it.


    His only worry was that given the current chaos of the cultivation world, this clan¡¯s market city might no longer exist! If this were the case, he¡¯d have to travel to a more dangerous area.


    Under the cover of night, Han Li flew out of the cave and headed directly toward the market city.


    He had already decided that if the market city no longer existed, it would be best to return to the State of Yuanwu. He couldn¡¯t afford to just ignore the fact that the ancient formation was only half repaired.


    To be safe, Han Li planned to only travel during the night. During the day he would find areas to rest and recover, keeping the danger to a minimum.


    In this way, Han Li continued to fly east under the cover of night. Whenever rays of sunlight began to appear off the horizon, he would search for a place to rest.


    But while he was gazing down from above, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly turned his head in another direction. Han Li faintly felt as if someone was quickly flying toward him and that they weren¡¯t alone.


    Han Li reacted instantly by stomping on his Divine Wind Boat and flew downward. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the darkness of night.


    Just as he concealed himself and restrained his Spiritual Qi, a blinding light silently flashed by him like a bolt of lightning.


    Then a bloody cloud about ten meters wide relentlessly chased after it, releasing unending ghostly wails and howls as it flew past. A bit behind the cloud was a pink ray of light that released soft, clear cries which seemed to also be in relentless pursuit.


    Han Li, who was hidden in the mountain forest below, didn¡¯t pay attention to the white light, focusing on the bloody cloud instead. He felt that the bloody cloud seemed extremely familiar! Wasn¡¯t that the demonic art which had protected the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect?


    Having remembered the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master¡¯s ferociousness and the hardships he had been put through, Han Li¡¯s expression became gloomy.


    While Han Li was still in thought, those in the sky had hastily descended, and the white light in front suddenly stopped. The brilliant light then quickly faded away, revealing a white-clothed woman standing on a flying sword.


    This woman had a slender body and was wearing a cloak. As soon as she appeared, she coldly spoke to her pursuers, ¡°Juniors, it appears you are unwilling to let me go. Could it be that you have a death wish?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was cold and beautiful. When Han Li heard it, he nearly jumped in surprise.


    Greatly shocked, Han Li thought to himself, ¡®Is¡­ Is this Fairy Nangong¡¯s voice? Is it really her?¡¯


    Although he had barely spoken with this woman, after he had slept with her, she had become the most important woman in Han Li¡¯s life. The memory of her had always remained clear in his heart. Also, while the voice sounded very much like Nangong Wan, it¡¯s hoarseness left him slightly doubtful.


    While Han Li was lost in astonishment, the bloody mist and that pink light had both stopped about forty meters away in response to her threats. The bloody and pink lights then faded away, revealing the people inside.


    The bloody cloud revealed the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master Wang Chan as expected, and the pink light revealed a man and woman that left Han Li dumbstruck.


    He had last seen both at Yan Ling Castle, one was a demonic man as beautiful as a woman. As for the woman, she had been missing for a long time and was assumed to have fallen into the grasp of the Devil Dao, Dong Xuan¡¯er1 .


    Dong Xuan¡¯er wore a cold expression and appeared rather dignified. Her originally seductive appearance had completely disappeared at some point in the past. But what surprised Han Li more was that she had already cultivated to mid Foundation Establishment from early Foundation Establishment.


    When Han Li saw Dong Xuan¡¯er standing by the demonic man¡¯s side, he couldn¡¯t help but tightly crease his brow.


    At the moment, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master and the gorgeous man were coldly staring at the masked woman and revealed a trace of hesitation.


    Although Fairy Nangong had already fought with a Ghost Spirit Sect Core Formation expert and should be lacking in power, she had killed countless Devil Dao Core Formation cultivators while fighting for the Masked Moon Sect before. It wouldn¡¯t be worth it if she were to go all out and end them all in mutual destruction.


    With that in mind, the two couldn¡¯t help but look at each other, neither willing to act first.


    That strange, gorgeous man gazed at the masked woman with a slight smile, ¡°If this were the past, both Senior Brother Wang and I would naturally flee at the mere sight of Fairy Nangong. But now¡­ even if I wanted to let you go in consideration of the previous relationship between the Masked Moon Sect and the Harmonious Bond Sect, my Senior Brother Wang from the Ghost Spirit Sect would still be unwilling to let the matter go!¡±


    The gorgeous man spoke as if they were all on extremely familiar terms with one another and as if this were a matter they had already discussed, but he unapologetically pushed the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master in front of him to act as a shield.


    When Wang Chan heard this, he grew furious.


    But he wasn¡¯t someone who showed emotion. He only coldly glanced at her before speaking calmly, ¡°I heard that the Harmonious Bond Sect has a secret technique, the Art of Darkmoon Yin Absorption. A male cultivator can use it to forcefully absorb a portion of a woman¡¯s Origin Yin through pair cultivation techniques. Although it doesn¡¯t absorb much, with Senior¡¯s Core Formation cultivation, it will be enough for this Young Master Tian to breakthrough his current bottleneck and reach late Foundation Establishment.¡±


    The gorgeous man¡¯s expression paled slightly. He hadn¡¯t expected that his reason for bitterly pursuing this woman without end had been seen through by Wang Chan. He couldn¡¯t help but feel angered from the humiliation.


    At that moment, the masked woman shot them a resentful glare. She gritted her perfect teeth and spat out, ¡°You¡¯re all as bad as each other. Die!¡± She raised her hand and an earth-shattering white mist of swordlight shot toward them.


    When Wang Chen and the gorgeous man saw this, they both turned pale from fright. The next instant, they had turned into a bloody cloud and a ray of light, respectively, in an attempt to hastily evade the attack.

 Chapter 360

    Halfway to Calamity


    Dong Xuan¡¯er, who was standing by the side of the gorgeous man, was also enveloped by the man¡¯s rainbow barrier. In an instant, the three had hastily flown back.


    A spiteful strike from a Core Formation cultivator was not something the three of them could endure!


    The swordlight filled the sky and closely pursued them for about forty meters before suddenly vanishing without a trace. At the same time, the woman¡¯s slender body swayed as if she were about to fall.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master and the gorgeous man grew elated upon seeing this and turned their retreat into a charge.


    As Han Li watched on from below, his face stiffened and he subconsciously patted his storage pouch. The thirteen ¡°Redline Shadowchaser Needles¡± flew out, and he quickly drew them back with his hands.


    Even if he were to put himself in danger, Han Li couldn¡¯t allow Nangong Wan to wilt before his eyes.


    No matter how self-centered and cold-hearted he may be, regardless of whether or not he could contend with the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master and the others, the entirety of his heart and soul urged him to act!


    Just as Han Li was about to act and release the flying needles to save the masked woman, the sky abruptly underwent a massive change.


    The previously wavering woman that was standing on the sword suddenly regained her bearings, and her eyes glinted with cold light.


    Wang Chan and the gorgeous man grew pale. They immediately knew that they had fallen for her ruse, but by the time they wanted to run away, it was already too late.


    The woman raised her hands and countless streaks of swordlight soared through the air and completely enveloped the three in blinding white light.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt relieved and loosened his grip on his flying needles.


    The sky shone with gray light from the masked woman¡¯s swordlight. A bloody cloud and pink light tottered within it like a small boat in a surging storm. However, they still managed to painfully endure. In particular, within the pink light, the gorgeous man and Dong Xuan¡¯er released a strange azure-red light from their hands, offsetting the swordlight¡¯s attack.


    Han Li lightly wrinkled his brow and lowered his head in contemplation before silently disappearing.


    Meanwhile, the masked woman felt great worry.


    She was truly surprised to see that even though she had used a ruse to press the Devil Dao cultivators, her current attack was still unable to deal with the three.


    Not long ago, she had fought a great battle against a Devil Dao Core Formation cultivator. Her opponent had nearly succeeded in ending the battle in mutual destruction, depleting her magic power. Although she managed to escape further entanglements afterwards, her heavy injuries had been a cause for great concern.


    Even worse, her magic treasure which was inseparably bonded to her soul had suffered serious damage during the previous battle, leaving it unusable for the time being.


    Furthermore, because she was being pursued, she was forced to use a secret technique that greatly damaged her vitality to escape, forcefully drawing out a portion of her body¡¯s potential to produce a sliver of spiritual power.


    Although she had managed to throw off the majority of her pursuers, she hadn¡¯t expected that these three, who possessed exceptional Devilish Arts, would continue to pursue her relentlessly.


    Thus, she could only attempt to eliminate them. Otherwise, even if she were a Core Formation cultivator, she would be at their mercy once the effects of her secret technique subsided.


    The reason why she had stopped here was because her spiritual awareness had felt that there was a cultivator here. Although she didn¡¯t know who it was, it was an undeniable fact that this person lacked the devilish aura possessed by those who used the techniques of the Devil Dao.


    Furthermore, this person was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator. Were he not a cultivator from a large clan, then he should be a cultivator from the other five allied sects. With nowhere to go and in a hopeless situation, she flew here with the intention of dragging that cultivator into this mess and possibly turning the situation for the better.


    But she absolutely didn¡¯t expect that this person¡¯s spiritual sense would be so strong. This person had concealed himself from far away without any intention of involving himself.


    As such, the masked woman could only confront the enemy alone and grit her teeth with aching resentment.


    But once again, a frightening development had unfolded before her. These three Devil Dao cultivators were extremely tenacious, and they possessed immensely powerful defensive magic tools. Even if she were to use the entirety of her remaining spiritual power, she wouldn¡¯t be able to kill them quickly.


    With regard to her high-grade talismans and impressive magic tools, they had been thoroughly exhausted in the battles many days earlier.


    Her heart sank as she felt her last remnants of magic power about to disappear.


    The Devil Dao cultivators that were bitterly enduring the swordlight felt its enormous suffocating pressure gradually weaken until it had completely disappeared. The three were stunned and immediately turned their gazes towards the masked woman. She blankly stood on top of her flying sword with dim, emotionless eyes while her body pitifully trembled.


    Wang Chan and the beautiful man looked at each other with feelings of pleasant surprise. But as they had just suffered from her clever ploy, they hesitated and didn¡¯t dare to act rashly.


    But at this moment, a streak of white light flew out from below like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, the white light had appeared in front of the masked woman. The silhouette within the white light embraced her waist before suddenly descending back down from where it came.


    This scene left Wang Chan and the gorgeous man bursting with anger.


    How could the two let such a rich prize be snatched out of their mouths? They reacted by immediately chasing after the white light with the full capabilities of their movement techniques.


    However, Dong Xuan¡¯er stood at her original location with an expression of shock. This was because that silhouette had appeared extremely familiar and caused her to unconsciously hesitate.


    About forty meters below, the white light shot towards a dense forest. After it entered the forest, the light faded away to reveal an unremarkable male youth.


    As he tightly embraced the masked woman in one arm, he raised his head and expressionlessly looked at Wang Chan and the gorgeous man chasing after them.


    Although the masked woman lacked the strength to struggle from his embrace, her eyes were filled with humiliation and resentment as if she was scolding him. However, the youth paid this no mind.


    ¡°So it turned out to be you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    Once they clearly saw the male youth¡¯s appearance, Wang Chen and the gorgeous man simultaneously yelled out.


    They had both recognized Han Li, whom they had each attempted to kill before. After glancing at each other in surprise, they charged toward Han Li while using their abilities to the fullest extent without any further hesitation.


    Wang Chan¡¯s blood cloud swelled and expanded to forty meters wide in an instant. At the same time, its bloody scent grew much more intense and its pressure became astonishingly stronger.


    The gorgeous man coldly laughed, and a jade flute suddenly appeared in his hand. With a wave, a clear whistle sounded out, transforming his rainbow streak of light into a pink peacock. As he shot toward Han Li, Wang Chan closely followed behind him, unwilling to be second.


    Seeing that the two were so aggressively chasing him, Han Li finally revealed a trace of panic.


    He suddenly stomped on his small boat, causing it to release a blinding white light. It lightly trembled as if it were strung on a bow.


    With the Devil Dao cultivators¡¯ astonishing offensive, they had already arrived in front of Han Li and blocked off his path of escape. They now clearly saw that the masked woman had given up her struggle and that her eyes were filled with despair.


    This caused the two to feel much more at ease. It seemed that the female Core Formation cultivator no longer had the power to resist!


    In that moment, Han Li¡¯s panicked expression underwent a sudden change, and he revealed a faint, strange smile.


    When the two outstanding Devil Dao cultivators saw Han Li¡¯s expression, their hearts thumped heavily.


    The scene before them suddenly changed as Han Li and the masked woman turned into a cool breeze as if they no longer existed. Then, two huge stones appeared in front of the Devil Dao cultivators, causing them to dodge away in alarm. They couldn¡¯t help but look around in astonishment.


    What they saw caused their complexions to pale. They were surrounded by some kind of forest with countless towering trees similar to stone obelisks. They had been trapped inside of an illusory formation.


    Wang Chan and the gorgeous man were furious.


    Although the might of this illusory formation wasn¡¯t great, they would have to spend a good amount of time to break through it, giving their prey more than enough time to escape. As a result, these two young masters of the Devil Dao developed a bone-deep hatred for Han Li.


    ¡°Senior Brother Wang, let¡¯s quickly break out of this formation. Don¡¯t forget that my Junior Martial Sister Dong is still outside! With her cultivation, she can stall them for a short while. She will give us all the time that we will need.¡± The gorgeous man suddenly thought of something and coldly smiled.


    Wang Chan¡¯s face grew cheerful for a moment, but then he spoke with doubt, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It seems this young master has forgotten something! That girl was once a Yellow Maple Valley disciple. Will she really block them?¡±


    The gorgeous man then revealed some hesitation and replied with uncertainty, ¡°She will definitely act! After all, Dong Xuan¡¯er has a high position in my Harmonious Bond Sect, far greater than the status of an ordinary disciple that she had within Yellow Maple Valley! Furthermore, I, this father, treat her quite well!¡±

 Chapter 361

    Mishap


    As Han Li stomped on his Divine Wind Boat with one arm wrapped around the masked woman, Dong Xuan¡¯er blocked his way while covered in pink light.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Dong, must you act?¡± Han Li lightly sighed and spoke grudgingly.


    Her eyes coldly glinted as she glanced down at the unconscious masked woman in Han Li¡¯s embrace. Dong Xuan¡¯er expressionlessly said, ¡°Han Li, if you wish to leave, you must first pass through me! I have always been curious as to why my Master Hong Fu had insisted on marrying me to you!


    ¡°Also, did you really expect me to allow a Masked Moon Core Formation cultivator to easily escape?¡± Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s refined brow gradually frowned, and she wore a baleful expression.


    Once she finished, Han Li didn¡¯t reply with words regarding old affection or other such nonsense. After all, he had used formation flags to hastily trap the other two within a simple illusion formation. It wouldn¡¯t keep them trapped for long.


    Han Li¡¯s expression sunk and he said, ¡°Since it¡¯s like this, then don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless, Young Lady Dong!¡±


    Han Li then loudly yelled and waved his hand, releasing two black lights and five streaks of white light. In addition, a tortoise shell appeared beside him and blocked his front. Afterwards, four puppet beasts appeared at both his sides. With gaping mouths, they shot out light beams as thick as a bowl.


    He took action with the entirety of his power. He didn¡¯t have any notion of going easy on the fairer sex.


    Once Dong Xuan¡¯er saw Han Li¡¯s ferocious offensive, her expression underwent great change.


    She grit her teeth and waved her flawless hand, summoning a pink muslin cloth. Her hands then emitted a red-orange glow which combined with her muslin cloth to form a huge barrier of sparkling red light surrounding herself.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er was convinced that even if Han Li¡¯s attack was more overbearing, it still wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the powerful barrier created from her ¡°Fire Phoenix Cloth¡± and devilish arts.


    As Dong Xuan¡¯er was basking in confidence, Han Li¡¯s Divine Wind Boat flashed with white light and streaked past her with a woosh.


    Likewise, the magic tools that were in an overbearing attack made an immediate turn and quickly flew after Han Li.


    Without fighting for even a moment, Han Li had instead used his attack as a misdirection, allowing for an immediately escape.


    This was completely out of Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s expectations! She blankly stood in place before her face deeply blushed. Just as she thought to furiously pursue Han Li, the four puppet beasts fired light beams on her.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er could only wait until after the light beams faded away before hastily withdrawing her light barrier. But by that time, Han Li had already turned into a black dot in the distance and was about to disappear from sight.


    Naturally, Dong Xuan¡¯er was unwilling to allow Han Li¡¯s trickery succeed. By making use of her wondrous movement technique, she ignored the four puppet beasts and set off in hot pursuit.


    But a short moment later, that black dot in the sky flashed several more times and disappeared without a trace.


    With a furious expression, Dong Xuan¡¯er swept the vicinity without finding a single trace of Han Li. She had no choice but to give up her pursuit of them and dejectedly return. ¡­¡­


    At this moment, Han Li was hiding in a loose earth mound to rest. A yellow barrier of light covered Han Li from all sides, but it didn¡¯t feel stuffy at all. It was quite fantastic.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t thought that this low grade ¡°Earthsink Talisman¡±, would prove to be useful someday. It seems that keeping all the talismans he possessed on his body was a correct decision.


    A moment later, he felt that Dong Xuan¡¯er had left. Without leaving concealment, he carefully used his spiritual sense and confirmed that Dong Xuan¡¯er truly wasn¡¯t there before leaving the earth mound and speedily flying away. ¡­¡­


    Many hours later, Han Li carried the masked woman into the dry hollow of a large tree. The tree hollow¡¯s previous master, a huge bear, was lying dismembered outside the cave.


    Han Li gently lowered the masked woman to the ground and gripped her flawless wrist with deep concern, slowly releasing spiritual power into her blood vessels to take a look at her injuries.


    However, Han Li regretted having done such a rash action immediately afterwards.


    Upon pouring just a slight amount of spiritual power into her body, a huge attractive force suddenly appeared and caused Han Li¡¯s spiritual power to wildly flood into her like a dam had broken.


    Han Li was greatly alarmed and attempted to let go, but he found that his hands were firmly stuck and was unable to break free. Unexpectedly, his other hand was also helplessly caught by this attractive force, causing his magic power to flow out at double the speed.


    Han Li was aghast as he felt every drop of his bitterly cultivated true essence forcefully sucked out by the masked woman. To make matters worse, the attractive force only grew stronger as time passed, making Han Li lose his head from panic!


    Not daring to repeat the same mistake by trying to by pushing her off with his legs, Han Li was at his wit¡¯s end as his hands continued to be rigidly stuck.


    Han Li could only helplessly stare on as his mid Foundation Establishment cultivation degraded to early Foundation Establishment, and then as early Foundation Establishment fell into Qi Condensation, and¡­


    As he felt his heart bleed, Han Li found that he could not longer endure and his gaze blackened before he fainted and fell onto the body of the masked woman.


    ¡°Fragrant¡­ and soft!¡± Before Han Li lost consciousness, this single lustful thought flashed through his mind.


    As such, a man and a woman were intimately tangled with one another in a quiet cave. But since both of them were were unconscious, Han Li¡¯s spiritual power still continued to slowly and uncontrollably flow into the woman¡¯s body. ¡­¡­


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Li eventually woke up in a daze.


    But just as he drowsily opened his eyes, Han Li found himself looking at an attractive, slender silhouette standing outside the tree cave, surveying the scene outside with her back facing Han Li.


    Han Li blankly looked on for a moment before feeling a severe headache. After holding back his voice with great difficulty, he recalled the event before he passed out. Fearful, Han Li hastily used his spiritual sense to examine his body.


    His felt his heart drop to the deepest depths. Not only did his cultivation revert back to Qi Condensation, it had dropped to the third layer. He was left completely dumbfounded as if he had been struck by lightning.


    While Han Li was at a loss, the slender woman softly asked without turning her head, ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    Han Li woke from his stupor, and with an unsightly expression, he couldn¡¯t help but furiously ask, ¡°Nangong Wan, what happened? I saved you with good intentions yet you absorbed my magic power.¡±


    ¡°Nangong Wan? You know my elder cousin?¡± The woman finally turned around. She had already taken off her hood, allowing Han Li to clearly see her face.


    Han Li was shocked!


    Although her extremely beautiful appearance was quite similar to Nangong Wan, her delicate oval face along with her delicate eyebrows were completely unfamiliar to Han Li.


    ¡°Who are you? How is this possible? I clearly heard the Devil Dao cultivators called you ¡®Senior Nangong! And your voice¡­¡± Han Li blankly murmured to himself in complete confusion.


    But suddenly, his complexion turned deathly pale and couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak further.


    This was because he finally recalled the clear but subtle difference between this woman¡¯s voice and Nangong Wan¡¯s voice. Her voice was more hoarse. At the time, he had believed that Nangong Wan was severely injured, causing her voice to change as a result. However, this oversight had caused this mishap to occur. Not only did he mistakenly rescue someone, but his cultivation had been sucked dry by the person he rescued.


    Over ten years of bitter cultivation had completely disappeared in a day!


    As Han Li felt both dismay and dejection, his complexion alternated between red and white.


    This female cultivator, who claimed to be Nangong Wan¡¯s younger cousin, gave Han Li a dignified smile and said something that left him stunned. ¡°Are you Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Han Li?¡±


    ¡°How does Senior know my name?¡± Han Li¡¯s spirit strongly shook. Since he saw that this woman had no intentions of killing him and with reassuring thoughts of the ¡®Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡¯, he managed to calm down.


    ¡°Elder Cousin and I are as close as sisters. We hide nothing from each other. She had spoken to me about your previous incident!¡± The woman¡¯s expression was indifferent; neither joy nor anger could be made out.


    Han Li was speechless.


    ¡°Did you know? When I found out about this incident, my first thought was to run over to Yellow Maple Valley and dismember you into eight pieces, feeding your corpse to the dogs!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes suddenly flashed with cold light. Her words were filled with a murderous tone, leaving Han Li pale.

 Chapter 362

    Nangong Bing


    The woman appeared as gentle as always, but her words were as cold as a blade¡¯s edge, causing Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble.


    Han Li let out a long sigh, before saying something that left the woman somewhat surprised, ¡°Did Senior change her mind in the end?¡±


    ¡°It seems you aren¡¯t completely useless! At the very least, you seem to have some brains.¡± The woman calmly said.


    ¡°If Senior truly wished to kill me, I never would have had the chance to open my eyes!¡± Han Li chuckled.


    ¡°I am called Nangong Bing. Don¡¯t call me Senior this or Senior that! It will make me seem old.¡± The woman expressionlessly turned her head back and spoke with an unquestionable tone.


    Han Li was stunned and inwardly insulted her, ¡®Since you¡¯re a Core Formation cultivator, doesn¡¯t that make you the age of an ancient woman in mortal¡¯s years?¡¯


    As Han Li¡¯s true essence had been absorbed by her, he naturally held a bellyful of stifled hate towards her. But since his life was currently in her hands, he could only inwardly curse at her.


    ¡°Although I was mistaken for my elder cousin yesterday and was rescued under that presumption, in the end, you are still my savior! Furthermore, I unintentionally absorbed your true essence afterwards which did stabilize my injuries.¡± The woman leisurely spoke with her back facing Han Li.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it be. Since your esteemed self is Nangong Wan¡¯s younger cousin, I was just out of luck!¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and spoke with a tone of helplessness. Afterwards, he stretched his arms and stood.


    Papa. Han Li saw a white silhouette flash by, carrying a fragrant wind. The woman then gave him two heavy slaps, causing him to spin in place and fall to the floor.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Han Li covered his stinging cheeks in astonishment and looked at Nangong Bing in furious surprise.


    ¡°Yesterday, you actually dared to touch my body with your hands without permission! Furthermore, you dared to lay¡­ lay down on me while I was unconscious! Those two slaps were only to reprimand you!¡± Nangong Bing spoke with a cold voice. But when she mentioned that Han Li had lain down on her, her face turned slightly red for just a moment.


    Han Li was at a loss for words.


    To give justifications for his breach of etiquette against a female Core Formation cultivator was simply asking for trouble. If he were to dispute it, it was likely he¡¯d be met with another two slaps! And now, with his cheeks feeling raw, there was absolutely no way he could do such a thing!


    Furthermore, he faintly felt that the reason why she was treating him this way wasn¡¯t because of his actions yesterday. She was most likely venting her anger for what had happened between him and Nangong Wan.


    With that in mind, Han Li strongly suppressed the fury in his heart and lightly caressed his swollen cheeks in silence.


    Nangong Bing was somewhat surprised to see that Han Li had decided to tactfully let the matter go.


    She had expected that Han Li would want to argue over yesterday¡¯s actions. In that event, she had planned to further embarrass Han Li without any explanation. But now that Han Li was tactfully silent, she had no excuse to further act.


    As a result, she could only snort and speak bluntly, ¡°Since that matter has been resolved with the previous slaps, I must address the repayment of your great kindness. You have two choices. One is that I give you enough spirit stones to leave you at a loss for words. This would be payment for both your kind assistance and the loss of your cultivation.


    ¡°As for the second choice, you could follow me back to my evacuated sect members. After our six sects restabilize, I can refine spirit pills and find a young female disciple from my sect for you to pair cultivate with, restoring your original cultivation at the quickest speed. As you¡¯ve only lost your true essence, your recultivation will meet no bottlenecks. According to my estimates, you should be able to recover your original cultivation in less than twenty years. Naturally, I would be happy to perhaps repay you with a few of my own sect¡¯s secret techniques during that time. Our Masked Moon Sect differs from the varied and disorganized techniques of your Yellow Maple Valley. Our sect has many secret techniques that are wondrous beyond imagination which cannot be divulged to outsiders. The technique I used to unintentionally absorb your cultivation yesterday is one of such techniques.¡± After Nangong Bing said this with pride, she calmly stared at Han Li, waiting for his decision.


    Han Li was lost in amazement. These two choices had a stunningly huge disparity!


    One choice was to just leave him be with spirit stones. As for the other, not only would she assist him with restoring his cultivation, she would also find him a pair cultivation partner and willingly teach him a few secret techniques. As Han Li heard this, he became more convinced that this woman deliberately wanted him to choose the second option! This was truly strange. Could it be that she had arranged a trap for him?


    He hesitantly glanced at Nangong Bing and saw an indistinct but complex expression as if she was both expectant and anxious.


    Han Li¡¯s mind blanked in confusion. He gave his nose a firm rub and then folded his arms. With his right hand grasping his chin, he entered deep contemplation.


    Han Li remained silent for no less than the time it took for a stick of incense to burn. But Nangong Bing could no longer wait and hastily asked, ¡°How about it? Have you come to a decision?¡±


    Han Li lifted his head and saw that she wore an impatient expression. After taking a thoughtful glance at her, he unhurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve decided. I choose the first option! Senior only has to give me the spirit stones. Senior need not worry further about me. I will think about how to recover my cultivation on my own!¡± Han Li wore an indifferent expression.


    When Nangong Bing heard Han Li¡¯s decision, she stared blankly before revealing a somewhat odd expression. She stared at Han Li¡¯s face for a moment before suddenly raising her hand, throwing over a red storage pouch.


    ¡°The spirit stones are in there. There are also a few commonly used materials inside.¡± Nangong Bing¡¯s tone was gloomy and cold.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay her tone any mind and caught the storage pouch without formality, sweeping his spiritual sense through it. Although he had prepared himself, he was still astounded upon seeing the many tens of mid-grade spirit stones in the bag as well as an assortment of all kinds of materials.


    Han Li suddenly revealed some joy and raised his head, eagerly asking, ¡°Does Senior have any more pieces of origin jade that she can spare?


    The woman¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise. After wordlessly searching her body for a moment, she handed Han Li several pieces of white jade, much to his delight.


    He had now acquired the materials needed for restoring the transportation formation. He no longer had to go out and search for them.


    Nangong Bing coldly stared at Han Li before expressionlessly saying, ¡°Is there anything else? If not, then I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ There is nothing left to trouble Senior with!¡± Han Li shook his head after correcting his expression.


    Nangong Bing then gave a charming snort before turning around and leaving the tree hollow.


    But before she walked outside, she turned her head over and calmly said, ¡°Han Li, I don¡¯t know whether your choice was made out of stupidity or because you think yourself to be clever!¡± A jade sword flew out from her sleeve. Her white silhouette blurred before appearing on the sword.


    At that moment, Han Li lazily said something from behind her, ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t forget to send my regards to Nangong Wan!¡±


    Nangong Bing froze for a moment before wordlessly turning into a streak of white light, leaving the tree hollow far behind. It was unknown whether she had agreed or if she had completely ignored him.


    Han Li bitterly laughed and rubbed his nose, simply dropping down to sit on the ground. He blankly stared outside the entrance and became lost in thought.


    He still didn¡¯t understand how his cultivation was absorbed by that woman. Could it be that the techniques of the Masked Moon Sect were truly so overbearing? Was it even more strange than the Black Fiend School¡¯s blood sacrifice?


    However, Han Li believed that this cultivation art that absorbed other¡¯s cultivation was certain to have many restrictions and flaws. Otherwise, the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s cultivators would have long been at war with the cultivation world.


    Han Li¡¯s presumption was somewhat correct.


    It was a complete coincidence that Nangong Bing was able to absorb his true essence. After having made full use of her secret technique earlier, her own true essence had been greatly damaged. Had nothing happened, her cultivation would¡¯ve faced a great decline. Although it wasn¡¯t enough to make her descend back into Foundation Establishment, she was certain to face a loss of several tens of years of bitter cultivation.


    In addition, she believed that she would¡¯ve fallen into the hands of the Devil Dao cultivators once her secret technique lost its effect. As a result, she clenched her teeth and activated the divine ability of her cultivation art, the ¡°True Art of Reincarnation¡±.


    Once this divine ability was used, anybody who used spiritual power to probe her body would have their true essence forcefully absorbed by the true essence whirlpool formed inside her body. Had she not awoken early and halted her technique, she would¡¯ve absorbed every last shred of Han Li¡¯s cultivation.


    Naturally, the restrictions of this strange divine ability were extremely demanding.


    First of all, it required that her true essence was in a state of great deficiency.


    Secondly, if she didn¡¯t absorb anybody¡¯s true essence during the duration of this technique, her true essence would explode, causing her to die. It could be said that this technique was partially suicidal.


    But what made this technique the most undesirable was the fact that even if the user absorbed someone else¡¯s true essence, they would only be able to recover a fraction of their lost cultivation. This technique was unable to be used to increase one¡¯s magic power or cultivation.

 Chapter 363

    Transfer


    Not long after that, Han Li walked out of the tree hollow and flew off.


    Han Li was even more cautious this time around. During his entire journey, he used his spiritual sense to its greatest extent. Upon hearing even the wind rustling the grass, he would immediately go into hiding. After all, it would be extremely dangerous to negligently run into a cultivator with his current cultivation.


    Thus with paranoid levels of carefulness, Han Li eventually arrived back at his underground cave after taking up nearly twice the time he had been away. Only after he entered his Five Elements Reversal Formation did he truly let out a breath of relief.


    As for Crooked Soul, he was still obediently sitting at the side of the formation. When Han Li saw that Crooked Soul had remained in the exact same posture that he had left him in, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Han Li knew that restoring his cultivation wasn¡¯t a matter requiring merely three or four years. As such, he didn¡¯t meditate or take any pills to cultivate. Instead, he spent the following days wholeheartedly focused on restoring the ancient transportation formation.


    Under his current circumstances, travelling to a country far away was much too dangerous. He could only hope that he would be able to use the ancient transportation formation after restoring it.


    Although Han Li¡¯s cultivation had greatly declined, it did not obstruct his restoration work. After a sleepless week, he had completely finished its restoration.


    Han Li, a normally cool-headed person, felt his heart stir as he looked at the completed ancient transportation formation.


    He was at the most crucial step with regards to failure or success. He had to test whether another transportation formation was safely connected to his. If the other end of the transportation formation was damaged or if it no longer existed, then it would naturally be of no use. He could only bury his thoughts of using the transportation formation and find another path forward.


    With that in mind, Han Li calmly placed down low-grade spirit stones one after another on the edge of the transportation formation.


    When he finished placing the last spirit stones, Han Li hastily took several steps back and couldn¡¯t help but look on with bated breath.


    This ancient formation that was created countless years ago suddenly hummed and flashed with yellow radiance before quickly fading away into darkness.


    Han Li¡¯s heart dropped! Could it be that the ancient transportation formation on the other end was disabled? This would mean that everything he had done was a complete waste!


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reveal complete disappointment. But still, he was unresigned. He began walking in circles around the transportation formation with hands behind his back while occasionally muttering to himself.


    He suddenly stopped and tightly creased his brow as if he had thought of something. He then crouched down and picked up the low-grade spirit stone at the center of the formation.


    Han Li took a close look at it and let out a breath of cold air. The spirit stone was spent and no longer held any trace of Spiritual Qi.


    Han Li revealed a thoughtful expression before suddenly brightening up. Without the slightest hesitation, he took out several sparkling mid-grade spirit stones and exchanged them with the low-grade spirit stones he had placed down before.


    If he had guessed correctly, the formation didn¡¯t activate because low-grade spirit stones provided an insufficient amount of Spiritual Qi.


    After placing down the final spirit stone, the transportation formation immediately started to emit a muffled hum before erupting with huge spiritual ripples. A blinding yellow light shot out from the center of the formation spell and shot outside the cave. The Five Elements Reversal Formation was unable to block it in the slightest.


    When Han Li saw this, he was stunned. But something immediately came to mind, and his face turned deathly pale.


    At nearly the same time, he suddenly heard huge rumbling sounds from outside the cave. Although he was protected by the huge formation, Han Li still felt the earth-quaking vibrations.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew tense, and he hastily beckoned Crooked Soul as he walked toward the transportation formation.


    He couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. He truly had no idea where the transportation formation would take him. He had originally planned to verify what kind of place was at the other end. After confirming the absence of danger, he would then decide whether or not he should remain there. But now that the ancient transportation formation was exposed, this would be a trip of no return.


    While Han Li was hesitating, he heard a frightening boom from above and looked up in fright.


    He saw that the cave roof had been ripped away by some unknown magic tool and blinding sunlight shot through, clearly illuminating what was occurring in the cave. A large group of Devil Dao cultivators hovered above the now-exposed cave. They all revealed astonishment once they saw Han Li and the ancient transportation formation shining with yellow light.


    ¡°You again?¡± A furious yell came from the crowd of Devil Dao cultivators. Three people flew out.


    The one in the middle wore a silver mask, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master Wang Chan. Two eccentrics stood beside him: a shriveled, white-haired old man and a young child with red lips and white teeth ¡ª the Li Brothers1 who previously appeared at Yan Ling Castle.


    ¡°Ancient Transportation Formation!¡± When the Li Brothers saw the origin of yellow radiance, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other and shout out in pleasant surprise.


    Wang Chan stared blankly for a moment. He then asked ecstatically, ¡°Did you see correctly? Is it really an Ancient Transportation Formation?¡± Wang Chan¡¯s voice trembled slightly. He clearly understood what an intact ancient transportation formation signified for one¡¯s sect.


    The shriveled Li Brother chuckled. Just as he thought of saying something, his expression suddenly grew stricken, ¡°Not good! That brat is about to use it. Quickly, stop him!¡± As he said this, he shot a streak of black light straight toward Han Li.


    He knew that once the transportation formation was activated, there would be a moment of delay before it could be used. That delay was more than enough for him to kill any junior several times over.


    But just as his magic treasure flew into the cave, a brilliant light erupted, and a rainbow barrier blocked the streak of black light.


    The old man was surprised for a moment but immediately recovered. With a sinister expression, he yelled, ¡°Everyone, attack! This brat has laid down a formation spell. We must break through it as quickly as possible or else it will be too late!¡±


    Upon hearing the order from their sect elder, the Devil Dao cultivators promptly released their magic tools as if they had woken up from a dream. Even Wang Chan and the childlike Li Brother struck down upon the spell formation.


    Han Li¡¯s Five Elements Reversal Formation was merely a simplified version of the grand formation. Under the attacks of two Core Formation cultivators and a crowd of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the rainbow light barrier immediately distorted and appeared as if it were about to collapse.


    At that moment, Han Li had already brought Crooked Soul with him to the center of the formation. With a command medallion in hand and tightly shut eyes, he muttered under his breath, completely ignoring the attacks of the Devil Dao cultivators.


    ¡°A Greater Displacement Medallion! That brat actually has such a magic tool?¡± The old man snarled in a fluster upon clearly seeing the command medallion in Han Li¡¯s hand. He suddenly linked his hands together and a huge amount of black light threads surged, shooting down at the light barrier below.


    The formation released several cries before finally reaching its limit and the rainbow light barrier exploded!


    Without the strange rainbow light to protect him, the overbearing wave of attacks was about to engulf Han Li.


    But at that very moment, Han Li opened his eyes and spouted out one word with an icy tone, ¡°Transfer!¡±


    The yellow light suddenly surged. Within the yellow radiance, Han Li and Crooked Soul disappeared without a trace. The wave of attacks had completely missed their mark.


    The Devil Dao cultivators in the sky were left dumbstruck.


    The complexions of Wang Chan and the Li Brothers were ashen. Since they didn¡¯t have a Greater Displacement Medallion, they were unable to chase after Han Li.


    A moment later, the transportation formation¡¯s yellow light suddenly faded away. Upon seeing this, Wang Chan and his guards grew incomparably furious.


    Naturally, they knew that Han Li, the one who had just used this formation, had destroyed the other end. Even if they found a Greater Displacement Medallion, they would be unable to use the formation.


    Wang Chan, with bitter resentment still fresh in his heart, was unwilling to give up. Using his status as the sect¡¯s Young Master, he sent for several cultivators to guard the formation day and night for the mere purpose of preventing Han Li from escaping should he repair the formation and return. If that time came, he would make certain to capture Han Li alive and properly repay him for the great kindness of repeatly obstructing his plans.


    But shortly afterwards, the Devil Dao would begin the next step of their expansion, and the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Young Master would start to oversee campaigns in other areas. As a result, this matter was quickly dropped to the back of his mind.


    As for the cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region, it would remain in turmoil for a long time to come.


    In the next two years, a union would be formed by the remaining countries to resist the powers of the Devil Dao and Righteous Dao Alliance, known as the ¡°Heavenly Dao Union¡±; this created a third superpower within the Heavenly South Region.


    The three superpowers had near equal strength and campaigned against one another. After a short amount of time, it seemed that they had reached a stalemate.


    As for the Six Sects, they eventually arrived at the Nine Nations Union. They contended with the local sects for natural resources such as spirit veins and spirit stone mines, managing to establish a new foothold. Naturally, if the Moulan Tribe¡¯s Spell Soldiers were to invade the nine countries, the six sects would dispatch men to combat them. They no longer possessed the same leisure they had back at the State of Yue.


    As a result, many Foundation Establishment cultivators and Core Formation experts perished in battle against the Spell Soldiers. Han Li¡¯s former master, Li Huayuan, was one such example, dying in an intense battle that took place over ten years later.


    But in contrast, a new generation of Six Sect cultivators quickly matured. Many Core Formation cultivators eventually rose from the ranks of their Foundation Establishment cultivators¡­

 Chapter 364

    An Isolated Island and a Huge Ship


    ¡®My head feels heavy!¡¯ This was the first thought that came to Han Li¡¯s mind upon waking up.


    After Han Li and Crooked Soul started the transfer, he felt immense pressure from the yellow light enveloping him. But fortunately, the Greater Displacement Medallion promptly released a faint azure light, causing the pressure to immediately disappear at the cost of it wildly draining the spiritual power in his body.


    However, Han Li was prepared and wasn¡¯t alarmed. This change caused by the ¡°Greater Displacement Medallion¡± had been described in ancient records.


    In an instant, the medallion stopped absorbing Spiritual Qi and the yellow light around him faded away. He and Crooked Soul had arrived in a dark, indistinct place.


    As there was very little light, Han Li was unable to clearly see his surroundings. But based on the silence, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone nearby. Han Li felt relieved and walked out of the spell formation.


    But he felt a sudden burst of dizziness after just a few steps. His legs grew soft and he fell on his behind, feeling the urge to vomit from his discomfort. Han Li knew that the long distance teleportation had left him feeling unwell, and the severity of his current discomfort was caused by his low cultivation.


    However, now was not the time to deal with it. He quickly commanded Crooked Soul to destroy the transportation formation.


    Crook Soul expressionlessly took out the huge silver sword he was previously given and chopped the spell formation into pieces.


    When Han Li saw this, he finally relaxed. He then sat on the ground and rested for a moment, eventually adapting to the darkness of the cave.


    He had a vague feeling that this room seemed to have been abandoned a long time ago. Not only was it pitch-black, there was also a dense smell of decay. He touched the floor to find a thick layer of dust.


    This caused Han Li to feel more at ease. At the very least, nothing dangerous would appear for the time being.


    A long while later, Han Li¡¯s feeling of discomfort eventually passed, and he stood up using his hand to support him.


    After that, Han Li took out a moonlight stone from his storage pouch and was able to clearly see the room. Just as he had suspected, this place was a stone room that had been uninhabited for a long time. There was nothing of note except for a stone door across from him.


    Han Li turned his head to glance at the destroyed transportation formation. After a moment of hesitation, he turned his attention to the door and attempted to forcefully push it open. Much to his surprise, Han Li was able to easily open it.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Han Li was astonished.


    A huge flight of limestone stairs appeared before him. He slowly turned his gaze upward and saw that there was no end. Just like the room, the stairs also had a layer of dust on them. It was clear that no one had came here for quite some time.


    After taking another look back at the room behind him, he discovered that the stone room was actually a small mountain cave.


    Han Li pondered for a moment before lightly shaking his head with ridicule. He then slowly climbed up the stairs with Crooked Soul following behind him.


    The flight of stairs wasn¡¯t very long. After turning a corner, Han Li was already able to see the exit. A huge mountain rock was blocking the round exit.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and commanded Crooked Soul without the slightest hesitation, ¡°Split it open!¡± Han Li then took a step to the side.


    Crooked Soul moved forward with a large stride and grasped the silver sword above his head. He easily chopped the rock into pieces as if it were soft tofu, allowing blinding sunlight to seep in along with a burst of fresh air.


    Han Li took a deep breath in and out.


    Ever since he was teleported here, he had held his breath, unwilling to breathe due to the strange scent within the cave. The fresh air was a liberation from the suffocating atmosphere.


    However, he was a bit confused as to why the air was moist and had a faintly salty taste. He had never smelled such a unique scent before.


    With that question in mind, Han Li walked past Crooked Soul and took a look outside with eyes squinting from the blazing sun.


    Han Li was left stunned by what he saw. As far as the eye could see, he saw endless expanse of dark-blue water.


    Han Li was lost in amazement for a long while before finally waking up.


    ¡®Could this be the legendary sea?¡¯ Han Li thought with pleasant surprise.


    The largest bodies of water Han Li had seen previously were the huge hundred-meter-wide rivers at the Lan Province. He had heard of such a vast, limitless ocean in books, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he felt a huge shock unlike any other.


    After gazing at the scene from above, Han Li lowered his head and thought about his location, revealing some confusion a few moments later.


    He was located on a relatively tall cliff and while the bottom of the cliff wasn¡¯t far, it bordered a huge ocean. Waves from the huge ocean repeatedly struck against the reef below.


    Stroking his chin, Han Li pondered for a while.


    The color of this ocean¡¯s water was entirely different from the description of the endless sea, as it appeared to be the color of a normal sea. It seemed that he had been transported from the Heavenly South Region to the coastline of some unknown region.


    Nevertheless, there was nothing that he could recognize here. Being outside of the Heavenly South Region, he felt uncertain and wasn¡¯t able to make out any familiar features in this place.


    With that in mind, Han Li didn¡¯t immediately set off on his magic tool. Instead, he closed his eyes and slowly released his spiritual sense to see whether there were any cultivators nearby.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and revealed a strange expression.


    He wordlessly released his Divine Wind Boat. With a flash of light, he soared through the sky without the slightest effort at concealment. After he was about a hundred meters in the air, Han Li stopped and stood at the front of the boat, surveying the scenery around him.


    Everything he saw was tinted with deep blue light. The sparkling light of the sea¡¯s rippling waves blurred Han Li¡¯s vision.


    He was above an isolated island about six kilometers wide. As for the cliff he flew out of, it was only a small protruding hill on the island.


    Han Li stroked his nose and bitterly smiled.


    This was truly troublesome! Although there seemed to be no danger here, he was unable to cultivate on this island. The island¡¯s Spiritual Qi was extremely thin.


    If he wanted to mature spiritual herbs, he would require a place with adequate Spiritual Qi. Otherwise, the green liquid would be ineffective. In addition, due to the strong spiritual nature of precious spiritual herbs, abundant Spiritual Qi was required. This left Han Li feeling very helpless!


    Han Li sailed around the island once through and found that there weren¡¯t any other islands nearby. In addition, this small island had no life aside from mountainous trees and small snakes. As a result, he could only sigh and return to the cave.


    Once he returned, Han Li first slept off his headache without any interruptions. He had previously worked on restoring the formation over many days without sleeping, leaving him completely exhausted. These problems were best tackled after he had slept his fill!


    With Crooked Soul guarding him, Han Li slept soundly for an entire day.


    Once he woke up, Han Li stood alone atop the mountain and stared at the sea while lost in thought.


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Li expressionlessly flew down the mountain and found a suitably sized stone to block the cave.


    Then, with Crooked Soul on board, he circled the vicinity on his boat and confirmed the direction of the setting sun before flying off without hesitation.


    Han Li guessed that since there was nobody on the island with the transportation formation, there must be some other island or land nearby. Otherwise, who would head out to the middle of nowhere and construct such an expensive Ancient Transportation Formation.


    Naturally, Han Li didn¡¯t know which direction was correct. He had already decided to fly in this direction for several days. If there were no traces of any cultivators or mortals, he would go back and fly in a different direction.


    Although this method was extremely clumsy, it was Han Li¡¯s only choice in this unfamiliar sea. In any case, he had plenty of spirit stones in his storage pouch; he didn¡¯t have to worry about running out of spiritual power.


    Perhaps Han Li¡¯s luck was especially good that day, he only had to fly for half a day before finding a huge seafaring ship.


    Han Li was delighted. After all, dealing with mortals would be much smoother compared to negotiating with cultivators!


    But Han Li felt a bit baffled upon looking at the huge ship. The hull of the ship strangely had no mast or sails. At the ship bow, there were over ten huge fish quickly pulling the ship forward.


    Although these fish had huge bodies and a mouth filled with sharp teeth, he felt that they didn¡¯t possess the slightest Spiritual Qi and weren¡¯t demonic beasts by any measure. If this were not the case, Han Li wouldn¡¯t have dared to go near the ship.

 Chapter 365

    Wang Changqing


    Han Li gazed at those huge ten-meter-long fish from a distance and flew around the ship twice before finally deciding to head towards it.


    It was clear that those on the ship had seen Han Li coming. With a few loud shouts, a huge crowd of over three hundred people amassed, filling the entire bow of the ship.


    Once these people saw Han Li hovering in midair, they revealed reverence and started to bow and salute Han Li.


    While Han Li was amazed by the display, a luxuriously dressed middle-aged man stepped forward from the crowd and nervously said something. He helplessly stood by as if he were waiting for Han Li¡¯s command.


    Han Li stroked his nose and bitterly laughed. He wasn¡¯t able to understand or make sense of a single word of their language. The question of how to communicate with them made his head hurt.


    Seeing that Han Li didn¡¯t reply, the middle-aged man grew panicked and urgently said something. Although Han Li didn¡¯t understand what he said, he was able to make out what he meant.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. After some thought, he spoke out in the common tongue of the Heavenly South Region, ¡°If there is anyone here that can understand my words, please tell me!¡± Han Li then swept his gaze across the crowd.


    The middle-aged man appeared at a loss. It was quite obvious that he didn¡¯t understand what Han Li had said. As for the others, they were also left baffled.


    Han Li helplessly sighed and started to use the words of several different ancient languages, using them each once through. He had initially learned these ancient languages in order to cultivate tongue twisting incantations, but he hadn¡¯t mastered them in the slightest. Eventually, a gray haired old man from the crowd seemed to have reacted to one of the languages.


    Han Li felt overjoyed upon seeing this and pointed toward the old man.


    ¡°Old man, do you understand my words?¡± Han Li slowly spoke using the ancient language. As he didn¡¯t use the language often, he was very unfamiliar with it.


    When the old man heard Han Li, he hesitated for a moment before walking to the side of the middle aged man. Also using the ancient language, he respectfully replied, ¡°This old man, Wang Changqing, had indeed learned this Immortal Clan¡¯s language when he was young. Does this Immortal Master have any commands?¡±


    Han Li revealed a slight smile upon seeing that the old man had understood the ancient language. His figure suddenly flashed and he appeared beside the old man, startling both the old and middle-aged man.


    Han Li spoke with a gentle tone, ¡°As you well know, I am not able to speak the local tongue. I only passed by here to ask about a few matters. There is no need to panic!¡±


    He had previously swept his spiritual sense throughout the huge boat and found that the ship only housed mortals. Because he found no cultivators, he was able to descend without worry.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay notice to the mutterings of the old and middle-aged man. Instead, he beckoned to his Divine Wind Boat in the sky, causing it to slowly descend toward the ship bow.


    After Crooked Soul got off the Divine Wind Boat, the small boat quickly shrunk into a small white light and flew into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    After this was done, Han Li took a sideways glance.


    Although the mortals on the ship saw this, they didn¡¯t appear shocked at all and maintained their original reverent expression. They were clearly accustomed to seeing cultivators and their tricks. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have appeared nearly as calm. Also, since these people didn¡¯t seem to come from particularly exceptional backgrounds, it appeared that it wasn¡¯t taboo for the cultivators of this land to reveal themselves to mortals.


    Han Li thought with a pensive expression.


    Currently, the old man had translated Han Li¡¯s words for the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was initially shocked before revealing pleasant surprise. He then said a long string of unintelligible words towards Han Li with an extremely excited expression.


    Han Li felt at a loss and couldn¡¯t help but turn his gaze towards the old man.


    The old man naturally understood what Han Li meant. He quickly gave Han Li an explanation, ¡°Great Immortal, this man is Sir Gu, the master of this ship. He intends to invite you to reside as a guest at his residence on the Stalwart Stars Island. He is willing to supply the resources for your cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Stalwart Stars Island?¡± Han Li rubbed his chin and gave a noncommittal response.


    Seeing that Han Li wore an indifferent expression, the middle aged man became even more fervent and uttered another long string of words. This time, he revealed an apologetic smile. Han Li didn¡¯t need the old man¡¯s translation to understand why he wanted to invite Han Li to stay on the Stalwart Stars Island.


    Without waiting for the old man to translate, Han Li bluntly waved his hand and said, ¡°First, tell this ship¡¯s master that I am new to this noble land and am unfamiliar with the local conventions. Consequently, I am not able to agree to anything. I will decide whether I want to stay on his Stalwart Stars Island after I am given an explanation. Also, I currently do not understand your language. I hope he will allow me to follow this ship for a few days so that I may learn the local language and a few local conventions from you in passing.¡±


    Not daring to slight Han Li, he hurriedly gave the middle-aged man a translation.


    When the middle aged man heard Han Li, he revealed obvious disappointment. But still, he respectfully saluted Han Li and loudly yelled a few words behind him. Suddenly, everyone on the bow withdrew from the deck like a swarm of bees. After giving the old man his reply, he also withdrew.


    As such, only Han Li and the old man remained at the ship¡¯s bow.


    The old man smiled to Han Li and said, ¡°Immortal Master, Master Gu has agreed to your request. In addition, he has given you a room on the ship. Please follow me.¡±


    Han Li agreed, indifferently nodding his head. As such, Han Li and Crooked Soul followed the old man, Wang Changqing, into the ship.


    ¡®It¡¯s certainly large!¡¯ That was Han Li¡¯s first thought upon entering the ship¡¯s hold. The ship¡¯s hold had paths and corridors in every direction and an unknown number of rooms.Whenever a mortal saw Han Li, they revealed reverent expressions and made way for Han Li.


    After several turns, Han Li and Crooked Soul arrived at a comparatively large wooden door.


    Wang Changqing pushed open the door without any hesitation and stepped to the side, inviting Han Li to enter first. Han Li didn¡¯t bother being polite and entered the room with Crooked Soul in tow, taking a look around afterwards.


    The room was quite decent! Not only was it quite large, it also didn¡¯t feel stuffy at all. But what caused Han Li to be most curious was a small odd tree in a flower pot in the corner of the room.


    The tree was perfectly straight and was completely branchless with palm-sized triangular leaves growing all over it. In addition, the entire tree glittered with silver light as if it were made out of pure silver. Upon seeing the tree, Han Li revealed great curiosity..


    When the old man saw Han Li¡¯s amazement, he respectfully gave Han Li an explanation, ¡°It seems that Immortal Master hasn¡¯t seen a Silver Angled Tree before. It really is an uncommon rarity. Not only is it a gorgeous sight, it freshens and cleans the air when placed inside. It is a seldom seen treasure for seafarers. It is only because our ship master is such an domineeringly rich man that he was able to acquire four of them.¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled but remained silent. How could he not make out that this Wang Changqing was trying to curry favor on the ship master¡¯s behalf?


    Han Li had Crooked Soul guard the door and sat down in the room¡¯s chair. Wang Changqing reservedly stood at Han Li¡¯s side, not daring to sit down as he pleased.


    Han Li smiled from seeing his restraint and amiably said, ¡°Mister Wang, there is no need to be so formal. Please take a seat. There are a few things that I¡¯d like to discuss with you.¡±


    Wang Changqing repeatedly stated that he didn¡¯t dare to in a manner of reverence and trepidation.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow in response and didn¡¯t press him any further.


    After a short moment of thought, he straightforwardly asked, ¡°I am a cultivator that came here from another land. I was wondering if Mister Wang could give me an introduction to the nearby regions and customs. Naturally, the more that you can tell me about matters pertaining to cultivators, the better. I will certainly give this elderly man my thanks!¡± As Han Li spoke, his expression was tranquil as can be.


    Wang Changqing pondered for a moment before slowly saying, ¡°Since Immortal Master came from a foreign land, then I must first tell you that this place is the Scattered Stars Sea. We are in the southwest quadrant of this area. The three great islands nearby are the Tail Star Island, Stalwart Star Island, and Sang Star Island. Naturally, there are also many islands of smaller sizes with both cultivators and mortals living on each.


    ¡°We share the same conventions as those of other territorial waters. Every island has an island lord, a cultivator with the greatest magic power that is responsible for protecting the island. If other cultivators wish settle on the island and are willing to hold an office, they will be given a set amount of spirit stones from the island lord every year, but they must obey the island lord¡¯s commands. Naturally, if one were to reside on an island and was unwilling to hold an office, they would be required to give the island lord a set amount of spirit stones every year if they wished to remain on the island.¡±


    With that said, Wang Changqing paused, revealing an expression of admiration as if he held great longing towards cultivators.

 Chapter 366

    Master Gu¡¯s Business


    Wang Changqing continued, ¡°Mortals that live on these islands must perform labor or pay spirit stones; otherwise, they aren¡¯t allowed to reside on the island. Because of the Immortal Techniques that were placed on these islands, there is no need to fear assault from heavenly winds or demonic beasts. As such, us mortals may live without fear. In addition, the Immortal Masters¡¯ powers are remarkable. Whenever us mortals travel afar, we spare no effort to hire one or two Immortal Masters to accompany us. That way if we come across any demonic beasts while at sea, we will have a chance at living. Naturally, the Immortal Masters that agree to be hired would be comparatively free when compared to those previously mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly wind?¡± Han Li was puzzled upon hearing those words.


    He knew about demonic beasts, but hadn¡¯t heard of this ¡°Heavenly Wind¡± before.


    ¡°The previous land that Immortal Master resided in didn¡¯t have attacks by heavenly wind?¡± The old man appeared to be marveled.


    ¡°I saw no heavenly winds where I previously cultivated. What are they? Something comparable to demonic beasts?¡± Han Li calmly asked without care.


    Although Wang Changqing felt doubtful, he still gave Han Li a sincere explanation, ¡°Heavenly winds, demonic beasts, and ghost mists are known as the three great natural disasters in the Scattered Star Seas. There is no need to speak of demonic beasts. Immortal Master surely knows about them more than I, but it should be known that most of the demonic beasts of the sea are beyond huge and are proficient in water attribute demonic techniques. Us mortals have no way of dealing with them. Only Immortals are able to strike them down.¡±


    ¡°As for heavenly winds, they are hurricanes that occur twice a year that sweep through the entirety of the Scattered Star Seas. The areas it passes suffer from monstrous sea waves, destroying lives and shelters. If we were not on an island protected by immortal techniques, us mortals would face certain doom. It is also said that if an Immortal were to be dragged into a heavenly wind, it would be extremely difficult to escape, and they would likely die within.¡± Wang Changqing appeared fearful as he said this.


    ¡°And the ghost mist? What kind of natural disaster is that?¡± Han Li expressionlessly continued his questions. He wanted to understand these three natural disasters clearly, so that he would be better prepared if he happened to come across them.


    The old man paused for a moment before continuing. He was truly shocked that the cultivator before him truly knew nothing about the circumstances of the sea or the most mysterious of the three greatest natural disasters, the ghost mist. Where was this cultivator from? Could it be that he came from a place of dry land? But this place was the Scattered Star Seas. Apart from the nearby sea territories, there were no large territories of land to speak of.


    Restraining his bafflement, Wang Changqing continued to give Han Li an explanation, not daring to neglect him, ¡°The Ghost Mist is the most fearful and mysterious of the natural disasters of the Scattered Star Seas. It is a black mist that often drifts erratically across the sea. Any life trapped within that black mist will not escape from it. If mortals see it, their death is already decided. As for cultivators, they are no exception either; if cultivators see it, it will be far too late for them to escape as well. Although this mist is terrible, it only appears at certain locations. It never approaches the larger islands. So long as one takes precaution, it is possible to preserve one¡¯s life. As a result, this particular natural disaster has killed the fewest people despite being the most fearsome.¡± The old man revealed some joy as he spoke.


    Han Li sunk into thought after he heard this, ¡®What kind of cursed place is this? According to what was said, my plan of finding a small island with Spiritual Qi to cultivate in seclusion is worthless. Otherwise, I might run into the heavenly wind or ghost mist and meet a miserable end.¡±


    Having seen that Han Li appeared displeased, the old man became apprehensive.


    ¡®Could it be that I¡¯ve said something to offend the Great Immortal?¡¯


    While the old man was anxious, Han Li muttered to himself before asking, ¡°That Master Gu from before, why does he want me to go to his residence on Stalwart Star Island? Also, where is this boat currently heading?¡±


    Han Li stared at the old man with a face revealing neither joy nor anger.


    The old man¡¯s heart thumped when he saw Han Li¡¯s indifferent expression and he couldn¡¯t help but hesitate.


    How could Han Li not see that there was something wrong? He eased up his expression, saying, ¡°Mister Wang, be at ease. I am only asking this to clearly understand the present circumstances. After all, I can¡¯t just casually agree to Master Gu¡¯s request without knowing anything. If I only have to help with a few minor errands, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking a trip to Stalwart Star Island.¡±


    Wang Chanqing knew that he could no longer stay silent; else, he would greatly offend this Immortal and be certain to face a bitter outcome. Thus, after a dry cough, he smiled and spoke while trembling, ¡°This old man begs Immortal Master to not blame him. In truth, this matter wasn¡¯t meant to be concealed. It was just that Immortal Master hadn¡¯t asked.¡±


    Han Li sardonically rolled his eyes in his mind when he was given these evasive words. Still, the old man tactfully gave an immediate explanation of the situation.


    Originally, this ship had just finished making a trip for business and was en route to return to Stalwart Star Island.


    As for Master Gu, he was not born and raised on Stalwart Star Island, but from one of Stalwart Star Island¡¯s subsidiary islands instead. But after he became prosperous from business, he had recently decided to move to Stalwart Star Island.


    The truly lucrative business involved traveling to large, far away islands, which only mortals of Stalwart Star Island were capable of doing. Mortals that were born on the main island and those born on subsidiary islands held differing statuses.


    Master Gu¡¯s business was originally reselling goods among the subsidiary islands. Only after moving to the main island did he take his business a step further.


    But after they arrived on the main island, Master Gu made an astonishing discovery. The business of long distance trading between the great islands wasn¡¯t something one could casually participate in. This business had been previously allocated to a set number of parties. Only ten clans on the island were able to participate in this extremely lucrative business.


    In addition, these ten clans were not fixed and unchanging. They were decided in a magic battle that was held every three years.


    If a clan wishes to step into this business, they must request an Immortal to undergo this competition. Only with their Immortal¡¯s victory in the challenge would they be able to acquire the permit to conduct trade between the great islands.


    When Master Gu learned of this, he lost his head from panic.


    Because he had previously only performed short distance trade, he had never hired any cultivators as there was no threat from demonic beasts. As a result, he knew pathetically few cultivators! He originally intended to wait until he had acquired a business and slowly amassed the large sum required to hire one. But now, it was far too late.


    He had received this information close to the date of the next three year magic battle. He couldn¡¯t possibly have the time to look for a cultivator to hire!


    Although there were many cultivators at Stalwart Star Island, a majority of them were proud and arrogant. Only a pitiful few were willing to enter employment under a mortal and most of them would only lend their assistance if they had some relation beforehand.


    As for the ten cultivators he was somewhat acquainted with, they found it embarrassing to participate in the challenge. Running short on time, Master Gu was unable to find any willing cultivators on Stalwart Star Island.


    Without any better option, he took a trip to deliver goods back to the island he was born on, and he took advantage of that opportunity to ask for the assistance of a distant relative who had some relation to a cultivator. But he truly didn¡¯t expect that this particular cultivator had left on a distant journey.


    Master Gu had been truly left dumbstruck.


    But now, Han Li, a foreign cultivator, had entered his boat. Having finally found a cultivator despite his previous disconcerting failures had left Master Gu overjoyed. Although he didn¡¯t know the level of Han Li¡¯s cultivation, it was better than being forced to give up and wait for another three years! Therefore, he had previously attempted to rope Han Li in at all costs and have Han Li fight on his behalf.


    Having heard this, Han Li was left completely speechless.


    When he heard that cultivators were hired by mortals to go to sea, he found this unbelievable. But now having heard that cultivators fought magic battles on behalf of mortals for the qualifications to do trade between large islands, Han Li was temporarily at a loss for words.


    It seemed that although cultivators in this area were an aloof and remote crowd, they did not feel that it was beneath their dignity to work under mortals. Instead, it seemed that mortals and cultivators shared some sort of tangled relationship here.


    However, he¡¯d rather avoid participating in a magic battle for Master Gu¡¯s long distance trade qualifications. He was not so desperate for pay.


    But he still felt somewhat uncertain. With a faint smile, he slowly asked, ¡°Mister Wang, I am truly inexperienced. I still have something I must consult with you about.¡±


    ¡°If there is anything Immortal Master does not understand, please ask! This old man will do his best to answer!¡± The old man respectfully replied with haste.


    ¡°I find myself at a loss. If one wanted to carry goods between islands, why would they have ordinary mortals ferry them across the sea? Are Immortals unwilling to use their storage pouch and other such magic tools? Isn¡¯t flying both faster and safer?¡±

 Chapter 367

    Settling Down with a Guarantor


    Wang Changqing bitterly smiled in response.


    ¡°Immortal Master jests! Although there are a few Immortals with storage pouches, they are incomparably precious. How could they lend them to us mortals and ferry our common items? Furthermore, every transaction between the large islands consist of great quantities. An Immortal¡¯s storage pouch may be wondrous without comparison, but it can only hold so much. Even more so, Immortals wouldn¡¯t do something so beneath their dignity as freighting goods!¡± Wang Changqing gave Han Li a careful explanation.


    Han Li nodded his head without speaking and sunk into contemplation with narrowed eyes.


    After a long while, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Master Gu wishes for me to act on his behalf, but I am powerless to do so. Because my cultivation isn¡¯t high, me agreeing would only shame him. I request that Mister Wang report to Master Gu that he should find someone better qualified. As for the service of bringing me to Stalwart Star Island on his boat, I am able to offer a few spirit stones in remuneration.¡±


    Han Li spoke slowly and clearly, but his voice was cold and detached.


    When the old man heard Han Li¡¯s rejection, his face paled slightly.


    He then pitifully pleaded, ¡°Great Immortal, please assist my clan¡¯s master! In order to pursue this business, Master Gu already paid a great price to the ship¡¯s staff. Master Gu has also paid a great sum of spirit stones for the right to participate in the challenge. If he does not acquire the qualifications to trade between the great islands, the Gu Clan will surely go bankrupt. Us laborers will also lose our jobs and will have to find different opportunities.¡±


    ¡°My cultivation is truly inferior. Also, I do not wish to provoke any quarrels upon arriving at Stalwart Star Island!¡± Han Li expressionlessly shook his head in blunt refusal.


    Seeing that Han Li¡¯s refusal was certain and that his tone was strict, Wang Changqing didn¡¯t dare to continue his pleading. He could only resolve his spirit and chat about the local customs with Han Li, telling him urgently needed knowledge.


    An hour later, Han Li noticed that the old man¡¯s mind was wandering. He sent him away to rest, telling him to come back when his mind was clearer.


    Wang Changqing had felt tired for quite some time. Seeing that Han Li had shown him consideration, he didn¡¯t decline and followed his suggestion.


    After the old man left and respectfully closed the door, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Although he had some wealth on hand and even held some spiritual medicines that benefited mortals, he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of giving any to the old man. He couldn¡¯t possibly reveal his wealth in this unfamiliar land! Otherwise, he might provoke unnecessary trouble; even fatal disaster wasn¡¯t an unlikely possibility.


    With that in mind, Han Li sat down cross-legged on the bed. He then swallowed a ¡°Yellow Dragon Pill¡± and began refining his Qi.


    He must restore his cultivation as soon as possible. After all, strength truly speaks loudest, regardless of what land one resided in.


    After meditating for only a short moment, he heard faint footsteps from outside his room.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t open the door, he had released his spiritual sense outside earlier and could see everything that occurred. The old man called Wang Changqing had returned with Master Gu closely following behind him with an appearance of great worry.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. It seemed trouble had come for him. It was obvious that this Master Gu hadn¡¯t given up yet and came to bother him.


    Were this the Heavenly South Region, Han Li could stop them in their tracks with an ice-cold shout, and they wouldn¡¯t dare to enter. But he was a new arrival in an unfamiliar land. He mustn¡¯t appear too unreasonable.


    Without waiting for the two to knock on the door, he said with a mild tone, ¡°Please come in! The door isn¡¯t locked.¡±


    Master Gu and Wang Changqing were shocked. But then they immediately realized that this Great Immortal had invited them in. They hastily tidied up their clothes before respectfully entering the room.


    At this moment, Han Li had already gotten off the bed and was now standing with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Great Immortal, Master Gu wishes to personally discuss this matter with you. Could Great Immortal please give Master Gu an opportunity?¡± Wang Changqing had previous contact with Han Li and knew that this Immortal wasn¡¯t someone to be deceived. Thus, he directly stated his business for coming.


    Han Li first glanced at the old man. Then he smiled and said indifferently, ¡°Of course he can. But you should first advise Master Gu to not set his hopes too high!¡±


    Wang Changqing revealed slight embarrassment, but he gave an honest explanation to the middle-aged man regardless.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face blanked upon hearing this. But immediately after, the middle-aged man said something that first startled Wang Changqing before causing him to reveal a queer expression.


    Han Li watched detachedly from the side and remained expressionless.


    ¡°Great Immortal, our Master Gu says that so long as you lend your assistance, the Gu Clan will bestow a large sum of spirit stones to you, regardless of whether this matter results in victory or defeat. If you truly manage to win the rights for the Gu Clan to perform trade between the great islands, Master Gu is willing to even become your guarantor, allowing a foreign cultivator such as yourself to become an official resident of Stalwart Star Island. Most of all, the Gu Clan is willing to respectfully offer three-tenths of the three year trading profits to you, even if you do not wish to take up an official position at Stalwart Star Island.


    Once Wang Changqing said this, his gaze became dim as if he found Master Gu¡¯s offer to be incredulous.


    Han Li was somewhat surprised and stroked his chin. Baffled, he asked, ¡°What? In order to live at Stalwart Star Island, one needs a guarantor? I never heard you say this!¡±


    Although Han Li¡¯s words were mild, Wang Changqing broke out in a cold sweat and hastily explained, ¡°Immortal Master misunderstands! Foreign Immortals at Stalwart Star Island can be divided into two types. One type is there for a temporary stay. They are unable to hold office and generally live there for a few years, leaving or staying depending on their own preference. The other type have guarantors from the great nearby clans and are able to stay as long as they wish. Not only do they have to pay less spirit stones to stay on the island and have the ability to follow the formalities to obtain a permanent residence, but they also have the qualifications to hold office and have the right to participate in the decennial Great Spirit Land Contest. Depending on one¡¯s performance in the contest, they are given land with a corresponding density of Spiritual Qi. This old man neglected to mention this to you because finding a guarantor for a foreign cultivator on an island as large as Stalwart Star Island is an exceedingly complicated matter.¡± Fearing that Han Li would misunderstand, Wang Changqing explained this all in a single breath.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became gloomy afterwards. Han Li doubtfully asked, ¡°What happens to those cultivators who aren¡¯t able to find a residence on Stalwart Star Island? Are they unable to acquire a place to cultivate?¡±


    The old man replied, ¡°Of course not. Those Immortals from subsidiary islands are able to participate in the competitions. However, they can only participate in the main island¡¯s contest in order to obtain places of cultivation. As for why Stalwart Star Island is the main island, that is because the island has the best spirit veins and densest Spiritual Qi in the local sea. The other islands possess greatly inferior spirit veins in comparison.¡±


    With all this information, Han Li¡¯s expression incessantly switched between clear and gloomy.


    These rules were an obvious tactic for the cultivators of the main island to ensure they held higher cultivation. All cultivators wanted a cultivation area that held great Spiritual Qi! Regardless of whether they were nurturing spiritual herbs or cultivating, it was always better to have a place with denser Spiritual Qi!


    Han Li tightly tensed his brow and paced back and forth with a lowered head. He then raised his head and turned to look at the middle-aged man surnamed Gu who held an expectant expression.


    Seeing that Master Gu held such a hopeful expression, Han Li sighed and slowly said, ¡°Please inform me about the cultivation levels of the other cultivators that will be fighting. If I can handle them, I will make an exception and fight on your behalf!¡± Han Li revealed a helpless appearance.


    Wang Changqing became overjoyed and hastily gave the middle-aged man a translation, causing him to become rapt with joy.


    Afterwards, Han Li inwardly mused, ¡®If those cultivators aren¡¯t Foundation Establishment, by relying on my puppets and incisive magic tools, I should be able to win without a problem, even with my current meager cultivation. As such, I should still be able to cultivate the Three Essence Revolutions Technique. Naturally, I¡¯ll also want to cultivate that External Reincarnation technique and Great Development Technique. They should prove to be effective lifesaving measures.¡¯ ¡­¡­


    Four days later, a large cheer echoed throughout the huge ship. They had finally reached Stalwart Star Island.


    Han Li followed the lead of Master Gu and Wang Changqing as they excitedly handled the formalities on the island for Han Li. After all, an unfamiliar cultivator to the island must be reported at the docks in order to avoid being mistaken for a malicious intruder.


    As Han Li followed after the two, he silently sized up the entire port. He was left with the impression that it was truly grand! Regardless of the quantity or size of the ships, it was fundamentally incomparable to any of the small ports from the Heavenly South Region.


    Unexpectedly, there were seven other remarkably huge ships similar to Master Gu¡¯s ship already moored at the port. Smaller ships naturally numbered many times more.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t count carefully, he estimated that about three hundred ships were docked at the harbor. As for the crowd of people bustling about the harbor and ships, it was far more than that.


    This was the first time that Han Li saw what he thought to be an ¡®ocean of people¡¯.

 Chapter 368

    Farmstead


    But as Han Li was counting the number of mortals, he also felt the faint aura of several cultivators. It seemed these cultivators were in charge of maintaining order at the port.


    As Han Li was thinking this, he and Crooked Soul were brought to a stone room inside the harbor.


    The room was very simply decorated with only a wooden desk and a chair with a wrinkly old man sitting in it with his eyes shut.


    Upon hearing Han Li and company enter, this Immortal opened his eyes.


    A cold light suddenly shot out as his eyes opened. Han Li¡¯s heart shuddered upon seeing it. This person was unexpectedly a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In addition, his magic power was no less than Han Li when he had been at his peak.


    This wrinkly, yellow-faced old man ignored Master Gu and Wang Changqing and directly swept his gaze toward Han Li and Crooked Soul. After seeing that Han Li was only a Qi Condensation cultivator, his expression became lazy once more. But after he took note of Han Li, he seemed to have glanced at Crooked Soul several more times.


    ¡°If you have business, be quick about it. Otherwise, don¡¯t interrupt my rest.¡± He spoke dispiritedly and displayed some impatience.


    By relying on his highly retentive memory, Han Li had acquired a rough understanding of the local language from Wang Changqing. Although he couldn¡¯t speak it, he could understand the meaning of others with some difficulty.


    But since he didn¡¯t have any experience interacting with the cultivators of this land, he didn¡¯t say a word and only smiled as Master Gu and Wang Changqing spoke with the cultivator.


    Master Gu respectfully addressed him as Immortal Yang. Then he moved closer to him and whispered something before turning around and pointing at Han Li. It seemed he was explaining his origins. Afterwards, he placed a few spirit stones in his hand.


    Grasping the spirit stones in his hand, Immortal Yang¡¯s expression greatly eased up. He then took out a green jade medallion and stiffly asked Han Li, ¡°Your name?¡±


    ¡°Han Li!¡± Han Li was able to say his own name fluently. As for how the other party would write them, he didn¡¯t care in the least.


    Immortal Yang¡¯s hand flashed with green light, enveloping the entire jade medallion. After a short moment, the radiance faded away, revealing two strange symbols that Han Li hadn¡¯t seen before.


    The yellow-faced old man then tossed the jade medallion towards Han Li.


    ¡°Properly put away the medallion. If you lose it, you must immediately come back here and receive a replacement. Otherwise, you will face punishment as a trespasser on Stalwart Star Island. Naturally, if you settle down here later, you will no longer require the jade medallion and can return it. As for that refined corpse behind you, it obviously doesn¡¯t need one.¡± After saying this with a raspy voice, he no longer paid them any attention and closed his eyes once more.


    Master Gu tactfully left at once.


    However, Han Li seemed interested in how he saw though Crooked Soul¡¯s true identity with a single glance. After taking a good look at him, Han Li silently left the room.


    Shortly after Han Li left, that Immortal Yang opened his eyes once more. He muttered to himself with slight bewilderment, ¡°That refined corpse is truly odd. It is clearly a dead body, but it still releases Spiritual Qi! Could it be some sort of new corpse refinement technique?¡± The old man then sunk into a long period of contemplation.


    After leaving the port, Master Gu hired a carriage being pulled by strange ox-like goats, quickly bringing them deeper into the island by traveling along a large road.


    Along the way, there were countless similar vehicles going about their own business.


    But once the carriage passed through several small, bustling towns, they saw far fewer carriages. As they traveled along a few small roads, pedestrians and carriages became exceedingly sparse.


    After hurriedly travelling for half a day, the carriage finally arrived at a farmstead that occupied over two acres. The farmstead grew many odd crops that Han Li hadn¡¯t seen before.


    There were crops that resembled grains and rice. However, their leaves were thick, flat and of a violet-red color. There were also crops that resembled cabbage. They released a faint scent, and although it possessed an extremely similar appearance to cabbage, there were no such cabbages that were as tall as half a man in the Heavenly South Region. There was even Choy Sum that bloomed small blue flowers¡­


    More than ten farmers could be seen at each vegetable field. They were toiling at the fields in groups of two and three.


    This provided quite a serene view of the farmstead!


    As Han Li gazed at the farm with interest, the carriage had arrived at the large entrance of the farmstead¡¯s manor and stopped. Han Li brought Crooked Soul out with him and took a look around.


    The manor was surrounded by green pine trees and neighbored a rather large hill. It appeared somewhat unusual, but could be considered to be quite tasteful with a serene environment. In addition, the manor was surrounded by earth walls six meters tall and one meter thick. Many houses lied within the walls, appearing to have been built recently.


    ¡®So this is the Gu Clan!¡¯ Han Li silently uttered a word of praise. But as he carefully examined the pines, his expression inadvertently changed because of an astonishing discovery. The trees that surrounded the manor faintly revealed the aura of a formation spell. It was obvious that a restriction had been placed here.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t view the formation spell to be exceptional by any means, it was still enough to trap a low level cultivator.


    While Han Li was feeling somewhat suspicious, Master Gu got off the carriage and spoke with an apologetic smile, ¡°Immortal Han, please take a rest at the manor! I¡¯ll call for some subordinates to prepare some of the island¡¯s specialty wine for the Immortal Master!¡±


    Han Li took a random glance at the surroundings of the manor and replied with a smile, ¡°Let it be. I don¡¯t wish to disturb Master Gu¡¯s home. It¡¯ll be fine if I reside there for the time being. After our affairs have been handled, I will search for a more permanent residence.¡± Han Li then pointed in a direction off to the side.


    Master Gu and Wang Changqing followed the direction Han Li was pointing to and saw that it was a small solitary hill. They couldn¡¯t help but be dumbstruck.


    But after seeing that their many enthusiastic invitations had failed, they could only allow this strange immortal to head towards the small hill. They gave each other a mutual glance of helplessness before walking into the manor.


    Han Li brought Crooked Soul with him on the small, sloped path towards the hilltop. He then took a glance down at the Gu Clan Manor from above.


    He saw that Master Gu was heading towards the huge residence at the center of the manor while being escorted by a crowd of women and men. By the time he had arrived there, most of them have dispersed. Only a few beautifully clothed individuals followed him into the manor.


    Han Li smirked slightly and turned around, busying himself with his own affairs.


    He first went to find a relatively flat and even piece of land at the back of the hill. Then he quickly uprooted several of the thicker pines and cut them into pieces with magic tools. Afterwards, he had Crooked Soul¡­


    An hour later, he had completed a simple small wooden house on the hill. The house had a wooden table, wooden chairs, and even a wooden bed.


    In the following month, Han Li stayed in his house everyday, taking medicinal pills and refining Qi, striving to restore his cultivation as soon as possible.


    As for Master Gu and Wang Changqing, they visited several times during this period and discussed matters pertaining to the contest. Afterwards, they hurriedly left, not daring to further disturb Han Li¡¯s cultivation.


    But as Master Gu was a sensible person, he sent delicacies up to Han Li¡¯s home every few days for his enjoyment. Han Li gladly accepted them without a trace of politeness.


    Many kinds of exceptionally sweet fruits were among these offerings, much to Han Li¡¯s enjoyment. They were clearly the island¡¯s local specialties since he had never seen them before.


    During the last few days of the month, Han Li had managed to restore his cultivation to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation. He found this very surprising and felt his heart become more assured.


    According to Master Gu, none of the cultivators that the ten clans had requested possessed a high level of cultivation. Apart from a few exceptions, a majority of them only possessed a cultivation at the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation. As for the lots which would decide the fights, so long as Han Li¡¯s luck wasn¡¯t exceptionally terrible, he wouldn¡¯t have a problem in the contest.


    In addition, Master Gu had scoured the nearby seas for three ¡®impressive¡¯ magic tools to increase Han Li¡¯s odds of success.


    Han Li barely classified these items as high grade magic tools. He could only roll his eyes inwardly and accept them so that Master Gu would feel at ease.


    Two days after Han Li restored the fifth layer of his cultivation, Master Gu and Wang Changqing paid Han Li a visit with nervous expressions. Han Li wordlessly entered their carriage drawn by strange beasts, and they hurriedly traveled to some area located at the center of the island.


    Four hours later, they arrived at a city that seemed to be entirely constructed out of white stone.


    As they entered the city, they saw a large amount of mortals guarding the city entrance.


    They wouldn¡¯t bother anyone leaving the city, but entering the city would require one to show a command medallion, similar to the one Han Li possessed.


    But when Han Li was about to enter the city, the guards took out a cylindrical object and shook it at Han Li several times. After it shined with a green light, they gave Han Li a respectful salute and moved to only inspect the medallions of Master Gu and Wang Changqing.

 Chapter 369

    Challenge (1)


    Han Li sized up the soldiers. Although they didn¡¯t possess spiritual power fluctuations, they were full of vigour. It seemed they had trained in some shallow martial arts, but what caught his eye the most was the cylinder. There was actually such a wondrous item that could differentiate cultivators from mortals.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the cylinder.


    Wang Changqing saw this and gave Han Li an explanation with a smile, ¡°That is a spirit plate. It allows us mortals to identify who is an Immortal!¡±


    ¡°Spirit plate?¡± Han Li was somewhat surprised to hear this, but he immediately thought of the palm sized jade plate embedded in the cylinder and faintly nodded, not saying anything further.


    Han Li then detachedly watched as the carriage traveled on the white stone street towards the center of the city.


    There were countless pedestrians on the street, coming and going without stop or rest. The deeper they went into the city, the livelier it became.


    A majority of the people wore white. Those that didn¡¯t wear white, wore a dull yellow, faint green and other such mild colors. There was no one wearing any bright colors.


    In addition, those that didn¡¯t wear white were clearly of high status. These well dressed individuals would often have three or four shabbily dressed subordinates closely following after them.


    Because there were far too many people and carriages on the street, their carriage was forced to slow down. After spending a long time traveling with such slow speed, their carriage finally arrived at a huge plaza in the city¡¯s center.


    The plaza took up about five acres and was filled with a huge crowd. All Han Li could see was a vast sea of black-haired heads, hurriedly flowing in every direction without end.


    Shops lined the plaza, each one fully packed with customers. At the very center, the shops seemed to be made up of temporary booths. They were abnormally overcrowded and were accompanied with fervent chatter. It appeared to be bustling with unusual amounts of activity.


    Han Li estimated that with the density of the crowd, there were at least several tens of thousands of people in the plaza.


    It was naturally impossible to further advance in the carriage through such a large crowd. Master Gu took the lead and descended from the carriage, bringing Han Li and company towards the palace-styled building at the side of the plaza.


    The palace was over thirty meters tall, far taller than the other buildings around it. The huge gate of the palace was guarded by a line of soldiers with sparkling long spears in their grasp, preventing anybody from casually approaching.


    ¡°This is the Stalwart Star Island¡¯s first market day of the third month. That is why there are several times more people here at East Stone City. Basically, the residences from many cities and towns on the eastern part of the island all come here to trade for rarities that would normally be hard to obtain.¡± As Master Gu was leading the way toward the palace, he turned his head and gave Han Li an explanation with a faint smile.


    Master Gu stepped forward and spoke with the gate guards. A guard then waved his hand, signifying that they could pass.


    Master Gu hastily called out to Han Li and Wang Changqing before heading in.


    Once they passed through the gate, it became much more shaded and quiet. In the corridor past the gate, there were several tens of individuals of seemingly high status having whispered conversations in groups of three. When they saw Master Gu arrive, they seemed to look at him with hostility.


    But at this moment, the purple gate at the other end of the corridor opened, revealing a white clothed youth of about twenty years old. His appearance was delicate and refined, much like that of a frail scholar.


    The youth gave Han Li a friendly glance before speaking courteously to Master Gu,¡°Are you Mister Gu? The others have already arrived. Cultivators that are participating in the challenge must go further in. As for you, Mister Gu, please wait outside.¡±


    From a single glance, Han Li was undoubtedly sure that the youth¡¯s cultivation was about the same as his current cultivation, the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.


    Master Gu could only give Han Li an expectant look before stepping off to the side.


    Han Li followed the youth through the gate. Afterwards, the gate immediately shut.


    ¡°My surname is Wen but Fellow Daoist can call me Wen Qiang. You seem quite unfamiliar. Could it be that you¡¯re new to our Stalwart Star Island?¡±


    ¡°I am Han Li. I¡¯ve just arrived here last month!¡± Having a month of practice, Han Li was able to speak the local language without problem.


    ¡°Hehe, how admirable! Daring to journey from your homeland with your current cultivation, Daoist Friend¡¯s courage and insight must be outstanding! I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it. I¡¯ve never taken a single step off this island since birth.¡± The youth spoke with admiration.


    Han Li faintly smiled but didn¡¯t say anything in response.


    Han Li followed the youth, eventually arriving at a round hall. There were over thirty cultivators there, sitting and standing, each wearing various expressions.


    A shriveled old man sitting across from the crowd of cultivators spoke quickly, ¡°It seems that everyone has gathered. Let¡¯s start drawing lots! Each fight will be decided in one round. Killing is forbidden and will result in disqualification.¡±


    He was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator among a room of Qi Condensation cultivators. It seemed he was the cultivator in charge.


    Once the youth surnamed Wen entered the hall, he hurriedly went to stand beside the old man and await his orders.


    The old man didn¡¯t pay the youth any attention. Instead, he took out an azure jade cylinder with over twenty bamboo sticks.


    ¡°To participate in the challenge, draw a lot. Once the number of challengers matches the number of the representatives of the incumbent merchants, the remaining challengers will be qualified to challenge them.¡±


    The majority of the crowd stared at the jade cylinder as it was enveloped in a layer of azure light, concealing the sticks within. Naturally, the light repelled spiritual sense, and upon doing so, the owners of the spiritual sense seemed to have suffered and couldn¡¯t help but sway.


    Those that didn¡¯t use their spiritual sense to probe the cylinder revealed schadenfreude. These cultivators naturally wished for Han Li and the other challengers to suffer a disadvantage.


    As for Han Li, who possessed powerful spiritual sense, he would have no problem forcefully breaking through the azure light. However, this would be far to eye-catching. As such, Han Li could only helplessly look at the others in dismay and take his turn drawing lots.


    When Han Li went up to draw his lot, he was unexpectedly able to see through the azure light, but all he saw was strange silver characters. He wrinkled his brow in response. He had completely forgotten that he still couldn¡¯t read the local writing!


    But still, Han Li expressionlessly drew a lot as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Number one!¡± The old man coldly shouted. The two cultivators that drew that lot immediately walked forward.


    The old man bluntly said, ¡°You two will compete on the stage over there. There is a formation setup, so there is no need to fear destruction from magic techniques. It will be your victory if you are able to take away their lot. So long as you don¡¯t kill your opponent, I don¡¯t care what methods or tricks you use.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior!¡± The two participants bowed to the old man before walking towards the elevated platform at the back of the hall. The platform then flashed with white light and the two disappeared without a trace.


    Shortly after, the two reappeared on the platform, revealing slight fatigue. One of them animatedly gave the old man two bamboo sticks. The other dejectedly walked out from the hall.


    ¡°Number two!¡± The old man coldly shouted.


    Because the battles of Qi Condensation cultivators were simple, victory was decided extremely quickly. Battles ended almost as soon as they began. But Han Li was baffled to see that regardless of whether they won or lost, they were exceptionally happy.


    ¡°Number seven!¡± A cultivator walked out as soon as the old man yelled, but his opponent hadn¡¯t revealed himself.


    ¡°Number seven!¡± The old man yelled again with a gloomy expression.


    Han Li suddenly walked out and hastily apologized, ¡°Senior! I apologize! I had misread my number. I thought it said nine!¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t pay any mind to what Han Li said and impatiently waved his hand. Han Li then tactfully went up to the platform with his opponent.


    After a flash of white light, Han Li and his opponent appeared in a world of white mist. The area spanned about a hundred meters and was covered by the white mist in every direction.


    The middle-aged cultivator spoke to Han Li with confidence, ¡°Your cultivation is lower than mine by two whole layers. There is no need to fight. Fellow Daoist should forfeit. Else, I might accidentally give you a heavy injury!¡±


    Seeing that this ¡°expert¡± was only a seventh layer Qi Condensation cultivator and hadn¡¯t released a protective barrier like he had, Han Li faintly smiled.

 Chapter 370

    Challenge (2)


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I only wished to not injure you out of kindness!¡± When this cultivator saw that Han Li didn¡¯t seem to care, he couldn¡¯t help but become angry and increasingly flaunt his status as a ¡®superior¡¯.


    Han Li tapped the floor with the tip of his foot, indifferently saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I only feel that this competition is going to be easier than I had imagined.¡±


    ¡°What? You dare to look down on me?!¡± The middle aged cultivator¡¯s face completely reddened. He raised his hand and revealed many glistening items. But before he could act, he suddenly saw the person in front of him blur. His vision then blackened, and he fell to the floor not knowing what had happened. ¡­¡­


    A short moment later, Han Li carried the unconscious middle-aged man off the stage with an indifferent expression.


    When the other cultivators saw this, they were stunned.


    There was a clear difference in their cultivation, but the victor was Han Li. This was far beyond their expectations.


    Even the old man, who had appeared moody from the very beginning, revealed an odd expression.


    He took a deep look at Han Li. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, he seemed to know how Han Li had taken action.


    Han Li chuckled and calmly handed the two bamboo sticks to the old man. He then dropped his unconscious opponent to the floor and went over to the group of victorious cultivators.


    The old man saw that the middle-aged cultivator was still unconscious and lightly shook his head, revealing a mysterious smile.


    ¡°Number eight!¡± ¡­¡­


    When the final victor was decided, the old man looked at the ten cultivators that hadn¡¯t gone on the platform and lightly coughed. He then spoke with an indifferent tone, ¡°We will now start the challenges in order of number. If you feel that your magic power is severely exhausted, you may take a moment to rest before facing your next challenge. However, these challenges must finish by today; it will count as a forfeit otherwise. Also, challengers are forbidden from challenging those who have already fought. As for the extra eleventh challenger, they will be allowed to challenge any one of the winning incumbents after the ten winners have been decided.¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s start!¡±


    The first challenger selected the incumbent with the lowest cultivation and entered the stage with him.


    As his opponent¡¯s cultivation was only of the sixth layer and his cultivation was of the seventh, it appeared that he had high odds of winning.


    But after the time it took to make a cup of tea, the sixth layer cultivator left the stage first. As for the first challenger, he reappeared in a miserable state.


    He was ashamed and quickly left the hall without a word.


    The remaining challengers revealed changed expressions. As for the victor, he returned to the other ten without the slightest of care.


    ¡°Next!¡± The old man shouted. He didn¡¯t reveal the slightest surprise as if he had expected that cultivator to win!


    ¡°Senior, my magic power is deficient. I wish to rest for a moment!¡± The second chosen cultivator spoke with a slight blush.


    ¡°Number three!¡± The old man didn¡¯t care whether his magic power truly hadn¡¯t recovered and shouted the next number.


    The following cultivator lightly creased his brow and also avoided the next fight.


    As for the fourth challenger, he appeared to be unwilling to lose face and summoned the courage to choose an opponent, entering the stage.


    In the end, the same result occurred. The fourth challenger was heavily injured, causing the remaining challengers to all be shaken.


    Having seen this, the following two challengers took the opportunity to delay their fights. They thought that they would be able to make a better choice after seeing how it ended up for the others.


    The old man¡¯s face stirred for a moment, before slowly calling out Han Li¡¯s number, ¡°Number Seven!¡±


    Han Li silently walked forward and pointed to an opponent with a sixth layer cultivation.


    The opponent was a burly man. Having seen Han Li fearlessly select him, he suddenly revealed a malicious smile and walked toward the stage in large strides.


    In contrast, Han Li walked forward with slow steps as if he was deliberating about the coming match.


    Soon, Han Li and the burly man disappeared into the white light. Everyone looked in the direction of the stage with interest.


    The old man then closed his eyes as if he had extended his spiritual sense.


    But after a short moment, his cheeks slightly moved. He then opened his eyes and revealed a trace of astonishment.


    With a flash of white light, a person appeared on the platform.


    The many cultivators hurriedly turned their gaze. The light faded away to reveal Han Li. He didn¡¯t have the slightest injury, but he was dragging his opponent who had his entire body scorched. He leisurely walked off the platform as if he hadn¡¯t spent the slightest effort.


    Not only were the challengers stupefied, even the incumbent opponents also had looks of disbelief on their faces.


    As for Wen Qiang who stood behind the old man, his mouth was gaping. He didn¡¯t close it until some time later.


    Han Li dragged his still-breathing opponent towards the old man and left him there, before returning to his original position with a leisurely stride.


    When the other challengers saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but turn their gaze and reveal a trace of reverence.


    Han Li coldly smiled in his heart.


    It seemed that regardless of where he went, strength was the most effective method of speech.


    Perhaps it was because Han Li¡¯s unexpected triumph inspired confidence in the remaining challengers, the following challengers didn¡¯t avoid their fight and immediately chose an opponent.


    However, this only resulted in defeat and heavy injuries.


    The challengers who had delayed their fights were appalled. With their competitive spirits completely extinguished, each one of them had eventually decided to forfeit.


    After all, they knew that they were no match. Only an idiot would decide to fight regardless!


    As such, the old man declared that only Han Li, on behalf of the Gu Clan, had acquired the qualifications for main island trade.


    Afterwards, the old man handed a blue jade slip to Han Li and told him it would be settled once he gave that to the Gu Clan.


    The old man then unceremoniously dismissed the cultivators, chasing them out of the hall with his voice. ¡­¡­


    Han Li handed the blue jade slip to Master Gu in the corridor.


    His expressions were quite marvelous. He appeared incredulous, astonished, and finally ecstatic with joy.


    ¡°Immortal Han, I am grateful beyond words. Please feel at ease, the Gu Clan will definitely fulfill their promise with you.¡±


    By the time he said these words, Han Li, Master Gu, and Wang Changqing were already sitting in the carriage and were on their way back to the Gu Clan Estate.


    As he was speaking these grateful words, his hands were tightly grasping the jade slip as if he was afraid that it would fly away. It made for quite a funny scene.


    Leaning against the back of the carriage, Han Li said with a slight smile, ¡°I believe Mister Gu isn¡¯t someone who would abandon their benefactor upon achieving their goals, especially when the benefactor in question is a cultivator.¡±


    With the warning laced in Han Li¡¯s words, Master Gu and Wang Changqing paled and repeatedly said that they didn¡¯t dare.


    Not long after that, Han Li returned to his wooden house on the hill. Crooked Soul was still obediently on guard.


    Han Li only managed to refine Qi for three days before Wang Changqing went to find him.


    He had come to inform Han Li that Han Li could now go the Immortal Mountain¡¯s Immortal Records Pavilion and acquire permanent residence at Stalwart Star Island. They would also provide him with a cultivation area.


    After all, the cultivators of the island all had their own Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Since he hadn¡¯t participated in the Great Spirit Land Contest, his area was certain to have thinner Spiritual Qi, but it would still have enough to be considered an area of cultivation.


    Han Li pocketed the guarantor¡¯s document that the Gu Clan had given him and flew towards the center of Stalwart Star Island. Crooked Soul was naturally left behind to guard his small house.


    On his way, Han Li flew past seven cities and several tens of small towns before finally catching view of the Immortal Mountain that Wang Changqing had mentioned.


    It was a huge, azure, tri-peaked mountain that penetrated through the clouds. The sight was truly majestic and beyond lofty.


    Innumerable smaller peaks surrounded the huge mountain.


    Han Li was unable to tell how expansive the mountain was from a glance.


    He blankly stared at this ¡°Immortal Mountain¡± while lost in thought.


    ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t you Fellow Daoist Han?¡± Han Li suddenly heard someone call out to him from behind.


    Han Li was slightly alarmed and hastily turned around. The voice sounded familiar.


    Not far behind him, the gentle and frail Wen Qiang was looking at him with a smile, flying on his wheel magic tool.


    After staring blankly for a moment, Han Li responded with a chuckle, ¡°So it was Fellow Daoist Wen! What a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! I didn¡¯t expect to see you! Fellow Daoist Han was actually able to defeat a cultivator from the protector squad. I really admire you!¡±


    ¡°Protector squad?¡± Han Li was startled to hear this!

 Chapter 371

    Immortal Records Pavilion


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, the ten cultivators to be challenged were hired at great expense by the great clans from the island¡¯s protector squad. Although their cultivation isn¡¯t high, their experience and techniques are superior to that of common cultivators as they have fought demonic beasts at sea and sparred with the cultivators from other islands. Not to mention opponents at the same layer, it wouldn¡¯t be odd for them to defeat common cultivators with a cultivation of three layers above them.¡± Wen Qiang clicked his tongue with an expression of praise.


    Han Li smiled and spoke modestly, ¡°It was nothing. I was merely lucky.¡± Han Li had quite a bit of experience with regards to battle.


    The youth looked in the direction of the azure mountain before turning his head around and asking with a smile, ¡°Ah, yes. Fellow Daoist Han came here to handle some formalities at the Immortal Records Pavilion?¡±


    As this wasn¡¯t a matter worth concealing, Han Li calmly answered, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wen guessed correctly. I wish to handle the formalities for settling down on this island and choose a cultivator¡¯s residence.¡±


    Having heard Han Li¡¯s destination, Wen Qiang immediately offered a suggestion, ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve been to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion several times already. How about I bring Fellow Daoist Han there along the way? It would be hard to look for it alone, considering the size of the Azurecloud Mountains.¡±


    Han Li was slightly surprised to see him act so enthusiastically, but he still expressed his thanks and agreed.


    As such, the two flew side by side towards the large mountain.


    While the youth was leading the way, he gave Han Li a garrulous explanation of the mountain range, ¡°On our island¡¯s Azurecloud Mountains, in addition to the three great peaks: the Heavenly Pillar, the Heavenly Night, and the Heavenly Gate, there are also three hundred sixty seven smaller mountain peaks. The amount of caves among these mountains are countless, and it is said that many of them are capable of being a cultivation area.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, although the majority of the Azurecloud Mountains have large spirit veins, the density of Spiritual Qi varies. It is generally said that the taller the mountain¡¯s peak, the denser the Spiritual Qi. As for the thirty-six mountain peaks with the densest Spiritual Qi, they are the prizes of the island¡¯s decennial Great Spirit Land Contest. Those who feel that their cultivation is greater than the lords of these thirty-six mountain peaks may challenge them at will. The victor shall become the master of the peak. The differences between the peaks aren¡¯t very significant. It is said that as long as a cultivator managed to enter Foundation Establishment, they would be able to acquire one of these mountain peaks as a cultivation area. As for Qi Condensation cultivators, they can only obediently find a valley or cave to use as a cultivation area.¡±


    ¡°Foundation Establishment cultivators are able to claim an entire mountain peak for themselves?¡± Han Li was greatly surprised.


    The youth said with a self-mocking tone, ¡°That¡¯s right. However, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the island have already occupied most of them. Us Qi Condensation cultivators shouldn¡¯t think of such hopeful matters.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Thoughts churned through Han Li¡¯s mind, causing him to grow somewhat excited.


    Han Li suddenly thought of something and casually asked, ¡°Ah, then the three tallest mountains should have the greatest Spiritual Qi, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The tallest peak, the Heavenly Pillar, is the cultivation area of our island¡¯s master, Master Mu Long. It is forbidden from entry. It is said that our island¡¯s lord is at mid Core Formation stage, and his divine abilities are devastating. As for the Heavenly Gate and the Heavenly Night mountain peaks, they are respectively occupied by Master Yuan Jun and Master Kan Qin. Although the Spiritual Qi is somewhat lacking in comparison to the Heavenly Pillar, it is still several times denser than in other areas.¡± Wen Qiang stated with a somewhat envious expression.


    Han Li slowly asked with raised eyebrows, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wen, are those two Core Formation Seniors as well?¡±


    Wen Qiang nodded with a pleased expression, ¡°Not only are they early Core Formation cultivators, they are also Dao companions.¡±


    Han Li unconsciously frowned. Stalwart Star Island unexpectedly had three Core Formation cultivators. This was truly beyond his expectations.


    While Han Li was lost in thought, he arrived at the center of the Azurecloud mountains with Wen Qiang.


    They occasionally ran into other cultivators on the way there, but after giving the two of them an indifferent glance, they all flew away, minding their own business.


    A few minutes later, Han Li and Wen Qiang finally arrived at a relatively tall mountain peak.


    The peak had a small, two-story pavilion of unknown age. Not only was its exterior thoroughly worn out and of an outdated design, it also hung a sign on its gate that was missing a corner. The words ¡°Immortal Records Pavilion¡± were crookedly written on the sign.


    Han Li blankly stared. Although he saw the sign, Han Li could not bring himself to believe it. He couldn¡¯t help but turn towards Wen Qiang and ask, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t want to admit it, this really is the Immortal Records Pavilion.¡± The youth spread out his arms with an appearance of helplessness.


    The youth waved his hand and gave Han Li a warning just before he took his leave, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to leave now. However, Fellow Daoist Han should take note that the senior in charge of the Immortal Records Pavilion has a strange temperament!¡±


    Han Li indifferently gazed at the youth as he disappeared. After mindlessly shaking his head, he landed in front of the pavilion and walked in with a calm face.


    Just as he approached the gate, he heard a somewhat gloomy voice, ¡°Come in! The gate isn¡¯t locked.¡± Han Li was shocked by the sudden announcement, but he couldn¡¯t help but walk toward the pavilion hesitantly.


    After entering the pavilion, Han Li was left stupefied.


    The interior sharply contrasted with the outer appearance of the pavilion. It was magnificently decorated. The floor was covered in sparkling fire-red silk, and the walls were made of gold and jade while countless amounts of sparkling gems glittered on the ceiling. Corners of the building were decorated with many species of gorgeous plants that Han Li had never seen before.


    There was also an odd stone bed across from him, sparkling with a strange blue light. Although he didn¡¯t recognize what it was made out of, they were certain to be some sort of precious materials.


    A haggard, middle-aged man was currently reclining on it. His clothes were made of dazzling, fire-red demon fur. He was embracing a huge, white pearl as he indifferently glanced at Han Li.


    Han Li suppressed his amazement and bowed. He then asked with a respectful tone, ¡°Hello Senior. This one wishes to handle the formalities for taking up residence. May I ask if Senior is in charge of this matter?¡±


    The middle-aged man lightly sighed before spiritedly asking, ¡°Taking up residence? Do you have a guarantor?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Han Li immediately took out the document that the Gu Clan member had given him and stepped forward to give it to the man. Han Li didn¡¯t dare to belittle him as his spiritual power fluctuations clearly revealed his status as a powerful late Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    The middle-aged man took the signed document from Han Li and swept through it. His eyes then flashed with bright light, sizing Han Li up.


    Caressing the pearl in his embrace, the middle-aged man indifferently asked, ¡°I have heard that there was a new cultivator on the island that was able to defeat a member of the protector squad while at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation. Could that have been you?¡±


    Han Li was somewhat surprised, but he hastily replied with a modest tone, ¡°Junior only won through a fluke! It wasn¡¯t really like that!¡±


    ¡°Humph! A fluke¡­¡± The middle-aged man snorted with a cold smile.


    Han Li inwardly frowned and felt puzzled, ¡®The battle only took place several days ago. How does this person know about it?¡¯


    The middle-aged man tightened the demon furs on his body as if he saw the confusion in Han Li¡¯s mind and calmly said, ¡°That person you defeated from the protector squad is my unbecoming disciple! Having lost to someone with a lower cultivation than himself, I¡¯ve sentenced him to secluded study as punishment.¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled after being stunned for moment as this was far too coincidental! Han Li became somewhat worried. Could it be that he intended to teach Han Li a lesson on behalf of his disciple?


    The middle-aged man squinted at Han Li and spoke with an icy tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is a matter between you juniors, and I won¡¯t take advantage of you as your senior. I hope that you will fight my unbecoming disciple one more time. After that, I won¡¯t pursue the matter any further, regardless of the outcome.¡±


    Han Li felt his heart relax. ¡°Since it is Senior¡¯s request, Junior naturally will not refuse!¡±


    The middle-aged man was surprised to see Han Li so willingly consent, but soon after, he revealed a satisfied expression.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s hand flashed with white light and the pearl disappeared. He then stood up and slowly said, ¡°Next, I will be handling the matters of your residency.¡±


    The formalities for residency were actually quite simple. The middle-aged man merely took out a golden book and wrote Han Li¡¯s name in it. Han Li also exchanged the green jade medallion he had received from the harbor for a blue jade pendant.


    The jade pendant twinkled with blue light and was a low grade magic tool. According to the middle-aged man, the pendant possessed minor waterproofing effects. The effect was quite practical.


    Next, the middle-aged man tossed a silver booklet towards Han Li.


    ¡°All of the places shining with golden light have already been taken. The white ones are unoccupied. Choose one to be your cultivation area! Cough, cough¡­¡± After quickly speaking just a few words, he started to cough without end. The middle-aged man seemed to be afflicted with a truly serious illness.

 Chapter 372

    Minor Expanse Island


    Han Li slowly unfolded the booklet before discovering that it was a complete map of Stalwart Star Island. Gold and white light intertwined on the map and flickered with a mysterious radiance.


    The areas that were sparkling were concentrated at the center of the island, the Azurecloud mountain range.


    Han Li discovered that the Azurecloud Mountains were even more expansive than he had imagined. They occupied an entire fourth of the island¡¯s area.


    As Han Li carefully examined the sparkling areas of white light, he couldn¡¯t help but squint his eyes.


    There were half as many of the gold lights as white lights. However, the white lights were of varying brightness; some were blinding, while others were dull.


    The mountain peaks that were marked with blinding light weren¡¯t even considered by Han Li as the middle-aged man had already explained, ¡°Qi Condensation cultivators don¡¯t have the qualifications to choose the mountain peaks. As for the other areas, they don¡¯t have those restrictions, so long as they are an area marked by white light.


    This was exactly the same as Wen Qiang had told him, but there were only valleys and caves left to choose from, and these all possessed dim white lights.


    After looking at the map for a moment, he raised his head and asked the middle-aged man with a serious tone, ¡°Junior wishes to ask a question. Are there any restrictions on how large an area I can use to establish my Immortal¡¯s cave?¡±


    The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised but soon replied with a mocking tone, ¡°You may set up any formation spells and restrictions you choose within a radius of five kilometers, so long as you have the room for it that is.¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°Then can Junior pick this place? Since this place is also marked by a white light, shouldn¡¯t there be a spirit vein there?¡± He lightly tapped a certain spot on the map, causing a white light to flash to yellow. Han Li then handed the picture book back to the middle-aged man.


    ¡°There!?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s pale face revealed surprise upon seeing where Han Li had pointed.


    The place was an area outside of Stalwart Star Island. It had previously been flashing with a weak white light.


    ¡°That is Minor Expanse Island. The island is only about thirty-five kilometers long, but it does have a small spirit vein that is a few kilometers long. We laid down a small defensive formation spell and established a small village on the island, a few hundred people currently live there.¡± The middle-aged man spoke with a mysterious smile that revealed hints of mockery.


    Han Li remained silent. He knew that since the middle-aged man wore such an expression, this island was certain to have its complications.


    ¡°This small island is of little interest to Stalwart Star Island. We only held onto it because it would be a shame to abandon the spirit vein. It¡¯s Spiritual Qi density is greatly inferior to that of other islands, and its area is small. It¡¯s true that other cultivators won¡¯t bother you if you choose that area, but its Spiritual Qi density is only two-thirds of that found in the Azurecloud Mountains. As such, your cultivation speed would be quite a bit slower than the cultivators staying on this island.


    ¡°There were previously other cultivators like yourself that loved to bitterly cultivate in isolation. However, those cultivators would inevitably return after only a few years. They would rather spend a large amount of spirit stones to choose a new cultivation area than to continue staying on that island. After all, Spiritual Qi density is the most important factor to cultivators. Furthermore, those who select this island must also undertake the responsibility of protecting it. You would be the one to pay for the spirit stone expenditure of the island¡¯s defensive formation spells.


    ¡°Naturally, you would receive a certain amount of spirit stones as compensation from the residents of the island, and you won¡¯t have to pay tribute to the Island¡¯s master. But I must warn you that the spirit stones you receive in compensation won¡¯t be enough to sustain the daily usage of the defensive formation. The island¡¯s spirit stone consumption has been sustained up until now by Stalwart Star Island.¡± The middle-aged cultivator lazily pointed out the rule while tapping the bedside.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li eventually asked in a soft voice, ¡°If I choose that small island, doesn¡¯t that mean I would in fact become the island¡¯s master?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you could think of it that way.¡± The middle-aged man replied with some surprise. He had already laid out the island¡¯s shortcomings. If this youth still wanted to choose that island, it was none of his business.


    The middle-aged man thoughtfully sized up Han Li once more and inwardly sneered. He would spend a huge amount of spirit stones before long, and come to complain without end!


    He was convinced that within two years at most, this young cultivator would come back with gray hair and a haggard complexion to choose a new cultivation area. Why else would such a position, being the master of a small island, remain uncontested until now?


    After some more thought, Han Li spoke without further hesitation, ¡°Alright, this Junior will pick the Minor Expanse Island!¡±


    Having heard that Han Li was certain, the middle-aged cultivator didn¡¯t hesitate. He took out a golden brush and lightly dabbed the island on the map. The island¡¯s white light immediately turned golden.


    He then searched his robes for a jade slip which he then wrote a few characters on with his golden brush before tossing it to Han Li.


    Han Li lowered his head to look at the jade slip and saw that there were two golden characters on it. They seemed familiar, as if it were his name written in the local characters.


    ¡°This jade slip is evidence that Minor Expanse Island is your cultivation area and contains the names of the island¡¯s inhabitants. Make sure to hold onto it properly!¡± The middle-aged man indifferently said.


    Afterwards, he put away the booklet and laid back down on the stone bed. He then waved his arm at Han Li, obviously shooing him away.


    Han Li gave him a quick salute before tactfully leaving.


    Exiting the Immortal Records Pavilion, Han Li had no inclination to sightsee around the Azurecloud Mountains or meet other cultivators. Instead, he directly flew back to the Gu Clan Estate.


    On the morning of the next day, Han Li left a letter for Master Gu on the desk in his room. Then he brought Crooked Soul with him to the closest village and bought a map of Stalwart Star Island and its nearby territories before heading straight towards the harbor.


    Wang Changqing had told Han Li previously that the island¡¯s largest city ¡°Stalwart Star City¡± was located in the western part of Stalwart Star Island. That city had a street called ¡°Allsky Street¡± where cultivators traded items.


    Although Han Li wished to go there and see what the cultivators overseas possessed and learn their cultivation arts, his current cultivation was pathetically weak. As such, he was fearful to go to an area with many cultivators, and reluctantly dropped the idea.


    As Han Li flew to the harbor, he muttered to himself with ridicule, ¡®With my strength lacking, my courage suffers as well.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t choose a cultivation area at the Azurecloud Mountains, favoring the vacant Minor Expanse Island where the Spiritual Qi was thinner. This decision was so that he wouldn¡¯t have to go through great pains to conceal the secret of his small bottle. Only at an isolated island far away from other cultivators would he be able to to freely cultivate the spiritual medicines required to massively increase his cultivation without attracting any unwanted attention.


    Although his cultivation speed would somewhat suffer as a result, the Spiritual Qi would still be enough to cultivate spiritual herbs. After all, he mainly relied on consuming refined spiritual medicines for his cultivation. Having thinner Spiritual Qi wouldn¡¯t influence him too greatly.


    Han Li flew out of Stalwart Star Island¡¯s huge island-wide restriction from the port. Following the map, he headed straight towards Minor Expanse Island.


    On the map, the island was located right beside Stalwart Star Island. But only after flying for an entire day on his Divine Wind Boat was he able to spot it.


    After flying once around the island, Han Li found the entrance to the island¡¯s formation spell, a small dock. Han Li then slowly descended towards it.


    There were very few people on the dock, with only about a dozen fishermen sitting on small boats beside the port. Once they saw Han Li and Crooked Soul descend from the sky, they got off their boats and gathered together to see Han Li.


    The crowd walked towards Han Li and saluted him one by one. A particularly burly man with a dark face separated himself from the crowd and paid his respects to Han Li. It seemed this person was the head fisherman, ¡°This humble one is Hei Gui. He pays his respects to Immortal Master!¡±


    ¡°Is this Minor Expanse Island?¡± Although Han Li felt that he wasn¡¯t mistaken, it was best to be prudent.


    Hei Gui asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Yes it is, Great Immortal! Has Immortal Master come to replace the spirit stones already? It hasn¡¯t been that long since they were last changed!¡±


    Having heard that this really was Minor Expanse Island, Han Li let out a breath of relief. With a faint smile, he spoke to those present, ¡°I didn¡¯t come to replace the spirit stones. From now on, I will be the one providing the spirit stones for the island as this small island has become my cultivation area. You may all call me Immortal Han!¡±


    Under the astonished gazes of the fishermen, Han Li called out to Crooked Soul, and they flew towards the center of the island.

 Chapter 373

    External Reincarnation


    The sole village on this small island was at the east end, near its port. In the west was a small mountain range of about ten kilometers with only two small mountains. The higher mountain was about a kilometer tall, while the shorter one was only about four hundred meters tall.


    Han Li gazed at the mountains from afar before suppressing the excitement in his heart, deciding to pay a visit to the village first.


    Han Li¡¯s and Crooked Soul¡¯s arrival caused quite a stir. An old man, the self-proclaimed village head, immediately stepped forward to see Han Li.


    After letting the old man inspect the gold symbols on the jade slip, the village head immediately declared that the entire village must obey the Great Immortal¡¯s orders.


    Naturally, Han Li didn¡¯t have any use for the assistance of mortals. Instead, he asked about the issues he was most concerned with: the general circumstances of the island and the amount of spirit stones the villagers were able to contribute towards maintaining the island¡¯s protective formation.


    After hearing that the amount added up to almost nothing, Han Li became somewhat gloomy.


    Didn¡¯t this mean that he had to contribute all of the spirit stones? That middle-aged man said the residents would be contributing a portion of spirit stones consumed by the protective formation. It seemed like those were merely pleasant words. Their help wouldn¡¯t amount to anything.


    Han Li inwardly cursed at the middle-aged cultivator, but spoke a few reassuring words to the old man. He estimated the amount of spirit stones required and compared it to the old man¡¯s estimate of their contribution. Han Li then gave the old man a year¡¯s worth of spirit stones to sustain the formation spell.


    He then told the old man that, in the coming years, he could go to his Immortal¡¯s cave and pick up the spirit stones required for that year. Then, without paying attention to the old man¡¯s repeated thanks, Han Li and Crooked Soul flew towards the island¡¯s west side.


    Once Han Li entered the mountain range known by the island¡¯s inhabitants as the ¡°Minor Expanse Mountains¡±, he was whelmed by the feeling of faint Spiritual Qi, causing his heart to stir.


    A short moment later, Han Li was standing at the front of his Divine Wind Boat as he circled both mountain peaks.


    It was obvious that the Spiritual Qi was richer on the higher mountain peak, but the lower mountain peak was thicker and more solid. Not only was it more suitable for an Immortal¡¯s cave, it was also the site of a previous cultivator¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave. The present Immortal¡¯s cave was intact and undamaged; it seemed suitable for immediate occupation.


    Han Li sunk into thought for a moment on his Divine Wind Boat. His eyes then flashed with spirited light, and he came to a decision.


    He first flew towards the thicker, shorter mountain peak and entered the deepest, most secretive area of the Immortal¡¯s cave. Afterwards, he fiercely struck the ground with his magic tools.


    Half a day later, the initial makings of an underground passage had been created. It had a nine meter diameter and headed straight towards the base of the mountain.


    But when Han Li¡¯s passage had reached a dozen meters below the mountain¡¯s base, he suddenly changed direction towards the base of the other mountain over a kilometer away.


    Although Han Li¡¯s magic tool was incomparably sharp, having Crooked Soul¡¯s assistance shortened the time required for this massive undertaking to two days.


    After carving out a passage between the bases of the mountains, Han Li carved out a new Immortal¡¯s cave inside of the taller mountain in the style of his old Immortal¡¯s cave in the Heavenly South Region. This new Immortal¡¯s cave was cut in exactly the same shape as his old one in the Tai Yue Mountain Range, but this time, there was no exit except for the underground tunnel.


    This would be the place where Han Li would cultivate and grow spiritual herbs. Having the original cave dwelling as a cover for the true one, Han Li felt much safer.


    After finishing up with his Immortal¡¯s cave, Han Li then set up the first Five Elements Reversal Formation at the entrance of the shorter, thicker mountain.


    But after Han Li flew around the two mountains for a while, he still felt uneasy.


    He took out the sets of formation setup tools that Xin Ruyin had given him and chose to deploy two of the more impressive formation, the ¡°The Fierce Heavenly Wind Formation¡± and the ¡°Illusory Heavensifting Formation¡±.


    These two formation spells had a wide range and would cover both of the mountains entirely. Although they weren¡¯t as wondrous as the ¡°Five Elements Reversal Formation¡±, they would still prove to be quite troublesome for Foundation Establishment cultivators. As such, Han Li¡¯s cave dwelling would be entirely safe from everything below the level of Core Formation cultivators.


    Looking from the sky outside of the formation, the mountains were enshrouded in a misty fog and were hard to make out. Han Li faintly smiled at the sight and slowly descended into the mist, disappearing from sight.


    After entering the true Immortal¡¯s cave, Han Li continually busied himself instead of taking the chance to rest.


    First, he established a secretive medicinal garden with a few spiritual herbs. After all, if he wished to mature them, they must first become young sprouts.


    Then, Han Li gazed at the bottle as if it were as precious as his own life before burying it in the corner of the garden and covering it with the concealing magic treasure fragment he had bought so long ago. He also made a hidden vent in the cave wall, allowing it to condense the green liquid.


    Afterwards, he created several tens of secret rooms of varying sizes in accordance to the Controlling Spirit Sect Cultivator¡¯s Insect Breeding Insights. He placed the white spiders and other wondrous insects inside them before placing several restrictions nearby to prevent them from running away.


    After finishing the most important matters, Han Li decided that it was still not the time to meditate and refine Qi. Instead, he carefully took out the light gray jade slip that he had acquired from the Emperor of Yue. It contained many strange secret techniques including the ¡°External Reincarnation Technique¡± he had set his eyes on long ago.


    Han Li immersed his spiritual sense into the jade slip and carefully read through the cultivation methods of this technique several times. Afterwards, he withdrew his spiritual sense and began contemplating what he had read. Although Han Li had previously come to a decision, after carefully thinking it over, he felt that cultivating this technique was truly dangerous.


    The jade slip clearly said that if his refined clone were to be destroyed, the spiritual sense planted within the clone would be destroyed and irrecoverable. Furthermore, if his remaining spiritual sense wasn¡¯t strong enough, it would be greatly damaged. At best, this would result in madness, at worst, he would suffer from Qigong Deviation and perish. In addition, even if he was successful, the ¡°External Reincarnation¡± would only be an easily controlled high-level puppet that could cultivate. This was completely different from the rumored ability to split oneself into two, and was inferior to the divine abilities possessed by some cultivator clans.


    However, Han Li had the ¡°Five Element Blood Cores¡± and had a great opportunity to create a clone with a ¡°Fiend Core¡±. This was an extremely rare stroke of luck where he could obtain a puppet guard with the strength of a Core Formation cultivator! Although the puppet would only be considered to be at early Core Formation, he would still have the power to defend himself against any Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    The most difficult and crucial aspect of cultivating a clone was that it required a corpse with spiritual roots. But Han Li was already in possession of a suitable corpse: Crooked Soul, a soulless refined corpse he had acquired long ago.


    It stands to reason that extracting a cultivator¡¯s soul, especially that of a low grade cultivator, would cause the body¡¯s meridians to rupture due to the overbearing nature of the magic technique used, disallowing any further cultivation. This was why so many cultivators viewed Crooked Soul with surprise when they saw that a corpse possessed Spiritual Qi fluctuations. Although cases where a soul was extracted from a cultivator¡¯s body with its meridians intact did exist, they were flukes that wouldn¡¯t be encountered even once in a hundred times.


    Unfortunately, this ¡°External Reincarnation Technique¡± required the body to be intact after its soul had been extracted and that the cultivator must be of the sixth layer or lower. Such a suitable corpse would be hard to come by.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t know why there were such strange requirements, he surmised that it probably had something to do with the ease of controlling the corpse after inserting a thread of spiritual sense into it.


    Han Li might not know exactly how Yu Zitong and Doctor Mo created Crooked Soul, but Crooked Soul definitely satisfied all the requirements, making it an exceptionally good candidate for refining a clone.


    As for the Emperor of Yue, it probably took an unknown amount of dead low-grade cultivators before he happened upon a suitable corpse.


    Han Li sat cross-legged on the ground and pondered for a long time before deciding to cultivate the Great Development Technique to the second layer prior to refining the corpse. With that accomplished, he wouldn¡¯t suffer much damage even if the clone perished. He had a deep understanding of the wondrous effects that the Great Development Technique would have on strengthening his Spiritual Sense.


    Before he could cultivate the Great Development Technique, he would first have to recover his Foundation Establishment cultivation. In order to cultivate the External Reincarnation Technique, he would even have to cultivate to late Foundation Establishment.


    After attempting to refine a clone, regardless of success or failure, Han Li would still have to fumble about with cultivating the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions¡±. After all, this cultivation art along with the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡± would be a crucial step along the great path towards Core Formation Stage.


    Having mentally planned out his future cultivation, Han Li entered a secret room in his Immortal¡¯s cave and began to refine Qi with the aid of medicinal pills.


    He only took the ¡°Yellow Dragon Pill¡± and the ¡°Gold Marrow Pill¡± for now, two low-grade medicine pills. Taking Foundation Establishment Pills at his current stage would be far too violent for his body. It would be more appropriate to wait until after he had reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation before taking them.


    Without a bottleneck to Foundation Establishment, Han Li reckoned that he should be able to recover his cultivation relatively quickly.

 Chapter 374

    Cultivation is Timeless


    Time passed day after day.


    Apart from maturing spiritual herbs and refining the required ¡°Yellow Dragon Pills¡± and ¡°Golden Marrow Pills¡±, Han Li refined Qi in bitter meditation the entire time. He also periodically trained the white spiders and other wondrous insects in accordance to the Controlling Spirit Sect Cultivator¡¯s Insect Cultivation Insights. This could be considered his sole joy during his cultivation.


    Han Li estimated that it would take him about a year to enter the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, a speed that was like wind when compared to his original speed.


    However, Han Li was still somewhat unsatisfied at this speed. After he reached the ninth layer, he made a steeled resolution to take three Foundation Establishment Pills in continuation. By using its hugely strong medicinal power, Han Li used only another year to enter Foundation Establishment.


    Now, he was able to make use of Innate Truefire.


    Han Li immediately ceased taking low-grade medicine pills and started to refine medicine pills that would be more suitable for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    According to Han Li¡¯s assumptions, the Qi Refining Powder would have no effect on him because he had previously taken too much of it. As for the other three pill recipes, they should be able to vigorously advance him to late Foundation Establishment without question.


    But according to his original plans, Han Li wasn¡¯t going to immediately deepen his cultivation. Instead, he would only stockpile medicines and cultivate the Great Development Technique in preparation to refine a clone.


    Originally, Han Li only needed half a year to cultivate the Great Development Technique to the first layer and receive its exceptional benefits.


    Although Han Li felt gloomy about his inferior aptitude for elemental magic techniques, he had significant talent for the Great Development Technique. Thus, Han Li held much confidence in cultivating to the second layer of the Great Development Technique.


    According to the incomplete collection of the Great Development Technique, his spiritual sense would be several times stronger and he would also be able to separate his consciousness into over a hundred different strands. When combined with the puppet technique, the frightening potential of the Great Development Technique would be fully displayed.


    Although he knew that cultivating to the second layer would be more difficult than the first, it took far more time than Han Li had anticipated. He had originally believed that it would only take him three years to reached the second layer of the Great Development Technique, but Han Li discovered that it would take six years of diligent cultivation for him to barely reach the second layer. As this would take twice the time that he had anticipated, Han Li felt extremely helpless.


    Now that forcefully increasing his spiritual sense proved to be such a blistering headache, Han Li seemed to have recalled something with a pale face and trepidation.


    During the third year of cultivating the Great Development Technique, the disciple of the middle-aged cultivator from the Immortal Records Pavilion came under orders to challenge Han Li at Minor Expanse Island.


    As a result, he had been trapped in Han Li¡¯s formations for three entire days before Han Li happened to take notice of him and released him.


    Because of the difficulty of cultivating the Great Development Technique, Han Li had completely forgotten about this matter.


    Using his nameless Qi Restraining Technique to hide his true cultivation, Han Li managed to win by the slightest margin. Under the belief that Han Li had won only due to his slightly superior magic tools, the flustered man who was trapped within the formation spells for several days could only resentfully return.


    Another three years later, Han Li finally managed to cultivate to the second layer of the Great Development Technique and now prepared to cultivate the ¡°External Reincarnation Technique¡±.


    He first thoroughly relaxed for several days. With his soul at its peak state, he called for Crooked Soul to enter his hidden practice room and sit cross-legged across from him.


    Han Li waved his arm, shutting the stone door to the room and staring at Crooked Soul with rapt attention in long silence.


    Having seen Crooked Soul¡¯s ugly yet familiar face, surges of emotion flowed through Han Li¡¯s heart. He recalled matters he had long and quickly forgotten: the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Rainbow Mountains, and a certain familiar figure¡­


    But after staring at Crooked Soul¡¯s cold, soulless gaze, Han Li let out a sigh. With no further hesitation, Han Li formed a windmill-shaped incantation gesture with his hands, and his body released an azure light, projecting a dark green light throughout the room.


    Not long after, Han Li¡¯s face slightly grimaced in the green light and fine beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. A blinding white radiance then shot out from his eyes that none would dare to look at.


    ¡°HA!¡± Han Li suddenly let out a roar as his hands formed a strange incantation gesture. Though his body was still, he snorted out a thumb-sized green ball of light. It quickly flew into Crooked Soul¡¯s nostril and entered the rest of his body.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s face was deathly pale with huge beads of sweat dripping down from his face, but the blinding light from his eyes became even brighter. Two fine streaks of white light then shot out from his eyes into Crooked Soul¡¯s. Han Li¡¯s and Crooked Soul¡¯s bodies then simultaneously shivered.


    The stone door of the hidden practice room was closed for an entire month. In the middle of the next month, the stone door of the hidden room slowly opened, revealing a haggard but extremely excited Han Li.


    The clone refinement had been a bitter and tortuous struggle, but it had eventually resulted in success. Although he didn¡¯t know how it turned out, he knew that at the very least he hadn¡¯t failed, and there was no cultivation backlash, much to Han Li¡¯s relief.


    But immediately after Han Li left the hidden room, he entered another room and went into seclusion. The clone refinement had significantly damaged his Origin Qi. If he didn¡¯t immediately take medicine and refined his Qi, there was a danger that he would once again drop down to the Qi Condensation Stage.


    As for the refined clone, ¡°Crooked Soul¡±, it continued to remain in the hidden room. The thread of consciousness had yet to completely control the corpse and was being broken in.


    After a few short months, Han Li had fully recovered the damage to his Origin Qi, but instead of leaving seclusion, he began to research the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions¡± cultivation art.


    The ¡°Three Essence Revolutions¡± cultivation art clearly stated that when cultivators reached late Foundation Establishment, they were to scatter a majority of their cultivation through the ¡°Azure Essence Sword Art¡± and recultivate from early Foundation Establishment stage. This would compress one¡¯s true essence and allow one to draw as close as possible to solidification, weakening the bottleneck to the Core Formation Stage.


    According to the speculations of the expert who created this cultivation art, after three cycles of recultivation, one should have a fifty percent possibility of forming a golden core.


    Although Han Li had unexpectedly scattered his cultivation during mid Foundation Establishment instead of scattering his cultivation when he reached late Foundation Establishment, he didn¡¯t care in the least. To Han Li, the difference between scattering one¡¯s cultivation during mid Foundation Establishment instead of late Foundation establishment was only a small degree of True Essence condensation. With the main idea of True Essence compression and solidification still at the center, there shouldn¡¯t be any big problems if he were to scatter his cultivation two more times from late Foundation Establishment.


    After several months of single-minded study of the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions¡± cultivation art, he came to a full understanding of the cultivation art and entered his hidden room with a large amount of medicinal pills.


    He had come to a resolute decision that he wouldn¡¯t leave his Immortal¡¯s cave until he finished the first revolutions of his cultivation art and reached the sixth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art.


    As for Crooked Soul who was now completely fused with Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, Han Li had tirelessly prepared pre-Foundation Establishment medicines pills for him. As Crooked Soul had spiritual roots with three elements, he had greater aptitude than Han Li who had ¡°false spiritual roots¡± with four elements. As a result, Crooked Soul¡¯s cultivation speed was insanely fast with the assistance of medicine pills, no slower than Han Li¡¯s recultivation speed.


    According to Han Li estimates, it would only take two years for him to reach Foundation Establishment.


    In addition, Han Li picked out the Devilish Art ¡°Divine Blood Light¡± from the jade slip that emitted gray light for Crooked Soul to cultivate after he reached Foundation Establishment. After all, Han Li had personally seen the might of this Devilish Art from the Emperor of Yue himself.


    As for the fact that this art didn¡¯t have any continuation for Core Formation cultivators, Han Li didn¡¯t mind much. This was because after Crooked Soul formed a Fiend Core, Crooked Soul would forever be at early Core Formation. There would be no difference whether or not there was a continuation of the magic art.


    Han Li¡¯s cultivation session went on for a truly long time!


    [This chapter is meant to be viewed on wuxiaworld(dot)com]


    It was the same as the common saying, ¡°Cultivation is timeless¡±. In the mere blink of an eye, over twenty years had past.


    During this large expanse of time, Han Li didn¡¯t take a single step outside of his Immortal¡¯s cave, nor did he show himself to the island¡¯s inhabitants. Every since Han Li arrived at Minor Expanse Island, several hundred of its inhabitants would say that he nearly hadn¡¯t affected them at all. If they wanted to fish, they fished; if they wanted to farm, then they farmed!


    Naturally, the inhabitants weren¡¯t too comfortable to discover that their two mountains were now constantly shrouded in a thick white fog. But after such a long period of time, the villagers became accustomed to the scene and no longer took notice of it.


    However, the village elder would repeatedly warn the village¡¯s mischievous children not to approach the mountain¡¯s nearby fog under any circumstances. This was because once someone entered, they would disappear without a trace and couldn¡¯t come out. Only after suffering several days of entrapment and shouting out ¡°Immortal Master Han¡± several times would they discover a path out.


    As this matter had occurred several times, the villagers came to understand that Immortal Han disliked having others bother him.


    Apart from wood chopping and fruit picking, no other affairs were carried out near the Minor Expanse Mountains.


    As for the yearly expenditure of spirit stones for the protective formation, so long as the village head loudly shouted towards the mountain a few times, the yearly amount of spirit stones would fly out of the white mist on a tray. Those that came for spirit stones never came back empty-handed.


    Of course, the original village head had passed away during these twenty years. The current village head was the the dark skinned fisherman Han Li had seen when he first arrived at the island, Hei Gui. However, he still fetched spirit stones in the exact same manner.


    As such, while the inhabitants of the island weren¡¯t particularly loyal towards Immortal Han, they still had a decent impression of him.


    Then one day, Han Li walked out of his Immortal¡¯s cave.

 Chapter 375

    A Pair of Beauties


    Stalwart Star Island¡¯s port was as lively as it had been previously. A great number of ships of all sizes scuttled about, either heading out to sea or docking at land. Occasionally, brilliant lights of various colors would flash from the sky, revealing the cultivators that were flying about. The mortals on the ground didn¡¯t view it to be odd; they were long accustomed to such sights.


    But today, a streak of white light flew into the island at the speed of lightning. After pausing for a short moment at the harbor, it flew straight into the depths of the island.


    If someone close to the white light were to see through it, they would notice the faint silhouette of two people: Han Li with magic power at the peak of Foundation Establishment due to completing the first revolution of the Three Essence Revolutions Technique and Crooked Soul, whose cultivation was about the same as Han Li as a result of the huge quantities of medicinal pills used during cultivation.


    Having compressed his true essence for over twenty years, Han Li¡¯s cultivation was purer and deeper than other cultivators of similar rank. As for Crooked Soul, Han Li was extremely happy to find that his cultivation had nearly caught up to his own.


    If Crooked Soul didn¡¯t require certain particular secondary ingredients to form his fiend core and Han Li required to perform preparations before attempting to form his core, he wouldn¡¯t have left his Immortal¡¯s cave at Minor Expanse Island.


    For this outing, apart from collecting on Master Gu¡¯s promise of spirit stones and handling his previously mentioned affairs, Han Li would return straight to Minor Expanse Island. As he was at a crucial point in his cultivation, he couldn¡¯t allow any distractions.


    With that in mind, Han Li and Crooked Soul flew deeper into the island towards ¡°Stalwart Star City¡±.


    Since he still had quite a few spirit stones, he had no need to rush towards the Gu Estate. He would first buy a few things before visiting there on the way back.


    Many hours later, Han Li could faintly see the tall walls of a huge city. Although he hadn¡¯t been to ¡°Stalwart Star City¡± before, the markings on the map and the majestic, imposing aura of the city left no room for doubt.


    Han Li suddenly stamped his foot on the Divine Wind boat, wishing to descend. However, Han Li was surprised to have run across an obviously placed restriction.


    This city truly deserved to be called the greatest city in Stalwart Star Island. It had a large-scale sky restriction at a distance far away.


    In truth, with Han Li¡¯s peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could easily break through the restrictions and continue on his way, at most using up only a bit more magic power. However, Han Li didn¡¯t wish to attract attention. Instead, he stepped on the front end of his Divine Wind Boat, causing it to slowly descend.


    Han Li and Crooked Soul calmly disembarked from the Divine Wind Boat. After putting away the Divine Wind Boat in his storage pouch, Han Li looked at the huge city from a distance and couldn¡¯t help but leisurely walk towards it with an unconcealed smile.


    ¡°Stalwart Star Island¡± was at least four times larger than East Stone City!


    As Han Li was walking on some street in Stalwart Star Island, he noticed that the roads were wide enough to fit several carriages side by side and felt somewhat impressed by their size.


    Soon after, Han Li asked a mortal for the location of the ¡°Sky Capital Market¡±. The two then headed towards the northern part of the city without delay.


    ¡®This is the so-called Sky Capital Market?¡¯ Han Li looked at the scene before him with surprise.


    He saw a huge misty barrier covering the entire northern section of Stalwart Star City. There were at least over a hundred streets there, which was completely incongruous with his mental image of an isolated street.


    But what most surprised Han Li was that at the center of the northern district, there was a huge pavilion floating over a hundred meters in the air. The pavilion was an alluring emerald-green, and it released a faint glimmer, seemingly made of an enormous piece of jade; it was extremely eye-catching.


    Han Li blankly stared at the sparkling reflections of sunlight that shined off of the pavilion. Although he didn¡¯t know how this pavilion came to be or why it was floating, Han Li truly felt it was an extremely rare sight.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s expression changed. He suddenly restrained his Spiritual Qi, maintaining an external appearance as an eighth layer Qi Condensation cultivator.


    Soon after, Han Li heard footsteps from behind him and a pleasant female voice spoke from behind him, ¡°Is this Senior¡¯s and Fellow Daoist¡¯s first time at Sky Capital Market? Cultivators that see the Dreamcloud Pavilion for the first time usually remain shocked for quite a long time!¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was as pleasant as an oriole¡¯s chirp. Han Li turned around to see a group of three male cultivators and two female cultivators standing about a dozen steps away.


    The two women were quite charming, beautiful, and dressed quite boldly. Their simple garments not only revealed their pure white arms and their flawless lower legs, but they also didn¡¯t wear any shoes or socks, revealing their beautiful feet.


    But what was even more eye-catching were the shining, exquisite golden bands that they wore on their foreheads and wrists, giving them an even more provocative presence.


    The three men had rather ordinary appearances, and one of them even had a face full of pockmarks, appearing quite unsightly.


    These five were Qi Condensation cultivators of about the tenth layer. It seemed they were also going to enter the light barrier.


    After taking another few looks at these world shocking women, he bewilderedly asked, ¡°You Fellow Daoists are?¡±


    ¡°This beautiful young woman is my good friend, Yuan Yao. We are rogue cultivators from a nearby island. We heard that rare materials from other islands would be sold here today. These three are Fellow Daoists that we¡¯ve met on the way here. We came together to take a look!¡± The one who spoke was a pleasant, dainty round-face woman. She sized up Han Li and Crooked Soul with great curiosity and smiled as she spoke. Judging from her voice, she was the one who had previously asked the question.


    The woman by her side was an astonishing beauty at the prime of her youth. Not only was her skin appeared beyond soft and purer than snow, her skintight clothes revealed her graceful, well-endowed body, causing men who saw her to involuntarily swallow. She truly was a beauty capable of wrecking a country.


    However, this woman didn¡¯t look at Han Li. Her bright and beautiful eyes were stuck onto Crooked Soul with an astonished expression on her dainty face.


    Han Li inwardly frowned upon seeing this.


    Although Han Li had concealed his true cultivation with a Qi Condensation technique, Crooked Soul¡¯s late Foundation Establishment cultivation was completely out in the open. According to Han Li, by having a late Foundation Establishment cultivator accompanying him, he would be able to avoid most trouble and prevent any other cultivators from maliciously targeting him. Admittedly, having an expert with awesome strength such as Crooked Soul was truly a bit too eye-catching.


    With that in mind, Han Li calmly said, ¡°We¡¯ve let our Fellow Daoists see a funny sight! I am Han LI and this is my Martial Uncle Crooked Soul. This is our first time at the Sky Capital Market.¡±


    The dainty woman replied with a charming giggle, ¡°It was like I said! This was definitely Senior Crooked Soul¡¯s and Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s first time seeing the Dreamcloud Pavilion; otherwise, why else would they stand still? How about we go in together? Senior Martial Sister and I can introduce you two to the many shops of the Sky Capital Market. Although we aren¡¯t natives to Stalwart Star Island, we have visited the Sky Capital Market several times and know it like the backs of our hands.¡±


    The peerless beauty, Yuan Yao, then spoke with an enthusiastic gaze and a charming smile that men couldn¡¯t refuse, ¡°Yes! If Senior Crooked Soul doesn¡¯t find it undesirable, us two Martial Sisters can act as a guide for Senior so that he may spend less time finding the things he wishes to buy.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the three male cultivators who were travelling together with them couldn¡¯t help revealing unsightly expressions. But in the face of Crooked Soul, a Foundation Establishment ¡°Senior¡±, they could only silently sulk.


    Han Li felt stunned!


    This was the first time he had encountered beautiful women who took the initiative to accompany him. However, it seemed that the two were most interested in the ¡°Senior¡± Crooked Soul with his deep cultivation; Han Li was merely an incidental addition.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what the two women had in mind, Han Li had no intention to accompanying such provocatively beautiful women.


    As such, Han Li controlled the previously silent Crooked Soul to hoarsely speak, ¡°There is no need! I don¡¯t like keeping company in large numbers. Martial Nephew Han, let us go on our way!¡± Crooked Soul then grabbed the somewhat apologetic Han Li and made large strides toward the light barrier, revealing no intention of conversing with the two women.


    Crooked Soul¡¯s stiff demeanor left the two women stunned. While they appeared very disappointed, the three male cultivators¡¯ spirits were strongly roused, and they inwardly felt great joy.


    ¡°Let it be, young ladies! That Senior Crooked is a man with a strange temperament. We¡¯d better go in too!¡± The pockmarked man said, attempting to curry favor with the two women.


    The two peerless beauties took a look at each other and agreed with a forced smile, entering the light barrier with light steps.


    By this time, Han Li and Crooked Soul had long disappeared into the market streets without a trace.


    When the two women saw this, they wore a helpless expression and entered a randomly chosen store.

 Chapter 376

    Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire


    As the two women entered the store closely followed by the three male cultivators who were unwilling to part with them, Han Li and Crooked Soul appeared from behind a building.


    Seeing the two women enter the store, Han Li revealed a thoughtful expression.


    After looking on for a moment, he brought Crooked Soul to another street.


    At first glance, the shops here and the mortal shops outside appeared no different. The shops here were laid in rows on each side of the street in even squares and carried signboard and flags at their storefront with names such as ¡°Wu¡¯s Assorted Goods¡±, ¡°Chen Ji¡¯s Magic Tools¡±, ¡°Five Elements Magic Tools Store¡±, and ¡°Huo Yang¡¯s Raw Materials¡±.


    Han Li didn¡¯t enter these shops, instead choosing to walk down the street towards the center of the Sky Capital Market.


    According to Han Li¡¯s experiences, the powerful stores should be positioned in the best area, and that¡¯s below the Dreamcloud Pavilion. As Han Li grew closer, he looked at the fantastical pavilion in the sky and couldn¡¯t help but hurry his steps.


    At this moment, the market streets had quite a number of cultivators going about their way, entering stores on occasion.


    After walking about a kilometer, Han Li knew he had found the right place. His eyes lit with realization upon seeing a huge plaza that spanned about half an acre.


    Stripes of fine, white jade filled the floor of the plaza, making for a sight of refined beauty. The center of the plaza was completely empty aside from the Dreamcloud Pavilion floating above it. It floated above with its doors shut, lacking any intention of inviting visitors.


    Six small, uniquely-styled palace pavilions towered around the plaza, each a similar distance away from the center. They faintly seemed to stand in opposition of each other. No other store dared to place themselves among these six stores at the plaza.


    After taking another glance at the pavilion, Han Li brought his gaze towards the six palace pavilions on the ground.


    ¡°The Mountain Sea Pavilion, White Water Pavilion, Jade Band Pavilion¡­¡± Han Li muttered the names of these six stores to himself as he sized up the nearby cultivators that were entering and leaving them. He wanted to enter the store with clientele of the highest status.


    But after a moment, Han Li frowned and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly curse. This story was being hosted on the wrong site; it was taken from its source,wooshiawurld, without permission. In addition, the customers of these stores were all of nearly the same status. After taking a round trip examining the six palace pavilions, he felt both reluctance and excitement.


    Feeling gloomy, Han Li attentively sized up the six stores once more, and this time, he discovered something odd. The symbols embroidered on the banners outside each of the stores seemed to hold some sort of unique, deeper meaning.


    The Mountain Sea Pavilion¡¯s banner was embroidered with a blue mythical animal, the White Water Pavilion had a small, golden sword, the Jade Band Pavilion had a green mushroom¡­


    Upon seeing this, Han Li felt that he had been mistaken.


    After a moment of thought, he walked over to the store nearest him, the White Water Pavilion, in order to confirm his thoughts. Crooked Soul naturally followed after him without a sound.


    Upon entering the palace hall of the White Water Pavilion, he found the interior to be somewhat large, about a hundred meters wide. There were rows of white jade engraved shelves that displayed nearly a hundred sparkling magic tools of all colors. But with a quick look, Han Li found that these magic tools were all only high grade magic tools at best. They were simply beneath him.


    In front of the shelves stood five sharply dressed attendants in azure clothes, all currently taking care of about eight cultivators who were selecting a few magic tools.


    But once Han Li and Crooked Soul entered, a sharp-eyed attendant noticed that Crooked Soul was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although he couldn¡¯t tell the exact depth of Crooked Soul¡¯s cultivation, he still hurriedly rushed forward with bright eyes.


    After giving Crooked Soul a formal salute, he smartly asked, ¡°Senior, what magic tools do you wish to buy. Since common magic tools are certain to be beneath you, how about Senior accompany me to the side room? The shopkeeper has acquired a few new top grade magic tools. Shall we go take a look?¡±


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but silently smile upon hearing such exquisitely crafted words, ¡°Lead the way, Junior. I¡¯ll take a look for now.


    Having heard Crooked Soul¡¯s arrogant tone, the attendant grew even happier. He invited them to a side room off the main hall with a smile before politely taking his leave to fetch the shopkeeper.


    Just as he left, a dainty maid came in and poured the two of them a cup of some oddly fragrant tea before silently withdrawing.


    With a trace of politeness, Han Li lifted the tea cup and took a taste. But not long after, an eccentric middle-aged man with a long-whiskered mustache and beard had arrived.


    He walked in with a beaming smile. But after he discovered the depth of Crooked Soul¡¯s cultivation, he involuntarily revealed shock and hurriedly saluted Crooked Soul, saying, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist had reached False Core Stage. My Congratulations! I am the shopkeeper Cao Lu. I offer my best wishes for Fellow Daoist in entering Core Formation!¡±


    His solemn, respectful expression left Han Li stunned!


    His thoughts quickly churned for a moment before realizing that he was referring to Crooked Soul¡¯s near peak Foundation Establishment cultivation. Going along with the situation, Han Li willed Crooked Soul to say, ¡°Fellow Daoist jests! How is Core Formation so easily reached? Actually, I¡¯ve come to make preparations for this very matter. However, when I initially came to the Sky Capital Market, I truly didn¡¯t know where to find the ingredients I required: Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire. I hope Fellow Daoist Cao could give me some advice!¡± Crooked Soul spoke with a very courteous tone, as the strange-looking middle-aged man was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    Shopkeeper Cao instantly replied, ¡°Hehe, that isn¡¯t a problem! Our Six United Palaces have mutual respect, and sense of propriety. I¡¯ll get in touch with Jade Band Pavilion¡¯s Fellow Daoist Ouyang, and immediately send them over should they have them.¡± Without the slightest hesitation, he took out a sound transmission talisman and softly said a few words into it before it turned into a streak of red light and flew out the room.


    Following this, Shopkeeper Cao cordially chatted with Crooked Soul, casually asking about Crooked Soul¡¯s origins and affiliations.


    But Han Li couldn¡¯t possibly divulge such secrets to a stranger he just met. He merely had Crooked Soul vaguely state that he was a cultivator that had newly arrived at the island. Because he had unexpectedly ran into his Martial Nephew Han Li, he decided to stay on Stalwart Star Island for the time being.


    Shopkeeper Cao¡¯s smile grew even wider. His friendliness reached a level Han Li found difficult to tolerate.


    Just as doubts were stirring in Han Li¡¯s mind, a large azure-clothed man with a curled beard walked into the room. His face was a dark red and he had a lofty, burly body. He appeared extremely bold and powerful!


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Cao, why do you suddenly want Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire? Could it be someone wishes to form their core?¡± A large man suddenly walked into the room with a forthright smile. After looking at Han Li for a moment, he turned his attention to Crooked Soul.


    Han Li inwardly frowned. This person asked a question while clearly already knowing the answer. He was not straightforward and bold as his appearance had suggested; he was definitely a deep schemer. Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and became more vigilant of this person.


    Naturally, Han Li and Crooked Soul had calm expressions, and they even wore slight smiles.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist Ouyang, let me give you an introduction. This is Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul. He just arrived at this island. This is his Martial Nephew Han Li, a resident of our island. Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul has reached False Core Stage and wishes to strive to form his core.¡± Cao Lu pointed at Crooked Soul and Han Li, speaking with a beaming smile.


    ¡°Hehe, congratulations Fellow Daoist! If Fellow Daoist succeeds in forming his core, our Stalwart Star Sea will have another pillar of strength!¡± The curly-bearded man surnamed Ouyang spoke cordially with a wide grin.


    He suddenly appeared to have thought of something and patted the back of his head. He embarrassingly said, ¡°Ah, my damn memory, I¡¯ve forgotten about Crooked Soul¡¯s impatient need of Spirit Snow water and Liquid Heavenfire. But please be at ease, I brought over enough for two people to form their cores.¡± The large man with a curly mustache, Fellow Daoist Ouyang, took out two jade boxes shining with yellow light and placed them on the table in front of Han Li.


    ¡°These two boxes holding spiritual objects were carved out of earth attribute jade acquired from the deep sea. It can also be considered a strange treasure. But when compared with the price of what it contains, it is naturally incomparable!¡± Although curly-bearded man¡¯s words seemed as if he didn¡¯t care, he seemed to hold some pride in them.


    ¡°Then I truly must thank you!¡± Crooked Soul calmly said his thanks before carefully opening the boxes.


    One of the boxes contained a clear, transparent liquid. Upon opening the box, a wondrous, cold Yin Qi directly blew past Crooked Soul. In contrast, the other box contained a fiery, scarlet liquid that released a scorching air.


    After inspecting these items for a long while, Crooked Soul shut the lids of the boxes with a satisfied appearance. He raised his head and serenely asked, ¡°How many spirit stones does Fellow Daoist want in order to part with these items?¡±


    Although Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire weren¡¯t as rare as thousand year spirit herbs, they were spiritual objects that were difficult to find, but as they were items that were needed to enter Core Formation, Han Li was determined to acquire them.

 Chapter 377

    Pill Formulas and Demon Cores


    The large, curly-bearded man waved his hand, speaking casually, ¡°Although our Six United Palaces didn¡¯t enter the Four Great Merchants Alliance, we have quite a lot of prestige in the Scattered Star Seas. These two items are rare, but they are beneath our notice. Please allow our Six United Palaces to present the Spirit Snow Ice and Liquid Heavenfire to Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul as our early congratulations for your core formation.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t feel any excitement. Instead, he inwardly frowned, refraining from having Crooked Soul take them.


    ¡®You would give such previous items as a gift? I am not convinced there is such a great thing in this world. Since Crooked Soul is at what they call false core stage, could it be that they have hidden intentions for currying favor in such an excessive manner?¡¯ Han Li became increasingly cautious with that in mind.


    Crooked Soul then shook his head and sternly said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. There is no reward without cost. These two items should be sold for what they¡¯re worth. I have the spirit stones for them! Or is there something that you two are too embarrassed to say?¡± After saying this, Crooked Soul revealed a mysterious smile.


    Seeing that Crooked Soul was so guarded against against such a great gift, Cao Lu and the curly-bearded man couldn¡¯t help but give each other a mutual glance after a moment of astonishment.


    After meeting each other¡¯s gaze, Cao Lu dryly coughed and said, ¡°It seems we¡¯ve made fools of ourselves. Since Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul understands, I will tell it as it is! Our Six United Palaces do have a few matters that require your assistance. These two spiritual items are a kindly advance. If this affair is concluded, our stores will give you a great award.¡± Cao Lu spoke rather cordially while the curly-bearded man revealed embarrassment.


    Han Li inwardly sneered and had Crooked Soul tactfully decline while wearing a faint smile, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal this form you two. Currently, I am entirely focused on forming my core and have no inclination for any other affairs. I am truly sorry, but it would be best for you to find someone else.


    ¡°Crooked Soul¡± didn¡¯t have any interest in listening to the matter and put a stop to the conversation.


    Cao Lu and the curly-bearded man didn¡¯t take offense at his response and revealed smooth smiles instead.


    ¡°Hehe, since Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul¡¯s Core Formation occupies his mind, he should definitely lend a hand! After this matter is concluded, our Six United Palaces will reward you with a Dustfall Pill. It is of great assistance towards Core Formation and will certainly increase the odds of successfully forming your core!¡± The curly-bearded man said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Dustfall Pill?¡± Crooked Soul muttered to himself with slight surprise.


    Cao Lu replaced his smile with a solemn expression and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. This matter requires six cultivators at False Core stage, and we just need one more. Fellow Daoist¡¯s arrival is extremely timely. All of the cultivators who participate will be given a Dustfall Pill as payment.¡±


    The ¡°Dustfall Pill¡± was an item of great renown in the Scattered Star Seas. However, Han Li, who had remained in isolation since initially arriving on the island, had no idea how wondrous the pill was rumored to be.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Crooked Soul solemnly asked, ¡°Could you tell me the concrete details of the task I am to assist with before making my decision?¡±


    ¡°Of course we can. It isn¡¯t a complicated matter. It is just that our stores have discovered a grade six demon beast and wish to acquire its demon core. As a result, we thought to invite some outsiders to assist in the hunt!¡± Cao Lu chuckled and played it down.


    ¡°Grade six demon beast?¡± Crooked Soul bitterly smiled. Han Li had nearly stood up to loudly curse at them. The grade four mantis demon beast had nearly claimed his life, and now, they wanted to fight a grade six demon beast. Did they want to send these cultivators to their deaths?


    Having seen Crooked Soul¡¯s doubtful expression, the curly-bearded man quickly gave an explanation, ¡°Please be at ease, our stores have come up with a complete plan which significantly lowers the danger. Apart from having two of our store¡¯s Core Formation elders act, we will also place down a ¡°Six Flowing Ripples Formation¡±. Six False Core Formation cultivators will be enough to maintain the formation.¡±


    ¡°A Six Flowing Ripples Formation!¡± Han Li felt that the name of that formation sounded quite familiar, as if he had heard it before in formation spell insights that Xin Ruyin had previously given to him.


    Han Li then willed Crooked Soul to delay his decision, ¡°Because of the importance of this matter, please give me two days to consider. Will it be acceptable if I give you my answer then?¡±


    Crooked Soul¡¯s vague words left Cao Lu stunned, but he soon agreed with a wide smile.


    But when Han Li and Crooked Soul left, Cao Lu and the large, curly-bearded man had them take the Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire along with them. With a few polite words, they said that even if Crooked Soul later refused, it wouldn¡¯t matter, and that they were to be treated solely as gifts.


    Crooked Soul faintly smiled in response to his coaxing words, but he didn¡¯t refuse, taking the jade boxes with him. After a few polite words, he then left the palace pavilion with Han Li.


    After leaving the White Water Pavilion, Han Li turned around to take a look at the pavilion. He lightly shook his head before finding his way out of the plaza.


    Since these six palace pavilions formed a single group, Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t visit the other stores to haggle over any prices. After all, he had already taken the items they had given him for free. As a result, he bluntly intended to visit the surrounding shops for a few other items he wished to acquire.


    Apart from the Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire for Core Formation, he also wanted to purchase a few materials to create grade two puppets. Although he had already grown the most important material, the several-hundred-year old ironwood, he still needed to buy large quantities of secondary materials such as source iron and cloud essence stone.


    He also needed a few materials to refine the ¡°Spirit Feed Pill¡±. After refining these pills, he would be able to formally train the white spiders.


    With these thoughts in mind, Han Li entered a small store with miscellaneous goods, managing to buy a majority of what he needed. The rest of the items he required were rarer and would require visiting several other stores to acquire them.


    As he was browsing through the many stores, he mostly focused on the stores that sold ancient records of medicine pills and cultivation arts. After all, he had nearly used all of his pill formulas and wished to acquire one or two more.


    As for cultivation arts, although their prices were unreasonably high, they would provide him with an explanation of the types of cultivation arts used in the Scattered Star Seas.


    After completing a round trip, Han Li felt amazement!


    While having Crooked Soul wait outside, he entered a medicine pill shop, asking if they had any Foundation Establishment stage pill formulas for sale. The shop assistant unexpectedly showed him several tens of pill formulas, causing Han Li to nearly bite his tongue in shock.


    Although he couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe it, he still carefully examined the pill formulas and the outcome was complete shock.


    Regardless of whether the pill formulas used rare or common materials, they all required demon beast cores instead of spiritual herbs. The rarer medicine pills even required the inner core of sixth and seventh grade demon beasts.While these pill formulas also required spiritual herbs that were several hundreds of years old, the spiritual herbs used in the formulas were only auxiliary ingredients; they could be replaced with other spiritual herbs instead.


    As such, Han Li acquired a thick stack of pill formulas and remained dumbfounded for a long while.


    Under the baffled gaze of the store assistant, he had casually bought several usable formulas at a low price and walked out in a daze.


    A short moment later, he felt somewhat unsatisfied and ran over to several other medicinal pill shops, discovering that apart from low grade Qi Condensation pill formulas, all other pill formulas required demon beast cores.


    Finally, Han Li¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but make a careful inquiry to a shopkeeper about whether there were any high grade pill formulas that didn¡¯t require demon beast cores. The shopkeeper looked at Han Li as if he were an idiot for a long while before saying, ¡°What else would you use to refine a high grade medicine pill, if not a demon core beast?¡±


    Han Li then dejectedly walked out of the store and completely gave up on the matter.


    It seems that the Pill Dao of the Scattered Star Seas followed a different path than that of the Heavenly South Region. They used the cores of demon seabeasts as the central ingredient of medicinal pills rather than spiritual herbs.


    After some careful thought, Han Li found this to be quite reasonable. The sea was vast and without end, containing a countless number of demon beasts. With their ancestors incapable of causing a complete extinction of resources, the circumstances in the Scattered Star Seas was far better than that of the Heavenly South Region. It seems that these pill formulas had been passed down since ancient times!


    As Han Li was thinking while standing on the remote corner of some road, he carefully looked through his collection of recently purchased pill formulas for one with the name of ¡°Foundation Establishment Pill¡±.


    The pill formula was mostly the same as the one as Han Li had remembered. However, the heavenly spiritual medicines that were found only in the blood-red forbidden area were instead replaced with grade five demon cores.


    When Han Li saw this, he put away the pill formulas and folded his arms before entering deep contemplation.

 Chapter 378

    Going out to Sea (1)


    After a long while, Han Li finally awoke from his contemplations with a plan in mind.


    Nothing appearing out of the ordinary, he proceeded to visit the shops selling ancient records of cultivation techniques. This trip didn¡¯t result in any surprises. He was quite familiar with the cultivation arts and Five Element Techniques being sold as they weren¡¯t much different from those in the Heavenly South Region.


    Though it should be said that the water attribute magic techniques were more plentiful. There were even a few new techniques that he hadn¡¯t heard of before.


    Han Li bought these new magic techniques along with a book he accidentally found, Pill Dao Evaluations. The reason he bought this book was because it contained an expert¡¯s description and commentary of the ¡°Dustfall Pill¡±. Han Li intended to carefully study it before coming to a decision about the Six United Palaces¡¯ request.


    With no interest in buying anything else, Han Li and Crooked Soul left the Sky Capital Market along with the city.


    Not long after they left Stalwart Star City, Han Li and Crooked Soul took to the skies and flew toward the Gu Clan Estate.


    About half a day later, Han Li gazed at the somewhat familiar scene of the Gu Clan Estate¡¯s earthen walls. But instead of immediately descending towards the Gu Clan Estate, he decided to first land at the small hilltop to the side of the estate and take a look at the small wooden house he had constructed.


    The small wooden house still stood in its original location; however, it was clear that it had greatly aged, and some areas had blackened from rot.


    When Han Li saw this, he lightly sighed before opening the door and entering the house.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Han Li was surprised.The room wasn¡¯t covered in a layer of dust nor was there the rotting scent he had expected. Instead, the room was swept clean, the table, chair, and bed didn¡¯t have a single speck of dust. There was even a pot of blue flowers on the wooden table.


    Han Li was at a loss for a moment, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from breaking out into laughter. ¡°It seems the Gu Clan had put quite some thought into this!¡± Han Li stroked his nose as he muttered to himself.


    Afterwards, Han Li left the wooden house without any feelings of attachment and left Crooked Soul on the hilltop, slowly walking towards the Gu Clan Estate by himself.


    Han Li had no intention of hurriedly flying towards the Gu Clan. Although the Gu Clan¡¯s spell formation posed no problem to him, the Gu Clan Master could be considered an old friend; naturally, it¡¯d be better to be polite.


    But when Han Li walked in front of the Gu Clan¡¯s gate, two imposingly strong gate guards had noticed him. One of them suspiciously asked, ¡°Who are you? What brings you to our Gu Clan?¡±


    Han Li smiled and spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Tell your clan¡¯s master that an old friend surnamed Han has come.¡±


    ¡°Our clan¡¯s lord doesn¡¯t see outsiders. Wait, Han?¡­ Could it be that you are Immortal Master Han?¡± The large man had initially rejected him, but after sizing up Han Li, he suddenly revealed doubt.


    ¡°You know of me?¡± Han Li made a slight frown.


    ¡°So it really is Immortal Han! Please wait for a moment, Immortal Master. I will send a report to the Manor Lord!¡± The large man spoke no further and ran towards the manor.


    Han Li expressionlessly looked towards the manor and spoke no further.


    Not long after, a large group of people left the manor. The old man that was leading them smiled widely upon seeing Han Li and loudly shouted, ¡°Immortal Han, you¡¯ve finally returned! I¡¯ve waited for quite a few years!¡±


    Afterwards, the old man hastily walked forward to salute Han Li. The others followed suit, each respectfully saluting Han Li.


    Han Li attentively gazed at the old man¡¯s familiar face. This was definitely the Gu Clan Master, but his hair was now white and his face was decrepit.


    ¡°Mister Gu, I trust that you¡¯ve been well?¡± Han Li asked with a relaxed expression.


    Under Master Gu¡¯s respectful welcome, Han Li entered a huge residence at the center of the Gu Estate.


    After entering a room, Master Gu took the initiative to hand over a large sack of spirit stones to Han Li without waiting for him to say anything. In addition, he gave Han Li a cordial introduction to a few of the young children of the Gu Clan. He particularly made an effort to introduce his eldest son, a thirty-year-old youth named Gu Kai.


    How could Han Li not see what the Gu Clan Master intended? The Gu Clan Master knew that the end of his life was drawing near, and he wished for Han Li to continue providing some assistance to his clan after his passing.


    Han Li faintly smiled and said some casual promises for the sake of their past friendship.


    The Gu Clan Master felt great joy and immediately called for a feast on behalf of Han Li; however, Han Li tactfully declined.


    Following, Han Li had a chat with the Gu Clan Master before swiftly departing from the Gu Clan Estate.


    After leaving, Han Li fetched Crooked Soul from the hilltop and flew towards a small, nearby village. Han Li quickly found an inn and spent the night studying the ¡°Pill Dao Evaluations¡± without any sleep.


    On the next day, Han Li had a general understanding about the medicine pills of the Scattered Star Seas. As for the Dustfall Pill, he had examined its description several times.


    In accordance to the book, the Dustfall Pill not only required the cores of several uncommon demon beasts, but it also required a large amount of rarely seen spiritual herbs to refine. It was an undoubtedly precious item.


    The pill really does have the wondrous effect of increasing the odds of Core Formation. Although the increased odds couldn¡¯t be considered to be much and it can only be taken during the formation of one¡¯s core, it is seen as a treasure to cultivators on the verge of Core Formation. To cultivators wishing to form their core, any items capable of raising their odds of success by even a single percent were greatly coveted but extremely rare.


    Nevertheless, Han Li understood that since the six palaces were offering this rare medicine pill as payment, the task wouldn¡¯t be nearly as easy as maintaining a formation. There would certainly be a large amount of danger if he went, and only the Heavens would know what troubles he would encounter.


    However, Han Li truly thirsted for this ¡°Dustfall Pill¡±. After all, both he and Crooked Soul were soon facing Core Formation.


    Leaving his own poor odds aside, Crooked Soul¡¯s Fiend Core was said to have a one-third chance of Core Formation. As the probability of failure was so high, he was unable to feel at ease. He needed to acquire the Dustfall Pill!


    After sinking into bitter contemplation for a long while, he eventually came to the decision to face the unknown danger. After all, both he and Crooked soul were late Foundation Establishment cultivators. If any danger arose, he should be able to protect himself without problem.


    In addition, it appeared that the Six United Palaces held a significant amount of power. Forming a connection to them now, should prove to be rather useful while in the Scattered Star Seas.


    However, he must first make some discreet inquiries about the reputation of the Six United Palaces. If relations were to turn sour immediately after the matter is concluded (like a certain ¡®q¡¯ company that reposts this series without permission), he¡¯d greatly suffer.


    Having come to a decision, Han Li brought Crooked Soul back to Stalwart Star City.


    ¡­¡­


    Half a month later, an extremely huge ship sailed into the port of Stalwart Star Island. After a short moment, two streaks of light, one white and one blue, shot towards the boat from a faraway placed and boarded it without any hesitation.


    After the light faded away, three people appeared on board the ship: a lofty, and strong but ugly man, a youth with a common appearance, and an odd middle-aged man with an aged appearance.


    A wide-eyed man with thick eyebrows walked out to respectfully greet the robust man and youth, ¡°Welcome to our ship, Immortal Masters. I am the ship¡¯s captain, Luo Zheng. The other Immortal Masters are on already board. I will now bring everyone to the general location of the demon beast.¡±


    The Immortal Masters he addressed were naturally Crooked Soul and Han Li. As for the middle-aged man, he was the shopkeeper of the White Water Pavilion, Cao Lu.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul, take care! I must return to take care of a few matters.¡± After exchanging a few polite words, Cao Lu flew off.


    The thick-browed man lowered his head, before saying, ¡°Please come in, we¡¯ve already prepared rooms for you. The ship will soon depart.¡±


    Han Li gazed at the ship as he silently entered its hull with Crooked Soul. As for Luo Zheng, he followed right behind them.


    At this moment, the huge ship slowly began to move once more.


    Upon entering the hull of the ship, Han Li was surprised by what he saw. It wasn¡¯t at all like the small passageway Han Li had imagined. Instead, there was a luxurious hall that spanned over forty meters.


    Embroidered carpet covered the hall¡¯s floor and a long sandalwood table embedded with gold and silver was at the center of the room. There were over a dozen chairs around it, occupied by several people chatting. Once Han Li and Crooked Soul entered, several icy, stern gazes swept past them.


    Their gazes merely swept past Han Li before focusing their eyes on Crooked Soul.


    Crooked Soul blurred and covered Han Li¡¯s front. He then expressionlessly said, ¡°I am Crooked Soul. This is my Martial Nephew Han Li! What are you Fellow Daoists called?¡±

 Chapter 379

    Going out to Sea (2)


    A middle-aged woman that appeared to be about forty years old stood up and spoke with a beaming smile, ¡°Welcome, Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul. I am the Six United Palace¡¯s Feng Sanniang. I will be in charge of controlling the formation that everyone will be maintaining.¡±


    Although this woman couldn¡¯t be said to be gorgeous, she still had hints of beauty.


    ¡°My greetings, Fellow Daoist Feng.¡± Crooked Soul spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly and brought Han Li towards the table.


    The many unfamiliar cultivators in the hall had already entered Han Li¡¯s view: a middle-aged Confucian scholar with an ordinary appearance, a charming young woman that appeared about twenty years old, an old man with ash-colored eyes, a youth covered in glowing red light. With the addition of Feng Sanniang, there were exactly five people.


    The charming young woman was an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, however, and sat closely together with the Confucian scholar. From their intimate appearance, it seemed they were Dao companions.


    As Han Li was pondering, Feng Sanniang started talking with a charming smile, ¡°Fellow Daoist Crooked has arrived just in time. I was just talking about the transformations of the Six Flowing Ripples Formation! If we become more familiar with the formation in advance, the matter will definitely proceed much more smoothly when the time comes. But before then, I must introduce Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul to you all!¡± Feng Sanniang was clearly very adept at dealing with others, and with a only few words she reduced the distance between everyone in the hall.


    ¡°These two were sent by Tail Star Island¡¯s Island Master, Senior Zhan Tai. This is his brilliant disciple, Fellow Daoist Mao, and his Dao Companion, Fellow Daoist Xue!¡± Feng Sanniang first introduced the middle-aged Confucian scholar and the young woman to Han Li.


    After coldly glancing at Han Li, the middle-aged Confucian scholar arrogantly said, ¡°Crooked Soul, a cultivator from Stalwart Star Island? I know of many people, but why is it that I¡¯ve never heard of your esteemed self?¡±


    For some unknown reason, this middle-aged Confucian scholar found Crooked Soul displeasing to the eye and shot an insulting statement at him.


    Feng Sanniang¡¯s beaming expression involuntarily dropped for a moment before recovering.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t originally a Stalwart Star Island cultivator. It was only recently that I arrived the island to visit my Martial Nephew Han Li, so there is nothing odd in not knowing my name! Moreover, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard your name as well.¡± Crooked Soul calmly mocked in return.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The middle-aged Confucian Scholar appeared furious. Just as his face darkened and he was about to say something, Feng Sanniang quickly interrupted and changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯ll now introduce this elder, Goldturtle Island¡¯s hidden cultivator, Fellow Daoist Qing Suanzi. Although few know of him, there are few Foundation Establishment cultivators that can match his wood element magic techniques! As for Fellow Daoist Yan, he is even more impressive. With his hidden fire constitution, he managed to cultivate his Pure Yang Truefire to perfection by himself.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Qing! Fellow Daoist Yan!¡± Han Li nodded his head towards the old man and the youth.


    Although the two were also late Foundation Establishment, Han Li felt a far deeper pressure from them than the middle-aged Confucian scholar. As their cultivation was by no means shallow, Han Li was unwilling to casually slight them.


    ¡°Hello, Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul!¡±


    ¡°I send you my regards!¡±


    The two weren¡¯t high-handed and gave Crooked Soul a faint smile.


    This caused the middle-aged Confucian scholar to feel even more uneasy.


    As such, without waiting for Feng Sanniang to speak further, he suddenly stood and said with a wooden expression, ¡°I am going to return to my room and meditate. I¡¯ll leave the matter of the formation spell for later.¡±


    Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he turned around and left the hall. The young woman glanced apologetically at the others before following after him.


    ¡°Humph! What right does he have to be arrogant, the fact that he has an island lord for a master?¡± The youth surnamed Yan whose body shined with red light spoke with slight anger.


    The old man¡¯s and Feng Sanniang¡¯s expressions slightly shifted. While the old man¡¯s face became expressionless immediately after, Feng Sanniang called for Crooked Soul to sit down with a wide smile, as if wanting to brush away the matter with the Confucian Scholar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need six people? Fellow Daoist Xue doesn¡¯t appear to have the cultivation required to maintain the formation!¡± Crooked Soul calmly asked, sitting down without any further decorum.


    Feng Sanniang smiled before giving an explanation,¡°There is still Shiftcry Island¡¯s Fellow Daoist Dou. However, he is currently cultivating a ferocious technique and hasn¡¯t left his room in the past few days.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it was like that!¡± Crooked Soul nodded his head and didn¡¯t say anything further.


    But as Feng Sanniang was quite curious about Crooked Soul, she would occasionally ask him a few irrelevant questions. Han Li, who stood behind Crooked Soul, found this somewhat surprising as he didn¡¯t know what the woman intended.


    When she asked whether or not Crooked Soul comprehended the ¡°Six Flowing Ripples Magic Formation¡±, Han Li willed Crooked Soul to reply that he did not.


    The woman smiled, stating that neither did the others. Then, she began to give the three present cultivators an explanation of its wondrous intricacies.


    It was truly surprising; Feng Sanniang was a rarely seen formation spell expert!


    ¡­¡­


    Although the middle-aged Confucian scholar had a problem with the others, he eventually returned to the main hall the next day to hear about the important aspects for maintaining the formation. After all, the Six United Palaces had invited him to come, and it would be unbecoming for him to shirk his responsibilities!


    Three days later, the remaining cultivator ended his seclusion in his room, allowing Han Li to finally see him. He was a bulky, seven-foot tall man with a fierce-looking face. Although his appearance seemed violent, he was an outspoken and frank person that quickly formed a close relationship with the others.


    With their final member present, Han Li and company finished listening to Feng Sanniang¡¯s explanation on the profound intricacies of the spell formation. Afterwards, their ship would often stop, and they would fly around the nearby seas, continuously practicing the shifting forms of the ¡°Six Flowing Ripples Formation¡±. This way, they would succeed on their first attempt to capture the demon beast when the time came. Everyone was satisfied with this arrangement.


    As such, the ship naturally slowed down, but the Six United Palaces didn¡¯t seem impatient at all. Even with the constant stops, Feng Sanniang maintained her beaming smiled and didn¡¯t show the slightest impatience.


    When the formation spell transformations were finally practiced to perfection, Feng Sanniang no longer delayed their journey and had the ship continue on at full speed. One month later, the ship arrived at a nameless, desolate island.


    Led by Feng Sanniang, Han Li and company descended from the ship.


    Just as they stepped onto the small island, a blinding golden light flew down from the sky, and several people were suddenly hovering above them. Once the light faded away, an old man whose face had a dim, golden sheen expressionlessly glanced at them.


    This person lacked any noticeable magic power fluctuations despite obviously not being a mortal, it seemed he was able to restrain his unfathomably deep magic power with ease. The appearance of such an expert caused Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble.


    Feng Sanniang stepped forward without hesitation and deeply bowed to the old man and spoke with an expression of respect, ¡°Subordinate Feng Sanniang pays her respects to Elder Miao!¡±


    At that moment, Han Li and the others standing behind her paid their respects as well. They obviously couldn¡¯t afford to slight a Core Formation cultivator.


    With a calm expression, the old man slowly said, ¡°There is no need to be so polite! Feng Sanniang, you did quite well. You¡¯ve managed to bring these assistants very quickly! Are they familiar with the formation spell drills? The demonic beast we¡¯re dealing with is quite troublesome, and we cannot be careless!¡±


    ¡°Elder, be at ease. Everyone has already fully mastered the many variations of the Six Flowing Ripples Formation. We will definitely be able to trap the beast!¡± Feng Sanniang voice brimmed with confidence.


    Elder Miao swept his gaze over the Foundation Establishment cultivators. He then said in a friendly manner, ¡°Good! Fellow Daoists, our Six United Palaces require your assistance. So long as you properly exert yourself, we will treat you fairly without a doubt.¡±


    Without waiting for the others to speak, the middle-aged Confucian scholar rushed to speak with an ingratiating smile, ¡°Be at ease, Senior. We will definitely try our best!¡±


    Although the others revealed odd expressions upon seeing the Confucian-scholar¡¯s flattery, they could only their agreement.


    Satisfied with their responses, Elder Miao nodded his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already placed down the formation several days ago. You will only have to maintain it. As for Elder Gu, he is in the nearby seas chasing after the demon beast, and I will be joining him after this. I reckon by tomorrow morning, we will be able to draw the beast into the formation and you all will be able to display your skill. You should rest on the island until then.¡±


    Elder Miao then turned into a streak of gold light and flew into the sky, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    Feng Sanniang turned her head over, speaking with a solemn voice, ¡°Fellow Daoists, you¡¯ve heard Elder Miao. Let¡¯s rest for the day and properly prepare ourselves for the hard battle coming tomorrow.¡±


    The others naturally didn¡¯t contest this and nodded their heads.


    But at this moment, Qing Suanzi, who seldom spoke on the journey, suddenly said with a stiff voice, ¡°Fellow Daoist Feng, we¡¯ve all asked what kind of demon beast we would be dealing with along the way. In the end, you never clearly answered us. But now that we will act tomorrow, will you finally give us a clear answer?¡±


    The old man¡¯s question stirred the hearts of the others, bringing all of their questioning gazes upon Feng Sanniang.


    This demon beast was apparently terrible and rarely seen, even requiring great efforts and long planning from the Six United Palaces. This definitely wasn¡¯t some ordinary grade six demon beast!

 Chapter 380

    Infant Carp Beast


    When Feng Sanniang heard this, she revealed a bitter smile. She dragged the hair on her forehead to one side and slowly said, ¡°Fellow Daoists! It wasn¡¯t that I was unwilling to state the facts. I was under orders to not divulge this information until we arrived on the island. Now that we¡¯ve arrived, I have no restrictions in telling you all! The foe that our United Six Palaces wish to battle is an ¡®Infant Carp Beast¡¯. That is why we had to be a bit careful!¡±


    ¡°Infant Carp Beast!¡± When Qing Suanzi heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but shout out in shock!


    Han Li detachedly gazed on. Although he didn¡¯t know what sort of demon beast they were facing, judging by the pale expressions of the others, it was by no means some trifling beast.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame your palaces for being this careful. If it really is this demon beast, it was right to be careful! If other powers were to know of this, who knows how much of a disturbance would be brought about!!¡± Qing Suanzi muttered in disbelief. Han Li¡¯s heart stirred upon hearing him.


    The youth surnamed Yan and the large bald man¡¯s expressions continuously shifted as their hearts were in turmoil.


    Only the middle-aged Confucian scholar with an unsightly expression coldly spoke to Feng Sanniang, ¡°Your Six United Palaces have overreached themselves! Everyone knows that the Infant Carp Beast is an innate water demon beast with formidable water type divine abilities. If it were grade six, it¡¯d be a match for common grade seven demon beasts. By claiming it to be a grade six beast when you were asking for our assistance, were you deliberately trying to take advantage of us?¡± The middle-aged Confucian scholar asked.


    Qing Suanzi and the others eventually recovered from their shock, all revealing their displeasure.


    Although they were all rogue cultivators, those that walked the road less traveled, they didn¡¯t dare to rashly offend the Six United Palaces. They all wordlessly stared at Feng Sanniang, waiting for an answer.


    Feng Sanniang¡¯s face darkened and she replied without a trace of politeness, ¡°Fellow Daoist Mao, you speak wrongly! Our Six United Palaces did not deceive you. Although the Infant Carp Beast is a bit difficult, it is a genuine grade six demon beast. How could you say we called a grade seven demon beast a grade six demon beast? Besides, since our palaces offered a reward as precious as the Dustfall Pill, you should have understood that you weren¡¯t going to deal with a common grade six beast. Likewise, we weren¡¯t doing something as evil as reposting this series without permission. Otherwise, our palaces would be operating at a loss.¡±


    The middle-aged Confucian scholar was left dumbstruck for long while, and Han Li inwardly frowned. Although the woman¡¯s outspoken words held reason, he still felt very uncomfortable and couldn¡¯t help but glance at the others.


    The other three appeared to have the same attitude as Han Li and revealed slight displeasure.


    Then, Feng Sanniang suddenly flashed Crooked Soul a smile and said, ¡°Naturally, our palace acted in this manner to ensure that the existence of the Infant Carp Beast is kept hidden. As a result, arrangements were made before we came here. In addition to the Dustfall Pill you will receive after this matter is concluded, you will all be paid an advance of a thousand spirit stones as compensation for keeping the matter secret. Is this to your satisfaction?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s resentment had slowly faded away, and they each nodded their heads in agreement.


    The middle-aged man still seemed somewhat unsatisfied, but his young, beautiful Dao companion then whispered something into his ear. His expression changed, and he kept silent.


    Soon after, everyone went off in their own direction on the island and found a quiet location to meditate and rest. Han Li and Crooked Soul found a huge reef near the ocean shore and sat down cross-legged while facing each other.


    Under Han Li¡¯s meticulous commands, Crooked Soul quickly entered a state of strength honing. As for Han Li, he slowly closed his eyes, wishing to meditate. But after the the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li opened his eyes with a frown. He then looked at the surging waves while lost in thought.


    For some unknown reason, he felt somewhat ill at ease, as if something incredible was about to occur. After pondering in restless apprehension for a long while, he helplessly smiled as he was unable to single out the cause.


    He was still quite nervous. Although a spirited rest was normally easy to come by, he would be assisting two Core Formation cultivators with the Six Flowing Ripples Formation tomorrow. Although the demon beast seemed quite unordinary, a demon beast was still a demon beast. Facing against cultivators of superior strength, how could it possibly prevail? They shouldn¡¯t have any problem taking it down.


    After calming himself down with a few comforting words, Han Li attempted to forcefully enter meditation. But after a while, his heart still felt heavy, and he was unable to get into the mood.


    Han Li sighed and stood up, it seemed that unless he did something, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease!


    Han Li helplessly looked around and released his spiritual sense. Fortunately, there was nobody around.


    Han Li quickly patted his storage pouch and took out over a dozen sparkling formation flags and six formation plates, the formation setup tool set for the Jadewater Azure Armor Formation.


    Although this formation couldn¡¯t be compared to the Five Elements Reversal Formation or the Six Flowing Ripples Formation, it was still far stronger than common magic formations. In addition, it was extremely simple to setup due to its tools.


    Han Li called out to Crooked Soul without the slightest hesitation and had him use the reef as the formation¡¯s center, setting up the rest of the formation flags and disks within a hundred meters of it.


    As he watched Crooked Soul placing down the flags and burying the formation disks, Han Li felt his anxiety gradually dissipate. He couldn¡¯t help but make a slanted smile and self-mockingly say, ¡°It seems I am still quite fearful of death!


    ¡­


    The next day before the sunrise, Feng Sanniang and the others gathered together, flying over five kilometers to sea.


    At this same moment, in the waters five hundred kilometers away, a streak of gold light and a streak of yellow light were quickly flying in the direction of the nameless small island.


    A kilometer behind them, there was a large white mist spanning about four hundred meters chasing after them at the same speed while faintly releasing an infant¡¯s cry. Anybody who heard the miserable wail would feel their blood run cold.


    ¡°Elder Miao, should I send a flying sword over to them and see if they¡¯re prepared?¡± A deep voice suddenly came from the rushing yellow light.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Elder Miao agreed without hesitation. His body blurred and reappeared at the center of the yellow light. At the same time, the golden light enveloping him turned into a golden rainbow and disappeared in an instant.


    The huge white mist chasing after them appeared upset by this and the infant¡¯s weeping became even more intense. The sound gradually changed to that of thunder and became increasingly deafening.


    ¡°Not good! The beast is going to use Divine Waterstar Thunder! Elder Brother Gu, please hurry!¡± Elder Miao, now enveloped by the yellow light, shouted out as if he were greatly fearful of the sounds of thunder from behind them.


    ¡°Be at ease. My Immemorial Bowl isn¡¯t slow in the slightest!¡± Just as the deep voice said this, the yellow light sped up and greatly increased the distance between them and the white mist in an instant. However, the white mist seemed unwilling to give up. With sounds of wailing and thunder, it also sped up, cutting through the seawater and spreading huge white waves across the ocean as far as the eye could see.


    ¡­


    Crooked Soul and company had already taken their positions at the formation¡¯s front, each holding a large blue flag in their hand. The banner was about six meters long and emitted threads of dazzling blue radiance.


    The six late Foundation Establishment cultivators wore solemn expressions and were separated by over four hundred meters as they floated above the sea on magic tools, forming a hollow semicircle.


    Han Li stood behind Crooked Soul with a detached gaze. As for the middle-aged Confucian scholar¡¯s Dao companion, she stood at his side with a concerned expression.


    A short moment later, a streak of golden light suddenly cleaved through the sky and arrived in Feng Sanniang¡¯s hand, drawing the attention of the others.


    ¡°Everyone, on guard! The Infant Carp Beast is about to come! Once the beast enters the formation, immediately block off the entrance of the formation!¡± Feng Sanniang received the message and loudly shouted to the others with a solemn expression. Afterwards, the golden light flew away and disappeared off into the sky.


    Han Li¡¯s heart tensed, and he attentively stared in the direction that the golden light flew off into.


    The others also wore taut expressions as if they were anticipating the storm that was about to come.


    After an unknown amount of time passed, they heard faint rolls of thunder in the distance that soon grew increasingly louder. They eventually spotted a streak of yellow and a streak of golden light flying towards them at the speed of lightning. A huge white mist followed behind them as if it were closely pursuing them.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Infant Carp Beast?¡± Although Han Li could clearly see a huge white mist behind the streaks, he couldn¡¯t imagine the sinister appearance of the demon beast concealed within.

 Chapter 381

    Rare Treasures Conquer the Demon


    ¡°Initiate the spell formation!¡± Feng Sanniang loudly yelled as she waved the blue banner in her hands, causing blue circular ripples to suddenly flow from the banner.


    The others followed suit, silently waving their formation flags. In an instant, a blue brilliance enveloped all of them. After several flashes of light, they all disappeared without a trace. From a distance, only an empty sea could be seen where they once were.


    A moment later, two streaks of light flew past this area without any intention of slowing down as if they were truly fleeing for their lives. The white mist behind them closely followed after them without a single shred of doubt.


    As soon as the white mist flew into range of the magic formation, it was surrounded by a drizzle of blue radiance and a huge barrier of blue light appeared out of nowhere, trapping it within. At this moment, Feng Sanniang and the others all appeared around the barrier.


    They all had their flags lifted high and pointed at the light barrier, shooting out blue light beams with the thickness of a bowl. As the huge light barrier absorbed the beams, its shine became increasingly brighter and its color became deeper.


    After this occurred, the yellow and golden streaks of light immediately flew to above the light barrier. The light then faded away to reveal Elder Miao and burly man with long, messy hair.


    ¡°Good, well done! Next, you must withstand the beast¡¯s counterattack and allow us to use this opportunity to take it out with our rare treasures!¡± Elder Miao shouted out with a joyful expression.


    After a mutual glance with Elder Gu, the two each reached for their chest and took out a pair of ancient, worn copper longspears. Other than their dull, shineless tips, there was nothing else of note.


    The two Core Formation elders of the Six United Palaces grew solemn and started muttering to themselves. The longspears then floated away from their grasps and released a yellow glow that gradually grew brighter.


    At that moment, the Infant Carp Beast seemed to realize it was trapped. After a series of mournful infant cries, the huge, three-hundred-meter wide white mist suddenly shrank back towards its center. In the blink of an eye, it shrank to about forty meters, forming a milky-white barrier of mist.


    At the same time, thunderous wails came from the mist and momentously turned into a single cry, deafening the cultivators surrounding the formation and causing them to feel alarmed.


    After the infant¡¯s wails suddenly stopped, countless, fist-sized spheres of blue light shot out from the mist, launching an overbearing assault against the blue light barrier. The fierce momentum of the attack caused everyone¡¯s heart to skip a beat!


    When the light spheres were thirty meters away from the barrier, they released shining azure clouds. A fraction of the light spheres flashed within their clouds and faded away, only to appear again above the white mist. Afterwards, it struck down; a portion of these attacks had actually returned, dodging away from the formation spell.


    However, the light spheres were truly great in number, and a majority of them managed to strike the blue barrier.


    Suddenly, both the blue light barrier and the white mist violently erupted with white radiance, but the white mist¡¯s light disappeared with a single flash. As for the light barrier, its walls were shaking. The blue and white light flickered, interweaving with one another as if the light barrier were about to collapse.


    ¡°Everyone, quickly use more magic power! This is one of the Infant Carp Beast¡¯s killing moves, Divine Waterstar Thunder. We only have to persist for a few minutes more!¡± Feng Sanniang shouted out with a flustered expression. She then took the initiative to say an incantation and spurted out some blood essence towards the banner in her hand. Its blue light flourished, releasing a light beam several times thicker than its original which immediately steadied the light barrier.


    When the others saw this, they could only perform their own techniques to draw the entirety of their body¡¯s magic power to forcefully support the formation.


    Han Li was somewhat surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected that the infant carp beast would so quickly fight with all its might. This demon beast¡¯s ferociousness was truly beyond reason!


    Up above the magic formation, the two Core Formation cultivator¡¯s copper spears began a strange transformation. As they were chanting a mysterious incantation with solemn expressions, the yellow light emitted from the spears grew larger inch by inch, and the long spears started to point down towards the center of the white mist.


    The Infant Carp Beast within the white mist seemed to sense the danger that was above it and suddenly released a deafening cry.


    The white mist gradually rotated at increasingly faster speeds. After a short moment, it had formed a huge whirlwind and swept up a huge torrent of water. The tempest also carried bits of blue radiance, extremely dangerous units of Divine Waterstar Thunder.


    Qing Suanzi and company became aghast at the sight and couldn¡¯t help but nervously glance at Feng Sanniang. However, she appeared equivalently terrified and didn¡¯t seem to know what astonishing magic technique the Infant Carp Beast had used.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became gloomy as he silently ordered Crooked Soul to send the entirety of his magic power into the formation. Although he didn¡¯t know what divine ability the Infant Carp Beast had used, it appeared that the attack would free the demon beast.


    With that in mind, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look towards the sky and saw that the two long spears had already become about thirty meters long, faintly releasing a clear, pleasant ring.


    The two Core Formation elders then formed a strange hand incantation while rigidly staring at the huge spears. Their initial incantation still continued on as their expressions became intense and their foreheads were faintly laden with sweat.


    As the bewildering cries of the beast continued, the huge, white-blue tempest suddenly collided against the light barrier like an overbearing strike of lightning. As it was over a hundred meters tall, it carried an astonishing pressure.


    The faces of the middle-aged Confucian scholar and the young woman by his side paled as if they were drained of blood. As the direction of this fearsome attack was towards his corner of the formation, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly complain without end.


    He helplessly gritted his teeth and enveloped his body in a dazzling barrier interwoven with both yellow and blue radiance. Afterwards, he rigidly held onto the formation flag and poured the entirety of his spiritual power into the flagpole, causing the flag to shoot out a light beam that was many times thicker than before. Just as this happened, the huge tempest struck the barrier, losing its momentum and seeming to have no effect.


    Suddenly, sounds of thunder, cries, and rupture suddenly rang out. The light barrier only managed to endure for a short moment before collapsing amongst the beast¡¯s dreadful wails.


    Crooked Soul and the other cultivators maintaining the formation all displayed shock and spit out a mouthful of blood.


    When the middle-aged Confucian scholar had spit out blood, his Dao companion wordlessly dragged him off, escaping to an area about a hundred meters away.


    Just as the great formation ruptured and the Foundation Establishment cultivators paled, a furious shout echoed from the skies, ¡°Evil Beast, accept your death!¡±


    Immediately after this was spoken, two huge yellow streaks of light struck down like bolts of lightning into the huge tempest. With a loud, mournful infant¡¯s wail, the sea abruptly became deathly quiet, and the mist gradually dispersed to reveal the true body of the Infant Carp Beast. As for the two copper spears, they had returned to their original form, and their flashes of yellow light reflected against the sea as they were nailed into the beast¡¯s body.


    Han Li quickly had Crooked Soul take out a mid-grade spirit stone and recover his magic power without delay as he brought his attention to down below.


    The Infant Carp Beast appeared extremely strange. It had the head of a young infant with the body and tail of a blue carp. There were also four smooth, white human arms growing from its lower body as well as two huge fins that seemed to act as wings.


    But what was most strange was that its four arms each held a distinct item: a huge crabturtle, a meter long stick of coral, a white, egg-sized pearl, and a silver, shield-like clamshell. From a single glance at the items¡¯ shining appearance, one could tell they were precious items.


    The beast¡¯s infant head appeared to have an expression of anguish as if it were still screaming. Once Han Li saw the lines of sharp teeth in its open mouth, he felt aghast.


    As for its three-meter-long carp body, it continuously flailed about, wanting to escape from the two copper spears that pierced it.


    However, the two copper spears seemed to be innately baneful to demon beasts. Regardless of how much it struggled, the spears remained rigidly nailed into the still water. It seemed almost as if they were eating away at the beast.


    The two Core Formation elders that threw the copper spears appeared just as exhausted as Han Li and the others. It was obvious that releasing these two rare treasures had somewhat damaged their Origin Qi. However, they still flew over with an expression of intense ecstasy. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn¡¯t help but stare at the Infant Carp Beast with greed. But when they spotted Feng Sanniang eying them like a tiger watching its prey, they completely relinquished any intentions of greed, swallowing their mouthfuls of saliva, and glancing at the two spears that extinguished the beast.


    The two Core Formation cultivators excitedly flew over. But when they were only about a hundred meters away from the Infant Carp Beast, an evil wind that was black as ink suddenly blew from underneath the demon beast. A kilometer of the sea¡¯s surface condensed into a shining white ball of ice with the beast at its center before soaring towards the sky and pouncing downward onto the Core Formation cultivators. This abrupt and unexpected event left everyone stunned!

 Chapter 382

    Wu Chou


    ¡°Profound Devil Yin Qi!¡± The Core Formation elders seemed to have recognized this black aura and shouted out in alarm. They quickly flew away as if they had seen a venomous scorpion.


    The black aura didn¡¯t pursue them and sank back into the ocean like a hissing snake, condensing into a black whirlwind at the side of the ice sphere containing the Infant Carp Beast.


    The black wind gradually stopped to reveal a man and two women. The man was short, shriveled, thin, and had a young, black-pocked face. The women were well-endowed, gorgeous, and wearing a sleeveless short-skirt. However, they were enveloped with a dark, cold evil aura.


    The two women were only late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Han Li was unable to see through the the grotesque, shriveled youth¡¯s cultivation, and he was sure to be a Core Formation Cultivator.


    Elder Miao clearly recognized this man and in his rage, he spoke near-incoherently, ¡°Wu Chou! What are you doing? Could it be you wish to go to war with our Six United Palaces?¡±


    The shriveled youth spoke with great arrogance, ¡°War? This young master has no such interest! But as my Clan¡¯s Ancestory is leaving seclusion from the ocean¡¯s depth, this Infant Carp Beast¡¯s demon core will be my congratulatory gift to him!¡±


    ¡°Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin is leaving seclusion?¡± The youth¡¯s words greatly frightened the Six United Palaces, and they looked at each other in dismay.


    When the other nearby cultivators heard this, their faces became deathly pale; even the rather haughty middle-aged Confucian scholar trembled in terror.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt amazed! This ¡°Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin¡± actually had such a large reputation? But what he was most curious about was the faint feeling of familiarity towards the youth¡¯s evil aura.


    After a moment of thought, Han Li felt that the ¡°Divine Blood Light¡± that the Emperor of Yue and Crooked Soul cultivated felt rather similar to the shriveled youth¡¯s, although theirs are much weaker. He couldn¡¯t help but think of the ¡°Profound Yin Scripture¡± that was mentioned in the gray jade slip.


    Han Li mused, ¡®Could it have some relation to this Profound Yin Devil Qi?¡¯


    Before Han Li could ponder any further, Elder Miao loudly reproached, ¡°Wu Chou, you talk big! Did that matter of life and death seclusion a hundred years ago allow him to make a huge breakthrough? Don¡¯t tell me that your ancestor became mid Nascent Soul Stage during that time!¡±


    When Wu Chou heard this, he howled with laughter.


    ¡°Hehe, your Six United Palaces are truly ignorant! Who told you that my clan¡¯s ancestor entered cultivation to reach mid Nascent Soul Stage? My ancestor entered seclusion to cultivate a peerless Devil Art. He only left seclusion because he had reached the great success stage in the technique!¡± Wu Chou stated proudly.


    Elder Miao and Gu appeared stupefied, not knowing whether he was speaking truth or lies.


    ¡°Since you now know of my Clan Ancestor¡¯s fame, this young master will be taking the Infant Carp beast. Surely there is no way that your Six United Palaces won¡¯t give our Zenith Yin Island face!¡± Wu Chou sinisterly said as he gazed at their expressions.


    Upon hearing his infuriating words, Elder Miao¡¯s face paled, and Elder Gu¡¯s eyes flickered when he thought of something, but the both of them remained silent.


    As for the others, they couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back, not wishing to become mixed up in this mess.


    When Feng Sanniang saw this, she frowned helplessly. Everyone here had been invited to deal with a demon beast; they weren¡¯t subordinates of the Six United Palaces. Under this current situation, the Six United Palaces truly found themselves at a disadvantage.


    Although the Six United Palaces initially had two Core Formation cultivators, their origin Qi had been greatly damaged by activating the ancient rare treasures, the ¡°Opposing Heaven Spears¡±. The youth, Wu Chou, was also an early Core Formation cultivator, but he cultivated the finest Devil Art in the Scattered Star Seas, the ¡°Profound Yin Art¡±. He was far above common Core Formation cultivators!


    Moreover, he had the backing of Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin, an Evil Devil Lord known to all of the Scattered Star Seas that nobody dared to lightly provoke!


    But to have Wu Chou to take away the Infant Carp Beast before their eyes was a huge loss of face for the Six United Palaces. Not only would the entirety of their efforts be in vain, but they would also appear weak and easily bullied, stifling the future growth of the Six United Palaces.


    At this moment, Elder Gu and Elder Miao started to have a silent discussion and their expressions continuously alternated between clear and gloomy.


    Wu Chou coldly snorted and arrogantly walked to the side of the Infant Carp Beast. His hand flashed with black radiance and a pitch-black devilish saber appeared in his hand.


    After chopping the demon beast¡¯s strange head open with his saber, he searched through the head for the demon core without any restraint. As for the two women, they vigilantly watched Elder Miao and Gu in the sky.


    Feng Sanniang¡¯s face became extremely unsightly, but since Elder Miao and Gu still hadn¡¯t said anything, she didn¡¯t dare to act.


    Han Li and the others silently gazed on, not daring to say a word. They were fearful of inviting disaster upon themselves.


    Not longer after, Wu Chou fished out a jade-blue sphere from the demon beast¡¯s head with his face full of delight. But his gaze then turned to the four wondrous items that were held in the demon beast¡¯s limbs and he wore an expression of avarice.


    But just as he lifted his devilish saber, Elder Gu stopped him, speaking with a deep voice, ¡°Young island lord, your ancestor could be said to have a relationship of old friendship with our palaces. You can take the Infant Carp Beast¡¯s other items. However, our Six United Palaces requires the demon core. We must take it back or else we will not return.¡± Elder Gu spoke with an indifferent tone, showing not the slightest emotion.


    When Wu Chou heard this, he coldly laughed and continued to chop down, ignoring his words. Breaking the demon beast¡¯s grasp, he tightly gripped the blue coral in his hands.


    Having seen this, Elder Gu revealed a softer expression and sighed, helplessly transmitting his voice towards Wu Chou.


    Upon hearing him, Wu Chou suddenly halted his saber and revealed an expression of astonishment. He lowered the devilish saber in his hands and opened and closed his mouth in disbelief as though he wanted to say something. Elder Gu then expressionlessly said a few additional words.


    This strange scene was completely baffling to Han Li and the others. As for elder Miao, he expressionlessly floated in the air and turned a blind eye to what was happening.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! Give me evidence of your status!¡± Wu Chou suddenly shook his head and coldly shouted.


    It¡¯s unclear whether or not it was deliberate, but he suddenly shouted this out without using a voice transfer technique. When Han LI and the others heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled. After giving each other a mutual glance, Elder Gu and Miao revealed a furious expression.


    ¡°Fine, here is proof of our status!¡± With an ice-cold expression, he waved his arm and released a black light. Wu Chou caught it without any effort.


    Han Li attentively gazed at this with a thumping heart, but he was only able to clearly see the item by relying on his powerful spiritual sense. It was a command medallion carved and painted in the shape of a malevolent ghost head that released a faint black Qi. After carefully examining it, Wu Chou seemed to recognize it.


    Han Li¡¯s heart thumped, and he faintly felt a foreboding premonition. He hastily turned his head around, but what he saw left him fearful.


    The others appeared bewildered and were glancing at the actions of the three Core Formation cultivators. However, Qing Suanzi¡¯s face appeared deathly white and he started to fall back with tightened fists in complete silence. In the blink of an eye, he was already a hundred meters away.


    When he saw Han Li looking at him, he was initially startled before revealing an unsightly, bitter smile. Afterwards, he wordlessly transformed into an azure streak, fleeing away at the greatest speed he could muster.


    This sight caused Han Li¡¯s heart to sink! He instantly reacted, patting his storage pouch and hastily withdrawing his Divine Wind Boat. After dragging Crooked Soul onto the magic tool, he soon turned into a streak of white light and hastily fled in the direction of the small, unnamed island.


    Qing Suanzi¡¯s and Han Li¡¯s strange actions left Feng Sanniang and the other cultivators stunned, feeling great bafflement.


    When Elder Gu and Miao saw this, they revealed cold expressions. Elder Gu then sinisterly said, ¡°We will take responsibility to kill the two that fled. Elder Brother Wu, I will leave the rest to you!¡±


    Without waiting for Wu Chou¡¯s response, Elder Gu and Miao turned into two streaks of light, disappearing without a trace in the direction of Han Li and Qing Suanzi.


    Wu Chou coldly snorted. Although he appeared unwilling, he gazed at the bewildered Foundation Establishment cultivators with killing intent.


    ¡°Humph! You all sure aren¡¯t lucky, having witnessed something you shouldn¡¯t have! Now, this young master will be taking your souls!¡± Wu Chou spread open his arms and covered the nearby sky and earth with a black, evil wind in an instant, the astonishingly dense pressure instantly engulfing Feng Sanniang and the others.

 Chapter 383

    Fighting Against Core Formation


    Propelled by Han Li¡¯s late Foundation Establishment cultivation, the already fast Divine Wind Boat was like an arrow loosed from a bow, piercing through the very air itself.


    When Han Li saw that the reef was a short distance away, he inwardly sighed in relief. But when he turned his head to wipe away his sweat, he felt his blood run cold and heard something coming from behind him.


    During his shock, Han Li instantly reacted, stamping down on his Divine Wind Boat and causing it to strafe to the side. An instant later, the Divine Wind Boat was already about forty meters away.


    At nearly the same time, a deep yellow streak of light passed through the location where Han Li had just been. About a hundred meters away, the yellow light stopped, fading away to reveal a silhouette.


    Han Li wiped away his sticky, cold sweat and looked at this person with a bitter smile.


    The person before him had long, messy hair. He was the the Six United Palace¡¯s Elder Gu!


    At that moment, Elder Gu stamped his foot onto an earth-yellow, disc magic treasure and silently glanced at him with a gaze beyond cold as if Han Li were already a dead man in his eyes.


    As for the formation that Han Li had placed down, it was forty meters behind him, much to Han Li¡¯s shock.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that any questions or pleas of mercy now would be in vain. He could only risk his life against this Core Formation ¡°Senior¡± and see whether or not there would be an opportunity to use the formation spell to trap him.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s heart became resolute and he gave orders to Crooked Soul. Crooked Soul blurred and moved to block Han Li¡¯s front. At this same moment, his body released a faint blood-red light along with the scent of blood. As for Han Li, his hands shined with light, revealing two magic tools in his grasp.


    Seeing that Han Li and Crooked Soul wished to stubbornly resist, Elder Gu¡¯s eyes shined with an ominous glint before causing the disc magic treasure beneath him to release a long cry. The disc then shined with yellow radiance and enveloped his entire body in yellow light like an armor.


    Afterwards, Elder Gu suddenly raised his arms, silently shooting out a swarm of palm-sized blades of crescent light towards Han Li and Crooked Soul.


    While Han Li felt greatly alarmed, he also felt relief. His magic treasure was only as fast as the attacks of Lei Wanhe that Han Li had previously witnessed, giving Han Li the opportunity to save his own life.


    Han Li¡¯s consciousness surged, and he raised his hands. With one hand, he threw out a huge, enlarged tortoise shell. In the other, he held a sparkling small mirror that directly spouted out a mist of azure light towards the incoming light blades.


    An unbroken succession of booms rang out. The front portion of the light blades slowed down under the effects of the azure light mist. But as soon as the rest of the blades entered the azure light, the azure light shattered and fragmented into bits of starlight.


    Crack. At this same moment, the mirror in Han Li¡¯s hand cracked into two, becoming unusable.


    Han Li threw away the Azure Stasis Mirror without the slightest lament and patted his storage pouch without moving his gaze, releasing two streaks of black light and five streaks of white light from his storage pouch. After the steaks made a half revolution around him, they orderly flew out.


    This still wasn¡¯t enough for Han Li. Another eight flashes of white light surrounded him, revealing four puppet soldiers to either side of him. They drew their bows, ready to take action.


    Then, the swarm of light blades struck the tortoise shell. In the instant that they made contact, countless deep scars immediately appeared on the shell. After merely a few short moments, the tortoise shell released a wail and was cleaved into countless pieces by the swarm of light blades.


    With the time this bought, Han Li¡¯s seven top-grade magic tools had arrived in front of Crooked Soul and continuously revolved around him, forming a black-white barrier of light streaks.


    Naturally, these top grade magic tools were also incapable of withstanding the weakened light blade attacks. The Black Dragon Claws and the five white flying blades twinkled as they revolved, merely becoming fireflies.


    Without anything to block the swarm of crescent light blades, they chopped towards Crooked Soul who stood motionlessly in front of Han Li.


    ¡°HAH!¡± Crooked Soul suddenly let out a world-shaking roar, shedding off the blood-red light that surrounded his body. In the blink of an eye, the light turned into a huge red flood dragon, charging forward with brandished claws and bared fangs.


    Just as the red light and the light blades collided, the puppet soldiers at Han Li¡¯s side released their light arrows for a timely addition to the flood dragon¡¯s attack, causing a momentary deadlock.


    Han Li was ecstatic at how the event had played out, but Elder Gu revealed astonishment.


    But soon after, the Core Formation cultivator snorted with disdain and raised his hands as a burst of yellow radiance flourished from behind him.


    When Han Li saw this, he grew alarmed, as he had spent most of his precious magic tools blocking the last wave of attacks. If his enemy were to unleash another wave of incisive attacks, he would surely meet his end!


    While Han Li was lost in fear, the sneering Core Formation cultivator¡¯s complexion suddenly changed. Perhaps due to heavenly intervention, his cheeks flushed with an abnormal shade of red before soon turning pale. Afterwards, the yellow light behind his body dimmed, and his trembling body doubled over from pain.


    Elder Gu suddenly felt furious alarm! He was well aware that this was caused by the rash use of his true origin despite not recovering from the earlier damage to his Origin Qi. However, he only needed to suppress his injuries for a moment more to easily get rid of Han Li.


    This turn of events left Han Li wild with joy! He instantly reacted, taking advantage of this opportunity by grabbing Crooked Soul and then flying down towards the nameless island at the speed of lightning, leaving behind the flood dragon and puppet soldiers as he was unable to retrieve them in time.


    Elder Gu was furious with embarrassment! If he truly allowed Han Li to escape from his hand, he would be made a fool of! Vexed, he could only allow his injuries to somewhat worsen. Gritting his teeth, he made use of his entire body¡¯s spiritual power and forcefully suppressed his injuries before he resolutely chased after Han Li as a streak of blinding yellow light.


    Flying at great speed, Han Li managed to travel a hundred meters in an instant. Just as he stepped into the perimeter of the spell formation, the yellow streak of light chased after him, nearly entering the formation at the same time.


    Just as Elder Gu smirked while thinking he would be able to kill the two in one blow, his eyes suddenly flashed with light and he saw a huge change of scenery. The nameless island was nowhere to be seen and he found himself above a huge jade sea with an immense pressure holding him in place.


    ¡°Formation Spell?¡± Elder Gu¡¯s expression grew solemn.


    Although he was somewhat shocked as to why there was a formation spell here, he didn¡¯t feel any panic. After all, the nearby fluctuations of the formation spell indicated it wasn¡¯t some impressive grand formation. He was confident he¡¯d be able to break through it with ease.


    With that thought, Elder Gu¡¯s expression grew cold, and his body shone with dazzling yellow light.


    Naturally, what Han Li saw in his Jadewater Azure Armor Formation was completely different than what his Core Formation ¡°Senior¡± saw. After flashing forward a few times on his Divine Wind Boat, he easily left the great formation.


    With thoughts of fleeing to as far away as possible, Han Li turned his head towards the formation.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became gloomy. He saw Elder Gu transform into a yellow bolt of lightning, wildly striking against the formation spell¡¯s restrictions. As Han Li saw that he was about to break through, Han Li¡¯s expression continuously alternated between clear and gloomy.


    If Han Li were to flee, his pursuer would escape and give chase once more. Given the great discrepancy in speed between his pursuer¡¯s magic treasure and his Divine Wind Boat, he¡¯d definitely be chased down.


    As Han Li hesitated, several layers of the formation spell¡¯s restrictions were broken through.


    Having then come to a decision, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with killing intent. He called out to Crooked Soul without hesitation and stealthy approached Elder Gu under the cover of the spell formation.


    But as they were approaching Elder Gu, their target seemed to sense something as he was unbridledly breaking through the spell formation. Elder Gu suddenly stopped and vigilantly looked around with a stern expression.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. A small, azure flag then appeared into his hand with a flash of light: the formation¡¯s master control flag.


    After whispering an indiscernible incantation, Han Li suddenly tossed the flag. The flag turned into a streak of azure light, merging with the formation.


    Afterwards, the scene before Elder Gu¡¯s eyes changed once more. He was now surrounded by a surging storm, and the original six hundred kilograms of pressure suppressing him suddenly multiplied, causing his body to feel sluggish.

 Chapter 384

    Beheading the Superior


    While the Core Formation cultivator¡¯s body was slowed by the formation, a dozen translucent white ice spears shot out of the seawater behind him.


    Suddenly, Elder Gu¡¯s sluggish body became nimble once more. He managed to turn around and raise his hand, shooting out a huge yellow crescent. In the blink of an eye, he completely smashed the ice spears, but without the slightest delay, an ice snake shot out from another direction to strike him.


    Simultaneously, the seawater behind Elder Gu parted to reveal a blood-red beam of light. As the light beam was shot from a close range and traveled too quickly, Elder Gu was unable to dodge in time while under the formation spells restrictions. He could only grimace and envelope his body with yellow radiance in an attempt to block the attacks.


    The arm-thick, blood-red light beam struck, causing Elder Gu to stumble forward and somewhat lose his balance. At the same time, there was a flash of azure light from his side, suddenly revealing Han Li fiercely chopping down with a huge azure sword in his hands.


    Elder Gu was greatly alarmed. There was clearly no one there before! What movement technique could be this strange?


    Although he felt astonished, he instantly reacted, causing his body¡¯s yellow light to suddenly surge in order to block Han Li¡¯s huge sword.


    Han Li chuckled and disappeared from sight. Then, Elder Gu heard sounds of breaking wind around him and saw over ten red threads stabbing towards him.


    ¡°Flying needles!¡± Elder Gu was aghast! He naturally knew much of these ¡°Hidden Weapons¡± famed among the cultivation world. His body¡¯s yellow light brightly shined as if attempting to destroy the insidious magic tools, unwittingly falling into Han Li¡¯s trap.


    ¡°BANG!¡± Han Li had reappeared behind him and swung down, causing the yellow radiance to sway. The dozen red threads then bizarrely drilled into his yellow radiance like snakes. In a single second, they pierced through a meter and still continued to fiercely bore deeper.


    With furious alarm, Elder Gu¡¯s eyes coldly glinted and he reached for his storage pouch. He realized that with their spell formation and strange attacks along with the great damage to his Origin Qi he previously suffered, it would be difficult to prevail.


    But without waiting for him to take something out, two thumb-thick streaks of blood-red light appeared in front of him, shooting towards his body with extreme incisiveness.


    Having suffered Han Li¡¯s attack and being trapped by the flying needles, the yellow radiance of his body had greatly weakened, allowing the unremarkable streaks of blood-red light to pierce through his yellow radiance.


    Elder Gu¡¯s face grew deathly pale! But as a Core Formation cultivator, feeling dread as he felt the blood-red streak pierce through his yellow radiance and being unable to take out any of his treasures, he suddenly exerted the entirety of his body¡¯s strength to dodge.


    An instant later, both of the blood-red streaks of light struck. One of the streaks brushed past his ear, taking away a majority of its flesh. As for the other, although it missed any of his vital regions, it left a small hole with blood spurting hole out of his shoulder. Elder Gu then shouted in pain as his knees buckled.


    That wasn¡¯t the last of Han Li¡¯s attacks. Crooked Soul¡¯s lofty figure appeared from the sea a second later and raised his arms, shooting out two blood-red light beams.


    At this same moment, Han Li expressionlessly held a silver sword with a single hand and waved it in arcs of silver light, continuously striking the yellow radiance. Ear-piercing screeches echoed upon each slash. With his other hand, he took out a thick stack of talismans, releasing a barrage of countless fireballs and ice spears. In the following moments, flashes of blinding radiance and sounds of explosions continued without end.


    Slowly recovering his consciousness from the pain, Elder Gu panicked. He clearly felt that due to the formation spell¡¯s pressure, his enemy¡¯s ceaseless attacks, and his lack of magic power from the use of his immemorial bowl, the yellow radiance protecting his body would not last.


    Without any regard for the consequences, he used a secret technique to forcefully withdraw magic power. But before this was completed, Han Li¡¯s incantation produced an ice-cold sound.


    Suddenly, the chaotic seawaters surrounding Elder Gu began to swirl, momentarily increasing the huge pressure affecting his body by several-fold. As the yellow light protecting his body was brought to its final glimmers, it released a mournful groan under Elder Gu¡¯s incredulous gaze before it finally disappeared without a trace. With nothing left to obstruct the flying needles, they immediately pierced through his vitals in a flash of red light, bringing Elder Gu to his knees.


    A silver light flashed to reveal Han Li silently appearing at his side and the Six United Palace¡¯s Elder Gu¡¯s fine head then landed over ten meters away.


    Immediately after, a fountain of blood shout out from the headless corpse, densely filling the air with the scent of blood.


    Han Li let out a long breath, but quickly stepped forward to the side of the corpse to snatch its storage pouch. At the same time, Crooked Soul reached out to collect the yellow bowl magic treasure.


    With that, Han Li Li and Crooked Soul quickly fled away out of the formation in the Divine Wind Boat. After flying for only fifteen meters, Han Li plunged the boat into the ocean and submerged himself about a hundred meters down.


    Afterwards, he put away his Divine Wind boat and took out aura-severing red muslin cloth, wrapping it around Crooked Soul and himself. They then used the nameless incantation to restrain their Qi.


    Not long after this was done, a formidable and wrathful spiritual sense arrived nearby, searching from up above the nearby sea.


    Although the spiritual sense made a fine examination, its owner was unable to find any trace of Han Li or Crooked Soul. After furiously sweeping his spiritual sense through the nearby area once more, he hurriedly rushed away to another area.


    After this, Han Li finally felt truly at ease. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t foolishly make a sudden emergence from the sea. Instead, he released a blue light barrier to separate him and Crooked Soul from the ocean and had Crooked Soul enter meditation.


    The concealment within the ocean lasted for over half a month.


    During those days, the owner of the huge spiritual sense was unwilling to give up and repeatedly searched the nearby seas several times. But as Han Li had always noticed him coming and had restrained his Qi beforehand, he was never successful.


    Now that the spiritual sense hadn¡¯t appeared for several days, Han Li finally dared to move.


    After slowly travelling over fifty kilometers away, he finally flew out of the seawater, got his bearings, and flew off at his greatest speed.


    Naturally, he couldn¡¯t return to Stalwart Star Island, and would have to find somewhere else to stay. Although he didn¡¯t know what sort of shameful relationship the Six United Palace¡¯s Elder Gu and Elder Miao had with the youth named Wu Chou, they would be certain to kill and silence him. But since a Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself couldn¡¯t compare to the remaining two Core Formation cultivators, it would be better to travel far away from the scope of their influence.


    It was truly unfortunate to lose his three magic formation tool sets and his Immortal¡¯s cave at Minor Expanse Island. With the addition of the lost magic tools during his fight with Elder Gu, Han Li had suffered a truly great loss!


    As Han Li flew as fast as he could, he laughed at himself with a bitter smile.


    But when compared to the disastrous fates of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, he couldn¡¯t complain! He managed to preserve his own life.


    While Han Li was consoling himself, his heart suddenly stirred and he took out Elder Gu¡¯s storage pouch. During the previous period under the ocean, Han Li had been apprehensive and hadn¡¯t examined the storage pouch as a result. Now was the time to take a look. Surely a Core Formation cultivator couldn¡¯t be too poor. With some luck, he might even be able to more than recoup his losses.


    After slowly sinking his spiritual sense into the storage pouch, Han Li found eighty mid-grade spirit stones and grew mad with joy.


    This Elder Gu was truly quite wealthy! He actually carried such a great amount of spirit stones!


    Could it be that Elder Gu was like himself and carried all of his belongings on his person? If this were the case, this would be an ordinary amount of spirit stones for a Core Formation cultivator.


    With that in mind, Han Li shifted his attention away from the spirit stones to the other items in the pouch.


    There was a yellow, inch-tall jade bottle, two talismans respectively sparkling with yellow and blue light, a book, and an orb sparkling with blue radiance. As for the rest of the items, they were of little value.


    The book wasn¡¯t anything special. It was a high layer cultivation art, Earthfire Technique. Although it couldn¡¯t be said to be common, it was something that he definitely wouldn¡¯t cultivate.


    Much to Han Li¡¯s joy, the two talismans turned out to be treasure talismans, despite him not knowing their names. One of them had a small golden sword drawn on it, and the other had a blue flood dragon.


    Han Li then took out the sphere and played around with it for a moment. Eventually, he became certain that it was the core of a grade five demon beast, a very precious item.


    Lastly, there was the small, unremarkable bottle. When Han Li opened the small yellow bottle, he spotted five thumb-sized yellow pills. These pills were identical to one another, brightly colored, perfectly shaped, and had a fantastic medicinal scent.


    ¡°Dustfall Pills!¡± Han Li stared at the pills in his hand in complete astonishment..


    Although he hadn¡¯t seen this item before, the pills perfectly matched the description found in the ¡°Pill Dao Evaluations¡±. What else could they possibly be?

 Chapter 385

    Sea Ape Island


    Han Li gently held the pill between two fingers and brought it to his eye, carefully examining it before revealing a faint smile.


    It seemed that the fight to flee wasn¡¯t a wasted effort. As he had acquired several Dustfall Pills, the odds of his Core Formation should somewhat increase.


    After properly putting away the medicine pills, Han Li carefully stored away the bottle in his storage pouch.


    Now, Han Li had to find a location that was both safe and had an abundance of Spiritual Qi. So long as either Han Li or Crooked Soul managed to reach Core Formation, they would have a chance when fighting against any Core Formation cultivator that wished to hunt them down.


    However, Core Formation wasn¡¯t something that could be accomplished in a short amount of time. Other than genius cultivators blessed with heavenly spiritual roots, other cultivators require enough spirit medicines and time to break through the bottleneck.


    Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire are two such materials required for cultivators that wished to form their core.


    While they aren¡¯t required in order to succeed in Core Formation, the success-rate without them was so miniscule that it would cause cultivators to spit blood. Although there wasn¡¯t an official statistic, it is said to be less than one percent.


    Apart from these two items, many other spirit medicines can also be taken to increase the odds of success for Core Formation, but none of them were as effective as Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire.


    Unfortunately, taking multiples of these medicines would prove to have no effect. It wasn¡¯t like refining Qi during meditation where it was optimal to take appropriate amounts of other spirit medicines. In fact, it would most likely prove to have an opposite effect.


    But what was laughable was not only were the effects of the other medicines far inferior to that of the Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire, they required herbs that were more rare and harder to find. In addition, these medicines would often require several thousand-year-old herbs to create.


    Ordinary cultivators wouldn¡¯t have such mighty spending power! At best, they would have one or two luxurious additions to their Spirit Snow Water and Liquid Heavenfire.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t pose a problem for Han Li. Apart from the pills requiring a few rare spirit herbs he didn¡¯t have or had never heard of, he had refined over ten spiritual medicines to aid in Core Formation, all of which were now safely stored inside his storage pouch.


    But what was most surprising was that these medicines didn¡¯t require Innate Truefire to be refined. They were simply mixed together like ordinary medicines of the mortal world. In addition, these pill formulas could easily be found in ancient records. When Han Li initially found them, he was stunned for quite a while; even to this day, he was still left puzzled.


    As for the five Dustfall Pills he acquired, they were extremely rare supplementary medicines that all cultivators nearing Core Formation desired.


    However, even with the aid of these many medicine pills, the probability of success in Core Formation wouldn¡¯t be vastly higher than those without. According to Han Li¡¯s research, his mind bogglingly extravagant method of Core Formation would only raise his odds of success by ten percent at most when compared to other cultivators.


    On the whole, taking medicine should be a bit better than not, but this was only Han Li¡¯s opinion.


    Additionally, Core Formation wasn¡¯t something that could be concluded in merely ten days or half a month. According to ancient records and the Core Formation experience of Li Huayuan, Han Li¡¯s former master, it would take about three to five years to conclude. The specific duration would depend on an individual¡¯s own aptitude.


    From here on out, he would have to avoid feeling great emotion, avoid any battles with others, and find a place with acceptable Spiritual Qi.


    Thus, it was imperative that Han Li found an island to seclude himself and attempt Core Formation, even if it were somewhat sparse regarding Spiritual Qi.


    With that in mind, Han Li took out a jade slip that contained a huge map of the seas with Stalwart Star Island and the other two main islands at the center.


    Han Li submerged his spiritual sense into the slip for quite some time. After eventually finding his approximate location, he then searched for remote, small sized islands.


    After the time it took to cook a meal, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip with a thoughtful expression.


    He looked at the seas and the blazing sun in the sky before finding his desired direction, turning into a streak of white light and disappearing across the horizon.


    Along the way, Han Li stopped at a few desolate islands to recover his magic power. He avoided any islands that were inhabited, as he was fearful he of leaving behind traces for anyone pursuing him.


    After changing direction several times, Han Li finally found the region he wished to travel to and quickly flew off.


    ¡­¡­


    Two months later, Han Li and Crooked Soul appeared above a remote island.


    This island wasn¡¯t nearly as large as Stalwart Star Island, but it was quite a bit larger than ordinary small islands, barely large enough to be considered a medium sized island. It was the ¡°Sea Ape Island¡± that Han Li had endured a long, arduous journey for.


    The island had few mortals and no cultivators above Qi Condensation, along with no island lord to speak of. It was a place of freedom where everyone could come and go as they pleased. As for the island¡¯s name, the nearby seas were occupied by the particularly strange low-grade demon beast, Sea Apes.


    This demon beast was almost entirely the same as a common ape, apart from its ability to use the low-grade Water Arrow magic technique and its considerable intelligence. By adulthood, it was nearly as intelligent as an eight-year old child, and cultivators are fond of capturing them to act as workers for their immortal¡¯s cave.


    Although Sea Apes are considered demon beasts, they are capable of being easily subdued by sixth layer Qi Condensation cultivators. As such, a few small ships would arrive annually, hiring low grade cultivators to capture and sell the beasts.


    There were a few small merchants that had collectively set up a formation spell on the island and had established a long storefront that bought living Sea Apes year long. Every so often, a ship would arrive and leave with a large quantity of Sea Apes.


    As such, the island became a gathering point for low-grade cultivators striving to acquire spirit stones.


    But after a formation spell was established, rogue cultivators came to Sea Ape Island for long term residence as it contained a massive spirit vein of fair quality. Although the spirit vein couldn¡¯t be said to be exceptional, it was so large and broad that the entire island was suitable for low-grade cultivation.


    As for spirit wells or any other dense areas of Spiritual Qi, Sea Ape Island was largely lacking when compared to other islands. Thus, it didn¡¯t invite conflict with any high-grade cultivators.


    With sparse Spiritual Qi and the mere local specialty of sea apes, it naturally escaped the notice of greater powers and became a free land of low-grade cultivators. Although a Foundation Establishment or Core Formation cultivator would occasionally arrive at the island, they were mostly just passing through.


    This island made for an exceptionally good place for Han Li to hide and undergo Core Formation!


    ¡­¡­


    Two days later, Han Li stood on the peak of some desolate mountain on the island. As he gazed at his newly created temporary cave dwelling, he felt great satisfaction.


    Apart from a simple medicine garden and two secret rooms, there weren¡¯t any other complex designs.


    Han Li used a formation tool set to lay down an ordinary concealment formation spell at the cave¡¯s entrance and carefully released his two ¡°Bloodjade Spiders¡± from his storage pouch, setting them to guard the entrance of his cave.


    Having undergone years of nurturing, the two white spiders had grown to the size of his head and had ascended two grades, becoming high grade one demon beasts capable of easily dealing with ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators. Han Li had left all of his other wondrous bugs behind at his true Immortal¡¯s cave on Minor Expanse island.


    Han Li guessed that those who sought to either silence him or avenge Elder Gu would definitely search his Immortal¡¯s cave at Minor Expanse Island.


    Although the false and true Immortal¡¯s cave were concealed by three great formations, they wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s attacks for long. As for his false Immortal¡¯s cave, it would undoubtedly be revealed.


    But according to Han Li¡¯s estimations, there was a fifty percent chance of his true Immortal¡¯s cave remaining hidden.


    This was because the passageway to his true Immortal¡¯s cave was concealed by mortal mechanisms rather than any easily perceived formation spells. Its entrance was cleverly blocked by a huge, engraved stone chair.


    If someone were to only inspect his false Immortal¡¯s cave, Han Li was completely confident that they wouldn¡¯t find anything amiss. But if a particularly meticulous examiner were to come, it may prove unfortunate.


    After all, the other mountain contained wondrous bugs with a unique aura. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be concealed from the strong spiritual sense of a Core Formation cultivator.


    Although Han Li was unwilling to let go of the wondrous bugs he hadn¡¯t been able to tame, he could only resign himself to fate.


    Even if they weren¡¯t fed for six years, they should still be able to survive. Such a situation situation had occurred before!


    With those dim thoughts in mind, Han Li and Crooked Soul each entered their own respective rooms.

 Chapter 386

    Core Formation in Four Years


    Han Li meditated for several days in his hidden room before taking the spirit medicines. After reaching his peak state, he took out a small bottle of Liquid Heavenfire.


    He lifted his head and placed a few drops into his mouth before hastily putting away the bottle. He then closed his eyes, waiting for the medicinal power to flare. Shortly after, Han Li felt his meridians start to scald. His true origin had turned into something like boiling water and started to quickly flow through his meridians.


    Han Li was initially dumbstruck, but he hastily took out an unknown spiritual medicine and instantly swallowed it down. Afterwards, he started to cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art in an attempt to break through his bottleneck.


    The day that Han Li broke through to the seventh layer, would be the day that Han Li reached Core Formation stage.


    Before this, Han Li had instructed Crooked Soul in the neighboring room to also take the Liquid Heavenfire and other spiritual medicines with his spiritual sense.


    The Divine Blood Light that Crooked Soul cultivated was considered a quick success Devil Dao cultivation art. Normally, there would be no possibility of Core Formation, but with the [Five Elements Blood Cores], his chances of Core Formation were the same as Han Li¡¯s.


    Crooked Soul didn¡¯t use a cultivation art to form a core, he instead swallowed the Five Elements Blood Cores and refined the cores¡¯ power to form a fiend core.


    But in contrast, as his Core Formation process was much simpler than Han Li¡¯s, Han Li didn¡¯t need to pay further attention to Crooked Soul after giving out his orders.


    Although Han Li¡¯s success in Core Formation was uncertain, he was still going to make a serious attempt. Even if he were to fail, he would accumulate a large amount of experience for his next attempt.


    With that thought, Han Li gradually shut out all sense of the external world and deeply sank into bitter cultivation.


    At that moment, Han Li became completely oblivious to both time and the outside world.


    Time passed day by day, as springs passed and winters arrived¡­


    Four years later, Sea Ape Island was quite lively and disordered. There was a faint atmosphere of excitement present in the island¡¯s city and the docks.


    At the time of noon that day, on a remote mountain on the island, a scene occurred that left a cultivator in secluded cultivation dumbstruck.


    He saw the faraway cloudless dark blue skies suddenly filled with clouds and wind!


    A dense, black cloud had appeared out of nowhere, enveloping some barren mountain. With flashes of silver lightning and claps of deafening thunder, it appeared as if a crazed serpent was wildly dancing.


    At that same time, the Heaven-Earth Spiritual Qi from all around the barren mountain started to revolve around it with a long cry. A huge vortex spanning two kilometers formed underneath the black clouds, thoroughly sucking away the Spiritual Qi from over ten kilometers away and leaving the nearby rogue cultivators in great astonishment.


    They all walked out of their places of cultivation and hastily flew towards the barren mountain.


    Although these cultivators were ignorant and ill informed, many of them realized that this astonishing scene was clearly caused by a senior succeeding in Core Formation.


    There was another Core Formation cultivator that appeared in the Scattered Star Seas! However, it was extremely surprising to the rogue cultivators that someone would attempt to from their core in an area with such sparse Spiritual Qi.


    As they felt both awe and admiration, they wanted to see the result. They even had the faint hope of forming some sort of connection to this senior; perhaps,they could actually become his disciple.


    Without waiting for them to arrive, the distant vortex had already absorbed enough Spiritual Qi, and with the huge cry of a phoenix, the vortex collapsed, scattering its remaining Spiritual Qi. The scattered Spiritual Qi then faintly shined with rainbow light, creating a beautiful sight .


    Afterwards, the cloud dispersed, the lightning and thunder disappeared, and everything returned to normal, returning to fine sunny weather.


    At that moment, those rogue cultivators that flew near the barren mountain, suddenly heard an extremely cold voice, ¡°Those that approach this mountain without permission will die!¡±


    Those grim words were completely emotionless, causing the many low-grade cultivators nearby to grow pale. They all suddenly stopped and looked at each other. It was quite obvious that this Senior who succeeded in Core Formation did not wish for anybody to disturb him.


    After glancing at each other for a while, they all had no intention of disobediently moving forward and silently left.


    Not long after, the news of a cultivator having just reached Core Formation had spread throughout Sea Ape Island, leaving those who had been unaware shocked.


    They were extremely puzzled as to why a cultivator would choose to undergo Core Formation at Sea Ape Island. Soon after, a huge amount of low-grade cultivators started to create new Immortal¡¯s caves at the center of the barren mountains.


    Although the Core Formation cultivator had given a warning and they didn¡¯t dare to disobey and approach too closely to the mountain, the rogue cultivators all chose to cultivate nearby in hopes that they may perhaps meet him!


    For a time, the nearby lands were flourishing with people.


    But unbeknown to them, the barren mountain had long been abandoned, and the Core Formation cultivator in question was flying in the sky about a thousand kilometers away. He had a tranquil youth flying with him, Han Li, who had failed to form his core.


    As Han Li glanced at the meditating Crooked soul, his face was calm despite feeling joy in his heart.


    In truth, he had left seclusion about a year ago after having taken spiritual medicines and meditated for three years, he couldn¡¯t help but give up. This attempt at Core Formation had definitely failed as there wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of his true essence solidifying. As such, he stopped cultivating and focused on assisting Crooked Soul in Core Formation.


    Along with the forceful assistance of several other spirit medicines, Crooked Soul met a massive success a few days before and eventually formed a fiend core.


    This extremely smooth process left Han Li quite surprised and beyond happy.


    After Han Li shouted at the rogue cultivators that came to look, he immediately abandoned the Immortal¡¯s cave and secretly brought Crooked Soul away from Sea Ape Island.


    He now wanted to return to Minor Expanse Island and see whether or not his true Immortal¡¯s cave had been discovered. He was confident that even if his pursuers were patient, there would be no way that they would have a Core Formation cultivator standing watch at Minor Expanse Island.


    If it was unguarded, he would take away all of the wondrous bugs from his true Immortal¡¯s cave and fly far away, completely abandoning the southwest sea. With the Scattered Star Seas being extremely large and Crooked Soul having an early Core Formation cultivation, Han Li would surely be able to find a suitable location.


    In addition, although Crooked Soul wasn¡¯t able to use the ¡°Green Brilliance Sword¡± due to his mismatching spiritual roots, he was still able to barely make use of Elder Gu¡¯s magic treasure, the ¡°Immemorial Bowl¡±.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t able to completely refine the treasure and make complete use of its might, he was still able to use the magic treasure to fight against other Core Formation cultivators.


    Besides, he had also handed over the small golden sword treasure talisman and the golden skull treasure talisman to Crooked Soul. As for the small saber talisman treasure, Han Li kept it for himself.


    With Crooked Soul¡¯s Core Formation cultivation, he would able to activate the treasure talisman at a much greater speed and attack enemies in an instant, making up for his deficiencies of not being able to make complete use of a magic treasure¡¯s might.


    With that in mind, Han Li drove his Divine Wind Boat at its greatest speed, turning into a streak of white light flying in the direction of Stalwart Star Island.


    ¡­


    A month later, Han Li and Crooked Soul appeared once more above Minor Expanse Island.


    After searching through Minor Expanse Island with his spiritual sense and finding no cultivators present, he and Crooked Soul entered the island through the dock and flew towards the mountains containing his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Although he was still far away from the mountains, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense had already examined them ahead of time.


    Han Li was dumbfounded! Not only were both his true and false Immortal¡¯s caves untouched but the three spell formations he had placed down were as well. This was truly beyond his imagination.


    Upon this strange discovery, Han Li became even more vigilant and stopped the Divine Wind Boat at a distant location.


    He didn¡¯t enter the formation spell. Instead, he gloomily shifted his gaze around.


    In the end, he discovered there was nothing odd about the mountains. Han Li lowered his head and muttered to himself for a moment and suddenly stamped down on his Divine Wind Boat and started flying into the formations with a raised brow.


    The formation spells were exactly the same as they were four years ago. After further hesitation, Han Li entered his Immortal¡¯s caves.


    He didn¡¯t care about the false Immortal¡¯s cave in the short mountain; instead, he directly entered his true Immortal¡¯s cave and headed towards the secret room housing the wondrous bugs.


    When Han Li arrived in front of the secret room, his jaw dropped. The scene before him left him stunned.

 Chapter 387

    Gold Devouring Beetles


    Han Li had kept his wondrous insects in several tens of concealed stone rooms of differing sizes. Fearful that they would escape, he had set up a small formation in each of them so that they wouldn¡¯t break down the walls.


    According to Han Li¡¯s thoughts, as these wondrous bugs were young despite having high rankings, these ordinary restrictions should be enough to contain them. But now, his formations were no longer present and the stone doors were filled with hexagonal shaped holes.


    Han Li was aghast and willed Crooked Soul to take a large step forward and open the nearest stone door, revealing a completely empty room devoid of life.


    Han Li let out a light sigh. Although he had already prepared himself, he still felt rather depressed.


    After sweeping his gaze over the room, he turned around to look at the stone door. Then he wordlessly walked out and squatted in front of the broken door.


    The stone door was very strangely damaged, with small holes of similar sizes densely scattered across it. But what Han Li didn¡¯t understand was why the holes were so rough, unlike the smooth cuts magic tools would produce.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow and slowly stood up.


    He slowly shut his eyes and swept his spiritual sense throughout the rest of the rooms. Having found that the others rooms were the same, Han LI felt quite a bit of heartache.


    But suddenly, his face moved. He opened his eyes to reveal a cold glint and walked towards a different hidden room.


    The room was also empty, but Han Li entered without any hesitation and crouched, picking up something from the limestone floor and placing it in his palm. He then brought it up to his eye and saw that is was a bean sized insect shell that twinkled with a silvery light. It was very beautiful and appeared to be entirely created out of silver. Han Li then touched the insect shell to find that its shell was extremely smooth and very hard.


    After lowering his head in contemplation, he was certain that this wasn¡¯t the insect shell of anything he was raising.


    Han LI¡¯s face grew solemn, and he narrowed his eyes.


    From the center of this room, Han Li started to search every inch of his Immortal¡¯s cave with his spiritual sense. Han Li was confident that he¡¯d be able to find something.


    After a moment, Han Li made a surprising discovery in his medicine garden. A sparkling silver sphere hung on the thick trunk of a flower tree, an undoubtedly recent addition to the Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Han Li called out to Crooked Soul and gloomily walked towards the medicine garden.


    The silver sphere wasn¡¯t very large and was only the size of the head of a small child. But its sparkling, bewitching silver light was extremely eye-catching.


    Han Li stood at the medicine garden¡¯s entrance and attentively stared at the silver sphere in silence. He felt that he had heard of this silver sphere before, but he couldn¡¯t recall anything about it at the moment. Regardless, he was certain that this object was related to the silver insect shell he had previously found.


    ¡®Insect shell!¡¯ Han Li¡¯s mind suddenly thought of something.


    He hastily patted his storage pouch and a green jade slip appeared in his hand. This was the document of detailing the insect cultivation experiences of the Controlling Spirit cultivator that previously occupied Crooked Soul¡¯s body.


    After submerging his spiritual sense into it, Han Li immediately found that the description of a rank twelve insect seemed relevant.


    ¡°Gold Devouring Beetles, ranked twelve amongst the wondrous bugs. Travels in vicious swarms. It loves to eat other wondrous bugs and is adept at consuming the five metals1 and Heaven-Earth Spiritual Qi. They also cannot tolerate heat or cold. It is extremely vicious and tends to amass into a sphere. It tends to perch on spiritual trees. Jade and wood are capable of capturing it. Spider type wondrous bugs are capable of restraining it¡­¡±


    After reading through the passage several times, he felt pleasant surprise and couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the silver sphere.


    Although there weren¡¯t detailed instructions for raising this wondrous bug, he was completely sure he would¡¯ve been willing to trade all those wondrous insects ranked lower than the Goldenback Demon Mantis for it.


    According to what the jade slip said, the Gold Devouring Beetle was capable of eating through anything, apart from jade or wood. As such, seizing them is quite difficult, but Han Li fortunately had two Bloodjade spiders. Although they were ranked far lower than the Gold Devouring Beetles, they should still be able to restrain it. The jade slip had mentioned that newly hatched silver Gold Devourer Beetles are especially vulnerable to spider type magic beasts ranked at least high grade one, much like his own two spiders.


    However, he first wanted to test whether this insect was as vicious as described in the jade slip.


    Crooked Soul stepped forward in large steps and stood in front of him. Crooked Soul then emitted a blood-red light and opened his hand before suddenly flying over in a streak of red light. He ended up grabbing the sphere without any trouble, and it didn¡¯t show any reaction in the slightest.


    Han Li stroked his nose and felt slight disappointment. The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator had bragged about this insect¡¯s ferociousness, but why was it so slow?


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li had Crooked Soul test it using other methods.


    With an ominous glint flashing from Crooked Soul¡¯s eyes, he waved his hand and a green magic art struck the blood light surrounding the silver sphere. Suddenly, the blood light gradually turned purple and quickly combusted into an impressive devil fire.


    The bewitching devilfire roasted the silver sphere. Eventually, the silver sphere appeared as if it were made from sand and started to break into specks of silver, producing a humming noise.


    Han Li carefully looked at it and saw that the silver specks were soybean sized flying insects. Apart from sharp teeth that could be seen with the naked eye, they appeared exactly the same as a common beetle and didn¡¯t seem noteworthy in the least.


    Han Li was confused! Was this not the Gold Devouring Beetle? Could he have been mistaken?


    But after looking at them for a moment more, Han Li was stunned.


    Crooked Soul¡¯s devilfire wasn¡¯t burning the beetles at all. Not only were they unscathed, but incredulously, they were eating the devilfire at an extremely fast pace. In the blink of an eye, half of the violet flame had disappeared.


    After recovering from his surprise, Han Li was wild with joy.


    He instantly opened the leather bag at his waist and released his two Bloodjade spiders with a flash of light.


    Without any hesitation, he gave the order to capture them alive.


    The instance when the final flames of the devilfire were eaten away by the Gold Devouring Bugs, his two spiders shot out a shining white liquid from their mouths that turned into two three-meter-wide nets. They were much different than ordinary webs. Their extremely finely woven webs left gaps too small for the silver beetles to escape.


    The Gold Devouring Beetles detected danger and immediately turned into silver arrows, fiercely attempting to shoot out of the web.


    Pupu. The two spider webs firmly held against the assault from the silver arrows, turning the web into a ball and causing the Gold Devouring Beetles to grow frantic. After releasing a deafening screech, they started to tear at the spider webs with their teeth, intending to break free of the spider web and escape.


    The two spiders gave me them no such opportunity and continued to spew out mouthfuls of white liquid. In the blink of an eye, the beetles were trapped in a huge ball of webs.


    Han Li knew that the spider webs wouldn¡¯t be able to trap the Gold Devouring Bugs for long, so he hastily took out a jade box and quickly jammed the ball of webs into it. Afterwards, he closed the box and placed it into his storage pouch.


    Normally, demon beasts could only be contained in a specialized spirit beast pouch; otherwise, they would face suffocation from the lack of air in an ordinary storage pouch.


    However, high ranking wondrous bugs were different as they had incomparable vitality and could survive in a storage pouch without air. Otherwise, that Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator definitely wouldn¡¯t have carried so many of his insect larvae in his storage pouch.


    Naturally, if he truly wished to use the beasts to fight, a specialized bag for spirit beasts would be best. Not only could he summon them easier, but it would also be more convenient to train them.


    Most importantly, the specialized pouch was able to store demon beasts at a reduced size, where ordinary storage pouches while incapable of shrinking living things. Thus, even if it were a wondrous bug demon beast, they would still have to be stored in a spirit beast pouch if they were too large.


    Having put away the jade box, Han Li swept his spiritual sense through his Immortal¡¯s cave once more, fearful that he had missed something. Apart from discovering numerous dense, small holes in his storeroom, Han Li didn¡¯t discover anything else.


    Those small holes should¡¯ve been marks left behind from when the Gold Devouring Beetles dug into his Immortal¡¯s cave.


    Since Han Li no longer dared to stay behind in this Immortal¡¯s cave, he immediately left and soared off after retrieving his three magic formations.

 Chapter 388

    Crooked Soul¡¯s Devilish Might


    After flying about five kilometers away from Minor Expanse Island, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, and he stopped his Divine Wind Boat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide! Reveal yourself!¡± Han Li spoke calmly while facing forward.


    ¡°Yi!¡± A cry of surprise came from an empty area. With a flash of rainbow brilliance, eight Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared not far in front of him.


    ¡°Han Li, in order to acquire Dustfall Pills, you and Crooked Soul killed the Tail Star Island Lord¡¯s disciple and the other cultivators involved. Now, we¡¯ve come as enforcers by order of our island lord. You are to quickly enter our custody so we may deliver you to Island Lord Zhan Tai for punishment!¡± A late Foundation Establishment cultivator among the group proudly yelled to Han Li.


    In order to fool the others, Han Li and Crooked Soul had restrained their own cultivation. As a result, the group had misjudged their cultivation and appeared carefree. Although they were somewhat surprised that Han Li had discovered and ruined their ambush, with their superior cultivation and numbers, they should be able to easily handle them! As a result, they were careless and took a blunt, direct approach.


    After calmly sizing them up, Han Li insipidly said, ¡°You are cultivators from Stalwart Star Island? Do you have any evidence that I killed those other cultivators?¡±


    Upon hearing this, a white-haired old man among them was stunned for a moment before sneering and saying, ¡°What? You still wish to quibble against the testimony of the Six United Palace¡¯s Elder Miao? Don¡¯t get your hopes up! Our island lord has already said that you two are extremely crafty and that we are to immediately destroy your cultivation.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed. With a face covered in a layer of icy intent, he said, ¡°Destroy our cultivation? Does your island lord not intend to resolve this matter with us?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! You two have fled in guilt for several years; the evidence has long been collected. What is there to resolve? Everyone, go! Let¡¯s bring these two back for a reward!¡± The white-haired old man turned his head, and impatiently called out to the others with wide eyes. Suddenly, the cultivators acted without speaking any further, releasing their magic tools towards Han Li in streaks of overbearing light.


    Han Li watched on with his eyes wide open. How was this possibly intending to destroy his cultivation? It seems they were gazing at him with killing intent and intended to elimnate him.


    Although he didn¡¯t know whether or not there was something amiss, Han Li had no choice but to get rid these cultivators.


    ¡°Crooked Soul, kill them! Don¡¯t allow a single one to escape!¡± While Han Li¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, it was colder than ice.


    Crooked Soul, who had been standing motionlessly behind Han Li, silently stepped forward and released an astonishing blood-red light. After a moment, his entire body was enveloped in a blinding sphere of light. Then with a soft hiss, a yellow light flashed underneath Crooked Soul¡¯s feet and he shot towards the approaching magic tools.


    With several flashes of light, the incoming magic tools¡¯ radiance disappeared, and they were instantly enveloped by a hundred-meter wide barrier of blood-red light, becoming completely sluggish.


    Crooked Soul appeared at the center of the blood-red light and expressionlessly formed a hand incantation, spitting out the word, ¡°Restrain!¡± Suddenly, the magic tools moved forward and shot toward Crooked Soul¡¯s side with complete obedience. With a wave of his sleeve, they disappeared; it seemed he had collected them.


    Crooked Soul then expressionlessly turned his attention to the group of enforcers. The scene had left them dumbstruck.


    ¡°Core Formation cultivator! He¡¯s a Core Formation cultivator!¡± With Crooked Soul¡¯s true cultivation unveiled, the cultivator who shouted this turned pale. The others were equally aghast, but two quick-witted cultivators immediately turned around and hurriedly rushed off.


    Their leader, the white-haired old man, no longer held a trace of arrogance. Only an expression of disbelief remained on his face.


    Acting under Han Li¡¯s orders, Crooked Soul couldn¡¯t possibly allow anyone to escape.


    His eyes grew as scarlet as blood while he emotionlessly gazed at the two that were fleeing. He wordlessly raised his hands and shot out scarlet-red beams which moved at an extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, the beams of light had already caught up to them.


    One of the cultivators wore a sparkling earth-yellow armor, and the other cultivator was wrapped in an obviously exceptional blue chain of light. But with just the slightest touch of the light beam, both the magic tools and the cultivators were turned to ash, extinguishing any thoughts of escaping by the other cultivators and leaving their faces deathly pale.


    The white-haired old man was terrified and hastily shouted, ¡°Senior misunderstands! This was all a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    Crooked Soul didn¡¯t pay attention to any of his evasive words. With a tremble of his shoulders, the blood light separated from his body and flew off, forming a large blood cloud above the group of enforcers.


    Then with a wave of his hand, he released a streak of purple light that seemed to ignite the blood cloud as if it were a spark striking oil. Suddenly, the sky was filled with purple flame, and the cultivators were suppressed from every direction.


    The cultivators below all displayed expressions of despair as they each released their defensive magic tools while strenuously begging for mercy. But under the ice-cold gaze of Crooked Soul, the purple devilflames turned all of the magic tools and cultivators into dust after just a short moment.


    Crooked Soul¡¯s figure blurred and reappeared, holding all of their storage pouches in his hand.


    Han Li had already fetched the storage pouches of the two who had fled and flew back to Crooked Soul¡¯s side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! It will become troublesome if any Core Formation cultivators were to arrive!¡± Han Li looked in every direction before muttering as if he were both talking to himself and Crooked Soul.


    After Crooked Soul silently returned to the Divine Wind Boat in a blur, Han Li immediately set off, flying far away as the Divine Wind Boat became a streak of white light.


    Not long after, a blue and red streak of light flew over from the direction of Stalwart Star Island, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the area where Crooked Soul had killed the enforcers. Once the blinding radiances faded away, an old man with a devious expression and a middle-aged man that emitted a gray Qi appeared floating in the air.


    ¡°It should be here! The Spiritual Qi fluctuations haven¡¯t yet disappeared. It seems the killer left recently!¡± The middle-aged man gloomily said.


    One of the enforcers that had been on duty at Minor Expanse Island was the middle-aged man¡¯s disciple.


    When his disciple had died, a soul tablet created from secret techniques had revealed a dark omen. The middle-aged man instantly discovered that his disciple had encountered mishap, but he was currently a guest at his good friend¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave. They had flown over as fast as they could, but he hadn¡¯t expected that he¡¯d be too late.


    After pointing in the direction that Han Li fled, he slowly said, ¡°Island Lord Yuan! He should¡¯ve fled in that direction! I will use the Transient Tracer Technique to investigate for a moment. If we chase after the killer, there is a thirty percent chance likelihood we will be able to stop him.¡±


    ¡°Alright! If we both give chase, we will be certain to stop the killer!¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s body flourished with grey Qi and revealed a sinister expression.


    ¡°According to the collision of Spiritual Qi in the area, it seems the killer should be a Core Formation cultivator. Although he acted alone, there is no way of knowing whether he is accompanying other cultivators. Does Fellow Daoist Yuan truly wish to clash with cultivators of similar strength over a common disciple?¡± The old man suddenly changed the topic and earnestly attempted to dissuade the middle-aged man.


    The middle-aged man was initially stunned upon hearing this, but he soon replied with a displeased face, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that my disciple died in vain! If this were to get out, then wouldn¡¯t I be marked as a coward?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, apart from me, who else would know of it? Not only was the killer a Core Formation cultivator, but since he dared to casually kill near Stalwart Star Island, he definitely isn¡¯t someone from the southwest sea. Naturally, there won¡¯t be any drivel spoken about it and as for me, I¡¯m not someone who spouts gossip. As such, so long as we return and say we had arrived too late, then this matter can be laid to rest. Otherwise, you would be doing battle with an unknown cultivator of the same rank for a common disciple. The risk absolutely isn¡¯t worth it!¡± After chuckling for a moment, he expressed disapproval.


    Having heard this, Island Lord Yuan¡¯s fury gradually disappeared, and he revealed a pensive expression.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, his expression became calm once more and he cupped his hands to the old man, saying, ¡°Many thanks for Fellow Daoist Qi¡¯s warning. I cannot thank you enough. Let us return! In the future, I will treat that disciple¡¯s clan particularly well and then I will let it be.¡±


    ¡°That would be appropriate! As we are those who pursued the Immortal Dao for such a long time, our lives are even more precious. If we are to brave danger, then it must come at a sufficient price!¡± The old man said while concealing a sinister smile.


    ¡°However, these enforcers were to keep watch on Minor Expanse Island¡¯s Immortal¡¯s cave. How were they able to provoke a travelling Core Formation cultivator into killing them? Could they have some relationship to the two wanted fugitives of the three main islands and the Six United Palaces?¡± The middle-aged man quickly became perplexed despite much consideration.


    ¡°Enough! It has nothing to do with us! Your relationship with the Six United Palaces is too shallow to diligently pursue those two. Since I am Deputy Island Lord and you are the Island Lord, is there any use in blindly worrying about this?¡± The old man snorted and wore a sour expression.


    After hearing this, the middle-aged man faintly smiled.


    Afterwards, Island Lord Yuan and the old man chatted for a moment before returning to the island.

 Chapter 389

    Heavenly Star City and the Star Palace


    Han Li had no way of knowing how that potential crisis had resolved itself. As such, he continued to act carefully and flew to the northeast as he was now a wanted criminal and incapable of further remaining in the southwest sea. However, if he were to go to anywhere else, he would need a map of the area, but Han Li only had a map of the southwest sea.


    Due to this deficiency, Han Li stopped on a random island after a month of flying.


    Although the island wasn¡¯t large, it contained a very prosperous market city because of its location on the border of the southwest sea and other territories.


    Wanting to be careful, Han Li concealed the appearances of both him and Crooked Soul using a secret technique and even put on a cloak afterwards. As such, apart from those with a higher cultivation than Crooked Soul, they would only be able to see a vague red light with their spiritual sense.


    For the rest of the day, Han Li replenished a large amount of materials from the island¡¯s market city and bought many records that presented information on the circumstances of the various areas of Scattered Star Seas along with their respective maps. He ended up spending quite a bit.


    There were a great number of stores on the island that were overjoyed that such a great spender arrived.


    Having bought all he wanted, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to linger and left the small island on that same day.


    While sitting on his Divine Wind Boat, Han Li took out the jade slips one after another and carefully read through them. After an unknown amount of time, he let out a long breath, tossed the jade slips into his storage pouch, and entered deep contemplation.


    After carefully reading through the jade slips, Han Li possessed a general understanding of the Scattered Star Seas.


    The Scattered Star Seas were huge, but nobody actually knew how vast they truly were. As no one was stupid enough to attempt to explore its entirety, the sea maps only charted a small portion of the Scattered Star Seas. This was a fact that all cultivators of the Scattered Star Seas acknowledge.


    The sea territories that were explored were commonly referred to as the Inner Star Seas, while the unexplored territories were known as the Outer Star Seas. Ordinarily when someone spoke of the ¡°Scattered Star Seas¡±, they were actually referring to the Inner Star Seas.


    The Outer Star Seas were also known by the frightful name of the Demon Seas and was the home to inconceivably gigantic demon beasts. They were said to be no weaker than Nascent Soul cultivators. Low grade cultivators that hadn¡¯t ventured to the Outer Star Sea would have their jaws drop for quite a while upon hearing this.


    Records have even said that in ancient times, regardless of whether it were the inner or outer seas, demon beasts reigned supreme, and cultivators were trapped on small, solitary islands. After an unknown amount of time, the previous generations of the Scattered Star Seas managed to slay the demon beasts one by one, making way for the development of the current Inner Star Seas.


    As of today, the superpower named the ¡°Star Palace¡± reigned over entire Scattered Star Seas. This superpower had existed for so long that even ancient records didn¡¯t mention when it had first formed.


    While the origins of its creation are uncertain, some believe that it was established by ancient elders that eliminated the demon beasts. Others said that an ancient hero united the Scattered Star Seas at the time, while other rumors are endless and equally contested.


    The current Star Palace had established their transcendent Heavenly Star City on a huge island at the center of the Scattered Star Seas. It¡¯s two city lords, the Heavenly Star Sages, rule the entire sect from their city.


    The two city lords are extremely mysterious and had never left Heavenly Star City or revealed themselves in public. As such, no outsiders had seen their true appearance. However, it is rumored that the two sages weren¡¯t late Nascent Soul cultivators, but instead, they were divine beings at the Deity Transformation stage.


    After all, the Heavenly Star Sages have been famous for nearly a thousand years. How could common cultivators live for so long?


    Apart from the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Star City, there are eight outer territories and four inner territories in the Inner Star Seas. Each of the territories¡¯ three largest islands served to directly govern their respective areas. These cities were known collectively as the twenty-four Outer Star Islands and the twelve Inner Star Islands. They were all subservient to Heavenly Star City.


    As for the Stalwart Star Island Han Li had stayed at, it was one of Heavenly Star City¡¯s Outer Star Islands


    With the addition of the many small subsidiary islands of the star islands, the Star Palace truly held quite a bit of authority.


    But what was most notable was that the Star Palace appointed star island lords through two methods.


    The twelve Inner Star Islands were each administered by six people chosen by the two great sages. As for the twenty four Outer Star Islands, Heavenly Star City would host a centennial competition where the final victors would each become an island lord and enjoy the status of a regional ruler.


    As such, the centennial competition hosted at the Heavenly Star City became known as the Star Selection Assembly. Every time it convened, nearly all the high grade cultivators of the Scattered Star Seas congregated at the city.


    Some cultivators came with the dream of becoming an island lord, while others merely wished to broaden their horizon or socialize. There were even those that wished to use the opportunity to exchange medicine pills, materials, cultivation arts and other such items. As it was considered a fleeting opportunity, Heavenly Star City was overcrowded during this time.¡¡But even without the additional bustle of the Star Selection Assembly, the Heavenly Star City was a lively city where both villains and heroes dwell.


    Apart from a prohibition of fighting in the cities and spirit stones taxes for long term residences, the Star Palace left the city alone, allowing it to become a place of freedom where cultivators of all ranks could come and go as they pleased. As for wanted nefarious cultivators, so long as they didn¡¯t stir up trouble in the city, the Star Palace wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to arrest them.


    The great merchant clans were extremely satisfied with such a free environment and had stores set up in the city year round. They also established their own respective auctions and even acquired many types of spirit stone generating businesses.


    As such, an innumerable amount of rare items flowed through Heavenly Star City from the Scattered Star Seas each year.


    In addition, Heavenly Star City had another reason for attracting so many cultivators. The Star Palace had set up a transportation formation in the city that led directly to the Outer Star Seas.


    So long as someone paid a large sum of spirit stones, they could teleport to many of the ¡°Demon Beast Islands¡± of varying sizes in the Outer Star Sea. These isolated islands were established by previous generations and all contained Spiritual Qi. When one arrived at these islands, cultivators would be able to kill all sorts of demon beasts in the nearby seas and sell off the demon cores for spirit stones back at Heavenly Star City.


    As for the value of spirit stones, a grade five demon beast core could be sold for nearly a thousand spirit stones. As for grade six spirit stones, the profits would be enough to fund a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a lifetime. As such, a significant amount of cultivators annually came to Heavenly Star City to use the transportation formation.


    After all, flying directly to the Outer Star Seas without using the transportation formation would not only take an extremely long amount of time, it would also be extremely dangerous to fly unguided like a headless housefly.


    With that in mind, Han Li decided to go to Heavenly Star Island with nearly no deliberation. Regardless of safety or acquisition of demon cores, he felt an attraction to this city by no small amount.


    Of course, there were other powers of varying strength apart from the Star Palace in the Scattered Star Seas, such as: the Four Freedoms Merchant Alliance, the Devilcharm Sect, the Three Immortal Sect, Night Dragon Island, and so on. Of course, Zenith Yin Island and the Six United Palaces were significant powers as well.


    After Han Li silently sorted this information in his mind, he took out a map of the Scattered Star Seas and carefully looked at it. Having decided his destination, Han Li pierced through the air, turning the Divine Wind Boat into a white streak of light.


    ¡­¡­


    Several months later, a white light streaked past the air above the sea. Standing on the boat was Han Li, tired from the long, nonstop travel.


    Such a long and arduous journey was actually a rare experience for Han Li. This was because during his entire journey, he attempted to cultivate the Great Development Technique while flying on his magic tool without end.


    From the very start, multitasking had proven extremely challenging, and a technique that divided one¡¯s consciousness to control numerous puppets wasn¡¯t exactly easy to cultivate. As he split his attention while cultivating, he had frequently made many errors.


    The Divine Wind Boat would occasionally begin to fly off at an angle, leaving him unable to concentrate on splitting his divine sense. He hadn¡¯t made any progress for several days, but the old adage proved true that practice really does make perfect. After countless attempts and distractions, Han Li was eventually able to forcefully cultivate the Great Development Technique while flying.


    However, Han Li had given up on multitasking and focused on flying forward while standing at the front of the Divine Wind Boat.


    Half a month later, Han Li judged that he had arrived near Heavenly Star City given the arrangement of the desolate islands he had passed and felt his heart stir with excitement.


    After a short moment more, Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed after he vaguely saw a black dot in the distance that seemed to appear huge.


    Han Li instantly stamped down on his magic tool, expediting his arrival.

 Chapter 390

    Huge City


    A moment later, the black dot in the distance gradually grew larger as he approached, slowly revealing a vast black shadow. Although he still couldn¡¯t see it clearly, its prominent silhouette left Han Li awed by its astonishing magnificence.


    When Han Li flew somewhat closer, he was able to roughly make out the contents of the shadow. It was a city, an enormous city that spanned the entire island.


    But what caused Han Li the greatest astonishment was that the city was entirely different than those he had seen before. It wasn¡¯t laid out on flat land; instead, the sky towering mountain at the center of the island serve as the foundation and the buildings were built in concentric circles around it.


    The bottom of the huge mountain had rows and rows of buildings that spanned to the very edges of the island without a single gap.


    This was without a doubt Heavenly Star City, the largest city in the Scattered Star Seas.


    From the sky, the densely packed buildings appeared as small as ants. The scene left him shocked until he was about twenty kilometers away from the island, at which point he was forced to slow down his Divine Wind Boat.


    Han Li was no longer alone in the nearby sky. Streaks of light far and near started to occasionally appear, flying towards Heavenly Star City.


    Han Li inwardly sighed. Heavenly Star City¡¯s reputation was well deserved. Even at such a far distance away, he saw many cultivators.


    Once he was about ten kilometers away, there were an even greater number of various colored lights flying about. He even saw a few huge ships beneath him, cutting through the wind and waves.


    But what rendered him speechless were the cultivators that chose to sail on small boats or even ride on low grade demon beasts on the sea instead of flying on a magic tool.


    Han Li shook his head. After recovering from his awe, he accelerated into a streak of light. After a short moment, arrived at the shore of Heavenly Star Island.


    He had now discovered that the island was surrounded by a lofty stone wall about a hundred meters high. Han Li was also able to make out that the expansive sea walls had over a dozen gates of various sizes.


    While there were ports intended for mortal ships and bays for resting demon beasts, the obvious majority of incoming traffic, the lone cultivators, entered the city through the small gates. As such, Han Li flew towards a small city gate in a streak of azure light.


    Although it was one of the smaller gates, when Han Li neared it, he saw that the gate was over twenty four meters tall and couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself with a faint smile.


    In front of Han Li stood a dignified, azure-clothed woman whose cultivation seemed to be mid Foundation Establishment. Standing beneath the city gate, she was elegantly speaking to two white-clothed cultivators. After she handed over a few spirit stones, she casually donned a blue ring they had given her and entered the city with light steps.


    Han Li then calmly walked over with Crooked Soul.


    ¡°Do you two plan to temporarily stay here or do you plan to take long term residence? If¡­ Huh! So it turned out to be a senior! Senior, welcome to Heavenly Star City! According to the laws of the city, Core Formation cultivators are allowed free long term residence in the city. This is an identity ring. Please carefully hold onto it!¡±


    The white clothed cultivator started speaking without blinking, but halfway through, he realized Crooked Soul was a Core Formation cultivator and hastily took something out from his sleeve. After sizing up Crooked Soul in surprise, he hastily spoke with a respectful tone and handed a red ring over to him.


    ¡°This is my first time coming to Heavenly Star City. What is this ring for?¡± Crooked Soul said with a coarse voice.


    ¡°The spirit ring is the certification of your status. Cultivators that only stay here temporarily wear a blue ring and only have to pay three spirit stones for entry. The spirit light on a blue ring only persists for seven days. Afterwards, the ring¡¯s wearer would have to leave Heavenly Star City or go to the city gates and get a new one. Red rings are for cultivators that take permanent residence. Ordinary cultivators are required to pay eight hundred spirit stones for it. The red ring¡¯s spirit light is everlasting and will memorize its owner once it absorbs their blood essence. As it will only shine for its owner, there is no need to worry that others might steal it.¡± The white-clothed early Foundation Establishment cultivator gave Crooked Soul a neutral explanation and raised his hand to reveal a shining red ring on his finger similar to the one in his palm.


    Crooked Soul silently nodded his head and took the ring, he then dripped his blood essence on it after some slight hesitation and placed it on his finger.


    ¡°I must trouble Fellow Daoist to give me a red ring! I also plan on staying in this city for quite some time.¡± With a smile, Han Li took out eight hundred spirit stones from his storage pouch and offered it to one of the cultivators.


    The two white-clothed cultivators appeared somewhat surprised, but wordlessly took the spirit stones and handed Han Li a red ring.


    Han Li also dripped his blood essence onto the ring and wore it before entering the city with Crooked Soul.


    The streets past the gate couldn¡¯t be considered either narrow or wide. It was more than wide enough for four people to walk through at once or perhaps two carriages. The side of the streets were lined with rows of limestone buildings. From a glance, one could tell they were mortal stores, and they had nothing worth seeing.


    There didn¡¯t seem to be any cultivators on the streets with only a few mortals shopping and chatting; there was nothing present caught Han Li¡¯s interest.


    After a quick examination, he casually lifted his head to look at the sky and saw that a great number of lights were flying about, each indicating a cultivator soaring on their magic tool.


    The largest city in the Scattered Star Seas actually didn¡¯t have any air restrictions! It was going to make things quite easy for him and Crooked Soul. Han Li then took out his Divine Wind Boat and intended to take off before being interrupted.


    ¡°Sir Immortals, please wait!¡± A man from the side of the street shouted out, walking out from a store and respectfully saluting them. He was a lean man with a slanted mustache.


    The two took a thorough look at him but found that he was a mortal that completely lacked magic power fluctuations.


    Han Li revealed slight astonishment and asked with a slight frown, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Have I met you before?¡±


    The lean man spoke with a wide smile, ¡°Hehe! My name is Lu Er, and this is my first time meeting these two Immortal Masters.¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened as he revealed displeasure. But without waiting for Han Li to speak, Lu Er hastily said, ¡°This is your first time arriving at Heavenly Star City, yes? Certainly, these Immortal Masters are quite unfamiliar with the roads and circumstances of the city. Since I am a native, I know this city as well as the back of my hand. If these two Immortal Masters want to go somewhere or want to know where to handle their business, I could save Immortal Masters quite some trouble if I were to guide the way. My assistance only requires the payment of two spirit stones.¡±


    With that said, Lu Er gazed at Han Li with an expectant expression. He seemed to have already made out that the youth was the master of the two.


    Han Li faintly smiled and replied, ¡°So it¡¯s Lu Er? If your assistance is to my satisfaction, I will give you five spirit stones! But if you waste my time, I won¡¯t give you a single one!¡± Then with a mysterious smile, Han Li boarded the Divine Wind Boat without paying Lu Er any further attention.


    As Han Li stood on his boat, he gazed at Lu Er to the side.


    At this moment, the mortal¡¯s face incessantly shifted between dark and clear. After he saw Han Li gazing at him, he silently gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Alright! I will follow Immortal Master! I will definitely satisfy the Immortal Masters¡¯ expectations.¡±


    Han Li faintly nodded his head indifferently and tapped his Divine Wind Boat, immediately sinking it close to the ground. Having seen this, Lu Er hastily boarded and carefully stood on it.


    Soon after, the Divine Wind Boat slowly soared and flew towards the huge mountain at the center of the island.


    After flying for about a hundred meters through the sky, Han Li turned his head towards Lu Er. He saw that although his face revealed slight fear, he didn¡¯t show any signs of difficulty or intolerance. Inwardly nodding his head, Han Li casually asked, ¡°It seems this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve flown on a magic tool. Do you frequently act as a guide for foreign cultivators?¡±


    ¡°Previously, I¡¯ve assisted six Immortal Masters. However, this is only my second time flying.¡± Lu Er spoke with a forced smile. The wind at a hundred meters in the air proved to be a bit too strong for a mortal.


    Having seen that Lu Er¡¯s expression had turned slightly green, Han Li faintly smiled and raised his hand. With a flash of blue light, a layer of blue mist covered the entirety of the Divine Wind Boat, protecting the three. Lu Er¡¯s complexion immediately improved afterwards.


    But without waiting for Lu Er to say any thanks, Han Li inquired, ¡°First of all, tell me where I can find a place to cultivate in peace.¡±

 Chapter 391

    A New Home


    Lu Er blankly stared for a moment before involuntarily turning his gaze to the hands of Han Li and Crooked Soul.


    Having seen their red rings, he revealed a flash of sudden insight and gave Han Li a thorough explanation, ¡°So it turned out you Immortal Masters intend to take up long term residence! This matter is quite simple. Do you Immortal Masters see that building on Sage Mountain? If you wish to cultivate, you only have to go to there and rent a building. I¡¯ve heard other Immortal Masters say that a natural spirit vein flows through Sage Mountain. The higher the building, the greater the amount of Spiritual Qi. Of course, the price increases as well. If you don¡¯t wish to rent a building and want your own personal cave residence instead, it will cost far more than renting an ordinary residence! Furthermore, regardless of whether it is a building or a cave, you will have to pay a fee every hundred years. If you do not pay when the time comes, the Star Palace will repossess the residence by force.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so long as I have enough spirit stones, I¡¯ll be able to rent a cultivation area at the highest height?¡± Han Li revealed an interested expression.


    Lu Er shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it and spoke with embarrassment, ¡°Immortal Master jests, that obviously isn¡¯t possible. Every circle of buildings on Sage Mountain is considered a layer, coming to a total of eighty-one layers. The first fifty layers are open to foreign cultivators and can be rented as a cultivation residence so long as one has the spirit stones. The last thirty layers are reserved for the elders of the Star Palace. As for the last layer, that is where the Sage¡¯s Palace two Lord Sages live. Nobody is allowed to enter.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Han Li decisively said, ¡°Fine, point the way! Let¡¯s find a residence first before anything else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your subordinate follows your orders. Immortal Master should fly towards the base of the mountain. The buildings there take care of these matters.¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, the Divine Wind Boat turned into a streak of white light and flew towards the huge, distant mountain.


    The huge mountain had appeared somewhat near but it still took a quarter hour of full speed flight to reach the base of the mountain. Under the guidance of Lu Er, the Divine Wind Boat descended in front of an imposing pavilion.


    There were quite a few cultivators coming and going, occasionally flying off or landing with flashes of light.


    After a quick examination of the area, he brought Crooked Soul and Lu Er to the towering pavilion.


    Upon entering, Han Li saw over a dozen cultivators. Six of them were sitting alone at a couple of stone desks while talking with cultivators wearing white clothes. The white clothed cultivators appeared miserable and two of them were even pitifully begging. It made for a rather interesting scene as not a single one of their expressions were the same.


    Han Li silently watched the scene from the side.


    ¡°Sir Immortal, there is no one at the desk over there. Should we go over?¡± After a short moment, Lu Er carefully called out to Han Li. Han Li turned his gaze towards the recently cleared stone desk and nodded his head.


    But as Crooked Soul was the one to lead this time, Lu Er was left bewildered as he had recognized Han Li to be the master.


    ¡°Senior wishes to rent a residence at Sage Mountain? Which layer would you like? The higher the layer, the more expensive it will be!¡± The Star Palace cultivator examined Crooked Soul for a moment before speaking with a respectful tone.


    It seemed that Core Formation cultivators were seen with veneration regardless of the location. This was the reason why Han Li had Crooked Soul step forward.


    ¡°I want a cave dwelling. Are there any available? The higher the layer, the better!¡± Crooked Soul expressionlessly said.


    ¡°Cave dwelling? Senior is quite wealthy. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± Having heard Crooked Soul¡¯s arrogant tone, the white-clothed cultivator hastily took out a jade slip and started to search through it.


    ¡°I got it! There are three caves on the thirty-first layer, four caves on the thirty-ninth layer, and two caves on the forty-seventh layer. Here are the prices of the cave residences as well as their floor plans and capabilities.¡± The white-clothed cultivator then place several jade slips onto the stone table.


    When Crooked Soul heard this, he bluntly took the jade slips on the table and looked through them with his spiritual sense.


    Han Li had believed that since he wasn¡¯t lacking in spirit stones and that he could be considered somewhat wealthy among Core Formation cultivators, he would be able to afford the cost of a cave residence. But once he looked at the prices, he felt his heart drop.


    The cost of a cave residence at the thirty-ninth layer left Han Li feeling heartache, not to mention the forty-seventh layer cave. Also, these were just the costs of merely a hundred years of use. The price went up to three thousand spirit stones, a price that was far beyond reason!


    Having seen Crooked Soul become silent, the cultivator seemed to have guessed what he was thinking. He explained with a smile, ¡°Senior! Although we don¡¯t dare to call Sage Mountain¡¯s spirit vein the best in the Scattered Star Seas, it is undoubtedly in the top five. Cultivating at even the base of Sage Mountain is far faster than the best spot at an ordinary spirit vein. As for each layer above the thirtieth, cultivation speeds increase by an entire fourth. As such, the expensive price is completely worth it!¡±


    Han Li frowned in response and had Crooked Soul read through the jade slips once more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have this one!¡± Under Han Li¡¯s command, Crooked Soul handed over the jade slips and indicated a more capable cave residence on the thirty-ninth layer.


    As Crooked Soul wanted to rent an expensive cave dwelling, the white clothed cultivator swiftly responded in excitement, ¡°Understood, that will cost two thousand seven hundred spirit stones!¡±


    This time, Han Li didn¡¯t have Crooked Soul act. He personally took out twenty-seven mid-grade spirit stones and handed them over.


    ¡°This is the cave residence¡¯s authority medallion. It allows you to enter and leave the cave residence at well, but after a hundred years, the medallion will be revoked. Please carefully take care of it.¡± After taking the spirit stones, he took out a yellow medallion and handed it over to Crooked Soul.


    After taking the medallion, Crooked Soul wordlessly turned around and left.


    Han Li and Lu Er, who hadn¡¯t dared to speak, closely followed him out.


    ¡°A truly astonishing price! It actually cost that many spirit stones to secure a cultivation area.¡± After walking out of the pavilion, Han Li let out a long sigh before muttering to himself. This purchase had consumed a significant portion of his fortune.


    Lu Er stole a look at Han Li and asked with a whisper, ¡°Is there anywhere else that you two Immortal Masters wish to go?¡± He had been greatly shocked when Han Li had spent such a huge quantity of spirit stones. Although he had seen other cultivators act as such when he had guided them, they only spent several tens of spirit stones at most. This was the first time he had seen such a big spender who could spend nearly three thousand spirit stones in one sitting.


    Suddenly, Lu Er became even more respectful towards Han Li, now confident that he could potentially acquire an even greater reward. After all, Han Li spent money quite liberally. So long as Lu Er satisfied him, he was certain he wouldn¡¯t short him any spirit stones.


    Han Li quickly glanced at Lu Er and casually said, ¡°Guide me to the city¡¯s market and give me an introduction of the larger stores.¡±


    Afterwards, the Divine Wind Boat soared through the sky in a streak of light.


    ¡­¡­


    Half a day later, Han Li was lying on a large wooden bed with his hands cushioning the back of his head.


    Not long before, Lu Er had given him an introduction of the most important locations in Heavenly Star City. They then parted ways after Han Li gave Lu Er his payment. Having seen Lu Er depart with a delighted expression, Han Li returned to the cave residence on the thirty-ninth layer that he had paid an enormous sum for.


    The cave residence exactly matched what was described in the jade talisman. Not only was it isolated and peaceful, but it also had a large medicine garden. But what was most to Han Li¡¯s satisfaction was the abundant Spiritual Qi present. As described, the spirit vein in the mountain was truly beyond ordinary. His old cave residence in the Heavenly South Region couldn¡¯t possibly compare. All of these benefits left Han Li feeling satisfied with his purchase.


    The cave residence¡¯s formation spell was extremely impressive. It was no weaker than the simplified Five Elements Reversal Formation.


    Although this was the case, Han Li didn¡¯t feel at ease with just the cave¡¯s formation spell protecting him. He decided to have a short rest and would place down several of his formations tomorrow. After he finally felt his home was secure, he would have time to make plans for his future cultivation.


    With that thought, Han Li unwittingly fell sound asleep. He had been flying nonstop these last few months and was truly quite tired.


    On the morning of the second day, Han Li started to busy himself after waking up.


    He laid down three great formations outside of his cave residence, and planted all kinds of spiritual herbs in the empty medicine garden for future maturation. Lastly, he went into the market city and bought a large amount of high-quality fine jade. After returning to his cave residence, he embedded the fine jade into every inch of a hidden, forty-meter wide room.


    After all the surfaces of the hidden room were completely covered in jade, Han Li carefully released the Gold Devouring Beetles into the room.


    He held high expectations towards these high ranking wondrous bugs and planned to train them well so they could assist him in the future.

 Chapter 392

    Raising Bugs


    Although Gold Devouring Beetles were among the highest ranked exotic insects, the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator¡¯s jade slip mentioned that their physical power is very limited; only by relying on its superior numbers would it be able to prevail. If the swarm only contained a dozen or even thirty of them, they wouldn¡¯t be too useful once they reached adulthood. Only if they were in a swarm numbering by a hundred thousand or several hundred thousands would they be able to display power genuinely worthy of their rank.


    Imagining the scene of countless beetles blotting the sky and murdering without end, Han Li involuntarily shivered.


    He now intended to quickly raise the Gold Devouring Beetles and have them bear descendants to increase their number.


    However, this was easier said than done. The Gold Devouring Beetles had only existed in ancient times in the Heavenly South Region and were currently extinct there. As such, the concrete details of their breeding had disappeared countless generations ago. The information contained in the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator¡¯s jade slip only had the insect¡¯s characteristics as described by ancient records. Since there weren¡¯t any detailed methods of raising them, Han Li was left vexed for quite a while.


    In fact, not only were the Gold Devouring Beetles currently extinct, it seemed that the thirty top ranked exotic insects were extinct from the cultivation world as well. It was only because that Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator was a bug fanatic that he had scoured and analysed ancient records that he arranged the exotic insects on a list. As for how reliable the front end rankings were for the exotic insects, only the Heavens knew!


    It was only by coincidence that Han Li was able to obtain the Gold Devouring Beetles, a species that should¡¯ve been extinct. As these Gold Devouring Beetles from some unknown reason had just hatched, it seemed that they had been in suspended animation on Minor Expanse Island since ancient times for some unknown reason.


    It was reasonable to say that mountain-splitting earthquakes and torrential storms had been unable to awaken the exotic insects. However, it seemed that the congregation of exotic insects that Han Li brought with him after building his cave residence had resulted in the beetles¡¯ miraculous awakening. The scent of Han Li¡¯s various insects must slowly trickled down and aroused the appetite of the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Originally, they should¡¯ve attack Han Li¡¯s exotic insects sooner, but Han Li¡¯s Bloodjade Spiders were there. As they were fearful of their natural predator, they didn¡¯t dare to venture too closely to Han Li¡¯s cave residence. Thus, they had stayed hidden on Minor Expanse island while rigidly staring at Han Li¡¯s cave.


    On his last trip, Han Li had brought along his Bloodjade Spiders, allowing the Gold Devouring Beetles to emerge. From what Han Li saw, after those Gold Devouring Beetles ate all his exotic insects, they settled their nest into the cave¡¯s medicine garden. With Han Li¡¯s stealthy return, he was able to capture them in one sitting.


    Since Han Li didn¡¯t have knowledge about raising these insects, he could only approach it slowly and fumble about.


    First, Han Li tried throwing in bug food of all kinds into the room, resulting in the several hundreds of Gold Devouring Beetles immediately ravaging them. Han Li was delighted to find that they weren¡¯t picky with their food.


    However, Han Li¡¯s happiness only persisted for a few months. After feeding the beetles a great amount of food, he discovered they hadn¡¯t matured in the slightest. Han Li felt quite gloomy and was forced to think of a different method.


    As these beetles loved to eat the five metals and Spiritual Qi, Han Li fed them metallic items of each type separately and a few low grade spirit stones. After devouring them, these beetles didn¡¯t show the slightest change, and Han Li deemed it to be another failure.


    Extremely disheartened, Han Li bluntly threw the lifeless eggs that he had acquired from the Golden Back Mantis into the beetle room. After eating these, the beetles finally started to display a change in their Spiritual Qi and appeared to be far more violent.


    While this caused Han Li to be pleasantly surprised, he also became rather worried. Could it be that these Gold Devouring Beetles would only mature after eating other exotic insects? That would be a greatly difficult problem, as he had no other exotic insects other than his Bloodjade spiders.


    Helpless, Han Li bought bloody hog and sheep meat and threw it into their room. Apart from causing these Gold Devouring Beetles to become even more vicious, they didn¡¯t show any signs of maturing in the slightest.


    With no other choice, Han Li gradually matured enough spiritual herbs and started to refine Spirit Feed Pills.


    Previously, Han Li had only refined pills to further progress his own magic power, so it would be his first time refining this pill.


    A few days later, he had successfully refined his first Spirit Feed Pills. Han Li immediately fed the Gold Devouring Beetles and his two Bloodjade spiders a portion of the pills. The results left Han Li both overjoyed and worried.


    He was happy that the spirit pills had a beneficial effect on both demon beasts and exotic insects. Unfortunately, he grew worried after seeing that the changes that occurred to the Gold Devouring Beetles and the Bloodjade Spider were extremely different.


    He fed both the two Bloodjade Spiders five Spirit Feed Pills each. The next day, their Spiritual Qi had grown by a small but obvious amount. As for the Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li had fed them many pills but the effects could only be described as negligible. They only experienced a sliver of growth.


    He estimated that because the number of Gold Devouring Beetles was far too great, their growth was much lesser. This method wouldn¡¯t be capable of causing any large benefits.


    This swarm only numbered in the several hundreds. When he thought of the several tens of thousands he would need to display their true strength, Han Li lost confidence in continuing to raise these bugs.


    Having come to this conclusion, Han Li lost interest in raising the Gold Devouring Beetles and fed the remaining Spirit Feed Pills to his Bloodjade spiders. As for the beetles, he fed them a bit of insect feed every day.


    At this point, Han Li had already spent half a year in Heavenly Star City.


    In addition to rearing his bugs, Han Li shut himself in seclusion and madly refined grade two puppets and all sorts of talismans.


    As Han Li hadn¡¯t yet reached Core Formation, he was unable to grasp any intermediate magic techniques or refine any intermediate talismans as a result. After creating such a large amount of talismans, he acquired the benefit of having a high success rate in crafting low-grade talismans. Han Li had a success rate close to fifty percent for even high-grade talismans, allowing him to save a large amount of materials.


    Several hundred years old ironwood was the main ingredient in crafting grade two puppets. Since Han Li could quickly mature the ironwood, his cost when making a puppet was decreased by over half.


    For the souls that were required to refine the puppets, the Emperor of Yue¡¯s Soul Congregation Bowl contained many feral souls that had long lost their intelligence. He bluntly made use of them as they no longer held any intelligence and had lost their qualifications for reincarnation as a result. As such, he could only regard them as common refinement materials.


    After finally crafting about two hundred puppets of the same model, Han Li was left extremely satisfied. However, the creation of these puppets had consumed a significant number of Han Li¡¯s spirit stones. Although the cost of creating a single puppet couldn¡¯t be considered large, the cost of successfully creating two hundred puppets with the addition of the cost of the materials lost during failed attempts could leave one speechless.


    By this time, Han Li had now been in seclusion for two entire years.


    During these two years, Han Li fed his Bloodjade spiders with Spirit Feed Pills. With the assistance of strong medicinal power, the two demon beasts ascended in rank, becoming peak grade one demon beasts.


    During this time, Crooked Soul had almost completely refined the ¡°Immemorial Bowl¡±. Although he wasn¡¯t the magic treasure¡¯s creator and was thereby unable to merge his mind with it, he was eventually able to absorb it into his body and display seventy percent of its power.


    Han Li had previously thought about having Crooked Soul create his own magic treasure, but the materials for crafting magic treasures are truly costly. With his remaining spirit stones, Han Li feared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire even the most common materials for a magic treasure. In addition, magic treasures aren¡¯t something that can be created in a short amount of time within one¡¯s soul. At the very least, it would take thirty years of bitter effort before it could display the early stages of its might, but Han Li didn¡¯t have such time to waste!


    His most pressing need was to acquire a large amount of demon beast cores so that he may refine spirit medicines in preparations for the second cycle of the Three Essence Revolutions Technique.


    His actions in seclusion, whether it be raising his exotic insects or refining a great amount of puppets, were all preparations for demon beast hunting. Han Li wondered if they would be capable of hunting grade five demon beasts without much difficulty with Crooked Soul acting as the main force, along with the assistance of his puppets, Bloodjade Spiders, spell formations, and Han Li himself.


    With this in mind, Han Li finally left his cave residence and brought Crooked Soul with him to Heavenly Star City. Since he wanted to go to the Outer Star Seas and hunt high grade demon beasts, he naturally required information on the demon beasts and the area where the transportation formation would take him. As such, he went to the city market hoping to get what he needed.


    Heavenly Star City¡¯s market was located on the first layer of Sage Mountain, and was so huge it occupied at least half of the first layer if not more.


    The scope of the daily trading of materials and magic tools at this market was far greater and more prosperous than any market city Han Li had previously seen.

 Chapter 393

    Deep Jade Island


    During the last two years, Han Li had left seclusion several times to replenish his puppet crafting materials. Because he had been such a big spender during these trips, many store owners had become quite familiar with his face. After acquiring the information he wanted from the shopkeepers with a few inquiries, Han Li went to a bookstore called the White Gate Pavilion.


    As expected, the store contained collections information on all of the demon beasts currently known in the Scattered Star Seas. Han Li¡¯s spirits were roused and he acquired a copy of this information for over a thousand spirit stones. As for the information on the Demon Beast Islands in the Outer Star Seas, Han Li found it in an unremarkable small store.


    Since his objectives had been achieved, Han Li intended to return to his cave dwelling, but on the way back, he came across a shop that specialized in selling storage pouches and spirit beast pouches.


    Currently, he carried far too many items on his person. With his two hundred puppet beasts occupying four of his storage pouches, he found it inconvenient to use them. Furthermore, since he planned to go out to sea to hunt demon beasts, he would need more space to collect their valuable body parts in addition to their demon cores. It would be far too wasteful to just throw them away, so it was only natural that he¡¯d want to prepare a few storage pouches with a larger capacity.


    An hour later, Han Li left the shop feeling slight heartache after having spent over a thousand spirit stones on two high capacity storage pouches. Since they had nearly ten times the capacity of his previous storage pouches, they should prove to be sufficient.


    Afterwards, Han Li passed by the ¡°Lavish Cheer Auction House¡±, the top ranked auction in Heavenly Star City, and couldn¡¯t help but take a look inside.


    The details of the items up for auction left Han Li feeling truly covetous. Not only were there grade six demon cores, but they also had high grade materials for magic treasure refinement, not to mention many rare goods that he had never heard of before.


    Unfortunately, while the items in this auction were good, cultivators such as Han Li, with only a few thousand spirit stones on hand, couldn¡¯t afford to buy anything. This was because after any rare items entered an auction hall, their price would likely increase by over half the original value.


    Spirit herbs that were over a thousand years old were rare and could be auctioned off at a high price, but Han Li didn¡¯t¡¯ wish to attract any problems. After all, he may feel as if he was lacking spirit stones, but it wasn¡¯t to the stage where he was a desperate level of poverty. As such, it would be better to avoid any unnecessary trouble.


    After glancing at the overly expensive auctioned goods, Han Li returned to his cave residence.


    A month later, Han Li had finished getting all of his affairs in order. During that time, he had particularly studied the properties and weaknesses of the Outer Star Sea demon beasts and came up with appropriate plans of action upon encountering any of them.


    But one day, Han Li suddenly bursted out laughing and was dancing with joy as he held a jade slip in hand. Then with a faceful of excitement, he quickly ran out of his cave residence and flew out toward the city market.


    In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. Han Li and Crooked Soul appeared in the Heavenly Star City¡¯s fiftieth layer district, standing in front of a large hall made entirely of marble. A huge ten-meter-long signboard hung up above with the golden words, ¡°Starry Sky Palace¡±. There wasn¡¯t anybody else present outside the hall.


    Han Li calmly walked inside with Crooked Soul in tow. After passing through a small, short corridor, his view opened to a spacious hall that was over seventy meters wide and tall.


    Within the hall, there were four male and one female cultivator chatting with a white-clothed cultivator of the Star Palace. Several transportation formations of equivalent size were lined up behind them. A small stone tabled lay in front of each of the transportation formations with the name of the transportation formation¡¯s destination.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay further attention to the transportation formation, and instead swept his spiritual sense past the other cultivators. What he found left him shocked. Half of those present were Core Formation cultivators, and the other half were late Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    After Han Li and Crooked soul entered, the six glanced at them with slight surprise.


    The white-clothed Core Formation cultivator recovered quickly despite appearing somewhat puzzled by the appearance of Crooked Soul and Han Li. The other five revealed joy upon seeing the two arrive.


    ¡°These two Fellow Daoists also wish to go to the Demon Beast Islands? How about joining us in using the same teleportation and splitting the cost?¡± The charming woman that appeared thirty-years-old suddenly spoke with a sweet smile.


    Han Li stared blankly for a moment and didn¡¯t immediate respond. Instead, he looked at the white-clothed cultivator in charge of the formation and asked with slight confusion, ¡°Senior, will that be acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Of course, use of the transportation formation is charged based on the number of activations not by the quantity of people. Regardless of whether it is a single person or seven people, the cost will still be seven hundred spirit stones. However, only a maximum of seven people can be teleported in a single instance.¡± The white-clothed cultivator spoke indifferently.


    Han Li respectfully thanked him for his explanation, and then turned his head towards the woman, asking her with a smile, ¡°Have you decided which Demon Beast Island you intend to go to? My Martial Uncle and I wish to head to Deep Jade Island!¡±


    ¡°Deep Jade Island?¡± The woman was startled for a moment. After glancing at the several people behind her she immediately replied with a chuckle, ¡°What a coincidence! We also planned on heading towards Deep Jade Island!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change but he inwardly sneered. ¡®A coincidence?¡¯ These people obviously didn¡¯t care which Demon Beast Island they went to. But since Han Li could save on spirit stones, he nodded his head in agreement.


    After each of the group members handed over a hundred spirit stones to the white-clothed cultivator, they all stood in the transportation formation for ¡°Deep Jade Island¡±. The white-clothed cultivator then handed each of them a transportation talisman to place on their body. It seemed that this talisman had an effect similar to the Greater Displacement Medallion, preventing any mishaps from occurring due to long distance teleportation.


    Although the talisman could provide protection for long distance teleportation, it was only effective up to a certain distance and could only be used once. The Greater Displacement Medallion was far superior by comparison. But even so, the talisman was still considered a rare item that could only be created by the talisman masters of the Star Palace. They weren¡¯t for sale on the outside.


    Han Li felt somewhat nervous as the spirit stones around the transportation formation flashed with blinding white light.


    After the light faded away, Han Li and the others found themselves within a simple stone room, indicating that the teleportation had succeeded without a problem! In addition to the seven new arrivals, an expressionless Star Palace cultivator also stood in the room.


    The Star Palace cultivator was only a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator and was sitting in a corner of the room in meditation. After indifferently glancing at Han Li and the others when the teleportation finished, he closed his eyes once more without any intention of further paying them attention.


    Han Li felt a slightly unordinary Spiritual Qi fluctuation in the room. It seemed to originate from the formation spell¡¯s restrictions that enshrouded the room.


    The stone room had a large, half-open door. Through its opening, faint chatter could be heard from the outside, and the occasional silhouette could be seen passing by.


    While Han Li looked around the room in curiosity, the others walked out of the formation while minding their own business. But suddenly, an aged Core Formation cultivator with a face as red as ripe jujubes suddenly turned around and asked, ¡°Are you Fellow Daoist interested in joining hands with us? We¡¯ll split the spirit stones evenly after selling off the demon cores.¡±


    ¡°There is no need. My Martial Nephew and I have different plans. Please take care of yourselves!¡± Crooked Soul¡¯s ugly face remained expressionless while declining the proposal.


    The old man revealed slight disappointment at the refusal and sighed, saying, ¡°That is truly a pity! If Fellow Daoist were to join me, we¡¯d have no problem hunting grade six demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°Since it appears that this is the first time you two have visited a Demon Beast Island, I¡¯ll give you two a word of advice. Not only must you be wary of high grade demon beasts here, but you should also be careful of ambushes from evil cultivators. If that happened, it would be better to be traveling in a group. If you have a change of heart, we will happily welcome you.¡±


    Han Li remained silent for a moment before bringing Crooked Soul out of the room with a chuckle.


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Han Li looked around in astonishment.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that this place had small streets everywhere, because there were businesses of all kinds scattered about, selling talismans, magic tools, assorted goods, or even purchasing depots. Each of the stores also had a shopkeeper lazily sitting inside.


    These stores were also quite crudely constructed. They weren¡¯t built with stone but with wooden logs instead. As they were truly simple as can be Han Li doubted whether the stores would still be standing after a strong gust of wind.


    Moreover, these so-called streets spread outwards with the transportation formation¡¯s stone room as the center. They were carelessly arranged and scattered in every direction, leaving orderly observers feeling unwell upon sight.

 Chapter 394

    Cultivators and Demon Beasts on a Small Island


    The most puzzling thing to Han Li was the silence that spread throughout the streets. There wasn¡¯t a single person outside of the stores.


    After murmuring to himself for a moment, he silently smiled. How could he have forgotten! This place wasn¡¯t nearly as leisurely as the Inner Star Seas. The courageous new arrivals to these islands were at mid Foundation Establishment at the very least. They should all be out hunting demon beasts!


    Han Li then lifted his head and looked around, discovering that this place was actually built with its back to a small mountain.


    Han Li pondered for a moment before walking towards the general goods store built from rubble.


    ¡°Are there any new sea maps of the nearby area?¡± Before Han Li arrived, he had learned that the sea maps of the Demon Beast Islands were constantly being replaced and that the newest maps were the most useful.


    ¡°We do! We have general maps and detailed maps. Which type would Senior like?¡± The shopkeeper of the general goods store was a middle-aged Qi Condensation cultivator. He gave an enthusiastic reply after they came over and asked him a question.


    ¡°The detailed map!¡± Han Li answered instantly.


    ¡°The detailed map costs one hundred spirit stones!¡± The middle-aged man stated boldly.


    ¡°One hundred?¡± Han Li felt that he had misheard, but his face soon darkened and revealed fury. Although he didn¡¯t intend to provoke any problems, he wasn¡¯t going to allow himself to be swindled by a low-grade cultivator.


    ¡°Senior shouldn¡¯t misunderstand. This price wasn¡¯t decided by me, but by my superiors. I am only obeying orders. In addition, other cultivators sell us the new maps at a high price as well!¡± In response to Han Li¡¯s gloomy expression, he gave an explanation with his own complaints rather than expressing fear.


    ¡°Your superiors? What merchant union do you belong to?¡± Han Li asked with a frown after his anger had somewhat subsided. He clearly understood that small shops weren¡¯t capable of conducting business on the Demon Beast Islands. This might even be a branch of the Four Elements Merchant Union.


    After a short pause, the middle-aged man replied with a smile, ¡°Hehe, Senior sure is knowledgeable. Junior is an underling of the Lavish Cheer Merchant Union.¡±


    ¡°The same Lavish Cheer Union that established the Lavish Cheer Auction House in Heavenly Star City, and is a member of the Four Elements Merchant Union?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Senior!¡±


    Without any further bickering, Han Li bluntly threw a mid-grade spirit stone his way. The shopkeeper then let out a chuckle and handed a jade slip over to Han Li.


    Han Li glanced at the other shops before taking the jade slip and moodily asking, ¡°Are the other stores also part of your Lavish Cheer Merchant Union?¡±


    ¡°How could that possibly be? Apart from the purchasing depot in the west, the other businesses were all established by different merchant unions and have no relation to ours.¡± The middle-aged man glanced at the other stores and spoke with slight hostility.


    Having heard this, Han Li turned around and left with Crooked Soul without any further words.


    Just as he thought to fly off on his Divine Wind Boat, a streak of green light fell from the sky and landed in front of the purchasing depot. The light faded away to reveal a tall and burly Core Formation cultivator.


    ¡°Youngster Fan, you¡¯ve got business!¡± The large man loudly yelled towards the store after arriving. He then took out a storage pouch from his chest and threw it on the floor. With a whirl of rainbow radiance, the ten meter corpse of a monstrous fish appeared on the ground.


    Although it was said to be a fish, the only fish-like thing about it were the green scales on its body. It had a python¡¯s head and huge claws on its abdomen, and there was a bloody hole on its upper back; it seemed its demon core had already been ripped out.


    ¡°Ah! Senior Hao has arrived! This Jadescale Demon Fish is quite hard to kill. Only Senior¡¯s truly remarkable skill would be able to kill it!¡± A Qi Condensation youth quickly ran out from the store and examined the demon corpse with quick eyes and clever mind. As he incessantly praised the large man, the large man heartily laughed. The man seemed to be a heroic figure.


    He suddenly turned around to face Han Li and Crooked Soul. After examining them for a moment, he candidly yelled out to them, ¡°Your faces are unfamiliar! You must¡¯ve just arrived! Do you wish to hunt demon beasts together?¡±


    Seeing that the large man was so cordial, Han Li silently smiled but had Crooked Soul shake his head in refusal.


    The large man revealed a trace of disappointment, but enthusiastically continued, ¡° I am Hao Yuantian and am somewhat well-known on Deep Jade Island. If you change your mind, come find me.¡± With that said, the large man took a pouch of spirit stones from the youth and looked at it before energetically flying off in a streak of green light.


    Han Li stood in his original spot while silently pondering.


    Both the red-faced Core Formation cultivator as well as the large man surnamed Hao had invited him to join them. Quite a number of Core Formation cultivators had arrived on Deep Jade Island and formed their own groups; even Core Formation cultivators traveled in groups so that they may hunt demon beasts in safety. Han Li had already known about this from his research. If he didn¡¯t have his own plans in mind, it was likely he would¡¯ve agreed to one of their invitations.


    Han Li carefully looked through the map on the jade slip he just bought while he flew his Divine Wind Boat towards the edge of the island.


    Deep Jade Island wasn¡¯t very large, and after a short moment, Han Li had already arrived at the island¡¯s edge.


    Han Li swept his gaze across his surroundings while standing at the front of his Divine Wind Boat. His eyes flashed with spirit, and he chose a direction as he flew deeper into the endless seas.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to travel too close to the water as it was home to demon beasts with deep cultivation. Although those beasts concealed themselves at the seafloor, they would occasionally feed on any lifeforms that passed by above them. If any cultivators were to alarm one, they would almost certainly be consumed as well. As such, Han Li was extremely careful.


    But in contrast, one couldn¡¯t fly at too high an altitude in the Outer Star Seas as the sea beasts weren¡¯t the only occupants. There were also bird-type demon beasts that habitually patrolled the seas from up above. Allowing oneself to enter their range of vision was extremely dangerous.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t always the case. Each of the sea territories had slightly different circumstances, and one¡¯s safety was never absolute. Every year, cultivators teleport to the Demon Beast Islands with dreams of hunting demon beasts for their cores, but a significant number of them never returned. There were even rumors of high grade demon beasts overcoming their Core Formation hunters and devouring them instead.


    While there were clearly enormous profits to be had by hunting demon beasts in the Outer Star Seas, there was an equally high level of danger involved. As such, all cultivators who arrived on these islands would voluntarily form groups with their acquaintances and hunt together with the increased safety.


    However, gathering together in large numbers to hunt was a taboo. Previously, all the cultivators on the Demon Beast Islands had hunted together. They were successful for a while before they had attracted the attention of a large group of demon beasts that were all grade seven and higher. Not only was the death toll terrifying, but the island was completely destroyed as well.


    After these events repeated two additional times, no one else dared to gather together in groups past a certain size. Nowadays, they would gather together in groups of at most a dozen, creating many smaller groups around the island where high level cultivators were often roped in to join them.


    With the previously mentioned information in mind, Han Li¡¯s expression immediately became sullen after flying from Deep Jade Island.


    Not only did Han Li release his powerful spiritual sense, surrounding his body in a hundred meter radius, but he also propelled his Divine Wind Boat at its greatest speed and quickly flew through the air in a streak of white light.


    Every six hours, Han Li would stop and confirm his direction as he was deeply fearful of getting lost and being unable to find his destination.


    Han Li¡¯s luck was surprisingly quite good. On his way, he didn¡¯t encounter any trouble aside from an easily avoided grade five demon beast that was romping around in the distance.


    After flying with periodic stops for three days, he eventually spotted a small fire-red island.


    As flew closer, he saw that the island was created from an accumulation of scarlet coral. With the addition of the sparkling reflection of sunlight, it made for quite a beautiful sight!


    Han Li stopped above the island and revealed a face of happiness.

 Chapter 395

    Rainbow Skirt Grass


    ¡°Red Coral Island! So this is the nearest coral island!¡±


    Han Li stood on the Divine Wind Boat and muttered to himself for a moment. Afterwards, he flew in a large circle around the island and made sure that the coral island didn¡¯t have any cultivators or demon beasts nearby before slowly descending with Crooked Soul.


    The small ring-shaped island was composed of coral rings of differing sizes.


    Han Li stood on a smooth surface and ground his shoes against the ground to make fine, dark-red grains of dust. He then lifted his head to examine the topography of the island. A short moment later, he narrowed his eyes in contemplation.


    Ordering Crooked Soul to stand guard near him, he suddenly set off to walk around the island.


    Under Crooked Soul¡¯s protection, Han Li made a thorough inspection of the island¡¯s west and east coral rings. After making a full examination of the island, he even dove into the sea in the center of the island and didn¡¯t emerge until half a day later.


    On the third day, Han Li completed his investigation and finally came to a decision.


    He ordered Crooked Soul to place down his three great formations¡ª the Five Elements Reversal Formation, the Fierce Heavenly Wind Formation, and the Illusory Heavensifting Formation¡ª at his selected locations. The three formations all covered the center of Red Coral Island.


    After placing down the three formations, Han Li additionally set up several small scale magic formations at the center of the Red Coral Island. With every direction sealed off from the center, it created an inescapable net.


    Having done all of this, Han Li carefully examined his work and ensured that there was nothing he had overlooked. Then, he took out a jade box from his storage pouch and gently stroked it.


    Han Li revealed a mysterious smile and slowly opened it, revealing a large medicinal herb that had thirteen leaves on its stalk. The leaves were completely curled up, making it appear quite peculiar.


    Even more noteworthy was the white mist the plant carried that faintly released a rainbow light, making for a magnificent sight. It seemed to be of supernatural nature.


    This was Han Li¡¯s greatest trump card, the ¡°Rainbow Skirt Grass¡±.


    Although the herb wasn¡¯t common, it couldn¡¯t be considered a rarity either. This item was able to be found on coral reefs in the Scattered Star Seas. However, if one attempted to plant this in ordinary soil, it would cause its surroundings to shine with color for one or two days before dying off. It was quite interesting.


    What was most fascinating was that the color which shined would be the same as the environment it grew in, altering the color of its current location, whether it be blue, red, or any other color.


    However, it didn¡¯t possess any significant medicinal effects for cultivators. Apart from its attractiveness, common cultivators would only view it as an ingredient used in some low grade medicine pills. However, ¡°Rainbow Skirt Grass¡± had another name, ¡°Demonlure Grass¡±, and had previously caused a large amount of uproar in the cultivation world of the Scattered Star Seas.


    At the time, an unknown cultivator had unexpectedly discovered that every hundred years, one of the thirteen curled leaves of this extremely beautiful medicinal herb would gradually unfold. Upon fully unfolding, it would release a strange scent that lasted an entire week.


    The scent didn¡¯t have any effect on cultivators, but to the many demon beasts in the sea, it was an extremely enticing aroma. With the slightest smell, the demon beasts would instantly search for it, racing to be the first to find and devour its source.


    In addition, the older the Rainbow Skirt Grass, the farther its scent traveled, and the more powerful the demon beasts it would attract.


    It was said that a Nascent Soul expert had previously found a stalk of thousand year old Rainbow Skirt Grass in the depths of the Outer Star Seas that had just unfolded its eleventh leaf. As a result, this expert had personally seen several tens of grade six and grade seven demon beasts mount a simultaneous charge towards it, forcing the expert to flee.


    When this was later made known in the cultivation world, many cultivators had thoughts of using this herb to lure demon beasts for easy hunting, as high grade cultivators would often go months in the Outer Star Seas without encountering a single demon beast.


    Towards a majority of cultivators, grade five demon beasts were the best targets, as hunting grade six and seven demon beasts posed too great a risk of death. As for any demon beasts grade eight and higher, only old Nascent Soul eccentrics wouldn¡¯t flee at the sight of them. Anybody else would merely become demon beast food.


    The number of demon beasts in the Outer Star Seas were truly great. However, they were truly difficult to find as they rarely ever left their concealment from the deep seas. Unless high level cultivators flew thousands of kilometers day by day over the ocean or possessed remarkable ability for searching the sea with their spiritual sense, roaming the Scattered Star Seas for half a year without encountering a demon beast was a very common occurrence.


    After all, the Outer Star Seas were truly vast and the various demon beasts each had their own methods of concealment. It was quite easy to overlook them even when searching with spiritual sense.


    When it was discovered that Rainbow Skirt Grass could attract demon beasts, it caused quite an uproar. For a time, well-aged Rainbow Skirt Grass was quite precious.


    However, it was soon discovered that this idea was but a mere fantasy. First of all, there was no method to predict the exact moment its leaves would uncurl. It is said to uncurl one of its leaves every hundred years, but there was often a variance of three or two years. As such, there was no way for cultivators to effectively make use of it while they were at sea.


    Secondly, there was the depressing discovery that Rainbow Skirt Grass lost its ability to uncurl its leaves and release its unique scent a hundred years after being picked.


    As such, any thoughts of transporting it to the Outer Star Seas were extinguished. As for its name as ¡°Demonlure Grass¡±, it was quickly discarded, and it returned to being called ¡°Rainbow Skirt Grass¡±.


    When Han Li found this mocking, understated record in a jade slip, his eyes flashed with inspiration. The small bottle¡¯s ability was just waiting to be combined with the spiritual herb!


    He immediately purchased a stalk of Rainbow Skirt Grass from the city market and experimented with it in his cave residence. As a result, the Rainbow Skirt Grass gradually uncurled its leaf over the course of five days under the effects of the green liquid. Afterwards, it released a strange scent that couldn¡¯t be described as either pleasant or foul, but it did leave quite the impression.


    Doubtfully, Han Li placed his two Bloodjade spiders into the medicine garden. As a result, the two demon beasts immediately leapt towards the Rainbow Skirt Grass and completely devoured it without the slightest hesitation.


    Soon after, the scent faded away and the two white spiders returned to normal.


    While this result came as a pleasant surprise, he also felt worried about his Bloodjade Spiders. After carefully examining them for the next few days and finding that nothing strange had occurred, he finally felt relieved.


    With this trump card in hand, he was suddenly filled with confidence in hunting demon beasts for their cores. After making another round of preparations, not only did Han Li bring a large amount of Rainbow Skirt Grass, but he also visited the many coral islands in Deep Jade Island¡¯s territory after arriving. After all, Rainbow Skirt Grass could only survive on coral islands.


    As such, after laying down his inescapable net on Red Coral Island, he waited for the Rainbow Skirt Grass to mature and have demon beasts come knocking on his door.


    Han Li had found an isolated coral reef in the sea at the center of the ring-shaped red coral island and planted his Rainbow Skirt Grass sprout on it.


    Although he knew that the older the Rainbow Skirt Grass, the greater area of effect it would have, he started off with hundred year old Rainbow Skirt Grass to be safe.


    Han Li took out a small bottle from his body and carefully dripped the green liquid onto the spirit herb. He then meditated on a nearby coral island with Crooked Soul by his side, both of them preserving their strength for what was to come.


    Three days later, the Rainbow Skirt Grass had unfolded a leaf before Han Li¡¯s eyes and released a bizarre scent.


    Han Li silently waved his hand. With a flash of radiance, glowing formation flags of various colors appeared embedded in the ground around him.


    Han Li gazed at the formation flags for a moment before calmly closing his eyes once more. He had already decided that if no demon beasts appeared in the next few days, he would give the Rainbow Skirt Grass another drop of the green liquid and increase the range of its demon luring effect. With this, demon beasts were bound to visit.

 Chapter 396

    Hunting Demon Beasts for Cores


    Han Li¡¯s worries were soon proven unfounded. A mere hour later, Han Li felt two huge Spiritual Qi fluctuations head towards the red coral island, one from the east and one from the west.


    His expression changed and he suddenly opened his eyes, rigidly staring at the line of formation flags before him. Although he had already completed his preparations, he couldn¡¯t help but become nervous as two high grade demon beasts were coming at the same time.


    Suddenly, a purple formation flag in front of him flashed with radiance and lightly trembled.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn, but he didn¡¯t take any immediate action and only silently looked on. He knew that although a grade five demon beast could be considered intelligent, it wouldn¡¯t be able to break free from the Five Elements Reversal Formation only a moment after entering it. A grade five demon beast may possess similar cultivation to an early Core formation cultivator, but its fighting strength was almost always inferior to a cultivator of similar rank. After all, its intelligence was poor and it was capable of far too few magic techniques, allowing cultivators of similar strength to easily kill them. In addition, they would need quite some time to break through profound creations such as formation spells.


    As such, Han Li felt at ease allowing one more demon beast to enter his magic formation before setting out to act.


    Just as he was apprehensively thinking to himself, a yellow formation flag flashed with brilliance and released a soft hum. Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s solemn expression became somewhat happy. He then formed an incantation gesture with his hands and restricted the scent of the Rainbow Skirt Grass with the formations surrounding it.


    After doing this, Han Li held out his bare hands, and two of the glowing formation flags flew into them with a single word, ¡°Come!¡±


    Behind him, Crooked Soul opened his mouth and spouted out a yellow radiance. The yellow radiance flourished, swirling around Han Li and carrying him off towards the sky in a yellow streak of light.


    After a short moment, Han Li appeared above the westmost formation, the Illusory Heavensifting Formation. The formation¡¯s colorful green-yellow clouds were incessantly rolling, and an ox¡¯s roar could faintly be heard booming from within the formation.


    Han Li then took out his Divine Wind Boat and had it fly away by itself.


    He then took out the yellow formation flag and lightly waved it. The formation flag shot out a yellow beam of light towards the colorful clouds, causing them to vanish and reveal the demon beast within.


    The demon beast was about ten meters long and had a round body surrounded by spikes of fire-red light. At first glance, it appeared to be a huge sea urchin. However, over thirty dark green eyes protruded from its body.


    The eyes¡¯ gazes were ice-cold, and they shot out scarlet streaks of light in quick succession towards the formation. Its bull-like roar came from its fat abdomen and sounded as if it was violently irritated.


    ¡°Thousand Eyed Demon!¡± After seeing the demon beast¡¯s appearance, Han Li immediately recognized it and became somewhat interested.


    As it was one of the most commonly seen grade five demon beasts in the Scattered Star Seas, it would make for good practice.


    He didn¡¯t dare delay for long since this formation wasn¡¯t strong enough to endure much more of the demon¡¯s rampage. He immediately gave Crooked Soul an order.


    After receiving the order, the yellow light enveloping Crooked Soul¡¯s body suddenly turned blood-red. He then brought his hands together and quickly separated them, shooting out a yellow crescent from his hand towards the Thousand Eyed Demon in the formation. This was the magic treasure that Crooked Soul had nearly fully refined, the ¡°Immemorial Bowl¡±.


    Although the Thousand Eyed Demon was trapped in the formation, it seemed to realize how powerful the yellow crescent was. All of the eyes on its body locked onto the Immemorial Bowl flying towards it and shot scarlet beams at it simultaneously, combining into a thick red beam of light. For a short while, the beam rigidly blocked the yellow crescent¡¯s advance, forcing a contest of magic power with Crooked Soul, the magic treasure¡¯s controller.


    Han Li then revealed a smile.


    He patted a bulging storage pouch at his waist, causing over a hundred white lights to quickly fly out and surround the great formation.


    These white lights were sinister puppet beasts that appeared to be almost three meters tall. They immediately opened their mouths and dazzling light began to condense in them as if they were prepared to act.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s face was flushed with excitement. He waved his hand, causing his Redthread Shadowchaser needles to appear in his hand. At that same time, the puppet beasts each shot out a beam of light towards the Thousand Eyed Demon.


    The demon beast seemed to have discovered the direness of its situation and suddenly let out a sharp whistle. Its entire body let out a groan and curled into a huge ball of flesh covered in spikes of light. At the same time, the red light released by it eyeballs started to turn green. These green streaks of light weren¡¯t launched as an attack, and instead condensed into a thick barrier of light around its body.


    The hundred beams of light simultaneously struck the green light barrier, causing an explosion of radiance to shine around it. The demon beast¡¯s barrier managed to withstand the attack. However, the green light barrier began to flicker as if it would collapse before long.


    With the absence of the red beam of light that previously restrained it, the Immemorial Bowl was free to attack. Under Crooked Soul¡¯s command, it suddenly became a huge disk that spanned about ten meters. In concert with the light beam attacks, it fiercely struck down onto the demon beast.


    The sound of a sharp rupture soon followed. Although the light barrier was being sustained by desperate releases of green light by the Thousand Eyed Beast, the repeated attacks of the puppet¡¯s light beam along with the Immemorial Bowl¡¯s strike had completely destroyed its barrier.


    Han Li, who had been waiting for this, instantly reacted, raising his hand. A set of red threads flew off and shot towards the demon beast¡¯s vulnerable body.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li was inside the formation with a green orb the size of a chicken egg now in his hand along with a wide smile on his face.


    Underneath his foot was the heavily damaged demon beast corpse with a fist-sized bloody hole on its body.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t delay any longer. After storing the demon beast¡¯s corpse in his storage pouch, he set off and was immediately swept up by Crooked Soul¡¯s yellow light and hastily taken to a different formation spell.


    ¡­¡­


    That was how Han Li spent an entire month on Red Coral Island.


    He would periodically place a drop of green liquid on the Rainbow Skirt Grass, gradually increasing the range of the demon lure. This attracted demon beasts in intervals of two or three days, allowing Han Li and Crooked Soul to slay over a dozen grade five demon beasts, much to Han Li¡¯s great delight!


    But when the Rainbow Skirt Grass had reached four hundred years old, it attracted a grade six demon beast by the name of ¡°Fowlcombed Flood Dragon¡±. Han Li was very surprised and hastily cut off the scent of the Rainbow Skirt Grass with his formation spell. After the demon beast swam a few rounds nearby after the scent disappeared, it angrily left.


    Frightened, Han Li discovered the Rainbow Skirt Grass was best used aged up to three hundred years. Maturing it past that point would attract even stronger demon beasts. When that time came, he hastily took out a new Rainbow Skirt Grass sprout and started over.


    But as of current, nearly all the grade five demon beasts near Red Coral Island had perished. After having no demon beasts attracted within a week, Han Li and Crooked Soul immediately put away their spell formations and left the island. After flying for several days in the Outer Star Seas, they found another coral island and continued hunting demon beasts with the same method.


    This exciting, repetitive, and dangerous lifestyle in the Outer Star Seas continued for five years!


    During this time he had killed hundreds of grade five demon beasts. He had also encountered unfamiliar demon beasts rarely seen in the cultivation world. The first time Han Li had come across them, he had found himself caught on the thin line between life and death.


    Were it not for the vicious fearlessness of Crooked soul and his puppets, he would¡¯ve already met his end in the vast ocean, even with the assistance of his formation spells.


    Furthermore, time wasn¡¯t the only thing that was consumed during those years. Not only were a vast majority of his puppets destroyed, but many of his tools for setting up formations had been destroyed or badly damaged by the more violent demon beasts.


    Even his most impressive Five Elements Reversal Formation had been destroyed half a year ago when he had carelessly attracted a grade seven demon beast. He could only helplessly trap the demon beast inside while he and Crooked Soul made their escape.


    While his losses during these five years were great, it was only natural that his returns were even more astonishing.


    Apart from receiving several hundred grade five demon cores, Han Li also acquired an incredible quantity of rare demon beast materials. He even had to discard a few of his less valuable items from his storage pouch to make room for all of them.


    In addition to killing several hundreds of demon beasts, he had also tempered his combat skills to perfection and developed quite a few minor techniques for killing demon beasts by himself.


    As of now, Han Li could calmly face a lone common grade five demon beast without a trace of fear.

 Chapter 397

    Bitter, Secluded Cultivation


    Han Li was on his way back to Deep Jade Island, as careful as he had always been. He completely understood that without his puppets or formation spells, it was extremely dangerous to rush through the Outer Star Seas.


    Although they were easily able to deal with a grade five demon beast, if they were to catch the attention of a grade six demon beast or worse, it would be difficult to avoid death.


    According to his estimations, the demon cores he had gathered should be more than enough to get him through the second or even third revolution of the Three Essence Revolutions Technique. His several hundred grade five spirit stones would net him a couple hundred thousands of spirit stones at the very least. The rare materials he had gathered alone would double the price.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t inspired by greed. This had all been done so that he may tread a bit farther in pursuit of the Immortal Dao. Thus, when it became increasingly dangerous to continue hunting demon beasts, he immediately decided to return.


    As of now, he had traveled quite far into the Outer Star Seas. Had he not recorded all of the strange islands he had been to on his map, he might not have been able to find his way back.


    Even if he knew the way back, Han Li¡¯s return would still take several months of flight. He greatly valued his life and feared that he might encounter ferocious demon beasts on his way back or cultivators that may try to rob him.


    Demon beasts shouldn¡¯t prove to be problem. At most, they would just circle around him a bit, but they wouldn¡¯t approach him too closely. But if he were to come across any malicious cultivators, they definitely wouldn¡¯t let them go. His demon cores would be difficult to protect, let alone his fragile life!


    As such, Han Li and Crooked Soul were highly vigilant during their journey. Whenever they encountered traces of other cultivators, they immediately hid or fled.


    In this way, Han Li eventually arrived back on Deep Jade Island without any problems, allowing him to let out a huge breath of relief.


    Han Li entered an extremely shabby, small street and found that apart from two shopkeepers being replaced, everything else had remained the same.


    Not paying attention to any of the shopkeepers¡¯ interested gazes, he walked towards the stone room with the transportation formation.


    The Star Palace cultivator in the stone room had been replaced by a middle-aged man with a gentle face. Upon seeing Han Li and Crooked Soul enter the room, he faintly smiled, asking, ¡°Do you two want to use the formation?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Han Li dove onto his large bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    As of current, he had already returned to his cave residence on the thirty-ninth layer of Heavenly Star City. As both his body and mind were fatigued, he was unable to deal with any other matters. He¡¯d first deeply sleep for a few days before waking up with the energy he needed.


    His journey through the Outer Star Seas had tired him by no small amount!


    After awakening, Han Li took a stroll around his cave residence. As he hadn¡¯t been there for many years, he felt that he should refamiliarize himself with it.


    But when he went to the insect room he saw that the Gold Devouring Beetles had turned into a huge silver sphere once more, hanging from the ceiling in hibernation. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but lightly shake his head in response.


    Soon after, Han Li took a trip to the city market and bought all of the pill recipes being sold in the market before returning.Han Li then busied himself once again with pill concoction.


    Han Li then spent an entire two years within his cave residence refining large quantities of medicine pills in accordance to the pill recipes he had collected, combining aged spiritual herbs with demon cores. His original problem of developing a tolerance for medicine was now a thing of the past.


    During this time, he gradually sold off the demon beast materials he didn¡¯t need to the travelling merchants visiting Heavenly Star City. As a result, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about spirit stones for a while.


    After finishing these matters, Han Li thoroughly sealed off his cave residence and started to make preparations for dispersing his cultivation. But while he was arranging his medicine pills and the remaining demon beast materials, he unintentionally took out a particular item that gave him a bit of a headache ¡ª the large quantities of hundreds-year-old Rainbow Skirt Grass that he had used to lure demon beasts while in the Outer Star Seas.


    They couldn¡¯t be sold for much, but it would be a pity to destroy them after having used quite a bit of the green liquid on them. Besides, Han Li had always held some interest in its great demon luring power when its leaves uncurled and had wanted to carefully research it.


    As Han Li looked at the bunch of Rainbow Skirt Grass in front of him, he came up with a rather strange thought. The thoughts became stronger until he couldn¡¯t contain it, causing himself to feel a bit flabbergasted.


    After tilting his head in thought, he gathered the Rainbow Skirt Grass and suddenly walked to the insect room containing the Gold Devouring Beetles. He then casually tossed the Rainbow Skirt Grass into the room, but the Gold Devouring Beetles didn¡¯t show the slightest reaction.


    Having seen this, Han Li laughed to himself. But after a moment of hesitation, he had Crooked Soul plant the Rainbow Skirt Grass on a few huge chunks of coral in the medicine garden.


    Not long after, Han Li entered a hidden room and started to carefully scatter his cultivation in accordance with the Three Essence Revolutions Technique.


    For the purpose of stability and safety, Han Li scattered his cultivation at a very slow pace. He had gradually scattered his cultivation for an entire half month before dropping down to his intended target, early Foundation Establishment stage.


    After reaching this point, Han Li left seclusion. He would first consolidate his cultivation before practicing the Three Essence Revolutions Technique with the aid of medicine pills.


    By some unknown compulsion, Han Li used a green drop to further mature a stalk of Rainbow Skirt Grass and threw it into the insect room when it started emitting its strange scent. Soon after, he stood outside the room, carefully staring inside through a slim gap, only to experience slight disappointment.


    The silver sphere of clustered Gold Devouring Beetles didn¡¯t move in the slightest as if they hadn¡¯t detected any difference. Although this had slightly surprised Han LI, he wasn¡¯t particularly puzzled. This was because the Rainbow Skirt Grass didn¡¯t have an attractive effect on all demon beasts. As the Gold Devouring Beetles were high ranking demon beasts, not being attracted was always a distinct possibility.


    Han Li lightly sighed, no longer willing to waste any more time or green liquid on the grass. He thought to instead fully focus his resources and time on creating more Spirit Feed Pills for his two Bloodjade spiders.


    But just as he thought this, the silver sphere of beetles suddenly broke apart.


    The eyes of the several hundreds Gold Devouring Beetles flickered with red light as they flocked towards the strangely scented Rainbow Skirt Grass. After devouring it in an instant, they continuously let out a low hum as if they were irritated.


    Han Li was somewhat stunned by this scene but immediately revealed slight joy. It seemed that his experiments could continue.


    Han Li left the insect room in a great mood and ordered Crooked soul to periodically throw in a similar amount of Rainbow Skirt Grass. He wanted to see what effect his Rainbow Skirt Grass would have on demon beasts so that he may lay to rest some of the doubts he carried.


    Not long after, Han Li brought all of his medicine pills with him into his hidden room and sealed it off, intent on staying until either he succeeded or died trying.


    Han Li had already fully prepared himself, and in order to maintain his focus he had decided he wouldn¡¯t take a single step outside of his hidden room until he fully restored his cultivation. As for the rest of the matters in his cave residence, since he could will his clone, Crooked Soul, to take care of them, he had little worry.


    Han Li took a pill out of a bottle and swallowed it before closing his eyes, entering a state of oblivious cultivation.


    In the following days, apart from ordering Crooked Soul to tend to the matters outside of his room, he was completely focused on refining his Qi.


    As time passed, Han Li¡¯s mind eventually felt no desire. Whenever he felt that his body¡¯s Spiritual Qi was lacking, he casually swallowed a medicine pill and entered meditation once more.


    Years upon years of monotonous cultivation had passed, fueled by Han Li¡¯s intense desire to reach Core Formation.


    Ten years passed in the blink of an eye and the hidden room¡¯s door still showed not a single sign of movement!


    Twenty years passed by and still the room¡¯s door remained shut!


    Thirty years¡­


    Time continued to flow with countless suns and moons scurrying past the sky.


    On a day during the sixtieth year, a black cloud suddenly appeared above Han Li¡¯s cave residence. The weather suddenly underwent a huge change, causing his silver beetles to wildly scatter inside their room.


    At nearly the same time, threads of Spiritual Qi from the nearby hundred kilometers frantically amassed towards Han Li¡¯s cave residence, creating a huge vortex of Spiritual Qi that could be seen with the naked eye.


    This scene alarmed the nearby cultivators. Regardless of whether they were passing by or a resident that lived nearby, they all stopped or left their cave residences, glancing at the scene with amazement.


    ¡°Core Formation! Someone has undergone Core Formation!¡± Many cultivators gazed at this scene and muttered to themselves, each with their own unique expression.


    While there were those that were envious and confused, there were even more that revealed gazes of admiration.


    At the same time, the cultivators at the island that were at Core Formation or higher noticed that the Spiritual Qi on Heavenly Star Island had undergone a strange change despite not having seen the phenomenon in the sky. They investigated by having their powerful spiritual senses leave their residences.


    As they gazed towards Han Li¡¯s cave residence, there were a few among them that were expressionless or excited. Some of them had even frowned.

 Chapter 398

    Core Formation and Magic Treasures


    The door to the secret room inside the cave residence had finally opened.


    A silhouette slowly walked out of the room with their face covered by long, disheveled hair.


    A yellow light then flashed to their side, revealing Crooked Soul with a stiff expression.


    ¡°Hehe, Core Formation! I¡¯ve finally obtained Core Formation!¡± After looking at the exterior of the secret room and Crooked Soul, he heartily laughed towards the sky in awe-inspiring roars.


    The gaps through the long, disheveled hair revealed the face of Han Li, who had undergone sixty years of secluded cultivation. However, his eyes revealed a refined spirit, and his every movement contained a vast pressure as if he had become a different person entirely.


    After he finished laughing, Han Li looked at the scene outside of the hidden room with a sense of unfamiliarity. After ignoring the world for sixty years, he felt a great sense of change despite everything having remained the same. It was as if everything that had happened was but a distant matter.


    Han Li didn¡¯t stay still for long. Using his vague memories, he went back to his bedroom.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li left his bedroom with a beaming smile. He had restored his original attire and appearance, that of a youth about twenty years of age.


    Now wearing a cold expression, he calmly walked towards the insect room.


    The Gold Devouring Insects in the room had undergone a massive change over the years. Not only had their numbers reached a frightening several tens of thousands, but their originally silver shells began to reveal spots of gold, causing them to appear even more sinister and savage than before.


    Han Li didn¡¯t reveal the slightest amazement. He had found out about this many years ago from his clone, Crooked Soul. The only change was that now he was able to see this with his own eyes.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t expected that his original flash of insight to test the Rainbow Skirt Grass on his Gold Devouring Beetles would unexpectedly resolve the problem of their breeding.


    While he was in seclusion, Crooked Soul continuously fed the Gold Devouring Beetles stalks of Rainbow Skirt Grass with their leaves uncurled. These beetles became increasingly violent after eating the herbs. After four years of consumption, the Gold Devouring Beetles had undergone a transformation.


    One day after they finished eating the Rainbow Skirt Grass, the beetles began to fight and cannibalize each other. A few days later, the original several hundred had been reduced to a mere dozen. However, the surviving beetles were now docile and more beautiful.


    Soon after, the cannibal beetles began to lay eggs. They all slowly died after having laid about a hundred eggs each, leaving Han Li with over a thousand insect eggs.


    The eggs hatched about a year later, and Crooked Soul continued to feed them the ripened Rainbow Skirt Grass, causing them to cannibalize one another and lay their eggs once more.


    After several repetitions, the number of Gold Devouring Beetles started to frantically increase.


    Were it not for the fact that the amount of Rainbow Skirt Grass he could mature was limited, he would¡¯ve had the beetles cannibalize themselves much more often and ceaselessly increase their numbers.


    But what was most surprising was how the offspring of the cannibal beetles became both stronger and more violent with each increasing generation. In addition, their silver shells began to show gold spots at an increasing frequency.


    This made Han Li wonder if their grade would increase after their shells turned completely golden.


    Standing outside the insect room, Han Li stared at the Gold Devouring Beetles with a spirited gaze for half a day in silence. He clearly understood that this method of breeding the Gold Devouring Beetles was definitely not the orthodox method used by the beast controlling cultivators of ancient times.


    This was because he was certain that his small mysterious bottle was unique in its effect of accelerated maturation. This method may perhaps be even better than the one used by his predecessors.


    Han Li faintly smiled as he thought this. He then moved to the other insect room closeby that housed his two Bloodjade spiders.


    Although Han Li had only instructed Crooked Soul to use a small portion of the green liquid produced to refine Spirit Feed Pills for the spiders, the amount of pills consumed over this long period of time had allowed the Bloodjade spiders to ascend by several grades. Now, they were peak grade four demon beasts.


    They were currently exactly the same as the white spider he had fought in the underground cave. Their bodies were as translucent as jade, making for a beautiful sight.


    The two spiders had clearly been made aware of Han Li¡¯s arrival through the connection they had with Han Li¡¯s mind. They immediately pounced towards the stone door, wishing to intimately play with Han Li.


    Joyful, Han Li promptly opened the stone door, allowing the two Bloodjade spiders to pounce at him. Afterwards, they started to climb circles all around Han LI¡¯s body.


    Han Li caressed the backs of the two demon beasts for a moment while gazing in wonder at their sparkling, crystalline bodies. He then stored them in his spirit beast pouch before turning around and leaving their insect room.


    As for the Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li still had little intention of using them. He planned to first have them reproduce through a few more generations until their shells turned fully gold before putting them to use as his hidden ace.


    Next, Han Li walked through his cave residence before returning to his bedroom in high spirits. After lying down on his bed, Han Li thought about his Core Formation in the hidden room.


    Being able to so quickly achieve Core Formation greatly went against Han Li¡¯s expectations. He didn¡¯t cultivate to the third revolution of the Three Essence Revolutions Technique. Instead, he spent an entire thirty years to cultivate to the second revolution.


    By relying on medicine pills to cultivate the Three Essence Revolutions Technique, his cultivation speed was far quicker than he had anticipated. He originally believed that completing the third revolution of cultivation was certain to be strenuous to the point of impossibility; it would consume far too many years of his lifespan to succeed. But by completing his second revolution in a mere thirty years, he had more than enough lifespan left to cultivate through the third revolution.


    After some thought, Han Li decided to not place all his hopes of Core Formation on the Three Essence Revolutions technique.


    After all, this cultivation art was merely theorized and had never been tested! In addition, it was said that completing the third revolution would only allow a fifty percent chance of success in Core Formation. To put it into other words, even if he completed all three revolutions, he still had a fifty-percent chance of failing.


    This caused him deep worry at heart, and he couldn¡¯t help but pick a more flamboyant method to increase his chances of Core Formation.


    Before Han Li had killed him, he recalled the former young master of the Thousand Bamboo School, Senior Martial Brother Li1, had previously said that cultivating the Great Development Technique to a profound layer was able to increase his odds of Core Formation. Therefore, after some careful deliberation, he had decided to cultivate to the third layer of the Great Development Technique.


    Han Li¡¯s reasoning at the time had been: ¡®Regardless of whether or not he was lying, there is no harm in cultivating it!¡¯


    As expected, the third layer of the Great Development Technique took far more time to cultivate than the second layer. It took Han Li about twenty years before painstakingly making a breakthrough and succeeding. As for the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique, Han Li had no thoughts to cultivate to it. At the time, he simply didn¡¯t have the time to spare for it.


    Afterwards, Han Li took all sorts of supplementary spiritual medicines and began his next several year long attempt at Core Formation.


    To tell the truth, his crushing failure during Core Formation with his first revolution had greatly reduced Han Li¡¯s confidence in Core Formation with a second revolution. He had held the notion of only spending a few years just to give it a try. While Crooked Soul¡¯s Core Formation only took four years, Han Li¡¯s unexpected success occurred recently, after five years due to his poor aptitude.


    Although he had sensed the Heaven-Earth Spiritual Qi in his body run frantic, Han Li felt like it was a dream when a thumb-sized four-colored pearl formed after his body¡¯s true essence made desperate rotations in his Dantian.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to enter Core Formation Stage like this?¡¯ He didn¡¯t dare to believe it! Han Li hadn¡¯t prepared himself in the least, nearly allowing this huge fortune, the still unstable golden core, to crumble. Frightened, he hurriedly concentrated on calming his heart so that he wouldn¡¯t cause a great disturbance and undergo the great misfortune of returning to Foundation Establishment.


    Having recalled his brush with disaster, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but raise the corner of his mouth, forming a trace of a faint smile.


    Han Li let out a deep breath before sitting up on his bed and then standing up.


    Although it had been a while since his Core Formation, he was currently unable to calm the increasing excitement in his heart and couldn¡¯t stay still.


    Now that he had entered Core Formation, not only was he considered a senior expert in the cultivation world, but his lifespan had been increased to a frightening six hundred years. This increase in longevity would allow him to later cultivate with peace of mind.


    But most important, was that he was finally able to make use of his Core Fire. He could now polish and refine his own magic treasure.


    With regards to magic treasures, Han Li had two in his possession. The Immemorial Bowl had already been refined by Crooked Soul. As for the Green Brilliance Dagger, he would use it to protect himself for the time being.


    Ultimately, he would want to refine the long coveted magic treasure that was described by the golden page2, the ¡°Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords¡±.


    These swords were refined as a set. After refining them, his strength would massively increase, and he would be capable of sweeping away any cultivators of a similar rank. In addition, now that he had reached the seventh layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art, he could make use of the divine ability, ¡°Swordshadow Phantasm Technique¡±. This caused him to excitedly look forward to his upcoming journey through the cultivation world as a Core Formation cultivator.


    He now wanted to hurriedly collect the materials for the magic treasure, Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, so that he could create this magic treasure and begin strengthening it with his Core Fire and soul.

 Chapter 399

    Exquisite Sound Sect


    As Han Li was silently contemplating inside his bedroom, his expression suddenly changed and he walked out.


    During his many years of seclusion, the entrance of his residence had remained sealed. He saw that outside his cave residence¡¯s restrictions, there were eight sound transmission talismans of various colors, knocking against his barriers like headless houseflies.


    Han Li looked at the scene with raised eyebrows for a moment before taking out his authority talisman and saying, ¡°Receive!¡± The sound transmission talismans outside the barriers shot into his hand in response.


    Han Li stood still as he calmly looked through them.


    Half of the sound transmission talismans were from neighboring Core Formation cultivators wishing to offer their congratulations. The other half of the sound transmission talismans were invitations from organizations of varying sizes to take a position as a high ranking guest elder, using exceedingly rare treasures as payment. There was even one that offered two stunning maids as a recruitment gift right from the start.


    After looking through the details of their offers, Han Li inwardly rolled his eyes.


    He politely replied to the Core Formation cultivators offering their congratulations and gave a direct refusal to the many organizations. He didn¡¯t believe that he could take it easy and be without worry now that he reached Core Formation. He still had to use a bit of time to consolidate his core. Furthermore, Han Li considered it advantageous to maintain a low profile.


    In the coming days, Han Li started to frequently pay a visit to the cave residences of nearby Core Formation cultivators and humbly asked them for advice regarding what should be done after achieving Core Formation.


    Because the topic at hand wasn¡¯t some sort of secretive issue, these cultivators were happy to chat with him and give him a few pointers. Han Li ended up profiting quite a bit from these visits.


    However, a few cultivators felt very envious of how Han Li had managed to preserve his youthful appearance before achieving Core Formation. After all, apart from a miniscule group consisting of either geniuses with heavenly aptitude or those like Han Li who cultivate with the assistance of many spiritual medicines, most Core Formation cultivators had reached quite a considerable age by the time of their Core Formation.


    Although their lifespans had greatly increased after reaching Core Formation, they didn¡¯t regain their youthful appearance. At most, they would appear less sickly or haggard as they grew older. Naturally, there were a few cultivators that practiced a cultivation art that had the wondrous effect of preserving one¡¯s appearance and were also part of the group which preserved their youthful appearance after Core formation.


    Han Li happened to still have a few Face Setting Pills on hand. As he wasn¡¯t particularly attached to them, he traded them with the Core Formation cultivators for a few rare items, much to everyone¡¯s satisfaction.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t end up becoming close friends with any of them, they became familiar enough that he had an amiable relationship with them, capable of calling one another ¡®Brother¡¯ and ¡®Fellow Daoist¡¯.


    During this time, Han Li had also refined the Green Brilliance Dagger while searching for magic treasure and grade three puppet materials.


    There were many materials capable of refining magic treasures along with refinement techniques of almost every description. Apart from the power and efficacy, using top quality materials to refine a magic treasure would result in far superior power and an even greater upgrade potential than those refined using common materials. Additionally, even if the same materials were used, there will be great differences in both power and efficacy depending on the secret techniques used to refine them.


    Thus, apart from the common magic treasure refinement techniques known to everyone, the exceptional secret refinement techniques were kept hidden by sects and other great powers, not easily divulged to outsiders.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that the best materials combined with the best treasure refinement technique would result in a magic treasure with inexhaustible potential might. What was most important to a magic treasure¡¯s strength was the constant refinement and nourishment from the cultivator¡¯s primal soul.


    If the master of a peerless magic treasure was unwilling to spend the time to nurture it, its power may be inferior to that of a common magic treasure. In fact, it wasn¡¯t exactly a rare occurrence.


    As for the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, its main material was thousand year spirit bamboo as the name implied.


    This material was easy for Han Li to acquire by spending a bit of time and taking advantage of the abilities of his small bottle. However, using common types of bamboo was beneath him. He wanted to acquire the rumored divine bamboo as the primary material for his magic treasure refinement. As a result, Han Li had attentively kept watch on the city market of Heavenly Star City until now. However, he wasn¡¯t able to find anything that satisfied him.


    Although he felt somewhat anxious, Han Li felt that it would be better to have nothing if he couldn¡¯t have the best and could only leave the matter of refining his magic treasure for later. Fortunately, as he had the Green Brilliance Dagger as well as a few treasure talismans, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry for a while.


    Since he couldn¡¯t refine his magic treasure, Han Li turned his eyes towards refining new puppets.


    According to the Puppet Sutra, the strength of grade three puppets were equivalent to mid Foundation Establishment cultivators. As such, the materials required to refine them were even more precious than those for grade two puppets. In addition, these puppets came in several different shapes.


    After some deliberation, Han Li chose the puppet that primarily used wood element materials, the ape styled puppet.


    Although this puppet required much older ironwood along with the rare Sky Crystal Wood, they were wood type materials. Han Li could use his green liquid on them and massively decrease their cost.


    But even with this, the higher grade supplementary materials combined with the increased number of puppets he could control was sure to add up to an increasingly frightening cost. Although this amount of spirit stones wouldn¡¯t bankrupt him, it would consume all of the materials he had accumulated.


    Helpless, Han Li could only sell off another portion of the rare materials he acquired from the grade five demon beasts and postpone poverty for the time being. However, Han Li didn¡¯t expect that his actions caught the eye of an observant individual despite being so careful.


    One day, just as he finished selling off some materials to a minor travelling merchant, a young woman as charming as a flower blocked his way back to his cave residence.


    ¡°Are you Senior Han? My clan¡¯s madam wishes to invite Han Li to the nearby Clear River Teahouse. Would Senior give me the honor of accepting? If you refuse, this junior will be heavily punished by my mistress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested!¡± After a mere glance at the young woman, Han Li refused without the slightest hesitation.


    He was able to make out that although this woman was a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, she cultivated some kind of charming technique. If he were inexperienced or careless, he definitely would¡¯ve made an embarrassment of himself.


    The seventeen year old woman was alarmed at Han Li¡¯s refusal and hastily implored him, ¡°Senior Han! If you don¡¯t go, this junior will be punished for failure.¡±


    When the young woman said that, Han Li turned around and left with an indifferent expression. Although he didn¡¯t know whose authority she was acting under, he had no interest in meeting a stranger.


    ¡°Senior Han, please wait! The Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Junior Fan Jingmei pays her respect to Senior Han. I hope Senior will forgive Lian¡¯er for her offenses. I will properly discipline her later.¡± After Han Li took two steps away from the young woman, he heard a pleasant female voice.


    He couldn¡¯t help but stop and turn his head for a look.


    At some unknown time, a woman covering her face with a muslin veil had appeared beside the young woman. Although her face was concealed, Han Li was able to make out that her skin was as white as snow and her hair was black and shiny, coiled high around her head. Her two eyes, clear as water, stared at Han Li without blinking.


    ¡°I do not recognize you, miss. If you have any business, please make it short. I wish to return to my residence and cultivate!¡± Han Li calmly spoke with a misanthropic tone.


    Fan Jingmei was startled for a moment before replying with a faint smile, ¡°Since Senior Han is so straightforward, I will be direct as well. Senior has recently sold off large quantities of rare demon beast materials. Our sect is greatly interested in these materials and wishes to have a chat with Senior. However, there are far too many people here. How about we take this discussion to a quiet room in a teahouse?¡±


    After hearing her explanation, Han Li carefully examined the woman with narrowed eyes for a moment. After seeing her reveal bashfulness, Han Li stiffly said, ¡°Fine, lead the way!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s kindness. Senior Han, please follow me!¡± The woman revealed slight happiness and hastily walked forward with light steps. As for the young woman, she dejectedly followed after her.


    However, although the young woman walked in front, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head and steal a look at Han Li. But when her gaze met Han Li¡¯s, she quickly turned her head around in fright and her ears revealed a strong shade of red.


    When Han Li saw this, he revealed a mysterious smile and inwardly chuckled.


    The teahouse wasn¡¯t far away. After a short moment, Han Li entered a pavilion with a huge flag saying, ¡°Tea¡±.


    There were quite a few people drinking tea at this time. When a middle-aged man drinking tea saw the two women walk in, he hastily ran towards them and said, ¡°Martial Aunt, the room is ready! You and your guest may enter!¡±


    ¡°Good, bring us there and stand guard by the door afterwards.¡± Fan Jingmei indifferently commanded.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The middle-aged man then led Han Li and the other two to an elegant room on the second floor.


    There was a grey-clothed old man in the room that was calmly brewing a pot of piping hot tea. His eyes didn¡¯t show the slightest change as he watched Han Li and the others enter the room.

 Chapter 400

    Dignified


    ¡°Elder Zhao, sorry for the long wait! This is Senior Han, the owner of those demon beast materials!¡± After entering the room, Fan Jingmei spoke to the grey-clothed old man with a respectful tone.


    The grey-clothed old man replied, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han! Please, sit. This old man just steeped a pot of ice-cloud spirit tea. Please, have a taste.¡±


    Han Li frowned. There was nothing odd about the old man¡¯s appearance apart from unusually red cheeks, as if he had just recovered from a grave illness. He couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat puzzled.


    His current spiritual sense was far stronger than cultivators of the same rank. In an instant, he was able to see that the old man was an early Core Formation cultivator. Han Li didn¡¯t say anything in refusal and bluntly took a seat across from the old man. Han Li indifferently stared at the old man as he poured a cup of fragrant tea, but didn¡¯t move to take it.


    Han Li didn¡¯t mean to slight the old man as he was acting out of habitual carefulness. He definitely wasn¡¯t going to drink something from an unfamiliar place.


    The old man didn¡¯t reveal any displeasure at Han Li¡¯s cautious actions. Instead, he faintly smiled and poured himself a cup, placing all other matters to the back of his head for that instant.


    ¡°Senior Han! We¡¯ve come to find you on behalf of the Exquisite Sound Sect to purchase all of your remaining demon beast materials. Let¡¯s discuss the price.¡± Just as Fan Jingmei sat down, she gently spoke to Han Li with a dainty composure.


    How could Han Li easily admit to still having many rare materials despite not knowing their intentions? After some calm thought about what they had said, Han Li decided to block them for the time being, ¡°It is true that I had previously acquired quite a few demon beast materials. However, I have just sold my last batch. I fear I that must disappoint you.¡±


    When Lady Fan heard Han Li¡¯s refusal, she sweetly smiled and softly spoke with a hint of laughter, ¡°It seems Senior Han wishes to fool us. Although our sect doesn¡¯t know how many demon beast materials you have, we are certain that it¡¯s a large amount. Otherwise, Senior Han wouldn¡¯t have so carefully sought out small, travelling merchants to sell them to. In addition, every transaction was done in very small amounts, and you look for a different buyer every time.¡±


    ¡°Had our sect not happened to be gathering related materials, it¡¯s likely we wouldn¡¯t have discovered something was amiss. Senior sure is scared of having his wealth exposed! If this is the case, Senior Han can dispel those fears. Although our sect isn¡¯t some sort of superpower, our sect holds quite a positive reputation in the Scattered Star Seas. If Senior were to sell all the materials to us, it would save us the trouble of repeatedly purchasing them from small merchants!¡±


    The woman spoke with a beaming smile and a calm appearance. However, Han Li¡¯s eyes coldly glinted, and he slightly scowled. Finding out you had been secretly investigated wasn¡¯t a happy matter!


    In response to Han Li¡¯s scowl, Lady Fan suddenly changed the subject and gave Han Li an explanation, ¡°Senior Han, please don¡¯t blame me for my rude conduct from before. This matter is quite urgent and we had to make use of a majority of our power in Heavenly Star City to track you down. We hope that Senior will provide us assistance, just this once!¡±


    This time, she had placed herself in a weaker position with her words and gaze revealing a slight intention to implore.


    Han Li¡¯s scowl gradually subsided, but he didn¡¯t give an immediate response. Instead, he started to lightly tap the table with an indifferent expression. At this moment, Han Li¡¯s mind was continuously churning through lines of thought, analyzing the pros and cons at lightning speed.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why the Exquisite Sound Sect required such a large quantity of demon beast materials, they clearly believed that he possessed what they desired. If Han Li further denied them, it would only serve to create a meaningless grudge.


    While he hadn¡¯t heard of the Exquisite Sound Sect before, they shouldn¡¯t be too weak, given the appearance of Elder Zhao. Han Li didn¡¯t wish to make an enemy of them without good reason.


    In addition, he possessed a bit too many demon beast materials. If he continued to sell them off bit by bit, it would only be a matter of time before he was found out. As such, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take advantage of this opportunity and cleanly handle the matter all at once? After all, this was Heavenly Star City where fights were prohibited. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything going amiss.


    With that thought, Han Li was silent for a moment more before serenely saying, ¡°Since you¡¯ve spoken as such, I won¡¯t further conceal the truth. I do possess a few of the demon beast materials that your sect desires, but I don¡¯t know whether or not I have enough to satisfy you!¡±


    The two women revealed joy at Han Li¡¯s admittance. As for the old man sipping tea as if he were above the world, he gazed at Han Li with a much more relaxed expression.


    ¡°How much are you in possession of?!¡± Lady Fan impatiently asked, gazing at Han Li in anticipation.


    Han Li faintly smiled and replied with an astonishing number, much to the pleasant surprise of the woman. Although she knew Han Li possessed quite a bit, she didn¡¯t expect the quantity to be at such a degree. She could finally finish her mission.


    ¡°I want all of those materials! Does Senior have time to do the trade today?¡± The Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Lady Fan couldn¡¯t keep her composure and spoke with a slight tremble in her voice, fearful that Han Li would change his mind.


    Han Li felt quite surprised at this woman¡¯s impatience. However, he also felt that it would be best for this trade to made as quickly as possible. There would be less time for any unwelcome problems to appear. After some thought, he said, ¡°I do. Let¡¯s do the trade here! Lady Fan should go get the spirit stones. I¡¯ll go and fetch the demon beast materials.¡± Han Li¡¯s clear decisiveness was in agreement with the woman¡¯s intentions. She repeatedly nodded her head with a gaze of happiness.


    Han Li then indifferently stood up and took his leave, walking out of the room in large strides.


    A moment after Han Li disappeared from view, Lady Fan¡¯s excited appearance gradually faded away. She suddenly turned her head towards the old man and asked, ¡°Senior Zhao, how is his cultivation? I¡¯ve heard that he had just achieved Core Formation. He shouldn¡¯t have had the time to refine a magic treasure. If you were to take take him by surprise, could you overcome him? If you are confident, we would be able to save quite a huge sum of spirit stones.¡±


    By the time this woman icily said those words, her dainty temperament had changed into a chilling, sinister expression.


    ¡°Impossible! Although this person hasn¡¯t been in Core Formation for long, his cultivation art is unordinary. Not only is his magic power exceedingly pure, but his body conceals the faint Qi of a magic treasure. While he didn¡¯t have the time to secretly refine a magic treasure, he is in possession of an inherited magic treasure. We cannot look down on him.¡± Elder Zhao shook his head and opposed the suggestion.


    The woman¡¯s eyes glinted with a strange expression as she slowly said, ¡°So it seems this person isn¡¯t weak. How about we pull him into our operation in the coming month? If things goes smoothly, we can spend a bit to rope him in. If things goes unfavorably, we can just abandon him!¡±


    ¡°That really is a good method! But from the recent conversation, he appears to know when it is appropriate to retreat despite appearing so youthful. It doesn¡¯t seem he will be easily taken advantage of. What is your grasp of the situation? Are you thinking about seducing him?¡± As the old man spoke, he revealed displeasure.


    Lady Fan shot a glance at the old man. Then, while stifling laughter, her eyes revealed fawning. ¡°Hehe, Senior, you¡¯re jealous! Relax, I won¡¯t touch any man apart from you.¡± She pulled away at her muslin shawl to reveal her extremely enchanting face.


    The old man originally appeared somewhat sickly. But upon seeing the woman, he was at a loss for words, and his cheeks flushed to an even deeper red. This scene left Lady Fan feeling very satisfied.


    ¡°Senior, in order to protect me, you suffered a great injury. It is something that I will always remember!¡± After saying this, Lady Fan spun her lithe, well-endowed body around and slid into the old man¡¯s embrace, caressing the old man¡¯s chest with her slender, white hands.


    At this moment, Lady Fan¡¯s face revealed overflowing thoughts of love, and her eyes appeared moist to the point of overflowing with tears. Her alluring beauty was capable of even resurrecting dead men.


    The old man let out a breath as the woman¡¯s white hand climbed up his chest out of impatient desire. He then crudely responded by embracing her fragrant body with equivalently impure intentions.


    This scene caused the young woman who still remained in the room to deeply blush. She averted her gaze with a lowered head.


    ¡°Lian¡¯er! How about you wait outside and report back once he returns?¡± Lady Fan softly whispered as if she had moaned.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The young woman hastily responded as if she were being spared and stepped out of the room.


    But before she even left the room, they still continued.


    ¡°That young girl has become far more beautiful these past two years. How about you give me a few years to teach her a couple things? Since good things shouldn¡¯t be given to outsiders¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah! You¡¯re dreaming! I only kept her around because she was useful! I forbid you from laying your hands on her! Could it be that I¡­¡±


    Having clearly heard the two¡¯s flirtatious banter, the young woman sighed and left the room.

 Chapter 401

    Heaven Lightning Bamboo


    Han Li didn¡¯t fly back to his cave residence after leaving the teahouse. Instead, he walked along the road and suddenly turned a corner into the rear of a nearby store.


    Afterwards, he closed his eyes and calmly stood in silence.


    A long while later, Han Li frowned and opened his eyes.


    He had just attempted to stealthily use his spiritual sense to return to the teahouse and listen in on what they said afterwards. However, he hadn¡¯t expected to be blocked by a layer of restrictions as he approached their room.


    These restrictions couldn¡¯t be considered to high quality and could be easily broken through with Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense. However, it would cause far too much of a commotion and ruin his plan of stealthily spying on them. Since Han Li wasn¡¯t able to forcefully continue, he withdrew his spiritual sense.


    ¡°It seems the Exquisite Sound Sect isn¡¯t to be trifled with. They¡¯ve left no holes to be exploited.¡± Han Li opened his mouth and spat out the inch long green dagger and used it to fly back to his cave residence.


    After returning to his residence, Han Li went to his hidden room and retrieved the storage pouch holding the demon beast materials. He then called out to Crooked Soul, having him accompany him back to the teahouse for safety. The journey back and forth had taken quite a few hours.


    Fortunately, by the time Han Li and Crooked Soul returned to the teahouse, Lady Fan¡¯s subordinate, the middle-aged man, was anxiously waiting for him. Upon seeing Han Li approaching, he immediately ran inside with a happy expression.


    Han Li saw that he went back to report to Lady Fan and didn¡¯t seem to mind. He then calmly walked inside with Crooked Soul.


    By the time Han Li arrived at their room, the young woman and the middle-aged man were respectfully waiting for him.


    ¡°Elder Zhao and Lady Fan are awaiting you!¡± The woman spoke with a careful, respectful expression. After she finished, she stole a curious glance at Crooked Soul.


    Without any intention of introducing Crooked Soul, Han Li nodded his head and bluntly entered the room with Crooked Soul close behind him.


    The young woman hesitated for a moment, but she didn¡¯t dare to step forward and investigate him.


    Lady Fan had covered her face beforehand. Upon seeing Han Li enter, her eyes lit up in a graceful welcome.


    ¡°Senior Han has arrived quite quickly! I had believed you would¡¯ve taken a moment more. Huh, this Senior is¡­?¡± Lady Fan¡¯s beaming smile froze after seeing Crooked Soul.


    ¡°This is my good friend, Crooked Soul. After hearing of this matter, he wished to have a look. I¡¯m sure Lady Fan doesn¡¯t mind, yes?¡± Han Li chuckled and deemphasized Crooked Soul¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Of course not. Please, have a seat!¡± Lady Fan took a good look at Crooked Soul¡¯s ugly face and his ice-cold expression for a moment before speaking with a sweet smile.


    She secretly rejoiced in her heart. Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t planned to carry out any foul play; otherwise, they would¡¯ve provoked a great enemy, given the appearance of his Core Formation associate.


    In addition, her intentions to rope in Han Li only grew stronger.


    ¡°The materials are all in here. Please, take a look!¡± Han Li was straightforward. After taking a seat, he threw the two pouches containing the demon beast materials on the table.


    When Lady Fan saw this, she was unable to conceal her joy and expressed her thanks before picking up the storage pouch and examining them with her spiritual sense. Afterwards, she handed the pouch over to Elder Zhao.


    The old man calmly received the pouch and examined the items within for appraisal.


    This took some time because the quantity of materials were far too great in number. While this was happening, Lady Fan was chatting with Han Li while wearing a beaming smile and unconsciously made an inquiry about the material¡¯s origin.


    But as Han Li was someone of quick mind, he was able to deflect the question and give the woman no information.


    After a short amount of time, Elder Zhao finished checking the materials and used a voice transmission to give Lady Fan an estimate. After some silent deliberation, she lowered the price by a tenth and offered it to Han Li.


    When Han Li heard this, he started muttering to himself, causing Lady Fan to somewhat worry. In order to ensure the deal went through she gritted her teeth and hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to raise the price by five percent.


    After hearing the new price, Han Li nodded his head and approved. Although he clearly understood the price given was a bit low, being able to sell off all of these items in a single instance was much to his satisfaction.


    When Lady Fan saw Han Li approve, she felt greatly relieved and handed over a storage pouch containing a small sum of mid-grade spirit stones.


    The deal was now finished and both sides were satisfied.


    But as Han Li was about to take his leave, the woman casually said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Senior is looking for some exotic spirit bamboo. I happened to just acquire some information on this. Would Senior be interested in staying to listen?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart strongly stirred and he couldn¡¯t help but turn around.


    At that moment, Lady Fan was looking at Han Li with a smile. Her beautiful eyes were concealing a peculiar glint.


    Lady Fan, an expert of bewitchment techniques, intended to take advantage of Han Li¡¯s shock and stealthily plant a seed deep in his heart. In the future, Han Li would unconsciously become deferential to her as a result.


    As Han Li met her gaze, he felt a concentrated feeling of attraction towards her; it was smothering and difficult to escape.


    As his mind had nearly succumbed to the pressure, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning, ¡®Bewitchment Technique!¡¯


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and his expression grew ice-cold. Upon seeing Han Li¡¯s icy intent, Lady Fan¡¯s heart trembled and her bewitchment technique lost its effect.


    Fearful, she hastily thought to turn her gaze away, but for some unknown reason, her neck and skull had grown stiff and she was unable to turn her gaze away; she wasn¡¯t even able to open her mouth.


    ¡®Cultivation backlash!¡± Once Lady Fan recognized what was happening, she felt her heart drop and did her utmost to break free of Han Li¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°What did you do to Left Envoy Fan?¡± When Elder Zhao saw that Lady Fan appeared amiss, his eyes coldly glinted and he thought to step forward.


    However, Crooked Soul then blurred, disappearing from his sight. The old man couldn¡¯t help but be alarmed upon his sudden reappearance at his side with a strange movement technique, not knowing whether or not he should take action.


    At that moment, Lady Fan¡¯s expression became heartbreakingly pitiful, begging Han Li to show her mercy as her struggle to break free had been fruitless.


    ¡°Humph!¡± With a cold snort, Han Li released her from his icy gaze.


    The woman then hastily turned her gaze away as if she were being spared. But at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but spit out a mouthful of blood and stain her shawl red.


    ¡°Left Envoy Fan, are you¡­?¡± Elder Zhao raised his brow upon seeing this and furiously glared at Han Li, wanting to attack.


    ¡°Elder Zhao, don¡¯t get angry! Senior Han treated me leniently. I only suffered Qi backlash. Spitting out only a bit of blood is already merciful!¡± Lady Fan hastily stopped the old man from acting out of fury and said this with a wide smile.


    Having heard this, the old man¡¯s expression gradually softened and returned to normal.


    ¡°I truly didn¡¯t think that Senior was an expert proficient in bewitchment techniques! I had impulsively attempted to test you, please don¡¯t blame me too harshly. However, I really do know some minor information on the whereabouts of Heaven Lightning Bamboo.¡± Having seen that Han Li¡¯s gaze was still harsh, the woman took the initiative to speak, afraid that Han Li would investigate the previous matter.


    ¡°Heaven Lightning Bamboo!¡± Han Li¡¯s ice-cold expression stirred upon hearing this.


    ¡°Heaven Lightning Bamboo? The same that is known as one of the three great divine woods?¡± Han Li was doubtful of what he heard, but his voice still contained a trace of excitement. Although he planned to use an exceptional bamboo to refine his magic treasure, he hadn¡¯t thought of being able to use one of the three great divine woods to refine it! But wasn¡¯t it said those three great divine woods have all gone extinct?


    Lady Fan took out a small jade bottle and swallowed a medicine pill that restored her pale complexion before replying with absolute certainty, ¡°That¡¯s right! I have personally handled the item. It is definitely genuine.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve already sold it to someone else?¡± Han Li stared at the woman and his tone grew cold once more. At the same time, he apprehensively thought, ¡®Could it be this woman hasn¡¯t learned her lesson and wishes to use me to handle her dirty work?¡¯


    After a moment of hesitation, Lady Fan decided to give an explanation with an honest appearance, ¡°No. This item was originally to be auctioned off in Heavenly Star City. However, we didn¡¯t expect for a majority of our goods to be robbed during transport. Our sect has managed to find the hideout of our thieves and are inviting righteous Daoists to take care of them in a single blow!¡±

 Chapter 402

    Envoys of the Left and Right


    ¡°It was stolen?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flashed with distrust.


    ¡°Although Senior isn¡¯t convinced, this matter is completely true!¡± Lady Fan then revealed a wry smile.


    ¡°Two months ago, our store was undergoing a large transaction. The profit was such that our Exquisite Sound Sect wouldn¡¯t have had to conduct business for another ten years. Thus, our sect collected a large amount of materials and sent them off, escorted by our Sect Master Wang and the majority of our experts. However, a group of masked cultivators intercepted our convoy. The techniques of their six Core Formation cultivators were profound and evil, and the remaining cultivators were proficient in cooperative techniques. Our sect master was overwhelmed and died at the scene, and the storage pouches holding the items were stolen. A majority of our ordinary sect disciples perished in the attack as well. Were it not for two of our elders throwing caution to the wind and using secret techniques that lowered their cultivation, they would¡¯ve killed us all and no one would¡¯ve known.¡± The woman¡¯s voice had turned gloomy and her expression turned remorseful.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a trap setup by the buyer?¡± Han Li instantly blurted out.


    ¡°That is impossible! Our buyer was a member of the Four Elements Merchant Union. They have a flawless reputation. Why would they ruin their reputation over robbing such a minor amount of goods, given their strength?¡± Lady Fan lightly shook her head and denied this with a pale face, revealing an appearance of frail powerlessness.


    Han Li coldly gazed on and didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of consoling the woman.


    In response to Han Li¡¯s indifference, Lady Fan could only softly put away her grief and continue her explanation, ¡°That small stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo was the treasure of a small sect. However, the sect had declined extremely far and only had a single remaining descendant. As such, the single descendant had sold the item to our Exquisite Sound Sect. My sect master had carried this item on his body and planned to auction it off at Heavenly Star City after the deal was concluded. We didn¡¯t expect it to be plundered as well.¡±


    ¡°But when my sect master was transporting these goods, he had conducted a minor trick on them and we were able to quickly track down their hideout as a result. However, these thieves have quite a few Core Formation cultivators among them, and our sect doesn¡¯t have the strength to take them down. As a result, this meeting wasn¡¯t just about purchasing your goods. We were also assigned the responsibility to scout out high level cultivators for assistance. Seniors¡¯ magic power is quite profound. If you are willing to help us, we wouldn¡¯t mind giving you the Heaven Lightning Bamboo.¡±


    The woman chose her words carefully before arriving at her original intention. Han Li¡¯s expression was indifferent when he heard this, but his eyes continuously shifted around as if he were thinking about something.


    When Lady Fan saw this, she knew Han Li was weighing the advantages and disadvantages, and she hurriedly attempted to make the deal sweeter, ¡°If Senior still feels the price is low, our sect is willing to gift an outstanding beauty to Senior as a servant.¡±


    ¡°Not interested!¡± Han Li bluntly rejected her without the slightest consideration. The woman immediately revealed disappointment in response.


    Han Li lightly exhaled and asked a question that greatly surprised the woman, ¡°Has the Heaven Lightning Bamboo been refined? Can it continue to age?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been refined. The Heaven Lightning Bamboo was carefully nurtured by that small sect for over a hundred years. It can be further nurtured and continue to sprout out more stalks without a problem. Could it be that Senior doesn¡¯t wish to use it to refine a magic treasure and wishes to leave it behind for his descendants? However, the Heaven Lightning Bamboo grows extremely slowly. After every thousand years, it only grows by only a inch. It is truly difficult to breed!¡± The woman asked, baffled.


    Han Li didn¡¯t respond to her question, lowering his head in contemplation.


    Just when Elder Zhao started to appear impatient, Han Li finally came to decision and calmly said, ¡°In addition to the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, we still require another item as payment. After all, Crooked Soul is taking action alongside me.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem. Our sect finds these conditions acceptable!¡± Lady Fan agreed to the conditions with a beaming smile as if she had no intention of arguing.


    ¡°Since this is the case, send someone to inform me at my cave residence when the time comes. Surely your esteemed sect should know where it is.¡±


    Without waiting for Lady Fan to say anything more, he cupped his hands and quickly left with Crooked Soul, not allowing her any additional opportunities to use any of her bewitchment techniques.


    Han Li¡¯s blunt departure left Elder Zhao and Lady Fan looking at each other in dismay. Lady Fan¡¯s eyes revealed complicated emotions as her face continuously shifted between clear and gloomy.


    After returning to his cave residence, rather than quietly waiting for the Exquisite Sound Sect to call on him, he visited a few of his Core Formation cultivator acquaintances and made a few inquiries about the Exquisite Sound Sect.


    Surprisingly, they had all heard of this sect before. One of them even had previous transactions with them.


    According to what they said, the Exquisite Sound Sect was acceptable and their business dealings were good. However, their sect had only had women in positions of power for generations. This included the position of sect master.


    The Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s strength couldn¡¯t be said to be powerful. Apart from the sect master, the only other high positions were the Envoy of the Left and the Envoy of the Right. As such, it was only natural that they would employ two or three guest elders as support. Among mid-grade powers, they could be considered to be among neither the best nor the worst.


    But even with their strength being nothing of note, they weren¡¯t to be easily provoked. This was because the female cultivators of the Exquisite Sound Sect were each as beautiful as a flower and well cultured. Those in power would often fight over their outstanding female cultivators to be their Dao companion. As such, they received quite a bit of both open and hidden support.


    However, what Han Li was most concerned about was that while their reputation was decent, he heard that they had plotted a small number of malicious conspiracies to murder other cultivators. But what was most famous about the Exquisite Sound Sect were their bewitchment techniques. There were a large number of male cultivators that had become completely infatuated with their sect¡¯s female disciples.


    After acquiring this information, Han Li felt that he now had a general understanding of the Exquisite Sound Sect. After some consideration, it seemed that he would have to take this job as he was unable to resist the Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    As such, ever since he had returned to his cave residence, he started to quickly craft grade three puppets without end.


    Half a month later, a sound transmission talisman flew into Han Li¡¯s hand. After Han Li took a look, he tranquilly arranged his items and then brought Crooked Soul along with his two Bloodjade Spiders out of his cave residence.


    When he arrived at one of Heavenly Star City¡¯s gates, the young woman named Lian¡¯er was waiting for him apprehensively. When she saw Han Li and Crooked Soul arrive, she hastily ran over to them with a smile and said, ¡°Seniors! My mistress wishes for me to bring you to the island we¡¯re gathering at. We will then set off on our journey afterwards.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and wordlessly spit out his Green Brilliance Dagger. After wrapping the girl in the dagger¡¯s light, he flew off.


    Crooked Soul turned into a streak of yellow light and followed after them.


    This seemed to be the young woman¡¯s first time using a magic treasure to fly. Between occasionally giving Han Li some directions, she continuously gazed at Han Li¡¯s swordlight with great curiosity. But whenever her gaze met Han Li¡¯s, she bashfully turned her head away.


    The young woman and Han Li were quite close within the sword light, almost touching each other. If Han Li slightly lowered his head, he would be able to see her white, flawless neck and smell the woman¡¯s sweet fragrance, taking advantage of his minor amount of luck.


    The woman seemed to have noticed this and her cheeks blushed a result, leaving Han Li feeling quite amused. He couldn¡¯t help but wear a mysterious smile.


    He had guessed that since Lady Fan sent her personal servant to guide his way, she was attempting to use a genuine beauty to entrap him as her bewitchment techniques had proven ineffective on him.


    With that thought, he inwardly sneered and presumptuously took a deep whiff of the young woman¡¯s scent, causing her to slightly tremble. Her delicate, white ears turned pink, and she appeared somewhat panicked.


    However, Han Li¡¯s imprudent actions stopped there, and he didn¡¯t progress a single step further. The young woman eventually regained her calm and continued to give Han Li directions.


    An hour later, Han Li descended onto a small barren, nameless island.


    About a hundred meters away from the mountaintop, in addition to Lady Fan and Elder Zhao, there were over a dozen people sitting in meditation or whispering amongst themselves.


    There were five Core Formation cultivators, and the others were late Foundation Establishment. It seemed that the Exquisite Sound Sect had spent quite a bit of their influence to gather this many people.


    Upon seeing her servant arrive together with Han Li and Crooked Soul, Lady Fan couldn¡¯t help but reveal happiness and hastily walked over with light steps.


    ¡°It is truly fortunate for our Sect that you two Seniors have agreed to come! Let me introduce you to the others!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes appeared to be overflowing with emotion.


    She introduced Han Li and Crooked Soul to a Core Formation cultivator surnamed Meng and four Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    But what was baffling was that after Lady Fan introduced them to these people, as if in an attempt to demonstrate her power, she didn¡¯t introduce them to the others.


    Lady Fan looked at a pretty woman wearing lotus green clothing, and Han Li followed her gaze, realizing that the cultivators she hadn¡¯t introduced to them appeared to be affiliated with the green clothed woman.


    The woman had long eyebrows, upturned eyes, and a tall, slender nose. Her elegant eyes seemed to conceal a baleful aura. From a single glance, one could tell that she held a position of authority. However, her appearance aroused a desire to conquer her among men.


    This woman coldly laughed after seeing Lady Fan, but she appeared slightly shocked upon seeing Han Li and Crooked Soul. She then turned around and whispered to a middle-aged cultivator behind her, not paying attention to Lady Fan in the slightest.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Han Li asked with a calm expression.


    Fan Jingmei gave a start before begrudgingly giving an answer, ¡°Zhuo Ruting, our sect¡¯s Envoy of the Right.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take another glance at this woman, much to the displeasure of Fan Jingmei.


    Han Li didn¡¯t have any unbecoming thoughts towards this Zhuo Ruting. He merely felt that the grace and appearance of this woman gave him a feeling of strong familiarity, and he couldn¡¯t help but sink into contemplation.


    Lady Fan grew sullen upon seeing this and turned to speak with Crooked Soul. However, Crooked Soul remained expressionless while she spoke and didn¡¯t utter a single word in response, leaving her even gloomier.

 Chapter 403

    Eccentric Scarletflame


    ¡®Nangong Wan!¡¯ Han Li eventually found the origin of his feeling of familiarity.


    Although the appearance of the female cultivator named Zhuo Rutin differed from Nangong Wan, the slight similarity between their elegant grace stirred his heart¡¯s deepest depths.


    Now knowing the cause of this feeling, Han Li looked at Zhou Ruting before turning his gaze away and calming the great disturbance in his heart.


    However, ever since Han Li and Crooked Soul had arrived, Lady Fan and Zhuo Ruting showed no intention of wanting to immediately set off. Instead, they were occasionally looking towards the sky as if they were waiting for someone.


    Han Li was somewhat puzzled by this, but he didn¡¯t bother to ask any questions. Instead, he found a desolate corner and sat there with Crooked Soul, quietly waiting for the mission to start.


    They waited for nearly a day. Were these people not cultivators, each completely patient, they would¡¯ve long started complaining. But even with this being the case, people still revealed dissatisfaction.


    Lady Fan and Zhuo Ruting revealed slight worry under these circumstances and begrudgingly met to converse in whispers.


    When Han Li saw this, he speculated who exactly they were waiting for before suddenly being interrupted by the sounds of thunder coming from the appearance of a black streak at the edge of the sky.


    As the black streak quickly approached them, the many cultivators sitting in meditation each stood up and gazed at it with amazed expressions. In the blink of an eye, the black streak had already arrived above them. Han Li and the others were now able to clearly see that this black streak was actually a black cloud with a diameter of about twenty meters. Its area was large enough to cover the entire mountaintop. With its occasional rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning, it appeared even more bizarre.


    As the crowd was blankly staring at the black cloud, a woman¡¯s cold voice suddenly came from within, ¡°Senior Scarletflame, you can let me down now. I wish to speak with my two Senior Martial Sisters.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, of course!¡± An extremely hoarse voice gave a croaking reply.


    Lady Fan¡¯s and Zhuo Ruting¡¯s expressions changed slightly upon hearing the voices and they glanced at one another. The other cultivators figured out the origins of the black cloud and their expressions became bright.


    Just as Han Li was restless and confused, he heard one of the other cultivators mutter, ¡°The Exquisite Sound Sect has quite some ability. They were actually able to invite Turtle Source Island¡¯s Eccentric Scarletflame!¡±


    Han Li was able to clearly hear this person¡¯s whisper through use of his exceptional Spiritual Sense. After hearing it, his heart trembled.


    When Han Li heard the words ¡®Turtle Source Island¡¯ and ¡®Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯, Han Li immediately knew of the black cloud¡¯s origins.


    When he was getting acquainted with a few Core Formation cultivators, they had mentioned the grand reputation of ¡°Turtle Source Island¡¯s Eccentric Scarlet Flame¡± several times. This late Core Formation cultivator had long become well-known in the Scattered Star Seas from the unpredictability of his Water Sunflower Devilish Art and his brutal ruthlessness.


    Many people had also said that Eccentric Scarlet flame was extremely likely to enter Nascent Soul; it was only a matter of time before he became a great hero similar to Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin. As he was the sole hegemon of Turtle Source Island, no one dared to easily provoke him. As such, he could be considered to be an impressive person of renown. Could it be that the Exquisite Sound Sect had requested for him to come here to assist them?


    Han Li calmly raised his head and carefully examined the black cloud with a vigilant heart.


    At that moment, the black cloud furled out a gap and a slender woman dressed in violet royal garments flew out. She carried herself with graceful elegance, but her face was concealed by a faint purple Qi.


    When Lady Fan and Zhuo Ruting saw her appear, they immediately stepped forward to welcome her.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Wang, why is Eccentric Scarletflame here? Could it be that you invited him? That wasn¡¯t necessary!¡± Zhuo Ruting softly asked with a slight frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This Eccentric isn¡¯t to be easily provoked. Devils are easily invited but hard to get rid of! In addition, our current manpower is already sufficient!¡± Lady Fan spoke with a heavy expression, revealing a slight trace of dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you two Senior Martial Sisters also believe that we had enough manpower while transporting the goods?¡± The violet-clothed woman faintly stated without paying attention to the other two¡¯s worries.


    Lady Fan immediately understood what she had meant and asked with bewilderment, ¡°Junior Martial Sister, what do you mean? Does the enemy have other problematic characters?¡±


    Zhuo Ruting also revealed an astonished expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received information that their lair is being overseen by their leader, a late Core Formation cultivator. As the manpower that Senior Martial Sisters have gathered fell short, I took a trip to Turtle Origin Island to persuade Eccentric Scarletflame to help us!¡±


    After hearing this, the two senior women looked at each other in doubt and said no more.


    Although they knew that their junior had paid an enormous price to convince Eccentric Scarletfire to aid them, this wasn¡¯t the time to address it. It was best left for after the matter at hand was concluded.


    At that moment, the violet clothed woman swept her gaze past the cultivators on the mountaintop and sized them up before nodding her head as if she was satisfied.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sisters invited a few more Core Formation cultivators than expected. With the aid of Eccentric Scarletflame, we will definitely be able to kill those evil cultivators and avenge my mother!¡± The violet clothed woman¡¯s voice turned extremely cold, filled with intense killing intent.


    ¡°Be at ease, we will definitely avenge our sect master and repay this debt!¡± Zhuo Ruting slowly said as she lightly brushed her beautiful, jet-black hair.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Sect Master treated us with great kindness. We will give up our lives if it means killing the enemy.¡± Lady Fan solemnly agreed.


    The violet-clothed woman felt moved and deeply bowed to the two.


    ¡°I have greatly troubled you two Senior Martial Sisters! Since this matter has already been addressed, so long as my mother has been avenged, one of you two will be assuming the position of sect master. I, Wang Ning, do not seek to take that position!¡± The violet-clothed woman decisively said.


    After this was said, Zhuo Ruting¡¯s beautiful face wore a complicated expression. Her red lips opened but she decided to stay silent in the end.


    As for Lady Fan, although she managed to keep her expression calm, her eyes held a trace of unconcealable excitement.


    Not far from Han Li, a cultivator surnamed Meng muttered to himself, ¡°Tch tch! That must be the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit. It¡¯s such a shame that she concealed her face with a magic technique.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred. He had heard of the Fairy Violet Spirit before. It was said that she was as beautiful as a goddess and was one of the most beautiful women in the Scattered Star Seas. Could that be her?


    Han Li gazed at the violet-clothed woman in the distance with slight astonishment.


    At that moment, the three woman finished talking, and the violet-clothed woman flew back up towards the black cloud like a goddess. Then the Envoys of the Left and the Right eventually started the operation with solemn expressions.


    Over a dozen streaks of radiance flew from the mountaintop and headed north in a loose flight formation.


    Han Li and Crooked Soul occupied a position at the center rear, flying in silence. However, for some unknown reason, the cultivator surnamed Meng flew to Han Li¡¯s side and started gleefully chatting with him.


    ¡°Why has Fellow Daoist Han agreed to help Left Envoy Fan? As for me, it was because one of my concubines was one of her direct disciples. I couldn¡¯t help but assist them! Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han also¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much luck with woman unlike Fellow Daoist Meng. Lady Fan merely promised to give me an item worth my time!¡± Han Li indifferently said.


    ¡°That is truly a pity! Brother, the best things about the Exquisite Sound Sect are naturally their beautiful female disciples. Particularly the disciples that were personally instructed by their two Envoys. Those are truly¡­¡±


    Although Han Li remained calm as he listened to the endless jabber, he felt unsure of whether he should laugh or cry. With his speech being overly familiar from the very start, Han Li was reminded of his garrulous Senior Martial Brother back at Yellow Maple Valley and was unable to bear this man any ill will.


    As such, Han Li occasionally gave him an answer while following the lead of those from the Exquisite Sound Sect, flying towards an unknown location.


    The eventually arrived on a desolate island where a few lower level disciples from the Exquisite Sound Sect had been waiting for them for quite some time. They were keeping watch on the bandit¡¯s den on a nameless island not far away.


    Knowing that no one had left the evil cultivator¡¯s den, Fairy Violet Spirit flew down from the black cloud and had Han Li and company rest for a moment. On the next morning, they were going to mount a surprise raid.

 Chapter 404

    A Deceptive Situation


    The night quietly passed by.


    Just as dawn broke, the cultivators silently appeared above the evil cultivators¡¯ lair.


    ¡°It¡¯s here?¡± Fairy Violet Spirit looked down at the small black island beneath her with confusion. The island was truly small and it only had a radius of about two kilometers. It would be more accurate to call this a huge reef.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not only have the Golden Cicada Wasps arrived at this location, but the two elders have also confirmed it. Those evil cultivators are here.¡± Lady Fan softy said.


    The violet-clothed woman then silently nodded her head and no longer held doubt.


    However, this place was obviously a temporary hideout. Not only was the island pathetically small, but there was only an extremely simple illusion formation placed down that was basically worthless.


    ¡°Kill without hesitation!¡± After Fairy Violet Spirit coldly shouted her command, Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s bewildering laugh echoed out of his black cloud, easily wiping out their pathetic formation with resounding bolts of lighting. Afterwards the other cultivators bluntly rushed down.


    The sound of their formation breaking had obviously alerted the people below.


    Several sharp whistles sounded out from below. Fifty streaks of radiance flourished out, and a large number of cultivators met their advance. The three Core Formation cultivators leading them were surprised to see the Exquisite Sound Sect. But without waiting for their reply, Lady Fan yelled, ¡°Strike!¡± She then released a silver wheel magic tool and took the initiative to attack.


    When the other cultivators saw this, they bluntly followed her lead and attacked.


    The sky was suddenly filled with flashes of radiance and deafening whistles.


    Since Han Li was acting under the intention of acquiring the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, he naturally found it embarrassing to stay idle. As a result, he and Crooked Soul casually took out their magic treasures and tied down five Foundation Establishment cultivators, preparing to eliminate them in one blow.


    As two Core Formation cultivators, they should¡¯ve been able to easily deal with a small group of Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, something shocking had occurred.


    When the five Foundation Cultivators discovered that two Core Formation cultivators were attacking them, their clothes were ripped away to reveal fiend demons. Han Li was shocked to the point that his eyes had nearly fallen out of his head despite having seen them before.


    But even with their greatly increased cultivation and speed, Han Li was no longer a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. They only managed to resist for a few moments more before Han Li and Crooked Soul turned them to ash with their magic treasures.


    At this point, Han LI had discovered that their fiend demon transformations were different from that of the Black Fiend School. Not only did their transformations not require an incantation or cocoon, but an elemental blood core wasn¡¯t present in their bodies.


    Han Li felt extremely confused and puzzled. He pondered for a moment on whether or not they had some sort of relationship to the Black Fiend School. But he immediately dropped the thought and attentively looked in the other directions. Now was not the time to ponder these questions. It would be absurd if he allowed anyone to ambush him just because his thoughts were running astray.


    However, what Han Li saw only made his doubts grow stronger. A majority of the evil Foundation Establishment cultivators had underwent a fiend demon transformation. In addition, they formed small groups and were fiercely fighting with all their might.


    The three enemy Core Formation cultivators had earlier been restrained by Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s black cloud and were unable of escaping. Judging from the incessant rolls of thunder from the cloud, it seemed they were being quite strenuously held in place.


    At the moment, the enemy¡¯s several Core Formation cultivators and many Foundation Establishment cultivators had been reduced to under half of their original numbers in the blink of an eye. But even so, the remaining survivors still fearlessly fought on.


    Their dauntless attitude had left many attacking Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators greatly astonished.


    But at that moment, a fierce whistle pierced the air, leaving the Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators deafened for a moment. Everyone¡¯s expressions had involuntarily changed.


    ¡°Why are you all standing still? Quickly kill them off! Something troublesome is about to arrive!¡± Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s words croaked out of his black cloud, waking the many cultivators from a daze and allowing them to continue their fierce attacks.


    When the evil cultivators heard the sharp whistle, their spirits were greatly roused, becoming even more tenacious. For the time being, they were unable to be struck down.


    In the following instant, several streaks of ash gray light arrived above the island.


    When the Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators saw this, they stopped and stared at the five newly arrived Core formation cultivators with grave vigilance.


    The large, middle-aged man leading them had an ashen complexion. Although his facial appearance was ordinary, he wore a menacing expression. His magic power fluctuations far exceeded that of his four allies and appeared to be late Core Formation. The other four were merely early Core Formation cultivators, but they gazed at the Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators with rage all the same.


    ¡°Who are you to dare slaughter the disciples of our Hidden Fiend Sect? We must repay this debt of blood!¡± His expression grew dark after seeing that there weren¡¯t many of his disciples left.


    The others were stunned. These bandits had no idea why they had come to pay them a visit and they actually spoke so boldly and righteously.


    A few of the more quick witted individuals couldn¡¯t help but look towards Fairy Violet Spirit, Lady Fan, and Zhuo Ruting with slight hesitation.


    Fairy Violet Spirit clear, beautiful eyes revealed a trace of doubt and thought to say something before she was interrupted by a shout, ¡°Stop your nonsense! You¡¯ve committed crimes that cannot be repaid even with death!¡± Elder Zhao who had been closely following Lady Fan suddenly flew out from the crowd and waved his arm, releasing a three meter long streak of fiery light towards the enemy.


    The middle-aged cultivator furiously grimaced and released an ash-gray devilish Qi with a boom. The huge forty-meter-tall aura of ash-gray Qi formed a huge misty ghost face in an instant.


    As soon as the ghost face came into existence, it opened its mouth and fiercely charged forward.


    Elder Zhao¡¯s attack had disappeared within the huge mouth of the ghost face. The ghost face then charged towards Elder Zhao without pause.


    Suddenly, Elder Zhao revealed panic and quickly blurred several times, returning to the group of allied cultivators at a speed much faster than when he had left them. He loudly yelled, ¡°Everyone, act together! He is a late Core Formation cultivator. We don¡¯t stand a chance if we fight alone!¡±


    These obviously inciting words caused two Core Formation cultivators and a portion of the Foundation Establishment cultivators to immediately release their magic tools and treasures to strike the ghost face.


    However, a majority of them detachedly gazed on with doubt. The scene appeared somewhat messy.


    Having seen this, Han Li¡¯s face slightly twitched, and he slowly slipped towards the back of the crowd along with Crooked Soul. The situation appeared discouraging. Although he didn¡¯t know what was about to happen, Han Li thought to immediately distance himself from the coming danger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t yet act! There is something strange about it!¡± The violet-clothed woman saw that something was amiss and coldly scolded the Exquisite Sound Sect disciples. However, the attacking Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators seemed to have ignored her and continued their focused attacks on the ghost face.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression slightly shifted, and his heart felt heavy.


    The enemy middle-aged cultivator wasn¡¯t foolish and also saw that something was queer.


    After some slight surprise, he decisively waved his hand towards the ghost head, causing it to release a strange hiss. It then opened its mouth and spat out countless ashen spheres of light. The magic tools and treasures that they struck suddenly swayed with instability. He took advantage of this opportunity to have the ghost head fly back towards him.


    The attacking cultivators were stunned and didn¡¯t dare to separate from the group to continue their attack.


    ¡°Can someone tell me what is going on?¡± Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fairy Violet Spirit flew out from the group and coldly asked while she stood in between both sides.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? You killed my sect disciples without cause and you ask their sect master?¡± The middle-aged man coldly said. His eyes had already turned to a shade of a peculiar dark green.


    The violet-clothed woman emotionlessly met his gaze as she slowly asked, ¡°Were you the ones who robbed our Exquisite Sound Sect and killed our sect master?¡±


    The middle aged man responded with a furious tone, ¡°Preposterous! Our Hidden Fiend School has always had very few dealings with outsiders. Why would we do such a contemptuous thing?¡±


    When the violet-clothed woman heard this, she grew silent and her eyes became ice-cold.


    When the others heard this, they seemed to realize something, and their expressions became strange.


    Lady Fan suddenly emerged from the group and slowly proclaimed, ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve fallen into someone¡¯s trap!¡±


    ¡°Humph! Was it you that have fallen into a trap or was it us?¡± The middle-aged man eerily spoke with a resentful expression.


    The disciples that he had spent such a great number of years nurturing had all died within a day. It was impossible for him to not feel vehement hatred towards them.


    Were it not for the fact that the Exquisite Sound Sect possessed too many Core Formation cultivators and the uncertainty he held towards the strange cultivator within the black cloud, he would¡¯ve used the entirety of his strength to heavily wound them despite knowing he had fallen into someone else¡¯s trap.


    As the violet-clothed woman¡¯s gaze became completely void of emotion, Lady Fan waited from the side with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Elder Zhao, Elder Fu. How about you give us an explanation?¡± Fairy Violet Spirit slowly turned around and focused her attention on two people within the group.

 Chapter 405

    Greater Possession Technique


    Following Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s chilling words, the other cultivators focused their gazes towards where Elder Zhao and a middle-aged confucian scholar expressionlessly stood. The confucian scholar was another elder of the Exquisite Sound Sect that normally accompanied Zhuo Ruting at her side.


    When this occurred, Lady Fan and Zhou Ruting thought of something and their expressions became extremely unsightly. Lady Fan¡¯s complexion was the worse of the two, and she appeared both flustered and exasperated.


    ¡°Who is secretly spying over there?!¡± Eccentric Scarletflame suddenly shouted furiously. He then released a series of fiery lightning bolts from his cloud, which attacked a nearby area as if they were living snakes.


    An originally desolate area suddenly darkened and a vast amount of black Qi bursted out, completely consuming the fiery lightning. A short youth then appeared in the aftermath.


    ¡®Wu Chou!¡¯ Han Li, who had stealthily retreated to the group¡¯s rear, inwardly shouted this name upon seeing the youth.


    At that moment, many of the other cultivators recognized the youth and also cried out in alarm. The members of the Hidden Fiend Sect fiercely stared at Wu Chou with even greater alarm. However, when the middle-aged sect leader saw Wu Chou, he wore a queer expression and revealed a faint trace of fear.


    ¡°Hehe! As expected of the famed Eccentric Scarletflame, you¡¯re capable of seeing through this young master¡¯s secret concealment technique.¡± Wu Chou swept his gaze past the other cultivators without a care and set his sights on the black cloud.


    ¡°Humph!¡± The black cloud snorted and didn¡¯t say anything further, causing Wu Chou¡¯s expression to darken.


    ¡°With you here, I don¡¯t suppose this is a scheme by Zenith Yin Island?¡± Zhuo Ruting finally spoke after discovering that something was amiss.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! This matter was planned by this young master. The valuables of your Exquisite Sound Sect were plundered by my sect¡¯s men and your two elders were under my orders to shift the blame to the Hidden Fiend Sect!¡±


    This was beyond their expectations! Wu Chou didn¡¯t have any intention of concealing his plans and admitted to everything with a sneer. In addition, his eyes shifted around the violet-clothed woman¡¯s body obscenely.


    The violet-clothed woman merely looked emotionlessly back at Wu Chou in silence.


    At that moment, Elder Zhao, the confucian scholar, and the cultivators that had just attacked suddenly flew towards Wu Chou¡¯s side, joining Wu Chou in a three sided confrontation against Fairy Violet Spirit and the Hidden Fiend Sect.


    Although Fairy Violet Spirit and Zhuo Ruting had long guessed the truth, their expressions still became far more serious.


    ¡°Elder Zhao, Elder Meng, our sect has always treated you two well. Why have you done this?¡± With a pale, bloodless complexion, Lady Fan couldn¡¯t help but shout this out as Elder Zhao and the others flew towards their side.


    In order to rival Zhuo Ruting in the Exquisite Sound Sect, she had spent great amounts of effort to rope Elder Zhao in, to the point of even using her own body. But now that he had abandoned her without a word, she was overcome with fury and alarm.


    Elder Zhao¡¯s face twitched and he stiffly said, ¡°Left Envoy Fan, this old man didn¡¯t want to do this. However, both of our lives have fallen into their hands. We had no choice in the matter!¡±


    Lady Fan was stunned for a moment and raised her eyebrows, wanting to say something more. However, she was interrupted by Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s cold voice, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Fan, there is no point in talking. Since the enemy dared to ensnare us, they are certain to have a backer. Let us put this off for later and escape from this calamity first.¡±


    Wu Chou lecherously stared at the violet-clothed woman¡¯s concealed face and clicked his tongue, saying, ¡°Fairy Violet Spirit is indeed worthy of being called peerless. This young master has admired you for quite some time. Would you be interested in marrying this young master? Although this young master has many concubines, I have yet to decide on my main wife.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be acceptable!¡±


    Han Li and the others were all greatly startled by these words.


    After a moment of surprise, Wu Chou then bewilderingly asked, ¡°Is Young Lady Wang serious?¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit answered with a chilling voice.¡°If you execute all the cultivators that killed my mother, then I will marry you!¡±


    Wu Chou¡¯s happy expression disappeared and he shook his head with a frown, ¡°I cannot do that! Many of my grandfather¡¯s trusted aides acted on that day, and I simply do not have the power to execute them. Would Fairy Violet Spirit like to change her condition?¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit then coldly laughed and whispered something to Lady Fan at her side, ignoring Wu Chou.


    Wu Chou¡¯s extremely ugly face flashed with cruelty, but after some thought, he suppressed his fury and turned his gaze to one of the cultivators from the Hidden Fiend Sect.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Sun, I didn¡¯t expect to see you after so many years. I offer you my sincerest congratulations on nurturing so many disciples!¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle?¡± Wu Chou¡¯s proclamation greatly startled the others.


    Han Li felt his heart thump with great unease. He spread his spiritual sense all around but didn¡¯t discover an ambush. He was currently hesitant, not knowing whether he should flee or stay to see how the situation developed. After all, he still didn¡¯t know whether or not the matter of the ¡°Heaven Lightning Bamboo¡± was forfeit.


    At that moment, the middle-aged man coldly snorted and replied with an incessantly shifting expression, ¡°I am well! I truly didn¡¯t expect to be discovered by your men after taking my disciples out for an exercise. It seems things have gone quite wrong.¡±


    Wu Chou gazed at the middle aged man with a trace of insatiable greed and said, ¡°Hehe! Martial Uncle Sun is quite funny. Who would go to the Heavenmist Seas for several tens of years and be out for a mere exercise. Martial Uncle Sun most likely went out for a matter regarding Heavenvoid Hall! During that year, those many Martial Uncles took the ruined Heavenvoid Map with them. Perhaps Martial Uncle is carrying it with him. The three hundredth year for Heavenvoid Hall¡¯s emergence is nearing. However, if Martial Uncle takes the initiative to hand it over to Martial Nephew, then I will personally beg for mercy on your behalf to my Martial Ancestor to spare your life.¡±


    Having heard these coercing words, the middle-aged man grew silent for a moment before coldly replying, ¡°We were once his disciples. How could I not know of Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s methods? If we give you the map, he¡¯ll sadistically move to slaughter us regardless. Furthermore¡­¡±


    Wu Chou asked with a frown, ¡°Furthermore?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think that you are enough by yourself? Old Freak, you no longer need to hide. Quickly, show yourself!¡± The middle-aged man grimly said.


    After hearing those words, Han Li and the other cultivators were greatly startled and hurriedly looked in every direction. Could it be that Grandmaster Zenith Yin was here?¡±


    However, their surroundings were still calm and nothing strange occurred. The crowd of cultivators then looked at the middle-aged man and Wu Chou with bewilderment.


    ¡°What¡¯re you trying to do? How am I not enough¡­¡± Wu Chou started to talk after he recovered from his amazement, but halfway through, his expression grew sluggish, and his expression revealed a trace of peculiarity.


    After staring at the middle-aged man for a moment, he let out a strange laugh and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad at all! It¡¯s no wonder why you were the disciple I most regarded during that time. You were actually able to see through the identity of this old man!¡±


    After this was said, Wu Chou¡¯s face began to vaguely distort. A short moment later, he had become a thin, ugly old man with squinted eyes, much to everyone¡¯s amazement.


    Afterwards, Han Li and company felt a cold chill down their back.


    ¡°Greater Possession Technique! Now I know why you had entrusted such an important affair to a Junior. You had personally come, despite not being in your own body.¡± The middle aged man nervously gazed at the old man.


    ¡°Dear disciple, do you still dare to act against your teacher?¡± Without moving his lips, the newly emerged old man spoke with a sharp voice coming from his abdomen. As the noise caused the cultivator¡¯s inner ears to ache dully, they involuntarily recoiled back.


    ¡°Humph! Disciple? That year, you thought to kill us all without giving us a single moment to explain. You killed many of us and even refined their souls. Did you ever regard us as disciples? Or did you only see us as slaves? Moreover, you are only making use of a possession technique. At best, you will only be able to make use of a third of your cultivation. I have nothing to fear from you!¡± The middle-aged man words were scornful. He then waved his hands, causing his ghost head to swell and appear even more sinister and fearful.


    All of the cultivators present were shaken by this bizarre situation and their expressions were all different!


    The old man didn¡¯t grow furious. Instead, he insipidly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Were it a hundred years ago, you¡¯d be correct! It would¡¯ve been quite difficult to capture you alive with a third of my cultivation. But now¡­¡±


    He then revealed a derisive sneer.

 Chapter 406

    Heavenwide Corpsefire


    The spirit in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he revealed an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°Could it be that you refined the Devilish Art?¡± His voice carried a hint of terror.


    ¡°You¡¯ve guessed quite well. If you obediently give yourself up, I will give you a method of survival. Otherwise¡­ well, you already know, don¡¯t you?¡± While the old man said this, he raised his hand and with a boom, a sphere of flames as black as ink appeared in his palm.


    ¡°Heavenwide Corpsefire! You¡¯ve finally refined it.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s face grew beyond pale, and his voice became hoarse from terror.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin sneered and suddenly turned towards the Exquisite Sound Sect, proudly saying, ¡°My mood is quite good today. Thus, I will give you a way to survive! You only have to swear your allegiance to Zenith Yin Island, and you can continue to live freely. However, you all must follow my commands obediently or else your souls will be scattered. I will have you all seal a third of your primal soul into these soul restriction medallions before you leave.¡± With that said, he took out many pitch-black wooden medallions and coldly glared at the group.


    When the other cultivators heard this, they looked at each other in dismay. Everybody stood in place, neither taking the initiative to grab the medallion nor putting up any brave words of refusal. They merely looked at him in absolute silence.


    Aside from Han Li and Crooked Soul, there were three other Core Formation cultivators on the side of the Exquisite Sound Sect: Eccentric Scarletfire who was invited by Fairy Violet Spirit, cultivator Meng, and the man with the aquiline nose that was invited by Zhuo Ruting. As for the others, including Fairy Violet Spirit and Lady Fan, they consisted of seven late Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    As for Eccentric Scarletflame who remained hidden in his black cloud, he had already silently released the three Hidden Fiend cultivators and stayed silent.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression darkened and he eerily said, ¡°It seems you wish for both your body and soul to be extinguished. Fine! This Grandmaster will fulfill your desires!¡±


    As soon as this was said, the cultivator with a aquiline nose behind Zhuo Ruting suddenly flew away in a streak of yellow light. Under Zhuo Ruting¡¯s furious gaze, he flew a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye and coldly snorted, ¡°Humph! Since I hold neither any desire to fight against great master nor to be controlled, I will be taking my leave.¡±


    After this was said, the yellow streak flew another hundred meters further at an impressive speed.


    When Grandmaster Zenith Yin saw this, his eyes released an ominous glint. He lightly waved the hand containing the black fireball towards the yellow streak, causing the black fireball to flash several times and turn into a thin black streak that quickly vanished without a trace.


    The others were baffled, but when Han Li saw this, his expression tensed up.


    An instant later, a miserable scream came from the yellow streak, and with a clang, the yellow streak turned into ball of demonic black flame. The flame soon faded away to reveal nothing aside from a pitch black throwing knife magic treasure.


    Han Li let out a breath of cold air. Those black flames were too fast to avoid!


    He pondered whether or not he could avoid the attack, given he had distance and a concentrated mind. But even at a distance of a kilometer, he would have no method of dodging them.


    In addition, the intensity of those black flames were absolute and entirely superior to the ¡°Azure Yang Devilfire¡± he had previously seen; it wasn¡¯t something a common magic treasure was capable of blocking.


    Knowing that his life could soon end at the mere whim of this expert, Han Li¡¯s mouth grew dry and his heart slammed with intensity.


    It took a majority of his self control to prevent him from bolting away at that instant. He clearly understood that if he were to act blindly, he would only be hastening to his end.


    However, giving the enemy a third of his primal soul was a price Han Li was incapable of paying; it would be equivalent to handing over his life.


    So long as the soul restriction medallion was crushed, the affected cultivator would become an idiot at best, and live the rest of their life with the mind of an infant. At worst, they would go insane and perish.


    In addition, these vicious primal soul restriction techniques were something that could only be performed by a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Han Li forcefully suppressed his panic and looked at the others to see whether or not they had a good plan.


    When the nearby Core Formation cultivator Meng felt Han Li look at him, he only bitterly smiled and shook his head before gloomily turning his gaze back towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    At the front, Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s expression remained clear and cold. But behind her, ten strings of white jade were intertwined and slightly twisted, leaving Han Li dumbfounded.


    As for the other cultivators of the Exquisite Sound Sect, their complexions became bloodlessly pale after witnessing the might of the black devilflame. Although their expressions were calm, their eyes contained inconcealable terror.


    Han Li licked his lips and brought his gaze towards the cultivators of the Hidden Fiend School.


    After recovering from the awe of witnessing the might of the black devilflame, the middle-aged man squinted his eyes.


    When Han Li looked at him, the middle-aged man said in a deep voice, ¡°Do not provoke the old devil. Since he is possessing another¡¯s body, he can only refine those flames a few times at most; otherwise, the possessed body will burn away and perish. Right now, we can only act together to get rid of the old devil.¡±


    As the middle-aged man said this, he turned his gaze towards Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s black cloud. In his mind, he would only be able to fight against Grandmaster Zenith Yin if he joined forces with the Late Core Formation Eccentric Scarletflame.


    However, there was no response from the black cloud. This strange occurrence caused Han Li and the others to become nervous.


    Fairy Violet Spirit in particular gazed at the black cloud with icy intensity.


    At that moment, Grandmaster Zenith Ying coldly laughed and clasped his hands together. After separating them, two more black fireballs appeared in his hands. Everyone¡¯s complexion abruptly changed as they all stared at the black fireballs.


    At that moment, the black cloud started to roll, and Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s faint, hoarse voice could be heard, ¡°Grandmaster Zenith Yin, do you wish for me to surrender to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Since I¡¯ve personally arrived here via possession, everyone present must either recognize me as their master or die! There will be no exceptions.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin indifferently replied, looking at the black cloud.


    ¡°Good! Good! Even with a trifling possessed body, you actually dare to take on this island lord! It seems I¡¯ll have to test the power of your esteemed self¡¯s devilfire!¡± Eccentric Scarletflame flew into a rage from humiliation and the black cloud rumbled with increasing intensity with sounds of fierce thunder ringing out.


    Seeing that the talks had collapsed, the Exquisite Sound Sect and the Hidden Fiend School cultivators inwardly let out a breath of relief. Since the Eccentric was on their side, they still had a fighting chance.


    After all, Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s Water Sunflower Devilish Art was extremely well-known in the Scattered Star Seas. It may prove to be able to subdue this Devilfire!


    Fairy Violet Spirit suddenly asked, ¡°Senior Zenith Yin, are you not afraid of the Star Palace coming to knock on your door due to your unrestrained use of the soul restriction technique? To the best of my knowledge, the two Heavenly Star Sages strictly forbid Nascent Soul experts such as yourself from using them.¡±


    Although Grandmaster Zenith Yin was an old Nascent Soul devil, his expression slightly changed upon hearing the Star Palace and the Heavenly Star Sages being mentioned.


    However, he immediately recovered his calm and coldly chuckled, ¡°It seems this girl knows quite a bit! However, the Star Palace¡¯s ban was only a matter of the past. Do you really believe that the Heavenly Star Sages dare to casually leave Heavenly Star City? Without them acting, the Star Palace has no way of enforcing those restrictions!¡±


    Those words stunned Han Li and the others like lightning striking from a clear sky. Only the cultivators from the Hidden Fiend Sect showed no surprise; it seemed they already knew of this.


    Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s heart grew sullen, but soon after, she decisively shouted in a cold voice towards the middle-aged man, ¡°Deal with the old devil with Eccentric Scarletflame and have the others take care of the traitors. Afterwards, we will take on the old devil together!¡±


    The middle-aged man was slightly surprised, but he immediately understood and waved his arm towards his subordinates, ordering, ¡°Follow her instructions for the time being. If we do not strike down the old devil, none of us will survive.¡±


    Afterwards, he stared at Grandmaster Zenith Yin with a mask of frost as Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s black cloud arrived above him with a blur.


    The Hidden Fiend Sect¡¯s Core Formation cultivators looked at each other before wordlessly flying towards the Exquisite Sound Sect cultivator¡¯s side, coldly staring at the traitors.


    Without the fear of facing Zenith Yin¡¯s frightening devilfire, the Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators¡¯ expressions greatly improved, taking out their magic tools and treasures in preparation for combat.


    But Han Li, who stood at the back of the crowd, stiffly frowned.


    For some unknown reason, the current circumstances gave him an extremely unpleasant feeling, as if a disaster were about to occur. Something felt wrong to him. But can Grandmaster Zenith Yin take them all on by relying on the Greater Possession Technique?


    He licked his dry lips before thinking for a moment. Then, he quietly gave Crooked Soul a few orders and spat out his Green Brilliance Dagger.

 Chapter 407

    Betrayal


    ¡°Go!¡± The middle-aged man uttered in a low voice. After forming an incantation gesture with his hands, the ghost head bared its fangs and fiercely charged towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin while screaming.


    That same moment, Han Li and the others shot their magic tools and treasures at the Exquisite Sound Sect traitors.


    Naturally, those at Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s side hadn¡¯t resigned themselves to death and unleashed their own barrage of brilliant light. In the next moment, all kinds of magic tools and treasures intertwined with one another.


    Zenith Yin indifferently glanced at the scene before turning towards the ghost head flying at him, revealing a cold smile.


    He shot the two black fireballs in his hand towards it. After leaving his hands, the fireballs underwent a series of transformations until becoming inky snakes as thick as a thumb. Then with a woosh, they pierced into the ghost head¡¯s mouth like an arrow.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face suddenly paled, and he inwardly cried out in alarm.


    The ghost head suddenly stopped and it began to swell before suddenly rupturing, releasing countless threads of black flame.


    After the middle-aged man saw this, his complexion somewhat paled, but he immediately took in a deep breath and wore a resolute expression.


    He slapped the back of his head with all his strength and a thumb-sized bead slowly emerged from his forehead. The bead was made of an exquisite pure white crystal and released a cold white aura.


    After the bead fully emerged, the middle-aged man secretly transmitted his voice to Eccentric Scarletflame with a solemn expression, ¡°Brother Scarlet, the old devil¡¯s Heavenwide Corpsefire can only be restrained by the cold of an extreme Yin magic treasure. I¡¯ll use the Dark Cold Bead to capture his attention while you find an opportunity to trap the old devil using your Water Sunflower Devilish Arts. This way, we¡¯ll have a greater chance of victory.¡±


    With a muffled grunt coming from the black cloud in response, the middle-aged man¡¯s spirits were roused.


    Without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and sprayed a mist of blood onto the bead, which began to spin and absorb the entirety of the blood mist. Its white aura contracted and expanded before transforming it into a huge, three-meter-wide silver sphere that shined with blinding light.


    ¡°OId Devil, I¡¯ll show you the ferocity of my Dark Cold Bead that I refined from profound deep sea crystal!¡± The middle-aged man gazed at Grandmaster Zenith Yin with a malicious expression and grit his teeth.


    Soon after, he pointed his hand towards the Dark Cold Bead and shouted, ¡°Swiftly!¡± The silver light sphere swayed several times and released a clear hum before transforming into a white python with the thickness of a bowl. The python then fiercely pounced towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin revealed slight astonishment! But soon after, his disdainful smile reappeared on his face. With a slight tremble of his shoulders, eight bowl-thick wisps of black Qi emerged from behind him.


    The wisps of black Qi were extremely agile. As they floated in the air, they transformed into wolf type demonic beasts and charged towards the white python with bared fangs and claws.


    The middle-aged man watched this with raised eyebrows and then loudly shouted as he continuously moved his hands. Streaks of multi-colored incantation seals flew from his hands and landed on the body of the white python.


    The python¡¯s eyes suddenly flashed with green light. It coiled its body and silently spouted out a thick white mist of ice, causing the the black mist wolves to disappear without a trace. Afterwards, the mist relentlessly continued to approach Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin finally revealed some surprise. Still, he merely waved a hand in front of his body and summoned a thick black wall of light from the ground with a boom, blocking the white mist.


    Seeing that the cold white mist had completely occupied Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s attention, the middle-aged man hastily sent a voice transmission towards Eccentric Scarletflame, ¡°Brother Scarlet, act now!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Eccentric Scarletflame responded without any hesitation.


    A short moment after the middle-aged man¡¯s roar, the black cloud quickly swelled and started to wildly roll before releasing deafening thunderclaps, bolts of lightning bursting underneath it.


    ¡°Eccentric Scarletflame, you¡­¡± The middle-aged man yelled out with an aghast expression before being enveloped in a hundred meters of inescapable black clouds.


    At that moment, Eccentric Scarletflame cackled strangely. A huge black hand suddenly shot out from the cold white mist and grabbed ahold of the white python, causing it to disperse and return back into the form of a bead.


    However, it still did its utmost to flicker without end while inside the large hand¡¯s grasp as if it were unwilling to give up.


    At the same time, the middle-aged man¡¯s furious roar could be heard among the clangs of thunder, ¡°Old Devil, Scarletflame! You bastards were working together!¡± His voice was filled with bitter resentment and regret.


    ¡°Humph! It was just that you were too stupid. Play with Scarletflame for now! I will take care of the others first before coming back to chat with you about the matters between a master and his disciple!¡± After indifferently speaking those words, the large black hand faded away to reveal Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    After giving a cold glance to the black cloud, he brought his gaze towards the Dark Cold Bead in his hand, opened his mouth, and spat a dull mist of black Qi over it. The stained bead immediately lost its brilliance and darkened.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin appeared content, and with a flip of his hand, the bead disappeared without a trace.


    Despite the long description, Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s sudden betrayal and Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s disposal of the Dark Cold Bead had occurred in only the blink of an eye. However, these events had left the others dumbstruck even as they were on the verge of victory.


    Fairy Violet Spirit revealed an even greater appearance of incredulity!


    A majority of the cultivators immediately realized something. After exchanging a mutual glance, they immediately put away the magic treasures and tools they were using to suppress the traitors and scattered, fleeing without a word.


    They weren¡¯t idiots. Under the current circumstances, they would surely die without having their corpses intact. They scattered in every direction and left themselves to the mercy of fate. The quickest ones were obviously the Core Formation cultivators.


    What was most astonishing was that Fairy Violet Spirit, Lady Fan, and Zhuo Ruting had made use of an unknown secret technique. Jointly making use of a stone tablet magic tool to turn themselves into a streak of tri-colored light no slower than the Core Formation cultivators.


    As for the quickest among them, it was naturally the two that had slipped away first, Han Li and Crooked Soul. As soon as Eccentric Scarletflame betrayed the middle-aged man, Han Li and Crooked Soul had retrieved their magic treasures and wordlessly fled as streaks of green and yellow light.


    Just as the other cultivators had thought to flee, Han Li had already fled over a hundred meters away. But when he turned his head to see what had resulted, Han Li was amazed and rejoiced at the sight.


    Not all of the Hidden Fiend Sect¡¯s Core Formation cultivators had fled. The four that had appeared with the middle-aged man had joined hands in a violent assault against Eccentric Scarletflame and Grandmaster Zenith Yin. With expressions of heart-chilling fury, they attacked without any intention of preserving their own lives, leaving the two devils flustered and unable to free themselves.


    ¡°Good! Good! I didn¡¯t think that those people were actually your Fiend Core Doppelgangers. I will be sure to make them whole!¡±


    This attack seemed to have greatly angered Grandmaster Zenith Yin and he abruptly laughed from rage. Suddenly, one of the four Core formation cultivators let out a miserable wail before he combusted into a ball of raging black fire and turned to ash.


    Han Li felt his heart tremble and no longer dared to look, focusing instead on speeding forward on his Green Brilliance Dagger.


    But still, he couldn¡¯t help but look at Crooked Soul with a strange expression. After hearing the words, ¡®Fiend Core¡¯ and ¡®Doppelganger¡¯, the doubts clouding his mind had finally been cleared up.


    He had originally suspected the Wu Chou¡¯s ¡°Great Profound Ying Technique¡± had some relationship with the ¡°Profound Yin Scripture¡± contained inside the Emperor of Yue¡¯s jade slip. Now, his suspicions had finally been confirmed.


    As for why they were present in both the Heavenly South Region and the Scattered Star Seas, he reckoned they had been transported by an ancient transportation formation, most likely through the very one he had used.


    Now that he thought about it, the rainbow skeleton beside the ancient transportation formation raised a huge question.


    As for his earlier premonitions, Eccentric Scarletflame¡¯s betrayal during the battle was far beyond what he had expected. His first fight after achieving Core Formation had ended up just like the difficult situations he had found himself in while he was in Foundation Establishment, leaving him with no choice but to flee for his life as before.


    Feeling great bitterness in his heart, Han Li became beyond gloomy. However, he found this situation to be quite similar to when he had killed the Infant Carp Beast. It should¡¯ve been a close battle between both sides, but in the end, traitors had appeared and ended up massacring their former allies.


    With that in mind, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the medallion engraved in the shape of a sinister ghost head. He felt that everything seemed to have a relation to it.


    That was all that came to Han Li¡¯s mind before his thoughts were interrupted by two wretched screams behind him, causing his heart to tense up.


    As of current, he could only hope that Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s great arrogance would somehow allow him to escape as he hadn¡¯t set up any contingency plans beforehand.

 Chapter 408

    Demon Corpse


    Just as Han Li was lost in thought, his expression changed, and he stopped in the sky with Crooked Soul.


    The originally empty area ahead of him had suddenly become vaguely distorted. With a hum, a human-like demon climbed out of the distortion and smiled at them, revealing its vicious, rotten teeth.


    ¡°What!?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but shout upon seeing this.


    Its body was dark green and covered in shiny, black armor. While it was unarmed, it had extremely sharp, inch-long fingernails.


    ¡®A refined corpse?¡¯ The strong, putrid smell of a corpse came from the demon, allowing Han Li to recognize its true identity, much to his dismay.


    From its appearance, it couldn¡¯t possibly be the low grade ¡°Armored Corpse¡±. It was most likely a corpse refined by Grandmaster Zenith Yin using some extraordinary method.


    With that it mind, Han Li waved his hand, causing his Green Brilliance Dagger to transform into a ten meter long flood dragon and fiercely charge forward. At the same time, Crooked Soul silently raised his finger and shot out a fine beam of bloody light that faded away in the blink of an eye, a Blood Spirit Drill that Crooked Soul had arduously refined..


    With the sound of a splatter, the Blood Spirit Drill pierced through the refined corpse¡¯s lower chest and left a small hole, causing the refined corpse to look down at it in surprise.


    Han Li rejoiced and willed the green flood dragon to follow through.


    The flood dragon scattered into green brilliance, throwing the refined corpse back by ten meters. The corpse then let out a low roar and immediately stood up, glancing at Han Li with an ominous glint.


    ¡®Not good! This refined corpse isn¡¯t affected by the attacks of common magic treasures?¡± Han Li hastily recalled his Green Brilliance Dagger with a sunken heart.


    The corpse was completely unaffected by Han Li¡¯s strike. Even the small wound it received from the Blood Spirit Drill was healing at a visible rate.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened and he joined together with Crooked Soul, flying out in a single streak of light, wanting to slip past the side of the corpse.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t scared of any danger the refined corpse may pose to him, but the time it would take away would allow Grandmaster Zenith Yin to catch up to him. Han Li stole a glance behind him afterwards. He saw that the other fleeing cultivators were also blocked by a greatnumber of refined corpses.


    As Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, he and Crooked Soul propelled their streak of light using the entirety of their power, soon passing the refined corpse.


    The eyes of the corpse then flashed with green light, and its body suddenly blurred, disappearing from sight!


    Seeing this incredibly familiar scene, Han Li suddenly dodged to the side out of reflex, dodging a five clawed streak of black swordlight. The attack whistled past him until it dispersed about forty meters away.


    Han Li inhaled a breath of cold air and turned his head away from the swordlight. As expected, the refined corpse was standing not far behind him with two sharp claws, extended by several inches of black light.


    What speed! The corpse had traveled no less than a hundred meters from its original location in a mere instant!


    That was nearly as fast and stealthy as Han Li¡¯s own movements when he used the Shifting Smoke Steps on land! The demon had even used it in the air! That was truly beyond reason.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion grew ashen.


    He knew that he would no longer be able to escape from the refined corpse. Was this the reason why Grandmaster Zenith Yin had so calmly ignored them as they fled?


    Now knowing this, Han Li¡¯s expression grew harsh and he patted his storage pouch. In an instant, a hundred azure lights along with two red lights flew out, densely surrounding him.


    After the lights faded away, two Bloodjade Spiders and over a hundred of huge, six-meter-tall azure apes were revealed. The huge apes raised their arms as soon as they appeared and shot out ten beams of azure light from their fingers towards the refined corpse, encompassing the sky in light beams.


    Unable to avoid such a dense barrage of attacks, the demon corpse¡¯s eye gave off a vicious glint, and it spat out a ball of black Qi to face the barrage of fine azure beams of light. He then crossed his arms in front of his body to block the attack and closely followed after the black Qi.


    The black Qi managed to disperse a majority of the azure light, but those that managed to strike its body merely dispersed into azure smoke and scattered radiance. The demon corpse revealed a trace of a grimace, slightly baring its teeth before taking tyrannical strides toward the huge apes.


    With a series of cracks, a few of the nearby puppets were ripped apart by the claws of black light. Han Li frowned upon seeing this and Crooked Soul immediately released a hundred meter high blood light and condensed it into a huge blood-red saber before fiercely chopping down towards the refined corpse.


    Clang. The blood saber chopped down onto the demon corpse¡¯s head, but it produced only the sound of struck metal, seemingly unable to be damaged by the slashes. The slash appeared to have only attracted the corpse¡¯s fury. It grabbed the blood saber with one hand and swung down the other as if wanting to destroy the saber to vent its fury.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reveal calm joy at the sight!


    With an incantation gesture, Crooked Soul¡¯s blood saber turned into violet flames. In an instant, the refined corpse was engulfed in wild flames, causing it to shriek out in panic and flap its hands onto its body.


    However, the demon corpse quickly discovered that although the violet flames were difficult to extinguish, they didn¡¯t cause it any injuries and could be ignored. It then sought to find the culprit of the flames.


    But as soon as it raised its head, two huge white nets silently covered it, sturdily entrapping it as it was caught unaware. They were the spiderwebs of the Bloodjade spiders.


    The demon corpse was greatly alarmed and hastily attempted to break free with all of its strength, but at this same time, the purple flames turned into a bowl-thick serpent of purple flames and firmly wrapped around its body.


    With the spider webs and the flame serpent binding its body, it would be unable to escape for a while.


    Then without the slightest hesitation, Han Li and Crooked Soul turned into a streak of light, retrieved his spiders and puppets, and immediately flew off without any thoughts of looking behind them.


    If he hadn¡¯t heard incorrectly, there had been a third wretched scream from Grandmaster Zenith¡¯s direction. If he didn¡¯t take the opportunity to escape now, he¡¯d definitely turn into the old devil¡¯s slave.


    Han Li¡¯s and Crooked Soul¡¯s joined powers allowed them to fly over fifty kilometers away in a single breath. After shifting their direction several times, they came across a small nameless island.


    The two immediately descended onto the island and buried themselves over forty meters deep. They then wrapped themselves with the aura severing muslin cloth and used the nameless incantation to restrain their Qi.


    Even after performing all of this, Han Li still felt apprehensive, not knowing if he would be able to escape detection from the two devil¡¯s spiritual sense. After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator was certain to have far greater spiritual sense than an average Core Formation cultivator.


    Unfortunately, Han Li had no way of knowing that over fifty kilometers away, Grandmaster Zenith Yin was standing in his original position with a leisurely expression, seeming to have given up his chase on the runaways. Additionally, there was a large red-robed, purple-faced man next to him along with over a dozen dark-green refined corpses.


    In front of Grandmaster Zenith Yin and the purple-faced man was an unconscious middle-aged man floating in midair; he was being held up by strange needles emitting blue light that were stabbed into his body.


    As for Elder Zhao and the others, they were behind the two, prostrated with fear, not daring to breathe too loudly. Even the Core Formation cultivators lacked the slightest trace of pride.


    ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that Violet Spirit girl would actually escape! I had originally thought to hand her over to Fellow Daoist Scarletflame. It seems we¡¯ll only be able to look for an opportunity in the future!¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin said with a calm expression.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be disheartened, Senior Wu. Although that Violet Spirit girl is among the top ten furnace cauldrons I would consider, your grandson seems to have taken quite an interest in her. How about we leave her for him?¡± The large, purple-faced man chuckled.


    ¡°Then many thanks to Fellow Daoist Scarletflame! After we return, I¡¯ll send twenty acceptable female cultivators to Turtle Source Island as compensation. Besides, your master can be considered my Senior. Please send him my respects!¡± After Grandmaster Zenith Yin heard this, his face revealed a rarely seen trace of a smile.


    ¡°Senior, I also haven¡¯t seen my master for quite some time. If I see him, I will definitely mention you.¡± Eccentric Scarletflame spoke with an extremely polite tone before rolling his eyes and continued, ¡°However, now that the Violet Spirit girl has escaped, she may contact the Star Palace. Are there any problems we should worry about?¡± Scarletflame revealed a trace of worry.


    ¡°The Star Palace? Hehe! There are no problems to be had.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin casually sneered.


    ¡°As far as I know, the Heavenly Star Palace¡¯s elders are all in seclusion. Currently, they definitely won¡¯t deal with any minor, trivial matters. Those two old bastards of the Star Palace are refining some technique called the Divine Essencefused Light for no reason. As a result, the two can only leave Heavenly Star City for half a month on a fixed date every year, otherwise their cultivation will greatly decline. It seems that during the next trip to the Heavenvoid Hall, we will have far less enemies to worry about.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s tone was laced with schadenfreude. The corner of Scarletflame¡¯s mouth twitched.


    ¡°However, my master had mentioned this before. So long as the Heavenly Star City Sages remain in Heavenly Star City and draw the support of their essencefuses Mountain, they are an unstoppable existence. In addition, if they managed to cultivate to the great success stage of Divine Essencefused Light, they would no longer be confined to Heavenly Star City and would reign supreme in the Scattered Star Seas!¡± Scarletflame said with deep worry.

 Chapter 409

    True Appearance


    ¡°Great success stage? Heh, that¡¯s just the two sage¡¯s wishful thinking. They didn¡¯t even bother to consider why no one had truly cultivated the Divine Essencefused Light despite it having been so widespread in the Scattered Star Islands for countless years. Of course, it could be considered good luck for them if an Essencefused Mountain would unknowingly emerge from the ocean floor and be transported back to Heavenly Star City. But returning to the main point, the Divine Essencefused Light is something that can only be cultivated by relying on external objects. I completely suspect that the founder of this cultivation art wrote it as a joke. What cultivation art in this world could possibly control all five elements? In addition, their cultivation of this technique is completely meaningless. Even if they don¡¯t succeed in cultivating this technique, their cultivation realm alone already makes them an exceptional existence in this world.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin refuted.


    ¡°I hope it is as Senior says!¡± Although Scarletflame was still somewhat worried, he could only agree.


    ¡°As for those who escaped, there were two from the eighteen that managed to break free from the Heavenwide Corpses, in addition to Fairy Violet Spirit and her sect¡¯s envoys. This was quite unexpected!¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin revealed a peculiar gaze as he stroked his short, thin beard.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Fairy Violet Spirit carried her sect protecting treasure on her: the Wood Dragon Tablet. By relying on its protection, she was able to bring herself and her sect envoys to safety. However, the other two who escaped were quite strange. From a distance, I saw that the two released a large number of human-like mechanical puppets. Although their offensive and defensive abilities were very lacking, being able to control over a hundred of them all at once was quite unusual.¡± Eccentric Scarletflame was also surprised and nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°Let them be. There is no need to concern ourselves over two small fish! If I weren¡¯t restricted by the limited amount of magic power I hold post possession, I would¡¯ve been able to use other methods to prevent them from escaping before my eyes. Still, the most important goal has been fulfilled; the traitorous disciple has been captured. I will be bringing him back to find out where he took the ruined Heavenvoid Map.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin spoke indifferently as if he didn¡¯t care in the slightest that Han Li and Crooked Soul had fled.


    Having heard this, Eccentric Scarletflame let the matter drop. Not longer after, he said his farewells to Grandmaster Zenith Yin and flew off after turning into a black cloud.


    After seeing Eccentric Scarletflame disappear into the horizon, Grandmaster Zenith Yin faintly sneered. He slowly extended his hand and relaxed his fingers, revealing a several-inch-large white ball of spiderwebs


    As Zenith Yin gazed at the spidersilk, he revealed a strange, captivated expression.


    ¡°Bloodjade Spider! I truly didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see them again. It seems the heavens haven¡¯t abandoned me! I still have a chance!¡± After Grandmaster Zenith Yin muttered to himself, he suddenly howled with laughter as he faced the sky. Elder Zhao and the others paled in complete shock.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin abruptly stopped his hysterical laughter and loudly shouted, ¡°Go! We¡¯re returning to the island!¡± Afterwards, he grabbed hold of the floating, middle-aged cultivator and led the way back.


    Han Li naturally didn¡¯t know what had happened fifty kilometers away. He remained underground for an entire month due to his trepidation before emerging with absolute caution. After he carefully scanned the vicinity to confirm that nobody was nearby, he wordlessly flew back to Heavenly Star City with Crooked Soul.


    This trip had left him greatly shaken; he had nearly lost his life. But what made him most gloomy was that he had braved this great danger without anything to show for it. He reckoned the Heaven Lightning Bamboo had fallen into the hands of Grandmaster Zenith Yin. As such, he could only return to Heavenly Star City in dejection.


    Heavenly Star City was as flourishing as it had been in the past. When the Star Palace gatekeepers respectfully addressed him as Senior, Han Li was unable to feel any happiness since he had recently escaped from death and entered the city with a miserable expression.


    But when he returned to his cave residence on the thirty-ninth layer, he was stunned.


    A sound transmission talisman was peacefully floating outside the cave residence¡¯s restrictions.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened as he frowned. He then took out the authority talisman and somewhat unwillingly shot out a green light from the medallion. The sound transmission talisman was enveloped by the green light and shot towards Han Li in a streak of fiery light.


    Han Li then shot out a speck of white light from his finger and struck the talisman, causing it to vigorously ignite and release the beautiful voice of a woman.


    Han Li was initially stunned upon hearing this, but he soon revealed anger.


    That was the voice of Lady Fan! She dared to so shameless come knocking on his door despite having put him through such hardship.


    The belly full of rage Han Li had been stifling since that day suddenly bursted out. His hand immediately flashed with red light and formed a fist-sized fireball, intending to throw it out and destroy the sound transmission talisman. However, the next words she said stirred Han Li¡¯s heart, and he stilled his hand.


    A short moment later, Lady Fan¡¯s voice faded away. Han Li casually extinguished the fireball in his hand and grabbed his chin, sinking into deep thought.


    To tell the truth, Han Li was slightly surprised that the three female cultivators were able to escape. However, he currently didn¡¯t hold the slightest goodwill towards them.


    She had requested for him to meet them at some inn and raised the topic of the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, faintly speaking as if they were in possession of it. This caused Han Li to become beyond furious and his emotions to become unstable.


    But in the end, Han Li decided to go see them after some more thought. He wouldn¡¯t agree to assisting them with any matters of revenge and would merely have to purchase the bamboo above the market price. He was sure that any others wouldn¡¯t regard the Heaven Lightning Bamboo as useful as it would be to him and would only consider the item to be of little interest.


    After all, rare wood attribute materials were normally used as a core material for magic treasure refinement, apart from some peculiar magic treasures. After dissolving the bamboo¡¯s impurities, there wouldn¡¯t be enough leftover material to refine even a dagger as Lady Fan had described the small stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo to be only a few inches long.


    With that thought, Han Li headed toward the inn with roused spirits.


    An hour later, Han Li arrived at the Grand Flourish Inn and entered a room on the third floor along with Crooked Soul.


    The inn was quite particular, as the first two floors were for mortals and the third floor was reserved for the use of cultivators.


    Han Li leisurely found the mentioned room. However, the room door was covered in a layer of faint white light. It was clear a formation had been set down as a method of detection.


    Having seen this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reveal a trace of self-mockery. It seemed the beautiful women had been greatly startled by the recent events as well.


    Han Li lightly shook his head before using his hand to shoot a speck of white light towards the restriction, causing it to release a series of ripples.


    No sound came from within a room, but a short moment later, Han Li felt a wave of spiritual sense quickly fly around him and Crooked Soul before returning into the room.


    Then with a flash of white light, the door¡¯s restriction disappeared. Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s clear and cold voice then said, ¡°So these two Seniors have arrived. Please, come in! Us sisters have been waiting for you for quite some time.¡±


    Han Li pushed the door open with a calm expression and slowly walked in with Crooked Soul in tow.


    The room¡¯s arrangements were simple, and apart from a red wood table and a few tasteful rattan chairs, there were no other items. However, Han Li was shocked to find that there was an unfamiliar woman with a languid expression in the room where the Exquisite Sect Members should have been.


    The woman wore yellow clothes and had a predictably flawless, pale face with bright and clear eyes. She turned to look at Han Li with a slight smile.


    After a moment of surprise, he doubtfully asked with hesitation, ¡°You¡¯re Miss Violet Spirit?¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t seen Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s true appearance, he had heard that she possessed peerless beauty. Han Li blinked with slight confusion and thought, ¡®Surely this isn¡¯t her? Although this young, yellow-clothed woman was very pleasant to the eyes, it definitely didn¡¯t match her grand reputation. Could it be this wasn¡¯t her true appearance?¡¯


    ¡°Senior seems shocked! Is it because Wang Ning¡¯s true appearance causes Senior Han disappointment? Sorry to disappoint you, but this really is my true appearance!¡± The yellow-clothed woman saw through Han Li¡¯s shock and indifferently spoke with a slight smile.


    ¡°True appearance?¡± Han Li attentively looked at the young woman¡¯s face for a moment before wordlessly shaking his head. Although he didn¡¯t see anything amiss with her appearance, seeing neither any illusion techniques or other alternations, he still didn¡¯t believe that this was actually Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s true appearance.


    After all, there were many strange treasures in this world. It wouldn¡¯t be considered off if there were at least one or two that could mask one¡¯s true appearance and change their face to another.

 Chapter 410

    Elder


    Fairy Violet Spirit saw Han Li¡¯s disbelief but didn¡¯t address it. Instead she turned to Crooked Soul and sweetly smiled, saying, ¡°So Crooked Soul is Senior Han¡¯s external incarnation?


    Han Li¡¯s body grew still upon hearing this and he stared at the woman with a cold gaze for a long while before coldly asking, ¡°How does Lady Violet Spirit know this?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Senior doesn¡¯t need to be so shocked. Our sect also has a method of clone refinement. However, its costs are far too great and its rate of success is terrible. As such, it is rare for any of our sect members to use it. However, Senior¡¯s clone is quite peculiar. Normally, a clone would have far inferior cultivation. However, Senior Han¡¯s clone is also at early Core Formation. How strange!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit lightly smiled with bright, wandering eyes.


    ¡°Since Fairy Violet Spirit has seen through it, I won¡¯t conceal this. However, why aren¡¯t the other two fellow daoists here?¡± Han Li admitted this with a relaxed expression, but asked another question after looking through the room. Han Li knew that it was only a matter of time before Crooked Soul was discovered to be his clone and wasn¡¯t particularly astonished.


    ¡°Senior, please sit! My two Senior Martial Sisters went to the market city to purchase a few items and also a long-term residence in Heavenly Star City along the way.¡± The young woman gracefully invited Han Li to take seat and gave an explanation with a gentle tone.


    After taking a seat, Han Li frowned and doubtfully asked, ¡°What? You three Fellow Daoists don¡¯t intend to return the Exquisite Sound Sect?¡±


    ¡°Return to the Exquisite Sound Sect? We don¡¯t dare! Since Zenith Yin Island became our enemy and our two great sect elders have betrayed us, we would fall into those devil¡¯s hand were we to return. Other small and mid-level powers would also jump at the opportunity to absorb us. As such, we¡¯ve decided to relocate the Exquisite Sound Sect to Heavenly Star City for the time being with our sects savings.¡± Fairy Violet Spirit sighed and bitterly smiled.


    ¡°I see.¡± Han Li nodded. As Han Li didn¡¯t have much of a relationship with them, he didn¡¯t make any excessive displays of enthusiasm.


    Fairy Violet Spirit didn¡¯t seem to care about Han Li¡¯s response and poured a cup of tea for him instead. She then aloofly said, ¡°When we escaped the interception of that refined corpse, we also saw Senior subdue his own, and thus knew that Senior had managed to escape. I later heard from Senior Martial Sister Fan that Senior had assisted us for the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. As such, I had her send a sound transmission talisman to invite Senior Han for a chat.¡±


    Han Li decided to directly address the heart of the matter and not speak in circles, ¡°The Sound Transmission Talisman mentioned that the Heaven Lightning Bamboo was in Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit¡¯s possession. Is this true? This item wasn¡¯t seized by Zenith Yin Island?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s direct inquiry left Fairy Violet Spirit widening her eyes with a trace of amusement. She answered with a smooth and beautiful voice, ¡°Since Senior is so quick to the point, I won¡¯t push the matter off for later. Originally, our Exquisite Sound sect acquired not one stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo from that small sect, but two. One was stolen while the other has remained with us. If Senior wants it, this Junior is willing to give it to him.¡±


    Han Li rejoiced but his expression didn¡¯t reveal his excitement. Instead, he took a deep glance at her and asked with a deep voice, ¡°Give? Why does Lady Violet Spirit speak such useless words? Since you¡¯ve used the item to lure me here, there should naturally be some conditions involved. Tell me them, and I¡¯ll give them some consideration.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit was somewhat stunned, and her smile gradually disappeared. After muttering to herself for a moment, she earnestly said, ¡°To tell the truth, the Heaven Lightning Bamboo is currently a useless item to the Exquisite Sound Sect. Due to the kindness of taking action for us in the last battle, it is only right that we give it to you. However, our sect is currently undergoing a great change, and our strength is unable to support a sect as large as the Exquisite Sound Sect. As such, in addition to this bamboo, we will give three hundred spirit stones to Senior every year if he were to take the position of guest elder at our sect. We hope you won¡¯t refuse!¡±


    ¡°A guest elder?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed. He hadn¡¯t expected that they would make such a request.


    ¡°In addition to what was previously mentioned, if Senior¡¯s cultivation requires any pair cultivation furnace cauldrons, our sect will gladly provide an outstanding female disciple to act as Senior¡¯s concubine.¡± Fairy Violet Spirit calmly added.


    These conditions didn¡¯t cause any change in Han Li¡¯s expression. With the assistance of spiritual medicines, he had no use for the assistance of the small amount of spiritual power that pair cultivation could provide.


    However, the Heaven Lightning Bamboo was a different story. It was very likely that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find a store that had it.


    After some consideration, Han Li replied, ¡°Those conditions will not do! I have long been accustomed to being a lone agent. I do not wish to be restricted to a sect. Fellow Daoist should offer me some other conditions. If not, I am willing to purchase the item at thirty percent above its market value.¡±


    ¡°Senior jests. What market value is there for a top grade material such as the three great divine woods. Without a purpose, it is worthless. But to a cultivator with a wood attribute cultivation technique, it is likely to be a priceless treasure.¡± Han Li¡¯s refusal didn¡¯t surprise Fairy Violet Spirit, but she still rejected Han Li¡¯s proposal to offer spirit stones for it with a slight smile.


    Han Li frowned. It seemed this woman knew he truly desired this item and she wasn¡¯t willing to let it go.


    He felt extremely uncomfortable from having her hold such a crucial item hostage. However, he would never subject himself to the will of the Exquisite Sound Sect over a stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    Just as Han Li thought about abandoning the Heaven Lightning Bamboo and refine his magic treasure using other materials, the young woman proposed a compromise.


    ¡°Since Senior is unwilling to be constricted, then how about he become the sect¡¯s in-name elder? You can enjoy the treatment of an elder and there is no need to accept the orders of the sect master. At the very least, our sect will be able to use your reputation as a Core Formation cultivator to protect ourselves. Would Senior be willing if this were the case?¡±


    ¡°An in-name elder?¡± Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s blatant honestly left Han Li stunned.


    ¡°If the Exquisite Sound Sect encounters a great enemy, I won¡¯t have to act?¡± He puzzlingly asked the question with an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°If our sect encounters any problems or any matters requiring Senior¡¯s assistance, it will naturally be up to Senior¡¯s discretion to act. Either way, we will be grateful to you!¡± She answered without hesitation as if she had previously considered this.


    After lowering his head in thought for a moment, he raised his head and slowly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit! If I¡¯m not mistaken, you only wish to use me as a banner to raise the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s influence in order to protect yourselves against powers that mean to harm you during your moment of weakness. After you spread this news, it will remain effective so long as it isn¡¯t proven untrue.¡±


    ¡°Senior Han speaks true! When the time comes, we will mention Senior¡¯s position as a Core Formation cultivator. It will somewhat counteract the destructive effects of Elder Meng and Zhao¡¯s betrayal.¡± The young woman faintly smiled and spoke of her future plans.


    ¡°If those are your conditions, then I will accept! However, I will not take the initiative to introduce myself to other cultivators as an elder of your sect. Don¡¯t count on me to put on a superficial show for your sect. It will be up to you in order to convince others that I have become an elder of your sect.¡±


    After some thought, Han Li eventually agreed as he greatly desired the Heaven Lightning Bamboo and felt that it wouldn¡¯t bring him any trouble.


    ¡°Alright, so long as Senior doesn¡¯t deny this when the time comes, I and my Senior Martial Sisters will treat you well!¡± The young woman spoke with an expression overflowing with happiness.


    As the two had reached an agreement, Fairy Violet Spirit didn¡¯t intend to further delay its conclusion. She took out a strange box and put it on the table. The box was quite odd as it was made from neither wood, metal, nor jade type materials. The box¡¯s body was translucent, and it was surrounded in a faint layer of azure mist.


    Seeing that Han Li wore a baffled expression, Fairy Violet Spirit gave an explanation in a soft voice, ¡°This box was refined by an item known as jade paste. Although ¡®jade¡¯ is in its name, it isn¡¯t actually made of jadestone or anything of the five elements. Only an item such as this is capable of preserving the Heaven Lightning Bamboo without fear of its Spiritual Qi leaking.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head. Since he hadn¡¯t heard of ¡°Jade Paste¡± before, this item must clearly be a rare material and should be extremely precious.


    Fairy Violet Spirit then extended a delicate, perfect finger and with a flash of light, a soybean-sized ball of green light appeared on it.


    Afterwards, she lightly touched the box without the slightest hesitation. After the green light contacted the azure mist, it let out a soft crack, causing the mist of light to suddenly disappear and the box to slowly open.


    With roused spirits, Han Li attentively turned his gaze towards the box.

 Chapter 411

    Cultivating Bamboo


    ¡°This is Heaven Lightning Bamboo?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression continuously fluctuated.


    The box contained a two inch long stalk of dried up bamboo the width of a finger and clearly withered roots. No matter how he looked, it appeared completely similar to ordinary bamboo.


    With doubts held in his mind, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but expressionlessly take a look at Fairy Violet Spirit.


    The young woman saw Han Li¡¯s suspicion and lightly chuckled. She pressed the dried bamboo in between her fingers and took a sparkling, glowing knife in her other hand. Pa! Fairy Violet Spirit quickly chopped down onto the bamboo with all her strength. In the instant the dagger¡¯s blade made contact, the bamboo released a thin arc of electricity and immediately repelled the dagger.


    Having seen this, Han Li¡¯s doubts were cleared and he carefully returned the bamboo to the box and carefully put it away.


    Soon after, Fairy Violet Spirit gave Han Li an authority medallion belonging to the Exquisite Sound Sect. After the two briefly chatted, Han Li took his leave.


    Not long after Han Li left, Lady Fan and Zhuo Ruting returned to the inn. After hearing what Fairy Violet Spirit had agreed on, the two looked at each other for a long while.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, we¡¯ve already discussed this quite a bit. We should be able to find another Core Formation cultivator, given the grand reputation of the Heaven Lightning Bamboo. Why must we accommodate this person?¡± Lady Fan couldn¡¯t help but complain.


    Although Zhuo Ruting remained silent, her eyebrows furrowed with puzzlement.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister didn¡¯t see how unsightly his face became when I asked him to become our Sect¡¯s elder. His gaze revealed a stalwart resolution that he wouldn¡¯t agree to anything without the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. Senior Martial Sister had also mentioned that this person isn¡¯t affected by our bewitchment techniques. As for using the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo to invite other cultivators, Senior Martial Sister places far too great a value on that paltry item. Although the Heaven Lightning Bamboo is known as one of the three great divine woods, there are far too few uses of this item. Nobody would use this material for anything aside from refining top grade magic treasures. And with an understanding of magic treasure refinement techniques, they would realize our miniscule amount of Heaven Lightning Bamboo would be completely useless. You should also know that there are many ranks of Heavenly Lightning Bamboo. Ours is only white lightning bamboo at the age of several thousand years of age. Even if it were refined into a magic tool, it wouldn¡¯t be amazingly powerful. It would be better to use this item than to leave it for later. Moreover, since he had agreed to become a sect elder, we merely have to treat him with respect and give him yearly offerings so that when the time comes that our sect encounters a great enemy, he wouldn¡¯t have the nerve to refuse!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit leisurely said this with an indifferent expression.


    The young woman then continued with a faint, bitter smile, ¡°Furthermore, even if there are others that are interested in the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, who would be willing to become our sect elder and dare to admit their status given our current circumstances? That would only bring about its own set of problems! Originally, my mother used her own status as a Core Formation cultivator as method of checks and balances over Elder Zhao and Elder Meng so that they sincerely acted on behalf of the sect. After all, it is extremely easy to suffer betrayal when solely relying on bewitchment techniques and feminine charms to win over high grade cultivators!¡±


    Lady Fan and Zhuo Ruting then became silent.


    Having recently experienced a large quantity of betrayals, the two no longer held much confidence in their bewitchment techniques and felt that their Junior Martial Sister¡¯s words held some reason.


    ¡°For now, the sect matters will be collaboratively handled by us three. For the time being, we won¡¯t have a sect master until one of our sect members becomes a Core Formation cultivator. There is no rush.¡± The young woman decisively said.


    This time, the two envoys had no disagreements.


    ¡°Can we expect Senior Han to meddle in our sect¡¯s affairs by use of his deep cultivation? Should we take any precautions?¡± Zhuo Ruting asked with a cold voice.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a need. Although I haven¡¯t dealt with him much, his words suggest that he is one who diligently cultivates. He doesn¡¯t care much about affairs outside of cultivation. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve stirred when I offered to give him a female disciple as a concubine. It was most likely because he is like this that he has entered Core Formation!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit shook her head and revealed slight admiration.


    ¡°Sigh. I wonder if we have any chance of Core Formation?¡± Lady Fan spoke as if she didn¡¯t hold much hope for Core Formation.


    When Zhuo Ruting heard this, her face also revealed slight sadness. It seemed these beautiful women also greatly desired to enter Core Formation.


    ¡­¡­


    At this time, Han Li had already returned to his cave residence. He didn¡¯t hastily act and instead chose to first scour through many ancient records.


    After much difficulty, he found the cultivation method for Heaven Lightning bamboo from a jade slip and planted the bamboo in his medicine garden in accordance to the exact method described.


    As he gazed at the newly planted petite stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo, Han Li became extremely excited.


    Of course, he understood that Heaven Lightning Bamboo had different grades of quality. However, he didn¡¯t take it to heart. This was because the quality and spiritual nature of Heaven Lightning Bamboo depended on its age.


    Heaven Lightning Bamboo only released common white lightning when it was aged at five thousand years or less. When it became older than five thousand years old, its lightning would become blue and it would become far stronger.


    When it reached ten thousand years old, its lightning would become a dim gold. At that stage, the lightning has the wondrous effect of restraining evil devilish techniques and was known by cultivators as ¡°Devilsbane Lightning¡±.


    This rumored stage, ¡°Gold Lightning Bamboo¡±, was the oldest Heaven Lightning Bamboo that had been seen in the cultivation world. It had only been seen once in the Scattered Star Seas. Nobody knew where it came from, and it existed in such a small chunk. As a result, this item had caused much blood to be shed in the Scattered Star Seas over several tens of years. While many great powers were covetously contesting for the item both openly and covertly, it had passed through the hands of countless cultivators.


    But in the end, no one had managed to refine it into a magic treasure. This was because the bamboo had made a sudden disappearance as mysterious and unfathomable as its strange appearance. This greatly angered many great powers at the time, and they continuously searched for it for a long before gradually abandoning the chase.


    The magnitude of the previous dispute clearly displayed just how precious ten thousand year old Golden Lightning Bamboo was.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t yet nurtured a spiritual object up to ten thousand years of age. Normally, medicine pills only required ingredients that were two thousand years old at most. As such, this caused him to greatly anticipate nurturing the Heaven Lightning Bamboo to Gold Lightning Bamboo and made him feel slightly restless as well.


    In the following days, Han Li used the green liquid to mature the bamboo and started to take frequent strolls around Heavenly Star City¡¯s market. In addition to the spiritual wood that was required as its main ingredient, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords required a few rare supplementary materials before being ultimately refined in his Core Flame.


    In addition, since these swords were a set of magic treasures, it required a far greater amount of similar materials. Although Han Li had already gathered a few of them, he didn¡¯t have enough to form a whole and had to continue his search.


    The Scattered Star Seas were far more plentiful in materials than the Heavenly South Region. After bankrupting himself as a result of two years of liberal, unrestrained spending, he had managed to barely scrape together the items he required. For this reason, he couldn¡¯t help but put himself at risk of attracting attention by selling off his remaining rare demon cores.


    As of now, Han Li could only look at his near empty storage pouch and let out a long sigh as he faced the sky.


    Refining magic treasures, especially a particularly good magic treasure, wasn¡¯t something an ordinary rogue cultivator could afford.


    ¡­¡­


    One day, Han Li walked into his medicine garden with unconcealable anticipation.


    A few days before, he had dripped what should¡¯ve been the green drop to age his Heaven Lightning Bamboo to its ten thousandth year. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but become excited upon thinking of the great power of the rumored Gold Lightning Bamboo.


    When the bamboo was first planted, it had only been two inches long. But now, it had undergone a massive change. It was now about a foot long with a body of glistening emerald green and was covered in a layer of faint rainbow light.


    After a moment of attentive examination, he summoned a short sword magic tool into his hand and shot it towards the bamboo as a streak of white light.


    An arc of faint golden lightning was released. With a pop, the short sword was struck away by the arc of golden lightning, turning it into a spiral of azure smoke before disappearing without a trace.


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately smiled and greatly rejoiced!


    He now wanted to find out what sort of amusing face Fairy Violet Spirit would make should she discover that the White Lightning Bamboo had turned into Gold Lightning Bamboo. It was only a pity that he would never have the opportunity to see it.


    This was probably the most profitable exchange he had ever had since arriving in the cultivation world!

 Chapter 412

    Small Green Bamboo Pavilion


    As Han Li was basking in joy, he became somewhat curious. If he were to continue to mature the Gold Lightning Bamboo, what transformation would occur?


    With that in mind, Han Li continued to drop the green liquid on the bamboo for several more months but neither its power nor its appearance had changed. Even its height had stayed entirely the same without growing even a single iota. However, during this time, a young bamboo sprout began to grow at its side.


    Soon after dripping more of the green liquid on it, the young sprout grew more and more. After several months, a new complete stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo had grown, appearing to be exactly the same as the original.


    Han Li was overly joyous as the development.


    To tell the truth, the original stalk of Heaven Lightning Bamboo was barely enough to refine even a set of twelve Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. But now that he knew that the green liquid could produce young bamboo shoots, his dire shortage of raw materials was now completely settled.


    However, this only caused Han Li¡¯s ambitions to grow even larger.


    Without having to worry anymore about a lack of the core material, Han Li would no longer be limited to a set of twelve flying swords. He was now inspired to refine the greatest number of Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, a full set of seventy two.


    Although an early Core Formation cultivator lacked the magic power needed to refine and control such a large amount of flying swords all at once, Han Li wasn¡¯t in a rush. He could just slowly refine them one set at a time in accordance with his cultivation.


    In any case, so long as the flying swords belonged to the same set, he could store them into his body as a single magic treasure. He would also have no problem using each of the swords separately.


    With that thought in mind, Han Li¡¯s heart blazed with fervent desire and he started to consider whether or not he was capable of this.


    The greatest problem when refining a set of magic treasures was the differences in each treasure¡¯s core material and the difficulty of success during refinement. But with limitless amounts of Heaven Lightning Bamboo, these issues posed no problem.


    What followed next with regards to his refinement were the preparations of the supplementary materials.


    He had long prepared the supplementary materials. Fortunately, refining a set of seventy-two swords would consume the same amount of supplementary materials as refining a set of twelve, so he didn¡¯t have to go look for more. Now he only had to worry about his significant lack of ability for refining magic treasures.


    He didn¡¯t even have any experience in the field of tool refinement. This wouldn¡¯t raise any problems if he were refining a common magic treasure; he would still be able to easily succeed. However, the process of refining even a single one of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords was much more complex than refining a common magic treasure.


    In addition, each individual flying sword was an incomplete product that was required to undergo treatment with a specific spell formation because they formed a set. As such, a familiarity with spell formations was also required, or else it would be impossible to refine this magic treasure to completion.


    As Han Li was a man of extremely firm will, even when facing such a difficult decision, he would only accept the best or nothing at all. This was also demonstrated by Han Li¡¯s strong determination with acquiring the Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    For the entirety of the following day, Han Li spent his time pondering over his cultivation plans for the next twenty years.


    Several days later in Heavenly Star City¡¯s market, an unremarkable, small store suddenly had a new owner. He appeared to be a common youth of about thirty years old and had a lofty, broad-faced man with him.


    This youth changed the store name from ¡°Li¡¯s Assorted Goods¡± to the ¡°Small Green Bamboo Pavilion¡±. The store only sold talismans and medicine ingredients at first, but half a month later it started selling crude, low grade magic tools.


    But what left the nearby store owners at a loss for words was that the youth didn¡¯t often walk out of his store. He¡¯d spend his entire day looking through a coverless, thin ancient book while occasionally dancing with joy as if he were completely enjoying himself. However, he would sometimes enter the store¡¯s back residence and stay there for long periods of time.


    As for the customers and running the business, they were all handled by the large, straightforward man.


    The nearby store owners were all mortal natives to Heavenly Star City and found it difficult to make a living there. There was one store owner, a graying old man surnamed He 1, that had been born with inferior spiritual roots and had reached the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. But even with such low cultivation, old man He had received a great amount of respect from the mortals and was always addressed as Immortal Master He.


    They knew that this youth was a mortal due to his lack of magic power, because a few people had asked Master He previously.


    They gained some courage from this news and would drop by the store, chatting with the youth surnamed Han about his daily life and such.


    After all, this location was rather desolate, and business was slow. They could only drop by each other¡¯s stores and chat to chase away the boredom.


    With the arrival of this unfamiliar face, there was naturally much more for everyone to talk about.


    However, the youth mostly listened and seemed to be somewhat slow of speech and unskilled at chatting with others.


    Furthermore, the youth never revealed his origin. Whenever he was asked this, he would only answer with a silent smile, causing others to quickly drop the matter.


    After several such trips, the others gradually lost interest and no longer visited the Small Green Bamboo Pavilion.


    This had actually caused the youth to let out a breath of relief.


    Of course, the youth and the large man were, respectively, Han Li and Crooked Soul in a disguise. Although Han Li used the most widely known jianghu disguise techniques, it was still more than enough for mortals and low grade cultivators.


    Han Li had not opened this shop to acquire a meager sum of spirit stones, but to temper his heart by immersing himself into the mortal world. He had also specifically chose this location in preparation for his study of the Dao of tool refinement and formation spells.


    Han Li hadn¡¯t been particularly experienced in these two disciplines and had been too busy during his time as a Foundation Establishment cultivator to consider studying them. But now that he had reached Core Formation, his next goal was to acquire experience and knowledge in these two fields in order to be able to refine his magic treasure. As it would take quite some time to cultivate the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, he wanted to use this downtime to study ¡°Yunxiao¡¯s Experiences¡± and the ancient formation spell records that Xin Ruyin had given him. 2


    To tell the truth, Han Li had always been very interested in tool refinement and formation spells.


    He planned to simultaneously study both fields for twenty years. He didn¡¯t hold any extravagant hope of becoming a genius in either field, but so long as he could acquire a modicum of skill, he would be satisfied. At the very least, he should be able to refine the simplest formation flags and discs.


    However, delving into this field wasn¡¯t a matter of only studying. It required hands on practice. This resulted in Han Li accumulating a large pile of inferior magic tools with no method of disposal.


    It would be a waste to just throw them away, but there was no use in keeping them as they were nearly useless. In addition, in order to refine when he was suddenly inspired, he had to frequently acquire all sorts of odd materials. However, it was a hassle to make trips to the city market every day.


    As it so happened, the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique required the temperament of a mortal heart. Otherwise, he would suffer backlash from his inner demons while cultivating the fourth layer of the Great Development technique.


    After some consideration, Han Li decided to purchase this store and tackle all the problems in one go!


    The location wasn¡¯t too noisy and he wouldn¡¯t be disturbed during his studies of tool refinement and formation spells. As it was also in close proximity to mortals, he could personally see how they lived. In addition, he could purchase the materials he needed to refine magic tools and formation spells in a timely manner. Likewise, he could sell off the small items he created, even if it was just a small amount of them!


    After seeing a few low level cultivators purchase some of his personally refined magic tools, Han Li¡¯s mood was greatly lifted.


    Of course, he would still take trips back to his cave residence every few days to mature his Heaven Lightning Bamboo and to take care of his Gold Devouring Beetles and two Bloodjade Spiders.


    But not long after, Han Li witnessed an astonishing scene in his medicine garden. When the child stalk of bamboo growing out his original stalk reached the age of six thousand years, it fell off of the main branch for no reason. Its few leaves also cleanly fell off and upon touching the floor, they immediately turned into leaves of pure, gaudy gold.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what purpose the leaves served, Han Li was unwilling to throw them away and just gathered them into his storage pouch. As for the emerald-green stalk, he carefully placed it back into the jade paste box and put it away.


    After collecting six pieces, he would have enough to refine the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    As such, Han Li restrained his magic power and began his worldly life after he inserted himself among the mortals of the secular world in an obscure corner of the market city.


    Apart from becoming engrossed in reading thin paper book copies of jade slips, he silently observed the surrounding mortal¡¯s complex expressions and various emotions, and began to gradually appreciate them and recall a few memories.

 Chapter 413

    Refinement


    The lives lead by mortals differed greatly from those lead by cultivators. Mortals lives were brimming with joys and sorrows, where the old withered and life was born anew.


    In a few short years of observation, Han Li began to recall feelings that he had long forgotten, both positive and negative. Regardless of the emotion, they still caused Han Li¡¯s mind to stir, allowing him a chance for introspection and to now understand these emotions from a cultivator¡¯s perspective.


    Likewise, his comprehension of formation spells and his skill in tool refinement gradually improved over a long period of time. Most notably, Han Li¡¯s store, the Small Green Bamboo Pavilion, had developed somewhat of a reputation in the area over the span of just two years.


    This was because cultivators were able to purchase a few inexpensive yet functional magic tools at Han Li¡¯s store. A few of the luckier customers were even capable of purchasing a few rare intermediate grade talismans at the store.


    After this news spread locally, a few low level cultivators immediately scrambled towards Han Li¡¯s shop.


    These magic tools and talismans had obviously been personally crafted by Han Li. Ever since he entered Core Formation, he was finally able to grasp the mid-grade magic techniques that he long desired. Although they were the lowest among mid-grade techniques, Han Li was still very satisfied with them.


    However, intermediate talisman weren¡¯t something that could be refined using common talisman paper. They could only be crafted using by using the hide of rare demon beasts, but not just any hide would suffice. Each intermediate talisman had their own unique requirements regarding demon beast hides.


    Fortunately, Han Li had thought of this before he sold off his demon beast materials and had kept a large quantity of talisman materials. Otherwise, he would have had no way of refining the talismans despite grasped their magic techniques.


    Han Li first practiced using the lesser quality demon beast skins. After feeling that he was capable enough, he then moved on to refining a few particular talismans using rarer materials.


    The talismans that he practiced creating were all attack type magic techniques. Every month or so, Han Li would put one or two of them up for sale in his shop and sell them to the first buyer.


    To a Core Formation cultivator like Han Li, these talismans were of little value as their power paled in the face of magic treasures. As such, he had no purpose to preserve them.


    However, Han Li had clearly underestimated the allure his intermediate talismans had to Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even after raising the price of these talismans several times, these cultivators continued to readily spend their spirit stones without hesitation, allowing Han Li to accumulate a small fortune.


    But it was a pity that intermediate talismans were extremely difficult to create. Even with the many demon beast skins that Han Li had on hand, his rate of success was pathetically low, failing thirty times for every successful talisman he managed to create.


    When compared to his rate of success with low grade talismans, Han Li could only bitterly smile.


    Otherwise, he would¡¯ve accumulated a much larger fortune by selling intermediate talismans.


    In addition, Han Li¡¯s skill at refining tools also increased, causing quite a few mid and high-grade magic tools to appear in his shop. As a result, the Small Green Bamboo Pavilion¡¯s reputation became increasingly well-known. Fortunately, his resounding reputation had been restricted to a small circle of low level cultivators, so Han Li didn¡¯t have to worry about provoking any trouble.


    But at the start of the ninth year, Han Li started to refine formation flags and discs by applying his understanding of a few simple formation spells.


    Because of the complementary insights provided by Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruting, Han Li was able to avoid making many mistakes and managed to grasp a few minor but crucial skills. But he still ended up fumbling around through trial and error as he tried to refine a set of formation setup tools for the first time. The refinement was extremely difficult, and it consumed a large portion of his time before he managed to produce results.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t impatient. Now that he had reached core formation, he had plenty of time to slowly accumulate experience and understanding.


    But most importantly, he had obtained some understanding in the refinement method of the ¡°Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords¡± as he practiced refining items, hopefully ensuring his success in his first attempt. After all, he wouldn¡¯t have enough materials leftover for a second attempt.


    With Han Li focused on refining magic tools and studying formation spells, time quickly passed, day by day.


    With departing springs and incoming autumns, Han Li¡¯s somewhat renowned Small Green Bamboo Pavilion had unknowingly existed for over twenty years. Han Li now had the appearance of an old man above the age of fifty.


    This obviously wasn¡¯t Han Li¡¯s true appearance, but a measure he had taken in order to conceal his eternally youthful appearance. Due to the passage of time in the mortal world, Han Li had no choice but to turn his appearance into that of an old man.


    As of now, Han Li was standing in the residence at the back of his store and looking around with a peculiar emotion.


    On the day before, he had passed on the store to someone else and concluded his immersion in the mortal world. This was due to having finally matured the long anticipated sixth stalk of Gold Lightning Bamboo to full maturation.


    Having lived here for over twenty years, Han Li¡¯s heart was without disturbance, but he felt a slight feeling of nostalgia upon leaving. His experience in the market city had been a rare period of peace in his life.


    At that moment, he heard noisy shouts from his neighbor, and Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile upon hearing it. He didn¡¯t need to use his spiritual sense to know that the store owner was spouting out recommendations to his customers, trying to sell off his store defining treasures that hadn¡¯t sold for the past eight years.


    When Han Li had originally arrived, the shop was managed by an old man. He had retired four years ago and now his son watched over the business. Although his son had a fiery temperament, he treated others sincerely. But when he was doing business, he would often loudly brag about his store¡¯s goods, stunning many foreign cultivators.


    Han Li sighed and shook his head before leaving the Small Green Bamboo Pavilion with Crooked Soul. Not long after, the two had completely disappeared from the city market.


    Upon entering his cave dwelling, Han Li immediately brought many tool refinement materials into his hidden room and set down a small magic formation that he had comprehended during the last few years. The formation spell served no other purpose than to conceal Spiritual Qi fluctuations. As such, it was quite suitable for Han Li to use as he refined his magic treasure. He didn¡¯t want others to peak at him halfway through the refinement.


    Han Li quietly meditated in his hidden room for three entire days so that both his spirit and magic power were in peak state before starting the refinement.


    First, he took out the jade paste box from his storage pouch and gently placed it in front of him. He then opened the box, revealing the six emerald-green stalks of Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    Han Li solemnly gazed at the bamboo and took a deep breath before lightly touching a stalk of the green bamboo. The foot-long Heaven Lightning Bamboo suddenly flew out of the box and quickly stopped, motionlessly floating in front of his chest.


    With a serious expression, Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hands, causing glistening light to flow around his face, gradually forming a layer of azure light.


    As the azure light grew increasingly dense, Han Li opened his mouth and spouted out a thin thread of azure core flame towards the Heaven Lightning Bamboo before him.


    Crackle. An arc of faint golden lightning arced from the bamboo, forcefully stopping the core flame from approaching any closer.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes lit with consideration. The azure core flame immediately grew several times thicker and enveloped the bamboo and its lightning, starting the long process of refinement.


    Using one¡¯s core flame consumed a considerably large amount of spiritual power, but fortunately, Han Li came prepared. As he was releasing his core flame, he held onto a deep azure spirit stone and absorbed its Spiritual Qi. When the spirit stone started to insufficient, he casually took out a medicine pill and swallowed it.


    Although the medicine pill didn¡¯t immediately transform into magic power, it contained a great amount of spiritual power, giving Han Li the peace of mind of knowing that he was prepared for the coming war of attrition.


    After three days passed by, the Heaven Lightning Bamboo¡¯s lightning had disappeared due to the lack of spiritual power from its main body. Without anything left to obstruct the azure core flame, Han Li started the process of smelting the Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    After several more days, the bamboo began to show signs of dissolution. Portions of its trunk began to emit a faint light, releasing densely packed, numerous, small drops of variously colored liquids.


    Over ten days later, the Heaven Lightning Bamboo was finally dissolved of all its impurities, leaving a fist-sized ball of concentrated, dark green liquid. It appeared to be incredibly dense.


    Having seen this small amount of liquid, Han Li could only let out a deep sigh. He had to put in quite a bit of effort just to refine the Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    Han Li then withdrew his core flame and put away the spirit stone in his hand. Afterwards, he extended his ten fingers and shot out ten thin threads of Spiritual Qi from his fingers, penetrating into the green liquid.


    Soon after, Han Li started to shift his fingers, causing the spirit threads to rotate and deform the ball of liquid.


    Under the manipulation of the spirit threads, a small ball of green liquid separated from the main body that floated nearby.


    A second ball separated, then a third ball, and¡­


    After Han Li finished the last division of liquid, there were twelve equally sized green balls of liquid arranged into a circle.

 Chapter 414

    Shaping


    Han Li slightly narrowed his eyes and shook his fingers, cutting off the ten spirit threads.


    He then patted his storage pouch and twelve streaks of white light flew out, stopping underneath the floating balls of green liquid.


    The white lights faded away to reveal twelve small boxes, flawlessly crafted from white jade but only a few inches in size.


    With a light wave of his sleeve, the jade boxes all opened. Han Li then uttered, ¡°Drop,¡± causing the green balls of liquid to drop down into their respective boxes.


    After resealing all of the boxes, Han Li was finally able to relax. Even with the aid of spirit stones and medicine pills, his magic power had been completely exhausted by the refinement.


    As such, Han Li quietly meditated for several days to return to his peak state before continuing the refinement of the other stalks of Heavenly Lightning Bamboo.


    Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and Han Li had finally managed to refine all of his Heavenly Lightning Bamboo into an extremely pure liquid.


    After a moment of rest, Han Li started to place down an extremely complicated spell formation in his hidden room.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know the name of this magic formation; he only knew that it was required to refine the Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. The golden page¡¯s refinement method had mentioned over and over that it absolutely had to be prepared.


    As a result, Han Li took extreme care when setting up the formation despite his familiarity with it , having practiced setting it up several times in the past. After all, a single error in the symbols could cause any number of mishaps to occur during the refinement.


    As such, it took Han Li half a month of great care to finish laying down the formation. Only after testing it by placing several mid-grade spirit stones around it and feeling that the formation worked as expected, could Han Li finally relax.


    Han Li didn¡¯t set out to immediately start refining his magic treasure. Instead, he decided to leave his hidden room for the time being.


    After continuously making use of his core flame for half a year and maintaining full concentration up until now, Han Li found it difficult to continue, even as a Core Formation cultivator. He needed a change of pace, as the next step was the most crucial in the magic treasure refinement process.


    After Han Li left the room, he encountered a rather pleasant surprise.


    Under the irregular feeding with the Rainbow Skirt Grass, the Gold Devouring Beetles had finally started to devour each other once more. Ever since the Gold Devouring Beetles numbered in the several tens of thousands, it was difficult to get them to lay more eggs and evolve using his small amounts of Rainbow Skirt Grass. In addition, most of his green liquid in the past years had been spent on maturing the Heaven Lightning Grass. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible for the Gold Devouring Beetles go undergo any change.


    However, after the Heaven Lightning Bamboo maturation finished, Han Li had Crooked Soul focus on breeding the beetles. After all, Han Li still held large hopes towards these exotic insects.


    After Crooked Soul brought Han Li up to date, he immediately headed to the insect room.


    The surviving Gold Devouring Beetles had gold specks that enveloped less than half of their shells. He supposed that the next generation would have a slightly larger concentration of gold specks.


    But as Han Li gazed a while longer, his happy expression disappeared and was replaced with a frown. At this rate, it would be unlikely for the Gold Devouring Beetles to ever evolve to become fully golden.


    After every evolution, their number increases by several times, as does the amount of Rainbow Skirt Grass that was required for their next evolution. As his green liquid could only mature so much Rainbow Skirt Grass, it was impossible for the massive number of Gold Devouring Beetles to all evolve at once. It would take a very long, unknown amount time before the next evolution would be possible.


    Han Li sank into deep thought as he stood outside the insect room.


    It seemed he would have to focus on breeding only a portion of them; otherwise, he may never have the chance to see to see any fully golden ¡°Gold Devouring Beetles¡±.


    With that in mind, Han Li suddenly came to a decision.


    However, this must be done after the Gold Devouring Beetles laid their eggs. Han Li could only set it aside for now and first focus on refining his magic treasure.


    As such, Han Li rested for an entire month before finally deciding on the day he would act. He first lit incense in his bedroom and prayed for two days, causing his heart to enter a state of tranquility. He then returned to the hidden room and stood at the very center of the formation spell.


    With a solemn expression, he raised his arms while dropping several tens of boxes of the refined Heaven Lightning Bamboo onto the magic formation, seemingly in a specific arrangement


    Afterwards, all sorts of boxes flew out of his storage pouch in quick succession and dropped down in front of Han Li with their lids open, revealing the supplementary materials that he had acquired.


    After taking a look at these materials, he took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed, slowly entering a state of meditation.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li opened his eyes with his body covered in a mist of azure light.


    Just as the mist appeared, the spirit stones embedded in the spell formation began to shine dazzlingly and released a low hum.


    Although Han Li¡¯s body remained motionless, his fingers were quickly shifting, drawing out the refined balls of liquid Heaven Lightning Bamboo from their boxes.


    Then with a series of whooshes, bowl-thick pillars of light shot out from the formation, enveloping the balls of liquid and completely restricting their movements.


    Han Li closed his eyes once more after seeing this and calmly released his powerful spiritual sense, bringing the light pillars under his control. The light pillars suddenly appeared alive and started to flicker while incessantly changing their color.


    This strange scene continued until the light pillars eventually matched after an unknown number of fluctuations.


    After the final color change had occurred, all the light pillars were a fiery-red color, providing an even stronger contrast with the alluring emerald-green liquid contained within them.


    Still expressionless, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a thread of dark green core flame towards one of the light pillars.


    Woosh. The light pillar wildly combusted, becoming a scarlet pillar of flame in an instant.


    Han Li continued to release core flame without the slightest hesitation, igniting all of the light pillars. As a result, there were eventually seventy-two six meter tall pillars of flame, filling the hidden room with a blinding red light.


    He let out a gentle sigh.


    With regards to the power of flames, a core flame was far more powerful than these flashy pillars of fire. Unfortunately, more powerful flames weren¡¯t the slightest bit better at flying sword refinement. As such, it seemed that he had no choice but to temporarily injure his Origin Qi and squander much of his core strength.


    Ceasing these gloomy thoughts, Han Li used his spiritual sense and the power of the formation to influence the green liquid within the flame pillars to slowly undergo a change. Their round shapes became longer and thinner bit by bit. Afterwards, they formed the initial core of a sword, each five inches in length.


    While this was quite easy to describe, it actually took Han Li an entire day of focused control to shape the seventy-two balls of sparkling green liquid inside the fire pillars into the form of swords.


    Han Li let out a gloomy breath and relaxed his concentration. Soon after, he felt his head slightly ache, and couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile in response.


    Even with a spiritual sense as powerful as Han Li¡¯s, simultaneously controlling the shaping of seventy-two flying swords was only barely possible.


    Although he was nearly finished with the shaping stage that centered around his spiritual sense, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to relax.


    He formed an incantation gesture with his hands, causing the flame pillars to flicker several times before suddenly disappearing. Only the small, emerald-green swords remained, floating in the air.


    As Han Li¡¯s hands blurred with motion, the many small swords, slowly flew toward him and formed a circle around him.


    Seeing that the seventy-two swords had gathered nearby, he suddenly bit down on the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, condensing it into a ball of blood that was the size of an egg.


    Under Han Li¡¯s control, he dripped a few drops of blood onto each of the swords.


    As soon as the drops of blood essence touched the flying swords, they quickly seeped into them and disappeared without a trace.


    After finishing this, Han Li tapped a box of silver powder on the floor, immediately scattering it. The powder evenly distributed itself among the swords, causing them to become a sparkling silver.


    Following that, Han Li continued with a box of fine black dust, and then a¡­


    Han Li carefully followed the instructions of the refinement, continuing to add supplementary materials onto the seventy-two sword cores. Afterwards, he enveloped the swords into pillars of flame once again and refined them once more.


    This time, Han Li didn¡¯t need to simultaneously refine all of the flying swords at once and took great care to carefully hone them in small sets.


    Then, in strict accordance to what was described in the golden page, Han Li engraved a miniature spell formation that he didn¡¯t completely understand on each of the swords with his spiritual sense.

 Chapter 415

    Inside a Pearl


    Han Li eventually left the hidden room two months later.


    Although his appearance was haggard, he was filled with excitement. Once he thought of the seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords he had absorbed into his body, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile, unable to contain his joy.


    In order to refine this set of magic treasures, he had spent twenty years to meticulously refine them without any flaws. Although he hadn¡¯t tested the power of the treasures, he was sure that after nurturing them awhile, even a single one of the swords would have power that far surpassed common magic treasures like the Green Brilliance Sword.


    As he was feeling pleased with himself, Crooked Soul informed him through his spiritual sense that the Gold Devouring Beetles had laid eggs, which improved Han Li¡¯s already joyful mood.


    Han Li returned to his bedroom to rest and recuperate for a day before heading over to the insect room. A large portion of the room was covered in the sparkling white eggs of the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Without the slightest hesitation, he created another insect room beside the first with the exact same layout. He then laid down a huge spirit controlling magic formation in the new insect room and dripped a large amount of blood essence onto the formation.


    Afterwards, he moved a majority of the insect eggs into the spell formation in the new insect room and proceeded with the spirit controlling ceremony.


    As for the original insect room, he left the thousand beetle eggs with the most vigorous auras inside.


    Having finished, Han Li finally relaxed. While he was restoring his cultivation, he decided to pay a visit to a few nearby Core Formation cultivators he had previously befriended.


    While Han Li was immersing himself in the mortal world, a series of grand events had occurred throughout the Scattered Star Seas, causing much unease and turmoil. The most influential event amongst them was how the Six United Palaces and the eight other various powers experienced a sudden rebellion by subordinates and disciples, removing their original leadership from power and replacing them with previously unknown individuals.


    There had been another event where a few unremarkable, small sects were exterminated and their treasures seized.


    During this time, the powers of the Scattered Star Seas simultaneously pulled back their men and glared at one another with mutual suspicion.


    The most terrible among the events was when at an unknown time, the Heavenly Star Sages had experienced cultivation backlash[1.Qigong Deviation]. It was rumored that they had been completely crippled.


    When this rumor began to spread, an uproar suddenly arose. Nearly everyone concerned with the matter seemed to be waiting for the Heavenly Star Palace to address these rumors.


    But much to everyone¡¯s astonishment the Heavenly Star Palace didn¡¯t address it, neither giving a confirmation nor denial, causing even greater alarm across the Scattered Star Seas.


    At the same time, a few ambitious and hidden powers began to stir.


    There were a few that plotted conspiracies and others that started to form wicked, nefarious alliances. However, not long after the rumors had spread, the chaos suddenly disappeared without a trace as if everything had returned to normal.


    But the more observant cultivators knew that this was only the calm before the storm.


    When Han Li paid his Core Formation neighbors a visit, they had all revealed a trace of worry during their chats.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t care about any of this in the slightest. Regardless of whether the Star Palace continues their reign over the Scattered Star Seas or another power emerges to overthrow them, it would have little to do with him. He was someone who treaded the solitary path of a lone cultivator. So long as he was careful and didn¡¯t involve himself in the turmoil, he would make it out just fine.


    In accordance to Han Li¡¯s own plans, he would spend the next few years nurturing his flying swords and refining a few relatively impressive formation setup tools before heading out to sea and hunting a few grade six demon beasts.


    After all, only medicine pills created with a grade six demon core would prove effective at progressing a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s cultivation.


    Thus, Han Li spent his days delving into the Dao of tool refinement and formation spells while meditating at night, using his core flame to slowly temper the seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords stored within his body.


    But not long after he started this routine, his Gold Devouring Beetles finally hatched.


    Han Li summoned the beetles and happily stored them into several high-grade spirit beast pouches. As the beetles had recognized him as their master, they obeyed his summon. During Han Li¡¯s free time, he slowly trained them so that they would be useful when confronting enemies later.


    Han Li was fully content with his life of peaceful and steady cultivation.


    Ever since he had achieved Core Formation, he started to set his eyes on the Nascent Soul Stage, pondering whether or not his cultivation would one day reach such heights.


    But one day as Han Li was tempering his flying swords in his home, his expression suddenly changed, and he slowly walked out of his residence.


    A forty-year-old man that had a gentle, refined appearance with fair skin, slender eyes, and long eyebrows had appeared outside of his cave residence.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you, Fellow Daoist Han!¡± When the middle-aged man saw Han Li appear, he made a gentle greeting.


    ¡°Brother Jin! How did you find the time to visit my humble abode? Please come in!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t dare to delay and immediately saluted him before inviting the middle-aged man inside.


    This person was Jin Qing, one of the Core Formation cultivators that lived nearby. He was an upright person and had given Han Li a few pointers right after he had entered Core Formation. He could be considered Han Li¡¯s closest friend at the moment.


    When Han Li had last paid a visit to his home, he discovered that Jin Qing wasn¡¯t present and later found out that Fellow Daoist Jin had yet to return from his last few years of travel. Han Li naturally felt happy at his sudden appearance.


    ¡°There is no need. I just want to say a few things before I have to go and take care of other matters.¡± Jin Qing shook his head and faintly smiled.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t hesitate to speak, Brother Jin. I¡¯m all ears.¡± Han Li quipped.


    Jin Qing revealed a slight smile and slowly said, ¡°Not long after I returned, I heard from the nearby Fellow Daoists that Fellow Daoist Han had spent these past few years diligently studying the Dao of Formation Spells and acquired some success in the field. I offer you my sincere congratulations! As it so happens, I¡¯ve come across a difficult matter during my travels, a formation spell restriction that must be removed. Thus, I have come here to request Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s aid. I hope you will not decline.¡±


    Han Li blankly stared for a moment before asking with a calm expression, ¡°Restriction? Do you know what kind?¡±


    ¡°Please, take a look at this!¡± Jin Qing didn¡¯t give him an answer, instead he took something out of his storage pouch and handed it to Han Li.


    Han Li saw that it was a white pearl the size of a thumb.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Han Li looked at Jin Qing with surprise.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist will know what it is once he pours a bit of spiritual power into it.¡± Jin Qing chuckled and revealed a mysterious expression.


    Han Li frowned and begrudgingly poured a bit of his spiritual power into it. In the next instant, the pearl glowed with a blinding white light.


    If mortals saw this light, they would forcefully turn their gaze in fear of going blind. But to a Core Formation cultivator like Han Li, he viewed it as a common white light.


    As a result of his examination, Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed. At that moment, something had appeared inside the pearl.


    Without waiting for any warnings from Jin Qing, he took the initiative to sink his spiritual sense deeper into the pearl. After some time passed, he wore a solemn expression.


    Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and took a deep breath before looking at the middle-aged cultivator and asking, ¡°Ancient cultivator ruins?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. However, in my experience only an ancient cultivator would be capable of using such an archaic method for preserving a map.¡± Jin Qing revealed a trace of excitement and spoke in a bit of a hurry.


    Han Li nodded his head. Storing important information in pearls and shells was a common practice by the ancient cultivators of the Scattered Star Seas. As for the pearl, it contained something that resembled a map.


    After a moment, Jin Qing continued, ¡°There are two of these pearls. Together, they form a complete map. I, along with another Fellow Daoist, discovered these at a small store. At the time, they were being sold in a necklace alongside other ordinary pearls. It was then that we each separately took a pearl and agreed to search for the location together.


    ¡°With what you said, you must¡¯ve already found the location described in the map, yes?¡± Han Li asked pensively while stroking his chin.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We spent five years searching for it and have just recently found it. But unfortunately, it is blocked by a huge barrier. As we don¡¯t have the slightest understanding of formation spells, we could only turn back in disappointment.¡±


    ¡°However, we decided that upon returning we would each invite a formation spell expert to help break the barrier. Fellow Daoist Han also knows that very few amongst us rogue cultivators study the Dao of Formation Spells. As such, I can only come to you and shamelessly ask for assistance. Fellow Daoist Han, please feel at ease. So long as you can break the formation, we will give you a portion of the rewards, regardless of whatever the ancient cultivator ruins hold.¡± Jin Qing saw that Han Li was slightly hesitant and hastily gave an explanation along with a promise.

 Chapter 416

    Sand Mountain


    [TL Note: Crooked Soul will not longer be referred to as a clone or a doppelganger. He will now be referred to as Han Li¡¯s avatar. It better represents what Crooked Soul actually is: ¡°an incarnation in human form¡±.]


    Chapter 416: Sand Mountain


    Han Li unconsciously frowned in thought before saying, ¡°Brother Jin, could you give me some time to think about this? I can give you an answer in two days.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Please, think it over. If you don¡¯t accept, I will go and see if there are any other rogue cultivator formation spell experts willing to give it a try.¡± Jin Qing replied with a tone of much consideration.


    After a moment more of idle chatter, he saluted Han Li and took his leave.


    Han Li stood in his original spot as he watched Jin Qing flying farther away, muttering to himself irresolutely.


    Ancient cultivator ruins weren¡¯t exactly a rare find in the Scatter Star Seas, and what they contained greatly varied: from absolutely nothing at all, cultivation insights from ancient cultivators, or even precious items such as previously extinct materials or magic treasures.


    In short, a majority of ruins would have something to salvage, but what one discovered would depend on luck.


    However, Han Li truly didn¡¯t wish to journey in search of an ancient cultivator¡¯s ruins. The Scattered Star Seas were currently beset by waves of concealed turmoil, and anywhere outside of Heavenly Star City was neither safe nor secure. In addition, Han Li hadn¡¯t been tempering his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords for long so he couldn¡¯t greatly rely on their strength.


    As such, he was truly hesitant to embark on a journey at this time.


    Had someone else asked him, Han Li would¡¯ve already refused but, unfortunately for him, he had a good relationship with Jin Qing. Since he had given Han Li a few cultivation pointers the first moment he met him, Han Li found it embarrassing to refuse him.


    After standing still a while longer in contemplation, Han Li eventually raised his head and lightly sighed, ¡°I still have two days. I should think about this some more.¡±


    With that, Han Li let the matter go. With a swift turn, he returned to his cave residence.


    Two days later, Jin Qing arrived outside his cave residence once more. Han Li had eventually decided to agree due to their friendship, and for the slight excitement he felt towards the ancient cultivator ruins. Who knows what magnificent items could be found within?


    Jin Qing was naturally overjoyed and left Heavenly Star City alongside Han Li and Crooked Soul, heading towards the ancient cultivator ruins.


    Over the years the nearby cultivators had tacitly understood that Crooked Soul was Han Li¡¯s avatar, Jin Qing wasn¡¯t surprised to see him tagging along.


    ¡­


    Two months later, Han Li and the others were flying through a remote area of the Scattered Star Seas.


    According to Jin Qing, they shouldn¡¯t be far away from their destination, given the long amount of time they¡¯d been flying. As expected, they caught sight of a large island less than half a day later.


    The island was expansive with a radius spanning over five hundred kilometers. However, a majority of the island was covered in hills and mountains. From a glance, everything seemed to be covered in yellow dust.


    Han Li gazed down at the island and asked Jin Qing with surprise, ¡°It¡¯s this island?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We found this island by following the map. I heard from the nearby mortals that this island is completely uninhabited. Not only are there no spirit veins nearby, but for some unknown reason, there are no trees living on this island either.¡± Jin Qing explained with a slight trace of puzzlement.


    Han Li was slightly surprised and pondered for a moment before speaking with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s a good sign! The more unordinary the island, the more likely it is to actually be an ancient cultivator ruin.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Originally, we also thought the same. We ended up searching the entire island until we found the most likely location.¡± Jin Qing spoke with satisfaction.


    Han Li faintly smiled. After taking a look around, he casually asked, ¡°You said that there was a formation spell shrouding an area? Where is it?¡±


    ¡°There is a huge sandy mountain fifty kilometers to the east. One of its sides is sealed off by a large formation.¡± Jin Qing spoke without hesitation.


    Han Li grinned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then! Maybe your partner already arrived and dissolved the formation spell.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! To tell the truth, that wouldn¡¯t be bad. It would be much less troublesome. At most, they¡¯d just take a larger portion of the treasures within.¡± Jin Qing stroked his chin and wore a sly expression. When Han Li saw his expression, he involuntarily laughed.


    The two were only joking. Everybody knew that ancient cultivator formations weren¡¯t something that could easily broken through without at least a month or two of trial and error.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Fellow Daoist Han! We¡¯d better not keep them waiting.¡± Jin Qing called out to Han Li before flying off in a streak of azure-white light.


    Han LI faintly smiled and chased after him with Crooked Soul on their magic treasures.


    To a Core Formation cultivator, fifty kilometers was something they could easily traverse in a mere moment.


    A huge yellow mountain entered Han Li¡¯s sight. It was about a three kilometers tall and was entirely covered in yellow sand. As there wasn¡¯t a single trace of green, it gave its viewers an awry feeling as if it were made entirely out of sandy yellow dirt.


    As they flew closer to the mountain, a gale suddenly blew, throwing sand and pebbles into the sky.


    The unending gale immediately caused the nearby area to turn pitch-black, due to the dense layer of sand kicked up by the wind blocking the light.


    Han Li and company held no fear towards a sandstorm. With a flash of brilliance, their bodies were covered in a layer of light, allowing them to steadily fly forward.


    After flying through the sandstorm for five kilometers, it suddenly disappeared, and they were able to easily arrive at the base of the sandy mountain.


    Jin Qing then flew a small circle around the mountain with Han Li, eventually arriving at several, extremely crude stone buildings. It seemed that they were built by using a stone transformation technique as the buildings all shared the same monotonous grey.


    Before anyone had descended, the door to one of the buildings opened with two men and one woman walking out. The men were both Core Formation cultivators while the woman was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Jin, you¡¯ve arrived! How timely! We had only arrived recently.¡± The cultivator at the center was a refined youth that wore white clothes. Upon seeing Jin Qing, he cordially called out to him in a rather friendly manner.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Hu came earlier, as I expected. After all, he didn¡¯t have to go back to Heavenly Star City and fetch Fellow Daoist Han.¡± Jin Qing replied back in an amiable tone. It seemed their relationship was quite good.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han?¡± The young cultivator¡¯s gaze shifted between Han Li and Crooked Soul several times, not knowing who was who.


    ¡°I am Han Li. This person is my Senior Martial Brother Crooked Soul!¡± Han Li cupped his fists towards the youth and smiled. On his journey here, Han Li had come to an agreement with Jin Qing that it would be best to conceal the fact that Crooked Soul was his avatar.


    Han Li also discovered that while this cultivator Hu appeared young with smooth and taut skin, there were wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. It seemed that while his age was quite old, he was good at maintaining his appearance.


    This cultivator Hu should be the cultivator that had simultaneously discovered the two pearls with Jin Qing.


    ¡°I am Hu Yue. Although this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you two, I hope that we will exchange cultivation insights in the future, as there are far too few rogue cultivators that are capable of reaching Core Formation.¡±


    Hu Yue was quite adept at socializing. With only a few words, Han Li had already acquired a decent impression of him. Afterwards, he introduced the other two to Han Li.


    ¡°These two are Fairy Shi Die[1. Her name, ʯµû Shi Die (pronounced di-eh), literally means ¡°Stone Butterfly¡±.] and Brother Jian. Fairy Shi is a greatly renowned formation spell master from Red Moon Island. I am confident that with Fellow Daoist Han alongside her, we will be certainly able to break through the formation. As for Brother Jian, he is a mid Core Formation cultivator, and will prove to be quite useful after the formation is broken.¡± Hu Yue introduced them with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the ugly matters out of the way first. I am only here to assist you in breaking the formation. If any dangers appear after the magic formation breaks, I will not be able to act as I¡¯m only at Foundation Establishment. Also, I will get first pick of whatever spoils that appear.¡±


    The female cultivator called Shi Die had an ordinary appearance. However, her expression was haughty, and her words didn¡¯t contain a trace of politeness, much to the other¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Red Moon Island? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Shi has some relation to Red Moon Island¡¯s Daoist Master Shi?¡± Jin Qing asked with a hesitant appearance.


    After glancing at Jin Qing, she gave an indifferent reply, ¡°He is my father.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, since it is like that, we will agree with your conditions!¡± Upon hearing her reply, he gave an immediate response, causing Han Li to look at him in astonishment.


    Han Li then heard Jin Qing¡¯s voice transmission, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han! Daoist Master Shi had treated me with great kindness long ago. I hope Fellow Daoist Han will forgive me.¡±


    Han Li remained silent and casually smiled towards Jin Qing.

 Chapter 417

    Using One Formation to Break Another


    ¡°How about this? If Brother Han and Fairy Shi break through the formation, then they can have the first pick. We will distribute the rest afterwards.¡± Hu Yue revealed slight embarrassment and hastily mentioned Han Li, going through the motions for the time being.


    The thin, shriveled cultivator surnamed Jian stood to the side and remained silent. He remained somewhat of a mystery to Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Hu, wouldn¡¯t it be better to first bring Brother Han and Fairy Shi to the formation and see whether or not the formation can be broken, and leave the distribution for afterwards? If they cannot break the formation, having this talk now would be useless.¡± Jin Qing proposed with a slight smile.


    Hu Yue patted his head and promptly agreed, ¡°Right! This formation spell is rather strange. Fellow Daoist Jin and I relentlessly assaulted it for an entire day. As a result, we only wasted our magic power on attacks that didn¡¯t damage the formation spell in the slightest.¡±


    The others agreed and followed in curious anticipation. They flew towards the back of the sand mountain and stopped near an unremarkable shallow slope.


    ¡°Please take a look. The area covered in a yellow mist is where the spell formation is located.¡± Hu Yue pointed down at an area of the slope while in midair with a solemn expression.


    The others didn¡¯t need it pointed out as there was a huge, dense yellow mist that resembled a huge beast quietly crouching in wait. It gave them an incomprehensibly strange feeling. ¡°Yi! It seems to be a dual attribute earth-wind formation spell. How interesting.¡± Upon seeing the formation spell¡¯s grandeur, Shi Die¡¯s eyes immediately brightened with excitement.


    Han Li was brought back to attention upon hearing her and looked at her before turning his attention towards the formation spell. Not long after, his expression became solemn.


    This formation spell was indeed a wind-earth dual attribute formation spell as the woman had said. At his current level, it would prove quite troublesome to break through it.


    At that moment, Shi Die slowly descended to the edge of the spell formation and enthusiastically took out a strange magic tool.


    She stroked the disc-shaped magic tool before pointing it towards the yellow mist and shooting out a green beam of light. The beam then disappeared without a trace into the formation.


    Shi Die frowned as she took out a fiery crystal ball and rubbed it with her hand several times before sending it into the yellow mist as well. But after flashing several times with red light, the crystal ball was also submerged into the dense yellow mist.


    At this point, the female cultivator¡¯s complexion turned slightly red, involuntarily revealing an expression of worry. She continued to probe the formation spell with another eight different magic tools. However, apart from a yellow copper mirror that was able to shine through an area of the mist, none of the other magic tools had any effect.


    Having seen this, the rest of the party looked at one another and couldn¡¯t help but fly down onto the slope, approaching the woman.


    After a moment more of observation, Han Li saw that the woman wanted to continue sending off magic tools and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. He gently asked, ¡°Fairy Shi, how about you let me give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Humph! If Fellow Daoist Han has any tricks, do not hesitate to make use of them. This young woman will not stop you.¡± From her tone it was obvious that Fairy Shi had become frustrated.


    Han Li became slightly annoyed, but he maintained a calm appearance. Without paying her any notice, he patted his storage pouch and took out over a dozen small flags of various colors. They then surrounded Han Li and began to slowly revolve around him.


    ¡°Formation flags.¡± Upon seeing the small flags appear, Jin Qing astutely called out the name of the items.


    The others gazed on in astonishment, not knowing what Han Li intended to do with the formation.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay any attention to their amazed expressions and just pointed to the formation flags. The formation flags then flew off in streaks of brilliance above the yellow mist. In accordance to the arranged pattern, they floated above the mist in a shape vaguely resembling the Big Dipper.


    ¡°Big Dipper Heaven-Earth Formation.¡± Shi Die recognized the formation by the flag¡¯s arrangement and revealed slight amazement.


    Right after she spoke, the formation flags began to let out a series of low, long hums. They then each shot out a beam of light, joining together as a concentrated, thick pillar that shot down towards the yellow mist. Soon after, it completely disappeared.


    Having seen this, the others turned their gaze towards the yellow mist, but saw that there wasn¡¯t the slightest irregularity.


    ¡°Brother Han, this is¡­¡± Jin Qing couldn¡¯t help but want to ask about a few of his doubts before he was interrupted by a sudden occurrence.


    The originally still, unaffected mist suddenly released a muffled pop as if water were boiling inside of it. The mist started to roil as if a flood dragon were overturning them from within. It appeared as if the mists were suddenly alive.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s eyes were radiant, and he shot out several magic seals towards the floating flag formation. Soon, the formation flags began to shoot out a continuous, concentrated beam of multi-colored light.


    Not long after, another astonishing scene occurred.


    The rolling yellow mists started to rise and fall in rhythmic fluctuations and began to form countless protrusions that were the size of steam buns. The protrusions became larger and taller as time passed, as if a monster were about to fly out from within.


    When the others saw this, they felt aghast and involuntarily took a few steps back.


    Fairy Shi hastily ran back forty meters with a changed expression before stopping and turning her head around.


    Bang, Bang¡­


    A series of deafening booms came from the yellow mist.


    The cultivators had earlier put up their guards. They all hastily readied their defenses and stood firm, watching as the mists heavily swayed as if they were being blown about by violent storm winds.


    Only Shi Die looked on in anticipation, while all the others were fearful.


    The extremely dense mist didn¡¯t end up expelling anything at all. It had just parted away like clouds and disappeared, revealing everything that the formation contained.


    While Hu Yue and the others greatly rejoiced, Jin Qing quickly walked over to Han Li¡¯s side and said with a beaming smile, ¡°Brother Han! I didn¡¯t think you possessed such great skill. Did you break through the entire formation?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched before he gave the others an explanation with a bitter smile, ¡°Break through the formation? Brother Jin greatly underestimates the formidability of ancient cultivator formations. I merely dispelled the formation spell¡¯s outermost layer, which was acting as a smokescreen.¡±


    Jin Qing was slightly disappointed to hear this, but without waiting for him to speak, Hu Yue suddenly spoke with joy, ¡°Haha! That¡¯s fine. Take your time, we have plenty. Now, we have some confidence that this formation can be broken through after all.¡±


    Jin Qing blankly stared for a moment before agreeing with slight embarrassment, ¡°Right! Us cultivators have no shortage of time. I was just being impatient.¡±


    At that moment, Shi Die¡¯s haughtiness disappeared without a trace. She gave a deep bow to Han Li and sincerely said, ¡°This young woman is truly ignorant. I truly didn¡¯t think that Senior would take such an original approach in using formations to break formations. It has widened Junior¡¯s perspective. I hope Senior Han will provide some guidance on the Dao of Formation Spells.¡±


    Han Li had returned the gesture with slight surprise. This sudden turn of events had greatly changed his impression of her.


    ¡°This was but a minor trick. In truth, I actually don¡¯t hold much understanding towards formation spells.¡± Han Li replied with a calm expression.


    Han Li was being completely truthful! Were it not for her pointing out that the formation spell was a dual earth-wind attribute, Han Li would¡¯ve had no way of knowing how to start and break through the illusion formation.


    Han Li had only spent a mere twenty years researching formation spells. As such, his knowledge was quite limited. He had merely absorbed most of the theories of formation spells without gaining a deeper understanding.


    The reason why he was able to make use of such a carefully prepared strategy, like using the Big Dipper Heaven-Earth formation flags to break the formation, was simply due to his confidence regarding Xin Ruting¡¯s genius in formation spells.


    Among Xin Ruting¡¯s experiences, she had included the ingenious methods she had used to break through many different kinds of formation spells. Despite Han Li¡¯s lack of understanding, he had made a reckless attempt.


    However, this technique was extremely clever and had deeply shocked the others!


    The other cultivators clearly considered Han Li¡¯s words as modesty and viewed him with respect. Han Li faintly smiled in response and didn¡¯t force himself to further explain. Instead, he turned his gaze to look at the true formation hidden behind the illusion formation.


    After the mist faded away, a layer of dim yellow light was revealed, covering an area of about four hundred meters.

 Chapter 418

    Breaking Through the Formation


    The newly revealed light barrier was thick and slightly blurred. Although it wasn¡¯t as obscure as the dense yellow mist, it still clouded the interior.


    In addition to the outer barrier of light, there appeared to be several more layers within and a round pillar at the very center of the light barrier that stood about ten meters tall. Ancient decorative designs and characters seemed to be carved onto it, but no one was able to clearly make them out as their spiritual senses were being completely blocked by the light barrier.


    But even stranger than the pillar were the countless, slender bands of rainbow light that erratically roamed within the light barrier. They appeared extremely abnormal as though they were alive.


    When the others saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but click their tongues in astonishment.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became gloomy and he carelessly revealed a trace of his suspicion.


    Although he hadn¡¯t broken many ancient spell formations, Xin Ruyin¡¯s records had contained information on many types of ancient formation spells. From the aura and appearance of the formation spell before him, it didn¡¯t appear the slightest bit similar to an ancient spell formation. It even held a trace of evil Qi.


    With that in mind, Han Li turned his gaze towards the nearby Shi Die.


    He saw her examining the formation with great curiosity, but her face didn¡¯t reveal a trace of peculiarity. This caused Han Li, who didn¡¯t hold much confidence in formations, to self-mockingly believe that his judgement was wrong.


    ¡°It seems that today is coming to an end. Since Brother Han and the others have come here from so far away, how about they rest for a moment before coming back to break the formation tomorrow? After all, it doesn¡¯t seem like the formation can be broken through in a short amount of time!¡± Hu Yue spoke, showing great consideration towards Han Li and the others that had recently arrived.


    As Han Li felt that this formation would take quite some time to unravel and was somewhat exhausted, he didn¡¯t refuse Hu Yue¡¯s suggestion.


    Although Fairy Shi appeared to have identified the formation and was eager to continue, she didn¡¯t raise any objections towards Hu Yue¡¯s suggestion.


    Thus, the group returned to their stone buildings.


    Since there weren¡¯t that many stone buildings, Han Li and the others casually reshaped the earth to make some rooms and used a stone transformation technique on them before officially taking residence in them.


    ¡­


    The following morning, Han Li and Shi Die arrived outside the light barrier and began their attribute tests and calculations.


    The entire process of destroying the formation was very slow, especially at the start. The two felt somewhat overwhelmed, not knowing where to start. They¡¯d often encounter a few insurmountable difficulties that they couldn¡¯t make any progress on, even after spending several days attempting to solve them.


    But regardless of how it was said, the formation spell was inanimate while they were alive. It was only a matter of time before any formation spell was fully studied and comprehended. Even particularly strange formation spells could eventually be unraveled.


    Through the cooperation of Han Li and Fairy Shi, this ancient formation spell proved to be no exception; its finer details were slowly being made clear bit by bit.


    During this process, Han Li¡¯s view of the female cultivator greatly changed.


    Although she came off as somewhat arrogant, she truly did have some skill. Not only did she fully comprehend all sorts of widely circulated formation spells, her analysis of the composition of the formation spell was meticulous and flawless, causing Han Li to hold quite a bit of respect towards her.


    Although Han Li saw that her accomplishments in the theory of formation spells weren¡¯t as impressive as Xin Ruyin¡¯s, she wasn¡¯t that far off.


    But at the same time, Han Li felt somewhat puzzled. Why was it that all the formation spell experts he knew were female? Could it be that the Heavens had gifted female cultivators with an innate talent for formation spells?


    However, comparing Fairy Shi to Xin Ruyin was an exercise in frustration. Although Fairy Shi¡¯s grasp on the theories were clear, she possessed far too few formation breaking methods. She would merely alternate through several kinds, and if none of them had any effect, she could only stare helplessly.


    Han Li clearly knew his own limitations well. A mere dabbler in formation spells like himself was far inferior when compared to this woman. Understanding this, he never disputed anything the woman said and bluntly made use of Xin Ruyin¡¯s formation breaking tricks in accordance with what she said. In response to his actions, the woman became rather impressed by him.


    As a result of these events, Han Li and Fairy Shi developed a tight coordination. After the female cultivator analyzed the weak points of the spell formation, Han Li would then think of a way to break through. Not only did their speed at unravelling the formation substantially increase, they learned much regarding what they were lacking from one another, to both their satisfaction.


    As for Jin Qing and the others, they were unable to contribute for the time being and obediently meditated in the stone buildings, quietly waiting for the two to break the formation.


    Three months later, Han Li and Shi Die called the others over to the slope. In their last few days of toil, they had nearly managed to break through the great formation. Now, only the last restriction remained. Once it was gone, the strange stone pillar at the center would be completely revealed.


    The light barrier¡¯s appearance was now very different from when they started. Not only had it shrunk to less than half its original size, its original dim yellow had turned into a fiery scarlet red. After approaching it, one would feel a scorching heat being emitted.


    But what was more baffling was that the countless bands of rainbow light within the light barrier had now turned into winged fire serpents. They endlessly roamed the area within the light barrier and continuously spouted out thin flames.


    ¡°What kind of demons are they?¡± When Jin Qing saw them, he couldn¡¯t help but ask in surprise.


    The others also gazed on with astonishment.


    ¡°Fire attribute winged demon spirit fiends. They are rarely seen and only appear in extremely peculiar areas. It has an extremely short lifespan, lasting only several hours before fading away. However, their innate demon flames are no less powerful than a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s core flame and their favorite foods are the souls of mortals and primal souls of cultivators. They will be very troublesome to deal with. The final restriction has obviously transformed the area into a Tri-Yang Field, allowing the fire spirits to continue to spawn. If any cultivators forcefully broke through the restriction without knowing this, they would surely fall prey to the winged fiends.¡± Shi Die proudly explained.


    After all, very few people knew of ¡°Winged Fiends¡±, but she was able to instantly recognize them.


    ¡°Winged fiends?¡± When Jin Qing and the others heard that the demons were capable of swallowing their primal souls, their expressions couldn¡¯t help but change.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve told us this, you two must have a method of breaking through. Please do not hesitate to give us instructions.¡± The taciturn cultivator surnamed Jian suddenly spoke.


    The others were slightly surprised upon hearing this and turned their gazes to Shi Die and Han Li.


    Han Li faintly smiled but remained silent. Shi Die then grinned and spoke in a lovely voice, ¡°Senior Han and I had quite a headache at the start, but after many days of discussion, we eventually thought of a safe method to break through the restriction. However, this requires the assistance of your strength.¡±


    Although this woman¡¯s expression was calm, her melodious voice caused her to appear more charming.


    ¡°Fairy Shi, please tell us. We will definitely follow your and Senior Han¡¯s instructions.¡± Hu Yue spoke with a chuckle.


    Shi Die then bluntly gave out her orders, ¡°To break through this formation, we require the simultaneous assistance of many water attribute magic tools. We¡¯ve already collect several of these tools. We only require you all to grasp these magic tools and stand where we say. Once Senior Han breaks the formation, you fellow daoists will use your magic tools to eliminate the winged fiends that escape.¡±


    At the side, Han Li added on, ¡°Everyone, under no circumstances should you use your magic treasures to attack the demon spirits. These innate fire spirits will pose a great problem if we allow them to get too close to us. It will be too late by the time you want to run.¡±


    Having seen Han Li¡¯s solemn expression, Hu Yue and the others looked at each other and agreed with shivering hearts.


    Afterwards, Han Li took out a small ruler, a small hammer, and a small pitchfork, giving them to Jin Qing, Crooked Soul and cultivator Jian respectively. As for Shi Die, she handed over a blue scarf to Hu Yue.


    The party then stood nearby in their positions as directed by Shi Die. She then hastily backed away and took out a short sword magic tool before focusing her attention on Han Li.


    Han Li didn¡¯t rush to act. He first took another careful look at his surroundings. Only after seeing that nothing was amiss did he feel confident enough to act. Several tens of blue formation flags and plates, formation setup tools for a water attribute formation spell, flew to Han Li¡¯s side and started to drift about erratically.


    Han Li then wordlessly shifted his fingers, continuously releasing sounds of pops.


    The formation flags and plates responded by surrounding the red light barrier and slowly falling into a formation.


    The formation flags directly inserted themselves several inches deep into the earth, and the formation plates steadily floated several inches above the ground, forming a formation spell with a firm appearance.

 Chapter 419

    Desolate Antiquity


    After the formation flags and plates were appropriately arranged, Han Li took a deep breath and was about to cast a technique before being interrupted by the sounds of whistles coming from the horizon. A blue radiance flashed through the horizon followed by a blue streak resembling a flood dragon quickly flying across the ocean. In the blink of an eye, it arrived above them.


    Once the light faded away, an eccentric wearing dual swords on his back was revealed.


    Upon seeing his appearance, the others were startled. Above them hovered a shriveled and thin figure, with a red, rash covered face, and fierce, triangular eyes framed by long, messy white hair. This odd looking man wore a black short sleeved shirt with a strange flower basket hanging from his waist. From his Spiritual Qi fluctuations, it appeared he was a mid Core Formation cultivator.


    After getting a clear view of the area, the eccentric was surprised to see so many Core Formation cultivators. But after his gaze fell onto the red light barrier and Han Li¡¯s formation setup tools, his expression greatly changed.


    ¡°Are you Juniors seeking death? You dare to take advantage of this island lord¡¯s absence to pry into his project? Hurry up and get off this island!¡± The eccentric yelled with an ominous glare.


    ¡°Island lord?¡±


    ¡°This is yours?¡±


    Hu Yue and Jin Qing looked at one another for a moment while Han Li and the others were at an even greater loss.


    This wasn¡¯t an uninhabited island?


    Hu Yue frowned and calmly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist is the lord of this island?¡±


    ¡°Obviously! I have already been this island¡¯s lord for several hundred years.¡± The eccentric replied without a trace of politeness.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd, my Brother Jin and I never caught a single glimpse of you on our last trip here!¡± Hu Yue stated in a calm manner.


    ¡°What? You¡¯ve already come here once? Humph! It¡¯s the same as the current situation. You came here while I was preoccupied with matters off the island.¡± The eccentric glared at them with even greater anger.


    Hu Yue sneered and derisively said, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you are the sole inhabitant of this island? Then your esteemed title of island lord is self conferred.¡±


    As the restriction before him was about be eliminated, Hu Yue was unwilling to pay any attention to the eccentric before him.


    ¡°Humph! Stop equivocating! In any case, you¡¯ve performed the grave crime of destroying these restrictions. Since you don¡¯t wish to leave, then I will help you remain here permanently!¡±


    Suddenly, the wicker basket on his waist turned into a streak of chilling white Qi, shooting straight towards Hu Yue.


    This time, Han Li and the others were the ones to be surprised.


    Had this person gone mad? Did he not see how many Core Formation cultivators they had on their side? Was his mind addled?


    Hu Yue responded in furious alarm. With a wave of his sleeve two red lights shot straight towards the incoming white mist. With a muffled peng, the white mist was scattered and dissipated in every direction.


    ¡°It seems this dog¡¯s bark is bigger than his bite!¡± Hu Yue relaxed upon seeing the mist scatter and bluntly made some cutting remarks.


    The eccentric remained silent but strangely smiled.


    Hu Yue¡¯s heart trembled and his expression suddenly changed, before yelling, ¡°What¡¯s going on? My flying knives!¡±


    After breaking the white Qi transformed from the basket, the two flying knives were tottering in their original place as if they were failing.


    Afterwards, the scattered white Qi quickly reassembled itself, and with a flash of radiance, it reformed back into its appearance as a flower basket. The two flying knives were trapped inside the flower basket while enveloped in the white Qi, incapable of breaking free.


    Hu Yue looked on in disbelief as his magic treasure was restrained. The other¡¯s also paled in response.


    However, the eccentric didn¡¯t give them any time to think. He coldly laughed and his shoulders flashed with light. Shooting down two streaks of grey swordlight towards Hu Yue.


    As he was next to Hu Yue, Jin Qing naturally found it embarrassing to just stand idle. He flicked his hand and threw out a small block stamp which grew larger as it smashed towards the grey light.


    With a clap of thunder, the three magic treasures released brilliant flashes of interwoven colors.


    At that moment, the cultivator surnamed Jian looked at Han Li and Crooked soul before silently raising his hand, and shooting a pitchfork glowing with black and white Qi towards the eccentric.


    Han Li inwardly sighed. Since everyone else had acted, he and Crooked Soul could no longer just stand idle and had to join them against the eccentric. With that thought, Han Li and Crooked Soul released their Immemorial Bowl and Green Brilliant Dagger, sending them into the fray.


    When the eccentric saw this, he didn¡¯t reveal any fear. Instead he bellowed in savage laughter and spat out a pearl of black blood towards their magic treasures.


    A huge series of explosions rang out!


    Greatly going against their expectations, the bead had released a black radiance just as their magic treasures touched the bead and exploded, causing great spiritual damage to the magic treasures and all of their lights to immediately dim.


    The cultivator surnamed Jian felt great heartache and appeared extremely regretful. His hands formed into an incantation seal to retrieve the flying pitchfork. From that strike, he would need to nurture it in his primal soul for about a year before recovering to normal.


    However, he was late in retrieving his magic treasure.


    As the eccentric coldly laughed, his wicker basket flashed with white light and suddenly shot towards the magic treasures in a streak of white light, entrapping them within.


    The cultivator surnamed Jian suddenly thought of something upon seeing this and yelled out in despair, ¡°An ancient treasure! You¡¯re using a Desolate Antiquity!¡±


    Han Li was stunned upon seeing this. A ¡°Desolate Antiquity¡± was in fact a magic treasure refined by ancient cultivators. This type of magic treasure had a single divine ability, but it¡¯s power was immense and incomparable to the power of common magic treasures of the present. The magic treasure refinement methods and the materials of antiquity were substantially different from those of the present. Their treasures were incapable of being withdrawn into the body and could only be carried physically like a magic tool.


    This was also the only method of differentiating the Desolate Antiquity from common magic treasures.


    Having now seen the abnormality of the flower basket and recalling that the basket had been hanging from his waist at the start, it was impossible for him to not realize the true identity of this magic treasure.


    As for the ¡°Heaven Opposing Spears¡± that were used on the Infant Carp Beast used by the Six United Palaces, they were also Desolate Antiquities that had been passed down.


    Although Han Li was somewhat startled by the announcement of this ancient treasure, he had many killing moves up his sleeves. Still, he didn¡¯t take the initiative to act as he was convinced the more tricks he kept hidden for later, the easier it would be to effectively deal with the upcoming moments of danger.


    In addition, he clearly understood that even if the enemy had an ancient treasure, he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily deal with so many allied Core Formation cultivators. It would suffice to only display the ability equivalent to a common Core Formation cultivator.


    With that thought, apart from using the entirety of their control to wrench their magic treasures away from the white Qi, Han Li and Crooked Soul didn¡¯t take any unusual actions and watched on with a detached gaze.


    He was confident that someone else would inevitably take the initiative!


    As he had expected, Hu Yue and the others revealed a trace of joy upon hearing that the flower basket was an ancient treasure. Since the eccentric had taken the first move, it was only proper for them to loot the treasure after they joined hands and exterminated him.


    Thus, after a moment of hesitation, the cultivator surnamed Jian formed an incantation gesture with his hands, causing three streaks of black light to emerge from his storage pouch: three-meter-tall black banners with a murderous aura.


    He then opened his mouth, shooting out a thread of black Qi towards the black banners. The banners released a series of ghostly wails, causing the other cultivators to become shaken and overwhelmed.


    Meanwhile, Hu Yue bluntly abandoned his attempts to regain control of his flying knives and twisted his hands together, releasing a burst of thunderous azure lightning strikes.


    With raised eyebrows, Jin Qing suddenly cast a magic seal towards his magic treasure, causing his white block stamp to release a dragon¡¯s cry and increase in size several times over.


    Having seen the three make such great displays of might, Han Li inwardly grinned and reckoned that the eccentric was about to suffer a great blow.


    But despite displaying slight surprise upon seeing the three¡¯s vicious attacks, his sneer soon returned. He tore off his short sleeved shirt and revealed his bare upper body.


    Han Li nearly bit his own tongue in surprise.


    Aside from his shriveled chest, two fist-sized human skulls were biting down on each side of his abdomen. Each of the skulls were jet-black and had long, messy hair. In addition, the skulls wriggled incessantly as if they were alive.


    At that moment, the thunderous azure lightning and the three black banners had entered the eccentric¡¯s sight. He lightly extended two of his fingers and started to speak an odd incantation.


    The two human skulls began to release low, muffled sobs before flying away from his abdomen and biting off the eccentric¡¯s two extended fingers. They then excitedly charged forward to meet the thunderous lightning and the black banners.

 Chapter 420

    The Might of the Gold Devouring Beetles


    Han Li was startled when he saw the human skulls and was reminded of the Six Devil Dao Sect¡¯s Ghost Spirit Sect.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect disciples used human skull shaped magic tools to attack, but they were merely inanimate objects, unlike these black skulls that seemed to have a life of their own.


    Han Li experienced an even greater shock when he saw that the three black banners were already flying towards the skull.


    The cultivator surnamed Jian loudly shouted and pointed to his banners, causing them to shoot out a dense number of black threads. The threads then intertwined to form a huge net before rushing towards the incoming human skull.


    The threads were extremely fine and glossy. They also carried a faint black Qi that was clearly unordinary.


    Upon seeing the black threads release themselves, the skull¡¯s eye sockets flashed with red light, and it erratically closed and opened its mouth before countless wisps of dark green fire surged out from its mouth.


    Upon contact, the countless black threads instantly combusted as if they had met their nemesis, quickly turning into rising clouds of azure smoke.


    The cultivator surnamed Jian greatly paled at the sight and hastily formed another incantation gesture, wanting to activate another divine ability of the black banners.


    The black skulls suddenly swelled to the size of a carriage wheel before spouting out a streak of black light for a breath of time. The three black banners were then wrapped up by the streak of light and pulled into the skull¡¯s mouth. Afterwards, the skull starting chomping down with force. After a few cracks and bangs, the black banners were entirely shattered. At this same moment, the cultivator surnamed Jian turned deathly pale from feeling his connection to the black banners sever.


    ¡°Demon! You dare to destroy my treasures?¡± The cultivator Jian shouted out in furious alarm, but his eyes betrayed a sliver of fear.


    Although the others were unaware, he fully understood that the three black banners were desolate antiquities. It had previously dealt with many formidable opponents, but now, it had unexpectedly met its end in a freakish skull¡¯s mouth.


    At that same moment, Hu Yue¡¯s thunderous lightning was drawn into the other skull¡¯s mouth and was rendered completely ineffective.


    Hu Yue and cultivator Jian took a mutual glance at each other and couldn¡¯t help but feel an urge to retreat.


    This had also left Han Li astonished, and he now realized why the eccentric dared to fight against a group of cultivators. He had much to rely on. Not only did he possess many magic treasures, but each of them possessed remarkable abilities. It seemed that if he did not lend them any assistance, they would suffer a great defeat and be forced to retreat.


    Han Li didn¡¯t wish for that development as he had spent several months of effort on breaking this great formation. He was unwilling to allow this outsider to spoil his efforts now that he was on the verge of success. Additionally, although Han Li didn¡¯t want to risk making a clumsy display, he wanted to test the power of the Gold Devouring Beetles and see whether or not they deserved their ranking on the list of exotic insects. As the eccentric before him was an unordinary Core Formation cultivator, he seemed to make for an ideal test subject.


    With that thought, Han Li took another glance at the fray.


    Hu Yue and the others were flusteredly flying around in the sky, bombarding the two skulls that were chasing them with low grade magic techniques. They clearly understood that common magic treasures would have no effect on those demonic items and could only cease their offensive for the time being.


    As for Jin Qing¡¯s large white block seal, it hadn¡¯t shown itself to be particularly powerful. It had found itself dragged into the flower basket after being wound around by the white Qi when he had least expected it, causing Jin Qing¡¯s face to be laced with sweat.


    As for Crooked Soul who was at his side and the Foundation Establishment Shi Die, they were only able to gaze on, incapable of providing any assistance.


    After seeing this, Han Li took a deep glance at the eccentric before unhesitantly taking out a bulging spiritual beast pouch with a single hand.


    Han Li¡¯s action seemed to have caught the eccentric¡¯s attention, possibly due to his powerful spiritual sense. He immediately focused his attention on Han Li and fished something out from his bosom with an ominous expression as if wanting to take out another magic treasure to deal with Han Li.


    In response, Han Li decided to seize the initiative.


    He lightly tossed the Spirit Beast Pouch into the air and quickly struck the pouch with an azure incantation seal cast from his other hand. With a tremble, the spirit beast pouch spouted out several tens of spheres sharply shooting towards the eccentric in streaks of light.


    These spheres were about a foot large and consisted of the colors of both silver and gold. As soon as the eccentric saw them, he revealed an expression of disdain and took out a jet-black dharma wheel[1. An eight-spoked wheel that holds much significance in Buddhism(dharmachakra).], thoughtlessly throwing it out with a cold laugh.


    As the object whistled, it grew several times in size and spun towards the incoming spheres.


    With a succession of pengs, the spheres turned into specks of gold and silver light upon colliding with the wheel, as they were being shattered.


    ¡°Ha, ha¡­¡± The eccentric roared with laughter and pointed towards Han Li, ordering it to slice towards him.


    But at that moment, a burst of buzzing appeared, growing increasingly louder. In an instant, the sound had become ear-piercing, causing everyone to look in the sound¡¯s direction with astonishment. The eccentric had also replaced his mad laughter with bewilderment.


    The fragments from the spheres had become alive and turned into several thousands of thumb-sized gold-silver beetles, densely scattered nearby the wheel. The sharp buzz produced from their flapping wings had inspired great apprehension.


    Han Li didn¡¯t give the eccentric any idle time to think and used his spiritual sense to order the beetles to fly towards the wheel without any regard for their lives. In an instant, the magic treasure had been stained with the colors of gold and silver.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The eccentric recovered from his surprise and formed an incantation gesture with his hands, causing his wheel to release clouds of black as it spun, intending to eliminate the exotic insects.


    However, the following scene had left the eccentric stunned. As soon as the pitch-black mist appeared, the beetles opened their mouth and cleanly gobbled it away, leaving not a single speck behind.


    As for the wheel¡¯s high speed rotations, it only managed to throw off a small portion of the Gold Devouring beetles. A majority of them had closely stuck onto it and fearlessly ripped it to shreds.


    Han Li inwardly rejoiced at the eccentric¡¯s aghast expression.


    In the blink of an eye, the wheel shrank at a visible pace until there was nothing left. After the wheel was cleanly devoured, the buzzing grew louder once more.


    The eccentric¡¯s complexion had now turned slightly green!


    Han Li bluntly pointed to the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles and had them turn into a large gold-silver cloud before flocking towards the eccentric.


    Now knowing the ferociousness of the beetles, the eccentric¡¯s face revealed panic and he quickly beckoned towards the black skulls chasing after the sweat drenched members. With several flickers, they flew back to the eccentric and sinisterly blocked his front.


    Finally able to gasp for air, Hu Yue and cultivator Jian let out a large sigh of relief and stopped in the distance, staring at the scene with slight amazement.


    The eccentric appeared ill at ease. He summoned a short dagger into his hand with a flash of light. After a short moment of hesitation, he chopped down with a fierce expression, severing another two of his fingers.


    The two skulls immediately flew to each eat one. Soon after, they release a strange howl as if they were extremely delighted.


    With widened eyes, the eccentric soon opened his mouth, shooting out two black lights at the skull¡¯s forehead. The two skulls then let out a series of painful groans and started to undergo a strange change.


    With audible cracks, two strange horns similar to a mountain goats sprouted from the tops of their skulls, and their fierce sharp teeth grew by several inches, becoming even sharper in the process. And over the span of a few breathes, their hair turned blood-red, completely changing the skulls into ghost heads.


    ¡°Go!¡± With the skulls¡¯ transformation complete, the eccentric let out a breath of relief and painfully used his finger stump to command them towards the insect swarm.


    The ghost heads¡¯ eyes flashed with a queer green light before obediently charging off towards the insect swarm with a long whistle.


    When the Gold Devouring Beetles saw the ghost heads shooting towards them, they separated into two swarms under Han Li¡¯s command, each flying to meet one of the ghost heads.


    The transformed ghost heads widely opened their mouths and spat out wisps of dark green flame that were several times thicker than before. Upon impact, a series of explosions pushed the swarms of Gold Devouring Beetle back about ten meters.


    The beetle swarms were in disorder.


    The eccentric revealed a trace of joy, but that had lasted for only a short moment.


    The wisps of fire released towards the Gold Devouring Swarm had done nothing but send a couple of beetles tumbling. But afterwards, they continued to fly forward as if they had not suffered any damage in the slightest.


    The eccentric now wore a face of disbelief.


    The will-o-wisps his ghost heads spat out were more powerful than Core Flame. How were they incapable of frying a few insects?


    But despite not being able to deal with the Gold Devouring Beetles with his ghost heads, the flame wisps still kept the beetles at bay. It appeared they were stuck in a deadlock.


    The eccentric frowned and started to ponder about a countermeasure.


    At that moment, a buzzing sound occurred in a volume several times louder than before. When the eccentric raised his head, his face turned deathly pale as if it were devoid of blood.

 Chapter 421

    Spirit Sealing Pillar


    In the distant sky at an unknown time, a huge cloud of insects spanning over a hundred meters had appeared, staining that part of the sky gold and silver. The huge buzzing seemed to be coming from this new cloud of insects.


    Underneath the insect cloud, Han Li looked at the eccentric with a gaze as if he were looking at a corpse. He commanded, ¡°Go!¡±


    Suddenly, the huge insect cloud flew towards the eccentric as an overbearing sky-shrouding shadow.


    The eccentric¡¯s limbs grew ice-cold. This insect cloud was over ten times larger than the previous. It wasn¡¯t something he could withstand. In his terror, he felt a sudden desire to flee.


    With an unsightly expression, he recalled his transformed flower basket. He then struck his two ghost heads with blood-red magic seals, and began to chant a cryptic incantation. As for the weapons that were disabled and had been held within the white mist, they were tossed away without hesitation.


    The eccentric¡¯s decisiveness surprised Han Li.


    The two ghost heads madly spat out several more wisps of flames as they retreated, but Han Li wasn¡¯t about to let them slip away so easily.


    Under his command, the huge insect cloud thoroughly drowned the ghost heads and their flames in an instant. The flames were cleanly consumed by the several tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles in an instant, and the ghost heads¡¯ themselves were filled with countless Gold Devouring Beetles.


    With this, Han Li knew that the skulls were already finished. But just as he wanted to collect the Gold Devouring Beetles and go chase after the eccentric, he heard two enormous explosions.


    The two ghost heads had self detonated in twin blazes of green flame, engulfing a large portion of the Gold Devouring Beetles. Han Li was initially left reeling by the scene but that soon disappeared.


    From his mental connection, apart from the several hundred closest to the heart of the explosion, a vast majority of his Gold Devouring Beetles were unscathed.


    It seemed that these immature Gold Devouring Beetles were not invulnerable. After a certain limit, they were still capable of being destroyed.


    However, their sturdiness was already much to Han Li¡¯s satisfaction. After all, the Gold Devouring Beetles only suffered damage from the extremely powerful detonation of the ghost heads. He was confident that any common Core Formation cultivator wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against these insects.


    With that thought, Han Li wordlessly turned into an azure streak and collected his Gold Devouring Beetles before chasing after the eccentric.


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts were quite simple. Since deep hatred was planted between him and the eccentric, it was naturally better to settle this problem once and for all. Not wanting to leave a potential enemy, he couldn¡¯t allow him to easily escape.


    A second later, Crooked Soul joined him and flew next to Han Li as a streak of yellow light, joining in the pursuit.


    As for the others, they glanced at each other while staying in their original places. It seemed that for the time being, they were incapable of believing that Han Li had single-handedly forced the eccentric to flee.


    The eccentric¡¯s escape method was quite impressive. Even when using the entirety of his strength to propel his green brilliance dagger, the distance between them was only gradually increasing. In the blink of an eye, the three had traveled over twenty kilometers and were about to leave the scope of the barren island.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes glinted with cold light. After taking a deep breath, seven palm-sized emerald green swords suddenly shot from his body.


    After flying a circle around his body, the small swords merged into a huge green sword. With a blur, Han Li and Crooked Soul arrived on the huge sword. It then flashed with green radiance and cut through the sky as an emerald streak of light that was nearly forty meters long, increasing their speed by nearly fifty percent.


    After the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li had caught up to the eccentric. After seeing the black light that was singularly focused on flying, Han Li waved his arm with an icy expression. Two small emerald swords shot towards it along with Crooked Soul¡¯s Immemorial Bowl.


    The escaping eccentric had clearly seen that his relentless pursuers had released their magic treasures towards him. He immediately responded by throwing a skull towards them. Afterwards, the eccentric continued flying without looking back.


    According to the eccentric¡¯s thoughts, the skull should be able to buy him some precious time at the very least.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he silently cast an incantation gesture. His two flying swords then flashed with green light and turned into four swordlights which were indistinguishable from one another. Two of these swordlights and the immemorial bowl flew straight towards the skull while the other two swordlights combined to form a foot-long flying sword. It rushed past the skull and shot towards the back of the eccentric without a sound.


    The flying sword became much faster after combining together and arrived behind the eccentric in the blink of an eye.


    However, the eccentric felt that something was amiss and turned his head, discovering an emerald streak of light that was only fifteen meters away from him.


    The eccentric¡¯s face turned deathly pale. Responding quickly to the emergency, he opened his mouth and spewed a puff of black Qi towards the flying sword. Afterwards, he hastily flew away, wanting to escape.


    Under Han Li¡¯s command, the flying sword continued straight through the black Qi without any hesitation. As it approached, an arc of faint golden lightning struck the black Qi and thoroughly blew it away, leaving the flying sword completely unobstructed.


    Then with a flash of green light, the emerald flying sword pierced through the eccentric.


    The eccentric looked down at the flying sword in his chest with an expression of complete disbelief. Without the chance to say a single word, he was struck with faint golden lightning and turned to ash.


    Han Li hastily approached. After blurring a few times, he reappeared with three items in his hands and focused his attention on them. Apart from the flower basket ancient antiquity, there was also a storage pouch and a scroll painting sparkling with red light. From paintings stealthily contained Spiritual Qi, even if it wasn¡¯t a desolate antiquity, it was still undoubtedly an unordinary magic treasure.


    Delighted, Han Li gently unrolled the scroll and was soon stunned.


    After staring at the scroll for a long while, Han Li slowly rolled it back up and wore a contemplative expression. Forcefully suppressing the suspicions he had in mind, Han Li flew towards the skull in silence.


    Now lacking a master, the black skull floated in the air without movement. Although it still retained a trace of its evil Qi, it now completely lacked any trace of its former intelligence.


    After taking a look, Han Li slightly frowned. In truth, this was the first time he had seen an item like this. He faintly felt that this item definitely had a bad history, but he still felt reluctant to just let it go. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to store it in a jade box.


    After circling around the area once more, Han Li flew back with Crooked Soul. On the way, he encountered Jin Qing and the others who on their way to assist him.


    Having seen Han Li and Crooked Soul return completely unharmed, they crowded around him in pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what happened to that eccentric? Did he escape?¡± Jin Qing couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°He died by my hand!¡± Han Li calmly said.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead? That¡¯s great. From his profuse, evil Qi, we would have definitely found ourselves hopelessly entangled if he decided to pursue us in the future. That would¡¯ve proved to be extremely troublesome.¡± Jin Qing replied with a large breath of relief.


    With slightly changed expressions, the nearby Hu Yue and cultivator Jian looked at Han Li with gazes of involuntary respect.


    After all, one¡¯s capability defined one¡¯s status in the cultivation world.


    Afterwards, the party returned to their original location where Fairy Shi was worriedly waiting for them.


    The group gathered together once more. After some discussion, Han Li felt that it would be best to quickly break through the formation in order to prevent any further unexpected incidents from occurring.


    Thus, the group once again got into formation. After refocusing his heart, Han Li placed down the formation flags and plates.


    The destruction of the last restriction was exceptionally smooth. After the scarlet light barrier was destroyed, the ¡°Winged Fiends¡± contained within were cleanly eliminated by their water attribute magic tools.


    The party revealed joy and soon turned their gazes towards the strange, exposed stone pillar at the center.


    With no restrictions in the way, the group was clearly able to see the stone pillar with their spiritual sense and eyesight.


    The stone pillar¡¯s talisman markings were extremely strange. The pillar was covered in eight huge ancient talisman scripts that spiralled around it from top to bottom along with countless strange stripes. In addition, the stone pillar was embedded with extremely rare Yin-Yang Jade in an even distribution. They occasionally flashed with dim black and white lights.


    After looking at this for some time, they looked at each other in confusion and sunk into contemplation, bitterly attempting to recall any relatable information.


    ¡°Spirit Sealing Pillar!¡± After a short moment, the weakest among them, Shi Die, suddenly shouted out the name of the stone pillar in alarm.


    The others were stunned upon hearing this, but they soon looked at each other in bewilderment.


    ¡°Fairy Shi, are you certain? Is this really a Spirit Sealing Pillar?¡± Hu Yue couldn¡¯t help but ask with doubt.


    ¡°Absolutely! I possess a book of ancient formation spells that particularly mentions the Spirit Sealing Pillar. From its appearance and those talisman markings, it is exactly as was described in the book. Don¡¯t be fooled into believing it to be some common stone pillar. It was forged from over ten extremely precious tool refinement materials. This lone pillar is worth about six thousand spirit stones.¡± Shi Die gazed at this pillar with excitement.

 Chapter 422

    Sevenglow Lotus


    The Spirit Sealing Pillar was actually a huge magic tool used by ancient cultivators to seal the nearby Spiritual Qi and isolate it from the outside the world. This rarely seen magic tool was typically used in one of two ways.


    One purpose was to seal extremely rare spirit medicines and spirit herbs, preventing their spiritual nature from weakening due to outside exposure. Another purpose was to suppress particularly formidable ghost spirits or devils and prevent them from escaping. Regardless of which purpose this particular Spirit Sealing Pillar served, its value would prove to be extremely significant to Han Li and company.


    Spirit medicines have their obvious uses, but if the Spirit Sealing Pillar was suppressing devils, they would prove to be optimal materials for increasing the strength of one¡¯s magic treasure by subduing and containing them within their magic treasures.


    However, they clearly understood that if the Spirit Seal Pillar was used to seal a spirit or a devil it was guaranteed to be difficult for them to subdue it after it was released. There was even a chance that it would cause backlash instead.


    Although everyone looked at each other with pleasant surprise, nobody brashly suggested immediately toppling the pillar to see what was underneath.


    After a long while of silence, Jin Qing bitterly laughed and muttered, ¡°This is quite the conundrum! But since we¡¯ve spent quite a bit of effort, nobody wishes to turn back, yes?¡±


    ¡°If you want to leave, then leave! I will be staying here! Don¡¯t say that there might not be devils within. We must be ready to attempt to subdue whatever is inside.¡± Cultivator Jian coldly spoke with his hands behind his back.


    Jin Qing smiled in response and turned towards Hu Yue and asked, ¡°How about you, Fellow Daoist Hu?¡±


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Hu Yue gave a resolute answer, ¡°Fellow Daoist, you should know that because us rogue cultivators are unwilling to be restricted by others, our freedom comes at the cost of poverty. We must seize every opportunity we are given!¡±


    Jin Qing didn¡¯t reveal any surprise and turned his gaze to Han Li.


    With a raised brow, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°I am indifferent. If a majority wishes to see what is underneath, I will stay as well.¡± Since he now had seventy-two Bamboo Azurecloud Swords refined from Gold Lightning Bamboo, he had nothing to fear from demons and ghosts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking me. Although I am only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, my father fortuitously gave me a devil repelling magic treasure. Even if I lack the strength to protect myself, no harm will come to me.¡± Without waiting for Jin Qing to ask her, Shi Die took the initiative to answer after tilting her head.


    ¡°Alright! Since everyone is unwilling to return empty handed, let¡¯s push the pillar over. Even so, please be careful!¡± Jin Qing lightly sighed and spoke with a cautious expression.


    ¡°Hehe! There is no need for Fellow Daoist Jin¡¯s warning as nobody here is willing to treat their lives lightly. But still, let¡¯s get the ugly matters out of the way first. If any devils or ghosts appear, then the subduer will have the right of ownership. Fighting over them is forbidden.¡± Cultivator Jian slowly spoke with a strange glint flashing from his eyes.


    ¡°That is obvious. It is only natural to yield in accordance to skill, considering the bounty¡¯s nature,¡± Jin Qing spoke in agreement.


    The others didn¡¯t have any objections.


    When cultivator Jian saw this, his spirit was roused, and he revealed a trace of joy.


    Shi Die shot him a sideways glance and mysteriously smiled, asking, ¡°Could it be that fellow Daoist has a special method to subdue devils? Is that why you¡¯re so confident?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I won¡¯t conceal this from you all. My cultivation art has a divine ability specialized in dealing with ghosts and devils. I had originally believed it wouldn¡¯t be of much use, and I didn¡¯t expect that I would be able to finally make use of it.¡± After some slight hesitation, cultivator Jian nodded and gave a straightforward explanation.


    ¡°The skulls of the wicked eccentric that Han Li had exterminated seemed to be refined from demons. It seemed that Fellow Daoist Jian had quite a bit of trouble with them?¡± Shi Die spoke with doubt.


    ¡°Sigh, it seems my poor performance has caused doubt. My divine ability requires prior preparation in order to be utilized. That wicked eccentric had caught me unprepared, and as a result, I made for a sorry sight.¡± Cultivator Jian shook his head and explained with slight embarrassment.


    Shi Die nodded and turned her gaze back towards the Spirit Sealing Pillar.


    ¡°Since everyone is unwilling to give up, let¡¯s start! It is a bit troublesome to overthrow a Spirit Sealing Pillar as it can only be released after turning it several times with great force.¡± Shi Die excitedly explained.


    When the others heard this, they narrowed their eyes. Although they were cultivators, they didn¡¯t actually possess much physical strength. Even with immense strength talismans, the group wouldn¡¯t be able to physically shift such a huge stone pillar.


    Han Li frowned and inwardly sent out a command.


    As Crooked Soul walked towards the stone pillar, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Let me do it. I have quite a bit of strength.¡±


    Hu Yue and the others revealed slight amazement. After all, Crooked Soul had yet to speak since arriving here, but now suddenly he took the initiative to solve this matter.


    ¡°Then we will have to trouble Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul!¡± Shi Die said with curiosity.


    Crooked Soul continued to walk towards the stone pillar as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. His body first flashed with yellow light before he placed an immense strength talisman on his body. Afterwards, he rolled up his sleeves, took a deep breath, and clasped the stone pillar in his arms.


    The ten meter tall stone pillar released a rumbling noise and started to turn bit by bit, much to the delight of the others.


    Crooked Soul¡¯s thick, taut arms were completely exposed and shined faintly of red light. After the stone pillar had been turned three times, he used all of his strength to push the pillar to the side before suddenly moving away.


    The stone pillar fell to the side with a series of booms, causing the ground to tremble for a moment. From the deep groove it left behind when landing, it was clear that the stone pillar was extremely heavy.


    However, the others didn¡¯t pay any attention to the stone pillar, and instead focused their attention on the large hole left behind from its collapse.


    The hole was pitch-black and from it blew a cold wind, but it also had a flight of small white stairs that led downward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± After looking at the hole for a moment, cultivator Jian decided to take the lead.


    After some hesitation, the others followed after him. Now that they¡¯ve made it this far, no one was willing to turn tail.


    Han Li stood in his original spot with a single hand grasping his chin with a contemplative expression as he watched the other cultivators climb down the stairs with barely concealed excitement.


    He then took out the scroll painting with the sparkling red light and fiddled with it.


    He pondered for a moment while he looked at it before putting it away and climbing down the stairs. Crooked Soul closely followed after him.


    The tunnel was rather deep. After a quarter hour, Han Li finally reached the bottom.


    Their eyes brightened upon seeing a large hall that spanned over seventy meters appear before them. The hall¡¯s roof was embedded with fist-sized luminescent pearls causing the hall to shine with milky-white light. As the walls were sparkling with bits of light, this exceptionally beautiful sight appeared to be caused by magic techniques.


    In addition, there were two semi-circle doors to the side of the hall¡¯s entrance that led to an unknown location.


    Hu Yue and the others stood motionlessly at the center of the hall. They were all staring in the same direction and occasionally whispered to each other as if they were studying something.


    Han Li walked towards them in large strides with great curiosity.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Han Li revealed astonishment after catching sight of what they were staring at.


    There was a flawlessly white skeleton that was reclined at the side of a small pond. An emerald-green, foot-long arrow penetrated its skull and nailed it to the ground, appearing quite strange.


    But that had only caught their initial gaze. Afterwards, their focus had been excitedly drawn towards the three-colored lotus floating at the center of the pond¡¯s surface.


    Although the colorful lotus had yet to bloom and was still just a bud, it was the size of a bowl and glowed with a tri-colored radiance of azure, red, and yellow.


    But what was most inconceivable about it was the exquisite rainbow that appeared several inches above it. Its glistening light was extremely entrancing.


    Additionally, the pond water wasn¡¯t ordinary water; it was a dense white paste that strongly emitted a strange fragrance.


    ¡°A Sevenglow Lotus! It has to be. I thought that this only existed in legend. That water¡­ is it the legendary thousand year stone milk?¡± Hu Yue muttered to himself with widened eyes.


    ¡°No wonder there were so many formation spell restrictions placed down along with the Spirit Sealing Pillar. With these two items, setting down another dozen layers of restrictions wouldn¡¯t be excessive.¡± Shi Die stated while mesmerized by the colorful lotus.


    Jin Qing woke from his surprise and turned to look at the skeleton. He bafflingly asked, ¡°But what about this skeleton? Could it have been the cave residence¡¯s master?¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter? We¡¯ve struck it rich! Although this Sevenglow Lotus only shines with three colors, it will still sell for an exorbitant price at auction.¡± Cultivator Jian directly changed the subject with greed filling his eyes.

 Chapter 423

    Extreme Poison


    Han Li¡¯s calm voice sounded out from behind the other cultivators, ¡°Is this Sevenglow Lotus very famous? Does it have any particular uses?¡±


    Upon hearing him, cultivator Jian and the others sobered up and felt their hearts tremble. They unnaturally turned their gazes to Han Li.


    They had all witnessed the power of his Gold Devouring Beetles while they were fighting together, and now they feared that they wouldn¡¯t prove to be his match. Now that such a precious item had appeared, they unconsciously felt unease.


    Even Jin Qing, who had implored him to come here, revealed a trace of unease.


    Upon seeing these people¡¯s expressions, Han Li was able to roughly tell what they were thinking. A wry smile flashed through his eyes.


    However, he quickly concealed this and asked with an unknowing expression, ¡°The name of this Sevenglow Lotus is quite peculiar! I¡¯ve read through quite a few records, but I haven¡¯t the slightest idea what it is.¡±


    The other cultivators looked at each other. Hu Yue let out a dry cough before giving Han Li an explanation with a smile, ¡°It seems that Fellow Daoist Han has spent most of his time in secluded cultivation and rarely deals with external matters. The name of this Sevenglow Lotus won¡¯t be found in Spirit Herb Records as its name is only passed down through oral legends. It is said that it would be able to bring mortals back to life and can regrow the flesh from just bones. When cultivators take it, it is said to be able to raise one¡¯s cultivation by an entire grade. This is an immortal item from legends!¡±


    Upon finishing his explanation, Hu Yue was showing inconcealable excitement despite looking at Han Li with a trace of vigilance.


    Han Li squinted his eyes and spoke with slight disbelief, ¡°Is it really so miraculous? Is it even true?¡±


    ¡°We have no idea as nobody we know has seen a Sevenglow Lotus before. We didn¡¯t even believe such an item existed until today. However, it is certain that there are cultivators that will spend a great amount of spirit stones for it.¡± Hu Yue spoke with a chuckle.


    ¡°So it was like that!¡± Han Li indifferently nodded his head and shifted his attention to the flawless white skeleton lying on the floor with an interested expression.


    Seeing that Han Li was unconcerned and didn¡¯t appear interested in monopolizing the rewards, the others let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Jian, how about you go and collect the Sevenglow Lotus? After we auction it, let¡¯s evenly split the spirit stones. Fairy Shi, we¡¯ll have to trouble you to look for any formation spell restrictions near the pond.¡± Hu Yue gave a meaningful glance at cultivator Jian and Shi Die.


    After taking a thoughtful look at Han Li, they agreed.


    Having felt that Han Li was far too strong, they united together with a feeling of suspicion towards Han Li.


    After Jin Qing heard this, his face revealed a trace of hesitation as if he wanted to say something. But after some thought, he decided to stay silent.


    At that moment, Han Li was half-crouched next to the skeleton and was carefully examining it. Hu Yue, who was carefully gazing at him, felt somewhat relieved.


    After Shi Die used a few magic tools to examine the surroundings, she confirmed, ¡°There are no restrictions near the pond. Fellow Daoist Jian may collect the lotus without obstruction.¡±


    Upon hearing this, cultivator Jian immediately stepped forward with delight.


    Hu Yue¡¯s expression stirred as if he had thought of something and hastily warned, ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ve heard that the Sevenglow Lotus can¡¯t touch any magic tools. It must be picked up by one¡¯s own hand or else it will immediately wither!¡±


    Cultivator Jian responded with a wave of his hand, expressing acknowledgement. At that moment, his thoughts were completely focused on the Sevenglow Lotus bud.


    Standing beside the pond crafted from fine, beautiful jade, cultivator Jian bowed over the water and extended his arm towards the tri-colored flower bud with great caution.


    Shi Die and the others watched his every move and couldn¡¯t help but hold their breaths.


    ¡°Yi!¡± He cried out in astonishment.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Hu Yue and Shi Die simultaneously said the same words with worried expressions. It was unknown whether they were concerned for the flower or the flower picker.


    Cultivator Jian withdrew his fingers and flexed them. He puzzlingly said said, ¡°It is a bit strange. This flower is rather sturdy and is very difficult to pull out.¡±


    ¡°If you cannot pull the whole plant out, then how about just picking it!¡± Hu Yue faintly rolled his eyes and suggested.


    ¡°Directly picking it off? That would greatly diminish its value!¡± Shi Die shook her head with a face of disapproval.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll try it again with an immense strength talisman.¡± Cultivator Jian took out a yellow talisman and slapped it on his body. Afterwards, he rigidly grabbed the flowerbud three inches beneath the surface of the water and pulled with all his strength.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Han Li suddenly shouted while still looking down at the skeleton.


    Hu Yue and the others felt their hearts thump and were slightly bewildered.


    Cultivator Jian was startled, but seeing that he was so close to the dazzling flowerbud, his heart became stubborn, and he put force into his grip. However, the Sevenglow Lotus didn¡¯t budge in the slightest as if it were welded in place.


    This set cultivator Jian¡¯s heart aflame with impatience and he instantly reacted by tightening his grip once more to pick off the flower.


    At that moment, the flowerbud finally reacted and slightly trembled for a few moments before suddenly shrinking back from the water and disappearing without a trace.


    Plop. Cultivator Jian hadn¡¯t released his grip, and was dragged into the pond when the flower stalk shrank with immense strength, resulting in a splash of milky-white water.


    As Fairy Shi was relatively nearby, a few droplets landed on her face. She immediately let out a miserable shriek.


    ¡°It¡¯s poisonous! The water is poisonous!¡± The female cultivator covered her face with her hands and shouted in furious alarm. She then hastily took out a red medicine bottle from her storage pouch and flusteredly threw the fire-red medicine pill it contained into her mouth.


    In the split second between taking out the medicine pill and swallowing it, Hu Yue and Jin Qing saw her face decay with yellow blisters all over, causing their breaths to turn ice-cold.


    Even Han Li¡¯s expression changed upon seeing this.


    If just a few drops caused Fairy Shi¡¯s face to become like this, then what about cultivator Jian who fell into the water?


    With that thought, they turned their gazes towards the milky-white pond.


    Ever since he had fallen into the pond, there had been no other disturbance, no miserable screams or desperate calls for help. Fear began to blossom in their hearts.


    At that moment, Shi Die finally stopped groaning and tore off a corner of her robe and tightly wound it around her face. With a light sigh, she looked at the water with a gaze of bitter resentment.


    Pop. Pop. A series of bubbles popped on the surface of the pond. Soon after, a completely decayed corpse floated to the surface.


    Everyone¡¯s face had turned green. From the clothes on the corpse, it was obviously cultivator Jian.


    In just a few moments, he had turned into a wet skeleton with empty eye sockets. Upon seeing that his eyes had turned into empty sockets, they felt chill downs their spines.


    ¡°How did this happen? Was thousand year stone milk supposed to be this poisonous?¡± Hu Yue muttered to himself with disbelief.


    ¡°Thousand year stone milk isn¡¯t poisonous. But it may as well be if poison was placed within it.¡± Han Li stood and slowly said with a light breath.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han! Could it be that your shout to stop was because you knew the water was poisonous?¡± Shi Die icily asked with a slightly hoarse voice.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know whether or not it was poisonous. However, I did find out that the Sevenflow Lotus isn¡¯t something that should be plucked. Look at the right hand of that corpse!¡± Han Li calmly said, lightly tapping the skeleton with the tip of his foot.


    Hu Yue and the others attentively examined the hand and revealed baffled expressions.


    The bones of the right hand were partially black, and the forefinger¡¯s tip had been shattered. It was jagged, like it had been bitten off by something.


    Seeing that nobody was doubting him, Han Li didn¡¯t bother further explaining and looked at the water with an icy gaze.


    At the center of the white pond, the ¡°Sevenglow Lotus¡± had reemerged at an unknown time. It still released its beautiful glow, but now, Hu Yue and the others gazed at it as if it were a scorpion.


    Han Li wordlessly opened his hand with five fireballs floating above his fingertips. With a flick of his fingers, the fireballs lined up in the form of a word and shot towards the Sevenglow Lotus.


    Jin Qing and the others were startled but didn¡¯t stop Han Li due to the previous occurrence.


    The Sevenglow Lotus swayed from the impact of the fireball¡¯s and suddenly withdrew from the pond. Something flew out of the water as a blur, shooting straight towards Han Li like an arrow.

 Chapter 424

    Demon Serpent


    While everyone cried out in alarm upon seeing the shadow piercing toward him, Han Li raised his hand and tossed out his Green Brilliance Dagger he had prepared and struck the shadow.


    The black shadow was pushed back to the pondside and hissed with an icy gaze.


    Shockingly, the shadow turned out to be a meter long, jet-black serpent with a flesh horn.


    A scarlet tongue hissed from its mouth, and it had a tri-colored flower bud on the top half of its flesh horn. It appeared rather ridiculous, as if a small flower were growing out of its head.


    As for the rainbow radiance, it was a seven colored demon Qi that was formed from wisps coming out of the serpent¡¯s mouth.


    It appeared exactly the same as a true rainbow so it was no surprise that it had deceived all of them.


    After seeing the black shadow¡¯s true appearance, Hu Yue blankly stared at it, saying,¡±Crested Demon Serpent? It transformed the crest of its head into a Sevenglow Lotus!¡±


    After clearly seeing this serpent¡¯s true appearance, Shi Die¡¯s eyes coldly glinted, and she wordlessly raised her hand, releasing a purple folded scarf. This item released several explosive sounds as it shot towards the demon serpent.


    ¡°Careful! This serpent is extremely venomous. You aren¡¯t its match!¡± Jin Qing abruptly said this before releasing his large, white block stamp to join the scarf as a streak of white streak of light.


    The demon serpent watched the two items attack it with an ice-cold gaze, and then opened it¡¯s mouth and spouted out a bright rainbow pearl. The pearl released a gorgeous radiance that blocked the large stamp and purple scarf, forcing them to a complete stop.


    At that moment, Hu Yue finally woke from his disappointment at the loss of the treasure. After a moment of hesitation, he threw out two flying knives and entered the battle.


    Suddenly, three streaks of white light and a streak of purple brilliance were intertwined with the rainbow light.


    The serpent was completely fearless! After a few strange croaks, it spouted out several colorful clouds. The clouds made the magic treasures dim until they were nearly dark immediately after they made contact.


    ¡°How can this fiend be so powerful? Could it be a mutated demon?¡± Jin Qing was aghast at the sight.


    But as soon as he finished talking, a red radiance was fiercely shot out, piercing through the colorful cloud in an instant and striking the demon serpent¡¯s flesh horn.


    A thumb-sized bloody hole was left behind by the strike.


    The demon released a strange shout and painfully slammed into the limestone floor. Soon after, its body coiled, and it shot towards the pond in a blur.


    But at that moment, a group of emerald flying swords flew down from above, nailing the serpent¡¯s head to the limestone floor faster than lightning. The serpent then flusteredly thrashed around but wasn¡¯t able to move away in the slightest.


    This was the result of the sudden actions by Han Li and Crooked Soul.


    In addition to Crooked Soul¡¯s use of a Blood Spirit Drill, Han Li used the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to hold it down. He had made sure to restrain his swords¡¯ divine devilbane lightning to prevent the others from realizing that his swords had been refined from Heaven Lightning Bamboo.


    Jin Qing and the others felt relief when they saw Han Li had successfully restrained the demon serpent.


    After some slight discussion, Shi Die and the others decided to put away their magic treasures once they were released by the rainbow demon pearl¡¯s pressure.


    Afterwards, the party gathered around the demon serpent.


    ¡°This really is a Crested Demon Serpent, but it appears that someone grafted a Sevenglow Lotus¡¯ likeness on it. It absolutely doesn¡¯t have the capability to do such a thing innately.¡± Hu Yue revealed a puzzled expression as he watched the demon serpent struggling to free itself from the small swords.


    ¡°Obviously, this Sevenglow Lotus was some kind of ingenious trap. It is entirely possible that dead fellow over there had fallen for it; even we fell for it.¡± Jin Qing agreed with a bitter smile.


    Han Li silently stood at the side as he examined the demon serpent before turning his gaze back to the right hand of the skeleton.


    He couldn¡¯t help but imagine someone excitedly attempting to pick the Sevenglow Lotus, as the demon serpent then flew out of the water and bit off his finger. Soon after, he was torn apart by the poison.


    Han Li felt his heart coldly tremble as turned to look at the small arrow in the skeleton¡¯s head. It had clearly been placed by someone who came later; whoever set this trap was truly quite the schemer.


    Slice. The Crested Demon Serpent¡¯s head was separated from its body with a cold flash of light. Shi Die coldly glanced at it from the side with a dagger in her hand.


    Han Li slightly frowned.


    Han Li knew that she detested this serpent because it had ruined her face, it was said that a woman¡¯s appearance was just as precious as her own life. Even if the Crested Demon Serpent wasn¡¯t the main culprit behind her ruined face, it was definitely one of the main causes.


    Han Li lightly shook his head and raised his hand, returning his small swords back into his body.


    Afterwards, his gaze fell back down to the arrow in the skeleton.


    This arrow appeared to be the same emerald-green as Han Li¡¯s own Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords at first glance, but further inspection proved otherwise.


    Han Li¡¯s flying swords were bright and shining while the arrow faintly carried a dark Qi, as if it had been tainted or refined with evil arts.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, will we go and explore any other areas? Perhaps we will discover something.¡± Having seen Han Li continue to study the skeleton, Hu Yue couldn¡¯t help but ask this. It seemed he truly didn¡¯t want to go back empty handed!


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hesitate to continue exploring, Crooked Soul and I will remain in the main hall.¡± Han Li said with a calm expression.


    Hu Yue revealed slight surprise. After looking at the bones along with the emerald-green arrow, he revealed slight hesitation and ultimately didn¡¯t move.


    When Jin Qing and Shi Die saw this, they also silently stayed in the main hall.


    After all, who knows what other dangers lay in wait in the cave residence, given the initial encounter? It was obviously safer to stay together.


    Furthermore, they were able to guess that the arrow was unordinary. Why else would the mysterious Han Li continue to unceasingly examine it?


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, would you say that rather than being an ancient cultivator ruin, this place was actually an elaborate trap?¡± Jin Qing suddenly asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Impossible, this place is definitely an ancient cultivator ruin. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be too much of a coincidence that you found this place from the pearls? However, this place had already been discovered by someone else, and they had long placed down traps inside.¡± Han Li shook his head.


    ¡°If what you say is true, then are there no treasures left here?¡± Shi Die spoke with an icy voice.


    Han Li revealed an expression of slight regret, but remained silent in tacit approval.


    Jin Qing and Hu Yue then looked at each other with changed expressions.


    Hu Yue¡¯s face was more notable between the two. Not only did this trip end with no benefits, but of the two that he had invited, one had met an untimely end while the other had their face ruined. This treasure hunt ended up being a complete disaster!


    During their moment of absolute silence, the pond released a faint groan.


    The cultivators hurriedly turned their gaze towards the pond in alarm.


    Cultivator Jian¡¯s body, who should¡¯ve already been dead for quite some time, slowly climbed out of the pond and let out an occasional groan from his skeleton mouth.


    At that moment, the cultivators were dumbstruck and were looking at each other in dismay.


    Since they were cultivators, it wasn¡¯t particularly frightening for a malicious spirit or other evil entity to appear. They could just make short work of them. However, this was the body of a companion that had entered the cave with them not long ago. Could it be that he had a secret technique that allowed his primal soul to persist after his body was destroyed?


    As it was unclear whether the corpse was currently possessed by its owner or a ghost, Hu Yue and the others were hesitant to act.


    The corpse of cultivator Jian still continued to slowly climb out of the pond and approach them.


    Hu Yue saw that something was amiss and hastily yelled, ¡°Regardless of whether you are man or ghost, don¡¯t come any closer or else our hands will be forced!¡± He flung out his sleeves, throwing his flying daggers out to revolve around its body.


    Jin Qing and Shi Die were also vigilant and rigidly stared at the corpse.


    Just as Hu Yue finished speaking, cultivator Jian¡¯s body stopped and remained motionless. Hu Yue and the others involuntarily let out a sigh of relief in response.


    But as Han Li detachedly watched on, he felt that something was very wrong and instinctively took out an item with a flip of his hand.


    In the very next moment, a sudden and abrupt change occurred.


    Cultivator Jian¡¯s body suddenly kicked off the ground and fiercely pounced towards the group.


    Hu Yue and Jin Qing¡¯s expressions paled, and they instantly released their magic treasures. The two streaks of white radiance and the streak of white light struck cultivator Jian and cleanly destroyed the skeleton with a single blow.


    But suddenly, Hu Yue felt a light wind gently blowing past him. With a chill running down his back, he turned his head to see a skeleton hand emerging from his abdomen, tightly grasping a bean-sized, sparkling blue core in its fingers.

 Chapter 425

    Congealed Yang Birds


    Eyes wide in disbelief, Hu Yue stared at the skeletal hand protruding from his abdomen.


    With an audible crack, the blue core was crushed into a fine powder, which trickled from the hand.


    Hu Yue let out a muffled groan and weakly fell to the floor after the skeletal hand withdrew from his body. The hole left behind bled profusely, quickly filling the hall with a bloody stench.


    Although he was somehow still alive for the time being, he was clearly on death¡¯s door.


    The sound of Jin Qing¡¯s and Shi Die¡¯s cries of alarm along with the sound of his magic treasure shattering rang in Hu Yue¡¯s mind as all of his life experiences flashed through his mind.


    His impoverished life during childhood and the joy his entire family revealed upon discovering his spiritual roots; the moment of helplessness he felt when the Senior Martial Sister he admired married someone else; his ecstasy at successful Core Formation, and his wholehearted grand ambition of one day forming a Nascent Soul; as all these memories flowed through his mind, his limbs gradually grew colder and more distant¡­


    But he was not resigned to dying!


    He had refined a set of three flying daggers as his magic treasure. Ordinarily, he would only attack with two of them and would leave the third behind in his body.


    This was because the third flying dagger had been refined using a secret technique. Although its attack power was average, it could automatically protect his body with far greater awareness than common magic techniques.


    Moreover, he had spared no cost or effort when refining this treasure and it had just recently entered the sentient stage.


    Even if he didn¡¯t give a command, the treasure should¡¯ve responded to the killing intent and automatically protected his body against the surprise attack!


    ¡®Unless, the attacker¡­¡¯ Hu Yue finally thought of something, using the last of his mortal strength to turn his head with slight reluctance and view everything that was happening behind him.


    At that moment, a white blur was closely chasing after Jin Qing. Jin Qing continuously evaded it while engulfed by a silver radiance. He had released his own magic treasure and was ceaselessly bombarding the white blur with attacks as if he were greatly fearful of it.


    As for Han Li and the others, they were trapped within a large expanse of black Qi. The fiery scroll painting in hand, Han Li shot countless fist sized flames from it, creating a huge ring of fire around them that continuously attacked the black Qi, keeping it at bay.


    Shi Die and Crooked Soul closely stood behind Han Li.


    Crooked Soul¡¯s body was enveloped in blood light, and he continuously released purple flames from his hands, striking any black Qi that leaked past the ring of fire. At his side, Shi Die was grasping a white bead that radiated with light, preventing any of the black Qi that slipped past both abilities from approaching. Even then, she still revealed an expression of fear.


    Hu Yue didn¡¯t pay any attention to the black Qi and strenuously examined the white blur chasing after Jin Qing.


    Sure enough, the white skeleton of the long dead cultivator was now surrounded in white fog and was pursuing Jin Qing with great speed. At this point, it couldn¡¯t possibly be considered dead in the least.


    Hu Yue smiled sadly.


    He, a core formation cultivator, had met his end by a skeleton. What a ridiculous affair.


    While Hue Yue was still mocking himself, he faded into eternal rest with a derisive smirk still at the corner of his mouth.


    As Hu Yue breathed his last, Han Li continuously surveyed the situation with a sullen expression.


    During the same moment that Hu Yue had fallen prey to the white skeleton, the nearby walls had suddenly released a wide expanse of cold-yin ghost fog, trapping them all at once.


    Fortunately, Han Li had made slight preparations and had opened the painting scroll without hesitation, releasing countless flaming spirit birds from within.


    These demonfire enveloped swallows were ¡°Congealed Yang Birds¡±. Han Li had previously read a detailed introduction of them in an ancient record.


    They were born from fire essence and particularly loved to consume Yin ghosts and malicious souls, earning a reputation of being the bane of Yin. However, this bird had long been extinct, and the scroll painting had only sealed a fraction of the spirit bird¡¯s soul. As a result, it could only release avatars of the ¡°Congealed Yang Birds¡±.


    While these avatars appeared exactly the same as actual Congealed Yang Birds, their strength was incomparable to the original. Else, this black ghost fog would¡¯ve been cleanly devoured rather than just being temporarily scattered.


    Although Han Li was completely tangled up by this ghost fog, he wasn¡¯t particularly worried. Both his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and his Gold Devouring Beetles could easily make short work of it.


    What made him uneasy was the ghost mist¡¯s master, who still had yet to reveal himself. As for the skeleton, it was clear at a glance that it wasn¡¯t intelligent in the least; it was being controlled by someone else. However, the skeleton was quite strange. Since it was completely unscathed from the repeated pummeling of Jin Qing¡¯s magic treasure, there must be some mystery behind it.


    As Han Li thought this, ghostly wails suddenly broke out from around him.


    This blood chilling voice was deafeningly sharp and belonged to neither man nor woman. Those who heard it would have their minds bewildered and both their blood and Qi in disarray.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, and he reflexively spread out his spiritual sense to envelope the entire hall. At that same moment, he flicked his finger and sent out two small emerald swords from his body which began to slowly revolve around him.


    Upon hearing the ghostly wail, Jin Qing appeared distraught from fear and furiously exclaimed, ¡°What demon wishes to mystify himself and remains hidden?¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it resonated throughout the room. Unexpectedly, the ghostly wails stopped in response.


    In addition, the next strike of his magic treasure completely shattered the skeleton.


    Jin Qing was pleasantly surprised by the strange turn of events.


    At that same time, the ghost mist closely surrounding Han Li and company quickly withdrew back into the walls around them.


    Han Li was greatly surprised; he didn¡¯t believe that Jin Qing¡¯s furious roar had contained such power.


    In the very next moment, Shi Die turned around and took this opportunity to madly rush towards the stairs. In the blink of an eye, she was already climbing up to the surface.


    Han Li was expressionless upon seeing this, but Jin Qing was brimming with fury.


    This woman would flee in the middle of battle? Although her magic power was lacking, the magic treasure pearl in her possession was clearly capable of restraining the ghost mist. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t just let her run off! With that thought in mind, Jin Qing instantly opened his mouth to stop her.


    But at that moment, another anomaly occurred!


    Just as Shi Die reached the second step, the stone wall next to her suddenly flashed with green light. A terrifying, ten-fingered ghost claw rushed out without warning and pierced through her abdomen at a speed that almost couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Shi Die wretchedly screamed and did her utmost to brighten the pearl¡¯s light in an attempt to escape.


    However, the ghost hand didn¡¯t fear the pearl in the slightest and emitted a black Qi instead, surrounding Shi Die with it in a mere moment.


    The woman¡¯s screams came to an abrupt stop. Once the black Qi withdrew, all that was left was a dried up corpse that was then thrown before Han Li and Crooked Soul.


    After Han Li turned his head to look at the fleshless corpse, his face turned slightly green.


    Jin Qing¡¯s face had long turned pale, but he was now nervously glancing around with his white block stamp magic treasure in hand.


    ¡°Hehe! I need one more suitable corpse. Which of you three will sacrifice yourself as tribute?¡± An icy voice echoed throughout the hall with a tone of disdain.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes coldly glinted, and he spread out the scroll painting once more. With the entire nest of fire birds returned to the scroll painting, Han Li formed a dual handed incantation gesture with a solemn expression.


    Woosh. A three-meter-wide Congealed Yang Bird flew out of the scroll painting while surrounded in brilliant flames. After flying once around Han Li¡¯s head, it shot towards one of the hal¡¯s stone pillars with wings spread wide.


    BANG.


    When the huge bird rammed into the stone pillar, it flashed with green light, and an eerie snake made from black Qi flew out and tangled with the fire bird.


    With the bird spouting out broiling white essence fire and the eerie snake spraying ink-black cold Qi, a huge battle unfolded between them in the hall.


    ¡°Tch, tch! I didn¡¯t expect there to be someone capable of utilizing the long extinct spirit controlling techniques. It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you.¡± After this was said, a freakish shadow slowly walked out of the stone pillar.


    Han Li and Jin Qing both gazed at it with rapt attention.


    Not only was the silhouette dark green, but it was also surrounded in sparkling green light, masking its true appearance. His body appeared to be wrapped with arm-thick bands of black fog, and his eyes were as scarlet as fresh blood.


    After the freakish shadow swept his gaze past the three, Han Li and Jin Qing felt a chill run down their backs as if their minds and hearts had been laid bare. They couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other before looking back at the shadow with horror.


    The enemy had used only his gaze to exert such great pressure onto them. This clearly showed that this person¡¯s cultivation far exceeded their own. Could this person be a Nascent Soul cultivator?


    From the appearance of this freakish shadow, it seemed to resemble a ghost or demon more than a living person.


    But if it really were a malicious spirit, then how had it preserved the entirety of its intelligence?

 Chapter 426

    Treachery


    Jin Qing suppressed his fear and forced himself to ask, ¡°Is your esteemed self man or ghost?¡±


    The freakish shadow sinisterly smiled and teased, ¡°Man? Ghost? You tell me!¡±


    Jin Qing¡¯s expression became extremely unsightly.


    Han Li remained silent and quickly opened his scroll painting without warning.


    Countless fire birds rushed out, flocking straight towards the freakish shadow. At the same moment, the previously summoned huge bird released a sharp cry and abandoned its fight with the eerie snake, shooting straight towards the freakish shadow as a scorching ball of white flame.


    The freakish shadow snorted disdainfully and said, ¡°Congealed Yang Birds? If they had their genuine bodies, this Senior might be slightly fearful. But to dare attempt to devour ghosts and exterminate devils with only their remnant souls?¡±


    Having said that, the green shadow raised its hands and condensed black Qi around them in an instant.


    Pu, pu. The black Qi transformed into two, horned ink pythons which shot towards the large flock of fire birds. With their bloodthirsty mouths wide open, each python swallowed several fire birds. Immediately after, they each burped a wisp of white smoke and were completely unharmed.


    At that moment, the huge Congealed Yang Bird that had turned into a ball of white flame arrived in front of the snakes. However, it completely ignored them and shot straight towards the freakish shadow.


    When the shadow saw this, its eyes flashed with red light, enriching their color. Although the shadow didn¡¯t move, it faintly revealed a solemn expression. It was clear that the remnant souls of the Congealed Yang Bird wasn¡¯t nearly as harmless as it had made them out to be.


    Peng. The green shadow¡¯s hands trembled, separating the horned pythons from its hands and allowing them to move on their own.


    Then, while clenching its hands as hard as it could, otherworldly dark-green flames flourished from its grasp. Soon after, its body blurred and met the white fire sphere with a fierce punch.


    As Han Li and Jin Qing watched on with shock, the white ball of flame was scattered by the strike and disappeared in an instant. A white crystal pearl suddenly appeared in the the green shadow¡¯s grasp.


    The shadow evilly grinned and swallowed it without hesitation, before turning its ice-cold gaze back to Han Li once more.


    At that moment, the scroll painting in Han Li¡¯s grasp set itself aflame, and he hurriedly tossed it away. It turned into ash in the blink of an eye. Once the scroll painting turned to ash, the fire birds that were still tangling with the ink snakes disappeared as well.


    Han Li sucked in a deep breath.


    Although he knew that the remnant souls of the Congealed Yang Birds weren¡¯t the green shadow¡¯s match, he didn¡¯t anticipate that a treasure that specialized in subduing Yin ghosts would be blown away with a single blow. He had only sent them out to probe the opponent¡¯s strength, and ended up not acquiring the slightest detail.


    The only thing he was certain of was that the opponent wasn¡¯t a mere ghost or demon!


    Remaining calm, Han Li attentively gazed at the green shadow and inwardly assessed how great his odds of victory were if they were to fight.


    ¡°Not bad! I¡¯m now very interested in your body. As for you two, get lost!¡± The green shadow slowly spoke while looking at Han Li. It seemed his last attack had provoked it.


    Naturally, Crooked Soul didn¡¯t move in the slightest, but when Jin Qing heard this, he grew distracted, and his expression incessantly changed.


    Although he hadn¡¯t personally engaged it yet, his opponent¡¯s strength was deep and immeasurable. Even if he were to join hands with Han Li, Jin Qing reckoned that their odds of victory weren¡¯t very high.


    Now that the freakish shadow told him to leave, Jin Qing¡¯s heart was wavering.


    Having personally witnessed so many cultivators meet their tragic end on this very day, Jin Qing, who normally bragged about being guilt-free and clear-hearted, felt for the first time a desire to cherish life and live another day.


    The green shadow snorted and swept its gaze past Jin Qing and Crooked Soul. It sinisterly said, ¡°What? I give you two a chance for survival, and you two do not wish to take it? This Senior should¡¯ve just saved himself the trouble and turned you two into corpses from the start!¡±


    Having heard the freakish shadow¡¯s words brimming with killing intent, Jin Qing¡¯s face changed between red and white several times before eventually cupping his fist to Han Li and shamefully saying, ¡°Brother Han, I do not wish to die here. I will have to let you down.¡±


    Afterwards, he said no more and rushed toward the stone steps without looking back!


    Han Li¡¯s expression was calm and didn¡¯t reveal any emotions of anger or disappointment. He merely gazed at Jin Qing as he departed with a faint, cold glare.


    The green shadow¡¯s red eyes revealed a trace of satisfaction.


    Just as Jin Qing rushed past the shattered skeleton, an alarming change occurred.


    The nearby fragments of the skeleton suddenly launched towards him like a barrage of arrows.


    With furious alarm, Jin Qing surrounded himself in a layer of silver light in a flash. But without waiting for him to release his magic treasure or question the freakish shadow, the bone shards shined with white radiance and shot through his silver barrier as if it weren¡¯t even there.


    An instant later, Jin Qing¡¯s body was utterly shredded and fell to the floor without uttering a single word.


    Han Li expressionlessly looked at the corpse on the floor and lightly shook his head.


    With a flip of his hand, a spirit beast pouch appeared in his hand. Simultaneously, his two flying swords in front of him trembled and faintly released a green radiance.


    ¡°Interesting! How come you aren¡¯t asking me why I didn¡¯t keep my promise?¡± the green shadow asked with a sneer.


    ¡°If your esteemed self doesn¡¯t wish to talk, then there is no need to take the initiative to ask. I¡¯d just be wasting my breath.¡± Han Li expressionlessly said.


    ¡°Not bad! Youngster, you are quite to my liking. If this were before I met great catastrophe, I might¡¯ve taken you in as my disciple. But now, I will never take another disciple. I will be repaying my treacherous disciples by turning their bones to ash and refining their souls!¡± The green shadow was slightly surprised at Han Li¡¯s response, but soon its voice once again grew icy.


    Without a change of expression, Han Li waved his arm. Crooked Soul then walked to Han Li¡¯s side with his body enveloped in blood light.


    He didn¡¯t plan on spouting rubbish, instead preparing to use a thunderous strike to defeat the enemy in a single blow. At the same time, additional blades of his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords from within his body readied themselves to pounce with fervor.


    After seeing Crooked Soul¡¯s blood light, the shadow slightly trembled, and it smiled in great anger. ¡°Divine Blood Light! Good, good! Are you disciples of Zenith Yin or Zenith Brilliance?¡±


    Han Li slightly frowned.


    ¡°Zenith Yin? Could you talking about Grandmaster Zenith Yin of Zenith Yin Island?¡± Han Li indifferently asked. He faintly felt as if he could unravel the mystery behind the Black Fiend School and Zenith Yin Island.


    Upon hearing Han Li, the green shadow flew into a rage and loudly shouted, ¡°Grandmaster Zenith Yin? Could it be that traitorous disciple dares to call himself grandmaster?¡±


    Han Li was slightly stunned. This ghost was actually the master of Grandmaster Zenith Yin. How truly bizarre!


    Just as Han Li was left flabbergasted by those words, a green light flashed from his body and a muffled noise came from behind him.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but turn around with alarm. However, there was absolutely nothing behind him.


    ¡°Not good!¡± In nearly an instant, Han Li understood that he had been tricked and hastily turned his head back, instinctively releasing seven flying swords to protect him.


    As of current, controlling nine of his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords was Han Li¡¯s absolute limit.


    During the instant he turned his head over, his nine flying swords released a single streak of swordlight. A faint golden arc of Divine Devilbane Lightning struck from the swordlight, rendering the incoming green ball of light nonexistent .


    Han Li was drenched in cold sweat, as he had nearly just fallen to the enemy.


    ¡°Gold Lightning Bamboo! You refined your flying swords from Gold Lightning Bamboo!¡± At that moment, the green shadow spoke with incredulousness.


    Han Li sneered and thought to mock the shadow, but he suddenly felt a strange fluctuation from up above him.


    He leaned to the side out of reflex, but he still felt his chest tremble. An extremely familiar red radiance had pierced through him with chilling cold, creating a wound that bled profusely. Immediately after, a yellow streak of light fiercely struck at him.


    Dang. A clear ring sounded out. Several of his flying swords flew out to block the yellow streak, the Immemorial Bowl.


    ¡°Crooked Soul!¡± Han Li shouted to his side in furious alarm. The Blood Spirit Drill and the fierce attack from the Immemorial Bowl were clearly Crooked Soul¡¯s doing.


    However, the figure at his side blurred, shooting towards the green shadow as if he hadn¡¯t heard him.


    Han Li reached out for the connection in his mind. Although his spiritual sense was still present in Crooked Soul, for some unknown reason he had completely lost control of him.


    The green shadow howled with laughter and flew towards Crooked Soul as a streak of green light.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew extremely pale. Then with clenched teeth, he suddenly formed an incantation gesture and fiercely uttered, ¡°Receive¡±. From a distance, a small green ball flew from the crown of Crooked Soul¡¯s head and hastily shot into Han Li¡¯s body before disappearing without a trace.


    At that moment, the green shadow had already entered Crooked Soul.


    As Han Li pushed down on the wound in his chest, he was fiercely staring at Crooked Soul.


    Crooked Soul then slowly opened his eyes to reveal a pair of glowing blood-scarlet eyes.

 Chapter 427

    Profound Soul Demonificaiton


    Han Li quickly took out a blue talisman from his storage pouch and gently slapped it onto his wound. With a flash of white light, the bleeding immediately stopped.


    But when he turned his head back to meet Crooked Soul¡¯s icy gaze, Han Li wordlessly emitted an azure light around his body, which reached ten meters in height, and had his emerald swords revolve around him in streaks. It all appeared blindingly bright.


    Han Li had already made a firm resolution that if he were going to leave this place, he needed to have these Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords outside his body to protect against any tricks this ancient eccentric may have in store.


    To tell the truth, this was the most fearsome, menacing enemy he had encountered since entering the cultivation world. If his reactions were the slightest bit slow, he would¡¯ve already had a hole through his heart. Were his spiritual sense not stronger and his mind not nimbler than a common cultivators, he would¡¯ve undoubtedly met certain death from Crooked Soul¡¯s recent ambush.


    The Blood Spirit Drill was truly vicious and sinister. It could hardly be blocked.


    But now, Han Li didn¡¯t have to worry about any further attacks from the Blood Spirit Drill. That last attack was the last charge that Crooked Soul had cultivated.


    However, Han Li still felt incredibly gloomy.


    According to the External Incarnation Technique, he clearly should have refined his spiritual sense fragment and Crooked Soul¡¯s physical body into one. Just how had this old ghost been able to take control of Crooked Soul without his knowledge?


    He wasn¡¯t even given the slightest warning. Were if not for his quick wits in hastily retrieving his divided consciousness from Crooked Soul, he feared the shadow would¡¯ve already used it as a method for consuming him.


    Han Li now found himself in a truly troublesome situation.


    Since the enemy had possessed Crooked Soul, then the green shadow must be deceased and was closer to an evil demonic spirit or primal soul. The shadow possessing Crooked Soul wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, and it may have quite possibly given Han Li the opportunity to exterminate him.


    With that thought, Han Li flipped his hand and an exquisitely-crafted small brass bell appeared in his hand: the Spirit Guiding Bell he had kept stored away for so long.


    This bell contained the blood essence of Crooked Soul¡¯s physical body. Although he couldn¡¯t count on it to arrest the enemy, it could still be used to create an advantageous opportunity!


    At that moment, ¡°Crooked Soul¡± was stretching and moving his body as if wanting to familiarize himself with it.


    Having seen Han Li¡¯s action, he eerily chucked as if the result of the coming battle were laid in stone.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he no longer hesitated to ring the small bell.


    With a series of clear bell rings, Crooked Soul¡¯s red eyes flickered, but no other change occurred from his body as if nothing was wrong.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sunk.


    ¡°Regardless of what tricks you perform on this Fiend Core Avatar, since I¡¯ve become the master of this body, do you believe that minor restriction will have an effect one me?¡± Crooked Soul¡¯s rough voice slowly spoke with a mocking tone.


    ¡°You know that it is a Fiend Core Avatar?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart stirred with surprise.


    ¡°Hehe! The Fiend Core and External Incarnation Technique were something I had originally passed down to my two traitorous disciples. Did you believe I wouldn¡¯t see through them? You sure are courageous to use them in front of me! Could it be that your master didn¡¯t warn you that so long as this secret technique was used to refine an avatar, that I would be able to easily control it?¡± Crooked Soul twisted his neck left and right and indifferently said with crossed arms.


    Han Li was bewildered, but his face wore a strange expression.


    ¡°What master? The avatar creation technique was something I acquired from a jade talisman. Could it have some relation to you?¡± Han Li asked, unwilling to be a scapegoat for Grandmaster Zenith Yin. Regardless of whether his words were true or false, Han Li still gave a dull explanation.


    ¡°Jade slip? Youngster, did you believe that by not admitting to be the apprentice of my two traitorous disciples that I would let you go? After I capture you, I will refine your soul and acquire everything that I want to know.¡± Crooked Soul didn¡¯t seem to believe Han Li and spoke expressionlessly.


    With that said, he beckoned to the skeleton pile nearby without further hesitation, causing it to float in the air. In an instant, it reassembled into a complete skeleton, and flew towards Crooked Soul with a flash of white light.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what he intended, he wasn¡¯t going to allow his opponent to smoothly succeed.


    He immediately flicked his finger three times, shooting out three streaks of azure swordlight from his hand. The Azure Essence Swordstreaks shot straight towards the skeleton.


    ¡°You dare to so presumptuously release those granules of light?¡± Crooked Soul sinisterly said. He then opened his mouth and spouted out a beam of blood light.


    With a series of explosions, the blood light and the azure light struck and scattered into radiance.


    Han Li frowned and wore a solemn expression. After being possessed, Crooked Soul¡¯s cultivation was no longer restricted to early Core Formation stage. How truly odd!


    But what happened next left Han Li even more aghast!


    Once the white skeleton flew in front of Crooked Soul, it merged into his body without the slightest obstruction.


    Crooked Soul then loudly roared with his head facing upwards. His body emitted several different flashes of colors: from dark-green otherworldly flame, pitch-black ghost mist, and Crooked Soul¡¯s Divine Blood Light. These three distinct radiances tangled with one another, continuously wandering throughout Crooked Soul¡¯s body and fully covering him within it.


    As Crooked Soul roared, a small explosion could be heard from within his body. With his body bowed in pain, his limbs and body began to slowly shrink.


    Once this was done, he stood up appearing much shorter, exactly like an ordinary person.


    But what caused Han Li to be most shocked was Crooked Soul¡¯s face had changed to that of a youth¡¯s with delicate facial features. Even the flourishing blood-red in his eyes had greatly dimmed. In that instant, Crooked Soul had undergone a transformation into a completely different person.


    Han Li was stupefied for a moment before revealing a bitter smile.


    Han Li originally wished to used this opportunity to strike his opponent given how audaciously he used magic in front of him, but he didn¡¯t expect that this technique would be performed so quickly that there wasn¡¯t an opportunity to make use of.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li dryly asked the youth a bizarre question, ¡°Is this possession? Or complete body seizure?¡±


    The delicate youth mysteriously smiled and glanced at Han Li with narrowed eyes, serenely saying, ¡± You greatly underestimate my Profound Soul Demonification Technique. It is a secret art that only a Nascent Soul cultivator is capable of performing. So long as it is cultivated, there are no restrictions with body seizure, and profound souls may be added to another body as one wishes. Now that my profound soul has solidified its bones, I will have you be a blood sacrifice so that this Divine Ancestor may rise once again!¡±


    He raised his hands, suddenly turning his fingers into incisive claws with dark green fingernails several inches longs.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he didn¡¯t further waste his breath. He tossed out the spirit beast pouch that he had been holding since the beginning and released his several thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles. A short moment later, a glowing cloud of gold and silver floated above his head.


    Then with a wave of his arms, white lights continuously flickered around him, surrounding Han Li with forty huge ape puppets. Each of them stared at the youth with an icy gaze.


    But Han Li didn¡¯t stop there. With his two hands forming an incantation seal, his nine small swords flew out as azure light and converged into a three-meter-long emerald sword. The sword streak endlessly twinkled with faint golden arcs of light continuously sparking from it.


    Upon seeing this, the delicate youth¡¯s expression greatly changed, revealing surprise and a grave expression.


    After the youth¡¯s gaze flickered several times, he suddenly said, ¡°Flying swords refined from Heaven Lightning Bamboo, insect control techniques, and puppets! It seems you really aren¡¯t the disciple of Zenith Yin and Zenith Brilliance. Since this is the case, then how about we have a proper chat?¡±


    Han Li, who had just prepared his entire offensive, was stunned upon hearing this. But after a moment of silence, he coldly said, ¡°Unfortunately, I really want to test whether or not your esteemed self is capable of receiving my flying swords!¡±


    Without the slightest hesitation, Han Li pointed towards his huge flying sword, and it immediately launched towards the youth in a green streak of light as thick as a python. As it flew, it occasionally rolled with sounds of thunder.


    The youth¡¯s face slightly sank upon seeing this, and he lightly waved his claws in front of him. Five crescents of black radiance appeared out of the air and rapidly expanded, blurring several times before quickly chopping towards the green sword streak.


    Upon contact, the green sword streak sparked with faint golden arcs of lightning, completely obliterating the crescents of black radiance. They weren¡¯t able to withstand even a single blow!


    Although the youth¡¯s expression remained calm, his mind was greatly startled. The power of the Gold Lightning Bamboo was far greater than he had anticipated.


    In the blink of an eye, the green sword streak had arrived in front of the youth. However, he was still calm and collected as he indifferently watched the huge sword approach him as if he still had something up his sleeve.

 Chapter 428

    Xiao Cha


    The youth swiped his ghost claw again but this time with a flash of green radiance, shooting a green streak of light towards the incoming sword streak. It immediately resulted in a huge clap of thunder.


    Black and golden arcs of lightning bursted out, intertwining to eventually form a huge sphere of lightning. With neither attack giving way, their cries of thunder reverberated through the hall with astonishing pressure.


    Han Li suddenly narrowed his gaze.


    ¡°Heaven Lightning Bamboo!¡± He was alarmed to find the opponent also possessed a magic treasure refined from Heaven Lightning Bamboo!


    Could it be¡­?


    Han Li thought of something and attentively examined the green streak that the youth released.


    At the brilliant center of the arcs of lightning, he saw a foot-long emerald arrow struggling fiercely against his huge sword made from combining nine Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    The lightning it shot out was much different than that of his sword. Instead of a golden color, it was instead mixed with a deep black as if it had been refined by an evil technique.


    Although this was the case, the black lightning was exceedingly powerful and even took the upper hand in its clash against the gold lightning.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but let out a gloomy sigh. He didn¡¯t expect that his original doubts were accurate.


    He had felt a familiar aura upon seeing the arrow embedded in the skeleton¡¯s skull. It was quite similar to his own Gold Lightning Bamboo, but it occasionally released a faint, black evil Qi, arousing his doubts.


    After all, according to what he knew, the Gold Lightning Bamboo had only appeared once in the Scattered Star Seas, but it soon disappeared after an unknown number of years. How would chance have it that he would end up encountering it? He had found it incredulous. But now, not only was this misleading arrow refined from Gold Lightning Bamboo, but it was also a magic treasure that was refined by the old ghost. What an amazing farce!


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reveal a faint, sarcastic smile.


    But he suddenly recalled something. Had the old ghost taken advantage of when he was examining the skeleton and controlled the arrow, he would¡¯ve certainly died.


    With that in mind, he couldn¡¯t help but feel increasingly fearful. His back was covered in cold sweat from that lingering fear.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise that his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords couldn¡¯t beat the arrow. He had tempered his flying swords for far too little time, and he was only capable of relying on the innate ability of the Gold Lightning Bamboo in a fight. It was only natural for it to be inferior to the enemy¡¯s magic treasure. Had his nine flying swords been tempered for a slightly longer time, the enemy¡¯s trifling single magic treasure wouldn¡¯t be able to contend with it, regardless of whether or not it had also been refined from Gold Lightning Bamboo.


    But now that he found out that the opponent had a method of restraining the Divine Devilbane Lightning of his flying swords, Han Li was unwilling to launch a full scale attack. After all, the green shadow¡¯s true cultivation had not been clearly shown from the very start, even after he had transformed into a youth.


    In addition, given his adversary¡¯s cunning and resourcefulness, his opponent¡¯s evil magics and devilish arts would surely be even more weird and troublesome. He doubted if he could do much to stop them. If he were to put his all into the fight, even by giving his hundred thousand Gold Devouring Swarm the kill command, his victory still wouldn¡¯t be certain.


    It could be assumed that since the enemy had suddenly put forward a proposal a moment ago that he was also somewhat fearful of Han Li¡¯s own magic treasure and strange techniques.


    With that thought in mind, Han Li wordlessly beckoned toward his huge sword. With a huge explosion, the huge sword dissolved into the original nine swords and shot back towards Han Li.


    When the youth saw this, a cold glint flashed through his eyes. Then after some hesitation, he decided to not continue his attack and recalled his magic treasures.


    After Han Li recalled his flying swords, he indifferently asked as if uncertain, ¡°If your esteemed self truly is Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s master, then you must be over a thousand years old.¡±


    The youth lowered his head to look at his restored hands and indifferently said, ¡°Before I cultivated the Profound Soul Demonification Technique, I was over six hundred years old. Although I don¡¯t know exactly how much time has passed after I transformed my body into a profound soul, it should be no less than four hundred years! Fortunately, I cultivated this profound soul body after scattering my Nascent Soul. Had I remained in my flesh body, I fear I would have long died in meditation.¡±


    Han Li remained silent. If what he said was true, this person was a ¡°Thousand Year Ghost¡±!


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but be interested in this Profound Soul Demonification Technique, which allowed one to break through the limitations of one¡¯s lifespan. As such, Han Li slowly said, ¡°Since you say this, then I must truly address you as Senior!¡±


    When the youth heard this, he glimpsed at Han Li and found that Han Li¡¯s words were not to his liking. He sneered and said, ¡°Senior? After so many years of being cursed and lauded in the cultivation world, I didn¡¯t expect to remain as a bodiless ghost and renounce my opportunity to enter the cycle of reincarnation, all in order to take revenge on my two traitorous disciples. If you do not clearly explain your origins, then I will greatly damage my own Origin Qi to ensure you do not leave here alive.¡± Although his voice was exceptionally calm, his words were heavy and chilling, leaving no room for doubt.


    Han Li bitterly smiled. After some doubt, he said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too much of a loss for this Junior if only Senior got to ask the questions? Could Senior also clear up a few of this one¡¯s doubts?¡±


    The youth was stunned for a moment before roaring with laughter.


    ¡°Good, very good! I can agree to these conditions. But if you know too much, your life will be difficult to preserve.¡± The youth made a grand display of arrogance!


    ¡°Hehe, Senior doesn¡¯t need to worry about that. If this one hasn¡¯t guessed incorrectly, then Senior¡¯s cultivation should be at late Core Formation at most. I¡¯m honestly curious about whether or not I could endure.¡± Han Li asked a probing question while carefully examining the youth¡¯s expression.


    The youth coldly laughed several times, but he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest peculiarity, causing Han Li to inwardly curse, ¡®Sly old bastard¡¯.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut the rubbish. You said that you learned everything from a jade slip, but not my two traitorous disciples. Give it to me.¡± The youth¡¯s voice was harsh and cold, carrying an overbearing tone.


    Han Li frowned. After some hesitation, he patted his storage pouch and flung a jade slip emitting grey Qi towards the youth.


    The youth didn¡¯t directly catch the jade slip. Instead, he raised his hand, summoning a black python of black Qi to catch it in its mouth and bring it before him.


    Without moving his limbs, his eyes flashed with blood-red radiance, and he emotionlessly gazed into the jade slip.


    A short moment later, he withdrew his peculiar gaze and lightly flicked his finger, shooting the jade slip back to Han Li with a woosh. He then slowly said to Han Li, ¡°Tell me where you received this object. The jade slip doesn¡¯t contain enough to disprove a relationship between you and my two traitorous disciples.


    Han Li faintly smiled and didn¡¯t answer, asking his own question instead, ¡°Since Senior¡¯s divine abilities are so great, then surely his reputation must¡¯ve been equally great. Could Senior bestow his grand name to me?¡±


    When Han Li avoided answering his question and asked his own, the youth was initially furious, and his appearance grew fierce. But soon after, he thought of something and coldly replied, ¡°You should¡¯ve heard of me before. The Bone Sage, Xiao Cha.¡±


    ¡®The Bone Sage?¡¯ Han Li couldn¡¯t recall having heard that name.


    However, he didn¡¯t pay this any mind and calmly said, ¡°Since Senior believes this jade slip is insufficient to prove my identity, then my cultivation art should be enough. Senior should¡¯ve seen that my cultivation art is completely different than what he passed down. Please take another look.¡± Having said that, Han Li flourished his Azure Essence Sword Arts to its greatest extent and emitted a blinding azure light from his body.


    Soon after, Han Li flicked his fingers and shot out eight azure essence sword streaks towards the walls, resulting in several bowl-thick holes.


    ¡°As for the origin of the jade slip, it is quite simple! Junior exterminated an evil cultivator and unexpectedly acquired it from his body. If Senior doesn¡¯t believe this, then there is nothing else to say. We can only fight.¡± Han Li lightly patted his hands and spoke mildly.


    Xiao Cha stared at Han Li¡¯s azure light with an extremely gloomy expression. A long while later, his expression relaxed and he said, ¡°Your cultivation art truly differs from my own Profound Yin Arts; it isn¡¯t even a Devil Dao cultivation art. It is only natural for a Divine Ancestor such as I to see this. However, you have a Fiend Core Avatar and happened to come across this place. It is proper for this old man to be careful. Still, this old man has another question for you. Apart from the jade slip, what else did you acquire from that corpse?


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred upon hearing this, and he faintly felt as if this long period of intimidation was all for this final moment. With that thought, Han Li didn¡¯t answer and instead calmly asked, ¡°Since Senior has cultivated a profound soul body but was trapped here for so many years, there must be many restrictions and flaws to the Profound Soul Demonification Technique. For example, there is no way to travel underneath sunlight, and you find yourself vulnerable to a particular type of magic tool¡­¡±


    ¡°Humph! Do you believe I will actually tell you this?¡± The youth couldn¡¯t help but grow furious and abruptly interrupt him.


    Han Li calmly spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°Of course not! So does Senior really believe that Junior is going to tell him about something that Junior shouldn¡¯t know about?¡±


    When Xiao Cha heard those cold, mocking words, he was shocked, and his furious expression gradually faded away.

 Chapter 429

    Ruined Map Reconstruction


    ¡°Since you are unwilling to answer, then how about¡­¡±


    The Bone Sage changed the topic as if wanting to change his question, but at that moment, clear ringing suddenly came from the old devil¡¯s body. The beautiful sounds left Han Li stunned.


    When the Bone Sage heard this, he was startled but revealed an expression of joyful disbelief.


    He no longer paid attention to Han Li and struck his own abdomen. With a tear, a white rib bone shot out from his body and flew once around him before landing in his palm.


    The clear rings were coming from this rib bone.


    Han Li blinked and revealed puzzlement. He was at a complete loss.


    With the rib bone in his hand, the old devil¡¯s smile grew even stronger.


    Crush. The old devil exerted force into his grip and turned the bone to dust. A white sphere of light floated from the dust, revealing a black cricket. It croaked without end inside the light sphere, but once it saw the Bone Sage, it stopped chirping and left the light sphere before entering his body.


    The Bone Sage broke into laughter and clutched the light sphere in his hand. The white light soon disappeared to reveal an embroidered cloth stained yellow from age.


    When Han Li saw this item, he was shocked.


    That embroidered cloth appeared rather familiar. Didn¡¯t it strongly resemble the same map fragment he acquired from the Black Fiend Sect Master[1. Chapter 331]? Could it be they had some relation to one another?


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred. He knew that this could be a clue to possibly unravel the mystery behind the map fragment. He couldn¡¯t help but observe his every movement with wide eyes.


    Unfortunately, after taking a quick look at it, the Bone Sage quickly stuffed the embroidered cloth into his robe. He then calmly gazed at Han Li and said, ¡°Since you have no relation to my two traitorous disciples, I don¡¯t have any time to waste on you. I have an important matter to attend to, so let us part ways. I will give you a word of advice before I leave. If you stay here for too long, my sinful disciple might take notice and will rush over here.¡± With that said, the Bone Sage ignored any response Han Li might have had and turned into a streak of blood light with a sneer, hastily flying past Han Li towards the entrance.


    Han Li was initially stunned but soon frowned. His body immediately turned into a blur of flourishing azure light, making a full circle around the main hall. After collecting his former comrade¡¯s storage pouches and magic treasures along with turning their corpses to ash, he hurriedly flew out of this place. It seemed the old devil held no interest in the storage pouches of Core Formation cultivators. Although he didn¡¯t know whether he looked upon the belongings of Core Formation cultivators with disdain or was merely being negligent due to a pressing matter, it proved to be a very convenient situation for Han Li.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the embroidered cloth. He was also afraid that if he was too slow in leaving, the Bone Sage might lay a trap at the exit which would prove greatly troublesome.


    But when Han Li thought of how the Bone Sage had seized control of his avatar, Crooked Soul, Han Li felt a painful fire burning in his heart. However, from his opponent¡¯s attack, Han Li felt that his odds of success weren¡¯t high, causing him to feel helpless.


    With that thought, Han Li flew to the surface.


    That old devil had long disappeared without a trace, leaving Han Li in awe of his amazing movement technique.


    But when Han Li saw that it was so peaceful and quiet all around him, he recalled how so many people had entered and only he managed to leave. He couldn¡¯t help but feel an indescribable sense of cold loneliness in his heart.


    But as soon as those negative emotions appeared, they were thrown to the back of his mind. After all, the path of cultivation was long and arduous. Now was not the time to mourn.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to stay for much longer. After getting his bearings, he immediately fled from the island and reached for his storage pouch.


    After a short moment, an embroidered cloth appeared in his hand with a flash of white light.


    As he looked at it, he felt his heart thump.


    He didn¡¯t need to carefully inspect it to know that this was undeniably related to the Bone Sage¡¯s own. Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what secrets it concealed, it had caused that deep old schemer to lose his self control.


    With that in mind, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but examine the embroidered cloth.


    The originally indistinct map had completely disappeared. However, the map had been replaced with a pattern of a small golden sword of light. Regardless of how Han Li turned the embroidered cloth, the sword of light always pointed towards the northwest. The sword point shot a red line straight towards the edge of the embroidered cloth, releasing a faint fluorescence.


    Han Li frowned. Although he didn¡¯t know the item¡¯s specific purpose, if he didn¡¯t understand such a simple map as this, then he must be an idiot.


    This clearly illustrated that the object¡¯s holder would meet an opportunity should they follow the small sword to some location.


    While grasping the map, Han Li became lost in contemplation.


    It seemed the Bone Sage had been so hurried because the matter regarding the map was time sensitive. In addition to his happy expression, it was obvious that the prize was certain to be great.


    Once Han Li came to this conclusion, he immediately turned his body in the direction indicated by the sword on the map. If he didn¡¯t rush, the prize would be seized by others as long as the map didn¡¯t expire first.


    After some slight consideration and a long while of hesitation, he finally decided to follow this direction and left the desolate island in the blink of an eye.


    About a quarter hour later, a vast, eerie black fog rushed towards the island from a distance. After circling around the cave¡¯s entrance, the fog scattered to reveal a pale skinned middle-aged man that appeared to lack even a single drop of blood.


    When he saw that the restrictions and formation spells were destroyed and the spirit seal pillar had been pushed to the side, he immediately entered the underground cave with furrowed brows.


    After a short moment, a long, resentful roar came from down below, causing the nearby land to tremble.


    The middle-aged man then flew out of the cave and towards the sky as a black streak of radiance.


    He apprehensively looked all around and shot out several tens of streaks of black radiance with a sudden twirl. Those streaks of black radiance turned into huge black birds that searched the nearby fifty kilometers.


    But when the huge birds returned from their search with nothing to show, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression became extremely unsightly. He turned his head towards the sky and didn¡¯t make any other movements for a long while.


    After a unknown amount of time, he suddenly broke out into cold laughter.


    ¡°Old monster, so what if you are able to escape? You are no longer the Devilish Ancestor Bone Sage from long ago, and I am no longer one of your trifling Core Formation disciples. Once I am finished with the matters of Heavenvoid Hall, I will ferret you out from the Scattered Star Seas.¡± With no further hesitation, he soared through the skies and transformed back into a huge black fog.


    Then, as if wanting to vent his anger, a black beam of light as thick as a bucket shot out of the black fog, causing the entrance of the cave to cave in and turn into ruins.


    Afterwards, the black fog flew into the distant sky like a meteor streak.


    Naturally, Han Li was unaware of what had just taken place. He was flying in the direction of the map, pushing his magic treasure at his greatest speed.


    As he was fearful of coming across the Bone Sage, Han Li was extremely vigilant and would occasionally release the entirety of his spiritual sense to check for an ambush.


    After several days of flight, nothing unexpected had occurred, much to Han Li¡¯s relief.


    But one day, just as Han Li was hastening on his journey, he suddenly heard the sound of conflict coming from ahead of him. From the faint explosions and dazzling flashes of light, it seemed that there were cultivators in the midst of fighting.


    Han Li frowned and used his powerful spiritual sense to carefully gaze into the distance.


    A man and a woman were currently fighting against three embroidered-clothed cultivators surrounded in an evil Qi.


    However, their strength was pathetically low, and they were only at early Foundation Establishment. It seemed that the man and the woman were at a disadvantage.


    Han Li rubbed his nose. Since he knew they weren¡¯t a threat, he felt disinclined to taking a detour and prepared to fly past them. As for the cultivators fighting, he wouldn¡¯t bother asking them anything. He had something important to attend to.


    With that thought, Han Li increased his speed and rushed forth as a streak of green light, appearing before them in the blink of an eye.


    The combatants were greatly shocked and happened to all recoil away from him and retrieve their magic tools.


    As Han Li flew past them, he paused for a moment and casually swept his gaze over them.


    ¡°Yi!¡± The female cultivator from the male-female pair seemed to recognize Han Li. She shouted with joy, ¡°Elder Han, I am the main disciple of the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Envoy of the Right. Those three cultivators are from our sect¡¯s great enemy, the Poisonous Dragon Union.¡±

 Chapter 430

    Wen Siyue


    Han Li was startled by her yell and he couldn¡¯t help but look over and examine the woman.


    ¡°You¡¯re a disciple of the Exquisite Sound Sect?¡± Han Li asked with a calm expression.


    The young woman appeared to be about twenty years of age and had a face of soft jade with skin as fair as snow. Her flowery expression of pleasant surprise revealed a very sweet charm.


    ¡°Disciple Wen Siyue pays her respect to Elder Han!¡± This lovely young woman hastily flew to Han Li¡¯s side and respectfully gave him a bow. Her body wasn¡¯t lacking in neither grace, given her firm chest and ample bottom. In addition to the young woman¡¯s sweet voice, he could detect an intoxicatingly sweet fragrance from her.


    Han Li calmly sized her up and slowly asked, ¡°How did you recognize me? Have I seen you before?¡± Han Li felt slightly puzzled as he was certain that this was the first time he had seen her.


    ¡°Although this is the first time Junior has paid her respects to Senior, the sect master hung several of Senior¡¯s portraits in the offerings hall. I¡¯ve seen them every time I passed by.¡± The young woman respectfully said.


    Han Li was stunned and didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry. He didn¡¯t think that those three woman from the Exquisite Sound Sect would actually do something like this. This must be one of their method of disseminating the fact that he had become the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s elder.


    Despite feeling slightly gloomy, his face didn¡¯t reveal the slightest peculiarity, and he turned his gaze towards the middle-aged man to the side, and spoke with a slight smile, ¡°Brother Wen, I haven¡¯t seen you in so many years. It seems you¡¯re doing well!¡±


    Ever since the middle-aged man saw Han LI, his face had appeared odd. Now, his expression had become even more complicated. When he looked at Han Li, his gaze seemed to contain both admiration and a feeling of self-inferiority.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Senior Han would still recognize me. Although I¡¯ve seen your portrait at the Exquisite Sound Sect, I didn¡¯t dare to believe it given that so much time had passed. Congratulations on Senior¡¯s Core Formation.¡± He spoke with slight bitterness.


    This middle-aged man was actually the youth Wen Qiang that Han LI originally met at Stalwart Star Island.


    Although his appearance resembled that of his youth, his hair was now growing white, and his face showed signs of aging. It seemed he was on the verge of appearing elderly.


    ¡°There is no need for Brother Wen to call me Senior. After all, we were acquainted when we were still of the same generation!¡± Han Li spoke with a smile.


    Han Li saw that Wen Qiang was only at mid Foundation Establishment and wouldn¡¯t have any hope of Core Formation. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh upon seeing a youth at his prime had become so elderly.


    In truth, even if Wen Siyue didn¡¯t yell for him to stop, he would¡¯ve done so anyways. With his outstanding memory, he would¡¯ve recognized Wen Qiang from a single glance despite not having met him many times. As he had originally given Han Li a good impression, it was only natural for Han Li to lend him aid in passing and not stand by and watch him die.


    After hearing Han Li, Wen Qiang stated that he didn¡¯t dare to do so. Han Li could only follow suit.


    When the young woman heard the two chatting, her mouth slightly widened from alarm.


    Her soft, spirited eyes blinked several times, wanting to ask something. But she was interrupted when Han Li spoke with a cold voice towards the three enemies, ¡°Where do you three think you¡¯re going? Did I say you could leave?¡±


    The three enemy cultivators were panic stricken upon seeing a hostile Core Formation cultivator arrive. But after seeing that Han Li didn¡¯t seem to mind them and was happily chatting, they couldn¡¯t help but slowly fall back and test their luck.


    The three turned deathly white upon hearing Han Li. After exchanging a mutual glance, they immediately flew off on their magic tools with defensive magic tools and barriers of all colors at their side.


    ¡°Humph! You¡¯re courting death!¡± Han Li coldly snorted and lightly flicked his finger, shooting out three brilliant streaks of azure light, appearing behind them in a single instant.


    Pff. Pff. The three cultivator¡¯s magic tools and defensive barriers were shredded through like paper by the thick swordlights. With three simultaneous miserable screams, their magic tools filled the sky with fluorescent lights before disappearing without a trace.


    After the young woman and Wen Qiang watched Han Li¡¯s extermination of the three Poison Dragon Union cultivators, they couldn¡¯t help but look at Han Li with even greater respect.


    Han Li inwardly nodded his head. While these three azure essence swordstreaks appeared unremarkable, they actually consumed a significant amount of spiritual power. Regardless, Han Li was quite satisfied as they were able to kill Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single strike. It seemed that the azure essence swordstreaks had increased in power along with his cultivation.


    Han Li seemed to have thought of something and asked, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Since you both have the surname Wen, does that mean¡­¡±


    When Wen Qiang heard Han Li, his face revealed embarrassment, and he replied, ¡°Senior Han jests. Siyue is my daughter.¡±


    Han Li was stunned, but soon burst into laughter, ¡°Then I must congratulate Brother Wen! Fellow Daoist Siyue has reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age. Perhaps she will one day reach Core Formation as well!¡±


    Having heard that, Wen Qiang laughed with a prideful expression, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal this from Senior Han. Siyue is truly my pride. She became Foundation Establishment after only a little more than twenty years. I have high hopes for her. While I won¡¯t be progressing any further, I can only hope for her to travel farther than I ever did.¡±


    Wen Qiang then looked at the young woman with a tender expression, causing Siyue to turn her head away in embarrassment.


    Han Li looked at the young woman with a smile and faintly nodded his head. Wen Siyue was gifted with remarkable aptitude.


    Afterwards, Wen Qiang and Han Li each spoke about their own experiences.


    Although they didn¡¯t have a particularly deep friendship, meeting an old friend after many years of separation was always a pleasant matter.


    From their excited chat, Han Li heard a story that was not uncommon to cultivators with mediocre aptitudes throughout the Scattered Star Seas.


    Not long after Han Li departed, Wen Qiang¡¯s master had met the end of his lifespan during cultivation. After muddling around Stalwart Star Island for several tens of years, he managed to barely breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage. After that, he started to wander through all sorts of islands and accumulated experience. Then after sometime, he met a female disciple from the Exquisite Sound Sect and became one of their external affairs disciples.


    From then on, he handled all sorts of miscellaneous tasks for the Exquisite Sound Sect. But shortly after his daughter Siyue was born, his wife died from a strange illness. Due to his deep love for his wife, he decided not to remarry and raised Wen Siyue by himself. Naturally, she had been brought in to be a disciple of the Exquisite Sound Sect.


    Having heard this, Han Li inwardly sighed several times and bitterly laughed. In contrast, his own experiences were quite simple. Apart from cultivation, there was practically nothing for him to talk about.


    But in the end, Han Li asked the father-daughter pair why they were fighting at this remote place. In response, Wen Qiang appeared furious while his daughter appeared sad.


    Han Li was greatly baffled by this.


    After some hesitation, Wen Qiang slowly gave an explanation.


    When Wen Siyue grew to adulthood, she was to marry a young cultivator with limitless prospects and become his Dao companion. Unfortunately, the young cultivator perished in a fight against other cultivators shortly after they were wed.


    As such, the newly available and charming Wen Siyue attracted the eyes of many male cultivators in the sect. But as Wen Siyue was just recently widowed, she didn¡¯t wish to quickly remarry. As such, she turned down her many requests for pair cultivation. Consequently, she unconsciously offended a high ranker in the Exquisite Sound Sect and was assigned to a dangerous and strenuous task: she had to retrieve a precious material from within the Poison Dragon Union¡¯s territory.


    With his daughter in such a dangerous situation, Wen Qiang naturally couldn¡¯t stand idly by and instead accompanied his daughter on the journey. However, their secret tasks had been discovered by the Poison Dragon Union at an unknown time through unknown means. As a result, the father-daughter pair had been chased down by three Poison Dragon Union cultivators and were forced to fight with their lives on the line.


    If chance had not brought Han Li by them, they were certain to have met a horrible end.


    Upon hearing Wen Qiang¡¯s indignant words, Han Li stroked his chin and remained silent for a long while. Wen Qiang¡¯s words implied that he wanted Han Li to seek justice on their behalf.


    However, this was only one side of the story, and he wasn¡¯t willing to recklessly involve himself in the internal affairs of the Exquisite Sound Sect over such a shallow friendship.


    If you want to remember she ever existed, you¡¯d better remember that she was beautiful.

 Chapter 431

    Heavenvoid Hall


    After muttering to himself, Han Li slowly replied while Wen Qiang watched expectantly, ¡°Since Brother Wen is also an Exquisite Sound Sect member, he should know I am a member only in name. I have never involved myself with the inner affairs of the sect. However, if this matter is as Brother Wen described and Fellow Daoist Siyue has been greatly wronged, I will mention this matter to Fairy Violet Spirit the next time I see her. But if she doesn¡¯t do anything about this, I¡¯m not quite sure what can be done.¡±


    Having heard that Han Li was unwilling to personally take matters into his own hands, Wen Qiang felt slightly disappointed.


    He also knew that his friendship with Han Li wasn¡¯t deep. Even saving him and his daughter could already be considered as cherishing their old friendship. He repeatedly expressed his thanks without any complaints and had Wen Siyue kowtow in respect to Han Li, but Han Li had refused with a smile.


    However, Han Li then asked with slight confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Siyue the personal disciple of the Envoy of the Right? Why don¡¯t you raise this matter to her?¡±


    Wen Siyue appeared even sadder and explained with a soft voice, ¡°Senior Han doesn¡¯t know this but this mission was assigned by a close relative of my master. My master had wished for us to become Dao companions, but my refusal caused her to become very angry!¡±


    With that said, the woman wore a helpless expression, revealing an appearance of tragic beauty. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but stare for a moment before forcing himself to turn his head towards Wen Qiang for fear of looking longer. He said, ¡°I am here on an important matter and cannot journey together with you. I will be taking my leave!¡±


    Han Li cupped his hands towards them. The pair naturally refrained from making any unpleasant requests for him to stay and hastily said words of thanks. Han Li then faintly smiled and shot through the sky as an azure streak of light.


    The father-daughter pair looked in the direction that the azure streak disappeared. After a long while, Wen Siyue spoke in an angry, cute voice, ¡°Father, you never told me that you were actually old friends with our sect¡¯s Elder Han! From your chat, you also seemed to have met him before he entered Core Formation. Could you tell your daughter about it? Elder Han is actually quite a mystery to us!¡±


    Near the end, her angry voice had turned to one of strong curiosity.


    Wen Qiang sighed and lovingly said, ¡°Your father and Senior Han had only met several times. We don¡¯t have a deep relationship. In addition, I had met him when our cultivations were quite low. When I suddenly saw him in the offerings hall, I was truly shocked, and felt restless several days later. For this person to actually enter Core Formation and become our sect Elder, is a truly inconceivable affair!¡±


    Wen Qiang couldn¡¯t help but then recall the moment when Han Li recognized him. He then stopped talking and became absent-minded for a short time.


    Wen Siyue saw that her father was thinking of something and silently waited at his side. The father and daughter peacefully floated in the sky with their clothes fluttering in the wind.


    ¡­


    The nearby empty oceans suddenly flooded with activity. Every few days, cultivators hurriedly flew across this location high above with pleasant surprise.


    At this location, there was a huge palace floating in the sky without the slightest movement.


    The palace was about four hundred meters tall and was crafted from flawless white jade. It was exquisitely beautiful and released sparkling twinkles of light. Surrounding it was a layer of dense golden light that encompassed about four thousand meters in height.


    The cultivators that were traveling to it flew into the palace without any hesitation and easily passed through the barrier with a flash of white light.


    One day, a streak of azure light arrived below the palace and came to a sudden stop. The azure light faded away to reveal a youth with a common appearance, Han Li who had followed the direction of his map.


    He looked at the embroidered clothed map with slight hesitation and glanced around, ensuring that nothing else was nearby. He had found nothing after looking down at the sea for a long time.


    Han Li¡¯s hesitation only grew stronger. With a sudden thought coming to mind, he abruptly raised his head.


    Upon seeing the exquisite jade palace floating among the clouds, Han Li gasped with surprise.


    He blankly stared at the palace for a long while before he recovered from his shock. He didn¡¯t immediately approach the palace hall, instead deciding to deliberate for a moment. But suddenly, his expression stirred and his body flashed with azure light, causing him to disappear without a trace.


    A short moment later, a scarlet cloud rushed over and stopped close to where Han Li had just been. The red cloud scattered to reveal a red-haired old man with an embroidered cloth in hand.


    He looked at the embroidered cloth in his hand and coldly examined his surroundings. When he turned his head to the sky and saw the palace, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal joy. Soon after, the red haired old man flew up into the sky in a red cloud without a second thought.


    Then with a flash of white light, the old man passed through the gold light barrier. Han Li reappeared nearby shortly after. With a creased brow, his expression began incessantly shifting.


    In the following week, Han Li patiently concealed himself nearby and saw two other Core Formation cultivators enter the palace¡¯s light barrier. They also had an embroidered cloth map.


    One day, Han Li¡¯s patience had finally run dry, and he flew towards the golden barrier. With a flip of his hand, he took out his map and slowly poured spiritual power into it. The map then released a white spiritual light and wrapped Han Li within it. Taking a step forward, Han Li easily passed through the barrier as if nothing was there.


    After turning his head back toward the light barrier, Han Li flew towards the beautiful palace without any lingering hesitation.


    After flying closer to the palace, Han Li became aware of the huge, silver ancient characters that hung forty meters above the entrance of the palace, ¡°Heavenvoid Hall¡±.


    Not only were these characters grand and imposing, but the stroke edges were extremely incisive. After only a quick glance, his eyes felt a faint, dull ache.


    He hastily lowered his head in fright, not daring to look any further!


    With gritted teeth, Han Li then carefully walked into the palace as he gazed into its depths.


    Han Li was amazed once he entered. He saw a straight, narrow passage made completely of translucent, fine jade. He couldn¡¯t see its end. It was nine meters wide and twelve meters tall, causing those who walked through it to feel an uncomfortable mental pressure.


    Han Li frowned and released his spiritual sense after some thought, but his expression immediately revealed surprise as his spiritual sense met a wall in every direction and was forcibly bounced back. He couldn¡¯t even spread out his spiritual sense, let alone search the palace with it.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with spirited light, and he attentively examined a jade wall, discovering a flicker of faint sparkling light. He would¡¯ve missed it had he not been paying close attention. It seemed this entire passage restricted those with great capabilities.


    Han Li then extended his finger and lightly stroked the fine jade. Although he couldn¡¯t recognize the exact type of restrictions, he knew they contained deep and immeasurable spiritual power, causing Han Li¡¯s heart to slightly tremble.


    He silently withdrew his finger and pondered for a moment with chin in hand before raising his head and deciding to walk forward.


    With narrowed eyes, Han Li calmly looked around the interior of the passage as he walked through.


    Since there were restrictions in place, he didn¡¯t have to be fearful that someone was concealed nearby and was about to ambush him, allowing him to continue on without fear.


    However, this ravine-like passage was truly long. He walked for the time it took to finish a meal, before finally reaching its end where an exit made of water-blue radiance appeared before his eyes.


    With roused spirits, Han Li hurriedly walked through it.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes shrunk and he instantly grew alarmed. The blue radiance revealed huge hall. The hall spanned fifteen hundred meters and was extremely imposing. Even if several thousand people were present, it wouldn¡¯t be crowded in the slightest.


    But even odder was that several tens of huge jade pillars were evenly distributed throughout the hall. Not only was the jade pillar several meters thick, but it was also exquisitely carved with all sorts of rare, strange beasts that some of which he had never seen before. Each one was vivid and lifelike, containing their own unique Spiritual Qi.


    At the very top of these pillars were several tens of cultivators, each wearing their own clothes and standing or sitting at their own volition.


    Apart from a few cultivators, each of them were monopolizing a single pillar. Furthermore, there was nobody loudly talking; they were all minding their own business.


    Han Li¡¯s arrival had lazily drawn the attention of a small portion of the cultivators. However, a few of them revealed shock upon seeing him.


    Han Li revealed a bitter smile as he had also recognized them!

 Chapter 432

    Grandmaster Zenith Yin


    Among the people already in the hall was the Bone Sage that he had separated from recently. He was sitting cross-legged at a jade pillar in the corner of the hall, icily staring at him with unconcealed surprise.


    At another jade pillar was a woman staring at Han Li with surprise. She was the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit. An elegant man wearing an azure jacket with a composed appearance stood at her side.


    When the man saw that Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s expression was slightly odd he couldn¡¯t help but take measure of Han Li. Seeing that Han Li appeared youthful, his eyes coldly glinted, and he asked Fairy Violet Spirit a few questions.


    As a result, Fairy Violet Spirit gracefully smiled and whispered to the man as if she were explaining Han Li¡¯s identity.


    Han Li frowned and turned his eyes away from them. His gaze focused on another area where someone had gazed at Han Li with ill intent.


    Han Li was baffled to find an old man with a face of fury, looking towards him. Han Li was startled for a moment before recognizing him and feeling annoyed. That person was the Six United Palace¡¯s Elder Miao.


    Due to the matter of the Infant Carp Beast, Elder Gu had wished to kill him. However, Han Li took advantage of the great damage to his Origin Qi and his wondrous formation spell restrictions to turn the tables and eliminate him. Many years had past since this had occurred, but Elder Miao still recognized him. It seemed he felt rather deeply about Elder Gu¡¯s death.


    Han Li inwardly muttered to himself, but found he didn¡¯t particularly care about it anymore. After observing the rest of the hall, there were no other cultivators he recognized.


    Thus after some slight hesitation, he casually found a jade pillar with no one on it and flew to its top. He sat cross-legged before sizing up a few of the other cultivators that he didn¡¯t recognize.


    Because Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense was restricted, he wasn¡¯t able to make out the cultivation of others. He only knew that a majority of cultivators here were at Core Formation or higher with Foundation Establishment cultivators in a small minority. There may even be a Nascent Soul eccentric or two among them.


    With that in mind, Han Li carefully examined the others while he sat on the pillar.


    Some time later, he had identified the two that were most likely to be Nascent Soul cultivators.


    One was a yellow-robed, thin-faced old confucian scholar. He leisurely held his back with one hand while looking through a shabby jade slip with the other. He occasionally swayed his head with interest. He seemed incredibly bookish.


    The other was a beautiful middle-aged woman wearing spotless white clothes. She was surrounded with a bone-chilling aura, preventing any strangers from approaching her.


    At the moment, the icy beauty was expressionlessly cleaning her jet-black longsword. She appeared extremely proud. Ever since Han Li had entered the hall, he hadn¡¯t seen her look in any other direction.


    Although the other cultivators also appeared calm and indifferent, their easy mannerisms seemed somewhat forced when compared to those two.


    In addition, a large portion of the cultivators in the hall gazed at these two with a trace of respect that was absent when they looked at other cultivators. It was this slight difference that made Han Li certain that these two were Nascent Soul experts.


    Originally, Han Li understood that apart from those two, there were certain to be other extraordinary individuals that couldn¡¯t be underestimated. A most obvious example would be the Bone Sage.


    Although the old Devil¡¯s cultivation was only at late Core Formation, he was far superior to other late Core Formation cultivators in a fight, second only to true Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Who could possibly know what other hidden tigers laid in wait amongst the group?


    Han Li inwardly muttered to himself for a moment, having seemingly forgotten that he himself could dispatch similar grade cultivators without much effort.


    In any case, Han Li grew increasingly cautious after his musings and would occasionally ponder the true strength of those gathered here. This probably wasn¡¯t going to end up being a boring meeting of cultivators.


    After all, the mystery displayed in the embroidered cloth map fragment and the floating Heavenvoid Hall had even attracted a few Nascent Soul cultivators. This guaranteed that something extraordinary was about to occur.


    Unfortunately, he was completely ignorant of the details. Otherwise, he would be planning his future actions, thereby reducing his exposure to danger and limiting any disadvantages he might suffer from sudden surprises.


    With the situation being what it was, Han Li could only act in accordance to how events played out.


    As Han Li was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a sound transmission from the Bone Sage, ¡°Youngster, I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d also have a Heavenvoid map fragment. How about we cooperate in this treasure hunt?¡±


    ¡®Treasure hunt?¡¯ Upon hearing those two words, Han Li¡¯s heart glowed with joy, knowing that it was correct for him to come. With an unchanged expression, he calmly replied, ¡°How does Senior intend to cooperate with me? Please give me an explanation!¡±


    The Bone Sage¡¯s expression brightened after hearing that Han Li hadn¡¯t refused. Just as he was thinking about what to say, two people swaggered into the hall.


    When Han Li and the Bone Sage saw the two, their expressions greatly changed.


    While Han Li¡¯s expression had only slightly paled, the Master of Bone¡¯s face completely distorted with his eyes revealing a blood-thirsty craze. Fortunately, his mind was quick and this expression only lasted for an instant before his calm expression reappeared.


    The two that entered hadn¡¯t taken notice of the Bone Sage¡¯s abnormality. However, Han Li inwardly grumbled upon seeing the two, as one of them was Zenith Yin Island¡¯s young island lord Wu Chou.


    Although Han Li was unfamiliar with the pale faced, slender eyed middle-aged cultivator by his side, he had a faint guess about who he was and couldn¡¯t help but feel regret for having come here.


    At that moment, the middle-aged man brought Wu Chou into the hall and coldly swept his gaze in every direction. Soon, his gaze fell upon a cultivator with a sallow face, and he coldly laughed.


    The sallow-faced cultivator paled, and his body slightly trembled. But after some quick thought, he immediately stood straight.


    ¡°Good, very good!¡± After finishing his chilling laughter, his eyes coldly glinted and fell upon Han Li.


    When his gaze fell upon Han Li, he felt as if a viper was staring at him and felt his hair stand on end. Despite his calm appearance, his heart was in great disarray!


    Han Li immediately felt amazement. The middle-aged man unexpectedly revealed a trace of unconcealed pleasant surprise upon seeing him. Although his expression soon became calm once more, Han Li was able to clearly see it. This caused Han Li to be at a loss with doubts pouring into his mind.


    The Bone Sage also saw this and was stunned. But soon after, his eyes shifted several times, and he lowered his head in contemplation.


    At that moment, the middle-aged man blankly looked at the old confucian scholar and the beautiful woman for a moment before restraining his cold gaze. He amiably cupped his hands to the two and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see South Crane Island¡¯s Brother Qing and White Wall Mountain¡¯s Lady Wen. I¡¯m truly sorry for not recognizing you!¡±


    ¡°There is no disrespect. My clan is comparable to your own Zenith Yin Island. We only happened to meet by chance. After all, this is an opportunity that only occurs once every three hundred years. I¡¯ve also heard that Man Huzi acquired a Heavenvoid map fragment as an offering. He should be coming shortly. When the time comes, us old bastards will gather together once more.¡± The old man put away the jade slip and spoke with an insincere smile.


    ¡°Man Huzi is also coming?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s expression changed as if greatly fearful of that name.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that his life is quickly coming to an end. He is coming to Heavenvoid Hall to find life prolonging fruit to refine a few life lengthening pills in hopes he may live a few more years.¡± The old man spoke proudly with a voice containing hints of cold mockery.


    The icy beautiful woman continued to look down at her sword treasure as she cleaned it, completely ignoring their conversation.


    When Han Li heard their conversation, he couldn¡¯t help but take in a breath of cold air. He had acquired quite a bit of information from those few words.


    The middle-aged man next to Wu Chou was actually Grandmaster Zenith Yin, and their words revealed that there was yet another Nascent Soul cultivator to come.


    There were also life prolonging spirit medicines in Heavenvoid Hall! Inconceivable. It was no wonder that Nascent Soul experts so impatiently rushed here.

 Chapter 433

    Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng


    As Han Li pondered about the information he had just received, he was also wondering whether or not he wanted to wade through these muddy waters.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what was about to come, this strange palace in the sky seemed similar to the State of Yue¡¯s Trial by Blood and Fire and had been completely constructed by ancient cultivators. Although it contained many treasures, its dangers were quite plentiful as well.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s unexplainable expression had scared him quite a bit. Could he be plotting something? Regardless of anything else going on, it would be wiser for Han Li to immediately withdraw.


    However, he had gathered from those old eccentrics¡¯ words that this place only opened once every three hundred years. If he were to turn back now, he¡¯d never have another chance. This was enough cause for further hesitation.


    While Han Li was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the Bone Sage¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Youngster, do you have anything on you that Zenith Yin might want, by any chance? I can¡¯t think of another reason that he would look at you like that. If I guessed correctly, he wants to dispose of you!¡± Although the Bone Sage spoke indifferently, his words obviously contained a trace of mockery.


    Han Li mentally snorted and replied, ¡°If Island Lord Zenith Yin were to learn that your esteemed self is here, he¡¯d probably be very interested. He¡¯d almost certainly want to have a proper chat with his long lost master.¡±


    ¡°You dare threaten me?¡± The Bone Sage asked sinisterly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare! Given Senior¡¯s status and abilities, how could I ever dare to do so? However, it¡¯s probably in Senior¡¯s best interest to not take delight in other¡¯s misfortune. Else, I might accidentally have a slip of the tongue when my life is in danger and unintentionally implicate Senior.¡± Han Li replied expressionlessly.


    The Bone Sage remained silent for some time.


    Han Li believed he had flown into a rage from embarrassment and didn¡¯t wish to speak with Han Li any further. But that had only been greater cause of shock when he suddenly heard a string of icy words that left him pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Do you wish to form a Nascent Soul?


    ¡°Senior, what are you getting at?¡± Han Li asked, forcefully restraining the excitement within his heart.


    ¡°Hehe, what do I mean? My words were quite simple. I know of an item that will double your chances of forming a Nascent Soul. It¡¯s located in Heavenvoid Hall. There¡¯s no other item that can do this. If you join hands with me and seize the opportunity to eliminate my traitorous disciple Zenith Yin, I will tell you the method for acquiring it. How about it? Since I cultivated the Dao of the demon ghost, I can¡¯t use this item. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have even mentioned it to you. And even if you do not agree to join hands with me, it seems that Zenith Yin will take the initiative to find you either way. When that time comes, hehe¡­¡± The Bone Sage made use of the carrot and the stick while expressing his unconcealed malice towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately decide. He instead sat in silence and frowned, deep in thought.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s youthly incarnation also appeared quite calm and unhurried. He believed a Core Formation cultivator was incapable of refusing such a huge offer. He just needed to calmly wait for Han Li¡¯s eventual agreement.


    At that moment, Grandmaster Zenith Yin and Wu Chou flew to the old Confucian scholar¡¯s pillar and chatted intermittently, occasionally saying something to the beautiful woman surnamed Wen.


    However, the beautiful woman closed her eyes after she finished polishing her sword. It seemed she didn¡¯t pay them any attention.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin didn¡¯t appear angry or embarrassed at this cold treatment and continued to speak with a smile. It was clear he¡¯s the shrewd type.


    Han Li slightly brought these people into his gaze and grew increasingly fearful of Grandmaster Zenith Yin. Not only was this person¡¯s cultivation deep, but his wits far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. What else could have forced the Bone Sage to tread the Dao of a demon ghost and abandon his path to reincarnation? The Bone Sage clearly hated not being able to grind his traitorous disciples bones and scatter their ashes.


    However, regardless of the resentment between the old devils Bone Sage and Zenith Yin, Zenith Yin¡¯s gaze towards Han Li was far from friendly.


    Although it can¡¯t be said that he had no chance of escaping from a Nascent Soul cultivator, in a true confrontation that possibility was pathetically small.


    After all, there was too great of a difference between early Core Formation and the Nascent Soul stage. Even if his magic treasure and Gold Devouring Beetles were even more powerful, he would still be slaughtered without much effort on their part.


    After some consideration, Han Li eventually responded to the Bone Sage, ¡°Give me an explanation of that item you mentioned. Does it have anything to do with what you said about becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Of course. So long as you are willing to join hands with me, I will unquestionably divulge a few things to you.¡± The Bone Sage was slightly delighted and stealthily replied.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately respond and bluntly closed his eyes, pretending to refine Qi.


    ¡°The item is called Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. It is an item of transformed Heaven-Earth Spiritual Qi. Although its main body is a spiritual herb, its pure spiritual nature causes it to transform into an animal or insect, allowing it to move about on their own. It is quite good at hiding. Many years ago, I saw this item in the Heavenvoid Hall. At the time, my cultivation was far too low, and I didn¡¯t have any appropriate magic tools on hand. As such, I was forced to let it go. The second time I came here, I was at the Nascent Soul stage and no longer needed to waste the effort to acquire it. But it should prove quite useful to you.¡± The Bone Sage spoke as if he had been unwilling to let it go.


    ¡°Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng?¡± Han Li took a cold breath.


    Han Li had long known of this legendary immortal herb. Although Han Li had often seen this herb mentioned in ancient medicine herb records, he believed this item had appeared in the mortal world during times of antiquity. Could this item actually exist in Heavenvoid Hall?


    Nevertheless, discovering one or two stalks of such an immortal herb wasn¡¯t impossible.


    However, this was that first time that he heard the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was useful in condensing a Nascent Soul. The records had always been vague about its specific uses and hardly mentioned them.


    ¡®Could this old devil have lied to me so that I would cooperate with him?¡¯ Han Li suspected.


    Perhaps having guessed Han Li¡¯s doubt, the Bone Sage continued, ¡°Be at ease! When we break through the barrier, I will first help you acquire this item at the second pass. Then after we eliminate my traitorous disciple, I will give you a secret recipe. So long as you create the medicine pill in accordance to its instructions, it will greatly increase your odds of condensing a Nascent Soul. However, I¡¯ve also come to Heavenvoid Hall in search of useful cultivation materials. When the time comes, you will have to lend me your assistance so that I might prove more successful.¡± The Bone Sage took the initiative to eliminate Han Li¡¯s doubts and raised a condition that answered a majority of Han Li¡¯s suspicions.


    ¡°Fine! If you¡¯re truly certain about being able to kill Zenith Yin, I might lend my assistance.¡± Han Li eventually agreed to forming a temporary alliance with the Bone Sage.


    In truth, this alliance was quite weak, and it was quite difficult to say how long it would last. Perhaps it would even fracture immediately after Grandmaster Zenith Yin had been killed.


    Han Li inwardly let out a long sigh.


    From the old devil¡¯s tone, this actually wasn¡¯t his first time here. Having an experienced ally was far better than fumbling around on his own. At the very least, he could learn a bit about the basics of Heavenvoid Hall and unquestionably trust the Bone Sage¡¯s desire to kill Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    With that, Han Li and the Bone Sage came to an agreement, and Han Li started to make some indirect inquiries about the Heavenvoid Hall.


    After having a long, stealthy chat with the Bone Sage, Han Li¡¯s expression became unsightly. It seemed that opportunity and danger walked hand in hand. This trip to the Heavenvoid Hall in particular would prove to be extremely dangerous.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Soon after, his mind drifted and he began to refine Qi in meditation.


    Inside the hall, Han Li didn¡¯t need to worry about any sudden attacks. From his earlier tests,apart from some floating techniques and other such minor magic techniques, any other techniques couldn¡¯t be cast. Any magic power used past a certain point would dissolve. Even the magic treasures contained in one¡¯s body would be like a dead, magicless object.


    These restrictions were amazing!


    In the following week, the cultivators in the hall grew more and more numerous, eventually gathering over a hundred people.


    The jade pillars had long been filled by other cultivators. Those that came later could only find a spot to sit on the floor and rest there for the time being.

 Chapter 434

    Gathering


    Fewer and fewer cultivators arrived until many days later when the gradual flow ceased.


    However, Grandmaster Zenith Yin and the old Confucian scholar were sitting in silence with solemn expressions. They would occasionally sweep their gaze across the room as if they were waiting for something.


    ¡®Could they be waiting for Man Huzi?¡± Han Li naturally noticed this and was very curious. As such, he also kept an eye out.


    When afternoon arrived, footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the hall. With several flashes of blue radiance, two people walked into the hall one at a time. One of them was an old Daoist with a reddish complexion, and the other was an old man dressed as a farmer with a bitter expression on his thin, dark face.


    After these two appeared, the cultivators in the hall became restless. A majority of people looked at the two with a trace of respect.


    It seemed these two were quite famous.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin and the old Confucian scholar looked at them with ill intent. Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s expression was particularly harsh.


    The two newly arrived experts returned the other party¡¯s hostile gazes upon seeing them. The old Daoist snorted and said, ¡°Old Devil Zenith Yin! You¡¯ve arrived quite early. It seems you of the Devil Dao are quite determined to come out on top during this Heavenvoid Hall.¡±


    ¡°Tian Wuzi[1. The Îò×ÓWuzi in his name can mean enlightened one.]! It isn¡¯t that this Grandmaster arrived early but you hypocrites arrived far too late. As I was of the opinion that your map fragment¡¯s information was false, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to arrive. This also good. This Grandmaster now has the opportunity to surpass you.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin responded with a sinister expression.


    ¡°Who is it that you think you¡¯re going to surpass, Zenith Yin? Please, enlighten us!¡± Without waiting for the old Daoist to strike back, another voice resounded throughout the hall.


    When Zenith Yin and the old Confucian scholar heard the new voice, their expressions greatly changed. The taciturn beautiful woman suddenly raised her head and coldly spoke while staring at the hall¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Wan Tianming[2. Quite suitably, his name ÌìÃ÷ Tianming means dawn or daybreak.], you¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    ¡°It seems Lady Wen has also arrived. Why does my appearance surprise you?¡± After this was said, a blur shot in from the outside and revealed a middle-aged man with a violet robe and jade belt.


    This person had a squarish face and a large brow with white shiny teeth. He indifferently glanced at the beautiful woman before turning his gaze towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin. His very presence exuded an imposing aura.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin shut his lips with an eerie expression and remained silent in response to this man¡¯s blunt gaze.


    This greatly shocked Han Li. He couldn¡¯t help but closely examine the new arrivals. Han Li bewilderedly guessed that since an early Nascent Soul cultivator such as Grandmaster Zenith Yin was somewhat fearful of them, this person must be a mid Nascent Soul cultivator!


    From what he saw, the three new arrivals should be cultivators of the Scattered Star Seas¡¯ Righteous Dao. As for Zenith Yin and the others, they should be of the Devilish Dao.


    The earlier restlessness of the hall had been immediately quelled by the middle-aged man¡¯s arrival. Only the faint whispering of ¡°Sect Master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment¡± could be heard.


    Obviously, the middle-aged man seemed to have a higher status when compared to the other two.


    ¡°Wan Tianming, was my sword attendant injured by one of your disciples?¡± The beautiful woman surnamed Wen asked this question without restraint as if fearless of this person.


    ¡°That is obviously untrue. It was just that my sect¡¯s disciples saw that your sword attendant¡¯s cultivation was quite good and they merely wanted to swap pointers. Could it be that Lady Wen wishes for a violent escalation of hostilities over such a small matter?¡± Wan Tianming¡¯s eyes narrowed as he spoke with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Swapping pointers? My sword attendant is only at early Foundation Establishment. Your disciples were clearly bullying her and deliberately embarrassing our sect.¡± The beautiful woman¡¯s face grew cold.


    ¡°Humiliate Madam¡¯s sect? I don¡¯t dare! For the sake of the Archsaint¡¯s reputation, I will later have those disciples offer you their humble apologies.¡± The middle-aged man slightly frowned and spoke without much care.


    ¡°What does this matter of mine have to do with my lord husband? If you are unwilling, then how about I use my Virtuous Duality Sword Arts to swap pointers with Sect Master Wan?¡± The beautiful woman became even more furious at his words.


    ¡°Compare notes with Lady Wen? Let¡¯s forget that. If the Archsaint of the Six Paths[3. His title, ÁùµÀ Six Paths, references the Six Paths of Reincarnation. ] were to know that I bullied his wife, he would seek my life. I don¡¯t wish to incite a great war between the Righteous and Devilish Dao.¡± Wan Tianming chuckled as if he found it ridiculous.


    When the beautiful woman heard this, her face reddened. After a final glare, she dropped the matter.


    While the beautiful woman had let the matter drop with the middle-aged man, the middle-aged man was unwilling to do the same with Grandmaster Zenith Yin. He sneered at Grandmaster Zenith Yin. But just as he though to say something, a rumble vibrated from the passage and faintly shook the entire hall.


    Apart from the Nascent Soul eccentrics, all of the cultivators looked towards the entrance with alarm.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin and the old Confucian scholar looked at each other with a hint of concealed joy. However, Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s happy expression seemed forced.


    Wan Tianming¡¯s eyes coldly glinted and flashed with sharp killing intent. The old Daoist and the old farmer also seemed to know who was coming and revealed a trace of worry.


    The vibrations soon grew stronger and more frequent, eventually revealing an exceptionally tall figure.


    A blue-robed eccentric with a yellow curly beard suddenly walked in. It seemed that his every step caused the entire hall to sway as if he weighed over six thousand kilograms.


    Under everyone¡¯s amazed gazes, he took note of the people within the hall without any regards before settling his eyes on Wan Tianming and burst into laughter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that great Sect Master Wan would come here. It seems it was correct for me to come here. I had always wished to contest myself against Sect Master Wan but it is unfortunate that I¡¯ve never had the opportunity until now.¡± The eccentric looked at the middle-aged man with a provocative gaze.


    ¡°I too have looked forward to witnessing Brother Man¡¯s Heavenbearing Devil Arts, reputed to be the greatest defensive devilish art in the Scattered Star Seas.¡± Wan Tianming coldly glanced at the eccentric and fearlessly replied.


    ¡°Hehe! Well said, well said! I have been looking forward to experiencing Sect Master Wan¡¯s True Heavensifting Arts.¡± The eccentric widely grinned with unconcealed eagerness.


    Unfortunately for him, Sect Master Wan didn¡¯t wish to cause an incident at present. He softly spoke to the old Daoist and the old farmer before the three flew up toward a jade pillar.


    Afterwards, the old Daoist spoke to the old Core Formation cultivator on the pillar with a smile. The Core Formation cultivator then vacated the pillar as if he had received a great favor and moved to a different place


    When the eccentric saw this, his face held a trace of mockery. After raising his head and looking around, his body suddenly blurred before reappearing on a jade pillar.


    As chance would have it, the jade pillar happened to be Han Li¡¯s.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression turned to shock.


    ¡°Get lost. This place is mine.¡± Just as the eccentric appeared on the pillar, he icily spoke to Han Li with a cold stare.


    Han Li¡¯s expression abruptly turned unsightly, and he involuntarily clenched his sleeved fists with force. He stayed silent, thinking of forcefully staying a moment. But he soon jumped off the jade pillar, followed by the wild laughter of the eccentric.


    Han Li¡¯s face was covered in an icy frost. Although it was extremely embarrassing, he could only endure it for the time being.


    After all, the hall¡¯s restrictions may be able to prevent cultivators from acting, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether or not these restrictions had as large of an influence on a Nascent Soul cultivator. He didn¡¯t wish to put his life at risk by allowing himself to be overwhelmed with emotion.


    Suppressing a bellyful of grievances, he found a clean spot on the floor and sat down. The old Confucian scholar asked the eccentric with a beaming smile, ¡°Brother Man arrived quite late. I had believed that Brother Man had changed his mind. Did you not intend to come?¡±


    ¡°How could that be possible? I had come to the Heavenvoid Hall in hopes of refining life lengthening pills! It was just that a few matters along the way had delayed me. As for Wan Tianming¡¯s arrival, I was quite amazed. Could it be that he knew that the life extending fruit had ripened and also wanted to pick a few of them?¡± The eccentric stroked his yellow beard and spoke with slight doubt.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. However, there are countless other exceptional treasures in the Heavenvoid Hall. Who knows what he came here for?¡± The old Confucian scholar spoke with doubt.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin seemed to have thought of something and worryingly said, ¡°Wan Tianming is among the top leading figures of the Righteous Dao. Does he intend to strive for the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡±


    ¡°Heavenvoid Cauldron? That¡¯s impossible! If that item were so easily obtained, it would¡¯ve long been taken away by other cultivators before they ever got the chance.¡± Without waiting for Man Huzi[4. His name Âùºú×Ó Man Huzi could translate to Rough/Barbaric/Tyrannical Beard.] to reply, the old Confucian scholar shook his head like a rattle drum.


    ED: Han Li agreed as the main character of the story had only just arrived, so how could the macguffin have already been taken?


    Naturally.

 Chapter 435

    The Heavenvoid Cauldron and the Heavenmend Pill


    ¡°That might not be certain. I heard that the disciples of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment have spent the past few years searching for Gold Thread Silkworms. But information regarding their search suddenly stopped, possibly from having found them. With the assistance of these exotic insects, it is quite possible for the master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin frowned and unconsciously looked at Wan Tianming and the others with great worry.


    The three Righteous Dao Nascent Soul cultivators were currently sitting down cross-legged on a single pillar as if they had no intention of speaking.


    ¡°Humph! Not only is it possible that Wan Tianming possesses Gold Thread Silkworms, I¡¯ve heard that you, Zenith Yin, have acquired two mutant fire pythons from Li Fire Island. Your ambitions for this trip are also quite large!¡± Man Huzi shot Grandmaster Zenith Yin a glance and spoke without restraint. He appeared somewhat disdainful of Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s stealthy actions.


    When Grandmaster Zenith Yin heard this, his expression abruptly changed several times before he recovered his calm. However, he was profusely cursing in his heart. There was no question that his own confidants had divulged this information since it had been heard by Man Huzi.


    It seems that in addition to acquiring the life prolonging fruit, Man Huzi wished to keep watch on Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s actions along the way.


    Despite feeling annoyed, Grandmaster Zenith Yin spoke with a blank face, ¡°It seems my ineptitude has attracted your ridicule. I have truly acquired two mutant fire pythons, but their skills are shallow. As their odds of success are low, I require Brother Man¡¯s and Brother Qing¡¯s assistance.¡±


    The old Confucian scholar¡¯s heart stirred and he hesitantly asked, ¡°Assist you? Do we get any benefits?¡±


    When Grandmaster Zenith Yin heard this, he revealed a slight smile, choosing to continue with voice transmission rather than speaking, ¡°According to the information left behind by the Heavenvoid Hall¡¯s master, there are several top grade desolate antiquities left behind from ancient times. Their power should undoubtedly be unmatched. Apart from the Heavenvoid Cauldron and a Heavenmend Pill, how about we evenly split the other items?¡±


    The old Confucian scholar¡¯s face flashed with greed, but after some consideration, he took a look at Man Huzi before replying with a voice transmission, ¡°I have no problem with this, but it will depend on Brother Man. After all, without Brother Man to pin down Wan Tianming, I wouldn¡¯t be able to brave the risk.¡±


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin wasn¡¯t surprised to hear this. He knew that this old Confucian by the name of Layman Qing Yi[1. His specific title is Householder.] was truly an old schemer. If he didn¡¯t draw in Man Huzi, this matter would have no chance of success.


    Thus, Grandmaster Zenith Yin turned his head to Man Huzi passed on his conditions to Man Huzi with a voice transmission, ¡°Brother Man, what do you think of my proposal? Are you interested in cooperating? After all, Brother Man should clearly understand that I have no need for the Heavenmend Pill. It serves no other purpose I can think of apart from making up for the deficiency of five elements spiritual roots. Perhaps if Brother Man takes it, his cultivation will greatly progress and he¡¯ll be able to breakthrough the limits of his lifespan!¡±


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin seemed not to mind the unsightly expression he had just shown and spoke excitedly.


    ¡°Humph! From your plan to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron with two fire serpents, I see that your mind is muddled! An unknown number of Nascent Cultivators have already scoured these halls, but they all returned with disappointment. Do you believe that your plan is so likely to be successful that is it worth braving these great dangers? The danger of the inner halls is far greater than the outer halls. Even if we go in as Nascent Soul cultivators, there is no guarantee we will come out unscathed. Every successive opening of the Heavenvoid Hall doesn¡¯t end with only one or two Nascent Soul cultivators disappearing.¡± Man Huzi snorted and spoke with derision.


    ¡°Brother Man need not worry about this. Just let me ask, if Wan Tianming truly strived for the Heavenvoid Cauldron wouldn¡¯t Brother Man want to go and watch it?¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin calmly asked.


    Man Huzi¡¯s cold smile gradually disappeared after he heard Zenith Yin¡¯s question.


    He narrowed his eyes and a cold glint flashed through his eyes before he slowly said, ¡°If Wan Tianming truly wishes to brave the inner halls then I will travel with you without question. Even if our Devil Dao is incapable of obtaining the Heavenvoid Cauldron, we cannot allow it to fall into the hands of the Righteous Dao.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s good. So long as Brother Man lends a hand when the time comes, my previous proposal will obviously hold. Naturally, if Lady Wen is willing to lend her assistance, she is more than welcome.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin glanced at the beautiful woman with a slight smile.


    ¡°My purpose in coming here is to pick some spiritual herbs. The inner halls are too dangerous, so I will not be going.¡±The beautiful woman surnamed Wen didn¡¯t bother to hear out his conditions and coldly declined.


    A trace of disappointment flashed from Zenith Yin¡¯s eyes.


    Although the beautiful woman was only at early Nascent Soul stage, her lord husband the Archsaint of the Six Paths was a towering, peerless figure amongst those that tread the Devil Dao. As he was unwilling to act shamefully in front of Man Huzi, he couldn¡¯t persistently ask her and could only wallow in his impotence.


    However, he naturally didn¡¯t dare to force the woman along. All he could do was smile and drop the matter. After all, their group of three wasn¡¯t at a disadvantage against the Righteous Dao, and he was unwilling to offend the woman.


    After the Devil Dao finished their discussions, Wan Tianming and the other two Righteous Dao cultivators continued openly meditating in silence. It was unknown whether they had finished their plans or if they had prepared countermeasures.


    Han Li saw all of this while he was sitting in a corner.


    Although he was quite far away and the majority of their speech was in sound transmissions, he could faintly guess from their occasionally malicious glances towards the Righteous Dao. They were likely discussing how to deal with the Sect Master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment and the others, much to Han Li¡¯s delight.


    So long as the Nascent Soul cultivators were focused on each other, he could take advantage of the ensuing chaos to further ensure his safety. Best of all, Grandmaster Zenith Yin wouldn¡¯t be capable of attending to him!


    As Han Li was thinking of what could possibly further increase the chaos, two white clothed old men appeared at the entrance of the hall. Their hair was silver, and their jackets were fluttering about, the exact image one would imagine of an Immortal.


    As soon as the many cultivators saw the two and recognized them, their gazes revealed respect.


    Their appearance had brought relief to a large portion of the cultivators in the room! As for the old eccentrics of the Devilish and Righteous Daos, they all revealed complicated expressions, containing envy, loathing, and even helplessness.


    The old man with the friendlier appearance of the two smiled under the cultivators¡¯ many gazes and kindly said, ¡°The reason why our two sages didn¡¯t preside over this treasure hunt at the Heavenvoid Hall is because they are still in seclusion. Us two enforcement elders will be supervising this grand occasion on behalf of the Star Palace in their place.¡±


    ¡°The rules of this treasure hunt shall be the same as all the others. Those who casually bully the weak or kill others to seize their treasures will be stopped by us, and will be hunted down by our Star Palace. However, our supervision will be limited to the outer halls. We will neither enter the inner halls or be involved with any matters that take place there. Thus, if anyone feels uncertain, do not enter the inner halls . In addition, we will not assist any fellow Daoists with the dangers in the Heavenvoid Halls and will not bat an eye if you perish to them. With this, everyone should understand our intentions.¡±


    With that said, the white-clothed old man quickly swept their gazes past everyone in the hall like lightning. When the others felt their gaze upon them, they each turned their head away, but when Wan Tianming and Man Huzi felt their gaze sweep past them, they directly returned their gaze.


    The white-clothed old man were initially startled before frowning. They couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Why have these two eccentrics arrived? It seems that a bit of trouble is stirring.¡±


    The cold-faced old man at his side also had a change of expression, but after a sneer, his expression returned to normal.


    Soon after, these two enforcement elders of the Star Palace sat down cross-legged at the sides of the entrance, not paying any attention to the uproar that had been caused by their words.


    All of the other Core Formation cultivators had greatly varying expressions ranging from worry to joy.


    When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but find this odd. What did the Star Palace hope to gain by acting so benevolently? Could this be a display of the Star Palace¡¯s authority?


    At that moment, he heard the voice of the Bone Sage, ¡°Youngster, be careful. The Star Palace aren¡¯t flawlessly virtuous. To the best of my knowledge, when either the Devil Dao or the Righteous Dao obtains too much influence, the Star Palace would suppress the respective offender, denying either of the two sides from gaining too much power. In addition, every time the Heavenvoid Halls opens, quite a number of Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators die from mysterious causes, possibly from the machinations of the Star Palace. Although you don¡¯t belong to the Righteous or Devil Dao, you had best watch yourself. I don¡¯t wish for my plans to fail merely because I couldn¡¯t find another suitable partner.¡±


    Although the Bone Sage¡¯s voice was indifferent, his words stirred great alarm in Han Li.


    Well, everyone technically is the MC of their own story.

 Chapter 436

    Another Encounter with Fairy Violet Spirit


    Without even the slightest deliberation, Han Li was completely certain that what the Bone Sage had said was true.


    After all, for the Star Palace to tower over the Scattered Seas for so many years, they must¡¯ve resorted to using at least a few tricks. They certainly hadn¡¯t come to supervise the Heavenvoid Hall today for an empty reason. They most likely held their own plans.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s eyes coldly glinted. Although he didn¡¯t reply to the Bone Sage, he immediately became increasingly vigilant of the two white-clothed elders.


    In the following moments, the two white-clothed old men sat still and sank into a state of Qi Refinement. Their eyes remained closed, and they didn¡¯t speak another word.


    This strange atmosphere continued for three days. However, only four new cultivators arrived during that time. None of them were Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Then, a sudden change occurred on the morning of the fourth day. A series of booms echoed throughout the hall. Without any warning, a white jade stone door descended, sealing off the entire hall.


    The gate was covered in a layer of white mist, an obvious indication of its formidable restrictions. Soon, there was a faint boom of palace gates closing from a distance far away.


    A few cultivators in the hall couldn¡¯t help but express alarm. But after discovering that the Nascent Soul cultivators appeared calm, they felt relieved.


    At that moment, the two white-clothed elders from the Star Palace calmly opened their eyes and stood up.


    Suddenly, the other cultivators in the hall gazed at them with either confusion or realization. As for the Nascent Soul cultivators, they expressionlessly gazed at the two¡¯s actions in silence.


    The two calmly calmly walked towards the front of the hall.


    But before they arrived, the end of the hall lightly trembled to soon reveal several stone slabs releasing a dazzling white radiance. Under everyone¡¯s amazed gazes, a three meter wide transportation formation had suddenly appeared.


    Those among the many cultivators that had yet to see a transportation formation were awed at its appearance, leaving many arrogant cultivators in amazement.


    The two white-clothed elders walked to the front of the transportation formation and bowed over it before carefully examining it.


    A while later, the two glanced at each other and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, there are no problems with this transportation formation. You will arrive at the outer halls of the Heavenvoid Halls through this. Conduct yourselves well.¡± With that said, the white-clothed old men stepped into the transportation formation. With two flashes of white light, they disappeared without a trace.


    Afterwards, the other cultivators in the hall unconsciously looked at each other in dismay.


    But without waiting to see anyones reaction, Wan Tianming dropped down from the jade pillar with the old Daoist and the dark, thin old man, walking into the transportation formation without hesitation, disappearing with three flashes of white light.


    By the time the others reacted, those that were relatively closeby rushed forwards.


    Suddenly, the transportation formation started flashing without end. In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the cultivators in the hall had disappeared. The Sage of Bones suddenly stepped forward from the crowd.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with a strange expression. He unconsciously turned his gaze towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin to discover that Grandmaster Zenith Yin was looking at him with an unknown intent. Greatly frightened, Han Li hastily turned his gaze way with great unrest in his heart.


    It seemed that Grandmaster Zenith Yin wasn¡¯t about to let him go!


    In his gloom, Han Li bluntly stood up and walked forward.


    When Grandmaster Zenith Yin saw Han Li¡¯s actions, his mouth formed a strange sneer. This caused the nearby Wu Chou to break his silence, unable to restrain himself from asking, ¡°Venerable Ancestor, you seemed to be greatly interested in that youngster. Is there something strange about him?¡±


    Wu Chou felt truly curious.


    ¡°That person will prove extremely useful to me. I merely require a bit of his aid.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin shook his head and spoke indifferently as if he was unwilling to inform Wu Chou.


    Wu Chou, who had always received Zenith Yin¡¯s favor, felt quite puzzled.


    At that moment, the Confucian-robed ¡°Layman Qing Yi¡± lightly coughed and slowly said, ¡°We should set off. There aren¡¯t many people left in the hall.¡±


    Zenith Yin paused for a moment before sweeping his gaze past the few cultivators left in the hall. He replied with a faint smile, ¡°Naturally. If we don¡¯t leave soon, the transportation formation will disappear. It will only reappear again a month from now.¡±


    With that said, Zenith Yin turned into a black cloud and carried off Wu Chou with him.


    When Layman Qing Yi and Man Huzi saw this, they leisurely flew off the jade pillar.


    As for the beautiful woman, she had already jumped off. It appeared that she had no intention of mingling among their group.


    ¡­


    Once Han Li entered the transportation formation, he immediately appeared above a small, barren hill. After looking around, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. He only saw two men and woman not far away from him. There was no trace of any of the other cultivators.


    When the female cultivator caught sight of Han Li, she revealed pleasant surprise.


    Fairy Violet Spirit walked over to Han Li with a beaming smile. The male cultivator she was travelling with was transported to an unknown location. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but bitterly laugh at his terrible luck for having trouble placed on him.


    As for the other two, one was a grey-clothed old man while the other was a masked man covered in black robes.


    The old man plainly stood by while a dark green mist spiralled around the black-robed man¡¯s body. It appeared the masked man was a Devil Dao cultivator. The two stood apart as if they found each other unpleasant to the eye.


    Fairy Violet Spirit was now walking towards Han Li. This naturally aroused the two¡¯s attention and they couldn¡¯t help but size up Han Li.


    The old man¡¯s gaze was friendly and he gave Han Li a kind smile. As for the black-robed man, his gaze was ice-cold and didn¡¯t hold the slightest emotion.


    Han Li calmly returned their gaze without the slightest change in expression.


    At that moment, Fairy Violet Spirit had already arrived in front of Han Li. She said with a slight smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to arrive together with Senior Han. It seems I will have to trouble Elder Han to watch over me for a bit. Otherwise, it would prove quite difficult for me to pass through this trial by myself.¡±


    With that said, Fairy Violet Spirit closed her lips, appearing somewhat embarrassed.


    Han Li frowned and didn¡¯t immediately reply. After a moment of thought, he doubtfully asked, ¡°Lady Violet Spirit¡¯s cultivation has made great strides. Congratulations on reaching late Foundation Establishment. But why has Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit come to this place? This place is truly dangerous. After all, even Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to survive in the Heavenvoid Hall.¡± Although Han Li had only an inkling of knowledge about the Heavenvoid Halls, he understood the severity of the dangers that lay within.


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s question, Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s beautiful face revealed a trace of bitterness. With a helpless tone, she said, ¡°This woman also didn¡¯t wish to come here. But as you see, I am currently in False Core Stage, and I want to attempt Core Formation as soon as possible. However, my own aptitude is poor. The supplementary medicine pills I was able to gather together are pathetically few. In fact, I had to pay a great price to purchase a Heavenvoid map fragment from someone else, so I could come here to test my luck. After all, I¡¯ve heard that spiritual medicines are abundant in the Heavenvoid Hall. Perhaps the Heavens would watch over me and have me run across some spiritual medicines that hold great effects towards Core Formation. Besides, I¡¯ve already made up my mind to only attempt this first trial! I will not attempt to go through with the second!¡±


    Fairy Violent Spirit¡¯s expression then grew dim, appearing to be in low spirits.


    Han Li inwardly sighed and grew silent.


    Had he not practiced the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions Technique¡± and the ¡°Great Development Technique¡± and possessed so many medicine pills that forcefully raised his odds of Core Formation, he suspected his own chances at Core Formation would¡¯ve been even lower than Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s. With that thought, Han Li developed a feeling of empathy towards this fellow sufferer.


    After some further thought, his Heaven Lightning Bamboo had come from her despite the conditions and her Exquisite Sound Sect does send him a certain amount of spirit stones every year. Although it wasn¡¯t much, he does owe her a favor. It would be best to take advantage of this situation to repay it!


    With that in mind, Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed, and he said with an indifferent tone, ¡°Since I can travel together with Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, I can afford to offer some care. However, if I were to truly run into a helpless situation, Fairy Violet Spirit had best come up with her own plans for escape.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks to Elder Han. Violet Spirit naturally understands how things stand. I definitely won¡¯t slow down Elder Han.¡± Upon seeing Han Li agree, Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s soft beauty flourished and her eyes became radiant, stunning Han Li.


    Soon after, Han Li realized he had lost his self-control and hurriedly turned his head away. With a hot face, he didn¡¯t dare to further look at her.

 Chapter 437

    Weeping Soul Beast


    This woman wasn¡¯t a peerless beauty, but that smile of hers was ravishingly beautiful and breathtaking to behold.


    Han Li was shocked. Had his Great Development Technique reacted, Han Li would¡¯ve written it off to a superior charming technique that she had used. But to great confusion, his uncharacteristic loss of control a moment ago had been entirely natural.


    Han Li inwardly muttered to himself before taking another look at Fairy Violet Spirit. The young woman had already returned to her humble, charming appearance. Her previous dangerously enticing and breathtaking beauty had disappeared without a trace.


    As Han Li felt doubt, the grey-clothed old man walked towards him.


    ¡°This one is Mount Heaven Island¡¯s Ge Li. May I know the names of you Fellow Daoists?¡± The old man cupped his hand with great politeness and greeted the two.


    Han Li threw his doubts to the back of his mind for the time being and replied with a smile, ¡°I am Han Li. This woman is the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit.


    The old man was calm upon hearing Han Li¡¯s name. But once he heard the words, ¡®Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯ and ¡®Violet Spirit¡¯, he couldn¡¯t help but be astonished.


    ¡°This old man has long heard of the great reputation of the Exquisite Sound Sect and Fairy Violet Spirit. I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d finally be able to see your true appearance. How fortuitous!¡± Although the old man said this, his eyes contained strong doubt. It was clear that the old man was surprised by how much her appearance differed from the reputation of her great beauty.


    Fairy Violet Spirit also saw this and merely smiled in silence.


    However, the old man wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. His expression quickly returned to normal, before speaking to Han Li with a smile, ¡°Since we¡¯ve arrived here together through the transportation formation, it could be considered fate. Would it not be better to travel together and combine our strength for this journey? After all, the Vengeful Ghost Haunt won¡¯t be easy to traverse. I heard that many Core Formation cultivators have been devoured by the ghosts of this trial, leaving not even their bones behind.


    When Ge Li said that last phrase, his expression unconsciously grew serious as if he knew much about the Heavenvoid Hall.


    When Han Li heard him say ¡°Vengeful Ghost Haunt¡±, he turned his gaze towards the distance.


    About forty meters away from their small dirt cliff, he saw only an ocean of grey mist that appeared to be endless. There were gusts of evil winds blowing from the mists, faintly carrying ghostly wails and shrieks. Those that heard it felt their hearts unconsciously tremble.


    The ghost fog was firmly blocked from approaching the hill by a layer of faint white light that was surrounding it. Were this not the case, Han Li and the others would be too busy dealing with the feral ghosts and lonely souls brought by the mist to have such a leisurely chat.


    After seeing this, Han Li raised his head and looked upwards. The rolling fog seemed to conceal something, but Han Li felt some disbelief as it didn¡¯t resemble the main hall in the least. It was more like a desolate countryside.


    At that moment, Fairy Violet Spirit interjected herself into the conversation and spoke with deep worry, ¡°I also heard that this first trial, the Vengeful Ghost Haunt, was originally not that difficult. But as an increasing number of cultivators fell to the ghost fog, it has become increasingly dangerous in turn. The heavy resentment carried by those fallen cultivators has transformed them into powerful malicious souls after death. They hold great envious hate towards us cultivators who challenge the halls. They are relentless and won¡¯t stop their pursuit until their quarry is dead, resulting in many cultivators¡¯ deaths in this trial whenever the Heavenvoid Hall opens. In addition, I heard that in the previous opening of the Heavenvoid Hall, a group of cultivators in the Vengeful Ghost Haunt spotted a fully sentient ghost king. As a result, the entire group perished save for one.¡±


    ¡°Ghost king?¡± Han Li stroked his chin and revealed slight surprise.


    Although he didn¡¯t fully understand the cultivation differences amongst ghosts, he knew that ghost king ranked malicious spirits were equivalent to late Core Formation cultivators. The addition of its intelligence only made this enemy even more troublesome.


    Seeing that Han Li was still wearing a contemplative expression, Ge Li continued, ¡°Although there isn¡¯t a large chance of encountering this ghost king, it would be safer to travel together. I may be old, but I still do not wish to fall here and join the ghost fog as a malicious spirit.¡± This old man was quite blunt.


    When Fairy Violet Spirit heard this, she stayed silent. As she was very intelligent, she understood that he did not raise the proposal of cooperation because she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was directing the offer to Han Li. As such, after her interjection, she obediently stood by Han Li¡¯s side without another word.


    Han Li smiled at the old man. He didn¡¯t immediately answer him and instead turned his gaze towards the black robed man, calmly asking him, ¡°Fellow Daoist Ge isn¡¯t going to ask that brother? Is he not willing to cooperate?¡±


    When Han Li mentioned the black-robed man, Ge Li¡¯s face immediately became unsightly. But after a moment of hesitation, he resentfully snorted, ¡°Humph! Don¡¯t talk about that Devilish Daoist. When I finished my teleportation, I amiably raised the topic of cooperation with him only to be told to get lost! If this old man¡¯s temperament wasn¡¯t kindly, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have left him be.¡± The old man revealed great anger after he said this.


    Han Li remained silent and felt some interest towards this black-robed man.


    He turned his head towards the Devil Dao cultivator and shouted, ¡°Is Fellow Daoist interested in collaborating towards a common goal? If we join hands, we may stand a chance against the ghost king rank demon if we were to encounter it!¡± Han Li¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it was heard with full clarity.


    But after hearing him, he merely glanced at them with a cold expression before indifferently turning his head away, ignoring Han Li¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I didn¡¯t speak wrongly. That person doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him. Let us three set off!¡± The old man coldly snorted towards the black-robed man. It seemed he was quite insulted by the previous rejection and had taken it to heart.


    Han Li faintly smiled, but before he could say something, Fairy Violet Spirit shouted out in surprise.


    Han Li followed her gaze and saw the black-robed man step towards the ghost fog as if wanting the challenge the trial alone.


    Han LI and the other two looked on in amazement. But soon after, Ge Li sneered disdainful, ¡°This person truly wishes to bring about his own destruction! Daring to charge through the ghost fog will most likely be met with failure.¡±


    Han Li paid no notice to the old man¡¯s mocking ridicule and stared at the black-robed man¡¯s every movement with narrowed eyes. He believed that the the man wasn¡¯t suicidal, but that he held complete confidence in a particular method that he possessed.


    The black-robed man walked to the boundary between the white light barrier and the ghost fog and calmly lifted his sleeve. A ray of green light shot out and landed in front of him. It was a delicate spirit beast that appeared similar to a monkey.


    This small monkey was only about a foot tall with faintly glowing dark green fur. Most notably, its nose was bulging to an unusually large size as if it took up an entire half of its height. It appeared truly bizarre.


    Han Li was astonished by its appearance, but he didn¡¯t react. When the old man at his side saw this, he yelled with a greatly changed expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Weeping Soul! He actually had such a spirit beast. No wonder he was so arrogant.¡± The old man revealed slight shock. Fairy Violet Spirit had a similar expression upon seeing the small monkey.


    Han Li frowned and asked, ¡°Weeping Soul Beast? What kind of strange beast is it? Why have I never heard of it before?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words brought Fairy Violet Spirit back to her senses. She then hastily gave Han Li an explanation, ¡°The Weeping Soul Beast isn¡¯t a spirit beast that naturally comes into this world. It is a living being refined by a secret Devil Dao Sect from a spirit beast and a demonic soul. Although it normally doesn¡¯t have much use, it has an innate ability to consume ghosts and souls. Regardless of whether they are demonic ghosts or malicious souls, they will be absorbed with a light sniff of its nose. After being contained for a short time, it will be be refined into nothingness. They are truly formidable.¡± Fairy Violet Spirit spoke with admiration.


    ¡°However¡­¡± Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s tone changed, and she softly sighed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Han Li was annoyed by her sudden stop.


    As Ge Li gazed at the black-robed man¡¯s disappearing figure, he said with a complicated expression, ¡°However, this beast¡¯s refinement technique is possessed solely by that secret sect. This heaven disrupting evil art is bloody and has a high chance of failure. It is said that the beast appears only in times of great strife in the cultivation world.¡±


    ¡°Great strife in the cultivation world whenever it is seen?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Han Li scoffed and said, ¡°Even if the beast weren¡¯t seen, the Scattered Star Seas will experience chaos regardless. Do you really believe that this beast could bring about disaster?¡±

 Chapter 438

    Remains in the Ghost Fog


    Although Han Li walked the path of Immortality, he didn¡¯t hold the slightest belief in destiny or fate. In his view, Immortal cultivation was merely a method of pursuing eternal life. If any true immortals were to appear before him, he would show great reverence, but he wouldn¡¯t become absolutely subservient to them.


    Fairy Violet Spirit and Ge Li were stunned in response to Han Li¡¯s blunt words, before revealing embarrassment.


    To tell the truth, it wasn¡¯t only Han Li who thought this. A majority of cultivators merely treated this ¡°Weeping Soul Beast¡± as a rumor. Under these circumstances, who wouldn¡¯t directly dismiss this like Han Li did? After all, topics relating to destiny and heavenly law only existed in their heart.


    At that moment, the black-robed man had gone deeper into the ghost fog with the Weeping Soul Beast and had completely disappeared from sight.


    After glancing into the ghost fog, Han Li formed a faint smile and said, ¡°Let us go! Since there was someone willing to scout the path, we shouldn¡¯t be so disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°What does Fellow Daoist Han mean?¡± The old man Ge Li didn¡¯t seem to fully understand Han Li. Of course, he did understand what Han Li meant and would¡¯ve also done this if Han Li hadn¡¯t agreed to cooperate with him. However, he viewed the black-robed man with contempt. To now take advantage of his lead in front of the other two was truly quite a loss of face. As such, he could only assume an appearance of confusion and have Han Li take the initiative to mention it.


    When Han Li heard the old man¡¯s words, he gave him a mysterious smile. He then wordlessly look the lead and walked in the direction that the black robed man had disappeared in. Naturally, Fairy Violet Spirit closely followed after him without any hesitation.


    Ge Li was initially stunned upon seeing then. But he soon followed after them with a red face.


    Once the light grey ghost fog felt living people walk into it, it flared up as if it were alive and started rolling towards the three.


    If common mortals were to be plagued by this grey mist, their blood essence would be immediately drained, turning them into dried up corpses. In addition, their souls would then become a part of the ghost fog and they would be unable to free themselves from their fates as ghosts. However, as Han Li and the other two were cultivators, they had no fear of this trifling ghost fog.


    With flickers of radiance, each their bodies were enveloped by their own methods of protection.


    Ge Li raised his hand and released a small, fire-red umbrella. It swivelled about three meters above his head and enveloped the old man in a red beam of light. When the ghost fog touched this red light, threads of strange azure smoke were released with a puff, followed by ghostly wails. When the ghost fog saw this, it only dared to appear menacingly before the red light and no longer approached it as if it was intelligent.


    Fairy Violet Spirit released four fist-sized balls that spiralled around her body, creating a three meter wide moving boundary. The boundary was a white, sparkling square that would repel the ghost fog¡¯s slightest approach towards Fairy Violet Spirit.


    However, the most strange defensive method was Han Li¡¯s. Apart from a layer of lithe azure light emitting from his body, he didn¡¯t take out any magic tools or treasures. When the ghost fog neared Han Li¡¯s body, several arcs of light shot out without explanation, turning the mist into fading smoke.


    This strange scene astonished the other two, but neither of them were willing to take the initiative to rudely ask.


    During her musings, Fairy Violet Spirit seemed to faintly recall the Heaven Lightning Bamboo, but still felt uncertain.


    Han Li walked at the very front as if he were unaware of their attention. However, this wasn¡¯t because he sought to be some hero, but rather that the ghost fog filled the entire area. Since there would be no difference if he walked at the very back, he may as well walk at the front and get a better grasp of any incoming danger.


    As for the lightning, it was merely a result of using the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords¡¯ Qi to protect his body. By using the protective sword barrier divine ability of his Azure Essence Sword Arts, he was able to draw on his flying sword¡¯s might without releasing his magic treasures. This was a technique Han Li had only recently comprehended. With the Gold Lightning Bamboo¡¯s devilbane properties, this ghost fog posed no threat.


    Of course, Han Li didn¡¯t display the entire might of the Gold Lightning Bamboo, causing the arcs of lightning to be a faint white. As such, he didn¡¯t have to fear others recognizing the Gold Lightning Bamboo. In addition, he had also released his immensely powerful spiritual sense since he had entered the ghost fog to warn him of any lurking dangers from ghosts. After all, they couldn¡¯t see through the dense ghost fog with only their eyes.


    However, the tracks of the black-robed man were exceptionally easy to follow. He left behind a three-meter-wide trail of far thinner fog. It was so obvious, they could follow after it with their eyesight alone.


    While it was unknown whether this was caused by the black-robed man¡¯s technique or the ¡°Weeping Soul Beast¡±, Han Li didn¡¯t care in the slightest. He just didn¡¯t feel like thinking about it.


    The more ferocious this Weeping Soul Beast was, the more beneficial it was for them while following after it.


    As he expressionlessly watched his surroundings, he took careful steps forward due to the exceptionally bumpy terrain. He also felt a dampness at his feet as if the air was extremely humid.


    Thus, they continued walking for an unknown amount of time without encountering any mishaps. But as they unwittingly followed after the black-robed man in the ghost fog, the color of the ghost fog gradually turned black.


    As this went on, Han Li¡¯s expression gradually became gloomier before he started to frown.


    With a large crack, Han Li suddenly stopped and lowered his head. Fairy Violet Spirit and the old man curiously walked forward to see what had happened.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes but his expression soon returned to normal. He had merely stepped on a pile of bones. The bones were wearing clothing that was surrounded in a layer of azure light, appearing quite unordinary. At its side, there were shattered fragments of a sword. From its incisive luster, it seemed as if it still possessed a spiritual nature.


    It was a cultivator that had fallen here. A flicker of emotion shined from Han Li¡¯s eyes as he shook his head.


    With the magic treasure fragments still holding spirit so many years after their death, this cultivator must¡¯ve had an impressive cultivation. But this person¡¯s body being left unattended after death was truly vastly different than the grandeur they had held during life. It was truly pitiful! If those who tread the path of Immortality aren¡¯t careful, they would be eternally doomed to a miserable end.


    As for this cultivator¡¯s soul, it should¡¯ve become a portion of the ghost fog or turned into a malicious spirit. It would be quite difficult for it to enter the path of reincarnation.


    As Han Li lamented, he casually turned his gaze to the other two.


    Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s face had turned pale, but when she saw Han Li look at her, she forced out a smile.


    Ge Li¡¯s expression was quite odd. He gazed at the azure clothes for a long while with a creased brow before suddenly flicking his finger and throwing an egg-sized fireball at the remains. Upon contacting the remains, the fireball was extinguished with a flash.


    ¡°Sigh, it really is him!¡± Ge Li raised his head and muttered to himself with a sad expression.


    ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Ge recognize him?¡± Han Li indifferently asked as he looked at the skeleton with raised eyebrows.


    Fairy Violet Spirit also displayed great curiosity.


    ¡°This person should be Daoist Master Yu, who I had met several times before. He had entered Core Formation far earlier than I had. His Fire Repulsing Robes were refined from hundred year ice silk so common flames would have no effect on it, and it was somewhat well known. I had heard he entered the Heavenvoid Halls the last time it had opened, but he had never returned. I didn¡¯t expect that he had fallen here, unfortunate enough to not even pass the first trial!¡± Ge Li let out a long sigh.


    Han Li was silent for a while before suddenly asking a question that left the old man shocked, ¡°Was the cultivation and magic treasure of Daoist Master Yu far greater than yours?¡±


    Ge Li seemed to understand what Han Li meant and twirled his beard for a moment before speaking with certainty, ¡°Although Daoist Master Yu was an early Core Formation cultivator such as myself, at the time it was said he was about to breakthrough to mid Core Formation. As such, his magic power should be far greater than my own. In addition, he possessed rarely seen ice attribute mutated spiritual roots. His ice cultivation arts should be far superior to my own. As for his magic treasure, I hadn¡¯t seen it used in a fight so I have no way of knowing, but it shouldn¡¯t have been any weaker than mine.¡± As the old man spoke, his expression became increasingly unsightly.


    ¡°Since its like that, then there must be a formidable enemy nearby. I had originally felt it quite odd that since we¡¯ve followed the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s path, we hadn¡¯t encountered any ghosts or malicious spirits apart from the ghost fog. It seems that we can¡¯t expect the black-robed man to always clear the way on our behalf.¡± Han Li said with a solemn expression.

 Chapter 439

    Ghost King (1)


    When Fairy Violet Spirit heard Han Li, her face paled in an instant.


    The old man looked at the white bones in silence with shifting eyes. It was unknown what he was thinking about.


    Han Li looked around and indifferently concluded, ¡°Since a cultivator on the verge of mid Core Formation had fallen here, a fierce ghost with fearsome cultivation is certain to be nearby. Are Lady Violet Spirit and Fellow Daoist Ge prepared for the possibility of falling here? If you two turn back now, you won¡¯t have to brave this danger. I¡¯m going either way, with or without you!¡±


    When the two heard Han Li¡¯s calm voice, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    A while later, Fairy Violet Spirit came to a decision after some thought and resolutely said, ¡°Senior Han! Even if I were to fall and become a ghost, I cannot return unless I have a way to reach Core Formation.¡± Her voice revealed great determination.


    When Han Li heard this, he mentally sighed with reluctant acceptance and turned to look at the old man.


    Ge Li¡¯s expression was continuously changing.


    After a long while, he dejectedly said, ¡°I came here in hopes of acquiring a few life extending fruits, but I don¡¯t wish to risk my life to acquire them. Since the danger is great, this old man will have to turn back. After all, peacefully dying in meditation would be far better than spending eternity as a ghost.


    After that was said, the old man revealed a trace of shame. Soon after, he cupped his hands to the two and turned back without hesitation.


    Han Li expressionlessly gazed in the direction that the old man disappeared in and remained silent for a long while.


    Fairy Violet Spirit appeared disappointed. With one less Core Formation cultivator in her party, the ghost mist had become far more dangerous.


    ¡°Elder Han, should we not continue?¡± Fairy Violet looked at the dense fog around her and spoke to Han Li with a force smiled. Although her previous words were resolute, she had no idea whether or not she had made the correct choice. Her mind was now perturbed.


    ¡°Yea.¡± With a flat agreement, he lowered his head to look at the skeleton.


    With a swipe of his hand, the Fire Repulsing Robes disappeared into his storage pouch.


    Fairy Violet Spirit revealed a trace of amazement and was about to say something. But after some further thought, she decided to remain silent. Han Li¡¯s following actions surprised the woman even more.


    Han Li flicked his finger and released a ray of azure swordlight, striking open a three meter large hole into the nearby ground. Then with a sweep of his sleeve, the bones and the magic treasure fragments fell into the hole before being buried.


    Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s expression became quite odd upon seeing this.


    Han Li suddenly turned his head to look at her and calmly asked, ¡°Are my actions strange?¡±


    After some hesitation, she truthfully said, ¡°Somewhat.¡±


    Han Li gently smiled and unhurriedly said, ¡°I buried him merely because I felt that as a fellow cultivator, there will come a time where I will unknowingly fall and become a pile of bones. Since I¡¯ve come across someone else¡¯s, I may as well lend a hand. I hope that when I fall to misfortune, there will also be someone that will come across my body and bury me. As for his refined robes, the dead have no use for such objects. It would be far too great a pity if they were to be buried. I may as well regard them as compensation for burying the body!¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s amazement faded away before she started to murmur to herself.


    At that moment, Han Li started to continue his path forward.


    When Fairy Violet Spirit saw this, she looked at the new burial mound and sighed before slowly following after him.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, how much do you know about the history of the Heavenvoid hall? Could you tell me about it?¡± As Han Li had waited for her, they were now leisurely walking side by side.


    She felt a slightly complicated emotion from seeing Han Li¡¯s calm expression. He was only an early Core formation cultivator yet he still appeared so calm in such a dangerous area. How truly unexpected. However, this had also greatly calmed her heart as she felt that Han Li could be relied upon.


    Han Li¡¯s question had startled her for a moment before she obediently replied, ¡°The Heavenvoid Hall has existed in the Scattered Star Seas for countless years. It is only known to open every three hundred years. It will randomly descend at some remote, deserted location in the Scattered Star Seas and is filled with many treasures. Regardless of whether it be spirit medicines, cultivation techniques, or ancient treasures, all can be found here as a result of cultivators from the desolate era building this mysterious hall for unknown reasons. Thus, whenever the hall is opened, many high grade cultivators would come here in search of treasures.¡±


    ¡°However, the Heavenvoid Hall¡¯s mechanisms are densely layered in formation spells. As one grows closer to the core of the inner halls, the more treasures one encounters but the greater the danger. It is said that the items in the inner hall are the Heavenvoid Hall¡¯s true treasures. However, to come across them, one must pass through three great trials. Otherwise, there will be no chance of arriving there. Apart from Nascent Soul cultivators, only a small number of fortunate cultivators are able to pass through without injury. As a result, the inner halls have become a great mystery towards ordinary cultivators.


    As Fairy Violet Spirit spoke with her beautiful voice, she carefully watched Han Li¡¯s expression. However, she was slightly disappointed to see that Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, causing her to feel that Han Li was somewhat unfathomable.


    ¡°While the Heavenvoid Hall has many treasures, shouldn¡¯t there be fewer with each opening?¡± Han Li indifferently asked.


    ¡°That is quite unclear, but the Heavenvoid Hall is opened for only a finite time. Each of its treasures conceal countless secrets. Not a single treasure is a simple item, and their numbers remain many! It is said that anyone that acquires one or two treasures from here are considered quite fortunate. Normally, cultivators end up only picking a few common spiritual herbs. It depends quite a bit on one¡¯s own luck. If there were not the case, the inner halls would¡¯ve long been swept clean by Nascent Soul cultivators.¡± Fairy Violet Spirit spoke with uncertainty.


    Han Li nodded with a stirred expression and remained silent. He slightly hastened his steps.


    The two continued to follow the black-robed man¡¯s trail. After walking for the time it took to finish a meal, nothing strange had occurred. Fairy Violet Spirit had somewhat relaxed as a result. She had come to think that these malicious spirits had traveled a different path than their own, resulting in a lack of encounters.


    As these thoughts bloomed in Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s mind, Han Li frowned, and he came to an abrupt stop.


    Fairy Violet Spirit was suddenly alarmed and also stood still. She asked with worry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Soon after, she swept her spiritual sense past the nearby area, but she found nothing.


    With a strange expression flickering through his eyes, Han Li coldly said, ¡°That black-robed man encountered the demon ghost. They are currently fighting.¡±


    After some hesitation, Fairy Violet Spirit said, ¡°What will we do? Should we go help, or should we take advantage of the opportunity and slip past them?¡±


    Han Li looked at the woman and knew that she most likely preferred the latter choice, wanting to slip past them. This choice couldn¡¯t be considered incorrect. If they weren¡¯t in the middle of the ghost mist, Han Li would¡¯ve done the same without a second thought.


    But now¡­.


    Han Li shook his head and sighed before walking forward in large strides.


    When Fairy Violet Fairy saw this, she was stunned for a moment. After some slight consideration, she decided to follow after him.


    As she followed a hundred meters behind him, she faintly heard the sounds of explosions caused from magic techniques and soft sobs. The voice seemed to be that of a woman. Her voice was muffled, shrieking, and seemed to be on the verge of breaking, causing those who heard it to feel extremely on edge and restless.


    Although she could only faintly hear it, she felt anxious and greatly desired to run away. Fairy Violet Spirit was startled to have felt this and used a technique to stabilize her primal soul before daring to wipe away the cold sweat on her chin and raise her head.


    By the time she looked up, she could no longer see Han Li.


    Fairy Violet Spirit hesitated for a moment before clenching her teeth and walked forward with a solemn expression. After travelling for a short distance, she unexpectedly caught sight of Han Li¡¯s solemn silhouette standing still with his hands behind his back.


    The woman felt delighted and hastily ran over to him. But before she neared him, she suddenly heard a loud ghostly sob that left her dazed. Her limbs began frantically waving around without any control.


    The woman¡¯s terror drained the blood from her face!

 Chapter 440

    Ghost King (2)


    ¡°Ghostly Soul Snare!¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit instantly recognized the ghost technique she was suffering from.


    This magic technique was innate to high grade demon ghosts and was used to attack weaker enemies. Enemies of lower cultivation would have their blood run rampant, and they would madly dance about without any control of their limbs. What a fearsome damaging Yin ghost technique!


    When she had originally heard the sound, she had regarded it as a common ghost¡¯s howl and was now paying the price. Fairy Violet Spirit felt terrified upon seeing her body wildly flitter towards the ghost¡¯s sobs.


    ¡°Tai!¡± At that moment, she heard a man¡¯s voice. Although the voice wasn¡¯t loud, she felt her heart and soul tremble, causing her to collapse onto the floor with weakened legs.


    She soon discovered with delight that she had regained control of her body. Her heart relaxed and she looked in front of her with a grateful expression where Han Li, the source of the voice, stood.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit! Use your cultivation to guard your mind! You were careless, but you cannot allow the ghost wail to take advantage of your distraction.¡± The woman heard Han Li¡¯s calm voice in her ear.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Fairy Violet Spirit blushed and softly replied. She then stood from the floor with slight embarrassment and walked towards Han Li with a guarded mind.


    When she arrived behind Han Li, she unexpectedly discovered that Han Li stood motionlessly in place and was staring forwards. She followed Han Li¡¯s gaze to witness a scene that tensed her heart.


    In the ghost mist not far away, a thick black fog roiled without end. Flashes of red and green light would occasionally shine through along with sounds of muffled explosions along with the ghost sobs that had embarrassed her.


    Within the black fog, the black-robed devilish cultivator was controlling a strange, fire-red hammer that spouted out countless blue flames. The flames were currently fighting against an indistinct ghostly shadow. The ghostly shadow was surrounded in fog and was controlling a thumb-sized green pearl that released a pitch-black, profound Yin Qi. The black-robed man was trapped within the green pearl¡¯s black Qi and appeared to be at a great disadvantage.


    As for the Weeping Soul Beast that was capable of consuming souls and beasts, it was tangling with two ghostly silhouettes covered in green fur.


    Apart from their pointed heads and the several-inch-long white bone prongs held in each of their hands, they appeared exactly the same as ordinary green furred jiangshi[1.The chinese hybrid of a vampire and a zombie. It was normally described to move by hopping]. At that moment, their white bone prongs spouted out a stream of green flame wisps towards the Weeping Soul Beast.


    In response, the Weeping Soul Beast spurt out a yellow glowing light from its nose that violently collided with the flame wisps. After being wrapped by its glow, the wisps of flame were completely absorbed into its nose.


    At first glance, the Weeping Soul Beast had the advantage because the green furred monsters were merely attacking from a distance with the flame wisps and they didn¡¯t dare to approach the beast as if they were fearful of its yellow glowing light. But in reality, the Weeping Soul Beast was being tied down by the monsters and was unable to assist the black-robed man.


    ¡°Nightfiend Ghosts!¡± Upon seeing the two green furred monsters, Fairy Violet Spirit took a breath of cold air.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. Without turning his head around, he asked, ¡°What? Does Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit recognize what those are?¡±


    ¡°It should be correct. Although this is the first time I¡¯ve seen them, they appear exactly the same as described. They are a particularly rare type of Jiangshi that are able to travel underneath the sun. It is no wonder they dare to brave the Weeping Ghost Beast¡¯s power. As they have physical bodies, they are able to suppress the beast so long as they distance themselves from the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s soul absorbing light. After all, the Weeping Soul Beast seems lacking in skills. It probably doesn¡¯t have anything apart from its soul absorbing light.¡±


    After Han Li heard this, his face displayed no abnormalities, but he let out a long mental sigh. This woman¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t high, but her knowledge was far greater than that of a rogue cultivator like himself. Despite having read through many records during his days at Yellow Maple Valley, he didn¡¯t possess the qualifications to read through the truly valuable secret information as his cultivation was too low.


    As for when he arrived in the Scattered Star Seas, he had purchased many records but the information hadn¡¯t filtered or organized by a sect. If the records weren¡¯t duplicates, then they missed a great amount of information. He normally wouldn¡¯t look at them. But during this crucial moment, his own knowledge was shown to be lacking. If he made it out of here alive, it seemed he would have to pay a visit to the Exquisite Sound Sect and look through their records. It was unlikely they would reject an Elder of their own sect!


    As Han Li thought this, a change had occurred. The blue flames of the fire-red hammer had been completely enveloped by the black Qi of the ghost shadow¡¯s green pearl. Seeing that his own flames had been extinguished, the black-robed man revealed furious alarm in the face of imminent crisis.


    He had believed that by relying on the might of the Weeping Soul Beast that he¡¯d able able to easily charge through this first trial, the Vengeful Ghost Haunt. As a result, he had refused the others¡¯ invitations. But he hadn¡¯t expect to come across a profound malicious spirit with such skill and had comprehended all sorts of attrition techniques. It had even taken advantage of a moment of carelessness to separate him from his Weeping Soul Beast, leaving him in a dangerous position.


    Unfortunately, apart from being able to refine a Weeping Soul Beast and comprehending a few peculiar techniques, the disciples of his sect possessed no outstanding abilities for confronting enemies. He could only stare on helplessly as he watched the splendor and might of his devilfire hammer weaken along with his will.


    Once he thought of the fearful consequences of falling in this place, the black-robed man¡¯s heart grew ice-cold, and he became stricken with panic.


    At that moment, Han Li hurriedly approached as if he were going to seize this opportunity to save the black-robed man¡¯s life. However, the proud black-robed man¡¯s delight soon turned into an anger so intense that he could spit out blood.


    When Han Li saw that he would also be placed in a dangerous situation, he didn¡¯t have any intention of helping. Instead, he watched their battle from a distance with great indifference. The black-robed man couldn¡¯t help but grind his teeth from the deep hatred he felt towards Han Li during that moment.


    Soon after, Fairy Violet Spirit had rushed over. As she watched the black-robed man bitterly fight against the ghost demon, Fairy Violet Spirit was flabbergasted as to why Han Li wasn¡¯t assisting him. Could it be because of the black-robed man¡¯s earlier attitude that he deliberately wanted to watch him die?


    Since she felt that Han Li wasn¡¯t such a short-sighted man, she became increasingly puzzled. Because Han Li had just saved her life, she found it improper to voice any of her suspicions and could only silently watch the black-robed man fight the ghost shadow.


    But at that moment, the black-robed man was unable to further endure. His flying hammer was engulfed in the Yin Qi, completely extinguishing its devil flame and leaving it firmly trapped in mid-air. The black ghost shadow shrieked and transformed into a black streak of light before shooting towards the black-robed man¡¯s heart.


    Although the devilish cultivator¡¯s expression were hidden by his clothes, it appeared as if he was standing still and waiting for his death with eyes closed.


    The black-robed man clearly understood that although his body¡¯s exterior was protected by defensive magic techniques, it would prove to be little more than paper to the malicious soul. His hammer could block it, but it had already been seized by the enemy, and his remaining protections could be easily broken though. Now, all he could do was wait for his death.


    During this time of crisis, Han Li, who had been indifferently watching from the side, suddenly acted without the slightest warning.


    With a wave of his hand, five streaks of slender azure sword Qi shot out, arriving at the black shadow¡¯s vitals in the blink of an eye.


    If the black shadow were to ignore them and solely focus on killing the black-robed man, it would succeed. But in turn, its crystal core had a high likelihood of being shattered by the streaks of sword Qi.


    The black shadow naturally didn¡¯t follow through with such a disadvantageous action. Its body blurred several times before returning to its original location. Its eyes stared at Han Li with an intense green radiance without the slightest glimmer of emotion.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered with a strange light upon seeing this. With a flip of his hand, he took out a small, exquisite spirit beast pouch.


    He didn¡¯t immediately release the pouch. With his other hand, he shot over ten azure lights towards the two green-furred nightfiends.


    The two ghosts had quick reflexes. Having seen that Han Li launched a surprise attack at them, their bodies blurred several times, fading away into two wisps of smoke. A short moment later, they reappeared at the ghost shadow¡¯s side. They vengefully bared their fangs at Han Li, revealing their mouths full of sharp, black and yellow teeth.


    Taking advantage of the ghost shadow¡¯s shift in attention, the black robed cultivator gambled the entirety of his magic power to seize back control of his magic treasure. In the next instant, he felt great delight and had it fly back towards him in a streak of red-light.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s face froze and he loudly shouted, ¡°Careful! There are other ghosts!¡±


    The black-robed man was startled. In that very moment, a nearly incorporeal grey silhouette shot out from the other side of the ghost mist, arriving in front of the black-robed man in an instant.


    The black-robed man¡¯s eyes were filled with fear. It was too late for him to dodge!

 Chapter 441

    Ghost King (3)


    When the grey silhouette was about to pierce through the black-robed man¡¯s body, a brilliant white radiance flashed between them. The grey shadow quickly withdrew with a shout as if it were greatly afraid of the white light.


    The black-robed man whose life was spared remained stunned for a short moment before feeling delighted surprise. He instantly turned his gaze towards a flashing red light that appeared by Han Li¡¯s side.


    Han Li looked at the black-robed man with amazement. He had clearly seen a white light flicker like the blur of a huge diving bird, scaring off the grey shadow. Han Li was quite curious about it.


    The black-robed man still appeared unsightly. As he had just narrowly escaped death, he still felt great lingering fear. He felt great regret at having ignored the words of others and so rashly came to the Heavenvoid Hall.


    But when he thought of the white light that had just saved him, he seemed to have thought of something and hastily reached into his robes, taking out a copper mirror stained from age.


    Han Li glanced at the item with marvel.


    The shape of the mirror was peculiar, and its spiritual Qi was concealed, could it be an ancient treasure?


    As Han Li pondered this, he heard an abrupt shatter.


    The ancient mirror had split into eight pieces without the slightest warning. The spiritual Qi that it contained scattered without a trace, turning it into mere scraps.


    When the black-robed man saw this, his eyes were filled with regret. He sighed and put away the shattered copper mirror.


    He then raised his head and watched as Han Li approached. He couldn¡¯t help but recall how Han Li had deliberately refused to aid him at the beginning and coldly snorted before turning his gaze once more.


    The black-robed man¡¯s actions stunned Han Li. But soon after, he seemed to have realized something and silently smiled with understanding before turning his gaze towards the ghosts.


    Fairy Violet Spirit also looked at the black-robed man and revealed a thoughtful expression.


    At that moment, the Weeping Soul Beast had already rushed over to them. It climbed up on the black-robed man¡¯s shoulder and motionlessly sat there. It appeared quite clever.


    The grey ghost shadow reappeared at the side of the black ghost shadow. With many poofs, eight identically shaped demon ghosts appeared from around the mist.


    Han Li recognized these ghosts from a glance. They were fierce ghosts known as Weiwu.


    Normally, whenever one appeared, it would cause a great uproar. An unexpected sighting of such a large group of them caused Han Li¡¯s expression to sink.


    They were horned and sharply clawed. Although they were far inferior to those ghost shadows, they were still superior to late Foundation Establishment cultivators. They were slowly crouching forward towards them with cold gazes and were surrounding the three cultivators.


    From this, Han Li knew that a hard fought battle was unavoidable. He bluntly gave his commands, ¡°You two deal with the Weiwu Ghosts. I will go and deal with the two ghost shadows. Delay them!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was deep and solemn. Although the black-robed man felt resentment towards Han Li, he also knew that the situation was grave and could only begrudgingly follow Han Li¡¯s orders.


    After all, he already recognized that he was unable to combat the two ghost shadows. Han Li taking the initiative to confront them was exactly what he had wanted.


    The vicious ghosts revealed an ominous gaze. When Han Li saw this, he instantly released the Spirit Beast Pouch that he held in his hand. A glistening cloud of gold and silver light suddenly appeared in midair.


    At that moment, the demon ghosts seemed to have received an order and viciously pounced at the three while breathing out wisps of black flame. Without any hesitation, the black-robed man and Fairy Violet Spirit released their magic treasures and tools to block them.


    The Weeping Soul Beast was particularly impressive. A glowing light shot from its nose and dragged a nearby demon ghost into his stomach. However, that was all it could do before the two green furred nightfiends used their bone prongs to once again tie it down.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to any of the Weiwu Ghosts. He shot towards the two ghost shadows in the distance as a streak of azure light. The cloud of droning Gold Devouring Beetles were closely following after him.


    When the black ghost shadow saw Han Li take the initiative to approach them, its black eyes flashed with green light. It then opened its mouth and released a green sparkling pearl towards him. As for the grey shadow next to it, after several blurs, it disappeared from sight.


    Han Li frowned and expressionlessly stopped in place. With a flick of his finger, two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords flew to intercept the green pearl as azure streaks of light.


    Simultaneously, he commanded his droning Gold Devouring Beetles to scatter around him and to float in place.


    Bang! The two streaks of azure light were exchanging blows with the green pearl. The ghost pearl released a large cloud of profound Yin Qi in an attempt to bind and seal the two flying swords within it.


    Cold light flashed from Han Li¡¯s eyes. Forming a sword incantation gesture with his hands, the two flying swords grew several times in size, transforming into two ten-meter-long azure flood dragons. With a flamboyant flourish, they broke through the black Yin Qi encirclement and fiercely charged towards the green ghost pearl.


    The ghost shadow¡¯s originally icy expression revealed a trace of surprise.


    Although the green ghost pearl was once the protective magic treasure of a fallen cultivator, it was rather average. But after the demon ghost had acquired it and tempered it for several hundred years with profound Yin Qi, it had long since become marvelously refined into a magic treasure of particularly damaging profound Yin Qi. So long as a magic treasure was bound by its Qi, it would be continuously sealed and incapable of escaping.


    But for some unknown reason, Han Li¡¯s flying swords showed no fear towards being entangled by the profound Yin Qi. After transforming into azure flood dragons, the swords tore apart the profound Yin Qi, not allowing it to approach their main bodies.


    When the ghost shadow saw this, it couldn¡¯t help but become fearful. During its several hundred years of sentience, it had never come across such a scene.


    After a moment of hesitation, it suddenly raised its claw and reached towards the green pearl as if it were grabbing it in the air. The ghost pearl then flourished with brilliance and shot back about ten meters before revolving in place. After a series of sways, the pearl transformed into a black demon tiger.


    The tiger was huge and had intelligent eyes. As it roared, it spouted out dark-green wisps with bold and powerful intensity.


    But what was most astonishing was that the huge tiger didn¡¯t have a hollow body like his sword¡¯s transformed azure flood dragons. Instead, its body was corporeal and appeared quite fearsome.


    After a moment of shock, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes. ¡°An artifact spirit?¡±


    This so-called ¡°artifact spirit¡± is something every magic treasure can refine upon sealing the soul essence of a demon beast¡¯s primal soul into it. During an enemy confrontation, the soul essence and magic treasure would fuse, causing the magic treasure to transform into the form of the artifact spirit with greatly increased power. In addition, it would also gain the demon beast soul¡¯s original abilities. It could be said to be a shortcut to quickly raising a magic treasure¡¯s strength.


    But for some unknown reason, regardless of whether or not the magic treasure successfully refined the sealed soul, only one attempt could be made to gain an artifact spirit. If a second attempt were to be attempted, the magic treasure would be incapable of absorbing the soul essence of the primal soul.


    This was regarded by cultivators with great importance. If they had no urgent need to increase their magic treasure¡¯s power, they would spend as much time as possible to find an appropriate match and deliberate before conducting the sealing ceremony.


    During the Trial of Blood and Fire back in the State of Yue, Nangong Wan probably took the primal soul of the inky flood dragon with the intention of sealing it as an artifact spirit.


    After all, the inky flood dragon may have been young, but it was still a very rare flood dragon. That must¡¯ve been why Nangong Wan was so excited when she obtained it.


    Despite having slaughtered a great number of demon beasts of various ranks, Han Li had yet to see a spiritual flood dragon. This caused Han Li, who had wanted to use a flood dragon as his artifact spirit, to be rather gloomy.


    In any case, the odds of success for artifact spirit seals were difficult to predict. It was almost as if there were no predictable patterns. However, there were a few certainties: the stronger the primal soul to be sealed as an artifact spirit, the lower the odds of success; and if the artifact spirit¡¯s strength was too weak, then it would only increase the magic treasure¡¯s power by miniscule amount. As a result of this, a majority of cultivators¡¯ magic treasures do not possess artifact spirits. It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t find a target to their satisfaction. It was because the sealing of the artifact spirits had been an utter failure.


    Thus, when Han Li saw that the ghost pearl contained an artifact spirit, he couldn¡¯t help but be startled. Han Li soon calmed down and licked his dry lips. He pointed to his two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, ordering his two transformed azure flood dragons to constrict the demon tiger. Before Han Li did anything else, he would first test the might of this demon tiger artifact spirit.


    His flying swords didn¡¯t have any artifact spirits. Despite having their appearance transformed to that of flood dragons, they possessed none of their divine abilities.

 Chapter 442

    Ghost King(4)


    The huge black tiger¡¯s eyes ominously glinted upon seeing the transformed flood dragons that were attempting to constrict him. With a low growl, it opened its mouth wide and shot out over ten, head-sized black light orbs in succession.


    The transparent azure flood dragon was able to swipe away the first few light orbs, but it wasn¡¯t able to block the rest. With a mournful wail, the flood dragon was shattered, revealing the flying swords.


    The flying swords were knocked over forty meters away by the remaining light orbs. The swords¡¯ azure light dimmed as if their spirituality had suffered damage.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt slight regret and hastily pointed at them, causing them to streak back into his body for recuperation. Then with a wave of his other hand, he sent out another four azure flying swords, stabbing towards the huge tiger in a blur.


    The black ghost shadow grew impatient upon seeing this. After taking a deep breath, it released a long, deafening shriek.


    When the demon tiger heard this, it immediately lowered its head. Its neck became twisted and its two front claws dug into the ground. An astonishing scene followed!


    A huge protrusion began to swell from the side of the tiger¡¯s head. With a flash of black light, It grew to become a smaller tiger head. With the appearance of its second head, the demonic Qi surrounding its body soared. The transformation of this two headed tiger caused Han Li to tightly crease his brow.


    At that moment, the two heads of the demon tiger artifact spirit widely opened their mouths and shot out a dense, overbearing barrage of black light balls towards Han Li.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be careless. He formed an incantation gesture and caused his four flying swords to violently sway in mid-flight, making them appear as eight blades. With a burst of radiance, the eight flying swords then combined together to form a ten-meter-long azure sword.


    When Han Li looked at the sword, his eyes flickered with a strange expression. He opened his mouth without hesitation and spat out a cloud of glowing azure light towards the huge sword.


    The cloud of pure true essence caused the huge sword to radiate brilliance and release a long, clear ring, before transforming into an azure blur. As it fiercely chopped towards the black light orbs, it faintly released the sounds of thunder.


    Black and azure radiance scattered upon collision, followed by a series of explosions. This display released an astonishing pressure.


    The huge azure sword chopped through the light orbs with unstoppable momentum in a display of divine might. However, the black light orbs were endless. For every destroyed light orb, it seemed as if the two tiger heads would just release another wild torrent


    This scene caused Han Li¡¯s expression to sink. This was unexpected.


    As he considered using other magic techniques to strike the enemy or send out more flying swords, a series of slight fluctuations occurred about thirty meters behind him, where the elusive gray ghost shadow had appeared.


    Apart from its blood red eyes, its body contained no other detectable auras. It seemed Han Li hadn¡¯t detected any abnormalities from behind him..


    The grey shadow glanced at the flying beetles surrounding Han Li. After its gaze flickered around, it silently pounced towards Han Li¡¯s back as a thin streak of grey light, wanting to shatter Han Li¡¯s gold core.


    It didn¡¯t care about the beetles in the slightest as it was most adept in stealth techniques. At that moment, his body had already become formless, with nothing to fear from the beetles. Under these circumstances, it was confident its claws would end Han Li before he could even react.


    The ghost shadow¡¯s cultivation art was extremely strange. It shot towards Han Li as a grey blur at amazing speed without producing the slightest sound.


    As the grey blur quickly approached Han Li¡¯s back, the gold-silver beetles began to hum and swarm towards it.


    The grey shadow was startled. Before it could react, the swarm of gold-silver beetles had blocked his path forward and were swarming towards him. In an instant, the grey blur became covered in the swarm of gold-silver beetles, creating a silhouette of twinkling gold and silver glints.


    With furious alarm, the grey shadow trembled several times in an attempt to throw off the beetles. This proved completely ineffective, and soon his body began to feel an intense, strange sensation.


    After a moment of daze, it turned its head downward, resulting in a gaze of terror from its blood-red eyes.


    The beetles that it had disregarded were now eating away at its incorporeal ghost body. Although their bites took much effort, they were truly eating away at his formless ghost body a mouthful at a time.


    The grey shadow became panicked and started to undergo continuous transformations. In one moment, it had turned into a pitch-black fog; in another, it turned into a scaled phantom. But regardless of the transformation, the cloud of beetles firmly stuck onto his body, and he was incapable of breaking away from them.


    In a short moment, his body was being devoured by at least several thousand exotic insects.


    At that moment, Han Li finally turned his head to coldly glance at the grey shadow.


    Without wasting the breath to say any nonsense, he released two more spirit beast pouches into the sky, summoning two additional swarms of droning, gold-silver insects into the air. The two huge swarms joined the existing swarm in devouring the grey shadow.


    The grey ghost shadow eventually released a deafening, fearful scream towards the black ghost shadow for aid.


    When the black shadow heard this, it revealed a trace of apprehension.


    It glanced at the huge azure sword that was deadlocked with the huge tiger artifact spirit and appeared hesitant. But soon it narrowed its green glowing eyes before transforming into a ghost cloud and merging with the body of the demon tiger. The black tiger immediately released a pained, violent roar. Its body then stood erect and underwent a transformation, shrinking its forelegs and thickening its hind legs.


    One of the faces of the tiger heads became indistinct for a moment before turning into a shaggy man¡¯s face that was covered by dense black Qi. As for the other tiger head, its eyes became even more brutal.


    ¡°Spirit Possession Technique!¡± Han Li felt his breath go cold as he involuntarily whispered the name of this magic technique.


    This technique was similar to the ¡°Greater Possession Technique¡± that allowed one to enter a living body, but it had an entirely different use.


    Not only did the ¡°Greater Possession Technique¡± not increase one¡¯s strength, it only allowed one to make use of the original body¡¯s strength. It was only a convenient magic technique to control a body from a long distance away. There also weren¡¯t many consequences from using it.


    As for the Spirit Possession Technique, it couldn¡¯t be used on other cultivators. It could only be used on demon beasts that didn¡¯t hold much intelligence.


    After possession, not only would the cultivation of the caster and the target¡¯s cultivation fuse, but their lives would be fused after a single use. If either party were to perish, it would bring the other party down with them. But what was most inconceivable was after fully making use of the Spirit Possession Technique, an entirely new individual will be created with a consciousness that possessed the memories and experiences of both parties, but neither of their wills.


    Although the duration of the spirit possession was short initially, the more frequent the technique was used, the longer it would last. Eventually, the consciousness of the newly created individual would become dominant, and the technique would become incapable of reversing.


    Ironically, the lifespan of this half human, half demon monster was pathetically short despite its great cultivation. Its astonishing power came at the cost of consuming an astonishing portion of its own life essence. It wouldn¡¯t last long before it eventually expired.


    Additionally, rumor had it that cultivators that used the Spirit Possession Technique would have their souls forever wandering the abyss, incapable of reentering the cycle of reincarnation. This topic had caused many cultivators to pale while chatting about it.


    But fortunately, very few cultivators knew about the Spirit Possession Technique, and even fewer actually practiced it. After all, it could end with oneself turning into a half human, half demon abomination.


    The appearance of the ghost shadow and demon tiger¡¯s fusion was exactly as was rumored of the Spirit Possession Technique. However, this secret technique should only be capable of being used by cultivators. He hadn¡¯t heard that demon ghosts were capable of using it. But what was most astonishing was that he had done it with his own artifact spirit.


    Doubt was unconsciously written all over Han Li¡¯s gloomy face while vigilance surged in his heart.

 Chapter 443

    Ghost King (5)


    Despite being startled by the strange transformation, Han Li took a quick glance behind him and sneered at what he saw.


    A majority of the grey ghost shadow had already been devoured, and the last third of its ruined body was on the verge of being consumed. Han Li reckoned that even if it were to now escape, its origin Qi would be immensely damaged, rendering it incapable of further attacking.


    The Gold Devouring Beetles truly deserved their high ranking among exotic insects. Regardless of whether they were devouring spiritual Qi or Yin ghosts, they were immensely vicious. But, they were slightly slower when they were devouring the latter.


    As Han Li thought this, the man-faced tiger abomination was at a loss for a short moment before revealing pleasant surprise at being awakened. It looked at Han Li, the ghost shadow being devoured behind him, and then looked at his own body.


    It started laughing with an extremely hoarse voice and a freakish smile. The laughter gradually grew louder and continued as if there were no end. The nearby ghost mist eventually started to roil from the laugh¡¯s vibrations.


    Han Li didn¡¯t seem to mind this and only focused his cold eyes on the tiger abomination¡¯s movements. But after a short moment, Han Li¡¯s face grew pale, and his expression became grave.


    The tiger abomination¡¯s weird laughter not only grew increasingly louder, but it also became more resounding and filled with Qi. Even after using the Great Development Technique to guard his mind, Han Li began to feel dizzy as if countless claps of thunder roared past his ears.


    ¡®Not good!¡¯ As Han Li was carefully observing the abomination, he seemed to have recalled something and his expression greatly changed.


    Han Li hastily turned his head to find an alarming scene. The grey ghost shadow had unexpectedly disappeared without a trace, and his thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles were powerlessly lying on the ground, occasionally flapping their wings. They no longer had the vigor to continue devouring ghosts.


    In his annoyance, Han Li hastily took out several spirit beast pouches and quickly stored the incapacitated Gold Devouring Beetles into them. While still enduring the deafening laughter, he turned his head to look at the others¡¯ fight.


    He was initially astonished by what he saw, but soon grew relieved.


    Fairy Violet Spirit and that black-robed man were in a fierce battle against the phantoms. Although the black-robed man¡¯s cultivation was far superior to the ghosts, he didn¡¯t have an overwhelming advantage due to the nature of his techniques and his greatly weakened magic treasure.


    As for Fairy Violet Spirit, she had concealed herself away in a glow of radiance by using a stone tablet and was only attempting to defend herself.


    Han Li was slightly baffled when the two were unaffected by the strange laughter. But after some consideration, Han Li realized why.


    It seemed that the power of the two-headed abomination¡¯s strange laughter was limited to a small area. As a result, it was able to exert such an astonishing amount of power that his incredibly durable Gold Devouring Beetles were incapacitated, causing them to fall off the grey ghost shadow.


    Although these exotic insects had yet to reached their full potential, the might of the strange light could clearly be seen.


    Were it not for the soul concentrating effect of the Great Development Technique, Han Li feared he would¡¯ve also become incapacitated by the strange laughter, only able to await his inevitable death.


    The more he thought of it, the more he became aghast. Han Li had already determined that despite not being at the Nascent Soul stage, it was definitely no weaker than a late Core Formation cultivator. Han Li suspected that this being was a so-called ghost king.


    At that moment, the abomination seemed to notice that the strange laughter had no effect on Han Li, who was still steadily standing. It eventually stopped and eerily stared at Han Li with its two heads.


    Han Li felt uneasy upon looking at it, but he narrowed his eyes and boldly met its gaze.


    At that moment, the badly damaged grey shadow appeared behind the abomination and shot straight towards the two headed abomination without any signs of stopping.


    Han Li was at a loss from the sight, and his gaze continuously shifted.


    ¡®The ghost shadow has already transformed. Why wasn¡¯t it hiding from a distance? Why did it come back?¡¯


    While Han Li was bewildered, he saw something he was incapable of imagining. The eyes of the abomination strangely glinted and it grabbed ahold of the grey ghost shadow. The black tiger head then widely opened its mouth and quickly swallowed down the grey shadow.


    Han Li watched with complete astonishment. But what occurred next immediately dispelled Han Li¡¯s doubts.


    As the abomination roared to the sky, another protrusion appeared at its neck. It emerged to reveal a tiger head with a grey human face. The face of the third tiger head resembled that of an average woman.


    After a moment of shock, Han Li quickly restored his calm expression.


    After the grey tiger head appeared, it narrowed its eyes, and its face became deathly pale as if it were heavily injured. But not long after, it opened its blood-red eyes and stared at Han Li with an expression of deep resentment. When Han Li saw this, his heart trembled, and he felt goosebumps arise all over his body.


    At this moment, the head with the man¡¯s face at the center let out a fierce hiss. Afterwards, the abomination started to fearlessly approach Han Li with large strides.


    A black light flashed from its body with every step, causing its body to swell. After about a dozen steps, the abomination was as tall as a three story building. The sight caused Han Li to blanch.


    Without taking the time to think, Han Li waved his arms, summoning over a hundred huge ape puppets around him. The puppets simultaneously opened their mouths and flooded the sky with beams of various colored light.


    Han Li then pointed at the huge azure sword, having it join the assault as a long blur of frightening speed and astonishing pressure.


    When the three headed abomination saw this, the middle head revealed a trace of astonishment, but it soon sneered.


    The left and right head widely opened their mouths. While the pure tiger head began spouting out orbs of black light, the grey woman¡¯s head filled the entire area with wisps of grey ghost flames.


    The combined attack of the flame wisps and light orbs managed to forcibly block the many light beams. Although a few of the beams managed to pierce through, the few staggered light beams were completely ineffective.


    Han Li unconsciously frowned. With a cold glint in his eyes, he suddenly cast a sword incantation seal. Shining with even brighter radiance, the azure streak traveled with increased speed.


    Under the cover of the huge ape puppet¡¯s attacks, the huge sword instantly pierced through the flame wisps and light orbs with unchallenged momentum. It flew around the waist of the beast and attempted to slash through it with a flash of brilliance.


    But what Han Li saw next left him at a loss for words.


    The three heads of the abomination simultaneously released a bizarre roar and swiped its two claws at a speed Han Li couldn¡¯t perceive, resulting in the huge sword being trapped in its grasp.


    The two hairy tiger claws seemed unaffected by the sharpness of the swordlight. Although the sword continuously swayed in its grasp, it was unable to break free. Han Li wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    Although the Bamboo Cloudsword wasn¡¯t refined for long and didn¡¯t contain much power, it was inconceivable for it to be caught with mere claws. Could it be that their claws had been refined into a magic treasure?


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts went off on a tangent.


    When the abomination had restrained Han Li¡¯s flying swords, the three heads revealed a malicious expression. The middle head smiled sinisterly before opening its mouth and releasing a dense, black Yin Qi towards the struggling flying sword, gradually whittling away the intensity of its light.


    Han Li¡¯s heart dropped upon seeing this.


    The abomination¡¯s methods were ruthless, and its cultivation was immense. If he allowed this drag on, it wouldn¡¯t end well. He had to take a risk and end this as soon as possible!


    With that thought in mind, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but turn his head towards the other group. The black-robed man and Fairy Violet Spirit were completely focused on fighting the demon beasts and had no time to look in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    With that, a strange expression flickered through Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he slowly turned his head back.


    The abomination¡¯s left and right heads were still busy dealing with the intense barrage of his huge ape puppets, and the middle head was fully focused on spouting out black Qi to corrupt his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    ¡®You¡¯re courting death!¡¯ Han Li¡¯s heart soared with killing intent. Without any further hesitation, he formed an odd sword incantation gesture and fiercely pointed at his flying sword.

 Chapter 444

    Black Robes


    Han Li pointed at the huge sword struggling within the abomination¡¯s grasp. It suddenly grew still and started to sparkle with green light.


    When the middle-head that was spouting out black Qi saw this, it was stunned. Before it could even react, the flat of huge sword released several tens of arcs of faint gold lightning.


    The arcs of lightning were incredibly fast. In an instant, the lightning traveled up from its furry claws onto its huge body, creating a net of golden light around the abomination¡¯s body.


    The abomination¡¯s three heads simultaneously expressed shock. But before it could even move, Han Li uttered the word, ¡°Suffer.¡± The net of lightning covering it immediately ruptured.


    A scorching, blinding white light thoroughly submerged the abomination, leaving it incapable of being seen.


    In that instant, Fairy Violet Spirit and the black-robed man couldn¡¯t help but look over in surprise. As for their opponents, the Weiwu Ghosts and the two Nightfiends, they appeared to be at a loss for a moment before immediately fleeing away.


    The two were alarmed at the scene, but after some hesitation, they merely watched them as they fled.


    However, the Weeping Soul Beast took this opportunity to forcefully snort and absorb one of the fleeing spirits into its nose.


    As for the blinding white light, it persisted for some time before fading away. The tiger abomination was standing motionlessly in place, and its three heads appeared frightened. However, their expressions were completely still. When a gust of cold wind blew past, its huge body scattered into the sky as grey ash before disappearing without a trace.


    All that remained was the huge sword and a fist-sized tricolored pearl floating in midair. Black, green and grey were interweaved in the sparkling pearl.


    Han Li let out a long sigh and waved his hand. With a dim cry, the huge azure sword dispersed into eight blades and flew back to Han Li, with four of these blades fading away in mid-flight. The other four blades obediently returned into Han Li¡¯s body and sunk into dormancy.


    The previous arcs of lightning cleanly exhausted the swords¡¯ entire accumulation of its Divine Devilbane Lightning. They urgently required long term nurturing.


    Han Li glanced at the strange pearl. With several blurs, his body appeared in front of the pearl. After intensely staring at it, he started muttering to himself.


    After a short moment, a malicious expression flashed from his face. With a flip of his hand, an azure flying sword appeared in his hand. Han Li fiercely chopped down at the pearl with a flash of radiance.


    Pang. The pearl was chopped into two, releasing three streaks of black Qi flying away as if they were fearfully escaping. However, Han Li flicked a finger of his other hand and shot out three egg-sized fireballs towards them.


    Puff. Puff. Puff. The three strands of black Qi faintly released miserable wails upon being struck by the fireballs before they were dissolved by the flames.


    These demon ghosts were extremely devious. They had hid away within the magic treasure and attempted to lure him into grabbing it. Had he fallen for it, he would have been in an inescapable confrontation for control of his body.


    However, this was something he had earlier anticipated when the body of the tiger abomination was exterminated by the Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    After all, with the Gold Lightning Bamboo¡¯s grand reputation along with legends of its ¡°Devilbane¡± characteristics, it would be truly heaven-defying if a full discharge of the four swords were unable to extinguish a demon ghost.


    It was because he had this trump card that he so calmly and confidently entered the ghost mist. Despite having felt incredibly baffled when faced against the fused ghost demons, he was able to keep calm particularly because of this.


    Naturally, he had originally refrained from using the Divine Devilbane Lightning since the black-robed man and Fairy Violet Spirit were nearby. However, he hadn¡¯t expected the fused form of the tiger abomination to be extraordinarily ferocious. When it had foolishly used its claws to grab hold of his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, he naturally couldn¡¯t let go of such a great opportunity to use his Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    With that, he erased a monster that was no weaker than a late Core Formation cultivator from this world.


    Han Li lowered his head to look at the split pearl and lightly shook his head. He then turned around and walked towards Fairy Violet Spirit.


    When the black-robed man saw this, his face was full of shock. Although he hadn¡¯t been able to pay close attention to Han Li¡¯s battle, he had caught sight of the ghost demon¡¯s soul possession, transformation, and combined body. It had left him so distraught that he had immediately decided to flee the moment Han Li appeared unable to be its match. The three headed demon tiger had appeared frighteningly powerful.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that such a monster would so easily be eliminated with just a burst of dazzling white light. He found it truly hard to believe. Could it be that he possessed a Heaven-Earth Inversive Antiquity from legend? He couldn¡¯t think of any other method that an early Core Formation cultivator like Han Li could use to exterminate the dreadful three-headed monster.


    But if this were the case, he could entice Han Li and obtain a great supporter to accompany him through the Heavenvoid Hall. After all, he believed that only Nascent Soul eccentrics were capable of extinguishing such a powerful demon without the slightest injury.


    With that thought, the black-robed man¡¯s astonished expression gradually disappeared to be replaced with a complicated one as he looked at Han Li.


    As for Fairy Violet Spirit, although she was greatly amazed by these events, she had already guessed that Han Li was an unordinary Core Formation cultivator. She quickly calmed down and looked at Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°Senior Han¡¯s abilities are truly remarkable. He was able to effortlessly exterminate such a dreadful ghost demon. It seems I was truly fortunate to have teleported together with Senior!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit gracefully said.


    When Han Li heard this, he insipidly denied, ¡°Effortlessly? That wasn¡¯t effortless in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Senior is truly modest!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s eyes were glowing with humor. It was obvious that she believed Han Li wasn¡¯t being completely honest.


    ¡°What did Fellow Daoist use to produce that white light? It was immensely powerful.¡± The black-robed man spoke for the first time, but his voice was muffled and hoarse, sounding quite unnatural.


    This unpleasant voice caused Han Li¡¯s eyes to flicker with a strange expression. He looked at the black-robed man with a smile.


    After Han Li¡¯s smile faded away, he indifferently said, ¡°So Fellow Daoist is a female cultivator! There is no need to speak with a fake voice. Fairy Violet Spirit and I have already seen through it.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit gave a charming smile upon hearing this.


    The black-robed woman was initially startled, but her eyes soon revealed humiliation and anger.


    A long while later, she spoke with a delicate, soft voice, ¡°Since you Fellow Daoists have already seen through it, I will no longer hide this. It merely made matters convenient.¡±


    With that said, the black-robed woman hesitated for a moment before removing the hood of her black robe, revealing an astonishingly gorgeous face.


    Not only did this woman have incredibly fair and soft skin, but she had long, silky hair that was draped over her shoulder. She wore a dazzling garland on her head that added a mysterious charm, causing her to appear elegant yet unyielding.


    Despite also being a woman, Fairy Violet Spirit appeared breathless at the sight of the black-robed woman¡¯s beauty. But something soon came to mind and she stealthily took a glance at Han Li.


    What she saw left her feeling somewhat uneasy.


    Han Li had been looking at the black-robed woman in a daze. His eyes revealed a strange, unclear expression.


    A blush appeared on the black-robed woman¡¯s flawless face. With both pride and gloom in her voice, she coldly said, ¡°Has Fellow Daoist had enough to look at, or is there something something wrong with my face?¡± With that said, the black-robed woman¡¯s expression sunk.


    Han Li didn¡¯t grow angry at the rebuke, but neither did he withdraw his gaze. Instead, he let out a long breath and examined the woman with a mysterious smile. He appeared rather interested.


    Not only did she raise her eyebrows this time, but her face also grew cold. Even Fairy Violet Spirit felt apprehensive, doubting whether or not Han Li would act on wicked thoughts.


    But after some further thought, her uneasiness had disappeared.


    Due to predetermined innate aptitudes, there were far fewer female Core Formation cultivators in the cultivation world in comparison to male cultivators. Thus, a large majority of high grade Dao companion pairs normally consisted of a man with Core Formation cultivation and a woman at Foundation Establishment. As such, the effectiveness of pair cultivation was not ideal for the male cultivator. As for the small number of female Core Formation cultivators, they attracted many suitors that believed themselves to be worthy of them.


    It made sense for a female cultivator possessing such beauty and deep cultivation as the black-robed woman to cause Han Li¡¯s heart to stir.

 Chapter 445

    Yuan Yao


    Just as the black-robed woman was about to grow furious, Han Li¡¯s smile faded and he earnestly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that after a mere hundred years, Lady Yuan would enter Core Formation. You have my sincere congratulations!¡±


    When Han Li addressed her as ¡®Lady Yuan¡¯, the woman¡¯s angry, embarrassed expression immediately disappeared. She hastily attempted to refute him with panic, ¡°Lady Yuan? You¡¯re mistaken. My surname is Ruan.¡±


    This situation was the exact opposite of what Han Li had expected. He couldn¡¯t help but stare at the woman¡¯s flickering eyes.


    At the moment, the gorgeous woman¡¯s complexion had paled, and her hand was placed on her storage pouch. Her eyes were wide open and carried unmistakable hostility.


    The mood suddenly became strained! All of which originated from Han Li addressing her as ¡®Lady Yuan¡¯ with a casual tone.


    While Han Li wore a slight smile on his face, he actually felt truly puzzled.


    As for Fairy Violet Spirit, the current situation was even more of a surprise. Without even thinking, she took a half step closer towards Han Li, making her standing clear. In terms of both familiarity and might, Han Li was the obvious choice.


    With an unchanged expression, Han Li slowly said, ¡°It seems there is a misunderstanding! Fellow Daoist Yuan most likely doesn¡¯t remember me. After all, we had only met once before over a hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only met once? Over a hundred years ago?¡± The woman¡¯s expression slightly relaxed, but her eyes were still vigilant and she expressed doubt.


    The tension had been greatly eased!


    But after looking at Han Li for a moment, she doubtfully asked, ¡°I¡¯ve taken a good look at you, but I don¡¯t remember ever seeing you. Are you attempting to dupe me?¡± With that said, the woman¡¯s eyes flickered with cold intent, faintly revealing a trace enmity.


    Han Li felt at a loss, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.


    He didn¡¯t bother playing coy and directly asked, ¡°Over a hundred years ago, did Lady Yuan go to the Sky Capital Market at Stalwart Star Island?¡±


    The black robed woman blankly stared for a moment before nodding her head in recollection. After looking intensely at Han Li¡¯s face, she revealed a pensive expression. ¡°Stalwart Star Island¡¯s Sky Capital Market? I¡¯ve been there many times. Could it be that you saw me there?¡±


    She seemed to have recalled something.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. At the time, you were together with a beautiful friend. My Martial Uncle Crooked Soul and I met you at the edge of the market city.¡± When he mentioned Crooked Soul, Han Li unconsciously glanced at Fairy Violet Spirit who was aware that Crooked Soul had been his avatar.


    Naturally, when Fairy Violet Spirit heard Han Li mention Crooked Soul as his Martial Uncle, she revealed a mysterious smile. Although she didn¡¯t know the circumstances at the time, she was sure that Han Li must have been playing out an elaborate scheme. She couldn¡¯t help but find it ridiculous! But naturally, she wasn¡¯t going to talk about this matter without cause.


    Speaking of Crooked Soul, Fairy Violet Spirit had been wondering for quite a while why his avatar wasn¡¯t present at his side. Crooked Soul would¡¯ve been of great assistance to them.


    After blinking her eyes several times, the black-robed woman came to a sudden realization and revealed an expression of disbelief. ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s words feel quite familiar to me. Could it be that your esteemed self was at the entrance of the Sky Capital Market and was accompanied by a Core Formation Senior?¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled.


    ¡°Lady Yuan has finally remembered. It seemed that I had given you quite an ordinary impression. Han Li spoke with a chuckle.


    The black-robed woman deeply blushed upon hearing Han Li. But now that she recognized him, she completely relaxed and self consciously said, ¡°Please don¡¯t take offense, Fellow Daoist Han! At the time, Fellow Daoist was truly¡­¡± The woman found it difficult to continue.


    Han Li replied with laughter, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because my appearance and cultivation were too ordinary? It¡¯s no surprise you two ladies didn¡¯t take note of me!¡± Han Li was calm and didn¡¯t display the slightest annoyance.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made a fool of myself!¡± Han Li¡¯s attitude had greatly eased the black-robed woman. After all, Han Li¡¯s current abilities were impressive, and she was fearful that Han Li had been offended over being forgotten. With her magic treasure greatly damaged, she was unwilling to casually offend him.


    With that thought, she continued, ¡°I must also congratulate Fellow Daoist! In these hundred years, Fellow Daoist also cultivated to Core Formation from Qi Refinement! Your magic power is also so profound that you are actually capable of eliminating the ghost king level fiend!¡±


    Han Li inwardly shook his head in response to the woman¡¯s friendly words. He wasn¡¯t at Qi Condensation stage at the time. He had been at late Foundation Establishment. Had he not refined the ¡°Three Essence Revolutions¡± along with the ¡°Great Development Technique¡±, he feared he wouldn¡¯t have entered Core Formation.


    However, this woman had truly cultivated from Qi Condensation to Core formation in that timespan. When he recognized the black-robed woman, he was truly shocked!


    This woman didn¡¯t possess particularly impressive aptitude, so Han Li inwardly guessed that she must¡¯ve had a fortuitous encounter during those hundred years. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been impossible for an ordinary cultivator like her to have improved so quickly.


    Although he had carefully examined her previously, he was unable to see the spiritual roots of a fellow early Core Formation cultivator as their body¡¯s magic power blocked his sight.


    With that thought, Han Li didn¡¯t stare at the woman any longer and turned his eyes towards the ghost mist surrounding them.


    Han Li smiled and thought to say something, but Fairy Violet Spirit spoke first with a slight frown, ¡°Fellow Daoists, let us set off! It would be best to not stay here for too long. It would be troublesome if another fearsome phantom were to appear.¡±


    Han Li silently agreed with a smile. The black-robed woman Yuan Yao had no objections, and the three set off into the ghost mist after confirming their direction.


    ¡­


    There was a place that appeared similar to a garden, but it contained nameless, rare flowers and plants. It had eight pavilions finely carved from jade with thirty cultivators distributed sparsely among them.


    A majority of these cultivators had pale complexions and were stained with blood as if they had arrived here after a bitter struggle. However, their faces revealed unconcealable excitement. There were even a few cultivators that were whispering to one another.


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin, Wan Tianming and the other Nascent Soul cultivators were at this location. The two factions were meditating at two different pavilions.


    As for the two Star Palace elders, they were floating at some place in midair. They were expressionlessly sitting cross legged in meditation, appearing as if they were statues.


    A dense, pitch-black ghost fog rolled around vigorously four hundred meters away from where the garden laid. It was obstructed by an invisible wall, appearing as if they were two entirely different worlds.


    Suddenly, the fog separated to reveal a male cultivator calmly walking through it.


    This male cultivator wore green robes, appeared youthful, and had a refined appearance. But what was most odd was that there wasn¡¯t any abnormalities on his body, and his appearance was serene as if he hadn¡¯t experienced any battles on his way there.


    This strange scene attracted the amazement of the nearby cultivators. They looked at him with complicated expressions.


    At that moment, Grandmaster Zenith Yin opened his eyes and glanced at the male cultivator before revealing a disappointed expression. He shut his eyes once more and didn¡¯t pay any further attention to the male cultivator.


    When this male cultivator looked at Grandmaster Zenith Yin, his face revealed a trace of resentment during a moment of carelessness. However, his calm appearance quickly returned and he walked forward with large strides.


    He didn¡¯t enter any of the pavilions to take a seat. Instead, he found a remote corner and stood there with hands behind his back, indifferently examining the cultivators that were there. Seeing that Han Li had yet to appear, his delicate face lightly frowned, but he soon became expressionless.


    At that moment, unbeknownst to anyone else, a deep resounding man¡¯s voice could be heard in the youth¡¯s mind.


    ¡®What? That assistant of yours isn¡¯t here? Could he have fallen to a malicious spirit? Hehe! It seems the person you sought wasn¡¯t particularly worthy of note.¡¯ The voice lazily said.


    The youth grew angry and he used his spiritual sense to strictly rebuke it, ¡®Silence! Don¡¯t casually speak inside my body! There are many Nascent Soul cultivators here. If one or two of them were to hear you, what do you think will happen?¡¯

 Chapter 446

    Regrouping


    ¡®Humph! If they discover us, at worst, we will just return into the ghost mist. Despite not being able to match Nascent Soul cultivators in direct battle, who can match the escape methods of us Ghost Dao cultivators?¡¯ The resounding man¡¯s voice spoke with rejection.


    ¡®What do you know? There are at least four Nascent Soul cultivators here, and they all have magic treasures and divine abilities that are particularly effective in restraining our Ghost Dao techniques. If you want to die, don¡¯t involve me. Else, I¡¯ll be forced to break our agreement and exterminate you here.¡± The youthful Bone Sage rebuked with an icy voice.


    ¡®There is no need for Old Brother Bone Sage to be so angry! I won¡¯t mention it again. However, you cannot renege on our agreement to find a suitable living body. Why else would I have given you a trace of my soul essence and willingly allowed you to leave the ghost mist!¡¯ This person seemed fearful of the Bone Sage¡¯s rage, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t help but remind the Bone Sage of their agreement.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. Since I need your help to deal with my traitorous disciple Zenith Yin, I will get you a physical body before I act. Furthermore, as fellow sufferers that were forced to cultivate the Ghost Dao, how could I possibly renege on our agreement?¡¯ The Bone Sage indifferently said.


    ¡®Hehe! Your words have truly put me at ease.¡¯ After that was said, the resounding voice disappeared from the Bone Sage¡¯s mind.


    The Bone Sage sighed with relief and and sat against a small tree before dozing off.


    After some time had passed, an increasing number of cultivators left the ghost mist with increasingly heavier damage. Quite a number of them had even sustained great injuries to their Origin Qi that would require many years of dedicated treatment, else their cultivation level would suffer as a result. But even in this sorry state, they all wore expressions of unconcealable happiness. After all, so long as they passed the ghost mist trial, they would still be able to acquire a few rarely seen spiritual medicines.


    After about seventy more cultivators arrived at the garden, the rate of new arrivals greatly decreased. In the coming day, only a sparse few cultivators had arrived.


    The youth that had accompanied Fairy Violet Spirit at the beginning was amongst them. His clothes were damaged and his face was pale as if he had suffered through hardships on the way there.


    Upon entering the garden, the youth swept his gaze past the garden and revealed worry upon seeing that Fairy Violet spirit wasn¡¯t there. His expression was indecisive.


    At that moment, Grandmaster Zenith Yin and the Bone Sage both became uneasy upon seeing that Han Li had yet to arrive.


    The Bone Sage was the calmer of the two. Although he felt irritation, his face still maintained peacefulness. However, Grandmaster Zenith Yin was unable to endure. He occasionally opened his eyes and gloomily swept his gaze past the ghost mist, unable to calm down.


    In truth, this person¡¯s gloomy temperament would¡¯ve normally prevented him from displaying his impatience. However, Han Li possessed something that was vital to his treasure hunt, leaving him in a hopeless situation.


    A majority of people didn¡¯t take notice of these actions, but the confucian-robed old man that was meditating nearby had opened his eyes. With a light cough, he slowly asked, ¡°Could Fellow Daoist¡¯s unease be due to concern for someone that has yet to arrive?¡±


    The old man stared at Grandmaster Zenith Yin with doubt.


    When Zenith Yin heard this, his expression became calm once more, and he indifferently replied, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be considered concern. It¡¯s just a very interesting Junior that I¡¯ve met once before!¡±


    A strange glint flashed through the confucian-robed old man¡¯s eyes. He said with a mysterious smile, ¡°An interesting Junior? Fellow Daoist Wu must introduce me to him. I too am quite fond of guiding inexperienced Juniors that hold potential.¡±


    ¡®Old bastard! He is far too suspicious.¡¯ Zenith Yin was extremely annoyed that Han Li had yet to appear, and was unwilling to deal with the old man¡¯s schemes. As such, he bluntly closed his eyes and forced himself to meditate.


    At that same time, the resounding voice could be heard once more in the corner of the Bone Sage¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Bone Sage, your assistant still hasn¡¯t arrived? Could he have been devoured by ghosts? Such an assistant would prove too weak to be useful.¡¯ The voice¡¯s tone contained a trace of schadenfreude.


    The Bone Sage sighed. Given its temperament, it was truly impossible to keep him silent. It was also impossible for him to kill it as it would prove far too useful to him.


    Until now, there also hadn¡¯t been anyone that had glanced at him with a baffled gaze. It seemed that their short talks didn¡¯t arouse any suspicion.


    With that thought, the Bone Sage unhappily said, ¡®This person is exceptionally mysterious. Although he is young and his cultivation is only at early Core Formation, it is absolutely impossible for him to have fallen to any fierce ghosts. Even if you came across him, you¡¯d turn tail and flee if your soul didn¡¯t scatter first. Do not underestimate him.¡¯


    ¡®Early Core Formation? Isn¡¯t Bone Sage underestimating me too greatly? Against such a cultivator, I¡¯d only have to opened my mouth, and his blood essence would already be absorbed.¡¯ The deep voice spoke with disbelief.


    ¡®Did you enjoy my Devil Extinguishing Arrow? What would you do if he possessed flying swords also made from Golden Lightning Bamboo?¡¯


    The deep voice grew silent for a moment before speaking with great skepticism, ¡®Flying Swords made of Gold Lightning Bamboo? Are you joking? There was only ever one stalk of Gold Lightning Bamboo, and you refined it into the Devil Extinguishing Arrow. How can there be other Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasures?¡¯


    ¡®Hehe! You¡¯ll find out whether or not this is true sooner or later. And before you say I didn¡¯t warn you, apart from his Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasure, he also possesses a few other troublesome techniques. Why else would I, the Bone Sage, join hands with an early Core Formation cultivator?¡¯ With that said, the Bone Sage didn¡¯t pay any further attention to the voice and closed his eyes into oblivious meditation.


    The deep voice tactfully kept silent and was pondering whether or not the Bone Sage had spoken truthfully.


    Six hours later, the Bone Sage now appeared irritated and wondered why Han Li was taking so long to arrive. At that moment, an area of the ghost mist rolled away and made a path, revealing three people walking side by side.


    The three were Han Li¡¯s party. As for the gorgeous woman Yuan Yao, she was back to concealing her breathtaking beauty with her black robes.


    Han Li was stunned for a moment after having seen that there were so many people present. He soon glanced at the scene and walked towards an uninhabited area without hesitation. Fairy Violet Spirit and Yuan Yao then gave each other a tacit glance before going their own ways.


    At that moment, a silhouette appeared with a blur. A handsome, azure-jacketed youth had rushed over and earnestly spoke to Fairy Violet Spirit, ¡°Great! Violet Spirit, you¡¯re safe! I was so worried.¡± After this was said, he hastily approached her and carefully examined her for any injuries.


    ¡°Brother Li, I¡¯m fine.¡± When Fairy Violet Spirit saw him, she stopped and forced a smile. Her expression continuously shifted.


    After Yuan Yao took a deep look at those two, she went to another location with fluttering clothes.


    Han Li, who had found a lone place to stand, turned around to see Yuan Yao following him. With slight surprise, he immediately frowned and said, ¡°Lady Yuan, we¡¯ve already left the ghost mist. For what matter have you followed me?¡±


    Although this woman¡¯s breathtaking beauty had touched his heart, he didn¡¯t have any plans to work together with any strangers and immediately spoke with a cold intent of rejection.


    Han Li¡¯s blunt words didn¡¯t cause Yun Yao to become angry. Instead, she sighed and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t take offense, Brother Han. I¡¯ve only followed you because I have no choice! Fellow Daoist should know that my magic treasure had suffered great damage in the fight against the ghost king, and I am not capable of using it any further. And with the great dangers in the Heavenvoid Hall, this woman only knows of Brother Han. Coming here was a stupid decision. Please do not leave me here to die!¡±


    With that said, the black-robed woman¡¯s eyes turned slightly red as if she were about to weep tears. The scene caused Han Li to intensely frown.


    ¡°Lady Yuan! Since you¡¯ve said this, I will need to ask some questions. But first, I¡¯d like to make it known that I am not an upright gentleman, nor is my heart filled with benevolence. I am especially unwilling to be ignorantly used in vain.¡± Han Li calmly spoke as if he hadn¡¯t seen the woman¡¯s sad expression.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask. So long as the questions don¡¯t touch on any secrets, I will definitely give a satisfactory answer.¡± This woman felt somewhat annoyed that Han Li hadn¡¯t revealed any pity or sympathy towards the fairer sex. However, there were items that she must acquire and she had no choice but to agree.


    After placing his hands behind his back, Han Li unhurriedly asked the woman without blinking, ¡°My questions are quite simple. What is Fellow Daoist Yuan¡¯s objective? Up to which trial do you intend to challenge? Also, from the panic you had shown earlier, it seems you¡¯re hiding something. Do you carry any great troubles on you? I don¡¯t wish to be involved in any of your quarrels by association.¡±


    Preach.

 Chapter 447

    Different World


    The woman remained calm when faced with Han Li¡¯s questions, giving the impression that she had anticipated them. However, his last question caused her to reveal slight panic. She answered with a forced smile, ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s last question is quite meaningful. What great trouble¡¯s could I have provoked? The reason why I was so panicked at the beginning was because¡­¡±


    Without waiting for her to finish, Han Li insipidly interrupted, ¡°If Lady Yuan doesn¡¯t wish to tell the truth, then leave it be. I have no intention of listening to any empty words.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Seeing that Han Li was unmoved, Yuan Yao had finally revealed a trace of anger. She forcefully stomped her foot and left in a fit of resentment.


    Han Li¡¯s face didn¡¯t reveal the slightest change upon seeing the woman leave. He soon turned his gaze towards Fairy Violet Spirit, who was currently talking with a male youth with an easy expression. When she saw Han Li looking at her, she gave him a light hearted smile and muttered something to the youth.


    After seeing that, Han Li turned his gaze away, but before he thought of anything else, he heard the Bone Sage¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Why were you so slow? This master had believed you weren¡¯t able to deal with a trifling ghost mist! Could it be you came across a ghost king?¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s voice contained dissatisfaction and doubt.


    Having heard that, Han Li gazed into the distant ghost mist and indifferently replied, ¡°On my way here, I encountered a fierce ghost. However, that didn¡¯t take up much time. It was the large group of Souleater Spirits that came afterwards that wasted much of my time.


    ¡°Souleater Spirits?¡± The Bone Sage revealed an expression of shock.


    ¡°What? Does Senior fear those things despite cultivating the Ghost Dao?¡± Han Li asked with a calm tone, but his words carried a trace of mockery.


    ¡°How could I possibly fear them? However, this old man is quite curious to know how you three managed to escape such a calamity.¡± The Bone Sage quickly changed the topic.


    Han Li inwardly sneered as he casually gave an explanation, ¡°Junior doesn¡¯t really have anything to say. We merely had good luck and were able to avoid disaster through a fluke!¡±


    ¡®Little sneak!¡¯ Needless to say, the Bone Sage inwardly cursed at him. After a moment of silence, he had no choice but to ask a different question, ¡°Fine! Since you¡¯re unwilling to explain, I won¡¯t continue to pry. The next time I¡¯ll talk with you, we¡¯ll go together to fetch the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Afterwards, you will lend me your assistance in exterminating my traitorous disciple Zenith Yin.¡±


    ¡°No problem! So long as you hand the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng to me, I will take the risk of helping you.¡± Han Li agreed without the slightest hesitation. It seemed he had long made up his mind.


    The Bone Sage was satisfied by his decisive answer. After a light chuckle, he spoke no more.


    However, he didn¡¯t catch sight of Han Li¡¯s mocking smile and the cold light that occasionally flickered from his eyes.


    Han Li suddenly felt another person looking at him. He couldn¡¯t help but raise his head. As a result, he caught sight of Grandmaster Zenith Yin looking at him with a trace of joy that reminded Han Li of a tiger eyeing its prey.


    Han Li expressively turned his head around and bitterly smiled. It seemed that avoiding a confrontation with Grandmaster Zenith Yin was impossible. Zenith Yin clearly had no intention of letting him go for a reason he was completely unaware of.


    However, Grandmaster Zenith Yin seemed to have his own misgivings. Why was he waiting so patiently and hadn¡¯t made a move to restrain him within the hall.


    Han Li gloomily sat down on a patch of grass and meditated. He had consumed quite a bit of magic power in the ghost fog and needed to recover to his peak state for the troubles that were soon to come.


    Staring from a distance, the woman Yuan Yao glanced at Han Li with unwillingness. While her gaze contained resentment, it also held a trace of loneliness.


    Although Fairy Violet Spirit was chatting to the earnest and concerned man with a smile, her gaze unconsciously turned in Han Li¡¯s direction as if she were worried. As for Han Li, he was meditating, appearing oblivious of the two¡¯s gazes.


    Time quickly passed by, and the next day arrived.


    At this point, many of the cultivators were already impatient. They surrounded a bare stone slab lying at the center of the jade pavilions.


    With their experience from the first hall, these cultivators were particularly shocked to see the stone slab reveal a transportation formation with a flash of white light. Its appearance was exactly the same as the one from the first hall.


    At that moment, the two white-clothed elders from the Star Palace calmly walked towards it. After examining it, the old man with the kindly face slowly said, ¡°This transportation formation will take you to paths of ice and fire where you will enter the second trial. Before entering the second trial, everyone will have some time to gather spiritual herbs and spiritual fruit as rewards for passing the first trial. If you feel that undergoing another trial is too dangerous, you may return here. In a month, a transportation formation will appear here to take you back to the main hall.¡±


    ¡°But regardless of whether you decide to undergo the second trial or to return here, you only have one day to pick the spiritual herbs throughout the next area. Past that point, nothing else will appear, and you will be stuck there. To the best of my knowledge, cultivators that have remained there have never returned at the reopening of the Heavenvoid Hall. As for the reason of their disappearance, it is still unknown to this day. So don¡¯t believe that you¡¯ll come across fortune by deliberately staying there.


    The white-clothed old man¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t very loud, but his voice was resounding and was heard by all those there. Those that already knew this were inattentive while the others who were ignorant were greatly surprised.


    After this was said, both of these enforcement elders stepped through the transportation formation and disappeared without a trace.


    This time, the other cultivators showed no hesitation, and each of them rushed through. After all, time was limited. They only had a short amount of time to search for the spiritual items. They had best make good use of it.


    Han Li unconsciously turned his gaze towards the bone sage before hastily entering the crowd of cultivators that were hurrying towards the transportation formation.


    But just as he walked towards the transportation formation, Han Li felt Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s covetous gaze fall upon him once more. Fury and apprehension stirred in his heart, and he sourly grimaced as he passed through the white light.


    Despite knowing that someone harbored malicious intentions towards him, he was powerless to do anything about it. This feeling of helplessness awakened a feeling of an intense vengeance that he had forgotten many years before.


    After the light faded away, Han Li walked a few steps outside of the transportation formation and examined his surroundings, discovering a sight that left him dumbfounded.


    The sky was dark blue and was filled with clouds. An endless expanse of emerald-green grass surrounded him, accompanied by a wind that carried a strong scent of plants. There was also a mountain range that could be faintly seen in the distance.


    How were they still in the Heavenvoid Hall? This graceful environment clearly belonged on land!


    For a long while, Han Li remained in a silent daze.


    At that moment, the Bone Sage walked out of the transportation formation. Scoffing at Han Li¡¯s shocked appearance, he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? The first time I came here, I didn¡¯t appear much better than yourself. But this isn¡¯t an illusion; it is a genuine existence. With its abundant spiritual Qi and its indescribable smell of pure nature, this isn¡¯t a place that exists in the outside world.¡±


    He then took a deep breath and slowly savored it before continuing, ¡°This small world should be the result of a great divine ability of some cultivator from the desolate era. Unfortunately, those of us in the later generation never again witnessed their grand, marvelous abilities.¡± The Bone Sage sighed and revealed a desire to witness the ancient cultivators.


    ¡°Splitting apart the Heavens and Earth by oneself?¡± Han Li was overwhelmed with disbelief.


    Guessing what Han Li was thinking, the Bone Sage calmly continued, ¡°There is nothing strange about it! The divine abilities of ancient cultivators far exceed what we can even imagine. But for some unknown reason, these ancient cultivators completely disappeared from this world. It was after this that our own inferior cultivation world came into existence.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t further question this, and his eyes suddenly fell down to a small road in front of him.


    The winding road was overgrown with unknown, wild plants. It was hard to discern, and it led into the unseen distance.


    In Han Li¡¯s eyes, the mystery of the ancient cultivator¡¯s amazing abilities along with their disappearance had nothing to do with the matter at hand. He¡¯d be better served by addressing the matter at hand before considering any matters having to do with ancient cultivators.

 Chapter 448

    Small Mountain


    ¡°After following this road for several hundred kilometers, you will see a canyon surrounded by a barrier. It is narrow and very long. Upon entering the canyon, you will be in an entirely different world. Within this world, there will be two paths to choose from: the Path of Profound Crystal and the Path of Molten Rock. The Path of Profound Crystal is chilling to the bone, and if you are not careful, your body will turn to ice. As for Path of Molten Rock, it is scorching hot where one may find themselves easily turned to ash. Only after reaching the end of the canyon will you find the next transportation formation. Once you pass through it, you will have completed the second trial: the Paths of Fire and Ice. As the two from the Star Palace have said, everyone will have a day to search for spiritual medicines before they must enter the canyon. As for what everyone will find, it will depend on their own luck!¡± The Bone Sage finished indifferently.


    Han Li opened and closed his mouth several times and was thinking about what to ask. But when he saw the Bone Sage¡¯s expression stir, he remained silent as three more flashes of white light appeared from the transportation formation behind them.


    The arriving cultivators indifferently glanced at Han LI and the Bone Sage before excitedly flying off towards the distant mountains as streaks of light. They all appeared eager to begin hunting for treasure.


    As he watched them fly further away, the Bone Sage frowned and hesitated a moment before saying, ¡°Let us set off! If we wait for Zenith Yin to arrive, it will stir up quite a bit of trouble.¡± Then without waiting for a response from Han Li, he transformed into a dark cloud and took to the skies.


    Han Li¡¯s expression greatly changed. He wordlessly turned into an azure streak and chased after him.


    Not long after Han Li and the Bone Sage took off, Zenith Yin, Wan Tianming and the other Nascent Soul cultivators each appeared from the transportation formation. With the Righteous Dao headed by Wan Tianming and the Devil Dao headed by Man Huzi, both sides stood in confrontation.


    When Zenith Yin appeared, he hastily swept his gaze around and felt slightly disappointed that Han Li wasn¡¯t around. However, his expression didn¡¯t betray this in the slightest. He was even bantering with the Confucian-robed old man as normal.


    As for the beautiful woman surnamed Wen, when she saw their confrontation, she coldly said, ¡°I only wish to pick spiritual herbs. After I am done, I will be returning to the pavilion. You all may fight as you see fit, but do not involve me in your affairs.¡± With that said, she turned into a ball of silver light and ripped through the air.


    Wan Tianming took several glances at the Devil Dao cultivators and whispered a few words to his fellow Righteous Dao cultivators. Soon after, the three of them wordlessly took off into the skies as a tricolored light.


    The remaining Devil Dao eccentrics couldn¡¯t help but watch with widened eyes. They were caught unprepared and were unsure whether to closely follow after them or mind their own business. But before they could respond, the Righteous Dao cultivators were already out of sight.


    When Grandmaster Zenith Yin saw this, his eyes flashed with a strange gaze. After a cough, he said with a wide smile, ¡°Brother Qing, Brother Man! I will be taking my leave to pick a few spiritual herbs for pill refinement. Let¡¯s meet up at the entrance of the canyon.¡±


    With that said, Grandmaster Zenith Yin flung out his sleeve and released a black mist. After the mist drew in Wu Chou, he disappeared with a gust of cold wind.


    Man Huzi¡¯s expression grew stern. As for old man Qing, he frowned with contemplation.


    ¡°That Zenith Yin left rather quickly! It seems his movement technique is growing increasingly wondrous. Fellow Daoist Qing, if you are free, how about picking some Genesis Fruit with me? With our combined strength, we will have a higher certainty of dealing with the mountain demons guarding the spirit tree. When the time comes, I¡¯ll give you a share. Since your age is quite advanced, these fruits should extend your life by no small amount.¡± Man Huzi spoke to the pondering Confucian-robed old man.


    When Layman Qing Yi heard this, he was initially stunned. After his gaze flickered a few times, he replied with an embarrassed appearance, ¡°Brother Man, my apologies! I also have some important matters to attend to and have no time to accompany you. I will see you again at the canyon entrance!¡± With that said, he apologetically cupped his hands and flew off. Man Huzi¡¯s complexion turned an unsightly green.


    ¡°Humph! Do you truly believe that this island lord requires your assistance to acquire some Genesis Fruit? I¡¯ll make a show of dealing with you two once we arrive in the inner halls!¡± Man Huzi muttered before launching himself into the sky with a stomp. Then with several flashes of yellow light, he disappeared.


    By now, Han Li had been following the Bone Sage¡¯s black cloud for four hours, and the land beneath them was no longer the leveled prairie. It had been replaced with an expansive winding mountain range. The varied mountains made for a spectacular sight as he rushed past them.


    Enveloped in an aura of azure sword light, Han Li spontaneously said, ¡°The place you spoke of is truly far! I suspect if we fly for much longer, we¡¯ll reach the world¡¯s end!¡±


    A scoff came from the black cloud ahead of him. The Bone Sage bluntly said, ¡°Do you believe that an item such as the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng can be found in some convenient location? If it weren¡¯t so difficult to acquire, we wouldn¡¯t have had the chance. Youngster, if you wish to acquire great benefits, you should learn to be patient!¡±


    When Han Li heard him speak in a lecturing tone, his eyes coldly shined but he remained silent. After all, this old eccentric possessed an immense amount of experience and was qualified to speak with such a tone. Although he was a bit unhappy, he wasn¡¯t about to waste his breath on useless words.


    However, flying for such a long time without even catching sight of the destination caused Han Li to feel uneasy. He couldn¡¯t help but grow more wary of the old devil, worrying that he may fall victim to his schemes when he least expected.


    Their alliance was completely unreliable! Han Li didn¡¯t believe that in the past, the Bone Sage had flown such a long way for no reason at all.


    Had he wanted to find spiritual herbs, he would¡¯ve sought for them in a few of the mountains abundant with spiritual Qi that they had already passed by. Even at such a high altitude, Han Li was still able to clearly feel their dense spiritual Qi fluctuations. The spiritual herbs that those mountains nurtured were certain to be extremely rare.


    Han Li was very skeptical as to why the Bone Sage had ignored them in a previous journey to Heavenvoid Hall.


    Uncertain of whether the Bone Sage seen through Han Li¡¯s suspicions or whether he had felt uneasy from the silence, the Bone Sage spoke with a hesitant tone, ¡°I have been to this world two times already. I had fortunately discovered the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng the first time I came here. At the time, it was only because I was chasing after a Flying Shrieker for such a long distance that I even stumbled across the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. After all, these Immortal items aren¡¯t said to appear here. According to my assumptions, the Spirit Ginseng was coincidentally formed from heaven and earth after many years of nourishment from the dense spiritual Qi in this half-sealed world. It was something that had formed outside the expectations of the ancient cultivators. Hehe! And now it will prove to be convenient for you!¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s last words revealed a rare trace of envy and regret.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that!¡± Although Han Li somewhat doubted this and was still keeping his wits about him, he felt somewhat more at ease.


    The two continued to fly for quite some time before the black cloud came to a sudden stop.


    The Bone Sage looked down with a flickering gaze. He unhurriedly said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. However, you shouldn¡¯t become careless. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng is extremely sensitive. If it feels that anything is amiss, it will drill into the mountains and disappear. You must take a moment of careful consideration before acting. Else, we will return empty handed.¡±


    ¡°Is Senior sure this is the place? These is a spiritual object here?¡± When Han Li swept his gaze at the area below, his expression turned odd.


    There was a small unremarkable mountain lying below the two. Not only was it completely barren, but it was pathetically sparse with spiritual Qi. It largely contrasted with the large mountains surrounding it.


    Han Li found it hard to believe that this small desolate mountain was where the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng dwelled.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s black cloud slowly scattered to reveal his body. He spoke to Han Li with a mysterious smile, ¡°Hehe, youngster. You¡¯re easily surprised! I was also quite astonished when I didn¡¯t catch sight of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, but this mountain is truly the place where it resides.¡±


    Since the Bone Sage had said this, Han Li kept silent and bluntly watched below for any movements.


    The Bone Sage was no longer paying attention to Han Li and was gazing down below. His eyes suddenly glowed with a blood light, startling Han Li.

 Chapter 449

    Ruse


    The Bone Sage¡¯s frightening red eyes shifted several times before their radiance gradually disappeared.


    After the Bone Sage¡¯s eyes returned to normal, he calmly said, ¡°Correct, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng really is here. Traces of its pure spiritual Qi can be faintly seen from the surface of the mountain.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. He poured spiritual power into his eyes and examined the small mountain with great attention. However, he was greatly disappointed to have found nothing unusual.


    When the Bone Sage saw Han Li¡¯s eye shine with azure radiance, he obviously knew what he was doing. He disdainfully smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself into thinking you can see the pure spiritual Qi of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Only Nascent Soul cultivators possess a sufficiently powerful spiritual sense to be able to do this. Although my cultivation has shifted to the Ghost Dao, the power of my original spiritual sense hasn¡¯t suffered in the slightest.¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s words carried a trace of mockery.


    Han Li¡¯s face didn¡¯t reveal any change, but under the Bone Sage¡¯s unintentional advice, he started to circulate the Great Development Technique in his body.


    After a short moment, Han Li rejoiced. He actually caught sight of extremely faint traces of azure light scattered throughout the mountain.


    Not aware that Han Li could clearly see the pure spiritual Qi, the Bone Sage looked down at the mountain and indifferently said, ¡°As I have been here before, I fortunately have a method of acquiring the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. As a result, I acquired a few particular items from a small island along the way. We will first arrange a trap. Then, we¡¯ll have the Ninecurl Spirit run into it, allowing it to be easily captured.¡± He then extended his hand towards his storage pouch and took out a dazzling gold item.


    ¡°This is?¡± Han Li looked on with amazement.


    The egg-sized golden ball of thread released a faint radiance as if it had been specially refined.


    The Bone Sage scoffed at Han Li¡¯s bewildered expression and clutched the ball. With a flash of black light, long golden threads shot out from the ball and quickly wove themselves into a small, exquisite gold net. It was only the size of his palm, but its sparkling shine gave an unusual impression.


    The Bone Sage stared at Han Li and solemnly said, ¡°The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng is something that can only be caught with an object of pure gold. Other magic treasures and tools will be completely ineffective. Take proper care of this. It will be used to catch the spirit ginseng when it tries to flee.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and pondered for a moment before silently beckoning to the gold net. Woosh. The net flew into his hand, and he placed it into his storage pouch without a further glance.


    When the Bone Sage saw this, his eyes smiled. With a flip of his hand, he took out four earth-yellow flags. The small flags were layered with talisman markings that concealed their flickering brilliance.


    ¡°Yi!¡± With Han Li¡¯s current mastery of formation flags, he was startled by the site of the small flag. After taking a cold breath, he revealed a trace of disbelief.


    ¡°What? Han Li, my boy, you recognize these flags?¡± When the Bone Sage saw Han Li¡¯s astonishment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately reply and rigidly stared at the small formation flags for a moment more. He then raised his head and solemnly said, ¡°Is that the Celestial Black Tortoise [1] formation tool set? Apart from this ancient formation spell, no other formations are able to form such a powerful earth-attribute formation from four small flags.¡±


    Surprise flashed across the Bone Sage¡¯s face, but he soon regained his calm. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected you to be proficient in the Dao of Formation Spells. It seems that I¡¯ve found the right person to be my assistant. You¡¯re correct, these Celestial Black Tortoise formation flags were something I had refined on the way here. With this formation, we will be able to restrict the mountain stone in an area of a hundred meters, hardening it into metal and trapping the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Since you posses knowledge of formation spells, I¡¯ll let you place down the formation. While you do that, I will be looking around for any solid traces of the Spirit Ginseng.¡±


    Soon after, he calmly handed over the four yellow flags and turned into a black cloud as he silently flew down towards the mountain.


    Han Li looked at the flags in his hand and then turned to look at the back of the old devil with an odd expression in his eyes. After a moment, he licked his lips and flew downwards with a sneer.


    At the same time, a man¡¯s resounding voice was heard from deep within the Bone Sage¡¯s body.


    ¡®Bone Sage, why did you give him the formation flags? I see that your relationship with is quite shallow. Could it be that you¡¯re up to no good?¡¯ This person spoke as if he greatly understood the Bone Sage.


    ¡®What do you mean? I only had Youngster Han set down the formation flags so that I can capture the spirit ginseng with certainty. After taking advantage of this opportunity, I will kill him.¡¯ The Bone Sage sinisterly spoke with a chilling voice.


    ¡®You¡¯re going to kill him now? Did I hear wrongly? I thought you¡¯d at least wait until Zenith Yin was killed before you acted against him!¡¯ The deep man¡¯s voice displayed astonishment.


    The Bone Sage grimly said, ¡®That won¡¯t do. This Youngster Han is far too cunning. I fear any more delays will only bring more troubles. In addition, this person understands my methods and will not allow himself to be controlled by me. If he were to by chance betray me to my traitorous disciple Zenith Yin, it would be beyond terrible. Although the possibility of this is low, this Bone Sage refuses to take such a risk! After all, I¡¯ve already suffered betrayal once and will never easily trust others ever again. Also¡­¡¯


    The man¡¯s voice lazily continued, ¡®Also, you never intended to give the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng to him from the start!¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right! After spending so much thought into acquiring this spiritual item, how could I be willing to give it to another? Even if the Spirit Ginseng had no effect on my cultivation, it would prove equally useful for trade. And with that Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasure in his possession, he will inevitably become a great enemy for us demon ghosts. The sooner we exterminate him, the better. Besides, what do you think about his body?¡¯ The Bone Sage revealed a sinister expression as he spoke.


    The question at the end had startled the male ghost. He grew immensely excited. ¡®It would be great! You must help me seize his body! But, how do you plan to deal with Zenith Yin?¡¯ His question was slightly hesitant.


    ¡®When I passed down Zenith Yin¡¯s Profound Yin Art to him, I left behind a flaw that I could use to kill and refine him. So long as he is alone, and with your newly acquired body, we will be able to exterminate him.¡¯ The Bone Sage spoke with great confidence.


    ¡®So that¡¯s how it is! But weren¡¯t you thinking of exterminating the Youngster Han from the start? You still deliberately sought to ally yourself with him despite this? You really are a cunning fox!¡¯ The man seemed to hold the Bone Sage¡¯s cunning in high regard.


    ¡®You overestimate me. Before I came across you, I truly wished to join hands with him to kill Zenith Yin. After all, even if I know the flaw in my traitorous disciple¡¯s cultivation, having an assistant will be far more reliable. But now that I came across an old friend like you, I no longer have need of him. It would be better to kill him as soon as possible and prevent any mishaps later.¡¯ The Bone Sage nonchalantly said.


    ¡®You¡¯ve put on quite the display! I had truly believed your apprehensive appearance at the jade pavilions. I didn¡¯t expect you were already planning to kill this required helper of yours.¡¯ The man sighed and spoke with a complicated tone.


    ¡®Humph! My worry at the time was genuine. However, I didn¡¯t fear the loss of assistance for my revenge but that his Gold Lightning Bamboo flying swords had fallen into someone else¡¯s hands. If such an event came to pass, it would prove to be disastrous to those of us following the Ghost Dao.¡¯


    After a moment of silence, the man asked with concern, ¡®You dare to so recklessly act against him even though he possess a Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasure? Are you truly certain of victory?¡¯ As this matter pertained to himself, he naturally wanted to know the finer details.


    At that moment, the Bone Sage was flying circles around the mountain at a low altitude.


    ¡®What I originally imagined was that we¡¯d use both the golden net and the Celestial Black Tortoise Formation to seize both the spirit ginseng and that Youngster Han at once. I hadn¡¯t expected that he¡¯d be proficient in spell formations. It was then that I was struck with a clever idea. I would hand the formation flags to him and have my plan become even more perfect.¡¯ The Bone Sage revealed a strange smile and spoke with a mysterious tone.


    ¡®Could it be that you¡¯ve done something to the flags?¡¯ The man spoke with sudden realization.


    ¡®Hehe! You¡¯ll know when the time comes. For now, we¡¯ll find the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Otherwise, that youngster definitely won¡¯t be fooled.¡¯ The Bone Sage deliberately omitted the main details, much to the man¡¯s dissatisfaction.


    ¡®Nevertheless, my ghost demon cultivation art was something that you had imparted to me. I had originally thought to use it to search for the spirit ginseng, but I hadn¡¯t expected that my traitorous disciple would betray me. It has become my last hope!¡¯ The Bone Sage¡¯s eyes flashed with cold light.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t really imparting anything. We were just taking what we needed.¡¯ The man spoke with a deep sigh.


    [1] Specifically references to the constellation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tortoise

 Chapter 450

    Revealing One¡¯s True Nature


    ¡®Enough, don¡¯t speak any more nonsense. First, you¡¯ll help me find the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Then, we¡¯ll kill the youngster and give his body to you.¡¯ The Bone Sage coldly interrupted him.


    ¡®That will be no problem! With our great spirit searching arts, finding that lone spirit ginseng will be a trivial matter.¡¯ The man disdainfully said.


    ¡®Then let us go!¡¯ With that said, the Bone Sage¡¯s expression grew heavy, and he flung his sleeve downwards.


    Two threads of black Qi shot out from his sleeve. In an instant, they had bored into the earth and disappeared from sight. At the same time, a strange dim green light streaked down from the Bone Sage before quickly fading away. Motionlessly floating in place, the Bone Sage closed his eyes.


    Down on the ground, Han Li was playing around with the yellow formation flags with a calm expression. However, his gaze continuously flickered as if he were pondering a problem. Hesitation could be seen from his brow.


    With a flick of his hand, the flags flew off as streaks of yellow light, firmly inserting themselves into the ground.


    ¡°Although I couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the formation flags, did you truly believe I wouldn¡¯t suspect anything?¡± Han Li muttered to himself with a smirk.


    Soon after, he reached towards his treasure pouch, and took out over ten yellow flags that bore a similar appearance and emitted dense earth Qi.


    A strange expression flashed across Han Li¡¯s eyes as he glanced at the small flags flickering with light.


    ¡­


    The Bone Sage¡¯s expression stirred, and he suddenly opened his eyes.


    The two threads of black Qi and the green light shot up from the ground and quickly reentered the Bone Sage¡¯s body.


    ¡®Found it. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng sure knows how to hide. It concealed its true body in the groove of a huge stone. Were I not careful, it would¡¯ve been difficult to spot.¡¯ The man proudly said.


    ¡®Good! I will go and see whether that youngster finished setting down the formation. Conceal yourself and be careful. Don¡¯t just appear as you wish and allow him to discover you.¡¯ The Bone Sage solemnly exhorted.


    ¡®Be at ease. My disguise technique can only be detected with the spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator. In the coming moments, if you are unable to restrain him, don¡¯t rely on me for help. His Gold Lightning Bamboo¡¯s Divine Devilbane Lightning is particularly lethal to bodiless souls such as I.¡¯ The man spoke of the ugly matters upfront.


    ¡®Humph! I don¡¯t need your help to deal with an early Core Formation junior. I naturally hold complete certainty in dealing with him. Also, you need not fear his Divine Devilbane Lightning. A few days ago, he had discharged his flying swords in battle. Any remaining lightning in his magic treasures should¡¯ve been exhausted in dealing with the ghost mist. As for when we had originally fought, he had released a swarm of gold-silver beetles, much to my dismay. Despite my great experience, I am unable to recognize them, strangely enough. Although I don¡¯t know specifically what these spiritual insects are, they should be fiercer than common insects!¡¯ The Bone Sage spoke with an indifferent expression.


    ¡®Oh! Without the Divine Devilbane Lightning, he will pose no threat to me. I will act in accordance to how things play out.¡¯ The man let out a breath of relief.


    The Bone Sage smirked and didn¡¯t say anything else. Although the Bone Sage held onto a sliver of the man¡¯s life essence, he knew it was incapable of completely controlling him. As this ghost had immersed himself in the Ghost Dao for so many years, he was sure to be more experienced with the matters of soul restrictions than the Bone Sage was, and he was both willing and able to break free of his restrictions by risking severe damage to Origin Qi. As such, the Bone Sage was unwilling to threaten him.


    After looking around, he turned into a black cloud and flew off in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    A short moment later, he found Han Li and dropped down.


    Although the land here could be considered to be level, it was overgrown with weeds. There was even a small forest of sparse large trees nearby.


    The Bone Sage appeared before him and calmly asked, ¡°Have you finished setting up the formation?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have! It¡¯s over there.¡± Han Li leaned against a large tree and pointed behind him.


    With an attentive glance, he saw a large quantity of earth spirit Qi fluctuations behind Han Li as expected.


    The Bone Sage inwardly rejoiced and took out a jade box from his storage pouch. He then opened its lid in front of Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s nose was assailed with a strong fishy scent as soon as it was opened. He immediately stood straight and held his breath. With an alert expression, he took a few steps back and suspiciously gazed at the Bone Sage. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The Bone Sage spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°There is no need to be overly suspicious. This is the feces of an Orchid Musk Beast. Although it is rather unpleasant to us, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng is immensely attracted to its scent. So long as we place it into the formation, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng¡¯s avatar will be sure to search for it. After restraining its avatar, we¡¯ll be able to easily excavate the main body of the Spirit Ginseng. There will be no fear of it transforming and escaping.¡±


    ¡°Orchid Musk Beast feces?¡± Han Li glanced at the jade box in the Bone Sage¡¯s hand.


    He now saw it clearly. It was only a thumb-sized faint yellow lump. The intense smell it released greatly surprised Han Li.


    He had heard of the Orchid Musk Beast before. It was a strange spirit beast raised by cultivators. It had an odd, fire-red horn that released a peculiar fragrance that placated souls, receiving much favor from cultivators as a result. He hadn¡¯t expected that its feces would prove to be so unpleasant. He was also completely dumbfounded that a spiritual object such as the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng would be fond of it.


    But after Han Li looked at the Bone Sage¡¯s indifferent expression, he widely smiled and said, ¡°Senior, please place the item in the formation spell. I will go and examine the formation flags to ensure everything is properly in place. Afterwards, I will guard this place and seize its avatar. As for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng¡¯s true body, I will have to trouble Senior to fetch it.¡± With that said, Han Li cupped his fist and walked into the forest behind him. With some unknown method, he soon disappeared without trace.


    The Bone Sage was startled. He inwardly frowned as he looked at the earth spiritual Qi in the forest. After his mouth twitched, he raised his hand. A strange serpent of black Qi flew out and flew straight into the heart of the forest with the jade box in its mouth. After placing down the jade box, it flew back towards him.


    With that done, there was still no trace of Han Li, causing a grim expression to momentarily appear on his face. He immediately flew to the sky in silence.


    ¡®What? Are you actually scared of your own trick, the formation flags that you gave him?¡¯ The man¡¯s mocking voice suddenly appeared in the Bone Sage¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Carefulness leads to no mistakes! I will first test the formation and see whether or not it is properly set up. Although the chance that he happened to possess earth attribute formation flags is miniscule, I cannot take the risk!¡¯ The Bone Sage spoke without caring.


    The man clicked his tongue, ¡®If you were originally this careful, you wouldn¡¯t have fallen to this degree. It seems you¡¯ve learned your lesson about that great flaw of yours, old pal Bone Sage!¡¯


    The Bone Sage couldn¡¯t make out whether he was sarcastic or truly praising him. With an inward snort, he didn¡¯t pay any further attention to the man¡¯s words.


    The Bone Sage floated in the air and opened his hand. A yellow formation flag appeared in his grasp. This flag appeared similar to the four that he had given to Han Li but it was a bit shorter and appeared quite exquisite.


    The Bone Sage glanced at the small flag and lightly shook it. The flag immediately released a faint yellow light. After it twirled in the Bone Sage¡¯s hand, it pointed down towards the forest.


    The Bone Sage let out quiet breath, and his face revealed an evil smile. After putting away the small flag, he turned his gaze to the small mountain and flew off.


    At that moment, Han Li had finally appeared from the forest.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes coldly glinted as he watched the Bone Sage fly farther away. After his expression stirred, his body became blurred, leaving behind only a breeze. The fishy smell from the jade box was becoming increasingly potent, causing Han Li to tightly frown. All he could do was hold his breath.


    As time passed, doubts began to spring into his heart. He couldn¡¯t stay there for long. If the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng wasn¡¯t duped into appearing, he could only return in vain.


    As Han Li was thinking this, his expression stirred. His spiritual sense detected a small object burst into the trees. Han Li was pleasantly surprised by this and immediately concealed his body¡¯s aura. He then stared at the jade box with complete attention.


    A yellow light flashed. A sneaking rabbit was floating outside the formation spell. This rabbit¡¯s body was snow white and its blood-red eyes were swivelling incessantly, occasionally glancing around. It appeared extremely timid.


    Despite this, the rabbit¡¯s pink nose was continuously sniffing in the direction of the jade box and would occasionally reveal a human-like expression of infatuation.


    What was an extremely unpleasant odor to Han Li proved to be an extremely pleasurable one to this small creature.

 Chapter 451

    Two-Faced


    There was no doubt. This small animal was certain to be the avatar of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.


    Han Li excitedly looked at the white rabbit and circulated the entirety of his Great Development Technique through his eyes. The white rabbit¡¯s pure spiritual Qi was astonishingly brilliant.


    It was undoubtedly a wondrous item born from nature. Han Li felt deeply moved, but he didn¡¯t relax in the slightest. As he rigidly stared at the white rabbit, his hand had already formed an incantation seal.


    The rabbit continued to stay outside the great formation before its two fire-red eyes glanced at the jade box several times. It was clearly unsatisfied with merely staying in place and continuing to only smell it. It was now coming up with a clever plan.


    Now that he saw the rabbit¡¯s intelligence, Han Li became increasingly careful and revealed a tense expression. After all, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was most adapt in evasion techniques. Were he not careful, he would¡¯ve wasted all of his previous efforts.


    After the rabbit circled around the large formation, its two ears swayed incessantly while still as if it were attempting to sense any oddities with the nearby spiritual Qi.


    Han Li felt slightly worried. If the spirit ginseng avatar saw through the trap and wouldn¡¯t enter the formation, he would have to forcefully capture it with the gold net. However, the chance of success would be pathetically small.


    During Han Li¡¯s moment of hesitation, the white rabbit¡¯s body blurred and disappeared into the underbrush.


    Han Li was left completely stupefied.


    During Han Li¡¯s bafflement, a white blur appeared from a different side of the underbrush. The white rabbit¡¯s speed left incomplete afterimages. It shot towards the jade box in an instant. After grasping the jade box in its jaw, it ran back without the slightest hesitation.


    Although the white rabbit¡¯s actions had left him in a slight daze, he immediately awoke. How could he allow its mere tricks to succeed?


    An arrow-like ray of gold light shot down from the trees, intercepting the white rabbit¡¯s path of escape. The white rabbit fearfully twisted its body in mid flight and threw itself in a different direction.


    It was already too late. A barrier of yellow light had already surrounded it, firmly sealing it. The white rabbit¡¯s head knocked against the light barrier and was repelled.


    After rolling several times across the ground, it got up with a swaying head and eyes filled with panic. With a flash of white light, it turned into a fist-sized ball of rainbow light and immediately flew downwards into the ground.


    But when the ball of rainbow light sunk several inches into the ground, it was pushed back by another burst of yellow light.


    Now it was truly worried. The rainbow ball of light flusteredly knocked against the light barrier like a housefly, but it was always met with resistance. At that moment, a streak of golden light shot down towards the ball of light white it was in midair. It was caught completely unprepared.


    Then with a blur, Han Li appeared on the ground. The golden light then flew into his hand, revealing itself as the gold threaded net that the Bone Sage had given him.


    The light turned back into the white rabbit while in the net, and it struggled to break free. It¡¯s figure became blurred, large, and small, but it proved to be of no use. The gold net closely matched its transformations, firmly holding it in place.


    Han Li smiled at the sight. After he brought the gold net close to his face and closely examined the white rabbit, he hung the net at his waist. He then sat down at the center of the formation with no intention of disabling it. He then took out the flower basket desolate antiquity and placed it in front of him. He also released two spirit beast pouches of Gold Devouring Beetles and had them continuously spiral above him, forming a huge glowing cloud of gold and silver.


    Han Li then calmly sat down and closed his eyes, waiting for the Bone Sage to bring back the main body of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.


    With all of this in place, Han Li hoped that this would tacitly tell the Bone Sage that it would be best to not shed all pretenses of cooperation and to sincerely hand the spirit ginseng over to him. He clearly understood that their cooperation would only persist so long as the Bone Sage believed that he wasn¡¯t weak. Naturally, if the Bone Sage showed any killing intent, Han Li would bluntly take the first move.


    Regardless of whether on not the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng truly possessed the miraculous effect of condensing a Nascent Soul, he was still determined to acquire it. After all, this spiritual item possessed great fame. He was convinced that even if it didn¡¯t hold any effect towards Nascent Soul formation, he was certain it still had other equally impressive uses.


    With that thought, Han Li unconsciously opened his eyes and looked at the white rabbit at his waist, the avatar of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.


    He was left stunned. It completely lacked its previous vigor and had grown completely powerless.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. Its main body was certain to be in the Bone Sage¡¯s grasp. Otherwise, its avatar wouldn¡¯t appear so lifeless. Han Li then turned his gaze to the skies outside of the forest.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, the Bone Sage eventually flew over as a dark cloud. He came to a stop outside the formation spell and wordlessly floated there.


    Han Li expressionlessly stood up and stared at the dark cloud. He didn¡¯t plan on speaking first.


    A long while later, the Bone Sage¡¯s bone-chilling voice came from the cloud, ¡°You appear as if you¡¯re facing a great enemy. What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that my cultivation is too low. I am truly scared of suddenly having a falling out with Senior.¡± Han Li calmly replied.


    ¡°Humph! You really are overly suspicious! If I didn¡¯t plan on giving this spiritual item to you, then why would I bring you to such a far away place. Don¡¯t forget that I still need your help in dealing with my traitorous disciple!¡± The Bone Sage spoke as if he were suppressing anger.


    ¡°Senior, I¡¯m not sure if you know, but times have changed! Perhaps Senior truly needed my help before entering the Heavenvoid Hall. But now, I¡¯m not entirely sure that Senior hasn¡¯t already acquired another assistant.¡± Han Li stared at the Bone Sage with a gaze sharp as a sword.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s voice grew colder, and he faintly revealed an expression of shock.


    Han Li frowned and impatiently said, ¡°Senior doesn¡¯t need to continue to feign ignorance. Why don¡¯t you call out to him. I saw him appear when he was looking for the spirit ginseng.¡±


    After hearing this, the Bone Sage grew silent. Not long after a man¡¯s deep, unfamiliar voice came from within the cloud, ¡°Youngster, how did you discover me? I cannot believe that you saw through my disguise technique.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in answering a stranger. Now I will ask a question to Senior Bone Sage. Do you truly wish to fight in a battle where both sides suffer, only to the benefit of Zenith Yin?¡± Han Li spoke with a mocking expression.


    ¡°Both sides suffer? You truly overestimate yourself! Although killing you would consume a bit of effort, I am willing to pay the cost.¡± With that said the dark cloud suddenly shot out a streak of yellow light, striking the barrier of the formation spell.


    The color of the barrier abruptly changed to a fiery red. The center of the formation spell began to release a scorching heat as if it were a furnace.


    Han Li¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change upon seeing this, and he lightly sighed. He raised his hand and shot an azure incantation seal towards the barrier. The barrier¡¯s color fluctuated many times between red and yellow before finally returning to its original yellow. The scorching heat had disappeared as if it were an illusion.


    ¡°Yi! What did you do to my formation flags?¡± A shocked voice came from the dark cloud.


    ¡°What did I do? I just did what you did!¡± Han Li spoke with a noncommittal tone.


    ¡°Humph! Very good. You¡¯ve must also used my golden thread ball quite well then.¡± The Bone Sage tone turned icy.


    ¡°What!? Could it be!?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression underwent a massive change. He immediately threw the gold threaded net from his waist into the distance.


    But just as the Bone Sage finished speaking, the golden net turned pitch-black with a flash. It quickly shot towards Han Li as a fine thread of black Qi and hastily bound him. As for the rabbit that was within it, it was discarded to the side without regard. It remained motionless as if it were unconscious.


    With this sudden entrapment, Han Li was unable to conceal the abrupt shock on his face.


    ¡°Youngster, how do you like the feeling of ghost threads? Are you still able to use any of the magic power in your body?¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s proud laughter came from the cloud above.


    When Han Li heard this, he hastily felt for his magic power, but his face soon turned ashen.

 Chapter 452

    Thunderous Strike


    Han Li was incapable of drawing on any of the magic power in his body, feeling as if it were frozen. It was clear that those ghost threads had restricted his true essence.


    Han Li was overwhelmed with shock for a moment. He hastily turned his gaze to examine the black threads. The black threads densely coiling around his body were glossy and emitted a faint Yin Qi. Its baneful nature was clear at a glance.


    Han Li¡¯s face unconsciously twitched. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t suspect that it had been tampered with, but that after careful examination, he had been unable to find anything strange.


    As he didn¡¯t carry any pure gold magic tools on hand, he had no choice to be use that item. After he used the item to capture the spirit ginseng¡¯s avatar, his suspicions about the item had been thrown to the back on his mind for the time being. It was beyond his imagination that just as they turned hostile that his magic power and true essence would be completely restrained.


    However, his expression of shock only existed for a short moment before his calm was restored. That was because he immediately recalled that he still had the formation spell protecting him. He would have enough time to break free of the restrains before they could further act against him.


    Han Li scoffed and thought to call out to his Gold Devouring beetles when he heard a puff from behind him.


    The sound was barely discernable. If Han Li hadn¡¯t earlier covered the area of the formation spell with his spiritual sense, he feared he wouldn¡¯t had discovered it. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Han Li sharply whistled and instantly rolled his body over. At that same time, the Gold Devouring Beetles filled the skies as they swarmed behind him.


    Upon hearing a loud explosion from behind him, Han Li¡¯s face grew gloomy.


    Han Li saw the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles blocking the path of a strange dark green silhouette of light and doing their utmost to attack it.


    The green light silhouette appeared blurred from having its body covered in ghost Qi. Its arms had transformed into two huge, dark green pythons. They were wildly lashing out at any of the Gold Devouring Beetles that attempted to approach. As none of the beetles were able to approach him, the Gold Devouring Beetles were at a complete standstill.


    But what Han Li found even more inconceivable was that the formation spell was still completely intact. Just how was it able to appear behind him without triggering any of the restrictions?


    But before Han Li could recover from his shock, the green silhouette loudly cursed, ¡°These damned insects are actually capable of consuming my incorporeal body. How menacing!¡± It was the same unfamiliar voice he had heard before, but now, it was quite flustered.


    Han Li had finally noticed that in the instant the beetles were flung away, they had taken bites out of green pythons and had swallowed specks of green light. It was no wonder why he was so perturbed.


    In the mere time after it had just recently spoke from within the cloud, it had managed to conceal itself behind him and launch a sneak attack. Han Li was completely perplexed by this but the question soon faded from his mind. Now was not to the time to think of it.


    He had no mind to chat with the silhouette and whistled once more. A small portion of the Gold Devouring Beetles separated themselves from the group and shot towards him. They were crawling all over his body, tearing away at the black threads.


    Because his magic power was restricted, Han Li was only able to barely control the Gold Devouring Beetles by use of sound. He needed to set himself free before the enemy figured out a way to deal with his Gold Devouring Beetles. After all, the memory of the beetles¡¯ Origin Qi being greatly damaged by the ghostly roars were still fresh in his mind. If such a thing were to occur again, it would be terrible.


    At that moment, the barrier seemed to be rammed by a heavy object. After flickering with yellow light, the light barrier started to blur.


    Han Li then indifferently glanced over. He saw the Bone Sage in midair, releasing his own attacks in coordination with the green silhouette¡¯s attack.


    The dark cloud continuously struck the light barrier with three-meter-wide masses of black Qi. It appeared that the barrier wouldn¡¯t last for much longer.


    A strange light stirred in Han Li¡¯s eyes. He no longer paid attention to the Bone Sage¡¯s assault and turned his gaze to the Gold Devouring Beetles that were blocking the flourishing green silhouette over forty meters away.


    The Yin ghost threads on his body had already been torn nearly halfway through in that instant. Han Li could already feel his true essence and magic power slowly stir, causing him to involuntarily reveal a trace of joy.


    Once his magic power returned to normal, he had many methods he could make use of.


    At that moment, the green silhouette released a soft roar and started spinning its body. In a second, it had turned into a huge top spinning at great speed. It charged into the swarm of beetles and slowly inched closer to Han Li.


    The ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles continued to chase after it. Although a majority were quickly swatted away by the huge top, a small portion of them managed to cling onto it and slow it down.


    When the other beetles saw this, they swarmed around it. A short moment later, the green silhouette had Gold Devouring Beetles crawling over its body and was no longer capable of spinning. It looked just like when they had devoured the grey ghost shadow previously.


    Han Li was astonished. The green ghost¡¯s suicidal action not only caused him to feel joy, but also great apprehension. What happened afterwards verified his suspicions.


    In a breath¡¯s time, the green shadow¡¯s body that was being held down by the Gold Devouring Beetles started to inflate into a large sphere and glow with dazzling green radiance.


    ¡®Not good!¡¯ Han Li wanted to recall the Gold Devouring Beetles, but it was too late. The green sphere emitted a deafening bang and released an extremely cold aura that submerged all of the beetles.


    The center of this explosion was shining with dazzling green radiance. Under it as cover, a fine wisp of green smoke shot out, quickly shooting towards the still bound Han Li.


    ¡°Your body will be mine!¡± With roaring laughter, the green thread flashed, transforming into a meter wide malevolent ghost head as it continued to charge towards him.


    As the Bone Sage saw this from up above, he wore a slight smile. He immediately stopped his attacks, despite being only a few strikes away from breaking through it.


    Han Li stared at the ghost head as it approached him with an icy, piercing gaze. When it arrived about three meters away from him, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes and his body suddenly released a violent, baleful aura.


    This violent, baleful aura appeared nearly tangible, and unexpectedly stopped the approaching ghost head from shock.


    Han Li suddenly opened his mouth and shot a dense bolt of golden lightning, penetrating through the ghost head at point blank. The ghost head wailed in anguish and immediately turned into a ball of green Qi after being struck by the golden lightning. Furiously shrieking, it fled for its life.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t about to allow it to so easily escape. At that moment, his entire body was wildly releasing arcs of faint lightning. In an instant, the black threads had been thoroughly dispersed.


    His body blurred without delay. After leaving behind several afterimages, he had chased down the green Qi.


    Han Li expressionlessly raised his right hand and fiercely clutched the ball of Qi. Faint gold lightning sparked from his fingers and instantly erased the green Qi from existence, leaving a dark green crystal pearl in his grasp. It flickered with a strange brilliance as if it were alive.


    Han Li indifferently looked at it for a moment before tightly closing his hand. The crystal pearl was then turned to ash from an arc of lightning.


    Without a corporeal body, even the ghost king grade green shadow was destroyed in an instant by Han Li¡¯s unrestrained use of the Divine Devilbane Lightning. Even Han Li himself was surprised by how easy it had been.


    Then, Han Li raised his head and looked at the Bone Sage with an unphased expression, ¡°Hand over the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng to me and I will pretend as if nothing happened, and we will continue our cooperation. Otherwise, one of us will have to die!¡± Although Han Li¡¯s tone was serene, the cold intent of his words caused the Bone Sage to wear a grotesque grimace.


    The Bone Sage directly stared at Han Li for a long while before saying, ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡±


    Han Li unconsciously narrowed his eyes as he rigidly stared at him.


    ¡°Since he was unable to take over your body, his skill was insufficient. I will naturally cooperate with the victor. Take good care of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.¡± The dark cloud concealing the Bone Sage disappeared to reveal his true body. He then flung a golden box at Han Li.

 Chapter 453

    Zenith Yin¡¯s Intrusion


    Han Li expressionlessly watched the box rebound off of the light barrier and fall to the ground outside. He didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of releasing the restrictions. He only solemnly stared at the gold box in complete silence.


    With his hands behind his back, the Bone Sage serenely spoke, ¡°What? You fear that that the box is under the effect of ghost thread alterations? Relax. This old ghost has already given up. I can no longer act against you as I only have you left to assist me with Zenith Yin. The large number of Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasures that are contained within your body were particularly outside of my expectations. They will prove to be extremely effective when dealing with Zenith Yin¡¯s Profound Yin Arts. Harming you at this point would be harming myself.¡±


    Han Li focused his sights on the Bone Sage. If he plotted against him once, he would naturally be willing to do it again for reasons still unknown. Although his words and actions were agreeable, it was best for him to remain vigilant.


    With that thought, Han Li raised his arm and shot a slim arc of faint gold lightning, striking the gold box with shock. After swaying several times, no odd transformations had occurred.


    Han Li let out a sigh of relief. If the box was transformed from something demonic, it would¡¯ve undoubtedly shown a reaction.


    With his heart at ease, he beckoned to the box and the gold case shot towards him. At that same moment, the light barrier flickered, allowing the gold box to pass through the in that instant.


    Han Li saw that the Bone Sage still had yet to move with his spiritual sense and had somewhat relaxed. He then lowered his head to look at the gold box.


    With a cold glint shining from his eyes, Han Li stared at the box in his hands, contemplating about something.


    When the Bone Sage saw Han Li¡¯s cautious appearance, he scoffed and leisurely watched from above without any intention of urging him.


    Han Li then looked down at the avatar of the spirit ginseng, the white rabbit. It was motionlessly lying on the ground as if it were unconscious.


    Han Li muttered to himself for a moment. Then without any further hesitation, he gently flipped the cover of the gold box, revealing a sudden azure light shining from the box. The box then fully opened the rest of the way by itself and revealed what was inside.


    Han Li hastily focused his gaze on the small item before him. It was half a foot long and an earthy yellow with dry, wrinkled skin appearing like one would commonly expect from the roots of an old tree.


    Han Li was speechless.


    While Han Li was doubting whether this truly was the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng or whether the Bone Sage had replaced some unknown item to dupe him with, the motionless rabbit that was lying on the ground suddenly leapt towards him as an orb of white light, shooting towards the roots in the golden box.


    Han Li was initially surprised but he soon revealed joy.


    The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng¡¯s white rabbit avatar¡¯s sudden actions clearly revealed that this item was truly the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, causing him to feel assured.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to just ignore this avatar and allow it to fuse with its main body. He flicked his finger, striking the rabbit¡¯s head with a streak an azure swordlight. It tumbled off a distance away.


    But with its true body before its eyes, it leapt forward again with the entirety of its strength, completely unwilling to give up.


    Han Li grew somewhat impatient. He immediately shot off an arc of lightning, thoroughly knocking out the white rabbit. A large patch of its fur had turned black.


    Afterwards, Han Li reached in the direction of the white rabbit, causing it to fly into his hand. After taking a look at it, he decided to place it into the golden box.


    Once the white rabbit avatar touched the body of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, it merged into the ginseng with a flash of white light. Han Li then closed the lid and placed a minor restriction on it to prevent it from fleeing.


    With that done, Han Li released a breath of true relief.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s inaction caused Han Li to feel relaxed, but it had increased his wariness as well.


    After placing the golden box into his storage pouch, he calmly asked, ¡°After Senior gave the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng to this Junior, did he not fear that Junior would take it and run?¡±


    The Bone Sage¡¯s wandering gaze focused on Han Li. He unhurriedly said, ¡°Run? Even with the ginseng, what would you think to do without the formula to refine it?¡±


    Han Li frowned and thought about what else he should say.


    The Bone Sage sneered and couldn¡¯t help but explain, ¡°Zenith Yin has already acted on your body. You can either be pursued to the ends of the earth or cooperate with me. Even if you left the Heavenvoid Hall with the spirit ginseng, Zenith Yin would later¡­ hehe!¡±


    ¡°Acted on me?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression momentarily changed. He didn¡¯t believe that his body could be affected by something without his knowledge, given his immense spiritual sense.


    The Bone Sage naturally guessed that Han Li doubted this and immediately smirked. But just as he was about to offer evidence, his expression abruptly changed, and he turned his gaze to the distance.


    Han Li was baffled by this, but he immediately felt alarm swell in his mind. He couldn¡¯t help but believe the old devil had sought to trick him.


    But for some unknown reason, the Bone Sage hastily turned back around and said something that caused Han Li to immediately tense.


    ¡°Zenith Yin is coming. Most likely for you. You¡¯re on your own! I am going to conceal myself.¡± The Bone Sage then turned into a dark cloud and flew off, disappearing in an instant.


    Han Li was dumbstruck!


    Just as he was pondering whether or not the Bone Sage spoke truthfully, he heard booming, ghostly wails from the horizon. A huge sea of dense black clouds imposingly covered the skies. It appeared that they were heading in this direction!


    Han Li¡¯s heart dropped!


    This dark cloud possessed the astonishing pressure of the Profound Yin Arts. It was most likely that the person who was coming was Grandmaster Zenith Yin. Could it be true that Zenith Yin had schemed against him without his detection? How else could Grandmaster Zenith Yin have flown such a far distance towards him with complete accuracy.


    At that moment, Han Li inwardly rained profanities at the Bone Sage. Wasn¡¯t he going on about wanting to cooperate with him to deal with Zenith Yin?! Now, he was left behind, abandoned with great speed. This caused Han Li to be beyond gloomy.


    Now that he had hid, it was too late for Han Li. He could only brace himself to cope with this directly.


    As Han Li remained inside the formations spell, the black clouds arrived above the forest in the blink of an eye and came to a sudden stop.


    With this, Han Li no longer had any choice. He could only silently stare at the dark clouds with a tense heart. He believed that Zenith Yin wouldn¡¯t kill him on sight and would be given a proper explanation of why Grandmaster Zenith Yin was so intent on pursuing him. After a long while of strenuous thinking, Han Li couldn¡¯t figure out why he was being chased, much to his annoyance!


    With that thought, Han Li recovered his calm state of mind and he attentively gazed at the black clouds, waiting for Zenith Yin to speak.


    But contrary to his expectations, a cold snort came from the dark clouds and shot out a jet-black light beam towards the magic formation at a speed greater than lightning.


    With a flash of yellow light, the light barrier was thoroughly destroyed with a deafening rupture. It was unable to hold for even a second.


    Completely unobstructed, the black light beam directly struck at Han Li. Han Li¡¯s face became deathly pale in an instant. His body blurred several times out of instinct and he dodged out of the way, appearing over a hundred meters away with an expression of furious alarm.


    Han Li waved his arms without any further hesitation. Over a hundred huge ape puppets appeared around him. He then twirled several spirit beast pouches around him, having them lightly sway in front of him.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze grew ice-cold. Although he knew his chances of victory were pathetically small, if Zenith Yin truly wished to kill him, he still had to try his utmost! He was unwilling to resign himself to death!


    At that same time, nine Bamboo Cloudswarm swords that were sealed in his body¡¯s true essence began to stir.

 Chapter 454

    Enticement


    The expansive black clouds appeared to be reacting to Han Li¡¯s hostile vigilance. They started to quickly swiveled and started pulling back at the center of the clouds with a grand flourish of devilish Qi.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. Just as he was about to impatiently order his puppets to attack, he heard the Bone Sage¡¯s cold voice in his ear.


    ¡°Youngster, don¡¯t attack him. He is merely giving you a show of his strength. He doesn¡¯t wish to truly kill you. Let¡¯s see what my traitorous disciples wants from you, before you do anything else!¡±


    The Bone Sage¡¯s voice transmission surprised Han Li, giving him a sudden realization. He then forcefully suppressed the restlessness in his heart and asked, ¡°Great Senior Zenith Yin, for what reason has Senior come to find this Junior?¡± Han Li¡¯s voice was gloomy and serene, possessing neither arrogance nor humbleness.


    ¡°You¡¯re still calm despite receiving my attack. It seems you are quite courageous.¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin answer was besides the point. Han Li was unsure whether his words were that of praise or contempt.


    ¡°As a Nascent Soul cultivator, if Senior wishes to exterminate Junior, my courage wouldn¡¯t make a difference.¡± Han Li unconsciously frowned and replied with a calm expression. He felt slightly more at ease, knowing that the Bone Sage was hiding not far away.


    If he were to act together with the old devil who knew the weakness of the Profound Yin Arts, it would be possible to fight against Zenith Yin. Naturally, that would require the Bone Sage to assist him, which was something Han Li couldn¡¯t guarantee. As a result, he didn¡¯t possess the slightest intention of angering the Bone Sage.


    At that moment, the black clouds eventually billowed away and flashed several times. Woosh. The clouds disappeared to reveal a middle-aged man and a short, thin, and ugly youth ¡ª Zenith Yin and Wu Shou.


    ¡°You are Han Li, a rogue cultivator from Heavenly Star City?¡± The middle aged man looked at Han Li with interest.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I am Han Li, although it seems Senior already knows this.¡± Han Li revealed a bitter smile and spoke with a tone of helplessness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, I¡¯m not here to look for trouble. It¡¯s not about that matter with the Exquisite Sound Sect either. The previous attack was merely because I felt that formation spell was in the way, so I sought to break it.¡± Zenith Yin spoke with an indifferent smile.


    ¡®What was in the way? Did you not merely wish to intimidate me with your immense strength?¡¯ Han Li thought, completely aware of the truth. But contrarily, he respectfully asked, ¡°Then, Senior is here for¡­?¡±


    As Han Li clearly understood that Zenith Yin was waiting for him to ask that, he could only hold his nose and play along.


    Zenith Yin chuckled upon hearing Han Li¡¯s question. After closely examining Han Li, he was able to sense his inward restlessness.


    ¡°Do you recognize what this is?¡± Zenith Yin raised his hand, revealing a dense white ball. Without giving him a chance to clearly see what it was, he lightly tossed it towards Han Li.


    Han Li revealed slight confusion. When the item flew in front of him, he caught it with his sleeve and carefully brought it before his eyes.


    The item wasn¡¯t large and was badly damaged, but Han Li recognized it at a glance. It was a small amount of the pure white threads from the Bloodjade Spiders.


    Han Li blankly stared at it, baffled at why Zenith Yin had given this to him. But after some thought, he immediately recalled the battle that had occurred with the Hidden Fiend Sect. When he was trying to escape the entrapment, he had used the Bloodjade spiders to deal with a demon corpse that was blocking his path. That should¡¯ve been when Zenith Yin had acquired this object.


    ¡®Why is he asking about this item now?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed as suspicions began to come to mind.


    However, as Zenith Yin wasn¡¯t going to give him much time to think, he could only answer honestly, ¡°I undoubtedly recognize this item. They¡¯re threads that my spirit beast shootout. Why has Senior mentioned this?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was doubtful as if he couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe it.


    Zenith Yin revealed a smile upon hearing this.


    ¡°Good, very good! I came to look for you because I wish to see your spirit beasts. How about you take them out and let this Grandmaster take a look at them?¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin revealed a trace of excitement and spoke with a surprisingly gently voice.


    This caused Han Li to grow even more vigilant. This was because Han Li had caught a trace of well-concealed greed contained in his smile. It was only revealed for an instant before it faded away.


    Showing such an expression at the mention of his Bloodjade Spiders wasn¡¯t a good omen by any means. Although he felt even more restless underneath Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s gaze, Han Li could only hesitantly force himself to agree.


    ¡®Well, no point in dragging this out!¡¯, Han Li gloomily thought.


    He then raised his arm and lightly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A white light then flew out and landed in front of Han Li. The light faded away to reveal a white spider the size of a millstone, fiercely observing its surroundings.


    When Zenith Yin saw the Bloodjade Spider, he continuously stared at it as if it were an extremely precious treasure. His expression gradually became happier.


    ¡°Great! It truly is a Bloodjade Spider! Hehe¡­¡± After a long while, Grandmaster Zenith Yin broke into wild laughter as he faced the sky, causing the nearby air to tremble. Han Li¡¯s expression involuntarily changed. The cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator was truly profound!


    However, Han Li soon wore a cautious expression. He knew that Zenith Yin was about to mention the true heart of the problem.


    But before Grandmaster Zenith Yin could speak, the Bone Sage¡¯s apprehensive voice was transmitted to Han Li¡¯s ear.


    ¡°How did you get that Bloodjade Spider? Why haven¡¯t you told me about this?¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s voice was filled with regret and furious alarm.


    ¡°Why would I have told you that I possessed it?¡± Han Li grew sullen.


    But he immediately calmed his mind and had second thoughts. Since the Bone Sage was also moved by it, it seems the Bloodjade Spider possessed a great mystery. Would the appearance of this unknown matter prove to be a benefit or detriment to him?


    As Han Li was inwardly mulling this over, the Bone Sage urgently sent him another voice transmission, ¡°That traitorous disciple Zenith Yin will definitely invite you to go with him into the Inner Halls. Do not hesitate to go with him. I will be secretly following after you and provide assistance.¡± Perhaps sensing that Han Li¡¯s tone was unsettled, the Bone Sage¡¯s voice became much more gentle.


    When Han Li heard this, his heart became even more uneasy, contrary to the Bone Sage¡¯s intentions. He faintly felt that he was about to be dragged into a great maelstrom where he would meet a terrible death if he weren¡¯t careful.


    As these suspicions stirred in Han Li¡¯s mind, Zenith Yin eventually spoke as the Bone Sage had predicted, ¡°Han Li, do you wish to go to the Inner Halls? If you do, I will bring you through safely!¡± Zenith Yin voice was amiable and his words were filled with great enticement.


    ¡°Go to the Inner Halls?¡± Han Li was astonished.


    It was a place that was said to be too dangerous for a Core Formation cultivator, but the treasures that it contained were far more precious than in other areas of the Heavenvoid Hall. But after Han Li came to know of the particulars of that place, he had decided not to go. He was even more averse to braving the dangers of the Inner Hall now that he had just acquired the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, an item that greatly helped when congealing a Nascent Soul.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s offer to safely bring him through the Inner Halls, and the Bone Sage¡¯s exhortations for him to agree were met with complete disdain and distrust from Han Li.


    He only had one life, after all!


    After a moment more of pondering, Han Li declined with a forced smile, ¡°To this Junior, the Inner Halls are truly out of reach. Junior will be satisfied with passing only two trials. As such, Junior will forgo going to the Inner Halls. His luck isn¡¯t that good!¡±


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s expression sank, and his eyes became stern.


    At his side, Wu Chou loudly rebuked him with a scowl, ¡°Han Li, my ancestor didn¡¯t chase after you for your offenses during that previous matter. Now, you use excuses to refuse his kind offer to bring you into the Inner Halls. Could it be that you hold our Zenith Yin Island in contempt?¡±


    Although Grandmaster Zenith Yin didn¡¯t stop Wu Chou, he wore a displeased expression and looked at Wu Chou with a cold gaze.


    Han Li grew silent once more. He again heard the Bone Sage exhort him to agree, causing even more distrust to swell in his heart.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go. Although I do not know why Island Lord Wu plans on bringing me into the Inner Halls, it definitely won¡¯t be a matter of only broadening my experiences. It would be better for me to use my time to look for treasures in safer areas.¡± Han Li spoke with an indifferent expression.

 Chapter 455

    Another Surprise


    ¡°Humph! Do you truly believe that you get to decide whether or not you can go? If you don¡¯t come with us, this young lord will kill you here. Did you truly believe that our Zenith Yin Island wouldn¡¯t dare to act due to the words of the Star Palace enforcers?¡± Wu Chou¡¯s small eyes ominously glinted.


    Although Wu Chou had been previously warned by Grandmaster Zenith Yin, he still attempted to threateningly pressure Han Li. Wu Chou felt Han Li was truly displeasing to the eye. The malice he felt towards Han Li was nearly innate, born from no particular reason.


    Han Li found this feeling mutual. That recent outburst was merely met with an indifferent glance and did nothing to improve Han Li¡¯s impression of him. Paying no further heed to Wu Chou, he spoke to Grandmaster Zenith Yin, ¡°For a reason unknown to me, Senior requires this Junior¡¯s spirit beast. But this Junior is also well aware that if a spirit beast¡¯s master dies, their spirit beasts are incapable of recognizing another master. In addition, Junior is capable of ordering the Bloodjade Spider to self detonate during a moment of crisis. Surely, Senior doesn¡¯t wish to see that!¡±


    Han Li clearly understood that Wu Chou was merely playing the part of a paper tiger. As such Han Li was unwilling to tango with Wu Chou and decided to speak with the true authority, Grandmaster Zenith Yin.


    However, this action by Han Li caused Wu Chou to fly into a rage from the humiliation. After a hostile expression appeared on his face, he spewed a slew of profanities at Han Li. But he was soon stopped by a wave from Zenith Yin, ¡°Good, I am fond of Juniors with courage and understanding. Since this island lord requires your Bloodjade Spider, I naturally won¡¯t drag you along without payment. Once we arrive in the Inner Halls, I will¡­¡±


    Just as Zenith Yin was about to list his conditions, his expression suddenly grew sullen and he stopped speaking. He turned his head around to fiercely stare in a certain direction with a malicious look on his face.


    ¡°Let this Grandmaster have a look at you, eavesdropper!¡± Grandmaster Zenith Yin¡¯s voice was shrill and full of killing intent. He appeared extremely angry.


    Han Li felt alarmed. He immediately thought that the Bone Sage had been discovered and was unconsciously pondering about how he should deal with this situation.


    However, Han Li was surprised to hear an aged voice.


    ¡°Old Pal Wu, there is no need to be so angry. I merely encountered you by coincidence. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to attack?¡± A hundred meters away in the air floated a Confucian-robed old man covered in an azure glowing light.


    It was someone Grandmaster Zenith Yin was quite familiar with, Layman Qing Yi!


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Qing! You followed me!¡± When Zenith Yin saw him, he grimaced, and his killing intent faded.


    ¡°What? Follow you? I was merely taking a stroll and happened to see Fellow Daoist Wu and this young Junior having a chat. So I thought I¡¯d come over and say hi. I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d cause Fellow Daoist Wu to be so unhappy. Sigh, had I known earlier, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have acted so rashly.¡± The Confucian-robed old man dryly laughed and spoke with a completely unconcerned tone.


    He soon grew unconcerned with keeping up his own pretences and turned his gaze from the pale Zenith Yin to the Bloodjade Spider.


    ¡°Tch tch. This is a Bloodjade Spider? It truly is a rare spirit beast. From the analysis of earlier cultivators, this is one of the spirit beasts that are most likely capable of acquiring the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Its odds are far greater than your Fire Serpent or Wan Tianming¡¯s Gold Threaded Silkworm.¡± Layman Qing Yi spoke, shaking his head.


    ¡®Taking a stroll nearby? While invisible?¡¯ After hearing the old man¡¯s shameless excuse, Grandmaster Zenith Yin grew furious. But his expression only grew gloomier upon hearing Qing Yi reveal the secret about the Bloodjade Spider.


    After turning his gaze away from the Bloodjade Spiders, the Confucian-robed scholar examined Han Li several times before saying, ¡°So this is the Junior that Old Pal Wu was concerned with earlier. This old man is also quite fond of guiding courageous and insightful youngsters. I am quite interested in taking taking him in as my disciple. How about it? I¡¯ve never taken in a disciple before.¡± Zenith Yin paled after hearing this.


    ¡°Take Junior in a disciple?¡± Han Li blinked several times. He didn¡¯t know whether he should be excited or cynical.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression was icy, and threads of black Qi began to surge from his body. He spoke each of his words forcefully while staring at the old man, ¡°Fellow Daoist Qing, what are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! I was only joking! Old Pal Zenith Yin doesn¡¯t need to be so nervous. If I were to truly take this youngster as a disciple, I fear Fellow Daoist would attack me without restraint. However, if Hu Manzi were to know of this Bloodjade Spider, would he back down?¡± The old man chuckled. A strange expression appeared within his eyes as he played the matter off.


    Layman Qing Yi¡¯s words initially caused Zenith Yin to relax. But upon hearing him mention Man Huzi, he started to feel a strong headache.


    Zenith Yin had originally planned to keep the Bloodjade Spider a secret and manipulate the others into driving the Righteous Dao cultivators away from the Inner Halls or have both sides suffer a mutual defeat. He would then use to the fire serpent to put on a display of being incapable of acquiring the treasure while secretly using Han Li¡¯s Bloodjade Spider to secure it. He alone would acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron. As for his previous promises, he had never intended on keeping them in the first place.


    But he didn¡¯t expect in the slightest that his meticulous plan would be thrown into disarray by this old cunning fox. He was uncertain about whether or not he could kill him to shut him up. And even if he were confident, he couldn¡¯t easily act and weaken his own side prematurely. After all, he still had the Righteous Dao cultivators to contend with.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s face twitched when the old man mentioned Man Huzi. He had previously experienced just how fearsome Man Huzi¡¯s Heavenbearing Devil Arts were. Even with his newly acquired minor mastery of his Heavenwide Corpsefire, he didn¡¯t hold any confidence in facing that man. If by chance that man were to use the pretext of taking in that youngster as a disciple, then he would insist on taking the lion¡¯s share of the treasure. He wouldn¡¯t have any way to prevent it. Unless¡­


    Seeing that he was no longer able to preserve the secret of the Bloodjade Spiders, Zenith Yin started to think of how he wouldn¡¯t suffer a smaller portion of the treasures.


    At that moment, his heart stirred and he looked at the old man with an odd expression, faintly guessing the meaning behind his previous words. The Confucian-robed old man faintly smiled in response to his odd expression and transmitted a message to his ear.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression started to ceaselessly fluctuate.


    The old man¡¯s voice transmission was short and he quickly resumed speaking out loud,¡±How about this proposal?¡±


    Without taking much time to think, Zenith Yin gloomily said, ¡°Fine, I accept.¡±


    The old man revealed a pleased expression and said,¡±Good, this is how it should be.¡± He then glanced at Han Li and unhurriedly said, ¡°Now, between the two of us, who do you think is more suitable to become his master?¡±


    After muttering to himself, Zenith Yin said, ¡°Naturally, he will decide who will become his master. That would be a bit more fair.¡±


    The old man blankly stared for a moment before revealing a strange expression. But after some conderation, he nodded his head in agreement.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, he wore a seldom seen smile. He then turned towards Han Li and indifferently said, ¡°You must¡¯ve already heard our chat! Your Bloodjade Spider is something that we require in our treasure hunt, something that we cannot release under any circumstance. If you believe I won¡¯t kill you because you are the master of the spirit beast, then you are gravely mistaken. This Grandmaster happens to know of a convenient method to refine spirit corpses. If worst comes to worst, I will kill the Bloodjade Spider and refine it into a demon corpse. Since the Bloodjade spider¡¯s cultivation will greatly suffer from this, I won¡¯t do this unless I am forced. If you are afraid of any disadvantages that will result from being involved, then you can become either of our disciples and receive our protection. Also, you will acquire a portion of the treasure should we be successful in acquiring it. As you appear to be a smart fellow, you should know what to do!¡±


    Zenith Yin calmly laid out both the carrot and the stick, causing Han Li¡¯s expression to change.


    In fact, Han Li was inwardly cursing without end. Ever since the Confucian-robed old man had arrived, Han Li felt ill at ease as if the situation had taken a turn for the worse. He had originally wished for the two eccentrics to fight amongst themselves, allowing him to slip away in the ensuing chaos. But he didn¡¯t expect for the cunning old foxes to reach an agreement after only a few words.


    Now, Han Li reckoned there wasn¡¯t the slightest chance that the Bone Sage would appear to help him.


    As for using the Bloodjade Spider as a threat, it seemed it wouldn¡¯t have any effect. He reckoned that if he were to truly order the Bloodjade Spider to self detonate, Zenith Yin would rush to refine it. But as his life was hanging by only this thread, he couldn¡¯t afford to damn himself by angering these Nascent Soul cultivators.


    It seemed that if he didn¡¯t agree, he would only be met with death.

 Chapter 456

    Becoming Zenith Yins Disciple


    Just as Han Li thought about saying something, he suddenly heard a voice transmission from Layman Qing Yi.


    ¡°Han Li, this old man hasn¡¯t accepted a disciple in his entire life and doesn¡¯t have much longer to live. If you were to become my disciple, then my legacy, magic treasures, and all else will by inherited by you. You aren¡¯t going to come across such good fortune elsewhere.¡± Layman Qing Yi¡¯s voice was full of allure.


    Han Li understood that his words were certain to be overstated, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted. Before he could even think it over, he heard Zenith Yin¡¯s gloomy voice.


    ¡°Youngster, regardless of what the eccentric had promised you, I want to remind you that he is a rogue cultivator, one who treads the solitary path. Apart from a desolate island, he has few other possessions. Even if you were to inherit everything from him, it won¡¯t amount to much. However, my Zenith Yin Island is different. Not only are there many cultivators, but it also possesses grand influence. As my own personal disciple, you will hold an unimaginable amount of influence on the island. Regardless of whether it¡¯s beautiful pair cultivation servants or precious pill and tool ingredients, this Grandmaster will allow you to select them. I also saw that you were walking quite close to the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit. If you have any interest in her, it can be handled! So long as you pledge to be my disciple, I will personally bring her to Zenith Yin Island to become your furnace cauldron. These incentives should be much to your satisfaction!¡± Zenith Yin was very direct, listing off many conditions in a torrent.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the end. The Bone Sage¡¯s voice soon entered his ear, ¡°Youngster Han, take my traitorous disciple as a master. That way, we can look for a favorable opportunity to kill him. Don¡¯t forget, I am the only person who knows the pill formula for the refinement of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. You had best do as I suggest, otherwise¡­¡± The Bone Sage¡¯s words were filled with an obvious threat.


    Han Li inwardly rolled his eyes. Each of them had ulterior motives, and he would suffer greatly if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    In his own mind, if he truly wanted to take a master, then he would naturally pick the Confucian-robed old man. Although he wouldn¡¯t receive many great benefits, he wouldn¡¯t become entangled with a hideous mess of relations. It would be far more peaceful, and he wouldn¡¯t be involved with any more quarrels.


    As for Zenith Yin¡¯s medicine pills, beautiful women, and techniques, Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly interested. The talk regarding Fairy Violet Spirit interested him even less.


    But with the Bone Sage¡¯s voice transmission, Han Li had to carefully reconsider. Solidifying a Nascent Soul was his next objective on the path to Immortality. Although it was still quite some time away, the pill recipe was still something that he had to acquire.


    With that thought, Han Li lowered his head and started muttering to himself, pondering over what was to be gained or lost.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed several times over a short period of time before he raised his head. His next words were music to Zenith Yin¡¯s ears and to the disappointment of the Confucian-robed old man.


    ¡°This one has long heard of Zenith Yin Island¡¯s great reputation. Junior wishes to receive a few pointers from Senior Wu.¡±


    ¡°Good choice, Han Li! This Grandmaster will first accept you as an in name disciple. When we later return to Zenith Yin Island, I will conduct a ceremony for you to become an official disciple. This Profound Yin Ring is a set of ancient treasures that I acquired when I was young, and I¡¯ve given it to each of my personal disciples. Since it is both a keepsake and a protective treasure, be sure to properly take care of it!¡± Zenith Yin understood the value of striking when the iron was hot. He immediately took a dark grey ring off his hand and handed it over to Han Li.


    Han Li accepted it with slight surprise and carefully looked at it.


    The ring was just about as large as one would expect, but it was etched with a few mysterious talisman characters that released pale blue light. One could tell that it was unordinary at a glance.


    As Han Li felt joy, he heard the Bone Sage scoff.


    ¡°Profound Yin Ring? It seems my traitorous disciple has cleanly eliminated any traces of my existence. This was obviously an ancient treasures that I had bestowed upon him, the Yin Yang Rings. He actually changed its name. Humph! Don¡¯t grow too excited. Although the Yin Ring can protect your body and repel attacks, the Yang Ring that he possesses can be used to restrain you. If you attempt to use it when you deal with him, you will only be meeting your own doom.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he didn¡¯t reveal any peculiarities as he respectfully paid thanks to Zenith Yin. However, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. With such a deep and cunning schemer as Zenith Yin by his side, he must be exceedingly vigilant. Else, he would suffer a terrible fate.


    He now hoped that the Bone Sage truly had a method to kill Zenith Yin. Otherwise, he¡¯d have to later join Zenith Yin Island and obediently become Eccentric Zenith Yin¡¯s disciple.


    Besides, even if Han Li did want to become a genuine, obedient disciple, Zenith Yin might not be sincere in receiving him. Whether or not Zenith Yin would become hostile after all was done, was yet another matter to be concerned with. Faithfully following after Zenith Yin was not an option!


    As of now, he could only improvise as events unfolded, since he didn¡¯t have the strength to do otherwise!


    Although Han Li was well aware that the cultivation world was where the weak were prey for the strong, he hadn¡¯t felt such helplessness since he was at Foundation Establishment.


    He had previously found himself in perilous circumstances many times before, but he was able to use the entirety of his strength to overcome the odds. But if he were to now confront a Nascent Soul cultivator, he wouldn¡¯t stand the slightest chance.


    This all caused him to wonder whether he was born under cursed stars! However, this was a passing thought. He merely thought to follow after the Bone Sage and investigate the secrets of the map fragment from curiosity. Just how did he land himself into the eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators?


    Han Li slightly regretted his choice. Suppressing the deep grievances that couldn¡¯t be revealed, he forced himself to act excited and happy.


    Upon seeing Han Li wear the Profound Yin Ring and respectfully thank him, Zenith Yin was quite satisfied. After discussing a few things with the old man, he had Han Li follow behind him.


    The day was nearly over. If they didn¡¯t hurry over to the canyon, they would be eternally trapped here. As such, Han Li retrieved his Bloodjade Spider before flying across the horizon with the others.


    Along the way, Zenith Yin happily chatted with Han Li and took the initiative to point out a few mistakes in Han Li¡¯s cultivation, much to the benefit of Han Li. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh. There was quite a huge difference in the path of cultivation for those with a guide and those without.


    When Wu Chou saw this, his face carried a trace of resentment. Although he attempted to hide it with all his might, Han Li was still able to sense his immense hostility. Still, Han Li pretended to be unaware of this and paid him no further attention.


    The four of them flew quickly. About six hours later, they arrived in front of a mountain that was about ten thousand meters tall.


    This extremely steep mountain was made of black and grey stones. The mountain was cleanly split at its center in a supernaturally fine manner. It was even split through the mountain¡¯s foundation, producing a huge natural canyon.


    But what was even more strange was the twinkling blue and red light that separated the center of the mountain into two. It appeared truly otherworldly from a distance.


    Currently, over thirty differently dressed cultivators sat at the entrance of the canyon in silent meditation. Their expressions were solemn as if they were waiting for something.


    Zenith Yin and the other three slowly descended at the center of the group.


    Han Li swept his gaze over them, and discovered that the black-robed Yuan Yao was also among them.


    When Yuan Yao saw Han Li accompanying the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Devil Dao, she revealed amazement. When Han Li turned his gaze towards her, she flusteredly turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.


    Han Li was slightly surprised and faintly realized something. He then wordlessly turned his sights elsewhere.


    He didn¡¯t see Fairy Violet Spirit or that youthful male cultivator. It seems they returned to the pavilion without any intention of undergoing the paths of ice and fire.


    Although the meditating cultivators appeared solemn, they were calm and composed, each possessing an unordinary bearing. In terms of cultivation, a majority of them were superior to Han Li¡¯s. Although he didn¡¯t know how many of them possessed late Core Formation cultivation, he could tell that a majority of them held mid Core Formation cultivation. As for those that possessed early Core Formation cultivation like Han Li and Yuan Yao, there were only seven of them. However, all of them were collected and appeared full of confidence.


    After Han Li finished his observations, he slightly frowned. There were no other Nascent Soul cultivators present apart from Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi. Seeing this, Zenith Yin found a good area and sat down. Wu Chou naturally followed and sat down besides him.


    ¡°Han Li, come rest beside your master!¡± Zenith Yin spoke, assuming the role of Han Li¡¯s gentle master.


    Han Li didn¡¯t wish to approach the eccentric, but under Zenith Yin¡¯s gaze, he could only force himself to comply and sit beside him.

 Chapter 457

    Heavenbearing Devil Arts


    Just as Han Li sat down, he heard a sonic boom from the distant sky. Wan Tianming and the other two Nascent Soul Righteous Dao cultivators appeared and descended onto the ground..


    When they spotted Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi, they sneered and gathered at another location. They were whispering to each other, discussing some secret matters.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, he snorted and soon closed his eyes shortly after.


    It was impossible for Han Li to be as calm as Zenith Yin. Instead, he turned his eyes elsewhere as if he were observing something. However, if someone were to attentively examine Han Li, one would find that his gaze was unfocused and that he was completely inattentive.


    In the time it took to finish a meal, six more cultivators arrived in succession.


    The two white-clothed Star Palace elders had also rushed over. Now, there was only one Nascent Soul cultivator that had yet to arrive, Man Huzi.


    In the next hour, Man Huzi had yet to appear, causing Wan Tianming and the other Righteous Dao cultivators to look at Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi with strange expressions. Despite this, they both still appeared calm.


    As Han Li was closer to the two, he was able to see a trace of apprehension in their eyes. Man Huzi¡¯s absence clearly worried the two Devil Dao eccentrics, as they would prove to be no match against the Righteous Dao without him.


    As time slowly passed, Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi were no longer able to maintain their calm facades. Their expressions grew stern as they began to repeatedly gaze towards the sky.


    Although the sky didn¡¯t show any indication of time passing and was eternally bright, Han Li supposed that the day was about to come to an end.


    ¡®Could it be that Man Huzi, the top figure of the Devil Dao, met with some mishap in the Heavenvoid Hall?¡¯ Han Li wondered.


    Under the circumstances, would this prove to be favorable or disadventageous for him?


    With the Devil Dao cultivators growing uneasy, the Righteous Dao cultivators grew increasingly malicious. Soon, piercing whistles reached them from the distant sky. These whistles were extremely loud and became more frequent and shrill as time passed by, causing all the nearby cultivators to appear at a loss.


    But when Zenith Yin and the Confucian-robed old man heard this, their expressions relaxed and they looked at each other with a smile.


    The Confucian-robed old man smiled and softly said, ¡°It seems that Man Huzi¡¯s mood is quite good. He should¡¯ve acquired an unexpected harvest.¡±


    ¡°Humph! What would be unexpected? At most, he would¡¯ve plucked Genesis Fruit without any complications!¡± Zenith Yin shook his head and spoke without concern.


    Layman Qing Yi smiled, but when he thought to say something, a sphere of yellow light flashed in the distant sky and streaked towards them like a shooting star. In an instant, everyone was gazing at the sky.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes formed a strange expression, containing hidden apprehension as he gazed at the sphere of light.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help himself. The other cultivators that saw the might of the Heavenbearing Devil Arts for the first time also revealed expressions of shock.


    Under the cover of the yellow light sphere, Man Huzi appeared extremely strange, resembling a terrifying demonic god. Not only was his body emitting a blinding golden light, but his skin was densely covered in coin-sized golden scales. The scales appeared as luminous as pure gold and shined with a grand, chilling light, leaving an impression of being eternally indestructible.


    To Zenith Yin¡¯s side, Wu Chou gasped and spoke in a daze, ¡°That¡¯s the Heavenbearing Devil Arts? It seems truly fearsome!¡± It seemed he was quite in awe of Man Huzi¡¯s appearance.


    Zenith Yin coldly glanced at Wu Chou and said with slight annoyance, ¡°Humph! It¡¯s merely a tortoise¡¯s shell! When I have refined the Profound Yin Arts to perfection realm, it will be no weaker than the Heavenbearing Devil Art.¡±


    This suddenly caused Wu Chou to recall that his own ancestor was on bad terms with Man Huzi. Wasn¡¯t his praise of Man Huzi deliberately provoking Zenith Yin? He then repeatedly praised his master with an embarrassed appearance before keeping silent.


    In the sky, Man Huzi swept his gaze past them and immediately caught sight of Zenith Yin and the others. He dropped down towards them, causing the nearby ground to tremble upon landing.


    After landing, Man Huzi¡¯s scales retracted from his body, and his golden light gradually faded away.


    ¡°It seems Brother Man had a very successful harvest! Why else would you be so happy?¡± The Confucian-robed old man cupped his hand towards him with a beaming smile.


    Man Huzi excitement disappeared upon hearing the old man¡¯s question. He answered without hesitation, ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve made a few gains. I killed an Ice Striped Toad near the Genesis Fruit Tree. Its inner core will prove to be very beneficial towards my Heavenbearing Devil Arts.¡± Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi found this contrary to expectation. They looked at each other in dismay, not knowing whether he was speaking the truth.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, Layman Qing Yi¡¯s previous smile was restored, and he said, ¡°Then I must congratulate Fellow Daoist Man. If your Heavenbearing Devil Arts progresses, you will have the same strength as the Archsaint of the Six Paths and the Heavenly Star Sages.¡±


    Afterwards, Zenith Yin also congratulated him with a calm expression.


    Man Huzi chuckled and was about to say something, but he appeared slightly baffled when his eyes fell on Han Li. He remained slightly baffled before his eyes strangely glinted and released a trace of astonishing pressure.


    Bearing the brunt of this pressure, Han Li instantly felt his body tense, incapable of moving as if each of his limbs were being weighed down by a thousand kilograms. But what was most shocking to Han Li was the feeling of Man Huzi¡¯s icy gaze seeing past both his mind and body.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion became deathly pale, and he reacted by circulating the Great Development Technique. After a moment, his mind stabilized, returning a bit of blood to his face and restoring control of his body back to normal.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Man Huzi couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. He soon revealed a trace of pleasant surprise, but when he thought to do something else, Zenith Yin blurred and appeared in front of Han Li.


    Zenith Yin offsetted Man Huzi¡¯s imposing pressure and calmly asked, ¡°Brother Man, what are you doing? Why are you bullying my junior disciple?¡±


    ¡°Junior disciple?¡± Man Huzi blankly stared for a moment before appearing gloomy.


    After disdainfully glancing at Wu Chou, he bluntly said, ¡°Zenith Yin, are you making fun of me? Apart from that Youngster Wu Chou, what other disciples did you bring to the Heavenvoid Hall?¡± He appeared as if he planned to attack if he were to be corrected.


    ¡°Hehe, Man Huzi, you misunderstand. Young Friend Han Li has been taken in as a disciple by Fellow Daoist Wu just today. It¡¯s no wonder why Fellow Daoist Man didn¡¯t know of it.¡± Layman Qing Yi hastily gave an explanation from the side. Currently, Han Li was very important to them. It was natural for him to prevent any mishaps from occurring.


    ¡°Zenith Yin, did I hear correctly? You took in a disciple while here?¡± Man Huzi expressed shocked and sized up Han Li twice through.


    ¡°Although he is only an in-name disciple as I¡¯ve yet to conduct a formal apprenticeship ceremony, Young Friend Han Li is now a member of Zenith Yin Island. I hope Brother Man won¡¯t treat me too harshly!¡± Zenith Yin spoke with a slight smile.


    Man Huzi blinked a few times, staring at Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi for a moment before turning his gaze towards Han Li. He then laughed and said, ¡°Good, very good! This disciple of yours is quite good. Needless to say, his spiritual sense is several times greater than that grandson of yours. If you carefully foster him, he will have great prospects in the future! Hehe, great prospects indeed!¡± That last sentence of his seemed to possess a deeper meaning.


    Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi were at a complete loss and looked at each other in confusion.


    Zenith Yin frowned and slowly asked, ¡°What does Brother Man mean?¡±


    ¡°There is no meaning. Your in-name disciple is quite good. Are you interested in giving him to me? I feel like this youngster is quite suitable for cultivating my Heavenbearing Devil Arts.¡± Man Huzi spoke without care, but those words greatly frightened his fellow Devil Dao cultivators.


    Layman Qing Yi hastily changed the subject. ¡°Brother Man must be joking! Young Friend Han has already become a disciple of Zenith Yin. How can he be so casually changed.¡±


    Man Huzi grimly laughed and stroked his beard. He suddenly spoke with a cold tone, ¡°Hehe! If you aren¡¯t willing, then let¡¯s forget about it. To tell the truth, accepting a disciple is far too troublesome for me! However, why did Fellow Daoist Qing grow so anxious for a disciple of Zenith Yin Island? Could it be that this youngster has something that can¡¯t be revealed?¡±


    After this was said, the old man¡¯s expression momentarily changed before calmly glancing at Zenith Yin.

 Chapter 458

    Paths of Ice and Fire


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression slightly changed. After a moment of silence, he calmly said, ¡°Brother Man, since you have doubts, I won¡¯t conceal anything. My junior disciple will prove quite useful during our treasure hunt in the Inner Halls. I hope you will forgive him if he has offended you.¡±


    Zenith Yin¡¯s words caused Han Li to be extremely annoyed. When could he have possibly offended Man Huzi? Was it not Man Huzi who had forcefully seized the jade pillar from him and left him with a bellyful of anger?!


    Naturally, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to say this and the words remained in his mind.


    With a wave of his arm, Man Huzi lazily said, ¡°Offend? I don¡¯t even recognize this youngster. There was no offense! I merely saw that his cultivation technique was quite interesting and I wanted to test it. But, how can a Core Formation cultivator be useful in the Inner Halls? Are you duping me?¡±


    Zenith Yin frowned and hesitated for a moment. Afterwards, he gave Layman Qing Yi an indicative glance. Layman Qing Yi faintly smiled and sent Man Huzi a sound transmission.


    Seeing the two¡¯s secretive manners, Man Huzi revealed slight disdain. But after he heard the transmission, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Han Li in shock.


    Man Huzi then asked the old man a few questions with sound transmissions and came to a sudden realization, revealing an icy expression.


    Man Huzi narrowed his eyes and stared at Zenith Yin with a sharp gaze. He said in an imposing manner, ¡°Zenith Yin, I was wondering why you would inexplicably take in a disciple. So it turned out you¡­ humph! You sure came up with a good plan!¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be so angry, Brother Man. If you came across a similar matter, perhaps you would¡¯ve used a similar method. In addition, we¡¯ve revealed the matter to you and have no intention of monopolizing the harvest. We¡¯ll be relying on Brother Man in the coming treasure hunt.¡± Zenith Yin calmly said.


    After a moment of thought, Man Huzi¡¯s expression grew calm, and he said, ¡°If I don¡¯t take action, Wan Tianming and his group of hypocrites wouldn¡¯t give you a chance to take the treasure. So let¡¯s get the business out the way first. If you get the treasure, how are we splitting it?¡±


    ¡°How about we split the treasure into four? Including Young Friend Han, each person will get a share.¡± Layman Qing Yi had long considered this question and immediately answered.


    This answer caused Man Huzi to become angry. With a derisive expression, he said, ¡°Qing Yi, do you really think I¡¯m so easily swindled? Do you really think that you¡¯ll be able to handle Wan Tianming when the time comes? And you actually want to split it evenly amongst us?¡±


    The old man sighed and responded with a chuckle, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Brother Man. It¡¯s true that my thoughts aren¡¯t entirely fair. How does Brother Man feel it should be decided?¡±


    Man Huzi spoke with a serious expression, ¡°I don¡¯t care how much you all receive, I require half of the treasure. After all, Wan Tianming alone is more than enough to deal with the both of you. If I¡¯m going to take him on, then it is only fair that I get half.¡±


    Man Huzi¡¯s words weren¡¯t surprising to Zenith Yin and the old man. They had clearly expected him to make large demands.


    Zenith Yin unhurriedly said, ¡°An entire half? Brother Man¡¯s appetite is truly great. But don¡¯t forget that without my junior disciple¡¯s assistance, our odds of acquiring the treasure are pathetically low. My disciple also requires a share.¡±


    ¡°Humph! A Core Formation cultivator also gets a share among us?¡± Man Huzi disdainfully glanced at Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred for a moment before calming down.


    ¡°Hehe! If he were only a rogue cultivator, he obviously wouldn¡¯t be entitled to a share of the Heavenvoid Cauldron¡¯s treasures. But since he is my disciple, he will get one.¡± Zenith Yin was unwilling to back down.


    A stern expression appeared on Man Huzi¡¯s face. Just as he thought to say something, the old man rushed to propose a compromise, ¡°There is no need to fight. How about this? When we acquire the treasure, we¡¯ll split the treasure into five. Two shares will go to Brother Man and the other three will go to the rest of us. Surely, that is fair?¡±


    Man Huzi blankly stared for a moment, before stroking his beard in silence.


    Zenith Yin immediately declared his position with a heavy voice, ¡°I find these conditions acceptable. What do you think, Brother Man?¡±


    ¡°Fine! Although I am not still not satisfied, it is better than the previous proposal.¡± Man Huzi wrinkled his brow and spoke with an annoyed tone.


    He had already figured out that Zenith Yin and the old man had joined hands, and that the proposed conditions were likely their bottom line. As such, he was unable to pressure them too strongly.


    As the Devil Dao eccentrics were discussing how to split their not yet acquired treasures, Wan Tianming and the Righteous Dao cultivators were also having a secret discussion about the treasures.


    ¡°Sect Master Wan, how certain are you that your Gold Threaded Silkworm will be able take out the Heavenvoid Cauldron? There have been many experts in the past that thought to acquire this treasure, but not one of them were successful. I fear we will also be unsuccessful.¡± Daoist Priest Tian Wuzi spoke with worry.


    Wan Tianming calmly said, ¡°Be at ease. While my Gold Threaded Silkwork doesn¡¯t have high odds, we did acquire the Sky Azure Flower. So long as I feed it to the silkworm when we acquire the treasure and overexert it, we will have at least a four percent chance of success. That can already be considered high.¡±


    ¡°This humble Daoist also knows of this. I merely felt ill at ease when thinking of this matter. I am ashamed. It seems my own cultivation is lacking and my mind must be further polished.¡± Tian Wuzi spoke with slight embarrassment.


    Wan Tianming chuckled, ¡°Hehe, I am also deeply worried that those two old freaks, the Heavenly Star Sages, would acquire the treasures of the Heavenvoid. It only human nature as we are mere cultivators. We aren¡¯t desireless like true Immortals.¡±


    The old farmer then said, ¡°However, Sect Master Wan had better keep watch on those Devil Dao cultivators. They are secretly talking about something. They seem to have just had some internal strife, but now they are bantering as if nothing happened. Are those Devil Dao cultivators scheming something?¡±


    Having heard this, Wan Tianming looked at the Devil Dao cultivators in the distance who had finished their negotiations and scoffed.


    Then with a solemn expression, he said, ¡°While the techniques and might of the Devil Dao are powerful, their temperaments are easily distorted. A few strange displays isn¡¯t out of the ordinary. There is nothing to make a fuss about! Even if we fail in our attempt, we must also make sure that the Heavenvoid Cauldron doesn¡¯t fall into the hands of the Devil Dao. After all, Zenith Yin¡¯s mutant fire serpent is also a spirit beast capable of acquiring the treasure.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master Wan speaks truly! If the Devil Dao acquires it, they will flourish. Given the current weakness of the Star Palace, we cannot allow the Devil Dao to replace the Star Palace as hegemon of the Scattered Star Seas.¡± Tian Wuzi repeatedly nodded his head.


    Wan Tianming was very pleased and thought to say something more when the blue-red light from the huge mountain suddenly flourished. The walls near the entrance to the canyon started to tremendously shake, splitting open two separate passageways. It seemed that they lead into the canyon.


    A meter tall stone slab emerged at each of the entrances with the words ¡°Path of Profound Crystal¡± and ¡°Path of Molten Rock¡± in ancient characters.


    Suddenly, the cultivators closest to the entrances hurriedly took a step forward.


    Those that approached the entrance to the Path of Molten Rock grew light headed and felt their mouths dry from the gust of scorching heat that flew past them.


    As for those near the entrance to the Path of Profound Crystal, it continuously emitted a white, ice-cold aura. The faint whistling of harsh winds caused one¡¯s heart to grow cold.


    Upon seeing the paths appear, Zenith Yin stood with roused spirits. He spoke to Han Li with a caring voice, ¡°Han Li, lets go. We will gather up again on the other side of the Paths of Fire and Ice. Although I am incapable of personally bringing you through them, I will give you a treasure to resist either the cold or heat depending on what path you choose.¡±


    When Han Li was traversing the ghost mist, he had been informed about the Paths of Fire and Ice by Fairy Violet Spirit.


    He knew that after setting foot in the passage, he would be teleported to a predetermined area in the canyon. There was very little chance that he would be teleported together with others as had been reaffirmed by Zenith Yin.


    After some thought, Han Li slowly said, ¡°I will walk the Path of Molten Rock. I happen to possess some fire resistant clothes that might prove to be useful.


    Zenith Yin took out a deep blue jade pendant from his storage pouch without hesitation and handed it over to Han Li. ¡°Alright, take good care of this. With this item, you should have no problems passing through the trial, given your cultivation.¡±


    When Man Huzi saw this, he insincerely smiled and said, ¡°This is truly unexpected. Such a miserly person as Zenith Yin actually showed a moment of generosity. Isn¡¯t that your White Rhino Emblem?¡±

 Chapter 459

    Trek


    Zenith Yin didn¡¯t grow angry, instead replying with a roll of his eyes and a chuckle, ¡°My junior disciple¡¯s cultivation is too shallow. As his master, it is only natural that I look after him. Although the White Rhino Emblem could be considered precious, I plan on taking the Path of Profound Crystal so this item will be useless to me. If I am not mistaken, Brother Man also has a Glacial Ice Pearl. Why not lend it to my disciple? Surely Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t wish for my junior disciple to encounter any mishaps before he enters the Inner Halls!¡±


    ¡°Humph! I cannot allow that youngster to easily die before the Heavenvoid Cauldron is secured. I acquired this Glacial Ice Pearl from a Glacial Carp during my early years. How lucky for you, youngster.¡± With that said, Man Huzi took out a thumb-sized misty white pearl and tossed it at Han Li.


    Han Li felt joyful and gave many words of thanks after receiving the item. Although he knew these treasures were only given to him because of his Bloodjade Spider, they would allow him to go through the Path of Molten Rock safely. It was exactly what he had wanted.


    Although the Glacial Ice Pearl shone with white light similar to the White Rhino Emblem, it was far colder to the touch, causing his hand to tremble from its penetrating chill. He hastily placed it in his storage pouch, as it appeared to be the more valuable of the two.


    When Layman Qing Yi saw this, he chuckled and entered the Path of Profound Crystal with a blur. When the other cultivators saw this, they started to successively enter the canyons that they had previously chosen.


    After only a short moment, a majority of the cultivators had already entered the canyons.


    Zenith Yin glanced at Han Li and amiably said, ¡°Han Li, how about you set off? We¡¯ll meet again at the end in a few days.¡±


    Han Li saw no reason to disagree and headed towards the Path of Molten Rock. As he was walking forward, he swept his gaze around with a calm expression, resulting in a feeling of anxiousness.


    ¡®That old devil, Bone Sage, still hasn¡¯t appeared. Could it be that he had changed his mind and slipped away by himself?¡¯ Han Li couldn¡¯t help but assume the worst.


    After all, human hearts were unpredictable. He could¡¯ve changed his might after seeing the great might of Zenith Yin. If the Bone Sage truly abandoned him, Han Li would bluntly use the Bone Sage¡¯s information as a bargaining chip with Zenith Yin to guarantee his life. An ominous glint shone from Han Li¡¯s eyes as he thought this.


    His actions had caught the attention of others. As Han Li felt slightly regretful from this, the Bone Sage¡¯s voice had suddenly entered his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t glance around. I am concealed nearby and have yet to reveal myself. Do your best! I will meet you again after this trial is cleared.¡±


    Han Li felt some relief after recovering from his surprise and walked towards the passage with large steps.


    Hot winds blew past Han Li just as he stepped into the passage, causing him to feel a scorching heat on his body. Han Li frowned and attentively looked forward.


    The passage was six meters wide and couldn¡¯t be considered very tall. However, the way forward was glowing with blinding red light, placing apprehension in the hearts of those that see it.


    Han Li licked his dried lips and glared at it for a moment before moving forward. Each step he took felt as if the temperature was rising. After thirty steps, Han Li was no longer capable of moving forward. The hot winds that occasionally blew past him and the already hot temperatures of his surroundings caused his body to feel pain.


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li covered his body in the water attribute barrier. The deep blue brilliance immediately alleviated the scorching heat.


    He then patted his storage pouch and a streak of blue light flew out into his hand, the Fire Repulsing Robes.


    Han Li immediately donned robes without much thought and suddenly felt a chill from his body. With roused spirits, Han Li continued forward.


    After a dozen steps, he saw a sudden flash of light. A wall of red light was blocking his path.


    After glancing at the wall of light, he walked in head first. He could hear footsteps echoing from behind him. He had no interest in meeting with other cultivators.


    After a series of dizzying fluctuations from within the blinding red light, the disappeared heat reappeared in a vicious, overbearing counterattack. His blue light barrier was unable to endure and started flickering as if it were about to collapse.


    Having yet to recover from his dizziness, Han Li grew greatly frightened and hastily circulated spiritual power throughout his body. After stabilizing his barrier, he examined his surroundings.


    He saw scarlet red stone, yellow soil, plants that emitted red light, and a blurry, deep red sky. Everything was tainted with the color of fire.


    Even while protected by his barrier and the Fire Repulsing Robes, he could clearly feel the scorching air.


    Han Li took a deep breath with a sullen expression. Under these temperatures, he would only be able to endure for five hours. He had thought he wouldn¡¯t have to make use of any treasures and could easily make it through. But according to what Fairy Violet Spirit had said, in the second trial ¨C the Paths of Fire and Ice ¨C cultivators couldn¡¯t fly and could only slowly tread forward on foot.


    As such, those that were teleported farther away would have to spent several days of restless walking before arriving at the end of the canyon. This wasn¡¯t something that could be done while relying solely on one¡¯s cultivation. It would require the use of treasures that blocked the respective elements of each path.


    In addition, the path wasn¡¯t the sole danger that the cultivators encountered on the path. The canyon gathered demon spirits of their respective elements which were the greatest hindrance in the trial. During each occurrence of this trial, about half of the resulting deaths were caused by these demon spirits.


    In addition to this, there may be cultivators lying in ambush along the path, aiming to rob the treasures of others. This was something that had always occurred. After all, the closer one grew to the end of the canyon, the more likely one would encounter other cultivators.Their odds of survival would greatly increase after robbing the others of their elemental resistance treasures. Odds were that a few cultivators that found it too difficult to continue would attack without any hesitation.


    Han Li stood in his original place without movement, examining his surroundings with narrow eyes and pondering over the information he had.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. He then took out the White Rhino Emblem and hung it at his waist. He then replaced his blue light barrier with the jade emblem¡¯s white light.


    He couldn¡¯t afford to squander any of his magic power. Staying still to recover his magic power was a suicidal action.


    He then turn his head to the sky. After identifying the direction of the blurry red sun with great difficulty, he set off without any further delay.


    Apart from a pile of rocks and a strange, perfectly straight tree, he didn¡¯t see anything else on the path as he slowly staggered onward.


    After a short moment of walking through the searing air, Han Li encountered a large patch of vegetation blocking his path that glowed with a strange, fiery light.


    Han Li frowned after looking at the strange plants and immediately shot a ball of glowing blue water towards it. Upon impact, the ball of water sizzled and turned to steam.


    Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed. He looked to the side of the plants but saw no other way past the strange vegetation.


    After some hesitation, Han Li gritted his teeth and tried stepping through it.


    Upon walking through, Han Li came to know the fearsomeness of the Path of Molten Rock. Wild plants? These were closer to swords of flame. Their incredible sharpness and heat caused him no small amount of pain.


    Although he didn¡¯t suffer much damage due to the protection of the White Rhino Emblem and Fire Repulsing Robes, he still felt continuous stabs of pain from below his thigh as he painstakingly forced himself through.


    After walking through only ten meters, Han Li was forced to redeploy his water attribute light barrier. Although this would quickly consume his magic power, it allowed Han Li to quickly escape from the blistering underbrush. Making full use of his Shifting Smoke Steps, he turned into a blue ghost that occasionally appeared within the dazzling red light. With each appearance, it had grown farther away.


    ¡­


    Elsewhere on the Path of Molten Rock walked a middle-aged man.


    He was Bu Wu, a late Core Formation cultivator with earth and fire spiritual roots. He managed to acquire his current cultivation in less three hundred years, resulting in a resounding fame in the local sea territories. Those that were close to him even thought that he was among those that had the highest chance to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage in the next hundred years.


    Bu Wu greatly enjoyed the admirations and praise of others along with their envious gazes.


    However, Bu Wu clearly understood his own circumstances.


    Were it not for the the ancient ¡°Essence Split Pill¡± that he had found in the stomach of a grade four demon beast he had slain while traveling, he would likely still be lingering at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    That medicine pill had caused him to feel the sweetness of ancient spirit medicines, saving him a hundred years of bitter cultivation. As such, he had made plans for this journey to Heavenvoid Hall and had purchased a fire dragon worm at great price. He planned to brave the Inner Halls during a moment of distraction and use the worm to acquire the top grade mysterious treasure renowned throughout the Scattered Star Seas, the Heavenvoid Cauldron. With the many treasures contained in the Heavenvoid Cauldron and the rumored Heavenmend Pill, breaking through to Nascent Soul Stage would only be a step away.

 Chapter 460

    The Path of Life and Death


    When Bu Xu entered the Heavenvoid Hall and saw so many Nascent Soul eccentrics appear, he felt as if he had been drenched in cold water.


    Any Nascent Soul cultivator that arrived here would naturally go hunt for treasures in the Inner Halls. The Heavenvoid Cauldron was certain to be the most important among them. Although Nascent Soul cultivators had also attended previous openings of the Heavenvoid Hall, there would only be about four of them. But now, there were actually eight Nascent Soul cultivators, causing his hopes to grow very faint.


    But since he had already arrived, he was unwilling to cowardly return. As such, he entered the Path of Molten Rock, holding a slight sliver of hope that it would prove to be as smooth as it had been with the ghost mist.


    To tell the truth, he did hold some fear towards the ghost mist and a later trial, the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion. However, he didn¡¯t hold much regard for the Paths of Ice and Fire and never doubted whether or not he could pass it. This was because he cultivated a cultivation art well known amongst the Scattered Star Seas, the Tranquil Yang Art.


    This cultivation art had forcefully inserted itself among the top ten mental cultivation arts among fire cultivation techniques. He had lost count of how many enemies he had exterminated, turning them entirely to ash with his Tranquil Yang True Fire. As such, he held complete confidence towards treading the Path of Molten Rock and resisting the heat with complete ease.


    Naturally, given his many years of cultivation, he wouldn¡¯t arrogantly think of treading the Path of Molten Rock without any hesitation. He had also prepared two fire protection magic tools, but it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to prepare more. It was just that purchasing the Fire Dragon Worm had left him nearly destitute.


    With the assistance of two magic tools and his Tranquil Yang Art, he felt that he would be able to traverse the Path of Molten Rock without problem. But now, Bu Xu felt a deep regret churning in his guts.


    After a short time on the path, he unexpectedly discovered that despite the wondrous fire resistant effects of his Tranquil Yang Arts, he was forced to continuously use his Tranquil Yang Arts at full strength in order to resist the scorching heat that surrounded him. His original thought of ignoring this hostile environment was impossible as his magic power was being depleted far faster than he had anticipated.


    Outside the Heavenvoid Hall, he ordinarily only had to make use of the Tranquil Yang Arts in order to resist scorching flames.


    It was clear that the heat emitted by the Path of Molten Rock was completely different from common flames on the outside. There were certain to be restrictions put in place that suppressed fire attribute cultivation arts.


    As for his two fire resistant magic tools, they had a very limited effect in this strange environment, much to the dismay of Bu Xu.


    In his six hours of walking the path, his magic power had been drained at a visible rate despite having continuously replenished his spiritual Qi with spirit stones. He¡¯d only be able to persist for a day more before his magic power was exhausted, allowing the heat to turn his body to ash.


    Bu Xu naturally didn¡¯t wish to fall here. He nervously rushed forward while sweeping his gaze in every direction. However, his surroundings were quiet and was completely absent of any others. This caused his thoughts of plundering the fire resistant magic treasures of others to prematurely perish.


    The further he rushed forward, the more intensely Bu Xu felt despair. After a quarter hour later, Bu Xu eventually stopped with apprehension contained in his eyes.


    Although he had both skilled techniques and magic power, he didn¡¯t have any hope of arriving at the canyon¡¯s end at this pace. In addition, if he were to encounter any other cultivators in his rush forward, his magic power would be in a sorry state. Forget about him attacking others, he would likely be preyed upon himself once they saw how weak he was.


    Bu Xu anxiously paced back and forth. As time passed, thoughts began to bubble from his mind, looking for a method of survival.


    Suddenly, he raised his head towards the deep red sky with fluctuating expressions.


    After a determined expression momentarily appeared on his face, his body flashed with yellow light and started to float. His eyes were unblinking and his face appeared cautious.


    After he rose up to ten meters in the air, he was extremely joyful to discover that nothing had happened. At this altitude, he could make use of his techniques to fly and reach the canyon¡¯s end after only a short time.


    Wildly delighted at having found a way out of danger, Bu Xu formed an incantation gesture and turned into a ball of yellow light, disappearing with a blur.


    BANG! Just as Bu Xu flew about hundred meters, a silver bolt of lightning struck from the deep red sky. With a miserable scream, his body scattered into ash while two items then silently fell into the shrubbery below.


    ¡­


    Somewhere on the Path of Molten Rock, a gorgeous, thirty-year-old woman wearing brilliant blue muslin looked hesitantly at the river of molten rock. Apart from a foot wide stone pillar, there was no other way for the woman to cross the scarlet red river that spanned over a hundred fifty meters.


    The gorgeous woman frowned as she felt the overpowering heat radiating from the river of lava. After a moment of hesitation, she carefully set foot on the red stone pillar.


    When the gorgeous woman stepped foot on the pillar, she immediately wore a pained expression. It was clear that the stone pillar was extremely hot. Even with the protection of the blue muslin, she still felt quite a bit of pain.


    However, this woman was someone who possessed unwavering determination. After gritting her teeth, she slowly walked forward on the stone pillar cautiously.


    At the start, it went quite smoothly. She ended up walking through about halfway unscathed. But as she approached the pillar¡¯s center, she suddenly heard rumblings in the distance.


    The gorgeous woman was stunned and she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head in the direction of the river upstream. Her face then became deathly pale and panic stricken.


    A violent maelstrom rushed down the river and transformed into a huge grey dragon. With bared fangs and claws, it arrived in front of the stone pillar in an instant and wrapped around the female cultivator who had just taken flight.


    Then with a shriek of despair, the female cultivator disappeared without a trace.


    A short moment later, a sparkling blue item sunk to the bottom of the lava.


    ¡­


    Near an icy mountain on the Path of Profound Crystal, a middle-aged man was back to back with an old man as they faced over ten crystal beasts. Red and white radiance flashed in every direction, but the battle soon came to an end. The crystal beasts stayed for a moment more before dispersing in different directions, leaving behind two badly damaged corpses.


    ¡­


    At another location on the Path of Profound Crystal, Zenith Yin was leisurely taking a walk along a road of ice. His body was sparkling with black light and didn¡¯t possess the slightest trace of cold. While the crystal beasts would occasionally unburrow from the snow and attempt to ambush Zenith Yin, they would be easily split in two with a flash of black light.


    Afterwards, he would continue on his way as if nothing had happened.


    ¡­


    On a hill, Han Li blankly stared ahead of him with a trace of hesitation.


    After rushing through the fiery overgrowth by making full use of the Shifting Smoke Steps, he had returned to his original speed. After all, the Shifting Smoke Steps put too much strain on his body. Even with the resilient body of a Core Formation cultivator, he couldn¡¯t persist in using it for long. Naturally, he could make use of it far longer than when he was at Foundation Establishment.


    After this, he encountered an extremely dangerous swamp of lava. In fact, it appeared more like a pit of lava. Even a person of resilient mind such as Han Li felt cold sweat line his back.


    Were it not for the protection provided by the Glacial Ice Bead that Man Huzi had given him, he would¡¯ve suffered blistering skin and roasted flesh, had he managed to survive it.


    As for the series of strange trees and three flame spirits he later encountered, they forced Han Li to expend a bit of effort before he could safely continue on his way.


    But now Han Li was left stunned by something he had never seen before, an endless black desert with black sand and dunes.


    This strange scene caused Han Li to feel uneasy and unwilling to walk into it.


    However, taking an alternative route was impossible. The expanse of black desert was far too large. If he wanted to make a detour, it would take at least two days. According to the accounts of cultivators that came before him, this trial must be cleared within five days; else, the transportation formation would be sealed, leaving the rest to die.


    As for Han Li, he reckoned that he had only managed to reach the center of the canyon. He didn¡¯t have the time to waste even if he didn¡¯t want to brave this danger. Who knew what monsters laid in wait beneath the black sands?


    Han Li tightly creased his brow and gazed at the scene before him, pondering about what strange dangers laid hidden within. At that moment, Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, and he disappeared with a blur.


    Footsteps soon came from behind where he originally was.

 Chapter 461

    Black Desert


    Shortly after Han Li disappeared, a male cultivator slowly walked out from the side of the small mountain. He appeared to be about forty years old and possessed a sallow complexion. He was the cultivator who had treated Zenith Yin so fearfully at the entrance of Heavenvoid Hall.


    At that moment, he was wearing an odd, dark green conical bamboo hat and had a white jade bowl in his grasp. His body concealed a chill that was completely isolated from the blazing heat surrounding him.


    He climbed to the mountaintop and surveyed his surroundings with great vigilance as if he were looking for something. But after seeing that there was nothing, his expression only grew increasingly cautious.


    He thought he had spotted a silhouette blur when he gazed at the mountain from afar. But after finding no traces of the person on the mountain, he became even more vigilant.


    After coldly sweeping his gaze past his surroundings once more, he wordlessly inserted two of his fingers into the jade bowl and brushed it upward. A streak of white light then flew out from it and started revolving around his head.


    ¡°Execute!¡± The sallow-faced man softly shouted, forming an incantation gesture with one hand.


    Peng. The white light trembled for a moment before suddenly bursting into specks as wondrous as starlight scattered from a goddess. The light then completely enveloped a forty meter radius.


    The red land was enveloped in layers of frost upon touching the white light, but nothing abnormal had appeared within it.


    A trace of doubt appeared on the man¡¯s face. After a moment of thought, he didn¡¯t seem to care anymore, believing that he had been mistaken. After putting the matter to the back of his head, he then looked at the black desert with a grave face.


    ¡°This place is truly strange.¡± The man muttered to himself as he looked at the black desert with a strange gaze. He seemed somewhat hesitant to depart.


    But after a short moment of consideration, he flung his sleeve and shot a streak of red light towards the ground. The light faded away to reveal a small red fox.


    The man flicked his finger, sending a green medicine pill into the small beast¡¯s mouth. The small beast swallowed the pill and expressed great pleasure.


    ¡°Go!¡± The sallow-faced cultivator bluntly commanded the small beast, pointing towards the direction of the black desert.


    The small beast immediately rushed down the hill at an extraordinary speed, turning into a red streak of light along the way.


    After a short moment, the small fox-like beast had arrived a hundred meters deep into the black desert. It was still unscathed even after running around in a large circle.


    Nothing strange had occurred. It seemed that apart from the color of the black desert, there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    The sallow-faced man revealed an expression of surprise. This was clearly not what he had expected. He had prepared himself for the loss of his Red Fox Beast. As it was but a common grade one spirit beast, he would feel no heartache at all. It didn¡¯t have any notable abilities apart from its nimble movements and exceptional sense of smell.


    He tensely frowned and rigidly stared at the small beast as it ran around the desert in circles before whistling towards it. It then ran over and flew back into his sleeve.


    Afterwards, the man gazed at the black desert in silence with a wavering expression.


    But with only a short moment of hesitation, he started to descend the hill and carefully walked towards the black desert.


    Unknown to him, shortly after he walked down the small hill, Han Li¡¯s silhouette reappeared at the hilltop in a series of fluctuating blurs.


    Although the sallow-faced man used a technique to search a wide area, Han Li was easily able to evade his attack and revealed no trace of himself by using both the nameless Qi restraining technique and the Shifting Smoke Steps. Although the man was a mid Core Formation cultivator, Han Li was very confident that a sudden strike of his nine Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords would instantly slay him, had he drawn closer.


    Han Li had been quite hesitant about whether or not he should kill him. While his two treasures were quite valuable, Han Li chose to have him act as a forward scout.


    But when the sallow-faced man had the small beast explore the black desert to no results, Han Li completely renounced his plan of attacking him. As the greatest dangers were unknown, it¡¯d be better to let him guide the way. Han Li didn¡¯t believe that the black desert was completely devoid of danger.


    With the White Rhino Emblem and Glacial Ice Pearl leaving him unfettered by the heat, he didn¡¯t feel an urgent need to seize those fire resistance treasures.


    The sallow-faced man didn¡¯t perceive Han Li was behind him in the slightest and continued onward into the strange black desert.


    Three meters, six meters¡­


    The man¡¯s expression grew increasingly tense as he tread deeper into the black desert. He had already activated his bamboo hat and enveloped his body in a layer of dense green light.


    After the man walked through the desert for about a kilometer without problem, his expression slightly relaxed and he felt great relief. It is commonly said that once one headed this deeply into an area, any dangers it possessed should¡¯ve already appeared.


    Han Li gazed at the man¡¯s silhouette from a distance away with a strange expression. Could it be that he had guessed incorrectly? The black desert was merely frightening and didn¡¯t actually possess any dangers at all? Had he known this was the case, he definitely would¡¯ve ambushed and robbed the man of his two treasures.


    Han Li felt regret! But soon, a startling and abrupt change occurred in the distance.


    The black sand around the the sallow-faced cultivator suddenly floated up and surrounded him without a sound. The sand then released a dim black light that appeared rather strange.


    As the man was rich with experience, he instantly reacted by raising his jade bowl towards the sky. A vast white light scattered from the bowl, adding another layer of defense upon his green barrier.


    At that moment, the black sand turned into countless winged black insects and charged at the shocked man from every direction.


    The man bellowed. With a flourish of white light, he was then surrounded with palm sized shields of ice. They then hurriedly rotated to form a white hurricane around him.


    He had now clearly made out the true appearance of the insects, winged ants. Their numbers were astonishing with no less than ten thousand insects surrounding him.


    The sallow-faced cultivator¡¯s mind quickly churned, trying his utmost to recall the specific breed and weakness of these winged ants. But before he could finish thinking, the black swarm of ants knocked against his ice shield hurricane.


    Clangs rang out in quick succession as the shields repelled the winged ants several meters back. When the man saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slight relief.


    But a short moment later, his heart froze. After knocking the black winged ants tumbling away several times, they charged forwards once more without the slightest injury.


    He was greatly alarmed! Without taking further thought, he raised his hand and released a grey flying knife. It transformed into a ten meter long streak of light and fiercely chopped towards the winged ant swarm.


    Just as the flying knife left the hurricane, the countless ants let out a drone and surrounded it. The fierce attack of the grey light didn¡¯t harm the flying insects in the slightest. Instead, they swarmed all over the flying knife in an instant and held it still.


    The sallow-faced man turned pale from fright and tried to recall his magic treasure. However, he was too slow. The magic treasure¡¯s grey light flashed several times before being submerged in the swarm of black insects.


    A blood curling shriek soon followed. The man¡¯s face was bloodless. The destruction of his magic treasure had greatly injured his Origin Qi.


    Without any further hesitation, he hastily controlled the white hurricane to follow him as he rushed forward. Leaving the desert was now his only chance at life.


    At that moment, the black winged ants finished devouring the remnants of the flying knife and didn¡¯t move to chase after him. Its next action was cause for disbelief. It gathered together in an instant and flashed with a strange light before turning into a ten-meter-long black lance. Then with a sharp whistle, the lance pierced through the air as if it had been shot from a crossbow.


    The sallow-faced man panicked at the sight and hastily exerted the entirety of his magic power to propel the hurricane with further intensity.


    The lance of black light struck the white hurricane and pierced through it in an instant.


    The spearhead and shaft were completely covered in scarlet blood.

 Chapter 462

    Ironfire Ants


    The hurricane came to an abrupt stop, revealing the sallow-faced old man.


    His body listlessly stood in place with the ice shields and green barrier completely destroyed. A fist sized hole appeared where his heart should¡¯ve been. The hole¡¯s edges were pitch black as if it had been caused from incineration.


    The man lowered his head to look at his chest and involuntarily touched it with his hand. He wore an expression of astonishment as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he saw.


    At the moment, the black lance hummed and transformed back into a dense swarm of flying ants. They madly rushed towards the man without restraint, throwing him down and covering his entire body in an instant. Several miserable screams immediately followed before being met with silence.


    A short moment later, the winged ants suddenly floated in the air and dropped back down to their original location, blending into the grains of sand. As for where the old man had fallen, there was no trace of him that remained.


    Han Li saw this in its entirety from the hilltop. He wore a strange expression from the shock he felt.


    ¡°Those are Ironfire Ants! They must be. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see exotic insects at this location.¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    When Han Li initially saw the winged ants, he hadn¡¯t recognized what they were. Han Li only managed to identify them after he saw them fearlessly receive the attack from the sallow-faced cultivator¡¯s magic treasure and then condense into a lance. There were many winged ant spirit insect species in the cultivation world, and they all appeared nearly the same. Cultivators that didn¡¯t specialize in insect control techniques would find it difficult to differentiate them.


    As a matter of fact, different species of winged ants greatly differed in their degrees of power and ferocity. The more fearsome winged ants would cause even Core Formation cultivators to nervously recoil at the sight of them.


    As for the Ironfire Ants, they were ranked thirty seventh on the ranking of exotic insects and were one of the most fearsome winged ant species. Apart from the rank nine Heavencrystal Ants from legend, these ants were possibly the most formidable of their kind. Not only were these winged ants nearly invulnerable to physical attacks, even a majority of magic techniques also had little effect on them. Apart from fire and water attribute magic techniques of mid grade or higher as well as a few specific magic techniques, they were nearly indestructible, possessing abnormal defensive abilities nearly equivalent to that of the Gold Devouring Beetles. In fact, they were even superior to the Gold Devouring Beetles in resisting the attacks of magic treasures.


    While they didn¡¯t possess the Gold Devouring Beetle¡¯s bizarre ability to consume spiritual power, the Ironfire Ants possessed the fearsome abilities to spout black flames and perform swarm transformations.


    A colony of Ironfire Ants could transform into a fire attribute magic treasure at will. Its fearsome attack could penetrate through common defensive magic treasures and magic techniques without even the slightest resistance. As a result, the sallow-faced man¡¯s miserable death couldn¡¯t be considered surprising.


    Although the Ironfire Ants weren¡¯t considered extinct like the Gold Devouring Beetles, they were seldom seen in the cultivation world. And even if they were seen, the swarm would only consist of a thousand at most.


    This was due to the harsh living environment of the Ironfire Ants. Not only did they require a scorching environment to survive, but they also had to stay near large quantities of metal ore. Upon leaving this environment, the Ironfire Ants would quickly grow weakened. It wouldn¡¯t take long before their abilities completely disappeared and they reverted into ordinary winged ants.


    If it were just that, there would still be many insect controlling cultivators that would desire to use them, even to the point of creating or finding an appropriate environment to breed them in. However, these winged ants possessed a fatal flaw.


    Regardless of whether the Ironfire Ants were wild or domesticated, they were incapable of recognizing a master. When someone wished to conduct a master recognition ceremony on the winged ants, each of the ants would self implode without exception, crushing the dreams of many cultivators.


    As for the specific cause of this, there was no definite answer. There were those that said the nature of the winged ants was unyielding and didn¡¯t allow them to be controlled. There were others that said it had to do with the Ironfire Ant¡¯s constitution, while others¡­


    Naturally, there were very few people that knew about the Ironfire Ants in either the Heavenly South Region or the Scattered Star Seas. They had been rarely seen in the last thousand years and their colonies were growing increasingly smaller. They were considered to be nearly extinct.


    At that moment, Han Li was looking at the black desert while lost in thought.


    It seemed that the black desert was a natural trap for the Ironfire Ants. Although Han Li didn¡¯t know how many colonies the desert contained, judging from how the sallow-faced cultivator encountered one after walking just one kilometer, they couldn¡¯t be few in number. It was quite possible that colonies of Ironfire ants numbering in the hundreds of thousands existed in the desert as well.


    With that thought, Han Li felt a chill run down his back. He then swept his spiritual sense through his storage pouch, counting over a dozen mid grade ice and fire attribute talismans. They should be enough to deal with three Ironfire Ant colonies similarly sized to what he had seen before. However, Han Li would have to be delusional to believe that these talismans were enough to carry him through the desert!


    When Han Li set his sights on the several spirit beast pouches of Gold Devouring Beetles, his heart stirred. He pondered whether or not the Gold Devouring Beetles would be exceptionally effective in dealing with the Ironfire Ants.


    After all, the Gold Devouring Beetles were higher ranked than the Ironfire Ants, and from the appearance of their shell, they haven¡¯t yet evolved to the rumored ¡°Black Gold¡± stage. They should be half matured like his Gold Devouring Beetles. As such, it would be acceptable for him to test them against one another.


    Barely able to suppress his increasing excitement, Han Li pondered for a moment more before deciding that there was no problem in testing his Gold Devouring Beetles against the Ironfire Ants he had just seen. Even if his Gold Devouring Beetles weren¡¯t able to deal with them, he still had a few mid grade talismans he could use to defend himself and safely withdraw from the desert.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew cold as he rushed down the hilltop, heading straight into the black desert.


    After a short moment, Han Li had arrived at the edge of the desert. He gazed at the black sand beneath him and narrowed his eyes. He then grabbed a fistful of sand and brought it close to his eye.


    Han Li soon snorted. With a sudden flash of yellow light from his hand, he tightly closed his grip and squeezed. As a result, most of the sand remained uncrushed.


    Han Li smirked and slowly muttered to himself, ¡°This isn¡¯t black sand. It¡¯s actually grains of iron ore.¡±


    ¡°But to spread such a dense amount of ore across such a large desert¡­ The master of Heavenvoid Hall was truly an extraordinary person.¡±


    After flinging away the sand in his hand, he stood up and frowned. He then lightly patted the White Rhino Emblem at his waist, enveloping him in a layer of white light.


    Because he was earlier evading the sallow-faced cultivator, he was forced to disable it and endure the heat by using his cultivation alone. But now that he was so close to the desert, the overwhelming heat had caused him to be temporarily light-headed. Alarmed, Han Li quickly reactivated the White Rhino Pendant. This was not the time to be concerned with saving magic power.


    Without any further hesitation, Han Li looked at the area containing the colony of Ironfire ants and carefully walked over.


    The black desert was extremely painful to walk on. The sand was scorching hot and the air itself felt as if it were on fire. Even with the White Rhino Emblem and the Fire Repelling Robes, Han Li still felt suffocated. It felt even hotter than the small path of lava he went through the day before.


    After walking over a hundred meters, Han Li sighed and patted his storage pouch, taking out a soft pearl in his hand. Without any delay, he poured a bit of spiritual power into it. Cold air immediately released from the pearl in a flash of white light.


    Han Li suddenly felt himself surrounded by a chill. With roused spirits, Han Li quickened his pace.


    As the simultaneous use of both the White Rhino Emblem and the Glacial Ice Pearl greatly increased his magic power consumption, he needed to pass through the desert as quickly as he could.


    When Han Li was about two hundred meters away from the location of the Ironfire Ants, he stopped and carefully examined where they would be.


    A short moment later, Han Li shook his head.


    The concealed Ironfire Ants were extremely difficult to differentiate from the black sand. It was even difficult to see them with his spiritual sense. The ant colony¡¯s spiritual Qi fluctuations were extremely faint, presumably because they were innately skilled at restraining their Qi.


    It seemed that using his spiritual sense to spot the winged ants from a distance wouldn¡¯t do. He¡¯d have to try using his Gold Devouring Beetles.

 Chapter 463

    An Opportune Encounter


    Han Li raised his hands with a solemn expression, and tossed several spirit beast pouches into the air. As they floated in the air, he formed his hands into an incantation gesture, causing the pouches to open and release countless Gold Devouring Beetles. They formed a cloud of shining gold and silver shimmers in the air. In regards to numbers, the Gold Devouring Beetles were far fewer to the recently seen colony of Ironfire Ants.


    With his confidence strengthened from looking at the the gold-silver insect swarm, he pointed to the ground not far away and softly shouted, ¡°Go!¡±


    With a buzz, the glittering cloud flew forward, moving to descend and blanket the ground.


    But before they touched the ground, a black cloud of ants suddenly rose to meet the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles.


    In the instant that the two sides clashed, huge streams of dark flame suddenly spouted out from the black ant colony, violently enveloping the Gold Devouring Beetles in black radiance. It was clear the ant colony had realized the Gold Devouring Beetles were fearsome and rushed to strike first by using their innate flames.


    Were it another breed of insects, the strange flames would¡¯ve burnt a majority of them at the very least. But not only were the Gold Devouring Beetles completely unscathed by the black flames, the black flames themselves were cleanly devoured. Once the flames were gone, the beetles charged forward with a buzz.


    The two insect swarms fiercely clashed, interweaving colors of black, silver, and gold. After only a moment of tearing away at each other, countless dead insects began to successively fall to the ground with piercing screeches. A vast majority of them were black with only a sparse few being gold and silver.


    In just a short moment, the Gold Devouring Beetles had achieved an overwhelming victory, exterminating a majority of the ants.


    The Ironfire Ants also sensed that things were far from good. Their remnants released a weak cry and suddenly gathered together to form a jet-black arrow. They shot past the Gold Devouring Beetles in an attempt to escape.


    But at that moment, a streak of dazzling azure swordlight pierced through the air and chopped down at the arrow. The arrow trembled and was greatly slowed down.


    In that moment of delay, the Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed around the arrow. In the blink of an eye, the black arrow was submerged in a sea of gold and silver and could no longer be seen. By the time the insect swarm dispersed, the arrow had completely disappeared.


    At that moment, Han Li slowly walked over and serenely looked at the dead insects on the floor. He silently pondered for a moment while clasping his chin.


    Only about several hundred of the dead insects belonged to the Gold Devouring Beetles, a trifling amount. The Gold Devouring Beetles¡¯ decisive victory clearly illustrated the superiority of the Gold Devouring Beetles. After all, the Ironfire Ants had outnumbered the Gold Devouring Beetles ten to one.


    After a moment of analysis, Han Li revealed an expression of relief. It seemed that his Gold Devouring Beetles would be able to get him through the black desert without problem.


    After taking another look at the ground littered with dead insects, a strange expression flashed through his eyes. A low whistle left his mouth. The gold-silver insect cloud shrieked in response and fell from the sky, cleanly devouring the dead insects like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. They then obediently flew back into Han Li¡¯s spirit beast pouches.


    Having put away the pouches, Han Li gazed into the depths of the black desert before walking forward without hesitation.


    ¡­


    Han Li motionlessly stood in the distance as he expressionlessly gazed at the sky.


    The largest battle that his Gold Devouring Beetles had fought since entering the desert was currently taking place in the sky. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles and Ironfire Ants were scattered across the skies at a low altitude, mutually devouring each other. Dead insects rained from the sky, forming a thin, dense layer on the ground. It made for a truly shocking sight!


    Han Li¡¯s brow creased during a moment of carelessness. Although only about a day had passed, he had already lost nearly ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles. It was as if he¡¯d encounter a colony of Ironfire Ants every short distance he walked, numbering anywhere from three thousand to ten thousand.


    But now, he¡¯d encountered a tremendously large Ironfire Ant colony that numbered at around fifty thousand. He reckoned that this battle would result in the deaths of at least eight thousand of his Gold Devouring Beetles.


    It was no surprise that Han Li felt regretful. The Gold Devouring Beetles took a long period of time to breed. Who knew when he¡¯d be able to next replenish their numbers?


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the ant colony retreated in defeat. Apart from the several thousand survivors that managed to retreat, the winged ants had been cleanly devoured by the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Han Li was uninterested in wasting time pursuing the remaining Ironfire Ants. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the Glacial Ice Pearl and continued on his way with roused spirits.


    He supposed that he was currently at the center of the desert which was why he had encountered such a large colony of ants. He had better be more vigilant on the path moving forward, else he would waste the much needed magic power to fuel his heat repelling magic treasures, leaving himself in a dire situation.


    After walking about twenty kilometers, Han Li¡¯s expression froze. He stared to the right with narrowed eyes. After a short moment, he revealed a trace of suspicion and suddenly changed his direction to a dune he was looking at.


    When Han Li arrived at the top of the dune, he unconsciously frowned. He had spotted yet another colony of Ironfire Ants in his line of sight.


    This colony of winged ants only numbered about ten thousand, and were attacking a sphere of faint blue light. The sphere of light was on the verge of collapse. As it flickered, the image of a person with a strained appearance leaked through.


    Han Li gazed at this with complete indifference.


    At that moment, the Ironfire Ants had transformed into a keen longsword blazing with black flame and fiercely chopped at the sphere of light.


    Han Li was certain that this person was doomed. But then, an unremarkable, dark green pellet shot out of the light sphere. Just as the pellet touched the black sword, a fist sized dark green flame violently combusted. The ants that were wrapped up by the flame rapidly dispersed with nearly a hundred Ironfire Ants falling to the ground.


    Han Li felt surprised. That dark green pellet was an exceptional treasure. It was fearsome enough to burn away at fire attributed Ironfire Ants without resistance. An inconceivable display! It seemed he was still quite ignorant of the countless unique treasures that existed in the cultivation world.


    The appearance of the green flame infuriated the ant swarm. They scattered and wildly charged towards the light sphere without any intent to retreat.


    The cultivator inside the light sphere seemed to no longer have many pellets remaining. By the time the Ironfire Ants had scattered, it was already too late to shoot a second pellet, resulting in a helpless situation. However, he had also become aware of Han Li¡¯s existence. As he was under attack from the Ironfire Ants, he occasionally glanced in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li indifferently turned away and continued on his path. He currently had no mind to acquire his treasures or waste the lives of his Gold Devouring Beetles. His Gold Devouring Beetles had far more value in this strange desert than ordinary treasures, and he didn¡¯t wish to squander them in vain.


    But who could¡¯ve known that just as he had taken his first step, he suddenly heard the transmission of a hoarse, familiar voice from the light sphere.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han! Please wait! This is Yuan Yao! I must trouble Fellow Daoist Han to assist me! I will definitely express my gratitude afterwards!¡± Yuan Yao¡¯s voice was filled with anxious panic.


    ¡°Yuan Yao?¡± Han Li suddenly stopped and hesitated for a moment before slowly turning around.


    This was truly a small world! In an area as large as the Path of Molten Rock, he actually managed to encounter this woman he could barely be considered acquainted with. Unbelievable!


    Since she could be considered somewhat of a friend, Han Li felt reluctant to leave her to die. Moreover, he had initially considered finding her for a secret matter. This was just killing two birds with one stone.


    After looking at the dimmed light sphere and quickly muttering to himself, he tossed a spirit beast pouch from his waist and released a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles into the fray.


    When she saw this, she was left speechless. The Gold Devouring Beetles only numbered about a thousand but were able to easily exterminate a swarm of Ironfire Ants that was over ten times its size.


    She had finally recovered from her shock when Han Li calmly retrieved his Gold Devouring Beetles, and she quickly put away her blue light sphere.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s complexion had paled from the expended magic power, but this only made her appear even more endearing.


    Her black robes had already been replaced for thin, well-fit clothes, revealing her graceful, youthful figure. Her body was also drenched with the fragrant scent of her sweat, filling the air with deadly allure.


    Han Li was stunned by this, but he soon recovered.


    Yuan Yao saluted Han Li with a beaming smile and spoke with a charming voice, ¡°Yuan Yao cannot thank Fellow Daoist Han enough for his rescue!¡±

 Chapter 464

    Weeping Soul Pearl


    Han Li glanced at her and calmly said, ¡°It was but a minor effort! Now that Fellow Daoist Yuan is out of danger, I will be taking my leave.¡± He then turned and walked away without any intention to stay.


    Still shaken by her near death encounter, Yuan Yao turned pale and was incapable of staying reserved. She hastily said, ¡°Brother Han, I still haven¡¯t expressed my thanks for you saving my life.¡± The gorgeous woman¡¯s delicate appearance would tug at the hearts of any who saw it.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t turn around and responded indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t need your thanks. I merely assisted you for a moment and cannot help you the entire way through. Do your best, Lady Yuan!¡±


    After this was said, Han Li was already forty meters away, moving at a breakneck speed.


    This only caused Yuan Yao¡¯s pale face to become even more panicked. She no longer possessed the strength to resist the scorching heat, let alone any more Ironfire Ants she may encounter. She was unable to give up as Han Li held the string that her life hung upon!


    But as a result, her charming pleas were completely ignored as Han Li walked further away.


    She revealed apprehension at Han Li¡¯s indifferent response and could only say what Han Li expected to hear.


    She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Please wait! So long as Fellow Daoist Han is willing to protect me on this path, I will bestow a grand treasure to you. Your magic power won¡¯t be used in vain.¡±


    ¡°A grand treasure?¡± Han Li stayed still, revealing slight hesitation.


    Seeing that Han Li appeared interested, she didn¡¯t dare to be negligent. ¡°I still have many Azure Flameblasts that I am willing to give Fellow Daoist.¡±


    ¡°That was the green pellet that you had used a moment ago? It is quite the uncommon item.¡± Han Li slowly turned around with an expression of deep consideration.


    Since he had acted to save the woman, he naturally didn¡¯t intend on truly abandoning her. Besides, he had saved her with another reason in mind; his previous act was merely taking one step back so he could take two steps forward. Now that she had taken the initiative to request his aid, his objective was fulfilled. He reckoned that if he were to demand greater concessions, she would have no choice but to begrudgingly accept.


    This beautiful woman clearly understood this. Regardless of whether it was for paying Han Li for his previous rescue or his continued protection, Yuan Yao had no choice but to continue with a helpless expression, ¡°The Azure Flameblasts are firebombs secretly refined by the Devil Dao¡¯s Azure Yang Sect. Not only does each one require a great quantity of rare resources to refine, but it also consumes a great amount of time. Their might is equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s Yang Essence Flame. I still have three of them and will give all of them to you.¡± The woman¡¯s expression grew more determined as she spoke. She extended her snow white hand to reveal three pellets shining with a gentle green light.


    At that moment, Han Li unhurriedly walked back over and glanced at the three pellets. He calmly said, ¡°These Azure Flameblasts truly are an exceptional treasure, but they aren¡¯t enough for me to take such a large risk. Bringing you through this path will double my magic power consumption at the very least. Does Fellow Daoist Yuan truly think these are worth that level of danger?¡± Han Li¡¯s words contained thinly veiled mockery.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s beautiful expression fluctuated for a long while before settling on a charming smile.


    ¡°Brother Han, please don¡¯t hesitate to state your conditions, as this young woman doesn¡¯t wish to continue speaking in circles. Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han wishes for me to give my heart to you?¡± Yuan Yao turned her hips and puffed up her soft chest, showing off their exceptional plumpness. Her bright eyes were filled with a peculiar haze that was beyond flirtatious.


    Han Li was somewhat stunned by the woman¡¯s gorgeous beauty. But he soon narrowed his eyes and sized up her dainty, well-rounded body. The woman blushed at his unrestrained gaze. Her beautiful eyes became increasingly bright and captivating as if capable of enrapturing the deepest depths of a man¡¯s heart.


    Han Li stroked his chin and calmly spoke with a radiant gaze, ¡°As expected, Yuan Yao¡¯s charming technique at full power along with her beautiful appearance is without match! However, since it has no effect on me, Fellow Daoist had best save her magic power for survival instead.¡±


    Tearing off her beautiful guise and halting her charming technique, she flusteredly said, ¡°Humph! What a crude, uncultured boor! You don¡¯t hold compassion for women in the slightest.¡±


    Han Li insincerely smiled, saying, ¡°How could Lady Yao say that? If this weren¡¯t a place as dangerous as the Heavenvoid Hall, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have refused your seductions. But, here we are, hehe¡­.¡±


    ¡°You sure like to dream. If it weren¡¯t this place, how else could I have possibly thrown myself into your arms?¡± Yuan Yao glared at Han Li with a resentful gaze.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve saved the wrong person. Since this is the case, I don¡¯t wish for Fellow Daoist Yuan to give her heart to me. And there is also no need to express your thanks for my rescue. I¡¯ll be taking me leave.¡± As if to deliberately anger the woman, he cupped his hands to her appearing as if he was about to set off.


    Seeing this, Yuan Yao¡¯s words immediately grew soft and she returned to being lovingly pitiful. ¡°Brother Han! It was my wrong, please don¡¯t be angry. Please don¡¯t hesitate to say what must be done to receive your assistance through the Path of Molten Rock. I will absolutely do as you ask! Could it be that Daoist doesn¡¯t wish to help this poor woman despite being her acquaintance for a hundred years and a fellow companion that accompanied you through the ghost mist? As for treasure, apart from these Azure Flameblasts, I have no other treasures to give you.¡±


    Although Han Li was wearing a mysterious smile, he inwardly felt astonished.


    Yuan Yao was a truly fickle person. Standing tall one second, and submitting the next! From her currently powerless pleads, her recent mature, flirtatious charms, to her proud, elegant impression from the very beginning, all of them had given Han Li a distinct, unique impression. How truly strange! As this woman was capable of cultivating to the Core Formation stage from the Qi Condensation stage in only a hundred years, she was by no means ordinary.


    With this thought, Han Li started to mutter himself. Yuan Yao revealed a hopeful expression as she nervously watched him.


    After a short moment, he looked up and spoke with seemingly great reluctance, ¡°Since Lady Yuan is an acquaintance I had met over a hundred years ago, I would appear truly heartless if I do not protect you. However, I was never someone to work for free. If Fellow Daoist Yuan Yao wishes for me to take her through the Path of Molten Rock, then how about she gives me the Weeping Soul Beast? I am extremely interested in the beast¡¯s soul absorption abilities.¡±


    After walking around so many pretenses and plots, Han Li finally stated what he had wanted from the woman from the very start. With this strange beast, he¡¯d be more confident in working together with the old ghost Bone Sage. From what he had seen, this Weeping Soul Beast was by no means weak.


    ¡°You want the Weeping Soul Beast?¡± Yuan Yao¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Han Li as if she couldn¡¯t believe what he had said.


    ¡°What? Will it not do?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression sunk, and his voice grew cold.


    ¡°If I give the Weeping Soul Beast to you, you will take me through the Path of Molten Rock?¡± Yuan Yao asked Han Li this question word by word as she stared at him with a strange expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Han Li frowned but still spoke with certainty. He faintly felt that that there was something amiss.


    ¡°Perfect, then it is all yours.¡± After Han Li confirmed this, she immediately took a spirit beast pouch at her waist and gave it to Han Li without the slightest hesitation.


    Han Li blinked with a nervous heart. Why did it appear that she was actually impatient to give the Weeping Soul Beast to him. Could it be that there is something wrong with the Weeping Soul Beast?


    After thinking for a moment, he calmly took the spirit beast pouch into his hand. He swept his spiritual sense inside to see the Weeping Soul Beast soundly asleep.


    Han Li nodded his head and put the spirit beast pouch at his waist. Just as he thought to say something, Yuan Yao opened her mouth and spat out a dark grey pearl into her palm.


    ¡°This is the Weeping Soul Pearl. It is the item used to control the Weeping Soul Beast. If you refine this like you would an ordinary magic treasure, the Weeping Soul Beast will be forever yours. I haven¡¯t owned the beast for long and haven¡¯t completely refined its pearl. You can forcefully erase the traces of my spiritual sense from it without a problem.¡± Yuan Yao chuckled and gave it to Han Li.


    Han Li looked at the Weeping Soul Peal with interest and didn¡¯t move to take it. This pearl was something that he had known about from Fairy Violet Spirit when he inquired about the Weeping Soul Beast.


    He later realized that she was incapable of smoothly controlling the Weeping Soul Beast because she hadn¡¯t fully refined the Weeping Soul Pearl during that time. This had raised his interest in acquiring the strange beast.


    But after seeing how she had so quickly given it to him with a delighted expression as if she ridding herself of a demonic plague, Han Li grew hesitant and didn¡¯t hurry to take the pearl.

 Chapter 465

    Surging Undercurrents


    Yuan Yao¡¯s luminous eyes stirred. She chuckled and said, ¡°What? Does Brother Han not want this animal? Or does he fear that I¡¯ve given him a false Weeping Soul Pearl?¡± Her voice concealed a teasing tone.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately reply and examined the pearl for a moment before saying, ¡°I can tell it is legitimate from its Yin Ghost Aura. However, I do not know much about the Weeping Soul Beast. Could it that my body would suffer from refining the pearl?¡±


    After Han Li said this, he rigidly stared into Yuan Yao¡¯s beautiful eyes.


    ¡°How could that be? If there was ever such a problem, I wouldn¡¯t have personally refined it. However, refining the pearl makes oneself feel unwell. So long as one bears with it, there is no problem.¡± Yuan Yao had a calm expression and spoke with a uncaring tone.


    ¡°Feel unwell?¡± Han Li wrinkled his brow and stared at the woman for a moment before turning his gaze towards the pearl. He was sure that that she hadn¡¯t been entirely truthful, but he couldn¡¯t make it out as of now. After muttering to himself for a moment, he decided to take the pearl and put it away for later research. If it were truly harmful, he just wouldn¡¯t refine the pearl. So long as he had the pearl, he would be able to control the Weeping Soul Beast all the same.


    After putting away the Weeping Soul Pearl, he calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I will do my utmost to protect Lady Yuan for the rest of the way. But let¡¯s get the ugly talk out of the way first. If I come across a danger that fully occupies my attention, Fellow Daoist Yuan had best flee by herself!¡± He then touched the Glacial Ice Pearl that floated above his head, causing it to suddenly envelope them with chilled air.


    ¡°Of course. I understand what would happen if we were to truly encounter such a circumstance. However, I am quite confident that with Brother Han¡¯s gold and silver beetles, the odds of such a situation occurring is quite small.¡± The gorgeous woman wrinkled her nose for a moment before revealing a smile as charming as a flower. .


    Han Li bluntly admired the beautiful scene before him for a moment before wordlessly turning around and setting off. When Yuan Yao saw this, she followed after him with light steps and a faint smile. She soon walked alongside Han Li, creating a rather intimate appearance.


    This was because the closer she was to Han Li¡¯s side, the more cool air that was present from the Glacial Ice Pearl. She naturally wanted to feel more comfortable.


    ¡°Now that I think of it, the path of ice and fire is somewhat strange. How could there be a black desert here along with such fierce winged ants? Not only can those ants fearlessly endure magic treasure attacks, they can spout black flames and can undergo swarm transformations. They also managed to break through one of my ancient defensive treasures. If I didn¡¯t have the Green Flameblasts, I wouldn¡¯t have lasted long enough to meet Brother Han.¡± Yuan Yao grumbled with a relaxed expression as she continued walking. It was clear that she didn¡¯t recognize the Ironfire Ants.


    Han Li was stunned by her words. He couldn¡¯t help but ask her with, ¡°The black desert hasn¡¯t been seen before?¡± He felt that the appearance of such fierce exotic insects at this location was somewhat odd. Apart from cultivators with extraordinary abilities and exceptionally powerful magic treasures, it would be unlikely for even a late Core Formation cultivator to leave the black desert unscathed.


    ¡°No! This is the first time the black desert has appeared on the path of molten rock. Previously, other cultivators that underwent this trial merely faced high temperatures and dangerous areas. At most, they would encounter a few flame beasts as well. But these bizarre winged ants haven¡¯t been seen before. Had it been known that such ferocious winged ants existed on the path of molten rock, far fewer cultivators would¡¯ve been willing to brave it.¡± Yuan Yao replied without hesitation. Despite appearing to know quite much, she remained puzzled by the appearance of the ants.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there must be something amiss with the paths of ice and fire!¡± Han Li muttered to himself with a contemplative expression.


    ¡­


    ¡°This is completely abnormal. Someone must¡¯ve taken action.¡± In a forest of blood red icicles on the path of profound ice, Layman Qing Yi looked at the sky with his arms behind his back.


    Countless floating inch-large spheres of azure lights revolved around him, separating him from a dense swarm of several hundred silver beasts that surrounded him. These small beasts strongly resembled mice. Not only was their fur sparkling with silver light, but they also had a small, delicate horn on their heads.


    They surrounded the old man as streaks of silver light and continuously struck at him like arrows with their horns. Each of the strikes released a thunderous boom in a display of astonishing momentum. However, the azure lights surrounding the old man¡¯s body remained motionless, completely unaffected by the erratic attacks of silver light.


    ¡°Courting death!¡± The Confucian-robed old man grew annoyed by the strange mice¡¯s attacks. After lowering his head towards them, he swept his sleeves outward with a cold expression. A burst of azure light immediately spread out, illuminating an area of forty meters in blinding brilliance.


    After a short moment, the azure light faded away to reveal a ground filled with the corpses of the small, silver-furred beasts. Their bodies were densely pricked by thin azure needles that shone with a cold blue light.


    Layman Qing Yi¡¯s expression was unchanged. It was obvious that the outcome was as he had expected. After indifferently glancing at the ground, he extended his shriveled right hand and lightly swept it across the air. The needles flew back towards him as azure streaks of light and disappeared into his body.


    ¡°Silverlight Mice! How could these damned animals appear at only the second trial? Could it be¡­¡± The old man pondered motionlessly and his expression grew sullen.


    ¡°Humph! Since these Silverlight Mice have appeared on the Path of Profound Crystal, the Path of Molten Rock should also have something equally inconceivable. I¡¯m afraid that Youngster Han will encounter quite the problem!¡± Layman Qing Yi coldly snorted with annoyance and spoke to himself with slight apprehension. Soon after, he deeply sigh, disappearing from sight with several blurs.


    The forest of blood-red icicles appeared quite strange with its ground littered with the corpses of the small silver beasts.


    ¡­


    In some lightless place in the great canyon, two voices were calmly having a chat in the darkness.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you too sloppy, using both Ironfire Ants and Silverlight Mice? Although we¡¯ve always played our tricks in each of the treasure hunts, they were well hidden. The appearance of the black desert and blood icicle forest is far too brazen. Apart from the few that didn¡¯t encounter these obstacles, I fear that a majority of Devil and Righteous Dao cultivators will have died. When that time comes, those Nascent Soul cultivators will no longer be fooled.¡± A voice spoke with slight fear.


    ¡°Fool? Did you truly believe that our previous actions in the Heavenvoid Hall were unnoticed by the Righteous and Devil Daos? They had long figured them out but they chose to feign ignorance due to our Star Palace¡¯s power. They also knew that we could only control a few of the Heavenvoid Hall¡¯s minor restrictions that wouldn¡¯t result in too great a death. In each treasure hunt, it would merely result in a few more deaths of the Righteous and Devil Dao Core Formation cultivators.¡± The other voice unhurriedly replied.


    ¡°The black desert and the blood icicle forest are the most ferocious restrictions I can control. It is only somewhat of a pity for them to be used like this. After all, as the previous generation masters of the Star Palace, we¡¯ve spent quite some effort to grasp them.¡± He unhurriedly spoke with a tone of regret.


    ¡°There is nothing to regret! Right now, there are rumors widely spread that the two sages have reached a crucial point in their seclusion and cannot be contacted, causing the inhabitants of the Scattered Star Seas to be alarmed. However, this has caused the inner disciples of the Star Palace to become restless. They are completely reliant on us old fellows to handle the arduous affairs of the palace. With the Righteous and Devil Dao starting to stir, it is becoming far more difficult to suppress them. Although each of the sides alone prove no threat to us, it will become dire once they join forces.


    ¡°The only method we currently have is to forcefully cripple the strength of the two sides and cause them to become doubtful and unsure of our true circumstances. After all, given the many years that the Star Palace has governed the Scattered Star Seas, it is impossible for them to not have misgivings. So long as we can drag this on for a moment more, the two sages will be able to leave seclusion. At that time, even if the two sides joined hands, we won¡¯t have to worry about them. Our two Lord Sages¡¯ Divine Essencefused Light will be able to force the Mad Matron of Myriad Gates of Enlightenment and Devil Saint Island¡¯s Archsaint of the Six Paths to retreat.¡±


    ¡°The usage of the Ironfire Ants and Silverlight Mice restrictions were unavoidable. Apart from these two restrictions, none of the others are nearly as destructive against Core Formation cultivators. They all lack the proper fierceness to admonish them and reflect our unyielding attitude. As for your fears of the two sides using this as a pretext to act, they are groundless. Those among the dead aren¡¯t their own personal disciples, and they are our opposition in the contest for the Heavenvoid Cauldron. What we¡¯ve done isn¡¯t enough for them to act! At most, they¡¯ll be inwardly seething.¡±


    The cold voice sneered as he gave his long explanation.


    The first voice remained silent as if approving of the other¡¯s judgements.

 Chapter 466

    Refined Crystal


    ¡°How many swarms have we hit since we¡¯ve traveled together?¡± Han Li slowly asked as he looked at the insect corpses on the ground.


    ¡°Seven! Although we¡¯ve encountered many ant swarms, we haven¡¯t encountered any that numbered in the ten thousands.¡± Standing at Han Li¡¯s side, Yuan Yao obediently replied.


    They¡¯d already traveled together for half a day. Han Li frowned at hearing the number and his expression grew sullen as if he had worries on his mind.


    After some thought, he swept his arm towards his Gold Devouring Beetles that had finished consuming the corpses. They followed his command, transforming into a cloud of sparkling light as they flew back into his floating spirit beast pouches. Han Li then calmly put them away.


    ¡°What? Fellow Daoist Han appears unhappy? We¡¯ve already crossed through the center of the desert, the most dangerous area. The path out should prove to be much safer.¡± Yuan Yao blinked upon seeing Han Li¡¯s expression and spoke with slight confusion.


    ¡°Safer? Do you really believe so?¡± Han Li glanced at Yuan Yao and sneered.


    ¡°Could it be that there are still more dangers ahead?¡± Yuan Yao unconsciously frowned and spoke without confidence.


    With an indifferent expression, Han Li said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there are more dangers ahead, but I am certain of something. We will be quite lucky to not encounter any ant swarms that don¡¯t have any late stage ants. As of now, we¡¯ve yet to encounter any megacolonies that contain late grade ants. We have to be more careful on the way out. If we don¡¯t encounter any mishaps after half a day more of walking, we should be truly safe.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s complexion turned white, but after a short moment, she feigned indifference. She forced a smile and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you being paranoid?¡±


    ¡°I hope that is the case!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t continue speaking despite knowing that that the late stage ants existed among the Ironfire Ants. Although the strength of late stage ants are ordinary, their astonishing intelligence would be certain to prove more than troublesome.


    Due to their previous conversation, they remained completely silent for the next four hours.


    However, something strange had occurred. They hadn¡¯t encountered a single ant colony on their path. Yuan Yao had become conscious that something was amiss, and her face revealed a trace of unease.


    But, when they mindlessly climbed up a tall sand dune, they saw an astonishing scene ahead of them.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Yuan Yao wore a terrified expression. Her red lips moved several times, but no words came out. While Han Li¡¯s expression was a bit more calm, he was still quite alarmed.


    In the sand ahead of them was a solidarity pillar of ice with a height of about a hundred meters.


    The ice pillar was extremely cold. Not only did it flicker with faint white light, it also contained a black giant of the same height. The giant appeared hideous. It had wide, glaring eyes and a smooth, shiny bald head, and was frozen inside the pillar of ice. How strange!


    After staring at it for a moment, Han Li immediately swept his eyes past the nearby sand. The nearby ground was filled with holes of all sizes as if a great battle had been fought there.


    A strange expression stirred from Han Li¡¯s eyes as they fell upon the giant once more. But when Han Li gazed at one of the giant¡¯s eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise.


    ¡°Did Fellow Daoist Han discover something?¡± Yuan Yao couldn¡¯t help but turn her head and ask after hearing Han Li.


    Han Li slightly smiled in response. He then narrowed his eyes and released his spiritual sense. After confirming that nothing was concealed in the nearby area, he bluntly walked down the sand dune and towards the pillar of ice in large strides.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Yuan Yao sulked and expressed discontent at Han Li¡¯s attempt to remain mysterious, but she still followed him. After all, she¡¯d have to waste magic power to resist the high temperatures if she left the range of Han Li¡¯s Glacial Ice Pearl.


    ¡°Winged Ants!¡± When Han Li arrived about forty meters away from the pillar of ice, Yuan Yao spoke with astonishment.


    At her current distance, she was finally able to clearly see the giant¡¯s true appearance, a formation of countless black winged ants! From a distance it could be passed off as genuine ¨C a truly inconceivable affair! But as the Ironfire Ants remained completely motionless inside the pillar of ice, it was unknown whether they were alive or dead.


    At that moment, Han Li stopped and started muttering to himself as he gazed at the ice pillar ahead of him.


    After examining it, Yuan Yao slowly said, ¡°Since these ants are already dead, let¡¯s go on our way! It¡¯s a waste of time to remain here.¡±


    ¡°Are you truly certain they are dead? They still could be alive.¡± Han Li felt doubtful.


    ¡°How could they still be alive?¡± Yuan Yao glanced at Han Li with astonishment and spoke with disbelief. ¡°The Myriad Gates of Enlightenment has an ancient treasure named the Profound Yellow Mirror. Have you not heard of it? So long as the treasure reflects on something living, they will grow still from terror and become trapped in a pillar of icy crystal. After several days, the crystal ice pillar will eventually disappear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± Han Li¡¯s honest answer left the woman wide eyed and somewhat speechless. Han Li circled the huge ice pillar several more times before speaking with a pensive expression, ¡°According to what you¡¯ve said, these insects were disposed off by Wan Tianming.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t him, then who? What are you thinking? Apart from time itself, this crystal ice cannot be broken by ordinary magic treasures. Otherwise, the Profound Yellow Mirror wouldn¡¯t have such a famous name.¡± Yuan Yao glanced at Han Li as if she had guessed what he was thinking and smiled.


    After Han Li heard this, he calmly glanced at her. He then moved his hands at his waist and tossed out all of his spirit beast pouches. A huge cloud of Gold Devouring Beetles then suddenly appeared in the air.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li bluntly pointed at the ice crystal pillar. The gold-silver beetle cloud suddenly descended upon it and densely covered the pillar¡¯s peak in an instant.


    ¡°You still intend on having your beetles consume the winged ants¡¯ remains? Your beetles may be ferocious, but they can¡¯t chew through¡­¡± Yuan Yao¡¯s sentence remained half finished.


    This was because the giant that was trapped by the crystal ice pillar was quickly being cut down at an amazing speed. In the blink of an eye, the giant¡¯s head had disappeared from view.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s small mouth gaped open and didn¡¯t close until a while later.


    Under the woman¡¯s astonished gaze, the Gold Devouring Beetles had completely devoured the huge pillar of crystal ice alongside the giant trapped within. All that remained was an egg-sized crystal ball that mysteriously shined with black light.


    Han Li smiled upon seeing it appear and walked several steps forward before bending down to pick it up.


    This item was called a ¡°Refined Crystal¡±. It was a rare material that was formed in the abdomen by beings that had frequent meals of ore that remained undigested. Although the cultivators that knew of its existence were a sparse few, Han Li had read a rumor of it from an ancient book and was unsure of its validity. But when he saw the pearl contained within the Ironfire Ant Giant¡¯s eye, he suddenly recalled this and his heart began to stir. He didn¡¯t expect that he would truly acquire the refined crystal.


    It was a peak supplementary material for strengthening magic tools. So long as this material was joined together with a magic treasure, not only would its might increase, but the resilience of the magic treasure¡¯s body would immediately strengthen to a point of disbelief. After that point, it would be hard to imagine anything that could break it.


    It was also unknown whether Wan Tianming had not known about this item or had overlooked it from negligence. Either way, it had benefited Han Li. So long as he took the time to refine it into his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, their strength would surely increase by another level.


    While Yuan Yao didn¡¯t know about the refined crystal, she knew it was certain to be a good item from Han Li¡¯s happy expression. However, she had tactfully remained silent about things that had little to do with her.


    The two continued on their way in silence.


    ¡­


    In an extremely crude stone hall with an area of about two hundred meters and a height of about thirty meters was a transportation formation. Apart from the transportation formation at the center, each of the walls had a huge stone gate about ten meters tall. At the moment, each of the gates was sealed as tightly as a prison cell.


    There were also about a hundred mismatched stone tables and chairs. These stone chairs were sparsely occupied by six cultivators with various expressions. Grandmaster Zenith Yin, Layman Qing Yi and Wan Tianming were the only Nascent Soul cultivators present. The other cultivators were late Core Formation cultivators; none of whom could be considered weak.


    Each of their expressions were sullen, and they possessed no interest in talking. The stone hall¡¯s atmosphere was beyond stifling!


    Grandmaster Zenith Yin was particularly dreadful with his ashen complexion. He stared at the transportation formation as his eyes continuously flickered with ominous glints.

 Chapter 467

    More Treasures


    These cultivators were the first ones to reach the end of the Path of Ice and Fire. While the black desert and blood icicle forest naturally proved to be no threat to the Nascent Soul cultivators, the late Core Formation cultivators suffered quite badly to escape them. As for the weaker cultivators, their odds were grim. Only a few of them had managed to make it here so far.


    Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi naturally worried about Han Li¡¯s fate. If Han Li died on the Path of Molten Rock, his Bloodjade Spider would¡¯ve perished with him, leaving them without any cause for joy. Zenith Yin, who stood to benefit the most, felt especially terrible, far worse than Layman Qing Yi did.


    Although Wan Tianming appeared calm, he had lowered his head and was silently staring at his wide, thin hands with an icy gaze.


    Naturally, these three Nascent Soul cultivators knew of the strange changes of the Path of Ice and Fire. They were certain that these changes had to do with the Star Palace elders that had yet to appear, causing them all to clench their teeth in resentment and feel great trepidation.


    What was the intent behind the Star Palace¡¯s actions? Could it be they truly wanted to tear away at the faces of both the Righteous and Devilish Daos?


    Time slowly passed by underneath this stifling atmosphere. Man Huzi, Tian Wuxi, the old farmer, Wu Chou, and the Bone Sage all eventually arrived from the transportation formation from the stone palace. These people either had wretched expressions or were gritting their teeth in fuming rage. They were clearly inwardly cursing at the Star Palace elders for causing these changes.


    As of current, it was only half a day more before the Path of Ice and Fire were sealed off. Zenith Yin¡¯s expression had originally soften upon seeing Wu Chou appear. But with Han Li still missing, his face grew unsightly once more.


    Wu Chou was able to pass through the Path of Ice and Fire unscathed because he had fortunately been given an ancient protective treasure beforehand. Zenith Yin didn¡¯t expect he would need to give Han Li such a treasure in order to protect himself.


    Presumably, Qing Yi and Man Huzi also felt remorse from this. After all, Qing Yi and Man Huzi also had many powerful ancient treasures on hand. Had they given some of them to Han Li, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about his survival.


    With that thought, Zenith Yin gloomily glanced at the old man and Man Huzi.


    The Confucian-robed old man was currently gazing at the transportation formation with a fluctuating expression, appearing to be thinking of something. Man Huzi was gazing at the hall¡¯s roof with his chin moving as he muttered to himself. It was clear that he was pondering about something as well.


    Seeing this, Zenith Yin¡¯s pent-up rage grew stronger, but his heart soon grew calm. He merely had to face reality and consider his steps moving forward without the Bloodjade Spider.


    At that moment, the Bone Sage was sitting cross-legged on a stone table. His eyes were half open, appearing as if he were in the middle of refining Qi. Although he was slightly surprised by Han Li¡¯s absence, it made sense. According to his view, Han Li¡¯s true strength was at most that of a late Core Formation cultivator. He merely had a fifty percent chance of making it through the strange transformations of the Path of Ice and Fire. But without Han Li¡¯s assistance, he feared he lacked the strength to deal with Zenith Yin.


    The Bone Sage became unsure whether or not he could take action inside Heavenvoid Hall. Perhaps he would look for another suitable opportunity and take some time to better prepare himself, increasing his odds of success.


    Feeling helpless, the Bone Sage couldn¡¯t help but inwardly curse at the Star Palace elders for a long while.


    As for Wan Tianming and the other Righteous Dao cultivators, they also had bellies full of grievances. They had no choice but to alter their original plans of drawing support from the Core Formation cultivators.


    As a multitude of various attitudes and sinister designs stirred among those inside the stone hall, the two white clothed Star Palace elders suddenly appeared in the transportation formation at the center of the hall. At that moment, everyone gazed at the two cultivators with menacing expressions.


    The kindly-faced white clothed man ignored their icy gazes and swept his gaze across the room. He then deeply sighed and said, ¡°Sigh! Just which of you imprudent Fellow Daoists activated those ferocious restrictions on the Path of Ice and Fire? You stirred up huge changes in the canyon. Us two were unable to find a way to reverse these changes, resulting in a loss of many Daoists from the cultivation world. We are quite ashamed at this failure and will beg for forgiveness from the Star Palace Sages when we return, spending over a hundred years in meditation.¡± He appeared as if he were truly lamentful.


    Having heard that, the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators shamelessly cursed them out in their hearts. They planned on cleanly brushing the matter aside with those frivolous words as if the affair had nothing to do with them..


    However, what happened next was just as the two had anticipated. Although the people in the palace coldly glared at them, none of them took the initiative to question them. Man Huzi, Wan Tianming, and the other Nascent Soul eccentrics fiercely glanced at them several times, but they eventually turned away, each minding their own business.


    It seemed none still dared to easily provoke the Star Palace.


    After the two white haired elder glanced at each other with a smile, they sat down in a corner and closed their eyes in meditation.


    Although many still felt unresigned, nobody was willing to take the initiative to act.


    In that next moment, two people appeared with a flash of white light from the transportation formation, Han Li and Yuan Yao.


    In the moment Zenith Yin saw Han Li appear, his eyes brightened and he shouted, ¡°Han Li!¡± He then waved his arms towards Han Li with a smile, having him immediately come over.


    Man Huzi and Layman Qing Yi also revealed expressions of pleasant surprise. After exchanging a glance with one another, the two bluntly walked over to Zenith Yin¡¯s side.


    Han Li let out a sigh in his mind. After saying a few words to Yuan Yao, Han Li roused his spirits and walked over towards Zenith Yin. As Han Li fortunately knew that these Devil Dao eccentrics needed him in their hunt for treasure, he was able to remain calm. In addition, Han Li felt particularly assured after spotting the Bone Sage when he entered the large hall.


    After Zenith Yin called Han Li, he warmly greeted him and assumed the standard role of a kind master, inquiring about the circumstances of the Path of Molten Rock.


    Han Li didn¡¯t go far into detail and merely gave a short, vague description to go through the motions. He understood that Zenith Yin didn¡¯t actually care about the matter.


    As he had expected, Grandmaster Zenith Yin didn¡¯t pursue the matter and praised Han Li instead.


    The Confucian-robed old man looked at Han Li with a smile and would occasionally chime in as if he was quite concerned with Han Li.


    As befitted him, Man Huzi indifferently watched from the side and didn¡¯t take the initiative to ask any questions. However, when Han Li returned the Glacial Ice Pearl to him, Man Huzi waved his arm in a relaxed manner, indicating that he was giving it to Han Li.


    It seemed these old eccentrics valued Han Li far more now that he was one step closer to entering the inner halls, having rushed through the Paths of Ice and Fire. However, Wu Chou gazed at him from the side with increasing hostility, occasionally revealing a malicious glint from his eyes.


    Zenith Yin seemed to have noticed this and suddenly glared at Wu Chou, transmitting a few words to him. Wu Chou suddenly lowered his head, and his expression had returned to normal after he raised his head again.


    While Han Li dealt with Zenith Yin and the other eccentrics, he thought about whether or not he should contact the Bone Sage. It appeared that the old eccentrics didn¡¯t have a concrete plan in mind. Could it be that they were planning on responding based on how events would unfold?


    As Han Li thought about this, the final moments of the Path of Ice and Fire had passed. The transportation formation at the center of the stone hall disappeared without a trace. There were only about a dozen people in the room before it disappeared.


    At that same moment, the walls around them began to rumble. The stone doors then opened by themselves to reveal long, narrow limestone passages.


    ¡°Three of these four passageways lead to their own pavilion, each separately holding ancient treasures, medicine pills, and cultivation arts left behind by ancient cultivators. However, all of those items are sealed and each person may only pick one item. After the item is chosen, that person will immediately teleport to the next trial, the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion. As for the last passage, it will teleport those immediately to the next trial. Whoever walks that path can only accept their bad luck for having passed the previous trial without reward. The restrictions here are a bit strange. The passage they lead to changes with each occurrence. But if one chooses a passage, they will have no option to withdraw. If there is anyone who doesn¡¯t wish to attempt the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion, so long as you stay in this stone room for the day, you will be teleported back to Heavenvoid Hall. I wish the best for all of you!¡± Upon seeing the passages appear, the kindly faced elder slowly gave the explanation as he remained seated with legs crossed.


    When the others heard him, they indifferently glanced at him before ignoring him.


    When the Star Palace elder saw this, he didn¡¯t seem to care and closed his his eyes with a smile.

 Chapter 468

    Treasure Light Pavilion


    The cultivators that managed to arrive here were all unwilling to return empty handed after having braved those previous dangers. As such, there wasn¡¯t much discussion to be had. A few of them even walked towards the stone passageways without a word. After a short moment they silently disappeared into the passageways. One by one, they gradually left the room.


    After seeing Wan Tianming¡¯s party enter a passage, the Devil Dao eccentrics coldly glanced at each other and displayed no haste to enter a passageway. As for Grandmaster Zenith Yin, he coldly looked at the two white clothed elders that were still sitting in meditation. After some hesitation, he pulled out a sparkling bright bracelet made of four thumb-sized beads that released faint azure light.


    ¡°This is the Matron Screen Pearl. It possesses the wondrous effects of steadying the mind and protecting the soul. With these beads, you will be able to keep your mind clear, even if the dangers of the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion increased by several fold.¡± After this was said, Zenith Yin handed the bracelet over to Han Li.


    Han Li was delighted and accepted the bracelet while repeatedly saying thanks.


    He had long since heard of the renowned Matron Screen Pearls. It was said that with a single pearl in your possession, one was far less likely to be interfered with by their inner demons during cultivation. Han Li found it truly surprising for Zenith to magnanimously give him a bracelet that strung these four of these grand treasures in order for him to make it through the last trial.


    From Zenith Yin¡¯s reluctant and hesitant appearance, Han Li reckoned that since it would be embarrassing to immediately reclaim it, Zenith Yin would be certain to take it back after the treasure hunt when there was no longer anything to be gained.


    However, there were many sinister designs lurking inside Heavenvoid Hall. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator such as Grandmaster Zenith Yin was being secretly plotted against by the Bone Sage. Han Li had strong doubts about whether or not his in-name master would be able to leave Heavenvoid Hall alive.


    Han Li wore the bracelet in front of Zenith Yin and carefully examined it.


    The Matron Screen Pearls appeared to be made of wood and gold yet they weren¡¯t. They also carried a heavy fragrance similar to that of sandalwood. When one smelled it, their mind grew clear and their spirits were roused. As expected, it was outstanding!


    ¡°It is reasonable to say that these Matron Screen Pearls should be enough to keep you safe. But to make sure of your safety, Young Friend Han should carry this as well. This is a treasure talisman that I refined from my Nightazure Needle, but its power is several times stronger than common magic treasures. Please use it to protect yourself.¡± The Confucian-robed old man took out an azure talisman and handed it over to Han Li with a smile.¡±


    ¡°A treasure talisman of the Nightazure Needle?¡± Han Li was initially stunned when he heard this but he soon grew excited. This was a treasure talisman from a Nascent Soul cultivator, fundamentally incomparable to common trash treasure talismans.


    Although the Divine Devilbane Lightning from his Bamboo Cloudswarm swords was formidable, he couldn¡¯t use it at every turn. With this item, his safety would be greatly increased.


    Han Li took the item without any refusals and respectfully said his thanks.


    At that moment, Man Huzi wordlessly took out a piece of black armor. It was covered in silver Qilin scales and appeared quite heavy.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, his heart was moved and an expression of greed momentarily appeared on his face. He hastily said, ¡°Brother Man is quite magnanimous, to give this distinguished treasure, the Royal Scale Plate, for the survival of my junior disciple. I, his master, and my junior disciple heavily thank you!¡±


    Man Huzi glanced at Han Li and said with a malicious expression, ¡°I acquired this treasured armor over a hundred years ago, and it still proves useful to me. But as my Heavenbearing Devil Arts have already reached the great success stage, I¡¯ll lend this item to the youngster for protection. When the time comes, you had better not disappoint me, or else¡­ hehe¡­¡±


    Han Li was incapable of keeping his calm appearance after hearing him.


    Zenith Yin appeared disappointed for a second when he heard the armor was only being lent but he soon wore a smile, saying, ¡°Good! With these treasures, my junior disciple will surely remain safe regardless of what dangers he encounters. Let us go take our treasures. The passageways won¡¯t remain open forever.¡±


    Man Huzi and Layman Qing Yi had no objections to this, but they didn¡¯t move to leave. Instead, they first took a deep look at Han Li.


    Han Li was startled for a moment before bitterly smiling. It appeared they were fearful that he would turn back from fright, so they would watch him go through a passageway first instead.


    As a result, Han Li walked into a passageway with a slight smile. Soon after, the three Devil Dao cultivators looked at each other with a smile, each walking into one of the three other passageways.


    When the two white clothed old men were the only ones remaining in the stone hall, the harsh faced old man slowly spoke without opening his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the Devil Dao cultivators¡¯ actions are a bit strange?¡± His tone felt slightly sinister.


    The kindly faced old man frowned and agreed, ¡°Although those old eccentrics used methods to interfere with our prying, it appeared from their expressions that they heavily value that early Core Formation cultivator youngster. Moreover, they even gave him several items for protection.¡±


    After this exchange, silence resumed.


    The harsh-faced old man asked with a grave expression, ¡°What do you think?


    ¡°The only things those old eccentrics value are benefits! And the only thing that would move them so would be the Heavenvoid Cauldron in the Inner Halls. That Core Formation youngster should be able to assist them in seizing the treasure!¡± The kindly-faced old man hesitantly replied.


    Had Han Li heard them, he would¡¯ve been speechless. These two were truly cunning. With only a few sparse words, they managed to nearly guess the truth. This would¡¯ve resulted in both Han Li¡¯s fear and respect were he there.


    ¡°Seize the Heavenvoid Cauldron? They still daydream of this? Unless one possesses those spirit beasts long extinct from the Scattered Star Seas, any attempt would be made in vain. Otherwise, the Master Heavenly Star Sages would¡¯ve seized it several generations ago!¡± The harsh-faced old man spoke with disdain.


    ¡°That could be the case! Perhaps there were some ambitious individuals who entered the wilderness, spending the time and effort for the sliver of a chance. After all, in the last occurrence of Heavenvoid Hall, the Heavenvoid Cauldron had nearly been seized. Although that person had only managed to barely open the lid at the last moment and even had their Heavenmend Pill robbed by others, Wan Tianming does stand to have a chance, given his Gold Threaded Silkworm.¡±


    ¡°Since its like that, we had best secretly follow them just in case. It would be best if they don¡¯t acquire it. If they truly managed to acquire the treasure, we cannot allow the Heavenmend Pills to fall into their hands.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t know that he had roused the attention of the two Star Palace enforcement elders. As of current, he was climbing up spiraling limestone stairs with an expression of amazement.


    Not long after he had entered the passageway, he was met with an unending spiraling stone stairway. He still hadn¡¯t reached the end even after walking for the time it took to finish a meal.


    Han Li¡¯s curiosity grew stronger. Just how far up did this place reach?


    Calming the doubts in his heart, Han Li continued to calmly climb up the stairway.


    After climbing up another four hundred meters, Han Li caught sight of a gleam of light. With newly roused spirits, he hastened his steps and eventually arrived at an exit.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred when he saw a faint glimpse of what lay past the exit. He hastily strided through.


    He arrived underneath a gloomy, dark yellow sky. It was filled with grey clouds and lacked a sun. It was an unfathomably huge cylindrical world. Its area reached about four thousand meters. At first glance, it appeared rather narrow as the world¡¯s borders were lined with thick fog walls that couldn¡¯t be seen though.


    He stood at an opening of the fog wall where a forty meter long bridge of white jade was floating in the air. The bridge was exquisite and was engraved with dragons and phoenixes. It led to a rectangular pavilion that floated at the center of the area.


    The two story pavilion was over a hundred meters tall and was constructed entirely out of jade. It shone from the air as if it were a palace from the afterlife. A golden signboard hung from its entrance with the words ¡°Treasure Light Pavilion¡± written in an ancient script.


    Han Li didn¡¯t move to hastily set foot on the bridge and instead carefully examined the pavilion.


    Although the pavilion wasn¡¯t large, unfathomably deep spiritual Qi fluctuations emitted from within, and a layer of white fluorescent enveloped the building. It appeared that an extremely formidable spell formation was set up there.


    Han Li eventually started to move, slowly treading across the jade bridge and towards the Treasure Light Pavilion.


    When Han Li reached the halfway point, he couldn¡¯t help but take a glance below the bridge. The endless, black abyss that entered his view left his heart ice cold!

 Chapter 469

    Acquiring Treasure


    While Han Li was normally steadfast, this sight caused his mind to sway, leaving him in a daze. After forcing himself to look deeper and ignore his feelings of discomfort, he turned away without gaining anything. Despite having immense spiritual sense, he was unable to figure out anything about the abyss.


    Afterwards, Han Li continued on his way without hesitation.


    Once he grew closer to the pavilion, its true size was revealed, appearing at least four times as large as common buildings. Its entrance was an arched door that was six meters tall and was covered in a screen of yellow light.


    After Han Li arrived at the front, he examined the light screen and tilted his head in thought. With a flash of azure light, his hand was covered in swordlight. He lightly touched the light screen with his finger. The light screen rippled, but it allowed the swordlight in without the slightest resistance.


    Han Li felt slightly surprised by this. He then withdrew the azure swordlight and inserted his arm into the yellow light. It felt slightly cold as if his arm were surrounded by water.


    Without any further hesitation, Han Li stepped forward, disappearing into the light barrier.


    But after he entered the arched doors, Han Li stood in place with a look of astonishment.


    He saw rows of round white jade tables about a meter tall, each of differing sizes. Their surfaces were covered in flickering light barriers of all colors as if they were concealing something underneath.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze focused, revealing at race of excitement.


    When Han Li first saw the words ¡°Treasure Light Pavilion, he had already guessed that he had come across great fortune. This pavilion most likely contained ancient treasures. However, it appeared that the pavilion was desolate. It seemed all the people that had arrived here either went to the second floor or had already chosen an ancient treasure and moved on.


    With that thought, Han Li examined the jade tables. As he had expected, there were jade tables that lacked both an item and the light barrier.


    ¡®And the stairs to the second floor?¡¯ Han Li was slightly puzzled. He swept his gaze all around and couldn¡¯t find it! After looking around several times with great interest, Han Li spotted a particularly unusual jade table.


    This jade table was at the back of the first floor and appeared alone. It was extremely smooth and was engraved with profound, cryptic talisman markings.


    Han Li examined it several times and drew from his own knowledge of spell formations to conclude it was a simple transportation formation with peculiar shape. He then slowly walked past the rows of jade tables and gazed at the ancient treasures they contained.


    After looking at them, Han Li frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t these ancient treasures a bit too lacking?¡±


    After looking at several tens of jade tables, Han Li completely lost his interest. He stood in place, muttering to himself with crossed arms and a doubtful expression.


    The items on the jade tables were unworthy of the name of ¡°ancient treasures¡±. They were all either spears or halberds of an ancient style. Although they all flashed with various colored ancient Qi, Han Li clearly understood that these items were the near equivalent of flying swords and saber magic treasures that were used in the present. Their abilities wouldn¡¯t be particularly exceptional.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t be said to be useless! But with the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords in his possession, the items on this floor held little interest to him. He wanted ancient treasures that had extraordinary abilities like his flower basket.


    Although he thought this, he forced himself to look through all the items on the floor in fear that he would miss something. As a result, Han Li sighed and walked to the transportation formation without further hesitation. He believed that the items of the second floor should prove different.


    After placing several spirit stones on the transportation formation, Han Li arrived at a new location with a flash of white light.


    ¡®This was the second floor of the Treasure Light Pavilion?¡¯ Han Li looked ahead of him with squinted eyes and tight lips.


    The room wasn¡¯t large. Apart from a huge spherical light barrier in front of him, there was nothing else in the room. The light barrier was about forty meters tall and floated about three meters above the center of the room, shining with a soft azure radiance. Several tens of different ancient treasure calmly floated within.


    There were scrolls, jade tiles, alm bowls, and black banners as well as many other items that Han Li hadn¡¯t seen before. There were no duplicate items to speak of.


    When Han Li saw this, he was delighted and knew he had come to the right place.


    However, these items were so openly on display. If they were so easily taken, they wouldn¡¯t still be there by the time he arrived.


    With that thought, Han Li slowly walked towards the sphere of light with his hands behind his back. After quickly circling around it several times, he stopped and opened his mouth, spitting out an inch-long azure sword.


    It spiraled above his head many times before it struck at the bottom of light barrier as a streak of azure light.


    Peng. A flicker of blue light sparked from where the swordlight attempted to pierced the light barrier. The swordlight was then immediately repelled, leaving no mark behind.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly surprised by this. This merely displayed how valuable the ancient treasures were.


    With an excited expression, Han Li opened his mouth and spouted out eight more small swords. The nine swords released a long shriek above him and combined into a huge azure sword.


    ¡°Strike!¡± Han Li softly shouted.


    The huge sword struck the light barrier with mountain breaking momentum. Boom. In the instant the huge sword touched the barrier, a meter large hole appeared.


    Han Li revealed a trace of happiness, but before he could move, a huge force suddenly blew away the huge sword from the light barrier. With a flash of blue light, the light barrier returned to normal.


    Han Li was astonished. He then reexamined the sphere of light with a gloomy expression and with his chin in hand.


    Not long after, Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he faintly smiled. He pointed towards the huge sword, causing it to disassemble back into nine small swords with a clear ring. Having returned them into his body, he reached towards his waist and took out the Gold Devouring Beetles¡¯ spirit beast pouches without the slightest hesitation.


    With a loud buzz, the gold and silver insect swarm flocked out from the pouches. Han Li whistled in a low tone, causing the insect swarm to charge towards the sphere of light. In an instant, the insects had covered the bottom of the light barrier. In mere moments, the insect swarm forcibly gnawed out a meter large hole from the light barrier.


    Blue light flourished from the light barrier, causing the round hole to distort and shrink. The barrier was recovering at greater speed than the Gold Devouring Beetles could destroy.


    When Han Li saw this, he didn¡¯t dare to delay. He immediately turned into streak of slender azure light and quickly flew into the hole just before it closed.


    The azure light faded away inside the light barrier to reveal Han Li.


    He gently floated amongst the many ancient treasures inside the light sphere. Their ancient aura caused him to feel somewhat excited. However, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to wait too long and hastily released his spiritual sense in an attempt to probe the intensity of the ancient treasures¡¯ spiritual Qi. He soon wore a bitter expression. His spiritual sense was actually unable to leave his body inside the barrier. As such, he would only be able to rely on experience and intuition to choose a treasure.


    Without any other choice, Han Li could only glare at the items with widened eyes.


    ¡®The strange blade? No, it was clearly an offensive ancient treasure. Those weren¡¯t rare.¡¯


    ¡®The command medallion? No, it was engraved with the image of a strange beast. It should be the same as the scroll painting of the Congealed Yang Birds and contain the souls of spirit beasts.¡¯


    ¡®The snare drum? What¡¯s this? I can¡¯t make out its use. Let¡¯s forget about it.¡¯


    One by one, Han Li eliminated the ancient treasures he wouldn¡¯t choose. Eventually, Han Li narrowed his selection to three items: a gold oval mirror, a chain of five different-colored copper bands, and a wide dark-red cloak.


    Han Li naturally had his own reasons for why he had picked them. Needless to say for the golden mirror, mirrors-type magic treasures each possessed unique and remarkable abilities. Han Li didn¡¯t wish to pass on such a powerful treasure.


    As for the chain of five different-colored copper bands, they simultaneously contained the five elements. Although he didn¡¯t know its ability, he knew it couldn¡¯t possibly be weak.


    And for the cloak¡­

 Chapter 470

    Strange Black Armor


    Han Li¡¯s gaze focused on the black cloak the longest out of the three treasures.


    This cloak¡¯s appearance was very peculiar, consisting of two layers. The interior was made of silver thread, and the exterior was made of the feathers of an unknown bird. The feathers emitted a fluctuating dark-red blood light from within the light barrier, appearing rather bizarre.


    This was also the first time Han Li saw this type of magic treasure, and he was very curious about its abilities. Han Li guessed that this ancient treasure had either defensive or stealth properties. Both of these were something that Han Li direly needed if he wanted to survive the countless powerful enemies inside the Inner Hall.


    Han Li appeared hesitant as he gazed at the three magic treasures. As soon as he picked an item, he would be teleported out of the building. He had to pick carefully.


    It was reasonable to say that the golden mirror was the safest choice. Han Li was almost certain that it held significant power and would prove to provide an immediate and great increase to his strength. As for the odd five-colored copper bands, they could prove to surprise him. Their synergistic properties and multi-colored brilliance caused it to appear rather mysterious. As for the cloak, there was a good chance that it would also be immediately useful. Perhaps it could save his life during a moment of danger.


    Han Li¡¯s focus continuously changed between the three items.


    Although he would normally be happy about being able to acquire such powerful treasures with ease, he was worried about what would be gained or lost from choosing one over the other. A while later, Han Li took a deep breath and grew calm.


    He muttered to himself for a moment more before a spirited light flashed from his eyes as wild imagination unfolded in his mind. These unexpected thoughts caused Han Li¡¯s heart to become restless.


    According to Han Li¡¯s knowledge of formation spells and restrictions, the room¡¯s high grade involuntary teleportation restrictions couldn¡¯t be tricked or worked around apart from finding the central crux of the formation or forcefully erasing the restriction from the entire room. Once someone was caught in the restrictions, they would be automatically teleported out.


    Both of those options were out of reach for Han Li. Finding the central crux of the room¡¯s restrictions was something that would take a grandmaster level formation expert several years to accomplish. The very thought of it was something best left alone. As for forcefully erasing the formation, it was only something that Han Li would attempt if he were out of his mind. Given the many Nascent Soul eccentrics that clearly hadn¡¯t succeeded, he would have to be deluded to think that a Core Formation cultivator like himself could succeed.


    However, he did possess the formation breaking insights of the genius spell formation master Xin Ruyin. Her records described a theoretical response to area restrictions that could disable an area¡¯s restrictions temporarily. Although it was only for a short instant, it would give Han Li enough time to acquire an extra ancient treasure.


    This method required the cultivator¡¯s own spiritual power to be completely severed from the energy contained room, leaving not the slightest connection for the duration.


    After Xin Ruyin wrote this in her records, she self-mockingly added that even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn¡¯t perform such a feat; the thought was but an indulgence moment of her imagination. If a cultivator truly had such amazing abilities, they wouldn¡¯t have to go through the trouble of this as they could rely on their own strength to forcibly break through the formations.


    After all, the cultivators of this world were only at most capable of Qi concealment techniques that could hide themselves from others. How could they possibly sever their own connection from the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth?


    But when Han Li read this inside his cave residence, he immediately thought of his Gold Devouring Beetle¡¯s bizarre capability of devouring the energies of Heaven and Earth. This roused enough interest in him to perform a small test with his Gold Devouring Beetles. He had spent a short amount of time on it and regarded it as a momentary diversion to be later forgotten. But now that he recalled all of this, Han Li couldn¡¯t suppress his burning excitement.


    After a moment of careful consideration, Han Li felt that this had a large chance of success. Even if it failed, he¡¯d still be able to acquire one ancient treasure and would suffer no loss.


    With that thought, Han Li no longer hesitated. He waved his two arms and brought forth the spirit beast pouches on his body. Several tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles flew off, transforming into a huge, buzzing cloud of insects that spiralled around Han Li.


    Han Li paid no attention to the insect swarm and turned his gaze towards the three ancient treasures. After some more thought, he floated over to the dark red cloak with his insect swarm closely following after him.


    When Han Li was about three meters away from the cloak, Han Li felt a slight change in the surrounding spiritual Qi. He hastily stopped and wore a solemn expression.


    His hands suddenly formed an incantation seal, and used a series of whistles. The Gold Devouring Beetles that were surrounding Han Li suddenly became restless, and they charged towards Han Li like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, they were covering his entire body in dense folds, immersing him in a sea of silver.


    While Han Li was covered in the beetles, his whistles did not cease, but rather, they became even sharper.


    Not long after, the beetles on his body started releasing soft cries, echoing Han Li¡¯s whistles. The beetles¡¯ cries gradually became louder until their mouths were gaping wide. Their continuous breathes appeared synchronized to a bizarre degree.


    At that moment, Han Li halted his whistling and became silent. An incredible scene followed.


    The cries of the insects crawling over Han Li¡¯s body diverged into high and low, gradually bringing forth specks of black light. As more flickering specks of light appeared, they grew larger. When they eventually touched, they fused together, becoming larger blots of black light. These black blots gradually grew larger and more numerous until they formed a large sphere.


    The black sphere appeared like a blooming chrysanthemum. The flower-like sphere slowly blossomed and unfolded as the black light underneath continuously grew larger, forming a profoundly black armor underneath. This impenetrable armor covered both Han Li and the beetles.


    The beetles¡¯ cries immediately disappeared with the appearance of the armor. Apart from pitch-black, nothing else could be seen from the armor. It was unknown whether it was simply incapable of being seen or was completely void of color.


    [TL: see ¡®Vantablack¡¯]


    In that very instant, Han Li began to move. A strange hand of jet-black light moved to snatch the nearby cloak at the speed of lightning. At the same time, Han Li clumsily turned around and floated towards the five colored bands.


    In the same instant Han Li grabbed the cloak, he was surrounded in brilliant blue light. The countless rays of light swept over him, but after they touched the strange black armor, they immediately disappeared into the black light without a trace. However, this didn¡¯t cause the blue light to retract. Instead, it grew increasingly overbearing and attempted to violently suppress the black armor with all its strength, causing it to sway on the verge of collapse.


    Han Li was burning with impatience, but his movements still remained careful and smooth, for fear that he would disturb something else.


    Traveling a mere twenty meters, Han Li felt as if he had made a difficult trek for two hours before having finally arrived in front of the five colored copper bands. While forcefully suppressing his wild delight, Han Li swiftly grabbed the bands with his hand of black light.


    At nearly the same time his hand closed around the copper bands, Han Li¡¯s black armor was overwhelmed by the blue light, causing it to loudly shatter. The armor dissolved into little blots before completely disappearing.


    Before Han Li could even react, he was drawn into the blue light and the world changed around him, causing him to disappear without a trace.


    In a flash of blinding blue light, Han Li appeared in a small stone room. After swaying a few times, he managed to find his bearings and stand straight before carefully examining his surroundings. He immediately let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t a single person around. Otherwise, they would have caught the extremely abnormal sight of him being covered in layers of crawling beetles.


    Having finished pondering, Han Li whistled. In response, the Gold Devouring Beetles flew off of his body and into a sparkling gold-silver cloud above his head.


    Without paying them much mind, Han Li hastily looked at the two items in his hands. Although he had previously seen them many times, Han Li could not hold back the thrill from having the items in his hands.


    He gently stroked each of the two ancient treasures for a moment. The cloak was extremely light and emitted a bit of heat. As for the five copper bands, they were ice-cold to the touch.


    After admiring the two treasures for some time, his attention shifted to the stone room.


    It was completely empty apart from the transportation formation that brought him here and a rectangular passageway that appeared completely desolate. There was nothing else of interest in the room.


    I don¡¯t think my editor like beetles.

 Chapter 471

    An Odd Treasure


    There was no question as to whether or not this passageway led to the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion. With his cultivation of the Great Development Technique along with the Matron Screen Beads that Zenith Yin lent him, passing through this trial should be a matter of ease.


    With that thought, Han Li turned his attention to carefully examining the two ancient treasures in his hands. If he couldn¡¯t fully understand the scope of their power, he wouldn¡¯t be able to effectively use them when the time came.


    With a flash of blood-red light, the cloak disappeared from his hand, leaving only the chain of five copper bands in his other hand. These five copper bands were about as wide as an ordinary arm and had mysterious talisman markings engraved on their surface, causing them to appear mystifying.


    Han Li lightly shook them with a wave of his wrist. The colorful glow of the copper bands continuously fluctuated in response and released the faint cry of a phoenix. A flicker of spirit appeared from Han Li¡¯s eyes as he lowered his head in thought. He then slowly poured spiritual power into the copper bands through his fingers.


    During this, Han Li solemnly gazed at the bands without blinking. Then with a flash of colorful light, the chain of five bands abruptly disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li was startled, but something soon came to mind. He looked upward to see the five copper bands floating not far above his head. They were ceaselessly flickering with demonic light.


    Han Li frowned and raised his arm, sending out an azure incantation seal. The copper bands immediately twirled for a moment before striking the wall to the side. With several muffled pengs, the wall flashed with white light, revealing not the slightest damage. The copper bands had instead been pushed far away.


    It seemed the copper bands were not intended to be used to directly attack.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He waved his arm and had the copper bands fly back above his head. Then without any hesitation, he spouted out a breath of spiritual Qi towards the rings, causing them to swell into a huge size in the blink of an eye. Blinding radiance coiled around the bands, and their talisman markings began to move.


    Ring-type magic tools weren¡¯t ordinarily used to make direct attacks. A majority of them were used to either trap the enemy or defend one¡¯s self, something that Han Li had learned through experience.


    After looking at the huge bands and the astonishing pressure they radiated, Han Li lifted his head and slowly uttered the word, ¡°Execute.¡±


    Immediately after he spoke, the huge bands released a cry and directly fell down onto him. The rings overlapped one another and covered Han Li within them. Afterwards, the huge bands revolved around him with increasing speed, completely covering Han Li in a blurred screen of rainbow light.


    Han Li wore a slight smile. It seemed the copper bands possessed defensive abilities. As for how effective they were, that was something that could only be tested during an enemy confrontation. With that thought, Han Li shot an incantation seal towards the light screen with a flick of his finger. In an instant, the light curtain dissolved and the rings returned to their original appearance.


    But after a period of violent swaying, the copper rings released a flash of brilliance and disappeared from sight.


    This time, Han Li remained calm as he extended his palm. Following a flash of rainbow light, the five palm-sized copper bands appeared in his hand.


    Han Li calmly gazed at the copper bands with a pensive expression as if something had come to mind.


    Not long after, Han Li chanted a series of cryptic incantations, causing the bands to disappear from his hand. But after only a second, they appeared around Han Li¡¯s limbs and neck in a flourish of light.


    Han Li¡¯s stance grew unsteady as he began to drop down like a log. Fortunately, he had already prepared for this and hastily muttered an incantation to release the copper rings.


    Han Li hastily recovered his balance and rubbed his choked neck. However, his eyes betrayed immense excitement.


    This magic treasure could be used as a sneak attack, and was something that was impossible to defend against. Even if his opponents had immense spiritual sense and realized something was amiss with the copper rings before they were restrained, they still wouldn¡¯t have time to react. Han Li was confident that even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn¡¯t guard against them. He reckoned that the odds of success for an ambush were quite large. Of course, he still had no way of knowing how long the bands would be able to restrain his opponents.


    Han Li was delighted to find that the copper bands abilities went far beyond his original expectations. Feeling completely content, Han Li placed the copper bands in his storage pouch, and he took out the dark-red cloak.


    Tests for this ancient treasure were naturally much simpler. He simply wore the cloak on his body and poured a bit of magic power into it. It brightly flourished with a blood light and caused Han Li to feel a burning sensation on his body. At that same time, his magic power began to wildly flow into the cloak beyond his control.


    Han Li was greatly frightened and hastily severed his magic power towards the cloak, causing its brilliance to immediately dim.


    Han Li was startled and took off the cloak. He looked through it once more with squinted eyes. After a short moment, he donned it again and began to gradually pour spiritual power into the cape with great care.


    Once again, magic power began to rush out from his body, but this time, Han Li was prepared and remained calm. Instead, he turned his eyes to the cloak and carefully examined it for any oddities. In that moment, the cloak¡¯s outer layer of feathers grew longer and blood-red, covering Han Li in a dense barrier of blood light.


    After staring at it for a moment, Han Li waved his arms and slowly hovered off the ground. He then gazed around himself for a moment, before disappearing without a trace.


    A series of muffled bangs soon followed, and a ball of blood light burst from the right wall. Han Li fell from the ruptured light and tumbled several times, nearly falling onto his behind.


    His face was filled with shock! He hadn¡¯t even used its full strength and only utilized the most common flying technique. However, this had caused Han Li to abruptly crash into the wall, much to his dismay!


    With disbelief, Han Li attempted to use several other movement techniques, but the results were all the same. He would ram into a wall and end up disoriented without making any progress on controlling the cloak¡¯s abilities. It seemed this treasure allowed him to use this astonishing speed without any option of going slower.


    Han Li silently stood in place with complete astonishment. This cloak was far too bizarre. This was undoubtedly a top-grade life-preserving treasure given its light-like speed. Han Li was confident that even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to chase him, they would lose his trail after only a short moment with this amazing treasure.


    But at the same time, this cloak had significant flaws. Not to mention the astonishing expenditure of magic power, it¡¯s speed completely uncontrollable, much to Han Li¡¯s disappointment.


    It was clear that this top-grade ancient treasure was flawed and limited. Why else would it appear in the outer halls? But despite this, this item was still immensely useful in fleeing from enemies.


    Han Li put away the cloak with complicated feelings. He then lowered his head in bitter laughter before sitting cross-legged on the floor to refine Qi. As the cloak had consumed quite a bit of magic power in such a short time, he couldn¡¯t afford to just walk out of the room in his current condition.


    Han Li rested for over half a day, and when he had nearly replenished his spent magic power, Han Li opened his eyes and stood up as he solemnly gazed into the passageway.


    With the bracelet of Matron Screen Beads in one hand and his Great Development Technique circulating throughout his body, he slowly walked into the passageway.


    Upon entering, Han Li discovered that the passageway was quite short. After turning a corner, he had arrived at its end.


    Light flashed before his eyes, fading away to reveal an outdoor corridor. The corridor was magnificent and refined, but at a glance, it appeared to be endless. It was unknown just how far it reached. White clouds and divine melodies flowed in from outside the corridor along with the faint image of a lustrous jade pavilion.


    When Han Li saw this, a faint sneer appeared on his face as he walked onto the promenade with long strides.


    Just as he set foot on it, Han Li circulated magic power throughout his body. According to what he know, this one was like the other trials: flying techniques could not be used and one could only travel by foot.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t bothered by this and intensely studied the are outside the corridor. The divine melodies became clearer after entering the corridor.


    Han Li attentively listened to the so-called divine melodies with a blank face. Not long after, he unconsciously wore a mocking expression on his face.


    Han Li walked without the slightest urgency as if he were taking a stroll in his own garden. However, the further he walked down the corridor, the more beautiful and clear the melodies became. At that same time, extremely graceful cranes began to appear from within the white clouds. Their elegant dancing along with the cries they unleashed were extremely impressive.

 Chapter 472

    Black Palace


    Han Li gave the cranes a mere glance before continuing along his way, paying no further attention to them.


    But as Han Li continued on his path, the divine melodies descending from the sky gradually increased in intensity. The white cranes that had been dancing in the air abruptly flew to both sides of the corridor and spread their wings with a long cry.


    A short moment later, amidst the divine melodies, the cranes spun several times before transforming into young women in palace dresses.


    These young women appeared to be only eighteen years of age and were astoundingly beautiful and full of youthful vigor. They smiled towards Han Li with bright eyes that were filled with affection as if he were their beloved sweetheart and then swung their slender waists with a flexibility that made them appear boneless.


    At that moment, the divine sounds changed, becoming soft and tender like the caress of a lover. The very air was filled with the sensation of passionate romance, unwillingly bringing forth emotion within even those who have long buried them deep within their hearts.


    When Han Li heard these new sounds, his expression changed for a moment before he immediately steeled his heart and continued on his way, pointedly ignoring the the sweet nothings whispered by the young women.


    After walking about a hundred meters, Han Li heard a sudden change in tone causing the melodies to contain feelings of grief and sadness.


    The young women¡¯s expressions transformed with the melodies, and their dancing halted. Each of their faces held immense sadness as they gazed at Han Li with extreme grief, as if he were a heartbreaking ingrate. Anyone who gazed upon the women would feel immense heartache and compassionate affection.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± Han Li smiled and walked from side to side, appreciating the saddened expressions of the young women as if he were watching an interesting play.


    Han Li clearly understood that since the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion followed after the Paths of Ice and Fire, there were certain to be more than these mere tricks.


    As expected, after seeing that this was unable to stop Han Li, the divine melodies shifted to subtly invoke lust. At that same moment, the young women aged by several years with a flash of light, each of them now appearing as curvaceous beauties in their prime.


    With flushed complexions, the peerless beauties¡¯ eyes fluttered with enticing passion as they took off their muslin dresses. Along with the seductive moans leaving their small red mouths and the demonic lust-provoking sounds being emitted by the sky, it was more than enough to drive any man mad with temptation.


    Han Li was stunned. But after circulating the Great Development Technique once through his body, he immediately regained his calm.


    Even if a master of bewitchment techniques were to assault Han Li with full force as he was now, Han Li wouldn¡¯t be fazed in the slightest. In comparison to such an event, these crude illusions were beneath his notice.


    As Han Li walked through the two rows of gorgeous women, their actions became even more unrestrained. A few of them looked to Han Li with flirtatious glances as they pressed their hands against their chest. Others stroked their entire body as they shook their hips, along with other increasingly lewd acts.


    Han Li watched on with dazzled eyes and clicked his tongue. While he remained unfazed due to the protection of the Great Development Technique, he still made sure to properly appreciate such a rare view.


    Following this, the women¡¯s appearances changed once more, transforming into all sorts of different types of beauties. There were dignified and scholarly noblewomen, fiery whores, pure-hearted maidens, and elegant and icy matrons, each with their own different bearings and mannerisms. The scene that was revealed was much like a gathering of all the peerless beauties of the mortal world.


    A faint smile hung on Han Li¡¯s face, but his gaze was ice-cold, without the slightest hint of desire.


    After two hours at a relaxed pace, Han Li had finally arrived at the end of the corridor after taking his time and feasting the view.


    The corridor led to a black palace hall with a flat ceiling. The large gates and its walls were constructed entirely out of black bricks.


    The hall¡¯s gates appeared over forty meters tall. As for the interior of the hall, it was pitch-black, eliciting a feeling of mystery.


    At the same time that Han Li caught sight of the large black palace hall, the overbearing melodies from the sky and the seductive women suddenly disappeared. All that remained were the endless white clouds. The corridor¡¯s appearance had returned to how it was when he had just entered.


    Han Li didn¡¯t appear surprised and just turned his gaze towards the black hall, wearing a solemn expression. He unconsciously slowed his steps as he approached, but before he grew near, a dense bloody scent arrived before him.


    Han Li frowned and took another look at the palace hall.


    He discovered that the palace hall wasn¡¯t actually purely black, but rather, it contained an odd shade of red as if a layer of hot blood had been frozen over it, producing the wicked scent.


    Han Li stood in front of the gates with crossed arms and muttered to himself for a moment.


    Although he hadn¡¯t had someone explain the finer details of the Boundary of Fantastical Illusion, the mere appearance of this hall made him certain that this place tested the darkest fears of a person¡¯s mind. This undoubtedly wouldn¡¯t be as easy as the corridor had been.


    Han Li fully understood that there were a few weaknesses present in his heart.


    He was neither fearless nor unyielding. Nor was he a sage so wise that he was disconnected from the world. At most, he had been a clever and scheming mortal. It would be quite terrible if he saw something he was truly unable to endure and was forced to become still.


    It seemed that he would finally have to rely on the assistance from the Matron Screen Beads to pass through this trial.


    With that thought, Han Li stroked the beads on his wrist and steeled his mind before walking into the large hall.


    It was beyond merely black!


    Just as Han Li walked into the palace hall, he experienced an immense feeling of discomfort.


    Han Li was unable to detect any restrictions but could only see about ten meters ahead of him despite having his eyes wide open. He was also unable to extend his spiritual sense out from his body.


    The absence of light was accompanied by a complete lack of sound, producing a stillness capable of inspiring dread.


    Han Li unconsciously licked his lips and waved his hand, attempting to summon a ball of fire.


    But at the same instant the flame appeared, it was immediately extinguished.


    Han Li was lost in surprise for a moment before indignantly making another wave of his hand. This time, he had summoned a moonlight stone form his storage pouch.


    But just like the flame, its light immediately faded away after appearing, turning completely dull as if it were an ordinary stone.


    It was now that he realized the hall¡¯s restrictions must have the peculiar effect of absorbing light.


    With his hopes of producing light dashed, he leisurely walked forwards.


    But before he could even take a few steps, he suddenly heard sporadic and faint sobs of pain from the distance. It sounded as though they came from a young girl.


    Han Li wryly smiled and continued forward, ignoring the sound.


    However, the sobs erratically appeared from either close or far away, and they became increasingly sorrowful. The sobs seemed to be following him.


    ¡°Bah!¡± These sounds had caused him to become distraught and he couldn¡¯t help but unleash a shout that caused the nearby ground to tremble.


    The sobbing suddenly stopped.


    Han Li felt greatly relieved and quickened his pace, wanting to leave this hall as soon as possible.


    But after having only walked about ten meters, the sobbing continued. This time, a white silhouette had appeared not far in front of Han Li. A young woman wearing mourning clothes was crouched down .


    The sorrowful sobs were apparently coming from her. Han Li¡¯s face froze upon seeing the white-clothed woman. Strangely enough, despite the fact that she was kneeling and made no attempt to approach him, he hastily approached her instead.


    He knew that the more timid and cowardly he acted in this place, the more likely he was to become entangled in its illusions. As avoiding any conflict wasn¡¯t possible, a calm confrontation seemed to be the optimal choice.


    With that thought in mind, Han Li arrived about twenty meters from the white-clothed woman.


    Just as Han Li thought to recklessly roar once more and disperse the woman, he suddenly felt that this woman¡¯s sobbing seemed familiar as if he had heard it before, long ago.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. He hastily reassured himself that this was but an illusion to prevent himself from becoming mesmerized. But the longer he gazed at her, the more familiar she seemed. His mind began to fervently shuffle through his memories, but he was unable to recall who she was.


    Han Li unconsciously stopped and frowned, coldly gazing at the woman in front of him in silence.


    ¡°Fourth Brother!¡± The woman exclaimed with a timid, delicate voice.


    When Han Li heard this, he felt his mind shudder as blood rushed to his head. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who are you? Could you be¡­?¡±


    ¡°Fourth Brother, don¡¯t recognize me anymore? I¡¯m your little sister!¡± The white clothed woman slowly lifted her head from the ground and revealed her delicate, grieving face. Her small nose, bright eyes, and delicate face were reminiscent of his shy little sister from before he left for the Seven Mysteries Sect.

 Chapter 473

    Opening of the Inner Halls


    ¡°Little sister?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze darted around as he studied the young woman. Her words and appearance had evoked something that he had long buried at the bottom of his heart.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, how did I get here? Didn¡¯t I die from illness many years ago? I¡¯m scared!¡± The white silhouette shivered as she stood. He could see that her complexion was pale as she grew near him, appearing just like small, terrified bird.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes revealed a strange expression.


    This young woman who resembled his little sister was just two steps away from him.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes suddenly revealed a cold glint and he raised his hand, silently shooting out a small azure sword. In an instant, it pierced right through the young woman¡¯s forehead.


    The white silhouette released a tragic scream before turning into a puff of black smoke.


    ¡°Even if you take the form of my little sister, the two of us were separated when we were young. Not only should my current appearance greatly differ from long ago, but I imagine she had already forgotten my appearance as well. Just how could she have recognized her Fourth Brother at a glance?¡± Han Li looked in the direction of the fading black smoke and revealed a trace of loneliness.


    With that finished, he brought his wrist up to his eyes and looked at the four Matron Screen Beads.


    Although he had spoken those words with confidence, Han Li might not have taken action if the Matron Screen Pearls had not burned him when the white silhouette had approached him, dispelling the last trace of hesitation from the depths of his heart.


    Although he knew it was only either an illusion or a transformed ghost, he had wanted to take a longer look at his sister¡¯s appearance.


    Bearing a trace of indescribable sadness, Han Li continued forward through the darkness.


    ¡­


    There were over ten people sitting motionlessly in front of an enormous pagoda. The pagoda appeared to reach the clouds and was constructed entirely out of huge limestone bricks.


    From a distance, the pagoda appeared to be separated into five floors with each floor being slightly thinner than the one below it. However, each floor was separated by at least four hundred meters. Even the limestone gate at the very bottom was at least 200 meters tall, making for an astonishingly grand display.


    The entire pagoda was covered by a white barrier of light with everyone resting outside of it with their eyes shut. They appeared like ants compared to the white tower. A white transportation formation was setup at the center of the resting cultivators.


    All of the Nascent Soul cultivators were amongst those resting in front of the pagoda. Apart from Wu Chou and the Bone Sage, there was also a late Core Formation cultivator there. Han Li, Yuan Yao, the two Star Palace Elders, and another late Core Formation cultivator had yet to appear.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s face appeared calm as if he were without a care. However, he was inwardly anxious. As both were Core Formation cultivators, Han Li should¡¯ve arrived here at the same speed Wu Chou had.


    At that moment, a flash of white light appeared at the center of the transportation formation, revealing a silhouette.


    Man Huzi and the other Devil Dao cultivators opened their eyes to see, but a moment of disappoint flashed from their eyes as it was the masked Yuan Yao who appeared.


    When the woman saw so many Nascent Soul eccentrics simultaneously gaze at her, her heart dropped. But she soon forced herself to silently walk out of the formation as if nothing were wrong.


    Coincidentally, just as the woman walked off the formation, it flashed once more to reveal Han Li.


    Zenith Yin unconsciously smiled with raised eyebrows. Man Huzi and Layman Qing Yi silently glanced at each other, expressing their relief.


    Just as Han Li appeared, he was surprised to find Yuan Yao in front of him.


    After glancing at her with a slight smile, he walked towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin and saluted before standing behind him.


    Zenith Yin was very pleased to see Han Li behave so dutifully to his ¡®revered master¡¯. He turned his head and nodded to Han Li without saying anything else.


    As expected, he wasn¡¯t about to embarrassingly raise the topic of having Han Li return the Matron Screen Pearls to him here.


    Equivalently, Man Huzi didn¡¯t ask for his treasured armor back. It was as if these people had deliberately forgotten lending these treasures to Han Li.


    When Han Li appeared, he saw that the cultivators were all sitting still without any intention to move as if they were waiting for something.


    At that moment, Han Li discovered the huge pagoda in front of him and was greatly amazed.


    ¡®So this is the Inner Halls. It¡¯s very different from what I had imagined.¡¯ Han Li inwardly muttered.


    He then took a moment to shoot a stealthy glance at the Bone Sage.


    He was near the back, sitting in earnest meditation. He didn¡¯t appear to notice Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s voice suddenly arrived at Han Li¡¯s ear without warning, ¡°Youngster, turn your sights elsewhere. Take care not to reveal me to my traitorous disciple. Rest assured, I¡¯ve already made plans on how we will deal with Zenith Yin with complete confidence in success. However, the opportunity will only arise after you use the Bloodjade Spider to seize the Heavenvoid Cauldron. I will act after that! Remember, do not send me any voice transmissions. We can¡¯t expose the act!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained calm as he listened, and then turned his gaze elsewhere.


    ¡®There will be an opportunity after seizing the treasure? What does he mean? Could it be that this old devil also wishes to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡¯


    Han Li began to feel restless and suspicious!


    As the Inner Halls was just about to open, he became worried about how events would unfold after the treasure was obtained. Regardless of whether or not he succeeded in obtaining the Heavenvoid Cauldron, what happened afterwards would be anything but good for him.


    As Han Li was inwardly pouring out his grievances, he heard a cold voice from his front, ¡°The Inner Hallss are about to open, and the two Star Palace fellows have yet to appear. It seems they won¡¯t be muddying the waters. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Brother Man?¡± Wan Tianming, who sat at the center of the Righteous Dao cultivators, opened his glistening eyes. Staring at Man Huzi with concealed emotion, he slowly spoke while emitting an astonishing pressure from his body.


    ¡°Hehe! What, is Old Wan impatient? Let¡¯s wait a bit. After all, those Star Palace fellows are rather crafty. Perhaps they will only appear when they expect us to have already fought amongst ourselves?¡± Man Huzi disdainfully smiled and lazily stroked his beard.


    When Wan Tianming heard this, he appeared somewhat pensive, but he soon nodded his head and shut his eyes once more as if approving of Man Huzi¡¯s words.


    Two hours later, a series of violent tremors suddenly shook the ground.


    The huge stone doors to the Inner Halls slowly opened to reveal a limestone passage.


    Even at a distance, the passage appeared lofty and expansive.


    At the same moment the gates opened, the transportation formation at the center faded from a dim light to nothing.


    Man Huzi suddenly leapt up and threateningly grinned. Without waiting for Wan Tianming to speak, he fervently said, ¡°Hehe! Good! Good! It seems those two Star Palace fellows won¡¯t be stirring up any mischief. How about this, Wan Tianming? We¡¯ll have a proper battle, and the loser¡¯s party is barred from entering the Inner Halls.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t wish to fight you. I have different plans.¡±


    Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Wan Tianming gave a staunch refusal with a resolved expression.


    Man Huzi was initially stunned before wearing a evil grin. He mockingly said, ¡°Different plans? Could it be that you¡¯re taking the initiative to admit defeat and withdraw without fighting?¡±


    Wan Tianming shook his head and unhurriedly said, ¡°Withdraw? Of course not! But, it would be ridiculous to fight without having even acquired the treasure. Would it not be better for our parties to take turns in attempting to acquire the treasure? Before this, we will restrain ourselves temporarily. As such, we can prevent a mutual struggle. After all, our current enemy is the Star Palace, not each other. We may appear brimming with confidence, but odds are that we will both be incapable of acquiring the treasure. In that case, there would have been no point to our battle.¡±


    The Devil Dao cultivators cultivators were somewhat shocked and couldn¡¯t help but exchange a glance with one another. They soon began moving their lips and sending voice transmissions.


    Wan Tianming and the other Righteous Dao cultivators seemed to have already discussed this and were calmly waiting for the Devil Dao cultivators¡¯ response.


    After a short moment, Zenith Yin spoke with a gloomy expression, ¡°Your words are pleasant, but in the end, what will happen to the side that takes the treasure? If we were to succeed, how could we trust that you wouldn¡¯t then try seize it from us? Are your words merely the result of a silver tongue?¡±


    Wan Tianming grinned in response and said without hesitation, ¡°Zenith Yin, you¡¯re speaking nonsense. If you successfully acquire the treasure, then of course we will fight over it. Likewise, you¡¯d contest us if we were to acquire it. When that time comes, we will rely on skill to decide. All in all, it¡¯s still better than potentially wasting our time fighting now!¡±

 Chapter 474

    The Mantis and the Oriole


    The Mantis and the Oriole[1. Old Chinese Idiom: The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the Oriole behind it.]


    hen Zenith Yin heard Wan Tianming call his words nonsense, a sinister expression appeared on his face, but after hearing what he said after, Zenith Yin forcefully suppressed his fury. He then turned his head to Man Huzi and Layman Qi, and spoke to them in voice transmission.


    Not longer after, their discussion was finished. Zenith Yin coldly said, ¡°As per your esteemed suggestion, we will cease fighting for now. We will wait until after the treasure is seized.¡±


    Wan Tianming chuckled, ¡°Good! You¡¯ve made a wise decision. Let us enter together.¡±


    He then walked towards the huge limestone gate closely followed by Tian Wuzi and the old farmer closely.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Man Huzi couldn¡¯t help but snort at their grandiose mannerisms. His gaze then suddenly swept to Yuan Yao and the Core Formation cultivator that Han Li didn¡¯t recognize with an ominous glint in his eyes.


    At that same moment, the two paled under Man Huzi¡¯s malicious gaze. They turned into a streak of yellow and red light, rushing towards the stone pagoda.


    Man Huzi evilly grinned, ¡°Where do you two think you¡¯re going?¡±


    He rubbed his hands and then waved towards them, shooting out two streaks of gold light in an instant, striking at them from behind.


    The male cultivator in the yellow light released a miserable shriek before he tumbled to the ground. He was then swept up by the golden light and was split apart, scattering across the ground as a dismembered corpse.


    As for when the golden light neared Yuan Yao¡¯s red light, several bursts of blinding green flames temporarily scattered the golden light. As if spurred on by this, her red light transformed into a scarlet-red bird and became even faster. After shooting past the golden light in a blur, she passed through the stone pagoda¡¯s entrance and disappeared.


    ¡°Yi! That¡¯s odd.¡± Layman Qing Yi softly said with a frown.


    Layman Qing Yi and Zenith Yin didn¡¯t care about Man Huzi¡¯s actions, but upon seeing Yuan Yao escape Man Huzi¡¯s attack, they couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    ¡°Man Huzi, what is the meaning of this? Why did you attack the innocent?¡± Tian Wuzi turned around and spoke with an angry expression.


    Man Huzi gazed at the old Daoist with an uncaring expression and callously said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a good mood. What does it matter to you if I kill a few strangers? Could it be that you wish to seek justice on their behalf ,or do you just want to personally test my Heavenbearing Devil Arts?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Without turning his head, Wan Tianming shouted, ¡°Enough, Tian Wuzi! Those two weren¡¯t members of the Righteous Dao. Leave them be! We have more important matters to attend to!¡±


    Tian Wuzi could only hatefully glance at Man Huzi after hearing this and begrudgingly turned around.


    Not long after this event, the Righteous Dao walked through the stone gate and entered the Inner Hall.


    Zenith Yin glanced at the Righteous Dao cultivators as they left and applauded Man Huzi with a sinister smile, ¡°Brother Man did well in attacking them! We don¡¯t want any annoying rats scurrying around us before the big event. Those two Core Formation cultivators actually wished to enter the Inner Hall and take advantage of the chaos for their own gain. The living are always so impatient. Unfortunately, there is still one person here who Brother Man hasn¡¯t killed.¡± Having said this, his gaze fell upon the Bone Sage.


    The Bone Sage was calm and indifferent, appearing as if Zenith Yin was talking about someone else entirely.


    Man Huzi expressionlessly said, ¡°This person has somewhat of a connection with me. As he had done me a favor, it is natural that I do not attack him. You two are also forbidden from disposing of him.¡±


    Zenith Yin narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the Bone Sage, confirming whether or not he recognized this person. He then ambiguously said, ¡°Since he is a junior with relation to Brother Man, it is only natural that we won¡¯t dispose of him. Although, it is quite surprising that Brother Man would accept a favor from someone.¡±


    Man Huzi¡¯s face grew cold and he intensely glared at Zenith Yin, ¡°Hehe! Zenith Yin, you dare to interrogate me?¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly? I was merely a bit curious! If Brother Man doesn¡¯t wish to answer, then so be it. But, it seemed the black robed woman who escaped should have significant origins. Brother Man has best be careful!¡± Zenith Yin conceded the matter with a chuckle, but his last words seemed to carry a heavy meaning.


    Man Huzi was silent for a moment before gloomily saying, ¡°I am not blind. Did you think I didn¡¯t see her use Old Devil Three Yang¡¯s Azure Flameblast? Apart from his most intimate disciples, no other disciples of the Azure Yang Sect could possibly acquire such an item. How else could that young woman have possibly escaped death?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it seems I was needlessly meddling!¡± Seeing that Man Huzi¡¯s expression was far from good, Zenith Yin tactfully said nothing else.


    ¡°It is no matter. Even if that woman is important to Old Devil Three Yang, Brother Man has nothing to fear, given his cultivation. However, it is currently a crucial period of conflict in the Scattered Star Seas between the Star Palace and both the Righteous and Devil Daos. The Old Devil¡¯s abilities are significant, and despite originating from the Devil Dao, he isn¡¯t aligned to either of the sides involved. As such, we had best avoid having this man become our enemy. Let¡¯s spare the girl!¡± The Confucian-robed old man smoothed the matter over from the side.


    Man Huzi stiffly nodded his head and said no more. It was clear from his actions that he held great fear in his heart towards Old Devil Three Yang.


    The stream of events left Han Li with heavy, complicated feelings. All sorts of distracting thoughts began to flood his mind.


    A Core Formation cultivator had been killed right in front of him as easily as one would step on an ant, yet how did Yuan Yao manage to avoid such a fate?


    Since when did the Bone Sage force a relationship between him and Man Huzi, one of the top figures among the Devil Dao? It was no wonder why he was so calm.


    As for Yuan Yao, she seemed to have some sort of relationship with that Old Devil Three Yang, someone who could inspire fear in a hegemon such as Man Huzi.


    These thoughts simultaneously bounced around in his head and he was unable to clearly arrange them for the time being.


    He could only wordlessly pay attention to what Man Huzi and the others were saying in that hopes that he could gather some information that would allow him to form a dependable plan.


    But unfortunately, Layman Qing Yi next words ended the conversation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly enter the Inner Hall! The Righteous Dao fellows won¡¯t wait for us. We can¡¯t let them stealthily leave us behind.¡± Layman Qing Yi glanced at the huge passage beyond the stone gate and wrinkled his brow.


    Man Huzi glanced in the direction of the stone gate and sunk into thought for a moment before silently setting off.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi glanced at each before following after them with relaxed expressions.


    Han Li, Wu Chou, and the Bone Sage naturally followed behind.


    Han Li and the others slowly entered the passage until they eventually disappeared from sight.


    ¡­


    Three hours later, the darkened transportation formation suddenly shone with dazzling light, followed by the emergence of two silhouettes from the formation.


    They were the Star Palace elders!


    At that moment, the two were cautiously looking around. After they saw that no one was around, they wore looks of relief.


    One of them spoke with a slight smile, ¡°It appears that they¡¯ve all entered. As cunning as these old eccentrics may be, they couldn¡¯t imagine that our Star Palace had already unraveled this transportation restriction a thousand years ago. We can arrive at this place anytime we want.¡±


    The other spoke with a cold voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We must be careful at all times. We cannot allow this secret to be easily revealed, unless they actually manage to extract the Heavenvoid Cauldron.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± The first to speak nodded his head in approval.


    With that said, the two shot towards the stone gate as two streaks of white light.


    ¡­


    Han Li was walking behind Zenith Yin and was unexpectedly beside Wu Chou, much to Han Li¡¯s displeasure.


    Possibly due to what Zenith Yin had said to Wu Chou before, Wu Chou acted very cordially to Han Li on the way. He would on occasion talk about some trivial matters with Han Li as to avoid treating Han Li coldly. It was as if his hateful gaze from before had come from an entirely different person.


    But the further this fake act continued, the gloomier Han Li felt.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but bitterly laugh to himself in his mind, ¡°Did Zenith Yin hint to Wu Chou that they would kill me after they acquire the treasure? Is that why Wu Chou is acting so differently?¡±


    Although he was very much worried underneath, Han Li spoke to Wu Chou with a smile, producing a fake atmosphere between the two. Even those over thirty meters away could clearly make it out.


    Still, Zenith Yin and the others turned a blind eye to the two as they continued forward. Ever since the three Nascent Soul eccentrics had entered the Inner Hall, they had become solemn in contrast to their relaxed, easy attitude from before.


    But what baffled Han Li the most was that even after such a long period of time had passed, nothing had occurred. They had neither encountered any restrictions nor dangers.


    Could it be that they had triggered some sort of restriction after entering the stone gate?


    With that thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but further examine his surroundings.

 Chapter 475

    Wolf Head Puppets


    Han Li and the others were currently walking through a maze-like series of intersecting stone passageways. Each intersection had a stone gate inscribed with strange talisman characters.


    These stone gates were identical in size: over thirty meters wide and in the shape of a square. They would always point in the directions of either north, south, east, or west, seemingly at random. However, they all radiated a faint white light. They were clearly affected by some sort of restriction.


    Although he would only encounter a crossroads after a long distance, Han Li reckoned that during their entire time in the Inner Halls, they¡¯d already encountered at least eight different stone gates. Each time, they neither changed direction nor entered the stone gates.


    They eventually arrived at an intersection that caused Han Li¡¯s expression stir.


    The gate there slightly differed from the other ones. Although the talisman characters and structure was the same, it was completely devoid of light as if the restriction on it had been extinguished. As a result, Han Li further studied it with a strange expression.


    Wu Chou saw Han Li¡¯s expression and spoke to him with a familiar tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, this stone gate has already had its treasure seized by others. What is worth seeing? If it weren¡¯t for the fact that each person could only use a single Heavenvoid map fragment before being teleported out, I would¡¯ve also thought to pick a stone gate and hastily see what was within. Once a Heavenvoid Map fragment was used to open a stone gate, one is unable to leave until the treasure is acquired. As Core Formation cultivators we are only be able to acquire treasures on the first floor. Picking a room on the later floors would be the same as suicide.¡±


    ¡®Junior Martial Brother Han?¡¯ When Han Li heard Wu Chou address him as such in a voice transmission, he felt disgust spread throughout his body.


    When Han Li eventually managed to recollect himself, he replied with a beaming smile, ¡°Then why isn¡¯t Brother Wu choosing a gate on the first floor? Would it not be a waste of an opportunity to wait until you¡¯ve arrived at the second floor or higher?¡±


    ¡°Sigh! I wish I could, but my esteemed grandfather has repeatedly warned me that I must stay by his side on this treasure hunt as I may prove useful.¡± Wu Chou wore a reluctant expression as he glanced at the stone gate. A trace of greed flickered in his eyes.


    Han Li slightly smiled and swept his gaze across the stone gate. So long as he entered and acquired the treasure it contained, he would be teleported outside. He would be keeping this in mind. Who knew whether or not he could use this as a method of escape?


    At that moment, the group passed through another intersection and into the passage ahead of them. That same moment, a heavy, muffled thud came from their front. The sound continued as if something huge was slowly heading towards them.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi¡¯s expressions slightly changed and they halted, staring into the passageway ahead of them with grave expressions. In contrast, Man Huzi chuckled and revealed a trace of excitement. At the same time, his body flashed with golden light and a layer of golden scales suddenly covered his entire body. He had activated his Heavenbearing Devil Arts.


    This was the first time Han Li had seen the bizarre appearance of the Heavenbearing Devil Arts up close. He couldn¡¯t help but take a curious look at Man Huzi¡¯s transformation.


    Man Huzi keenly felt Han Li¡¯s stare and turned his head around, giving Han Li a sinister grin. The expression on his face covered in small scales made for a frightening sight.


    Han Li¡¯s heart dropped, not knowing what he had meant by it. But he still forced himself to return the smile.


    Fortunately, after Man Huzi smiled, he immediately turned his gaze back.


    The approaching thuds were now only about a hundred meters away.


    But as the passage across from them was pitch-black, Han Li wasn¡¯t able to see anything within it. There were still restrictions in place inside the Inner Hall that restrained a cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense.


    Still, Han Li noticed the cold glint from the old eccentrics¡¯ eyes. It seemed they were able see what was coming.


    Without waiting for Zenith Yin and Qing Yi to act, Man Huzi deeply roared, flying into the passage as a streak of golden light. A series of loud impacts followed afterwards, along with deafening clangs of metal.


    When Zenith Yin and Qing Yi saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    Han Li was at a loss when a huge rumble sounded out as if something had been cleanly split into fragments.


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred and something came to mind.


    In the next moment, only the sounds of Man Huzi¡¯s wild, carefree laughter could be heard.


    Zenith Yin seemed to have thought of something and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It is no longer a problem. We¡¯ve already forgotten that we no longer have the same cultivation as we did three hundred years ago. The guards on the first layer are no longer a threat to us.¡±


    Qing Yi chuckled with a relaxed expression, ¡°That¡¯s right. This old man had nearly forgotten this as well. The last time I came here, I had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, and the guards left far too deep an impression. It was good that Brother Man had taken care of it with his Heavenbearing Devil Arts. Else, we would¡¯ve spent too much effort on them.¡±


    Afterwards, the two began to take the lead with Han Li and Wu Chou closely following after them. The Bone Sage, who had originally been expressionless this entire time, wore a trace of disdain as he calmly followed them in the back.


    After walking about thirty meters, Han Li saw Man Huzi in front of them with his hands behind his back. He was standing on something that was shining with silver light.


    When Man Huzi saw Zenith Yin, he stretched his neck and indifferently said, ¡°Not bad! This served quite well for a warm up. The Heavenvoid Hall this time around is truly interesting. However, it wasn¡¯t nearly as formidable as rumors had made it out to be!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the incredible force of Brother Man¡¯s Heavenbearing Devil Arts. Other cultivators had to use magic treasures in such a narrow area, so they had experienced a bit of trouble.¡± Layman Qing Yi said with a smile. When Man Huzi heard his flattery, he chuckled but said no more. The golden scales on his body quickly faded away, and he indifferently took the lead. It seemed the previous fight had left him unsatisfied.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi glanced at each other with a smile. Since Man Huzi was so willing to lead the way, they were more than happy to quietly follow after him.


    When they walked past the silver item, Han Li stopped and lowered his head to look at it.


    ¡®A mechanical puppet!¡¯ Han Li was astounded. It was indeed a puppet, but what grade of puppet was this to have not been instantly destroyed by a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator?


    Most of what was scattered across the ground were pieces of an unknown silver metal. Apart from this, there was a ruined half of a golden wolf¡¯s head, and several pieces of jet-black, thick and reflectioness blades, as well as an assortment of several other oddities.


    As the Bone Sage quickly passed him by, he indifferently said without turning his head, ¡°Don¡¯t bother to look at them. While these items are certainly rare, they cannot be used to refine any magic treasures. Those that entered here long before have already tried.¡±


    Han Li was surprised by this, but he continued to look at the ground as if he hadn¡¯t heard. His gaze fell upon a sparkling, dark-green gem on the ground. Its extremely cold aura gave Han Li a remarkable impression.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li immediately placed these items into his storage pouch with a sweep of his hand before rejoining the others.


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts were quite simple. Even if these items were truly useless, he could learn a bit about the ancient cultivator¡¯s achievements in puppet techniques from the puppet¡¯s composition and the refinement techniques used to create them. After all, the highest grade puppets in his Puppet Sutra were grade four puppets, equivalent to only late Foundation Establishment cultivators at false core stage. This was the huge tiger puppet that consumed an entire mid-grade spirit stone with a full powered strike. [1. Chapter 229.]


    The puppet with the golden wolf head was stronger than an early Core Formation cultivator. Although Man Huzi dealt with it like child¡¯s play without using any powerful magic treasures, Zenith Yin¡¯s and Layman Qing Yi¡¯s serious attitudes towards indicated that it was unordinary.


    With such good items at hand, it was only natural for Han Li to want to leave and research it. But as things stood, there would be no such opportunity for him to slip away into a stone gate and escape with a treasure as well. He understood all too well that despite walking ahead of him, the three Nascent Soul eccentrics were watching his every move through their spiritual sense. Wanting to stealthily slip away through a stone gate was merely wishful thinking.


    With Han Li¡¯s temperament, it felt somewhat intolerable to leave such a treasure trove empty handed. For now, he could could these puppet fragments as a consolation prize from the Inner Halls. As for the treasures of the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Han Li knew better than to have such fanciful expectations!

 Chapter 476

    The Second Floor


    After their first encounter with the wolf head puppet, they encountered more puppets in quick succession. But under the unyielding transformation of the Heavenbearing Devil Arts, Man Huzi smashed them into pieces as if they were made of clay. Zenith Yin and Qing Yi didn¡¯t need to help the slightest.


    With each encounter, Han Li bluntly gathered and put away the remains of each puppet, much to the confusion of the Bone Sage and Wu Chou.


    As for the Nascent Soul cultivators, they turned a blind eye to Han Li¡¯s actions.


    However, it was clear that they walked a path different from Wan Tianming¡¯s party. When Han Li saw that the Devil Dao cultivators were still calm and unhurried, Han Li knew that these old devils probably had an approximation of where they were.


    But ever since they started encountering the puppet guards, Zenith Yin and the others no longer continued straight ahead and began to take turns.


    However, Han Li felt that there was something odd. From their earlier advance, Han Li had a clear feeling that all of the pathways were the same. But these three Nascent soul cultivators would make a sudden turn to the left and another to the right without the slightest hesitation. It was as if they already knew the route they would take in advance.


    Were it just Zenith Yin and Qing Yi doing this, Han Li wouldn¡¯t find it strange. After all, they¡¯d been to the Inner Halls before. Perhaps they had already memorized the route from their last time here. But this was clearly Man Huzi¡¯s first time coming here and he was leading them at the very front with Zenith Yin and Qing Yi following after him without any objections. Han Li found this baffling!


    Han Li¡¯s mind began racing as he stealthily swept the intersections for any differences or markings.


    After passing several intersections, his efforts were in vain as he had found nothing. He could only leave the matter be for now.


    After Man Huzi wrecked the eighth wolf head puppet along the way, they arrived at a small transportation formation.


    The transportation formation was at the center of an intersection and emitted a faint, sparkling light.


    ¡°This will take us to the second floor. I wonder if Wan Tianming and his party had used any tricks. They actually managed to get ahead of us.¡± Layman Qing Yi grumbled upon seeing the transportation formation, but a trace of a grin was still on his face.


    Man Huzi coldly snorted and said without concern, ¡°Humph! Let¡¯s go. Even if they¡¯re ahead of us, the Heavenvoid Cauldron isn¡¯t something that is so easily acquired.¡±


    Soon after, he led the way, entering the transportation formation in stride.


    Layman Qing Yi smiled at the sight. After Man Huzi entered, Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi stood still. After taking a glance at each other, they gazed intently at Han Li.


    Han Li felt his heart shiver.


    He had no choice but to enter the transportation formation under their supervision.


    Han Li saw a flash of white light and regained his bearings before raising his head.


    He was shocked. He was at another intersection of stone passageways. If it weren¡¯t for Man Huzi standing in front of him, Han Li would¡¯ve thought that the transportation formation had failed.


    While Han Li was at a loss, white light flashed from behind him, bringing along the rest of the party.


    Just as Zenith Yin appeared, he took a look around. He grimaced and muttered, ¡°What method did those Righteous Dao folk use to travel so fast? I can no longer find them.¡±


    Layman Qing Yi¡¯s eyes coldly glinted as he stood behind Zenith Yin. ¡°Leave it be! I had felt it was strange as to why the Righteous Dao cultivators had made such a sly proposal outside. From what we¡¯ve seen, it seems they were scheming against us all along. But, it¡¯ll still be fine if they try to seize the treasure first. Actually acquiring the Heavenvoid Cauldron with Wan Tianming¡¯s Gold Threaded Silkworm is merely wishful thinking after all. They¡¯re merely testing what little luck they have. As such, it wouldn¡¯t be too late for us to hide and lie in ambush.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qing¡¯s words make sense! However, we cannot delay for too long. We must quicken our pace.¡± Zenith Yin nodded his head and agreed with a much improved expression.


    Qing Yi spoke to Man Huzi with a solemn expression, ¡°Brother Man, be careful! The snake puppet guards on this floor are somewhat troublesome. Fellow Daoist Wu and I can both provide assistance in taking them down. This way, we can save a bit of time and conserve our magic power. Let¡¯s prevent having any weaknesses the Righteous Dao can exploit.¡±


    ¡°Snake puppet guards? That seems interesting! Do as you like.¡± Man Huzi said with a careless tone.


    The party of Devil Dao cultivators then continued on their way.


    Not long after, Han Li discovered a difference between the first and second floor.


    The crossroads on the second floor were much smaller than the first floor. They were also farther apart with a few fearsome traps and restrictions placed down along the way.


    Although these things didn¡¯t pose a threat to a Nascent Soul cultivator, they were undoubtedly deadly to Core Formation cultivators. Han Li felt a cold chill down his spine as he followed after the others.


    There was no question that he would¡¯ve lost his life to the restrictions and traps had he entered the second floor of the Inner Halls alone.


    By the time they crossed the first intersection on the second floor, Han Li finally saw one of the ¡°snake puppet guards¡±.


    The puppet appeared truly disgusting.


    Its snake head was both blue and red, but its body was covered in jet-black scales. Additionally, it had two arms on both its back and its front.


    Its front two arms held green short spears, and its back two arms held glossy black whips with razor sharp barbs that glowed with grey Qi.


    When the puppet saw their group, it immediately charged towards them as a black streak of light without a sound. It¡¯s actions were extremely quick.


    Man Huzi howled with laughter. He charged to meet it after activating his Heavenbearing Devil Arts.


    The following scene left Han Li in awe. The snake demon puppet was extraordinarily swift with its green spears and flailing whips. Although its unceasing barrage of attacks didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to Man Huzi, he was forced to protect a few of his vital spots. As he wasn¡¯t using any magic treasures, he had no other actions open to him.


    While it was unknown what materials the green spears were made from, they slightly deformed Man Huzi¡¯s gold-clad hands on impact, leaving behind two cuts.


    An expression of astonishment was betrayed from Man Huzi¡¯s face.


    It was at this time that Zenith Yin and Qing Yi decided to act.


    Zenith Yin used the Heavenvoid Corpsefire that had inspired fear in Han Li when they had first met.


    A black ball of flame appeared in his hand before turning into a fine black thread as it shot out.


    Just as the puppet pierced through Man Huzi¡¯s Heavenbearing Devil Art, it left its guard down. In an instant, one of its front arms was enveloped by black flames and disappeared.


    As for Qing Yi, he opened his mouth and an azure thread of light wildly rushed out from his mouth towards the puppet.


    The azure thread of light wrapped once around the puppet and then burst into a cluster of explosions, causing the puppet to tumble.


    A fierce expression flashed from Man Huzi¡¯s face. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he released a low roar and the scene blazed with blinding light. He then appeared with his arm penetrating the abdomen of the puppet. A green gem was rigidly held in his grasp.


    The snake puppet immediately lost the power to move and collapsed to the floor.


    Man Huzi looked at the inanimate puppet and glanced at the green gem in his hand. With a malicious expression flickering across his face, he crushed the gem with a clench of his hand.


    But after he unfolded his hand, he found the gem to be completely unharmed.


    Even Man Huzi¡¯s ordinarily savage expression changed upon seeing this.


    With his Heavenbearing Devil Arts infused into his hands, he would¡¯ve been able to warp powered magic treasures, let alone a single gem. He should¡¯ve been able to somewhat damage it at the very least.


    As Man Huzi¡¯s face appeared somewhat blank, Qing Yi chuckled and walked over, ¡°Brother Man, there is no need to be surprised! This strange stone has already been researched by others. Although this gem cannot be destroyed, it also cannot be refined or used to strengthen magic treasures. I reckon that unless the cultivators of antiquity were dealing with it, it will remain a mere bauble. Even puppet refinement sects don¡¯t know what to do with the stone.¡±


    ¡°The items of antiquity are quite unusual! Youngster, you seem to be fond of such remains. Here!¡± Concealing his embarrassment from earlier, Man Huzi grimaced and casually tossed it to Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s mind went blank and he unconsciously received the item.


    After he had realized what had happened, he silently put it away into his storage pouch.


    After he swept his gaze around, he walked forward and swept up the snake puppet remains without a trace of politeness.

 Chapter 477

    An Unexpected Discovery


    As Han Li went to collect the two green spears, he faintly felt Zenith Yin eyeing the items, but he soon stealthily turned his gaze away.


    Although this action had been quite stealthy, it had caused Han Li¡¯s heart to shiver.


    These two short spears were definitely good items and Zenith Yin wanted them for himself. But he couldn¡¯t forcefully acquire them now and lose sight of the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    This, however, merely gave Zenith Yin yet another reason to dispose of Han Li afterwards.


    With that thought, Han Li lowered his head and bitterly smiled. His expression quickly returned to normal before he raised his head.


    After that, the three Nascent Soul cultivators worked together. Although the puppets and restrictions on this floor were somewhat fierce, nobody suffered any damage when they passed through this floor and moved onto the third.


    ¡­


    Half a day later at some place on the fifth floor of the Inner Halls, there were three people discussing something in a whisper. They were Wan Tianming¡¯s party of Righteous Dao cultivators.


    Not far in front of them laid an enormous stone platform. It was over four hundred meters wide and about a hundred meters tall. It appeared to be entirely made from the same common grey stone. There were several hundred steps in front of it leading to the very top, and it was covered in a white light barrier.


    But what was most odd was the blue radiance lying inside the light barrier. This blue radiance grew brighter as it approached the top with blinding glimmers roaming within it. It made for a scene so brilliant, one could not look directly at it and see what was within.


    To the side of the stone platform was a thick block of ice. The shimmers within the translucent ice made for a beautiful contrast to the stone next to it.


    Standing in front of the stone platform, Wan Tianming said in a deep voice, ¡°What? Your magic power has almost recovered? If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s set off! Although we¡¯re using the Divine Fate Sect¡¯s Creation Rites to evade the puppet guards, we still don¡¯t have much time. Man Huzi¡¯s Heavenbearing Devil Arts should be able to deal with the puppets with ease. Only when he reaches the fourth floor should he have to expend more effort.¡±


    The old Daoist Tian Wuzi spoke in agreement with a trace of excitement in his eyes, ¡°Brother Wan speaks true. Let¡¯s go get the treasure.¡±


    The old dark-skinned farmer silently nodded and said nothing else.


    Wan Tianming did not mind his actions. He knew that although this shriveled old man was taciturn, his Jade Core Arts were quite remarkable. His true strength was beyond that of even Tian Wuzi.


    Despite having emerged from the Righteous Dao, he had spent most of his time in concealed cultivation and rarely interacted with others, leading to his detached mannerisms.


    Wan Tianming smiled and led the two into the light barrier.


    A dense wisp of purple smoke flickered through the air, and the barrier of white light released out a resounding hum. With a wave of his hand, Wan Tianming split open a three meter tall opening, allowing them to walk through in a line.


    Soon, Wan Tianming and the others disappeared into the blue light as they climbed. The tear in the light barrier repaired itself and the steps became quiet once more.


    After an unknown amount of time, Man Huzi and Zenith Yin appeared before the light barrier, but by that point Wan Tianming¡¯s party was already long gone.


    Han Li and the others soon appeared behind them.


    Qing Yi looked at the large stone platform in front of him and said with shining eyes, ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived at this damned place. The gold haired puppets on the fourth floor were extraordinarily vicious. Had all of us not employed our special skills, we would¡¯ve been tangled down for quite some time.¡±


    Zenith Yin said with a gloomy expression, ¡°Humph! The puppets weren¡¯t much. The restrictions we encountered on the third floor were quite difficult to break, consuming much of our time. Else, we would¡¯ve arrived here earlier.¡±


    ¡°What is the point of saying such nonsense after already arriving? First, let¡¯s see whether or not Wan Tianming¡¯s group have already went to seize the treasure.¡± Man Huzi frowned and spoke with impatience.


    Zenith Yin appeared somewhat displeased by his words, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    Wearing his ordinary expression, Layman Qing Yi chuckled and said, ¡°Relax, Brother Man. According to Brother Wu and my secret probing arts, Wan Tianming¡¯s party had already ascended several hours ago, but they have yet to leave. It would be best for us to wait here as these stairs are the only entrance and exit from the Frozen Dragon¡¯s Terrace.


    ¡°The only way? Is that true? The Righteous Dao cultivators could be slipping away at this moment as we foolishly wait for them.¡± Man Huzi glanced at the old man and seemed to distrust him.


    The old man twirled his beard as he said,¡±Hehe! There is no question about this. This light barrier was already famous even in times of antiquity, known as the Celestial Tailstar Restriction. Apart from the opening at the steps, there are no other exits that can be easily created.¡±


    Man Huzi nodded his head, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do just that.¡± He then sat cross legged near the steps and began meditating.


    As for Zenith Yin and Qing Yi, they moved closer to each other and started having a whispered discussion.


    After seeing all of this, Han Li wryly smiled in his mind, but betrayed none of this on his face.


    These Devil Dao cultivators weren¡¯t incorrect in their actions, but Wan Tianming appeared to be a rather shrewd person himself. Perhaps he had wanted them to wait outside all along.


    With that thought, Han Li looked around. He found that the Bone Sage was the only person that was close to the stone platform. He gazed into the white light barrier as if he were thinking of something.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. This was a good opportunity to have another discussion, but he soon had second thoughts. This old devil forged a relationship between him and Man Huzi. Han Li¡¯s value to him should¡¯ve decreased tremendously. It was most likely that he had the same thoughts as Zenith Yin, to use his Bloodjade Spiders to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron and then dispose of him afterwards.


    Why else would he forego this excellent opportunity to kill Zenith Yin? It must be to first acquire the treasure!


    If he were to take the initiative to contact him, he would merely be allowing the Bone Sage to see through his doubts. The situation could only become worse as a result!


    It seems he would have to rely on himself to plan for his escape.


    With that in mind, Han Li¡¯s gaze unconsciously turned cold as he looked at the Bone Sage. The Bone Sage seemed to have perceived something and turned his head, happening to see Han Li.


    Han Li inwardly cursed and immediately restored his normal expression. He then walked off as if nothing had occured.


    As the Bone Sage stared at Han Li from behind, a trace of doubt flickered across his face.


    At that moment, Han Li was leisurely circling around the huge stone platform along with the light barrier that surrounded it.


    As Zenith Yin and the others doubted it was possible for an early Core Formation cultivator to escape from the fifth floor, Han Li was relieved to find that he was allowed to move as he wished.


    Not longer after, Han Li was by himself behind the back of the platform. There was a limestone wall that opposed the light barrier covering the stairs.


    The wall was inscribed with a few strange beasts from ancient times along with a few talisman markings. It wasn¡¯t particularly notable.


    Han Li had seen many of these walls inside the Inner Hall and knew that they possessed no profound restrictions. But even Nascent Soul cultivators had no method of breaking the wall.


    As such, even if Han Li knew that the wall led to outside the Inner Halls, he was completely powerless.


    Han Li inwardly cursed the ancient cultivators for making their Inner Halls damned impenetrable and fiercely slapped the stone wall out of overwhelming frustration. The slap released a muffled thud.


    He walked off for about four steps before he made a sudden stop. He then slowly turned around with an expression of complete disbelief.


    Were it a common cultivator who had heard this noise, they may have left without a care as the sound wasn¡¯t anything that was particularly notable.


    However, Han Li was someone that had emerged from a sect in JiangHu. He had previously researched quite a bit about hidden room mechanisms.


    From that recent sound, he was able to tell that the limestone wall was hollow.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t believe himself. He truly doubted his inference.


    There existed a hidden layer in a place where ancient cultivators had enveloped everything with profound restrictions.


    Of course, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to walk away from this after discovering it.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, he swiftly returned to the wall. He extended two fingers and began tapping around the limestone wall he had struck earlier.


    On his third tap on the limestone wall, Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. His gaze fell upon the red eyes of a carving of a winged demon beast.


    Although the engraving didn¡¯t store any essence, it appeared vivid and lifelike. The beast¡¯s berserk bloodlust was displayed in brilliant detail.


    Han Li merely glanced at the drawing for a moment before resuming the light taps on the stone wall.


    He eventually became completely certain that the stone was indeed hollow and that something was contained within.

 Chapter 478

    Gold Threaded Silkworms Acquiring the Treasure


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately take action. Instead, he carefully released his spiritual sense and searched his surroundings. Certain that Zenith Yin and the others weren¡¯t spying on him, he no longer hesitated and extended his finger. A blade of azure swordlight extended from its tip.


    Han Li calmly used the swordlight to carve a fist sized hole in the stone wall before willing it away.


    He then used his other hand to quickly touch the circle, causing a gap to appear in the stone wall.


    Han Li knew that his time was limited and instantly extended his arm into the hole. The area within wasn¡¯t large. After randomly reaching out, he managed to grab onto something. His expression stirred.


    The item was slender, curved, and soft. After he took it out from the wall, he saw that it was an aged yellow scroll.


    Just about as Han Li was about to open it with amazement, his expression suddenly changed and he quickly placed the scroll in his robes. His body blurred as he placed his back against the hole in the wall, pretending to rest against it.


    Just as Han Li finished his movements, he heard Zenith Yin¡¯s gloomy voice, ¡°Han Li, return to us quickly. We are about to enter.¡±


    Having heard that, Han Li astonishment flickered from his eyes. Weren¡¯t they to rest for the time being? Why the sudden change of mind? Could it be the three old devils became aware of something amiss?


    After Han Li felt Zenith Yin¡¯s spiritual sense disappeared from his surroundings, he immediately turned around the repaired the stone hole. He then walked back to the front of the stone platform.


    When he arrived at the front, the old devils were standing in front of the steps, looking upwards with a grave expression. Standing behind them, Wu Chou and the Bone Sage were mimicking them.


    Han Li astonishedly followed their gaze up the stairs.


    He could only see blue light up above, twinkling with blinding intensity. Several threads of gold light flashed out from a flicker of blue light. In a short moment, those threads became several inches thicker. But because of the separation of the white light barrier, Han Li was unable to feel anything strange.


    Zenith Yin nodded when he saw Han Li arrived. He turned his head to Man Huzi and said, ¡°Brother Man, my junior disciple has arrived. Let us go up. I hadn¡¯t expected that Wan Tianming¡¯s Gold Threaded Silkworm could actually rock the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Although I don¡¯t know how this happened, it would be best for us to go see.¡±


    Man Huzi replied by wordlessly approaching the stairs. Zenith Yin and the others closely followed after him.


    Boom! Man Huzi endowed his fist in devilish arts and fiercely bashed the light barrier, blowing open a ten-meter-large hole.


    Man Huzi took the lead. Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi surrounded Han Li and forced him to walk between them. The Bone Sage and Wu Chou followed them from behind.


    ¡®So cold!¡¯ Although Han Li had made a few preparations outside the light barrier, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but shiver from the surrounding cold. He quickly covered his body in a barrier of light, greatly reducing the chill.


    Man Huzi didn¡¯t wait for the rest of them. He walked straight towards the center of the flourishing blue light with large steps.


    After Qing Yi and Zenith Yin glanced at each other, they couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile as they caught up to him. But before Zenith Yin chased after Man Huzi, he turned to look at Han Li, indicating that he had best hurry.


    Han Li released a torrent of curses at Zenith Yin in his mind. He knew his place and didn¡¯t have any thoughts to flee. He merely wanted to drag along at the back and take a look at the scroll. It could perhaps provide assistance towards his current predicament.


    However, Zenith Yin¡¯s extortion seemed to remind Wu Chou of something. He began to stare at Han Li with absolute focus. The Bone Sage then shot a look at doubt at Han Li.


    Han Li had no choice but to quicken his steps. But after he walked several steps, his speed slowed down through no intention of his own.


    Although his light barrier was protecting from from the freezing blue light, Han Li felt a chill pass through his body with each step he took. After only a short moment, his face turned pale white. He quickly closed his mouth, fearing the frost would spread throughout his core.


    At that moment, Han Li heard Zenith Yin¡¯s voice in his ear, ¡°The White Rhino Emblem doesn¡¯t only protect from the heat. It also works against the cold! What are you waiting for!¡±


    Han Li came to a sudden realization and hastily brought the item out, hanging it from his waist. Once the White Rhino Emblem brightly shined with light, he instantly felt warmth surround him. No longer impeded by the cold, Han Li leisurely walked forward and glanced how the others dealt with the cold.


    Man Huzi and the other Nascent Soul cultivators only used a light barrier on their bodies and continued without obstruction. As for the Bone Sage, he wore a chain of sparkling red beads and displayed no trace of cold.


    As for Wu Chou, he had put on a grotesque serpent scale armband that emitted a pink light barrier around his body.


    Han Li then turned his gaze to the center of the platform up above. There was a small altar protruding his vision. There were eight orbs of gold light pulsing above the altar. At the center of the lights, there was a large hold that shined with blinding blue light.


    Han Li¡¯s mind was roused at the sight. He quickly examine the scene.


    Each of the golden orbs of light contained a meter-long silkworm with each worm pulling on the thick golden thread they released into the hole. Their bodies swayed as they tugged back as forcefully as they could. Each sway caused the blue light from the hole to wildly flicker.


    Three silhouettes were standing to the side of the altar. They were Wan Tianming¡¯s party of Righteous Dao cultivators.


    They clearly knew that Man Huzi and the others had arrived, but they completely ignored them. They were only focused on the golden light in front of them, each with a tense expression.


    A cold glint flickered through Man Huzi¡¯s eyes when he saw the scene. He wordlessly raised his hand and shot two streaks of golden light towards the Righteous Dao cultivators.


    ¡°Glacial Dragon!¡±


    ¡°Phantom Tortoise!¡±


    Wan Tianming and Tian Wuzi simultaneously shouted as they coldly gazed in the direction of the attack. With a sudden burst of fluctuating sounds, two streaks of azure and blue light intercepted the golden lights.


    ¡°Return!¡± Man Huzi was startled by their quick reaction and had two streaks of golden light return with a wave of his hand. They landed in his hand as two golden knives.


    The azure and blue lights didn¡¯t pursue and instead revolved in place. Their true appearances were revealed to be a ten-meter-long white flood dragon and a bizarre transparent turtle.


    After Man Huzi clearly saw what those two things were, he appeared surprised.


    ¡°The Mad Matron¡¯s Glacial Dragon and Tian Yuanzi¡¯s Phantom Tortoise!¡± Layman Qing Yi blurted this out with a face of astonishment.


    ¡°It was no wonder that Wan Tianming¡¯s party was so arrogant. Those two old eccentrics had lent them their spirit beasts. From what I know, those two old freaks treasure those spirit beasts to the point where they would never leave their side. Just how do they have them in their possession?¡± Zenith Yin spoke with an aghast voice and a resentful expression.


    Man Huzi replied with a solemn expression, ¡°Humph! Just look at the borrowers. Wan Tianming is the Mad Matron¡¯s blood nephew. Tian Wuzi and Tian Yuanzi are disciples of the same master. There is nothing odd about being lent those two spirit beasts.¡±


    As Layman Qingyi worryingly gazed at the white flood dragon and the huge tortoise, he said, ¡°This is going to become troublesome! Those two beasts are by no means weak. Even if us three were to do our utmost, we would be unable to break away from them for quite some time.¡±


    Man Huzi wore a sinister grin and said, ¡°Qing Yi, Zenith Yin! Have your Azure Thorn Bird and Heavenwide Corpse distract them. They might not prove to be an opponent to those beasts, but we need those beasts occupied for a moment if we are to act. We don¡¯t even need to defeat Wan Tianming and the others. It will be fine so long as we can kill one of the Gold Threaded Silkworms.¡±


    Having heard this, the Zenith Yin and Qing Yi looked at each other in dismay and revealed some hesitation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will also send my spirit beast to fight. They should prove to be quite troublesome all together!¡± Man Huzi glanced at the two and wore an expression of slight disdain.


    With that said, Qing Yi¡¯s and Zenith Yin¡¯s expressions relaxed, and they agreed.

 Chapter 479

    The Sky Blue Flower


    Before Zenith Yin could release his demon corpses or Qing Yi release his spirit beast, an astonishing change had occurred.


    One of the huge green silkworms in the orbs of light suddenly trembled. The golden light surrounding it quickly dimmed. At nearly the same time, its gold thread was severed with a snap.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The Righteous Dao cultivators to the side shouted out in alarm. But before they could take action, the other Gold Threaded Silkworms followed suit. Their golden light greatly dimmed, and two of the gold threads snapped.


    Wan Tianming¡¯s heart dropped into an abyss. He stood still in a daze.


    But it still wasn¡¯t the end! Three silkworms remained and the collapse of half of their companions caused their burden to quickly increase. They cried out as they were dragged towards the hole with immense force. Soon after, the huge clang of something heavy being dropped could be heard. Immediately after, the stone platform trembled for a while after. The blue light coming from the hole immediately dimmed and the air became significantly warmer.


    The faces of the Righteous Dao cultivators became extremely unsightly.


    As for the old devils that were about to act, their eyes were uncharacteristically wide open with their faces wearing expressions of extreme marvel.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­..¡± Man Huzi guffawed with delight. Even his yellow beard was wildly shaking.


    At that moment, Zenith Yin and Qing Yi responded, both basking in schadenfreude, laughing at the Righteous Dao cultivators without restraint.


    At that moment, Wan Tianming¡¯s face became ashen.


    In order to acquire the treasure, he had spent much effort concocting this plan and at great cost. And what did he gain? The ridicule of his Devil Dao rivals. This set Wan Tianming¡¯s heart aflame. He could no longer restrain himself and suddenly turned to the Devil Dao cultivators with a chilling expression.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s and Qing Yi¡¯s laughter halted for a moment.


    Wan Tianming was a mid Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if they were already on opposing sides, the two were unwilling to rashly breed a deep hatred between them. As for Man Huzi, despite no longer laughing, he returned the glare with no trace of politeness.


    ¡°What? Sect Master Wan wishes to battle with me? I do wish to experience the True Heavensifting Art¡¯s Three Confucian Marvels.¡±


    After coldly glaring at Man Huzi for a moment, Wan Tianming eventually regained his rationality.


    ¡°Go!¡± With a wave of his sleeve, he led the departure from the stone platform, ignoring the remaining Gold Threaded Silkworms and recalling the White Flood Dragon from its confrontation against the Devil Dao.


    With an equivalently unsightly expression, Tian Wuzi recalled the huge tortoise and followed Wan Tianming. As for the old farmer, despite his cold gaze, he followed after them with a far calmer expression.


    Just as the Righteous and Devil Dao brushed past each other, they glanced at each other with extreme vigilance.


    Despite being extremely domineering, Man Huzi fortunately didn¡¯t provoke them. He merely sneered at Wan Tianming and the others as they disappeared from the light barrier.


    Qing Yi looked behind them and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have my Azure Thorn Bird hide at the entrance. If the Righteous Dao fellows come back, we will know.¡±


    Zenith Yin shifted his gaze and sinisterly smiled, ¡°Then I will also dispatch two Heavenwide Corpses to lie in ambush at the entrance. If they attempt to mount a sneak attack, they will be deterred.¡±


    After Qing Yi heard this, his gaze grew blank, and he soon became silent. A moment later, his sleeve trembled and a fist-sized streak of light shot towards the sky.


    As for Zenith Yin, he tossed something on the floor. Two puffs of black smoke spread out along with a fishy scent where two tall demon corpses emerged.


    ¡°Go!¡± Zenith Yin solemnly pointed towards the entrance. In an instant, the demon corpses blurred and disappeared from sight.


    The scene caused Han Li¡¯s heart to tremble as he recalled the demon corpse¡¯s strange appearance when it had first appeared before him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel fearful towards the demon corpses.


    Afterwards, Han Li¡¯s attention shifted towards the Gold Threaded Silkworms that were lying down the altar. He couldn¡¯t help but curiously walk over to them. But after taking only a few steps, he stopped. Someone had already quickly arrived in front of them. Han Li was astonished to discover this person to be the Bone Sage!


    Man Huzi walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this about? The Gold Threaded Silkworm could be considered a rare exotic insect. From their previous golden light, their abilities should be quite formidable. It is quite strange of Wan Tianming to abandon them without care!¡±


    After examining the Gold Threaded Silkworm for a moment, the Bone Sage calmly answered, ¡°They had consumed the Sky Blue Flower to forcefully raise their capabilities so that they might have a better chance at acquiring the Heavenvoid Cauldron. But after consuming it, the Gold Threaded Silkworm could be considered to be completely crippled.¡±


    ¡°I had originally thought the Gold Threaded Silkworms couldn¡¯t acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron! But to use the Sky Blue flower, hehe! He ended up losing everything from trying to gain an advantage.¡± Man Huzi couldn¡¯t help but laugh in response to the Bone Sage¡¯s words.


    Zenith Yin walked over with his hands behind his back. ¡°Sky Blue Flower? I didn¡¯t think that Wan Tianming could actually find it. I had thought of using such a method before, but I was unable to find the flower after so many years of searching. For Brother Man¡¯s Junior to know of such a flower, he must be a renowned character! Perhaps I¡¯ve heard this Junior¡¯s name before?¡± After he changed the subject, he stared at the Bone Sage¡¯s face.


    The Bone Sage softly spoke with a smile, ¡°My name is not renowned. I am merely someone who spent too much time reading books. Senior Wu jests.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zenith Yin said with an indifferent expression. It was unknown whether his suspicions had been exhausted or if he was fearful of repercussion from Man Huzi, but Zenith Yin gave up his questioning and turned towards the large hole and peered within. The blue light from the hole reflected off his face, making for a weird sight.


    Han Li indifferently watched from the side, but in his mind, he felt slight admiration at the Bone Sage¡¯s patience. Old Devil Bone Sage¡¯s temperament must be quite fearsome indeed for him to so calmly address his enemy as ¡®Senior¡¯.


    Nevertheless, there was no one here that was fooled, except for perhaps Wu Chou. Each of them were sly foxes that had lived for over several hundred years. They were devious to an extreme.


    Just as Han Li gloomily thought this, he heard Qing Yi say, ¡°Since these Gold Threaded Silkworms are useless, let¡¯s exterminate them and remove their irksome presence from our eyes. Qing Yi then flipped his wrinkled palm and a ball of blinding azure light appeared in his hands.


    After Han Li¡¯s gaze swept past the three huge silkworms, his heart stirred. He spoke to the old man, ¡°Wait! This Junior is interested in these Gold Threaded Silkworms. Please give them to him!¡±


    The old man¡¯s face revealed both surprise and doubt. Han Li then smiled and cupped his hands, saying, ¡°This one has always been interested in exotic insects. Since they¡¯re still alive, this one wishes to research them for some time. This one hopes Senior will allow this.¡±


    Having heard Han Li, Qing Yi didn¡¯t immediately reply. Instead, he examined Han Li with a pensive expression. Han Li felt his heart on edge. He didn¡¯t know what intentions Qing Yi held.


    Qing Yi shook his head and spoke lamentably, ¡°Sigh! This old man was also rogue cultivator. I naturally know that Core Formation rogue cultivators aren¡¯t comparable to their peers from great sects. How they are truly pressed for resources. Fine, since Young Friend Han wants this rubbish, take it!¡± It was clear that he had misunderstood.


    Han Li inwardly rolled his eyes, but he took advantage of the situation and wore an embarrassed expression as he repeatedly expressed his thanks. Afterwards, he reached for an empty spirit beast pouch and stored the three Gold Threaded Silkworms within it.


    It appeared as though that at the same time Wan Tianming had discarded them, he had also erased his marks of ownership from them. As such, they entered Han Li¡¯s pouch without a trace of resistance.


    After staring into the hole for a moment more with fervent eyes, Zenith Yin shouted at Han Li without turning his head, ¡°Han Li, stop wasting your time on these useless matters. Quickly take out your Bloodjade Spiders. I want to see what grade the spirit beasts are. When the time comes, I will provide some assistance with my flame python. We must succeed in one attempt!¡±


    Han Li inwardly frowned and walked forward.


    Layman Qing Yi and Man Huzi happened to glance at Han Li after hearing Zenith Yin.


    ¡°Be at ease, so long as you acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron, your master won¡¯t treat you unfairly.¡± Zenith Yin turned around and spoke to Han Li with a kindly face, fearing that Han Li wouldn¡¯t attempt his best.


    But when Han Li heard those words, he felt a fierce chill run down his spine.

 Chapter 480

    Seizing the Treasure


    No trace of Han Li¡¯s feelings were betrayed on his face. Instead, he approached the hole and took a deep glance. Han Li was astonished by the sight.


    The hole wasn¡¯t as amazingly deep as he had imagined. It only dropped to about a hundred meters. With his abilities as a Core Formation cultivator, he could clearly see a flourishing ball of blinding blue flame. A black object could faintly be seen through the flickers of the blue flame. It seemed that this was the famous Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    But when he leaned over the hole, he felt a bone-piercing cold spread throughout him. Even the White Rhino Emblem was unable to block most of the cold. He feared if he looked any longer, he would freeze over.


    The brilliant blue flame at the bottom of the hole was actually releasing such a fantastical cold!


    But after glancing at the blue flames for only a few moments more, his head started to spin. Aghast, he quickly turned his gaze away and collected himself.


    As Zenith Yin stood by Han Li¡¯s side, he stared at the hole and slowly said, ¡°How was it? That was the Celestial Ice Flame, a flame that roars with a cold beyond freezing. Let alone Core Formation cultivators, even us Nascent Soul cultivators don¡¯t dare to touch it. Even the slightest burn by the fire would cause a Nascent Soul cultivator to easily perish by refinement. It is said that this flame isn¡¯t something that came from this world, and it is unknown how the ancient cultivators found such a thing.¡±


    ¡®Even Nascent Soul cultivators would be refined?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s breath grew cold when he heard this. But soon after, his expression returned to normal.


    If it weren¡¯t for this flame, then the Heavenvoid Cauldron would¡¯ve been seized long ago!


    ¡°Although the Celestial Ice Flame is extremely deadly to us cultivators, there are a few things that are resistant to it. For example, the gold thread from the Gold Threaded Silkworm, and the spider thread of the Bloodjade Spider along with unusual exceptions such as my two fire pythons.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time for you to take out your Bloodjade Spider. Let us take a look at it.¡± Zenith Yin gave an order with an assertive tone.


    With Man Huzi and Qing Yi staring at Han Li from behind Zenith Yin, Han Li didn¡¯t delay any further. He clasped his hand on a spirit beast pouch on his waist, causing a streak of white light to fly out and circle around him before landing in front of him.


    The light disappeared to reveal the Bloodjade Spider. When it saw so many strangers in front of it, it bared its fangs, and its eyes were brimming with hostility.


    Man Huzi and the others didn¡¯t mind this in the slightest. They merely glanced at the spirit beast as if they were looking at treasure.


    Just as Man Huzi glanced at Bloodjade Spider, his expression wavered and he said in a tone of amazement, ¡°Tch tch! The Bloodjade Spider is quite large. It seemed to be a peak grade four demon beast on the verge of breaking through to grade five. It has a good chance of seizing the treasure!¡±


    Zenith Yin also stared at the Bloodjade Spider with excitement and said, ¡°Hehe! My junior disciple¡¯s Bloodjade Spider is inferior in strength to some other antiquity variants. But it is an optimal choice for the purpose of seizing the Heavenvoid Cauldron.¡±


    As acquiring the treasure was no longer a hopeless dream, Qing Yi appeared delighted. He said, ¡°It is as Brother Wu says! This spider¡¯s grade is far higher than the grade two Gold Threaded Silkworms. Even with just one spider, the odds of success are far greater than theirs.¡±


    Seeing that there were no problems with the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Zenith Yin gave out his orders, ¡°Let us start now! Any delay could bring unexpected events! Han Li have your spider spit out a net around the Heavenvoid Cauldron and have it pull it up. At the same time, I will have my two fire pythons assist your Bloodjade Spider.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Although he felt unwilling, Han Li could only agree.


    Zenith Yin coldly glanced at Wu Chou and the Bone Sage and ordered, ¡°You two, go down below the altar. As the Heavenvoid Cauldron grows closer to the surface, the Celestial Ice Fire will as well. You will be unable to withstand it given your cultivation. As for Junior Disciple Han Li, I will have to trouble Brother Qing to protect him.¡± He then turned to Qing Yi and smiled.


    The old man agreed with a chuckle, ¡°Well said. In order to to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron¡¯s Heavenmend Pill, I cannot allow Young Friend Han to fall to any surprises.¡±


    Wu Chou and the Bone Sage obediently descended from the altar and took several steps back.


    Han Li inwardly sighed after seeing the covetous gazes of the three old devils and issued the command to his Bloodjade Spider. It immediately shot out a web of thread into the hole.


    Having arrived this far, Han Li could only take it a step at a time. He hoped that when he acquired the treasure, Zenith Yin would find it too embarrassing to immediately cut ties with Han Li, giving him a moment of respite. This would hopefully allow enough time for the Bone Sage to deal with Zenith Yin and give Han Li an opportunity to the turn his situation around. As for the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he didn¡¯t particularly care whether or not he could take it out.


    This was because he knew his situation wouldn¡¯t change regardless of success or failure in acquiring the treasure.


    As Han Li was inwardly planning out his countermeasures, Zenith Yin arrived at the opposite side of the hole from Han Li. He took out a pitch-black spirit beast pouch from his robes and turned the pouch upside down. With a flash of red light, two fifteen-meter-long, fire-red pythons appeared on the ground.


    These two fantastical pythons had bright red scales the size of fingernails. Their heads were both imprinted with a wondrous design consisting of talisman characters. Their eyes were sparkling with red light as if they contained blazing flames.


    After Zenith Yin¡¯s fire pythons unfolded themselves from their spiral resting position, he immediately flicked his sleeves at them, shooting two black medicinal pills at them. The two pythons swiftly caught them in their mouths and swallowed them.


    ¡°Go.¡± Zenith Yin pointed towards the hole.


    The two fire pythons slowly slivered towards the hole in a lazy manner.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, he solemnly clutched his hands into an eccentric incantation gesture and mumbled a series of cryptic incantations, resulting in an astonishing scene. The fire python¡¯s bright red scales were stained black during the incantation, and they enthusiastically began to follow Zenith Yin¡¯s orders.


    Peng! Peng! The two fire python¡¯s tails fiercely stabbed into the ground nearby the hole, cutting about a meter deep. They then dropped their upper halves into the hole and began to stretch out as if they were boneless. Their tails held firm onto the ground. It seemed as if they had turned into two black-red ropes.


    During Han Li¡¯s amazement, the ropes twisted for a moment. Zenith Yin appeared delighted by this and clutched his hands. He quickly shouted towards Han Li, ¡°It¡¯s ready! They are biting on the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Quickly, have your spider draw it up. Although the fire pythons have consumed my medicine pills, they cannot withstand the Glacial Ice flames for long. We must succeed in one go!¡± A trace of malevolence was betrayed on Zenith Yin¡¯s face when he said this. Han Li inwardly snorted at the sight.


    Han Li begrudgingly scorned in his mind, ¡®It seems quite possible I will lose my life if the treasure is successfully seized. Now I am even more willing to allow this to fail.¡¯


    But still, he forced himself to have the Bloodjade Spider start pulling up the cauldron. This was because Man Huzi and Qing Yi were eyeing his every move like tigers watching their prey. Were he to purposefully hold back, he wouldn¡¯t be able escape discovery from these two old cunning foxes.


    Under Han Li¡¯s begrudging command, the white translucent thread immediate became taut. The bloodjade spider began to slowly move back. At that same moment, the black-red ropes began to twist and pull back.


    With a series of dull rumblings, the platform started to sway. Blue light wildly dazzled from the hole, blinding Han Li. He was forced to turn his gaze away. As for the Bloodjade Spider, it ignored it and continued to pull with all its strength.


    Upon seeing this, Qing Yi nervously muttered to himself, ¡°Good, the Heavenvoid Cauldron is already swaying.¡±


    It was clear that the Heavenvoid Cauldron was extremely heavy. Even with the Bloodjade Spider and two fire pythons exerting their full strength, they were only able to cause the Heavenvoid Cauldron to repeatedly sway . It seemed it wasn¡¯t about to be lifted anytime soon.


    Zenith Yin didn¡¯t reveal the slightest impatience. Instead, he muttered to himself for a moment and puffed out two wisps of black smoke that entered the bodies of the fire pythons. He then turned to Man Huzi and quickly said, ¡°Brother Man, I must trouble you to use the Berserking Technique on the Bloodjade Spider. My junior disciple lacks the magic power to fully use this technique.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Man Huzi replied without surprise. It seemed he had already anticipated this. He stared at the Bloodjade Spider and muttered quickly. He then opened his mouth, faintly revealing the red light within it.

 Chapter 481

    Return


    ¡°Pah!¡± Man Huzi loudly shouted, spitting out a beam of blood-red light towards the Bloodjade Spider. With a puff, the beam of light burst on contact, enveloping the spider in a large blood-red mist in an instant. The Bloodjade Spider hissed and became frantic as if it had been provoked.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart flared with anger.


    Upon hearing its name, Han Li was certain that the ¡°Berserking Technique¡± was a secret Devil Dao cultivator technique that carried repercussions. These old devils had used the technique without even telling him or showing any consideration towards the aftereffects the Bloodjade Spider would suffer. It seemed they simply didn¡¯t view a Core Formation cultivator to be worth considering! Although Han Li had already anticipated this, he couldn¡¯t help but grimace when he was actually treated this way.


    At the moment, the Bloodjade Spider had nearly absorbed the entirety of the blood-red mist. The spider¡¯s original sparkling, translucent body had turned completely blood-red as if it were cut from a single piece of scarlet gemstone.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Upon seeing this transformation, he immediately recalled the violet appearance of the Bloodjade Spider in the underground cave in the Heavenly South Region. It had the same color and intensity as the furious Bloodjade Spider he had seen back then.


    When he worriedly scanned its mind, he sensed a crazed violence from it as if it had lost its intelligence.


    Just as Han Li attempted to forcefully placate it in his fright, Man Huzi suddenly roared from his side, ¡°What are you spacing out for? Quickly have your Bloodjade Spider start pulling. The duration of the Berserking Technique is limited.¡± He was fiercely glaring at Han Li.


    Stifling his anger, Han Li had no choice but to command the Bloodjade Spider to resume pulling.


    Fortunately, the Bloodjade Spider still obediently listened to his orders despite entering a berserk state. A blood-red light flickered from its green eyes as its pointed legs frantically scratched the ground before managing to gradually pull up its taut spider thread.


    A series of even more intense trembles rocked the ground, soon followed by thunderous clangs ringing out from the hole.


    Man Huzi and the others were delighted by these developments.


    Blinding blue light suddenly bursted from the hole and reached over thirty meters above the altar.


    Han Li felt his body grow cold for an instant before he grew warm once more. A barrier of brilliant azure light had protected him. Han Li was stunned for a moment before he realized that Qing Yi had enlarged his light barrier by several times and was covering him under its protection.


    The old man said with a solemn expression, ¡°Be careful! A far harsher current of cold erupts in the instant that the Heavenvoid Cauldron is raised. It is unknown just how many treasure seeking cultivators have pitifully succumbed to the unexpected occurrence.¡±


    After saying this to Han Li, Qing Yi¡¯s gaze rigidly focused on the hole once more. He appeared nervous.


    When Han Li heard this, his heart was shaken. Just how many had previously attempted to move the cauldron? How was it that they all failed?


    Although his heart held doubts, Han Li knew that now was not the time to ask these questions. He could only recollect himself and look at how things were developing at the center of the altar.


    It was obvious by now that the Heavenvoid Cauldron was extremely heavy. The full strength of these spirit beasts could only move it a sliver at a time. But even so, the blue light at the center of the altar grew brighter by the second.


    Let alone Zenith Yin and the others, even Wu Chou and the Bone Sage down below were staring at the scene without blinking. But while Wu Chou had his hands tightened and wore an expression of excitement and greed, the Bone Sage¡¯s eyes revealed a complicated expression containing both anticipation and hesitation.


    There was only silence at the altar apart from the sound produced by the slow and gradual rise of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Everyone was raptly gazing at the hole with held breath.


    Han Li was the exception. He was worriedly staring at his Bloodjade Spider. In the end, he wouldn¡¯t have any claim to the Heavenvoid Cauldon. What mattered more was the Bloodjade Spider he had painstakingly raised.


    He had made a startling discovery. The original milky-white color of the spider thread was now enveloped in a layer of faint blue radiance. Although this change was so faint it could be dismissed as a trick of the eyes, it was undoubtedly a change of its original color.


    Just as Han Li was mulling over this change, he heard a sudden buzz from behind him. Despite being rather soft, it was particularly noticeable among the silence on the platform.


    Han Li was initially shocked before he turned his head over with concealed delight.


    It was the sound of the barrier being torn open at the entrance of the stone steps. Zenith Yin and the others had also clearly heard this sound.


    With an unsightly expression, Man Huzi let out a rain of curses before patting the Beast storage pouch at his waist. A streak of yellow light shot out, revealing a yellow spotted panther.


    Not only was its body several times larger than an ordinary panther, but there was also a third eye emerging from the top of its head. A flickering yellow glow could be faintly seen from its third eye.


    A cold glint flickered from Qing Yi¡¯s eyes. He icily said, ¡°Wan Tianming and the others have arrived. My Azure Thorn Bird and Fellow Daoist Wu¡¯s two demon corpses have already perished. They obviously aren¡¯t willing to allow us to seize the treasure and are coming back to attack us.¡±


    ¡°We must delay them for as long as possible. The Heavenvoid Cauldron is already over halfway out. However, the attractive force on the cauldron will only grow heavier the closer it comes to the surface. It isn¡¯t something that can be pulled out in a short amount of time.¡± Zenith Yin¡¯s face was icy, but he displayed no sign of panic. It seemed the return of the Righteous Dao cultivators was something he had long since anticipated.


    ¡°It is as Brother Wu says!¡± Qing Yi knew they were on the verge of a great battle and swiftly responded. With a flutter of his sleeves, a large flock of azure spheres rushed out. They were over a hundred Azure Thorn Birds.


    Although these birds were only fist-sized, they had feathers and beaks of razor-sharp steel. They all silently floated above the old man, making for an impressive display.


    As for Zenith Yin, he had his hands clutched in an incantation gesture. A pitch-black mist began to slowly exude from his body. As this devilish mist drifted through the air, fifteen dark-green armored demon corpses appeared around him.


    Man Huzi cooly glanced at the two other Core Formation cultivators in silence. Wu Chou hastily took a few steps towards the altar with a restless expression. As for the Bone Sage, his eyes swiveled several times, but he stood completely still. It was unknown what he intended.


    Seeing that the Bone Sage hadn¡¯t moved, Han Li frowned for a moment before immediately relaxing his face. Several streaks of light had arrived before them at an amazing speed, appearing in front of the altar in only a fraction of a second.


    The light disappeared to reveal the group of three Righteous Dao cultivators.


    After Wan Tianming swept his gaze past the Bloodjade spider that was pulling up the Heavenvoid Cauldron along with the blue light wildly bursting out of the hole, he calmly said, ¡°Good, very good!¡± The Devil Dao cultivators looked at each other, not knowing what he had meant by his words.


    Man Huzi glared at him and retorted, ¡°Good? I am obviously feeling quite good. But I¡¯d feel even better if you hadn¡¯t come.¡±


    Wan Tianming indifferently said, ¡°I also didn¡¯t want to come, but who would¡¯ve thought that shortly after I left, this young fellow would take out a long extinct Bloodjade Spider. As such, how could I possibly just walk away?¡± After he said this, he moved his lips, releasing an odd low-pitched whistle.


    Man Huzi and the others were startled. As they pondered what sinister plot their opponent was up to, Wan Tianming stood in place when there was a sudden flash of white light. Like a bolt of lightning, a blue mouse-like creature scuttled into his hand with amazing speed.


    At that moment, the Sect Master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment silently glanced at the Devil Dao cultivators with a sneer.


    ¡°A Stoneshift Beast!¡± Upon seeing the beast, Qing Yi couldn¡¯t help but shout out its name.


    ¡°Hehe! Had I not left this creature behind to monitor you, how could I have known the right time to come back? This Stoneshift Beast has no particularly remarkable abilities aside from it¡¯s stealthy stone transformation. Even with your profound abilities, you couldn¡¯t have possibly detected this creature. Its seems I was correct to leave this contingency measure behind.¡±


    Wan Tianming gently caressed the Stoneshift Beast in his hand and glanced at the Bloodjade Spider a moment more. He leisurely said, ¡°Now, I will give you two choices. One is that I will kill the Bloodjade Spider and have the Heavenvoid Cauldron remain buried. The other is for our two sides to evenly split the treasure. This sect master can¡¯t possibly allow you Devil Dao cultivators to monopolize the cauldron¡¯s treasures.¡±


    It seemed that Wan Tianming had made plans in advance and didn¡¯t fear their refusal.

 Chapter 482

    The Battle Begins


    ¡°Split it evenly with you?¡± Zenith Yin frowned as if he were tempted by the thought. In Zenith Yin¡¯s eyes, so long as he was able to take the portion from his in-name disciple, he wouldn¡¯t be given too small a share, regardless of how the treasure was split.


    But before Zenith Yin could further consider the matter, Man Huzi insolently laughed as he stood at the very front. ¡°Evenly split the Heavenvoid Cauldron?! Wan Tianming, you sure can dream! You want to take food out of this lord¡¯s mouth? First, let¡¯s see just how sharp your claws are!¡±


    Man Huzi then shouted and the huge panther that was crouching in front of him suddenly stood and roared. The beast¡¯s third eye opened, shooting out a yellow beam of light towards Wan Tianming.


    ¡°Animal, you¡¯re seeking death!¡± Wan Tianming furiously shouted.


    He hadn¡¯t anticipated that Man Huzi would launch an attack without giving his proposal even the slightest consideration. Regardless of how it could be seen, his side currently had the advantage due to the assistance of the Glacial Flood Dragon and the Phantom Tortoise.


    Wan Tianming flusteredly responded by shooting out a beam of violet light from his hand to meet the yellow beam. In the instant the beams of light met, a burst of yellow radiance erupted.


    With a bang, the violet light disappeared without a trace. Instead, a smoking white object fell from the air. Before anyone could clearly see what it was, it had already shattered to pieces. After carefully staring at the pieces, it was apparent that there were pieces of common stone. A majority of the people who saw this were stunned and filled with doubt.


    When Wan Tianming saw this, his expression changed several times and the spirited look in his eyes disappeared. He shouted with disbelief, ¡°An aberrant technique! Your Three Eyed Panther is a spirit beast variant!¡±


    Upon hearing the words ¡°spirit beast variant¡±, everyone on both sides appeared shocked.


    Spirit beast variants and antiquity variants sounded somewhat the same, but the difference was actually as large as heaven and earth. ¡°Antiquity variants¡± were remnants of a few uncommon spirit beasts that were left behind from ages long past. Due to changes of appearance and characteristics over the long passage of time, they became an entirely new species that only possessed a few of the characteristics of their predecessors.


    However, these spirit beasts were extremely rare and difficult to find.


    As for spirit beast variants, each one is an entirely unique existence. They were spirit beasts that have underwent unpredictable mutations for some unknown reason, resulting in their capabilities being greatly changed. The quality of these variations all differed from one another, but each of these variants all had amazing abilities that exceeded what was capable of common magic techniques.


    The ability to petrify a majority of magic tools or magic treasures was among the better known abilities.


    This ability was quite incisive. If a Core Formation cultivator were to make use such an ability of their own spirit beast variant, they would be able to cleanly deal with four cultivators of their rank in a single breath. As the abilities of these spirit beast variants often caused tremors amidst the Scattered Star Seas, they became collectively known as ¡°aberrant techniques¡±, distinguishing them from common magic techniques.


    Originally, a Three Eyed Panther was only capable of shooting fire attribute attacks out of its third eye. But now, it was capable of shooting out a beam of light that was able to turn magic tools and treasures into stone. This was an ability that only a spirit beast could perform after a mutation.


    Spirit beast variants were a rare existence that hardly ever occured. In addition, the variations only appeared in spirit beasts at grade four and above. Ever since the existence of spirit beast variants became widely known in the Scattered Star Seas, no more than a dozen had appeared. And among those dozen, less than half of them possessed any particularly destructive abilities.


    Even worse, spirit beast variants had come increasingly rare. It had been over a thousand years since the last spirit beast variation had been seen. As such, spirit beast breeders no longer held any hopes that one of their beasts would become a variant. The thought had become nothing more than a fleeting daydream.


    At that moment, Wan Tianming realized the reason Man Huzi had so bluntly refused the offer to split the treasure was because he had this to rely on. His Three Eyed Panther variant was fearsome enough to even the odds against both their Glacial Flood Dragon and Phantom Tortoise.


    Having understood this, Wan Tianming¡¯s expression grew solemn, and he turned his gaze towards Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi. The two revealed both surprise and delight. It was clear that they had already decided to refuse his offer to split the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Wan Tianming guessed correctly. Now that Zenith Yin knew that Man Huzi¡¯s Three Eyed Panther was a spirit beast variant, the thought of sharing had been thrown to the back of his head. As for Qing Yi, this towering figure of the Devil Dao was by no means a true layman of Buddhism. He would naturally be unwilling to split the treasure with the Righteous Dao cultivators if he could monopolize it.


    Zenith Yin meaningfully exchanged a glance with Qing Yi before he started to spin in a circle. Countless strands of profound black Qi spread out around him. The many Heavenwide Corpses around him began to distort and then disappeared without a trace in a flash of black light.


    Layman Qing Yi sent a voice transmission into Han Li¡¯s ear, ¡°Stand a bit farther back, and protect your life as best you can. We won¡¯t be able to protect you in the coming fight.¡±


    After this was said, the Azure Thorn Birds above his head received their orders. They released a chilling cry and shot towards the Righteous Dao cultivators as a swarm of azure arrows. The old man also threw out another the swarm of birds.


    Seeing the Devil Dao cultivators rush to act, Wan Tianming responded without restraint. Even if Man Huzi¡¯s Spirit Beast Variant was somewhat troublesome, he had nothing to fear from it. In the end a vicious spirit beast variant is no more than a mere beast.


    Besides, he clearly understood that while this aberrant technique could petrify objects, it didn¡¯t have much effect on a cultivator¡¯s body. So long as he was somewhat careful and prevented his magic treasures from being struck by the yellow light, the spirit beast could be dealt with.


    With that thought, Wan Tianming snorted and quickly shouted, ¡°Move!¡±


    With that said, he released his white Glacial Flood Dragon and struck his palms against his chest, causing a purple flame to wildly erupt from his body. In the next instant, he was enveloped in purple flames and was charging down towards Man Huzi from the sky.


    When Tian Wuzi saw this, he quickly called out to the Phantom Tortoise and struck the its shell without any hesitation. An ominous glint suddenly flickered from the huge tortoise¡¯s small eyes. It slowly opened its mouth, spouting out a white icy mist in overwhelming quantity, sending a raging snowstorm in the direction of the incoming Azure Thorn Birds.


    Unwilling to be outmatched, the Azure Thorn Birds opened their sharp beaks in response. Slim streaks of azure flame successively shot out, rapidly merging into a huge beam of azure flame. Both the azure flame and the icy mist scattered upon impact as if they were evenly matched at the moment.


    The old, dark and thin farmer¡¯s actions were particularly strange. He suddenly flipped his hand in a stiff manner, summoning a glistening emerald willow branch to appear between his fingers. With a slight wave of his branch, circles of countless green phantasms of itself flew off, densely filling up an area of over forty meters turning into a sea of verdant green.


    But with two flickers of black light, two armored demon corpses suddenly appeared among the green light phantasms. The green threads around them tightly bound the several Heavenwide Corpses as if the threads were alive.


    These demon corpses possessed monstrous strength, but in the bindings of the green thread, they were powerless. Unable to break free form their bindings, the two corpses howled as they struggled in vain.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, his face grew icy. In a mere second, he had turned his body into a large black cloud, rapidly shooting towards the sky. As each individual Heavenwide Corpse was quite difficult to refine, he was unwilling to abandon them lightly. And since his opponent was obviously using a wood attribute technique, his Heavenwide Corpsefire would be doubly effective at half the effort!


    Seeing that the battle between the Nascent Soul cultivators was unfolding, Han Li didn¡¯t need any further instructions before deciding to take over ten steps back.


    Although he clearly understood that even taking a hundred steps back wouldn¡¯t make a difference, Han Li subconsciously wished to be further away. If the Righteous Dao cultivators changed their minds and didn¡¯t wish to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron, they might aim to exterminate the master of the Bloodjade Spider. In that case, his death would be certain! He couldn¡¯t possibly trust that Man Huzi and the others would arrive in time to save him. After all, to a Nascent Soul cultivator, travelling any distance on the stone platform would only take an instant.


    At this moment, his mind suddenly wandered to the Bone Sage. Zenith Yin was currently tangled up in a fight against the other Nascent Soul cultivators, providing a good opportunity for the Bone Sage to ambush him. Would he prioritize settling his own score and taking revenge, or would he decide to be patient and refuse to provide aid to the Righteous Dao?


    With that thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look in the direction of the Bone Sage who stood below the altar.


    At that moment, the Bone Sage was expressionlessly watching the battle unfold. His face was completely devoid of any emotion, preventing Han Li from reading him in the slightest.


    ¡®Old fox!¡¯ Han Li couldn¡¯t help but gloomily curse at him in his mind.

 Chapter 483

    Transformed Treasure


    Still unsure of the Bone Sage¡¯s intentions, Han Li¡¯s gaze moved towards his nearby Bloodjade Spider.


    The red light in the spider¡¯s body began to shine even more brilliantly and, trembling ever so slightly, it pulled its thread back.


    In that moment, the milky white spider web sparkled with a faint, yet chilling blue light . The light traveled up the web until it collided with the Bloodjade Spider¡¯s own red light and immediately dissipated into specks of white light. It couldn¡¯t make even the slightest contact with the Bloodjade Spider¡¯s body.


    Han Li frowned. There was no doubt this strange light had something to do with the Celestial Ice Flame. Nor was it any no wonder why those eccentrics wouldn¡¯t dare assist the spirit beast in acquiring the treasure. They were fearful of this blue light.


    But just as Han Li finished this thought, he heard the sound of Man Huzi laughing as an explosion went off in the sky. The spectacle brought Han Li¡¯s attention back to the battle at hand.


    He watched as Man Huzi¡¯s body grew thirteen meters in size. The clothes on the upper half of his body disappeared to reveal the densely packed golden scales that lined his body. They radiated brightly to the point where they can¡¯t be directly seen. But what was even more strange were the several silver rings of light rotating around his huge body.


    The silver rings seemed illusionary and fluttered erratically, but they were very much capable of preventing Wan Tianming¡¯s purple flame dragons from approaching Man Huzi, always blocking their every advance. Although Man Huzi proclaimed that his Heavenbearing Devil Arts was ranked first in the Scattered Star Seas, even he was unwilling to foolishly take on Wan Tianming¡¯s true flames with this technique alone.


    In addition to the change from Heavenbearing Devil¡¯s transformation, Man Huzi was also now wearing a malicious looking pair of dull, pitch-black gloves that was covered in inch-long needles.


    Man Huzi brandished his hands and starting punching the air, sending out huge golden fists with every strike¡ªall aimed at the huge purple draconic sword that Wan Tianming had summoned summoned earlier . Every strike knocked the huge sword back several.


    A malicious expression appeared on Wan Tianming¡¯s face as he floated in midair nearby. He ordered two of his purple flame dragons to fly through the skies and look for a weak point in the silver rings. He hoped to corner Man Huzi in a single move.


    As for Layman Qing Yi and Tian Wuzi, they were the sort to treasure their lives above all else. They kept a large gap between themselves as they fought. Qing Yi was continuously issuing orders to his Azure Thorn Bird as he attacked with magic treasures, while Tian Wuzi relied on the Phantom Tortoise and his short, sparkling club to form an impenetrable defense. The two were calmly battling as if they were they were exchanging pointers.


    The most lively battle was between Zenith Yin and the dark, skinny old farmer. Their battle took place over a large area where both ghostly wails and phoenix cries interweaved amongst each other. Green silhouettes flickered within a huge vortex of black Qi. The only images that could be seen from the outside was the occasional flicker of a Heavenwide Corpse or the wild whips of huge green vines skirting the edge of the black mist.


    As for the heavily valued Three Eyed Panther variant, it was currently tangling with the white Glacial Flood Dragon.


    The dragon was clearly at a disadvantage; the panther¡¯s aberrant technique putting heavy pressure upon him. The white, icy mist that it spouted immediately turned into chunks of stone upon contact with the yellow light, leaving the panther completely untouched. However, it was still able to tie down the leopard, preventing it from attacking the three Devil Dao cultivators. But under the current circumstances, the dragon wouldn¡¯t be able to last for much longer.


    As Han Li observed the battle, a strange thought popped into his mind.


    While their battle was quite lively with magic treasures constantly fluttering about and secret techniques being unleashed without restraint, he still felt the absence of the desperate struggle that comes with a battle of life and death. It was as though they were not fighting for their lives, but merely sparring instead. Could it be that all battles between Nascent Soul cultivators were all like this?


    After finishing his thought, he took another look at the Bone Sage.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s blank face now had a trace of a sneer. But after sensing Han Li¡¯s gaze, his face became blank once more and returned to its normal, unreadable state.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and felt as though he were on the verge of realizing something. But before he could further pursue the thought, a huge explosion erupted from the altar¡¯s hole, followed by deafening clangs.


    Greatly startled, Han Li turned to face the hole, readying his guard.


    He watched as a pulsating blue light emerged from the hole, before violently exploding into a red flame as the cry of a dragon echoed from within. The fiery light quickly wrapped itself around the altar before stopping in midair and merging into the form of a huge two-headed wolf. Its entire body was made of blazing flame. The beast took one look at the scene before it immediately fled.


    Upon seeing this, both sides stopped fighting, dumbfounded. The closest to it, Layman Qing Yi, immediately slapped the top of his head. An azure hand of light shot out from his head, sweeping towards the flame wolf.


    When Wan Tianming saw this, he anxiously shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! That treasure is mine!¡± He spun his body, separating himself into two identical selves which both flared with purple light as they chased after the huge hand.


    Having finally collected themselves, the others hastily used their abilities and launched themselves after the wolf, producing a streaks of multi-colored lights all focused on a single point.


    The others were obviously a step behind Qing Yi and Wan Tianming. Qing Yi¡¯s large azure hand was not only fast, but it also had a head start. It had arrived at the flame wolf first and was just about to grab it.


    Everyone was certain that Qing Yi would capture it successfully, except for the wolf that was. It rocked its heads back and forth, causing a red and yellow barrier of light to appear and wrap around its body. When the hand collided with the barrier, it was repelled with a muffled bang.


    At first Qing Yi was shocked, but soon a smile had emerged on his face. Just as the azure hand flourished with light and tightened its grip, Wan Tianming¡¯s purple light appeared right behind. In that instant, he had quickly changed his target. The streaks of light merged into a purple fire dragon and fiercely attacked the large hand.


    When Layman Qing Yi saw this, he inwardly rained curses upon Wan Tianming¡¯s treachery! The hand was a profound transformation of his spiritual sense. Though it was an easy ability to use, its power certainly wasn¡¯t weak. Even so, he didn¡¯t dare take a direct hit from a flame dragon created by the Heavensifting True Arts.


    Even if he were able to acquire the treasure, his spiritual sense would suffer heavy damage. He couldn¡¯t afford to make such a costly trade! With no better option, the azure hand suddenly stopped grabbing at the flame wolf and turned to block Wan Tianming¡¯s purple flame dragon, resulting a burst of azure light and purple flames.


    In that instant, the others had overtaken them. They surrounded the flame wolf and instead of attacking it, they all began to attack each other.


    These attacks were far more vicious and ruthless than before. Secret techniques were quickly cast in succession, tangling everyone down and rendering them incapable of paying the flame wolf any heed.


    The flame wolf, appearing to be quite intelligent, seemed to have realized the fearsomeness of the Nascent Soul eccentries. It quickly darted out from underneath them and charged in the direction of the three Core Formation cultivators.


    Initially, Han Li was dumbstruck by this, but soon he recollected himself.


    The two headed flame wolf was certain to be a transformed treasure of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. While he didn¡¯t know how it was able to break out before the Heavenvoid Cauldron was entirely seized, it was undoubtedly a rare item from its mobile transformation and independant acts of resistance.


    Upon seeing the treasure wolf charge towards them, Han Li reacted near instantaneously, patting his storage pouch. A white streak of Qi suddenly flew out and appeared in his grasp, revealing an ancient flower basket.


    But before Han Li could act, two huge pythons made of black Qi rushed to constrict the flame wolf. They managed to wrap themselves around its body several times, restraining it.


    Han Li inwardly cursed and glanced at the side to see Wu Chou forming an incantation seal with a proud expression. It seems the huge black pythons were created with the Profound Yin Arts.


    Han Li exposed slight vexation on his face. He couldn¡¯t help but hesitantly consider whether or not he should attack him for the treasure. After all, the treasure hadn¡¯t yet been truly acquired. However, this would undoubtedly enrage Grandmaster Zenith Yin, guaranteeing that Han Li would be disposed off after the Heavenvoid Cauldron was acquired. It simply wasn¡¯t worth the consequences.


    These thoughts quickly rushed through his mind, but, before he could even finished his contemplations, the Bone Sage ruthlessly launched an attack at the flame wolf.


    A cold glint flickered through the Bone Sage¡¯s eyes. He silently opened his mouth and spat out a ray of green light. In an instant, the green light brightly flourished, transforming into a huge emerald-green net that ensnared both the black python and the flame wolf.

 Chapter 484

    Battling Over Treasure


    Wu Chou hadn¡¯t anticipated that the taciturn Bone Sage would silently compete with him for the treasure. With a savage expression, he furiously shouted, ¡°You dare to fight this young island lord over treasure?¡±


    The Bone Sage sneered and spoke with unconcealed derision, ¡°Funny. Was this treasure created by your clan? Why can¡¯t I contend for it?¡±


    Wu Chou flew into a fit of rage out of embarrassment, but something soon came to mind and he foully grimaced. Instead of further refuting, he clasped his hand into an incarnation gesture, forcefully causing the black pythons to exert more strength.


    It seemed Wu Chou understood that since the Bone Sage was being supported by Man Huzi, who Zenith Yin held in fear, he couldn¡¯t use his grandfather¡¯s status to subdue him.


    Wu Chou¡¯s actions caused the Bone Sage to sneer. Without speaking further, he pointed at the green web, causing its light to brightly flourish as its threads grew thicker and tightened.


    Wu Chou¡¯s and the Bone Sage¡¯s techniques had both restrained the wolf, but despite its light barrier having decreased several times in size, it grew increasingly firm and bright. The unscathed flame wolf gazed at the two of them as they remained at a standstill.


    The Nascent Soul cultivators that were still fighting in the sky were all caught by surprise. None of them had expected that the treasure would run towards the Core Formation cultivators. The Righteous Dao cultivators grew increasingly anxious and wished to break off from the battle to seize the treasure. However, the eccentrics of the Devil Dao were largely unbothered.


    Regardless of how you looked at it, their side was going to acquire the treasure. With this in mind, they were happy to tie down the Righteous Dao cultivators and allow their juniors to safely secure the treasure. Besides, Man Huzi and Zenith Yin both felt that they had a high chance of acquiring the treasure for themselves.


    Wu Chou had been given many treasures by Zenith Yin, and he also used the Profound Yin Devilish Art, one of the best cultivations arts in the Scattered Star Seas. As such, Zenith Yin felt confident that Wu Chou would be able to wrest away the treasure from the Bone Sage who only appeared to be an early Core Formation cultivator. Man Huzi, knowing the Bone Sage¡¯s true identity, held far more confidence in acquiring it than Zenith Yin did. Qing Yi could only look at the circumstances with a trace of sadness. After hesitating for only a moment, he decided to tangle with Tian Wuzi and keep him occupied.


    At that moment, the sole person near the altar was Han Li, and he didn¡¯t feel calm or confident in the slightest. In fact, he felt cold sweat running down his his back. He had instinctively taken out the ancient flower basket a moment ago due to the fact it was the most suitable for seizing treasures.


    But when he saw the Bone Sage move to take the treasure, he instantly recalled something significant. His ancient flower basket treasure was something he had acquired from the ugly man that was watching over the Bone Sage¡¯s prison. If he were to take it out then wouldn¡¯t he be informing Zenith Yin that he had released the Bone Sage?


    This was what had caused Han Li to break out in a cold sweat. Joining the competition to seize the treasure was now the last thing on his mind! Rather, his mind was chaotically filled with all sorts of distracting thoughts, while he did doing his utmost to come up with an appropriate solution to deal with Zenith Yin.


    But in the next moment, Han Li felt amazed. He had clearly felt Zenith Yin¡¯s gaze sweep past the flower basket and not react in the slightest.


    Han Li suddenly came to a delighted realization. The ancient flower basket wasn¡¯t something that Zenith Yin had given to the ugly man. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t something that he even knew the ugly man had possessed. Having come to this conclusion, Han Li felt greatly relieved.


    Han Li had guessed correctly! That ugly man had stood guard at the Bone Sage¡¯s island for a very long time, and had heard of the ancient flower basket during that time and had left to retrieve it. Although he managed to smoothly acquire the treasure, Han Li¡¯s party had already surrounded the Bone Sage¡¯s formation and were just about to destroy it. This frightened the ugly man into a furious rage, but he ultimately ended up dying to Han Li¡¯s Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, allowing Han Li to acquire the flower basket as spoils.


    Having recovered his calm, Han Li glanced at Wu Chou and the Bone Sage struggling over the fire wolf. He thought to himself, ¡®You¡¯re quite in luck, old devil. Had Zenith Yin discovered this matter, I would have dragged you down with me. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll leave you unscathed!¡¯


    Another round of heavy, thunderous clangs rang out from the hole.


    Having gone through this before, the Nascent Soul cultivators slowed their hands and glanced at one another. No one knew who moved first as they all blurred and appeared in the direction of the altar¡¯s hole.


    At that moment, the Heavenvoid Cauldron was close to the surface. The Nascent Soul cultivators were all forced to block the fantastical cold it had released, each making full use of their respective techniques and defensive treasures. While these actions produced flashes of wondrous light, both sides remained cautious as they vigilantly watched one another.


    At that moment, Zenith Yin was extremely vexed.


    His original plan had been to fend off the Righteous Dao and seize all of the treasures in one go. Then they would split the treasures in agreement. But who could¡¯ve thought that as the Heavenvoid Cauldron neared the surface the ancient treasures would fly out on their own. In this manner, the acquisition of treasure was entirely a matter of skill.


    After all, regardless of who seizes the treasure, it was impossible to ask them to hand it over to others as they had been acquired through battle. This would render their original agreement on how to split the treasures null and void.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s eyes furiously looked around, wishing to see if there was a way he could acquire more treasures. But just as these thoughts appeared in his mind, a deafening screech was heard followed by two sounds of rustling wind. A streak of red and a streak of white radiance shot out of the blue flame at the center.


    The six Nascent Soul cultivators were all quite close to the hole, and they all acted nearly simultaneously, using their secret techniques to fight for control.


    Wan Tianming was contending for the yellow light against Zenith Yin and Qing Yi. As a result, Wan Tianming ordered a purple flame dragon to chase after the yellow light. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth with a strange expression appearing on his face, directly shooting out two sparkling purple pearls towards Zenith Yin and Qing Yi.


    ¡°True Heavensifting Mines!¡± When Zenith Yin saw the unremarkable pearls, he shouted as if they were vipers.


    The two didn¡¯t dare to use magic treasures to block them. They quickly dodged out of the way, but by then, the purple flame dragon had swallowed the yellow light and was returning to Wan Tianming.


    Wan Tianming excitedly clasped the yellow light and twisted his hands, revealing the ancient treasure¡¯s original appearance, a four pointed ornament. From the flickering talisman characters that flickered on its surface and its spiritual Qi fluctuations, one could tell the treasure was outstanding.


    As for the two purple beads, they shot about ten meters away before they softly burst and disappeared without a trace.


    When Zenith Yin and Qing Yi saw this, their complexions turned ashen as they watched Wan Tianming fiddling with the jade ornament.


    ¡°What a truly great sect master of the Righteous Dao! To think he would use false mines to deceive us!¡± Zenith Yin uttered each word through gritted teeth.


    Qing Yi¡¯s face appeared just as gastly as he chillingly stared at Wan Tianming.


    Wan Tianming sneered and returned their insults, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that these long famed cultivators, who even weren¡¯t able to see whether or not my True Heavensifting Mines were actually real, would be able to so shamelessly say those things in front of this Sect Master? Could it be that you didn¡¯t know that I would only use the True Heavensifting Mines during a matter of life or death? They¡¯re hardly appropriate to use in a fight over treasures. As I must produce them by harming my own cultivation, why would I be so wasteful? But of course, if you two Fellow Daoists wish to witness their true might, I am willing to make the exception.¡± Wan Tianming softly clasped his hands. With a flash of purple light, the jade ornament could no longer be seen, instead replaced by a purple pearl that looked exactly the same as the ones from before.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi¡¯s expressions changed before they glanced at each other with gloomy expressions as if they were both uncertain of his intentions.


    At that moment, Man Huzi shrugged off a blow from the dark old farmer and Tian Wuzi with the overbearing defense of his Heavenbearing Devil Arts and managed to forcefully capture the white light. It was revealed to be a sparkling ancient coin.


    When Zenith Yin saw this, his face became even more unsightly.


    ¡°Yi!¡± At that moment, Qing Yi shouted out as if he were amazed. Zenith Yin couldn¡¯t help but turn his gaze over, revealing a similar expression of astonishment.


    At that very moment, Han Li was below the altar carefully examining a red-yellow Ruyi scepter in hand. It was finely carved with two lifelike carvings of wolf heads on each end.


    It seemed that this was the ancient treasure that had transformed into the two headed flame wolf. Not far from him, Wu Chou and the Bone Sage were impotently gazing at Han Li with resentful expressions. A trace of confusion flickered from Zenith Yin¡¯s eyes and he grew silent. He indeed felt quite shocked!


    The treasure hadn¡¯t fallen into the hands of Zenith Yin or Wu Chou, but rather to Han Li, who hadn¡¯t displayed the slightest intent to act from the very start.

 Chapter 485

    Freezing Over


    As the Nascent Soul cultivators clashed, Wu Chou and the Bone Sage experienced a great surprise while they suppressed the flame wolf.


    With a growl, the two heads of the wolf warped together, transforming it into a huge, horned silver-furred wolf.


    It then proceeded to lower its head and fiercely shot a burst of silver light from its horn.


    Although the burst of light was only half a foot long, it released a piercing wail upon leaving the horn. In the blink of an eye, a large hole was now gaping in the body of the black python and the net had been dissolved.


    The green net immediately turned into smoke upon touching the silver light and disappeared without a trace.


    When Wu Chou and Zenith Yin saw this, they were shocked.


    Wu Chou hastily made an incantation seal and pointed, shooting a black light towards the extinguished black python. The large hole in it immediately started to close while emitting sparks of faint light, stabilizing the python¡¯s body. As for the Bone Sage, after a brief moment of astonishment, he stared at the huge silver wolf as if he had thought of something. He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth with a solemn expression, and spat out a dark green knife. The knife was only several inches long and handleless. From a glance at the size of its increasing radiance, one could tell it was abnormal.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the magic treasure. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the knife was a transformed version of the Bone Sage¡¯s Gold Lightning Bamboo Arrow. He was merely using a magic technique to conceal its original form.


    Could it be that the Bone Sage had gone mad? Zenith Yin was in the sky and he still dared to use his magic treasure. Zenith Yin surely must¡¯ve used this treasure to plot against him long ago. Although the Bone Sage managed to conceal its brilliance, it was unable to escape the notice of Han Li, who had refined his own magic treasure from Gold Lightning Bamboo. It was far too bold of an action.


    Han Li began to hesitate and had second thoughts, ¡®Could it be that the silver wolf is so exceptional that the old devil is willing to take such a huge risk to claim it?¡¯


    In that instant, the huge silver wolf suddenly shrunk in size and turned into a foot tall miniature in the blink of an eye. Then with a flash of silver light, it flew towards the altar¡¯s hole in a blur, breaking away from Wu Chou and the Bone Sage.


    When the Bone Sage saw this, he immediately threw out his knife, shooting out a green streak. With a resounding bang, the small knife knocked away the silver wolf, but it didn¡¯t receive any damage from the impact.


    As it just so happened, the silver wolf was knocked in the direction of Han Li. With such a fine gift knocking at his door, Han Li instantly threw any apprehensions he had to the back of his mind and threw his flower basket towards the silver wolf. Fearing that this treasure wouldn¡¯t be enough to capture the wolf, Han Li patted his storage pouch with his other hand, tossing the a chain of five copper bands after the wolf as well. He blew a breath of Azure Qi onto the chain of copper bands, causing it to flash with rainbow light and disappear without a trace.


    Soon after, a clear ring suddenly sounded out. Before the silver wolf could dart away again, the five copper bands suddenly appeared around its limbs and head. Following several flickers of radiance, it crashed to the ground like a shot bird.


    As for the flower basket, it had transformed into white mist and was already in pursuit of the wolf. In a second, it had caught up to the wolf and enveloped it. With a whistle from Han Li, it flew back into his hand and returned to its original form.


    Having just recovered their magic treasures, the Bone Sage and Wu Chou gazed at Han Li in astonishment. Their expressions displayed complete disbelief.


    Wu Chou was the first to awake and immediately wore a flustered, embarrassed expression. This was far beyond his expectations! He had originally thought that acquiring this ownerless treasure would be an easy matter with his Profound Yin Arts. He hadn¡¯t expected that the Bone Sage would contend with him for the treasure before either realized that the treasure itself was quite difficult to capture. Just as he was about to use another magic treasure, the wolf had been easily captured by Han Li, leaving Wu Chou in a hapless state of miserable, impotent fury.


    The Bone Sage wore an odd expression when he came to his senses. Although he soon returned to being expressionless, Han Li caught a glimpse of anger from his eyes. In addition, the old devil felt somewhat baffled when he saw the copper bands suddenly appear on the silver wolf¡¯s body.


    Han Li didn¡¯t have the time to muse over the Bone Sage¡¯s expressions. Instead, he excitedly glanced into the flower basket.


    The copper bands seemed to be the bane of the silver wolf. They tightly restrained it, preventing it from moving in the slightest and binding it so that only its small head could be seen. It appeared rather pitiful.


    Han Li chucked and lightly rubbed the wolf¡¯s head without a second thought. His hand then shined with azure light and completely enveloped it. Soon, the silver wolf¡¯s body weakened before it eventually faded away to a jade scepter.


    Just as Han Li had acquired the scepter with delight, Qing Yi and Zenith Yin looked at the scene with astonishment, having just lost their treasure to Wan Tianming.


    Zenith Yin inwardly frowned. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it now as he was facing such a great adversary as Wan Tianming. Moreover, there was no problem with giving Han Li possession of the treasure for now. After all, how could a junior possibly keep such an valuable ancient treasure that possessed its own illusory body. After this was all over, he would naturally have Han Li sincerely give it to his master.


    Having settled his thoughts, Zenith Yin turned his attention back to Wan Tianming. The Heavensifting Mine was a Nascent Soul weapon of rarely seen ferocity. He was forced to be particularly focused when facing it.


    But unfortunately, no action had been taken in the end. The stone platform suddenly shuddered with astonishing intensity as if it were about to cave in.


    At that moment, a sliver of blue flame had finally reached beyond the hole.


    Although only a small bit of the flame was exposed, in that same instant, a magnificent blue light blossomed, permeating throughout the entire stone platform. With the sounds of light crackling, a layer of blue frost also began to quickly spread across the ground.


    Frightened, Han Li instantly reacted, shooting into the air. The Bone Sage had also acted quickly, flying into the air at nearly the same time as Han Li


    However, Wu Chou hesitated for a moment and in that mere moment, the blue frost had already spread over his feet. The Profound Yin Qi hovering around his body was unable to protect him in the slightest. At that moment, Wu Chou became fearful and promptly wished to fly, but his feet were already frozen to the ground and the frost continued to spread. Wu Chou yelled in fright as he watched the frost cover his feet, and spread up from his lower leg.


    As Han Li and the Bone Sage watched this from up above, they couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other with horror.


    Just as Wu Chou was about to turn into an ice sculpture by the blue frost, a thin line of black light abruptly shot down from the sky. It struck Wu Chou¡¯s body, melting away the blue frost in a blaze of black fire and blue smoke.


    Wu Chou rejoiced. He hastily flew to the skies with an expression of salvation upon regaining his freedom.


    At that moment, he heard a cold snort transmitted to his ear followed by an irritated voice, ¡°Be careful. Next time, I might not have the chance to save you.¡±


    His survival had been the result of Zenith Yin¡¯s actions. He had used his Heavenvoid Corpsefire to save Wu Chou from the sky.


    At that moment, the eccentrics of both sides stared at the blue flames coming from the hole without blinking. Each of them had varying expressions of interest, greed and even nervousness.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s recent rescue of Wu Chou had been but a casual action. He hadn¡¯t even turned his head when he spoke to him. He simply licked his lips and gazed at the altar¡¯s hole with a feverish expression.


    The rank one hidden treasure for countless years in the Scattered Star Seas, the Heavenvoid Cauldron, was about to emerge in the presence of these Nascent Soul cultivators at that very moment. Even the gloomy Zenith Yin and the other expressionless eccentrics couldn¡¯t help but have their attention captured by the emerging blue flames. It was no wonder why Zenith Yin had spoken to Wu Chou with such an irritated tone after he rescued him.


    As the Bloodjade Spider and the fire pythons had been trembling from exhaustion for a while now, the eccentrics watched them from the sky with worry. However, none of them dared to assist the beasts in the slightest since the hole¡¯s surroundings had already become a world of blue light. While the red lights emitting from the spirit beasts¡¯ bodies were able to repel the chilling light, the eccentrics were both unwilling and incapable of descending to assist the three spirit beasts.


    As for the Core Formation cultivators, they had already distanced themselves a hundred meters from the hole and were watching the spectacle from a distance.

 Chapter 486

    Incarnation Talisman


    At this crucial moment, Man Huzi raised his head and studenly stared at a certain area. With an icy face, he loudly shouted, ¡°Who is sneaking around over there? How about you get lost!¡± He then sent a punch that shook his beard, sending out a three meter large golden hand to grab at the air.


    A muffled peng sounded out, revealing a barrier of azure light. The light barrier forcibly stopped the golden hand¡¯s approach, but it revealed the white silhouette within.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!?¡±


    ¡°Star Palace?!¡±


    Several shouts came from the eccentrics of both the Devil and Righteous Dao, and their expressions vastly changed.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression grew unsightly, and he rushed to question them,¡±Star Palace enforcement elder, when did you sneak up on us? Didn¡¯t you claim to not intend to enter the Inner Halls?¡±


    The white clothed elder didn¡¯t respond to Zenith Yin and slowly addressed Man Huzi instead, ¡°Sigh! My luck is truly bad. I didn¡¯t expect that the Heavenvoid Cauldron¡¯s emergence would cause such a great disturbance that I would have to use a technique to defend against its icy Qi, leaving me to be discovered by Brother Man. It seems Fellow Daoist Man possesses the highest cultivation out of all of you.¡± His face remained completely calm for someone that had been lying in concealment.


    Zenith Yin grew furious, but he didn¡¯t dare to rashly act against someone from the Star Palace.


    As for the Righteous Dao cultivators, it seemed they also had their own misgivings. They all stared at the Star Palace elder in a moment of silence.


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t there another person?! Han Li, be careful! The Bloodjade Spider!¡±


    Ever since the Star Palace elder had appeared, Qing Yi had started muttering to himself. After hearing the Star Palace elder¡¯s words, he became extremely suspicious. With some further thought, he suddenly recalled something and hastily shouted. When Han Li heard this from a distance, he was stunned.


    Before he realized what was going on, two streaks of burning white light shot out from the other side of the altar. Each one cut through the air towards Han Li and the Bloodjade Spider with a chilling whistle. Afterwards, a white-clothed old man appeared where the attacks had been launched from.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion paled.


    ¡°Fast, too fast!¡± This was the single thought that filled Han Li¡¯s mind as he saw the white light flash towards him. He did the only thing he could possibly do in that instant; he raised the jade scepter with both hands and used it to block his chest as best he could.


    Peng! Han Li felt a huge impact from his hands before nearly losing all sensation; he fell from the sky, completely oblivious apart from a burning sensation from his chest along with the faint sounds of wind and furious shouting as he fell from the sky.


    Before Han Li could stop his fall, he felt pain on the back of his body. His body had collapsed upon a barrier of light that was slowly rising.


    ¡°Yi!¡± A cry of disbelief came from the Star Palace elder that had attacked him. He felt surprised that he hadn¡¯t managed to execute a weakling like Han Li in a single strike.


    Since his magic treasure, the Piercing Sun Swords, failed to cleave Han Li at such a short distance, Han Li must¡¯ve been wearing a top grade protective treasure. However, this was no matter as his other sword had struck true. With that thought, he turned his gaze to the altar.


    The Bloodjade Spider had been cleaved into two halves. Its blood flowed into the ground, and the small portion of the revealed Celestial Ice Flame had silently sunk back into the hole.


    The two remaining fire pythons completely lacked the strength to further pull up the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Having seen this, the white-clothed elder was completely satisfied and recalled his two flying swords with a wave of his hand. He then put them away and revealed a strange smile towards the ashen faces of the Righteous and Devil Dao Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Because these Nascent Soul cultivators had their attention drawn to the other Star Palace elder, they were unable to respond to the sneak attack on Han Li and Bloodjade Spider. As they had seen the Bloodjade Spider executed before their very eyes, they each wore an expression of fury and their eyes burned with rage.


    Man Huzi didn¡¯t have any qualms against taking action. He loudly rained curses on them and clapped his hand together, causing golden light to burst from his body.


    But before Man Huzi could do anything else, the Star Palace elder that had earlier attacked started to fade into specks of white light, causing him to disappear without a trace. All that had remained was a faint gold talisman that floated to the floor. A similar scene occurred with the other white clothed elder. He faded away into specks of light with a smile on his face, leaving behind a similar golden talisman.


    Man Huzi quickly suppressed the fury on his face and muttered to himself with a flickering expression, ¡°The Star Palace¡¯s Incarnation Talisman! So they flaunted their wealth instead of having their true bodies come! They did this to prevent us from being able to settle our debt with them.¡±


    As for the others, they each helplessly watched the golden talismans fall to the ground with unsightly expressions before the talismans combusted and turned to ash.


    In a quiet corner of the fifth floor in the Inner Halls, two white-clothed were sitting down cross-legged in the dark; their eyes were closed. One of them slowly spoke with a voice containing slight happiness, ¡°Fortunately, we followed them. Otherwise, the Heavenvoid Cauldron would¡¯ve fallen into their hands.¡±


    ¡°However, our incarnations had been discovered a bit too early. Else, we could¡¯ve taken action as they fought over the Heavenvoid Cauldron. They would have been too distracted with one another to prevent us from making off with the treasure!¡± The other old man spoke somewhat gloomily with a tone of slight regret.


    ¡°Hehe! We had best not be too greedy. It was the optimal opportunity to sabotage the Righteous and Devilish Dao¡¯s attempts to acquire the treasure, and we achieved a decent result. However, we merely delayed the crisis for this occasion. The next opening of Heavenvoid Hall will still prove to be a problem.¡±


    The gloomy voice said without care, ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but we might not be there to see the day. I did wish to see whether or not the Heavenmend Pill was as miraculous as they had said, able to make up for the deficiencies of impure spiritual roots or refine new Heavenly Spiritual Roots. It is quite unimaginable.¡±


    ¡°That is a pity! However, we¡¯ve nearly reached our end. It would simply be too much of a waste for us to use it. Though funnily enough, it was unknown who said it first, but many Nascent Soul eccentric had completely taken the rumors to heart! That it was capable of both extending one¡¯s life as well as breaking through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul Stage! If these miracles were true, the Archsaint of the Six Paths as well as the Mad Matron would¡¯ve definitely arrived. But unfortunately, the Heavenmend Pill is only capable of massively increasing the chances for a Core formation cultivator to condense a Nascent Soul. It¡¯s just that refining the pill is truly too difficult.¡± The first voice said with a mocking tone.


    ¡°Humph! Are Core Formation cultivators capable enough to come here? Besides, those Nascent Soul cultivators were the same as us. They spent many years cultivating but found themselves unable to advance, and they placed their complete hopes on acquiring the famed Heavenmend Pill. That is at least understandable. Were we still young, we would¡¯ve definitely made every attempt to acquire such a pill. It would even constantly be on our minds!¡± After this was said, the other voice kept silent as if in tacit agreement.


    ¡°Let us set off! We had best prevent them from trying to find us in their rage. That would prove quite troublesome. They must be absolutely furious!¡± With that said, the darkness became silent once more as if no one had been there.


    Their guess had not been wrong. The Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators were fuming. Their eyes held no spirit and they felt rather depressed. However, they were all the cunning sort and were able to quickly recover their calm. They knew there was no value staying angry over the Star Palace¡¯s disruption. Instead, the Righteous and Devilish Dao floated in the air in confrontation.


    Han Li was once again ascending as he remained on the light barrier that broke his fall. At that moment, he looking at his hands in horror. They were bloodily crushed and there was a complete tear between his thumb and forefinger. But his gaze didn¡¯t stay there, instead focusing on the jade scepter that he was clenched in the right hand.


    At that moment, Wan Tianming coughed as if he wanted to say something to the Devil Dao cultivators, but at that moment, Zenith Yin¡¯s fire pythons were no longer able to endure and had let go with a wail, returning to their original forms.


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron released a hum as it fell.


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but lower their heads at the scene, even Wan Tianming who was about to speak. Zenith Yin looked particularly gloomy, and his eyes contained objection.


    But then, something completely unexpected occurred!


    As the Heavenvoid Cauldron was falling, it had been been struck by something, and its hum became a dragon¡¯s roar. Then with a heavy roll of thunder, a fist-sized rainbow ball of light shot out into the air from within the blue flames.


    ¡°Heavenmend Pill!¡± Both the Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators simultaneously shouted out its name with delighted surprise.

 Chapter 487

    Appearance of a Nascent Soul


    Chaos erupted in the sky in response to the appearance of the Heavenmend Pill.


    Having been on the cusp of making peace with one another just a mere moment ago, everyone immediately turned into streaks of light and shot straight towards the newly emerged ball of rainbow light. But halfway there, their lights became interweaved, rendering them all incapable of advancing even a step forward. For a time, radiance flashed and Devilish Qi scattered in a far more intense display than before.


    As for the rainbow ball of light, it was motionlessly floating above the hole as if it waiting for someone to grab it.


    Everyone had now clearly seen the inch-thick medicine pill revolving inside the rainbow ball of light. Each time the pill turned, the ball of light flickered and contracted, appearing as if it were alive. Upon seeing this, the Nascent Soul cultivators only became even more fervent.


    Wu Chou and the Bone Sage were both mesmerized as they watched the battle that had erupted in the sky.


    Wu Chou suddenly heard Zenith Yin¡¯s ice-cold voice in his ear, ¡°Are you an idiot? What are you looking at! Quickly, acquire the Heavenmend Pill!¡± After hearing this, Wu Chou shuddered in realization and shot towards the rainbow ball of light as a cloud of black Qi.


    At that moment, the Bone Sage also took action. However, the Heavenmend Pill wasn¡¯t his target. Instead, his hands blurred, transforming into devilish green pythons as they shot straight for Wu Chou¡¯s back.


    Although the green pythons¡¯ attack was silent, Wu Chou had been vigilant and faintly perceived their approach. In an instant, he hastily turned around to receive the attack in furious alarm.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death to actually be attacking me!¡± Wu Chou was unable to suppress his rage, causing his Profound Yin Qi to scream out around him and rush towards the Bone Sage.


    The Bone Sage coldly chuckled and responded by wordlessly sending a cloud of green Ghost Qi at him in response.


    ¡°Man Huzi! What is your junior doing!?¡± Zenith Yin naturally saw what was happening and furiously yelled at Man Huzi.


    Man Huzi launched a golden first towards Wan Tianming before roaring with laughter, ¡°What is he doing? Obviously, he is blocking Fellow Daoist Wu from monopolizing the Heavenmend Pill. Did you really think because we¡¯re fellow Devil Dao cultivators that this Lord would just give the Heavenmend Pill to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± When Zenith Yin heard this, his face turned white from anger. Man Huzi¡¯s words had effectively dissolved the alliance between the Devil Dao cultivators, leaving the acquisition of the Heavenmend Pill up to skill. But, such a development had been inevitable from the very beginning of their alliance.


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron hadn¡¯t been acquired and only one Heavenmend Pill had appeared. Naturally, everyone wished to acquire it. Let alone the Devil Dao cultivators, even the Righteous Dao cultivators had their own sinister plots in mind.


    Zenith Yin clearly understood that the midst of battle was not the time to be squabbling. He settled his mind and thought about using his Heavenwide Corpses to acquire the Heavenmend Pill, but the dark-skinned old farmer¡¯s techniques were threatening and couldn¡¯t be ignored. So long as he released even a single demon corpse, the old farmer would release a green thread as if it had been foreseen and immediately restrained it. They simply wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. The situation caused him to clench his teeth with hate towards both the farmer and Man Huzi.


    However, it wasn¡¯t Zenith Yin who solely thought this way. Each one of the Nascent Soul cultivators had similar circumstances and were looking for any way they could escape from the battle and seize the treasure.


    Unfortunately, all of the old eccentrics present were exceptionally cunning and deceitful; none of them could easily break away from the fray. After all, it was far simpler to tie someone down than to fully escape the battle.


    As the Nascent Soul melee was unraveling in the sky, no one was paying any heed to Han Li.


    Han Li had been greatly surprised when he survived the Star Palace elder¡¯s strike. After all, he had been struck head on by a Nascent Soul magic treasure, but when he looked down at his chest, he discovered he had been saved by the Emperor Scale Plate that Man Huzi had lent him.


    The remnants of his outer clothes had already been burnt black, only to reveal the sparkling silver scales that lay underneath. However, there was a slight dent at the very center of the armor.


    Han Li rejoiced after seeing this. Fortunately, he had decided to wear the armor as soon as he examined that nothing was wrong with it, as he expected the Heavenvoid Hall to be extremely dangerous. As a result, his life had been saved.


    However, Han Li clearly understood that the most significant reason he survived was the red and yellow jade scepter.


    Just as he had brought the jade scepter up to block the attack, he faintly saw a silver wolf head emerge from the scepter and absorb a majority of the blow¡¯s force. Otherwise, despite its amazing defensive power, the Emperor Scale Plate wouldn¡¯t have remained intact. In that case, he would have suffered a heavy injury, even if the attack didn¡¯t penetrate the armor.


    Han Li wished to further examine the true capabilities of the scepter, but now was not a good opportunity. It was only after he put away the scepter that he felt the ferocious pain coming from his palm and web between his thumb and forefinger.


    Han Li clenched his teeth and his hands flashed with white light, healing his wounds at a speed visible to the eye. At the same time, he vigilantly swept his gaze over the scene and saw the tragic state of his Bloodjade Spider¡¯s corpse on the altar.


    A trace of sadness flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes before it was replaced with wide eyes filled with determination. He crawled to the edge of the light barrier that was holding him up and silently flew to the steps.


    According to his exceptional memory, so long as those mechanical puppets didn¡¯t reappear, he should be able to return to the previous floor without much danger. This would be far better than staying in place and leaving himself at the mercy of those old Nascent Soul Devils.


    After all, Han Li had lost all value to them once his Bloodjade Spider had perished. Without any more protective talismans on him, he couldn¡¯t possibly entrust his life to the goodwill of those Devil Dao cultivators.Han Li¡¯s best course of action would be for him to take his life into his own hands!


    Moreover, the attempt to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron had failed. Even if those old Devils still managed to seize the Heavenmend Pill, wouldn¡¯t they still have a bellyful of anger? It was certain that he would be the target for them to relieve their frustrations.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s movements became even more stealthy. Just as he had silently flown for about forty meters and was about to prepare for his reckless charge, he suddenly heard a voice say, ¡°Han Li, where are you going?¡±


    Although the Bone Sage¡¯s voice was calm and soft, it was enough for Zenith Yin and the others to hear clearly.


    In an instant, Zenith Yin and Man Huzi shot an ice-cold glance at Han Li, causing him to stop in place.


    ¡®Damned Bone Sage!¡¯ Having caught the attention of the Devil Dao cultivators, Han Li didn¡¯t have the slightest confidence in escaping them. In the short amount of time he would be slowed down by the light barrier, Zenith Yin alone would be able kill him several times over.


    The Bone Sage sneered. He had been using his spiritual sense to monitor Han Li this entire time. Although he had managed to cleanly deal with Wu Chou, he didn¡¯t display the slightest intention of acquiring the Heavenvoid Pill, rendering his intentions unclear..


    After returning, Han Li shot him a hateful glance, and a trace of suspicion arose in his mind.


    ¡°Man Huzi, if you do not step aside, then don¡¯t blame this Sect Master for using his Heavensifting Mines!¡± Wan Tianming saw that the rainbow ball wasn¡¯t far beneath him, but in a mere instant, he had been beaten back by Man Huzi¡¯s golden fists. Having already suffered this several times, Wan Tianming had finally flown into a rage.


    Man Huzi was somewhat startled by this, but he soon sneered and casually said, ¡°The Heavensifting Mine! Zenith Yin and Qing Yi might be afraid of it, but this mighty Lord wishes to see its power. I¡¯m afraid I must request for Fellow Daoist Wan to broaden my perspective!¡± It was clear that he didn¡¯t believe Wan Tianming was actually going to use the treasure.


    With a pale, ashen face, Wan Tianming clenched his teeth in anger, saying, ¡°Good, good! Man Huzi, you¡¯ve forced this sect master to allow you to witness the true ferocity of the Heavensifting Mine!¡±


    After that was said, he slapped the top of his head without further hesitation. A resounding cry sounded out, followed by a purple light that shot from the top of his head. It stopped about a meter above his head and revealed itself to be a two-inch tall naked infant. Purple light wound around its body, and its skin appeared soft and delicate. But what was more shocking was that its face was entirely the same as Wan Tianming and that it held a sparkling purple ball in its hand.


    Man Huzi¡¯s careless expression underwent a massive change. With a spirited gaze, he imposingly said, ¡°Nascent Soul Manifestation! Wan Tianming, do you truly wish for your soul to be exterminated?¡±


    ¡°My lifespan has already nearly reached its end. What difference does it make whether or not I die a bit sooner if I cannot acquire the Heavenment Pill? At worst, I¡¯ll have Fellow Daoist Man assist in sending me off onto the path of a warrior¡¯s reincarnation.¡± After those vague words were said, his Nascent Soul became exasperated as if it had been strenuous for him to speak.


    At the same time that Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul appeared, his physical body had closed its eyes and become completely motionless as if it had become unconscious.

 Chapter 488

    Battle for the Medicine Pill


    ¡°Humph! Reincarnation? You sure can dream! You¡¯re not afraid that I¡¯ll refine your Nascent Soul? I¡¯ll be denying you of your next life.¡± Man Huzi icily said as he glared at Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    ¡°If you truly have the ability, then so be it, I will suffer. But instead of wasting time further deliberating on the matter, wouldn¡¯t it be better for Fellow Daoist Man to receive my Heavensifting Mines first?¡± After the infant spoke, it tossed out two balls from its hands. As soon as the purple balls left its hands, they immediately grew several times larger and launched themselves towards Man Huzi with an overbearing momentum.


    Man Huzi¡¯s eyes widened and his face contorted in anger. He fiercely struck his chest with both hands, causing a divine sound to ring out from his head along with a burst of golden light. A two-inch long infant with faintly golden skin and Man Huzi¡¯s face appeared above his head. It was slightly larger and more solid than Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul. However, its eyes were closed and it held a small azure shield tightly in its hands. The round shield appeared exquisite and had a radiant soybean-sized stone embedded in its center.


    Although Man Huzi¡¯s Nascent Soul had its eyes closed, it was still aware of the approaching purple ball of light. It lifted the shield in its hands, emitting a light barrier that covered Man Huzi¡¯s entire body just before the purple balls of light struck his body.


    The others Nascent Soul cultivators were dumbstruck upon seeing both of their Nascent Souls manifest, as it signified they were now in a battle of life or death.


    A world-shattering explosion shook the skies, and the light barrier surrounding the stone platform radiated a purple-red light. A forty-meter-wide cloud of lightning suddenly appeared, binding Man Huzi at its center. Purple lightning wildly stormed inside the clouds with thunderous bellows and blinding flashes of light intertwined. It was as if divine retribution had come, bringing forth an execution by celestial lightning.


    The others were thoroughly shocked by the sight. They had long heard of the Heavensifting Mine¡¯s ferocity, but this was the first time they had seen it. It was truly fearsome and deserving of its grand reputation.


    However, their attacks only became more fierce after witnessing the might of the Heavensifting Mine.


    Without looking at Man Huzi, Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul waved its small hand, summoning a small purple sword. With a flash of purple light, the Nascent Soul and the small sword disappeared. An instant later, it reappeared fifteen meters above the medicine pill.


    ¡°Nascent Soul Swordflight!¡± The other four Nascent Soul cultivators looked on in shock. It wasn¡¯t a trick of their eyes produced by amazing speed, but actual teleportation. Without a fleshly body to tie down the Nascent Soul, it was capable of extraordinary abilities.


    However, these sorts of wondrous techniques greatly harmed one¡¯s own Origin Qi. Although all Nascent Soul cultivators knew these techniques, none were willing to lightly make use of them. But now, much to everyone¡¯s astonishment, Wan Tianming had used one to great effect.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi simultaneously abandoned their opponents and hastily shot towards the Heavenmend Pill. As for their opponents, Tian Wuzi and the old farmer, after glancing at each other, they merely cast a few magic techniques after them in a token show of effort, not making much of an attempt to block them.


    As such, Zenith Yin and Qing Yi were able to easily break free and quickly descended.


    Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul didn¡¯t turn its head around, but it was still able to see what was happening behind it. An unsuitable sneer appeared on the infant¡¯s face. At his current distance, the Heavenmend Pill was practically his. What could they do now to block him?


    As expected, Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent Soul flickered several times, appearing closer to the rainbow ball of light with each appearance. A large purple hand then appeared out of the air and grabbed the rainbow ball into its hand. The ball of light disappeared as soon as it had been grasped by the hand, leaving behind only the rainbow pill.


    Wan Tianming went rapt with delight as Zenith Yin and Qing Yi soon appeared behind him. They couldn¡¯t possibly allow Wan Tianming to succeed. Zenith Yin furiously growled, ¡°Wan Tianming, let go of the pill.¡± A large cloud of profound devilish Qi then enveloped Wan Tianming¡¯s Nascent soul, along with countless azure threads of light that tightly wove around it.


    ¡°Are you truly capable of restraining me?¡± The Nascent Soul scoffed, and with a flash of violet light, it disappeared from the black fog and azure light surrounding it. It reappeared forty meters away on the small purple sword with a mocking expression.


    But as soon as the mocking smile appeared on his face, it was immediately replaced with fear. It suddenly turned its attention to the sky above in disbelief. What it saw caused the infant¡¯s face to grow incredibly pale.


    Above him in the sky, Wan Tianming¡¯s fleshly body was in the grasp of a lofty figure surrounded in sparkling golden light. Who else could it be aside from Man Huzi?


    But now, Man Huzi¡¯s hair was completely curled and his clothes were in tatters, making for quite a wretched appearance. Still, the gold scales surrounding his body and his fiendish expression gave him a resemblance similar to that of a malevolent god.


    ¡°Impossible! How were you able to escape?¡± Wan Tianming hastily looked at the lightning storm in disbelief, but his fears were only solidified. The domineering storm of purple lightning had disappeared, leaving behind only a few traces of static.


    ¡°Hehe! Sect Master Wang, it can only be said that your luck was quite poor. In the past, I slaughtered a lightning whale demon beast. Although its body was heavily injured, the lightning absorption pearl inside its body had remained completely intact. Your Heavensifting Mine may be formidable, but with a majority of its strength absorbed by the pearl, it posed little threat to me.¡± Man Huzi raised his hand, revealing a gem that flickered with violet light. Then with a wave of his hand, it disappeared.


    ¡°Now, this great Lord is going to count to three. If you do not throw the Heavenmend Pill to me, I will destroy your physical body. You should know what happens afterwards!¡± Man Huzi didn¡¯t give Wan Tianming any leeway or time to consider. With one hand carrying Wan Tianming¡¯s body and the other grasping the skull, he started counting. His hands began to shine with brilliant golden light.


    Wan Tianming bitterly clenched his teeth. He had clearly placed several restrictions down on his fleshly body before he manifested his Nascent Soul. But now, his body had fallen into the hands of an enemy that possessed a lightning absorption stone. He could hardly believe it.


    He didn¡¯t have the slightest time to think. If his body were to be destroyed, his Nascent Soul would surely turn to dust. He had yet to reach the stage where his Nascent Soul could roam alone. Although a Nascent Soul cultivator could manifest their Nascent Soul to perform a few extraordinary techniques, it was rarely done as it would leave their body vulnerable. With the Heavenmend Pill in sight and after having been tied down by Man Huzi for so long, Wan Tianming became overwhelmed with impatience and greed, causing him to make such a grave mistake.


    With Man Huzi staunchly refusing to compromise, Wan Tianming felt immense remorse and started to quickly analyze his options. But as soon as Man Huzi said, ¡°Two¡±, he clenched his teeth and tossed the Heavenmend Pill towards Man Huzi.


    Wan Tianming helplessly threw the pill he had acquired from using his Nascent Soul Swordflight, concluding the dramatic development in an instant.


    Excitement flashed from Man Huzi¡¯s eyes. After he flew forward and caught the rainbow pill, he ruthlessly threw Wan Tianming¡¯s body towards the other side of the light barrier with all his strength. If no one were to intercept it, it would surely be crushed to pulp.


    When Wan Tianming saw this, he was overwhelmed with fright and shot towards his body without a thought. Fortunately, despite being far away, he was able to intercept it by using the teleportations of his Nascent Soul Swordflight. Man Huzi then took advantage of the situation and flew towards the exit in a streak of light.


    It wasn¡¯t that Man Huzi didn¡¯t want to kill Wan Tianming, but rather, Wan Tianming was the Sect Master of the Thousand Gates of Enlightenment. Had he truly killed him, he would become a target of the Righteous Dao. There was also the matter of the Thousand Gates of Enlightment¡¯s Mad Matron, the number one figure of the Righteous Dao. He wasn¡¯t yet her match and was unwilling to be relentlessly hunted down by her. As the main enemy of both the Devil and the Righteous Dao was still the Star Palace, he naturally only aimed for the medicine pill.


    Seeing that Man Huzi had unexpectedly acquired the Heavenmend Pill and was about to escape, Tian Wuxi and the old farmer immediately chased after him.


    Zenith Yin and Qing Yi had been momentarily stunned by the scene. After glancing at each other, they gave chase, unwilling to accept defeat.


    But before Zenith Yin gaze chase, he turned into a black cloud and arrived above Han Li and Wu Chou. He coldly said, ¡°Wu Chou! Stay here with Han Li and don¡¯t wander. I will return in a moment. I will lend these two demon corpses to you for now.¡± After that was said, two Heavenwide Corpses appeared at Wu Chou¡¯s side, and Zenith Yin blurred through the air with a flicker.


    As such, the Nascent Soul cultivators were all chasing Man Huzi. Each of them blew a hole through the light barrier at the stairs in wild pursuit of Man Huzi. As for Wan Tianming who had just regained control of his body, he grit his teeth and followed suit.

 Chapter 490

    The Cauldron¡¯s Reappearance


    The Bone Sage coldly said, ¡°Youngster Han, don¡¯t you wish to condense a Nascent Soul? The Heavenmend Pill¡¯s greatest effect is that it purifies a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s innate spiritual roots, allowing a cultivator to enter the Nascent Soul stage with greater ease.¡±


    Han Li was silent for a moment before turning around. He narrowed his eyes and spoke with disbelief, ¡°Purify one¡¯s spiritual roots? You must think I am a child! How could there be such a legendary, heaven-defying medicine?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s up to you whether or not you believe it. Do you think that I have lived my many years idly? Back then, I had captured a Star Palace elder and used soul searching techniques to acquire this information. The outside rumors that this pill can break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage, causes a massive increase of one¡¯s magic power, and can lengthen one¡¯s life are completely false. It had been proven when a Star Palace Master had personally consumed the Heavenmend Pill.¡±


    The Bone Sage calmly continued with a careless expression, ¡°And since you¡¯ve already acquired the Ninecurl Ginseng, with the complimentary effects of the Heavenmend Pill, your odds of condensing a Nascent Soul will reach forty percent. If you wait another three hundred years to acquire a Heavenmend Pill, its effects will be of little use by then. This is due to the long process of spiritual root purification. It will take over a hundred years for the effects to be fully displayed.¡±


    ¡°A forty percent chance at Nascent Soul condensation?¡± Han Li felt giddy with excitement.


    As if having seen through Han Li¡¯s thoughts, the Bone Sage smiled and added, ¡°As for your worries that the tremors would be far too noticeable, even if a great catastrophe struck, there would be no way they could possibly know unless they saw it for their own eyes; the barrier completely isolates any disturbances that occur from within. They can¡¯t use their spiritual sense to observe what happens in here either. Why else would this Tailstar Barrier have been so renowned even in the era of antiquity! And if you¡¯re worried about your single Bloodjade Spider being unable to lift the cauldron, don¡¯t forget that I am Zenith Yin¡¯s master. Even as a demon ghost, I am still capable of refining corpses.¡±


    With that said, the Bone Sage immediately opened his mouth and spat out a fist-sized ball of glimmering light towards the Bloodjade Spider¡¯s corpse next to the altar. In the blink of an eye, a dense, green mist enveloped the spider corpse that quickly absorbed it. A short moment later, the two halves of the spider began to join together. Green light flashed from the point of incision, and the Bloodjade Spider shakily stood up, whole once more.


    Although Han Li managed to maintain a calm expression as he watched the scene, he was inwardly overwhelmed with shock. The world of cultivation truly had no shortage of extraordinary things! There was even such a technique that can refine a corpse in nearly an instant.


    The Bone Sage made the spider corpse walk several steps before he turned to Han Li and confidently said, ¡°My corpse refinement technique is passable, yes? Although the refined spider corpse won¡¯t last for long, and it is somewhat weaker than when it was alive, it will have no problem lifting the cauldron with your surviving Bloodjade Spider. After we acquire the treasure, I will give you all the Heavenmend Pills as I have no need of them. Also, I will cede half of the Heavenvoid Cauldron¡¯s other treasures to you, but the cauldron is mine. How do you feel about this trade?¡±


    ¡°Humph! Your words may be extravagantly beautiful, but how do I know you won¡¯t immediately attack me after the Heavenvoid Cauldron is secure? After all, your cultivation and techniques are both an entire realm above me.¡±


    When the Bone Sage heard this, he inwardly rejoiced. Although Han Li¡¯s tone was quite harsh, it was clear he was on the cusp of agreeing. Now, it was only a matter of haggling over price.


    As a result, the Bone Sage smiled and hastily said, ¡°Han Li, you¡¯re being far too humble! If I guessed correctly, if we were to fight to the death, the odds would be fifty-fifty. Moreover, such a battle wouldn¡¯t be concluded in a short amount of time, allowing an increased window for the others to return. Do you truly believe me to be so foolish as to bring about both of our deaths? Naturally, so long as you agree to help me acquire the treasure, I will hand over the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng refinement formula over to you as a token of our sincere cooperation.¡±


    After this was said, the Bone Sage flipped his hand and tossed a white jade slip with an ancient aura towards Han Li.


    Han LI quickly raised his hand and beckoned to the approaching jade slip. With an azure flash, a ball of azure light enveloped it, quickly bringing it to his palm.


    The Bone Sage responded to Han Li¡¯s great carefulness with a chuckle and said nothing else.


    Han Li quickly swept through the contents of the jade slip with his spiritual sense. Although he didn¡¯t have enough time to mull over whether or not the pill formula was genuine, it did mention the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng as well as three supplementary medicinal ingredients Han Li had never heard of before.


    After some consideration, Han Li bluntly put the jade slip into his storage pouch and raised his head. He calmly gazed at the Bone Sage and said, ¡°Fine, I will agree to these conditions. Let¡¯s immediately start retrieving the cauldron!¡±


    Since he had agreed to act, Han Li no longer delayed, as it would only allow their enemies more time to return. He quickly pat his spirit beast pouch causing his other Bloodjade Spider to appear with a flash of light.


    ¡°Very good, you made the right choice.¡± With an expression of excitement, the Bone Sage approached the hole and ordered the refined spider corpse to spit out a web at the cauldron, finishing his preparations first.


    Han Li followed suit, calmly ordering his Bloodjade Spider to shoot a web at the Heavenvoid Cauldron as well.


    The Bone Sage cast several magic seals of varying colors at his Bloodjade Spider as he gave an explanation, ¡°Let¡¯s be quick. We don¡¯t have much time. Although I cannot make use of the Berserking Technique in my current form, I can still use other slightly weaker supplementary techniques.¡±


    Suddenly, the Bloodjade Spider entered a frantic state. Apart from its blood-red shell, distinct black and green radiance were interweaved, making for quite a strange display.


    Han Li frowned but remained silent. After all, without these supplementary techniques, the Bloodjade Spider would be incapable of lifting the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    With the combined power of the Bloodjade Spider and the spider corpse, the cauldron began to rise with violent quakes and flares of blue light.


    Without the protection of Layman Qing Yi, Han Li could only rely on himself. He hastily cast a fire attribute barrier around himself and utilized the White Rhino Emblem to its maximum potential, immersing him in a blistering white light. And for the innermost layer, he released the Azure Essence Swordbarrier. A layer of azure radiance appeared close to Han Li¡¯s body with faint sparks of gold mixed within.


    As for the Bone Sage, green Qi violently surged from his body, enveloping him in a dense ghostly barrier.


    ¡®I can still hold!¡¯ Although the cold glacial Qi filled Han Li with a bone-chilling sensation, the full-strength circulation of the Azure Essence Sword Art allowed him to painstakingly avoid being frozen.


    This allowed Han Li to personally experience the massive gap between the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages. Previously, all it had taken was a casual wave of Qing Yi¡¯s hand to produce a barrier that completely shielded him from the cold.


    Han Li sighed and focused a majority of his attention on the hole. His remaining attention was focused on the Bone Sage. Despite the Bone Sage¡¯s extravagant words, Han Li felt a need to remain vigilant of the old devil.


    With the strength of the frenzied Bloodjade Spider, the Heavenvoid Cauldron began to slowly rise once more.


    But for some unknown reason, Han Li felt that it was unbearably slow in comparison to the last attempt. It was as if every inch it was raised took an excruciatingly long time, much to Han Li¡¯s irritation. If any of the old Devils returned to this scene, it would make for a terrible situation.


    The Bone Sage appeared completely undisturbed, but once the blue light from the hole grew increasingly brilliant, a fervent expression began to appear on his face.


    As the two stared down, their perception of the passage of time grew even slower with every rise of the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    While it was still unknown where the Nascent Soul eccentrics had wandered off to, their absence inspired both fear and delight in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Suddenly, Han Li and the Bone Sage both shot to the sky as the blue flames had reached the top of the hole. Huge blue flames had blossomed yet again and immersed the world in blue frost.


    As Han Li stared at the vague shadow contained inside the icy flames, he could hear his own heart thumping in anticipation.


    The last time the cauldron had appeared, he had been entirely focused on the old devils and hadn¡¯t examined the cauldron in the slightest. Now, he had the opportunity to witness its true appearance with his own eyes.


    Although only some of it was exposed, Han Li was still able to make it out.

 Chapter 491

    Acquiring the Cauldron


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron had a flat bottom, two handles, and three legs. At over a meter tall and three meters wide, it couldn¡¯t be considered very large.


    It had a slightly protruding lid covered in carvings of beasts and insects along with various landscapes. Although they appeared rough and crude, they were true to life and exuded an aura of untamed antiquity.


    Just as the cauldron emerged from the hole, a faint hum was heard that gradually became louder. At the same time, the blue flames surrounding the cauldon flared before swelling to several times their original size.


    Having originally been standing near the hole, Han Li and the Bone Sage revealed expressions of shock at nearly the same time and increased their distance from the altar.


    The entire area within thirty meters of the altar glowed with faint blue light and was completely frozen over.


    Apart from the minor flickering of the blue flames at the hole and the movements of the blood-red spiders, everything had been encased in blue ice. Had Han Li and the Bone Sage been slower, they would¡¯ve undoubtedly been frozen as well.


    At that moment, the entire altar was covered in a dome of blue crystal.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but betray his shock upon seeing this astonishing scene and asked, ¡°How are we supposed to get the treasure out of that?¡± Han Li gazed at the marvelous frozen scene without any idea of where to begin.


    The Bone Sage stared at the Celestial Ice Flames with a solemn expression and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I have a way of restraining the Celestial Ice Flames. My Profound Soul Ghost Flames are also cold by nature. Although it is in no way its equal, I will be able to break through the crystal and separate the flames from the cauldron. In that moment, you will take the cauldron out of the hole.¡±


    Although his voice sounded cold, Han Li was able to make out a trace of excitement.


    Han Li was shocked! The Bone Sage took the initiative to deal with the extremely dangerous blue flames and wanted him to extract the cauldron. As this was truly unexpected, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the Bone Sage with an odd expression.


    Han Li absolutely didn¡¯t believe that the old devil was doing this out of kindness. However, this method didn¡¯t seem to have any faults. Could it be that it was more dangerous to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron? Suspicions began to surge through Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Naturally, Han Li would definitely have refused if the Bone Sage proposed that Han Li would deal with the ice flame, and he would acquire the treasure. With that thought, Han Li could only agree.


    He couldn¡¯t shrink back now, so his only option was to move forward with discretion. If anything went amiss while acquiring the cauldron, he would naturally choose to save his own life over acquiring the treasure.


    Having come to this decision, Han Li casually nodded towards the Bone Sage in agreement.


    The Bone Sage responded with a pleased smile. He then glanced at the ice flames several times with an odd expression before his body began to revolve in the air. Ghostly Qi began to spiral around his body, creating a three meter wide dark-green tornado. The air surrounding him became a dense mist that intermittently released faint ghostly wails. The whirlwind then dropped down towards the blue flames.


    A huge rumble erupted as the whirlwind dropped down, igniting into a torrent of flame. The result was a forty meter high pillar of red and white flames revolving around a core of dark-green flame. It completely lacked any warmth and instead gave off an extremely cold impression.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the pillar of fire colliding against the blue frost.


    In that instant, the three colors of light intertwined into one, producing a harsh sound of scraping metal, causing Han Li to frown.


    Han Li soon unfurled his frown as the flame pillar managed to forcibly drill a passage straight towards the center of the blue flame.


    Han Li grew nervous at the sight and quickly linked his consciousness to the Bloodjade Spider. So long as the Bone Sage truly managed to separate the Heavenvoid Cauldron from the Celestial Ice Flames, he would immediately order his Bloodjade Spider to exert its strength.


    Eventually, the Bone Sage¡¯s pillar of fire managed to reach the hole.


    The flickering, glaring blue flames remained dormant for a short moment before finally erupting. In that instant, the pillar of flame transformed into a huge dark-green lotus, wrapping around the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Han Li was shocked at the sight. The first thought that came to his mind was that the Bone Sage had reneged on their agreement and intended to keep the Heavenvoid Cauldron for himself. With that thought, he immediately prepared the five-colored copper band and became vigilant. However, the following scene caused Han Li to become relieved.


    Shortly after, the huge lotus became enveloped in blue flames, becoming something like a shell over the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Han Li¡¯s heart quickly thumped, and his face flushed with excitement. He sighed in awe of the Bone Sage¡¯s marvelous technique and quickly ordered his Bloodjade Spider to exert its strength and lift.


    With a loud cry, the taut web violently trembled as the Bloodjade Spider heaved at the cauldron with all its might, producing an unreal result that was completely unexpected.


    The cauldron they had assumed was immensely heavy flew to Han Li¡¯s side as if it weighted nothing at all.


    Han Li was overjoyed at first, but his mind then grew stern.


    Not daring to be careless, he raised his hands and shot out two mists of light. They suddenly transformed into ropes along the way and wound around the cauldron¡¯s two handles. With a heavy pull, the cauldron fell about ten meters in front of Han Li.


    Han Li was rather stunned at how easy it had been to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    He faintly felt that the reason why the treasure had been so easily acquired was because it had been separated from the Celestial Ice Flame.


    However, those thoughts only lasted for a moment before they were tossed to the back of his mind. Han Li then shook the ropes, having them wrap around the cauldron and slowly drag it closer.


    With a muttered incantation, the ropes quickly faded away and slowly dropped the Heavenvoid Cauldron into his hand.


    This sequence of events went off alarmingly smoothly without even the slightest mishap. Han Li rubbed his finger against the lid of the cauldron, not daring to believe it. The Heavenvoid Cauldron, known to be the number one hidden treasure in the Scattered Star Seas, was now in his grasp!


    Han Li attentively stared at the now fist-sized, miniature cauldron in his hand when a strange thought flickered through his mind, ¡®This cauldron can¡¯t be a fake, right?¡¯


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a howl of mad laughter.


    ¡°Haha! With Celestial Ice Flame, Profound Soul Yin Flame, and Divine Devilbane Lightning fused together, I will be able to cultivate the Sacred Asura Flames from lore! I hadn¡¯t guessed incorrectly. Haha¡­.¡± It was clearly the Bone Sage¡¯s voice but his voice was filled with ecstasy.


    For some unknown reason, Han Li¡¯s heart dropped and his body broke into a chill. He squinted at the small cauldron in his hand and then expressionlessly glanced at the Bone Sage.


    What Han Li saw alarmed him.


    The green lotus had already disappeared. In its place was the Bone Sage with a foot-wide orb of light in his hand.


    At first glance, the sphere of light appeared to be dark-green, but after further inspection, Han Li discovered a blue flame burning at its center. Although an outer layer of dark-green enveloped it, it restlessly flickered from place to place.


    But even more astonishing were the black sparks of lightning that shot from the orb, producing slight rolls of thunder with each appearance.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed. Could it be that this had been the Bone Sage¡¯s plan all along?


    Before Han Li could finish his thoughts and figure out the specifics of what had occurred, the Bone Sage started slowly walking towards Han Li, stopping when he was about thirty meters away.


    His gaze fell onto the Heavenvoid Cauldron that Han Li was tightly grasping. With an odd expression in his eyes, he said, ¡°Very good, it seems nothing went wrong with my plan.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he snorted and vigilantly watched the Bone Sage in silence.


    The Bone Sage smiled and leisurely said, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve figured something out. Although I really want to give you an explanation, my time is quite limited and you¡¯re going to die soon, so I¡¯ll just have to be satisfied with giving you an ignorant death.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. It couldn¡¯t be more clear that the Bone Sage wanted to kill him and take the treasure.


    Disinterested in wasting the time or breath required for any verbal squabbles or nonsensical words, Han Li¡¯s expression sank, and he attempted to seize the initiative.


    He raised his hand, and sent out the copper bands that he had already prepared. With a flash of colorful light, they disappeared without a trace, reappearing only a moment later to restrain the Bone Sage¡¯s neck and limbs!

 Chapter 492

    Divine Devilbane Lightning vs. the Sacred Asura Flame


    ¡°Restrict!¡± Han Li clutched his hands in an incantation gesture and sent an order to the ancient treasure.


    The five copper bands suddenly tightened and firmly locked onto his limbs.


    The Bone Sage revealed pain upon the clasp of the ancient treasures, but a derisive expression soon appeared on his face. ¡°Hehe! The Five Element Bands! Although they¡¯re rather famous ancient magic treasure, they¡¯re entirely useless on anyone possessing mutated spiritual roots, those possessing far greater cultivation than the wielder, or fallen cultivators ¨C like me.¡±


    He then raised his hand without the slightest obstruction and slapped the orb of light in front of him. The orb sparkled and cracked open in a huge burst of fluttering blue flame.


    A long ribbon of blue flame shot out from the orb and lightly swept past the Bone Sage¡¯s limbs and neck, condensing a thick layer of ice on the tightly locked copper bands.


    Afterwards, the Bone Sage¡¯s body underwent a series of inconceivable twists and distortions. With a series of crisp clanks, the frozen copper bands then fell to the ground.


    Han Li¡¯s heart dropped. Without any further thought, he opened his mouth and spat out nine small azure swords. They merged into one huge sword in the air before ruthlessly cleaving towards the Bone Sage.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s face became stern upon seeing this.


    He lifted the orb of light in his hands causing the tear to grow larger, causing it to spurt out a large jet of ice blue flame.


    The jet of flame transformed into a five clawed dragon of translucent ice, whose entire body shined with a cold blue light. It used its two front claws to block the huge azure sword and viciously unleashed a breath of blue flame onto the sword.


    After only a moment, the huge sword¡¯s brilliance greatly dimmed and a thin layer of transparent frost began to form on the sword¡¯s surface, causing the sword¡¯s movements to become sluggish.


    With a roar of thunder, several arcs of golden lightning shot out from the sword, fiercely striking the ice dragon¡¯s body. The dragon was knocked back, freeing the huge sword from its constraint for the time being.


    ¡°You still want to run? Your set of Golden Lightning Bamboo swords shouldn¡¯t have much Divine Devilbane Lightning left. Let¡¯s see just how many more times you can keep it up.¡± The Bone Sage sinisterly grinned and pointed at the ice dragon, causing it to charge at Han Li¡¯s swords once more.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. Although the Bone Sage appeared unworried, Han Li could faintly perceive that the Bone Sage held some fear towards the Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    Following that line of reasoning, Han Li launched a magic seal towards the huge sword. He then pointed at the sword and ordered it to intensely sway into a blur, forming an identical copy of the huge sword. This was the Azure Essence Sword Art¡¯s Swordshadow Phantasm Technique. Both of the swords simultaneously released a dense stream of faint gold lightning. One was aimed at the ice dragon with the other targeting the Bone Sage.


    ¡°Yi!¡± The Bone Sage cried out in amazement.


    The Bone Sage was astonished. Not only did Han Li still have the strength to release such strong bolts of Devilbane Lightning, he was able of creating another huge sword.


    However, this astonishment only lasted for a moment before disappearing. The Bone Sage then calmly slapped the light orb, spouting out another jet of blue flame.


    This time, the ice flames wavered several times and transformed into a triangular shield of ice. The blue mist emitted from the surface of the ice shield blocked the dense bolt of Devilbane Lightning, resulting in a deadlock for a short while.


    Rather than panic, Han Li rejoiced at the sight.


    Although the Devilbane Lightning was unable to restrain the Celestial Ice Flames¡¯ glacial Qi, it was mutual for the flames as well. The victor of the conflict would be the side that contained the most power.


    Having thought that, Han Li patted the storage pouch at his waist. A blood-red cloak appeared on his body. Although he hadn¡¯t yet reached a state of desperation, he thought it was best to be prepared for any contingencies.


    Afterwards, Han Li hurriedly clasped his hands together and his expression became increasingly grave.


    With rolls of thunder, an orb of faint gold lightning appeared at the center of his hands. Tiny arcs of lightning continuously sparked from its surface.


    The orb of lightning was only several inches thick, but Han Li didn¡¯t stopped there. Emitting the hum of electric current, the orb gradually expanded, growing several inches in the blink of an eye.


    The Bone Sage controlled the Celestial Ice Flame and planned to attack the two huge azure swords, but his face paled in complete disbelief when he saw Han Li.


    He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Han Li was still able to produce such a large sphere of lightning. Just how many swords of Golden Lightning Bamboo did he have?


    Apprehension surged through him!


    The only reason he had turned hostile was because he believed he would be able to kill Han Li without much effort, given the profound might of his newly acquired Celestial Ice Flames.


    Although he had had yet to refine the ice flames into Sacred Asura Flames, he was able to barely control it with the use of his Profound Soul Yin Flames along with his own Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    The Bone Sage knew that the Devilbane Lightning was able to block the glacial Qi of the Celestial Ice Flames and that Han Li possessed the ability to use it. But he hadn¡¯t expected that he would be unable to kill Han Li during this time.


    The Bone Sage assessed that Han Li should¡¯ve already spent a majority of his Divine Devilbane Lightning to ward off his earlier ambush during their capture of the Ninecurl Ginseng. As a result, Han Li should of been unable to block his Celestial Ice flames. After all, there wasn¡¯t enough Gold Lightning Bamboo in the world to make that many magic treasures out of it.


    But that was exactly why the Bone Sage felt such disbelief at the quantity of Gold Lightning Bamboo swords that Han Li possessed!


    Divine Devilbane Lightning was something that was sparingly used as it took quite some time to recover. As Han Li shouldn¡¯t have had much Devilbane Lightning in reserve, the Bone Sage took the opportunity to eliminate him!


    Although he felt particularly full of loathing towards his traitorous disciple Zenith Yin, his ambitions soared after he acquired the Celestial Ice Flame. So long as he refined the Sacred Asura Flames, it was possible for him to become the hegemon of the Scattered Star Seas.


    As Devilbane Lightning was the bane of Ghost Dao cultivators such as himself, Han Li, the possessor the Gold Lightning Bamboo swords, became his first target of elimination. And later, with the assistance of Man Huzi, the Bone Sage would be able to easily exterminate Zenith Yin.


    The powerful streams of lightning that Han Li had released from his two swords had already been enough to surprise the Bone Sage. As for the appearance of the large sphere of golden lightning in Han Li¡¯s hands, that had left him dumbfounded.


    This was entirely beyond what he had predicted!


    A mere early Core Formation cultivator actually possessed countless Gold Lightning Bamboo treasures in his body. The Bone Sage felt regret, but even stronger sensations of shock and disbelief.


    Just how many magic treasures of Gold Lightning Bamboo did he actually have? These swirling, inexplicable doubts formed an immense, massive weight upon his heart.


    As the Bone Sage gazed on in astonishment, the sphere of lightning in Han Li¡¯s hands grew to the size of about a meter and now floated a meter above his head. A deafening current of electricity could be heard from it.


    The Bone Sage regained his bearings but his face still remained pale. His previous quantity of Divine Devilbane Lightning was nothing in comparison to this.


    The Bone Sage furiously gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Good! Very good! Although I don¡¯t know how you managed to acquire so many Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasures, you were doomed to become the nemesis of all Ghost Dao cultivators the day they came into your possession. Today, I will have you witness the might of the Ghost Dao¡¯s Sacred Asura Flames!¡±


    It was already too already too late for him to withdraw, so he prepared to combine the three energies to create the legendary Sacred Asura Flames. He hoped the flame would be able to break through Han Li¡¯s Divine Devilbane Lightning in a single strike and still the disturbance in his heart.


    Of course, forcefully creating these sacred flames in such a short period of time was extremely dangerous. The possibility of a backlash could occur at any moment, but the Bone Sage currently had no choice.


    While he had other methods for slowly whittling away at Han Li¡¯s divine methods and the ability to use both his techniques and abilities to avoid it, he didn¡¯t have the time to use them. That would either allow Han Li to escape or cause enough of a delay for the others to return.


    As a result, he could only clench his teeth and revolve his hands around the orb of light. Streaks of all sorts of magic seals continuously flew into it.


    At that moment, the light orb seemed alive. The blue flame at its center started to quickly rotate as the outer shell of Profound Soul Yin Flames and Black Devilbane Lightning revolved in the opposite direction.


    A short moment later, the entire orb released a blinding radiance. In the following moment, countless gray embers of astonishingly cold flame wildly rushed towards Han Li with overwhelming speed.


    After a moment of surprise, Han Li¡¯s face grew stern. Although he hadn¡¯t heard of this Sacred Asura Flame before, he knew it would be no less powerful than the Celestial Ice Flames.


    With a grave expression, Han Li ceased pouring more lightning into the huge sphere and used his fingers to quickly form many incantation gestures as he began to mutter an incantation.


    The golden ball of lightning began to stretch, transforming into a web of lightning around him.


    Soon after, the embers of grey flame ruthlessly struck the gold lightning. In that instant, gold light and white flames intertwined, releasing both rolls of thunder and screeching whistles.

 Chapter 493

    The Bone Sage¡¯s Death


    Han Li¡¯s expression became unsightly.


    The web of lightning around Han Li had stopped the grey flames for the time being, but it appeared as if there was nothing that the flames couldn¡¯t burn. The lightning had already been set aflame, transforming the web of lightning into a cage of grey flame, trapping Han Li within. Now, he couldn¡¯t even escape if he wanted to.


    But what worried Han Li even more was that as the grey flames burned away at the net of golden lightning, he could slowly feel the lightning contained inside his body slowly withering away.


    The decaying nature of the flames gave the Sacred Asure Flames an overwhelming advantage.


    The Bone Sage deeply sighed in relief and smiled. He felt confident that Han Li had no method of breaking free of the prison of grey flame.


    Based on the flame¡¯s legends, the Bone Sage believed that even a Nascent Soul cultivator trapped by it would have to greatly damage their Origin Qi by using a secret technique in order to escape. Once he refined his own asura flame and restored his Nascent Soul to the peak of his cultivation, he was convinced that it would be possible for him to rule over half of the Scattered Star Seas.


    With that thought, the Bone Sage let his imagination run wild. In his eyes, Han Li was already a dead man.


    The situation was growing increasingly dire!


    As the golden net of lightning shrank, it eventually arrived on the verge of collapse. In response, Han Li expressionlessly spread out his palms and shot out dense arcs of golden lightning towards the net.


    The seemingly unending stream of golden lightning from Han Li¡¯s palms merged with the net, causing the withering net to immediately flourish brightly once more. Not only was it restored to its original size, but it also began to astonishingly launch an unending storm of lightning against the surrounding grey flames, pushing back the flames with great momentum.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s eyes widened and he nearly jumped! He now truly understood what it meant for Heaven¡¯s will to overturn man¡¯s.


    The absurd amount of Divine Devilbane Lightning in Han Li¡¯s body was wreaking havoc on the Bone Sage¡¯s nerves.


    Even though the Sacred Asura Flames were an existence a level above the Divine Devilbane Lightning, there was just far too much lightning. It was uncertain which would win!


    The Bone Sage glared at Han Li as if he were looking at a monster.


    Yet again, his mind was plagued by doubts. Just how many Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasures does Han Li have stored in that small body of his? Was it possible that his supply of Devilbane Lightning was endless?


    Just as that thought entered his mind, the Bone Sage fiercely bit down on the tip of his tongue. With sharp pain and the taste of blood, he managed to regain clarity of mind. He lightly shook his head and dismissed such absurd thoughts.


    Endless amounts of Devilbane Lightning? That was obviously impossible. He was merely unsure about the quantity of Han Li¡¯s lightning.


    However, the Bone Sage was convinced that with few a more bursts of lightning, Han Li was certain to run dry. When that happened, he would be able to easily kill Han Li, and take his many Gold Lightning Bamboo magic treasures for himself.


    With that thought, the Bone Sage roused his spirits and fiercely gazed at Han Li with newfound greed, raising his orb of light above his head.


    Earlier, the Bone Sage had only refined less than half of his Celestial Ice Flames into Asura Flames in order to reduce the odds of backlash. But it appeared that this wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill Han Li as he still had Devilbane Lightning in reserve. In order to kill Han Li in one move, he would have to refine all of his remaining Celestial Ice Flames.


    He then nodded his head in approval of his thoughts and formed an incantation gesture once more. The orb of light quickly rotated, glowing once more with dazzling brilliance.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart broke out into a chill.


    It was as the Bone Sage had anticipated. Han Li¡¯s continuous use of the Devilbane Lightning had left it on the verge of being exhausted after having dealt with the Bone Sage¡¯s Celestial Ice and Sacred Asura Flames. Having seen the Bone Sage about to launch another attack with his Sacred Asura Flames, Han Li pondered whether or not his remaining Devilbane Lightning would be enough to break himself free.


    His only option was to break through the cage of flames and flee. After all, no matter how mighty the Sacred Asura Flames were, their power meant nothing if it couldn¡¯t connect.


    With that thought, Han Li came to a decision. He released the remaining Devilbane Lightning in a single, instantaneous burst, shooting out two arm-thick bolts of lightning from his hands into the net.


    The gold net of lightning rapidly swayed with muffled rolls of thunder before exploding in a burst of golden brilliance. Countless arcs of golden lightning pushed back the few remaining grey flames far away.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s body flickered several times and reappeared about ten meters away. During that moment, Han Li was filled with apprehension.


    He feared that if he wasn¡¯t careful, he would make contact with a sliver of grey flame, something that would prove to be absolutely deadly. But now that he had made it past the barrier of Sacred Asura Flames, he used his cloak without the hesitation. With a flash of blood-red light, he started to float off the ground.


    He had already decided to shoot straight towards the stone stairs and have his Cloudswarm Bamboo Swords break through the barrier, allowing him to make a clean escape.


    The Bone Sage guessed what Han Li intended and immediately grew anxious. He immediately surged his magic power into the light orb and quickened its transformation. With a huge rumble, the entire light orb was set alight with grey flame as if it were made completely out of Sacred Asura Flames.


    But strangely, the center of the orb still had a small ball of blue light. It continuously flickered, appearing quite unstable.


    The Bone Sage was initially surprised when he saw this, but he didn¡¯t take it very seriously. As his current magic power wasn¡¯t much, it wasn¡¯t particularly alarming if the transformation was incomplete..


    He was currently focused on Han Li¡¯s imminent escape. Nothing he could say would stop him now.


    The Bone Sage lightly beckoned to the orb of grey flames. The orb of flames lightly trembled several times and started to follow his orders to attack.


    But a sudden transformation had occurred.


    The remnant of blue light inside the orb suddenly flickered several times before it ruptured from the center of the orb. The orb suddenly became uneven and distorted, releasing a faint but shrieking whistle from it.


    The Bone Sage was greatly frightened and hastily attempted to control the orb¡¯s distortions. He had long since forgotten that the Sacred Asura Flames wasn¡¯t something that he had truly refined. He was only able to manipulate it through the aid of external forces.


    Now having encountered the disturbance of its core rupturing, the flame orb was completely unstable and had gone frantically out of control. His meager magic power didn¡¯t have the slightest effect in controlling it!


    As his head was lined with sweat, the flame orb suddenly dissolved into the colors of white, green, and black, and ruptured above the Bone Sage¡¯s head, releasing countless embers of grey flame.


    The Bone Sage¡¯s expression turned bloodlessly pale! He hastily started to turn his body without a thought, forming a vortex of black and green ghost Qi towards the embers in an attempt to restrain them.


    In the following instant, an arrow-like bolt of black lightning shot towards the ruptured orb in an attempt to save the Bone Sage¡¯s life.


    Although the vortex of ghost Qi appeared overbearing, they melted away into nothingness upon touching the embers of grey flame to no effect.


    While the embers did not fall at a fast speed, they were widely spread out over a great distance and drifted from place to place. But he should still be able to run from them, if just barely!


    When Han Li witnessed this reversal, he immediately changed his mind. He made use of the opportunity to shoot out ten streaks of Azure Essence Swordlight from his fingertips and blocked the Bone Sage¡¯s path of escape.


    The Bone Sage inwardly cursed with alarm and fury.


    He was too preoccupied at that moment to dodge! He could only cross his arms in front of him with gritted teeth and emit a thin layer of green Qi before charging forwards.


    Just before a streak of azure light struck him, he shot out a black streak of light from his mouth, his magic treasure ¨C the Gold Lightning Bamboo arrow. After striking the fifth streak of azure light, it was knocked to the side. As for the rest of the sword streaks, the Bone Sage directly received them with his arms.


    Five muffled explosions sounded out.


    The Bone Sage had clearly underestimated the might of Han Li¡¯s Azure Essence Swordlight. Although he managed to repel the first four streaks of azure swordlight, the last strike had broken through his green Qi and struck his true body, pushing him back by several steps.


    In that moment, the Bone Sage¡¯s mind froze in terror! With a faceful of panic, he hastily reached to take something out from his robes. But before that happened, a miniscule, faint ember of grey flame had landed on his shoulder.


    Woosh. Grey flame wildly ignited.


    Without even the slightest scream, the Bone Sage¡¯s body succumbed to the flames, leaving nothing but drifting ash behind.

 Chapter 494

    Celestial Ice Pearl


    Han Li felt his blood run cold and his face trembled upon witnessing the ferocity of the Asura Flames.


    After the grey flames incinerated the Bone Sage, they condensed into a delicate ember and flew off.


    For some unknown reason, the Bone Sage¡¯s death had caused a strange transformation in the Asura Flames. All of the grey embers simultaneously released a thread of dark green Qi along with a spark of black lightning, turning the embers blue in an instant. The embers appeared to have returned to their original form as Celestial Ice Flames.


    Han Li suddenly felt his surroundings compress, as the air filled with blue glacial Qi. The glacial Qi started to cover the ground in thin layer of ice, spreading to the rest of the area within the light barrier.


    Han Li turned pale from fright at the sudden onslaught of cold and wildly poured spiritual power into the White Rhino Emblem. A scorching white light was emitted that repelled the cold Qi, barring it from approaching his body.


    It seemed the Celestial Ice Flame¡¯s true capabilities were only displayed after the Bone Sage had lost control. In only a short moment, the entire surface of the stone platform had been covered in a sheet of frost. Han Li¡¯s barrier of white light barely managed to protect him, but it massively drained his magic power, causing him to bitterly curse.


    Han Li now understood that the Bone Sage¡¯s Celestial Ice Flames were weakened from either his shallow cultivation or a lack of time to refine them. This would explain why he had only been able to use a faction of its true power a moment ago.


    Had the Bone Sage displayed this fearsome power with his Celestial Ice Flames from the start, he would¡¯ve been able to kill Han Li several times over without having any need to refine the Asura Flames. In addition, it is likely that the true power of the Asura Flames hadn¡¯t been displayed either. Its power had probably only reached a tenth of its potential!


    As these domineering thoughts entered his mind, he had nearly deduced the entire truth of the matter. Regardless, he wasn¡¯t about to let himself to foolishly meet his end by the masterless Celestial Ice Flames after having put so much effort into eliminating the Bone Sage.


    At that moment, he grit his teeth and reached for the spirit beast pouch at his waist. He was going to release the Gold Devouring Beetle¡¯s and see whether or not they could increase his odds of survival.


    The still immature Gold Devouring Beetles were certain to be unable to resist the fearsome chill, but Han Li didn¡¯t have many options left to keep his life.


    Han Li¡¯s palm moved and just as he was about to open the spirit beast pouch a sudden change occurred.


    The floating blue embers throughout the room suddenly flickered several times before releasing a clear ringing sound. They seemed to have received some sort of command and started to shoot towards the sky, condensing into a single solid form.


    A short moment later, a shining blue light sphere appeared in the sky. As soon as this fist-sized blue ice pearl had appeared, the fantastical chill within the stone platform instantly disappeared as if it had never been there.


    Having already opened his spirit beast pouch halfway, Han Li was dumbfounded, but he soon found himself overwhelmed with delighted surprise. Regardless of what strange transformations the Celestial Ice Flames underwent, he could now safely make his escape.


    At that moment, the blue ice pearl slowly floated down from the sky and stopped in front of Han Li.


    Han Li looked at the ice pearl with a strange expression. After some contemplation, he reached out his hand and shot a bolt of the remnant lightning at it. After winding around the ice pearl for a moment, the pearl had been restrained and obediently entered the lightning¡¯s control with no further surprises.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn. He didn¡¯t dare to be overly confident, and carefully flicked his wrist, having the golden lightning slowly draw the ice pearl towards him.


    He had the pearl stop about a foot away from him, and looked at it with trepidation. With his hand firmly covered in azure light, he carefully reached out to it.


    Although his hand was still covered in dense true essence, Han Li could feel a slight chill through it. It seemed that after the Celestial Ice Flames had condensed into this pearl, its glacial qi had been completely sealed.


    As such, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief and dispersed the light surrounding his hand. He grabbed the pearl with three fingers and carefully examined it.


    The blue pearl¡¯s exterior was solid blue crystal while its interior consisted of raging flames.


    Han Li hesitated for a moment. This Celestial Ice Pearl was a treasure that had scarcely, if ever, appeared in this world. It could be considered a treasure even more valuable than the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Although he didn¡¯t know how this ice-fire pearl could be refined or used, it was something that he absolutely couldn¡¯t discard. After having witnessed the viciousness of the Azure Sun Devil Fire[1. First and only appearance in chapter 266.] and the Heavenwide Corpse Fire, Han Li found himself desiring a powerful flame of his own. And even better, the Celestial Ice Flame¡¯s power was even greater than the previous flames he had witnessed.


    With this, he would be able to fulfill his long desire of possessing some truly ferocious flames. Although attempting to use and acquire it possessed a certain degree of danger, Han Li was more than willing to brave the risk.


    With that thought, Han Li shot out a spark of gold lightning and wrapped the ice pearl in successive layers of lightning. A short moment later, he held the lightning-clad pearl in his hand while sparks of lightning occasionally arced off the ball. The result set Han Li¡¯s mind at ease.


    If the ice pearl was to rupture once more, the cover of Devilbane Lightning would be able to buy him enough time to wrest control over it. After having just battled against these very flames, he was completely confident that the Divine Devilbane Lightning could restrain them if need be. There would be no fear of any sudden backlash.


    However, he had now truly exhausted the reserve of Devilbane Lightning inside his body. Not even a spark remained.


    However, Han Li couldn¡¯t bring himself to care as he put the pearl inside a square jade box and properly placed it away.


    At that moment, Han Li finally had the chance to take a breath and make a quick flight to the altar. He placed his over exhausted Bloodjade Spider into his spirit beast pouch. As for the refined spider corpse, it had long stopped moving.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but stop when he arrived at where the Bone Sage perished. With an astonished expression, he waved his hand. An item that faintly shone with white light flew into his hand from within the ashes.


    It turned out to be a flawless white gem that was several inches long. After sizing it up for a moment, he recognized it to be the Bone Sage¡¯s rib bone.


    Han Li was quite amazed to find that it had been completely unharmed by the Sacred Asura Flames.


    When he had first seen it inside the Bone Sage¡¯s prison, the rib bone had contained the map of Heavenvoid Hall.


    ¡®Could it be that the rib bone holds other items as well?¡¯ After some further thought, Han Li placed it into his storage pouch. Now was not the time to examine his spoils as his escape and survival were the far more urgent matters at hand.


    Just as Han Li flew towards the steps, he unexpectedly found a dormant emerald-green arrow on the ground.


    Han Li frowned and waved his hand, sweeping the treasure into his grasp with a streak of azure light.


    After a casual inspection, Han Li placed the arrow into his bag, but a strange ringing then unexpectedly sounded out from within his spirit beast pouch.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, and he couldn¡¯t help but be his surprised.


    After frowning with some deliberation, he suddenly slapped his storage pouch. A streak of light circled around him before revealing itself to be the soul devouring Weeping Soul Beast.


    Han Li opened his mouth and spat out the grey pearl used to control it, the Weeping Soul Pearl.


    Han Li had found the circumstances from when Yuan Yao handed this beast over to him to be quite strange. As a result, he hadn¡¯t refined the control pearl. However, it was still an easy matter to erase her lingering spiritual sense from the pearl and exert control over the Weeping Soul Beast.


    As he held onto the Weeping Soul Pearl, he stared at the small emerald-green arrow and suddenly opened his mouth. An azure ball of core flame enveloped the arrow and started to slowly refine it.


    At first the arrow didn¡¯t reveal the slightest reaction as if it were truly dead.


    A cold glint then flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes. After licking his lips, he threw the arrow into the air and gave the Weeping Soul Beast a command. The beast suddenly snorted and shot out a yellow mist, enveloping the small arrow.


    The small arrow had originally stayed still, but upon seeing the yellow mist, it flashed with green light several times, enveloping itself in a streak of green radiance accompanied by a sharp whistle. The arrow then shot directly towards the stone stairs as if it were terrified by the yellow mist.

 Chapter 495

    Mysterious Scroll Painting


    Han Li had already been prepared for the arrow to attempt to escape. Within the arrow¡¯s first few meters of flight, Han Li shot out an azure swordstreak that intercepted it, causing it to tumble.


    In that opening, the Weeping Soul Beast wrapped the small arrow in a yellow radiance, causing the magic treasure to incessantly flash. The arrow dashed back and forth within the cage of light as if wanting to escape, but the yellow light appeared immensely more powerful than it. No matter how much the arrow struggled, it was unable to escape. This was to be expected of the beast that was known to be the bane of all ghosts.


    As the small arrow¡¯s resistance grew weaker, yellow threads shot out from the cage of light and tightly bound the small arrow in an instant. The yellow threads then grew taut and dragged out a ball of green light from within the small arrow.


    The green light was ensnared by many yellow threads and incessantly transformed into all sorts of animals and insects as well as fluctuating in size in its attempt to break free. Despite its efforts, it was unable to escape from the yellow threads and was gradually drawn closer and closer to the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s nose.


    At that moment, the green light grew panicked and transformed into the face of an old man. The light loudly pleaded towards Han Li, ¡°Young Friend Han, I beg you to let me go. So long as you spare my life, I will willingly serve you for the rest of my life. The number of strange and secret techniques I know are countless, and I am willing to give you all of them! Moreover, doesn¡¯t Young Friend Han wish to learn the entirety of the Profound Yin Arts? I didn¡¯t even teach the last few layers to my traitorous disciple Zenith Yin. Doesn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Han also wish to know about the wonders of Profound Soul Demonification? Although my own estate had been seized by Zenith Yin, I still have many secret cave dwellings, each containing their own hidden treasures. This old servant is willing to fully devote himself to you¡­¡±


    The more the ghostly face spoke, the quicker the words came out and the more panicked it appeared. He even took the initiative to offer to become a servant because at that moment, he was only about a foot away from the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s nose.


    If he were to truly be absorbed by the beast, even if his soul were more tenacious, he would never be able to escape.


    Despite having a will far more staunch and unwavering than others, Han Li¡¯s heart thumped upon hearing the Bone Sage¡¯s offers, and his face revealed a trace of hesitation.


    Perhaps due to having seen Han Li¡¯s hesitation, the ghost revealed his greatest trump card with a low roar, ¡°Even if Fellow Daoist Han doesn¡¯t want those things, don¡¯t you want to know the weaknesses of Zenith Yin¡¯s cultivation arts? And how about removing the tracing mark he placed on your body?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered several times and his expression continuously shifted. He sighed and lightly waved his hand, causing the radiance encasing the Bone Sage to grow still, preventing him from continuing towards the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s nose.


    The thread-bound ghost rejoiced and sighed with relief, ¡°Young Friend Han, you are truly wise! By sparing this old man¡­¡± The ghost face forced a smile and intended to ingratiate himself to Han Li.


    But when the Bone Sage was about to continue, the Weeping Soul Beast snorted and resumed sucking in the Bone Sage. With his guard now down, he was sucked in without the slightest resistance.


    At that moment, Han Li wore a cold sneer.


    The Weeping Soul Beast burped as if it was quite satisfied with his meal and clumsily patted its stomach.


    With a faint smile, Han Li shook the Weeping Soul Pearl in his hand and returned the beast to his storage pouch.


    Han Li walked forward with the small green arrow now in his grasp. As he gazed at it, he muttered, ¡°You want to be my servant? How could I possibly choose to act against my own interests?! You lived for over a thousand years! It would already be baseless flattery to say that I could possibly stand to outscheme you. Killing you now will save me quite a bit trouble. Who knows when you would betray me.¡±


    Even now, Han Li was unable to understand whether the ghost had been the Bone Sage¡¯s true soul or a soul shard that he had split off earlier! Han Li wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Ghost Daoists had such soul splitting techniques.


    After Han Li picked up the Five Element Bands that were lying nearby, and lingered for a moment. The ghost face had reminded him of the marker that Zenith Yin had placed on him. If he didn¡¯t figure out how to remove it, he might be detected immediately after he left the barrier.


    Han Li had already examined himself several times with his spiritual sense, but hadn¡¯t been able to find the slightest trace. However, Han Li still had another way to look for any markings. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have so rashly exterminated the ghost.


    Han Li released several thousand Gold Devouring Beetles into the air and had them crawl all over his body.


    After a short moment, a few of the Gold Devouring Beetles on his lower leg released a peculiar shriek.


    Han Li rejoiced and issued the command. The Gold Devouring Beetles on his leg became restless for a moment, before they all returned to his spirit beast pouch. Han Li then flew towards the stone steps without further delay.


    He felt that he had tarried for far too long and was on edge with fear.


    He traveled the hundred meters down the stairs in the blink of an eye. Han Li then opened his mouth and spat out a streak of blue light, cleaving open a three meter hole in the light barrier with his Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. He then shot out of the hole in a streak of light.


    According to his calculations, his best bet would be to stealthily return to the first or second floor and enter one of the doors. Afterwards, he would break the restrictions on the secret room and return to Heavenvoid Hall. As for the rooms on the other floors, they were far too dangerous for him.


    Han Li shot along the path he remembered in complete silence. On his way back, the restrictions and puppets had all been long since eliminated. Apart from being careful about avoiding the old devils, he didn¡¯t have any other worries, and flew as boldly as he could.


    Because Han Li could see the path ahead with his spiritual sense, he took out the shabby scroll he had acquired from the hollow wall and decided to use the time to read it.


    ¡°Yi!¡±


    After taking several quick glances at it, he couldn¡¯t help but yell in shock and slow down, despite having planned to rush through the passageway. The scroll didn¡¯t appear exceptional and didn¡¯t contain the slightest spiritual power. Rather, the scroll contained a rather crude and simple drawing, depicting a vague map.


    After Han Li studied it several times, he immediately recognized it to be a map of the fifth floor of the Inner Halls.


    Needless to say, there was a drawing of a stone platform along with a cauldron that had two handles and three legs at the very top. This was clearly a picture of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. There was also a crossed marking in front of it that was certain to be indicating a secret room!.


    But what shocked Han Li the most were the passageways that were traced with bright red ink, standing out from the rest of the black ink map. The route led to a picture of a high wall with a transportation formation behind it.


    According to Han Li¡¯s original plan, he would return to the first or second floor and pray that he wouldn¡¯t encounter any of the old devils along the way. If this map was accurate, then couldn¡¯t he just use the transportation formation it showed to leave this place? Even if it didn¡¯t take him outside of the Heavenvoid Hall, it would almost certainly be much safer than foolishly forcing his way through the fifth floor.


    Han Li was more specifically tempted by how close he already was to the marked path. He was only an intersection away from entering the red lined path.


    However, his sole worry was whether or not he would encounter any restrictions or puppets along the way. He had no worries towards the validity of the map. How could it possibly be fake? Not only was it hidden behind a hollow wall, but it seemed to be as old as the Heavenvoid Hall itself. Who would spend so much effort just to play a joke?


    After extended period of indecision, Han Li arrived at the intersection. He continuously glanced around as he was still unsure of what path to take.


    ¡®Whatever! If I come across any dangers, at worst, I¡¯ll just return to the previous path. According to the map, the route isn¡¯t very long. As such, it should prove much safer than returning to the previous floor.¡¯ Moreover, he didn¡¯t believe that the map would mark out a route for escape that would include many dangers along its path.


    With that thought, Han Li spread out his arms. Many lights flashed around him to reveal a crowd of huge ape puppets. Under his command, they immediately set forth down the passage as he closely followed after them with a solemn expression.

 Chapter 496

    A Gorgeous Woman and a Spirit Well


    Much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, the path revealed by the map he found hidden within a wall had been peaceful. He didn¡¯t encounter any restrictions or puppets guards as he followed the map and eventually arrived at the tall wall without any trouble.


    After looking at this common stone wall, Han Li unfolded the aged scroll and carefully examined it once more.


    ¡°This is the place.¡± Han Li muttered to himself with certainty. He emitted streaks of azure swordlight from the fingers of one of his hands and directly walked towards the stone wall.


    Han Li rejoiced upon seeing there were no restrictions on the wall, and as he had hoped, the wall was hollow. He used his fingers to cut open a three-meter-wide circle with great ease, and gently pushed it with his other hand, revealing a large hole with a dark interior.


    The swordlight on his fingers disappeared with a shake of his hand. He then summoned a ball of white light in his palm and had it slowly enter the room.


    Without any further hesitation, he nimbly leapt in after it.


    The hidden room was only about six meters tall and about fifteen meters wide. Although the entire room was covered by a thick layer of dust, there was also a very crude transportation formation at the center of the room.


    The transportation formation was drawn with crooked lines, and its talisman markings were as crudely drawn as if it were a poor imitation of a formation by an unskilled layman.


    Han Li wrinkled his brow. Could it be that the formation was incapable of being used or that it had been long since discarded? He took a step forward and inspected the formation using his own knowledge on spell formations. After a short while, he let out a long sigh.


    Although the formation spell was crude, it could still be used. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t seem to be a long distance transportation formation. It would likely take him to a place that should seem at least somewhat familiar.


    Han Li took out several spirit stones and quickly placed them on the four sides of the formation. After a series of hums, the spell formation shined with faint light. Han Li smiled at the sight. Instead of hastily using the formation, he turned his head to look at the hole in the wall and pondered for a moment.


    He approached the wall and cast several minor restoration magic techniques, returning the fallen stone to the open wall. In the blink of an eye, the wall had returned to its original appearance. Han Li dusted off his hands and walked into the spell formation before disappearing in a flash of white light.


    A moment later, Han Li reappeared in a thin mist. The mist was warm and carried a floral scent.


    About three meters ahead of him, there was a milky white pond that spanned over thirty meters. The pond seemed to be the source of the white mist and fragrant odor.


    What stunned him wasn¡¯t that, but the naked woman that was crouched at the pond. She seemed to have been enjoying the water.


    The amazing sight of her lustrous, flawless body and her long, shiny black hair caused Han Li to unconsciously swallow, putting his mind into a daze. But when he saw her incredulous expression, Han Li bitterly smiled.


    After bluntly taking a long look at the woman¡¯s body with a strange expression, he spoke without the slightest hint of sincerity, ¡°Lady Yuan, what a coincidence! You¡¯ve also arrived here. However, it seems I¡¯ve appeared at an unsuitable time.


    The naked woman in the pond was actually the beauty Yuan Yao that had disappeared into the Inner Halls.


    At that moment, Yuan Yao was in shock at Han Li¡¯s sudden appearance. When she heard him speak, she suddenly awoke and her face flushed red.


    She hastily used her hands to cover her ample figure and flusteredly yelled, ¡°How did you get here! The transportation formation shouldn¡¯t be in any condition to be used. You¡­. quickly! Turn around!¡± Yuan Yao appeared to be both startled and embarrassed.


    After chuckling, Han Li didn¡¯t reply and casually walked back to the transportation formation and examined his surroundings.


    It was a stone room that spanned over a hundred meters and had a stone gate at either end. Alongside the pond across from Han Li, black clothes and several storage pouches lay in a pile at its shore.


    When Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto the back wall, he spotted a white jade sculpture of a dragon head mounted ten meters up on the wall. About a meter below the sculpture there was a recess that shined with green light coming from a jade bottle with a long neck. It appeared to contain something valuable.


    When Yuan Yao saw that Han Li spotted that jade bottle, she had forgotten about her embarrassment and revealed shock. However, Han Li turned a blind eye to the bottle and immediately turned his gaze. He instead walked towards the edge of the pond and lowered his head to look at the milky white water. Yuan Yao inwardly sighed and her expression returned to normal. However, her beautiful eyes glinted with a strange light as if she had thought of something.


    At that moment, Han Li suddenly thought of something and swept his hand across the surface of the pond. Han Li easily cupped some of the water into his hand and brought it towards his eye.


    The pond water was extreme fragrant and was filled with pure Heaven-Earth Qi. But after a short moment, he saw the fragrant Qi disappear from the water, turning back into regular water.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. Han Li tossed the water away in his hand and said, ¡°A spirit well spring! I truly didn¡¯t expect for the master of Heavenvoid Hall to have placed such a large spirit well here. Could it be that Lady Yuan Yao had braved such great danger for that reason?¡± He then calmly turned his gaze towards her.


    At that moment, Yuan Yao had recovered her calm, but when she saw Han Li sweep his gaze past her bare shoulders, she couldn¡¯t help but lower her body and angrily reply, ¡°Humph! Is that how Fellow Daoist Han speaks to a woman? Could it be that you still haven¡¯t seen enough of my naked body?¡±


    Even with her beautiful face warped by anger, she still appeared quite graceful.


    She was truly the most outstanding beauty of a generation! As Han Li¡¯s gaze focused on the woman¡¯s appearance, his heart was set alight.


    Although he had managed to keep his mind clear and free of desires, he was still a man. Despite being uninterested in forcing any disgraceful and unbecoming acts, he couldn¡¯t help but feast his eyes on the beautiful scene before him, and found himself wanting to make fun of her words.


    As Han Li sat at the edge of the water, he took off his boots and boldly stepped into the water. He leisurely teased, ¡°If Lady Yuan wishes to wear clothes, please don¡¯t hesitate! I won¡¯t stop you in the slightest. However, if there is an opportunity to see such an amazing beauty, please don¡¯t expect me to act as a cultured gentleman. As such, I will be taking a look.¡± With that said, Han Li smilingly stared at the blushing woman with chin in hand.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yuan Yao¡¯s face was scarlet. She thought to say something, but with a roll of her eyes, her beautiful face immediately returned to normal. With a charming smile, she chuckled and said, ¡°Hehe, I had believed Fellow Daoist to be an uncultured brute without any understanding towards the fairer sex! I hadn¡¯t expected Fellow Daoist Han to understand such charms. As a great kindness, I will allow you to enjoy the sight of this young woman¡¯s body for a moment. However, the sight of a naked body can¡¯t be considered much to us cultivators. Therefore, I will be coming out to put on some clothes.¡±


    With that said, she shyly raised her hand from the water and lightly brushed her hair. She then seductively smiled at Han Li, revealing an amorous allure from her flawless beauty.


    Han Li¡¯s mind grew blank as if he had been captivated by her.


    In that instant, Yuan Yao gracefully struck the water, causing a curtain of white mist to emerge in front of her, blocking her entirely from Han Li¡¯s sight.


    She took that opportunity to fly out of the water and shoot straight towards her clothes and items. A cloud of black Qi then emerged from her body, blocking her once more from sight. Once the black Qi disappeared, Yuan Yao was revealed to be fully dressed as she gently floated to the ground.


    At some unknown time, the long jade bottle from underneath the statue had disappeared.

 Chapter 497

    Myriad Year Spirit Milk and Soul Nurturing Tree


    The screen of white mist thinned and Han Li looked at the woman with restored calm.


    Han Li muttered, ¡°It is truly a pity that I can no longer enjoy such a view.¡±


    When Yuan Yao heard this, she blushed before delicately chuckling, ¡°Didn¡¯t Brother Han go to the fifth floor with those masters? How did you arrive here?¡± After she said that, she caressed her wet hair and it dried in an instant with a flicker of white light. A few strands of dark hair fell in front of her face, a stark contrast against her snow-white skin that served to illuminate her beauty.


    Han Li enjoyed the sight as this woman was among the greatest beauties he had ever seen. Each and every one of her movements were enough to ensnare any man.


    After taking several glances at her graceful appearance, he calmly said, ¡°I merely triggered a restriction and ended up teleporting here. I wish to ask for guidance from Lady Yuan. What is this place?¡±


    ¡°Triggered a restriction?¡± Yuan Yao¡¯s eyes shifted and she wore a mysterious smile. It was clear she didn¡¯t believe Han Li, but Han Li paid her doubt no mind. He merely chuckled and indifferently stared at her in silence.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s face slightly reddened. This pest Han Li was truly giving her a headache, as she was keenly aware of her inability to deal with him. Not only had she witnessed the fearsomeness of Han Li¡¯s insects, but even the charming techniques of an expert such as herself had little effect against him.


    She furrowed her slender brow and could only helplessly respond, ¡°This is a secret room on the second floor. You came out of such a shabby transportation formation? Had I known this were possible, I would¡¯ve smashed it to pieces and prevented myself from having to deal with you.¡± With that said, Yuan Yao glared at Han Li with obvious annoyance. It appeared she still felt aggrieved at having her naked body seen.


    Han Li remained completely unperturbed as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. Instead, he lazily stretched his back and emerged from the water before putting his shoes back on. In the short time he had spent in the water, he had restored a portion of his magic power. Although he wished to spend more time there, he felt it would be in his best interest to leave Heavenvoid Hall as soon as possible.


    As a result, Han Li no longer paid any attention to Yuan Yao and walked towards the south exit of the room.


    When he arrived at the exit, he saw a mess. There was large stone room with a completely fragmented puppet lying on the ground, surrounded by holes. It was clear that Yuan Yao had fought a bitter battle here.


    There was a gate on the other side of the room. A familiar white light sparkled from it, appearing to be exactly the same as the other gates from the Inner Halls.


    Han Li hesitated for a moment before walking towards it. After looking at it for a moment, he took out his Heavenvoid map fragment and poured spiritual power into it before slapping it onto the door. As a result, the door flickered with white light, but did nothing else.


    Han Li sighed. As expected, using the map fragment to leave wasn¡¯t possible. He wondered whether or not he possessed the skill to break open the restriction. As he was unable to come up with a solution, he started heading towards the north exit.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s gaze fell upon Han Li. After a moment of thought, she coldly said, ¡°What are you doing? That gate has a formidable formation spell. It isn¡¯t something that an ordinary cultivator can destroy. Could it be you wish to break it and seize the treasure within?¡±


    Just as Han Li arrived at the other exit, without turning his head, he asked, ¡°I wish to leave Heavenvoid Hall! Does Fellow Daoist Yuan have a better method?¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s eyes brightly flickered in thought before a peculiar expression appeared on her face. ¡°None! However, this young woman fancies the treasure here. Would Fellow Daoist Han be interested in going treasure hunting with me?¡±


    As he stared at the colorful mist surrounding the exit, he bluntly said, ¡°Hunt treasure? It seems Fellow Daoist Yuan has already spent some time here. If you are truly able to break through the restrictions here, then wouldn¡¯t you have done so earlier?¡±


    Yuan Yao blushed, but her expression soon grew serious as she adopted a stubborn attitude, ¡°I¡¯ve already spent the day researching it. In about four days, I will be certain to break through the formation!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he turned around with astonishment and looked at the woman with narrowed eyes.


    Yuan Yao felt restless. After some time, she eventually conceded, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll admit that if I were to attempt to break the formation spell alone, it is possible that the Heavenvoid Hall would close before I succeeded. However, if Fellow Daoist Han were to aid me, it would take far less time.¡±


    Han Li silently stood in place without a change of expression and waited for her to continue, confident that the beauty still had more to say.


    As Yuan Yao stared at Han Li, she slowly said, ¡°However, before the formation is broken, this young woman would like to reach an agreement with you.¡±


    ¡°What agreement? Tell me.¡± Han Li crossed his arms and attentively gazed at her.


    ¡°So long as Brother Han is willing to renounce the treasure inside, I will be willing to compensate you!¡±


    ¡°Compensate?¡± Han Li remained expressionless as he continued to watch her.


    Yuan Yao revealed hesitation. After lowering her head and muttering to herself for a moment, she raised her head with a resolute expression. She solemnly said, ¡°I am willing to hand over a bit of Myriad Year Spirit Milk as compensation. What does Brother Han think?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. ¡°Myriad Year Spirit Milk? Legend says that only a small mouthful would be able to restore one¡¯s magic power in an instant. It is said that even ten thousand spirit stones cannot buy even a single drop of it. That spirit milk?¡±


    Yuan Yao stared at Han Li with bright eyes and slowly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Since I trust you, I¡¯ve taken the risk to tell you. There is no way that Brother Han would kill this young lady over treasure, yes?¡±


    After traveling together with Han Li through the ghost mist and the Paths of Fire and Ice, Yuan Yao recognized that while Han Li wasn¡¯t an upright gentleman, neither was he a ruthless and vicious wretch. Of course, if she possessed any other treasures that could entice Han Li, she would have mentioned them instead.


    Although she thought it wasn¡¯t likely for Han Li to attack her, her hands still casually fell to the storage pouches at her waist. Although she knew she wasn¡¯t Han Li¡¯s match, she still had a few mighty life-saving treasures that could protect her against any foul intentions Han Li might have. This was precisely why she had dared to mention the spirit milk in the first place.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and remained silent. Then, he turned his head towards the dragon head statue with a contemplative expression.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s tone turned soft as she said, ¡°It seems Brother Han has figured it out. My Myriad Year Spirit Milk was something that had been accumulated in the spirit spring for over ten thousand years. But with this, Fellow Daoist Han should know that I am not deceiving him!¡±


    Han Li calmly nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s right. With such a large spirit spring being so cleverly hidden, it¡¯s reasonable that a bit of spirit milk was produced.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s expression blossomed and her eyes brightly shined. ¡°So what does Fellow Daoist Han think?¡±


    Han Li looked at Yuan Yao with a chilling, ice-cold gaze and asked, ¡°Could Young Lady Yuan tell me what treasure is concealed within? Since Fellow Daoist Yuan is so willing to pay me such an exorbitant price, then the treasure must be worth even more.¡±


    When Yuan Yao saw Han Li¡¯s expression, for some unknown reason, she felt a chill run down her spine and she began to panic.


    ¡°Brother Han is quite funny! This is the first time this young woman has been here, so how could I know what lies inside? Brother Han is quite suspicious! ¡­ Fine, fine! I¡¯ll tell the truth. I know what the treasure inside is. Although its worth is about equivalent to the Myriad Year Spirit Milk, it is far more important to me. That is why I was willing to give the spirit milk to you. The treasure is an unrefined Soul Nurturing Tree!¡± Yuan Yao had initially attempted to play it off as a joke, but when she saw Han Li¡¯s gaze grow colder, she hastily revealed the truth. For some unknown reason, she felt trepidation and fear at the thought of their relations turning hostile.


    Han Li was stunned for quite some time before asking in amazement, ¡°One of the three divine woods, capable of being worn on the body and nourishing the primal spirit to slowly strengthen one¡¯s spiritual sense?¡±


    After some thought, her expression sank and she softly said, ¡°That¡¯s the one. However, I am not interested in the soul nurturing effects, but rather its ability to preserve and house one¡¯s soul, preventing their spiritual sense from scattering.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Nurturing Wood and Myriad Year Spirit Milk!¡± Han Li stared at the ceiling as he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 498

    Distinguishing the Truth


    Han Li turned towards Yuan Yao and leisurely said, ¡°So that¡¯s why there was a spirit spring placed here. It was to nourish the tree. I do desire the Myriad Year Spirit Milk, but the Soul Nourishing Tree is also quite interesting.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao¡¯s expression instantly became ice-cold.


    ¡°Relax. Having so many years of rich nourishment, the tree can¡¯t be small. And I only want a portion of its roots. I won¡¯t fight over the trunk, the most important part of the tree.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s expression softened, but her eyes contained a trace of doubt, ¡°You only want the roots?¡±


    Han Li said with a blank expression, ¡°Naturally, I also want the Myriad Year Spirit Milk that you offered to me earlier as well.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s eyes slightly shifted as she made her own conclusions about Han Li¡¯s intentions. She sweetly chuckled, ¡°Hehe! Brother Han is quite shrewd. The Soul Nourishing Tree¡¯s roots will certainly fetch a high price from many sects. Regardless, I will agree to those terms.¡±


    Even with this, she was still relieved.


    Han Li smiled and offered no further explanation.


    Yuan Yao chuckled, ¡°Let us start on breaking through the formation. I¡¯ll give Fellow Daoist Han an explanation of what I¡¯ve learned about the formation spell.¡± It seemed as though she was in even more of a hurry than Han Li.


    ¡°Before we start, I must ask whether or not Lady Yuan plans on taking the spirit spring.¡± Han Li pointed to the pond with a mysterious smile.


    Yuan Yao coquettishly said, ¡°Is Brother Han joking? This spirit spring has been bonded with the entire Inner Halls by the Master of Heavenvoid Hall using profound restrictions. Had I possessed the ability to take it, I would¡¯ve directly aimed for the Heavenvoid Cauldron instead of hiding down here.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he appeared slightly disappointed, but after some thought, he broke out into laughter.


    It seems he had become far too greedy. Upon spotting a treasure, he thought to immediately acquire it. This was not a good omen. If this were to continue, he would likely meet his death as a result of greed.


    With that thought, Han Li steadied his mind before continuing with a solemn voice, ¡°Fellow Daoist Yuan should hand over the spirit milk first before we start talking about the formation spell. With our combined efforts, we¡¯ll be able to break through the formation in no more than two days.


    When Yuan Yao heard this, her sweet smile was replaced with a ghastly expression.


    ¡­


    Two days later about twenty kilometers away from Heavenvoid Hall, a man and woman emerged from a flash of white light above the sea.


    The man appeared quite ordinary. Apart from his clear eyes, there was nothing exceptional about his appearance. As for the woman, she was as dainty as a flower, and her bright, lively eyes suggested that her grace was limitless. When the two emerged, they vigilantly examined their surroundings. Upon seeing that there were no other cultivators nearby, they both let out a sigh of relief.


    The pair were Han Li and Yuan Yao, who had broken through the formation of the secret room.


    Yuan Yao gazed in the the direction of Heavenvoid Hall with an odd expression, ¡°It seems the others are still trapped in Heavenvoid Hall. They won¡¯t be coming out for some time.¡±


    ¡°Would those Nascent Soul Eccentrics do the same as us and seize treasure to escape the halls?¡± Han Li hadn¡¯t relaxed his guard and frowned.


    Yuan Yao casually brushed her hair and softly said, ¡°Be at ease, after acquiring the treasure, one will be teleported to a random location, it can be anywhere from next to Heavenvoid Hall to several hundred kilometers away. It is impossible for anyone to be monitoring such an expansive area.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Han Li nodded his head with peace of mind.


    Yuan Yao blinked at him and she probingly asked, ¡°What? Could it be that Brother Han has offended those Nascent Soul eccentrics? If that¡¯s the case, then you had best be careful.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Yuan need not worry herself about me. As I have matters I must attend to, I will be taking my leave first.¡± Han Li expressionlessly cupped his hands to Yuan Yao and shot across the sky as a streak of azure light. He displayed neither reluctance to leave nor any desire to hear her response.


    When Yuan Yao saw Han Li abruptly fly off, she was flabbergasted. After a long while, she eventually shook her head. She then extended her hand and summoned a foot-long block of wood with a flash of black light.


    The wood was rough and scorched, appearing ugly by all means. But when Yuan Yao looked at it, she revealed sadness.


    ¡°Big Sister Yan, please wait just a few more days. I will find someone to refine this wood into a Soulkeeper Box and help you escape having your soul refined.¡± After she softly said this, she donned her hood, concealing her astonishing beauty, and transformed into a cloud of Black Qi before flying off in another direction.


    In the blink of an eye, the sea became calm once more.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, several people solemnly stood on the platform of the fifth floor of Heavenvoid Hall with unsightly expressions. They were the six Nascent Soul cultivators who had apparently come to some sort of agreement, as Man Huzi was standing there without being attacked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already searched every corner of the third, fourth and fifth floors. Even after breaking through countless restrictions and puppets, we¡¯ve yet to find any sign of them. Zenith Yin, two of the three have a deep relationship with you. Did you not instruct them to seize the treasure and escape?¡± Wan Tianming spoke with an ashen expression.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s cheek twitched and his face grimaced. ¡°Humph! Sect Master Wan, you¡¯ve already asked that several times and my reply is still that my grandson has met his end. As I personally used a secret technique to search for him, I cannot be mistaken. Were it not for the obstruction of the Tailstar Formation, I would¡¯ve felt the instant my grandson perished and would¡¯ve prevented those other two youngsters from running off with the treasure.¡±


    Zenith Yin stared at Man Huzi and gloomily said, ¡°With that said, I personally believe Man Huzi to be the most suspicious. Why did Man Huzi draw us away for enough time for the Heavenvoid Cauldron to be seized? Man Huzi is also unwilling to reveal the history behind that junior of his. Could it be that you colluded with that youngster beforehand?¡±


    Man Huzi glared back at him and bluntly mocked him, ¡°Ridiculous, what do I have to reveal to you? What do I have to do with that youngster running off with the Heavenvoid Cauldron? I was busy escaping from everyone, but that isn¡¯t enough evidence to say that I helped him. Rather, you claim that Wu Chou is dead; who¡¯s to say that¡¯s true? Perhaps you are actually filled to the brim with happiness.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zenith Yin was seething with anger. His beloved grandson had died, and now he was being made out to be a scapegoat. He wasn¡¯t about to take this silently. But when he was about to engage in a furious argument, Qing Yi interrupted him in an attempt to alleviate tensions.


    ¡°Brother Man and Brother Wu have no reason to dispute. The ones who took the treasure were amongst those three. As for who it was, what do we care? That¡¯s secondary. What is most important is that we find them, regardless of if they are alive of dead. As of now, we¡¯ve already setup a formation at the entrance to the the third floor, preventing them from escaping. Breaking into any of the secret rooms above the second floor is an impossibility for them. As they are all only early Core Formation cultivators, even if the three of them joined hands, they would be incapable of progressing through a room on the third floor or higher. Unless of course, they¡¯ve lost their heads and decided to commit suicide in the attempt.¡±


    ¡°However, we¡¯ve searched the entirety of floors three through five without finding even a trace.¡± Wan Tianming coldly said with a suspicious expression.


    It wasn¡¯t just him; all three of the Righteous Dao cultivators were skeptical.


    They had held voice transmission conversations several times already and believed the most likely explanation to be that the three Devil Dao eccentrics were playing an elaborate ruse. They had deliberately drawn them away and allowed their juniors to seize the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Thus, while the three felt great remorse, they also vigilantly watched the actions of the Devil Dao cultivators, completely unwilling to allow the Devil Dao cultivators to leave their sights.


    The Devil Dao cultivators naturally understood the intentions of Wan Tianming¡¯s party. However, they were also burning with impatience, but could nothing. All they wanted to do was quickly find Han Li and the others so they could take the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    As the Nascent Soul cultivators were bitterly feuding in the Inner Halls, the Core Formation cultivators had already taken advantage of the chaos to escape with the treasure. If this news were to spread, they would become laughingstocks! Furthermore, how could they allow the Heavenvoid Caudron to fall into the hands of Han Li and the others?


    Man Huzi was also at a loss as the Bone Sage wasn¡¯t acting in accordance with their earlier agreement. Could it be that he truly had fled with the cauldron? Were it a common Core Formation cultivator, it¡¯d be impossible for them to break through the restrictions of a third floor secret room. However, if were the renegade Ghost Dao cultivator, the Bone Sage, it would be possible.


    Although suspicions began to spring into his mind, Man Huzi didn¡¯t betray any of this in the slightest. But because he felt the need to muddy the waters to distance himself from this matter, he said with a cold tone, ¡°Do you think it could be that the Star Palace elders still haven¡¯t left and had actually remained hidden nearby? When they saw us run out, they could¡¯ve taken the chance to slay the three Core Formation cultivators and acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron.¡±


    When they heard Man Huzi, they each looked at one another in dismay and then displayed pensive expressions.

 Chapter 499

    Wolf Artifact Spirit


    As Han Li continued to fly far away from Yuan Yao, he felt an impatient urge to take out the Heavenvoid Cauldron and examine the contents. Shortly after giving in to this urge, Han Li felt like spitting blood. No matter what methods he used, the cauldron lid wouldn¡¯t open in the slightest.


    Regardless of whether he wildly poured magic power into the cauldron, or struck the cauldron with his magic treasure out of frustration, the only response would be a flicker of blue light.


    Han Li eventually managed to momentarily calm down and consider his situation. Apart from being able to shrink and enlarge the Heavenvoid Cauldron at will, there wasn¡¯t anything he could do with it.


    Having determined this, Han Li vented his frustrations in the barren seas for a long while. The target of his groundless insults was naturally the Master of Heavenvoid Hall.


    It was clear that the Master of Heavenvoid Hall was a strange individual. It wasn¡¯t that a Nascent Soul cultivation was needed, but rather that a trick needed to be used to open the cauldron. It wasn¡¯t as simple as pouring spiritual power into the cauldron. Could it be that opening it had something to do with the Celestial Ice Flames that had surrounded it?


    With his mind clouded by emotion, Han Li could only make some muddled guesses.


    But after some further thought, it seemed rather normal that the top ranked secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas would require some sort of trick.


    After only a short moment, he was able to discover two of the ancient treasure¡¯s remarkable abilities. Its simplest ability was activated by pouring spiritual power into it, producing a red and yellow barrier around the user¡¯s body. He had personally witnessed its power inside Heavenvoid Hall when he saw it block Layman Qingyi¡¯s grasp without the slightest harm done to it. Its defensive capabilities were clearly immense.


    Its other ability required Han Li to silently mutter an ancient incantation to the scepter. After he immersed his spiritual sense into both ends of the scepter, he would be able to either separately summon two small wolves, with one red and the other yellow, or he could summon one large silver wolf.


    The small red wolf seemed to be created from pure fire attribute Spiritual Qi and was innately capable of many impressive fire spirit magic techniques.


    Similar to its counterpart, the small yellow wolf was created from pure earth attribute Spiritual Qi and was adept in earth spirit magic techniques. There were a few techniques that Han Li had previously learned, but he was quite surprised to find that the wolf didn¡¯t understand earth attribute movement techniques.


    As for the silver wolf, Han Li found it quite troublesome. He was incapable of controlling it. Although the silver wolf would respond to his orders, it would always move quite lazily.


    When he ordered the wolf to display what magic techniques it was capable of, the silver wolf brushed him off as if it hadn¡¯t heard him. Han Li was rendered speechless when he saw the human-like insolence in its eyes.


    Han Li was able to make out that the silver wolf was clearly the true form of the scepter¡¯s artifact spirit. As for the silver wolf¡¯s stubborn disobedience, Han Li could only guess that it was likely due to him having yet to completely refine the scepter.


    However, Han Li had clearly remembered the astonishment that the Bone Sage had revealed upon seeing it. He had even released his Gold Lightning Bamboo arrow in the presence of Zenith Yin for it. There was undoubtedly more to the silver wolf artifact spirit than meets the eye.


    As a result, Han Li put away the jade scepter without the slightest discouragement, and decided to take a look at the other treasures he had gained in Heavenvoid Hall.


    There were the many treasures that the old devils had given him: the White Rhino Emblem, the Glacial Ice Pearl, the Royal Scale Plate, and so on. Although he had found nothing wrong with them after further inspection, he didn¡¯t dare to continue wearing them and placed them all in his storage pouch, apart from the Royal Scale Plate. Han Li was unwilling to forgo its extraordinary defensive abilities and decided to have it remain on his body.


    As for the puppet fragments, the half-bottle of Myriad Year Spirit Milk, and the half-finger-long root of the Soul Nurturing Tree, Han Li also examined them.


    As he rummaged through his new gains, Han Li had unintentionally found a few small rainbow beads. This had surprised him, but he soon remembered where they had come from. When he had first discovered the transportation formation at the Heavenly South Region, he melted the rainbow skeleton, producing these rainbow beads as a result. With the Bloodjade Spiders nearby the the skeleton, it seemed that the skeleton had belonged to the Bone Sage¡¯s other treasonous disciple, Zenith Brilliance.


    However, Han Li still felt quite confused on why the skeleton was rainbow and what relation it had with the Emperor of Yue.


    But as he gazed at the beads, Han Li was reminded of the Heavenmend Pills that had flown out of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. However, those pills were much larger and also shined with a far brighter light.


    Han Li gazed at the beads in his hand and muttered to himself for a moment before putting them away with a solemn expression. Afterwards, Han Li verified his direction and donned his blood-red cloak before shooting off full speed ahead. He tore through the sky towards Heavenly Star City as a red shooting star.


    Although he lost a large quantity of spiritual power by doing this, it was several times faster than the speed of a common Core Formation cultivator. Currently, he wanted to return to his cave residence as soon as possible, preferably before the other cultivators even left Heavenvoid Hall.


    It would have been possible for him to abandon the residence were it not for the meticulously raised Gold Devouring Beetles he had left behind. He was unwilling to allow those insects to fall into the hands of some future excavator. Perhaps the plunderer would also possess a secret technique to hasten their maturation as well!


    Besides, he had already decided to immediately renounce his cave residence after returning to Heavenly Star City, and use the city¡¯s transportation formations to teleport him to the Outer Star Seas.


    This way, he could both acquire more demon cores and avoid any of the attention he had attracted during his time in Heavenvoid Hall, allowing him to break through the early Core Formation stage as soon as possible.


    After Han Li lost a majority of his magic power, he stopped using his cloak and switched to his normal method of flight as he held a mid grade spirit stone to slowly recover his magic power.


    When his magic power was just about restored, he resumed his use of the blood-red cape and hurriedly tore through the sky.


    In this manner, Han Li was able to travel a distance that would¡¯ve normally taken him half a month in the span of a few short days!


    On the way, Han Li had encountered a few cultivators, but they were only at the Foundation Establishment stage or lower. He was disinclined to pay them any notice and hurriedly shot past them. When they saw the speed of Han Li¡¯s streak of light, they naturally knew that he was a Core Formation expert and didn¡¯t dare to bother him.


    But as Han Li drew closer to Heavenly Star City, he began to encounter cultivators at greater frequency, even spotting groups that could be considered an army.


    After a month had gone by, Han Li finally encountered his first Core Formation cultivator.


    When this cultivator saw Han Li, he vigilantly avoided him and clearly didn¡¯t have any intention of talking with him. This was completely understandable. But when he saw two more Core Formation cultivators act in the same way, Han Li felt that something was amiss.


    Could it be that a significant event had occurred while he was in the Heavenvoid Hall? When this thought emerged, Han Li grew worried as he hurried along his way.


    One day, when Han Li was slowly flying across the sea with a spirit stone in hand, he spotted a group of about eight cultivators flying nearby.They were all at Foundation Establishment and seemed to belong to a some local power.


    Han Li wordlessly flew towards them as a streak of azure light.


    Han Li didn¡¯t conceal himself, allowing the group of cultivators to see him approach. They raised an uproar, but the old man in charge berated them, causing them to stay still.


    Although the old man in charge had fully whitened hair, he was quite intelligent. Without waiting for Han Li to draw close, he took the initiative to respectfully salute him and asked, ¡°What can these Juniors help Senior with?¡± His mannerisms didn¡¯t hold the slightest flaw.


    The azure light faded away before them to reveal Han Li. He indifferently swept his gaze past them and calmly asked, ¡°What sect do you belong to and where are you headed?¡±


    The old man solemnly replied, ¡°These Juniors belong to the Three Immortals Sect. We are under orders from the sect master to head to Heavenly Star City!¡±


    Han Li frowned and grew silent for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°Heading to Heavenly Star City? Along the way, I¡¯ve discovered that there were many cultivators heading towards Heavenly Star City as well. However, they appeared quite nervous.¡±


    The old man inwardly sighed, but he hastily laughed, ¡°Haha! It seems Senior must have spent quite some time in a desolate area to not have heard of this. Not long ago, a great event occurred at Heavenly Star City. All the closest sects and powers have begun to send people to the city!¡±

 Chapter 500

    The Starfall Coalition


    Han Li spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°What great event? I only left seclusion a few days ago. Tell me about it!¡±


    The old man locked his fingers together and spoke carefully, ¡°It is only natural for Junior to answer Senior¡¯s questions. However, may I ask for your name?¡±


    After he heard this, Han Li felt somewhat surprised. After he tilted his head and pondered for a moment, he mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°It seems that you¡¯re being quite careful. I am the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Guest Elder Han. Have you heard of me before?¡±


    After he heard of Han Li¡¯s identity, he let out a long sigh of relief and smiled, ¡°So it turns out to be Elder Han. You can¡¯t be considered an outsider then. Our own sect¡¯s Fairy Xuedi is close friends with Sect Master Fairy Violet Spirit.¡±


    Han Li was surprised at his claim that they were on the same side and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    Han Li¡¯s laugh caused the old man to grow somewhat uneasy.


    ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯ The old man thought apprehensively.


    Han Li¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t involve myself in the matters of the sect, nor do I care if you are lying. All I want is for you to properly answer my question. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. What major event occurred recently?¡±


    The old man pledged he was speaking the truth with smile, ¡°How could I deceive you, Senior? All of my words are true¡­¡±, but when Han Li¡¯s gaze grew icy, he immediately started his explanation, ¡°There were rumors that had suddenly emerged recently in the Scattered Star Seas that the Heavenly Star Sages were on the verge of breaking through to the great success stage of Divine Essencefused Light. The star palace took advantage of this opportunity to start eliminating certain disobedient or uncontrollable powers. This was originally believed to only be a rumor, but not longer after this rumor was spread, the Star Palace issued an official command to powers of all sizes to have their sect leaders and island lords immediately come to Heavenly Star City and pay audience to the Heavenly Star Sages. Otherwise, they will be branded as traitors and be eliminated.¡±


    Han Li blinked before speaking with disbelief, ¡°Have every power pay audience to the Heavenly Star Sages? Did I hear correctly? The Star Palace gave such an obviously insidious command?¡±


    The old man bitterly smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right. The official command stunned many powers upon arrival. Were this at the peak of the Star Palace¡¯s power, there would be no problem with this order. But as of current, it would be surprising for the the powers of the Righteous and Devil Dao to obey.¡±


    Han Li swept his gaze past the group and frowned, asking,¡±Then all of the cultivators I saw on the way were heading towards Heavenly Star City to pay audience to the Heavenly Star Sages?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say!¡± The old man appeared hesitant.


    A strange expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. He curiously asked, ¡°Hard to say? What does that mean?¡±


    The old man continued with a helpless expression, ¡°Senior, there are some things I still haven¡¯t said. Soon after the Heavenly Star Palace issued the command, the Righteous and Devilish Dao suddenly formed the Starfall Coalition, in proclamation of smashing apart the Star Palace¡¯s hegemony in the Scattered Star Seas and ending their reign. The Righteous Dao has dispatched their enforcement elder Wan Sangu and the Devil Dao dispatched their towering hero, the Archsaint of the Six Paths, as the two leaders of Starfall Coalition. After the alliance was established, many sects belonging to the Righteous and Devilish Dao began joining under their banner. Unaffiliated powers have also joined them, and several tens of rogue Nascent Soul paragons have been appointed as elders in the alliance. In addition, the Starfall Coalition copied the Star Palace and made their own proclamation with what is known as the Starfall Coalition¡¯s Ghost Crest, proclaiming that any power to respond to the Star Palace will be branded as their enemy without exception. In addition, they claim that they will soon be launching an attack on Heavenly Star City and welcome all powers to witness the battle, and make their allegiances clear.¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li¡¯s expression remained completely indifferent, but his mind was left in a daze. This was beyond imagination! Such a massive event had occurred in the short time he had been stuck in Heavenvoid Hall!


    For some time, Han Li was at a loss, but his mind suddenly stirred and he calmly gazed at the old man, asking, ¡°What is the Starfall Coalition¡¯s Ghost Crest? Do you have it on hand?¡±


    The old man was stunned for a moment before enthusiastically replying, ¡°It is in my sect master¡¯s possession, but if Senior desires, I have a record of it on a jade slip that I can show him.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s see it!¡± Han Li nodded with an indifferent expression.


    The old man immediately searched his storage pouch for a yellow jade slip and hastily handed it over to Han Li.


    Han Li bluntly took it and quickly immersed his spiritual sense into it. A second later, he felt shocked!


    The crest appeared to be the same as the ghost head that the Six United Palaces¡¯ Elder showed Wu Chou long ago. Although there were slight differences in appearance, it held a near exact resemblance. It seemed that the Righteous and Devil Dao had long colluded in secret, infiltrating other powers for many years with meticulous care.


    Han Li was amazed and expressionlessly returned the jade slip to the old man.


    Han Li casually said, ¡°Since that is the case, you must be drawing close to Heavenly Star City so that you may observe the results of the battle and come to a decision afterwards.¡±


    The old man revealed a trace of embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s right, Senior. Under the command of our Sect Master, we are to head over and examine the situation. After all, our Three Immortals Sect isn¡¯t a large organization, and can only choose to be pragmatic. However, in this short amount of time, Starfall Coalition has already launched an attack on the Outer Star Islands and has successfully taken them over. There were even islands that defected to the Starfall Coalition. It seem that the Inner Star Islands will soon be attacked as well. There are also a few scoundrels that have taken advantage of the situation to stir up havoc. Many rogue cultivators have ended up dead in the wilderness and no small number of small sects have ended up thoroughly exterminated.¡± The old man¡¯s worrying words explained why so many cultivators had been so cautious as they traveled.


    Han Li was very satisfied with the old man¡¯s answer and calmly said, ¡°So it was like that. Alright, since you have answered my questions, you may leave.¡±


    ¡°Then us Juniors will hastily set off.¡± The old man rejoiced at Han Li¡¯s words and respectfully said his farewells before hastily leading the group away.


    Although he saw that Han Li wasn¡¯t an evil and vicious character, he couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive in the presence of an unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator.


    Han Li stood motionlessly in place as he muttered to himself.


    A huge war has erupted between the Star Palace and the alliance of the Righteous and Devilish Dao. On the bright side, this war would certainly take up the Nascent Soul eccentrics¡¯ attention. As they were aligned to either side, it would be impossible for them to avoid participating in the war. As such, he would be far safer as they wouldn¡¯t be able to dedicate their time to tracking him or the Heavenvoid Cauldron down.


    Conversely, the war would make it rather troublesome for him to return to Heavenly Star City. At the very least, the cultivators entering the city would be thoroughly inspected, especially a Core Formation cultivator such as himself. Furthermore, if a battle were to erupt in the city before he returned, he would be unable to enter. The Star Palace would likely bar any cultivators from entering during that time.


    With that thought, he let out a sigh.


    In the following few days, he intercepted several more low level cultivators and asked them the same questions, only to receive similar answers.


    As a result, Han Li was now floating above the sea, blankly staring off into the distance with a face of hesitation.


    He raised his head to look at the blue sky and flipped his hand, causing a small azure bottle to appear.


    Han Li helplessly looked at the small bottle. Using the Myriad Year Spirit Milk so soon seemed like an immense waste, but if he didn¡¯t hurry, the Starfall Coalition would launch an attack. His plans of entering Heavenly Star City and escaping to the Outer Star Seas through their transportation formations would then become null.


    After a long while of contemplation, Han Li eventually opened the bottle with gritted teeth and carefully poured several drops of thick, transparent liquid into his mouth.


    Afterwards, he placed the bottle away and put on his blood-red cloak before suddenly shooting through the sky and disappearing from sight. Half a month later, when Han Li had nearly exhausted his magic power, he took another few drops of spirit milk and continued to hurry on his way through the use of the blood-red cape. As a result, Han Li was able to travel at a speed similar to that of common Nascent Soul cultivators, and greatly reduced his travel time.


    Along the way, the few Core Formation cultivators that he came across had mistaken Han Li to be a Nascent Soul expert and steered clear of his path.


    As expected, there weren¡¯t any cultivators that dared to even think of bothering a Nascent Soul expert.

 Chapter 501

    Southclear Island


    Inspiring awe in all those who witnessed his passage, Han Li eventually arrived in the nearby seas of the Heavenly Star City. As he was only a few days away, Han Li put away his blood-red cloak and resumed traveling as an ordinary streak of light.


    Currently, the Scattered Star Seas were in disarray and it was possible that a Nascent Soul cultivator would be nearby. As Han Li didn¡¯t wish to capture the attention of such a powerful individual, he moved in a more inconspicuous manner. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t heard any news of the Starfall Coalition appearing nearby. Much to his relief, it seemed he had managed to arrive in time.


    He had arrived at the outskirts of the last intermediary island before Heavenly Star City. Although it wasn¡¯t large, it held many cultivators from the Star Palace. It seemed they were the forward sentries for Heavenly Star City.


    In the past, the island would have boats of all sizes flowing in and out of its harbor with cultivators and mortals leaving and arriving at the island en mass. But now, when Han Li swept his gaze past the island, he only spotted a few small boats. As for cultivators, he would only occasionally come across them.


    It seemed both the mortals and cultivators knew that a war was imminent and meekly avoided the area for the time being. The only cultivators that dared to come to the island were mostly from factions wishing to scour through the rumors.


    Having traveled for such a long period, Han Li felt somewhat fatigued and decided to stop over at the island for the time being. Not only to rest, but to visit the island¡¯s market in preparation for his long excursion in the Outer Star Seas. After all, he didn¡¯t know how things currently were in Heavenly Star City. As such, it would be best for him to make his preparations here and avoid any mishaps from catching him unprepared.


    When Han Li descended within range of the island, he was able to sense that Southclear Island was on far greater alert than during his previous visits. Just as he entered the scope of the island¡¯s spell formation, he was able to feel the spiritual sense of three Core Formation cultivators sweep past him. They had even lingered on him for quite some time until they had deemed him unsuspicious.


    It was clear that the Star Palace was guarding itself against any sudden attacks by the Starfall Coalition.


    At that moment, Han Li was calmly heading towards the island¡¯s market.


    Southclear Island¡¯s market was in a small city not far from the island¡¯s port, likely for the convenience of any merchants or cultivators that visited. Although the market wasn¡¯t nearly as famous or as large as those on other islands, its variety of goods was unrivaled by any other market. More importantly, its prices were cheaper than in Heavenly Star City. This was because a majority of Heavenly Star City¡¯s goods were directly shipped over from this island.


    Han Li didn¡¯t have any time to dawdle. Just as he entered the market, he took out the Bone Sage¡¯s Ninecurl Ginseng pill formula and read through it.


    Now knowing the required ingredients by heart, he bluntly began to search through ingredient stores of all sizes.


    ¡­


    Inside a large room, an ordinary middle-aged cultivator said with a careful tone, ¡°Senior, I am truly sorry! Junior has opened a materials shop for so many years, yet he had never heard of ¡®Thousand Leaves Dew¡¯ before. As for ¡®Agate Horn¡¯, it is the horn that is grown off of the rare Agate Beast. Few cultivators ever get to see it. I fear Senior will have to go look through other stores or auction halls to see if they have it.¡±


    ¡°This is the largest materials shop on the island. If you don¡¯t have it, then the other shops won¡¯t either. As for the auction halls, I currently do not have the time for them.¡± Han Li frowned and sat down in the chair across from the middle-aged cultivator. He softly tapped his finger against the side of the chair in annoyance.


    The middle-aged cultivator revealed slight embarrassment at Han Li¡¯s words. However, he was being honest when he said that he had no way of acquiring the items that Han Li wanted. As such, he could only continue to ingratiatingly smile. After all, he was in the presence of a rarely seen Core Formation expert; he could not afford to offend him.


    When Han Li saw the shopkeeper¡¯s attitude, he knew that he truly didn¡¯t have the two items. With a sigh, Han Li stood up and walked out.


    It seemed that he would have to think of other methods to find the last two ingredients for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Fortunately, he was still quite a long way from the peak of Core Formation. As the medicine could only be used upon the formation of a Nascent Soul, he wasn¡¯t in any rush.


    Just as the middle-aged cultivator was about the respectfully send Han Li off from the entrance, he suddenly thought of something and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°While you might know of its name as the ¡®Thousand Leaves Dew¡¯, it may be known by another name.¡±


    A strange light flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes and he stopped, curiously asking, ¡°Oh? What does that mean?¡±


    The middle-aged man honestly replied, ¡°Not to boast, but this Junior has spent over a hundred years managing this ingredient store. I¡¯ve seen all sorts of bizarre and rare ingredients. If there is an ingredient I haven¡¯t heard of, it is likely being referred to by the name passed down from ancient cultivators. In current times, it may be known by another title. This was something that I have encountered several times before. This Thousand Leaves Dew might actually be a rather common medicinal ingredient.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. He felt that the man¡¯s words made much sense.


    After all, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was an item from legend. It made sense for its formula to be passed down from antiquity. It seems he would have to examine a few ancient records to find out its true identity.


    With that thought, Han Li nodded with a relaxed expression and silently left the store.


    Afterwards, Han Li sifted through all of his pill formulas suitable for Core Formation cultivators, and made preparations for his future pill refinement. Han Li especially stocked up on the supplementary ingredients that couldn¡¯t be grown with the liquid from his small bottle.


    The current journey to the Outer Star Seas would take a long while without doubt. Han Li didn¡¯t wish for his mass creation of pills to fail because of a shortage of common materials, and slow down his own progress in cultivation as a result.


    With his current collection of magic treasures along with the aid of a few flag formations, he should be able to handle grade seven demon beasts without question. Naturally, if he were to come across any grade eight demon beasts, he would have no choice but to flee. Once demon beasts reached grade eight, it is said that their wisdom would be far greater than ordinary humans and their bodies are able to take human-like forms. Due to their exceedingly powerful innate skills, they would have a tremendous advantage over Nascent Soul cultivators of the same rank.


    Several hours later, Han Li managed to gather everything together and left the market city in the direction of the port.


    At that moment, the sky suddenly filled with black clouds, turning the sky into the image of a cloudy night.


    A short moment later, a relentless barrage of light shot towards the island from the horizon, leaving roars of thunder in its wake.


    Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly change and he hastily strained his magic power, tearing through the sky in an azure streak.


    From the pressure being emitted, it seemed that the barrage came from the simultaneous attack of at least a thousand cultivators.


    In the following moment, a large formation activated and covered the entire island in a barrier of scarlet light, managing to rigidly block the attack. At the same moment, there were many white clothed cultivators that struck back at the attackers in the sky with their own magic tools.


    Han Li bitterly laughed. The Starfall Coalition had moved remarkably quick. They even managed to bring the battle so close to Heavenly Star Island in only a few months.


    Heavenly Star City would surely receive news of this sudden battle through specialized means. Now, his current plans of rushing towards Heavenly Star City had been completely ruined.


    Extremely vexed, Han Li¡¯s expression fluctuated for a long while before he suddenly stamped his foot on the ground. Then with a series of distortions, his body disappeared from sight.


    Although he was disinclined to involve himself in the battle, he still stealthily released his spiritual sense. If he had guessed correctly, the harbor and its surroundings should be quite active.


    As expected, many streaks of light soon shot towards Southclear Island¡¯s harbor from inside the island. But as they grew closer, they all disappeared from sight, quietly laying low as they observed the battle unfolding above.


    A majority of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, numbering over a hundred, with only about thirty Qi Condensation cultivators mixed among them. As for Core Formation cultivators like Han Li, there were only five or six with the highest ranked cultivator being at the mid Core Formation stage.


    Although this person was silently watching from the cover of the hills, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense was vastly superior to his, allowing Han Li to observe him without being noticed.


    While Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense wasn¡¯t as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s, by cultivating the Great Development Technique, it wasn¡¯t that much weaker either. Since he could even conceal himself from a nearby early Nascent Soul cultivator, it was only natural for him to be able to do this much.


    To the best of his knowledge, a majority of Nascent Soul cultivators lingered at early Nascent Soul stage without any hope of advancement. And much to his relief, he couldn¡¯t sense such a monster nearby.


    However, since the Starfall Coalition dared to attack Southclear Island, there should be at least one Nascent Soul cultivator in the main host. As such, Han Li could only conceal himself and meekly wait for the conclusion of the battle before stealthily slipping away.

 Chapter 502

    Questioning


    The battle at the harbor didn¡¯t continue for long. As the red barrier released glimmers of light from the impact by the multi-colored barrage, an immense grey radiance brimming with evil Qi suddenly struck it.


    With the assistance of the dense bombardment of magic tools and techniques, the great formation eventually began to waver. With a series of booms, the red barrier violently flickered and eventually ruptured with a sharp explosion.


    Unknown whether it was due to the formation spell¡¯s might or the Star Palace¡¯s own doing, the fragments of the red light barrier slowly spread through the sky in a final burst of radiance, sowing chaos throughout the ranks of the Star Defiance Coalition. As if having planned for this, the Star Palace cultivators took advantage of the opportunity to escape.


    Among the escaping cultivators, there were those that shot out of the harbor at exceptional speed. They seemed to be the high grade cultivators that had remained on the island.


    At nearly the same time, over ten streaks of similarly powerful light shot after them in close pursuit. In the blink of an eye, the streaks of light had disappeared without a trace.


    It seems the upper echelon of the Star Defiance Coalition wanted to get rid of all of the Star Palace cultivators on Southclear Island in one clean swoop, without allowing even a single to escape.


    At that moment, the many cultivators of the Star Defiance Coalition began to slowly descend from the sky. From their clothes, it was clear to see that the group consisted of people from two different sects. One of the uniform consisted of silver robes lined with gold while the other was completely green robes. It appeared that both the Righteous and Devilish Dao were acting together.


    Han Li felt quite surprised at how quickly the battle had concluded, but he soon made sense of it. There was a vast difference in power between the defenders and attackers. While the Star Palace had done their utmost, their will alone couldn¡¯t compensate for the sheer lack of numbers.


    As Han Li was wondering whether or not he should take advantage of the disorder to escape from the island, an old man flew out from the group of green-robed cultivators. When Han Li swept his spiritual sense past him, he perceived the old man to be an early Core Formation cultivator.


    The man calmly flew above the spectators by the harbor and swept his gaze over them. He then said with a deep voice, ¡°Listen well, Fellow Daoists. Under the orders of Elder Wang of the Star Defiance Coalition, I, Enforcer Cang Yunlong, announce that the Star Palace has been routed from the island. In order to to prevent any misunderstandings, I hope none of you will hastily attempt to leave the island. For the next four hours, we will be pursuing the remnants of the Star Palace forces. Everyone may leave after that. I ask that everyone please remain calm. Our alliance only holds malice towards the Star Palace and their allies. We won¡¯t act against any other Fellow Daoists.¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t very loud, it was clear and resounding, allowing all of the nearby cultivators to hear him clearly.


    The cultivators that were concealed nearby couldn¡¯t help but look at each other. Since no one took the initiative to spread or to stir up any trouble, the following moments were filled with complete silence.


    When Han Li heard this proclamation, he felt relieved. It seemed that in order to win over the hearts of others, they were unwilling to treat neutral cultivators unfairly. If he was going to be somewhat late, then so be it. Even if he were to leave now, it was still uncertain whether or not he would be able to sneak into the city.


    Just as Han Li thought this, the green-robed old man wordlessly flew back. When Han Li saw the old man disappear, he didn¡¯t immediately take action.


    Perhaps due to the old man¡¯s words or their missions, the other cultivators also didn¡¯t depart from the port. Instead, they closely watched the actions of the Starfall Coalition.


    At that moment, the silver-robed cultivators were dismantling the formation in an orderly fashion and started to place down their own formation spell. As for the green robed cultivators, half of them stayed near the harbor on guard while the the others flew right past Han Li towards the center of the island. It appeared that Southclear Island was about to become the beachhead through which the Coalition would launch their attacks on Heavenly Star City.


    Seeing these cultivators silently carrying out their orders with such discipline was quite a shock to Han Li. It seemed the Righteous and Devil Dao had long planned for their rise to supremacy in the Scattered Star Seas. After all, training such disciplined cultivators wasn¡¯t a matter of only a mere several tens of years.


    However, Han Li felt quite baffled that the Star Palace would choose to passively wait for the Starfall Coalition to attack. Were they so weak that they couldn¡¯t counterattack or was the Star Palace merely stalling for time so the Heavenly Star Sages could have a chance to leave seclusion?


    Han Li felt quite puzzled by this, but after some more thought, he broke out into laughter. Regardless of what plans and hidden intrigue the Star Palace and the Starfall Coalition may have in store, they had absolutely nothing to do with a rogue cultivator such as himself. So long as he went out of his way to be careful, there shouldn¡¯t be any way for him to become wrapped up in their schemes.


    With that thought, Han Li regained his calm once more.


    After patiently waiting for four hours, the green-robed old man and three more Core Formation cultivators returned to the harbor.


    As the old man floated in mid-air, he said with a clear voice, ¡°Fellow Daoists, if you wish to leave the island, you merely have to either display a token of your identity or show us your cultivation art. If you do not wish to leave, then you may continue to stay here. So long as you possess no enmity with the Starfall Coalition, you will be treated fairly.¡±


    After these words were said, there was a moment of uproar before silence returned. Although the words sounded polite, no one wished to reveal themselves.


    Righteous Dao cultivators were particularly disinclined to reveal themselves to these Devil Dao cultivators as their previous relations weren¡¯t particularly great. If they had made a previous indiscretion and caused offence, they would be damning themselves by moving forward! Although the possibility was quite small, they didn¡¯t wish to test the waters themselves and would rather have others brave the risk instead.


    Han Li also remained still as he wasn¡¯t about to make himself stand out either. As the opposition was only Core Formation cultivators, he could remain concealed with ease as their spiritual sense was incapable of detecting him.


    After a long moment of silence, when the green-robed man started to appear gloomy, a white streak of light eventually flew towards him.


    A young man obediently flew before the old man and respectfully saluted him, ¡°Junior is the Sky Opening Sect¡¯s disciple Xin Ming. I¡¯ve seen Senior before. This is my token of identification, a white water sword.¡± He then took out a sparkling white sword and handed it over to him.


    After the old man examined the sword, his face relaxed and he handed it back to the young man. ¡°Oh, the Sky Opening Sect! I¡¯ve indeed met Esteemed Sect Master Daoist Liu before. This magic tool is held by all Sky Opening Sect disciples. You may go.¡±


    The young man then smiled and respectfully bid his farewells before flying out of the harbor. Not a single cultivator from the Starfall Coalition blocked his way.


    Seeing that the young man had managed to leave the island without any difficulties, others began to fly towards the old man and reveal themselves.


    The old man seemed rich with experience. Regardless of what token or cultivation art they revealed, the old man was able to identify it at a glance, much to the surprise of Han Li.


    When Han Li saw a Core Formation such as himself be allowed to leave, he began to feel impatient. He then revealed himself and flew towards the sky as a streak of azure light.


    ¡°Who might Fellow Daoist be?¡± When the old man saw that Han Li was a Core Formation cultivator, his tone became slightly more tactful.


    ¡°I am the guest elder of the Exquisite Sound Sect. This is my sect token. Please, have a look!¡± On the day that Fairy Violet Spirit had deemed him an elder, she had given him a badge. Han Li took it out and handed it over to the old man without hesitation.


    The old man carefully examined the token and stared at Han Li as he said, ¡°Exquisite Sound Sect? The guest elders of your sect should be named Han Li and Crooked Soul, both of whom are often in secluded cultivation and rarely seen. Which one of them are you?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, but he wore a calm smile instead, ¡°My name is Han Li! I didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist would know the name of a fameless vagrant cultivator such as myself. Impressive!¡±


    The old man chuckled and spoke with an unexpectedly polite tone, ¡°Hehe, it was nothing. Your esteemed sect is famous throughout the Scattered Star Seas, especially your sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit. Our clan¡¯s young master has long wished to see her exceptional beauty. I hope Fellow Daoist can pass those words along.¡±


    Shock momentarily appeared on his face before he hesitantly asked, ¡°Young master? Who might you be speaking of¡­?¡±


    ¡°My sect¡¯s young master is the sole descendant of the great ancestor. Although few know of his name right now, it will later reverberate throughout the Scattered Star Seas.¡±


    Han Li was inwardly flabbergasted, but he agreed, ¡°Alright. If I come across the sect leader, I will be sure to pass those words on!¡±


    The old man appeared quite satisfied with Han Li¡¯s response. After fumbling with the token for a moment more, he gave the token back to Han Li and said, ¡°Good! As there is nothing wrong with your token, you may go.¡±


    After Han Li saluted him, he unhurriedly flew off.


    The old man revealed a strange expression as he watched Han Li fly off towards the horizon.

 Chapter 503

    Another Clash


    The burly man amongst the Core Formation cultivators saw the old man¡¯s face and asked with surprise, ¡°What is it? Was there something amiss? Was his identity false?¡±


    The old man twirled his beard with his finger before revealing a green jade slip in his palm. ¡°There is nothing wrong with his identity. We¡¯ve long acquired the portraits of the two elders from our agents in the Exquisite Sound Sect. His appearance is an exact match for what we were given. There is no doubt that he is Elder Han. Even if he was a pretender using some sort of secret disguise technique, he won¡¯t be able to escape Elder Wang¡¯s discerning eye when he leaves the harbor.¡±


    The burly man snorted with dissatisfaction, ¡°Since there is no problem, why did you wear that expression?¡±


    After muttering to himself for a second, the old man said, ¡°The Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Elder Han is no simple character. I fear that even if we were to both take him on, we would not be victorious.¡±


    The burly man was stunned before shaking his head as if he were beating a drum with it. He doubtfully said, ¡°What does that mean? Isn¡¯t he an early Core Formation cultivator just like us? Moreover, he is a vagrant cultivator. How could he compare to the two of us who have received the frequent teachings of our Divine Ancestor?¡±


    The old man wasn¡¯t annoyed by his words in the slightest and calmly gave him an explanation, ¡°Enforcer Liu should know that although our Seven Fiends Arts can¡¯t be considered a top grade cultivation technique, we are extremely sensitive to the amount of baleful Qi one possesses. The baleful Qi that he possesses is the heaviest I¡¯ve ever seen from a Core Formation cultivator. No small number of cultivators has died by his hand.¡±


    The burly man objected, ¡°That¡¯s nothing. So what if he killed a few low grade cultivators? I could do that too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same. Although you can accumulate a bit of weak baleful Qi from that, it would last for but a short moment, and would easily disappear. As for this person, not only is his baleful Qi exceedingly dense, but it is also extremely cold. This is something that can only be developed by killing a great number of cultivators of similar rank or higher. Unless he uses a few specific secret techniques to rid himself of the baleful Qi, it will forever haunt his body.¡±


    After a cold glint flickered from his eyes, he imposingly continued, ¡°Furthermore, he seems to have comprehend a few miraculous sword Qi techniques, causing the span of his baleful Qi to be exceptionally large. It is truly astonishing. If an ordinary cultivator were to fight him, not only would their bewitchment and illusionary techniques be weakened, but if his baleful Qi were to be fully cultivated, his opponents could temporarily lose their will to fight if they do not protect against it. If he were to cultivate our Seven Fiend Arts, he would make rapid advancements.¡±


    Of course, the old man didn¡¯t know that Han Li had sparsely killed Core Formation cultivators, but instead killed several hundreds of their equivalent, grade five demon beasts. The reason for his heavy baleful Qi was completely different from what he had imagined.


    The burly man blankly stared for a moment before puzzlingly asking, ¡°Enforcer Cang, could it be that you wish to take him as a disciple? Regardless of his baleful Qi, he won¡¯t become your disciple. Don¡¯t forget that he is a Core Formation cultivator as well.¡±


    The old man calmly said, ¡°Take him in as a disciple? Of course not. I was merely interested in the method he used to accumulate such strong baleful Qi. He must have a secret.¡±


    Having heard that, the burly man lost interest. He reckoned that in the entire Scattered Star Seas, any cultivation arts that draw on support from the baleful Qi to progress all belonged to renegade sects. As his own cultivation art was not one of them, he felt disinterested.


    But the burly man soon thought of something and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°You said that the young master was interested in the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Fairy Violet Spirit. Why haven¡¯t I heard of this before? Could he have told you in private?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! The young master need not tell me anything. You should know the cultivation art that the young master cultivates. With the widespread fame of Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s beauty, if we are able to present the woman to our young master, there will be many rewards. The young master has just reached late Core Formation stage. With the Sacred Ancestor¡¯s pointers and protection, I reckon that he will become a Nascent Soul cultivator in less than a hundred years!¡±


    The burly man was rendered speechless for a moment before he excitedly nodded his head.


    The burly man then rubbed his hands with a sinister smile and said, ¡°Then when should we act? It appears that the young master is about to leave seclusion.¡±


    The old man calmly said, ¡°There is no need to rush. It would be best to do this after the next great battle. After all, it would be better to act after we have displayed the might of our Starfall Coalition. If they are unwilling to yield when the time comes, we¡¯ll be able to seize her under the pretext of that she possesses secret ties to the Star Palace. As she established her sect in Heavenly Star City, she will have to obediently comply.¡±


    The burly man rejoiced and laughed, ¡°Good! Since they only have two early Core Formation elders, they won¡¯t dare to stop our scheme. Fellow Daoist Cang is truly clever!¡±


    The old man smiled upon hearing him. At the same time, he contentedly thought, ¡®Like this, I will be able to pressure the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Elder Han into obediently handing over his secret for accumulating baleful Qi. Two birds with one stone!¡¯


    With that thought, the old man narrowed his eyes and wore a strange expression.


    ¡­


    Han Li had now reached the end of the harbor. After taking a few glances at the bustling Starfall Coalition cultivators on the island, he decided to speed up.


    But at that moment, a formidable spiritual sense suddenly enveloped him without restraint. Han Li was startled, but he soon stopped and remained floating in the sky.


    This was something that he had earlier anticipated. How could the Starfall Coalition allow Core Formation cultivators to be released on something as simple as a token?


    Han Li reckoned that the owner of the spiritual sense was their leader, a Nascent Soul eccentric, using his spiritual sense to examine him. It seemed this was a measure to prevent Core Formation cultivators from using secret techniques to alter their appearance and escape the island with a false identity.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was completely calm and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest panic. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to consider using a false identity from the very beginning. This was because these techniques could be seen through by those with formidable spiritual sense, unless one used a legendary technique from antiquity or an extremely precious magic treasure.


    Had he superficially changed his appearance and used a false identity, he would appear quite suspicious were he to be caught, causing a huge backlash.


    Instead, he would rather take advantage of his status as an elder of the Exquisite Sound Sect and take the risk of leaving a trail behind for Zenith Yin and the others. By the time the eccentrics tracked him down, he would already be in the Outer Star Seas, and be completely untouchable.


    With that in mind, Han Li calmly allowed the Nascent Soul cultivator to examine him with his spiritual sense. As expected, the spiritual sense soon disappeared without leaving a mark on his body.


    Han Li let out a long sigh and calmly flew towards the sea.


    Not long after Han Li left the island, he began to fly at his top speed.


    As the blood-red cloak would attract too much attention near the conflict, he could only fly through normal means.


    Half a day later, Han Li was wondering how he should enter the city while he flew when he came to a sudden stop. He frowned and examined his surroundings with a puzzled gaze.


    His expression suddenly stiffened as he gazed into the distance. He enveloped his body in a layer of faint azure light and motionlessly floated in place.


    After a short moment, a blue and a red streak of light flew towards him with the speed of lightning. The lights arrived in front of Han Li in an instant, fading away to reveal two middle-aged cultivators wearing silver robes with gold lining.


    Starfall Coalition cultivators!


    Both of the men were early Core Formation cultivators. One of them appeared scholarly, possessing a pale face and no beard. The other was a rather robust man with tan skin.


    Since they had both appeared, they just coldly stared at Han Li without a word. Their spiritual senses were obviously locked onto Han Li as if they were about to take action.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred for a moment. He then asked them with a deep voice, ¡°What business do you two have? I am in a hurry. If you have nothing to say, then I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Wrong! You will be coming with us!¡± The robust man icily spoke with a commanding tone.


    Han Li scowled and his eyes coldly glinted. ¡°Have I offended you two? Or has the Starfall Coalition taken to tyrannically arresting people as they please?¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please do not be angry. We are under orders to pursue and eliminate any Star Palace remnants. We managed to wound a Star Palace cultivator just recently, but he managed to escape in this direction using a strange technique. It just so happened we found you while in pursuit of him. According to our knowledge, the Star Palace cultivators possesses face changing techniques. As we are unable to tell if your appearance is genuine, we must ask you to accompany us until we find the cultivator that escaped.¡± The scholarly middle-aged man spoke quite politely, but he obviously had no intention of letting Han Li go.

 Chapter 504

    The Might of Ancient Treasures


    Han Li grew silent in response to the scholarly man¡¯s words, and his expression continuously shifted as he considered his options.


    The two Righteous Dao cultivators tacitly glanced at each other before vigilantly watching Han Li.


    Han Li smiled and serenely said, ¡°Alright, since I have no immediate affairs, I will accompany you two!¡±


    The two men¡¯s expressions immediately relaxed. A trace of satisfaction appeared on the scholarly man¡¯s face as he opened his mouth to say something.


    At that moment, Han Li struck.


    His right hand suddenly emerged from his sleeve, silently shooting six streaks of azure light towards the large man. At the same time, he waved his left hand, summoning a chain of five-colored copper bands in his palm. It started to release a muffled hum.


    ¡°You dare to attack?¡± The scholarly man quickly reacted. Upon seeing Han Li attack, he immediately spat out a square magic treasure several inches wide. It was flat and pitch-black, appearing to be an inkstone of sorts.


    The robust man quickly moved as well and released a white jade stamp that glowed with white light. The magic treasure immediately increased several times in size as it met the six streaks of azure light.


    At that moment, the scholarly man saw the copper bands in Han Li¡¯s hand and shouted out a warning, ¡°Be careful of the copper bands!¡±


    The large man was unable to utter a response. The six streaks of azure light had released a clear ring before splitting into twelve identical swordlights. Six of the twelve lights then suddenly merged into a huge sword and fiercely cut down upon the white jade stamp.


    The other six streaks of swordlight then changed direction and swiftly arced off to the side.


    The large man was greatly alarmed. Without the time to think, he hastily formed an incantation gesture. Bursts of blue light with vivid talisman characters contained within them flourished around him. The flourishes of blue light wildly expanded and formed a barrier of blue light around the large man. The large man intended to directly receive the attack of Han Li¡¯s Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    Of course, the scholarly man didn¡¯t stay still as all of this happened. After he had initially shouted, he hastily pointed to the inkstone floating in front of him. It quickly swiveled and released a black fog. In a second, the fog had already reached the span of ten meters, flooding the nearby surroundings with the smell of ink.


    Then without hesitation, the scholarly man cast an incantation seal, causing the black fog to rapidly condense into a flock of thirty pitch-black birds that were each about half a foot long. Then with a monstrous cry, they shot towards Han Li with a flicker of red light.


    Han Li turned a blind eye to the attack, and had his copper bands sway several times before disappearing with a shimmer. He then summoned his ancient flower basket with a flip of his hand.


    Seeing that Han Li was completely unconcerned with his attack, the scholarly man rejoiced rather than becoming angry. His Bewildering Inkstone was created from ancient refinement methods; it was only through sheer luck and tremendous effort that he had been able to successfully create it. He had nearly used up half of his life to save up for it, but he had no regrets. Ever since he acquired the Bewildering Inkstone, he had rarely met a cultivator of the same grade that could pose a threat to him. Even mid Core Formation cultivators found it troublesome. So long as the target¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t vastly superior to his own, they would be immediately trapped in an inescapable illusion after becoming enveloped by the ink fog.


    The scholarly man couldn¡¯t help but sneer as the birds shot towards Han Li. He clutched his hands in an incantation seal, intending to order his birds to rupture. But at that same moment, he suddenly heard a low hum next to his ear. His limbs and neck were suddenly clasped in copper bands. When they tightened, both his movements and his magic power were completely restrained.


    At that moment, the scholarly man felt full of terror.


    He had been on alert for the copper bands that had disappeared, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest warning before they had clasped themselves onto his body. This situation was far beyond his wildest expectation. In that moment, the scholarly man was flusteredly thinking of any method to escape.


    On the other side of the battle, azure light and white Qi interweaved amongst each other as the huge azure sword and the large stamp block collided with a boom.


    The brilliant white Qi was able to easily overwhelm the azure light, causing the huge sword to only last for mere moments before collapsing. At that same instant, the other six streaks of azure light had already arrived at the strange barrier of talisman characters.


    Muffled bangs sounded out as the six streaks of azure light collided against the blue barrier. Although the blue barrier flickered upon impact, it was still able to endure.


    Han Li felt slightly surprised by this. It seemed that without the Divine Devilbane Lightning, his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were somewhat lacking in strength due to how little time he had spent tempering them.


    But before he could think any further, the black birds arrived before him.


    Although they didn¡¯t have the support of the scholarly man¡¯s magic power, the inkstone magic treasure was still linked to his spiritual sense; their attack hadn¡¯t relented in the slightest.


    Han Li coldly snorted and the flower basket bloomed with light. The light wildly expanded and enveloped all of the birds without exception.


    The scholarly man paled and shouted with disbelief, ¡°Impossible! How can you have so many ancient treasures?¡±


    It would already be extremely lucky for an ordinary cultivator to possess one ancient treasure. After all, most ancient treasures fell into the hands of Nascent Soul cultivators whenever they emerged, rendering it extremely difficult for a Core Formation cultivator to even lay their hands on one.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in replying. He tossed away the flower basket. The flower basket then collided against the large stamp block and enveloped it with its light. Although the stamp wildly struggled to escape, it was to little success.


    Afterwards, Han Li then flicked his fingers, ruthlessly shooting ten streaks of azure sword Qi towards the restrained scholarly man.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± The scholarly man could only shout in terror before his body swayed from the impact of the sword Qi. With his body torn to shreds, his life quickly faded away. As the Five Element Bands had sealed his true essence and cultivation, his doom was all but assured.


    Then with a gesture, the Five Element Bands disappeared with a shimmer before reappearing into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze coldly turned to the side.


    Head laced with sweat, the large man clutched an incantation gesture in an attempt to retrieve his stamp as the six azure swords continued to hammer down on his blue talisman barrier. Of course, his effort was in vain.


    The large man¡¯s mind was shaken after having seen how easily his companion was dealt with. When he saw Han Li¡¯s attention shift onto him, he felt his body break out in a chill.


    He gritted his teeth and suddenly flew off as a streak of blue light, abandoning his own soul-linked magic treasure in a decisive move!


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, and his copper bands disappeared from view once more. A moment later, they appeared above the fleeing man¡¯s head.


    The large man couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as the five copper bands locked onto his body, passing through his blue barrier as if there was nothing there. At that same moment, the blue light surrounding him suddenly disappeared as he fell from the sky with a tumble.


    A cold glint flashed from Han Li¡¯s eyes. A streak of azure light fell from the sky and wound around the large man several times, cutting him into pieces.


    Both of the two Starfall Coalition cultivators had already been slain by Han Li¡¯s hand.


    At that moment, Han Li effortlessly took their storage pouches and looked through them with his spiritual sense for a moment before calmly putting them away.


    As for the masterless block stamp and inkstone magic treasures, Han Li helped himself to them as well.


    With his hands behind his back, Han Li then lowered his head towards the ocean and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist has been stealthily watching for quite some time. How about you come out for a fresh breath of air?¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t very loud, it could be clearly heard from a kilometer away.


    A sea breeze blew past Han Li before the area returned to silence once more.


    Han Li sighed upon seeing this. With a sullen expression, he said with an irritated tone, ¡°Must I drag your esteemed self out from the sea myself?¡±


    With Han Li having discovered his hiding spot, the concealed individual couldn¡¯t help but flusteredly say, ¡°Fellow Daoist, please wait. I am coming out right now.¡±

 Chapter 505

    Ling Yuling


    Han Li felt somewhat astonished upon hearing the person¡¯s voice.


    The sea beneath him rippled and flashed with white light before revealing a cultivator slowly flying out from the sea.


    The new arrival wore the white attire of the Star Palace, possessed long black hair, and had an emerald-green headband embedded with jade.


    Upon being able to clearly see the person¡¯s appearance, Han Li revealed slight amazement.


    The person had flawless white skin, thick dark eyebrows, delicate red lips, pointed eyes, and a thin nose. The Star Palace cultivator was undoubtedly beautiful, but what shocked Han Li was that he couldn¡¯t tell whether the person was a man or a woman.


    If this person was a woman, one might say that her mouth formed a natural smile and that her every movement carried a trace of confidence and ease. If one were to say the person was a man, then one might say that his beautiful appearance held an unconcealable charm, one that proved fatally attractive towards other men.


    ¡°Although I do not know your esteemed name, I am grateful for your rescue. I am the Star Palace¡¯s External Affairs Enforcer, Ling Yuling.¡± While the person¡¯s voice was pleasant, it was neutral in pitch. This caused Han Li to frown and feel apprehension.


    This person reminded him of the Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s Young Master Tian [1.The ¡®gorgeous man¡¯ first introduced in chapter 257. http://www.wuxiaworld.com/rmji-index/rmji-chapter-257/] from the Heavenly South Region¡¯s Devil Dao. But after some more thought, he felt that they were completely different. While Young Master Tian may have been extremely gorgeous, his mannerisms and voice were clearly that of a man.


    [TL Note: Since there are no gender neutral singular pronouns in English, Ling Yuling will be addressed as ¡®he¡¯, despite having an indeterminate gender.]


    As for this Ling Yuling fellow, although ¡°his¡± actions were that of a man¡¯s, he held an indescribably effeminate aura. Moreover, with the deep magnetism in his voice, it was even more difficult to differentiate him as a man or woman.


    ¡°I am Han Li. My previous actions took but a slight effort. Had they not forced my hand, I wouldn¡¯t have attacked them.¡± Although he still felt shocked, he didn¡¯t reveal any hint of it on his face.


    ¡°Regardless, I am still very grateful towards you.¡± Ling Yuling smiled sweetly, casually producing a flirtatious charm.


    Han Li felt his heart coldly tremble. As he still didn¡¯t know whether or not he was a man or a woman, he could only turn a blind eye toward Ling Yuling¡¯s beauty.


    Ling Yuling retrieved his smile with eyes flickering in thought. He then solemnly said, ¡°Is the reason why Fellow Daoist is in a hurry because he wishes to go to Heavenly Star City? The city should¡¯ve already been locked down, and it would be quite difficult to enter. If Fellow Daoist is willing, I would be happy to take you into the city as compensation for your rescue.¡±


    When Ling Yuling said this, Han Li felt somewhat surprised. But after some thought, he realized that he had already displayed his lack of association with the Starfall Coalition when he killed two of their cultivators.


    As such, Ling Yuling took the initiative to make him an offer he couldn¡¯t refuse. Han Li slowly replied with a bright expression, ¡°My cave residence was setup in Heavenly Star City, and I was in a hurry to return because of it. I must thank Fellow Daoist Ling for the trouble. Else, I may have been unable to enter the city.¡±


    Ling Yuling beamingly smiled in response with bright, seductive eyes. ¡°You¡¯re too kind. Since Fellow Daoist was able slay those two without hesitation, you naturally won¡¯t need any identification to enter the city. Our Star Palace welcomes you! However, those two weren¡¯t the only cultivators in pursuit of me, nor were they the strongest. We had best hurry on our way.¡±


    Han Li remained silent and nodded in response. The two then flew off towards Heaven Star City as streaks of light.


    Along the way, Han Li curiously examined the other cultivator.


    As Ling Yuling¡¯s white clothes were slightly loose, Han Li wasn¡¯t able to make out any female or male characteristics from the outside. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that Ling Yuling didn¡¯t have a protrusion from his throat[1. Commonly known as an adam¡¯s apple]. However, this wasn¡¯t enough to to definitely prove that he was a woman. To the best of his knowledge, there were a few peculiar cultivation arts that reversed one¡¯s Yin and Yang, altering portions of one¡¯s gender characteristics.


    ¡®This person wouldn¡¯t be cultivating such a technique, right?¡¯ Han Li strangely thought.


    Having noticed Han Li¡¯s gaze, the beautiful person charmingly smiled towards Han Li, causing him to turn his head away in embarrassment.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist possesses two ancient treasures, and seems to be favored by the Heavens. Although I¡¯ve had the fortune to see many magic treasures, I¡¯ve never seen one with abilities such as your copper bands. I wonder what are their origins.¡± As Ling Yuling flew in a streak of light, he casually mentioned Han Li¡¯s ancient treasures for some reason.


    Han Li replied vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I have merely had more opportunities than ordinary cultivators.¡± There was no way he would so easily divulge the truth.


    ¡°Hehe, but Fellow Daoist did kill two similar grade cultivators by himself and can¡¯t possibly be a common character. Would you be interested in joining our Star Palace? I can give you a recommendation.¡± Seeing that Han Li didn¡¯t want to answer, he didn¡¯t push the issue and casually changed the subject to recruiting him instead.


    When Han Li heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. This Ling Yuling was quite difficult to handle. They had yet to arrive at the city and he¡¯d already started to raise some serious questions. Any cultivators that joined the Star Palace now would become cannon fodder, but if he refused, would he still be granted access into the city? His own words would ensnare him.


    After a moment of thought, Han Li sighed and spoke with deliberation, ¡°Although I¡¯ve looked up to the Star Palace for quite some time, the Exquisite Sound Sect has treated me exceptionally well. I¡¯m afraid I cannot leave my post as the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s guest elder in the coming years. I am truly sorry!¡± Han Li shamelessly used the Exquisite Sound Sect as an excuse to refuse.


    ¡°It is no matter. I feel much admiration towards Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s exceptional loyalty. However, our Star Palace will always be willing to welcome individuals such as yourself into our ranks.¡± Ling Yuling didn¡¯t reveal any dissatisfaction at Han Li¡¯s tactful refusal. Instead, he faintly smiled and started to chat with Han Li about a few hidden rumors and interesting stories of the Scattered Star Seas. He tactfully avoided re-mentioning any matters pertaining to the Star Palace and Starfall Coalition.


    Han Li was quite happy at Lin Yuling¡¯s quick change in attitude, allowing him some time to relax.


    As they idly chatted on their way, they eventually spotted Heavenly Star City and rejoiced. But before they managed to get close to the island, a squad of five cultivators appeared before them from seemingly out of nowhere.


    Their leader was a sallow-faced middle-aged early Core Formation cultivator. The other four cultivators were all at Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°We pay respects to Enforcer Ling!¡± Upon recognizing Ling Yuling, the four Foundation Establishment cultivators flew forwards and respectfully saluted him.


    It seemed this androgynous person held quite the reputation in the Star Palace.


    The sallow-faced cultivator revealed pleasant surprise and asked, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ling, are you alright? Senior Martial Brother was quite worried upon hearing that Southclear Island had been ambushed. Hm? Who might this Fellow Daoist be?¡± The sallow-faced cultivator then turned his sights on Han Li and suspiciously examined him.


    Ling Yuling spoke with a serene expression, ¡°I was pursued by two Starfall Coalition cultivators along the way, but thankfully, Fellow Daoist Han came to my rescue. As Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cave residence was established in Heavenly Star City, I¡¯ve brought him back here. There should be no problem in allowing Fellow Daoist Han into the city, yes?¡±


    Not knowing whether it was due to fatigue from the rush to the city or some internal injuries, Han Li saw that Ling Yuling¡¯s face had grown somewhat pale, causing him to appear somewhat fragile.


    ¡°Since he is someone who saved the life of Junior Martial Brother Ling, this will be no problem at all. Junior Martial Brother Ling, are you injured?¡±


    When Han Li saw the sallow-faced cultivator¡¯s extremely concerned expression, his heart stirred.


    ¡°It is nothing. Although they struck me with a magic treasure, I had the protection of my Heavenly Fragrance Chain, and didn¡¯t suffer much damage.¡± Ling Yuling¡¯s beautiful face faintly blushed, but his expression still remained calm.


    After a moment of hesitation, the sallow-faced man took a small bottle from his body and politely passed it over to him, ¡°I have a Heaven Spirit Pill that was refined from a secret formula. Junior Martial Brother Ling, please take it and prevent any lasting damage to your vital energies.¡±


    When Ling Yuling saw this, his expression sank as if he were about to become angry. But he soon thought of something and instead smiled with passionate eyes, saying, ¡°Then Junior Marital Brother must thank Senior Martial Brother for the medicine. I must first head into the palace and report on Southclear Island. I¡¯m afraid I must ask Senior Marital Brother to help Fellow Daoist Han into the city. As he is my saviour, Senior Martial Brother must treat him properly.¡± Ling Yuling then smiled, taking the bottle with his slim, flawless hand in a very graceful manner. In that moment, it appeared he was undoubtedly a woman.


    The sallow-faced cultivator revealed excitement as if he were honored to hear Ling Yuling¡¯s pleasant words. ¡°It is not a problem. Since Elder Wang is on duty, he won¡¯t make things difficult for Junior Martial Brother,¡± he then slapped his chest and pledged, ¡°Please don¡¯t hesitate to leave Fellow Daoist Han with me.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, a strange expression flickered from his eyes.


    Was this person a woman or not?! Why else would the sallow-faced man appear so infatuated with Ling Yuling?


    Han Li¡¯s heart was in great turbulence.

 Chapter 506

    Requirements for Access


    For a long while, the sallow-faced cultivator gazed in the direction that Ling Yuling had flown off in. He eventually turned his gaze back to Han Li and calmly said, ¡°Although Fellow Daoist did assist Junior Martial Brother Ling, there are still a few questions I must ask you. As these are trying times, I hope Fellow Daoist will cooperate!¡±


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°If Fellow Daoist has any questions, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    The sallow-faced cultivator nodded his head and said, ¡°Good. First, tell me your identity. I will be verifying whether or not it is true.¡±


    Han Li smiled upon hearing this. ¡°I am an elder of the Exquisite Sound Sect. This is my badge, and this is the restriction control medallion to my cave residence in the city. I¡¯m sure that Fellow Daoist will know whether it is genuine or fake.¡±


    ¡°Exquisite Sound Sect? Take a look and see if the Exquisite Sound Sect has an elder named Han.¡± The sallow-faced cultivator bluntly took both of the medallions, and gave an order to those behind him without turning his head.


    ¡°Yes!¡± When the dainty female cultivator heard him, she hastily rummaged through her storage pouch before taking out a jade slip and immersing her spiritual sense within it. Afterwards, she glanced at Han Li several times before speaking with a respectful tone, ¡°Enforcer Zhao, the Exquisite Sound Sect does have an elder named Han Li and his appearance is exactly the same as is recorded.¡±


    When the sallow-faced cultivator heard this, he expressionlessly nodded his head, ¡°Oh! These two medallions are genuine as well. There seems to be no problem with your identity!¡±


    The sallow-faced cultivator tossed the medallions back to Han Li, ¡°Alright, you four continue on your patrol. I will be bringing this Fellow Daoist into the city.¡±


    The four behind him shouted in acknowledgement, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Afterwards, the sallow faced cultivator wordlessly beckoned to Han Li and flew off toward Heavenly Star City. Han Li closely flew after him as a streak of azure light.


    Not long after, the sallow-faced cultivator brought Han Li to the high walls of the city before flying up towards a city gate.


    Although there was no further interrogation, Han Li released his spiritual sense to examine his surroundings, discovering at least six hidden cultivators along the way. Although they were mostly Foundation Establishment cultivators, there were two Core Formation cultivators that remained unseen.


    Although his face remained calm, his heart trembled. It seemed the attack on Southclear Island had prompted Heavenly Star City to introduce greatly increased security as he had expected. Had he not been given a referral, he feared it wouldn¡¯t have been an easy task to enter the city.


    The city gates appeared quite desolate. Apart from the tens of white clothed cultivators standing guard outside of it, there was no one else present. In addition, as Han Li came closer to the city, he discovered that the walls and the gate were glowing with faint white light as if they were under the effects of a restriction.


    After the sallow-faced cultivator landed on the gate, he headed straight towards an old man that was reclining in a bamboo chair. He had a short beard and whiskers all over his face.


    He saluted the old man and spoke with a respectful tone, ¡°Enforcer Yu! This is the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Elder Han. I¡¯ve already inspected his identity and command medallion, and I¡¯ve found no problems. I must trouble Enforcer Yu to explain the procedure for entering the city. I cannot stay much longer as I must continue on my patrol.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto the old man and he immediately put his guard up. It was no wonder that the sallow-faced cultivator was so polite to him. He was a mid Core Formation cultivator.


    The old man slowly opened his eyes as if he were still half asleep, ¡°Exquisite Sound Sect?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, he somewhat reluctantly added on, ¡°That¡¯s right, and he righteously assisted Junior Martial Brother Ling as well.¡±


    A cold glint flickered in the old man¡¯s eyes, faintly revealing a spirited energy before it immediately disappeared. Then with a powerless voice, he lazily said, ¡°Oh, that is strange. Alright, I understand. Fellow Daoist Zhao may return.¡±


    The sallow-faced cultivator seemed to not mind the old man¡¯s mannerisms and saluted him before flying off, paying Han Li not the slightest heed.


    Han Li calmly stood in place and silently looked at the old man.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Young Girl Violet Spirit many times before. She truly is a fine beauty. I¡¯ve heard of you, Exquisite Sound Sect Elder, but unfortunately, I¡¯ve never had the chance to meet you before. It seems from your youthful appearance, that you also cultivate a technique that halts the aging of your appearance, much like our Fellow Daoist Ling. To the best of my knowledge, these cultivation techniques are all extreme Yin in nature. There are little benefits if a man were to cultivate it.¡±


    With serene calm, Han Li asked, ¡°Do your words mean that Fellow Daoist Ling is a man? As for my appearance, that is the result of a Face Setting Pill that I took long ago, not a cultivation technique.¡±


    The old man let out a muffled chuckle before speaking with an impressive lack of speed, ¡°Even our Star Palace is unsure of whether Fellow Daoist Ling is a male or female, let alone me. However, it is undoubtable that he cultivates a technique that halts his appearance. Haha, it seems Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s luck is quite good to come across an opportunity to consume a rare medicine pill.¡± Han Li felt astonished.


    The old man continued, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t dwell on the matter. Since your identity has already been examined, this old man won¡¯t bother to do so. However, as the times are unordinary, the rules will be as well. Fellow Daoist, listen well to what I have to say.¡±


    Han Li raised his eyebrows and remained silent.


    The old man¡¯s expression grew sullen and he said with an icy tone, ¡°Right now, Fellow Daoist has two options. You can join the Star Palace for the time being if you are willing to assist us in our fight. In this case, your movements will be unrestrained within the city. And each time you carry out any missions, you will be heavily rewarded. There is no way we would allow anyone¡¯s efforts to be in vain. If you are unwilling to fight in the war and wish to stay idly in the city, we won¡¯t force you to fight, but as the city is currently under martial law, no one is allowed to casually leave their residence unless it is during a specified time. Our enforcement squads in the city will slay anyone who does not follow these rules. Fellow Daoist Han can now tell me his choice.¡±


    A strange expression flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes. For a time, he silently sunk into contemplation.


    When the old man saw this, he didn¡¯t rush Han Li. He only narrowed his eyes, revealing a slightly crossed expression.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li solemnly asked, ¡°After I enter the city, would I be able to use the Outer Star Seas transportation formation?¡±


    ¡°Originally, it would¡¯ve been fine so long as you paid the spirit stone toll. However, it will no longer do. If you wish to go to the Outer Star Seas, you will have to do something for us.¡± The old man didn¡¯t appear surprised as if he had already anticipated Han Li¡¯s question.


    Although Han Li already guessed what it would be, he still frowned and asked, ¡°What would that be?¡±


    The old man faintly smiled, and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple! As soon as the battle starts, you will get an assignment from the Star Palace to eliminate a Starfall Coalition cultivator at the same rank of cultivation as yourself.¡± His smile seemed to resemble a smirk.


    Having heard this, Han Li bitterly laughed in his mind. It seems the upper echelons of the Star Palace intended to coerce cultivators that wished to leave the city. Even if the Star Palace couldn¡¯t control them, they would be required to spill the blood of Starfall Coalition cultivators. On the one hand, it would weaken the might of the Starfall Coalition. On the other, it would prevent those cultivators from ever joining the enemy.


    Using a single breath, Han Li quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already killed similar ranked cultivators on my way back with Fellow Daoist Ling. Does that count?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already killed one?¡± The old man appeared quite moved.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Han Li nodded his head without hesitation.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that won¡¯t count. It must happen after the battle has started. There is no point if you kill any of them beforehand.¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin and pensively asked, ¡°When does Fellow Daoist reckon that the battle will break out?¡±


    The old man was slightly surprised by Han Li¡¯s question and took another look at Han Li before calmly replying, ¡°It should be as soon as the next few days, I imagine. The Starfall Coalition don¡¯t plan on attacking the inner island, but rather aim to take over Heavenly Star City in an ambush in the quickest time possible!¡±


    Without further deliberation, Han Li calmly said, ¡°I will enlist. I¡¯ll be wanting to use the Outer Star Seas transportation formation after I kill a cultivator of the same rank.¡±


    The old man patted down his body before fishing out a sparkling yellow ring. He then indifferently handed it over to Han Li and said, ¡°Good! Put this ring on. It represents that for the time being, you will be a member of the Star Palace. When the battle comes, the ring will give you an assignment.¡±

 Chapter 507

    Light in the Darkest Hour


    Han Li received the ring and put it on without hesitation.


    The old man smiled and said, ¡°Good, you can now enter the city. During the day, there will be free movement, but there is an enforced curfew at night. When the battle starts, the ring will notify you. You can wait in your cave residence until then.¡± After he finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes once more and appeared to drift off.


    After taking a deep glance at the old man, Han Li entered the city.


    Not only were the streets of the city desolate, but he only occasionally caught glimpses of other cultivators in flight. The empty city made for dreary scenery.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained calm, but he inwardly rejoiced. From the apparent circumstances, the city market must certainly have been shut down. Had he not taken the time to make his preparations in Southclear Island, he would¡¯ve surely suffered quite the headache.


    Han Li softly chuckled before flying through the air towards his cave residence on Sage Mountain.


    As he passed by the market city, Han Li glanced down to find that all the shops were closed as he had expected. There wasn¡¯t a single person in sight. Han Li lightly shook his head and quickly flew towards the thirty-ninth layer of Sage Mountain.


    Upon entering Sage Mountain, Han Li keenly felt that the security on the mountain was far denser than the outer city. He was able to notice over ten different ripples through the air with his spiritual sense alone. But with the yellow ring on hand, the ripples in the air made way for Han Li. Despite all of this, there were no guards who appeared to question Han Li.


    But what made Han Li frown was the late Core Formation cultivator that swept his spiritual sense past him.


    Han Li feigned ignorance of this as he flew towards his cave residence. When he arrived, he examined the restrictions to find that nothing had been changed.


    However, Han Li blankly stood outside the restrictions for a moment before letting out a sigh. He hadn¡¯t been gone for long, but he had encountered many close brushes with death, and now, he had no choice but to discard his cave residence of nearly a hundred years. This caused Han Li to feel somewhat sentimental.


    He used his restriction control medallion to open the restrictions and slowly walked in, finding that everything was the same as he had left it.


    Han Li first attended to the most important matter at hand, the Gold Devouring Beetles. After making certain that the Gold Devouring Beetles were sound, Han Li felt genuinely relieved. He immediately placed all of them in a spirit beast pouch that he had prepared earlier, and turned towards his medicine garden and placed everything into his storage pouch.


    After this, Han Li decided to relax for the time being and slowly walked to the bedroom. He laid down on the bed and started to ponder about his plans for the future.


    He was required to kill a Starfall Coalition cultivator of the same rank as him if he wanted to use the transportation formation to the Outer Star Seas. While this condition wasn¡¯t difficult for him to fulfill, Han Li was worried that before the battle started, the Star Palace would somehow learn that the Heavenvoid Cauldron had fallen into his hands. After all, he had no way of knowing when those Nascent Soul eccentrics would leave Heavenvoid Hall. If one of those old eccentrics where to divulge this information, it would be disastrous for him.


    In addition to this, he had other misgivings. It was possible that after he fulfilled their condition, the upper echelon of the Star Palace would make up a frivolous reason to shamelessly deny him access to the transportation formation.


    After all, what could the recruited cultivators possibly do, even if the Star Palace reneged on their agreement?


    Although he had calmly agreed to the Star Palace¡¯s agreement at the entrance, he never intended on sincerely awaiting the Star Palace¡¯s orders.


    He prepared to explore the surroundings of the transportation formation, and see whether or not he could stealthily use it. If the security was lacking, he would seize the first opportunity to use it.


    As for whether or not he offended the collosal Star Palace, he didn¡¯t care in the least. In the end, he would still be pursued by those Nascent Soul eccentrics.


    With those reassuring thoughts in mind, Han Li dozed off to sleep. The numerous surprises on the past excursions had left Han Li quite fatigued.


    On the next day, Han Li awoke with roused spirits.


    He slowly walked out from the cave residence underneath a clear and bright sky, before flying into the air and examining his surroundings.


    Although there weren¡¯t as many cultivators outside compared to during peacetime, it was completely different from yesterday. It seemed that this was the time where free movement was allowed.


    Han Li first flew around his surroundings in a circle. After seeing that no one was monitoring him or paying any attention, he shot towards the fiftieth floor of Sage Mountain without any hesitation.


    Security was tighter as he went deeper into the mountain. Soon, Han Li arrived above the Starry Sky Palace, where the transportation formation was located. However, he merely passed over it. Instead, he pretended to visit another hall instead, and used that short instance to quietly sweep his spiritual sense over the hall.


    It went quite smoothly. The hall was nearly entirely devoid of any obstructions, but when he swept his spiritual sense past the inner portion of the building, he was blocked by a blue-yellow restriction. Fortunately, Han Li noticed it quite quickly and was able to retrieve his spiritual sense before touching the restriction.


    His expression then sank. Although he reckoned he was able to force his spiritual sense past the restriction, it would alert any of the cultivators inside the hall. There was no way he would willingly do something so foolish.


    At that moment, he unconsciously frowned.


    Because of the restriction, Han Li was neither able to see the quantity of cultivators within the inner halls nor their level of cultivation. However, there was no reason for any Nascent Soul cultivators to appear there. In the most extreme case, there would only be late Core Formation cultivators present. After all, the Starry Sky Palace didn¡¯t hold any critical value towards the Star Palace¡¯s upper echelon.


    After flying a far enough distance, Han Li flew in a circle and returned along a slightly different path.


    When Han Li was on his way back, he indignantly released his spiritual sense to see whether or not there was a gap in the restrictions. While his exploration found no faults in the restrictions, he did hear a raspy voice.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Zhang, how were the terms? Three thousand spirit stones per person on the transportation formation. This is the greatest amount we could offer.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart began to stir. His sights quickly fell onto two cultivators beneath him, and he immediately slowed down.


    One of the cultivators was a dark-skinned, middle-aged man while the other was a shriveled man with a sickly appearance. Both of them were mid Foundation Establishment cultivators. The one who had nervously spoken was the dark-skinned man.


    The two were being careful, whispering at a place where no one else was present. But that didn¡¯t matter when Han Li¡¯s enormous spiritual sense enveloped them; he could hear everything they said with perfect clarity.


    ¡°Shh! Be careful. Let¡¯s talk about this through voice transmission.¡± The shriveled man nervously glanced around, but Han Li managed to perceptively hide himself in an instant, entering a state of Qi restraint. At that same moment, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense was immediately withdrawn from other areas and was completely focused on the two in preparation of eavesdropping on their voice transmissions.


    As Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense far surpassed theirs, he was able to do this with the utmost secrecy. Were other Core Formation cultivators to attempt this, they would require an appropriate top grade secret technique to accomplish the same result.


    ¡°Although we may be distant relatives, it is extremely dangerous to secretly release people into the Outer Star Seas. He said that anything less than five thousand spirit stones per person, and he will have to decline. And this is considering that the Star Palace doesn¡¯t care about us Foundation Establishment cultivators. Were a Core Formation cultivator to hand over even more spirit stones, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be allowed through.¡±


    With an unsightly expression, the dark-skinned man roared, ¡°Five thousand!? Are we filled with money! How are rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators supposed to come up with that many spirit stones!?¡± Even while outraged, he had still remembered to use voice transmissions.


    The shriveled cultivator sighed and attempted to placate him, ¡°It is far too dangerous to continue to live within the Inner Star Seas. Us rogue cultivators could fall victim to any calamity that appears. When that happens, our lives will be forfeit; what use will spirit stones have then? After all, we all reckon that the forces of the Star Palace are nearly equal to that of the Starfall Coalition. It is very likely the war will last several years if not several tens of years. I don¡¯t want to spend my days flying around while fleeing and hiding in fear. As for spirit stones, we all possess no small amount of rare materials we¡¯ve been keeping in reserve. We should be able to use them to pay the remaining amount of spirit stones. In that manner, they would be willing to agree and give us face.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! Are we going to pour out our entire fortunes to go to the Outer Star Seas? Absurd!¡± The dark-faced man shook his head in a miserly fashion.


    The shriveled man was also distressed and bitterly said, ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go back and see what the others think.¡±


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 508

    Deciding on a Plan


    After that was said, their conversation ended with sullen expressions as they quickly flew down Sage Mountain on their magic tools.


    Han Li didn¡¯t closely follow after them as it would¡¯ve been too obvious. Instead, he coiled a sliver of spiritual sense around the shriveled man and watched them fly off with a detached expression before following them from a distance.


    The two of them were quite slow compared to Han Li. After two hours, they finally reached the fourth layer of Sage Mountain and entered an extremely ordinary courtyard residence.


    Soon after, Han Li appeared above the residence.


    The scenery here was quite serene. In addition to a few other similar residences in the distance, there was also a small green forest of bamboo nearby.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes became bright when he gazed at the residence. It was unremarkable, but there was a small Flowing Water Formation placed outside. Although it would prove to be of little use against any cultivators that truly wished to intrude, it would allow for an early warning.


    However, the formation spell was of little use against Han Li, a Core Formation cultivator who possessed some understanding towards formation spells. Han Li had complete confidence he could slip in without alerting its owner. In fact, that was precisely what he planned to do.


    His hands formed an incantation gesture before his figured distorted, disappearing in a haze of azure light. Not long after, Han Li reappeared in the courtyard without a sound. As his magic power had been completely restrained from circulating, there was no way a Core Formation cultivator could detect Han Li, let alone a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    The reason why Han Li was so careful was because he had feared there was a Core Formation cultivator here. Were that not the case, he would¡¯ve merely used a common concealment technique.


    Han Li motionlessly stood at the center of the courtyard and slowly released his spiritual sense around him, enveloping the entire courtyard. Afterwards, slight surprise appeared on his face as he stared in the direction of a side wing.


    He clearly felt that the other rooms were empty. Only the room in the side wing had any cultivators, seven to be exact.


    The seven cultivators consisted of five men and two woman; the shriveled man and the dark-skinned middle-aged man were amongst them. The one who possessed the highest cultivation was a large hook-nosed, embroidered-robed man who possessed a spirited gaze.


    Apart from his nose, he had a grand and imposing appearance. He had progressed to the peak of late Foundation Establishment and had already entered the false core stage. He was already at the point where he should be undergoing preparations for Core Formation.


    As for the rest, they were at mid Foundation Establishment stage.


    This was to be expected. One must require that cultivation at the very least if they wished to head to the Outer Star Seas.


    However, perhaps due to what they had discussed before, they were all silent with sullen expressions. Not a word was being said in the room.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t impatient. He quietly stood in place and waited. He was confident that their following chat was sure to give him some useful information and bring him closer to being able to form a plan.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, a middle-aged woman lost her patience and anxiously said, ¡°Brother Yi, Fellow Daoist Huang had brought back word that they want five thousand spirit stones per person before allowing us to teleport to the Outer Star Seas. In that case, we would be fairly relieved of our assignments to the Star Palace after handing over the spirit stones. What does Brother Yi think? After all, once the battle occurs, it will be too late to leave.¡±


    The pale-skinned middle-aged woman that sat at her side scowled and spoke with a hostile tone, ¡°Lady Liu, from your tone, you seem quite willing to let go of your spirit stones. But did you not think that your fellow Daoists aren¡¯t able to casually spend such an amount? My husband and I wouldn¡¯t be able to produce that sum even with all of our possessions. Could it be that Fellow Daoist wishes to leave alone?¡±


    When the other woman heard her, she revealed a trace of annoyance and asked, ¡°When did I say that I was going alone? How about we just ask Brother Yi? You are very experienced and have the highest cultivation among us. Surely you can give us a proper analysis of the pros and cons.¡±


    The embroidered-robed man said, ¡°Alright, there is no need for you two to continue. Fellow Daoist Liu cannot use the transportation formation alone. The Outer Star Seas isn¡¯t a place where a lone Formation Establishment Cultivator can roam around. It is only when we go together that we will be able to survive. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll manage to kill a few spirit beasts and use their cores to refine medicine pills. In addition, we won¡¯t be tasked with killing a cultivator of a similar grade during the battle. Even Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to preserve their lives during the fray, let alone us low grade cultivators. Moreover, there is also the worry of the Star Palace turning back on their word.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The Star Palace seems to have never done such unjust actions. Fellow Daoist Yi, aren¡¯t you being overly suspicious?¡± The burly youth said. Although his age was young, he had a mature aura.


    ¡°Although the possibility is low, it is still possible. This isn¡¯t a period where the Star Palace is the sole superpower. If the Star Palace feels it is in danger, it will do as it wants without any fear of the consequences. Such is the right of the powerful! Humph!¡± The large, embroidered-robed man¡¯s face twitched before he disdainfully snorted. He seemed to hold quite some understanding of great powers.


    After that was said, everyone in the room remained silent as they sunk into thought.


    The large man then slowly continued, ¡°Therefore, the optimal choice would be to use spirit stones to preserve our lives. If we were to truly participate in the battle, it is quite possible that we would all perish. And even if some of us were to survive and head to the Outer Star Seas, survival would be out of the question from a lack of strength. It would only be another path to disaster.¡±


    ¡°However, it costs so many spirit stones¡­¡±


    When the dark-skinned middle-aged man spoke with a distressed expression, the embroidered-robe cultivator interrupted him with an icy expression, ¡°What use are spirit stones if you¡¯re dead? Besides, we¡¯ll be able to make up for our losses by hunting down a few high grade demon beasts in the Outer Star Seas. What is most important at the moment is using the transportation formation.¡±


    The dark-skinned cultivator seemed quite scared of the large man and immediately grew silent at his rebuke.


    ¡°As for the lack of spirit stones, take out as many as you can. Let¡¯s see whether or not they will be flexible. If it won¡¯t do, then we¡¯ll take out our excess spirit stones and lend them to each other for the time being. After we teleport to the Outer Star Seas, the debts will be paid back with interest.¡± The large man imposingly gazed at the more destitute cultivators as he spoke as if having already decided for them.


    The six glanced at each other in discomfort, but they all reluctantly accepted his command.


    The large man revealed slight satisfaction and turned towards the shriveled man. He said with an imposing tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist Zhang, I must trouble you to make another trip tomorrow, and see if they are willing to take a lesser price. If it is impossible, then we will agree to those conditions. However, we must leave by the day after tomorrow; there cannot be any delays. It will all be meaningless unless we can leave before the battle erupts.¡±


    The shriveled man repeatedly agreed. Afterwards, a lively discussion began to erupt in the room over the specific details.


    As Han Li stood outside the room, he was able to hear the entirety of their discussion with perfect clarity. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from mysteriously smiling. Then with a flash of azure light, he disappeared without a trace.


    On the next day, the shriveled man left the residence and headed towards the Starry Sky Palace, completely unaware of the person following him from above.


    When Han Li followed him into the vicinity of the Starry Sky Palace, he cautiously slipped away into a nearby building.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and then quietly waited inside the building.


    About an hour later, the shriveled man sneakily emerged from the building with a trace of excitement betrayed on his face. Afterwards, Han Li followed him back to the residence.


    However, something unexpected had occurred before his eyes.


    Before entering the residence, the shriveled man¡¯s excitement completely disappeared and was exchanged with a miserable expression.


    When Han Li saw this, he frowned. With chin in hand, his mind began to ponder, ¡°Could it be¡­¡±


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 509

    Infiltration


    On the morning of the third day, underneath the bright skies, the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators slipped out of their residence with utmost stealth and headed towards the Starry Sky Palace.


    As the enforced curfew had just ended, there were only a few cultivators roaming through the early morning sky. Hence, the seven were even more careful. Each of them nervously went along their way with lowered heads. However, the embroidered-robed man in the lead vigilantly examined his surroundings as they flew.


    The journey to Starry Sky Palace was very smooth. Nothing happened to them as they flew to the forty-ninth floor of Sage Mountain. When they arrived at the Starry Sky Palace, their expressions were relaxed and filled with relief.


    But at that moment, the embroidered-robed man in front suddenly stopped in the air with a shocked expression. He raised his arm with a solemn expression, performing a strange hand gesture. When the others behind him saw this, they abruptly halted and became vigilant.


    The embroidered-robed man stared at an empty location and spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°For what reason has Fellow Daoist blocked our path?¡± At that same moment, he began to reach for the storage pouch at his waist.


    The empty area in front of them flashed with azure light to reveal an azure-clothed cultivator standing there with his hands behind his back. He slowly spoke with a hoarse voice, ¡°Hehe, there is no need for you Fellow Daoists to be afraid. Although I¡¯ve been waiting just for you, I mean no harm. I merely have something to request of you.¡±


    Once the party clearly felt his cultivation, they were filled with alarm and surged with wariness.


    The man was also a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator at false core stage.


    With a cold glint flashing from his eyes, the embroidered-robed man calmly asked, ¡°What is your esteemed name, Fellow Daoist? How can we help you?¡±


    The azure-clothed man casually said something that made the seven cultivators pale, ¡°My name is Crooked Soul, a mere vagrant cultivator. Aren¡¯t you heading to the Starry Sky Palace? Could you bring me along? I also wish to head to the Outer Star Seas.¡±


    When the embroidered-robed man heard him, his expression fluctuated. He was silent for a moment before he widely smiled and said, ¡°So it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul, but what do you mean by Starry Sky Palace and the Outer Star Seas? Our group is only going to attend to a few personal matters, and we just happened to pass here along the way. We have no business with the Starry Sky Palace. Fellow Daoist is mistaken.¡± The embroidered-robed man came to a decision that regardless of this Crooked Soul¡¯s intention or how he managed to find out about their plans, there was absolutely no way he would easily agree.


    The others remained silent as well as if they were leaving the matter entirely up to the large man.


    ¡®Crooked Soul¡¯ chuckled and casually said, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist Yi to be so suspicious. Since I¡¯ve already arrived here, how could I be fooled just like that?¡±


    The embroidered-robed man¡¯s heart trembled and he snorted, ¡°Humph! So it seems you know my identity and have a clear understanding of our plans.¡± He then unconsciously clutched his storage pouch with veins protruding from his hands.


    Having received an unknown command, the other cultivators suddenly dispersed in great coordination and surrounded the azure-clothed man.


    The azure-clothed man ignored their movements and spoke with great leisure, ¡°You don¡¯t want to try and kill me. I don¡¯t mean to boast, but with my cultivation, you wouldn¡¯t be able to kill me quickly. If I were to yell and call for the Star Palace, I wonder what would happen?¡±


    After that was said, the group of cultivators glanced at each other before turning their gazes to the large, embroidered-robed man.


    The large man¡¯s expression became unsightly. Although he had yet to reach Core Formation, he had always boasted of his exceptional shrewdness making him a menace among Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, he clearly understood that the man¡¯s threats were no joke.


    After a moment of deliberation, he could only suppress his anger and coldly ask, ¡°What does Fellow Daoist want us to help you with. We¡¯ve already said that we would take only seven people. Moreover, the transportation formation can only take seven cultivators at a time. They would certainly refuse if we were to add another.¡±


    The azure-clothed man smiled, ¡°Be at ease, I won¡¯t make things hard for you. So long as I enter the hall, I¡¯ll have my own methods for persuading them. If an agreement can¡¯t be reached, I will neither force the issue nor ruin your fortuitous affair.¡±


    ¡°Only that?¡± The large man frowned and wore a trace of doubt.


    ¡°Only that!¡± The azure-clothed man spoke with certainty.


    The large man muttered to himself for a moment before eventually gritting his teeth, ¡°Fine, if it¡¯s only to give you an introduction, then we¡¯re willing to agree, if only barely.¡±


    With a calm expression as if having anticipated the large man¡¯s concession, the azure-robed man saluted and said, ¡°Then I must give you my thanks!¡±


    The shriveled man raised his head to look at the sky and anxiously urged, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist wishes to head to the Starry Sky Palace, let us go quickly. We¡¯re already running late. They may become impatient.¡±


    The azure-clothed man glanced at the shriveled man in silence, but the embroidered-robed man wordlessly raised his hand and they continue on their way.


    They moved in a formation that kept the azure-robed cultivator at their center. It seemed they were quite wary of him. Still, the azure-clothed cultivator calmly followed after them. Of course, this azure-clothed cultivator was actually Han Li. He had restrained his magic power fluctuations to the level of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator and had disguised his appearance.


    The remaining distance from the Starry Sky Hall wasn¡¯t long. After only a short moment, the party arrived in front of the Starry Sky Palace. At that moment, the shriveled man suddenly increased in speed and shot forward, arriving at the hall first.


    The embroidered-robed man and the others didn¡¯t find this odd in the slightest. After all, the shriveled man was the one who had relations with the Starry Sky Palace in the first place. Now that they arrived, it was only natural that he led the way, lest any misunderstandings occur.


    After entering, the party tried their hardest to maintain a calm expression, but a trace of apprehension was betrayed on their faces. Having entered the Starry Sky Palace, their lives were now in the hands of the other party.


    However, everything seemed to be going as expected. The restrictions that should¡¯ve been there were absent, and it seemed the managers of the palace had disabled them ahead of time.


    When Han Li saw this, a strange expression momentarily appeared on his face.


    But what comforted the party the most was the sight of two white-clothed Star Palace Core Formation cultivators waiting for them in the hall with the transportation formations.


    When the shriveled man saw the two, he immediately broke into a smile and walked forward several steps to respectfully greet them, ¡°Senior Gu, Senior Qian, we¡¯ve arrived. Have you finished the preparations on your end?¡±


    Among the two, the bald old man nodded his head, slowly saying, ¡°We¡¯re ready on our side. Hand over the spirit stones, and we¡¯ll give each person a displacement talisman. You can leave as soon as soon as possible, but the spirit stones had better not be short.¡±


    The embroidered-robed man stepped forward and respectfully said, ¡°Be at ease, Senior, we¡¯ve brought along the agreed amount of spirit stones.¡±


    The bald old man examined him several times before speaking with a polite tone, ¡°So, you¡¯re Fellow Daoist Yi. As expected, your cultivation is exceptional!¡± But when his sights fell upon Han Li, his expression sunk.


    The bald old man¡¯s expression became gloomy and his voice was filled with suspicion, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that it¡¯s supposed to be seven? Why is there another person here? This Fellow Daoist also seems to be at the false core stage. May I know who you are?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± The embroidered-robed man bitterly smiled, wanting to give an explanation.


    Han Li smiled and interrupted the large man, ¡°I am Crooked Soul, a vagrant cultivator that also wishes to head to the Outer Star Seas. I¡¯ve heard that Fellow Daoist Yi and the others had a connection, and chose to deliberately seek them out. I hope you two Seniors don¡¯t take offence. If these Seniors are willing to accomodate me, I am willing to pay double their rate for the use of the transportation formation.¡±


    ¡°Double?¡± The bald old man was shocked for a moment before turning his head to look at the scholarly middle-aged cultivator at his side.


    The middle-aged man frowned and slowly said, ¡°Even if you pay double, the largest number of people that can be sent in a single teleportation is seven. Also we can only use the transportation formation once, so it is impossible to allow a teleportation for your use alone. Otherwise, it will be difficult to conceal our activities from the upper echelon.¡±


    ¡°Junior has considered that, so he won¡¯t make it difficult for Senior,¡± Han Li smiled and suddenly turned to the side, speaking without a trace of politeness, ¡°Therefore, how about Fellow Daoist temporarily hand over his spot?¡±


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 510

    Blackmail


    The person Han Li was requesting a spot from was the shriveled man.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Alarm flickered across the shriveled man¡¯s face, soon to be replaced with anger.


    The others glanced at each other, not knowing what Han Li intended.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°Be at ease, Fellow Daoist, I won¡¯t allow you to do this in vain. I have two grade five demon beast cores. Take it as payment for your spot. Surely Fellow Daoist won¡¯t turn his back on me.¡± He then searched his robes and took two shining blue globes out of nowhere. From their emitted spiritual Qi, they were genuine grade five demon cores.


    The shriveled man looked at the two demon cores with a trace of greed, but he soon thought of something and coldly snorted, ¡°Humph! Does your esteemed self think that I will give up my place for a measly two demon cores?¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t grow angry. Instead, he strangely smiled and his lips trembled several times, sending several voice transmissions to him in everyone¡¯s presence. The shriveled man suddenly paled after hearing them.


    Han Li then spoke to him with a leisurely tone without using a voice transmission, ¡°With this, there should be no way Fellow Daoist could possibly refuse this trade. Am I correct?¡±


    When the shriveled man heard Han Li, his nervous face became lined with cold sweat. After fiercely glaring at Han Li for a moment, the shriveled man¡¯s face twitched as he clenched his teeth and said, ¡°Fine! Since Fellow Daoist can say that, I will hand over my spot to you!¡±


    Those words came as a shock to the other six.


    The embroidered-robed man¡¯s expression sank and he stared at the shriveled man. He coldly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Zhang, what are you saying? Didn¡¯t we say that we were going together? Why did you¡­¡±


    The shriveled man bitterly laughed and helplessly said, ¡°I am truly sorry, but I fear we must part for the time being. You should all go first. I will join you if there is another opportunity.¡±


    The embroidered man spoke no further, nor did the rest of the party. It was now apparent that something was being used against their Fellow Daoist Zhang in order to force him to relinquish his spot. Hence, there was no point in continuing the discussion. Fortunately, a lack of one person didn¡¯t make too much of a difference in their plans.


    The bald old man frowned and imposingly glared at the shriveled man, ¡°Humph! Who said you could exchange people as you wished.¡±


    ¡°Senior Gu, I¡­¡± The shriveled man was startled and thought to mutter an explanation, but he couldn¡¯t come up with anything.


    But at that moment, Han Li produced two jade boxes with a flick of his hand, tossing one each to the bald old man and the scholarly man at his side.


    When the two saw the jade boxes, they unconsciously caught them and calmly gazed at Han Li.


    Han Li spoke with a serene appearance, ¡°The boxes contain two treasures that Junior unexpectedly acquired. Please take them Seniors.¡±


    The two gave each other a mutual glance with curiosity in their eyes. From their examination of the boxes, it seemed that they contained no tricks. They then carefully opened the boxes by a sliver to release several rays of red light.


    The two unconsciously revealed pleasant surprise upon seeing what was within.


    With a moved expression, the scholarly man said, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul truly wish to hand these two treasures over to us?¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled and said, ¡°Junior understands that although the items are precious, they are of no use to him at his current cultivation. Junior wishes even more to head out to the Outer Star Seas so that he can continue his peaceful cultivation.¡±


    The bald old man couldn¡¯t contain his joy and without any discussion with his partner, he hurriedly agreed, ¡°Hehe! Good. Since Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul has given us such a grand gift, we won¡¯t be unreasonable. You can use the transportation formation with the other six.¡±


    Although Cultivator Qian appeared unhappy, he was also tempted by the item in his hand and didn¡¯t say anything in opposition.


    This scene shook the hearts of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, causing them to feel a huge desire to see what those boxes contained. However, the boxes were quickly closed by the two Star Palace cultivators. As they didn¡¯t dare to use their spiritual sense to pry, they were left helpless.


    However, when the embroidered-robed man took another glance at the two jade boxes, a trace of amazement flickered in his eyes. Although he couldn¡¯t see what the boxes contained, from what they had said, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the words ¡°magic treasure¡±. Could it be that this person had truly given them magic treasures? Despite being just a guess, he couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed.


    Before the embroidered-robed man could finish his thoughts, the two Star Palace cultivators turned around to the transportation formation behind them and began to chant an incantation with their hands grasping a white jade medallion.


    The Foundation Establishment cultivators didn¡¯t see anything odd about this, but Han Li let out a long sigh of relief.


    ¡°Lucky¡­ The transportation formation has a trick to it. Had I charged in without knowing this, I would find myself in a difficult situation. It seems taking out a few undesirable yet somewhat valuable magic tools was quite an incisive move.¡±


    The jade boxes each contained a flying knife magic treasure that sparkled with red light. These two flying knives were taken from Hu Yue after the Bone Sage had killed him[1. Hu Yue was killed in chapter 425, and his magic treasures were taken in chapter 429].


    Although these magic treasures weren¡¯t particularly amazing, they were exceptionally precious to ordinary Core Formation cultivators.


    Even if the magic treasure couldn¡¯t be linked to one¡¯s consciousness, it could be directly used at seventy percent of its strength without the need of investing a large amount of time or resources. This was something that ordinary Core Formation cultivators could only dream of acquiring.


    Although many magic treasures have been passed down throughout the years, a majority of them had been destroyed in battle. Even with the remaining magic treasures, most of them would fall into the hands of Nascent Soul Cultivators or exceedingly powerful Core Formation cultivators. Though, they would occasionally fall into the hands of a few nameless cultivators and minor powers.


    Huge superpowers like the Star Palace obviously acquired many magic treasures but conversely, they also had an exceedingly large number of Core Formation cultivators.


    If these two early Core Formation cultivators didn¡¯t earn any merits, they wouldn¡¯t be bestowed any magic treasures. As such, they were wild with joy to find a magic treasure unexpectedly falling in their grasp. After refining them, their strength would receive a massive increase.


    As such, the shriveled man could only obediently hand over his place. Han Li had a full grasp over the situation.


    When Han Li saw the shriveled man¡¯s expression on his return to the residence, he grew suspicious and infiltrated his room. Although there didn¡¯t exist any magic techniques that could completely control a cultivator¡¯s consciousness, Han Li was able to put him into a half conscious daze. With a combination of bewitchment techniques along with his immense spiritual sense, he was able to force out the shriveled man¡¯s deepest thoughts.


    Although the shriveled man only spouted out intermittent phrases during this state, Han Li ended up quite lucky, acquiring information that the shriveled man and the two Star Palace cultivators had deliberately raised the price to squeeze the other Foundation Establishment cultivators for all they had.


    With this information to blackmail him along with the enticement of the two demon cores, the shriveled man meekly submitted to Han Li; his heart filled to the brim with apprehension to the point of near panic. He couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Did the Star Palace cultivators deliberately set me up?¡¯


    As the incantations reverberated throughout the hall, the transportation formation began to glow with white light. Following a clear ring, the white glow suddenly disappeared.


    After seeing that the restriction had disappeared from the formation, the bald old man turned to the party of Formation Establishment cultivators and bluntly said, ¡°Normally, these is another manager of the hall, but as luck would have it, he was sent to the Star Palace Hall to handle emerging affairs in the past day, otherwise you would¡¯ve had to pay far more. Alright, come and hand over your spirit stones.¡±


    When that was said, each of the cultivators immediately took out a storage pouch they had prepared ahead of time and handed them over to the bald old man.


    As for Han Li, he took out another two demon beast cores and handed them over, arousing a trace of astonishment from the old man¡¯s face.


    After examining each of the payments, the bald old man nodded with satisfaction. Seeing this, the scholarly middle-aged man took out a stack of talismans and began to pass them out amongst Han Li and the others.


    He pointed to the transportation formation and coldly said, ¡°These are displacement talismans. You can leave after placing them on your body.¡±


    The others were hesitant, but Han Li walked into it without a word.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was displaying courage, but that he had found nothing wrong with the transportation formation after quickly sweeping it with his spiritual sense.


    The stone tablet in front of the transportation formation read the words ¡°Wondrous Depths¡±.


    Han Li didn¡¯t have any particular impression towards this name. From his last experience, it seemed that the islands¡¯ names didn¡¯t hold much significance.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 511

    Out to Sea Again


    After seeing Han Li walk into the teleportation formation without hesitation, the other cultivators paused for a moment before following him.


    After seeing that the seven of them had entered the formation spell, the bald old man wore a faint smile and formed an incantation gesture that caused specks of white light to float from his finger.


    While staring at the specks of white light, the old man suddenly asked, ¡°Since we¡¯re sending you to the Outer Star Seas in secret, you¡¯re not going to blabber about this, right?¡±


    The embroidered-robed man was quick-witted and immediately replied with a sincere expression, ¡°Of course we won¡¯t. We are truly grateful towards Seniors for being so accommodating. There is no way we would do such a self destructive thing. Moreover, what use would it be for us to say anything?¡±


    Staring at the embroidered-robed man, he coldly said, ¡°If you understand, then good. As there are few people in the Star Palace with our position, we¡¯d receive a stern warning at the worst. But if some rumors do arrive, then Fellow Daoist Gu and I won¡¯t be so forgiving. Additionally, we heard you feared a sudden falling out and all carried response beads. Thorough, but unnecessary. We aren¡¯t about to soil our reputations over a few spirit stones.¡± He then swept his gaze past the other cultivators before falling onto Han Li.


    ¡°Senior truly is a reasonable person. Junior is but a knave that can only think of others in regards to his own desires.¡± The embroidered-robed man forced a smile but faintly felt a chill run down his back.


    ¡°Humph! No need to speak any nonsense! You¡¯re now on your own!¡± The bald old man didn¡¯t say anything further and flicked his finger, activating the transportation formation with a faint white magic seal.


    Suddenly, the spirit stones around the magic formation flourished with white light, causing the seven to disappear.


    When the bald old man saw them successively teleport away, his expression suddenly changed and he bewilderedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to give them false displacement talismans? Why did you give them real ones? This wasn¡¯t what we previously agreed upon.¡±


    The scholarly cultivator coldly snorted and spoke with a grimace, ¡°If I truly took out false displacement talismans, do you really believe we would¡¯ve been let off? The person who gave us the magic treasures was a Nascent Soul eccentric. If we took out false talismans, he would¡¯ve killed us in a fit of anger.¡± He then took out a white cloth and wiped the cold sweat off of his head.


    The bald old man said with a shocked expression, ¡°Nascent Soul cultivator? Brother Qian, are you joking? That person was clearly a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.¡±


    The shriveled man that was left behind was at a loss.


    ¡°Brother Gu should know that my spirit beast, a soul hare, has no skills apart from being able to keenly sense another¡¯s spiritual sense.¡± The scholarly man then flipped his hand to reveal an animal that strongly resembled a kitten.


    The spirit beast had ears as slender as a rabbits and sparkling green eyes that continuously darted around. It appeared to be a rather adorable spirit beast.


    As he caressed the soul hare, he said, ¡°Although he managed to conceal his aura with some sort of exceptional restraint technique, concealing himself from even the soul hare, he stealthily swept his spiritual sense past the formation spell after we dissolved the restrictions on it. This gave my soul hare the opportunity to detect something was amiss. My soul hare is able to give an appropriate reaction towards mid Core Formation and even late Core formation cultivators. However, it didn¡¯t give a reaction, but merely continued to shiver inside my sleeve. It can only mean that his spiritual sense was unfathomably profound, but it has only ever given this response when we visit the elders.¡± A trace of fear was contained in his voice.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then he must be a Nascent Soul cultivator.¡± Sweat started to line the bald old man¡¯s head.


    ¡°Even if he wasn¡¯t, then he must be a late Core Formation cultivator. Either way it wouldn¡¯t take much effort for him to exterminate us.¡± The scholarly man spoke without doubt.


    ¡°Luckily, Brother Qian was so quick-witted! If we took out false talismans, we would¡¯ve brought about our own destruction. I had originally thought he was quite an eccentric individual to give us each a magic treasure without the slightest heartache,¡± But after some further thought, the old man then fearfully asked, ¡°But would there be any problems produced by sending him off to the Outer Star Seas?¡±


    ¡°What problems? He was a vagrant Nascent Soul cultivator. I imagine he headed to the Outer Star Seas because he didn¡¯t want to be involved in the war between the Star Palace and the Starfall Coalition. Hence, there will be no problems to be had as long as we don¡¯t let our superiors know that we allowed a Nascent Soul cultivator to teleport to the Outer Star Seas. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be severely punished.¡± After giving the old man an explanation, his face grew gloomy as he eerily gazed at the dumbstruck shriveled man at their side.


    As the scholarly man imposingly gazed at him, the shriveled man suddenly trembled and came to a realization. He hastily took several steps back and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything that you two Seniors just said. I won¡¯t speak any drivel¡­ I¡­¡± Before the shriveled man could finish, a streak of yellow light silently flew out and circled around him several times before he fell to pieces.


    The bald old man recalled his magic treasure and gloomily said, ¡°With this, no one else will know. Although we had something of a relationship together, unfortunately, I cannot let you leave!¡±


    ¡­


    Han Li and the other six cultivators appeared at the other end of the transportation formation with a flash of white light in a shabby stone room.


    Han Li swept his gaze to the corner of the room where a Star Palace cultivator with a frail appearance was speaking with a scar-faced, grey-robed cultivator.


    When the Star Palace cultivator saw them appear, he examined them with a frown. However, he soon lost interest and continued to speak with the grey-robed cultivator.


    The cultivator in charge of the formation said with a displeased tone, ¡°I¡¯ve already said this. There are currently fixtures in place that render the formation one way only. It can only receive, not send. The sect has already taken all the displacement talismans from me, and even I can no longer return. There is no point in Fellow Daoist trying to force me.¡±


    The grey-robed cultivator shouted out with fury, ¡°Nonsense! There were several people that went back several days ago. How can the transportation formation have changed so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Humph! I¡¯ve already explained it many times, but you just love to ignore me! I no longer have any obligation to speak any further.¡± The Star Palace cultivator glared at the man before sitting down and closing his eyes.


    ¡°You¡­¡± When the grey-robed cultivator saw that he was being ignored, his complexion turned bright red, but he didn¡¯t take the slightest action. He didn¡¯t have the courage to act against a Star Palace cultivator. He turned around in place with great agitation, but when his expression immediately fell upon Han Li and the others that had arrived, his face suddenly grew joyful.


    He walked towards them before stopping several steps ahead of them and saluted the embroidered-clothed man, who obviously appeared to be the leader of the group, before politely asking, ¡°Did you Fellow Daoists come from Heavenly Star city?¡±


    After seeing that the scar-faced man was also a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, he didn¡¯t dare to ignore him and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ve just arrived. What¡¯s wrong, Fellow Daoist?¡± However, he could already guess what the grey-robed cultivator was about to say.


    The grey-robed cultivator asked with a hopeful tone, ¡°I am Xu Yun. I¡¯ve been in the outer seas for several years. Could you tell me whether or not the Starfall Coalition has truly been formed and whether or not the city is on the verge of battle?¡±


    When the embroidered-robed man saw Xu Yun¡¯s expression, he knew what he wanted to hear most, however, the truth would only disappoint him. Hence, he explained with complete openness, ¡°It is true. The Righteous and Devilish Dao have forged the Starfall Coalition and immediately declared war on the Star Palace. As we do no wish to be drawn into the conflict, we teleported here. I fear Fellow Daoist will have no way of returning for the time being.¡±


    Xu Yun stood in place in shock with a dejected expression, ¡°How can that be! I wanted to return and have these painstakingly acquired materials be refined into medicinal pills. What a waste of time!¡±


    After this was said, there was silence in the room.


    Despite having racked their brains to arrive at the Outer Star Seas, they were helpless without any way to return.


    After a short moment, the embroidered-robed man¡¯s expression changed and he suddenly turned to the grey-robed man. He cordially said, ¡°My name is Yi Jing, and these are my close friends. Since Fellow Daoist Xu has lived here for several years, could he introduce Wondrous Depths Island to us? Of course, this won¡¯t be for free. We¡¯re willing to give you a few spirit stones as compensation.¡±


    Although Xu Yun didn¡¯t recover from his dejection, he still spiritedly replied, ¡°There is no need for compensation. As you¡¯ve already answered my question, I am merely returning the favor. Please don¡¯t hesitate to ask any questions you may have, and I¡¯ll answer to the best of my knowledge.¡±


    Suddenly, the party of Foundation Establishment cultivators revealed joy at the prospect of being given an introduction to this unfamiliar place. It would prove quite favorable for them in their future endeavors.


    When Han Li saw this, he also smiled. With arms crossed, he stood behind them as he waited for the explanation.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 512

    Blackrock City


    Yi Jing, the embroidered-robed man, swept his gaze around the room before looking at the Star Palace cultivator sitting in the corner. ¡°It is somewhat inconvenient to speak here. Fellow Daoist Xu, how about we chat outside?¡±


    ¡°Outside? Sure.¡± Xu Yun indifferently replied.


    Yi Jing rejoiced, but he soon thought of something and turned his head around and widely smiled towards Han Li. ¡°Brother Crooked Soul, wouldn¡¯t it be better to come along with us and listen? Better yet, we can work together!¡±


    Han Li blankly stared for a moment before smiling, ¡°Alright, I did want to hear his explanation as well.¡± Han Li then casually followed after them.


    ¡°What? That Fellow Daoist isn¡¯t part of your group?¡± Xu Yun was quite surprised.


    The dark-skinned, middle-aged man suddenly shouted out with a trace of hostility, ¡°He did teleport along with us, but before that, we were strangers!¡±


    Yi Jing frowned in response but didn¡¯t say anything. Xu Yun wordlessly nodded.


    After they all walked out of the stone room, the newcomers surveyed their surroundings with amazement. The scene was entirely different from what Han Li had seen on Deep Jade Island.


    They emerged within a small market city. Although it appeared crude and only spanned about ten kilometers, the city was created entirely out of black stone. The shabby building that housed the transportation formation lay at the center of the city. It was propped up by a tall altar-like platform with steps descending from every side. Due to the height of the surrounding terrain, they were able to have a clear view of the surrounding city.


    The city seemed to be surrounded by twelve meter tall stone walls along with a dense white sparkling barrier. However, there were tall buildings of varying sizes behind the walls. Strangely enough, none of them had pointed roofs; they were all flat.


    At first glance, although the city was full of buildings, few of them were independently constructed. It wasn¡¯t just a string of stone buildings joined together, but rather, frequent masses of stone buildings were lined up together.


    What shocked Han Li the most was that a few mortals were mingling amongst the cultivators on the crude black stone road, occasionally rushing in and out of the stone buildings.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough to shock Han Li by itself; it was the fact that a majority of the mortals were young, beautiful women. As for the other mortals, they were burly men and delicate youths.


    When Yi Jing¡¯s party saw this, they were just as shocked as Han Li.


    Since they wanted to travel to the Outer Star Seas, it was only natural to do research on the islands in advance. However, this scene was completely contrary to the information they had acquired.


    A strange expression momentarily appeared on the Yi Jing¡¯s face. He then said with a deep voice, ¡°Fellow Daoist Liu, take another look at the jade slip containing information on Wondrous Depths Island. Could it be that we were mistaken?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll take another look at it!¡± The woman surnamed Liu hastily looked through her storage pouch.


    Xu Yun waved his arm and stopped the woman from finding the jade slip. ¡°There is no need to look for the information on Wondrous Depths Island. Since most of it is false, it is natural to feel surprised.¡±


    Yi Jing¡¯s expression changed, ¡°False? What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It is quite simple. Wondrous Depths Island is quite different from other demon beast islands. All cultivators are given a gag order prior to their return, allowing them to only leak certain information; else, they would suffer great punishment. It¡¯s hard to say whether or not it will prove fortunate that you¡¯ve arrived at this island.¡±


    ¡°Certain information? Could it be due to the Star Palace?¡± Lady Liu appeared disturbed.


    Xu Yun sighed and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t the Star Palace, but the various united powers that reign over this island. Even the Star Palace is unwilling to lightly offend this faction.¡±


    When those words were said Han Li raised his eyebrows while the others looked at each other in dismay.


    Xu Yun chuckled and spoke with a loud, alluring tone, ¡°Hehe! This place isn¡¯t too different from what you¡¯ve imagined. In fact, to some cultivators, it is a place they could only dream of. Blackrock City has the sole market and is the only city on Wondrous Depths Island. So long as you have spirit stones or demon cores, it is a cultivator¡¯s paradise. You can purchase items that cannot be acquired from other demon beast islands. Regardless of whether it¡¯s top grade cultivation vessels, formidable magic treasures, priceless spirit beasts, or exceedingly rare materials, this place has it all.¡± The nearby cultivators and mortals glanced over due to his loud voice, but they soon averted their eyes and went on their way.


    When Yi Jing heard this, he became especially bewildered. As for Han Li, he continued to look around with a calm expression as if he hadn¡¯t heard what Xu Yun had said.


    When Xu Yun saw this, he glanced at Han Li with slight surprise.


    Yi Jing let out a long sigh and asked with a heavy voice, ¡°Could Brother Xu give us an introduction of this place?¡±


    Xu Yun seemed to have completely recovered from his low spirits and candidly said, ¡°Of course I can. Since I can¡¯t leave for the time being, how about I give you an explanation of the city while we stroll around? It should prove more useful than giving an empty explanation while standing in place. However, if anyone has any windfalls in the future, please don¡¯t forget about me.¡±


    ¡°Then I must thank you Brother Xu. This city appears quite different from others.¡± Yi Jing then looked at a male cultivator with a trace of amazement. The cultivator was holding a mortal woman in his embrace in a bold display as they walked down the street, much to the disinterest of the other mortals and cultivators around them.


    Xu Yun smiled when he saw this and didn¡¯t say anything further. Instead, he brought them over to a large stone building.


    The building had already caught Han Li¡¯s attention as it was one of the largest in the city.


    At a distance, he saw that two charming mortal women were standing at its entrance. As the many cultivators entered the building, they gave them a welcoming smile.


    Along the way Xu Yun warned them with a solemn expression, ¡°Bear this in mind! Although this isn¡¯t Heavenly Star City, all magic battles are strictly forbidden apart from particular arenas. If this rule is violated, it will be punished by death without question.¡±


    The dark-skinned, middle-aged man spoke with shock, ¡°What? This punishment is even more severe than Heavenly Star City¡¯s!¡±


    Xu Yin slowly explained, ¡°True, it is far more severe. But like this, cultivators who enter the city may truly be at ease without having to worry. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever managed to carry out their revenge and successfully leave the city alive. After all, there is a Nascent Soul Senior standing guard at all times.¡±


    ¡°A Nascent Soul cultivator!¡± Yi Jing¡¯s party all wore expressions of shock.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled violently and he became completely vigilant.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s hold off on any more questions until after we go inside.¡± Underneath the smiles of the two beautiful mortal women, the party apprehensively followed Xu Yun into the building.


    As for Han Li, a strange glint flickered from his eyes before he curiously followed them in.


    After walking through the large entrance, a huge circular screen blocked their way. The screen was pink and had an image of a palace maid flying through the skies. Although the image of the woman was shown from behind, it appeared to be fluctuating as if she were truly in flight. From the faint pink light that the screen emitted, it couldn¡¯t possibly be a low grade magic tool.


    To the sides of the screen, there were two semi-circle doors. And to the front of the screen, there was a female cultivator who wore azure palace robes and appeared to be thirty-years old. She was happily chatting with a smiling male cultivator.


    But strangely enough, despite her ordinary looks, each and everyone one of her movements were filled with a mature feminine charm. Additionally, the smile she wore as she spoke displayed a faintly seductive attraction.


    Although she was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator like the man she was speaking to, the man was completely enraptured by her.


    However, when the woman caught sight of Xu Yun and the others, her eyes suddenly brightened and she clapped her hands, causing a young mortal girl to come out from behind a door. As the male cultivator was dragged behind the screen, he gazed at the female cultivator with a reluctant expression.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 513

    Demon Beasts of the Depths


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Xu? I heard you wanted to return to Heavenly Star City, but I suppose the transportation formation is still unusable?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was soft and alluring, bringing forth a sense of comfort to those that heard it.


    Han Li unconsciously frowned and bitterly laughed in his mind. It seemed a majority of the female cultivators that he met cultivated some sort of secret bewitchment technique. Although this woman¡¯s bewitchment techniques were far inferior to Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s and Yuan Yao¡¯s, it was more than enough to easily capture the minds of a few low grade male cultivators.


    With that thought, Han Li swept his gaze across the party of cultivators. Yi Jing and Xu Yun were able to keep their expressions straight, but the other male cultivators had unnatural expressions. Their gazes unconsciously wandered across the woman¡¯s body.


    ¡°These cultivators are new arrivals. I¡¯ve brought them along to take a look,¡± Xu Yun then said with a resentful tone, ¡°As for returning to Heavenly Star City, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be happening for a while. I didn¡¯t expect the news to be true; a battle is about to occur.¡±


    With luminous eyes, the woman enchantingly covered her smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s still good that you will remain here. If you were to leave, I¡¯d be losing a dear customer.¡± The woman¡¯s mature charm had fully captured the vulnerable men of the party, leaving the two women among them flushed red with anger.


    Annoyed at the woman¡¯s use of her bewitchment technique, Xu Yun called out to her, ¡°Lady Ming, they are my guests. A badge, please.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, alright. But it seems that these Fellow Daoists should have no problem on this island; their cultivation isn¡¯t inferior to yours.¡± Lady Ming chuckled and then glanced at Han Li and Yi Jing before erasing her bewitchment technique, returning her appearance to that of an ordinary woman. The change occurred quickly, causing the others to pause for a moment before revealing embarrassment.


    The woman then clapped her hands, summoning a young mortal woman from behind the curtain.


    Lady Ming coldly spoke to the mortal woman, ¡°Bring Master Xu down to the auction. It should be starting soon!¡± Then with a wave of her hand, she passed a green jade badge to Xu Yun.


    Xu Yun received the badge and followed the mortal woman to the side door without ever looking at her. Of course, Han Li and the others closely followed after them.


    In the instant he entered the door, Han Li felt a slight spiritual Qi fluctuation as if he had entered some sort of restriction. His expression momentarily changed before returning to normal.


    The party¡¯s gaze brightened as they saw the enchanting scenery that laid behind the screen.


    There was a long pathway about six meters wide that led to two expansive halls. The left hall was spacious and bright, and apart from a few tall black stone pillars, there were no other obstructions in sight. In addition, it was currently bustling with activity with about thirty cultivators waiting there, all in a single file line. Regardless of whether these cultivators were male or female, they were each accompanied by a young mortal woman. Although a few of the male cultivators were lecherously sizing up the scantily clad women, there were only a few teasing words spoken at most; they restrained themselves as if they were fearful of the consequences.


    At the end of the line, there was a small room that had a door shining with white light. When the cultivators in line pressed their jade badge against the door, it opened and allowed only one person inside.


    As for the large hall on the right, it was covered in a barrier of faint blue light, blocking it entirely from sight.


    ¡°This place is called the Bright Gem Pavilion. It is specialized in selling off harvests from the outer seas. Particularly valuable items may also be auctioned off here after being appropriately appraised. There are several similar businesses that operate in the city but they are ran by differing powers, each backed by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Of course, at least that much is required to be doing business in a place as untamed as the outer seas.¡±


    When Lady Liu heard this, she took in a cold breath of air and muttered, ¡°So many Nascent Soul cultivators! Could they be from the Four Elements Merchant Union?¡±


    Xu Yun calmly said, ¡°The Four Elements Merchant Union? They have no power here. While they hold dominance over the other demon beast islands, Wondrous Depths Island is the sole island where multiple factions joined hands to control it. While these powers alone cannot compete with the Four Elements Merchant Union in the Inner Star Seas, when joined together here, even the Star Palace dare not treat them lightly. However, this is only limited to Wondrous Depths Island.¡±


    ¡°From Brother Xu¡¯s tone, there seems to be something unique about Wondrous Depths Island? For what reason would so many powers dare to oppose the Four Elements Merchant Union?¡± As Yi Jing was a shrewd and cunning sort, he heard something amiss from his words.


    With an ordinary expression, Xu Yun explained, ¡°Hehe! Brother Yi guessed correctly. The name Wondrous Depths is due to the nearby seas being unfathomably deep and filled with demon beasts. Rare high-grade demon beasts are often seen in those depths. It is said that demon beasts of even grade eight and higher appear there. It is for these high grade demon beasts that these various Nascent Soul experts stand in opposition against the Four Elements Merchant Union, forbidding them from gaining dominance of the island. It is said that when these depths were discovered, many battles erupted between the Four Elements Merchant Union and the various powers before the Star Palace later intervened to act as a mediator. After some unknown conditions were reached, the island was handed over to the various powers to jointly administer. It was at that time that it became forbidden to spread the truth of Profound Depths Island to the Inner Star Seas; otherwise, one would find themselves wanted dead by the joint powers.¡±


    Han Li was quite amazed at this. As for the others, they felt even more shocked.


    ¡°Demon beasts of grade eight or higher are existances equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators. They truly exist here?¡± Yi Jing was unable to keep his calm.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. I¡¯ve never personally seen them. However, there truly are people that hunt grade seven demon beasts! The Bright Gem Pavilion sells grade seven demon cores where Nascent Soul cultivators compete at extraordinary prices.¡± Xu Yun then clicked his tongue in admiration.


    Han Li, who had kept silent until now, frowned and asked, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Xu mean that demon beasts are easier to find in the depths?¡±


    Xu Yun glanced at Han Li in surprised. After pausing in thought, he said, ¡°Demon beasts are slightly easier to find in the depths. However, due to the frequent appearances of high grade demon beasts there, there are also countless cultivators that meet their end.¡±


    As Yi Jing¡¯s group had never previously visited another demon beast island, they were somewhat skeptical of these words. But Han Li managed to gain some understanding towards the depths. It seems that this was a place where danger came hand in hand with riches. So that¡¯s why this place was so odd!


    The party grew silent before the mortal woman guiding them respectfully asked, ¡°Masters, do you wish to first go to the Treasure Viewing Hall or the Treasure Wrest Hall?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to see at the Treasure Viewing Hall. It is only some appraisal masters looking at unidentified items before offering to exchange them for spirit stones or put them up for auction. Let¡¯s go to the Treasure Wrest Hall instead. The items there will expand the perspective of all Fellow Daoists.¡± Xu Yun was clearly familiar with this place. Without waiting for the mortal woman to lead the way, he walked to into the right hall.


    When he approached the light barrier, he wordlessly pressed the jade badge against it, causing a circular opening to appear. He then beckoned to the rest of the party before walking in.


    When Yi Jing and the others saw this, they simply entered in a line.


    When Han Li saw this, he noticed the mortal woman respectfully waiting outside and curiously asked her, ¡°You don¡¯t need to go inside?¡±


    The mortal woman widely smiled at Han Li and explained, ¡°Us mortals aren¡¯t allowed to enter the Treasure Wrest Hall. This servant will be waiting for you outside.¡±


    Han Li nodded and walked through the blue light barrier without another word. The light barrier then closed by itself.


    The interior was quite crude and simple. Apart from some wooden chairs, there was just a ten meter wide stage at the end of the hall. There was an old man standing at the back of the stage eloquently speaking into a shining blue stone that he was holding in his hand.


    About thirty cultivators of varying grade stood below him, consisting of both Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators. There were no Core Formation cultivators among them.


    The old man respectfully said, ¡°This blue light stone is a fire attribute magic tool refined from exceptional materials. Its owner is putting it up for bid starting at five hundred spirit stones. According to long established rules, each increasing bid must be at least thirty spirit stones more. Let us start the bid.¡±


    ¡°Five hundred thirty spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°Five hundred seventy!¡±


    ¡°Six hundred!¡±


    After the old man finished, many cultivators began to shout out bids. Although the bids couldn¡¯t be said to be fiery, the final bid still managed to reach close to seven hundred spirit stones. A young Foundation Establishment cultivator then walked up and bought the magic tool using solely spirit stones before immediately taking it away.


    ¡°Next up, we have an earth attribute magic tool¡­¡± The old man continued to auction off the next item without any delay.


    Han Li naturally had no interests in magic tools, and swept his gaze past the scene instead. He saw Xu Yun whispering to the rest of the party at a corner of the hall. Han Li then walked over with an unchanged expression.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 514

    Female Cultivation Vessels


    Lady Liu doubtfully said to Xu Yun, ¡°This seems no different from ordinary auctions. Are we truly going to see any exceptional items here?¡±


    Xu Yun said with a mysterious expression, ¡°Relax! Although auctions frequently take place, occurring anywhere from one every several days to half a month, each auction will always show some exceptional items. Although they aren¡¯t auctioning off the most precious materials, they are still rarely seen in the Inner Star seas.¡± He then saw Han Li walk over and gave him a smile.


    Han Li casually nodded his head and asked a question that left them somewhat surprised, ¡°Fellow Daoist Xu, how many cultivators are there in Blackrock City? There don¡¯t seem to be many to people present.¡±


    Xu Yun calmly admitted, ¡°Brother Crooked Soul is truly discerning! Although there are temporary residences such as inns in Blackstone City, there are no permanent residences for foreign cultivators. High grade cultivators may possess their own cave residence on another island. As for low grade cultivators, they may take shelter in the small villages and towns on other islands with mortals. While all cultivators come to Blackstone City to do business, low grade cultivators are by far the most commonly found.¡±


    Yi Jing paused for a moment before asking a question that puzzled even Han Li, ¡°But mustn¡¯t one be at least Foundation Establishment to survive in the outer seas? Why are there so many mortals and Qi Condensation cultivators here?¡±


    Xu Yun calmly replied, ¡°Brother Yi¡¯s question strikes at the most crucial point, which is the greatest difference between Wondrous Depths Island and the other demon beast islands. For other demon beast islands, a few high grade cultivators go there to hunt demon beasts before returning after accumulating enough materials. But for Wondrous Depths Island, a few years after the various powers settled here, several spirit stone mines were discovered in some of the nearby islands, and a few production sites for required cultivation materials were established as well, causing the island to become entirely self-sufficient. As such, a few cultivators made a living here and dragged along their families, eventually producing the many mortals and low grade cultivators in this city. I also heard that the powers administering Blackstone City are slowly transporting their main forces over to this city. I reckon in a couple tens of thousands of years, this place will become a second Inner Star Seas. However, apart from Blackstone City, the villages on the other islands can¡¯t be considered safe in the least. Those small villages are often exterminated by sudden attacks from high grade demon beasts. This current situation in this place quite resembles how the Inner Star Seas first came to be.¡±


    After that was said, the party was left dumbstruck.


    Yi Jing let out a deep breath before pensively asking, ¡°Why aren¡¯t the Star Palace and the other powers involved with this place?¡±


    Xu Yun coldly snorted and said, ¡°This place is far from being anywhere near as prosperous as the Inner Star Seas. Furthermore, there is still more than enough empty space in the Inner Star Seas for them to vie for. What time do they have to spare over these desolate seas? In fact, the other powers are actually looking forward to having the island¡¯s governing factions move their forces over to this island. Then there would be few of the factors at play in the chaotic Inner Star Seas.¡± He was clearly still gloomy about the Star Palace suddenly closing the transportation formation.


    After Yi Jing¡¯s party heard this, they felt it made sense and didn¡¯t speak any further about the subject after glancing at one another. As they were lowly Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be better for them to refrain from talking about powers far beyond their control, lest they attract calamity.


    After selling off several magic tools and materials, a blue-clothed, middle-aged man appeared behind the old man in charge of the auction. He held a red box containing a fist-sized sphere that was white at its center and purple at its edges.


    When Xu Yun saw this, his spirits were roused. ¡°Fellow Daoists, take a look. This is one of the most important goods that are auctioned off at Wondrous Depths Islands, demon beast eggs. There is no lack of such valuable treasures. These items fetch astronomical prices in the Inner Star Seas, but they can be found for much cheaper on Profound Depths Island. This is because apart from a few particular beast eggs, a majority of them are incapable of being transferred over through the teleportation formation. When they are teleported over, most eggs die. That is why whenever a rare demon beast egg appears, the spirit beast is usually hatched and nurtured until it can tolerate the transportation formation before being brought back to the Inner Star Seas. This is, of course, after high grade cultivators bid copious amounts of spirit stones for it.¡±


    ¡°Demon beast egg!¡± Yi Jing¡¯s eyes brightened. He had always dreamed of raising a high grade demon beast. The others also revealed expressions of pleasant surprise.


    With that said, they would later have the opportunity to acquire their own spirit beast. In the Inner Star Seas, finding a good spirit beast was an extremely difficult matter.


    ¡°This is the egg of a Violet Cloud Eagle. Upon reaching maturity, it becomes a grade four demon beast. Although it only knows simple defensive magic techniques, it has a body of steel-like feathers and is faster than top grade flying magic tools. With talons that can easily tear through the defenses of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it can be considered a rare demon beast and undoubtedly an optimal choice for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The starting price is two thousand spirit stones. Each bid must increase by at least a hundred. The bid will now start!¡± The old man seemed quite confident about the popularity of the demon beast egg. After only giving a quick introduction, he started the bid without any delay.


    When the cultivators beneath him heard that the bidding had started, they immediately started calling out their prices.


    Although grade four demon beasts held little interest to Core Formation cultivators, they¡¯re quite suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    This is because not only do higher grade spirit beasts cost far more, but the time it takes for them to mature was also far too long. Even if they used secret techniques to hasten their aging, it would still take far too long for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    ¡°Two thousand five hundred spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°Two thousand seven hundred!¡±


    ¡°Three thousand!¡±


    ¡­


    The Violet Cloud Eagle¡¯s egg quickly broke three thousand spirit stones before finally topping off at three thousand three hundred spirit stones by an excited female cultivator.


    The dark-skinned, middle-aged man gazed at the egg in the woman¡¯s hand and muttered, ¡°It truly is far cheaper than the Inner Star Seas. If this were Heavenly Star City, this kind of flying spirit beast would easily fetch over five thousand spirit stones.¡±


    Apart from Han Li, all the others watched this scene with bright eyes.


    When Xu Yun saw this, he knowingly smiled.


    Up next, the old man auctioned off a grade three spirit beast egg followed by a grade four demon beast, both at a considerable price before concluding the spirit beast egg auction.


    Upon seeing what was auctioned next, Lady Liu couldn¡¯t help but wear a face of shock, ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The others in her party also looked surprised.


    Two beautiful women that appeared to be around twenty years old stood at the old man¡¯s side. Although they only had cultivations at the third layer of Qi Condensation, they were both genuine cultivators. From their submissive attitude while being brought on stage, it seemed the two female cultivators were the goods to be auctioned.


    Xu Yun didn¡¯t reveal the slightest surprise, and gestured for them to listen to what the old man was about to say.


    ¡°Up next, we have two low grade Qi Condensation cultivation vessels. They have only cultivated the basic five elements cultivation arts, and both of them are undefiled. According to their requests, only a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator or higher may bid on them. The starting bid on each of them is two thousand spirit stones. Each increase in bid must be¡­¡±


    Ever since the old man brought the two women on stage, many of the male cultivators beneath him started to leer at the women. However, the old man¡¯s words were quite dragged out for a long while and nobody uttered a bid. Two male cultivators that sat in front of the group even began to have a whispered discussion.


    ¡°Two thousand spirit stones to buy a third layer female cultivation vessel. If you really wanted a concubine, wouldn¡¯t you want to go elsewhere and buy a mortal girl? When they grow old, you could just pass them spirit stones and have them leave. If it were a Foundation Establishment vessel, I¡¯d be more than willing to spend more spirit stones.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming. Do you think you¡¯re a Core Formation Cultivator? Don¡¯t forget the customs here. Foundation Establishment vessels aren¡¯t something that the likes of us could ever afford. At that amount of spirit stones, it¡¯d be more profitable to buy a spirit beast egg.¡±


    When Han Li heard their chatter, although he felt amazed, any sign of it soon disappeared from his face. He had long ago heard rumors of a few powers secretly nurturing some young female cultivators for the sole purpose of being cultivation vessels. There were even a few high grade cultivators that bestowed female cultivators as gifts. But regardless of how it was said, open auctions of female cultivation vessels never occurred in the Inner Star Seas. It truly shocked him how openly it occured here.


    Yi Jing and company managed to calm their expressions. After all, cultivation vessels were something that everyone knew about in the cultivation world. However, as they had two female cultivators in their party, the current situation was quite uncomfortable.


    ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoists to feel shocked. These women were willing to act as cultivation vessels without coercion. As their aptitudes are terrible as a whole, it would be quite difficult for them to cultivate to high layers of cultivation using ordinary methods. They have no elders to rely on, and no powers are willing to invest the spirit stones required to nurture them. Hence, this is their only method in the Outer Star Seas as they found it disdainful to do mortal¡¯s work and suicidal to go out and hunt demon beasts. As they have managed to somewhat cultivate, they will take the initiative to become a cultivation vessel for a higher grade male cultivator. As such, they can give their homes a large amount of spirit stones and manage to acquire a pillar of support for themselves. If they are able to acquire the favor of a male cultivator, they will be able to become a concubine or have an opportunity to become something greater. Naturally, there are even high grade female cultivators that take the initiative to become cultivation vessels for other reasons. But in that case, lower grade male cultivators are forbidden from bidding. That is to be expected.¡± Xu Yun slowly explained this as if he were long accustomed to the sight.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 515

    Golden Thumb Pavilion


    The others responded to Xu Yun¡¯s explanation of the purchasing of cultivation vessels with silence. After all, with two female cultivator companions currently at their side, it was difficult to speak further on the topic.


    Han Li stroked his chin without showing the slightest change in expression. He didn¡¯t require a vessel to increase his cultivation, nor could he afford to keep something so cumbersome by his side. Although these female cultivator vessels aroused a feeling of discomfort and pity in him, he turned a blind eye as he was disinclined to take action.


    At that moment, the two female cultivators on stage wore an expression of disappointment upon not receiving a single bid.


    Seeing this, Xu Yun gave an explanation with a faint smile, ¡°Their cultivation is a bit too shallow. Although they were were willing to become a cultivation vessel, they can¡¯t provide much assistance towards higher grade cultivators. As such, no one was willing to take them. However, it isn¡¯t necessarily absolute. If by chance a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to fancy their appearance, it wouldn¡¯t be rare for them to later be bought at a high price.¡±


    Yi Jing forced a chuckle and didn¡¯t say anything further. Xu Yun calmly smiled and didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    The following items up for auction were more items that were rarely seen in the Inner Star Seas. However, Han Li revealed a lazy expression, unwilling to waste more of his time looking at them.


    Just as he was coming up with an excuse to leave, Xu Yun seemed to have noticed Han Li¡¯s impatience and took the initiative to say, ¡°While this auction doesn¡¯t have any finer goods, the annual combined auction has some truly rare items appear. Fellow Daoists should take a look at it when it comes around. For now, I¡¯ll introduce you to the other areas of Blackrock City.¡±


    Naturally, Yi Jing and the others didn¡¯t refuse as they were currently lacking in spirit stones from the cost of the teleportation.


    The group nodded their heads and followed Xu Yun out of the Treasure Wrest Hall. The mortal woman waiting outside of the Hall accompanied them until they left the Bright Gem Pavilion.


    ¡­


    ¡°This group of several tens of buildings are temporary residences where foreign mortals are staying for the time being. Mortals that wish to make a living in Blackrock City must first register here, much to the benefit of the city¡¯s administers. If they are unable to find employment after a certain amount of time, they must leave Blackrock City. For example, the mortal women we saw in the Bright Gem Pavilion all live here.¡±


    ¡°That equally large group of building is the city¡¯s largest raw material store, the Golden Thumb Pavilion. They specialize in selling all sorts of rare materials. It is said that so long as you know the name of the material, the store will always be able to sell it to you. Although this is somewhat of an exaggeration, its reputation is quite grand!¡±


    ¡°As for those three buildings close to it¡­¡±


    Xu Yun brought the party down the street and spoke with great familiarity.


    When Han Li heard about the Golden Thumb Pavilion, his heart stirred, and he came to a sudden stop.


    Xu Yun was baffled and paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul, is something wrong?¡±


    Yi Jing¡¯s party glanced behind them at Han Li with equivalently puzzled expressions.


    Han Li took a quick look at the sky before lowering his head to calmly say, ¡°I have something that I must attend to alone, and I must part with you here. Perhaps we may see each other again should the future allow it.¡± His voice carried an irrefutable tone.


    Xu Yun and Yi Jing were surprised upon hearing this.


    They didn¡¯t wish for a high grade cultivator such as Han Li to depart their party. But when they attempted to urge him to stay, a cold glint flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes as his gaze swept past them, causing their hearts to tremble. Their words of opposition were involuntarily swallowed, and they could only murmur as they watched Han Li disappear into the Golden Thumb Pavilion.


    At that moment, the two bewilderedly glanced at each other with cold sweat dripping down their backs. The others at their side looked at the two with confusion, ignorant of what had happened.


    ¡°That person¡­¡± Yi Jing forced a laugh and thought to say something.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul is unwilling to travel together with us, let¡¯s leave him be. It¡¯s his decision. Let us continue to take a look at another street!¡± For some unknown reason, Xu Yun hastily cut off Yi Jing and took the initiative to walk down another street.


    Yi Jing then suddenly heard a voice transmission from Xu Yun, ¡°Fellow Daoist Yi, that person¡¯s actions are an unfathomable mystery. Let us cut ties with him. Else, we may find ourselves inviting death if we¡¯re not careful. It turns out that Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul¡¯s cultivation is far beyond ours. Let us not speak of this again.¡±


    Yi Jing¡¯s expression changed several times upon hearing this. After taking another glance at the Golden Thumb Pavilion, he lightly nodded his head before following after them.


    At that moment, Han Li was already being guided by a delicate youth into an elegantly decorated room.


    Although the Golden Thumb Pavilion appeared to be one huge stone building from the outside, the interior consisted of many rooms, each specialized in selling all sorts of materials.


    Without the slightest of formalities, Han Li had entered the Golden Thumb Pavilion for the purpose of seeing the establishment¡¯s steward.


    Were it any other cultivator, this wouldn¡¯t have been easily accomplished. But after revealing his true Core Formation cultivation, he was immediately brought to the esteemed guest lounge.


    Core Formation cultivators couldn¡¯t be treated lightly even in Blackstone City.


    After waiting for a few moments in the room, an old man with a common appearance walked in with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s face is quite unfamiliar. It must be your first visit to the Golden Thumb Pavilion! I am the establishment¡¯s steward, Li Xun.¡± The old man cupped his fist towards Han Li. He was an early Core Formation cultivator just like Han Li.


    With a tone that was neither submissive nor overbearing, Han Li replied, ¡°This is truly my first time here at your esteemed pavilion. Moreover, I have a few things I wish to consult Fellow Daoist Li about. I hope you don¡¯t mind!¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. I will assist you to the best of my ability.¡± Steward Li was quite imposing. Without asking Han Li any questions, he had already slapped his chest in a pledge and agreed.


    This forthrite and impressive display left a positive impression on Han Li. However, the old man didn¡¯t possess the skill to see through Han Li¡¯s disguise techniques. He accepted Han Li¡¯s sickly appearance as a middle-aged man without the slightest suspicion.


    Han Li faintly smiled and directly stated his intentions without the slightest pretense. ¡°I wish to purchase an ingredient for refining pills. However, I am only aware of its name from antiquity and have been unable to find it. I was hoping to try my luck by coming here and meeting with you, Fellow Daoist Li.¡±


    Li Xun inwardly let out a sigh of relief and replied with a beaming smile, ¡°Hehe! It is but a trivial matter. It is of no problem.¡± He then changed expressions and coldly spoke in the direction of the door, ¡°Servant, go fetch Gu Yu.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The young servant swiftly ran off.


    Li Xun turned back to Han Li and smiled, ¡°Please wait shortly, Fellow Daoist. Although Gu Yu is only an Qi Condensation cultivator, he has done extensive research on ancient pill formulas and medicines. I¡¯m certain that he won¡¯t leave you disappointed.¡±


    Han Li wore a slight smile on his face and thought to say something else, when a streak of red light flew into the room. The red light circled once around the top of the room, before accurately landing in the old man¡¯s hand. It was a seeking talisman.


    A strange expression flickered form Han Li¡¯s eyes as the talisman combusted inside the old man¡¯s hand.


    The steward stared at the fire in his hand before he extinguished it. He then raised his head to look at Han Li with a surprised expression.


    The old man¡¯s attitude suddenly became far more cordial, ¡°I am truly lacking in manners! I didn¡¯t expect Brother Crooked Soul to have just arrived at Blackrock City today! This store owner should be treating you with the utmost respect!¡±


    In that short moment, he had managed to discover Han Li¡¯s general origins, much to Han Li¡¯s shock. However, his expression maintained a calm smile, revealing none of his inner thoughts.


    Han Li played it down, ¡°Fellow Daoist is too polite. I had to use many tricks in order to arrive at Wondrous Depths Island. I didn¡¯t mean to attract so much attention.¡±


    The old man was able to see that Han Li didn¡¯t wish to further speak of the matter and tactfully changed the topic. He then chatted about a few interesting tales about Wondrous Depths Island, much to Han Li¡¯s interest.


    At that moment, a middle-aged scholarly man entered the room and deeply saluted the two. He respectfully said, ¡°Gu Yu pays his respects to these Seniors. Junior awaits your instructions.¡±


    His appearance was elegant with a somewhat sophisticated aura. He had a long black beard and two shining, black eyes.


    Li Xun nodded to him and beckoned him over.


    The old man commanded him with an indifferent expression, ¡°This Senior Crooked Soul has a few questions about ancient spiritual medicines. Answer him honestly.¡±


    Gu Yu stood up straight and solemnly said, ¡°As you wish. Junior will answer to the best of his abilities.¡±


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 516

    Demon Echo Grass


    Forgoing any needless pretensions, Han Li bluntly asked, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Gu happen to know about Thousand Leaf Dew?¡±


    ¡°Thousand Leaf Dew?¡± Gu Yu paused for a moment before quickly replying in a mutter, ¡°This name has a bit of an impression on me. Had you asked me about it a few years ago, I would¡¯ve had no idea. In the past two years, this Junior obtained an ancient record that happened to mention it. This Junior happens to have a duplication of it on a jade slip. Would Senior like to take a look at it?¡± Having said that, Gu Yu revealed a somewhat cautious expression.


    Han Li rejoiced and couldn¡¯t help but reveal excitement in his eyes.


    Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Han Li smiled and said, ¡°It is even better that you have the records. If I do find it, then I must truly thank you.¡±


    Gu Yu was also quite pleased. Being able to receive the favor of a Core Formation cultivator was a truly fortunate matter.


    He quickly patted down his body before taking out a yellow jade slip and presenting to Han Li with both hands.


    Gu Yu respectfully said, ¡°This is the jade slip. Please examine it, Senior!¡±


    Han Li bluntly accepted the jade slip and quickly immersed his spiritual sense into it.


    In a mere moment, Han Li¡¯s expression changed from excitement to doubt and then contemplation.


    Li Xun carefully watched Han Li¡¯s every movement. Upon seeing Han Li¡¯s expression change several times, an indescribable emotion flickered from his eyes.


    Gu Yu was particularly apprehensive, fearing that the Thousand Leaves Dew that was mentioned in the jade slip wasn¡¯t the item Han Li was searching for.


    Han Li eventually recalled his spiritual sense from the jade slip and slowly said, ¡°Yes, this is the item.¡± However, the excitement in his eyes had greatly faded.


    After the old man¡¯s gaze flickered he probed, ¡°What is it? Is there something troublesome about the Thousand Leaves Dew?¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that this item would be so troublesome to acquire. It¡¯s closely related to grade eight demon beasts.¡±


    Li Xun shockingly glanced at Han Li with an expression of disbelief, ¡°Grade eight demon beasts?¡±


    Han Li sighed and helplessly explained, ¡°That¡¯s right. The Thousand Leaves Dew is actually an extract of Demon Echo Grass. To be more exact, from Demon Echo Grass that grows close to grade eight demon beasts.¡±


    Li Xun was left speechless by Han Li¡¯s words.


    He naturally knew what Demon Echo Grass was. It was something that often grew near demon beast nests as it required long years of exposure to demonic Qi to grow and sustain itself. However, Demon Echo Grass found near the den of a grade eight demon beast was an entirely different matter altogether.


    Although it was rumored that grade nine and even grade ten demon beasts had been sighted in the Outer Star Seas, at the end of the day, they had only appeared in rumors. As for the old man, the highest grade demon beast he had seen at Blackrock City was a grade seven demon beast, let alone a grade eight demon beast.


    Li Xun saw that Han Li¡¯s gaze held a trace of astonishment and discouragement. Just what kind of precious medicine pill did he plan on refining, to actually require such an incredulous material?


    After toying with the jade slip in his hand, he revealed a trace of hesitation before saying something to Gu Yu that surprised him, ¡°This jade slip has some records that I may need to further examine in the future. Would it be acceptable for Fellow Daoist Gu to give this jade slip to me?¡±


    Gu Yu paused for a moment and then frankly said, ¡°If Senior has a use for it, then please feel free to take it!¡±


    Seeing that Gu Yu was being quite agreeable, Han Li nodded his head and flipped his hand, summoning a small bottle and a talisman with a drawing of a small yellow sword on it.


    ¡°As your Senior, I naturally can¡¯t let you come out of this empty handed. The bottle has some medicine pills that can increase your cultivation, and this is a treasure talisman. Go ahead and take them.¡± Han Li then casually tossed the items over to him.


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s generosity!¡± After receiving the items, Gu Yu was unable to contain his joy and repeatedly thanked Han Li. To a Qi Condensation cultivator like himself, these items were truly precious.


    ¡°Since Senior Crooked Soul has already bestowed treasures upon you, you may leave for the time being, Gu Yu.¡± Li Xu was quite shocked at Han Li¡¯s display of generosity, but he still remembered to dismiss Gu Yu with a calm expression.


    In the blink of an eye, they were once again the only two people in the room.


    ¡°Is there anything else that I may assist you with apart from that matter? Please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± Li Xun spoke in an exceptionally forthright manner.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there is one other thing that I wish to trouble you with. Might you be selling the horn of an Agate Beast?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist came to the right place! Although Agate Beast Horn is an exceptionally rare material, I managed to purchase two such horns last month. If Fellow Daoist desires it, I can sell one to you right away.¡± The old man clapped his hands with a smile and immediately gave the order for it to be delivered without a moment of pause.


    Pleasant surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as he repeatedly expressed his thanks.


    Not long after, a young servant entered the room while carrying an exquisite wooden box on a silver plate.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, take a look. Does this Agate Horn fulfill your expectations?¡±


    Han Li solemnly nodded his head and reached out to the wooden box. As soon as he opened the box, blue light was released, revealing a half-foot-long spiral horn. The sharp horn shined with a strikingly brilliant blue light.


    Han Li then closed the wooden box with a satisfied expression, ¡°Not bad! This will be quite suitable. Could Fellow Daoist tell me how many spirit stones this will cost?¡±


    Li Xun pleasantly smiled and said, ¡°This store acquired the horn for five thousand spirit stones. Since Fellow Daoist requires it, you only need to return the cost.¡±


    Naturally, Han Li wasn¡¯t going to haggle over the price. He immediately expressed his thanks and took out the equivalent in mid grade spirit stones before handing it over to the old man.


    The old man received the spirit stones with a wave of his sleeve and then asked with a wide smile, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul have any plans in mind following his arrival on the island? Although Fellow Daoist¡¯s magic power is profound, the demon beasts here are truly hard to handle. No small number of Core Formation cultivators have been seriously injured by tackling the seas alone. How about I introduce you to a few similar grade cultivators? It would be considerably safer if you were to set out to sea together.¡±


    Han Li smiled upon hearing this. The purpose of the old man¡¯s courteous and friendly behavior from the beginning was for drawing him in.


    ¡°Many thanks for Fellow Daoist Li¡¯s kindness. However, I must soon prepare to refine a few medicine pills. And after I consume the pills, I will have to enter seclusion for some time. I won¡¯t be heading out to hunt demon beasts in the near future.¡± Han Li gave a smooth refusal with an embarrassed expression, but in truth, he was absolutely unwilling to travel out to sea with unfamiliar cultivators.


    Although a trace of disappointment flickered across his face, he immediately continued without a care, ¡°That is fine too. It is considerably safer to first increase one¡¯s cultivation and one¡¯s familiarity with the region. However, if Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul does later wish to find companions, please don¡¯t forget about me!¡±


    Han Li naturally agreed and further chatted with the old man for a moment before taking his leave.


    The old man saw Han Li off at the building¡¯s exit before returning inside.


    Just as the old man sat down, he suddenly heard a voice calmly say, ¡°How about it? Will this person be useful to us?¡± A vague silhouette soon emerged from the landscape painting on the wall, bringing forth another person into the room.


    The white-clothed man remained in the air while covered in azure light, making for a rather mysterious display.


    The old man confidently said, ¡°There is no need to worry. Although we only chatted for a short moment, from his strange appearance, that cultivator Crooked Soul should be a vagrant cultivator that travels alone. So long as he witnesses the dangers of travelling the depths alone, he will come to know the advantages of my offer. He will come back sooner or later.¡±


    The white-clothed man coldly refuted, ¡°Humph! That isn¡¯t guaranteed.¡±


    Li Xun shook his head, ¡°What? An early Core Formation cultivator can roam the depths and hunt demon beasts alone?¡±


    The white-clothed cultivator grew silent before solemnly saying, ¡°He isn¡¯t an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. When you were chatting in the room, I was able to feel someone watching me for some unknown reason. Although he didn¡¯t glance in the direction I was hidden, I suspect that he was aware of my existence and only chose not to disclose it.¡±


    The old man was stunned. He then bewilderedly said, ¡°Are you not mistaken? Your concealment technique is something that even higher grade cultivators are incapable of uncovering. Don¡¯t tell me that this Crooked Soul fellow is actually a late Core Formation cultivator.¡±


    The white-clothed man doubtfully said, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say! It is quite possible that he cultivates an unusual cultivation art or possesses some peculiar treasure.¡±


    After circling the room several times, the old man eventually frowned and said, ¡°Leave it be. Regardless of whether this cultivator is exceptional or ordinary, we¡¯ve already tried our hardest to befriend him. It was the correct decision either way!¡±


    The white-clothed cultivator nodded in approval and spoke no further.

 Chapter 517

    Island in the Mist


    By the time the white robed cultivator and the old man finished their discussion, Han Li had already entered a nearby miscellaneous goods store near the Golden Thumb Pavilion. He purchased a map of the local seas and information on the demon beasts that roamed around there before leaving. After finding a secluded area, Han Li started to look through the information.


    After only a cursory glance, Han Li unconciously frown.


    There were truly far too many dangerous areas in the vicinity of Profound Depths Island. Could it be that high grade demon beasts often roamed through these areas?¡±


    As for the location of the famed depths, it wasn¡¯t too far away from the island. Han Li would be able to reach it after only flying half a month south at full speed. However, the depths were truly vast, spanning over five million kilometers of jagged, uneven territory. This was without even mentioning the territory¡¯s unfathomable depths, as no one had yet to truly explore its farthest reaches.


    After Han Li skimmed once through the jade slip, he quickly put it away. Standing in place with a solemn expression, he lowered his head as began to think deeply.


    After an unknown amount of time had past, Han Li raised his head, wearing an indifferent expression. He then directly flew out of Blackrock City without any further deliberation. Upon leaving the city, Han Li immediately turned into a streak of azure light and soared through the skies.


    Profound Depths Island was a medium-sized island, but apart from Blackrock City, the island was completely barren. Not a single village or town could be seen.


    For some unknown reason, it seemed that both cultivators and mortals weren¡¯t setting up residence on the other parts of the island.


    Han Li quickly flew away from Wondrous Depths Island. After raising his head to the skies and determining his direction, he headed north.


    Currently, he wanted to find an island where cultivators scarcely appeared. He didn¡¯t want to be in a crowded area and attract attention. As a result, he deliberately chose to fly far away from the Wondrous Depths.


    There weren¡¯t many cultivators in the seas around Wondrous Depths Island. In addition, all those islands had cultivators and mortals residing on them. Han Li didn¡¯t bother to stop at any of them and shot past them without regard.


    It was clear that the northern seas had far fewer cultivators as he had expected.


    After flying for about twelve days, he sparsely saw any other cultivators. And when he did encounter them, the low grade cultivators would immediately veer out of his way, and high grade cultivators would watch him with vigilance. Like other demon beast islands, killing others for their treasures was a common occurrence.


    Han Li was particularly vigilant as well.


    After flying for another two days and finally seeing no trace of other cultivators, Han Li changed direction and started flying west.


    According to the map, there would be a few islands with small spirit veins in that direction. As the spirit veins on these islands were low grade, and the distance from the Wondrous Depths was far, along with a complete lack of safety and other various reasons, very few cultivators resided there.


    In the case of mortals, they all took residence on the islands nearby Wondrous Depths Island, ensuring some degree of safety.


    Of course, Han Li didn¡¯t care about these conditions. He merely wanted to take a look and see if any of the islands were to his liking.


    ¡­


    About thirty kilometers ahead of him, Han Li spotted a small island. This would be the fourth uninhabited island with a spirit vein he had encountered so far.


    The island wasn¡¯t large, but its terrain was both uncommon and varied. There were barren landscapes, dense forests full of unknown trees, grasslands with beautiful flowers and even a small mountain range.


    Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the island and found no traces of any other cultivators staying there.


    The spirit vein on this island wasn¡¯t low-grade. Despite its small size, it was actually a peak mid-grade spirit vein. While it couldn¡¯t be considered a top-grade spirit vein, it still released an abundance of spiritual Qi.


    It seemed the reason why other cultivators had left this island alone wasn¡¯t due to the spirit vein, but rather the small island¡¯s exceptionally strange environment.


    However, there was something about the island that Han Li fancied in particular: the vast white mist that surrounded it. The mist wasn¡¯t natural; it was produced by a few nearby whirlpools. While the mist did cover the island¡¯s sides, it didn¡¯t surround it from above.


    Han Li was quite amazed by the sight, but when he dived into the nearby waters and saw the island from underwater, the source of the mist was made clear.


    At the bottom of the island, there were countless finger-sized holes along with thousands upon thousands of slender silver fish darting through them. While the fish appeared no different from common small fish, after catching one with his hands covered in spiritual power, Han Li discovered that it had no scales. Instead, it was covered in sharp spikes of silver bone. Had an ordinary person attempted to hold it, they would¡¯ve been left with shredded hands.


    As Han Li looked at it, a thought suddenly came to mind, ¡°Sea Shredder Fish!¡±


    This small fish is a low grade one demon beast that lives in large schools and spouts water out from the surface of the sea as a source of enjoyment. The source of its ridiculous name is likely due to the iron-like spikes protruding from its body.


    With so many Sea Shredder Fish in the island¡¯s vicinity, they were able to spout out enough sea water to completely cover the entire island in mist. It made for a rare sight indeed.


    If Han Li hadn¡¯t encountered a Silverwing Bird on his way and chased after it through the fog, he never would¡¯ve found the island. He undoubtedly would¡¯ve just brushed past the fog. Seeing a bit of sea mist in the distance was extremely common.


    After circling around the island several times, he quickly came to the decision to establish his cave residence on this island.


    What other island could possibly be more secretive and to his liking than this one?


    The small spirit vein was located on the island¡¯s five-kilometer-long mountain range with a few sparse peaks, the tallest peak reaching a hundred twenty meters high. Being so small, Han Li didn¡¯t have the option for an expansive cave residence. Hence, he merely looked for a small valley at the bottom of the mountain range and started to tunnel through the stone.


    With Han Li¡¯s current cultivation, it was practically effortless for him to carve out a cave residence similar to his previous one. After a few short days, he managed to finish carving out the general outline of his new residence.


    Han Li was disinterested in carving out the finer details of his cave residence. Instead, he first set down a few formation tools that he had personally refined, covering both his cave residence and the mountain range in a spell restriction.


    At a distance, the mountain range could no longer be seen, and was instead replaced by a verdant forest. The illusory forest seamlessly bordered a nearby forest without the slightest flaw.


    From above, Han Li carefully examined the mountain range with chin in hand and was left feeling somewhat uneasy. If a high grade cultivator happened to pass through the mist like he had, this restriction wouldn¡¯t be enough to fool them.


    After muttering to himself, an idea suddenly came to mind.


    Han Li directly flew back to his new cave residence and quickly inspected the materials he had on hand before starting to refine some items in a secret room.


    Seven days later, Han Li emerged once more from his cave residence with a dozen sets of similar formation tools.


    These sets of formation flags and formation plates were extremely crude, and by no means impressive. But after Han Li placed them at various areas throughout the small island, streams of mist began to wildly emerge from each of the formations. Soon, the new expanse of mist merged together with the existing mist of sea water to completely envelop the island, hiding it entirely from view. In this manner, any cultivators passing by would find it difficult to spot the island unless they were flying at a low altitude.


    After examining it from every angle, Han Li finally felt at ease. Although he had spent no small number of spirit stones to activate so many formations, he didn¡¯t care in the least. He was more than willing to bankrupt himself to avoid any potential disasters.


    Han Li then returned to his cave residence with the utmost speed before hammering out some of the finer details of his cave residence such as his insect room, herb garden, and so on.


    Two days later, Han Li was sitting inside a stone room with a solemn expression. He was immersing his spiritual sense into the yellow jade slip that Gu Yu had given to him, carefully sifting through its content.


    With a twitch of his face, he extracted his spiritual sense from the jade slip and entered a state of deep contemplation.


    A moment later, he stood up and strolled around the stone room several times before wearing a heavier expression.


    He then clutched his storage pouch and took out a white jade box. Han Li gazed at it for a moment before slowly opening the box to reveal a few small, rainbow-colored beads.

 Chapter 518

    Flame Mirage Moth


    Han Li nimbly grabbed one of the beads within the box and held it between his fingers close to his eye. After staring at it for a moment, Han Li slowly closed his eyes and reviewed the image of what he had seen in the jade slip.


    The image was of a fist-sized pearl that emitted rainbow light and had over ten smaller beads floating around it. Those smaller pearls appeared exactly the same as the one currently in his hand. As for the large rainbow pearl, it was the Heavenmend Pill that he had seen shooting out of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. This strange image had appeared in the jade slip without the slightest description, provoking an air of mystery.


    When Han Li had swept his mind past the image in the jade slip he had acquired from Gu Yu, he had been astonished. It was for that reason he had decided to add on a treasure talisman as payment for the jade slip. Were it not for this, he would¡¯ve only given Gu Yu the medicine pills at most.


    The jade slip possessed many bizarre images, but each of them lacked any kind of description. There were pictures of magic tools and treasures, as well as many demon beasts and ghostly monstrosities that Han Li had never seen before. After seeing the picture of the Heavenmend Pill among them, he felt that these images must be extremely significant.


    Han Li carefully committed these pictures to memory and would treat them with great importance should he see them in the future.


    However, Han Li glanced at the beads in the case with a trace of awkwardness.


    There was no doubt that these rainbow beads had a strong relationship with the Heavenmend Pill. Why else would they appear together in the image? After considering that the beads had been refined from Zenith Brilliance¡¯s skeleton, he suddenly recalled Zenith Brilliance¡¯s Bloodjade Spiders. Could it be that the Bone Sage¡¯s traitorous disciple had entered Heavenvoid Hall with the spiders and acquired a Heavenmend Pill?


    This was one possible explanation as to why Zenith Brilliance¡¯s bones had turned rainbow colored and why they had formed into beads after being exposed to flames.


    From Han Li¡¯s experience with taking many medicine pills, the Heavenmend Pill must¡¯ve either not yet been fully refined, or its medicinal nature was so fierce that it required one to continue strenuously refining it after consumption.


    From these conjectures and its prominent appearance in the jade slip, it appeared like these rainbow beads held a significant relation towards the Heavenmend Pearl.


    Although using a cultivator¡¯s body as a pill furnace to produce medicine pills was rarely seen in the cultivation world, Han Li had personally witnessed this once before. The Black Fiend School¡¯s Blood Congealed Five Element Cores was one particularly bloody and tyrannical example.


    But with all this being said, it was only Han Li¡¯s wishful thinking in the end. He wasn¡¯t about to rashly swallow them without further deliberation.


    With some further thought, he decided to leave this hidden room and head towards the insect rooms.


    His current insect rooms weren¡¯t as simple as they had been in Heavenly Star City. They were split into five stone rooms of differing sizes. Among two of these rooms were Han Li¡¯s two separate groups of Gold Devouring Beetles.


    One of the swarms had followed Han Li through Heavenvoid Hall in a display of amazing strength, with the tens of thousands Gold Devouring Beetles having consumed no small number of Ironfire Ants. The other swarm was made up of the thousand elites he had left in his cave residence at Heavenly Star City.


    Perhaps due to eating a great number of Ironfire Ants, the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles appeared to be on the verge of reproducing. They¡¯d already started to devour one another, much to Han Li¡¯s pleasant surprise.


    As for the other stone rooms, one housed Han Li¡¯s sole remaining Bloodjade Spider while another room housed his perpetually sleeping Weeping Soul Beast. The final room contained the Gold Threaded Silkworms he had acquired from Heavenvoid Hall.


    Although Han Li had the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s control pearl in hand, he had always felt hesitant about refining it, and decided to put it away for the time being. Rather, his delay in refining it didn¡¯t seem to affect the spirit beast all that much.


    When Han Li¡¯s acquisition of the Gold Threaded Silkworms hadn¡¯t occurred on a whim. They had a position on the list of exotic insects despite being ranked quite low. Although they weren¡¯t a match for the Bloodjade Spider, they had a seldomly known second evolution. Given enough time, they could possibly evolve into a Flame Mirage Moth. While they would still be somewhat weaker than the Gold Devouring Beetles, ranking seventeen on the list of exotic insects, they had an innate ability of transformation.


    While its power was formidable, its description was quite vague. It seems this insect had seldomly been seen even in ancient times. Even if the Mirage Flame Moth¡¯s high ranking was somewhat inaccurate, it was by no means insignificant.


    As such, in spite of the old eccentrics flabbergasted gaze, he had chosen to gather up the Gold Threaded Silkworms that were on the verge of death. They had been discarded by Wan Tianming without the slightest hesitation as the Gold Threaded Silkworms had nearly exhausted the entirety of their Origin Qi at the time.


    After acquiring them, Han Li continuously fed them Soul Nurturing Pills and other rare spiritual medicines. However, all this had seemingly accomplished at this point was prolonging the inevitable. With each passing day, they grew increasingly haggard and Han Li could only helplessly watch as they continued to decline.


    At that moment, an idea suddenly came to him. He directly arrived at the Gold Threaded Silkworm¡¯s room and frowned at what he saw through the spell restriction barrier.


    At that moment, the huge dark-green silkworms were motionlessly lying on the ground as if they had already died. Were it not for the faint spiritual Qi emitted from their bodies, he would¡¯ve believed them to be dead.


    Han Li entered the room without hesitation and circled around the exotic insects for a moment before picking out the male and female silkworms with the strongest spirit amongst them. Afterwards, he took out two rainbow beads from the jade box and fed one to each silkworm before leaving the room.


    Han Li¡¯s thoughts were quite simple.


    Since these insects couldn¡¯t be saved, he may as well test test the medicinal effects of the rainbow beads. With the grand reputation of the Heavenmend Pill, their medicinal powers should be beyond miraculous.


    If these beads were as he had imagined and were truly Heavenmend Pills, then he would stand to benefit even if the Gold Threaded Silkworms couldn¡¯t be saved.


    Naturally, if the Gold Threaded Silkworms responded negatively to the beads, he would no longer pay any heed to the beads.


    The following days were spent looking after the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng with the utmost care. This unique root was of great importance to his later formation of a Nascent Soul.


    At the center of his medicinal garden, Han Li sectioned off a small piece of earth. After placing down formation flags that he had specifically refined for the task, the surrounding soil became an impenetrable layer of golden stone.


    With this, he could finally place the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng inside with confidence.


    As for the ginseng¡¯s white rabbit spirit incarnation, it was still trapped inside a jade box. Han Li had no intention of keeping it there for long. After all, it could have a negative effect on the spirit ginseng if they were separated for too long.


    Han Li then brought the talisman clad jade box into the medicinal garden and placed it at the spirit ginseng¡¯s side.


    After tearing off the talismans and opening the box, a streak of white light shot out of the box and circled around the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng before disappearing inside it.


    When Han Li saw this, he wore a knowing smile.


    It seemed the white rabbit incarnation was filled with trepidation since it had already been captured once before. It was quite timid.


    But when Han Li glanced at the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng¡¯s body, he began to ponder whether or not the green liquid would have any miraculous effects on it.


    He then put the thought aside for the time being. The spirit ginseng wasn¡¯t going anywhere, and the green liquid was required elsewhere. These tests would have to be saved for later.


    Furthermore, the green liquid might greatly increase the abilities of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, allowing it to possibly escape from the formation spell and leave him overcome with grief.


    This wasn¡¯t an ordinary plant, but a legendary divine medicinal plant. It was best to be careful.


    With that thought, Han Li no longer paid any attention to the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng after successfully containing it.


    As for the green liquid, Han Li was currently using all of it to mature the Soul Nurturing Tree, one of the renowned three divine woods. Although it was only a small root, Han Li was confident that within several years, it would regrow back into a ten thousand year tree.


    Originally, Han Li intended to study the Heavenvoid Cauldron, and see if he could find a way to open it.


    But in the process, he accidentally stumbled across the Bone Sage¡¯s small rib bone, diverting his interest for the time being. Since it was able to withstand the fearsome Sacred Asura Flames, it should prove to be quite unordinary.


    Laying down on his bed, he toyed with the sparkling white item in his hand as he curiously glanced at it.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 519

    Profound Yin Arts


    The first thing Han Li realized about the rib bone was that it was obviously not the Sage Bone¡¯s true rib bone. Its current form was merely a trick that the old devil had used to deceive the eyes of others. Without even mentioning the odd material that it had been created from, one could already tell it wasn¡¯t any sort of magic treasure from the faint spiritual Qi that it released. However, there was no doubt that it was a man made item. But regardless of whether Han Li immersed it with spiritual sense or spiritual power, the rib didn¡¯t respond in the slightest.


    Han Li furrowed his brow and immediately recalled that the old devil had tread the path of a demon ghost. Perhaps this item required Yin Soul Qi in order to control it.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t possess any Yin Soul Qi himself, he did have the Soul Congregation Bowl[1. Acquired in chapter 330, after Han Li slayed the head of the Black Fiend Sect.] that he had acquired long ago. He had already consumed all of the Yin souls in order to refine his puppets, but the bowl itself still possessed a great amount of Yin Qi.


    He took out the Soul Congregation Bowl from his spirit pouch, and casually stared at the pitch-black bowl in his hand before emitting a flash of blue light from his palm. A trace of Yin Qi then flowed into his body through his hand. After slowly circulating the Yin Qi throughout his body, he grasped the rib bone with his other hand.


    Han Li rigidly started at the rib bone as it quickly became enveloped in a ball of icy, black Yin Qi.


    The rib bone finally responded. The originally flawless white exterior of the rib bone started to turn black, absorbing the Yin Qi surrounding it, turning half white and half black.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly surprised by this transformation; he merely raised his eyebrow at the sight. After closing his eyes in thought, Han Li sat up in his bed, suddenly emitting a blinding azure light from the hand holding the Soul Congregation Bowl. At the same time, ghostly wails could be faintly heard from his other hand, gathering an even darker cloud of Yin Qi around the rib bone.


    The rib bone wildly devoured the Yin Qi without the slightest restraint. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the rib bone eventually turned completely black.


    The bone suddenly began to release a low-pitched hum and emitted rays of pitch-black light, filling the room with a freakish, eerie aura.


    Han Li hesitantly put away the Soul Congregation Bowl and relaxed his grip on the bone, allowing it to float from his hand. The Yin Qi that had surrounded the bone was then dispersed by the shock of the black radiance that it suddenly emitted.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze continuously flickered as he watched the bizarre scene.


    Apart from the continuous low-pitched hums and flickers of radiance, the black bone no longer showed another other changes.


    After a moment, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred, and he suddenly beckoned towards it.


    Woosh. The bone flew into his grasp. After taking another look at it, he immersed his spiritual sense into it. This time, his spiritual sense was no longer obstructed, allowing him to easily enter the rib bone.


    As a result, black light flashed before his eyes, revealing a stream of huge ancient characters and pictures into his mind.


    ¡°Jade slip!¡± Han Li muttered with an expression of shock.


    The bone was some sort of unique jade slip, something that he had previously guessed. After restraining the excitement in his heart, he started to earnestly analyze the words within.


    ¡°Profound Yin Arts!¡±


    Han Li read through the first half of the words and found them extremely familiar. He was certain that he had read them before. Although he hadn¡¯t personally cultivated this renowned Devilish Dao cultivation art, his avatar Crooked Soul had refined a derivative of it, the Divine Bloodlight. After reading through it, Han Li came to the conclusion that while the cultivation arts had many minor differences, as a whole they were largely the same. The rib bone jade slip actually contained the so-called Profound Yin Scriptures.


    To tell the truth, Han Li was somewhat disappointed. Since he already cultivated the Azure Essence Sword Arts, he wasn¡¯t about to foolishly abandon them to recultivate with this technique even if it did possess an overbearing power.


    However, he didn¡¯t immediately withdraw his spiritual sense from the Profound Yin Scriptures. The Devil Dao secret techniques that were contained in the second half were something that he could possible cultivate.


    Soon after Han Li read through each of the unbelievable secret techniques, his original disappointment turned into surprise, then slight solemness, and finally, excitement.


    The secret techniques were powerful and truly inconceivable. He was confident that once he cultivated the ninth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Arts and the suitable secret techniques of the Profound Yin Scriptures, he would be able to escape from any Nascent Soul cultivator that crossed his path. No longer would he be doomed to helplessly accept death if he encountered any of those Nascent Soul Eccentrics!


    Among these secret techniques were Zenith Yin¡¯s Heavenwide Corpsefire. As for the Heavenwide Demon Corpse, they were merely refined corpses that happened to be produced in the process of refining the Corpsefire.


    Unfortunately, these secret techniques required the Profound Yin Arts as a cultivation base and required a cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve definitely attempted to refine it for himself. After all, he had personally witness the ferocious power of the Heavenwide Corpsefire.


    But even as powerful as it was, the weaknesses of the Heavenwide Corpsefire were made clear from its cultivation chant.


    When Han Li saw this, he coldly chuckled. If Zenith Yin tried to use Heavenwide Corpsefire to deal with him in the future, Han Li would surely give him a nice surprise!


    After looking through it for a moment more, Han Li was able to find three secret techniques that he fancied that a Core Formation cultivator could refine. He then committed them to memory until he could find the time to cultivate them.


    Han Li carefully put away the small rib bone. Along with feelings of great satisfaction from what he had gained, he could feel his heart brimming with excitement.


    It was then that Han Li recalled what he had originally planned. Han Li¡¯s hand grasped onto the storage pouch containing the Heavenvoid Cauldron with his curiosity once again set aflame.


    He instantly stood up from his bed and directly headed towards the hidden room in his cave residence.


    If he could somehow manage to open the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he could acquire many ancient treasures, not to mention Heavenmend Pills. He would be able to substantially increase his strength.


    With those thoughts in mind, Han Li began a routine where he would observe the Gold Threaded Silkworms every day before spending the rest of the day studying the Heavenvoid Cauldron. In addition, he would occasionally browse through all sorts of ancient jade slips in an attempt to find any hints regarding a way to open the cauldron.


    Unfortunately, after half a month passed, Han Li had exhausted all the methods he could think of. He had no choice but to concede that the Heavenvoid Cauldron, the ranked one secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas, wasn¡¯t capable of being opened by a mere Core Formation cultivator such as himself.


    The cauldron was truly impressive. Be it heat, water or any of the many treasures that Han Li had used, none of them were able to leave so much as a trace on the cauldron. Even a strike from his recently restored Divine Devilbane Lightning wasn¡¯t able to scratch the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    As for other unconventional methods of opening the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Han Li had tried each and every one of them to only be met with failure.


    In the end, Han Li could only place the Heavenvoid Cauldron back into his storage pouch and leave the matter be.


    As for Han Li¡¯s suspicion that the Heavenvoid Cauldron could be opened with the Celestial Ice Pearl, he didn¡¯t dare to test it. The Celestial Ice Flames were an existence that inspired fear even in Nascent Soul cultivators. He fundamentally had no thoughts of attempting to refine and control the pearl until he reached either the Nascent Soul stage or perhaps late Core Formation. Han Li was still able to recognize his own limits.


    During that half month, the two Gold Threaded Silkworms that consumed the rainbow beads showed no reaction in the slightest. They remained entirely the same as if the beads possessed no medicinal qualities at all. As for the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles Han Li had brought back with him from Heavenvoid Hall, they had already started cannibalizing each other en masse and were on the verge of laying new eggs, much to Han Li¡¯s delight.


    As of current, Han Li¡¯s next matter at hand would be tempering his seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    He didn¡¯t plan on allowing the refined crystal that he had acquired on the Path of Molten Rock to go to waste either. He wanted to temper traces of the crystal into each of his flying swords. While he wouldn¡¯t dare to proclaim his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords as indestructible after the inclusion of the refined crystal, the number of items that could damage them in this world would be very few. It would prove to be quite advantageous in his future battles against high grade cultivators.


    However, processing the crystal was an extremely grueling process.


    As the item itself was an extraordinary material, Han Li reckoned that the crystal would require at least half a year to refine with the aid of formation spells. But if he were to run out of magic power halfway and interrupt the procedure, the crystal would be completely destroyed.


    This was no joking matter!


    Originally, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to make an attempt with his measly early Core Formation cultivation, even with the aid of spiritual medicines. However, he now had the Myriad Year Spirit Milk. Although he had used a portion of it in his rush to Heavenly Star City, he still had more than enough to process the crystal.


    Since he would encounter no small amount of danger in the nearby seas, it was imperative that Han Li tempered his flying swords so that he may withstand any dangers that he encountered.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 520

    Metamorphosis Tribulation


    Naturally, Han Li had already constructed a tool refining room in his new cave residence. After placing down another concealment restriction, he brought the refined crystal and Myriad Year Spirit Milk into the formation before tightly shutting the door to the room.


    The other operations in the cave residence were smoothly taken care of by the huge ape puppets he had left outside while he remained in seclusion.


    A year silently passed in this manner before one day, something unexpected occurred.


    Without the slightest warning, a huge rumble suddenly reverberated throughout the cave residence, accompanied by a continuous earthquake. In addition, faint rolls of violent thunder could be heard from the outside. The rolls of thunder grew increasingly louder as if the entire island was being covered in a violent storm.


    With a muffled thump, the door of the tool refining room opened.


    Han Li leapt out of the room with a cold expression, bewilderment clear in his eyes. Upon hearing the huge rumbling outside of his cave residence, he suddenly slapped his hand against a spirit pouch at his waist, causing a yellow streak of light to emerge. It circled around in the air before landing in his palm.


    It was a faint-yellow, meter-long formation flag with a few talisman characters embroidered onto it.


    Without much thought, Han Li spat out a cloud of azure Qi onto the flag, causing it to shine with yellow light. As a cold glint flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes, the flag shot into the earth with a flick of his wrist. The formation flag dug into the earth in the blink of an eye and disappeared from sight.


    With a muffled incantation of varying tones leaving Han Li¡¯s mouth, yet another astonishing scene occurred.


    As Han Li continued his incantation, the ground and walls began to shine with golden light as if they consisted of raw gold. At the same time, the trembling and frightening rolls of thunder suddenly came to a halt, restoring everything back to normal.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression relaxed. However, the confusion in his eyes had yet to disappear. He then flew out of his cave residence in a streak of azure light towards the sky.


    A moment later, Han Li was floating above the small island. Although it was enveloped in a barrier of mist, his sight wasn¡¯t obstructed at all as the mist was the result of his own formation spells.


    The scene before him caused his expression to change several times. Thanks to the formation spells that he had placed on the mountain range and his cave residence, they were left mostly unharmed. However, the areas outside the formation spell were still groaning from ongoing tremors.


    Not only were the hills and other tall masses of earth breaking into dust with huge cracks starting to appear throughout the island, but the vegetation had folded into the earth from the violent quaking as well.


    But that alone wasn¡¯t enough to cause Han Li to be at a loss! There were also stormy waves that suddenly surged around the island.


    Four-hundred-meter tall waves continuously thrashed against the island and washed away the earth, turning nearly half the island into lakes and marshes.


    Out past the vast ocean mists in the direction of the huge waves, there were monstrous snarls that were inserted among the rolls of thunder as if a mad beast was furiously thrashing about. Each of its roars was soon followed by thunder and a huge wave.


    Looking in the direction of the huge waves, Han Li thought, ¡®Could it be that a high grade demon beast is stirring up havoc nearby?¡¯


    From the earth shattering scene, it was certain to be a demon beast that possessed a huge body.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s curiosity was on the rise.


    After muttering to himself for a short moment, he enveloped himself in azure radiance and flew straight into the fog towards the directions of the roars.


    For fear of being seen, Han Li restrained his Qi and dimmed the radiance of his aura until it was no longer visible. In an instant, there was no longer any trace of him.


    After flying into the sea mist, Han Li managed to find his goal with a single glance.


    Nearby, there was an enormous demon beast wildly thrashing about! Although he had already anticipated this, Han Li took in a cold breath of fright at its size.


    This giant was the first tortoise type demon beast he had ever seen. Its body spanned about three kilometers in area and it seemed as if there was a huge mountain floating in the ocean. Its shell was pitch-black and it had huge pillar-like legs. It also had a three-hundred-meter long silver tail that continuously swept at the nearby sea.


    With the head of an azure flood dragon, the tortoise roared towards the sky. With each of its roars, huge waves and demonic white winds spread outward from its body, thoroughly enveloping the sea in its ongoing outbursts.


    But what shocked Han Li the most wasn¡¯t this but the dense black clouds that the tortoise was roaring at tens of thousands of miles in the sky. Dense overlapping bolts of lightning struck down from the black skies to form fearsome webs of lightning around the demon tortoise, continuously striking at it.


    The tortoise relied on the huge waves and demonic winds to forcibly block the strikes of the heavenly lightning. Although it managed to remain unharmed, it became increasingly violent as the barrage continued, gradually turning its originally emerald green eyes to red.


    ¡°Metamorphosis Tribulation!¡± Han Li muttered to himself with a bewildered expression. He blinked in shock.


    The ¡®Metamorphosis Tribulation¡¯ is a tribulation of heavenly lightning that all demon beasts experience when they ascend from grade seven to grade eight. After experiencing this tribulation, the demon beast will be able to shed off its beastial form and change into a more human-like form. And as their cultivation grows deeper, so will the intensity of their transformation as well.


    It was said that when a demon beast reached grade ten, they were completely indistinguishable from a human.


    Although Han Li had encountered this information many times in jade slips, he was now witnessing the scene with his own eyes. He didn¡¯t know whether he should consider himself fortunate or unlucky.


    Its appearance could be considered fortunate as it answered Han Li¡¯s doubts about whether or not grade eight demon beasts resided near Wondrous Depths Island. This gave him hope of finding Thousand Leaves Dew later on.


    Unfortunately, after its tribulation, the demon beast would likely set up its nest in the nearby water. Han Li had no interest in becoming neighbors with a grade eight demon beast! It may be a grade eight demon beast that had just ascended, but it would still be quite difficult for Han Li to evade its notice.


    It was still unable to find his cave residence while it was a grade seven demon beast. But after it reached grade eight, its strengthened spiritual sense would pose a problem.


    Perhaps one day, the demon tortoise would arrive at his cave residence. When it came to enforcing their own territory, high grade demon beasts weren¡¯t exactly known to be lenient.


    ¡®Could it be that I will have to discard my cave residence after having only just established it?¡¯ Han Li flusteredly thought. The flying swords contained in his body began to shake with excitement.


    By the time he was forced out of seclusion, he had already finished tempering his seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords with the refined crystal.


    It had been significantly more difficult to process the refined crystal than he had anticipated. His original estimate of half a year had actually stretched into nearly an entire year.


    With that done, Han Li decided to take advantage of the continued seclusion to specially temper his flying swords.


    Were it not for the disturbance of the demon beast, he would¡¯ve likely spent several more months in seclusion.


    ¡®I should take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack while its Origin Qi is still greatly damaged after it finishes its tribulation. If I am able to kill it, it would be a cause for joy, but if I fail, I will have to leave the island.¡¯ With that thought, Han Li¡¯s heart grew tense. But a moment later, he shook his head in rejection of the idea.


    Even when greatly weakened, he still wouldn¡¯t prove to be an opponent of a grade eight demon beast.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know precisely how powerful grade eight demon beasts were, but he had personally witnessed the earth-shattering strength of the divine abilities of Nascent Soul cultivators.


    With such great danger, it would be better to just pack up and leave.


    Unfortunately, his Gold Devouring Beetles were laying eggs. He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if he were to bring them along in his storage pouch, but he didn¡¯t have much choice.


    Han Li watched the lightning flicker against the body of the huge tortoise and sighed before returning to his cave residence.


    Han Li didn¡¯t want to wait for the demon beast to finish its tribulation and discover him hiding away. That would be utterly disastrous!


    But just as Han Li turned around, a series of sharp whistles came from across the horizon, accompanied by flickers of golden light.


    Then from the opposite horizon, a melodious sigh of wind spread throughout the sky, making way for a red streak of radiance that flew over.


    When Han Li saw this, he unconsciously frowned. But before he could respond, a huge disturbance in the sea rose from near the huge turtle. Several tens of thick pillars of fire shot out of the sea, and the sea water began to quickly rise as if something gigantic was emerging from the sea.


    Han Li was greatly shocked by this and hastily shot away to conceal himself before watching the scene with amazement.


    With a flash of blue light, a huge red beast emerged from the parted waves. Upon revealing itself, it released a horse-like neigh at a monstrous volume, leaving Ha Li¡¯s ears buzzing.


    Stunned, Han Li nearly fell from the sky. He hastily released magic power to steady himself.


    As he quickly circulated his Great Development Arts throughout his body, Han Li stared at the strange demon beast with a pale face full of awe.


    If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! I¡¯ve also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

 Chapter 521

    Savage Flood Dragon


    ¡®Savage Flood Dragon!¡¯ Han Li inwardly shouted with an expression of rarely-seen fear.


    This scarlet demon beast had a body that stretched out to four hundred meters and appeared similar to the the inky flood dragon that he had seen before. Furthermore, it was one of the more fearsome types of flood dragons amongst its kind. Judging by the congealed essence that was displayed by the light wandering across its scarlet scales, it appeared to be a genuine grade eight demon beast. The demon beast emitted a pressure that Han Li had only experienced from Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Flood dragons were one of the few primordial demon beasts that remained in this world since the ages of antiquity. Not only did these demon beasts cultivate far faster than others, but their magic power would also greatly exceed that of other demon beasts of similar ranking. It wasn¡¯t impossible for a flood dragon to even defeat an opponent that was of a superior grade.


    If what the ancient records said was true, then the grade eight Savage Flood Dragon should be an equal match for average grade nine demon beasts.


    This knowledge caused Han Li to turn pale from shock. He immediately wanted to run, but he still managed to retain enough reason to not make any rash movements.There were still two more streaks of light flying across the sky towards them. It seemed they came with hostile intentions since they were flying over without the slightest attempt at concealment.


    As these developments occurred, Han Li placed the blood red cloak on his body as stealthily as possible. At the same time, he also summoned the Five Element Bands and the flower basket into his hands. With these at the ready, Han Li felt far more at ease.


    By this point, the Savage Flood Dragon had already let out a long hiss. It turned its long head towards the huge turtle resisting the lightning with all its strength, watching it with a strange expression.


    Soon, the flood dragon¡¯s body emitted a frightening blue light, causing his body to suddenly shrink.


    After only a short moment, the flood dragon¡¯s body had assumed a form that was close in size and shape to a human.


    Its head was still that of a fierce flood dragon, but its limbs appeared to be that of a human, apart from the scarlet scales that covered its body. It also had a thick scaly tail that continuously whipped around.


    The flood dragon¡¯s transformation left Han Li dumbstruck.


    The flood dragon stood idly on top of the raging seas as if he were standing on land, not swaying in the slightest.


    However, after he transformed, his eyes unconsciously swept towards Han Li¡¯s direction, and its gaze became icy. Han Li suddenly felt his body break out into a chill as he tightly grabbed onto his ancient treasures with sweaty palms.


    Fortunately, the golden light and red brilliance had just arrived during that time.


    The Savage Flood Dragon immediately lost interest in Han Li as its cold gaze swept past the three people that had appeared before it.


    The golden light was revealed to be an old Daoist with the appearance of a sage. He carried a saber on his back and a horsetail whisk in his hand and wore a brilliant gold Daoist¡¯s robe containing the eight trigrams. He twirled his beard as he examined the human form of the flood dragon. While his face showed shock, his eyes surprisingly contained a trace of greed.


    Not far away from the old Daoist stood two middle-aged men with identical appearances. Their skin appeared as ashen as corpse¡¯s and they wore brilliant fire-red robes. The only difference between them that Han Li could distinguish was that one of them held a three-meter-long ghost head staff, while the other wore a massive red gourd on their back.


    They first glanced at the huge turtle beneath them before turning their eyes to the Savage Flood Dragon and the old Daoist. They were both silent and expressionless.


    The old man appeared to only possess an early Nascent Soul cultivation, and the two middle-aged men appeared to only be late Core Formation cultivators. But Han Li was baffled to see that the two red-robed middle-aged man were able to face the immense pressure from both the flood dragon and the old Nascent Soul Daoist without showing the slightest fear.


    After the old man¡¯s eyes wandered several times around the two, he suddenly smiled at them and said, ¡°Hehe! I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d encounter the Huo Brothers. This humble Daoist apologizes for not recognizing you sooner!¡±


    The face of the red-robed man with the gourd on his back twitched. He then expressionlessly said, ¡°We also didn¡¯t expect to find Senior Jin Xia here. If Senior wishes to exterminate the two demon beasts beneath us, we would be glad to work together.¡±


    When the old Daoist heard this, he felt gloomy.


    The flood dragon was an existence that was equivalent to a grade nine demon beast. He wasn¡¯t so arrogant to believe that he could handle it alone. Were it not for the confidence he held in his incisive magic treasures, he wouldn¡¯t even consider fighting it.


    After the old Daoist frowned, he dryly coughed several times before bluntly saying, ¡°You Fellow Daoists must be joking. This humble Daoist wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the Savage Flood Dragon by himself. Likewise, neither could the two of you restrain it. But together, we might have a chance at success. Perhaps you Fellow Daoists would be interested in giving it a try? It¡¯s been quite a while since a grade eight demon beast has been seen. If we were to join hands, we might be able to luckily succeed. In that case, I will only require the flood dragon¡¯s soul. I have no need of its demon core.¡± Daoist Jin Xia stared at the two red-robed men as he spoke.


    The old Daoist¡¯s words seemed to run contrary to the two red-robed men¡¯s expectations. But after they glanced at each other, clearly communicating through some unknown method, the middle-aged man holding the ghost head staff briefly nodded and replied, ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll agree to Senior¡¯s conditions. Us Juniors don¡¯t wish to relinquish this opportunity and will strive our hardest!¡±


    When that was said, his companion had already taken the fire-red gourd into his hand.


    When the old Daoist heard this, he rejoiced. He raised his arm and flung out an azure jade ring from his sleeve. It flew downwards, leaving a strange cry in its wake.


    The Savage Flood Dragon stared coldly at the three as if it understood their words. A fierce expression flickered from his face as he opened his mouth, shooting a beam of scarlet light towards the old Daoist. Its silhouette then flickered and disappeared from sight.


    In the following moment, the Savage Flood Dragon re-appeared behind the two red-robed men in a flash. With fingers wrapped in blue light, it fiercely swiped its claws down to be met with a clang.


    The ghost head staff in one of their hands had automatically taken the shape of a three-meter-tall malevolent spirit, and blocked the strike, saving their lives.


    When this occurred, the brothers surnamed Huo were greatly frightened. Their stiff, corpse-like faces were now overwhelmed with shock.


    At that same moment, the large red gourd lightly shook. With a howl of wind, countless grains of red crystal rushed out of the gourd, enveloping an area of over three hundred meters turning it into a realm of blazing fire and trapping the Savage Flood Dragon within it.


    As for the scarlet ray of light that the flood dragon had released, it was currently tangling with the old Daoist¡¯s jade ring as if it were alive.


    The old Daoist¡¯s expression was quite solemn and he did his utmost to prevent the scarlet light from nearing his body. He knew that the scarlet light was not to be underestimated.


    The Savage Flood Dragon was suppressing the two late Core Formation cultivators in a clear attempt to allow the demon tortoise to finish its tribulation.


    Conversely, the old Daoist and the red-robed man feared the escape of the Savage Flood Dragon and rejoiced at every bit of magic power that the demon beast wasted. It would save them quite a bit of trouble later on. As for the huge tortoise, even if its tribulation was completed, its Origin Qi would be greatly damaged, and it wouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat.


    As such, the three cultivators continued their fight with the demon beast in the sky as the huge tortoise beneath them reached the key moment of its tribulation. The bolts of lightning falling from the sky began to form silver spheres of lightning. Each strike caused the huge tortoise to tremble and was met with wild roars.


    Han Li rejoiced at the sight.


    Naturally, he had no thoughts to take advantage of the situation. A battle at this level was beyond what he could handle. But either way, regardless of which side won, it would be more than enough to solve Han Li¡¯s cave residence predicament.


    As of now, an elusive opportunity for escape had finally showed itself. Han Li immediately made use of it, immersing the blood-red cape with his magic power and tearing through the sky as a streak of blood-red light.


    Han Li¡¯s sudden appearance and show of speed had caused both the cultivators and the flood dragon to become alarmed, but they soon ignored him.


    This was because they were able to perceive that Han Li¡¯s cultivation was quite shallow despite traveling at such a fast speed. An early Core Formation cultivator would prove insignificant to all of them.


    As Han Li was fearful of the demon beasts and cultivators discovering his cave residence, he decided to fly in a direction away from the sea mist.


    With the blood-red cloak¡¯s astonishing speed, Han Li was able to travel several thousands of kilometers in moments. After seeing that there were no pursuers, he finally relaxed and flew without his cloak as he went on ahead.


    After flying for the greater part of a day, Han Li casually sought an island to stay on for the time being.


    Several days later, Han Li reckoned that the battle should¡¯ve reached a conclusion, and he carefully flew back.


    As expected, the sea nearby the mist was completely tranquil with no demon beasts, cultivators, or heavenly lightning in sight as if nothing had occurred.


    Han Li floated above the nearby seas and muttered to himself for a moment before slowly releasing his spiritual sense into the nearby seas. His body then suddenly blurred with a flash of azure light as he dived into the sea. In the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li emerged, holding something in each of his hands.

 Chapter 522

    Rainbow Beads and New Gold Devouring Beetles


    One of the items Han Li found in the sea below where the previous battle occured was about ten meters long and sparkled with silver light. It appeared to be a portion of the huge tortoise¡¯s tail. The other item was half of the ghost head staff. It still contained a significant amount of spiritual Qi.


    It was quite difficult to make out who had won the battle based on these two items.


    After the tribulation had concluded, it was even possible that the battle had moved to a different section of the sea.


    After all, battles at the Nascent Soul and grade eight demon beast stage weren¡¯t matters that could be easily concluded, regardless of whether it were a cultivator wanting to slay a demon beast for their core, or a demon beast wishing to devour a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul. Either way, it would prove quite easy for the weaker party to escape.


    Han Li looked at the two items in his hands with narrowed eyes. After some further thought, he tossed the two items back into the sea.


    Although it wasn¡¯t likely that someone would pursue these two items, Han Li was unwilling to invite any disaster to his doorstep.


    After carefully examining his surroundings for a moment and making certain that there were no concealed cultivators or demon beasts in the vicinity, he flew into the sea mist without any further hesitation.


    When Han Li saw that the restrictions outside his cave residence were untouched, he finally felt his worries dissipate as he hurriedly entered.


    Before the the battle had erupted, Han Li had originally planned to abandon the island. But afterwards, he changed his mind.


    Even if the demon tortoise survived the battle and its nest was in the nearby seas, it definitely would¡¯ve received heavy wounds. On the other hand, after going through such a grave experience, it most likely would¡¯ve left. Moreover, finding another hidden island wasn¡¯t going to be an easy matter. And even if he did find another, who knew if there would be yet another high grade demon beast lurking nearby.


    Hence, it was much safer to stay.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to let down his guard, and immediately prioritized putting down many more illusion formations on the small island. He also carved out two false cave residences on other parts of the island, and placed separate concealment restrictions on them. With this, if any powerful enemies were to attack, he would be given an opportunity to escape.


    With all of that done, Han Li finally felt at ease.


    However, Han Li was unaware that the battle that had occurred that day was actually the spark that would lead to a huge battle between cultivators and demon beasts a few days later. The enraged flood dragons of the Outer Star Seas had all joined together to form a man hunting party, sowing calamity amongst human cultivators.


    Han Li, who had spent several days in peace in his cave residence, had already thrown the recent battle to the back of his head.


    He was currently refining a few sets of enemy entrapment formation tools for his future demon beast hunts. As he was planning to hunt down grade six and seven demon beasts, he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless.


    During this time, the Gold Devouring Beetles finally finished laying their eggs.


    As Han Li was joyously observing the beetle eggs, his face suddenly revealed amazement.


    Although the eggs were shiny silver as expected, the eggs also had rather eye-catching specks of black on them as well.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± After looking at this, Han Li¡¯s first thought was that the Gold Devouring Beetles had somehow ascended in grade. But Han Li soon rejected this idea.


    Although the Gold Devouring Beetles were quite powerful, they were nowhere near as indestructible as the legends had described their matured form to be. There was no way they could have matured so quickly.


    Hence, after some further thought, Han Li recalled the countless Ironfire Ants that they had devoured. Could it be that the Gold Devouring Beetles had consumed so many Ironfire Ants that they underwent an unexpected mutation?


    Han Li¡¯s curiosity was piqued.


    However, from his previous experiences, it would take about a year for the eggs to hatch. As such, he forcefully suppressed his anticipation as he placed down a soul control formation around the eggs, placing a drop of blood into it so that they would recognize him as their master. Afterwards, Han Li took a look at the Gold Threaded Silkworms while he was at the insect rooms.


    As of current, apart from the two Gold Threaded Silkworms that had taken the rainbow beads, the rest of Gold Threaded Silkworms had slowly deteriorated before inevitably perishing, even with the support of spirit medicines. Likewise, the two survivors showed no signs of improving despite having already survived for so long and being given so much medicine.


    At that moment, Han Li had entirely given up on preserving them and had specially prepared some Rainbow Skirt Grass for the two Gold Threaded Silkworms. He wanted to see whether or not it had a similar effect like on his beetles and would cause them to lay eggs.


    With these results, Han Li was certain that while the rainbow beads weren¡¯t on par with the Heavenmend Pills, they only possessed positive effects and weren¡¯t harmful to the user.


    After half a month, Han Li had finished constructing his sets of formation spell setup tools and had fed the the Rainbow Skirt Grass to the Gold Threaded Silkworms. He was now planning to head into seclusion and consume the rainbow beads. Minusing the two beads he had given to the silkworms, Han Li still had six on hand.


    ¡­


    Han Li sat cross-legged at the center of the room and stared at the box containing the beads with an appearance of great tranquility. Since he already came to a decision, he wasn¡¯t going to cowardly back down now. He swiftly picked up a bead and placed it in his mouth. Soon, Han Li wore an expression of astonishment.


    The originally solid bead turned incredibly soft upon entering his mouth. It was somewhat bitter but it was easily swallowed. After entering his stomach, he began to feel a strange warmth from his Dantian.


    Han Li frowned and immersed his spiritual sense within himself. The rainbow bead was completely intact within his stomach and emitted a faint glow.


    He muttered to himself for a moment after seeing this and soon clutched his hands in an incantation gesture. A thin thread of azure flame spouted out from his golden core and enveloped the bead before slowly refining it. In an instant, the warmth became scorching hot!


    Han Li then closed his eyes and began to meditate.


    Two months later, Han Li had completely refined the bead with his core fire, but he didn¡¯t feel any immediate changes. After some hesitation, he began to refine the second one.


    Nearly a year passed by in the blink of an eye. Han Li emerged from seclusion with all six rainbow beads having been cleanly consumed. He could now feel a slight change and was now absorbing spiritual Qi and producing spiritual power at a slightly faster rate. Although the effects weren¡¯t very obvious, Han Li was wild with joy.


    After all, the effects of the rainbow beads had yet to be fully displayed.


    However, Han Li¡¯s cheerful mood was soon dampened by a cold reality.


    After the Gold Threaded Silkworms ate the Rainbow Skirt Grass, they had laid eggs as expected, over a hundred even. However, all of the eggs were dead. The Gold Threaded Silkworms had both died after laying the eggs as well.


    Han Li stood outside the insect room, staring at the dead eggs in silence.


    Although he had suffered quite a loss, he did manage to verify the medicinal effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass at the very least.


    Although he suspected that the mature Rainbow Skirt Grass would have a similar effect to induce reproduction in higher grade demon beasts, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to test it until now. From the Gold Threaded Silkworm¡¯s actions, it was proven almost certainly true.


    The rarer and higher grade the demon beast, the more difficult it would be to reproduce! It was no wonder that high grade demon beasts so rapidly flocked to the Rainbow Skirt Grass when it was in bloom.


    As the saying goes, disaster and fortune often came hand in hand. While Han Li was brooding over the Gold Threaded Silkworms, the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs hatched several days later.


    The newly-hatched Gold Devouring Beetles gave Han Li a rather pleasant surprise.


    They appeared no different than before, apart from the color of their shells. In addition to the golden spots on their silver shells, there were also traces of black. But more importantly, the spiritual Qi they emitted gave Han Li a rather distinct impression.


    Han Li was now completely certain that the Gold Devouring Beetles had changed because the previous generation of Gold Devouring Beetles had consumed countless Ironfire Ants.


    Of course, Han Li would have to do some testing to find out what differences they had developed.


    As a result, Han Li placed all the beetles into a storage pouch and reentered his hidden room. About half a day later, he left the room with unconcealed excitement.


    These new Gold Devouring Beetles were far more powerful than he had anticipated. He now felt even more assured in his future hunts for spirit beasts.


    Although Han Li still wished to research the puppet fragments from the Heavenvoid Hall, he reckoned it wasn¡¯t going to be a matter that only took a few years. As such, he could only put it off for later.


    Han Li had already finished his preparations for his sea expedition for high grade demon beast cores. He already had his Rainbow Skirt Grass and sets of formation setup tools. As there could come a chance that they may prove to be useful, Han Li took along the Bloodjade Spider and the Weeping Soul Beast. While Han Li felt quite uneasy towards leaving behind the spiritual medicines, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng in particular, they weren¡¯t something that he could bring along.


    After all, he didn¡¯t know precisely how long he would be out to sea. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was still a plant and couldn¡¯t be separated too long from the ground.


    With that in mind, Han Li bluntly left behind a portion of the newly-hatched Gold Devouring Beetles at the cave residence.


    He gave them the order to kill any cultivators or demon beasts that trespassed.


    This way, any trespassers would be killed, so long as they weren¡¯t Nascent Soul cultivators or grade eight demon beasts.

 Chapter 523

    Extracting Souls and Seizing Cores


    With the formations at the entrance of his cave residence completed, Han Li had completed his preparations for an extended absence. As for the Soul Nurturing Tree, it had been continuously fed the green liquid over the span of two years and was now fully grown. The tree was just like the Gold Lightning Bamboo had been; it ceased growing after it reached the age of ten thousand years. It was completely unaffected by the green liquid after reaching that point of maturation.


    Naturally, Han Li wasn¡¯t going to just leave the tree behind and let it gather dust. He carved the foot-long trunk into a dozen thumb-sized beads and strung them together on a golden thread before wearing them around his neck. This type of divine wood didn¡¯t need to be meticulously refined; one simply needed to wear it close to their body to receive its wondrous soul nurturing and recovery effects.


    After dealing with everything in his cave residence, Han Li left his cave residence and quietly flew out from the mist surrounding the small island.


    With the Rainbow Skirt Grass in hand, Han Li had no plans of heading into the depths. Not only did demon beasts of grade eight and higher wander there, but cultivators gathered too. Such a place would be completely unsuitable for him to place down a spell formation and lure demon beasts into. So long as he had the Rainbow Skirt Grass, any part of the nearby seas were all the same to him. As such, it would be better for him to find a secluded coral island instead.


    With that thought in mind, Han Li got his bearings before shooting off into the west, disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    A month later, Han Li stopped above a fire-red coral reef.


    On his way here, he had already spotted many coral islands, but for fear of being too close to his cave residence and attracting trouble, he ignored them and continued flying. Although this reef was so small that it couldn¡¯t be called an island, it was more than enough for the purposes of planting Rainbow Skirt Grass.


    Han Li decided that this would be the location of his first hunting grounds.


    Currently, he had already placed down four spell formations near the coral reef, tightly encasing the nearby surroundings. All that was left was to carefully place the Rainbow Skirt Grass at the center of the magic formations. Since he wanted to attract grade six demon beasts, he needed to mature the Rainbow Skirt Grass to four hundred years old.


    It would require a month¡¯s worth of time to acquire enough green liquid to mature the Rainbow Skirt Grass to that age. However, he wasn¡¯t going to be able to spend that time idly.


    The first three blooms of the Rainbow Skirt Grass attracted a few low grade demon beasts from him to practice on. Although pills made from the cores of grade five demon beasts would have little effect on Han Li¡¯s cultivation , he could exchange them for quite a few spirit stones. He wasn¡¯t about to just let them go.


    As expected, after the fourth time the Rainbow Skirt Grass bloomed, four grade five demon beasts were pulled in. They were quickly and easily executed with a few of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    ¡­


    Gazing at the Rainbow Skirt Grass with three uncurled leaves, Han Li let a long breath before carefully poured the green liquid on top of the plant. He then put the bottle away and sat down at its side before meditating.


    When the third day had passed, the Rainbow Skirt Grass uncurled its fourth leaf, releasing its demon-luring scent. Han Li had spent the past two days honing his strength in silent meditation.


    Although killing grade five and six demon beasts should pose no problem to him, at the end of the day he was still a lone person deep at sea. It was better to be safe than sorry.


    The effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass wasn¡¯t always consistent. In the past, he had attracted a grade seven black dragon, nearly bringing about his death. He was forced to sacrifice a rather valuable spell formation in order to make his escape.


    Han Li truly didn¡¯t wish to lose his life over a brief moment of carelessness.


    After most of the day had passed, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly twitched. He opened his eyes and coldly stared into the distance.


    A short moment later, a storm of dense black clouds had in the horizon, accompanied by a thirty-meter-wide whirlpool that suddenly appeared beneath it. A faint rumbling could be heard coming from within it.


    With a calm expression, Han Li shot into the air as a streak of azure light and gazed at the scene before him.


    With the muffled rumblings coming from the whirlpool, a demon beast clad in black Qi leapt out from within. The demon beast wasn¡¯t large, and was only about ten meters long. As it gazed towards the Rainbow Skirt Grass, it released a violent screech.


    Han Li let out a sigh of relief at the sight.


    He was unable to see the true form of the demon beast due to the black Qi blocking it from his sight. But from intensity of black Qi, it appeared to be a grade six demon beast.


    This was the most optimal result as it shouldn¡¯t prove to be dangerous in even the slightest.


    As a result, Han Li remained motionless in the air as he stared down at the demon beast.


    After only a short moment, the demon beast had been driven into a frenzy by the scent of the Rainbow Skirt Grass. With a loud snarl, it fiercely pounced towards the coral reef, stirring up a thirty-meter-tall wave following in its wake.


    After having experienced the huge tortoise¡¯s waves as it underwent tribulation, this mere level of display wasn¡¯t enough to impress Han Li.


    After seeing the demon beast draw close to the coral reef, a sneer appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. With a wave of his arm, a dark-green formation plate appeared in his palm. After emitting a flash of azure light from his hand, Han Li struck the formation plate without hesitation, causing it to suddenly glow with a blinding yellow light.


    In the next moment, over ten beams of yellow light shot out from the sea, forming a barrier of yellow fire that surrounded the demon beast.


    The demon beast was clearly startled. It immediately brandished two claws from within the black cloud of qi and fiercely struck against the yellow light barrier.


    With a huge bang, the yellow light barrier wavered on the verge of collapse. It appeared as if it wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand much more.


    However, it had already bought Han Li more than enough time. The Five Element Bands he had prepared in his hand released a clear ring before disappearing in a blur.


    As a series of cries came from within the black cloud, rainbow light suddenly appeared and then disappeared into the black Qi. A second later, a frightened roar was heard as the black Qi scattered, revealing the demon beast within.


    The demon beast turned out to be a twelve-meter-long grey prawn with three green eyes on each side of its head. It appeared panic-stricken.


    It was currently restricted by the five copper bands and was rendered completely incapable of escaping.


    At that moment, two streaks of bright azure light flew down and revolved around the huge prawn in coordination, chopping it into pieces. Green blood splattered onto the seas below.


    The Five Element Bands trembled several times before disappearing in a glow of light and reappearing in Han Li¡¯s grasp a moment later.


    Han Li wore a slight smile on his face and shook the formation plate in his hand. The yellow radiance immediately faded away as the yellow barrier beneath him followed suit.


    Then with a wave of his hand, the Five Element Bands had been replaced with a pitch-black alms bowl in a flicker of light.


    With both hands clasped on the bowl, Han Li floated down next to the pawn¡¯s corpse.


    A cold glint flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes as he stared at the huge prawn¡¯s head. Without further deliberation, Han Li extended his finger and started to mutter an incantation. The tip of his finger began to shine and gradually grew brighter.


    Han Li coldly snorted. Several thin white strings shot out from Han Li¡¯s finger before piercing into the huge prawn¡¯s skull. Then with a shake of his finger, the white strings pulled out a fist-sized orb of green light from within the prawn¡¯s head and brought it towards the Soul Congregation Bowl.


    The green light knew that this wouldn¡¯t end well, and began to struggle with all its might against the white threads. However, it was unable to break free as it slowly drew closer to the bowl.


    When it was about a foot away from the Soul Congregation Bowl, the green orb of light was wrapped in black light and drawn into the bowl.


    Han Li smiled at the scene. He then approached the prawn¡¯s corpse and rummaged through the scattered remains before he found a light blue sphere.


    Not only were grade six demon beast cores larger than those from grade five, but they were also more translucent and shined with a faint glow. It made for a beautiful sight.


    After looking at it for a moment more, Han Li placed the core into his storage pouch and took another look at the huge prawn¡¯s corpse as if something had just come to mind. He suddenly raised his hand and cut it with two more streaks of light.


    He sliced off its claws and placed them into his storage pouch without any further thought. Afterwards, he shot a small fireball at the corpse, turning all of the remaining pieces into ashes.


    Han Li calmly flew back to the Rainbow Skirt Grass and went back to sitting down cross-legged.


    He was confident that the nearby seas didn¡¯t only have one grade six demon beast. Now, he just had to calmly wait until the next one arrived.

 Chapter 524

    Spying


    Seven years after Han Li began harvesting demon beasts, a group of cultivators with varying cultivations were slowly flying at a low altitude in a region of the Outer Star Seas. They would occasionally glance around as if they were searching for something. The group of cultivators were all were at Foundation Establishment, apart from their three leaders. One of their leaders was a mid Core Formation while the other two were at early Core Formation.


    A middle-aged cultivator with a yellowish complexion impatiently asked, ¡°Brother Qiu, is that grade six demon beast truly nearby? We¡¯ve already searched for several days and we even expanded our search perimeter. Isn¡¯t it likely that the information is wrong?¡± It appeared he was talking to the gaunt old man that wore a solemn expression at his side. The old man was the highest ranked cultivator in their party, the sole mid Core Formation cultivator.


    The old man indifferently replied, ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, Fellow Daoist Min. The information we received was but an approximate location. It is also quite common for the location to change after several days. And even then, following this information is better than just randomly roaming the seas. I am confident that the intelligence vendor wouldn¡¯t have dared to swindle me.¡±


    The third Core Formation cultivator, a large man with a fiendish face, suddenly said, ¡°The demon beast might¡¯ve already left the area, or perhaps its nest doesn¡¯t lie in this area.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. This is a rare Vivid Glass Beast. We¡¯ve swept our spiritual sense in the nearby seas and spotted the beast¡¯s most beloved food, the Tri-colored Seaweed. Its nest must be nearby.¡± The gaunt old man spoke with a tone of certainty.


    Because the two Core Formation cultivators seemed to hold the old man in high regard, they said no more. Instead, they continued to sweep their spiritual sense in every direction.


    As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators behind them, most were either their disciples or younger relatives. As such, none of them dared to intrude in their conversation.


    Under the lead of the three Core Formation cultivators, the group continued to search for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, they found absolutely nothing. By this time, the old man begun to frown.


    ¡°Sigh! Originally, when one stayed near the depths, even if their gains were infrequent, one could still acquire four high grade demon cores a year. But now, ever since we left the depths, we¡¯ve only encountered two high grade demon beasts, and even worse, we failed to acquire their cores.¡± The cultivator surnamed Min grumbled as if he had a bellyful of grievances.


    ¡°Enough. Brother Min, you should be aware of the circumstances in the depths. If we were to go to there now, we would only be going to our deaths, rather than hunting demon beasts.¡±


    With a face pale from trepidation, the man with a fierce appearance said, ¡°It is still truly abnormal! The depths were a place where you could make a living if you were clever and avoided the center region. But two years ago ever since the Demon Beast Insurrection started, the entire depths became a restricted area. High grade cultivators that commonly roamed the depths never returned. And in the past year, several Nascent Soul eccentrics joined hands and explored the center region of the depths. But as a result, they turned tail and fled, perhaps due to having encountered unbeatable odds. Even then, Master Four Paths was the only Nascent Soul cultivator able to return alive. It seems Wondrous Depths Island won¡¯t be able to last much longer.¡±


    The bony old man was silent for a moment before his face twitched, saying, ¡°Fellow Daoist Xuan¡¯s words do hold reason. Although the demon beasts of the depths can still be considered docile as they have yet to head out of the depths, who knows when they will attack in an overwhelming force. This isn¡¯t something that is impossible. We have no choice but to come up with a response!¡±


    It seems the old man was extremely concerned about the situation in the depths.


    The cultivator surnamed Min bitterly smiled with a face of helplessness, ¡°But as of current, the Star Palace is busy fighting with the Starfall Coalition on the other side. The transportation formation will only accept arrivals, not departures. Even if we want to leave, we can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Humph! That isn¡¯t certain.¡± The fierce-looking man wore an expression of disagreement.


    ¡°Oh? Could it be that Brother Xuan has another way?¡± The cultivator surnamed Min appeared astonished, but soon, his interest was roused.


    The man lowered his voice and spoke with a mysterious tone, ¡°Hehe! There is no other way. I merely heard that there were people at Wondrous Depth Island selling displacement talismans at high prices. Although there aren¡¯t many, there are people that have already returned to the Inner Star Seas!¡±


    ¡°There is such a thing? Then how about we¡­¡± The cultivator surnamed Min rejoiced. He thought to further pursue the matter but the bony old man interrupted him with a snort.


    ¡°Stop dreaming! Even if you manage to acquire the displacement talismans, do you truly dare to return to Heavenly Star City? It is even more dangerous over there! You will certainly be dragged into the conflict if you are to return. Although the demon beasts of the depths are behaving abnormally, it is still completely normal outside the depths. If something does truly happen, we only need to find a desolate island and conceal ourselves there. That would be far better than returning and being dragged into a war.¡± A strange light appeared in the old man¡¯s eyes as if he had spent a long time thinking on the matter.


    When the two heard this, they stared at each other for a long while. While they felt that the old man¡¯s plan was quite crude, they believed it to be practical.


    Just when the two thought to discuss the matter further with the old man, they suddenly heard a rough, strange roar in the distance along with a chain of explosions.


    ¡°The Vivid Glass Beast!¡±


    The two early Core Formation cultivators glanced at each other and yelled out the demon beast¡¯s name at nearly the same time. Pleasant surprise was displayed on their faces.


    The bony old man¡¯s face grew stern. He coldly said to the two, ¡°That is the Vivid Glass Beast¡¯s cry without a doubt but it seems someone found it before us. We¡¯re going, but conceal yourselves. We¡¯ll be acting with discretion.¡±


    After the two tacitly nodded their head, the three Core Formation cultivators flew out as streaks of light. But on their way there, they disappeared without a trace.


    As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, they immediately chased after them with nervous expressions.


    After a short moment, the three Core Formation cultivators silently arrived at a coral reef island several kilometers away. It was where the thunderous demon beast¡¯s cry had come from.


    However, what they saw was beyond their expectations.


    There was a sea beast with a sparkling, transparent body that was trapped in a red light barrier.


    The demon beast¡¯s body was about ten meters long, and had countless milky-white threads hanging from its body. In a dire attempt to cut through the red barrier of light, it continuously rammed its body against it.


    However, this wasn¡¯t what the three cultivators were concerned with. They were focused on something else entirely.


    There was a youth wearing faint blue robes above the small island. He stood motionlessly in the air with his hands behind his back. His face wore a leisurely expression.


    The cultivator with the fierce appearance excitedly said in a voice transmission, ¡°Brother Qiu, that person is only at early Core Formation. Shall we attack?¡±


    A malicious glint appeared in the old man¡¯s eyes. However, he managed to suppress his desire to attack and cautiously said, ¡°Don¡¯t rush, we¡¯ll first take a look around to see if there are any other cultivators hidden nearby. Let¡¯s make sure there are no traps!¡±


    The cultivator surnamed Min was also quite careful and called a matter to attention, ¡°Fellow Daoist Xuan, Brother Qiu makes sense. It seems quite suspicious for an early Core Formation cultivator to dare to trap a Vivid Glass Beast by himself. There may be other mysteries at play.¡±


    When the fierce-looking man heard this, his heart trembled and he hastily swept his spiritual sense around the vicinity. However, he was unable to find anything.


    At that moment, the blue-clothed youth struck.


    With a single wave of his hand, seven streaks of azure light shot out from his palm. The streaks of light circled once in the air before combining into a huge azure sword that was over thirty meters long. The sword cleaved down, sending a deep reverberation through air.


    The Vivid Glass Beast seemed to perceive the sword¡¯s fearsomeness and spat a white crystal orb at it.


    The crystal orb swelled to three meters wide after it left the demon beast¡¯s mouth, and moved to intercept the huge falling sword. The sword didn¡¯t change speed in the slightest and emitted a faint roll of thunder as it continued down. It then met the crystal with a large bang.


    For a single instant, the huge sword appeared indistinct.


    Woosh. With a flash of azure light, the huge sword then disappeared without a trace and reappeared atop the Vivid Glass Beast as it continued to cleave down.


    The demon beast then hoarsely shouted in fury as its countless white threads joined together to meet the strike in an attempt to preserve its life.


    Crunch. The huge sword chopped through the Vivid Glass Beast¡¯s head without the slightest resistance, splattering green blood all around.


    The three Core Formation cultivators were left amazed at the sight of the youth slaying the beast in a mere instant.


    Was that really a Vivid Glass beast? It was well-known to be extremely difficult to hunt even amongst grade six demon beasts. But it just fell to a single blow from this youth. Inconceivable! Could it be that he wasn¡¯t at the early Core Formation stage, but was rather at the late Core Formation Stage?


    After repeatedly using their spiritual sense to sweep past the youth as he looted the beast corpse, they confirmed that he truly was but an early Core Formation cultivator.


    While victory against the grade six Vivid Glass Beast would be certain with the three of them combined, it would be impossible for them to slay it with the ease displayed by this youth. Could it be that this youth was a tiger in disguise? Could he be concealing his true cultivation with a hidden technique?


    Suspicions began to surge within their minds!

 Chapter 525

    A Fearsome and Resounding Reputation


    ¡°Brother Qiu, do we attack? It seems like he¡¯s really alone.¡±The fierce-looking man¡¯s voice held a trace of nervousness.


    The gaunt old man stared at him with a doubtful expression, but didn¡¯t reply.


    When the three saw the youth take out a black alms bowl and start to extract the Vivid Glass Beast¡¯s soul, their expressions greatly changed with a trace of fear appearing within their eyes.


    The cultivator surnamed Min saw the old man¡¯s hesitation and couldn¡¯t help but frown. He probingly said, ¡°This person is quite odd. How about we leave him be? There is no need to provoke any mysterious characters.¡±


    As the three had managed to survive in the Scattered Star Seas for such a long time, they were naturally very cautious people. The scene before them was, without a doubt, indescribably strange. It even caused Cultivator Min to recoil!


    The old man¡¯s gaze wandered for a long while before he bitterly smiled, and listlessly said, ¡°Leave him be? This is no longer a matter of choosing to attack him, but rather, how we will leave here alive.¡±


    These words caused the fierce-looking man and Cultivator Min to freeze. They were fully aware of the old man¡¯s temperament and knew that he wouldn¡¯t say something like this without reason. As such, they soon revealed astonishment.


    The old man licked his lips and spoke with an agonized whisper, ¡°You two might not have noticed, but doesn¡¯t this person resemble the recent rumors of that devil?¡±


    ¡°Devil? Then could he be¡­?¡±


    ¡°So it was him!¡±


    The two immediately let out a cry of alarm. Their faces were aghast!


    The old man solemnly muttered as if he were speaking to himself, ¡°Absolutely. He appears young, can release several flying swords, and moreover, his sword light is azure. Just like the rumors!¡±


    The fierce-looking man¡¯s complexion turned white. He said with a trembling voice, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that person also well-known to use a swarm of flying insects? He hasn¡¯t revealed them since we¡¯ve arrived. That can¡¯t be a coincidence!¡± It appeared he had been shaken stiff by the old man¡¯s words.


    Cultivator Min turned slightly green and sent out a voice transmission in a whisper, ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s words are correct. This devil ordinarily reveals himself to be at early Core Formation and is fond of extracting the souls of demon beasts. The reason why he hasn¡¯t release his flying insects should be that he didn¡¯t feel the need to!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that this guy is the rumored ¡®Insect Devil¡¯? Then why are we still here? If we face him, we¡¯re certain to perish.¡± The fierce-looking man appeared to be panic-stricken.


    The old man managed to regain his calm and said, ¡°Don¡¯t lose your head! Even if it truly is the Insect Devil, his attention was occupied with the Vivid Glass Beast when we arrived. As a result, we had remained undiscovered. Now that he has killed the demon beast, we will expose ourselves if we act rashly.¡±


    The other two glanced at each other and saw the sense in the old man¡¯s words. As such, they didn¡¯t dare to act impulsively.


    As the large man stared at the youth extracting the demon beast¡¯s soul, something suddenly came to mind. He whispered with a doubtful expression, ¡°I heard that four years ago, the Insect Devil contended for a grade seven demon beast against a group of nine Core Formation cultivators. He managed to kill eight of the Core Formation cultivators by himself, but a single late Core Formation cultivator was fortunately able to escape. Could those rumors be true?¡±


    Cultivator Min dryly swallowed a few times before whispering, ¡°They should be! The man who survived was an expert from the Jade Cloud Sect, and the ones who died were his fellow Sect Members. That fight caused the Jade Cloud Sect, once renowned as one of the five great powers of Wondrous Depths Island, to lose an entire third of their forces. The Jade Cloud Sect¡¯s Chief Elder, Daoist Master Swift Crane, was enraged by this and personally scoured the seas several times by himself in search of the insect demon. However, he returned unsuccessful each time. Many people believed even if he found the Insect Devil, nothing would come of it. After all, from the abilities he displayed, it is quite possible that he is actually a newly ascended Nascent Soul Expert. It is said that the other factions of Wondrous Depths Island have already taken note of the Insect Devil and wish to recruit him.¡±


    After a moment of silence, the old man shook his head and said, ¡°Nascent Soul Stage? Not necessarily. I¡¯ve heard that there is nothing exceptional about the insect demon¡¯s cultivation; all of his fearsomeness comes completely from his strange insects. It was said that on the day of that battle, he hadn¡¯t used any magic treasures and merely released countless flying insects, devouring the many Core Formation cultivators alive without even lifting a finger. That was how he received the name of Insect Devil.¡±


    Cultivator Min persisted, ¡°However, Brother Qiu also saw that he didn¡¯t use his insects and was able to kill Vivid Glass Beast in a single strike. Even late Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to replicate this feat. Surely he must be a disguised Nascent Soul eccentric.¡±


    The old man still disapproved and thought to further speak when the fierce-looking man at the side interrupted him with a helpless tone, ¡°Fellow Daoists, it makes no difference for us whether or not he is a Nascent Soul cultivator. It is almost certain that he would be able to kill us with great ease. Even we are fearful of his evil reputation; it is said that all cultivators who encountered the Insect Devil were all devoured by his insects. The number of cultivators that have fallen by his hand is no less than a hundred. In the last two years, this devil has already become a topic of fear.¡±


    Cultivator Min appeared even more unsightly after hearing this. His gaze fell onto the blue-clothed youth and he let out a long breath before saying, ¡°The Insect Devil is truly vicious and bloodthirsty. It should be true without a doubt. There were no small number of cultivators that had been killed for their treasures, and all claim it to be the work of this devil! And to think we came knocking on his door!¡± His voice was filled with regret.


    When the old man heard this, his face also became unsightly, but he spoke no more. He was also greatly fearful toward the evil reputation of the Insect Devil.


    In the following moments, the three ceased to use voice transmissions and silently watched the youth¡¯s every movement. They wished for him to quickly finish dealing with the demon beast so they could get away as soon as possible.


    At that moment, the blue-clothed youth finished drawing out the soul of the Vivid Glass beast into the black alms bowl. He then rummaged through the demon beast¡¯s corpse for a white demon core.


    At that moment, the youth suddenly raised his head and glanced around.


    When the three saw this, they all held their breaths and kept their bodies perfectly still.


    However, the situation developed contrary to their wishes.


    The youth¡¯s gaze suddenly turned to the direction that the three were hiding in. With a slight sneer on his face, he coldly said, ¡°You three Fellow Daoists have been watching me for quite some time. Have you had enough to look at? How about you come out and show yourselves?¡±


    Having heard this, the three suddenly felt a chill run down their spines!


    ¡°Run!¡± It was unknown which of the three shouted this, but they immediately flew off as streaks of light and split off in three different directions in a panic-stricken manner.


    The blue-clothed youth frowned and muttered, ¡°I haven¡¯t even finished speaking yet. Why did they flee with such fear? Did they fear that I would eat them?¡± A trace of confusion appeared on his face.


    But soon after, the youth waved his arms with a sullen expression, and sent three spirit beast pouches into the air, filling the sky with a torrent of tri-colored beetles.


    This youth was obviously Han Li, who had just returned from the far seas.


    The old man stealthily peeked his head around only to find a scene that left him aghast, causing him to unconsciously speed up.


    At that moment, a series of soft sounds leisurely left Han Li¡¯s mouth.


    When the tri-colored beetles heard him, they gathered towards the sky and instantly condensed into three huge lances spanning about three meters each. Then with a sharp and loud whistle, the three lanches blurred with brilliant light and separately shot out with miraculous speed.


    In an instant, the lances tore through the sky, disappearing into the horizon and chasing down the three cultivators that had fled.


    Han Li stood in place without any intention of chasing after them. Instead, he started to leisurely skin the translucent Vivid Glass Beast with a streak of azure light.


    The hide of the Vivid Glass Beast was a top-grade material for refining armor. He naturally wasn¡¯t about to give it up. Then after turning the rest of the remains to ashes, Han Li retrieved the Rainbow Skirt Grass and his spell formation setup tools from the coral island.


    Just as he finished this, three flashes of light appeared on the horizon and flew in Han Li¡¯s direction. After they grew closer to him, he was able to clearly see that they were the three cultivators that previously fled.


    These three cultivators all had tri-colored collars around their necks. Their pale faces wore expressions of crestfallen resignation.


    Han Li grasped his chin as he saw this, but he secretly smiled in his heart.


    After the three meekly fell before Han Li, he smiled and asked them with an exceptionally friendly tone, ¡°May I ask you three Fellow Daoists, why you so flusteredly ran away from me? Could it be that you three recognize me?¡±

 Chapter 526

    Interrogation


    Upon hearing Han Li, the three couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in amazement. What was the insect devil¡¯s purpose in asking them why they were afraid of him? Could it be that he wished to amuse himself before he killed them?


    The fierce-looking man steeled his heart and said with open hostility, ¡°If Fellow Daoist wishes to take our lives, then do so! What use is there in talking?¡±


    ¡°That is strange. Was there something wrong with my question?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly grew sullen and cold.


    Seeing that there was possibly a chance of survival, the cultivator surnamed Min persistently pleaded, ¡°Us brothers didn¡¯t know that Senior was hunting demon beasts here. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have dared to disturb Senior Insect Devil. We rushed to this location unintentionally without even a sliver of hostile intent. I hope Senior will spare us.¡± It appeared a trace of blood had returned to his face.


    Han Li frowned and a trace of confusion flickered from his face, ¡°Insect Devil? That¡¯s what you call me?¡±


    When the gaunt old man heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but wear a bewildered expression, muttering, ¡°You¡¯re not Senior Insect Devil?¡±


    ¡°It seems you three Fellow Daoists have misunderstood something.¡± Han Li chuckled and after some hesitation, he waved his arm and three azure lights flew towards their collars. With a low-pitched hum, the collars scattered, returning them back into a swarm of countless beetles. The beetles then returned back to the spirit beast pouches at Han Li¡¯s waist.


    The three rejoiced at being spared from death. Although they were confused, they felt somewhat convinced they had mistakenly identified him. There would be no way the Insect Devil would do something so unfathomable, given his notorious reputation. But after seeing Han Li¡¯s astonishing display of ability, they didn¡¯t dare to take any rash actions and respectfully addressed him.


    The old man wore a smile and promptly said, ¡°Hehe! It seems we were mistaken. There would be no way that the Insect Devil would¡¯ve let us off so easily. May I know your esteemed name, Fellow Daoist?¡± Although the old man understood that the youth before him might not be the Insect Devil, his abilities were quite similar, and he could still take their lives with ease. He naturally didn¡¯t dare to slight him.


    When Han Li heard this, he thought to say something, but he soon turned his head to the skies.


    Han Li leisurely spoke as he stared at the sky, ¡°Oh! It seems you three had companions, and they¡¯ve just arrived.¡±


    The old man paused for a moment before turning his head in a certain direction. But since he didn¡¯t catch sight of anything, a trace of confusion appeared on his face.


    Doubtful, the old man honestly replied, ¡°Us brothers did bring along a few of our disciples. I reckon this is about the time that they should arrive!¡± Just as he finished saying this, a string of lights suddenly appeared off in the horizon. They were the Foundation Establishment cultivators that they had left behind.


    They had chased after the three Core Formation cultivators at a comparatively sluggish pace on their magic tools.


    When the old man saw this, his expression changed. This had illustrated that the youth possessed spiritual sense far beyond his own. His fear of Han Li unconsciously grew.


    Han Li glanced at the three Core Formation Cultivators with narrowed eyes and cryptically said, ¡°I¡¯m not one for crowds. How about you make arrangements for your disciples, and I¡¯ll wait for you three on the other end of the island. I still have a few questions I wish to ask you. I hope you won¡¯t leave without saying goodbye.¡± He then smiled at them and flew to the far end of the island below them.


    The three let out sighs of relief. Although they didn¡¯t know whether or not the youth was truly the Insect Devil, it appeared that he currently didn¡¯t have any plans of killing them. Their lives were safe for the time being.


    As a result, the old man solemnly uttered a few words. Cultivator Min nodded his head and took to the skies. After the group of disciples arrived, he coldly gave a few words and had the cultivators slowly descend to the side of the island.


    At that moment, Cultivator Min then worriedly returned to the old man¡¯s side.


    After Cultivator Min arrived, the fierce-looking man hesitantly asked in a voice transmission, ¡°Brother Qiu, must we go?¡±


    With a change of expression, the old man solemnly warned, ¡°Fellow Daoist Xuan, don¡¯t think of anything ridiculous. Did you not just witness what he was capable of? Do you truly believe we will be able to escape him? Just give an honest answer to anything he asks, but do not provoke him by any means. Treat him exactly as you would a Nascent Soul cultivator. With his abilities, he should feel disdainful towards killing us.¡±


    Brother Min nodded his head and said, ¡°Brother Qiu makes sense. I also can¡¯t make out this person to be the evil, bloodthirsty sort. It would be better to not take any rash actions.¡±


    Although the fierce-looking man wasn¡¯t entirely in favor of this, he reconsidered after hearing them.


    Soon after, the three obediently flew over to the far side of the island.


    Han Li was sitting down cross-legged on flat coral, calmly waiting for them.


    Han Li casually beckoned to the three with a calm expression and said, ¡°Fellow Daoists, how about we sit down and have a chat! Tell me about the recent happenings near Wondrous Depths Island. I¡¯ve just returned from the far seas, and I¡¯ve encountered several groups of cultivators in the recent days. From what I remember, cultivators should rarely tread in these seas. Why aren¡¯t cultivators hunting demon beasts in the depths? Naturally, I¡¯d also like a detailed explanation on the matter of this ¡®Insect Devil¡¯.¡±


    The three became increasingly uneasy upon seeing Han Li¡¯s calm appearance. They respectfully agreed and carefully sat down nearby.


    The old man bitterly smiled and slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s been two years since we¡¯ve been to Wondrous Depths Island. At that time, the Wondrous Depths had already become a restricted area. One can no longer hunt demon beasts in the depths. In fact, whenever it is discussed, everyone turns pale.¡±


    With an unchanged expression, Han Li softly said, ¡°Oh? Please explain, Fellow Daoist!¡±


    The old man felt relaxed upon seeing that Han Li was intent on listening. Then after some thought, he gave an honest collection of what had happened, ¡°This matter is actually quite a long story. Two years ago, the demon beasts violently emerged¡­¡±


    Han Li quietly listened until the old man had finished. He then unconsciously frowned and muttered to himself, ¡°According to what you¡¯ve said, the insurrection of demon beasts in the depths killed no small number of high grade cultivators. Even Nascent Soul cultivators are unable to withstand the depths. It is no wonder that the other regions of the seas have so many cultivators!¡±


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t show it on his face, the old man¡¯s recollection had truly shocked him. The demon beasts of the depths went berserk! Even Nascent Soul cultivators are unable to return after entering. Everything that he heard seemed to point to disaster. Could it be that a great war was about to erupt in the Outer Star Seas?


    Han Li paused for a moment before asking with an interested tone, ¡°So how about telling me about that Insect Devil business? After you three saw me, you believed me to be this Insect Devil. Could it be that person is quite similar to me?¡±


    When the three heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances at each other.


    The old man dryly coughed and answered, ¡°How do I say this? At first glance, Fellow Daoist looks very similar to the rumored Insect Devil. He uses azure flying swords, has a young appearance, and also appears to only have an early Core Formation cultivation. Additionally, he can also control over a thousand flying insects¡­¡±


    But as he continued speaking, his voice unconsciously grew soft. Because no matter how he saw it, this youth completely matched the details of the rumored Insect Devil. Even Cultivator Min¡¯s confidence was wavering.


    Although a trace of surprise appeared from Han Li¡¯s eyes, he calmly said, ¡°Huh? That does sound quite like me. Fellow Daoist should be a bit more specific! What has the Insect Devil been doing? It seems his reputation is quite large.¡±


    Cultivator Min carefully answered, ¡°There are many events related to the Insect Devil, but the most famous among them was when he used his insect swarm to kill eight Core Formation cultivators four years ago. That was when he became famous.¡±


    Although his face didn¡¯t show it, Han Li felt his heart drop.


    ¡°After that battle, the Insect Devil vanished without a trace. A year after that, near Wondrous Depths Island, cultivators began to be hunted down for their treasures. According to the survivors, it was all the doing of the Insect Devil. He would control the insects to fill the skies and cleanly devour his victims. This would occur every other month of so. According to the rumors, no less than a hundred cultivators have fallen at his hands. This was how the Insect Devil acquired such a fearsome and resounding reputation.¡± After all that was said, Cultivator Min wore a trace of nervousness and unease on his face.

 Chapter 527

    The True Insect Devil


    Not only did the cultivator surnamed Min appear fearful, but the gaunt old man and the fierce-looking man were also filled with trepidation, not knowing whether or not those words would anger the youth before them. They were completely unsure about whether or not this person was the Insect Devil.


    ¡°Interesting, it seems this Insect Devil is quite notorious. Do you Fellow Daoists know the appearance of the Insect Devil or the type of insects that he uses?¡± Not only was Han Li not angry, but he smiled instead.


    Cultivator Min started to mumble, ¡°What he looks like? I¡¯ve never heard of that before. It seems his appearance is quite ordinary. As for the insects he controls, they should be both gold and silver,¡± when he said this, Cultivator Min couldn¡¯t help but shout out, ¡°Yi! Fellow Daoist controls tri-colored beetles. It seems Senior truly isn¡¯t the Insect Devil!¡±


    The other two suddenly recalled this and felt their spirits rise.


    If this person truly wasn¡¯t the Insect Devil, then they would be far more likely to survive.


    Han Li then looked up to the sky as if deep in thought. A short moment later, he lowered his head and said, ¡°Many thanks to Fellow Daoists for telling me the truth. Since I still have matters to attend to, I can¡¯t stay any further. However, I hope you will keep our encounter today between ourselves. I don¡¯t wish to be mistaken as the Insect Devil and be pursued. I hope you can understand!¡± The three were wildly delighted by his words.


    Suppressing the excitement in his heart, the old man expectantly probed, ¡°This is only natural. We will definitely keep our mouths shut about this, and won¡¯t cause any problems for you. Well then, us brothers will now be taking our leave.¡±


    Han Li nodded with a faint smile and the three immediately saluted Han Li with concealed joy. They then hastily stood up and flew away.


    A moment later on the other side of the island, the three brought along their disciples in an impatient rush to get away from the island.


    At an unknown time, Han Li stood up and remained still as he watched them fly off. After they disappeared, Han Li¡¯s face suddenly became sullen.


    Although exterminating the whole group of cultivators would¡¯ve been an easy task, Han Li had no interest in attacking them. He wasn¡¯t the blood-thirty sort after all. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t have made much of a difference whether or not his whereabouts were leaked.


    This location was extremely far away from his cave residence. Had he encountered the three near the misty island, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have let them go. In addition, he had already made plans to hastily return to his cave residence and enter seclusion for at least thirty years. He didn¡¯t want to waste time out in the Outer Star Seas while there were people in pursuit of him!


    However, it seems they had given him quite the nefarious name of the Insect Devil.


    There was a time where he had found himself in a helpless position and was forced to unleashed his Gold Devour Beetles to kill the Jade Cloud Sect cultivators, but there was never an occurrence where he had killed others to seize their treasures. Someone was clearly framing him.


    Although this didn¡¯t cause Han Li to become seething with anger, it did very much vex him.


    After some thought, he came to the conclusion that this was likely the doing of the only enemy he had in the Outer Star Seas, the Jade Cloud Sect.


    During the time when Han Li was still fearful of high grade demon beasts and had to yet stray too deeply into the Outer Star Seas, he had used the Rainbow Skirt Grass to continuously lure in demon beasts and slay them for their cores. As a result, he managed to lure in a grade seven demon beast. Just as this happened, a group of nine Core Formation cultivators ran into him. They arrogantly proclaimed themselves as the Jade Cloud Sect, and thought to give in to their avarice and slay him for his treasure. As such, Han Li could only release his many Gold Devouring Beetles to kill them and protect himself.


    Although he naturally thought it would be best to kill them all after reaching that point, he didn¡¯t expect that the late Core Formation cultivator among them actually possessed an ancient protective treasure of impressive strength. As a result, he alone had managed to escape the Gold Devouring Beetles, catching Han Li off guard.


    As Han Li knew that the Jade Cloud Sect was one of the great powers of Wondrous Depths Island, he could only brave the dangers of heading into the far reaches of the sea to avoid any powerful enemies that sought him out.


    It could be said that Han Li had been quite lucky. In the several years that he had spent in the far seas, he hadn¡¯t encountered any demon beasts of grade eight or higher. His most dangerous encounter had been when he attracted several grade seven demon beasts at once. Although the situation had left him at a loss, the simultaneous release of his Gold Devouring Beetles and magic treasures managed to settle the problem without much trouble.


    In his hunting during these past years, he eventually acquired several hundred grade six and seven demon beast cores, more than enough for his medicinal recipes. Additionally, he also accumulated a large collection of demon beast materials.


    As such, he felt satisfied with ending his expedition and returning back to his cave residence.


    However, just as he returned from the deep seas, he unintentionally discovered a Vivid Glass Beast as he passed by these waters. Han Li didn¡¯t intend on letting it slip away and placed down a formation to trap it. However, he didn¡¯t expect that this would attract the gaunt old man and his two companions. They even called him ¡®Insect Demon¡¯ in a panicked manner.


    This caused Han Li¡¯s mood to take a turn for the worse. It was more than likely that since the Jade Cloud Sect was unable to find him, they had incited rumors of an ¡®Insect Devil¡¯ using his likeness and penchant for controlling insects and his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    It was clear that they had intended to destroy his reputation and deny him any place in the Outer Star Seas, forcing him to appear. They even sent people to impersonate him and slay other cultivators for their treasures in the process, managing to kill two birds with one stone!


    However, there was still something that Han Li couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to find high grade cultivators that were skilled in controlling insects. Finding flying insects that appeared similar to Gold Devouring Beetles also wasn¡¯t particularly difficult. But if this was truly the fault of the Jade Cloud Sect, why did the impersonators use gold and silver insects? He had used his black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles to kill the Jade Cloud Sect. The lone cultivator that had escaped definitely wouldn¡¯t have made such a mistake. However, the change in color for his Gold Devouring Beetles was something that had only occurred after he had arrived in the Outer Star Seas.


    Could it be¡­ the old eccentrics from Heavenvoid Hall had tracked him down here?


    When Han Li carefully considered it, he felt his heart tremble. His complexion unconsciously paled. If this were true, the situation would be far from good.


    After standing still for a moment more and calmly muttering to himself, Han Li suddenly stamped his foot down and shot towards the sky. Soon after, he streaked across the sky in azure light, heading towards the direction of his small island in the mist.


    As Han Li flew, he wore his ordinary expression apart from a cold sneer that appeared on his mouth.


    Just now, he had come to an understanding. Regardless of whether this was the result of the machinations of the Jade Cloud Sect or the Nascent Soul eccentrics, there was no point in spending too much thought on the matter of the ¡®Insect Devil¡¯. This was because with the development of the strange situation of the Wondrous Depths, his original plan of prolonged, secluded cultivation was now even more advantageous. This course of action would allow him to avoid both the lurking and the upcoming dangers in the Outer Star Seas.


    And after he increased his cultivation, who would dare to apprehend him even if his notorious reputation remained? In the cultivation world, strength always spoke the loudest!


    With that in mind, Han Li continued on his way without even a sliver of hesitation remaining in his heart.


    Meanwhile in Blackrock City, there were two people in a hidden room, speaking to each other in a mysterious manner.


    ¡°Brother Qi, it has already been three years. Your methods have been ineffective. I am not going to waste another eight years just for that youngster to take the bait!¡± The clear voice spoke with a tone of clear impatience.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Wu, you can¡¯t be hasty with these matters. Don¡¯t you also sweep your spiritual sense over every corner of Blackrock City day after day? If that person actually appeared in the city with a disguise, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to slip past Brother Wu¡¯s eyes.¡± The other person spoke with a hoarse and deep voice.


    The first person who spoke was astonishingly Zenith Yin, who hadn¡¯t been seen for years! He was speaking to a pale middle-aged man with a sullen expression. He appeared dissatisfied.


    ¡°Humph! Does Brother Qi¡¯s method of sending disciples to masquerade as the youngster robbing others serve another purpose? Brother Qi doesn¡¯t have another purpose in mind that he is deliberately hiding from me? I can¡¯t believe that finding a single early Core Formation cultivator could be so hard for a sect as large as your Jade Cloud Sect.¡± Zenith Yin said with an annoyed expression.


    ¡°Sigh! Brother Wu¡¯s words wrong me. We weren¡¯t friends for only one or two years. How could I possibly do that? Moreover, our sect also holds a deep enmity with him. We¡¯ve never stopped trying to find him.¡± The owner of the hoarse voice was a middle-aged Daoist priest wearing a robe adorned with white cranes. His face had white pockmarks and was covered in a layer of warm fluorescence, making for quite an imposing visage. He then smiled as if he had thought of something and said, ¡°However, Fellow Daoist Wu, I am quite curious. Just what did the youngster do to cause you to brave the risk of sneaking into Heavenly Star City and teleporting here? Fellow Daoist Wu has always used his grandson¡¯s death as an excuse. However, it was always stated so casually that I¡¯m very much in doubt.¡±

 Chapter 528

    Flowing Undercurrents


    When Zenith Yin heard Daoist Priest Qi accuse him of hiding something, he inwardly frowned and cursed, ¡®Cunning old fox¡¯. However, none of this was betrayed on his face.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression grew stern and he coldly said, ¡°Brother Qi, you¡¯ve asked this more than once before. And each time, I¡¯ve answered that this Youngster Han treacherously killed my grandson in Heavenvoid Hall. That is why I must capture him alive, so that I may refine his soul.¡±


    The Daoist priest shook his head and said, ¡°Hehe! Brother Wu had been saying this for the past two years, and I do believe it. However, Brother Wu has spent such a long time here, unwilling to be distracted by both his Profound Yin Island and the Starfall Coalition¡¯s battle on the other side. If it were only for the sake of avenging your grandson, then wouldn¡¯t I alone be enough?¡±


    Then as if checkmating him, the Daoist priest stared at Zenith Yin with a mysterious smile and slowly continued, ¡°Moreover, in addition to Zenith Yin, the Thousand Gates of Enlightenment has secretly sent over their Elder Breakwater, and three other unknown Nascent Soul cultivators had arrived in the Outer Star Seas with disguised appearances. Just when did our Wondrous Depths Island become so attractive that it would capture the attention of so many high grade cultivators? And in the past two days, I¡¯ve acquired concrete information that they¡¯re looking for the same person as you, the youngster surnamed Han. Brother Wu, please don¡¯t tell me that they also wish to avenge their grandsons!¡±


    Zenith Yin¡¯s heart trembled and his face grew icy, but he remained silent.


    The Daoist Priest saw that Zenith Yin¡¯s heart was wavering and he calmly continued to persuade him, ¡°There is no need for Brother Wu to pointlessly continue to conceal this. Regardless of what great secret this Youngster Han may possess, since so many fellow Nascent Soul Daoists have already figured it out, there is no harm in having me and only me know about it. If Brother Wu were to calmly tell me, it could work to your advantage. Moreover, in the current seas, in addition to my own disciples masquerading as the Insect Devil, there are other cultivators that have also taken up that identity in other locations. It is clear that they¡¯re interfering with our scheme.¡±


    Zenith Yin eventually replied with a gloomy tone, ¡°Humph! Brother Qi, since you already know so much, then what mystery is there to clear up? What point is there in asking me?¡±


    ¡°I am convinced that even if Brother Wu is unwilling to tell me the truth, I will be able to find the clear truth of the matter by the year¡¯s end. By that time, it won¡¯t just be me or the Jade Cloud Sect that knows of the matter. I don¡¯t want things to reach that point. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to join hands now?¡± The Daoist Priest spoke of his inner plans without the slightest attempt at concealment.


    Zenith Yin¡¯s expression fluctuated for a long while. After lowering his head and muttering to himself for a moment, he eventually sighed and bitterly smiled at the Daoist priest. ¡°It¡¯s not that I wished to deliberately fool you. But in order to ensure that the secret wouldn¡¯t be divulged, I along with several other Fellow Daoists have all made a heart demon pact to not speak of it to outsiders. But since the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment has sent their Elder Breakwater here, then Wan Tianming has more or less broken the pact, regardless of what he said. Hence, I no longer have anything to fear from divulging the secret.¡±


    The Daoist priest heartily laughed upon hearing him, ¡°Great. Brother Wu actually cared about a heart demon pact? I¡¯ve never taken them to mind. If heart demon pacts were truly effective, most heretical and Devil Dao cultivators would already be dead.¡±


    Zenith Yin said with a helpless tone, ¡°Although I don¡¯t care about the heart demons, if too many people come to know of it, I¡¯m afraid there will be no rewards left to reap.¡± Soon after, his face stiffened, and he started to speak through voice transmissions.


    The Daoist priest was completely unconcerned with Zenith Yin¡¯s carefulness. But after only a few words were spoken, his expression greatly changed as rapt excitement flickered in his eyes.


    ¡°Is what you said true? The item has emerged into the world?¡± The Daoist Priest¡¯s voice shivered from excitement.


    Zenith Yin indifferently replied, ¡°If not for this treasure, do you truly believe so many Nascent Soul cultivators would have gathered here?¡±


    While the Daoist priest was ecstatic, he couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°That¡¯s right! It seems Brother Wu was correct in entirely concealing the matter! I admire you for having kept this secret for so long, but if Fellow Daoist had spoke of it sooner, I would¡¯ve certainly sent out more men. Perhaps we might¡¯ve found the youngster already.¡±


    Zenith Yin gloomily explained, ¡°Fellow Daoist says that quite easily. Do you think I could just divulge this matter as I wished? If I hadn¡¯t concealed the matter for so long, the others might have leaked the information as well. Even now, I am unwilling to casually speak of it. The less people who know of this, the better.¡±


    The Daoist priest nodded his head and agreed without thinking, ¡°Brother Wu¡¯s words make sense! If I had known about this, I also wouldn¡¯t have wanted to divide the treasure with anybody else.¡±


    ¡°However, it seems that now, the information won¡¯t be hidden for much longer. The truth of the treasure¡¯s emergence will finally be spread.¡± Zenith Yin¡¯s cheek twitched and he revealed a trace of bitterness on his face.


    ¡°Hehe! Brother Wu should know that no news truly stays hidden. Now, I will be taking my leave first, since I need to send out more men. Let us be a step ahead of the others in search of that youngster.¡± The Daoist priest stood up and bid goodbye with a trace of excitement on his face.


    Zenith Yin didn¡¯t do anything to stop him. After standing up and cupping his fist to him, he watched the Daoist priest as he left the room.


    Zenith Yin then sat back down in his chair and remained motionless with a bitter smile on his face. Ever since the word ¡°advantage¡± was uttered, Daoist Priest Qi had become more energetic while Zenith became anxious. But it seemed that telling him about the Heavenvoid Cauldron was the right move. That Youngster Han had fled to some unknown location and had left no trace of himself. Had Han Li not exterminated the Jade Cloud cultivators, Zenith Yin would¡¯ve believed that Han Li had successfully executed a crafty escape plan, and actually escaped to another demon beast island. But since he no longer had the time to wait, he could only draw support from a local power, the Jade Cloud Sect. He could only take this one step at a time.


    Zenith Yin pondered about the benefits and drawbacks of this alliance before letting out a long sigh, returning the room to silence.


    ¡­


    In another portion of the sea, an azure-robed youth with an ordinary appearance was coldly glancing at some low grade cultivators with utter disdain. There was a swarm of gold-silver insects buzzing above his head.


    ¡°Insect Devil!¡± A middle-aged cultivator among the group shouted out the name in fright.


    When the youth heard this, he coldly chuckled and wordlessly pointed at them, causing the insect cloud to immediately spread across the skies.


    Although these low grade cultivators did their utmost to protect themselves with magic treasures, they were completely covered by the flying insects in an instant. After only a moment of time, the cultivators completely disappeared without a trace.


    The youth picked up the storage pouches that were left behind and disapprovingly said, ¡°You dare to struggle for your lives with your meager cultivation? You overestimate yourselves.¡± He then casually picked a direction and flew off into the distance as a streak of azure light.


    A short moment later, white light suddenly flashed from somewhere in the air to reveal an early Core Formation cultivator with a pale face. He glanced in the direction that the youth had disappeared with an unsightly expression. Then with gritted teeth, he flew in the opposite direction.


    ¡­


    Half a month later, Han Li eventually returned to the small island in this mist. Although he hadn¡¯t returned in many years, everything was how he had left it. This finally relieved the worry that he had always carried in the back of his mind.


    Han Li first took a few days to rest in his cave residence before arranging the many rare materials and demon cores he had acquired during his recent excursion. After organizing all of them, he then started to prepare for refining pills.


    Ten days later, when Han Li felt completely refreshed, he brought all the materials into his pill refining room.


    Years ago when he had last refined medicine pills in his cave residence in Heavenly Star City, Han Li felt he had reached a bottleneck in his pill refinement techniques. It seemed he would have to put quite a bit more effort into it if he were to break through into a higher realm of pill refinement. As such, Han Li didn¡¯t immediately start refining grade six and seven demon beast cores. Instead, he lined up the grade five demon cores he had acquired by his side.


    In Han Li¡¯s mind, although his talents in pill refinement were quite ordinary, his pill refinement techniques weren¡¯t too far away from that of a pill refinement grandmaster. After all, who else aside from him had the opportunity to practice refining pills with such a luxurious amount of materials. As the Dao of pill refinement mostly relied on experience and skill, Han Li decided to first use the grade five demon cores to see whether or not he could break through his bottleneck in pill refinement techniques.


    With these thoughts in mind, Han Li gazed at the furnace before him and waved his arm, causing a grade five demon core to fly into the cauldron. At the same time, the cauldron distanced itself from him.

 Chapter 529

    Uninvited Guests


    The door to the pill refinement room had been sealed for an entire three years when one day, the room finally opened with Han Li quietly emerging from within. All of his valuable demon cores had been turned into demon core pills.


    For the first two years, Han Li had used all of his time to refine grade five demon core pills.


    Although these medicine pills had no significant effect on his cultivation as of current, even a single one of these pills was immensely desired by Foundation Establishment cultivators; even a single pill would leave them in ecstacy.


    After refining these medicine pills, Han Li¡¯s pill refinement techniques had finally ascended to a higher level. After all, even genuine pill refinement grandmasters wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to squander as many demon cores for practice as he did. Ordinary pill refinement masters were only able to use about forty demon cores as practice in their lifetime. Even then, it was an infrequent occurrence.


    While all the medicine pill refinement methods had their differences, they all shared a few similarities that Han Li was able to recognize. After refining so many of these precious medicine pills, Han Li was able to forcefully raise his pill refinement technique to the rumored level that existed slightly above that of a pill refinement grandmaster. As a result, this greatly increased the odds of success when refining grade six and seven demon cores into pills, much to his delight! Even Han Li was unwilling to lightly squander items as valuable as grade six and seven demon cores.


    After Han Li finished refining all of his demon cores, he spent an entire month resting. In that month, Han Li circled around his insect rooms many times, observing the differences between his tri-colored Gold Devouring Beetles and the non-mutated Gold Devouring Beetles.


    While Han Li was refining pills, he had his puppets alternate between feeding Rainbow Skirt Grass to the two groups of Gold Devouring Beetles. However, this had resulted in Han Li discovering something terrible. While the tri-colored Gold Devouring Beetles excitedly consumed Rainbow Skirt Grass as expected, it no longer induced a violent excitement in the tri-colored Gold Devouring Beetles, nor did it produce any other strange effects.


    At the beginning, Han Li had assumed that this was because the time had been too short and that the number of Gold Devouring Beetles were too many. Hence, the effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass wouldn¡¯t be obvious. But under further investigation, he specifically isolated three hundred black-strained Gold Devouring Beetles and fed them the Rainbow Skirt Grass, leading to this significant discovery. After consuming the Rainbow Skirt Grass several times, they hadn¡¯t displayed even the slightest change.


    This caused Han Li to become quite gloomy. He had come to the conclusion that the Rainbow Skirt Grass could no longer be used to induce reproduction in the mutated Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand the unfathomable principles behind this, he knew without a doubt that these black-stained mutated beetles could not be replenished as they had completely lost their ability to rapidly reproduce. Every single beetle he lost would be permanent.


    Now, he could only go back to feeding the Rainbow Skirt Grass to the minority of Gold Devouring Beetles that hadn¡¯t undergone the black-stained mutation.


    After feeding Rainbow Skirt Grass to the unmutated Gold Devouring Beetles repeatedly, they had become increasingly violent, appearing as if they would soon reproduce. With that taken care off, Han Li then entered seclusion once more with renewed clarity of mind.


    With the prepared assistance of all kinds of medicine pills, Han Li planned on first reaching the eighth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Arts before tackling the mid Core Formation stage.


    Sitting down on a straw mat in the sealed room, Han Li took out a medicine bottle from his storage pouch, and poured out a glowing red medicine pill into his hand that resembled a longan fruit.


    After Han Li swallowed the pill, he began to feel the heat of medicinal power emit from his stomach. He then silently muttered the incantation for the eighth layer of the sword art as he slowly closed his eyes.


    Han Li wholeheartedly cultivated in the cave residence while oblivious to the time that passed by.


    The unceasing consumption of medicine pills and the conversion of medicinal power into spiritual power was an extremely tedious task. Fortunately, Han Li was wholeheartedly committed to increasing his cultivation and was able to persevere without fail. But even with his stalwart resolve, Han Li began to unconsciously feel dreary.


    Sixteen years passed in the blink of an eye. Han Li had managed to eventually break through the mid Core Formation bottleneck and reached the eighth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Arts.


    Despite his excitement, he didn¡¯t hastily leave seclusion as he still possessed a majority of the medicine pills he had started with. It was only natural to want to finish consuming them. Hence, despite having just entered mid Core Formation, Han Li forcefully calmed his heart and focused on refining the ninth layer of the Azure Sword Arts.


    The ninth layer of the sword arts proved to be much more difficult than the previous layers had been.


    As spring passed by and winter appeared with autumn leaving and summer arriving, years and years passed by with the secluded room remaining shut. A thick layer of dust began to cover everything in the cave residence as if it had become an ancient tomb!


    On yet another peaceful morning in the nearby seas, a seabird circled overhead, occasionally releasing a sharp cry. It made for a serene scene.


    But a moment later, a flash of light suddenly appeared from the horizon. Several streaks of azure and red radiance flew towards the direction of the sea mist in a disorderly fashion.


    A moment later, silhouettes could clearly be made out from within the light. They were a group of three women and two men. Apart from an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, a middle-aged man, the rest were all Qi Condensation cultivators. They were all youths spanning anywhere from seventeen to twenty-four years of age. They had flustered flown over in a mad rush, occasionally looking behind them as if someone were chasing them.


    Gasping for breath, a young woman amongst them said, ¡°Martial Uncle Sun! Let¡¯s rest for a moment in the sea mist. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to persist when they come chasing after us.¡±


    The young woman had a round face and large eyes, bearing somewhat of a resemblance to an infant. While she would normally appear quite cute, at the moment, she was covered in sweat, and her complexion was pale as if her magic power was on the verge of exhaustion.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The middle-aged man paused and looked at the other three Qi Condensation cultivators. Although they appeared to be in a slightly better condition, they didn¡¯t look like they could last for much longer.


    After hesitantly looking behind them, he reluctantly agreed, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go into the mist and recover our magic power. Then we will leave immediately after. Although we are a good distance away from them, they are capable of relentlessly chasing after us, so it would be best to be careful. If they manage to overtake us, it will be impossible to survive.¡±


    Each of the youths expressed relief upon hearing this.


    Their cultivation was truly shallow. Being able to fly here had already reached the extent of their abilities. Although they knew it would be extremely dangerous to stop, they were unable to do otherwise.


    Hence, the party flew into the sea mist.


    Not long after the party entered the mist, a burly twenty year old youth hopefully said, ¡°The sea mist is quite dense here. Perhaps we can wait here and conceal ourselves from their pursuit!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Although we don¡¯t know how they¡¯re managing to track us down, a bit of fog isn¡¯t about to conceal ourselves from them. Everyone fly lower and see if there are any reefs we can take a rest on. We can recover our magic power faster if we sit.¡± The middle aged man bluntly refuted him, causing the burly youth to blush and hang his head. The others closely followed after the Foundation Establishment cultivator, not daring to be left behind.


    After a short moment, the yellow-clothed young woman suddenly shouted out in surprise, ¡°Yi! There¡¯s an island here!¡±


    Regardless of the woman¡¯s yell, the island was clearly visible after they deeply entered the deep fog. They couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    A blue-clothed woman with an ordinary appearance said with fear, ¡°Could there be some sort of demon beast here?¡±


    The middle-aged man started to hesitate but he soon came to a firm resolution, ¡°Something that unfortunate can¡¯t occur. And even if it did, we wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with it, so there is no point thinking about it. Quickly, head to the island and recover your magic power!¡±


    When the others heard this, they didn¡¯t say anything further and floated down onto the small island.


    The middle-aged man released his spiritual sense after landing on the island. He then happily pointed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down over there! The spiritual Qi over there is quite abundant.¡±


    The direction that he pointed to was the sole mountain range of the island. When the party heard this, their spirits were roused.


    Afterwards, the middle-aged man led the way with the rest of the party hurrying after him. If they could recover enough magic power, they might be able to escape the oncoming calamity. They naturally weren¡¯t going to let go of this chance.


    After a short moment, the party arrived at the green mountain range and casually sat down on the small mountain. They all held a spirit stone in hand and began to slowly meditate, absorbing the dense spiritual Qi nearby.

 Chapter 530

    Azure Spirit Sect


    Apart from the wind that carried the scent of the sea, it was completely silent where the group of cultivators were recuperating. The party of cultivators became increasingly relaxed, gathering the courage to close their eyes.


    Time quickly passed by. After two hours, the party had recovered most of their magic power and their complexions had mostly returned to normal.


    The middle-aged man opened his eyes. After examining how the other four were doing, he immediately commanded, ¡°We¡¯re going. We can¡¯t stay here stay longer! Those things are already in quick pursuit of us.¡± With that said, he stood up and led the way.


    Although the Qi Condensation cultivators were somewhat reluctant, they didn¡¯t dare to tarry and stood up, quickly flying off on their magic tools. But at that moment, loud cries could suddenly be heard from around the island. They seemed to be coming from within the dense mist.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The middle-aged cultivator yelled with a ghastly expression. The other four¡¯s complexions paled in an instant.


    A flock of over a dozen huge grey birds emerged from the dense fog above them. These monstrous birds were three-meters-long, had red combs on their head, sharp claws and beaks, and emitted a faint azure light from their body. They made for a vicious and ugly sight.


    After they appeared, they didn¡¯t immediately descend down to the island. Instead, they quickly circled around the island before dispersing, blocking the cultivator¡¯s paths of escape. The birds appeared quite familiar with the maneuver.


    When the middle-aged cultivator saw this, his heart dropped.


    ¡°Run! Quickly go into the forest. Wait until there is a chance to escape!¡± Experienced in dealing with bird-type demon beasts, the middle-aged man hastily ordered the others to flee into the forest. As the four were scared out of their wits, they quickly followed his orders without question.


    Their speed reached new levels with their increasing panic. In the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at the forest.


    However, a shocking scene suddenly appeared.


    Just as the five flew down to ten meters above the forest, green light suddenly flashed before their eyes. Once they recovered their sight from the dazzling flash, they were amazed to discover that the forest had disappeared without a trace, only to be replaced by an unfamiliar mountain range emitting an astonishing intensity of spiritual Qi.


    ¡°It was an illusion formation!¡± The blue-clothed woman shouted out in alarm.


    ¡°Could it be that there is a Fellow Daoist here?¡± The burly youth said in pleasant surprise.


    Greatly surprised, the middle-aged cultivator muttered, ¡°It¡¯s possible! But in any case, this is our chance at survival. Hopefully we can use to formation to evade the Hawk Kite Beasts!¡±


    With that said, the party couldn¡¯t help but sweep their gazes around within the illusion formation.


    At that moment, the vicious birds suddenly lost sight of them, causing them to become restless. They cried out to each other several times before deciding to slowly fly downward.


    The middle-aged cultivator¡¯s expression sank. ¡°Not good! It seems the Hawk Kite Beasts will soon be unaffected by the illusion formation¡¯s influence. Quickly climb the mountains! There is an aura of spell formations there. Perhaps that is where the Fellow Daoist is.¡± He then flew off toward the mountains in a streak of light.


    After the remaining cultivators mutually glanced at once another, they chased after the middle-aged man with nervous expressions.


    After they flew a short distance, a layer of white light suddenly revealed itself, blocking their way.


    When the middle-aged man saw this, he rejoiced. He immediately waved his hand and summoned a sound transmission talisman. After muttering a few words into it, he tossed the talisman before it transformed into a streak of fire, disappearing into the light barrier in the blink of an eye. The others gazed at the scene with panicked eyes, not daring to interrupt him.


    A short moment later, the many monstrous birds flew into the illusion formation. They quickly discovered the party of cultivators and flew towards them in a mad rush. Their wings carried a faint trace of bright azure light.


    The middle-aged cultivator grimaced and glanced at the white light barrier behind them. He gritted his teeth and muttered orders to the Qi Condensation cultivators.


    The other cultivator¡¯s expression were also unsightly. But they still brandished their glowing magic tools in preparation to receive the demon beasts¡¯ attack.


    But just as the Hawk Kite Beasts were about to sweep down onto the party of cultivators, something unexpected occurred.


    Over a hundred beams of various colored light suddenly shot out from the white light barrier. Although the beams were as thick as a finger, each of them were incomparably sharp. In the next instant, the descending Hawk Kite Beasts were left filled with countless holes, accompanied by the sounds of their flesh being ripped apart.


    The demon beasts breathed their last as they fell to the ground without even a scream.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The group of cultivators were elated by the developments and couldn¡¯t help but turn around towards the light barrier.


    They were left shocked for a long while when they saw over ten huge apes on the other side of the light barrier. At first glance, they had mistaken them to be demon beasts and were left frightened, but they soon noticed something odd about them. After further inspection, they noticed that the huge apes all glowed with black light, before eventually figuring them out to be mechanical puppets. The puppets each had raised arms. It appeared the beam of lights from a moment ago should¡¯ve all came from their hands.


    These realizations left the party completely relieved.


    Soon after, the huge apes silently lowered their arms and flickered with white light before disappearing from sight.


    As their expressions continued to change in surprise, the white barrier flashed several times before parting to create a three meter wide path.


    When the five saw this, they looked at each other in dismay.


    A man¡¯s voice unhurriedly said, ¡°I am currently in seclusion, and it is inconvenient for me to meet with you. You Fellow Daoists may rest for a moment within the barrier before leaving!¡± From his words, it seemed the formation spell master didn¡¯t possess the slightest intention to meet them.


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s kindness. But since the demon beasts have died, it will be fine if we rested outside. We don¡¯t dare to further interrupt Senior¡¯s cultivation!¡± Although the middle-aged cultivator felt no malice from the voice, he didn¡¯t dare to enter the formation of a stranger. As such, he could only summon his courage to refuse the offer and risk upsetting the other party.


    ¡°Hehe, it seems you¡¯re quite careful! But since this is the case, how about you tell me about your situation. Why was there a group of grade two demon beasts in pursuit of you?¡± The voice spoke without the slightest care, but his later words carried a trace of curiosity.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face finally relaxed. He hastily replied with a respectful tone, ¡°I am a disciple of the Azure Spirit Sect. We went out to sea in order to pick a few spiritual herbs. During a moment of carelessness, we caught the eye of those demon beasts and they have pursued us ever since. Were it not for Senior¡¯s rescue, us Juniors would¡¯ve faced calamity.¡±


    The voice merely gunted in response before turning silent. This left the cultivators uneasy.


    The middle-aged cultivator grew apprehensive. However, he didn¡¯t dare to leave yet and managed to keep his calm.


    After a moment of silence, the man¡¯s voice indifferently said, ¡°Your Azure Spirit Sect only sent out you five? Why aren¡¯t there any sect elders leading you? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯d only be seeking death by going out to sea with your meager cultivations? Even if a sect has no Core Formation cultivators, grade two demon beasts shouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat against a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators.¡±


    After that was said, the middle-aged cultivator paused for a moment. With some hesitation, he then bitterly smiled, ¡°Seniors? Our Azure Spirit Sect is but a small sect. Although we once had a Core Formation elder, he perished in the Beast Torrent over twenty years ago. There are only Foundation Establishment cultivators in our sect now, and their numbers aren¡¯t many.¡±


    As the middle-aged man thought about his response, he was worried whether or not this Senior would form evil intentions after hearing about their sect¡¯s details. But after some further thought, he realized that if this person wanted to kill them, he could¡¯ve done so easily with his puppets. After all, his cultivation was vastly superior to their own. There would be no need for him to waste the effort with such long ploys. And if he were to conceal any information from this senior, he would risk him, damning all of them to death. As such, the middle-aged cultivator came to a resolution and took the risk of honestly answering. He didn¡¯t believe that anybody would harbor any designs towards a ruined sect such as his own.


    ¡°Beast Torrent? How long ago did this occur? Does it have something to do with those demon beasts?¡± The man¡¯s voice seemed to carry a trace of alarm.


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he grew shocked. The youths in his party also revealed amazement.

 Chapter 531

    Indifference to a Pleading Request


    The middle-aged man let out a long breath, and muttered, ¡°Senior doesn¡¯t know about the Beast Torrent? It seems that Senior has secluded himself for many years and isn¡¯t informed on the affairs of the outside world.¡±


    ¡°From your tone, the circumstances sound quite grim!¡± Although the man¡¯s voice was quite cold, his words carried a trace of interest.


    The middle-aged cultivator was speechless. The circumstances on the outside couldn¡¯t just be described as ¡®grim¡¯! It seemed this old eccentric had secluded himself for who knows how many years. How else could he be ignorant of the disastrous event that took place twenty years ago?


    However, this was of great relief to him. With this Senior¡¯s cultivation, he should feel like it would be beneath his dignity to attack them for anything that they might have.


    With that thought in mind, he middle-aged man wore a respectful expression, replying, ¡°Senior! The Beast Torrent was an event that occurred about twenty years ago. At that time, Junior was only a Qi Condensation cultivator. Although I hadn¡¯t personally witnessed it, I¡¯ve heard many Seniors in my sect speak about it. It was said that countless demon beasts emerged from the depths without warning and rushed towards Wondrous Depths Island. They had completely surrounded Blackrock City and launched fierce attacks at it without end. Although the island was protected by several great formations and was defended by several thousand cultivators along with a party of Nascent Soul Seniors, the demon beasts broke through in only a matter of days. Apart from a small fraction of cultivators that were able to escape in the chaos, the rest were all slain.¡±


    The middle-aged cultivator spoke with a dim expression.


    ¡°Something like that happened!? And the aftermath? Did the demon beasts return to the depths?¡± The man¡¯s voice momentarily revealed a trace of shock before calming down.


    ¡°Matters would¡¯ve taken a turn for the better had they had just returned to the depths. After turning Blackrock City into ruins, they divided into several groups, each led by a few high grade demon beasts. Then they started to wipe out other human villages and establishments. However, information of the torrent had reached a majority of them beforehand and their people managed to flee and go into hiding. Still, there were many cultivators and mortals that were eliminated by these attacks. As a result, nearly half a year passed by where not a single human settlement existed. They had all been wiped out by the demon beasts, and this wasn¡¯t the end. Although most of the demon beasts returned to the depths, there were a few intelligent high grade demon beasts that had started to search for humans in hiding, devouring them one by one. It was said that after a short time, mortals in the outer seas had been nearly wiped out, and a majority of the cultivators had fallen as well. Fortunately, there were a few islands far from Wondrous Depths Island that the cultivators were able to settle on and hide away. Currently, Wondrous Depths Island has become an outpost for high grade demon beasts. So long as they catch wind of any cultivators, they will immediately launch an attack to eliminate us.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s expression became sorrowful.


    After that, the man¡¯s voice grew silent for a long while as if he had been heavily shaken, and needed some time to digest the information.


    The voice then coldly laughed and slowly said, ¡°Hehe! It is quite funny. We¡¯ve swapped roles with the demon beasts. Humans are now taking the role of prey.¡± His words carried a trace of mockery, leaving the cultivators stunned.


    As if trying to save his breath, the voice then directly asked several questions, ¡°Wondrous Depths Island had many Nascent Soul eccentrics on guard. They can¡¯t have all perished in the Beast Torrent. Why haven¡¯t they appeared and taken charge of the situation? And with such huge disaster having struck Profound Depths Island, why haven¡¯t the Inner Star Seas responded and sent over reinforcements? Or have the forces of the Inner Star Seas completely given up on Wondrous Depths Island?¡±


    Each following question became sharper and struck closer to the heart of the matter. As for the middle-aged man, his knowledge only covered a few of the questions.


    After some consideration, he carefully answered, ¡°During the year of the Beast Torrent, I heard that while two Nascent Soul cultivators perished in the assault, most of them managed to flee. Although there has been no news of those Seniors, word has it that they are planning something great. It is quite possibly an attack to reclaim Wondrous Depths Island. However, this Junior is unaware of the concrete details. As for the Inner Star Seas, all contact with them has been lost ever since the day of the Beast Torrent. Nobody knows what is happening on the other side. With regards to reinforcements, not a single one has been seen. It is likely as Senior said, Wondrous Depths Island has already been given up by the Inner Star Seas.¡± After that was said, his face wore a gloomy expression. It seemed the cultivators fortunate enough to survive the Beast Torrent had grown apathetic towards the Inner Star Seas and unconsciously harbored resentment towards them.


    The voice grew silent for a moment more before leisurely asking, ¡°Since there is such danger, why is it that you Juniors dared to brave these dangerous seas instead of staying safely put? Are you seeking death?¡±


    The middle-aged cultivator revealed a miserable expression, but before he could answer, the yellow-robed young woman¡¯s expression fluctuated as she suddenly shot forward from behind the old man.


    ¡°Senior, because my father cultivated an unsuitable cultivation art, his true essence suffered backlash and his meridians are in disarray, rendering him paralyzed. With Senior¡¯s great power, he must have a method to save him! If Senior saves my father, this Junior is willing to toil ceaselessly in order to repay your kindness!¡± The young woman bitterly pled with eyes overflowing with tears, invoking a feeling of tender pity.


    When the others heard this, they were greatly shocked and couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay. But when the middle-aged cultivator heard this, his heart trembled and he instantly rebuked her, ¡°Xing¡¯er, what nonsense are you speaking? Senior Martial Brother has been bedridden for years. He is no longer treatable by ordinary means. We¡¯ve only come on this journey to find medicine to alleviate his pain. Senior¡¯s magic power may be profound, but that alone cannot treat your father.¡± Although the middle-aged cultivator¡¯s words were harsh, he wore an odd expression as he spoke.


    The voice coldly laughed and lazily said, ¡°His true essence suffered backlash and his meridians are in disarray? He seems to have vainly overreached himself. These are symptoms of attempting to forcefully cultivate a high level technique while his cultivation was lacking.¡±


    This expert was able to diagnose the cause of the illness without having personally seen the man. This caused a flicker of joy to appear on the middle-aged man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Senior is truly knowledgeable. It was because of my Senior Martial Brother¡¯s impatient cultivation that led to misfortune. Would Senior happen to know a technique that could save him?¡± After the middle-aged man respectfully praised him, he asked about the crux of the matter. It seems he has a good relationship with this Senior Martial Brother of his.


    ¡°This illness won¡¯t take much to cure, but why would I tell you? Did you believe that I could provide my assistance without any benefit?¡± The voice seemed to perceive the man¡¯s thoughts and bluntly mocked him.


    The middle-aged man paused for a moment before his complexion fluctuated between red and white. Despite his moving lips, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything.


    The yellow-clothed young woman gained hope from those words and a trace of color returned to her face. With gritted teeth and a beating heart, she knelt before the light barrier.


    Soon after, the adorable young woman said with determination, ¡°Junior Gongsun Xing pledges that so long as Senior can cure my father, this woman is willing to devote her life to you as your loyal servant. If Senior is not at ease, Junior is willing to enter restrictions before Senior heads out to save her father.¡± With that said, the woman faced the light barrier and kowtowed her head three times against the ground. A resolute expression remained on her face.


    Despite appearing so young, the yellow-robed woman was staunch.


    With furious surprise, the middle-aged man rebuked, ¡°Stupid girl, do you know what folly you are committing? Senior is a man of great status. What use does he see in a disgraceful girl like you?¡±


    The others in the party managed to recover from their shock and each said their own words to try and dissuade her.


    However, the yellow-clothed woman ignored them and continued to kneel in place. It seemed like she decided to stay kneeling until she heard his reply.


    The young woman shook her pale face and calmly said, ¡°Everyone, please stop. My talent is unclear. My mother went through much difficulty to deliver me, and my father forcefully cultivated the sixth layer of the Azure Spirit Profound Arts in order to cleanse my essence and transform my meridians, leaving himself cripple and bedridden. Now is the time that I can fulfill my filial duties. So long as my father can be cured, I am willing to devote my life to Senior without complaint.¡±


    ¡°Girl, could it be that you wish to pressure me? If I don¡¯t act, then will you stay forever kneeling?¡± The man¡¯s voice coldly laughed without the slightest sympathy.


    ¡°Junior doesn¡¯t dare. Gongsun Xing is already immensely grateful towards Senior for saving our lives! However, my father is bedridden; we¡¯ve tried our hardest to find someone to cure him, but all attempts have failed. From Senior¡¯s tone, Xing¡¯er believes that this will take but a trivial effort from him. Junior¡¯s only intention is to bitterly plead with Senior so that she may fulfill her filial duties, nothing else!¡± The woman¡¯s voice was on the verge of sobbing by the time she finished. She kowtowed once more as she held back her sobs.


    The light barrier remained silent.

 Chapter 532

    Cultivation Vessel


    Woosh. A huge ape emerged from the light barrier, and walked several steps towards the kneeling young woman before halting.


    The expressions of the others changed upon seeing this, watching the puppet with worry. The yellow-robed woman opened her bright, reddish eyes and vacantly stared at the huge ape.


    ¡°Regardless of the truth of what you said, you still are quite pitiful. However, I have never done anything without profit. I sense that you are still a virgin, and I have cultivated to a bottleneck. Perhaps, I could break through it with the assistance of pair cultivation. If you are willing to become my cultivation vessel, enter the spell formation and I will give your companions a bottle of three Vital Essence Pills. It should be more than enough to save your father. I will not force you, nor will I take advantage of the weak. If you are unwilling, then you may leave. Just act as if you never met me.¡± The man¡¯s voice was ice-cold, containing not the slightest emotion.


    At that moment, the huge ape puppet extended its arms, revealing a small bottle of sparkling white jade. It presented the bottle to the kneeling woman before it.


    The young woman¡¯s mind grew blank after hearing this. Although she was young, she still knew about the meaning of pair cultivation and cultivation vessels. Her originally pale-white face, unconsciously blushed. Still, she unhesitatingly replied, ¡°Good. So long as my father can recover, Junior is willing to become Senior¡¯s cultivation vessel.¡± With that said, the young woman reached out and took the bottle into her hands before slowly standing up.


    The middle-aged man was greatly shocked by the young woman¡¯s words and panickedly shouted, ¡°Xian¡¯er! How could you do this? What will I tell your father?¡±


    The others¡¯ expressions also greatly changed upon hearing her, and they each attempted to dissuade her.


    The young woman didn¡¯t respond to the old man¡¯s outburst. Instead, she offered the jade bottle to him and calmly asked, ¡°Martial Uncle, can you please check the medicine pills in the bottle and see whether or not they will be of use towards my father?¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Sigh! The middle-aged cultivator took and jade bottle and glanced at the young woman¡¯s tender, expressionless face before letting out a long sigh. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t change her mind, he could only sullenly take the jade bottle and examine the faint blue medicine pills within.


    A peculiar scent slowly spread throughout the air surrounding. All those who smelled it would feel their minds and bodies become free of burden.


    The middle-aged cultivator lost focus after smelling the pills¡¯ medicinal scent. After taking another whiff, he shouted out in surprise, ¡°These are medicine pills refined from demon cores!¡±


    The young woman remained calm and thoroughly asked, ¡°They were refined with demon cores? Will these Vital Essence Pills heal my father?¡±


    The middle-aged cultivator¡¯s expression grew complicated. After hesitating for a moment, he truthfully said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know the specific effects of this pill, it is an exceptionally rare item. It is unlikely to be fake.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Martial Uncle¡¯s answer. Xian¡¯er now feels relieved, but I¡¯m afraid I must trouble Martial Uncle to bring it back and tell my father what happened. If only this unfilial daughter had never been born.¡± The young woman sighed. With reddened eyes, she turned around and headed into the light barrier.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression changed several times. He opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything. All he could do was take the jade bottle into his hands.


    At that moment, the huge ape puppet soon returned into the light barrier. The opening had begun to slowly close.


    With an anxious expression, the burly youth couldn¡¯t help but loudly ask, ¡°Martial Uncle, will you truly allow Junior Martial Sister Gongsun to become a cultivation vessel?¡± The expressions of the other two women had also darkened.


    Wearing a gloomy expression, the middle-aged man softly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it? Your Junior Martial Sister had already came to a decision. I am no longer able to stop her. Moreover, these medicine pills can truly cure the sect master. I cannot block her in consideration of the Azure Spirit Sect¡¯s wellbeing as well.¡±


    Blood flushed the youth¡¯s face. He contended with all his might, ¡°But you still can¡¯t allow Junior Martial Sister to become a cultivation vessel! Will this not damn Junior Martial Sister to ruin?¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s cheek twitched and he wore a resigned expression. ¡°Marital Nephew Li, you¡¯ve grown up with Xing¡¯er and are as close as true siblings. However, it is too late to change anything.¡±


    The blue-clothed woman suddenly shouted out, ¡°Martial Uncle, Junior Martial Sister Gongsun is about to disappear.¡±


    When the middle-aged man and the burly youth heard this, they hastily turned around to see the light barrier brightly shine. The young woman then gradually faded away in a pulse of brilliance. After a short moment, the light disappeared along with any trace of the young woman. Only layers of withered leaves remained.


    Like a ball of deflated air, the burly youth fell onto his knees and held his head in his hands without uttering a single word.


    The middle-aged man patted the youth¡¯s shoulder and consoled him. An hour later, the remaining four left the small island and flew out of the mist.


    After the yellow-clothed woman was wrapped up by the radiance, she was dizzyingly teleported away. By the time she recovered her bearings, she found herself standing inside an unfamiliar valley with steep walls. There was a ten-meter-tall gate of grey stone in front of her.


    The young woman glanced around with hesitation lingering in her heart. While she was uncertain of what she should do, an ape puppet appeared behind her with a flash of light.


    The puppet ignored the young woman and walked towards the stone gate with large strides. After placing its arms on the gate, it was able to push it open with ease.


    ¡°Your name is Gongsun Xing? Follow my puppet into the cave residence. I will be leaving seclusion in two days.¡± The man¡¯s voice momentarily appeared before disappearing once more.


    When the yellow-clothed young woman heard him, she entered the stone gates as she bit on her lip. After following the huge ape for several turns, the young woman was brought into a stone room that was about ten meters wide.


    Apart from a stone bed covered in unknown fur, a stone table, and two stone chairs, there was nothing else in the room.


    After leading her here, the puppet left the room without a care, leaving the young woman in a complete daze. She was at a loss of what to do.


    She examined the room and looked outside to see that the door wasn¡¯t shut as if she was free to move around. But after some thought, she slowly sat down on top of the bed and began to blankly ponder as she held her cheeks.


    Although she had already made preparations to surrender herself, she naturally held some fear towards living the rest of her days as a rumored pair-cultivation vessel. Furthermore, she had found herself in an unfamiliar environment completely alone, causing her heart to swell with further misery.


    Two hours later, she ceased her wild wandering thoughts and looked to the hallway outside the room with some hesitation.


    After a short moment, she stood up and quietly walked out of the stone room. She followed the hallway for a short distance and turned several corners before finding herself inside a large hall with many arched doors. This was one of the places she had passed through when she had entered.


    However, the young woman particularly took notice of an arched door that had an ape puppet posted outside. It stood motionless as if it were dead.


    The young woman blinked, revealing her long eyelashes. She thought to peek through the arched door but before she approached it, the ape puppet at the side suddenly appeared in front of her and barred her way.


    The young woman recoiled in fear and the ape puppet indifferently returned to its original position. Its jet-black eyes were wandering around as if wanting to stop anyone from approaching.


    At that moment, Gongsun Xing clearly understood that the room in front of her wasn¡¯t somewhere she could go. Instead, she headed in the direction of another door.


    This time, the ape puppet didn¡¯t stop her, much to her relief. She directly walked through the doors and entered a rather peculiar medicine garden. There was a sealed stone room on the other side of the garden.


    The youth woman approached the door and curiously pushed it open with her slim hand. The door was easily opened, allowing Xing¡¯er to clearly see what was within.


    There was a stone table with piles of various colored jade slips arranged at the center of the room. To the side, there was a circular short stone block that had several pots filled with strange green plants on top of it. It made for a peaceful scene.


    The young woman pursed her adorable small lips and entered the room without further thought.


    She arrived in front of the stone table and casually picked up a red jade slip, immersing her spiritual sense into it.


    It was a jade slip that provided an introduction towards formation spells, something the young woman was completely uninterested with. She withdrew her spiritual sense and placed the jade slip back onto the table.


    She then casually picked up a white jade slip and looked through it with her spiritual sense. This time, the jade sade slip provided an introduction towards tool refinement. The young woman was once again disinterested and withdrew her spiritual sense.


    However, as both of the jade slips held completely different information, the young woman became curious and began to scan through each of the jade slips on the table.

 Chapter 533

    A Gift


    After looking through the slips with tool refining and spell formation information, the young woman was quickly sweeping through a jade slip that introduced medicine pill formulas and demon beasts. After she was done with it, she moved on to the next jade lip on the table. Immediately after immersing her spiritual sense into it, she was stunned.


    It contained a cultivation art known as the ¡°Golden True Arts¡±. Out of curiosity she read through it for a moment before her attention was completely drawn in. She read the jade slip for no less than an hour before withdrawing her spiritual sense in a daze. She wore an expression of fear on her face.


    This Golden True Arts was the precious top-grade cultivation art of a sect. Why was its cultivation incantation so casually placed on a table without any restrictions guarding it?


    Although the young woman knew the cultivation art¡¯s value, she still reluctantly put it back in its original place after some hesitation. Now she was even more interested in looking through the rest of the jade slips on the table.


    Half a day later, the young woman had finished browsing through all of the jade slips on the table. A vast majority of the jade slips contained teachings about either formation spells or medicine pills. Only a small number contained cultivation arts, but there wasn¡¯t a single one present that wasn¡¯t top grade. There was one particular cultivation art, the ¡°Coiling Jade Arts¡±, that left her particularly tempted.


    The Azure Spirit Sect was only a tiny sect in the Scattered Star Seas. Its main cultivation art, the Azure Spirit Arts, was merely a standard cultivation art. It couldn¡¯t possibly compete in terms of might with the Coiling Jade Arts.


    After glancing through the jade slips, her mind wandered for a moment before recalling that there were still other places that she had yet to explore. She left the stone room and walked back to the large hall.


    Of the remaining three arched doors, there were two that were guarded by puppets, leaving her with only one that she could enter. As a result, the young woman entered the only unguarded door.


    After entering, she was left stunned and remained motionless for quite a while.


    There was a sixty meter wide hall with a thirty meter wide spell formation placed at its center. The spell formation released a barrier of translucent, faint-red light. The light fluctuated and sparkled intermittently, revealing a magnificent sight.


    The light barrier contained dozens of variously fashioned swords, spears, and other such items. There were a few that released a clear ring, and some that chased after one another, but all of them appeared to possess intelligence.


    Outside of the light barrier, there were two layers of crude wooden racks lining the walls. Each of the racks held a variety of magic tools. Although they didn¡¯t have a light barrier blocking them, they each flickered with brilliant light and contained vigorous amounts of spiritual Qi.


    Although the young woman hadn¡¯t seen any of them before, she was able to tell that the items contained inside the light barrier were like the magic treasures from legend with the intelligence that they displayed.


    The young woman had always yearned to look at such magic treasures, but unfortunately there were just far too many before her. Eyes filled with amazement, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to believe what she was seeing.


    A long while later, she finally came to her senses. After further looking at the light barrier with a strange expression, she hesitantly walked towards the wooden racks. She casually took a pitch-black ruler and examined it, discovering that the unremarkable item was actually a high grade magic tool.


    But having already experienced far too many surprises before this, she hardly revealed any shock at the discovery.


    She then began to look through each of the magic tools on the racks, all of which were either high or top grade. There was nothing of inferior quality present.


    Had the young woman managed to acquire one of these magic tools in the past, she would¡¯ve been immensely excited. Now after glancing at the many magic treasures and hundreds of magic tools, the young woman left the room with empty hands, after recalling that she was now but a cultivation vessel.


    Two days later, inside the stone room with the jade slips, the young girl was sitting down on a round stone block. She was concentrating on the contents of the jade slip in her hand.


    ¡°The Coiling Jade Arts are quite suitable for a female cultivator, though they were acquired by male cultivator, namely me.¡± A man¡¯s gentle voice suddenly came from the doorway.


    The young woman felt her heart tremble and quickly withdrew her spiritual sense. She then flusteredly turned around.


    She saw a blue-robed youth with an ordinary appearance standing by the door. He was looking at her with a smile.


    Gongsun Xing hesitantly asked, ¡°You, you¡¯re Senior?¡±


    Although his voice was somewhat similar, this gentle-faced youth was truly too young. It was completely different from what she had imagined.


    Having experienced so many astonishing things, the young woman had come to expect the Senior to be an old man with profound, mystical abilities. She even apprehensively guessed that he was a tempermental eccentric!


    ¡°What? Am I not as expected?¡± The youth was Han Li who had just left seclusion. He walked into the room with a faint smile.


    ¡°Senior, these cultivation arts, I¡­¡± For some unknown reason, she inwardly felt relieved upon discovering that Han Li was the owner of that expert¡¯s voice. However, she still stuttered trying come up with an explanation.


    Han Li indifferently said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Since I didn¡¯t forbid you from entering, I was allowing you to chose a cultivation art.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks to Senior!¡± The woman expressed unconcealed happiness with delightful charm.


    Upon seeing the young woman¡¯s excitement, Han Li unconsciously felt a tinge of emotion.


    Han Li smiled and casually asked, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to the outside. Would Lady Gongsun happen to know anywhere in the seas that one might be able to trade?¡±


    The young woman¡¯s smile vanished as if she had thought of something. After quickly taking a peek at Han Li, she lowered her head and softly said, ¡°If one wishes to trade¡­ about half a month south, there is a barren island with a market city. The nearby cultivators conduct trade there. I heard that there were several Core Formation cultivators that joined hands to keep the peace there. Does Senior require a map?¡±


    Han Li confidently said, ¡°I must make a trip there. Naturally, a map would be good.¡±


    The young woman flusteredly took out a jade slip from her storage pouch and handed it over to Han Li with a red face.


    Han Li smiled and reached out to take the jade slip. At the same time, a strange expression flickered from his eyes when he saw the young woman¡¯s flushed, tender face. He suddenly reached out to touch her soft, luscious hair.


    Gongsun Xing¡¯s heart trembled with slight fear, but she didn¡¯t shrink back. She only unconsciously turned her head away.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s soft voice entered her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Come to my bedroom tonight. Don¡¯t forget.¡±


    After he said this, he left the room without further hesitation.


    When Gongsun Xing heard these dubious words, she felt her heart jump and her face turned crimson, revealing an adorable appearance of complete embarrassment.


    When night arrived, she arrived outside Han Li¡¯s bedroom in a complicated mood. She entered the stone room as she nibbled on her lips, but she was left surprised by what she saw.


    The bedroom had no one inside. There was only a stone desk with an unfurled scrolled on it.


    After a moment of hesitation, Gongsun Xing walked over puzzled and lowered her head, reading, ¡°Your filial behavior is quite laudable. I give all the remaining treasures in the cave residence to you. Don¡¯t show them to others, or you will attract calamity upon yourself. Do your best!¡±


    There was nothing else after that, leaving the young woman at a complete loss. She could only feel blank confusion along with an indescribable emotion.


    At that moment, Han Li had already flown five hundred kilometers away from the small island in a streak of azure light.


    Smiling, Han Li leisurely thought, ¡°I¡¯m sure that girl must be completely baffled. Anyone going through such an unpredictable experience should be left amazed for at least half a day!¡±


    When he had left the sea mist, he had stripped the cave residence of everything apart from the jade slip containing the Coiling Jade Arts, numerous unwanted magic tools, along with a few medicine pills and two looted magic treasures that he left behind specifically for the girl. These items would surely allow the young woman to tread to future heights that are rarely reached on the path of cultivation!


    This rare showing of immense generosity wasn¡¯t due to a sudden feeling of tenderness towards the fairer sex. But rather, the young woman¡¯s resolve to sacrifice herself for her father had deeply moved Han Li.


    If Han Li had any regrets before setting foot on the path of cultivation, it would be that he was unable to fulfill his filial duties to his parents after reaching adulthood. Although he had secretly made arrangements with the Seven Mysteries Sect Master for his family, it didn¡¯t offset the sense of loss he felt deep in his heart.


    Additionally, the young woman¡¯s appearance had reminded Han Li of the last he had seen his little sister when she had gotten married.


    As such, he had deliberately used the pretense of having the woman as a cultivation vessel in order to give her a few benefits. Of course, the magic tools and treasures that Han Li had left for her posed little to no value to him.


    Since the items would remain useless on him, it would be better for him to take the opportunity to give them to the girl, providing her the assistance to tread farther on the path of Immortal cultivation. The woman¡¯s spiritual roots were also inferior, just like his own had been.


    As for Han Li¡¯s cave residence, he had already decided that he would abandon the island the next time he left, long before these people had arrived.

 Chapter 534

    Rescue from Demon Beasts


    After Han Li reached mid Core Formation stage, he had remained in seclusion for an additional twenty years. During this time, he still hadn¡¯t exhausted all of his medicine pills and carried about a smaller portion of them in his storage pouch.


    His early departure from seclusion without having yet consumed all of his medicine pills was due to neither restlessness nor impatience. It was because he had encountered a bottleneck as he neared late Core Formation stage. Until he broke through the obstruction, his cultivation wouldn¡¯t progress in the slightest even if he used more medicine pills.


    These breakthroughs were left completely up to destiny or fortunate encounters. There were absolutely no established methods to break through such a bottleneck. However, in the past, cultivators had managed to break through this stage through merely cultivating, touring the world, or battling in a life or death struggle. Each occurrence was entirely unexpected.


    As such, Han Li was unwilling to vainly waste his time in seclusion and he prepared to set out to find the legendary Demon Echo Grass. Perhaps he would even happen to unexpectedly breakthrough the bottleneck during this journey.


    Because he didn¡¯t know how long the trip would take, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to leave the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng inside the cave. This was yet another reason he had decided to completely abandon the residence inside the small misty island.


    As for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, it periodically required earth Qi for preservation. Although this had proved to be somewhat troublesome before Han Li entered mid Core Formation stage, it no longer presented a problem. Han Li already had the ability to draw out an island¡¯s earth essence Qi and pour it into the spirit ginseng¡¯s body, ensuring its continued survival.


    Han Li was currently flying in the direction of the market city that the young woman had spoken of. It was the only place where cultivators frequently passed through that Han Li could potentially find information on any grade eight demon beasts. When that time came, he would have to think of a method to acquire the Demon Echo Grass. As for any thoughts of being able to directly purchase it, he didn¡¯t believe such a fortuitous event could occur.


    Han Li flew at an extremely fast speed. Although the young woman said it would take half a month to reach the market city, in Han Li¡¯s case, it would only take a few days at most at his full speed.


    Two days later as Han Li was hurrying on his way, he suddenly spotted a red streak of light flying off in the distance. It was being relentlessly pursued by several balls of grey Qi.


    When Han Li saw this, he unconsciously raised his eyebrows, and after some thought, he muttered an unintelligible incantation. Soon, a series of cracks sounded out from within his body with increasing frequency. Simultaneously, azure light covered his face.


    A moment later, Han Li¡¯s figure suddenly grew a few inches taller. The azure light disappeared to reveal the face of an unfamiliar yellowish man.


    This was one of the secret techniques from the Profound Yin Arts that Han Li had meticulously cultivated during his seclusion, the Appearance Exchange Art. Not only could this secret technique allow oneself to shrink or lengthen any body part at will, one could also control the thickness of one¡¯s flesh and change the color of one¡¯s skin in an instant. It was absolutely a top grade disguise technique.


    Han Li reckoned that this cultivation art was on par with the disguise techniques of legend. Even cultivators of a higher grade would be unable to easily see through his disguise. Hence, it was included amongst the collection of Profound Yin Arts.


    The only shortcoming of the secret technique was that once the technique was used, one could only use seventy percent of their magic power at most. If one exceeded this limit in a fight, the disguise would dissolve and reveal one¡¯s true appearance.


    However, Han Li didn¡¯t care about this in the least. Whenever he donned his disguise, he likely didn¡¯t want to reveal his true strength anyways. As such, the limit shouldn¡¯t pose much of a problem to him.


    Just after Han Li changed his appearance, the streak of red light discovered his location and wildly flew in Han Li¡¯s direction as if it were their only hope at life.


    As for the grey balls of Qi chasing after the red streak, they were clearly demon beasts that ranged around grade three and four.


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately stopped and let out a long sigh. He didn¡¯t sigh because trouble came knocking on his door, but because the person flying towards him didn¡¯t care in the slightest about whether or not he could deal with the demon beasts. It seemed the man being chased wished to dragged himself down along with Han Li. As he did this without any hesitation, there wasn¡¯t much else to say about the unknown man¡¯s nature.


    Han Li, who had recently felt greatly touched by Gongsun Xing¡¯s display of familial piety, once again questioned the complexity of human nature.


    One simply couldn¡¯t lump these things all together!


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please save me! I, Huang Mingli, will definitely express my gratitude towards you!¡± A shriveled old man with a wicked appearance directly flew towards Han Li with a panicked expression.


    He was quite shrewd. Although he hadn¡¯t made out Han Li¡¯s true cultivation, he knew that his life was saved after seeing Han Li¡¯s steadfast, unshakable bearing.


    Han Li calmly watched the old man flying at him with an indifferent expression. He then lazily raised his hand and shot out five giant azure sword streaks, instantly tying down the five demon beasts chasing after him.


    When the old man saw this, he happily let out a long breath of relief and released a fire ring magic tool to attack the five demon beasts.


    Han Li cast a sideways glance at the old man. The old man¡¯s cultivation was at peak Foundation Establishment, the false core stage. It was no wonder why he had been able to flee from a joint attack by so many grade four demon beasts.


    Han Li turned his gaze back to the demon beasts and commanded the several streaks of swordlight to slowly surround them in a calm display of his overwhelming strength. When the old man saw this, his spirit was greatly roused, and he controlled his fire-attribute magic tool with increasingly fierce intensity as he struck the now vulnerable demon beasts.


    After another moment passed, Han Li felt it was about time to end the battle and had the azure essence swordstreaks exterminate the demon beasts.


    With the demon beasts dead, the small old man already realized that Han Li was a Core Formation cultivator. As such, he respectfully saluted him and said, ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s rescue! Could it be that Senior wishes to head to Southdark City?¡±


    Han Li calmly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. I wish to head to the city to trade for a few items.¡±


    Huang Mingli¡¯s eyes shifted around for a moment and he bitterly smiled before saying, ¡°Then Senior need not continue, the trip would be in vain.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and he asked with surprise, ¡°What happened?¡±


    As he faced a Core Formation cultivator, the small old man carefully explained, ¡°Several days ago at Southdark City, there were a few low grade demon beasts that unexpectedly arrived. Although a majority were killed, the next day, a swarm of grade four and five demon beasts were brought over to the city by the survivors from the previous day. A great number of the city¡¯s cultivators had been harmed, forcing us to break through the demon beast¡¯s siege. I was among those who escaped. However, I didn¡¯t expect to come across another group of demon beasts on my way out.¡±


    ¡°According to what you¡¯ve said, this trip was for nothing?¡± Han Li frowned and wore a sullen expression.


    Huang Mingli¡¯s eyes faintly flickered before revealing a grin with crooked teeth. He then secretly said, ¡°Well¡­ If Senior truly wishes to trade, this little old man knows of another place. The items there are all precious. One must be at Foundation Establishment or higher to enter the city along with having a referral. Additionally, the market city frequently changes location. This old man currently has the qualifications to give you a referral to the city. If Senior wishes to go, Junior will lead the way as payment for saving his life. ¡±


    Han Li paused for a moment before pensively saying, ¡°Are you talking about a secret city?¡±


    The old man wore an embarrassed expression and quickly explained, ¡°Senior must think me silly. The market city can¡¯t be considered to be secret. They merely fear conflict. Once the demon beasts discover it, it will be the city¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile after hearing this. He then asked, ¡°How far away is this place?¡±


    Huang Mingli seemed quite familiar with this market city and instantly replied,¡±If we hurry, we should be able to reach it in half a months time. By then the market city should have just opened.¡±


    After some consideration, Han Li replied, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go along with you.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Huang Mingli revealed an excited expression and paused as if he had suddenly thought of something. ¡°Huh? Senior, please wait a moment!¡±


    He hurriedly said a word of apology before shooting straight down to the sea where the corpses of the demon beasts were floating.


    When Han Li saw this, he knowingly smiled.


    A short moment later, the small old man dismembered the demon beasts with great familiarity and placed their parts into his storage pouch. He then flew back into the sky with high spirits.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made an embarrassment of myself. While these demon beasts certainly wouldn¡¯t have caught Senior¡¯s eyes, they are quite valuable to this Junior!¡± The old man spoke with slight embarrassment. After all, those five demon beasts had all been slain by Han Li.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Those demon beasts had no value to me anyways. Let¡¯s hurry!¡± Han Li shook his head and urged him with an unchanged expression.

 Chapter 535

    Trade Gathering


    When Huang Mingli heard Han Li¡¯s desire to depart, he agreed with an embarrassed smile. He then flew off to the east on his magic tool while Han Li leisurely followed after him with a calm expression.


    As Huang Mingli flew, he turned his head to steal a glance at Han Li¡¯s face, and carefully asked, ¡°Senior¡¯s face is quite unfamiliar. Have you been in secluded cultivation for a long time? Junior might¡¯ve heard of your name before!¡±


    Han Li casually said, ¡°My surname is Li. I¡¯ve remained in my cave residence for secluded cultivation until recently, when I finally formed my core. It isn¡¯t surprising that Fellow Daoist Huang hadn¡¯t heard of me before.¡± Of course, Han Li didn¡¯t give his real name.


    The small old man didn¡¯t notice anything amiss from Han Li, and could only speak words of congratulations despite still holding a few doubts in his heart.


    Huang Mingli was quite tactful and didn¡¯t further inquire about Han Li. Instead, he took the initiative to tell Han Li about a few of the recent confrontations between cultivators and demon beasts. However, from his deep sighs, it seemed the old man didn¡¯t hold much hope towards humanity¡¯s future in the Outer Star Seas.


    Although the endless conversation was almost entirely one-sided, Han Li had gained a much greater understanding towards the current circumstances of the Outer Star Seas.


    Nothing strange occurred in the following half month, allowing Han Li and the small old man to eventually spot a small, peaceful island in the distance. This island was only about fifty kilometers in area and possessed sparse amounts of spiritual Qi. Apart from a small growth of vegetation, the island only consisted of bare grey rock and appeared like any other desolate island.


    It was an optimal location for a secret city. But even in that case, about half a day out, Han Li and the old man concealed their flight and approached the island under the guise of concealment techniques.


    This, of course, was a requirement for entering the secret city.


    When Huang Mingli beseeched him to conceal himself, Han Li silently complied without any complaint. This was a great relief to Huang Mingli as Core Formation cultivators weren¡¯t always particularly easy to deal with in his experience.


    Huang Mingli flew a circle around the small island before landing on a heap of rocks.


    When Han Li saw this, a strange expression flickered from his eyes. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, there shouldn¡¯t be any restrictions there. Could it be¡­?


    As Han Li continued to mull this over, Huang Mingli stepped towards a large rock beside him and knocked three times on the stone with practiced familiarity. A short moment later, the huge rock suddenly split open to reveal a three meter wide hole.


    Huang Mingli immediately stepped into the hole and softly said a few words into it. He then turned to Han Li and shouted, ¡°Senior Li, it¡¯s right here. Let¡¯s go in!¡±


    Han Li indifferently looked down and descended from the sky.


    The hole led to a set of slanted stone stairs. To the side of the stairs stood a grey-robed, white-haired old man with a late Foundation Establishment cultivation.


    Upon seeing Han Li enter, the old man smiled at him and spoke in a manner that was neither arrogant nor humble, ¡°Senior, welcome to our market city. I hope Senior will be able to find what he needs.¡±


    ¡°I hope so as well.¡± Han Li calmly replied as he climbed down the stairs.


    Han Li realized that in order to prevent any demon beasts from detecting spiritual Qi, formation spells couldn¡¯t be established. As such, the only option left to maintain secrecy was building everything underground.


    After walking down the stairs for a short time, Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened.


    There was an expansive underground world before him. The ceiling was twenty meters high with occasional pillars of transformed grey stone supporting it. There were many small square buildings at the center of the cavern, each sporting their own sign. There were over a hundred cultivators trading amongst these stone buildings.


    At Han Li¡¯s side, Huang Mingli pointed to a set of descending stairs beside a stone pillar and said, ¡°Senior Li, this floor is only for trading ordinary items. If Senior wishes to acquire rare materials, it would be best to go down to the next floor.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the stone stairs, but didn¡¯t move. He asked with a deep voice, ¡°If I wanted information on the whereabouts of a high grade demon beast nest, where could I find it?¡±


    Huang Mingli was obviously startled upon hearing this. A trace of confusion flickered from his eyes before he answered with great familiarity, ¡°It would depend on what grade of demon beast Senior requires information about. If it¡¯s grade five or six demon beasts, Senior can head over to the Wind Whisper Pavilion. They specialize in selling the whereabouts of difficult to acquire treasures and high grade demon beasts, allowing one to acquire them based on their own skill. However, they won¡¯t have any information on demon beasts of a higher grade. In that case, your only option would be to ask other Core Formation Seniors. After all, the whereabouts of demon beasts of that grade aren¡¯t easily divulged. Senior could participate in the trade gathering specifically for Core formation cultivators. Perhaps that is where Senior can find what he is looking for.¡±


    ¡°Trade gathering?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression revealed a trace of excitement.


    Huang Mingli carefully explained, ¡°That¡¯s right! Normally, only other Core Formation cultivators have the materials and treasures that a Core Formation cultivator would need. As a result, every time the market city opens, the city lord will hold a meeting where Seniors gather together for a private, small-scale exchange, where they can trade for what they wish. The city lord would also take out several rare items for the meeting as well.¡±


    With a faint smile, Han Li slowly asked, ¡°When does this trade gathering take place?¡±


    The small old man promptly replied, ¡°Senior Li will likely have to wait a few more days. I reckon around halfway through the opening of the market city, Senior will receive an invitation to join.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he narrowed his eyes and wore a pensive expression as if he were thinking about it.


    A short moment later, he glanced at Huang Mingli and spoke without restraint, ¡°Fellow Daoist Huang, I plan on going the rest of the way alone so we¡¯ll be parting ways here. I no longer require your assistance.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t wish to have someone following him around while he was searching for the Thousand Leaves Dew.


    The small old man wasn¡¯t particularly surprised by Han Li¡¯s words. With a beaming smile, he said, ¡°Senior¡¯s words suits Junior¡¯s intentions as well. Junior happens to want to go buy a few materials. Then I will bid you goodbye. If Senior requires any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to find me.¡± Huang Mingli respectfully saluted Han Li and bid his farewells. He then headed into a nearby materials store. It seemed he wished to first sell off those demon breasts corpses from before.


    Han Li was quite satisfied with how tactful and quick-witted the old man had behaved.


    He swept his gaze past the nearby stores and walked into the store across from him with his arms behind his back. The first store he entered had piles of all sorts of medicinal ingredients.


    ¡­


    Inside a quiet room, Han Li was resting with eyes closed. He felt somewhat gloomy.


    During his first day in the market city, he had browsed both floors of the market city and found plenty of Demon Echo Grass but none that had grown near a grade eight demon beast. In addition, the Wind Whistle Pavilion didn¡¯t have any information on demon beasts of grade seven or higher. He could only wait for when the trade gathering convened and see if any other Core Formation cultivators had relevant information.


    In the following two days, he had no intention of heading out and rented a quiet room specifically to cultivate and see whether or not he could break through his current bottleneck.


    In the end, he had achieved nothing.


    Thumps came from the door of his room. Although Han Li had anticipated this he still indifferently asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    A woman¡¯s pleasant voice respectfully said, ¡°Senior Li! Junior is under orders to invite you to the trade gathering. Would Senior be interested in participating?¡±


    Han Li slowly replied, ¡°Yes, of course I am!¡± He then opened the stone door and walked out of the room.


    There was a white clothed woman standing outside with a lowered head, respectfully waiting for him. When she saw Han Li appear, she immediately raised her head and revealed a charming face.


    When Han Li saw the woman¡¯s beautiful face, he felt his heart tremble. After staring at the woman¡¯s face, a flicker of astonishment appeared within his eyes.


    ¡®How could it be her? What is she doing here?¡¯ Han Li thought, astonished.


    The woman saw Han Li staring at her, causing her to blush. She then lowered her head and uncomfortably asked, ¡°Senior, is something wrong?¡±


    Han Li quickly regained his bearings and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Lead the way.¡±


    The white clothed woman faintly felt that something was amiss, but she respectfully agreed and walked away with calm steps.


    Gazing at the woman¡¯s silhouette, Han Li unconsciously frowned and wore a face full of confusion.


    Passing through the plaza of the second floor, the woman brought Han Li to a remote stone wall.


    The woman gently pressed her hand against the wall, creating ripples of white light and revealing a stone door covered in talisman characters.

 Chapter 536

    A Display of Women


    ¡°Senior Li, please enter!¡± The woman pushed the stone door open and respectfully invited Han Li inside.


    Han Li nodded and walked in without another word as the woman closely followed after him. The stone door then closed by itself and disappeared, returning the wall to its previous unremarkable appearance.


    After entering, Han Li saw a grey stone passageway that didn¡¯t appear very long based on the white light he saw faintly shining at the end.


    Han Li silently walked forward and made a turn at the end of the passage, suddenly facing a wide open stone door. There was a gloomy middle-aged, mid Core Formation cultivator standing outside the doorway.


    When he saw Han Li appear, he immediately smiled and said, ¡°So you¡¯re Fellow Daoist Li? I am Yun Tianxiao, the master of the city. Welcome to my trade meeting. Nearly all of the fellow Daoists have already arrived.¡± The Confucian scholar surnamed Yun was very courteous to Han Li. He then indifferently turned to the woman and said, ¡°Young Lady Wen, properly attend to Brother Li. Make sure not to neglect him!¡±


    ¡®Fellow Daoist Wen?¡¯


    There was no longer any doubt regarding the woman¡¯s identity. She was Wen Qiang¡¯s daughter, the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Wen Siyue[1. Wen Qiang was a Qi Condensation cultivator that met Han Li at Stalwart Star Island. Han Li met him once again many years later along with his daughter in chapter 430.]. Just what had happened for her to appear at this place?


    It had caused Han Li no small amount of amazement. Naturally, since he had used the Appearance Exchange Arts, the woman was unable to recognize him.


    When Wen Siyue heard him, her flowery expression changed and she hastily acknowledged him.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t turn around, he could faintly perceive that Wen Siyue was very fearful of Yun Tianxiao.


    A strange expression flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes, but he merely smiled and casually said a few words of formality before entering.


    The door let to a large square hall with a huge round table at its center. The table had over a dozen remarkably wide armchairs surrounding it. Most of the chairs were already occupied by other cultivators.


    But when Han Li clearly saw the circumstances in the room, he wore a baffled expression.


    Apart from two female Core Formation cultivators that were sitting alone, the male Core Formation cultivators were each nestled together with a gorgeous and alluring female cultivator. These female cultivators were either at peak Qi Condensation or early Foundation Establishment, and each of them were all young exceptional beauties.


    While Han Li looked at this in a daze, he suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance, and a soft, trembling body stood close by his side. Han Li¡¯s body tensed up and he slowly turned around to see a stiff, beautiful face. Wen Siyue had taken the initiative to draw closer to him, allowing him to catch a whiff of her intoxicating scent.


    Han Li frowned, but he didn¡¯t push away the woman in an act of false sophistry. Instead, he again glanced at the female cultivators at the male Core Formation cultivator¡¯s sides with a gaze of understanding.


    After some thought, he wrapped his arm around the woman¡¯s waist and headed towards an empty armchair before sitting down.


    Wen Siyue did the same as the other female cultivators, and reluctantly sat alongside him while leaning into Han Li¡¯s chest.


    For the moment, Han Li¡¯s chest had the warm company of a beautiful woman.


    Just as Wen Siyue silently pressed her stiffened body against Han Li, Han Li relaxed the arm he had wrapped around her waist. Wen Siyue was stunned for a moment. She then unconsciously glanced at Han with a trace of bewilderment.


    At that moment, Han Li was calmly examining the others in the room.


    The eight other Core Formation cultivators had naturally gazed in Han Li¡¯s direction as well.


    Although they found Han Li¡¯s appearance strange, they didn¡¯t reveal it on their faces. Instead, most of the people looked at Han Li with a kind smile. Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he returned the gesture.


    A short momenter later, six more Core Formation cultivators entered the hall, each with a young, beautiful female cultivator at their side.


    Han Li watched this with an ordinary expression, but his heart felt amazement.


    Yun Tianxiao must¡¯ve possessed significant skill to have found so many young and beautiful female cultivators. All of their cultivations weren¡¯t shallow either but they were still at varying levels.


    Just as Han Li pondered this, Yun Tianxiao finally entered the hall with a graceful and elegant beauty wrapped around his arm. The woman was at late Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡®Lady Fan!¡¯ Han Li heart was shaken upon seeing her.


    ¡®She is the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Envoy of the Right, Lady Fan. It seems she has a somewhat deep relationship with the city master. This trade gathering should prove to be quite interesting.¡¯ Despite his excitement and the expectations in his heart, Han Li was able to maintain his calm expression.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Wen Siyue faintly trembled next to Han Li. A faint, painful groan left her dainty mouth. It sounded as if it contained flustered embarrassment.


    Han Li was stunned for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but puzzlingly glance at her. He found her face to be flushed red and bashful.


    He also discovered that his arm had unknowingly grasped onto her chest. He even felt his fingers pinching onto something stiff and round.


    This soft, overwhelming sensation shook the depths of Han Li¡¯s soul. He immediately withdrew his hand out of instinct.


    Wen Siyue¡¯s smooth, delicate neck was now flushed red. She hesitantly raised her head and gazed at Han Li¡¯s face with a trace of astonishment.


    A trace of discomfort faintly appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, but he pretended not to notice, relaxing the arm he had around her.


    Although he had never thought of himself as a man of honor, this woman could be considered an acquaintance, causing Han Li to be somewhat embarrassed.


    Han Li discovered that this strange display wasn¡¯t noticed by anybody else in the room. Their attention had been captured by Yun Tianxiao who had already sat in the main chair with Lady Fan gracefully poised at his side.


    Yun Tianxiao widely smile and said, ¡°I am truly honored to have you thirteen Fellow Daoists participate in this trade meeting. Although there were two Fellow Daoists that had to leave early, this trade meeting is already the largest one yet. That is about all I have to say. Everyone can now take out their items. Give your items a brief introduction, and then, everyone can start bidding or offer an exchange. Accept whatever offer pleases you.¡±


    He then turned his head to the fat, blue-robed old man and smiled. He was clearly indicating for him to start.


    As of current, the fat old man was closely embracing the body of a dainty female cultivator. Upon seeing Yun Tianxiao¡¯s smile, he reluctantly relaxed his grip on her waist and leisurely said, ¡°Since this is the case, I will start. I¡¯ve brought quite a few good items this time around. I am more than willing to exchange them for any of the materials that I require.¡± After that was said, the old man stood up and placed a storage pouch from his waist onto the table.


    Numerous items suddenly appeared on the table in a vortex of spinning red light. The spiritual Qi that the items emitted appeared significant.


    ¡°Three Heavenly Spirit Beads, an Ambusher Shark demon core, the hide of an Oceanform Beast¡­¡± The old man gave a proud introduction for each of his items, impressing no small number of the cultivators at the table. It was clear that each of these items were quite rare.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but coldly smile at the items. While these items could be considered truly valuable to ordinary Core formation cultivators, they were completely unremarkable to him. The rarest item amongst them, the Ambusher Sharp demon core, was only a grade six demon core. Han Li had personally exterminated at least eight demon beasts of that specific type.


    When the fat old man finished giving an introduction to his items, he sat back down and once again embraced the dainty woman at his side. He had a face full of arrogance.


    The Qi Condensation woman was originally somewhat unwilling to be held by him, but now, her eyes unconsciously glowed with a soft light.


    After the old man sat down, the person who sat next to him, an eccentric with a red embroidered headband, dryly coughed and unsteadily stood. This person was rather shriveled and appeared as if a stiff breeze would blow him over.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only brought one item. The beast egg of the grade five Darkcoil Worm.¡± He spoke unhurriedly and took out a yellow beast egg from his robes shortly after he finished speaking. It was the size of a chicken egg.


    ¡°Darkcoil Worm!¡±


    Once the eccentric had finished speaking, the eyes of the other cultivators brightened, and they rigidly stared at the demon beast egg with fervent gazes.

 Chapter 537

    Information


    Each of the other cultivators took out their items, and as expected, they were each noteworthy and proved valuable to Core Formation cultivators. It was no wonder that this secret market had such a special meeting.


    Han Li indifferently glanced at the items being presented. Although the items didn¡¯t interest him, they greatly provoked the interest of the other cultivators, heating up the atmosphere in the room. When Han Li¡¯s turn came, he casually took out a few rare grade six and seven demon beast materials. Of course, this naturally aroused quite some surprise.


    Soon, it became the last cultivator¡¯s turn, a dark-skinned, middle-aged man. He was among the three mid Core Formation cultivators at the table. The others gazed at him with a trace of additional respect.


    At that moment, the person unhurriedly took out two items from his storage pouch and casually placed them onto the table with an unchanged expression. There was a palm-sized, pitch-black copper plate, and a half-foot-long piece of grey bone. It appeared to have come from the spine of some animal.


    The majority of cultivators present blankly stared at the items, unable to make out anything exceptional about them. They all waited for him to give an explanation.


    But after he took out the items, he astonishingly said, ¡°I will only sell these two items to those that recognize them. If you aren¡¯t destined for them, do not seek them!¡± He then leaned back against his chair without a care and narrowed his eyes, paying no heed to the beautiful woman close to him, leaving her slightly embarrassed. When the others heard this, they silently looked at each other in dismay.


    Only Han Li and Yun Tianxiao revealed a slight change in expression when they gazed at the items.


    An odd expression flickered across Han Li¡¯s face. Although he was somewhat far from the items, when he swept his immense spiritual sense past them, he was able to clearly tell what they were.


    Although the bone didn¡¯t belong to an ordinary demon beast, it simply didn¡¯t catch his interest. However, he was somewhat interested in the copper plate, as there were a few bewildering, ancient characters inscribed onto it. The ancient characters were nearly the same as those contained inside the aged hide book of the nameless Qi concealment technique. Could it have something to do with it? Even now, Han Li was incapable of completely understanding the ancient book¡¯s contents.


    Just as Han Li inwardly mulled this over, Yun Tianxiao smiled and laughed.


    After sweeping his gaze over the bones, Yun Tianxiao jokingly said, ¡°Haha! I didn¡¯t expect Brother Sun to be so magnanimous as to bring out the spirit bone of a grade eight demon beast. I am truly tempted.¡±


    These words startled everyone present and caused an uproar. The item could be considered the most precious one being displayed. The spirit bone of an existence on the level of a grade eight demon beast was definitely a bizarre treasure seldom seen by Core Formation cultivators.


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred. Could this person have any information on grade eight demon beasts?


    The cultivator surnamed Sun chuckled upon hearing that Yun Tianxiao was able to to make out the origins of the bone. After deeply glancing at him, he spoke no further.


    At that point, the trade meeting became a rather fervent event. Everyone wore an expression of unconcealed excitement. The female cultivator companions also gazed at the items on the table with passionate expressions.


    When Han Li saw this, he unconsciously turned his head to Wen Siyue to find that she also wore a passionate expression. It seemed that these items held an undeniable allure regardless of one¡¯s status.


    At that moment, the fat old man started to list out the conditions by which he would trade his items.


    ¡°The Heavenly Spirit Beads can be exchanged for several stalks of medicine herbs aged five hundred years and higher. The demon core requires the tendon of a grade seven demon beast. Of course, I am also willing to trade them for enough spirit stones. And¡­¡± Seeing that everyone managed to bring out precious treasures, the arrogance of the fat old man had mostly dissolved. When he spoke of the tendon, he unconsciously glanced in Han Li¡¯s direction as Han Li happened to have one on his side of the table.


    Unfortunately, Han Li had no interest in a grade six demon beast core. He merely continued to sit with Wen Siyue in his loose embrace.


    ¡°I do want that grade six demon core, but I don¡¯t have any spirit tendons. How many spirit stones do you want for it?¡± A white haired old man said with much interested.


    ¡°As Fellow Daoist knows, demon beasts are far more difficult to come by than they had been in the past. As such, its price will be higher. I will require fifteen thousand spirit stones for it.¡± The fat old man appeared unwilling to part with it and responded with an obviously high price.


    When the white-haired old man heard this, he bitterly smiled and said little else. It was clear the high price had dissuaded him.


    ¡°I want that demon core!¡± A white-haired old woman expressionlessly said. Soon after she spoke, a storage pouch flew in the direction of the fat old man.


    The fat old man received the storage pouch and wore a satisfied expression after inspecting it.


    ¡°Only Lady Qing can be so bold. Us poor cultivators cannot hope to compare.¡± The old man seemed to recognize the woman and tossed the demon beast core over to her with a chuckle.


    The white-haired old woman coldly snorted and caught the demon beast core. After wordlessly examining it, she placed it into her storage pouch and said nothing further.


    The other cultivators began to ask about the fat old man¡¯s other items, resulting in most of them being traded for. He then put away the remaining items.


    The following bidding for the red banded eccentric¡¯s Darkcoil Worm egg created a huge contest.


    Because his conditions were quite lax and he also accepted spirit stones, the demon beast egg was open to everyone. In the end, the beast egg was exchanged for several bottles of precious medicine pills by a red-clothed cultivator with an unremarkable appearance.


    After another six people, it was finally Han Li¡¯s turn.


    Han Li looked at the pile of valuable materials in front of him and felt several burning gazes fall onto him. Among them was the fat old man who particularly desired the spirit tendon.


    Han Li gently smiled. Without standing, he leaned back into his chair with Wen Siyue in his arm and calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want any items for these materials. I am only willing to exchange them for information. So long as your information is to my satisfaction, I will give all of these materials to you.¡±


    ¡°Information!?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words were cause for surprise. Although they were somewhat shocked, nobody stirred up a fuss. Rather, they all glanced at Han Li with curiosity, calmly waiting to hear what he would say next.


    Yun Tianxiao¡¯s eyes stirred and suspicion flickered across his face.


    Han Li leisurely asked, ¡°Might any of you Fellow Daoists know the location of a grade eight demon beast nest? I wish to use these materials to acquire such information.¡±


    ¡°Grade eight demon beast!¡± Each person took in a breath of alarm with an expression of great shock.


    ¡°Could it be that Fellow Daoist is joking? Do you intend on fighting a grade eight demon beast?¡± The fat old man wore an incredulous expression.


    As Han Li tapped the table, he unhurriedly said, ¡°Of course not. I am using the information for something else. But I¡¯m not interested in saying what specifically.¡± At the same time, he swept his gaze past the other cultivators without a trace of politeness. They revealed amazement and shock, much to Han Li¡¯s disappointment. Han Li¡¯s gaze then fell onto the dark-skinned cultivator surnamed Sun.


    When Cultivator Sun saw Han Li look at him, he was startled, but soon came to an understanding. He smiled and asked, ¡°Could it be that Fellow Daoist believes that I have information on a grade eight demon beast? Unfortunately, Fellow Daoist Li is mistaken.¡± He then shook his head.


    Han Li revealed unconcealed disappointment and deeply sighed.


    But at that a moment, Han Li heard a sweet voice say, ¡°I know the location of a grade eight demon beast, but I don¡¯t want the materials. I have a different condition for Fellow Daoist Li.¡±


    Han Li was greatly startled by who had spoken.


    Han Li incredulously said, ¡°You have information on a grade eight demon beast?¡±


    The person who had spoken was the woman in his embrace, Wen Siyue.


    Faintly leaning onto Han Li, Wen Siyue appeared extremely calm as she looked into Han Li¡¯s face and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I know the approximate location of a grade eight demon beast nest.¡±


    Lady Fan wore a look of amazement, but she soon rebuked Wen Siyue with a cold expression, ¡°Siyue, what nonsense are you spouting? How could you have information on a grade eight demon beast? Don¡¯t speak without thinking!¡±


    While Han Li was in doubt, he suddenly felt the woman draw closer to him. She firmly said, ¡°Marital Aunt Fan! Siyue truly knows the whereabouts of a grade eight demon beast. I have no intention of deceiving Senior Li. Please, be at ease!¡±

 Chapter 538

    The Might of New Swords


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Lady Fan frowned and thought to say something when Han Li interrupted her with a serious expression, ¡°Wait, I want to hear what she has to say. I will determine whether or not she is telling the truth.¡±


    Yun Tianxiao¡¯s eyes coldly glinted. After muttering to himself for a moment, he smiled, saying, ¡°Since Martial Niece Wen knows something, let Fellow Daoist Li ask.¡±


    With a moment¡¯s pause, Lady Fan reluctantly agreed, ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks.¡± Without any further niceties, Han Li nodded his head and expressed his thanks.


    Han Li¡¯s casual mannerisms caused a faint trace of irritation to appear on Yun Tianxiao¡¯s face, but it was quickly concealed.


    At that moment, Han Li stared at Wen Siyue and asked, ¡°You said you know about the nest of a grade eight demon beast.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was tranquil, absent of either anger or happiness. This aroused a trace of hesitation in Wen Siyue who was only a hair¡¯s breadth away. But she soon thought of something terrifying and became resolute. She nodded and gave a sincere recollection, ¡°When I first arrived at the Outer Star Seas, I unintentionally acquired a sea map detailing a certain area. I originally believed it to be the location of hidden treasures and stealthily slipped away to take a look. I ended up discovering a young Windbreaker Beast. Fortunately, the beast was only at grade three and was unable to discover me so I immediately left the location out of fear. Senior should know that Windbreaker Beasts only give birth once they reach grade eight, and they won¡¯t leave their offspring until they reach about grade five. As such, it is certain that there is a grade eight demon beast lurking nearby. If Senior is willing to agree to my conditions, I am willing to lead the way.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed and he revealed a trace of excitement. A fully grown Windbreaker Beast was a genuine grade eight demon beast. If this woman spoke the truth, the nest was certain to have the Demon Echo Grass he required.


    Han Li stared at the woman for a long while before letting out a long breath. With a deep voice, he asked, ¡°What does Fellow Daoist desire for the information on the demon beast nest?¡±


    Wen Siyue blushed for a moment before unhesitantly saying, ¡°I wish for Senior to take this young woman away from here and take her as your concubine.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Han Li paused for a moment with an expression of surprise on his face.


    ¡°Siyue, what nonsense are you saying?¡± When Lady Fan heard her, she was unable to stay sitting as furious surprise appeared on her face.


    The other cultivators also appeared shocked. But soon after, a majority of the cultivators revealed entertained expressions. A few of them even bantered and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    When Yun Tianxiao heard this, his expression grew sullen, and his complexion became ashen.


    Yun Tianxiao slapped his palms against the table and stared at his hands. With a cold voice, he expressionlessly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t clearly hear what you wanted from Fellow Daoist Li. Let me hear that again.¡±


    Wen Siyue¡¯s body trembled several times while in Han Li¡¯s embrace, and her face became bloodlessly pale. But when her bright eyes fell onto Han Li¡¯s calm expression, she regained a trace of courage, and she shouted with all the strength in her body, ¡°I¡­ I want Senior Li to take me as his concubine and take me away from the Exquisite Sound Sect!¡± Afterwards, she lowered her head, no longer daring to look up.


    Puff. Yun Tianxiao¡¯s hands were instantly covered in grey flames that were half a foot high. The flames were wild and untamed. Strange grey light shone onto his face, making for a frightening sight.


    ¡°Hollow Bone Yin Flames!¡± Someone uttered. Suddenly, the original laughter and smiles in the room had disappeared, all replaced with solemn expressions.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Li! It seems that girl¡¯s cultivation has gone awry, and her mind became addled. I hope Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t take her drivel to heart. Servants, restrict Wen Siyue¡¯s magic power and place her in seclusion for half a month.¡± Yun Tianxiao coldly ordered without the slightest emotion.


    Just as those orders were spoken, two azure-robed, late Foundation Establishment cultivators walked in and headed straight towards Han Li.


    With an ashen complexion, Wen Siyue looked into Han Li¡¯s eyes with a pleading expression and a delicate, heart-wrenching gaze.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°Wait!¡±


    Without waiting for Yun Tianxiao to speak, Lady Fan perturbedly said, ¡°What? Does Fellow Daoist Li plan on taking in the woman?¡±


    Without faltering, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Perhaps. However, I rather want to know the information on the demon beast. I hope Brother Yun and Madam won¡¯t be impatient. How about you wait until after hearing my response?¡±


    When Yun Tianxiao heard this, his expression fluctuated as he muttered to himself for a short moment. He then waved his hands and extinguished the flames.


    As Yun Tianxiao emotionlessly stared at Han Li, he uttered, ¡°Servants, step down. I will listen to what he has to say.¡±


    He decided to give Han Li face as he was a fellow Core Formation cultivator. After all, there would soon be a great event where he would require the power of all the Core Formation cultivators present. Thus, he was unwilling to casually offend anybody.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Wen took the initiative to willingly become my concubine, but I don¡¯t care about that in the slightest. However, I am quite determined to win over her information on the demon beast. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I were to exchange these materials for this woman¡¯s freedom? What do you think Brother Yun?¡± Han Li pushed out the pile of precious materials towards Yun Tianxiao and unblinkingly gazed at him with a mysterious smile.


    ¡°You will use these to exchange for her?¡± Yun Tianxiao spoke with an ice-cold tone, but his eyes revealed a trace of confusion. The pile before him contained precious materials from grade six and seven demon beasts. It was worth several tens of thousands of spirit stones at the very least, and he was more than willing to accept it in exchange for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if the woman was an enchanting beauty, it was quite an astonishing affair. Could it be that the information of a grade eight demon beast was that important to him? Should he use this opportunity to settle the situation, or should he use force to further pressure him?


    After some further thought, Yun Tianxiao quickly came to a conclusion and his expression relaxed. Just as he thought to say something, Lady Fan leaned her seductive body against him and whispered something into his ear. In an instant, Yun Tianxiao¡¯s expression changed to reveal hesitation.


    After a moment of silence, he righteously said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, I cannot let you take this girl away, no matter how much you pay. Otherwise, it would set a precedent that will allow the sect¡¯s female cultivators to be easily taken away by anyone who fancies them. This would greatly tarnish our reputation.¡±


    These words startled the other cultivators and caused them to look at each other. It was reasonable to say that the pile of precious materials was worth far more than a Foundation Establishment woman, no matter how beautiful she may be. Hence, there was definitely something amiss with Yun Tianxiao¡¯s rejection. With Han Li¡¯s unwillingness to release the woman, the others watched the scene with a sneer. They felt the following exchange would prove to be quite entertaining.


    ¡°Exquisite Sound Sect?¡± Han Li pursed his lips and a strange expression flickered through his eyes.


    ¡°What? Fellow Daoist Li doesn¡¯t know that this secret room was opened by the sect? I happen to be an elder of the Exquisite Sound Sect. I am assisting Sect Elder Fan in managing it,¡± Yun Tianxiao coldly said. His face was faintly covered in a layer of strange grey Qi, undoubtedly in a display of superior might.


    Yun Tianxiao¡¯s display was but a minor effort at intimidation.


    ¡®Since he is only an early Core Formation cultivator and he is currently in my territory, he will have to submit after thinking about what there is to gain and lose. It is only a pity about those materials.¡¯ Yun Tianxiao thought with slight regret. There wasn¡¯t a trace of worry in his mind.


    But at that moment, Han Li suddenly sneered and uttered, ¡°Fine.¡±


    Much like Yun Tianxiao, Han Li raised his hand, summoning a white light that abruptly flashed before him.


    Yun Tianxiao was greatly startled and unconsciously circulated his cultivation art, enveloping his body in countless grey flames.


    At that moment, the white light ruthlessly struck the flames. It underwent a series of blurs and suddenly revealed twelve inch-long swords that all bore into the flames.


    ¡°AH!¡± Yun Tianxiao was stricken with terror and hastily unleashed his magic treasure.


    However, the flames weren¡¯t able to block the twelve flying swords for even an instant. The flames faded away as a dozen bloody holes appeared on Yun Tianxiao¡¯s body.


    By the time Yun Tianxiao had released his small grey pitchfork, he had already fallen to the ground with a miserable scream.


    When the other cultivators saw this, they became dumbstruck and their mouths were gaping open. They were unable to recollect themselves for quite some time.

 Chapter 539

    Provoking Awe


    Han Li indifferently waved his hand and the twelve small swords converged back into one. It then disappeared into his sleeve with a flash of white light.


    Han Li lowered his hand and wore a tranquil expression, saying, ¡°Now, let¡¯s have a chat!¡±


    Having been struck down just a moment ago without the slightest resistance or contest, Yun Tianxiao had lost the will to fight.


    After a short moment, Yun Tianxiao managed to stand up with his blood-covered body. He glanced at Han Li with a gaze full of fright.


    With a pale face, Yun Tianxiao said, ¡°Well, since I cannot stop you, feel free to take Wen Siyue away. However, let¡¯s get the unpleasant matters out of the way first. She already caught the eye of a Senior and was being prepared as a cultivation vessel. After you take her away, don¡¯t be afraid of any calamities you attract.¡± Soon after, he took out several talismans and slapped them onto his body. With a flashes of green light, his wounds healed at a visible rate.


    ¡®Cultivation vessel?¡¯ Han Li suddenly realized why Wen Siyue desired to depart.


    However, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly grew cold from the implicit meaning of Yun Tianxiao¡¯s words.


    Han Li said with an unchanged expression, ¡°There is someone else that fancies her? That¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ll take her anyways. Though, it would be better if Fellow Daoist kept his threats to a minimum. Otherwise, blood will be shed if my mood takes a turn for the worse.¡± He then casually swept his gaze across the room.


    Han Li¡¯s threats weren¡¯t entirely plausible. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that so many Core Formation cultivators were present, Han Li would¡¯ve clearly killed the lot of them to tie up all the loose ends. However, he wasn¡¯t completely confident in being able to kill them all. As such, he could only use his heavy words to intimidate those that were present.


    If his previous attack had left the others bewildered, then his current tone had aroused suspicion that Han Li was a Nascent Soul cultivator. The cultivators present became anxious and they quickly lowered their heads. None dared to meet Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    Yun Tianxiao naturally also thought of this possibility. He appeared to be an early Core Formation cultivator, but had nearly taken his life with a single strike. Additionally, he wanted to find the nest of a grade eight demon beast. When he made the connection, he suddenly began to inwardly curse without end.


    Wen Siyue, still in Han Li¡¯s embrace, suddenly widened her beautiful eyes and her body jolted straight.


    She would rather die than become someone else¡¯s cultivation vessel. As a result, she had decided to risk her life in that previous display. However, she completely hadn¡¯t expected this cultivator surnamed Li to possess such a frightening cultivation. He was able to suppress all the cultivators present by himself and in a single terrifying move, he gravely injured Yun Tianxiao and left Lady Fan with a faceful of terror. This was all such a delightful surprise, it felt like something that would come out of a dream.


    Han Li glanced at the others¡¯ careful and meek mannerisms and coldly smiled.


    He then raised his hand and summoned the dark skinned cultivator¡¯s copper plate to his hand. Han Li began to examine it without a trace of politeness.


    The dark-skinned cultivator¡¯s expression faintly changed. However, his mouth trembled several times, only to remain silent. He didn¡¯t dare to say any words of dissatisfaction. Since Han Li was able to nearly deal Yun Tianxiao a killing blow in a single strike, he naturally knew that he didn¡¯t pose a chance and turned his expression away.


    Han Li put down the copper plate and indifferently spoke to its owner, ¡°I want this item. How many spirit stones for it?¡±


    The dark-skinned cultivator was slightly surprised and instinctively responded, ¡°Seven¡­ No, five thousand spirit stones!¡±


    Han Li then took out a grade five demon core and promptly dropped it in front of the other person.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use the demon core to trade for it¡±, Han Li then turned to Lady Fan and said, ¡°Moreover, don¡¯t say that I robbed you of this woman. The materials on the table can be considered payment for her.¡± Han Li patted the shoulder of Wen Siyue and let go of her. He then stood up and unhurriedly walked towards the exit.


    Wen Siyue finally woke up a short moment later and hurried after him in a somewhat flustered manner.


    Lady Fan¡¯s expression stirred and she suddenly yelled, ¡°Senior Li, please slow down!¡±


    Han Li halted his steps, and he turned around with an odd expression on his face.


    Han Li found it quite interesting that the woman was actually courageous enough to call out to him. Wen Siyue grew nervous at this and unconsciously drew closer to Han Li.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and indifferently asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Does Senior wish to return to the Inner Star Seas? Our Exquisite Sound Sect will have a method of returning everyone to the Inner Star Seas in the near future.¡± Lady Fan sweetly smiled, speaking with an obviously respectful tone. As it was very likely the she was speaking to a Nascent Soul cultivator, she didn¡¯t dare to be negligent.


    Han Li frowned and asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He wasn¡¯t interested in hearing elusive words.


    Seeing that Han Li was still patient, she didn¡¯t dare to put up any pretenses and hastily said, ¡°Our Exquisite Sound Sect is currently preparing a transportation formation to return to the Inner Star Seas. We are currently lacking a few crucial materials. As the formation cannot be completed without them, we hosted this trade meeting in the hopes of acquiring everyone¡¯s assistance. So long as you assist in the creation of the transportation formation, our Exquisite Sound Sect will send you back to the Inner Star Seas free of charge.¡±


    Lady Fan¡¯s words caused the other Core Formation cultivators to become restless. A majority of them revealed pleasant surprise. The Outer Star Seas had already become the dominion of demon beasts. They couldn¡¯t stay here for much longer. As such, they had naturally thought of returning. However, there were no transportation formations, and it would take more than six hundred years to return at the speed of their flight, not to mention the many dangers they would encounter along the way. They remained here only out of an inability to leave.


    The white-haired old woman¡¯s expression stirred and she coldly asked, ¡°Even with the transportation formation, won¡¯t we need displacement talismans? Don¡¯t tell us that the Exquisite Sound Sect has already grasped how to refine them?¡±


    ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t be worried. Although our Exquisite Sound Sect cannot refine these talismans, we acquired quite a few of them before the Beast Torrent. We currently have more than enough to send everyone back to the Scattered Star Seas. The most important material for the formation is Phantasm Stone. It is truly rare. Although we¡¯ve found a deposit of this stone during our search for it over these past few years, it happens to be located near the resting area of a group of high grade demon beasts. A majority of them are at grade five and six, and they are great in number. It isn¡¯t something that can be done with a small number of cultivators. Moreover, if any of them are allowed to escape, they will alert higher grade demon beasts, resulting in disaster. Thus, our sect requires everyone¡¯s strength!¡± Lady Fan spoke with a righteous expression.


    After hearing this, the others wore a pensive expression. Cleanly exterminating a group of demon beasts wasn¡¯t something that could be easily agreed to. They had to carefully think about it.


    The dark-skinned cultivator muttered to himself for a moment before slowly asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask a Nascent Soul cultivator for assistance instead of Core Formation cultivators? The certainty of success would¡¯ve been higher.¡±


    ¡°Do you Fellow Daoists think that I didn¡¯t try? However, most of those venerable Seniors had completely vanished after the Beast Torrent. I was only able to get into contact with Senior Swift Crane. With that person joining us, we would¡¯ve been able to deal with the grade seven demon beasts. He was the one who fancied Siyue to be his cultivation vessel.¡± Lady Fan bitterly smiled and glanced in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    When the other cultivators heard this, they looked at each other in dismay.


    When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his chin and muttered to himself for a moment. He then promptly said, ¡°I have no interest in this endeavor. Deal with it yourselves.¡± With that said, he ignored them and headed out.


    Wen Siyue didn¡¯t dare to fall behind and quickly followed after him.


    Nobody dared to block Han Li. They could only gaze after him as he left.


    Lady Fan wore an expression of unconcealed disappointment.


    As for Yun Tianxiao, he finally began to speak once more, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Li is unwilling to assist us, we won¡¯t force any of you either. We will now introduce some information on the demon beasts nearby the Phantasm Stone. Please come to your own decisions after the details have been explained. Here¡­¡± As if he hadn¡¯t been heavily injured, Yun Tianxiao began to ceaselessly speak.


    ¡­


    ¡°Senior, do you truly not wish to return to the Inner Star Seas?¡± Wen Siyue muttered from behind Han Li.


    Without turning his head around, Han Li aloofly replied, ¡°Why? Do you want to return?¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t wish to, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Wen Siyue¡¯s voice grew soft until she ceased speaking.


    At that moment, Han Li had already brought her past the stone wall. Since his objective had already been accomplished, he naturally had no interest in staying here any longer.


    Han Li brought Wen Siyue outside of the concealed city, much to the astonishment of the old gatekeeper. He then wrapped the woman in his light and took off into the skies.


    Wen Siyue was silent as they flew, and didn¡¯t ask him any questions about their destination. It seemed she was leaving everything entirely up to Han Li.


    Han Li also hadn¡¯t thought to give her any further explanation and continued to fly in stifled silence.


    Two days later, Han Li eventually found a desolate island with meager spiritual Qi and descended.

 Chapter 540

    Concubine


    The island had several mountains that rose above three hundred meters, and were lush with verdant forestry and filled with many trees.


    Han Li circled around the mountains before descending onto one of them with Wen Siyue in tow.


    Under the woman¡¯s astonished gaze, Han Li released his flying swords and carved a small cave residence into the mountain after a few hours. Although the cave residence was less than half the size of his cave residence in the misty island and was far more crude, it still had a bedroom, and seclusion room, along with a tool refinement room, medicinal garden and so on.


    Han Li appeared quite satisfied and placed down several formation spells around it before bringing Wen Siyue inside.


    Han Li brought Wen Siyue into the bedroom and sat on a hurriedly carved stone chair. After examining the woman, he leisurely said, ¡°You will be living here from now on. I will tell you the incantations for the spell formations. This place is quite secluded. If you diligently cultivate, there is a chance you¡¯ll enter Core Formation.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Li!¡± Wen Siyue blushed underneath Han Li¡¯s gaze, appearing to be at a complete loss about what to do.


    Han Li smiled, ¡°Senior Li?¡±


    Wen Siyue hastily hung her pretty head and hesitantly said, ¡°Sorry¡­ Should I call you¡­?¡±


    Having just become his concubine, she didn¡¯t know how she should address him.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and indifferently said, ¡°You can call me Mister Li!¡± Han Li had yet to reveal his true appearance. He had still assumed the form of a middle-aged man.


    After a moment of hesitation, Wen Siyue obediently replied, ¡°Yes, Mister Li!¡±


    Han Li nodded his head with satisfaction and thought about what he should say. He then softly asked, ¡°When did Fellow Daoist Wen arrive at the Scattered Star Seas, and how did Lady Fan become the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s Sect Leader? According to my knowledge, Fairy Violet Spirit should¡¯ve been the sect leader.¡±


    ¡°Yi! Mister Li seems quite knowledgeable of the sect¡¯s past.¡± Wen Siyue was quite amazed that Han Li had made inquiries about the Exquisite Sound Sect instead of hurriedly asking about the demon beast nest.


    But after some thought, she opened her almond lips and explained, ¡°The Exquisite Sound Sect was entirely managed by the Young Sect Master before we teleported to the Outer Star Seas. But while she was out at Heavenvoid Hall, a startling change occurred when we returned to the sect. The Envoy of the Left disappeared without a trace and all of the power in the sect fell into the hands of an outsider and the Envoy of the Right, Lady Fan. I later discovered that this cultivator was a Devil Dao cultivator and that the Exquisite Sound Sect had already become a vassal of the Devil Dao. In order to establish herself as sect master, Lady Fan immediately gathered together a large number of disciples and sent us through Heavenly Star City¡¯s transportation formation. At the time, I had been coerced into travelling along. Since then, our sect has handled this hidden city. The disloyal female disciples have been mysteriously disappearing over the past few years and those that have been given away were never seen again. Were it not for Mister Li saving my life earlier, I fear I would¡¯ve become a cultivation vessel.¡± Wen Siyue dimly said.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. Hiding his intentions, he asked, ¡°What did your Sect Master Fan do in the Outer Star Seas? It can¡¯t be that she only managed the hidden city!¡±


    ¡°I am not too sure about this. However, Lady Fan and that Devil Dao cultivator surnamed Yun were gathering all sorts of information with the assistance of the hidden city as if they were looking for something.¡± Wen Siyue spoke with uncertainty and an expression of doubt appeared on her face.


    When Han Li heard this, he ceased asking questions and started to mull over what she had said. It seemed a violent usurpation had occurred while he and Fairy Violet Spirit were trapped in Heavenvoid Hall.


    With the successful usurpation of power, Lady Fan immediately brought large quantities of disciples to Wondrous Depths Island. Afterwards, the Starfall Coalition had launched an attack on Heavenly Star City. It seemed that regardless of how the Devil Dao took over the Exquisite Sound Sect, it was clear that the influence of the Starfall Coalition was immense. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to take over the sect at such an opportune time.


    By the time Fairy Violet Spirit returned from Heavenvoid Hall, she would¡¯ve discovered that her sect was gone.


    As for the Devil Dao powers, they were drawing support from the Exquisite Sound Sect to find someone or something in the Outer Star Seas. This was yet another mysterious aspect that had nothing to do with Han Li. Hence, he was disinclined to further ask about it. Furthermore, he had already become irreconcilable enemies with Daoist Master Swift Crane, and it seemed the current Exquisite Sound Sect had a relationship with him. As such, Han Li was even more unwilling to be tied down by them and had refused Lady Fan¡¯s proposal.


    As for returning to the Inner Star Seas, Han Li wasn¡¯t even considering the matter until after he broke through his bottleneck. While it was true that demon beasts were running amuck in this land, with the greatly desired Heavenvoid Cauldron in his hands, the Inner Star Seas might not necessarily be safer.


    Han Li repeatedly mulled over Wen Siyue¡¯s words in his mind after a short moment. He found nothing that sounded incorrect; to the best of his knowledge, she was telling the truth.


    It was only natural for Han Li to be this careful, as he possessed the famed Heavenvoid Cauldron. Who knows how many Nascent Soul Eccentrics wanted to lay their hands on it. Even since ancient times, countless men had suffered from the wily tricks of beautiful women. Han Li didn¡¯t wish to become one of them out of a moment of carelessness.


    But of course, the odds of this woman attempting to deceive him were next to nothing. He had suddenly appeared before her as a person that nobody recognized and brought her to an unknown place. He was also under the effect of a secret technique that even early Nascent Soul cultivators couldn¡¯t see through.


    At that moment, Wen Siyue saw Han Li¡¯s expression fluctuate, and she unconsciously revealed a trace of restlessness.


    Having finally collected his thoughts, Han Li noticed the beautiful woman¡¯s peculiarity. He faintly smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already brought you away from the hidden city, and I¡¯ve even arranged this location for you. How about you tell me about the location of the demon beast nest? After you tell me, I¡¯ll immediately head off and you¡¯ll never see me again.¡±


    Wen Siyue blankly stared for a moment before revealing surprise, ¡°Senior doesn¡¯t intend on taking me in as a concubine?¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°I am used to travelling alone. I don¡¯t need anybody following after me.¡±


    After a moment of silence, her beautiful face wore a complicated expression and she gently shook her head. After a strange emotion flickered within her eyes, she serenely said, ¡°Many thanks for Mister Li¡¯s kindness! But since I¡¯ve already decided to become your concubine, I don¡¯t have any thoughts of reneging on it. Senior, please be at ease, Siyue will keep her promise without complaint.¡±


    Han Li clearly understood the woman¡¯s apprehension, and he couldn¡¯t help but mysterious smile, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Fellow Daoist Wen intends, but my words hold firm. If Fellow Daoist truly wishes to settle the matter and become my wife, I won¡¯t further decline. When that happens, Fellow Daoist Wen had better not regret it!¡±


    He was certain that Wen Siyue didn¡¯t want to become anybody¡¯s concubine. The conditions raised in the hidden city were most likely raised out of helplessness.


    Although being a concubine was far better than being a cultivation vessel, there weren¡¯t any Foundation Establishment woman that would be willing to become someone else¡¯s concubine. This only happened in desperate circumstances or under coercion.


    Although Han Li felt quite tempted by Wen Siyue¡¯s exceptional beauty, he clearly understood that he was at a crucial point in his cultivation. He couldn¡¯t afford to keep a Foundation Establishment woman by his side. It would be far better to let her go free and drop the subject!


    ¡°I¡­¡± Doubts began to surface after Han Li explained his words. Hesitation appeared on her face.


    A trace of amusement appeared within his eyes. Han Li softly said, ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me that Fellow Daoist still wishes to become my concubine?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Wen Siyue¡¯s hurriedly refused and after a moment¡¯s pause, she bit her lip and saluted Han Li, saying, ¡°I¡­ I must give many thanks to Mister Li! Junior Wen Siyue will never forget your kindness!¡± Her expression was filled with anxious fright.


    ¡°Since that is the case, let¡¯s drop the matter of being a concubine. There is no need for Fellow Daoist Wen to take it seriously.¡± Han Li had no intentions of deliberately making this difficult.


    ¡°Many thanks, Mister Li!¡± Wen Siyue was joyfully surprised! Her expression relaxed and her flowery beauty blossomed, producing an emotionally stirring scene.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li felt a ripple of emotion, but he quickly buried this emotion at the bottom of his heart.


    After calming himself, Han Li serenely asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wen, how about telling me about the Wind Breaker Beast!¡±


    Wen Siyue¡¯s smile disappeared. She said with a worried tone, ¡°Mister Li, the Windbreaker Beast¡¯s nest is somewhat dangerous. It is near the edge of the depths. Please clearly consider it for a moment before heading out to the nest.¡±


    ¡°The edge of the depths?¡± Han Li frowned. It seemed this would prove quite troublesome.


    The current depths were beyond dangerous!

 Chapter 541

    Six Arms and Three Heads


    After asking a few more questions about the Windbreaker¡¯s Nest, Han Li casually handed a bottle of medicine pills over to Wen Siyue. Wen Siyue was immediately grateful and promptly entered seclusion to refine their medicinal power. Han Li then sealed himself off inside of another room and began studying the copper plate.


    He carefully examined the item as he sat down cross-legged.


    Only one side of the copper plate was inscribed with characters, the other was engraved with a bizarre depiction of a rather formidable looking monster. The monster had three heads with vicious eyes along with six arms raised towards the sky. It was unclear what it was supposed to be doing.


    After looking at it for a moment with a frown, Han Li took out the old hide book with the nameless incantation and compared the characters that were inscribed. He discovered that the characters were largely the same except for minute differences. It seemed they shared an origin, but were written in distinctly different styles of writing.


    Since he couldn¡¯t find anything hidden on the surface, Han Li inserted his magic power into the copper plate without any hesitation.


    Soon after it started to absorb his magic power, the copper plate let out a clear hum and started to tremble. It then brilliantly flourished with white light and beams of dense yellow light began to shoot out from the sides of the copper plate, projecting a picture onto the wall.


    Han Li was delighted by the developments and became mesmerized by what he saw.


    The image depicted a human-form demon beast, covered with scales and with a single horn on its head. It appeared exactly the same as the three-headed, six-armed demon beast on the back of the plate, but with only one head.


    Just as Han Li was puzzled by this, the picture changed with a flash of light. It now depicted the demon beast sitting down cross-legged with its hands clutched in a strange hand gesture. Its entire body was contorted in a baffling position, leaving Han Li puzzled.


    A short moment later, the image changed again, revealing that the demon beast had changed its hand incantation and its body contorted once more, assuming another strange posture.


    The images periodically shifted to reveal indescribable changes in hand gestures and posture as if it were cultivating some sort of technique. An hour later, the copper plate¡¯s light dimmed and the images disappeared.


    Han Li had counted thirty-six different positions that the demon beast assumed.


    He rubbed his nose and looked at the item in his hand with an odd expression. Although he didn¡¯t know what the characters on the copper plate had meant, he was able to tell from the pictures that this item wasn¡¯t something for human cultivators. It clearly recorded a demon cultivation art.


    Prior to this, he hadn¡¯t known that demon beasts even cultivated. Weren¡¯t demon beasts innately capable of absorbing spiritual Qi? Why would they cultivate? It seemed that cultivation arts should quite important to demon beasts that were capable of taking human form.


    However, Han Li looked at the copper plate in his hands without knowing whether he should laugh or cry. Even if he could understand the words on it, would he dare to cultivate a demon cultivation art? Besides, he currently had no shortage of high grade techniques. The complete collection of Profound Yin Arts was still snugly placed inside his storage pouch.


    With that thought, it was no wonder the dark-skinned cultivator had deliberately mystified the item during the trade meeting. It was completely useless! Han Li felt like a fool and grew gloomy.


    Since the inscription on the copper plate was a cultivation art specifically for demons, he wouldn¡¯t be able to decipher them no matter how many human jade slips he looked through. It seemed the contents of the old hide book were the same.


    Han Li let out long breath and placed the two items into his storage pouch with a wretched expression before leaving the stone room.


    Han Li felt somewhat disappointed after having his expectations dashed. However, his mood quickly adjusted as he made preparations to head to the Wondrous Depths. Acquiring the high grade Demon Echo Grass was currently his top priority. It was directly able to help him reach an entirely higher level on his path to Immortality!


    After he consumed the rainbow beads, he could feel his cultivation aptitude continue to change for the better over the years. Although he couldn¡¯t compare to those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots or other outstanding geniuses, he was now able to absorb and refine spiritual Qi at the level of cultivators with three element spiritual roots.


    The Heavenmend Pill truly deserved its reputation! Han Li¡¯s chance at condensing a Nascent Soul was now a sliver higher.


    When Han Li left the room, Wen Siyue was still in seclusion. He reckoned that she would need another three months in order to refine all of the medicine.


    Han Li didn¡¯t bother her. After some further thought, he left behind several magic tools along with the control incantations for the cave residence¡¯s spell formations before departing from the island.


    Han Li looked around while in the sky and determined his direction before flying off towards the Wondrous Depths.


    Along the way, Han Li came across several demon beasts and ruthlessly exterminated them. As for any humans he saw, he ignored them and continued on his way.


    Han Li eventually arrived at the vicinity of the Wondrous Depths after traveling for a month.


    At that time, he started to conceal his aura and began to hide his tracks. As these seas are under the dominion of higher grade demon beasts, Han Li naturally had to be extremely careful. He didn¡¯t dare to rely on his luck.


    As expected, Han Li came across many demon beasts along the way, but with his remarkable concealment techniques, he was able to avoid their attention.


    Several days later, Han Li stopped in the air and stared at a small island in the distance with a solemn expression.


    The island was the grade eight demon beast nest that Wen Siyue had spoken of. Han Li didn¡¯t dare to boldly rush into it. If the ancient Windbreaker Beast was present on the island, he would be certain to die. For this same reason, he only swept his eyes over the island, not daring to release his spiritual sense.


    Han Li spotted a reef emerging from the ocean far from the island and placed a small formation on it. He then sat on it and quietly meditated as he kept watch on the island. He wouldn¡¯t easily take action until he could predict the grade eight demon beast¡¯s movements.


    Unfortunately, the Rainbow Skirt Grass had no effect on demon beasts that were grade eight and higher. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve already used the grass to lure the ancient Windbreaker Beast away, instead of choosing to bitterly stand watch here.


    Day after day passed with Han Li gazing at the island from the reef. Several months eventually went by without Han Li spotting any signs of demon beast movements.


    He eventually grew dreary from the waiting.


    ¡®Could it be that the developing demon beast isn¡¯t on the island right now and the Windbreaker Beast abandoned its nest?¡¯ Han Li suspiciously thought.


    Yet another month passed with no developments.


    Helpless, Han Li finally came to the decision to enter the island and investigate. He wasn¡¯t about to waste several years on the reef.


    Early in the morning of the next day, just as sunlight began to illuminate the sky, Han Li restrained all of the spiritual Qi in his body and stealthily flew onto the island.


    He had already observed the small island for several months and knew its terrain like the back of his hand. He flew halfway up the mountain and spotted a few boulders concealing a pitch-black cave, just as Wen Siyue had described.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes. After placing several auxiliary magic techniques on his body and releasing his disguise, his body disappeared without a trace. Han Li then carefully entered the cave and slowly released his spiritual sense, occasionally probing his surroundings.


    The cave was exceptionally deep, and the deeper he went, the more damp it became. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li stopped at a corner with a nervous expression on his face.


    Han Li slowly closed his eyes and scouted forward with his spiritual sense. Shortly after, an odd expression appeared on his face. Han Li then gritted his teeth and hesitantly turned the corner.


    Light suddenly shined before him to reveal a huge natural cavern. It was at least three hundred meters wide and over thirty meters tall. The walls and the ceiling flickered with green light and it had a dark-blue pool of water at the center that appeared to be piping hot. There was strange vegetation growing around the pool.


    When Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto the vegetation, he spotted several stalks of something short and jet-black. Excitement flickered within his eyes.


    The stalks were the Demon Echo Grass that he was looking for!


    Demon Echo Grass would only turn black when growing near grade eight demon beasts! It was grey when growing near lower grades. As Han Li gazed at the pond at the center, delight momentarily appeared on his face before it was soon replaced with solemnness.


    If the Windbreaker Beast was in the cave, it would most likely be inside of the pool. Although he had swept over the pool with his spiritual sense, the pool was extremely deep. He had only inspected a small portion of it.


    Han Li licked his lips and steeled his heart. His body blurred before reappearing at the side of the pool. He gently clapped his storage pouch and took out a jade box, he then quickly reached toward the ground with his free hand.

 Chapter 542

    Grade Nine Demon Cultivator


    He quickly harvested the Demon Echo Grass and placed it into the jade box, dirt and all.


    Click. Han Li smoothly closed the lid of the jade box with a trace of joy.


    It was beyond his expectations, how simple it had been to acquire the Demon Echo Grass. However, he couldn¡¯t stay there any longer. Han Li immediately turned around and was about to set off when he heard a calm voice from behind him.


    ¡°You stayed nearby for so long just to get those plants? Human cultivators are truly baffling!¡± These words were spoken by a strange male voice.


    Han Li¡¯s expression greatly changed and his face became extremely unsightly. He soon forced himself to calm down and turned around in a blur.


    He caught sight of an azure-robed figure that was looking at him with obvious curiosity.


    Upon clearly seeing the figure¡¯s appearance, Han Li grimaced.


    The demon cultivator had a silver scarf around the top of his head, azure robes on his body, and rough shoes on his feet. Apart from his sharp, pointy nose and narrow, green eyes, all other aspects were indistinguishable from a human.


    Han Li frantically examined the man several times.


    With this demon beast¡¯s nearly perfect human form, could it be a legendary grade nine or ten demon beast?


    Han Li¡¯s body grew rigid and his hands had already fastened on his Five Element Bands and his spirit beast pouch. However, he didn¡¯t dare to attack.


    ¡°Your esteemed self watched me for quite some time.¡± Han Li could hear that his voice had become unpleasantly hoarse.


    When the demon cultivator heard this, his expression stirred. He then smiled, revealing his pure white teeth and narrowing his eyes, saying, ¡°That¡¯s right, I knew you were there from the day you arrived. I merely thought you were a human cultivator passing by and hadn¡¯t paid you any attention. But who would¡¯ve thought that before the day passed, you would sit on the coral reef nearby. I, Feng, have grown quite curious indeed.¡±


    Not knowing whether or not it was a trick of the mind, Han Li felt that the man¡¯s teeth were somewhat sharp and faintly glinted with a chilling light. Han Li¡¯s heart dropped even further as he thought, ¡®His surname is Feng? Then he must be the fully grown Windbreaker Beast[1. The surname ¡®Feng ·ç¡¯ that the demon cultivator uses the same ¡®Wind ·ç¡¯ in ¡®Windbreaker Beast¡¯].¡¯


    Han Li forced a smile and asked, ¡°Since that was the case, why didn¡¯t you attack me?¡±


    The Windbreaker Beast weirdly smiled and said, ¡°I actually wished to come see you sooner, but I¡¯ve only recently reached the second stage of my metamorphosis. While stabilizing it, it was difficult for me to go outside. As it just so happened, I actually finished stabilizing my form just now and was going to leave, but I hadn¡¯t expected that Fellow Daoist would run into my lair of your own accord. That was quite surprising.¡±


    ¡°Second stage metamorphosis? Could it be that you have entered grade nine?¡± Han Li¡¯s face grew pale and his hands had unknowingly become lined with cold sweat.


    The fully matured Windbreaker demon cultivator blinked and casually replied, ¡°Grade nine? That¡¯s just how you humans differentiate us demons. Regardless, I reached the second grade of the metamorphosis stage, which would be the equivalent of what you call grade nine demon beasts.¡±


    Han Li grew silent when he heard the demon¡¯s calm recognition. After a short moment, the corner of his mouth twitched into a bitter smile.


    Were it a grade eight demon beast, he figured he would still have a chance at escape. But in the face of a grade nine demon cultivator, he had no hopes of breaking free. It seemed his death would be the result of something entirely unavoidable.


    With that thought, Han Li said nothing further and suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out over ten streaks of azure light that circled around him. He then raised his hand, intending on opening his spirit beast pouches.


    But in that instant, the demon cultivator moved.


    He blurred before Han Li¡¯s eyes and snatched the spirit beast bag out of his hand.


    Although the many flying swords protecting Han Li had moved to block the demon cultivator, he was far too quick. He had returned to his original spot before the swords could strike him.


    After a moment of overwhelming astonishment, Han Li¡¯s face turned ashen. How could he have forgotten that the Windbreaker Beast was originally known for its amazing speed? Their speed as a grade nine demon beast was nearly identical to teleportation at such a short distance. There was no chance of even injuring him.


    In that instant, a chaotic torrent of thoughts began to surge through his mind. Han Li¡¯s ashen complexion underwent yet another change as he slapped his storage pouch and took out a ball of radiant golden threads.


    Han Li quickly grabbed onto the ball and swallowed it. Afterwards, he wordlessly gazed at the azure-robed demon cultivator.


    He had already decided that when he faced death¡¯s door, he would ignite the Celestial Ice Pearl with his Divine Devilbane Lightning. This way, even if mutual destruction wasn¡¯t accomplished, the opponent would still suffer a heavy injury.


    The demon cultivator revealed astonishment upon seeing Han Li¡¯s baffling actions, but he soon nonchalantly smiled, ¡°Hehe! There is no need for Fellow Daoist to be so anxious. I hold no malicious intentions towards you.¡± He casually tossed the spirit beast pouch up and down in his hand as he spoke.


    Han Li frowned and coldly said, ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t you demon beasts currently exterminating human cultivators?¡±


    He didn¡¯t wish to be played around with before he died.


    The corner of the demon cultivator¡¯s mouth twitched and he shook his head, saying, ¡°The demon beasts that have been killing you off are only the nearby sea races. I have nothing to do with them. I¡¯m merely staying here for the time being because I enjoy the geyser pool here.¡±


    Han Li was stunned.


    He suddenly recalled that Windbreaker Beasts were demon beasts that lay somewhere between demon birds and sea beasts. As such, they couldn¡¯t truly be considered demon beasts of the sea. Furthermore, from his tone, it seemed as though he wasn¡¯t even originally from around here.


    ¡®Could it be he truly doesn¡¯t wish to kill me?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s expression wavered for a moment. After a short moment, he retrieved his flying swords into his body with a wave of his hand and his expression relaxed.


    Since his flying swords weren¡¯t able to deal with the demon cultivator either way, he may as well play along. If worst comes to worst, he would just detonate the Celestial Ice Pearl.


    The demon cultivator wore a satisfied expression after seeing Han Li put away his magic treasures.


    ¡°I do enjoy talking with sensible humans. I¡¯ll return this to you first.¡± He didn¡¯t view the spirit beast pouch as a threat and threw it back to Han Li.


    Han Li caught it and felt somewhat more at ease.


    The demon cultivator stared at Han Li and said, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist have any interest in paying a visit to my true cave residence? This would be the first time I¡¯ve ever invited a human cultivator.¡±


    Although the demon cultivator¡¯s tone was polite, how could Han Li possibly refuse? He had no option but to nod with a forced smile.


    The demon cultivator appeared happy when Han Li agreed. He wordlessly raised his hand and a blue ball of light appeared within it. The light then grew several times larger and enveloped Han Li.


    Shock appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t resist. With a flash of blue light, the demon cultivator began dragging him within the bubble of light that enveloped him. Then, both of them dropped into the pool with a splash.


    Because of the faint blue light that was emitted from the bubble around him, Han Li was able to clearly see the world underneath the water. Perhaps it was due to the strange water in the pool, but there were no other animals apart from some strange palm-sized white fish. There was also no sea vegetation.


    The demon cultivator saw that Han Li was completely captivated by the underwater scene and just smiled.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, the bubble came to a stop and trembled for a moment before shooting off to the side.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li spotted a huge black stone gate in front of him. The gate flickered with white light as if it was covered by a restriction.


    The demon cultivator pointed at the stone door and politely said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Welcome to my humble home. I hope Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t find it too funny.¡±


    Han Li forced a smile, but remained silent.


    As soon as the bubble touched the stone gate, the stone gate opened to reveal a layer of white light. After they passed through it, they entered a completely dry passageway. The bubble surrounding Han Li then disappeared.


    The stone walls were embedded with all sorts of small pearls that reflected light, filling the passageway with dazzling light reminiscent of daylight. These weren¡¯t ordinary pearls. They were pearls that are only found at the ocean¡¯s deepest depths within spirit oysters and the like that were over a thousand years old. They had the strange effect of repelling both water and fire.


    ¡°Please come in, Fellow Daoist!¡± The demon cultivator couldn¡¯t help but feel proud upon seeing Han Li¡¯s astonishment.


    Han Li gazed down the passageway with complete unwillingness in his heart. But with a grade nine demon beast staring at him, he could only force himself to head in first.


    The azure robed demon cultivator leisurely followed after him.


    The passageway couldn¡¯t be considered large, and Han Li soon found himself in a gorgeous hall decorated with all kinds of coral.


    At the center of the hall, there was a sparkling white jade table with several chairs made from the same beautiful jade. The corners of the hall each had a small elegant pot with a finger-thick joss stick burning within. It filled the hall with a faint fragrance.

 Chapter 543

    Jadefire Wine


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please sit!¡± The demon cultivator boldly took a seat and beckoned to Han Li.


    Han Li took a seat across from the demon cultivator and remained silent.


    The demon cultivator narrowed his eyes and gently said, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve embarrassed myself. I still haven¡¯t asked for your esteemed name. My name is Feng Xi.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li slowly said, ¡°My surname is Li!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, so it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Li. You must feel somewhat confused. In truth, if any other cultivator had appeared before me, I would¡¯ve definitely slain them despite not being from the local sea race. Peaceful coexistence between humans and demons is certainly impossible.¡±


    Han Li felt his heart tremble and forced a smile, asking, ¡°In that case, does Senior Feng see something different about Junior?¡±


    Feng Xi¡¯s eyes flickered with green light. He slowly said, ¡°You are only a mid Core Formation cultivator, yet you dared to bravely enter so deeply into the seas, relying on that marvelous Qi Restraint Technique of yours!¡±


    ¡°Qi Restraint Technique?¡± Han Li paused for a moment, suddenly recalling the nameless incantation in the hide book.


    Feng Xi wore an odd expression and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am somewhat familiar with your Qi Restraint Technique. I saw it from an old friend of mine, but strangely enough, that technique is something that was secretly passed down. How are you, a human cultivator, capable of using it?¡±


    Han Li couldn¡¯t easily mention the matter of the hide book and remained silent for a while, not knowing how to respond.


    When Feng Xi looked at Han Li¡¯s expression, he leaned back into his chair and smiled. He then casually said, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist to be worried. My old friend has been dead for many years, and I¡¯m not looking for an explanation. I am merely curious about how a human can use a secret demon race technique. The main reason why I haven¡¯t attacked you is actually because you cultivate a pure wood attribute cultivation art. Otherwise, you¡¯d already be dead.¡±


    Han Li revealed amazement. He was truly shocked to hear that the main reason he wasn¡¯t attacked was because of the attribute of his cultivation art.


    When Feng Xi saw Han Li¡¯s shocked expression, he said nothing and waved his arms instead, summoning a simple gold pot with a flash of white light.


    He then took a jade wine cup and poured a dark green liquid into it. In the blink of an eye, the concentrated smell of alcohol spread throughout the hall.


    The human-form demon beast then took a deep breath and wore an infatuated expression on his face. He flicked the cup with his finger, smoothly sliding the jade cup over to Han Li.


    Feng Xi stared at Han Li and deeply said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, take a taste of my Jadefire Wine. I made it myself. It is a genuine spirit wine that takes over a hundred years to ferment, and provides slight gains towards cultivation. Perhaps Fellow Daoist could even use this opportunity to break through his bottleneck!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he paused in surprise before staring down at the green liquid in the cup. The demon cultivator was able to tell that his cultivation was stuck at a bottleneck, his abilities are truly remarkable. But Han Li found it dubious that the wine could help him break through his bottleneck.


    He had consumed no small number of medicine pills for cultivation progression. If he could break through the cultivation bottleneck with medicinal power, he would¡¯ve already cultivated to the ninth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art. Furthermore, as he had no idea about what the other party intended, he didn¡¯t dare to casually drink the wine.


    As these thoughts churned through his mind, Han Li¡¯s face revealed hesitation.


    A cold glint shone within the demon cultivator¡¯s eyes. His expression grew sullen upon seeing Han Li¡¯s hesitation and he coldly said, ¡°What? Are you scared that I did something to the wine. Don¡¯t forget, if I wanted to take your life, it would only take me an instant!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s face paled and his gaze fell upon the wine cup. He then summoned the courage to say, ¡°Senior is correct. However, Junior wishes to figure something out first: the true reason why Senior hasn¡¯t killed me. Junior will be ill at ease until he understands.¡±


    It had became obvious that the demon cultivator wished for Han Li to drink the wine. As a result, Han Li¡¯s doubts only became greater.


    Feng Xi felt somewhat surprised and an icy expression soon appeared on his face. His body released an eerie aura.


    Han Li felt his heart drop and the true essence in his body wrapped around the Celestial Ice Pearl in his body. He cautiously stared at the demon cultivator in silence.


    A short moment later, Feng Xi frowned and his expression relaxed.


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Feng Xi said with a low voice, ¡°It seems by not telling Fellow Daoist the specifics, he has misunderstood my good intentions.¡±


    ¡°This Jadefire Wine is not only difficult to refine and takes a hundred years to ferment, but it also requires a metamorphosis stage demon core as its primary ingredient. Additionally, only Windbreaker Beasts are able to refine the wine. Even if other demon cultivators had the formula, they would be unable to refine the wine due to lacking the innate abilities. To me, this wine serves only to satisfy my tastes. But to a Core Formation cultivator such as yourself, it will stimulate the true essence in your body the first time you drink it, possibly allowing you to break through your current bottleneck. Of course, the only reason I am giving you so precious to Fellow Daoist Li is for my own gains. I require the assistance of your wood attribute cultivation arts for something very important. However, a mid Core Formation cultivation is too low. Even late Core Formation cultivation is still a bit lacking. But I see that your own cultivation arts are unordinary. You possess far deeper magic power than cultivators of a similar grade, and as a result, you will do, if just barely. It should now be quite obvious what consequences will follow if Fellow Daoist Li doesn¡¯t drink the wine!¡±


    Feng Xi knew that if he didn¡¯t give a clear explanation, Han Li wouldn¡¯t obediently follow his orders.


    When Han Li heard this, his expression changed several times. A short moment later, he spoke with a hoarse voice, ¡°And if I drink this wine and can¡¯t breakthrough my bottleneck?¡±


    Feng Xi sneered and calmly said, ¡°Hehe! Then Fellow Daoist Li will no longer serve any purpose for me. Since my Jadefire Wine is quite difficult to refine, I will have to take your life as compensation!¡±


    Although Han Li had already suspected this, his face twitched after hearing the confirmation.


    After a short moment of deliberation Han Li¡¯s face became resolute and he took a deep breath. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll drink it!¡±


    Feng Xi suddenly wore a happy expression.


    Han Li slapped his hand onto the table. Then with a flash of azure light, the dark green liquid from the cup flew into his mouth in a stream.


    The liquid then dropped into his stomach without Han Li even tasting it.


    ¡°Good. I knew Fellow Daoist Li would make the sensible decision. Follow me. I¡¯ve already prepared a quiet room for you.¡± Feng Xi spoke with a satisfied expression and stood up before walking to the side of the hall.


    Han Li wordlessly followed after him with a calm expression.


    As Han Li followed the demon cultivator, he eventually found himself in front of a fire-red stone wall.


    After some further examination, Han Li astonishingly discovered the sparkling red stone wall was actually a huge slab of cut coral rock. As Han Li pondered about it, Feng Xi lightly pushed the stone wall, revealing a three meter wide hole in a flash of white light.


    Feng Xi pointed to the hole and tranquilly said, ¡°Refine the wine in this hidden room. According to my estimates, it should only take half a year at most to refine. Fellow Daoist should be able to succeed in that time. When the time arrives, I will release the restriction and allow you to come out.¡±


    Han Li took a glance before expressionlessly entering the hole. At this point, he naturally had no intention of further speaking with Feng Xi.


    Just after Han Li walked in, the opening behind him disappeared.


    Feng Xi stood outside the wall without immediately departing. He glanced at the wall with a face bizarrely full of excitement. A short moment later, he disappeared without a trace in a flash of white light.


    Han Li was currently inspecting the so-called hidden room inside the coral wall. The room couldn¡¯t be considered small, at a hundred meters wide and over twenty meters tall. Apart from a glistening azure jade couch at the center of the room, there was nothing else.


    But what was most baffling to Han Li were the countless small holes that filled the walls. They appeared just like bits of black sesame.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew gloomy for a moment and he sat down on the jade couch in a cross-legged position. With his eyes closed, he slowly released his spiritual sense from his body.


    After a short moment, he spread his spiritual sense across the room and was surprised to discover that the walls repelled it. Soon, he confirmed that there were no gaps that his spiritual sense was able to slip through.


    Han Li then frowned, opening his eyes with a cold glint.


    After some thought, Han Li sat up from the jade couch and walked towards a side of the room. He inspected the coral wall in front of him with narrowed eyes.


    He extended a finger that glowed with blinding azure swordlight toward the wall. The light was only several inches long and continuously glistened.

 Chapter 544

    Progression


    A trace of hope flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes but that was soon replaced with disappointment. The small sword was only able to penetrate several more inches before stopping. A colorful brilliance faintly glowed deeper within the wall, blocking its advance.


    The demon cultivator had placed many layers of formidable restrictions within the coral wall. It wasn¡¯t very likely Han Li would be able to break through the walls with his magic treasures.


    Han Li tightly creased his brow after retrieving the magic treasure and summoning it back into his body. He then unconsciously reached for the spirit beast pouch at his waist. He trusted that regardless of how powerful the wall¡¯s restrictions, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the vicious bites of the Gold Devouring Beetles. However, there was a reason why he didn¡¯t rashly release them.


    The beetles wouldn¡¯t be able to devour the restrictions in a short amount of time. In the time it would take, the demon cultivator Feng Xi would be given plenty of time to perceive their actions. And with the demon¡¯s astonishing speed, there was no way for Han Li to escape his pursuit.


    After a period of heavy and repeated deliberations, Han Li fiercely glared and then returned to the jade couch with an unsightly expression.


    By that time, he already felt a burning sensation in his stomach. It seemed the Jadefire Wine was about to take effect.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be negligent of the wine as he was ignorant of what, if any, peculiar aspects it might possess. He could only relinquish his thoughts of escape for the moment and start refining Qi.


    He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, peering into his body. Frowning, Han Li shot out a stream of azure core flame from his tri-colored golden core and compressed the Jadefire Wine into a ball. In the blink of an eye, the stream of core flame had completely restricted the Jadefire Wine.


    Not longer after, Han Li became completely still with a blank face.


    The Jadefire Wine was refined at an exceptionally slow pace. After the passing of a month, less than a fourth of the wine had been refined. It seemed that Feng Xi wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said that the wine would take half a year for Han Li to refine.


    However, this extremely slow speed proved to be rather irritable to Han Li. If he truly was unable to enter late Core Formation, then this Windbreaker Beast named Feng Xi would take his life without any hesitation.


    For that reason, he steeled his heart and took the risk of forcing out all of the core flame his golden core could produce. As a result, the azure flame that covered the remaining dark green liquid nearly doubled in thickness. Han Li also spared none of his magic power in his effort to hasten refining the wine.


    This resulted in Han Li¡¯s magic power expenditure nearly doubling. Each time he nearly ran out of magic power, he lamentably took a drop of the Myriad Year Spirit Milk to ensure that his magic power could persist in fueling the wine refinement.


    After two months of this extravagant usage of his core flame, only a third of the wine had yet to be refined. Han Li felt somewhat relieved that the wine would soon be entirely refined.


    Unfortunately, something unexpected soon occurred. As a result of his intention to strive his hardest in the face of death, Han Li had swallowed the Celestial Ice Pearl on the day he had encountered the demon cultivator. He continued to keep it there in fear of the demon cultivator, and had yet to take this last resort out of his stomach.


    On a day when Han Li had completely exhausted his magic power and thought to take a drop of the Myriad Year Spirit Milk, the outer layer of the Divine Devilbane Lightning on the Celestial Ice Pearl suddenly grown unsteady.


    Han Li, who had been observing his body¡¯s interior with full focus, was shocked out of his wits at the sight.


    At that moment, his magic power was completely exhausted and he was incapable of taking any emergency measures. With the pearl¡¯s exterior wavering before his eyes, he wrapped the remaining Jadefire Wine around the Celestial Ice Pearl in an act of desperation.


    Han Li¡¯s heart heavily thumped as he watched on with a bloodless complexion.


    Only the Heavens would know what reaction would occur from using the Jadefire Wine to envelop the Celestial Ice Pearl. As Han Li imagined the pearl erupting, he could feel his body line with ice cold sweat.


    Fortunately, whether it was due to sheer luck or due to the Celestial Ice Pearl being stable to begin with, the Celestial Ice Pearl had become tranquil after being enveloped by the wine.


    Han Li let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat off his brow. He felt as if he had just escaped certain death.


    He hurriedly swallowed a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk. After his magic power had been replenished, he spat out the pearl and put it away with great trepidation lingering in his heart. Placing that item within his body had truly been playing with fire.


    After everything was settled, he took another look into his body and flusteredly discovered that he had unknowingly broken through his bottleneck, quietly entering late Core Formation.


    Han Li was initially dumbstruck, before being delightfully surprised.


    To tell the truth, he hadn¡¯t felt any peculiar effects from the Jadefire Wine. Han Li was absolutely bewildered at having broken through the bottleneck without even completely refining the wine.


    With his increased cultivation, Han Li decided to test it out by skillfully controlling twenty-four Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords simultaneously, discovering that his true strength had suddenly increased.


    Although Han Li was rapt with joy, he had no intention of squandering the remaining Jadefire Wine, and sincerely spent the next two months refining what was leftover, consolidating his cultivation in the process. Afterwards, he started to rack his mind for what the grade nine Windbreaker Beast intended for him.


    As the half year point gradually grew closer, his face grew increasingly sullen with worry occasionally appearing in his eyes.


    Several days after the half year point had passed, the coral wall promptly opened. Feng Xi¡¯s indifferent voice then entered the room, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, come out. The time has arrived. Did your cultivation progress?¡±


    Sitting down on the jade couch, Han Li expressionlessly opened his eyes and wordlessly walked out of the room.


    Feng Xi was waiting for him outside with narrowed eyes.


    The demon cultivator examined Han Li after he left the room. A short moment later, Feng Xi rubbed his palms together and heartily laughed.


    ¡°Good, good! Congratulations on Fellow Daoist entering late Core Formation. It seems my Jadefire Wine didn¡¯t go to waste.¡± Feng Xi grew quite happy. With Han Li¡¯s successful advancement, he truly could serve his purposes.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing this.


    Feng Xi chuckled and spoke to Han Li with a rather amiable tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, follow me! I will give you an introduction to two of my close demon companions. I will be requiring you three to cooperate in order for this to succeed!¡±


    ¡°There are another two Seniors?¡± When Han Li heard him, he felt shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My two good friends are both at the initial metamorphosis stage. In human terms, they would be grade eight demon cultivators. However, since both of them were born from primordial races, their true capabilities aren¡¯t all that inferior to my own. Still, it would be best for you to say as little as possible. Since they are genuine members of the local sea clan, they won¡¯t receive a human like you very favorably.¡± Feng Xi took a deep glance at Han Li and gave him a calm warning.


    With a shaken heart, Han Li muttered in agreement.


    A short moment later, Feng Xi brought Han Li back to the large hall where he now saw the two close friends that Feng Xi had spoken of.


    As a result, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reveal his shock on his face.


    One of them had the head of a flood dragon, a steel tail, and his body was covered with blood-red scales. The other had a rather large body, an azure face and a tortoise shell.


    That flood dragon appeared quite similar to the Venemous Flood Dragon that he had previously seen fighting the cultivators near the misty island. As for the other, Han Li faintly guessed that it was most likely the huge tortoise that had been undergoing its tribulation at that time.


    When Feng Xi arrived, the two grade eight demon beasts turned their heads over toward them.


    When the Venomous Flood Dragon saw Han Li¡¯s expression, his green eyes coldly glinted and he quickly examined Han Li.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, human? Could it be you¡¯ve seen me before?¡± He icily asked. Although his voice was somewhat vague, his words could clearly be heard.


    Han Li immediately grew hesitant. It appeared that because he had used the blood-red cape back then, his appearance hadn¡¯t been seen. As such, it would be best to avoid mentioning the battle that day; otherwise, he would just be asking for trouble. Leaving him no choice but to deceive the Venomous Flood Dragon.


    With that thought, Han Li dryly coughed and with the calmest expression he could muster, he said, ¡°This is the first time I have seen Senior. It is only that Junior¡¯s experience is so shallow that he had yet to see a true Flood Dragon. As such, I forgot my manners. I hope Senior doesn¡¯t take any offense.¡± Helpless, Han Li assumed the humblest attitude he could to avoid stirring up any trouble.

 Chapter 545

    Thunderstorm Wings


    The Venomous Flood Dragon pulverised the large, shiny pearl that it had originally been playing with in its hand and glanced at Han Li with a malicious glint flickering within his eyes. ¡°Humph! Humans are all so cunning and sly. I don¡¯t care where you¡¯ve seen me before, but you had better cut the clever business!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart slightly shivered, but apart from a bitter chuckle, he said nothing else.


    Seeing that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t to his liking, Feng Xi hastily interjected himself, ¡°Enough. Fellow Daoist Li can now be considered to be acquainted with you little brothers. I wish to draw from the support of all three of you, and It would be quite troublesome if I were to lack any of you.¡± He then directed Han Li to a seat that was farther away from those two.


    The Venomous Flood Dragon downed the wine in the cup in front of him and carelessly said, ¡°Brother Feng, we¡¯ve known each other for quite a few years already. Why are you treating this matter so mysteriously? You¡¯ve yet to give us an explanation. Additionally, you require the assistance of a human cultivator, and a trifling Core Formation cultivator at that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I am also quite curious. You insisted for us two to come together. Could it be that Brother Feng is doing something dangerous?¡± The demon tortoise with a thick shell on its back frowned. He may possess an extremely large body, but he appeared rathered timid.


    Feng Xi smiled and slightly spread out his arms. ¡°There is no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Gui. I didn¡¯t call you two over to deal with a formidable enemy, or to travel to a dangerous area. Rather, I wish for your assistance in refining a magic treasure.¡±


    ¡°Refining a magic treasure?¡± The tortoise and flood dragon paused for a moment before glancing at one another. A trace of amazement also appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    Feng Xi slowly said with a feverish expression, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am preparing to refine a magic treasure to fit onto my own body.¡±


    ¡°Did we hear correctly? Brother Feng wishes to refine a magic treasure? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten that the bodies of us demon cultivators are better than any magic treasure. What material could possibly be refined to be stronger than one¡¯s own body?¡± The Venomous Flood Dragon shook his head in disapproval.


    The demon tortoise nodded his head in agreement and said, ¡°Brother Wu¡¯s words are undoubtedly true. The might of any magic treasure will undoubtedly be inferior to the innate bodies of us demon cultivators. Rather than wasting time on external items, wouldn¡¯t it be better to further cultivate one¡¯s own abilities? For example, with regards to Brother Wu¡¯s flood dragon constitution, his innate water-attribute techniques have become a hundred times stronger than other races with only slight cultivation. With your spirit aviary constitution, you should have exceptionally good aptitude towards wind attribute techniques. By cultivating your Firestorm Wings to a deeper stage, you should be able to travel tens of thousands of miles in an instant and roam the seas as you please. As for my profound tortoise constitution, although it isn¡¯t as remarkable as either of yours, my shell will become invulnerable when it is cultivated to the sentient transformation stage. How could a human refined magic treasure possibly compare?¡±


    Feng Xi didn¡¯t grow angry at their words. Rather, he wore a relaxed smile and said, ¡°Given how long I¡¯ve cultivated, how could I not know this? However, the magic treasure I wish to refine is profound. It is a pair of spiritual wings. With these Thunderstorm Wings, I am confident I will be able to roam the skies without limits!¡±


    ¡°Thunderstorm Wings!¡± The demon tortoise absently blinked. It seemed he was at a loss.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A few years ago, when I toured the deep seas for cultivation, I came upon an ancient cultivator¡¯s ruins, and discovered the remains of a huge bird. Although only its silver wing bones remained, they still possessed an astonishing amount of lightning energy. I suspect the wing bones belonged to of a peak metamorphosis stage Lightning Roc. You should know that the Lightning Roc is a primordial bird that possessed extreme speed. It could be considered among the top ten of high-grade, bird-type demon beasts. It¡¯s speed was similar to a flash of lightning, far superior to that of a Windbreaker Beast. Thus, I was struck with a sudden inspiration of bringing the bones back to my cave dwelling and using them along with other bird wing materials to create a human-like magic treasure and affix it to my body.¡± Feng Xi¡¯s eyes glistened as if he was unable to contain the excitement in his heart.


    He then added, ¡°After refining the wing bones, they naturally can¡¯t be solely lightning attribute. A bit of wind attribute spiritual power must be added as well so that I may use them more easily.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± The Venomous Flood Dragon revealed a doubtful expression. The demon tortoise at his side also appeared skeptical.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already spent a year researching the wing. I even went as far as to change my appearance and headed over to the humans for their tool refining texts and instruction. Afterwards, I combined them with my Firestorm Wing refinement methods to come up with the current plans to refine a magic treasure. While I don¡¯t dare to say that success is certain, the odds are at least eighty percent. Of course, you won¡¯t be helping me for nothing. Regardless of whether the magic treasure succeeds¡­¡± The Windbreaker Beast spoke confidently. He started speaking in voice transmission, not wishing for Han Li to hear what he said regarding their compensation.


    Han Li sat calmly at the side, turning a blind eye to what was happening. However, he had placed both of his hands on the table unconsciously revealing his annoyance, contrary to his calm expression.


    Han Li knew that the three demons¡¯ conditions were unfavorable to him. However, he had no rights to be asking questions in their presence. He could only stifle his curiosity and think of his own countermeasures in silence.


    After discussing it with the demon tortoise, the flood dragon eventually agreed, ¡°Good, since Brother Feng mentioned those conditions, we will definitely provide our assistance.¡±


    Feng Xi was delighted to hear that and confidently smiled, ¡°With your earth attribute techniques you¡¯ll be able to use your formation spells to temporarily create lightning attribute spiritual power. I¡¯ll be able to combine wind spiritual power into it with my own wind attribute techniques. But in order to balance both powers, we¡¯ll require Fellow Daoist Li¡¯s wood attribute cultivation arts to counteract any disparities in power from either side. With this, the wind and thunder will hopefully be able to succeed!¡±


    When his gaze fell upon Han Li and saw that he was sitting there without a word, he suddenly thought of something. A strange expression suddenly flickered within his eyes and he gave Han Li a beaming smile, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, I forgot to tell you. Although the Jadefire Wine can assist in a human¡¯s cultivation, the wine was something that was prepared for the consumption of demon cultivators after all. As a result, human cultivators will experience a trace of chaotic malicious Qi. Although there is nothing wrong now, soon enough, the malicious Qi will spread and mix with one¡¯s true essence, resulting in a detonation of one¡¯s spiritual power.¡±


    After he said that, Feng Xi immediately closed his mouth and coldly stared at Han Li in silence. Han Li merely sighed with a frown, displaying neither panic nor fury.


    Han Li slowly asked with a tranquil expression, ¡°If Brother Feng can help me eliminate this malicious Qi, then please speak. Will I only be able to survive if the magic treasure refinement succeeds?¡±


    This caused a trace of surprise to momentarily appear in Feng Xi¡¯s eyes. The other two demon beasts also revealed an interested expression upon hearing Han Li.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist Li is a sensible person. Since you already know this, I won¡¯t further speak of it. So long as the Thunderstorm Wings are successfully refined, I will remove this future ailment. But if it fails, you will be the first target of my frustrations. You had best dissolve any fantasies of dissolving it on your own. Even if Nascent Soul cultivators were willing to assist you, They wouldn¡¯t be able to eliminate the chaotic malicious Qi leftover from the Jadefire Wine.¡± He spoke with a chilling voice and displayed not the slightest emotion.


    ¡°I know what must be done!¡± Han Li nodded his head but bitterly smiled in his heart. He also refrained from saying anything in his mind, fearing that it would somehow affect his later performance during the magic treasure refinement.


    As Han Li was brimming with the feeling of helplessness, the three demon cultivators were having a leisurely chat at the table.


    Feeling that the odds of success with the refinement was high, Feng Xi cheerfully asked the flood dragon, ¡°I heard that Little Brother Wu¡¯s flood dragon clan has partaken in the Unfathomable Depth¡¯s assault on human cultivators. Is this matter true? I¡¯ve always recalled that flood dragons hadn¡¯t bothered themselves with these matters.¡±


    ¡°Humph! That¡¯s right. This time, there are a few experts from our clans that have decided to act. How else could the rubbish from the Unfathomable Depths possibly have succeeded in their attack? Were it not for our assistance, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to exterminate the two Nascent Soul cultivators.¡± The flood dragon didn¡¯t bother to conceal the matter in the presence of Han Li.


    Although no clear emotion appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal some surprise.

 Chapter 546

    Sacred Provenance Plate


    As Han Li felt bewildered by the flood dragon¡¯s comments, Feng Xi chuckled and said, ¡°I heard that a few years ago, when Fellow Daoist Wu had acted as a protector for Brother Gui¡¯s tribulation, several human cultivators launched an attack on him. Although you managed to repel them in the end, you suffered a bit of injury. Could it be that as a result of that battle, the flood dragon clan had decided to attack? Your demon clan has always valued protecting their own!¡±


    ¡°In those years, the cultivators of that island were far too arrogant. They truly believed that the seas belonged to them. They even equated us metamorphosed demon cultivators to those low grade demon beasts that had yet to shed their beastly bodies. They were simply asking to be destroyed. My situation was merely one of many triggers for the attack.¡±


    With that said, the Savage Flood Dragon paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°But most important of all was the human¡¯s attack on a grade seven Lion Dragon[1. Suanni, the hybrid of a lion and a dragon.] from the Unfathomable Depth¡¯s Monarch Clan. As a result, the Venerable Lord Lion Dragon didn¡¯t hesitate to consume their strength to issue a Myriad Demon Writ, resulting in several tens of thousands of demon beasts laying waste to the human¡¯s islands. The reason why my Flood Dragon Clan lent their assistance wasn¡¯t as revenge for the Lion Dragon, but rather, for the sacred Sacred Provenance Plate that had been passed down from generation to generation. It was taken away by humans from the Lion Dragon when it was slain. Although it was badly damaged and had no true value, it was an item that has been continuously circulated throughout our demon clans. It cannot be allowed to fall into human hands.¡± The Savage Flood Dragon then flashed a harsh gaze at Han Li.


    Feng Xi¡¯s expression stirred and he looked at the Flood Dragon with a strange smile. ¡°I have heard of the Lion Dragon being slain, but nothing of the Sacred Provenance Plate. Could it be that without the inherited keepsake, the Lion Dragon Clan would find it difficult to remain the monarchs of the Unfathomable Depths? Is your flood dragon clan thinking about unseating them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about that. After all, I¡¯ve never taken much interest in the clan¡¯s internal affairs. However, I am very interested in the Three Sacred Provenances Technique recorded on the plate. I¡¯ve heard that the might of these ancient secret techniques are amazing. Unfortunately, those techniques have long since been damaged by time and are impossible to reconstruct.¡± The flood dragon¡¯s face revealed excitement before being replaced with regret.


    The demon turtle suddenly burst into laughter and said, ¡°Hehe! Brother Wu is quite greedy. Those secret desolate techniques are just legends from how I see it. I can¡¯t believe those techniques to be superior to your clan¡¯s Dragonification Arts.¡±


    When the flood dragon heard that, a trace of pride appeared on his face, ¡°That may be. My clan¡¯s Dragonification Arts are capable of turning flood dragons into true dragons when the deepest level is cultivated. As such, it is naturally the peak cultivation art among demons.¡±


    Feng Xi chuckled without adding anything further.


    ¡®The Sacred Provenance Plate?¡¯ When Han Li heard this, he was able to maintain his calm expression despite the restlessness in his heart. He suddenly thought of the copper plate that he had recently acquired.


    The copper plate recorded demon cultivation arts that possessed seemingly great might. Could it be that he had happened to acquire the item that the demons were discussing? Although he didn¡¯t know the specific uses of the Sacred Provenance Plate, he came to realize that the item was cause for trouble after hearing that it was something that was passed down by demon clans from antiquity. Could that dark-skinned cultivator have been the main offender that brought about the Beast Torrent? It wasn¡¯t impossible for a mid Core Formation cultivator such as himself to slay a grade seven demon beast.


    Han Li didn¡¯t feel particularly worried as he mulled over these thoughts.


    He could already be considered drowning in misfortune. As his life could be forfeit at any one moment, Han Li couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about yet more trouble that had befallen him. It would be better for him to not dwell on any of those matters while he was still here.


    At the moment, Feng Xi turned to Han Li and indifferently said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, as you¡¯ve recently entered late Core Formation, you should consolidate your cultivation. I don¡¯t wish for you to suddenly be incapable of using your magic power during the magic treasure refinement. Follow after the light and return to your room for a bit of further cultivation.¡±


    With that said, he flicked a ball of white light from his fingers, leading out one of the doors.


    Without a choice, Han Li could only stand up with a forced smile and follow the light out of the hall. He had actually wished to further listen to the secret matters of the demon clan.


    As he walked outside the hall, he suddenly heard Feng Xi indifferently warn him, ¡°Fellow Daoist shouldn¡¯t rashly leave the room. Otherwise, I will misunderstand and trouble will arise!¡±


    The three demons behind him saw Han Li slow down before wordlessly continuing on his way.


    The flood dragon looked in the direction that Han Li had disappeared with an odd gaze and said, ¡°Is there a problem? From how I see it, the young one doesn¡¯t seem resigned. A surprise could occur during the treasure refinement.¡±


    Feng Xi sneered and said, ¡°Be at ease! The success of the Thunderstorm Wings will mostly depend on us three. The human will merely be a tool to provide wood attribute spiritual power. Once the treasure refinement has started, he will have no control. Not to mention the malicious Qi that is contained in his body. With that in mind, he is completely powerless.¡±


    The demon turtle suddenly smiled and teasingly said, ¡°Now that you mention the chaotic malicious Qi, the Jadefire Wine shouldn¡¯t have such a thing. Could it be that Brother Feng entrapped him?¡±


    Feng Xi fixed the silver scarf on his head and evilly grinned, ¡°Hehe! Of course. I gave him a specially refined cup of Jadefire Wine. The malicious Qi should actually be called Devilish Qi. In an encounter with a formidable Devil Dao cultivator, he summoned something he had refined from his body, leaving devilish Qi on my body. It proved quite troublesome to remove.¡±


    When the flood dragon and the tortoise demon heard this, they smiled at each other with their last doubts dispelled.


    At that moment, Han Li had followed the white light sphere into a stone room. It was elegantly decorated. Not only was there a couch refined from white jade, there was also a table with a set of chairs along with many pots of rarely seen plants.


    After Han Li entered the room, the white light orb suddenly dissolved itself. When Han Li saw this, he immediately closed the door to the stone room and and took out several differently colored formation flags from his robes. He placed them at each corner of the stone room and enveloped the room in a small spell formation.


    Han Li felt somewhat at ease from being free of the demon cultivators¡¯ surveillance. Although the spell formation had no defensive qualities, it would give early warning of any outsiders¡¯ malicious eavesdropping. Although this would certainly annoy the Windbreaker Beast, he wouldn¡¯t make a big deal over this small matter.


    With that thought, Han Li changed his focus to the most important worries.


    He walked in front of the couch and sat cross-legged on it before closing his eyes. After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Han Li opened his eyes with a furrowed brow.


    His body appeared exactly the same as it was before. There was nothing amiss. It seemed the demon was tricking him with false words. He had absolutely no perception of the malicious Qi in his body.


    Han Li stroked his chin with a pensive expression. After a moment of deliberation, he suddenly took out an item and examined it for a moment before revealing a harsh expression.


    ¡­


    Two days later, Feng Xi knocked on Han Li¡¯s stone door and then walked in.


    Upon seeing Han Li, the humanform demon beast wore an excited expression and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We will be refining the magic treasure today. Fellow Daoists Wu and Gui are waiting for us in the tool refinement room.¡±


    He then brought Han Li out of the room and headed towards his tool refinement room.


    After following the demon cultivator for a short distance, Han Li arrived in front of an azure jade wall. Feng Xi slapped that wall without any hesitation, causing an arched gate to appear and open. The demon cultivator then stood to the side, indicating for Han Li to enter first.


    Han Li first took a quick glance through the door and saw that the room glowed red. He could faintly feel a roasting heat from within.


    With eyebrows raised, he took a deep breath before walking in. Han Li¡¯s gaze then revealed a trace of astonishment after clearly seeing what was inside.


    The flood dragon and demon tortoise were both standing inside the room, but Han Li was more surprised to see the fire within.


    There was a square platform that spanned about ten meters at the center of the room. It was filled with roaring scarlet flames. There was a huge, complex refinement formation that surrounded the platform. After taking several quick glances at it, Han Li was left amazed.


    With his current knowledge on tool and spell refinement, he could tell how impressive this formation spell was, despite not immediately recognizing its profound complexities. It wasn¡¯t something that he was capable of establishing.


    The two demon cultivators coldly glanced at Han Li when he walked in before paying him no further heed.


    ¡°Alright, everyone has arrived. I¡¯ve already explained the spell formation¡¯s refinement principles to Brothers Wu and Gui. Fellow Daoist Li, all you have to do is stand at the corner of the formation and provide a steady stream of wood attribute spiritual power to the formation. Now that we¡¯ve come this far, Fellow Daoist Li had better refrain from thinking about anything silly.¡± Feng Xi pointed to a corner and looked at Han Li with a heavy gaze.

 Chapter 547

    Lightning Roc Bones


    After taking a glance at the pit of earthfire, Han Li responded with a bitter smile, ¡°What use is there in thinking about silly things now?¡±


    ¡°Then it is good that Fellow Daoist understands.¡± Although Feng Xi said this, he wore a trace of a sneer. It seemed he didn¡¯t believe Han Li¡¯s words.


    When Han Li saw this, he managed to preserve a bitter expression on his face, but he inwardly cursed, ¡®Damned monster!¡¯ He then walked to a corner of the room and sat down cross-legged.


    After seeing that Han Li obediently sat down where he had pointed, Feng Xi nodded his head in satisfaction and turned to the two demons, politely saying, ¡°Brothers, let us enter the formation and prepare!¡±


    When the two demons heard this, they stepped forward without objection, and stood at the formation¡¯s cornerstones as previously discussed.


    Feng Xi lightly smiled and patted the storage pouch at his waist. The pouch unhurriedly flew around the earthfire pit before turning upside down and releasing a burst of radiance. A small silver ball of light pierced through the radiance and soon expanded. In the blink of an eye, it revealed a pair of sparkling white wing bones that were each about three meters long.


    One of the wings was missing the front half while the other wing was completely shattered. Although they appeared worthless at first glance, these sparkling bone fragments emitted an enormous pressure that left one in awe.


    The flood dragon gazed at the bones and clicked his tongue in amazement, ¡°So this is the wing of the Lightning Roc! Although it is extremely damaged, it appears completely genuine. It is deserving of its title as a bird of desolate antiquity!¡±


    Feng Xi stared at the bones with a feverish expression and said, ¡°That is only natural! The Lightning Roc didn¡¯t die in meditation. The reason why its bones were broken should be because someone had trapped it there and ambushed it. Otherwise, with its amazing speed and its peak metamorphosis stage cultivation, it definitely would¡¯ve been able to flee.¡±


    At that moment, Han Li was glancing at the Lightning Roc wing bones in appreciation.


    The demon tortoise didn¡¯t seem to be particularly interested in the bones. After glancing at it for a moment, he said with unusual impatience, ¡°Let us start on refining it. We don¡¯t know how many months it will take!¡±


    Feng Xi paused after hearing this, but he immediately thought of something and broke out into laughter, ¡°Haha! I¡¯ve forgotten that Brother Gui entered metamorphosis stage less than a hundred years ago. He¡¯d naturally feel uneasy towards lightning attribute items. Well then, let us start without delay!¡±


    The flood dragon didn¡¯t raise any opposition to starting.


    With that said, the demon beast¡¯s bodies gradually released an astonishing demonic Qi, each filling the room with white, blue, and yellow radiance.


    Han Li didn¡¯t know whether the formation spell was activated from the demonic Qi or some other method, but the formation started to glow and slightly sway before it finally started to revolve. The tens of mid grade formation stones that surrounded the formation each began to release a blinding gleam.


    Han Li felt restless as he watched the scene occur.


    Feng Xi let out a shout and brought his hands together. He parted his hands and shot two arm-thick beams of white light down into the formation. With a low hum being released, the ground began to tremble for a moment before the earthfire started to rampage at the center of the room.


    Fuush. A head-sized ball of flame shot out from the pit and directly floated above the wing bone. The flame then ruptured, enveloping the wing bone in scorching scarlet flames.


    The flood dragon and the demon tortoise exchanged a glance before raising their hands and releasing threads of yellow and blue radiance. The numerous, densely-packed threads of radiance penetrated the flames and wrapped around the bones. The bones then began to soften amongst the intertwining lights.


    A short moment later, the two used those spirit threads to mold the bones into a more complete shape.


    As Han Li watched this, he felt as if his perspective had been greatly widened.


    With the other two demons molding the bones, a strange light glinted within Feng Xi¡¯s eyes and he grasped his hands in an incantation gesture and repeatedly shifted his ten fingers in a rapid manner.


    Tens of thumb-sized balls of white light subsequently appeared and accurately fell upon the bone wings. In that instant, deafening rolls of thunder began to sound out from the flames. The mended wing bones had begun to release countless sparks of lightning. The sparks were extremely slender and shined with silver light. They began to quickly strike and merge into the blue and yellow spiritual threads.


    After the spiritual threads absorbed the lightning, it flourished with silver light, overwhelming the threads¡¯ original color in an instant..


    When Feng Xi saw this, he solemnly stomped the ground, sending a incantation seal into the spell formation.


    With several muffled crackles, the variously colored beams of light began to shoot out from the earthfire pit. Simultaneously, the wing bone¡¯s radiance converged into a blinding single point.


    Han Li unconsciously narrowed his eyes. By the time his vision had returned to normal, there was a dense, luminous rainbow barrier that had appeared above the earthfire pit.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred for a moment before he managed to recover his expressionless face.


    The white wing bones were intensely scorched by the earthfire within the light barrier, but not the slightest change had occurred. Upon seeing this, the three demons all let out a long sigh.


    The first step was completed without any mishaps or mistakes.


    Afterwards, Feng Xi took out an azure, transparent gem with a relaxed expression and tossed it into the light barrier without any hesitation.


    A short moment later, the gem melted into a semi-liquid. Feng Xi hastily released white spirit threads and manipulated the melted gem to evenly coat the Wing Bone¡¯s surface. Feng Xi still appeared quite vigilant after all this was done.


    He glanced at the other two demons with slight significance and softly said, ¡°Wind.¡± He then took a breath and and spat out a white translucent pearl, sending it into the light barrier in an instant.


    The flood dragon and demon tortoise didn¡¯t dare to delay and also spat out their long cultivated demon cores. The demon cores intertwined with one another as they spun through the air.


    Feng Xi raised his hand and struck his demon core with a incantation seal, immediately arousing a white, wind-attribute core flame to wildly erupt from the demon core.


    Under the control of the flood dragon and demon tortoise, they also had their demon cores release a finger-dense string of core flame. The blue and yellow strings of flame intertwined with a crackle before turning into a silver flame.


    The silver and white flames were then immediately absorbed into the surrounding earthfire, resulting in the earthfire immensely growing in pressure. Afterwards, the spirit infused flames enveloped the wing bones and it slowly began to be refined.


    Feng Xi revealed an expression of unconcealed joy on his face and called out to the other two demons before sitting down cross-legged. The flood dragon and demon tortoise soon followed suit.


    A moment later, the huge formation spell became deathly quiet.


    Silently sitting alone in the corner, a strange expression flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes several times. But after taking a look around, Han Li could only bitterly smile.


    Due to some unknown designs of the formations, at the same time the rainbow barrier had formed above the earthfire pit, an identical formation had appeared around Han Li, trapping him inside. Were it not for the absence of flame inside Han Li¡¯s barrier, he would¡¯ve entirely suspected that he was also a material to be refined.


    Han Li had grown even more uneasy upon seeing that he was still left alone after so long. But at that moment, a change had suddenly occurred. With a flash of light, the light barrier began to pulsate.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes for a moment before recovering his indifferent expression. Before he could even guess what had happened, he suddenly felt something amiss from his body. He couldn¡¯t help but fearfully lower his head.


    As the rainbow light barrier around him pulsated, he saw faint wisps of azure light visibly leaving his body. Although it was quite slow, his spiritual power was undoubtedly being drained from his body and into the light barrier.


    Han Li frowned with a sullen expression. It seemed the three demons had no plans of having him meddle with the treasure refinement. As such, he was only being treated as a huge spirit stone.


    But after some further thought, his expression returned to normal, and he inwardly sneered.


    He didn¡¯t believe that the three demons would hold him there forever. He reckoned that they would have him assist them sooner or later.

 Chapter 548

    Combining Wind and Lightning


    Although Han Li had anticipated that the treasure refinement wouldn¡¯t merely take a few days, he was quite shocked to find that the three demon cultivators sat cross-legged in complete stillness for five entire months while refining the bizarre material with their core flames.


    During this period, apart from stopping four times to recover their magic power, they had kept their demon cores suspended in the air, continuously spouting out core flames in a leisurely manner. Their statuses as grade eight and nine demon beasts clearly weren¡¯t just for show. Their magic power was truly profound.


    Because Han Li was refining Qi the entire time, he had managed to preserve his full state of magic power. The miniscule amount of magic power that the light barrier consumed could hardly be considered significant.


    The wing bones within the core flames had become increasingly translucent and bright with each passing day. It also faintly carried the sounds of thunder and sharp wind. The joy in Feng Xi¡¯s eyes became more obvious as this occurred. Han Li knew that the finalization of the Thunderstorm Wings was approaching.


    In those several months, Han Li was puzzled to find that not a single trace of the malicious Qi could be found from within his body. However, after some further thought, he felt that it had something to do with the Divine Devilbane Lightning in his body. They had a miraculous efficacy against things of evil nature.


    ¡®Could it be the the malicious Qi had already been exterminated by the Divine Devilbane LIghtning?¡¯ Han Li felt delight at the thought.


    Had the malicious Qi truly appeared, he had planned on using the Divine Devilbane Lightning to get rid of it, or to take the risk of swallowing some Gold Devouring Beetles and having them forcefully consume it.


    As a result, the Windbreaker Beast¡¯s method of coercion was unable to inspire any fear in Han Li, not that he had taken it seriously to begin with. The old demon definitely wouldn¡¯t have expected for Han Li to possess such an astonishingly valuable magic treasure with his low cultivation.


    Without any worry of this later harming him, Han Li became even more resolved to resist. He quickly swept through the many plans he had previously made to escape. He was prepared to use the most optimal plan according to how the situation played out.


    After yet another month, Feng Xi rose from his seat and began to take action as if he felt that the refinement was about to be done.


    From the moment he opened his eyes, he stared at the bone wings in the air that were on the verge of completion. With a deep sigh, he suddenly shot a dozen incantation seals at it and suddenly extinguished his core flame, revealing the three demon cores and two bone wings that were within.


    The demon cores were comparatively dimmer than before. It seemed the persist strain of the demon cores over the months of use had harmed their origin Qi. Contrarily, the bone wings had become slender and whole, emitting a milky white luster that was nearly blinding.


    Without any hesitation, Feng Xi flicked his own demon core, causing it to wildly rotate around in the air before returning down his throat. The other two demons glanced at each other before doing the same. Wordlessly, the three demons began to immediately meditate and rest. Several days later, the three demon cultivators had replenished their magic power and origin Qi.


    At that moment, Feng Xi turned his gaze to Han Li. He shot an incantation seal at the light barrier entrapping him. Red radiance bored into the light barrier, causing it to dissolve with several violent flashes.


    Han Li possessed an entirely tranquil expression that was void of any surprise.


    Feng Xi¡¯s expression grew relaxed and he said, ¡°Next, we will be joining the two wings as one and merge lightning and wind together. We will require Fellow Daoist¡¯s wood attribute magic power to act as a balance. Get yourself prepared!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Without saying anything further, Han Li stood up.


    When Feng Xi saw Han Li¡¯s expression, he frowned and hesitation flickered within his eyes.


    He lowered his head and muttered to himself for a moment before suddenly flicking his finger without warning. A streak of white radiance shot straight towards Han Li!


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew aghast, but after a moment of hesitation, he didn¡¯t move out of the way. With the white radiance entering his body, Han Li wore an unsightly expression. Han Li pursed his lips and sullenly said, ¡°Senior Feng, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Be at ease, the wind spirit energy will not harm you, and will disappear after a short amount of time. But during this time, if I were to trigger it with a slight bit of magic power, Fellow Daoist is as good as dead. Do your best, and don¡¯t think about anything else.¡± Feng Xi sinisterly said.


    Han Li inwardly grumbled upon hearing that. Over half of his plans to escape had just been eliminated.


    Feng Xi was quite pleased to see Han Li¡¯s angry expression. Without paying further attention to Han Li, he took out three medicine bottles from his storage pouch. Afterwards, he tossed two of them to the other demons.


    Feng Xi solemnly exhorted, ¡°Little Brothers, be careful. Combining wind and lightning spiritual power will be very taxing on our magic power. These bottles each has a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk. Use it when your magic power is exhausted. The merging process must go smoothly. Otherwise, the Thunderstorm Wings will never come into being.¡±


    A trace of amazement flickered within the flood dragon¡¯s eyes when he heard that the bottles contained Myriad Year Spirit Milk. He soon agreed, ¡°Please, be at ease. I will certainly spare no effort.¡±


    The demon tortoise to his side slapped his chest and pledged, ¡°As will I! I also wish to see what profound abilities the Thunderstorm Wings will display upon completion!¡±


    Feng Xi wore a satisfied expression after hearing their responses. He then wordlessly rubbed his hands together before holding them out and shooting a bowl-thick beam of white light towards the rainbow light barrier. The light barrier trembled and released a low hum for a moment. Afterwards, it flickered and continuously shifted colors until it shined with a blinding white radiance.


    When the flood dragon and demon tortoise saw this, they rushed to shoot out their own blue and yellow beams of light at the barrier. Halfway to the barrier, the beams of light converged to turn into a white beam of lightning spiritual energy before then striking the barrier.


    In an instant, the light rumbled and the light barrier underwent another change. Rolls of thunder began to sound from within the barrier as it pulsated with a silver radiance.


    Upon seeing the barrier flicker, Feng Xi unhesitantly ordered Han Li with a deep, icy tone,¡±Fellow Daoist Li, pour in a tenth of your cultivation¡¯s spiritual power.¡±


    Han Li hesitated for a moment and his expression stirred. Feng Xi could definitely end him from controlling the wind spiritual energy inside his body. He could only raise his hand and shoot a finger-thick beam of azure light into the barrier.


    A strange scene occurred!


    The instability and hums released from the light barrier were instantly reduced. The brilliance had also dimmed and became slightly more stable.


    Feng Xi¡¯s expression relaxed and he excitedly said, ¡°Good, continue to supply the spiritual power!¡± It appeared that his plan to combine wind and lightning energy was coming into fruition.


    When the other two demons saw this, their confidence greatly increased.


    They started to form many various complicated incantation gestures, and strike countless spell seals against the light barrier.


    After a short moment, the light barrier began to reveal a furious white gale contained within it along with bolts of silver lightning. The lightning and wind energy wrapped closely together around the bone wings and started to merge. Feng Xi then called for Han Li to pour in further wood attribute spiritual power as he gazed into the light barrier.


    In the following week, huge bolts of silver lightning and furious white gales rampaged within the barrier.


    The three demons grew tense and continuously struck the light barrier with their incantation seals. Feng Xi appeared particularly intense.


    As Han Li watched them from the side, he continued to pour his wood-attribute spiritual energy into the barrier under their orders. However, a trace of a strange, excited expression flickered within his eyes, but in the end, Han Li decided against taking any rash actions. He felt the opportunity had yet to arrive.


    Three three demons couldn¡¯t conceal their fatigue. Although their incantation seals didn¡¯t cease, their magic power was definitely on the point of exhaustion.


    Although the violent storm of lightning and wind inside the light barrier was intense, a strange union began to form. The violent winds began to flicker with sparks and the lightning began to carry cries of the wind.


    The three demons wore unconcealed joy upon seeing this.


    On the next day, the demon tortoise had exhausted his magic power and took the drop of spirit milk. In the following days, the flood dragon and Feng Xi followed suit.


    Han Li expressionlessly looked at this and gripped the storage pouch in his hands. His eyes contained a difficult to perceive trace of slyness.


    When the three demon beasts¡¯ magic power had been exhausted and the magic treasure had yet to be fully refined, that would be his moment to act.


    Han Li had originally thought this plan to be unreliable. But under the current circumstances, it had become somewhat feasible.

 Chapter 549

    Intrigue


    After another twenty days passed, the interior of the barrier had become tranquil. The violent storm had disappeared to reveal a pair of silver white wings. The missing flesh around the Lightning Roc bones had been replaced with precious materials, and the feathers were replaced with lightning and wind.


    With this, the pair of wind and lightning wings had taken form.


    Although the wings currently appeared completed, it truth, the feathers¡¯ wind-lightning power had only just taken form and had yet to stabilize. As a result, the clearly exhausted Feng Xi had forced himself to pour even more magic power into the barrier, fearing that their previous efforts would go to waste.


    Feng Xi felt quite gloomy as he did this. He had originally believed that the three drops of spirit milk that he had specially acquired for them would be sufficient. But he didn¡¯t expect that their spiritual power would be depleted while just on the verge of the wing¡¯s completion. Fortunately, under the current circumstances he could choose to damage his Origin Qi and forcefully support it until the end. Otherwise, the magic treasure would would be lost forever and he would be inflicted with incurable regret.


    But during that moment, the grade nine demon beast suddenly felt a strange fluctuation of Qi inside the room. Although it was very weak and only occurred for a short time, it was extremely pure.


    He swept his gaze across the room with narrowed eyes, eventually arriving upon Han Li; Feng Xi¡¯s face turned sullen.


    Han Li revealed shock, but he immediately forced a smile. However, Feng Xi continued to coldly gaze upon him without emotion.


    ¡°Take it out!¡± The demon cultivator ordered.


    ¡°What does Senior want?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression grew increasingly strained and artificial as he quietly withdrew his hand from his sleeve.


    A cold glint flickered from Feng Xi¡¯s eyes. He wordlessly pointed at Han Li, shooting a ball of dazzling, pulsing white light towards Han Li.


    Han Li was initially stunned before he immediately released a miserable scream. He fell to the floor and thrashed about with an agonized expression as his complexion turned purple.


    ¡°Humph! If you won¡¯t listen to words, then listen to force!¡± A hostile gaze flashed across Feng Xi¡¯s face as he gazed at the small bottle that fell out of Han Li¡¯s sleeve. With a strange expression he grabbed toward the small bottle and had it fly to his hand.¡±


    Feng Xi glared at Han Li and bluntly said, ¡°Is the flare of wind spirit energy unpleasant? You had consumed quite a bit of spiritual energy recently, but you¡¯ve recovered quite a bit of it. It seems the bottle should hold some spiritual medicine. Did Fellow Daoist Li plan on taking advantage of our deprived state to flee by using his recovered spiritual energy?¡±


    After the demon cultivator ceased his technique, Han Li was barely able to stand back up. His face paled as if his scheme had been exposed.


    Feng Xi glanced at the small bottle ¡°Why, aren¡¯t you clever? Let¡¯s see what is in the bottle. I¡¯ve never heard of something besides from Myriad Spirit Milk that is able to recover spiritual power in an instant.¡±


    The flood dragon curiously said, ¡°I¡¯ve also never heard of such a thing. However, it has come at a useful time.¡±


    At that moment, the demon tortoise and flood dragon were striking the barrier with incantation seals and accelerating the fusion process between the lightning and wind. Although it seemed that the demon tortoise was doing slightly better than the flood dragon, his magic power was also heavily depleted and he was barely able to persist.


    Feng Xi opened the bottle with a thumping heart, catching a whiff of pure spirit Qi.


    He glanced at the bottle before bringing it to his nose and taking a sniff.


    The demon tortoise was unable to keep calm and closely questioned, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Feng Xi glared at Han Li and coldly said, ¡°Speak!¡±


    Han Li crestfallenly hung his head and reluctantly said, ¡°It is a flask of diluted Myriad Year Spirit Milk.¡±


    When the demon tortoise heard him, his spirit trembled with surprised delight, ¡°What? You also have Myriad Year Spirit Milk?¡±


    As the three demons didn¡¯t believe that their magic power could persist until the end, they were greatly overjoyed.


    ¡°Humph, it¡¯s green. It seems you mixed something else within it too. And it has heavy wood spiritual Qi.¡± Feng Xi examined the small bottle with suspicion.


    Han Li bitterly smiled and sincerely answered, ¡°I mixed a few aged spiritual medicines within it. Because I practice a wood-attribute cultivation art, wood-attribute spiritual Qi would naturally be of great benefit to me.¡±


    Feng Xi frowned and thought to ask more when the demon tortoise loudly yelled, ¡°Brother Feng, quickly pass the spirit milk over and let me drink it. I know that although we will be able to persist with great difficulty, we will overdraft our Origin Qi and cause our cultivation to decline. I need to replenish my spiritual Qi.¡± The demon tortoise feared that Feng Xi wouldn¡¯t agree and grew anxious.


    Feng Xi hesitantly responded, ¡°Of course I know that, but this spirit milk¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, the flood dragon said, ¡°Brother Feng! I can sense the pure spiritual Qi from so far away. It is Myriad Spirit Milk without a doubt. Even if the spirit milk was sabotaged, what harm will it do to us? Moreover, I am a Venomous Flood Dragon, a devourer of all poisons. Even if the bottle is poisoned, it will have no effect against me.¡±


    It appeared they both didn¡¯t wish to squander their Origin Qi.


    ¡°Hehe! I had nearly forgotten about Brother Wu¡¯s innate poison ability. Since this is the case, let us split the spirit milk into three. This way, we won¡¯t suffer much damage to our true essence after we complete the refinement.¡± Feng Xi silently smiled and stretched his neck back, pouring a third of the spirit milk down his throat. He then tossed the bottle to the Venomous Flood Dragon with a chuckle.


    As a grade nine demon beast, he had no fear of any poison, and since the spiritual Qi was genuine, he had no thoughts of letting it go.


    The flood dragon caught the small bottle and drank half of what was left in the bottle before handing it off to the demon tortoise.


    The demon tortoise then impatiently gulped the rest of the spirit milk and flung the small bottle to the side.


    Not long after, the three felt some of their magic power recover, and they let out a breath of relief. Feng Xi not longer held any of his original suspicions in mind.


    At that moment, a cold glint flickered in the flood dragon¡¯s eyes as he sent Feng Xi a voice transmission, ¡°When we¡¯re done refining the treasure, the human cultivator will no longer have a use. Let me finish him off. The human makes for an irksome presence!¡± When the flood dragon finished speaking, he coldly swept his gaze over Han Li and displayed harsh killing intent.


    Feng Xi unconsciously turned his gaze to Han Li and indifferently said, ¡°Don¡¯t get rid of him for the time being. Although we won¡¯t need his wood-attribute spiritual Qi in the following days, it is better to be careful. You can kill him after the wings have finished.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then the human will have a few more days to live!¡± The flood dragon¡¯s tone was unsatisfied, but he decided to agree to wait in the end.


    Han Li had only seen their lips move and was unable to know what they said. However, his body broke into a chill when their hostile gazes fell upon him and he could faintly guess what they were talking about.


    His face grew unsightly after some thought and he wordlessly sat down cross-legged on the floor. He then slowly closed his eyes as if he were resigned to death.


    The three demons paused after seeing this, but they paid no more attention to Han Li and completely focused their attention on the spirit wings.


    In truth, Han Li¡¯s heart was heavily thumping at that moment. He was slowly transferring slivers of faint gold lightning from his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords into his body, controlling it so it wouldn¡¯t erupt. Afterwards, layers of Divine Devilbane Lightning began to densely coil around the ball of wind spirit energy that Feng Xi had planted within him.


    The Wind Spirit Energy wasn¡¯t something that Han Li could refine at his current cultivation, and it wasn¡¯t something that the Devilbane lightning could cleanly dissolve. However, he could restrain it for the time being and prevent it from flaring out, drawing from his experience in binding the Celestial Ice Pearl.


    At that moment, the demon tortoise had recovered a portion of his spiritual power. Just as he effortlessly continued to pour spiritual power into the light barrier, he glanced at the flood dragon and suddenly thought of something. He thought to say something, but his mouth suddenly trembled and his expression twisted. With an odd gaze in his eyes, the demon tortoise ceased sending spiritual power into the light barrier and fell to the ground. His mouth was wide open, but not the slightest sound was produced.


    An astonishing scene followed. The demon¡¯s abdomen had suddenly expanded.


    In the following moment, his head and limbs also began to swell with protrusions as if evil spirits had suddenly emerged from within his body and wished to break free.


    When the flood dragon and Feng Xi saw this, their expressions greatly changed and they simultaneously recalled the diluted spirit milk from Han Li¡¯s small bottle.

 Chapter 550

    Helplessness in a Crisis


    The Venomous Flood Dragon bellowed and his body flourished with scarlet light as he thought to immediately attack Han Li. But at nearly the same time, the demon¡¯s face immediately grimaced and he fell to his knees with a bang. He helplessly stared at the swelling in his body and remained still in his powerlessness.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Feng Xi furiously yelled. A flash of white light flickered from his face; his body then disappearing from sight. A moment later, he appeared behind Han Li, and fiercely swiped down with a black claw.


    His movements were near instantaneous. Although Han Li had already prepared himself, he still wasn¡¯t able to keep up with his movements. He could only do his utmost to throw his body to the side.


    Clang! Han Li was pushed away by a huge force and was thrown over thirty meters away. Han Li then stood back up with obvious difficulty.


    The single strike of the grade nine demon beast¡¯s claw wasn¡¯t able to immediately kill Han Li. The demon cultivator couldn¡¯t help but pause, an ominous glint soon flickering across his eyes as he stared at where he had struck Han Li. The tears in his clothes revealed silver white scales. A majority of them were shattered from the strike, revealing a twinkling, jet-black cloth underneath.


    ¡°Inner armor?¡± Feng Xi was greatly surprised, but he soon scoffed and wordlessly turned into wind once more, disappearing without a trace.


    The inner armor was clearly an extremely fine treasure for it to be able to withstand one of his strikes. However, the armor wouldn¡¯t be able to save his life a second time.


    Han Li also recognized his previous survival to only be a result of luck. He was sure that strike should¡¯ve been able to kill him. Man Huzi¡¯s Royal Scale Plate was truly an extraordinary treasure to be able to ward off a strike from a grade nine demon beast.


    With the precious time the armor had bought, Han Li firmly regained his footing. Golden lightning surged throughout his body without the slightest thought, accompanied by a blinding flourish of azure light that took the form of a huge azure essence swordshield. He also raised his arms and summoned twenty-four azure swords from within his body, instantly forming a barrier around him.


    Just as Han Li finished doing this, Feng Xi¡¯s tall stature appeared in front of Han Li yet again. With a sinister glare, he opened his mouth and revealed a blinding white light.


    Han Li¡¯s expression abruptly changed as he inwardly cursed in helplessness. He was fundamentally incapable of surviving if the old demon was going to use his demon core in a direct attack.


    As Han Li felt his heart freeze, Feng Xi suddenly closed his mouth and his body swayed. His face wore an unsightly expression as he lost his footing.


    Han Li was immediately roused from his shock, noticing that the demon cultivator had started to tremble. Moreover, his abdomen began to show protrusions. Although this old demon had a much deeper cultivation than the other two, the effects of the green liquid had eventually taken hold.


    Han Li was overjoyed and pointed at him without the slightest hesitation. The twenty-four Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords surged towards Feng Xi and began to wildly strike at him from every angle.


    After only a short moment, Han Li¡¯s smile grew rigid.


    Although the Windbreaker Beast was painfully on his knees and his hands where tightly gripping his abdomen, he had managed to envelop his body in a layer of faint white light. The flying swords alone weren¡¯t able to break through the light barrier in even the slightest. Additionally, the demon cultivator was still able to force his head up to fiercely glare at Han Li. Although he couldn¡¯t speak, his eyes were full of malice.


    With a single glance, Han Li felt his heart drop. Pondering for a short moment, Han Li concluded there should be some sort of treasure protecting Feng Xi. Otherwise, he definitely would¡¯ve been able slay Han Li with even the slightest control over his magic power, given his immense hatred for Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s heart grew calm at the thought and he quickly formed an incantation gesture with his hands. The flying swords merged together, forming two balls of blinding azure lights. The two balls of light faded away to reveal two azure swords about ten meters long; they glowed with an imposingly cold light.


    With a strange expression flickering within his eyes, Han Li silently opened his mouth and spouted a cloud of azure Qi onto each sword, causing them to flourish with splendor. With a series of light hums, they then chopped down towards the Windbreaker Beast.


    The huge swords fiercely struck the white light with a bang. Azure and white light intertwined, but in the end, the two swords were only able to cut several inches into the white light before they were forcefully repelled.


    Han Li blankly stared at the scene, but Feng Xi wore a trace of a sneer.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but tremble upon seeing his expression. Although Feng Xi was crippled, Han Li had no method of harming him. Apart from the throbbing in Feng Xi¡¯s swollen abdomen, there wasn¡¯t much of a change to his limbs or head. The demon cultivator seemed to be forcefully suppressing the effects of the green liquid.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed as he suddenly through of something. He hastily turned his gaze to the other demons and felt his heart tremble.


    The flood dragon and demon tortoise still had inflated bodies. However, their heads and limbs had started to shrink. It appeared that their bodies were releasing the spiritual Qi without restraint. It was clear that they were suppressing the green liquid, but at a much slower rate than the Windbreaker Beast due to their lower cultivation.


    Han Li instantly pointed to the two huge swords, causing them to strike the two demons as streaks of azure light. Since the swords couldn¡¯t deal with the Windbreaker Beast, it would be better to first deal with the other two demons!


    Afterwards, Han Li steeled his mind and slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles filled the room. With a low-pitch whistle, Han Li directed them towards Feng Xi.


    Feng Xi¡¯s eyes revealed astonishment upon seeing the beetles appear. In the following moment, the countless beetles enveloped the white light in layers and started gnawing at the white light.


    At that moment, the two huge swords chopped down upon the demon tortoise and flood dragon. Although their eyes widened, they couldn¡¯t move in the slightest. They could only watch as the azure swords struck their body. Two violent clangs were produced from the strike, but not the slightest damage was done.


    Han Li was left stunned by the result. ¡°How could this be? The Windbreaker Beast has a treasure protecting his body that is able to block the flying swords. But these demons were able to repel the swords with their bodies alone without receiving even the slightest damage! How could the bodies of these grade eight demon beasts be so hard?¡±


    Of course, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to give up after just this.


    He pointed to the two huge swords and caused them to release arm-thick bolts of lightning onto the two demons.


    The two demons appeared quite pained upon receiving the lightning, but they remained uninjured. However, their expressions only grew most hostile as a result. Presumably, their first thoughts after regaining control of their bodies would be to tear Han Li apart.


    Han Li felt a slight pang of fear at the thought and then turned his head over to look at his Gold Devouring Beetles. After some thought, he had the Gold Devouring Beetles float into the air and reveal the demon cultivator underneath.


    Although the white light had somewhat dimmed, the demon beast was still safe and sound underneath the white light. It was truly proving difficult for Han Li to deal with. Even after the simultaneous feasting of tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles, they had only managed to slightly weaken it. The power of Feng Xi¡¯s protective treasure was truly beyond reason.


    Just as Han Li hesitated on whether he wanted the Gold Devouring Beetles to continue swarming around Feng Xi, Feng Xi regained the ability to speak.


    The demon wore a vicious expression as he strenuously spoke, ¡°Human! Do you believe that a trifling Core Formation cultivator is somehow capable of dealing with metamorphosis stage demons? In a moment, we will give you a taste of what it means to desire death.¡± Although his tone was calm, his words were staunch and threatening.


    When Han Li heard those words, he regained clarity of mind. ¡°Humph! Is that so?¡±


    Without further hesitation, he pointed to the Gold Devouring Beetles in the air, causing them to change direction towards the other two demons with a ferocious buzz.


    The two huge swords then made their way towards the rainbow light barrier.


    Fenx Xi saw Han Li¡¯s actions and started to panic. He hurriedly yelled at him with a fearful expression, ¡°Stop! What folly are you up to? Do you wish to be pursued by all the flood dragons in these seas? And the Thunderstorm Wings have yet to be completed. If you take them out now all will be lost. Furthermore, those spirit wings can only be controlled using both spirit and lightning power. What use is there in you taking it?¡±


    Han Li sneered and showed no sign of stopping. The insect swarms fell upon the two demons in an instant, and the two huge swords¡¯ strikes had nearly collapsed the rainbow refinement barrier. After all, the barrier¡¯s purpose was to refine magic tools; it wasn¡¯t made with defensive capabilities in mind.


    Feng Xi¡¯s green eyes grew crimson upon see this, but the strange ailment that affected his body continued to prevent him from taking any action.


    In the following moment, the Venomous Flood dragon released a heaven-shaking screech.


    Scarlet bloodlight ruptured from within the beetles. Upon touching the bloodlight, the beetles immediately turned into drops of black liquid and released yellow smoke.


    The scarlet mist was amazingly toxic.

 Chapter 551

    Devouring the Flood Dragon


    Han Li squinted while gazing at the scene through the red mist.


    The Venomous Flood Dragon¡¯s scales had been torn away under the onslaught of the Gold Devouring Beetles. However, the shredded skin and flesh underneath spouted out a seemingly endless mist of bloodlight, melting large quantities of the beetles into a black liquid. Not long after, the many beetles that had surrounded the flood dragon had nearly all perished.


    As of current, the mutilated body of the Venomous Flood Dragon was oozing green blood from all over. He stared at Han Li with a bone-deep hatred.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. It appeared that the Venomous Flood Dragon¡¯s reputation wasn¡¯t undeserved. His Gold Devouring Beetles had already evolved to a point where ordinary magic treasures could hardly pose a threat to them. It was obvious how deadly the mist of toxic bloodlight was from how easily the beetles had been exterminated.


    Soon, a sneer reappeared on Han Li¡¯s face. The demons had no idea just how many beetles he possessed. Even if he had to expend most of them, he would definitely slay each and every one of them.


    With that thought, he took a quick look at the swarm of beetles that were covering the demon tortoise. He heard the incessant sound of grating from their direction, but the insect swarm appeared to be nearly motionless. If it weren¡¯t for the faint demonic Qi that leaked out from the beetles, Han Li would¡¯ve dared to believe that the demon was already dead.


    Although he felt uncertainty swell in his heart, Han Li raised his arms into the air without any further thought and tossed several spirit beast pouches out. Suddenly, a huge hum of insect wings reverberated throughout the room as over a hundred thousand black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles appeared.


    Upon seeing such a large quantity of beetles, the flood dragon revealed an expression of despair.


    At that same moment, Feng Xi¡¯s expression abruptly changed to reveal astonishment.


    It was said that exotic spirit insects had a far shorter lifespan than common spirit beasts. Although their incubation period was quite short and they laid hundred of eggs when breeding, they would ordinarily only breed once every hundred years. After hatching and accepting a master, they would need several tens of years of training and nurturing before they could be truly used. Additionally, the greater the power and the higher the grade of the insects, the more time was required. As a result, only a few cultivators were renowned for their insect control techniques in the Scattered Star Seas despite the numerous cultivators that practiced such techniques. They were especially rare to find past Core Formation stage!


    Most insect controllers would only possess about a thousand exotic insects in their lifetime if they were lucky. In most of these cases, they had inherited a majority of their insects from a master in order to acquire such an amount.


    Additionally, exotic insects were said to be far weaker than spirit beasts. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see an entire swarm of insects be exterminated in a single battle. As a result, there were few cultivators that used insect control techniques despite knowing that their powers were great.


    As a result, Feng Xi and the flood dragon were in disbelief after seeing Han Li release such a vast quantity of insects. Despite being metamorphosis stage demon beasts, they still felt fear at the ferocity of Han Li¡¯s beetles.


    Of course, if they knew that this might was coming from insects that had yet to fully mature, they would be left in even greater shock.


    Without paying any further attention to the hate, fury, and fear in the flood dragon¡¯s eyes, Han Li quickly uttered an incantation and had the flying insects separate into several groups before sending them off to maul the flood dragon.


    A mist of bloodlight spurted forth once more from the flood dragon¡¯s wounds, and liquified any Gold Devouring Beetles that it touched. However, the beetles swarming around the ceiling of the room held no fear. After a short moment, the mist of bloodlight shrank and dimmed, eventually disappearing to reveal the flood dragon¡¯s wretched expression.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened as he saw this and had another group of beetles immediately fall upon flood dragon, drowning him once more in a sea of gold, silver and black. This pattern repeated over and over: the swarm would be melted by the toxic bloodlight only to be replaced by yet another swarm after it faded away. Eventually, the Venomous Flood Dragon could no longer endure, succumbing to the repeated swarms of Gold Devouring Beetles.


    When Feng Xi saw this, his expression faintly changed, but he immediately wore a face of calm. He merely stared at Han Li with an icy gaze.


    Han Li snorted and had the insect swarm depart from the body, revealing the remains of the Venomous Flood Dragon. A sparkling fist-sized, blood-red core could be seen within.


    A strange emotion flickered from his eyes, but before he took any action, the demon core took off into the air with a flash of blue light, heading in the direction of the room¡¯s exit. Han Li instantly reached and shot an azure swordstreak from his hand.


    The demon core wobbled through the air from the strike before an inch-long miniature flood dragon suddenly emerged from within the demon core in a flash of blue light. It was the flood dragon¡¯s primal soul.


    When the flood dragon¡¯s soul saw that it had been revealed, it panickedly disappeared with a flash of scarlet light.


    A chilling glint flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes. He slapped a spirit beast pouch at his waist, summoning a yellow streak of light. When it fell onto the floor, a small, gloomy monkey with a lazy appearance appeared. It was the Weeping Soul Beast.


    Han Li didn¡¯t have the time to worry about the beast¡¯s mood and slapped its head, causing the Weeping Soul Beast to involuntarily snort and shoot a yellow light out from its nose. The yellow light spiralled through the air before eventually enveloping an empty area. With a flash of yellow light, the miniature flood dragon¡¯s soul appeared.


    Soon after, the yellow light wrapped around the the flood dragon¡¯s soul and dragged it back into the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s nose.


    The flood dragon¡¯s soul was naturally unwilling to face death and stopped itself halfway by releasing a blinding blue light. The blue light stopped the yellow mist in its entirety.


    With a soul that powerful, it was worthy of belonging to a desolate beast at the metamorphosis stage. It was far more capable than any grade seven demon beast. Of course, this was also partially due to the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s young age. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve fully displayed power for which it was famed.


    Han Li never intended for the Weeping Soul Beast to truly suck in the flood dragon¡¯s soul. Grade eight demon beast souls were an extremely precious material, and he naturally wasn¡¯t going to waste it.


    As a result, while the Weeping Soul Beast and the flood dragon¡¯s soul were locked in confrontation, Han Li disappeared with a blur. He reappeared a moment later next to the flood dragon¡¯s soul with his hand covered in sparkling azure light. Unable to escape, the soul entered Han Li¡¯s tight grasp.


    The soul was only several inches long, but it managed to forcefully sway his hand in its struggles. However, Han Li had already prepared a jade bottle in his other hand. In a single, quick movement, Han Li enveloped the flood dragon in azure light and slipped it into the bottle. He quickly covered the bottle and carefully placed it into his storage pouch. At that moment, he finally let out a breath of relief.


    Han Li then turned around to face the demon tortoise, possessing not the slightest intention to delay it¡¯s death.


    But at that moment, a brittle crack sounded out. The light barrier was finally broken through by the two huge swords. Without turning his head, he opened his hand and shot a wide cloud of azure light from his palm. A moment later, the light brought back the Thunderstorm Wings and dropped them into his hand. Since he couldn¡¯t deal with them at the time being, he stuffed them into his storage pouch for later.


    This action caused Feng Xi to nearly spit out a mouthful of blood. His originally calm expression was now brimming with hatred.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze fell upon the mound of beetles lying on another part of the room. He let out a low whistle, and the beetles flew off, revealing the demon tortoise underneath.


    Han Li felt his breath turn cold.


    The demon tortoise¡¯s body was shredded and mangled, but his body was enveloped in a faint yellow light. His bare flesh was squirming before Han Li¡¯s eyes and was healing at an amazing rate. In an instant, a majority of the wounds had already healed.


    Wearing a stupefied expression, Han Li bitterly yelled, ¡°A self-mending body!¡±


    Self-mending bodies were quite common amongst demon beasts, and there were many low-grade demon beasts that possessed one. It would allow for quick recovery from wounds and for severed limbs to regrow. However, this instinctual trait was rare amongst high grade demon beasts. Despite having killed so many grade six and seven demon beasts, Han Li had never seen an ability of near rebirth such as this.


    Han Li was immensely shocked to discover that this grade eight demon tortoise actually possessed such a trait.


    But with this, Han Li¡¯s problems had grown much larger. Apart from somehow slicing open the demon tortoise¡¯s head and shattering its demon core, Han Li had no other methods to kill it. Unless he could somehow exhaust his regenerative abilities, he was helpless.


    Unfortunately, he had only refined his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords several tens of years ago, and he had scarcely spent any of that time tempering them. As a result, they couldn¡¯t be considered powerful amongst magic treasures of cultivators at a similar grade, despite being made out of the legendary Golden Lightning Bamboo and being refined with the exceedingly precious crystal.


    In the past, he had mostly relied on the magic treasure¡¯s quantity and astonishing coordination to slay grade six and seven demon beasts. Of course, while its power was immensely strengthened when a set of twelve combined together into a huge sword, this was merely one of the beneficial aspects of a set of magic treasure.


    But even with the huge sword fusion, it was clear that he was incapable of defeating either of the present demon beast¡¯s long cultivated bodies.

 Chapter 552

    Escaping Pursuit


    Han Li was extremely vexed when his swords proved completely harmless to the demon cultivators. But after some thought, he regained his calm.


    A vast majority of high grade demon beasts specialized in cultivating their bodies. Their dense flesh and hardened skin could rival the magic treasures of similarly ranked cultivators. Furthermore, demon beasts had lifespans that lasted several times longer than common cultivators, sometimes possessing lifespans that were tens of times longer. As a result, the higher grade the demon beast, and the longer they cultivated, the more astonishingly durable their body would be.


    Before arriving at Nascent Soul stage, cultivators relied on their magic treasures and knowledge to slay demon beasts of grade seven and under. But once demon beasts reached the metamorphosis stage at grade eight, they would often suppress human cultivators of the same rank with their cultivated bodies and expanded intellect.


    Since flood dragons were a primordial race, their grade eight demons were comparable in both combat and defensive power to common grade nine demon beasts. As for demon tortoises, their race had the strongest defensive powers amongst all demon beasts.


    After taking this into consideration, it wasn¡¯t any surprise that Han Li¡¯s flying swords were unable to harm them in the slightest. Though it may have gone differently if a Nascent Soul eccentric attacked them with a magic treasure that had been nurtured for several hundred years.


    Conversely, were it a common Nascent Soul eccentric lying on the ground, Han Li would¡¯ve easily been able to slay him. Very few cultivators refined their bodies like demons did; Man Huzi being a particularly notable exception.


    As for the Divine Devilbane Lightning, while it may hold fatal power against devilish arts and evil techniques, it wasn¡¯t particularly effective against the demon race. The formidable might of the Divine Devilbane Lightning originated from the Gold Lightning Bamboo itself, but at Han Li¡¯s current cultivation, he was only able to tap into about a tenth of its power.


    With this now clear in his mind, Han Li didn¡¯t feel dejected in the least. He understood that once he reached Nascent Soul stage and spent another hundred years tempering his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, his magic treasures would experience an enormous breakthrough in strength. At that point, he would be able to break through the demon beasts¡¯ defenses with relative ease.


    After all, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were a peak grade magic treasure that he had spent an enormous amount of effort on to acquire. As such, Han Li believed they held immense potential.


    Although Han Li could easily slay grade seven demon beasts and late Core Formation cultivators like himself, he didn¡¯t dare to fight Nascent Soul cultivators or grade eight demon beasts. There was a huge divide between the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages; they were in entirely different worlds!


    All of these thoughts flashed through Han Li¡¯s mind in a mere instant. When he took another glance at the demon tortoise and Feng Xi, his expression wavered and he revealed a deluge of emotion.


    He came to the conclusion that unless he took the risk and used the Celestial Ice Pearl, he would have no other method of exterminating the two demon beasts in a short amount of time. Even with this, Han Li suspected that while he would be able to finish off the demon tortoise, he would likely prove incapable of breaking through the protective treasure of the Windbreaker Beast. Since he couldn¡¯t control the Celestial Ice Pearl, he wouldn¡¯t be able to focus its power onto the demons¡¯ bodies, greatly weakening the efficacy of the ice flame¡¯s strength.


    But what especially made Han Li hesitate, was that the ice flames couldn¡¯t be recovered once used. If he wasn¡¯t able to kill Feng Xi after using them, he would be leaving the flames in the room as a parting gift for Feng Xi to make use of. In this situation, it would be better for Han Li to just leave the flames for himself! He could refine the pearl after condensing a Nascent Soul and have it become another deadly weapon in his arsenal.


    Han Li spent very little time in thought as he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a single moment.


    While the demon tortoise was still very much swollen, the Windbreaker Beast¡¯s abdomen had already greatly shrunk. Feng Xi¡¯s dark expression was becoming more hostile by the moment.


    Han Li wouldn¡¯t have much longer before Feng Xi fully suppressed the green liquid¡¯s medicinal power and regained control over his body and magic power.


    As a result, Han Li gritted his teeth and snatched the demon tortoise¡¯s storage pouch before sending him off with a kick into the pit of rampant earthfire. Soon after, he fished out another storage pouch from within the remains of the flood dragon and disappeared with a blur. When he reappeared at the side of the Windbreaker Beast, he quickly sent him flying off into the pit of earthfire to accompany the demon tortoise. Then without taking another look at the demons, he flew off as a streak of azure light.


    Han Li didn¡¯t believe they would be able to track him down to whatever random island he chose to conceal himself on, no matter how profound and remarkable their abilities may be. Hence, Han Li struck a large hole through the room¡¯s stone door and flew off without a trace.


    The tool refinement room became completely silent!


    After an unknown amount of time, a resentful and vicious roar came from the room¡¯s earthfire pit. Following the roar, a streak of blinding white light flew out of the earthfire pit and broke through the room¡¯s ceiling and then all of the cave residence¡¯s restrictions.


    A moment later, the white light appeared above the small island and flew a circle around it at an imperceptible speed. After stopping in its original place, the light faded away to reveal Feng Xi.


    From his neat appearance, it appeared that he had been left entirely unscathed by the earthfire. However, he was gritting his teeth in seething rage as he held the body of the still disabled demon tortoise in his hand.


    The demon tortoise didn¡¯t have any treasures protecting its body, and as such its body was charred and smoking. It appeared to have suffered quite a bit in the earthfire pit.


    Feng Xi¡¯s eyes glowed with white light as it swept its gaze past the horizon. After some thought, a malevolent expression appeared on his face. He then clutched his hand in an incantation gesture and white light flickered from his fingertip. A short moment later, his expression grew hostile.


    After wordlessly confirming the direction, he tore through the skies in a streak of white light.


    At that moment, Han Li broke into a cold sweat as he wildly flew through the skies. The wind spirit energy had begun to stir and the constraints of the Divine Devilbane Lightning had become unstable. Fortunately, Han Li quickly responded, hastily cutting his spirit power from the cloak and using it to forcefully suppress the changes.


    After entering late Core Formation, Han Li was able to cut off the forceful extraction of his spiritual power from the cloak, despite still being unable to smoothly control it. This had greatly increased the usefulness of the ancient treasure.


    Han Li bitterly grimaced. The Windbreaker Beast was coming for him. Han Li instinctively changed direction and wildly poured spiritual power into his cloak before swiftly shooting off.


    He had undoubtedly enraged Feng Xi, and if he were caught he would undoubtedly be chopped into pieces and have his soul refined.


    Much to Han Li¡¯s vexation, Feng Xi was still able to control the wind spirit energy within his body despite being such a great distance away from him. This was a completely unanticipated variable. He now felt regret at having not released the Celestial Ice Pearl inside the tool refinement room when he had the chance.


    But there was no point in thinking about that now. Han Li could only wildly escape with the aid of his blood-red cape. As Han Li continued with his escape, the wind spirit energy within his body would flare up once every four to six hours.


    Although he managed to suppress it every time within a quarter of an hour, he still had to change the direction of his flight each time to prevent Feng Xi from determining his direction.


    Han Li¡¯s speed was far inferior to that of the Windbreaker Beast, but he always managed to seize the initiative each time and throw him off by a large distance. However, Feng Xi was still able to relentlessly chase Han Li down by relying on the reaction of the wind spirit energy.


    This game of cat and mouse continued for a month as they travelled across a huge expanse of the sea.


    As the chase continued, Han Li felt increasingly more on edge and gloomy. In order to permanently escape from the Windbreaker Beast¡¯s pursuit, he wanted to refine the wind spirit energy within his body and rid himself of it for good. However, it was proving to be extremely durable. In the month he had been escaping, the wind spirit energy hadn¡¯t decreased in the slightest despite all of his efforts to refine it. It seemed it wasn¡¯t something a Core Formation cultivator could get rid of. Helpless, Han Li wholeheartedly continued his efforts to escape.


    However, Han Li was extremely puzzled as to why the Windbreaker Beast didn¡¯t flare the wind spirit energy more often. Had he done this, the demon would¡¯ve long since captured him.


    Of course, Han Li couldn¡¯t have known that several thousands of kilometers away, Feng Xi constantly wanted to do just that. But much to his vexation, he found himself in the same position in Han Li.


    Although the demon cultivator didn¡¯t know what strange poison had been placed inside the spirit milk, he would periodically have his spiritual power constrained and his body would begin to swell. Each time this happened he had no choice but to stop flying and forcefully suppress it.


    Although he was sure that he could completely refine this poison after a period of meditation, he couldn¡¯t allow Han Li to escape from his pursuit. Moreover, Feng Xi didn¡¯t have much magic power left, so he had to do his utmost to pursue Han Li before he ran out!


    As for the demon tortoise, he had long since recovered. But since he was too slow, Feng Xi had left him behind and continued on his own.


    To his great annoyance, he was surprised to see that Han Li was able to travel so quickly. He faintly guessed that Han Li must¡¯ve possess a magic treasure capable of such speeds.

 Chapter 553

    Lightning Movement


    As day after day continued passed of the continued pursuit, the intervals at which the wind spirit energy flared grew increasingly further apart. At the start, it would trigger once every six hours which became once every twelve, and eventually, only once per day. Furthermore, the flares grew increasingly more weak each time. In the end, the wind spirit energy finally ceased flaring up altogether. It seemed the Windbreaker Beast had finally given up on the chase.


    Han Li was naturally delighted. Regardless of whether the wind spirit energy had failed to activate due to the great distance or due to Feng Xi having ran into trouble, Han Li was finally given the opportunity to truly escape. Han Li took another drop of spirit liquid without any hesitation and identified his bearings before flying through the skies without worry.


    On a small, desolate island several tens of thousands of kilometers away from Han Li, the Windbreaker Beast was sitting in an empty cave with an ashen expression. During the long, relentless pursuit, he had exhausted the entirety of his magic power and could no longer restrain the strange poison inside his body. As he had no method to instantly recovering his magic power, unlike Han Li with his Myriad Year Spirit Milk, Feng Xi could only helplessly stop on an island and spend some time to thoroughly rid himself of the poison afflicting him before continuing his pursuit of Han Li. Having expended so much of his time and effort on refining the Thunderstorm Wings, he was dead-set on getting them back.


    The demon cultivator vowed to accomplish this with bone-burning hatred before closing his eyes and entering a meditative state of selflessness.


    ¡­


    A month later, Han Li found himself at an unfamiliar, abandoned island.


    Upon seeing that there were neither cultivators nor high grade demon beasts nearby, he descended onto the island and quickly carved out a crude stone cave.


    After placing down several concealment spell formations, he hurriedly entered this cave and took out the Thunderstorm Wings.


    Han Li glanced at the small, palm-sized wings in his palm with unconcealed delight.


    Since the wings possessed both wind and lightning attributes and Feng Xi only possessed wind spirit power, the wings only required either lightning or wind to drive them. With the Divine Devilbane Lightning within his body, Han Li should be able to control the magic treasure. If they were as miraculous as the demon had said, then the sooner he could utilize them, the more likely his survival.


    However, as Han Li examined the wings, he saw that the white feathers were faintly distorting.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li immediately knew that this was because the treasure hadn¡¯t finished refining. Although they had been greatly weakened, they had managed to last this long despite Feng Xi¡¯s claims that all of their efforts would¡¯ve been in vain.


    Han Li didn¡¯t reveal the slightest alarm and calmly made a small cut on his fingertip. After a drop of blood essence gathered onto his fingertip, he clutched his hand in an incantation gesture and conducted the master recognition rites.


    After dropping the blood essence onto the wings, a cold glint flashed from Han Li¡¯s eyes and he tossed the Thunderstorm Wings into the air. They then motionlessly floated.


    Han Li held out his fingers towards them, shooting out slender arcs of lightning from his fingers onto the wings.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew solemn as the arcs of lightning shot from his hands with increasing density.


    Not after, the Thunderstorm Wings became enveloped in a layer of golden lightning. Sounds of thunder echoed out from within the net of lightning.


    Han Li felt relieved as he saw the Thunderstorm Wings slowly begin to absorb the lightning from the net of Divine Devilbane Lightning that surrounded them.


    Over the following ten days, Han Li used the Divine Devilbane Lightning to gradually stabilize the wing¡¯s feathers. Additionally, because they absorbed the Divine Devilbane Lightning, their silver color was tinged with a faint gold. Unless one was carefully examining the wings, the gold tinge would be difficult to perceive.


    Having finished the Thunderstorm Wings in place of the demon cultivators, Han Li ceased his lightning. He then spouted a mist of azure light onto the wings, and absorbed the wings into his body. Soon after, Han Li left the stone cave and flew off the small island, preparing to test both the Thunderstorm Wing¡¯s usability and miraculous capabilities.


    Han Li took a deep breath as he floated high up in the sky. He then activated the Thunderstorm Wings that were contained inside his body. Puff, puff. He felt spiritual Qi swell within his back before a pair of meter long wings emerged from it. The wings were silver white with a slight tint of gold.


    Han Li turned his head to look at them. When he thought to move them, the wings lightly waved without the slightest resistance as if nothing were there.


    He curiously extended his hand to feel the wings, and was startled to discover that they had a rough texture.


    Han Li frowned at this and put some strength into his hand, only for them to easily pass through the wings.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Han Li was shocked and immediately gazed within himself.


    The palm-sized Thunderstorm Wings were safely contained inside his Dantian and faintly shined with white light. The wings outside of his body weren¡¯t the treasure¡¯s true form but were instead a manifestation of spiritual power, much to Han Li¡¯s surprise.


    After concentrating for a moment, Han Li started to pour magic power into the wings¡¯ true form, causing the exterior wings to flash with silver light. Then with a flap of the wings, Han Li easily sped through the air.


    After flying several circles around the island, Han Li stopped and started to mutter to himself as he grasped his chin. Their speed wasn¡¯t particularly impressive. In fact, it wasn¡¯t much different from his ordinary speed. It seemed that he would have to pour either wind or lightning spiritual power into them to see their true capabilities.


    With that thought, Han Li drove his divine lightning into the wings without hesitation, sending two sparks of faint golden lightning into the interior wings. In that same instant, lightning was released from the wings behind him. Han Li hastily turned his head around to see the wings flicker with silver lightning and unconsciously unfolded them. They now released a strange aura.


    With a mental command, thunder rang as he reappeared thirty meters away in a flash of silver light.


    ¡°Lightning movement!¡±


    Han Li blankly stared for a moment before being filled with ecstasy. Then with another flap of his wings, he reappeared a hundred meters away in the wake of more thunder.


    In the following moments, Han Li transformed into a bolt of silver lightning, travelling three hundred meters away in an instant. His erratic and instantaneous movements were beyond extraordinary.


    After reappearing in an arc of silver lightning, Han Li joyously caressed the wings and muttered, ¡°Lightning movement is worthy of being called the most profound of all movement techniques. It is incomparable to the common movement techniques of the five elements! Perhaps with even more tempering, this magic treasure could become even more incredible. It was no wonder Feng Xi expended so much time and effort in refining them. There are few things in the world that are capable of such speeds. With these wings, there would have been practically no one in this world capable of killing him.¡± Afterwards, the wings dissipated with a pulse of silver light.


    Han Li didn¡¯t plan on staying in the Outer Star Seas for long, as he wanted to return to the Inner Star Seas as soon as possible. Although he might¡¯ve shaken off Feng Xi for the time being, with his fantastical speeds as a Windbreaker Beast, he would come chasing down Han Li from the nearby seas soon enough. Han Li had no intention of obediently waiting for the demon to come knocking on his door.


    As the Inner Star Seas were under the dominion of humans, it was likely that regardless of how mighty of a demon he may be, he wouldn¡¯t be able to follow too deeply. After Han Li had returned to the Inner Star Seas and condensed a Nascent Soul, he would no longer hold any fear of the demon.


    As for the Heavenvoid Cauldron, those Nascent Soul eccentrics should¡¯ve ceased their pursuit by now, given what had developed in the many years that has passed. Furthermore, after Han Li became a Nascent Soul cultivator, he should be able to flee from Zenith Yin and the others without problem, so long as he didn¡¯t come across anyone as fearsome as Man Huzi.


    With that thought, Han Li returned to the island¡¯s cave and quickly examined the storage pouches of the demon tortoise and Venomous Flood Dragon. He unexpectedly found many demon beast cores within them along with a few extremely precious materials.


    Two particularly valuable material were a fist-sized, jet-black tortoise shell and a batch of over a hundred crimson scales. These should be parts that the two demons shed during metamorphosis. They were a delightful surprise, and could be refined into armor that was no less powerful than Man Huzi¡¯s Royal Scale Plate.


    However, now was not the time to deal with these items. Instead, he retrieved the formations he had placed on the island and departed in the direction of the last known location of the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s hidden city.


    He reckoned that the transportation formation should¡¯ve already been constructed by the time he arrived. Regardless of whether he had to use coercion, bribes, or brute force, he planned to use the transportation formation and arrive at the Inner Seas.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t know the current location of where the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s hidden city was, he only had to find out from some well informed human cultivators.


    But little did Han Li know, at that very moment, the demon tortoise had arrived at a cave over a kilometer deep in the seas. Here he informed a nearby flood dragon clan elder about the killing of the Venomous Flood Dragon. This particular elder was a mid stage, grade nine Inferno Flood Dragon.

 Chapter 554

    Rush to the Exquisite Sound Sect


    Chapter 554: Rush to the Exquisite Sound Sect


    At Han Li¡¯s current cultivation, even without using either the blood-red cloak or the Thunderstorm Wings, he was capable of flying at an astonishing speed. In less than half a month, Han Li arrived at the desolate island that had once been the location of the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s hidden city. After sweeping his spiritual sense across the island, he didn¡¯t find a single soul. It seemed he would have to search for humans elsewhere and acquire the information from them.


    Han Li glanced around before casually choosing a direction, and disappearing in a streak of azure light.


    Since the Exquisite Sound Sect had moved after establishing their city on this island, they shouldn¡¯t have moved far away. Additionally, the nearby seas should be an area where some of the surviving human cultivators have gathered. Han Li was confident that with his vast spiritual sense, he would be able to find some human cultivators without much effort. As expected, about half a day later, Han Li discovered traces of many human cultivators on a medium sized island.


    Looking down from the sky, he saw many male and female cultivators being besieged by two grade four demon beasts from the nearby seas.


    When Han Li spotted a few familiar faces among them, he faintly smiled.


    Soon after, he used the appearance exchange art to assume the form of a dark-skinned, middle-aged man. He then casually launched two azure swordstreaks at the demon beasts with a wave of his hand. With a flash of light, a hole appeared through the heads of each of the demon beasts as they fell to the ground.


    This sudden display had alarmed the many cultivators below, and they immediately turned their heads towards the sky to discover Han Li. An uproar arose among the cultivators at the appearance of the newly arrived expert.


    After consulting amongst themselves, a large man with an embroidered robe eventually flew towards Han Li.


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior¡¯s assistance. Is there anything that us Juniors may help you with?¡±


    Although the large, embroidered-robed man spoke with a respectful tone, a trace of unease could be seen on his face. Just why did this Core Formation cultivator suddenly appear at this island?


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately respond upon seeing the embroidered-robed man, Yi Jing, who had teleported with Han Li to Profound Depths Island. Han Li narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze past the rest of the cultivators, only to recognize the scar-faced man Xu Yun. None of the other cultivators that had arrived at Wondrous Depths Island along with him were present.


    As for Yi Jing and Xu Yun, it seemed they had failed at forming their cores, as they were still at the late Foundation Establishment despite the many years that had passed.


    Yi Jing grew somewhat nervous upon seeing Han Li continue looming in silence. After a moment of hesitation, he was about to speak again when Han Li cut him off, ¡°I am looking for the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s hidden city. Do you know the next time it will be open and where it will be?¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Han Li gazed intently at Yi Jing.


    When he heard Han Li¡¯s question, Yi Jing¡¯s expression relaxed and he tactfully replied, ¡°Senior, the Exquisite Sound Sect¡¯s city will be opening in about a month, and is set to open at Twin Peaks Island. It is several days west of here, and if Senior wishes to go, Junior can bring him there.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and mildly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯ll be fine if you just give me a map.¡± He had no interest in reminiscing about times long past with this person.


    The man was quite lucky. He had managed to survive the Beast Torrent, but the others likely hadn¡¯t shared the same fate as him, causing Han Li to feel a slight sadness.


    ¡°Yes! Senior, here is a map of the sea and the location of the hidden city.¡±


    Yi Jing revealed slight disappointment, but he still hoped to forge a friendly relationship with the Senior before him. With each passing day, the Outer Star Seas became increasingly dangerous for human cultivators. It would be greatly advantageous for him to be acquainted with a Core Formation cultivator.


    But after taking another glance at Han Li¡¯s detached expression, he could only drop the matter and take out a jade slip from within his robes. He recorded the location of the Exquisite Sound Sect into the jade slip and offered it to Han Li with both hands.


    Han Li received it with a nod and took a quick look through it with his spiritual sense. Then without the slightest intention of staying, Han Li rushed through skies in a streak of azure light.


    The low grade cultivators that were left behind gazed at him with envy. Nowadays in the Outer Star Seas, cultivators at Foundation Establishment and lower didn¡¯t have the freedom to stray too far from their cave residences.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t about to meekly wait for another month as he feared that if he didn¡¯t leave as soon as possible, Feng Xi would come knocking at his door. As a result, he was prepared to pay the Exquisite Sound Sect a significant sum to quietly teleport back to the Inner Star Seas. Of course, if they refused or became too greedy, he wasn¡¯t going to shy away from using force.


    Several days later, Han Li arrived at Twin Peaks Mountain. The island was quite expansive and had two huge mountains that were nearly the same in height.


    After flying around of the mountains several times, he found the entrance to the hidden city as described on the map. After a moment of hesitation, Han Li changed his appearance back to what he had used when he had last visited the city. He then descended at the center of the mountain and took several steps towards a tree that was ten meters wide and about a hundred meters tall.


    He expressionlessly glanced at the huge tree and couldn¡¯t help but scoff. He lightly flicked his finger, sending three orbs of white light to directly knock against the tree¡¯s bark.


    A short moment later, azure light flashed and an opening appeared within the tree bark. A white-clothed old man at late Foundation Establishment walked out. He was the same gatekeeper that was in charge of the city entrance the last time he was here.


    The old man recognized Han Li at a glance.


    After all, there were very few Core Formation cultivators that had attended the meetings of the hidden city. Additionally, he had caught a few rumors during the last opening of the market city about how this cultivator had managed to single handedly suppress over ten Core Formation cultivators. It was very likely that the person in front of him was a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Upon seeing Han Li, the old man lowered his head and hastily gave him a deep salute, ¡°So it was Senior Li. I hope Senior won¡¯t take offense, but may I ask what is your business for coming? There is still another month before our hidden city convenes. There are no treasures for Senior to browse.¡±


    The old man spoke with a respectful tone, but his eyes appeared puzzled.


    Han Li examined the old man and raised his head before speaking in a deliberately arrogant manner, ¡°I haven¡¯t come for the hidden city. I¡¯ve come to meet with either Sect Master Fan or Elder Yun.¡±


    ¡°You wish to see the Sect Master or Elder Yun?¡±


    The old man paused for a moment before revealing a trace of hesitation.


    ¡°What? Is there a problem?¡± Han Li¡¯s tone was void of emotion and his expression grew eerie.


    When the old man saw this, he shivered and immediately smiled, saying, ¡°Of course not!¡± A trace of cold sweat could be seen on his brow.


    After some thought, the old man sincerely said, ¡°Were it anyone else, it wouldn¡¯t do. But since Senior personally arrived, then it must be about something important. This little old man will report back. As it just so happens, Sect Leader Fan recently arrived to take care of the arrangements for the hidden city. Senior, please wait for a moment!¡± He decided to hand off this troublesome matter to those above him. He couldn¡¯t afford to offend such a fearsome character!


    Han Li was happy to find that Lady Fan was present and his expression relaxed. He then said, ¡°Then please be quick about it. I don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    The old man felt relief and hastily replied, ¡°Yes, Junior will use a voice transmission talisman to inform the Sect Master. It will only take a moment!¡± If Han Li decided to force his way through, he would only be able to watch helplessly. There was no way he would throw his life away to try to block him. As a result, he took out a sound transmission talisman in front of Han Li and sent it into the tree¡¯s opening.


    After seeing the the sound transmission talisman disappear, Han Li expressionlessly asked, ¡°Where is Elder Yun? Why isn¡¯t he with your Sect Master?¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression grew unsightly. He hesitated for a moment before muttering, ¡°This¡­ Junior truly doesn¡¯t know about the whereabouts of Sect Leader Yun. Matters regarding this recent market city have all been handled by the Sect Master alone.¡±


    Upon seeing the old man¡¯s expression, Han Li was sure he knew what the old man had meant. With a cold chuckle, he no longer continued asking the old man any questions, much to his relief.


    A short moment later, the white clothed cultivator received a sound transmission talisman. After quickly examining it with his spiritual sense, he respectfully said, ¡°Senior Li, our Sect Master invites you inside for a chat. I will lead the way.¡±


    Han Li indifferently replied, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The city below the tree was largely the same as the last hidden city with two floors making up a large underground expanse. But this time, apart from the many low grade Exquisite Sound Sect disciples preparing the city, there were no others inside.


    The old man quickly brought Han Li to a stone wall that was attended by two outstandingly beautiful female cultivators.


    The two female cultivators both respectfully bowed to Han Li with flushed complexions and charmingly said, ¡°We pay our respects to Senior Li. The Sect Master welcomes you and is honored by your presence.¡±

 Chapter 555

    Exposed


    Han Li glanced at the two women¡¯s expressions and stroked his chin in thought before wordlessly nodding his head.


    One of the women reached out to the stone wall with her hand and summoned a stone gate in a flourish of azure light.


    ¡°This is as far as I can lead Senior. I will be taking my leave.¡±


    The old man took the opportunity to hastily withdraw.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay him any mind and walked inside. After passing through a short passageway, Han Li arrived within a large hall.


    Wearing light green robes and a slight hint of make-up, Lady Fan respectfully awaited Han Li at the center of the hall with a beaming smile.


    The woman deferentially bowed to Han Li and said, ¡°I hope Senior hasn¡¯t taken offence that I didn¡¯t personally welcome you.¡±


    She then pulled out a chair and offered him a seat. He glanced at the chair with a raised eyebrow and sat down without the slightest restraint. Afterwards, his gaze fell onto the woman¡¯s beautiful face and he serenely said, ¡°It seems Lady Fan isn¡¯t worried that I came with the intention to harm your sect.¡±


    Lady Fan walked to the side with light steps and took a seat at Han Li¡¯s side. She covered a smile with her hand and said, ¡°Senior jests. With Senior¡¯s cultivation, how could he trouble himself over a Foundation Establishment Junior?¡±


    At that moment, Lady Fan was only a meter away and her fragrant scent assailed his nose. Han Li faintly frowned, but otherwise his expression remained normal. However, when the woman took a seat, she unconsciously revealed a trace of astonishment. Afterwards, she examined Han Li with a strange expression.


    With a cold glint passing through his eyes, Han Li thought to inquire about her actions, but at that moment, a dainty young woman walked over and placed a cup of fragrant tea in front of them before standing behind Lady Fan.


    Lady Fan appeared indifferent to this, but a scowl had momentarily appeared on her face.


    When Han Li glanced at the two women, his mind began to stir.


    Lady Fan took a sip of the tea in front of her and pursed her lips. She then calmly asked, ¡°Does Senior require something from our sect? We will do our utmost to assist if possible.¡±


    ¡°Since Lady Fan mentions it, I won¡¯t drag this on. Did your sect already complete the transportation formation to return to the Inner Star Seas? I wish to use it.¡± Han Li casually spoke of the matter as if he had mentioned a trifling thing.


    ¡°Transportation formation?¡± Lady Fan paused for a moment, and her beautiful eyes blinked before revealing a mysterious smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must disappoint you. The transportation formation has yet to be completed. However, it is possible that it will be completed soon. If you¡¯d wait a while longer¡­¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t wait for her to finish and callously interrupted her, ¡°How much longer?¡±


    Senior Fan hesitated for a moment before placing the cup back down onto the table. She explained, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Senior should already know that we lacked the Phantasm Stone for the spell formation. Elder Yun and the other Seniors went to retrieve more of the stone, but they alarmed the demon beasts in the region. A huge battle erupted and they were only able to acquire a meager amount of materials at the cost of many Seniors. Helpless, Elder Yun could only make a plan for future action. In fact¡­¡±


    The female cultivator standing behind Lady Fan let out a small cough.


    A sullen expression momentarily appeared on Lady Fan¡¯s face, but she soon stopped speaking as if a problem had arisen.


    A trace of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, but after coldly gazing at the female cultivator behind Lady Fan, the woman fearfully lowered her head.


    After a moment of thought, he stood up and said, ¡°Since the transportation formation can¡¯t be used in the near future, then there is nothing to be said. I will be taking my leave.¡±


    When Lady Fan saw this, a complicated expression flickered within her eyes. She hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Although we cannot help you with regards to the transportation formation, our sect has always held Core Formation Seniors in high esteem! How about Senior retires here for the night and sets off tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Spend the night here?¡± Han Li thought to refuse her, but after looking into her eyes, he changed his mind, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll set off the morning after then.¡±


    Lady Fan smiled with an odd expression, ¡°Hehe! Our sect will be sure to properly entertain you. Servant, bring Senior Li to our best room.¡±


    A young woman promptly entered the room. Without speaking any unnecessary words, Han Li followed her outside.


    However, when he was about the leave the hall, he thought to verify something and shot a deep glance behind him before calmly leaving.


    After Han Li left the hall, the young woman that stood behind Lady Fan said, ¡°Sect Master! Why do you intend on having him stay? Isn¡¯t that rash? This Senior Li rejected our enticements the last time around.¡± Her voice was pleasant, but it contained an indescribable allure that was far superior to what her pretty appearance would grant her. Although her tone would still be considered respectful, it contained much doubt.


    ¡°Yun Qin! You¡¯re growing quite bold! I was merely attempting to forge good relations with a cultivator who possesses astonishing strength. Since when did you take charge of the Exquisite Sound Sect?¡±


    Lady Fan grew sullen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare. This disciples was merely following the orders of Elder Yun before he departed. I hope Sect Master won¡¯t perform any actions that will make it difficult for me.¡± The young woman spoke with a humble tone, but displayed no intention of backing down.


    ¡°Humph! I will naturally inform Tian Yunxiao of this when he returns. As I still have duties to perform as Sect Master, I hope you¡¯ll forgive me for not keeping you company!¡± Lady Fan¡¯s expression grew icy and with a wave of her sleeve, she departed without looking back.


    Only the young woman remained in the hall, wearing a complicated expression.


    ¡­


    Inside a comfortable room, Han Li was lying down on a wooden bed, pondering as he stared at the ceiling.


    He didn¡¯t have any worries about spending the night at the market city. He had already swept his immense spiritual sense across the city and found that of those in the city the highest cultivation were at late Foundation Establishment. There were no Core Formation cultivators here, let alone any Nascent Soul eccentrics. Apart from any startling surprises, there was nothing to worry about.


    However, he was now pondering whether or not he should spend the many years to fly back to the Inner Star Seas.


    Suddenly, he heard a few knocks on his door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Han Li said as he remained motionless on the bed. It seemed like he knew who was there and had been expecting them.


    A sweet laugh came from the other side of the door and the door was pushed open to reveal Lady Fan. She walked into the room with lithe footsteps, fully displaying her thick black hair and extraordinary beauty.


    Carrying her fragrant scent, she sat on the side of Han Li¡¯s bed without the slightest discomfort and smiled at him, saying, ¡°Senior still hasn¡¯t slept despite the late hour. It seems he already knew that I was coming.¡±


    With his eyes still shut, he calmly said, ¡°Sect Master Fan was obvious enough during our meeting. So, what matter did you need to discuss with me in secret? I¡¯ll let you know ahead of time that if it has nothing to do with the transportation formation, I am not interested.¡±


    ¡°Of course. With so many Nascent Soul eccentrics currently pursuing him in the Outer Star Seas, it is only natural for Elder Han to wish to return.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s body stiffened and he opened his eyes. He attentively stared at the woman before him and coldly asked, ¡°What? Who is this Elder Han?¡±


    Lady Fan stared back at Han Li with a calm expression and leisurely said, ¡°I am naturally speaking of my sect¡¯s own Elder Han.¡± She didn¡¯t appear flustered in the slightest.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li sat up and recovered his calm before slowly asking, ¡°How did you recognize me? With your cultivation, you shouldn¡¯t be able to see through my true appearance.¡±


    With her slender white hand, she pulled back her hair and replied with a crafty expression, ¡°I didn¡¯t see through you. I smelled it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ smelled it?¡±


    Han Li paused for a moment before wearing a confused expression.


    Lady Fan pursed her lips and smiled, explaining, ¡°Ever since I was small, I have been somewhat different from most. I was able to clearly tell people apart by smell. Additionally, whenever I remembered a smell, I would never forget it. Just as it so happened, I grew quite interested in Elder Han and I memorized his scent. But the last time the hidden city opened, Han Li was far too close to Wen Siyue and there were many people in the room. As a result, I was unable to clearly catch your scent. But having come so close to you today in the hall, I was able to identify you without problem.¡±


    At that moment, Lady Fan gazed at Han Li with moist eyes and smiled at him with pursed lips.

 Chapter 556

    Request and Exchange


    Han Li remained speechless after being told that he was identified by his scent. There were even people that were capable of recognizing others by their scent; there truly were too many bizarre things in this world. He was merely unfortunate enough to be discovered this way. However, he didn¡¯t display the slightest panic. So long as experts on the level of Man Huzi and Feng Xi didn¡¯t discover him, he had nothing to fear, given his current cultivation and treasures. Besides, this woman¡¯s knowledge was beyond his and she had deliberately sought him out in secret. He was convinced she had something in mind.


    With that thought, Han Li mildly said, ¡°Since Lady Fan has already recognized me, I won¡¯t continue to put up the act. However, should I now address you as the Envoy of the Left, or as Sect Master?¡±


    Lady Fan responded to Han Li¡¯s words with a wry smile. ¡°It seems Senior doesn¡¯t approve of my current role as Sect Master. I¡¯m not sure if Senior knows, but if I hadn¡¯t followed the orders of the Devil Dao, the Exquisite Sound Sect would¡¯ve been eliminated from the Scattered Star Seas. I admit I did long for the position of sect master, but my actions were a result of helplessness.¡±


    Han Li stretched his body and wore a lazy expression. ¡°Lady Fan need not speak further of the matter. I have no interest in who is the sect master of the Exquisite Sound Sect. My status as an elder was only in name after all. However, it seems that Lady Fan knows a few things about me, could you tell me about this? I¡¯ve grown quite curious.¡±


    With luminous eyes, Lady Fan smiled and said, ¡°Although Senior Han¡¯s name can¡¯t be said to be known to everyone, it¡¯s quite the topic of interest among high grade cultivators at the very least. A single Core Formation cultivator snatched the Heavenvoid Cauldron under the presence of many Nascent Soul Eccentrics, and then fled, disappearing without a trace.¡±


    Han Li coldly smiled and directly addressed the woman, ¡°That¡¯s right, Lady Fan, Envoy of the Left. I assume almost everyone who knows of this wants me dead, but I also assume there are a few that have the vain dream of acquiring the treasure for themselves. Lady Fan, do you also hold those sentiments?¡±


    The beautiful woman shook her head and said, ¡°Senior jests. If I were a Core Formation cultivator, I might hold a few vain delusions, but ever since I failed in forming my core, I¡¯ve already given up on ascending to the next stage of cultivation. That kind of treasure isn¡¯t something that I could ever hope of obtaining. This little woman possess no intention of foolishly bringing trouble upon herself.¡±


    Having examined her as she spoke, Han Li felt that her words were sincere. However, he wasn¡¯t going to easily trust someone¡¯s words and remained vigilant. He then calmly continued his questioning, ¡°Apart from the Heavenvoid Cauldron, is there anything else that you¡¯ve heard?¡± Previously, he hadn¡¯t dared to make contact with high grade cultivators, resulting in a great lack of information. Since he had the opportunity to clear up some doubts, he may as well bluntly ask more questions.


    ¡°It seems that Senior has also heard quite a bit. There are quite a few rumors relating to Senior. It was said that Senior Han had spent many years in the nearby seas exterminating many cultivators as the Insect Devil. Junior cannot bring herself to believe this rumor. Since Senior had acquired the Heavenvoid Cauldron, how could Senior possibly act in such an inflammatory manner and still have concealed himself? I imagined that if it weren¡¯t for the beast tide, the close friends and kin of the Insect Devil¡¯s victims along with the various dubious inciters would¡¯ve formed a hunting party specifically to chase you down!¡± The woman mysteriously smiled as she gazed at Han Li and covered her mouth as she chuckled.


    Han Li calmly nodded his head and remained silent.


    This caused Lady Fan to become somewhat apprehensive. Could it be that the vicious devil from the rumors was actually this Elder Han?


    With an unchanged expression, Han Li asked, ¡°Alright, how about Lady Fan explain the true objective of tonight¡¯s meeting?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Lady Fan gritted her teeth and revealed an expression of deep resentment, ¡°Since Elder Han has mentioned it, truthfully, I wish to request for Senior¡¯s assistance in helping me eliminate the vile schemer, Yun Tianxiao. With the abilities Senior displayed that day, it should be a matter of great ease.¡±


    Han Li paused for a moment. Then without revealing the slightest surprise, he calmly asked, ¡°Yun Tianxiao? Is he not your supporter?¡±


    Wearing an unsightly expression, Lady Fan resentfully said, ¡°Senior, there is no need to mock me. Senior Han should¡¯ve seen some of the details from today¡¯s matters in the hall. I¡¯ve more or less become a puppet in the Exquisite Sound Sect. Were it not for the secret bewitchment techniques I possess as well as my faithful subordinates, I fear I wouldn¡¯t even be the Sect Master, puppet I may be.¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly said, ¡°Since Envoy Fan rose to the position of Sect Master with the assistance of the Devil Dao, there should have been some understanding of what would follow. What point is there in complaining now? Being a puppet sect master is overall a better fate than death!¡± Han Li didn¡¯t display the slightest intention of agreeing.


    Lady Fan wore a pained looked before a malevolent expression flickered from her eyes as she spoke, ¡°However, I now find my life quickly coming to an end. Not long ago, one of my trusted disciples mysteriously disappeared along with a jade slip containing the secret techniques of the Exquisite Sound Sect. It most likely has fallen into the hands of Yun Tianxiao. After he has his personal female disciple successfully cultivate a few of the techniques, does Senior Han believe I¡¯ll still be kept alive? So long as Senior assists me in eliminating the treacherous bastard, I am willing to give most of the long accumulated resources of the sect to Senior Han. You may also do as you wish with the sect¡¯s maidens.¡±


    Without even thinking about the conditions she had laid out, Han Li bluntly said, ¡°I have no interest in this. Please leave!¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t doubt her words. She had pretended to not know Han Li and secretly arranged an attempt to kill Yun Tianxiao. However, Han Li was unwilling to waste any time. There was someone actively hunting for him who was perfectly capable of killing him. If the entirety of the Exquisite Sound Sect had been offered to him after he managed to save himself, perhaps there would of been something to consider.


    Lady Fan became perplexed upon seeing this. However, her continued pleading fell onto deaf ears. As a result, she muttered to herself for a moment with a fluctuating expression. Then with gritted teeth, she said, ¡°If I had a method to send Elder Han to the Inner Star Seas in the near future, would Senior Han be willing to assist me?¡± After she said this, she nervously gazed at Han Li. This was the very last thing she could offer him.


    Han Li blankly stared at her after she said this and replied without delay, ¡°If you could send me to the Inner Star Seas within ten days, then the matter may as well be considered decided. However, a transportation formation requires Phantasm Stone. Could it be that Envoy Fan deliberately misled me earlier?¡± When he uttered the last words, his face grew sullen and his tone became ice-cold.


    The beautiful woman felt her heart drop before she hastily explained, ¡°Of course not. To Yun Tianxiao, the transportation formation is truly lacking in Phantasm Stone. However, he didn¡¯t know that long ago, our sect paid a hefty sum for a few rare materials and Phantasm Stone was among them. Originally, I had planned to establish a few teleportation formations among the branch sects in the Inner Star Seas. However, I was dragged into the plot to bring the sect to the outer seas. After seeing Yun Tianxiao¡¯s insatiable ambition and cruelty, I naturally didn¡¯t take out the materials. Otherwise, had he brought us back to the Devil Dao at the Inner Seas, I would¡¯ve had no opportunity to free myself.¡±


    After Han Li heard this, he was elated. However, he suppressed his excitement and pondered over this for a moment.


    A short moment later, he raised his head and tranquilly said, ¡°Take out the Phantasm Stones and let me look at them. Then, take me to where the transportation formation is located. If you truly have enough materials and are able to immediately finish the formation, I will take care of him.¡± Han Li uttered each word with weight.


    ¡°This¡­¡± A trace of hesitation soon replaced the woman¡¯s joy.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t able to do this, then I will reject your offer.¡± Han Li stated with an unyielding tone.


    Lady Fan frowned and said with embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯ll do it! The materials are well kept, but I will be able to bring them to you tomorrow. However, the transportation formation construction site is quite a distance away. Additionally, a majority of the guards there are Yun Tianxiao¡¯s trusted disciples. I fear it will be somewhat difficult.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯ll have to deal with Elder Yun anyways, what¡¯s the problem with taking care of his disciples as well? I¡¯ll just kill his disciples before taking his head.¡± After some further thought, Han Li worriedly asked, ¡°However, Yun Tianxiao¡¯s current location isn¡¯t too far away, right?¡±

 Chapter 557

    Securing the Transportation Formation


    Two days later, an azure streak of light flew towards a small, nameless island to the west of Twin Peaks Island. When the azure light arrived above the island, it vanished to reveal Han Li and Lady Fan.


    Han Li had found Lady Fan¡¯s speed to be annoyingly slow, and had bluntly enveloped her in his light and took both of them to their destination at greater speed.


    Han Li looked at the island beneath him as he stood in the air, before indifferently asking, ¡°The transportation formation is on this island?¡±


    Lady Fan solemnly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. There are eight Exquisite Sound Sect disciples guarding the transportation formation. Apart from two of my own subordinates, the rest are Devil Dao subordinates that Yun Tianxiao brought with him. Those six are all at Foundation Establishment and will not obey my orders.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Call your subordinates over. I¡¯ll deal with the others.¡± Malicious intent was clearly displayed his face.


    ¡°Yes! Senior, it will take just a moment.¡± Lady Fan followed his orders without hesitation and extended her hand with a sound transmission talisman between her fingers. The talisman trembled for a moment before sending off a streak of fire to the island.


    Han Li saw the sound transmission talisman circle around the hill on the island and enter what appeared to be solid dirt. Then, the light disappeared with a flash as if it had entered a restriction.


    A moment later, three people flew out from the earth: two alluring women and an old man. When they spotted Han Li and Lady Fan, they immediately flew towards them in a streak of light.


    The two female cultivators deeply saluted and greeted Lady Fan upon seeing her. Then, they curiously glanced at Han Li. Once they perceived that Han Li was a Core Formation cultivator, they were startled and immediately grew somber.


    As for the blue-clothed old man that had accompanied the two, he arrogantly cupped his fist to Lady Fan and then glanced at Han Li with a trace of confusion.


    The old man had thought to ask some questions, but didn¡¯t receive the chance to speak. Han Li had already identified him as an enemy and gazed at him with a trace of killing intent. He then wordlessly flicked his finger at the old man, shooting a streak of azure swordlight at him at lightning speed.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The old man was immediately overwhelmed with fear but the swordlight was truly too fast. He could only briefly yell before a finger thick hole appeared in his head.


    The two female disciples paled with fright as they watched the old man¡¯s corpse drop from the sky. But upon seeing Lady Fan¡¯s cold indifference, the two came to a realization and silently glanced at one another.


    ¡°Are all the others down below?¡± Lady Fan asked the two women with a cold tone.


    One of the women tactfully replied without delay, ¡°Yes! The other five are down below at the spell formation. Disciple will lead the way for Sect Master and Senior.¡±


    ¡°Yes, show Senior Li the way. We cannot allow any of them to escape.¡± An eerie expression appeared on Lady Fan¡¯s beautiful face.


    Now sure that Lady Fan had found someone to deal with Yun Tianxiao¡¯s men, the two women didn¡¯t show any further hesitation and brought Han Li and Lady Fan down to the hill.


    One of the women took out a sparkling red command medallion and held it below her before shouting, ¡°Open!¡± Red light then flew out of the talisman and struck the hill, revealing a fifteen-meter-wide, yellow stone gate within the ripples of red light.


    The female cultivator then smiled at Han Li and said with a pleasant voice, ¡°Here it is. However, the five within are all at mid Foundation Establishment. Senior, please be careful.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Han Li expressionlessly said. He then raised his hand and loudly shattered the stone gate with a beam of azure light. With an unchanged expression, Han Li directly flew inside.


    The two female cultivators couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other out of worry. However, Lady Fan held complete confidence in Han Li and called for them to follow her inside.


    After Han Li passed through the stone gate, he found himself in a wide passageway about twelve meters long. However, he unconsciously narrowed his eyes as he saw two cultivators enter the passageway.


    Without taking the time to examine their appearances, he opened his mouth and spat out two small, translucent swords that glowed with azure light. As soon as the swords left his mouth, they immediately flew towards the two cultivators who immediately appeared terrified.


    Not fully understanding what was happening, they flusteredly took out a red scarf and a small yellow shield, wishing to block the incoming attack. Unfortunately for them, they immediately fell to the ground with miserable screams, and their two magic tools followed suit, falling to the ground with their spiritual Qi scattered.


    Han Li stepped over the bodies and continued on his way without stopping. The two small swords started to revolve around Han Li as they followed after him.


    Lady Fan and the other two were delighted by the scene and remained behind momentarily to deal with the corpses.


    When the three women arrived at the end of the passageway, they entered a hall over three hundred meters wide. Han Li was already standing at the center of the hall next to a small transportation formation, and was expressionlessly examining it as he looked down. The hall was filled with the scent of blood, presumably from the three dismembered corpses that were scattered throughout it.


    When Lady Fan saw this, she wore a face of delight and had her two disciples take care of the rest of the corpses.


    After Lady Fan arrived at Han Li¡¯s side, she pursed her lips and respectfully said, ¡°It seems Senior¡¯s cultivation has reached a profound stage. He dealt with those Foundation Establishment cultivators with the ease of slaughtering livestock.¡±


    ¡°Foundation Establishment cultivators don¡¯t pose any problem to me as I am now. More importantly, this is the transportation formation that you spoke of?¡± Han Li seemed to have placed his entire mind on the transportation formation before him.


    Lady Fan eyes brightened as she said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Senior should be able to see that the transportation formation is mostly completed. It is merely missing a few portions of Phantasm Stone before it can be used. As Senior saw the Phantasm Stone two days ago, he should know my words to be true.¡±


    ¡°Since that is the case, I will naturally deal with Yun Tianxiao. However, does this transportation formation truly lead to Bright Emperor Island at the Inner Star Seas? To the best of my knowledge, that was merely an ordinary, mid-sized island. How could the Devil Dao cultivators have set up another formation at the other end?¡± Han Li frowned and stared at the transportation formation before him.


    ¡°I heard it before from Yun Tianxiao that Bright Emperor Island has an abandoned transportation formation created during the age of antiquity. The Devil Dao has molded it for their own uses, but the transportation formation is only capable of receiving teleportations. Were it not the only transportation formation capable of accepting a teleportation from the Outer Star Seas, Yun Tianxiao wouldn¡¯t have chosen that location. Senior won¡¯t meet with any troubles after he teleports there.¡± Lady Fan spoke to Han Li with a blank expression. She knew that the matter of the teleportation was extremely important to Han Li and she didn¡¯t dare to treat him poorly.


    Han Li nodded in response and said nothing else. So long as there were no Nascent Soul eccentrics standing guard on the other side, even if there was some danger to be had, it wouldn¡¯t pose any problem to him with the miraculous abilities he currently possessed. Furthermore, he also knew that even if there was potential danger, it would be far less dangerous than flying all the way to the Inner Star Seas.


    After examining the transportation formation for a while longer, Han Li turned towards Lady Fan and coldy said, ¡°Immediately send your spell formation expert over here to complete this. I wish to use it the moment I return after I kill Yun Tianxiao, and I will be heading out immediately to deal with him. From what you¡¯ve said, he¡¯ll be returning to Twin Peaks Island to manage the hidden city in six days at the latest.¡±


    He then made his way out of the hall with a stern expression.


    ¡­


    As the days passed by, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but grow anxious. He clearly understood that the longer he remained in one place, the more likely that the demon cultivator Feng Xi would find him.


    But Han Li felt especially vexed in the face of Feng Xi¡¯s wind spirit energy that had yet to disappear. When he said that it would disappear eventually, had he meant after a single year or several? Or, even worse, was he just lying about that?


    Han Li had even swallowed a few Gold Devouring Beetles and had them nibble at it. But when he attempted this, he soon found that this method wouldn¡¯t work.


    For the beetles to consume the wind spirit energy, they must first eat through the threads of Divine Devilbane Lightning that surrounded it. But after creating a small hole in the threads of lightning, the wind spirit energy immediately flared, causing him to immediately mend the hole in fear. As a result, if he didn¡¯t plan to exterminate Yun Tianxiao and flee to the Inner Star Seas, Han Li would still be roaming the skies in fear of being tracked.


    This ongoing matter filled Han Li¡¯s mind with anxiousness and dread.

 Chapter 558

    Enticement


    After returning to Twin Peaks Mountain, Han Li assisted Lady Fan in exterminating the remaining cultivators that were loyal to Yun Tianxiao. Afterwards, he calmly awaited Yun Tianxiao¡¯s return to the city.


    Five days later, Han Li was sitting in the area behind the city¡¯s hidden hall with closed eyes. Lady Fan was sitting beside him with a fluctuating expression.


    At that moment, a streak of fire flew through the door and Lady Fan¡¯s eyes brightened as it flew into her open hand.


    The fire released a woman¡¯s flustered voice, ¡°Sect Master, it¡¯s terrible! Elder Yun brought Daoist Master Swift Crane with him. They¡¯ve already arrived at the entrance of the city. Sect Master, please make preparations!¡±


    ¡°What? The old monster Swift Cane arrived with him?¡± Lady Fan crushed the sound transmission talisman in astonishment and wore an extremely unsightly expression.


    ¡°The Jade Cloud Sect¡¯s Swift Crane?¡± Han Li opened his eyes with a startled expression, but soon regained his calm.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t that old Daoist, then who else could it be? It is too late to stop our plans since Yun Tianxiao¡¯s subordinates have already been cleanly exterminated. He will notice something is amiss in the city after being there for just a moment.¡± Lady Fan¡¯s expression grew pale, but when she saw Han Li¡¯s calm expression, she felt slightly hopeful.


    When Han Li saw her silently staring at him, he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at her and sourly said, ¡°What is Lady Fan looking at me for? Don¡¯t tell me that you expect me to stake it all in a battle against a Nascent Soul cultivator?¡±


    Even though he said this, Han Li didn¡¯t feel particularly flustered in the slightest. Since a threat on the level of Man Huzi and Wan Tianming hadn¡¯t arrived, he could make himself scarce without much of a problem. He was confident that he could escape from the hands of an early Nascent Soul cultivator with ease, especially with the miraculous abilities of his newly acquired Thunderstorm Wings. Of course, if it were possible, he still wanted to return to the Inner Star Seas with the transportation formation. As a result, Han Li was thinking of an alternative plan despite his previous words.


    But when Lady Fan heard Han Li, her expression turned pale and she blankly stood in place. She was at a complete loss about what to do.


    A short moment later, a cold glint flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes. He licked his lips and asked with a serious tone, ¡°Does that Swift Crane have a close relationship with Yun Tianxiao? If I were to suddenly kill Yun Tianxiao, would he take revenge on me?¡±


    Lady Fan was startled when she heard Han Li, but hastily replied with delighted surprise, ¡°Relationship? Yun Tianxiao merely used our Exquisite Sound Sect to form a loose connection with the old Daoist by giving our disciples over to him as cultivation vessels. He doesn¡¯t care about the matters of our Exquisite Sound Sect. However, you must kill Yun Tianxiao before he can cry for help. Otherwise, the old Daoist might truly intervene out of obligation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Han Li then calmly ordered, ¡°Drag that Yun Tianxiao into one of the neighboring rooms alone. I will kill him there in an instant. He won¡¯t have the time to call for help from Swift Crane. So long as you are in charge of the sect, the old Daoist won¡¯t be able to say anything. Afterwards, win over his favor by using some good conditions.¡±


    Displaying staunch decisiveness, Lady Fan gritted her teeth and agreed, ¡°Yes! Since matters have reached this point, we can only do our utmost. Senior must exert his complete strength and kill Yun Tianxiao as quickly as possible! Please wait in the room farthest away from here for the time being. I will bring him over.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately walked to the hall¡¯s side door that led to a hallway with many variously sized rooms.


    When he arrived at the door, Han Li thought of something and suddenly stopped. He turned around with a gloomy expression and icily said, ¡°Sect Master Fan! After I kill Yun Tianxiao, don¡¯t get any ideas of revealing my identity to curry favor with old Daoist Swift Crane. With my current abilities, I can easily escape from Swift Crane¡¯s grasp despite not being able to fight against him. If that happens, Lady Fan should know what would happen to her! These words are only a warning to help you avoid doing something that wouldn¡¯t benefit either of us during a moment of panic.¡±


    When Lady Fan heard him, she was startled for a moment. Her expression shifted several times before settling on a bitter smile. ¡°Senior jests, I would never do such a wretched thing! Also, I am fully aware that Senior Han is far from a common Core Formation cultivator. Please be at ease, Senior. So long as you eliminate Yun Tianxiao, I will definitely follow through with our agreement.¡±


    Han Li took a deep glance at the woman before heading off to the farthest room in the hallway without further hesitation. Apart from the somewhat smaller size, it was the overall the same as the other rooms in the hallway.


    Han Li blurred and reappeared on a sandwood chair within the room. Afterwards, he closed his eyes and thoroughly restrained his Qi, preventing himself from being discovered by either Swift Crane or Yun Tianxiao.


    With his late Core Formation cultivation, Han Li was confident that he could conceal himself from the spiritual sense of early Nascent Soul cultivators, but in the end, this was still only a guess. He could only try his hardest despite the slight doubts that he held in his heart.


    In the main hall, Lady Fan was greatly on edge.


    While she had spoken to Han Li as if she was completely confident in him, the woman was also completely unsure as to whether Han Li could kill Yun Tianxiao in an instant.


    Although Han Li had nearly killed Yun Tianxiao at the previous trade meeting with but a raise of his hand, that was likely due to catching Yun Tianxiao off guard. But as Lady Fan was an extremely shrewd person, she forcefully suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind and poured herself a cup of tea.


    As she slowly sipped the tea, she quickly regained her calm.


    At that moment, footsteps came from the hall¡¯s entrance. Soon, a middle-aged Daoist wearing a white crane embroidered robe and a Confucian-robed man entered the hall.


    ¡°Senior Swift Crane, Elder Yun!¡± Lady Fan deliberately cried out with a surprised expression. She then quickly placed down the tea cup she held at her lips and saluted Daoist Swift Crane.


    Swift Crane indifferently nodded his head and remained silent as if he belonged to a realm beyond hers. But when Yun Tianxiao entered, he unconsciously frowned and his face revealed a trace of confusion.


    Yun Tianxiao returned her salute and angrily said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Yun Qin attending to the Sect Master? Is she slacking off? I will have to properly discipline her.¡±


    ¡°Yun Qin! She¡­¡± Lady Fan revealed hesitation and glanced at Swift Crane.


    Yun Tianxiao paused for a moment before speaking with an expression of annoyance, ¡°Sect Master, Senior Swift Crane cannot be considered an outsider! Go ahead and speak.¡±


    Lady Fan wore a similarly displeased expression and responded, ¡°Since that is the case, then I will say it. Yun Qin is attending to a vagrant cultivator who is in possession of some Phantasm Stone and wishes to sell it. Yun Qin was steadfast in wanting to personally deal with the person, so I had no choice but to remain here.¡±


    Yun Tianxiao was about to say something to Swift Crane, but when he heard the words ¡®Phantasm Stone¡¯ his body trembled and he revealed delight. ¡°What? Phantasm Stone?¡±


    Likewise, Swift Crane¡¯s eyes grew bright upon hearing these words and his eyes narrowed.


    Appearing as if she were wronged, she coldly spoke with a grimace, ¡°Humph! Elder Yun¡¯s close disciple insisted on handling the matter alone, refusing to allow this Sect Master to participate.¡±


    Yun Tianxiao dryly coughed and said, ¡°Yun Qin had truly overstepped herself. However, I¡¯m sure this wasn¡¯t done deliberately. Sect Mater, where are they? I don¡¯t feel entirely at ease.¡± He then turned to Swift Crane and respectfully said, ¡°Senior Swift Crane, please wait for a moment. There is something that I must deal with first. How about we continue our discussion later?¡±


    Swift Crane smiled and casually said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Yun has some matters to attend to, I¡¯ll just sit here for the time being.¡±


    Yun Tianxiao immediately revealed delight and turned towards Lady Fan.


    Lady Fan reluctantly said, ¡°Follow me, Elder Yun. I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± She slowly walked to the side door as if she was unwilling.


    With his mind feverishly occupied by thoughts of the Phantasm Stone, all of his suspicions of Lady Fan¡¯s actions had been wiped clean and he hastily followed after her.


    Swift Crane casually glanced at the two from behind before finding a chair and aloofly took a seat.


    Yun Tianxiao excitedly followed Lady Fan to the room at the very end of the hallway where the door was tightly closed.


    ¡°It¡¯s right here! Have a good chat. In any case, this sect master is simply incapable of interfering with this deal!¡± Lady Fan snorted and walked back to the hall with dissatisfaction.


    When Yun Tian Xiao saw this, a cold smile momentarily appeared on his face. He then opened the door without any hesitation and directly entered the room.

 Chapter 559

    Sudden Developments


    Upon entering the room, Yun Tianxiao spotted a male cultivator sitting at the room¡¯s center. He appeared to be fiddling with something sparkling in his hand. Yun Tianxiao then swept his gaze across the room and astonishingly found no sight of Yun Qin. Startled, his heart trembled as he grew vigilant.


    He stared at the man and slowly said, ¡°Who is your esteemed self and where is that girl Yun Qin?¡± The magic treasure in his body was already stirring restlessly inside body.


    Han Li chuckled and raised his head, ¡°Could it be that Brother Yun has already forgotten about me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± Yun Tianxiao was greatly shocked when he clearly saw the man¡¯s appearance. Without any further thought, he fled in a streak of light.


    ¡°Too slow!¡± Just after Han Li emotionlessly said this, a light pulsed from his hands.


    Then with a flourish of radiance around Yun Tianxiao, five copper bands of varying colors appeared around his limbs and neck. These bands released a low hum before tightening and restraining him.


    He screamed out of fright and hastily thought to release his magic treasure. However, his magic treasure didn¡¯t move in the slightest as if it were shackled.


    Yun Tianxiao was frightened out of his mind and couldn¡¯t help but panic, loudly screaming, ¡°Senior Swift Crane, please save me!¡±


    But just as he shouted this, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out an azure streak of light. It revolved once around Yun Tianxiao before cleaving off his head. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Han Li snatched the storage pouch from the corpse and recalled his Five Element Bands.


    The chain of events had concluded at lightning speed. But at the same moment Yun Tianxiao¡¯s storage pouch entered Han Li¡¯s grasp, he heard a loud explosion from within the room.


    The room¡¯s wall had been smashed open and Daoist Swift Crane flew inside the room through the cloud of ash.


    The old Daoist gloomily glanced at the beheaded corpse on the ground and turned his gaze to Han Li. With killing intent shining within his eyes, he shouted, ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    He then flicked his hand and a streak of blinding, scorching white light arrived in front of Han Li in an instant.


    With pupils contracted and a trembling heart, Han Li wildly enlarged the Five Element Bands in his hand, covering his body in a multi-colored cylinder. At that same moment, he took a red and yellow jade scepter out with a turn of his hand.


    Since this was the first time Han Li had blocked a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s attack since reaching late Core Formation stage, he naturally had some interest in testing whether or not his incisive treasures could receive the attack. However, despite his calm exterior, he felt completely perturbed and uncertain.


    Bang! White and rainbow light collided.


    Han Li felt as if he was struck by a heavy hammer, and was sent flying before striking the wall behind him. His head was left spinning from the impact.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± While Han Li was still in a daze from the strike, Swift Crane let out an astonished shout.


    With yet another white light appearing before his eyes, Han Li took a cold breath and resolutely waved his jade scepter. A red and yellow barrier of light appeared around his body from within the rainbow cylinder.


    As a result, he was able to receive the next attack much better than the first. He only staggered a few steps away before regaining his bearings.


    Han Li then steeled his heart as his mind began to stir, and a pair of silver white wings emerged from his back.


    Leaving a roll of thunder behind, he instantly disappeared, dodging the next streak of white light. A moment later, he reappeared at another corner of the room.


    Han Li had now identified the true form of Swift Crane¡¯s white light. It was a small, jade hammer covered in sparkling white light and the oval head was covered in talisman characters. Although it was only the size of a palm, it released astonishing spiritual Qi.


    After Swift Crane¡¯s strike had missed, his face stirred and he extended his arm. With a rustle of wind, the small hammer returned into his sleeve.


    A trace of astonishment flickered from Swift Crane¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that a Core Formation cultivator would be in possession of so many ancient treasures. What is your name?¡±


    Han Li pursed his lips and was about to say something when the door of the room suddenly opened as Lady Fan excitedly entered the room.


    Lady Fan gave Swift Crane a formal bow and spoke to him with an exceptionally respectful tone, ¡°Senior Swift Crane! This is Senior Li who I specially invited in order to deal with the traitor Yun Tianxiao. I hope Senior will be at ease. I am willing to double any conditions that the traitor may have raised.¡±


    When Swift Crane heard this, he frowned and turned his gaze to the corpse on the floor. His expressioned wavered.


    Fortunately, Han Li only had to silently stand in place. However, Lady Fan appeared quite nervous as she watched Swift Crane¡¯s expression.


    Swift Crane eventually relaxed and said, ¡°Alright, since this is an internal matter of the Exquisite Sound Sect, this old Daoist won¡¯t meddle. But don¡¯t forget what you just said, Lady Fan.¡±


    Lady Fan felt her heart swell with relief as she pledged with a beaming smile, ¡°Please be at ease, Senior. I won¡¯t dare to break my word!¡±


    The old Daoist nodded his head and glanced at Han Li with suspicion.


    After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, ¡°Where did Fellow Daoist Li cultivate? Your appearance is quite unfamiliar!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he pondered for a moment. When he opened his mouth to dispel Swift Crane¡¯s suspicions, he was only able to utter, ¡°Junior¡­¡± before his face pulsed with azure light and underwent a massive change.


    The wind spirit energy within his body had suddenly flared.


    From its violent eruption, it was clear that Feng Xi was close by.


    With fury and alarm, Han Li suppressed it with the entirety of his magic power. After forcefully suppressing the wind spirit energy, he felt cold sweat lining his body.


    Han Li let out a breath of relief after saving himself from the crisis, but when he turned his gaze to Swift Crane, he saw a trace of astonishment. It then turned into a strange expression of delight.


    Han Li suddenly thought of something and grasped his face. He instantly paled. The flare of Wind Spirit Energy had caused him to revert back to his original appearance.


    A malevolent expression appeared on Daoist Swift Crane¡¯s face as he shouted, ¡°Han Li!¡±


    Han Li let out a stream of curses in his heart. Without taking the time to think any further, he flapped his wings and suddenly disappeared with a flash of lightning, leaving only thunder behind. At that same moment, the old man flung his sleeve and disappeared in a streak of light. The only one left inside the room was Lady Fan who was left in a bewildered daze.


    A flicker of silver light appeared above Twin Peaks Island, accompanied by the sudden appearance of Han Li. In the following moment, a streak of white light violently flew up from the island and quickly pursued him.


    Han Li¡¯s expression sank and he immediately imbued the Thunderstorm Wings within his body with Divine Devilbane Lightning. An instant later, he reappeared a hundred meters away. These flashes continued, each time with thunder left in his wake.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li had already been reduced to a small, black dot on the horizon.


    When Swift Crane saw this, he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. He then came to the conclusion that the wings were certain to be a treasure from the Heavenvoid Cauldron and his heart grew wildly fervent.


    With a shout, he transformed into a streak of blinding radiance and set off in hot pursuit of Han Li, tearing through the skies with booms left in his wake.


    In an instant, the black and white dots could no longer been seen from the island.


    In the lead, Han Li was slowly increasing the distance between him and Daoist Swift Crane with the incredible speed of the Thunderstorm Wings.


    It wouldn¡¯t take Han Li much longer until he shook off the Daoist Swift Crane with his current speed. But at that moment, the wind spirit energy flared once more within his body and continued to flare in regular intervals.


    Han Li was forced to periodically stop and use his magic power to suppress the backlash of the wind spirit energy. However, this delay had given Swift Crane the opportunity to latch his spiritual sense onto Han Li, allowing him to ceaselessly pursue him.


    However, this wasn¡¯t Han Li¡¯s biggest worry. The flares of wind spirit energy were growing increasingly violent, displaying just how close Feng Xi was to him.


    Helpless and on the edge of despair, Han Li steeled his resolve and rushed towards the small island with the transportation formation. He hoped Lady Fan had truly given the order to complete the transportation formation and that they had managed to complete it by the time he arrived. So long as he was able to reach the island, he would have the opportunity to escape pursuit from Swift Crane ad Feng Xi.


    Although the Thunderstorm Wings were astonishingly fast, it consumed a significant amount of Divine Devilbane Lightning. As a result, after he gained enough distance from Swift Crane, he swapped the wings for his blood-red cloak.

 Chapter 560

    The Return of Feng Xi


    As Han Li flew, he continued to use his magic power to suppress the flare ups from the wind spirit energy. However, his body still trembled from the effort, and it was becoming more difficult to control with each flare.


    The current situation filled Han Li with dread. He now suspected that the reason why Feng Xi hadn¡¯t used the wind spirit energy more frequently during the previous chase was likely due to a combination of his exhaustion from refining the magic treasure and the backlash from the green liquid. Had these intense flare ups occurred back then, events would¡¯ve played out much differently. However, upon seeing the small island in the distance, Han Li grew relieved.


    Although it had taken him two days to arrive at the small island in the past, it now only took the majority of a day while flying at his top speed. So long as the transportation had been finished by the time he arrived, he would be able to return to the Inner Star Seas without harm. Although he would have to guard against a few Nascent Soul eccentrics, it was better than being relentlessly chased down by the metamorphosed demon beast, Feng Xi.


    While these thoughts bounced around in Han Li¡¯s mind, he heard a voice transmission from behind him.


    Swift Crane said in a slow, calm and gentle voice, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, this humble Daoist holds no malicious intentions. I only wish to exchange for a Heavenmend Pill. There is no need for Fellow Daoist to flee with such intensity.¡± Truly, his words felt sincere, kind, and lacking any hint of maliciousness. Normally, one would feel quite favorable toward such a voice.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t moved in the slightest by his tone or words, and inwardly cursed upon hearing them. Due to his decreased speed from switching to the blood-red cloak from the Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li could once again see Swift Crane¡¯s light in the distance whenever he looked behind him.


    As soon as the old Daoist had entered within range of him, he started using some sort of abnormal technique to continuously send Han Li bewitching messages filled with enticement in an attempt to slow him down. During a moment of carelessness, Han Li had nearly been affected by the technique. Fortunately, the Great Development Technique had automatically activated and protected him, promptly clearing his mind. Although he had managed to avoid falling into Swift Crane¡¯s trap, Han Li still felt his body break out in a cold sweat.


    It appeared that even Nascent Soul cultivators were adept in the usage of bewitchment techniques. Swift Crane¡¯s own techniques far surpassed Lady Fan¡¯s; they were even on par with Yuan Yao¡¯s. As for the old Daoist¡¯s promises that he merely wanted to trade for a Heavenmend Pill and meant him no harm, Han Li would have to be touched in the head to truly believe that.


    As Han Li saw the small island growing closer, he didn¡¯t dare to delay his departure and streaked towards the island with a flourish of sparkling red light.


    At that moment, a brilliant light flashed from across the sky, filling the air with a chilling whistle. A vague black dot appeared where the light had faded away, and instantly grew larger as it flew in Han Li¡¯s direction at a frightening speed.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart shook. Even if he couldn¡¯t clearly see the black streak¡¯s appearance, that fearsome speed and violent whistle couldn¡¯t possibly be from anything other than a certain grade nine Windbreaker Beast.


    As Han Li bitterly cursed, wings instantly emerged from his back in a flash of silver light.


    Since the demon had already appeared, Han Li strove his hardest to reach the small island, else he would have no chance of survival. Even if he were to turn and flee at that moment, he feared he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape Feng Xi¡¯s fearsome speed even if he exhausted the entirety of his Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    With that thought, Han Li disappeared with a roll of thunder, turning into an arc of silver lightning. Each time Han Li reappeared, he was drawing closer to the small island.


    When Swift Crane heard the piercing whistle, his expression greatly changed. Although the Daoist didn¡¯t know who that person was, he could faintly feel that they were a fearsome character. When he saw the black dot make its way toward Han Li without the slightest hesitation, he naturally believed that it was for the Heavenvoid Cauldron and he became extremely anxious.


    Desperate, Swift Crane opened his mouth and spat out a mist of blood essence. The mist turned into a huge, blood-red cloud and enveloped the old Daoist. The white crane patterns on his robes then glowed with a white light and completely absorbed the surrounding blood mist, instantly staining the cranes scarlet.


    Swift Crane then began to spin his body around, enveloping himself in a blinding white light and releasing the cries of cranes.


    A ten-meter-long crimson crane with emerald green eyes appeared before him.


    When Swift Crane saw this, his face grew sullen and he sat upon the huge crane in a blur. He then quickly clapped the head of the crane. Its eyes flickered with green light as it extended its wings, carrying the old Daoist a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.


    Although he was still slower than Han Li¡¯s lightning movements, he was still far faster than before.


    As a result, a bizarre scene unfolded in the nearby skies.


    As Han Li pushed forward with his warped movements, both the whistling black blur in front of him and the crimson crane from behind him rushed straight towards him.


    A few seconds later, Han Li had arrived above the small island. At that same moment, the black blur was now only a few kilometers away, travelling at an unbelievable speed.


    Han Li¡¯s heart turned icy when he clearly saw the demon beast¡¯s appearance. It was a bizarre form with the body of a bird and a fish tail, both covered in three meter long feathers. Below its abdomen were two incredibly sharp claws covered in inch large scales that sparkled with an azure light.


    Feng Xi was using his demon beast form to hunt him down. Although high grade demons found it awkward to fight against humans while in their beast form, it allowed them to use their innate characteristics without restraint. In this case, it allowed a Windbreaker Beast to display their innately extraordinary speed.


    After taking a cold breath of air, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to further delay and disappeared in a flash of silver light. He reappeared at the island¡¯s surface only to disappear once more.


    When the demon beast saw this, his piercing whistle came to an abrupt halt. With a few more flaps of his wings, he crossed the remaining couple of kilometers in a mere instant. After arriving above the island, he transformed into his human form with a bright flourish of azure light.


    Much to his dismay, Swift Crane saw Feng Xi¡¯s transformation as he continued to chase after Han Li. After seeing that Feng Xi looked nearly the same as an ordinary human, he felt a chill run down his entire body.


    Staring in awe, Swift Crane felt his blood run cold. ¡°Grade nine demon beast? And it¡¯s an extremely fast bird-type.¡±


    Ordinarily, when high grade humans and demon beasts met, it didn¡¯t necessarily result in a battle to the death. But if there was a huge disparity in the strength between them, a bloodbath was unavoidable. After all, regardless of whether it were for the demon beasts¡¯ cores or the humans¡¯ Nascent Souls and golden cores, they were both extremely coveted by the opposing side.


    As grade nine demon beasts were slightly above mid Nascent Soul cultivators, the old Daoist inwardly cursed at the encounter. Were this any other time, he would¡¯ve already turned tail and fled without a word, but with the Heavenvoid Cauldron before his eyes, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to relinquish it. As a result, he raised his hands with a pale face and held an ancient blue mirror in one hand along with a small jade hammer in the other. With the two ancient treasures in hand, the old Daoist¡¯s courage was strengthened and he gloomily stared at the demon beast.


    When Feng Xi saw Han Li¡¯s wings and his adept usage of them, he was initially amazed before subsequently becoming filled with an immense, bitter regret. Even if he managed to kill Han Li and refine the Thunderstorm Wings, he would only be able to draw out seventy percent of the magic treasure¡¯s might at most since it had already recognized another master, further stoking the flames of hatred towards Han Li.


    As a result, even though Feng Xi had seen Swift Crane, he had completely ignored the old Daoist; his mind was completely focused on Han Li. He faced the Daoist and coldly shouted, ¡°F*ck off!¡± before blurring in the direction of the island.


    Daoist Swift Crane was stunned for a moment before gritting his teeth and flying in pursuit. The Heavenvoid Cauldron was the top ranked secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas, and even if he had to risk his life, he had to acquire it.


    At that moment, Han Li quickly changed his face while he was flying through a passage after breaking through the stone gate. After several more flickers of lightning, he appeared before the transportation formation where several Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators were currently bantering with each other. When they saw Han Li appear, they instantly found their throats choked from the shock.


    Han Li appeared at the side of the transportation formation before wildly roaring at the disciples, ¡°Is the transportation formation finished!?¡±


    One of the disciples recognized Han Li and respectfully replied, ¡°Ah! Yes, Senior Li! The transportation formation has been finished. However, we¡¯ve yet to test it. We were¡­¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, his body blurred and he appeared inside the transportation formation.


    At nearly the same moment, a hole was suddenly ruptured from the ceiling and the demon cultivator Feng Xi dropped down in a streak of azure light.


    Han Li¡¯s face instantly drained of blood!

 Chapter 561

    A Mistaken Identity


    When Feng Xi saw Han Li within the transportation formation, his eyes widened and his face twitched. Although he had been confused as to why Han Li would seek his own destruction by hiding on this small island, it was beyond his wildest dreams for a transportation formation to be there. Before his eyes, Han Li cast a series of hand incantations and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. He was sparing none of his true essence to hasten the activation of the transportation formation, which had already begun to hum


    ¡°NO!¡± Feng Xi furiously roared. He instantly opened his mouth and fiercely shot a ball of azure light towards a corner of the formation. If the formation was broken before the activation completed, Han Li was as good as his.


    Immediately after unleashing the attack, Feng Xi¡¯s body blurred as he madly rushed at the formation with a fervent bloodlust in a desperate attempt to interrupt Han Li¡¯s teleportation.


    However, he was too late.


    Han Li responded to his attack by shooting over ten streaks of sword Qi to slow down the ball of azure light. As for Feng Xi¡¯s mad charge, Han Li didn¡¯t possess the slightest intention to dodge. The spell formation had already begun to shine with a dense white light, enveloping Han Li within it.


    When Feng Xi arrived in front of the transportation formation in his mad rush, Han Li had already disappeared from within the light in a series of blurs.


    With neither a displacement talisman on hand nor knowledge of where the transportation formation led to, Feng Xi was forced to abandon his pursuit.


    At that moment, Swift Crane flew in through the shattered ceiling. After seeing the faint glow of white light from the formation, his expression immediately revealed both fury and amazement.


    Unfortunately for Swift Crane, his sudden appearance had made him the new target of Feng Xi¡¯s gaze. Killing intent began to emanate from his blood-red eyes.


    ¡°All the humans here¡­ WILL DIE!¡± Brimming with rage after Han Li escaped right before his eyes, Feng Xi brutally shouted. His entire body blazed with an azure light, and instantly turned into a streak of azure light, pouncing towards Swift Crane in a display of overbearing ferocity!


    Swift Crane¡¯s expression massively changed at the sudden change of events and he instinctively threw out his ancient mirror and jade hammer in panic.


    Beams of different colors burst forth from the cave and intertwined as they shone down upon the previously tranquil island.


    ¡­


    A month later, the human cultivators in the nearby seas heard that the Nascent Soul cultivator Daoist Master Swift Crane fleshly body had been exterminated by a grade nine demon beast. In order to survive, he had to exhaust the entirety of his body to transport his Nascent Soul back to his cave residence. For a while after this event human cultivators were left trembling in fear at the demon beast¡¯s viciousness.


    However, none of them could¡¯ve expected that such a momentous event was only the beginning.


    Several months later the flood dragons of the depths suddenly dispatched large quantities of high grade members to scour the seas, hunting all human cultivators at Core Formation and beyond.


    Although this only lasted for a few short years, the devastation it caused among high grade cultivators was comparable to the beast torrent. There were even two Nascent Soul eccentrics that had met their end after being surrounded by several grade nine demon beasts.


    From that moment on, whenever word of any flood dragons appeared in the nearby seas, no humans dared to rashly leave their cave residences. This continued for over ten years before the lingering fear finally started to fade.


    However, the few cultivators that had been fortunate enough to escape from the demon beast¡¯s hands were bewildered to discover that all them were searching for a Core Formation cultivator surnamed Li. Anyone remained silent in the face of flood dragon¡¯s interrogation about him would find themselves immediately attacked.


    As a result, many cultivators came to believe that the massive wave of attacks from the flood dragons was likely a result of this Cultivator Li. Just what had this person done to enrage the flood dragons to this degree!?


    When word of this spread, everyone it became common to hear people cursing this unknown cultivator for having invited this calamity upon all of them. It reached the point where everyone wanted to find this Cultivator Li and capture him, delivering him to the flood dragons as an apology and to appease their rage.


    However, everyone was bewildered to discover that there was no one by the name of Li among the higher grade cultivators. So even if they wanted to apprehend him for his offences, they were incapable of even trying.


    ¡­


    In a flash of white light, the now infamous Han Li appeared in an unfamiliar place with a Greater Displacement Medallion in hand.


    As a result of his careful nature, Han Li had already prepared for the possibility of meeting enemies upon arrival and had preemptively changed his appearance to that of an unfamiliar man. Before he had even managed to recover from the dizziness caused by the teleportation, Han Li heard a lazy voice from his side, ¡°It seems that your esteemed self has a penchant for punctuality as well. You and I were the first to arrive, and are stuck waiting on the others!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Han Li inwardly trembled and grunted in response before moving off of the formation and standing off to the side.


    Not far from the transportation formation, there was a black-clothed man wearing a hood that grinned upon seeing Han Li, revealing his gleaming white teeth.


    However, when Han Li clearly saw this person¡¯s appearance, he immediately felt his stomach lurch. The man appeared truly frightening with a face so shriveled he looked like a skeleton. Additionally, his eyes twinkled with a faint blue light.


    Despite his shock, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to scorn him, because he could tell at a glance that this skeletal looking man was a mid Core Formation cultivator. He could already be considered a rarely seen high grade cultivator among the Scattered Star Seas.


    At the same time that Han Li saw his face, the skeletal man realized Han Li was a late Core Formation cultivator. Astonishment clear in his eyes, his tone became much more respectful as he continued, ¡°The others should be arriving soon, so please feel free to take a short rest, Brother. We can look forward to all of the rewards we will reap from the upcoming operation, hehe.¡±


    Han Li was at a loss about what to do, but under such vague circumstances he could only nod his head and maintain his stiff expression to avoid making any mistakes.


    He felt his heart slightly relax after examining his surroundings, and discovering that they matched the description of Bright Emperor Island that Lady Fan had given him. When the Exquisite Sound Sect Disciple had said that the transportation formation was untested, Han Li had felt slightly uneasy. In the end his luck held out and he had truly returned to the Inner Star Seas after all these years.


    He was currently in a cave over sixty meters wide, and apart from the ancient transportation formation that he had appeared from, Han Li saw two additional transportation formations in the cave. While Han Li chatted with the skeletal man, another transportation formation flickered with yellow light, faintly revealing a tall silhouette.


    The black-robed man¡¯s eyes immediately brightened and he hurriedly walked over. Han Li took the opportunity to quietly shoot two small streaks of azure light from his legs into the transportation formation below him, creating a crack in it that would be difficult to spot.


    As a result of this small crack, the ancient transportation formation was disabled and he no longer had to fear any pursuit from either Swift Crane or Feng Xi.


    It appeared that Han Li¡¯s covert sabotage had gone unnoticed by both the black-clothed man and the cultivator that had just arrived. While the two of them were lively bantering with each other, Han Li inspected the new arrival and discovered it was a large man with a fiendish appearance.


    When Han Li saw them speaking with each, he silently walked down from the transportation formation and headed towards the cave opening. However, he had only walked a few steps before he heard the black-robed man saw with an astonished tone, ¡°Brother, not everyone has arrived yet. I was told that there would be five people simultaneously taking action, and the rest of our orders and members have yet to arrive. It would be best for us to wait in the cave for the time being. Otherwise, it will be hard to explain! Now that I think about it, Fellow Daoist¡¯s appearance is quite unfamiliar! Is there any chance that this is the first time that Brother has participated in an operation like this?¡±


    For some unknown reason, the black-robed man hadn¡¯t doubted Han Li¡¯s identity since he arrived despite not recognizing him.


    Han Li slightly frowned at the question before mumbling with a deliberately impatient voice, ¡°How troublesome, none of this was explained to me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Since Fellow Daoist¡¯s cultivation is quite high, it is only natural for your guide to be hesitant in telling you what to do. However, Brother should exercise some patience. So long as you complete your task, you¡¯re free to do as you wish.¡± The black-robed man faintly smiled and seemed to be implying something .


    When Han Li heard this, he managed to come up with a fairly certain idea about what was going on. After slightly rolling his eyes, he intended to give a vague response, but right then another transportation formation began to radiate light before bringing forth two more people.


    A strange expression flickered deep within Han Li¡¯s eyes upon seeing the new arrivals. One of whom was an old man who had blue flame emblems that emitted a faint spiritual Qi, and flickered as if they were alive embroidered on on his wide robes. Based on his appearance he seemed to be some notable character, while at his side stood a lean, elegant man.


    With the appearance of these two, there were now five people in the cave and Han Li was the sole late Core Formation cultivator. The skeletal man was at mid Core Formation, while the large man and the old man were both at early Core Formation. As for the lean, elegant man, he was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

 Chapter 562

    Yuan Yao and the Azure Yang Sect


    Just like the skeletal man and the fiendish man, the new arrivals didn¡¯t ask any questions about Han Li¡¯s identity either. When the elegant man saw that there were five people present, he directly saluted the three people that had arrived earlier and respectfully said, ¡°I am Ke Yu. With respect, I¡¯ve come to deliver your orders and guide you. Here is my proof of identity, please feel free to confirm it.¡± The elegant man then took out a black command medallion and handed it over to Han Li. As he clearly had the highest cultivation among the three that had first arrived, he naturally took the leading position.


    Han Li wordlessly received the medallion and glanced at it before casually tossing it to the skeletal man.


    The skeletal man took a cursory glance at it as well and then casually tossed it back to the elegant man. He then said with a lazy tone, ¡°What use is there in showing the command medallion? Since a Foundation Establishment cultivator such as yourself was allowed to use the teleportation formation, there is little doubt about your role. As for our identities, there is also no use in examining them. We¡¯ve only arrived here due to receiving orders as enforcers; it is impossible for there to be outsiders. So how about you start telling us our orders?¡±


    The skeletal man appeared quite familiar with the process and boldly spoke with an expression of impatience.


    When the elegant man heard this, he hesitated for a moment before revealing an embarrassed smile. He didn¡¯t raise the matter about identifying Han Li or the others and only let out a dry cough before introducing the old man at his side.


    ¡°This is Senior Ding, an enforcer of the Azure Yang Sect. Your assignment is to assist Senior Ding in capturing a criminal of the Azure Yang Sect. Senior Ding will continue with the details, this Junior¡¯s role was merely to introduce him.¡± He then obediently stepped back and deferred to the old man beside him.


    ¡°Azure Yang Sect? Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s Lord Three Yang¡¯s Azure Yang Sect?¡± A blue glint appeared in the skeletal man¡¯s eyes as he revealed astonishment.


    When Han Li and the fiendish man to his side heard this, they also revealed surprise.


    The Azure Yang Sect Elder surnamed Ding faintly smiled and saluted the three, ¡°Hehe, it seems there is no need for me to speak of my sect¡¯s founder since you already know his name. The Martial Ancestor has personally requested Coalition Leader Archsaint Six Paths for this matter. This is due to the fact that not only is the criminal a Core Formation cultivator but she is also in possession of many of the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s most valuable treasures. It has already been many years since she escaped, but we recently acquired word of her whereabouts. Had the Martial Ancestor personally set out to capture her, it would naturally be quite easy, but unfortunately, he has more pressing matters at hand. As such, he was forced to ask you Fellow Daoists for assistance. With us four Core Formation cultivators, we will be able to capture that witch alive with certainty.¡± When he said that last sentence, his expression subconsciously became stern.


    After hearing him say ¡®witch¡¯, the fiendish man bewilderedly asked, ¡°Is this criminal a female cultivator?¡±


    Han Li frowned, having faintly recalled something.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the witch is called Yuan Yao. Originally, she was a concubine that was prepared for the young sect master. However, it was beyond our expectations that this witch would be so vicious and merciless, and using her outstanding beauty and bewitchment techniques, she conspired with another woman and killed the young sect master in secret. Yuan Yao then took the young sect master¡¯s treasures and precious medicine pills and fled, later succeeding in Core Formation. As that young master was Martial Ancestor Three Yang¡¯s sole descendant, he naturally has a bone-deep hatred for the woman and views her as a top priority. So long as you three assist me in capturing the woman alive, our sect will be certain to repay you accordingly. We won¡¯t leave you under compensated for your efforts.¡± The old man gritted his teeth as he spoke of the objective


    The skeletal man and the fiendish man glanced at each other with a meaningful gaze. As for Han Li, he rubbed his nose in complete silence.


    ¡®So the culprit turned out to be Yuan Yao!¡¯ This mysterious and beautiful woman¡¯s shocking history was far beyond Han Li¡¯s imagination.


    He had been suspicious about how the woman had managed to reach Core Formation in such a small period of time and why she had acted in such a secretive manner, but he wouldn¡¯t have guessed that she had stolen everything from the corpse of a young sect master and was being pursued by the Azure Yang Sect. The many precious medicine pills on the Young Master seemed to have greatly benefited Yuan Yao. But now, it seemed the woman was trapped in a troublesome situation, and vague thoughts of disrupting their plan had sprung into his mind. However, they remained nothing more than thoughts for the moment. While they couldn¡¯t be considered to have a particularly close relationship, they could at least be considered acquaintances.


    At that moment, the skeletal man at his side started to speak, ¡°Since we¡¯ve already received orders from our superiors, my brother and I would¡¯ve participated regardless. Do you know where this woman appeared? Since we¡¯ve gathered here, then she mustn¡¯t be too far away!¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is right, the witch lives in seclusion on a desolate island north of Bright Emperor Island. When she went out to purchase a few goods, one of our disciples happened to recognize her and followed her back to the island. Up until that moment, we didn¡¯t have the slightest idea about where she could be. This woman is extremely cunning and she possesses treasures with tremendous might, not to mention our sect¡¯s precious Azure Flameblasts. As such, everyone should take proper care.¡± When the old man gave his warning, he spoke towards Han Li especially. Since Han Li was a late Core Formation cultivator, the old man held him in even higher regard than the others.


    But against their wildest imaginations, while Han Li was expressionlessly nodding his head, he was inwardly pondering whether or not he should exterminate them. However, when Han Li heard that Yuan Yao was located nearby and that she had many precious treasures on hand, his heart stirred. After a mere moment of thought, Han Li decided that after he saved her, he would take the opportunity to demand heavy rewards from her.


    With the explanation completed, Ke Yu finished examining the people in the room and respectfully asked them for confirmation that they understood before setting off from the cave.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the Inner Seas a cultivator with disheveled hair glanced down at the transportation formation under his feet with confusion. The transportation had been flickering with light when he had entered, but once he was about to teleport, the formation had lost power for some unfathomable reason. This caused him to gloomily rub the back of his head; he was at a loss of what to do.


    ¡­


    Leaving behind the people guarding the formations, Han Li and the party arrived on the side of a mountain. In the distance, a village could vaguely be seen. The party of five then took to the skies and under the guidance of the Azure Yang Sect Elder, they left the island and flew north.


    The flight was uneventful and the party flew in silence. With Han Li¡¯s detached and withdrawn mannerisms, none dared to tactlessly chat along the way as he possessed the highest cultivation among them.


    About half a day later, the group of five spotted a small island about ten kilometers wide ahead of them.


    A cold light flickered within the old man¡¯s eyes as he came to a stop, and coolly said, ¡°This is the place. The witch should be hiding inside one of the hills.¡±


    Han Li and the others soon came to a stop and gazed at the island in the distance. Apart from some sparse vegetation, there were only a few small stone mountains and the spiritual Qi was extremely scarce.


    After taking a look at the island, the fiendish man couldn¡¯t help but doubtfully ask, ¡°Fellow Daoist Ding, are you not mistaken? The witch is a Core Formation cultivator. Why would she cultivate in a place like this?¡±


    ¡°Be at ease, there is no way our info is wrong.¡± The old man surnamed Ding replied with complete confidence. He then formed his hands into an incantation gesture and flung his hand out, causing a streak of bright yellow light to streak across the sky.


    A short moment later, a burst of yellow radiance suddenly shone from one side of the island.


    The old man was happy after seeing this, and hastily turned his head to the other three and explained, ¡°One of our sects¡¯ disciples remained here to monitor the woman. It seems that she has yet to leave the island.¡±


    After that was said, they waited for a moment more before a streak of red light approached them from the direction of the yellow light. A moment later, the red streak of light arrived in front of them and faded away to reveal a grey-clothed mid Foundation Establishment cultivator that appeared to be about forty years old. His robes were identical to the old man¡¯s robes with azure flame emblems embroidered into them, but the flames were far smaller than those on the old man¡¯s robes.


    When the man recognized old man Ding, he hastily bowed to him and respectfully said, ¡°Disciple greets Martial Uncle Ding and Seniors!¡±


    The old man waved off his greeting without paying it any attention and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Is the witch still on the island?¡±


    ¡°She is still there. The witch has yet to leave ever since this disciple tailed her back to this island.¡± The middle-aged man spoke with certainty.


    The old man spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Good, you¡¯ve done well in your assignment. When this matter is over, you will be promoted to an inner disciple within the sect. Go ahead and lead the way.¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he had a rapt smile as he repeatedly thanked the old man. He then turned around and flew to the small island.


    In the blink of an eye, the party arrived above the small island. The middle-aged man then pointed to a stone mountain and respectfully said, ¡°On the witch¡¯s return, this disciple saw her approach that mountain and then disappear without a trace. Although I couldn¡¯t investigate closer due to my low cultivation, I reckon that woman¡¯s cave residence is inside that mountain.¡±


    When the skeletal man heard that, a strange light flickered within his eyes as he gazed at the mountain. He then slowly nodded his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The mountain¡¯s exterior is clearly under the effects of high level restrictions. Unless one were to examine that particular mountain up close, they wouldn¡¯t be able to discover anything strange about the island. It is no wonder why the woman was able to conceal herself here for so many years.¡±

 Chapter 563

    Getting Ahead


    After hearing the skeletal man¡¯s description of the formation, a scowl momentarily appeared on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Humph! That woman stole all of the young master¡¯s technique records during that day, so it isn¡¯t strange for her to be able to do this. After I break through the spell formations, I will have to trouble you Fellow Daoists to assist me.¡±


    ¡°Relax, even if the woman possesses exceptional powers, it is still impossible for her to escape.¡± The skeletal man smiled and spoke with a careless expression.


    The old man agreed and clutched his hands in an incantation gesture as a blinding yellow radiance suddenly erupted from his hands. ¡°Break!¡± As the old man shouted, the yellow radiance left his hands and struck the mountains down below.


    The blast produced a rumble that echoed throughout the air. The scene of the mountain began to ripple in a manner similar to a large rock suddenly dropping into a serene pond. With a ripple of white light, the scene underwent a massive change, revealing beautiful, verdant mountain along with massive fluctuations of spiritual Qi.


    ¡°This is?¡± The skeletal and fiendish man gazed at the scene in astonishment and couldn¡¯t help becoming dazed with their mouths gaping open.


    Old man Ding swept his gaze past the two and proudly said, ¡°Hehe, this is my sect¡¯s secret Spirit Constraining Formation. It is one of the only spell formations in the world capable of concealing spiritual Qi. That witch¡¯s cultivation is insufficient and she was only capable of concealing a portion of the spiritual Qi. If our own Martial Ancestor were to personally place down this formation, it would be easy for him to prevent it from leaking even a trace of spiritual Qi.¡±


    Han Li was astonished by this as well, and his heart stirred after hearing the old man¡¯s explanation. If he could acquire the method for creating the Spirit Constraining Formation, his cave residences in the future would be far safer.


    Following the disappearance of the illusion formation, a stone gate was revealed by a pulse of green light at the center of the mountain. It seemed to indicate the location of Yuan Yao¡¯s cave residence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin our attack.¡± A malicious glint appeared in the old man¡¯s eyes.


    The skeletal man nodded and shot out a strange black edge from his mouth. The weapon was rather odd, appearing to be half saber and half sword. As for the fierce man, he let out a roar and hurled a halberd with an ominous, cold aura towards the mountain. Han Li was shocked to see such a massive weapon being used as a magic treasure. Such a weapon was a rare sight indeed amongst cultivators.


    The old man had personally spat a white flying sword out of his mouth with a shout. But when he saw that Han Li had yet to take action, he couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled and ask, ¡°Fellow Daoist, why haven¡¯t you¡­¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled and was about to casually make up an excuse when the mountain door suddenly opened, and a green light burst out from within.


    When the old man saw this, he wasn¡¯t able to say anything further. All the other cultivators¡¯ attention had been captured by the sudden change.


    The green light revolved in front of the gate once before fading away to reveal a black-robed woman who possessed striking beauty and skin as fair as snow. The woman smiled with luminous, moist eyes, and her every movement seemed to contain a trace of charm. This was obviously Yuan Yao, who had parted ways with Han Li after leaving Heavenvoid Hall.


    He hadn¡¯t seen the woman for many years, but not only did her appearance remain the same, her charms seemed to possess an even deeper degree of allure.


    When the woman swept her gaze across the people there, her expression immediately changed upon seeing the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s elder. A layer of frost suddenly seemed to cover her face.


    Knowing that her charm techniques would be of no use to the cultivators before her, Yuan Yao¡¯s expression quickly grew unsightly. She turned her gaze away from the old man as if in contempt and icily said, ¡°Why have you Fellow Daoists arrived at this little woman¡¯s residence?¡±


    When old man Ding saw this, he grew furious in his heart, but as he was a gloomy and shrewd sort, none of it was revealed on his face. Instead, he sinisterly smiled and said, ¡°Witch, there is no point in feigning ignorance. You killed my sect¡¯s young master and took his treasures. Do you still believe you can escape?¡±


    Yuan Yao didn¡¯t bother to respond to the old man, choosing to examine the other cultivators instead. As a result, she felt her heart sink.


    The old man and the fiendish man were only early Core Formation cultivators such as herself. However, the skeletal black-robed man and the azure robed man with the unremarkable appearance would be quite difficult to deal with. Their cultivations were at mid and late Core Formation, respectively.


    Despite the astonishing power of the several magic treasures in her possession and the few secret techniques that she had cultivated over the years, if those four were to join hands, the results would be far from good.


    The skeletal man and the fiendish man were clearly shocked when they saw Yuan Yao¡¯s beauty, and gave each other a mutual glance of regret. If the woman hadn¡¯t offended the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s Venerable Devil Three Yang, she would¡¯ve definitely been an ideal Dao companion. It was truly a pity.


    As she confronted the dire circumstances before her, her expression remained steady as she bitterly laughed and waved her empty hand. A white light started to revolve around her hand and when she stroked it, it started to brightly shine and release a large expanse of green and yellow mist. In a mere second, the mist covered the entire mountain.


    When the old man saw this, he shouted and the flying sword in front of him hastily chopped towards Yuan Yao.


    However, Yuan Yao merely laughed and silently disappeared into the mist with a blur.


    The old man frowned when he saw this. Then with an expression of disdain, he clutched his hands in an incantation gesture and pointed at his flying sword. ¡°Humph! You dare to display a trifling illusion formation in front of me?!¡±


    The flying sword released a clear ring before wildly twirling through the skies. In an instant, it turned into a ten-meter-long disc of whirling light that ruthlessly swept past the mountain and cleanly scattered the fog. A second later, the stone gate could be seen once more.


    When the fiendish man saw this, he pointed to his own magic treasure without the slightest hesitation and caused the halberd to swell in size several times before fiercely chopping at the stone gate. Flashes of yellow and green light erupted each time the halberd struck the gate.


    To Han Li¡¯s side, the skeletal man was about to send his own strange blade to attack when he suddenly shouted in shock, ¡°Not good! The witch ran from the back of the mountain. Quickly, chase after her!¡± He then turned into a streak of black light and quickly flew around the mountain.


    When Han Li heard this, a strange expression flickered within his eyes, but he stood in place without moving.


    It appeared the fiendish man was extremely confident in the skeletal man¡¯s words. He immediately stopped attacking the gate after hearing his words and set off after him.


    When the old man saw this, he wore a doubtful expression and hesitantly asked Han Li, ¡°Fellow Daoist, did he speak truly? This old man didn¡¯t sense anything.¡±


    When Han Li heard him, his face remained unchanged but an odd expression flickered within his eyes as he calmly said, ¡°That Fellow Daoist spoke truthfully, she did flee from an exit on the other side of the mountain. Those two Fellow Daoists have already barred her way and are in the middle of a battle with her.¡± Han Li¡¯s arms were held behind his back as he gazed into the distance.


    The old man joyfully said, ¡°That is great! If we arrive to assist them, we will certainly be able to capture that witch.¡±


    Han Li turned towards the old man and gazed at him with a peculiar expression as he leisurely said, ¡°Yes, if we were to head out, that woman would be easily captured. But before that, there is something I¡¯d like to borrow from you.¡±


    Old man Ding appeared perplexed and paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Borrow? What does Fellow Daoist wish to borrow from me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important. Just your head!¡± Han Li rubbed his nose with a smirk. Then before the old man could respond, he spat a streak of bright azure light from his mouth. It circled once around the old man before his head tumbled off of his body.


    Soon after, Han Li shot out a streak of azure light from his hand, wrapping up the head and dragging it into his hand. He then narrowed his eyes and enveloped the azure light around the head.


    Because he had acted so quickly, the head still wore an expression of a strange bewilderment and had yet to even smell of blood.


    Han Li sighed and muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. Blame the terrible luck you had for seeing me arrive through the transportation formation.¡±


    When Ke Yu and the Azure Yang Sect sentry saw this, they were immediately terrified and tried to hastily flee on their magic tools. Unfortunately for them, a casual wave of Han Li¡¯s arm released two streaks of sword light that immediately penetrated their chests.


    He then raised his head and turned to the direction of the mountain while wearing a strange expression.


    Han Li clicked his tongue and said with an impressed tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for Yuan Yao¡¯s cultivation to have reached such a higher level!¡± He then flew off in a streak of azure light.


    In the sky behind the green mountain, the skeletal man and the fiendish man were in a contest using their magic treasures against a strange red hammer as they continuously cast magic techniques in Yuan Yao¡¯s direction. At that moment, Yuan Yao was completely enveloped in a cloud of black smoke and shot over a hundred streaks of green devilfire, intercepting their magic techniques with rings of explosions.


    But as she fought, she continuously retreated and attempted to think of a plan to flee. As her opponents were rich with battle experience, their perfectly coordinated strikes forced Yuan Yao to focus the entirety of her attention on defending against their attacks.


    When the fiendish man and the skeletal man saw Han Li flying over, they were overjoyed.


    When Han Li arrived near the battle and his light faded away, the fiendish man appeared discontent and hastily called out to Han Li, ¡°Fellow Daoist, quickly help! If we attack together, the woman will be captured without fail. Wait, where is Fellow Daoist Ding? This was a matter of his own sect, how could he possibly delay?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait for him. Fellow Daoist Ding is right here!¡± Han Li then expressionlessly reached behind him and tossed the old man¡¯s head to the fiendish man.

 Chapter 564

    A Gift


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s tone suddenly turn harsh, the fiendish man felt that something was amiss. When he saw Han Li had tossed over a severed head, he felt his heart drop but he unconsciously blurred forward to catch it. In the same instant he moved forward, he clearly saw the severed head¡¯s face. He felt his heart quake upon realizing that the pale severed head belonged to Old Man Ding.


    The skeletal man was similarly aghast when he saw that it was the head of Old Man Ding. With great coordination, the two quickly drew close to one another the instant they discovered the situation had gone awry. They then commanded their magic treasures to return to them before staring at Han Li with vigilant expressions.


    Although Han Li was a late Core Formation cultivator, if the two of them joined hands, they could possibly rival him. As a result, they didn¡¯t appear to possess the slightest fear.


    Not far away, Yuan Yao was watching all of this unfold in utter confusion. Despite not using the opportunity to escape, she still maintained the devilish technique that surrounded her body and had her strange red hammer revolve around her out of caution as she silently observed the strange actions of Han Li and the others.


    Han Li shot a deep glance at Yuan Yao before turning his gaze back to the skeletal man and the fiendish man. Without offering any further explanation, he waved both his arms with a faint smile and over twenty small azure swords flew out from his sleeves like two schools of fish. Then in a sudden burst of light, the flying swords shot directly at the pair of cultivators.


    When the skeletal man and the fiendish man saw this, they couldn¡¯t believe their eyes and had incredulous expressions on their faces.


    Ordinary Core Formation cultivators had to exhaust most of their fortune just to refine a single magic treasure, and now this traitorous ally before them had suddenly took out over twenty flying swords. With this single display, the two immediately knew that Han Li was no ordinary late Core Formation cultivator, and didn¡¯t stand a chance against him.


    The skeletal man¡¯s expression paled and he suddenly yelled, ¡°Scatter! To each his own!¡±


    Just as he finished yelling, he transformed into a black streak of light and flew away. Upon hearing this, the fiendish man immediately retrieved his halbard without another word and rushed away in the opposite direction. His speed wasn¡¯t much slower than his partner¡¯s. He seemed to be exceptionally proficient in running away.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression grew solemn, and he quickly formed an incantation gesture with both his hands before pointing to his flying swords. The swords then glowed with azure light before each sword produced three identical swordlights, transforming the original twenty four swords into ninety-six and doubling the strength of each of their auras. Han Li then flung his sleeve and imposingly uttered, ¡°Separate.¡±


    As soon as the word was uttered the azure swords split off in two groups. Each group of flying swords then united together with a pulse of azure light and formed their own distinct swarms of light before swiftly setting off.


    Han Li¡¯s use of the divine ability Swordshadow Phantasm Technique[1] left the skeletal man and the fiendish man deathly white when they turned their heads around to look. They then began to circulate the entirety of the magic powers in their bodies while fearing for their lives.


    Han Li stood still and merely glanced at the two with a trace of pity. The swarms of swordlights traveled at a speed that ordinary cultivators couldn¡¯t hope to match. Unless they had heaven-defying treasures similar to Han Li¡¯s blood-red cloak or Thunderstorm Wings, the two of them didn¡¯t have the slightest chance of survival.


    After only a short moment, the swarms of swordlight had traveled several kilometers away and chased down the skeletal man and the fiendish man. They could only helplessly turn around and summon their magic treasures in an attempt to block the sword swarms. But under the overbearing assault of their superior numbers, the swords tore their bodies apart in quick succession, each death accompanied by a miserable scream.


    Han Li then calmly released the Swordshadow Phantasm Technique, and had the swords fly back with the now ownerless storage pouches.


    With the swords flying back into his robes like birds returning to their nest, Han Li turned to look at the black mist in the distance with a mysterious smile.


    To his surprise, before he even spoke Yuan Yao giggled and said, ¡°So it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han. I didn¡¯t expect that in the tens of years we were apart Brother Han¡¯s abilities would reach this stage. This little woman truly holds you in great esteem!¡± Soon after she said this, the black mist slowly dispersed to reveal the stunningly beautiful woman. She then silently gazed at Han Li with luminous eyes and a wide smile.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for Fellow Daoist Yuan to recognize me. You gave me quite the fright!¡± Han Li chuckled and then dissolved his appearance exchange arts without hesitation, restoring his original appearance in a flash of white light.


    ¡°I, myself, find it quite difficult to believe that apart from Brother Han, there could be another person in the Scattered Star Seas that also possesses such a vast number of flying sword magic treasures.¡± Although she had said those earlier words with a smile, she still let out a breath of relief after seeing Han Li reveal his true appearance. Then after a moment of hesitation, she refrained from asking why Han Li had appeared here; instead, she approached Han Li and gracefully saluted him, expressing her sincere gratitude, ¡°It is thanks to Brother Han¡¯s timely rescue that this little woman was able to escape calamity.¡±


    She truly understood that if Han Li had meant her harm, she wouldn¡¯t have even been given the opportunity to flee given his current cultivation. As such, it would be far better if she could forge a friendly relationship with him.


    Han Li naturally knew why Yuan Yao had showed him respect with such a strong smile. As such, he chuckled and waved his arm before saying, ¡°I merely happened to encounter this hunting party by chance, and saving you only required very slight effort. Since we last saw each other, it seems Fellow Daoist Yuan has made quite a bit of progress with her techniques.¡±


    Yuan Yao tilted her head and glanced at Han Li before speaking with feigned anger, ¡°Is Brother Han making fun of this little woman? Brother Han has already reached late Core Formation stage while I am still lingering at early Core Formation stage. What progress is there to speak of?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist Yuan is far too modest. Although I¡¯ve managed to reach this stage with the assistance of many chance encounters, there are still several matters that I must consult with you about.¡±


    Yuan Yao was momentarily stunned before concealing a giggle with her hand. ¡°Hehe! Ask as you please, but if Brother Han doesn¡¯t find my humble home distasteful, wouldn¡¯t it be better to have our chat there?¡± The woman treated Han Li with obvious intimacy, perhaps due to him having just saved her life.


    Without putting on any airs, Han Li saluted her and agreed, ¡°Then I will have to trouble you to lead the way!¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s complexion flushed and she descended onto the island with a smile on her face as Han Li followed her into her cave residence.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s cave residence couldn¡¯t be considered very large, but it was tastefully arranged in an elegant and clean manner. Additionally, the residence¡¯s passageways were lined with rare and colorful plants, filling the ordinarily dull cave residence with color and a pleasant fragrance.


    When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but warmly smile as Yuan Yao led Han Li into a stone hall over thirty meters wide. After Han Li took a seat at the table, she steeped a pot of fragrant tea and happily sat across from Han Li.


    ¡°Brother Han is quite famous within the Scattered Star Seas; you¡¯ve acquired quite the reputation. Nearly everyone has heard of how the top ranked secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas fell into the hands of a Core Formation cultivator surnamed Han. Judging by how Fellow Daoist entered late Core Formation in so few years, could it be that you have consumed the legendary Heavenmend Pill? Is the medicine truly as miraculous as the legends say?¡± As soon as Yuan Yao sat down, she revealed an unconcealed longing towards both the Heavenmend Pill and the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Han Li paused for a moment before silently smiling, the woman was quite clever. She clearly had taken the opportunity to raise the matter of the Heavenvoid Cauldron and the Heavenmend pill without showing any hostile intentions. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but feel favorable towards her.


    Han Li sighed and shook his head, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Yuan mentioned it, I won¡¯t try to fool you. The Heavenvoid Cauldron really is in my possession. However, due to my shallow cultivation, I¡¯ve been unable to open the cauldron ever since I acquired it. Whatever treasures it contains are completely inaccessible to me for the time being. By the time my cultivation progresses and I have the ability to open it, the Heavenmend Pill will no longer be of any use to me.¡± Since his cultivation far exceeded her own, he didn¡¯t feel the need to lie and calmly revealed the truth of the matter.


    ¡°You¡¯ve yet to open the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡± When Yuan Yao heard this, she paused for a moment, before revealing an expression of slight disbelief.


    Han Li frowned and was disinclined to offer the woman any further explanation. Instead, he coughed several times and decided to clearly strike at the heart of the matter at hand. He stared at Yuan Yao and slowly said, ¡°Would Fellow Daoist Yuan happen to have any more Myriad Spirit Milk on her? You should know that with the Heavenvoid Cauldron in my possession, trouble has a way of constantly finding me. This along with many other unexpected matters has caused me to consume nearly all the Myriad Year Spirit Milk that you gave me. If you have any of it remaining, I am willing to pay a high price for it. You definitely won¡¯t suffer a loss.¡±


    Han Li would have lost his life several times over during his time in the Outer Star Seas, were it not for the Myriad Year Spirit Milk. After realizing just how important this item was, Han Li was naturally unwilling to let go an opportunity to acquire the other half of the spirit milk originally in the bottle. With this, he would have yet another life saving item the next time danger came to seek him out.


    When Yuan Yao heard Han Li, she paused for a moment before unconsciously frowning.


    A moment later, she took out a jade bottle from her waist and placed it at the center of the table and pushed it towards Han Li without any hesitation.


    The woman serenely gazed at Han Li and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t used even a drop of the Myriad Year Spirit Milk. Brother Han can have it as a gift, so there is no need to give me any spirit stones or items for it.¡±


    [1] [First introduced in Chapter 217. It is a technique that allows swords to produce an illusory copy of themselves. At his current strength, each of the sword illusions are able to retain one-third of the power of the original weapon.]

 Chapter 565

    The Other Side of the Story


    ¡°You¡¯re giving the Myriad Year Spirit Milk to me as a gift?¡± Han Li was astonished upon hearing her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Although the Myriad Year Spirit Milk could be considered extremely precious, it cannot be compared with Brother Han¡¯s life-saving rescue. Could it be that Brother Han believes that I am the sort of woman who doesn¡¯t know how to repay kindness?¡± Yuan Yao bit her lip as she started to twirl a fine strand of hair around her finger.


    Han Li was hesitant as he said, ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    When Yuan Yao heard this, her eyes brightened and she smiled, ¡°We are fellow survivors of Heavenvoid Hall, and now you¡¯ve saved my life once again. There is no need for Brother Han to address me as an outsider and always call me ¡®Fellow Daoist¡¯.¡± Yuan Yao chuckled after saying this, but she soon thought of something and a blush appeared on her face, emphasizing her beauty.


    When Han Li saw her captivating expression, he couldn¡¯t help but blankly stare at her for a time.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s blush deepened when she saw Han Li staring at her, turned her head to the side as if to avoid his gaze.


    A while later, Han Li took a deep breath and said, ¡°Since Miss Yuan Yao has said this, I won¡¯t act so unfamiliar and will call you by your esteemed name.¡±


    He then casually picked up the small bottle and opened it to see that it was truly the Myriad Year Spirit Milk.


    With a trace of joy, Han Li placed the bottle into his storage pouch. Then after some slight hesitation, Han Li took out two small, white jade bottles and pushed them towards Yuan Yao.


    Yuan Yao blinked and said with slight confusion, ¡°What are those?¡±


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°These two bottles contain medicine pills for progressing one¡¯s magic power, and will assuredly aid you in your future cultivation. Consider them as an exchange of gifts.¡±


    Yuan Yao paused for a moment and then pursed her lips in a smile as she looked at the two white jade bottles, ¡°I¡¯ve already said that the spirit milk was a present to you, but Brother Han still took out two bottles of medicine pills to give me. You¡¯re making me quite embarrassed.¡±


    Han Li glanced at her and smiled before saying, ¡°There is no need for Miss Yuan to feel embarrassed! These two bottles of medicine pills were refined from the cores of grade six demon beasts. With Miss Yuan¡¯s current cultivation at the peak of early Core formation stage, these pills will allow you to smoothly enter the mid Core Formation stage.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s smile suddenly turned into an expression of shock, ¡°Medicine pills refined from grade six demon cores?¡±


    She immediately grabbed a bottle and opened the lid. Pure spiritual Qi was released from the bottle, much to Yuan Yao¡¯s delighted surprise.


    Yuan Yao¡¯s hand tightly held onto the bottle and said in an embarrassed manner, ¡°I could refuse anything else, but due to desperation, I¡¯m afraid that this little woman will have to shamefully accept these two bottles of medicine pills.¡±


    The two bottles of medicine pills would save Yuan Yao over ten years of bitter cultivation, so although she felt slightly embarrassed, she was still very much delighted.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t hesitate to take them. I still have other things to request of you.¡± Han Li felt relief after seeing Yuan Yao take the medicine pills. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve found it difficult to put forward his next request.


    After carefully putting away the two bottles, Yuan Yao felt even more relaxed towards Han Li, and her expression only grew more lovely. ¡°With Brother Han¡¯s current powers, what could Brother Han possibly require from this little woman? Let me know and I will certainly help if I can.¡±


    Han Li slowly said, ¡°Just now I was amazed when I saw the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s secret Spirit Constraining Formation; it was able to restrain the spiritual Qi surrounding your cave residence. Would Miss Yuan be able to give me a copy of the method to create this formation spell? I would be extremely grateful.¡±


    ¡°The Spirit Constraining Formation? Not a problem.¡± Perhaps wishing to repay Han Li for the medicine pills, Yuan Yao instantly agreed without the slightest consideration. She immediately took out a jet-black jade slip and handed it to Han Li.


    Yuan Yao sweetly smiled in a breathtaking display of her dainty charms, ¡°This jade slip contains the formation spell records of the Azure Yang Sect. In addition to the Spirit Constraining Formation, there are several other powerful spell formations as well.¡±


    Han Li was elated to accept the jade slip and uttered several words of thanks before immersing his spiritual sense in it. Just as Yuan Yao had said, there were several spell formations that he had never heard of in addition to the Spirit Constraining Formation.


    After quickly looking through the contents, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip with a satisfied expression. When he thought to say something to Yuan Yao, he was surprised to see that she appeared to hesitant about whether or not she should speak.


    With a trace of doubt on his face, Han Li asked, ¡°Is there something you want to ask me, Miss Yuan?¡±


    Yuan Yao hesitated before revealing an expression of determination, and calmly asked, ¡°Since Brother Han already knows about the Azure Yang Sect, then you should also know a bit about my past, yes?¡±


    A bewildered expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face at the suddenly change of topic. Not knowing why she has raised the issue, he indifferently nodded and sullenly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. When I infiltrated their group, I heard the Azure Yang Sect elder say that you had nearly become the young sect master¡¯s concubine. Afterwards, you killed the young master in secret and fled with his treasures. Is that true?¡±


    When she heard Han Li¡¯s brief summary, a bitter smile appeared on Yuan Yao¡¯s beautiful face. With a mocking tone, she said, ¡°He wasn¡¯t wrong. I really did nearly become that wretch¡¯s concubine, and I did it with the intention of gaining the Azure Yang Sect as a powerful backer. Do you believe that my actions displayed a lack of pride or honor, Brother Han?¡±


    Han Li shook his head and emotionlessly said, ¡°Not in the slightest. That¡¯s just how the cultivation world works. If you aren¡¯t born into a large sect or if you lack exceptional spiritual roots, it¡¯s extremely difficult to progress on the path of cultivation! That being the case, your methods are basically par for the course. Most beautiful female cultivators are more than willing to become the concubine or servant of high grade male cultivators in the hopes of acquiring support. There are even a few female cultivators that have given up on cultivation completely and become cultivation furnaces for others, merely looking for a period of luxury free of worry.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words seemed to make Yuan Yao feel more at ease. She then forced a smile at Han Li and said, ¡°Senior Martial Sister Yan Li [1] and I were both born in a small cultivation sect. Not only were our aptitudes only average, but our cultivation techniques were mediocre as well. We both realized if things continued like they were, we wouldn¡¯t even catch a glimpse of Foundation Establishment stage, let alone Core Formation. As a result, we both agreed to leave our sect and wanted to find an unmarried male cultivator with profound cultivation in hopes of becoming their Dao companion. Unfortunately, we never encountered a suitable high grade cultivator, not even one at late Foundation Establishment stage. Instead, our beauty attracted many undesirables like flies to fruit, but since their cultivations weren¡¯t superior to our own, we were unwilling to devote our hearts to them.


    ¡°Later on, due to a few unforeseen events, Senior Martial Sister Yan Li and I parted ways for a time. Several years later when I reunited with her, I discovered that she had become the cultivation furnace for the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s young master. I was shocked and furious at the time and wanted to investigate it, but at that moment, the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s young master suddenly appeared and started to repeatedly say how attracted he was to me and how he wanted me to be his concubine. I accepted his terms on the condition that he release Senior Martial Sister Yan Li and also wed her as a concubine. But during those years, I was young and short sighted. Based on the wretch¡¯s illustrious identity, deep cultivation, and great riches, I agreed without much consideration despite the protests of my Senior Martial Sister.¡±


    At this point Yuan Yao wore a dazed expression as if she were lost in her memories of that year.


    Han Li slightly furled his brow, but knowing that she was about to continue, he silently waited.


    After Yuan Yao woke from her daze, he voice grew icy as she continued, ¡°On our way back to the Azure Yang Sect, Senior Martial Sister Yan Li found an opportunity to secretly tell me that she had originally been duped by the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s young master. She had also been promised to be wed as a concubine, but she had instead became the wretch¡¯s cultivation furnace several months later and was greatly sapped of her strength. It seemed that most of his cultivation vessels had been cheated in nearly the same way. After they entered the Azure Yang Sect, these female cultivators that were promised to be concubines had all become cultivation vessels and were stripped of their freedom. When I heard that, I became fearful and began to consult with Senior Martial Sister about taking advantage of the wretch when he was unguarded to stealthily dispose of him, but who could¡¯ve known that this ravenous wretch wished to consummate our marriage before we even managed to return to the sect? Helpless, my Senior Martial Sister and I could only lay down a trap and take advantage of his moment of weakness.


    ¡°In the end, the plan succeeded. However, my Senior Martial Sister Yan Li suffered an immense injury and lost her body. All I could do for her was take her primal soul and temporarily house it in a magic tool, but ordinary ghost magic tools cause the soul to decay within only days. Later on, I used all the techniques I could to slow this degradation but I was never able to stop it. Soon, Senior Martial Sister Yan Li¡¯s primal soul was at risk of losing her intelligence, and being forever incapable of bonding with a body.¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened as he recalled the matter of the Spirit Nurturing Wood. ¡°Could it be that you acquired the Soul Nurturing Wood in order to protect Fellow Daoist Yan Li¡¯s soul?¡±


    [1] Yan Li first appeared in chapter 375. She was the dainty woman who accompanied Yuan Yao.

 Chapter 566

    Soulrise Technique


    When Yuan Yao answered Han Li¡¯s question, her face revealed a hopeful expression, ¡°That¡¯s right. I had acquired a jade slip from the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s young master that described the Soul Nurturing Wood contained inside Heavenvoid Hall. As such, I prepared myself to go to the Heavenvoid Hall with intention of acquiring the divine wood. However, I didn¡¯t expect that it would be far more dangerous than the legends made it out to be. Were it not for your assistance on several occasions, I fear I wouldn¡¯t have made it out of Heavenvoid Hall as I had only recently entered Core Formation at the time. Senior Martial Sister Yan Li¡¯s primal soul mostly recovered her strength at this point, after being nourished by the Soul Nurturing Wood for so many years. Although she can¡¯t possess a body of her own accord, she can still possess a different fleshly body with the Soulrise Technique.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed when he heard this, ¡°Soulrise Technique? Is that a type of technique which draws the soul into a fresh corpse and brings it back to life?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Han Li stared at the woman and imposingly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Yuan, do you know what you¡¯re trying to do? Not to mention the danger when using this technique, but the cost of using such a technique is more than an ordinary cultivator can bear. Not only does one¡¯s cultivation need to be at least at Core Formation to use this technique, but due to its heaven defying nature, it will also subject your cultivation to unbearable strain. As an early Core Formation cultivator, it¡¯s very likely that you will shatter your core upon using the technique and drop down back to Foundation Establishment stage.¡±


    When Yuan Yao heard Han Li¡¯s warning, she grew silent for a moment before playing it down by saying, ¡°Of course I know all of that. When possessing a living person¡¯s body, so long as one didn¡¯t violate the three inviolable laws, it¡¯s a relatively safe matter. Since the Soulrise technique is fundamentally different from possession and causes a fresh corpse to revive, it naturally possesses a high cost.¡±


    A trace of spirited light appeared within Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he solemnly warned, ¡°With the aid of the Soul Nurturing Wood, why can¡¯t your Senior Martial Sister take the initiative to possess a body? Can¡¯t you just wait until after reaching the mid Core Formation stage before using the Soulrise Technique on your Senior Martial Sister? If you try to form another core after having it shattered, it¡¯s so incredibly difficult that it could be considered nearly impossible.¡±


    Yuan Yao calmly replied, ¡°Senior Martial Sister suffered far too heavy an injury and has existed as a soul for far too long. Her consciousness has already started to dim and it isn¡¯t something that the Soul Nurturing Wood is capable of blocking. She only has one or two years at most before she thoroughly loses her sense of self. If I were to wait until then to use the Soulrise Technique, she would only be a mindless husk. And just as it so happens, I recently came across a very suitable fresh corpse and have already spent a lot of effort into laying down the spell formation for the Soulrise Technique. Had no one disturbed me, I would¡¯ve begun the ritual in the coming month.¡± Although a slight trace of sorrow could be seen on her face, she appeared determined.


    Having heard this, a strange emotion flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes. A short moment later, he let out a breath and asked, ¡°Did Miss Yuan say this with the intention of asking me for help?¡±


    Yuan Yao wore a resolute expression with wide eyes. ¡°Brother Han just saved me a moment ago, so it would be improper for me ask you for assistance. However, the Soulrise Technique requires a place of profound Yin, and will produce effects that spell formations cannot conceal that will attract the attention of other cultivators. Because I was branded a criminal by the Azure Yang Sect, I have been unable to acquaint myself with any other high grade cultivators apart from you. I can only hope that you¡¯ll stay for the next few days and offer this little woman some protection as she employs the ritual. As this matter relates to the life or death of my Senior Martial Sister Yan Li, I will agree to any conditions I am able to so long as you agree.¡±


    Han Li grew silent for a moment with a pensive expression. According to how he would ordinarily act, he wouldn¡¯t even consider staying behind. He had his own share of troubles and couldn¡¯t afford to take on anyone else¡¯s. However, Yuan Yao wouldn¡¯t hesitate to shatter her own core if it meant she could save her good friend. This touching act had stirred up emotions that Han Li had kept locked away deep within his heart.


    After a moment of deliberation, he came to the conclusion that so long as he didn¡¯t encounter any mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators, he wouldn¡¯t be in any danger at his current cultivation. If any ordinary cultivators were to spy on what was happening, he would be able to easily exterminate them. If all he had to do was protect the woman for a few days, then it wouldn¡¯t take much effort on his part.


    With that thought, Han Li came to a decision and rubbed his nose. He wryly smiled and said, ¡°It seems I don¡¯t have a heart of stone after all, because for some reason I just can¡¯t refuse you. Since you¡¯re even willing to shatter your own core, I will assist you in raising Miss Yan Li¡¯s soul, and will act as your protector just this once! I require no other conditions aside from you having to tell me what is amiss with the Weeping Soul Pearl. I have felt apprehensive about refining the treasure ever since you mentioned it. Also, the place of profound Yin isn¡¯t be on this island, yes? This place has already been exposed, so it would be a very good idea to conduct the ritual elsewhere.¡±


    When Yuan Yao heard Han Li¡¯s response, her beauty appeared to blossom as she wore a thankful expression. She then took out a green jade slip and handed it over to Han Li saying, ¡°I am truly grateful for your assistance, Brother Han! However, please don¡¯t worry. The place of profound Yin isn¡¯t here, it¡¯s on another island. Although it is only several days away, we should be safe from the Azure Yang Sect¡¯s pursuit for more than enough time for me to conduct the ritual. As for the the matter of the Weeping Soul Pearl, it is quite simple. The Azure Yang Sect young master¡¯s Weeping Soul Beast wasn¡¯t completely refined. As such, the Weeping Soul Pearl used to control it is flawed. After refining it, one would periodically experience headaches. Additionally, once it is more deeply refined, the headaches would become far more severe. I merely refined it to less than half of completion in order to deal with the first trial of Heavenvoid Hall ¨C the ghost mist, but it still left me restless and troubled. I also have the refinement technique for the Weeping Soul Beast itself. Although I believe that you won¡¯t be able to finish refining it on your own, I will give it to you regardless.¡±


    Han Li came to a sudden realization about why its power was so inferior to how the legends described. It turned out that his Weeping Soul Beast was a half finished product.


    Han Li took the jade slip with slight disappointment and casually took a look inside before throwing it into his storage pouch.


    Then with a bright expression, Han Li said, ¡°Miss Yuan, since this place has already been revealed, we should immediately leave for the place of profound Yin to spare us from any potential troubles that may come this way.¡±


    Yuan Yao paused for a moment before agreeing, ¡°Yes! I would¡¯ve proposed the same. I¡¯ll quickly tend to my belongings before we depart.¡±


    ¡­


    Three days later, Han Li was looking down at a small, barren island.


    Han Li stroked his chin and turned to the beautiful woman at his side, asking, ¡°The Yin Qi is truly dense on this island, so it must¡¯ve been quite difficult for you to find it. Perhaps by drawing on the support of the immense Yin Qi, Miss Yuan won¡¯t suffer much backlash when using the technique.¡±


    Yuan Yao glanced at the island with a slight smile and said, ¡°Of course. I only managed to find this nameless island after searching through the records of the nearby seas. Long ago, this island was a demon beast graveyard. Before humans had established themselves among the Scattered Star Seas, the nearby low grade demon beasts would approach this island of their own accord when they reached the end of the lifespan to die here. After countless years, the island has developed an astonishing amount of Yin Qi, but few know of it since this island is so far from commonly traveled routes and is quite small.¡±


    With that said, the woman flew down without any further hesitation with Han Li calmly following after her.


    After descending onto the edge of the island, Yuan Yao brought Han Li to a small, empty valley that was littered with fist-sized black stones.


    When Yuan Yao arrived at the edge of the valley, she formed an incantation gesture with both hands and shot out a streak of red light. The valley then rippled with red light before revealing an extremely complicated spell formation that spanned over thirty meters. From the profound talisman characters contained within the formation pieces, its intricacy was obvious at a glance.


    But what left Han Li surprised was the translucent coffin of white jade at its center. It was two meters long, a meter wide and a meter tall with streaks of white coiling around it. The entire coffin was actually made from glacial jade! Its price must¡¯ve tremendous.


    There was no doubt in Han Li¡¯s mind about whether this glacial jade coffin contained the body that Yuan Yao intended for Yan Li.


    To the best of Han Li¡¯s knowledge, the Soulrise Technique required several extremely specific conditions. Not only did it require a corpse with the same spiritual roots and age as the soul when it died, but the owner of the corpse must have suffered in the same manner as the soul did when they died. Even their grievances and resentful Qi had to be a perfect match! If any of these conditions weren¡¯t met, the Soulrise Technique couldn¡¯t be used!


    As Han Li examined the coffin of glacial jade, Yuan Yao took out a black wood box from her robes with extreme care and placed it on the coffin before taking several steps back.

 Chapter 567

    Heavenly Omen


    Yuan Yao looked at the sky before turning her head to Han Li. In a sincere tone, she said, ¡°In four hours time, the Yin Qi will be at its strongest. That¡¯s when I¡¯ll begin to use the Soulrise Technique. The entire process will take three days so during that time, I will have to trouble you to guard me.¡±


    Han Li nodded and looked around the valley. He frowned, asking, ¡°Apart from the illusion formation, there seems to be nothing else. Won¡¯t it be dangerous if a strong enemy were to fully occupy my attention and leave you vulnerable?¡±


    Yuan Yao bit her lip and spoke with a hint of helplessness, ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t possess anymore powerful spell formation tools, and didn¡¯t I have much time to prepare. So it¡¯s a risk I have to take.¡±


    Han Li crossed his arms and held his chin in his hand, before saying, ¡°In that case, leave the spell formations to me! I still have a few sets of spell formation tools that hold decent strength. Although they are by no means exceptional, it¡¯s still better than leaving you undefended.¡±


    Since he had already decided to help, he may as well do his best!


    When Yuan Yao heard him, her eyes shined delight as she said, ¡°Brother Han, you¡¯re proficient in the Dao of Formation Spells? Since that¡¯s the case, I will feel much more at ease when I¡¯m undergoing the ritual. Thank you for your troubles!¡±


    Han Li silently smiled in return and then took off to the skies and examined the valley¡¯s surroundings.


    He slowly descended back onto the island a short moment later as he thought thought, ¡®Since time is short, I should start putting down the formations right away!¡¯


    With that, Han Li began to wave his arms and produced slivers of consciousness, summoning over a dozen huge ape puppets at his side. He then took out many sets of spell formation tools and handed them to the puppets. Han Li stood there and used his spiritual sense to control the puppets and had them start laying down formations around the valley.


    Yuan Yao curiously gazed at the puppets¡¯ movements for a moment, but then began to hurriedly make her own preparations. The Soulrise Technique was no trivial affair! To fully employ the technique, it required extremely careful preparations. Additionally, one needed to test the formation on the ground to avoid any mistakes from occurring part way through.


    Elsewhere on the island, Han Li managed to place down five moderately powerful spell formations within two hours with the aid of his ape puppets. Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand persistent attacks from a Core Formation cultivator, they would be more than enough to deal with any Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    At the heart of the valley, Yuan Yao finished placing down all of the spirit stones for the spell formation, and struck the crux of the formation with an incantation seal, activating the spell formation. In response, the spell formation began to hum and flicker with a jet-black light. Eerie strands of black Qi suddenly began to appear around the formation, converging towards the glacial jade coffin at the center.


    Yuan Yao revealed satisfaction at the sight and hastily struck the formation with another incantation seal, stopping the spell formation.


    Yuan Yao walked out of the spell formation and turned to Han Li, while happily saying, ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems. The spell formation is working as expected.¡±


    After seeing her cheerful smile, Han Li slowly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Yuan! Have you thought this through clearly? After shattering your core, your path to immortal cultivation will cease. It will be nearly impossible to climb back up to Core Formation stage.¡±


    Yuan Yao¡¯s smile disappeared and after a brief moment of silence, she calmly said, ¡°If it ends, then let it end. The only reason I was able to live until now was so I could accomplish this.¡± Yuan Yao then combed a strand of loose hair from her face to the side and emotionlessly said, ¡°Brother Han doesn¡¯t know what relationship I had with my Senior Martial Sister. I grew up with her ever since I was small and for tens of years, we lived together, ate together, and cultivated together in our sect. We may as well have been true sisters. When we killed the Azure Yang Young Sect Master, she blocked a retaliatory strike aimed at me and perished as result. As such, it is only right that I suffer from the Soulrise Technique for her. So long as Senior Martial Sister¡¯s primal soul doesn¡¯t perish and she regains her fleshly body, a shattered core is a trivial cost.¡±


    An odd expression momentarily appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. After muttering to himself for a moment, he nodded his head and no longer tried to dissuade her.


    Yuan Yao returned to the center of the spell formation and sat down in front of the glacial jade coffin while waiting for the optimal time to start.


    Not a word was spoken until she eventually looked at the skies and slowly stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s start! Regardless of whether or not the Soulrise Technique succeeds, I will always remember your kindness, Brother Han, and will be forever grateful.¡± Yuan Yao gracefully saluted Han Li before activating the formation beneath her without any reservations.


    Han Li sighed and slowly walked out of the valley. A moment later, the surrounding Yin Qi began to flow towards the formation. Even with his current cultivation, he didn¡¯t wish to be near such a vast quantity of Yin Qi.


    Han Li stopped once he left the valley and turned around.


    Yin winds began to gather around the spell formation and a faint layer of black light had begun to cover the area as ghostly wails filled the air.


    Han Li then expressionlessly sat down outside the valley entrance and began to slowly release his spiritual sense, keeping the entire island and the nearby seas within his sights. As he remained motionless, he frowned and revealed a bitter smile.


    At that moment, Han Li realized why Yuan Yao had requested him to act as her protector. Her previous description of the Soulrise Technique¡¯s external impact during the ritual was a vast understatement!


    Han Li came back to his senses with something of a headache.The Yin winds had already obstructed most of the valley from view while sand and stones filled the air as they blew all over. Ghostly sobs reverberated throughout the valley. The heart of the formation was shining with blinding black light and was surrounded with Yin Qi so dense that the very sight of it inspired fear.


    What Han Li found most shocking was the black cloud that had appeared five kilometers in the air at some unknown time. It roiled with Yin Qi and released startling claps of thunder as it started to take the form of a cone pointed downward at the valley.


    This was clearly the sign of a heavenly omen. Any cultivators living in the nearby seas were certain to be shocked. After all, this astonishing scene wasn¡¯t normally accompanied by a treasure, but by a human performing a heretical act that defied the Heavens. Such a scene would arouse a great curiosity in anyone who saw it.


    Furthermore, who knew whether or not this would provoke a fearsome character?


    As Han Li inwardly considered this, his expression stirred while he gazed into the distance.


    Eight streaks of light were approaching the island from the southwest. In an instant, they had stopped five kilometers away from the island, revealing a group of male and female cultivators. They were led by an old grey-haired Foundation Establishment cultivator, while the rest of them were youths that were only at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation at most.


    From their matching blue robes, they appeared to all be from the same sect.


    The old man in charge gazed at the heavenly omen with a doubtful expression as his expression fluctuated.


    A twenty year old female cultivator saw that the old man that was gazing at the island in silence and couldn¡¯t help but quickly propose, ¡°Martial Uncle Zhao, let¡¯s quickly see what¡¯s happening on the island. Maybe a treasure has emerged!¡±


    The old man glanced at the woman and rebuked her, ¡°Hui Ling, you are far too rash. Look at the signs. Even if a treasure emerged here, it would be devilish and cursed. Moreover, it is quite possible that an expert is either refining something or employing a devilish technique. If you were to rush in there and cause disturbance, you¡¯d only be seeking death.¡±


    The woman revealed a trace of dissatisfaction, but didn¡¯t dare to further speak.


    One of the older male disciples glanced at the black clouds above the small island and asked, ¡°Martial Uncle! What are we waiting around for?¡±


    ¡°Be at ease. With such a large disturbance, it¡¯s all but certain for others to be around. Action will only be taken after the situation is fully understood. Remember, our Grand Sun Sect has only lasted until now due to the cautious discernment of its inner disciples. Never make any rash decisions. Even with such potentially gargantuan profits before us, we must also consider whether or not we can preserve our lives.¡± The old man lectured the disciples behind him as he stared at the small island.


    The rest of the young disciples naturally agreed.


    Not long after the old man spoke, a green and a yellow streak of light approached the island from a different direction. They discovered the old man¡¯s party and stopped about three hundred meters away from them.


    The light faded away to reveal a black-robed man that appeared about forty years of age with a stiff face, and an elegant woman beside him that appeared to be in her late twenties. With a pleasant voice, the woman warmly asked the old man, ¡°So it¡¯s the Grand Sun Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Zhao. Do you know what is going on at the island? Why has a heavenly omen appeared?¡±

 Chapter 568

    A Frightful Retreat


    The old man surnamed Zhao seemed to recognize the two and immediately smiled before replying, ¡°So it turned out to be the Mei siblings! This old man was travelling nearby with his sect members when he saw that an astonishing change had occurred on an island in the distance. As a result, we only just arrived here. You siblings seem to be quite experienced, do you see anything strange about the heavenly omen?¡±


    The woman politely replied, ¡°Brother Zhao must be joking. If you don¡¯t know about the heavenly omen, then how are my brother and I supposed to? However, it seems to be intertwined with quite a bit of Yin Qi. I suspect that an extremely vicious and evil treasure is being brought into this world!¡± As for the man by her side, he merely nodded in a detached manner.


    The old man didn¡¯t mind how the man behaved. Instead, he lightly coughed and thought to say something else when the melodic sounds of a flute arrived from a distance away. A green streak of light twinkled in the distance, and streaked towards them.


    The woman¡¯s expression changed several times after hearing the flute sounds, but her face soon returned to normal.


    Old man Zhao was initially stunned, but he soon thought of something and took another look at the woman with a baffled expression on his face.


    As for the man by the woman¡¯s side, a trace of anger appeared in his otherwise calm expression.


    A short moment later, a green speck of light approached them, revealing a young man who was flying through the air as he held onto a flute in front of him. With his handsome appearance and fluttering white robes, he appeared confident and relaxed.


    The white clothed man flew before the group of people and loudly spoke to the woman with high spirits, ¡°I would¡¯ve never guessed that Miss Mei had already arrived here.¡±


    A trace of helplessness appeared on her face and she reluctantly replied, ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu, you¡¯ve also come.¡± She didn¡¯t seem particularly happy to see him.


    The woman¡¯s elderly brother spoke with a hoarse, cold voice, ¡°Why are you here? My little sister has already said that she is unwilling to become your Dao companion. Why do you continue to try and associate with her? Do you think that I won¡¯t dare to drive you away just because you have a Core Formation cultivator as a master?¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I am sincerely enraptured with your younger sister. So long as she remains unmarried, I will always pursue her. Fellow Daoist Mei has captured my utter devotion!¡± The white-clothed man went into a daze as he glanced at the woman surnamed Mei.


    When the woman heard this, her cheeks blushed and she turned around, no longer paying him any heed. As for her brother, he revealed a harsh expression. Combined with his monstrous, undead appearance, he appeared particularly frightful.


    Still, the white-clothed man continued to stare at the woman from behind without paying any attention to anyone else.


    Old man Zhao rolled his eyes and decided to alleviate the tension by changing the subject to the island. ¡°Cough. There is no need for emotions to cloud your reason. In a short moment, I fear there were be far more Fellow Daoists so if any treasures truly appear on the island, then we had best act quickly. Otherwise, a Core Formation Senior could arrive, and we will be left helpless.¡±


    The three were slightly shocked upon hearing that.


    The white-clothed man casually took a look above him and his expression suddenly changed. ¡°Yi! The heavenly omen has started to change.¡±


    The old man and the Mei siblings couldn¡¯t help but look up in shock upon hearing him.


    Sure enough, the incessantly rolling black cloud had started to revolve around a center point, and the huge cloud of Yin Qi that gathered down below the island had suddenly started to expand, as if a black monster had suddenly emerged.


    ¡°What is that? Could it be that a treasure has suddenly entered this world?¡± The woman asked with a face pale from astonishment.


    A strange expression appeared on her brother¡¯s face as he gazed at the island and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look regardless. Perhaps an opportunity will appear before us.¡±


    When the woman heard her brother, she hesitantly said, ¡°But what if it isn¡¯t a treasure? What if it is an expert refining a top grade technique? Can we afford to provoke such an individual?¡±


    Her brother impatiently said with a cold voice, ¡°There is nothing in this world without risk, and there is always a level of danger associated with acquiring treasure. Additionally, if there truly is a Senior on the island, we will merely ask to be excused with some polite words.¡± Then without paying any further attention to the others, he stamped on the sword magic tool beneath his feet and flew in the direction of the small island.


    The woman paused for a moment before rushing after him with a worried expression on her face. The white-robed man revealed some slight hesitation and looked in the direction of the old man. Seeing the the old man had yet to act, a trace of doubt appeared on his face. He frowned and asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Zhao doesn¡¯t want find out what is happening? You were the first one to propose heading to the island, but you seemed to have changed your mind.¡±


    The old man chuckled and twirled his beard as he calmly said, ¡°This old man merely made a suggestion, I never said I¡¯d be the one to go. Moreover, I¡¯ve brought a group of juniors with me and I don¡¯t want any harm to come their way. If there is truly any treasure, then you three Fellow Daoists may have it.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Brother Zhao¡¯s words are quite pleasant to hear, but I suspect you merely wish for us to scout for you!¡± The white clothed man glared at the old man before staring in the direction of the Mei siblings and rushing after them with gritted teeth.


    The old man watched as the white-clothed man flew into the distance, before faintly shaking his head and muttering, ¡°Oh, beautiful women are truly a cause for calamity. Those emotions of yours will only bring you great trouble!¡±


    When the disciples behind him heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    As the three cultivators flew into the island and directly entered the area underneath the heavenly omen, the old man¡¯s spirit shook as he stared at the island in nervous anticipation. However, he suddenly heard a cold voice from behind him, ¡°Well aren¡¯t you smart? You didn¡¯t go to brave the danger. Well, even if there was a treasure, just how would you split it with your disciples?¡±


    When old man Zhao heard this, his heart was greatly shaken. He and his disciples hurriedly turned around, but they couldn¡¯t find even a trace of another person.


    The old man grew fearful after spotting no one, but he hastily spoke with a hurried tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know which Senior has graced us with his presence, but I, the Grand Sun Sect¡¯s Zhao Qiao, pay my respects to you.¡±


    Without a body in sight, the cold voice fluctuated throughout the air without an obvious point of origin, ¡°The Grand Sun Sect? Who is Bu Diankong to you?¡±


    The old man trembled and hurriedly replied, ¡°The Sect Master is my Senior Martial Uncle. Does Senior recognize him?¡±


    After a moment¡¯s pause, the voice spoke with a warmer tone, ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve met him once. I had originally intended on killing you to reduce the irksome presences in the area, but since you are the disciples of my acquaintance¡¯s sect, I will spare you! However, if you juniors are foolish enough and dare to move, don¡¯t blame for being ruthless.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we absolutely won¡¯t inconvenience Senior.¡± When the old man heard this, his face grew pale. However, he felt somewhat relieved and was inwardly praising his seniors for maintaining friendly relations.


    At that moment, the white-clothed man had caught up to the Mei siblings and they had approached the nearby valley, but when they were about to enter, their surroundings trembled and they suddenly found themselves surrounded in a barrier of light.


    The three simultaneously heard the a man¡¯s calm voice, ¡°Return. If you continue forward, my hand will be forced.¡±


    The three Foundation Establishment cultivators glanced at each other with bewilderment.


    The man surnamed Mei was unable to remain calm and loudly asked, ¡°May I ask who this Fellow Daoist is and what brings him to this island?


    ¡°I will count to ten. If you are unwilling to leave, then your bodies will remain here forever! Ten, nine, eight¡­¡± Han Li ignored his question and bluntly started to count with a cold tone.


    The faces of the three revealed doubt. From his tone, they couldn¡¯t be sure if he were merely bluffing, or if he truly was a Core Formation cultivator.


    During their moment of hesitation, Han Li had counted to five and more than ten huge ape puppets appeared within the light barrier with a flash. They were arranged in a semicircle and orderly approached the three cultivators.


    ¡°Not good! Quickly, leave! Those are high grade puppets. We aren¡¯t capable of fighting them.¡± The woman seemed to recognize the ferocity of the puppets and her face quickly paled.


    She then grabbed her brother¡¯s arm and flew away without any further explanation. The white-clothed man also perceived the fearsomeness of the puppets and felt his breath turn cold before quickly following after them.


    After seeing the three turn tail, Han Li stopped counting, and the huge ape puppets ceased their pursuit after having only chased them for about a hundred meters. After all three had flown off without turning around, the ape puppets returned to the light barrier and disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li was still sitting down cross-legged at the valley¡¯s entrance and slowly opened his eyes, but he appeared completely solemn. In addition to a few low grade cultivators around the island, he had also noticed the presence of a Core Formation cultivator. Although the cultivator¡¯s speed could be considered amazing, he was laid bare underneath Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense.


    He hoped that by scaring off the three of them, they would inform their fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators to flee as well. He had nothing to fear from cultivators of that grade, but he¡¯d rather avoid a needless massacre.


    However, this was only just the beginning.


    He reckoned if any real troubles were to come, they would most likely arrive on the final day of the Soulrise Technique¡¯s ritual. After all, with this much time remaining, the nearby high grade cultivators should¡¯ve already received information.

 Chapter 569

    Infiltration


    Han Li reckoned that there would be four Core Formation cultivators present on the last day at most. It was almost impossible for a Nascent Soul cultivator to just so happen to be nearby, this wasn¡¯t the outer seas after all. In such a vast expanse of ocean, one would typically only find a few Core Formation cultivators at most, and at his current cultivation Han Li had nothing to fear from them. Although he didn¡¯t wish to attract any attention, if those cultivators were unwilling to back down, he would have no choice but to act ruthlessly. Having come to that conclusion, Han Li¡¯s face became expressionless, and he closed his eyes once more.


    The three Foundation Establishment cultivators had already returned to where they had set off from, leaving Old Man Zhao quite baffled.


    The old man probingly asked, ¡°What happened? You three Fellow Daoists have already explored the island?¡±


    A trace of fear appeared in the woman¡¯s eyes and she shook her head, ¡°We were too late. Another cultivator has already placed down restrictions near the area of the heavenly omen. The cultivator controls a few high level puppets, and spoke with a domineering tone. I reckon he was a Core Formation cultivator.¡±


    The old man paused for a moment before saying, ¡°A Core Formation cultivator? It seems there is more to this heavenly omen than meets the eye. It doesn¡¯t seem to have been naturally formed. Could it be that a treasure has truly appeared?¡±


    The white-clothed man stroked the flute in his hand and said, ¡°Who knows? But it could be said that we were the first to arrive on the island. I suppose that the Core Formation cultivator was already on the island before the heavenly omen had occurred, and placed down spell formations beforehand. There appears to be a mystery there.¡±


    Old Man Zhao muttered to himself for a moment and asked, ¡°What did that Core Formation cultivator look like? Perhaps we might discover his identity from his appearance.¡±


    The Mei siblings and the white-clothed man looked at each other in dismay.


    The old man furrowed his brow and revealed a trace of doubt, ¡°What? Did you not catch sight of his appearance?¡±


    When the white-clothed man saw the old man¡¯s expression, he recalled the matter from before and his face grew sullen. He said with obvious annoyance, ¡°Humph! If Brother Zhao doubts our words, then he can go look for himself and see whether or not that Senior will treat you leniently. I don¡¯t believe he will!¡±


    The old man chuckled and replied, ¡°Fellow Daoist misunderstands, it was but an impulsive question. Since the island already has a Core Formation Senior on it, then there is no place here for people of our cultivation, regardless of whether or not any treasures truly emerge.¡±


    The man surnamed Mei curled his lips and indignantly said, ¡°That might not be true! Even if he is a Core Formation cultivator, if we were to join hands with a dozen fellow Foundation Establishment Daoists, perhaps we may be able to match him.¡±


    The white-clothed man shook his head and said, ¡°Brother Mei must be joking. Not to mention that we don¡¯t have that many Foundation Establishment cultivators, we don¡¯t even know if there is truly a treasure on that island or how valuable that treasure could be. Who would be willing to blindly offend a Core Formation cultivator over potentially nothing?¡±


    When the siblings heard his words, they grimaced and opened their mouths, but they couldn¡¯t think of anything to refute him with. As a result, they could only sigh and silently close their mouths.


    The woman surnamed Mei turned to her side and gently said, ¡°Elder brother, since there is too much uncertainty, we should leave! There is little point in involving ourselves any further!¡±


    Her brother was clearly hesitating due to the uncertainty. Although he knew that a Core Formation cultivator had taken action and that it would be impossible to acquire any gains, it also wasn¡¯t common to come across a rare treasure appearing in the world. As such, he was reluctant to leave. After all, to vagrant cultivators like him and his sister, this was a very rare opportunity.


    ¡°Leave? In your dreams! No one is leaving until I give them permission!¡± Before the brother could finish his thoughts, a cold voice suddenly arrived from varying directions.


    The Mei siblings and the white-clothed man were shocked and immediately grabbed onto their storage pouches as they vigilantly looked all around. However, they were unable to find a single trace of the speaker.


    With his spiritual sense continuously sweeping his surroundings, the man surnamed Mei asked the old man in a chilling tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist Zhao, what is going on?¡±


    The old man bitterly smiled in a helpless manner and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I¡¯m not allowed to leave either.¡±


    When the other three heard this, they instantly pondered over whether or not to believe the old man. However, their musings were interrupted by a flash of yellow light light thirty meters away, that revealed a white silhouette. White Qi was wrapped around the figure, and it appeared blurry like a mirage.


    When the three saw this, they were immediately frightened, and reflexively released their magic tools in front of them as they vigilantly watch the silhouette.


    The white figure spoke with an icy voice and an irritated tone, ¡°Humph! Could it be that you Juniors wish to attack me?¡±


    Although the woman surnamed Mei was incapable of seeing the true appearance of the white silhouette, from his spiritual Qi fluctuations, she recognized him to be a Core Formation cultivator. Her face paled and she tactfully explained, ¡°We don¡¯t dare to. It was only that we don¡¯t know how we offended Senior and why he won¡¯t allow us siblings to depart.¡±


    ¡°Offend me? No, I merely don¡¯t wish to allow any word of this to spread outside. And until I figure out whether or not a treasure has emerged on the island, no one is allowed to move even a step. Otherwise, I¡¯ll end you immediately.¡± The white silhouette spoke with tremendous arrogance.


    When the three heard this, they were shocked.


    The white clothed man took a deep breath and slowly asked, ¡°Since that is the case, then how about Senior go and take a look?¡±


    The white silhouette snorted and said, ¡°Relax, I¡¯ll leave right now, but before that, give me a detailed explanation of what you saw on the island.¡±


    When the three heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but glance at one another. The woman frowned and calmly said, ¡°Actually, we don¡¯t have much to say. We fled after many puppets were unleashed on us. At the time¡­¡± The woman then gave an detailed narration of what had occurred on the island.


    After a moment of silence, the white silhouette chuckled and said, ¡°Controlling that many high grade puppets is beyond what a Foundation Establishment cultivator is capable of. It seems you three are somewhat intelligent. Had you delayed, you would¡¯ve surely died!¡±


    Soon after, the white silhouette blurred and streaked towards the small island.


    The others grew elated at having seen a potential opportunity for escape. However, they heard the silhouette¡¯s voice slowly speak from a distance, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you once, if you dare to leave before I have returned, don¡¯t blame me if I head off to kill you. I am not a forgiving person!¡± His words gradually grew softer as he grew more distant.


    With the white light now so far away, they had originally planned on slipping away. But after some consideration of the consequences, no one dared to leave and provoke the Core Formation cultivator.


    At nearly the same time, Han Li opened his eyes and wore a sullen expression.


    Han Li muttered in a seemingly irritated voice, ¡°I thought that he¡¯d come tomorrow. I didn¡¯t expect him to be the impatient sort.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression then stirred, and he glanced in another direction with a pensive expression.


    He turned his head to the sky and sighed, ¡°There is yet another one. It seems I¡¯ll have to deal with them one at a time. It¡¯s impossible for me to just scare Core Formation cultivators away.¡± With that said, Han Li patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist and released a large cloud of buzzing, black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. After revolving once around his head, they condensed into a huge tri-colored lance.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re courting death, don¡¯t blame me for killing you!¡± Han Li stared at the lance for a moment and shouted, ¡°Go!¡± The lance then immediately trembled and shot off without a trace. As Han Li gazed in direction of the huge lance, a trace of murderous intent appeared within his eyes.


    The white silhouette approached the small island and stopped at its edge as the white Qi then disappeared to reveal a middle-aged cultivator that appeared bloodlessly pale.


    He took a look up above at the heavenly omen in the sky and a strange expression flickered within his eyes. He then wrapped his body in white Qi once more and blurred his appearance before disappearing in a blur.


    The white silhouette had used a concealed movement technique, wanting to sneak into the island and investigate. At that moment, over ten streaks of red light flew over from the other side of the island while escorting a gorgeous flying chariot.


    The flying chariot was twenty-seven meters long and was manufactured from an unknown type of fragrant wood. It was layered with talisman characters and shined with a white light.


    The carriage was being pulled by three azure demon birds. These ferocious birds were three meters long, with six eyes, and four wings. They flew at an extremely quick speed and pulled the chariot to the small island in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 570

    A Powerful Enemy Appears


    ¡°Stop!¡± A man¡¯s voice ordered from within the chariot as it came to an immediate stop along with the streaks of red light that accompanied it.


    Soon after, each of the red radiances disappeared to reveal young beautiful women, each wearing light green palace robes. They had their black hair rolled up in a bun and two swords on their back. These female Foundation Establishment cultivators stood at the sides of the chariot and had their heads bowed in solemn expressions.


    An astonished voice came from the chariot, ¡°How strange! How can there be someone using a heretical, heaven-defying technique here? From the Yin Qi that¡¯s gathered, it seems to be the Soulrise Technique rather than the Sunform Technique.¡±


    A young woman¡¯s voice soon followed, ¡°With such an astonishing heavenly omen, why can¡¯t it be the appearance of a wondrous treasure?¡± Although her tone was chilling, it carried an unconcealable sweet allure.


    The first voice chuckled and spoke with confidence, ¡°You think I can¡¯t differentiate between a heretical technique and the appearance of a treasure?¡±


    After a moment of silence, the woman icily snorted and bluntly said, ¡°That¡¯s just what you say, perhaps it truly is an omen of a treasure appearing. In any case, I can¡¯t tell the difference between the two.¡±


    ¡°It you want to know whether or not it¡¯s true, then how about we go take a look! Regardless of whether it¡¯s the Sunform Technique or the Soulrise Technique, they both require a Core Formation cultivation to perform. Additionally, one¡¯s cultivation would greatly suffer after performing such a technique. Even having one¡¯s cultivation drop an entire stage is to be expected. I am quite curious to see who is performing this technique. If their cultivation is deep enough, then let¡¯s take them in. Our Divine Dove Hall is currently lacking a few enforcers!¡± The man appeared exceptionally indulgent to the woman.


    The woman hesitated for a moment before agreeing, ¡°Fine, the beast chariot has flown for nearly a month, and I am feeling somewhat bored. Let¡¯s go to the island for some relief.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment. I¡¯ll disable the protective barrier!¡±


    Soon after he said this, the chariot flashed with white light and the radiance slowly faded, revealing the man and woman sitting within.


    The hemp-robed man appeared to be in his late twenties and had his head held high, giving him an elegant and refined appearance. As a result of an unknown cultivation art, his forehead faintly glowed with golden light.


    At his side sat a young woman that appeared to be in her late teens. She was dressed in white muslin robes, with skin as smooth as jade, and long, black satin-like hair. However, the woman¡¯s complexion was deathly pale, giving her the dream-like appearance of an otherworldly Immortal.


    The young woman leaned against a corner of the chariot and frowned as if she were displeased, but after seeing the light barrier dissolve, her expression stirred as she stood up and left the carriage.


    The man gently watched the woman and followed her out with a faint smile.


    The young woman glanced in the direction of the island and wantonly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wen, do you think the odds of a ghost mist appearing nearby is high? According to what I know of the most mysterious natural disaster, ghosts mists have no clear set of patterns.¡±


    Accustomed to her odd behavior, the man held his arms behind his back and smiled, ¡°There are no exact patterns that can be found from ghost mists. However, I have spent quite a bit of effort in gathering data for the ghost mists that have occurred in the last few hundred years and discovered something that was quite interesting. Ghost mists often immediately occur after there is a volcanic eruption nearby. Although this isn¡¯t always the case, there is at least a one-third correlation. These seas happened to have had two volcanic eruptions nearby, so I reckon the odds of a ghost mist appearing are relatively high.¡±


    When the young woman heard him, her eyes revealed a strange expression. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly asked, ¡°Did Fellow Daoist Wen spend such a long time traveling with me to this place in order to see the ghost mist? When ordinary cultivators encounter a ghost mist, they perish. Why would you take the initiative to go searching for a ghost mist?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? I have no present matters at hand, and wouldn¡¯t be better to see whether or not my hypothesis is true? Don¡¯t tell me that if a ghost mist truly appears here that I won¡¯t be able to flee?¡± The youth surnamed Wen waved his sleeve with an indifferent expression.


    When the young woman heard him, she remained silent for a time and pointed to the heavenly omen above the island and calmly asked, ¡°Are we going now? It seems the cultivator is in the middle of a crucial period of the ritual. Wouldn¡¯t we be bothering them?¡±


    An arrogant expression appeared on the elegant man¡¯s face and he bluntly said, ¡°Me, a bother? I, Wen Tianren, wish to have a chat with the Core Formation cultivator. If he dares to be rude to me, then I will kill him.¡±


    The woman glanced at the youth in silence, but it was true that this man¡¯s abilities were vast and profound. Although he had yet to condense a Nascent Soul, he was peerless among cultivators of the same grade. He was famed as the strongest Core Formation cultivator in the Scattered Star Seas, and it was likely to truly be the case.


    ¡°Yi!¡± The man¡¯s expression suddenly stirred and he glanced at the island in astonishment.


    ¡°What, is something the matter?¡± Although the young woman was curious, she asked with a cold and detached tone.


    A trace of seriousness appeared on his face as the man observed the island, ¡°How interesting, there are three Core Formation cultivators on this island. Two of them are lacking and are at early Core Formation, and one of them is using a somewhat impressive concealment technique, but he is still beneath my notice. However, there is a late Core Formation cultivator present that appears abnormal, and has noticed my spiritual sense sweeping over him. In fact, his spiritual sense may be greater than my own.¡±


    When the young woman heard this, she was shocked. She had personally witnessed his spiritual sense rivaling that of Nascent Soul eccentrics, but now he had met a Core Formation cultivator with an even stronger spiritual sense. This was truly hard for her to believe, causing an odd expression to appear on her face for the first time in a long while.


    However, the young woman knew that while this man appeared gentle and refined, he was by no means magnanimous. Rather, he was a cunning, sinister, fickle and temperamental man that would kill others at a whim in a display of overwhelming power. Fortunately, the man seemed to view her personality as interesting and hadn¡¯t treated her forcefully, much to her relief.


    Although his expression appeared normal, she reckoned that he was already filled with killing intent. After all, he was incredibly proud of having his spiritual sense match that of a Nascent Soul eccentric. How could he allow a similar grade cultivator with abilities superior to his continue to exist?


    The young woman sighed and could only feel a trace of pity towards the cultivator on the island.


    While this was occuring, there was a piercing whistle that shrieked across a rocky area on the small island several kilometers away from the valley. Afterwards, an extremely huge tri-colored lance appeared from the south and passed through the area in an instant.


    Puff¡­ Light glimmered as the huge lance suddenly struck a mist of white Qi. The person inside the Qi barrier wavered and revealed a panic stricken face.


    He gaped in terror and immediately spat out a violet jade club, but in that same instant, the barrier of Qi had been broken. Before the white silhouette could do anything with his magic treasure, a hole had already appeared through his body.


    The corpse filled the air with blood as it fell to the ground, and with a bang, the corpse disappeared into the rocky area below. The lance then transformed back into a swarm of insects that now enveloped a storage pouch and a violet jade club as they returned to the valley with a low buzz.


    A short moment later, Han Li grabbed the storage pouch and swept his spiritual sense through it. In his other hand, he held the violet club and was fiddling with it absentmindedly. A short moment later, Han Li put the items away and slowly turned his head to look into the distance with a gloomy expression.


    Not long after he had released his Gold Devouring Beetles, he had felt a well concealed spiritual sense sweep past his body, causing him to nearly jump in fright. It had left an impression very similar to that of a Nascent Soul Eccentric. As a result, he had carefully tracked it back to a group of cultivators that had just appeared. He was shocked after discovering the owner of the fearsome spiritual sense to be an imposing late Core Formation cultivator with a young appearance. In fact, he didn¡¯t seem all that different from Han Li himself.


    Han Li was dumbstruck! In the instant he had swept his spiritual sense past the cultivator, the cultivator had discovered his prying and used some sort of restriction to forcibly repel his spiritual sense. Han Li grew sullen at suddenly being blocked from further observation.

 Chapter 571

    Disciple of Archsaint Six Paths


    After Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense was repelled, he naturally concluded that these arrivals weren¡¯t ordinary cultivators. With the sneaky white silhouette easily dealt with by his Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li could now focus the entirety of his attention on the newly arrived late Core Formation cultivator.


    Han Li turned his gaze back into the valley and saw that the spell formation had become covered in an impenetrable barrier of pitch-black Yin Qi. He reckoned that Yuan Yao was at a crucial moment of the Soulrise Technique. If she were to be disturbed at this point, not only would Yan Li doomed to forever be nothing more than a disembodied soul, but Yan Yao would also receive terrible a backlash and injury.


    Han Li frowned and turned his head around with a pensive expression.


    Although he didn¡¯t know where this youth had suddenly appeared from, he didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him. Of course, Han Li wasn¡¯t afraid of him in the slightest, either. Confident in his fantastical magic treasures, Han Li viewed no Core Formation cultivator as a threat.


    He then pondered about whether or not he should take the initiative to eliminate him. After all, the new arrival appeared to be a rather problematic individual and if he were to join hands with other cultivators, it could prove extremely troublesome. With a sudden change of expression, Han Li immediately stood up with narrowed eyes.


    The man had departed the carriage and was now flying towards Han Li with the beautiful young woman in tow.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn and raised his hands, releasing over ten of his huge puppets to protect the valley while he was gone. He then stamped his foot without any further hesitation and flew towards the man and woman in a streak of azure light.


    If he had a confrontation with cultivators near the valley, it could disrupt Yuan Yao¡¯s ritual. From how strong the enemy appeared, he reckoned it would take some time to kill him. As such, he could only take the opportunity to approach him and force him to stay away from the valley.


    The elegant youth didn¡¯t fly particularly fast and after a moment, Han Li met him at the edge of the island.


    Han Li had already changed his appearance long before assuming the role of protector. As a result, he had no fear of being recognized as the one who had seized the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    With about four hundred meters separating them, Han Li expressionly gazed at the elegant man and the beautiful woman following him. A trace of astonishment flickered within his eyes after he examined them.


    Although the golden light glowing from his forehead was eye-catching, it merely showed that his cultivation art was somewhat peculiar. However, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look at the astonishingly beautiful woman at his side in awe.


    For some unknown reason, Han Li felt a trace of familiarity towards her as if he had seen them somewhere before, especially with her clear eyes.


    However, Han Li was positive that this was the first time he had seen the gorgeous young woman. Had he seen her before, she definitely would¡¯ve left an impression.


    At that moment, both of them were glancing at Han Li.


    Wen Tianren held his arms behind his back and a strange expression flickered within his eyes. He then smiled and said, ¡°Might I know your esteemed name? Is the one performing the heaven-defying technique your Dao Companion?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he felt his heart tremble. The elegant man obviously knew the origins of the heavenly omen, revealing that he was far more fearsome than he had imagined.


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t anything important. However, I must insist that you Fellow Daoists turn back! Since you already know that the heavenly omen isn¡¯t a sign of a treasure emerging, then why have you two come to this island?¡± Han Li emotionlessly asked.


    The young man indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m not here for the heavenly omen, but for you!¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Han Li frowned. This was beyond what he had expected.


    A trace of hostility appeared on Wen Tianren¡¯s elegant face as he icily said, ¡°That¡¯s right! If your esteemed self is unwilling to tell me your name, then I won¡¯t demand it. However, I do have some knowledge of the Core Formation cultivators in each sect, and from your unfamiliar appearance, it appears that you are a vagrant cultivator. Since that is the case, I will give you and your Dao companion two choices. You either enter the coalition, and become an enforcer of my Divine Dove Hall, following all of my commands. Or you will die here by my hand.¡±


    ¡°Listen to your orders? Enter your coalition? You¡¯re a member of the Starfall Coalition?¡± When Han Li heard him, he was stunned, but soon reexamined the man with gaze of doubt.


    The young woman said with a neutral tone, ¡°Young Master Wen is a brilliant student of the Starfall Coalition¡¯s Archsaint Six Paths. It wouldn¡¯t be considered a disgrace if you were to swear allegiance to him. Additionally, with Fellow Daoist¡¯s cultivation, you will be placed in an important position within the coalition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a disciple of Archsaint Six Paths?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. Although he knew the man¡¯s identity had to be unordinary, he hadn¡¯t expected it to be shocking to this degree.


    When Wen Tianren saw Han Li¡¯s shock, his expression remained the same despite a trace of pride appearing in his eyes. He happily enjoyed the amazement he saw from Han Li when he heard of his identity. He didn¡¯t feel any shame in using his identity as Archsaint Six Paths¡¯ disciple, as he considered one¡¯s identity to be a resource.


    However, Wen Tianren¡¯s spirits quickly fell when Han Li¡¯s expression turned into a sneer.


    Using a derisive tone, Han Li said, ¡°So it turned out to be a young master of the Starfall Coalition. I apologize for my lack of manners! However, I don¡¯t possess the slightest intention of entering your esteemed coalition, nor do I have any intention of dying. Rather, I have another proposal. How about I take Young Master Wen¡¯s life instead?¡±


    From Wen Tianren¡¯s overbearing manner, he clearly understood that this man wasn¡¯t benevolent in the slightest. Not only did he feel a trace of killing intent from his spiritual sense, but he faintly felt that the young master planned on killing him regardless of whether or not he surrendered. Since Han Li was going to end up fighting him either way, he saw little reason to bother entertaining him. Others might hold the enormous Starfall Alliance in fear, but Han Li held it in little regard. After all, with the Heavenvoid Cauldron in his possession, he may as well be a fugitive from everyone in the Inner Star Seas.


    ¡°Good, very good!¡± Wen Tianren furiously smiled and stared at Han Li with an increasingly icy gaze. In the instant, he finished speaking, he spat out a streak of blue light.


    Just as the blue light left his mouth, it burst with dazzling light and disappeared from sight.


    Han Li¡¯s face grew stern, and he unconsciously waved the jade scepter in his hand, causing a barrier of red and yellow light to instantly cover him.


    In the moment the barrier appeared, the blue light had struck the light barrier with a muffled thump.


    Han Li¡¯s expression faintly changed after being pushed back ten meters by the strike.


    At that moment, he clearly saw that the blue streak was a peculiar awl that was several inches long. It crackled with blue light and had talisman characters winding around it.


    Without any further thought, Han Li flicked his fingers, sending ten streaks of azure sword Qi in the direction of the blue awl.


    Without any further reservations, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and took out his Five Element Bands. They immediately shined a rainbow light and hummed. With his other hand, he flung out over twenty flying swords in the direction of Wen Tiannren.


    Wen Tianren didn¡¯t appear surprised in the slightest at having his attack blocked. Instead, he calmly pressed his hands together and summoned a small flag. The four-inch long flag flickered with purple light and possessed an astonishing spiritual Qi.


    At that same moment, he glanced in front of him to see a swarm of flying swords and revealed an expression of surprise. He didn¡¯t dare to be negligent and quickly waved the purple flag in his hand, causing countless purple clouds to be spurt out. They completely enveloped him and hid him from view.


    A trace of annoyance appeared in Han Li¡¯s eyes, as he had wanted to use the Five Element Bands to restrain Wen Tianren. Instead, he had the bands combine into one huge ring and protect his body. At that same moment, he formed an incantation gesture with his hands, activating the Swordshadow Phantasm Technique.


    The twenty four azure swords suddenly blurred and multiplied into a swarm of ninety-six azure streaks, piercing though the azure cloud in an overbearing assault.


    When the gorgeous young woman saw this from a distance, she revealed astonishment and her expression paled from shock and disbelief. Soon, a complicated expression flickered across her face.


    The azure streaks of light were like countless wasps as they continuously pierced through the clouds. However, their countless strikes passed through the cloud as if nothing were there.


    When Han Li saw this, he unconsciously frowned and his expression turned grim. Although he knew that he wouldn¡¯t so easily rid himself of Wen Tianren, this person had yet again exceeded his expectations.


    With that thought, he pointed to his flying swords and had them revolve once more around the azure clouds as they hummed, transforming into ten-meter-long swords that emitted a suffocating pressure.


    At that same moment, Han Li slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

 Chapter 572

    Bitter Battle


    Countless Gold Devouring Beetles rushed out from Han Li¡¯s storage pouch before instantly forming into a huge tri-colored cloud. The beetle swarm was about a hundred meters wide and emitted an astonishing pressure.


    ¡°Yi!¡± A distant yell of fright was heard in response.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes coldly glinted as his gaze fell onto the gorgeous, young woman.


    The woman was covering her small, delicate mouth while her eyes revealed astonishment. Han Li was surprised when he noticed that her expression seemed to hold an inexplicable hint of joy.


    Han Li was momentarily distracted by her inexplicable display when two massive rumbles erupted and tore his attention back to the battle at hand. He hastily turned his gaze back to the purple clouds in alarm. An ancient copper shield that glowed with white light had left the azure clouds and easily blocked the strikes of his two huge swords.


    Han Li inwardly sighed at this, as he still hadn¡¯t taken much time to temper the flying swords. He had relied on the extraordinary quality of materials of the swords to overwhelm the magic treasures of common cultivators. But now that he had reached late Core Formation stage, the might of his magic treasures had clearly fallen behind those of his peers. Even when merging them together, his flying swords didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to cultivators of a similar grade.


    As these thoughts surged through his mind, he had his two flying swords continue to strike the violet cloud regardless of their efficacy, but the ancient shield was able to block every strike with ease.


    At that moment, Han Li released a series of low-pitched whistles, causing his Gold Devouring Beetles to hum for a moment before swarming towards the purple cloud en masse. Although he didn¡¯t know what the purple cloud was made of, it would still be consumed by the Gold Devouring Beetles all the same.


    Seeing that huge cloud of insects suddenly appear, Wen Tianren couldn¡¯t help but coldly snort in disdain, ¡°Humph! Insect techniques? You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    When Han Li heard this he immediately felt a surge of joy. If Wen Tianren treated his Gold Devouring Beetles as common insects, then when the swarm of beetles arrived at the purple cloud his death was practically assured.


    Han Li inwardly sneered, but just as the insect swarm arrived at the purple clouds, Wen Tianren suddenly shouted, ¡°Go!¡±


    An astonishing scene then occurred!


    A golden light suddenly burst forth from the purple cloud and countless gold threads shot out. The gold threads shot into the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles. Then in the wake of of several loud cracks, dead beetles began to fall from the sky like a heavy rain.


    The gold threads had actually overwhelmed the Gold Devouring Beetles. The beetles were greatly resistant against the strikes of magic treasures, but against these golden threads, they were completely defenseless.


    When Han Li saw this, he was overwhelmed by furious alarm. He hastily released a sharp whistle to have his insect swarm immediately return and revolve around him. However, the golden threads weren¡¯t about to let the beetles slip away. They shot after the beetles as they escaped, filling the sky with their bodies.


    Han Li grimaced and without any further thought, he hastily slapped his storage pouch and took out the ancient flower basket, before tossing it out without hesitation. The flower basket turned into a cloud of white Qi in a flash of light and directly approached the gold threads.


    When the white Qi had incorporeally passed through the insect swarm and arrived among the golden threads, he wore a strange expression and quickly formed an incantation gesture with his hands. The white Qi immediately began to spin and glow with white radiance.


    The golden threads were enveloped by the white light and were immediately restrained, slowing them down immensely.


    The beetle swarm took advantage of that opening to fly back into Han Li¡¯s spirit beast pouches.


    However, Han Li¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly at that moment. In that short exchange, he had lost nearly ten thousand of his black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. If he hadn¡¯t used the ancient flower basket to respond, he would have suffered devastating losses.


    Just what kind of magic treasures were these threads for them to contain such fearsome power? He was in complete disbelief as to what had just happened. His Gold Devouring Beetles were repelled before they could even display their tremendous power.


    Han Li had momentarily became despondent before he observed the gold threads undergo a transformation while within the white Qi. After seeing them gently flicker, they dimmed and revealed their true form. They were thin golden needles and were only about an inch long and had a golden luster.


    When Han Li saw this, he was truly shocked. Wen Tianren actually used flying needles, the most difficult magic treasure to refine, and in a number of at least several hundred of them no less. This caused Han Li¡¯s blood to run cold.


    However, Han Li¡¯s thoughts stirred as something soon came to mind.


    At that moment, the lightless golden needles had simultaneously released a dazzling gleam and hurriedly gathered into one spot before condensing into a golden sword in an instant.


    The golden sword gently trembled before suddenly breaking through the restrictions of the flower basket and shooting in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li¡¯s expression sank and he took out a sparkling azure talisman from his storage pouch. This was the treasure talisman that Layman Qingyi had given to him at Heavenvoid Hall. As the treasures it had been refined from were also flying needles, they should be an equal match.


    Just as the golden sword rushed towards Han Li, it split into countless golden threads with a bang as they continued forward.


    Without any further hesitation, Han Li spat a cloud of azure Qi onto the talisman. With a flicker of azure light, the talisman instantly transformed into a streak of azure light.


    As soon as the azure light left Han Li¡¯s light barrier, it instantly transformed into an overbearing number of azure threads of light. At first glance, they appeared no different from the golden threads apart from their color.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Wen Tianren was stunned and spoke with a surprised tone.


    The golden threads had already arrived at Han Li¡¯s side and began to interweave themselves amongst the azure threads, resulting in pulsing balls of light.


    Wen Tianren shouted in alarm and coldly asked, ¡°The Nightazure Needles! What relationship do you have with Layman Qingyi? That¡¯s a treasure talisman of his Nightazure Needles. That old ghost has always been annoyingly stingy and treats those needles as if they were as valuable as his own life. Could it be that you are his disciple?¡±


    When Han Li heard Wen Tianren shout out the name of the Nightazure Needles, his heart trembled but he soon regained his calm.


    It appeared that although the matter of the Heavenvoid Cauldron had been leaked, the specific details of what had occurred weren¡¯t widely known. Otherwise, he surely would¡¯ve known his identity upon seeing the needles.


    With that thought, Han Li had no intention of further speaking and only scoffed. He then circulated all the magic power in his body and took advantage of Wen Tianren¡¯s moment of hesitation, pushing back the golden light threads and turning the tide of battle into Han Li¡¯s favor.


    Wen Tianren¡¯s furious voice yelled from within the violet cloud, ¡°You¡¯re courting death! Since you¡¯re unwilling to explain, I won¡¯t bother to show that old ghost Qing Yi any face. I will have you personally witness the most formidable Devilish cultivation art in the Scattered Star Seas ¨C The Devils of Six Apexes. Don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± After that was said, he recalled the golden threads from their confrontation with the Nightazure Needles, having the needles fly back into the purple cloud in an instant.


    Han Li scowled as the atmosphere suddenly became silent. Without any reservations, he had the azure streaks of light surround the purple cloud and madly pierce into it. However, it ended up with the same result as before. All of the streaks of light pierced through the purple cloud with little effect.


    A cold air of resolve then emitted from Han Li¡¯s face. He immediately recalled the needles and had them return into a talisman before placing them back into his storage pouch.


    As the Nightazure Needles were extremely powerful, he wasn¡¯t going to allow the talisman¡¯s power go to waste.


    Han Li¡¯s expression wavered as he continued to look at the tranquil purple cloud. A trace of hesitation could faintly be seen from his face as if he wished to act, but he managed to refrain from acting all the same.


    In the following instant, the purple cloud suddenly began to roil and summon a gale, agitating the spiritual Qi in the nearby several tens of kilometers which began to pour into the violet cloud like rivers pouring into an ocean. The cloud then began to wildly expand and its color began to turn light grey. Additionally, odd sounds began to blast out from the cloud. They were initially soft before growing deafening in an instant, disturbing the hearts of those who heard it.


    After witnessing the strange scene, Han Li¡¯s hesitation had completely disappeared.


    He suddenly grabbed his right arm with his left hand and raised it towards the light grey cloud, as his arm began gathering a freezing, malicious Qi.


    As the nearby environmental spiritual Qi continued to wildly pour into the light grey cloud, its sounds came to resemble immense thunder, shaking the hearts of all lower-grade cultivators nearby.

 Chapter 573

    Yin Devil Execution vs the Six Apex Devils


    In stark contrast to the conspicuous movements of the grey cloud, Han Li held out his right arm in complete silence as a faint layer of black Qi condensed on it. The black Qi pulsed and gradually grew denser, and when it had become as dense as ink, Han Li wore a grim expression on his face.


    His entire right arm began to quickly swell, becoming over three times denser in an instant. There was even a layer of glaring blood light that shined from underneath the enveloping black Qi.


    At that moment, Han Li raised his head to look at Wen Tianren.


    The grey cloud had begun to release huge rumbles at a greater frequency, and had already expanded to an area of a hundred meters.


    With hostility shining within Han Li¡¯s eyes, he suddenly shouted, ¡°Destroy!¡± His thick arm suddenly shrank and a beam of black and red light shot from his palm. The beam was ten meters long when it was released and arrived in front of the cloud in the blink of an eye while leaving behind a long strand of light in its wake.


    Aware that this wasn¡¯t something to underestimate, Wen Tianren had his ancient copper shield untangle itself from its confrontation from the huge swords and arrived in front of the cloud with a flash of brilliance.


    The beam wasn¡¯t blocked in the slightest and passed through the copper shield as if there was nothing there. Its futile attempt to block the beam had turned the shield to dust without the slightest sound.


    A muffled groan sounded out as the beam passed through the cloud. In an instant, a black crack had appeared within it and the cloud began to dissolve after it was cleanly split into two. After splitting apart the clouds, the expanse of light traveled ten meters further before scattering into specks of starlight.


    At that moment, from one of the clouds, Wen Tianrun howled with rage, ¡°How dare you sever my arm!? I¡¯ll have your life as payment!¡± Soon after that furious roar, the other cloud disappeared to reveal a severed arm floating in midair. From the cloth that remained on the arm, it appeared to be Wen Tianming¡¯s left arm.


    When Han Li saw this, his eyes narrowed and he instantly recalled the name of a legendary Devil Dao technique ¨C Cataclysmic Graft!


    This technique used a limb that had been refined in advance as a substitute to block an attack from reaching their body. With only a single thought, one could have their own limb take the place of any severe harm that came their way. It was particularly effective at handling curse type heretical techniques.


    However, it was said that this legendary Devilish Dao secret technique could only be refined by Nascent Soul cultivators. It was beyond Han Li¡¯s imagination for Wen Tianren to be able to fully use this technique.


    As for the fearsome attack that Han Li had just used, it was a secret technique from the Profound Yin Scriptures called the Yin Devil Execution. It operated in a same manner as the Blood Spirit Drill. They both refined a portion of one¡¯s base essence that was folded to contain an immense, unstoppable force that was consumed after a single use.


    The cultivation of an individual affected how many times the base essence could be folded, signifying its strength, as well as the amount of time it would require to condense. According to legend, when it was condensed to the deepest folds, it could tear through space itself and leave only the void in its path.


    Of course, who could actually invest that much time and effort into preparing a strike of that degree? Han Li himself was only able to condense the attack to a small degree and that was after much effort. Having seen his last two attacks remain ineffective, Han Li had guessed that the cloud possessed a miraculous effect of shifting one¡¯s position. As a result, he determined that he needed to use the Yin Devil Execution. Although the attack wasn¡¯t able to tear through space itself, it had broken through Wen Tianren¡¯s evasion technique with great efficacy.


    Although Wen Tianren may have avoided calamity through the Cataclysmic Graft, his Origin Qi must¡¯ve suffered quite heavily. And from the bloody scent of his severed arm, he couldn¡¯t be doing too well.


    As Han Li inwardly sneered, he heard a rustle and the cloud began to release an expanse of golden light towards his arm before enveloping it.


    Han Li was startled and revealed a strange expression. Just as he pondered what Wen Tianren was doing, a cold and unnatural whistle roared from the grey cloud. The cloud was then swept away to reveal Wen Tianren¡¯s body.


    A cold expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as he stared at him.


    Wen Tianren stared back with obvious resentment. At his side, there were six huge malevolent phantoms with horns on each of their heads, tusks emerging from their mouths and scales covering their bodies. With the addition of the devilish Qi that coiled around their bodies, it appeared as if devils had truly been brought into this world.


    Han Li gloomily muttered, ¡°Devils of Six Apexes?¡±


    Wen Tianren coldly snorted and glanced at his severed arm before staring at Han Li with killing intent, ¡°Now you will know the fearsomeness of Archsaint Six Paths. Although these are only the phantoms of his likeness, they will be more than enough to deal with a Core Formation cultivator like you.¡±


    Ever since Wen Tianren had attained his current profound cultivation, he had yet to suffer such heavy injury. With the addition of Han Li¡¯s remarkably powerful magic treasures, he felt an even greater urge to kill him.


    Wen Tianren suddenly held out his arm stump and had a slim, dual horned phantom behind him spit out a sliver of faint red mist. The mist quickly wrapped around the arm stump a moment later, the mist scattered to reveal a completely restored arm. He then moved his fingers and waved his hand two times as if it had completely recovered.


    When Han Li saw this, he wore an expression of astonishment.


    When Wen Tianren saw Han Li, a mocking expression appeared on his face. He then clapped his hands together and the phantoms behind them grew slightly taller. Their bodies then began to blur as if they were about to take action.


    Han Li instantly reacted by raising his hand and pointing at Wen Tianren¡¯s head.


    The two huge azure swords suddenly burst with radiance and chopped at Wen Tianren.


    However, Wen Tianren merely continued to coldly stare at Han Li and ignored his swords. The tallest and most fiendish of the phantoms behind him flew up and grabbed onto the huge swords in a flash, holding one in each of its hands.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew solemn and he clutched his hands in an incantation gesture. The huge swords began to glow with azure light as they were grasped in the phantom¡¯s hands and struggled as fiercely as they could. The eyes of the phantom then flickered with red light and its grip tightened. It violently spat out grey devilfire from its mouth onto the flying swords and began to roast them.


    ¡°Haha! The strength apex devil has grabbed onto your magic treasures. Do you actually believe that they will be able to escape?¡± Wen Tianren howled with laughter at the sight of the flying swords being roasted. He then pointed at Han Li without hesitation, having his other five phantoms blur and disappear. A short moment later, they appeared right outside of Han Li¡¯s barrier.


    Wen Tianren appeared to believe that his victory was all but certain and prepared to have the phantoms exterminate Han Li.


    From the strength displayed by the incarnation of the strength apex devil, he was confident that if the six phantoms joined hands, even early Nascent Soul cultivators would find it difficult to deal with them. The Six Apex Devils Art was truly worthy of being known as the top ranked Devilish Art in the Scattered Star Seas.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s expression grew cold after seeing the new developments. He then raised his hands and dense bolts of golden lightning flashed out, striking the phantoms nearest to him.


    Wen Tianren couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Following two cracks of thunder, the phantoms dimmed and wore an expression of bitter suffering before fading away in a pulse of grey light.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Wen Tainren was shocked and remained in disbelief as if what he just saw were a trick of the eyes.


    Han Li¡¯s hands struck again with lightning, instantly exterminating another two of the phantoms in an instant.


    At that same moment, Wen Tianren had finally regained his mind! Full of regret, he loudly yelled and spat out a ball of silver light while simultaneously ordering his last phantom to flee. Although these apex devil phantoms had been formed from the nearby spiritual Qi, a portion of his own body¡¯s spiritual power was also incorporated into them. When each of them died, a portion of his cultivation also declined. Although he would be able to regain it later, it would prove disadvantageous while still in combat.


    But before the ball of silver light reached Han Li, he heard another clap of thunder above him.


    Wen Tianren¡¯s complexion paled as he hastily raised his head and saw that the strength apex devil had turned to ash. The two huge swords had arcs of golden lightning covering them and were chopping straight towards him.


    Wen Tianren unconsciously leapt away in a flash of red light and disappeared before the swords could strike him. In the following moment, Wen Tianren appeared a hundred meters away with an ashen complexion as he stared at Han Li. His two legs were now ablaze with a crimson flame. Glimmers of azure light could be spotted from within the the flames.


    Han Li was currently unable to control his flying swords to continue their pursuit of Wen Tianren. At that moment, Wen Tianren¡¯s ball of silver light had arrived before him and turned into a huge silver bell and unexpectedly knocked into him.

 Chapter 574

    The Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates


    Gazing at the huge bell, Han Li pointed at the ancient flower basket in front of him and had it transform into white Qi before shooting to the top of the bell.


    At that same moment, a muffled clang reverberated throughout the bell. The sound wasn¡¯t loud, but with the bell mouth pointed at Han Li, he felt his mind shake from the sound and he nearly collapsed.


    It was the type of attack most annoying to him, a sound based attack!


    Han Li inwardly cursed but he didn¡¯t dare be negligently react. With a flash of white light, the flower basket returned to its original form as a flower basket. Soon, it started revolved and spouted out a white radiance that enveloped the silver bell, attempting to draw it in.


    Of course, the silver bell naturally wasn¡¯t going to just obediently submit. It shined with a blinding silver light and incessantly rang, but because it was surrounded in layers of white Qi, the attacks were dulled. While Han Li still felt uncomfortable from the attacks, he was able to stay standing.


    At that moment, Han Li paid no more attention to the two ancient treasures above him and turned his gaze to the man across from him.


    ¡°Divine Devilbane Lightning! You possess a magic treasure made of Golden Lightning Bamboo!¡± Apart from the legendary Divine Devilbane Lightning that specialized in subduing evil and devilish arts, Wen Tianren knew of no other lightning with such heaven-defying power that was capable of eliminating his apex devil incarnations in an instant. The appearance of Golden Lightning Bamboo had caused a blood bath when it had last appeared in the past, but now it had appeared before him, refined into a magic treasure no less. This realization shocked Wen Tianren to the core.


    Han Li¡¯s expression faintly changed after hearing Wen Tianren call out the name of the lightning, but Han Li sneered before wiping his face of emotion. He merely controlled the flower basket above him and intended to restrain the silver bell before doing anything else.


    Wen Tianren naturally knew that he had guessed correctly after seeing Han Li¡¯s reaction and his face grew pale. Regardless of whether or not he was the disciple of the number one figure of the Devil Dao, after realizing that he now faced an unordinary cultivator along with the fearsomeness of the Divine Devilbane Lightning, he became filled with trepidation.


    After seeing his apex devils struck down by the Divine Devilbane Lightning without the slightest resistance, he realized that the legends of the lightning¡¯s effectiveness against devilish techniques were completely true. So long as Han Li possessed this lighting, he would be incapable of using a vast majority of his Devil Dao techniques. Wen Tianren took a deep breath and glanced at Han Li¡¯s expressionless figure.


    Wen Tianren¡¯s face became incredibly gloomy and his heart became uneasy, at the faint realization that Han Li would inevitably become a nemesis. Not only were his magic treasures and cultivation equal to his own, but the Divine Devilbane Lightning could restrain a vast majority of his techniques. This was intolerable.


    Wen Tianren glanced at Han Li and hardened his resolve. ¡°No matter how dire the cost, you will not be leaving this island alive. Only with the Golden Lightning Bamboo treasure in my hands will I finally feel at ease.¡±


    At that moment, the gorgeous young woman that stood in the distance had been left dumbstruck by the series of exchanges in the battle.


    When the young woman had seen Han Li control the Gold Devouring Beetles she had already guessed his true identity, much to her shock!


    It was truly difficult for her to believe that in only a few tens of years, Han Li¡¯s cultivation had climbed to late Core Formation from early Core Formation. But after she recalled that the legendary Heavenvoid Cauldron was in Han Li¡¯s possession, she grew somewhat calmer.


    Before this point, the young woman wasn¡¯t very confident that Han Li would win the battle. She believed that he would only last a while at most before being defeated, and didn¡¯t expect that Han Li would hold the advantage. Han Li¡¯s faint golden lightning in particular had left the woman at a loss for words. When she saw it destroy Wen Tianren¡¯s phantoms, her core was shaken.


    Divine Devilbane Lightning! She had recognized the gold lightning before Wen Tianren had!


    She was the one who had originally given Han Li the stalk of thousand year old Heaven Lightning Bamboo. But now, it had already become ten-thousand-year old Golden Lightning Bamboo! The woman could only guess that Han Li had somehow acquired other Heavenly Lightning Bamboo during his travels.


    This gorgeous young woman was obviously Fairy Violet Spirit who had last seen Han Li at the Heavenvoid Hall. This woman¡¯s appearance had greatly changed and she seemed to be unwillingly travelling together with Wen Tianren. There seemed to be quite the story behind her current circumstances!


    As of current, Fairy Violet Spirit was gritting her teeth as she watched the scene in the distance, faintly feeling that the battle was about to resume.


    Seeing that the silver bell was about to be captured by Han Li¡¯s flower basket, Wen Tianren¡¯s expression stirred and the golden radiance on his forehead suddenly grew brighter. Soon, it it extended and condensed into a small, exquisite horn. It shined with golden luster and was covered in profound talisman characters. Not only did it lack any devilish Qi, but it was actually filled with an extremely pure spiritual Qi.


    After seeing this horn, Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed and his heart trembled. He instantly pointed to his two azure swords in the distance and had their sword arts dissolve.


    The huge azure swords hummed and one of the swords split into twenty-four swords with the other sword dissolving into light. Han Li then employed the Swordshadow Phantasm Technique and had them form three identical copies of light as they returned back to Han Li¡¯s side. They then continuously revolved around Han Li to form a protective barrier around him.


    Wen Tianren turned a blind eye to Han Li¡¯s actions and calmly said, ¡°Good, very good! I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d pressure me to this degree. I originally believed that apart from those old Nascent Soul monsters that there would be no enemies who were a match for me, but it seems I was arrogant and narrow minded. It¡¯s good that I encountered you here; in fact, it can even be considered fortunate. Else, it would¡¯ve become far more troublesome for me to kill you once you entered Nascent Soul stage.¡±


    With the golden horn appearing on his forehead, he appeared completely confident, and all signs of his previous panic had disappeared without a trace.


    Without showing any emotion on his face, Han Li swept his spiritual sense past Wen Tianren, discovering that apart from the strange horn, there were no other obvious changes to his body.


    Han Li frowned and a trace of suspicion bloomed in his heart, causing him to become even more vigilant. However, he unconsciously felt that Wen Tianren¡¯s previous words were only a bluff and that the golden horn was only some sort of trick.


    But before Han Li could dispel his doubts, Wen Tianren spread out his arms and successively shot out eight balls of golden flames from his sleeves. These resplendent golden flames were fist-sized and began to quickly revolve around him.


    Upon seeing that Wen Tianren had released some kind of item, Han Li took a deep breath before becoming gloomy and feeling vexed.


    He clearly understood that while he possessed a number of magic treasures that few could match, Wen Tianren was likely to be one of those few exceptions. After all, he was a young master of the Starfall Coalition and a disciple of the top figure of the Devil Dao. It should¡¯ve proven quite easy for him to acquire extraordinary magic treasures.


    Since he couldn¡¯t continue to battle by relying on his magic treasures, he needed another method that could either trap or kill his opponent.


    Unknown to Han Li, Wen Tianren was thinking along similar lines at that moment. As he faced Han Li¡¯s many powerful techniques, he felt a sense of trepidation. As a result, he ceased using any magic treasures and had decided to use his last resort, the eight balls of golden flame.


    At that moments, the flames disappeared to reveal ancient palm-sized, octagonal mirrors that appeared to be made of pure gold. Their surfaces appeared as smooth as water and were glistening with golden light. Their backs were completely wrinkled and uneven, appearing quite unsightly.


    When Han Li saw this, a strange expression appeared within his eyes and he faintly felt as if he had heard of these ancient mirrors before, but he couldn¡¯t quite come up with a name.


    The woman behind Wen Tianren abruptly yelled in shock, ¡°The Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates!¡±


    Han Li was startled and glanced at the beautiful woman. She was gazing at the golden mirrors in alarm and covered her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°The Gold Mirrors of Eight Gates?¡± After some thought, Han Li felt as if that name was quite familiar. But when he suddenly recalled the origins of the mirrors, he felt his heart drop and he suddenly felt out of breath.


    Wen Tianren deeply glanced at Fairy Violet Spirit before turning his gaze back to Han Li and icily saying, ¡°Since my companion has already shouted out the name of these mirrors, then surely you must know how vicious they are. Now you can die without regret!¡±


    The golden horn on his forehead began to flicker with a golden radiance and a slim golden light suddenly shot out it, shooting towards one of the nearby mirrors. The ray of light then continued to be reflected off of the other mirrors, each time growing slightly thicker. By the time it had struck all eight mirrors, it was as thick as a small bottle.

 Chapter 575

    Divine Golden Flames


    When Han Li saw the light beam increasing in size with every reflection, he furrowed his brow as he stared at every Wen Tianren¡¯s every movement. His hand tightly grasped onto the red-yellow jade scepter, and a silver light flickered from his back, followed by the appearance of two silver wings.


    ¡®The Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates! How does he possibly have such a heaven-defying treasure!¡¯ Han Li couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smiled. When he recalled the origins of the treasure, his first thoughts were that he couldn¡¯t withstand a strike of this magic treasure no matter what. From the description of its power in legend, he¡¯d have to be deranged to even think of attempting something so foolish.


    The Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates was a peak grade magic treasure that had eliminated an entire generation of Star Palace Masters. It was once the possession of a cultivator with immense and profound abilities who had once shaken the Scattered Star Seas for several hundred years. This lone cultivator had been able to withstand the entirety of the Star Palaces¡¯ forces without being at a disadvantage. At the time, this cultivator had truly been the top figure in the Scattered Star Seas.


    Of course, the main reason for the fame of the ¡°Vagrant of the Heavenly Mirrors¡± was his profound cultivation that eclipsed everyone else in the Scattered Star Seas. His magic treasure, the Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates, was widely known as the top ranked offensive magic treasure, even at the time of his existence. There had been countless cultivators that had fallen to the mirrors including at least six Nascent Soul cultivators, emphasizing the fearsomeness of this magic treasure!


    Of course, Wen Tianren¡¯s mirrors were merely replicas of the golden mirrors. At Wen Tianren¡¯s current cultivation, it would be impossible for him to control such a mighty magic treasure. Had he attempted to take that legendary magic treasure into his body, Wen Tianren himself feared his body would rupture from its overwhelming power.


    Likewise, if Han Li truly believed that this were the original item, he would¡¯ve immediately slipped away without the slightest intention of fighting back. Even with this not being the case, Han Li didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of receiving any of its attacks. After all, the original¡¯s reputation was far too frightful. He had even prepared the Thunderstorm Wings to evade its attacks should the need arise.


    With the complete confidence Han Li held in the abilities of the Thunderstorm Wings, he was able to avoid panic despite the nervousness within his heart.


    At that moment, the golden light had already reflected off the final mirror and grown into a head-sized golden orb of light. It floated in front of Wen Tianren and continuously pulsed as if it were about to burst.


    Without any hesitation, Wen Tianren waved to the light orb which immediately flew into his palm.


    Wen Tianren grabbed onto the light orb and turned to look at Han Li. An odd expression fluttered within his eyes when he saw the wings on Han Li¡¯s back, but it soon disappeared.


    At that moment, Fairy Violet Spirit glanced at Wen Tianren¡¯s golden horn and then turned her gaze to the wings on Han Li¡¯s back. She felt her mouth turn dry as a complicated expression appeared on her face.


    The coming battle was about to greatly widen her horizons, and was something that had reached far beyond what common cultivators were capable of. Both parties had now taken out their last resorts in what was clearly a battle of life or death. Even the intensity of the atmosphere made it hard for her to breath. She could only silently watch on, in the hopes that her preferred cultivator won the upcoming battle.


    Wen Tianren made the first move!


    He brought the golden light orb to his chest and slapped his other hand onto it, causing the orb of light to collapse and shoot out countless thumb-sized balls of light. Contrary to Han Li¡¯s expectation, the balls of light entered the octagonal mirrors.


    The mirrors immediately began to glow and trembled before releasing eight dense beams of golden light.


    In the same moment that the beams of light shot out from the mirrors, they had already arrived in front of Han Li with an imperceptible speed. Han Li¡¯s expression distorted at the sight.


    The outermost layer of his sword mirages had instantly disappeared upon contact with the beams of light. Even the true Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were knocked away with sparks of azure light. They weren¡¯t able to put up even the slightest resistance upon making contact with the light beams.


    The combined Five Element Bands flashed with rainbow light and blocked the beams for only a moment before releasing a wail and a violet flash of light before collapsing into fragments.


    Han Li was overwhelmed with shock and felt pain at their loss. The Five Element Bands weren¡¯t of much use against higher grade cultivators, but they had always been successful when handling cultivators of a similar grade. Their loss was truly a pity.


    After the incredibly incisive golden lights had shattered the bands, they were about to strike the final barrier of red-yellow light produced by the jade scepter.


    Han Li let out a sigh as thunder roared from his back. With a slight flap, he disappeared from sight, and the eight streaks of light missed their target.


    A short moment later, Han Li reappeared a hundred meters away. With yet another roar of thunder, he disappeared yet again.


    Wen Tianren was startled upon seeing this, but his expression soon changed after something came to mind. His legs were aflame with scarlet flame as he flew off, instantly arriving at a nearby location. In the instant he moved, Han Li appeared at Wen Tianren¡¯s original location with an azure swordstreak flickering from his hand. Han Li revealed shock, but he soon disappeared once more in a flash of silver light, leaving thunder in his wake.


    This time, Wen Tianren didn¡¯t move. Instead, he shot out another streak of golden light from his horn and had his mirrors fly upward and point down. Once the golden light entered the mirrors, they began to hum and transform into countless beams of light, filling the air around him.


    At that moment, Han Li reappeared about thirty meters behind Wen Tianren and the beams of light instantly converged onto Han Li, rigidly trapping him. Han Li¡¯s expression vastly changed and he hurriedly flapped his wings. But underneath the golden light, he was completely incapable of movement.


    Han Li then waved his hands without any further thoughts and spat out two flying swords towards the golden light surrounding him, and ordered them to violently chop it. The golden light was completely unaffected and began to close in on him.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank and he hurriedly opened his mouth, shooting out a dense bolt of golden lightning. The golden light slightly flickered for a moment, but they didn¡¯t sustain any damage. At that moment, the golden light had become interwoven with his red-yellow light barrier. The barrier started to sway as if it were about to be penetrated by the golden light.


    Han Li¡¯s face paled as he suddenly waved his jade scepter and madly poured spiritual power into it. The yellow-red light barrier shimmered with light and its color soon became an illustrious silver, repelling the golden light with its complete strength.


    When Wen Tianren saw this, he revealed surprise, but soon a trace of hostility appeared within his eyes. He formed an incantation gesture with his hands and his small mirrors suddenly pointed at the top of Han Li¡¯s head, the golden light converged above Han Li and started to turn into balls of golden flames.


    Wen Tianren became completely solemn. His hands unceasingly formed various complex incantation gestures and he began to mutter an incantation.


    He soon opened his mouth and spat out several balls of pure blood essence. Each mouthful of blood left him slightly more pale. When each of the balls of blood essence entered the golden flames, his complexion had turned deathly pale and blood could no longer be seen from his face. However, the eight golden flames had instantly flared with immense light, increasing their pressure several fold.


    Wen Tianren coldly glanced at Han Li and eerily said, ¡°You are worthy enough to die from the Divine Golden Flames. With your cultivation, it¡¯d be quite remarkable for you to last most of an hour.¡±


    Without any further hesitation, he pointed to the eight golden flames that were above Han Li, and had them drop down from above him.


    Han Li was immediately submerged in the golden flames.


    Wen Tianren¡¯s figure blurred and appeared above the golden flames in a cross-legged meditation position. Afterwards, he began to form extremely strange incantation gestures, and released a faint gold thread from his horn into the flames. At the same moment as Han Li was enveloped in flames, Wen Tianren slowly closed his eyes.


    Beyond expectation, Han Li remained calm and stared at the golden flames surrounding him with a solemn expression.


    After the golden flames had appeared, he began to circulate the spiritual power within his body at six times the normal speed in order to sustain the silver light barrier. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve dispersed underneath the flames.


    It appeared that Wen Tianren wished to use the golden flames to exhaust Han Li¡¯s spiritual power and turn him to ash. He would¡¯ve taken a moment to inspect just how powerful the jade scepter shield were if he didn¡¯t fear that the golden flames would take his life.


    The Divine Golden Flames were truly unordinary. Although they weren¡¯t as powerful as the Celestial Ice Flames, let alone the Sacred Asura Flames, they were still on the same level as Zenith Yin¡¯s corpsefire.


    Han Li was inwardly analyzing exactly how powerful the golden flames were.

 Chapter 576

    The Ghost Mist Appears


    Were it a common late Core Formation cultivator, they wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the golden flames for even a quarter of an hour!


    However, Han Li was anything but common!


    At that moment, he stared at the golden flames surrounding him with a frown and slapped his storage pouch, taking out a small bottle.


    Han Li glanced at the small bottle and let out a sigh. It was the Myriad Year Spirit Milk he had just acquired, and it already appeared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to last much longer without it.


    It was quite the cruel joke. Had he not acquired the spirit milk from Yuan Yao, he would¡¯ve found himself in a dead end. But at the same time, were it not for this spirit milk, he wouldn¡¯t have encountered Wen Tianren, a disciple of Archsaint Six Paths, and be in this situation!


    Han Li felt extremely conflicted about how this situation had developed.


    According to current situation, he was currently losing, but with the half bottle of Myriad Year Spirit Milk, he felt completely secure. Regardless of the golden light that trapped him or the golden flames that scorched around him, Wen Tianren was incapable of persevering without paying a heavy cost. If Wen Tianren wanted to compete in a battle of endurance, then victory assured for Han Li. Wen Tianren¡¯s own actions were about to doom him!


    With that thought in mind, a sneer momentarily appeared on Han Li¡¯s face before he sat down inside the light barrier, preparing his counter attack once Wen Tianren had exhausted himself.


    Consequentially, a baffling scene transpired. The air that had recently been filled with rolls of thunder and flashes of dazzling light had suddenly turned serene and peaceful. Wen Tianren and Han Li were both sitting down, forming their own incantation gestures in silence. However, the ten meter tall golden flames continued to burn.


    When Fairy Violet spirit saw this, her luminous eyes shifted and she inwardly sighed.


    From what she saw, Han Li was bound to be defeated as he was trapped within the golden flames. Although Han Li currently had a silver light barrier around him, she believed it would only provide temporary protection at most.


    She stood there while wearing a complicated expression, but she had no intention of stepping forward. It appeared she didn¡¯t intend to take any action until the battle between the two of them was concluded.


    At that moment, the Mei siblings, Old Man Zhao and the other low grade cultivators were grouped together about fifty kilometers away from the island. Although they were too far away to see Han Li¡¯s battle with Wen Tianren, they were able to see the brilliant flashes of light in the distance and hear the deafening explosions. This alone had left them greatly alarmed.


    They had mistakenly believed that this was caused by a battle between the Core Formation cultivator on the island and the white silhouette. As such, they hadn¡¯t dared to leave, but now that all signs of fighting had disappeared, they were all left in dismay. They didn¡¯t know who was victorious or if something unexpected had occurred. Since they still didn¡¯t dare to rashly depart, they could only force themselves to stay put.


    On the other side of the island, the beautiful female cultivators that had been escorting the carriage were also whispering to each other with apprehension.


    Although they were all the personal maids of Wen Tianren, they were no different than true concubines and were treated favorably by him. On that note, if something were to happen to Wen Tianren, their fates were already sealed once they returned.


    However, because Wen Tianren had given them orders to remain at the carriage when he approached the island, these concubines didn¡¯t dare to rashly take action.


    ¡­


    Time slowly passed while the confrontation continued.


    Day eventually turned to night and night turned to early morning. Nearly an entire day passed in complete silence as if yesterday¡¯s battle had never even occurred.


    At that moment, both groups of cultivators on either side of the island were impatient and filled with doubt as other cultivators were beginning to appear nearby.


    After an entire day of having the heavenly omen above the island, word spread that a peculiar treasure had appeared on this small island. Naturally, cultivators began to appear nearby. A vast majority of these cultivators were at Foundation Establishment stage but there were also a few overly confident Qi Condensation cultivators mixed in.


    These people began to arrive at the island from every direction. When they grew near, they discovered Old Man Zhao¡¯s group along with the female cultivators around the carriage.


    Those who met Old Man Zhao and the Mei siblings were better off. As Old Man Zhao and the Mei siblings were quite well connected, many cultivators came to them to find out what had happened.


    After these cultivators heard that Core Formation cultivators had already entered the island, they apprehensively muttered to themselves and gathered near the old man¡¯s party, holding no foolish thoughts of rushing the island.


    As for the cultivators on the other side of the island that chose to speak to the beautiful female cultivators next to the carriage, the female cultivator in charge had taken out a banner of the Starfall Coalition without any reservations and immediately threatened them. Each of these cultivators immediately turned tail with pale faces. Since the Starfall Coalition cultivators were participating in whatever was happening on the island, nothing good would come about from staying around.


    After more time had past, two Core Formation cultivators eventually arrived. They were travelling together, and one of them was the deputy island lord of Bright Emperor Island. These two arrived on the side with Wen Tianren¡¯s maids, and naturally questioned them with baffled expressions.


    Because the two were Core Formation cultivators, the female cultivators didn¡¯t dare to slight them. The female cultivator in charge casually mentioned Wen Tianren¡¯s name to them as she answered.


    The two Core Formation cultivators were shocked upon hearing his name. While Bright Emperor Island was considered neutral, they didn¡¯t dare to provoke the overbearing power of either the top figure of the Devil Dao or the Starfall Coalition. After casually mumbing some sort of excuse, the two immediately flew back from where they came.


    What a joke! Although they didn¡¯t even know whether or not a treasure existed on this island, since a disciple of Archsaint Six Paths had arrived, they naturally had no thoughts of involving themselves. Since the young master had yet to return after approaching the island, if something had truly happened to him and they became involved, then they¡¯d be just be heading to their deaths.


    Although a small portion of cultivators were scared away by the Starfall Coalition¡¯s reputation, about forty cultivators had gathered around the island from other directions. When they weren¡¯t able to detect any Core Formation cultivators nearby, they rushed in.


    These cultivators harbored sinister designs of their own and weren¡¯t about to leave the island of their own accord. They planned to take advantage of the current chaos for their own benefit.


    As the black cloud above the island continued to swirl, it had already spread out to cover the entirety of the small island, blocking all the light from shining onto the island.


    A dark green beam of light suddenly shot up from the island towards the Yin clouds. At that moment, the clouds furiously roiled for a moment then began to slowly descend and remained about four hundred meters above the island before becoming serene.


    The emergence of these pitch-black clouds had given the impression that a tempest was about to approach.


    The heavenly omen¡¯s transformations shook the hearts of the cultivators nearby. However, a few of the more quick witted ones felt delight as they believed the green beam of light to be the sign for the emergence of a treasure.


    These cultivators were suddenly overwhelmed with greed and glanced at each other for a moment before flying towards the island in groups of ten. They believed that with so many Foundation Establishment cultivators joining hands, even a Core Formation cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to make light of them.


    As for the portion of cultivators that hadn¡¯t joined, they were extremely calm and examined the other¡¯s actions with detached gazes. Since there were others willing to scout the path ahead, they were happy to sit back and watch before taking action.


    At that same time, Wen Tianren¡¯s maids were no longer capable of just waiting and approached the island with the carriage in tow.


    Unbeknownst to all these people was that deep within the oceans near the small island, a strange black light started to shine after an appearance of a slim black crevice. Soon after, countless threads of pitch-black Qi emerged from the crevice forming into a mist.


    This pitch-black mist was only about ten meters wide at the start but it quickly began to expand. In only a short moment, it had already spread to an area of five hundred meters and continued to grow. Not only could ghostly wails be faintly heard from within the fog, but there were unceasing flashes of bizarre black lightning. Even more strange was how the nearby sea creatures were drawn into the black mist like moths to the flame.


    An instant later, all life in the nearby seas had already been swept clean, but nevertheless, the black mist continued to expand as if it were unsated.


    One kilometer, two kilometers¡­


    It eventually began to emerge from the ocean¡¯s surface, allowing it to be clearly seen by those present. When everyone saw this, they became numb with fear.


    From the looks of it, the mist would soon spread across the small island.


    Everyone on the island, including Han Li, were at a loss as they watched its progress.

 Chapter 577

    Indescribable Danger


    Inside the silver light barrier, Han Li raised his head and took a drop of spirit milk before glancing down at the small bottle with a pensive expression.


    It was the morning of the next day and he had now taken his fifth drop of spirit milk, but the golden light outside the light barrier still didn¡¯t show the slightest sign of weakening. The flames, however, had begun to shrink. It seemed Wen Tianren wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain them for much longer, and Han Li would be able to escape fairly soon.


    With that in mind, Han Li¡¯s hand flashed with white light and he calmly placed the bottle back into his storage pouch. He then glanced at the Yin clouds in the sky and unconsciously frowned.


    He had clearly seen the beam of green light shooting into the skies from the direction of the valley that seemed to have been caused by Yuan Yao¡¯s spell ritual. Although he didn¡¯t know what had specifically happened, based on the black clouds lowering down, it appeared that the Soulrise Technique had yet to finish.


    As quickly as these thoughts appeared in Han Li¡¯s mind, he buried them. He couldn¡¯t afford to be concerned with anything else until after he escaped the prison of golden light.


    After taking a deep breath, he felt his magic treasures begin to surge with excitement. At that same moment, the silver wings could faintly be seen once more from his back.


    Floating above the golden flames, Wen Tianren no longer appeared as proud as when he had initially trapped Han Li. Instead, his face had begun to pale and a layer of faint black Qi had started to form. The golden horn on his forehead also appeared to be an inch shorter than the day before.


    Wen Tianren gloomily scowled, but his heart brimmed with furious alarm as a faint trace of dread began to take hold.


    When he had taunted Han Li that he would only be able to withstand the flames for an hour at most, he had been exaggerating. Knowing precisely how powerful the Divine Golden flames were, he had honestly believed that it would¡¯ve been difficult for Han Li to persevere for even half an hour. As such, he had been willing to expend a bit of his Origin Qi to eliminate Han Li and prevent him from becoming an even greater problem in the future.


    But an hour later, Han Li still showed no signs of wavering, somewhat surprising Wen Tianren.


    When it had reached two hours, Wen Tianren was alarmed to find that Han Li had yet to turn to ash.


    After four hours, Wen Tianren had started to feel trepidation after seeing how Han Li still endured.


    He faintly felt that he had made a mistake, as Han Li hadn¡¯t shown any fear at the prospect of contesting his magic power with Wen Tianren¡¯s own. It was clear that Han Li either possessed some kind of item that allowed him to quickly replenish his magic power or had some other mysterious ability. According to what he knew, the only item that could allow this kind of replenishment of magic power was the extremely rare Myriad Year Spirit Milk. Could it be that Han Li truly possessed some?


    Wen Tianren quickly found his guesses to be true.


    However, he had reached the point where he could no longer afford to stop. With a majority of his apex devil incarnations already eliminated and his unrestrained use of the Golden Mirrors of Eight Gates, he had greatly exhausted his cultivation. If he were to let Han Li go, it wasn¡¯t likely for him to win.


    However, Wen Tianren was aware that given how rare the Myriad Spirit Milk was, ordinary cultivators couldn¡¯t possibly possess all that much. As a result, he had resolved himself to continue to exhaust his true essence and continue his attempt to roast Han Li in the Divine Golden Flames.


    The current damage to his true essence would take at least thirty years of secluded cultivation to repair.


    With each passing moment, Wen Tianren¡¯s complexion grew slightly paler, while the silver light barrier appeared as dense as ever. Wen Tianren wouldn¡¯t be able to persist for much longer.


    He didn¡¯t know how much spirit milk Han Li had left and he was still stuck in a deadlock. As he desperately searched for a method to breakthrough his plight, something eventually came to mind.


    Wen Tianren pursed his dry lips and coldly commanded, ¡°Violet Spirit! Go over to where he came from and capture his Dao companion. That person should be at a crucial moment in the ritual and should be incapable of resisting you.¡± His originally refined appearance was now completely gone, revealing a trace of sinister malice.


    When Fairy Violet Spirit heard this, her expression changed. This battle was truly beyond the scope of reason. She had originally believed that Han Li wouldn¡¯t be able to persist for long, but he had remained unscathed throughout the entire night. Instead, Wen Tianren was now in a difficult situation, much to her surprise.


    After hearing his command, she was startled for a moment before realizing his intentions.


    This young master of the Starfall Coalition intended to use the woman conducting the ritual to force Han Li into submitting! Since Han Li had agreed to act as her protector, their friendship should run deep. However, being forced to use this shameful method only further illustrated that the disciple of Archsaint Six Paths had truly reached his absolute limit.


    Fairy Violet Spirit quickly recovered her ice-cold expression and silently remained in place.


    A cold glint ran through Wen Tianren¡¯s eyes and he sinisterly said, ¡°What? Could it be that you believe that because of how damage my cultivation is that I cannot take your life? Or is it that you¡¯ve always wanted to defect from the coalition ever since you were forced to join? Don¡¯t forget that the Starfall Coalition rules over half of the Scattered Star Seas, and you are only an early Core Formation cultivator, so where could you possibly run? Obediently follow my orders, and I will turn a blind eye to your disloyal inaction.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s expression changed several times before her eyes wandered onto the golden flames, indecision lingering in her heart. During her moment of indecisiveness, streaks of light began to fly over from the distance. As they grew nearer, Fairy Violet Spirit and Wen Tianren recognized them to be the female cultivators and their carriage.


    When Wen Tianren saw this, he was greatly elated while Fairy Violet Spirit could only bitterly laugh in her mind.


    These Foundation Establishment women hadn¡¯t been of any use at the start, but now they would be of pivotal importance.


    Before Fairy Violet Spirit could wryly smile, she spotted their panicked expressions as they approached Wen Tianren the moment they arrived.


    They looked at the current scene in astonishment and then quickly saluted Wen Tianren. They appeared extremely restless, but still remained silent.


    Wen Tianren appearance was harsh and a hostile expression appeared on his face. He coldly chuckled and thought to say something when his face contorted in bewilderment upon looking into the distance.


    When the others saw this, they were baffled and curiously turned their heads to look.


    ¡°What in the world is that!?¡± One of them shouted out upon seeing it.


    They all saw wisps of black quickly emerge from the ocean at a frightening speed, leaving them all at a loss for words.


    ¡°The ghost mist?¡± After a moment, one of the woman shouted out in terror and immediately flew deeper into the island. At that moment, the others had clearly seen the black wisps. A pitch-black fog had emerged from the sea and was rushing towards them as if it were alive.


    Suddenly, the rest of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present had been shocked senseless and fled in complete panic.


    Wen Tianren and Fairy Violet Spirit were both aghast at the sudden developments.


    Fairy Violet Spirit then stomped down and streaked away while enveloped in red light.


    Wen Tianren nervously stared at the golden flames, unsure of what to do. After a cold glint appeared in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and spat a mouthful of blood essence into the flames, instantly causing them to intensify.


    Afterwards, he flew into the distance in a flash of golden light while his many maids closely followed after him.


    An inconceivable event then occurred before them as the cultivators closest to the ghost mist fell onto the island like downed birds.


    This occurred with all cultivators that had drawn too close to the ghost mist. They suddenly lost their bearings in mid-flight and dropped down with deathly pale complexions.


    Even their magic tools had been completely deprived of their spiritual nature.


    As for Fairy Violet Spirit and Wen Tianming, they were only able to fly for a short amount of time and barely reach the other edge of the island before their lights had disappeared and they fell into the ocean.


    At the time, the golden flames that had remained in the distance wavered for a moment before fizzling out. The eight small mirrors had also returned to their original forms, revealing the silver barrier of light within.


    But just as the light barrier was revealed, it dispersed into specks of starlight, revealing an astonished Han Li from within.


    Han Li had already seen what had happened with the others, but before he could come overcome his shock and come up with a countermeasure, he felt the magic power in his body become restricted and he began to helplessly fall from the sky.

 Chapter 578

    Encounter in the Dark


    Shock was clear in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he fell towards the rocks a hundred meters below him. He abruptly twisted his body and bent his waist at a strange angle before kicking his feet out behind him. This caused him to shoot towards a large tree nearby before steadily coming to stand on one of its branches.


    Han Li¡¯s head was lined with cold sweat after his near fall. Fortunately, the Shifting Smoke Steps didn¡¯t require any spiritual power to use. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve just met his end by falling to his death. If a Core Formation cultivator were to actually die by falling, they¡¯d become a laughingstock! Of course, many of the nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators weren¡¯t as fortunate as Han Li and were certain to have suffered.


    When Han Li finally regained his bearings, he heard a series of clangs from the distance. He quickly turned his head in that direction with a changed expression. Sure enough, the clangs came from the two sets of Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that he hadn¡¯t taken into his body. Not far to their side were the eight sided mirrors, the ancient flower basket, and the small silver bell. At the moment, they were all completely devoid of life as if their spiritual nature had disappeared.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he hastily tried to release a thread of spiritual sense to inspect the treasures, however his heart immediately grew cold. No matter how hard he tried, his immensely powerful spiritual sense now remained motionless within his body.


    Han Li¡¯s blood ran cold as both his magic power and spiritual sense were now incapable of being used. He was now no different than an ordinary mortal. Let alone his magic abilities, his storage pouch and his spirit beast pouches were now useless as well.


    He turned around and paled upon seeing that the overflowing black mist had already filled the nearby skies.


    With his current speed as a mortal, there would be no chance of him outrunning the ghost mist. After reflecting on the current situation with a gloomy expression, he gritted his teeth and his body blurred. He then appeared beside the lifeless treasures and frantically gathered them all into his arms.


    Because he currently had no way of using his storage pouch, he could only hold the items close to his chest. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t too large, otherwise Han Li would¡¯ve been incapable of carrying all of them.


    At the same time that Han Li was gathering up the treasures, the endless black fog suddenly descended onto the small island.


    Han Li felt an immense attractive force coming in the direction of the mist, and before he even realized what was happening, he was already being sucked in.


    Han Li was overwhelmed by shock and shifted his body several times, hoping to use his Shifting Smoke Steps to escape, but it proved completely ineffective. A moment later, he had been absorbed into the pitch-black mist and found himself among several flashes of black lightning that instantly wrapped around his body.


    With several muffled booms, Han Li flickered with black light and disappeared without a trace into the fog.


    Han Li heard a torrent of countless, strange sounds pour into his mind as the entire world around him blurred and was replaced with absolute darkness.


    He felt his body suddenly come to a stop and then fell onto some kind of ground with a muffled thump. The ground was soft and thick, leaving him without the slightest injury, relieving Han Li of his most pressing worry.


    He took the opportunity to glance around and found only an expanse of darkness, but he did manage to smell a strong, fishy scent.


    Han Li wordlessly ran his hands over his body to find it sticky and wet with several things poking into him. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that he was lying on a pile of live, squirming fish and prawn.


    Han Li frowned and slowly tried to stand up when his head suddenly broke out in pain. At that same time, he felt his limbs turn soft and he became overwhelmed with a sense of vertigo.


    Han Li inwardly cursed. Without any magic power protecting his body, he was being subjected to the full aftermath of teleportation. It was likely that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up for quite a while.


    Since this was the case, Han Li emotionlessly lied down on the pile of fish and prawn, saving his strength until he could move his limbs once more.


    But right then, yet another ball of black lightning appeared appeared about ten meters above him.


    That faint flash of light allowed Han Li to see strange pointed rocks about thirty meters above him, and he was able to make out that this place seemed to be an underground cave. As for the strange lightning, there seemed to be something within it.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred as he gazed at it. After wildly flashing several more times, it disappeared and dropped a pitch-black object straight onto Han Li.


    Han Li was startled and wanted to move out of the way, but his body was powerless. He could only watch on as the object fell onto him.


    As a result, a soft woman¡¯s body fell onto Han Li with a muffled grunt. It seemed she had also been teleported there.


    The woman was clearly rattled, and not only did she not realize that Han Li was beneath her, she also crawled on him, grabbing onto Han Li¡¯s hair.


    Han Li smirked and let out a faint breath of pain.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The woman now realized that there was another person beneath her, an unfamiliar man. She cried out in alarm and hastily tried to stand, but her body swayed several times before she weakly fell back down.


    As a result, she ended up falling onto Han Li once again with her upper body resting on Han Li¡¯s stomach. From her look of fright, she seemed to be somewhat young.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman asked with a trembling voice. Her heavy, thumping heart, could be clearly heard in the silent darkness.


    The woman¡¯s voice was quite pleasant, but since he didn¡¯t know the woman and couldn¡¯t clearly make out her appearance, Han Li jokingly replied, ¡°Just some guy!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± A trace of resentment appeared within her eyes as she fiercely glared at Han Li. But because her limbs were in pain, she could only raise her neck and turn her head towards Han Li just a bit, as this action didn¡¯t seem to take much effort.


    However, her pleasant fragrance did reach Han Li¡¯s nose, arousing a strange feeling in him. With the addition of her soft, ample body pressing against him, a certain area was unconsciously aroused.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± The woman immediately felt the change in Han Li¡¯s body, and she fiercely glared at him with a shameful expression. However, Han Li saw this action to be quite adorable.


    Han Li bitterly laughed and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t something that I can control. I have lost my magic power and spiritual sense. While I would like to control my body with my cultivation and calm down my little lord, I¡¯ve returned to become an ordinary man. I am helpless to do anything about the reaction.¡±


    The woman snorted. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, she seemed to have heard him. Fortunately, she couldn¡¯t move just like Han Li and could do nothing about it, despite her angry humiliation.


    The darkness became silent once more, broken only by the breaths of the two.


    Han Li felt this experience to be completely unprecedented. There were countless fish and prawn flailing about underneath him, and an unfamiliar, fragrant woman laying on top of him. This situation couldn¡¯t be described as anything but absurd!


    The woman suddenly broke the silence and asked, ¡°Were you among the fellow cultivators that entered the island?¡±


    ¡°Seems likely, right?¡± When Han Li heard her, he immediately recalled the dozens of cultivators that had rushed to the small island. It seemed like this woman was one of them.


    Doubt flickered within her eyes and she snorted before suspiciously asking, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Han Li smiled and thought to brush off her question with a vague response when disorderly footsteps suddenly sounded as several torches soon appeared in the distance and floated nearby. There appeared to be shadows that were faintly visible beneath the flickering torchlight.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled! There seemed to be people here and they didn¡¯t appear to be the other cultivators that had been devoured by the ghost mist.


    An instant later, the torches had drawn close to them.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed and he was able to clearly see the black silhouettes behind the flames. They were five exceptionally large men that were each at least a whole head taller than Han Li, and appeared to be about forty years of age.


    They wore green robes and held a sword-like weapon in their hands with huge leather bags on their backs and were hastily travelling forward in large strides.


    When Han Li saw them, his heart was shaken by fear. As he was guessing the identity of these men, a strand of black hair swept past his face. The woman had turned her head to gaze at them as well, and seemed to be ill at ease from her trembling..


    Han Li furrowed his brow and began to move his fingers as a trace of strength had returned. It appeared that he was recovering his strength rather quickly.

 Chapter 579

    A Place With No Name


    A moment after Han Li realized he was regaining control of his body, the torches had grown closer to them, allowing him to see with greater clarity.


    The nearby surroundings had been brightened enough to reveal large piles of fish and prawn everywhere. Han Li and the woman happened to be on one of the comparatively larger piles.


    The areas further away from them were still pitch-black and couldn¡¯t be seen, but the cave appeared exceptionally spacious as no walls could be seen.


    When the men carrying torches were about a hundred meters away from Han Li, they stopped and quickly placed their bags onto the ground. With the exception of one person that vigilantly stood guard, the rest of them began to wildly stuff the fish and prawn into their bags.


    Han Li was surprised to see this while woman on top of him couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise, but the men hadn¡¯t heard her because of how soft her voice was. Han Li unconsciously turned his gaze to the woman and discovered in the faint glow of red light that the woman had a beautiful face.


    The woman immediately noticed Han Li¡¯s gaze, and seemed to blush. She turned away, and her face was once again hidden in the darkness. However, her bashful eyes still glinted in the darkness.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but find her actions humorous.


    This woman was somewhat odd. When they had yet to see each other¡¯s appearance, she was outspoken, direct, and even a bit unruly. Now that he could see her, the initial harshness has disappeared and she immediately grew timid and bashful.


    In that instant, they heard a cry of alarm in the distance.


    The man on guard suddenly turned around and harshly whispered, ¡°Not good! Scatter! The Firescale Beast is about to arrive!¡±


    Suddenly, the men that were gathering the fish immediately tossed the bags onto their backs and madly scrabbled in another direction. All that was left behind were the flickering torches illuminating the darkness.


    At that moment, several hisses could be heard from within the darkness as if something had discovered the men. Several quick thumps then sounded out.


    Several fire-red, meter-long silhouettes leapt from the darkness and quickly disappeared with a blur.


    For a instant, Han Li was able to clearly see the appearances of the Firescale Beasts. The beasts had a sinister appearance with red scales and a mouthful of razor sharp fangs.


    In the blink of an eye, silence once again covered the cave.


    Han Li let out a long breath of relief as it seemed that the strange beasts hadn¡¯t discovered the two of them, providing a silver lining for an otherwise dismal situation.


    Not long after the beasts disappeared, Han Li could weakly form a fist with both hands. Soon he finally recovered control over his body and could move well enough to hold onto the woman and slowly stand up.


    While being held in his arms, the woman whispered with a blush, ¡°Re¡­ Release me. I will recover soon enough.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the woman and indifferently said, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind squirming around with the fish on the ground, I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    When the woman heard this, she lowered her head and glanced at the squirming fish on the ground with a trace of hesitation. In the end, she chose to remain silent.


    At that moment, Han Li jumped off the pile of fish with the woman in his grasp and walked in the direction of the abandoned torches. Although he didn¡¯t know what or where this forsaken place was, it would prove rather troublesome if they didn¡¯t have any light.


    Han Li crouched down and picked up a torch, and wore a pensive expression after glancing around.


    A short moment later, the blushing woman whispered, ¡°Please release me. I can move now.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he silently relaxed his arm and the woman gracefully landed on her feet. After quickly patting down her clothes, she also pick up a torch and examined their surroundings.


    After a moment, Han Li suddenly headed off in the direction that the group of men had arrived from.


    When the woman saw this, she was alarmed and hastily asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Han Li replied without turning his head, ¡°I¡¯m not going to wait here for the beasts to return. It would be better to find somewhere safe for now.¡±


    When the woman heard this, she wore an expression of fright and quickly followed after Han Li.


    Han Li remained silent when he heard this and continued on his way.


    After only walking a few steps, Han Li stopped and used the torch to illuminate the ground, revealing the men¡¯s footprints.


    The woman was caught off guard and nearly ran into Han Li. She was left slightly bewildered and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he crouched down and brought a handful of sand to his nose. He revealed an odd expression after taking a sniff.


    ¡°There¡¯s a dense smell of blood. This isn¡¯t a good sign!¡± Han Li expressionlessly said this before continuing to follow the men¡¯s footsteps.


    The woman was startled by what he said and quickly followed after Han Li.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, they eventually spotted a glitter of blue light in the distance.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes at the sight and quickened his steps.


    He soon discovered that the sparkling blue light marked an exit from this black expanse. Although it was only about three meters wide, it was more than enough for a person to pass through.


    When the two saw this, they quickly walked through it with roused spirits.


    In the instant they arrived at the opening, a white light flashed before Han Li and eight flawless swords quickly appeared against his neck. A hoarse voice coldly said, ¡°Who are you? Where are Ah Hu and the others? Are you new arrivals?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing that he was surrounded by over twenty young men and woman. Each of whom held a strange sparkling white blade, and wore the same strange green robes as the men from before. They were all gazing at Han Li with differing expressions.


    As for the beautiful woman following him, she had been surrounded as well and didn¡¯t dare to move.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and wryly smiled, ¡°I imagine that we are what you consider to be new arrivals! Do outsiders often appear here?¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard Han Li, his expression relaxed but his voice still remained cold, ¡°I would¡¯ve guessed it if you hadn¡¯t said anything as your strange clothes are something only outsiders would wear. However, it¡¯s quite fortunate for you to encounter us. After all, a majority of outsiders meet their ends in the stomach of the umbra beasts without ever realizing what was happening.¡±


    He then waved his hand and the youths withdrew their swords.


    Han Li rubbed his neck and glanced at the weapons with a trace of astonishment.


    When those blades were touching his neck, he felt an astonishing burning sensation as if they were all made of scorching hot iron. It was a truly weird experience.


    Han Li then swept his gaze around and discovered that they were in front of a small stone mountain. It appeared that they had just left the heart of the stone mountain. When he gazed into the distance, there was an endless yellow desert.


    He then raised his head to the sky and felt an even greater shock.


    He saw pitch-black clouds covering the sky. They appeared endless and continuously arced with deep blue lightning, causing the sky to shine with a faint blue light. It was all stranger than anything Han Li had imagined.


    Before Han Li finished observing his surroundings, the lean middle-aged man frowned and asked, ¡°Did you encounter anyone when you arrived? They would be my companions!¡±


    Han Li immediately answered without hesitation, ¡°I saw a group of men, however, they were chased down by a few beasts. They ran off in another direction.¡±


    The lean man grew nervous and he unconsciously tightened his grasp on the blade, ¡°Beasts? What kind?¡±


    ¡°I heard those men call them Firescale Beasts.¡±


    The lean man relaxed and calmly said, ¡°Firescale Beasts? That¡¯s good. Ah Hu and the others should have no problem dealing with them. But just to be sure, Fan Li, bring a group of people inside and help them. Then take them through the nearest alternative exit.¡±


    A towering dark man wordlessly brought a group of people into the cave.

 Chapter 580

    Tall Walls


    The lean man turned his head toward Han Li and the woman and indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether I should say your luck is good or bad. You actually ran into an eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi! This causes far more tears in space to appear, and even experts are incapable of escaping them. But as a result, the umbra beasts that normally lay inside the mountain hollow had left. Otherwise, you would¡¯ve immediately be torn apart upon falling inside.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart sank, but his expression remained unchanged. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll forgive me for being so bold, but could your esteemed self tell us exactly where we are? From your tone, it seems this place is quite dangerous.¡±


    The lean man examined the two¡¯s clothing and saw that they didn¡¯t seem to be ordinary people and wryly smiled, ¡°Dangerous? Hehe! That¡¯s about right. Regardless of whatever identities or statuses you may have held on the outside, here in the Umbra Realm, you¡¯re just people that need to struggle to survive. If you can¡¯t move or make yourself useful, you will end up as umbra beast food.¡±


    Han Li frowned and wanted to ask more questions but the lean mean impatiently waved his hand, ¡°We¡¯re pressed for time. The explanations will have to wait until after we return to the village. In just a moment, the umbra beasts will return to their nests and we¡¯ll have to quickly block this secret entrance so that we can use it again in the future.¡± After he said this, he turned to the people behind him and started harshly giving them commands.


    The men and women began to grab nearby stones and started to hurriedly stack them tightly against the hole.


    The lean man gazed at the Yin clouds in the sky and his face darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s go. If everything goes smoothly, Ah Hu and the others will meet us on the way. But if we dawdle, the Yin winds will appear and we won¡¯t be able to return.¡± After saying this, he turned around and left as the rest of people closely followed after him without a word. None of them ever called out to Han Li or the woman.


    When Han Li saw this, an odd expression flickered through his eyes as he began to ponder over the current situation.


    The beautiful woman beside Han Li watched as the group grew distant. Seeing that Han Li appeared pensive, she couldn¡¯t help but worriedly ask, ¡°Should we follow them?¡±


    Without any magic power, she had turned into a frail and bewildered mortal. Since Han Li appeared calm this entire time, she had instinctively begun to rely on him.


    Han Li raised his head and calmly said, ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to, so let¡¯s go take a look at their so-called village. Perhaps we¡¯ll think of something once we¡¯re there and are able to recover our magic power.¡± He then headed in the direction the others had gone with large strides.


    The woman let out a breath of relief and followed after him.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I still don¡¯t know your name. My surname is Han, I am a vagrant cultivator.¡±


    ¡°I am Mei Ning. I was together with my brother when we were sucked into the ghost mist, but now he isn¡¯t here.¡± A trace of worry appeared on her face when she mentioned her brother.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. The black lightning appears to have the power of random teleportation. Your brother must¡¯ve teleported elsewhere. Otherwise, why would only the two of us teleport there despite the many cultivators around the island? If you search for him, you¡¯ll find him eventually.¡±


    When the woman heard this, she felt relieved and her curiosity towards Han Li was piqued. His appearance was rather unfamiliar and she was certain that she had never seen him before. She tentatively guessed that he was a cultivator that had approached the island from a different direction.


    She thought to ask more questions of Han Li, but she hesitated after realizing that they didn¡¯t have a particularly close relationship, and ended up keeping silent.


    As the two hurried after the group of green-robed people, she pondered about the pros and cons of inquiring about him further. Although they didn¡¯t have any magic power, cultivators possessed bodies of purified essence that were far more capable than those of ordinary mortals.


    Seeing that the two were able to follow after them without difficulty, a strange expression appeared in the lean man¡¯s eyes, but instead of saying anything, he lowered his head and sped up.


    The others behind him quickened their pace in response.


    Han Li was somewhat surprised to see that these people were far more vigorous than ordinary mortals. Although their bodies didn¡¯t seem to hold a superior level of inner strength, they clearly cultivated some shallow martial arts. It seemed that martial arts would prove quite useful here.


    Nevertheless, Han Li still had misgivings from the ghost mist that had previously occurred.


    From the records he had looked through, although the ghost fog was frightful, it had never been as disastrous as what had just occurred. There wasn¡¯t even an opportunity for anyone to escape. Before he had even touched the ghost mist, the entirety of his magic power had already been sealed. It had been truly terrifying.


    If each appearance of the ghost mist was that disastrous, then even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t be able to escape it. But in the previous appearances of the ghost mist, there were many cultivators who were able to escape from it, even low grade cultivators had.


    However, Han Li felt somewhat suspicious about what the lean man had referred to as the so-called Spirit Extinguishing Qi. From its name, it was certain to have something to do with why his spiritual sense and magic power were currently restricted.


    They were truly unlucky to have encountered such a particularly dreadful ghost mist that had managed to captured everyone present. He reckoned that those that survived the teleportation would be found scattered across the other corners of this land.


    Just as Han Li thought this, the lean man suddenly stopped and turned his head in a different direction while the rest of his party had followed suit. Far off into the desert, a yellow dragon could be seen rushing towards them through surging clouds of sand.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ah Hu and the others!¡± One of the youths shouted in delight as the others became excited. The lean man nodded his head and revealed a trace of relief, but his smile soon froze when he heard a series of sharp roars from the yellow dragon.


    The lean man furiously yelled with a distorted expression, ¡°Everyone, quickly go and help them! They are being pursued by umbra beasts.¡± He took out the long white blade at his waist and led the charge forward.


    The rest of the party came to a sudden realization and each of them brandished their blades as they followed suit.


    Han Li stood in place, and merely stared at the yellow dragon in the distance with an odd expression.


    The lean man¡¯s party had just reached the yellow dragon when it abruptly stopped and roared before bursting into clouds of yellow mist.


    The party loudly yelled as they entered the dense smoke, and shouts of all pitches and tones were intertwined. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, their voices eventually quieted down.


    After a short moment, a series of cheers came from within the yellow mist, and the men and woman all emerged with their bodies splattered with beast blood. It was difficult to tell if any of them had sustained any injuries, but each of them wore a smile of pleasant surprise.


    When they returned, they were joined by the burly men that Han Li had seen within the mountain. They were still carrying the huge bags on their back.


    When they spotted Han Li and Mei Ning, they appeared somewhat confused, but after the lean man whispered something to them, their expression brightened and paid them no further mind.


    The group quickly marched on with the new arrivals. Two hours later, they had reached an expanse of pitch-black stone that interrupted the desolate sandscape.


    Just like the desert from before, Han Li was unable to see the end of this expanse of black stone. However, the black stones were all strangely shaped and their deep shade of black left Han Li with an eerie feeling of discomfort.


    But when the others saw this place, they let out long breaths of relief and wore relaxed expressions.


    At that moment, the Yin clouds in the sky had begun to restlessly move about and the blue flashes of lightning had become more frequent. Occasionally, they would directly strike an area nearby, causing a pit to appear among the stones.


    Han Li and Mei Ning were startled by the sudden turn of events, but the others seemed accustomed to it. They simply walked into the stony areas with quick strides.


    The lean man then shouted, ¡°Everyone, quicken your pace! The village is about to close their doors. Let¡¯s avoid being trapped outside!¡± Afterwards, the group of people dashed forward and ran with all their might.


    Han Li and Mei Ning glanced at each other. Although they didn¡¯t know what was going on, they didn¡¯t dare to fall behind.


    Following their lead, the made several turns throughout the expanse of stone before suddenly arriving at an open area.


    The spacious area had lofty stone walls that were as black as could be. Not only were these stone walls all carved out of massive boulders that were at least three meters wide and ten meters tall, but they extended out for several kilometers. Additionally, about every ten meters along the walls, a sharp spike of hardwood struck out from the wall, making for a sinister appearance.


    Currently, the group of people were heading in the direction of an imposing wooden gate with over ten men with white pikes standing guard on either side.


    When these guards saw the lean man¡¯s party approach, they loudly yelled at them with excitement.


    With a huge rumble, the gate slowly opened, allowing them inside.

 Chapter 581

    A Huge Beast Attacks


    Although Han Li and Mei Ning were new arrivals, the guards merely glanced at them without asking any questions. Instead, they surrounded the returnees and excitedly asked them a few questions. As a result, the large men gave them a glance at the fish and prawn in their bags before the guards cried out in surprise.


    Han Li furrowed his brows at the sight. It seemed that food was a scarce resource here.


    Soon after, Han Li swept his eyes across the entire village.


    The entire village was within the protection of the tall stone walls, and all of its buildings were crudely carved cubes made from the same pitch-black stone as the walls. There was also a small stone platform built at the center of the village that was several times taller than the other buildings. Additionally, the top of the platform seem to emit a faint purple fog that permeated through the entire village. It seemed to completely absorb any of the blue lightning that happened to strike the village. The purple fog was undoubtedly some kind of spell formation, but Han Li was unable to perceive the slightest spiritual Qi inside the stone walls. Instead, he only felt a cold Yin energy lingering in the air.


    Although his spiritual sense was still trapped within his body, he could still keenly sense spiritual Qi. Han Li was bewildered as to why this was the case.


    The lean man¡¯s group had entered the village and already arrived at a large hall near the platform. There were a group of people outside the hall that were gesturing and whispering with the lean man¡¯s group when one of them looked in Han Li¡¯s direction with a deep gaze.


    Han Li felt his heart tremble. That person possessed the deepest inner strength of anyone he had encountered in this land.


    Were it in the outside world, Han Li could¡¯ve easily killed him with a twirl of his finger and ignored him. But as Han Li was now, he would have to strive his hardest to deal with him. At that moment, the lean man had approached the group of people and said something to them before turning around and pointing at Han Li and Mei Ning. The group then turned their gazes to Han Li.


    Han Li remained silent and revealed no fear, but to his side, Mei Ning revealed nervousness from not knowing what they had in mind for them.


    The lean man beckoned to the two and said, ¡°You two, come over. The village elders have some questions for you.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and calmly walked over with Mei Ning in tow.


    The group of people that had been standing outside had already turned around and entered the hall, and Han Li soon followed.


    A plump old man that sat at the center of the hall gazed at them with a kind expression and said, ¡°Please, sit. Since we are all human, we will naturally do our best to aid one another. However, there is much that is different in this world from the outside. How about you two first introduce yourselves before I start introducing you to this land?¡±


    The others sat down at his side, and the one who had glared at Han Li outside the hall were among them as well. He had narrow eyes, a hostile expression and pale skin. At that moment, his spirited eyes had swept across Han Li and the beautiful Mei Ning behind him. Although he was silent, a peculiar expression flickered through his eyes.


    Han Li casually smiled and calmly replied, ¡°There isn¡¯t much to say about us. We encountered the ghost mist at sea and were drawn here by it. As for my previous identity, what use is it here? There is no point in talking about it.¡±


    The old man smiled upon hearing Han Li¡¯s vague answer.


    He examined the two with narrowed eyes before saying, ¡°You two must be cultivators, so there is no point in concealing this.¡± With that said, the old man¡¯s gaze dropped down to the bulging storage pouch at Han Li¡¯s waist.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged but he was inwardly shocked. As for Mei Ning, her expression grew pale with worry.


    ¡°You two don¡¯t need to be scared. Although there aren¡¯t many cultivators among us, we are far more happy to have you join this village than we would be with ordinary people. However, you two will be incapable of using magic or spiritual power in the Umbra Realm. The only powers you¡¯ll be able to use are a few crude martial arts and umbra energy.¡±


    ¡°Umbra energy?¡± Han Li asked with a bewildered expression.


    The old man twirled his beard and slowly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. It is somewhat similar to magic power, but it cannot be used to cast magic techniques. However, cultivators are able to use the inner cores of umbra beasts to deploy a few small scale spell formations. We have much use for them in our village. And even if you aren¡¯t proficient in spell formations, cultivators¡¯ bodies are far stronger than those of ordinary men. They will certainly be great helpers.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Han Li asked, ¡°Your esteemed self seems to understand much about us cultivators. Are there other cultivators in the village?¡±


    The plump old man smirked and said, ¡°Of course there are, but they only number about six. This old man happens to be one of them. When I was sucked into the ghost mist, I was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator.¡±


    A trace of astonishment flickered through Han Li¡¯s eyes, but when he thought to ask more questions, the entire hall violently rumbled. In the distance, there seemed to be a huge monster charging at the village.


    The expressions of the people inside the hall had greatly changed, and they no longer paid any attention to Han Li. They all immediately walked out and Han Li soon followed after them with a hesitant expression. The village elders were commanding several hundred robust youths to all rush up the thick walls with pikes in most of their hands, while a few of them carried crude bows.


    Although their expressions were all tense, they acted with perfect discipline as if they had already experienced this many times.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze turned in the direction of a very loud rumble coming from outside the stone wall. Although he could feel the tremors grow even more astonishing, nothing else had yet to happen.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and expectantly glanced around for moment. He then walked over to a tall building nearby and took advantage of the chaos to jump off a wall and easily climbed onto the stone building¡¯s roof. From the top of the building, Han Li was able to see what was happening.


    In the distance, he saw that the stone and sand were violently scraping through the air on a bewildering black wind while a black frost spread across the ground in its wake. It appeared amazingly cold.


    This seemed to be the Yin wind that the lean man had spoken of previously. It truly wasn¡¯t something that ordinary mortals could handle.


    However, as the Yin wind reached about three hundred meters from the village, it began to disappear, accompanied by heavy tremors as a large object dropped onto the ground. Although it was still a good distance away, an astonishing aura could be felt from it. Soon, a forty meter tall black figure emerged from the winds.


    When Han Li saw the black figure¡¯s true appearance, he felt his blood turn cold.


    At first glance, the black figure appeared to be a gigantic grey ape, except that the beast had four eyes and a pair of wings emerging between its ribs. It carried a log of jet-black wood in one arm as it madly charged towards the village, while its four eyes were radiating with crimson light and emitted a powerful, bloodthirsty aura.


    After the beast¡¯s true form was revealed, many people started to loudly shout, ¡°It¡¯s an Insidious Mauler! Quickly, send over the great shields!¡±


    In an instant, a large number of women, children, and elderly began to deliver shields of all kinds to the walls. But soon after, they began to flusteredly run away from the walls as the huge beast came within three hundred meters of the village. The tremors caused by the beast¡¯s footsteps had left Han Li bewildered. It appeared as if the stone walls would be taken down by the tremors long before the beast even reached them.


    But in the next moment, huge tentacles were formed from several strands of dense violet fog and rigidly fastened onto the huge beast¡¯s feet. As a result, the huge beast lost its footing and fell in front of the stone wall, causing everyone in the garrison to lose their balance for a moment from the resulting tremors.


    Han Li unconsciously turned his gaze to the tall platform with astonishment, and shockingly discovered that there were now four people sitting cross-legged on the platform. Their bodies were covered in a faint layer of purple Qi as if they were utilizing a technique.


    ¡®This is umbra energy?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s heart stirred.


    In the following instant, an order was shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±


    A large number of pikes and arrows were shot at the huge beast like rain, completely enveloping it.


    As Han Li watched this, his heart thumped with excitement.

 Chapter 582

    The Umbra Realm


    Knowing that things were far from good, the huge beast loudly roared and released an icy Yin wind from its mouth.


    Not only were the incoming arrows all blown away by the Yin winds, but they were even covered in a layer of glossy black ice. They had all fallen to the ground without even touching the beast.


    As for the heavier pikes, although they managed to fall onto the huge beast¡¯s body, the Yin wind had greatly reduced their power, and they were barely able to cause a few superficial wounds. All they had managed to achieve was to further enrage the huge beast.


    In its fury, the beast¡¯s eyes began to flicker with crimson light. With a bang, its neck fur began to harden and grow erect, making for a sinister appearance.


    When Han Li saw this, his mind grew blank. The huge beast lowered its head and the erect hair instantly transformed into countless black streaks that shot at the stone wall.


    The wall¡¯s garrison seemed to already know that this would happen. Although their faces appeared nervous, they shouted a rallying cry as they raised their shields to meet the attack.


    Sharp cracks sounded out as the black streaks struck the shields.


    Although the black streaks managed to deeply pierce into the shields, a majority of them managed to successfully block the attack. As for the few garrison members that were struck, they were immediately thrown off the wall by the force of the strike. It was unknown whether or not they had survived.


    The remaining garrison were too busy to look after the injured. Instead, another order to attack was shouted, and a rain of pikes and arrows immediately followed. But just like the previous time, the huge beast managed to knock most of the projectiles away with the Yin winds. However, it seemed the beast was only able to harden the hair on its neck, so although it continued to loudly shout in response to the attacks, it was only able to crawl forward as it struggled. It no longer had any methods to attack back. As for the tentacles formed from the purple mist, they continued to hold its legs firmly in place without a single moment of weakness.


    As the attacks continued for another six waves, the huge beast seemed to have eventually exhausted its Yin wind and couldn¡¯t continue its resistance.


    From that moment, the arrows and pikes struck with increasingly greater frequency, piercing into the huge beast¡¯s body.


    As this continued, the beast sustained minor injuries and its furious roars grew more spirited as it continuously pounded the huge black log into the ground, filling it with holes.


    As Han Li witnessed the beast¡¯s immense strength and durability, he unconsciously became somewhat fearful of it.


    As if it were planned in advance, a squad of particularly burly and vigorous men quickly rushed onto the stone walls. Apart from the several twelve meter long pikes they held in their arms, they carried nothing else.


    These people each began to lift the pikes in a practiced motion as soon as they arrived on the walls and fiercely launched them in the huge beast¡¯s direction.


    These powerful shots tore through the air, leaving Han Li surprised by the wind they produced.


    Each of these men had to possess powerful inner strength to be able to toss the pikes with such ease, while having each pike sail through the skies with immense speed and power.


    In the following instant, bowl-sized splatters of blood began to appear all over the beast¡¯s body. All of the strikes were to great effect, nailing the beast to the ground. The beast¡¯s original ferocity had completely disappeared without a trace.


    Huge cheers erupted from the walls with everyone wearing a face of relief. The purple coils of smoke then disappeared without a trace.


    A group of people then excitedly rushed towards the wooden gate with blades in their hands, intending on finishing off the beast. As for the others, they had already started to tend to the wounded.


    But before the wooden gate fully opened, the crestfallen beast suddenly roared with a final burst of strength and waved its arm, thrusting the huge thirty-meter-long log into the sky. It carried an astonishing pressure as it directly flew in the direction of the village.


    Seeing that the huge beast was on the verge of dying, a few of the villagers had happily rushed out. However, they cried out in shock as they saw the log flying in their direction. But in the following instant, a silhouette had blurred before them and directly shot towards the huge log in the air. With a roar, the person fiercely struck at the center of the log with both his arms.


    With a loud crack, the black log flew off in another direction, falling in an area without people.


    This person then lightly landed on the ground in a relaxed and confident manner. He was the middle-aged man from earlier with a harsh expression and pale face.


    The villagers that had been saved greatly sighed in relief and immediately spoke to their savior, repeatedly thanking him. However, the pale man merely waved at them with an indifferent expression before returning back to his original position.


    A trace of astonishment then flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes. After the pale man had rescued these people, he had carelessly shot a cold glance in his direction. Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what he meant by it, it clearly wasn¡¯t positive by any means.


    Han Li frowned and just as he pondered what the man had meant by it, the wooden gate opened and several tens of robust men charged out of the village to finish off the huge beast.


    However, it didn¡¯t end after the beast was dead. With their long blades, they cleaved open the beast¡¯s skull and fumbled around within the blood and gore until they took out green, thumb-sized gem. The group cheered after they found it, and those that were watching cheered along with them.


    Han Li blinked, suddenly feeling that the green gem seemed somewhat familiar. After lowering his head for a moment of thought, he suddenly recalled what it was.


    During his trip to Heavenvoid Hall, he had encountered many similar green gems in the wreckage of the puppets. Could they be the same material?


    After watching for just a moment more, Han Li wordlessly leapt off the stone building.


    The plump old man and the other elders had already returned to the hall, and Han Li still had a bellyful of questions he wanted to ask them.


    When Mei Ning saw Han Li returning to the hall, she followed him in with a lowered head. After witnessing the previous battle, she realized the dangers of this place and became worried.


    When Han Li entered the hall, the elders had already returned to their seats.


    When the plump old man saw Han Li enter, he smiled and thought to say something when a tall, robust man quickly entered with the green gem in his hand.


    The robust man placed the gem on the table in front of the elders and respectfully said, ¡°Great Elders, this is the Insidious Mauler¡¯s umbra beast gem. Please take a look at it.¡±


    The old man glanced at the gem and happily said, ¡°We¡¯ve put you all through quite a bit of trouble. Before this, we sent you all out to take advantage of the eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi and you succeeded in bringing back fish. In a moment, we will bestow you all with great rewards.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Elders!¡± The robust man wore an expression of delighted surprise and withdrew from the hall with an expression of satisfaction.


    Han Li stood to the side and watched all this with a detached expression.


    ¡°The strange beast that you two witnessed was an umbra beast known as the Insidious Mauler. It must¡¯ve been quite a shock to you two! Although the Umbra Realm spans only about a hundred kilometers, there are demon beasts, humans, and all sorts of umbra beasts within.¡±


    With slight astonishment, Han Li asked, ¡°There are demon beasts here?¡±


    The old man bitterly smiled and paused for a moment before answering, ¡°Of course. Whenever there¡¯s a tear in space, both cultivators and demon beasts are brought here all the same.¡±


    ¡°The demon beasts here aren¡¯t able to use their demon arts, but they¡¯ve all developed their bodies with great effort and have incredible power. They aren¡¯t an existence that humans or umbra beasts can provoke. Fortunately, they only guard a few specific areas and feast on umbra beasts. They don¡¯t pose much of a threat to us humans since they are unlikely to emerge; umbra beasts, however, are different. They are born from the umbra Qi of this place and are innately fond of devouring human flesh. Every so often, powerful umbra beasts will come knocking at human villages. Although a majority of villages are capable of repelling them, smaller villages are occasionally defeated and completely wiped out. Conversely, the umbra beasts are endless and another Insidious Mauler will condense and reemerge into the Umbra Realm soon enough.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Han Li slowly asked, ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, it seems that this isn¡¯t the only human village. There are others?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Although there aren¡¯t many, there¡¯s about eight other villages scattered throughout the Umbra Realm. Food is scarce here so apart from a few pieces of fertile land, the rest is barren from the heavy umbra Qi. A majority of the umbra beasts possess poisonous flesh, and apart from some special varieties, we are incapable of consuming them. Although demon beasts are able to consume them, humans would perish upon eating them. As such, only useful people are allowed to live in villages. Anybody who is useless will be driven away and have their lives run their natural course!¡± The old man¡¯s last words were spoken with an icy tone.

 Chapter 583

    Stomach of the Rahu


    Han Li frowned and let out a long breath before asking, ¡°Your esteemed self called this place the Umbra Realm. Does this place have any relation with the Netherworld from legend? Is there any way to restore the magic power that was restricted? Most importantly, I wish to return to the outside. I have no intention of staying here. Would your esteemed self happen to know of a way out?¡±


    The plump old man shook his head and sighed, ¡°A majority of the humans in this world were born here, and most of humans that are brought here by the ghost mist end up devoured by umbra beasts. Only a small minority were lucky enough to reach a village. As for my own close friends and family, they are all on the outside. If it were so easy to return, why would us survivors from the outside world remain here and continue living day after day on the verge of crisis?


    ¡°As for whether or not this place has anything to do with the Netherworld, who could possibly know? However, there is a senior that has stayed here far longer that I have, and he holds the belief that this area is a crevice between the human world and the Netherworld. As a result, there is a dense concentration of umbra Qi, but there are no excessively powerful umbra beasts that take form.


    ¡°Additionally, there is a farfetched rumor being spread around by a few cultivators that believe this world has nothing to do with the Netherworld. These cultivators believe that this world is actually the stomach of a legendary devil beast, the Rahu. Legend says that the Rahu is capable of both devouring stars and tearing through space and that it is fond of concealing itself on the seafloor, only emerging to feed itself every so often. That is supposed to explain how the strange mist emerges from the sea and can link the two worlds together.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression greatly changed when he heard this, ¡°The Rahu? How could that be possible, it makes far less sense than the Netherworld. I don¡¯t believe that this entire world is contained inside a devil beast.¡±


    The old man leisurely said, ¡°That¡¯s right. When I first heard of this, I was shocked as well. Although it is hard to swallow, there is still a possibility it¡¯s true. If the tears in space appeared periodically, then one might expect that they all appear at the same place. However, this isn¡¯t the case. Whenever new arrivals are sucked into the Umbra Realm, they all come from different areas in the seas that others haven¡¯t heard of. For example, I came from a small island in the South Bay Province of the Great Court of Jin. As for the other cultivators, they¡¯ve arrived from places such as the Five Dragon Seas, the Heavenly Sand Continent, and the Scattered Star Seas as well. Nobody recognizes where anybody else has come from, but here we are all the same.¡±


    ¡°The Great Court of Jin? You¡¯re a cultivator of the State of Jin?¡± A trace of astonishment flickered within Han Li¡¯s eyes. When he was in the Heavenly South Region, he had heard much of the esteemed State of Jin.


    The old man¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°Could it be that you also came from the Great Court of Jin?¡±


    Han Li shook his head and said, ¡°No, but I have heard quite a bit about it. I know it to be an immensely large country, and I had always wanted to visit it but never had the opportunity.¡±


    The old man revealed a trace of disappointment and said, ¡°So its like that! That is somewhat regretful. This old man truly wishes for an opportunity to return!¡±


    The old man then radiantly smiled and chuckled, ¡°Fellow Daoist would¡¯ve known what a true world of cultivation was had he visited our Great Jin. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other cultivator world that compares in scope or activity of ours. It wouldn¡¯t be a lie to say that the Great State of Jin is a sacred site for cultivators.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his nose but despite the bitter smile on his face, his heart stirred in response to the old man¡¯s words.


    The old man smiled and chuckled, ¡°This old man has strayed off topic. As for your previous question about whether or not there¡¯s a method of restoring one¡¯s magic power, I can only tell you should abandon your hopes while you remain in the Umbra Realm. In addition to umbra Qi, there¡¯s also Spirit Extinguishing Qi in the air as well. It is periodically released from the depths by eruptions, spreading it throughout the sky. So long as cultivators are within its range, their magic power and abilities are completely sealed. It is quite fortunate that you were brought over here during an eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi.¡±


    Han Li suddenly felt gloomy upon hearing all of this. Were it not for the eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi, he wouldn¡¯t have even been brought here by some trifling ghost mist.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li resentfully said, ¡°Since we were able to enter, then there must be a way of leaving. I refuse to believe that there isn¡¯t.¡±


    The old man twirled his beard and unhurriedly said, ¡°Well, technically there is a way out, but it requires assistance.¡±


    A trace of joy appeared in Han Li¡¯s mind and he hastily asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    As Mei Ning heard this her expression fluctuated with roused spirits.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± The old man revealed a hesitant expression.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and an odd emotion flickered within his eyes, ¡°What? Could it be inconvenient for you to say?¡±


    The old man grimaced as he looked at the two. His eyes then narrowed and he said with a deep tone, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. There is no point in concealing it. Although I do want two more cultivators to join the village, I¡¯m not making it deliberately difficult for you. I am merely afraid you two Fellow Daoists will impatiently rush out and throw your lives away.¡±


    After Han Li heard this, he immediately chuckled, but his smile soon disappeared as he solemnly said, ¡°Be at ease. Although I appear young, I¡¯ve cultivated for many years and am disinclined to make any rash actions. If it truly is impossible, I won¡¯t pointlessly risk my life. However, I would still like to hear of the method.¡±


    After some consideration, the plump old man replied, ¡°Since that is the case, this old man won¡¯t conceal it any longer.¡± He then walked to the hall¡¯s entrance and raised his head to the sky with a pensive expression.


    ¡­


    Mei Ning bit her red lips and asked, ¡°Brother Han, what do we do? Could it be that you truly wish to climb Stormwind Mountain?¡± Her current complexion was extremely pale. After she heard the method to return, she began to despair, believing that it was impossible to achieve.


    Han Li gazed at the sky and indifferently said, ¡°I haven¡¯t given it much thought yet, but I do know that I will be giving it a try eventually.¡±


    When Mei Ning heard this, her expression stirred. Just as she thought to say something, someone suddenly approached them. It was a sixteen year old, dark-skinned youth with a curious expression.


    The youth stared at them and elegantly said, ¡°So you are the two new arrivals. I¡¯ve received orders from the elders to bring you two to your residences. Since you have just arrived, three days of food will be given to you free of charge. However, later you will have to undertake assignments or else you will be ejected from the village.¡±


    Han Li nonchalantly said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Lead the way!¡±


    The youth nodded his head and set off without another word. Shortly after, the youth brought the two of them to a neat stone building in a corner of the village.


    When Mei Ning arrived in the room and saw that there was only one wide bed, her face suddenly grew scarlet.


    The woman hesitantly asked the youth, ¡°There is only one bed here?¡±


    The youth blinked and curiously asked, ¡°If a man and a woman are together, then wouldn¡¯t they want to sleep in one bed?¡±


    Having heard that, Mei Ning¡¯s blush grew more intense. She thought to give an explanation, but she was unable to muster any words for the time being.


    At that moment, Han Li had finished examining the building¡¯s exterior and indifferently said, ¡°We will be sleeping separately. Please bring us another bed.¡±


    The youth curled his lips. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he agreed and walked out.


    After the youth walked out, Han Li promptly said, ¡°Go ahead and take a rest first. I¡¯m going to take a look around the village!¡± When Mei Ning heard him, she wore a blank expression and silently nodded.


    Without any further hesitation, Han Li walked out of the building and glanced around before heading towards the center platform. He was greatly interested in the methods to control umbra energy.


    There was no one standing guard nearby the stone platform, so Han Li was able to easily approach it. With its great height, the lack of stairs made it appear even more towering than he had expected.


    Han Li walked several times around the stone platform and easily climbed onto it.

 Chapter 584

    Stone Talismans and Beast Crystals


    Han Li walked around on the platform and curiously examined a stone disc with a trace of astonishment.


    The disc was over three meters wide and was placed flat onto the platform. There were many strange decorative patterns carved into it along with many profound talisman characters. Although there was no one currently operating it, it continuously emitted a purple mist that spiralled into the sky and covered the village.


    As a proficient scholar of the Dao of formation spells, Han Li began to study the stone disc with narrowed eyes.


    Not longer after, his expression fluttered before revealing a trace of enlightenment. He then furrowed his brow as he sunk deep into thought.


    While Han Li was completely entranced, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him, ¡°Could it be that Fellow Daoist has obtained some profound insights?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart was shaken and he inwardly cursed in surprise upon realizing that someone had unknowingly appeared behind him. It would¡¯ve been quite dangerous if they had meant him any harm. However, it wasn¡¯t entirely Han Li¡¯s fault for his carelessness as he was accustomed to having his spiritual sense surround his body. He was still slowly adapting to the loss of his magic power and spiritual sense.


    Han Li grew inwardly vigilant and wordlessly turned around.


    A white haired old man with long hair stood before Han Li. His face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes exuded a strong spirit, and he was currently looking at Han Li with a wide smile.


    Han Li hesitantly asked, ¡°Are you a cultivator?¡± He could no longer tell due to the loss of his spiritual sense.


    The old man smiled and replied, ¡°I am Bao Huanzi, an old cultivator from the Five Dragon Seas. You must be one of the two newly arrived cultivators.¡±


    ¡®The Five Dragon Seas?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s mind stirred with interest upon hearing the name.


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he said, ¡°So it turned out to be Fellow Daoist Bao. My surname is Han and I am a vagrant cultivator of the Scattered Star Seas.¡±


    ¡°The Scattered Star Seas? There was previously a fellow Daoist that originated from the Scattered Star Seas, but unfortunately, he perished during a mission after encountering a fearsome umbra beast. Regardless, there are truly too few Fellow Daoists proficient in the Dao of talismans. From how deeply engrossed you were while looking at the stone talisman, you must hold quite some skill in the area!¡± The old man sighed and quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°Stone talisman? Are you talking about the disc?¡± Han Li wore a baffled expression. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.


    The long-haired old man narrowed his eyes as he proudly said, ¡°Hehe! It¡¯s no surprise that you wouldn¡¯t know of such things, as I reckon that stone and jade talismans have all but vanished in the other lands. Only a few sects in our Five Dragon Seas are still able to refine these ancient talismans.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his baffled expression disappeared and replaced with a frown. He glanced at the old man and said, ¡°I¡¯ve truly never heard of stone or jade talismans ever being created in this world. I¡¯ve spent quite some time studying the Dao of talismans, and the talisman characters on the stone disk leave me filled with amazement. Your explanation has dispelled some of my confusion, but is it mistaken on my part that I¡¯ve perceived spell formation characteristics in these talismans?¡±


    The old man revealed a trace of shock before rubbing his hands together and wearing a wide smile, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist was proficient in the both talismans and formation spells. You¡¯ve earned my respect! Fellow Daoist Han isn¡¯t mistaken, this purple cloud stone talisman is quite a bit different from true stone talismans. In order to utilize umbra energy, it was altered with a few spell formation characteristics, effectively turning it into both a talisman and a spell formation. But as a result of this modification, it¡¯s power has also greatly decreased.


    Han Li nodded his head with a pensive expression and took another glance at the stone disk. A trace of confusion flickered form Han Li¡¯s eyes, ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, you are able to use umbra energy to perform magic techniques by using umbra beast gems and spell formations. However, I don¡¯t see any beast gems embedded in the disc. Could there be something else that is peculiar about the stone talisman.¡±


    ¡°It seems there is still much that Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t know. Surely you¡¯ve seen the Insidious Mauler from today. Although a majority of people in the village cultivate martial arts and have gained fleshly might beyond that of ordinary people, it isn¡¯t possible for a lone person to challenge great umbra beasts with martial arts alone. Even if they were able to defeat one with superior numbers, there would be many casualties and would be an unsustainable tactic. As such, we¡¯ve use umbra energy to disable the enemy with a few magic techniques during the village¡¯s time of need. However, this also consumes the village¡¯s stockpile of gems so it must first be considered whether or not the village would be able to persist without them.¡±


    The old man smiled and paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Regardless, these beast gems are incredibly difficult to acquire. Generally, the larger the demon beast, the more likely there¡¯s a beast gem inside their skull, but that isn¡¯t a guarantee. There were several times where we invested great amounts of effort and resources to slay a huge demon beast, but no beast gems were found on its corpse. As for the villagers that slayed a few of the Firescale Beasts on their way back, they were actually able to find a beast gem among them but this tends to be an exception.


    ¡°In summary, the demand for beast gems is astonishingly high due to the constant assaults by the umbra beasts. However, we¡¯ve only managed to maintain a stockpile of about ten umbra beast gems over the years so we only use them with reluctance. As a result, the beast gems are kept among the village elders, and are only to be used when required. After the battle is concluded, they are immediately returned. As for the stone talismans, they are instilled with several days worth of power and the talisman is left to persist for several days. The beast gems aren¡¯t allowed to be embedded in them, wasting the slots that were specifically refined for them.¡± The old man appeared somewhat dissatisfied with the village elders¡¯ methods and rubbed a square groove at the side of the stone disc with a wry expression.


    Han Li silently smiled in response. He reckoned the the old man had told him that last part in order to involve him in a power struggle within the village. However, Han Li didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in becoming tangled up in the matter.


    It appeared that the old man in front of him had started behaving like a mortal after he was severed from the path of cultivation, and had involved himself in a contest for political power. Han Li sighed and felt that this was quite lamentable.


    A trace of disappointment appeared in the old man¡¯s eyes when he saw Han Li remain silent. But soon, his expression recovered and he began to idly chat.


    The old man casually mentioned, ¡°It is unknown just how many years this forsaken land has existed. Although very few cultivators are sucked in, I reckon that over time several hundred cultivators have met their end here in the Umbra Realm. I¡¯ve heard that Core Formation cultivators and even Nascent Soul cultivators have lived out their days in this land.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred, ¡°There have been Nascent Soul cultivators here?¡±


    The old man sighed, ¡°That¡¯s right. Although I don¡¯t know how many years ago it was when that expert had been sucked into this land, but he had once been an elder of this village. I guess that he was the same as you two, and was sucked into the ghost mist when there was an eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi. Normally, the strange fog would be incapable of capturing such a figure.¡±


    ¡°That should be the case. However, the Spirit Extinguishing Qi is quite fearsome. I¡¯d guess that only the Deity Transformation stage cultivators from legend would be able to resist it.¡±


    ¡°Deity transformation stage! Hehe, Fellow Daoist¡¯s scope of thought is truly wide. With regards to the Nascent Soul cultivator, although he already died trapped in this place, he left behind a few records, some of which detail his cultivation experiences. While these items might be incredibly precious on the outside, but here? Heh¡­¡± The old man shook his head with a sense of regret.


    Han Li animatedly said, ¡°His cultivation experiences! I am very interested. Would Fellow Daoist happen to know where they are?¡±


    Records of a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s experiences are extremely valuable. It was only natural for Han Li to want to take a look.


    The old man rubbed the wrinkles on his face and casually said, ¡°Hehe! I was excited like you when I first heard of this. However, after staying in this place for so long, I¡¯ve completely lose interest in them. Without any magic power, the records are nothing more than drawings. If you¡¯re still interested in taking a look, all of the cultivators¡¯ remaining possessions are being kept in storage.¡± The old man then pointed to a shabby stone building in a corner of the village.


    Barely restraining his excitement, Han Li calmly said a few words of thanks to the old man.


    Han Li chatted a bit more with the old man, but he was able to see Han Li¡¯s impatience and took the initiative to take his leave.


    Han Li watched the old man¡¯s departing figure and pursed his lips. After a quick moment of deliberation, he shook his head and descended from the stone platform. He then quickly walked towards the storage room with the cultivators¡¯ remaining belongings .

 Chapter 585

    Reappearance of Demon Script


    Many villagers along the way felt that Han Li¡¯s face was somewhat unfamiliar and curiously glanced at him. However, none of them bothered to approach or question him.


    As a result, Han Li was able to arrive in front of a rather worn black stone building unobstructed. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed the door in front of him, but it didn¡¯t budge in the slightest.


    Han Li was surprised by the door¡¯s resistance and suspected that there was something wrong with the door. But after taking another deep breath, he used the entirety of his strength. Although he hadn¡¯t cultivated any exterior martial arts, his body had passed through the essence cleansing of both Foundation Establishment and Core Formation and was able to muster great force.


    With a heavy groan, the door slowly began to give way, inch by inch, and Han Li was elated at the sight.


    At that moment, he discovered that for some reason, the door was twice as thick as an ordinary door. It was no wonder the door was nearly stuck.


    Han Li quickly entered the room and was faced with a moist stench of decay. He grimaced and quickly held his breath until the outside air rushed into the room and cleared out most of the unpleasant scent. He then took a short breath of fresh air before he began to look through the room, using the faint light from the doorway.


    The room was rather simple. Apart from the rows of stone tablets that took up a majority of the room, there were also a few stone tables. The stone tablets were about three meters tall and six meters wide, much to Han Li¡¯s surprise. As for the stone tables, they had records and a few scrolls as well as what seemed to be lifeless magic tools.


    Han Li quickly recovered from his surprise, and after some thought, he burst into laughter.


    How could one find wood or bamboo to make paper with in this realm? As for jade slips, they were incapable of being used without magic power. As such, the stone tablets would be the only way to record something so these stone tablets should be the records they had left behind.


    As for the magic tools on the table, they seemed to be just like his own flying swords and must be removed from this place before they could be put away. As for storage pouches, Han Li hadn¡¯t spotted any of them in the room. It seems they had been dealt with in a different manner and weren¡¯t left on display.


    After glancing at the general situation in the room, Han Li casually walked over to a stone tablet and saw that it was covered in a thick layer of dust, obscuring whatever was carved into it. Han Li casually tore off a piece of his jacket with a frown and started to wipe it clean.


    Soon, Han Li was able to see what was carved onto the tablet.


    These weren¡¯t characters that were widely used in the cultivation world but rather were a type of rarely seen script. Fortunately for Han Li, he was vastly experienced and could easily recognize them.


    But as soon as Han Li glanced at the tablet, his interest immediately disappeared. This was merely the diary of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Han Li immediately set it to the side and began to look through the other stone tablets in the room.


    There were about twenty in total. It was only when Han Li reached the sixth stone tablet that his interest finally began to stir. He had found what he was looking for, the cultivation experiences of the Nascent Soul cultivator! Han Li was entranced and motionlessly stood in front of the stone tablet for an unknown amount of time before letting out a long breath and revealing a complicated expression.


    Han Li muttered, ¡°So it turns out that condensing a Nascent Soul is such a fearsome affair. Even with the assistance of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, my odds of condensing a Nascent Soul still aren¡¯t very high. It seems that being dropped into the Umbra Realm was somewhat beneficial after all.¡±


    Although the tablet didn¡¯t describe any specific method of cultivation, the nameless Nascent Soul cultivator had recorded his experiences from the Foundation Establishment stage to when he had condensed a Nascent Soul with impeccable detail. Han Li felt delighted surprise upon reading through them. With the pointers given through the Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s experiences, Han Li would make far less mistakes due to misconceptions when condensing a Nascent Soul.


    After reading through the stone tablet several times to make sure that he hadn¡¯t overlooked anything, Han Li put it to the side and began to look through the remaining tablets.


    He had originally intended to depart, but after some thought, he figured that since he was already there he may as well read through them all and learn what he could. As such, Han Li looked through each of the tablets in a lax manner.


    As expected, the remaining tablets didn¡¯t contain anything truly useful. Although a few of them contained cultivation arts, they were all beneath his notice as he had the Profound Yin Arts in his possession.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li arrived at the final tablet.


    He absent-mindedly swept the dust off of the tablet and examined it before revealing an astonished expression.


    This tablet was completely different from the rest. It was filled with finely carved, rice-sized characters that were far smaller than anything on the previous tablets. Furthermore, when Han Li swept his gaze over them, he discovered that there were two different types of characters written on the tablet. One was a common ancient language, but the other was in demon beast script.


    Han Li¡¯s curiosity was greatly piqued, and he began to carefully look through it while becoming increasingly more excited.


    The stone tablet was a manual specifically intended to teach the demon language. Furthermore, it was extremely detailed and gave word by word explanations. The cultivator who carved this had an immense familiarity with the demon beast language.


    Although Han Li couldn¡¯t immediately grasp the teachings, if he recorded the text and slowly read through it day by day, he was certain to be able to learn it. As such, he would be able to clearly understand the demon techniques that were recorded in the old hide book and the copper demon plate.


    As for whether or not humans could learn the techniques of demons, Han Li didn¡¯t bother thinking much about it. Even if the demon techniques were of no use to him, there were only benefits to be gained from learning the demon language. Who knew whether or not it would be useful in the future?


    After all, this was an incredibly rare opportunity.


    After spending a rather long period of time, Han Li managed to utilize his eidetic memory and commit every character on the tablet to memory without fail. He then took a deep breath and left the room without even bothering to take another look at the magic tools on the tables.


    After leaving the stone building, Han Li began to wander around the village and examined a few of the more peculiar buildings. He would examine them closely and talk to a few of the nearby villagers about them. Fortunately for him, these villagers were rather simple-minded. Although he as a complete stranger, they amiably answered any questions he had.


    With this, Han Li quickly began to understand a few basic things about the Umbra Realm.


    For example, since there were no iron mines or such, they could only refine weapons from the bones of particular umbra beasts. Of course, weapons couldn¡¯t directly be made from the bones themselves and were immersed in a liquid known as ¡°dark water¡±, hardening the weapons as a result. Additionally, they gained the added effect of Yin flames, causing them to become particularly powerful against umbra beasts. But because the supplementary effect of the Yin flames quickly expired, these weapons had to be re-immersed in dark water every so often in order to maintain their deadliness. This greatly aroused Han Li¡¯s curiosity.


    Furthermore, every few months, there would be a storm of Yin winds that lasted several days. During this time, a majority of the umbra realm would be covered in bone-chilling black Yin winds. Humans are incapable of moving outside during this period, as they would be turned into black ice sculptures by the Yin winds. Only with the protection of the village¡¯s spell techniques could the villagers remain unharmed.


    In contrast, umbra beasts were most active during the storm and would frequently appear, sometimes attacking the villages in groups, much to the worry of humans.


    Han Li had acquired quite a lot of information in this manner before suddenly being inspired to ask about the slender-eyed white-faced man that seemed to bode him ill. They told him that he was an outsider surnamed Feng who had been sucked in several years ago that possessed astonishing martial arts. He had killed powerful umbra beasts many times since arriving and was rather renowned in the village. As a result, he had become an elder despite his young age and was responsible for teaching the youths in the village martial arts, gaining great prestige amongst the village youth as well.


    While Han Li didn¡¯t feel particularly fearful after hearing this, he inwardly frowned and felt that the man would prove quite troublesome.


    After strolling around the village for a while longer and seeing what there was to see, he leisurely made his way back to his building.


    But just as he arrived, Han Li suddenly heard a man¡¯s voice coming from within the room.


    ¡°What? Everything I just said was sincere. So long as Lady Mei marries me, not only will you have no lack of food, but you need not risk your life to carry out missions. I have remained alone for many years, not because I am a fickle person, but because Lady Mei is the first that truly touches my heart.¡± At some unknown time, the middle-aged man surnamed Feng had arrived within the room.

 Chapter 586

    An Eye for an Eye


    When Han Li heard what was being said he was stunned, but he soon found himself unsure whether he should laugh or cry.


    He eventually realized that the speaker was the middle-aged man surnamed Feng. Han Li finally knew the reason he was so hostile towards him. The man mistakenly believed that Han Li and Mei Ning had some sort of intimate relationship because they had arrived together.


    However, it was no surprise to Han Li that this Elder Feng would feel his heart stir upon seeing Mei Ning. The women in the village that he had seen weren¡¯t beautiful in the least.


    While Mei Ning wasn¡¯t on par with country-shattering beauties such as Yuan Yao or Fairy Violet Spirit, she was still exceptionally gorgeous by all accounts. With the addition of her many years of cultivation, she possessed an alluring aura that mortals couldn¡¯t possibly match.


    ¡°I can pretend that I didn¡¯t hear that. I am a cultivator, I can¡¯t marry a mortal. Please leave.¡± To Han Li¡¯s surprise, Mei Ning was unwavering even while alone and spoke with a blunt coldness.


    The middle-aged man grew enraged at Mei Ning¡¯s refusal and his tone grew sinister, ¡°Humph! It seems Lady Mei still doesn¡¯t realize the situation she is in. This is the Umbra Realm, and your status as a cultivator has no value here. Perhaps commoners might hold some reverence towards you, but in my eyes, without any umbra beast gems you are merely an ordinary mortal. Could it be that you truly believe your male companion would be able to fight me? My martial arts were unrivaled in the entire Four Crest Seas. If I wanted to kill him, who could stop me?¡±


    It was beyond Mei Ning¡¯s imagination that a mortal would dare to threaten her and her voice began to tremble, ¡°You dare to threaten me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I dare. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°What do you intend¡­¡±


    Not knowing what the man would do, Mei Ning suddenly yelled out in terror.


    When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his nose and bitterly chuckled in his mind. Although it could be said that he had no prior relationship with the woman, she was still a fellow cultivator that was trapped in the Umbra Realm just like him. He wasn¡¯t so heartless that he could ignore her current plight.


    With that thought, Han Li wryly smiled. Bang! Before Mei Ning screamed a second time, he kicked open the room and confidently walked in.


    Mei Ning was pushed into a corner of the room by the middle-man surnamed Feng. When he heard the door burst open, his evil grin was replaced with a look of astonishment.


    When he saw that Han Li was the one who entered, his expression quickly grew sullen.


    When Mei Ning saw Han Li, her pale expression immediately brightened as she ran out of the corner to Han Li¡¯s side.


    The woman managed to regain her bearings and immediately warned, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, be careful. That man wishes to do you harm!¡±


    Without turning his head away from the man surnamed Feng, he calmly said, ¡°Relax! I heard what he said from outside the room.¡±


    The middle-aged man coldly stared at Han Li and asked with a harsh tone, ¡°When did you return? I didn¡¯t hear any movements.¡± He was extremely confident in his inner strength. With it, he could hear the rustling of leaves and grass from over forty meters away. However, he was baffled by the fact that he hadn¡¯t been able to detect Han Li.


    Han Li lazily turned his head towards the man surnamed Feng and half-heartedly said, ¡°It seems you are quite confident in your martial arts. However, it was quite stupid of you to target me.¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard this, a malicious look appeared in his eyes, ¡°Stupid? It¡¯s been a while since anyone has called me that. I¡¯ll have to break one of your arms to discipline you.¡± His body then blurred without another word and he shot towards Han Li. As his palm fiercely struck towards Han Li¡¯s right forearm, it grew somewhat larger and carried a powerful gale.


    From his actions, it appeared that he truly wanted to break Han Li¡¯s forearm in two.


    As Han Li watched his quick and violent strike, his figure blurred with a calm expression and he left behind four different afterimages as he met his strike.


    The middle-aged man was greatly shocked and reflexively turned his palm halfway to strike the silhouette before him. However, that silhouette was only an illusion, and his palm only struck air.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Before the middle-aged man realized what had happened, a small azure dagger had silently been pressed against his throat.


    The man felt an ice-cold sensation tremble throughout his body and his hair stood on end.


    The middle-aged man heard Han Li speak from behind him with an emotionless tone, ¡°It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t flail about. Although I don¡¯t wish to leave the village due to murder, if you force my hand, I will reluctantly do so.¡±


    The middle-aged man immediately froze as the dagger at his throat was incredibly sharp. He didn¡¯t believe in the slightest that Han Li would hesitate to slice open his throat, and it would take but the slight movement. However, the fear on his face was accompanied by complete disbelief. He hadn¡¯t been able to perceive Han Li going behind him in the slightest.


    ¡°Since your esteemed self planned to break my arm, it is only proper that I return the favor in kind.¡± Without waiting for a response, Han Li swiftly grabbed onto to his forearm at an odd angle and suddenly squeezed.


    Crack. The middle-aged man¡¯s forearm bones were cleanly snapped with an inconceivable burst of strength.


    ¡°Agh!¡± Although the middle-aged man was extremely hardy, he still felt an immense pain from his arm and groaned in pain. However, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary man and managed to forcibly stifle his yelp despite the cold sweat covering his face.


    Han Li resisted the impulse to finish him off and his body blurred away. With a calm expression, he warned, ¡°Remember that if you dare to enter this building again, it won¡¯t end with your arm. I¡¯ll be taking your life as well.¡±


    Han Li was able to suppress the man by utilizing the miraculous effects of the Shifting Smoke Steps, but he didn¡¯t really intend on killing him as there would surely be someone who had seen the middle-aged man enter this building. He didn¡¯t wish to suddenly be a target of pursuit immediately after coming to this unfamiliar land.


    By breaking the middle-aged man¡¯s arm, he had given himself half a month¡¯s breathing room before he would recover his strength. This would give Han Li enough time to plan out what he would do in the future.


    He knew that such a minor punishment was only a temporary measure, and that if he let him go, he would surely come back for trouble, given his forceful temperament. If a suitable opportunity arose in the future, Han Li wouldn¡¯t mind secretly killing him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve truly made an error in judgement . I didn¡¯t expect that your esteemed self was a top rank martial arts expert. I admit defeat.¡± With an ashen expression, the middle-aged man uttered this before quickly leaving the building. His departing figure made for a rather sorry sight.


    When Mei Ning saw the middle-aged man depart from the building she let out a breath of relief. She then saluted Han Li with a slight blush and said, ¡°Many thanks for Brother Han¡¯s assistance!¡±


    Han Li casually fiddled with one of his flying swords before casually placing it back inside his robes. He nonchalantly said, ¡°It was nothing. If you truly hold no interest in this person, then you should do your best to avoid him. However, if Lady Mei intends to remain in this village, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to become his bride.¡±


    Mei Ning shook her head and bluntly said, ¡°Marry him!? Absolutely not. Ever since I set foot on the path of immortal cultivation, I made a pledge that I would only be wed to a high grade cultivator. How could I possibly agree to marry a mortal without any spiritual roots?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged upon hearing the woman. He silently walked over to a chair and calmly sat down before closing his eyes.


    While the woman was unable to achieve the same level of calm as Han Li after what she had just experienced, she went to the stone bed and also sat down. Not long after, her expression fluctuated as she expectantly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, do you have any good plans to escape this place?¡±


    After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and insipidly said, ¡°Did Lady Mei not listen to the method to depart this place? How could I possibly have a good idea for that already?¡±


    When Mei Ning heard his response, she clearly didn¡¯t believe him and her eyes quickly reddened, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, don¡¯t deceive me. When I heard the elder¡¯s method, I believed that it was impossible. Although Fellow Daoist remained silent, you appeared calm and confident. You clearly must have some method of escaping this place. Could it be that Brother Han believes this little woman to be a hindrance and plans to move by himself?¡±

 Chapter 587

    Transient Spirit Qi


    Han Li frowned for a moment before calmly saying, ¡°Fellow Daoist Mei, since we arrived here together, it could be considered that there is some destiny between us. Since Lady Mei already mentioned it, I won¡¯t conceal it any longer. I feel that I am somewhat able to climb Stormwind Mountain. Regardless of whether it¡¯s the flying umbra beasts that circle the mountain or the hallucinogenic mist, I have methods of dealing with them. However, these methods will only work for me alone. I do not have the skill to bring along anyone else as I would only be able to take care of myself when danger approaches. Fellow Daoist Mei would be certain to die. Since you are so young, it would be better to stay here. Perhaps there will be another opportunity to leave in the future!¡±


    The final sentence was supposed to comfort her, but when Han Li heard himself say it, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that it sounded quite artificial. However, he had been speaking the truth.


    Mei Ning¡¯s face instantly paled and she bit her lips in silence.


    When Han Li saw the woman turn silent, he sighed and closed his eyes once more.


    To tell the truth, he didn¡¯t have a bad impression of Mei Ning. Were she capable enough, he may have provided assistance. But as of right now, Han Li couldn¡¯t afford to increase the burden to himself. He could only still his heart and leave the woman behind. Fortunately, even if she was left behind in the Umbra Realm, she wouldn¡¯t have too difficult a life. At worst, her path of Immortal cultivation had come an end. He didn¡¯t have anything to feel guilty about!


    The room settled into silence. After an unknown amount of time passed, Han Li believed that the woman was crestfallen. When he was about to drift off to sleep, he suddenly heard her say, ¡°If I can temporarily restore a bit of your magic power, would you be able to bring me out?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes shot open and he stared at the woman with disbelief. His sleepiness had completely disappeared.


    Mei Ning had her hands wrapped around her knees as she sat on the bed. Her face turned to the side as if she hadn¡¯t spoken.


    Just as Han Li was doubting whether or not he had misheard, the woman stretched her body out and raised her head with determination clear in her eyes. ¡°I have a method to temporarily restore a bit of magic power to Brother Han. Although it will last only a moment, it should be of great assistance when Han Li climbs the mountain. However, in addition to taking me away from this land, I have another condition for my assistance.¡±


    After Mei Ning said this, her expression appeared strange, causing Han Li to feel slight doubt.


    Han Li stared at the woman and spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but even a Nascent Soul cultivator was trapped here, incapable of restoring his abilities. Is Fellow Daoist Mei joking?¡±


    At that moment, his expression was filled with doubt, but it also contained a trace of hope. If he could temporarily restore his magic power, his odds of escaping would be almost certain. Even if it was only a small bit of magic power for a short amount of time, it would be more than enough.


    His storage pouch had several threads that didn¡¯t need spiritual power to activate. With their wondrous powers, his safety would be further guaranteed.


    As for his spirit beast pouches, although the Gold Devouring Beetles and the Bloodjade Spider require spiritual sense to control, he would just barely be able to use the Weeping Soul Pearl within his body to control the Weeping Soul Beast. Although those Umbra Beasts weren¡¯t malicious spirits, they were condensed from umbra Qi, something reminiscent of Yin Qi. They should at least be easily restrained, and wouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to him.


    With that thought, Han Li grew excited.


    With a hesitant expression, Mei Ning whispered, ¡°Although this little woman doesn¡¯t have mutated spiritual roots or heavenly spiritual roots, I possess the Transient Jade Phoenix Marrow constitution. Brother Han should know what this means. Through a secret technique, I will be able to give Brother Han my Transient Spirit Qi. The Transient Spirit Qi is extremely pure spiritual power, and will be able to ward off the Spirit Extinguishing Qi for a moment. Of course, the Transient Spiritual Qi will eventually scatter, and Fellow Daoist will once again be without any magic power.¡±


    ¡°Transient Jade Phoenix Marrow constitution!¡± Han Li was stunned for a moment. But soon after, he started to examine the woman with a strange gaze as his face revealed a trace of understanding.


    Mei Ning slowly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If Fellow Daoist doubts me, he may examine me to know that my words aren¡¯t false.¡± At the same time, a slight blush arose from her face.


    ¡°The you must excuse me.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Han Li stood up and walked over. With something so important, he had no choice but to make certain.


    At that moment, Mei Ning forced herself to be calm as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm. The arm actually had a spot of gecko cinnabar on it.


    [TL: gecko cinnabar is supposed to tell whether or not someone is a virgin.]


    As Han Li watched, the woman clenched her teeth and she lightly pressed her thumb onto the spot before quickly releasing it.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred as he watched from the bedside. He saw the spot of gecko cinnabar gradually fade away to reveal a silver phoenix pattern. The flowing brilliance made it appear astonishingly lifelike.


    Han Li muttered in delighted surprise, ¡°So this is the Transient Jade Spirit Phoenix!¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist should now know that I spoke truthfully.¡± Mei Ning glanced at Han Li to confirm that he had seen it and hastily rolled down her sleeve with a flushed expression.


    Han Li nodded his head and silently returned to his seat as he started to think.


    Although she cannot be compared to those with extraordinary spiritual roots, she still possessed a rare constitution that was rarely seen even once every hundred years. It¡¯s presence was to be celebrated in the cultivation world and everyone knew of its existence.


    Although only female cultivators could possess this constitution and it didn¡¯t provide any assistance on the path of cultivation, they would be in great demand by many male cultivators. This was because once the woman entered late Foundation Establishment stage, her body would produce a strand of pure Transient Spirit Qi.


    This Transient Spirit Qi was known to be one of the seven pure spiritual powers in the world. While it was of no use to a woman, it could easily cleanse a man¡¯s essence and allow their cultivation to greatly progress.


    Of course, while this essence cleansing effect was of lesser value to higher grade cultivators, it was still comparable to ancient rare medicinal pills.


    However, this Transient Spirit Qi was something that could only be passed to a man willingly. There was no way to forcefully extract it from her by using a secret technique. Furthermore, in her entire lifetime, she would only be able to give the Transient Spirit Qi once. She won¡¯t be able to produce more of the spirit Qi for the rest of her life. Additionally, if she lost her maidenhood before the Transient Spirit Qi was transmitted, it would vanish.


    Han Li had previously browsed through records that were related to this matter. After recalling them, Han Li felt that if he acquired this spirit Qi, it could be possible that he¡¯d be able to use a bit of magic power. After all, Transient Spirit Qi was one of the seven pure spirit Qi¡¯s in the world. At the very least, it should allow him access to his storage and spirit beast pouches. With that thought, Han Li raised his head and swept his gaze to the beautiful woman, calmly asking, ¡°Lady Mei, could you tell me your other condition?¡±


    After some hesitation, Mei Ning resolutely said, ¡°It¡¯s simple. I wish for Brother Han to find my elder brother and bring him out of the Umbra Realm.¡±


    After some consideration, Han Li shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I will only be able to meet that condition halfway.¡±


    ¡°Halfway?¡± Mei Ning wore a strange expression. It was clear she didn¡¯t understand what he meant by this.


    ¡°Yes. There is another reason why I can¡¯t remain in the Umbra Realm for too long. As such, I can only agree to do my utmost and spend three months searching for your brother. If I am not able to find him within that time, then I will have to set off immediately.¡±


    After some thought, and feeling that Han Li wouldn¡¯t budge on this matter, she nodded her head and agreed, ¡°Three months! This place isn¡¯t that large. You should be able to find him in that time. Alright, I accept.¡±


    Han Li smiled at her frank acceptance. Mei Ning then stared at Han Li and slowly said, ¡°Although I¡¯ve only known you for a short while, I don¡¯t believe that I¡¯ve misjudged you. As such, to prove to you that I intend to keep my word, I will give you the Transient Spirit Qi whenever you ask. If Brother Han wishes for it now, then I will not hesitate to give it to you.¡±

 Chapter 588

    Sensual Kiss


    Han Li was surprised that the woman had spoken so bluntly. However, his surprise only lasted for a moment before his expression quickly returned to normal. ¡°The Umbra Realm is extremely dangerous, and surprises are almost certain to happen. It would be best that I immediately recover magic power so that I may take out a few treasures. Otherwise, we may be unprepared when danger comes knocking.¡±


    Whe Mei Ning heard Han Li, she nodded without the slightest surprise, but she soon thought of something and a slight blush appeared on her face. She whispered, ¡°If I still had magic power, I would be able to easily give you the Transient Spirit Qi with a mere touch of the hand. But under these circumstances, I am only able to transfer it to you through¡­ through mouth to mouth contact.¡± When Mei Ning said ¡®mouth to mouth contact¡¯, she lowered her head and her voice grew nearly indiscernible.


    Han Li was startled, but upon seeing her heart-wrenching bashfulness, his heartbeat quickened. In order to restore his magic power, he would have to kiss this beautiful woman. This was an alluring affair that Han Li wouldn¡¯t even have thought of, arousing a strange sensation in his heart. The air in the room became obscurely warm.


    Seeing Mei Ning silently lower her head, Han Li knew that she wouldn¡¯t take the initiative despite having little experience in this regard. After all, they didn¡¯t have a particularly intimate relationship.


    With that thought, Han Li wordlessly stood up and arrived at the stone bed¡¯s side with a blur, sitting closely at the woman¡¯s side.


    Mei Ning unconsciously pulled back, but Han Li¡¯s arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.


    The woman¡¯s heart began to heavily thump as she raised her head. When she saw Han Li¡¯s mysterious smile, she bowed her head again with a blush. However, Han Li raised her head with his free hand and prevented her from turning away. Mei Ning felt her mind grew completely blank as her heart fluttered. Han Li took a deep breath and smelled her faint fragrance. Then when he saw the bashful charm that exuded from her eyes, his heart grew fervent and he could no longer restrain himself. He lowered his head and fiercely pressed his lips onto hers.


    It was warm, fragrant, and even a little sweet, arousing a feeling of ecstacy. As this occurred, Mei Ning¡¯s eyes grew weak and despondent. But a short moment later, she regained her bearings and she weakly attempted to push Han Li away.


    Although she had already made preparations for Han Li¡¯s advance, she became overwhelmed with shyness as she faced the real thing and became completely flustered. Although this woman had many suitors, she had never been intimate with any of them.


    The kiss sent waves of ecstasy throughout Han Li, leaving him filled with desire.


    When she pushed her hands against Han Li, he boorishly pressed against her soft body. Taking advantage of the fact they were on the bed, he greedily grasped her lips with his own as if they were ambrosia.


    Given Mei Ning¡¯s inferior strength, she had lost hope of breaking free once she entered his embrace. Although she had weakly struggled for a moment, she had eventually given up all resistance and closed her eyes, taking in the dense masculine scent that surrounded her. Her cheeks were flushed red as her long eyelashes fluttered, and her mind grew confused and lost.


    For a time, the woman had completely forgotten to bestow the Transient Spirit Qi.


    However, due to Han Li¡¯s exceedingly staunch will, he was able to regain clarity from his crazed passion after a short moment.


    Han Li parted lips with Mei Ning for the time being and brought his mouth to her fine small ears. He chuckled and said, ¡°Lady Mei, although the feeling of a man and a woman being together is truly wonderful, don¡¯t forget to bestow the Transient Spirit Qi to me.¡±


    When she heard this, her body trembled and her face grew to an even deeper shade of scarlet.


    Han Li¡¯s boorish behavior from before had now disappeared. He gently pressed his lips against her small mouth and began to feel a cold sensation slowly enter his body from their lips.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be negligent and hastily climbed off Mei Ning and sat down cross-legged to the side as he began to circulate the spiritual Qi throughout his body.


    Soon after, Mei Ning sat upright on the bed and flusteredly straightened out her disheveled robes with a scarlet face. For a time, she was incapable to regaining her bearings. The woman hesitantly stole a quick peek at Han Li and saw that his eyes were closed, causing her to unconsciously sigh in relief.


    She then stood up from the bed and walked over to the chair that Han Li originally sat in. A complicated expression appeared on her face as she began to stare at Han Li¡¯s tranquil expression.


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Li eventually opened his eyes and saw the worried expression in Mei Ning¡¯s eyes. In that instant, she hastily turned her face away, not daring to meet his gaze.


    Han Li smiled upon seeing that the woman was at a loss. However, his smile immediately disappeared as he slapped his storage pouch. Items began to continuously emerge with flashes of white light, appearing at Han Li¡¯s side. Not longer after, a large pile had formed.


    There were materials such as demon beast hides among these items. It was unknown what Han Li intended to use them for.


    ¡°You can use magic power!¡± Although Mei Ning held confidence in her Transient Spirit Qi, she had shouted in joy upon seeing that Han Li was truly able to use his storage pouch.


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t possess enough magic power to even cast low grade magic techniques, but opening a storage pouch shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± After making sure that he had everything he needed, he put away the ancient treasures such as the golden mirrors, the flower basket, and the silver bell into the storage pouch with a wave of his sleeve.


    When Mei Ning saw this, she was overwhelmed for a moment. An odd expression appeared on her face when she glanced at the pile of items at Han Li¡¯s side.


    Feeling that something was amiss, she hesitantly asked,¡±Brother Han, I haven¡¯t asked you this yet. Are you a Foundation Establishment cultivator?¡±


    Han Li had no intention of concealing anything and openly replied, ¡°Of course not. I am a Core Formation cultivator!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Although Mei Ning had suspected this, she couldn¡¯t but cry out in surprise.


    Han Li chuckled and paid no further heed to the woman¡¯s sudden change in expression. He slapped the spirit beast pouch at his side, summoning a small monkey in a flash of brilliance. Surprisingly, the Weeping Soul Beast was extremely excited once it appeared. It sniffed around Han Li several times before frequently hopping around him.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred at the sight.


    Having yet to recognize this famed beast, Mei Ning merely glanced at the monkey with a curious expression.


    ¡°Lady Mei, stay here for a moment. I wish to take advantage of my remaining magic power and attend to a few matters,¡± Han Li calmly said.


    ¡°A few matters?¡± The woman blinked in slight confusion.


    Without saying anything further, Han Li began to store various items amongst his robes and departed from the room without paying any heed to the items he left behind.


    Upon leaving the room, Han Li glanced around. The sky appeared the same as always since there was differentiation of day or night, but regardless, there was far less movement in the village. It was likely that a majority of people had fallen asleep.


    Han Li beckoned to the Weeping Soul Beast, and had it enter his sleeve with a quick scamper. He then smiled at Mei Ning before confidently walking off.


    As for Mei Ning, she merely remained in the room with blank confusion on her face.


    Han Li walked through the village with extremely nimble movements, avoiding the gaze of others. In an instant, he stopped in front of one of the larger buildings in the village. After taking a quick glance around, he pushed open the door without any hesitation and walked inside. Han Li¡¯s expression then revealed joy. As expected, this was one of the buildings that stored ¡°dark water¡±.


    Han Li took out several large capacity void containers that he early grabbed from his storage pouch and filled up about half of the building¡¯s reserves before leaving.


    Then after turning a few corners, he spotted a rather unusually fashioned stone building. His expression stirred and he stopped in place. If hadn¡¯t guessed incorrectly, this should be the residence of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng.


    At that moment, he felt his meager magic power begin to fade away.

 Chapter 589

    Guests


    Han Li swept his gaze over his surroundings. Ensuring that no one was nearby, he slapped his spirit beast pouch and had a single black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetle silently fly out. Then with great difficulty, he managed to command it with a sliver of spiritual sense. The insect then shot toward the stone room with a buzz and slipped in through a small crack.


    The building was extremely quiet.


    Han Li inwardly sneered and walked back to his residence without looking behind him. By the time he had turned a corner, he heard a miserable wail from the middle-aged man¡¯s residence.


    Han Li pursed his lips and expressionlessly continued on his way. However, the disturbance had already began to attract the attention of the villagers.


    Since the middle-aged man was all but guaranteed to come for revenge, it would be better to cleanly deal with him while Han Li still had use of his magic power and spiritual sense. Otherwise, the man would remain a worry on his mind.


    The remaining magic power that had been produced by the Transient Spirit Qi had disappeared by the time he returned to his residence. Likewise, his spiritual sense was once again incapable of leaving his body. Han Li could only shake his head in helplessness as he hurried back.


    After walking into the room, he found Mei Ning lying down on the bed. From the rhythm of her soft breaths, it seemed she had fallen asleep a while ago.


    When Han Li saw her sleeping figure, he recalled the kiss from not long before and felt his heart roil. But after seeing the woman¡¯s figure coldly curled up on the bed, he hesitated for a moment before fetching a large piece of demon beast hide from the pile of materials on the table and placing it on top of the woman.


    She soon relaxed her expression, and she unconsciously rolled the beast hide around her, remaining soundly asleep.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight.


    This turn of events was of no surprise. Although she possessed a body that was far superior to ordinary mortals, she was still a member of the fairer sex and both her mind and body must¡¯ve been exhausted from all that happened. As a result, she had unintentionally fallen asleep.


    Han Li smiled and then turned his attention to the pile of materials on the desk with a strange expression appearing in his eyes.


    Not long after, Mei Ning slowly roused from her slumber. Before her eyes were entirely open, she heard a calm voice speak, ¡°If Fellow Daoist Mei is awake, then please get up. We will be busy with preparations over the next two days.¡±


    After she heard Han Li¡¯s words, her face reddened and she sat up. Naturally, the demon beast hide fell off as a result.


    This surprised her and she glanced in the direction of Han Li¡¯s voice with a complicated expression.


    Han Li was currently sitting in a chair and was handling a rather large piece of demon beast hide. After Mei Ning rose, he smiled at her.


    ¡°Would Fellow Daoist Mei happen to be skilled in needlework? I have a few high grade fire-attribute demon beast hides. If it is possible, it would be best to turn them into clothes so that we¡¯d be able to better resist Yin winds.¡±


    Mei Ning¡¯s embarrassment waned after seeing that Han Li hadn¡¯t brought up the matter of yesterday¡¯s kiss. But for some unknown reason, she also felt a trace of indescribable disappointment. Still, her face slightly blushed as she replied, ¡°I can give it a try, but I¡¯ll be requiring a needle and thread.¡±


    Han Li grabbed a faint blue needle on the table and handed it over to her. ¡°This demon beast hide is rather tough. Only flying needle magic tools are able to pierce through them. You¡¯ll also be using the beast¡¯s tendons to sew the hide together. In the end, we will only use this to withstand the Yin winds so there is no point in caring about appearance.¡±


    The needle was a top grade magic treasure that was extremely sharp. Han Li had acquired it from some unfortunate cultivator that he had already forgotten about. He felt that it would prove quite useful as of present and took it out of his storage pouch.


    Mei Ning bit on her lips and softly whispered, ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    Han Li nodded and thought to say something else when he heard footsteps from outside. An old man¡¯s voice soon followed, ¡°Is Fellow Daoist present?¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Han Li asked, confused. He felt that the voice was rather familiar, and soon recalled that it belonged to the long haired old man.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist and I had quite an enjoyable chat yesterday on top of the stone platform!¡±


    Since it was the cultivator from the day before, Han Li found it awkward to keep the door shut. And since he was also curious about why they had suddenly paid him a visit, he walked towards the door and opened it, revealing the chuckling long-haired old man and two other old men behind him. One was red-faced and white-haired while the other had a hunchback and an eerie aura.


    ¡°Please, come in!¡± Han Li confidently invited the three in without asking them of their intentions.


    ¡°So this is Fellow Daoist Mei!¡± When the three saw Mei Ning, they revealed a slight trace of astonishment before calmly saluting her.


    Mei Ning returned the greeting and moved to stand by Han Li¡¯s side. She remained silent as if she were deferring the matter to Han Li.


    The three pensively glanced at one another. After they took a seat, Han Li glanced at the other two and slowly asked, ¡°Are these two also¡­?¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist guessed correctly. These two are fellow cultivators who arrived from the Great State of Jin. This is Fellow Daoist Yun from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and this is Fellow Daoist Jin from the Four Seas Institute.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head to each of them. The two then examined Han Li before politely smiling at him.


    Han Li calmly asked, ¡°May I ask what brings you three here?¡±


    The three old men unconsciously glanced at each other. After a short moment, the long haired old man dryly coughed and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han might not know this, but Elder Feng, the village¡¯s instructor for martial arts, suddenly died after being devoured alive by a nameless, exotic insect. It is said that the exotic insect bit his neck in his sleep, and he died a miserable death as a result.¡±


    With a completely unchanged expression, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Oh, so it was like that? What kind of exotic insect could possibly be so fearsome?¡± The three then began to mutter among themselves, as they were unable to tell whether or not Han Li was related to the event.


    The long-haired old man stared at Han Li as he slowly said, ¡°This isn¡¯t entirely clear. By the time he screamed, he was already on the verge of death. When the other villagers saw a flying insect fly from his wound, they immediately struck it with their weapons, but as the insect was incredibly hard, they weren¡¯t able to wound it in the least. As the insect was covered in blood, it was difficult to make out the exact details of its appearance.¡± The other two solemnly stared at Han Li in silence.


    With an unchanged expression, Han Li leaned back in his chair and lazily said, ¡°What? Could it be you three believe that I killed him? Are you three here to punish me?¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression slightly changed as he chuckled, ¡°How could that be possible! We absolutely don¡¯t believe that Fellow Daoist Han could¡¯ve done such a thing. Even if he did it, we would be incredibly happy. That mortal named Feng had always viewed us with disdain just because of his martial arts. It is better that he is dead.¡±


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the three in silence.


    The long-haired old man¡¯s eyes shifted and he probingly said, ¡°However, I heard that Elder Feng paid a visit to Fellow Daoist¡¯s room yesterday. Soon after, he left in a crestfallen manner. Additionally, they found that his arm was broken at the time of death. It seems even without any magic power, Fellow Daoist Han still possess some powerful techniques!¡±


    Upon hearing their words, Han Li raised his eyebrows. It seemed these three held some influence in the village. They were actually able to find out that the man surnamed Feng had entered his room yesterday and that he was driven off.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li¡¯s voice grew cold. ¡°Could you three Fellow Daoists be here for that matter? If that¡¯s the case, please be direct. I have no interest in beating around the bush.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The old men couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other with hesitant expressions upon seeing Han Li be so direct.


    Unwilling to speak in circles, Han Li¡¯s expression grew impatient. ¡°Since you are unwilling to speak, then I won¡¯t force you. How about you come back some other time?¡±


    Spurred by Han Li¡¯s words, the hunchbacked old man said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, would you be interested in governing the village with us?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Han Li frowned, already guessing what he truly meant.


    Seeing that his companion had already struck the main point of the matter, the long haired old man revealed everything, ¡°Since we are fellow cultivators, I will speak bluntly. Surely Fellow Daoist saw that apart from the head elder, all of the others are mortals. They hold greater power in the village because they were here before us. Cultivators are held to the same standard as mortals, and eat and starve as they do. The mortals even have us risk our lives to hunt umbra beasts. Contrarily, we are the only ones that are capable of using spells with the umbra beast gems, yet they all hold the gems in their hands. It is utterly humiliating to be treated as criminals without cause. Since this is the case, us cultivators have joined hands to grasp authority in the village. Would Fellow Daoist Han care to join us?¡±

 Chapter 590

    Bone Case


    After hearing their offer to take control of the village, Han Li indifferently asked, ¡°So you wish to seize power?¡±


    The red-faced old man spoke with a strange emotion flickering within his eyes, ¡°That¡¯s right, how can cultivators like us serve at the beck and call of those so-called elders? We should be the elders of the village, not those mortals. I am a grand Foundation Establishment cultivator. It is unbearable to have been controlled by mortals for this long. Because we had too few cultivators, we didn¡¯t dare to take action, but with the addition of you two, success will be very likely.¡±


    Han Li swept his gaze over the three and expressionlessly said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested. Please return. I¡¯ll pretend that this discussion never took place.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s response had greatly shocked them. The long-haired old man then forced a smile and further attempted to persuade him, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist truly wish to become an inhabitant of this village? So long as we seize the positions of elders in the village, the power will be divided amongst us few. As a result, even if the conditions are poor, we can act freely.¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin and serenely said, ¡°I think that you Fellow Daoists are misunderstanding something. The two of us never said we intended on staying in this village. We will be leaving in two days. As such, your words are based on nothing more than a fantasy. Lady Mei and I will have nothing to do with the matter.¡±


    After a moment of shock, the long-haired old man couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Leaving? Are you two searching for another village since you are unsatisfied with this one? You two might not know this, but our village is the among the best villages in the area. The other villages¡¯ conditions are far worse than ours.¡±


    Han Li smiled and lightly shook his head in silence.


    The hunchbacked old man wore a look of astonishment when he came to a realization. ¡°Could it be that you two intend on climbing Stormwind Mountain?¡±


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Since we are unwilling to remain here, is there anything strange about wanting to leave?¡±


    With an odd expression on his face, the red-faced old man twirled his beard and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t something that is merely strange. Don¡¯t you two realize that Stormwind Mountain is extremely dangerous?¡±


    Han Li looked at him and flatly said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know much about it, I¡¯ve gained an approximate understanding from the chief elder.¡±


    The hunchbacked old man¡¯s face contorted several times before he fearlessly said, ¡°Humph! What does he know of the Stormwind Mountain¡¯s fearsomeness? He probably only knows from hearsay, but Fellow Daoist Yun and I have personally experienced the true terror of Stormwind Mountain. It isn¡¯t something that cultivators can face without magic power. The tremendously powerful umbra beasts that surround the mountain are an instant death sentence if you alarm them. Even if you manage to luckily slip past them, the violent Yin winds and the illusory mist are incredibly deadly. There wouldn¡¯t be the slightest chance of climbing to the top of the mountain. Furthermore, being able to leave the Umbra Realm during an appearance of a crevice in space is only a rumor as no one has truly tested it. Perhaps it isn¡¯t even possible to begin with.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and he asked with great interest, ¡°You two Fellow Daoists have already climbed Stormwind Mountain? Could you tell us about it?¡±


    The red-faced cultivator revealed trepidation as he slowly said, ¡°Of course, Fellow Daoist Han. We also wish to talk of it in the hopes that Fellow Daoist will abandon his hope of succeeding by a fluke. Originally, Fellow Daoist Jin and I were unwilling to spend the rest of our lives here when we had just arrived at the Umbra Realm. After spending a year in preparation, we set off to Stormwind Mountain together along with three other Fellow Daoists. Before we even arrived at the peak, one of our members was discovered by an umbra beast and was devoured. The rest of us painstakingly pushed forward, but two of our ranks were frozen from the Yin winds a quarter way up the mountain. As Fellow Daoist Jin and I carried a few ember stones on our body, we were able to persevere.


    ¡°But as we climbed higher, the Yin winds became increasingly more powerful and we were incapable of keeping steady footing. In the end, we only made it halfway up the mountain before were blown off a cliff by the gales; we hadn¡¯t even reached the illusory mists. Surviving by sheer luck, we lost all will to continue onward and could only return helplessly. And after we managed to return to the village, we were bedridden for several months due to having the Yin winds penetrate deeply into our bones. Once we eventually recovered, we completely abandoned any thoughts of climbing Stormwind Mountain.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin and pensively muttered, ¡°That is quite fearsome!¡±


    The old man spoke in a sincere tone, ¡°It was far more fearsome than could be described. Please, perish the thought and abandon the attempt. Although it may seem possible, the mountain will take your life. Besides, you are still young. Once we reach our end, all the authority in the village will fall into your hands.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, please don¡¯t try to change my mind. I will only abandon my hopes after personally failing in the attempt. Naturally, if I am truly incapable of reaching Stormwind Mountain¡¯s peak, then I will give deep consideration towards your proposal.¡±


    The three were somewhat displeased at his response and further attempted to persuade him. However, Han Li remained completely determined.


    Helpless, the three turn their gazes to Mei Ning, but she only said, ¡°I will follow Brother Han¡¯s decision regardless.¡± Their gazes turned blank at her response.


    Fortunately, Han Li hadn¡¯t refused them. If he managed to survive his attempt to climb the mountain, they would have another opportunity to recruit him. Since they were unable to persuade them, they could only force a smile before taking their leave.


    After they reached a distance away, the hunchbacked old man solemnly asked, ¡°Do you think they will betray us?¡±


    The long-haired old man shook his head. ¡°Betray us? What do they have to gain from betraying us? Surely you saw that the youngster surnamed Han is an intelligent person. He wouldn¡¯t do something so foolish, and the woman is following his lead as well. We can only hope that the two will realize the truth once they draw close to Stormwind Mountain and will turn back. After all, our revolt only has a fifty-fifty chance of success. With the other two, our strength would be considerably increased. Fortunately, Youngster Han unwittingly eliminated the greatest obstacle, Feng Tianji. His martial arts would¡¯ve posed a difficult problem otherwise.¡±


    The red-faced old man nodded his head, ¡°That¡¯s right. This person is truly cautious and wouldn¡¯t do something so strenuous and unrewarding. But just in case, we should send people to monitor them to avoid any potential mishaps.¡±


    ¡°Brother Yin is quite thorough. Please have it done. However, we must be careful and avoid having him discover them. Regardless¡­¡± A doubtful expression appeared on the long-haired old man¡¯s face.


    The hunchbacked old man was confused and asked, ¡°Regardless?¡±


    The long-haired old man muttered, ¡°It might be an error on my part, but I felt that Youngster Han seemed completely confident that he could depart from the Umbra Realm. He was completely unphased when we mentioned the dangers of Stormwind Mountain. Could it be that he truly has a way to climb to the peak of Stormwind Mountain?¡±


    The hunchbacked old man shook his head and dubiously said, ¡°How is that possible? The Yin winds are unsurmountable. Brother Yun, I, and the countless frozen corpses around the mountain can attest to this. It is only a vain thought to believe one could actually escape this place.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it must¡¯ve been a trick of the eyes!¡± After some thought, the long-haired old man concluded that it was truly impossible and smiled in self-mockery.


    But when the red-faced old man heard this, his heart suddenly stirred and a thought came to mind.


    When the three old men departed, Han Li spoke a few words to Mei Ning and left the room. He went over to the residence of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng and saw that he did truly die from having his throat torn open by the Gold Devouring Beetle.


    After taking a look at his corpse from a distance, Han Li left and began to continue his inquiries with the villagers about the circumstances of the land, the whereabouts of other villages and the distribution of the umbra beasts. Eventually all of these small details were gathered together in his mind as information vital to escaping this land, and he was able to draw a detailed map from the villager¡¯s descriptions.


    In the following two days, Han Li finished most of his preparations and went to inform the village chief elder that they intended on climbing Stormwind Mountain.


    The plump old man naturally felt that this was a pity and urged Han Li to stay, but after seeing Han Li¡¯s unwavering resolve, he didn¡¯t push the issue.


    After Han Li returned to the residence, he and Mei Ning slept through the night. But in the early hours of morning on the next day, someone stealthily paid them a visit and knocked on their door.


    When Han Li saw the red-faced old man, he was shocked. ¡°Fellow Daoist Yun!¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I will keep matters short. Although I don¡¯t know whether or not you truly have the ability to leave this land, you could be considered my last hope. If you truly are capable of slipping past the disasters of Stormwind Mountain, I hope that you can deliver this box to my Heavenly Talisman Sect.¡± With a serious expression, he took out a rough case made of bone and handed it over to Han Li with both hands.

 Chapter 591

    Spirit Subjugation Talisman


    Han Li glanced at the case made of bone, but didn¡¯t move to receive it. With an indifferent expression, he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± He wasn¡¯t about to take the case before realizing what it was.


    The red-faced old man let out a long sigh and said, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist to think much of it. The case contains the refinement method for one of our sect protecting talismans, the Spirit Subjugation Talisman. Originally, only the sect master could learn it. I only have one intention; I wish for Fellow Daoist Han to deliver the talisman refinement method on my behalf. I don¡¯t wish for the talisman to forever be lost from the sect.¡± Soon after, he lifted the cover of the case to reveal several pieces of engraved bone.


    A trace of hesitation appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, ¡°The Spirit Subjugation Talisman? Since only the sect master could learn, then your esteemed self must be the Heavenly Talisman Sect Master?¡±


    The old man conceded, ¡°I shamefully admit that I am the fifty-seventh sect master of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, a small dying sect from the State of Jin¡¯s Flower Cloud Province. It is quite laughable that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like myself acted in the position of sect master.¡±


    A strange expression momentarily appeared on Han Li¡¯s face but he soon frowned. After a short moment, he glanced at the old man and slowly said, ¡°The Spirit Subjugation Talisman should certainly be unique considering that only the sect master could learn it. Fellow Daoist Yun doesn¡¯t fear that I would learn of its contents? Additionally, while I have heard of the resounding name of your country, I¡¯ve never been there before, and I am unsure of whether or not an opportunity would truly arise for me to visit. From how I see it, aren¡¯t you being a bit too rash?¡±


    When the red-faced old man heard Han Li¡¯s questions, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest surprise. Instead, he replied with an appreciative expression, ¡°Since I am giving this item to you, I¡¯ve already accepted that Fellow Daoist Han will learn the talisman refinement technique as payment. To tell the truth, I¡¯m not sure whether you would be interested in learning it after taking a look at it. Although the refinement method of the Spirit Subjugation talisman has been passed down from generation it generation, it had only been refined a scarce few times by the founders. It has merely continued to be passed down despite not being refined by the later sect masters. And since my own sect was already greatly weakened, this talisman will only serve as a sentimental dream of mine.


    ¡°As for whether or not Brother Han can arrive in the country of Jin, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I merely find peace of mind that the sect founder¡¯s creation isn¡¯t forever lost from the cultivation world. Even if the talisman refinement method truly isn¡¯t capable of returning to the sect, it will be good enough if Fellow Daoist Han passes it down so that it doesn¡¯t remain lost. When I later face the previous generations of sect masters in the underworld, I will have an excuse.¡± The red-faced old man spoke with a bitter smile.


    When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat dumbfounded.


    The Heavenly Talisman¡¯s sect master was only seeking peace of mind. It seemed that the exchange was incredibly one sided in Han Li¡¯s favor and that he wouldn¡¯t suffer any loss. If he truly was incapable of going to the Great State of Jin, then he had no obligation to return the bone case. But if he was able to visit this famed country, then delivering the item would only take a minor effort.


    Furthermore, it seemed that the Spirit Subjugation Talisman was a rather miraculous talisman for it to be so difficult to refine. It greatly piquied Han Li¡¯s interest! According to his vast experiences, apart from the commonly refined talismans of the five elements, there were talismans with unfathomable and extraordinary effects known as secret talismans.


    These secret talismans weren¡¯t difficult to differentiate among the five elements. Additionally, each sect had their own unique method of refining their own secret talisman, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to copy them.


    For example, when the Star Palace Elders had nearly killed him in a sneak attack from Heavenvoid Hall, they had used a proxy produced by the Incarnation Talisman. Afterwards, they used a transportation talisman unique to the Star Palace to escape. Of course,the Incarnation talisman was worth far more than the teleportation talisman despite both being secret talismans.


    After some further thought, Han Li accepted the bone case without any further hesitation and solemnly pledged, ¡°I can only promise that I will try my best. Fellow Daoist Yun shouldn¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s fine! I am already completely grateful for Brother Han¡¯s words.¡± The red-faced old man appreciatively thanked him several times. Afterwards, he had a quick chat with Han Li before tactfully taking his leave.


    Han Li stood by the building¡¯s entrance as he watched the old man walk away before weighing the bone case in his hand. It was light; there didn¡¯t seem to be anything profound about the bone case itself.


    Mei Ning, who had been silently standing behind him, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of this Spirit Subjugation Talisman. Could it truly be powerful?¡±


    Han Li smiled at Mei Ning and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I reckon it is unordinary at the very least!¡± Soon after, he sat down beside the table in the room and started to look through each of the bones.


    ¡°Yi!¡± After a mere glance, Han Li yelped in shock.


    ¡°What? Is there a problem with the talisman refinement method?¡± Mei Ning sat down across from Han Li and glanced at him with bright curiosity. Ever since their kiss, they¡¯d become somewhat more familiar with one another and their original awkwardness had disappeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that the materials required to refine the Spirit Subjugating Talisman are truly extraordinary. It was no wonder that the Heavenly Talisman Sect didn¡¯t dare to refine this talisman.¡± After looking through all of the bones, he casually closed the bone case aside.


    Mei Ning curiously asked, ¡°What are these materials that Brother Han find so extraordinary?¡±


    Han Li grabbed a bone shard and smiled, saying, ¡°It¡¯s primary materials can¡¯t be considered much. But there is one extraordinary material that can¡¯t be bought with spirit stones: the soul of a metamorphosis stage demon beast. Wouldn¡¯t you say that is extraordinary?¡±


    ¡°The soul of a demon beast at metamorphosis stage?¡± Mei Ning gasped in astonishment.


    However, Han Li¡¯s mysterious expression as he grasped the bone shard had completely escaped her notice.


    Having rested for the night, Han Li and Mei Ning left the village without notifying anybody else, much to the astonishment of the village guards.


    ¡­


    Han Li found himself standing on yet another pile of rocks as he gazed into the yellow desert in front of him. After getting their bearings, Han Li and Mei Ning headed towards the nearest village.


    Han Li¡¯s plans were quite simple: find the elder brother of Mei Ning. If he was alive, he was certain to be found in another village, and when he was found, Han Li would bring him and Mei Ning to Stormwind Mountain. Mei Ning felt that this plan was reasonable and followed his lead without complaint.


    Then in the blink of an eye, the two faded away into the endless sand.


    ¡­


    In an expanse of blood-crimson soil, there were a dozen young grey-robed men and women with bone pikes stealthily climbing up a tall mound and slowly surrounding it.


    At the top of the mound, there were many green beasts with short and thick necks who were currently curled up in their sleep.


    These were umbra beasts by the name of Jade Yin Toads. Their bodies were small and covered in lumps. While they appeared as if they were just enlarged toads from the mortal world, they didn¡¯t possess an ounce of poison on their bodies and were one of the few umbra beasts that were edible to humans.


    These people had naturally come to hunt the Jade Yin Toads to ease the crisis of their village¡¯s food shortage.


    The group¡¯s actions were nimble and silent. By the time they had completely surrounded them, a Jade Yin Toad suddenly opened its red eyes and saw that there were humans about a hundred meters away.


    ¡°Attack!¡± As soon as that was shouted, the beast began to croak in warning, but in the blink of an eye, over a dozen sparkling white bone pikes were shot towards the beasts.


    As a result, a majority of the Jade Yin Toads had leapt away, and only two had met the barrage of spears. However, these two were the most vigorous of the toads and they managed to dodge out of the way, ending up with only scrapes from the spears.


    The Jade Yin Toads were among the weakest of umbra beasts. Apart from being able to spout a few mouthfuls of Yin Qi, they had few other powerful attacks. However, they were particularly adept at using their powerful jumps to escape with astonishing effectiveness.


    The remaining two Jade Yin Toads took large breaths and spouted out large clouds of black Yin Qi. Afterwards, they jumped twenty five meters into the air and broke the encirclement. Although the group had continued to use their pikes without reserve, they were clearly too slow, and were incapable of catching up to the two Jade Yin Toads.


    After the two Jade Yin Toads leapt towards a strange expanse of stone in the distance, a flash of azure light sparked, resulting in the two toads falling to the ground with their throats gouged.


    Green blood painted the red ground.


    This scene caused the dismayed youths to look on with astonishment.

 Chapter 592

    Absorbing Souls


    With gusts of winds, two azure streaks flew out from the umbra beast corpses towards a nearby bolder. Afterwards, a man and a woman clothed in blue beast leather appeared on top of the boulder with a blur.


    The man¡¯s appearance was ordinary in contrast to the woman¡¯s heart-swaying beauty, but a vast intelligence shined within his eyes. These two individuals were Han Li and Mei Ning. Han Li held two inch-long daggers in each of his hands. There was semi-transparent string wrapped around both of their hilts which appeared to be made from a slim beast tendon.


    Han Li walked over and glanced down at the umbra beast carcasses before turning his gaze to the vigilant crowd. He smiled and amiably said, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t take offense. I saw that two Jade Yin Toads were about to escape and I couldn¡¯t help but take action. But regardless, I have no desire towards these Jade Yin Toads; I merely wish to ask you a few questions.¡±


    One of the older party members doubtfully asked, ¡°You truly do not want the beast carcasses?¡± It seemed he was the leader of the group of youths.


    Han Li nudged a beast carcass with his foot and affirmatively replied, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. I already have plenty of food.¡±


    Although the man felt this was somewhat strange, he felt that there was nothing to lose and he eventually nodded his head, ¡°Alright, go ahead and ask.¡±


    Han Li nodded, satisfied to see his tactful response, and calmly asked, ¡°Are you natives to this land?¡±


    The man frowned and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. We are villagers of Red Soil Village.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We arrived here to make some inquiries. Have there been any new arrivals that have joined your village? We are searching for someone.¡±


    After a moment of thought, he hesitantly said, ¡°New arrivals? None. However, after the appearance of the last spacial tear, we spotted several remains of both men and women in the umbra beast lair. By the time we spotted them, umbra beasts had already cleanly devoured them until nothing but bones were left.¡±


    Standing behind Han Li, Mei Ning grimaced and said, ¡°Bones?¡±


    In the past month, the two had already visited three villages. Although there were a couple of cultivators that had narrowly survived the spacial tear, there was no sign of her brother.


    Seeing that Han Li only wished to find someone, he relaxed and openly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve already buried their remains, but we have their possessions. They were placed in a village warehouse. Would you like to take a look?¡±


    Han Li glanced at the silent Mei Ning before nodding, ¡°That¡¯d be good. We¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡± If her brother¡¯s possessions happened to be among them, then the search would be over. He had to confirm them just in case.


    After calling out to those behind him to deal with the carasses of the toads, he cordially chatted with Han Li, ¡°Hehe! From your tone, it seems you¡¯re quite cultured. I could tell you¡¯re an outsider. Have you just arrived in this land?¡±


    Han Li beamingly smiled in response.


    The two then followed the group for a couple of kilometers before arriving at an unfamiliar village.


    This village was far smaller than the others. Although they also had stone walls surrounding them, they were only about twenty meters tall and appeared worn out as if it from long neglect.


    From the size of the village, it seemed there were only about a hundred inhabitants at most.


    After entering the village, their leader pointed at a relatively large stone room and apologetically told the two cultivators to head to the building by themselves. As the toad carcasses were vitally important, the villagers had to deal with them first.


    Han Li didn¡¯t mind this and spoke a few words of thanks before heading there with Mei Ning.¡¡¡¡¡­


    Han Li glanced at the torn, bloody robes and asked with slight surprise, ¡°These truly belonged to your brother?¡±


    Han Li truly didn¡¯t expect that as soon as they entered that Mei Ning would immediately spot her brother¡¯s remnants. Her face had immediately grown pale at the sight and her eyes had become completely dispirited.


    Mei Ning stared at the remnants with red eyes and muttered, ¡°How could I possibly mistake these clothes? I personally made them for him. The storage pouch also has our sect¡¯s insignia.¡±


    Not knowing what to say to console her, Han Li could only hesitate for a moment before patting the woman¡¯s shoulders and quietly slipping away from the stone room. He knew that it would be better for her to be alone for the time being.


    Just after he left, he began to hear faint sobs from the room. Han Li let out a sigh and then looked to the sky in silence.


    A while later, Mei Ning left the room with swollen eyes. She calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Since my brother has passed, there is no longer any need to visit the other villages. Let¡¯s head straight to Stormwind Mountain!¡± It seemed she had stifled the pain from the loss of her brother.


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°Before we head off to Stormwind Mountain, there is still something I must do. I need to acquire a few umbra beast gems.¡±


    Mei Ning was stunned for a moment before asking in surprise, ¡°Beast gems! What use is there in collecting them? They¡¯re quite difficult to come by.¡±


    ¡°I have my own reasons for collecting them. I reckon that in the entire world, the umbra realm is the only place where one can find umbra beast gems. Even if one could find them elsewhere, they would likely be extremely scarce. Gathering umbra beast gems would¡¯ve been incredibly difficult if we wished to acquire them when we had first arrived. However, we won¡¯t be the ones handling the umbra beasts. It will be this one.¡± Han Li suddenly shook his sleeve and a green flash of light appeared before him.¡±


    Mei Ming glanced at the small monkey that had suddenly appeared with suspicion, ¡°This one?¡±


    With a certain expression, Han Li said, ¡°Of course!¡±


    Because Han Li used the safer routes on his journey to find other villages, he was able to handle the low grade beasts by using only his flying swords. However, this didn¡¯t result in him acquiring any umbra beast gems. Knowing that they had some relation to the puppets of Heavenvoid Hall, Han Li naturally wanted to collect a few.


    At that moment, he called out to Mei Ning and had the Weeping Soul Beast return to his sleeve. He would spend the night at Red Soil Village before setting off and testing the efficacy of the Weeping Soul Beast on umbra beasts.


    ¡­


    A twenty meter tall clawed beast leisurely walked out of a valley. Its huge claws were overpowering and its mouth was filled with vicious fangs. As the hegemon of the area, it had no fear of any high grade umbra beasts suddenly attacking it.


    But at that moment, its dull ears suddenly heard something moving, and it turned its head with a malicious light glinting in its eyes. About a hundred meters away, a foot tall monkey had unknowingly appeared.


    The small monkey was currently staring at the colossal beast with immense excitement.


    When the huge beast caught sight of the small monkey, it merely snorted several times, wishing to scare it away. However, the monkey actually attacked, shooting out a yellow mist that enveloped it with fantastical speed.


    After the mist of yellow light enveloped it, the colossal beast released a world-shaking roar, but the yellow mist quickly dimmed and shot back into the small monkey¡¯s large nose, carrying streaks of black Qi.


    The small monkey chewed with great relish before patting its bulging belly. Its face appeared completely satisfied as if it just had a delicious meal.


    At that moment, Han Li leisurely walked out with a relaxed expression. A flabbergasted Mei Ning followed after him.


    The woman found this entire scene absurd. She had witnessed the enormous beast turning into a shriveled corpse in the blink of an eye. Another wave of disbelief suddenly crossed her mind when she faintly recalled the legend of a certain fearsome spirit beast.


    As Mei Ning recovered from her shock, Han Li had already arrived in front of the beast¡¯s head. With a wave of his sleeve, a sparkling silver dagger appeared in his hand.


    He expressionlessly chopped down, splitting the beast¡¯s skull like a watermelon. Soon after, a thumb-sized green gem fell out from the remains.


    Han Li smiled at the sight of it and bent down to pick it up. Han Li then turned his head to the west and assuredly said, ¡°There should be many more powerful umbra beasts about three kilometers west. Let¡¯s take care of them along the way.¡±

 Chapter 593

    Stormwind Mountain


    Stormwind Mountain was a huge mountain located in the northeast edge of the umbra realm. One could only see the bottom half of the mountain from the distance as the rest of it was densely covered in Yin clouds.


    The mountain was made up of bare black stone and lacked any kind of vegetation. Additionally, it was over four kilometers high with storms of fierce Yin winds blowing around it. If common men were to climb it, they would only add to the many black ice sculptures already decorating the mountain.


    The treacherous conditions of the mountain also caused its surroundings to become particularly gloomy. With endless thunder ringing from the skies and cold howling winds scattering stone and sand, it seemed as if the area was truly haunted.


    Since places with dense umbra Qi were beloved by powerful umbra beasts, it was only natural for many fearsome demon beasts to occupy the nearby land. But today, there were some uninvited visitors paying a visit to Stormwind Mountain.


    A beast carcass that was over a hundred meters tall fell onto the ground in a flash of silver light. The carcass then shriveled in an instant as the silver light flew away into the distance carrying an expanse of black Qi.


    A moment later, a huge world-shaking roar filled the air.


    Following a series of heavy thuds on the ground, a thirty-meter-tall silver ape appeared at the side of the umbra beast carcass. The huge ape¡¯s appearance was malevolent and vicious with each of its movements exuding an astonishing pressure. However, Han Li and Mei Ning were sitting on its back.


    Han Li swept his gaze over the beast carcass and pushed off against the ape before deftly landing on the carcass¡¯s skull. In the instant he landed, a cold glint flickered in his eyes and the carcass¡¯s skull split open, revealing nothing at all.


    Han Li revealed a trace of disappointment, but his face soon turned back to normal.


    As of current, he had accumulated over a hundred umbra beast gems. Although he knew there was a small chance that the groups of low grade umbra beasts could result in an umbra beast gem, he didn¡¯t have the time to hunt every single one of them down. He had to climb Stormwind Mountain before the next spacial tear appeared.


    Mei Ning had also jumped down from the huge ape¡¯s shoulder. A second later, the huge ape flashed with silver light and shrank to a delicate foot tall form.


    Han Li turned around to look at the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s transformation and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    When he had left Red Soil Village, he had brought the Weeping Soul Beast to many various places to exterminate powerful umbra beasts. After absorbing large quantities of umbra beast soul essence, the weeping soul beast had suddenly gained the ability to transform into a huge ape, and not long after, its fur soon turned an eye-catching silver.


    These changes had come as a great surprise to Han Li. According to the slip that Yuan Yao had given him, the Weeping Soul Beast shouldn¡¯t have the ability to enlarge itself, and its fur should¡¯ve turned pitch-black upon advancing instead of silver.


    It appeared that this peculiar evolution was a result of two aspects that had coincidentally met: umbra beast soul essence that greatly differed from the soul essence commonly found in the outside world, and the fact that the beast wasn¡¯t completely refined in the first place.


    It wasn¡¯t as miraculous as the commonly known variant spirit beasts, but its peculiar transformation was absolutely the first of its kind.


    Although he didn¡¯t know whether or not this transformation resulted in strength greater than true Weeping Soul Beasts, Han Li was quite content after seeing these changes continue. After all, the refinement method of a true Weeping Soul Beast was a bloody affair. Although Han Li wasn¡¯t a soft person, he would¡¯ve found it difficult to refine it according to the methods that he was given.


    At that moment, the Weeping Soul Beast shot into Han Li¡¯s sleeve with a flash of white and silver light and deep breaths of sleep could be heard.


    Han Li faintly smiled in response, but soon his face grew solemn when he gazed at Stormwind Mountain in the distance.


    That previous umbra beast had been the last remaining giant umbra beast near Stormwind Mountain. They were now free to climb the mountain without obstruction.


    Han Li took a deep glance at the distant mountain and slowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We have to climb to the top of the mountain before the next spacial tear appears. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be stuck here several more months.¡±


    Mei Ning agreed, ¡°Of course! According to the native¡¯s method of predicting these intermittent spacial tears, the next tear should appear in about two weeks. If we were to miss it, we¡¯d have to wait another half year.¡±


    Han Li faintly smiled and took the lead towards the huge mountain.


    A quarter hour later, the two stood at the base of Stormwind Mountain.


    Although they didn¡¯t feel anything from that distance, they were awed as they stood before the mountain. There were no neighboring mountains, only several kilometers of a single, steep mountain.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately start off on his climb. He first turned to Mei Ning and discussed the method that would be best to climb the gargantuan mountain. Not long after, the two became two black dots that slowly disappeared from sight as they gradually made their way up.


    The first four kilometers weren¡¯t particularly difficult or strenuous for Han Li and Mei Ning, and they made their way up without much effort. But after that point, the bone-chilling Yin winds began to blow at faster speeds and with greater force.


    At that point, Han Li and Mei Ning covered themselves in several articles of fire-attribute beast hide clothing, but even with this, their faces paled as the cold winds tore their skin. Were they ordinary mortals, they would¡¯ve long since met their end by freezing over.


    After persisting for another hundred meters through the Yin wind, Han Li stopped with a frown and solemnly pondered for a moment before taking out a fist-sized white gem from within his robes. The gem released a faint white luster that quickly enveloped the two.


    The piercing Yin winds were greatly weakened upon touching the white light, and were no longer strong enough to do them harm. As a result, the two were able to arduously continue their ascent, relying on their beast hide clothes to resist the iciness of the air.


    Eventually, the ground became covered in frost and their footing became slippery, forcing the two of them to slow their ascent and walk with caution. Additionally, their breathes became visible and it became increasingly more difficult for them to breath. Mei Ning in particular was gasping for air with a completely flushed face.


    After an unknown amount of time passed as they continued on their trek, they found themselves before a precipitous expanse of glistening black ice. If one wasn¡¯t careful as they climbed, they would find themselves falling off the mountain.


    On their way, Han Li and Mei Ning had already put on rough scaled gloves out of necessity. Even with the gloves, the trek to that point had been incredibly difficult and the two would often lose their grip on the black frost.


    Han Li raised his head to look at the top of the glistening cliff and sighed. He then turned his head to the pale-faced woman at his side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a moment to rest beneath that cliff over there. We¡¯ll continue onward after we recover our strength.¡±


    Although she hadn¡¯t said anything, Han Li could tell at a glance that her strength was nearly exhausted. It would quite dangerous if she continued in this condition.


    When Mei Ning heard this, she let out a long breath and nodded with a forced smile.


    The huge cliff that Han Li spoke of was actually an inwardly slanted stone cliff. The appearance of such good shelter was quite timely, and the two hastily made their way towards it.


    Fog and howling winds blew on the outside as Han Li and Mei Ning walked beneath the cliff. With a cautious expression, Han Li took out a thumb sized bead that he wore on his wrist and had it emit a faint azure light. Just as the fog approached them, the azure light forcibly repelled the fog. However, the fog still lingered nearby as if it were waiting for an opportunity to draw closer.


    Mei Ning glanced at the fog and said, ¡°It seems that if it weren¡¯t for Brother Han¡¯s Matron Screen Pearl, we would¡¯ve been unable to make it past the Yin wind¡¯s strange fog!¡±


    Han Li smiled and thought to say something when he suddenly froze and began to concentrate on his hearing.


    When Mei Ning saw this, she was somewhat shocked and discreetly kept quiet.


    Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Be careful. Someone is approaching us from within the fog.¡± With a glint of azure light, an azure dagger appeared in his hand. He then stared into the fog in silence.


    With complete confidence in Han Li¡¯s words, Mei Ning immediately took a few steps back and stared outward with a nervous expression.

 Chapter 594

    Yin Yang Revolution Arts


    Not long after, Mei Ning heard the sound of soft and heavy footsteps slowly drawing closer to them. She nervously glanced at Han Li, who seemed to notice her gaze and gently smiled in response.


    Mei Ning unconsciously blushed and quickly focused her eyes away from Han Li, but she felt somewhat relieved as well.


    As the footsteps grew clearer, Han Li could hear the faint gasps of two people, much to his surprise.


    Han Li frowned and a trace of killing intent glinted within his eyes.


    Suddenly, the thick fog parted and revealed a young man with his head held high. He had an elegant face and wore a jade band around his waist that faintly appeared to shine with white light.


    However, when the man caught sight of Han Li, his face immediately distorted as he shouted in alarm, ¡°It¡¯s you!?¡±


    This man was the disciple of Archsaint Six Paths, Wen Tianren.


    Han Li expressionlessly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. You can now rest in peace!¡± With a flicker of azure light, Han Li tossed the dagger into the center of Weh Tianren¡¯s chest.


    Peng! The dagger was easily knocked away as if it had struck metal. The torn clothes revealed a faint flicker of green light.


    ¡°Inner armor?¡±


    Han Li was somewhat surprised that his strike was ineffective, but he snorted and waved his other hand, throwing another azure streak. This time, it was aimed at Wen Tianren¡¯s throat.


    At that moment, Wen Tianren reacted and dodged in alarm, his body evading the dagger in a blur. Just as the dagger missed, he shot into the fog behind him. It appeared his body was quite vigorous.


    With yet another attack missing, Han Li merely glanced at Wen Tianren¡¯s fleeing figure. He remained still with a sneer on his face.


    When Wen Tianren quickly turned his head around and saw Han Li¡¯s expression, he immediately felt that something was amiss and he turned around in a blur. But by then, it was already too late. He felt a piercing cold wind on the back of his neck followed by an icy sensation where the dagger struck him. The semi-transparent string of beast tendon that was tied around the dagger hilt was stretched taut.


    A stream of blood then began to flow from Wen Tianren¡¯s corpse. His eyes remained wide open during his last moments as if he couldn¡¯t believe that he had died in this manner.


    Han Li expressionlessly shook his right hand with his finger pulling on the taut tendon. The dagger then obediently flew out from Wen Tianren¡¯s neck and returned to his palm. At that moment, Han Li turned his gaze back into the dense fog and narrowed his eyes.


    A slim figure then slowly appeared from the fog, revealing a gorgeous young woman dressed in white.


    The woman smiled sweetly at Han Li and said, ¡°Brother Han! I didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d meet again.¡±


    ¡°Lady Violet Spirit!¡± Han Li nodded with a calm expression and had his two daggers disappear into his sleeves with a shake of his hands.


    Naturally, Han Li knew Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s greatly changed appearance after hearing her conversation with Wen Tianren when he was trapped inside the golden flames. After seeing her true appearance, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but concede that Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s grand reputation as one of the most beautiful women in the Scattered Star Seas was well deserved. Even Yuan Yao¡¯s magnificent, breath-taking beauty was a smidgen less than Violet Spirit¡¯s.


    But at that moment, Violet Spirit glanced down at the corpse on the ground and sighed, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t think that the self proclaimed top Core Formation cultivator, Young Master Wen, would meet his end at Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s hand. If this were told to others, I suspect that most of them wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Since I encountered him in this place, I naturally couldn¡¯t let him go,¡± Han Li calmly replied. He then walked to the side of Wen Tianren¡¯s corpse and took his storage pouch without reservation. At that same moment, he took a glance at the jade cloud belt with curiosity.


    Violet Spirit pursed her lips in a smile and explained, ¡°That is the Four Celestials Belt. It is embedded with four miraculous gems that are capable of resisting wind, fire, water and earth. Additionally, it is capable of keeping one¡¯s mind calm. It truly is a rare treasure. He had relied much on this belt to journey in this land without obstruction.¡±


    ¡°The Four Celestials Belt. It will prove quite useful at the moment.¡± After some hesitation, he bent down and took the belt off of Wen Tianren¡¯s corpse.


    He then searched through the corpse without reservation and found a dark green plate of inner armor along with several other treasures.


    ¡°Brother Han, who might this Fellow Daoist be?¡± Violet Spirit¡¯s bright gaze then turned to Mei Ning behind him.


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°That is Lady Mei. She is a Fellow Daoist who was teleported alongside me.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s Lady Mei!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had the pleasure of seeing you before!¡± Mei Ning felt somewhat awkward but she gazed at Violet Spirit with curiosity regardless.


    Fairy Violet Spirit was undoubtedly worthy of a grand reputation. Even Mei Ning remained mesmerized by her beauty for a while. She couldn¡¯t help but guess at the relationship between the two.


    Fairy Violet Spirit kindly smiled at Mei Ning and revealed an apologetic expression to Han Li, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please don¡¯t blame me for not assisting you that day. At the time¡­¡±


    Han Li waved his hand and interrupted her with a casual tone, ¡°There is no need for Lady Violet Spirit to speak of it! Although I don¡¯t know why you were together with Wen Tianren, I was able to see your unwillingness to be with him. Moreover, I clearly remember that you refused to act against my companion in the valley.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit inwardly sighed with relief upon seeing that Han Li wasn¡¯t angry with her and immediately smiled, saying, ¡°Since Brother Han has already recognized my difficulties, then I will say no more. However, would it be possible for me to travel alongside you two?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You¡¯ve already walked halfway into the fog and it would be difficult to turn back. Since we¡¯ve already made it this far, there is no point in wasting the effort.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Brother Han!¡± Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s moist eyes began to shine, revealing an incomparable beauty.


    Not long after, the three disappeared into the mist, leaving behind Wen Tianren¡¯s frozen corpse.


    ¡­


    At the same moment, a strange scene was occuring inside a cave.


    A gorgeous woman sat cross-legged on the ground across from a ghostly image surrounded in black Qi. The ghost was also sitting cross-legged. Although it appeared quite vague, it was reminiscent of a young woman.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister, have you truly decided to cultivate the Yin Yang Revolutions with me? It doesn¡¯t seem to be a wise decision.¡± A somewhat unfamiliar woman¡¯s voice urged against it.


    ¡°Senior Martial Sister Yan should know that because my original core was already shattered from using the Soulrise Technique, I had nearly cut off my path of cultivation. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t expect that after paying such a heavy cost that the Soulrise Technique would be interrupted by the sudden appearance of the ghost mist. Because Senior Martial Sister¡¯s soul has greatly condensed, she no longer has any hope of possessing a body. But fortunately, there is a silver lining. There is dense umbra Qi here is quite beneficial to those cultivating ghost Dao techniques. As for the Yin Yang Revolution Arts, it is a rarely seen human-ghost pair cultivation technique. By taking advantage of the umbra Qi, not only will Senior Martial Sister¡¯s cultivation quickly increase, but I will also have a chance of returning to Core Formation stage. Even Nascent Soul stage wouldn¡¯t be impossible.¡± Yuan Yao spoke with complete calmness.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s like that, I won¡¯t refuse any longer. However, I must warn Junior Martial Sister that although the technique will be incredibly effective by drawing support from the umbra Qi, you will suffer dire backlash and will also lose your right to reincarnation. You should consider it carefully. There is a reason why no one in the Azure Yang Sect used the cultivation art despite possessing it for so long.¡± The ghost woman seemed to have spoken the last two sentences with a trace of helplessness.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister doesn¡¯t need to say any further. I¡¯ve already made my decision. There will be no regrets!¡± Yuan Yao wore an expression of grave resolution.


    ¡°Alright, since Junior Martial Sister doesn¡¯t fear the consequences, then I won¡¯t regard them either. Let us cultivate the Yin Yang Revolutions Art!¡± After a long sigh from the vague ghost, it extended its two arms of black Qi.


    When Yuan Yao saw this, she extended her hands without hesitation and closed her eyes upon contact, setting forth on the path of cultivation once more.

 Chapter 595

    Breaking Away


    On a flat cliff on Stormwind Mountain stood a huge silver ape that was over forty meters tall. It was beating its chest while carrying Han Li, Mei Ning, and Violet Spirit on its back.


    Han Li gravely stared at the sky in silence while the two women¡¯s faces were pale, faintly revealing a trace of panic.


    There were over a thousand umbra beasts circling above them. There were beasts that were over twenty meters in length along with those that were only a foot long, all with wings that sprouted out from between their ribs. But regardless of size, they all looked fierce and malevolent without exception. However, these flying umbra beasts seemed to fear the overbearing pressure of the transformed Weeping Soul Beast and didn¡¯t dare to draw closer to them. They merely stayed in a deadlock by flying in circles above them.


    Han Li felt somewhat uneasy. From the greed revealed inside the umbra beasts¡¯ eyes, it was unclear how long their patience would hold before they started to attack.


    At the moment, Han Li was cursing the plump old man who had given him the information regarding the mountain. Although he did say that there were flying umbra beasts, he didn¡¯t say that they existed in such large quantities. It was unknown whether it had been deliberately concealed or if it truly wasn¡¯t known.


    After passing through the area with the dense fog, they had originally believed that they could have a moment of respite. However, they didn¡¯t expect for these flying beasts to immediately surround them. Helpless, Han Li could only release the Weeping Soul Beast and have it transform.


    Han Li was completely confident in the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s abilities at restraining umbra beasts, but there were truly too many in the sky. Han Li was unsure if the Weeping Soul Beast could deal with so many of them. But having reached this point, Han Li couldn¡¯t afford to think about it much more and could only do his utmost.


    Having come to that conclusion, Han Li turned around and whispered something to the scared Mei Ning and Violet Spirit. Afterwards, he handed them a small piece of jade and a soft beast hide shield. He then shook his sleeves and over ten daggers fell onto the ground with a series of clangs.


    Each of the daggers had a thin string of beast tendon tied around the hilt, connecting them to each of Han Li¡¯s fingers. However, Han Li had yet to control ten of them at one time, making it an unprecedented display.


    With his preparations completed, the umbra beasts above finally lost their patience and attacked.


    The largest among them, a three headed umbra beast, suddenly let out a terrifying shriek and swooped down without any regard for the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s strength.


    The battle had finally begun!


    At the same moment the demon beasts attacked, the huge ape took a deep breath and shut its mouth before spewing a mist of silver light from its nose, enveloping most of the umbra beasts in the air. These umbra beasts immediately released a miserable shriek as they dropped from the sky.


    However, two of the smaller umbra beasts managed to escape the mist¡¯s capture and swept down towards the three humans.


    One of the umbra beasts was then smashed away by the huge ape¡¯s first and fell over a cliff. As for the other, it appeared to be a two meter long eagle and took advantage of this opening to swoop down right at Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li grimly remained in place, but his fingers made a series of swift and nimble movements. Ten daggers then shot into the air and turned into a net of glinting daggers in the umbra beast¡¯s path.


    A dismal scream left the umbra beast¡¯s mouth.


    Even without the infusion of magic power, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were incredibly sharp. In an instant, the small umbra beast was skewered without resistance. As bloody chunks of flesh filled the sky, Han Li quickly dodged in a blur, but some of them still landed on him. After a slight grimace, he paid it no more attention as there were far more pressing matters at hand: another wave of winged umbra beasts was flying towards them.


    This wave had twice the number of the previous group of umbra beasts. Additionally, there were more umbra beasts approaching them from behind with an obvious eagerness to attack.


    Han Li¡¯s mind grew stern and he instantly waved his arms, forming a net of swords yet again. However, the net now covered a slightly wider range that also protected Mei Ning and Violet Spirit.


    Following the mists of silver light and the azure glints, wretched screams quickly filled the sky.


    ¡­


    Seven days later, under the scorchingly bright noon sun, an expanse of glimmering sea was deathly calm. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest wave or sea breeze as if the nearby sea was completely void of life.


    Suddenly, a series of waves began to roil and suddenly released a cloud of black fog. The pitch-black fog rapidly permeated throughout the air and instantly spread over several hundred meters.


    At that moment, thunder began to clap and silver light flashed from the black fog before a sphere of silver radiance appeared from within it. A faint, wide silhouette with a pair of silver wings could be seen within.


    Before this figure could be clearly seen, the silver radiance wildly flashed several times before completely disappearing, leaving only echoes of thunder behind. A second later, a person could be seen at the edge of the black mist, but he intermittently disappeared and reappeared, filling the sky with flickers of light and rolls of thunder. It appeared as if they wished to escape from that desolate place as quickly as possible.


    The sea then returned to silence. Only the rapidly expanding black fog remained, continuing to silently release bursts of black lightning.


    About five hundred kilometers away from the black mist, the silver light faded away to reveal Han Li holding Violet Spirit in one arm and Mei Ning in the other. From how tightly they were holding onto him, it appeared quite intimate.


    Han Li appeared somewhat better off than the other two. Despite his overwhelmed senses, he managed to keep a calm face. However, the two women in his embrace were slightly scarlet, revealing a heart-moving tenderness.


    Han Li took a glance around and wore an expression of relief. He then relaxed his grasp on the two women in an honorable manner and said, ¡°This should be enough. The ghost mist can¡¯t reach us now.¡±


    ¡°I must truly give my thanks to Fellow Daoist Han. If it weren¡¯t for your miraculous movement technique, it¡¯s quite likely that we wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape.¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister Violet Spirit speaks truly. If it weren¡¯t for Brother Han¡¯s amazingly swift actions, we may have been sucked back into the Umbra Realm. We¡¯ve troubled Brother Han greatly.¡±


    As soon as Violet Spirit and Mei Ning left Han Li¡¯s embrace, their bodies began to shine with light as they floated at Han Li¡¯s side.


    Several days before, the three had encountered many dangers, but managed to climb up to Stormwind Mountain¡¯s summit by relying on the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s strength. During the time they waited for the spacial tear to open, the two women found each other¡¯s company extremely agreeable, and not long after, they became sworn sisters, much to Han Li¡¯s surprise.


    Several days after reaching the summit, a hundred-meter-wide spacial tear appeared about a kilometer above Stormwind Mountain. Massive amounts of Heaven-Earth spiritual Qi began to flow in from the outside, restoring the trio¡¯s magic power in an instant and allowing them to fly into the air with joy.


    However, Han Li truly didn¡¯t expect that in the instant he left the tear that an immense suction force would pull at him from behind. He hadn¡¯t been able to move in the slightest and was slowly being dragged back in.


    Fortunately, Han Li quickly came to his senses and immediately unfolded the Thunderstorm Wings as he flickered several times to grab onto the two women, before launching himself out of the black mist. As a result, the two gave him their heartfelt thanks.


    When Violet Spirit recovered her bearings, she casually swept her gaze over the ocean and frowned, ¡°Where is this place? How can it be so odd? It¡¯s completely calm!¡±


    Mei Ning¡¯s face appeared puzzled after taking a glance down, ¡°What? It is truly as Elder Sister Violet Spirit says. This is quite amiss, there isn¡¯t the slightest breeze and the seas are completely still.¡±


    Han Li remained silent as he narrowed his eyes and released his spiritual sense. He began to sweep the depths of the nearby seas, and after a short moment, Han Li revealed an expression of shock.


    Violet Spirit had also swept her spiritual sense deep into the seas and after a moment, her beautiful eyes were filled with shock, ¡°Could it be Brother Han has discovered something? There are so few fish in the sea and they all seem to be extremely fierce sea beasts. However, none of them appear to be demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment!¡± Han Li then took a deep breath and flicked his finger, shooting a ten meter streak of azure swordlight deep into the waters below.


    A short moment later, a grotesque sea beast corpse floated to the water¡¯s surface, much to the shock of the two women.

 Chapter 596

    Marriage to a Concubine


    The sea beast corpse before them was over a dozen meters long. It had azure scales on its body and small, sharp teeth. It also had massively swollen eyes. It appeared quite fiendish, but what was most noticeable about its appearance were the crooked tusks that grew from the bottom of its cheeks.


    Han Li grew closer to the corpse and carefully examined it several times before a flicker of understanding appeared in his eyes. He then cleaved the demon corpse into two with a streak of swordlight.


    With a wave of his hand, a pitch-black item flew into his grasp. He took a whiff of it without any hesitation and found that it had an odd pungent smell that faintly contained a trace of flowery fragrance.


    Han Li tossed the item away and revealed a strange expression as he muttered, ¡°So its a Fragrant Tusk Beast.¡±


    ¡°Fragrant Tusk Beast?¡± Violet Spirit was stunned and glanced at Mei Ning. The two women revealed a trace of confusion as it was their first time of hearing such a name.


    ¡°It is natural that you two wouldn¡¯t know of this sea beast. These beasts are absent in the Scattered Star Seas. They are unique to these strange depths.¡±


    Fairy Violet Spirit gravely said, ¡°From your tone, it seems Brother Han already knows that we are no longer in the Scattered Star Seas.¡±


    Han Li swept his gaze past the dull ocean and nodded his head with a wry smile, ¡°That is correct. We are no longer in the Scattered Star Seas. Although I¡¯ve never been here before, I¡¯ve heard many people speak of it. If I haven¡¯t guessed incorrectly, this place should be the Endless Seas.¡± He then turned his head to the sky and silently became lost in thought.


    ¡°The Endless Seas?¡± They clearly hadn¡¯t heard of this name before.


    Violet Spirit muttered to herself before wearing a smile and gently asking, ¡°Brother Han seems to hold some knowledge of these seas. Could you give us sisters an explanation?¡±


    Han Li awoke from his indescribable wave of emotion calmly nodded his head, ¡°Of course. That won¡¯t be a problem. As the term implies, the Endless Seas is known to the Heavenly South Region to be without end. It¡­¡± Han Li leisurely began to speak of the legends and hearsays of the Endless Seas in full detail. At the same time he spoke, a question buried deeply in his heart began to surface after remaining there for such a long time.


    With a tone of astonishment, Violet Spirit said, ¡°From Brother Han¡¯s words, this Endless Seas should be north of the Heavenly South Region. And not only is there little life in these seas, but there also exists no islands.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his nose and calmly replied, ¡°That¡¯s is right, much to our great distress. Without islands, we fundamentally have no method of determining our location. We have no way of knowing how far we are from the Heavenly South Continent.¡±


    The two women couldn¡¯t help but look at each other dismay.


    After some thought, Han Li firmly said, ¡°Regardless, we must head south without delay and reach the mainland before we run out of spirit stones. Hopefully it won¡¯t be too far away.¡±


    Violet Spirit agreed with a trace of helplessness, ¡°Since that is the case, we can only hope that the Heavens favor us!¡± Mei Ning naturally followed along without complaint.


    As a result, the three recognized their bearings before immediately heading south.


    Several days later, Mei Ning and Violet Spirit became entirely convinced of Han Li¡¯s judgements. During their entire journey, there were no islands to speak of and the sea was completely void of Qi. Additionally, there wasn¡¯t a single demon beast in the oceans, only fierce looking sea beasts.


    When these women discovered these circumstances for the first time, they were completely baffled.


    Perhaps due to their previous experiences of having undergone tribulations together, the three behaved quite harmoniously and bantered along the journey. As for Han Li, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart stir in the presence of these two beautiful women.


    However, now that he had arrived at the Endless Seas, the face of an icy woman came to mind ¨C Nangong Wan. It was unknown where this Masked Moon Sect Core Formation cultivator had gone, but when he thought of her, a strange emotion began to well in his heart. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was foolish attachment, tender affection, or annoyance, as if a thousand different feelings had muddled his mind. He couldn¡¯t make heads of what he currently felt.


    Regardless, the party of three continued their flight for four months before eventually spotting an expanse of green on the horizon. The three were immensely rejoiced at the sight, and their most pressing worry was relieved. They then flew towards the mainland in excitement.


    The State of Xi was the Heavenly South Region¡¯s northmost country. It was about a third smaller than Han Li¡¯s home country, the State of Yue, and it was divided into seven provinces. The Min Province was the largest province among them and was also the one that neighbored the Endless Seas.


    As of current, Han Li had brought Mei Ning and Violet Spirit to a restaurant¡¯s private room in a small city of the Min Province.


    Violet Spirit coquettishly glanced at Han Li in feigned anger and said, ¡°Brother Han, so it turned out that you came from the Heavenly South Region. You¡¯ve sure put us through a bit of trouble for having hid this so well.¡±


    Not long before, Han Li had divulged a few small details about his identity, astonishing the two women. Of course, the two had already guessed as much considering Han Li¡¯s familiarity with the Endless Seas, so it hadn¡¯t come with too much surprise.


    Han Li hoarsely laughed, appearing to be in a good mood. ¡°What is there to say? I unintentionally fled to the Scattered Star Seas. I truly didn¡¯t expect to be brought back to the Heavenly South so soon.¡±


    Violet Spirit pursed her lips in a smile and playfully said, ¡°Since Brother Han is a lord of the land, he must properly entertain us sisters of course!¡± Because she feared that her stunning beauty would arouse trouble, she had already restored her original appearance to when she had first met Han Li. However, Han Li still felt shaken by her beauty as if he could see it through her disguise.


    ¡°Hehe! Of course. However, I¡¯ve lost all relation to my sect after fleeing to the Scattered Star Seas. How could I possibly be a lord of this land? However, I¡¯m going to give you each a jade slip that I made in particular to translate the script and language of the Heavenly South. Since you won¡¯t be able to return to the Scattered Star Seas for a while, you may as well learn the language. It will make things far more convenient in the future.¡± Han Li then took out two white jade slips he had made the previous night and handed it over to them.


    ¡°Hehe! Many thanks, Brother Han!¡± Violet Spirit was initially stunned, she soon thanked him a chuckled and accepted the jade slip.


    Mei Ning also took the jade slip and gratefully whispered thanks.


    ¡°However, I imagine you two will have your plans for the future. As for me, I will be preparing to inquire what has happened in the Heavenly South Region the past couple hundred years before immediately finding a cave residence for secluded cultivation. Because I¡¯ve faintly felt that I¡¯ve already reached the peak of Core Formation stage, I want to make preparations to form a Nascent Soul.¡± After Han Li said this, he sipped on the fragrant tea before him and lightly pursed his lips, calmly paying attention to the women¡¯s reaction in front of them.


    After a moment of consideration, Violet Spirit¡¯s luminous eyes rippled as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve only formed a core just recently and I¡¯ve yet to stabilize my cultivation. I also intend on finding a cave residence to cultivate for a time before further planning what to do. Little Sister Mei, what do you intend on doing?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, she muttered,¡±I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve only reached mid Foundation Establishment stage. Based on my aptitude, my hopes of reaching Core Formation are quite slim. Apart from finding a heaven-defying spirit medicine, my only hope is to find a high grade cultivator and marry him as a concubine. Perhaps I will be able to form a core through pair cultivation!¡±


    Violet Spirit shook her head and dissuaded her, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel indignity from marrying as a concubine? How will that do?¡±


    Han Li frowned in response, but he remained silent.


    Violet Spirit continued, ¡°Becoming a concubine isn¡¯t much different from becoming a cultivation vessel. If you were to come across a malicious high grade cultivator, it wouldn¡¯t be unimaginable for him to regard you as a cultivation vessel. This plan isn¡¯t reliable.¡±


    When Mei Ning heard this, she bit her lips in silence with a sad expression on her face.


    After seeing Mei Ning¡¯s sad face, Violet Spirit suddenly thought of something and covered her smile in her hand before saying, ¡°Even if little sister wishes to become a concubine for pair cultivation techniques, then it would be best to find a reliable person you are familiar with. For example, I feel like Brother Han would be very reliable and wouldn¡¯t wrong little sister in the slightest.¡±


    Han Li was shocked, but soon he calmly rubbed his nose as if this had nothing to do with him. Mei Ning then let out a gasp of surprise and her face soon blushed, revealing a gorgeous allure. She then lowered her head in silence as if she didn¡¯t oppose Violet Spirit¡¯s scheme.


    After all, Han Li held deep cultivation that had already reached late Core Formation stage. Although he was about to prepare to condense a Nascent Soul, from her experience in the Umbra Realm, she came to realize that Han Li wasn¡¯t an insidious or unfeeling person.


    As a result, even if she didn¡¯t have the qualifications to become his Dao companion, she would be quite satisfied to become his concubine.


    With her alluring beauty and cultivation, it was inevitable that she would attach herself to a powerful male cultivator. Else, she would encounter great difficult in the cultivation world, or worse, she would immensely suffer at the hands of others. And with her brother gone, she only had herself to rely on, causing a dreadful encounter to become all the more likely.


    The atmosphere in their private room suddenly became exceptionally stale following Violet Spirit¡¯s words.

 Chapter 597

    Drifting Cloud Sect


    Seeing that Han Li remained silent, Fairy Violet Spirit smiled and asked, ¡°Brother Han, how do you feel about marrying her? Little Sister Mei Ning¡¯s beautiful appearance should more than qualify her enough to become your concubine. Surely you wouldn¡¯t refuse such a pleasant matter that has come knocking on your door?¡±


    Han Li unconsciously frowned and turned to look at the charming, bright appearance of Mei Ning.


    Mei Ning held her head low and a faint blush was revealed from her snow-white neck, making for a rather touching scene. It seemed she had tacitly agreed with Violet Spirit¡¯s proposal.


    Han Li slowly spoke with a calm expression, ¡°Based on her appearances alone, she wouldn¡¯t qualify as a mere concubine of a high grade cultivator; even being a Dao companion wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. However, I am different from common cultivators. I have dedicated myself to the pursuit of immortality and cannot easily involve myself with the affairs of men and women. Furthermore, I am a lone wanderer and often encounter perilous situations. How could I possibly take in a concubine? If Fellow Daoist Mei were to follow me, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for her at all; it would only lead her down a path of unprecedented hardship!¡±


    Mei Ning¡¯s body faintly trembled upon hearing him and her blush hastily faded away. She only raised her head to reveal a paled face.


    As if greatly discontent with Han Li¡¯s refusal of the beautiful woman, Violet Spirit annoyedly said, ¡°But in the end, Brother Han is still rejecting her. Needless to say, with your late Core Formation cultivation, who could possibly pose a threat to you apart from Nascent Soul eccentrics? Perhaps Fellow Daoist may soon succeed in condensing a Nascent Soul. After that, the entire world would be free to roam as you choose. How would you be unable to protect Little Sister Mei Ning?¡±


    Han Li flatly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit should already be aware. Although I believe myself to be a level higher than similar grade cultivators, I¡¯ve always provoked enmity from foes far stronger than I. Until I reach Nascent Soul stage and possess enough power to defend myself, I cannot possibly consider taking in a concubine. When the time comes that I am incapable of defending her, she will only face a bitter reality.¡±


    Violet Spirit creased her brow, knowing that Han Li had spoken truthfully. Moreover, she faintly felt that Han Li was somewhat displeased. She could only sigh and avoid further mentioning the topic.


    Mei Ning eventually recovered her calm and bit her lips while staring at Han Li and asking, ¡°Since Brother Han didn¡¯t reject this little woman based on her lacking appeal, would you be willing to accept me after you enter Nascent Soul stage?¡±


    Han Li looked at the woman and calmly said, ¡°Nascent Soul stage? I don¡¯t have any certainty that I will be able to condense a Nascent Soul. Furthermore, even if I am able to reach the Nascent Soul stage, I have no idea about how many years it will take. Would Fellow Daoist Mei be willing to wait over a hundred years for an uncertain chance that I would able to condense a Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± When Mei Ning heard this, her expression grew unclear and she was incapable of responding. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even thirty years was too long, let alone a hundred. Although Han Li made for a very good choice for pair cultivation, she didn¡¯t have the time to wait for an uncertain result.


    After all, the cultivation world was a truly cruel place. Although she had only spent a short amount of time together with Han Li and had a favorable impression of him, it was impossible for her to have fallen so completely in love with him that she¡¯d ignore the consequences.


    Seeing her hesitation, Han Li could only inwardly sigh and placed two bottles onto the table before pushing them towards her.


    Han Li unhurriedly said, ¡°These are a few cultivation progression pills that I concocted from demon cores. Instead of seeking a man to pair cultivate with, it may be better to diligently cultivate by yourself. Perhaps you¡¯ll even form a golden core like Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit.¡±


    Since these medicine pills were for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they no longer had any value to Han Li, but since the woman had passed on her Transient Spirit Qi to him, he may as well use this opportunity to repay the favor without much effort. As such, he would no longer need to dwell on the matter.


    ¡°Medicine pills concocted from demon cores?¡± Mei Ning appeared moved and unconsciously reached for one. After opening the bottle¡¯s lid, a fragrant odor instantly filled the room. ¡°These are top grade medicine pills!¡±


    Mei Ning then stared at Han Li in confusion. She was at a complete loss for words. Han Li had treated her with such amorous disregard in the Umbra Realm, but he then refused to take her in as a concubine. Even more baffling, he had then taken out precious medicine pills for her.


    Fairy Violet Spirit glanced at the medicine pills with a trace of astonishment but she immediately chuckled, ¡°Hehe! Brother Han is truly magnanimous. Since Fellow Daoist Han has said as much, Little Sister should accept them. Perhaps with a few more medicine pills, you will truly be able to enter Core Formation. If that were to occur, us sisters should join hands so that we may travel unfettered.¡±


    Mei Ning glanced at Han Li with a complicated expression and whispered a word of thanks before taking the small medicine bottles into her storage pouch.


    Han Li faintly smiled in response and turned towards the window, glancing down at the small city¡¯s streets.


    It was bustling with activity, reminding Han Li of a familiar scene that he had long forgotten. His smile then turned into a faint sigh.


    Seeing that Han Li wore such an expression, Violet Spirit and Mei Ning couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other in confusion.


    ¡­


    The Nan Province was located in the western portion of the State of Xi. The land there was quite complicated, containing many hills and jungles with the occasional swamp miasma occasionally wandering the land. As a result, there were only a few main roads connecting the several villages in the area, and few ever tread into the wilderness. As for the mountain ranges, they were home to particularly vicious beasts, detering anyone from visiting them.


    This had caused the area to be abundant with rare medicinal herbs and beasts, much to the joy of the country¡¯s cultivators. This had led to a majority of the country¡¯s cultivators to be located in this province. A few of the more powerful cultivator sects even monopolized a few of the areas with the more abundant Spiritual Qi.


    As for the mountain range in the province known as the Dreamcloud Mountains, it was an area famed in the Heavenly South for its sacred spirit veins. In the profound spirit veins of the mountain grew the legendary Spirit Well Tree, the final type of the three divine woods.


    The local powers held this tree in even greater esteem than the Heaven Lightning Bamboo and Soul Nurturing Wood because of a spirit milk that was produced by the tree every two hundred years known as ¡°wine nectar¡±. Although the liquid couldn¡¯t be directly used, it could be refined into many types of exceptionally powerful spiritual medicines. Among these was a legendary sacred medicine known as the Spirit Tempering Pill.


    The Spirit Tempering Pill was also known as the Soul Pacifying Pill. Not only could it increase one¡¯s cultivation a certain amount, it could also harden one¡¯s heart and calm one¡¯s soul, alleviating a cultivator of any inner demons that may haunt them.


    Condensing a Nascent Soul was quite unlike forming a core. Apart from requiring a certain degree of luck and depth of cultivation, condensing a Nascent Soul also subjected oneself to the disturbances of illusions and inner demons. After all, transforming one¡¯s core into a Nascent Soul was a fearsome test of mental endurance and willpower.


    The heaven-defying treasure of the Dreamcloud Mountains¡¯ spirit veins with the addition of the extraordinary concentration of spiritual Qi that it contained had attracted countless sects with the desire to establish their base their. As a result of endless battles and subterfuge, the territory was currently being held by an alliance of three sects: The Ancient Sword Sect, the Drifting Cloud Sect, and the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    With the three strongest forces in the State of Xi combining power, other sects could only extinguish any hopes of seizing the spirit veins and watch helplessly.


    Sitting down on the steps of one of the peaks of the Dreamcloud Mountains, Han Li was pondering over information that had to do with the mountains and was examining the nearby environment.


    There were a few young men and women silently walking on the mountain paths, each with an expression of excitement. When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled. As the great Drifting Cloud Sect was about to recruit a new batch of new disciples in the coming days, these Qi Condensation youths were brimming with anticipation.


    Having spent half a month in this place, it was only natural that he knew of this. Their famed pill concoction technique was one of various reasons he chose to infiltrate the sect. However, he wasn¡¯t going to enter as a Core Formation cultivator, but an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator.


    Unless a mid Nascent Soul cultivator were to closely examine him, none would be able to see through the miraculous effects of the nameless Qi restraining incantation. It was only because of this that he dared to follow through with his plan.


    When he suddenly recalled what happened before he had parted with Violet Spirit and Mei Ning, he bitterly chuckled.


    According to his original plans, he had found a place to establish a cave residence and consumed a few medicine pills in order to reach the peak of Core Formation stage. While the Transient Spirit Qi had progressed his cultivation somewhat, it wasn¡¯t enough to genuinely advance him into False Nascent Stage.


    However, something unexpected occurred that had completely overturned his plans.


    When he took a medicine pill, he astonishedly discovered that the medicine pill had completely lost effect for him. Regardless of whether it was the grade six demon beast pills or the grade seven demon beasts, they all had no effect on him. He was left at a complete loss.

 Chapter 598

    The Four Great Powers


    Han Li had anticipated that the medicine pills would eventually lose their effect on him. While medicine pills are able to rapidly progress one¡¯s cultivation, it possessed its own flaws. When one¡¯s magic power reached a certain level, the original medicine pills would lack the medicinal power to be effective. Additionally, with his meridians being purified from the lingering effects of the rainbow beads and his continuously increases in magic power, Han Li became capable of absorbing more spiritual power in one instance. He had reached a stage where his speed at absorbing Heaven-Earth spiritual Qi was nearly the same as absorbing spiritual power from medicine pills.


    Of course, this resulted in medicine pills gradually losing their original efficacy. Consequently, even if Han Li took a large amount of Foundation Establishment level pills they would have no effect on him.


    However, his current predicament with the ineffective pills was caused from him crossing through entirely different worlds. This was something he couldn¡¯t have possibly anticipated.


    Both the jade slips and the Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s experiences both mentioned that while grade six demon cores might¡¯ve no longer been useful, grade seven demon core medicine pills should be effective before a Nascent Soul is formed. However, they now had hardly any effect on him.


    After some careful thought, he could only accept that the medicine pills had lost their effectiveness earlier than anticipated and he had finally become resistant to medicine again.


    Of course, Han Li guessed that this also may have something to do with either Feng Xi¡¯s Jadefire Wine or Mei Ning¡¯s Transient Spirit Qi.


    One was an item that humans should¡¯ve never been able to drink while the other was one known to be one of the seven purest spiritual Qi in the world. It would be quite ordinary for their use to have repercussions.


    Since these circumstances have already occurred, there was no point in investigating the true cause of the loss of medicinal effectiveness since it could no longer be changed. He was unwilling to spend a large amount of effort on something that would be fruitless. Instead, he began to think of plans for the future.


    He still had the demon core of the grade eight flood dragon in his hand. But since it was such a precious material that could hardly be found, he was completely unwilling to refine it into a medicine pill since there was such a high chance of failure. Additionally, this would result in only one or two pills; it wouldn¡¯t be enough to bring him to false Nascent stage.


    As a result, his only choice was to strenuously cultivate to increase his magic power a bit at a time just like everyone else. It was just that he hadn¡¯t experienced such slow progress for quite a long time.


    With that thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile.


    Fortunately, he was only a short distance away from reaching the peak Core Formation stage. He figured that if he was provided with an abundant amount of spiritual Qi, it would only take him about ten years worth of effort. As such, he had to find a place with acceptable spirit veins. If he were to cultivate in an area with weak spiritual Qi, it would take him several times longer, an unacceptable result.


    But when speaking of spirit veins, the Heavenly South Region and the Scattered Star Seas were quite different. The Scattered Star Seas had an abundance of islands and few people with free land as far as the eye could see. There were countless islands with as many unclaimed spirit veins. Contrarily, the land in the Heavenly South was fixed, but there were also many people.


    Although the area can be considered large, all of the notable spirit veins had already been occupied by sects and cultivator clans of all sizes. Even the areas with meager spiritual Qi that had escaped their notice were already taken up by vagrant cultivators. There was nothing valuable left.


    With sole regards to natural cultivation resources, the Heavenly South Region was far too lacking in comparison with the Scattered Star Seas!


    Under these circumstances, Han Li could only sneak into a cultivator clan or sect if he wished to continue his cultivation.


    While Han Li¡¯s current abilities would allow him to forcefully seize any spirit veins belonging to a cultivation clan or smaller sects and take them over, he feared this would immediately cause him to come under the notice of Nascent Soul cultivators once again. Han Li was done with being pursued by Nascent Soul eccentrics and only wished to condense his Nascent Soul in peace.


    But when cultivator clans came to mind, Han Li immediately rejected the idea.


    What cultivator clan would have the power to occupy an exceptional spirit veins? None of them would be to his satisfaction. Moreover, outsiders would never be able to mingle inside a cultivator clan.


    Cultivation sects were quite different, especially the larger sects. Not only did they occupy the best spirit veins, but they also had many high grade cultivators. Whenever something happened, he wouldn¡¯t need to display his true cultivation and there would be little interference with his cultivation. It was truly leisurely to take cover underneath a larger power


    After he condensed a Nascent Soul, he would no longer have anything to fear. He reckoned that when that time came, the upper echelon of any sect would try to entice him through any means possible if he were to reveal himself. After all, who would be so foolish as to make enemies with a Nascent Soul cultivator?


    With this in mind, Han Li began to recall the sacred spirit veins of Dreamcloud Mountain which were renowned in the entirety of the Heavenly South Region. In the end, the three great cultivator sects that occupied the spirit veins became priority targets for Han Li.


    Since he wished to enter one of the sects, Han Li naturally needed to compare the three sects¡¯ characteristics and drawbacks.


    But before all of this occurred, Han Li had already paid a visit to a small market city and acquired information on the past hundred years in the Heavenly South Region.


    Before Han Li had parted ways with the two sworn sisters, he had shared a bit of information with them. As the two women were foreigners to this land, they particularly desired to become familiar with the circumstances and great powers of this land.


    The Heavenly South Region¡¯s power structure had greatly changed since Han Li had last been there.


    First of all, the nine countries of the Heavenly South had been divided between the Devil Dao, the Righteous Dao, the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the Nine Nations Union. There were no longer individual powers controlling each of the states.


    Previously, Han Li was only aware of the Righteous Dao, Devilish Dao, and the Nine Nations Union. After Han Li had left for the Scattered Star Seas, the superpower known as the Heavenly Dao Alliance was formed. It consisted of the cultivators of over ten various sized countries in order to stand in opposition against the Righteous and Devilish Dao. While it was larger than both the Devil and the Righteous Dao, it wouldn¡¯t be a match if the Righteous and Devil Dao were to band together.


    However, it was only by a tacit agreement that the two sides wouldn¡¯t interfere with one another while they expanded by annexing their neighboring countries. Even during this short moment of peace, they still considered themselves enemies the entire time. There was no possible way they could possibly form an alliance.


    Additionally, disputes had risen internally over the distribution of their newly found gains and both sides had sunk into internal strife. Neither of them were interested in confronting the Heavenly Dao Alliance.


    As for the Heavenly Dao Alliance, they were only a loosely connected alliance to begin with. Having the Righteous and Devil Dao leave them alone was exactly what they had wanted. Also, it was likely they didn¡¯t have the courage to attack them in the first place.


    With this, the three superpowers came to an equilibrium.


    In fact, the reason as to why there was a hundred years of peace had much to do with the Nine Nations Union.


    The Nine Nations Union had taken many of the cultivation sects and vagrant cultivators that were displaced by the Righteous and Devil Dao, including the Seven Sects of Yue, and were greatly strengthened as a result. With this great increase in power, they had originally believed that they would be able to suppress the spell warriors of the Moulan Plains [1]. However, they truly didn¡¯t expect that in their war with the Moulan tribes, that the formidable armies of two additional tribes would come to their aid in such a timely coincidence, multiplying the number of spell warriors.


    The battle between both sides intensified and led to several large battles, resulting in a massive amount of deaths on both sides. Even so, the Nine Nations Union found themselves at a disadvantage and even had some of their land seized.


    Helpless, the Nine Nations Union began to request assistance from the Devil Dao, Righteous Dao, and Heavenly Dao Alliance for assistance. They also threatened that if the three powers were unwilling to send men, they would bluntly withdraw, and allow the Moulan¡¯s spell warriors to enter their lands.


    When the three parties received this information, they all sent men to assist despite their unwillingness. They all knew that if the Nine Nations Union were to withdraw, then the ferocious Moulan¡¯s spell warriors would bring them no small amount of trouble in the coming days.


    With the reinforcements, the Nine Nations Unions was able to score a decisive victory, leaving several thousands of cultivators dead. They were able to gain steady footing against the Moulan¡¯s attacks and were once again able to stand firm.


    From then on, the Nine Nations Union decided to shrewdly request the three superpowers to alternatively send them reinforcements in order to resist the Moulan¡¯s attacks. Otherwise, if the three superpowers chose to remain passive, then they would do so as well and allow the Moulan to freely wreak havoc in their territories.


    Thus after long negotiations, the four superpowers eventually reached an agreement. With the Nine Nations Union as the leader and the other three parties as subordinates, they created a joint pact against the Moulan.


    As a result of this pact, the Righteous and Devil Dao had managed to remain at peace for over a hundred years despite having completely annexed their massive domains. With the threat of the Moulan covetously looming over their shoulders, they didn¡¯t dare to rashly start another war.


    As for the State of Xi and its two neighboring countries, they both belonged to the Heavenly Dao Alliance. The Ancient Sword Sect, the Drifting Cloud Sect, and Hundred Possibilities Pavilion were among the core sects of the alliance.


    [1] The Moulan Tribes were introduced in chapter 358.

 Chapter 599

    Entering the Sect (1)


    Of the three sects controlling the sacred spirit veins, the most optimal choice for Han Li wasn¡¯t the Drifting Cloud Sect but the Hundred Possibilities Sect that was well known for its tool refinement.


    In addition to his original goals of finding a cultivation area, the Hundred Possibilities Sect disciples were particularly adept at refining all sorts of magic tools. Rumor has it that the sect even possessed refinement methods for peak grade magic treasures.


    These treasures caused Han Li¡¯s heart to stir. However, it was a pity that the sect recruited disciples in the same manner as the State of Yue¡¯s Seven Sects used to: they prioritized recruitment from cultivation clans and only rarely accepted outsiders as disciples.


    Furthermore, a union of the five most powerful cultivator clans within the sect had monopolized the sect¡¯s allocated section of the Dreamcloud Mountain¡¯s spirit veins in the west. Both of these factors had caused Han Li to relinquish any thoughts of joining this sect with slight regret.


    As for the Ancient Sword Sect, as its name implies, it is extremely adept at sword controlling techniques. All of their magic tools and magic treasures were various types of differently sized swords. As for the sect protecting arts, the True Absolute Sword Arts, it was incredibly incisive and was widely known throughout the country.


    The Ancient Sword Sect didn¡¯t exclusively take in disciples from cultivator clans, it also took in young vagrant cultivators. However, the sect required one to be extremely suited to their sword arts. If one¡¯s aptitude didn¡¯t match the sect¡¯s cultivation techniques, they weren¡¯t taken in. This was why they had the fewest disciples of the three sects despite how often they were recruiting.


    On the other hand, by relying on their domineering attacks, the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect prevailed over opponents of similar cultivation, leading the sect to be the most powerful of the three. As a matter of course, they held the main spirit vein of Dreamcloud Mountain.


    The final sect was the Drifting Cloud Sect. Instead of being renowned for its weapon refinement like the Hundred Possibilities Sect, the Drifting Cloud Sect was famed for its pill concoction.


    The legendary Spirit Tempering Pill was something that only a few of the sect¡¯s elders were capable of concocting. So despite the sect¡¯s inferior strength in comparison to the other two, it managed to acquire the east portion of the mountain¡¯s spirit vein. Additionally, the Drifting Cloud Sect recruited the most disciples and possessed the least demanding requirements.


    On a whole, the sect only had two conditions for accepting disciples: Primarily, it required that that one possessed decent spiritual roots and a capacity to be nurtured. Lacking that, they were also more than willing to accept any disciples that had poor aptitudes so long as their cultivation had already reached a high enough layer.


    After all, the Drifting Cloud Sect pursued a disorganized assortment of various disciplines outside of its renowned pill concoction technique. These fledgling disciplines required large quantities of low level cultivators in order to progress.


    As for vagrant Qi Condensation cultivators with poor aptitudes, they clearly understood that they had no future prospects after joining the sect and would eternally be low grade disciples. Regardless, they joined with thoughts similar to Han Li¡¯s; It was quite convenient to take shelter in the great power of the Drifting Cloud Sect. It was for this reason that vagrant cultivators flocked to the sect in large numbers.


    With the lax acceptance policies and the enticement of the legendary Spirit Tempering Pill, the sect seemed to be the optimal choice for Han Li to infiltrate.


    With some lingering uncertainty, Han Li made a few additional inquiries and learned that the sect would soon be taking in more disciples, immediately dispelling any of his reservations. Without revealing any of his plans, he immediately took off and parted with the two women after making a few preparations.


    As recruitment day drew near, many Qi Condensation cultivators began to gather on the road. When Han Li saw this from the top of his mountain, he calmly joined them.


    On his walk along the path, he unhurriedly walked for about two hours without reaching the end. This wasn¡¯t because the mountain was large but because the stone roads were being affected by a few shallow illusion techniques. They probably wished to use this to grind down the number of cultivators that wished to enter the sect.


    Given the lax entrance conditions of the Drifting Cloud Sect, they may as well cull the cultivators that were too impatient to walk along the path.


    The several cultivators that walked in front of Han Li had discovered something amiss, and immediately gathered together and started whispering to each other. They seemed to have guessed what was going on and continued to walk forward without hesitation.


    The group of cultivators seemed to be acquaintances. Despite having been ignored, Han Li continued on his way without paying them any heed.


    After yet another hour walking along the stone path, they eventually reached some blue stairs. The group of cultivators happily quickened their pace as they climbed up the stairs. Still indifferent, Han Li calmy climbed the steps and examined the scene at the top.


    There was a huge, pure white platform that was over four hundred meters wide, and the only other structure present was a small unremarkable pavilion on the other side. There were several tens of different groups of variously clothed cultivators around it, but no one dared to step inside the pavilion. As for Han Li and the group in front of him, they wordlessly joined groups already there and sat down among them.


    Han Li inwardly sneered at the scene in front of him. While Qi Condensation vagrant cultivators were unable to see anything, Han Li was able to see through the illusion formation with his spiritual sense.


    The small stone pavilion before them was actually a huge white jade tower. A sign hung from the tower had three large golden words, ¡°Illusory Cloud Hall¡±. Three people stood underneath the huge sign and were looking down at the unknowing Qi Condensation cultivators below, talking amongst themselves as they gestured.


    They relied solely on the spell formation for concealment and made no other effort to hide themselves.


    Of the three, two were early Foundation Establishment cultivators while one was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seemed the three of them were in charge of receiving the newcomers.


    Han Li wordlessly walked amongst the nearby crowd and sat down at the edge with his head down. Although he closed his eyes, his spiritual sense completely enveloped the three Foundation Establishment cultivators and he easily eavesdropped on their conversation.


    A pale faced youth that appeared to be in his late twenties pointed down at the crowd and spoke with a tone of dissatisfaction, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Qiu! Although the deadline hasn¡¯t yet been reached, there aren¡¯t many vagrant cultivators that have caught our eye. Most of the cultivators here wouldn¡¯t even pass the qualifications, and are clearly only at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. Do they think that the Drifting Cloud Sect takes everyone?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing we can do. Three years ago, our sect accepted a large batch of disciples because they were suitable. And because Senior Martial Uncle Jin was short on manpower, there was an exception made to accept two eighth layer Qi Condensation cultivators at the time. This produced a misconception that it is easier to enter our sect, which is why there are so many vagrant cultivators that have come to try their luck.¡± The man called Senior Martial Brother Qiu was a white-robed mid Foundation Establishment cultivator in his forties with a stern, squarish face and bright eyes.


    A vigorous youth with a heroic air chuckled and added, ¡°Of course, we aren¡¯t going to be so lenient this time around. After all, the recently accepted low grade disciples have been on the shoddier side with regards to their spiritual roots and cultivation. It seems an elder took notice of this and has already warned the sect master. As such, we will follow the sect master¡¯s word to accept nothing but quality.¡±


    The pale-faced youth glanced down at the vagrant cultivators and disdainfully said, ¡°Accept nothing but quality! If that¡¯s the case, then it would be fine if we choose ten disciples and have the rest of them leave.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu glanced at the pale-faced youth and calmly said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Liu shouldn¡¯t underestimate these vagrant cultivators. There may truly be a few unfounded geniuses among them. Junior Martial Brother Sun Huo was once a vagrant cultivator too, but he managed to reach Foundation Establishment with a mere five years of hard work. Although he was given a suitable cultivation technique and a Foundation Establishment Pill for his quickly acquired merits, this can also be considered part of his aptitude.¡±


    When the pale-faced youth heard him, he quickly thought of something and dryly coughed. He then quickly smiled as if he felt some fear towards Senior Martial Brother Qiu and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother is correct. I¡¯ve spoken wrongly!¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu was about to say more to the youth, but Han Li wasn¡¯t interest, so he recalled his spiritual sense and began to meditate.


    As of current, he had restrained his Qi to the point where other cultivators only perceived him to be a tenth layer Qi Condensation cultivator. He should have no trouble entering the sect!


    About half a day later, there were many more cultivators in the crowd that had climbed up the stone steps. By the time the sun set, there were nearly a hundred Qi Condensation cultivators sitting on the stage. A majority of the cultivators there were youths, but there was also a middle-aged man with a particularly profound cultivation.


    At that moment, an expanse of red light suddenly burst forth from the stone pavilion and it disappeared to reveal a hundred meter tall tower along with the three silhouettes standing above.


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu swept his gaze across the crowd with a stern expression and calmly said, ¡°We welcome all of you Fellow Daoists to our Drifting Cloud Sect. My Martial Brothers and I will be in charge of evaluating you disciples. I hope you Fellow Daoists will clearly listen to what I will say next. Don¡¯t miss it.¡±

 Chapter 600

    Entering the Sect (2)


    Upon seeing the sudden changes of their surroundings and hearing Senior Martial Brother Qiu¡¯s words, the cultivators on the platform were momentarily shocked and then hurriedly stood up, wearing respectful and attentive expressions. All of the cultivators there knew that if they were to enter the great Drifting Cloud Sect, they absolutely couldn¡¯t afford to leave a bad impression with the three men standing on the tower.


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu revealed a satisfied expression upon seeing the vagrant cultivators being so tactful.


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu slowly said with a solemn expression, ¡°You Fellow Daoists should all know the criteria by which we accept disciples. That being the case, I won¡¯t go into detail. Let¡¯s have our Fellow Daoists who possess tri-attribute, dual-attribute, or special spiritual roots walk forward.¡±


    The crowd stirred at this and after a short moment, only four people walked forward, three men and a woman.


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu swept his gaze over those four and calmly said, ¡°You four will follow Junior Martial Brother Liu who will be in charge of evaluating your cultivation aptitudes.¡±


    At that moment, the pale faced youth stepped forward and wordlessly waved his arm. A white streak of light then flew out from his sleeve and circled in the air before turning into a huge embroidered scarf that gently floated about a meter off the ground.


    The pale-faced youth appeared atop the scarf magic tool in a blur and expressionlessly said, ¡°Climb on. I¡¯ll bring you four to another place and examine your aptitudes there. Those that are unsuitable will naturally be sent back.¡±


    When the four heard this, they glanced at each other with slight hesitation before climbing onto the scarf. The pale-faced youth then clutched his hands in an incantation gesture and caused the scarf to glow with white light before it set off through the sky in a streak of white light.


    After sending off the pale-faced youth, Senior Martial Brother Qiu glanced down at those who remained and continued, ¡°Those with cultivations at the tenth layer and higher, step forward and follow Junior Martial Brother Yu. So long as anyone doesn¡¯t have too much a problem with their identities, they will be able to enter the sect. As for you remaining Fellow Daoists, if you wish to enter the sect, then you are required to pass a test before you will be taken in. If you fail, I can only ask you all to diligently cultivate for several more years and come back once you¡¯ve improved.¡± Once that was said, an uproar occurred amongst the crowd. Apart from a few peculiar individuals, a majority of them revealed a disappointed expression.


    It seemed the standards of this selection would be far more strict and caused a few cultivators hoping for a fluke to grow greatly dispirited. Although he did say they could participate in a test to still join the sect, everyone knew that they were words spoken out of politeness.


    After all, with the number of people present there would be no way for the Drifting Cloud Sect to give all of them a chance.


    Needless to say, these tests would be extremely difficult to pass if one¡¯s cultivation was beneath the tenth layer. Only cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi condensation would have even the slightest chance of success. In the past, only a sparse few cultivators at the ninth layer were able to pass these tests.


    Although those people all had poor aptitudes, they were able to succeed through a show of exceptional perseverance. As a result, despite their lacking future prospects, the Drifting Cloud Sect would be willing to accept them as they would be able to contribute towards their various fledgling disciplines.


    Underneath the envious gazes of the rest of the crowd, Han Li and six other cultivators walked forward.


    Senior Martial Brother Qiu swept his gaze across them and nodded his head.


    When the valiant youth surnamed Yu saw this, he released a flying magic tool without any delay. A huge bronze alms bowl appeared before them.


    Without needing any words from the youth, Han Li and the group of cultivators obediently climbed onto the magic tool. The copper alms bowl then flew off deep into the Dreamcloud Mountains in a streak of light.


    As for the remaining vagrant cultivators that didn¡¯t qualify, Han Li was completely ignorant as to whether any of them would enter the sect, nor did he care enough to find out.


    At that moment, he was absorbed in examining the six others that were enveloped in the alms bowl¡¯s yellow light alongside him. There were four men and two women. Apart from a refined yellow-clothed woman that appeared about twenty years old, the others all appeared to be in their thirties.


    There was even a fifty year old cultivator. Although he possessed the deepest cultivation of the group at the twelfth layer of the Qi Condensation, Han Li could only shake his head and inwardly sigh.


    If they didn¡¯t have much luck, cultivators with poor aptitudes had to spend an immense amount of time cultivating if they wished to reach the tenth layer or higher, resulting in Han Li and the yellow-clothed woman to have the youngest appearances in the group.


    If it weren¡¯t for the mysterious bottle that Han Li had encountered, he feared he would¡¯ve spent most of his life cultivating like the twelfth layer cultivator only to reach the sixth layer. Entering a large cultivation sect would¡¯ve been out of the question.


    When Han Li began to ponder about the past, he entered a rare state of absent-mindedness.


    Soon after, he regained clarity of mind and looked at the others. While they didn¡¯t appear to be particularly notable, they had faces full of excitement.


    But when Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto large fully-bearded man, he narrowed his eyes for a moment, but soon his expression returned to normal.


    This wasn¡¯t because of anything unusual about the man¡¯s appearance, but because there was a trace of indescribable cold Yin Qi in him. This Yin Qi was very well hidden and if it weren¡¯t for Han Li¡¯s extraordinary spiritual sense, he would¡¯ve completely missed it This definitely wasn¡¯t a cultivation art that belonged to the five elements. From the fluctuations of his spiritual Qi, he clearly possessed some unusual magic techniques.


    However, the large man¡¯s tenth layer cultivation wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit false, causing Han Li to ponder over it with great curiosity.


    As Han Li was lost in thought, a huge expanse of endless fog appeared before the huge alms bowl. This white fog was extremely dense and roiled as sounds of thunder faintly echoed out.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he sent out his spiritual sense. However, something blocked it when he attempted to reach about thirty meters into the mist.


    Han Li inwardly trembled, knowing that the white mist was an uncommon restriction. It was likely one of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s formidable sect protecting restrictions. He didn¡¯t dare to further rashly test it and hastily recalled his spiritual sense.


    The group of vagrant cultivators all revealed an expression of awe when they saw the endless mist. Although they¡¯d never come across a spell formation before, the astonishing restriction before them had greatly broadened their perspectives.


    At that moment, the youth surnamed Yu formed a hand incantation and had his flying magic tool slowly come a stop. Then he grasped his storage pouch and took out an azure formation flag.


    After muttering something, the flag in his hand began to glow with a piercing radiance that gradually grew.


    ¡°Open!¡± After the youth finished his incantation, he glared at the fog and pointed the formation flag at it. A bowl-thick azure beam of light shot out from the tip of the flag straight into the mist, leading to an astonishing scene.


    The other areas of the fog roiled as before, but the portion of the fog in front of them became extremely calm. Then following a series of clear chimes, the white Qi parted before them, revealing a ten-meter-wide passage.


    After this occured, the youth surnamed Yu carried the group through the passage without delay. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight.


    Not long after, the passage closed and waves of thunder sounded out once more.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the group eventually passed through the mist and emerged before within a hidden land.


    Before they could even clearly see past the fog, they felt dense spiritual Qi rush against them. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take in a deep breath and feel a trace of joy well up inside him as he looked forward.


    There was a huge expanse of earth with verdant greenery, fragrant aromas, birdsong, and several mountains that spanned over three kilometers tall reaching out as far as the eye could see. Surrounding these mountains were buildings of various sizes including palace halls and pavilions of countless number along with many variously clothed cultivators rushing about in a hurry.


    After seeing their surprise and excitement, the youth surnamed Yu silently smiled. He then pointed to the nearest mountain peak and said, ¡°Take a good look. These are the Six Marvelous Peaks of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s monastery. If you truly enter our sect, this will be your home. But first, we will head to Dayspring Mountain¡¯s Initiation Residence. You¡¯ll explain a bit about your past and then we will test your cultivation.¡±

 Chapter 601

    Entering the Sect(3)


    Han Li and the other Qi Condensation cultivators weren¡¯t surprised by the information regarding the tests, and were brought to Dayspring mountain by the valiant youth surnamed Yu.


    They met many cultivators along the way with most of them being at Qi Condensation. When they saw their guide, they respectfully saluted him. It appeared the youth had quite the reputation in the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    They only came across one other Foundation Establishment cultivator, a yellow-robed man with a thin face and sharp ears. He flew up from Dayspring Mountain, but when he caught sight of the youth surnamed Yu, he smiled and called out to him, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Yu, are these six newly arrived disciples? It seems there weren¡¯t that many this time around!¡± While he acted quite familiar with the youth, the others were able to see that he held hidden motives.


    The handsome youth unconsciously frowned upon seeing the yellow-robed cultivator. Regardless, he calmly replied, ¡°So it turned out to be Senior Martial Brother Yan! These people still need to be examined with truth techniques and be introduced to the sect master before they become official disciples. They are still only candidates.¡±


    The yellow-robed cultivator chuckled and said, ¡°So its like that. However, Junior Martial Brother should know that my talisman refinement division still needs disciples. Do you think you could send two of these cultivators to me?¡±


    At that moment, his eyes focused on the group behind the young man.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was calm, but he felt quite disgusted from the gaze. From the way he looked at them and the tone he used, he certainly wanted to work them to the bone.


    When the other cultivators heard him, their expressions slightly changed. It seemed they also didn¡¯t have a favorable impression of him.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Yan, that is not something I can decide. You should know that the allocation of disciples is decided by the sect master. If Senior Martial Brother feels that he doesn¡¯t have enough disciples for his talisman refinement division, you may bring it up with the Sect Master. Since Senior Martial Brother Miao is still waiting for me at the acceptance residence, I can¡¯t keep you company any longer.¡± The youth surnamed Yu seemed to understand the yellow-robed cultivator¡¯s deceitful nature and immediately refused his request. After uttering an excuse, he stomped on his magic tool and brought the group of cultivators down to the pavilion below.


    The yellow-robed cultivator thought to further hold him back, but after hearing the youth mention Senior Martial Brother Miao, he revealed slight hesitation and allowed him to go.


    After watching the youth and company enter the pavilion from a distance away, his expression fluctuated. After lowering his head in thought for a moment, he coldly snorted and flew off to a different mountain in a streak of yellow light.


    At that moment, the group had already arrived on the first floor of the pavilion and were meeting with an unfamiliar man.


    He was a shriveled youth glancing through a bamboo scroll with keen interest as he sat in a sandlewood armchair. The man only appeared to be thirty years of age, but his cultivation had already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. Although he had only reached late Foundation Establishment and hadn¡¯t yet consolidated his cultivation, he truly was a rarely seen talent. Having reached so far at his current age, he had great hopes of rising to the Core Formation stage. Could it be because of this man¡¯s name that the annoying yellow-robed cultivator didn¡¯t dare to trouble Junior Martial Brother Yu any further?


    When the other cultivators witnessed the shriveled youth¡¯s cultivation, they glanced at each other with expressions of shock.


    At that moment, this person had already folded up the bamboo scroll and glanced at the youth. He said with a soft voice, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Yu, I¡¯ve put you through a bit of trouble. Did Junior Martial Brother Yan block you just now?¡±


    ¡°Since Senior Martial Brother already knows of it, there should be no need to ask. However, did that person come again to bother Senior Martial Sister Peiling?¡± The valiant-looking youth asked with disgust.


    ¡°That person? Even if Junior Martial Brother Yan is somewhat excessive, he is still a fellow disciple of our Drifting Cloud Sect. Your words are inappropriate. Please take note of it in the future, else if the master notices, punishment is unavoidable.¡± The sickly youth¡¯s words may have been meant to rebuke him, but his tone was completely flat, lacking even the slightest anger.


    But all the same, the Junior Martial Brother Yu¡¯s heart trembled and he hastily said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother is correct. This younger disciple will certainly pay attention to it in the future.¡± Seeing that the youth admitted his error, Senior Martial Brother Miao nodded his head and smiled. He then turned his gaze to Han Li and the others as he began to examine each of them.


    He seemed to be looking at them quite thoroughly, slowly examining them from head to toe. This had aroused quite a bit of anxiousness among those present. Possibly due to a misconception, Han Li felt that his gaze momentarily paused on the large fully bearded man before quickly turning to another person. Although it was impossible for Han Li¡¯s true cultivation to be seen through by him, Han Li felt slightly uneasy.


    After a short moment, Senior Martial Brother Miao withdrew his gaze and calmly patted at his waist and took out a talisman that sparkled with silver light.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that only about seven have come as I had expected. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have enough True Heart talismans for all of you. Junior Martial Brother Yu, take these talismans and place them on their body. After they take effect, bring them to my study.¡± Senior Martial Brother Miao spoke with a serene tone and handed the talismans to the youth. He then stood up from his chair and walked to the second floor without paying them any further attention.


    However, when the shriveled youth slowly turned the corner, he suddenly bent down and began to rapidly cough. It sounded quite painful, but soon after, he managed to stand up and head towards the stairway underneath the bewildered gazes of everyone there.


    A trace of astonishment flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes but it quickly disappeared.


    Junior Martial Brother Yu revealed a trace of anxiousness and sighed before turning towards Han Li and the others. ¡°These are True Heart talismans. I¡¯m sure you know what they do, so I¡¯ll save my breath. If you harbor any sinister designs or conspiracies, it would be best for you to take the initiative to leave. Otherwise, if you¡¯re discovered, don¡¯t blame our Drifting Cloud Sect for being ruthless.¡±


    With that said, a cold glint flickered from the youth¡¯s eyes as he glanced at the seven before him. Although his tone was quite fearsome, nobody took the initiative to leave.


    As a result, the youth nodded with a relaxed expression and tossed the silver talismans towards the seven with a wave of his arm. They all placed beneath each of their right shoulders. The youth then casually sat down without any regard for the other seven and closed his eyes.


    The others glanced at each other in dismay. Although they all had their own thoughts in mind, none of them dared to tear off the truth talisman. They could only wait.


    At that moment, Han Li tilted his head and glanced at the silver talisman near his shoulder. For a very brief moment, he smirked. Not long after, the talisman began to shine with silver light before it soon faded away.


    When the youth felt something happen, he opened his eyes and glanced at Han Li before emotionlessly saying, ¡°Go to the second floor. Senior Martial Brother Miao is waiting for you!¡±


    When Han Li heard that, he glanced at the talisman and wordlessly climbed up the stairs.


    The second floor was quite empty with nothing apart from two prayer mats. The shriveled youth was sitting cross-legged on top one of them. When he saw that Han Li had arrived, he pointed to the other prayer mat and smiled, ¡°Please sit down! There is no need to be nervous. It will be over quickly. The interrogation technique isn¡¯t anything like a soul bewitchment technique. It only determines whether or not your answers are truthful. Although it doesn¡¯t hold completely certainty, it will be correct most of the time. As such, I will ask you ten questions. If three or more are judged to be false, you will not be accepted into the sect. Do you understand?¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and sincerely said, ¡°Junior understands.¡± He then sat down on the prayer mat in front of the youth. Regardless, Han Li inwardly sneered. As if the True Heart Technique could ever reveal his true intentions!


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start. Where were you born¡­¡± Seeing that the talisman on Han Li¡¯s shoulder was flashing with silver light, he began to ask questions.


    ¡­


    Han Li and the others flew off from the pavilion and headed straight towards the largest mountain. All of the cultivators had passed the shriveled youth¡¯s cultivation without problem. As such, once the Drifting Cloud Sect Master recognized them and had recorded their names, they would become official disciples of the sect.

 Chapter 602

    Gold Forged Constitution


    Chapter 602: Gold Forged Constitution


    The main peak of the Six Marvelous Peaks was also the largest, standing at over ten kilometers. Many other mountains surrounded it like stars surrounding the moon with Dayspring Mountain being among them. The top half of this mountain was also enveloped in a faint purple fog, concealing everything in a mysterious haze.


    Conversely, the bottom half of the mountain was bustling with activity. There were countless buildings of all sizes that covered the mountain spanning from crude stone rooms to expansive hundred meter tall palace halls, and there were a mess of countless scattered limestone roads throughout.


    Among these roads were stalls of all sorts with people selling and buying various goods. Many Drifting Cloud Sect disciples were included among them as they haggled over the various items with the stall owners.


    When Han Li and the other cultivators saw this, they were left dumbstruck.


    The youth surnamed Yu was already accustomed to the sight and paid it no attention as he moved his flying magic tool forward. They shot about kilometer into the air and flew into a stone hall.


    The stone hall was made of huge slabs of limestone that reached about a hundred meters tall. Each side of the hall was connected to smaller side rooms that were only about twenty meters wide. There were very few cultivators that entered and left the halls.


    Cultivator Yu then landed the alms bowl in front of the hall and had all of them get off. Afterwards, he formed an incantation gesture and had the alms bowl quickly shrink before he put it away into his storage pouch.


    ¡°Wait here for a moment, I have to report to the Sect Master first. I¡¯ll call for you afterwards.¡± The youth then walked into the hall with large strides.


    The many Qi Condensation door keepers clearly recognized Cultivator Yu and merely saluted him with respect as they watched him walk into the hall.


    After the youth disappeared from sight, the guards curiously glanced at Han Li and the others. They seemed to have already guessed who they were.


    A while later, a streak of white light towards the palace hall before fading away. The light was revealed to be a huge embroidered scarf carrying the pale-faced youth surnamed Liu along with the four other young cultivators that had left before them.


    The pale-faced youth gazed at Han Li¡¯s group of seven and revealed a trace of surprise. But soon after, he landed his flying magic tool nearby and proudly entered the stone hall, leaving the four young cultivators behind.


    In the next moment, Han Li¡¯s group and the group of four young gifted cultivators glanced at one another.


    For some unknown reason, the atmosphere appeared somewhat amiss despite the fact that both groups were going to enter the sect at the same time. There seemed to be a trace of hostility between them. But as they were about to enter the Drifting Cloud Sect, the two sides could only keep silent and behave themselves.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, cultivator Yu finally walked out from the hall. When he appeared, he immediately beckoned to Han Li¡¯s group and then turned towards the four gifted youths, ¡°You four will be coming in with us. The Sect Master wishes to accept you all as disciples at the same time.¡± With that said, the youth turned around and reentered the hall.


    The two groups didn¡¯t dare to delay and hastily followed after him.


    Following the youth, they passed through a short corridor before entering a hundred meter wide hall. There were eight cultivators sitting in chairs, whispering about something as they each wore different expressions.


    After the disciples were brought inside, the seated cultivators immediately ceased talking and began to examine Han Li¡¯s group.


    At that moment, Han Li appeared sincere as he displayed deference to them. But at the same time, he had released his spiritual sense and inspected the appearances and cultivations of the seated cultivators.


    There was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the rest were only at early Foundation Establishment. Senior Martial Brother Qiu and the pale-faced cultivator were sitting amongst them.


    The blue-robed late Foundation Establishment cultivator waved his hand at the youth and smiled, ¡°We¡¯ve troubled Junior Martial Brother Yu! Please, take a seat.¡± This person was the Drifting Cloud Sect Master, Wei Yiming.


    He had an ordinary appearance with two small eyes. However, each of his movements gave off an exceptionally imposing presence; it appeared he wasn¡¯t a simple character.


    ¡°Many thanks Senior Martial Brother!¡± The youth cupped his hands and directly sat down in the chair at the side.


    At that moment, the seated cultivators finished examining Han Li¡¯s group and had finally moved on to the four talented youths. Each of the youths¡¯ gazes revealed a trace of fervent excitement and their bodies straightened upon being examined.


    As Han Li took all of this in with a trace of surprise, he heard the sect master speak.


    After examining the new disciples, the sect master glanced at the other seated cultivators and slowly said, ¡°Yes! These disciples are suitable enough to enter the sect. They are suitable. After all, we haven¡¯t taken in a batch of disciples since several years ago. Junior Martial Brothers, how do you wish for the disciples to be allocated?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, we wholeheartedly agree that the final decision will lie with Senior Marital Brother Wei.¡± An old man with grey hair twirled his short beard and spoke with an exceptionally respectful tone. His voice then changed as he smoothly said, ¡°My Hidden Sword Mountain has no need for any external affair disciples. However, for inner sect disciples, my own Hidden Sword Mountain only recruited two disciples the last time around and is lacking in manpower. My mountain should have a disciple this time around. I have no need for the other disciples, except for the disciple with the Gold Forged constitution.¡±


    After the old man said this, he pointed to the tall and sturdy youth. When the youth heard him, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal surprise.


    A deathly-pale middle-aged man was unable to stay sitting upon hearing the old man, and bluntly retorted, ¡°Humph! You might¡¯ve received fewer disciples the last time around, but you also received a disciple with dual-attribute spiritual roots. Needless to say, our Fire Cloud Mountain must be the ones to claim the disciple with the abnormal constitution.¡±


    When the grey-haired old man heard this, he chuckled and shook his head, ¡°Your Fire Cloud Mountain mainly relies on fire attribute cultivation arts, but cultivators possessing the Gold Forged Constitution possess metal attribute spiritual roots. Junior Martial Brother Yang, your position is lacking.¡±


    ¡°Even if your hidden sword mountain possess metal attribute cultivation techniques, our Fire Cloud Mountain¡¯s Senior Martial Uncle Li¡¯s Metal Tempering Arts are renowned throughout the entire State of Xi. Why can¡¯t this disciple cultivate his techniques?¡± The middle-aged man didn¡¯t reveal the slightest intention of backing down.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The sect master frowned and interrupted, ¡°Enough, I¡¯ve already heard your thoughts. There is no need to further speak of them.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Liu smiled and mediated, ¡°That¡¯s right. Senior Martial Brothers¡¯ dispute will have no end. It¡¯s better to have Sect Master decide. After all, regardless of which mountain receives him, he will still be a disciple of our Drifting Cloud Sect in the end. There is no reason to fight.¡±


    The old man and the deathly-pale middle-aged man glanced at each other, but the old man rushed to say, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Qiu¡¯s words holds reason. Our Hidden Sword Mountain will hold no complaint if the Sect Master makes the decision.¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    The sect master¡¯s expression relaxed and after a moment of thought, he turned to Han Li¡¯s group and calmly said, ¡°These disciples are particularly special so we should handle them last. Let¡¯s distribute these other disciples. After all, our six mountains of the Drifting Cloud Sect have never turned away good help. Let¡¯s first distribute these seven external affair disciples.¡±


    Two hours later, Han Li and the fully bearded man stood on a huge alms bowl and were being brought back to Dayspring Mountain by Cultivator Yu.


    They¡¯d already changed into the attire of blue robes for low grade disciples and had been distributed to Dayspring Mountain.


    Cultivator Yu brought the two out of the stone hall once the distribution was finished without the slightest complaint.


    As for the tall and sturdy youth that was in high demand, he was unexpectedly assigned to Illusion Stone Mountain. Although the grey-haired old man and the middle-aged man were both dispirited, they could only concede the matter. But fortunately, they were each given an inner sect disciple and ended up with something for their troubles.


    ¡°Although you¡¯ve only entered the sect as external affair disciples, it is quite fortunate for you to be distributed to our Dayspring Mountain. Because of our Martial Ancestor gentle and kind-hearted, we won¡¯t treat you too harshly. You only have to finish your assignments within the given time. The rest of your time you will be free to do as you wish.¡±


    ¡°If you have the opportunity to acquire great merits, perhaps the Martial Ancestor will even bestow a Foundation Establishment Pill to you. After all, external affair and inner sect disciples receive the same treatment in name. However, the inner sect disciple¡¯s main assignments are to cultivate. Because of your poor aptitudes, you are assigned to other various tasks such as medicine and talisman refinement. The attainments of the many Martial Uncles in these fields are quite profound.¡± Because Han Li and the fully-bearded man were already disciples of Dayspring Mountain, Cultivator Yun spoke to the two with a much more gentle tone as he gave them an explanation of sect matters.

 Chapter 603

    Affiliation


    ¡°Many thanks for Martial Uncle Yu¡¯s guidance!¡± Although Han Li found it somewhat awkward, he wore a respectful expression as he uttered his thanks.


    As for the fully bearded man, he merely grinned, appearing as if he weren¡¯t one for words.


    Already knowing that there was something amiss about his past, Han Li felt dumbfounded. The large man¡¯s acting skills had already reached perfection. Could it be he truly didn¡¯t know about the oddities of his own body?


    While that Senior Martial Brother Miao also noticed something odd, Han Li was certain that a late Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to see through the person¡¯s cold Qi. There was certain to be something amiss; it was quite thought provoking.


    Cultivator Yu seemed pleased by the two¡¯s reactions and spoke a few words more before bringing them to a pavilion located at the center of Dayspring Mountain.


    They landed on a limestone platform where two young teenagers were chatting about something. When they saw Cultivator Yu appear, they immediately stopped talking and approached them.


    The doll-faced girl chuckled and asked, ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Martial Uncle Yu! Did you come to visit Martial Ancestor?¡± Knowing the strictness of seniority in the cultivation world, Han Li felt shocked at the girl¡¯s casual attitude.


    Cultivator Yu smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. These two are external affair disciples that our mountain received from this selection. I am here to report to Martial Ancestor and see which Senior Martial Brothers to give them to.¡± It appeared he was quite familiar with the girl.


    The girl then turned her gaze to Han Li and the large man. She sweetly smiled and said, ¡°So they¡¯re newly arrived Junior Martial Brothers. If you have an opportunity in the future, please don¡¯t forget to pay me and Junior Martial Brother Xin a visit and tell me a bit about the mortal world. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    The dark-skinned teenager at her side meekly muttered, ¡°If Senior Martial Sister wishes to hear them, don¡¯t drag me in. I would prefer to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°You can cultivate anytime you want, but having new disciples enter Dayspring Mountain from the mortal world is something that is hard to come by. Naturally, we should listen to a few interesting tales from the outside!¡± Although the she was quite young and dainty, she chided the boy with a bold attitude, leaving him at a loss for words.


    Cultivator Yu revealed a wry smile and shook his head before bringing Han Li and the large man into the courtyard.


    As they walked, Cultivator Yu warned, ¡°Keep note of those two. Junior Martial Sister Ma and Junior Martial Brother Xin may appear young and hold the same seniority as you, but they are the Martial Ancestor¡¯s descendants from the mortal world. Although they haven¡¯t yet been accepted as official disciples, it is a matter that will occur sooner or later. Do not offend them no matter what; nobody will protect you from the Martial Ancestor.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he nodded his head with a forced smile. As for the large man, he rubbed the back of his head and silently smiled.


    When Cultivator Yu saw their reactions, he smiled and consoled them, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Xin is a sincere person. He won¡¯t do anything inappropriate. Although Junior Martial Sister Ma has always been somewhat mischievous, she doesn¡¯t bear any malice. There is no need to be too worried about them; you just have to pay a bit more attention to them.¡±


    Of course, Han Li and the large man repeatedly nodded their heads in response.


    After that was said, the three had already passed through three courtyards before appearing in front of a secluded side wing.


    As soon as the three appeared at the side wing, they faintly heard a man¡¯s voice. ¡°Is that you, Jun¡¯er?¡±


    When Yu Jun heard this, he immediately stopped in place and solemnly replied, ¡°Disciple pays his respects to master!¡±


    ¡°Your Third Martial Brother and your Fifth Martial Sister also happen to be here. Go ahead and bring the two behind you inside.¡± From the liveliness of the voice, the owner seemed to be in a good mood.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Yu Jun didn¡¯t dare to delay and called to Han Li and large man before hastily entering the half closed door of the side room.


    Apart from several pots of various unknown plants, the elegant and refined hall only had a black wood table along with a set of chairs. A middle-aged man in scholar robes sat at the side. He had an incredibly old fashioned appearance with a long, thin mustache and a beard that reached to his chest, giving him a sagelike appearance with otherworldly poise.


    To his side stood an old man and a young woman.


    With a wrinkle-filled face and pure white hair, the old man was by all means someone that appeared to have nearly reached his end. He was silently smiling. As for the woman, she appeared to be in her late twenties and possessed a fair, elegant appearance. She was currently expressionless.


    Yu Jun hastily stepped forward and saluted them in a kneel, ¡°I pay my respects to Master! Greetings, Third Senior Martial Brother, Fifth Senior Martial Sister!¡±


    ¡°Please stand up. There are no outsiders here, no need to be so formal. So these two must be the newly accepted disciples of our Dayspring Mountain!¡± The middle-aged man waved his arm and had Yu Jun stand up. Afterwards, he examined Han Li and the large man with interest.


    When Han Li saw that this person was a mid Core Formation cultivator, he felt somewhat gloomy, but he could only force a smile and call out to him as, ¡°Martial Ancestor.¡± The large man had done the same.


    This Martial Ancestor possessed neither the capability of spotting the peculiarity of the large man¡¯s body nor seeing through Han Li¡¯s true cultivation.


    As such, he asked for their names and casually said, ¡°Good, good, good¡­¡± He then turned to the old man and young woman at his side and mildly instructed them, ¡°Since you two are here, I won¡¯t have to bother any others. As an expert in talisman refinement and a pill concoction adept, you should be lacking people. Take in these two newly arrived disciples for the time being. Naturally, pick a cultivation art for them along the way. Even if they are external affair disciples, if their cultivation is too poor, they¡¯ll be a target of ridicule by their fellow sect members from the other mountains.¡±


    The white-faced old man replied with a wide smile, ¡°Yes, Master! Junior Martial Sister and I will take a person each.¡±


    The beautiful woman in her twenties hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.


    After a moment of thought, the old man proposed, ¡°Since Junior Martial Sister also agrees, how about I take Martial Nephew Du over to my talisman refinement division? I am in need of sturdy helpers, so that will leave Martial Nephew Han to you!¡±


    The woman agreed with an unchanged expression, not bothering to glance at Han Li.


    When the middle-aged man saw this, he nodded his head and spoke to Han Li and the large man, ¡°You two are dismissed, wait outside for a moment. I still have matters to discuss with your seniors.¡±


    Han Li and the large man glanced at each other before sincerely acknowledging him. They then headed out of the room and stood about ten meters away from the room as they obediently waited.


    Soon after, the large man glanced to the cloudless far away sky and remained still. It was unknown what he was thinking about. As for Han Li, he wore a lazy expression as he eavesdropped on the conversation inside. With his immense spiritual sense, Han Li was able to listen without a problem. Although his expression was unchanged, several odd movements escaped from his eyes.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, the door to the side room finally opened, and the three disciples left the room one after the other.


    The old man wordlessly raised his hand and released a slender magic tool. After he said his farewells to the woman and Yu Jun, he took to the skies with the large man in tow.


    At that moment, the woman walked over to Han Li and coldly swept her gaze over him. She emotionlessly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. You¡¯ll be coming back with me to my cave residence.¡±


    A faint smirk momentarily appeared on Han Li¡¯s face before he nodded with a indifferent expression.


    With a pulse of red light, an expanse of red mist enveloped the both of them.


    Four hours later, Han Li had appeared at a strange medicine garden that was over three hundred meters wide.


    The verdant medicine garden had many types of medicinal herbs and a thatched cottage with three rooms. When Han Li saw the nameless small mountain nearby, he stroked his chin and revealed a faint smile.


    Previously, the cold and elegant mid Foundation Establishment woman had used a red ribbon to bring the two to her cave residence. This ¡°Martial Aunt¡± Mu Peiling had asked him if he was willing to look after the medicinal garden or if he was willing learn the art of pill refinement.


    This had stunned Han Li. After all, so long as a cultivator was right of mind, they would agree to learn without a doubt.


    But before the woman waited for Han Li¡¯s reply, she coldly explained that looking after the medicine garden was rather simple. So long as he handed over a fixed amount of medicinal ingredients, he could spent a majority of his time in cultivation. Although external affair disciples also had an opportunity to touch upon the profound path of medicinal pills, the cost of pursuing that path was to refine a certain amount of pills every month, greatly reducing their cultivation time. As a result, each of them had their own advantages.


    Without even the slightest deliberation, Han Li instantly chose his old task of looking after the medicine garden. This was a task that may as well have been created for him; it would allow him to cultivate without fear or obstruction.


    He had originally thought that he would have to escape from various menial jobs in order to cultivate. But as it turned out, this extremely suitable medicine garden task was brought before him by fortunate chance!


    The cold, elegant woman didn¡¯t reveal the slightest surprise at Han Li¡¯s choice.


    Since he was brought here, Mu Peiling brought away the original keeper of the medicinal garden and left behind a jade slip that recorded a water attribute cultivation art, the Profound Ice Arts.


    This medicine garden had now become Han Li¡¯s domain.

 Chapter 604

    Removing Potential Problems


    Han Li waited for the elegant woman to disappear into the sky before flipping his palm. There was now a blue jade slip, a green jade slip, and a yellow command talisman in his hand.


    The green jade slip included methods and tips on how to tend to the plants in the medicine garden that was left behind by the previous caretaker. Because the grade of the medicine herbs here was quite common and there was only a small variety of them, so long as he wasn¡¯t a moron to the utmost degree, tending to the garden would be extremely easy.


    As for the blue jade talisman, it recorded the cultivation art that Mu Peiling had left behind. The Profound Ice Arts wasn¡¯t a top grade cultivation art by any means. It was so pathetically weak that it couldn¡¯t even be considered a second rate cultivation art. Its only merit was that it was easy to cultivate and its bottlenecks were comparatively easy to break through.


    However, this wasn¡¯t a result of malice or bad intentions. As Han Li was an external affairs disciple, his cultivation must¡¯ve been poor so she had opted to give an easier cultivation art to him.


    As for the command medallion, it controlled the crude spell formation that enveloped the medicine garden. Of course, he didn¡¯t hold it with much regard and placed all three of the items in his storage pouch. Afterwards, he entered the thatched cottage with unhurried steps and slowly walked through it before leaving.


    As Han Li stood in front of the cottage, he swept his gaze towards the small mountain behind the medicine garden and revealed a faint smile.


    He slowly closed his eyes and gradually released his spiritual sense to envelope a radius of about fifteen kilometers. After seeing that there were no other cultivators in the area, he waved his arms without regard.


    A series of clear rings sounded out as a dozen twinkling azure flying swords left his sleeve and shot towards the small mountain. Under the control of his spiritual sense, the flying swords efficiently cut out a cave from the mountain as if its stone were soft tofu. In an instant, he had already carved out a deep cave residence.


    Han Li¡¯s consciousness then split into many strands as he had them control each of his flying swords. Each of them began to hurriedly carve out stone rooms, each unique in their size and style. As Han Li had already become incredibly proficient in splitting his consciousness, this took very little effort. About six hours later, a new small-scale cave residence had secretly appeared in the mountain.


    Han Li revealed a trace of happiness at seeing that the first draft of his cave residence was completed and immediately took out several sets of formation flags and discs. The small mountain then became incredibly busy as several high grade concealment spell formations were placed around it.


    Although this spell formation was incapable of escaping the keen notice of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would escape the passing notice of a Core Formation cultivator.


    For Han Li, this would be enough for the time being. After all, there would be no reason for a high grade cultivator to suddenly visit such a trifling medicine garden as this one. Also, these measures were only a temporary affair. Once he refined and placed down a Spirit Constraining Formation, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be incapable of seeing anything amiss.


    After Han Li finished placing down the spell formations, he placed the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng inside his cave residence¡¯s small medicine garden. Only after carefully placing down several formidable restrictions around it did he release it from confinement. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was crucial if he was to condense a Nascent Soul.


    Following that, Han Li placed the gold-silver Gold Devouring Beetles into the insect room. As for the black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li kept them at his side since he couldn¡¯t induce them to reproduce with the Rainbow Skirt Grass.


    Neighboring the insect room was a spirit beast room he had specially prepared for the Weeping Soul Beast. Because the beast had consumed such a large quantity of umbra beast souls, it had remained in deep sleep ever since it returned to his storage pouch. Even Han Li was unable to wake it from its slumber.


    However, Han Li faintly guessed that because the Weeping Soul Beast had consumed so many souls, it had begun to evolve a grade.


    Han Li naturally desired such a outcome. Having acquired a safe haven, Han Li immediately made peaceful arrangements for the beast. At that moment, Han Li also decided to take advantage of the beast¡¯s slumber to refine the Weeping Soul Pearl inside his stomach to completion.


    Because of the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s soaring advancements, Han Li felt slightly worried that he would be unable to fully control the evolution of the Weeping Soul Beast. During his time in the Umbra Realm, he felt the Weeping Soul Pearl stir several times in his stomach when the Weeping Soul Beast had savagely absorbed the umbra beast souls in his enlarged state.


    Although Han Li kept a calm face in front of Fairy Violet Spirit and Mei Ning, he had felt great trepidation. Now that he had the opportunity, there was no way he would dare to allow this situation to continue.


    As for Yuan Yao¡¯s explanation of the Weeping Soul Pearl¡¯s symptoms, they should pose little problem to Han Li given his superior magic power and spiritual sense. Moreover, the Weeping Soul Beast had unexpectedly ascended two ranks since then, and the symptoms may have been corrected. But regardless, in light of the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s current abilities, it was worth braving the risk.


    With his plans decided, he didn¡¯t immediately refine the Weeping Soul Pearl, but instead chose to address another pressing matter, the Wind Spirit Energy inside his body that had yet to scatter.


    Feng Xi, the grade nine Windbreaker Beast, naturally couldn¡¯t pursue him to the Heavenly South Region, however, the fact that the Wind Spirit Energy still remained in his body was cause for much distress. Perhaps another incident would occur if too much time had passed, but directly refining this harmful energy didn¡¯t seem possible.


    He had tried several times before to little effect. As of current, he only had the clumsy method of using magic power to forcefully expel it. While it was possible, it would take no small amount of time. It was for this reason that Han Li had put if off until now.


    Now that he had settled down in a peaceful place, he planned on completely eliminating this danger inside his body. With several huge ape puppets acting as sentries in the medicine garden in order to respond to any sudden visits, he entered his refinement room.


    Han Li sat cross-legged in the quiet room with a solemn expression and immersed his spiritual sense into his body.


    He examined the lustrous golden light sphere that was contained inside his Dantian and noticed that there was no change.


    After a moment of thought, he decided to control the Divine Devilbane Lightning that enveloped the harmful energy and had the net of lightning slowly relax to reveal a gap. The originally calm energy contained within the lightning immediately grew restless and wildly rushed out of the gap.


    Just as the strand of harmful energy began to rush out, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense began to stir and had the golden lightning envelope it once more, closing the gap and restraining the remaining Wind Spirit Energy.


    Not knowing what kind of chaotic harmful Qi that the Wind Spirit Energy contained, Han Li felt extremely worried that even this sliver could damage his meridians.


    Resisting his feelings of great unease, he circulated all the magic power in his body and began to forcefully expel the sliver of harmful energy.


    As he motionlessly sat inside the calm room, large beads of sweat began to flow down from his head and his face paled.


    Four hours had unknowingly passed..


    Han Li opened his eyes and spiritedly glanced around. He then waved his arms and flicked his fingers, shooting out two drops of grey liquid to the stone walls. Two small holes appeared where they struck.


    Han Li let out a long breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.


    Although the expulsion process had been incredibly painful and strenuous, it still worked. If he continued this sliver by sliver process of expulsion, he reckoned that it would take half a year before his body was completely free of the Wind Spirit Energy. This had greatly relieved much worry from his mind.


    After a moment of rest, Han Li calmly took out a black jade slip from his storage pouch and looked through the method of establishing the Spirit Constraining Formation.


    He had always been quite interested in this spell formation but he never had the time to carefully examine it. He now took the opportunity to delve into it as he wouldn¡¯t feel truly safe until he had a Spirit Constraining Formation placed around his cave residence.


    In the following days, Han Li began to divide his time into several parts. Apart from the four hours he used to expel the Wind Spirit Energy and a bit of time used to refine the Weeping Soul Pearl, he would spend the rest of his time studying the Spirit Constraining Formation.


    As for the outside medicine garden, Han Li had his many puppets tend to it.


    Additionally, Han Li continued to exploit the green liquid to mature the Rainbow Skirt Grass and feed it to his Gold Devouring Beetles. He faintly felt that these beetles were about to reproduce once more.


    With this monotonous style of life, several months passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Mu Peiling visited him two times. Once she saw that Han Li had tended to the medicinal garden in accordance to her conditions, she didn¡¯t pay any more attention to the garden.


    As for the Profound Ice Arts, the woman had no interest in taking the initiative to explain anything as Han Li hadn¡¯t raised any questions.

 Chapter 605

    Bloodshadow Evasion


    Mei Peiling had continuously treated Han Li with a neutral indifference during her visits, as he prefered. It would be best for him to have this woman forget that this medicinal garden even existed. If she stopped paying him any visits, it would be very convenient for his cultivation.


    After yet another month passed, Han Li had finally grasped a near complete understanding of the Spirit Constraining Formation and immediately placed one down around the mountain in accordance to his understanding.


    As a result, the faint spiritual Qi fluctuations of the spell formations had completely vanished. From the outside, the small mountain appeared completely ordinary, much to Han Li¡¯s satisfaction.


    In the next three months, Han Li had both fully refined the Weeping Soul Pearl to completion and expelled the Wind Spirit Energy in its entirety, far quicker than he had originally expected. But what surprised Han Li the most was how he didn¡¯t feel any illness or headaches upon connecting his spiritual sense to the Weeping Soul Pearl when he completely refined it. It seemed that the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s unexpected evolution had also caused the deathly Weeping Soul Pearl to also undergo a strange transformation. Han Li was overjoyed by the discovery.


    As for the harmful Wind Spirit Energy, although it had been difficult and exhausting to expel it from his body, once he had expelled a majority of it, it had become far easier to deal with. Not only was the harmful energy less painful to handle, but he was able to expel it from his body in much less time. The last several strands of energy had been extremely easy to rid himself of.


    After carefully examining his body several times to find no abnormalities, Han Li eventually felt relief.


    With the most vital matters already taken care of, Han Li focused his attention to cultivation and the medicine pill refined from the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.


    He pondered for several days on the matter of cultivation before deciding to simultaneously cultivate the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique and the Azure Essence Sword Arts. According to his previous experiences with forming a golden core, a powerful spiritual sense seemed to greatly benefit in breaking through bottlenecks. Even if the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique was extremely difficult, Han Li planned on giving it a try.


    Even if spiritual sense didn¡¯t provide a particularly large benefit in condensing a Nascent Soul, it would at least prove greatly beneficial when confronting an enemy.


    While this path may somewhat increase the time it would take to reach the false Nascent stage, Han Li didn¡¯t believe the choice was incorrect as he would only lose a bit of time at the worst.


    As for the matter of refining the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, Han Li couldn¡¯t afford to be negligent. While the other materials were easily replaced, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, the grade eight Demon Echo Grass and the Agate Horn were nowhere to be found in the Heavenly South. If he were to fail in the pill refinement process, Han Li would be left without any alternative.


    As a result, Han Li began to study the formula for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng in between his cultivation. He often refined a few various pills in accordance to the techniques described in the formula in order to improve his own pill concoction techniques.


    Time began to slowly pass by as he repeatedly cultivated and refined pills.


    During this period, Han Li had also taken the time to learn demon script in preparations to comprehend the old hide book and the copper plate in his possession so that he could finally learn what they contained. By making use of his eidetic memory, Han Li was able to easily grasp the ancient demon characters and began to look through the details of the hide book.


    The old hide book contained a demon art known as the ¡°Nine Gale Transformations¡±. After taking a look at it, Han Li discovered that the technique was specialized for bird-type demonic beasts. It contained a series of spell arts, body techniques, and two secret techniques.


    The spell arts and body techniques were out of the question. Unless a powerful demon were to cultivate it, one would find their body bursting halfway as they cultivated it.


    As for the two secret techniques, one of them was the nameless concealment technique that he had been using this entire time, the Hidden Wind Technique. However, the nameless concealment technique was slightly altered from the original in order to become more suitable for human cultivators. It currently held no value to Han Li apart for reference.


    However, the other secret technique that was described was of much interest to Han Li, the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique.


    As the name implies, Bloodshadow Evasion was a strange movement technique that draws support from one¡¯s blood essence and allowed one to flee over fifty kilometers in an instant.


    Secret techniques that drew support from one¡¯s blood essence in order display great abilities were something that most Devil Dao cultivators were capable of. However, this Bloodshadow Evasion was quite different from the secret techniques of humans.


    First of all, one is incapable of controlling the distance traveled with this technique. When this technique was activated, one would instantly turn into a crimson blur as they shot over fifty kilometers away.


    Secondly, this secret technique required a large, fixed amount of blood essence. Once the technique was activated, the blood essence for this technique would immediately ignite. However, if one lacked enough blood essence to use the technique, the technique would cause one¡¯s body to rupture halfway through and turn into a cloud of gore. It was a truly dangerous technique.


    Lastly, activating this technique required a pair of wings. Because Bloodshadow Evasion was too fast, without any wings to maintain balance and a particular body lightening technique, the technique could cause one to crash into the earth after traveling only a short distance, or return back to where one started. In brief, a clean escape would be an impossibility without them.


    Han Li carefully read through the secret technique several times. No matter how he saw it, he felt that it was very suitable for him to cultivate.


    While other humans might not have wings, Han Li had the Thunderstorm Wings. The treasure¡¯s spirit wings were no different from true wings.


    If the Bloodshadow Evasion was truly as amazing as described, then it was an optimal technique for escaping. After all, the Thunderstorm Wings could only use lightning evasion to travel over a small area. It would only be able to flicker incessantly and would be incapable of making a clean escape.


    After committing the cultivation method of Bloodshadow Evasion to his memory, he started to look through the copper plate.


    The copper plate didn¡¯t have a name for its techniques and its descriptions made little sense. Han Li also found the strange cultivation postures unfathomable. After glancing at the techniques it recorded, Han Li was left particularly confused.


    After all of this, Han Li faintly recalled what the flood dragon had said. This Divine Provenance Plate seemed to be damaged beyond use. It was no wonder why he couldn¡¯t make sense of the plate.


    After realizing this, Han Li grew greatly dispirited and could only put the plate away.


    From that day on, Han Li added the Bloodshadow Evasion to his cultivation routine in addition to the Great Development Technique and the Azure Essence Sword Arts.


    Although he later felt that he had grasped the technique, he didn¡¯t dare to rashly test it. A great decrease in blood essence wasn¡¯t something that could be joked about.


    This continued as half a year unknowingly passed.


    One day, Han Li sat inside a quiet room as he cultivated the Great Development Technique when he suddenly opened his eyes. A strange expression flickered over his face as his body immediately glowed with azure light before he immediately shot out from his cave residence to the medicinal garden.


    A short moment later, Han Li was standing in front of the medicine garden¡¯s cottage with all of his puppets placed away.


    He glanced to the southeast and pensively thought for a moment before taking a seat inside the cottage. He then steeped a cup of tea and assumed a relaxed position.


    A short moment later, an extremely polite voice came from outside the medicine garden¡¯s restrictions, ¡°Excuse me, could you tell me if Senior Martial Sister Yuan is here? I am the Hidden Sword Mountain¡¯s Kui Huan.¡± The young man¡¯s voice seemed to contain a trace of urgency.


    ¡®Senior Martial Sister Yuan? Was that the name of the original caretaker of the medicine garden?¡¯


    Han Li¡¯s face remained calm as the new arrival shouted several more times. Han Li then downed his cup and slowly replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, there is no need to shout. Senior Martial Yuan left this place half a year ago. This medicine garden is now being cared for by me. If you wish to find her, then you should pay a visit to Martial Aunt Mu¡¯s cave residence.¡±


    ¡°What? The medicine garden changed caretakers?¡± The young man was astonished. From his tone, it seemed he wasn¡¯t trying to find someone, but had come to the medicine garden for something else.


    The man chuckled and amiably said, ¡°Since Senior Martial Sister Yuan isn¡¯t here, then Junior Martial Brother will do. Would Junior Martial Brother release the restrictions so that I may have a chat with you?¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin. From how elegantly spoken his words were, Han Li had no grounds to refuse him!


    After some thought, Han Li walked out from the cottage and took out a yellow command talisman. With a flash of radiance, the mist surrounding the medicine garden began to slowly dissipate.


    This revealed a yellow-robed young man that stood in the southeast of the restriction.


    The man had thin eyes, thick eyebrows and a large, straight nose. His head was also slightly smaller than normal. Although his appearance couldn¡¯t be said to be ugly, it was somewhat comical.


    His cultivation was only at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, somewhat inferior to Han Li¡¯s displayed cultivation. It was unknown how this person was able to enter the Drifting Cloud Sect.

 Chapter 606

    Snowcloud Fox


    As Han Li was examining the young man¡¯s appearance, the young man chuckled and walked into the medicine garden. He enthusiastically said, ¡°So Junior Martial Brother is a disciple of Dayspring Mountain. Your face is quite unfamiliar. Could you be a new disciple? In that case, I could genuinely be considered your Senior Martial Brother.¡±


    ¡°My surname is Han. I entered the sect earlier this year. Senior Martial Brother must be a brilliant disciple of Hidden Sword Mountain!¡± Han Li withdrew his gaze and smiled.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Junior Martial Brother Han. I am Hidden Sword Mountain¡¯s Kui Huan. I take care of a nearby spirit beast field along with several other Senior Martial brothers. Junior Martial Brother should pay a visit if he finds an opportunity. Although my cultivation isn¡¯t very high, I¡¯ve been at the sect for eight years and know many of the matters in the Drifting Cloud Sect along with the various disciples of the six mountains. If there is anything you feel unsure of, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me.¡± The man had spoken elegantly the entire way through.


    Han Li faintly smiled. The eloquent man reminded him of Little Abacus from all those years ago at the Seven Mysteries Sect. He was also eloquent, smooth at establishing relations, and proclaimed himself to be greatly knowledgeable. They were clearly the same kind of person.


    While Han Li did find this humorous, he didn¡¯t mean any ill will towards him. He crossed his arms and blinked, asking, ¡°Many thanks for your kindness. However, may I ask if Brother Kui has any urgent matters for coming here?¡±


    Kui Huan revealed slight embarrassment and hesitated for a moment. He then rubbed the back of his head and said, ¡°It can¡¯t be said to be an important matter. I merely came to ask Senior Martial Sister Yuan for some help. I just didn¡¯t think that the caretaker of the garden for six years would suddenly leave. This has left me in a bit of a difficult situation.¡±


    ¡°You want help?¡± Han Li frowned and revealed a trace of doubt.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t anything much. Surely Junior Martial Brother knows that since us external affair disciples have inferior aptitudes, we aren¡¯t particularly valued. The sect¡¯s¡¯ magic tools and medicine pills naturally won¡¯t fall into our hands. A year¡¯s worth of hard earned spirit stones isn¡¯t even enough to buy a few cultivation progression medicine pills. As such, I along with many other martial brothers go to the nearby Greentrack Marsh and capture a few small rare animals to sell at the market. These Snowcloud Foxes aren¡¯t demon beasts, but their petite physique, adorable appearance, and human-like intelligence makes them in high demand with female disciples of the sect. That is why my martial brothers and I struggle to capture a lot of them.


    ¡°Not long ago, we discovered a strange Snowcloud Fox that had a faint trace of spiritual Qi on it as if it had transformed into a low grade demon beast. This was naturally a cause for joy. If we could capture it alive, it would net over a hundred spirit stones, a rarely seen sum. Unfortunately, we were far too impatient and didn¡¯t think things through, allowing the fox to escape. Now, the demon beast has already fled deep into the marsh and is difficult to spot. Although we¡¯ve searched through a majority of the marsh and have occasionally spotted it, it wouldn¡¯t allow us to come any closer. It would simply flee deeper inside.¡± With that said, Kui Huan revealed a trace of regret.


    When he saw that Han Li wore a pensive expression, he paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°We later left a few people to watch over it for a time and discovered that this strange Snowcloud Fox is fond of eating Huangjing [1], especially Huangjing that is over ten years old. We reckon that if we wished to lure the beast, we would need Huangjing that is at least fifty years old before it would fall into our trap. Junior Martial Brother should know that any medicinal herb that is several tens of years old isn¡¯t something that can be bought with a few spirit stones. It would require more than a couple dozen!


    ¡°While we did have a few savings, we already pooled them together earlier to buy cultivation medicine. We don¡¯t have any spirit stones leftover. Helpless, I could only think of Senior Martial Sister Yuan¡¯s medicine garden. It seems there should be two or three stalks of Huangjing that are at that age. That¡¯s why I paid a visit, but I didn¡¯t expect that she would be swapped with Junior Martial Brother Han. D-do you think you could spare a stalk of Huangjing for us to use?¡± When Kui Huan asked his question, his voice grew softer and he somewhat stammered.


    It seemed he also knew that his request was somewhat excessive.


    After that was said, Han Li¡¯s face remained unfathomable. After a short moment of silence, he said, ¡°I do have two stalks of Huangjing that are over fifty years old which are according to your specifications.


    ¡°While it stands to reason that since this is the first time Senior Martial Brother Kui has come to seek help, I shouldn¡¯t refuse you as your Junior Martial Brother. However, Senior Martial Brother Kui should realize I do not have the authority to give out the spirit herbs in this garden. If it were lacking something or if it were to disappear, I wouldn¡¯t have anything to say when Martial Aunt asks for them. I fear I would be punished. That is why I cannot help you.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s words were quite calm, but the yellow-robed man couldn¡¯t help but reveal disappointment.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother, please be at ease. I am only going to borrow this spirit herb for several days. When the time comes, I will be certain to return it to you with thanks. We will also be extremely careful as we transport the spiritual herb so that there will be no mistakes. Of course, us Senior Martial Brothers won¡¯t have you lend the spirit herb for nothing. After this succeeds, we¡¯ll be certain to give you a few spirit stones. We won¡¯t have you suffer a loss.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry! This matter is quite important. I cannot allow you to use this medicinal herb. However, if you are lacking in spirit stones, I do have some saved up. I can lend a few to Senior Martial Brother so you can buy a herb instead.¡± After giving a staunch refusal, Han Li proposed an alternative with a smile.


    The yellow-robed man¡¯s unsightly expression quickly brightened, ¡°Is Junior Martial Brother serious? If you can lend us spirit stones, it is natural that I won¡¯t need the spiritual herbs of your garden. However, a medicinal herb of that age will cost at least thirty spirit stones. Does Junior Martial Brother truly have that much?¡± His delighted expression soon revealed a trace of doubt. After all, this was by no means a small amount to a Qi Condensation cultivator.


    Han Li slowly said, ¡°These spirit stones were saved up before I joined the sect and I¡¯ve yet to use them. I¡¯ll lend them to Senior Martial Brother for now! If these spirit stones could be turned into more, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss such a rare opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, so it turned out that Junior Martial Brother Han is an expert in conducting business. Please don¡¯t worry about it, Junior Martial Brother. With the Huangjing, that Snowcloud Fox is practically ours.¡± Kui Huan couldn¡¯t help but grin upon finding Han Li had spoken truthfully.


    Han Li smiled and grabbed his storage pouch. He then handed over thirty various colored spirit stones to the young man without any reservations.


    Kui Huan received the spirit stones with delight and pledged that they would succeed without problem. With only a bit of idle conversation afterwards, he took his leave with his mind occupied.


    As Han Li glanced at the departing young man, his smile faded away and he shook his head. He naturally didn¡¯t place the pledge to bring back the spirit stones in any regard. He merely didn¡¯t wish to offend anyone after having just arrived at the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Han Li planned on staying at the Drifting Cloud Sect for quite a while. Being acquainted with a well-connected individual such as Kui Huan could prove to be very useful.


    With that thought, Han Li reactivated the medicine garden¡¯s restrictions and returned back to the the small stone mountain to continue his cultivation.


    ¡­


    Three days later, Han Li was silently standing in front of an embarrassed Kui Huan.


    He wasn¡¯t there to return the spirit stones, but rather to request Han Li¡¯s help to capture the Snowcloud Fox.


    Han Li pursed his lips and doubtfully asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have enough people to capture a low grade demon beast?¡±


    Kui Huan chuckled and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother doesn¡¯t know how sly this Snowcloud Fox is, nor does he know how fast it is. Even common flying magic tools are unable to chase it down. We were originally going to have an inner sect Senior Martial Brother lend us a set of Obscure Track Formation tools to deal with the fox, but this Senior Martial Brother was unexpectedly assigned to a task yesterday and is no longer present in the sect. As such, we are lacking a member to use the formation. It would cost us quite a few more spirit stones in order to replace him as there aren¡¯t any others that would be willing. That¡¯s why I came to request Junior Martial Brother to assist us. Naturally, we will give Junior Martial Brother a larger share of the spirit stones when we succeed.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. Had Kui Huan come to request his assistance any other time, he would¡¯ve bluntly refused; there would¡¯ve been no way he would wasted his time over such a trivial affair. But a few days before as he was cultivating the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique in seclusion, he felt his nerves grow restless and had no luck regaining his tranquil temperament ever since.


    It seemed this was a sign that he had reached a bottleneck for the Great Development Technique. As such, this may prove to be a good opportunity as bottlenecks are broken through by chance encounters. Perhaps going out would do something for it.


    Having thought that, Han Li nodded and said, ¡°Since Senior Martial Brother Kui has spoken as such, I will assist you. I am quite curious where this Greentrack Marsh is.¡± Han Li then lazily smiled.


    [1] In English, this herb is known as Polygonatum sibiricum or as Solomon¡¯s Seal.

 Chapter 607

    The Greentrack Marsh


    Kui Huan was delighted upon hearing Han Li agree to help him. After deciding on a time and place for Han Li to meet his group, he happily departed.


    On the dawn of the following day, Han Li activated the restrictions on his cave residence and departed from the medicine garden. He then aloofly flew towards the agreed meeting spot on a flying sword magic tool.


    It was quite hilarious. He hadn¡¯t used flying magic tools ever since he reached Core Formation stage; it had been many years since he had last used one. This made it quite difficult for Han Li to find an unremarkable high grade magic tool in his storage pouches. He was unable to find any magic tools that were inferior to this one.


    After flying for a quarter of a hour, Han Li arrived at the spot where he would meet Kui Huan, the top of a relatively tall hill.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly surprised to see that no one else was here. He had arrived earlier than was arranged.


    Han Li casually found a large, clean rock and sat cross-legged on it before meditating and basking in the nearby Heaven-Earth spiritual Qi.


    Two hours later when the blazing sun began to appear over the horizon, several black dots slowly flew across the sky towards the hill. Han Li rubbed his nose at their pitifully slow flight and bitterly laughed.


    After more time had passed, the group of people finally arrived on the hill at what Han Li considered to be a snail¡¯s pace.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, it is quite considerate of you to have arrived earlier than us.¡± Kui Huan shouted out to Han Li with a beaming smile. His group was currently flying on low grade disc magic tools that the sect distributed to all the disciples in the sect. It was no wonder why they were so slow.


    Kui Huan then landed on the hill followed by three other Qi Condensation cultivators. Han Li stood up from the rock and turned his gaze to the other three. ¡°It was nothing, I only just arrived. Are these three Senior Martial Brothers the rest of the party?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, with five people, we can assume the Five Elements Obscure Track Formation. There are many people, but a lack of spirit stones. These three are Senior Martial Brothers Ma, Xi, and Wang.¡± Kui Huan widely smiled as he pointed to the three behind him and gave them a quick introduction.


    These three weren¡¯t particularly old. The oldest amongst them was Senior Martial Brother Wang at the age of thirty-five. This man had a confident and scholarly appearance and possessed the highest cultivation among the four, at the eleventh layer of Qi Condensation.


    As for the two other youths, one was short and stout while the other had a yellowish face. They appeared to be in their late twenties and both possessed a cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang seemed to possess an unordinary bearing. As soon he was introduced, he widely smiled at Han Li and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already heard about Junior Martial Brother Han. We owe much thanks for your help. If not for you, we would¡¯ve had no means to capture the demon fox.¡± His eloquent words left quite an impression.


    The other two also glanced at Han Li with kind expressions. It seemed they¡¯d gained a rather favorable impression towards Han Li after lending them the spirit stones.


    Han Li naturally denied this out of politeness, ¡°Senior Martial Brother is too kind. I merely wished to make more spirit stones.¡±


    The white-robed cultivator surnamed Wang shook his head and sincerely said, ¡°While these spirit stones can¡¯t be considered much to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to us Qi Condensation disciples, they aren¡¯t such a paltry sum that can be easily lent to a stranger. Junior Martial Brother Han is truly someone that I¡¯d like to be friends with!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly nodded and couldn¡¯t help but re-examine this man. Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s presence, conduct, and cultivation were all exceptional. He was obviously the leader of this group.


    As a result, Han Li smiled and thought to say something else when Kui Huan looked to the sky and suddenly reminded, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Wang, Junior Martial Brother Han, we can talk along the way. If we delay, we¡¯ll reach Greentrack Marsh without much time to catch the Snowcloud Fox. After all, we can¡¯t be away from the sect for too long, and our speed isn¡¯t fast.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang nodded his head and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Kui makes sense. We truly have no time to waste so let¡¯s go. If we have an opportunity in the future, let¡¯s have a proper chat.¡±


    The group of five then immediately released their magic tools and took to the skies.


    ¡°Yi! Junior Martial Brother Han uses a magic tool that he bought himself. It must be a mid grade magic tool at the very least. Could it be that Junior Martial Brother Han is actually a disciple of a clan?¡± When the several people took to the skies, they caught sight of Han Li¡¯s flying sword and couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise.


    After all, even if it was a mid grade magic tool, it represented a hefty amount of spirit stones to external affair disciples such as themselves.


    When Senior Martial Brother Wang saw this, his face revealed a trace of astonishment. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, a strange expression flickered across his eyes. The other cultivators also appeared quite flabbergasted.


    Having guessed that this would eventually happen, Han Li faintly smiled and said, ¡°How could I possibly come from a clan? It¡¯s just that many years earlier during my time as a vagrant cultivator, I made a few spirit stones by using my shallow skill in refining talismans. Were it not for this, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford to so magnanimously lend Senior Martial Brother Kui so many spirit stones.¡±


    Their shock soon turned into that of envy instead.


    The short and stout Senior Martial Brother Ma wore an expression of shock and curiously asked, ¡°Talisman refinement? I didn¡¯t expect that Junior Martial Brother Han possessed such skill. Since you were able to earn spirit stones, your skill in talisman refinement must be quite acceptable. What grade of talisman can you refine?¡±


    Han Li indifferently answered, ¡°I mostly refine low-elementary grade talismans. While there are two mid-elementary grade talismans I can refine, their success rate is rather poor.¡±


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han can actually refine mid grade talismans?¡± Senior Martial Brother Wang was greatly moved and couldn¡¯t help but take another glance at Han Li.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I can refine the Thunderfire Talisman and the Guardian Talisman. Unfortunately, I only succeed once in every six attempts. It is barely enough to cover the costs of the materials.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang sighed and regretfully said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han is far too modest. From what I know, only a minority of external affair disciples of the talisman centric Fire Cloud Mountain are able to refine mid grade talismans. If Junior Martial Brother Han were to rely on this trade, he would be able to acquire an endless amount of spirit stones. Unlike us, who have to wrack our brains everyday for a method to acquire spirit stones.¡±


    When the others heard this, their expressions turned dim. His words clearly touched a sore spot.


    ¡°You Senior Martial Brothers value me too highly. It¡¯s not like I can refine any high grade talismans. I would have to spend an entire day inside a market and peddle low grade talismans, not knowing when or even if they will be bought. As such, it isn¡¯t much like you think at all. But from my point of view, your business of capturing Snowcloud Foxes is quite impressive.¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes stirred as he changed the topic.


    Having heard this, Kui Huan¡¯s group glanced at each other and soon bitterly smiled. Senior Martial Brother Wang eventually said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han might not know this, but this shady business isn¡¯t sustainable. We won¡¯t be coming back to Greentrack Marsh after we capture this demon fox.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Han Li asked in astonishment.


    Kui Huan explained, ¡°One reason is that we¡¯ve nearly captured all of the Snowcloud Foxes in the marsh. It is too difficult to find the remaining ones. The second reason is because the Snowcloud Foxes aren¡¯t selling anymore. After all, common Snowcloud Foxes aren¡¯t true demon beasts, and there are far too few female disciples that are willing to purchase one. Senior Martial Sisters with superior cultivations are looking to find a demon beast to become their spirit beast.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that. It seems you Senior Martial Brothers will have to find another way in the future.¡± A trace of sympathy was revealed from Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    When Senior Martial Brother Wang heard this, he shook his head and said little more.


    As a result, the five flew out of the range of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s restrictions and headed straight towards the center of the Dreamcloud Mountains.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, the Greentrack Marsh is a rather neat place. It is located right on the border of the Ancient Sword Sect and our Drifting Cloud Sect. But because this place is somewhat remote and has been plagued by miasma for years, very few disciples ever venture there. As a result, we were able to monopolize the business of capturing the Snowcloud Foxes.


    This is a bottle of medicine pills for dispelling the miasma. After we arrive. Junior Martial Brother must take it every so often. Otherwise, you will be constantly vomiting and be plagued with diarrhea.¡± Along the way, Senior Martial Brother Wang suddenly handed over a small jade bottle to Han Li.


    ¡°Many thanks for Senior Martial Brother¡¯s consideration.¡± Han Li bluntly took the bottle and placed it within his storage pouch. But with his current cultivation, he had nothing to fear from miasma. Who knew if he would actually use the medicine.


    After flying for about six hours, they arrived at a tall mountain range. Their eyes suddenly brightened upon seeing a large expanse of verdant valley with trees and shrubbery of all kinds. However, a faint pink fog could be seen amongst the greenery.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Be careful when you descend!¡± Senior Martial Brother Wang gave a quick warning before landing his magic tool and showing the way through the miasma.

 Chapter 608

    The Fox¡¯s Appearance


    Han Li was the last to descend into the valley. Seeing that everyone around him had started to take the miasma treatment pills, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. With his body¡¯s essence having been purified, any miasma entering his body was cleansed with a single breath.


    At that moment, the group was flying straight towards the center of the valley.


    ¡°That demon fox is extremely clever, and we will only get one chance to capture it. As such, we must find a wide area so that it cannot escape from the formation. There is a flat field free of mud not far ahead of us. We won¡¯t have to fear it running away by digging into the mud.¡± From Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s plans, it seemed he had deliberated much about this matter.


    Having followed Senior Martial Brother Wang this long, the others in the group naturally raised no objections. As for Han Li, he merely smiled and remained silent.


    A short moment later, the five arrived in a lush, flat field with short shrubbery sparsely scattered about.


    Without waiting for Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s instruction, Kui Huan and the others landed on the field and examined their nearby surroundings.


    Following a quick discussion, Kui Huan walked to the center of the field and dug open a small hole. He then carefully took out the Huangjing that he bought from the market and shallowly buried it in the hole so that it slightly emerged from the ground. Afterwards, he sprinkled a bit more dirt on top to make it look a bit more natural. A faint medicinal aroma immediately began to spread out.


    ¡°Good, that will do. The Snowcloud Fox has a very keen sense of smell. Even if the Huangjing is three feet buried, the Snowcloud Fox will surely smell its aged medicinal scent.¡± Kui Huang stood up and dusted off his hands with satisfaction. He then recalled something and took out a white formation flag. ¡°Ah right, Junior Martial Brother, take this. It¡¯s an Obscure Track Formation flag.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and calmly received the small flag. At that moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang began to brief the party.


    He solemnly said, ¡°In a moment, everyone will take up a position on higher ground. When the demon fox appears, we¡¯ll all use the formation flags at the same time and envelope the field in an illusion formation. I am confident that since the Snowcloud Fox only recently turned into a demon beast, it will not be able to flee from the formation.¡±


    All the others nodded their heads in agreement before taking off on their flying magic tools. They all motionlessly floated about a hundred-fifty meters in the air with formation flags in their hands. They each used shallow invisibility magic techniques to conceal themselves as they waited.


    Since this involved such a large amount of spirit stones, Kui Huan and the others each appeared rather nervous as they unblinkingly stared down below. Even Senior Martial Brother Wang wore a grave expression as he deeply stared.


    In contrast, Han Li was the most calm amongst them. He was holding the white formation flag in a single hand as he swept his gaze around. In fact, Han Li had already enveloped the area of a kilometer around them with his spiritual sense. He would be the first to know if any winds blew or any bush shook.


    The area became deathly silent as two hours passed by. Kui Huan¡¯s neck began to ache as he stood on his magic tool from continuously watching down below. His face revealed faint impatience. He glanced at Senior Martial Brother Wang and thought to say something to him, but after some hesitation, he shut his mouth upon further thought. There was nothing to complain about even if they had to wait a while longer. This was all in order to capture the demon fox.


    After yet another hour passed by, most of the group began to feel anxious. As for Han Li, his expression began to stir as he stared at a patch of nearby shrubbery.


    At that moment, Kui Huan couldn¡¯t help but stir. He licked his lips and was about to say something when he heard Han Li¡¯s cold voice through a voice transmission, ¡°Be careful, the demon fox has already arrived. It is hiding in a bush to the west. Don¡¯t scare it away.¡±


    The other three also heard Han Li¡¯s voice transmission.


    In response, all of them glanced at the west bushes in alarm only to discover that nothing strange could be seen. They couldn¡¯t help but be skeptical of Han Li¡¯s words, but their relaxed attitudes became vigilant once more.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, surprise was clear in their eyes as a foot-long, snow-white beast slowly walked out from a bush. It turned its head around with each step and its whiskers occasionally twitched in hopeful anticipation. It was incredibly adorable.


    Upon seeing this, the other four grew vigilant and nervously grasped the formation flags in their hands.


    The white fox didn¡¯t glance up at the five. After seeing that there was nothing strange in its surroundings, it grew slightly more courageous and it began to silently walk in the direction of the Huangjing.


    However, when it arrived about thirty meters away from the Huangjing, it suddenly stopped and its small pink nose suddenly sniffed the air. A trace of doubt flickered in its eyes as if it had discovered something.


    This scene had caused Senior Martial Wang to lose his calm and he loudly shouted, ¡°Now!¡± His formation flag dropped to the ground in a streak of yellow light. When Han Li and the others heard this, they threw down the formation flags without hesitation and each uttered several incantations.


    Five different lights began to shine from the flags as soon as they touched the ground. A large expanse of yellow mist then enveloped the field, sealing it from every direction. The Five Elements Obscure Track Formation had taken effect.


    When the Snowcloud Fox saw this, it naturally knew that it was trapped. It immediately released several panicked howls and turned into a white blur as it shot into the yellow mist in an attempt to escape.


    The group of cultivators appeared somewhat relieved upon seeing this, but they didn¡¯t relax just yet. The illusion formation merely changed the direction of the white fox so that it turned in circles and stayed within the formation. The cultivators naturally wished to exhaust the beast first before they set to capturing it.


    The group of people beamingly smiled as if this operation was a success. After the small fox ran around inside the yellow mist, it suddenly blurred several times before collapsing to the ground. It no longer stood up.


    When the others saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but feel frightened and looked at each other in dismay.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s face grew sullen and he calmly said, ¡°Do not release the restriction. We will continue to maintain it. Junior Martial Brother Ma, go down and see what is happening. The Obscure Track Formation is only able to trap, it does not cause harm. From the fox¡¯s sly nature, it is most likely pretending to be dead.¡±


    The others were greatly relieved upon hearing him and the youth surnamed Ma wordlessly descended.


    Han Li faintly smirked at the scene and glanced down with a mysterious smile.


    The short and stout Senior Martial Brother Ma was rather fast. After a short moment, he had entered the yellow mist and was several steps away from the fox.


    He carefully grabbed the white fox tail and boldly shook it several times. The white fox was unresponsive as if it were truly dead.


    As a result, the youth surnamed Ma felt slightly panicked and immediately pressed his ear against the beast¡¯s chest.


    Soon after, Senior Martial Brother Ma flusteredly shouted from within the mist, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, quickly come down, the demon fox¡¯s body is ice-cold. Perhaps its heart has stopped from fright!¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Senior Martial Brother Wang couldn¡¯t help but change his expression.


    Kui Huan nervously said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, let¡¯s release the spell formation and take another look. Our spiritual power cannot sustain the restriction for much longer.¡±


    The cultivator surnamed Xi remained silent but a trace of worry appeared in his eyes. The demon beast wouldn¡¯t be worth much if it were dead.


    After a moment of hesitation Senior Marital Brother Wang nodded his head and said, ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll release the spell formation since Junior Martial Brother Ma has already grabbed onto the spirit beast.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he calmly rubbed his chin, but he didn¡¯t display the slightest opposition.


    Suddenly, the cultivators began to mutter some words and point to the ground, causing four of the flags to shoot back into their hands as streaks of light.


    In the instant the yellow mist dissipated, a short and stout youth placed his finger on the small beast¡¯s nose as if he were testing something.


    The three dropped down with sullen expressions. However, Han Li remained standing in his original position as he glanced at the white fox down below. His face revealed an odd expression.

 Chapter 609

    The Chase


    Before Senior Martial Wang and the other two descended, the youth surnamed Ma had already placed his finger on the white fox¡¯s nose and angrily cursed, ¡°Damn! This thing isn¡¯t breathing! Don¡¯t tell me that it died for nothing.¡±


    With that said, he raised his head to the three and was about to say something more with an angry face.


    The three that were descending suddenly had their expressions greatly changed as they shouted, ¡°Careful! The demon fox is alive! It was only playing dead!¡±


    The three all shouted different words, but their meanings were all the same.


    The short and stout youth was rather quick-witted, and his expression abruptly changed upon hearing them. His hand instantly blurred and a white talisman appeared between his fingers. He fiercely slapped the talisman onto the fox¡¯s tail.


    However, his actions were clearly too slow. As soon as he extended his hand holding the talisman, he felt a sharp pain coming out from the hand that held onto the fox.


    He loudly shouted as he unconsciously released his grip. The fox slipped away and rolled onto the ground.


    In the blink of an eye, the fox¡¯s tail had become erect and its fur became the same as needles. The youth¡¯s hand was now filled with holes and dripping with blood.


    When the other three saw this, they flew towards the small beast in furious alarm.


    The white fox wasn¡¯t about to easily be captured. It scuttled away and turned into a white streak as it shot forty meters away. With several hops, it fled back into the shrubbery.


    In a moment of desperation, Senior Martial Brother Wang and the other two surrounded the bush and released their magic tools as they slowly combed through it.


    But after a short moment, the three revealed astonishment. Apart from a pile of stones, there was nothing else in the bushes. The white fox had clearly disappeared without a trace. The three then despondently stood in place.


    Kui Huan unconsciously turned his gaze to the sky and shouted in alarm, ¡°Yi! Where is Junior Martial Brother Han going?¡± At that moment, the others also discovered that Han Li was quickly flying off into the distance.


    Han Li¡¯s voice transmission soon arrived at their ear, ¡°There is no need for Senior Martial Brothers to be so flustered. That fox slipped away using a vision obscuring technique and dug into the earth. Right now, I am using a magic tool to track it down. Once it comes back up, I¡¯ll capture it alive.¡± With that said, Han Li flew off towards the edge of the marsh.


    When Senior Martial Brother Wang heard him, he grew delighted and called out to the others before impatiently chasing after Han Li. The other three were close behind him.


    As they hurried along their way, Senior Martial Brother Wang turned his head around and asked, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Ma, how is your hand?¡±


    The short, stout youth was at the very rear. He muttered with a shameful expression, ¡°It¡¯s still good. Fortunately, the fox¡¯s tail didn¡¯t have any poison. It¡¯s merely a superficial wound.¡± After all, it was his carelessness that had resulted in the fox¡¯s escape. Additionally, the issue had been called to attention by someone, causing him to feel quite embarrassed.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang forced a smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s quicken our pace. Although I don¡¯t know what kind of magic tool Junior Martial Brother Han is using to track the underground movements of the demon fox, we should hurry after him.¡±


    Kui Huan turned around and repeatedly nodded his head in agreement. With an odd tone, he said, ¡°Nevertheless, the intelligence of this evolved Snowcloud Fox is truly too much. Even Senior Martial Brother Ma couldn¡¯t tell that the beast was playing dead. It was quite a shock.¡±


    Grabbing onto his wounded hand, the cultivator surnamed Ma deeply blushed.


    Fortunately at that moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang spoke up for him, ¡°We cannot blame Junior Martial Brother Ma. Even if I had been the one to check, things might¡¯ve ended up the same. It¡¯s just that the Snowcloud Fox was too sly.¡±


    Having heard that, the youth surnamed Ma shot an appreciative glance at Senior Martial Brother Wang and felt much better.


    As the three were talking, the youth surnamed Xi suddenly wore an incredulous gaze and suddenly shouted, ¡°Everyone, quickly look! Junior Martial brother Han drilled through the stone wall. Wh-what should we do?¡±


    The others glanced ahead in alarm and discovered that the marsh¡¯s end lie ahead of them. A kilometer ahead of them, there was a mountain so huge that its peak couldn¡¯t be seen. There was a cliff that faced them that had its black walls cut through with a sword.


    Furthermore, Han Li was nowhere to be found. The four stood in front of the cliff and glanced inside the opening that had been cut with dumbfounded expressions.


    Han Li had truly gone inside the mountain.


    At that moment, he was holding a jade scepter with a wolf¡¯s head that enveloped his body in a faint yellow radiance. There was a meter long yellow wolf in front of him that was opening a path with an earth movement technique.


    As the artifact spirit continued forward, the earth parted as if there was nothing there. Han Li followed after the wolf with a pensive appearance on his face.


    Underneath the scope of his spiritual sese, Ha Li saw the white fox strive its hardest to continue forward as it blurred a hundred meters beneath him.


    With his profound abilities, it was only natural for him to see through the Snowcloud Fox¡¯s act. He even saw how the fox took advantage of a stone vein in the shrubbery to slip away.


    If this were a common low grade demon beast, Han Li would¡¯ve naturally warned the disciples as a favor. But Han Li was quite surprised to see that when the spirit fox revealed itself, it possessed spiritual Qi fluctuations that felt quite familiar to Han Li.


    In his astonishment, he carefully examined it and found that the beast faintly carried the same spiritual Qi fluctuations as the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng¡¯s incarnation, the white rabbit.


    Han Li was delighted, believing that he had discovered another incarnation of a spiritual object. But after he examined the white fox once more, he grew somewhat puzzled.


    The spiritual Qi fluctuations of the fox were far too small in comparison with the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. The difference between them could be said to be as wide as heaven and earth. Moreover, upon deeper inspection, he found that the Snowcloud Fox possessed a true flesh body, not that of a spiritual incarnation. Otherwise, the trifling Obscure Track formation wouldn¡¯t have been able to contain it.


    Although the small fox wasn¡¯t a spiritual incarnation in the end, Han Li was still deeply curious about it. He was certain that this pure spiritual Qi had something to do with how this ordinary beast was able to turn into a demon beast.


    Having decided to investigate this fully, he allowed the fox to escape from the Qi Condensation cultivators and slowly followed after it, wishing to investigate the secrets of the fox.


    When the fox had arrived in front of the cliff, it had turned into a ball of white light and blurred into the ground without hesitation. As a result, Han Li summoned the earth attribute artifact spirit from the jade scepter and had the wolf silently open a path. Else, if he were to use a flying sword to cut into a mountain, the fox would be scared away.


    The mountain was obviously large. Han Li followed the white fox for at least a kilometer before it stopped, appearing inside what seemed to be a stone room.


    Han Li rejoiced and hastily ordered the yellow wolf to hurry and clear a path. At the same time, Han Li increased the power of his spiritual sense and began to examine the inside of the room.


    However, as soon as his spiritual sense neared the room, it was repelled by a strange force and he was unable to move it any further.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Han Li shouted out in surprise. His rush came to a stop and he suddenly grew careful.


    At that moment, he felt his body grow still and heavy as if it were bearing the weight of Mount Tai itself. He then heard an insipid voice, ¡°Since a guest has come, there is no need to be overly cautious. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re waiting for this elder to invite you in?¡±


    Just as this was said, countless yellow lights began to appear around him as a huge force pushed him forward.


    Han Li merely saw a flash of light before he found himself inside the stone room. He was greatly alarmed and instantly waved the jade scepter, covering himself in a red-yellow barrier of light. At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a dozen streaks of azure light that hurriedly revolved around him outside the barrier.


    It was only after this that Han Li could finally feel secure enough to look around.

 Chapter 610

    Black-clothed Young Woman


    Without much effort, Han Li spotted the owner of the voice. About forty meters in front of him, there was a young, black-clothed woman sitting cross-legged on a stone platform.


    The woman had a graceful appearance, but her complexion was deathly pale and her luminous eyes seemed to glow with sparkling light. Han Li was shocked to see that one of her sleeves was empty. She was missing an arm.


    Before Han Li said anything, the young woman revealed shock upon seeing Han Li release his magic treasures.


    The young woman chuckled and her bright eyes stirred. ¡°So it turned out that your esteemed self wasn¡¯t a Qi Condensation Junior, but a Core Formation cultivator. Your Qi Restraint Technique is truly impressive. It even tricked me for a moment.¡±


    As she sat, the Snowcloud Fox was comfortably sitting in her lap and was curiously examining Han Li with an intelligent gaze.


    After sweeping his spiritual sense past her, Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. ¡°So it turned out that this was Senior¡¯s hidden cultivation area. I am truly lacking in manners.¡±


    She appeared to be rather open and allowed his spiritual sense to easily sweep past her. He wasn¡¯t able to discover the slightest spiritual Qi fluctuations. From what he had gathered based on her abilities and tone, this indicated that her cultivation was truly too great, not that she had some sort of cultivation concealing treasure.


    Han Li grew greatly vigilant.


    As Han Li pondered over how to deal with the situation, the young woman raised her flawless pale hand and caressed the Snowcloud Fox. She leisurely said, ¡°It appears that your age is quite young yet you¡¯ve already reached late Core Formation stage. That is quite exceptional.¡±


    Han Li took a deep breath and calmly said, ¡°Senior flatters me. Junior was only able to reach this stage through sheer luck. Might I know Senior¡¯s esteemed name?¡±


    The young woman sighed and said, ¡°My name isn¡¯t anything special. If I said it, you wouldn¡¯t know of it. Let alone you, even this generation¡¯s Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t know of it.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Could it be that this young woman was an old eccentric that had remained isolated in her cultivation?


    Although Han Li¡¯s heart grew cold, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest trace of panic. After all, he now possessed a great number of secret techniques, especially the recently learned Bloodshadow Evasion Technique. With this, Han Li no longer held much fear towards Nascent Soul cultivators. Of course, Han Li knew he¡¯d be no match for one in a fight, but he was confident he could escape. However, the aftermath of igniting a large quantity of blood essence would force him to remain in secluded cultivation for many years.


    That being said, Han Li had no idea why this mysterious character had hidden herself beneath the three sects. Was it because she had some sort of plot in mind, or was she like himself, only wishing to cultivate in a place with dense spiritual Qi?


    Han Li swept his gaze around the stone room and astonishedly discovered that this room inside the mountain was sealed, and lacked any doors or passageways. Additionally, apart from the stone platform that the young woman was sitting on, there wasn¡¯t any other furniture. The room¡¯s emptiness gave an extremely icy impression.


    Han Li also discovered that the room¡¯s walls were extremely crude, unlike the common clean cuts of a blade. Rather, these uneven surfaces seemed to come from the wanton swings of a huge axe.


    As soon as he saw this, a strange expression flickered in his eyes. As if having seen through Han Li¡¯s confusion, the young woman suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist is puzzled, why not touch the stone walls and dispel your doubts?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred. He was truly curious. His recent scan with his spiritual sense discovered nothing strange. The room¡¯s walls appeared no different than ordinary stone. ¡°Since Senior has raised the topic, I won¡¯t be restraining myself.¡±


    He slowly reached his left hand towards the stone wall. But to be careful, Han Li continued to observe the young woman with his spiritual sense, fearing she would launch an attack out of greed. Although she hadn¡¯t shown any malice, Han Li had lived through many years of hardship and had grown to become extremely careful.


    When Han Li felt the stone wall, he noticed nothing strange. Then after some thought, he extended his finger and had a streak of azure swordlight emerge from the tip of his finger.


    Han Li stabbed his finger into the wall and shockingly discovered that the stone wall had completely blocked the attack. All that had resulted was a crackle when the light touched the wall.


    Han Li was dumbstruck, but at the same time, a trace of disbelief arose in his mind. His spiritual power surged as he suddenly struck the stone wall with a foot long swordstreak.


    As a result, the wall remained completely unharmed without even the slightest scratch.


    Han Li remained silent as an odd expression flickered across his face. He then pointed to one of his flying swords and had it strike the wall as an azure streak. Afterwards, it flew back with a clear ring.


    The strike had left an inch deep cut but the wall started to slowly smooth itself. After a short moment, the cut had disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li gasped in shock and couldn¡¯t help but turn his head towards her, asking, ¡°What is this? How can it restore itself? Could it be that Senior placed it under the influence of a restriction or spell?¡±


    The young woman indifferently said, ¡°Spells? Restrictions? You think too highly of me; this is merely Lapis Stone. Also known as Spirit Absorbing Stone, it is an incredibly rare tool refinement material. It is impervious to the spiritual power of magic techniques and treasures, and only great strength can harm it.¡±


    Han Li faintly frowned and turned back towards the stone wall. He slowly said, ¡°Lapis Stone? This Junior is quite inexperienced and ignorant. I haven¡¯t heard of such a material before.¡±


    The young woman casually explained, ¡°Hehe, it is natural for Fellow Daoist to not hear of this material. This material was incredibly rare even during the era of antiquity, and there aren¡¯t many that presently know of it.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he was flabbergasted. Just as he thought to say something else, the young woman sweetly smiled and interrupted him, ¡°Although Fellow Daoist¡¯s cultivation is nearing the false Nascent stage, your aptitude seems inferior. No, it would be better to say that it is terrible. It seems you¡¯ve come across fateful encounters to be able to reach this stage of cultivation. Otherwise, your greatest efforts would¡¯ve only taken you to the Foundation Establishment stage. Meeting me could also be considered an act of fate. If you don¡¯t find the idea undesirable, this elder has a treasure that I can lend to you.¡±


    As soon as Han Li heard her, he revealed a odd expression, ¡°Lend this Junior a treasure?¡±


    As if seeing through Han Li¡¯s suspicions, her expression sunk and she coldly said, ¡°Of course, there will be conditions. First, this item will only be lent. You will have to return it. Secondly, after taking the treasure, there is something you must carry out on my behalf as payment for it.¡±


    She rummaged through her robes for a moment before taking out a jade box in her hand.


    The jade box was pitch-black and only the size of a fist. Its exterior was incredibly rough and crude, but there was a trace of yellow within the black. It seemed to be incredibly old.


    Han Li glanced at the young woman¡¯s face before turning his gaze back to the black case. Still silent, his expression fluctuated for a moment as he pondered for a moment. He then gravely asked, ¡°Could Senior first tell this Junior what is inside the box before he decides?¡±


    Upon seeing Han Li¡¯s hesitation, the black-clothed woman revealed a trace of impatience. With her brow raised, she pointed at the black box and said, ¡°Surely you must know what a spirit well is. This box happens to hold a spirit well stone of the highest rank, known as a jade spirit well. At the very least, its spiritual Qi should allow you to further stabilize your cultivation at the false Nascent stage. It will allow you to condense a Nascent Soul with greater ease. This treasure has been with me for many years. If not for my current cultivation and my current inability to further use it, I wouldn¡¯t be lending it to you.¡±


    With that said, she stroked the black jade box with a reluctant expression.


    ¡°Jade spirit well!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression changed several times. This would cut down the time it would take for him to reach false Nascent stage by two-thirds! He completely swallowed his original words to reject her.


    After some hesitation, Han Li sighed and said, ¡°Might I ask what Senior would like Junior to do? If you can¡¯t do something with your current cultivation, how could I possibly help you?!¡±


    The young woman revealed an expression of joy seeing that Han Li was willing to agree. ¡°Be at ease! I¡¯m not asking you to kill someone. I¡¯m only asking you to run errands. Although my cultivation is great, I cannot depart from this room for a certain reason. I only want you to deliver a letter for me.¡±


    ¡°You only wish for me to deliver a letter?¡± This was completely beyond his expectations.


    ¡°Of course. Did you really believe that I¡¯d have you kill someone?¡± The black-clothed woman covered her smile, revealing an overwhelming allure.

 Chapter 611

    A Golden Talisman


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly blushed.


    ¡°If it¡¯s only to deliver a letter, Junior is willing to accept.¡± It was only natural for him to accept such a trivial task, considering the reward.


    The young woman seemed rather happy and raised her hand without another word. The box was wrapped in a green light and smoothly flew over to Han Li.


    Han Li received the black box and swept his spiritual sense over it. The spiritual Qi within the box was truly abundant as if it really contained a jade spirit well. Of course, given Han Li¡¯s cautious nature, he wanted to personally examine what was inside the box.


    With a flash of azure light from his hand, the black box opened by itself to reveal a dense, white mist of extremely pure spiritual Qi, flooding the stone room in an instant.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he examined the inside of the box with suspicion.


    He only saw a gentle white light that emitted from a sparkling white jade stone only several inches long.


    Han Li was left startled not by the stone itself, but by the thumb-sized cow inside the transparent stone that was continuously wagging its tail as if it were alive.


    When the young woman saw Han Li¡¯s shock, a peculiar expression flickered from her bright eyes. She casually smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? This jade spirit well had quickly nurtured a treasure incarnation. Common spirit well stones are incomparable to it. If you were to cultivate with this, you would achieve twice the results with half the effort.¡±


    After taking another glance at the jade spirit well inside the box, he eventually closed it and calmly raised his head. ¡°Right. With this item, Junior would only spend about a dozen years to reach false Nascent stage instead of several tens.¡±


    At that moment, Han Li had finally realized that the Jadecloud Fox had been stained by the jade spirit well¡¯s spiritual Qi. That was why it had possessed such a faint, pure spiritual Qi. It was quite possible that its transformation into a demon had something to do with the spirit well.


    Han Li¡¯s regained calm somewhat surprised the young woman. She couldn¡¯t help but take another glance at him in her astonishment.


    After drawing away a loose hair from her forehead, she casually said with an insipid voice, ¡°Alright, since I¡¯ve already given this item to you, I¡¯ll be giving you the jade slip to deliver as well. There is also another jade box below on the platform I am sitting on. Tear off the talisman that seals it and hand it to me. There is a token in the box that I want you to deliver with it.¡±


    ¡°You want Junior to take it for you?¡± Han Li revealed suspicion and grew vigilant.


    ¡°Humph! Still afraid this old woman means you harm? If I could grab it myself, would I ask you to do it?¡± The young woman resentfully smiled and lifted up her long robes with her hand.


    Han Li¡¯s expression greatly changed upon seeing her legs. They were shriveled like firewood as they were crossed together. There wasn¡¯t the slightest flesh apart from some dried up skin. It made for a rather fearsome appearance. But what surprised Han Li even more was the several silver sparkling chains that penetrated her legs that deeply bore into the stone platform..


    Han Li pursed his lips and raised his head to look at the young woman. Although his face appeared completely bewildered, he didn¡¯t ask anything further. He knew that the woman was certain to offer the explanation.


    As a result, the woman¡¯s face grew icy and she placed her robes back down. She dryly said, ¡°I am in this stone mountain for the Lapis Stone. I had a room of it and then I used the two chains to restrict my legs and trap myself here.¡±


    ¡°You trapped yourself?¡± Han Li was entirely confused by this.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My cultivation art is the Underworldly Slaughter Arts. Although the cultivation art is incredibly fast and its might is extraordinary, it has a fatal flaw. Once it is completed, the cultivator will easily lose their human nature and become bloodthirsty. Back then, I had a fateful encounter with this technique and decided to cultivate it despite the advice of others; I had been extremely confident of my exceptionally powerful spiritual sense. After I successively cultivated this technique and entered Nascent Soul stage, I was no longer able to restrain my urge to kill and swept through the cultivation world at the time in a massive storm, resulting in no small number of enemies. As a result, I finally tangled in a battle with several Nascent Soul cultivators, resulting in the loss of my arm.¡±


    The young woman expressionlessly glanced at her vacant arm and shook her head.


    ¡°After receiving this injury, I thought long and hard. If I had no way to control myself then I would die sooner or later. As a result, I steeled my resolve and asked my dear friends to forge the Divine Heavenfire Chains and the room of Lapis Stone to imprison me. Due to fear I wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate the loneliness or would suddenly become regretful, I gave the key to the chains to my best friend. They made a promise that they would come visit me every so often to see whether or not I¡¯ve gotten better so that they may release me.¡±


    After that was said, the young woman¡¯s expression grew sullen.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect that after coming only a few times, my good friend would suddenly disappear without a single word. I don¡¯t know whether or not they became impatient or if something unexpected happened to them. As such, I¡¯ve been imprisoned here until now. Because this room was refined from Lapis Stone, my spiritual sense is only able to reach out about a kilometer, despite having already reached the mid Nascent Soul stage. I wished to call for help, but I lacked any method to. These Divine Heavenfire Chains were refined through a very peculiar method, connecting them to my primal soul. Although my cultivation has greatly increased and I am able to break the chains, I will instantly die from doing so. Now that destiny has had us meet, it seems the Heavens have heard my plea. I no longer have to waste the rest of my life in this stone room.¡±


    The black-clothed woman gave a general explanation of her past to dispel Han Li¡¯s suspicions.


    However, the story left Han Li dumbstruck. If she spoke truly, then her past must¡¯ve truly been unfathomable.


    After a moment of deliberation, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Could it be that Senior wishes for Junior to deliver a letter to your best friend? With so many years having passed, it wouldn¡¯t be unlikely for your friend to have passed on!¡±


    The young woman sighed and bitterly smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if that¡¯s the case, there is no need to be worried. I just ask that you to bring the key for the Divine Heavenfire Chains. We were on good terms. If anything had happened, they should¡¯ve passed it on to their descendants for safekeeping. It¡¯ll be the same if you found their descendants instead.¡±


    After a moment more of thought, Han Li found this to be reasonable and that there were no gaps in logic. As a result, he stepped forward without speaking any useless words and circled around the stone platform to find a hole.


    Han Li carefully probed it with his spiritual sense and he raised his brows. He reached in to find a jade box.


    The jade box had an antique style and was a faint yellow with odd flames engraved on it. The silhouette of a person could be seen standing within those flames as if they were roaring towards the Heavens.


    There was also a flickering golden talisman on the jade box that faintly emitted an aura that caused Han Li to feel uneasy. He unconsciously frowned.


    The black-clothed woman couldn¡¯t help but grow excited and said, ¡°That¡¯s the box! Fellow Daoist, tear off the talisman and let me look at it.¡±


    Han Li had already placed his hand on the jade case and was about to tear the talisman off. However, when he the young woman¡¯s voice trembled in uncontainable excitement, Han Li felt an indescribable feeling of dread.


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li withdrew his hand from the box and raised his head instead. Han Li¡¯s heart thumped upon seeing her.


    Her eyes had changed into a dark green and her appearance had become warped. A fearsome, menacing guise had completely replaced her previously dignified air.


    When the young woman saw Han Li raise his head, she was startled and regained her awareness. Her warped appearance and green eyes disappeared in an instant. She said in a relaxed tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist, why are you looking at me? Why haven¡¯t you torn off that talisman? Don¡¯t forget, the jade spirit well is a treasure rarely seen in this world and I¡¯ve already given it to you. Why are you still hesitating?¡±


    Han Li glanced at the black-clothed young woman and looked down at the golden talisman tightly sealing the jade box. Without saying anything further, he narrowed his eyes and slowly walked towards her with the jade box in hand.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, what are you going? Stop! Don¡¯t come closer!¡± When the woman saw Han Li walking over with the golden talisman still on the jade box, her expression immediately changed and she began to shout with a panicked expression.

 Chapter 612

    Cadaver Demon


    When Han Li saw the young woman¡¯s reaction, his expression immediately became gloomy and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. He wordlessly raised the box as he approached her.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why she was so scared of this talisman, he knew she wasn¡¯t harboring any good intentions toward him, and he decided to drop any formalities.


    The black-clothed young woman had completely lost her mind to fear as he approached and instantly slapped the stone platform beneath her to launch herself away. However, this action activated some sort of restriction. Just as she reached three meters away, red light enveloped her and brought her back to her original position.


    At that moment, the jade box flew out of Han Li¡¯s grasp and released a series of clear rings as it flew towards the woman¡¯s head. The golden talisman on the box flourished with radiance and released countless golden talisman characters that slowly floated down towards the young woman.


    ¡°NO!¡± The black-clothed woman shouted in despair. Her beautiful appearance warped in an instant. She quickly used her sole arm to cover her face and dropped her head down to her chest, desperately trying to keep her face away from the talisman.


    As the golden talisman characters finally dropped down to the young woman¡¯s shoulder, golden light sparked and released a wisp of green smoke.


    The young woman¡¯s body greatly trembled as she released a monstrous wail of anguish. The wail was deafeningly sharp and inhuman, much to Han Li¡¯s shock. He unconsciously took several steps back and he felt cold sweat line his palm. In one hand he tightly grabbed onto his spirit beast pouch with the Gold Devouring Beetles and tightly clutched onto the jade scepter with the other as he solemnly stared at the stone platform.


    As further talisman characters fell onto the black-clothed young woman, even more green smoke began to surge from her body. After a short moment, the green smoke had enveloped her. Her body could no longer be seen, but the flashes of light and wails never ceased. In a moment, the wails became screeching; in another, they became frantically hoarse. The sudden and unceasing transformations of the monstrous wails were awful to behold.


    As Han Li watched in apprehension, he held his breath and pursed his lips. A fishy scent had filled with room as soon as the green smoke appeared. Each breath of it immediately caused him to feel a wave of dizziness and nausea, much to his surprise. The smoke seemed to be extremely poisonous.


    Soon after, cracks began to sound out from within the green smoke.


    Han Li was startled. Before he realized what those sounds were, he heard a swish of wind.


    A dark green claw that was tangled in silver chains suddenly extended from the mist at the speed of lightning and fiercely swiped towards Han Li at the corner of the room. The claw was as flexible as a snake, suddenly bending and reaching out ten meters towards Han Li trying to grab him.


    Han Li trembled and his grip tightened on the jade scepter. Just as he thought to execute a technique, the silver chains suddenly restrained the ghostly claws in a storm of sparks, filling the room with a scorched stench.


    A painful moan roared from within the smoke and the sharp claw quickly withdrew.


    Han Li stared into the mist with tightly shut lips, his expression continuously fluctuating. After some consideration, Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen and he drew back with two additional steps. With the Lapis Stone wall close against his back, he poured a great amount of spiritual energy into the jade scepter, thickening the red-yellow light barrier around his body and causing him to feel somewhat more at ease.


    After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, yet another monstrous scream left the mist, and the radiance of the jade box¡¯s golden talisman gradually dimmed. The amount of talisman characters it produced had also started to grow sparse.


    With all that he had seen, Han Li mused, ¡®It seems the golden talisman is capable of restraining either ghosts or demons, but it has a rather limited amount of spiritual Qi. It will eventually expire and will no longer be able to restrain her.¡±


    Fortunately, Han Li¡¯s worries were unfounded.


    In the following moment, the final scream faded away and the smoke had grown still. However, the golden talisman¡¯s light had yet to fade away.


    Han Li glanced at the golden talisman and didn¡¯t immediately approach it. Instead, he waited for a moment more. After the golden light faded away and the jade box fell into the dense smoke, Han Li¡¯s expression began to stir.


    He waved his arm and put away the spirit beast pouch for the time being. He then formed an incantation seal with the newly freed hand and began to mutter something in a low voice. In the following instant, a red, egg-sized fireball appear in front of him.


    After taking a glance at the fireball, Han Li pointed into the smoke and the fireball flew into the green smoke as a streak of red light. He raised his brows and uttered, ¡°Explode.¡±


    Boom! The smoke was swept up in a gale and was scattered in an instant, only to be replaced with a burnt stench.


    As expected, fire attribute techniques were the most effective means of dealing with poisonous Qi.


    Han Li stood in place as he felt hot winds blow against him. A strange expression stirred in his eyes as he stared at the stone platform while the smoke cleared away. When he eventually saw what was there, he felt his heart jump and he dryly swallowed as a shiver went down his spine.


    There was a human-shaped silhouette on the platform that remained still, and it was unknown whether it was still alive.


    Although it could be said to be human-shaped, there was dense green fur covering its body. Additionally, it smelled very much like a rotting corpse.


    Although he didn¡¯t see what it truly was, it was absolutely not human.


    Like its human form, it had only one arm, but this arm was much longer and had pitch-black claws. This was clearly what had attacked Han Li earlier.


    What was even more notable were the many chains that wrapped around its body. Not only did they bind its legs and arm, but it also pierced through its chest and back. It had been entirely restrained.


    Without much further thought, Han Li pointed to his flying swords and had them pierce into the monster.


    As a result, a series of muffled clangs sounded out. The green fur had repelled them without harm.


    Han Li wryly smirked, but he didn¡¯t feel particularly surprised. Given what heavy restrictions the monster was subjected to, Han Li would¡¯ve been somewhat astonished if that had actually cleaved off its head. It couldn¡¯t have possibly been that simple.


    Han Li waved to the swords and had them fly back towards him. He then took a few steps forward and lightly flung his sleeve towards the green haired monster. At that moment, an azure mist of light shot out form Han Li¡¯s sleeve and gently enveloped the monster, resulting in it dropping to the floor with its true appearance revealed.


    With its hair parted, it was revealed to have only skin and bone as if it were a dried up skeleton. Its half open mouth had a pair of inch long fangs emerging from it, making for a frightful appearance.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Han Li glanced at the green fur on the body and took another look at its face. It faintly felt familiar as if he had seen it before in a jade slip.


    After lowering his head in contemplation, its name suddenly appeared in his head. He couldn¡¯t help but raise his head and frightfully shout, ¡°Cadaver Demon!¡± He suddenly recalled the fearsome legends of this vicious spirit from times of antiquity.


    ¡°Cadaver Demons¡± were a type of Jiangshi. However, it was greatly different from cultivator refined corpses and ordinary Jiangshi that naturally rose from deep within the earth. It only appeared under extremely rare and specific circumstances.


    Although no one knew of the method by which this fearsome spirit took form, there were two main conditions that a Cadaver Corpse required to take form.


    First, there must be a corpse of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the very least. Corpses of mortals and inferior cultivators weren¡¯t sufficient for a cadaver demon to form. Secondly, the corpse must have heavenly spirit roots that are either wood or earth attribute. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be able to draw support from nature to rise once more.


    In addition to this, the cultivator must¡¯ve died harboring immense grievances. With the soul unwilling to return to the path of reincarnation, it is retained by the corpse. As time passed by with some other unknown conditions fulfilled, the soul and corpse would fuse together to form the monster known as a Cadaver Demon.


    The monster could be said to be half human and half Jiangshi as well as half Jiangshi and half ghost.


    Not only did it lack the fatal weakness of sunlight that ghost demons and Jiangshi possessed, but it also possessed most of its memories and techniques from when it was alive. And because it died harboring grievances, this fearsome spirit was undoubtedly bloodthirsty. They were particularly fond of hunting down cultivators and slowly torturing their souls with corpsefire for their amusement as they feasted on them.


    It had been ages since the last Cadaver Demon had appeared in the cultivation world.

 Chapter 613

    Transformation


    Recalling the stories about the Cadaver Demon¡¯s incredibly durable body, Han Li felt slight dejection. According to the rumors, he could only use true fire to slowly burn the corpse or extract the soul and seal it.


    The Cadaver Demon clearly wasn¡¯t dead. It was merely restrained for the time being by the unknown golden talisman. He reckoned it would take quite a while before the Cadaver Demon would be able to recover its strength.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto the jade box at the corpse demon¡¯s side. Since it had suppressed the Cadaver Demon and still hadn¡¯t burned to ash, it must be a seal of sorts.


    From how closely related the jade box was to the Cadaver Demon and the golden talisman that sealed it, it stands to reason that the box must¡¯ve contained the Cadaver Demon¡¯s soul.


    But in that case, why was the the Cadaver Demon able to control its body? It had also managed to nearly deceive Han Li into opening the jade box with its great intelligence. Could it be that the soul extraction was incomplete and that a remnant of the soul remained inside her body?


    Also, why did the Cadaver Demon have a jade spirit well in its possession? Did it acquire it after it was trapped?


    As Han Li was puzzling over this, he frowned and sank into deep thought.


    After a short moment, Han Li bluntly tossed the useless question away and began to look around for a way to leave.


    He would need to be at least at the Nascent Soul stage to be able to burn away the Cadaver Demon with true fire. Additionally, it would take several months at the very least. Even if Han Li had the cultivation to do so, he wouldn¡¯t waste the time or effort on such a fruitless task.


    He¡¯d rather just get as far away from here as possible and have the Cadaver Demon continue to remain in isolation.


    As for any unwitting cultivators in the future that wandered in here? That wasn¡¯t any of his business.


    As for whenever the Cadaver Demon escaped from here, the great sects nearby could deal with it instead.


    But in the end, Han Li¡¯s gaze fell onto the jade box once more.


    After glancing at the jade box with the golden talisman several times, he hesitated for a moment before taking it into his hand. Afterwards, he placed it into his storage pouch with an unchanged expression.


    The golden talisman on the jade box had released truly peculiar talisman characters. He planned on giving it a proper examination later on.


    As for whether or not he would open the box, that decision would be left for once he finished condensing a Nascent Soul. At that point, he would be completely safe from any harmful spirit it may contain. With the Divine Devilbane Lightning, the Weeping Soul Beast, and a Nascent Soul cultivation, he would have nothing to fear.


    Han Li waved the jade scepter in his hand and the light barrier around him suddenly disappeared, revealing the yellow wolf. He intended on having it use the earth movement technique to open a path through the stone room. The Lapis Stone was still stone after all, regardless of how rare and hardy it may be. As such, it should still be affected by the earth movement technique.


    With that in mind, Han Li was about to have the wolf press onward when his expression suddenly stirred. He suddenly turned around and looked at the motionless Cadaver Demon.


    After tilting his head in thought, he sighed and stepped towards it. He raised the leg of the Cadaver Demon to reveal a pit underneath it. Inside the pit was the Snowcloud Fox that was now staring up at Han Li with pitiful eyes.


    Han Li faintly smiled and muttered, ¡°You¡¯re rather intelligent to take refuge here.¡±


    With that said, Han Li waved his arm and an azure light reached towards the small fox.


    The white fox knew that things were far from good and hastily jumped in an attempt to flee. However, Han Li¡¯s azure light was remarkably fast and caught it in midair. The azure light quickly wrapped around the fox, before quickly bringing it into Han Li¡¯s grasp.


    Han Li grabbed the white fox by its nape and turned around to leave the stone room.


    As he walked, he unconsciously muttered, ¡°You are quite persistent. Not only did you manage to preserve your life through that, you even managed to survive until now in the company of the Cadaver Demon. Truly inconceivable!¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s¡­ inconceivable¡­¡± Just as Han Li said that, his steps came to a sudden stop as a thought appeared in his mind.


    With a greatly changed expression, he suddenly waved his arm and ruthlessly flung the white fox towards the stone wall.


    In that instant, a trace of resentment appeared within the demon fox¡¯s eyes. Those short and small limbs sharply increased in length, and it swiped its snow-white claws at his chest.


    A huge clang shook the room.


    In the midst of Han Li¡¯s furious alarm, the white silhouette blurred as it was flung towards the wall. Preventing itself from being smashed, the small fox deftly rolled several times in the air and distorted its body to fall down at a corner of the room.


    An ice-cold gaze appeared in its eyes, and it stood unscathed as it gazed at Han Li. Its green eyes faintly revealed a trace of disappointment.


    Shaken with fear, Han Li glanced at the large hole left behind on his clothes, revealing a sparkle of green light. It was the inner armor that he had looted off of Wen Tianren.


    After the Royal Scale Plate had been destroyed, Han Li had decided to replace it with this inner armor instead. Despite not knowing its name, Han Li could tell it wasn¡¯t inferior to the Royal Scale Plate in the slightest.


    Although the sly and fierce attack had caught Han Li off guard, it was naturally incapable of piercing through an armor that even common magic treasures couldn¡¯t harm.


    With his calm regained, Han Li stared at the white fox and gloomily asked, ¡°Who are you? That morphed attack was something a low grade demon beast isn¡¯t capable of.¡± At the same moment, he waved the jade scepter and tried to emit a light barrier around him.


    However, he was shocked to discover the jade scepter was completely unresponsive. Han Li bewilderedly glanced at the yellow wolf to discover that it was standing in place without any changes.


    Facing a powerful enemy, Han Li couldn¡¯t further investigate this and ordered the flying swords above him to form a curtain in front of him.


    With the droning flying swords protecting him, Han Li finally felt somewhat more at ease.


    In the following moment, Han Li was shocked to hear human words come from the Snowcloud Fox¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m the one who you just attacked. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten about me already?¡± The familiar woman¡¯s voice revealed a trace of mockery as the fox suddenly stood up on its hind legs.


    In that moment, the demon beast began to transform before Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Within a few breath¡¯s time, the white fox grew several times its size and shed the entirety of its fur in an instant. It transformed into a gorgeous young woman with a fox¡¯s tail. Han Li pursed his lips and could no longer keep calm. His entire face was filled with astonishment.


    This woman appeared exactly the same as the black-clothed woman except for the fact that she was nude. With her ample chest bared, she glanced at Han Li and flirtatiously said, ¡°Huh? My demon fox incarnation is not bad at all!¡± However, the depths of her bright eyes didn¡¯t contain the slightest warmth.


    After Han Li took a deep breath, he recovered his calm and coldly said, ¡°That was you?¡± He unconsciously glanced at the stone platform and saw that the corpse demon was completely still.


    With his heart relieved, he turned his sights to the newly formed woman.


    It would be reasonable to say that any demon beast that could assume human form was grade eight at the very least. However, when he examined the Cadaver Demon¡¯s white fox incarnation, he saw that it only had the cultivation of a seventh grade demon beast. Han Li felt surprise but not fear.


    However, he didn¡¯t dare to completely trust the judgement of his spiritual sense. With a solemn expression on his face, he recalled what he had read about high grade demon foxes.


    Nearly all demon foxes of this level were able to fully utilize illusion techniques. Many were even capable of toying around with similar grade cultivators without their knowledge. Their gift for concealment was among the best of all demon beasts.


    Previously, Han Li had felt somewhat doubtful of those words. He had managed to examine the woman with his immense spiritual sense with ease.


    However, since the Cadaver Demon had the ability to transform and retain this cultivation, why wasn¡¯t it able to take off the golden talisman of the jade box? Could it be that the demon still feared the golden talisman. Even in that case, with her cultivation, she would be able to kidnap a low grade cultivator and force them to tear it off.


    As Han Li began to expressionlessly ponder, he faintly felt that the demon fox wasn¡¯t so simple as just the Cadaver Demon¡¯s incarnation. There was certain to be something hidden deeper.


    With that thought, he regained his calm and glanced at the naked young woman before him with a trace of harsh killing intent.

 Chapter 614

    The Wolf¡¯s Appearance


    ¡°Regardless of whether or not you¡¯re the Cadaver Demon¡¯s incarnation, only one of us will be leaving alive.¡± With this staunch declaration, Han Li pointed to his flying swords without hesitation and had the azure sword curtain surge with light. It then transformed into a mist as it engulfed the demon fox¡¯s corner of the room in an enormous display of strength.


    When the young woman saw Han Li¡¯s attack, she smirked and licked her luscious pink lips. With a bewitching, bone-shaking laugher, she faded away in a flash of white light.


    The azure mist ended up striking nothing but the Lapis Stone wall in a series of small rings.


    Han Li frowned and quickly swept his spiritual sense across the room but found no trace of the demon fox. Her concealment technique was far beyond his own.


    However, Han Li still remained calm. He coldly sorted and slapped the storage pouch, taking a small silver bell into his hand.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li shouted. The small bell began to glow and instantly flew to a meter above his head.


    Without the slightest delay, Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hand and opened his mouth, releasing a breathful of azure Qi towards the small bell.


    The ancient treasure flowed with light before releasing a loud clang.


    Since this room was sealed, the silver bell¡¯s sound attacks should be slightly more effective. As of that moment, the entire Lapis Stone room began to reverberate and the air within twenty meters of Han Li began to distort. Soon after, the naked woman revealed herself in a flash of white as she staggered from the attack.


    Han Li rejoiced and was inwardly puzzled. The demon fox appeared weaker than common grade seven demon beasts. Was this because the Cadaver Demon had sustained damage before the incarnation took form?


    With that in mind, Han Li flicked his hand without any further hesitation, shooting five streaks of azure sword Qi towards her. The meter long streaks of light penetrated through her body in an instant.


    Then with a miserable scream, the woman fell to the ground as a puddle of blood began to form around her.


    Han Li felt rather stunned at how easy it had been. While he was at a loss, the jade scepter in his hand suddenly grew hot and pulsed with red light as it surrounded his body in a dark-red light barrier.


    Immediately after, several silver strands attacked him from a seemingly empty area. The light barrier¡¯s sudden appearance had managed to just block them just in time.


    ¡°What!? No!¡±


    A man and a woman¡¯s voice shouted at the same time.


    After recovering from his fright, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out an azure streak in the direction from where the silver strings were launched.


    A series of alluring, soul-shaking laughs suddenly sounded out as a flash of white light appeared at another place in the room. The naked woman appeared with her chest loosely held in her arms.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became extremely unsightly, and his gaze turned towards where the young woman had previously fallen. However, there was no longer anything there!


    Han Li pursed his dry lips and sullenly said, ¡°Illusion technique!¡±


    The young woman widely smiled and didn¡¯t respond. Instead, her gaze dropped down towards the yellow wolf at his side, and her face revealed a trace of astonishment.


    When Han Li saw the young woman reveal this expression, his heart stirred and he glanced at the wolf as well. Afterwards, his attention turned to the jade scepter in his hand and his expression began to waver.


    The light barrier blocking the fox¡¯s cunning strike wasn¡¯t something that he had ordered. Could it be that the artifact spirit had taken the initiative to rescue him? At that moment, the mystery behind the huge silver wolf, the combined form of the red and yellow wolves, was suddenly brought to Han Li¡¯s mind as his heart grew heavy.


    The young woman twisted her slender waist and thought to say something when the jade scepter in Han Li¡¯s hand pulsed before a red wolf emerged before Han Li in a flash of red light. As soon as it appeared, both the red and yellow wolves merged together in a dazzling display.


    Han Li was deeply shocked by the scene and tightened his grip on the jade scepter, not daring to make any rash movements.


    As he expected, a ring of silver light erupted from the converging yellow and red light, revealing a three-meter-tall silver wolf from within it. The wolf floated in the air as it stared at the demon fox with interest.


    Although the naked woman didn¡¯t know what the silver wolf was, for some reason she had felt her heart drop as soon as it had appeared, arousing a faint sense of foreboding. Under the stare of the huge wolf, her charming expression unconsciously froze.


    It was then that she realized things were far from good for her. With raised brows and a serious expression, she spat out a pink, fragrant mist, concealing her entire body in an instant.


    The pink mist quickly spread throughout the air and enveloped most of the room in the blink of an eye. Although Han Li didn¡¯t know what purpose this pink mist had, he didn¡¯t dare to breath it in. His expression immediately grew stern as he grabbed the spirit beast pouch at his waist.


    Regardless of how formidable the demon fox¡¯s technique may be, he didn¡¯t believe that it would be able endure the attack of the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles.


    But just as Han Li was about the open the spirit beast pouch, the silver wolf had taken action, much to his astonishment.


    The silver wolf suddenly opened his mouth and released countless fist-sized spheres of silver light into the mist in a violent torrent. Then with a howl, the wolf charged forward in a streak of silver light.


    Han Li was at such a loss that he stopped summoning his Gold Devouring Beetles.


    In the next moment, all of the silver spheres that had entered the mist began to burst.


    Silver light intertwined with the pink mist, causing the demon fox to shout in furious alarm.


    With that, the silver wolf then entered the mist.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­ Impossible¡­ You¡­ No¡­¡± As if having seen something unbelievable, the demon fox began to scream out in fright. An instant later, the miserable wails faded away as quickly as they had appeared.


    When Han Li heard this, his expression changed as he stared into the mist with narrowed eyes.


    Fortunately, the mist began to dissipate from a lack of spiritual power and revealed the previous hidden scene.


    Han Li¡¯s face distorted at the sight of the demon fox¡¯s naked form trembling on the ground. Pink and silver light enveloped different halves of the body with the lights intertwined at the body¡¯s center, continuously releasing sparks as if they were in opposition.


    ¡°Possession?!¡± Han Li shouted in his bewilderment. The silver light suddenly gained the advantage and slowly encroached on the pink light¡¯s territory.


    ¡°NO!¡± The young woman suddenly wrapped her head in her arms and screamed in pain. Soon after, her body began to tremble as it body began to change in a series of white flashes. A few seconds later, the woman¡¯s form turned back into that of an exquisite white fox.


    By that point, the last remnant of pink light had been consumed by the silver glow and the body¡¯s astonishing cultivation disappeared without a trace. It now only appeared to be the original low grade demon beast.


    The white fox sat motionlessly on the ground as if it were completely exhausted, but the silver light enveloping its body only became more radiant.


    Han Li tightly held onto the jade scepter in his hand and uncertainty appeared on his face. It was clear that the silver wolf had succeeded in its possession of the body, but he didn¡¯t know if he could continue to restrict or order the silver wolf while it was in the fox¡¯s body.


    A long while later, Han Li released a long sigh. Regardless of how it could be seen, the white fox couldn¡¯t pose the slightest resistance with its current cultivation. As such, there was no need to prematurely strike it down. Moreover, regardless of the silver wolf¡¯s actions it seemed to bear him no malice.


    Of course, Han Li had always wanted to know more about the history behind the silver wolf, but before he could even ask, the artifact spirit had taken action of its own accord. It was clear that the silver wolf had quite a story behind it as he had long since guessed.


    As a result, Han Li sunk into deep thought as his expression began to fluctuate. The white fox¡¯s silver radiance eventually dimmed and it began to stand up on its four limbs.


    As if unsuited to the fox¡¯s body, it knelt down after only taking a few steps.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight.


    Having heard this, the white fox turned its head to Han Li with a trace of irritation clear in its eyes.


    He then heard a woman¡¯s voice, ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I¡¯ve just possessed this body. It is only natural that I¡¯ve yet to adapt to it.¡±


    Just as Han Li heard this, his smile froze as he rubbed his nose and muttered, ¡°So you¡¯re¡­ also a woman?¡±

 Chapter 615

    Silvermoon Wolf


    The female voice coldly said, ¡°Humph! Who¡¯s a woman? Do you mean me?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he wryly smiled in response and withdrew his magic swords that were revolving at his side. He then calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a man or a woman. I just want to hear of your origins.¡±


    The white fox crouched and calmly glanced at Han Li, ¡°My origins? Am I not the artifact spirit of the ancient treasure in your hand?¡±


    Han Li frowned and gloomily replied, ¡°Of course I know you¡¯re an artifact spirit. However, I¡¯ve never heard of an artifact spirit being capable of possession.¡±


    The white fox curled its mouth and casually said, ¡°This merely illustrates your ignorance. Have I not already demonstrated that it is possible?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he grew silent for a moment. After a short moment, he lifted the jade scepter in his hand and began to carefully look it over.


    A vigilant expression appeared in the white fox¡¯s eyes and she coldly asked, ¡°What do you plan on doing?¡±


    Han Li sighed and calmly asked, ¡°Nothing in particular. I am merely curious as to how useless this jade scepter is now that you¡¯ve successfully possessed the demon fox. If I were to shatter this, would anything happen to you?¡±


    The white fox¡¯s expression massively changed and it fiercely glared at Han Li. But after only a short moment, it thought of something and its imposing attitude soon disappeared. The white fox insipidly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to test me. It is true that if you shatter the jade scepter, I will disappear as well. After all, artifact spirits are one with the treasures that contain them.¡±


    Afterwards, white light flashed from the fox¡¯s body and a huge pressure began to emit from it.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, and his expression immediately became tense.


    The white fox glanced at Han Li and said, ¡°There is no need to be worried. I merely find it inconvenient to speak to you in beast form, so I am transforming into a human.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he felt somewhat surprised but a bit more at ease as well.


    At that moment, the white fox glowed with a blinding silver light, causing Han Li to unconsciously take a few steps back.


    The white glow faded away to reveal a young woman with an alluring beauty. Apart from her shining green eyes being replaced with a clear black, the woman¡¯s appearance was exactly the same as before it had been possessed. It seemed a demon beast¡¯s human form was permanent and it was incapable of being changed.


    As Han Li pondered to himself, the young woman unconsciously covered her body. She then hesitantly asked, ¡°Does Fellow Daoist have any clothes? I feel¡­ unaccustomed to this.¡± After that was said, the woman revealed an expression of slight shyness.


    Han Li was stunned for a moment, but he soon took out a few reserve clothes from his storage pouch and handed them over.


    ¡°Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!¡± The young woman took the clothes and began to drape them on her body, covering herself.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. The woman¡¯s every action excuded an undescribable gracefulness. Even women from noble households would find it difficult to match her. It was incredulous that she was originally a silver wolf.


    Having finished putting on her clothes, the woman turned to Han Li and slowly said, ¡°You may call me Silvermoon. As for my origins, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t wish to tell you, but I cannot remember them myself. You should know that when a demon¡¯s soul is refined into an artifact spirit, their consciousness will fade away and they become an obedient entity for their master to command. But for some unknown reason, I one day regained awareness and recalled a few memories of when I was alive. Although it is a rather small amount, I regained some ability for independent action. I faintly recalled that I was once a member of the Silver Wolves Clan. As such, I¡¯ve named myself Silvermoon Wolf since I do not have any memory of my original name.¡± As she said this, the young woman elegantly took a few steps as if to slowly get accustomed to her new body.


    A pensive expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as he stroked his chin. ¡°The Silvermoon Wolves Clan? I have no records of such demon beasts.¡±


    Silvermoon frowned and said, ¡°This merely came from a portion of my shattered memories. Perhaps I remembered incorrectly.¡±


    Han Li pondered for a moment before solemnly asking, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve lost the memories of your past, but what about the matter of an artifact spirit taking possession of another body? Don¡¯t tell me that all artifact spirits can do this. If this were true, the cultivation world would¡¯ve long ago been thrown into disarray.¡±


    The young woman coldly smiled and countered, ¡°Do you really believe that I can casually possess any flesh body as I wish?¡±


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the woman, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Silvermoon pursed her lips and explained, ¡°The technique that I just used can¡¯t strictly be considered possession. It is merely an innate ability of us Silvermoon Wolves called Soul Devouring. By using our manifested souls, we may directly attack the soul of another. Of course, once we devour their souls, we may temporarily take control of the new body. However, this cannot last for a long period of time, otherwise our souls will merge with the possessed body and we will no longer be able to return to our own. Additionally, this ability is a double-edged sword. Our spiritual sense isn¡¯t particularly stronger than those of other demon clans. If we were to come across an opponent with a stronger spiritual sense, our lives would be thrown away. As a result, none dared to rashly use it. However, to someone without a body like me, it doesn¡¯t particularly matter.¡±


    Having seen Han Li¡¯s astonishment, she guessed what Han Li was about to ask and hurriedly continued, ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me about the specifics of Soul Devouring. It is only something I have an instinctual grasp of. But there is no need to worry, Soul Devouring possesses many restrictions and isn¡¯t something that I can casually use. It would¡¯ve been impossible for me to use it as an artifact spirit if I weren¡¯t originally a Silvermoon Wolf. Had I not been fortunate enough to come across this Four Pupiled Fox, I wouldn¡¯t have used it. I would¡¯ve merely chosen to remain inside the jade scepter instead. According to my memories, the Four Pupiled Foxes were innately vulnerable against Silvermoon Wolves. With its spirit already possessed by the Cadaver Demon and without having to deal with the original body¡¯s master, I was luckily able to succeed in possessing it.¡±


    Han Li closely looked into her eyes and found nothing strange. He couldn¡¯t help but doubtfully ask, ¡°Four Pupiled Fox? Was it not a Snowcloud Fox?¡±


    ¡°Its namesake, the innate devil pupils, only appear after its cultivation has reached the greater success stage. Our Silvermoon Wolves Soul Devouring is a joke in comparison to their devil eyes with their fearsome deadliness. But while their appearance is extremely similar to a common Snowcloud Fox, when it fully used its technique I immediately recognized it.¡± Silvermoon faintly smiled and unconsciously revealed a captivating beauty.


    Han Li pursed his lips and raised his most pressing concern, ¡°The demon fox¡¯s cultivation reached that of a grade seven demon beast. That isn¡¯t considered having reached greater success stage? And how come it is capable of taking human form when it had yet to breakthrough to metamorphosis stage? Moreover, how was the demon fox¡¯s cultivation able to change so suddenly? Don¡¯t tell me that you and the demon fox had been concealing this body¡¯s true cultivation all along.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Fellow Daoist sure has many questions. However, I haven¡¯t spoken to anybody else in countless years so I don¡¯t mind. I truly don¡¯t know why the demon fox was capable of transforming. I reckon that the Cadaver Demon saw that the situation was disadvantageous and decided to use a technique to forcefully graft a portion of its cultivation onto the demon fox. That was how its cultivation was able to reach such heights. The Four Pupiled Fox¡¯s true cultivation is still that of a genuine low grade spirit beast. Also, the Cadaver Demon wasn¡¯t able to stray too far away from its body once it grafted its cultivation onto the demon fox due to the room¡¯s restrictions. As for why I am currently in human form, it is mostly because I am raising my cultivation to the border of a grade eight demon beast by using secret techniques. However, my cultivation will slowly decrease and I will turn back into a demon beast. It will be at least a month before I can use this technique again.¡±


    After that, Han Li didn¡¯t continue his questioning. Instead, he lowered his head in thought. A long while later, he indifferently said, ¡°Although this hasn¡¯t dispelled all of my doubts, I¡¯ve reached a general understanding. However, there is something I wish to ask Fellow Daoist Silvermoon. What do you plan on doing with that body?¡±


    Silvermoon revealed a mysterious smile and chuckled before asking, ¡°Would Fellow Daoist kill me if I told you that I planned on cultivating with it?¡±

 Chapter 616

    Master of an Artifact Spirit


    Han Li didn¡¯t directly respond to her question and responded with raised eyebrows, ¡°From the techniques and abilities that you displayed today as well as during that time in Heavenvoid Hall, it seemed that you deliberately allowed me to acquire the jade scepter. Is that right?¡±


    Silverwolf felt somewhat stunned by his question, and she smiled with luminous eyes, ¡°As the jade scepter¡¯s tool spirit, I didn¡¯t have much of a chance to leave Heavenvoid Hall by myself. I needed a cultivator to bring me out. On that day, I didn¡¯t use my full abilities to resist capture. And with my cultivation greatly reduced after breaking free from the Heavenvoid Cauldron, my full resistance wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop a Nascent Soul cultivator. In the end, it would¡¯ve been better for me to fall into the hands of a Core Formation cultivator instead.¡±


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li asked with a deep voice, ¡°That day, I wasn¡¯t the only Core Formation cultivator there. Why didn¡¯t you fall into the hands of the other two? Did you choose me?¡±


    Silvermoon¡¯s expression stirred and asked, ¡°You mean the youth surnamed Wu and the Ghost Dao cultivator that planned on killing you for the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Silvermoon pursed her lips and sweetly smiled, ¡°I simply found them undesirable! One was eerie and filled with ghost Qi and the other shriveled and hideous. Although you aren¡¯t a majestic figure, you could be considered somewhat pleasing to the eye. Do you find these reasons acceptable?¡± She seemed both earnest and joking as she said this.


    Han Li found himself overwhelmed with a feeling of not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist is unwilling to speak of it, I won¡¯t press you since I have a more important question to ask. Have you been able to observe my actions over the years from within my storage pouch?¡± Han Li¡¯s question was spoken with an icy tone, causing the temperature in the room to instantly drop.


    Her smiled vanished and she seriously responded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Regardless of whether it is Brother Han¡¯s techniques or magic treasures, I have been able to observe everything. I even know of the small, heaven-defying bottle of yours.¡±


    Although he had faintly guessed as much, Han Li¡¯s expression instantly grew gloomy upon hearing her. He icily glanced at the young woman in silence as if he were thinking of a countermeasure.


    Silvermoon ignored Han Li¡¯s icy expression and asked with a weak smile, ¡°Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han plans on killing me? After all, if any of the cultivator clans were to know that such a heaven-defying treasure were to exist, Brother Han would surely meet a miserable end.¡±


    When Han Li heard her, his eyes narrowed and his gaze became sharp as a blade¡¯s edge.


    With a hostile expression, Han Li chillingly said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Silvermoon is fully aware of this and dares to brazenly mention it, are you not afraid that I will destroy your linked treasure? If you were to perish, there wouldn¡¯t be any leaked secrets. Or do you believe that I wouldn¡¯t be able to kill you?¡±


    Silvermoon shook her head and serenely said, ¡°With your current abilities and magic treasures along with my unfamiliarity with this body, it is unlikely that I could prove to be your opponent. And after seizing this body through Soul Devouring, my cultivation greatly decreased. If we were to fight, I¡¯d only have a thirty percent chance of victory if I¡¯m being generous. Besides, my housed treasure is in your hands. I could disappear as soon as you willed it.¡±


    Han Li coldly snorted, but the young woman continued her explanation without a care, ¡°I am very much satisfied that Fellow Daoist Han has been able to tolerate me this far without killing me. While you can¡¯t be considered a chivalrous hero, you are still clearly someone who understands debts of gratitude. If I hadn¡¯t taken action to block the demon fox¡¯s attack, Brother Han probably wouldn¡¯t have given me the opportunity to speak so much rubbish.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t deny her, instead calmly admitting, ¡°Even if I give you the opportunity, if you aren¡¯t able to convince me, I will still take action. I cannot allow any knowledge of the bottle to escape.¡±


    Silvermoon explained with an appreciative expression, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Brother Han¡¯s words are still in line with my predictions. If Fellow Daoist Han were not ruthless and decisive, he wouldn¡¯t have made it this far on the path of cultivation, and I definitely wouldn¡¯t have saved you. After all, I don¡¯t wish to be immediately discarded after recognizing a master.¡±


    Han Li was stunned for a moment before he sneered and said, ¡°Recognizing a master? What is that supposed to mean? Do you really believe that I¡¯d release you over a few words?¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes brightly stirred as she further explained, ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t such a simple matter. According to my knowledge, your set of Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords has no artifact spirit. I am capable of shifting my main soul from the jade scepter over to your Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords for the time being. With this, your flying swords would become far stronger, and you could end my life with a single thought. This should be enough for you to release me. After all, as your artifact spirit, you¡¯ll be able to sense if I have even the slightest malice towards you. Also, since my flesh body cannot be separated too far away from my main soul, there will be no fear of me abandoning you.¡±


    Han Li frowned and deliberated for a long while before nonchalantly asking, ¡°Can artifact spirits change their main bodies? If that is possible, then why are you willing to become my artifact spirit? Don¡¯t tell me that this is just because you¡¯re grateful that I¡¯ve taken you out of Heavenvoid Hall.¡±


    The young woman sighed and slowly said, ¡°Other artifact spirits possess no awareness and are naturally incapable of changing their housed treasure. However, I am different. So long as we are both willing, I am completely capable of doing this. Naturally, if I am to change my housed treasure, I will certainly feel immense pain but that cannot be helped. As for my intentions, I naturally don¡¯t wish to be an artifact spirit for eternity. Don¡¯t think my views to be contradictory. I am only willing to become your artifact spirit now so that I may acquire true freedom in the future.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and his expression grew lax, ¡°Could you speak of that in more detail?¡±


    ¡°I am not too sure of the specifics, but my scattered memories tell me that if I cultivate a secret technique, and my housed treasure¡¯s master reaches the legendary Deity Transformation stage, then I will acquire my freedom in the instant they ascend to the next realm. But before that happens, I will still be under your control. If you were to die for any reason before then, I will have to find another cultivator. From the way I see it, with your precious small bottle, you are the most likely cultivator to fulfill my wishes. That is why I was willing to take the initiative to offer to become your artifact spirit.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression wavered upon hearing this. After letting out a long sigh, he said, ¡°Regardless of whether or not you¡¯re telling the truth, I truly have no method of controlling you other than this. And since you¡¯ve taken the initiative to become my artifact spirit, I cannot reject you. However, I will have to place a temporary restriction on your body for the time being. After all, suddenly shifting an artifact spirit isn¡¯t something that can be done all at once. I must first prepare myself. Oh right, how far away can you be from your housed treasure while in that body?¡±


    Silvermoon appeared happy that Han Li had agreed to her request. She obediently replied, ¡°Currently, I must be within fifty kilometers of you. But soon, this demon fox¡¯s cultivation will increase and so should the range.¡±


    Han Li closely pursued this matter with a cautious expression, ¡°What will happen if you exceed this range?¡±


    ¡°If the range is exceeded, my soul will be beckoned by the housed treasure and I will be called back. However, Fellow Daoist need not worry about inconveniencing me. I know a secret technique that allows my body to be safely sealed within a spirit beast pouch. So long as you cultivate the technique and give the order, I can leave and enter the spirit beast pouch at will. As for when you confront an enemy, I can appear as your artifact spirit or even as the fox in accordance to the situation.¡±


    Han Li appeared satisfied by Silvermoon¡¯s answer and nodded his head, ¡°Good, since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll first¡­¡±


    Silvermoon¡¯s expression changed as she suddenly interrupted him, ¡°Not good, my spiritual power is exhausted. I cannot continue to maintain this body.¡±


    In a pulse of silver light, her body shrank before Han Li¡¯s eyes, turning back into a small white fox. It was currently wrapped around Han Li¡¯s rather large clothes.


    When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly laugh. He then formed an incantation gesture without any hesitation and shot several streaks of azure light into the white fox¡¯s body, placing it underneath his restrictions.


    Han Li then lifted the white fox by its nape and said, ¡°Once we head out, I will hand you over to the Drifting Cloud disciples for the time being. Then after we part, slip away on your own. It should be extremely easy for you to slip away from a couple of Qi Condensation cultivators. I¡¯ll be waiting for you along the way.¡±

 Chapter 617

    Return


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you said. But how will Brother Han handle this Cadaver Demon?¡± The white fox spoke to Han Li through a voice transmission.


    Han Li took a look at the green haired Cadaver Demon and casually said, ¡°First, I¡¯ll see whether or not the Gold Devouring Beetles can destroy it. If that isn¡¯t possible, then there is nothing that can be done. We¡¯ll just leave it alone. Besides, regardless of the outcome I¡¯ll be taking the jade box that has its main soul. It won¡¯t be able to cause any major problems later on.¡±


    He then slapped his waist and launched the Spirit Beast Pouch into the air, releasing countless black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles to surround the Cadaver Demon.


    Sounds of the beetle¡¯s gnawing spread throughout the room, but soon, Han Li saw a portion of the Gold Devouring Beetles suddenly fall onto their backs and die. Their tri-colored shell turned dark-green in an instant.


    ¡°What fearsome poison!¡± Han Li muttered with a faint scowl. After a moment of hesitation, he had the flying beetles return to his spirit beast pouch.


    The white fox pondered for a long moment and said, ¡°The Cadaver Demon¡¯s rotting poison might not be among the ten deadliest poisons in the land, but it isn¡¯t something that your incomplete Gold Devouring Beetles are capable of enduring.¡±


    Han Li snorted and frowned as he coldly glanced at the Cadaver Demon.


    The monster¡¯s body was extremely durable, far beyond that of the Venomous Flood Dragon. He reckoned that if he were to destroy the Cadaver Demon, it would cause a majority of his black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles to perish. There was no way Han Li would suffer such a loss over a fruitless matter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Han Li spoke without the slightest hesitation.


    The white fox nodded her head and said, ¡°That does seem to be the only choice. Perhaps there will be a later use for the Cadaver Demon!¡±


    With that said, a strange light glowed from the white fox and a yellow wolf head emerged from its body. As soon as the yellow wolf appeared, it opened its mouth wide and enveloped them both in yellow light. Afterwards, Han Li and the white fox disappeared from the room.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang and the other three Qi Condensation cultivators were anxiously standing outside of the cliff. With none of them capable of using earth movement techniques, they could only wait for Han Li to return.


    Kui Huan grew impatient and asked, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, do you think Junior Martial Brother Han succeeded?¡±


    When the other two heard him they attentively looked at Senior Martial Brother Wang. He wryly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. With Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s tenth layer cultivation, it shouldn¡¯t have been easy for him to chase after the demon fox. However, Junior Martial Brother Han does possess an impressive magic tool. Perhaps he¡¯ll be able to give us a pleasant surprise, but either result shouldn¡¯t come as a shock.¡±


    When the other three heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    The short, stout youth sighed and shook his injured hand. When he thought to say something further, a yellow light suddenly flashed from the cliff to reveal Han Li with a small fox in his grasp.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han!¡±


    ¡°You truly managed to capture the fox!¡±


    All four of the cultivators began to speak with expressions of excitement.


    Han Li chuckled and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t much. The fox was quite cunning and circled several times within the mountain. Had it not exhausted its spiritual power, I fear I wouldn¡¯t have been able to capture it so quickly.¡± He then tossed the white fox towards Kui Huan.


    Kui Huan was stunned for a moment before excitedly catching it.


    The short, stout youth hurriedly warned, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Kui, be careful! Don¡¯t let it run away!¡±


    Kui Huan lifted the white fox and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be very careful.¡± Afterwards, he slapped his storage pouch and took out a dark-green bag before quickly slipping the small fox inside.


    Kui Huan quickly tied the pouch closed and proudly said, ¡°Hehe! How will you escape from this pouch, little fox?¡±


    Han Li took a look at the small pouch, but after seeing that it was only a low grade spirit tool, he paid it no further heed.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang didn¡¯t pay any further attention to the small fox in the pouch. He instead faced Han Li and cordially said, ¡°We were only able to capture the demon fox in great thanks to Junior Martial Brother Han. Since we aren¡¯t an unscrupulous sort, we¡¯ll give Junior Brother Han a third of whatever the fox will fetch us. As for the rest, we¡¯ll split it evenly among us four. How does that sound?¡±


    Han Li smiled in response. From Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s skilled display, it seemed he truly wished to form a relationship with Han Li. As a result, Han Li nodded his head and agreed without any reservations, ¡°Since Brother Wang has made up his mind, I have no complaints.¡±


    Although the other three felt somewhat reluctant to receive fewer spirit stones, they all knew that if it weren¡¯t for Han Li¡¯s assistance they would¡¯ve ended up wasting their efforts. As such, no one raised any objections.


    In the following moments, Han Li shared a few pleasantries with the others before excusing himself on the pretenses of having a pressing matter at hand.


    With Han Li heading back to the sect the other four decided to strike while the iron was hot and head straight to the market city at the center of the Dreamcloud Mountains. Since that was where the disciples of the three sects mingled the most, they reckoned they would fetch the highest price for the Snowcloud Fox there.


    The four then departed from the marsh in high spirits.


    Han Li didn¡¯t travel far before casually finding a small mountain nearby. He dropped down and sat cross legged on a flat rock before closing his eyes. He had the jade scepter on hand, allowing the white fox to find him when the time came.


    About an hour later, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and he opened his eyes. At nearly the same time, a yellow light emerged from the earth revealing the white fox.


    Han Li looked at the white fox and indifferently said, ¡°Well aren¡¯t you fast?¡±


    The white fox raised its head and chuckled, ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m fast. It¡¯s just that they underestimated me by using a low grade spirit tool to contain me. I fear they still haven¡¯t discovered that I¡¯ve disappeared.¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly said, ¡°But now those Drifting Cloud Sect disciples will have made a wasted effort. When the time comes, I should give them a bit of compensation!¡±


    The white fox shook its head and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they will have profited from this disaster.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut the rubbish. Shrink yourself and hide in my sleeve for the time being. We¡¯re going to return.¡± Han Li then shook his sleeve.


    When the white fox heard him, she wordlessly shrunk herself in a glimmer of silver light and flew into Han Li¡¯s sleeve as a white blur.


    Because of the restrictions that Han Li had placed on the white fox¡¯s body, he had no fear of any sinister designs the white fox may hold, allowing him to confidently fly back.


    Instead of returning to his cave residence, he first dropped down into the market city at the main mountain of the Drifting Cloud Sect. They should have the materials he needed to shift the housing of the artifact spirit.


    He needed to hurry up and make preparations for his return. Each passing day that Silvermoon remained as a loose artifact spirit was a day that he felt uneasy.


    Han Li was able to purchase the ingredients without problem. He easily found a store dealing with materials and purchased them all in one go. Although these materials were uncommon, they weren¡¯t particularly rare or precious. As a result, no one has asked him what he was using them for.


    With both the materials and white fox on hand, Han Li flew back to the medicine garden with satisfaction. But just as he arrived at the medicine garden, there were two people standing outside the restrictions.


    One of them was Kui Huan who was sighing with an appearance of nervousness. The other person was a sullen-faced Senior Martial Brother Wang.


    When Han Li saw them, he inwardly sighed. He obviously knew why they were here. However, Han Li landed near them with an expression of ignorance.


    When they saw that Han Li had returned, they glanced at each other and wore embarrassed expressions.


    Han Li stepped forward and calmly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoists, why have you returned so quickly? Have you already sold the Snowcloud Fox?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Senior Martial Brother Wang wryly smiled and said, ¡°We¡­ I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve let Brother Han down.¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin and asked, ¡°Oh, what happened? Was there an incident with the Snowcloud Fox?¡±


    Kui Huan opened his eyes wide and bewilderedly asked, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, how did you know?!¡±

 Chapter 618

    Sword Trial Assembly


    Han Li faintly smiled when he heard Kui Huan and calmly said, ¡°The only thing that we have together is a business interest in the demon fox. What else would bring you here?¡±


    When Kui Huan heard this, he opened his mouth but was left at a loss for words. At his side, Senior Martial Brother Wang sighed and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han is clearly an intelligent person. It is true that something has gone wrong with the Snowcloud Fox. We wished to sell the demon fox as soon as possible and headed straight to a market city when we departed. But not long after we left, I grew somewhat ill at ease and had Junior Martial Brother Kui open the bag to let me examine the fox. As a result¡­¡±


    With that said, Senior Martial Brother Wang paused, revealing a strange expression.


    Vexed, Kui Huan hurriedly finished for him, ¡°As a result, we discovered that the demon fox had somehow managed to escape without a trace. It was truly inconceivable.¡±


    ¡°It disappeared without a trace?¡± Han Li frowned as if he was wondering about the truth behind those words.


    When Senior Martial Brother Wang saw Han Li¡¯s expression, he inwardly cursed without end.


    Although Han Li¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t high, he was skilled in talisman refinement and possessed a powerful magic tool. With that in mind, Senior Martial Brother Wang had planned on properly forming a relationship with him. However, he didn¡¯t anticipate such an embarrassing affair to occur before he could formally establish a friendship.


    It would be fine if he were wealthy. He¡¯d be able to easily solve this by just using his own spirit stones and leave a good impression with Han Li. But as it so happened, he along with his fellow group members were lacking spirit stones making it extremely difficult to win Han Li over.


    With that thought, Senior Martial Brother Wang forcefully mustered himself out of his dejection saying, ¡°I know that this matter is hard to believe, but it really did happen. Regardless of how it¡¯s said, Junior Martial Brother did personally hand over the demon fox to us, but now I must take responsibility for its disappearance. I¡¯ve already sent my Junior Martial Brothers to sell off the Huangjing to repay the spirit stones we borrowed from you, and we¡¯ll have that for you soon. As for Junior Martial Brother¡¯s rightful share of spirit stones, we will make up for it as soon as we can.¡±


    Just as soon as Kui Huan heard this, his expression changed and he nervously said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, that is no small sum of spirit stones. Even if we were to pool together all we have, it would take at least three years to gather together that many spirit stones. It will slow down our cultivation if we cannot purchase any medicine pills during that time.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang shook his head and was about to say something when Han Li interrupted him with a smile, ¡°There is no need for Senior Martial Brother to be like this! I believe you. The Snowcloud Fox was rather proficient in movement techniques so it¡¯s no surprise that it was able to escape from the leather bag magic tool. I had originally thought to give a word of warning to Brother Kui, but at the time I found it to be somewhat inappropriate and stayed quiet. As for my share of the spirit stones, let¡¯s just drop it. It¡¯ll be fine if you just return the spirit stones that you borrowed. With that I won¡¯t consider myself to have suffered a loss.¡±


    When Kui Huan heard that he didn¡¯t have to give any spirit stones, he was greatly delighted and slapped his hands together saying, ¡°I knew that Junior Martial Brother Han was a magnanimous person. Although it was our fault, we truly don¡¯t possess the spirit stones to compensate you. And with Junior Martial Brother¡¯s wealth, he shouldn¡¯t mind such a small amount too greatly. I, Kui Huan, will always look upon you as a friend.¡±


    When Senior Martial Brother Wang heard Han Li, he revealed some hesitation. A moment later, he helplessly smiled and said, ¡°On behalf of my Junior Martial Brothers, I accept Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s generosity despite our shameful display. If you ever require any assistance in the future, please don¡¯t hesitate to find us. So long as it is possible, I will not refuse you.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang felt that while Han Li¡¯s words were polite, he feared that Han Li harbored different thoughts entirely. As a result, he strived his hardest to choose his words carefully to leave behind the best impression possible. Having said that, he then particularly paid attention to Han Li¡¯s expression.


    However, Senior Martial Brother Wang inwardly frowned since he wasn¡¯t able to make out any of Han Li¡¯s emotions.


    The three had a chat outside the garden, but soon the other two Qi Condensation cultivators in their party arrived with the spirit stones they had acquired from reselling the Huangjing.


    Han Li received the pouch of spirit stones and casually swept his spiritual sense through it before calmly putting it away.


    After seeing Han Li receive the spirit stones, Senior Martial Brother Wang suddenly recalled something and asked, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Junior Martial Brother¡¯s magic tool is rather impressive. Will you be taking part in the Sword Trial Assembly later this year?¡±


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but reply with an odd expression, ¡°The Sword Trial Assembly?¡±


    ¡°What? Does Junior Martial Brother Han not know of it?¡±


    Not only was Senior Martial Brother Wang surprised, but the other three seemed to find this hard to believe as well.


    Han Li inwardly muttered to himself and calmly replied, ¡°Is it strange that I don¡¯t know of it?¡±


    Kui Huan blinked and suddenly recalled something, ¡°Of course it is. Oh, that¡¯s right. This is Junior Martial Brother¡¯s first year in the sect and he was staying in the medicine garden all this time. It makes sense that you don¡¯t know of the Sword Trial Assembly.¡±


    When the others heard this, they glanced at one another and nodded their heads, accepting this as the truth.


    Senior Martial Brother Wang wore a strange expression and said, ¡°We were greatly shocked when we heard that Junior Martial Brother Han didn¡¯t know about the Sword Trial Assembly. After all, it is starting soon and all disciples within the sect are talking about, even the external affair disciples. Those that wish to prove their mettle are eagerly waiting in anticipation.¡±


    The short, stout youth glanced at Senior Martial Brother Wang with admiration and said, ¡°With that said, the only one in our group to participate in the contest of might will be Senior Martial Brother Wang. However, it is a pity that while Senior Martial Brother may prevail against external affair disciples, he will eventually be defeated when facing inner sect disciples. But even with this, Senior Martial Brother should still receive a mid grade magic tool as a reward.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he wore a curious expression and said, ¡°Oh, so it is a contest of superiority within the sect. It seems that it is quite unordinary. Could Senior Martial Brother explain a few of the finer details?¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang glanced at Han Li and slowly said, ¡°Of course. The Sword Trial Assembly is actually for showing off newly joined disciples. Regardless of one¡¯s identity, so long as they are a newly accepted disciple that isn¡¯t over the age of thirty, one can participate. As for you, Junior Martial Brother Han, you still appear to be in your mid twenties and you¡¯ve just entered the sect. You happen to meet the requirements.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin and slowly said, ¡°Is that so? It seems that there aren¡¯t many disciples that can partake in the contest.¡±


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother¡¯s words hold somewhat true, but the Sword Trial Assembly actually has much to do with a sacred tree that the three sects are overseeing.¡±


    ¡°A sacred tree?¡± When Han Li heard this, he was stunned and realized that they were talking about Dreamcloud Mountain¡¯s spirit well tree. His initially careless expression was quickly replaced with a solemn one.


    Han Li seriously asked, ¡°What does the Sword Trial Assembly have to do with the sacred tree?¡±


    ¡°The Sword Trial Assembly takes place several days before sacred tree starts to shed Wine Nectar. The three sects use this competition to decide who receives half of the shedded Wine Nectar, leaving the remaining half to be split between the two other sects. As a result, while this assembly can only be participated by young, new disciples, it is viewed with great importance among the three sects. If one achieves great merits in the assembly, one will attract the attention of the sect elders and acquire countless benefits.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang sighed and paused for a moment before solemnly continuing, ¡°Of course, beside those benefits, one is also heavily rewarded at the end for how many other disciples they are able to suppress. Not only were many disciples rewarded with top grade magic tools in the past, there were also a few disciples that were rewarded with a Spirit Tempering Pill. Although this medicine pill isn¡¯t very useful for low grade disciples, there are many Core Formation experts that are more than willing to exchange them for at least four top grade magic tools. However, this assembly has almost always been dominated by the Ancient Sword Sect, leaving our sect and the Hundred Possibilities Sect to take second and third place. However, this comes as no surprise. With their incisive magic tools and techniques, the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect make for incredibly difficult opponents for cultivators of the same grade.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s final words seemed to be full of both admiration and complaints.

 Chapter 619

    Brightsight Spirit Water


    Han Li frowned and asked, ¡°By low grade disciples, do you mean that both Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment disciples will be participating?¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang nodded his head, ¡°That¡¯s right. The Sword Trial Assembly doesn¡¯t differentiate between Qi Condensation cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators. They are all lumped together in the competition.¡±


    Han Li said with a doubtful tone, ¡°Then isn¡¯t it unfair towards Qi Condensation cultivators?¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang slightly smiled and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°The Sword Trial Assembly was originally meant to compare the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment disciples between sects. Qi Condensation cultivators are only secondary. However, in order to encourage enthusiasm among low grade disciples, they didn¡¯t restrict external affair disciples from participating. Although Qi Condensation cultivators have never been able to seize first place, there have been Qi Condensation cultivators that were able to defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators and force their way into the top ten.¡±


    ¡°Qi Condensation cultivators forcing their way into the top ten? Could it be that their magic tools are immensely powerful?¡¯


    Kui Huan shook his head and said, ¡°Hehe, Junior martial brother is truly smart. He already knew the crux of the matter without being told. The Core Formation Seniors of the sects all have their own descendants and occasionally give them a few greatly powerful magic tools so that they may acquire a high rank. As such, it is no surprise that these Qi Condensation disciples would be able to overcome a Foundation Establishment cultivator with an unwieldy magic tool.¡±


    With that said, the doubt on Han Li¡¯s face only grew deeper. After a moment of thought he said, ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, there should be more rewards than just that for the top ranking. There would be no way that this much effort would be put into the contest for only magic tools.¡±


    Senior Martial Brother Wang slowly said, ¡°Even if Junior martial brother didn¡¯t mention it, I would¡¯ve said it anyways. In fact, the Sword Trial Assembly¡¯s most attractive reward is the opportunity to cleanse one¡¯s eyes in spirit water if one places in the top ten. It is said that the first drop that is shed each time from the holy tree is particularly valuable and can be concocted into the legendary Brightsight Water. Although one¡¯s cultivation won¡¯t increase from using the water, it grants the fantastical ability to see through mist and stone. This is the reason why there are so many that strive their hardest to make it into the top ten. If there were only a few top grade magic tools as a prize, there would be little attraction for the disciples of sect elders of large clans. After all, while the Spirit Tempering Pill is a precious prize, there is only one of them.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and muttered, ¡°Brightsight Water!¡±


    The name of this spirit water was something that Han Li had seen in many records. However, he wholly didn¡¯t expect for the three sects of Dreamcloud Mountain to actually be capable of refining it. It made even him feel tempted.


    With a dreamy tone, Kui Huan added, ¡°Not to mention the first drop of the sacred tree, but even the other materials used to create the Brightsight Water are all extremely rare. It is said that it uses several kinds of thousand year spirit medicine. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Brightsight Water is only effective on Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, the seniors of the sect would¡¯ve been reluctant to place it as a reward.¡±


    With this, Han Li had acquired a rough understanding of the Sword Trial Assembly. Once he acquired a few of the finer details, he planned on personally participating. After all, since this matter involved both a Spirit Tempering Pill and Brightsight Water, Han Li couldn¡¯t possibly let this opportunity go.


    After that, the four chattered a bit more about the Sword Trial Assembly with Han Li before taking their leave.


    Han Li watched them go on their flying magic tools until they became black specks in the sky. He then stood in place and began to ponder with a serious expression.


    The white fox¡¯s soft voice suddenly spoke from his cuff, ¡°What? Is Brother Han tempted? Do you have eyes on the Spirit Tempering Pill or the Brightsight Water?¡±


    Han Li raised his head and bluntly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t go after both?¡± He shook his sleeve and had the fox jump out.


    The white fox quickly regained its original size and raised its head. It softly chuckled, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is truly greedy. However, this is fine too. Regardless of whether it is the Spirit Tempering Pill or the Brightsight Water, they will prove to be rather practical. If you were to miss this opportunity, they would become quite difficult to acquire.¡±


    ¡°I am well aware. For now, come back with me to my cave residence. I¡¯ll deal with your matter first and leave the deliberations for the Sword Trial Assembly for later.¡± Han Li said with a sullen voice. He then turned around and headed towards his cave residence.


    The white fox¡¯s eyes revealed anticipation, and she wordlessly followed after him.


    Once Han Li entered the cave residence, he immediately started having the artifact spirit transfer onto his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. Han Li grew faintly excited at prospect of his magic treasures growing in power with the addition of an artifact spirit.


    Originally, there was an extremely small chance for a magic treasure to take in an artifact spirit as the demon beast¡¯s soul would do its utmost to resist. But with Silvermoon taking the initiative to enter Han Li¡¯s magic treasure, there wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.


    He had also assumed that moving Silvermoon¡¯s main soul from the jade scepter would prove to be a troublesome task. However, she seemed to be quite confident and certain, stating that she could handle the preparations all by herself.


    When Han Li heard this, he felt slightly less tense and drew a strange spell formation in a quiet room in accordance to the white fox¡¯s instructions. He then placed the jade scepter and the white fox into the formation before leaving.


    The silent room was under the effects of a soundproofing restriction. If there were any sounds produced from Silvermoon¡¯s separation from the jade scepter, Han Li would be completely ignorant, nor did he plan on prying. He knew he had no part to play in moving her soul.


    Han Li didn¡¯t remain idle after that. He walked into a neighboring quiet room and began his own preparations for accepting an artifact spirit into his magic treasure.


    Half a day later, Han Li had finished his preparations and headed towards Silvermoon¡¯s room, feeling that it was about time to start. But once he entered her room, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred.


    The jade scepter and the white fox were properly sitting inside the room¡¯s spell formation as he had expected, but the jade scepter¡¯s radiance had greatly dimmed and the white fox¡¯s fur had grown into a damp and disorderly messed. The fox¡¯s eyes were also filled with exhaustion.


    When Silvermoon saw that Han Li had entered, she neither moved nor spoke as if she lacked the energy for either.


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he gently asked, ¡°How did it go? Was it a success?¡±


    Silvermoon strenuously said, ¡°Although it was painful enough to kill me, I was able to endure. It seems the preparations on your end are done. Since I have no host artifact, I cannot stay in the white fox¡¯s body much longer. I need to join together with your magic treasure immediately, otherwise my soul will scatter.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and picked up the white fox without any hesitation. He then brought it into the neighboring room.


    Once Han Li entered, he sealed the room and silence once again took the residence.


    ¡­


    Three days later, a sound transmission talisman burst into flames outside the medicine garden¡¯s restrictions and entered the mist, quickly disappearing from sight.


    Two hours later, the mist flashed with azure light to reveal Han Li.


    He raised his head to look at the sky and rubbed his chin before releasing a flying sword magic tool and heading straight towards Dayspring Mountain.


    Silvermoon¡¯s smooth voice suddenly appeared within Han Li¡¯s head. ¡°Brother Han, from the message it seems that there is a gathering of disciples from Dayspring Mountain. Could it be related to the Sword Trial Assembly?¡±


    Han Li calmly replied with his spiritual sense, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But since even someone as out of the way as I received a summons from the mountain lord, even if it isn¡¯t related to the Sword Trial Assembly this matter must be important.¡±


    Silvermoon softly reminded, ¡°While it would be extremely easy for Brother Han to place first in the competition even if he doesn¡¯t reveal his true cultivation, that would certainly attract much attention, perhaps even from the three sects¡¯ Nascent Soul cultivators. If that occurs, it is likely the losses would outweigh the gains.¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly replied, ¡°I¡¯m fully aware. When did I say that I¡¯d participate in the assembly for certain? And even if I were to participate, there would be no way that I¡¯d place first. I won¡¯t do anything to attract too much attention before I condense a Nascent Soul.¡±


    Silvermoon chuckled, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve said too much. With Brother Han¡¯s rich experience with hardship, there is naturally no need for me to remind you of such a trivial matter as this.¡± Although this was only her voice, it contained a strong charm.


    When Han Li felt this, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    Although Silvermoon called herself a wolf, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that she more closely resembled a fox, given her graceful allure.


    Furthermore, it seemed that she knew that after becoming his artifact spirit, Han Li wouldn¡¯t do anything to her. While it was fortunate that Silvermoon wholeheartedly cultivated while possessing the fox form, once she possessed Han Li¡¯s flying swords as an artifact spirit, she incessantly spoke with him. It appeared that the jade scepter had been quite a lonely place and she was now venting her feelings.


    This caused quite the headache for Han Li. Luckily, he had always found her voice to be gentle and pleasant to the ear! There was even a chance that her temperament would gradually become more mellow as time went by.

 Chapter 620

    An Unexpected Encounter


    As Han Li remained silent, Silvermoon asked yet another question, ¡°I never clearly understood why Brother Han wishes to acquire the Brightsight Water even though it has no effect on cultivators beyond Foundation Establishment stage.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smirked and said, ¡°The Hidden Sword Mountain cultivators were mistaken. It isn¡¯t that the Brightsight Water has no effect on high grade cultivators. It¡¯s that high grade cultivators have already cleansed their body¡¯s essence upon forming their core. Their eyes can already see through simple illusion techniques and dense fog, so there isn¡¯t much to be gained from cleansing them such a small amount. Since the amount of spirit water wouldn¡¯t be enough to be effective for a high grade cultivator, it¡¯s better for a low grade cultivator to use it.¡±


    Silvermoon yelped in surprise, ¡°Yi! How does Brother Han know about this?¡±


    ¡°When I was originally in the Scattered Star Seas, I read it in an ancient book. It shouldn¡¯t be false.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Brother Han has a plan in mind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I plan on using this opportunity to draw close to the Spirit Well Tree, and see whether or not I can take some of its roots. I¡¯ll be able to mature the roots with my small bottle if I get ahold of them and could acquire countless Spirit Tempering Pills and limitless Brightsight Water. Of course, I¡¯ll have to acquire the recipes some other way.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Brother Han¡¯s methods are truly long sighted. In that case, you¡¯ll only need to place in the top ten. Although it will be quite attention-grabbing, it will be far safer than placing first.¡±


    Han Li smiled and thought to say something else when he swept his gaze across and unconsciously gasped as he slowed to a stop.


    In the distance, he spotted a red streak of light that enveloped a beautiful woman with an expression as cold as frost. It was the woman surnamed Mu who had assigned him to the medicine garden.


    When the woman drew closer and spotted Han Li, she also wore an expression of surprise. She soon slowed down and stopped at Han Li¡¯s side.


    ¡°Did you also receive a message to go to Dayspring Mountain?¡± The woman indifferently said.


    Han Li replied with a calm expression, ¡°I did, Martial Aunt Mu! Would Martial Aunt happen to know what happened or why the mountain lord has summoned all of us disciples?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it should be related to the Sword Trial Assembly.¡± Mu Peiling curtly replied. Afterwards, she glanced at the flying sword beneath Han Li and frowned, ¡°Although your magic tool is high grade, it isn¡¯t specialized for flight. How about I use the Daystar Belt to bring you along? It will save time.¡± With that said, the woman enveloped Han Li in the magic tool¡¯s red light without even waiting for his reply.


    Han Li was initially surprised, but he had no intention of refusing her offer. As such, he was drawn into her magic tool¡¯s red light and was brought along.


    As they flew, the woman swept her gaze over Han Li and expressionlessly said, ¡°Did you cultivate the Profound Ice Arts that I gave you? Although cultivating this technique won¡¯t greatly increase your base cultivation, it will allow you to use powerful water attribute magic techniques. If you reach Foundation Establishment, you¡¯ll be able to smoothly switch the cultivation art to your main cultivation art without any harm.¡±


    Having heard that, Han Li found it difficult to respond. If he said that he had already cultivated it somewhat and she wished to see, he shouldn¡¯t have any problems mimicking a few of its water attribute techniques.


    Fortunately, this woman merely raised the question in passing and didn¡¯t continue speaking.


    Silvermoon knew that this wasn¡¯t the time to talk to Han Li and stayed quiet in the presence of Mu Peiling.


    As the two were about to draw closer to Dayspring Mountain, Mu Peiling¡¯s expression stirred as she looked upward.


    A moment later, a streak of green light flew down from the sky, blocking the woman¡¯s path forward and causing them to stop.


    ¡°Junior Martial Sister Mu, I haven¡¯t seen you in quite a while. Have you been busy recently? I¡¯ve sent you quite a few sound transmission talismans but I haven¡¯t received a single response.¡±


    Han Li revealed a flabbergasted expression. The green light had faded away to reveal a sharp-eared, thin-faced cultivator in his thirties. This was the cultivator surnamed Yan who had blocked Han Li¡¯s group when they were about to enter the sect.


    When the cold woman saw this person, she revealed surprise but her expression soon grew sullen, ¡°Yan, I am under orders of the Mountain Lord to assemble at the mountain. You dare to block me?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Junior Martial Sister Mu¡¯s words are quite heavy. How could I dare to block you? However, I merely wished to ask if you received the letters of my esteemed father? You see, the elders of our clans have already agreed to our wedding. We should discuss this in the coming days.¡± The cultivator surnamed Yan¡¯s gaze wandered over the woman¡¯s ample body with desire as he spoke. However, when he spotted Han Li, his expression grew sullen.


    The woman surnamed Mu seemed to see through his wicked thoughts and a trace of hostility appeared in her eyes. She scolded him with an expression like ice, ¡°What¡¯s going through your mind? This is Martial Nephew Han who my master had given to me to instruct. There is nothing else between us. As for the matter of marriage, I naturally cannot oppose my clan¡¯s seniors. However, I will always be in control of when we pair cultivate, if ever. Whenever your cultivation reaches my level, I might consider it. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about laying a finger on me.¡±


    This woman loathed Yan to the extreme and couldn¡¯t even put up a polite face.


    When cultivator Yan heard her, his face went through a series of red and white flushes. But just as he thought to say something, the woman had ran out of patience. With a cold snort, she propelled her magic tool with the entirety of her spiritual power, causing them to flying over cultivator Yan in a large pulse of red light.


    Cultivator Yan was greatly flustered and thought to chase them. But after some further thought, he stayed in place with a trace of resentment.


    When Han Li turned around to glance at him, he saw an extremely bitter expression on Cultivator Yan¡¯s face.


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li asked with an odd expression, ¡°Martial Aunt Mu, you¡¯re engaged to this man?¡±


    Cultivator Yan was only an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, but Mu Peiling was already at mid Foundation Establishment. Also, their appearances were as different as day and night as well. Han Li felt completely puzzled as to why this woman¡¯s clan had wed her to him.


    Although Han Li felt somewhat curious, he originally wished to leave this matter alone. From the woman¡¯s sulking expression, the subject seemed like something that should be ignored. But despite the possibility she would rebuke or ignore him, Han Li¡¯s curiosity won over and he asked anyways.


    ¡°It is best of Martial Nephew asks little of my matters!¡± As soon as Han Li asked, she icily glared at him and replied without emotion.


    Of course, Han Li responded by shutting his mouth and revealing an embarrassed expression. However, at that same moment, Han Li faintly heard Silvermoon giggling inside his head for a moment.


    It was only a moment before they arrived at a large stage at the center of the mountain.


    A large hall of antique design was erected on the stage. The words ¡°Heart Cleansing Hall¡± were written on the building¡¯s silver signboard.


    At that moment, the huge black wooden doors were tightly shut, and the many disciples of Dayspring Mountain were chatting amongst themselves as they gathered outside.


    There were about six hundred disciples already densely packed outside of Heart Cleansing Hall. They were all whispering to one another in small groups. However, these people were all Qi Condensation cultivators. None of them were at Foundation Establishment.


    The cold woman circled once in the air before landing in front of the hall¡¯s gates. When the nearby cultivators spotted her, they all respectfully saluted her.


    The woman waved her hand and walked towards the hall without the slightest hesitation.


    Through some unknown method, she gently slapped the door and it opened a sliver. Just after she entered, the door closed once more.


    Han Li watched the woman disappear and shook his head, but when he thought to enter the crowd, the nearby cultivators gazed at him with strange looks. A few of the cultivators in the distance even began to point at him.

 Chapter 621

    Paying Audience


    Han Li rubbed his chin and swept his spiritual sense past the crowd of murmuring Qi Condensation cultivators.


    ¡°Whose that?¡±


    ¡°What an unfamiliar face, is he a new disciple?¡±


    ¡°Why did he arrive with Martial Aunt Mu?¡±


    ¡°Is he a relative of Martial Aunt Mu? Why else would he arrive together with her?¡±


    Han Li clearly heard many suspicious and envious words from the crowd and he inwardly sighed. Soon after, he stepped away from the hall¡¯s entrance and entered the crowd. Even within the crowd, Han Li could still feel plenty of gazes examining him.


    At that moment, Han Li heard a voice transmission with a straightforward tone, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you again so soon.¡±


    Han Li turned his head in surprise and spotted a large man standing about ten meters behind him. He was Du Dong, the suspicious Qi Condensation cultivator that had entered Dayspring Mountain at the same time as him.


    He was currently calling out to Han Li with a wide smile.


    An odd expression flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes but he wore a smile and politely saluted him, ¡°So it turned out to be Senior Martial Brother Du. Are you doing well with Martial Uncle Jiang?¡±


    Martial Uncle Jiang was the white-haired old man that Dong Du was assigned to.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m doing very well.¡± The large man chuckled. He appeared to be a rather simple and honest character.


    Han Li inwardly sneered, but he maintained a polite exterior as they shared their experiences with each other from the past year.


    He heard that the white-haired old man believed that Du Dong was rather talented in refining talismans and wished to heavily nurture him. With that said, Du Dong wore a smile full of excitement.


    When Han Li heard him, he felt slight pity towards the white-haired old man. Du Dong wasn¡¯t someone who should be nurtured. The old man would likely be implicated in whatever plans this shady individual may have.


    Of course, Han Li had no intentions of warning Martial Uncle Jiang and continued to intermittently chat with the large man.


    At that moment, the large man suddenly wore a mysterious expression and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, did you know? Your mentor, Martial Aunt Mu, is the top beauty in Dayspring Mountain, and she is also among the top three beauties in the Drifting Cloud Sect. You may have caused quite the uproar by arriving with her.¡±


    ¡°May have? I already did!¡± Han Li bitterly laughed and glanced around with a trace of helplessness.


    Du Dong then changed the subject and casually asked, ¡°Since you two arrived together, did Martial Aunt say anything regarding what this meeting is about?¡±


    ¡°Oh! No, but it seems Senior Martial Brother Du heard something? Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to tell me?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s calm expression was replaced with a mysterious smile as he deeply looked at Dong Du.


    Under Han Li¡¯s penetrating gaze, the large man¡¯s honest smile had frozen. Du Dong was left overwhelmed from a sensation of immense scrutiny as if his secrets were laid bare.


    But soon Han Li turned his head and this feeling disappeared as if it were merely a misperception. Regardless, the man was left bewildered and he quickly bid his farewells before heading to meet with a group of acquainted Dayspring Mountain disciples, not daring to stay in Han Li¡¯s company.


    A slight sneer momentarily appeared on Han Li¡¯s face when he saw him walking away. At that moment, Silvermoon spoke within his mind, ¡°Brother Han, did you deliberately scare him? I fear that he will later hold suspicion towards you. Won¡¯t he be a detriment?¡±


    Han Li responded using his spiritual sense, ¡°I might not clearly know his identity, but I am certain that nothing good will come of him so I made sure that he¡¯d take the initiative to distance himself from me. If something major did happen, then I will avoid being implicated. As for any suspicion he might hold, how would that affect me? He would merely become more careful of me, and it¡¯s not like he could succeed in attacking me. I merely wish not to be associated with him. I have no intention of interfering with his plans.¡±


    Silvermoon didn¡¯t reply, and it appeared that she recognized the reason in Han Li¡¯s words. In the end, if Du Dong maliciously conspired against the sect, anybody close to him would certainly come under the suspicious notice of the sect¡¯s upper echelon, something that Han Li would certainly wish to avoid.


    In the following moments, Han Li examined the crowd of disciples in solitude.


    There were disciples of both genders and of all ages. There were also those with cultivations that didn¡¯t match their age, such as young cultivators already at the peak of Qi Condensation.


    There were also a few gorgeous young woman, but all of them had a group of similarly aged men at their side. It seems young, beautiful female cultivators were pursued the same way in every sect.


    Just as Han Li was lost in thought, the hall¡¯s gate eventually opened and a dignified voice spoke out, leaving the Qi Condensation disciples in silenced awe.


    ¡°All Dayspring Mountain Disciples are to enter the hall!¡±


    This faint man¡¯s voice belonged to the Dayspring Mountain Lord, the mid Core Formation cultivator surnamed Xin that Han Li had met when he was assigned to the mountain.


    When the disciples outside the hall heard him, they all lowered their heads and respectfully said, ¡°We sincerely accept Martial Ancestor¡¯s orders!¡± Afterwards, the crowd immediately walked into the hall in two orderly lines. Because Han Li was among the last to enter, he saw that Du Dong was also among the last to enter the Cleansing Heart Hall.


    The area within the large hall was vast, spanning at least a kilometer wide with several tens of lofty pillars scattered throughout. Each of the pillars were embedded with smoothly carved moonlight stones, illuminating the hall with a faint white glow. The hall was entirely empty apart from the two thrones that were placed at the very front.


    Within these two chairs sat a white-robed man with a scholarly appearance and a grey-clothed old man with fierce eyes and messy hair.


    In front of the two thrones stood two rows of over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    The elegant beauty surnamed Mu and the youth surnamed Yu that had led Han Li into the sect were both standing in the second row. As for the youth surnamed Miao that had questioned him when he had entered the sect, he was standing in the first row, looking just as sickly and pale as before.


    When the disciples entered the hall, they all simultaneously knelt and saluted the two sitting in the chairs, ¡°Disciples pay their respects to Martial Ancestor Xin and Martial Ancestor Yu!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, stand!¡± The middle aged man swept his arm with a smile and had the crowd of disciples stand.


    The Qi Condensation disciples then split off into two rows and stood at each side of the hall. Han Li and Du Dong both happened to stand near the hall¡¯s entrance.


    Han Li swept his spiritual sense past the old man with the fierce expression and found that he was only an early Core Formation cultivator. He was the deputy mountain lord that he had heard of but haven¡¯t seen, ¡°Martial Uncle Yu¡±.


    After Han Li inspected him, he recalled his spiritual sense from a lack of interest.


    In the next moment, Mountain Lord Xin began to slowly speak, ¡°I¡¯m sure you disciples already know why I¡¯ve summoned you all here. Yesterday, our sect received an official letter from the Ancient Sword Sect. The next Sword Trial Assembly will be held in a half year¡¯s time. As we hosted the last competition, it is the Thousand Possibilities Sect¡¯s turn to host it in the east of the Dreamcloud Mountains. In accordance to the usual practice, each of the three sects will send thirty disciples to participate in the Sword Trial Assembly. The final ten that remain in the competition will be heavily rewarded. As such, we must first select the best of our sect to participate.¡±


    With that said, he paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Of course, each of the sect¡¯s six mountain lords will be able nominate one person that will be able to participate in the Sword Trial Assembly without measuring their skill. As for the other twenty-four slots, they will be vied for by the disciples that meet the requirements. These victorious disciples will then be advised by sect elders in the time remaining before the Sword Trial Assembly. Yesterday, I had a meeting with the Sect Master and the other mountain lords where we decided that the sect¡¯s Sword Trial Selection will take place in a month. But first, I must give an explanation of the two conditions required to participate for those that are unaware. Any participants must be less than thirty years old and possess a minimum cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation, else they will be barred from joining. That is all. Now, if you meet the minimum conditions and wish to vie for a position, you have until the incense burns away to decide. Oh yes, the disciple that I and Deputy Mountain Lord Yun selected to participate without trial is your Martial Aunt Mu. Jun¡¯er, go ahead and light the incense.¡±


    ¡°As you bid, Master.¡± The youth surnamed Yu immediately stepped forward and swiftly took out a bronze cauldron from his storage pouch. He then set it at the center of the hall and placed a stick of incense in it.


    With a flash of light from his hand, fragrant smoke began to spiral towards the sky.

 Chapter 622

    Preliminary Selection


    While none dared to make a commotion, those who held the qualifications to participate became restless as they watched the incense stick burn.


    When the incense stick burned halfway, Silvermoon saw that Han Li wore an aloof expression and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Will Brother Han be participating?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? With the other disciples all stirring in excitement, it would draw quite a bit of attention if I didn¡¯t.¡±


    With that said, Silvermoon grew silent.


    A short moment later, the incense stick had completely burned away and the mountain lord opened his eyes.


    ¡°Those that don¡¯t meet the conditions or are unwilling to join may now leave.¡±


    ¡°As you bid, Martial Ancestor!¡± A majority of the present disciples then bowed and slowly left the hall.


    Apart from the Foundation Establishment cultivators, there were only about forty young disciples left in the room.


    When the middle-aged man examined the group, he nodded his head with satisfaction, ¡°Good, all the disciples present fulfill the conditions. I am quite happy. Even if none of you are selected to participate, your horizons will be greatly widened as you fight against your Martial Brothers from the other mountains. It will provide great benefits to your future cultivation. Your Martial Uncle will now explain some important points about the competition. As for Martial Ancestor Yu and I, we have matters to attend to and will be departing first.¡±


    With that said, Mountain Lord Xin and Deputy Mountain Lord Yun departed from the hall.


    With a sickly appearance, the youth surnamed Miao coughed several times before calmly speaking to the Qi Condensation cultivators, ¡°Since the Mountain Lord has handed over this matter to me, please listen carefully, Martial Nephews. After all, this competition will be a test of skill against your fellow sect members and there are things that must be avoided.¡±


    ¡°First of all, vicious and deadly techniques and magic tools are disallowed in the contest. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the sect and will have your cultivation scattered. Also¡­¡±


    A quarter hour later, Han Li and the rest of the disciples in the hall walked out. Most of them flew off with expressions of excitement.


    Han Li glanced at their departing figures and shook his head before taking to the skies and flying back to his cave residence. The journey back was smooth and uneventful.


    Inside his cave residence, he began his preparations for the sect contest. Since he couldn¡¯t display too much power in his pursuit for one of the twenty-four positions, he had to make use of talismans and several magic tools that he hadn¡¯t touched in countless years.


    Top grade magic tools were more than plentiful. He had plundered tens of them from the Core Formation cultivators that he had personally slain. But in order to draw less attention to himself, he had to carefully select only a few of them. And since he didn¡¯t intend on using these magic tools in the sect selection, he also began to refine large quantities of mid level elementary talismans. He planned on using these talismans to crush his low grade opponents in a single blow.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it through on talismans alone. Han Li especially refreshed his knowledge on the ¡°Flame Handling Arts¡± he had acquired all those years ago from an old Daoist in the prince¡¯s mansion of the State of Yue [1]. Although it wouldn¡¯t prove particularly useful to high grade cultivators, it will prove more than effective in duping Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    When Han Li had first acquired the Flame Handling Arts all those years ago, he had gained many insights from it. But with his current cultivation as a late Core Formation cultivator, it had little value to him. As a result of only a few days of effort, he grasped the entirety of the methods of transforming flames. He had even acquired subtle understandings that exceeded what had been recorded in the Flame Handling Arts.


    For the rest of these days, Han Li wholeheartedly spent his time refining various talismans.


    During that time, his gold-silver Gold Devouring Beetles had already begun to cannibalize one another, much to his joy. He was sure that while the Gold Devouring Beetles were still far away from complete evolution, they were growing quite close to the legendary all-devouring stage.


    However, the Weeping Soul Beast in the neighboring room was proving quite troublesome for Han Li. It had remained soundly asleep this entire time without any sign of awakening. Fortunately, with the Weeping Soul Pearl refined within his body, he knew that there was nothing wrong with the beast. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. After all, it was taking too long to complete its transformation¡­.


    A month later, the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s main mountain was bustling with exceptional liveliness. Cultivators began to unceasingly gather at the top of the mountain, with several thousands cultivators that came to observe the contest. It appeared everyone that was off duty had come.


    While they weren¡¯t participating the battle, watching other cultivators battle in a contest of skill was a vastly enriching experience.


    The contest was being held on three large, flat stages near the top of the mountain. Each of the stages were surrounded by spell formations over three hundred meters wide. They all raised a huge dome of light around the stage to prevent the spectators from receiving any injuries.


    There were three late Foundation Establishment cultivators acting as judges to prevent any deaths from occuring.


    The sect selection was now undergoing its third day. The past two days had resulted in many cultivators being sadly defeated.


    In total, the selection contest was being conducted between five hundred cultivators. Although there were three stages to conduct battles, this process would take many days given the large number of participants.


    That being said, the forty cultivators of Dayspring Mountain had been among the smaller factions. They paled in comparison to the number from Firecloud Mountain which had over a hundred disciples participating.


    There were only four Foundation Establishment cultivators in the contest, but they weren¡¯t required to fight until the final round. Although they weren¡¯t among those that were chosen by the mountain lords, they had still managed to reach Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty. Since they were undoubtedly talented individuals, they would be given a position with just a single victory against a Qi Condensation cultivator.


    At that moment, Han Li silently stood among several Dayspring Mountain cultivators. They were all watching a battle occur inside a light barrier between a cultivator of Dayspring Mountain and White Phoenix Mountain.


    White Phoenix was a peculiar existence amongst the six mountains. Not only did the mountain have two female Core Formation mountain lords, they primarily relied on female disciples. As a result, their mountain possessed few disciples and only a dozen female cultivators were participating in the battle.


    The Dayspring Mountain disciple that was fighting appeared somewhat aged, but he was actually in his late twenties. Although he was an external affair disciple, he was born in a reputable cultivation clan in the State of Xi. That was why he possessed a high grade magic tool of considerable power, a white gold dagger-axe. Although the young female cultivator from white Phoenix Mountain was being pushed back, her eyes were full of hope.


    The Dayspring Mountain cultivators beside Han Li were clearly good friends with the male cultivator and cheered him on with excitement.


    But just as the man¡¯s white dagger-axe was about to chop down, the woman raised her brow and shout a ball of azure light from her hand, blocking the white streak. The woman¡¯s body then blurred and she disappeared without a trace.


    When the man saw this, he hurriedly formed an incantation seal with his hands as his expression vastly changed. Just as he thought to force back the woman with a magic technique, a red mist suddenly enveloped him from behind.


    Then with a flop, the Dayspring Mountain disciple fell to the ground.


    The lanky cultivator that was floating above the stage announced, ¡°White Phoenix Mountain¡¯s Jin Rong is victorious.¡±


    When the female cultivator heard this, she respectfully saluted the judge and took out a small bottle from her storage pouch. After she placed it next to the nose of the unconscious cultivator, he began to slowly regain consciousness.


    Once he realized what had happened, the Dayspring Mountain cultivator walked from the stage with a deep red expression. Afterwards, the female cultivator flew out from the spell formation with a proud appearance. The nearby female cultivators immediately surrounded her and showered her with praise, attracting the attention of a few nearby male cultivators.


    Above the dome of light, the lanky cultivator expressionlessly announced, ¡°The next battle will be between Dayspring Mountain¡¯s Han Li and Firecloud Mountain¡¯s Xun Tong!¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, the nearby cultivators heard him clearly.


    When Han Li heard this, he smiled and slowly walked into the spell formation.


    Not long after, a handsome, white-clothed cultivator entered from the other side. As soon as this person entered, an uproar was raised amongst the nearby spectators.


    [1] In Chapter 294, Han Li acquired an interesting book from an old Qi Condensation cultivator that was surprisingly useful.

 Chapter 623

    Overwhelming Supremacy


    ¡°That¡¯s Junior Martial Brother Xun! He just entered the sect a few years ago!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that this Junior Martial Brother possesses Heavenly Yangfire Veins. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Xun Clan a cultivation clan of great renown in our State of Xu? Surely he must possess mighty magic tools!¡±


    ¡°Who is this Junior Martial Brother Han? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him before. Did he just enter the sect?¡±


    ¡°I got to say that Han Li is sure out of luck. He came across a fearsome opponent!¡±


    Before the battle even started, Han Li could clearly hear a lively discussion coming from outside the stage¡¯s light barrier.


    ¡®Heavenly Yangfire Veins?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s expression slightly stirred upon hearing this and examined his opponent with interest. In addition to his handsome appearance and tall figure, his cultivation was quite decent at the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation.


    Seeing that Han Li had an ordinary appearance and only possessed a cultivation at the tenth layer, a trace of disdain appeared on the white-clothed youth¡¯s face, but he still saluted him nevertheless.


    When Han Li saw this, he inwardly sneered and indifferently returned the salute with a faint smile. The white-clothed youth revealed a trace of anger at his casual response.


    At that moment, the lanky cultivator up above indifferently said, ¡°Start the battle!¡±


    As soon as this was said, the white-clothed youth wore a harsh expression and immediately formed an incantation seal with his hands. A flash of fiery light suddenly pulsed from his body, enveloping him in a barrier of scorching light. He then waved his hand and opened his fingers, revealing an egg-sized red ball that floated from his grasp. The white-clothed youth then started to mutter an incantation in preparation of attacking Han Li with the magic tool.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt a faint sense of familiarity with this method and couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised.


    At that moment, many yelps of astonishment came from the outside.


    ¡°Quickly look, Junior Martial Brother Xun instantly enveloped himself in a fire attribute barrier without a talisman. He really does have Heavenly Yangfire Veins!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? That bead in his hand seems to be his clan¡¯s famed Firewave Bead. That youngster facing him is certain to lose! Perhaps the match will be decided in an instant!¡±


    Han Li inwardly sneered and calmly waved his hand, taking out a stack of about forty talismans from his storage pouch.


    He raised his head to look at the white-clothed youth only to discover that the youth was completely focused on using his magic tool and was oblivious to Han Li¡¯s actions. It appeared he held absolute confidence in his barrier.


    Since this was the case, Han Li decided to cease any pleasantries and slapped his hands together. In a burst of red light, forty fist-sized fireballs shot out from his hands in a dense barrage towards his opponent. The scene caused the spectators to shout in surprise.


    At that same moment, the Firewave Bead floating above the white-clothed cultivator¡¯s hand was set ablaze and was now ready to attack. But just as he was basking in his delight, he heard the spectators cry in surprise and couldn¡¯t help but raise his head in confusion. As a result, he caught sight of several tens of fireballs simultaneously striking his barrier.


    With a series of loud explosions and flashes of glaring red light, the youth¡¯s senses were overwhelmed. As for the light barrier surrounding him, it shattered in a pitiful display, lasting for only a moment.


    The roasting flames rushed towards him before his eyes and were one step away from completely enveloping him. Although this young talent was gifted with the Heavenly Yangfire Veins and had been meticulously nurtured by his sect elders, he now found himself on the verge of death. He cried out with a pale face and lost himself to fear, wanting to turn around and flee. But during this moment of peril, the youth felt his collar tighten and his body became lighter. He was immediately lifted in the air and the wave of flames completely passed him by.


    Still in a panic, the white-clothed cultivator turned around to see the lanky judge grasping him by the collar. He indifferently muttered, ¡°Dayspring Mountain¡¯s Han Li is victorious.¡±


    At that moment, the white-clothed youth realized that he had already lost. His face then turned deathly pale after realizing that he had been easily defeated by talismans of the lowest grade.


    As for the many cultivators spectating, after recovering from their shock, they all looked at each other in dismay. They all knew that while the fireball talisman was the simplest low grade elementary talisman, they each cost a spirit stone to purchase.


    However, Han Li had used forty of these talismans in a single breath, equating to forty spirit stones that had been thrown away in the fight. That was the price of a good low-grade magic tool. This wasn¡¯t merely being loose with money; he was completely squandering it. Could it be that he planned on sparing none of his wealth in order to prevail in the selection?


    Underneath the peculiar gazes of the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li saluted the lanky Foundation Establishment cultivator and walked out of the light barrier with an unchanged expression.


    As for the white-clothed youth, he resentfully glared at Han Li as he departed, but underneath the cold watch of the lanky cultivator, he could only helplessly depart.


    With his first battle concluded, Han Li had no thoughts of observing other¡¯s battles and returned to his cave residence.


    Two days later, the first round of the competition came to a close. There were many marvelous battles during the contest that were being enthusiastically discussed by the spectators.


    While Han Li¡¯s use of tens of fireball talismans had left many speechless, it had aroused much admiration as well. Many of the spectators believed Han Li to be a disciple of a large clan for him to be able to spend so many spirit stones.


    This had led to Han Li developing somewhat of a reputation among some of the spectating disciples.


    In the second round of the competition, Han Li was selected to fight in the afternoon of the first day. He arrived at the center of the stage with a calm expression. A few of the disciples that had watched Han Li¡¯s last battle were currently muttering to each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s that guy from Dayspring Mountain. Two days ago, he defeated his opponent in a single blow by using several tens of talismans.¡±


    ¡°Is that the truth? He appears completely unremarkable. Could he be feeling a hole in his pocket?¡±


    ¡°Yi! There doesn¡¯t seem to be a cultivation clan with the name of Han in our State of Xu. Could he have come from a different country?¡±


    Han Li listened to all of their words with a calm expression. He was currently examining his opponent with a calm expression.


    He was a male disciple in his mid twenties who possessed a refined appearance. He had well-fitted azure robes, and apart from the storage pouch at his waist, there was nothing about him that seemed out of place. He was watching Han Li with a solemn expression. It seemed their discussions had reached his ear as he soon frowned.


    ¡°Start.¡± As soon as that was said, the young disciple reached for his storage pouch and rushed to raise his hands. In a flash of white light, two sparkling icicles shot in Han Li¡¯s direction. His body then flickered with azure light before directly pouncing towards Han Li in a gale.


    It seemed this person had heard of Han Li. He thought to forcefully interrupt Han Li by using the two ice spike talismans and charged towards Han Li with a body lightening technique.


    After some brief surprise, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile. His body then blurred, having the two icicles brush past his body.


    Then seeing that his opponent was excitedly charging towards him with an outreached hand glowing with yellow light, Han Li grew indistinct before disappearing by using his Shifting Smoke Steps.


    The young disciple¡¯s pounce had completely missed, much to his shock. The yellow radiance in his hand dimmed as well. It was actually a net-type magic tool.


    But before the young disciple could search for Han Li, he suddenly felt a sharp pain from the back of his neck. The world around him became black and he fell to the ground, oblivious to what had happened.


    A trace of astonishment flickered across the lanky cultivator¡¯s face, but he calmly declared, ¡°Dayspring Mountain¡¯s Han Li is victorious!¡±


    A moment ago, Han Li had appeared behind his opponent and chopped at the back of his opponents neck, knocking him out.


    Several cultivators had rushed onto the stage and examined the unconscious disciple. After nodding to the lanky cultivator, signifying that there was nothing wrong, they dragged him off the stage.


    Of course, an uproar was raised from the spectators outside.


    ¡°Did you see that? What magic technique did he use to appear behind his opponent in the blink of an eye? That¡¯s inconceivable!¡±


    ¡°Fool, that isn¡¯t a magic technique! That was clearly a movement technique from the mortal world¡¯s martial arts, but I¡¯ve never seen one used with such high skill!¡± A few of the more experienced disciples managed to recognize the source of Han Li¡¯s movements.

 Chapter 624

    Discussion


    On the thirteenth day of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s selection, the final round was currently being concluded.


    At that moment, there were eight Core Formation cultivators assembled together in a pavilion at the center of the mountain discussing something. Two of them were the mountain lords of Dayspring Mountain, the middle-aged man surnamed Xin and the fierce-looking, grey-clothed old man surnamed Yu.


    A blue-robed old man with a white fluttering beard and a faceful of wrinkles frowned and asked, ¡°Are there any Junior Martial Brothers willing to escort the disciples to the Sword Trial Assembly?¡±


    A middle-aged man with a lazy expression and a long, thin mustache snorted and indifferently replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Feng, the Sword Trial Assembly will always be dominated by the Ancient Sword Sect, and that vitriolic fellow Jiang Yun is always the one to bring the Ancient Sword Sect members. I don¡¯t wish to be embarrassed without reason.¡±


    A yellow-faced old man shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve even heard that in the past few years, the Ancient Sword Sect picked up a disciple that possessed a Ninesword Constitution. They will be certain to have him participate. As such, there is no hope of winning this Sword Trial Assembly. Although we do hold a few disciples that possess a peculiar constitution, they are inferior in comparison. And there is also news that the Hundred Possibilities Sect had acquired a direct descendant of the Guan Clan. It is said that while he was still in Qi Condensation, he defeated his clan¡¯s elders by using his personally refined magic tools. I fear this could be quite a difficult trip!¡±


    When the white-haired old man heard this, he revealed an expression of dissatisfaction. He gravely said, ¡°Junior Martial Brothers, you aren¡¯t wrong. The Sword Trial Assembly has already become a stage for the Ancient Sword Sect to display their power, but that is something beyond our control. If our sect does not send over any disciples that participate in the assembly, I fear we won¡¯t even acquire a quarter of the Wine Nectar. Besides, this could easily cause the Ancient Sword Sect to view us with hostility. It would be detrimental to our sect¡¯s development in the Dreamcloud Mountain for ages to come. We have more things to worry about, like the many clans that are covetously eyeing the three sects of Dreamcloud Mountain. We cannot reveal any weakness to them.¡±


    A square-faced, red-robed old man with a formal appearance suddenly proposed, ¡°Since Senior Martial Brother Feng said this, I¡¯ll be the one to bring the disciples. Rather, I haven¡¯t seen the Hundred Possibilities Sect¡¯s Elder Chang Zheng in quite a while. A chance to chat would be nice.¡±


    Old Man Feng glanced at him and hesitantly said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Duan, as the Mountain Lord of Firecloud Mountain, you have the most disciples under you. It would be improper for you to leave the sect.¡±


    The red-robed old man nonchalantly said, ¡°It is of no matter. Junior Martial Brother Li will still be there to handle Firecloud Mountain. Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m leaving the Dreamcloud Mountains. I¡¯m just traveling to the western range.¡±


    With that said, the white-haired old man didn¡¯t persist in his objections and nodded his head. He then swept his gaze over the other cultivators before staring at the fierce-looking, grey-clothed old man. He slowly said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Yu, I know that you don¡¯t have any pressing responsibilities at Dayspring Mountain. How about you assist Junior Martial Brother Duan? Junior Martial Brother Xin, do you have any objections?¡±


    The middle-aged man surnamed Xin faintly smiled and said, ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m sure Junior Martial Brother Yu is completely willing to go.¡±


    The grey-clothed old man cold expression stirred for a long while before he briefly said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go!¡±


    The white-haired old man smiled and nodded his head, saying, ¡°The group of disciples will be headed by Junior Martial Brother Duan. Junior Martial Brother Yu and Junior Marital Sister Song of White Phoenix Mountain will be accompanying him. Once the final round has been concluded, you will meet with thirty selected disciples and give them guidance. Perhaps there will be a chance for our sect yet. After all, we have quite a few powerful candidates this time around. We should be able to give the Ancient Sword Sect and the Hundred Possibilities Sect quite the contest.¡±


    A sly-faced cultivator that had been hiding in the corner yelped in surprise, ¡°Junior Martial Sister Song will also be coming along? How did I not know of this? If that¡¯s the case, I can take the place of Junior Martial Brother Yu.¡± When the rest of the cultivators in the pavilion heard him, there was a brief moment of restlessness. Three of the cultivators wore an annoyed expression.


    The white-haired old man¡¯s face grew sullen and he snorted, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Meng, what do you mean? I¡¯ve spoken for half a day, and you didn¡¯t speak a single word. But now that you¡¯ve heard Junior Martial Sister Song wishes to go, you jump at the chance. I¡¯ll tell you the truth, Junior Martial Sister Song raised the condition that she would only accompany the disciples if I didn¡¯t mention that she was going to begin with. Otherwise, given her temperament, why else would she depart from White Phoenix Mountain?¡±


    As this old man had already reached late Core Formation, the sly-faced early Core Formation cultivator didn¡¯t dare to dispute this and lowered his head.


    There were other cultivators that were also tempted, but each of them glanced at one another in dismay, not daring to speak.


    At that moment, footsteps suddenly came from the outside. A man¡¯s voice said, ¡°Reporting to Master and Martial Uncles, the last round has just finished. Three Foundation Establishment disciples have been selected along with twenty-one Qi Condensation cultivators. I¡¯ve come with the list of names.¡±


    The white-robed cultivator¡¯s expression relaxed and he said, ¡°Oh! Since that¡¯s the case, come in. Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡± The man respectfully replied. Afterwards, he opened the door and entered, revealing himself to be a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with a stately appearance and a tall body.


    ¡°Here are the names and details of the twenty-four finalists.¡± The man took out a white jade slip from his robes and handed it over to the old man.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking a look first!¡± The old man nodded his head and took the jade slip into his hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡± After taking a look at it with his spiritual sense, he revealed a trace of astonishment.


    The red-clothed cultivator¡¯s expression stirred and he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something amiss with the list of names?¡±


    The others also oddly glanced at the old man.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Junior Martial Brothers have a look!¡± With that said, the old man calmly passed the jade slip to the yellow-skinned old man at his side.


    After taking a look at the jade slip, he also revealed astonishment and handed the jade slip to someone else. Not longer after, everyone had looked at the jade slip and each of them had turbulent expressions.


    When the Dayspring Mountain Lord Xin read through the jade slip, his expression stirred with particular surprise.


    The middle-aged man with the thin mustache sighed and slowly said, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that there would be six disciples from Dayspring Mountain to be selected. It seems Junior Martial Brother Xin has instructed his disciples well.¡±


    The sly-faced cultivator sourly said, ¡°It seems Junior Martial Brother Xin is determined to win this Sword Trial Assembly. You must¡¯ve spent quite some effort to cultivate these disciples!¡± Only three disciples from his Hidden Sword Mountain had made it on the list, which lost him a considerable amount of face.


    ¡°No, it definitely wasn¡¯t like that. I myself am surprised to see so many people from my Dayspring Mountain being selected. And two of them are even at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation, named Han Li and Du Dong. If I¡¯m not mistaken, those two entered the sect just this past year. It is baffling how they managed to take a place on the list.¡± The middle-aged man surnamed Xin then muttered to himself for a moment and calmly said, ¡°Martial Nephew Gao, how did they manage to acquire victory?¡±


    The man who had just entered the room promptly replied, ¡°Their methods weren¡¯t anything strange. Martial Nephew Du Dong possesses an extremely powerful ice attribute top-grade magic tool. It seems capable of both attacking and defending, and it perfectly compliments his techniques as well. As a result, once he froze the ground with his magic tool, all of his opponents were left helpless against his strikes.¡±


    The middle-aged man with the long mustache interrupted, asking, ¡°Oh! What kind of magic tool is it? Can you give us a description?¡±


    ¡°It is a wheel type magic tool. It has a diameter of about a foot and is engraved with a curved moon. It sparkles with white light when it is activated, can activate an ice attribute barrier in an instant, and can attack with a mist of freezing Qi.¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes flickered and he said with surprise, ¡°That seems quite similar to the clan suppressing treasure of the Du Clan, the Ice Moon Wheel. The Du Clan was exterminated two hundred years ago. Could this Du Dong be a descendant?¡±


    The white-haired old man curled his beard and unhurriedly said, ¡°En! That seems quite possible. After all, the Du Clan wasn¡¯t a small clan. There were sure to be a few direct lineage disciples that escaped calamity and lived in concealment. They probably now believe that with so many years having passed, their enemies are no longer paying any attention to them. As such, they revealed themselves once more.¡±

 Chapter 625

    The Weeping Soul Beasts Reappearance


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother¡¯s words are reasonable. But while it is reasonable that Du Dong managed to triumph given his Ice Moon Wheel, what about the one named Han Li? Does he also have a high grade magic tool?¡± The thin-mustached middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if Martial Nephew Han possesses any high grade magic tools, his methods are quite costly.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by costly?¡± The yellow-faced old man asked with obvious interest.


    The Foundation Establishment cultivator explained, ¡°In the first round, Martial Nephew Han Li defeated his opponent by using several tens of fireball talismans to break through his opponent¡¯s barrier before they could react. In the rounds afterwards, he complimented his talismans with the use of mortal martial arts and an ingenious flame manipulation technique to arduously triumph against his opponents.¡±


    The white-haired old man sullenly said, ¡°The martial arts and flame technique aren¡¯t particularly notable. There are many who use them. However, he must possess many spirit stones to be able to use so many talismans. This amount may mean nothing to us, but to a Qi Condensation cultivator it is rather extravagant. Have you investigated this disciple?¡±


    The Foundation Establishment cultivator respectfully replied, ¡°I have. A few of his acquantainted disciples noted that he is skilled in talisman refinement despite being a vagrant cultivator, and he possesses quite a bit of wealth. That is how he is able to so generously use low grade talismans.¡±


    The white-haired old man¡¯s expression relaxed and he muttered, ¡°Oh, so it was like that. It seems there are no problems with the two then. However, since this person is capable of refining talismans, wouldn¡¯t it be better to have him join Firecloud Mountain?¡±


    Cultivator Xin faintly smiled and said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Feng, that reasoning is a bit amiss. Our Dayspring Mountain also possesses disciples that are skilled in talisman refinement. They will be able to mentor him properly. Senior Martial Brother Duan, don¡¯t tell me you actually want him!¡±


    The red-clothed cultivator waved his hand and grinned, ¡°Hehe! Our Firecloud Mountain already possesses many talisman refining disciples. One more or one less won¡¯t make much difference. I won¡¯t fight Junior Martial Brother Xin over a single disciple.¡±


    Cultivator Xin responded with a silent smile.


    In the following moments, the Core Formation cultivators chatted about a few sect matters before bidding their farewells.


    ¡­


    Han Li had already returned to his cave residence and was standing outside his spirit beast room with a solemn expression. His gaze wandered as he stared into the room.


    Not long before when the disciples of Dayspring Mountain were congratulating Han Li over his victory in the final round of placements, the Weeping Soul Pearl began to burn within his body, much to Han Li¡¯s alarm. It was about to finally awaken and complete its evolution.


    Han Li was overjoyed and hurriedly took his leave in order to return to his cave residence. But when he arrived outside the spirit beast room, he was greatly shocked by what he saw.


    For some unknown reason, the spirit beast room was completely devoid of light and was filled with ghastly wisps of black Ghost Qi, spilling an extremely icy Yin Qi out from the room.


    The Weeping Soul Beast could no longer be seen. Instead, a three meter tall cocoon had taken its place at the corner of the room. It was emitting a jet-black light and faintly released black glimmers as if it were alive.


    Han Li instantly knew that the Weeping Soul Beast was within the black cocoon, and he grew immensely excited. However, a trace of worry blossomed within his heart as well.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t about to boldly enter the room. After some pondering, he decided to meditate outside the spirit beast room. From what he had previously read in old records, during a spirit beast¡¯s evolution, it was best for its master to stay close and wait by its side. However, the spirit beast must be left alone during its evolution unless it failed in its transformation and suffered a grave injury.


    With apprehension lingering in his heart, Han Li felt time slowly pass by.


    Han Li originally assumed that the transformation would take several days at the very least before the cocoon was broken. But on the morning of the second day that he sat outside the spirit beast room, the black cocoon of light began to change.


    As Han Li remained cross-legged on the ground, he suddenly heard a clear explosion from the room. Although the sound was muffled, he opened his eyes with delight. He peered into the room and saw that a majority of the ghostly Qi had been absorbed into the black cocoon of light in the corner of the room.


    The black light then suddenly grew dazzling, causing Han Li to unconsciously turn his eyes away. In the next moment, Han Li felt a strange but somewhat familiar aura coming from the room.


    With raised brows, Han Li stood up without any further thought and lightly pushed open the door to the spirit beast room.


    Han Li swept his gaze through the room from the outside and saw that the black cocoon had already broken in two, and was empty as could be. But aside from the broken cocoon in the corner of the room, nothing else could be seen.


    Han Li was startled and thought to release his spiritual sense when black light began to shine from an empty corner of the room. With a low-pitched cry, a black blur shot towards Han Li.


    In his alarm, Han Li though to dodge out of the way, but after some thought, he remained in place. As a result, a small, icy object flew into Han Li¡¯s chest, and he grabbed onto it with both hands.


    ¡°This is?¡± Han Li glanced at the small object in his grasp and couldn¡¯t help but appear shocked.


    There was currently a tiny, fist-sized monkey in his hands that should undoubtedly be the evolved Weeping Soul Beast. At first glance, there was nothing that had changed about it apart from its silver fur turning pitch-black. But after glancing at it several more times, Han Li eventually discovered two differences from before. The Weeping Soul Beast now had a slim cavity between its two nostrils. After meticulously glancing into it, he discovered nothing out of the ordinary about it.


    The Weeping Soul Beast had always relied on the soul swallowing light from its nose to suppress souls and ghosts. Did the appearance of an additional hole in its nose mean that this ability would become more powerful?


    Not knowing whether he should laugh of cry, Han Li decided to look forward to testing this in the future!


    As for the other difference in the Weeping Soul Beast, for some unknown reason a crimson pattern depicting an evil spirit had appeared on the fur of it¡¯s back. The evil spirit on its back had a single horn and three eyes. Although it appeared rather faint, it also appeared true to life and gave any onlookers a feeling of malicious pressure.


    Silvermoon clicked her tongue in astonishment at the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s evolution, but she couldn¡¯t offer an explanation on what it was.


    Because Han Li had refined the Weeping Soul Pearl, the beast had become far more affectionate with Han Li. It appeared delighted as it rubbed its small furry head on Han Li¡¯s jacket.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile at the small black monkey in his hand. However, he faintly felt that the monkey seemed to possess human-like emotions.


    He played with the monkey for a moment with great interest before carefully putting it away in his spirit beast pouch once he saw it yawn from fatigue.


    Once Han Li departed from the spirit beast room, he took a look at the neighboring insect room and saw that only several tens of gold-silver Gold Devouring Beetles remained. It appeared they had already finished devouring one another and were about to lay eggs.


    Han Li was satisfied to see that these beetles were all slightly larger than before. He then left the insect room and returned to his quiet room for routine cultivation.


    When he claimed victory in the selection, the judge had already told him that he was able to receive guidance from a Core Formation cultivator. However, they were to continue to bitterly cultivate before their turn came. The guidance would only last for a few sparse days, and he would be notified by voice transmission talisman once it was his turn.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest about receiving guidance from a Core Formation cultivator. He¡¯d deal with it once he was summoned.


    Currently, he was holding the jade spirit well in his hands and was cultivating inside his quiet room. As for the artifact spirit Silvermoon, it was cultivating in the neighboring room inside of the demon fox body.


    With that being said, it was rather inconceivable that Silvermoon was able to cultivate in a possessed body.


    According to what Silvermoon said, although she had the cultivation equivalent to late Core Formation stage, once she entered the fox body, she possessed the cultivation of a low grade demon beast that had only reached grade one.


    As a result, although she could display her astonishing cultivation in the demon fox¡¯s body, she could only maintain it for a very short time. Additionally, as an artifact spirit her cultivation was eternally stagnant. Fortunately, Silvermoon was able to slowly increase the cultivation of the demon fox body over time, making the body her future home.


    As a result, Han Li fed a few medicinal pills to Silvermoon¡¯s fox body, allowing her cultivation to rise at an astonishing speed.

 Chapter 626

    Harmonic Mind


    Three months passed by in the blink of an eye while Han Li remained in bitter cultivation in his cave residence.


    During this time, Kui Huan¡¯s group had paid a visit to Han Li to apologetically tell him that they had informed the sect elders of Han Li¡¯s skills in talisman refinement, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t take offence.


    Because Han Li had already planned on using his talisman refinement techniques as a cover, he didn¡¯t mind in the slightest. After giving a few words of forgiveness, he sent the group of Qi Condensation cultivators on their way.


    As for Dayspring Mountain, because Han Li had unexpectedly made it into the twenty-four finalists, Mu Peiling had made a trip to the medicine garden and gave Han Li a long explanation on the intricacies of the Profound Ice Arts. This surprising action had left Han Li at a loss for words.


    Apart from those two times, no one else disturbed Han Li during his cultivation.


    One day as Han Li was strenuously cultivating the Azure Essence Sword Arts, he abruptly frowned and stood up. By the time he left his cave residence and entered the medicinal garden, a voice transmission talisman knocked against the medicine garden¡¯s restrictions.


    When Han Li saw this, he opened the garden¡¯s restrictions and waved his arm. A moment later, the sound transmission talisman flew into his hand in a streak of fire and soon disappeared.


    Han Li expressionlessly muttered, ¡°White Phoenix Mountain¡¯s Martial Ancestor Song. Isn¡¯t that the number one beauty in the Drifting Cloud Sect? Will that woman be instructing me? If that¡¯s the case, these coming days shouldn¡¯t be too boring!¡± He then released a flying sword magic tool and directly flew in the direction of White Phoenix Mountain.


    White Phoenix Mountain was at the eastmost side of Drifting Cloud Sect and was particularly distant from the other five mountains as if it were standing proudly in solitude. Although this mountain was the shortest of the Six Marvelous Mountains, it was by far the most verdant and beautiful.


    Not long after leaving the garden, Han Li appeared near White Phoenix Mountain.


    Because this mountain was made up of mostly female cultivators, White Phoenix Mountain had a few strange rules. Ordinarily, any male cultivators arriving at the mountain were required to land at the base of the mountain and receive permission to enter. Otherwise, they would only have themselves to blame for falling into White Phoenix Mountain¡¯s restrictions.


    Naturally, Han Li had no intention of forcing his way through and obediently landed at the base of the mountain.


    There were currently three Qi Condensation female cultivators at the mountain gate happily chatting. When they saw Han Li drop down, they couldn¡¯t help but curiously examine the unfamiliar male cultivator.


    Han Li saluted the three female disciples and said, ¡°I am Dayspring Mountain¡¯s Han Li. I¡¯ve come to accept cultivation guidance from Martial Ancestor Song. I hope Senior Martial Sisters can make a report.¡±


    A young, freckled female cultivator smiled and promptly said, ¡°So you¡¯re Han Li. The Martial Ancestor has already notified us of you. Junior Martial Brother Han may directly head to the Phoenix Court Pavilion at the top of the mountain. Martial Ancestor is waiting for you there.


    Han Li uttered a word of thanks before immediately flying up the mountain.


    However, not long after he departed, the three female disciples began to gossip without restraint once they believed Han Li was out of earshot.


    ¡°Is Junior Martial Brother Han truly a disciple that will be participating in the Sword Trial Assembly? His cultivation doesn¡¯t seem very high.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t appear to be anything special.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! So you two don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve seen all of Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s fights. Let me tell you¡­¡±


    Having heard all of that, Han Li recalled his spiritual sense with a wry smile. After shaking his head, he fly towards the mountain peak.


    White Phoenix Mountain wasn¡¯t very tall. After only a moment, Han Li managed to reach the top of the mountain, a flat plateau that spanned three hundred meters. It was surrounded with white clouds with abundant spiritual Qi as if it were an otherworldly realm.


    Within this fantastic scene stood a sole pavilion that was only sixty meters tall and was divided into three stories. The building was constructed from a unknown white wood. Its natural untouched form produced an air of simple elegance.


    Han Li landed in front of the pavilion and loudly shouted, ¡°Disciple Han Li pays his respects to Martial Ancestor Song!¡± Once that was said, Han Li felt a trace of spiritual sense sweep over him. He stood in place with a calm expression, feigning ignorance of the matter.


    A long while later, a woman¡¯s gentle voice said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve arrived, come up to the second story of the pavilion. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°As you bid!¡± Han Li then walked forward and gently pushed open the wooden doors which swung freely.


    The first floor of the pavilion was completely empty apart from a spell formation to aid in cultivation.


    Han Li swept his gaze past the first floor and directly headed towards the second floor.


    The second floor was also quite bare. Apart from a few racks of jade slips and magic tools, there were only a few chairs and a short stone table.


    Han Li also saw a blue-clothed woman sitting in one of the chairs. She was looking at a worn jade slip on the table as if she were attentively reading through it.


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li thought to say something when the woman raised her head, revealing a heart stirring beauty. She appeared to be in her mid twenties and was an early Core Formation cultivator.


    ¡°You¡¯re Han Li?¡± The woman calmly asked.


    ¡°Yes, Martial Ancestor!¡± Han Li respectfully replied.


    She stared at Han Li with her bright, clear eyes and said, ¡°Since you were able to come here, then it can be considered fate. I will instruct you as best I can. However, you will only remain at the Phoenix Court Pavilion for three days before you depart. What you will learn during this time will depend on yourself.¡±


    For some reason, although her cultivation wasn¡¯t very high, Han Li felt as if both his body and mind were clearly revealed underneath her gaze, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel alarm. Given Han Li¡¯s immense spiritual sense, it was extremely strange for him to experience this sensation. Clearly, she had used some sort of mind reading divine ability.


    Without any further thought, Han Li gave her a polite reply as he stealthily circulated the entirety of his Great Development Technique throughout his body, shielding his true thoughts.


    As Han Li became inwardly alarmed and vigilant, a strange expression appeared in the blue-clothed woman¡¯s eyes before closing them with a tired expression.


    The woman gently said, ¡°First, recite the chant for your cultivation art and then head down to the second layer. Do not come back up without my command. After I¡¯ve obtained some enlightenment of your cultivation art, I will give you a detailed explanation on any of its intricacies. Now, start!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Disciple cultivates the technique that Martial Aunt Mu had given him, the Profound Ice Arts. This cultivation art¡­¡± Han Li began to slowly recite it with a calm expression.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li had finished. The woman nodded her head and waved an arm, indicating for him to go down. Han Li saluted her and wordlessly climbed down the stairs.


    The blue-clothed woman looked at Han Li¡¯s departing figure and motionlessly sat down in her chair with a frown.


    She then took out a sound transmission talisman and calmly said a few words into it. It turned into a streak of fire and flew out the window without a trace.


    ¡­


    At the center of the main mountain of the Drifting Cloud Sect where the Core Formation cultivators had last met, a white-haired old man was leisurely standing at the window when his eyes suddenly began to shine as a streak of fiery light flew towards him from across the sky.


    The old man wordlessly raised his hand and emitted a mist of white light, catching the fiery light. It fiercely burned, releasing the curt voice of the blue-clothed woman, ¡°Han Li passes, but Du Dong harbors malice.¡±


    With an icy expression, old man coldly muttered, ¡°Humph! Habors malice? I knew something was amiss. The Du Clan had a deep relationship with the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion¡¯s Fu Clan. If he truly was a descendant of the Du Clan, he should¡¯ve entered the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion rather than our Drifting Cloud Sect.¡±


    The white-haired old man thought a moment more before muttering to himself with an expression of admiration, ¡°However, Junior Martial Sister Song¡¯s Harmonic Mind is becoming truly fearsome. I myself am uncertain as to whether or not I can block it. I know only my two Martial Uncles to be capable.¡±


    ¡­


    Two months later, at the western portion of the Dreamcloud Mountains in a deep valley surrounded by mountains, there were several thousands of Hundred Possibilities Pavilion disciples converging at the heart of the valley. They were excitedly talking with each other as their clamor filled the air.


    There were many disciples that repeatedly gazed to the skies with impatient expressions as if they were feeling anxious.

 Chapter 627

    Sword Trial Battles (1)


    At the very front of the several thousands of disciples in the plaza, there stood several tens of rather noteworthy individuals. Eight of them were Core Formation cultivators who stood with calm poise, with several tens of Foundation Establishment cultivators standing behind them. They were the Hundred Possibilities Sect¡¯s institute masters and elders, but a majority of them were merely stewards.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± A sharp-eyed disciple saw something off the horizon and shouted in excitement. Suddenly, many low grade cultivators began to look expectantly up at the sky, catching glimpses of light in the distance. Soon, a large group of variously colored dots of light began to fly towards them.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Ancient Sword Sect. They¡¯re all using sword magic tools.¡±


    As soon as that was said, the crowd began to roil. Many of them began to point to the incoming lights with varied expressions.


    ¡°Silence! Do you wish to make a joke of us to the other two sects?¡± A tall old man coldly uttered with a sullen expression. His voice resonated to everyone present and caused a few of the overeager disciples to shut their mouths, bringing silence to the plaza in an instant.


    When the tall old man saw this, his expression relaxed and the other Core Formation cultivators glanced at one another with a smile. They didn¡¯t seem surprised at all by this.


    At that moment, the Ancient Sword Sect cultivators arrived at the plaza. A vast majority of them had flown on swords with hardly any exceptions.


    A short and small old man flew out from Ancient Sword Sect cultivators and descended with a chuckle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Brother Fu would personally come to greet us. I am truly overwhelmed by your grace!¡±


    A blue-robed scholarly man and a white-clothed young woman both descended at his side with a faint smile. From their appearance, they appeared to be married.


    At that moment, the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s young, low-grade cultivators each began to descend onto the plaza.


    The tall old man calmly saluted the three and said, ¡°So it is Brother Jiang Yun who is bringing the disciples this time. We extend a respectful greeting to you. And there is also the famous Bai Bi Swordmates, we welcome you as well.¡±


    ¡°Enough, let¡¯s not flatter each other or we¡¯ll make a laughingstock of ourselves in front of our juniors. However, it seems that the Drifting Cloud Sect has yet to arrive. They¡¯ve become increasingly disinterested in the Sword Trial Assembly. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯ve grown cowardly because they¡¯ve placed last a few times?¡± The cultivator surnamed Jiang seemed to dislike the Drifting Cloud Sect and spoke with a trace of schadenfreude.


    The old man surnamed Fu wore a wry smile, not daring to rashly reply. The Hundred Possibilities Pavilion differed from the Ancient Sword Sect. If such words left his mouth and they managed to reach the upper echelon of the Drifting Cloud Sect, they would certainly cause trouble.


    But before Old Man Fu thought of how he should reply, a middle-aged man with long dark-green robes grinned and interrupted him from behind, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist Jiang to be so impatient. I¡¯ve heard that White Phoenix Mountain¡¯s Fairy Song is escorting the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples this time around. She is a fine beauty that is rarely seen in our three sects. It is a pity that Fairy Song has always kept herself hidden away. Now, we finally have a chance to look upon her!¡±


    Jiang Yun wore a face of excitement and nodded his head, ¡°Brother Shi mentioned the Fairy of White Phoenix? I¡¯ve long heard rumors that this woman¡¯s beauty is incomparable. If this woman is truly escorting their disciples, then there is no harm in waiting.¡±


    When the Ancient Sword Sect pair cultivators heard this, they wore a surprised expression. The azure-robed scholarly man astonishedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard the Fairy of White Phoenix possesses Heavenly Spiritual Roots, and that she was able to easily enter Core Formation in less than a hundred years. She could be said to be a cultivation genius that is only spotted once in a thousand years. It is quite surprising that we¡¯d be able to see such a figure at the Sword Trial Assembly!¡±


    Although the white-robed woman¡¯s expression was calm, she spoke with an enchanting voice, ¡°That¡¯s true! Even as a woman, I hold quite some curiosity towards the greatly renowned Fairy Song. I have yet to catch sight of her. Surely she must be wondrously beautiful!¡±


    Old Man Fu smiled and thought to say something when he suddenly shouted towards the sky, ¡°Huh!? It seems the Drifting Cloud Sect members have arrived!¡±


    When the others heard this, they gazed upward and saw that a huge black dot was gradually growing closer to them from the east.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Jiang Yun¡¯s expression stirred. It seemed he knew what it was.


    Once it grew closer, the others were able to clearly see what is was ¨C a huge, monstrous bird that was flying towards them with astonishing speed. There seemed to be many cultivators standing on the bird¡¯s back.


    Upon spotting the huge bird, Jiang Yun sourly said, ¡°Humph! The Drifting Cloud Sect is merely showing off its mutated Azure Hawk. The only thing impressive about it that has mutated is its size. It is still only a grade five demon beast!¡±


    Old Man Fu and the other Hundred Possibilities Pavilion cultivators pretended to have not heard this. However, the youths nearby gasped at the sight of such a large spirit beast. They all stared at the huge bird¡¯s astonishing figure with awe.


    Each flap of its glowing azure wings brought it forward with astonishing momentum, and in the blink of an eye, it had arrived in front of the plaza. It¡¯s huge wings cast a shadow upon the entire stage and blew fierce winds downward, causing a few of the low grade disciples to lose their balance and turn pale from fright.


    ¡°Stop!¡± A man¡¯s voice suddenly sounded out from atop the bird. The huge bird folded its wings and floated motionlessly in the air as many cultivators began to drop down from its back.


    ¡°Yi! Isn¡¯t that Firecloud Mountain¡¯s Brother Duan? What a pleasant surprise!¡± When Old Man Fu saw the red-robed old man in the front, his eyes brightened and he hastily went forward to meet him.


    The old man chuckled and smiled, ¡°Hardly. I¡¯ve held quite the impression of you ever since I last saw you in the Yun Province!¡± At the same time he was speaking, he swept his gaze past the many people behind him.


    Old Man Fu casually said, ¡°Brother Duan wishes to look for Chang Zhen? That¡¯s too bad. Junior Martial Brother Chang is currently handling affairs outside of the sect. However, he should return by the end of the assembly!¡±


    The red-robed old man appeared slightly disappointed, but his expression soon recovered. ¡°So it¡¯s like that. It can¡¯t be helped. Being able to talk about old times is quite a problem of chance. Back to the matter at hand then! This is Junior Martial Brother Yu. There should be no need for introductions, as everyone should recognize him. As for Junior Martial Sister Song, I believe this should be everyone¡¯s first time seeing her. Let me introduce you!¡± He pointed to the stunning blue-clothed woman behind him.


    Old Man Fu looked at Cultivator Song with narrowed eyes and gasped. ¡°I¡¯ve known of your grand reputation for many years as the Fairy of White Phoenix! Now that I¡¯ve witnessed your elegance, I must say that your reputation is well deserved!¡±


    The blue-clothed woman gently smiled and replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Fu wrongfully flatters me. I hardly deserve the title of Fairy!¡± The woman had an aura of peaceful charm to her, causing the nearby low grade male cultivators to look on with thumping hearts. Although a few of the high grade cultivators were better off then their bewitched juniors, passion flared within their eyes as well.


    Next, the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Core Formation cultivators greeted the Ancient Sword Sect.


    Although Jiang Yun appeared indifferent, he reluctantly uttered a few words. As for the white-robed young woman, she stuck close to Cultivator Song and began to enthusiastically speak with her as if they were sisters.


    Despite this, Cultivator Song maintained an elegant demeanor throughout, revealing not the slightest flaw in her actions.


    The following matters were simple enough. Once the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion finished their formailies, they brought the two sects to their respective huge courtyards and had them rest for the day. The official competition would begin on the next morning.


    The night peacefully passed by. With the coming of the second day, the three sects fiercely began the competition.


    The competition was conducted in three groups of thirty with each sect sending ten of their own disciples into each group. Each group would then battle among themselves in a single elimination format until only four were left. The final twelve disciples would then draw ballots and fight for the top ten rankings.


    Because there weren¡¯t many disciples competing, there was no need to have multiple fights occuring at the same time. The fights were to be held sequentially on the same stage. As for how the order was decided, there were lots that were drawn by each of the group¡¯s leaders. As for the judges, they would come from the sect that didn¡¯t belong to either of the competitors, making it quite fair.


    With countless Hundred Possibilities Pavilion disciples densely surrounding the stage, a bald man stood at the center of the stage and slowly announced, ¡°The first fight is between the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Han Li vs the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Yao Feng!¡±


    Following the bald man¡¯s announcement, a disciple walked out from each group of disciples. A torrent of whispers began to pour from the surrounding Hundred Possibilities Pavilion disciples once they clearly saw the contestants.


    ¡°Am I not mistaken? One is a Qi Condensation cultivator at the eleventh layer and the other is a Foundation Establishment cultivator!¡±


    ¡°The difference in their cultivation is far too great!¡±


    The Ancient Sword Sect cultivator looked at his opponent with a strange expression. Soon after, disdain momentarily appeared on his face. He felt it would be extremely easy to deal with an opponent with such shallow cultivation.


    As for his opponent, he was a youth with a common appearance that was tightly frowning as if he felt perplexed and anxious.


    Of course, the Core Formation cultivators of the three sects were separated from the rest of the disciples. They were floating in empty space above the light barrier and leisurely chatting.


    ¡°Brother Duan, does the Drifting Cloud Sect truly plan on abandoning this Sword Trial Assembly? How was an eleventh layer disciple able to prevail through the selections? Was he someone you brought to make up for a lack of numbers?¡± Jiang Yun couldn¡¯t help but laugh upon seeing the Drifting Cloud Sect disciple.


    The red-robed cultivator calmly replied, ¡°Huh, eleventh layer? Not bad! I recall that he was only at the tenth layer when he acquired victory in the selections. It is quite impressive for him to have cultivated so quickly!¡±


    Jiang Yun wore a doubtful expression. ¡°What? He made it through the selection at tenth layer? Are you joking?¡±


    This time, the red-robed cultivator merely replied with a silent smile.


    When Jiang Yun saw this, he felt slightly apprehensive and said nothing else. He began to pay attention to the stage below.


    ¡°Match start!¡± The bald man from before suddenly shouted.


    As soon as the Ancient Sword Sect youth heard this, he had a red and a blue sword fly out from the sheathes on his back. They floated above him as green light flickered from his hands, forming a green light barrier around him. Afterwards, the youth quickly formed a hand incantation, intending to have his flying swords attack.


    But before he could carry out this well-practiced series of actions, he suddenly spotted sixty fireballs heading towards him in an overbearing wave of blistering heat.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The youth loudly shouted in alarm and his face became deathly pale.


    However, he was someone who had experienced many battles and quickly regained his composure. He gave up on using his flying swords to attack and immediately fell to the ground, dropping the light barrier around him. In that same moment, he felt his body covered in cold sweat, but he soon felt a furious rage overwhelm him as the wave of fireballs brush past his head. Wishing to make a show of Han Li in revenge, he was about to jump up when a black leg blurred in front of him, relentlessly stomping down on his head. Suddenly, the world around him turned black.

 Chapter 628

    Sword Trial Battles (2)


    The crowd outside the light barrier roared in amazement.


    Even the bald judge gazed at the youth with an odd expression. After a short moment, he loudly announced, ¡°The Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Han Li is victorious!¡±


    Han Li bowed to the judge with a calm expression and walked out of the light barrier.


    Soon after, two Ancient Sword Sect disciples rushed onto the stage and and carried off their unconscious sect member.


    The short old man surnamed Jiang stared at the stage in disbelief and then grimaced.


    Although he knew there would be a few unorthodox tactics in a competition between low grade disciples, he absolutely didn¡¯t expect talismans to be used in such a manner. He had teased the red-robed old man earlier because he held high hopes for this disciple, but he didn¡¯t expect for it to backfire. A moment later, an embarrassed expression appeared on the man¡¯s face and he gloomily keep silent.


    Old Man Fu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of Han Li¡¯s battle, ¡°Brother Duan, that disciple of yours is truly quite interesting. He used up many spirit stones worth of talismans. Although it was quite the trick, it must¡¯ve taken quite a bit of practice in order to simultaneously use so many fireball talismans at once. Ordinary disciples would find it quite difficult to do.¡±


    The red-robed old man was immensely pleased with the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Jiang Yun¡¯s deflated appearance, but he played down the victory with half-truths, ¡°It¡¯s nothing! This disciple of ours is a talisman refinement expert. Attacking with talismans should come naturally to him. However, even I am somewhat surprised for him to use so many talisman at once.¡±


    Jiang Yun resentfully muttered, ¡°Humph! He¡¯s only capable of using many talismans at once. Now, the others will know of his tricks. In the later rounds, this disciple of yours will definitely be defeated.¡±


    The red-robed old man chuckled and said, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The azure-robed scholarly man glanced at Han Li down below and casually nodded his head, ¡°However, I think that this disciple¡¯s movement techniques is a body lightening technique from the mortal world. How else would he have so quickly caught Martial Nephew Yao off guard?¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai has seen through it as well! This disciple of ours was once a vagrant cultivator and has learned many mixed techniques. It is very much our sect¡¯s embarrassment!¡±


    The scholarly man smiled and said, ¡°Not at all. Long ago, I also held somewhat of an interest in mortal martial arts and studied them a bit. Although these martial arts have no use to high grade cultivators, in the hands of a skillful Qi Condensation cultivator they will greatly add to their might. Furthermore, this disciple of yours seem extremely practiced in his techniques as if he has experienced many battles. It isn¡¯t unfair for our own disciple to have lost against him.¡±


    As the three sects¡¯ experts calmly continued their discussion, the bald referee from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion was replaced by an old man from the Drifting Cloud Sect. He expressionlessly said, ¡°The second fight will be the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion¡¯s Tian Ci versus the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Zhou Xu.¡±


    Soon after, a youth from each sect walked onto the stage and bowed to each other. Once the old man announced the start of the battle, they each formed incantation gestures and began to use their magic tools.


    The three sects¡¯ Core Formation cultivators soon placed the previous fight in the back of their minds and began to watch this new battle unfold.


    Perhaps due to the incisiveness of Han Li¡¯s previous fight, the current careful and deliberate battle caused boredom in the spectators.


    Eventually, the Ancient Sword Sect disciple was able to use his sword magic tool to break the opponent¡¯s defenses and claim victory.


    Each fight then successively continued until the first round of the competition was concluded two days later.


    The Ancient Sword Sect cultivators¡¯ strength was as great as their reputation described.


    Apart from Han Li and a few others, the majority of the rounds had been dominated by Ancient Sword Sect disciples.


    This scene was cause for great joy for Jiang Yun and he wore a wide grin, releasing him from his previous gloom.


    Of course, the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion and the Drifting Cloud Sect cultivators had already anticipated this outcome. Although they found this somewhat embarrassing, they didn¡¯t show it on their faces and pretended not to care. From their bearing, it appeared as if they were on the winning side.


    During the second round of the competition, Han Li¡¯s opponent was a Hundred Possibilities Pavilion female Qi Condensation cultivator with a valiant appearance.


    After seeing that she was facing Han Li, she immediately took to the air on her magic tool as soon as the match started.


    According to her understanding, she would be able to dodge any of Han Li¡¯s talisman attacks in the air and would also be safe from his swift movement techniques.


    Han Li sighed upon seeing this and tossed out a stack of fireball talismans without a word.


    Just as the woman thought to dodge the incoming fireballs, Han Li formed an incantation gesture with both his hands and caused the approaching fireballs to flash with a red light. The barrage of fireballs turned into small flock of fire birds that spiralled around without approaching her.


    When she saw this, she was greatly frightened and thought to use her magic tool to protect herself. However, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to give her the opportunity. He muttered an incarnation in a superficial display and commanded the flame birds with his spiritual sense. The flock of fire birds then flew towards the woman and struck her from all sides.


    Although the woman managed to envelope herself in a water attribute barrier through a talisman, it was incapable of enduring such a fierce attack. In a mere moment, the barrier shattered.


    Helpless, the young woman could only take the initiative to concede defeat.


    After that battle, the disciples of the other two sects were greatly moved, having previously believed that Han Li merely abused his abundance of talismans without any skill.


    However, a few Foundation Establishment cultivators that possessed powerful magic tools merely viewed Han Li¡¯s flashy actions with disdain. But in the end¡­


    ¡­


    There was an obscure, desolate valley at the center of the Dreamcloud Mountains. This valley had long been enveloped with waves of Yin mist over countless years. It was dark to the point where one couldn¡¯t even see their own hands if they entered it. Additionally, all sorts of venomous serpents and insects entrenched themselves within the mist in countless numbers. And due to the valley¡¯s small size, they were easily overlooked by any cultivators that passed it by.


    But one day, the valley¡¯s mist became denser than usual, but the mist at the deepest depths of the valley was particularly chaotic.


    In a flash of white light, two figures suddenly emerged beside a mysterious pile of rocks.


    One of these figures was a man who wore grey robes and had fierce expression. The other was a scholarly man with azure robes and a jade belt.


    Although there was clearly no one besides the rock pile, a man¡¯s hoarse voice lazily said, ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Brother Bai and the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Yu? Could it be that the Sword Trial Assembly has already ended?¡±


    ¡°So Brother Yu is on duty today! Yes, the assembly has already ended. We¡¯ve come to see whether or not the Brightsight Water has been prepared. If it is ready, then we¡¯ll directly transport the ten disciples here to prevent anything unexpected from occuring.¡±


    As for the grey-clothed old man at his side, he remained silent with an indifferent expression.


    The previous man¡¯s voice spoke with objection, ¡°Something unexpected? This place is guarded by three Core Formation cultivators at all times. Why not bring the low grade cultivators along with you? Are you afraid that they¡¯ll bring some trouble?¡±


    Cultivator Bai shook his head and said, ¡°The Spirit Well Tree is an immensely important matter. It is better to be careful! Besides, dropping the Wine Nectar into the Brightsight water is the most crucial step. Once this is done, the spirit water must immediately be used to cleanse their eyes, otherwise its efficacy would greatly decrease. Why else would we be required to bring the ten disciples over here!¡±


    The man chuckled and confidently said, ¡°Alright, the Brightsight Water has already been prepared. When they¡¯ve cleansed their eyes, have them immediately depart. Since this area is heavily covered with restrictions, if you teleport them here they won¡¯t know where this place is.¡±


    Cultivator Bai nodded his head and said, ¡°That would be for the best. Brother Yu, stay behind for the time being. I will notify our Fellow Daoists and have them teleport the disciples over.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°Ah yes, I suppose the winner of the Sword Trial Assembly from your Ancient Sword Sect?¡±


    The azure robed scholar smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must indeed disappoint you. The winner of this Sword Trial Assembly is our Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Martial Nephew Meng Di.¡±


    The man¡¯s lazy voice revealed a trace of satisfaction, ¡°Humph! It isn¡¯t surprising that the Foundation Establishment cultivators of your Ancient Sword Sect are stronger than ours. However, when one reaches Core Formation stage, it¡¯s hard to say who is weaker or stronger. If there is an opportunity, bring over that Senior Martial Brother San of yours. I wish to compare notes with him sometime.¡±


    The scholarly man grew silent for a moment and casually smiled, ¡°It seems Brother Yue still broods over his defeat by Senior Martial Brother San long ago. However, I fear I must disappoint Brother Yue. Senior Martial Brother San has already entered seclusion in an attempt to breakthrough to late Core Formation stage.¡±

 Chapter 629

    The Restricted Area


    ¡°He¡¯s going into seclusion to reach late Core Formation stage?¡± The man was clearly surprised, but he soon sighed and spoke no further.


    The Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Cultivator Bai then wordlessly raised his hand and struck the pile of rocks nearby with a streak of white light. The pile of rocks suddenly flashed with light and he disappeared. The pile of rocks was clearly a well hidden transportation spell formation.


    After seeing the grey-clothed old man depart, he sat down on the ground nearby.


    At the other end of the transportation formation was a small stone room in the Hundred Possibilities Sect. The scholarly man appeared within the formation with a flash of white light. Several high grade cultivators from the three sects were surrounding him.


    Cultivator Jian asked, ¡°How is it Junior Martial Brother? Are the preparations finished?¡±


    The scholarly man replied, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, relax. Everything is ready at the sacred site. We may take them in now.¡±


    The old man surnamed Fu nodded his head with satisfaction, ¡°Good! Then we must trouble Brother Duan to bring the ten juniors over here.¡± As soon as he finished the red-robed old man wordlessly pushed open the door and left. Old Man Fu continued, ¡°As arranged, our three sects will each send a Core Formation cultivator to accompany them. The Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Yu is already on the other side. Brother Jiang, who will you be sending over?¡±


    Jiang Yun casually replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen it once before and there is little to see, how about Junior Martial Brother Bai goes?¡±


    Old Man Fu smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Although Fellow Daoist Bai hasn¡¯t had his turn guarding the sacred site, he was once one of the ten finalists in the Sword Trial Assembly. It could be considered revisiting a memory.¡±


    Cultivator Bai nodded his head with a calm expression but said nothing. The white-clothed young woman charmingly smiled at him and rubbed shoulders with him in a rather romantic manner.


    At that moment, footsteps came from outside of the stone room and the red-robed old man walked in with a calm expression, leading the ten finalists.


    Although the Drifting Cloud Sect hadn¡¯t acquired first place, there were four disciples that managed to make it into the final ten. Occupying the most places amongst the three sects. This had caused Old Man Duan to feel quite pleased in contrast to his calm exterior.


    With that thought, he unconsciously swept his gaze over the four disciples. There was the Firecloud Mountain¡¯s Sun Huo, a staunch-faced youth, Mu Peiling of Dayspring Mountain, Han Li and Du Dong.


    When he caught sight of Du Dong, Old Man Duan couldn¡¯t help but inwardly snort, and a trace of derision momentarily appeared within his heart.


    As for the disciple that had acquired first place, he was a black-clothed youth with an expression as clear as a drawn sword. He was the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Meng Di, who possessed the Ninesword Spirit Constitution.


    The ¡°Ninesword Spirit Constitution¡± was among the three great sword bodies in the cultivation world. It wasn¡¯t something to take lightly. With a top-grade sword magic tool in hand, there were no opponents in the competition that were capable of withstanding his strikes. In only a few short moments, he was able to crush any opposition that stood in his way en route to first place.


    Having thought that, the red-robed old man felt somewhat envious of the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s good luck.


    Han Li indifferently glanced at the Core Formation ¡°Masters¡± in the room. He felt neither joy nor alarm.


    After his victory in the third round, he had deliberately lost to a skilled Hundred Possibilities Pavilion Foundation Establishment disciple. He then participated in a battle against the six who lost for the final four positions in the top ten. In the end, he had nearly spent all of his talismans to forcefully enter ninth place.


    As for Du Dong, perhaps having held the same plan in mind as Han Li, he had also suffered a defeat at the fourth round and then deliberately suffered a loss against him, landing him in tenth place. Those actions had left Han Li dumbstruck.


    As for the top ranked disciple amongst the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples, that would be the youth named Sun Huo. His cultivation was quite strong and he managed to land in third place.


    But from how Han Li saw it, apart from the black-clothed youth whose techniques greatly matched his magic tool, he would be able to defeat all the others using his previous methods.


    Once the assembly concluded, the top ten disciples each received a top grade magic tool. As for Meng Di, he also received a jade box that contained a Spirit Tempering Pill.


    When Han Li saw the jade box, he instantly grew determined, ¡®If this goes smoothly, and I¡¯m able to acquire the root of the Spirit Well Tree as well as the pill formula, it¡¯ll be over. If that isn¡¯t possible, I¡¯ll take the pill from the hands of that Ancient Sword Sect disciple. After all, that pill will greatly aid in condensing a Nascent Soul.¡¯


    As Han Li thought this, Old Man Fu began to teleport the gathered disciples.


    The three sects¡¯ youths already knew where they were going and wore cheerful smiles.


    As white light flashed, Cultivator Bai and a middle-aged cultivator from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion teleported alongside them.


    Han Li and company were left dazed from the teleportation and found themselves amidst a dense fog and a pile of rocks.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and unconsciously swept his spiritual sense past the area. However, once it extended out a hundred meters, he immediately felt a restriction block his path. His heart trembled at the discovery. Knowing that there were powerful spell formations in place, he decided that stealthily completing his objective would be best.


    Seeing that they had all arrived, the grey-clothed old man calmly stood up and raised his hand, shooting out a yellow spell seal into the dense mist.


    The surrounding mist began to roil and suddenly dispersed. Not far ahead of them was a wall overgrown with dense moss as if no one had ever passed it by.


    Cultivator Bai warned the ten finalists with an icy tone, ¡°Listen well. You must cleanse your eyes as soon as the spirit water is refined. You are allowed to enter the restricted area for that reason alone. Normally, even we are not allowed near this place. After you enter, you are only allowed to stay here for the day, and must immediately depart on the next. This place is also heavily clad in restrictions. Absolutely do not roam this place as you please, else you will be subjected to the entirety of the consequences.¡±


    The disciples naturally acknowledged his words.


    At that moment, a man¡¯s voice was heard from the direction of the stone wall, ¡°Alright, if you have anything else to say, leave it until after you enter. I am going to open a way through the great formation.¡±


    When the man surnamed Yue said this, the stone wall rippled throughout the air and disappeared in flash of green light.


    A moment later, the disciples were left astonished as the stone wall disappeared before them and was replaced with huge, tightly-shut stone gates.


    The stone gate was densely covered in talisman characters and pulsing with rainbow light. It was unknown just how powerful this restriction was. There were also several barriers of yellow light surrounding the gate.


    At that moment, a yellow-clothed cultivator with his arms behind his back was standing outside the thirty-meter-tall gate. He appeared to be in his forties, and he had thick, slanted eyebrows that gave him a fierce appearance. If an ordinary person were to see him, they would grow fearful and wouldn¡¯t dare to meet his gaze.


    When the middle-aged cultivator from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion saw his fearsome appearance, he revealed trace of admiration. ¡°Hehe! Senior Martial Brother Yue seems to have made much progress in his Ghost Fiend Arts. It seems cultivating near the sacred tree has made cultivation far easier.¡±


    Although his words weren¡¯t loud, they had clearly reached Cultivator Yue¡¯s ears. The yellow-clothed cultivator immediately rolled his eyes and snorted, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to be confined to this place for sixty years, you can diligently cultivate as well. Though I wonder if Junior Martial Brother Pai would be able to endure it, given his temperament.¡±


    The middle-aged Hundred Possibilities Pavilion cultivator wore an embarrassed expression and said, ¡°I was merely speaking without consideration. It must be be extremely difficult for Senior Martial Brothers Yue, Wu, and Tian to stand guard here. My words¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! No need to speak any further. These restrictions are something that our Nascent Soul Martial Uncles placed down. I will only be able to open the restrictions for a short amount of time. Hurry up!¡±


    The yellow-clothed cultivator then slapped his hands together and summoned a yellow command medallion. He then began to chant with a solemn expression.


    The command medallion suddenly glowed with a grand yellow light and began to radiate nearby, melting away the light barriers in an instant, revealing a ten meter wide passage.


    ¡°Everyone go! Be quick!¡± The scholarly man urged them as soon as he saw this and took the lead, flying forward in a streak of white light.


    The other two Core Formation cultivators gave similar commands and shot forward as well.


    When Han Li and company saw this, they hastily followed after them on their magic tools.

 Chapter 630

    A Boy


    As soon as the party reacted the stone gate, the yellow-clothed cultivator¡¯s command medallion dimmed and the passageway completely disappeared.


    Facing the group, he indifferently said, ¡°Follow,¡± before turning around and forming various hand incantations with his fingers. He then raised his arms and shot out a scarlet and yellow light from his hands towards the huge stone gate.


    Suddenly, talisman characters on the tightly-shut stone gate began to stir and it began to release a series of low-hums. The gate slowly opened to reveal a long passageway.


    The yellow-clothed cultivator wordlessly stepped through the passage and the others glanced at each other before closely following after him.


    Han Li stood at the center of the disciples and seemed to be staring forward with great intensity. But in actuality, he was sweeping his spiritual sense across everything nearby.


    This rectangular passageway was a man-made tunnel that lead into the heart of the mountain. Not only were the walls smooth, but there were a few profound talisman characters every couple of steps. Although Han Li couldn¡¯t study them for the time being, he was certain they weren¡¯t only there for decoration.


    After walking for only about three hundred meters, their surroundings brightened and they arrived at a tidy stone hall that was about two hundred meters wide and eighty meters tall.


    The center of the stone hall had a meter high limestone platform with ten lines perpendicularly intersecting from each side. From the sets of black and white pieces arranged on the platform, it appeared to be a chess game during a crucial moment.


    There was an old man and a young boy sitting cross legged across from each other on the platform. The old man appeared to be in his late fifties while the young boy appeared to be less than ten years old. From his flawless appearance, it appeared as if this were a perfect child that had reincarnated.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Lan! What is Senior doing here?¡± When Cultivator Bai saw the child, he suddenly shouted in surprise and hastily saluted him.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Lan?¡±


    The grey-robed old man and the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion cultivator were initially surprised to see the child there. But after hearing Cultivator Bai address him by name, their expressions greatly changed. Once they saw the boy¡¯s ponytail, bare feet, and the golden band on his arm, they suddenly recalled the name of a legendary Senior.


    ¡°Juniors Du Bei and Yu Shan¡¯an pay their respects to Senior Lan!¡± In their alarm, the two rushed to salute him.


    ¡°Stand. Didn¡¯t you notice that I am at a crucial point in my game with Martial Nephew Hu? Let¡¯s talk after I¡¯ve finished.¡± The boy¡¯s voice was as young as his appearance, but each of his words carried an aged tone filled with poise.


    ¡°As you command!¡± Cultivator Bai and the other two Core Formation cultivators instantly acknowledged him and silently loitered nearby, not daring to appear sullen in the slightest.


    As for the old man playing chess with the boy, he wryly smiled at the three but remained silent. As for the yellow-robed cultivator, he respectfully stood behind the boy as if he were differentially waiting upon him.


    When the young cultivators heard their three martial ancestors suddenly call out to the boy as Martial Uncle, they became restless. They instantly realized what this meant and stared at the boy with anxious hearts.


    In the instant Han Li saw the boy, he felt his heart drop. This was a genuine early Nascent Soul cultivator. Why had he appeared here?


    However, he soon recovered his calm. While he wasn¡¯t currently an opponent for an early Nascent Soul cultivator, it wouldn¡¯t be any problem for him to escape. Additionally, he was confident that the Nascent Soul cultivator wasn¡¯t here for him.


    With that in mind, Han Li began to plan for any contingencies that may occur.


    In the end, the boy and the Old Man played for another quarter hour before the old man stepped back from the chessboard and respectfully said, ¡°Senior Lan¡¯s chess skills are excellent. This disciple concedes!¡±


    A trace of happiness appeared on the boy¡¯s face, but his gaze soon turned and he doubtfully said, ¡°Martial Nephew Hu, you didn¡¯t deliberately lose to me, right? We agreed that you wouldn¡¯t hold back against me.¡±


    When the old man heard this, his face appeared to have grown longer and he hurriedly said, ¡°Junior wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive Senior. It is just that Senior¡¯s chess skills have made massive improvements.¡±


    The boy smiled and said, ¡°Hehe, I also feel that my chess skills have made quite the improvement from before. It seems that it was quite worth it to practice against those mortal chess masters.¡±


    The boy¡¯s smile then faded away as he changed topics, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s put the chess pieces away. There is business to attend to.¡±


    He turned turned around to face the cultivators that were waiting on him. After sweeping his gaze over the Core Formation cultivators, it finally settled onto the scholarly man¡¯s face.


    The boy leisurely asked, ¡°Martial Nephew Bai, how many years has it been since you entered the Ancient Sword Sect?¡±


    Cultivator Bai¡¯s face revealed slight puzzlement, but he sincerely answered, ¡°This Junior entered the sect over a hundred years ago.¡±


    A strange expression flickered within the boy¡¯s eyes and he sighed, ¡°A hundred years! It must¡¯ve been quite tough for you.¡±


    The scholarly man¡¯s expression changed and he forced a smile, ¡°Martial Uncle, what do you mean?¡±


    The boy stared at the scholarly man and said with an icy tone, ¡°What do I mean? As the successor of the Righteous Dao¡¯s Overwhelming Pavilion Sect Master, your esteemed self has maintained you cover in the Ancient Sword Sect for quite the while. Haven¡¯t you had any thoughts of visiting your master?¡±


    When Cultivator Bai heard the boy, his complexion instantly paled.


    The other two Core Formation cultivators revealed shock in their eyes and unconsciously took several steps back from Cultivator Bai.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, is Senior Lan speaking the truth?¡± The middle-aged cultivator asked in disbelief.


    Cultivator Bai¡¯s face fluctuated between red and white, unable to give an excuse. After wearing an unsightly expression, the scholarly man said, ¡°Since Martial Uncle has already fully investigated me, there is no use in denying this. However, I will not idly stand by and allow myself to be captured!¡±


    As soon as he said that, his body flashed with white light and he shot towards the disciples behind him. His glowing white hand was reaching out towards the black-clothed Meng Di who possessed the Ninesword Spirit Constitution!


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± The two Core Formation cultivators furiously shouted. Their bodies flickered with light and they moved to rescue Meng Di, but they were clearly too late.


    However, Meng Di managed to react in his alarm, and he raised his hand to fiercely release a dense strike of sword Qi.


    Unfortunately, there was too great a difference in their cultivations. The sword Qi wasn¡¯t even able to injure Cultivator Bai in the slightest and was dissipated in an instant. But before Meng Di was captured by him, Cultivator Bai¡¯s body suddenly trembled and he fell flat on the ground. The light shining from his hand had disappeared without a trace.


    Meng Di couldn¡¯t help but blankly stand in place at a completely loss.


    The young boy expressionlessly rubbed his small hands and snorted, ¡°Your sect¡¯s Grand Qi Hand has been well refined. But you forget that I didn¡¯t come here only to play chess.¡±


    Apart from Han Li, no one else in the room noticed how the boy had restrained the scholarly man.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes as he watched the scholarly man fall to the floor and then looked at the boy with an odd expression in his eyes.


    In the same moment Cultivator Bai took action, Han Li was astonished to discover that a red string had suddenly shot out from the boy. The string suddenly shot into the scholarly man¡¯s body and he promptly collapsed.


    Han Li had initially believed the string to be a flying needle magic treasure, but under his spiritual sense, he was astonished to discover that the red string was made of a dense, icy Qi. Much to Han Li¡¯s amazement, this string was actually refined from an icy sword Qi!


    He recalled having heard that once talented sword cultivators reached a certain stage of cultivation, they were able to transform their sword Qi into a string as they desired, turning it into a battle-deciding attack! This was the first time he had witnessed this, and it was unfathomable to him just how sword Qi was able to reach this stage.


    The boy turned to the old man he was playing chess with and said, ¡°Martial Nephew Hu, lock him up in the dragon cave. Keep him alive. Your Seniors still have a use for him!¡±


    The long-faced old man felt his heart tremble before he acknowledged his instructions. He stepped over to the fallen cultivator Bai and carried him to the side of the room before disappearing without a trace.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze then turned to look at Du Dong. He noticed that his expression appeared calm, but under closer scrutiny, Han Li noticed that he was clenching his hands into fists.


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled and paid him no more attention.

 Chapter 631

    Spirit Well Tree


    ¡°Alright, the matter has already been settled. Do as you will. Don¡¯t mind this old man, I still need to properly analyze my moves from the last game.¡± The boy waved his hand to the other cultivators and lowered his head as he closely examined the chessboard.


    When the Core Formation cultivators heard this, they hurriedly brought the party over to a side of the hall.


    Shortly after leaving the stone hall, the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion cultivator couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t think that Fellow Daoist Bai was actually¡­ Junior Martial Brother Yue, did you know about this beforehand?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Senior Lan merely said that he was coming here for a bit of business. How could I further ask?¡± The yellow-clothed cultivator¡¯s expression grew somewhat unsightly.


    With that said, the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion cultivator shut his mouth and didn¡¯t mention the matter any further to the group of disciples behind him.


    Under this gloomy atmosphere, Han Li and the rest of the party continued walking through a long corridor. After making a turn, they arrived before a set of faintly yellow stone doors. There was a man with disheveled hair sitting in front of it.


    Although this person¡¯s face was covered by his messy hair, one could tell his age from his white hair.


    The yellow-clothed cultivator wore a respectful expression when he spotted him.


    ¡°Brother Wei, I¡¯ve brought the disciples of the Sword Trial Assembly. Is it alright for them to come in?¡±


    The disheveled-haired man responded with a profoundly deep voice, ¡°Since they¡¯ve already arrived, they may come in. But since the Wine Nectar is shedding slower than we anticipated, they must wait a while.¡±


    Han Li quickly swept his gaze towards the man and a cold glint flickered from his eyes. This man was a Core Formation cultivator at the peak of false Nascent stage. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take notice of him.


    When the grey-clothed old man heard him, his expression revealed a trace of excitement. He stepped forward and said with a trembling voice, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Wei, are¡­ are you doing well?¡±


    This person was a Drifting Cloud cultivator!


    The disheveled-haired cultivator sighed and slowly said, ¡°It seems in the many years I haven¡¯t seen Junior Martial Brother Yu, you¡¯ve grown quite elderly.¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, why¡­¡±


    This Senior Martial Brother Wei calmly said, ¡°Enough. Since we¡¯ve reunited, our destiny together hasn¡¯t run out. Don¡¯t speak anymore of what happened that year. When I entered this place, I made a death oath to condense a Nascent Soul or never leave. Besides, I¡¯ve also found out from our two Martial Uncles that the sect is being cleanly handled by Junior Martial Brother Feng. I¡¯m not worried in the slightest.¡±


    When the grey-clothed old man heard this, his expression grew dim and he stifled the questions that he wished to ask.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brothers, wait for a moment. I will open the restrictions and allow you into the sacred area.¡± Old Man Wei stood up and shot a magic seal towards the yellow stone door. It then silently opened immediately after.


    Having yet to see what was clearly behind it, he felt a wave of pure spiritual Qi envelop him.


    As expected, this was where the Spirit Well Tree was located.


    He felt that this pure spiritual Qi wasn¡¯t inferior to the jade spirit well in the slightest. In fact, it felt as if it were slightly superior. It was worthy of its reputation as the best spirit well.


    Under Old Man Wei¡¯s guidance, Han Li and company were brought through the door through a huge cave.


    This cave was about a kilometer wide and was a hundred meters tall. It appeared as if they were underground.


    What was particularly shocking about the scene was the many various-sized stalactites and stalagmites that formed a natural stone forest. A majority of the cave was densely filled with them, forming a small maze.


    Under closer examination, Han Li discovered faint white lights twinkling from between the stone pillars. It seemed as if someone had placed some sort of restriction there.


    As Han Li continued to ponder, Old Man Wei led the party to the edge of the stone forest and took out an ancient, palm-sized white mirror with the flip of his hand. Then with a quick mutter, he raised his hand and shot a white beam of light from the mirror into the stone forest.


    With a woosh, the beam of light disappeared into the stone forest. He soon put the mirror away and wordlessly stood in place with his hands behind his back.


    While the young cultivators were left confused, the ground suddenly trembled and a shocking scene occurred.


    The forest of stone began to glow with milky-white sparkling light. Soon after, the light turned yellow and the various stone pillars began to move away. By the time the young disciples recovered from their shock, a straight path had emerged from the stone forest.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing this, but his expression remained calm.


    The many cultivators walked down the small path and walked towards the center of the stone forest at a leisurely pace, eventually reaching the legendary Spirit Well Tree at the center.


    Han Li glanced at the ten meter tall object in front of him and thought, ¡®Is that truly the Spirit Well Tree?¡¯


    The object in front of him was as thick as an arm and was a faint green. It appeared entirely unlike a tree and more like a pillar of stone.


    However, the entirety of the cave¡¯s astonishing spiritual Qi was truly coming from this bumpy stone pillar, and there was a faint golden barrier of light surrounding it, covering even the roots that emerged above the ground. From how carefully it was protected, it appeared to truly be the Spirit Well Tree.


    As Han Li silently cursed, the other cultivators each wore a fiery expression as they each gazed at the tree. If they were to directly cultivate underneath the three, they would be able to make rapid progress given that they didn¡¯t encounter any bottlenecks.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay attention to the Spirit Well Tree for long. His attention soon dropped onto the jade bottle at the foot of the spirit well tree. The bottle was about half way full and slowly emitted a strong medicinal aroma.


    Han Li mused, ¡®Could that be that be the half-refined Brightsight Water?¡¯


    When the others arrived ten meters away from the Spirit Well Tree, they stopped. Only Old Man Wei continued to walk forward. It seemed the barrier had no effect on him since he managed to pass through without obstruction.


    When the old man arrived in front of the spirit well tree, he circled around it and raised his hand, pressing it against the center of the tree. His fingers then began to sparkle with green light as he released spiritual power.


    When the others outside saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but hold their breath, fearing that they would disturb the old man.


    A short moment later, Old Man Wei shook his head and withdrew his hand. The green light promptly faded away.


    The old man turned around and calmly said, ¡°The Spirit Well Tree hasn¡¯t reached the optimal point to extract the Wine Nectar. There are still eight hours to go. Before this, you may rest nearby the tree. I have already prepared the Brightsight Water. It only needs the Wine Nectar to finish.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do as Brother Wei says.¡± Two Core Formation cultivators nodded their heads. The old man surnamed Yu was particularly obedient.


    As for Han Li and company, they each sat around the stone tree under the instructions of the Core Formation cultivators, and began to cultivate.


    Old Man Wei then lowered his body and grabbed onto the jade bottle by the Spirit Well Tree, casually tossing it into his sleeve.The faint light barrier then suddenly released a blinding light and prevented anyone from clearly seeing what was happening within.


    Han Li frowned, seeing that the others were indifferent to the scene, and began to speak with Silvermoon.


    Silvermoon slowly said, ¡°Brother Han, why have you called for me?¡±


    Han Li insipidly responded, ¡°Your earth movement techniques are superb. Would you be able to secretly enter the light barrier? I only need to you acquire the root of the Spirit Well Tree and take it back to me.¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, please wait a moment. I will make an attempt in my tool spirit form.¡± Once that was said, Silvermoon materialized as a fist-sized wolf and secretly bore into the earth underneath Han Li.


    Han Li closed his eyes with an unchanged expression and sunk into a meditative state.


    Han Li then suddenly raised his brows and narrowly opened his eyes for his gaze to drop onto Du Dong.


    Sitting at the corner to the group, he motionlessly drooped his head down with his hands forming a incantation gesture, appearing as if he was cultivating.


    When Han Li saw this, he smirked and inwardly scoffed at him.

 Chapter 632

    A Plot Unfolds


    The others didn¡¯t perceive of Du Dong¡¯s small movements, but Han Li had already detected his every movement. He had earlier spread out his spiritual sense to observe his surroundings in case of contingencies.


    Although Du Dong appeared to be meditating, his lips trembled. He was clearly speaking through voice transmission to his conspirator in the room.


    Fearing that he would alarm Dong Du, Han Li didn¡¯t forcefully eavesdrop. Instead, he swept his spiritual sense for any hidden cultivators and ended up finding nothing out of the ordinary.


    Han Li¡¯s mind quickly stirred and his gaze swept past several people. For a while, he was unable to determine who was the suspect. But Han Li then heard Silvermoon¡¯s voice in his mind.


    ¡°Brother Han, the Spirit Well Tree¡¯s light barrier reaches underground as well. Although I have a way for forcing through it, I cannot guarantee that it won¡¯t disturb the Core Formation cultivator within the barrier. Should I break through?¡± Silvermoon softly said.


    Han Li replied without a moment of thought, ¡°Don¡¯t rashly take action! Force will only be used as a last resort. I reckon that in the chaos soon to come, there will be an opportunity to take action. Come back for now.¡±


    Silvermoon obeyed and silently returned into Han Li¡¯s body. He then closed his eyes and did nothing else apart from taking note of Du Dong¡¯s actions.


    After an unknown time has passed, Du Dong ceased speaking and he raised his hand, glancing around with a strange expression.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. Just as he wondered whether or not he was about to take action, Du Dong unexpectedly lowered his head once more. Nothing had occurred, leaving Han Li baffled.


    At that moment, a huge quake violently reverberated throughout the cave. All the meditating cultivators suddenly opened their eyes in alarm and they glanced at each other in astonishment.


    The grey-clothed old man and the other two Core Formation cultivators revealed a trace of astonishment, but the yellow-clothed cultivator frowned and hastily walked towards the stone gate. However, before he even arrived, the door opened to reveal a long-faced cultivator Hu walking in with a sullen expression.


    ¡°Senior Hu, what happened?¡± The yellow-clothed cultivator hastily asked.


    The long-faced old man replied with a blood-thirsty tone, ¡°This place was attacked! A group of concealed cultivators attacked the spell formation outside the valley. Not only are they Core Formation cultivators, but there also seems to be a Nascent Soul eccentric among them. It seems they aren¡¯t from the Righteous Dao Alliance, but from the Six Devil Dao Sects. The other powers wouldn¡¯t take such bold, heavy actions. Senior Lan has already left to take charge of the spell formation, you must follow me and support the defense. Leave behind Senior Martial Brother Wei. As for these disciples, postpone the matter of the Brightsight water for now. Fellow Daoist Yue, bring these disciples to a safe room. Senior Martial Brother Wei, if anyone dares to enter the cave during this time, kill them without hesitation.¡±


    Old Man Wei calmly replied.¡±I understand. Brother Hu, go ahead and take them. I¡¯ll stand guard here.¡±


    When the long-faced old man heard this, he nodded his head with a relaxed expression and immediately brought the grey-clothed old man and the middle-aged man out.


    The yellow-clothed cultivator ran to Han Li and the disciples, ordering, ¡°You heard him. The eye cleansing is postponed. I will lead you to a safe room.¡± He then turned around and left the cave in large strides.


    The young cultivators didn¡¯t dare to delay and hastily followed after him.


    Han Li calmly followed after them and inwardly sneered upon seeing Du Dong sincerely follow them out of the cave without taking any action.


    Du Dong had acted calmly until now and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest worry. Han Li found this particularly suspicion. This occurred at far too perfect a time for Du Dong to be uninvolved.


    A short moment later, the ten disciples followed the yellow-robed cultivator west and entered a large stone room. After giving them several orders, he departed, clearly heading towards the battle above.


    At that moment, a large eruption occurred in the distance, causing the ground to violently tremble. It seemed to be a result of the bitter fighting outside.


    Seeing that the yellow-clothed cultivators departed, they disciples began to gather together into their own sects and whisper.


    Han Li, Du Dong, Mu Peiling, and Sun Huo stood together.


    Sun Huo sighed and vented, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s Martial Uncle Bai was a Righteous Dao spy. I previously felt quite a bit of respect from him, thinking that he was a vagrant cultivator that managed to reach Core Formation!¡±


    Mu Peiling coldly glanced at the youth and emotionlessly said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Sun, did you truly believe that a vagrant cultivator would be able to form a core so easily? Without the support from a large supporter, how could someone possibly acquire the ability to enter Core Formation? However, Junior Martial Brother Sun is a genuine vagrant cultivator that has already been scouted by many clans. Would it not be better for Junior Martial Brother Sun to join one of them for greater assistance in the future?¡±


    The determined youth wryly laughed and boldly said, ¡°I am still unconvinced that I must join a cultivation clan to form a core. I still feel it beneath my dignity to join one.¡±


    His gaze then unconsciously wandered onto the woman¡¯s beautiful face and revealed a trace of passion. However, Mu Peiling seemed unaware of this and didn¡¯t continue speaking.


    Du Dong then suddenly said, ¡°However, Martial Uncle Bai does seem to be a pitiful individual.¡±


    Mu Peiling bright eyes glanced at the large man in surprise.Sun Huo was also surprised by his words and wore an expression of doubt, asking, ¡°Pitiful? Martial Nephew Du, what do you mean?¡±


    Du Dong smiled in his ordinary, simple manner and paid them no heed. His gaze then turned to Han Li and he mysteriously said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, do you think my words make sense?¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t reveal the slightest surprise that Du Dong turned the conversation towards him and indifferently replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t know much of Martial Uncle Bai. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? However, I feel that¡­¡±


    Just as Du Dong thought to say something further, Sun Huo angrily rebuked him for ignoring him, ¡°Martial Nephew Du, you are far too imprudent. Did you not hear my words?¡±


    A cold glint flickered from Du Dong¡¯s eyes as he glanced at the youth. With a sinister expression he said, ¡°Why are you speaking so loudly? I heard you, but I have no interest in replying to such rubbish.¡±


    ¡°What! You¡­¡±


    Mu Peiling discovered something was amiss and her face grew sullen. With her hand on her storage pouch she icily asked, ¡°Just who are you?¡±


    The other disciples noticed that something was odd and couldn¡¯t help but look at them with astonishment.


    A man¡¯s voice suddenly echoed from outside the room. ¡°Hehe! He¡¯s a direct bloodline disciple of the Devil Dao¡¯s Thousand Illusions Sect. I hope that answer is to your satisfaction!¡±


    Bang! The doors were shattered open.


    The sect disciples were each greatly shocked and they hastily took out this magic tools with vigilance. However, a familiar man had emerged beyond the shattered door.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Bai!¡± An Ancient Sword Sect disciple couldn¡¯t help but shout out upon seeing him. His expression soon changed and his face was filled with disbelief.


    When the others disciples saw this azure-robed cultivator appear before them, they were at a loss. They had clearly seen him restrained not long ago, but yet he still appeared here. And from his lively spirits, it appeared as if his magic power wasn¡¯t restricted in the slightest.


    Du Dong didn¡¯t appear surprised by Cultivator Bai¡¯s appearance in the least and coldly asked him, ¡°Why did you arrive so late? Any longer and we would¡¯ve taken action first.¡±


    Cultivator Bai bluntly replied, ¡°Humph! You don¡¯t know how fearsome that old eccentric¡¯s sword thread is. Although I had prepared for it, it had restrained me at the time. If it weren¡¯t for your continuous guarantees that he wouldn¡¯t have dared to take my life, did you think I would¡¯ve cooperated with your side?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! We didn¡¯t expect that the old eccentric would personally come. However, it had gone mostly as expected. Martial Uncle Feng and Senior Qin should¡¯ve bought us enough time.¡±


    After hearing their conversation, the other disciples knew that things were far from good. One of the Ancient Sword Sect disciples was particularly quick to react and immediately flew off on his magic tool towards the door in an attempt to escape.


    But as soon as this disciple flew by Cultivator Bai¡¯s side, a sinister expression appeared from his face and a dazzling white light flashed.


    With a miserable scream, the disciple and the sword were split into two. With a clang, the corpse fell onto the ground.

 Chapter 633

    The Greater Sifting Mirage Technique vs the Fox Enrapturing Arts


    In the instant the disciple was slain, the other cultivator¡¯s faces grew deathly pale. They began to release each of their defensive magic tools as they stared at Cultivator Bai. For a moment, no one dared to move.


    Mu Peiling¡¯s expression greatly changed and she stepped away from Du Dong, releasing her own ribbon magic tool around her. As for Sun Huo, he had recoiled at the sight of this incisive strike and grimaced as his gaze flickered between Cultivator Bai and Du Dong.


    Han Li silently slipped to a corner of the room and his gaze continuously swept around. It was unknown what as going through his mind.


    At that moment, an imposing aura suddenly swelled from Du Dong. With lines of black talisman characters appearing on his neck, black light suddenly surged from his body as he underwent a sudden transformation. He grew to two meters in height, his appearance became malevolent, and his cultivation surged to mid Core Formation stage.


    When Cultivator Bai saw Du Dong¡¯s astonishing transformation, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Very nice! If the Thousand Illusions Sect were to say they were ranked second in concealment techniques in the Heavenly South, none would dare to proclaim themselves as first. The Greater Sifting Mirage Technique is truly worthy of being your sect¡¯s signature technique.¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± The transformed Du Dong merely snorted. He then gloomily swept past the crowd and his eyes stopped on Han Li. A malicious expression flickered from his face.


    Woosh. The cultivators in the room only caught sight of the Du Dong disappearing a blur before reappearing beside Han Li. With a wave his hand, Han Li¡¯s light barrier was shattered in an instant and his hand pierced into Han Li¡¯s chest like a bolt of lightning. He then withdrew his hand with a bloody heart in his grasp.


    Han Li¡¯s corpse fell onto the floor.


    ¡°Ah!¡± When the other disciples saw this bloody scene, they shouted out in alarm, believing that they would be next to fall. Their hearts were all struck with terror.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The transformed Du Dong revealed a strange expression as if in disbelief that Han Li had died so easily. He frowned for a moment and glanced at his hand. From the warm and bloody heart on his hand, it appeared he had truly killed him.


    The scholarly man grew alarmed at Du Dong¡¯s sudden attack, and he furiously shouted, ¡°What are you doing!? You can¡¯t kill these disciples; a few of them have influence. One of them is even a close descendant of Eccentric Heavenvenge. Don¡¯t attack them as you please!¡±


    Du Dong indifferently snorted,¡±If you can kill one, then so can I. Besides, given how odd that youngster was, it was better to take the initiative to deal with him. Also, this person definitely wasn¡¯t Eccentric Heavenvenge¡¯s descendant. He entered the sect the same time I did.¡± Soon after, he tossed the heart onto the ground.


    The scholar¡¯s expression relaxed and he gravely said, ¡°So long as you realize this, that¡¯s fine! Although I don¡¯t know whether or not Eccentric Heavenvenge¡¯s descendant is male or female, nor do I know what sect they entered, the sects should¡¯ve given consideration to Eccentric Heavenvenge¡¯s might and should¡¯ve allowed them to enter the top ten disciples so that they may use the Brightsight Water. It would be a great inconvenience if they actually died. As for the person I killed, I was well aware of his background, and he definitely wasn¡¯t the eccentric¡¯s descendant.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll refrain from killing the others as I wish. However, you can¡¯t have them casually stir up trouble. I¡¯ll have to properly knock them out for the time being!¡± With that said, Du Dong began to twirl in place and black radiance suddenly swept enveloped the entire room.


    The other cultivators felt somewhat relieved by their words, but a black radiance instantly rendered them unconscious as soon as it reached them.


    The scholarly man nodded his head with satisfaction, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t delay here for too long.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    With those curt words, they immediately walked out the room in large stride.


    But when Du Dong walked out, he felt somewhat uneasy and unconsciously glanced down at the heartless corpse. Han Li was lying in a pool of his own blood, dead as could be.


    Du Dong couldn¡¯t help but scoff, feeling that he was overly suspicious, and he followed after the scholarly man with peace of mind. Once the two departed, the room grew deathly quiet.


    A short moment later, a young woman¡¯s voice filled the room.


    ¡°Brother Han, my Fox Enrapturing Arts must surely be above that of the Greater Sifting Mirage Technique! That man¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t weak, but he couldn¡¯t tell whether or not he truly killed someone. Truly laughable!¡±


    Soon after that was said, Han Li¡¯s bloody corpse began to shine with faint white light. Eventually, that light turned silver and concentrated into a foot-long, snow-white fox.


    Han Li¡¯s voice began to slowly speak from a meter behind the white fox, ¡°It truly is impressive. I find it odd how a wolf like you can be so proficient in fox techniques. However, this might also have to do with their weaker cultivation. Were they late Core Formation cultivators, it might¡¯ve been difficult to fool them. As for the Greater Sifting Mirage Technique, I must admit it is outstanding. I was incapable of telling his true cultivation while he concealed himself.¡± With a flash of yellow light, he walked out from the stone wall with a wolf-headed jade scepter in his hand.


    At an unknown time, Han Li stealthily entered the wall and had Silvermoon stand in for Han Li through an illusion technique. Although she couldn¡¯t maintain the transformed body for long, it was more than enough to fool the two Core Formation cultivators for the time being.


    Silvermoon was unconvinced and she curled her lips, ¡°Is this technique truly that amazing? Was Brother Han simply not mistaken?¡±


    Han Li casually replied, ¡°With the Great Development Technique, my spiritual sense is on par with that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Yet, I was still unable to discover anything amiss from him. It could very well be the top concealment technique in the entire world, let alone the Heavenly South.¡±


    Silvermoon tilted her small head, but she didn¡¯t rebut him.


    Han Li walked towards the center of the room and gazed at those lying on the ground, noticing that they were all unconscious. His eyes then fell onto the black-robed youth, Meng Di.


    Silvermoon seemed to guessed what Han Li thought and she jumped onto the youth and snatched the storage pouch from his waist. She then obediently jumped back to Han Li¡¯s side and delivered it to him.


    Han Li accepted it with a faint smile and swept his spiritual sense into it. After taking the jade box containing the Spirit Tempering Pill, he carelessly tossed the pouch onto the youth¡¯s body.


    Since this item held little use towards youth at this cultivation, Han Li happily accepted it.


    After putting away the jade box, he rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Those two should¡¯ve already arrived at the Spirit Well Tree¡¯s cave. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± After Silvermoon jumped into his sleeve, he flew out the room in a streak of azure light.


    At that moment, there were continuous explosions occurring from the outside. When Han Li heard them, a trace of doubt momentarily appeared on his face, but he soon ignored the sounds.


    When Han Li arrived at the cave, the stone gate was wide open and was void of restrictions. There were also shouts of furious alarm faintly coming from the inside.


    Du Dong furiously shouted, ¡°Brother Wei, what do you mean? How can you suddenly betray us when matters have reached this far? Could it be that you¡¯ve forgotten the great kindness the sect master bestowed upon you? Or have you forgotten how you were a disciple of the Heavenly Fiend Sect after staying at the Drifting Cloud Sect for so many years?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred upon hearing this. But before he could further listen on their conversation, his expression suddenly changed and he disappeared from his original location.


    A group of eight high grade cultivators suddenly entered the cave. Shockingly, there was even a Nascent Soul cultivator amongst them. These cultivators all concealed themselves into the earth with a barrier of yellow light as if in preparation of an ambush. As a result, the three that were already in the hall remained ignorant of them.


    Han Li then snuck in after them and stood at a far corner, observing everything in silence.


    These underground cultivators were all familiar to Han Li. They were the group of cultivators that should¡¯ve been defending the formation from the outside. Even the boy Nascent Soul Cultivator surnamed Lan was among them.


    Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense easily penetrated the light barriers of these cultivators, discovering the Core Formation cultivators that he had seen along the way, along with Cultivator Bai¡¯s Dao companion who was now deathly pale. The woman was also carrying an unconscious man in her arms, the long-faced old man surnamed Hu.


    Han Li felt his breath turn cold upon see them. At the same time, doubt began to well in his heart. The explosions outside had yet to stop as if there were still a battle occuring outside. However, there wasn¡¯t actually a battle to destroy the formation. It was all a trap.


    At that moment, the dishevel-haired old man slowly spoke from within the golden light barrier, ¡°I know that the Righteous and Devil Dao had discovered an ancient Profound Goddess¡¯s Palm near the Moulan Plains. Although this tree has long shriveled, so long as it is fed with the Wine Nectar of the Spirit Well Tree, it will flourish once more and regain life. As a result, we¡¯ve infiltrated the three sects many years ago as disciples in a reckless attempt to acquire it. At the time, we had even abandoned our plans to topple the three sects. And now even the young master of the Thousand Illusions Sect braved danger to infiltrate here as Fellow Daoist Du to give orders for the Righteous and Devil Dao to cooperate.¡±

 Chapter 634

    A Plot Revealed


    The scholarly man sneered and said, ¡°What? Has Brother Wei grown fond of this place in the hundred years he had stayed here?¡±


    The disheveled-haired old man emotionlessly said, ¡°Of course not, but I have developed a bit of attachment towards this place, having spent so many years here. After all, to be human, is to feel. In these long years, Elder Yun of the Drifting Cloud Sect treated me as if I were kin. Not only did he impart divine techniques onto me, but he even saved my life during critical moments and faced immense opposition to grant me authority over the Drifting Cloud Sect. I am incapable of ignoring such kindness. I cannot allow you two to take the Spirit Well Tree away.¡±


    Du Dong smiled instead of growing angry. He sinisterly threatened, ¡°Good, good! Brother Wei must mean to act as a genuine Drifting Cloud Sect Elder. However, you forget what will happen if we were to speak the truth and reveal your true identity as a spy for the Heavenly Fiend Sect. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to freely remain?¡±


    The dishevel-haired old man calmly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need your reminder. I am perfectly aware. Why do you think I am restrained here? I¡¯ve long gathered suspicion from the two Martial Uncles. There is merely a lack of concrete evidence. That is why I was forcefully removed from power in the sect and was trapped in this confined place. Of course, I¡¯ve also received much kindness from the Heavenly Fiend Sect. Since Fellow Daoist Du has shown me the Sect Master Xie¡¯s token, I can give you a bit of the Wine Nectar even though I can¡¯t allow you to take away the tree. This should be enough to repay the past kindness of the Heavenly Fiend Sect.¡±


    ¡°What? You will only give us the Wine Nectar? I¡­¡±


    Du Dong expression relaxed and he interrupted the scholarly man, ¡°Fine, just give us the Wine Nectar. With that in hand, we won¡¯t need the Spirit Well Tree. After all, our Righteous and Devil Dao sects possess countless treasures. Although we may not have something like the Spirit Well Tree, we have plenty other types of spirit wells.¡±


    When Cultivator Bai heard this, he glanced at Du Dong in surprise, but after a moment more of thought, he remained silent. After all, his orders were all given to him by the Thousand Illusion Sect¡¯s young master. Although he didn¡¯t know when the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Six Devil Dao Sects grew so close, he may as well defer to his judgement of the matter.


    Cultivator Wei coldly said, ¡°Since you Fellow Daoists both approve, I will take out the Wine Nectar from the restrictions. But first, I will get the ugly matters out of the way. If you plan to take advantage of when I release the restrictions, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡±


    Du Dong chuckled and pledged with a calm expression, ¡°Be at ease, we won¡¯t do something so foolish. After all, this Spirit Well Tree is a trivial affair compared to the Profound Goddess¡¯ Palm.¡±


    The old man then nodded and took out a small white bottle from his storage pouch.


    ¡°Prepare to¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare what? To give our three sects¡¯ most precious asset to our enemies?¡± Before the dishevel-haired old man could finish, ten sword threads shot out from below the ground in a flash of red light, tightly tying him down.


    At that same moment, yellow light flashed from the direction of the cave¡¯s entrance revealing the previously hidden cultivators. They unwaveringly approached Du Dong and Cultivator Bai.


    When Cultivator Bai and Du Dong saw this, their expressions greatly changed.


    At that moment, the boy surnamed Lan appeared behind the restrained Cultivator Wei.


    The boy stared at the two with an icy expression and said, ¡°Good, very good. Us old men long knew that the Righteous and Devilish Dao had embedded many spies within our ranks. And since we didn¡¯t have any concrete evidence towards you, we couldn¡¯t cleanly dispose of you. After all, it would be extremely costly if we were to wrongfully kill a Core Formation cultivator. But since you¡¯ve now taken the initiative to reveal yourselves, I no longer need to restrain myself.¡±


    Cultivator Bai¡¯s expression was filled with disbelief and he was at a loss for words.


    As for Du Dong, he managed to force a smile despite his pale complexion and ask, ¡°Lan, why are you here? Outside¡­¡±


    The boy had no intention of concealing his plans and indifferently said, ¡°Do you truly believe that Old Devil Blaze and Scholar Golden Mirror would be enough to fully take up our attention? At this moment, they should¡¯ve been surrounded by my Fellow Daoists from the Drifting Cloud Sect. The sounds of attack from the outside was something deliberately fabricated so that you would obediently take action. Since we wished to deal a blow against the Righteous and Devilish Dao so that they may learn their place, we may as well wipe our ranks of their spies.¡±


    ¡°What? Those Martial Uncles aren¡¯t outside?¡± Cultivator Bai¡¯s rigid face instantly became panicked.


    The white-clothed woman couldn¡¯t help ask her Dao Companion with a trembling voice, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Bai, you¡­ you truly were a Righteous Dao spy?¡± Her face was deathly pale.


    When he heard the young woman, the scholarly man¡¯s panic disappeared and he could only bitterly smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn¡¯t utter any words.


    The boy then pursed his lips and imposingly declared, ¡°I am unwilling to bully the weak, so how about you obediently surrender yourselves? Or would you rather this old man use force?¡±


    When the two heard this, their expressions changed.


    But at that moment, a streak of white light flew in from outside the cave, revealing the old man surnamed Jiang drenched in sweat. He urgently shouted, ¡°Martial Uncle Lan, bad news! The Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Senior Cheng sent a sound transmission talisman for immediate reinforcements. His forces were ambushed by the Heavenly Fiend Sect and the Thousand Illusions Sect, and they are currently locked in battle.¡± When that was said, the cultivators in the room were shocked. Were it not the three sects that were supposed to ambush them?


    The boy was startled by these words and pondered for a moment before loudly cursing.


    ¡°You devil child! You actually planned around us. It seems this old man can¡¯t keep you alive.¡± The boy then shot a streak of fiery light from his mouth, intending on executing the two before him.


    But in that instant, the originally restrained Cultivator Wei loudly shouted. His arm grew several times in size and his body glowed with purple-red light as he broke through his restraints and fiercely moved to grab the boy.


    From the imposing aura of the flicker purple light covering his fingers, the boy¡¯s skull would most certainly fracture if it were to make contact.


    The boy wore an expression of alarm. Having just spat out his magic treasure, he could only suck in his chest and puff out his cheeks in the face of the sudden ambush.


    Another ball of fiery red light left his mouth and collided against Cultivator Wei¡¯s purple claw.


    Hiss. Like scalding iron against flesh, Cultivator Wei¡¯s hand slowed down as it struck through the red light. The boy took advantage of this opportunity to instantly fly out from the sacred tree¡¯s light barrier in a mist of red light.


    ¡°Truelord Heavenfiend!¡±


    The boy gloomily shouted out the title of the Heavenly Fiend Sect Master and wordlessly stared at Cultivator Wei. He then pointed to some direction and had his magic treasure revolve around him. It soon transformed into a scarlet python, baring its fangs as if it were alive.


    The head of the dishevel-haired cultivator drooped down as if he were unconscious, but a lazy, unfamiliar voice was still uttered from his mouth, ¡°Hehe! I didn¡¯t expect for Fellow Daoist Lan to so quickly recognize me. This Sect Master has long heard of the Child Fire Dragon. However, it is quite unfortunate that I currently cannot truly fight with you.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately recalled the Greater Possession Technique that Zenith Yin had used on Wu Chou. Although there were a few differing aspects, it was certain to be a similar Devilish Dao technique.


    According to what Han Li knew, this technique had to be applied to the target beforehand in a complicated procedure before it could be used. It seemed the Heavenly Fiend Sect master had done this as a precaution before he placed Cultivator Wei inside the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    From these sudden turn of events, Han Li¡¯s mind suddenly stirred and he recalled something. He spoke to the small fox in his sleeve with a serious tone, ¡°Silvermoon, immediately return to the safe room and transform my form with grave injuries. We cannot allow others to discover my absence. As for why I am still alive, play it by ear. I will quickly return, just don¡¯t reveal my true cultivation or identity.¡±


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s solemn tone, she wordlessly flew into the ground and dug straight back to the safe room.


    At that moment, the Truelord Heavenfiend raised his hand and glanced at the small bottle of Wine Nectar before tossing it to Du Dong. Afterwards he regretfully glanced at the Spirit Well Tree before indifferently saying, ¡°Bring that item back. I will hold the Child Fire Dragon down while you escape. But you had best be quick, I can¡¯t give you much time.¡± Once that was said, he suddenly shot out and prepared by Old Man Jiang¡¯s side. He sinisterly smiled and fiercely struck with his hand glowing in purple light.

 Chapter 635

    Acquiring Roots


    ¡°Shameless!¡± Seeing that the possessed Cultivator Wei dared to attempt to kill someone in his presence, the scarlet light python in front of the boy trembled and split into countless translucent strands as it shot towards Truelord Heavenfiend.


    At that same moment, Old Man Jiang¡¯s expression greatly changed. He hastily spat out a yellow flying sword to protect himself and he flusteredly ran backwards. He didn¡¯t dare to meet the sect master¡¯s strike.


    Truelord Heavenfiend strangely smiled and his direction suddenly changed, appearing at the side of the white-clothed woman. His purple claw suddenly moved to grab onto her arm.


    The white-clothed woman had been at a loss ever since realizing the scholarly man was a spy. But in a face of Truelord Heavenfiend¡¯s sudden attack, her complexion paled and she tossed the long-faced old man onto the ground without a single thought. Her hands then formed an incantation gesture and an azure streak flew out from her sleeve, attempting to block the incoming attack to the best of her abilities.


    Truelord Heavenfiend wildly laughed in response and blurred once more, grabbing onto the long-faced old man that was tossed away. He then formed a fist with his free hand and covered it in turbulent purple light, striking against the incoming fiery red sword threads.


    With a muffled groan, the old devil couldn¡¯t help but recoil from the strike. However, he used its momentum to carry the long-faced old man back to his original location.


    Though some unknown method, the long-faced old man was somehow roused. He leapt up and said, ¡°Many thanks for Truelord¡¯s rescue!¡±


    ¡°Humph! Don¡¯t be mistaken! If we weren¡¯t currently short on manpower, I wouldn¡¯t have saved a Righteous Dao junior like you. You¡¯ll have to preserve your life with your own skill.¡± Truelord Heavenfiend coldly snorted and shot towards the boy surnamed Lan in a blur.


    This time, he was truly going to tie down the Child Fire Dragon and allow Du Dong the opportunity to escape.


    ¡°Go! The outside restrictions have already been sabotaged by me. Its power should only be a tenth of its original. We will be able to easily break through.¡± The long-faced old man appeared to also be a decisive character. After shouting to Du Dong and Cultivation Bai, he took the initiative to charge towards the Core Formation cultivators guarding the exit.


    Du Dong and the scholarly man were delighted by what they heard. With one taking out two white swords and the other enveloping his body in black radiance, the three changed towards the cave exit.


    The three sects¡¯ Core Formation cultivators weren¡¯t about to easily allow the three to escape. They all summoned their magic treasures to give them a painful welcome. The cave suddenly erupted into battle between the two sides. With furious shouts and sounds of explosions, various colored lights filled the cave.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt that his opportunity was drawing near and decided to take action. With the jade scepter in hand, his body flashed in yellow light. He burrowed into the ground and hastily used an earth movement technique to silently draw close to the Spirit Well Tree¡¯s roots.


    Busy with their own battles, the cultivators in the cave hadn¡¯t taken notice of Han Li¡¯s opportunistic actions. As a result, Han Li arrived before a faint golden barrier blocking his way.


    A spirited glint appeared in Han Li¡¯s eyes. He raised his hands, releasing a torch of azure light from each of his fingers, and silently pressed them against the barrier. The golden light intertwined with the azure light for a moment and the light barrier began to tremble.


    If it were peacetime, the golden barrier¡¯s trembling would¡¯ve long been perceived by the cultivators guarding the Spirit Well Tree. But in the middle of fierce combat, this small movement hadn¡¯t aroused the slightest notice.


    A short moment later, his hands had forcibly pierced through the golden light and a trace of joy appeared on his face. The light from his hands surged and he fiercely pulled his hands apart, creating a slender gap in the barrier for an instant.


    Woosh. Han Li¡¯s body blurred, reappearing inside before the light barrier mended itself.


    Seeing that the Spirit Well Tree¡¯s roots were before him, Han Li wore a rarely seen grin.


    Although the trunk of the Spirit Well Tree greatly differed from ordinary trees, it roots were ordinary apart from its exceptionally jade-green color.


    A huge explosion erupted from above the ground, followed by the sound of shards of falling earth along with a series of trembles. It seems a fearsome attack had just been used.


    In the following moment, Old Man Fu flusteredly said, ¡°Quickly, chase after them. We cannot allow them to escape.¡± The sound of rustling wind was followed by Truelord Heavenfiend¡¯s hearty laughter.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Lan, how is the power of my Purple Deepscreen Arts? Although I had to use up this body¡¯s blood essence, I was able to easily tie you down for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Old Devil Heavenfield, do you not care for your disciple? Even if your disciple survives, his cultivation will be mostly destroyed.¡± Although the boy¡¯s voice was detached and emotionless, Han Li could hear a trace of anger in his words.


    ¡°My disciple? This traitor? From what I¡¯ve heard, he already considers himself a Drifting Cloud Sect disciple, so I have far less misgivings in using him. Huh? Old Ghost Lan? Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± Truelord Heavenfiend¡¯s voice was extremely calm as he said this, but his voice suddenly shouted out in alarm.


    ¡°Humph! I have no interest in tangling down with your incarnation. Those Devil Children cannot be allowed to take a Wine Nectar out from our Dreamcloud Mountains.¡± The boy¡¯s voice grew more distant as if he had already left the cave.


    ¡°As if I¡¯d so easily allow you to leave!¡± Truelord Heavenfiend shouted as if chasing after him.


    In an instant, there was no one else left behind in the cave apart from Han Li. He grew completely at ease, no longer hesitating to take action. He extended one of his fingers shot out a sparkling beam of light. With a spark, a small portion of the root was easily cut through, causing a white liquid to overflow from the opening, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.


    Han Li paid no notice to the white liquid spilling out. With his body shining with yellow light, he directly grasped onto the root segment and climbed to the surface.


    He swept his gaze past the barrier and spotted a ten meter large hole in the cave with sparkling rocks that were scattered all around.


    It seems this Truelord Heavenfiend had completely broken through the restrictions of the resilient cave walls through a single strike. This impressive display of skill should¡¯ve given Du Dong and the others the opportunity to escape!


    Han Li hurried after seeing this. He took out a finely carved jade box from his storage pouch and carefully placed the root segment into the box.


    After putting it away with a heavy expression, Han Li revealed satisfaction but something soon came to mind. He may have acquired the Spirit Well Tree¡¯s root, but he had still yet to acquire the refinement formula for the Brightsight Water and the Spirit Tempering Pill. Although that Truelord Heavenfiend managed to possess the body of the dishevel-haired old man, the body couldn¡¯t endure his techniques for long. He would certainly be defeated by the boy before long.


    With flashes of light flickering from Han Li¡¯s hands as he stood next to the barrier of light, his expression suddenly stirred. With a trace of astonishment on his face, he frowned and walked around to the back of the Spirit Well Tree.


    There was a yellow prayer mat and a foot-wide stone platform. The stone platform had a jade slip on top of it that was glistening with a faint green light.


    Han Li swept his spiritual sense past the several items and discovered that there were no hidden restrictions on the items. He raised his hand and shot an azure mist from his palm, sweeping the jade slip into his grasp.


    Han Li gazed at the jade slip and remained still as he began to read through the contents of the jade slip with his spiritual sense.


    A short moment later, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip with a bewildered expression. It contained the records of the dishevel-haired cultivator¡¯s techniques and a few pill refinement insights. The refinement formula for the Spirit Tempering Pill and the Brightsight Water were astonishingly among them.


    With the jade slip in hand, Han Li¡¯s mind grew vacant.


    Could it be that dishevel-haired cultivator had felt his lifespan coming to an end and had prepared this jade slip? From how the jade slip had been hidden behind the Spirit Well Tree, it seemed he had left it behind for a Drifting Cloud Sect cultivator. Could this action hold some sort of meaning?


    Han Li pondered a moment more while glancing at the jade slip. He then fetched a white jade slip from his storage pouch and quickly copied over the contents.


    At Han Li¡¯s current cultivation, replicating a jade slip took only a moment¡¯s worth of effort.


    Han Li placed the green jade slip back in its original place and put the white replica inside his storage pouch before walking back towards the golden light barrier. Since the three sects¡¯ cultivators could come back at any moment, he¡¯d best leave as soon as possible. In any case, he already fulfilled his objective.


    Without worry of anybody spotting him, Han Li¡¯s body flowed with spiritual power, cleaving a large hole in the barrier with a spark of azure light.


    In the instant the hole was formed, he directly transformed into an azure streak of light and rushed out.

 Chapter 636

    Return


    When Han Li quietly returned to the safe room, he discovered that the young disciples were still unconscious, lying disorderly around the floor.


    Although their aptitudes were exceptional, they were still only low grade disciples. It was no surprise as to why they were overlooked during the moment of the climax of the battle.


    Silvermoon had already transformed into Han Li, lying on the floor in an unconscious state. When she saw that he arrived, she immediately turned back into a fox and leaped into Han Li¡¯s sleeve.


    Silvermoon chuckled and asked, ¡°How was it? Did you acquire it? By the way, nobody came. It seems Fellow Daoist was being overly careful!¡±


    Han Li insipidly said, ¡°It went smoothly! However, it was still better to be careful than to allow myself to be revealed.¡±


    Silvermoon easily changed the topic and worriedly asked, ¡°However, how will Brother Han explain his survival? This seems to be quite troublesome.¡±


    ¡°How I will explain it? Just say the truth!¡± Han Li appeared to not take this matter very seriously and spoke carelessly.


    ¡°The truth?¡± Silvermoon spoke with bewilderment.


    As if having already thought of this, Han Li calmly explained, ¡°I¡¯ll just say that I previously bought a high grade illusion talisman and used it to save my life. Those who aren¡¯t skilled in the Dao of Illusions should be none the wiser and will take the excuse at face value.¡±


    Silvermoon soon chuckled, ¡°Not bad. That is a rather good excuse.¡±


    The following moments were rather simple. After half a day, a yellow-clothed cultivator walked into the safe room with a solemn expression.


    Seeing that all the disciples were unconscious, he sighed and formed an incantation gesture with his hands. With a flick of his finger, a streak of white light flew into each of the cultivator¡¯s bodies.


    It was clear that the technique used to knock them out wasn¡¯t profound in the slightest. After a short moment, each of them regained consciousness and saw that the yellow-clothed cultivators had taken the place of Du Dong and Cultivator Bai. They grew relaxed in an instant.


    Of course, when they saw that Han Li was intact and unharmed, they were greatly frightened. But Han Li soon took out an illusion talisman and gave an explanation that he had prepared in advance.


    As expected, considering that few delved deeply into the Dao of Illusions, mostly no one raised any suspicions. As for the yellow-clothed cultivator, he merely glanced at Han Li in surprise and didn¡¯t further ask about it.


    But for Sun Huo and Mu Peiling, they both wore a trace of doubt. After all, Du Dong had spoken to Han Li from the very start and even attacked Han Li immediately after revealing himself. It had left quite the impression on them.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly worried about their doubts. Since the two didn¡¯t have any proof, what could they possibly say? Besides, Du Dong¡¯s sudden attack was by no means a sign of friendliness!


    With the absence of the Wine Nectar and the unknown fate of the dishevel-haired cultivator to refine the Brightsight Water, the matter of the Brightsight Water had dissolved.


    As a result, the upper echelon of the three sects hurriedly announced the conclusion of the Sword Trial Assembly, only giving a magic tool to each of the final ten as compensation. The three sects then returned back to their owns sects without any intention of travelling together with each other¡¯s groups.


    Seeing that their Core Formation Seniors wore such solemn and anxious faces, even an idiot would know that something drastic had happened while the ten finalists were left unconscious.


    Although the low grade disciples were unsatisfied and gloomy, they could only obediently return to their sects.


    Once Han Li and the others returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect, they were hastily summoned by the sect¡¯s higher echelon and were closely questioned on what had happened in the restricted area. After that, they were sent away with unsightly expressions and were ordered to keep silent.


    Afterwards, Han Li came to realize that the three sects¡¯ plan to oust their spies had ended up an utter failure.


    Not only did Dong Du and company manage to bring back the Wine Nectar to the Righteous and Devilish Dao with the assistance of the Heavenly Fiend Sect Master¡¯s incarnation, but they mostly managed to leave the State of Xi without any harm. However, Cultivator Bai had made a mistake and was promptly killed by Old Man Fu and the others.


    As for when the Heavenly Fiend Sect Master¡¯s possession expired, the dishevel-haired cultivator was captured by the boy, and no one had heard of him since. It was unknown whether he was executed or spared.


    The two Nascent Soul elders of the Drifting Cloud Sect and the three sect¡¯s various Core Formation cultivators had been ruthlessly attacked by the Devil Dao¡¯s Thousand Illusions Sect and the Heavenly Fiend Sect in an ambush. Not only were several Core Formation cultivators killed, but the Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Cheng was heavily injured. Although there is no worry for his life, his origin Qi was greatly damaged.


    This matter had greatly shaken the three sects. They began to ferociously pressure the Righteous and Devil Dao sects through the Heavenly Dao Union, but they continued to deny this matter had ever occurred. As a result, nothing came to be, leaving the three sects¡¯ upper echelon with their hands tied.


    But fortunately for them, through the Heavenly Dao Union¡¯s own spies in the Righteous and Devil Dao, they were able to discover that the Wine Nectar was ineffective. After using it to water the Profound Goddess¡¯ Palm, the tree remained in its withered state without change.


    This information had brought a breath of relief to the Heavenly Dao Union.


    Following these events, the three factions each became more vigilant and their peaceful attitude from the last hundred years began to grow tense. Conflict became a more likely possibility as time passed by.


    ¡­


    As soon as Han Li finished reporting to the sect elders, he immediately returned to his cave residence. He headed straight to the room with the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng and planted the root of the Spirit Well Tree right next it. Since the two items were both spiritual objects born of heaven and earth, they might mutually nourish one another if they were placed close together.


    In the following days after Han Li finished answering his fellow sect members about the Sword Trial Assembly, Han Li began to wholeheartedly cultivate. Perhaps due to the influence of the Sword Trial Assembly, he was finally able to breakthrough his bottleneck for the Great Development Technique. Han Li¡¯s cultivation then proceeded to advance as he simultaneously cultivated the Great Development Technique and the Azure Essence Sword Arts, much to his delight.


    He clearly understood that the reason he was able to cultivate the Great Development Technique in such a smooth manner was most likely due to the Soul Nurturing Wood beads that he wore around his neck.


    Ever since he wore the beads around his neck, his spiritual sense had been gradually growing larger regardless of any effort he made to temper it. This had allowed him to rapidly progress in the Great Development Technique in an unobstructed manner, as if he were refilling a pond that had already formed.


    Additionally, every time he cultivated the Great Development Technique, the Soul Nurturing Wood beads would cause his spirit to feel refreshed, allowing him to achieve greater results with less strain and effort.


    During this time, Han Li began to use the green liquid to mature the root of the Spirit Well Tree every few days. As a result of a few short months, a sapling began to shoot out from the root. It appeared it was only a matter of time before it grew as large as the Spirit Well Tree in the restricted area. Han Li reckoned that it would take twenty years of meticulous care.


    However, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He would need many years before he could reach false Nascent stage. Furthermore, he already had a Spirit Tempering Pill on hand. It didn¡¯t matter if it would take any longer.


    With that thought, Han Li imagined the moment when the black-robed youth looked through his storage pouch only to astonishingly discover that the Spirit Tempering Pill had disappeared. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but find it funny.


    The most important reason why he had tried so hard to acquire the Spirit Well Tree was for the Brightsight Water. With his eyes cleansed from the Brightsight Water, he would gain an immense benefit in battle. Combined with his superior spiritual sense, he would be able to repeatedly decisively strike against his foes¡¯ weaknesses.


    At the same time, it wasn¡¯t as if Han Li had given up on practicing pill refinement. He was still making his own preparations to eventually refine the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng.


    With this, time slowly passed by between bitter cultivation and pill refinement.


    During this time, apart from some required social interaction, Han Li didn¡¯t take a single step from his cave residence. Amidst crucial moments for his cultivation that required focused seclusion, Han Li sent Silvermoon in his place to deal with the fellow sect members that occasionally paid him a visit.


    Fortunately, Silvermoon¡¯s fox body had made rapid improvements in the wake of large consumptions of medicine pills. Her illusion techniques have become increasingly intricate, revealing not the slightest flaw.


    As for Mu Peiling, she still held her doubts, but after Han Li returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect, only to maintain a low profile, her suspicions eventually faded away. She came to merely view Han Li as a completely ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator.


    Consequently, Han Li became more at ease for staying at the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li had spent twenty years at the Drifting Cloud Sect as a Qi Condensation disciple.


    The day that he was about to condense his Nascent Soul was just around the corner.

 Chapter 637

    Nascent Soul (1)


    Inside the pill refinement room of the small mountain¡¯s cave residence, a sliver of azure core flame left Han Li¡¯s mouth in a continuous stream, wrapping around a silver caldron that was half a foot wide. Han Li wore a tense expression as light flickered from his entire body.


    The cauldron rotated as it floated above the center of the room¡¯s spell formation.


    As time slowly passed by, the pill refinement room started to be filled with a medicinal scent. Once Han Li smelled it, he felt his spirits become roused and his face revealed a trace of joy.


    When this faint medicinal scent became far more concentrated, a bright light flickered from his eyes. He suddenly formed his hands into an incantation gesture and struck a corner of the spell formation with a spell seal, shouting, ¡°Open!¡±


    The spell formation released a series of low hums, striking the silver cauldron with intersecting streaks of red radiance. The small cauldron trembled several times before opening its lid, revealing a milk-white medicinal pill inside.


    The pill was the size of a thumb and its body was translucent, glimmering with spiritual light. There were also strands of milk-white smoke that floated from around it. It was nearly indistinct as if it were a sign that the pill was otherworldly.


    Upon seeing the pill, Han Li was unable to contain his joy.


    The medicinal pill for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was finally refined. He had failed several attempts before. If a pill wasn¡¯t formed in this attempt, there wouldn¡¯t have been enough Agate Horn and the Demon Echo Grass to make another attempt.


    As for the most important ingredient, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, Han Li had no worries about that. It turned out that Han Li didn¡¯t have to use its main body to refine the medicine. He merely had to extract some liquid from its body, allowing the ginseng to continue living. Of course, while the spirit ginseng wasn¡¯t immediately killed, it suffered great damage to its origin Qi. As a result, its white rabbit incarnation became listless and lethargic.


    With that in mind, after several days of careful consideration, Han Li placed down several more layers of restrictions before giving the spirit ginseng some of the green liquid. In order to be careful, Han Li started off by giving a few drops of the diluted green liquid, fearing that something unexpected would happen. Spiritual objects of heaven and earth, especially those possessing their own incarnations, were different from ordinary plants.


    In the end, the green liquid had greatly restored the origin Qi of the spirit ginseng and had reinvigorated it. This had greatly relieved Han Li and he began to truly use the green liquid on it.


    As a result, Han Li used the green liquid to recover its origin Qi each time he extracted some of its liquid, allowing him an unending supply.


    However, this method was only effective for the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. Han Li was inspired to try this on other spiritual medicines, but the result was only an increase in age.


    As of current, Han Li held the milky-white pill in between his fingers and carefully examined it. Its appearance and fragrance was exactly as described. As for its medicinal efficacy, he¡¯d have to test that when the time comes.


    With a slight sigh, Han Li carefully placed this difficultly acquired medicine pill in a jade box he had previous prepared. With the pill properly stored away, he walked out of the pill room.


    After about sixty years of cultivation, Han Li had finally cultivated the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique, forcibly increasing the scope of his spiritual sense. With regards to the Azure Essence Sword Arts, he had finished cultivating to the ninth layer of the great perfection stage several months before, allowing him to finally enter false Nascent stage.


    Whether it be medicinal pills or techniques, Han Li was now completely prepared.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to hastily start to condense a Nascent Soul now that the spirit ginseng pill was finished. Instead, he left his cave residence by himself and found a hidden spot on the Dreamcloud Mountains with an enchanting view. He then peacefully sat down and became still.


    During this time, he began to appreciate all that had happened throughout his life so far.


    When he was young, he had enjoyed life with his loving family and had a little sister that he enjoyed playing with. When he grew somewhat older, he entered the Seven Mysteries Sect under the recommendation of his third uncle, and came to recognize many harsh characters. It was here that he unintentionally came across Doctor Mo and was able to cultivate the Eternal Spring Arts. He then came across the Great South Meeting, introducing him to the true world of Immortal cultivation. Then with Yellow Maple Valley¡­


    Soon after Han Li began to recall his memories, these vague past events gradually became clearer and various emotions began to reveal themselves from Han Li¡¯s face as well as a happiness that he had never displayed before. After these three days, Han Li tightly shut his eyes and restored his calm once more. He began to comprehend the Dao of the world in a state of obliviousness.


    A month later, Han Li emerged from concealment with his magic power, body, and mind in peak condition. His heart in particular had been tempered to the next level.


    With a completely tranquil mind, Han Li returned to the cave residence and enabled all the formations and restrictions present. He then curtly told Silvermoon, ¡°Guard the outside. Even if a gargantuan matter appears, do not disturb me.¡± With that said, Han Li¡¯s azure robes fluttered as he entered a silent room.


    The door to the room soon sealed itself with a sparkle of white light and a dense layer of talisman characters. Han Li had placed a restriction on the door to prevent any potential disturbances as he condensed his Nascent Soul.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t say what this was about, Silvermoon knew perfectly well what was about to happen. She immediately wore a complicated expression on her face with the emotions of admiration, longing, and resentment contained within them. After finally seeing the silent room remain uneventful for a long while, Silvermoon sighed and left.


    Now that she was closely tied together to Han Li, she controlled her thoughts and merely wished for Han Li¡¯s success in condensing a Nascent Soul.


    Not far away, Mu Peiling was slowly flying near the medicinal garden with an inattentive expression as if her mind was wandering.


    Once she thought of her clan¡¯s elders requiring her to wed to that man surnamed Yan, she felt that her future prospects were bleak. The Mu Clan elders didn¡¯t hesitate on deciding an absurd engagement to marry an unruly woman such as herself to the Yan Clan for a political advantage.


    If she were to become a Core Formation cultivator, the clan¡¯s so-called elders wouldn¡¯t dare to criticize her. Instead, they would treat her with respect. After all, everyone knew what a Core Formation cultivator signified to a clan.


    Although this woman possessed a peerless cold elegance, she couldn¡¯t help but grit her teeth and grimace when she thought of this matter. She had always been a competitive character and had never revealed her true thoughts. But with her heart wavering as it was now, it was quite obvious.


    Mu Peiling¡¯s original plan was acceptable. Since she couldn¡¯t oppose her elder¡¯s orders, she would delay off the marriage as much as possible. If she could somehow form a core before that, she could dispose of the engagement.


    But despite her amazing talents, forming her core in a meager thirty years was basically impossible. Even with her desperate efforts, it would take yet another thirty years before she could reach false core stage and make an attempt to form a core.


    While she was happy to take her time, the Mu Clan elders grew impatient and decided to humiliate her, brazenly deciding on the date of her marriage. She was threatened to have her future spirit stones cut off and also mentioned was the possibility of implicating her close family members in the clan.


    Once she thought of this, Mu Peiling felt powerless and couldn¡¯t muster the slightest effort of resistance.


    As for the Drifting Cloud Sect, although she was treated with much favor from her mountain lord and fellow disciples, they were incapable of interfering with these matters as they were tangled in the interests of their own clans and couldn¡¯t do anything to help, much to this woman¡¯s dejection.


    Even more terrible was how the shifted-eyed Senior Martial Brother Yan had somehow acquired information of her recent trip to Dayspring Mountain and bothered her without end. If her magic power wasn¡¯t far beyond his own, it was quite possible this Senior Martial Brother Yan would¡¯ve attempted to forcefully seize her. This had greatly angered this proud woman to nearly release her magic tool and slay him.


    But as it so happened, today was the day to pay a visit to various medicinal gardens. She had bluntly rushed to acquire this task and earlier left Dayspring Mountain, avoiding any entanglement from the man surnamed Yan. Han Li¡¯s medicinal garden would be the third garden she was visiting.


    Once she thought of Han Li, she felt slightly odd. She initially thought that while he was a Qi Condensation disciple, she felt as if he were something of an unravelable mystery. And once the Sword Trial Assembly occurred, she guessed that he had hidden his true cultivation or identity. As such, she had been particularly mindful of his actions.


    But in the past years, he unexpectedly was well-behaved and had done nothing of note. He did little else apart from tending to the medicine garden and chatting with his few friends. This had caused her to become even more interested in him.


    While her expression was relaxed when dealing with him, she actually became more mindful of his actions. Unfortunately, Han Li possessed a low-profile and participated very little in the sect. As such, she only encountered him a few times in these many years.


    With these twenty years having passed, this woman had finally given up, believing her own guesses to be wild imagination. He was at most a reclusive common disciple. With his poor aptitude, Foundation Establishment would be rather unlikely for him.


    Having recalled Han Li, the woman hastened her flight and flew towards his medicinal garden.

 Chapter 638

    Nascent Soul (2)


    When Mu Peiling arrived five kilometers away, she felt an indescribable fear suddenly fall upon her. The spiritual Qi in the air suddenly grew turbulent. In the blink of an eye, countless strands of spiritual Qi transformed into a whirlpool, causing her to nearly fall from the sky on the magic tool, catching her unprepared.


    In her great fright, she forcefully circulated all the spiritual Qi in her body to steady her body. She then hastily glanced around and spotted something that left her amazed.


    About three hundred meters in the sky, there were countless specks of spiritual light in the air. They were of countless colors, pulsing from bright to dim, and each contained extremely pure spiritual Qi. They were a beautiful sight to behold.


    Mu Peiling was overwhelmed and she swept her gaze into the distance. She grew pale at the sight. Wherever she turned her eyes, she merely saw countless specks of light filling the sky without end.


    ¡®Heavens! What is happening?¡¯ Mu Peiling gazed at this strange scene with wide eyes.


    In fact, this marvelous spectacle surrounded the entire area within fifty kilometers of Han Li.


    As this woman discovered the spiritual Qi transformations, untold numbers of cultivators had also discovered this anomaly. Those with profound cultivations even gazed in astonishment in the direction of the Drifting Cloud Sect thousands of kilometers away.


    Although a majority of cultivators hadn¡¯t seen this before, nor did they know why such an omen appeared, the few that knew were watching with feelings of envy and admiration.


    On the main peak of the Drifting Cloud Sect, in a cave residence that was located several thousands of kilometers high, there was a silver-haired old man that was sitting cross-legged. He had an ashen complexion and breathed heavily as if he were gravely ill. But in the instant the spirit lights appeared several hundred kilometers away, his forehead trembled and he opened his eyes in shock, wearing an expression of disbelief.


    He ceased his cultivation without hesitation and immediately flew out from his cave residence in a streak of white light. A short moment later, the silver-haired old man appeared at the peak of the main mountain, standing on top of a large rock.


    He solemnly stared in the direction of Han Li¡¯s cave residence and his expression wavered.


    At that moment, a streak of yellow light came flying from the sky in the direction of the silver-haired old man¡¯s cave residence. But when it caught sight of the silver-haired old man already standing outside of his cave residence, it flew towards the top of the mountain. The light faded away to reveal a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.


    As soon as the middle-aged man appeared, he immediately spoke to the old man with disbelief. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng, you must¡¯ve felt it. Am I mistaken? Is there truly someone condensing a Nascent Soul within our Drifting Cloud Sect!?¡±


    The silver-haired old man narrowed his eyes and replied without turning his head, ¡°Mistaken? Impossible. We¡¯ve both experienced this before. There is someone truly condensing a Nascent Soul within our sect. Moreover, they have already reached the final stage and are just about to finish.¡±


    The middle-aged man muttered with certainty, ¡°This is baffling! The only late Core Formation cultivators in our sect is Martial Nephew Feng and that spy surnamed Hu. Martial Nephew Feng had spent the last two years striving to reach great perfection stage. He can¡¯t have reached false Nascent stage so soon, let alone form a Nascent Soul. As for the spy from the Heavenly Fiend Sect, his cultivation was already wasted and fell several levels. It can¡¯t be him.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Of course we know the cultivations of our martial nephews. Although this person may be condensing a Nascent Soul in our Drifting Cloud Sect, he isn¡¯t necessarily one of our sect members.. Perhaps he is a daring character who infiltrated into our sect. After all, the spiritual Qi of the Dreamcloud Mountains is rich and abundant, an optimal spot to condense a Nascent Soul.¡±


    The middle-aged man frowned and resentfully said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother, what should we do now? It seems he is about to smoothly condense his Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case. We should stay here for now. Although I don¡¯t know whether or not they have endured the final stage, we would only disturb them if we were to appear. As for the final stage, inner demon backlash, it could take several months or even several years of internal experience to resolve. But in reality, that time actually only passes by in just a moment. Junior Martial Brother Lu, could it be that you¡¯ve forgotten that you experienced backlash during your Nascent Soul condensation?¡± The silver-haired man¡¯s complexion paled, but his attitude remained calm.


    ¡°How could I have possibly forgotten! I never want to think of it again. Inner demon backlash causes one¡¯s deepest fears to appear in their heart. If it weren¡¯t for the Spirit Tempering Pill I had taken before forming a Nascent Soul, I would¡¯ve certainly been unable to make it through the pain.¡± The middle-aged man surnamed Lu couldn¡¯t help but shudder. His face grimaced when he recalled the experience.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This person has yet to endure the final stage and hasn¡¯t yet finished a Nascent Soul. There is no point in talking about how we should deal with him. There¡¯s no need to rush. But if he is fortunate enough to enter Nascent Soul stage, it would be too late to block him. Instead of offending him, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just calmly observe him and wait for the outcome? Besides, it isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing if this person were to form a Nascent Soul in our Drifting Cloud Sect. Perhaps we would be able to befriend him and have him join our sect!¡±


    The middle-aged man felt his heart stir. ¡°Senior Martial Brother means to say that this person is a vagrant cultivator?¡±


    The silver-haired man smiled and turned to the middle-aged man, ¡°Yes, that is most likely to be the case. If he were from a sect or clan, why would he dare to sneak into our Drifting Cloud Mountains to form a Nascent Soul? It would¡¯ve been better for him to form a Nascent Soul under the protection of high grade cultivators. Did you remember how seriously the sect treated us when we attempted to form our Nascent Souls?¡±


    Having recalled previous memories, the middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°How could I have forgotten? In the several months it took for me to form a Nascent Soul, the sect sealed off the mountain and were vigilant of attack. Even a sect protecting formation was laid down. From what you¡¯ve said, it does seem that this person is truly a sectless vagrant cultivator.¡±


    The silver-haired old man slowly said, ¡°If this person truly is a vagrant cultivator, we should do our utmost to entice him and not offend him. Since it is much more difficult for a vagrant cultivator to form a Nascent Soul than a sect cultivator, their abilities must be impressive; they cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, this cultivator isn¡¯t burdened by a sect, unlike us. He will have fewer misgivings upon acting on grudges than a cultivator who came from a sect. Isn¡¯t Eccentric Heavenvenge an example of this? Is it not because of his profound cultivation and superior abilities that we dare not to easily offend him? Does his ruthless and unbridled actions not inspire fear into many of the sects in the Heavenly South Region?¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he silently nodded his head in agreement.


    Then the old man¡¯s eyes lit up and he softly shouted,¡±It¡¯s starting!¡± The middle-aged man was startled and he hastily sent his spiritual sense into the distance.


    At that moment, the specks of light surrounding Han Li¡¯s cave residence became increasingly numerous, and gradually condensed into a single mass of light across the sky. After a short moment, the sky surrounding him by fifty kilometers began to shine with a layer of dense rainbow light. Loud rolls of lightning surged from the mass of light. Soon, it began to quickly concentrate and gather together at its center, Han Li¡¯s cave residence.


    Above the small mountain of Han Li¡¯s residence, a half-kilometer wide sphere of light glistened brilliantly, blinding anyone who dared to look directly at it.


    Suddenly, a world shaking boom clapped through the sky, swaying through the entire mountain. At that moment an azure pillar of light shot towards the sky from the mountain, piercing straight through the sphere of light in the sky.


    The huge sphere of light immediately became covered in dark clouds, bringing about a storm of lightning and wind. Within this storm, the light began to shrink, but its colorful flashes of light only became more dazzling.


    The cultivators nearby had already rushed close to the small mountain at its center and were observing this astonishing phenomenon in the sky. They each looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what they should do.


    Not long after, under the gaze of the astonished bystanders, that huge sphere of light condensed into a translucent, fist-sized ball that contained a fearsome amount of spiritual Qi. Those that observed nearby looked on with amazement, not daring to rashly take any action.

 Chapter 639

    Nascent Soul (3)


    With a light bang, the translucent ball brightly flashed, surrounding itself in a mist of rainbow light that was three meters wide. It quickly flew down and bore into the mountain in an instant. At that same moment, the dark storm clouds up above instantly disappeared, restoring the sky to normal.


    This sudden change of events left the surrounding cultivators at a loss.


    In the following moments, a series of dragon-like roars cried from the mountains, shaking the very heavens and earth. A three hundred meter tall silhouette of light then emerged from the mountain.


    This silhouette sparkled with four-colored light and its limbs were incredibly thick, but because of the radiance that surrounded it, none were able to clearly see its true features. They were merely left with an impression of immense awe, causing the onlookers to turn their gazes away in deference. But most astonishing of all was when the silhouette nodded its head, sweeping two beams of dense light across the cultivators present, causing them to lose their breaths in an instant.


    With the sound of several thumps, these cultivators felt their bodies grow heavy and they immediately knelt down. They weren¡¯t able to move in the slightest as if Mount Tai itself were pressing down upon them. Although a few of the cultivators with deeper cultivations were able to force themselves to stand, their legs were trembling and the veins on their forehead throbbed. It appeared to take a rather strenuous effort.


    As these cultivators became filled with apprehension and inwardly cursed, the huge silhouette smiled and its body suddenly scattered, filling the sky with countless specks of starlight.


    This scene has left the observers dumbstruck.


    ¡­


    Han Li sat cross-legged at the center of the quiet room with his eyes shut. But at the very top of his head, there was foot-tall infant that was amusing itself with his hair.


    This infant had delicate skin, an azure barrier of light surrounding its entire body, and a face entirely like Han Li. However, the happy excitement on its face was entirely different from Han Li¡¯s usual calm and taciturn manner.


    As for Han Li¡¯s main body, his complexion was rosy and his expression was serene as if he were soundly asleep.


    A short moment later, the infant apparently grew tired from its playing and yawned. With an azure flash of light, it entered through the top of Han Li¡¯s head into the body. Han Li¡¯s expression then began to stir and his eyelids trembled. They eventually opened to reveal a hidden warmth contained in his bright, clear gaze.


    He didn¡¯t immediately stand up after awakening. Instead, he wore an expression that contained a trace of wild joy. He extended his palm and began to look across it several times. He then raised his hand and rubbed the top of his head with complete puzzlement.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li¡¯s excitement eventually faded away from his face, only to be replaced with his usual calm.


    He swept his gaze past the silent room and stretched himself before eventually standing up. He then extended his finger and shot a beam of azure light towards the stone door. With a flash of light, it silently opened.


    Having stood guard outside Han Li¡¯s room, Silvermoon transformed into the form of a gorgeous young woman upon spotting Han Li. She immediately lowered her head and respectfully saluted him, ¡°Congratulations Master on forming your Nascent Soul!¡± Her careful and deliberate attitude somewhat surprised Han Li.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and casually said, ¡°Master? It seems that Fellow Daoist Silvermoon now truly recognizes me! However, that was to be expected. Before I formed a Nascent Soul, my cultivation was around the same level as yours. How could you have fully accepted me then?¡±


    With complete respect on her face, Silvermoon said, ¡°Master¡¯s words are true. Now that Master has condensed a Nascent Soul, he has now entered the highest realm in the cultivation world. Your lifespan has been lengthened to over a thousand years, but you¡¯ve only lived around two hundred years so far. With just a bit of luck, I believe it is possible that Master will be able to cultivate to the Deity Transformation stage.


    Han Li shook his head and tranquilly said, ¡°It is a bit too early to speak of Deity Transformation stage; it is still so far away.. Most of the Nascent Soul cultivators I¡¯ve met were stuck at early Nascent Soul stage without any way to progress forward. You shouldn¡¯t be too hopeful.¡±


    ¡°Still, I hold much confidence in you, Master.¡± Silvermoon pursed her lips and sweetly smiled, revealing a particularly alluring charm. Regardless, Han Li still disapproved of her words.


    As of current, over a thousand cultivators had gathered nearby. They surrounded the mountain on their magic tools and were whispering to one another. With their inexperience and ignorance, they naturally didn¡¯t know what the recent omen had signified. They could only make a few wild guesses. But from what had just happened, they couldn¡¯t help but reveal giddy excitement.


    Naturally, the medicinal garden Han Li was assigned to had attracted quite a bit of attention. The bystanders had already forced their way through the restrictions to take a look. However, they only found it to be an ordinary medicinal garden that didn¡¯t have a soul in sight.


    Mu Peiling were among those that had rushed to the scene. Her expression wavered as she witnessed all that had happened. She had a faint feeling that this fantastical display had something to do with Han Li.


    At that moment, several streaks of various colored lights suddenly arrived. The lights faded away to reveal six Core Formation cultivators with heavy expressions. They were headed by the late Core Formation cultivator surnamed Feng. At his side stood a red-robed old man, the beautiful woman surnamed Song, as well as several other unfamiliar cultivators.


    Old Man Feng raised his brow at the sight of so many low grade cultivators and icily said, ¡°All disciples, listen well. The area five kilometers away from the mountain has temporarily become a restricted area. If anyone is to violate this, they will be punished severely.¡±


    When the disciples heard their Martial Ancestor give his orders, they could only obey despite the great curiosity they all held and promptly departed.


    A Core Formation cultivator with an ordinary appearance suddenly sent a sound transmission to Old Man Feng and pointed to the medicine garden down below. The old man¡¯s expression stirred and he called out to a woman nearby, ¡°Martial Niece Mu, stay behind for now.¡±


    ¡°As you command, Martial Uncle!¡± The woman was startled for a moment but she immediately flew before the Core Formation cultivators with a respectful expression.


    Old Man Feng¡¯s expression relaxed and he said, ¡°Martial Niece Mu, I heard you were in charge of this medicine garden.¡±


    ¡°Yes! This medicine garden is being cared for by a Qi Condensation cultivator by the name of Han Li.¡±


    ¡°Qi Condensation disciple? Where is he now?¡±


    Mu Peiling hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°I do not know. Several Senior Martial Brothers charged into the medicine garden to take a look, but he was nowhere to be found.¡±


    The red-robed old man¡¯s expression stirred and he asked with surprise, ¡°Han Li? Was it that external affair disciple that made it to the top ten in the last Sword Trial Assembly? The twenty year old youth?¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle Duan is correct. It is that disciple.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t surprised that he knew this, given that he had led them to the last Sword Trial Assembly.


    ¡°It was truly odd that an external affair disciple was able to make it into the top ten. Could it be the omen of a Nascent Soul formation came from him?¡± Old Man Feng muttered to himself with a complicated expression. The other Core Formation cultivators wore a solemn expression when they heard him.


    The woman surnamed Song had a particularly noticeable shift in her expression. The omen of a Nascent Soul. Could it be this person who formed a Nascent Soul?


    While the others had taken it well enough, when Mu Peiling heard his ludicrous words, she felt completely shocked.


    The red-robed cultivator slowly said, ¡°Senior Martial Feng, from what has happened, it seems this person had already condensed a Nascent Soul. How should we respond to him?¡±


    ¡°Although they are a newly formed Nascent Soul cultivator, we are by no means their match. I reckon that the two Martial Uncles will soon personally come to deal with this matter. As for now, we must avoid all means of angering him.¡± Just as he finished uttering his orders, his expression suddenly replaced and he shouted, ¡°Yi! The Martial Uncles have already arrived.¡±


    When the others heard him, they felt relief and turned their heads towards the sky, spotting two glints of light in the distant skies. The glints of light soon turned into a streak of white and yellow light that approached them.


    When Old Man Feng and company saw this, they immediately separated into two rows and wore a respectful expression.


    An instant later, the grey-haired old man and the sallow-faced middle-aged man appeared before the Core Formation cultivators, and the old man indifferently said, ¡°This matter may be passed onto us to deal with. You may do as you wish, but don¡¯t remain here.¡±


    When the others heard this, they each acknowledged him and left the vicinity of the stone mountain.


    Of course, Mu Peiling didn¡¯t dare to stay behind and hastily flew off after saluting the two Nascent Soul Ancestors. However, she couldn¡¯t help but take one last look at the medicinal garden before she departed.


    ¡®Could it truly be Han Li that had formed a Nascent Soul?¡¯ The woman¡¯s heart grew turbulent at the thought and her expression grew vacant.


    At that moment when Silvermoon was speaking with a relaxed expression, the long-winded and aged voice came from the outside, ¡°Congratulations on Fellow Daoist¡¯s successful Nascent Soul Formation. I am the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Cheng Tiankun. Could my Junior Martial Brother and I enter your residence for a chat?¡±

 Chapter 640

    Invitation


    Han Li momentarily frowned upon hearing the voice transmission.


    Han Li calmly ordered, ¡°Silvermoon, release the restrictions and have the two Drifting Cloud Sect Elders enter. I¡¯ll have to speak with them sooner or later. However, do not reveal yourself after releasing the restrictions. While you may be an expert in concealment and illusions as a fox, your demonic Qi has no bearing towards Nascent Soul cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Silvermoon respectfully replied and walked out with light steps.


    A short moment later, the mountain¡¯s scenery underwent a sudden change. The ordinary, small mountain suddenly revealed itself to be enveloped in large mist of azure light. The mist possessed an imposing aura and contained floating talisman characters. It was clear to be the product of ferocious restrictions.


    The two Nascent Soul cultivators glanced at one another and couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile. This vagrant cultivator had placed down such grand spell formations when opening a cave residence in the Drifting Cloud Sect, and they, the sect¡¯s masters, were unable to perceive it in the slightest. It would be a great loss of face when mentioned. At the very least, it was unavoidable to be made fun of by their peers.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s voice came out from the mist, ¡°I, Han Li, borrowed your esteemed sect¡¯s land to cultivate and had yet to inform you. While my actions were imprudent, I hope you two won¡¯t take offense. Please come in, I will soon release the restrictions. ¡± His words were spoken with a polite and smooth tone.


    The silver-haired old man smiled as if he didn¡¯t take the slightest offense over the matter and said,¡±Haha! What is Fellow Daoist saying? It can be seen to be our sect¡¯s fortune that you¡¯ve formed a Nascent Soul here. How could we be offended? We actually came here in such a hurry that we¡¯ve forgotten to prepare you a congratulatory gift for forming a Nascent Soul. We are somewhat embarrassed.¡±


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°Fellow Daoist is quite funny. I am the one deeply grateful to be able to form a Nascent Soul here.¡± Once this was said, the azure mist intensely trembled several times to reveal a ten meter wide passageway.


    Having seen this, the two walked inside without the slightest hesitation, arriving before a stone gate an instant later. The stone gate was wide open and had an azure-robed youth standing before it with a slight smile. He appeared twenty years of age and possessed an ordinary appearance.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, please come in!¡± Han Li welcomed the two into his cave residence with a smile.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡± The two saluted Han Li before following him inside.


    Soon after, the azure mist roiled and the passageway disappeared, restoring the restriction to its original form.


    Although the two felt this, they didn¡¯t feel worried about this in the slightest since they were still inside the Drifting Cloud Sect, the territory they controlled.


    The two followed Han Li through a short passageway before arriving at a large hall.


    Once the two were seated, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense stirred, ordering a large ape puppet to walk over to them with a plate carrying three cups of freshly steeped tea. The puppet placed a cup in front of each of the three before leaving. Han Li then said, ¡°Please, have a taste of this spirit tea. I personally refined it.¡±


    After giving a word of praise for the tea, the silver-haired old man stared in the direction that the ape puppet had departed and astonishedly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Han to cultivate techniques pertaining to mechanical puppets. This is rarely seen.¡±


    Han Li casually replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I am a mere dabbler and refined a few puppets to control. It isn¡¯t worthy of note underneath your discerning eyes.¡±


    The middle-aged man surnamed Lu was greatly surprised by the puppets and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist Han is too modest. Although the ape was merely a puppet, its spiritual Qi was undoubtedly a match for a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and indifferently said, ¡°It is true that this puppet has the strength to match a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it only has a single method of attack. Additionally, the price of its materials is far too expensive. It is equivalent to the cost of a top grade magic tool.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Fellow Daoist¡¯s puppets should be no small matter. If a low grade cultivator were to carry one on hand, it should be more than enough to protect themselves. However, this puppet technique seems to originate from the Thousand Bamboo School from the far west. Is that where Fellow Daoist comes from?¡± As the silver-haired old man praised the puppets, he changed the subject to prove Han Li¡¯s origins.


    Han Li smiled and narrowed his eyes. He was able to realize his intentions from a single glance. He calmly answered, ¡°The puppet technique came from a nameless record that I acquired. I don¡¯t know whether or not it has anything to do with the far west. However, I am fully aware that the cultivators of the far west are proficient in the Dao of Puppets. I plan on eventually making a trip there to learn of their puppet techniques. As for my origins, I am a genuine cultivator from the Heavenly South. I was born in the State of Yue long ago, but with the invasion of the Devil Dao, I was forced to flee the country.¡±


    After the two exchanged glances, the middle-aged man eventually asked, ¡°So Fellow Daoist Han came from the State of Yue. That is truly surprising. You must¡¯ve cultivated for quite a while, but your appearance is still so young. Could it be an appearance halting effect from a technique?¡±


    While Han Li possessed such a young appearance, one must¡¯ve cultivated at least three hundred years to reach Nascent Soul stage. As for Cultivator Lu, he was nearly four hundred years old once he reached Nascent Soul stage.


    ¡°My appearance isn¡¯t due to my cultivation art, but from a lucky encounter where I acquired a face setting pill, persevering my appearance at the time of consumption. As for my time spent cultivating, it should be over two hundred years.¡±


    Cultivator Lu wasn¡¯t particularly surprised to hear about the Face Setting Pill, but when Han Li mentioned his age, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal shock, ¡°What? Two hundred years?¡±


    With a shaken heart, the silver-haired old man couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Fellow Daoist truly cultivated for only two hundred years?¡±


    According to his knowledge, only a sparse few cultivators from the Heavenly South Region were able to condense a Nascent Soul within two hundred years of cultivation, each of them peerless geniuses and world-shaking characters. There were even those who suddenly broke through to Nascent Soul realm only to suddenly disappear and ascending to the realm of legend.


    This youth before them, who proclaimed to reach Nascent Soul stage in a mere two hundred years of cultivation, was likely to be able to reach late Nascent Soul stage. He was indeed an important existence.


    ¡°What? Is there something wrong from forming a Nascent Soul in two hundred years?¡± A trace of doubt appeared from Han Li¡¯s eyes. Although he knew that his condensing of a Nascent Soul was much quicker than that of other cultivators, he didn¡¯t know the hidden meaning that it signified. In the end, Han Li merely knew a few odd pieces of knowledge with regards to Nascent Soul stage. He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to familiarize himself with the topic.


    The silver-haired old man sighed and revealed a trace of admiration, ¡°It is nothing. We were just immensely shocked at how Fellow Daoist Han formed a Nascent Soul at such a young age. It appears that you have limitless prospects for the future!¡±


    At that moment, he had already decided that regardless of whether or not his words were true, he needed to rope this Nascent Soul cultivator into his sect and avoid a hostile falling out. His entrance to the sect was tantamount.


    The middle-aged man surnamed Lu wore a complicated expression, but he soon recovered his calm. After sending a few voice transmissions to each other, the two Nascent Soul cultivators wore a grave expression.


    Han Li calmly observed them and didn¡¯t reveal any trace of dissatisfaction. Instead, he took the opportunity to sip on the tea in front of him.


    Soon, Cultivator Lu and the silver-haired old man finished their discussions. The old man then said, ¡°I hope Brother Han will forgive my presumptuous question, but since Brother Han is a vagrant cultivator, does he have anywhere to go now that he has a Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere to go? I haven¡¯t thought of it. The State of Yue is now in the hands of the Devil Dao, and I¡¯ve long offended the cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect, so that isn¡¯t an option. As for other places¡­¡± Han Li muttered to himself as he was still pondering about it.


    With a serious expression, the silver-haired old man intensely said, ¡°If Fellow Daoists isn¡¯t repulsed by our humble Drifting Cloud Sect, then wouldn¡¯t it be better to join it? Although our Drifting Cloud Sect is inferior to the Ancient Sword Sect and to a lesser degree the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, our sect isn¡¯t specialized in any cultivation method. We¡¯ve never chosen a particular technique to pass on and have developed various different types of techniques over many years. So long as Fellow Daoist enters our sect, you will be on equal footing as us brothers and will not be treated as an outsider.¡± The sincerity contained in his words were obvious to see.


    ¡°Become an elder of your esteemed sect?¡± Han Li unconsciously frowned and revealed a trace of hesitation.

 Chapter 641

    Heavenvoid Cauldron and the Small Bottle


    The silver-haired old man rejoiced upon seeing that Han Li had yet to refuse. Continuing with his earnest tone, he said, ¡°Be at ease, Fellow Daoist Han. Although you will take on the title as one of the sect¡¯s chief elders, you won¡¯t be tied to any trivial responsibilities and may do as you wish. Your mere existence will serve as deterrence. Each year, our sects¡¯ disciples will offer us over a thousand spirit stones that we may use for cultivation. And if there are any spirit medicines or materials that we require in particular, we may order our disciples to find them for us, instead of spending our own time. In short, your status as an elder of our Drifting Cloud Sect will be superior to those in other sects.¡±


    Cultivator Lu slowly added, ¡°Senior Martial Brother speaks true. Although Brother Han has finished condensing a Nascent Soul, he must be puzzled as to how to consolidate it since this must be new to him. We don¡¯t mean to boast, but after spending several hundred years stuck at early Nascent Soul stage, we possess a few unique cultivation experiences. If Fellow Daoist enters our sect, we will be able to provide some guidance.¡±


    The addition of a Nascent Soul cultivator would cause the sect¡¯s power to immediately rise. Although their might still wouldn¡¯t be comparable to the Ancient Sword Sect, they would be on par with the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, subsequently stabilizing the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s position in the Dreamcloud Mountains.


    Han Li felt somewhat tempted by Cultivator Lu¡¯s conditions. As someone who had just formed a Nascent Soul, he knew what guidance from those who had condensed a Nascent Soul for hundreds of years signified. It may allow him to save anywhere from tens to a hundred years of bitter cultivation.


    As for staying at the Drifting Cloud Sect, it wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t considered it, but he had yet to analyze the benefits and drawbacks. Since they had now taken the initiative to mention it, he had no choice to carefully decide.


    Would he continue to act as a vagrant cultivator? Seize this opportunity to become a Drifting Cloud Sect elder? Or should he bluntly find a more suitable sect to enter?


    After muttering to himself for a long while, Han Li raised his head and said, ¡°Thank you very much for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoists. However, I have just formed a Nascent Soul and my mind is on edge. For something this important, could you two give me a few days to consider it? Three days should be enough to give a reply.¡±


    When they heard Han Li¡¯s words, the two couldn¡¯t help but glance at one another. After a short moment of thought, the old man gave an embarrassed reply, ¡°We are quite ashamed. It seems we were too impatient. It is only natural to require a few days to consider the matter. For now, we¡¯ll turn the surroundings into a forbidden area to avoid our disciples from disturbing you. We¡¯ll come back to pay you a visit in three day¡¯s time.¡± Once that was said, the two leisurely chatted with Han Li before tactfully taking their leave.


    Han Li politely escorted the two out before sitting down once more in the hall. His brow was tightly knitted as if in heavy thought.


    White light flashed from outside the hall and Silvermoon gracefully walked into the hall in her fox form.


    Han Li glanced at the small fox and curiously asked, ¡°Is your magic power not enough to assume your human form?¡±


    Silvermoon raised her delicate head and dejectedly said, ¡°That is so, Master! My magic power as an artifact spirit along with the spiritual power of the fox can only sustain the human form for a short amount of time. I won¡¯t be able to turn back into human form until next month.¡±


    ¡°When you truly become a grade eight demon beast, you¡¯ll be able to keep a human form eternally. There is no need to be impatient.¡±


    Silvermoon earnestly said, ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ve spent countless years in the Heavenvoid Cauldron, what is a few more hundred years? Moreover, with the assistance of master¡¯s medicine pills, I¡¯ll be able to reach that height far earlier than expected!¡±


    Han Li nodded his head but his voice suddenly grew heavy, ¡°Speaking of the Heavenvoid Cauldron, I¡¯ve never asked about it before because my cultivation was lacking. But now that I am a Nascent Soul cultivator, tell me about it. After all, you should know how to open the cauldron given the many years you stayed inside it. Also, I am quite curious about the many other treasures in the cauldron apart from the Heavenmend Pill.¡±


    Silvermoon paused for a moment and sighed, ¡°Of course I know how to open the cauldron. However, I fear that Master will be somewhat disappointed.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin and doubtfully said, ¡°Oh! Do you mean that I am still unable to open the cauldron at my current cultivation?¡±


    Silvermoon slowly said, ¡°Originally, the other ancient treasures and I were only able to escape the bindings of the Divine Spirit Treasure because the Celestial Ice Flames surrounding it were disturbed by those in the Hall with master at the time.¡±


    A trace of suspicion flickered from his face and he astonishedly asked, ¡°What are Divine Spirit Treasures? Is the Heavenvoid Cauldron not an ancient treasure? From your tone, there seems to be a close relationship between the Celestial Ice Flames and the Heavenvoid Cauldron.¡±


    Silvermoon explained with a heavy tone.¡±Divine Spirit Treasures were what cultivators of the past called ¡®ancient treasures¡¯. However, only ancient treasures that possessed amazing abilities were labeled as such, the Heavenvoid Cauldron being among them. Although I don¡¯t know what amazing abilities the cauldron possessed, its might is far beyond that of common ancient treasures. As for the Celestial Ice flames, they are a crucial factor in opening the Heavenvoid Cauldron. No, it is more appropriate to say that they are the first step to controlling the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Master must first refine the flames before being able to do anything else.¡±


    Han Li smiled and asked, ¡°Divine Spirit Treasures? They must be outstanding for even ancient cultivators to put them in high regard. Since refining the flames is only the first step, what else must I do? You may as well tell me all at once.¡±


    Han Li wasn¡¯t upset by this. He clearly understood that many conditions required to use this treasure merely indicated that its power was beyond what he had expected. This matter was a pleasant surprise. So long as he has the Heavenvoid Cauldon in his hands, there will come a day where he will be able to control it. Han Li was certain of this without a doubt.


    Silvermoon shook her head and truthfully replied, ¡°I do not know the steps that follow. I only know enough to give Master suggestions after he refines the Celestial Ice Flames.¡±


    ¡°So its like that. Then this will be somewhat troublesome. But even this is fine. I¡¯ll just have to refine the Celestial Ice Flames first and decide what to do later. By the way, you didn¡¯t mention the other treasures that the cauldron contained.¡± Han Li initially revealed disappointment but he then deeply glanced at Silvermoon.


    Fearing that Han Li would be discontent, she hastily explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hide it. Its just that apart from two more Heavenmend Pills, there are no other treasures; just an empty cauldron. After all, the Heavenvoid Cauldron spent countless years in Heavenvoid Hall and had a few great cultivators that were able to disturb the Celestial Ice Flames. Each time this occurred, one or two ancient treasures would seize the opportunity to escape. As such, it is natural for the cauldron to grow empty. By the time you¡¯d arrived, there were only the ancient treasures that you spotted.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t reveal the slightest annoyance as if he had already anticipated this. ¡°Since its like that, then so be it. At my current cultivation, common ancient treasures are beneath me. It would be best to be able to make the Heavenvoid Cauldron mine.¡±


    Silvermoon chuckled and said, ¡°I am full of admiration towards Master for being able to release me! Master¡¯s words aren¡¯t wrong. According to what I know, even in times of antiquity, there were only about sixty ancient treasures that were capable of being titled as a spirit treasure. Each and every one seemed capable of vast abilities that could shake the world. In truth, I originally thought that Master¡¯s small bottle was a spirit treasure, but after some further thought, I felt it to be unlikely.¡±


    Han Li was stunned and doubtfully asked, ¡°Oh? Could it be that my small bottle¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t enough to be an ancient treasure?¡±


    The small fox licked its lips and solemnly replied, ¡°Of course not. Master¡¯s small bottle has the abilities to view the spirit treasures with disdain. After all, no matter how grand the abilities of the spirit treasures, they must still comply with the heavenly laws of this world. Those spirit treasures merely utilize the laws of this world to a greater extend, but that small bottle¡¯s ability to age medicine is a truly heaven-defying matter. I reckon that such an item can only be refined once you ascend into the spirit realm or the world above it.¡±


    Han Li felt his breath turn cold and he passionately asked, ¡°You mean to say that this bottle could¡¯ve been a treasure refined by Immortals of a higher realm?¡±


    Silvermoon nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. It is certainly possible!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he grew silent and suddenly took out the small bottle from his storage pouch. His expression stirred as he carefully examined it in his hands.


    A long while later, Han Li carefully put the bottle away and asked, ¡°Silvermoon, you were listening in the next room. Do you feel that I should stay or find somewhere better?¡±

 Chapter 642

    Sect Elder


    Silvermoon calmly said, ¡°This¡­ Since Master has personally asked me, I will be blunt. May I ask Master¡¯s plans for the future? If he has no other plans, then staying at the Drifting Cloud Sect isn¡¯t a bad decision. Those two early Nascent Soul cultivators won¡¯t place any restrictions on you if you stay. Furthermore, the Drifting Cloud sect is by no means a small sect. It is able to provide a certain amount of backing for Master. Of course, if Master has other plans, then leave the matter be. None would easily dare to provoke a Nascent Soul cultivator, be they vagrant or not.¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°For the time being, I have no concrete plans, but I must spend the next years consolidating my Nascent Soul. I must also make a trip to the far west and acquire the last three layers for the Great Development Technique. Additionally, I will have to make a trip to the State of Yuanwu eventually. I made a promise long ago to exterminate the Fu Clan in that country. I do not know if they are related to the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion¡¯s Fu Clan.¡±


    After some further thought, Silvermoon proposed, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Master should remain at the Drifting Cloud Sect. If Master gains guidance from other Nascent Soul cultivators, it will be greatly beneficial to his cultivation. There won¡¯t be much to gain by standing alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s reasonable to say. I¡¯ve grown tired now. You may withdraw.¡± Without directly answering Silvermoon proposal, he walked in the direction of his bedroom.


    Silvermoon tilted her head as she glanced at Han Li walking away and wore a pensive expression before walking away from the hall.


    Lying down on the stone bed in the room, Han Li gazed at the stone ceiling as his mind wandered, finding it difficult to fall asleep. When he recalled the formation of his Nascent Soul, he grew filled with trepidation. While it appeared that condensing a Nascent Soul was simple, it was actually incredibly dangerous.


    When a core is shattered, it causes the entire body¡¯s meridians to flow backwards. In truth, it had been painful enough to kill him. But since his cultivation was deeper than those of a similar grade, he was able to bear through it. Of course, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng pill was greatly effective during this period, else Han Li suspected he would¡¯ve fainted.


    The shattered core stage was extremely dangerous. However, it paled in comparison to the following stage, inner demon backlash.


    With the aid of the Soul Nurturing Wood beads, the Matron Screen Beads, and the other soul protecting treasures, along with the Soul Tempering Pill, he believed he would have a far easier time making it past this stage compared to other Nascent Soul cultivators. However, he didn¡¯t expect the ferocious cunning of the inner demon backlash to be several times greater than that of legend.


    The inner demons had Han Li experience a string of his deepest fears and hatreds that he buried deep within his heart. During this time, he was incapable to telling that it was an illusion and lived through each of them.


    Regardless of whether it be his small native village being ransacked, his family being assaulted, or his own cultivation disappearing, the pursuit of the entire cultivation world from having his bottle revealed, they all stirred up the weaknesses of Han Li¡¯s heart. Each of these illusions were as real as could be. Once he fell into them, he had no method of breaking free of them. Despite his calm and unwavering nature, he had nearly lost himself into these illusions from fury and fright.


    Fortunately, the Spirit Tempering Pill and the other treasures were well deserving of their name, allowing him to keep his mind clear during crucial moments. Eventually, this led to Han Li finally breaking free of the illusions, awakening to a body full of cold sweat.


    But before he could steady his mind, the inner demons immediately followed up with another attack. While he was still perturbed, he was instead placed into many happier illusions.


    He met his father, mother, and little sister once more, living the happy life of when he was child. He saw a beautiful dream where he married Nangong Wan and they became Dao companions. He even had a dream where he had a harem with the Mo Sisters, Chen Qiaoqian as well as several other woman. However, Han Li was able to easily break free of these desires.


    Following that, Han Li envisioned himself becoming hegemon of the cultivation world in the Heavenly South Region, eventually ascending to the next world and becoming a true immortal. Such visions continued one after another.


    After being enveloped in these illusions for an unknown amount of time, experiencing what seemed to be several lifetimes worth of happiness and grief, he suddenly came to awareness by a stroke of luck and was able to finally escape the entrapment of the inner demons, bringing form to a Nascent Soul.


    As Han Li silently recalled this while he laid in bed, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the first time his Nascent Soul manifested.


    Once his Nascent Soul had formed, it immediately flew out from the top of his head. He clearly felt that the Nascent Soul to be himself, and himself as the Nascent Soul. He was incapable of controlling the actions of the Nascent Soul and could only helplessly observe it playing with his own hair as if it were a true careless infant. At that moment, his mind felt serene and burdenless like all worries had been tossed to the back of his mind and he had become his true self.


    After pondering about this in hindsight, he realized what had happened. Because he had just formed a Nascent Soul, he was incapable of merging it with his mind. Once he consolidated the Nascent Soul and progressed his cultivation, this matter shouldn¡¯t reappear in the future.


    After restlessly pondering about his experiences forming a Nascent Soul, he eventually closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. During this moment of rest, a seldom scene reappeared in his mind. He was back at his home village where he was freely rushing through the mountains with his elder brother and little sister. Afterwards, he returned home to eat with his parents and have a nice chat. It was a nice dream.


    When the Drifting Cloud Sec Elders returned, Han Li agreed to enter the Drifting Cloud Sect without any reservations.


    The two elders were vastly delighted to hear this.


    They immediately proposed to call together a majestic celebration within the sect for Han Li¡¯s entrance into the sect, inviting even the high grade cultivators of other sects to celebrate.


    Once Han Li heard this, he intensely shook his head and flatly declined. He proposed a simpler observance to only to tell the other two sects of his entrance. In any case, he¡¯d come to meet the two sects¡¯ Nascent Soul elders eventually. He may as well make a subdued entrance instead of attracting attention to himself.


    While the silver-haired old man and Cultivator Lu felt this was improper, they understood Han Li disliked bustling activities and agreed.


    Soon after, Han Li followed the two to a hall on the main mountain of the sects¡¯ Six Marvelous Peaks. It was there that they summoned all the Core Formation disciples of the sect.


    A small portion of them naturally recognized Han Li to be a ¡°Qi Condensation disciple¡±. When they heard of the rumors a few days prior that a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator was about to enter their sect, they investigated Han Li¡¯s background and came to a likely conclusion.


    But when the time came to see Han Li, they all revealed respectful faces despite whatever complicated emotions they may hold.


    Seeing these previous ¡°Martial Ancestors¡± address him as Martial Uncle Han caused him to inwardly laugh, but his face remained calm as normal. With a wave of his hand, he had them stand, wishing to make things brief and easy.


    However, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense caught a glimpse of the woman surnamed Song wearing a complicated expression when she called him ¡®Martial Uncle¡¯. Her voice was even somewhat hesitant. It seemed this woman had misgivings about having found nothing despite the heart reading technique she had employed on him. She naturally couldn¡¯t address the matter given Han Li¡¯s current cultivation.


    After he met with the Core formation cultivators, the silver-haired old man promptly displayed a map of the spirit veins of the Dreamcloud Mountains. Han Li was allowed to choose a mountain with abundant spiritual Qi to establish his cave residence. It wasn¡¯t required to be within range of the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Having heard this, Han Li spent the day looking through without any reservations and found a medium-sized mountain in the west of the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Although this mountain wasn¡¯t imposingly lofty nor did it have the best spiritual Qi, it was an interconnected chain of mountains. In addition to the main mountain, it was surrounded by three shorter mountains. It was quite suitable to place down spell formations and restrictions, greatly aligning to Han Li¡¯s desires.


    Opening the cave residence was a rather easy matter for Han Li. Despite being the largest cave residence he had yet to carve out, he spent only half a day¡¯s time.


    Once Han Li finished establishing his cave residence, Han Li immediately placed down a few formidable spell formations on each of the three peaks, completely enveloping the area of ten kilometers in a fog.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly satisfied with these spell formations. Han Li decided that once he gained more understanding in the Dao of Formation spells, he would place down even greater formations.


    With that done, Han Li returned to his previous cave residence at the medicinal garden and prepared to move everything there. However, there was a graceful figure that was waiting in the medicine garden underneath the mountain.


    Once she saw Han Li, she gave a deep curtsy and beseeched Han Li, ¡°Mu Peiling is blind despite having eyes. This Junior hope Senior Han will not take offense at my previous actions. However, I do have a matter that I must request of Senior. Would Senior be willing to take me in as a disciple? I will be certain to serve you throughout my life and remain entirely loyal.¡± Once that was said, this ordinarily proud woman bowed her head and revealed light nervousness from her face, but her eyes shined in anticipation.

 Chapter 643

    Making Fiction a Reality


    Han Li examined the the woman before him and coldly refused her, ¡°I don¡¯t take disciples. And why do you think that I¡¯d accept a Foundation Establishment cultivator? As for your rash actions, I will overlook them on behalf of our past relations. You¡¯re on your own!¡±


    ¡°Senior! I¡­¡± When Mu Peiling heard him, her face revealed a trace of panic and she rushed to say something else. However, Han Li brushed aside his sleeve and summoned a gale, swaying and interrupting the woman.


    By the time she regained her bearings, Han Li was nowhere to be found. Having seen this, the woman became dispirited and blankly stood in place for a long while. After all, this newly appeared Senior Han was the only choice she had left.


    At that moment, Han Li was already back inside his old cave residence. He went straight towards his insect room and withdrew the ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles. In the past twenty years, his pure Gold Devouring Beetles had evolved once more, nearly shedding all the silver on their shells for gold. Only a few specks of silver still remained on their shells. If he didn¡¯t closely examine them, they would appear completely gold. It was clear that complete maturity for the Gold Devouring Beetles was only a step away. This simultaneously caused Han Li to be excited and somewhat disappointed.


    The ferocity of these mostly pure Gold Devouring Beetles had greatly broadened Han Li¡¯s perspective. He pitted over a hundred black-tainted and newly evolved Gold Devouring Beetles against each other. As a result of a few seconds, the black-tainted beetles had nearly been wiped out.


    Be it might or tenacity, the newly evolved beetles were far superior to that of the black-tainted beetles. Additionally, the newly evolved beetles start to emit an ominous, repulsive scent, and their blood-thirst and gluttony had reached a level that was incomparable to before.


    He was convinced that if they weren¡¯t under the effects of soul control restrictions, they would devour him without any hesitation. Han Li also faintly felt as if his control over them had weakened. If they were to evolve once more, common restrictions would be impotent in the face of their savage nature.


    Despite these thoughts, Han Li isolated a group of his largest Gold Devouring Beetles and attempted to have them evolve as quickly as possible so that he could witness the savagery and cruelty of fully mature Gold Devouring Beetles


    However, advancing to the next stage took far longer than he anticipated. He feared that without another hundred years, it would be impossible to have them evolve to the last stage. Still, this was acceptable. It gave him time to find a better method to control these beetles.


    Having withdrew his beetles, Han Li walked into the medicinal garden as he continued to ponder. He then carefully put away the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng and the nearly grown Spirit Well Tree.


    Although the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng had been greatly weakened from its use in the medicine pill, Han Li could easily restore it with the green liquid and so he kept it in his possession.


    As for the Spirit Well Tree, he had matured it over the span of many years. The day it would start to produce Wine Nectar wasn¡¯t far off. Han Li was looking forward to the abilities he would be granted from cleansing his eyes with large quantities of Brightsight Water.


    Apart from the insects and plants in his medicine garden, Han Li had an assortment of other items, but he felt disinterested in collecting them and just left them there.


    When Han Li glanced down at the medicine garden from up in the sky, he unintentionally found Mu Peiling down below. She was gritting her teeth with an expression of helplessness and hadn¡¯t noticed Han Li stealthily flying up above.


    Han Li lightly shook his head. While handling her issues would be but a trivial effort, he was unwilling to exercise his influence as he had just recently became a chief elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, not to mention that both the Mu Clan and Yan Clan were large cultivation clans in the State of Xi.


    As for his relationship with the woman, it wasn¡¯t anything special. It wasn¡¯t reason enough to act. In fact, he¡¯d refuse any request from the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples that had recognized him from before.


    Han Li truly had no interest in forcefully meddling with the inner affairs of clans.


    As such, Han Li silently flew across the Drifting Cloud Sect and arrived in front of his new cave residence. The barrier of mist departed as soon as Han Li appeared and he directly flew into the center of the mountain.


    After Han Li placed the insects and plants inside his residence with great familiarity, he placed the matters of the residence into Silvermoon¡¯s hands for the time being. He then entered a silent room without hesitation and started to consolidate his Nascent Soul.


    During this time, the silver-haired old man and Cultivator Lu both knew that Han Li needed this time to advance in the first step of stabilizing his Nascent Soul. As such, they didn¡¯t bother Han Li¡¯s cultivation.


    A few months later, Han Li was able to smoothly consolidate his Nascent Soul and merge his mind and Nascent Soul as one. If he were to have his Nascent Soul manifest out of his head now, Han Li would be able to easily control its actions.


    By the time Han Li left the silent room, Silvermoon had taken the form of a young woman and was respectfully waiting outside the room. However, when she looked at Han Li, her face wore a strange expression.


    Han Li frowned and asked, ¡°It appears that you have something to say to me. What is it?¡±


    Silvermoon smiled with pursed lips and said, ¡°Master, half a month after you entered the silent room, Martial Niece Mu came here and had already sat on top of one of the smaller mountains. She¡¯s been waiting there for many days already.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and expressionlessly said, ¡°This woman actually has no sense of propriety. If she wants to wait so much, then let her wait. I¡¯m not one to look for trouble.¡±


    ¡°But Master, not long after this woman arrived, I received sound transmission talismans from the Yan Clan and the Mu Clan. Because Master was in seclusion, I¡¯ve made a duplicate of each of these sound transmission talismans.¡± Silvermoon turned her gaze and probingly asked, ¡°Would Master like to take a look?¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin and indifferently said, ¡°Sound transmission talismans? From the Mu and Yan Clan? Could it have something with that woman named Peiling? Is there a problem from what you heard?¡±


    Silvermoon sweetly smiled, ¡°Hehe! Master has quite the foresight, but there is no need for me to say anything. Master will know as soon as he hears them. There is truly a bit of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Take them out.¡± Han Li was disinterested in guessing the meaning behind her words and he extended his hand.


    Silvermoon took out a white and a red talisman and handed them over to Han Li with a smile still on her face.


    Han Li bluntly grabbed them and had them light up into a ball of flame.


    Han Li calmly listened to what the balls of light had to say. A short moment later, he wore a face of amazement, soon to be replaced with fury.


    Once Han Li finished listening to them, his expression sank and he icily said, ¡°Humph! This woman is truly too brave. Does she believe that I will allow her to act so troublesomely because she was my ¡®Martial Aunt¡¯ for a few years?¡±


    Silvermoon attempted to stifle her smile. ¡°She clearly understood that this would offend Master. However, it seems this woman believes that Master isn¡¯t a hard-hearted man despite the little contact she had with you. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to dare to seek protection from you during that day. Besides, even if you punish her, she probably believes it to be a better alternative than becoming the Dao companion of that Senior Martial Brother Yan.¡±


    Han Li glanced at Silvermoon with an annoyed glint in his eye and said, ¡°However, she is far too daring. To actually directly tell both clans that I¡¯ve taken her in as a concubine? Both clan heads have hastily sent sound transmissions expressing their regret. The Yan Clan Head even renounced the marriage, wishing for me to not take any offense for their ignorance. Since this woman dared to act this way, it seems she should be prepared.¡±


    Silvermoon blinked with bright eyes and revealed slight amazement, ¡°Master means to¡­¡±


    Han Li stretched himself and lazily said, ¡°What? Is there anything strange in me accepting a concubine now that I¡¯ve formed a Nascent Soul? Since this woman is a peerless beauty, I may as well make this fiction a reality and have a taste of what it means to pair cultivate.¡± However, there was a trace of a sneer on his face.


    After a moment of confusion, Silvermoon pursed her lips and doubtfully said, ¡°However, Master was never someone to be with a woman, and he had even refused a few advances. Lady Wen for example. And earlier there was¡­¡±


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and spoke with a flat voice, ¡°The past was the past. The present is now. My cultivation was far too shallow before I formed a Nascent Soul, and I had no thoughts of seeking the pleasure of a concubine. But if Wen Siyue were to meet me now, I naturally wouldn¡¯t let her go.¡±


    When Silvermoon heard Han Li¡¯s words, she was dumbfounded. It felt as if he were speaking sincerely.

 Chapter 644

    Thirty Year Agreement


    Silvermoon widely opened her eyes and she hesitantly said, ¡°Master, you¡­ you¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll come to know whether or not my words hold true. For now, call that woman in for me. At her current cultivation, she shouldn¡¯t be able to see through your human form.¡± Han Li casually commanded.


    Regardless of her suspicions, she respectfully replied, ¡°As you bid, Master!¡± Han Li then turned around and entered the large hall.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Silvermoon gracefully entered the hall with a haggard Mu Peiling. It seemed that this short time had been quite stressful for her.


    Silvermoon glanced at Han Li and respectfully said, ¡°Master, Young Lady Mu has arrived.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and indifferently said, ¡°I am aware. You may leave.¡±


    ¡°This servant is excused!¡± Silvermoon shot a glance at Mu Peiling and departed from hall with a pursed smile.


    ¡°I pay my respects to Senior Han.¡± After saluting Han Li, she remained helplessly silent as if she were awaiting punishment from Han Li.


    Han Li slightly frowned in response to her appearance and he examined her beautiful face.


    Without revealing the slightest anger, he calmly said, ¡°You should know why I¡¯ve called you in. You blurted out words to those cultivation clans that gave them a domineering impression of me. After all, seizing an engaged woman as a concubine can¡¯t be something that is easily taken. Of course at my current cultivation, the Mu and Yan Clan wouldn¡¯t dare to complain, nor do I hold them in much esteem. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that I will tolerate your presumptuous actions. You should realize I will punish you.¡±


    The woman raised her head and spoke with a pale complexion, ¡°Please forgive me Senior. This woman has truly been reckless. But rather than wed into the Yan Clan, Junior would find it preferable to become Senior¡¯s concubine.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and he snorted before slowly continuing, ¡°Since you said that you were to be my concubine, I can no longer stay uninvolved, nor can I make clear that this is untrue. Otherwise, these cultivation clans will recognize me, this new Drifting Cloud Sect Elder, to be weak and feeble, incapable of protecting even a Foundation Establishment woman underneath him. And these rumors should¡¯ve already spread throughout the cultivation world as well. So tell me, how should I deal with you?¡±


    Mu Peiling bit her lips and softly said, ¡°Junior has nothing to say. I will have no complaints in how Senior will punish me.¡±


    ¡°Since cultivators on the outside know you to be my concubine, I will give you two choices. The first is to pretend to be my concubine, but you will actually be my servant and obey my orders. After you¡¯ve served me for twenty years, the matter should¡¯ve faded and I will let you free. However, you had best avoid any thoughts that I will assist with the cultivation of a servant girl.¡±


    When Mu Peiling heard this, she revealed a trace of disappointment and raised her head, asking, ¡°Then, what is the second choice?¡±


    Han Li stared at the woman and calmly said, ¡°The second option is make this fiction a reality, to become my concubine in truth. You will attend to me through your life. I will not treat my own spouse pettily and will guide you in your cultivation if my mood is willing. However, I must first tell you that if you wish to become my concubine, I will place a soul restriction on you to prevent any possible betrayal. After all, if you were to suddenly changed your mind, my secrets could possibly be laid bare.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Mu Peiling grew distracted upon hearing him and her expression fluttered as if she were deeply considering Han Li¡¯s thoughts. It seems this woman didn¡¯t greatly oppose the thought of marrying Han Li.


    Han Li indifferently said, ¡°I know that you¡¯ve always been proud. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator such as myself isn¡¯t your ideal husband. However, this doesn¡¯t matter. Fellow Daoist Mu isn¡¯t my ideal Dao companion either, but this won¡¯t stop me from taking you in as a concubine. If you obtain my protection, you will tread farther on the path of cultivation without much cost.


    And in these past few years, you¡¯ve come to know that I¡¯m not a brutal or craven eccentric. Even if I place down a restriction on your soul, I won¡¯t mistreat you or cause you hardship. And later on, I may even grow to trust you and remove those restrictions. It either will be this, or acting as my servant for twenty years! Those years as a servant shouldn¡¯t pass by too slowly.¡± His eyes moved away from her as if he didn¡¯t mind what she chose.


    Mu Peiling¡¯s heart grew turbulent. While she was unwilling to be controlled by another, the assistance and guidance of a Nascent Soul cultivator was also hard to pass. Unable to come to a decision, she hesitantly said, ¡°Senior, could I have two days to consider this?¡±


    As for becoming Han Li¡¯s concubine, she already knew what Han Li had described; it couldn¡¯t be said to be a bad decision in the slightest. Countless beautiful, young Foundation Establishment women would be tempted to take the offer of becoming the concubine of a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Without any intention of making it difficult for her, Han Li leniently nodded his head, ¡°You may. Come back after two days with your answer. It should be enough time for you to come to a decision.¡± He then called for Silvermoon to take her out.


    After saluting, Mu Peiling followed Silvermoon¡¯s lead and absentmindedly left the hall.


    A short moment later, Silvermoon gracefully walked back inside.


    Silvermoon¡¯s bright eyes flickered and she mysteriously smiled, ¡°Master, the two conditions you raised are somewhat¡­¡±


    Han Li glanced at Silvermoon and said, ¡°What? Do you think they¡¯re too harsh? Don¡¯t they align with her wishes?¡±


    Silvermoon sighed and softly said, ¡°It isn¡¯t about harshness. It¡¯s merely that this woman possesses an unyielding heart. With her pride, it would be difficult for her to choose either option. But if Master truly accepts this girl, then a soul restriction is undoubtedly necessary considering his many secrets.¡±


    Han Li attentively took measure of Silvermoon and spoke with slight surprise, ¡°You seem to have quite a favorable impression of her.¡±


    Silvermoon was momentarily surprised before wryly smiling, ¡°That isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s just that her staunch character gives me a familiar feeling. It seemed in the past that I had a close relationship to someone with a similar nature. I¡¯ve unconsciously grown concerned with her.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further.


    Silvermoon tactfully avoided mentioning Mu Peiling and instead discussed the matter of refining the Celestial Ice Flames, Han Li¡¯s most pressing matter.


    Two days later, Mu Peiling arrived once more and she was led into the main hall by Silvermoon.


    Han Li glanced at the woman and bluntly asked, ¡°So, you should¡¯ve already came to a decision. Will you be my servant for twenty years or will I be placing a soul restriction on you?¡±


    It was the clear the woman had made up her mind. She took a quick breath and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already decided. In the cultivation world, it could be considered destiny for a low grade female cultivator to be given an opportunity to become the concubine of a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, I hope Senior will make a promise before I become his concubine. So long as this condition is met, I am willing to be be restricted by your spiritual sense and spend the rest of my life under you.¡±


    ¡°A condition? Go ahead and speak.¡± Han Li¡¯s face remained unchanged as if he had already anticipated this.


    ¡°I know Senior Han isn¡¯t a hasty character. As such, I hope that Senior will pledge to hold off for thirty years before he takes my vital yin. I am currently at a crucial point in my cultivation and wish to see whether or not I can form a core within thirty years. It is extremely important for my cultivation art that I remain a virgin. It was for this reason that I was unwilling to be married. Regardless of whether or not I form my core within this time, Senior may pair cultivate with me once time has passed.¡± Perhaps thinking that the conditions were too harsh or that speaking of the matter of pair cultivation was embarrassing, her face blushed after this was all said, revealing a captivating expression.


    ¡°Thirty years? Haha! That¡¯s fine. I can agree to your condition.¡± Once Han Li heard this, his eyes brightly flickered and he instantly agreed.


    Mu Peiling was amazed that Han Li had so quickly agreed, but she soon recovered and joyfully said, ¡°Many thanks to Senior!¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Han Li said, ¡°In two days, I will officially notify the other two elders of the sect that I¡¯ve taken you in as a concubine. But since it will be thirty years before we actually pair cultivate, I will open a smaller separate cave residence for your cultivation among one of the other three mountains. Of course if I have the time, I will go over and give you some guidance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as you wish.¡± Mu Peiling was clearly very satisfied with these results and approved without thought.


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he mysteriously smiled, ¡°As my future concubine, there is no need to always address me as Senior. You may simply address me as Lord [1]. I am only two hundred years old, and am quite young considering my lifespan is now over a thousand years.¡± Han Li then sized up the beautiful woman without any restraint, clearly appreciating the view.


    [1] The Lord that Han Li mentions is actually ¡°(Young) Lord¡± ¹«×Ó

 Chapter 645

    Copulative Essence Arts


    Mu Peiling blushed and softly said, ¡°As you bid, Lord!¡±


    Han Li withdrew his wanton gaze from her body. He took a purple jade medallion out from his robes and placed it on the table. He said with a cold voice, ¡°Return and handle your affairs. Pick a mountain for your cave residence as well. This is a restriction medallion for the surrounding formations. If you wear it on your person, you will be able to leave my spell formations as you please. Once everything is prepared, I will place down a soul restriction on you and have you officially become my concubine, but let¡¯s get the ugly talk out of the way first. I don¡¯t care if you have an ideal husband or a beloved. Cleanly sever ties with them; you are my concubine now. If you still have feelings of longing for them and still possess relations with them, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless. Now is the time to withdraw if you still possess any second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Since I was small, I¡¯ve dedicated myself to walking the path of immortal cultivation. How could I have a beloved? Besides, I have steeled my resolve. I won¡¯t back down when the matter has already been decided.¡± Without a further thought, the woman nimbly took the jade medallion.


    Han Li nodded his head and said no further. Soon after, he summoned a huge ape puppet and had it guide Mu Peiling outside.


    Mu Peiling revealed a trace of surprise upon seeing the puppet. The puppet fearsomely held a level of spiritual Qi similar to her own. She was also puzzled as to why the white-clothed woman wasn¡¯t there as well.


    However, she knew that it was best to avoid probing too deeply and obediently kept quiet, following the puppet out from the cave residence.


    Once the woman left, a white fox walked out from what appeared to be an empty corner of the room. ¡°Since Master planned on taking this woman as a concubine for her punishment, why did you agree to wait thirty years? Could it be you have other plans?¡±


    Han Li calmly admitted, ¡°Of course I do. To tell the truth, I have no plans to touch her before she reaches Core Formation.¡±


    Silvermoon hopped onto the table in front of Han Li and gazed at Han Li in a puzzled manner, ¡°Huh? Why might that be?¡±


    When Han Li saw her adorable appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. He took out a pink jade talisman from his waist and placed it on the table.


    ¡°Do you recall the storage pouch I looted off the disciple of Archsaint Six Paths? This jade slip was in his storage pouch. It contains many Devil Dao pair cultivation arts.¡±


    Silvermoon looked at the jade slip and then glanced at Han Li with a trace of suspicion. Since Han Li took this out, she knew that Han Li would continue his explanation.


    As expected, Han Li lightly stoked the pink jade slip with his finger and unhurriedly said, ¡°There are many secret techniques contained inside this jade talisman. Although they are more powerful than ordinary pair cultivation techniques, the difference can¡¯t be considered much. However, there were two secret techniques among them that were particularly exceptional. One of them, the Dragon Guiding Arts, are particularly suitable for Core Formation males, allowing a Core Formation cultivator to unceasingly draw on the vital Yin essence of a woman with a special constitution, greatly raising their cultivation.


    ¡°However, this secret technique was certain to cause great harm to the woman¡¯s origin Qi. As such, any male cultivators using this technique would best have many concubines. Considering the many Foundation Establishment women at Archsaint Six Paths¡¯ disciple¡¯s side, he should¡¯ve cultivated this technique. Otherwise, there would be no way he could¡¯ve cultivated to late Core Formation stage at his young age, no matter how amazing his aptitude. After all, he didn¡¯t have a miraculous bottle that could age plants.


    ¡°As for the other technique, the Copulative Essence Arts, its a secret pair cultivation technique that is specialized for Nascent Soul men. Unlike the Dragon Guiding Arts, it requires a woman to possess cultivation at Core Formation stage. Once a woman cultivates this technique to a deep enough stage, the male cultivator would be able to forcefully break through a cultivation bottleneck in an instant by seizing her vital Yin. It is only natural that I wish for this woman to cultivate with all her might. This technique requires a woman possessing deep cultivation after all.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Guiding Arts! Copulative Essence Arts! Isn¡¯t it an exaggeration for a pair cultivation technique to be so fearsome?!¡± The small fox blinked and revealed disbelief.


    Han Li sighed and said, ¡°I had similar thoughts to you at the beginning, for a pair cultivation technique to be so fearsome; its simply unprecedented. However, I discovered the name of the person who established these pair cultivation techniques inside the jade slip, and my doubts were immediately dispelled.¡±


    Silvermoon seemed to have thought of something and couldn¡¯t help but softly shout, ¡°Yi! Could it be¡­¡±


    Han Li said with a deep voice, ¡°That¡¯s right! These two pair cultivation techniques were personally established by Archsaint Six Paths. Since he is a late Nascent Soul cultivator and is renowned as the number one figure in the Scattered Star Sea¡¯s Devil Dao, these two techniques should be greatly effective. Otherwise, Archsaint Six Paths¡¯ disciple couldn¡¯t have kept it so closely on his person.¡±


    Silvermoon tilted her furry head and hesitantly asked, ¡°So Master plans on using this woman to cultivate¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once this woman reaches late Core Formation stage, we will both cultivate the Copulative Essence Arts. And once I reach a bottleneck, I will use this technique to breakthrough it. After all, there are few medicine pills that are capable of assisting in the cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator. From now on, my cultivation speed will be pathetically slow. Since a vast majority of Nascent Soul cultivators are stuck at the early stage, it can be observed that it is extremely difficult to breakthrough the bottleneck to mid Nascent Soul stage. As such, I must make an attempt, regardless of the validity of the technique¡¯s effects.


    ¡°It is only a pity that according to what was described, the bottleneck breakthrough will only occur for the first time the technique is used. It will have longer have this effect once the woman¡¯s vital yin is taken. Of course, this technique also benefits the woman involved as well, but not nearly to the extent of the male cultivator. Tell me, did you think that I truly thought I acquired a concubine merely because I could?¡± Han Li glanced at the white fox at the side and coldly smiled.


    Silvermoon appeared to sigh with relief and smiled, ¡°At first, I did! I had thought that Master has grown proud after forming a Nascent Soul and thought to take in a concubine as a result.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he wore a vague expression. He then expressionlessly said, ¡°Although I will place the woman underneath a soul restriction, it is better that she doesn¡¯t learn of all the secrets in the cave residence. I will be able to control this woman¡¯s very life, but I cannot control her thoughts. Just because I treat her well doesn¡¯t necessarily mean she will be grateful. I will first treat her with great caution so I may avoid being betrayed from a moment of carelessness.


    ¡°This ¡®Martial Aunt¡¯ Mu is rather intelligent, but it would be best to keep watch of her. If she truly wishes to follow me and is unswayed by the wills of others, I will not treat her unfairly and will assist in her cultivation. After all, I have an abundance of low grade medicine pills. Silvermoon, keep an eye on her for me when you¡¯re free. It should be a trivial effort given your skills.¡±


    Silvermoon obediently agreed, ¡°Yes, Master! When you are in secluded cultivation, I will particularly pay attention to her.¡±


    ¡°That will do. These thirty years should be enough for me to read her. I hope she doesn¡¯t disappoint me!¡± During that final sentence, Han Li¡¯s tone became sullen.


    Several days later, Mu Peiling returned to the mountain and was subjected to a soul restriction by Han Li. Afterwards, she was gifted with a few bottles of medicine pills effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators. This gift had amazed her and caused her face to blossom with beauty from her delight. She eagerly expressed her thanks with adoring respect. It appeared this woman had truly thought of herself as his concubine.


    After the silver-haired old man and Cultivator Lu were notified that Han Li had taken her in as a concubine, they expressed their congratulations and each gifted a top grade magic tool to Mu Peiling.


    Han Li smiled in response and politely thanked them.


    From then on, Mu Peiling began to dedicatedly cultivate at one of the smaller mountains surrounding the main cave residence, provided both with Han Li¡¯s guidance and medicine pills.


    During this time, Han Li would occasionally pay a visit to the cave residences of the other two Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect, humbly asking for cultivation instruction. Since the two Drifting Cloud elders intended to sincerely accept Han Li into their fold, they hid nothing from him, much to Han Li¡¯s benefit. In hindsight, Han Li felt his choice to stay was extremely wise.


    Several months later, Han Li was delighted to discover the Spirit Well Tree in the medicine garden started to shed Wine Nectar. He hastily began to refine the Brightsight Water according to the instructions that the dishevel-haired cultivator left behind.


    With Han Li¡¯s grandmaster-level skills in medicine pill refinement, he quickly grasped the knack of refining the spirit water and found it easy to concoct despite his first few failed attempts.


    Currently inside the pill refinement room, Han Li was holding onto a small bottle of Brightsight Water that he concocted earlier. His gaze flickered when something suddenly came to mind, and his expression soon became determined. He opened the bottle with one hand and caused his hand to flash with azure light in the other. A ball of translucent blue liquid flew out from the bottle and slowly made its ways towards Han Li¡¯s forehead.


    By the the time the water arrived in front of Han Li¡¯s forehead, it suddenly stopped and became completely still.


    Han Li looked at the water with narrowed eyes and remained silent. A short moment later, he opened his mouth and breathed out a small mist of azure light and enveloped the water. Then as the water sparkled, two fine strands of water suddenly shot out and entered Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Han Li felt his eyes warm up, but a moment later, the warmth turned into a bone-chilling cold. He shut his eyes and trembled from the sensation.

 Chapter 646

    Aureate Sword Formation


    [TL Note: The Swordshadow Phantasm Technique is now known as the Swordlight Reflection Technique.]


    Han Li meditated without any further thought and began to circulate the Qi into his body. The icy sensation in his eyes only grew stronger.


    If anyone were standing in front of Han Li at that moment, they would¡¯ve discovered that a layer of blue light began to weakly cover his eyes.


    An hour later, the icy sensation gradually faded away from his eyes and Han Li deeply sighed. His eyelids trembled for a moment before they opened. He unconsciously glanced around with a trace of doubt on his face.


    Han Li glance around and muttered to himself, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that anything has changed. Could it be ineffective?¡±


    But after a moment more of thought, he suddenly poured spiritual power into his eyes and deeply glanced around. A blue light sparkled from deep within his eyes.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but shout out. He was able to see the restrictions in the silent room, and his eyes were stained light blue. However, his focus was disrupted from his surprise and the scene before him returned to normal.


    Han Li glanced at the ball of spirit water still floating in front of him and thought, ¡®It was no wonder that cultivators at Core Formation stage and beyond hold no interest in Brightsight Water. This meager ability to barely see through anything is to little effect. There are many supplementary magic techniques that could achieve a far stronger effect. However, this is only the result of cleansing the eyes one time. If I were to periodically use the Brightsight Water, perhaps my eyes would gain a miraculous ability. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    Without any reservations, Han Li used the remaining Brightsight water to repeatedly cleanse his eyes. This amount of spirit water was enough for over ten cultivators to cleanse their eyes once through, but with Han Li¡¯s profound cultivation, he was able to consume all of it after only a few times.


    Once the spirit water was completely consumed, Han Li still observed no changes. It was only when he focused spiritual power into his eyes that blue light suddenly appeared within them. It¡¯s ability to see through restrictions wasn¡¯t particularly improved. As Han Li had plenty of time, he wasn¡¯t dejected by these results. It would just be a gradual process.


    On the second day, Han Li had a quick word with Silvermoon before he entered seclusion and took out the golden page that recorded the Azure Essence Sword Arts.


    This sword art was a complete set, containing thirteen layers. The divine abilities of the sword art included the Azure Essence Swordstreaks, the protective sword shield, and the Swordlight Reflection Technique.


    The first two techniques weren¡¯t particularly notable. Although they were easy to use, their power was nothing special. As for the Swordlight Reflection Technique, Han Li was greatly satisfied by it.


    He made use of that divine ability to great and immediate effect, bringing many battles to a sudden conclusion. However, because his opponents had been truly too powerful, the might of this sword art wasn¡¯t well displayed. He was confident that any common cultivator with similar cultivation to his own would be incapable of blocking several hundred of swordlights that surrounded them. They would be skewered in an instant.


    As of current, he had already cultivated to the tenth layer of the sword art and could now make use of the sword art¡¯s new divine ability. It had been quite laughable. He had already acquired the entirety of the Azure Essence Sword Arts from the golden page [1], but the final passage containing the last divine ability had been obscured from him at the time, perhaps by intention of the page¡¯s creator.


    Although he clearly knew that the words of light had contained the cultivation method for the final divine ability, his cultivation had been too shallow at the time. Even when he was at late Core Formation stage, he was still incapable of reading the divine ability.


    When Han Li was first given the cultivation incantations for the thirteen layers, he found the incantations for a realm higher than his own to be incomprehensibly profound. Despite reading through it several times, Han Li wasn¡¯t able to comprehend a lick of them, let alone be able to cultivate them. It seemed he¡¯d have to be a stage from Deity Transformation stage before finally being able to comprehend the divine ability that was hidden.


    At the time, Han Li wasn¡¯t flustered by this. Due to fear of sect disciples overreaching their limits in the pursuit of greater power, it was common practice in the cultivation world to subject inheritances under cultivation restrictions. Han Li clearly understood that when his cultivation was at a great enough level, he would come to understand the cultivation method of the divine ability eventually.


    Now that he had reached Nascent Soul stage, reading the passage for the divine ability should pose no problem.


    With that thought, Han Li flung the golden page into the air and spat out a mist of azure light from his mouth, blowing the golden page into the air like a feather. He then began to flick his finger with a calm expression, repeatedly striking the golden mist with Azure Essence Swordstreaks. Each glint of light was cleanly absorbed by it.


    With Han Li¡¯s current profound spiritual power, it had been far quicker to react than when he was at Foundation Establishment stage. A short moment later, the golden page absorbed enough essence and began to flourish with golden light. Strings of ant-sized characters began to continuously appear on the page.


    When Han Li saw this, he extended his hand towards the floating golden page without any hesitation and it flew into his grasp with a woosh. Suddenly, dense lines of light characters rushed towards Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li accepted the string of words with a calm expression. As a result, he was now able to clearly see the previously obscure portion of the Azure Essence Sword Arts.


    Without any further thought, he put away the golden page and immediately closed his eyes, examining the new acquired divine ability.


    ¡°The Aureate Sword Formation! What is this? Could it be related to spell formations?¡± Han Li merely through to read through the information, but the words Aureate Sword Formation immediately appeared in his mind in huge golden characters. He couldn¡¯t help but be astonished.


    The faintly gold characters of light began to appear within his spiritual sense and he began to comprehend the incantations. He sat still in a cross-legged manner as three days unknowingly passed.


    During this time, Han Li¡¯s face wore an assortment of varying expressions from excitement to misery. Even dense beads of sweat would occasionally form on his brow. When the end of the third day arrived, Han Li became calm once more. He sighed with a gloomy expression, opening his eyes to reveal deep thought


    He pursed his lips and muttered with an odd expression, ¡°This sword formation could only be described as outrageous. Even if I only received a third of its described power upon cultivating it to completion, I would be able to travel anywhere throughout the Heavenly South Region without hindrance.¡±


    Han Li muttered as he continued to ponder, ¡°However, being able to use this ability isn¡¯t a matter of a few years. I will need to use at least a hundred sword lights if I am able to use this ability. It was no wonder the two golden pages fundamentally served as one. With one detailing the incantations and the other describing the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, they are lacking without the other. I reckon the Swordlight Reflection Technique was founded for the sword formation. Otherwise, the formation wouldn¡¯t have been possible.¡±


    Of course, the more powerful the flying swords and the greater the number of swordlights, the more powerful the sword formation.


    Han Li reckoned that with enough time he would be able to produce four swordlight reflections from each of the seventy-two Cloudswarm Swords, forming a grand sword formation of three hundred sixty swordlights. If any mid Nascent Soul cultivators fell into the formation, they would be incapable of escaping unharmed, if they managed to survive. Additionally, once his own cultivation progressed, he would be able to create even more swordlights, enabling him to slay even late Nascent Soul cultivators. But in addition to acquiring enough swordlights to establish a formation, he must use this divine ability to refine his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords once more, requiring a material known as Auric Essence.


    This material wasn¡¯t unknown to Han Li as it was known by an extremely famous name in the cultivation world as Honed Gold. It was a rarely seen treasure on par with Han Li¡¯s piece of refined crystal he had acquired from those Ironfire Ants. However, some would say the Auric Essence was far more valuable.


    So long as a small piece of Auric Essence was used to temper a blade type magic treasure, its incisiveness would be increased several times over. To sword or saber cultivators, this was a matter of life and death.


    However, this was quite troublesome from Han Li. Even if a single sword required a small amount of Auric Essence, it was an astonishing amount when multiplied by seventy-two. Where would Han Li find such a large amount of Honed Gold?


    After all, as soon Auric Essence was discovered, it would either by applied to one¡¯s own magic treasure or would immediately be exchanged for needed items. It would quickly be used one way or another. Let alone the Heavenly South Region, this treasured material hardly ever appeared in the abundantly wealthy Scattered Star Seas. It would be impossible for him to trade for this precious stone.


    As of current, the astonishing might of this Aureate Sword Formation was fundamentally unobtainable, like flowery mist or the reflection of the moon in water.


    After further thought in the silent room, Han Li could only bitterly chuckle and set aside the matter for the time being. He then took out a jade box from his storage pouch and opened it to reveal a lustrous ball of golden light. Rolls of thunder faintly clapped as soon as it appeared.


    ¡°Celestial Ice Flames!¡±


    When he glanced at this precious treasure, Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen. With his current cultivation, he could now make an attempt to refine the flames. If he could successfully refine this icy flame, he could very likely acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    [1] In Chapter 241, Han Li acquired the complete Sword Essence Sword Arts from the golden page¡¯s words of light.

 Chapter 647

    Setting off on a Journey


    Since the Celestial Ice Flames would allow him to easily exterminate Nascent Soul cultivators, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to be careless. He possessed several techniques for refining devilfire, but he ended up choosing one of the secret techniques contained in the Profound Yin Arts as he felt it to be the reliable.


    Having decided, Han Li attentively stared at the golden ball of lightning for a moment and extended his finger towards it. With a crackle, a fine sliver of lightning suddenly arced from his finger and shot towards the golden ball. Suddenly, the golden ball trembled several times before being dragged into the air by the sliver of lightning. It brightly shined as it floated.


    Han Li then sat down underneath it and raised his head to look at it with narrowed eyes. At that point, he began to form a series of complicated incantation gestures with his hands.


    With rolls of thunder, dense arcs of golden lightning began to flicker and form an impenetrable net of lightning surrounding the ball. Once the ball of lightning was surrounded by a large net of lightning, the scene grew still.


    At that moment, Han Li sighed and his spiritual sense stirred, connecting with the shell of Divine Devilbane Lightning surrounding the Celestial Ice Flames. Thunderous bellows reverberated throughout the room and the golden sphere grew dazzling. Fine arcs of lightning began to repeatedly shoot out from the golden sphere and its bindings relaxed, revealing a deep blue, translucent pearl underneath. It was continuously spinning.


    Han Li held his breath upon seeing the Celestial Ice Pearl. Having personally witnessed its power, fear of it still lingered in his heart.


    With the ice pearl¡¯s appearance, Han Li spat out an azure flying sword from his mouth without further thought and momentarily pressed his hands together. A dense bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from his hands, simultaneously striking the ice pearl in an overbearing attack alongside the flying sword.


    The pearl cracked open with a boom. With a pulse of light, the sphere turned into a unstable sphere of blue flames. The sphere of flames then expanded before condensing into a fist-sized blue flower. Each of its petals glistened as the flower slowly blossomed.


    Simultaneously, a layer of blue frost began to spread throughout the walls, enveloping the entire room in a realm of freezing ice in the blink of an eye.


    However, Han Li had long prepared for this. Although a solemn expression appeared on his face, he remained calm and a dense layer of blue light securely protected his body. With his Nascent Soul cultivation, he was able to completely protect himself from the assault of the icy flames, fearsome as they may be.


    Han Li felt somewhat relieved to see that the icy Qi was unable to penetrate the light barrier protecting his body and proceeded to point into the air. The net of Divine Devilbane Lightning immediately shrunk back and enveloped the blue flower of light. Underneath the golden sparkling light and blue radiance, the huge blue flower began to change once more into a flame attempting its utmost to resist the lightning net¡¯s constriction.


    Seeing that the Celestial Ice Flames were restricted, Han Li took a deep breath and began to move his spiritual sense. Claps of thunder rang out as a small hole opened from the golden net, only to be mended a moment later. But in that short instance, a sliver of blue flame escaped and shot towards Han Li as if it were intelligent.


    Han Li expressionlessly clasped his hands in an incantation in response and he closed his eyes. azure Qi began to flow out from the crown of his head, followed by the emergence of an inch-tall Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul¡¯s face was strained. As soon as it appeared, it stared at the incoming wisp of blue flame and it twisted its chubby arms, releasing two streaks of blinding azure light. At that same moment, it opened its mouth and spat out a fist-sized ball of light, resulting in three masses of azure light to meet the wisp of blue flame.


    The azure and blue flame clashed, but the blue flame was instantly enveloped by the azure light. Despite its struggle, the flame was truly too small and was easily overwhelmed. However, even as the flame wisp was trapped, it slowly dissipated the light.


    When the Nascent Soul saw the flame being successfully contained, a smile appeared on its face and beckoned to the azure light, bringing the flame wisp closer to it.


    After revealing a trace of hesitation and fear, the Nascent Soul eye¡¯s brightly glinted and grasped onto the azure light, shoving it down its mouth alongside the wisp of blue flame it contained.


    Shortly after, azure light flashed from its body and the Nascent Soul disappeared into mist as it flew back into Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li¡¯s eyelids trembled several times in response, but his expression unchanged as if he were sleeping. However, his Nascent Soul sat cross-legged inside his Dantian wearing a solemn expression. Its hands were forming an incantation gesture.


    ¡­


    Half a year later, Han Li emerged from the silent room with a gloomy expression.


    The Celestial Ice Flames were truly ferocious. Although he had attempted to refine only a sliver of flame, it had taken half a year of hard effort. However, due to the flame¡¯s extreme coldness, he would need to nurture it inside his body for an additional year before he could truly control it. In order to prevent any mishap, he couldn¡¯t refine any more of the Celestial Ice Flames during this time. As for the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he refined far too little of the Celestial Ice Flames to even think of attempting the next step.


    The reason why Han Li left seclusion now instead of continued cultivation was in preparation to meet the silver-haired old man and Cultivator Lu. He wished to see if either of them had any news with regards to Auric Essence. Additionally, he planned on bidding farewell to the Drifting Cloud Sect for some time. During his travels, he would pay a trip to the State of Yuan Wu in order to fulfill his promise with Xin Ruyin [1]. At his current cultivation, exterminating a cultivation clan should only be a trivial effort.


    As for the Fu Clan in the Hundred Possibilities Sect and the State of Yuan Wu, they did share some history together. The Fu Clan in the State of Yuan Wu was a distant branch of the Fu Clan in the Hundred Possibilities Sect.


    However, the two clans grew distant over a long period of time and the Fu Clan in the State of Yuanwu had joined the Devil Dao, much to the resentment of the main branch who were part of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. As a result, both sides had cut relations to one another.


    Han Li grew greatly relieved from this turn of events. Although the State of Yuan Wu belonged to the Devil Dao, there would be few in that country that would be capable of stopping him.


    When Han Li left his cave residence, he visited the side residence in passing and swept his gaze inside the cave residence to discover Mu Peiling strenuously cultivating in seclusion. From the light glistening from her face, it appeared that she had made great progress.


    Pleased with her results, Han Li left without disturbing her. He then headed straight towards the main mountain of the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Six hours later, Han Li silently left the cave residence of the silver-haired old man. The old man didn¡¯t have any concrete information on any Auric Essence, but he had given him information that in two years, there would be a grand trade fair taking place in the Nine Nation Union¡¯s State of Yu. It was known to be the greatest trade fair to take place in the Heavenly South Region.


    Many rare materials would gather there from all around the Heavenly South Region. Even half of the continent¡¯s Nascent Soul cultivators would each make a trip there. After all, Nascent Soul cultivators were the ones who most required precious materials. Since common materials and medicines were simply beneath their notice, their only option was to find trade meetings and acquire their rare needs there.


    The reason why the trade fair was to be held in the Nine Nations Union was because the Nine Nations Union was considered a neutral power. Due to the threat of the Moulan Spell Warriors, the other three powers had no fear of the Nine Nations Union harboring any wicked schemes. As a result, the cultivators of those three powers had no misgivings participating in the trade fair.


    Currently, Han Li could only hope that Auric Essence would appear at trade fair. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t possibly know when he¡¯d be able to use the Aureate Sword Formation. He may even have to pay a visit to the legendary Great Empire of Jin, but that was truly too far away.


    After Han Li finished speaking to the silver-haired old man about the Auric Essence, he didn¡¯t mention where he wished to go. He only mentioned that he planned on traveling for some time as he just formed his Nascent Soul and that he was taking his leave.


    When the silver-haired old man heard him, he wasn¡¯t doubtful in the slightest. He merely mentioned the affiliations of each country and the names of a few Nascent Soul cultivators that he must take notice of and never offend. At that moment, Han Li heard the name of this Eccentric Heavenvenge once more.


    Han Li was quite curious towards this cultivator and made a note of him. He then expressed his thanks to the old man and departed.


    On the morning of the next day, Han Li carried the most important items in his cave residence on his person and sealed his cave residence off using restrictions. He then departed from the Dreamcloud Mountains, flying in the direction of the State of Yuan Wu.


    The Fu Clan in the State of Yuan Wu was once renowned as one of the three great sects in the country. When the Devil Dao invaded over a hundred years ago, this clan hadn¡¯t resisted their invasion in the slightest and even provided assistance to the Six Devil Dao Sects. As a result, the Fu Clan hadn¡¯t suffered the slightest damage from the invasion; instead, they were given the opportunity to flourish. After overwhelming the other clans in the country, they became the number one clan in the State of Yuan Wu.


    Because the Fu Clan had frequently placed many of their disciples into the Devilflame Sect, even giving their clan¡¯s gifted women to the Devilflame Sect¡¯s upper echelon as concubines, they were considered to be completely subservient to the sect. As a result, the Fu Clan gained the support of the Devilflame Sect, the dominating power over the State of Yuan Wu, and wildly flourished in the past hundred years.


    [1] In chapter 352, Han Li made a promise to Xin Ruyin to avenge Qi Yuanxiao¡¯s death in exchange for their knowledge on formation spells and tool refinement.

 Chapter 648

    A Party of Three


    The Fu Clan¡¯s main stronghold was located deep into a mountain range in the west of Yuan Wu, The mountain range was known as the Purple Road Mountains as a purple mist sealed it off year long. Mortals are never seen again once they tread deep into the mists, and if they stayed too long within it, their throats would swell and they eyes would sting. With prolonged contact, they would even die of poison.


    Although locals knew of the dangers of this mist and would well avoid it, there would always be ignorant outsiders who entered, only to perish. The Fu Clan were aware of the mortals dying from the mist, but they hardly batted an eye.


    If mortals died, then so be it. The Fu Clan had planned with such great effort to create the Violet Miasma Cloud Formation, requiring them to invite several formation masters to simultaneously work on it. Besides, these mortals could be considered lucky to have died by this formation.


    In the past several days, the violet clouds on Purple Road Mountain remained still as always, but a commotion rose from within. Occasionally, cultivators would appear outside the mist and shout something. Afterwards, they would reveal a lustrous red invitation before disappearing into the mist.


    The nearest mortal settlement to Purple Road Mountain was a small city named Taihe. This city only spanned five kilometers and its population didn¡¯t exceed ten thousand. However, it had all the facilities one would expect from a city such as inns and restaurants.


    Ah¡¯er was a waiter at one of the two inns of Taihe City. Although he was only nineteen years of age, he had been a waiter for four years. With his thin body, he stood at the side of the inn¡¯s doors and dispiritedly called out to those who walked past by.


    This wasn¡¯t because Ah¡¯er was being lazy, but because the weather was scorching. After yelling in the hot weather for an entire morning, he no longer had any strength. Even that petty, crafty Innkeeper Liu couldn¡¯t say anything in response to his dejected manner. Although he wore a dissatisfied expression, he could only grumble his complaints and gloomily handle his abacus, calculating the dense ledger on the table.


    Ah¡¯er glanced at an expanse of white clouds in the sky and inwardly cursed with all his heart. Then after lower his head, he muttered out to the passersby in a manner even he couldn¡¯t hear and became even more dejected.


    Just as he thought whether or not he could take advantage of Innkeeper Liu¡¯s inattention to speak into the kitchen for a few drinks of cold water to relieve himself from the heat, the sky suddenly dimmed and he felt a chill. Ah¡¯er was surprised and he couldn¡¯t help but raise his head to the sky.


    But much to his shock, he discovered that three eccentrics had unknowingly appeared before him.


    One of the men wore hemp robes and a tall hat. He was short and resembled a large ball. The other was a bald man with piercing eyes. The last of them was a man with long hair draping over his face. His face possessed a sinister air and his eyes were ice-cold.


    Having spent so many years as a waiter, Ah¡¯er knew how to act. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Do you guests wish to stay at this inn?¡± From his years of many experience, this party were sure to be generous customers despite their fiendish appearance.


    The short, plump man glared with his small eyes and casually took out a large piece of silver. He shoved it into the waiter¡¯s chest and impatiently said, ¡°Cut the rubbish. Why else would we come at an inn if not to stay there? Prepare a room on the second floor for us, and a table of top-rate food and wine for us as well.¡±


    Without waiting for Ah¡¯er¡¯s reply, Innkeeper Liu jumped up and immediately acted like a robust man, leaping out of the gate and taking the silver piece out of Ah¡¯er¡¯s hands. With a ingratiating expression, he said, ¡°Yes, yes! Please enter, Sirs. Food and wine will be immediately sent for you. Ah¡¯er, quickly prepare the rooms. Don¡¯t be slow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Innkeeper.¡± Although this action had caused him to feel deeply resentful, Ah¡¯er could only obey. He could only sigh and allow the silver piece to be taken away.


    Were it not for the fact he only had the skills for a waiter and that there were only two inns in the city, he couldn¡¯t afford to say anything about this. After resentfully cursing Innkeeper Liu in his heart, Ah¡¯er brought the three each to a room on the second floor.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Just as Ah¡¯er departed from their side, the scorching heat suddenly returned. This sudden change caused him to feel a wave of doubt as he scratched the back of his head. After tilting his head in thought, he descended with confusion.


    A table of food was quickly prepared and was brought up with Ah¡¯er and a few other servants.


    The cultivators were waiting at the table in complete silence.


    Ah¡¯er was baffled upon seeing them. The cultivator with the draped hair coldly glanced in his direction as if he had noticed something.


    Ah¡¯er instantly felt as if he were emerged in ice. With a shaken heart, he lowered his head and left the room in a panic. He directly returned to the inn¡¯s door with an restless heart.


    At that moment, the three in the room finally began to speak.


    Sensing that there was no one outside the room, the short and stout man chuckled and spoke to the man with the draped hair, ¡°Old Pal Han, why did you startle the mortal? Did you find him displeasing to the eye?¡±


    The draped haired man flatly said, ¡°It was nothing. It was just that waiter possessed spiritual roots. However, his aptitude is poor. He would only be able to reach the fourth layer of Qi Condensation stage.¡±


    A trace of astonishment appeared in the fat man¡¯s expression, ¡°Spiritual roots? That¡¯s surprising. However, it seems that Brother Han is actually able to see through spiritual roots without any physical contact. It appears Brother Han is quite a skilled individual.¡±


    The draped-haired cultivator glanced at the fat cultivator and slowly said, ¡°My cultivation isn¡¯t any higher than you two Fellow Daoists. I merely cultivated a related secret technique.¡±


    The fat cultivator sighed and bitterly laughed, ¡°Brother Han is far too modest. However, that waiter can be said to have no prospects in the cultivation world. Even if he managed to somehow reach Foundation Establishment stage like us, if he doesn¡¯t have the backing of a sect, he will merely be a wild lone wolf, a target of humiliation to cultivators of a similar grade! We ourselves came to Purple Road Mountain to bid the Fu Clan Ancestor a happy birthday to see if we have the opportunity to join the sect. If we are able to catch the eye of a Devil Dao Sect or the Clan Ancestor, we¡¯d be quite fortunate. It is just a pity that us vagrant cultivators can only enter the Fu Clan Castle on the Ancestor¡¯s birth date. We still must wait another month.¡±


    The draped-haired cultivator indifferently grunted and nodded his head as if he were disinclined to further speaking.


    The fat man and the bald man couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in response. The bald man widely opened his round eyes and said with a muffled voice, ¡°Brother Han, us two brothers only formed a party together to go pay our respects to the Fu Clan Castle. But in the past several days, we realize that while you are also a vagrant cultivator, your cultivation is unordinary. Where might you have cultivated previously? We¡¯ve never heard of your esteemed name before.¡±


    After the large bald man finished speaking, the eyes of the fat cultivator glinted and he began to stare at Han Li.


    The draped-haired cultivator¡¯s face remained unchanged. He merely indifferent replied, ¡°I was once a cultivator of the State of Yue. I¡¯ve only came to the State of Yuan Wu recently. It isn¡¯t odd that you Fellow Daoists haven¡¯t heard of me.¡±


    The fate cultivator blinked and asked, ¡°The State of Yue? Isn¡¯t that the territory of the Ghost Spirit Sect? Why did Brother Han not try his luck with the Ghost Spirit Sect instead of coming to our State of Yuan Wu?¡±


    The draped-haired cultivator calmly replied, ¡°I did try, but there is no path forward. Given that the Ghost Spirit Sect is the sole power in the State of Yue, it doesn¡¯t tolerate the existence of outside cultivators. As such, I came to the State of Yuan Wu to try my luck. However, I didn¡¯t expect to come across the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s birth celebration as soon as I appeared. I couldn¡¯t possibly have easily allowed such a rare opportunity to pass me by.¡±


    ¡°So it was like that. It must¡¯ve been difficult for Brother Han.¡± The fat man chuckled and asked nothing else. Instead, he began to chat about a few of the rumors circulating throughout the cultivation world.


    Once the wine and food were finished. The draped-haired cultivator bid his farewell and decided to rest in a neighboring room.


    Once the draped-haired cultivator left the room, the fat cultivator¡¯s beaming smile instantly disappeared, only to be replaced with a sinister expression. He suddenly took out a talisman from his robes and formed a hand incantation. Then with a flash of light, the talisman dissolved and enveloped the room in a soft light.


    This talisman was a soundproofing talisman!


    Once the talisman was in full effect, the large bald man hastily asked, ¡°Brother Luo, do you believe that youngster is truly a vagrant cultivator?¡±


    The fat cultivator sneered and stroked the fat underneath his chin. He sinisterly said, ¡°Certainly not. He is most likely a disciple of a small sect!¡±

 Chapter 649

    Harboring Sinister Designs


    The short and stout cultivator explained with a proud expression, ¡°Did you not see his magic tool when we were traveling together? That was clearly a top grade magic tool. Not to mention the many storage pouches at his waist. They were all bulging and there were even a few spirit beast pouches there. How could a vagrant cultivator possess so many items? It is clear that this cultivator came from a small sect. If he came from a large sect, he would¡¯ve been too arrogant to travel with the likes of us. Additionally, he didn¡¯t take out an invitation card to enter Purple Road Mountain. Hehe! After all, given how powerful the Devil Dao are, small sect cultivators wouldn¡¯t dare to act so openly. All of them would sneakily act as vagrant cultivators for fear that they would attract the Devil Dao¡¯s ire and subject calamity upon their clan for generations to come. That is why we¡¯ve never heard of him despite his strong cultivation and magic tools.¡±


    With eyes filled with avarice, the bald man rubbed his hands in eagerness, ¡°From what Brother Luo has said, that does seem to be the case and we can boldly attack him without worry. Although he is somewhat wary of us, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have thought that we were concealing our true cultivation. It should be quite easy for us two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators to kill an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. That youngster is bringing about his own doom to come across the Dual Fiends Peng Yi.¡±


    The fat man licked his thick lips and sinisterly said, ¡°Of course, but in order to smoothly succeed, we lower his guard as much as possible. It will take much less effort if we launch a sneak attack. Let¡¯s wait two days prior to the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s birth celebration to attack.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do as Brother Luo says. Even if neither of us makes it into a sect of clan, we¡¯ll still make quite a bit of profit!¡± The bald man seemed quite confident in the fat man and he wore a grin on his face.


    The fat man chuckled and said, ¡°Hehe, of course. If such an easy mark comes knocking on your door, how could the Dual Fiends Peng Yi return empty handed?¡±


    While the two chatted without restraint about killing the draped-haired man, the man in question sat down expressionlessly in the other room. However, he was able to easily hear their words as if the soundproofing barrier didn¡¯t exist.


    Han Li opened his eyes with a cold glint and softly said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve taken the initiative to court death, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡± He then closed his eyes once more and continued to refine Qi.


    To tell the truth, Han Li had arrived in the State of Yuan Wu two months prior. He had passed through many countries affiliated with the Righteous and Devil Dao along the way, but as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was able to stealthily pass through with his cultivation and appearance concealed.


    After Han Li arrived in the State of Yuan Wu, Han Li didn¡¯t immediately take action. Instead, he gathered information on the Fu Clan from the local market cities and vagrant cultivators. As a result, Han Li found rather displeasing information about the Fu Clan.


    This wasn¡¯t because the three Fu Clan Core Formation cultivators were troublesome to kill, but that the Fu Clan had many of their disciples located in the Devilflame Sect. Even with his vast abilities, he couldn¡¯t directly contend against the Devilflame Sect itself.


    And if he didn¡¯t kill the entirety of the Fu Clan at once, the Fu Clan could one day rise to prominence once more, leaving his promise with Xin Ruyin unfulfilled! Just as Han Li was making a plan for action, rumors of the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s birth celebration spread throughout the State of Yuan Wu. When Han Li heard this, he rejoiced.


    Since the Fu Clan Lord took the initiative to call upon his clan disciples to pay their respects to him, the Fu Clan disciples of the Devilflame Sect should also be returning to the Fu Clan castle. This was an ideal opportunity to deal with the entire Fu Clan in a single blow.


    However, given Fu Clan¡¯s current power, not anyone could participate in the celebration. One must either be a cultivator from a clan or be a member of the Devil Dao. As for vagrant cultivators, they had to be at Foundation Establishment stage in order to enter the castle.


    After Han Li acquired the finer details, he patiently waited a month to passed by. As for the Dual Fiends Peng Yi, they immediately chatted with him along the road when they saw that Han Li possessed an unordinary magic tool. When they heard that Han Li was also heading to the Fu Clan Castle, they happily raised an invitation to travel together.


    Han Li could tell the two harbored sinister designs at first glance, but he had nothing to fear from the two, given his current cultivation. Instead, he casually agreed to travel with them with plans to use their identities to allow him to enter the Fu Clan without suspicion.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that only cultivators with invitations would be allowed inside the Purple Road Mountains. Vagrant cultivators could only enter the castle on the day of the celebrations.


    This was to Han Li¡¯s surprise, but it didn¡¯t matter. After all, that day should be when all the Fu Clan disciples and members should gather together. If he were to act any earlier, he would scare a few away.


    As of current, he was staying at an inn and hadn¡¯t yet planned on how he should deal with the Dual Fiends Peng Yi. Since the two were incapable of staying patient, Han Li wasn¡¯t going to be merciful.


    In the following days, Han Li and the Dual Fiends Peng Yi took a few trips nearby and would return to the inn at night to cultivate. The time of the Fu Clan celebration drew near.


    In these few days, The two spoke quite effectively with Han Li and even addressed him as ¡°Brother Han¡± as if they were good friends for many years. At that moment, many vagrant cultivators began to gather at the small city. While a majority of vagrant cultivators were accustomed to the outdoors, a few cultivators more fond of creature comforts stayed at the two inns of the city.


    As a result, Han Li came across several other cultivators at the same inn. When these cultivators came across Han Li and two cultivators at their side, their expressions vastly changed and they steered clear of the three, doing their utmost to avoid talking to them. Han Li wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he should laugh or cry. It seemed the two at his side held a rather notorious reputation among vagrant cultivators.


    When the Dual Fiends Peng Yi saw this, they feared that Han Li would grow suspicious and fabricated a story that the two didn¡¯t get along with other cultivators. As a result, the two alternated keeping watch of Han Li, preventing him to speaking with anybody else.


    When Han Li heard them, he was completely indifferent. However, the fat man grew somewhat doubtful, but his greed got the best of him.


    Two days later, the two cultivators suddenly urged Han Li to visit a nearby scenic spot with them. They said that the scene was fascinating and was too good to miss.


    After Han Li heard them, he knew that the two finally planned to attack. With a curt agreement, he followed the two with a smile and the three head out from the inn towards this ¡®scenic spot¡¯.


    Because there were far too many cultivators nearby, the two could only think of bringing Han Li out fifty kilometers from the city to a small remote mountain.


    Once they all landed, the fat man began to speak with a beaming smile, ¡°Brother Han, take a look! There is a small valley past this mountain. There are pure flowing streams and flowers of countless sorts. It is absolutely¡­¡± Despite the plain surroundings, he managed to continue his fanciful words about how impressive the scenery was.


    When Han Li heard this, he continued to derisively laugh in his mind. There truly was a hidden valley past this mountain. But apart from the passable scenery, there was also the spiritual fluctuations of a hidden restriction. It was very faint, but he was able to detect it with his spiritual sense. It appeared the two were quite experienced at killing others as they placed down a rather simple spell formation.


    If Han Li truly were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would¡¯ve found it difficult to survive if he entered the formation and were suddenly attacked by the two.


    When Han Li finished listening to the fat cultivator, he casually swept his gaze around and mysterious smiled at the two, ¡°This scenery is not bad and there is no one here. From how I see it, there is no purpose in going to the valley. Right here should be fine. What do you two think? No one would be disturbed if you were to kill someone here and rid of their remains. It should surely go unnoticed.¡±


    When the fat cultivator hear Han Li, his expression changed and he flusteredly spoke as if he were truly surprised, ¡°Brother Han, what do you mean? Could it be you¡¯ve misunderstood something?¡±


    However, his chubby hands had already moved to his storage pouch. As for the large bald man, a savage expression appeared on his face and he silently moved to Han Li¡¯s side with his hands tightly clenched.


    Han Li held their petty maneuvers in little regard and remained in place with a serene expression.


    When the fat cultivator saw this, he grew anxious and faintly felt a sense of foreboding. However, it was far too late to back down and merely moved to attack simultaneously with the bald man.

 Chapter 650

    Demon Nascent


    In the same moment the two men moved to attack Han Li, a chuckle suddenly broke out.


    ¡°Hehe! How interesting. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d wake up from my nap to see murder and plunder. But for two Foundation Establishment cultivators to attack a Nascent Soul cultivator? Could I be dreaming?¡±


    These words were said by the soft, sharp voice of a young girl.


    Once Han Li heard this, his expression changed. As for the fat and the bald cultivators, they were thunderstruck and immediately turned deathly pale.


    ¡°A Nascent Soul cultivator!?¡± The fat cultivator shrieked and stared at Han Li as if he were looking at a ghost.


    The bald man was greatly frightened as well, but he appeared to have thought of something and hastily shouted, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! His colleague must be attempting to scare us off.¡±


    Although he had attempted to rouse himself, he still took two steps back while continuously glancing around for the young girl. His courage greatly recovered when he found no one.


    At the moment, Han Li was far more alarmed than the ¡°Dual Fiends Peng Yi¡±.


    For some unknown reason, he felt his body break into an indescribable shiver as the Nascent Soul that had been deep asleep in his Dantian awoke in a panic. A trace of dread had even appeared on its face. But what was most astonishing to Han Li was that after sweeping every inch of a five kilometer radius with his spiritual sense, he was incapable of finding the source of the voice. But from the sound of it, the owner should clearly be nearby. Despite using the Great Development Technique alongside his Nascent Soul cultivation, he was unable to discover the speaker. Could it be this person possessed deep and profound abilities?


    Han Li¡¯s throat dried up at the thought.


    The fat cultivator regained a bit of color in his face as if he had been roused by the bald man¡¯s words. He calmly glanced around and said, ¡°Who¡¯s there? Who is it that is deceiving us? You dare to trick the Dual Fiends Peng Yi?¡± His body was covered in the glow of a barrier of yellow light as a small black shield appeared in front of him.


    The girlish voice boldly said, ¡°Hehe! If you could see this old woman, I¡¯d kill myself out of shame. However, the spiritual sense of this Nascent Soul cultivator is quite strong. If it were even slightly stronger, perhaps you¡¯d be able to find me.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen and he did his utmost to sweep his spiritual sense over everything in his surroundings. Even with his exceptional spiritual sense, he was unable to find even a trace of another cultivator. He felt that this was far too strange.


    ¡°Hm, I am a tad hungry. How about I make a meal out of you three? Tch tch, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a taste of a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul. I long to experience it once more!¡± The girl¡¯s tone was completely free of malice, in stark contrast to the meaning of the words being said.


    Han Li snorted and ceased concealing his cultivation while his expression remained unchanged. With a flash of azure light, an astonishing pressure began to emit from his body and many azure lights flew out from his mouth. These were the seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.


    ¡°He¡­ He truly is a Nascent Soul cultivator! Senior, please spare our lives. Us Juniors had eyes but were blind to your magnificence. We didn¡¯t mean to offend Senior. Second Brother, what are you doing!? Don¡¯t run! We don¡¯t stand a chance before Senior Han.¡±


    The fat cultivator couldn¡¯t help but feel completely awed after the emergence of Han Li¡¯s true cultivation and immediately kowtowed before him as he plead for his life. As for the huge man, he did the opposite, and slapped a golden talisman onto his body. He abruptly traveled through the sky in a streak of golden light.


    ¡°Do you truly believe you¡¯ll be able to run away with a Goldspeed Talisman?¡± A derisive expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. He pointed his finger and a flying sword loudly rang out before disappearing with a glint. But in the next instant, it appeared at the side of the golden streak not far away.


    In a flash of azure light, the large man miserably screamed and the golden light dissolved into specks. The man¡¯s body had already disappeared.


    ¡°Tch tch, what a shame. A Foundation Establishment cultivator¡¯s soul also has a fine taste. I only had them eight times before I awoke.¡± The girlish voice grumbled with slight annoyance.


    When Han Li finished dealing with the bald man, he ignored the fat cultivator trembling before him and turned his gaze to a small tree nearby. With blue light flickering within his eyes, he said, ¡°There is no need for your esteemed self to act so mysteriously. Are you not also a mere Nascent Soul cultivator? For you to speak so boldly, it seems you want me to personally drag you out.¡±


    The girlish voice paused for a moment before coldly continuing, ¡°How did you discover me? My Light Transmutation Technique isn¡¯t something that a Nascent Soul cultivator can see through.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of my method to discover you, will you not reveal your true form? Or would you rather I chop down that tree of yours?¡± Han Li¡¯s voice remained calm, but his heart was filled with trepidation. He had only found the source of the voice by a fluke.


    In his panic, he had unconsciously swept his surroundings using the ability granted to him by the Brightsight Water. As a result, he found a small tree nearby that was somewhat unlike the others. With a resolved heart, he confronted it, no longer wishing to be deceived.


    ¡°A mere Nascent Soul cultivator? Your tone is also quite bold. I wonder how your Nascent Soul will taste once I swallow it.¡± As the girl¡¯s tone grew sullen, the small tree flashed with green light, shrinking to reveal a person only half a foot tall.


    This small person had an exquisite face and long hair. However, its body was composed of green light and completely bare. It seemed this small silhouette was the source of the girlish voice.


    ¡°A Nascent Soul! No, that¡¯s not right.¡± After further examination, Han Li appeared hesitant.


    The small silhouette looked at Han Li and slowly said, ¡°A Nascent Soul? Hehe, you aren¡¯t wrong. But you are quite out of luck to be the first Nascent Soul cultivator I¡¯ve seen since awakening, or maybe my luck is just good!¡±


    Soon after speaking the small silhouette flashed and appeared before the fat cultivator. it giggled and said, ¡°Your soul would make a good fit in my stomach, yes?¡±


    ¡°No! Senior, please spare me!¡± Realizing that this small silhouette was an existence on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator, the fat cultivator pleaded for his life as he jumped away, wishing to flee.


    However, a malevolent expression surfaced on the small silhouette¡¯s face, and its body turned into a ball of green light that shot into the fat cultivator. An instant later, it came out of the man¡¯s body back in its original form, except with a thumb-sized green ball of light that was intermittently twinkling.


    As for the leader of the ¡°Dual Fiends Peng Yi¡±, he had already collapsed onto the floor and was no longer moving.


    The small silhouette didn¡¯t bother to speak any further and simply gobbled the ball of light with a few bites. Afterwards, the silhouette¡¯s body grew slightly more concentrated.


    Han Li could no longer keep calm upon seeing this. After pursing his lips, he harshly shouted, ¡°Are you ghost or man? You dare to directly consume a soul!?¡±


    He had clearly felt the small silhouette¡¯s cultivation to be similar to his own at the early Nascent Soul stage. But after it consumed that soul, it grew a sliver stronger, clearly demonstrating that it could increase its cultivation by directly consuming cultivators¡¯ souls. It was inconceivable that this was the result of a technique.


    The incandescent green silhouette ignored Han Li¡¯s question and instead glanced at Han Li¡¯s Dantian as if it were directly looking at his Nascent Soul. It wore a greedy expression and muttered, ¡°The appetizer is done and now it is time for the banquet. After consuming your Nascent Soul, this old woman will be able to directly enter mid Nascent Soul stage!¡±


    ¡°You want to swallow my Nascent Soul? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d be too much for you to stomach!¡± Han Li furiously grinned and he clapped his hands together. A muffled explosion sounded out, followed by thick golden lightning arcing between his palms.


    Ever since Han Li had entered Nascent Soul stage, he was able to directly store Divine Devilbane Lightning from his swords into his body. As a result, he was able to use the lightning as before despite having all seventy-two swords outside of his body.


    The green silhouette tilted its ahead upon seeing the golden lightning in Han Li¡¯s palms and muttered, ¡°Golden lightning? Where did I hear of this before? I can¡¯t seem to recall it.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and indifferently said, ¡°Then how about giving it a taste? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recall it.¡± At that moment, the lightning in his hands transformed into a python and fiercely pounced towards the small silhouette.


    For some unknown reason, the small silhouette remained in place with a smile and directly swallowed the python. Afterwards, countless arcs of lightning bursted from all around the small silhouette. A short moment later, the silhouette glowed with golden lightning and released pangs of thunder.


    Han Li narrowed his eye, lacking the slightest joy in his expression. Since the opponent dared to directly receive the Divine Devilbane Lightning, they were clearly well prepared and weren¡¯t about to easily be dispatched.


    Before the golden glow faded away, the girl¡¯s laughter interrupted the sounds of thunder, ¡°As I thought, is this not Divine Devilbane Lightning? Tch tch, isn¡¯t this just great! It¡¯s hard to believe that a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator could possess such a heavenly treasure. However, don¡¯t think that this old woman is a devil or ghost cultivator. Using that lightning to deal with me is beyond its abilities!¡±

 Chapter 651

    Wood Spirit Nascent


    The small green silhouette hadn¡¯t taken the slightest damage from Han Li¡¯s strike and sneered at Han Li.


    Han Li scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s too early to be proud. If you truly wish to devour my Nascent Soul, it¡¯s going to take more than a few arrogant words. If I had guessed correctly, you can only consume the souls of low grade cultivators. To speak of consuming a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul is pure fantasy. Perhaps you might¡¯ve been able to previously do this, but as of current, your mind may wish it, but you body is weak. You are only capable of assuming that strange form of yours. Enough rubbish, let¡¯s first see how you fare against these flying swords.¡± These words caused the small silhouette¡¯s expression to vastly change, revealing malice from its eyes.


    At that moment, Han Li pointed to the flying swords spiralling above him. With a clear ring, twelve of the flying swords shot forward in a streak of azure light.


    The small green silhouette stood in place with a sullen expression. As the dozen of azure swordlights spiralled around the small person and sliced it up into countless strands. As these strands remained floating in the air, they began to sparkle, much to Han Li¡¯s alarm.


    A bewildering chuckle soon came from strands and they flickered with light before restoring the small silhouette in its original form.


    The silhouette seemed to have been completely infuriated by Han Li¡¯s words. It ominously, ¡°Tch tch! Not bad, not bad! Your set of flying swords must¡¯ve been created from Golden Lightning Bamboo. Although I don¡¯t know how you acquired so much of it, it is truly ridiculous to think of injuring me with those swords alone. You will come to know that my words aren¡¯t born of arrogance.¡±


    The silhouette then formed an incantation gesture with its hands and blinding green radiance gleamed. But before it could fully finish casting its technique, bright light flashed from above its head. Twelve flying swords simultaneously pulsed with lightning and formed a dense net of golden lightning as it charged towards it.


    ¡°Humph! This junior still won¡¯t give up! Did I not say that the divine lightning has no effect on me¡­ Wait, what are you doing!?¡± The girlish voice became shrill as if it grew frightened.


    The net of golden lightning didn¡¯t explode as it had anticipated. Instead, the net remained firm when it caught the small silhouette, and it unceasingly tightened around the silhouette. The small silhouette knew that this was far from good, and its body flickered with green light in its utmost attempt to resist. However, its struggle was in vain as it was soon trapped in a large golden ball.


    When Han Li saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile.


    This net of Divine Devilbane Lightning was a technique that was founded by Han Li!


    Because Golden Lightning Bamboo was exceeding rare, only one or two stalks would be used in the formation of a magic tool. And since they had a limited amount of divine lightning, they were only reserve as a trump card against devilish and evil techniques. Additionally, making such a large net of lightning would require over ten stalks worth of Divine Devilbane Lightning to form. As such, none could¡¯ve afforded to do this before Han Li.


    Having controlled the Divine Devilbane Lightning for so many years, Han Li already sensed that in addition to an innate ability to subdue evil and devilish techniques, it also possessed the wondrous effect of restraining the five elements. Regardless of whether it was the Sacred Asura Flames or Wind Spirit Energy, they had both been actively and securely subdued. This unexpected discovery was much to Han Li¡¯s delight.


    While he was still at Core Formation stage, he was unable to use lightning nets as he wished because of his lacking cultivation, and had rarely used them in battle. But with his vastly strengthened cultivation and spiritual sense as of current, he no longer had such problems.


    Although he didn¡¯t know where this little silhouette came from, he knew that it was neither flesh or ghost; it was more akin to a strange variation of a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul. With that thought, Han Li attempted to make use of the net.


    Unfortunately for the silhouette, although it had heard legends of the Divine Devilbane Lightning, it was unaware of its hidden properties. Else, it wouldn¡¯t have so casually received the attack with its body as a Demon Nascent. In the blink of an eye, this haughty figure had been easily confined.


    Seeing that it succeeded, Han Li smiled and raised his hand, shooting out an azure mist to collect the golden ball into his hand.


    The golden sphere faintly trembled and released furious, ear-piercing shrieks, ¡°You dare to trap this old woman!? Quickly release me or else I will refine your soul and subject you to a fate worse than death!¡±


    Han Li frowned and sullenly said, ¡°Refine my soul? It seems your esteemed self still doesn¡¯t understand your situation. Let¡¯s talk about this again once you¡¯ve properly calmed down.¡±


    Claps of thunders rang out as lightning shot out from his hands. These thing slivers of lightning wrapped layers around the golden ball, consuming nearly half of his swords¡¯ lightning reserves. With some further inspection of the enlarged golden ball, he wore a satisfied expression.


    Paying no heed of the girl¡¯s raving shouts from the golden ball, Han Li took out a white jade box from his storage pouch and shut it inside. He then took out a few restriction talismans and slapped them onto the box without any hesitation, putting a sudden end to the rant.


    Han Li weighed the jade box in his hand and his expression was once again normal. After putting the jade box away, he glanced down at the soulless body of the fat cultivator and indifferently turned it to ash with a fireball before calmly flying in the direction of the small city.


    A short moment later, Han Li leisurely made his way to the tavern and simply waited for the birth celebration to draw near.


    Not long after, there was a shocking discovery in the State of Yuan Wu. The notorious murderers of vagrant cultivators Dual Fiends Peng Yi had completely disappeared from the country. Not a single trace of them have been found. Of course, this signified to many that they had died.


    When this news reached around, the vagrant cultivators in the country cheered. There were those that said they were disposed of by a sect they offended. There was also word that they encountered an expert on their travels and were slayed as a result of their notoriety. For a time, all sorts of rumors filled the skies.


    ¡­


    Tens of thousands kilometers away in the distant State of Tian Luo was the nest of the Six Devil Dao Sects. The Grand Spirit Mountains in the west of Tian Luo spanned over tens of thousands of kilometers without interruption. The mountains were steep and were home to countless spirit beasts and exotic insects. It was the location of the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s monastery.


    In the instant the Demon Nascent was sealed, an old man¡¯s furious shout suddenly echoed from a pitch-black stone room, ¡°Who is it!? Who dares to imprison the Wood Spirit Nascent! Servant quickly contact the Spirit Controlling Sect members in the State of Yuan Wu. If they are unable to find the Wood Spirit Nascent in three month¡¯s time, then they will have to kill themselves for the sin of their failure. Also, they must act carefully not to let the Devilflame Sect be aware of this matter.¡±


    Although the old man was furious, his orders were concise .


    ¡°As you bid, Martial Senior. I will pass down the commands.¡± A man¡¯s stern voice came out from outside the room.


    The old man continued, ¡°I¡¯m not done! Also call for Yunzhi and Liu Yu¡¯er to personally make a trip to the State of Yuan Wu. They both have wood attribute spiritual roots and have the most suitable bodies for the Wood Spirit Nascent. Perhaps they will be able to feel something if they go closer to the Wood Spirit Nascent. However, have the two women be careful. Whoever restrained the Wood Spirit Nascent is certain to possess great abilities. The two women wouldn¡¯t be able to confront him. So long as they find the person who imprisoned the Wood Spirit Nascent, I will come to personally deal with them.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice respectfully replied, ¡°Yes, I will personally tell the two Junior Martial Sisters to go. This Martial Nephew will now take his leave.¡±


    Soon after the man¡¯s footsteps faded into the distance, a deep sigh filled the room and the darkness became silent once more.


    ¡­


    Behind the concealment of the purple mist of the Purple Road Mountains, the Fu Clan Master Fu Tianhua, was in high spirits with a flushed face. He viewed all the juniors in his clan with a kind face, leaving his juniors feeling overwhelmed with favor. They were all used to him wearing a more stern expression.


    This was of no surprise. The Marital Ancestor¡¯s celebration of four hundred years of life was about to arrive. He was the oldest Core Formation cultivator in the clan, and even two of the Devilflame Sects¡¯ enforcers were going to come today for his birthday celebration. This greatly increased the Fu Clan¡¯s prestige.


    The Fu Clan juniors didn¡¯t dare to be negligent and were doing their utmost around the castle so that this birth celebration wouldn¡¯t result in a loss of prestige for the clan ancestor.


    After the Fu Clan ancestor made a round through the castle, he seemed quite satisfied. He then entered a side hall with a few juniors in tow.


    The sharp-eyed, purple-robed Fu Clan Ancestor leaned against an armchair in the room and slowly said, ¡°Qing¡¯er! Have the honorable guests from the Devilflame Sect arrived yet? Is there something keeping them busy?¡± While his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it was filled with dignity, suitable for the man who led the Fu Clan through over a hundred years of prosperity.


    ¡°Venerable Ancestor, the Devilflame Sect¡¯s Senior Sun has sent over a disciple stating that he and Protector Mo will certainly arrive to offer congratulations. However, it will take one or two days more.¡± A pale forty-year-old cultivator helplessly replied in a hurry.

 Chapter 652

    Omen


    An old man with thin-eyebrows and embroidered robes stood at the side of the pale-faced man and added on, ¡°Even so, Martial Ancestor need not worry. The Fu Clan maintained a steady relationship with Seniors Sun and Mo for over a hundred years. They will arrive soon. As their sects¡¯ current heights was in significant part due to our Fu Clan¡¯s backing, we can be considered to be closely tied together. Besides, we sent two of our clans¡¯ most outstanding female disciples as their concubines. They would be embarrassed not to come.¡±


    The Fu Clan Ancestor twirled his long beard and a cold glint flickered from his eyes. With his previous smile vanished, he said, ¡°Its not that I¡¯m worried whether or not Brother Sun and Mo will come, but I merely feel somewhat ill at ease at the day of the birth celebration approaches. It seems as if something great is about to happen. It is rather worrying! Has our Fu Clan recently offended a particularly fearsome character or some larger sects?¡±


    When this was said, the people in the hall couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    After a long while, the pale faced man carefully answered,¡± Venerable Ancestor, you should also know this. Although our Fu Clan has greatly flourished over the years, we¡¯ve offended countless clans and small sects. But the most hostile to us are the Qin and Hu Clans. Could they be plotting something?¡±


    ¡°It definitely isn¡¯t those two clans! While those two clans were able to contend with us for some time, they no longer possess many high grade cultivators. They don¡¯t have the capability to stir up trouble.¡± The Fu Clan Ancestor coldly shook his head, but he soon frowned. With some further hesitation, he said, ¡°However, if they were join hands with other small clans, they may take advantage of this opportunity to attack. They¡¯d be able to greatly injure the clan¡¯s strength.


    After all, in order to curry favor with the Devilflame Sect, our Fu Clan killed many of the two clan¡¯s cultivators for resisting the Devil Dao. As of current, the Qin and Hu Clans have lost their backing and are hiding away. With the hatred they holds towards us, it isn¡¯t an impossible matter.¡± With that said, the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s expression grew sullen.


    The embroidered-robed old man cautiously asked, ¡°What does Venerable Ancestor mean?¡±


    In an instant, the Fu Clan Ancestor leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Then with an adamant tone, he declared, ¡°We will be calm on the surface, but remain inwardly vigilant! Double the sentries! Have the protective formation continuously activated without pause! And be particularly mindful of vagrant cultivators with unclear background!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will be arranged!¡± The pale-faced cultivator immediately accepted the orders.


    Seeing that the Fu Clan Ancestor appeared to be in a poor mood, the remaining Fu Clan Juniors all stood in place, even not daring to breathe too loudly.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor suddenly said, ¡°Tianyun, call over your Third Uncle. Have him take the Ironback Beast into his spirit beast pouch and bring it along with him to the birth celebration. Only he can control our Fu Sect¡¯s sacred sect protecting beast!¡±


    The embroidered-robed old man couldn¡¯t help cry out, ¡°What? Didn¡¯t Esteemed Ancestor say that Third Uncle shouldn¡¯t be disturbed during the birth celebration because he was currently in a crucial point in his cultivation?¡±


    The Fu Clan Ancestor coldly snorted and said, ¡°The past is the past, the present is now! Although cultivators can¡¯t always predict calamity as it appears, there are times where one¡¯s instinct is particularly sharp. It cannot be helped. In order to be careful, it is better for this old man to overly suspicious than having our Fu Clan meet calamity.¡±


    Seeing that the Fu Clan Ancestor was about to get angry, the old man obediently agreed, ¡°Yes, Ancestor! I will now call Third Uncle out of seclusion.¡± He promptly left afterwards.


    Not yet finished, the Fu Clan Ancestor gave many more additional orders before finally feeling at ease.


    With so many preparations in place for contingencies, he felt as if matters would be taken care of.


    On a barren mountain outside of Violet Road Mountain, there was a group of thirty vagrant cultivators that were pointing at the purple mist and were whispering amongst them.


    Han Li was mixed among the cultivators and were examining his surroundings in silence as if he were a common recluse.


    It had come as a surprise to Han Li that there were so many vagrant Foundation Establishment cultivators in the State of Yuan Wu. Only a small portion of them should¡¯ve come to congratulate the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s age. Back when he was in the State of Yue, vagrant Foundation Establishment cultivators were rarely seen.


    Although the State of Yuan Wu was somewhat larger than the State of Yue, the different shouldn¡¯t have been great. But after a hundred years had passed, this new development made Han Li feel as if the world had left him behind.


    However, Han Li was unaware that before the Righteous and Devil Dao attacked, a majority of Foundation Establishment Pills were held by sects and clans; few ever made their way into the hands of vagrant cultivators. But with the upheaval from a hundred years ago, many sects and clans ended up being exterminated. Destroyed inheritances and incense burning were common occurrences, resulting in a large quantity of Foundation Establishment pills being spread in the chaos.


    Although a majority of pills were acquired by clans and sects, the small portion that managed to land into the hands of vagrant cultivators created a sudden increase of Foundation Establishment disciples in each country, forming a large amount of force. There were even a few vagrant cultivators that had managed to reach Core Formation through chance.


    As the Righteous Dao, the Devilish Dao, and the Heavenly Dao Alliance, they all adopted a policy of absorbing all vagrant cultivators they could and suppressing those that resisted. As a result, the vagrant cultivators weren¡¯t able to form anything greater, despite their vast increase in number.


    As Han Li was mulling over this, he suddenly spotted eight streaks of red light flying across the sky. After landing in front of the purple mist, the light faded away to reveal a group of cultivators wearing fire-red robes.


    There were two Core Formation cultivators leading the group. One had a faceful of white hair and a gourd at his waist. The other had an ordinary appearance but his eyes possessed a threatening chill.


    The vagrant cultivators became restless upon seeing the new arrivals. Some even whispered that they came from the Devilflame Sect.


    The more experienced vagrant cultivators spoke in particularly soft whispers, fearing that the Devilflame Sect members would hear them, ¡°Those are the Devilflame Sect¡¯s External Affair Enforcers Sun and Mo. The two female cultivators at their side should be the renowned beauties of the Fu Clan. I heard that they¡¯ve already become the two Senior¡¯s concubines.¡±


    Han Li naturally heard all of this with his spiritual sense. He couldn¡¯t help but sweep his gaze past the Devilflame Sect Core Formation cultivators and the two female cultivators at their sides. As expected, the two women were gorgeous beauties.


    The Devilflame Sect cultivators seemed to ignore the vagrant cultivators. A disciple from the party walked towards the dense mist and sent a voice transmission talisman into it. Afterwards, the disciple obediently stood behind the two Core Formation cultivators.


    A short moment later, the purple mist rolled away to reveal a passageway. Many Fu Clan disciples respectfully welcomed them in.


    Han Li took advantage of this opportunity to take a deep look at the many Fu Clan disciples before expressionlessly turning his gaze away.


    At that moment, the party of Devilflame Sect cultivators entered the purple mist and the passageway faded away.


    In the following four hours, a few cultivators from other clans and small sects began to successively arrive at the mountain and were similarly welcomed in.


    After another long while, a steward with an apologetic expression walked out from the mist.


    ¡°It is quite lacking in manners for our Fu Clan to keep you Fellow Daoists waiting so long. It isn¡¯t that our Fu Clan looks down on you, but that there is finite space inside the Fu Clan Castle. It would prove quite chaotic for too many cultivators to be inside at once. As such, we could only have you enter the castle on the day of the celebration. Nevertheless, please be at ease. So long as you sincerely congratulate the Venerable Ancestor, we will treat you fairly. The feast has already been prepared inside the main hall. Please enter the castle.¡±


    The steward spoke elegantly, dissipating a majority of the vagrant cultivators¡¯ discontent. Then, the vagrant cultivators silently glanced at each other before following the middle-aged steward into the mist.


    Han Li calmly walked at the back of the crowd, but a moment later, he disappeared from sight.


    Regardless of whether it be the cultivators walking ahead of him or the Fu Clan disciples that were in charge of monitoring the sect, they had all failed to perceive this anomaly as if Han Li had never been there.


    Many Fu Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators were currently standing in front of an extravagant hall. They beamingly welcomed the visitors, leaving them with a deep and warm impression.


    There were about three hundred guests in the castle, with those having arrived today from those arriving days before. Now that the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s birthday has arrived, these guests gathered together in front of the main hall, waiting for the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s appearance.


    Given the Fu Clan¡¯s immense influence in the State of Yuan Wu, the vagrant cultivators and smaller clansmen were spouting praises without end. Even the emissaries from larger clans were chatting with Fu Clan cultivators with a wide smile.

 Chapter 653

    Clan Extermination (1)


    The Fu Clan Ancestor wasn¡¯t near the main hall as of current. Instead, he was within one of the castle¡¯s secluded pavilions. He was looking at a faint sparkling jade slip in his hand.


    Since he was the main character in the birthday celebration, he would be making his appearance at the last moment. He may as well take advantage of this idle time to handle a few more urgent matters as the Fu Clan¡¯s master.


    In addition to the Fu Clan Ancestor, there was a large copper-skinned man sitting in the pavilion. His cultivation was at early Core Formation stage, and his waist was filled with variously-sized pouches.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor suddenly slapped the table and shouted with a gloomy expression, ¡°Humph! This isn¡¯t the State of Zijin! Those Spirit Controlling Sect want our assistance in acquiring information? Just what are they looking for? Do they consider our Fu Clan to be subordinates? Absurd!¡±


    The large man stroked his chin and curiously said, ¡°There is no need for Seventh Uncle to be so angry. Does the jade slip mention what they¡¯re looking for? Surely this must be something important for the cultivators of the Controlling Spirit Sect to act so nervously?¡±


    ¡°It is irritating how they wish to use us, but still keep us in the dark. They merely want us to be mindful of any strange events that have taken place recently in the State of Yuan Wu, and inform them as soon as anything occurs.¡±


    A spirited glint appeared in the large man¡¯s eyes. He pensively said, ¡°Oh! So its like that? It seems the Controlling Spirit Sect wishes to conceal this matter from the Devilflame Sect, and sought our Fu Clan out as a result. This must also be why they are speaking so vaguely.¡±


    The old man twirled his beard and muttered, ¡°Little Third, your words seem true. In order to further protect our Fu Clan, we should also secretly befriend the Spirit Controlling Sect just in case, in addition to serving the Devilflame Sect. While we¡¯ve had friendly relations with the Controlling Spirit Sect for some time, they still don¡¯t trust our Fu Clan much. It seems we should take a look at our plans. Perhaps the weakest of the Six Sects, the Ghost Spirit Sect, would also be good to befriend.¡±


    ¡°This may be¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch tch! I didn¡¯t think that the Fu Clan was colluding with the Controlling Spirit Sect while so eager to please the Devilflame Sect. It is no wonder why your clan has been so prosperous the past hundred years.¡± The large man¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the derisive voice of an unfamiliar man.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor and the large man felt shocked and simultaneously jumped up from their chairs. After glancing at each other in shock, the Fu Clan ancestor loudly asked, ¡°Who is the lord that honors the Fu Clan with his presence? I, Fu Tianhua, hope Senior will forgive me for not welcoming him!¡±


    ¡°There is not need to welcome me. I came here uninvited.¡± As soon as that was said, azure light suddenly glowed from within the pavilion.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor and the large man shouted out in alarm and withdrew to a corner of the room in a blur. A translucent barrier appeared on each of their bodies.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor spat out a white flying sword and had it revolve around him. As for the large man, he grabbed onto the spirit beast pouch that was at his waist. It was black and unremarkable.


    At that moment, the light faded away to reveal an azure-robed cultivator. He appeared to be an unremarkable youth in his mid twenties. It was Han Li who had sneaked into the castle.


    At that moment, Han Li had his hands behind his back and swept his gaze past the two vigilant Fu Clan elders. He slowly said, ¡°My spiritual sense swept past your Fu Clan castle and found that your cultivation was the highest amongst the few Core Formation cultivators in the castle. You must be the Fu Clan¡¯s leaders!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression was tranquil and revealed not the slightest emotion.


    With Han Li¡¯s cultivation unconcealed, the two Core Formation cultivators were able to sense Han Li¡¯s profound cultivation. In the old man¡¯s alarm, he forced a smile in spite of his apprehension and said, ¡°So it turned out to be a Nascent Soul Senior! May I ask why Senior honors us with his presence? Is there something that the Fu Clan may assist you with?¡±


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the violet-robed old man at the corner of the room, ¡°Are you the Fu Clan Ancestor?¡±


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s emotionless question, the Fu Clan Ancestor respectfully replied, ¡°Junior doesn¡¯t dare to call himself an ancestor in front of Senior. Junior¡¯s name is Fu Tianhua, the current Fu Clan Master.¡± The unease in his heart only became more fervent. He faintly felt that this Nascent Soul cultivator didn¡¯t hold any good intentions with his arrival.


    Han Li looked at the old man and revealed a strange expression. ¡°Hm, since you¡¯re the Fu Clan Ancestor, it seems I hadn¡¯t found the wrong person. Since I¡¯ve come to the Fu Clan for reparations, it is better to first speak with your esteemed self.¡±


    When the Fu Clan Ancestor heard Han Li, he felt his heart drop down an endless abyss. ¡°Reparations? Senior must be joking. This is the first time Junior has ever seen Senior. Is Senior mistaken?¡±


    When the large man at the side heard this, his complexion became bloodless and he couldn¡¯t help but grasp the spirit beast pouch with greater force.


    To hear of a Nascent Soul cultivator demanding reparations was a matter that was far from good.


    Han Li casually glanced in the direction of the large man and beamingly smiled, ¡°Mistaken? That can¡¯t be! Originally, I thought to give you an explanation to avoid having you become wronged ghosts, but you¡¯ve had a long history of dirty behavior so I won¡¯t waste my breath. You two will be the first to go. I¡¯ll promptly send the rest of the Fu Clan to accompany you on the other side.¡±


    As soon as Han Li finished speaking, the Fu Clan Ancestor furiously shouted, ¡°What!? You wish to exterminate the entire Fu Clan?¡± He took out a yellow talisman and quickly withdrew into the wall in a flash of light as if it were an illusion. It appeared to be a rarely seen earth movement talisman.


    ¡°Just where could you possibly run away?¡± Han Li scoffed, but he didn¡¯t chase after him. Instead, he flicked his finger in a different direction.


    A streak of azure light appeared as quickly as it disappeared, penetrating through the chest of the large man at the corner of the room. His barrier had been instantly shattered.


    But in the instant the large man died, the spirit beast pouch flickered with light before soon fading away, releasing a faint roar.


    The large man¡¯s corpse fell to the floor, but Han Li didn¡¯t bother to look at him. As of current, killing an early Core Formation cultivator was child¡¯s play. However, he was somewhat interested in the spirit beast pouch in his hand and casually took it with a wave of his hand.


    Han Li then glanced at the wall the Fu Clan Ancestor had disappeared in and smirked.


    With a wave of his sleeve, a white fox flew out and appeared before Han Li.


    Han Li ordered the small fox, ¡°Use your earth movement technique to deal with the Fu Clan Ancestor. With your illusions and cultivation as a tool spirit, it should be quite easy for you to deal with a mid Core Formation cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Master! It will take just a moment. I will return quickly!¡± The small fox revealed a proud appearance and it disappeared from the pavilion in the flash of yellow light. At that moment, Han Li patted the storage pouch at his waist, releasing countless black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles in the air. A moment later, a huge cloud of black, gold, and silver swirled above him.


    ¡°Go!¡± Suddenly, the cloud of beetles separated into countless strands, instantly forming a hundred small blades swarming out from the window.


    Han Li then sat cross-legged inside the pavilion and began to use the Great Development Technique to envelope the entirety of the Fu Clan Castle in his spiritual sense.


    The direct descendants of the Fu Clan were easily identifiable. Regardless of what they wore, they all cultivated several of the same techniques, all of which were revealed underneath Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense. As for the Fu Clan mortals that were lacking any spiritual roots, Han Li took no notice of them. He merely directed the tri-colored flying swords to devour the Fu Clan cultivators.


    An instant later, miserable screams, shouts of alarm and the dense smell of blood filled the air.


    As this was occuring, the Fu Clan Ancestor was deep underground and was quickly flying through the earth through the use of the talisman. His only thought was to escape into the distance. As for disciples and Juniors in the castle, he had no intention of thinking about them.


    Although he didn¡¯t personally see his large nephew die, he had already imagined what happened.


    Even with the Fu Clan¡¯s sect protecting beast, escaping from a Nascent Soul cultivator was simply a pipedream. However, the Fu Clan Ancestor would be perfectly content if he occupied his attention for even just a moment.


    As for the other Fu Clan members, he wished to save them, but he lacked the strength; he would merely become another casualty. As such, he may as well just preserve himself.


    So long as the Fu Clan Ancestor still remained, the Fu Clan could be considered to be alive. Apart from the Fu Clan Castle, there were many other Fu Clan estates in the State of Yuan Wu. Provided that he survived, the Fu Clan would eventually rise once more.


    However, he was particularly depressed and puzzled about how the Fu Clan had possibly attracted the ire of an unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator. He actually declared that the Fu Clan would be exterminated as soon as he began speaking. Although this Nascent Soul cultivator was entirely emotionless, the old man felt his heart tremble upon recalling his expression.

 Chapter 654

    Clan Extermination (2)


    When the Fu Clan Ancestor flew out of scope of the Fu Clan Castle, he heard woman¡¯s soft voice speak, ¡°Your earth movement technique is truly slow. How about you hand over your head and allow me to report back to Master?¡±


    The Fu Clan Ancestor was greatly shocked and couldn¡¯t help but stop. In a white blur, a gorgeous beauty appeared before him. She stood only a meter before him and faced him with an enchanting smile.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Just as the Fu Clan Ancestor was about to cry out in alarm, the woman parted her sweet lips and blew out a pink fragrance mist, enveloping the vulnerable Fu Clan Ancestor in an instant.


    The Fu Clan Ancestor inwardly cursed. He hastily attempted to cast a spell and flee, but the sweet scent made rendered his body lax and powerless. Before he could do anything to defend himself, he fell unconscious.


    When Silvermoon saw that her prey had fallen unconscious, she faintly smiled and casually waved her hand, sending a white crescent streak towards his neck.


    Blood splattered.


    ¡­


    Inside the large hall of the Fu Clan Castle there were several hundred guests that were festively chatting. Several Core Formation cultivators that had personally come to pay their respects were kept company by a few of the higher grade cultivators in the Fu Clan. Friendly relations flourished between the guests and hosts.


    But suddenly, there were several screams of anguish that could be faintly heard from outside the hall. The bustling voices in the hall came to an abrupt stop, and many guests looked at each other in dismay. A few of the more quick-witted cultivators immediately turned their gazes onto the Fu Clan cultivators.


    The blue-robed old man sitting at the side of the two Devilflame Sect enforcers also appeared shocked, but soon, he wore a calm expression and loudly shouted, ¡°Everyone, please do not worry. It is possible it is but a small matter. I will call over someone and see what¡¯s going on.¡± He was the younger cousin of the Fu Clan Ancestor and was the third Fu Clan Core Formation cultivator.


    At that moment, he excused himself from the company of the two Devilflame Sect enforcers and turned to the two Fu Clan cultivators standing behind him. He immediately gave them orders to quickly rush out the hall and report back.


    The two Devilflame Core Formation cultivators both appeared calm, but they glanced at each other with a trace of doubt.


    Two more miserable screams came from the outside. It was clear that the two Fu Clan cultivators that were sent outside had met a vicious attack. The guests in the hall had clearly heard this, and their expressions vastly changed.


    The blue-robed old man¡¯s expression grew unsightly and he deeply sighed before standing up. He said with a deep voice, ¡°Activate the hall¡¯s restrictions and quickly send word to the Ancestor.¡±


    When a nearby Fu Clan cultivator heard this, he acknowledged the order with a pale complexion. He then took out a sound transmission talisman from his robes and whispered a few words before releasing it.


    The talisman shot out from the roof in a streak of red light, but a moment later, the cultivator spoke with a raspy voice, ¡°Not good! The sound transmission talisman was shot down. We seem to be surrounded.¡±


    When this was said, even the Core Formation guests couldn¡¯t remain calm.


    The pockmarked Devilflame Sect Enforcer frowned and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu, it seems enemies have snuck into your castle. Brother Sun and I will go out with you and have a look.¡±


    The blue-robed old man¡¯s anxiousness was greatly relieved upon hearing him. He immediately rejoiced and said, ¡°I am greatly thankful for your assistance. I will have to trouble you to do so.¡±


    The middle-aged man surnamed Sun frowned as if disapproving of his companion¡¯s actions, but he followed him nevertheless.


    As for the remaining four Core Formation cultivators in the hall, they glanced at each other and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest intent to help. The others in the hall grew completely silent, watching the three Core Formation cultivators walk out from the hall.


    As the three calmly approached the hall door, loud buzzing suddenly came from outside the hall. The three couldn¡¯t help but halt their steps upon hearing this.


    In the blink of an eye, a thirty-meter-long beam of azure light swept inside and wrapped around the three Core Formation cultivators. A dozen lines of fine azure light then shot out from the azure beam in a display of blinding brilliance, forcing the cultivators in the hall to momentarily close their eyes. In that instant, the azure beam spiralled throughout the hall.


    The blue-clothed old man and the two Devilflame Sect cultivators halted and their bodies grew motionless as if from shock. As the cultivators in the hall were stunned in their awe, they were completely oblivious to what was happening.


    The sudden shriek of a female cultivator attracted the attention of all in the room.


    The paled female cultivator was sitting at the side of a Fu Clan steward whose head had tumbled down at an unknown time. The headless corpse was still sitting upright as blood sprayed from its severed neck.


    The other cultivators then discovered that tens of Fu Clan cultivators, regardless of their rank, had their heads tumbling onto the ground in a silent death.


    ¡°The azure light! Someone is using a magic treasure to attack them! Fellow Daoist Fu, you must¡­¡± A cultivator who had decent relations to the Fu Clan loudly shouted in alarm as if to warn the three Core Formation cultivators, but soon, his words came to a sudden stop and his face became ashen.


    At that moment, the blue-robed old man and company suddenly split into pieces as if they were made of paper. Their bodies had collapsed into piles of gore.


    When this occurred, the guests of the birthday celebration felt their breath turn cold. Although these cultivators were able to somewhat keep their calm previously, they were now in a complete panic. Each of them enveloped themselves in a colorful barrier and filled the room with the bright glow of various colored lights. Magic tools of all sorts began to float in front of many cultivators. Even a few of the cultivators who held more than friendly relations to the Fu Clan gathered together restlessly with terrified expressions.


    For three Core Formation cultivators and tens of Fu Clan disciples to be killed in the instant, how could it be anything else apart from the fearful existence known as a Nascent Soul cultivator! If it was truly a Nascent Soul cultivator, killing everyone else in the hall should be an extremely easy matter.


    As fear filled the hearts of those present, none dared to make any noise. Many guests presently felt vast regret for attending this Fu Clan celebration. Wouldn¡¯t they be caught in the crossfire?


    Deathly silence filled the hall.


    A few of the Core Formation cultivators with stronger spiritual senses thought to stealthily release their spiritual sense to observe the outside. However, the Fu Clan had placed down many spiritual sense restrictions in order to protect their secrets from prying eyes. As a result, they were blocked and couldn¡¯t help but resentfully curse the Fu Clan.


    As anxiousness filled the hall, the voice of an unfamiliar man spoke, ¡°Those present are restricted from leaving this hall for two hours. Those who disobey will be killed! After those two hours are over, you may leave as you wish.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was simple and cold, but it also carried an indescribable malice, shaking the hearts of those who heard it. Once those words were said, the cultivators in the room were greatly relieved. From his tone, it appeared that he had no intention of killing them.


    However, they clearly understood that they were spared most likely because they hadn¡¯t seen the man¡¯s true appearance. As such, none dared to disobey him. As for taking revenge for the Fu Clan, the thought itself was a joke. Even if one had the capability, who would feud with a Nascent Soul cultivator over the mere Fu Clan?


    The two hours passed by neither fast nor slowly.


    During this time apart from a few whispers, screams of anguish occasionally came from the outside. They were curt and lasted only a moment. It was clear none in the Fu Clan castle was able to retaliate as they were killed.


    The cultivators in the hall felt their heart tremble upon hearing these screams. Each of them guessed that the Fu Clan had offended an expert or great power and was being exterminated as a result. There were many in the hall that felt schadenfreude or pity for them.


    After the time it took to finish the cup of tea, the screams in the Fu Castle had ceased and the outside became as silent as within the hall. The guests then glanced at one another but none of them dared to act rashly.


    Once the two hours had passed, the man¡¯s voice didn¡¯t return. In the end, one of the braver Core Formation cultivators decided to leave the hall and he safely left.


    In the following moment, the other guests began to rush out with relief.

 Chapter 655

    Descendant


    The Fu Clan Castle was entirely empty apart from a few bloodstains on the ground. It appeared that all of the direct lineage disciples of the Fu Clan had been exterminated and even their corpses were burnt to ash.


    However, there were a few people that flew over on their magic tools and surveyed the entirety of the Fu Clan Castle, only to discover that the mortals and low grade external disciples of the Fu Clan were all unscathed. They even appeared to be completely ignorant of what had happened inside the castle. It seemed the attacker felt that killing off the direct lineage of the Fu Clan was enough to ensure its extinction.


    Having just experienced that frightful affair, these cultivators naturally didn¡¯t dare to remain. A majority of vagrant cultivators immediately set off while a small portion of them temporarily stayed behind to have a whispered discussion before also departing.


    The Fu Clan¡¯s extermination was an extremely important matter to both friendly and hostile powers. And with two Devilflame Sect Enforcers slain as well, the Devilflame Sect would now be forced to take action regardless of whether or not it was a Nascent Soul cultivator who had exterminated the Fu Clan!


    The witnesses of this incident quickly brought the information back to their sects and clans as quickly as they could. These powers needed to prepare for the vast changes that would soon occur!


    As the last few cultivators were hurriedly leaving the Fu Clan, many green-robed cultivators had arrived just outside the Purple Road Mountains. They were surprised to see that the restrictions protecting the Fu Clan Castle were unmanned.


    At that moment, a few of the Fu Clan outer disciples entered the castle and discovered what was inside. These Qi Condensation cultivators made a huge uproar and each of them had completely lost their minds to fear.


    The many green-clothed cultivators that were waiting in the air looked at each other in dismay upon seeing the panicked low grade disciples.


    The top clan in the State of Yuan Wu had met their end at the hands of a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator. Word of this event spread throughout the entire cultivation world in the State of Yuan Wu, raising an uproar amongst the various powers.


    With two of the Devilflame Sect Enforcers having perished during the Fu Clan extermination, the upper echelon of the Devilflame Sect flew into a humiliated rage, and sent out men to find the mysterious and vicious attacker who did this. They even stated that their own Nascent Soul Founder wouldn¡¯t allow this expert to run free.


    However, those with sharper judgement would realize that the Devilflame Sect was merely putting on airs, and would most likely not take action. After all, according to the witnesses, the two Devilflame Sect Enforcers had recklessly taken the initiative to stand closely to a Fu Clan cultivator as the Nascent Soul cultivator was carrying out his revenge. It was merely bad luck.


    Even if the Devilflame Sect was even more powerful and attempted to hunt down the murderer, cultivators weren¡¯t easily trapped or killed once they had reached Nascent Soul stage. They would need to dispatch four Nascent Soul cultivators of a similar grade or place down a fearsome restriction to even think of killing him.


    Of course, the Devilflame Sect wasn¡¯t about to dispatch several Nascent Soul cultivators over revenge for a few Core Formation enforcers. Even if the sect was willing, the Nascent Soul eccentrics weren¡¯t about to take action over something so trivial.


    Regardless of the declaration, a tremor swept through the entirety of the State of Yuan Wu. The Fu Clan¡¯s spirit stones, marketplaces, and other holdings were divided up by several different powers.


    However, this had nothing to do with Han Li. Unlike what other cultivators guessed, Han Li had remained inside the State of Yuan Wu for several days after the extermination was carried out. He was currently at an small, unremarkable mountain.


    At the moment, he was floating in the air with his body enveloped in azure light, and was staring at the fog surrounding the mountain¡¯s center with a reminiscent expression.


    ¡°Over a hundred years have passed yet this place is still the same. Since the restrictions here still exist, could it be that other cultivators are living here now?¡± Han Li muttered with a calm expression.


    After he had exterminated the Fu Clan cultivators with his black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li directly flew to Xin Ruyin¡¯s secluded mountain with the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s severed head in his possession.


    In the past, he had made friends with Xin Ruyin and Qi Yunxiao. Now that he had taken revenge on their behalf, he planned on paying his respects at their graves and bringing the matter to a conclusion. However, he didn¡¯t anticipate that Xin Ruyin¡¯s former residence was being occupied by other cultivators. He couldn¡¯t help but wear a doubtful expression.


    After some thought, Han Li¡¯s directly flew towards the mountain¡¯s restrictions. With his current cultivation and understanding of spell formations, the restrictions were incapable of stopping him.


    As Han Li stood in front of the fog, he calmly flicked his fingers and shot many various colored magic seals into the restriction. Soon after, the mist roiled and revealed a small passageway that Han Li immediately flew through. A short moment later, the mist disappeared and Han Li arrived before the residence that Xin Ruyin had personally built.


    Glancing at the deep yellow bamboo buildings, Han Li felt a trace of nostalgia as well as a feeling of sadness at times long passed.


    At that moment, a middle-aged woman walked out from a bamboo building. Her face still contained beauty and weak spiritual Qi fluctuations were emitted from her body. She was only a fourth layer Qi Condensation cultivator. When Han Li saw her, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. This woman gave him a familiar impression.


    ¡°Ah! Who¡­ Who are you? How did you get in here?¡± The middle-aged woman spotted Han Li and couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise. Soon after, she flusteredly took out two fire-red talismans from her waist and looked at Han Li with a hostile expression.


    This was to be expected. This woman suddenly found an unfamiliar cultivator in a place that she had deemed to be completely secure. It was only natural for her to be alarmed and wary. Moreover, while this woman was unable of recognize Han Li¡¯s true cultivation with her meager power, she was able to feel that Han Li¡¯s magic power was profound beyond imagination. As such, she grew fearful.


    Just as Han Li stroked his chin and planned to ask for the woman¡¯s identity, she suddenly shouted in pleasant surprise after closely examining Han Li, ¡°Yi! Could it be Senior Han?¡±


    Han Li was stunned when he heard this and revealed a trace of amazement. After muttering under his breath for a moment, he faintly realized something. He wore a friendly expression as he asked, ¡°What relationship do you have with Xiao Mei? You look very similar to her.¡±


    When the woman heard Han Li call out her ancestor¡¯s name, she realized she was correct and respectfully bowed, ¡°Oh, Senior must be speaking of my ancestor! My ancestor passed away many years ago. For the time being, this Junior is staying in Miss Xin¡¯s residence.¡±


    Han Li wryly smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re Servant Mei¡¯s descendant? To think that the silly little girl is now an ancestor.¡± He then wore a puzzled expression and asked, ¡°Still, how was it that you recognized me?¡±


    The woman blushed and embarrassingly said, ¡°In the past, my ancestor personally drew Senior¡¯s portrait. I¡¯ve looked at this portrait since I was small. That is why I was able to recognize Senior at a glance.¡±


    ¡°Oh! A portrait! I had no idea.¡± A trace of amazement appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. He then curiously asked, ¡°Could I take a look at it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Senior. How about Senior first head inside? I¡¯ll bring it to you there.¡± The woman stepped to the side and respectfully invited Han Li in.


    After a moment of hesitation, Han Li walked into the bamboo building and noticed that the interior was unremarkable. But upon seeing that it was clean and well kept, Han Li nodded his head.


    Once Han Li took a seat, the woman hastily steeped a pot of tea. Although it couldn¡¯t be compared to the spirit tea that Xin Ruyin once made, it was still pleasant and exceptional.


    As he began to drink the tea, the woman excused herself and went to fetch the portrait.


    Han Li casually swept his spiritual sense around and immediately spotted the woman. As expected, she was walking towards a pavilion.


    The first floor of the pavilion was completely empty, but on the second floor Han Li saw a long wooden table. The table had two pitch-black memorial tablets that were inscribed with the names of Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin.


    When Han Li saw this, his heart grew dim while he recalled the smiles the two wore in the past. It was a pity the two had passed so long ago.


    After the woman deeply saluted the memorial tablets, she took a rolled-up, foot-long scroll from the table drawer. She then hurriedly descended and ran directly towards Han Li¡¯s building.

 Chapter 656

    A Parting Gift


    Han Li received the portrait and gently unrolled the scroll in his hand to reveal a meter long portrait of a smiling azure-robed man. It was a lifelike image of himself.


    After taking a look at the scroll, Han Li sighed and rolled it back up.


    After a moment of thought, Han Li stared at the woman and slowly asked, ¡°Might I ask why your ancestor left behind a portrait of me? Is there a deeper meaning behind it?¡±


    When the woman heard this, she wore a hesitant expression. With some thought, she carefully replied, ¡°Senior Han, before Junior answers this question, may I ask whether or not you remember your promise with Miss Xin?¡±


    ¡°Of course I remember. You also know of the matter?¡± Han Li asked with a trace of astonishment.


    With a heart filled with apprehension, the woman looked at Han Li and softly said, ¡°In fact, Junior has continued to stay here in large part due to Senior. However, I hope you¡¯ll forgive me as I cannot speak forthrightly until your promise with Miss Xin is fulfilled.¡±


    Peng. Han Li expressionlessly tossed a wooden box onto the table from his storage pouch.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The woman felt her heart jump as she wasn¡¯t sure what Han Li intended.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist to be so flustered! The box contains the head of the Fu Clan Ancestor. The direct lineage of the Fu Clan have been exterminated, and only a few distant Fu Clan members remain. The Fu Clan no longer holds any power in the State of Yuan Wu. Is the promise considered fulfilled?¡±


    The woman cried out in shock, ¡°What? The Fu Clan Ancestor has already been killed?!¡±


    She looked at the box with gritted teeth and opened the lid, filling the air with the scent of blood.


    The woman¡¯s face paled, but upon recognizing the face of the head, she smiled, ¡°It truly is the Fu Clan Ancestor. Many years ago, I stealthily caught sight of the villian from a distance.¡±


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°Because I killed him several days ago, word should¡¯ve already spread. So long as you talk to someone you¡¯re familiar with or go to a market city, you should be able to verify this.¡±


    ¡°Then Senior must¡¯ve brought the head here to¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I came to this old place to honor Miss Xin and Fellow Daoist Qi. I haven¡¯t made many friends in my life and now that I¡¯ve taken revenge on their behalf, I may as well follow it to completion.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice grew sullen and his expression became earnest.


    ¡°When Miss Xin and Sir Qi learn of this in the underworld, they will certainly be pleased. Please wait for a moment, I will be right back.¡± The woman¡¯s expression became dim, but something soon came to mind and she hurriedly left.


    Han Li was baffled but nodded his head and watched as the woman rushed out of the room.


    This time, the woman walked to a building in the back and began to dig below a tree, eventually taking a faint green jade box from within the dirt. She then carefully brought it back into the room and placed it on the table in front of Han Li.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Han Li narrowed his eyes and waited for her explanation.


    ¡°Senior Han, before Miss Xin died from her illness, she left behind a message for my ancestor. She wished to give this box to Senior if he managed to fulfill his promise and exterminate the Fu Clan. As a result, my ancestor remained here, as this would be the place Senior would make an appearance. Many years later, Senior hadn¡¯t yet returned and my ancestor passed this matter onto me. She even left behind a portrait of Senior so that we may recognize you. Now that you¡¯ve personally arrived and fulfilled your promise, I will naturally act in accordance to Miss Xin¡¯s words and hand this item over to you. At long last, I am finally free of this burden.¡±


    The woman spoke serenely and her expression appeared relieved. It appeared this matter had weighed heavily on her mind.


    Han Li felt moved as he gazed at the box on the table. He swept his spiritual sense past it and was somewhat astonished. He grabbed onto the box and opened it without any further reservations.


    There was a faint azure jade slip sitting in the box with a yellow talisman attached to it, and silver lines of talisman characters faintly floated up from the box.


    At that moment, the woman gazed at the jade slip with a curious expression.


    Han Li raised his head and asked, ¡°Hm? Has Fellow Daoist never seen this before?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t conceal this from Senior. Because Miss Xin hadn¡¯t left behind any words that restricted the protectors of the jade slip from looking at it, in a moment of curiosity my ancestor thought to take a look. But after reading it for just a short moment, she spat blood and lost consciousness for an entire day. Soon after, my ancestor used a high grade restriction talisman to restrict any of her descendants from reading it. Although I am quite curious, my cultivation is far inferior to my ancestor¡¯s when she was alive. I didn¡¯t dare to touch it.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head in response. He then blew a mist of azure light onto the jade slip and effortlessly removed the talisman.


    The woman was astonished by the sight. She had personally attempted to remove the talisman during an idle moment of curiosity, but her efforts had been completely in vain. However, Senior Han was able to remove the talisman with just a breath of spiritual Qi. His cultivation must be unfathomable.


    Having heard that Han Li was a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the past and now he had been able to exterminate the Fu Clan and the Fu Clan Ancestor, his cultivation must be at late Core Formation stage at the very least. It was quite possible he was even at Nascent Soul stage. The woman felt awe emerge from her heart.


    After looking through the jade slip, Han Li put it away in a flash of azure light. ¡°Not bad. This jade slip is truly useful to me so I will be taking it. However, Fellow Daoist must¡¯ve waited here for many years for me, and I feel regretful at the matter. Are you living here by yourself?¡±


    Once the woman heard Han Li¡¯s question, she grew excited and eagerly said, ¡°Of course not. My husband is also a cultivator, but his aptitude is poor and his cultivation is similar to my own. However, my son Quanzi is young and his aptitude is not bad. However, he never had an expert¡¯s guidance and was unable to enter a cultivation sect. If Senior could¡­¡±


    Regardless of herself or her husband, so long as her son could become a disciple of this profound and mighty figure, it would be vastly beneficial. As such, she began to mutter her intentions in a roundabout manner in hopes that she wouldn¡¯t offend him.


    When Han Li heard this, he waved his arm and interrupted her, ¡°There is no need to continue. I understand!¡±


    In the woman¡¯s alarm, Han Li calmly continued, ¡°As you¡¯re a descendant of Xiao Mei and have watched over this item for so long, while I cannot take him in as a disciple, I can bestow him a Foundation Establishment Pill and two bottles of medicine pills useful for Qi Condensation cultivation. Your son¡¯s success in Foundation Establishment will depend on his own luck. Once he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, he should have no problem entering a cultivation clan or sect.¡± Han Li took out three bottles and handed them over to the woman.


    ¡°A Foundation Establishment Pill?¡± The woman rejoiced and repeatedly uttered her thanks. Her previous disappointment had completely disappeared.


    Then with a change of tone, Han Li asked, ¡°Ah yes, when I exterminated the Fu Clan, I killed two Devilflame Sect cultivators in passing. Although I don¡¯t fear the Devilflame Sect, I don¡¯t wish to attract any trouble. Does anybody else know of this matter?¡±


    As if aware of Han Li¡¯s worries, she hastily replied, ¡°Senior, please be at ease. When my ancestor passed this matter onto me, no other outsiders were informed out of fear it would bring trouble to Senior. I have always been silent on this matter and mentioned this to neither my husband nor my son.¡±


    ¡°Since you won¡¯t be wantonly speaking about this, I will be paying my respects to their memorial tablets before heading off.¡± Han Li nodded with satisfaction and stood up.


    ¡°Ah, if Senior is about to leave, please wait a moment. My husband and my son will soon¡­¡±


    Peng. Just as the woman stood up, white light flashed from behind her and she lost consciousness. Han Li had flung his sleeve as if he were already prepared for this and caught the woman in a mist of azure light.


    At that moment, the white light behind her disappeared to reveal Silvermoon¡¯s fox body.


    After glancing around, Silvermoon mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°Master, why did you have me knock this woman unconscious. Do you feel uneasy about something, or does she just catch your fancy?¡±

 Chapter 657

    Profound Nascent Formation Arts


    Han Li appeared annoyed as he coldly snorted, ¡°Drivel! I am neither suspicious of the woman nor do I hold malice towards her. However, it would be better for me to erase any memories of meeting me today. If any rumors were to leak, not only would it trouble me, but it would also attract calamity upon herself.¡±


    With nothing else to say, his face glowed with azure light and he pressed his fingers against the woman¡¯s head, employing the Profound Yin Art¡¯s Dreamtear Technique. It would seal a few related memories and falsify them, causing this woman to believe that she managed to luckily acquire the medicine pills from a magnanimous expert. Any memories relating to Han Li would be completely sealed.


    This soul altering secret technique was comparable to the Soul Control Technique and the Worryfree Needle [1], given that they were used by someone with far greater cultivation than his own.


    However, this technique required that the user possess far greater cultivation than their target. Otherwise, the target would suffer great damage to their soul. As for Han Li, he had no problem using this technique on the woman as her cultivation was far too shallow.


    A quarter of an hour later, Han Li was finished and the woman remained asleep.


    After placing the woman back in her chair, Han Li took the opportunity to properly pay his respects to Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin. He then turned the Fu Clan Ancestor¡¯s head into ash and secretly left.


    ¡­


    Back in her artifact spirit form, Silvermoon curiously asked, ¡°Master, what does the jade slip contain? Master seems to view it with great importance.¡±


    Han Li quickly flew into the sky as he leisurely said, ¡°It is a spell formation record from the age of antiquity that describes many grand and profound formations. Even with my current attainments in spell formations, it would take me quite some time to comprehend them. In addition to spell formations, there is a truly peculiar secret art I am quite interested in.¡±


    ¡°Secret art? With Master¡¯s current knowledge and the entire set of the Profound Yin Arts, what secret arts could provoke your interest?¡± Silvermoon softly smiled, but her voice possessed a heavy curiosity.


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°Have you ever heard of the outstanding reputation of the Three Truths Severance?¡±


    Silvermoon¡¯s laughter instantly ceased and her voice trembled with excitement as she asked, ¡°Could it be that it holds the greatest Daoist Profound Art?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Han Li flatly denied.


    ¡°Oh? Then why did Master mention this divine art? Are you deliberately teasing me? Of course the Daoist Sects couldn¡¯t possibly allow this heaven-defying art to leak! They themselves don¡¯t even know if this technique is extinct!¡± Silvermoon grumbled.


    ¡°Although the jade slip¡¯s secret technique isn¡¯t the Three Truths Severance, it is a similar type of ability from the Devil Dao. It is called the Profound Nascent Formation Arts.¡± Han Li¡¯s originally calm expression began to reveal excitement.


    Silvermoon paused and said, ¡°Profound Nascent Formation Arts! What kind of technique is that? It seems I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also never heard of this technique before. However, this cultivation art is a genuine secret technique for cultivating a second primal soul. Later, one may even be able to nurture a second Nascent Soul.¡± Han Li¡¯s tone became solemn at the end.


    ¡°A second Nascent Soul! Is this true? If that¡¯s true, it would be considered a great divine technique at the very least, even if it is inferior to the Three Truths Severance!¡± Silvermoon¡¯s spirits were greatly roused. The greater Han Li¡¯s ability, the closer she would be to her objective.


    Han Li¡¯s surging emotions quickly turned calm once more. ¡°I still don¡¯t know if it is true. I¡¯ll have to return to the Drifting Cloud Sect and carefully examine it once through. However, the spell formations recorded in the jade slip are genuine ancient formations. I have a few duplicates of them in a similar jade slip, so they shouldn¡¯t be false.¡±


    ¡°Tch tch, Master¡¯s luck is truly quite good for this technique to be directly delivered to you. However, secret Devil Dao arts may be powerful, but they always tend to favor hasty benefits at great cost later on. The greater the divine ability, the more obvious this becomes. It would be better for Master to have a proper look at this technique and see if there is anything amiss.¡±


    Han Li soberly agreed, ¡°I am aware, and it¡¯s natural that I will be careful. If there is anything amiss about it, then I will forgo cultivating it.¡±


    When Silvermoon heard him, she relaxed but soon appeared baffled as she asked, ¡°Master, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re flying in the direction of the State of Xi. You aren¡¯t planning to return to the Drifting Cloud Sect?¡±


    Han Li sighed and said, ¡°For the time being, I will not be returning to the State of Xi. I wish to take a visit to the State of Yue. After all, it is my birth country; I have a few secular attachments there that I must sever myself from. Otherwise, there will be worries weighing down on my mind that will interfere with my future cultivation.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Silvermoon agreed, ¡°That is also good. At this stage, Master can only pursue the supreme Dao after he severs himself from all worries of the secular world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough nonsense for now. I am going to travel as quickly as I can.¡± Han Li ended the conversation with a cold tone. He then enveloped himself in a streak of azure light and increased his speed by several times. In an instant, he disappeared without a trace.


    Unknown to Han Li, in a place far away there were many green-clothed cultivators that were secretly searching through a forest. They each wore a terrified expression.


    At that moment, a burly man spoke to the others in a tone filled with dread, ¡°What can be done! It¡¯s already been many days and there hasn¡¯t been the slightest information on the Spirit Nascent. If we don¡¯t find the Spirit Nascent within three months, the sect will send enforcers for us.¡±


    A stern-eyed, middle-aged scholarly man said with an icy tone, ¡°Humph! The declaration to find the Spirit Nascent in three months was merely said in a moment of anger. Everyone knows that recapturing the Wood Spirit Nascent was no longer a matter that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could handle. But if we don¡¯t find even a trace of its whereabouts, I fear calamity will fall upon us all.


    A green-robed woman with a common appearance fearfully said, ¡°This matter wasn¡¯t even our fault. It was Martial Uncle Ding, the guard of the Spirit Nascent, that sent us away and attempted to merge with the Spirit Nascent against orders. He even died from the backlash. Let¡¯s hurry, the Spirit Nascent¡¯s tracks have already vanished. Although we have a few magic tools to track and restrict it, the Spirit Nascent was far too quick, and we were unable to chase it down. Now that the Spirit Nascent is isolated from restrictions, we are even more hopeless.¡±


    The scholarly man snorted and said, ¡°Junior Martial Sister should leave those words for when an enforcer comes. Fortunately, Martial Aunt Han and Martial Aunt Liu will come to assist us. Those two Martial Aunts have wood spiritual roots. They should have some way of searching for it. However, I am quite curious how someone could possibly control something as fierce as the Wood Spirit Nascent without a special magic tool. It is truly inconceivable.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Regardless of who restricts the Spirit Nascent, we must find its whereabouts in order to save our own lives. Did you not hear the voice transmission that Martial Ancestor Kuang personally sent?¡±


    The burly man frowned and revealed a trace of anxiety as he said, ¡°Second Senior Martial Brother is right. It would be considered good if we manage to preserve our lives. However, the transportation formation along the way was broken and the two Martial Aunts will need two days to arrive at the next transportation formation. Do you think that the cultivator who captured the Spirit Nascent will have left the State of Yuan Wu during this time? After all, we don¡¯t even know what country this cultivator is from.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Junior Martial Brothers seems to not know. Martial Aunts Liu and Han were candidates to fuse with the Spirit Nascent. Many years before, they cultivated a secret technique in preparation to fuse with it, and are able to sense the direction of the Spirit Nascent from far away. The cultivator that restricted the Spirit Nascent won¡¯t be able to escape the awareness of these Martial Aunts.¡± The old man spoke with a sullen tone, but his words seemed to hold confidence.


    Once they heard the old man, the other three appeared relieved. However, the scholarly man¡¯s eyes brightly flickered in thought and he asked, ¡°Do you think that the person who captured the Spirit Nascent and the cultivator who exterminated the Fu Clan are one and the same? Could chance truly have it that the Spirit Nascent just happened to be captured several days before the Fu Clan was exterminated? Could this person have realized that we had a relationship with the Fu Clan and exterminated them to prevent them from helping us?¡±


    ¡°Ninth Junior Martial Brother, you think too much. Even with such vast abilities, how could he possibly know that the Spirit Controlling Sect had a relationship with the Fu Clan. It was most likely just a coincidence,¡± the woman shook her head. But after some further thought, she became doubtful, ¡°However, for there to be two Nascent Soul cultivators to appear in the same place isn¡¯t very likely. Perhaps it truly is the same cultivator that has done this.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Could you perhaps tell us about this?¡± A young woman¡¯s lazy voice came from the direction of a large tree. Then in a blur of white light, two beautiful white-clothed women appeared before them.


    [1] The Soul Control Technique was used in chapter 293, only usable against mortals. The Worryfree Needle is a mortal technique that Han Li learned from Doctor Mo. Used in Chapter 203 against Han Yunzhi.

 Chapter 658

    Former Residences Spirit Well


    The four green-robed cultivators were shocked upon seeing the two white-clothed woman that just appeared, but quickly rushed to salute them, ¡°Martial Aunt Han! Martial Aunt Liu!¡±


    The frail woman with a pale face and wide eyes softly said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. No need to be overly polite. Junior Martial Sister Liu and I have heard a bit of what you¡¯ve said. Tell us about it and include all the details!¡± Her voice sounded otherworldly.


    This woman was Han Yunzhi, a woman Han Li had encountered several times in the past [1]. Although her face was entirely the same as before, her body now appeared fragile and well-developed. Along with her beautiful body transformation, her cultivation had made great leaps as well, rising to early Core Formation.


    ¡°Many thanks, Martial Aunt Han. Martial Nephew will obey orders.¡± The old man in charge of the four green-clothed cultivators replied on the group¡¯s behalf.


    Han Yunzhi nodded with a smile and stepped forward. After finding a clean spot on the ground, she took a seat.


    The other beauty had phoenix eyes and long eyebrows. She was a beautiful woman with a carefree expression. With a smile, she said, ¡°Your crimes are not light. If you truly are incapable of finding the Spirit Nascent, I fear your master wouldn¡¯t be able to plead for your lives!¡± Her words startled the female cultivator among the group of four.


    The old man bitterly laughed and wore an earnest expression, ¡°Martial Nephew knows that his guilt is inescapable, but we were truly treated unjustly. I hope Martial Aunts will be able to speak a few words to the Martial Ancestor in our favor.¡±


    The woman stretched herself while her lips glistened as she spoke, ¡°Oh? Then how about you give an explanation. The person who restricted the Nascent Soul is now five hundred kilometers away and we won¡¯t be able to catch up to him anytime soon. We are in no hurry for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when we brought the Spirit Nascent to the Kunmu Mountains, Martial Uncle Ding used an excuse¡­¡± The old man respectfully gave a detailed explanation of the Spirit Nascent¡¯s escape, the Spirit Nascent¡¯s later capture and the Fu Clan¡¯s extermination.


    Han Yunzhi calmly listened, but her face remained completely still as if her heart was already steeled.


    In contrast, the woman surnamed Liu occasionally revealed a curious expression and her gaze flickered as if she held great interest in the old man¡¯s words.


    ¡­


    A streak of azure light flickered over the border between the State of Yuan Wu and the State of Yue.


    According to information Han Li had acquired, the State of Yue had fallen under the rule of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and their headquarters were at the previous location of the Masked Moon Sect. As for the Tai Yue Mountains of Yellow Maple Valley, it had become the location of a side branch.


    After Han Li entered the State of Yue, he flew straight in the direction of the Tai Yue Mountains.


    ¡°Nothing has changed!¡± As Han Li stood on a huge pile of rocks, he felt an expression of faint loneliness.


    In the past, he had destroyed the mountain housing his previous cave residence over fear that the Devil Dao cultivators would discover it. Now that so many years had passed, it appeared to have become a desolate area. Of course, who could¡¯ve possibly thought that there was a cultivator¡¯s residence concealed underneath the rubble?


    After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li raised his arm as his eyes flickered with white light. Several huge ape puppets were released that began to quickly clear away the rubble before them.


    The puppets cleared away the rubble by blasting a path through it with various-colored beams of light, quickly clearing a way down towards the cave residence that lay beneath.


    With a narrow passageway formed, Han Li ordered the puppets to stand guard as he flew inside.


    The cave residence remained exactly the same as when he hastily left it. He couldn¡¯t make out any signs of entry, much to his relief.


    He didn¡¯t come here solely for nostalgia but for the spirit well spring that was located in his hidden room.


    Although he already had the jade spirit well as well as the highest ranked spirit well, the Spirit Well Tree, one always had more room for another Spirit Well. Although this spirit well was somewhat small, he naturally wished to bring it along with him since he was already in the State of Yue.


    The spirit well spring was intact and emitting strands of white spiritual Qi. Han Li wore a complicated expression as he looked at the spirit well and unconsciously recalled when he had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and how he discovered the spirit well when he carved out the cave residence. He vividly remembered it as if it had happened yesterday, raising all sorts of emotions in his heart.


    Han Li remained in a daze for a short while before recollecting himself. He then grasped his hands in an incantation gesture and struck the spirit well with several magic seals, instantly causing it to glow brilliantly and quake the nearby ground.


    Han Li then sat down with with an unchanged expression and formed a strange hand seal as he stared at the spirit well.


    Water from the spirit well began to whirl as if an invisible hand was stirring it, causing the water surface to rise and form a profoundly deep black whirlpool. An astonishing wave of spiritual Qi spread throughout the room.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred. This spiritual Qi was beyond what he had anticipated. But after a short moment, he recovered from his surprise and quickly began to resume the extraction.


    The trembling of the nearby ground became increasingly severe and a blinding yellow light began to envelope the spirit well. This yellow light faintly deformed as the spirit well shrank and shined even more brilliantly.


    A short moment later, the light faded away and Han Li let out a sigh. The deep yellow, fist-sized ball floated in the air. There was now a huge, pitch-black hole beneath it where the spirit well had been.


    Han Li smiled upon seeing this, but his expression suddenly changed and became sullen. The puppets he had placed outside were under attack. Although they had not yet been destroyed, they were at a clear disadvantage and wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    Han Li instantly took out a jade box and carefully placed the yellow ball inside. He then flew out as quickly as he could.


    Once he arrived outside, he saw several black-clothed cultivators that had surrounded his ape puppets about a hundred meters away. A sullen, grey-clothed middle-aged man wore a puzzled expression as he observed the battle.


    Han Li¡¯s sudden appearance instantly shocked the cultivators at the scene and the grey-clothed cultivator shouted for the attack to stop. The black-clothed cultivators hastily ceased their actions and withdrew to the man¡¯s side.


    An azure light arrived in midair and faded away to reveal Han Li. He expressionlessly gazed at the several cultivators in silence and revealed his Nascent Soul cultivation in an imposing manner.


    The grey-clothed man glanced at Han Li and felt his heart drop. His shock was soon replaced by a smile, ¡°Senior, please do not misunderstand. Us Juniors hold no malice. We merely felt that the spiritual Qi here became abnormal and we curiously thought to take a look. I am the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Yu Hun, disciple of Master Splintered Soul. We do not hold any bad intentions.¡±


    ¡°Master Splintered Soul!¡± Han Li frowned and felt as if this name sounded familiar. After a moment of thought, Han Li suddenly recalled something.


    Wasn¡¯t this the name of one of the Ghost Spirit Sect Nascent Soul eccentrics? He recalled that the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s silver-haired old man had mention that this person was ruthless and wasn¡¯t to be trifled with.


    As Han Li¡¯s mind wondered, the grey-clothed old man noticed that Han Li reacted to his master¡¯s name and he grew far more at ease. However, he was still apprehensive and forced a smile, ¡°Senior recognizes my master. Could he be an acquaintance of him? I must¡¯ve acted far too rashly. I had no idea that Senior was handling business here, else I wouldn¡¯t have dared to bother you. If there is anything that I may do to assist you, I will do my utmost to obey. Otherwise, I would like to ask for myself to be excused so that I may get out of your way.¡±


    Although the grey-clothed man had an intimidating appearance, he was rather cunning and sly. After asking a few probing questions, he acted extremely deferential. In the end, the appearance of an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator had caused his back to run with cold sweat.


    Han Li expressionlessly stared at the grey-clothed man and didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he released his spiritual sense within the scope of a hundred meters and found that there were no other cultivators.


    It seems that this party had truly discovered the nearby disturbance by chance, and they had come alone. If that was the case¡­


    Han Li suddenly felt an urge to kill.


    Regardless of his previous identity as a Yellow Maple Valley cultivator, he was now a Drifting Cloud Sect elder; he couldn¡¯t possibly release these Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators from his grasp. In addition, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect had once nearly taken his life, and the stifled grudge was still buried within his heart.


    There was also the fact that he had entered the State of Yue in secret. If his entrance to the State of Yue reached the ears of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s eccentrics, he would attract their attention, producing nothing but trouble. He didn¡¯t wish for several Nascent Soul cultivators to chase him throughout the State of Yue.


    ¡°Yi! This person is¡­¡± Just as Han Li prepared his silent attack, an old man amongst the party of black-clothed cultivators suddenly cried out in shock at the sight of Han Li.


    [1] Last seen at the end of the Trial of Blood and Fire in chapter 203 when Han Li removed her memories. They previously met when Han Li acquired the Golden Sincerity Brush from her. Note: their surnames are homonyms. Han Li¡¯s surname is º« while Han Yunzhi¡¯s surname is ÝÕ.

 Chapter 659

    The Disciples of Splintered Soul


    A strange glint appeared in Han Li¡¯s eyes. He glanced at the old man and indifferently asked, ¡°What? You recognize me?¡±


    The old man shivered underneath Han Li¡¯s icy gaze and hastily answered, ¡°No, I am mistaken. How could Junior have possibly recognized you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve admitted to be mistaken?¡± Han Li indifferently rubbed his chin and swept his gaze past the others as if he believed the old man.


    The grey-clothed man seemed puzzled as he glanced at the old man. Although he felt it was odd, he couldn¡¯t afford to pursue the matter. He could only think of flattering Han Li and somehow taking an opportunity to flee.


    Before any of them could respond, Han Li slowly said, ¡°Since you are Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators and have discovered my trail, you¡¯re just out of luck. I will be taking your lives!¡± As soon as that was said, Han Li¡¯s expression grew dark and he waved his sleeve, releasing over ten streaks of azure swordlight. As soon as these swordlights left his sleeve, they transformed into over forty swordlights in a blur, and engulfed the black-clothed cultivators in an overwhelming strike.


    When the grey-robed cultivator heard Han Li¡¯s voice grow harsh, he knew that matters had taken a turn for the worst. His complexion grew pale upon seeing Han Li¡¯s momentous attack.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t about to submit to death. He instinctively whirled his body, releasing countless stands of black Qi to cover his body. A gold and a silver prong soon flew out from the mist and transformed into a gold and a silver python to guard the front of the black Qi. The grey-clothed cultivator then did his utmost to fly backwards in a streak of black smoke, abandoning the rest of the black-clothed cultivators to their fates.


    Apart from the old man, the rest of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators were helplessly beheaded by the assault of azure swordstreaks. As the old man was paralyzed from fright, Han Li flicked his finger, launching a slim azure strand from the sword streaks. It instantly bore into the old man¡¯s body and caused him to collapse on the ground.


    When Han Li saw this, he no longer paid any attention to the old man and focused on the grey-clothed cultivator that had fled over a three hundred meters away. Han Li sneered and casually pointed at the swordlights and had over a hundred streaks of swordlight converge together, instantly forming a huge azure sword.


    ¡°Go,¡± Han Li softly uttered. The huge sword trembled and released a muffled hum before launching itself forward at an unfathomable speed. In the blink of an eye, a dazzling explosion of azure light erupted from the black smoke.


    The strike from the huge sword annihilated the black Qi and the pythons at the same time. With a wretched scream, the grey-clothed cultivator was rend into a mist of gore.


    Han Li recalled the magic treasure and his expression grew sullen as he glanced at the old man lying unconscious on the ground.


    After some further thought, Han Li raised his hand and drew the old man¡¯s shriveled body into his grasp. Azure light flickering from his free hand, he pressed it against the old man¡¯s head without any reservations. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, fire flared from his hand and turned the old man into ash.


    Han Li floated in the air with his arms held behind his back and wore a flabbergasted expression on his face, ¡°That disciple left behind to the Harmonious Bond Sect, Dong Xuan¡¯er [1], actually formed a core. However, it is truly odd that she would send men after me.¡±


    The old man¡¯s origins were quite complicated. He was once a disciple of the Harmonious Bond Sect, but because he had greatly violated the sect¡¯s laws and feared that his soul would be refined, he changed his appearance and identity. He had remained hidden inside the Ghost Spirit Sect ever since.


    Naturally, Han Li didn¡¯t care for such matters. What shocked him was how the old man along with many other Harmonious Bond Sect disciples were sent to frantically search for Han Li by the Core Formation stage Dong Xuan¡¯er. These people were even sent into the Nine Nations Alliance in order to search for traces of Han Li. It seemed the old man had shockingly recognized Han Li due to having seen his portrait before.


    At the time, Han Li had been in the Scattered Star Seas and the matter was ultimately left unresolved.


    As of current, Han Li felt greatly confused. He wasn¡¯t so vain as to think that Dong Xuan¡¯er fancied him. As such, he felt that there was a deeper reason for her continuous search for him. It was only a pity that the old man¡¯s status at the time wasn¡¯t high and he had no further information on the matter.


    After pondering for a moment, Han Li couldn¡¯t think of a reason why Dong Xuan¡¯er would send men to search for him and he shook his head, placing the matter at the back of his mind.


    Now that so many years had passed, this matter didn¡¯t affect him in the slightest. There was even less cause for concern since he was now a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    With that thought, Han Li dealt with the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators¡¯ corpses and glanced in the direction of the former location of Yellow Maple Valley before departing from the Tai Yue Mountain Range.


    Unbeknownst to Han Li, at the same moment he killed the grey-clothed cultivator, a black-robed, shrivelled-skinned cultivator awoke from his meditation with a frown and sighed. He then took out a dull, pitch-black bone medallion from his robes.


    The black-robed cultivator fiddled with the bone medallion and glanced at it with narrowed eyes. A stern expression appeared from his face. A moment later, he stood up and walked out of the secluded room.


    After walking down a long corridor, the black-robed cultivator arrived in a large hall and he calmly took a seat in a stone chair. With a white flickering light emitting from his hands, he took out a small bronze bell.


    A loud clang rang out with a casual swing of the bell. A deep ring continued to reverberate from it, spreading over an unknown distance. The black-robed man put away the small bell and remained still inside his chair.


    A short moment later, three Core Formation cultivators hurriedly entered the hall from three side doors, two men and one woman. They differentially stood in front of the old man with their heads faced down with solemn expressions.


    ¡°Just now, the light from your Sixth Junior Martial Brother¡¯s life medallion was extinguished. It seems he met a vicious end. Although I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, he was a disciple of me, Splintered Soul. I cannot allow his death to remain unanswered. Find the killer and bring him to me alive. I wish for them to give me the story behind what happen!¡± The black-clothed cultivator indifferently spoke as if he were discussing a trivial matter.


    The three cultivators were initially surprised but they soon saluted him with bowed heads, ¡°As you bid master. We will immediately depart.¡±


    ¡°I hope the next time I see you, you will have already placed the killer in the Immortal¡¯s Hold.¡± The black-robed cultivator nodded his head and left the hall without another word.


    Only the three Core Formation cultivators, the disciples of Splintered Soul, remained in the hall.


    After a moment of consideration, the cultivator with a bold and clear appearance orderly arranged, ¡°Fifth Junior Martial Sister, send a voice transmission talisman to the sect branch in the Tai Yue Mountains as soon as you can. Let¡¯s see whether or not they know about Sixth Junior Martial Brother meeting with mishap. If they are unaware, have them send men to investigate the whereabouts of the killer. Junior martial brother Que, your relationship with the side branch master is quite good. See whether or not he can send men to investigate if any unfamiliar high grade cultivators have recently entered the State of Yue.


    ¡°Also, we will all send our own competent disciples to investigate the last known location of Sixth Junior Martial Brother and see whether or not there are any clues. Once this information is relayed back, we will set forth together to capture this person. Since he was able to kill Sixth Junior Martial Brother, his cultivation should be high. It is best to be careful.¡±


    The other two cultivators were a middle-aged woman who still possessed beauty, and an eerie scholarly man wearing embroidered robes.


    The woman smiled upon hearing him, but the scholarly man frowned and revealed a somewhat unsightly expression. A moment later, he reluctantly nodded.


    As if feeling worried, bold-faced cultivator stared at the embroidered-robed scholarly man and coldly said, ¡°Junior martial brother Que, I know that you were on bad terms with Sixth Junior martial brother. However, this matter was personally given by the master. You should know what will happen if you disobey. Don¡¯t forget that Second Senior martial brother brother and Seventh Junior martial brother were also punished for mishandling their affairs.¡±


    The scholarly man wryly smiled and chuckled, ¡°That isn¡¯t the case. Although we didn¡¯t get along, he is dead now, and this matter is now assigned to me by the master. Please be at ease, Third Senior martial brother. I will definitely try my hardest.¡±


    The bold-faced cultivator slowly said, ¡°If Junior martial brother knows how things stand, then let us set off.¡±


    The three then left the hall to attend to their own matters.


    Several days later, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators had tracked down where Han Li killed the party of cultivators. After further inspection, Han Li¡¯s original cave residence was also discovered.


    When the three disciples of Splintered Soul heard this, they rushed to the Tai Yue Mountains with a group of disciples in tow. After entering, they looked at each other in dismay as they stood in front of the large hole where the spirit well used to be.


    At that same moment in a land far away, Han Yunzhi and that woman surnamed Liu were hurriedly crossing through a series of towering mountains into the State of Yue.


    [1] Dong Xuan¡¯er was a woman first introduced in chapter 224. She was an unruly flirt who seduced many men, resulting in her ancestor pairing her up with Han Li. She was later abducted by the Harmonious Bond Sect.

 Chapter 660

    Hometown


    The Jing Province was located in the northwest of the State of Yue. Because it was a remote region, there were few cities but many small villages, and many small mountains and hills within the province¡¯s borders as well as many desolate areas few ever came across. As a result, the Jing Province was also home to far more bandits than other provinces, and was also where Jianghu Martial Artists lingered the most. While there had never been a great Jianghu faction that managed to unite the region, this area had produced many formidable characters. Bodyguards and caravan escorts rose in opposition to the many bandits.


    One day, on the side of a desolate dirt road, a rather common scene in the Jing Province was taking place.


    There were over a hundred brawny men wearing rough clothes, each with black scarves covering their heads, surrounding thirty azure-clothed men with various weapons. The azure-clothed men were in turn protecting the several carriages at their center. It was a scene of a group of bandits fighting a group of caravan escorts.


    There were three black-clothed men with similar appearances standing at the bandit¡¯s rear. They coldly glanced at the scene with malice occasionally showing on their faces.


    Near the carriages there were several men, young and old, wearing similar servant garbs. They each had a club in hand and wore nervous expressions. Inside the four carriages, there were many women and children wearing magnificent clothes, but the carriage at the very front had a calm middle-aged man wearing scholar¡¯s robes. With his long and glossy beard and mustache, he appeared to lack the strength to knock over even a chicken, but he possessed an indescribable air of authority. None that saw him dared to underestimate him.


    The middle-aged scholar was sitting across from a man with blue embroidered robes and a thick, pointed mustache and beard. His arms were thick and he possessed a spirited gaze. He was a rarely seen peak Jianghu expert.


    These obviously unordinary characters both wore calm expressions and were the only ones inside the large carriage. Although the two were silent, they were examining everything outside from the half-shut curtains, and occasionally heard bloody wails and clangs from the outside.


    While the black-scarf bandits were great in number, the azure-clothed caravan guards and the servants were greater in skill. For a time, both sides found themselves in a deadlock.


    The scholarly man smiled upon seeing this and spoke to the large man, ¡°It seems there is no need to trouble Brother Li to take action. The Martial Sky Escort should be able to handle it!¡±


    ¡°Haha! If those three leaders of the black-scarf bandits don¡¯t take any action, it is only natural for the Martial Sky Escort to be able to deal with these small fry. But if the three black-scarf leaders were to attack, they wouldn¡¯t last. After all, the three leaders are renowned for their fierceness in the Jing Province. I heard they are brothers by blood and are experts in united techniques. Ordinary experts are no match for them.¡± After the large man said this, his face faintly revealed a trace of excitement. He bent his stretched finger, producing loud cracks from his hand. It was clear the man was highly skilled in external martial arts.


    When the scholarly man saw this, he unconsciously laughed, ¡°Brother Li! Your eagerness to fight is exactly the same as your father!¡±


    The large man responded with a helpless smile, ¡°Little Brother Han, that is to be expected. Our Li Clan is one of martial heritage. If we come across an interesting opponent, it is only natural to wish to measure their might. It is just like how your Han Clan has always been one of great literary repute, and how there is always one or two from your clan that manages to enter the imperial court as an official,¡± the large man then crossed his hands and said, ¡°Still, I am quite puzzled as to how our Han and Li clans have managed to form such bonds despite having so little in common. This friendship has lasted deeply for many generations and has yet to fade with time!¡±


    The scholarly man smiled and said, ¡°Haha! In the past few days, I flipped through a few letters and unintentionally discovered a few events from the past. If Brother Li wishes to know about them, I can tell you about them, but I don¡¯t know how much of it is true.¡±


    When the large man surnamed Li heard this, he said with a curious expression, ¡°Really? Our Li Clan has no custom of recording our ancestry. Apart from leaving behind a few martial teachings, there is little else left behind, let alone the history behind our clans¡¯ friendship.¡±


    The large man gazed into the distance and his expression changed, ¡°Not good, those three leaders have decided to attack. We¡¯ll have to put this off for now. Tell me about it after I take care of those three.¡± He then shot out of the carriage as if he were being launched from a crossbow.


    Soon after, the large man¡¯s howls of laughter could be heard, followed by mournful screams.


    The scholarly man sighed and shook his head before closing the curtain. He didn¡¯t feel the need to look outside as he held complete confidence in the large man.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the sounds outside came to a sudden halt.


    The carriage¡¯s curtain fluttered for a moment, and the large man reappeared in the carriage with a blur. He appeared a bit worse for wear. His shoulder was bloodied as if he were slightly wounded, but nonetheless he heartily laughed to the scholarly man and said, ¡°Those three were truly skilled. They had to make me do quite a bit, but having witnessed my might, the black-scarf bandits have disappeared from the Jing Province.¡± The large man appeared to have enjoyed himself.


    When the scholarly man heard this, he wore an apologetic expression, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t brought Brother Li along, I fear I would¡¯ve passed onto the other side with this route being my place of death. Due to the great hatred those enemies hold for me, I was forced to involve Brother Li.¡±


    The large man surnamed Li casually said, ¡°What do you mean involve? The Li Clan steadily established themselves at the top of Jianghu only because of the Han Clan¡¯s great assistance! Helping each other is by no means an external affair.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but I was merely being contrary.¡± The scholarly man¡¯s smile was replaced with an expression of calm. It seemed he was one of flexible mind.


    As the large man smeared a bottle of ointment on his back, he suddenly recalled the matter before the battle, ¡°However, Brother Han, don¡¯t forget to tell me about our clans¡¯ past. I am quite curious about this!¡±


    ¡°Of course. When mentioning it, our clan¡¯s friendship is quite unfathomable. Do your recall the Seven Mysteries Sect, the hegemon of the Jing Province many decades ago? Our ancestors were martial brothers inside this Jianghu faction. According to what was said in the letter, my great uncle was sworn brothers with your ancestor. Our clan¡¯s friendship stemmed from their own friendship. It was also said, my great uncle was quite the formidable character. It was said¡­¡±


    As the middle-aged scholar calmly spoke, the azure-clothed men buried the corpses from both sides and had the carriages move once more. The carriages soon grew distant and disappeared from the desolate road.


    ¡­


    ¡°Green Ox Village?¡±


    Han Li floated a kilometer in the air with his body covered in azure light. He looked down at the village below with a trace of doubt.


    Although this village was once pathetically small, only spanning a few kilometers in area, he was no longer able to draw any similarities to the streets that he remembered, but he did manage to remember its surroundings. It did seem to truly be his home village.


    In his many years of absence, the village had turned into a bustling town. After staring at it from the sky, he hesitated for a moment before descending into a desolate alleyway under the guise of a concealment technique. Afterwards, he walked out of the alleyway with a swagger and slowly headed down the street.


    Seeing the unfamiliar houses and buildings as he walked down the street, Han Li muttered to himself, ¡°It is quite different!¡±


    For some unknown reason, he knew that if he were to head west, he¡¯d be able to see the forest and verdant mountain where he had spent his childhood. However, his steps grew hesitant and slow as he took in the vast changes that had occurred to Green Ox Village.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s expression was calm, but he hoped that he would soon find something familiar.


    However, Han Li was only disappointed until he arrived at a three way intersection. He stopped and stared at a small shabby restaurant at the side of the road.


    The restaurant was worn and only two stories high with a yellowish signboard that had the words ¡°Spring Fragrance¡±. It was the restaurant that Han Li¡¯s third uncle, Fatty Han, had once managed.


    Han Li glanced at the restaurant and faintly remembered walking through its sliding doors.


    There was the round face of his third uncle, the narrow courtyard behind the restaurant, the dimly lit side room and the tasty food, the black carriage with the banner Seven Mysteries Sect, and many more memories began to clearly appear in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Han Li glanced at the restaurant with a complicated expression. A trace of sadness was betrayed within his eyes.


    He stared at the restaurant for a moment before discovering that a few strangers on the road were glancing at him with an odd expression. It came as no surprise. A youth was motionlessly staring at an old shabby restaurant after all.


    With a moment more of thought, he calmly walked into the restaurant with his hands held behind his back.

 Chapter 661

    Han Family Shrine


    After entering the small restaurant, a sharply dressed waiter welcomed Han Li.


    Han Li didn¡¯t head to the second floor and instead chose to sit in a remote corner of the first floor. He ordered a few dishes and silently observed everything that was occurring in the restaurant.


    There were people from all backgrounds sitting on the first floor, just like Han Li had seen from other restaurants. Regardless whether it be hard laborers or small business merchants, they were all present. The only thing that stood out was the table full of burly men.


    These six burly men were all effortlessly carrying a meter long cloth bag at their sides. Han Li didn¡¯t need to use his spiritual sense to guess that they were bladed weapons. From their similar uniforms, they clearly belonged to some sort of organization. However, this greatly aroused a feeling of familiarity from Han Li as he recalled his days in the Seven Mysteries Sect.


    He swept his spiritual sense past the people and he clearly heard their conversation. As expected, they were killers belonging to an organization. Han Li soon lost interest and turned his attention to examining the other patrons.


    At that moment, two young scholars walked into the restaurant. They were walking slowly and chatting with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°I heard that Assistant Minister Han has arrived back to the home village to pay his respects to his ancestors. Not only are grand characters of the province coming to pay an official visit, but the Fan and Li clans are also sending men over. It seems the Han Clan truly wishes to have this matter be bold and grand.¡±


    ¡°Exactly so! I heard that for this ancestral offering, the Han Clan sent out many letters summoning their side branch clansmen regardless of the distance. Even the government officials of little repute are sending men to pay their respects. From how I see it, the Han, Fan and Li Clans will soon become the three great families of the Jing Province.


    ¡°Tch tch! It is rather inconceivable that the Han Clan¡¯s abrupt rise in power took place over a span of just a hundred years!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so odd about that? Ever since a member of the Han Clan managed to rank first in the imperial exams, their rise in power has been momentous. Each of their later descendants began to achieve great rankings in the imperial exams. With several generations of success, it is no wonder they are currently so impressive. Still, it would be better for us to later¡­¡±


    The two scholars casually sat down at a table next to Han Li while they spoke.


    ¡®The Han Clan!¡¯ When Han Li heard them, he hastily thought to continue listening to them, but the two scholars quickly changed the subject and began to discuss literary works, much to Han Li¡¯s annoyance. After some thought, he suddenly stood and walked towards the scholars.


    ¡°Brothers, my name is Han Li. Might I ask which Han Clan you were referring to? I¡¯ve arrived here after receiving an invitation to pay my respects to the clan¡¯s ancestors. However, I¡¯ve grown up in a small countryside and am extremely unfamiliar with the main clan, nor do I know where to pay my respects. Could you two brothers give me a few directions?¡±


    The two scholars were stunned, but after seeing that Han Li also wore a scholar¡¯s robes and spoke with refined words, the two replied without any suspicions, ¡°So it turns out that brother is a Han Clan disciple! We¡¯ve been quite rude. However, these is only one Han Clan, the Han Clan of the Three Kilometer Valley.


    ¡®The Three Kilometer Valley!¡¯ This entire area was the small village where the Han Clan once resided. Because the entire village only spanned three kilometers over the mountains, it received this unsophisticated name. It seems the Han Clan they spoke of were most likely related to him somehow.


    With a calm expression, Han Li insipidly said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this Han Clan is truly my own. Could you two tell me about the finer details of the clan? I¡¯ve never participated in the clan¡¯s ancestor offering. I¡¯d rather not make a fool of myself.¡±


    The two scholars glanced at each other and then examined Han Li. Feeling that he wasn¡¯t holding any ill intentions, they agreed, ¡°This¡­ we can only give a few general details. They are known by everyone.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks!¡± Han Li smiled.


    One of the scholars began to speak, ¡°If Brother is participating in the ancestral offering, it would be best for you to not immediately head to the Three Kilometer Valley. Several decades ago, the Han Clan changed their location to the Han Clan Castle. They will only return to their ancestral home in Three Kilometer Valley on the day of the ancestor offering. The Han Clan¡­¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained calm as he listened, but his heart stirred with excitement.


    Four hours later, Han Li appeared above the verdant mountains from his past. He didn¡¯t descend, merely looking down in silence.


    Was this the same small village from the past?


    The yellow earth roads, short walls, thatched huts, and village children could no longer be seen. Instead, they were replaced with large courtyards, roofed buildings, pebbled roads, and well clothed servants. Not a single sign of the past remained.


    Han Li shook his head at the sight and thought to depart when his gaze suddenly arrived at the building at the very center of the residence. This building wasn¡¯t larger than the others, but it was the only building to have more than a single story making it rather eye-catching.


    The building¡¯s doors were shut and a pitch-black signboard appeared on the outside. The words ¡°Han Clan Shrine¡± were written on it in silver paint.


    A strange expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. After some thought, he reappeared in front of the building in a blur.


    Several burly shrine attendants stood in front of the shrine, but with Han Li¡¯s invisibility technique, they were incapable of spotting him. He casually swept his gaze past them and entered without further thought.


    Once he entered the shrine, he spotted rows of memorial tablets, numbering over several hundred. They were arranged on long tables which had empty spots on them for future generations.


    After sweeping his gaze over them, he found many names but none that he was familiar with. Without any further thought, he climbed to the second floor.


    The memorial tablets on the second floor were clearly more grand and important. Not only were there many lit incense burners, there was also a huge cauldron at the center. It was filled with scented oil and had a huge candle wick that was brightly burning. It made for a solemn sight.


    This time, Han Li blankly stood in place as he read the several memorial tablets at the center.


    ¡°Han Zhu, Han Tie, Han Tiansheng¡­¡± These familiar names were all coldly written on the pitch-black memorial tablets. Han Li¡¯s heart grew heavy and he found it difficult to breath.


    As the saying goes, the great Dao was emotionless! However, that was only a self-deceiving lie. Han Li may be an Immortal from this land, but he was incapable of severing his emotions. He was only able to bury them deep inside his heart.


    Han Li eventually moved, and slowly walked towards the memorial tablets at the center of the room. He stopped and expressionlessly stared at the memorial tablets as images of his close relatives began to continuously appear in his mind.


    An unknown amount of time slowly passed by. The heavy sound of the building¡¯s door opening woke Han Li from his reminiscent mood. However, he merely stood in place without making any moves.


    At that moment, the footsteps and voices of two middle-aged men could be heard.


    ¡°Brother Li, you are far too impatient. Didn¡¯t I say that I would lend you the letter for reading after the shrine visit? There is need to be so anxious!¡± This man spoke with a helpless tone.


    In the other person¡¯s embarrassment, they responded, ¡°Hehe! Esteemed Brother Han, who was it that had you mention that the later portion of the letter had a set of nameless martial arts left behind by your ancestor? I am rather baffled as to why our Li Clan knows nothing of this matter despite the fact that our ancestors created it. It is only natural for me to wish to see it as soon as possible.


    However, why is it that you enshrined the letter? It would be an absolute shame for someone to steal it!¡±


    The first voice sighed and spoke with a voice of complete confidence, ¡°Who would possibly think of stealing something from a clan¡¯s ancestral hall? While our Han Clan isn¡¯t necessarily a nest of dangerous characters, we still have many skilled martial artists standing guard. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t even be able to approach it. Even if they succeeded, they would still have to fear our retaliation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The other man agreed.


    As the footsteps became clear, a scholarly man and a man with thick facial hair appeared on the stairs of the second floor.


    The two initially arrived with a smile, but after spotting Han Li, their expressions froze.


    In their alarm, the large man stepped forward and covered the front of the middle-aged scholar. With a fluttering mustache and beard, he softly roared, ¡°What a clever villain to think of waiting here in ambush, but you will not be leaving alive.¡± Once that was said, the man¡¯s hands tightened into fists and he ferociously pounced towards Han Li.


    But before he arrived, a gale with astonishing pressure suppressed him.


    Han Li remained motionless as he stood in place with his back facing them.

 Chapter 662

    Fourth Great Uncle


    With a muffled thump, the large man¡¯s fist struck Han Li¡¯s back. The large man was stunned, but his face vastly changed upon seeing an azure light flicker from Han Li¡¯s body. As the man attempted to land another blow, he was sent flying.


    The middle-aged scholar instantly revealed an expression of amazement.


    Just as the large man¡¯s enormous frame fell, his body suddenly slowed and he landed on his feet as if he was light as a feather. He appeared completely uninjured.


    ¡°Brother Li, are you alright? Did you sustain any internal injuries?¡± Although the scholarly man possessed little strength, he knew there were many ways that Jianghu Martial Arts could injure without any external signs. As such, he revealed worry.


    The large man surnamed Li took a deep breath and felt that his body had no injuries. He couldn¡¯t help but whisper in bewilderment, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I am fine. His skills are unfathomable, but it doesn¡¯t seem he¡¯s hostile.¡±


    When the scholarly man heard this, he nodded and felt slightly more at ease. He then turned his gaze to Han Li and serenely said, ¡°Great warrior, I am the Han Clan Master, Han Tianxiao. Did this great warrior come here specifically for me?¡±


    ¡°The Han Clan Master?¡± Han Li slowly turned around.


    ¡°Ah, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Humph! What did your esteemed self mean by that?¡±


    Before Han Li could speak, the scholar and the large man couldn¡¯t help but cry out in alarm upon seeing Han Li¡¯s appearance. The scholarly man soon thought of something and his expression grew sullen.


    After the large man recovered from his alarm, he also came to a realization and wore an ill expression.


    ¡°You recognize me?¡± Han Li asked with a frown. He glanced at the two and found that the two seemed faintly familiar. However, he left the matter alone with a wry smile in his heart.


    The scholarly man stared at Han Li and deliberately said word by word, ¡°Your esteemed self asks despite knowing the answer? Your appearance resembles that of our Han Clan¡¯s Fourth Great Uncle. Why wouldn¡¯t I recognize you?¡±


    ¡®Fourth Great Uncle?¡¯ When Han Li heard this, he wore a mysterious smile. Since he was the fourth eldest amongst his siblings, it was naturally referring to him. However, it was unclear how they would know of his current appearance since he hadn¡¯t met face to face with any of his relatives ever since he left when he was small.


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°Oh? When did I say that I was like your Fourth Great Uncle? Couldn¡¯t this just be my natural appearance?¡±


    The scholarly man quickly grew angry and he coldy said, ¡°There are many similar faces in this world, but not only does your face bear a striking resemblance, here you are in the Han Clan¡¯s ancestral hall. What else does that leave for your esteemed self?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed and he said with an impressed tone, ¡°Your reply is spot on! You are worthy of being an official of the royal court. The Han Clan¡¯s current prosperity is undoubtedly a result of the later generations¡¯ efforts!¡±


    A harsh expression flickered over the man¡¯s face and he angrily said, ¡°What? Does your esteemed self truly plan on pretending to be my ancestor?¡±


    ¡°Pretend? Why would I want to do that? How about you mention how you know of my appearance? I seem to recall that ever since I left home, my family had never seen my appearance. Could it be the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect drew a portrait for you?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze then dropped onto the large man with thick facial hair. He narrowed his eyes, eventually realizing why he found the man to be familiar. ¡°Hm? Your surname is Li. Could you be related to Li Feiyu?¡±


    The large man revealed furious alarm, ¡°You¡­ how do you know the name of my clan ancestor? It turns out you know quite a bit about my Li Clan!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he nonchalantly smiled.


    The scholarly man was alarmed upon hearing the words ¡®Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯ and ¡®Li Feiyu¡¯. He bewilderedly said, ¡°Since your esteemed self repeatedly claims that you are my ancestor¡¯s younger brother, you must certainly know that our Han Clan¡¯s great uncle has disappeared. But now your esteemed self has shown up two hundred years later, but I fail to see any indication of your great age.¡±


    The scholarly man had only recently found out about the Han and Li Clan¡¯s history from a letter. Could it be that this person had also seen this letter?


    With that thought, the scholarly man couldn¡¯t help but look at the table with the memorial tablets. The letter was hidden somewhere between them.


    Seeing that the scholarly man¡¯s gaze grew odd, he swept past the memorial tablets with his spiritual sense and discovered the letter hidden within.


    Han Li raised his hand without any reservations and beckoned towards the table.


    The two men were dumbstruck by what happened next. Light flashed from the table and a yellow booklet enveloped in a mist of azure light flew out from the table towards Han Li.


    Han Li grabbed the booklet and the light scattered with a faint shake of his hand. He then casually flipped through it.


    As the scholarly man had long since been part of the bureaucracy, he was long accustomed to keeping his calm in the face of astonishing events. However, he couldn¡¯t help but dryly swallow in a panic as he glanced at the large man. The large man wasn¡¯t faring much better, but his expression grew odd as if it contained both happiness and fear.


    While the scholar still felt confused, the large man cupped his hands and deeply bowed towards Han Li as he hesitantly said, ¡°Might I ask if your esteemed self is an Immortal cultivator of legend? As an Immortal, you are unlikely to trifle with the affairs of us mortals. Would Senior happen to have any keepsakes to verify his identity? After all, this matter is rather significant. My Esteemed Brother Han and I cannot easily believe others based solely on words.¡±


    The scholarly man was stunned upon hearing the large man but the legends soon came to mind and he felt his blood run cold. He began to look at Han Li with an expression of awe.


    ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t expect for you to know of Immortal cultivators! Impressive! From the record, it seems that you truly are Li Feiyu¡¯s descendant. Truly inconceivable for Li Feiyu¡¯s children to form a bond with my Han Clan! As for regards to keepsakes, I can¡¯t recall having any. At the time, I was in complete pursuit of the Dao and departed from my homeland in a hurry. I even left without bidding goodbye to Brother Li. I merely left behind a slip of paper for him and a few bottles of medicine pills.¡± Han Li casually said.


    The large man surnamed Li spoke with slight astonishment, ¡°Medicine pills? Were the bottles that we enshrined at our sect¡¯s shrine left behind by Senior?¡±


    Han Li sighed and dimly said, ¡°Long ago, your ancestor used Essence Extraction Pills without any hesitation in order to excel in martial arts. Even with the medicines I left behind, I fear he wouldn¡¯t have been able to live to an old age.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, the large man carefully said, ¡°I don¡¯t know of this matter. However, my father still lives and perhaps he might know something of the deceased ancestor. After all, these secret matters are only known by each generation¡¯s clan lord. If Senior will allow it, I will quickly send word to inquire whether or not these words are true.¡±


    At that moment, he was already mostly convinced. The Li Clan¡¯s establishing ancestor had met with an untimely death at an early age.


    Han Li waved his arm and spoke with a tone of melancholy, ¡°There is no need. I didn¡¯t come back to make a disturbance. I merely wished to free my mind of mortal worries. Now that I see both the Han Clan and the descendants of my dear friend are doing well, I am well at ease.¡±


    Having heard this, the large man instead became nervous and began to wildly signal to the scholarly man with his eyes. He clearly knew what it meant to the Han and Li Clans to have an Immortal cultivator ancestor.


    The scholarly man naturally knew far better of what there was to gain or lose from this. After pondering for a moment, he respectfully said, ¡°If your esteemed self is truly my great uncle, I have a method of immediately verifying your identity. Our Han Clan Shine contains a few possessions of our ancestors from the past. If Senior is able to identify these items, Junior will naturally be convinced of your background. Only the Han Clan Master from each generation is qualified to personally care for them, and they are incapable of being identify by others.¡±


    ¡°Past possessions? Let¡¯s take a look at them. It¡¯s only that I left home at a rather early age so I may not be able to identify them.¡± Han Li indifferently said. If it wasn¡¯t too troublesome, he definitely wouldn¡¯t refuse to be recognized by the descendants of the Han Clan.


    ¡°Please be at ease Senior. These items were left behind as keepsakes from their times of poverty, so Senior should be able to recognize them. I will bring them now.¡± After bowing to Han Li, the scholar descended from the second floor.


    After a bit of clamor from down below, the scholarly man shortly walked back up with a tray covered by red cloth. He then respectfully presented it to Han Li.


    Han Li took the plate and removed the red cloth, revealing the worn items before him.


    Han Li spoke with pleasant surprise, ¡°Oh! So it turned to out to be these items. I didn¡¯t expect to see them again in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Senior recognizes these items?¡± The scholar cautiously asked with a nervous expression.


    ¡°I know a majority of these items, but there were three that were acquired after I left home. I don¡¯t know who they belong to. The slingshot and small bow belonged to my second elder brother Han Tie. He enjoyed playing with them when he was small. The wooden hairpin was my mother¡¯s most cherished possession. The tobacco pipe was¡­¡± Han Li picked up each of these items and spoke as if he were rather familiar with them.


    After hearing Han Li examine half of them, the scholar felt there was no longer any doubt.


    Without waiting for Han Li to finish, he immediately dragged the large man forward and they deeply saluted to Han Li.


    ¡°This unfilial descendant Han Tianxiao recognizes Fourth Great Uncle. I sincerely wish that Great Uncle will forgive my unfilial actions from before.¡± With that said, the scholar didn¡¯t dare to meet Han Li¡¯s gaze and wore an expression of embarrassment.


    The large man mirrored the solemn and respectful display.

 Chapter 663

    Gold Devouring Spirit Sword


    When the two acknowledged Han Li, he felt an indescribable feeling well up inside him. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, ¡°On the year I left the village to pursue the Dao, I didn¡¯t expect for the Han Clan to become such an influential clan. It seems the saying is true. The affairs of the world are truly hard to predict! Stand up, you two. With the many years I haven¡¯t returned home, I can be considered a complete stranger to the Han Clan. There is no need to be so polite.¡±


    The middle-aged scholar stood up and spoke with great reverence, ¡°Great Uncle¡¯s words are untrue. Had we unfilial descendants known that you were still alive, we would¡¯ve certainly sent men to fulfill our filial duties.¡±


    Han Li waved his arm and calmly said, ¡°Filial duties! There is no need. I¡¯ve come only to take a look. I won¡¯t be staying long. As a pursuer of Immortality, it is better for me to have fewer ties to the mortal world.¡±


    The scholar spoke with alarm, ¡°Great Uncle, you are leaving so soon? Will you not stay awhile and take a look at the other Han Clan juniors in the castle?¡±


    Han Li sighed and regretfully said, ¡°When I arrived, I flew over the Han Clan Castle and swept my spiritual sense past everyone inside. Unfortunately, while there are many Han Clan members none of them possess any spiritual roots. They have no fate with me. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking one or two clan descendants along with me on the path of cultivation.¡±


    A trace of disappointment appeared on the scholar¡¯s face as he bitterly smiled, ¡°It seems despite our clan¡¯s prosperity, none have the fate to follow Great Uncle on the path of Immortality.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and said, ¡°Only those who possess spiritual roots may become Immortal cultivators. Such a person might not even appear once among ten thousand. For the several hundred Han Clan members to possess no spiritual roots is to be expected. Besides, from the way I see it, it would still be better for the Li and Han Clan to remain out of the cultivation world. As of current, the cultivation world is chaotic where even entire clan exterminations are possible. It would be terrible if the Han Clan were to be implicated.¡±


    The scholar was initially surprised and sincerely replied, ¡°This one acknowledges all Fourth Great Uncle has said.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze then turned to the large man with thick facial hair, ¡°Which generation of Li Feiyu¡¯s descendants are you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The large man hurriedly bowed his head and replied, ¡°Junior is Li Feng. I am an eleventh generation descendant of Li Feiyu. I pay my respects to Great Uncle Han.¡±


    ¡°Given the close relationship I had with Lei Feiyu back then, I find it acceptable for you to call me ¡®Great Uncle¡¯. You were rather protective of Tianxiao just now. It seems in these past years the Li Clan has shown our Han Clan much consideration. As the younger brother of the Han Clan Ancestor, I naturally won¡¯t treat you unfairly. Here are some medicine pills, they will be of great use to martial artists. They will be able to save your Li Clan youth much effort in their cultivation of inner strength. Accept them for the time being.¡± Han Li slapped his storage pouch and took eight various colored bottles into his hands before offering them to the large man.


    The large man was overjoyed and hastily accepted the small bottles with repeated thanks. Although Jianghu Martial Artists cultivated inner strength and it wasn¡¯t as drawn out as cultivation spiritual power, they spent much of their youth in dedication to this pursuit. With these medicine pills, a large number of experts would emerge from the Li Clan.


    The middle-aged scholar felt happy for his good friend, but his gaze towards Han Li unconsciously revealed a slight hint of expectation as well.


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smiled and calmly took a spirit beast pouch off from his waist and lightly slapped it. A short moment later, over a thousand black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles were released and formed a dazzling three-meter-wide cloud of black, silver and gold. It appeared almost as if specks of sunlight had appeared before them.


    The scholar and the large man were left completely amazed.


    Without any further words, he pointed to the insect swarm above him and had them concentrate into a tri-colored sword. Han Li then extended his arm and had the sword fall into his hand with a buzz.


    This strange scene left the two at an even greater loss for words.


    Han Li caressed the sword while his expression wavered for a long while. Then with a sigh, he spat an azure mist onto the sword. In a flash of azure light, a simple green scabbard appeared on the sword¡¯s blade. Han Li then horizontally held the sword in front of him with both his hands and took out a piece of fine, polished jade.


    Han Li gravely said, ¡°This sword is something I refined from spirit beetles. It is capable of killing others of its own accord. I will be leaving it inside the clan shrine in case the Han Clan one day faces extermination. The Han Clan will be able to hide inside the shine and rely on this sword to escape calamity. However, you had best remember that this sword isn¡¯t something that I personally control. Once the sword is drawn, anybody outside of the ancestral shrine that is within a five kilometer radius will be killed. As such, you must treat it with the utmost caution.


    This is a jade pendant that holds a sliver of my essence. Without it, the sword cannot be drawn. Leave the jade pendant in the care of the Han Clan¡¯s later generation clan lords.¡±


    Having seen this inconceivable event occur before him, the scholar no longer held a trace of doubt towards Han Li. He hastily replied with delighted surprise, ¡°This nephew will commit Great Uncle¡¯s instructions to memory!¡±


    Han Li smiled in response, but he didn¡¯t immediately hand over the sword and the jade pendant. Instead, he continued speaking with a solemn tone, ¡°There is something else you must remember. Because the scabbard sealing the sword is made from spiritual Qi, the Gold Devouring Sword may only be drawn three times. The scabbard will thin with each use and disappear on the third. Afterwards, the sword will turn back into spirit beetles and disappear. I¡¯m sure that giving the Han Clan three opportunities to escape calamity is a worthy gift as your ancestor¡¯s younger brother. After all, there are no fortunes in this world that last eternally. In order to prevent the sword from being used for any evil intentions or opportunistic tricks, the sword will be incapable of leaving the ancestral shrine while it is sheathed. Else, it will disappear from existence. As such, I hope you will properly use this sword to allow the Han Clan to flourish for many years to come. Even if the Han Clan were to later return to their status as commoners, that wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a bad thing.¡±


    Once that was said, Han Li handed the sword and jade piece over to the scholar.


    The scholar repeatedly uttered his thanks and accepted the items with a bowed head. He carefully placed them at the center of the memorial table before returning to await further instructions from Han Li.


    Han Li was rather satisfied by the scholar¡¯s deferential attitude. After some thought, he took out two faint yellow medicine pills and handed one to both the scholar and the large man. He smiled upon seeing their surprise and said, ¡°Those two items were left for the Han and Li clans. Since you two are also my juniors and have personally recognized me as your great uncle, it can be considered that you have some fate with me. I will also give you two a few benefits as well. While these two bottles of medicine pills have no effect on me, they will extend the lifespan of mortals who take them and strengthen their bodies. When you two take them, you will both live to at least a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks Fourth Great Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks Great Uncle Han!¡±


    When the scholar and the large man heard this, they accepted the small bottles with repeated thanks. They both appeared pleased beyond expectation.


    Han Li nodded his head and took another look around. Then with a curious expression, he asked, ¡°From how you two recognized me, it seems there should be a portrait of me left behind. If it is in the ancestral shrine, could you let me take a look at it and tell me who drew it?¡±


    The scholar immediately replied, ¡°The portrait is actually on this floor. Please wait a moment.¡±


    He walked up to what seemed to be a common wall and gave it a push. With a creak and a thud, a portion of the wall flipped over to reveal six suspended silk portraits.


    Han Li stepped forward and examined the portraits with complete stillness. He saw the image of a smiling seventeen year old youth. It was a portrait of Han Li from long ago.


    The middle-aged scholar stood behind Han Li and gave an explanation with a soft voice, ¡°It was said that this portrait was given to our Han Clan by the deceased Li Clan Ancestor. However, no one knows of its creator.¡±


    As if he hadn¡¯t heard, Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted several times and it fell on to a portrait of Han Li¡¯s father wearing noble clothing. Although he appeared far more aged than when Han Li left the village, he appeared completely happy.


    A trace of sadness appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. He then swept his gaze past each of the other portraits.


    The other portraits where all of white-haired old men. It took him quite some effort before he could match their appearances with his brothers as he remembered them. He felt a flood of emotions storm within his heart as he stood in place.


    The scholar and the large man both tactfully kept silent. Some time later, Han Li began to mutter to himself in a whisper.


    The two wished to hear what he had to say, but the two were blinded by a sudden surge of azure light. By the time they refocused their gaze, Han Li could no longer been seen, but his voice echoed in their ears.


    ¡°Although I am a rather capable Immortal on this continent, I also have many ferocious enemies. Do not speak of today¡¯s matters with anyone else. So long as this matter does not spread and you do not allow the Gold Devouring Spirit Sword to be seen by outsiders, those from the Immortal world will pay you no notice and will not bother you. I will now absorb myself in the pursuit of the Great Dao and Immortality, so I won¡¯t be involved with the affairs of the Han Clan. Take care of yourselves!¡±


    Once that was said, Han Li¡¯s voice came to an abrupt end, leaving behind what seemed to be echoes.


    The scholar and the large man were left staring at each other in dismay.

 Chapter 664

    Exposed Tracks


    By the time the last word was spoken, Han Li was already ten kilometers away from the Three Kilometer Valley while flying across the sky in a streak of azure light.


    Although he had something of a relationship with the Han Clan members, he had always viewed his true family to be his parents and siblings. Although the scholar and the large man had treated him with great respect, Han Li felt no real intimacy towards them. After all, the distance of many generations and the vast changes to Green Ox Village and the Three Kilometer Valley caused Han Li to strongly feel as if he were an outsider.


    However, this trip to his hometown had weakened the last worries he held in his heart. He was sure that with the passage of time, these worries would truly disappear and his distant ties with these descendants would truly fade away.


    As such, Han Li quickly gained his bearings and set off.


    Several days later, Han Li passed through the Lan Province, specifically making a detour at Jia Yuan City. Little had changed about the city apart from its inhabitants.


    Not only did Sun Ergou and the Fourth Level Gang disappear, but even the Rainbow Sect had disappeared over a hundred years prior. It had been replaced with a newly emerged gang by the name of the United Heavens Union.


    If he remembered correctly, the Rainbow Sect had had the backing of Spirit Beast Mountain in the past, but at the climax of the war with the Devil Dao, Spirit Beast Mountain defected to the Controlling Spirit Sect. Now that the State of Yue was under the control of the Ghost Spirit Sect, the fall of the Rainbow Sect came as no surprise.


    Additionally, he had no idea if Mo Yuzhu or her daughter had met with any mishaps. It was a pity that so many years had passed as even if Han Li asked around, there would be no information to be found.


    Han Li could only sigh and hurriedly depart.


    As for Sun Ergou, he didn¡¯t manage to find any information on his clan. Han Li didn¡¯t mind this in particular since he didn¡¯t hold them in much regard. Although he had given Sun Ergou many benefits, Han Li had received little in return.


    As such, Han Li left the city of Jia Yuan and thought to fly in the direction of the State of Yuan Wu. Once he passed through the State of Yuan Wu, he planned on returning to the Drifting Cloud Sect. But half a day after he departed Jia Yuan City, his expression froze and he stopped in mid air.


    He turned his head and gazed into the distance. He couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes.


    At that moment, a party of cultivators suddenly stopped a hundred kilometers away. The two white-clothed woman hesitantly glanced at each other as their expressions grew heavy.


    The old man standing behind them nervously asked, ¡°Martial Aunts, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just felt the Spirit Nascent¡¯s position suddenly stop. I don¡¯t know whether or not we¡¯ve been discovered.¡± The sharp-eyed, white-clothed woman surnamed Liu no longer wore her normal lazy expression which had been replaced with an incisive air.


    The burly man spoke with an odd expression, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot sense something at this distance. Could it be that Martial Aunt¡¯s secret technique disturbed the Spirit Nascent and alerted him?¡±


    The woman surnamed Liu shook her head and firmly said, ¡°That can¡¯t be. Our technique was something that was passed down by your Martial Ancestor. It only allows for the one-sided detection of the Wood Spirit Nascent. So long as the other party hasn¡¯t yet reached late Nascent Soul stage, he shouldn¡¯t be able to perceive anything strange. After all, it would be considered fearsome for Nascent Soul cultivators to see within even a fifty kilometer radius, even if their spiritual sense was exceptionally powerful. Could it be that we are chasing after a late Nascent Soul eccentric?¡±


    The green-clothed woman amongst the four Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed to have thought of something and worriedly said, ¡°But Martial Aunt Liu, why is it¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Han Yunzhi broke her silence as she was tracing the Spirit Nascent¡¯s location and spoke with an alarmed expression, ¡°Not good! The Spirit Nascent¡¯s position is moving towards us!¡±


    ¡°What? Its coming over in our direction? Has that cultivator truly discovered us?¡± The woman surnamed Liu turned pale and she hastily clutched her hands in an incantation gesture. After a short moment, the woman grimaced and spoke with certainty, ¡°The cultivator who restricted the Spirit Nascent is indeed moving towards us at an extraordinary speed. He is certain to be a Nascent Soul cultivator.¡±


    After muttering to herself for a moment, Han Yunzhi slowly said, ¡°Quickly run! Fighting means certain death. I recall that a branch of the Ghost Spirit Sect is located in the nearby Lan Province. Let¡¯s flee there. Although we do not get along well, we are still on the same side. We will draw on the support of their spell formations to fight this unknown Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Besides, the Nascent Soul cultivator might not necessarily dare to brazenly attack the Ghost Spirit Sect branch. It will greatly increase our chance of escaping.¡±


    ¡°Martial Aunt Han speaks true. Let us quickly go, or else it will be too late!¡± When the large man heard that a Nascent Soul cultivator was about to arrive, he felt his mouth turn dry in alarm.


    The woman surnamed Liu raised her eyebrows and coldly glanced at the large man, ¡°Humph! Panicking and spouting unnecessary words. We will use the Spirit Joining Arts to combine our magic power into one. This way, we will increase our speed by nearly half. Let us hurry!¡±


    The large man felt his heart drop and he didn¡¯t dare to say any more.


    Under the lead of Han Yunzhi and Cultivator Liu, the six immediately made use of the Spirit Joining Arts and flew off on their magic treasures and tools as a single streak of yellow light. With their united spiritual Qi, their speed was amazingly fast.


    At that moment, Han Li immediately noticed this and his expression grew sullen as he flew forward at full speed.


    Han Li didn¡¯t entirely understand just how powerful his spiritual sense currently was. He merely knew that by utilizing the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique, his spiritual sense was able to envelop a fifty kilometer radius around himself. Past that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to observe anything in detail. He would only have a vague observation of anything within a hundred fifty kilometers.


    A moment ago, Han Li suddenly felt a sliver of strange, concealed spiritual power linger near his body that had greatly alarmed him. Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t have been able to easily detect it with their spiritual sense.


    Although he didn¡¯t know exactly what this was, Han Li knew that trouble had arrived at his door. He guessed that it was more so the matter that he had casually tidied up with the Ghost Spirit Sect rather than his extermination of the Fu Clan back in the State of Yuan Wu.


    As a result of this discovery, Han Li spread out his spiritual sense and discovered that a hundred kilometers behind him there was a party of several cultivators that were stealthily following him. Although it was too far away for him to clearly see their faces, Han Li surged with killing intent and flew towards their direction without any hesitation.


    As cultivators that were capable of tracking him, he absolutely couldn¡¯t allow them to continue following him. Eradicating them would prevent future troubles. And since there were only two Core Formation cultivators in their party, it should prove to be an easy affair.


    In the following instant, a dazzling thirty-meter-long streak of azure light quickly chased after a dense beam of yellow light, producing waves of clear rings from their wake.


    In only a short moment, Han Li had already closed the gap by fifty kilometers. When cultivator Liu sporadically detected Han Li¡¯s position through her techniques, she couldn¡¯t help but grow pale in terror.


    At this speed, the six wouldn¡¯t even reach half the distance to the Ghost Spirit Sect branch before being chased down by the Nascent Soul cultivator.


    With great worry, the woman turned her head to Han Yunzhi and thought to discuss further plans to flee when Han Yunzhi suddenly smiled and whispered, ¡°Quickly, look ahead. There is a party of Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators that seem to be heading towards us.¡±


    ¡°Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators?¡±


    Han Yunzhi¡¯s soft voice roused the spirits of not only Cultivator Liu but the other four Foundation Establishment cultivators as well. Although they didn¡¯t dare to imagine that they would have enough strength to fight a Nascent Soul cultivator, they would be able to assist them in buying more time.


    As expected, they soon saw over ten black dots approach them from the distance.


    Cultivator Liu felt somewhat at ease when she saw them. Nevertheless, she snuck a glance at Han Yunzhi, shaken that her Senior Martial Sister Liu had discovered the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators far earlier than she had.


    Since there was only one Wood Spirit Nascent, they were actually rivals despite their appearance as martial sisters. While they would ordinarily call each other martial sisters with great familiarity, they felt a great competitive spirit in their hearts hoping for the opportunity to fuse with the Wood Spirit Nascent. It was only natural to covet an opportunity to reach for greater heights.


    At that moment, the six had arrived before the party of Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators and scattered the spiritual Qi around them to reveal their true appearances. The Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators had long discovered the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators. Although they didn¡¯t take any malicious actions, they each assumed a cautious attitude.


    ¡°Yi! Isn¡¯t it Junior Martial Sisters Han and Liu from the Controlling Spirit Sect? A truly rare visit indeed for you to have arrived at the State of Yue!¡± A surprised voice spoke out from among the black-clothed Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators. Three Core Formation cultivators then walked out from the group, two men and one woman.

 Chapter 665

    Alarmed Escape


    These three Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators consisted of a black-clothed man with a resolute appearance, an embroidered-robed scholar with flickering eyes, and a middle-aged woman who still retained the beauty of her youth.


    When the woman surnamed Liu saw the three disciples of Master Splintered Soul, she sweetly smiled, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Xun! So it turned out to be the disciples of Senior Splintered Soul. How timely.¡±


    But when the three black-robed cultivators heard this, they coldly examined them and their expressions grew sullen. The woman amongst the three wore an unfriendly expression and asked, ¡°Timely? Why have our two Junior Martial Sisters from the Controlling Spirit Sect snuck into our State of Yue? Could it be you hold our Ghost Spirit Sect in contempt?¡±


    Cultivator Liu explained with a smile, ¡°Senior Martial Sister misunderstands, Senior Martial Sister Han and I came to the State of Yue under orders from our Sect Ancestor. Because the matter was urgent and couldn¡¯t be delayed, we were unable to inform your esteemed sect of the matter. Moreover, we¡¯ve only arrived in the State of Yue for a few days. We had no intentions of neglecting your sect.¡±


    The black-clothed cultivator stared at Cultivator Liu and expressionlessly asked, ¡°Regardless of why you¡¯ve arrived at the State of Yue, there is only one question we wish to ask you. Did you take anything from the Tai Yue Mountains a few days ago?¡±


    Han Yunzhi frowned and an odd expression appeared on her face, ¡°The Tai Yue Mountains? The mountain range that originally belonged to Yellow Maple Valley?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Did you two Junior Martial Sisters truly pass by there?¡± Although the black-robed cultivator¡¯s expression remained calm, a cold glint appeared within his eyes. The embroidered-robed scholar¡¯s and the woman¡¯s expressions tensed, their faces revealing traces of hostility.


    When Han Yunzhi and Cultivator Liu saw this, they unconsciously exchanged glances.


    The two weren¡¯t fools. It was clear the other party revealed hostility. However, the party of Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators truly hadn¡¯t entered the Tai Yue Mountains. They merely probed the Spirit Nascent¡¯s position from a distance and discovered that the cultivator who captured it seemed to have stayed at the Tai Yue Mountains for half a day.


    Cultivator Liu¡¯s gaze flickered for a moment and she probingly said, ¡°We hadn¡¯t crossed through the Tai Yue Mountains. However, the cultivator that is fifty kilometers behind us had crossed through the Tai Yue Mountains. It did seem that person was there during that time. Could Senior Martial Brother Xun be looking for him?¡±


    The embroidered-robed scholar boldly stared at the two woman and suddenly smiled, ¡°Fifty kilometers behind you? Are you making this up? How did you know that person stayed at the Tai Yue Mountains? Could he be a cultivator of your sect?¡±


    Cultivator Liu blushed and spoke with luminous eyes, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Que must be joking. How could we dare to so brazenly lie to our Senior Martial Disciples while we are in the State of Yue? If you don¡¯t believe me then this Junior Martial Sister will make a heavenly pledge to answer your questions. You should now know my answers to be true! We don¡¯t know this person. As for how we know of the matter with the Tai Yue Mountains, it¡¯s a bit complicated. Since this little sister has urgent matters to attend to, I would rather give you Senior Martial Brothers a more thorough explanation on another day.¡± As she spoke, she revealed a flirtatious charm that seemed to stun the scholar.


    The black-clothed cultivator frowned after seeing her expression and grew doubtful. After muttering to himself for a moment, his expression relaxed and he calmly said, ¡°Were this an ordinary matter, I would believe you without doubt. However, our Sixth Junior Martial Brother and his disciples were exterminated in the Tai Yue Mountains and not even a speck of dust remained. My master was enraged by this and assigned us to investigate any high grade cultivators that had recently entered the State of Yue. Since the movements of Junior Martial Sister¡¯s party are rather strange, would it not be better for us to confront this cultivator together? I wish to hear this cultivator¡¯s story. If he is truly the killer of our Sixth Junior Martial Brother, we will greatly thank you two.¡± The black-clothed cultivator then rigidly stared at the party of Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators.


    ¡°Confront?¡± Cultivator Liu¡¯s expression grew unsightly.


    ¡°What? Are you two Junior Martial Sisters too busy to help us?¡± The black-clothed cultivator seemed to speak lightly of the matter but the group of Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators behind them all formed a semicircle blocking their front. It appeared that if the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators didn¡¯t agree, they would be attacked.


    Upon seeing this, Cultivator Liu¡¯s expression changed and she thought to say something, but suddenly, she turned her head around with fright.


    It wasn¡¯t just this woman, but all the cultivators present felt an icy spiritual sense suddenly sweep over them, enveloping them all within it.


    Although the spiritual sense¡¯s owner wasn¡¯t yet seen, they unmistakably felt a harsh bone-chilling intent.


    In furious alarm, the middle-aged woman couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°A Nascent Soul cultivator! The person you spoke of was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator! You wanted to lead us to our deaths!¡±


    ¡°Cut the rubbish! Immediately flee! Everyone escape if you can!¡± Although the black-robed man surnamed Xun was also furious, he knew that now was not the time to pursue the matter. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately flew off as a streak of black light.


    In the embroidered-robed scholar¡¯s alarm, he hesitantly said, ¡°That person isn¡¯t necessarily the killer of Sixth Junior Martial Brother. There is no need to fear him.¡±


    The woman snorted and coldly said, ¡°If Senior Martial Brother wishes to leave his life at the mercy of others, then please forgive your Junior Martial Sister for not joining you!¡± She then tore through the skies as a streak of red light.


    The scholar¡¯s expression grew extremely unsightly and he regretfully glanced in the direction of his fellow Ghost Spirit Sect members before flying after the other two.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators saw this they scattered, fleeing for their own lives. They were fundamentally incapable of withstanding the fearsomeness of a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    With a raised brow, Cultivator Liu furiously whispered, ¡°Those people were truly useless. Not only did they not help us, but they also wasted time for us to flee.¡±


    ¡°No, it is far better now. There are more people to give us cover, greatly increasing our own chances of escape. May each of our fates be safe.¡± Han Yunzhi revealed an extraordinarily calm expression and patted the storage pouch at her waist, summoning a large snow-white bird in the air.


    Cultivator Liu and the other Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators also moved quickly. They each fled using either their magic tools or their own spirit beasts. But regardless of whatever method they used to escape, no one ran in the same direction as another. In their fear, they hoped to use their numbers to avert the gaze of death from behind them.


    According to their thoughts, the Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to pick them all off one by one, fast though they may be. As such, the many cultivators fled as quickly as they could.


    Having arrived fifty kilometers away, Han Li was amazed to discover that yet another wave of Devil Dao cultivators had appeared. But when he saw them scatter, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. He felt the matter had become far more troublesome.


    A harsh expression appeared on his face and he took a deep breath. Silver lightning arced from his back followed by roars of thunder as two silver wings emerged from his back. After infusing a sliver of Divine Devilbane Lightning into the Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li instantly disappeared in an arc of lightning. A moment later, he reappeared several kilometers away.


    Travelling great distances in a mere flicker of lightning, Han Li shortly appeared at the area where the cultivators had recently scattered.


    Han Li expressionlessly used his spiritual sense to immediately find the Devil Dao cultivators that fled. At that moment, he discovered that the farthest to flee was already over twenty kilometers away. The closest was only five kilometers away.


    Han Li sneered and immediately set his target on the farthest Core Formation cultivator and disappeared in a flash of light.


    The cultivator farthest away wasn¡¯t the one who fled first, the black-robed man surnamed Xun. Rather, it was the middle-aged woman instead.


    Her body pulsed with red light as she tore through the sky as a huge fireball, much like one would imagine of a demon spirit. This strange technique allowed her to travel the fastest amongst her peers despite being only an early Core Formation cultivator.


    There were several varied-length ribbons of light directly extending from her body. With each twinkle of azure light from a ribbon, the woman was propelled a hundred meters forward, resulting in an astonishing speed.


    The woman was basking in the pride of her rarely seen wind-fire movement technique that she reckoned to be on par with others¡¯ top grade techniques. Combined with the wind attribute treasure she cultivated, the Floating Spirit Ribbon, her speed was increased even further. She believed her current speed to match even early Nascent Soul cultivators.


    If one were to speak of the cultivator that was most likely to make it out safely, it would be her.


    As the woman thought to herself, she suddenly heard rumbling nearby. Although the sound wasn¡¯t loud, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head around in alarm.

 Chapter 666

    Sweeping Wind


    When the woman turned her head around, she couldn¡¯t spot even the slightest trace of a person, but the deep rumbles only became louder as if something was on the verge of approaching her.


    Her face instantly paled and she wildly look around in terror. In that moment, something suddenly came to mind and she flew off with even greater speed than before.


    Just a second later, silver light flashed from the empty space, only to soon fade away. When the silver light flashed once more, it reappeared over three hundred meters away. Han Li¡¯s winged silhouette could be faintly made out from within the light.


    Han Li glanced at the woman within the red light flying and felt a trace of surprise at her amazing speed. The woman¡¯s fearsome movement technique was actually comparable to his own Thunderstorm Wing¡¯s lightning movement. It seemed that there were truly an unfathomable number of techniques within the world.


    Han Li felt a trace of sorrow from his heart before spreading out the wings behind him. With a single fan, Han Li turned into a bolt of lightning and appeared at the woman¡¯s front. He then calmly raised his hand and spread out his fingers, shooting a streak of azure swordlight from each of his fingertips.


    With an expression pale from fright, the woman loudly yelled, ¡°Senior, please spare me!¡± Soon after, the red light surrounding her body shined brilliantly, combining with her several azure light ribbons to form a dense light barrier around her.


    Han LI slightly frowned and glanced at the woman in silence. The five streaks of swordlight then condensed into a thread and began to strike the light barrier.


    Several muffled bangs sounded out. This fire-wind attribute barrier was truly powerful to be able to repeatedly block the attacks of the first three strands of sword Qi. But when the fourth strand of sword Qi struck, the barrier was shattered to the woman¡¯s despair. Two streaks of sword Qi then struck her vitals before she could react.


    Han Li glanced at the woman¡¯s falling body and shook his head. With a flick of his finger, a fireball shot out, turning the woman¡¯s corpse into ash, and he summoned the woman¡¯s light ribbons and storage pouch into his hand.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t kill you, those Devil Dao Nascent Soul cultivators would pursue me.¡± Han Li sighed and his body flickered with lightning once more while his spiritual sense locked onto another fleeing figure.


    The next target was the black-robed cultivator who held the deepest cultivation. He was at the peak of the mid Core Formation stage and was just a step away from entering late Core Formation stage.


    As Han Li flew in that direction, he patted his spirit beast pouch and released large quantities of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. Under the orders of his spiritual sense, the beetles immediately condensed into over ten tri-colored blades before chasing down each of the fleeing Foundation Establishment cultivators. This lot had meager cultivation and speed, so Han Li was disinclined to personally slay each of them and merely used his beetles to take care of them in one fell sweep. He would only personally deal with the Core Formation cultivators.


    After all, these Core Formation cultivators were extremely fast. The beetles would have no chance of pursuing them. Gold Devouring Beetles were adept at closing short distance, but stood little chance in a long distance chase.


    The black-clothed cultivator was standing underneath on a shining dagger, while hurrying on his way with a sullen expression. He didn¡¯t expect to come across a Nascent Soul cultivator when he went looking for the murderer of his Sixth Junior Martial Brother. While he didn¡¯t know whether or not this cultivator had anything to do with the death of his Sixth Junior Martial Brother, he did know that the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators had something to do with him. It appeared that this Nascent Soul cultivator was chasing after the Controlling Spirit Sect disciples. It was likely that they had provoked him in some way, drawing their Ghost Spirit Sect into the crossfire.


    Even if the Nascent Soul cultivator didn¡¯t hold any ill intent toward them, it was likely that they would be killed in order to be silenced. Regardless, there was now a Nascent Soul cultivator involved in the investigation of his Sixth Junior Martial Brother¡¯s death, meaning it was no longer something he could deal with. After he returned, he would make a report to his master and have him deal with the matter.


    Since this cultivator dared to pursue Devil Dao Core Formation cultivators such as themselves, this Nascent Soul eccentric shouldn¡¯t be affiliated with any faction. He must¡¯ve been a vagrant cultivator, else he would¡¯ve shown consideration to the vast powers of the Devil Dao.


    As the black-clothed cultivator worriedly pondered, he suddenly heard a series of strange rumbles from his side. They were intermittent, and faded away as quickly as they appeared. Alarmed, the black-clothed cultivator hastily turned his head around, only to see a flash of azure light before all went dark.


    Han Li expressionlessly waved his hand and retrieved the giant azure sword from the corpse.


    Although this person had cautiously flew with a light barrier surrounding him, it was as powerless as thin paper against the strike of his combined Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. Both man and light barrier were cut through in a single blow. Han Li¡¯s gaze now turned to yet another distant location.


    While being pulled forward by two dark green skulls, a scholarly cultivator wearing embroidered robes was nervously glancing at his surroundings. Despite having fled so far away, he clearly understood that so long as the Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense enveloped him, it was only a matter of time before they would pursue him.


    As a result, he simultaneously spread out his spiritual sense to its greatest extent while he flew forward as fast as he could. He could feel his thumping heart rise into his throat.


    When a sudden sense of unease gripped him, he turned his head around and felt his heart drop into a deep abyss. Not far away, a youth in his twenties had appeared at an unknown time. He wore azure scholar robes and smiled towards him, revealing glints of his perfect teeth.


    But before the embroidered-robed cultivator could turn his head back and run, the youth said with a friendly tone, ¡°It must¡¯ve been quite taxing for Fellow Daoist to have run so far. It¡¯s only proper for me to send you on your way!¡±


    When Han Li said this, he flung his sleeve and scattered countless gold specks across the sky. These specks instantly formed a huge golden cloud and enveloped the sky with a fearsome presence.


    The embroidered-robed cultivator released a wretched scream and was engulfed by the golden cloud alongside his magic treasure. A moment later, the golden cloud scattered, leaving no trace of the cultivator behind.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed upon seeing this and he muttered, ¡°The evolved Gold Devouring Beetles are far more fearsome. In a mere instant, they were able to even clearly devour magic treasures. Their repute of being able to devour anything is well deserved.¡±


    Soon after he flung a spirit beast pouch from his sleeve, and the Gold Devouring Beetles reluctantly flew into the bag after spiralling through the air several times. Han Li frowned at the sight and inwardly sighed.


    With their vast increase in strength, the beetles could no longer be as smoothly controlled as before, resulting in a trace of helplessness dampening his previously high spirits.


    Leaving another wave of thunder in his wake, Han Li disappeared yet again in a flash of silver light.


    Han Yunzhi was mounted atop a pure-white spirit bird, that was hurriedly rushing through the sky as a fifteen meter long streak of white light. At that moment, both bird and rider were enveloped in a soft light. When combined with the woman¡¯s flawless appearance, she appeared all the more otherworldly.


    However, her brow was currently furrowed and she held a palm-sized jade disk in her hand. She was carefully examining it with a fluctuating expression.


    The polished jade disk pulsed with an astonishing emerald Qi and was deeply engraved with many decorative designs. It also glowed with lines of ancient, silver-gold talisman characters. One could tell that it was an unordinary treasure from a single glance.


    The center of the jade disk was as sleek as a mirror, and there were six specks of red light that were intermittently flickering from within it as if they were fireflies. At that moment, a speck of light brightened and suddenly disappeared from sight.


    When Han Yunzhi saw this, she pursed her lips in concern and attentively stared at the disk in her hand. However, after a short moment, two more lights brightly flashed and disappeared from sight.


    Han Yunzhi¡¯s calm demeanor suddenly changed.


    When yet another red speck of light disappeared, there were now only two specks that still remained on the jade disk.


    Han Yunzhi gently brushed away a strand of her hair from her face and bitterly smiled, muttering in an inaudible voice, ¡°Apart from Junior Marital Sister Liu and I, there are no other survivors. The four Foundation Establishment disciples have already died. Could it be that this person is capable of doppelganger techniques or possesses some other inconceivable technique? It seems we¡¯ve underestimated what a Nascent Soul cultivator is capable of. I reckon those Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators aren¡¯t any better off. Had I known of this earlier, it would¡¯ve been better for us to travel together and stake it all together.¡±

 Chapter 667

    Six-Winged Frost Centipede


    Although Han Yunzhi felt slight regret at her previous decision, she knew there was nothing she could do about it now. She could only put away the jade disk with a sigh. She then spat out a translucent, glowing pearl. The pearl revolved once around her and then fell onto the large bird¡¯s head, rigidly staying in position without any movement.


    The woman clutched her hands in an incantation gesture and pointed to the pearl with a solemn expression. As the pearl released a blinding radiance, the bird raised its head and cawed. With a shake of its wings, the giant white bird left a trail of white light in its wake, shooting forward with even greater speed.


    Han Yunzhi didn¡¯t cease using the technique, and her complexion paled as a result. It was obvious this secret technique sapped much of her vitality, but given how dire the current circumstances were, she had no choice but to make use of it.


    Not long after she made use of this secret technique she suddenly heard rumbles of thunder. Alarm appeared on her face, knowing that the Nascent Soul cultivator had finally caught up to her. She had already reached the greatest speed she could muster. There was nothing else she could do apart from hastily covering herself in a barrier; in order to easily enter Core Formation, she had previously cultivated a cultivation technique lacking any powerful abilities.


    With two further claps of thunder, an arc of silver lightning flashed at the woman¡¯s side. A winged silhouette appeared about forty meters ahead of her, while an azure light obscured the man¡¯s face. The man wordlessly raised his arm, summoning several streaks of blinding azure light.


    Han Yunzhi revealed an expression of despair and closed her eyes in the face of certain death.


    ¡°Yi! It¡¯s you.¡± When the silhouette clearly saw Han Yunzhi¡¯s appearance, he shouted out in surprise. The light from his arm dimmed in an instant.


    Han Yunzhi was baffled by this. When she thought to examine the other party¡¯s appearance, his figure flickered with silver light and disappeared. Han Yunzhi was at a loss for a moment, but when she heard thunder roar from behind her, she regained clarity of mind.


    Just as the woman thought to hastily turn around, her light barrier was shattered, followed by the strike of a sliver of golden lightning.


    Han Yunzhi suddenly felt herself turn numb and her limp body fell off the bird. At that same moment, she felt as if she were being carried in a man¡¯s embrace. With shameful fury stirring inside her, she fell unconscious.


    Han Li glanced at the woman in his bosom and wryly smiled with a trace of helplessness.


    ¡­


    After an unknown amount of time passed, Han Yunzhi slowly opened her eyes to a blue, cloudless sky. She then glanced around in alarm and hurriedly stood up, discovering that she was currently at some small mountain.


    Her large white bird was crouching nearby as if it had lost consciousness.


    Han Yunzhi hastily walked over to take a look at it. Fortunately, the bird was merely affected by a simple restriction that was easy to dispel. The woman then awakened the bird with a breath of relief and flew it into the air, intending to observe her surroundings.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be far from where she had lost consciousness, and it appeared that not much time had passed either.


    Han Yunzhi appeared to be at a loss for a long while, before suddenly recalling a dreadful matter. She hastily examined her clothes and body. They appeared ordinary as if nothing strange had occurred. Additionally, the magic treasures within her body and her storage pouch were untouched.


    This truly dumbfounded Han Yunzhi. Not only was she not killed, but she wasn¡¯t assaulted either. She was completely lost as to what was going on.


    Han Yunzhi recalled that before she fainted, the Nascent Soul cultivator yelled in shock, revealing an expression of bewilderment.


    Could it be that Nascent Soul cultivator had recognized her? Were they friends? However, she couldn¡¯t recall ever having met any Nascent Soul cultivators from another sect.


    Unfortunately, this person moved far too quickly and she wasn¡¯t able to see his appearance while his stature appeared rather ordinary. However, she wasn¡¯t able to make out anything from his cry of alarm.


    Han Yunzhi pondered for a while, but she was unable to come up with any answers. She soon took out the jade disk from her robes and formed an incantation gesture with a single hand. After muttering a few words, a streak of white light struck the jade disk and a flicker of green light revealed that only single speck of red light remained.


    Han Yunzhi tensely frowned at the sight. She began to feel trepidation when she recalled how she had been effortlessly restrained by the Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Her Junior Martial Sister Liu was either killed or left the range of her magic treasure. From the Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s previous killing spree, it seemed likely to be the former.


    She faintly sighed and put away her magic treasure before flying away on her bird¡­.


    At that same moment in a far away place, Han Li was flying through the air as he held a young woman in his arms. He looked down at the intact woman in his arms with an entirely calm expression. Not long after he knocked Han Yunzhi unconscious, he immediately changed direction and chased down the other Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator. When this woman saw Han Li chasing after her, she wore an expression of despair and threw several foot-long winged centipedes into the air.


    This centipede was quite unordinary. Its body glowed with a pitch-black light and had two snow-white wings on its back. As soon as they left the spirit beast pouch, they spouted out large breaths of frost, resulting in a fierce appearance.


    Han Li was initially stunned upon seeing them, but he soon grew elated. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, these exotic insects were the eighteenth rank Winged Frost Centipedes. These centipedes were the same as his Gold Devouring Beetles; they were also an insect species that existed during times of antiquity.


    Due to their partial lineage from frost-attribute dragons, their bodies became snow white upon full maturation, grew six wings, and could spew enough icy Qi to freeze anything within fifty kilometers. However, these centipedes were exactly the same as his original Gold Devouring Beetles; they were still only fledglings. The icy Qi they spouted might prove difficult to common cultivators, but to Han Li, who previously refined a trace of Celestial Ice Flames, it was nothing to fear.


    Han Li immediately began to circulate his cultivation. He easily swept up the icy Qi with his sleeve and brought it towards his body without the slightest hesitation, much to Cultivator Liu¡¯s shock. He took advantage of this opportunity to restrain the woman through the use of lightning movement and knocked her unconscious.


    With the absence of spiritual sense commands, the winged centipedes flew back into their spirit beast pouches.


    Han Li glanced at the beautiful woman in his grasp and wore a trace of hesitation.


    Killing the woman would only take a very slight effort. But in that case, he¡¯d be incapable of acquiring the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes. Ordinarily, users of spirit beasts and insects placed down self-detonative restrictions to safeguard against having their animals falling into the hands of their killers. Once their master met an unexpected death and their soul scattered, the spirit beast would follow suit and self destruct. Naturally, if cultivators felt that their lifespan was drawing close to the end and wished to impart these animals onto their successors, they would get rid of these restrictions.


    Han Li¡¯s Gold Devouring Beetles for example were also placed under similar restrictions.


    Since Han Li wished to acquire these centipede eggs, he couldn¡¯t kill the woman. He was also interested in the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s method of controlling insects. After all, the Controlling Spirit Sect was renowned in the entire Heavenly South for its beast and insect use. They were certain to have great experience in controlling insects, and were certain to possess a secret technique capable of better controlling his Gold Devouring Beetles.


    With that thought, Han Li placed several talismans on her body to restrict her spiritual power and prevent her from waking up. He then carried the woman off in a streak of azure light across the sky.


    As for Han Yunzhi, when he recalled that young girl that he met in his youth, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to strike her down. In the end, he wasn¡¯t a heartless man by nature and could only leave the woman alone.


    In any case, Han Yunzhi hadn¡¯t seen his true face and would have little to report once she returned. And by the time he headed back to the State of Xi, even if these matters were all revealed, what could the Controlling Spirit Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect do to him then?


    The Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Devil Dao were already hostile with each other. With the Heavenly Fiend Sect Master personally attacking the Dreamcloud Mountain¡¯s sacred area, there were surely grievances being nursed by the three sects of Dreamcloud Mountains. So long as they were incapable of trapping the other, all the two powers would be able to do was menacingly glance at each other and speak boldly.


    These circumstances were fully known to Han Li, but for the time being it would be best for him to hurry on his way to avoid being surrounded by other Nascent Soul cultivators.


    With that thought, Han Li unconsciously increased his speed.

 Chapter 668

    Five Element Spirit Nascents


    When the several Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators met their end, an isolated room in the old base of the Masked Moon Sect opened to reveal a black-robed cultivator leaving seclusion.


    When his many capable disciples simultaneously met a bitter end, the Nascent Soul eccentric was unable to continue seclusion in feigned ignorance. He wordlessly released several message talismans, delivering the news of his disciple¡¯s tragic end to several Ghost Spirit Sect branches across the State of Yue. He was about to personally set off and discover who it was that was so bold as to have killed Splintered Soul¡¯s disciples.


    However, his actions were too little too late. Before the Ghost Spirit Sect and Devil Dao cultivators even started their large scale search, Han Li had already left the State of Yue and began to head north in the direction of the State of Yuan Wu.


    Daoist Splintered Soul ultimately gained nothing. He merely had a rough impression that his disciples had been killed by an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator that had already left the country. As a result, he could do nothing despite his raging fury.


    Ten days later, Han Yunzhi returned to the Grand Spirit Mountains in the State of Tian Luo where she kowtowed in front of a pitch-black stone room. She had personally delivered a rough explanation of what had happened and had presented herself before the old man, begging for forgiveness.


    ¡°You were detected over a hundred kilometers away? And you were the only survivor amongst our sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators as well?¡± The old man¡¯s words were asked with an odd tone.


    ¡°That is right Martial Senior. I and Junior Martial Sister Liu each fled for our lives, but I was the only one who managed to escape. The other¡¯s whereabouts are unclear but it is likely that they were also killed.¡± For some unknown reason, Han Yunzhi decided to conceal the fact that this unknown Nascent Soul cultivator had recognized her. She merely mentioned her escape vaguely.


    ¡°Since this person was able to confine the Spirit Nascent, this person is most likely a Nascent Soul cultivator. But to be able to sense your movements past fifty kilometers is a fearsome feat indeed. According to what I know, there are but a few late Nascent Soul cultivators in the entirety of the Heavenly South. Could it be this person is one of those undying bastards?¡± The old man¡¯s voice grew sullen and contained a trace of deep dread.


    ¡°This is something that is unknown to Martial Niece. Because of this person¡¯s immensely powerful spiritual sense, I didn¡¯t dare to closely pursue him. I merely felt him leave the State of Yue from far away. He headed north through the State of Yuan Wu, towards the direction of the Righteous Dao and the Heavenly Dao Alliance. As such, Martial Niece didn¡¯t dare to follow him. In the end I was unable to identify who it was and could only return to the sect. Please forgive me, Martial Senior.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t at fault, what is there to forgive? If this person was truly a late Nascent Soul cultivator, the result would be the same even if I personally went. It must¡¯ve been hard to survive. Because I didn¡¯t give it enough thought, I sent you and Liu Yu to track down the other party because of your secret sensing techniques. I didn¡¯t think of the possibility that you¡¯d encounter a late Nascent Soul cultivator. As of current, we are incapable of detecting the Spirit Nascent¡¯s location, as wondrous as your secret technique may be. For the time being, just take some rest. Additionally, it seems Junior Martial Brother Han has left seclusion. Why don¡¯t you pay him a visit?¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Martial Senior¡¯s understanding. Martial Niece will be taking her leave.¡± With a curtsy and an inward sigh of relief, she respectfully departed.


    When Han Yunzhi was no longer in sight, silence filled the room. A moment later, the old man turned to an empty corner of the room, ¡°Do you believe your Junior Martial Sister to be telling the truth? If a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator truly appeared, there was no way that girl would¡¯ve been able to escape by a fluke.¡± The old man¡¯s voice became void of emotion as if he were someone entirely different.


    A flash of light appeared from the corner as soon as the old man finished talking. A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes respectfully answered, ¡°Martial Senior, I used a secret technique to sense Junior Martial Sister Han¡¯s mood. It was calm for the most part. It was merely when she mentioned her escape that her heart was in turmoil. I reckon she was concealing something that had to do with her escape.¡±


    The old man released a long sigh and snorted. He gloomily said, ¡°I thought the same. Were she not a descendant of Junior Martial Brother Han, I might¡¯ve used a soul search technique on her to see what she is concealing. But out of consideration for her relationship with Junior Martial Brother Han, this vicious soul damaging technique cannot be used on her. After all, Junior Martial Brother Han is exceptionally fond of this particular descendant. He even exhausted much of his vitality to employ heaven-defying arts to cleanse her essence for the sake of allowing this girl to reach Core Formation.


    ¡°But since she didn¡¯t conceal anything particularly crucial, I am disinclined to pursue the matter. However, it is quite troublesome for the Wood Spirit Nascent to fall into this old fellow¡¯s hands. It is but a silver lining that it was the Wood Spirit Nascent that was captured, and not the other two Spirit Nascents. I recalled the Wood Spirit Nascent to only be a spare. Although it was slightly inferior, it was nurtured at the time for observation. I truly don¡¯t know whether or not there will come a day where the Five Element Spirit Nascents will come into existence.¡±


    The middle-aged man earnestly said, ¡°The secret art of the Five Element Spirit Nascents is a magnificent technique that was originally lost by the sect. Were it not for the Earth Spirit Nascent that Martial Senior unintentionally refined a few years ago, I fear that the sect would still be unable to gather together the Five Element Spirit Nascents. So long as the Spirit Nascents are properly prepared, they are able to merge into a single disciple¡¯s body through the use of a secret technique.


    ¡°Not long from now, our Controlling Spirit Sect will come to suddenly possess five Nascent Soul cultivators, allowing us to contend with the Harmonious Bond Sect for the chief position in the Devil Dao. However, it is a pity that while they will possess a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s abilities, they will lack the lifespan of one. As for the Wood Spirit Nascent, it turned out that the Spirit Nascent was truly refined too early. It was the most violent amongst them and was tremendously brutal and difficult to tame. It was reported to have devoured the Nascent Soul of one of our sect¡¯s Nascent Soul cultivators long ago. It would¡¯ve been extremely difficult to fuse it with a body, so it¡¯s actually rather fortunate that it was the one that was lost.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! I am well aware. That Wood Spirit Nascent had somewhat managed to gain a consciousness over a thousand years ago. Moreover, it had snuck into the Hidden Scriptures Pavilion and snuck a glance at many secret techniques, allowing it to acquire vast and powerful abilities and escape its restrictions. If there hadn¡¯t been a late Nascent Soul cultivator elder that was standing guard at the time and had he not suppressed it in one fell swoop, a calamity would¡¯ve been unleashed upon this world.


    ¡°However, I reckon that if this Spirit Nascent were to fuse with a disciple, they would possess the abilities of a mid Nascent Soul cultivator. Although it isn¡¯t very likely to occur, it still isn¡¯t something that can easily be given up. It¡¯s rather funny. Not only is it impossible to strengthen the Five Elements Spirit Nascent¡¯s Spiritual Power, but it is actually required to constantly weaken the Spirit Nascent¡¯s cultivation to prevent backlash to the disciple¡¯s soul when they merge with it. For that very reason, we sent a party to bring the Wood Spirit Nascent to cleanse its body of gold and wind in Gold Scarce Valley in the State of Yuan Wu.¡±


    When the middle-aged man heard this, he thought to say something as consolation, but he thought better of it and remained silent with a bitter smile on his face.


    ¡­


    A month later, Han Li had finally arrived in the State of Xi and returned to his own cave residence. Han Li sighed and placed the woman surnamed Liu inside a meditation room before paying a visit to Mu Peiling.


    Greatly satisfied to see that she was still in secluded cultivation, Han Li decided to pay a visit to the two elders of Drifting Cloud Mountain instead and let them know that he had returned.


    The two Nascent Soul cultivators were happy to see Han Li and asked him what he was doing on his travels. Han Li skirted around the question and merely mentioned that he had killed a few Ghost Spirit Sect and Devilflame Sect Core Formation disciples on his travels. Rather than display any sign of worry, the two Nascent Soul cultivators praised him instead.


    It appeared the two held deep grudges against the Righteous and Devil Dao. The silver-haired old man in particular had been forced to use a secret technique to preserve his life in a previous battle. This had caused great harm to his vitality that still hadn¡¯t recovered, so Han Li¡¯s actions had allowed them to vent their resentments vicariously.


    Han Li felt even more at ease about the matter and had a chat with them for a long while before he returned to his cave residence. On his way back, he began to ponder over how he should deal with the white-clothed beauty.


    When Cultivator Liu slowly awakened, she was absent-minded and her eyes were half opened. When she saw that there was a face so close to her own, she couldn¡¯t help but jump up and walk back until her back hit a wall.


    At that moment, she discovered the owner of the face belonged to a beautiful young woman that was sweetly smiling at her. She glanced around to find herself in a sealed room. There was nothing in the room apart from a circular praying mat.


    The woman happily said, ¡°Fellow Daoist has awakened. If there is nothing wrong, I will be taking you to see Master.¡±


    Liu Yu¡¯s mind was still fuzzy and she still hadn¡¯t realized what was happening. She hesitantly asked, ¡°Master? Who is he? Where is this place?¡±


    Silvermoon examined the woman¡¯s startled figure and slowly said, ¡°If you follow me, you¡¯ll have your answers. As for this place, it is the Dreamcloud Mountains in the State of Xi. You should know where that is!¡±


    After a moment of thought, she immediately realized something and couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Dreamcloud Mountains in the State of Xi? You¡¯re a Heavenly Dao Alliance member!¡±

 Chapter 669

    Liu Yu


    Silvermoon¡¯s eyes flickered and she said, ¡°Fellow Daoist truly is intelligent. This place belongs to the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s Drifting Cloud Sect. You¡¯d best go quickly and not keep my master waiting!¡±


    ¡°Fine! This young woman also wishes to see this Senior. I will trouble Fellow Daoist to lead the way.¡± The white-clothed woman was able to quickly regain her calm, showing herself to be an unordinary character.


    Silvermoon faintly smiled and elegantly walked out of the room as the white-clothed cultivator silently followed after her. A short moment later, the two women arrived before a large hall.


    Han Li was sitting in a stone chair, looking a a large, deep-yellow light barrier at the center of the room. It contained a spirit beast that was violently pounding against the barrier to no avail.


    Liu Yu attentively examined the spirit beast and discovered that it appeared like a green bull with scales on its back and hoofs of silver. It was a rarely seen Iron Rhino.


    Although this spirit beast isn¡¯t a remnant of an ancient race, it is an immensely rare spirit beast in the cultivation world. The recently exterminated Fu Clan in the State of Yuan Wu kept such a spirit beast. It was said to have strength to rival a mid Core Formation cultivator. Could it be the same beast?


    If the bull was one and the same, then the person before her was the one who exterminated the Fu Clan.


    Liu Yu grew inwardly fearful of Han Li¡¯s viciousness. There was nothing good that could come from being captured by this Nascent Soul cultivator!


    She was also amazed by Han Li¡¯s youthful appearance. After all, male cultivators rarely cultivated appearance halting techniques. To reach late Nascent Soul stage, one usually appeared middle-aged at the very least. Of course, these ¡°middle-aged¡± cultivators were often far older than their appearances suggested. It was merely because of their high cultivation that their appearances aged slower. As a result, it wasn¡¯t rare for old men to address a middle-aged cultivator as Martial Uncle or Martial Ancestor.


    At that moment, Silvermoon stood in front of Han Li and solemnly said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve brought the Fellow Daoist from the Controlling Spirit Sect.¡±


    Han Li nodded and said, ¡°You may leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Silvermoon replied to Han Li¡¯s command with a smile and quietly withdrew. They both knew that Silvermoon wouldn¡¯t be able to last much longer in her human form.


    Liu Yu restlessly walked towards Han Li and gracefully saluted him before standing at the side. She revealed a dainty appearance in her deferential and obedient actions.


    Han Li coldly glanced at the woman before turning his gaze to the Iron Rhino inside the light barrier. A sliver of lightning shot from his fingertip, penetrating the barrier and striking the spirit beast.


    The Iron Rhino¡¯s body sparked with electricity. With a wail, it fell onto its side and its legs began to incessantly twitch as it helplessly remained on the floor.


    Liu Yu¡¯s obedient expression slightly changed upon seeing such a powerful spirit beast being struck down with a single blow, but soon after, she regained her calm. Han Li was able to sense this and could clearly hear that her heartbeat was slightly faster than before.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s gaze returned to the white-clothed woman. He calmly asked, ¡°What is your name, Fellow Daoist, and Why were you following me? It is quite understandable if the Devilflame Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect were to track me down, but I don¡¯t recall ever provoking your Controlling Spirit Sect.¡±


    Liu Yu was stunned upon hearing Han Li¡¯s question and her expression became slightly warped. She bit her lip and softly replied, ¡°Senior captured our sect¡¯s Wood Spirit Nascent. This little woman had no choice but to follow orders to pursue your tracks. If I¡¯ve offended you, I hope you won¡¯t bring yourself down to my level. I was only following orders.¡±


    Given the amazing abilities of a Nascent Soul cultivator, this woman clearly understood that if she didn¡¯t speak the truth, her knowledge could be forcefully obtained through a soul scouring technique. She had no intention of having her soul damaged and then turning into an idiot.


    Han Li frowned and immediately recalled the monstrous little silhouette, ¡°Wood Spirit Nascent! You¡¯re talking about that green Demon Nascent?¡±


    Liu Yu explained with a bitter smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. That is the Spirit Nascent. It was originally refined by our Controlling Spirit Sect with immense care and effort. It is extremely important to our sect, but we didn¡¯t expect that it would manage to flee and end up being capture by you.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and he coldly said, ¡°Refined? I originally believed this to be a demon spirit¡¯s incarnation. However, this small thing was truly troublesome. If I hadn¡¯t come along, your group definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to deal with it.¡±


    Liu Yu revealed a trace of embarrassment and was at a loss of what to say.


    Fortunately, Han Li was able to make our her true thoughts and pensively asked another question, ¡°How were you able to track down the captured Spirit Nascent so quickly? Could it be something was done to it? If that¡¯s the case, I should¡¯ve been able to detect it with my spiritual sense.¡±


    ¡°Junior reports that there are no pursuing restrictions placed on the Spirit Nascent. Rather, my Senior Martial Sister and I cultivate a particular secret technique that is able to sense the approximate location of the Wood Spirit Nascent from afar. As such, my Martial Senior sent us to track it. Of course, we are only able to sense it from a certain distance. If it is too far away, say a hundred thousand kilometers, my Senior Martial Sister and I would be unable to perceive its location.¡± Not only did Liu Yu appear to be complete truthful in answering Han Li¡¯s question, but she also took the initiative to mention some relevant information.


    When Han Li heard this, he nodded his head. Regardless of whether she was telling the truth, this woman¡¯s tactfulness was rather pleasing.


    However, his following question came as a great shock to her.


    ¡°Since your Controlling Spirit Sect has spent such vast resources on this Spirit Nascent, it must be extremely useful. Why don¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± When Han Li said this, he narrowed his eyes at he silently stared at her. A cold glint was present in his gaze.


    Liu Yu betrayed a sliver of hesitation from her face. When her gaze met Han Li¡¯s icy expression, she shivered and reluctantly replied, ¡°The Wood Spirit Nascent is indeed as you say. When refining a particular technique, a cultivator with wood spiritual roots would be able to fuse with it and take the Spirit Nascent as one¡¯s own Nascent Soul. Without having to condense one¡¯s own Nascent Soul, they would possess both the abilities and cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hesitate to divulge the secret matters of the Spirit Nascent despite knowing the trouble it would cause when she returned to the Controlling Spirit Sect. She understood that if she didn¡¯t speak, she wouldn¡¯t survive. This Nascent Soul cultivator definitely wasn¡¯t the sort to pity the fairer sex and she could only be concerned for her safety at the time being.


    Han Li was startled by her words but after calming down, he said, ¡°So there was such a method to directly enter Nascent Soul stage. If this is true, then why hasn¡¯t your Controlling Spirit Sect already unified the Devil Dao? Surely it wouldn¡¯t be content with being below the Harmonious Bond Sect. Could there be a restriction to this secret technique?¡±


    With a smooth and pleasant voice, Liu Yu said, ¡°Senior is truly insightful. This Spirit Nascent is something that cannot be refined in large quantities. Although this secret technique was found long ago, it is incredibly difficult to refine a Spirit Nascent. Not only are its materials incredibly rare, but only the sect elders whose lifespans are drawing close may attempt to refine one. These deceased elder¡¯s Nascent Souls seemed to be a necessary for their refinement. Also, the appearance of each Spirit Nascent will only occur by chance. In over ten attempts, there may not be even one success. The great fusion technique also requires five Spirit Nascents of different elements to use. It would fail otherwise.


    ¡°Our Controlling Spirit Sect has been accumulating these Spirit Nascents until now, but have only gathered together about seven. They had always been lacking the Gold Spirit Nascent, but it was finally acquired several tens of years ago. As such, the sect immediately chose ten Core Formation cultivators specifically as candidates to fuse with the Spirit Nascents and cultivate the related secret techniques. As things develop, five will be chosen to conduct the fusion ceremony.¡±


    While Han Li¡¯s expression was unphased, his heart greatly stirred. He held his chin in hand and began to mutter to himself.


    A long moment later, he slowly said, ¡°Since these cultivators were able to cheat their way into Nascent Soul stage, there are certain to be a few flaws.¡±


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but draw similarities to Fiend Cores. Nurturing Spirit Nascents should also prove to be an incredibly difficult matter.


    ¡°Senior is right. Although I don¡¯t know of the other flaws, I do know that cultivators that merge with a Spirit Nascent will still only retain their lifespan as a Core Formation cultivator. One also forfeits their true opportunity to condense a Nascent Soul by using this secret technique. Their cultivation will also remain stagnant and so will their lifespan. However, there are still many advantages to be had.¡± Since this point had been reached, the woman resolved herself to give the full details. After all, speaking more wouldn¡¯t make matters worse.

 Chapter 670

    Frost and Blue Flame


    With the woman¡¯s explanation, Han Li had a general understanding of the Wood Spirit Nascent that he captured. It was somewhat similar to his Weeping Soul Beast as a spiritual object that was refined by human hands. However, its viciousness was clear to see from its ability to devour a cultivator¡¯s primal soul. It was far different from his Weeping Soul Beast in the past.


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred and he broached another topic, ¡°These Six-Winged Frost Centipedes of yours are rather uncommon. How did you acquire them? Given your current cultivation, it should be impossible for you to use insects of such an ancient lineage. Haven¡¯t your Martial Seniors or Uncles pried into this matter?¡±


    Liu Yu was caught somewhat off guard and remained shocked for a moment. With puzzled thoughts, she bewilderedly replied, ¡°So Senior also recognizes those insects? Junior found their eggs in an abandoned cave residence of an ancient cultivator. I originally believed the eggs to be dead and unhatchable. But after another examination, I found several that were alive. However, my sect seniors mentioned that although this insect was an ancient species and would have vast abilities when fully grown, they are extremely difficult to nurture. With all the right conditions, they would be able to fully grow in about a thousand year¡¯s time. As such, there were no cultivators that wished to take them. Junior believes their abilities to be impressive despite being merely in their infancy. As such, I decided to keep them.¡±


    ¡®Did he ask about the insects because he was interested in them despite his current cultivation? Since a Nascent Soul cultivator is able to live only a thousand years, surely he wouldn¡¯t spend so much time and effort on these Six-winged Frost Centipedes?¡¯ Liu Yu remained perplexed despite much thought.


    Han Li looked at her and calmly said something that made the woman¡¯s heart drop, ¡°I am rather interested in your Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, and I have a way to make them ascend by two grades in a short amount of time. Would Fellow daoist be interested in making an exchange with me?¡±


    Liu Yu¡¯s eyes brightly flickered and she flirtatiously said, ¡°If Senior wishes for me to do something, please don¡¯t hesitate to say it.¡±


    Han Li ignored her actions and insipidly said, ¡°I can help Fellow Daoist mature her Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, but all the eggs they lay belong to me. I have use for them. Also, I heard your Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s insect control techniques are rather original. Would you be able to teach them to me?¡±


    ¡°Insect control technique?¡± Liu Yu¡¯s smile froze.


    High grade secret techniques for controlling insects and beasts were of the utmost importance to the sect. It was considered an act of treason if one were to divulge them to outsiders. Although she had already intended to completely obey Han Li, her face vastly changed upon hearing him and she bitterly cursed in her heart.


    Liu Yu looked at Han Li and anxiously said, ¡°Senior should know that if I were to leak the sect¡¯s techniques without permission, I would have my soul refined. If I were to give the secret technique to you, you should know what will happen to me.¡±


    ¡°So long as I acquire the insect eggs and the technique, you may leave free. I won¡¯t stop you in the slightest. As for where you go next, the world is large. Can¡¯t you just stand on your own?¡± Han Li spoke of the matter as if it were trivial.


    Liu Yu¡¯s expression wavered upon hearing him. A long while later, she wryly smiled and spoke with a distressed tone, ¡°Senior speaks of it rather lightly, but I understand my own situation well. If I were to become a vagrant cultivator, I would have no chance of reaching Nascent Soul stage. Also, I already know of Senior¡¯s identity and background. How could Senior allow me to easily leave? I fear I¡¯d be dead when I leave.¡±


    Han Li remained entirely indifferent before her words and said, ¡°What do you mean? Are you accusing me of making a false vow, or are you trying to blackmail me?¡±


    Liu Yu shook her head and said, ¡°Blackmail? I wouldn¡¯t dare. I am merely looking for a way to defend myself.¡±


    ¡°How do you plan on doing that?¡±


    Liu Yu gracefully bowed her head, ¡°If Senior doesn¡¯t find it distasteful, this little woman would like to become your disciple. Does Senior find me acceptable?¡±


    ¡°You wish to become my disciple?¡± Han Li was truly shocked.


    ¡°Yes, with Senior¡¯s cultivation, I am more than willing to become your disciple. As your disciple, I would be granted your protection and would have no qualms about divulging the techniques of the Controlling Spirit Sect. Else, if Senior doesn¡¯t kill me, the Controlling Spirit Sect would surely pursue me for the rest of my life.¡± The white-clothed woman revealed a trace of dread.


    Han Li frowned and began to tap the side of the chair as he pondered. He stroked his chin and indifferently said, ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, you haven¡¯t yet taken a master in the Controlling Spirit Sect. But if you were to become my disciple, how would you confront your clan? Surely you understand that the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Devil Dao are hostile to one another?¡±


    Liu Yu calmly answered, ¡°From Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, this Junior relied on chance every step of the way and never took a master. As for my clan, I am its last member. Cultivators appear in so few numbers after all, and all the others have passed away, leaving behind only me.¡±


    Han Li mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re only becoming my disciple for the sake of protection, it isn¡¯t an impossible matter, but I must first mention that I will place a soul restriction on you. I also won¡¯t be involved with your cultivation. In short, you will only be my in-name disciple. You will enter the Drifting Cloud Sect and cultivate on your own. What do you think?¡±


    Liu Yu replied without hesitation, ¡°Placing down the soul restriction is only natural. After all, I was a Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator. So long as Senior shelters me from danger, I will have no complaints. As for cultivation guidance, I never dared to have hope for that considering that I only managed to preserve my life by a fluke.¡± She seemed to follow the same path of bitter cultivation that Han Li had experienced.


    With the woman¡¯s blunt agreement, a strange expression flickered from his eyes and he grew silent for a moment before nodding, ¡°Good! Since you¡¯ve agreed to these conditions, I will naturally uphold my end of the agreement. Tomorrow, I will bring you to the two other elders of Drifting Cloud Mountains and have you enter the sect under a different name!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for you kindness, Senior.¡± Liu Yu felt greatly relieved with the knowledge that her life was secure, and hastily saluted Han Li.


    Han Li waved his arm and said, ¡°Return to the silent room and rest. I will be placing a soul restriction on you later and will remove the restrictions to your magic power as well.¡±


    After expressing her thanks once more, she respectfully took her leave from the hall.


    A flash of yellow light came from one of the hall¡¯s walls, revealing Silvermoon in her human form.


    Han Li glanced at Silvermoon and asked with a flat tone, ¡°You still haven¡¯t reverted back to your original form?¡±


    ¡°This servant has made great progress in cultivating her fox body. Of course, this led to an increase in the time I can take this form. However, Master, do you truly plan on taking this girl as a disciple? I recall that Master was never fond of the idea, fearing it would cause problems through implication and interfere with your cultivation. Are the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes so important to Master? If you¡¯re talking solely about the secret insect control technique, you can simply draw it out through the Dreamtear Technique.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes stirred while she spoke and she appeared puzzled.


    Han Li leaned his body against the back of his chair and wore a lazy expression, ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I truly do hold the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes in high regard. At my current pace of refining the Celestial Ice Flames only a sliver at a time, I reckon it will take quite a while before I will be able to complete refine it.¡±


    Silvermoon hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Do you know how long¡­¡±


    ¡°To tell the truth, it will take two hundred years at the very least to refine all the flames, given that there needs to be a buffer of a year between each sliver. This would take far too long, which is where the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes come in. Their icy Qi would be able to greatly shorten the amount of time it would take to refine the flames. Furthermore, it will have a certain fantastical effect when applied to the Celestial Ice Flames.¡± Han Li then raised his hands and extended a finger from each.


    Under Silvermoon¡¯s astonished gaze, each of his fingertips flickered with a white and a blue light. There was a frost that was white as snow along with an icy flame that glowed a brilliant blue. They then nimbly hovered off of his fingertips.


    Silvermoon yelped in surprise, ¡°This¡­¡±


    Han Li calmly breathed out, spitting a small cloud of azure Qi onto the frost and the blue flames. The frost and blue flames then turned into specks of starlight and began to mix together.


    Soon after, a muffled boom sounded out and a blinding white-blue light illuminated the room. A small violet flame bird appeared from within the azure Qi and began to flap its wings. It appeared quite graceful as it flew in circles.


    Han Li revealed satisfaction upon seeing the thumb-sized violet bird. There was even a trace of excitement that was betrayed from deep within his eyes.


    ¡°Silvermoon, do you remember the Sacred Asura Flames that the Old Devil Bone Sage used?¡±

 Chapter 671

    Insect Shell Technique


    Silvermoon cried out in astonishment, ¡°The Sacred Asura Flames! Of course I remember. Those are the devilflame known as the sacred flames of the Ghost Dao. If the Bone Sage had truly refined them, there would¡¯ve been few in this world that could be his match. However, the flames you¡¯ve used don¡¯t seem very similar to what the Bone Sage displayed during that day.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. These aren¡¯t the Sacred Asura Flames. But while I don¡¯t know the specifics behind this particular flame, its might is clearly superior to the Celestial Ice Flames. If I haven¡¯t guessed incorrectly, once the flames are fused with the six-winged frost centipedes¡¯ icy Qi, their might will increase to the point where they could rival the Sacred Asura Flames. This was something I had unintentionally discovered after I absorbed the centipede¡¯s icy Qi. A fortunate coincidence indeed.¡±


    Once that was said, Han Li twirled his finger and had the bird disappear into his hand.


    Silvermoon was initially stunned, but soon she revealed delight. With a salute and a gorgeous smile, she said, ¡°This servant congratulates Master. The Celestial Ice Flames were something that common Nascent Soul cultivators didn¡¯t dare to touch. With these newly fused devilflames, Master would be able to dominate the entirety of the Heavenly South.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and sullenly said, ¡°Dominate the Heavenly South? Those words are too bold. I do not know how many late Nascent Soul cultivators are in the Heavenly South, but each of these eccentrics should possess many years of vast experience and have their own killing moves. Perhaps one of them might have something to restrain my devilflames.¡±


    Silvermoon pursed her lips and revealed a careless expression, ¡°Master is being too modest. How could such an opportune matter occur in this world?¡±


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to be sure. The Gold Devouring Beetles may be incisive and are highly ranked, but the Bloodjade Spiders happen to be able to restrain them despite their vastly lower rank. If I were to run into a cultivator that knows about these beetles and possesses jade or wooden treasures, it would prove vastly disadvantageous for the beetles. There will also be something that can restrain these devilflames. In this entire world, there is no such thing as a treasure or technique that is unrivaled.¡±


    ¡°Master is still quite a careful and cautious person. From what you¡¯re saying, you must want to prepare several killing moves to prevent yourself from being restrained by others.¡±


    As if not yet finished speaking, Han Li unhurriedly continued, ¡°I¡¯ve previously never accepted disciples because my cultivation was lacking and I was a wanderer, with my residence ever changing. It would¡¯ve been burdensome to take a disciple. But now that I am firmly established at the Drifting Cloud Sect, it is natural to nurture a few sources of influence of my own. Although one¡¯s own strength is extremely important in the cultivation world, it is more dangerous and inconvenient to stand alone.


    ¡°At the very least, useful information will make its way to me. For example, there was no one who had taken the initiative to inform me of the trade meet that would take place in the State of Yu in two years. Although those two elders would notify me at the last second, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make any preparations. As for Liu Yu, while her cultivation isn¡¯t very high, she doesn¡¯t seem to be someone that is only able to diligently cultivate. After entering the Drifting Cloud Sect, I reckon she would strive her hardest to develop her own influence without my orders.¡±


    Silvermoon smiled and added on, ¡°With the soul restriction placed on her, she will be unable to betray you until her cultivation surpasses Master¡¯s. Her influence will therefore naturally be your own. This is far more advantageous than accepting an ordinary disciple.¡±


    Han Li glanced at Silvermoon and indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know!¡±


    He then turned his gaze towards the Iron Rhino. The spirit beast had managed to unsteadily raise itself, but its aggressiveness was vastly reduced. It now gazed at Han Li with a trace of fear.


    ¡°Although this spirit beast isn¡¯t very useful for me, I am able to directly control it through the use of a magic tool since it belonged to a clan. I will be able to trade it for very good materials. After you train it, shut it in the spirit beast room. Once the trade meet in the State of Yu takes place, I¡¯ll see whether or not I can exchange it for a few rare materials. I¡¯ll be leaving now to place a soul restriction on Liu Yu.¡± Han Li took a black command talisman from his storage pouch and handed it over to Silvermoon.


    Silvermoon took it into her hands and respectfully replied, ¡°As you command, Master!¡±


    Han Li then stood up and wordlessly left the room.


    Silvermoon fiddled with the command talisman in her hand and muttered to herself with a pensive expression as if pondering about what Han Li just said. A moment later, she raised the command medallion towards the light barrier with a smile. A beam of yellow light then shot out.


    Soon after, a series of miserable bellows filled the hall.


    ¡­


    After Han Li placed the soul restriction onto Liu Yu, he brought her to the silver-haired old man. Of course, he didn¡¯t give the complete truth. He merely mentioned that they had a bit of relationship and he had brought her back to the State of Xi from the Controlling Spirit Sect, intending to take her in as a disciple and look after her.


    When the old man heard this, he was initially stunned before laughing with an expression of realization.


    ¡°I was wondering why Junior Martial Brother Han made a trip to the Devil Dao¡¯s domain. So it turned out to be for Martial Niece Liu. Good, very good! This sect could always use another Core Formation cultivator, and a woman at that!¡± The silver-haired old man accepted Liu Yu into the Drifting Cloud Sect without a problem.


    Han Li was very satisfied by this and chatted with the old man a while more before departing with the woman. Liu Yu then officially changed her name to Liu Mei and officially became Han Li¡¯s in name disciple.


    Although Han Li said he wouldn¡¯t personally guide the woman, he wasn¡¯t about to be stingy when taking a disciple underneath him. He gave the woman two magic treasures and several bottles of demon core refined medicine pills.


    If Liu Mei had been reluctant about taking Han Li as a master, she was now more than happy to pay her respects to him after such magnanimous gifts. For the first time, she felt that leaving the Controlling Spirit Sect to become Han Li¡¯s disciple wasn¡¯t such a bad thing.


    Fortunately, this woman was rather quick-witted and soon handed over a jade slip containing all of the insect controlling techniques that she knew of. She also handed over her six-winged frost centipedes. Han Li accepted these items with a calm expression and concluded the disciple acceptance ceremony.


    After departing Han Li¡¯s cave residence, she established her own cave residence at the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s White Phoenix Mountain and became a member of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s high grade cultivators.


    Unclear as to whether or not the silver-haired old man was paying face to Han Li, Liu Mei was appointed as deputy mountain lord of White Phoenix Mountain, giving Mountain Lord Song an assistant. When Han Li heard of the matter, he merely smiled.


    After Han Li acquired the centipedes, he used the Rainbow Skirt Grass to mature them. Given that they had this effect towards the Gold Devouring Beetles, they should also affect the six-winged frost centipedes as well. Of course, he also entered a secluded room and began to study the insect control techniques alongside the Profound Nascent Formation Arts that Xin Ruyin had left behind.


    Han Li sat motionlessly on the floor with his eyes shut as an azure light began to flow around his body as if he were cultivating a technique. A long while later, he opened his eyes and his eyes brightened. He promptly grabbed onto the storage pouch at his waist and wordlessly pointed, uttering, ¡°Execute!¡±


    Suddenly, several thousands of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles flocked from the pouch and hastily turned into a three meter large cloud that spiralled above Han Li.


    Han Li stood up without any hesitation and began to move his feet in a pattern as he muttered to himself. He raised his hands and shot a mist of azure light, enveloping the beetle cloud. The Gold Devouring Beetles suddenly stopped buzzing and began to hover back and forth in tight formation. However, none of them made contact with one another, making for a bizarre sight.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze brightly flickered as he watched the beetle cloud. He stared for a time before forming an incantation gesture with a single hand. He then extended his free hand as if reaching for the beetles and softly shouted.


    Azure light flickered from the beetle cloud and they immediately fell onto Han Li, enveloping him within them. The beetles were several times quicker than before and began to frantically fly circles around him, forming an impenetrable barrier.


    Han Li smiled at the sight, but that smile soon disappeared as he began to utter profound and cryptic incantations. Suddenly, the insect cloud suddenly charged towards Han Li with a sudden eruption of blinding azure light.


    A short moment later, the light disappeared to reveal Han Li¡¯s body covered in armor with simple designs of gold, silver, and black. The armor sparkled with azure light and continuously glinted. From a glance, one could tell it was incredibly hard and durable.


    Han Li¡¯s smile became a grin and he stroked the armor. It felt unfathomably smooth as if it were without flaw.


    Han Li¡¯s smile faded away and he sighed, muttering, ¡°Not bad! I truly didn¡¯t think that my idea from Heavenvoid Hall of using beetles as armor would work. The Controlling Spirit Sect are truly worthy of their fame for their insect control techniques. They are far more powerful than I could¡¯ve imagined.¡±

 Chapter 672

    Second Nascent Soul


    The insect control techniques weren¡¯t difficult to cultivate, and given Han Li¡¯s current cultivation and comprehension, they were easily learned. Even so, these secret techniques greatly broadened Han Li¡¯s horizons and the many recorded methods to direct insects to attack were fascinating and impressive. The Insect Armor Technique in particular had allowed him to act on his previous musings of the idea.


    Previously, he was able to concentrate the black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles into simple forms such as blades; however, objects as complicated as battle armor were still out of reach. It was a difficult matter that couldn¡¯t be resolved. With the Insect Armor Technique contained within the jade slip, he was able to skillfully learn how to condense battle armor in only a month.


    Han Li was brimming with delight. He was convinced the expert that founded this technique was likely to have possessed insects as hardy as the Gold Devouring Beetles, whose defensive power wasn¡¯t inferior to true armor type treasures. Additionally, this technique wasn¡¯t well known considering there were so few insect cultivators.


    In the hands of Han Li, and with the incredible durability of the black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles along with their particular transformation abilities, this technique could create battle armor that was well suited for himself and possessed immense defensive ability that surpassed those of common armors. Moreover, once his pure Gold Devouring Beetles fully matured and he was more skilled with the insect control techniques, Han Li was confident they would be able to transform into even more impressive armor.


    With the thought of the fully evolved Gold Devouring Beetles, he found it difficult to contain his excitement.


    A short moment later, Han Li eventually regained his calm. He stroked his armor in a moment of thought before blowing a mouthful of spiritual Qi onto the armor. The armor quickly scattered back into the cloud of beetles and returned to the spirit beast pouch under Han Li¡¯s orders.


    He returned to sitting cross-legged on the ground and took out an azure jade slip from his storage pouch, the item that Xin Ruyin had left behind. He clasped it with both hands and narrowed his eyes before quickly immersing his spiritual sense into the jade slip. He skipped past the ancient formation spells for the time being and sought the Profound Nascent Formation Arts at the very end.


    This technique was founded by an unnamed Devil Dao cultivator in the age of antiquity. Not only was the incantation profound and cryptic, but its words were dense with hidden and rich meaning. Han Li studied each of the words with great deliberation.


    After half a year passed, Han Li had a greater understanding of the technique. This had led to him feeling great awe and respect towards the ancient cultivator that founded this technique.


    This technique did indeed have some similarities to the Righteous Dao¡¯s Three Truths Severance Arts. As for precisely how much, Han Li had no way of knowing as it would be impossible for him to access the greatest secret technique of the Righteous Dao. Still, it stood to reason that this technique was entirely different from the External Incarnation Technique. This heaven-defying technique truly created a second incarnation of one¡¯s self. Once this technique was fully cultivated, one would possess an entirely independent Nascent Soul. Although there was something of a master-servant relationship between the two, each one would be able to survive if the other met an unexpected end.


    It was merely that the secondary Nascent Soul suffer a great loss in vitality if the main Nascent Soul were to perish, before it could slowly take the place of the main Nascent Soul. If the secondary Nascent Soul were to perish, it would leave the main Nascent Soul completely unaffected.


    What made Han Li even more excited was that the second Nascent Soul could be fused into the body of a superior cultivator¡¯s corpse and form an incarnation. Once the incarnation was complete, it was a genuine existence outside of the main body. Even if his main body perished, Han Li would survive so long as the incarnation did. After all, both bodies would hold the exact same memories and emotions.


    This technique was entirely different from when he had Crooked Soul become a fiend core incarnation. Crooked Soul was merely a puppet that Han Li could control with a sliver of his primal soul. It had no emotions of its own nor independent ability. Furthermore, Crooked Soul had to be in range of Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, else he would lose control.


    As for the incarnation created from the Profound Nascent Formation Arts, it could exist entirely on its own regardless of distance. It would take independent action without orders as if it were just another cultivator.


    Han Li felt his blood run cold when he read this. But after some further reading, he eventually reached the description of the technique¡¯s restrictions and flaws.


    Once Han Li read through them, it felt like he had been drenched in cold water. His fervent excitement had disappeared in an instant. The difficulty of condensing a Nascent Soul had left him completely speechless.


    It took common cultivators centuries to fragment their core and form a Nascent Soul. Cultivating a Second Nascent Soul would require a second core to shatter, which would take far too much time. The only method would be to seize another cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul and erase its consciousness. Once it is assimilated with one¡¯s own spiritual sense, it would become one¡¯s Nascent Soul. Although the jade slip mentioned the method to seize and wipe the consciousness of another Nascent Soul, needless to say it was an extremely dangerous matter with low odds of success.


    Even if this managed to somehow succeed in a fluke, the assimilation process was even more dangerous. Given that a Nascent Soul was temporarily seized, forcefully assimilating it with oneself still risked having one¡¯s spiritual sense being devoured by the target Nascent Soul in the process. Of course, it this managed to succeed, one would have a second Nascent Soul along with its many benefits.


    If one wished to take it a step further and create an incarnation, one merely needed to find a suitable corpse and have the second Nascent Soul possess it. Of course, the greater the cultivation of the original body, the better. It would be optimal if it were the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator so that the secondary Nascent Soul would be able to fully utilize its powers.


    Nevertheless, Nascent Soul cultivators couldn¡¯t speak lightly of killing a cultivator of a similar grade. It was an incredibly difficult matter, and even with Han Li¡¯s great might he doubted his own ability to do so.


    Of course, even if the Profound Nascent Formation succeeded, one still wasn¡¯t free of worry. There was still a chance of backlash.


    An incarnation would be equivalent to refining another self. With the passage of time, there would be discrepancies between their emotions and memories that would appear. The incarnation may even strive its hardest to seize control over the main body. Especially when the incarnation possessed superior power to the main body, there was a chance it would take advantage of its special connection to the main body to restrain it, reversing their positions.


    As such, although an incarnation can be separated by vast distances and carry out the orders of the main body, it is best to not have it stray too far away. Every so often, one must perform the Profound Nascent Formation Arts¡¯ Unification Technique to dispel the inner demons of each soul and converge their primal souls into one, strengthening the primary soul¡¯s control over the incarnation.


    Of course, in addition to the incarnation backlash, the incarnation also possessed its own flaws, but they weren¡¯t nearly as significant.


    In fact when the second Nascent Soul was acquired, it was already considered initial success stage for the Profound Nascent Formation Arts. Without any need to cultivate a second incarnation, one had a vast advantage in battle. The second Nascent Soul would be able to use various powerful abilities and greatly increase the chance of survival without any danger from backlash.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was sullen as he examined the advantages and drawbacks of this cultivation art.


    Although it was incredibly difficult to cultivate, it possessed a proportionately powerful ability that he wasn¡¯t about to easily relinquish. So long as he fully cultivated it, it would be equivalent to having an additional life, an extremely captivating proposition. As for how he would acquire another cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul, Han Li suddenly recalled the Wood Spirit Nascent that he had captured earlier.


    Han Li frowned and took out the jade box from his storage pouch. He gently stroked the jade box and remained silent for a long while.


    He heard a bit of the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s origins from Liu Mei and naturally knew that it was quite different from ordinary Nascent Souls. However, it also stood to reason that the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s Five Element Spirit Nascents technique had a few similarities with the Profound Nascent Formation Technique. Since this Spirit Nascent was to be fused with a Core Formation cultivator, refining the Wood Spirit Nascent as a second Nascent Soul should follow the same principles and prove to be possible. Besides, he had no other uses for the Wood Spirit Nascent so there would be no harm in trying.


    As for the danger of seizing it and erasing the consciousness of the Nascent Soul, it shouldn¡¯t prove to be a problem with assistance from his other treasures and his powerful spiritual sense. The only problem he had to worry about was the assimilation of the formless Nascent Soul.


    If any problems occurred, he could only sever the portion of his spiritual sense that occupied the Nascent Soul, causing great harm to his soul in the process. It was difficult to say if such an outcome would result in any lasting influence to his mind.


    With that thought, Han Li began to wear a face of hesitation.

 Chapter 673

    Trade Meet


    After glancing at the jade box in his hand for most of the day, Han Li sighed and slowly placed it back into his storage pouch. Azure light then flashed from his hands and the azure jade slip reappeared.


    Should he take the risk to refine a second Nascent Soul? He would put the decision off until he fully comprehended the incantations for the profound Nascent Formation Arts. This matter was dangerous and extremely difficult, as such it would be better if he were cautious. With his mind made up, he sank his spiritual sense into the jade slip and entered a state of obliviousness.


    Not far away from Han Li, Silvermoon was peacefully cultivating in her own secluded room. All of the other miscellaneous tasks were being handled by Han Li¡¯s ape puppets.


    Time quickly went by, and yet another year had passed.


    One day, two streaks of light, one azure and one white, flew in the direction of Han Li¡¯s cave residence. Two silhouettes could be faintly made out from within them. They were the two Drifting Cloud Sect elders, a silver-haired old man and a sallow-faced middle-aged man.


    They couldn¡¯t help but exchange a smile when they saw that the restrictions around Han Li¡¯s residence were in full effect.


    The middle-aged man surnamed Lu flicked his finger and sent a previously prepared letter talisman into the restrictions in a streak of fiery light. Once the talisman disappeared from sight, he smiled to the silver-haired old man and said, ¡°It seems ever since Junior Martial Brother Han returned, he remained within his cave residence in diligent cultivation.


    The silver-haired old man surnamed Cheng spoke with a strange expression, ¡°That is to be expected. How else could Junior Martial Brother Han have formed a Nascent Soul in two hundred years? It is a pity that the end of my lifespan is drawing close. I am incapable of treading further on the path of Immortal cultivation, and I reckon you know this too.¡±


    The middle-aged man hastily consoled him, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng must be joking. He still has another two hundred years ahead of him at the very least.¡±


    The silver-haired old man shook his head and calmly said, ¡°Hehe, Junior Martial Brother Lu, how could I not know of my own circumstances? Perhaps if I hadn¡¯t been wounded from the last battle, I might¡¯ve been able to live another two hundred years without a problem. But despite my full recovery, the battle caused great harm to my vitality. It is something that cannot be solved through meditation.¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother!¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s expression changed and he thought to say something, but the old man interrupted him with a wave of his hand.


    The old man slowly said, ¡°Even if I enter no further battles, I will live only sixty years more at most, that much is certain. There is no need to comfort me. Why else would I have so painstakingly roped Junior Martial Brother Han into our Drifting Cloud Sect? I have even done my best to befriend him. Normally, even if we were truly impatient about taking him into our sect, we would¡¯ve done a meticulous investigation into his background. Fortunately, our hasty judgement has turned out to be correct. Although this person¡¯s history is somewhat complicated, he holds no ulterior motives towards our Drifting Cloud Sect.¡±


    The middle-aged man was stunned, ¡°Senior Martial Brother sent disciples to investigate Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s background?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s background is rather vague, with his name and appearance, I¡¯ve sent disciples to stealthily make some inquiries into the State of Yue, and ended up with a rough background of our Junior Martial Brother Han. You might not believe it, but over a hundred years ago, our Junior Martial Brother was originally a Foundation Establishment cultivator of Yellow Maple Valley. During that time, he had earned a small reputation for himself. It was said that during the war with the Devil Dao, he alone managed to kill many cultivators of the same grade.


    ¡°But when Yellow Maple Valley was later routed, that Treacherous Ghost Linghu abandoned him for some reason. Afterwards, there was no further trace of Junior Martial Brother Han. Perhaps he was cultivating in concealment and had only recently emerged when he reached late Core formation stage. He then arrived at our Drifting Cloud Sect and formed a Nascent Soul. It seems that during this missing period, Han Li should¡¯ve had some fortuitous encounters.¡±


    The middle-aged man sneered, ¡°It is quite ridiculous for him to be abandoned at the time. Throwing away a sect disciple that happened to be such a rare cultivation genius! In a short amount of time, he managed to cultivate from Foundation Establishment stage to Nascent Soul stage! I reckon that old ghost Ling Hu would be driven mad if he knew about this matter! After all, Yellow Maple Valley hasn¡¯t been faring very well in the Nine Nations Union. It should be quite difficult for his sect to rely on him alone. If I recall correctly, he should¡¯ve entered Nascent Soul stage the same time Senior Martial Brother Cheng did. The end of his lifespan should also be drawing near.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Old Ghost Ling Hu is just a bit older than me, but he is quite a bit more proficient at extending his lifespan. Additionally, Yellow Maple Valley should also have no problem after his death. They can just rely on the repute of their allied Nascent Soul cultivators. I¡¯ve also had similar worries for the Drifting Cloud Sect when I passed, and feared that Junior Martial Brother would find it difficult to stand alone!


    ¡°Were if not for the sacred spirit veins of the Dreamcloud Mountains, Junior Martial Brother would¡¯ve found it difficult to preserve the sect by himself. But even so, many would look at our sect with greed once it appears any weaker. My original thoughts were to urge Junior Martial Brother to take the initiative to withdraw from the Dreamcloud Mountains once I passed, avoiding any potential calamity the sect may encounter. But now that Junior Martial Brother Han has joined us, the situation has changed.


    ¡°Although Junior Martial Brother seems to be a cultivator who is wholeheartedly dedicated to pursuing the Immortal Dao and is disinterested in sect affairs, I am actually relieved by this. So long as we carefully win him over, our sect will continue to exist without worry for another thousand years!¡± The silver-haired old man twirled his beard in his hand as if he had a plan up his sleeve.


    The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before worriedly saying, ¡°But while Junior Martial Brother Han may be a cultivation genius, his age is too young and he just recently condensed his Nascent Soul. I don¡¯t know whether or not his skills are up to par.¡±


    With a pensive expression, the silver-haired old man said, ¡°Yes, I also share the same worries. After all, there are a few cultivators wholeheartedly dedicated to pursuing the Dao that are unwilling to spend much time cultivating powerful abilities. While this results in a deep cultivation, these cultivators may be unable to defeat cultivators that are a grade lower than them. Although I don¡¯t believe Junior Martial Brother Han to be such a cultivator, it would be better to test this. As such, I will be staying behind to guard the sect. You will accompany him to the trade meet.¡±


    ¡°Does Senior Martial Brother mean to say¡­¡± The middle-aged man revealed a sudden trace of understanding.


    The old man smiled and thought to say something further when the mist in front of him suddenly parted. The old man immediately grew quiet as the middle-aged man followed suit.


    The two walked into the path that opened through the fog without any reservations and disappeared from sight.


    ¡­


    The largest trade meet in the Heavenly South convened at the southmost country of the Nine Nations Union, the State of Yu. Deep within the mountains of this country laid Soaring Heavens City, the capital of the Nine Nations Union. Cultivators from all over the continent flocked to this country.


    Be it man or woman, young or old, all of those that resided within the city were cultivators. This city alone even had seven cultivators at mid Nascent Soul stage or higher stationed there, resulting in the immediate deaths of any cultivator who dared to cause trouble in the city. As a result, regardless of a cultivator¡¯s affiliation, none dared to act imprudently within.


    Two months before the start of largest trade meet in the Heavenly South, the Nine Nations Alliance activated a spell formation with a resounding reputation, the Greater Light Extinguishing Formation, to protect the city in place of a majority of its normal restrictions.


    Because a few cultivators have already made their way to the city out of impatience or otherwise, there were already stalls placed inside. Trade was already being conducted between cultivators.


    While the official days of the trade meet would have treasures of all kind in great number, they weren¡¯t something that common cultivators could afford. They would rather find a few suitable uncommon materials ahead of time instead.


    The quiet, cold Soaring Heavens City soon became bustling with activity as if it were filled with the liveliness of the marketplaces in common mortal cities. However, those walking the streets of the city were cultivators of high rank and the currency being used were spirit stones.


    The city only possessed a single auction house which was under the control of the Nine Nations Union. It had also begun to appraise and auction off all sorts of rare treasures, contributing to the liveliness of the city.


    Just as the trade meet was only half a month away, there were three streaks of light steadily flying through the sky several thousands of kilometers away.


    Once the three lights grew closer, they were revealed to be two men and one woman. The woman was a cool and elegant beauty. She flew at the side of a youth with a common appearance that wore a rather intimate expression.


    The third person in their party was a blue-robed middle-aged man whose clothes fluttered through the wind in a display of unordinary majesty.

 Chapter 674

    Marquis Nanlong


    The two men were Han Li and Elder Lu who had traveled from the State of Xi. As for the beautiful female cultivator, she was Han Li¡¯s concubine, Mu Peiling.


    The silver-haired old man had stayed behind to keep watch over the Drifting Cloud Sect, preventing any sneaks from stirring up trouble while they were away. According to what the old man said, he had already participated in this grand meeting about eight times and had no materials that he currently required. Naturally, he wanted to give the opportunity to his younger Junior Martial Brothers instead.


    As for Mu Peiling, she had reached a cultivation bottleneck and encountered Han Li when she left seclusion. When she heard that he was heading to the largest trade meet in the Heavenly South, her heart stirred and she asked to come alongside him to broaden her horizons. After all, if she were incapable of reaching Core Formation, this may be the only chance she had to participate in this trade meet.


    Since he wasn¡¯t unkind by nature and didn¡¯t feel this trade meet to be particularly dangerous, he agreed. After all, having a beautiful companion along on a long trip was a delightful matter.


    Naturally, the three sects of the Dreamcloud Mountains had their own parties of cultivators that set off towards the trade meet, but Han Li was unwilling to travel together with those juniors and had left for the State of Yu ahead of them.


    By travelling along the route that best avoided the countries of the Righteous and Devil Dao, the three were able to arrive within the borders of the Nine Nations Union without problem.


    At that moment, Han Li was absentmindedly examining his nearby surroundings. There were cultivators that occasionally passed by, but when their spiritual sense swept past the middle-aged man surnamed Lu and then Han Li, their expressions displayed shock and they immediately veered off, fearing that they would somehow provoke them.


    Han Li and Elder Lu were travelling with their cultivation unconcealed. Any cultivator who saw two Nascent Soul cultivators travelling together would be filled with fear and immediately take another route.


    At the beginning, Mu Peiling was unaccustomed to this, but it soon became a common sight.


    As the party continued to fly through the skies, Elder Lu turned to Han Li and amiably said, ¡°The trade meet is only held only once every hundred years. Previously these trade meets were alternated among the Righteous and Devilish Dao between the States of Tian Luo and Feng Dou. At the time, the Heavenly Dao Alliance still hadn¡¯t existed and the Nine Nations Union was fully suppressed by the Moulan Spell Warriors. As such, this astonishingly profitable gathering was monopolized by the two sides. But after the Righteous and Devilish Dao expanded, neither party felt at ease at having the other party host the trade meeting. As such, the last trade meet was held in the Nine Nations Union without any contest, a loss to both sides that was a great cause for grief.


    With slight enthusiasm, Han Li said, ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu, this is quite convenient for the Nine Nations Union, but I¡¯ve heard quite a few interesting things about Soaring Heavens City. I heard that it is the only city in the entirety of the Heavenly South that is made up of only cultivators. I heard that in the past, when the armies of Moulan Spell Warriors made their way into the State of Yu, Soaring Heavens City was where the cultivators of the newly formed Nine Nations Union defeated their armies with the assistance of the Greater Light Extinguishing Formation. The battle was said to be truly desperate, resulting in many Nascent Soul cultivators perishing.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Relax Junior Martial Brother Han. This Soaring Heavens City definitely won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± The Elder Lu chuckled and then probingly asked, ¡°However, I¡¯ve got the feeling that there is something a bit different about you after you spent some time in seclusion, and it isn¡¯t an increase in your cultivation. It seems Junior Martial Brother has cultivated some sort of secret technique. I can¡¯t see any other reason for this strange reason.¡±


    ¡°I had truly cultivated a few techniques, but I¡¯ve got quite a ways to go before I reach greater mastery of them. But I¡¯ve heard from other disciples that Senior Martial Brother Lu¡¯s Thousand Wave Arts is a famed top grade cultivation art. This junior brother wishes he will soon be able to see it.¡± with a slight smile, Han Li easily turned the subject back to the middle-aged man.


    Elder Lu shook his head and wryly smiled, ¡°Junior Martial Brother shouldn¡¯t listen to the drivel that those disciples spout. My Thousand Waves art is simply an ordinary water attribute cultivation technique. While it is rather easy to defeat Core Formation cultivators with it, I haven¡¯t encountered much success with it when used against cultivators of a similar grade. Fortunately, this cultivation art possesses two divine abilities that specialize in survival. Even when I¡¯m defeated, I am able to preserve my life.¡±


    Han Li took his words to be mostly true. He recalled that in their last battle with the Righteous and Devil Dao, Elder Lu was able to return to the Dreamcloud Mountains unharmed. Instead, the silver-haired old man with slightly greater cultivation had suffered heavy injuries before being able to escape. It seems his survival ability was indeed impressive.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he thought to say something else when his expression suddenly changed and he turned his head to the side.


    Close at Han Li¡¯s side, Mu Peiling curiously asked, ¡°Sir, what¡¯s happening over there?¡± Since she became Han Li¡¯s concubine, her icy appearance had been replaced with bright eyes and a captivating charm.


    Han Li frowned for a moment before calmly saying, ¡°There seems to be a squad of cultivators with a Nascent Soul cultivator heading over, that seems to have discovered us.¡±


    When the middle-aged man followed Han Li¡¯s gaze, he wore an expression of astonishment and unconsciously thought better of Han Li. ¡°Yi! That seems to be the case. I didn¡¯t expect Junior Martial Brother¡¯s spiritual sense to be so strong. You¡¯ve detected it a moment earlier than me! I didn¡¯t expect for Junior Martial Brother to be so careful as to release his spiritual sense while so near Soaring Heavens City!¡±


    Han Li silently smiled in response.


    In truth, given his powerful spiritual sense, it hadn¡¯t taken him any effort to sense them. However, the Nascent Soul cultivator approaching them from afar did seem to possess powerful spiritual sense as well.


    Han Li and Elder Lu were curious about who was approaching them and unconsciously slowed down.


    A short moment later, a drum beat could be heard from the distance and golden light shined from the horizon. A group of golden clothed and armored cultivators with the appearance of heavenly warriors were closely escorting a carriage of dazzling and magnificent design. There were also white cranes flying in front of it followed by palace maids carrying cauldrons. It appeared as if a monarch was making a tour in an imposing manner.


    Mu Peiling was dumbfounded at the sight and her jaw dropped in astonishment.


    Han Li was also amazed by the sight, but he soon regained his calm. He was aware that cultivators were odd and fantastical to every description, particularly cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage. Perhaps due to the influence of their cultivations arts or otherwise, their temperaments become strange and separated from reason. Since this was a common affair, he was surprised for only a moment.


    But when the middle-aged man saw this, he felt his blood turn cold and he harshly whispered, ¡°Duke Nanlong! Why is this old eccentric also participating in the trade meet? Junior Martial Brother Han, do not speak carelessly. His abilities are mighty and his temperament is strange. Since I¡¯ve met him in the past, let me deal with him.¡±


    With those hasty words, the middle-aged man called for Han Li to stop alongside him. He wore a serious expression as he respectfully waited for the group of cultivators to approach.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred from seeing the middle-aged man appear so nervous. He complied with his warnings and Mu Peiling tactfully kept silent as well.


    A short moment later, the golden-armored cultivator soldiers and the carriage drew closer. Upon closer look, Han Li felt his heart tremble.


    The halberd wielding soldier cultivators weren¡¯t much to behold. While their appearances were formidable and lofty, their cultivations were only at Foundation Establishment stage. Rather, what made Han Li¡¯s heart tremble were the two spirit beasts pulling the carriage.


    From the azure scale armor and the bizarre horn on its head, one of the beasts appeared to be a mythical Qilin. The other beast had fluttering wings of fire with long, golden feathers. It was actually a fire phoenix.


    As Han Li grew fearful of the two spirit beasts, the carriage drew closer to them.


    Before the carriage approached, Elder Lu saluted in its direction and spoke with a clear voice, ¡°Is that Marquis Nanlong? I am the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Lu Luo. It has been three hundred years since I¡¯ve last seen you in the company of my master, Monk Mu Li. It is truly my fortune to meet you again!¡±


    Although Elder Lu¡¯s words were neutral in tone, Han Li could clearly hear a trace of fear in his voice and noted that he seemed to refer to himself as a Junior.


    The huge carriage was obscured from sight by a barrier of golden mist. However, when Elder Lu called out to the carriage in greeting, the drumbeats came to a sudden stop.


    The group of cultivators stopped about a hundred meters away from Han Li and company as silence descended.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed upon seeing this, but his expression soon returned to normal.


    A lazy tone came from within the golden light, ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re Mu Li¡¯s pedantic, scholarly disciple! At the time, you seemed to only be a Core Formation cultivator. I didn¡¯t think in a mere three hundred years, you¡¯ve also reached Nascent Soul stage. I¡¯ve heard your master had passed away in meditation during that time. It is truly a pity. However, the Fellow Daoist at your side seems quite unfamiliar.¡±

 Chapter 675

    Forceful Exchange


    When Han Li heard himself mentioned, he simply smiled and remained silent. He was certain that his Senior Martial Brother Lu would answer on his behalf.


    Sure enough, the middle-aged man rushed to introduce Han Li before Marquis Nanlong could speak any further.


    ¡°Marquis, this is my Junior Martial Brother Han. He has just recently condensed a Nascent Soul and joined our sect. At his side is Lady Mu, his concubine. Junior Martial Brother Han, this is Marquis Nanlong, an old friend of my deceased master. I hope you will acquaint yourself with him.¡±


    As his clothes fluttered in the wind, Han Li calmly saluted the carriage, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Marquis Nanlong!¡±


    Within the carriage, Marquis Nanlong indifferently said, ¡°Han Li? That name is completely unfamiliar. It seems Fellow Daoist Han is truly a new Nascent Soul cultivator. Might we have an exchange of skill to gauge your abilities?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Junior Martial Brother Han only condensed a Nascent Soul a few years ago. How could he possibly be a match for Fellow Daoist Nanlong? I mean, Fellow Daoist Nanlong is already a mid Nascent Soul cultivator.¡± Lu Luo¡¯s smiling expression froze and he inwardly cursed. Although this old eccentric¡¯s temperament was peculiar, his words suggested he was now entirely different from before!


    ¡°Be at ease. I won¡¯t be using my cultivation to take advantage of the weak. We will only be using our spiritual sense to contest. After all, Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s spiritual sense is rather strong, very unlike a cultivator who had just condensed his Nascent Soul. I am anxious to display my own skill.¡±


    As soon as that was said a golden light flashed from the huge carriage, fading away to reveal the three that were sitting inside.


    One was a man wearing robes embroidered with purple pythons and a tall, jade-green hat with a long beard that reached down to his chest. The other two were women dressed in snow-white palace robes. Each beauty was being loosely held in his embrace on each side.


    The women at the Marquis¡¯ sides were certain to be his concubines. Although their cultivations were only at Foundation Establishment, their graceful beauty was a sight to behold.


    Worry filled Lu Luo and he directly said, ¡°Marquis must be be joking. Although Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s spiritual sense is a bit strong, contests of spiritual sense are exceedingly dangerous. How can this be taken so lightly?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong chuckled with a cold smile and calmly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Lu, you seem worried but perhaps Fellow Daoist Han would be willing to give it a chance.¡± He glanced at Han Li as a cold glint flickering through his eyes.


    ¡°Moreover, if I remember correctly, we are already within five hundred kilometers of Soaring Heavens City. If Fellow Daoist Han truly refuses my good intentions, I will make use of the forced trade law.¡±


    Lu Luo¡¯s expression changed as he faintly felt a sense of foreboding, ¡°Forced trade? What does the Marquis mean?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s gaze coldly swept over Mu Peiling as he expressionlessly said, ¡°From how intimately Lady Mu and Fellow Daoist Han are acting, Fellow Daoist Han must certainly hold her dear. It just so happens that I have two beloved concubines at my side, but I¡¯ve grown bored of them. I¡¯ll use them to exchange for Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s concubine. My two beloved concubines are on par with Lady Mu with regards to both cultivation and appearance, fulfilling the forced trade conditions. If Fellow Daoist Han is unwilling to trade, you will have to stake it in a contest of spiritual sense. If you win, not only will you retain your own concubine, but you may take both of mine.¡±


    The two concubines in his embrace had a slight change of expression, but they soon returned to normal.


    When Lu Luo heard this, furious alarm was revealed on his face and he was at a loss for words while Mu Peiling turned pale.


    Han Li frowned for a moment before he calmly responded, ¡°A forced trade! Senior Martial Brother Lu, could you give me a detailed explanation?¡± From Han Li¡¯s perspective, this Marquis Nanlong was still a mere mid Nascent Soul cultivator and was nothing to fear with Han Li¡¯s current abilities.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t anything much. Forced trades are one of the laws that are specifically for use by Nascent Soul cultivators of the host power.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother should know that when cultivators reach Nascent Soul stage, no powers are willing to offend one another. The host of the trade meet is no exception to this.


    However with such a large trade meet, there are certain to be a few clashes and disagreements. If the cultivators are at the Core Formation stage or below, the hosting power may forcefully suppress them. But if something were to occur between Nascent Soul cultivators, the hosting power is unwilling to go through the trouble of intervening. As such, there are a set of particular laws that will allow for Nascent Soul cultivators to resolve the dispute themselves. Forced trades are among the least used of these laws.


    ¡°Specifically, before the trade meet starts any Nascent Soul cultivators within five hundred kilometers of the city may use obviously superior goods to trade for something they require. If the other party refuses, both sides may settle the decision by comparing techniques and divine abilities. However, the conditions for use are harsh. Even if the initiator of the exchange wins, they still must pay the price to exchange, but if they lose, they will hand over their proposed goods to the challenged party free of charge.


    ¡°Furthermore, if someone is severely injured during the challenge, the trade meet host will pursue the offending party to its greatest extent, but it had always been extremely difficult to constrain Nascent Soul cultivators. Also, unless the item is desperately required and one¡¯s cultivation is clearly higher than the challenged party, no one would perform such a risky trade and risk making enemies.¡± Lu Luo¡¯s expression was unsightly as he gave Han Li the explanation.


    With regards to concubines, there have been Nascent Soul cultivators that trade them, and it is actually quite popular among a few Devil Dao sects. As the conditions of the current exchange were satisfactory, contacting the Nine Nations Union¡¯s enforcers would result in nothing.


    Fortunately, this affair shouldn¡¯t put Han Li¡¯s life at risk, but it would be rather troublesome if he were to receive injuries before the trade meet even started.


    Moreover, Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly attached to Mu Peiling. Even if he was forced to trade her, he would end up with two grand beauties. It shouldn¡¯t prove to be too much of a loss for him.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was completely calm upon hearing Lu Luo¡¯s explanation, but Mu Peiling was full of regret. Had she known that the trade meet had such laws, she wouldn¡¯t have requested to accompany Han Li.


    Although she didn¡¯t know much of this Marquis Nanlong, from how he treated other cultivators and his concubines, it was likely that she wouldn¡¯t be able to preserve her maidenhood until Core Formation stage and would be treated like a material good.


    Mu Peiling gritted her teeth at the thought of this occurring and her pale complexion faintly revealed a dark shade of red. She didn¡¯t have high hopes that her husband would be able to defeat him.


    Marquis Nanlong sat on the carriage and closely pressured Han Li, asking, ¡°Well? Will Fellow Daoist agree to the exchange or will we have a match with our spiritual sense?¡±


    Silence filled their surroundings for a time. Not only did Lu Luo and Mu Peiling nervously glance at Han Li, but even the two concubines of Marquis Nanlong curiously glanced at the youthful cultivator with an ordinary appearance.


    After stroking his chin, Han Li suddenly smiled.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a contest of spiritual sense, then I will agree. Since I¡¯ve just recently condensed my Nascent Soul, I coincidentally wish to compare my spiritual sense against other Nascent Soul cultivators. However, if I somehow manage to win, I don¡¯t want the Marquis¡¯s beloved concubines. Instead, I would rather know the true reason Marquis Nanlong has decided to have a spiritual sense competition. I hope the Marquis won¡¯t merely say that I was displeasing to the eye or that he finds my own concubine to be desirable!¡± Han Li calmly spoke, revealing not a trace of worry.


    An indescribable expression flickered over the Marquis¡¯ face, and the others were left at a complete loss.


    Marquis Nanlong grew silent for a moment before slowly replying, ¡°Alright, I agree.¡± His expression appeared completely solemn.


    ¡°My Lord¡­¡± Mu Peiling couldn¡¯t help but call out to Han Li upon seeing him agree to the battle. She wore a complicated expression on her face.


    Han Li waved his arm, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just a mere contest.¡±


    Lu Luo sighed and warned, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, be careful. If it becomes too much, concede immediately. I will immediately act to protect you.¡±


    Han Li nodded and said nothing further.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong had already pushed away his concubines and flung his sleeve, launching himself through the air. Azure light flashed from Han Li¡¯s body as he also made his approach.


    Although the forced trade provision mentioned that it would be best if the Nine Nations Union enforcers to be present, both sides decided to tacitly remain silent of the matter.


    When both parties were only about twenty meters away from another, they stopped. Han Li then calmly said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know why the Marquis truly wishes to test the depths of my spiritual sense, the reason clearly isn¡¯t shallow. I am quite curious about the matter.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is truly intelligent. However, you will only know the reason if your spiritual sense is at least as strong as mine. Were it not for your powerful spiritual sense sweeping past me previously, I wouldn¡¯t have tainted my reputation by challenging you,¡± Marquis Nanlong coldly smiled and bluntly said, ¡°However, I don¡¯t see your chance of victory being large. The differences in spiritual strength between early and mid Nascent Soul cultivators aren¡¯t something to underestimate.¡±

 Chapter 676

    Spiritual Sense Formation


    ¡°Fellow Daoist speaks the truth, but I have no intention of handing over my concubine. I merely wish to exchange a few pointers.¡± Han Li spoke calmly and soon released his spiritual sense. With the appearance of an astonishing aura, something shot towards the Marquis.


    ¡°Good.¡± Marquis Nanlong appeared completely calm and released his spiritual sense. Two streaks of nearly incorporeal force appeared between the two and burst in a collision. A violent gust suddenly appeared and blew out in every direction.


    Marquis Nanlong felt alarmed by the development as his initial spiritual sense probe instantly grew several times greater in size. Layers and streams of violent white instantly flew into the gap of space between Han Li and the Marquis, causing their silhouettes to blur as if there were two originless and unmoving shadows .


    ¡°Spiritual sense formation! How can this be!? How is Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s spiritual sense so strong!¡± Lu Luo couldn¡¯t help but cry out in disbelief.


    ¡°Spiritual sense formation? Could my Lord win?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but ordinarily, spiritual sense formation is a divine ability only mid Nascent Soul cultivators can grasp. For Junior Martial Brother Han to be able to use this technique, his main cultivation art must be specialized in spiritual sense. That is the only possible explanation.¡± Lu Luo¡¯s excited words turned into a pensive mutter halfway through.


    Filled with hope by her Martial Ancestor Lu¡¯s explanation, Mu Peiling said, ¡°In that case, my Lord must have a fighting chance!¡±


    With a shifting expression, Lu Luo said, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. There are differences in strength among even similar grade cultivators. Marquis Nanlong had already entered the mid Nascent Soul stage three hundred years ago. Although his progress has stalled, he is without a doubt only a step away from late Nascent Soul stage. It should be quite difficult for Junior Martial Brother Han to win against this old eccentric!¡±


    When Mu Peiling heard this, her briefly hopeful heart immediately turned ice-cold once again.


    At that moment, the explosions in the skies suddenly became far more dense and winds began to continuously revolve, forming a huge ring of white wind around Han Li and the Marquis.


    Lu Luo yelped in surprise as an odd expression appeared on his face, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Junior Martial Brother isn¡¯t losing.¡±


    Mu Peiling was overjoyed by this and thought to ask something more, but a series of blinding white lights filled the skies. Soon after, claps of thunder rang out and the ring of wind surrounding them ruptured, sweeping up their surroundings in a violent windstorm.


    A hundred meters away from them, the others revealed shock as they saw the overbearing squalls arrive towards them.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Lu Luo softly shouted. His figure blurred and blocked Mu Peiling. At the same time, he crossed his hands, summoning a blue light barrier in front of them.


    In that short moment, the fierce squall had already arrived at their barrier. Strange creaks continuously sounded out from the wind as if it were a heavy strike. An instant later, there was a deep indentation left behind on the barrier.


    Fortunately, the winds quickly scattered and a majority swept past them. The light barrier was soon restored to its original form.


    As for Marquis Nanlong¡¯s group of soldier cultivators, they lifted their golden halberds in a disciplined manner, forming a huge barrier of golden light around them and the carriage.


    However, the golden light only lasted against the white galefor an instant before shattering. When the remaining gust swept through, the cultivators behind the barrier held their heads in their arms and misteraby screamed. Blood bled from every opening of their head in a frightening display.


    Only the two concubines were safe due to the carriage¡¯s protective restrictions. However, their faces were pale from fear.


    Mu Peiling felt her blood turn cold at the sight as she turned her gaze once more to Han Li, mesmerized.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong coldly snorted. A ball of golden light suddenly appeared and burst into countless streaks of golden light that quickly surrounded his servants.


    When the golden light appeared, his servants ceased their screams and stood firm once more. Although they appeared panic-stricken, they no longer seemed to be in pain.


    Having saved his subordinates, Marquis Nanlong turned his gaze towards Han Li and revealed bewilderment as if he couldn¡¯t believe that Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense could rival his own.


    In that previous bout, he had released a majority of his spiritual sense but Han Li was able to effortlessly continue. From how relaxed he appeared, it seemed possible that Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense was actually stronger than his own.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s contempt had long disappeared and his heart wavered.


    At that moment, Han Li widely smiled at him and casually said, ¡°Shall we stop the contest? I fear I might not last if this continues.¡±


    With some further thought, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression relaxed and he said, ¡°Haha! Fellow Daoist Han is far too modest. Let alone your techniques, but even your spiritual sense isn¡¯t inferior to my own in the slightest. Let us drop the contest, else we may end up injured.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly sighed despite the smile on his face. Although he wasn¡¯t willing to truly fight against this Marquis Nanlong, from what he had experienced in the contest, Han Li should prove an equal match at the very least.


    However, their recent struggle had caused the Marquis to view Han Li with some apprehension and he didn¡¯t dare to treat him lightly. Moreover, his spiritual sense was strong enough to meet his conditions. He had a request to make of Han Li.


    Marquis South Dragon strangely smiled at Han Li and stealthily sent him a voice transmission, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s spiritual sense is on par with mine, I will tell you the true reason for the contest. It is as Fellow Daoist guessed; I had a different objective in mind for forcibly testing your spiritual sense. However, this matter is quite important and it is inconvenient to speak of it here.


    The jade slip contains a map. On the fourth day of the trade meet, there will be a gathering of cultivators as indicated. I will introduce you to these Fellow Daoists, and we will discuss a matter that will benefit us all.¡±


    Afterwards, he stroked his storage pouch and took out an exquisite jade slip that he tossed towards Han Li without any regard to Lu Luo.


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately extended his hand and took the jade slip. After examining the Marquis for a moment, he placed the jade slip into his storage pouch for later.


    The Marquis chuckled at the sight and then descended towards his carriage in a sphere of golden light. The carriage¡¯s golden light then appeared once more and he quickly made his way towards Soaring Heavens City with his escort.


    The Marquis seemed to ignore Lu Luo in his departure. While other Nascent Soul cultivators would feel indignant and dissatisfied by this treatment, Lu Luo knew of the Marquis¡¯ eccentric personality and could only smile wryly.


    At that moment, Han Li descended towards Elder Lu and Mu Peiling.


    ¡°My Lord, are you alright?¡± When she saw Han Li return, Mu Peiling greeted him with a flushed face as she stared at him with bright eyes.


    Although her ¡®Lord¡¯ had contested with Marquis Nanlong for only a moment, that recent display of mighty ability had greatly shaken her heart. She felt somewhat more appreciative of her position by his side and faintly developed a sense of security from him.


    ¡°It was nothing, merely a bit of effort.¡± Han Li calmly said. Her sudden display of concern had made his heart throb.


    Lu Luo looked at Han Li for a long while with admiration before beaming and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, you keep your secrets well. You made me worry for nothing.¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°I never meant to conceal this from my two Senior Martial Brothers, it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t ever asked me about it, but let¡¯s hurry for now. Those spiritual sense gales will certainly draw the attention of many cultivators.¡±


    Lu Luo instantly agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right. It would be troublesome if this were widely spread! Let¡¯s quickly head to Soaring Skies City!¡±

 Chapter 677

    Meeting the Boy


    Han Li stood on the side of a mountain and glanced at the huge city walls several kilometers away. He softly said, ¡°This is Soaring Heavens Mountain?¡±


    Lu Luo stood at Han Li¡¯s side and spoke with a similar expression, ¡°Has Junior Martial Brother never seen such a large city before? The Nine Nations Union have expanded this city several times before reaching such a size. Although I wouldn¡¯t dare to say that this is the largest city in the Heavenly South, it definitely is among the top five. The entire city is also made of huge stones from the same source.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he faintly smiled. What city could possibly best Scattered Star Seas¡¯ Heavenly Star City? Now that city was truly gargantuan existence. Although Soaring Heavens City was a huge city that spanned over fifty kilometers, it still wasn¡¯t something that could be compared to Heavenly Star City.


    Han Li didn¡¯t care much of it, but Mu Peiling was clearly amazed by the sight of this stone city.


    ¡°Nevertheless, we will have to approach Soaring Heavens City on foot. How troublesome!¡± Lu Luo shook his hand and spoke with slight dissatisfaction.


    Han Li pursed his lips and replied, ¡°The Nine Nations Union can¡¯t help it. There are far too many high grade cultivators that have come. They would have no way of managing the city if they were to come by air. Fortunately, these restrictions are merely superficial against Nascent Soul cultivators like us. If we truly wished to fly, these restrictions couldn¡¯t do anything to us.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for Junior Martial Brother to be so open minded. Alright, let¡¯s go. The sooner we get to the city, the more profit will be had!¡± Ever since Han Li¡¯s bout with Marquis Nanlong, Senior Martial Brother Lu had treated Han Li in a far greater familiarity.


    Han Li nodded with a smile, and the three began to walk towards the city gate in stride.


    Because they were in the vicinity of Soaring Heavens City, there were vast crowds entering the city from every direction.


    Han Li and Lu Luo already concealed their cultivation as this didn¡¯t wish to cause a disturbance. They entered the crowd under the guise of Foundation Establishment cultivators and made way towards the city gate.


    Although there were protectors from the Nine Nations Union, they didn¡¯t discover anything amiss from Han Li or Lu Luo.


    After they entered Soaring Heavens City, they spotted orderly rows of stone buildings. There were stone streets of varying length between each of the stone buildings, forming what seemed to be a crowded weblike pathway.


    Since Lu Luo had been at Soaring Heavens in the past, he suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s first get a fixed residence. There is no need for us to barge into any inns. There are distinguished pavilions that are specialized for Nascent Soul cultivators like us. We¡¯ll be heading there directly.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t raise any objects and followed after Elder Lu with Mu Peiling in tow.


    Lu Luo ended up bringing to the two towards a corner of the city. A short moment later, the three passed through many roads before arriving in front of a white light barrier. Behind the light barrier laid many pavilions that were simply designed but elegant nonetheless.


    There were other cultivators outside the light barrier, peering inside with expressions of admiration and reverence. However, they didn¡¯t dare to stay for too long and each of them eventually hurried on their way.


    ¡°The restrictions here are only something a Nascent Soul cultivator can dissolve.¡± Lu Luo pressed his hand against the light barrier and blue light flickered from his palm. With a woosh, the white light barrier formed a hole from where Lu Luo¡¯s palm had touched it. He then flew inside with a blur, followed by the light barrier closing at an inconceivable speed.


    After a moment of surprise, Han Li opened his mouth and spouted out a mist of azure light. The white light barrier flickered upon contact with the azure light and a three meter large hole immediately shattered. Han Li grabbed onto Mu Peiling¡¯s waist and quickly brought her through the light barrier.


    Mu Peiling blushed from being in Han Li¡¯s embrace and felt a peculiar emotion in her heart.


    Lu Luo appeared amazed at how easily Han Li had broken through the barrier, but his calm soon returned.


    Lu Luo pointed to a few of the pavilions with a smile and said, ¡°These pavilions are for the use for any Nascent Soul cultivators and any disciples they may bring. They may be chosen at will, but the light restrictions surrounding the pavilions illustrate whether or not they are already occupied. However, not all Nascent Soul cultivators are willing to use this place. There are a few eccentrics that are willing to stay outside the city or at inns.¡±


    As expected, a small portion of the pavilions were already glowing with light restrictions.


    Lu Luo pointed to two pavilions a couple hundred of meters away and proposed, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, let¡¯s pick those neighboring pavilions. If anything happens, it will be best if we look after each other.¡±


    After examining them for a moment, Han Li replied, ¡°Let¡¯s do as you say.¡±


    Just as Lu Luo was about to say something else, the white-yellow light barrier covering another pavilion suddenly opened to reveal a small figure. When this person swept past Han Li and Luo Lu, they astonishedly said, ¡°Yi! Is it not Brother Lu? I didn¡¯t expect for you to arrive so early!¡±


    Han Li hastily peered in the speaker¡¯s direction.


    This person was a child with delicate, flawless skin. He was the Child Fire Dragon that Han Li previous saw at the sacred area of the three sects. Once he finished speaking, his bright eyes turned towards Han Li and Mu Peiling, resulting an expression of astonishment.


    With his vast memory, he was able to recall them both being among the finalists of the last Sword Trial Assembly. However, Han Li was now only using a superficial cultivation concealment technique, something ineffective against cultivators of the same grade. After a moment of surprise, the boy revealed an expression of understanding.


    Lu Luo quickly smiled upon seeing him. It seemed their relationship was quite good. ¡°Hehe! So it turned out to be Fellow Daoist Lan! How are we early? You obviously rushed over here. Ah that¡¯s right, this is our newly joined Elder Han. Junior Martial Brother Han, I believe you¡¯ve met Brother Lan once before. There should be no further need for introductions.


    When the Child Fire Dragon heard this, he wryly smiled and said, ¡°So it is true that Fellow Daoist Han entered the Drifting Cloud Sect as a new elder. My eyes were truly awry that day.¡±


    Having heard this, Han Li offered a cursory explanation with a smile, ¡°I had merely heard of the grand reputation of the Sacred Spirit Well Tree and wished to enter the sacred area to take a look. I sincerely hope Fellow Daoist Lan didn¡¯t take offense.¡±


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist is now an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, this matter need not be mentioned further. However, you two have arrived quite timely. I happened to be meeting a few friendly acquaintances of mine at the Crystal Dragon Pavilion for a small scale trade. How about you two Fellow Daoists come and take a look. Perhaps you might find something you like.¡± The Child Fire Dragon seemed to have a straightforward temperament to have invited them with a beckon.


    Lu Luo joyously said, ¡°To think there would be an exchange so soon. Tch Tch. We¡¯ve definitely come at a good time,¡± he then hastily turned towards Han Li with his expression quickly turning solemn, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, there aren¡¯t many exchanges that occur between Nascent Soul cultivators. We must go, else we could miss some good items.¡±


    Han Li calmly smiled and said, ¡°Then let us follow Senior Martial Brother Lan!¡±


    After Han Li and Luo Lu arranged restrictions outside their pavilions, they followed the Child Fire Dragon out of the residential area.


    Han Li had instructed Mu Peiling to stay inside the pavilion for the time being.


    The Child Fire Dragon explained in a clear voice, ¡°The Crystal Dragon Pavilion was opened by a good friend of mine from the Nine Nations Union. My good friend has made a wide range of connections, acquinting himself with those from every power. As such, he was able to form this trade meeting. However, In order to prevent any unnecessary trouble, all of those attending will be concealing their true appearances.¡±


    Lu Luo¡¯s heart stirred and he spoke with amazement, ¡°Brother Lan seems to be talking of Daoist Heavencrystal. However, I recall that Daoist Heavencrystal isn¡¯t fond of business matters. Did he truly take the initiative to hold this trade meeting?¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon chuckled and said, ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist Lu would know of my old friend¡¯s reputation. That¡¯s right, while my old friend isn¡¯t fond of such inconvenience, there are a few required materials that he had been searching for. I reckon he took the initiative to start this trade meet in order to find them.¡±


    Lu Luo nodded his head, ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case, it does seem quite likely.¡±


    As Han Li listened to the two, his expression remained as always.


    The three walked towards a pure white pavilion ahead of them. It was three stories tall and grew more narrow towards the top. There was a silver sign that hung from the building with the words ¡°Crystal Dragon Pavilion.¡±

 Chapter 678

    Nascent Soul Meeting


    ¡°It¡¯s right here. Fellow Daoists, let¡¯s go in.¡± The Child Fire Dragon smiled at the two and walked towards the Crystal Dragon Pavilion with a swagger.


    Once they approached the pavilion¡¯s large gate, Han Li casually took a look inside and revealed surprise. The interior appeared to be that of an ordinary restaurant. Not only was it full of guests that were eating and drinking, there were also several waiters that were scurrying between tables with dishes in hand. The scents of fine wine and food were accompanied with the clanging of cups.


    After they pushed open the gates, they saw a foot long wooden plate hung at the side. ¡®This building is taken, outsiders are prohibited¡¯ were written on it in pitch-black words.


    ¡°That old ghost Heavencrystal is still playing around with silly illusion techniques. Really!¡± After muttering those words, the Child Fire Dragon paid no more attention to it and walked in with a stride.


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred and he swept his spiritual sense past the floor. He soon revealed a strange expression, but he continued inside. Once they passed the gate, the guests, waiters, scents and sounds, all disappeared like the pop of a bubble.


    Han Li casually swept his gaze at the scene and saw that all that remained was a grey mist surrounding the building. There was merely an old-fashioned table at the center of the room with a copper lamp that was lit with a grey-robed Daoist with an amiable face sitting behind the lamp. He appeared to be sixty years of age and was glancing at the three with a smile.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Brother Lan would arrive, let alone bring guests. This old Daoist¡¯s eyes are rather poor. It seems as if I¡¯ve never seen this azure-robed Fellow daoist before. Could he have recently entered Nascent Soul?¡± The grey-robed Daoist smiled and cordially beckoned to them. His intimate manners unconsciously aroused in a good impression amongst them.


    The Child Fire Dragon returned the smile, but he spoke with an unexpectedly harsh tone, ¡°Brother Heavencrystal, I¡¯ve brought two uninvited guests. Surely you won¡¯t refuse them?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that? This place welcomes all Fellow Daoists. Besides, I am acquainted with Fellow Daoist lu. It is only¡­¡± The old Daoist¡¯s gaze hovered towards Han Li.


    Han Li took a step forward and saluted him, ¡°I am the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Han Li, a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator. I hope Daoist Heavencrystal can provide me some guidance in the future.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal pleasantly smiled and said, ¡°So it turned out to be a sect member of Fellow Daoist Lu. From his young age, he certain to have boundless prospects.¡±


    ¡°Enough, old friend.The others should be arriving soon. We¡¯ll be going upstairs.¡± From his direct words, it seemed the Child Fire Dragon had a rather deep friendship with him.


    Daoist Heavencrystal sighed, ¡°Brother Lan is still so impatient. Almost everyone has already arrived. I¡¯m sure a few of the more impatient ones have already started trading as well. Here are two black spirit masks for those Fellow Daoists. Brother Lan, do you need one?¡± He then flipped his hands and summoned two black wood masks into his hands with a flash of white light. Talisman characters appeared on their surface.


    The Child Fire Dragon¡¯s cheeks bulged as if he were annoyed. He snorted and said, ¡°Of course you should know that with my stature, regardless of any illusions I use, I cannot conceal myself.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please come up. This old man will join you in a bit.¡± Daoist Heavencrystal casually smiled and tossed the masks to Han Li and Lu Luo. At that same time, a white streak of light show towards the mist behind him. The mist disappeared and revealed stairs of glittering light that led to the second floor.


    Without any further courtesies, the Child Fire Dragon wordlessly walked around the table and climbed to the second floor. Lu Luo and Han Li saluted the old Daoist before following him up the stairs.


    Once Han Li discovered that his mask was exactly the same as Lu Luo¡¯s, he wore it without any reservations and climbed up the stairs.


    The mask was cold to the touch and soft. To Han Li¡¯s surprise, it was so comfortable, it felt as if it wasn¡¯t even there.


    He turned his head to look at Lu Luo and saw that he also wore the mask, turning his face into an icy wooden carving. Han Li faintly smiled at the sight.


    At that moment, the three had already arrived on the second floor. It was well lit with over a hundred fist-sized moonstones embedded in the ceiling and walls.


    But what surprised Han Li most of all was that the second floor was several times more spacious than the first floor. It appeared far narrower than the first floor from the outside.


    Of course, the second floor wasn¡¯t empty. There were tables lined up against the walls with chairs accompanying each of them. There were various clothed cultivators sitting in many of them. From their bodies and hair, it appeared there were men and women of all ages.


    When Han Li and company arrived, countless cold glints swept past them.


    Many of them clearly recognized the unconcealed Child Fire Dragon; the expressions of their eyes varied anywhere from goodwill, hatred, and indifferences. There were a few gazes that even carried unconcealable killing intent, suggesting they formed animosity in the past.


    The Child Fire Dragon was unconcerned with these gazes and led Han Li and Luo Lu to an empty table. At that moment, Han Li glanced at the others.


    Because of the masks¡¯ concealment, those with formidable spiritual sense such as Han Li were unable to clearly see their faces. However, there was no doubt that each of them were Nascent Soul cultivators from their spiritual Qi fluctuations. There were even two among them that were at mid Nascent Soul stage, but they were sitting alone and none dared to rashly sit next to them.


    What appeared to be a small pavilion held at least twenty Nascent Soul cultivators, something that was rarely heard of.


    Before this, Han Li hadn¡¯t seen so many Nascent Soul eccentrics in one place. It seemed one¡¯s cultivation had to be at a similar level to encounter so many cultivators.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and it suddenly focused at a particular corner of the floor. As Daoist Heavencrystal had mentioned, there were already a few impatient cultivators that had gathered around a table.


    Their lips were moving from voice transmissions and they occasionally exchanged jade boxes and small bottles in some small scale trades.


    However, most of the other cultivators were sitting with their eyes closed in meditation. They were waiting for everyone to gather before they started trading. It seemed what was being traded prematurely wasn¡¯t anything particularly valuable.


    Also, in what seemed to be an attempt to avoid being recognized, many of the cultivators were completely silent, and only spoke to one another through voice transmissions.


    The second floor of the pavilion had completely maintained its silence in a bizarre and stifling manner.


    The Child Fire Dragon hadn¡¯t bothered to wear a mask, attracting many gazes as a result. Nevertheless, there were none who took the initiative to reveal themselves to him.


    Sitting right across from Han Li and company was an extremely fat man, who also wore no mask. His waist was four times thicker than the average person and even caused his chair to slightly deform. Regardless, this person didn¡¯t seem to mind in the last. When he saw Han Li glance at him, he shot a beaming smile in his direction. However, the many layers of fat on his face made it difficult to accept his kind intentions.


    Sitting at the plump man¡¯s side was a very shapely female cultivator. Although she wore a mask, her eyes with vivid and captivating. Still, everyone present was certain of the cunning of those around them, and none paid any particular attention to the woman¡¯s charm.


    When Han Li saw this, he heard Lu Luo¡¯s voice transmission, ¡°Junior martial brother Han, be careful. That fatty may seem harmless, but together with the woman at his side, they are the Devil Dao Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s Flesh Rouge Devils. With their secret pair cultivation techniques, they are able to contend against even mid Nascent Soul cultivators. Avoid provoking them, they are incredibly difficult to deal with!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he felt his heart tremble and he immediately added their names onto a long list of those he should be wary of. After he finished observing the characteristics of all others in the room, he closed his eyes and silently meditated.


    Over the period of a long while, several masked Nascent Soul cultivators continuously entered the room.


    Daoist Heavencrystal was the last to enter, drawing the eyes of all the cultivators present. He directly walked to the center of the floor and casually waved his arm, summoning a table and chair towards him with white light. He then smiled and said, ¡°Everyone should¡¯ve already arrived. If nobody has anything else to say, let us start the trade meet.¡±

 Chapter 679

    Scarlet Essence Herb


    ¡°Daoist Heavencrystal is far too polite. But since I¡¯ve grown rather impatient, how about I start off?¡± An embroidered-robed cultivator said with a smile.


    ¡°Hehe, since Fellow Daoist insists, so be it.¡± Daoist Heavencrystal smiled and casually withdrew a few steps, inviting the embroidered-robed cultivators to step forward.


    There were no rules given for the trade meeting as the cultivators that were present were rather experienced.


    ¡°Hehe, since Brother Heavencrystal agreed, this old man won¡¯t refuse.¡± The embroidered-robed cultivator boldly stood up and saluted the cultivators in the room. He lightly slapped the storage pouch at his waist and summoned a palm-sized wooden box into his hand with a flash of red light.


    The wooden box was refined from a fantastical wood of some sort. Red flames faintly flickered from its dark green body with two intersecting gold and silver restriction talismans laid over it.


    This mysterious box attracted the various gazes of those in the room. These experienced cultivators naturally knew that this box was certain to hold a precious item. Seeing this treasure being exchanged at the very start of the trade meet was cause for excitement.


    The embroidered-robed man swept his eyes past the crowd in a display of pride. He then pointed at the two talismans on the box, and the box opened by itself once the talismans flew off. Suddenly, a glowing red spirit mushroom slowly floated from the box.


    The spirit mushroom was only a few inches large, but the scorching heat that it emitted and its sparkling exterior revealed it to be a divine object ¨C not to mention the red mists that spiralled around it.


    As Han Li was dumbstruck from the sight of it, there were already others calling out its name.


    A black-clothed sighed and muttered, ¡°Scarlet Essence Mushroom! A three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom! It only grows where lava flows. It cannot ordinarily be spotted, let alone acquired. Fellow Daoist must be truly skilled!¡± It was unknown whether he was envious or impressed by his tone.


    An uproar was raised among the cultivators. They even began to talk amongst one another.


    ¡°Scarlet Essence Mushroom? This is one of the ice-fire spirit mushrooms. It is clearly worthy of its reputation from the impressive Fire Spirit Qi that its emitting.¡±


    When the embroidered-robed man heard that its name was mentioned, his eyes betrayed surprise, but he soon recollected himself and said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist has recognized this item, there is no further need for me to speak of it. It is a three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom, a top grade material for fire attribute medicine pills. I will exchange it for either a hundred thousand spirit stones or its equivalent in earth attribute materials.¡±


    ¡®A hundred thousand spirit stones?¡¯ Han Li was astonished and his heart began to stir. This price was far lower than Han Li expected. This mushroom wasn¡¯t something that could be compared to high grade demon cores; it was on the level of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng itself.


    Not mentioning his many precious treasures, Han Li had acquired several hundred thousands of spirit stones from the storage pouches that he looted. The disciple of Archsaint Six Dao in particular possessed three thousand mid grade spirit stones, enriching Han Li greatly. It was a sum that was comparable to the entire wealth of many Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Of course, these spirit stones were far inferior in value to spirit tools, magic treasures, and even ancient treasures. After all, there were precious items that couldn¡¯t be bought. If he could spent all of his spirit stones on ancient treasures similar to his flower basket and small bell, he would do so without question.


    Just as Han Li mused about this, other cultivators were also tempted by the item. Several cultivators promptly stepped forward and sent a few voice transmissions to the embroidered robed cultivators. Afterwards, they took out several items for the cultivator to see.


    While the others couldn¡¯t see these items clearly, the embroidered-robed cultivator bluntly refused them each with a single glance, causing them to resentfully withdraw.


    ¡°Is there anyone else? This three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom was acquired over six years of immense toil, and it is being sold for only a hundred thousand spirit stones. It definitely isn¡¯t expensive. However, I also wish that this item may be exchanged for some suitable earth attribute materials. Even if it is somewhat inferior in comparison, I will still take it. But if there is too much of a difference in value and you merely wish to take advantage of me, don¡¯t bother wasting my time.¡±


    As if truly wishing to trade with the item in his hand, he grew impatient from seeing that no one was stepping forward.


    Han Li swept his gaze past the other cultivators and noticed that many wore expression of greed, yet none of them stepped forward. It seemed that they didn¡¯t believe the price to be too expensive but that they didn¡¯t have anything suitable to trade for it.


    Even the Child Fire Dragon wore a face of regret. He cultivated a genuine fire attribute cultivation technique, and it would prove incredibly useful towards him.


    Seeing that there were no further offers, he helplessly grasped the lid of the wooden box and was about to close it when Han Li sent him a voice transmission, ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty Fellow Daoist. Would you be interested in an earth-attribute demon core?¡±


    The embroidered robed man stopped upon hearing Han Li. With slight surprise, he replied to Han Li through voice transmission, ¡°You have demon cores? However, my Scarlet Essence Mushroom must be exchanged for a grade seven demon core or several grade six demon cores at the very least.¡±


    Han Li pondered after receiving his reply. He still had a few demon beast cores leftover from refining his medicine pills. Since they came from particularly rare demon beasts, he kept them in case they may have other uses, such as now.


    The spirit mushroom could be further matured through use of his green liquid, unlike his demon cores. As for their prices, it was somewhat hard to say. In the Scattered Star Seas, grade seven demon cores were extremely precious, but far less valuable than a Scarlet Essence Mushroom.


    However, this was different in the Heavenly South. Not to mention grade six demon cores, even grade five demon cores were rarely seen items. There were few places in the Heavenly South where high grade demon beasts dwelled. In this case, a grade seven demon core was a fair trade for a three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom.


    Having came to a decision, Han Li stood up and walked towards the embroidered-robed cultivator.


    This came as a surprise to the Child Fire Dragon and Lu Luo, and they looked at him with amazement.


    Han Li took several steps towards the embroidered-robed cultivator and summoned a jade box with a flip of his hand. He then tossed it to cultivator without saying a single word.


    The embroidered-robed cultivator calmly caught the box and opened it. After carefully examining it for a long while, his gaze revealed delight.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached a deal!¡± He beckoned to the floating mushroom and sealed it before handing it over to Han Li. At that same moment, he swiftly placed the jade box into his own storage pouch.


    Han Li nodded his head and placed the wooden box into his own storage pouch before turning to his original position.


    Lu Luo and the Child Fire Dragon were both completely astounded, but the two tactfully avoided asking Han Li any questions and simply sent him a few words of congratulations. Han Li accepted their words with a tranquil expression.


    Nevertheless, Han Li could already feel the many gazes of the seated cultivators examining him once more. Obviously, being able to afford the Scarlet Essence Mushroom had attracted much interest.


    However, Han Li was unconcerned. With his current abilities, he had no problems escaping from anything short of a late Nascent Soul cultivator.


    ¡°Alright, since this Fellow Daoist has finished trading, let¡¯s have the next Fellow Daoist head up,¡± Daoist Heavencrystal beamingly smiled at a female cultivator sitting nearby the embroidered-robed man and suggested, ¡°How about you?¡±


    The green-robed woman gracefully replied, ¡°Of course, I shall be presenting my treasures next.¡±


    She stood up and slowly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t have such a good opportunity to acquire as rare a treasure as the previous Fellow Daoist; however, I am proficient in tool refinement techniques, and have refined a Immortal Binding Ring that has never been bonded. So long as someone perform the rites to accept a master, one will be able to make full use of its abilities.


    I don¡¯t mean to boast, but while this treasure was created with common materials, it¡¯s might is quite formidable. It is remarkable effective at both restraining enemies and protecting its user.¡±


    With a flutter of her sleeve, a fine white ring flew out and began to fluctuate in size and flicker with light.


    Without speaking any further, she pointed to the ring and it suddenly trembled before expanding to three meters in length. The walls of the ring were as thick as an arm and emitted silver talisman characters along with an astonishing spiritual Qi.

 Chapter 680

    Devilfall Valley


    ¡°Since this ring has yet to recognize a master, I am unable to display its full abilities. Of course, you should all know it comes at quite a price. I intend on trading this Immortal Binding Ring for a bottle of Nascent Soul level cultivation pills. If you¡¯re interested in giving an offer, I¡¯ll be taking a look at them.¡±


    Although cultivators present each had their own magic treasures, nurturing multiple magic treasures with differing abilities wasn¡¯t unheard of. Furthermore, this magic treasure was masterless so it can be given to disciples. Of course, magic treasures that were created by Nascent Soul cultivators were far stronger than those created by Core Formation cultivators.


    A majority of cultivators also weren¡¯t experts in tool refinement, especially so with Nascent Soul cultivators. Since an expertly refined treasure appeared before them, many grew tempted and wished to trade for them. The woman selected one of the bottles of medicine pills offered to her and smoothly concluded the transaction.


    Although this Immortal Binding Ring was far less valuable than the Scarlet Essence Mushroom, it was also much easier to trade for.


    The next cultivator stood up before Daoist Heavencrystal called out to him, ¡°I am offering Starsteel Sand for trade. It can be used for¡­¡±


    The trade meeting went smoothly with each Nascent Soul cultivators taking out their own items, each an undoubtable rarity. They were far beyond what Han Li had previously seen offered at markets, and couldn¡¯t be afforded even with the entirety of a common Core Formation cultivator¡¯s wealth.


    When a cultivator¡¯s turn arrived, they naturally took out an item suitable for a cultivator of their rank.


    But of course, not everyone made a successful trade. There were a few items that were too unfamiliar, along with those that were desirable but had an unfulfillable price. Nevertheless, these Nascent Soul cultivators were each brimming with experience; there was no possibility of trades with a large disparities in value.


    The Child Fire Dragon and Lu Luo were both in front of Han Li and each took out their own items first.


    The Child Fire Dragon took out a bowl-sized, tri-colored flower, an ingredient for pill refinement. Although it couldn¡¯t be compared with the Scarlet Essence Mushroom, it was still a rare item. However, since there was no one that possessed the item he was looking for, the Poisonmark Wood, he could only sit back down with disappointment.


    As for Lu Luo, he ended up with a rather successful transaction. He traded a bottle of something Han Li had never heard of before, Spirit Herb Extract, for a small fire-red sword that hadn¡¯t yet recognized a master. It was unknown who he was giving it to, as there was no possibility of refining it for himself given his age.


    With Lu Luo¡¯s successful transaction came Han Li¡¯s turn. Because he successfully traded for the embroidered-robed cultivator¡¯s Scarlet Essence Mushroom at the beginning, there were many that were particularly focusing their attention on Han Li.


    Han Li calmly stood up and took out two white jade boxes that he had previously prepared, ¡°I have grade six water attribute demon cores and two stalks of thousand year old spirit herbs. I will exchange them for a piece of Auric Essence. But if I can¡¯t, I will trade one of the boxes for the whereabouts of Auric Essence as well.¡±


    Once Han Li said this, his hands trembled and azure light flickered. The two jade boxes opened at the same time. A red and blue demon core, and two glistening, jade-green spirit herbs were revealed.


    ¡®Auric essence?¡¯ All cultivators around them revealed an odd expression. While these demon cores and the thousand year spirit herbs were precious, they was still a great difference in value in between them.


    If he were to truly trade for them, it was quite likely he would only be able to pay for only a small iota of it, nowhere near enough. But if it were information on the whereabouts of Auric Essence, a grade six demon core or a stalk of thousand year old spirit herbs was rather generous.


    After all, everyone knew that information alone wasn¡¯t anywhere near as valuable as having the item on hand. Ancient cultivator ruins and areas of value were known by many, but these areas were extremely dangerous to the point where vastly skilled cultivators would find it difficult to escape even with grave injuries.


    The most notable example of this would be the Devilfall Valley at the center of the Heavenly South Continent.


    Legend has it that it was ancient battlefield from the time of antiquity where any fantastical restrictions were placed by the Devilish cultivators of long past. Perhaps due to the vast damage from the climax of the battle, there were even slim crevices in space itself, destabilizing the entire valley. As a result, the ancient battle had ended in mutual destruction.


    The spacial tears and ancient restrictions caused the ancient battlefield to be extremely dangerous. Over the countless years, it was unknown just how many overly confident entered those ruins seeking treasures only to never return.


    Any treasures these cultivators may have acquired were always left behind in the valley. After nearly ten thousand years of this continued, no other cultivators dared to try their luck, earning Devilfall Valley the title as deadliest region in the Heavenly South. Despite the knowledge of many treasures contained deep within the valley, they would only exist in dreams as none dared to seek their own death.


    In any case, Auric Essence wasn¡¯t something that was commonly known about. As such, each of the cultivators merely glanced at Han Li without sending him any voice transmissions.


    When Han Li saw this, he grew somewhat disappointed. In order to hide his wealth, he didn¡¯t take out any of his more precious items, preventing him from trading for anything he needed. Nevertheless, he was quite disappointed that nobody knew of any related information, despite the many Nascent Soul cultivators present.


    He inwardly sighed and swept his gaze past the group of cultivators. He unconsciously frowned before sitting down with an odd expression flickering from his eyes.


    The following cultivator immediately took out black tool refinement materials and began to introduce it.


    Han Li half-heartedly listened to the cultivator and closed his eyes.


    If Han Li wasn¡¯t mistaken, Daoist Heavencrystal betrayed hesitation from his eyes despite his calm expression. While Daoist Heavencrystal might not possess any Auric Essence, it seemed he did have information on where he could get some.


    Without much thought, Han Li immediately came to a decision. But as one possessing patient temperament, he left the matter alone for now and simply feigned ignorance. He was confident that with just this clue, he will eventually have an opportunity to acquire the information he needed.


    A long while later, the last cultivator finished exchanging for the materials they required.


    Daoist Heavencrystal then walked to the center of the floor and smiled, ¡°Fellow Daoists, it appears a majority of you had traded for the materials that you required. Even if you didn¡¯t, it doesn¡¯t matter. Our little gathering is merely a tenth of the Nascent Soul cultivators that have arrived at the city. There will be more opportunities to come. While I can¡¯t say this for anybody else, I may be holding an even larger trade meet. I hope you Fellow Daoists will be able to participate in it. But before we come to a close, I also have a few items I wish to put up for trade.¡±


    Once the old Daoist finished speaking, his hands began to sparkle with white light and he summoned even items from his storage pouch, filling the table.


    When the other cultivators saw the items in the table, they were left amazed. Once Han Li saw these items, his expression also greatly changed.


    Eight varying monstrous beast puppets were arranged on the table, including a white wolve, azure pythons, and even a red bull.


    Although these items were entirely still, they contained astonishing spiritual Qi equivalent to early Core Formation cultivators. They were far more powerful than the huge ape puppets in Han Li¡¯s possession, and they weren¡¯t recorded in Han Li¡¯s puppet sutras either, much to Han Li¡¯s bewilderment.


    Could this person also be a cultivator of the Thousand Bamboo School? But the Thousand Bamboo School shouldn¡¯t have any cultivators at Nascent Soul stage. Could there be another group cultivating their own style of puppets?


    As Han Li¡¯s mind stirred, he couldn¡¯t help but gaze at these puppets, hoping to make out any peculiarities.


    But before he could do so, the fatty from the Harmonious Bond Sect smiled and yelped, ¡°Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal, since when did you start cultivating puppet techniques? Did you plan on abandoning your Crystal Light Arts? If that¡¯s the case, you have my wholehearted admiration!¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal grinned, ¡°Brother Ju jests. With my weary body, how could I possibly change my cultivation art. These puppets were merely something I found in some ruins with some other Fellow Daoists. As am I embarrassingly short on money as of current, I must use them for trade. Although their might isn¡¯t great, they will be particularly effective in certain situations.¡±

 Chapter 681

    Soul Stone


    A cultivator with an elderly appearance twirled the beard in his hand and said, ¡°Oh, I am rather interested in these puppets. It is a good life-saving item to give to my youngest disciple, but what does Daoist Heavencrystal want for it?¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal calmly said, ¡°Hehe, this humble Daoist is looking for particularly rare items from the time of antiquity known as soul stones. Each soul stone may be exchanged for a single puppet beast. These puppets were personally refined from cultivators of antiquity. I reckon that there are no other high grade puppets in the entire world.¡±


    ¡®Soul stone?¡¯ Upon hearing this unfamiliar name, the cultivators present wore doubtful expression. This was something they had never heard of before.


    Daoist Heavencrystal wasn¡¯t surprised by this. He slapped his storage pouch and summoned a thumb-sized jade-green gem into his palm. At first glance, it appeared similar to be wood-attribute spirit stone, but once the cultivators swept their spiritual sense past it, they discovered that the spirit stone emitted an unfathomably cold fluctuations, completely different from that of a wood-attribute spirit stone.


    With the gem in his hand, the old Daoist slowly said, ¡°Perhaps there are a few Fellow Daoists that possess this item, but hadn¡¯t known of its name. I happen to have one in my possession so that you may recognize it.¡±


    A Devil Dao cultivator wrapped in black Qi yelped in astonishment, ¡°How odd! It seems similar to ghost energy, but it is far more pure.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal straightforwardly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is that the stone contains, but it definitely isn¡¯t ordinary ghost Qi. Else, I wouldn¡¯t be willing to exchange a single stone for one of these puppets.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s true.¡± The Devil Dao cultivator tactfully dropped the subject.


    When Han Li clearly saw this gem, his expression underneath the mask vastly changed and his eyes flickered.


    If he saw correctly, this soul stone was clearly the umbra beast crystals that he obtained from the Umbra Realm. Of course, beast crystals was merely the name used by the natives. Its true name as the cultivators of antiquity called it seemed to be soul stones.


    Han Li pondered, ¡®This Daoist Heavencrystal not only took out those puppets but he also gathered many soul stones. Both appeared at Heavenvoid Hall. It seems this person¡­¡±


    The soul stones were clearly rarely seen items. After a long while, only a single cultivator hesitantly took one out and traded it for a single beast puppet.


    Daoist Heavencrystal called out several more times, but no one stepped forward. He couldn¡¯t help feel somewhat disappointed despite having predicted this.


    Just as he was about to put away the beast puppets, someone suddenly stood up. The old man¡¯s spirits were roused and he glanced at this person with delight, ¡°Fellow Daoist, do you also have soul stones?¡±


    Han Li silently flipped his hand and a green gem appeared in his hand.


    This gem was the size of an chicken egg, far larger than the thumb-sized gem that the old Daoist took out. Its icy Qi could be seen by the naked eye.


    Daoist Heavencrystal was shocked by the sight and grew vastly delighted, ¡°Fellow Daoist, it is truly rare for a soul stone to be so powerful. How about Fellow Daoist pick two of the puppets? I definitely won¡¯t have you suffer loss.¡±


    Han Li shook his head with a faint smile.


    Daoist Heavencrystal wasn¡¯t angered in the slightest and amiably asked, ¡°What? Does Fellow Daoist think this is too little? How many would you like?¡±


    Han Li calmly asked, ¡°How about for all of the puppets?¡±


    The old Daoist frowned and gloomily said, ¡°For all six? Doesn¡¯t Fellow Daoist feel this is too greedy?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, not at all! You should know understand this from the soul stone¡¯s size alone. Moreover, to you, such a large soul stone would¡­¡± Han Li stared at Daoist Heavencrystal and abruptly stopped his words.


    When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his expression changed and gave Han Li and deep, appraising stare. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Alright. Such a large soul stone is truly rarely seen. I am in urgent need of this item so I will exchange all of them.¡±


    The other cultivators in the room were shocked by what they heard and couldn¡¯t help but take a look at the egg-sized gem in Han Li¡¯s grasp. A person capable of exchanging for so many rare items as once was certainly someone to take note of.


    With an entirely calm expression, he handed over the gem with a lowered head and swept his sleeve over the table, instantly taking the puppets into his storage pouch.


    However, the other cultivators didn¡¯t notice that Han Li¡¯s lips had moved in the instant he lowered his head. A bewildered expression flickered from Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s face when he heard of this and his eyes brightly shined. At that moment, Han Li had already returned to his original position with the puppets in his grasp.


    Next, Daoist Heavencrystal announced an end to the trade meet and the many cultivators began to leave.


    When Han Li¡¯s party left the pavilion, no one spoke until they arrived two streets away. The Child Fire Dragon bluntly spoke with an elderly tone, ¡°Fellow Daoists, I will not be able to accompany you. I have another appointment.¡±


    Lu Luo smiled and said, ¡°If Brother Lan has matters to attend to, please go. Our residences are near each other. There will plenty of chances to meet again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be taking my leave!¡± The Child Fire Dragon bid his farewell without any reservations and walked towards another street.¡±


    As Han Li gazed at him from a distance, he smiled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon is truly a wonderful person!¡±


    ¡°Because Fellow Daoist Lan mistakenly ate a strange plant when he was young, his appearance is generally that of a child. However, he is forthright and outspoken, and is one of our friends from outside the sect. He is also the sole Ancient Sword Sect elder that is friendly with our Drifting Cloud Sect.


    When Han Li heard this, he frowned and said, ¡°You mean to say the elders of the Ancient Sword Sect don¡¯t have a high opinion of the Drifting Cloud Sect?¡±


    After taking a glance around, Lu Luo said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Junior Martial Brother Han, do you have any plans? Are you going to return to take a rest or will you be purchasing some other items?¡±


    Han Li honestly replied, ¡°There are a few particular materials that I need to buy. I plan on taking a look at the nearby markets alone and seeing whether or not I can obtain unexpected gains.¡±


    When Lu Luo heard that Han Li wished to go by himself, he raised no objections and said, ¡°Just as it so happened, I also plan on purchasing some items as well. Let¡¯s part ways for now.¡±


    As a result, Han Li and Lu Luo immediately split up.


    The markets of Soaring Heavens City were countless times larger than the market city of the Dreamcloud Mountains.


    Han Li was walking down a road of the city¡¯s western market as he examined the streets on either side. The words Han Li said to Lu Luo weren¡¯t false. He did plan on purchasing a few rarer talisman refinement materials in preparations to refine a few high grade talismans.


    Although he still possessed some spirit beast hides and blood from his time in the Scattered Star Seas, he lacked supplementary materials such as high grade talisman paper and cinnabar. He needed to raise his skills by an entire realm in preparation to refine the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    Although he hadn¡¯t carefully researched the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, the boneshard that recorded it mentioned that its might was truly powerful. As something that would be able to use it to save his life during a crucial moment, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to easily relinquish it.


    However, this talisman was far more complicated and difficult than refinine ordinary elemental talismans. He had to improve his odds of success by not only improving he talisman refinement abilities but also acquiring a new talisman brush. His original brush was no longer useful.


    Unfortunately, while the talisman refinement materials were readily purchasable, a satisfactory brush was hard to come by. He already had encountered two stores before that were selling top grade talisman brushes, but after he examined the, he could only shake his head and depart. While these talisman brushes could be used to refine ordinary high grade talismans, they lacked the ability to refine a secret talisman on the level of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    Talisman brushes were only spirit tools that were used by talisman masters, and weren¡¯t commonly seen. Most of them were of low or mid grade quality. If a talisman master lacked the magic power, forcibly using a high grade talisman brush would only increase their odds of failure.


    Additionally, talisman masters were often too dedicated to their talisman refinement techniques and didn¡¯t spent much time increasing their cultivation, resulting in a cast majority of talisman cultivators being below Core Formation stage. In the entirety of the Heavenly South, there were only a sparse few Core Formation stage talisman refinement masters.


    As for any Nascent Soul stage, there were no such abnormal characters as far as Han Li was aware of. A majority of cultivators that reached Nascent Soul stage were specialized talisman refinement masters.


    Nascent Soul cultivators were also diverse in their talisman refinement techniques. Most of them would only be able to refine one or two types of high grade talismans for their own use, but because high grade spirit beast hides and high grade beast blood was rare, they couldn¡¯t be refined in great number. As for the success rate, it was beyond poor as one could imagine.


    This led to single high grade talismans occasionally being worth quite a bit more than a top grade magic tool.

 Chapter 682

    Torn Talisman


    A majority of elemental high grade talismans actually weren¡¯t particularly powerful, and were inferior to magic treasures. This often resulted in the abandoned pursuit of five element magic techniques once a cultivator achieved Core Formation.


    This, however, did not mean that all high grade magic techniques were useless. To Han Li¡¯s knowledge, there were many five element magic techniques that were powerful to the extent that even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t dare to directly block them. However, these magic techniques were incredibly difficult to cultivate while comprehending them was rather complicated, and they were even more inconvenient to use. In the time it took to employ them, it would be better to use magic treasures to attack.


    However, Han Li had heard other cultivators mention that the Moulan spell warriors broke through these limits and researched many powerful ¡®spirit techniques¡¯ that could be deployed in an instant, enabling their low grade spell warriors to rival enemy cultivators of a similar level without the use of talismans or magic tools. As for their high grade cultivators, they were able to combine their spirit techniques with their magic treasures for double the lethality; this allowed them to overcome similar grade cultivators without problem.


    It was these capabilities that forced the several superpowers in the Heavenly South to unite against the Moulan Tribes. Even then only self preservation was possible; they were unable of truly defeating the enemy.


    Ever since Han Li had condensed a Nascent Soul, he began to study the shallowest high grade magic techniques in acknowledgement of his shortcomings. However, the speed with which he could employ these few high grade techniques could only be described as tragic. The only way he could see himself utilizing these techniques was if he were merely smashing through a tortoise¡¯s shell. In half the time it took to cast the technique, a cultivator at the same stage could¡¯ve already killed him eight times over.


    Nevertheless, a simultaneous attack from a high grade talisman and magic treasure makes for an extremely deadly combination. If those talismans were able to be used like low grade ones in a barrage of thirty at a time, even late Nascent Soul cultivators would have no choice but to flee the battle. After all, this would be equivalent to the simultaneous strikes of thirty Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if the target cultivator had defenses that were heaven-defying, they were still bound by the limits of the Nascent Soul stage and be incapable of receiving such an attack.


    However, this tactic could only remain imaginary as no one would be so wasteful as to consume several hundred thousands of spirit stones in a single attack. Moreover, high grade talismans weren¡¯t something that could be purchased in the cultivation world, and a majority of them were auxiliary in nature, not offensive.


    As Han Li mused about this, he walked the streets of the market city and continuously browsed through the larger magic tool and mixed good stores. Normally, only the larger shops would have top grade talisman brushes for sale.


    There was no need for him to consider the smaller shops. They weren¡¯t likely to have anything apart from ordinary magic tools, let alone top grade ones.


    While there was a slim possibility of a small store carrying such a rare item, Han Li was unwilling to waste the time necessary to search through each one. With so many shops in Soaring Heavens City, he simply didn¡¯t have time to go searching through all of them.


    In addition to Han Li, there were many other cultivators walking down both sides of the street and purchasing their own desired items. While a majority of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, there was also an occasional Core Formation cultivator. As for Qi Condensation cultivators, there were hardly any of them apart from the city¡¯s natives.


    Han Li concealed his cultivation as a mid Core Formation cultivator while he browsed through the markets, merely attracting a few respectful glances from Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Core Formation cultivators, they simply ignored him after a glance when they didn¡¯t recognize him. He was able to avoid much attention in this manner and was could take his time browsing through each of the large stores.


    Just as Han Li left another pavilion feeling disappointed, he discovered that most of the day had unknowingly passed.


    With darkness falling, the various stores began to successively place down moonlight stones. After a moment of hesitation, Han Li decided to look through two more stores before returning to his residence.


    Right after coming to this decision, he heard the sounds of a quarrel not far away from him. There were a group of cultivators that had curiously gathered around the source of the noise.


    Han Li frowned as he immediately placed his hands behind his back, before he expressionlessly turned around and began to walk back to his residence.


    As he took his first step, he heard a fierce and resentful voice, ¡°What, are all of you Drifting Cloud Sect cultivators merely thieves? You want to just walk away after ruining my talisman?¡±


    A young man¡¯s voice loudly refuted him with an angry tone, ¡°It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t want to pay, but that I am short on spirit stones since I¡¯ve just bought other items. Also, this is only an elementary mid-grade firecloud talisman. How could it possibly cost three hundred spirit stones? It should only cost a hundred spirit stones at most. Moreover, didn¡¯t I offer to leave my sect medallion here as collateral? I¡¯ll return once I¡¯ve borrowed some spirit stones from my sect members at the inn.¡±


    Han Li ceased his steps as the man¡¯s voice seemed familiar. It seemed to be someone he recognized from the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before heading in the direction of the dispute. Regardless of who it was, he was a grand elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect after all. It was unbecoming of him to feign ignorance and walk away.


    A short moment later, Han Li found himself looking at a small miscellaneous goods store from a distance. There seemed to be several cultivators standing in front of it in confrontation. Amongst them was a heroic black-clothed figure, Firecloud Mountain¡¯s Sun Huo who Han Li had last seen at the Sword Trial Assembly.


    In a short twenty years, this youth had experienced a vast increase in cultivation despite the little change to his appearance. He was currently being confronted by three cultivators with unfriendly appearances who seemed to be the shopkeeper and his assistants.


    At that moment, the short-bearded shopkeeper glared at Sun Huo and said, ¡°A single worthless medallion is useless to me. You can simply return to the Drifting Cloud Sect and leave it behind, but I can¡¯t track you down all the way over to the State of Xi. So quit talking nonsense. Since you don¡¯t have any spirit stones, lay out the items in your storage pouch and I will hold them as collateral. As for that Firecloud Talisman, you believe it to only be a mid grade talisman but it is actually a quality good refined by a talisman grandmaster of our Soaring Heavens City. As such it¡¯s already generous to only charge three hundred spirit stones. Could it be that all Drifting Cloud Sect cultivators are such scoundrels?¡±


    Once that was said, the shopkeeper glanced at the wooden box in his assistant¡¯s hands and revealed a regretful expression as if he had suffered a great loss.


    Sun Huo unexpectedly responded to these words with a smile, ¡°Fine! The things are yours. If you say it, then so be it. This ordinary Firecloud Talisman was refined by a talisman grandmaster.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you able to tell whether or not it was refined by a talisman grandmaster? Do you simply wish not to pay us back? In that case, don¡¯t blame me for notifying the city¡¯s enforcers.¡± The shopkeeper coldly laughed and bluntly threatened him.


    Sun Huo¡¯s face turned white then red as there was little question as to which party the Nine Nations Union enforcers would favor. Moreover, this matter was vague and unclear so he was all but certain to lose the dispute!


    His expression wavered for a long while before he stepped forward. He slapped the storage pouch at his waist and took out a bundle of talismans.


    Sun Huo gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Although these talismans aren¡¯t of a high grade, they are worth at least three hundred spirit stones.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s expression relaxed and he reached out to take the talismans, ¡°This will do!¡±


    ¡°Yi! Not this one!¡± Before the shopkeeper took the talismans, Sun Huo swept his gaze over them and his expression vastly changed as he pulled back the talismans. He immediately took the half-torn yellow talisman back before handing over the rest of the talismans.


    The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment before sneering, ¡°Humph! You¡¯re so nervous over a torn piece of blank talisman paper? Are you Drifting Cloud Sect cultivators really so poor?¡± He then reached once more to take the talismans.


    But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared between the two in a blur.


    Sun Huo felt his heart drop while the shopkeeper hastily took several steps back and furiously shouted, ¡°Who are you? What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    The cultivator that interrupted them expressionlessly responded, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I merely overheard our Drifting Cloud Sect being mentioned in a certain way three times in a row. How about your esteemed self say it to my face?¡±


    Once that was said an astonishing pressure was released, causing the nearby cultivators to recoil in shock. A few of the cultivators with shallower cultivation felt as if the world itself now weighed down on them, and they fell onto their knees.


    The two Core Formation cultivators that happened to pass by fared somewhat better but their bodies were also shaken. One of them became panic-stricken and they cried out, ¡°Nascent Soul cultivator! Senior, you¡­¡±

 Chapter 683

    Two Choices


    Han Li turned his head and coldly glanced at the two Core Formation cultivators that were passing by, causing them to immediately swallow their words. He didn¡¯t recognize the two middle-aged cultivators, nor did he know which sect they belonged to.


    At that moment, the shopkeeper and his two assistants had already been thoroughly forced to the ground due to their close proximity to the immense spiritual pressure. They were incapable of moving in the slightest, seeming panic-stricken, only to grow even more terrified upon hearing that Han Li was a Nascent Soul cultivator. They hurriedly tried to beg for forgiveness, but they could barely even gasp for air, let alone speak.


    The surrounding cultivators all paled, while a few of the more cowardly ones had already fled in fear of being implicated.


    Han Li showed consideration for Sun Huo, and the pressure had little effect on him apart from his initial recoil. But once he recognized Han Li, his expression changed before he deeply saluted him and said, ¡°Disciple Sun Huo pays his respects to Martial Ancestor Han.¡±


    Paying no further attention to the three men in front of him, Han Li turned around and looked at the half-torn talisman in Sun Huo¡¯s hand. He nodded his head and said, ¡°It seems there is no need for introductions. You already know of my identity.¡±


    When Sun Huo recalled the rude words he spoke to Han Li at the sacred area, he felt greatly worried and humbly apologized with sincerity, ¡°Disciple was unaware of Martial Ancestor¡¯s true form. I hope he will forgive disciple¡¯s arrogant words.¡±


    Han Li looked at Sun Huo and slowly said, ¡°I had yet to become a sect elder at that time, so of course I won¡¯t blame you. However, that torn talisman of yours seems to have something to do with me.¡±


    Sun Huo was stunned as something suddenly came to mind. He joyfully said, ¡°Could this ruined talisman be¡­¡±


    Han Li waved and cut him off, ¡°Leave this matter for later.¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes then narrowed as he gazed at a silver streak of light flying across the sky.


    The only cultivators that were allowed to fly in Soaring Heavens City were obviously the Nine Nations Union protectors. They were responsible for keeping order during the entire duration of the trade fair.


    Sun Huo didn¡¯t dare to speak any further and obediently stood still in place. However, his heart was brimming with uncontainable excitement, and his grasp on the talisman paper grew even more careful.


    At that moment, the streak of light arrived before Han Li to reveal a yellow-haired old man possessing mid Core Formation cultivation. A small golden sword was embroidered on his chest, the emblem of an enforcer.


    The old man could sense Han Li¡¯s astonishing pressure from a distance. However, this area laid within his jurisdictions. Even if there was a Nascent Soul cultivator showing their might, he had no choice but to confront them.


    Once the old man spotted Han Li motionlessly standing on the road, he saluted him and said, ¡°Junior is an enforcer of Soaring Heavens City, Wu Fei. I am unaware as to why Senior is angry. Might I ask how I can help?¡± Given the vast disparity in their cultivation, it was only natural for the enforcer to speak respectfully.


    Hands behind his back, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s not much. I was merely walking through the street when I heard this shopkeeper speak a few words about our Drifting Cloud Sect. Therefore, I merely wished for him to repeat what he said.¡±


    ¡°Ah! The shopkeeper certainly spouted nonsense. How dare they offend Senior? You three, hurry up and apologize.¡± The old man felt an immense headache upon hearing Han Li. When the matter pertained to a sect¡¯s reputation, it was hard to say how severe the matter was. As such, he first offered a word of appeasement before rebuking the shopkeeper and his associates.


    Han Li immediately withdrew his spiritual pressure, allowing the three to tremblingly crawl up from the ground. With a bloodless complexion, the shopkeeper immediately said, ¡°Senior, Junior¡¯s words were completely mistaken. Junior truly meant no disrespect to your sect. Just now that Fellow Daoist had ruined a firecloud talisman, but Junior will no longer be pursuing any compensation. Junior can only offer his apologies.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he frowned and his expression grew gloomy. With a sinister smile, Han Li said, ¡°What? You believe that I will let you off so easily? First let me take a look at the firecloud talisman in that box. If it truly was refined by a grandmaster, I will pay the spirit stones on this disciple¡¯s behalf. But if it isn¡¯t, hehe¡­¡±


    The shopkeeper reacted quickly and hurriedly spoke before Han Li could glance at the wooden box, ¡°There is no need Senior! That firecloud talisman is an ordinary talisman. Junior accepts any punishment!¡±


    Han Li said nothing further and took a glance at the enforcer.


    When the old man saw this, he knew what to do. He immediately bowed and said, ¡°Please be at ease Senior. This shopkeeper will be heavily punished for his transgressions. Senior may hand this matter over to me.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then so be it. I don¡¯t have the leisure to handle such a petty affair. Sun Huo, you¡¯ll be coming with me!¡± Han Li¡¯s body blurred, and reappeared at Sun Huo¡¯s side. Then with flashes of blinding yellow light, the two disappeared into the ground.


    The cultivators nearby yelped in admiration at such a marvelous earth movement technique. They hadn¡¯t seen such a thing before.


    Upon seeing Han Li depart, the old man immediately felt relieved. But when he glanced at the three offenders who were heaving large sighs of relief, his expression grew icy, ¡°You three will follow me and tell me the truth about everything that happened. This matter won¡¯t be forgiven so easily.¡±


    When the shopkeeper heard this, his relief instantly turned to misery.


    A moment after this exchange, Han Li appeared with Sun Huo in a flash of yellow light inside a secluded stone building.


    Han Li deeply glanced at Sun Huo and said, ¡°Here will be fine. Let me take a look at that torn piece of talisman paper.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Martial Ancestor!¡± Sun Huo presented the torn talisman paper to Han Li without any hesitation.


    Han Li took the talisman paper and quickly glanced at it before silently taking out the other half. Under Sun Huo¡¯s unwavering gaze, Han Li put the two halves together and found that they matched without a single flaw.


    Sun Huo¡¯s deepest fear disappeared without a trace before he deeply saluted Han Li without any hesitation, ¡°Sun Huo pays his respect to Master.¡±


    Han Li calmly nodded his head and turned the talisman paper to ash with a flicker of red light. Sun Huo was startled by the sight but immediately calmed down. Han Li found the youth¡¯s willpower to be satisfactory.


    Han Li calmly asked, ¡°It seems you¡¯re a descendant of Sun Ergou, but don¡¯t go calling me Master in such a hurry. First, how about telling me what generation descendant you are?¡±


    Sun Huo immediately relied, ¡°I am a seventh generation descendant of the ancestor.¡±


    ¡°During that year, Sun Ergou pledged that the Sun Clan that he raised would hold me as their master [1], but because of a few peculiar matters, I had to leave the Heavenly South. As such, the Sun Clan has never truly served me nor have I offered the Sun Clan any protection. Now that a descendant of the Sun Clan has successfully entered the cultivation world, that pledge may no longer hold. But since I had some relation to your ancestor, I will give you two choices.¡±


    Han Li smirked and calmly continued, ¡°The first option is that I directly give you some good cultivation supplies, such as medicine pills and magic tools. From then on, there will be no relation between us. Don¡¯t hold any hope that I will show any further consideration towards you. The other choice is that you fulfill the pledge of your ancestor and serve me as my retainer. I would in turn place a restriction on your body to prevent you from betraying me. Also, I will assign you tasks that will be potentially dangerous. However, I will also do my utmost to increase your cultivation and provide you with cultivation guidance. There will be benefits far beyond your imagination and so long as your aptitude isn¡¯t too poor, there may be hope of you achieving Core Formation.¡±


    Once this was said, Sun Huo¡¯s expression wavered and he appeared to be at a complete loss for a moment. It was clear that this scenario was far from what he had expected.


    After a long while, Sun Huo¡¯s expression grew resolute, ¡°Martial Ancestor, I¡­¡±


    Han Li abruptly interrupted Sun Huo and said, ¡°There is no need to rush. Give me your answer once the trade fair ends. Consider this an opportunity for you to make certain of your decision. Take this time to make careful deliberations and you find me at my cave residence once you return to the State of Xi.¡±


    Sun Huo felt that this was a rather generous proposal after some further thought and hastily agreed, ¡°Disciple will do as you command. Many thanks for your understanding, Martial Ancestor!¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, that that¡¯s taken care of I have other matters to attend to. Look after yourself!¡± Han Li nodded with a relaxed expression and disappeared in a flash of yellow light.


    Sun Huo didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he muttered to himself for a long while and sighed before slowly walking out.


    By the time Sun Huo was leaving, Han Li had already returned to his residence and raised his head to look at the night sky while a strange expression slowly surfaced on his face.


    [1] Sun Ergou was luggage carrier that was roped into serving Han Li (first appeared in chapter 100). In the past, he looked after Crooked Soul while Han Li was at Yellow Maple Valley. In chapter 335, Sun Ergou swore servitude to Han Li in exchange for the protection of his clan. He was given torn talisman paper as an identifier.

 Chapter 684

    Ancient Puppets


    Mu Peiling was currently seated in the first floor of their pavilion when Han Li arrived. When she saw him, she immediately stood up and greeted him with bright eyes and a graceful curtsey.


    Han Li waved his arm and had her stand, ¡°There is no need to wait on me when I¡¯m not around. During the trade fair it will be inconvenient for me to be with you, so you may do as you wish. Keep this on hand. If you encounter something important or dangerous, just pour your spiritual power into it. Not only will it cover you in a spirit barrier, but I will also know your exact location so long as you are within five hundred kilometers.¡±


    Han Li then took out a pair of blue jade ornaments and handed one over to her.


    Mu Peiling blushed slightly and whispered, ¡°Many thanks, my Lord!¡± She then took the jade ornament and hung it at her waist.


    After telling Mu Peiling that he was turning in for the night, Han Li walked up to the second floor.


    Once she saw Han Li had disappeared from sight, she glanced at the jade ornament on her waist and wore a complicated expression.


    Han Li casually picked a room and began meditating on the bed. After two hours of rest, he opened his eyes and glanced out the window before muttering a few words to himself, ¡°It¡¯s just about time. I should go and pay a visit.¡±


    Han Li silently left the pavilion and headed directly to a familiar area of Soaring Heavens City. He arrived shortly after at the building that he had previously visited.


    He stared at the silver signboard with ¡°Crystal Dragon Pavilion¡± written in gold as he rubbed his chin and glanced into the pitch-black interior before promptly heading inside.


    Just as Han Li entered the building, the entire room suddenly brightened. Sitting at the end of a long table, Daoist Heavencrystal smiled at Han Li and said, ¡°Welcome Fellow Daoist! You honor my pavilion with your presence once more, and you¡¯re right on time. I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Han to be such a punctual character. ¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m the one that took the initiative to make the appointment, how could I be late? Judging by Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s appearance, it appeared as if you¡¯ve waited for some time. You gave me quite the scare!¡± Han Li swept his arm and an invisible force gently closed the door behind him.


    Daoist Heavencrystal chuckled and said, ¡°After you left, you suddenly sent a voice transmission saying that you have more soul stones. Were you telling the truth?¡± The old Daoist narrowed his eyes in doubt as he spoke.


    Han Li replied by simply slapping his storage pouch and taking out a green gem that was just as large as the one he took out earlier in the day. It was glistening and emitted an astonishing Yin Qi while Han Li gazed at the old Daoist in silence.


    After seeing how Han Li took out a soul stone of a similar grade as the one from before, his face revealed a trace of excitement and he impatiently said, ¡°It¡¯s clear that you were telling the truth. If Brother Han has even more soul stones of this quality, this humble Daoist is willing to buy all of them from you. Spirit stones, materials, please don¡¯t hesitate to name your conditions!¡±


    ¡°Daoist Heavencrystal, don¡¯t be so hasty. I definitely plan on trading soul stones with you, but before that, I wish to ask you two questions. So long as you answer them to my satisfaction, consider the soul stone yours.¡± Han Li casually tossed the soul stone over to the Daoist Heavencrystal as he finished speaking.


    Daoist Heavencrystal caught the soul stone with slight surprise as he stared at the item, bewildered. After a long moment of silence, he sighed and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist truly acts magnanimously! It seems the questions won¡¯t be simple. So long as I am able to answer, this humble Daoist will be certain to satisfy you.¡± Once that was said, Daoist Heavencrystal carefully put away the soul stone and recovered his calm expression.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve agreed, I¡¯ll be blunt. Do you have any information on Auric Essence? When I mentioned this information during the exchange, your expression grew odd. You seem to know something.¡±


    Maintaining a calm expression, Daoist Heavencrystal slowly replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, this humble Daoist does have some information on Auric Essence. However, this information isn¡¯t reliable and as such I was unable to make the trade earlier. If Fellow Daoist Han truly wishes to know, I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°Even if the information is inaccurate, I still wish to hear it. Please, go ahead.¡± Although Han Li had predicted this would be the case, he smiled nevertheless.


    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t say anything, Fellow Daoist will come to know this in a few days. According to my old friend, the manager of an auction house, there is a chunk of auric essence that will be put up for auction for the duration of the trade meet. However, it seems that the owner of the Auric Essence only wishes to trade it for another item. Since they¡¯ve yet to officially put it up for action, the matter is still uncertain. However, if the Auric Essence is truly put up for auction, those sword cultivation sects would be willing to spend their entire fortunes to acquire it. Fellow Daoist¡¯s hopes of acquiring it are truly poor!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s happy expression was gradually replaced by a wry smile, ¡°While a three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom might be worth a hundred thousand spirit stones, something as rare as a chunk of auric essence should be valued at several hundred thousand. If put up for auction, that cost could double.¡±


    He was still aware of his limitations. Although he possessed plenty of wealth, he couldn¡¯t compare with entire sects.


    After that was said, there was slight change in Han Li¡¯s thoughts. He calmly said, ¡°Regardless, I must thank Fellow Daoist for the information. Knowing this, I have the chance to prepare some more spirit stones in advance. Ah yes, would Fellow Daoist happen to know the identity of the owner of the Auric Essence? I wish to pay them a visit ahead of time.¡±


    The old Daoist twirled his long beard and smiled, ¡°I am not sure of their identity. I only know that this person is a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Nine Nations Union. They are currently staying at a small mountain to the west of the city. If Fellow Daoist makes the attempt, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find them.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Fellow Daoist¡¯s information. That will be enough information with regards to the Auric Essence. For my next question, I wish for Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal to tell me about those soul stones.¡±


    The old Daoist¡¯s amiable expression instantly changed upon hearing Han Li. With bright, flickering eyes, he sullenly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist, what do you mean? This humble Daoist doesn¡¯t entirely understand.¡±


    Han Li unwaveringly gazed at the old Daoist and said, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal that I also understand a bit about puppet refinement. Moreover, I found some ancient puppet remains from an ancient cultivator¡¯s cave residence and it was within those remains that I found these soul stones. If I guessed correctly, these soul stones should be crucial for how ancient cultivators refined puppets. From how you are gathering these soul stones, it seems like that you¡¯ve acquired a method to refine ancient puppets, and you plan on personally refining some particularly powerful ones. Am I correct? If that is the case, could you tell me more about it?¡±


    In the same instant he said those words, Han Li had immediately grew vigilant. Although it was unlikely, Han Li put himself on guard in case the old Daoist suddenly launched an attack.


    When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his face became expressionless and his eyes became exceptionally cold. He then stared at Han Li in silence.


    Han Li became particularly careful once he saw the old cultivator¡¯s reaction, but his expression still remained calm. He slapped his storage pouch and he took out a palm-sized jade box. He then opened the jade box and slid it across the table to the old Daoist, revealing two soul stones that were even larger than the ones from before.


    Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s icy expression was eventually broken with excitement. With an astonished expression, he gloomily asked, ¡°How did you acquire such large soul stones? Do you have more?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he smiled at Daoist Heavencrystal but said nothing.


    The old Daoist responded to his silence by saying, ¡°Humph! I can answer your question, but in exchange, you must tell me how you acquired these soul stones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem!¡± Han Li had already anticipated this would happen and instantly replied.


    Daoist Heavencrystal coldly said, ¡°It is as you¡¯ve said. This humble Daoist discovered a refinement method in ancient cultivator ruins with a few friends. According to what was recorded, these puppets were immensely powerful, but the materials they required were proportionately precious. Moreover, they each required an appropriate soul stone to refine.


    However, these soul stones are immensely difficult to find. Up until now, I haven¡¯t been able to find many. Why else would I directly trade for them so impatiently? Now, it is Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s turn to tell me how he found so many soul stones.¡±


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°It is quite simple. I previously had no idea that ancient cultivators called these items soul stones. I had merely known them as something produced within Umbra Beasts and had to spend an enormous amount of effort just to acquire a few of them.¡±


    Excitement flickered within the old Daoist¡¯s eyes and he hastily said, ¡°Umbra beasts? I haven¡¯t heard of them before. Where would you find such demon beasts?¡±


    Instead of answering his question, Han Li unhurriedly asked, ¡°Would Fellow Daoist be willing to let me take a look at which type of puppets you plan on refining? Or perhaps even the puppet designs that you acquired?¡±

 Chapter 685

    Meeting the Marquis


    Once the old Daoist heard what Han Li wanted, his uncontrollable excitement promptly faded away. With his newly restored calm, he said, ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist Han plans on using this to extort me.¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°Extort? Those words are mistaken. Until now, I¡¯ve never made any demands of you; rather, I gifted you with several rare soul stones. If Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t feel this arrangement to be profitable, just pretend I never asked the second question, and you can keep those soul stones.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s expression relaxed and then began to waver while Han Li simply stood at the side without urging him in the slightest.


    After a long while, the old Daoist coldly said, ¡°If I give you the puppet designs, you will more or less be able to tell whether they are legitimate. But how can I possibly know if you were telling the truth about the Umbra Beasts?¡±


    Han Li unhurriedly responded with a tranquil tone, ¡°To tell the truth, even if Fellow Daoist knew where the Umbra Beasts are, he would have no method of getting there. Not only is that place deadly beyond belief, but even if one is fortunate enough to enter, there is no way to return. Even I was only barely able to escape alive. Even if you don¡¯t believe me, my soul stones are genuine all the same. I¡¯ll give a portion of them to you for the puppet refinement designs. Enough so that Fellow Daoist definitely won¡¯t suffer a loss. Besides, what use are puppet refinement methods without the soul stones required to use them.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal frowned and revealed a trace of hesitation.


    After the old Daoist deliberated on what there was to gain and lose, his expression relaxed before he said, ¡°Fine! I have no interest in mulling over whether the supposed source of your soul stones is real. I will only ask how many soul stones you plan on using to exchange for the puppet refinement designs? If it¡¯s too few, I would rather just monopolize them.¡±


    While Han Li was happy about this outcome, he betrayed none of it in his voice, ¡°I will have to see the value of the ancient puppet designs first. If they are only on the level of the puppets that were traded during the day, then I have no interest in looking at them.¡±


    The old Daoist wore an odd expression, ¡°Those puppets were only defective goods I found. From what you¡¯ve said, it seems the more powerful these puppets are the more soul stones you are willing to pay.¡±


    Han Li pursed his lips, ¡°That¡¯s right. If there are designs to refine a puppet that can match the strike of a Nascent Soul cultivator I would be willing to exchange thirty soul stones for it.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal seriously asked, ¡°Would these soul stones be of the same quality as the ones you¡¯ve given from the start?¡±


    ¡®Could there truly be designs for ancient puppets on the level of Nascent Soul cultivators?¡¯ Han Li was amazed at the prospect and immediately grew overjoyed. Without any restraint, he said, ¡°Since when have my words been false?¡±


    ¡°Fine. This jade slip contains the designs for the ancient puppets. I will be directly giving it to you, not lending it.¡± The old Daoist quickly took out a white jade slip from his storage pouch and tossed it to Han Li while a cunning expression appeared on his face.


    Han Li was stunned by his actions and faintly felt like something was amiss. After some thought, he bluntly took the jade slip and swept his spiritual sense through it. After a long while, Han Li¡¯s complexion fluctuated between red and white before he started glaring at Daoist Heavencrystal in silence.


    The old man beamed back at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The greatest of these puppet designs are able to match the strike of a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Is there something not in accordance with your request?¡±


    Han Li angrily said, ¡°Humph! What part isn¡¯t? The main ingredients for these puppets are heaven-defying materials on the level of ten thousand year old Ironwood. And the supplementary materials aren¡¯t just rare, I¡¯ve never even heard of them. Where am I supposed to find them?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! You have this humble Daoist¡¯s sympathies, but there is little I can do. Look on the bright side, there¡¯s an illustration accompanying each of the materials. Perhaps Fellow Daoist may come across them with enough luck and will even manage to acquire enough to make a puppet!¡±


    As the old Daoist anticipated, Han Li¡¯s expression quickly grew furious and he asked, ¡°Could it be Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal has already found the materials? Why else would he be gathering soul stones?¡±


    With a calm expression, Daoist Heavencrystal said, ¡°When did this humble Daoist say that he would be personally refining the puppets? I merely found two half-finished high grade puppets from the ruins. With these soul stones, I¡¯ll be able to use them. There is no need for me to create them from scratch.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± After hearing this Han Li grew silent for a long while.


    ¡°Alright, this humble Daoist already gave you the puppet refinement designs. Now about the¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re yours!¡± Before the old Daoist could even finish speaking with his insincere smile, Han Li unhappily swept his sleeve across the table. With a flicker of green light, a small pile of soul stones appeared.


    Daoist Heavencrystal was overjoyed, but he thought he should say something further out of embarrassment. Han Li dismissed this by waving his arm and saying, ¡°Because I was careless, I suffered quite a loss, but I have no complaints. Now that the debt has been settled, I will be taking my leave.¡± Han Li gave a salute before gloomily leaving the building.


    The old Daoist glanced at Han Li¡¯s departing figure and shook his head with closed eyes. He then nodded his head and excitedly placed the pile of gems into his storage pouch. He had managed to trade some unusable puppet designs for so many soul stones. It was only natural for him to feel satisfied. With these soul stones, he will be able complete those half finished puppets. However, the old Daoist was truly shocked to see Han Li take out so many soul stones and couldn¡¯t help but think higher of him.


    Unbeknownst to the old Daoist, Han Li¡¯s gloomy expression had completely disappeared when he walked several streets away. Instead, he was holding onto the white jade slip with a strange smile on his face.


    While ten thousand year old Ironwood would prove difficult for others to acquire, it would only take Han Li a bit of time. As for the supposedly unknown materials, they seemed to be salvageable from the remains of the puppets he found in Heavenvoid Hall if he remembered correctly.


    If luck would have it, he should be able to gather the materials needed to create several high grade puppets. With strength rivalling Nascent Soul cultivators, these puppets would increase his combat power severalfold. His previously obsolete puppet techniques were about to once again become one of his killing moves.


    Furthermore, the jade slip also contained several designs for puppets that were equivalent to of Core Formation cultivators. Although they could be considered rare, they were still purchasable with large quantities of spirit stones. These weaker puppets might not pose a threat to Nascent Soul cultivators when in small groups, but if he were to create several hundreds of them they would have the power to force a Nascent Soul cultivator to dodge.


    However, these were simply musings. Even the lowest grade puppet designs had a cost equivalent to common magic treasures. Creating several tens of them, not to mention several hundred, was something that Han Li couldn¡¯t afford at the moment.


    Refining several hundred of the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s grade three puppets had nearly bankrupted him. Even after selling off most of his demon beast materials at the time, he was still barely able to afford them. The cost of the Nascent Soul level puppets paled even more in comparison. Han Li wryly smiled at the thought and gained his bearings before heading towards the city¡¯s west gate.


    Although the day was already late, it made no difference to him whether or not the sun was shining. As such, he decided that it was still a good time to seek out the owner of the Auric Essence.


    ¡­


    With the official start of the trade fair, cultivators from various regions of the Heavenly South Continent now crowded the city. On the start of the second day, auction houses began to start accepting bids on various valuables. The rare goods that were displayed attracted the eyes of many wealthy cultivators.


    A middle-aged cultivator standing at the very front of the hall wore a wide smile on his face and said, ¡°The chunk of Auric Essence is sold to this Fellow Daoist for seven hundred sixty thousand spirit stones.¡±


    There was an emerald tray sitting on top of a red wood table which had a walnut-sized piece of faint gold ore that appeared entirely unremarkable.


    Afterwards, a silver-robed cultivator excitedly walked forward and handed over the spirit stones before acquiring the Auric Essence.


    Sitting in the audience, Han Li simply sighed before taking his leave from the auction hall. Although the following items that were to be auctioned were even more precious, he had little desire for them.


    On that night, he was able to easily find the owner of the Auric Essence with his spiritual sense. However, the owner would only exchange it for a grade seven demon beast egg or a legendary treasure refinement material named Divine Unity Paste. Possessing neither, Han Li could only depart in disappointment.


    But from what was said, Han Li realized that he only possessed enough Auric Essence to temper seven of his swords.


    But despite this, Han Li had still participated in the auction for the Auric Essence. But once the price exceeded five hundred thousand spirit stones, Han Li had completely given up. It seemed it would still be quite a while before he could complete the Aureate Sword Formation.


    Having left the auction, Han Li went around the city, buying supplementary materials for puppet refinement. After he finished, he headed towards a corner of the city.


    He recalled what Marquis Nanlong had previously said. As it was already the fourth day of the trade fair, he curiously headed towards the location mentioned in the jade slip.


    After Han Li swept the surroundings with his spiritual sense, he stood in front of a stone building with an ordinary appearance. He approached the door, and it opened before he even knocked on it.


    A long-bearded, purple-robed man wearing a jade crown then walked out of the building.


    Marquis Nanlong spoke rather enthusiastically, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve arrived. Let me introduce you to our associates.¡±

 Chapter 686

    Secret Meeting


    ¡°Thank you for the trouble Marquis. And apologies for the wait!¡± After a few polite words, Han Li followed Marquis Nanlong inside.


    The building¡¯s interior was completely bare, to Han Li¡¯s shock. But after he swept his spiritual sense through the building, he discovered restriction fluctuations throughout.


    The Marquis smiled upon sensing Han Li¡¯s actions and said, ¡°This small trick of mine can¡¯t be concealed from Fellow Daoist Han of course. Please follow me.¡± He then formed an incantation gesture with his hand and flung a golden mist from his sleeve.


    With the appearance of the golden mist, the unremarkable interior flickered with white light, revealing a set of dark stone steps.


    Marquis Nanlong wordlessly descended down the stairs. Han Li frowned, but he followed him all the same.


    The stairs were rather short. After only a moment, they arrived before a small underground hall.


    There were a few moonlight stones that were softly illuminating the room.


    The hall had eight cultivators. Six of them were sitting and the other two were a man and woman pair standing together.


    When Marquis Nanlong and Han Li walked in, all of them simultaneously glanced at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± The man that was standing couldn¡¯t help but shout in shock at the sight of Han Li¡¯s appearance.


    A bright glint appeared from Han Li¡¯s eyes. His sights fell onto the face of a late Core Formation cultivator. He caught sight of a deeply familiar silver mask. After a moment of shock, Han Li sneered.


    That man was the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, Wang Chan, who had pursued him in the past [1]. He had the same silver mask, but the youthful rage contained in his eyes was replaced with an varied arrangement of emotions.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d see an old friend here. What a surprise!¡±


    ¡°How is this possible? You¡­ You condensed a Nascent Soul?¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master voice was hoarser than from his youth, but the terror in his voice was unmistakable.


    The black-robed, middle-aged scholar sitting in front of him coldly asked, ¡°What the matter? You recognize this Fellow Daoist?¡±


    ¡°Second Uncle, this person is the Yellow Maple Cultivator surnamed Han. During that year, he¡­¡±


    The middle-aged scholar revealed a trace of shock, but he frowned and decisively said, ¡°There is no need to speak of it. Fellow Daoist Han is already a Nascent Sou cultivator. He won¡¯t bring himself down to a junior¡¯s level.¡±


    He then gently smiled at Han Li and amiably said, ¡°I am the Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiangu. My nephew had an overexaggerated opinion of his own abilities in the past and had committed many offenses, but I hope Fellow Daoist Han will overlook these matters for my sake.¡±


    ¡°Those matters with Fellow Daoist Wang is merely a matter of the past. With so many years gone by, how could I still bear a grudge? Your esteemed self need not worry!¡±


    Han Li glanced at the black-robed man and smiled as if he truly planned to let bygones be bygones. However, Han Li inwardly sneered. The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master had nearly taken his life two times, forcing him to take the risk of leaving the Heavenly South. How could such hatred be easily resolved?


    Were it not for the many Nascent Soul cultivators present, and the Ghost Spirit Sect Master in particular, he would¡¯ve immediately taken Wang Chan¡¯s life. For now, all he could do was examine the others and see whether or not they were Devil Dao cultivators. If he didn¡¯t keep his grudge in check, it was possible that he would be surrounded.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong took the opportunity to cut in, ¡°Hehe, so it turned out that Fellow Daoist was from Yellow Maple Valley. I originally believed you came from the Drifting Cloud Sect. However, it is great that Fellow Daoist was able to let go of this old enmity. After all, I¡¯m sure that everyone I¡¯ve invited doesn¡¯t wish to see such an unhappy affair occur.¡±


    Wang Tiangu smiled, but as one of shrewd mind, he wasn¡¯t about to easily believe Han Li¡¯s words. He then nodded and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s open heart has truly earned my admiration. Be completely at ease Fellow Daoist Han. When I return I will most certainly punish my nephew. But for Fellow Daoist Han to have climbed from Foundation Establishment stage to Nascent Soul stage in a mere two hundred years, that is quite unbelievable. Perhaps in a few more


    hundred years, it may be possible for Fellow Daoist to reach late Nascent Soul stage. As the rest of our aptitudes are poor, it is a rather unattainable goal.¡±


    Once that was said, all of the other cultivators present has vastly changed expressions.


    Han Li inwardly cursed and felt bone aching hatred towards the Ghost Spirit Sect Master. This clear word of praise intended to mark a target on him.


    After a long moment of silence, a tan man asked with an odd tone, ¡°Fellow Daoist hasn¡¯t yet


    reached three hundred years of age?¡±


    ¡°Sect Master Wang must be joking. I¡¯ve only recently entered Nascent Soul stage. How could I dare to have high hopes of achieving late Nascent Soul stage? It would take countless years.¡± Han Li casually touched on the matter before sweeping his gaze past everyone in the room.


    At that moment, he discovered that there was an amazingly beautiful late Core Formation woman standing at Wang Chan¡¯s side. She was also standing behind Wang Tiangu.


    The woman¡¯s calm appearance suggested that she was an exceptional character. He had heard the the top clan in the State of Yue, the Yan Clan, had secretly left the country to immediately join the Ghost Spirit Sect. Additionally, this woman Yan Ruyan had married Wang Chan and possessed Heavenly Spirit Roots. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but suspect this woman was her.


    As for the six that were seated, they were all Nascent Soul cultivators. The only one that was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator apart from the Marquis was a white-clothed beardless old man.


    After taking several more glances at those present, Han Li¡¯s gaze met the old man¡¯s and he


    immediately shivered. His gaze contained a penetrating and chilling cold. However, Han Li had casually turned his head and avoided his gaze.


    When the old man saw this, he faintly smiled.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong called out for Han Li to sit down. Without any hesitation, Han Li found an empty seat and sat down with undue deliberation. Afterwards, he glanced at Wang Chan with a mysterious gaze.


    Although the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect was full of terror, he managed to keep a calm exterior in the presence of Wang Tiangu. Regardless, he still felt immense trepidation at what Han Li¡¯s eyes seemed to suggest.


    In the past, their cultivation were a match, but his current jump to Nascent Soul stage was much cause of resentment and alarm. As of Yan Ruyan, she glanced at Han Li with bright eyes. It was unknown what she was thinking.


    Once Han Li saw this, he sneered before paying them no further heed.


    As the group¡¯s leader, Marquis Nanlong stood at their center and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°There are Fellow Daoists that are from the Righteous Dao, Devilish Dao, and there are even a few vagrant cultivators among you. However, you are all similar in which your spiritual senses are exceptionally vast. It is for that reason that I¡¯ve asked all you Fellow Daoists to come here today.


    A portion of you should already have a general idea of the matter, but a majority should be ignorant of the matter. I will be giving a thorough briefing on the matter before everyone can decide to participate in the matter. If you are unwilling, I will not force you.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his spirits were roused. The heart of the matter has finally arrived.


    A stern-faced cultivator sitting across from the black-robed man suddenly said, ¡°Hehe! I don¡¯t care about the others, but why are those two Ghost Spirit Sect Juniors here? Don¡¯t tell me that their spiritual senses are a match with ours.¡± At that same moment, he gave a hostile glance at Wang Tiangu as if they were enemies.


    The Marquis predicted this would happen and spoke as if he already had an answer, ¡°Fellow Daoist Long, you will have to overlook it. Although their cultivation isn¡¯t very high, they are proficient in secret techniques. When they later join their spiritual senses with ours, they will provide a significant boost. You should know that it is difficult to find cultivators with spiritual senses as powerful as ours, regardless of how their spiritual sense became so strong.¡±


    The stern-faced cultivator expressionlessly replied, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, pretend I never said anything!¡±


    The other cultivators had no complaints and glanced at Marquis Nanlong, waiting for him to start.


    Marquis slowly swept his eyes past everyone present and slowly said, ¡°The reason I¡¯ve gathered everyone here is for the purpose of traveling to the Moulan Plains.¡±


    ¡°The Moulan Plains?¡± Marquis Nanlong¡¯s words came as a large surprise to most of those present, Han Li included.


    [1] Wang Chan was last seen in chapter 363, and had tormented Han Li several times in the past.

 Chapter 687

    Cang Kuns Buried Treasure


    ¡°Brother Nanlong, did you speak correctly? The Moulan Plains?¡± The stern-faced cultivator frowned, speaking as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he had heard.


    The other cultivators didn¡¯t fare much better. But since all of them were old eccentrics that had faced countless hardships, they were able to preserve their calm in spite of their turbulent emotions as they waited for Marquis Nanlong¡¯s reply.


    Marquis Nanlong calmly explained, ¡°Fellow Daoist misunderstands. I didn¡¯t mean that we would head deep into the Moulan Plains, merely fifty kilometers within its borders.¡±


    The stern-face cultivator shook his head as if greatly fearful of the idea, ¡°That is still extremely dangerous. The Moulan Tribes have been honing their strength for many years already, and have become restless. The edge of the Moulan Plains has already become a danger zone. I fear that many Nascent Soul level spell warriors will be gathered there. Although only a few of those spell warriors possessed a magic treasure, their cultivation is still on par with ours. Additionally, their spirit techniques are not only vastly powerful, but they are extremely adaptable as well. If we were discovered, it would be difficult to escape unharmed.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong sullenly said, ¡°Of course I know how difficult they are. In the past, I fought against a Nascent Soul spell warrior for three entire days. Although his cultivation was on par with mine and his magic treasure was greatly inferior, the battle had ended in stalemate.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there must be an important reason why Fellow Daoist intends to go there. Why else would Brother Nanlong brave such danger?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Brother Wang truly understands me. Have any of you Fellow Daoists of the name of Master Cang Kun?¡±


    A bright glint flickered form the eyes of the old woman that had yet to speak, ¡°Master Cang Kun! Wasn¡¯t that the mad cultivator that suppressed both the Righteous and Devilish Dao five thousand years ago?¡±


    With an odd expression, the Marquis said with a strange voice, ¡°Lady Tai is correct. It was that madman that wreaked havoc against both the Righteous and Devilish Dao in the past. Although no one had officially concede this, the daring mad cultivator was definitely the greatest vagrant cultivator during that time. He had profound abilities swept past many fearsome opponents in the Heavenly South. Even the great elder of the Harmonious Bond Sect and the Righteous Dao Alliance Leader, the number one figures of both sides at the time, didn¡¯t dare to say that they could prevail against the mad cultivator.¡±


    Wang Tiangu asked with an odd expression, ¡°So Fellow Daoist Nanlong means to say that this matter is related to the mad cultivator?¡±


    The Marquis heavily said, ¡°Hehe! It is as Brother Wang says. We will be heading to where Master Cang Kun died. It is a meticulously hidden cave residence.¡±


    The old woman strongly shook her head in disbelief, ¡°Impossible! Wasn¡¯t that madman killed after being surrounded by many of his enemies?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong simply smiled and was give an explanation when the other mid Nascent Soul cultivator, the white-clothed old man, suddenly said, ¡°Master Cang Kun wasn¡¯t killed by the attack. Rather he was forced to self detonate two of his puppet incarnations to create the opportunity to escape. The cultivators who surrounded him were none the wiser and had believed that one of the incarnations was his true body. However, the battle had greatly injured Master Cang Kun¡¯s vitality and it was extremely difficult for him to restore his abilities.


    ¡°As a result, he spent several years there in recover, and his original cave residence disappeared alongside any messages. It was only when Fellow Daoist Nanlong and I recently discovered his place of death that we came across this knowledge from a remnant message. Once Master Cang Kun disappeared, he braved Devilfall Valley and was the very first person to make it out alive.¡±


    The old woman sharply yelled with an expression of excitement, ¡°He returned from Devilfall Valley alive? How is that possible?!¡±


    All of those that heard the story felt their breathes turn cold. For a moment, they were both shocked by this information and were pondering the validity of these claims. For a time, they couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other in dismay.


    The tanned cultivator pondered for a moment before asking with a sneer, ¡°Even if this matter was true, what does it have to do with the Moulan Plains? Don¡¯t tell me that Master Cang Kun buried the treasures he acquired from Devilfall Valley inside this hidden cave residence?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong twirled his beard and expressionlessly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Bing¡¯s words are mostly correct. According to what was left behind at Master Qian Kun¡¯s place of death, he stayed at Devilfall Valley for several years, but not long after, he met death in meditation. He possibly relapsed from his old injuries or acquired new injuries from Devilfall Valley, but either way, he should¡¯ve brought many treasures out from Devilfall Valley. Treasures that caught the fancy of the greatest vagrant cultivator of that era is no small matter. Furthermore, from his capabilities to suppress crowds of cultivators as a vagrant cultivator, he must¡¯ve possessed extraordinary secret arts and magic treasures. Are you still be unwilling to head into the Moulan Plains?¡±


    The white-clothed old man calmly added, ¡°As a group of many Nascent Soul cultivators, common spell warriors will not be able to block us. Moreover, if the worst occurs, we will simply break through their enclosures separately. If you are unwilling to risk this amount of danger, please do not force yourselves to join. We will find others to go instead.¡±


    Once that was said, the other cultivators began to wear expressions of hesitations. Han Li suddenly said, ¡°There is something that puzzles me. Since you two know where the treasure is, why have you sought us out in particular, those with particularly strong spiritual senses? Could it be related to how well hidden the cave residence is?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong revealed a helpless expression and said, ¡°I was just about to explain that in a moment. If we could acquire the treasure by ourselves, we¡¯d be able to monopolize the treasure. However, we were able to find the cave residence after much searching when the two of us snuck off to the Moulan Plains. Unfortunately, the cave residence is surrounded by a marvelous ancient spell formation. Despite our best efforts we were unable to break through it. Of course, we didn¡¯t dare to linger too long as we were still in the Moulan Plains. We committed the spell formation¡¯s characteristics to memory and returned to the Heavenly South. After searching through various records on spell formations, we eventually discovered the ancient spell formation was the ¡®Wondrous Soul Restriction¡¯ which was thought to be lost with time.¡±


    Wang Tiangu revealed amazement, ¡°Wondrous Soul Restriction! Is that not one of the ten great ancient restrictions? How could it be there?¡±


    A majority of cultivators hadn¡¯t heard of the spell formation before, but their hearts trembled upon hearing the Ghost Spirit Sect Master. Anything from the ten great ancient restrictions would absolutely be difficult to dissolve.


    A trace of astonishment flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes, but it soon disappeared.


    The Marquis was somewhat surprised that Wang Tiangu knew of this. After exchanging a glance with the white-clothed old man, he smiled and offered a word of praise, ¡°I had already heard of Brother Wang¡¯s grand reputation as a master of formation spells. To know of such an obscure ancient formation, I see that his reputation was well deserved.¡±


    Wang Tiangu seemed to realize something and politely declined to speak, ¡°Brother Nanlong, please continue. I¡¯ve only heard of its name and know nothing of how to dissolve it. The matter is completely unfamiliar to me.¡±


    When the white-clothed old man saw this, he gave a rare smile and he directly said, ¡°We spent several years after our discovery researching the method of breaking through the restriction. We either had to whittle it away with brute force or find eight cultivators with powerful spiritual sense capable of manifested spiritual sense to dissolve the restriction.


    Forcefully breaking through the restriction definitely wouldn¡¯t do. Ancient restrictions were extraordinarily profound. Even if we were to violently attack the formation without end for several months, it may not be enough to break it. Of course, there would be no way we would so boldly display such actions inside the Moulan Plains! If we were to dissolve it with manifested spiritual sense, it would only take a day to breakthrough so long as all of your abilities are sufficiently powerful.¡±


    The cultivators in the hall now understood why they were all called together.


    Perhaps other mid Nascent Soul cultivators would possess stronger spiritual sense and be more suitable for breaking the restrictions, but the two clearly didn¡¯t wish for other powerful cultivators to join them in fear that they would be betrayed. After all, while two mid Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to win against the early Nascent Soul cultivators, they would be able to force a stalemate, if just barely.


    Regardless, all of the cultivators present in the hall each felt rather excited at the thoughts of treasures from Devilfall Valley.


    Although it would be dangerous to enter the edge of the Moulan Plains, the danger was insignificant in comparison to what there was to be gained. This was an opportunity that was seldom seen but often sought.


    Marquis Nanlong confirmed their participation and revealed a genuine smile upon seeing that no one had backed down.


    ¡°There is still something I must make clear to you all. If we are successful and are able to truly enter the cave residence, Brother Yun and I will have first pick. Then we will split the remaining treasures evenly. Any objections?¡±

 Chapter 688

    Danger in the Wildlands


    The others didn¡¯t find it strange for Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man surnamed Yun to have first pick. Since they were both the founders of this expedition and had the deepest cultivation, it was natural for them to have a larger share of the treasure.


    In order to prevent any unexpected matters from occurring, the group immediately agreed to the plan. The group would set off in two days, before the end of the trade fair. After taking a heart demon oath to not divulge this information, the meeting was concluded.


    Han Li noticed that the Marquis and the old man surnamed Yun appeared rather confident as if they weren¡¯t fearful that the early Nascent Soul cultivators would perform any petty tricks. Considering the location and method to break the spell restrictions were only known to them in addition to their shrewdness and abilities, it was likely that the others wouldn¡¯t think of any dirty schemes.


    Of course, Han Li also agreed with this reasoning.


    Ever since Han Li reached Nascent Soul stage, his cultivation for the Azure Essence Sword Arts was excruciatingly slow due to a lack of suitable medicine pills. Han Li reckoned that if if he were to bitterly cultivate for three hundred years, he still wouldn¡¯t reach the peak of early Nascent Soul stage.


    As for whether or not he would be able to reach mid Nascent Soul stage, that would simply be a matter of luck, not aptitude. Nascent Soul cultivators that managed to reach this far were all people with exceptional aptitude.


    According to Han Li¡¯s original plans, he would¡¯ve diligently cultivated for over a hundred years once the trade fair concluded. Once he made some progress with his cultivation art, he would immediately leave his cave residence and find a few ancient cultivator ruins or some land rich with natural treasures. It was only like this he would find an opportunity to progress to the next stage of cultivation. But now that Han Li had heard of the treasures of the renowned Devilfall Valley, Han Li couldn¡¯t possibly let them go. This was perhaps the opportunity he needed.


    The others likely shared the same thoughts.


    These old Nascent Soul eccentrics were stuck at early Nascent Soul stage for countless years. There was no possibility they would renounce such an opportune breakthrough. The techniques and medicine pills were certain to be significant.


    Of course, since the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s young master was travelling with them, if there was an opportunity to kill him on the way, Han Li wouldn¡¯t hold himself back. Even if Wang Tiangu witnessed it, what would change? The Devil Dao and the Heavenly Dao Alliance were already enemies.


    As killing intent filled Han Li¡¯s mind, he walked down the azure stone road back to his own residence.


    But unbeknownst to him, Wang Tiangu was calmly walking down an alley several streets away with Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan silently following after him.


    ¡°Once we return, clearly explain any grudges that are held between the two of you. It seems this person has yet to release his hatred towards you. In the future, you both must not stray too far from my side in order to prevent any ambushes.¡±


    Wang Chan respectfully replied, ¡°Yes, Second Uncle. I didn¡¯t think that from an ill considered action from the past, this nephew would create such a large enemy for you. In such a short amount of time, he was able to breakthrough the bottlenecks of both Core Formation and Nascent Soul stage. It was far beyond what I could¡¯ve predicted.¡± He seemed to grow depressed at the thought of Han Li having already condensed a Nascent Soul.


    Wang Tiangu coldly smiled, ¡°Humph! These is no need for you to be so discouraged. With the Blood Spirit Arts¡¯ supreme might, there is no need to fear that youngster when the two of you join hands. So long as you breakthrough to the seventh layer of the cultivation art, you and Ruyan will be able to condense a Nascent Soul together. It will be hard to say who will be troubled then! However, you two had best be careful on this trip to the Moulan Plains. Even if I am truly busy and cannot stay by your side, you two must stay together. With your combined strength, you will definitely be able to defend yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for Second Uncle¡¯s advice!¡± Wang Chan was greatly relieved by his uncle¡¯s words and felt much more at ease.


    ¡°Hehe! Of your brothers, I think highest of you. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have brought you to this trade fair alone. However, that cultivator was originally a Yellow Maple Valley cultivator. The old ghost Linghu also personally made a trip to this trade fair. Could they have a connection with each other?¡± Wang Tiangu muttered to himself. His voice lowered as if he felt trepidation towards the Yellow Maple Valley Ancestor.


    Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan looked at each other in bewilderment.


    When Han Li returned to his residence, he slept for the night and spent the entirety of the next day hurriedly purchasing the materials he required. Afterwards, he repeatedly warned Mu Peiling to be careful and particularly requested Lu Luo to accompany her.


    When Lu Luo heard that Han Li was about to hastily leave before the end of the trade fair, he felt amazed. However, he didn¡¯t ask for a detailed explanation. He agreed in a single breath, leaving Han Li with a rather favorable impression towards him.


    For the remainder of the day, Han Li spent his time at his residence in meditation.


    It was only when the appointed time had drew near that Han Li departed from the pavilion and set off to a small mountain five hundred kilometers south of Soaring Heavens City.


    Six hours later, he and the others had all arrived. The three from the Ghost Spirit Sect were the last to arrive.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt his heart stir.


    As soon as Marquis Nanlong said, ¡°We go!¡±, the group of nine silently departed south towards the Moulan Plains.


    The State of Yu was the country of the Nine Nations Union closest to the Moulan Plains, but there wasn¡¯t truly a border between them. There was five thousand kilometers of desert wilderness separating the two. This area had very little vegetation and clouds of yellow sand eternally blowing through the air. It was the battlefield where the Nine Nations Union and the Moulan spell warriors fought. It was unknown how many cultivators had died in this barren wasteland.


    Even when official battles weren¡¯t taking place, the wasteland were exceptionally dangerous. There were many other reasons why cultivators on both sides ended up wandering the desert.


    There were those that were brazenly killing one another for their treasures. There were those that were fighting on the frontlines in order to breakthrough their cultivation bottlenecks. Regardless of their reasons, they all shared something in common: they all had the confidence that they would be able to prevail over cultivators of similar grade. Most of these cultivators were at Foundation Establishment stage with a few Core Formation cultivators mixed among them.


    Each time a Core Formation cultivator appeared, the lower grade cultivators immediately kept their distance in fear that they would be caught in the crossfire.


    As for Nascent Soul grade cultivators, they wouldn¡¯t easily make an appearance in a small scale battle such as this one. That was why the Marquis¡¯ group weren¡¯t particularly vigilant when crossing through this area.


    The distance of five thousand kilometers was something that was easily traversed in less than a day for a Nascent Soul cultivator. That was why the cultivators traveled at a relaxed pace. With Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man leading the way, the rest of the party followed after them in a scattered manner.


    They had passed by many low-grade cultivators along the way, completely unnoticed.


    However, just as the party flew out for an hour, the white-clothed old man suddenly stopped.


    Marquis Nanlong asked with surprise, ¡°Brother Yun, what happened?¡± He had been taking turns with the white-clothed old man to keep a lookout with their spiritual sense.


    The old man surnamed Yun narrowed his eyes and solemnly said, ¡°There is a huge gale ahead of us. It is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°A huge gale? What do you mean? Isn¡¯t a bit of wind normal?¡± Marquis Nanlong bafflingly asked. He then released his spiritual sense and probed the distance ahead of them.


    Han Li and the others had clearly heard their words. After clearly hearing them, the party glanced at each other and released their own spiritual senses.


    Although they had yet to truly enter the Moulan Plains, it was better to be careful. As they were all individuals with powerful spiritual senses, they may as well probe the situation themselves instead of relying on the word of another. As a result, each of them wore a bewildered expression.


    The old woman sullenly said, ¡°That wind isn¡¯t merely suspicious. There is certainly something wrong with it. Such a gale cannot naturally occur.¡±

 Chapter 689

    The Appearance of Spell Warriors


    Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense discovered that there was a yellow gale surging across the horizon. It was over three hundred meters tall and carried both stone and sand. It was truly malevolent as if an evil dragon had sprung from the earth.


    But since his spiritual sense was nearly on par with late Nascent Soul cultivators, he was able extend his spiritual sense part the fifty kilometer range of the other cultivators. With the Great Development Technique circulating through his body, his spiritual sense condensed and entered the sandstorm.


    However, his spiritual sense grew dim after entering the sandstorm. He was only able to immerse his spiritual sense three hundred meters into the storm, but he was unable to see anything.


    Marquis Nanlong grimaced and said, ¡°Impressive. This should be the Moulan¡¯s Wind Spirit Technique! When I had fought against a spell warrior in the past, they had used this world enveloping spirit technique. Once it is deployed, it is capable of block any probing and its violent sandstorm is capable of self protection and trapping enemies. It is truly troublesome. However, I¡¯ve never seen it at such an astonishing scale. It seems thousands of times greater in scope. Strange.¡±


    ¡°A Moulan spirit technique?¡± The others¡¯ expressions changed upon hearing him.


    Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan both paled upuon hearing this. But since they had the weakest cultivation in the party, they didn¡¯t dare to speak out of place.


    The white-clothed old man solemnly said, ¡°Brother Nanlong speaks true. Only spirit techniques are able to create such astonishing sandstorms. Moreover, from the might of the spirit technique, there are certain to be many spell warriors contained within it. We will not be able to breakthrough them with the strength of our current party.¡±


    The old woman bewilderedly asked, ¡°How is that possible? Why has the Moulan suddenly dispatched so many spell warriors?¡±


    ¡°Lady Tai, when was the last time we had ceasefire with the Moulan?¡± Wang Tiangu asked with an odd expression.


    ¡°It should¡¯ve been about a hundred years ago. Does Brother Wang mean¡­¡± The old woman seemed to suddenly realize something.


    Wang Tiangu wryly smiled and insipidly said, ¡°About a hundred years ago¡­ That should¡¯ve been enough time for the Moulan to gather their strength.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong wore an expression of helplessness and softly said,¡±Brother Wang speaks true. It should be time for the start of another war. Who knows how many cultivators will fall this time. But as chance would have it, we¡¯ve run into the Moulan vanguard.¡±


    The white-clothed old man sullenly said, ¡°There are truly too many coincidences in this world, so this matter isn¡¯t too shocking. However, we only have two options. We can return and avoid our encounter with the Moulan vanguard, biding our time for a more opportune moment to look for the treasure. After all, the treasure won¡¯t be going anywhere, but the Moulan assault will certainly last for many years. We will not be able to return to the treasure in a short amount of time. Additionally, the world is constantly changing. It will be difficult to gather everyone once more after so much time had passed.¡±


    The old woman shook her head and said, ¡°There is no need to even consider it. We should definitely take the second option and break through the winds. However, the risk is truly too great. If there are only fearsome old ghosts lying within the sandstorm. It would be difficult for us to succeed. Could it be that there is no way of avoiding them?


    The old man muttered to himself for a moment before solemnly saying, ¡°I fear it is too late. If the Moulan fully commit to their attack, it won¡¯t just be a vanguard. Even if we go around, we will still encounter them. But if it is just a matter of retaining our concealment as we enter, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem if we sneak past their sides. So long as we get past the Moulan vanguard, we will be able to evade the main force of spell warriors with enough time. Then we will be able to do as we please in the defenseless Moulan Plains and allow us to make off with the treasure without any worries.¡±


    The others discussed the old man¡¯s proposal and felt that it was the only option. After all, it would take many more years before this opportunity arose once more if it were given up now. Of course, retreat couldn¡¯t even be considered if they weren¡¯t Nascent Soul cultivators. Their lifespans wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure the wait.


    Of course, before heading into the Moulan Plains, they each sent letter talismans to the closest Nine Nations Union stronghold to prevent them from being caught unprepared for the upcoming Moulan attack. This was considered something of an obligation given that they were cultivators of the Heavenly South.


    Afterwards, the party of nine restrained their aura and concealed themselves as they stealthily flew off to the side, wishing to avoid the center of the sandstorm where the winds blew the most fierce.


    Because Wang Chang and Yan Ruyan possessed weaker cultivation, Wang Tiangu had paid them particular consideration and covered them in a huge light barrier. A moment later, they disappeared from Han Li¡¯s sight.


    But when Han Li saw this, he sneered. With is spiritual sense, Wang Tiangu and his juniors couldn¡¯t possibly escape his notice.


    The dense sandstorm closed the fifty kilometer gap in an instant. It carried a faint pressure similar to that of demons. Before the sandstorm had arrived, tornados began to cut through the earth as they led the way. Fortunately, they had kept their distance from the center and were able to avoid the tornados as they swept past them.


    The larger tornadoes were over a thirty meters wide and while the smaller ones were only about ten meters wide. They each seemed to contain several spell warriors.


    Han Li remained hidden in close proximity to them and was able to clearly sense them with his spiritual sense. The blurred, vague silhouettes within the tornadoes hadn¡¯t discovered Han Li and company. They simply continued on their way.


    Under the cold gaze of Han Li and company, they watched the spell warriors quietly go on their way.


    Closely following after the tornadoes was the tremendous sandstorm. Standing at the very front, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression changed as he warned the party with a voice transmission, ¡°Not good! Be careful at the side!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his face revealed alarm.


    A huge tornado that was about three hundred meters wide and unfathomably tall was tearing towards them from a distance. Such a huge tornado was certain to be controlled by many spell warriors. Could it be that someone had discovered them?


    Han Li took a deep breath and couldn¡¯t help but awaken his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. Although he had long heard of the grand reputation of spell warriors, he had never personally witnessed their might. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to look forwards to this under the current circumstances.


    The others were glancing at the huge tornado with vigilant expression. There were those that had hands glowing with faint light and those that had already prepared their magic treasures.


    However, the huge tornado had swept close by them as if they hadn¡¯t detected them, much to the relief of Marquis Nanlong and the rest of the party.


    After a short delay, the vast sandstorm immersed all of them and their surroundings became dense with dark yellow. It was a rather stifling atmosphere.


    Marquis Nanlong calmly shouted, ¡°Be on guard. This sandstorm is strange. Do not release your spiritual sense and don¡¯t stray too far either.¡±


    Although the party members were able to easily disperse of the sand, it would reveal their movements. Fortunately, the yellow sand quickly blew past them quickly, providing them the cover they needed to carefully move forward close together.


    However, after the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li felt that their was something amiss as he monotonously swept his gaze around.


    Suddenly, Han Li blurred and he reappeared floating in the air.


    Han Li¡¯s sudden actions came as a shock to the rest of the party.


    The old woman frowned and annoyedly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, why did you stop?¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly said, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that something is amiss?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The tan man blurred and he reappeared at Han Li¡¯s side.


    When Wang Tiangu and the white-clothed old man heard this, they glanced at each other for a moment before revealing an expression of bewilderment.


    With an unsightly expression, Han Li said, ¡°You Fellow Daoists should¡¯ve been able to sense it without having me to say it. How is it that we¡¯ve been in this sandstorm for so long and we¡¯ve yet to encounter even a single spell warrior? Don¡¯t tell me that the spell warriors have all gathered at the center of the sandstorm. Our surroundings have yet to change as well! You should all know what this means!¡±


    The tan man wore an unsightly expression and muttered, ¡°There is someone that secretly used a restriction against us.¡± His eyes brightly glinted as he swept past his surroundings.


    After a moment of silence, Marquis Nanlong nodded his head and sullenly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han should be telling the truth. I also feel that something is strange. It seems we¡¯ve been truly detected and they¡¯ve used a technique to deal with it. A fight is unavoidable!¡±

 Chapter 690

    Grand Sage


    The other cultivators remained calm after hearing this. Each of them realized that spell restrictions were used to trap them because the enemy lacked the forces to engage them. However, they couldn¡¯t remained trapped for too long, else the Moulan¡¯s reinforcements would arrive.


    The Nascent Soul cultivators each began to flicker with light, making full use of their abilities as they began to strike the restrictions surrounding them. As Han Li remained in the air, he waved his arm in passing, releasing three streaks of azure light from his hand. An instant later, the three streaks of azure light flew off into the distant winds of sand.


    Rippling fluctuations began to appear under their strikes. In a flicker of yellow light, the restrictions began to tear as if they were made of thin paper.


    The others were shocked at how easy this was. When Han Li saw this, his expression greatly changed and he hurriedly flew forward through the gap that opened. It was quite ordinary for a hastily placed restriction to be easily struck down. There was no need for hesitation.


    Han Li¡¯s blunt and sudden actions had shocked the others. But they immediately understood and closely followed after him.


    Once they escaped, they still found themselves in winds filled with sand, but the stifling sensation of the restriction could no longer be felt. Han Li felt some relief from this and swept his spiritual sense around, wishing to regain his bearings before taking further action.


    But at that moment, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and his eyes narrowed. As he motionlessly floated in the air, he stared off into a certain direction of the sand. His eyes pulsed with faint blue light in a demonic display. A moment later, his expression returned to normal.


    As Marquis Nanlong caught up to Han Li, he noticed that Han Li was motionless. He bewilderedly swept his spiritual sense in the direction that Han Li was looking, and he discovered nothing strange. He bafflingly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what are you doing?¡±


    Han Li turned his head towards the Marquis and calmly said, ¡°Nothing, I was only pondering. Which direction should we go?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to make use of our spiritual sense in this cursed sandstorm, and the naked eye is hardly any better for making a decision. But just as it so happenes, I have a star alignment treasure that is suitable for the situation.¡± Initially scoffing at being asked, Marquis Nanlong reached to his waist and took out a faint red jade disk.


    With the one hand holding at the jade disk, he formed an incantation gesture with the other. After muttering a cryptic incantation, he opened the hand with the incantation gesture and a golden light shot out from his palm, striking on of the talisman characters on the disk. The disk then began to shine with a weird red-gold light.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he took another glance at the magic treasure. There was marvelous designs made of golden starlight that shined from the plate that seemed to signify stars, the sun and moon, as well as other astrological symbols.


    Han Li was entranced by the sight of it. The others also crowded around with curious expressions.


    Marquis Nanlong wasn¡¯t bothered by this and merely concentrated on the patterns shining on the jade disk. A short moment later, he put away the treasure with a flip of his hand and briefly said, ¡°Follow me!¡± He then enveloped himself in a ball of golden light and shot off.


    The rest of the party wordlessly followed after him. They were clearly confident in the Marquis¡¯ judgement.


    In a flash of black light, Wang Tiangu enveloped Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan and brought them along. However, when he passed by Han Li, the Ghost Spirit Sect elder seemed to faintly glance at him before calmly brushing past him.


    Han Li returned the glance with a mysterious smile. He faintly saw that Wang Chan had lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to look in his direction in a rather meek fashion. On the contrary, the beautiful Yan Ruyan calmly turned her gaze towards Han Li for a short while with bright eyes before turning away.


    Han Li soon found himself at the rear of the group. But with a careless smile, his body flashed with azure light as if about to set flight. But before that, he unconsciously turned his gaze to where he glanced previously and wore an odd expression. He then coldly chuckled and flew off.


    In that instant, Han Li¡¯s figure disappeared into the sandstorm.


    A short moment after Han Li disappeared, a flash of blinding yellow light shined from where he had been looking at. A huge dark hole that suddenly appeared from the ground where a huge shiny black insect had crawled out of.


    This demon insect was astonishingly large and was about twenty meters long and twelve meters wide. Its body was in the shape of a disk. But what was most frightening about it was the dozens of dark yellow compound eyes spread on its head. There were also several slender horns on its head along with a pair of massive, incisive fangs that coldly glinted. There were also four transparent wings on its back that were gently fluttering.


    Standing on top of this dreadful demon insect were three silhouettes of varying heights. One of them shined with blinding white light and another was enveloped in a strange dark green mist, obscuring his true form. As for the last figure, their body flickered with faint blue lightning as if they were a materialized god of lightning.


    ¡°Grand Sage, are we just going to allow them to leave? Is this not bad?¡± The silhouette covered in white light glanced in the direction that Han Li¡¯s party disappeared in. His words carried a faint trace of worry.


    The green mist figure coldly snorted and icily said, ¡°How could an illusion formation possibly constrain them? Don¡¯t forget that they are mostly Nascent Soul stage cultivators, characters at the same grade as us. Even the weakest two are still late Core Formation cultivators. It is delusional to think that our Yellow Sand Tribe could hope to restrain them.¡± His temperament seemed harsh.


    ¡°But how will we deal with the Heavenly Wind Tribe¡¯s Sage Mu? He was the one who personally sent a message to have use block the group of cultivators to our greatest ability. The vanguard is under his tribe¡¯s command for the time being. He should¡¯ve already sent orders to gather the Grand Sages from the other tribes. Would it be better for us to unleash our tribe¡¯s holy protection artifact, the Devilearth Banner? Even if we can¡¯t cause the Nascent Soul cultivators much harm, it should be possible to trap them for the time being.¡± The white light silhouette raised the proposal with an anxious tone.


    The green mist figure grew furious and bluntly rebuked, ¡°Nonsense! How can we so casually use the thirty six Devilearth Banners? The ancestors of our Yellow Sand Tribe have always instructed us to never use the sacred banner unless our tribe is on the verge of extermination. And even if these cultivators were trapped for a time, given their abilities, they would certainly destroy a few of the banners. How would we respond then? Without the sacred tribe protecting artifacts, how could we steadily maintain our position in the ten great tribes? There may be even a few smaller tribes that may pry into the matter and exterminate us.¡±


    ¡°I was careless! Many thanks for Grand Sage¡¯s reminder.¡± The spell warrior within the white light hastily apologized for his offence.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve only recently become a Sage, this fault will be forgiven just this once! In any case, it¡¯s not as if we did nothing. They were simply too powerful and we were incapable of restraining them. Grand Sage Mu sure had a good idea to send our Yellow Sand Tribe to tie the intruders down. Once both sides suffered, he¡¯d conveniently arrive to finish them off and take the lion¡¯s share of the credit and loot. On the other hand, if we don¡¯t take out our tribe protecting artifacts to block them, we will be seen as harboring malicious intentions, leaving an opportunity for them to enact reprisals!¡± The Grand Sage in the green mist coldly spoke as if he had an extremely poor opinion of the Sage Mu.


    The Moulan spell warrior shrouded in lightning calmly said, ¡°I fear this is how Sage Mu intends to act. After all, our two tribes never did have a good relationship. However, we are now allied armies and aren¡¯t truly subordinate to them. Our loss of strength isn¡¯t truly something they will take to heart. Moreover, the Heavenly Wind Tribe¡¯s Wind Riding Chariot is extremely fast. It should be able to overtake the intruders. Hehe, it will be hard to say who will end up victorious! But so long as they managed to buy enough time for the main force to arrive, the Heavenly Wind Tribe will be the victors.¡±


    The Grand Sage in the green mist disagreed, ¡°Although the Wind Riding Chariot is extremely fast, by the time enough people are gathered together to use it, it will perhaps be too late.¡±


    After a moment of thought, the Grand Sage muttered, ¡°Whether or not those cultivators are caught is no concern of ours. But I am puzzled about the youth that managed to first breakthrough the formation. It seemed he discovered where our concealed hole was. How baffling. The Xumi Insect is an exotic insect from antiquity, and although its combat power isn¡¯t great, it has the innate ability to temporarily tear a crevice in space. It in an expert in concealment. Although it is still immature and the amount of time it can maintain a spacial tear is limited, it was still enough to prevent the two mid Nascent Soul cultivators from discovering us. But unexpectedly, it wasn¡¯t enough to prevent this particular early Nascent Soul cultivator from discovering us. It seems that youth is an exceptional character. If it isn¡¯t due to a particular secret technique, then it must be from an exceptionally powerful probing treasure.¡± A trace of bewilderment could be heard from the Grand Sage¡¯s voice.

 Chapter 691

    Wind Riding Chariot


    Han Li followed after Marquis Nanlong and company, flying through the sandstorm for tens of kilometers. During this time, not one spell warrior had appeared before them. It was clear that a warning was given. Han Li then recalled what he had unintentionally discovered when he broke through the restriction.


    It had been quite the coincidence. Because he was incapable of using his spiritual sense to see through the sandstorm, his only option was to channel spiritual power through his eyes and use the ability granted by the Brightsight Water. Since he had already used the Brightsight Spirit Water several times to cleanse his eyes, he may as well use this opportunity to test if it had any effect.


    The results had greatly surprised him. His spirit sight was able to clearly see through the dense sandstorm, much to his delight. However, he was also astonished to see a circular shadow within the sandstorm that was forty meters away.


    In his shock, the spiritual power faded away from his eyes and the shadow could no longer be seen. His naked eyes could now only see the sandstorm.


    He channeled his spirit sight once more and the shadow appeared once more in its original position. But this time, Han Li channeled even more spiritual power into his eyes. He was able to see the shadow slightly more distinctly and he could see silhouettes faintly swaying inside.


    Even after pouring in additional spiritual power, this was the limit of what he could see. But still, it was enough for him to clearly see through their nearby concealment. Although he didn¡¯t know what amazing ability was being used, only spell warriors would be capable of concealing themselves from Nascent Soul warriors in these parts.


    It seemed the enemy also knew that their party was quite powerful and didn¡¯t wish to fight to the bitter end, instead opting to keep watch on them. As such, Han Li didn¡¯t reveal their location and left in feigned ignorance. Since these people weren¡¯t brave to begin with, they wouldn¡¯t obstruct him later on.


    Once Han Li¡¯s party left the yellow sandstorm, they immediately flew off in bursts of light and tore through the skies at their top speed. Although they had managed to shake off the spell warrior vanguard, their main force would soon be arriving. If they didn¡¯t make it out of the sandy wasteland, their lives would be put at risk.


    Not only would there be high grade cultivators from the main army to match them, but there would also be countless spell warriors wearing them down. Therefore, Marquis Nanlong and the others were all wordlessly flying as quickly as possible.


    With their deep cultivation and fantastical speed, they were able to spot a faint trace of green off the horizon in less than half a day of flight. They had finally reached the edge of the Moulan Plains.


    Marquis Nanlong let out a long sigh and smiled, ¡°Good. We can finally relax. We¡¯ve managed to make it through without any mishap.¡±


    He slowed his speed. After such a long period of prolonged high-speed flight, they had consumed large quantities of magic power. Even if he could manage to bear through it, the others certainly wouldn¡¯t fare any better.


    The tan cultivator sighed with relief, ¡°Yes, since we¡¯ve managed to reach so far without any mishap, they shouldn¡¯t be able to catch us no matter how desperate they may be.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lower your guard! There are formidable characters amongst the spell warriors, who possess unfathomable abilities. We¡­ Yi!¡± The white-haired old man cut off his own words with a yelp and he suspiciously glanced behind him.


    Han Li felt his heart thump. Just as he was about to ask the old man a question, he faintly heard a piercing crack from behind them.


    In an instant, the odd sound grew louder, attracting the attention of everyone in the party.


    They saw white light flickering on the horizon behind them. There was a small sphere of light that was speeding towards them with unconceivable speed.


    The white-clothed old man recognized what it was at a glance and wore an expression of furious alarm. ¡°Not good! That¡¯s the spell warriors¡¯ Wind Riding Chariot. They wouldn¡¯t dare to chase us unless that had a similar number of Nascent Soul grade spell warriors.¡±


    After sweeping his spiritual sense past them, Wang Tiangu gloomily said, ¡°There are five Nascent Soul stage spell warriors sitting inside it. It seems they don¡¯t wish to defeat us, but to tangle us down and stall for reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°We cannot allow them to tie us down. We won¡¯t be able to defeat five spell warriors in a short amount of time. Additionally, they will act together to prevent us from escaping. Scatter and use your own abilities to escape them. Here are some jade slips. Each person will take one and remember the area. In three days time, we will gather there once again.¡± Once Marquis Nanlong finished speaking, he immediately took out a few identical jade talisman and tossed them to each person. In that moment of delay, the crackling from the distant wind chariot became clearer.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, take care of yourselves. I will see you once more in three days time.¡± Marquis Nanlong then enveloped his body in golden light and shot off without delay.


    The white-clothed old man sullenly transformed into a streak of white light, and flew off in a different direction from the Marquis. As for the others, they received the jade slip and each began to scatter without delaying, making use of their own secret techniques to flee.


    The tan cultivator emitted meter tall, yellow flames from his body and directly disappeared into the earth. It seemed he was making use of an earth movement technique.


    The old woman¡¯s hand flashed with silver light and she summoned a silver crane hairpin. After breathing out a mist of spiritual Qi onto the treasure, a cloud of white crane feathers began to surround her. In a blur, the old woman unsteadily stood on top of a crane. Then with a long shriek, the white crane took off into the skies with the old woman still on its back.


    As for the stern-faced cultivator, his entire body glowed with silver light. He formed an incantation gesture with his hands and merged with an unknown treasure, transforming into a silver flood dragon before disappearing into the clouds.


    Wang Tiangu, Wang Chan, and Yan Ruyan used some unknown secret Ghost Spirit Sect technique and flew off together into a broad streak of black light. They traveled at an incredibly fast speed. In only a moment, they already became a black speck in the sky.


    Han Li was also quick to act. At nearly the same time he caught the Marquis¡¯ jade slip, his body began to glow with red light. A crimson cloak suddenly appeared on his body.


    After identifying his direction, he began to pour great amounts of spiritual power into the cloak. Then with a hum, it burst with crimson light, enveloping Han Li in a ball of light and launching him through the air. Travelling at the speed that rivalled the others, he still had the leisure to turn his head and glanced at the Wind Riding Chariot behind them.


    Although there was still quite some distance between them, Han Li was able to clearly see it with his immense spiritual sense.


    The chariot appeared truly strange. It was a completely white chariot, but there was nothing that was pulling it. In place of its wheels, it had a pair of twenty meter long dark-red wooden wings. There were talisman characters floating on it and it glowed with a rainbow light. After examining it for a moment, he shockingly discovered that the exquisite white body of the chariot was made from the bones of an unknown beast. It carried a faintly vicious aura.


    Due to the obstruction of the white light, Han Li could only vaguely make out the people sitting inside. And since he had never fought with a spell warrior before, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to rashly probe the Wind Riding Chariot. Instead, he turned his head forward and focused on controlling the crimson cape, flying directly towards the south of the Moulan Plains.


    A short moment later, Han Li and the rest of the party were over five kilometers separated from one another. When the Wind Riding Chariot arrived where the party had slip up, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take another look at it.


    The Wind Riding Chariot had stopped for the moment. In a flicker of white light, four different silhouettes left the chariot, three men and one woman. These four spell warriors gathered together and had a quick discussion before chasing four different Nascent Soul cultivators. Fortunately, none traveled in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li grew relieved at the sight, but he then inwardly shouted, ¡°Not good!¡±


    At that same moment, the Wind Riding Chariot wildly pulsed with white light and fiercely shot in Han Li¡¯s direction, releasing sharp cracks that seem to bore into the mind. As Han Li flew in the crimson light, his expression grew unsightly.


    Soon Han Li coldly snorted and his body began to emit blinding light and his speed grew faster. The crimson cloak began to also release low hums.


    A white sphere of light began to chase after the red sphere of light in the sky with a distance of five kilometers between the two.


    While the Wind Riding Chariot was astonishingly fast, Han Li¡¯s crimson cloak wasn¡¯t something to make light of. Both parties had found themselves at a deadlock for a time.


    A short moment later, the two spheres of light disappeared from the edge of the plains as they flew deeper towards the heart of the Moulan Plains.

 Chapter 692

    A Measure of Skill


    With the astonishing speed of both Han Li¡¯s crimson cloak and the Wind Riding Chariot, they deeply headed over fifty kilometers deep into the Moulan Plains.


    As Han Li pushed the crimson cloak to even greater speeds, he used his spiritual sense to sweep behind him. Surprise appeared on his face.


    He was already exercising the full might of the cloak, but not only was he unable to shake off the chariot, but it was actually able to close over half the distance between them. It was no wonder why that old man surnamed Yun had revealed shock when he saw the chariot despite being a mid Nascent Soul cultivator.


    The Wind Riding Chariot was truly a top grade flight treasure. It seemed that unless he used lightning movement or Bloodshadow Evasion, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape it.


    But ever since Han Li formed a Nascent Soul, he had yet to fight against a cultivator of the same grade. Although he had confidence in his mystical treasures, he truly had no idea where he stood amongst Nascent Soul cultivators with regard to power.


    Nascent Soul cultivators didn¡¯t take the measuring of their skill lightly. Even with the several years he stayed at the Drifting Cloud Sect, he had only discussed techniques with the two sect elders. He had yet to spar with them. And at Soaring Skies city, he merely had a contest of spiritual sense with Marquis Nanlong. It wasn¡¯t enough to gauge his true strength.


    Now that the spell warrior in the Wind Riding Chariot was chasing him, he had a suitable opponent to measure his own skill. Furthermore, he was quite interested in the spirit techniques of spell warriors. If he was able to repel or even kill the other party, it would an optimal result. But if that wasn¡¯t possible, he would be easy to use his Thunderstorm Wings to flee. Additionally, he couldn¡¯t allow the fight to take up too much time since he was located inside the Moulan Plains.


    Having quickly come to a decision, Han Li¡¯s body wildly flickered with crimson light. It immediately faded away to be replaced with a sudden eruption of azure light. At that same moment, he stopped and turned around.


    He coldly glanced at the white light that was pursuing him and swept his sleeve, releasing a swarm of several tens of azure swordlights. With a series of dull cries, they formed a densely layered formation in a display of astonishing grandeur.


    Since this was his first battle against a Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Li had no intention of being sloppy. In addition to his seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, he reached for his spirit beast pouch and tossed it into the air. A huge cloud of black-tained Gold Devouring Beetles appeared above him. With a quick incantation, they revolved once in the air before rushing towards him.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes became spirited. He waved his arms and two spell seals struck the beetle swarm. The swarm suddenly enveloped him and covered Han Li, soon to form a tri-colored armor on his body. It possessed a shining simplicity and glowed with faint azure light.


    Just as it so happened, the Wind Riding Chariot had arrived just as Han Li finished. The spell warrior inside the chariot witnessed the shocking scene of the insects turning into armor. The flying chariot slowed down, coming to a stop three hundred meters away from Han Li.


    Han Li expressionlessly glanced at him and didn¡¯t pay him any heed. Instead, he took the opportunity to spread his hands and summon a flower basket in one hand and a small bell in the other.


    Soon after, he wordlessly tossed the small bell in front of him. In a flash of silver light, the small bell instantly expanded to ten meters in width and shot towards the enemy in an overwhelming charge.


    At that same moment, Han Li inwardly commanded the seventy-two flying sword to turn into three, forming two hundred sixteen azure swordlights. As soon as Han Li uttered the command, they loudly rang and converged with sparkles of light before surging towards the opponent in a three-hundred-meter long wave of azure light. It closely followed after the silver bell as if wishing to shatter the Wind Riding Chariot in a single strike.


    The silver bell that was first released had already begun to display its might. It flew above the chariot and began to spin. With a series of continuous hums, faintly visible silver soundwaves began to ripple from the center of huge bell, enveloping the Wind Riding Chariot beneath it.


    If the spell warrior didn¡¯t defend, Han Li was confident that the strike would cause great damage. While the silver bell hadn¡¯t undergone any changes, Han Li¡¯s vast increase in cultivation had increased its might several times greater than when he had used it during Core Formation stage.


    Of course, the Wind Riding Chariot wasn¡¯t about to receive this strike. Its wooden wings slightly flapped and shot over thirty meters forward, dodging the soundwave that was about to envelope it.


    The chariot glowed with vast white light, and a silhouette flew out and floated above it. At that moment, a huge azure wave of light was about to strike the chariot.


    When the silhouette saw this, they calmly raised their hand. A barrier of deep blue light abruptly appeared from the top of the chariot. In the instant that the azure wave struck the barrier, an explosion sounded out. Although the strike had caused the light barrier to shake, it was ultimately unharmed.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion changed as he gazed at the sight with narrow eyes.


    At that moment, the spell warrior began to mutter and spat a thin blue thread out from his mouth. In an instant, the thread transformed into a huge python as it threw itself out of the light barrier towards Han Li¡¯s wave of azure swordlight. In a clash of azure and blue light, the air began to rumble.


    In that moment, the spell warrior raised their hand and struck the Wind Riding Chariot with a spell seal. The chariot quickly shrank and flew into the spell warrior¡¯s hand once it was the size of a palm. Once it was safely placed away in their storage pouch, they raised their head to glance at Han Li, revealing a gloomy, shriveled expression.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed. This figure was an old man that was beyond the age of sixty. Odd azure tattoos laid on his cheeks and he wore oddly-styled blue embroidered robes. But what most shocked Han Li was the old man¡¯s immensely powerful spiritual Qi fluctuations. This old man was actually a spell warrior at the peak of early Nascent Soul stage, just on the verge of entering the next level. It was no wonder he was able to easily block both of his attacks.


    Han Li had already discovered the the blue light barrier wasn¡¯t a technique. It was something that was released from a fist-sized pearl that was being held in the old man¡¯s hand. As for the strange blue python, he saw that it wasn¡¯t a treasure, but something that was entirely composed of spiritual power.


    Han Li¡¯s heart grew more vigilant and his expression grew icy. The ancient flower basket treasure in his hand began to flicker with white light and was about to release.


    When the old man saw that Han Li was about to continue the attack, his expression grew solemn and he shouted, ¡°Cease! Although your esteemed self possesses vast ability, are you not being too impatient? I¡¯ve yet to even speak and you¡¯ve already attacked me.¡± His voice seemed somewhat harsh.


    Han Li frowned and coldly said, ¡°What words are there to be said between cultivators and spell warriors?¡± Nevertheless, he pointed to the silver bell and had it cease its attack. As for the flower basket in his hand, he withdrew his spiritual power from it and waited for what the spell warrior had to say.


    The old man chuckled and nonchalantly said, ¡°While your words hold some truth, at our cultivation there are times where a fight to the death is unnecessary. So long as you answer my questions to satisfaction, I can release you.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the old man and sneered, ¡°Answer? I have nothing to tell your esteemed self. How about you you answer my questions instead?¡±


    Han Li could already guess what the old man intended to ask. Anyone would be bewildered to see so many Nascent Soul cultivators appear in a single place.


    ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist is refusing my kind intentions!¡± The old man¡¯s face grew sullen after hearing Han Li¡¯s response.


    Han Li snorted and suddenly pointed to the sky in front of him. The tangled and turbulent swordlight suddenly condensed towards its center and formed a huge sword that spanned a hundred meters. In several lightning fast strikes, the strange blue python was severed into pieces and the sword took advantage of the opportunity to chop down towards the old man through the light barrier with great force.


    A fierce expression appeared on the old man¡¯s face. With no further words, he raised his hand and the fist-sized pearl in his hand flew into the air. Soon after, he opened his mouth and spat a mist of pure Qi onto the pearl.


    The pearl flickered with blue light and it quickly began to revolve. Lines of slim blue light began to revolve around the pearl, forming a huge blue net underneath the light barrier in the blink of an eye.


    At that same moment, the old man quickly muttered something and grasped both of his hands in an incantation gesture. Blue light then began to surge from his body, forming a huge sphere of blue light above the old man.


    As the huge sword descended, it clashed with the light barrier. To no surprise for Han Li, the huge sword condensed from over two hundred swordlights easily pierced through the light barrier.


    With a huge burst of wind, the light barrier was cleaved into two and the sword moved on to strike the huge net underneath it.

 Chapter 693

    Ice Crystals and a Black Mountain


    The following scene was somewhat against Han Li¡¯s expectations. The huge blue net sparkled with light and held firm against the huge sword¡¯s descent. The translucent, sparkling lines of the net appeared incredibly durable.


    The huge sword fiercely chopped the net several times, but the net held firm. Under control of the old man, the net wrapped layers and layers of thread around the sword, trapping the sword in just a short moment. Although it was only loosely restrained, it would still be difficult to escape from in a short amount of time.


    Han Li frowned. Just as he thought about what to do next, the old man seized the initiative.


    With an icy expression, the old man held his hands in a strange wheel-shaped incantation gesture. Immediately after, streaks of various-colored spell seals began to shoot out from his hand towards the sphere of light above him.


    The blue light sphere began to shrink and ruptured after the old man uttered a cryptic incantation. Countless slivers of palm-wide ice crystals began to appear around the old man. Twinkling with blue light, they occupied an area of thirty meters around him.


    With a fierce glare, the old man boldly spread out his hands to Han Li and uttered a harsh command, ¡°Go!¡± In that instant, the ice crystals launched themselves in a barrage and filled the skies with their wails. The dense wave converging onto Han Li¡¯s position made for a breathtaking sight.


    ¡®This is a spirit technique?¡¯


    Han Li wore an astonished expression, but his hands didn¡¯t stay still. He activated the flower basket and slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A cloud of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles wildly rushed forth and began to surround Han Li¡¯s body.


    This time, the beetles didn¡¯t transform into an object. They merely revolved in place, creating an impenetrable barrier around Han Li and hiding him from view.


    Once the flower basket left his hand, it transformed into a cloud of white mist and directly charged towards the barrage of ice crystals. It had managed to absorb a majority of the ice crystals into its folds upon contact.


    As soon as this happened, the remaining ice crystals flew around the flower basket as if they were intelligent and converged towards Han Li once more.


    In unbroken succession, the ice crystals were stopped by the beetle swarm for just a moment before piercing through inside. The insect barrier was restored to its original shape, but there was no sound coming from behind it as if it were completely dead.


    Old Man Mu couldn¡¯t help but cry out in alarm after seeing this.


    His ¡®Ice Crystal Technique¡¯ was similar to the cultivators¡¯ elemental Daoist technique, the Icerain Technique. However, it was greater in quantity and the ice blades were completely created from a profound ice Qi that he cultivated from within his body. Not only was it amazingly sharp, but it was also incredibly cold. Cultivators who were unaware of this would be incapable of dealing with the icy Qi it left behind after being shattered, given that they were able to protect themselves. However, his ice crystals completely disappeared with no sign of the icy Qi.


    After a moment of hesitation, he thought to use his spiritual sense to peer inside the beetle barrier, but suddenly, he heard a loud noise from above him. He simply heard a ring from both his ears before he felt his consciousness dim. He had nearly fallen from the sky from being caught off guard.


    In the old man¡¯s furious alarm, he hurriedly slapped his hands together and fiercely patted his body several times before a white light barrier appeared around his body. He regained steady footing and turned his head to look above.


    The huge silver bell had flown above him at an unknown time. He had suffered a direct attack from it just a moment ago. At that moment, the bell sparkled with silver light and launched another sound attack. This time, the attack wasn¡¯t aimed at the old man. Instead, the sound waves were aimed at the huge blue net that was tangling with the huge azure sword.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The old man immediately recollected himself and hastily attempted to cast a technique to block the attack, but he was too late. The blue net was struck by the silver soundwaves and were shredded apart inch by inch, allowing the huge sword to break free of its bindings. The huge sword then cleaved towards the old man without any reservations.


    But before the sword met its mark, it faced an immense pressure against it.


    Although the old man was already covered in a layer of protection, he didn¡¯t dare to directly receive a strike from such an immense blade. With a pale face and swaying body, he summoned a blue light barrier that spanned a hundred meters around him.


    Soon after, he beckoned to the blue orb in the air and the magic treasure immediately flew above him. After spitting a mist of pure Qi on it, another layer of light protected him. He then turned his glance to Han Li with a grave expression.


    His complexion paled even further.


    Han Li¡¯s beetle barrier had already scattered and it become a cloud that floated above him. He extended his hand and several inch-large azure ice flowers appeared in his hand. He was indifferently looking at the old man.


    When the their gazes met, Han Li¡¯s icy gaze made the old man inwardly tremble. However, his sights were soon focused on the small exquisite ice flowers in Han Li¡¯s grasp and he revealed great bewilderment.


    Under the sunlight, the ice flowers brilliantly sparkled in a display of vast beauty, but that was far from the old man¡¯s mind. Having cultivated ice attribute spirit techniques for hundreds of years, he was able to feel an astonishingly cold spiritual power from the flowers despite their distance. Although it felt somewhat unfamiliar, the old man was filled with an unspeakable dread nonetheless.


    In that instant, the old man curled his lips and wore an unsightly expression, ¡°Did you use that to break through my spirit technique? Could you tell me about that treasure of yours?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he smiled and calmly said, ¡°The treasure? Let¡¯s leave it for now. If you agree to tell me about that spirit technique of yours, I might say something about it.¡±


    ¡°What? A cultivator like you is interested in the spell warrior spirit techniques? Isn¡¯t that strange?¡± The old man¡¯s astonishment was replaced with his originally gloomy expression.


    But from the old man¡¯s wandering gaze, Han Li could faintly make out a trace of dread that he held towards the ice flowers. Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sneer.


    When the old man saw Han Li¡¯s expression, he grew furious. With a cold snort, he slapped his storage pouch and he summoned an item in a flash of black light. It was pitch black and seemed to resemble a small mountain.


    Han Li glanced with surprise. Before he could examine the object, the old man had already begun chanting an incantation. He shortly tossed the small mountain in the air and it shined with black light. In a mere instant, it¡¯s size grew to a hundred meters in width and it only continued to expand.


    When Han Li saw this, he felt his breath turn cold.


    Han Li instinctively pointed to the huge azure sword. With a clear ring, it transformed into a streak and fiercely chopped down at the top of the small mountain.


    With a huge rumble, the azure streak and the black light collided, releasing tumbling stones and magnificent light.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the scene. His sword had dug a thirty meter deep hole into the top of the black mountain. However, it was clear that it was still far from cleaving the mountain into two. Additionally, he was able to see the mountain closing the hole at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before he could muster a second strike, it had already restored most of the damage that was done.


    The mountain had risen over three hundred meters tall within its black radiance. It appeared no different from a true mountain. Even as unwavering and composed as Han Li was, his expression grew unsightly at the sight of the black mountain that stood before him. There was without a doubt that if the mountain were to strike him, any beetle barrier or armor would not be able to save him. He would be flattened.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s huge sword had already struck the huge mountain several times but to no effect.


    The old man sinisterly chuckled and pointed at the mountain. With a rustle of wind, it appeared above Han Li and began to ruthlessly fall down.


    In Han Li¡¯s alarm, he was unable to think any further. Rolls of thunder had already appeared from his back. In a flash of silver light, he disappeared without a trace. He appeared a hundred meters away with a pair of silver white wings on his back.


    ¡°Yi!¡± In the instance Han Li disappeared, the old man felt his heart drop.


    The old man saw Han Li reappear at a different location. He gazed at Han Li with great caution; his expression filled with astonishment.


    Having realized that Han Li was capable of instant movement, the old man knew that he would be unable to restrain Han Li and that his efforts were wasted.


    After all, at his current cultivation he was only capable of moving the huge black mountain several times. Each use would greatly drain his magic power. He didn¡¯t dare to use it recklessly.

 Chapter 694

    Frozen Over


    With great alarm lingering within, the old man thought to retreat. Han Li on the other hand glanced at the black mountain with a trace of awe.


    Such a peculiar and astonishing treasure wasn¡¯t something that this old man was able to refine. It was most likely some ancient treasure that had remained from antiquity. Han Li was certain that this treasure¡¯s might wasn¡¯t something that even a late Nascent Soul cultivator could endure.


    So long as the strike landed, it would decide any battle in a single blow. With this item in hand, he would be able to resolve his lacking attack power. Not to mention that he was also interested in the old man¡¯s Wind Riding Chariot.


    With that in mind, Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted to the old man and his expression gradually grew hostile. A trace of killing intent could be seen deep within his eyes.


    Although he hadn¡¯t fought much with the old man, Han Li was confident that he understood most of his techniques. It seemed to be the old man¡¯s misfortune that he was specialized in ice-attribute techniques.


    With the Celestial Ice Flames, they wouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat against Han Li. Despite the vast number of ice crystals that had attacked him, he was able to easily dissolve them with the Celestial Ice Flames.


    This teleporting black mountain should be the old man¡¯s most powerful treasure. However, with the instantaneous movements of the Thunderstorm Wings, it was of no use against Han Li. In this case, it should be possible for Han Li to kill the old man.


    Having come to a decision, Han Li no longer held any hesitation.


    The ice flowers in his grasp trembled and flickered with blue light, quickly transforming into an egg-sized flame. It hovered in his palm and emitted a bizarre aura.


    At that same moment, Han Li pointed to the huge sword and the silver bell with his free hand. Soon after, he flapped his wings and disappeared, leaving only thunder in his wake. In the next instant, he reappeared three hundred meters away from the old man, with blue flames in his grasp.


    The huge sword and the silver bell flourished with radiance as they shot towards the old man in brilliant streaks of light. Along the way, the huge sword suddenly dissolved into several hundred foot-long swordlights which filled the sky, surrounding the old man within a swarm of swords.


    Azure light flickered without end as the swordlight began to fiercely pierce through the old man¡¯s light barrier. The bell unleashed wave after wave of silver soundwaves, shaking the old man¡¯s light barrier upon impact.


    Although these attacks greatly alarmed the old man, he still kept a sound mind. In addition to pouring a large quantity of spiritual power into the pearl above him, strengthening the barrier around him, he also quickly formed a hand incantation. Blue light pulsed from his body and shed off from it.


    After a quick rotation in the air, the light transformed into four, meter-long ice shields that rotated around him. They were small and exquisitely refined.


    The old man felt more at ease with these ice shields protecting him. He immediately beckoned to the black mountain in the distance, and it began to fly back towards him in a streak of black light. As this happened, he continuously glanced around him in fear that Han Li would launch a sudden attack on him. As expected of a Nascent Soul stage spell warrior, he possessed much combat experience.


    With another burst of thunder, Han Li appeared about forty meters away from the old man in a flash of lightning. A dense barrage of incisive, azure threads suddenly shot out from his hand ¨C a display of the Nightazure Needles treasure talisman [1].


    At such a short distance, the old man was unable to respond in time. The myriads of azure threads pierced through the blue light barrier and directly struck the ice shields.


    Sounds of cracking ice filled the air as the azure threads struck the ice shields. In a brilliant flash of white light, the needles became covered in dense, glistening ice and began to fall to the ground.


    When the old man saw this, his alarm turned to joy. With a chuckle, he opened his mouth and shot a beam of blue light directly towards the nearby Han Li. In response, Han Li disappeared from sight in a flash of silver light.


    In that moment of delay, the black mountain flew above the old man. Its towering figure made for an astonishing sight.


    Without any hesitation, the old man struck the mountain with a spell seal. The mountain then began to tremble and released a large glow of black light from its bottom. With the old man at its center, the mountain enveloped the several hundred azure swordlights and the huge silver bell in its radiance.


    These treasures immediately began to swivel and shake in an attempt to break free, but their power was greatly weakened. The swaying light barrier had returned to normal once more.


    When the old man saw this, he felt greatly relieved.


    Soon after, he flipped his hand. The Wind Riding Chariot reappeared in his palm with a flash of white light. He lightly tossed it into the air, and it began to expand to its original size. A short moment later, it was successfully restored and flew off to the side.


    For some unknown reason, the old man felt a sense of dread ever since Han Li transformed the ice flowers in his palm into small blue flames. With the additional appearance of Han Li¡¯s Thunderstorm Wings, he felt that matters had turned for the worse, and decided to flee, rather than continue the fight.


    Seeing that the Wind Riding Chariot had been successfully prepared, the old man immediately transformed into a streak of light. Several flashes later, he charged past the obstructed flying swords and towards the Wind Riding Chariot in nearly the blink of an eye.


    When the light faded away, the old man was already safely located inside the Wind Riding Chariot. With relief in his heart, he thought to retrieve his pearl and the black mountain, when he suddenly heard thunder at his side.


    In flash of light, Han Li suddenly appeared before him.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The old man roared and raised his hand, but it was too late. Han Li¡¯s arm was already shooting towards the old man like a bolt of lightning. The Celestial Ice Flames completely enveloped his hand.


    The old man felt his heart sink, but the shields of ice floating around him automatically moved to protect him. In a flash of white light, they appeared in front of the old man just in time.


    The old man felt a trace of joy after seeing this. Han Li had attacked his Crystal Ice Shields without any defenses. ¡®He was simply courting death! Surely in just a moment, his arm will be frozen through by the frigid Qi.¡¯


    With a muffled peng, white and blue light brightly shone.


    The old man felt his heart drop at the sudden turn of events. The flame-clad hand was already pressing against his chest. It felt extremely soft to the touch.


    Before the old man could even scream, the strange icy flames had quickly spread from Han Li¡¯s grasp, engulfing the old man in a single breath. In a short instant, Han Li saw a majority of the man¡¯s body turn into a statue of ice.


    With a fearful expression, the old man hurriedly summoned the core Yang flames that he spent several hundreds of years diligently cultivating. It wound around his neck and released a blinding white light, preventing the ice from spreading to his head. For a moment, the core flames were in a deadlock with the blue ice.


    When Han Li saw this, he scoffed. He waved his free hand. A streak of azure sword Qi then appeared in the air and ruthlessly chopped towards the old man¡¯s head. A short moment later, the white light trembled, and the blue frost quickly covered whatever remained of his head.


    The severed half of the old man¡¯s face revealed despair, but soon, hostility filled his eyes. A clear sound rang from the top of his head. A Nascent Soul with the old man¡¯s face had manifested.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen and he spat a bolt of lightning towards the Nascent Soul without any reservations.


    However, the Nascent Soul immediately disappeared from sight in a pulse of blinding blue light. The bolt of lightning had missed.


    When Han Li hurriedly glanced around, he saw that the Nascent Soul was already three hundred meters away. Without any hesitation, it disappeared once more in a flash of blue light.


    At that moment, the blue pearl trembled for a moment before disappearing as well. The pearl then reappeared inside the Nascent Soul¡¯s grasp.


    The Nascent Soul gazed at Han Li with a resentful expression before silently blurring out of sight. Not long after, it turned into a speck of light that flew towards the horizon. At that distance, it no longer used instant movement and simply tore through the skies, blue pearl in hand. A few seconds later, it could no longer be seen.


    Han Li coldly glanced at the departing Nascent Soul and simply grabbed onto the old man¡¯s corpse without moving.


    Although his Thunderstorm Wings were also capable of instant movement, the delay between each movement made it so that he was still too slow to catch up to him. Since it escaped his first blow, he allowed it to go free as there was no immediate need to kill it.


    At that moment, the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul had already disappeared without a trace. Han Li expressionlessly shook his hand and caused the old man¡¯s frozen corpse to shatter, filling the sky with glossy blue dust.


    [1] Given to him by Layman Qing Yi in Heavenvoid Hall(chapter 468), this treasure talisman was only used once in his battle with Wen Tianren, the disciple of Archsaint Six Paths (Chapter 572).

 Chapter 695

    Gathering Together


    Although he hadn¡¯t dealt with the opponent¡¯s Nascent Soul, the old man¡¯s body was destroyed. It should take decades before he could recover his vitality, let alone possess another body. Finding a suitable body should take quite some time. Even if he begrudgingly possessed an unsuitable corpse, his cultivation would greatly decrease.


    As for the two ancient treasures and the storage pouch that were left behind, they were a great profit. Even if he didn¡¯t find Master Cang Kun¡¯s cave residence, this dangerous journey into the Moulan Plains would still turn a profit.


    With that thought, he glanced at the faintly silver storage pouch that was left behind from the body.


    Han Li calmly reached for the storage pouch and summoned it into his hand. He then immersed his spiritual sense into it and casually probed it, only to be filled with disappointment. Apart from a dozen mid grade spirit stones, there were only a few common tool refinement materials and a few bottles of medicine pills.


    When Han Li opened the medicine pills, he found them to be of common quality. It seemed the Moulan Plains were truly lacking cultivation materials. Even a grand Nascent Soul spell warrior lacked decent items.


    As for any jade slips, the storage pouch completely lacked them. Han Li was baffled by this and sighed in great disappointment. He originally wished to acquire a few spirit techniques and see if there were any techniques that would greatly increase his strength in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, there was no such luck.


    After putting away the storage pouch, Han Li raised his head and glanced at the huge mountain with a fervant gaze. Although the treasure¡¯s master had already fled as a manifested Nascent Soul, the black mountain still remained in its enlarged form, sparkling with black light.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and gently beckoned to the mountain. The masterless ancient treasure flickered with brilliance and quickly shrunk before shooting towards Han Li. By the time it arrived within his grasp, it had already turned back into a miniature mountain.


    Han Li curiously weighted the small mountain in his hand. It wasn¡¯t particularly heavy, and he examined it several times through only to find three faint gold character on the bottom of the mountain.


    ¡°Thousand Layer Mountain!¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but utter its name. Satisfaction appeared from his eyes.


    After putting away the mountain, Han Li glanced at the Wind Riding Chariot and put it away as well.


    After glancing in the direction that the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul had fled, Han Li lowered his head in thought before deciding to fly off in a different direction. Not long after, no trace of Han Li could be seen nearby.


    ¡­


    Among a group of hills, there was no one to be found, only fields filled with straws as tall as men. But not long after, azure light flashed from the horizon.


    A short moment later, the azure streak arrived above the hill. It flew around around and faded away to reveal Han Li.


    After taking another glance beneath him, he frowned and suddenly flung his sleeve. Several streaks of azure light directly struck the hill like shooting stars.


    As a result, the azure light bursted about a hundred meters in the air. A layer of extremely faint white light suddenly appeared in the air. There were four people underneath it that were looking at him, all wearing a faint smile. They were Marquis Nanlong, the white-haired old man, the old man, and the tan-skinned man.


    Marquis Nanlong twirled his beard and chuckled, ¡°It is truly fortunate for Han Li to have arrived safely!¡± He then waved his hand, causing the light barrier to disappear.


    ¡°Oh! The others still haven¡¯t arrived?¡± Han Li replied with a smile and floated down before them.


    The tan man shook his head and calmly said, ¡°We fear the other Fellow Daoist may have had trouble fleeing. When we separately fled, Fellow Daoist Long and Fellow Daoist Wang were pursued by spell warriors. It is quite a difficult matter to break away from them.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong excitedly said, ¡°However, I feared for you most. If I saw correctly, that Wind Riding Chariot should¡¯ve chased after you. Tch tch! Fellow Daoist managed to easily shake it off despite its amazing speed. It seems I¡¯ve misjudged you.¡±


    Han Li pursed his lips when he heard the Marquis. He could faintly make out a trace of bewilderment from his words.


    Han Li wore a calm expression and casually replied, ¡°It was nothing. I merely hold a bit of confidence in my movement techniques.¡±


    Seeing that Han Li wasn¡¯t eager to explain how he escaped, the Marquis tactfully changed the topic and began to talk about the Nine Nation Union¡¯s upcoming war with the Moulan. It would shake the entire continent as a whole.


    Excluding the white-clothed old man, the old woman and the tan man both interestedly included themselves in the conversation.


    Marquis Nanlong mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°I recall that the last war with the spell warriors lasted over ten years. Who knows how many years this war will last. However, the Heavenly South¡¯s Devil Dao, Righteous Dao, and even Brother Han¡¯s Heavenly Dao Alliance will have to send soldiers. And given the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s position in the Heavenly Dao Alliance, a Nascent Soul elder will be required to participate in the battle. Perhaps Fellow Daoist Han will have another chance to visit the Moulan Plains!¡±


    The old woman nodded her head and softly said, ¡°In addition to the three superpowers sending assistance to the Nine Nations Union, there are also a few vagrant cultivators that volunteer to block the spell warriors with many an expert among them. The Moulan are incredibly difficult to hold off.¡±


    The tan man frowned and mused, ¡°However, I am quite baffled as to why Moulan would launch an attack despite knowing that the powers of our Heavenly South have united against them. From their current forces, they don¡¯t have a chance of winning, considering what had happened in the last war. It isn¡¯t wise for them to take the initiative to attack with just this. In the last war, they redoubled their attack because of an abrupt wave of reinforcements. Could it be that most of their tribes will be participating in this war?¡±


    ¡°That certainly is possible, but¡­¡±


    As the conversation continued, much time had unknowingly passed by.


    Suddenly, Marquis Nanlong suddenly paused in the middle of comment and he turned his head to the sky. The others unconsciously followed his gaze and their faces grew serious. It was possible that a spell warrior would arrive instead of one of their scattered cultivators. They were in the Moulan Plains after all.


    They saw a flash of light from the horizon, revealing one black streak and two crimson spheres of light flying towards them. Marquis Nanlong attentively glanced at them for a moment before calming down.


    Marquis Nanlong smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just Fellow Daoist Wang and his two juniors.¡± When the others heard this, they also appeared happy.


    A short moment later, the streaks of light grew closer. This time, Marquis Nanlong directly removed the restrictions, allowing Wang Tiangu and company to land next to the rest of the party.


    When Wang Tiangu saw Han Li amongst the party, he revealed a trace of surprise and said, ¡°Yi! Fellow Daoist Han arrived earlier than we did. That is truly surprising!¡± It seemed he also saw the Wind Riding Chariot pursue Han Li. It was likely he basked in schadenfreude at the time.


    Han Li swept his gaze to Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan at his side and calmly replied, ¡°It was merely a fluke! However, Fellow Daoist Wang was able to escape without injuries while looking after two juniors. You truly have my admiration.¡± His tone seemed to carry a deeper meaning.


    Wang Tiangu indifferently replied, ¡°Hehe, the spell warrior pursuing me wasn¡¯t fast in the slightest. My two juniors and I joined hands to employ one of our sect¡¯s movement techniques. We were able to easily shake them off. It isn¡¯t comparable to escaping pursuit from the Wind Riding Chariot.¡±


    Han Li inwardly sneered. Just as he thought to say something further, his expression suddenly changed and he swallowed his words.


    Marquis Nanlong raised his head to the sky and yelped with a joyful expression, ¡°Yi! Fellow Daoist Long is coming. It seems our luck is quite good. We can all hurry to our destination unharmed. I was actually pondering whether or not we¡¯d be able to succeed in breaking the formation if we were missing a few members!¡±


    When the party heard this, they all revealed joy. If they were were incapable of acquiring the treasure because of a missing member, it would be a rather depressing matter.


    The white-clothed old man suddenly broke his silence and gravely said, ¡°Not good! It seems Fellow Daoist Long is injured and is still being pursued!¡±


    Once the others heard this, Han Li and the others hastily turned their eyes to the sky with shock. They saw that there was actually a green and red streak of light closely pursuing the stern-faced cultivator. In the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at the hill where the party was located.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression quickly turned sullen.

 Chapter 696

    Alarmed Retreat


    ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist Long has encountered some trouble. Two spell warriors are chasing after him. Everyone, set out!¡± With that resolute shout, Marquis Nanlong flew towards the sky in a ball of golden light.


    The others glanced at one another before successively following suit. Suddenly, eight streaks of various colored light appeared above the hills, hastily flying towards the stern-faced cultivator surnamed Long.


    The white streak of light that was rushing towards their location immediately grew faster upon spotting them. In an instant, it arrived before the party and faded away to reveal the stern-faced cultivator. His face was pale as if he had suffered damage to his vitality.


    ¡°Many thanks for your assistance. I cannot thank you all enough!¡± The stern-faced cultivator saluted the party and his anxious expression was replaced with gratitude.


    Marquis Nanlong floated in the air and asked with a voice of concern, ¡°It is no problem! Are you alright? How did you get two spell warriors to pursue you? I recall that only one went to chase you.¡±


    The stern-faced cultivator bitterly smiled and helplessly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. But after being pursued for the greater half of a day, another spell warrior tagged along the pursuit. I spent two days trying to outrun them, and my vitality is quite worn down!¡±


    The old woman sighed and said, ¡°It was no wonder why Fellow Daoist Long fled here. Apart from Fellow Daoist Nanlong and Fellow Daoist Yun, nobody else would¡¯ve been able to escape from two early Nascent Soul stage spell warriors.¡±


    Han Li glanced into the distance and smiled, ¡°However, regardless of how powerful these two pursuers may be, they are rather quite courageous to stay here for the time being. Do they not fear retaliation for overreaching themselves?¡±


    Needless to say, when the two spell warriors spotted Han Li and company, they simply stopped rather than immediately fleeing. They merely gazed at them from a distance.


    Their appearances were clear to see from the party¡¯s immense spiritual sense. One of them them was golden skinned and wore a crown of feathers along with hemp robes. The other had a sinister appearance and wore green robes. They were both spell warriors at the early Nascent Soul stage.


    Marquis Nanlong snorted and coldly shouted, ¡°You two Fellow Daoists still haven¡¯t left? Could it be you wish for us to take action? If you two aren¡¯t careful, you will meet your end here!¡±


    The hemp-robed spell warrior glanced at them and caustically said, ¡°What an arrogant tone! Although we aren¡¯t a match for you, it is beyond your powers to kill us. We don¡¯t need to attack you, merely delay you for half a day. Do you really believe you will have a chance of leaving? It would be better for you all to obediently sit in place. Perhaps we may allow your souls to reincarnate!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong furiously laughed and began to glow with blinding light, ¡°Delay us for half a day? Do you believe that we will allow it?¡±


    The green-robed spell warrior expressionlessly said, ¡°Perhaps! As masters of the Moulan Plains, it is only proper for us to entertain our guests!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression grew sullen, ¡°Humph! It seems you won¡¯t recognize defeat until you see your own end. Brother Yun, let¡¯s attack!¡±


    However, the white-clothed old man revealed a trace of helplessness and sighed, ¡°I originally wished to preserve magic power for the matters ahead, but we cannot have these two buzzing on our tail. We can only attack!¡±


    With that said, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver dharmic wheel[1. Eight-spoked wheel, Dharmachakra]. The wheel was fist-sized and glittered with light. It gradually expanded to a meter in length.


    When the two spell warriors saw this, they immediately stepped back. Brilliance began to shine from their body as they cautiously glanced at the old man.


    As for Marquis Nanlong, he wordlessly swept his sleeve and tossed out a golden flying sword. Han Li and company also began to silently summon their magic power and slowly drifted forward.


    At that moment, a red streak of light suddenly shined from the horizon in the direction of the two spell warriors. As the fiery light neared, the party couldn¡¯t help but cease their attacks.


    The two spell warriors naturally knew that something had appeared behind them. The hemp-robed spell warrior calmly beckoned to the fiery light and revolved once above his head before steadily dropping into his hand. It combust into flames and began to burn at the center of his hand.


    It was a sound transmission talisman!


    ¡°What?¡± The hemp-robed spell warrior quickly scanned its contents with his spiritual sense and cried out in alarm. Marquis Nanlong and company were able to clearly see the shock on his face.


    This person suddenly turned his head to the green robed spell warrior and sent him a voice transmission. The green-robed spell warrior¡¯s expression changed upon hearing him and also yelped. The two carefully examined the cultivators present before their gazes arrived onto Han Li. Their expressions grew grave.


    Han Li appeared entirely calm, but he already guessed that this likely had to do with the fatal injury he had dealt to the old man, forcing his Nascent Soul to escape. Could it be that the old man had a close relationship with the two?


    As Han Li pondered, the two spell warriors fiercely glared at him before glancing at each other and revealing a trace of hesitation. They softly sent a few voice transmissions to one another before wordlessly retreating in two flashes of bright light.


    The others were surprised by this. After a moment of hesitation, they decided to not pursue them. In the blink of an eye, the two spell warriors had already disappeared off into the horizon.


    Wang Tiangu mysteriously smiled and asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, those two seemed to be particularly mindful of you. Do you recognize those two spell warriors?¡± It was unknown what he had intended by the question.


    Han Li replied without any hesitation, ¡°I don¡¯t recognize them. This is the first time I¡¯ve arrived in the Moulan Plains. How could I possibly know them?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong frowned but he soon unfurrowed his brow.


    ¡°Alright, regardless of what was going on with those two spell warriors, let¡¯s hurry and acquire the treasures. We can¡¯t stay for long in the Moulan Plains.¡± Marquis Nanlong didn¡¯t inquire much about the situation and pretended that it hadn¡¯t happened.


    Wang Tiangu immediately dropped the matter upon hearing the Marquis. Although the others were also puzzled, they didn¡¯t speak much of it. Since the two spell warriors seemed to look upon Han Li with resentment, the party felt disinclined from digging too deeply into the matter.


    As a result, Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man led the way, and the party quickly traversed through the Moulan Plains.


    Following along the border of the Moulan Plains, they headed west and arrived before a barren, ashen-grey mountain. It was only several hundred meters tall and was devoid of any vegetation. Han Li and the others glanced at the mountain with astonishment.


    Master Cang Kun¡¯s cave residence was such an unremarkable mountain? The spiritual Qi was also sparse here. If Marquis Nanlong hadn¡¯t led the way, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have arrived in such a place.


    ¡°Alright, here we are. Fellow Daoist Yun and I will open the outer layer of restrictions. Follow us closely.¡± Marquis Nanlong gave the party a word of warning before leading the way alongside the white-robed old man. When they arrived at the center of the mountain, they each took out a small flag.


    These two flags were a meter long. One sparkled with dazzling green light, and the other was yellow and fluttered with faint talisman characters. One could tell they were unordinary at first glance.


    The others couldn¡¯t help but hold their breaths in anticipation as they attentively gazed at the two¡¯s actions.


    The two began to softly mutter incantations without pause. The two flags simultaneously began to twinkled with light and gradually began to tremble as if attempting to break free from their grasp.


    ¡°Go!¡± At nearly the same instant, Maquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man released their flags at nearly the same time. In a flash of brilliance, the small flags dug into some portion of the earth and disappeared without trace.


    A short moment later, there was no sign of movement. Han Li and the others all revealed traces of doubt.


    The old woman signed and was about to ask a question when the earth began to tremble. Most of the party was unable to keep their balance amongst the trembling ground.


    However, the following scene left Han Li startled.

 Chapter 697

    Lightning Fire Spike


    As the ground fiercely trembled, a fine crack spread from the top of the mountain down the base of the mountain. White light began to shine from the crack as if the mountain were split into two.


    Han Li and company felt their breathes turn cold. Their hearts felt complete awe at the sight of Marquis Nanlong and Fellow Daoist Yun splitting open the mountain. Despite their shock, they still managed to appear calm as they observed what was happening.


    The two with the lowest cultivation, Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan, stood behind Wang Tiangu in complete silence.


    After Han Li coldly glanced at the two, he turned his sights back on the mountain. It seemed he wouldn¡¯t have an opportunity to slay Wang Chan before they acquired the treasure.


    As Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man continued their incantations for a moment more, the mountain eventually split into two, creating a huge crevice that was over thirty meters wide. A limestone stairway laid within.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± With a trace of excitement on the old man¡¯s face, he led the way. As for the other founder of the party, Marquis Nanlong remained behind with a smile.


    Han Li felt his heart stir. It seems that this white-clothed old man was quite the character to have Marquis Nanlong actually guard the rear.


    The others saw this and glanced at each other, but they all tactfully kept silent on the matter. Instead, they calmly walked inside.


    The stairs lasted for quite a while. White moonstones were embedded in each side, but the further they descended, the colder it became. Not long after, they were already three hundred meters deep into the mountain, and the moonlight stone¡¯s faint white light had soon turned into a faint green for some unknown reason. This caused the descending passage to appear ominous.


    When Han Li saw this, he frowned and unconsciously pulled away from the tan cultivator ahead of it. If anything happened, the distance would give him enough time to react. Han Li wasn¡¯t the only one to do this. Apart from Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man, the other cultivators began to keep a distance of about thirty meters from each other.


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man surnamed Yun clearly knew that the other cultivators were actually taking precautions against them. However, they deliberately ignored this and continued forward without a trace of dissatisfaction.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li and company had arrived in a large mysterious hall. The reason why it was mysterious was because it appeared as if the entire hall appeared was created from a giant hollowed boulder of jade. Its sparkling and translucent blue light appeared extremely beautiful.


    Now that they stood within the hundred meter wide hall, everyone wore a face of amazement. This material obviously couldn¡¯t have been true jade. Once they swept their spiritual sense past the walls, they were promptly repelled. It was incapable of seeing past them.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t alarmed by this. He used his spiritual sense to probe the other parts of the hall only to find that they were all the same.


    Han Li inwardly pondered with a sense of apprehension and turned his gaze to the other cultivators in the room. Wang Tiangu and the others also frowned. It was clear that they also found this to be troublesome.


    Could this be where the Wondrous Soul Restriction was located? It seemed Marquis Nanlong wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Just as Han Li¡¯s mind began to wonder, the entire hall began to violently shake and they heard a series of huge tremors from behind them.


    The old woman and the others hastily turned their heads in alarm. They discovered the the stairway had unknowingly disappeared and was replaced with walls of sparkling blue light.


    A moment later, the entire hall became deathly quiet.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Nanlong, what is the meaning of this?¡± The tan cultivator asked with a sullen expression. The other cultivators also became vigilant as they glanced at Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man; their eyes flickering around the room.


    Marquis Nanlong didn¡¯t display the slightest surprise and calmly said, ¡°Be at ease, Fellow Daoists! The outside restrictions were merely reactivated, causing the mountain to close once more. The last time we came here, this also happened. We merely had to wait three days until the restrictions¡¯ strength was at its weakest before leaving the mountain. We won¡¯t be trapped here. Moreover, with the outer restrictions shut, we have no fear of spell warriors discovering us.¡±


    While the others were somewhat skeptical of that explanation, they appeared visibly relieved. So long as Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man were in the hall with them, they had no fear of any trap being set or any malicious planning.


    The tan cultivator saluted and said, ¡°So it was like that! It seems I was being rash.¡±


    Fellow Daoist Nanlong chuckled and casually said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Let¡¯s hurry to break the restriction. Last time, Fellow Daoist Yun and I returned dejected from failure. This Wondrous Soul Formation isn¡¯t easy to break.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s wrinkly face broke into a smile and she said, ¡°Is the formation truly that difficult to break? I¡¯ve acquired a treasure in the past that was specialized in breaking many restrictions and barriers. Perhaps we can save ourselves the trouble and simply use this treasure to break the restriction?¡±


    A trace of joy flickered from the white-clothed old man¡¯s expression and he immediately replied, ¡°Yi? If Lady Tai possesses such an exceptional treasure, please give it a try. Our method of using spiritual sense to dissolve the restriction isn¡¯t guaranteed to be successful.¡±


    Revealing a trace of delight, Marquis Nanlong said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Fellow Daoist Tai, please go ahead.¡±


    The old woman chuckled and a trace of spirit flickered from her dull eyes, ¡°Since you Fellow Daoists have both agreed, I¡¯ll be blunt. If this somehow manages to luckily break the restrictions, will I have first pick alongside you two as well?¡±


    The other cultivators had slightly changed expressions after hearing this.


    Marquis Nanlong revealed slight surprise, but after glancing at the white-clothed old man, he suddenly said to the others, ¡°Regardless of whether it be Lady Tai or anyone else, so long as you succeed in breaking the formation, they will have priority selection for a treasure after us two. What does everyone think?¡± Once that was said, Marquis Nanlong swept his gaze past the party.


    Han Li and Wang Tiangu both appeared indifferent to this, but the tan man and the stern-faced cultivator appeared displeased. Regardless, no objections were raised.


    Marquis Nanlong smiled and decisively said, ¡°The others have no objections. Lady Tai, you may take action.¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I will be making an attempt.¡± The old woman was inwardly delighted. She held quite some confidence in her treasure. So long as it wasn¡¯t an intangible formation like an illusion formation, she had a large chance of success. Why else would she take the risk of angering the rest of the party?


    Lady Tai flung out her sleeve and took out an object that was only several inches long. This fire-red object was narrow at the front and thick at the back, resembling something like a spike.


    The old man paid no attention to the others and spat a mist of blinding light onto the spike. A short moment later, the spike flickered with red light and began to emit waves of heat that quickly spread throughout the hall.


    As experienced as they were, the Marquis and the white-clothed old man immediately knew that this object was unordinary and unconsciously took a few steps away from the woman as they glanced at her spike.


    Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan revealed shock upon contacting the heat wave and hastily enveloped themselves in a crimson barrier. They felt their bodies scorch. As late Core Formation cultivators, they were unable to endure such temperatures.


    With a flash of white light, the spike began to crackle.


    Han Li and the others began to keenly gaze at the spike, discovering that the spike¡¯s flames faintly pulsed with white lightning.


    This was an ancient treasure with the dual attributes of lightning and fire! The cultivators looked upon the old woman with varied emotions.


    The woman ignored this and deeply glanced at the blue wall in front of her. Her wrist shook and she thrust the Lightning Fire Spike into it. Fiery light flourished and muffled booms sounded out. The spike began to swiftly revolve above her head and soon its speed increased to the point where it became a blur.


    The faint red-white blur quickly flew throughout the hall, barely able to be seen. The cultivators in the hall all watched with amazement.


    Han Li was particularly alarmed at the sight. This was the first time he had seen such a swift ancient treasure. Even Nascent Soul cultivators would find it difficult to defend against it. If he were to fight against such a treasure, he would have no way of dealing with it apart from the Thunderstorm Wings.

 Chapter 698

    Taking Action


    The old woman pointed at the faint blur of light in the air and solemnly shouted, ¡°Go!¡± Suddenly, red and white light flickered and the Lightning Fire Spike fiercely struck the blue crystal wall in front of the old woman.


    With a muffled bang, lightning and flames ruptured and enveloped the side of the wall. The resulting light made the scene blinding to the eye.


    Han Li¡¯s pupils contracted. Although he wasn¡¯t able to see it, the spike¡¯s spiritual Qi fluctuations were quite powerful. It was no wonder why Lady Tai held such confidence in it.


    ¡®But against the Wondrous Soul Restriction, this power isn¡¯t¡­¡± Before Han Li finished his thoughts, the lightning fire had already faded away.


    The spike was gently floating several inches away from the wall, but the wall appeared completely unscathed.


    Marquis Nanlong revealed a trace of disappointment, but then he chuckled and said, ¡°While the might of this magic treasure is quite powerful, it still lacks the strength to break through the Wondrous Soul Restriction. Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Tai! Are there any other Fellow Daoists that wish to make an attempt to break the restriction?¡±


    Unresigned, the woman snorted and said, ¡°When did I say that this was my treasure¡¯s true power? It was merely a probing strike. It seems anything less than its complete stress won¡¯t do.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s eyes brightened and he happily said, ¡°Oh! If Fellow Daoist Tai still wishes to continue her attempt, please don¡¯t hesitate to do so.¡±


    The old woman didn¡¯t reply and promptly held her hands in an incantation gesture. The floating Lightning Fire Spike returned above the old woman¡¯s head. Then under the influence of the old woman¡¯s incantation gestures, it began to revolve in place. Its speed began to quickly increase, slowly merging lightning and blazing fire as one as it emitted a strange hum.


    The others¡¯ spirits were shaken as they stared at the scene.


    A short moment later, the Lightning Fire Spike appeared to have truly fused together its lightning and flames. Bizzare scarlet lightning continuously arced from its surface.


    This scene caused Han Li¡¯s heart to stir. He made a faint connection in his mind and he sunk into thought. The others were also amazed by this scene. They began to think higher of the Lightning Fire Spike.


    ¡°Break,¡± the old woman muttered. With the sound of tearing wind, the Lightning Fire Spike brimming with scarlet lightning disappeared from sight and struck the crystal wall once more.


    This time, there was no eruption of lightning or fire. There was only a light pop. With assistance from its high speed rotations and scarlet lightning, it was able to drill into the crystal wall with only a moment of resistance.


    Once the drill bore into the wall, its speed greatly decreased, but under the influence of the old woman¡¯s incantation gestures, it slowly pulled forward and drilled with all its might.


    A short moment later, the white-clothed old man and Marquis Nanlong revealed delight. Wang Tiangu and the others watched the scene with spirited gazes and nervousness. It was unknown whether they hoped the old woman would succeed or fail.


    Han Li inwardly scoffed and wore a faint smirk on his face.


    No one else noticed Han Li¡¯s change of expression, except for Yan Ruyan who had unintentionally glanced in Han Li¡¯s direction. The woman was startled for a moment and revealed a trace of bewilderment.


    When the Lightning Fire Spike drilled about a foot into the crystal wall, it met calamity. The originally still crystal wall had suddenly shined with blue radiance. Countless threads of scorching white light emerged from the wall and tightly wrapped around the Lightning Fire Spike in a profuse glimmering display.


    With a huge boom, the Lightning Fire Spike exploded and the resulting light faded away, revealing the wall to be completely restored.


    The old woman¡¯s face paled, but soon, furious alarm could be seen from her face. The Fire Lightning Spike was an ancient treasure she had expended vast effort into acquiring. It was impossible for her to not feel distress over having it so easily destroyed. For a time, she felt a burning sensation at the pit of her stomach as if she were about to spit up blood.


    The others were dumbstruck by the sight and were quite alarmed. As for Yan Ruyan, she glanced at Han Li with astonishment and wore a pensive expression.


    Fortunately, the old woman was an exceptional character. After a moment of tense rage, she took a deep breathe and was able to calm down her raging blood.


    She turned her heads to the other and bitterly smiled, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made quite a fool of myself. The Wondrous Soul Restriction is truly worthy of its name as one of the top ten ancient formations. I have no method of destroying it. However, you Fellow Daoists possess vast abilities. Perhaps one of you may be able to break the restriction!¡± Once that was said, she took several steps back in a gesture of resignation.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s smile had long disappeared and he could only sigh, ¡°Despite Fellow Daoist Tai¡¯s efforts, she failed. A truly unfortunate matter indeed. Are there any other Fellow Daoists that are willing to give it a try?¡± Once that was said, Marquis Nanlong glanced at Wang Tiangu in particular. After all, he was a spell formation grandmaster renowned throughout the cultivation world.


    But since the others witnessed the destruction of the old woman¡¯s ancient treasure, any interest in making an attempt had been thoroughly extinguished. With their attempts only ending in tremendous failure, who would dare to risk their treasures?


    Wang Tiangu remained silent as he stood at the corner of the hall. Although he did possess some understanding of ancient spell formations, he had yet to encounter something on the level of the ten great ancient restrictions, let alone have a method to dissolve it. As such, he wasn¡¯t about to volunteer and make a fool of himself.


    Han Li, who had remained silent throughout this, suddenly spoke, ¡°As untalented as I am, I would like to make an attempt. How about it?¡± He had spoke about the topic rather lightly.


    These words had greatly surprised the rest of the party. Marquis Nanlong was particularly surprised, but he said, ¡°Of course. Please go ahead, Fellow Daoist Han!¡±


    Han Li promptly took several steps forward and approached a side of the wall that hadn¡¯t been struck.


    When Wang Chan saw this, a trace of derision could be seen from his face once he recovered from his shock. He uttered a few sound transmissions to Yan Ruyan, but she hardly gave any reaction. As for Wang Tiangu, he maintained a calm exterior, but he was filled with bewilderment at the idea of Han Li breaking the formation.


    Han Li stood in front of the stone wall and didn¡¯t immediately take action. Instead, he raised his hand and extended his finger. He circulated spiritual power throughout his body and emitted a streak of light from his fingertip that was several inches long. In a pulse of light, he swept the azure streak past the surface of the crystal wall to no effect.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t discouraged by this and simply enveloped his hand in a layer of azure spirit Qi. He then extended his five fingers and placed his palm against the wall. He was completely motionless as if he were sensing something.


    Han Li¡¯s strange actions were completely unfathomable to the cultivators watching him, but none stepped forward to bother him.


    Completely unbeknownst to the party, Han Li¡¯s eyes were faintly glowing with blue light as he deeply peered into the crystal wall. He seemed to be examining it with all his ability.


    After a quarter hour passed in this regard, the others didn¡¯t reveal any impatience or take the initiative to act. Han Li then sighed. The blue light disappeared from his eyes and he reached towards his storage pouch without any hesitation and took out a pile of over ten various-colored formation flags.


    The white-clothed old man quickly recovered from his surprise and excitedly asked, ¡°So Fellow Daoist Han was also proficient in the art of spell formations. Could it be you¡¯re thinking for breaking a formation with a formation? Could it be you understand the mysteries of the Wondrous Soul Restriction?¡±


    Han Li nonchalantly replied, ¡°Understand what mystery? I¡¯m merely studied in a few ancient formations of a similar type and want to give it a try!¡±


    He soon spat a breath of azure Qi onto the flags, causing them to brightly shine. Under Han Li¡¯s command, they flew out from his hand and pointed their flags in the direction of the crystal wall, then floated motionlessly in the air.

 Chapter 699

    Breaking the Formation


    Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hands and the dozen formation flags began to hover and arrange themselves in a strange formation as they faced the wall. It appeared incomprehensible.


    At that moment, Han Li began to softly utter an incantation and a dozen incantation seals flew from his hands, accurately striking each of the flags in the formation. The flags trembled for a moment before shining with various-colored lights and shooting out threads of light that wrapped around each other.


    Wang Tiangu and the other cultivators familiar with spell formations frowned. They felt this spell formation seemed somewhat familiar while knowing that they hadn¡¯t actually seen such a formation before. They all couldn¡¯t help but secretly analyze it as if wishing to discover its secret.


    As if unwilling to allow the other cultivators to study the profound aspects of the spell formation, he softly shouted and had the spell formation emit blinding white light. Those that were staring at the spell formation were caught off guard and were forced to turn their gazes away.


    While these old eccentrics were startled, they secretly channeled spiritual power through their eyes and immediately opened them once more. As a result, they couldn¡¯t help but reveal shock. They saw the flag formation was already embedded into the crystal wall without any mishap. It appeared almost as if the flags had grown out of the wall.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man revealed delight. Their confidence in Han Li grew.


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s expression changed for just a moment, but Wang Chan who stood behind him revealed a complex amazement and was entirely amazed. Yan Ruyan slightly frowned and wore a puzzled expression as she gazed at the spell formation on the wall.


    Han Li took a few steps forward towards the wall and pressed his hands against it, his fingers faintly shining with azure light. At that same moment, the spell formation on the wall seemed to respond as the center of the formation began to glow with rainbow light. The light became increasingly brilliant and gradually spread to cover the entire wall in a magnificent display.


    As everyone was entranced by the scene, Han Li pulled his hands away from the crystal wall and his figure blurred, reappeared at a neighboring wall.


    After examining it for a long while, he took out another set of formation flags and arranged the flags differently from the first formation. After they flickered with white light, they embedded themselves in the crystal wall once more.


    Because the cultivators were prepared and protected their eyes with spiritual light, they were able to clearly observe how easily the flags had pierced into the walls under Han Li¡¯s command. They couldn¡¯t help but click their tongues in surprise.


    Placing down the spell formations onto each of the four walls using this same method took no less than an hour.


    The other cultivators didn¡¯t reveal any impatience. They all knew that dissolving such a profound ancient restriction wasn¡¯t something that could be done easily.


    Having arranged a spell formation on each of the walls, Han Li walked to the center of the hall and raised his hand, revealing a green formation plate. He struck the plate with several complex incantations seals, causing both the plate and the four crystal walls to simultaneously twinkle with various colored light and pulse in pattern.


    Han Li didn¡¯t bother to glance around him and simply lowered his head, uttering, ¡°Break.¡±


    In the same instance he spoke, the light surged and released an ear-piercing cry. It became increasingly loud to the point where it sounded as if a myriad of birds had simultaneously cried out.


    A huge rumble shook the room and the entire hall grew dim as the lights vanished.


    The others then discovered that the crystal walls surrounding them had unexpectedly vanished, only to be replaced with ordinary stone walls. One of the stone walls even had a stone gate that was twenty meters tall and twelve meters wide.


    A trace of joy flickered from Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face and he excitedly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist Han was so skilled in spell formations. Haha! Great! Fellow Daoist Yun and I will naturally keep our word. After we both get our pick, Fellow Daoist will have priority in choosing a treasure.¡±


    The white-clothed old man wore a smile when he saw the stone gate before him. His eyes were filled with a fervor.


    In his excitement, the tan cultivator restlessly said, ¡°Brother Nanlong, let¡¯s see what lays inside. Surely there can¡¯t be more restrictions inside!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong confidently said, ¡°Be at ease, there can¡¯t be. According to what Master Cang Kun left behind, the cave residence should only have two layers of restrictions.¡± He then stepped forward without another word and swept his sleeve past the stone gate, easily opening it.


    The many cultivators felt the last of their worries disappear when they saw them and began to follow Marquis Nanlong outside.


    Once the old woman arrived outside the stone gate, she yelled in astonishment, ¡°What is this!?¡± Han Li and the rest of the party appeared astounded by what laid beyond the gate.


    There was a hall that was several time larger than the previous one, but there was also an exquisitely-styled pavilion at the center of the large hall. This pavilion was created from translucent white jade. It was over thirty meters tall and had only two stories. On top of its ten meter gate were the words Jadepier Pavilion written in silver characters.


    Regardless of how it could be said, a pavilion at the center of the hall was an odd sight. There was a jet-black altar table that stood in front of the pavilion with a sparkling meter-long scroll that laid on top of it.


    As for the rest of the hall, it was completely vacant and lacked any other gates.


    Everyone instantly assumed that the treasure was to be hidden inside the pavilion.


    After Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man glanced at each other, the old man walked towards the altar table with caution.


    The rest of the party felt their hearts stir, but they raised no objections. They simply calmly observed the old man¡¯s actions.


    The white-clothed old man hesitated for a moment before spitting out a mist of white light. The mist wrapped around the scroll and raised it up. With a series of turns, the scroll opened to reveal the portrait of a sword-bearing scholar that was gazing to the sky.


    ¡°That is Master Cang Kun?¡± The stern-faced cultivator asked with astonishment.


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s gaze flickered past the portrait and said, ¡°It seems so. However, there should be a reason why it was enshrined there. However, it doesn¡¯t seem to be particularly precious in and of itself.


    After a moment of thought, the old man slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll be giving it a try then!¡±


    His two hands formed an incantation seal and he flicked his finger. Several red spell seals struck the portrait, causing it to brightly shine with silver light for a just a moment. It then faded away as if nothing had occurred.


    The white-clothed old man hesitantly said, ¡°How strange! It is possible that this is but a simple portrait!¡±


    After a moment of silence, Marquis Nanlong suggested, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s put away the portrait for now. First let¡¯s search for the other treasures first and distribute them! Does anyone have any objections?¡±


    The old woman glanced at the portrait and chuckled, ¡°I have no objections. Let¡¯s follow Fellow Daoist Nanlong¡¯s suggestion.¡± Since the others have yet to see the other treasures, they all agreed.


    As a result, the white-clothed old man rolled the scroll back up and carefully placed it in his storage pouch.


    As the Marquis looked at the pavilion, he excitedly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go into the pavilion and have a look!¡±


    The party walked around the altar table and arrived in front of the tightly shut pavilion. Marquis Nanlong then impatiently pushed open its gate with a creak.


    Before Han Li and the others could enter, they were met with a blinding light. It blinded them for a long while before their vision could adjust. Once they could see once more, they spotted three slender black wood shelves on the first floor. They were filled with the items that had emitted the dazzling light.


    The party was instantly filled with joy at the sight. But as each of them were experienced and cunning, they didn¡¯t dare to commit any mistaken actions out of greed.


    With the party restraining their fervent desires, they slowly walked into the pavilion and examined each of the treasures on the shelves.

 Chapter 700

    Splitting the Treasure


    The three shelves of treasures were placed in rows at the center of the first floor. They were clearly seen by everyone.


    The first row had sixteen brilliant ancient and magic treasures. The second row had rare materials or all shapes and sizes, from a fist-sized chunk of iron to a blood-red crystal. The third row had the fewest materials. It only consisted of several inch-large bottles They seemed to contain medicine pills.


    Han Li expressionlessly swept his gaze past the treasures and maintained a calm appearance.


    Although the others had maintained a calm appearance as well, none dared to fiddle with the treasures as they pleased. They only appraised the value and uses of each of the magic treasures with their eyes. They would be dividing up the treasures soon.


    A short moment later, Marquis Nanlong stepped forward and began to examine the treasures on the party¡¯s behalf. As for the others, they began to friendly discuss the treasure¡¯s origins and applications, but who knew what they were truly thinking.


    At that moment, Han Li glanced around the room. In addition to the shelves, there was a praying mat and a small, emerald-green plant placed at the window.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. Just as he thought to walk over to them, the white-clothed old man had appeared before the praying mat in a blur.


    The praying mat flew into his grasp with a wave of his hand and he began to look over it.


    Han Li frowned and instead walked over to the small plant by the window, closely examining it.


    After he began looking over it, he suddenly heard a sweet voice from behind him, ¡°Is Senior Han interested in this Yinfocus Herb? Although it is rarely seen, it is an optimal ingredient for refining Yin type medicine pills. It is able to increase medicine power without any drawbacks.¡±


    With an odd expression, he slowly turned around and saw Yan Ruyan standing behind him.


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°The Yinfocus Herb is different from other herbs. Its medicinal properties is strongest only when it is a hundred years old. Now that it has reached such a vast age, it no longer has a use.¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze swept over the room and found that Wang Chan was closely following after Wang Tiangu. He was excitedly whispering something with his second uncle, and wasn¡¯t paying any attention to what Yan Ruyan was doing.


    Yan Ruyan smiled and gazed at Han Li with bright, wandering eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Senior Han was proficient not only in spell formations, but medicine pill refinement as well. You truly have my admiration!¡±


    Han Li grew greatly vigilant from the woman¡¯s eagerness to chat. He bluntly replied, ¡°Pill refinement? Only to a minor degree. However Fellow Daoist Yan, do you know of my relationship with your husband? Do you not fear arousing your husband¡¯s resentment from speaking with me?¡±


    Yan Ruyan¡¯s smile faded away and she said with a helpless tone, ¡°Of course I am aware. But I still vainly hope to dissolve the hatred between Senior and my lord husband.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and a sneer flickered on his face, ¡°Dissolve? Your Devil Dao Sects and my Heavenly Dao Alliance always had a hostile relationship. What is there to dissolve?¡±


    Yan Ruyan bitterly smiled in response and began to speak when Marquis Nanlong suddenly called out, ¡°Come over Fellow Daoists. We will first be distributing the treasures of this floor before heading up.¡±


    Once this was said, Han Li paid no more heed to Yan Ruyan and walked over. Yan Ruyan¡¯s beautiful face flickered with several emotions in response before gracefully following after him.


    When Wang Chan saw that Yan Ruyan was following after Han Li, he appeared slightly bewildered. But after giving Yan Ruyan a deep glance, he shrewdly decided to keep silent on the matter. As for Wang Tiangu, he turned a blind eye to the matter.


    Marquis Nanlong had already gathered all the items onto one shelf and calmly said, ¡°Alright, let us make clear of the contents. There are six ancient treasures, ten magic treasures, and eight shares of materials and medicine pills that are organized in accordance to their value. Of course, what everyone wants the most will be the ancient treasures. After all, their full strength can be displayed without any refinement. However, these magic treasures aren¡¯t common items either. They were all magic treasures left behind from Master Cang Kun¡¯s formidable opponents. Their might should be great.


    Even if only seventy percent of their might can be displayed after spending some time to refine them, it will certainly be worth it. As such, you may pick them in accordance to your desires. Fellow Daoists Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan, you will only be allocated one share.¡±


    The old woman bluntly rushed to take advantage of her age and lay a claim, ¡°As old as I am, how do I have the time to refine a magic treasure. It will be an ancient treasure of course!¡±


    The others didn¡¯t respond to her words, but they wryly laughed in their hearts.


    At that moment, Wang Tiangu spoke with Marquis Nanlong with a heavy tone, ¡°Will Fellow Daoists Nanlong and Yun not be taking first pick? There might not be any items you want on the second floor.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression grew sullen and he coldly said,¡±Brother Wang, what do you mean?¡±


    The white-clothed old man stared at Wang Tiangu with an unfriendly expression.


    Wang Tiangu turned a blind eye to this and chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I felt it would just be a pity if you decided to not take first pick with these treasures.¡±


    With an icy expression, Marquis Nanlong snorted, ¡°There is nothing here that Fellow Daoist Yun and I wish to take using first priority. As for Fellow Daoist Han, it will be his choice to decide whether or not he will use his privilege.¡± He seemed to be greatly displeased with Wang Tiangu¡¯s words.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and casually said, ¡°I also don¡¯t wish to use my privilege. I¡¯ll be keeping it for the second floor.¡±


    Wang Tiangu spoke without reservation, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, we will divide the treasures evenly amongst us. If you want an ancient treasure, then you renounce the right to pick a magic treasures afterwards. Fellow Daoists, do you agree?¡±


    ¡°That method is fine, I agree!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡±


    The others felt this to be fair and each of them agreed.


    Of course, Han Li choose to renounce the magic treasures. As for the white-clothed old man and the tan man, they chose to renounce the ancient treasures. Instead, they each took two magic treasures and a share of the materials and medicine pills.


    As for the others, they each took took a single ancient treasure.


    Han Li acquired a bamboo tube. Although he didn¡¯t know the level of its power or its abilities, he placed the item into his storage pouch without much care. He also took a share of the medicine pills and materials.


    Once Han Li and the others each took a single magic treasure, they finished distributing the items on the first floor.


    As for the praying mat, Han Li noticed that the white-clothed old man had already tossed it to the floor without paying it any further attention. It didn¡¯t appear to be valuable. As for the Yinfocus Herb, it seemed that many had recognized it, but none were interested.


    Han Li wryly chuckled in his mind. It seemed no one was fool enough to take it. These Nascent Soul eccentrics had examined everything present. After all, it was quite possible there were hidden treasures.


    Once these Nascent Soul eccentrics searched through the first floor once more, the party climbed up to the second floor without any unexpected discoveries, but when they arrived they were stunned by the sight.


    As soon as they entered the second floor, they were hit with a wave of incense. There was a small offering shine at the top of the second floor stairs with a golden statue of a ferocious single horned demon with six arms. It appeared aggressive and lifelike.


    There was a fire-red cauldron in front of the shine that was emitting spirals of white smoke. It was the origin of the incense in the air.


    Marquis Nanlong and the others were shocked to see that Master Cang Kun had enshrined a demon beast.


    But when Han Li saw the statue, Han Li felt his his heart jump. The statue seemed to exactly the same as the demon beast in the Sacred Provenance Plate. It even had the same fierce glare and six arms that were all raised to the heavens.


    Han Li then turned his gaze toward everything else on the second floor.


    About ten meters away, he saw a common desk and chair. There was an ink slab, a brush, bamboo slips, and many other items. On the side opposite to the shrine, there was a blue jade bed.


    Although it was far away, he could faintly sense it emit a frigid aura as if it were carved from glacial jade. On top of the bed, there were three jade boxes that appeared rather eye-catching.


    It seemed the second floor was Master Cang Kun¡¯s bedroom.


    In a blur, the white-clothed old man appeared at the side of the cold jade bed and took one of the jade boxes into his hand.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Soon after this was said, another silhouette appeared at the side of the bed. Their hand began to shine with black light and they pointed it at the old man¡¯s back.


    The white-clothed old man withdrew his wrist and avoided the sneak attack. In his alarmed fury, he glared at his attacker with hostility, ¡°What are you doing? You wish to exchange blows with me?¡±

 Chapter 701

    Scheme


    The attacker with the fluttering robes was Wang Tiangu.


    Wang Tiangu calmly said, ¡°Brother Yun, please don¡¯t be so hasty! I merely wished to confirm whether or not Fellow Daoist Yun wished to use his priority selection on this jade box and renounce the privilege on any other items.¡±


    The white-clothed old man regained his calm, but he glared at Wang Tiangu nonetheless, ¡°Naturally, I want to take a look inside first. Why would I choose it if it were useless?¡±


    Wang Tiangu wore a fearless expression and instead glanced at the three jade boxes on the jade bed. He calmly said, ¡°If I remember correctly, we agreed that you two would have first pick and we would evenly divide what was leftover, but doesn¡¯t Fellow Daoist believe that there will be enough to divide once the jade boxes are taken?¡±


    ¡°What is Fellow Daoist planning? Go ahead and say it. Do you plan on reneging on our agreement?¡± Marquis Nanlong took several steps forward and stood alongside the old man. With a malicious expression, he swept his gaze past the three Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.


    Wang Tiangu smiled and calmly said, ¡°I have no intention of breaking my promise. However, there are far too few treasures on the second floor to be decided. Since the jade boxes cannot be seen through with spiritual sense, they are probably the most precious items in the building. Perhaps Master Cang Kun¡¯s profound cultivation arts or even the secret of Devilfall Valley lay within.


    Even under these circumstances, you two Fellow Daoists wish to perceive their value before choosing the item. Isn¡¯t this excessive?¡±


    The white-clothed old man ¡°Excessive? I only recall that you Fellow Daoists personally agreed to our conditions of priority selection. What does it have to do with us if there aren¡¯t enough items here!¡±


    The old woman surprisingly backed Wang Tiangu, ¡°Those words can¡¯t be said. Fellow Daoists are allowed to have first pick with the items, but they can¡¯t examine what are within the boxes. If Fellow Daoists are unsure, they may pick another item. For example, this glacial jade bed is a rather rare treasure. To cultivators with Yin Ice cultivation arts, it is a vastly precious treasure.¡±


    Once that was said, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression became gloomy. He suddenly emitted an immense pressure that forced Wang Tiangu and the old woman to take a step back.


    At Nascent Soul stage, the difference in power between early and mid stage wasn¡¯t something to underestimate.


    Marquis Nanlong narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze past the rest of the party with eyes as cold as a sword¡¯s edge, ¡°If there is anyone who believes Fellow Daoist Wang¡¯s words to be reasonable, step forward. For Brother Wang to act so boldly, he should more than just Madam Tai supporting him!¡±


    After a moment of silence, the tan cultivator calmly said, ¡°Marquis Nanlong, there is no need to be angry! Brother Wang¡¯s words aren¡¯t without reason. Fellow Daoist can¡¯t just leave us with scraps.¡±


    As for the stern-faced cultivator, he unconsciously frowned and hesitantly stood behind Wang Tiangu as if forgetting of their unfriendly relationship. Suddenly, apart from Han Li, the two parties stood in confrontation.


    Marquis Nanlong and the white-clothed old man¡¯s expressions vastly changed.


    Marquis Nanlong instantly regained his calm and asked, ¡°It seems you¡¯ve formed a group beforehand. Just when have you decided this? You shouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity on the way here.¡±


    Wang Tiangu nonchalantly said, ¡°It is impossible to have formed a group all at once. These Fellow Daoist and I had a small meeting before we left. We talked about a few plans of self preservations as well as any unexpected circumstances. This was one of the situations that we had anticipated. We now have no option but to right against Fellow Daoists Nanlong and Yun.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression grew icy. His gaze soon landed on Han Li and he gravely asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what will you do?¡±


    As of current, the two mid Nascent Soul cultivators were standing in confrontation against four early Nascent Soul cultivators and two late Core Formation cultivators. From the balance of power, Han Li who had yet to pick a side had become a crucial point to the conflict.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately choose. He merely turned his head and calmly looked at Wang Tiangu¡¯s party, attempting to read their expressions the best he could.


    Not only did Wang Tiangu look at Han Li with a calm expression, but he also calmly smiled, revealing not a trace of worry. At his side, Wang Chan appeared excited and Yan Ruyan appeared to be at a loss. They didn¡¯t seem to know that Wang Tiangu and the others had formed an alliance beforehand.


    Lady Tai and the stern-faced cultivator didn¡¯t reveal the slightest alarm. They merely glanced at Han Li with an emotionless gaze.


    Han Li¡¯s heart thumped. He felt that something was amiss and he grew greatly vigilant. He casually took several steps away from either party and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t have an opinion. Regardless of whatever the outcome Fellow Daoist Wang or Brother Nanlong decides, I will not oppose it.


    Marquis Nanlong wasn¡¯t surprised by Han Li¡¯s words. Han Li had always displayed a neutral attitude. The question was merely verifying what the Marquis already suspected.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression relaxed and he nodded to Han Li. His gaze then turned towards Wang Tiangu and he coldly smiled as if about to speak.


    But at that moment, the white-clothed old man suddenly took a step forward and icily said, ¡°Brother Nanlong, for what reason are you talking to them? Do these people truly believe that they will be able to cause us to succeed by joining hands. Delusional!¡± Once this was said, he opened his mouth and spat out a shining white magic treasure.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Yun, wait. I am¡­ You!¡± Marquis Nanlong frowned and thought to stop the old man¡¯s rash actions as their changes of victory weren¡¯t entirely certain. They didn¡¯t expect that the old man would suddenly command the silver wheel to fly in his direction.


    A muffled peng sounded out.


    Under Marquis Nanlong¡¯s incredulous gaze, the silver wheel tore through the golden light protecting his body and directly struck his chest. Not only was he forced to take several steps back, but there was also a depression left in his chest.


    Marquis Nanlong responded with furious alarm. He flung his sleeve and shot a small golden blade from his palm towards the old man.


    But at that moment, the old man blurred and appeared at Wang Tiangu¡¯s side. He had raised his hand and commanded the silver wheel to block the golden sword. He then coldly glanced at Marquis Nanlong¡¯s chest. Beneath his torn robes, there was a layer of shining azure cloth armor. Although it had a deep depression, it was still in one piece.


    The old man¡¯s expression flickered and he expressionlessly muttered, ¡°Azure Rhino Armor! As expected, you wore it on hand.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s cheek began to appear dark red and he stroked his chest, staring at the old man as he furiously spoke, ¡°Good, very good! I didn¡¯t expect you to have been bought by them.¡± Although their view was obstructed by blinding light, all could see that he was seriously injured.


    The old man ignored Marquis Nanlong as if he were a stranger and said, ¡°Fellow Daoists, be careful. Do not let him leave this place alive. With his cultivation, we will attract no small amount of trouble.¡±


    The stern-faced cultivator sinisterly smiled, ¡°Relax. We have so many people on our side, and he is seriously injured. It will be impossible for him to escape.¡± He then spat out a misty white flying saber from his mouth.


    At that moment, Wang Tiangu turned his head to Han Li and amiably said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, if you help us deal with him, you¡¯ll receive a portion of his treasure. How about it?¡± He spoke sincerely as if ignoring the past hostilities that Han Li and Wang Chan shared.


    ¡°Help you?¡± The previous scene came as a great shock to Han Li and his expression vastly changed. His eyes then turned towards the stairs.


    In the instant the old man attacked Marquis Nanlong, the old woman has silently guarded the staircase. Otherwise, Han Li would¡¯ve already made his escape. Since the walls of the pavilion were flickering with white light, it was clear that it was under the effects of some formidable restriction and would be incapable of being broken through.


    Han Li didn¡¯t trust Wang Tiangu¡¯s proposal to group together. Surely Han Li would be next after Marquis Nanlong was eliminated. They would¡¯ve extended the offer to Han Li to join hands beforehand were this not the case. He reckoned that from the very start, it had been decided for Han Li to die alongside Marquis Nanlong.


    With that thought, Han Li¡¯s expression remained calm as he attempted to agree with them for the time being. However, Marquis Nanlong scoffed and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you can¡¯t honestly believe such a shallow trick. Although I don¡¯t know what methods Fellow Daoist Wang used to entice the lot of them, my good friend of a hundred years included, there is hope for survival if we join hands. But if we allow them to deal with us separately, we will certainly meet our doom!¡±

 Chapter 702

    Spreading Misfortune


    As Marquis Nanlong spoke, he brushed his hand past his chest. In a pulse of soft white light, the depression in the armor was restored back to normal.


    Wang Tiangu and the others were surprised, but the white-clothed old man calmly explained, ¡°There is no need to be worried. He is merely using a secret technique to temporarily suppress his injuries. There is still lasting damage! But he will be troublesome together with that Youngster Han. Have someone tangle him down for the time being. Kill Marquis Nanlong first.¡±


    Once the old man finished, he unhurriedly pointed the silver wheel in front of him. The magic treasure immediately turned into a silver streak above his head. A mist of white light spread around his body, causing him to appear indistinct. Knowing that Marquis Nanlong held a bone-deep grudge against him, he wasn¡¯t about to hold back in the slightest.


    Wang Tiangu frowned and felt that this was reasonable. He turned his head to the stern-faced cultivator and said, ¡°Brother Long, deal with that youngster for a moment. You don¡¯t need to try your hardest to kill him. Just keep him occupied. After we deal with Marquis Nanlong, we¡¯ll kill him together.¡±


    Wang Tiangu icily glared at Han Li and no longer contained his killing intent. His body suddenly emitted a meter-tall black radiance, completely enveloping him in darkness.


    When the old woman and the tan cultivator saw this, they each spat our their magic tools in preparation.


    The stern-faced cultivator chuckled and silently slip out a milky-white jade scepter from his sleeve. He then took several steps forward and mysteriously smiled at Han Li, ¡°Not a problem. I¡¯ll deal with Fellow Daoist Han!¡±


    From his point of view, holding down a cultivator that had just entered Nascent Soul stage was a trivial affair. It was far safer than attempting to confront a mid Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Han Li stared at the stern-faced cultivator and remained entirely still, but when he saw that the old woman had left the stairwell, his heart began to heavily thump. He tightly grabbed onto the ancient treasure that was hidden in his sleeve.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong swept his sleeve and sent out a mist of gold, sweeping the three jade boxes on the bed into his grasp.


    ¡°Take it!¡± Marquis Nanlong tossed one of the jade boxes to Han Li without any hesitation.


    This action was greatly unexpected and none attempted to block it. Han Li easily caught the jade box with slight confusion on his face.


    With his arms behind his back, Marquis Nanlong explained, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist isn¡¯t following their wretched actions, I will give this jade box to you. If the box truly contains the secrets of Devilfall Valley and Fellow Daoist is able to make it out alive, it can be considered a fated chance.¡±


    When the others heard this, their expressions vastly changed.


    Han Li glanced down at the jade box in his hand and licked his lips. He inwardly felt a desire to howl with laughter, but he managed to retain his calm with his exceeding force of will. The item that all the cultivators presently wished to acquire had fallen right into his hands. He found it hilarious.


    Of course, Marquis Nanlong hadn¡¯t done this out of kindness. Since the other side were determined to acquire the jade boxes, he gave a jade box to Han Li in order to divert their attention and create an opportunity for himself to escape.


    Marquis Nanlong was quite a decisive and formidable character to abandon a treasure that was already in his possess. But once Han Li realized that very treasure was in his hands, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly laugh.


    Han Li flipped his hand without a thought and placed it away in a storage pouch.


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s expression grew sullen and he decisively ordered, ¡°Chan¡¯er, assist Fellow Daoist Long with Ruyan. Do not allow that Youngster Han the opportunity to escape. The others and I will be enough for the Marquis.¡±


    He appeared calm and his reason wasn¡¯t overturned by his desire for the jade box. He merely sent the weakest among them to look after Han Li and paid him no more heed.


    When the others saw this, they grew tempted, but they all knew that so long as they could kill Marquis Nanlong first, Han Li was as good as theirs.


    ¡°Yes, Second Uncle! I was already thinking of it!¡± Wang Chan¡¯s eyes revealed a malicious expression and he sinisterly smiled. He then beckoned to Yan Ruyan and walked towards Han Li.


    A complicated expression flickered on Yan Ruyan¡¯s face for a moment, and she silently followed after him.


    Han Li calmly glanced at the two without the slightest change in emotion.


    Han Li found it rather laughable. Although weapons were at the ready, the battle had yet to start on the other side. It wasn¡¯t due to any lingering sentiments, but due to caution. With Marquis Nanlong now a cornered beast, there was a change he might steel his resolve and decide to take one or two with them in mutual destruction.


    With the fear of a counterattack from a mid Nascent Soul on death¡¯s door, they were each unwilling to be the first to strike in fear of receiving a fatal counterattack.


    Moreover, they weren¡¯t in the slightest rush. With Marquis Nanlong¡¯s wounds only worsening with time, the advantage laid with them.


    But bafflingly, Marquis Nanlong stood motionlessly in place as if he were unconcerned with his injuries. However, his red complexion was only growing brighter, nearly becoming the same shade as blood itself.


    This only caused Wang Tiangu and the others to appear more hesitant. In fear that the Marquis would employ a secret technique to muster the entirety of his strength, they each gazed at him from a distance with icy gazes.


    As for the stern-faced cultivator, he didn¡¯t take the initiative to attack Han Li. His only goal was to tie him down. While Wang Chan held only the desire to kill Han Li as soon as possible, he lacked the cultivation to act.


    As such, the entire building was entirely peaceful despite the profuse killing intent that was present.


    A short moment later, Han Li wore a pensive expression and sighed. Although he wasn¡¯t loud, it was noticed by everyone present.


    As each of the Nascent Soul eccentrics in the building were shrewd and cunning, none of them turned their attention to Han Li apart from the stern-faced faced cultivator. As for Wang Chan, he curled his lips and sneered.


    From their point of view, Han Li could only take action after Marquis Nanlong. It was only in that case he could take advantage of the chaos to escape. Nobody believed that Han Li would take action after he sighed.


    Han Li calmly raised his hand and revealed a pitch-black item in his hand.


    Marquis Nanlong narrowed his eyes. Before he could even see what it was, he flung it into the air without any reservation. It spun in a circle before instantaneously expanding to the size of twenty-five meters, forming what seemed to be a wall between both sides of the conflict..


    When the stern-faced cultivator clearly saw the pitch-black mountain, he didn¡¯t know what treasure it was. While he was surprised, he managed to react and pointed to the jade scepter in front of him. In an instant, the jade scepter loudly hummed and brightly shined with white light. A huge white tiger then materialized from the radiance.


    Although the tiger appeared indistinct, it bared its ferocious fangs as soon as it appeared and instantly shot a beam of lazing white light towards the black mountain.


    With a loud rumble, the white light instantly engulfed a majority of the mountain.


    Wang Chan also reacted. He formed an incantation gesture with his hands, engulfing his body in a crimson mist. In that same moment, the stench of blood filled the air.


    As for Yan Ruyan, she also formed an incantation gesture and enveloped herself in crimson mist. However, she emitted an odd fragrance rather than the scent of blood. A whiff of it would cause one¡¯s mind to become dizzy and muddled.


    The stern-faced cultivator felt some relief at this. As he willed the white tiger to spit out another beam of light with his jade scepter, he slapped his storage pouch with his other hand, summoning an inch-large, faint-blue gourd into his hand.


    Just as he was about to deploy the gourd, he suddenly heard a faint roll of thunder. In his alarm, he formed a hand incantation without any hesitation and formed a dense light barrier around him.


    At nearly that same time, a flash of silver lightning appeared at his side, revealing Han Li with silver wings emerging from his back.


    ¡°Ah, you¡­¡± The stern-faced cultivator was greatly shocked, but as a result of his rich combat experience, he hastily raised the gourd in his hand and shot out a dazzling bolt of blue lightning.


    In the instant the blue lightning shot out, Han Li didn¡¯t dodge. Rather, he blankly opened his mouth, spitting out a thread of blue flame. The blue flames pierced through the white light barrier without the slightest resistance and shot towards the stern-faced cultivator.

 Chapter 703

    The First to Act


    The meager wisp of blue flame was able to pass through the light barrier unobstructed, much to the surprise of the stern-faced cultivator. Lacking any time to dodge, the wisp of flame struck his neck. With a crackle, the stern-faced cultivator was entirely consumed by blue ice, forming a glistening ice sculpture.


    Much to the stern-faced cultivator¡¯s misfortune, Han Li had particularly directed the Celestial Ice Flames to strike at his neck as a result of his experience from fighting the spell warrior. With his head frozen over, he had no opportunity to cast any techniques and change the outcome.


    In the same moment Han Li turned the stern-faced man into an ice sculpture, the blue lightning from the gourd struck Han Li before its thunder could sound out. But before it could strike Han Li¡¯s body, a net of faint gold lightning suddenly appeared on Han Li¡¯s body. In a flicker of golden light, the blue lightning was absorbed and disappeared from sight.


    Han Li then hesitantly reached forward and quickly snatched away the blue gourd.


    Han Li¡¯s use of the thunderstorm wings, the icing of the stern-faced cultivator surnamed Long, and the acquisition of the treasure took place in a mere instant. Just as Wang Chan had thought to step forward and assist the stern-faced cultivator, he witnessed his instantaneous defeat. Wang Chan could hardly believe what he just saw.


    When Han Li coldly glanced in his direction, Wang Chan responded without a thought. With fear in his voice, he yelled, ¡°Cast together! Use the Blood Spirit Arts to restrain him!¡± Once that was said, he grabbed onto Yan Ruyan¡¯s hand and hurriedly uttered an incantation. Crimson mist suddenly spread through the air.


    Yan Ruyan didn¡¯t resist, merely displaying a trace of disgust deep within her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she followed suit and uttered an incantation. The blood mist from both of their bodies combined as one and condensed into a mist of violet blood light.


    After Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan disappeared into the violet mist, it began to release ghostly howls as if monsters truly laid within.


    When Han Li saw this, he faintly smirked.


    Marquis Nanlong suddenly sent Han Li a voice transmission, ¡°Good! I didn¡¯t expect for Fellow Daoist Han to possess such heaven-defying abilities. If we join hands, we may be able to match them.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he swept his gaze to the other side.


    Marquis Nanlong and the others had yet to fight, but the others were staring at him with absolute shock. Marquis Nanlong appeared delighted by Han Li¡¯s recent display and his hopes of escaping grew stronger.


    Marquis Nanlong immediately said, ¡°So long as you join hands with me, I am willing to give you another jade box!¡±


    ¡®Join hands? Haha¡­¡¯ Han Li coldly laughed and said nothing. He carried no such desire.


    He clearly understood that he was able to easily dispatch of the stern-faced cultivator because he was unaware of the deadly Celestial Ice Flames. Else, the battle would¡¯ve taken far longer, even if he ended up victorious.


    There were still three early and one mid Nascent Soul cultivators on the opposing side. If Marquis Nanlong was uninjured, they might¡¯ve stood a chance, but as gravely wounded as he was now, Han Li would only be dragged down alongside him. Regardless of whatever it may contain, the jade box¡¯s contents wasn¡¯t worth his life.


    Before he fled, he needed to have them start fighting and have their focus be on the Marquis. Otherwise, their attentions would be focused on him, and it would be difficult for him to escape. With that thought, Han Li paid them no further heed and flapped his wings, leaving only thunder behind.


    When the white-clothed old man saw this, he immediately shouted, ¡°Not good! He¡¯s about to run! Block him! Don¡¯t let him escape with the jade box!¡±


    With the scene of Han Li instantly killing a similar grade cultivator still fresh in their minds, the old woman and the tan man ignored his words entirely. Even Wang Tiangu appeared hesitant. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to take action.


    After all, if Han Li truly left, they would be able to deal with the Marquis with complete certainty. The two jade boxes may as well be theirs. But if they were to forcefully detain Han Li, with his strange abilities, even the mid Nascent Soul old man might not be able to prevail over him. It was far too risky.


    However, the jade box in Han Li¡¯s grasp might contain the secrets of Devilfall Valley that they all so deeply desired. As shrewd and cunning as Wang Tiangu was, he found himself wavering between two extremely difficult choices.


    When the white-clothed old man saw their hesitation, he understood them perfectly. He also felt some fear towards Han Li¡¯s Celestial Ice Flames. Moreover, if he were to leave this place to deal with Han Li, the Marquis may escape. Although Marquis Nanlong¡¯s injuries were severe, three early Nascent Soul cultivators didn¡¯t have much hope of remaining steadfast against his formidable secret techniques.


    He also found himself hesitant as to what to do.


    In a flash of lightning, Han Li appeared at the top of the stairs. He strangely smiled at Wang Tiangu and company before pointing to the black mountain. The black mountain trembled and disappeared in an instant, only to appear above them and dropping down with all its might.


    None had expected that Han Li would launch such a sudden attack, to their fury.


    However, even the white-clothed old man didn¡¯t dare to take on the mountain¡¯s might alone. They could only helplessly dodge out of the way as the mountain fell down.


    This was finally the moment Marquis Nanlong chose to strike. His eyes brightened and he transformed into a blinding streak of golden light, charging directly towards the old woman. In her fright, the old woman¡¯s body flashed with yellow light, summoning a small yellow shield to block the Marquis¡¯ approach. In an instant, gold and yellow light intertwined, but eventually the golden light engulfed the old woman.


    When the others saw this, they instantly struck without any further thought and attempted to restrain the Marquis.


    But through some unknown secret technique, the golden light on his body became increasingly dense. At that same moment, he released several powerful ancient treasures to enter the fray. He didn¡¯t appear to be at the slightest disadvantage in this chaotic battle.


    The others were completely occupied in their alarm and couldn¡¯t pay any attention to Han Li¡¯s actions.


    When Han Li saw this, he was satisfied and pointed once more to the black mountain. It shrunk to several inches in a gust of wind and shot back into his hand. He then turned his gaze towards the violet blood mist with a stern expression on his face.


    With pupils glowing with blue light, Han Li gazed at a certain portion of the mist. He raised his hand without any hesitation and black light began to surge through it. A dense mass of black-red light shot out from his palm towards the mist, discharging the Yin Devil Execution.


    A wretched scream came from the blood mist, but Han Li had already disappeared with a flash of lightning.


    Even if Wang Chan somehow managed to survive the strike, his injuries would be grave. While he did wish to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure Wang Chan¡¯s death, he was certain that Wang Tiangu would come to Wang Chan¡¯s aid. When that moment came, he would be tied down in a battle against Wang Tiangu, attracting much danger onto himself.


    In any case, Han Li would always have the ability to kill a trifling late Core Formation cultivator like Wang Chang, so he had no need to risk his safety now. As such, he immediately fled after making his attack.


    Han Li¡¯s figure appeared at the exit of the building in a blur, and he flew straight towards the hall¡¯s entrance. Along the way, a white streak of light flew into Han Li¡¯s sleeve from the corner of the hall. It appeared to be a small white fox.


    ¡°Master, I¡ª¡± Silvermoon spoke with an excited tone.


    Han Li flew straight out the hall and gloomily interrupted, ¡°Now is not the time to talk. Leave it for when we¡¯re out of danger.¡±


    When Han Li broke through the Wondrous Soul Restriction, he deliberately used a flash of dazzling light to hide a gap in the restriction that he created. In that instant, he had Silvermoon go through. Afterwards, he deliberately stalled for time as he dissolved the formation. It was for this reason that Han Li had taken such efforts to break through the Wondrous Soul restriction, not on the mere basis of priority selection.


    From how excited Silvermoon appeared, it seemed she had reaped quite a bit of profit from the pavilion.


    Having taken the initiative to seize the treasures, Han Li had refused Marquis Nanlong¡¯s proposal to fight together and simply chose to prioritize his own escape.

 Chapter 704

    Mileshed Line


    In the instant Han Li shot through the entrance of the hall, he felt an earth-shaking rumble from behind him. Alarmed, Han Li hastily turned his gaze around.


    He saw that the Jadepier Pavilion suddenly ruptured to reveal a blazing golden sun that was three meters wide. It flew out from rubble, carrying a faint silhouette. It appeared Marquis Nanlong had executed some sort of secret technique.


    Han Li was shaken by the sight. The Jadepier Pavilion wasn¡¯t an ordinary building. Han Li doubted his own ability to break through its walls, but Marquis Nanlong was able to turn it into rubble in a single blow. It seemed the full might of a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn¡¯t a simple matter in the least.


    With his attention back to the matter at hand, Han Li flew into the center of the hall and glanced at the restored walls around him. He raised his hand without any further thought and flickered his finger. A meter long streak of sword light flew out from his hand and struck the opposing wall.


    A rough hole was cut in the wall. Then in a flash of white light, the hole disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li frowned. Just as he thought of another method to break it, his expression suddenly changed and he turned around in an instantaneous blur.


    Marquis Nanlong was standing there about ten meters behind him. His body was glaring with dazzling golden light but his complexion was deathly pale.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes gazed past him towards the pavilion. He simply saw that a huge dome of golden light was covering the pavilion. Occasional flashes of black and white light could be seen within along with the faint sounds of explosions.


    A trace of shock appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    Through the use of some sort of heaven-defying technique, he managed to trap the others inside for the time being, giving him the time to escape.


    ¡°The outer restrictions need to be opened with the formation flag. Fellow Daoist Han, since I only have a single formation flag, it will take some more time. I will have to trouble you to delay them. Although the might of my ancient treasure may be great, I don¡¯t know how much longer they will be trapped. They could break out at any moment.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong forced a smile and flipped his hand. He held a small fluttering yellow flag in his hand and began to mutter incantations without delay. It appeared he didn¡¯t have the slightest fear of Han Li attacking him.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and he quickly slapped his storage pouch. An emerald-green formation plate appeared in his hand, the magic tool that he had used to break through the Wondrous Soul Restriction.


    He quickly drew several azure talisman characters into the air and blew them onto the formation plate, causing it to brightly shine with azure light.


    Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hands and softly shouted, ¡°Rise!¡± Apart from the side that Marquis Nanlong was facing, the walls turned back to blue crystal, sealing off the hall once more.


    Marquis Nanlong ceased his incantation at the sight and joyfully said, ¡°You are able to control the Wondrous Soul Formation?¡±


    Revealing not a trace of pride, Han Li sullenly said, ¡°I¡¯m not even capable of mustering even a tenth of its original power. It won¡¯t be able to hold them for long either. Brother Nanlong had best open the way before they break through.¡±


    When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he discovered that the crystal walls were far darker than they were originally, and his expression of joy suddenly vanished. He then tossed the small flag, having it disappear into the wall in a trace of light before continuing with his incantation.


    At that same moment, he heard deafening rumbles from behind him and saw that the crystal walls had begun to sparkle. The thunderous explosions were clear to hear. It seems they¡¯ve managed to break through the Marquis¡¯ ancient treasure and have begun their attack on the crystal walls.


    Han Li glanced at the stone wall and saw it was faintly glowing with white light before turning his gaze back to the blue crystal walls. After some slight hesitation, he tossed a spirit beast pouch into the air, summoning a swarm of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. With the formation of an incantation gesture, the beetles swarm frantically surrounded Han Li and transformed into tri-colored armor.


    An odd expression momentarily appeared on the Marquis¡¯ face when he saw Han Li executing the Insect Armor Technique. But since their need for escape was urgent, he left the matter alone.


    A short moment later, the crystal walls violently trembled as if on the verge of collapse. Likewise, the stone wall also began to shake and part amongst the white light, revealing the stairway ahead of them.


    As soon as Marquis Nanlong saw this, his body pulsed in golden light and he shot out. Behind him, Han Li¡¯s Thunderstorm Wings flapped with golden lightning and suddenly disappeared from sight.


    A moment later, Han Li appeared in front of Marquis Nanlong and appeared in midair. But soon, he saw a clear explosion from down below.


    With an expression of alarm, Han Li flapped his Thunderstorm Wings once more and he instantly arrived at the exit of the stairs. Afterwards, he employed his lightning movement to its fullest extent and began to flicker into the distance.


    Just as Han Li flew a kilometer away, an ear-piercing cry came from the stairs, followed by a ball of blinding golden light streaking across the sky.


    The Marquis flew once around and announced in an icy, resentful tone, ¡°Take this to heart; you had best avoid falling into my hands or I will exterminate both your body and soul!¡±


    Once this oath was finished, his golden light gleamed and began to appear indistinct. Just as a silver light shot out from the mountain entrance, the golden radiance suddenly turned exceptionally slim and flickered several times before tearing through the sky at an immense speed. In nearly a single breath, it had disappeared from sight.


    At that moment, Han Li was already on the edge of the sky, appearing as an intermittently flickering dot.


    Closely following the silver light, a streak of black light faded away to reveal a silhouette. Wang Tiangu solemnly asked, ¡°What movement techniques are they using to travel so quickly?¡±


    The silver light faded away to reveal the white-clothed old man. He gloomily said, ¡°Marquis Nanlong is using a secret technique that was personally created by Master Cang Kun, Mileshed Line. By consuming vast amounts of vitality and blood essence, one is able to instantly travel into a distance in light as thin as a thread. It makes their aura entirely hidden so that they cannot be tracked. While he truly hasn¡¯t traveled too far away, it will be impossible to detect him with spiritual sense. As for that Youngster Han, he seems to be controlling lightning through use of those strange wings. It should be the instant lightning movement of legend!¡±


    At that moment, the old woman and the tan cultivator both shot out from the passage and heard of the old man¡¯s words.


    With a pale and uneasy expression, the old woman asked, ¡°Given how fantastic their movement techniques are, they¡¯ll be able to make a clean escape! What should we do?¡±


    The tan cultivator now appeared in complete disarray, ¡°That Youngster Han is of little consequence, but if Marquis Nanlong escapes, it will be great cause for trouble. Fellow Daoists Wang and Yun, we only agreed to collude against Marquis Nanlong because of you two!¡±


    The old man coldly chuckled and sinisterly said, ¡°Be at ease! From the beating he received, what do you think his true cultivation is now? From forcefully drawing magic power in his injured state to using the Mileshed Line, he will certainly be gravely injured without any further action.


    Even if he spent the next hundred years restoring his vitality, he won¡¯t be able to preserve his mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation. Moreover, when did I ever say I didn¡¯t have a way of tracking him down.¡±


    With roused spirits, the tan man suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Yun means¡­¡±


    The old man readily said, ¡°Since I planned to kill him, it is only natural that I prepared for this ahead of time. So long as he isn¡¯t able to move a hundred-fifty kilometers in a single stretch, I will be able to find him. But given the current state of his body, he won¡¯t be able to sustain the Mileshed Line for long. When that time comes, we¡¯ll track him down and dispose of him.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s expression relaxed and she sighed, ¡°That¡¯s good. This is greatly reassuring. Were it not for the black jade lotus that Fellow Daoist Wang gave to me and the promise of sharing the secrets of Devilfall Valley with us, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have braved such dangers. Becoming enemies with a mid Nascent Soul cultivator isn¡¯t a wise decision.¡±


    The tan cultivator also appeared relieved and he said, ¡°We¡¯ve spent quite a bit of effort for the secrets of Devilfall Valley! However we didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist Yun was actually an elder for the Ghost Spirit Sect. How surprising! Could it be that the Six Devil Dao Sects have so many hidden elders?¡± Once he finished speaking, a complicated expression appeared on his face.


    The white-clothed old man shook his head and insipidly said, ¡°Although I came from the Ghost Spirit Sect in my youth, I wasn¡¯t very involved with sect affairs. Thus, only a few know of my true identity as a Ghost Spirit Sect elder. I didn¡¯t truly have the intention to deceive any others. To tell the truth, Marquis Nanlong was a descendant of Master Cang Kun and had been my friend for many years. I didn¡¯t wish to kill him. But it is a pity that I discovered he stealthily formed friendships with the elders of the Righteous Dao Heavenpeak Sect and grew interested in joining their sect. I urged him to change his mind, but his mind was unchanged. Furthermore, he planned to draw support of the Heavenpeak Sect to enter Devilfall Valley. As such, I couldn¡¯t just standby and allow the Righteous Dao to grow in power. I had no option but to deal with him.¡±

 Chapter 705

    Nascent Soul Combustion


    With a slight surprise, the old woman asked, ¡°Marquis Nanlong has ties with the Heavenpeak Sect? Fellow Daoist Yun, you didn¡¯t mentioned this matter before!¡± As for the tan cultivator, he appeared furious.


    The white-clothed old man surnamed Yun smiled and calmly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mention the matter? You just carelessly overlooked the matter. However, Marquis Nanlong truly hasn¡¯t yet entered the Heavenpeak Sect. If you are feeling worried, you can join my sect and become elders. That way, the Heavenpeak Sect won¡¯t be able to touch you!¡±


    The old woman coldly snorted, ¡°Given my age, I have no interest receiving further constraints.¡±


    The tan cultivator frowned and indifferently said, ¡°I am accustomed to being without responsibilities and also have no interest in joining your sect.


    ¡°That is truly a pity! If you were to join our Ghost Spirit Sect, our prestige would soar,¡± the old man didn¡¯t mind their refusals and changed the topic, ¡°I won¡¯t insist on having you two join. So long as Marquis Nanlong is killed here, the Heavenpeak sect won¡¯t take the initiative to make any trouble on behalf of a dead man. It is just unfortunate that despite being friends with him for a hundred years, he hadn¡¯t told me his intentions with regards to Devilfall Valley. I only knew that there was a secret cave residence here and that there was a map of Devilfall Valley that was left behind by Master Cang Kun. As such, we won¡¯t exterminate his Nascent Soul when we capture him. I will first use a soul scouring technique and see if he possesses any useful information.¡±


    Wang Tiangu worriedly said, ¡°If by chance the map was in the box that Youngster Han made off with, wouldn¡¯t we be helpless?¡±


    Old Man Yun slowly said, ¡°That can be dealt with. If this comes to happen, we¡¯ll leak this matter to all the sects in the Heavenly South.When that time comes, even the Heavenly Dao Alliance will wish to pursue this matter, let alone the Righteous and Devilish Dao, creating an opportunity for us to profit in the chaos. Let¡¯s see how a sect as trifling as the Drifting Cloud Sect deals with the greed of wishing to monopolize the gains from Devilfall Valley. In addition to the map, I am also interested in any information Marquis Nanlong may have on Devilfall Valley. With this information, we¡¯ll be a step ahead even if the method of entering Devilfall Valley became widespread.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Wang Tiangu proposed, ¡°If it somehow turns out that way, that will be all we can do. But before that, he could try trading for the map. After all, even if he bears great resentment against us, there are few matters in this world that can¡¯t be traded for.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Junior Martial Brother Wang¡¯s proposal is preferable to my own,¡± The old man then sighed and muttered, ¡°Nevertheless, the youngster¡¯s abilities are truly bizarre. Is he truly around the same age as Junior Martial Nephew Wang? From that last battle, the cunning he displayed was greater than even ours, and he was even able to defeat Fellow Daoist Long. If I were to fight him alone, I too doubt my own ability to hold against him.¡±


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s eyes flickered and a trace of vexation appeared on his face, ¡°I asked Wang Chan about him before. It seemed this person was an ordinary Yellow Maple Valley cultivator. At the time, he was truly but a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His vast accomplishments in cultivation and ability are something of a mystery. Were it not for his abilities being contrary to expectation and his meddling, we would¡¯ve been able to easily dispose of Marquis Nanlong.¡±


    When the old woman and the others heard this, they could only wryly smile.


    Wang Tiangu suggested, ¡°With that being said, let¡¯s first head back and free Fellow Daoist Long. With his cultivation, he should be able to survive being frozen. Also, I am concerned for my nephew. Before that Youngster Han departed, he released a blood-red light that appeared similar to the Devilblood Cleave that I personally cultivate. I don¡¯t know how well Chan¡¯er was able to receive it.¡±


    The old man replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Since we don¡¯t have any method of detecting him for the time being, let¡¯s go take a look at them. We¡¯ll carry out the pursuit once Marquis Nanlong¡¯s is no longer capable of carrying out the Mileshed Line.¡±


    In the next moment, the party flew back into the mountain.


    The party arrived at the ruins of the Jadepier Pavilion once more to see a bewildered Yan Ruyan. She was crouching near Wang Chan who laid motionlessly on the floor.


    When Wang Tiangu saw this, his asked with an icy tone, ¡°What happened? Were any of Chan¡¯er¡¯s vitals struck?¡± Even now, Wang Tiangu still displayed exceptional calmness.


    Wearing a slightly anxious expression, Yan Ruyan hesitantly replied, ¡°No, but his leg¡­¡±


    Wang Tiangu took several steps forward and tensely frowned. He saw that both of Wang Chan¡¯s legs were missing from below their knees, but strangely enough, there wasn¡¯t a hint of blood.


    Yan Ruyan helplessly said, ¡°Lord Husband and I had joined hands to cast the Blood Spirit Art¡¯s blood mist, but we were instantly attacked by some sort of strange technique. The blood mist was incapable of blocking it and my Lord Husband had dodged too late. His legs were¡­¡±


    Wang Tiangu gloomily asked, ¡°Since this is the case, then why aren¡¯t you using any techniques to recover his legs? You should know such a technique.¡±


    With a tense brow, Yan Ruyan timidly said, ¡°I¡¯ve attempted to restore his legs several times now, but the techniques aren¡¯t responding in the slightest. Although his wounds didn¡¯t shed any blood, a black Qi condensed around the wound and it can¡¯t be driven off! It could be the reason why the healing technique failed and why he is unconscious.¡±


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s expression relaxed and he began to concentrate his gaze on Wang Chan¡¯s wounds, ¡°It can¡¯t have been a common attack that struck you. Let me take a look.¡±


    Wang Chan¡¯s wounds were covered in faint black Qi as expected. Wang Tiangu lifted his hands and his fingers flickered with black light as he grabbed the harmful Qi from one of the legs, gathering it into a pea-sized black ball on his finger.


    He thought to dispose of the harmful Qi with true fire, but after some thought, he slapped his storage pouch and wrapped the ball of black Qi with spiritual power before placing it in a jade bottle. Once it was properly taken care of, he casually placed it away.


    It seemed Wang Tiangu planned on examining this item for further understanding of Han Li¡¯s techniques. When Yan Ruyan saw that Wang Tiangu paid her no heed, a complicated expression momentarily appeared on her face before disappearing without a trace.


    Once Wang Tiangu took care of the black Qi on the other leg, Yan Ruyan silently made another attempt to restore his limbs.


    Wang Tiangu nodded his head with satisfaction and turned his attention to the other side.


    The white-clothed old man and the others were at a loss as they stood around the iced clad body of the stern-faced cultivator.


    Wang Tiangu walked towards them and bafflingly asked, ¡°What? You Fellow Daoists aren¡¯t able to free him?¡±


    A trace of fear appeared on the old woman¡¯s expression. She muttered, ¡°Free him? How? This ice is far more insidious that we could have imagined!¡±


    The old man simply kept silent as he wore a gloomy expression on his face.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Wang Tiangu turned his gaze to the ice-clad body and began to ponder.


    ¡°Brother Wang, take a good look.¡± The tan cultivator suddenly raised his hand and flung a fist-sized chunk of jade towards the ice-clad body.


    Blue light flashed upon impact and the jade chunk was instantly covered in blue ice before dissolving into countless specks of fading glitter.


    The tan man remained still as he stood three meters away and pointed at the ice-clad body. Scorching white true fire shot towards the ice from his finger, but in the moment the true fire touched the blue ice, it disappeared in a flash of light as if it were absorbed.


    Wang Tiangu felt his breath turn cold!


    The old man sighed and asked, ¡°This blue ice is vicious. It seems that Fellow Daoist Long¡¯s body has long died. It seems we can only have his Nascent Soul manifest and find a suitable body to possess. Didn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Long already possess a body once before?¡±


    The tan man appeared to be familiar with the stern-faced cultivator and sullenly said, ¡°No, this was his original body.¡±


    The old man nodded his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Now we just need to have Fellow Daoist Long manifest his Nascent Soul.¡±


    As if having heard this, the stern-faced cultivator¡¯s body shined with white light. Then with a muffled bang, his entire body turned to ash and faded away. All that remained in the blue ice was an inch large Nascent Soul. It was clasping onto a thumb-sized jade ornament in his hand and its face was filled with resentment.


    It opened its small mouth and spouted out fire-red vital Nascent flames onto the jade ornament in its hands. It then raised it above its head and suddenly surrounded its body in red-white flame. Without any further delay, he attempted to charge straight out.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± The old man seemed to think of something and hastily attempted to stop this, but he spoke too late. The Nascent Soul passed through the ice.


    What resulted afterwards sent chills down their spine. The formidable white-red flames had seemed to have been set alight by the ice, engulfing both the white-red flames and the Nascent Soul in blue fire.


    The white-red flames were instantly consumed by the blue fire, resulting in the deathly wail of the Nascent Soul. It turned frantic as it charged through the air. After flying about fifty meters away, it attempted to roll and exterminate the flames as it wildly howled in pain.


    A short moment later, the screams came to an abrupt stop and the Nascent Soul was refined in a ball of light that faded away. The cultivator surnamed Long was now dead in both soul and body.

 Chapter 706

    The Jade Box¡¯s Treasure


    Through use of lightning movement, Han Li was able to travel fifty kilometers in a single stretch. He then paused for a moment before gaining his bearings and swapped to using the blood-red cloak before continuing on his flight as a streak of crimson light.


    After flying five hundred kilometers out, he spotted a Moulan Tribe that consisted of tens of thousands of mortals. He stopped with faint excitement brimming in his heart.


    While he was at the Drifting Cloud Sect, the topic of the war with the Moulan spell warriors and Heavenly South cultivators had come up during a conversation with his fellow sect elders. Although the ordinary mortals from the Moulan tribes couldn¡¯t cultivate spirit techniques, during times of war the Moulan spell warriors would organize many temporary parties of mortals to seize the spirit stone mines and material sources that the Heavenly South cultivators were too occupied to attend to.


    As such, the Moulan spell warriors wouldn¡¯t return empty handed once they eventually retreated.


    Of course, the Nine Nations Union were well aware of the looting, but they couldn¡¯t afford to look after these resources as war was waged. If they had too few cultivators to guard these areas, it was possible that they would be wiped out by any high grade cultivators that the Moulan would send.


    If there were too many cultivators, it would be to the detriment of the main battlefield. The only feasible option was to wait until after these areas were seized and recapture them afterwards. The Moulan mortals would be defenselessly slaughtered.


    It was unfortunate that the Moulan didn¡¯t mind the deaths of mortals. Once a group was exterminated, they would immediately send another, exchanging mortal lives for these precious resources. Additionally, they would occasionally set up traps and inflict heavy losses on cultivators attempting to reclaim these resource areas.


    With the loss of these many cultivators, the Nine Nations Union had turned a blind eye to these locations. Regardless, the Moulan mortals wouldn¡¯t be able to harvest many materials or mine much spirit stones. So long as they repelled the spell warriors as quickly as they could, the Moulan mortals would obediently follow them back.


    Han Li now saw large ranks of oxen carts making their way to the Heavenly South with many young men and women accompanying them. They should be the mortal division that was sent to gather materials in the Heaven South for the time being.


    Han Li remained in the air above them and swept his immense spiritual sense past them, spotting one Foundation Establishment stage and three Qi Condensation stage spell warriors.


    Han Li lowered his head in thought for a moment before suddenly forming an incantation gesture with his hands. His figure then blurred and reappeared in front of a dilapidated Moulan cart. It was filled with tattered oxen skins along with a few hoes and other tools.


    With a wave of his arm, Han Li turned the cart¡¯s interiors into a pile of ash and then sat down inside it without any qualms.


    From his musings, he concluded that boldly returning to the Heavenly South while the Moulan spell warriors were attacking in full force would be rife with trouble. Although he wouldn¡¯t be in danger unless he encountered several top ranked spell warriors, the possibility was still there. This time, he wouldn¡¯t be accompanied by a party of eight Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Not only did he need to be wary of spell warriors, but he also had to avoid Wang Taingu and the others to avoid any deadly confrontations. Now that he was hidden amongst a party of mortals, he should be able to make it out safely of the Moulan Plains in a few days.


    Few would pay any notice to a group of mortals. And given his current cultivation, so long as a late Nascent Soul stage spell warrior didn¡¯t inspect the army, his existence was safely hidden. Once he entered the deserts beyond the plains, he would be outside the influence of the Moulan tribes and he would be able to return to the Heavenly South.


    As Han Li meditated inside the carriage, the conversations of the Moulan mortals outside could be clearly heard.


    The dialect of the Moulan differed from that used by the people of the Heavenly South, but Han Li had already learned their language from a few related jade slips. With his immense spiritual sense, he had managed to comprehend most of this knowledge in only a couple of days, and was able to clearly listen to what was being said outside.


    Their conversations was mostly about whether or not they would be able to impress the grand sages from the resources gathered, giving them the opportunity to stand out from their peers.


    From their words, the Moulan mortals seemed to worship the spell warriors with admiration and reverence as if they were a kind of god. They even believed it to be extremely honorable even if they died in service to these spell warriors.


    When Han Li heard this, he inwardly sighed and swept his hand, sealing off the interior of the cart from the outside with a barrier of faint azure light. The voices of the Moulan came to an abrupt stop.


    ¡°Silvermoon, how about you talk about what you have gained. From your excitement, you should¡¯ve acquired many good items!¡± Han Li¡¯s sleeve began to stir and a small white fox flew out from the cuff, circling once in the air before landing in front of him


    The small fox laid down on the ground and chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure how valuable these items are, but Master should know. There were many ancient treasures on the first floor, but because I wasn¡¯t capable of concealing their spiritual Qi as I used my movement techniques, I didn¡¯t take any of them. However, there were six ancient boxes on the second floor and I took half of them.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! I initially thought to take away most of them, but if there were too few of them, it would attract too much suspicion, so I only ended up taking three.¡±


    Afterwards, the fox spat out three translucent jade boxes in front of Han Li.


    Han Li then took out a jade box from his waist. The jade boxes in front of him appeared exactly the same as the one the Marquis had tossed to him.


    Han Li caressed the jade box in his hand and faintly smiled, ¡°Master Cang Kun left behind a total of six jade boxes and four of them are in my possession. It seems it was a correct decision to go.¡±


    Silvermoon sighed from her lingering fear, ¡°Master, your courage is quite great. You took hidden action despite having so many Nascent Soul cultivators present, and had me enter first. Did you not fear being discovered?¡±


    Han Li smiled and glanced at the small fox, ¡°Hehe! What was there to fear? At worst, I would merely use Bloodshadow Evasion to flee them. Besides, I was almost completely certain I would succeed. When I used the spiritual light to conceal your entrance, none were the wiser.


    I was most concerned that you wouldn¡¯t be able to conceal yourself after you had taken the treasure. It would¡¯ve been terrible if they had detected you, but it seems your evasion techniques were far more effective than I could have anticipated.¡±


    Silvermoon calmly smiled and said, ¡°Master jests. Although the evasion techniques of the Silvermoon Wolf Clans are great, the most important factor was concealing the jade boxes¡¯ spiritual Qi within my body. It is an entirely different matter whether or not I could¡¯ve concealed myself from those old eccentrics¡¯ spiritual sense.¡±


    Han Li gently smiled and didn¡¯t further pursue the matter. Instead, azure light began to shine from the palm he placed on the jade box. He then exerted force on his hand and the box began to reveal a trace of white light. Soon after, a majority of the azure light had been cleanly absorbed by the box.


    With a clack, the box was easily opened and revealed a faint blue jade slip within.


    Han Li gazed at the jade slip for a short moment and took a breath before taking the jade slip into his hands and solemnly immersing his spiritual sense within it.


    The small fox stared at Han Li, its eyes brimming with excitement.


    As time slowly passed by, Han Li¡¯s face retained a calm expression. Silvermoon blinked, puzzled as to why this was.


    A short moment later, Han Li¡¯s expression stirred as he withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip. He frowned and muttered to himself for a moment. A short moment later, he unfurrowed his brow and calmly placed away the jade slip and reached for the second box, uninterested in mentioning the contents of the jade slip.


    While Silvermoon was greatly curious, she tactfully remained silent on the matter.


    Han Li opened the second box using the same method as the first. This time, the box contained an exquisitely crafted ring. It was dim and jet-black.


    Silvermoon astonishedly asked, ¡°Is that an ancient treasure?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be. It isn¡¯t emitting much spiritual Qi.¡± Han Li also seemed uncertain as to what it was. He casually picked it up with his fingers and began to take a closer look at it.


    After glancing at it several times and scanning it with his spiritual sense, he decisively said, ¡°The material is somewhat odd. It should only be a common magic tool, but its hard to say its use.¡±


    ¡°It is only a magic tool?¡± A trace of disappointment flickered from Silvermoon¡¯s eyes.


    Han Li appeared indifferent and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest dejection, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since Master Cang Kun kept it inside a jade box like this, it is certain to have a specific purpose. Perhaps it will prove useful in the future.¡±


    Silvermoon tilted her head and excitedly said, ¡°Master, how about taking a look at what¡¯s inside the other two boxes.¡±

 Chapter 707

    Encountering Old Acquaintances


    Han Li opened each of the remaining boxes one by one. One had a small green bottle while another had a fist-sized chunk of something that glowed with purple light.


    Han Li casually opened the green bottle and took a whiff of it. An extremely sharp and caustic scent assailed his nose, causing Han Li¡¯s to grimace. He hurriedly closed the bottle of what seemed to be venom and glanced a the small bottle with an odd expression before cautiously putting it away.


    In the end, his gaze fell onto the purple object. He squeezed it with his fingers and found it to be extremely soft. Strands of light occasionally shimmered from the purple object, creating a dazzling sight.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Han Li yelped with astonishment. He then concentrated his spiritual sense onto the object and deeply examined it.


    A short moment later, his hand suddenly trembled and the purple ball turned into a purple cloud. It circled once above Han Li¡¯s head before dropping into Han Li¡¯s hand in its original form. It appeared to be layered like a net of glistening purple threads that were as thin as could be. It appeared to be a rare treasure of some sort.


    When Silvermoon saw the purple net, she spoke with amazement, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a Purple Cloudlace? It is an ancient treasure that was renowned even times of antiquity.¡±


    Joy flickered from Han Li¡¯s eyes and he excitedly asked, ¡°You know what this is? Since it was renowned, could it be a divine spirit treasure?¡±


    Silvermoon enthusiastically said, ¡°No. Although the Purple Cloudlace is a top grade ancient treasure, it is far lacking compared to divine spirit treasures. But with regards to its defensive abilities, it is incredibly flexible and malleable. Depending how well it was refined, the treasure can be used to cover an area of several hundred meters to several kilometers. It is a truly rare large scale defensive treasure. It is said that the greatest Purple Cloudlace could protect everything within fifty kilometers. Though, I don¡¯t know how true this is. Of course, it is also incredibly effective at trapping enemies. As for offensive abilities, it is capable of releasing Jadesun True Fire to extinguish foes.¡±


    A trace of disappointment appeared on his face, but soon he wore an odd expression, ¡°Silvermoon, you seem quite knowledgeable of this Purple Cloudlace. Could it be that you¡¯ve seen it before?¡±


    When Silvermoon heard this, she grew silent for a moment. A while later, she wryly smiled and said, ¡°Now that Master mentioned it, I recalled a fragment of my memory before I was refined into an artifact spirit. There seemed to be one particular Purple Cloudlace that I knew off quite well.¡±


    As Silvermoon spoke, her expression appeared pensive. She then shook her head and gave up as if the memory was out of grasp.


    ¡°Since this Purple Cloudlace is so fearsome and I¡¯ve never heard of Master Cang Kun making use of this treasure, this was most likely something that he had acquired from Devilfall Valley. It is a pity that none of the jade boxes that were acquired possessed any information on Devilfall Valley. It should be contained in Marquis Nanlong¡¯s two jade boxes. How truly unfortunate.¡± Han Li laughed at himself but he didn¡¯t truly appear dejected.


    He clearly understood that he would have the opportunity to acquire more treasures if he acquired the secrets of Devilfall Valley, but at the same time, he would become a huge target. So long as information of this was divulged, who knew how many great powers and eccentrics would come knocking on his door. It was hard to say whether or not the advantages would outweigh the detriments.¡±


    Silvermoon couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Master, did that jade slip not contain them?¡±


    Since Silvermoon asked, Han Li answered her with an insipid tone, ¡°The jade slip contained the cultivation art and techniques of Master Cang Kun. Although I cannot cultivate the main cultivation art, the Whole Moon Arts, there are several secret techniques and a few cultivation insights that I am able to make much use of.¡±


    When SIlvermoon heard this, she sighed and appeared dejected.


    At that moment, Han Li put away all the items and boxes. After giving Silvermoon a brief word, Han Li closed his eyes and began to meditate. Silvermoon then drew close to Han Li¡¯s body and curled up. She then opened her bright black eyes and began to mindlessly stare at an empty corner of the cart.


    As the army of Moulan mortals slowly advanced, two days had passed. During that time, two groups of spell warriors had conducted a search of the army. However, Han Li was awakened by Silvermoon each time and he was able to easily conceal himself from these low grade spell warriors.


    Since the cart Han Li chose contained insignificant items, none of the Moulan mortals had bothered to check it.


    Once the army left the Moulan Plains, Han Li stealthily took off with Silvermoon in his grasp. He took a route different from the army, heading straight in the direction of the Heavenly South.


    With his vast spiritual sense, Han Li was able to detect any spell warriors within fifty kilometers, allowing him to easily avoid them as he smoothly made his way through the desert and into the Nine Nations Union¡¯s State of Fengyuan.


    The State of Fengyuan was one of the three countries that was closest to the Moulan Plains. The mountains on their border were normally garrisoned with cultivators of the Nine Nations Alliance.


    But after Han Li spent several days inside the State of Fengyuan, he hadn¡¯t encountered a single cultivator, but he had encountered many patrols of spell warriors. It was clear that the Nine Nations Unions had found their initial battle against the Moulan spell warriors unfavorable and decided to retreat for the time being. The true battle shouldn¡¯t have started yet.


    Without further thought, Han Li hurried his way through a particularly desolate area.


    After a smooth eventless flight for four days, he suddenly turned his head to look at a small obscure mountain with an expression of shock. Soon, his face changed between various different expressions.


    Just a moment ago, he had detected an area with fierce spiritual Qi fluctuations that faintly contained vicious intent. It was clear that there was a battle between high grade cultivators.


    Since a battle was taking place here, it was likely to be a cultivator fighting against a spell warrior.


    With some further examination, Han Li discovered that there were five Core Formation stage combatants staking their all against a Nascent Soul eccentric.


    Amongst these Core Formation stage combatants, there were a few with auras that Han Li found slightly familiar. After a moment of consideration, Han Li couldn¡¯t figure out who it was. After a moment of hesitation, Han Li wasn¡¯t able to suppress his curiosity and flew over.


    With Han Li¡¯s exceptional movement techniques, Han Li was able to cover this short distance in the blink of an eye. Once he arrived, he saw various-colored lights fill the sky along with the sound of harsh explosions. The battle was greatly fierce.


    The five variously dressed Core Formation cultivators were currently fighting against an early Nascent Soul stage spell warrior. Although the five Core Formation cultivators were fighting with all their strength and were controlling their magic treasures with perfection, the yellow-robed, bald spell warrior was slowly pushing back the cultivators with circles of yellow mist.


    The spell warrior wore a fierce expression. Although he hadn¡¯t released his own magic treasure, his fantastical techniques and deep cultivation allowed him to easily deal with them. Were if not for the fact there was a gorgeous woman amongst the Core Formation cultivators, the Nascent Soul cultivator likely wouldn¡¯t have held back and would¡¯ve already finished them all off.


    Although Han Li found this woman familiar, his gaze focused on the fat old man amongst the cultivators. This old man was spirally with silver lightning and was controlling a huge sword magic treasure that repeatedly emitted lightning. He was the strongest amongst the group of five.


    Han Li recognized the old man¡¯s appearance and cultivation art, and wore a complicated expression. He muttered, ¡°It¡¯s him? To think that there are such coincidences in this world!¡±


    After the yellow-robed cultivator battled for such a long period of time, he lost his patience and fiercely glared at the gorgeous woman, ¡°Girl, it seems you cannot recognize my good intentions. Were it not for the fact my cultivation art requires an outstanding cultivation vessel, I wouldn¡¯t have spared you for so long. If you don¡¯t surrender yourself to me, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡±


    Once he said this, he spat out a yellow feather. It glowed brilliantly and had something faintly drawn on it. The bald cultivator then took it into his hand.


    When the fat old man and the others saw this, their expressions vastly changed, knowing that things were far from good. They clearly understood that the spell warrior had been holding back, but they didn¡¯t dare to retreat, else they would easily be picked off by the spell warrior. Their chances of survival would be even worse than fighting him together.


    As such, the five bitterly cursed in their minds and could only muster the entirety of their magic power to attack the spell warrior. For a time, the might of their magic treasures were greatly increased and they were able to forcefully beat back the yellow mist and regain some of their momentum.


    This infuriated the bald spell warrior. He tossed his feather into the air and spat a mist of yellow Qi onto the magic treasure and began to utter incantations.


    The feather trembled for a moment and gently fanned in the direction of the cultivators. Suddenly, a large whistle sounded through the air and a deep yellow gale followed in the direction that the feather had fanned. In an instant, the gale turned into a hundred meter tall tornado and completely engulfed the five Core Formation cultivators.

 Chapter 708

    Constrained Spirit Earth Dragons


    The fearsome, earth-shaking gales caused the magic treasures to unsteadily sway. They seemed to be restricted by the gale and were incapable of breaking free.


    The bald spell warrior wore a bizarre smile and revealed an expression of pride. ¡°Haha! If you won¡¯t accept my kindness then I will use force. How reckless! Don¡¯t expect me to stop after matters have reached this far.¡± The bald spell warrior then grabbed the air and suddenly formed a huge hand from the yellow wings. It then made its way to grab the gorgeous woman.


    The spell warriors planned to first grab the woman to make sure she lived and instantly exterminate the remaining four through a full display of his power.


    The woman attempted to make use of her blazing flame sword magic treasure to block the large hand, but the gales had caused it to spin out of control. With no way of controlling it, she was incapable of saving herself, causing her complexion to pale.


    Although the four cultivators wished to rescue the woman, they were disoriented and swept away by the wind. Only the fat old man with the deepest cultivation amongst them was able to deal with it somewhat better. In his worry, he forcefully raised his hand and released a meter long bolt of lightning to strike at the giant hand. However, the attack was completely ineffective.


    When the yellow hand was only three meters away from grabbing the woman, it suddenly disappeared. At that same moment, the yellow-robed spell warrior roared in furious alarm. The windstorm that trapped the Core Formation cultivator suddenly weakened before soon disappearing. It was as if what had just happened as only an illusion.


    The group of cultivators looked at each other with dismay and turned their gaze towards the bald spell warrior. However, he was angrily staring in an direction that was completely empty. They couldn¡¯t help but reveal astonishment.


    A fierce expression appeared on the spell warrior¡¯s face and he furiously shouted, ¡°Since you¡¯ve dared to break my technique, why would you so stealthily hide yourself?¡± He seemed to no longer pay the Core Formation cultivators any notice.


    A man¡¯s voice voice leisurely spoke, ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m hiding myself, but it¡¯s just that your cultivation is too lacking to see me. It seems your esteemed self should¡¯ve just recently entered Nascent Soul stage. You are far weaker than other spell warriors I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    In an azure flash of light, a youth with a common appearance appeared before them.


    When he saw that the five cultivators were caught in a desperate situation, he released an azure essence sword streak towards the feather. Once it was struck, the windstowm was easily dissolved.


    The five were initially alarmed by Han Li¡¯s appearance, but after sensing that he was at Nascent Soul Stage, they rejoiced, knowing that their lives were saved.


    The female cultivator promptly saluted him from a distance and respectfully said, ¡°Junior¡¯s name is Nie Ying. Many thanks for Senior¡¯s rescue.¡±


    ¡°Nie Ying!¡± When Han Li heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the woman. He faintly remembered her.


    However, now was not the time to deal with this, and he simply waved his arm, having the woman cease her salute. The woman and the old man didn¡¯t seem to recognize him. It came as no surprise. In the past, he only met each of them once. Now that almost two hundred years had passed, it wasn¡¯t odd that they didn¡¯t recognize him.


    With that thought, Han Li turned his gaze to the yellow-robed spell warrior and flatly said, ¡°Since your esteemed self hasn¡¯t run, it seems you wish to take me on?¡±


    When the bald spell warrior heard this, he furiously smiled and heartily laughed, ¡°Your esteemed self is also but an early Nascent Soul cultivator. Your words may be bold but I must oblige you to demonstrate your abilities.¡±


    With that said, the bald spell warrior formed a incantation gesture and he flicked his finger downward, shooting out two shining yellow pellets.


    Han Li was faintly surprised by this and didn¡¯t stop him. He merely narrowed his eyes and watched with interest.


    The large man was inwardly delighted to see that Han Li remained idle and promptly uttered an incantation. His body was then covered with surging yellow clouds.


    With a imposing voice, he softly shouted, ¡°Rise!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred as he expectantly glanced around him, but he saw nothing appear. In his doubt, he suddenly heard faint rumbling from the ground. The rumbling soon became thunderous and world-quaking.


    Han Li swept his spiritual sense to the ground and revealed slight astonishment. Without any further thought, he swept his sleeve, sending two ten meter long swordstreaks out from his cuff down toeards the sound¡¯s origin.


    Han Li frowned. Although the sword streaks struck, they were ineffective.


    With a rustle of wind, two forty-meter-long horned yellow dragons flew out from the ground and shot towards the bald cultivator. They then surrounded the bald cultivator and continuously revolved around him as if to protect him.


    ¡°This is? Han Li was amazed to discover the two fearsome yellow dragons were entirely formed from earth. They appeared as if they were truly alive. This lifelike aura seemed to originate from the yellow pellet on top of their heads. It pulsed with light, releasing a demonic yellow radiance.


    ¡°Hehe! Your esteemed self will be the first to witness the might of my constrained spirit beasts. Go!¡± The bald spell warrior furiously smiled and struck the earth dragons with yellow spell seals. The dragons subsequently charged towards Han Li with overbearing force.


    Han Li furrowed his brow and lightly sighed. He opened his mouth and spat out a sliver of Celestial Ice Flames. The sliver of flames split into two even thinner flames and accurate struck the heads of each of the earth dragons.


    The flames crackled and instantly enveloped the earth dragons in a layer of ice. The ice sculptures stopped ten meters in front of Han Li before dropping towards the earth.


    Then with a flash of azure light, there were two clear explosions. The two frozen earth dragons had been easily shattered by two sword streaks that Han Li flung. Afterwards, he raised his hand and calmly summoned the two yellow pellets into his hand. He took a glance at them before placing them into his storage pouch.


    Han Li leisurely said, ¡°What other abilities do you have? Please don¡¯t hesitate to use them. I wish to see the true might of the spell warriors¡¯ spirit techniques!¡±


    Silence looked over the yellow clouds for a moment as the spell warrior was shocked to the core at Han Li¡¯s effortless disposal of his two earth dragons.


    A moment later, the spell warrior¡¯s sullen voice suddenly left the yellow clouds, ¡°What sect do you come from? Might I know of your distinguished name? You don¡¯t seem to match the description of any better known cultivators. Don¡¯t tell me you also entered Nascent Soul stage in the last hundred years?¡± The last question was uttered with a savage tone.


    ¡°I am a nameless individual. If I said my name, you wouldn¡¯t know of it. Since Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t intend to attack, I won¡¯t be polite.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen and he slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing countless glistening golden flying insects into the air. They were the pure Gold Devouring Beetles that Han Li had meticulously nurtured.


    This would be the first time that Han Li would be using them against an enemy. He wished to test how effective they would be against a Nascent Soul stage opponent.


    ¡°Gold Devouring Beetles! You actually possess them? And so many!?¡± Much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, the yellow-robed spell warrior shouted the name of these insects with a voice of terror before Han Li could order the attack.


    Without another word, the yellow-robed cultivator turned around and tore through the skies as a streak of yellow light. His swiftness had caused Han Li to hesitate and abandon the idea of pursuing him.


    He wasn¡¯t confident in being able to exterminate a Nascent Soul cultivator that was wholeheartedly focused on fleeing. Once a Nascent Soul manifested, even the lightning movement technique was lacking in speed to match it.


    However, the bald spell warrior was able to recognize his Gold Devouring Beetles despite having somewhat inferior cultivation. It was truly shocking.


    Although he felt somewhat puzzled, Han Li dropped the matter and recalled his still untested Spirit Beast Pouch. Afterwards, he slowly flew towards the Core Formation cultivators with a calm expression.


    Before the Han Li drew close to them, the fat old man took the initiative to fly forward and deeply saluted him, ¡°Many thanks for your assistance, Senior! Might Junior know your esteemed name? Junior is Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Lei Wanhe. We cannot thank you enough!¡±


    In addition to Nie Yan who had introduced herself before, the others began to salute Han Li as well with gratitude and respect.


    ¡°The Giant Sword Sect¡¯s Shi Qiyun, Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Tang Minghua, Heavenly Imperial Fortress¡¯ Qian Huan pays their respects to Senior.¡±

 Chapter 709

    Lei Wanhes Shock


    ¡°Senior!¡± Han Li stroked his chin and wore an odd expression on his face.


    The fat old man was the ¡°Senior Martial Uncle Lei¡± who had exchanged medicinal herbs for pill formulas. Although he was merely observing the common customs of the cultivation world, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but find this action odd.


    As for the gorgeous woman named Nie Yan, he had only met her once as ¡°Senior Martial Sister Nie¡± before when she had protected the Murong Brothers from ¡°Senior Martial Brother Lu¡± back during his time at Yellow Maple Valley [1]. Although Han Li didn¡¯t have much of a relationship with her, he had heard much of her aptitude and her beauty both external and within. Back in the past, there had been countless male disciples that had admired her. He didn¡¯t expect that after so many years, she would form a golden core.


    Han Li remained silent and examined both Lei Wanhe and Nie Yan with a complicated expression. As this occurred, Lei Wanhe felt puzzled.


    Not only did this ¡°Senior¡± appear excessively young, for some unknown reason, Lei Wanhe found his face somewhat familiar as if he had saw him before. This had come as a shock to him and he began to feel apprehensive.


    As Nie Yan looked at Han Li, bewilderment suddenly appeared from deep within her eyes.


    Han Li was disinclined from wasting any more time with this silent display and eventually said, ¡°It seems Martial Uncle Lei truly doesn¡¯t remember me. However, the pill formulas Martial Uncle gave to me during that year had been of great help to me.¡±


    When Lei Wanhe heard Han Li call him Martial Uncle, his jaw dropped and found himself at a loss for words. But after he heard him mention pill formulas, he suddenly recalled something and began to astonishedly stutter, ¡°Martial Uncle? Pill formulas! You¡­ You¡¯re¡­¡± [2]


    When the others heard this, they were also dumbstruck. This Nascent Soul Senior had actually called Lei Wanhe ¡°Martial Uncle¡±. This had truly sent their minds spiralling into confusion.


    But when Nie Yan heard him, she amazedly examined Han Li once more before saying, ¡°You¡¯re Martial Uncle Li¡¯s disciple, Han Li¡­ Junior Martial Brother Han?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was filled with disbelief.


    Han Li felt genuine surprise, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist Nie would remember me.¡±


    While Han Li was unknown during Qi Condensation stage due to his low profile and meager cultivation, truly few knew of him. But ever since he survived the [trial by blood and fire] and successfully became Li Huayuan¡¯s disciple after entering Foundation Establishment, many shrewd individuals had taken notice of him. This ¡°Senior Martial Sister Nie¡± was one of them.


    Once the Six Devilish Dao Sects invaded the State of Yue, his reputation surged throughout lower grade disciples from his achievements in killing so many similar grade Devil Dao cultivators. Although she hadn¡¯t seen his face since then, he had left a deep impression on her. With Han Li¡¯s appearance exactly the same as before, she recalled the famous Junior martial brother Han from the past and unconsciously shouted out his name in shock.


    ¡°You truly are Martial Nephew Han!¡± Lei Wanhe felt his throat turn dry and his mind grew blank.


    It was said that any strange events could happen in the cultivation world. Outstanding disciples rising to the same status as a senior was a common occurrence, but for a Foundation Establishment Junior to suddenly reappear at Nascent Soul stage was something that brought an individual as experienced as Lei Wanhe into a stupor.


    Han Li glanced around and calmly said, ¡°Martial Uncle Lei, there is no need to be so surprised. However, this isn¡¯t the place to talk. Let¡¯s have a chat as we travel instead.¡±


    Lei Wanhe¡¯s expression wavered several times before bitterly chuckling, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to accept the title as Martial Uncle. Since Senior Han has already entered Nascent Soul sage, I am your Junior.¡± His words still preserved the same respect from the very start.


    Regardless of Han Li¡¯s identity in the past, his current cultivation was far beyond his own. He didn¡¯t dare to be addressed with such an inappropriate title.


    The other three cultivators finally realized the relationship between Han Li and Wan Tianhe. After glancing at each other in dismay, weird expressions appeared on each of their faces.


    Han Li didn¡¯t pay this much heed. After a moment of silence, he nodded his head, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Lei says this, I won¡¯t be polite. Let us immediately depart from here. Your speed is all rater slow, so I will be bringing you.


    Once that was said, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and a small, exquisite item appeared in his hand. Once he flung it into the air, a squarish item appeared before them in a flash of red light.


    Under control of spell seals, the Wind Riding Chariot quickly grew larger and appeared over thirty meters wide.


    ¡°Get in the chariot!¡± Han Li bluntly ordered them. Lei Wanhe and the others naturally didn¡¯t have any objections and they all flew into the chariot with a blur.


    Once Han Li stepped onto the Wind Riding Chariot, he began to infuse the chariot with his spiritual power. After gently trembling for a moment, it tore through the skies as a streak of white light. With its exceeding speed, it disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.


    The speed of the Wind Riding Chariot delighted the others. At this speed, the spell warriors wouldn¡¯t be able to pursue them, relieving them of worry that was on their minds.


    As Han Li drove the Wind Riding Chariot, he casually asked, ¡°Fellow Daoists, the State of Fengyuan should¡¯ve already fallen into the grasp of the spell warriors. Why were you there and how did you come to be blocked by a Nascent Soul spell warrior? If that area weren¡¯t so remote, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to escape even if I took action.¡±


    When the five heard this, they glanced at each other with various expression. The clear leader of their party, Lei Wanhe, hesitated for a moment before answering, ¡°Senior might not know this, but we didn¡¯t act out of our free will. We were under orders from the Nine Nations Union to carry-out an important task. As a result, we were occupied for several days and were present during the Moulan invasion.


    Helpless, we could only choose a remote route and fly back, however, we encountered a few low grade spell warriors along the way and had no choice but to kill them. But who could¡¯ve possibly known that there was a Nascent Soul spell warrior that was located nearby. Just as we finished killing the last low grade spell warrior, we were discovered by the old eccentric and were chased down.


    Although we knew we weren¡¯t a match, if we scattered, we would¡¯ve only met our end sooner, so we could only do our utmost. It was only by a fluke that Senior Han came our way, else we would¡¯ve met our end.¡±


    As Lei Wanhe spoke with gratitude, he examined this ¡°Martial Nephew Han¡±. To tell the truth, he still felt as if all that happened was a dream.


    When Han Li heard this, he lost interest and indifferently grunted. A short moment later, he then asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Lei, is my master Li Huayuan still doing well?¡±


    As there was no point in concealing the matter, Lei Wanhe honestly answered, ¡°Senior Han, Junior martial brother Li died a hundred years ago in the war with the Moulan spell warriors. As for his wife, she wasn¡¯t able to form a golden core and reached the end of her lifespan.¡±


    Han Li was slightly shaken by his words and revealed a trace of sadness. He then asked, ¡°Were my Fellow Martial Brothers and Sisters able to form a golden core?¡±


    Lei Wanhe sighed and said, ¡°No, although three of Junior martial brother Li¡¯s disciples had exceptional aptitude and entered false core stage, they weren¡¯t fated to form a golden core.¡±


    Han Li grew silent for a moment. The appearances of Yu Kun, Song Meng, Zhong Weiniang, and the others appeared through his mind. Past events slowly began to appear.


    A moment later, he took a deep breath. Since his Martial Brothers and Sisters were unable to form a golden core, he didn¡¯t further ask about them. It was likely that they died during meditation. His time spent at Yellow Maple Valley seemed as if it had all happened in an old dream.


    At that moment, Nie Yan suddenly said, ¡°Senior Han, would you happen to be interested in rejoining Yellow Maple Valley?¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and immediately answered, ¡°Return to Yellow Maple Valley? I have no such interest. I¡¯ve already become an elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s Drifting Cloud Sect, and I am satisfied there.¡±


    Disappointment appeared from Nie Yan¡¯s expression and Lei Wanhe¡¯s expression wavered.


    As for the other three, they didn¡¯t dare to speak as they were unfamiliar with Han Li.


    After a moment of hesitation, Nie Yan then asked, ¡°Would Senior happen to recognize Xiao Cui¡¯er?¡±


    Han Li was stunned for a moment. He asked with an odd expression, ¡°Xiao Cui¡¯er [3]? Of course I do, you know that little girl?¡± At that same moment, the appearance of that young, strange-spirited girl came to mind.


    [1] Chapter 158


    [2] In Chapter 236, Han Li traded medicine herbs for Lei Wanhe¡¯s pill formulas. Prior to this, Le Wanhe had assisted Han Li in getting rid of a few Thousand Bamboo Sect cultivators.


    [3] Introduced in chapter 291 while Han Li was guarding the mortal Qin Clan. At the time, Xiao Ciu and her grandfather were Qi Condensation cultivators. For payment of the nameless qi restraining incantation, he had introduced her to his Senior Martial Brother Ma at Yellow Maple Valley as a disciple.

 Chapter 710

    Information on Nangong Wan


    Han Li had a deep impression of the young girl he had recommended to join Yellow Maple Valley. But soon after, he recalled the small old man that had accepted her as a disciple, Senior Martial Brother Ma. When Han Li recalled him, he felt a trace of sadness.


    That small old man couldn¡¯t have formed a golden core given his age, but he was the one who Han Li shared the deepest friendship with at Yellow Maple Valley. Odds were that he already passed away.


    With both feigned annoyance and delight, she faintly smiled and said, ¡°Little girl! Junior Martial Sister Xiao is no longer some little girl. She is already married and entered Core Formation stage several tens of years ago.¡±


    Once Han Li recovered from his surprise, he smiled and said, ¡°Oh, she also entered Core Formation? Now that is surprising.¡±


    Nie Ying gently said, ¡°I have heard Junior Martial Sister Xiao speak several times about how Senior drew her into the sect. Junior martial sister Xiao always felt deep gratitude and concern for Senior Han.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s smile faded away and he insipidly said, ¡°At the time, I simply introduced her to Senior martial brother Ma because her aptitude was good, nothing more. It is now only a matter of the past.¡±


    Nie Yan and Lei Wanhe could only bitterly smile at each other in silence at her failed efforts in an attempt to make Han Li rejoin the sect.


    As for the reason why Han Li was unwilling to rejoin, the two could guess. During the year the core disciples joined the Nine Nations Union, since Han Li wasn¡¯t amongst them because he was but a minor Foundation Establishment disciple, he was grouped up to be bait and was abandoned. It was no wonder why he felt so detached towards Yellow Maple Valley and had no intention of returning.


    As the two had nothing better to say, Han Li suddenly asked the middle-aged Masked Moon cultivator, ¡°Did you have a female cultivator by the name of Nangong Wan? How is she now?¡± Han Li¡¯s voice suddenly grew gloomy.


    The middle-aged man named Tang Minghua was surprised and he soon respectfully replied, ¡°Ah! Senior knows Martial Aunt Nangong? She is currently overseeing the sect and is doing well.¡±


    In Han Li¡¯s shock, he wasn¡¯t able to conceal a trace of joy, ¡°Martial Aunt? She already entered Nascent Soul stage?¡±


    ¡°Martial Aunt Nangong successfully entered Nascent Soul stage over a hundred years ago, and she is now an elder of our sect. Is Senior an old friend of Martial Aunt Nangong?¡±


    Han Li sighed and his eyes became dim, ¡°Old friend? It could be considered so. I received great kindness from your Martial Aunt in the past, and I¡¯ve always wanted to meet her again. It¡¯s a shame that I was occupied with so many matters over the year and I¡¯ve never had the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Although Martial Aunt Nangong rarely sees guests, Senior should be able to easily see her. In three months, Martial Aunt Nangong will marry the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Elder Wei, and their Dao Companion Ceremony will officiallize them as pair cultivators. This celebration originally only invited high grade cultivators of the Nine Nations Union, but since Senior is her old friend, he will certainly¡­¡±


    Han Li felt his mind buzz and he couldn¡¯t hear anything else the middle-aged man said. He suddenly faced the Masked Moon Sect cultivator and coldly asked, ¡°Dao Companion Ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she plans on marrying Elder Wei Lichen of the Flowing Mind Sect, who formed a Nascent Soul three hundred years ago and possesses profound abilities. He is a cultivation genius who didn¡¯t come from the Heavenly South. Both of our sects spent much effort to make this matter possible.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s icy expression frightened the middle-aged cultivator. All kinds of strange thoughts began to well up inside him but under Han Li¡¯s freezing gaze, he couldn¡¯t help but continue to speak.


    Lei Wanhe and the others revealed an odd expression. Even an idiot could tell that the relationship between Han Li and Nangong Wan wasn¡¯t so simple! Why else would Han Li have such a strong reaction upon hearing this?


    Must to the others¡¯ surprise, Han Li¡¯s icy expression lasted only a moment more before suddenly disappearing. With a gentle tone, he said, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoist Tang to be afraid. I have no evil intentions. I merely heard that an old love of mine is about to become someone else¡¯s woman and I became somewhat restless. Now that I know of this matter, I will naturally have to celebrate my good friend¡¯s ceremony.¡±


    The middle-aged cultivator sighed in relief at seeing Han Li so calm and repeatedly uttered words of welcome.


    However, Han Li only replied with a slight smile.


    The others in the chariot were also relieved. After all, the Six Sects of Yue were now practically one united existence. They didn¡¯t wish for anything to happen to one another.


    Following this, Han Li casually asked a few more questions related to the Six Sects of Yue. Since the matters weren¡¯t important, the five were able to answer all of them. But when he heard that the Yellow Maple Valley Ancestor Lingu had reached the end of his lifespan, Han Li frowned for just a moment and quickly unfurrowed his brow as if he hadn¡¯t heard this.


    Han Li suddenly recalled something and asked, ¡°Ah yes, your Martial Aunt Nangong should have a younger cousin by the name of Nangong Bing. She should also be a cultivator of the Masked Moon Sect.¡±


    The middle-aged cultivator seemed confused and asked, ¡°Nangong Bing? Senior must¡¯ve heard wrong! Martial Aunt Nangong was always a solitary figure. I¡¯ve never heard of a younger cousin. Is Senior not mistaken?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he was dumbfounded. After taking a deep breath, he urgently asked, ¡°Nangong Bing should¡¯ve been a female Core Formation cultivator of your sect! Could it be that you don¡¯t remember?¡±


    Tang Minghua wryly smiled, ¡°If this person truly belongs to our sect, this Junior would definitely know of it. I can pledge with certainty that there is no such woman in our sect.¡±


    With an astonished expression Lei Wanhe couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, ¡°Fellow Daoist Tang speaks the truth. We would know if such a Core Formation cultivator existed in the Masked Moon Sect. Where did Senior come to learn of this person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I merely had a misunderstanding!¡± Although Han Li said this, he was flabbergasted and appeared to be at a loss.


    Han Li now knew that Nangong Bing wasn¡¯t the cousin of Nangong Wan, but was Nangong Wan herself with the use of some appearance alterations. It was no wonder why she hadn¡¯t treated him so ruthlessly or why she had such a queer expression when they departed.


    After that, Han Li completely lost interest in further discussion and simply dropped the chariot forward with a gloomy expression. When the others saw that this Senior Han wasn¡¯t in a good mood, they didn¡¯t dare to carelessly chat.


    For a time, the Wind Riding Chariot was completely silent.


    Less than half a day later, Han Li stopped the Wind Riding Chariot at some nameless mountain.


    Han Li stood up and calmly said, ¡°We will have to part here. This place is only a day away from the border of the State of Fengyuan. It should be safe here. I have matters that I must attend to and I cannot continue to keep you company.¡±


    Lei Wanhe and the others didn¡¯t dare to say anything else and simply thanked Han Li once more for saving their life before flying out of the Wind Riding Chariot.


    Han Li didn¡¯t say a single word more and promptly turned the chariot before disappearing off the horizon in the blink of an eye.


    The older Heavenly Imperial Fortress cultivator surnamed Qian saw that the Wind Riding Chariot had disappeared from sight and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Fellow Daoist Lei, is it true that Senior Han was once a disciple of your Yellow Maple Valley and was your Martial Nephew in the past?¡±


    Lei Wanhe frowned and annoyedly said, ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m someone who speaks empty words?¡±


    Although his life had been saved by Han Li, his past junior¡¯s cultivation now vastly exceeded his own and he became a genuine Senior. Given how careful he had to be, he couldn¡¯t help but be in a bad mood.


    ¡°Hehe! There is no need for Brother Lei to be angry. I simply found it odd. If Fellow Daoist spoke truthfully, Senior Han should be around the same age as Fellow Daoist Nie. Fellow Daoist Nie, how long have you been cultivating?¡± Cultivator Qian asked earnestly.


    As if realizing what he asked, Nie Yan answered with a changed expression, ¡°I cultivated for two hundred years before reaching early Core Formation stage.¡±


    Cultivator Qian rubbed his chin and sternly said, ¡°It seems Senior Han spent only two hundred years before condensing a Nascent Soul. Do you know what this means?¡±


    The Giant Sword Sect cultivator couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise, ¡°Could it be Brother Qian means¡­¡±


    Cultivator Qian solemnly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. It is quite possible this person may reach Deity Transformation stage. It had been tens of thousands of years since this last happened.


    Although cultivators who reach Deity Transformation stage soon disappear from this world, each of them were unrivaled in the short time they were here. The entire Heavenly South, be they Righteous, Devilish, or even neutral, all unite during this time as there is none capable of withstanding an early Deity Transformation stage cultivator.

 Chapter 711

    Han Li¡¯s Determination


    After some thought, Nie Yan smiled and said, ¡°Brother Qian must be exaggerating. Although Fellow Daoist Han managed to reach Nascent Soul stage in such a short amount of time, reaching Deity Transformation is still a matter far out of reach. It isn¡¯t so easily done. In fact, so long as he reaches late Nascent Soul stage, he is able to proclaim his own sect a hegemon of their side. That seems much more likely.¡±


    With a spirited glint appearing from his eyes, the cultivator surnamed Qian slowly said, ¡°Hehe! I merely think too much. If Senior Han doesn¡¯t come across any mishap, he¡¯ll surely become a greatly influential character in the Heavenly South. Given the deep ties he has to Yellow Maple Valley, if he joins, I reckon it won¡¯t be long before we can reclaim the State of Yue.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Lei Wanhe sighed and said, ¡°Relationship? Fellow Daoist just saw that although Senior Han originally came from our Yellow Maple Valley, he is now the elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s Drifting Cloud Sect. Moreover, he doesn¡¯t have any intention of returning. Regardless of what sect power he belongs to, Yellow Maple Valley will not be able to rope him in.¡±


    Once that was said, the others were at a loss for words.


    The Giant Sword Sect cultivator doubtfully said, ¡°Why does Senior Han treat your sect as such? After all, that was where he came from. Does he have intention of paying back what the sect has done for him?¡±


    Lei Wanhe shook his head and said, ¡°I cannot divulge the specifics, but the odds aren¡¯t good. However, from how I see it, his relationship with the Masked Moon Sect Senior Nangong seems deep. Perhaps Senior Nangong can try talking with him. Even if he will not rejoin our six sects, a good relationship can still be formed.¡±


    Tang Minghua doubtfully said, ¡°This¡­ is possible. I¡¯ll have to go back to the sect and inquire about the relationship between Senior Han and Martial Aunt Nangong.¡±


    ¡°Leave it be. Roping in a Nascent Soul stage cultivator isn¡¯t something that we can handle. Have the elders deal with it. This Senior Han should appear at the ceremony in three months,¡± Lei Wanhe then glanced around him and frowned, ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s hurry back to the Nine Nations Union. It isn¡¯t safe here.¡±


    When the others heard this, the five ceased their chat and took to the skies.


    Although Lei Wanhe spoke with an effortless tone, he became inwardly worried.


    How could he inform Ancestor Ling Hu of this matter? Could he just say that a disciple he had abandoned in the past had become an existence as powerful as the ancestor himself? Moreover, that matter had caused Han Li to resent Yellow Maple Valley. Wouldn¡¯t telling his Martial Senior this be the same as directly rebuking him?


    He could only helplessly sigh several times along the journey before gloomily continuing on his way.


    Because the Wind Riding Chariot was far too eye-catching, once Han Li was out of sight from Lei Wanhe and the others, he put away the chariot and began to fly using ordinary light.


    Now that he suddenly acquired news on Nangong Wan, and bad at that, he needed to calm his himself and have a long thought about the subject.


    Back in the past, they only had intercourse once and he only saw her two times. Because there was such a vast difference in their cultivation, they simply acted as indifferent strangers. But at some unknown time, Han Li had unconsciously through of Nangong Wan as his own woman.


    With the succesful formation of his golden core and Nascent Soul, Han Li recognized himself as being worthy of Nangong Wang and this idea was even further cemented in his mind. As a result, he had nearly lost his sensibilities once he heard that Nangong Wan was about to become Dao companions with someone else.


    Pretending not to know that Nangong Wan was marrying someone else was something that Han Li couldn¡¯t possibly do. The only man who could marry her in this lifetime was Han Li.


    Moreover, he was convinced that as the man who took Nangong Wan¡¯s vital yin, she should have some semblance of feeling for him as well. He definitely couldn¡¯t allow the celebration to smoothly carry out.


    He was currently pondering about whether he should directly head to the Masked Moon Sect and stealthily steal Nangong Wan away or crash the celebration three months laters.


    These two methods clearly had their own advantages.


    Although the first method was easier to carry out, he truly doubted whether or not Nangong Wan would leave with him without objection. After all, she had stayed at the Masked Moon Sect for many years and had become an elder of her sect. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t have any apprehensions about leaving.


    The second option was to directly appear on the day of the celebration. It could be said to be far more challenging as he would face the Masked Moon Sects, the Six Sects of Yue, and even the Nine Nations Alliance. So long as he was able to settle the problems that arose, he could be together with Nangong Wan in a just and honorable fashion without any future worries.


    Of course, there was a more simple method. He could have this Wei Lichen mysteriously disappear from this world.


    However, this method was also the most dangerous. The Flowing Mind Sect wasn¡¯t any small sect. It was the largest sect in the Nine Nations Union, possessing five Nascent Soul stage elders. It was far stronger than the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    If this Wei Lichen stayed inside the sect the entire time, even if he had amazing abilities, Han Li wouldn¡¯t even have an opportunity to make an attempt. And even if he managed to kill him, if Han Li¡¯s identity was exposed, he would suffer the full brunt of the consequences.


    As Han Li pondered, he repeatedly came up with different plans.


    In the end, he decided on a compromise of these methods for the sake of reliability. He decided to first hurry on his way to the Masked Moon Sect to see Nangong Wan and ask about her intentions. If she had heavy misgivings or some other difficulties in leaving, he would pay a visit to the Flowing Mind Sect and see whether or not there would be an opportunity to stealthily exterminate Wei Lichen, risking it all for a smooth solution. If there was no opportunity to attack, he would simply appear on the day of the celebration and openly make his own proposal to marry Nangong Wan.


    Regardless of what happened or her willingness to agree, he must forcefully take her away. There are few things in his lifetime that had ever made him feel this way. He normally acted with regards to reason, not emotion, but this time, Han Li could not allow Nangong Wan to marry someone else.


    With his current abilities, anything short of a late Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to strop him.


    With this all decided, his spirits were roused. After regaining his bearings, he increased the speed of his flight and quickly traveled.


    When the Six Sects of Yue were defeated, they could only take refuge with the Nine Nations Alliance. They planted down their sects in the country with the least other sects, the State of Beiliang. The State of Beiliang had sparsely few cultivators due to the lack of cultivation resources.


    As for selecting who would join the six sects, they couldn¡¯t possibly be choosy. Additionally, the Six Sect cultivators were secretly and openly feuding with the local sects for over a hundred years before managing to barely establish themselves. Of course, spirit veins and other resources the Six Sects of Yue had access to were far inferior to what they had in their original country.


    But after so many years of desperate fighting, the six sects eventually recovered a bit of their strength and their standing in the Nine Nations Alliance grew. With the Masked Moon Sect being the strongest amongst the Six Sects of Yue, they managed to occupy a mountain range with decent spirit veins.


    The west side of the State of Beiliang¡¯s Gemcut Mountains was the base of the Masked Moon Sect. They had constructed countless buildings of all sorts and laid down various grand restrictions here.


    The Gemcut Mountains was divided into three levels. The lowest level being at the base of the mountain and was where the low grade cultivators lived. Naturally, only Core Formation cultivators had the qualifications to live in the middle level.


    Although Foundation Establishment cultivators weren¡¯t worthy of notice in the eyes of those at Core Formation stage and above, in the eyes of stagnant Qi Condensation cultivators, they viewed them as important pillars of the sect.


    The Masked Moon Sect¡¯s various stewards were naturally exceedingly capable people, and all possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation, the exception being the mortal affairs steward, Yuan Kun. He was the sole Qi Condensation steward in the sect.


    The reason this was possible was because the Yuan Clan, a mid-sized clan native to the State of Beiliang, had welcomed the six sects when they had just entered the country. They had expended much effort on behalf of the Masked Moon Sect in particular. As a reward for the Yuan Clan¡¯s actions, the Masked Moon Sect would only assign Yuan Clan disciples to this minor position for generations to come.


    But as luck would have it, Yuan Kun was the nephew of the Yuan Clan Lord and had no future prospects in cultivation. As a result of the personal request of the Yuan Clan Lord, the upper echelon of the Masked Moon Sect appointed him as a sect steward.


    While Yuan Kun may not have much prospects in cultivation, he was well adjusted to the mortal world and was able to smoothly handle his tasks without any mishap, consolidating his position as a steward.


    But due to the rules of seniority in the cultivation world, the low grade cultivators in the Masked Moon Sect didn¡¯t treat him with much more respect as he was still only a Qi Condensation cultivator. He was also held in contempt by the other Foundation Establishment stage stewards. However, Steward Yuan didn¡¯t care about this in the least and leisurely spent his days in the Masked Moon Sect, drawing from his connections and lowering his head when needed.


    One day, Yuan Kun appeared at a mortal village closest to the Gemcut mountains, bringing along two Masked Moon Sect disciples along with him that possessed lower cultivation. As normal, they went around several stores and purchased a few everyday goods.


    But unbeknownst to him, after he walked through three of these stores, an indiscernible trace of spiritual sense stealthily wrapped around the clothes of the steward, attentively watching this trifling Qi Condensation cultivator.

 Chapter 712

    Entering Disguised


    Not long after Yuan Kun began shopping in the village, he smoothly gathered all the items he needed and flew back to the Gemcut Mountains with his two assistants. But when the three only traveled fifteen kilometers away from the city, silver light suddenly flashed ahead of them, revealing a gorgeous young woman. She looked at the three with a captivating smile.


    ¡°We are Masked Moon Sect disciples. Senior¡­¡± Although Yuan Kun¡¯s cultivation was low, the strange scene that appeared before him indicated that the woman was beyond ordinary. He immediately fell back on his identity as a sect member to protect them.


    However, it seemed as if the woman didn¡¯t hear him. She chuckled and blew out a pink mist from her mouth. The mist appeared to be slow, but it enveloped the three in an instant.


    Yuan Kun and company were unable to resist due to their meager cultivation. After smelling a trace of the scent, they felt their minds fade away as they fell unconscious, promptly collapsing onto the ground.


    Without any hesitation, the young woman waved her sleeve and released a white mist from her cuff. The mist immediately grabbed the three and brought them to her side. After glancing at their faces, the young woman giggled and glowed with silver light, immediately taking to the skies with her captives.


    The white light traveled over five kilometers away before dropping down at a desolate forest. There was an azure-robed youth that was sitting down cross-legged beneath a large tree and peacefully resting.


    Right after the white light suddenly appeared before them, it disappeared. Yuan Kun and company were silently laid down in front of the youth, and the young woman gracefully floated down from the sky. The woman stood in front of the youth and respectfully said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve brought people. They called themselves Masked Moon Sect cultivators. They should be what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    The youth opened his eyes and indifferently asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t alarm any others?¡±


    Of course, the youth was Han Li who had spent most of the last month rushing to the State of Beiliang.


    Since he planned on stealthily finding Nangong Wan, he couldn¡¯t brazenly pay her a visit on her doorstep. It would better to avoid any unnecessary trouble. As such, he needed to understand a few details about the Masked Moon Sect and he decided to stay at a small town nearby.


    As one who had once tread the path of cultivation since he was a low grade cultivator, Han Li understood that a sect¡¯s low grade disciples were incapable of completely separating themselves from the mortal world. The town closest to the sect should be a place well frequented by low grade disciples.


    With Han Li¡¯s immense spiritual sense, regardless of how many cultivators entered the city, they would be incapable of escaping his notice.


    Originally, Han Li was eyeing another Masked Moon Sect Qi Condensation disciple, but when a Qi Condensation disciple wearing steward robes arrived in town, Han Li¡¯s target had changed to him. A disciple of higher rank would naturally know of the sect far better.


    With a thread of spiritual sense tied around him, he ordered Silvermoon to capture him and his associates. Afterwards, they were brought to the forest where he was waiting.


    Knowing that Han Li was currently in a poor mood, she abandoned any intent to jest and tactfully replied in an earnest manner, ¡°Master, be at ease. It was an easy task to capture three Qi Condensation cultivators. It definitely didn¡¯t catch anyone¡¯s attention.¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly glanced at Yuan Kun¡¯s body and coldly grunted, ¡°Well done. With your demon fox illusion techniques and my Dreamtear Technique, we will have him tell us everything.¡±


    Silvermoon immediately answered, ¡°As you command, Master.¡±


    Afterwards, she turned around and blew several breaths of pink mist onto the three on the ground, filling the entire surrounding area.


    Han Li stood up and slowly entered the mist. Not long after, faint azure light faintly pulsed from within it.


    Although the Gemcut Mountains had a notable name, the first time anyone that came to its mountain wouldn¡¯t know why it had the name ¡°Gemcut¡±. It didn¡¯t appear exquisite as its name had implied. Rather, it appeared strange and oversized.


    The Gemcut Mountains didn¡¯t have many branching mountain, but the main mountain spanned tens of kilometers in length. Moreover, the bottom half the mountain appeared quite smooth and flat without any cliffs as if it were a huge slope.


    But the center of the mountains suddenly grew steep. Not only was the mountain stones frighteningly steep but the spiritual Qi was far more plentiful. It was where the Core Formation cultivators placed their own cave residences.


    But in order to prevent any attacks from the sky, ferocious spell restrictions were placed down around the top of the Gemcut Mountains. Low grade disciples have no method of climbing the mountain apart from a few set pathways.


    Han Li currently stood at the center of the Gemcut Mountains on a simple stone road. He looked up to the top of the Gemcut Mountains with a soft expression.


    His current appearance had greatly changed through the use of the Appearance Exchange Arts. His entire body and stature had precisely changed to that of Yuan Kun. Of course, he had also restrained his cultivation to Qi Condensation stage.


    After acquiring the information that he wanted from Yuan Kun and his subordinates, he imprisoned the three in a dry tree hollow and boldly entered the Gemcut Mountains. With Yuan Kun¡¯s steward command medallion along with the information he had acquired from the Dreamtear technique, he was able to easily enter the Masked Moon Sect.


    He currently stood at a market city that was constructed at a corner of the Gemcut Mountains where thousands of disciples traded for wanted items. Among them were a few stores that sold mortal goods which were specifically managed by this Steward Yuan.


    Han Li didn¡¯t directly head to the top of the mountain. Instead, he patiently brought the items that Yuan Kun purchased at the mortal town and delivered them to these stores. He left each of these stores under the respective gazes of the shopkeepers and glanced up the mountain.


    From these three disciples¡¯ memories, although Nangong Wan was on the verge of getting married, she wasn¡¯t freely accepting visitors despite not being in secluded cultivation. Even the high grade disciples of the sect found it difficult to meet their Martial Ancestor Nangong.


    As for why Nangong Wan would agree to become the pair cultivation companion of the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Wei Lichen, it was still unknown to Han Li. The three he had captured were lowly ranked and didn¡¯t know anything of the matter, much to Han Li¡¯s disappointment.


    But from their memories, Han Li was able to clearly see, as the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Masked Moon Sect and an amazing, world-shaking beauty, Nangong Wan held the vast adoration of many of the low grade disciples in the sect. There were even vast amounts of male disciples that secretly held romantic feelings for her, Yuan Kun being one of them.


    Although he had only seen Nangong Wan a couple of times in the many years that he spent there, he was infatuated. When he heard that Nangong Wan was to be married, Steward Yuan felt depressed for a long while. When Han Li saw these memories, he was speechless.


    Now that Han Li had finished delivering the mortal goods, he casually dealt with other matters in accordance to Yuan Kun¡¯s memories. Fortunately, Steward Yuan didn¡¯t have any particularly deep relationships in the sect and none were able to see through any gaps in behavior.


    A while later, Han Li saw that the sky was dimming and felt that it was about time. According to the Yuan Kun¡¯s ordinary behavior, he calmly climbed the mountain.


    Although Yuan Kun was only a Qi Condensation cultivator, he was still a sect steward, and possessed a small, unremarkable residence on the second level of the Gemcut Mountains.


    Han Li was able to make it into the second level of the Gemcut Mountains without any problems, but he came across a few Foundation Establishment cultivators along the way. When they spotted Han Li disguised as Steward Yuan, they each glanced at him with disdain. There were a few that ignored him.


    When Han Li was alone, he bitterly chuckled as he stroked his chin. It seems that apart from Steward Yuan¡¯s subordinates, this person didn¡¯t get along well with others.


    After entering the second level, Han Li didn¡¯t go to Yuan Kun¡¯s small residence. Instead, he flew towards the top of the mountain along the path on a low altitude flying tool. Although the other areas appeared empty, Han Li knew that formidable restrictions had been placed there. He naturally didn¡¯t dare to touch them.


    Eventually, Han Li arrived at the border entrance between the second and third level of the mountain. There were two Foundation Establishment cultivators that had bluntly blocked his way.


    The pale-skinned cultivator frowned and loudly shouted, ¡°Yuan Kun! What did you come here for! You should know that you have no business here.¡±


    After a long while of hesitation, ¡°Martial Uncles, this Martial Nephew wishes¡­ wishes to see Martial Ancestor Nangong. Would Martial Uncles be able to report this?¡±


    Once the two cultivators recovered from their shock, they harshly rebuked him without further thought, ¡°What are you saying? Yuan Kun, are you awake? You must be daydreaming to think you can see Martial Ancestor Nangong!¡±

 Chapter 713

    Nangong Wan


    Han Li wore a miserable expression and said, ¡°When this Martial Nephew went out to purchase a few items, I encountered a Senior with an unfathomable cultivation, he wanted to me to give something to Martial Ancestor Nangong. He even placed a restriction on my body, saying that only Martial Ancestor Nangong would be able to dispel it.¡±


    The pale-skinned cultivator asked bewilderedly, ¡°Senior!? Was he a Core Formation cultivator?¡±


    Continuing his dejected expression, he helplessly said, ¡°This¡­ Martial Nephew isn¡¯t sure. But this cultivator stated that he was an old friend of Martial Ancestor Nangong and wished to send her a congratulatory gift, having heard that he grand celebration was drawing near. There are still some things that I have to personally say to her.¡±


    ¡°An old friend of Martial Ancestor? Could he also be a Nascent Soul Senior?¡± This time, the burly cultivator had spoken with alarm.


    After the pale-skinned cultivator recovered from his surprise, he doubtfully said, ¡°It is possible, but since Senior was already there, why didn¡¯t he personally arrive at the mountain and present the gift?¡±


    ¡°Who knows! Maybe this Senior has some of other matters to attend to, or maybe he finds it inconvenient,¡± after a few of his musings, the burly cultivate bluntly said, ¡°Martial Nephew Yuan, extend your hand and let us see the restriction on your body!¡±


    Having expected this, Han Li calmly extended his arm towards him and surged spiritual power throughout his power, simulating a bizarre magic power restriction on his body.


    The burly cultivator grabbed onto Han Li¡¯s arm and revealed astonishment after sensing it for a short moment. The pale-skinned cultivator also curiously placed two of his fingers on Han Li¡¯s arm. Not long after, he wore a similar expression on his face.


    The pale-skinned cultivator eased his expression and his tone grew less harsh, ¡°That¡¯s right, a fearsome restriction has been placed on your body. From the degree of its complexity, it appears to have been laid down by a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, we cannot allow you to easily climb the mountain on this alone. First, take out the congratulatory gift. One of us will take it to Martial Ancestor Nangong and see whether or not this person is truly an old friend of hers.


    If Martial Ancestor is willing to see you, you can climb the mountain. Do you understand, Martial Nephew Yuan?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he wore a bitter expression, but after some thought, he nodded his head.


    Han Li took out a long wooden box from his storage pouch and handed it over to him. He anxiously added, ¡°This is fine. However, Martial Uncle must clearly explain the matter of the restriction placed down on my body!¡±


    The lid of the wooden box had a faint silver restriction talisman placed on top of it. From its spiritual Qi fluctuations, it appeared to be quite importantly. It was clear to see this was to prevent anybody from opening the box as it was delivered.


    ¡°I understand. Properly wait here for the time being. Junior Martial Brother Ma, I am going!¡± The pale-skinned cultivator spoke impatiently to Han Li and gave a word of warning to the burly cultivator before flying off on his magic tool with the wooden box in hand.


    Han Li could only calmly stand in place.


    Although he was confident that Nangong Wan would see him once she opened the box, he still felt somewhat apprehensive.


    He answered the intermittent questions from the guard that was left behind. However, when he asked of the appearance of the Senior who had delivered this gift, Han Li answered that this Senior was wearing a cloak and that he couldn¡¯t tell whether or not they were a man or a woman.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, the pale-skinned cultivator returned with empty hands.


    ¡°Martial Ancestor Nanlong said that this person is truly an old friend of hers, and that I am able to bring you to see her to dissolve the restriction.¡± After curtly speaking, the pale-faced cultivator had Han Li follow him up the mountain.


    Han Li was overjoyed by this and wore an excited expression as he followed the pale-skinned cultivator.


    ¡°Be careful. There are paths that you cannot take no matter what. These restrictions are far more formidable than the restrictions on the center level. Even I wouldn¡¯t survive if I fell into them.¡±


    Of course, Han Li answered with acknowledgement.


    At that moment, a streak of blue light shot forwards to meet them. The pale-skinned cultivator seemed to recognize the owner of this light and stopped in place with a respectful expression.


    Soon, the light arrived before the two and faded away to reveal a middle-aged, embroidered-robed cultivator with an imposing appearance.


    The embroidered-robed cultivator glanced at Han Li and said with a cold tone, ¡°Martial Nephew Sun, why have you brought a Qi Condensation cultivator to the top of the mountain. Do you not understand the rules here?


    The pale-skinned cultivator seemed to hold much reverence towards the embroidered-robed cultivator and hastily explained, ¡°Martial Senior Lan, this Martial Nephew is only following Martial Ancestor Nangong¡¯s orders. I wouldn¡¯t have the courage otherwise to dare to do this.¡±


    At that moment, Han Li swept his gaze past the embroidered-robed man to discover that he was merely an early Core Formation cultivator, and that he need not pay him much heed. Although these were his thoughts, he also assumed a respectful expression and didn¡¯t dare to rashly speak.


    When the embroidered-robed cultivator heard this, he was stunned for a moment before astonishedly asking, ¡°Martial Aunt Nangong wishes to see this person? Tell me how this came to be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Martial Nephew Yuan¡­¡± Unknown whether the pale-skinned cultivator didn¡¯t dare to conceal this matter from his Martial Senior or that he was indifferent about the matter, he narrated the events that had occurred.


    ¡°An old friend of Martial Aunt Nangong placed a restriction on his body?¡± The embroidered-robed cultivator frowned and suddenly looked at Han Li with a penetrating gaze.


    The embroidered-robed cultivator bluntly ordered, ¡°Let me have a look at the restriction on your body!¡±


    Han Li cursed at this person¡¯s nosy meddling and could only helplessly obey.


    The embroidered-robed cultivator grabbed Han Li¡¯s wrist and deeply examined it for a moment before nodding his head, ¡°Yi! This is truly odd. However, although this restriction is complex, it isn¡¯t malicious. It seems this person didn¡¯t have any ill intent. Go ahead and see Martial Aunt Nangong!¡±


    Afterwards, he paid the two no further heed and shot down the mountain in a flash of faint blue light. A short moment later, the light dimmed and grew indistinct, disappearing soon after.


    The pale-skinned cultivator waited until the embroidered-robed cultivated departed before taking a deep breath and gazing in the direction that the light disappeared. He muttered, ¡°Martial Uncle Lan¡¯s Incorporeal Evasion Technique can be said to be as blue as his name [1]. Although he is only at early Core Formation stage, even late Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to deal with him!¡±


    ¡®The Incorporeal Evasion Technique!¡¯ When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred. Could this person have something to do with the Old Eccentric Qiong [2] that he saw during the Trial by Blood and Fire? Perhaps he was a descendant or disciple.


    At that moment, the pale-skinned cultivator had relaxed and continued to lead the way. Soon after, Han Li tossed the matter of the embroidered-robed cultivator to the back of his mind.


    Because the top level of the Gemcut Mountains didn¡¯t house many cultivators to begin with, the two didn¡¯t encounter anybody else as they traveled to a cave residence close to the peak of the mountain.


    The pale-skinned cultivator spoke with a tone of admiration, ¡°This is Martial Ancestor Nanlong¡¯s meditation area! Speak carefully when you reply to the Martial Ancestor, and don¡¯t say anything unrelated to the restriction placed on your body. Perhaps she may have some benefits in store for you!¡±


    After he said that, he turned towards the gate and respectfully said, ¡°Reporting to Martial Ancestor. The disciple is already here.¡±


    ¡°En! I understand. Have the disciple enter alone. You may take your leave!¡± The voice faintly carried a trace of familiarity and strangeness. Once those words were said, the door to the cave residence flickered with yellow light and the stone opened.


    Han Li walked forward without any hesitation.


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, there was a beautiful female cultivator wearing yellow short-sleeved robes that stood behind the door. She appeared to be the age of eighteen and possessed early Foundation Establishment cultivation.


    The woman examined Han Li¡¯s transformed figure of Yuan Kun and found nothing to be wrong. She coldly said, ¡°Follow me. Martial Ancestor is waiting for you in the main hall!¡±


    The woman turned around and entered the cave residence. Han Li lightly sighed and closely followed after her.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s cave residence couldn¡¯t be considered large. The Foundation Establishment woman brought Han Li down a short corridor and through several small side rooms before arriving at the main hall.


    The hall was elegantly decorated and there was some unknown essence being burned at an unknown corner of the room. There were two interesting small flower pots, each with a precious herb flourishing in them.


    There was an exquisite square wooden table at the center of the hall. Each side had a light green straw chair. One of the chairs was occupied with a black-haired, white-clothed young woman. She was looking down at the huge sparkling silver sword in her hand.


    The wood box on the table was open now laid empty.


    [1] His Surname ¡°Lan¡± À¶ is the same character for blue.


    [2] First mentioned in chapter 176, Elder Qiong was a formidable Core Formation cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect.

 Chapter 714

    Thoughts of the Past


    When the white-clothed woman saw Han Li enter, she stroked the silver sword before returning it to the wooden box. She then raised her head and gently gazed at Han Li. The face that Han Li yearned for in countless dreams had appeared before him.


    A slightly pointed chin, a delicate nose, and bright, enchanting eyes. These traces of familiarity caused Han Li to feel a trace of excitement along with a sliver of warmth in his heart that had remained dormant since he had last spent time with her. It felt like it had been ages ago.


    Any thoughts or words had already been released from his mind at that moment. Only an overwhelming passion remained.


    When Nangong Wan saw that Han Li was so imprudently staring at her, she was stunned for a moment. With a pensive expression appearing on her face, she unconsciously frowned.


    Nangong Wan raised her head and turned to the yellow-clothed woman that had guided Han Li. She calmly said, ¡°Yu¡¯er, go down first. I will be speaking with him alone.¡±


    After a moment of brief surprise, she immediately lowered her head and said, ¡°Yes, Martial Ancestor!¡± She then quietly left the hall and disappeared from sight.


    Han Li calmly waited for the yellow-clothed woman to disappear before glancing around with his spiritual sense. Seeing that there was no one else present, he stared at Nangong Wan and formed a hand incantation. With a series of explosive crackles coming from his body, his body suddenly grew a few inches, and a flicker of azure light revealed his true face.


    ¡°So it really is you, Han Li!¡± A complicated expression appeared on Nangong Wan¡¯s face, but there was no trace of surprise, only a faint sigh.


    Not knowing how to address her, he stuttered before clumsily saying, ¡°You¡­ you knew I was coming!¡± After he said this, Han Li felt a tinge of regret and couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed with himself.


    ¡°You? Call me Wan¡¯er.¡± Han Li¡¯s clumsy reaction had caused Nangong Wan to unfurrow her brow. She softly smiled, displaying her bright eyes and mesmerizing beauty.


    ¡°Wan¡¯er!¡± Han Li felt overjoyed and couldn¡¯t help but softly shout her name. He had finally released the apprehension that was lingering in his heart.


    She truly harbored some feelings for him. She wouldn¡¯t have shown him such an appearance otherwise. For a moment, Han Li stared at her with fascination.


    Nangong Wan blushed and turned her head, insipidly saying, ¡°What¡¯s nice about looking at me? Could it be I¡¯m more beautiful than your new concubine?¡±


    When Han Li heard her unhappy words, he couldn¡¯t help but be alarmed. ¡°Concubine? So you knew of that as well.¡±


    Nangong Wan lowered her head and glanced down at the floor. She snorted and annoyedly said, ¡°You¡¯re newly joined elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect and recently condensed a Nascent Soul at around two hundred years of age. How could I not know?¡±


    After a short moment, something soon came to mind. ¡°Was it the cultivator surnamed Tang?¡±


    Nangong Wan wiped away a sliver of her hair and mysteriously smiled at Han Li. ¡°So you aren¡¯t dumb! It truly was that Martial Nephew Tang. He had made use of a special method to send me a sound transmission talisman. When I received it, I couldn¡¯t dare to believe it. After disappearing for so many years, you return as a Nascent Soul cultivator. In the past, I hadn¡¯t particularly paid much attention to this field. As such, I immediately called for recent information on the Drifting Cloud Sect. Although it was a bit slow, I know of your general circumstances.


    With your sudden appearance, you became an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect. You left the trade fair halfway and departed, but I know little of this. But your concubine still remains at Soaring Skies City until this day!¡±


    Han Li touched his chin and revealed a trace of embarrassment as he tried to explain, ¡°At the time, I told her to follow an elder back to the sect. It seems there is something delaying her. However, this concubine¡­¡±


    Nangong Wang interrupted, ¡°Enough, there is no need to speak more of it. I¡¯m not going to complain about how you took in a concubine. After all, am I not getting married myself?¡± Her expression suddenly grew saddened and incredibly weak.


    Han Li¡¯s expression slightly changed. With a sullen voice, he unhurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with that? Could it be you truly plan to marry that person?¡±


    Nangong Wan bit her red lips and bright eyes flickered. ¡°Before I answer that question, I have questions of my own. Why have you come? Do you want me to not marry this person, or do you wish to take me away?¡±


    With complete and unwavering determination, Han Li immediately answered, ¡°Of course it is to take you away! I want you to become my wife! No matter who it is that wishes to take away the one I cherish, they will have to go through me first!¡±


    ¡°That is quite the dream, but when I have ever agreed to become your wife?¡± Nangong Wan blushed and shyly rebuked him in a charming display.


    Han Li silently smiled and said nothing else. As he was new to matters such as this, it would be better to not delve too deeply.


    Soon, Nangong Wan¡¯s shyness had disappeared, and she expressionlessly said, ¡°You should know that in the year of the Trial by Blood and Fire, my first thought was to slash you into countless pieces after you took my virginity.


    ¡°Afterwards, I would use the Vermillion Bird Band to turn your body into ashes to fulfill my revenge. After all, I had bitterly guarded the purity of my body for over a hundred years, but you came along and took it. How could I not bear great hatred towards you?¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, I should¡¯ve already died!¡± Han Li rubbed his nose and found himself not knowing whether to laugh or to cry.


    Once that was said, Nangong Wan¡¯s face grew scarlet and she unhappily rebuked him, ¡°Of course. Were it not for some unexplained coincidence that caused my heart to soften, I wouldn¡¯t have released you. Do you believe that Core Formation cultivators are so easily dealt with?¡±


    Han Li grinned and said nothing else. Once Nangong Wan explained a trace of the grudge she held against him, she continued, ¡°After we left and returned to the sect, for some unknown reason, I was unable to cast off your image regardless of whether it be during cultivation or secluded meditation.


    ¡°Moreover, your image only became more distinct over time, and it appeared more frequently in my mind. At that moment, I realized that you became an inner demon of temptation. If I didn¡¯t cast you off, I feared that my cultivation would become forever stagnant.


    ¡°There were only two methods to cast off an inner demon of temptation. I had to either marry you and become one with you, fulfilling the temptation, or to have you disappear from this world. If you no longer existed, the inner demon would gradually fade. Because there was far too great a disparity in cultivation, it was impossible to choose the former. After a long while of inner torment, I eventually clenched my teeth and decisively decided to exterminate you. But before I could do this, the Six Devil Dao Sects had invaded us, and I came across you at the war camp for the Sects of Yue. You were a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the time, and this had caused my determination to waver. If you were able to continue progressing, I felt that becoming husband and wife wouldn¡¯t be impossible.¡±


    Han LI bitterly smiled and muttered, ¡°So it turned out that you wished to kill me at the time. When I saw you during that time, I was incredibly excited to see you, but your cold and detached attitude was a rude awakening. It had depressed me for quite a few days afterwards.¡±


    Nangong Wan smiled upon hearing this but continued without answering, ¡°From then on, the Sects of Yue had suffered a great defeat due to Spirit Beast Mountain¡¯s betrayal. Each of the six sects then began to evacuate their disciples from the State of Yue. As the youngest Core Formation cultivator, I was originally among those evacuated, but at the time, I had a good friend within Yellow Maple Valley. In our letters, I came across vague plans for Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s evacuation plan. I knew that you were likely to be in the danger zone.


    ¡°I felt shocked at this fact and only one thought had filled my mind: to rescue you. When I left, I was too slow. The battle had already concluded. A majority of the disciples had already died with only a few managing to escape.Not knowing whether or not you survived, I could only helplessly return to my own sect and assist the rearguard disciples in their fight against the Devil Dao. As a result, I was gravely injured against a Core Formation cultivator and was pursued by several juniors. I think you should know of what happened afterwards. There is no such person as Nangong Bing in this world. I had only changed my appearance.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t wish reveal my true identity, but I couldn¡¯t tell you that a Core Formation cultivator like myself came to rescue you with the particular intention of marrying you! Moreover, because I absorbed most of your cultivation at the time, it was even more embarrassing to reveal my true face to you. However, I didn¡¯t wish for you follow me back to join the Masked Moon Sect. I just wanted you to follow me so I could reveal my true appearance and assist you in forming a golden core. We would marry afterwards. But who could¡¯ve thought of how greedy you were, or perhaps due to chauvinistic stubbornness, that you would simply take the spirit stones. You left me completely helpless.¡±


    Once that was said, a faint smirk appeared on her face and she fiercely glared at Han Li, but how was it that Han Li had felt the sliver of happiness from her eyes?


    Of course, Han Li couldn¡¯t have known that if he agreed to follow her back to the Masked Moon Sect, Nangong Wan would¡¯ve definitely brought up the prospect of marriage. However, the most likely resolution was that he would¡¯ve casually agreed to become another woman¡¯s Dao Companion, resolving her inner demons in a disappointing fashion. The one who married him would¡¯ve likely been someone that Nangong Wan had personally sought out.

 Chapter 715

    Heart Restraint Technique


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to be said after we parted. I returned to the Masked Moon Sect. Once my sect gained footing in the State of Beiliang, I snuck into the State of Yue to find you. However, the information I acquired was rather terrible. I only knew that you had been hunted down by the Ghost Spirit Sect. The concrete details of the matter were unknown. Not long after, I was discovered by the Devil Dao and was forced to return to the Nine Nations Alliance.


    ¡°Afterwards, I never acquired information on you. I believed you dead and my inner demons with regards to you had gradually disappeared. Along the way, I managed to condense a Nascent Soul and smoothly became an elder of the Masked Moon Sect. And here we are now.¡± Nangong Wan spoke with a calm tone.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed several times as he listened to Nangong Wan¡¯s unhurried explanation. In the past, she had done many things he was completely ignorant of, causing him to look upon her with even greater warmth.


    A moment later, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s this about Wei Lichen?¡±


    Nangong Wan coldly smiled. ¡°Wei Lichen! I unintentionally encountered him as he was travelling several years prior. I am not fond of him. He appears to be elegant and noble, but he is a thieving hypocrite and a philanderer.


    ¡°I heard that he secretly performs Yin Drawing Techniques on each of his eight female disciples. He most likely harbors ill intentions towards marrying me. That was why I refused his first request to marry me.¡±


    ¡°Refuse? What changed?¡± Han Li curiously asked.


    Nangong Wan didn¡¯t directly answer and suddenly asked, ¡°Do you know of the three great Nascent Soul cultivators in the Heavenly South?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned grim and faintly felt that something was amiss. ¡°Naturally. There is a late Nascent Soul cultivator in the Righteous Dao, the Devilish Dao, and the Nine Nations Alliance, each only a step away from entering Deity Transformation stage. This is how each of the three superpowers remain on equal footing. As for our Heavenly Dao Alliance, we have two mid Nascent Soul-stage Dao Companions that are proficient in cooperative techniques. Together, they are capable of restraining a late Nascent soul cultivator, albeit with difficulty. What? Does Wei Lichen have anything to do with one of them?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Wei Lichen¡¯s great uncle is Wei Wuya, one of the three great cultivators. As the highest ranking elder of the Nine Nations Alliance, this Wei Wuya cultivates a rarely seen venomous cultivation art. With a sweep of his hand, he is able to take another life without any contact. His immense abilities are beyond imagination.¡± Nangong Wan folded her fingers together and bitterly smiled.


    Han Li scowled and a malicious light surfaced in his eyes. ¡°Could it be that this Wei Wuya personally made things difficult for you?¡±


    Nangong Wan wore an indignant expression. ¡°No, but Wei Wuya is personally involved. You may not know this, but our sect¡¯s previous great elder passed away and was replaced with an old senior martial sister. Although her cultivation isn¡¯t weak, she is of shrewd mind and is normally at odds with me. Although we get along with our other elder, the relationship between us is awful!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen as Nangong Wan moved on to the heart of the matter.


    After Nangong Wan gritted her teeth, she said, ¡°After refusing Wei Lichen¡¯s marriage request several times, Wei Lichen personally caused Wei Wuya to pay a visit to this senior martial sister of mine.


    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t know what the two spoke about, half a year later during an incarnation period of my Female Essence Incarnation Technique, she suddenly restrained and forced me into wedding Wei Lichen.¡±


    After a moment of shock, Han Li incredulously said, ¡°Is your senior martial sister not sick in the head? Using such a method to deal with a Nascent Soul cultivator of the same sect?¡±


    Nangong Wan smirked and mockingly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth? I hadn¡¯t expected her to be crazed to this degree. However, it seems Wei Wuya¡¯s conditions were truly difficult to refuse. I later found out that so long as the Masked Moon Sect agreed to this marriage, not only would the Six Sects expand out of the State of Beiliang, but Wei LIchen would be willing to leave the Flowing Mind Sect after marrying me and join the Masked Moon Sect. For these two benefits at the price of one, she acted without any hesitation. Regardless of my intentions, she released information that I was to be wed with Wei Lichen and prepared to hold a celebration, wishing to forcefully conclude the matter before it can be changed. If I wished to later back out, I would have no method of doing so.¡±


    Han Li delightedly said, ¡°So it turned out you hadn¡¯t agreed to this matter. These words of you deliberately wishing to marry came as a shock to me!¡±


    Nangong Wan looked at Han Li and unhappily said, ¡°I still have something I wish to ask you! Even after condensing a Nascent Soul for so many years, why is it that you didn¡¯t seek me out sooner? If you came a year earlier, this troublesome matter could¡¯ve been avoided.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t wish to see you, but rather¡­¡± Han Li attempted to give an explanation, but after a moment, he found this truly strange as well.


    Although Han Li faintly felt that Nangong Wan should¡¯ve been someone that he truly cherished, for some unknown reason, he never thought to touch upon this feeling. If it weren¡¯t for news of Nangong Wan suddenly marrying, he feared that he still would¡¯ve hesitated on this matter rather than directly confront these feelings.


    As Han Li¡¯s expression remained calm, Nangong Wan gracefully stood up and took several steps toward Han Li. She directly looked into his eyes and said, ¡°In fruth, my own circumstances are about the same as yours. Although our own experiences and abilities are far beyond that of mortals, we are fearful and unfamiliar towards our first venture of our emotions. Even if we have a deep impression of each other, we aren¡¯t a mortal pair after all. We cannot release all of our passion in an instant and have our emotions blaze like a star. For an optimal attitude for cultivation, cultivators have no option but to weaken our emotions and bury a majority of them. What is left behind is only an ordinary and flat relationship that is enduring. But when I heard that you were still alive, I felt more than happy and spent two days in careful consideration before eventually deciding to accept you in accordance to my feelings.¡±


    After she said this with a soft tone, Nangong Wan extended her slender hand and grabbed Han Li¡¯s palm.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li placed his other hand on top. The soft sensation of her hand caused him to feel a trace of comfort.


    Nangong Wan blushed and she quickly pulled her hand away, bashfully glaring at Han Li in the process. Han Li didn¡¯t mind this and simply smiled. ¡°Wan¡¯er, although you are trapped here, from how calm you are, you should already have a plan for escape. Why else would you appear so worry free?¡±


    When Nangong Wan heard this, she smiled and sly intent was betrayed from her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a quick thinker! Yes, although I am under house arrest, only a sparse few in the upper echelons are aware of this matter. Ordinary disciples are completely ignorant. Else, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to directly receive a sound transmission talisman from Martial Nephew Tang. However, many restrictions have been placed on my body in fear that I would flee.


    ¡°The other restrictions are of no matter to me as they were placed without knowledge of what amazing abilities I was capable of once I entered Nascent Soul stage. These common restrictions can be removed at any time, restoring my original cultivation. But there is one restriction that isn¡¯t easily dissolved: the Heart Restraint Technique was personally placed on my body by that senior martial sister. This technique was something that she prepared from a record. If I were unwilling to agree to the marriage, she¡¯d be able to use this technique to temporarily control me. She even used her own blood essence to place down the restriction, creating a restriction talisman that serves as the crucial point of the restriction. Through the use of this restriction medallion, I will not be able to escape her control within fifty kilometers of her, unless it is destroyed. Fortunately, there isn¡¯t too great a gap between our cultivation and she is only able to control me to perform a few simple movements. She will have no control over my body¡¯s magic power.¡±


    Han Li curiously asked, ¡°Then your plan was to¡­¡±


    Nangong Wan softly smiled and chuckled. She said with a worryless tone, ¡°I originally thought to restore my magic power when security was the lightest, several days before the ceremony was about to take place. Afterwards, I would immediately flee far away. So long as I am outside of the restriction talisman¡¯s range, she cannot control me. But since you¡¯re here now, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. After all, you are the man that wishes to marry me. From what I¡¯ve heard, you were able to easily defeat a cultivator of a similar grade. You should be quite skilled.¡±


    Han Li frowned and muttered, ¡°Heart Restraint Technique? That restriction is truly troublesome. Are there other methods of dissolving it apart from destroying the medallion?¡±


    Nangong Wan¡¯s bright eyes flickered and she carelessly said, ¡°Even if there isn¡¯t, leave it be. We¡¯ll be far away from the Masked Moon Sect anyhow.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed and a cold glint flickered from his eyes. He imposingly said, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Isn¡¯t it just a restriction talisman? It should be in your Senior Martial Sister¡¯s grasp. I can simply go and fetch it. I¡¯ll be able to vent some anger on your behalf as well!¡±


    Nangong Wan shook her head and pursed her lips in a smile, revealing a trace of mischievousness. ¡°I was merely saying it to test your intentions. I truly had no intention of having you go and seize the restriction talisman. My senior martial sister is a mid Nascent Soul cultivator and possesses abilities beyond that of early Nascent Soul cultivators like us. Let us sneak away stealthily. At worst, I¡¯ll just spend another ten years whittling away at the formation.¡±


    Han Li grew silent. The time for him to be united with this otherworldly woman was soon to come!

 Chapter 716

    Preparing an Ambush


    Han Li smiled and confidently said, ¡°No matter. Let us first see how it goes. If it doesn¡¯t succeed, we can make our escape. With me around, I¡¯ll be able to bring you out regardless of the restrictions on your body.¡±


    After studying at Han Li for a while, she seemed to understand that there was no changing his mind. She bit her lips and said, ¡°This¡­ Fine! Although I don¡¯t know how vast your abilities are, you should be somewhat skilled given your confidence. But there is no need for you to take the initiative to go find her. My senior martial sister¡¯s residence is layered with restrictions, so I¡¯ll draw her here instead. Afterwards, we¡¯ll be able to draw assistance from the restrictions to capture her while her guard is down.¡±


    After a brief moment of thought, Han Li smiled and said, ¡°That is method is truly more reliable. However, can you still use the restrictions on your cave residence? When I arrived, it appeared that the restrictions were shattered.¡±


    Nangong Wan quickly replied, ¡°No worries. Although a few of the surface restrictions have been shattered by my senior martial sister, there is still one very formidable hidden restriction that she has yet to discover. It can still be used.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Good! Since we can use that, I also have several spell formation tool sets. Although they aren¡¯t powerful, after they are placed, they will be able to provide a certain level of impedance.¡±


    Having heard Han Li, Nangong Wan became more confident. ¡°You have formation flags? All the better. We cannot delay. I will need half a day to remove the restrictions on my body and restore my magic power. You should start placing down the spell formations during that time.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Han Li puzzlingly asked, ¡°If we manage to restrain your senior martial sister, can¡¯t you take control of the Masked Moon Sect? That way, we wouldn¡¯t have to flee.¡±


    After a moment of surprise, Nangong Wan shook her head, ¡°That won¡¯t be possible! Apart from our senior martial sister, there is one other Nascent Soul cultivator. Although my relationship with him is good, he certainly won¡¯t allow me to take the title of Grand Elder illegitimately. I also have no desire for a power struggle. I only want a peaceful place where I can quietly cultivate.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and coldly smiled, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then leave it be! If this succeeds smoothly, you can follow me back to the Drifting Cloud Sect. Even if the Nine Nations Union were stronger and Wei Wuya heavily doted on Wei Lichen, he wouldn¡¯t dare to rashly offend the Heavenly Dao Alliance along with two Nascent Soul cultivators during an invasion of spell warriors.¡±


    Soon after, he slapped the storage pouch at his waist and flipped his hand, summoning a pile of formation flags and formation plates.


    When Nangong Wan saw this, she faintly smiled and sat back down. With her eyes closed, she formed an odd incantation seal with her hands. A short moment later, her snow-white clothes began to emit a scarlet-red flame. It reached a meter tall and enveloped Nangong Wan.


    Han Li then set into motion. His body blurred and circled around the hall, placing down formation flags and plates all over the hall. Radiance of various colors briefly shone before sinking deep into the hall and disappearing from sight.


    Arranging the formations took little time, but in order for the spell formations to display as much power as possible, Han Li had the spell formations cover only the area of the hall. Additionally, he also placed the spell formations so that they would remain hidden unless they were meticulously searched for.


    These formation flags and plates were all something Han Li had refined during his time as a Core Formation-stage cultivator. They lacked even the power to deal with Core Formation cultivators, let alone Nascent Soul cultivators. Han Li didn¡¯t have much hope for them. After placing down all the spell formations, he muttered to himself and suddenly sweeped his sleeve. A streak of white light shot out from his buff and flew a circle around Han Li before dropping down in front Han Li, revealing itself to be small white fox.


    Silvermoon beamed and said, ¡°Master, are you not scared that you¡¯ll make Mistress Nangong jealous by summoning me?¡±


    Han Li raised his brows and glared at the small fox, ¡°Humph! Who¡¯d get jealous over an artifact spirit like you? I will be facing a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator soon, and I cannot allow her to flee. Although I have some restrictions assisting me, I will also need you to help. A mid Nascent Soul cultivator is incomparable to an early Nascent Soul cultivator. It will be difficult to overcome her even while using all my power.¡±


    Silvermoon swiftly replied, ¡°Master, how do you plan on having this servant assist you?¡±


    Han Li took something out from his storage pouch and handed it over to Silvermoon, ¡°It¡¯s simple. Use this treasure during a suitable moment. You cannot allow her to escape.¡±


    Silvermoon clasped the item with her claw and incredulously said, ¡°You¡¯re letting me use this?¡±


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°Right! If you¡¯re controlling this item, you should be able to display even more of its might than I can. And I would consume magic power by using this item, so it¡¯d be better to let you use it. Of course, you will only be able to use this for a short time. After all, artifact spirits aren¡¯t able to control other treasures for a long period of time.¡±


    Silvermoon lowered her head and dejectedly said, ¡°Silvermoon understands.¡± At the same time, she rubbed the object several times as if she were fond of it. When Han Li saw this, he felt his heart stir.


    After Silvermoon grasped this item, her entire body flickered with silver light and she disappeared into the ground.


    Afterwards, Han Li walked several circles around the hall, and suddenly raised his head to look at the ceiling with sudden inspiration. After muttering to himself for a moment, he tossed his spirit beast pouch into the air and summoned a large swarm of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. They revolved above him as a three-meter-wide cloud.


    Han Li took a deep breath and blew an azure mist onto the cloud. With his two hands in an incantation seal, he softly uttered an incantation, and the insect cloud buzzed for a moment before transforming into specks of starlight. The specks of light then floated up to the ceiling and disappeared with flickers of azure light, completely masking their aura.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment more. Having sensed nothing obvious, he nodded his head in satisfaction.


    Having laid this all down, Han Li turned his gaze to Nangong Wan. At that moment, the flames on her body wandered and shifted until they took the shape of a round red disk that strangely pulsed with light.


    The changes in the flame also influenced the spiritual Qi in the hall, causing it to grow restless.


    Han Li frowned at the sight. After some thought, he struck a nearby stone pillar with a spell seal and caused a layer of azure barrier to suddenly appear with Nangong Wan at its center. Soon, the spiritual Qi around the hall returned to normal.


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled and extended his arm, summoning a straw chair into his grasp. He then casually took a seat across from Nangong Wan and silently stared at her.


    With such a good opportunity to glance at her captivating face, he naturally wanted to take a good look at the woman he yearned for many years.


    Not long after, Han Li became entranced and his expression grew lax. But soon, Han Li¡¯s figure abruptly disappeared without warning.


    The woman who had been spying from outside the hall was alarmed by this. Cursing inwardly, she immediately attempted to flee. But she was too slow as she heard Han Li¡¯s calm voice from behind her, ¡°Why are you spying on us? Are you not scared your martial ancestor will rebuke you?¡±


    Not daring to turn her head, she stuttered, ¡°I¡ª I wasn¡¯t spying. It was just that Martial Ancestor hasn¡¯t emerged after such a long time, so I grew worried.¡± This was the yellow-robed woman who had led Han Li into the hall.


    At that moment, she already sensed a huge pressure appear behind her, compelling her to give her apprehensive explanation.


    With his hands behind his back, he stared at the young woman emotionlessly said, ¡°Oh, really? Since you only wished to take a look, why is it that you¡¯ve hid yourself so thoroughly? You even used a such a rare high-grade talisman as a Concealing Spirit Talisman. How did a meager Foundation Establishment cultivator like you get your hands on that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    In the young woman¡¯s alarm, Han Li coldly said, ¡°There is no need for any further explanation. You will obediently follow me back. Once your martial ancestor finishes, she will decide how to deal with you.¡±


    Once the yellow-robed woman heard this, she grew fearful and instantly squeezed the talisman in her other hand. Her body flashed with yellow light and she shot down the corridor in an attempt to escape.


    Han Li coldly stared at her but made no move to pursue her. Once she traveled about thirty meters, a nearby wall suddenly spat a cloud of pink mist which enveloped her.


    The light surrounding the young woman¡¯s body scattered, and her body swayed several times before falling to the ground.


    In a flicker of yellow light, Silvermoon emerged from the wall and gracefully shook her tail several times before walking up to the young woman with a smile.

 Chapter 717

    Ambush


    Setting Sun Hall was the residence for the great elder for many successive generations of the Masked Moon Sect. Not only was a spirit well placed there, but the hall was also heavily layered with restrictions. Apart from a few other elders, none were able to easily approach the hall without the permission of the great elder.


    At that moment, a streak of red light flew across the horizon. It revolved several times around Setting Sun Hall and was able to enter without obstruction.


    The red light passed through several layers of restrictions as if they weren¡¯t there, and entered a side room after taking a few turns. Inside the room was a woman of graceful beauty meditating on a prayer mat. Her skin seemed icily pale, and she appeared to be in her early twenties. Her body faintly emitted an icy Qi.


    In the instant the red light appeared before the woman, she slowly opened her eyes and frowned. She beckoned to the red light and it then dropped down into the woman¡¯s hand in a fist-sized ball of red light. The icy woman stared at the flame and expressionlessly flipped her hand, extinguishing it.


    ¡°What is that girl planning? Taking the initiative to see me? But since her tone is so gentle, I better have a look!¡± In a swift and decisive manner, the woman quickly flew off in a streak of white light and instantly flew out of Setting Sun Hall.


    Not long after, the woman arrived in front of Nangong Wan¡¯s cave residence. She descended onto the ground and examined her surroundings. It appeared ordinary and the restrictions outside the cave residence were still damaged beyond use. Having noticed nothing strange, she walked towards the cave residence with confidence and struck the stone door with a white spell seal, opening it of its own accord.


    The pale woman then calmly walked in without a word.


    ¡°I pay my respects to Martial Ancestor!¡± A young, yellow-clothed woman that was standing behind the stone door, immediately saluted the icy woman as soon as she appeared.


    The icy woman shot an casual glance at her and indifferently said, ¡°It seems your cultivation has progressed since the last time I saw you. It seems you should¡¯ve already taken those medicine pills I¡¯ve given you.¡± She then began to slowly walk deeper into the cave residence.


    The yellow-clothed woman lowered her head and quickly replied, ¡°Many thanks for the medicine, Martial Ancestor! This disciple wouldn¡¯t have progressed so quickly without it!¡±


    ¡°It is good that you know! Has Junior Martial Sister Nangong taken any strange actions in her cave residence?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± the young woman answered respectfully. ¡°Apart from seeing a sect disciple today, she hasn¡¯t done anything else.¡±


    ¡°Your Martial Uncle Lan already told me about this from a sound transmission talisman. What gift did that disciple bring? Has he already left?¡±


    ¡°That disciple was merely a low-grade steward in the sect. He already left a few hours ago. After Martial Ancestor Nangong received the gift, she actually seemed somewhat unhappy.¡±


    The icy woman¡¯s expression stirred upon hearing this. ¡°Oh? What kind of gift was it that made her unhappy?¡±


    The yellow-clothed woman further lowered her head and uttered each word with deliberation, ¡°It was simply a silver sword magic tool. Martial Ancestor Nangong felt ill at ease upon seeing it.¡±


    After pondering for a moment, the icy woman¡¯s face revealed a trace of astonishment and said, ¡°It most likely came from a vagrant cultivator that Junior Martial Sister Nangong had befriended while she was travelling. This isn¡¯t anything too strange.¡±


    ¡°Martial Ancestor¡¯s words are certainly true! When Martial Ancestor Nangong received the silver sword, she became pensive for a long while. Afterwards, she decided to send a voice transmission talisman to Martial Ancestor.¡±


    ¡°It is truly surprising that this was able to change her mind!¡± the icy woman mused aloud. She then casually ordered, ¡°In the future, continue to pay attention to Junior Martial Sister Nangong¡¯s actions. With her restricted cultivation, the high-grade talisman I have should allow you to spy on her undetected. So long as you perform well in this task, I will compensate you with vast rewards.¡±


    By the time that was said, the two had already arrived outside the main hall.


    ¡°As you command, Martial Ancestor! Martial Ancestor Nangong should be waiting for you in the hall ahead!¡± The yellow-clothed woman spoke softly and led the way to the hall¡¯s entrance.


    The icy woman originally thought to be cautious out of habit and was about to examine her surroundings before entering the hall. However, when she arrived in front of the hall, she heard Nangong Wan¡¯s voice from within, ¡°Senior Martial Sister! Come in. I¡¯ve thought about the matter, and I am able to reluctantly agree, on one condition. You need to make a promise.¡± Her voice sounded exceptionally calm.


    The icy woman was pleasantly surprised, and walked in without further thought. She spoke in a pleasant tone, ¡°Junior Martial Sister Nangong! It is great that you¡¯ve finally came to a realization! So long as you agree to marry the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Elder Wei, I will agree to any condition that you raise. With the assistance from Wei Wuya, our Masked Moon Sect will soon flourish.¡±


    After she spoke, the entire hall entered her view. Nangong Wan was sitting in a straw chair and was holding a crudely refined silver sword in a her hand. It was held across her body and she was carefully examining it. It was as if she hadn¡¯t spoken just a moment ago.


    When the icy woman saw this, she stepped forward and walked into the large hall. A trace of bewilderment appeared on her face and she thought to ask Nangong Wan something more, but suddenly, her expression abruptly changed and her arm shot backwards at the speed of lightning.


    She shot five inch-long sword lights from her fingers towards where the yellow-clothed woman was standing.


    When the yellow-clothed woman faced this attack, a strange smile suddenly appeared on her face. The woman¡¯s body suddenly sunk into the stone in a flash of yellow light, leaving only tatters of her yellow clothes behind.


    She immediately shot towards the hall with her body clad in light upon seeing this fantastical earth evasion technique.


    But once she made her way to the exit, she heard a whistle approaching her. A ten-meter-long azure sword fiercely shot towards her in an attempt to cleave her in half.


    Her expression vastly changed. With a sudden flick of her fingers, ten foot-long streaks of icy light shot out and struck the huge sword.


    The streaks of white light met the sword in a series of loud bangs. The impact of the strikes caused both the huge sword and the woman to recoil.


    The icy woman retreated about ten meters before coming to a stop.


    The huge azure sword dimmed and diverged into several tens of flying swords that began to circle in place. Gradually, a silhouette appeared from within the revolving swords, revealing a youth with a common appearance. He gazed at the woman with a faint smile.


    When the woman clearly saw Han Li¡¯s true cultivation, her pupils shrank. ¡°What is going on?¡± she demanded coldly. ¡°Junior Martial Sister Nangong, who is he and what was that doppelganger of Yu¡¯er?¡±


    The woman immediately reached at her waist and took out a red command medallion.


    Han Li shifted his gaze towards the command medallion, and sullenly said, ¡°The restriction medallion!¡±


    With a cold snort, she hostily said, ¡°As expected, Junior Martial Nangong has told you everything. I don¡¯t know who you are, but these matters are the affairs of the Masked Moon Sect. You had best stand down, or our Six Sects will hunt you down!¡±


    Having already placed away the silver sword from before, she gracefully stood up. ¡°There is no need for Senior Martial Sister to speak such frightening words,¡± Nangong Wan said coldly. ¡°I am not without friends in the Six Sects. If they knew what Senior Martial Sister did to a fellow sect member, would you receive the blade? And while you are able to activate the Heart Restriction Technique with that command medallion, do you believe that I will give you the opportunity to use it?¡±


    Soon after, Nangong Wan spat out a ring of flame, her magic treasure the Vermillion Bird Band.


    A sinister glint flickered from the icy woman¡¯s eyes when she heard this. She had no intention of retreating against Han Li and wore a resentful expression on her face. She suddenly shook her sleeves, and tossed out a streak of white and black light, two flying swords. They revolved once around her and suddenly grew in size, extending to three meters in length.


    The white flying sword was as pure as snow and emitted a bone-chilling icy Qi. As for the black flying sword, it possessed a fantastical heat and occasionally flickered with black flame. There were a rare pair of Yin-Yang Swords.


    The woman coldly laughed and lightly shook the red command medallion in her head and muttered a few words into it. Red light immediately flickered from it, slowly covering it in a layer of light.


    Closely observing her actions, Han Li instantly attempted to interrupt her without another thought. A small silver bell had already begun to revolve around his head. Under the command of an incantation gesture, the bell began to ring, striking at her with silver soundwaves.


    At nearly the same time, Han Li rolled his hands together, sending a streak of red and a streak of azure light towards two some nearby pillars in the hall. As the hall¡¯s restrictions were activated, the ground trembled.

 Chapter 718

    The Light Stasis Mirror


    Threads of red and azure lights began to emerge from all over the hall and followed after the silver soundwaves, engulfing the icy woman at their center.


    In the face of these oncoming attacks, the woman simply pointed to her two swords. Black and white light flashed from the swords as they easily spun once in the air, instantly releasing a wave of glacial and scorching Qi. With the white icy Qi on the outside, and the black scorching Qi on the inside, they conformed into a strange barrier of light around the woman.


    When the sound waves struck the barrier, they were entirely absorbed without a trace. But soon after, the red and azure lights from the hall¡¯s restrictions managed to envelop the barrier.


    Nangong Wan took action at that moment. In a burst of flame, the Vermillion Bird Band turned into a huge fireball and suddenly exuded a vast pressure. Then with a casual wave of hand, a dim scarlet light flashed from her hand and she vanished from sight. Were it not for Han Li¡¯s vast spiritual sense, he wouldn¡¯t have been seen through Nangong Wan¡¯s sneak attack.


    Following a muffled hum, the dim light suddenly revealed it in a colorful burst.


    ¡°To think that you would use a Devilslaying Thorn to injure me!¡± she cried, her face contorted with a mixture of fury and alarm. ¡°Well done. I had always thought that Junior Martial Sister had used all of them. I hadn¡¯t expected that you managed to preserve one.¡±


    The woman appeared to have somehow suffered a heavy blow but her vitality still held strong. Han Li knew that she had merely suffered a minor injury and that Nangong Wan simply intended to interrupt the icy woman¡¯s use of the restriction medallion.


    After Han Li activated the restrictions in the hall, he flipped his hand and the pitch-black Thousand Layer Mountain in his hand. He tossed it into the air and quickly struck the mountain with quickly formed spell seals.


    Appearing momentarily trapped by the restrictions, the Vermillion Bird Band shot towards the icy woman as a ball of flames. But in that instant, eight ferocious arm-thick flame pythons became entangled with it. A roaring sea of flames soon appeared in the hall.


    At that point, the mountain had expanded to twenty meters in height. Just as Han Li was about to command the treasure, he saw a bowl-thick beam of rainbow light shoot out from the sea of flames. Be it flame or light, anything that was struck by the beam of light was unable to resist it.


    A series of clanks suddenly rang out, and the beam of light abruptly stopped on the spiralling Vermilion Band Ring, completely locking it down.


    ¡®The Light Stasis Mirror!¡¯ Han Li narrowed his eyes with a solemn expression.


    Before the woman arrived, Nangong Wan gave Han Li a general explanation of her Senior Martial Sister¡¯s techniques and treasures to Han Li, allowing more opportunities for Han Li to strike her. The Light Stasis Mirror was the ancient treasure that Nangong Wan had mentioned the most amongst her Senior Martial Sister¡¯s treasures. It was also among the most fantastical of them.


    The Azure Stasis Mirror that Han Li saw during the Trial by Blood and Fire was most likely a replica of this ancient treasure. Although it only possessed a hundredth of its power, the magic tool was still renowned amongst low-grade cultivators as a magic tool that was amongst the best.


    The azure restrictions and the flames had been thrown into chaos by the light beam¡¯s overwhelming power, rendering them completely ineffective. As a result, the icy woman re-appeared once more. Within her black-white barriers, she held a mirror in one hand and formed an incantation gesture with the other.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and fell onto the famous mirror that was in her hand.


    The mirror wasn¡¯t large and appeared the same as the Azure Statis Mirror. However, its body shone with a pitch-black light that left a deeply eerie impression on those who saw it. As for the rainbow beam of light that it emitted, it created such a harsh contrast it made for a bizarre sight.


    The hand that formed an incantation gesture was bloodstained, and the restriction medallion that it originally held had disappeared without a trace. It was truly unfathomable how she was injured through the barrier.


    ¡®This Devilslaying Thorn is quite effective!¡¯


    With Nangong Wan¡¯s bonded magic treasure restrained by the mirror, Han Li wasn¡¯t about idly stand by. He silently pointed to the black mountain, and had it disappear with a faint tremble. A short moment later, it re-appeared above the icy woman and began to fall with tremendous momentum.


    The woman scoffed and slightly adjusted the direction of her Light Stasis Mirror while striking it with a spell seal from her free hand. Suddenly, the existing beam of light faintly trembled and a slimmer branching beam shot out form the mirror towards the black mountain. Surpassing the speed of sound, the beam pierced through the air in an attempt to restrain the falling black mountain.


    Already prepared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily succeed, he clutched his hands together in a incantation gesture without further thought. The falling black mountain suddenly stopped in the air and revolved once before expelling a large cloud of black light from underneath it, just in time to interrupt the beam of light before it struck.


    The black cloud of light engulfed the beam of rainbow light as soon as it had appeared, flowed down to strike the icy woman¡¯s barrier. The black layer of the barrier trembled and began to throw her body¡¯s spiritual Qi into disarray, nearly causing the beams of light from the mirror to scatter.


    The woman¡¯s silhouette grew dim from behind the barrier of light and her expression faintly changed. She opened her mouth and spat out a mist of azure Qi onto the mirror without further thought. With the reinforced power, the rainbow light dissipated into a mist and stopped the black mountain and its aura from descending further.


    The confrontation between the two forces eventually resulted in a series of muffled explosions.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s spirits were roused by the sight of the deadlock, and she suddenly willed the restricted Vermillion Bird Ring to vastly fluctuate in size. It screamed with phoenix cries as it attempted its utmost to break free.


    For a time, the two joined hands to withstand Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister.


    Of course, the three weren¡¯t simply maintaining this deadlock; they were also observing each other¡¯s actions.


    Han Li was the first to move, slapping at his waist and summoning a spirit beast pouch. With a loud buzz, countless sparkling golden beetles surged through the air and formed a malevolent golden cloud.


    Nangong Wan followed by uttering an incantation in the cadence of an otherworldly song. A huge scarlet barrier suddenly appeared a meter above her head. The barrier glowed with fluid light that gradually grew intensively bright.


    The icy woman suddenly tossed the mirror in her hand above her and slapped her hands together, summoning a small triangular flag into her grasp. Despite her preparations, she still gloomily said, ¡°Divine Incarnation Light! Junior Martial Nangong, you truly aren¡¯t holding back! You dare to use this!¡±


    Although she found the golden insect swarm to be somewhat strange, she paid them little heed. She was clearly unfamiliar with the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Wearing a faint smile on her face, Nangong Wan said, ¡°If Senior Martial Sister doesn¡¯t wish to fight with her life on the line, then hand over the Contraining Heart Restriction Medallion and leave us be.¡±


    The icy woman snorted and malicious intent appeared on her face. She then opened her mouth and spat out a small blood-red sword.


    The sword was only several inches long but its body glistened with blinding red light and a thread of black Qi faintly wandered around the sword¡¯s body. As soon as the sword appeared, the sword began to tremble of its own volition, filling the air in the hall with the scent of blood.


    The smile disappeared from Nangong Wan¡¯s face with the appearance of the small crimson sword and she icily stared at her senior martial sister, ¡°Blood Devil Sword! Since when did you acquire that evil treasure? Are you not scared of the devilish Qi backlash?¡±


    ¡°Backlash? Have no worry. With this artifact, I will defeat you so quickly there won¡¯t be any opportunity for any devilish Qi backlash. But now, I will ask you one last time. Are you truly unwilling to marry Wei Lichen for the prosperity of the sect?


    If you are still unwilling, I will have the Blood Devil Sword go mad. I am not entirely confident of my ability to restrain its power. Do not blame me for not warning you.¡± The icy woman¡¯s voice was brimming with certainty.


    Han Li glanced at the Blood Devil Saber without much care and calmly said, ¡°There is no need for you to ask any questions. Even if Wan¡¯er was willing to sacrifice herself for the Masked Moon Sect, I would not allow it. You will cease this foolishness!¡±


    ¡°And who are you? It seems your cultivation and abilities aren¡¯t weak, but I don¡¯t recall a Nascent Soul that compares with your description. Could it be you are a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator? But to call her in such a sappy manner as Wan¡¯er? You must¡¯ve be the reason she had been unwilling to marry Wei Lichen all along.¡± With a cold glint shining for her eyes, Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister stared at Han Li with murderous intent.

 Chapter 719

    Blood Devil Sword


    Han Li responded to Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister with an unhurried tone, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am, but it does matter why you are being so obstinate. Just give the Contraining Heart Restriction Medallion to us and we¡¯ll immediately release you. As for the Blood Devil Sword, I have nothing to fear from it despite not knowing of it. It would be best if you didn¡¯t rely on it.¡±


    The icy woman sinisterly stared at Han Li and curled her lips, ¡°You are overestimating yourself! If you knew about Blood Devil Sword, you wouldn¡¯t dare to speak so boldly. I¡¯ll kill you first and see if Junior Martial Sister Nangong changes her mind.¡±


    Immediately after, she bit the tip of her tongue and puffed a large mist of blood essence onto the small crimson sword and clutched her hands in an incantation seal. In a bright flash of crimson light, the small sword grew to a meter in length, flourishing its wicked, bloody appearance. The scent of blood it emitted became all the more repugnant and pervasive as well.


    The icy woman then grabbed onto the sword¡¯s handle without much care, and she began to glare with brilliantly light as she began to pour the entirety of her spiritual power into the crimson sword.


    ¡°Quickly act! We cannot allow her to attack first!¡± Unable to retain her calm, Nangong Wan shouted fearfully to Han Li. She knew much about the fearsomeness of the Blood Devil Sword and couldn¡¯t hold much confidence in Han Li¡¯s words.


    Before she could finish condensing her Divine Incarnation Light, she pointed to the huge barrier of light above her head. The dome of light trembled and began to quickly revolve. A short moment later, a gorgeous emerald-green light flew out towards the icy woman in an instant.


    When the icy woman saw this, she casually waved her hand and tossed out the triangular flag. When the flag left her hand, it turned into a large cloud of eerie green fog as it intercepted the attack.


    As soon as the ray of emerald light struck the green fog, a flood dragon suddenly appeared from the emerald light. The flood dragon suddenly gained the upper hand in the struggle and surged through the fog in an attempt to disperse it. But like a tenacious disease, a layer of the fog stuck onto the flood dragon and prevented it from breaking free.


    Nangong Wan grimaced at the sight, and the icy woman revealed a trace of joy.


    The icy woman then swept the air with the crimson sword and slashed the sword over Han Li¡¯s head. A spacial fluctuation soon followed, carrying a three-meter-wide wave of sword Qi towards him.


    The sword Qi was scarlet red and flaunted an ominous, evil aura as it cut forward without restraint.


    After the icy woman consumed a majority of her power in her attack, her complexion increasingly reddened several times in the following instant. Then in a flash of light, the crimson sword returned to its original small size.


    As the sword Qi traveled through the air, the nearby spiritual Qi flowed forward with the force of a thousand streams, dragging the blood sword Qi forward and concealing it. Han Li could only feel his body tense and suddenly felt his body shackled. Let alone cast any techniques, he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to move a single finger. He could only stare at the sword Qi as it slowly made his way towards him.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale at the sight of this, and her Senior Martial Sister simply smirked.


    Both of them believing that Han Li was about to meet great catastrophe, Han Li simply took a deep breath as he stared at the blood sword Qi. With ringing thunder and wildly flickering golden light, a net of faint gold lightning appeared around Han Li.


    The icy woman was stunned at the sight. Before she could even react, the blood sword Qi struck the net of lightning.


    A huge explosion sounded out as the divine lightning and the blood Qi collided.


    Despite overbearing sword Qi savage attempts to break through the golden net, it was incapable of severing the thin strands of lightning. Instead, the golden net gradually wrapped around it as if it were a fish.


    Then, the net of Divine Devilbane Lightning around Han Li disappeared as it quickly moved to wrap around the sword Qi.


    Han Li glanced at the lightning-restrained sword Qi in the air with a trace of astonishment. The Divine Devilbane Lightning appeared to be quickly consumed in its struggle to contain the sword Qi despite its evil warding properties. Had he not released a third of his lightning reserves, it was quite possible he wouldn¡¯t have been able to restrain this wicked sword Qi.


    Actually, this was the first time he had even encountered an evil Devil Dao treasure that he hadn¡¯t been able to easily subdue with the Devilbane Lightning. But if this continued, both the blood sword Qi and the Devilbane Lightning would likely both scatter. This wasn¡¯t something that he was going to allow.


    With that thought, Han Li raised his hands with a sullen expression, violently releasing two extremely dense bolts of lightning onto the net of lightning that was already restraining the crimson sword Qi.


    With the reinforced vigor, the golden lightning was able to defeated the sword Qi, leaving only a small cloud of crimson mist in the air.


    Without any further thought, Han Li pointed to the golden lightning in the air, and had it completely encase and condense the golden mist into a golden fist-sized ball. After it fell into his grasp, he expressionlessly glanced at the woman across from him.


    The scene had left the icy woman completely dumbstruck with completely disbelief on her face. Nangong Wan was also shocked to the point where her mouth was slightly hanging open.


    Seeing the full force of the Blood Devil Sword rendered ineffective was beyond belief for the two women.


    Ever since this sword made its appearance in the Heavenly South, it was unknown whether or not it was an ancient or a magic treasure. This sword was similar to an ordinary magic treasure by which it can be kept within one¡¯s body, but it was incapable of refined by an owner like an ancient treasure. Despite this, it was still capable of displaying astonishing strength.


    Unless one avoided the sword¡¯s spacial slash ahead of time, there was no method of blocking it. Any techniques or magic treasures used to block the attack would most likely be cleaved into two. As for the sword¡¯s user, unless they used a large amount of blood essence and vitality to activate it, they would have to be wary of devilish Qi backlash.


    This was because the body¡¯s true essence became increasingly tainted by devilish essence the longer the sword was used. If too much devilish essence was accumulated, one would experience devilish Qi backlash; they would lose any rationality and transform into a raging devil until their death.


    There are only a few of these ¡°devilish artifacts¡± in the entirety of the Heavenly South. It could be said to be a name that was both feared and admired!


    Just after Han Li dispersed of the blood sword Qi, he took action without waiting for the two women to recover from their shock. With a fierce whistle, he had the Gold Devouring Beetles swarming above him roar and flood the room as they charged towards the icy woman.


    Han Li¡¯s had awakened the icy woman from her stupor. In furious alarm, she opened her mouth and spat out a small silver sword from her mouth and quickly formed an incantation gesture with her hands. The silver sword brilliantly shined and created a barrier of blinding silver light.


    With a sudden pop, the silver sword trembled and shot out over a thousand strands of silver light towards in the incoming swarm of golden beetles from within the barrier.


    ¡°Sword condensed threads!¡± Han Li muttered to himself with a frown. So it turned out that Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister was originally a sword cultivator. It was no wonder why she had so many sword type magic treasures.


    In the following moment, the silver threads struck the golden insect cloud. With a loud burst of crackles, countless golden shells fell from the sky, thinning out much of the swarm. Holes were left in the cloud of beetles from where the silver sword threads had struck.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank at the sight. Were his current Gold Devouring Beetles still incapable of contending against Nascent Soul cultivators? He had spent such meticulous time and effort to develop them.


    The icy woman felt relief at the result of the strike. With several more waves of attacks, the entire swarm of these odd insects should be fully exterminated. It appeared there was nothing to fear from them.


    However, Han Li¡¯s disappointment was soon replaced with joy. The beetles that had fallen from the strike had begun to move once more. With a shriek, they began to fly once more and followed the rest of the beetles towards the icy woman.


    At that moment, a phoenix cry suddenly sounded out from the green fog and a radiance of a thousand suns suddenly shined and cleanly scattered it away to reveal a vermillion moon from within it. The moon shimmered with light before rushing towards the icy woman¡¯s barrier.


    The icy woman¡¯s expression vastly changed. Suddenly, the light barrier began to spin around her and her body transformed into a streak of black-white light as she attempted to escape from the hall.


    After this exchange, the woman finally realized that it would be extremely difficult to take on Han Li and Nangong Wan together. As such, she decided to flee the cave residence and restrain the two once she gathered reinforcements.


    While Han Li and Nangong Wan were particularly formidable, they couldn¡¯t stand up to the countless disciples of the Masked Moon Sect. And once she arrived outside, she¡¯d be able to activate the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s sect guarding formations and trap the two inside.

 Chapter 720

    Another Ring


    Nangong Wan¡¯s scarlet moon was lagging behind in its attempt to chase her Senior Martial Sister, granting her senior martial sister the opportunity to fly towards the ceiling and strike it.


    With a muffled thump, a red light pulsed from the ceiling, but it was unbroken; only a few loose pieces of rock had fallen down.


    The icy woman was stunned. Before she realized what had happened, the roof flashed with light and swarms of black, gold, and silver beetles emerge from it. Buzzing, they quickly gathered at the room¡¯s center and formed a tri-colored shield.


    In the icy woman¡¯s alarm, she waved her hand without any further thought, summoning a silver talisman in between her fingers.


    When Nangong Wan saw this, she naturally knew what her senior martial sister planned to do. Her expression immediately sank and slapped her storage pouch rather than using the Divine Incarnation Light. A small red flag appeared in her hand and she immediately flung it into the ground.


    The icy woman waved her hand and activated the talisman in her hand. The talisman flew from her hand enveloped in a ball of yellow light and streaked towards the ceiling like a shooting star. The yellow light broke through the huge shield as if nothing had been there and directly flew towards the hall¡¯s ceiling.


    But at that same moment, Nangong Wan had finished uttering an incantation and activated the hidden restrictions in her cave residence. The entire hall began to glow with a red light, surrounding all the surfaces in a barrier of blinding light, the ceiling included.


    As if a nemesis of the icy woman¡¯s shooting star, the shooting star immediately stopped moving once it struck the light barrier as if sealed onto it. A large expanse of red light then gathered and wrapped around it.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister was astonished by this sudden change, but as a greatly experienced cultivator, she immediately realized what restriction this was. She immediately flicked her finger with a sullen expression, launching a bone-chillingly cold white swordstreak from her hand. It circled once around the enveloped talisman and quickly scattered the red light that imprisoned it.


    The icy woman was delighted by the result. In a flash of yellow light, she immediately flew towards the ceiling through the opening of the scattered red light.


    But as soon as she arrived halfway through the opening, purple light suddenly flashed before her. Something suddenly enveloped her and forcefully dragged her away from hall¡¯s ceiling.


    With a light chuckle, a white silhouette appeared in a blur, revealing a white-clothed young woman. Silvermoon had suddenly appeared from the ceiling and was grasping a translucent purple thread in her hand. The other end of the purple thread led directly towards the icy woman¡¯s body.


    At that moment, Nanlong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister discovered that her body was enveloped in a net of sparkling purple thread. The thread was nearly invisible to the eye.


    In the icy woman¡¯s furious alarm, she flicked her fingers without any further thought, shooting over ten streaks of black-white sword Qi. Soon after, she followed up by spitting out a dense green flame from her mouth onto the purple net.


    Purple light flourished from the net. But regardless of whether it be the green flame or the black-white sword Qi, they were incapable of harming the purple thread in the slightest.


    The icy woman became truly flustered by the sight. Just as she resolved herself to consume a great amount of vitality to employ a secret technique, Silvermoon smiled and pulled on the purple thread, uttering the word, ¡°Restrain.¡±


    The originally loose net immediately tightened and completely fettered the icy woman, completely preventing her from making even the slightest movement.


    The woman¡¯s face grew blood-red. Ever since she condensed a Nascent Soul, she had always been looked up to with respect. She had never been caught in a situation such as this one, especially ever since she entered mid Nascent Soul stage. With shameful fury, a cold glint appeared in her eyes as her entire body magnificently shined with light. In a moment, the light violently surged to double its size and began to faintly contain a faint tinge of crimson.


    When Silvermoon saw this, her smile disappeared and she knew things wouldn¡¯t end well. But just as she commanded the Purple Cloudlace to release all of its Jadesun True Fire, Nangong Wan sent her a voice transmission, ¡°Do not harm her. Leave her to me!¡± As soon as she said this, her vermillion moon flew up from below and enveloped the icy woman within it.


    The moon hurriedly revolved and it soon began to ripple, filling the hall with silhouettes of itself.


    As Han Li stared at the twirling moon from down below, he was shocked to find his mind completely shaken and his focus broken. It was no wonder why the icy woman felt so fearful towards Nangong Wan¡¯s Divine Incarnation Light.


    After the moon revolved for the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Nangong Wan finally stopped; her face pale from exhaustion.


    Then with a wave of her hand, the vermillion moon scattered into starlight with a light bang. Her Senior Martial Sister reappeared from within it as she floated in the air, still restrained by the Purple Cloudlace. However, the spiritual Qi in her body grew completely calm and she remained unconscious with a strange smile on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Han Li bewilderedly said.


    With a bit of color returned to her face, Nangong Wan smiled, ¡°Those trapped by my Divine Incarnation Light are incapable of escaping it, even if they manifest their Nascent Soul. This technique also possesses an incredibly powerful bewitchment effect. My senior martial sister¡¯s mind had been lost to the divine light for a time being. This way, we are able to spare her.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his nose and helplessly said, ¡°It was no surprise your Senior Martial Sister was so fearful of it. It is able to prevent even a Nascent Soul from manifesting. However, there would¡¯ve been no need to go through such troublesome methods if we didn¡¯t need to keep her alive. Lethal methods would¡¯ve been far easier.¡±


    Nangong Wan sighed and forced a smile, ¡°Exterminating my senior martial sister, the sect¡¯s grand elder, is unacceptable! Since I plan on following you, the Masked Moon Sect will already suffer a blow to its strength. It we kill her as well, the sect will become crippled. The past Masked Moon Sect Grand Elder had treated me with great kindness. Although I cannot sacrifice myself for the sect, I cannot bring myself to doom it to extinction.¡±


    Han Li wryly smiled and said, ¡°But your senior martial sister sure didn¡¯t treat you leniently when she attacked you and restricted you.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Since I¡¯ve spared her life, I can consider the debt to the sect¡¯s previous master repaid. I won¡¯t feel uneasy later when I¡¯ve left with you. However, the last battle was truly dangerous. I truly didn¡¯t know that Senior Martial Sister had a heaven-defying devilish artifact such as the Blood Devil Sword. It nearly led to a disastrous outcome. Had I known of this earlier¡­¡± Nangong Wan brightly flickered and she wore an apologetic expression.


    However, Han Li simply smiled and showed not the slightest concern of it, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Wasn¡¯t the Blood Devil Sword incapable of harming me either way? Anyhow, let¡¯s quickly acquire the restriction medallion and leave!¡±


    Nangong Wan nodded her head in response. Silvermoon obediently shook her hand the unraveled the Purple Cloudlace from the icy woman.


    Nangong Wan took several steps forward and bluntly tapped several places on her Senior Martial Sister¡¯s body, placing several restrictions on top of it. She then reached out for the dark green storage pouch at her waist and gently shook it open. Then in a bright flash of light, a pile of items appeared on the floor.


    When Han Li saw this, he curiously walked over.


    The Heart Constraining Restriction Medallion was quite easy to find. Nangong Wan quickly took it into her hands with a smile.


    As for Han Li, he quickly swept his gaze past the pile and suddenly beckoned a small exquisite ring into his hands. It was completely dark and lightless. Han Li frowned and brought the item to his eye and began to examine it.


    Nangong Wan astonishedly said, ¡°What are you doing with that? It looks like just an ordinary magic tool.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and suddenly slapped his storage pouch, summoning a jade box into his hands. The box then opened in a flash of azure light, revealing an identical jet-black ring.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Nangong Wan couldn¡¯t help but yelp in surprise.


    Han Li brought the two rings together and felt that they both possess a similar absence of Qi. He then placed both of the rings back in the box before placing it into his storage pouch.


    Nangong Wan sweetly smiled and said nothing else as her mind began to wander. Then paying no further attention to the large pile of items, she walked towards her Senior Martial Sister. With a flash of red light glowing from her hand, Nangong Wan nimbly touched her Senior Martial Sister¡¯s head before closing her eyes in silence.


    When Han Li saw this, he silently walked over with a faint smile on his face.


    A short moment later, Nangong Wan opened her eyes and raised her hand, revealing the Blood Devil Sword in her grasp.


    Nangong Wan glanced at the sword for only a moment before tossing the devilish artifact to Han Li, ¡°This devilish artifact is mighty and proves to be a great threat against us so it¡¯d be best to take it with us. While I am incapable of using this item, you are able to restrain this treasure with your golden lightning. Let¡¯s leave it in your hands!¡±

 Chapter 721

    Return to Soaring Heavens City


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t know the full details of the Blood Devil Sword, he did know of its devilish Qi backlash. He quickly put it away, not wishing for Nangong Wan to use such a dangerous devilish artifact.


    As for the other items such as the Light Stasis Mirror and her other treasures, Nangong Wan had no intention of taking them. It seemed she wished to save her Senior Martial Sister a bit of face. Not to mention that the Light Stasis Mirror was made famous while in this woman¡¯s possession; if others were to discover that it had been taken, it would cause no end of problems.


    At that moment, Nangong Wan held the restriction talisman in her hand and gently squeezed it. In a flicker of red light, it released a thread of inky black Qi before fading away into nothingness.


    In high spirits from dissolving the restriction, Nangong Wan sweetly smiled, ¡°The Heart Containing Restriction is already dissolved. But before we go, I have to leave a message behind for my Senior Martial Sister.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t raise any opposition to her. Nangong Wan then took out a white jade slip and gracefully placed it against her forehead. The jade slip sparkled with a series of light before Nangong Wan¡¯s spiritual sense began to leave a message behind in the jade slip.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, she placed the jade slip on the pile of remaining items on the floor. She then placed them all in the icy woman¡¯s storage pouch and put it back on the icy woman¡¯s waist.


    Nangong Wan smiled to Han Li with a trace of bashfulness, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Senior Martial Sister is still under effects of my Divine Incarnation Light. It¡¯ll take her more than just a day for her to break free.¡±


    When Han Li saw Nangong Wan¡¯s gentle expression, his heart began to stir. He gently pulled her close to him and they flew out the hall in a streak of light.


    ¡­


    On a small nameless mountain on the border of the State of Beiliang, Nangong Wan stood underneath an ancient tree and frowned, ¡°What do you mean? Why would you have me go ahead alone to the Drifting Cloud Sect?¡±


    Han Li stood shoulder to shoulder with Nangong Wan. He slowly said, ¡°My concubine and my Senior Martial Brother Lu have still remained in Soaring Heavens City for some reason. I reckon it likely has to do with the Moulan invasion. Since the two are related to me, I cannot go back on my own. I have no choice but to check up on them.


    Nangong Wan glanced at Han Li with a displeased expression and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go with you. Why must I leave on my own?¡±


    ¡°Wan¡¯er, you¡¯re a Masked Moon Sect Nascent Soul cultivator. There will be many high grade cultivators in the Nine Nations Union that will recognize you. Although I already taught you the Appearance Exchange Technique, those possessing greater cultivation than you will have a chance of seeing through your disguise. It¡¯d be best for you to head back to the Drifting Cloud Sect first.¡±


    Nangong Wan wrinkled her nose and worriedly said, ¡°But you¡¯ve already offended our Masked Moon Sect and the Flowing Mind Sect. I feel uneasy that you¡¯re still heading to Soaring Heavens City.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen what I¡¯m capable of. Perhaps there are plenty of people with greater cultivation than mine in the Heavenly South, but there are sparsely few that are able to trap and kill me. Moreover, I am an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect. And with the full brunt of Moulan invasion bearing down upon the Nine Nations Union, they won¡¯t dare to meddle. Besides, I reckon your Senior Martial Sister will have followed what you¡¯ve suggested to excuse your disappearance. Otherwise, her dealings with Wei Wuya will turn for the worse. There is hardly anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re insistant, I won¡¯t block you, but you¡¯d best take care of yourself. So that you¡¯re a bit more safe, I¡¯ll hand this treasure over to you.¡± Seeing that Han Li had made up his mind, she said little else and slapped her storage pouch. She then calmly handed an embroidered scarf over to Han Li.


    Han Li felt a strange spiritual qi from the scarf and curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Nangong Wan warmly explained, ¡°This is a nameless ancient treasure that I unintentionally happened across while I was travelling. It is extremely convenient to use and will move in accordance to your thoughts. You might encounter danger on your trip. I will feel less worried if you have it by your side.¡±


    Han Li grew silent and stared at Nangong Wan¡¯s fluid eyes for a long while before seeing her faintly blush. He then took the item with a smile and carefully put it away.


    When Nangong Wan saw this, she also wore a faint smile. Soon, something else came to mind and she took out a sparkling red jade pendant. ¡°This Fire Repelling Ornament is a token I often carry around. Although I dislike being tied down with external affairs, there was a time where I had taken in a few in-name disciples out of a passing interest. Although they recognized me as their master, they weren¡¯t Masked Moon Sect Disciples. There are two that have currently opened a shop in Soaring Heavens City. If you are in need of assistance, hand over this token to them, and they will follow your instructions.¡± She then whispered the names of these two disciples.


    Han Li felt a trace of warmth and sentiment and silently commited the names to memory.


    It had been a while since he¡¯s experienced someone else¡¯s concern.


    ¡­


    A month later, Han Li found himself in the wilderness outside Soaring Heavens City. He glanced at the huge city from a distance in silence.


    After he and Nangong Wan reluctantly parted, he made his way directly to the State of Yu. Along the way, he heard from a few passing cultivators that war had already begun on the borders of the State of Fengyuan and Yu.


    The outcome: the main forces of the Nine Nations Union had suffered vast losses three times in a row. They had no choice but to rely on many grand spell formations to difficultly protect their vital strategic locations. The Nine Nations Union were clearly losing. When Han Li heard this, he frowned, but it was unfortunate that no one knew of the specific details, let alone the reason for such vast defeats. He could only continue on his way.


    After he entered the State of Yu, he managed to acquire more detailed news. The Moulan spell warriors seemed to have found several huge savage beasts. The Nine Nations Union were caught unprepared by the attack, resulting in their repeated losses. This had greatly shocked Han Li when he heard this, and hastened on his way to Soaring Heavens City.


    Although Soaring Heavens City had already removed their restrictions of flight, they had already activated a majority of the restrictions for the Greater Light Extinguishing Formation. Strange nearly indiscernible fluctuations filled the air. It appeared as if the cultivators in the city were already preparing for war.


    After taking a glance at it, Han LI calmly flew to the city¡¯s front gate.


    There were eight cultivators guarding the gate. Apart from a Core Formation elder, the rest were Foundation Establishment cultivators. When they saw Han Li approach them, the Core Formation cultivator thought to interrogate him. But after his spiritual sense swept past Han Li, he wore great shock on his face.


    Once the light surrounding Han Li¡¯s figure faded away, the old man respectfully saluted him, ¡°Welcome Senior! Have you arrived to participate in the treaties meeting? May I ask for you esteemed name? I¡¯m afraid I must register your name in accordance to the rules.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred and expressionlessly asked, ¡°Treaties meeting? What meeting?¡±


    After a moment of surprise, the old man asked, ¡°Senior isn¡¯t here to participate in the treaties meeting? Could it be that Senior is a vagrant cultivator?¡±


    ¡°No, I am a cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.¡±


    The old man carefully explained, ¡°Because of the overbearing assault of the Moulan, our Nine Nations Union have found it difficult to block them. As such, there has been a treaties meeting being held with the other powers. Since Senior is a cultivator from the Heavenly Dao Alliance, so long as he states his name and sect, he can enter the city.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and he said, ¡°I am the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Han Li!¡± He inwardly scowled. It appeared this trip wouldn¡¯t prove as simple as he imagined.


    The old man didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of validating Han LI¡¯s name and he hastily stood to the side and allowed Han Li into the city.


    Han Li nodded his head and he calmly entered the city.


    There were far fewer cultivators on the streets of Soaring Heaven City compared to when the trade fair was taking place. Furthermore, all of them wore worried expressions. It seems the news of the losing war had reached their ears.


    Han Li directly flew towards his previous residence. If Mu Peiling and Senior Martial Brother Lu still hadn¡¯t left the city, they should be there.


    Not long after, Han Li arrived before the building and used his spiritual sense to search for any auras. He found a weaker spiritual Qi fluctuation on the second floor. It should belong to Mu Peiling.


    Han Li faintly smiled and silently opened the restriction before entering the pavilion.


    Mu Peiling couldn¡¯t help but reveal delight upon seeing him, ¡°My Lord, you¡¯ve returned!¡± Although Han Li didn¡¯t know the full details of the Blood Devil Sword, he did know of its devilish Qi backlash. He quickly put it away, not wishing for Nangong Wan to use such a dangerous devilish artifact.


    As for the other items such as the Light Stasis Mirror and her other treasures, Nangong Wan had no intention of taking them. It seemed she wished to save her Senior Martial Sister a bit of face. Not to mention that the Light Stasis Mirror was made famous while in this woman¡¯s possession; if others were to discover that it had been taken, it would cause no end of problems.


    At that moment, Nangong Wan held the restriction talisman in her hand and gently squeezed it. In a flicker of red light, it released a thread of inky black Qi before fading away into nothingness.


    In high spirits from dissolving the restriction, Nangong Wan sweetly smiled, ¡°The Heart Containing Restriction is already dissolved. But before we go, I have to leave a message behind for my Senior Martial Sister.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t raise any opposition to her. Nangong Wan then took out a white jade slip and gracefully placed it against her forehead. The jade slip sparkled with a series of light before Nangong Wan¡¯s spiritual sense began to leave a message behind in the jade slip.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, she placed the jade slip on the pile of remaining items on the floor. She then placed them all in the icy woman¡¯s storage pouch and put it back on the icy woman¡¯s waist.


    Nangong Wan smiled to Han Li with a trace of bashfulness, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Senior Martial Sister is still under effects of my Divine Incarnation Light. It¡¯ll take her more than just a day for her to break free.¡±


    When Han Li saw Nangong Wan¡¯s gentle expression, his heart began to stir. He gently pulled her close to him and they flew out the hall in a streak of light.


    ¡­


    On a small nameless mountain on the border of the State of Beiliang, Nangong Wan stood underneath an ancient tree and frowned, ¡°What do you mean? Why would you have me go ahead alone to the Drifting Cloud Sect?¡±


    Han Li stood shoulder to shoulder with Nangong Wan. He slowly said, ¡°My concubine and my Senior Martial Brother Lu have still remained in Soaring Heavens City for some reason. I reckon it likely has to do with the Moulan invasion. Since the two are related to me, I cannot go back on my own. I have no choice but to check up on them.


    Nangong Wan glanced at Han Li with a displeased expression and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go with you. Why must I leave on my own?¡±


    ¡°Wan¡¯er, you¡¯re a Masked Moon Sect Nascent Soul cultivator. There will be many high grade cultivators in the Nine Nations Union that will recognize you. Although I already taught you the Appearance Exchange Technique, those possessing greater cultivation than you will have a chance of seeing through your disguise. It¡¯d be best for you to head back to the Drifting Cloud Sect first.¡±


    Nangong Wan wrinkled her nose and worriedly said, ¡°But you¡¯ve already offended our Masked Moon Sect and the Flowing Mind Sect. I feel uneasy that you¡¯re still heading to Soaring Heavens City.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen what I¡¯m capable of. Perhaps there are plenty of people with greater cultivation than mine in the Heavenly South, but there are sparsely few that are able to trap and kill me. Moreover, I am an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect. And with the full brunt of Moulan invasion bearing down upon the Nine Nations Union, they won¡¯t dare to meddle. Besides, I reckon your Senior Martial Sister will have followed what you¡¯ve suggested to excuse your disappearance. Otherwise, her dealings with Wei Wuya will turn for the worse. There is hardly anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re insistant, I won¡¯t block you, but you¡¯d best take care of yourself. So that you¡¯re a bit more safe, I¡¯ll hand this treasure over to you.¡± Seeing that Han Li had made up his mind, she said little else and slapped her storage pouch. She then calmly handed an embroidered scarf over to Han Li.


    Han Li felt a strange spiritual qi from the scarf and curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Nangong Wan warmly explained, ¡°This is a nameless ancient treasure that I unintentionally happened across while I was travelling. It is extremely convenient to use and will move in accordance to your thoughts. You might encounter danger on your trip. I will feel less worried if you have it by your side.¡±


    Han Li grew silent and stared at Nangong Wan¡¯s fluid eyes for a long while before seeing her faintly blush. He then took the item with a smile and carefully put it away.


    When Nangong Wan saw this, she also wore a faint smile. Soon, something else came to mind and she took out a sparkling red jade pendant. ¡°This Fire Repelling Ornament is a token I often carry around. Although I dislike being tied down with external affairs, there was a time where I had taken in a few in-name disciples out of a passing interest. Although they recognized me as their master, they weren¡¯t Masked Moon Sect Disciples. There are two that have currently opened a shop in Soaring Heavens City. If you are in need of assistance, hand over this token to them, and they will follow your instructions.¡± She then whispered the names of these two disciples.


    Han Li felt a trace of warmth and sentiment and silently commited the names to memory.


    It had been a while since he¡¯s experienced someone else¡¯s concern.


    ¡­


    A month later, Han Li found himself in the wilderness outside Soaring Heavens City. He glanced at the huge city from a distance in silence.


    After he and Nangong Wan reluctantly parted, he made his way directly to the State of Yu. Along the way, he heard from a few passing cultivators that war had already begun on the borders of the State of Fengyuan and Yu.


    The outcome: the main forces of the Nine Nations Union had suffered vast losses three times in a row. They had no choice but to rely on many grand spell formations to difficultly protect their vital strategic locations. The Nine Nations Union were clearly losing. When Han Li heard this, he frowned, but it was unfortunate that no one knew of the specific details, let alone the reason for such vast defeats. He could only continue on his way.


    After he entered the State of Yu, he managed to acquire more detailed news. The Moulan spell warriors seemed to have found several huge savage beasts. The Nine Nations Union were caught unprepared by the attack, resulting in their repeated losses. This had greatly shocked Han Li when he heard this, and hastened on his way to Soaring Heavens City.


    Although Soaring Heavens City had already removed their restrictions of flight, they had already activated a majority of the restrictions for the Greater Light Extinguishing Formation. Strange nearly indiscernible fluctuations filled the air. It appeared as if the cultivators in the city were already preparing for war.


    After taking a glance at it, Han LI calmly flew to the city¡¯s front gate.


    There were eight cultivators guarding the gate. Apart from a Core Formation elder, the rest were Foundation Establishment cultivators. When they saw Han Li approach them, the Core Formation cultivator thought to interrogate him. But after his spiritual sense swept past Han Li, he wore great shock on his face.


    Once the light surrounding Han Li¡¯s figure faded away, the old man respectfully saluted him, ¡°Welcome Senior! Have you arrived to participate in the treaties meeting? May I ask for you esteemed name? I¡¯m afraid I must register your name in accordance to the rules.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred and expressionlessly asked, ¡°Treaties meeting? What meeting?¡±


    After a moment of surprise, the old man asked, ¡°Senior isn¡¯t here to participate in the treaties meeting? Could it be that Senior is a vagrant cultivator?¡±


    ¡°No, I am a cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.¡±


    The old man carefully explained, ¡°Because of the overbearing assault of the Moulan, our Nine Nations Union have found it difficult to block them. As such, there has been a treaties meeting being held with the other powers. Since Senior is a cultivator from the Heavenly Dao Alliance, so long as he states his name and sect, he can enter the city.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and he said, ¡°I am the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Han Li!¡± He inwardly scowled. It appeared this trip wouldn¡¯t prove as simple as he imagined.


    The old man didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of validating Han LI¡¯s name and he hastily stood to the side and allowed Han Li into the city.


    Han Li nodded his head and he calmly entered the city.


    There were far fewer cultivators on the streets of Soaring Heaven City compared to when the trade fair was taking place. Furthermore, all of them wore worried expressions. It seems the news of the losing war had reached their ears.


    Han Li directly flew towards his previous residence. If Mu Peiling and Senior Martial Brother Lu still hadn¡¯t left the city, they should be there.


    Not long after, Han Li arrived before the building and used his spiritual sense to search for any auras. He found a weaker spiritual Qi fluctuation on the second floor. It should belong to Mu Peiling.


    Han Li faintly smiled and silently opened the restriction before entering the pavilion.


    Mu Peiling couldn¡¯t help but reveal delight upon seeing him, ¡°My Lord, you¡¯ve returned!¡±

 Chapter 722

    The Heavenpeak Sect


    Han Li sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Why is it that you and Senior Martial Brother Lu haven¡¯t left as we discussed? I might¡¯ve not returned.¡± He then took a glance at Mu Peiling and smiled, ¡°But I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d actually break through your bottleneck so quickly! Congratulations on entering mid Foundation Establishment stage!¡±


    ¡°I broke through by chance half a month ago thanks to the medicine pills my Lord has given me. It wouldn¡¯t have been the case otherwise.¡± Mu Peiling spoke with great excitement and appeared all the more beautiful for it. Han Li felt his mind shake and calmed down once he stroked his nose.


    Han Li then casually asked, ¡°Does your prolonged stay with Senior Martial Brother Lu in Soaring Heavens City have to do with the spell warriors?¡±


    Mu Peiling bit her lip and carefully said, ¡°My Lord already guessed it. Senior Lu and I planned on returning once the trade fair ended, but who could¡¯ve thought that news of the spell warrior invasion had spread before the trade fair concluded. As a Heavenly Dao Alliance Nascent Soul cultivator, he had no choice but to remain and negotiate a plan with the other powers. I also remained behind as a result.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I can¡¯t blame you. But where is Senior Martial Brother Lu ¡ª¡± Han Li suddenly wore an odd expression when he interrupted himself.


    Mu Peiling was startled by this sudden stop. Before she realized what Han Li intended, she suddenly heard a young man¡¯s voice from outside the building, ¡°Fellow Daoist Mu, are you there? I am Bai Shujun. I wish to discuss something with you.¡±


    After Han Li swept his spiritual sense past him, he discovered a Core Formation youth with a scholarly appearance that was standing outside the building¡¯s restrictions. Han Li pensively asked, ¡°Who is this? It seems you¡¯ve made friends!¡±


    In the instant Mu Peiling heard the man¡¯s voice, he face instantly paled. She hastily explained, ¡°Lord, please don¡¯t misunderstand. This person is a disciple of a Heavenpeak Sect Elder. We had unintentionally met a few days ago and he had been bothering me ceaselessly ever since. I¡¯ve already said that I am your concubine, but this person has bothered me ever since. I¡¯ll drive him away right now.¡±


    Han Li raised his brow and asked, ¡°So it was like that? Does Senior Martial Brother Lu know of this?¡±


    Mu Peiling was relieved that Han Li wasn¡¯t angry and replied with a sigh of relief, ¡°I¡¯ve already spoke to Senior Lu of this matter, but Senior Lu seemed to recognize this elder of the Heavenpeak Sect. He even seemed somewhat fearful of him. For the time being, he¡¯s left me to fend for myself with regards to his matter. He¡¯s been waiting for Lord to return before dealing with this matter.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li coldly smiled, ¡°Oh! Isn¡¯t the Heavenpeak Sect one of the four great sects of the Righteous Dao Alliance? It is no wonder why Senior Martial Brother Lu was so careful in handling this matter. However, this meager Core Formation cultivator must be quite brave to act so imprudently. Follow me out. Let¡¯s see what this Junior intends to do.¡±


    Mu Peiling respectfully replied, ¡°As you command, Master!¡±


    At that moment, Han Li wordlessly climbed down to the ground floor with Mu Peiling closely following after her.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Mu, you¡¯ve finally¡ª Yi! This Senior is¡­¡± When the youth named Bai Shujun saw someone leaving the building, he originally believed it to be the woman he fancied. But when he saw Han Li with his profound cultivation, his expression vastly changed.


    At that moment, Mu Peiling followed behind Han Li and stood closely behind him. When the youth saw this, his expression wavered several times.


    Han Li¡¯s expression grew sullen and he spoke bluntly to the youth, ¡°You are a disciple of the Heavenpeak Sect?¡±


    Displaying an unordinary guile, he regained his calm after only a moment even as he faced a Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li. He then spoke with a courteous tone, ¡°That¡¯s right. This Junior is a disciple of the Heavenpeak Sect Elder Lu [1]. Could it be that you are Senior Han?¡±


    ¡°Speak! What are you intentions in coming here? Why is it that you bother my concubine without end? You should have some other purpose in performing such a brainless task.¡± Han Li¡¯s harsh tone had caused a trace of astonishment to appear from Mu Peiling¡¯s face.


    Bai Shujun smiled and eloquently said, ¡°Senior is wise! In truth my master wishes to meet you, but since there has been no news of Senior Han, Junior has done this. However, I am truly fond of Fellow Daoist Mu. If Senior would agree to accommodate me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to thank you enough!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t thank me enough? What use is your gratitude? Don¡¯t get caught up in your dreams! I have no such habit of giving my own concubines to others. I also have no connection with your Heavenpeak Sect, so why is it that you¡¯ve come to find me?¡±


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and glanced in an empty area. After squinting his eyes, he wore a weird smile and suddenly released an astonishing spiritual pressure from his body.


    Bai Shujun recoiled several steps with a greatly alarmed expression. Bearing a pressure of what seemed to be a huge mountain, his legs folded and he fell to a half kneel. He hastily attempted to resist, but after his body trembled several times, his knees still remained unsteady.


    As he knelt, a white silhouette suddenly appeared in front of Bai Shujin. He gently patted Bai Shujun¡¯s shoulder and suddenly relieved him of the pressure, allowing him to stand once more.


    The white silhouette was a white-robed old man with light grey hair and a friendly face. As Han Li examined him, the old man smiled at him and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please don¡¯t be angry. My disciple has been doing this on my command. How could I meet you otherwise?¡±


    When Han Li saw the old man, the pressure emitting from his body vanished and his expression became calm once more as if it had never happened. ¡°Who is your esteemed self? And why do you wish to see me? If I remember correctly, this will be the first time I ever made contact with you and your sect.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! This old man goes by the name of Lu Weiying, and is an elder of the Heavenpeak Sect. As for why I wish to see you, this is not a convenient place to speak of it. If Fellow Daoist wishes to know why, let us meet later tonight. At that time, Fellow daoist will surely come to know the details.¡± Showing not the slightest anger, he waved his hand and tossed a green jade slip he had already prepared to Han Li.


    Han Li expressionlessly waved his arm and caught the jade slip in an azure mist. After sinking his spiritual sense into the jade slip, he found the details of a location and thought to ask about it, but when he raised his head, the old man had already saluted him and was leading Bai Shujun away.


    Han Li frowned. He acted rather mysteriously, but they seemed to misunderstand that Han Li had been hiding in Soaring Heavens City all this time.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and felt this matter to be somewhat unclear. As such, he left the matter alone for now and brought Mu Peiling back into their residence.


    After Han Li entered the pavilion, he calmly asked, ¡°Where is Senior Martial Brother Lu currently?¡± It was as if he had thrown the recent matter to the back of his mind.


    I heard that the war situation was dire and Senior Lu went to discuss a countermeasure with the other powers.¡±


    Han Li interestedly asked, ¡°Where are they having this discussion?¡±


    ¡°It is at Soaring Heavens City¡¯s official hall. I heard that only Nascent Soul cultivates affiliated with a superpower are allowed to attend. Does my Lord wish to go take a look?¡±


    ¡°The official hall?¡± Han Li recalled a huge palace hall at the center of the city that was heavily covered in restrictions.


    ¡°Alright, I do wish to see how the matters of spell warriors are being handled. Wait here and don¡¯t go out without a reason.¡± With his mind set, he departed to where his Senior Martial Brother Lu was located.


    The official hall was the towering building built at the center of the city, and was extremely noticeable. Apart from matters concerning the life or death of the Nine Nations Union, it was hardly ever used.


    But now that the Moulan had begun another assault since their ceasefire a hundred years ago, the upper echelon of the Nine Nations Union showed no hesitation in opening this hall and convening with cultivators of other powers. After all, with the overbearing invasion of the Moulan spell warriors, it would be extremely difficult for the Nine Nations Union to defend against them alone.


    When Han Li arrived in front of the official hall, a guard standing at the front noticed Han Li¡¯s cultivation and asked for his name before reporting it to his superior. Soon, Han Li was granted permission and a cultivator respectfully led him inside the official hall.


    There couldn¡¯t be said to be many Nascent Soul cultivators in the meeting, only over a dozen, far fewer than Han Li had imagined. However, Han Li understood that despite the large number of Nascent Soul cultivators that had gathered at Soaring Heavens City, there was no need for each of them to personally attend. They merely had their power¡¯s representative stand in their place.


    As for Senior Martial Brother Lu, he was currently sitting on a chair to the left. He smiled when he caught sight of Han Li. Closely sitting beside him was the Child Fire Dragon.


    Apart from the yellow-robed old man, Han Li found the others to be unfamiliar. After taking two glances at the yellow-robed old man, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. This old man was Martial Ancestor Ling Hu of Yellow Maple Valley!


    [1] The Heavenpeak Sect Elder is surnamed ³ Lu, and the Drifting Cloud Sect Elder, Han Li¡¯s Senior Martial Brother is surnamed Lu ÂÀ. They are homonyms.

 Chapter 723

    Discussion


    When Martial Ancestor Linghu spotted Han Li, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest change in expression. It was unknown whether he was hiding his emotions with his profound shrewdness or that he simply didn¡¯t recognize the past Foundation Establishment disciple.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted to the others in the hall. At the center of the hall there was an old man with a purple face and a gorgeous woman in palace robes. When Han Li swept his spiritual sense past them, his heart trembled. The two were mid Nascent Soul cultivators, the main representatives of the Nine Nations Union.


    As Han Li examined in the other cultivators in the hall, they had examined him as well. A majority of them were surprised by Han Li¡¯s appearance as a youth. Hardly any male cultivators cultivated techniques for maintaining youthful appearances.


    The Drifting Cloud Sect Elder Lu called out to Han Li with a smile, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han, you¡¯ve finally arrived. Have a seat. We were having a discussion with Sect Master Wu about the Moulan invasion.¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon also smiled and kindly nodded his head.


    Following suit, Han Li smiled and saluted the other cultivators in the hall before taking a seat by his Senior Martial Brother Lu.


    The purple-faced cultivator took a seat across from Han Li and smiled, ¡°So this is the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han. I am the Enlightened Leaf Sect¡¯s Wu Peng. We just heard from Brother Lu that Fellow Daoist had entered Nascent Soul stage only after two hundred years of cultivation. You truly a genius among the cultivators in the Heavenly South. Perhaps you will be met with great success on the Great Dao!¡±


    Although Han Li¡¯s cultivation was still a grade lower than his own, he didn¡¯t dare to underestimate Han Li¡¯s future potential.


    ¡°Sect Master Wu is being polite. I only managed to enter Nascent Soul stage from a fluke. I don¡¯t dare to speak of any future obtainments in the Great Dao.¡± As the Enlightened Leaf Sect were one of the sects that stood side by side with the Flowing Mind Sect in the Nine Nations Union, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to grow overly familiar with him and simply gave a polite response.


    As Han Li spoke, his gaze fell onto the beautiful middle-aged woman that stood at the old man¡¯s side. Since the purple-faced old man was the Enlightened Leaf Sect Master, this beautiful woman was likely a cultivator from the Flowing Mind Sect.


    As Han Li began to ponder, the purple-faced old man, Wu Peng, sighed and said, ¡°This is the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Lady Qi. She will handle matters with regards to the Nine Nations Union along my side. The other Fellow Daoists are¡­¡±


    The old man gave Han Li an introduction to the other cultivators in the hall. When Martial Ancestor Linghu was introduced, he simply gave a curt response, nothing out of the ordinary.


    Han Li¡¯s heart faintly trembled but he simply nodded.


    After introductions were finished, Wu Peng¡¯s expression grew tense, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve come just in time. We were currently discussing how the vast power of the spell warriors are greatly beyond our expectations. I¡¯ve already heard from the Elder Yu and the others that they¡¯ve already suffered a great defeat. Even two important areas are about to have their grand formations broken by the huge beasts the Moulan control. We have many casualties in the war against the Moulan, including even Fellow Daoist Huan of the Shadowform Sect. He will be the third Nascent Soul cultivator to have perished. There is a pressing need for assistance from all powers due to the overbearing Moulan assault.¡±


    The smiles of all the cultivators present had disappeared once Wu Peng had solemnly spoken. A grave atmosphere immediately filled the hall.


    A green-robed old man with a sharp, thin nose sullenly said, ¡°Sect Master Wu, we¡¯ve also have a bit of information ourselves considering we have sent our own disciples out in accordance to the pact. However, we still don¡¯t have concrete information on the true circumstances behind Fellow Daoist Feng¡¯s defeat. Could Brother Wu give us an detailed explanation on the matter?


    It is unfathomable that so many Nascent Soul cultivators have fallen in such a short amount of time. Could it be that high grade spell warriors have already begun to take action?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he took another look at the old man. From Wu Peng¡¯s introduction, he was an elder of the Devil Dao¡¯s Controlling Spirit Sect. He didn¡¯t know whether or not he had a relation to Liu Yu or Han Yunzhi.


    Wu Peng responded with an odd expression, ¡°We still don¡¯t have information on whether or not their high grade cultivators are acting in full force. However, Fellow Daoist Feng and Fellow Daoist Xin were verified to have perished in a one on one battle. They were not surrounded.¡±


    When the green-robed old man heard him, he revealed alarm, ¡°Impossible. Even if they were defeated by a mid Nascent Soul stage spell warrior, they would still be able to flee for their lives. Could it be that the Moulan Divine Sages have begun to act?¡±


    Already anticipating his question, Wu Peng readily said, ¡°No, the two were only early Nascent Soul spell warriors. However, they were rather odd. Not only were their spirit techniques far beyond what other spell warriors of the same grade were capable of, they also used an incredibly strange treasure. Just as the two Fellow Daoists manifested their Nascent Souls upon defeat, they were trapped by this treasure and were rendered incapable of using instantaneous movement, leading to their demise.¡±


    The green robed old man felt his breath run cold. He asked with slight disbelief, ¡°What kind of treasure is capable of stopping a Nascent Soul¡¯s instantaneous movement? Is it an ancient treasure? A magic treasure?¡±


    The cultivators who listened had vastly changed expressions. The reason why it was extremely difficult to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator was cause of how easy it was for a Nascent Soul to escape once it manifested. It came as a great shock to the cultivators present that there was a treasure capable of restraining a Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Our disciples that witnessed the battle weren¡¯t able to clearly see it. But when it was activated, it momentarily flashed with red-black light and seemed unblockable. Furthermore¡­¡± Wu Peng trailed off with a hesitant expression.


    The green-robed old man unhappily said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wu, with matters having reached this far, what is it that you find hard to say?¡±


    The Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Lady Qi smiled and spoke on behalf of Wu Peng, ¡°It¡¯s not that Brother Wu finds it hard to say. He only hesitates to speak because he feels that the matter is uncertain. Allow me to say it!¡± As a fellow member of the Nine Nations Union, it was natural for her to assist him.


    Han Li grew greatly curious by their words. The others were also more or less waiting for what Lady Qi had to say.


    Lady Qi sighed and explained, ¡°The disciples observing the previous battles have noted that the two Nascent Soul spell warriors appeared almost as if they were feeding off the souls of those who died in battle, regardless of whether the souls had belonged to spell warriors or cultivators. As a result, Sect Master Wu became doubtful as to whether these two spell warriors are actually human, instead being some sort of heretical transformation.


    But since the two didn¡¯t emit an obvious demonic or ghost Qi from their body, the disciples were incapable of making any precise judgements. Of course, there is also the matter of the sudden appearance of the huge fearsome beasts that appeared amongst the ranks of the spell warriors; it seems to have something to do with the appearance of these new spell warriors. We suspect that the Moulan have begun to collaborate with other powers. This explains how they were able invade the Heavenly South on such a vast scale.¡±


    The cultivators in the hall were all stunned by her words. In his alarm, Ancestor Linghu solemnly asked, ¡°Not human? Lady Qi means to say that they are transformed demon beasts?¡±¡±


    Wu Peng solemnly said, ¡°That should be the case. Even if they aren¡¯t demon beasts, they may be heretical cultivators that cultivate the Ghost or Demon Dao. If that were the case, it¡¯d be far more troublesome than encountering transformed demon beasts.¡±


    Han Li ¡®s expression stirred as he slowly asked, ¡°When did Sect Master Wu come by this information?¡±


    Wu Peng blinked in surprise and twirled his long beard with curiosity, ¡°This information came from the report on the last battle. Why does Fellow Daoist Han ask this?¡±


    Han Li held his chin in his hand and pensively answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I merely felt that regardless of whether these unfamiliar spell warriors are men or demons, they have no fear of revealing their identity to us, given that they dared to act so boldly at the beginning of this war. It appears the Moulan will not be attempting a battle of attrition as they did in the past. They will most likely use thunderous strikes, seeking decisive battles with our main forces. Could it be that a great change had occurred in the Moulan Plains?¡±


    Wu Peng and Lady Qi both glanced at each other with astonishment upon hearing Han Li¡¯s analysis. The other cultivators also grew sullen. It was quite natural that they picked up on what Han Li meant.


    In the past, the Moulans invasions were always battles of attrition ¡ª with each war lasting years if they were short, but decades if they were long.


    Whenever this happened, both sides of the conflict had always avoided direct confrontations or their main forces as it would only result in a pyrrhic victory at best, with most of the forces on either sides annihilated.


    Both the Heavenly South and the Moulan spell warriors had no such desire for such heavy losses of strength. This was further strengthened by the fact that the Moulan consisted of many tribes as the Heavenly South were consisted of grand alliances of variously sized sects; neither side were able to work entirely as one.


    But now, the Moulan were acting with overwhelming force, a vast change from their previous invasions. With the addition of those huge sage beasts and those strange spell warriors, the changes from the Moulan were clear to see.


    A long while later, Wu Peng bitterly smiled and spoke with a grave tone, ¡°Brother Han¡¯s words are reasonable. It seems there is something amiss with the Moulan; we cannot be careless. The sects in the Heavenly South must form a second army to help the Nine Nations Union to resist them. Else, the Moulan will break through and shatter us. I hope you Fellow Daoists will return quickly and explain this matter to your sects. The Nine Nations Union will not be able to hold out for much longer.

 Chapter 724

    Linghu¡¯s Request


    After Lady Qi pondered for a moment, she said, ¡°Although Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s words are very likely, they are still only a guess. I hope you Fellow Daoists will discuss these matters only among other Nascent Soul cultivators in order to prevent an unnecessary chaos. However, if the Moulan truly wishes to have a grand confrontation, their Divine Sages will be certain to take action. These late Nascent Soul stage spell warriors aren¡¯t something we are able to contend against. I will be informing Elder Wei Wuya of this, and see whether or not the three great cultivators can gather together and deal with this matter.¡±


    A shriveled old man worriedly nodded his head, ¡°Lady Qi makes sense. This matter is urgent. When we return, we will immediately inform our sect of this matter.¡±


    The other cultivators also agreed, all knowing that the matter was grave.


    Afterwards, the cultivators began to discuss about a few particulars and decided to first send some reinforcements to slow down the Moulan, buying the various powers the time they needed to prepare.


    Han Li, Senior Martial Brother Lu, and the Child Fire Dragon walked out of the hall side by side. When they arrived outside, Han Li frowned.


    Elder Lu caught sight of Han LI¡¯s expression and asked with surprise, ¡°Is there something wrong Junior Martial Brother?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. There is just an old acquaintance that wishes to see me. I¡¯m afraid that it will take a moment. Senior Martial Brother Lu, Brother Lan, please go ahead. I¡¯ll quickly return!¡±


    Elder Lu nodded his head and smiled, ¡°Yes, of course. We¡¯ll first head back to have a discussion amongst the cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and then send information back to our Senior Martial Brother. We¡¯ll see how each of our alliance¡¯s sects will handle the matter.¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon also responded with a smile.


    Han Li saluted in response before slowly walking away.


    Elder Lu stood at the hall¡¯s entrance and glanced in the direction that Han Li had taken.


    ¡°Is there something that Brother Lu is worried about?¡± The Child Fire Dragon asked with a mysterious smile.


    Although Elder Lu¡¯s heart was uneasy, he maintained a calm exterior, ¡°Worried? What is there to be worried about?¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon smiled and said, ¡°Brother Lu should have already guessed. Fellow Daoist Han was originally from Yellow Maple Valley and that Eccentric Linghu is nearing the end of his lifespan like your Senior Martial Brother. As Eccentric Linghu is the only Nascent Soul cultivator in Yellow Maple Valley, he may already be burning with anxiousness. While this might not matter to a smaller sect, to a sect as large as Yellow Maple Valley, the absence of the protection of a Nascent Soul cultivator could likely lead to a sect¡¯s extermination. It would be odd if Eccentric Linghu wasn¡¯t the one who had given Han Li the voice transmission.¡±


    Brother Lu didn¡¯t immediately respond. Instead, he pondered to himself for a moment before asking, ¡°How does Brother Lan know of Junior Martial Brother Han¡¯s origins? I do not recall mentioning them.¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon bluntly explained, ¡°There was no need for Brother Lu to speak of it. Since your sect suddenly acquired a young newly ascended elder, our Ancient Sword Sect naturally felt the need to investigate.¡±


    Elder Lu had nothing to say in response. But after a moment, he shook his head and said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han simply said that he was going to see an old acquaintance. If he originally intended to go back to Yellow Maple Valley, he would¡¯ve already done so. He wouldn¡¯t have waited until now!¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon shook his head, ¡°That may be true, but Eccentric Linghu is a cunning old fox. Since he invited Han Li over, he should have some confidence of convincing him.¡±


    Elder Lu grew silent for a moment. Eventually, a troubled expression appeared on his face and he sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it to fate. If Junior Martial Brother Han truly wishes to return to Yellow Maple Valley, what can my Senior Martial Brother or I do to stop him?¡±


    ¡­


    Han Li stood in a small remote street and began to continuously observe his surroundings. He then caught sight of a two story pavilion. It was only about twenty meters wide with a small banner at its entrance that wrote ¡®Tea¡¯ on it. There were two yellow-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators standing there.


    Han Li smiled for a moment before approaching it.


    When the two saw Han Li walk over, they respectfully saluted him, ¡°Greetings Senior Han! Martial Ancestor is respectfully waiting for you!¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and wordlessly entered.


    The entire building was extremely quiet as if there were no one there. Han Li hesitated before climbing up to the second floor. As a result, he found someone calmly waiting for him. He was wearing yellow robes and had a sallow complexion ¡ª he was Ancestor Linghu who he has just seen previously in the hall.


    He was currently sitting at the octogonal table in the center of the room, and was currently sipping on a cup of tea.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered and he walked forward without hesitation. He silently took a seat across from Ancestor Lingu, noticing that there was a teacup that had already been prepared for him.


    Ancestor Linghu said nothing. He simply waved his and caused the teapot on the table to float. It poured some tea in the cup in front of him before floating back down.


    Eccentric Linghu narrowed his eyes and glanced at Han Li. He slowly said, ¡°The spirit tea here is good. Will you not give it a taste?¡±


    Han Li smiled and brought the cup up his eyes, glancing at the clear green liquid within.


    Han Li then took a sip and said, ¡°It is quite decent. It is truly a grade higher than common spirit teas.¡±


    Eccentric Linghu put down the tea and chuckled. He unhurriedly said, ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist Han is also one fond of tea. It seems I was right to meet you here.¡±


    Holding no intention to speak in circles, Han Li bluntly said, ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t invite me here only to sample this spirit tea! If you have something to say, then say it.¡±


    This Ancestor Linghu clearly recognized him. Han Li could already guess why he was invited here.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist is so impatient, I won¡¯t speak in circles. Would Fellow Dan be willing to return to Yellow Maple Valley as an elder?¡± Ancestor Linghu calmly spoke as if he were speaking of a minor issue.


    ¡°Return to Yellow Maple Valley?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t reveal the slightest change in expression and simply looked down at the tea cup in his hand.


    A bright glint shined from Ancestor Linghu¡¯s eyes and he slowly said, ¡°Needless to mention how you were treated wrongly in the past, I must tell you that my lifespan is running short. I only have twenty years more at best before I expire. So long as you return, Yellow Maple Valley will be yours. Surely you wouldn¡¯t have held onto some minor grudge for so long!¡±


    Han Li raised his head and stared at Ancestor Linghu. He shook his head, ¡°I no longer care about the matters of the past. If I found myself in your position, I would perhaps do the same. However, I am currently an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect. I have no intention of joining your sect. Fellow Daoist Linghu, you had best find another cultivator.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu coldly smiled, ¡°Of course I know you¡¯ve joined the Drifting Cloud Sect. However, the Drifting Cloud Sect still has two other elders. Do you not have to share control? Wouldn¡¯t you be happy to be the sole holder of power?


    Han Li pursed his lips, forming a faint sneer. ¡°I believe you misunderstand. I didn¡¯t enter a sect for authority. I merely wished to find a suitable place for cultivation. I have no interest in control over a sect.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu frowned, but he soon regained his calm.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han doesn¡¯t realize how beneficial is it towards your cultivation to be the sole power over a sect. Not only will you not have to trouble yourself to find rare medicines and materials, you will gain an incomparable status in the cultivation world. Moreover, don¡¯t you have the slightest interest in your past sect members? Many cultivators of your generation are still within Yellow Maple Valley. If there isn¡¯t a Nascent Soul cultivator to protect them, they may as well be extinguished in a single night by a coalition of other sects. Who knows what will happen to them?¡± Ancestor Linghu had finally begun to appeal to emotion.


    Han Li smiled and carelessly said, ¡°I have no lack of spirit medicines and materials as a Drifting Cloud Sect Elder. And how could I care for something as hollow as status and reputation in the cultivation world? As for the death of the sect, it had always been a common occurrence. No matter how long the sect existed, they eventually disappear with their legacy lost. As for my old sect members, I will not be involved with them. May fate treat them kindly.¡±

 Chapter 725

    Jade Talisman


    When Ancestor Linghu heard Han Li¡¯s response, he frowned and didn¡¯t speak for a time. Instead, he slowly raised the tea cup and took a sip.


    He then said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, this is obvious to me, but I am very much unlike you. I¡¯ve spent over a thousand years overseeing Yellow Maple Valley and I¡¯ve grown extremely attached to it. I don¡¯t wish for its legacy to be severed once I die. It seems Fellow Daoist has little interest in fame or profit. However, if Fellow Daoist is willing to succeed the position as the grand elder of Yellow Maple Valley, I am willing to present my own riches to you, the treasures that I have collected over many years. They will be greatly useful to your future cultivation.¡±


    After a moment of shock, Han Li narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°You will leave your inheritance to me? If I recall correctly, you should have personal disciples!¡±


    Ancestor Linghu coldly smiled, ¡°Among my disciples, the highest only holds mid Core Formation stage cultivation. If I leave my inheritance with them, it will only invite calamity. Even if Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t accept, I will not be leaving a majority of my treasures to the sect.¡±


    Han Li rubbed his chin and pondered.


    To tell the truth, Han Li felt some temptation by Ancestor Linghu¡¯s words. However, he clearly understood that if he were to accept the position as a Yellow Maple Valley elder, he would likely have to face many problems within the Six Sects of Yue and the Nine Nations Union ¡ª matters that would settle for quite some time.


    Furthermore, he would have more authority as the sole elder of Yellow Maple Valley, but conversely, he would be sacrificing the freedoms that he had with the Drifting Cloud Sect. More importantly was the problem he would have when he faced the Masked Moon Sect.


    After a long moment of thought, Han Li shook his head, ¡°Many thanks for your kind offer. However, I feel that this matter shouldn¡¯t be mentioned any further.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu wasn¡¯t angered upon hearing this ¡ª rather, his face only revealed helplessness.


    Ancestor Linghu sighed and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve refused these conditions, it seems Fellow Daoist Han is unwilling to be involved with the Six Sects of Yue. If that¡¯s the case, I have another proposal.


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred with curiosity, ¡°Another proposal?¡±


    Ancestor Linghu bitterly smiled, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t wish to be an elder of Yellow Maple Valley, how about I give you three treasures in exchange for three requests for help from Yellow Maple Valley? Of course, these requests will be within your capabilities.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Han Li quickly nodded his head, ¡°Three requests within my capabilities? I can accept those conditions.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu wore a faint smile on his face and placed three items on the table. It seemed he had prepared them beforehand.


    Without another word, Han Li¡¯s eyes wandered onto the three items on the table. There was a small shiny blue shield, a red jade bottle, and a jet-black jade pendant.


    Showing not restraint, he grabbed onto the small blue shield. When the small shield entered his grasp, it grew soft and light as if nothing was there. He examined it more thoroughly in surprise, still not knowing what it was refined from.


    Ancestor Linghu glanced at the blue shield with reluctance, ¡°There was an ancient treasure I acquired in my youth, and had accompanied me for a long while. I simply called it as the Bluelight Shield. It¡¯s abilities are powerful and is particularly effective at resisting the attacks of fire-attribute attacks. You will find this to be true when you test it.¡±


    Han Li stroked the shield for a moment before returning it to the table. From how strange the treasure appeared, Ancestor Linghu¡¯s words should hold true. He then grabbed onto the red jade bottle.


    ¡°In the past, I snuck deep into the Moulan Plains and exterminated a grade seven Ironwing Demon Beast. That bottle contains its core ¡ª an incredibly rare material. It will have no shortage of uses.¡±


    ¡®A grade seven demon core?¡¯ Han Li inwardly sighed but he displayed no change in expression. Although grade seven demon cores were extremely rare items in the Heavenly South, they were of little value to him.


    As a result, he smiled and opened the medicine bottle. After taking a glance at it, he put it back in its original location. His eyes then turned to the last item on the table. This time, Ancestor Linghu simply wore a strange smile instead of taking the initiative to introduce it.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze silently wandered around the jade pendant.


    After pondering for a spell, Han Li doubtfully asked, ¡°This jade talisman was something that was refined by ancient cultivators?¡±


    A trace of surprise appeared on Ancestor Linghu¡¯s face. He curiously asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han has seen a jade talisman before? According to what I know, these talismans were unique even during times of antiquity. They should¡¯ve vanished in the Heavenly South, and even fewer cultivators of this land should know of them.¡±


    Han Li smiled, ¡°I merely encountered a Fellow Daoist that happened to know of these things. I heard of it from them.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu glanced at the black jade talisman on the table and said, ¡°This jade talisman was something that I had risked my life to obtain. It is definitely valuable. Although I still haven¡¯t managed to grasp the proper way to use it and can only use a fraction of its abilities, the jade talisman¡¯s abilities are shocking. I¡¯ve used it several times to strike down enemies. It should be a quality item that was meticulously created by an ancient cultivator specializing in talismans.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu summoned the talisman into his hand and chanted an ancient and obscure incantation with muffled voice, transforming the jade talisman into a ball of black light. A bone-chilling Yin wind then blew past him, forming a demonic black-red hand above Ancestor Linghu¡¯s head.


    This demonic hand shined with black-red light and was over a meter wide. Not only did it occasionally flickered with Yin flames, it also carried an indescribable, eerie Qi that filled the entire teahouse with its appearance.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled upon seeing it.


    ¡°After I acquired this jade talisman, I spent several hundreds of years studying it before managing to use this single divine ability. Unless this Profound Ghosthand is attacked by a Yang type treasure, it will be nearly invulnerable. As for any magic or ancient treasures it may hold, their abilities will immediately diminish and they will obediently stay captured. Even top grade treasures will have their might and spirituality reduced.¡±


    As Ancestor Linghu spoke, he willed the large black hand to swell several times in size and grab a nearby table.


    Black Yin flame silently swept past the wooden table and instantly consumed, leaving not even ash behind.


    Han Li felt his breath turn cold at the sight.


    This hand appeared like a profound Devil Dao ability to attack with manifested spiritual sense, but since the black hand originated from the jade talisman, there was no fear of any backlash from any harm the spiritual sense may experience. As for the strange Yin fire, that should be a different divine ability.


    ¡°This jade talisman is certain to possess other divine abilities. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have much time yet and I don¡¯t have many more opportunities to discover its secrets. On the contrary, Fellow Daoist Han still has much time to unlock its secrets. However, a majority of its power has already been consumed. You had best use it cautiously.¡± Ancestor Linghu then pointed to the black hand and had it turn back into a ball of black light before flying back to the table in the form of a jade talisman.


    Han Li¡¯s wore a smile, but he was very much interested in the jade talisman. Even if the talisman wasn¡¯t as powerful as Ancestor Linghu had described, he would be able to learn much of the ancient cultivator talisman techniques from the jade talisman itself. It would prove to be of great assistance to him.


    Once Ancestor Linghu finished presenting the items, Han Li swept his sleeve across the table and the three items disappeared, leaving three white translucent white jade discs in their place.


    Han Li turned his eyes towards Ancestor Linghu and calmly said, ¡°These formation disks are magic tools that I had personally refined. They are incapable of being replicated. After you die, I will not decline a request that Yellow Maple Valley will have of me.¡±


    Ancestor Linghu smiled and said, ¡°Good. With these words, I will be able to continue onto other matters.¡±


    Now that the matter was finished, Han Li took his leave as he had no further business there. Ancestor Linghu didn¡¯t offer much resistance and simply spoke a few polite words as he watched Han Li walk away.


    Once Ancestor Linghu was alone, his smile faded and he stared at the table, deep into thought.


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately return to his residence once he left the teahouse. Instead, he glanced at the sky and found a remote area before taking out the jade slip that the Heavenpeak Sect Elder had given him. After carefully reading it with his spiritual sense, he wore a hesitant expression.

 Chapter 726

    Heaven-Earth Rings


    Han Li fiddled with the jade slip in his hand as he pondered. Then with a flash of azure light, the jade slip vanished and Han Li began to walk in large strides towards the location it described.


    After passing through a majority of Soaring Heavens City, Han Li arrived at a remote corner of the city where an ordinary mixed-goods store was located. This store had a black wooden sign on its entrance, reading the ¡°Jade Union Pavilion¡± in large flamboyant calligraphy.


    Han Li examined it before slowly walking into the building. The interior wasn¡¯t large ¡ª he only walked into a hall that was about twenty meters in length. A majority of the items being sold were common materials and talismans. To the side, there was an exquisite side door that led to the back.


    There was a middle-aged man in grey robes behind the sales counter near the entrance. He appeared to be looking through a small ledger. Han Li swept his spiritual sense past him and saw that his cultivation was very low, only in the realm of Qi Condensation. Furthermore, the shopkeeper¡¯s appearance was rather ordinary.


    The middle-aged shopkeeper immediately smiled and stood up upon seeing Han Li enter and he quickly welcomed him.


    ¡°Senior, what is it you wish to look at? My store is filled with all sort of goods. It will definitely be to your satisfaction.¡±


    Han Li smiled and he flipped his hand, revealing the green jade slip in his grasp. After he placed it in the shopkeeper¡¯s hands, the shopkeeper had a vast change of expression and he quickly placed it away. He asked with a respectful tone, ¡°May I ask for Senior¡¯s name?¡±


    Han Li casually answered, ¡°Han Li!¡±


    ¡°So it turned out to be Senior Han. Martial Ancestor has already mentioned Senior Han would be coming, but I hadn¡¯t expected it to be this soon. Please follow me.¡± The middle-aged man invited Han Li to the back once he finished speaking. Han Li nodded his head and silently entered.


    To his surprise, it led to a warehouse with all sorts of cabinets and trunks placed all over. The walls were particularly filled to the brim.


    The middle-aged man stepped forward and walked in front of wood cabinet. He gently pushed one of the corners, causing two of the adjacent cabinets to separate and reveal a stairway.


    The middle-aged shopkeeper led the way and explained, ¡°Out of fear that occasional guests would sense any restriction, we had a mechanism placed from the mortal realm.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t feel particularly surprised by this.


    The middle-aged man then stepped on a tile and caused a wall to open with a muffle creak, revealing an eerie passageway down.


    The shopkeeper stood to the side and smiled, ¡°This Junior doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to enter. Senior must go on his own.¡±


    Han Li frowned and swept his spiritual sense downwards and felt faint spiritual Qi fluctuations in the passageway. When he examined further, he found a layer of restrictions there, but Han Li was able to judge it with his spell formation knowledge to be a simple spirit obstruction barrier. Although Han Li could forcefully break through it, the people within it would be sure to notice it.


    Han Li revealed slight hesitation. Although he was sure that the Heavenpeak Sect elder wouldn¡¯t try anything foolish within Soaring Heavens City, he didn¡¯t wish to enter a sealed area with someone whom he didn¡¯t know was friend or foe.


    As Han Li hesitated, the people from within formation seemed to guess what Han Li thinking. A moment later, the barrier was removed, allowing Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense to see within. Han Li¡¯s heart stirred at the deliberate show of trust, and he was amazed by what he discovered.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! That¡¯s a surprise.¡± Han Li muttered to himself and walked down the passage without any further hesitation.


    When the middle-aged man saw that Han Li descended, he sealed the passage and return the cabinets to normal before going back to tend to the shop.


    The passage was very long, and descended about a hundred meters deep to preserve its secretive nature. Eventually, Han Li saw the light from within the darkness and knew that he had arrived at an exit. He quickened his pace and found himself in a stone room.


    The room was rather large, but it was completely empty apart from a few praying mats. Facing its entrance were two men that were sitting cross-legged on such a mat. They both looked at Han Li with a smile. Han Li remained silent, choosing first the find an empty prayer mat to sit on.


    Han Li smiled to one of the two and returned the smile, ¡°I absolutely didn¡¯t think that Fellow Daoist would find me. It is truly a surprise to find you here.¡±


    This person wore a tall crown and blue robes. Marquis Nanlong wryly smiled and said, ¡°Truly, even I found it difficult to believe that I had escaped calamity. When we separated, I believed I had escaped, but they had tracked me down using a secret technique. They had caught up to me at the edge of the Moulan Plains. However, the Heavens favor the persistent, and I later found a group of high grade spell warriors that were looking for us.


    In the resulting confusion, I was able to fortunately return as my pursuers were vastly slowed down by the spell warriors.¡± After that was said, a hidden intensity appeared on his face.


    His face was far more pale that Han Li had remembered and his eyes were listless. He must¡¯ve suffered much damage to his vitality. Of course, the person by his side was the old white-robed Heavenpeak Sect Elder he had met earlier.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Nanlong has earned my appreciation from being able to escape under those circumstances. But shouldn¡¯t Brother Nanlong be resting in his cave residence rather than urgently finding me? There was no hesitation either to send a disciple to bother my concubine. I am at somewhat of a loss.¡± Han Li¡¯s smile faded away and there was faint annoyance in his tone.


    ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist misunderstands. I only did it because I had no choice. Fellow Daoist should know there are now people pursuing us. This secret plan was to escape their notice.


    This is Fellow Daoist Jadepearl of the Heavenpeak Sect, a friend I would trust my life with. He was originally to come with us on the last treasure hunt, but it was a pity that he was occupied with sect matters at the time.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s attitude towards Han Li had entirely changed from when he first saw him; it was no much more respectful. It seemed that he was deeply moved when he saw Han Li killing another Nascent Soul cultivator.


    At that moment, the white-robed old man chuckled and saluted Han Li. He spoke with a regretful tone, ¡°If my methods have offended you, I hope Fellow Daoist Han won¡¯t take it to heart. It was the only way.¡±


    Han Li waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since there was a reason, I¡¯ll let it go. However, did Fellow Daoist Nanlong seek me out because or something from the jade box?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong solemnly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist guessed right. According to my sources, the Ghost Spirit Sect paid a heavy price to bribe our previous party members. They are determined to acquire Master Cang Kun¡¯s map and method to enter Devilfall Valley. Fellow Daoist Han just happened to acquire one of the items needed to enter Devilfall Valley. When combined with my map, we will be able to avoid a majority of dangers in the valley, allowing use to acquire the treasure.¡±


    Something soon came to Han Li¡¯s mind, ¡°An item essencial to entering Devilfall Valley? Do you mean the black ring?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong grew excited and a bit of color returned to his complexion, ¡°The Heaven-Earth Ring is true within Han Li¡¯s possession. This is great.¡±


    ¡°The Heaven-Earth Ring?¡± Han Li frowned and felt the name to be somewhat familiar. He suddenly grew alarmed and looked towards Marquis Nanlong. He bewilderedly asked, ¡°The Heaven-Earth Rings that Wise Huang refined from meteor iron? I heard that ordinary, the ring doesn¡¯t possess great ability but when it came across Greatnorth Essence Light, it is able to control the essence light to kill others and become formless. It is considered a magic treasure of little interest.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is truly knowledgeable. It is precisely that item. The Heaven-Earth Rings are divided into Yin and Yang. The Yin rings are able to protect oneself from essence light while the Yang Rings are able to control the essence light to attack. Fellow Daoist Han should be in possession of the Yin ring.


    Originally, Master Cang Kun drew assistance from the ring and managed to pass through the valley¡¯s essence light area unscated. To my knowledge, although there are other methods to pass through the Greatnorth Essence Light, but it would require an extensive formation placed down by many cultivators or treasures that are lost or incapable of being acquired.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist means¡­¡± Han Li glanced at the two and began to ponder about the dangers and what there was to be gained.

 Chapter 727

    Ancient Flame Toad


    Marquis Nanlong blinked and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Fellow Daoist Master Jadepearl, Fellow Daoist Han, and I will act as one and seize the treasure inside Devilfall Valley. Once we find the treasures, our strength will greatly increase, and there will be no need to fear from anyone.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t immediately respond. Rather, he narrowed his eyes at he stared the two. Having heard that the black ring were one of the Heaven-Earth Rings from legend, he immediately recalled the other ring that he had acquired from Nangong Wan¡¯s Senior Martial Sister.


    If his guess was correct, that should be the Yang ring of the Heaven-Earth Rings. He truly didn¡¯t think that the two rings would be related to each other in this way. Han Li felt that the world was truly mysterious for such a coincidence to occur and couldn¡¯t help but laugh in his mind.


    He sighed and wore a hesitant expression, ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, Fellow Daoist Nanlong seems to already have a means to enter Devilfall Valley. With the assistance of the Heaven-Earth Ring, what are the chances of leaving alive and with treasure. Devilfall Valley is known to be the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South. It is no laughing matter, and I have no wish to meeting my death there and becoming feed for any passing animal.¡±


    When they heard Han Li¡¯s words, the two glanced at one another. A short moment later, Marquis Nanlong spoke with a deep voice, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han asked, I don¡¯t conceal this from you. According to what Master Cang Kun left behind, Devilfall Valley is still an extremely dangerous place. If one is not careful, they will be absorbed into a shifting spatial tear or find themselves in a remnant of an ancient restriction.


    ¡°To tell the truth, there will be no problem entering. We have a an almost certain chance of safely entering, but if it¡¯s hard to say when we¡¯re searching for treasure. The more dangerous the area, the higher likelihood of getting treasure. Even Master Cang Kun is unsure what we will find within these areas. Because Master Cang Kun suffered extensive damage to his cultivation at the time, he didn¡¯t treat deep into the center of Devilfall Valley. He simply found a few treasures around the outer area. However, this also illustrates there are truly treasures within the valley that had been left behind from times of desolate antiquity. By braving these dangers, we will be certain to return with vast rewards.¡± At the end of his words, his voice seemed to carry a tone of temptation.


    Master Jadepearl then said, ¡°Of course, if Fellow Daoist is truly unwilling to brave the danger, you can simply give the ring to us. However, we¡¯ll only be able to give you a few spirit stones. But I must say that the medicine pills of ancient cultivators are many and their effects are beyond imagination. If you acquire them, it will only be a matter of time before you breakthrough mid and late Nascent Soul stage. Perhaps you may even be able to find some lost secrets that have to do with Deity Transformation stage cultivators. After all, we have no idea what truly happens after they enter Deity Transformation stage as to whether they truly ascend to the spirit realm of whether they undergo some other transformation. Could it be that Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t wish to find the truth?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes glinted and he muttered to himself for a moment before saying, ¡°If I am not mistaken, you two wish for me to enter Devilfall Valley for some reason. After all, you have plenty of Nascent Soul allies, and have no need for me.¡±


    Once that was said, their faces immediately froze before revealing a trace of embarrassment.


    Marquis Nangong pursed his lips in a wry smile and chuckled. With a helpless tone, he said, ¡°To tell the truth, I would¡¯ve mentioned this even if Fellow Daoist Han hadn¡¯t raised the point. Not only are there spatial tears and remnant restrictions, there are also a few ancient beasts that had remained since ancient times. Among them is the Ancient Flame Toad that have gone long extinct. Although this flame toad still hasn¡¯t become intelligent, it has lived for countless years, and has grown incredibly powerful with scales of otherworldly demonfire. According to what was left behind by Master Cang Kun, its demon flames are several times more intense than our own Nascent Flames. With the blue ice flames that you used to instantly freeze a Nascent Soul cultivator, you should be able to restrain the flame toad. ¡±


    Han Li blinted with surprise before revealing an odd expression, ¡°Are you saying that the flame toad is blocking your route into the valley?¡±


    Master Jadepearl calmly answered,¡±Not at all. Rather, the beast has something to do with an ancient cultivator¡¯s remain. While there are no restrictions or spatial tears nearby the body, the Ancient Flame Toad happened to place its nest nearby.


    Master Cang Kun planned on acquiring the remains, but he quickly retreated after battling with the Flame Toad. However, he still suffered from its flame venom afterwards and nearly died as a result.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and said, ¡°I understand now. You two fellow Daoists wish for me to deal with the Ancient Flame Toad and allow you to seize the treasure.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong excitedly added, ¡°Dealing with the flame toad will be far more preferable than dealing with the ancient restrictions and the spatial teras. So long as we use an appropriate strategy, we should have no problems dealing with it given your ice flames. Not to mention that we don¡¯t even need Fellow Daoist to exterminate the beast, only to capture its attention while we acquire the treasure. Once we have the ancient cultivator¡¯s storage pouch, we can simply disengage.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°According to what you¡¯ve said, it¡¯ll be safer to deal with the Ancient Flame Toad once we¡¯ve enter rather than risk other areas of Devilfall Valley.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong nodded his head, ¡°If luck would have it, the treasures in the ancient cultivator¡¯s storage pouch will be worth the danger.¡±


    Han Li smirked and formed a mysterious smile, ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you should be able to draw from the power of the Heavenpeak Sect and act together. That should be much better than just us three acting alone. I don¡¯t believe the Heavenpeak Sect can¡¯t find other cultivators that have ice attribute techniques.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and said, ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist Han still doesn¡¯t know the fearsomeness of the Greatnorth Essence Light. Even with the Heaven-Earth Ring, we¡¯ll only be able to use its power to shelter three at most. It doesn¡¯t have the strength for a fourth. As for the Heavenpeak Sect, I¡¯m sure Fellow Daoist should know how difficult it will be for me to trust others after what had happened with the Ghost Spirit Sect.¡± At that moment Marquis Nanlong¡¯s listless eyes suddenly revealed a cold glint.


    When Han Li heard this, he simply smiled without revealing the slightest surprise, ¡°It seems Brother Nanlong trusts me quite deeply. I am truly honored!¡±


    Master Jadepearl took quick breath and stared at Han Li, asking, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, we¡¯ve already handled our other affairs. Will you tell us your answer?¡±


    Han Li skirted the question and asked, ¡°Could it be that you plan on going to Devilfall Valley soon?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong quickly answered, ¡°No. Although the majority of spatial tears constantly change, every fifty years there comes a year where the spatial teras are comparatively calm. I particularly looked into it before we entered the Moulan Plains. This calm period will become in about four years. During this time, we will have to make a few preparations.¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin before eventually coming to a decision, ¡°Since it is still a while away, I will have to deliberate carefully. How about I give you a reply a year before the period of calm for Devilfall Valley? Even if I can¡¯t enter Devilfall Valley , I¡¯ll still be able to give you the Heaven-Earth Ring to you.¡±


    The two weren¡¯t very satisfied with his answer, but Han Li wasn¡¯t about to rashly agree to head into such a dangerous area.


    After all, he was different from the two. He could tell from a glance that Marquis Nanlong and Master Jadepearl were far older than he was and were even nearing the end of their lifespans. They were willing to brave the danger as this was likely their last opportunity. On the other hand, Han Li was still young and was hesitant to face such dangers. After all, changes occur quickly in the world. He would still be able to come to a decision after seeing how things have changed.


    Fortunately, Han Li had already agreed that he would give the Heaven-Earth Ring to them and the two hadn¡¯t further pressed the issue. After chatting a bit more on matters related to Devilfall Valley, Han Li tactfully took his leave.


    Before he left, Master Jadepearl gave Han Li a medallion. He said that so long as Han Li show the medallion to any Heavenpeak disciple, he would be able to contact Master Jadepearl through his disciple. Han Li took the item without any reservations and left the stone room. Once he reached back to the store on the ground level, he made way to the street under the shopkeeper¡¯s respectful farewell.


    Han Li was certain that not long after he left, the two would change locations, particularly due to Marquis Nanlong¡¯s heavy wounds. He would surely be anxious to find a safe area to recover. However, it would be incredibly difficult for Marquis Nanlong to completely recover after a sparse few years. It was quite possible that his injuries could cause his cultivation to fall an entire level.


    Han Li inwardly shook his head and tossed the matter to the back of his mind before calmly heading back to his residence.


    The matter of Devilfall Valley was still quite a distance away, but the invasion of the Moulan spell warriors was happening now. It wasn¡¯t something that he¡¯d be able to avoid. Han Li began to consider this matter as he slowly disappeared from view.

 Chapter 728

    Providing Assistance


    Once Han Li returned to his residence, he found Senior Martial Brother Lu and the Child Fire Dragon waiting for him in the hall of the first floor. Mu Peiling was currently sitting to the side just like one would expect of a hostess.


    When she saw Han Li enter, she immediately stood up and said, ¡°My Lord, Senior Lu and Senior Lan have been waiting for you for quite some time. Did something happen?¡±


    Han Li gave Mu Peiling a rare smile and gently said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You can go up first and rest. I¡¯ll be having a proper chat with my two Senior Martial Brothers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Mu Peiling gave an charming curtsy and climbed up the stairs without another word. When Han Li glanced at her from behind, he felt satisfied at the woman¡¯s intelligent response, but when he recalled the matter with Nangong Wan, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    When Lu Luo saw that Han Li had returned in such an excited mood, he teased, ¡°What? Does Junior Martial Brother Han finally have desire for children?¡±


    Han Li smiled and sat down beside the two. He calmly said, ¡°Hehe, Senior Martial Brother Jests. Since you two are here, it must be about the treaties meeting earlier today.¡±


    Lu Luo slowly said, ¡°Junior Martial Brother guessed correctly. It is about the Moulan Invasion. We¡¯ve already delivered the news to the other sects in the alliance and the matter has spread to our fellow alliance members in the city. A majority of these Fellow Daoists are willing to send reinforcements in acknowledgement that the matter will not be solved by hiding. They are willing to assist the Nine Nations Union in resisting the Moulan Vanguard.


    Of course, these Nascent Soul cultivators will require a sizable amount of spirit stones as compensation. I¡¯m sure the Nine Nations Alliance will be more than willing to pay. After all, the Moulan are a fearsome opponent, but it is true that the Nine Nations Union does bear the brunt of the invasion.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and spoke with slight puzzlement, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, what is there to discuss? Although I¡¯ve reached Nascent Soul stage for only a few years, I am still capable of fighting enemies.¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon then spoke with a solemn expression, ¡°Fellow Daoist might not know that a group of Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators paid us a visit and spoke of a few matters. I feel that it is reasonable to tell you what they said.


    Han Li blinked several times before wearing a mysterious smile, ¡°What did they say? Don¡¯t tell me that they said the Nine Nations Union was using this as an opportunity to weaken the other three powers.¡±


    Lu Luo replied with a wry smile, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Han is truly intelligent indeed to have guessed correctly after only a moment. However, the Nine Nations Union would find it difficult to deal with all three superpowers at once. It is quite possible that they will ally with one or two parties and take down another. This isn¡¯t something that our Heavenly Dao Alliance is willing to see happen ¡ª


    The cultivation world will become unstable when the Moulan spell warriors retreat. Our alliance cannot allow this to happen and upset the balance of power.¡±


    Han Li smirked and calmly asked, ¡°Oh? You mean¡­¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon said, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Although the three superpowers will listen to the Nine Nations Union for the time being, we will not allow them to weaken any of us. We had discussed this together with the Devilish and Righteous Dao, and we came to a conclusion to have further discussions on some rules tomorrow in the official hall.


    At the very least, the Nine Nations Union will be forced to send their own elders into battle alongside ours, instead of covertly weakening our Nascent Soul cultivators. We will require Junior Martial Brother Han along with the other cultivators to back this proposal.¡±


    Han Li replied without further thought.¡±It is no problem. I also have no wish for cultivators to secretly plan behind my back while I fight spell warriors.¡±


    Lu Luo sighed and said, ¡°That is good. In addition to Junior Martial Brother Han, we will contact other Fellow Daoists and ensure that the Enlightened Leaf Sect and the Flowing Mind Sect will not be able to do this. I hope this war will end as soon as possible; else, the losses in the Heavenly South will be untold!¡±


    The Child Fire Dragon wore a cold smile and ominously said, ¡°Hehe! With our cultivation, so long as we are careful, we will be able to preserve our lives in the war. In the last Moulan invasion, I managed to slaughter a good number of spell warriors. This time, I will want to also slay a good number.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the Child Fire Dragon with astonishment. This cultivator had the appearance of a boy, but his cultivation was at early Nascent Soul stage. The baleful Qi his body emitted was also far more heavy than his peers. It appeared many lives had been slayed by his hand.


    The three chatted a bit more about the concrete details for tomorrow¡¯s discussion and had a few brief words on the sudden appearance of the huge beasts and the strange spell warriors before they departed.


    When Han Li saw the two to the residence¡¯s entrance, Lu Luo hesitated for a moment before asking Han Li, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, did anything happen from your meeting today with your old acquaintance?¡± At that moment, Lu Luo was staring at Han Li¡¯s face as if wishing to see if he would betray anything from his expression.


    Han Li blinked and calmly answered, ¡°Nothing happened. We merely discussed about the past.¡±


    ¡°That is good! I am relieved.¡± Lu Luo felt most of his worries disappear with his response and happily said a few more words with Han Li before leaving with the Child Fire Dragon.


    Han Li stood in front of his residence and watched the two enter another building nearby, presumably to meet with another cultivator. It appeared that the two had been assigned a duty within the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Otherwise, the Devilish and Righteous Dao representatives wouldn¡¯t have sought them out.


    Han Li stoked his chin and pondered for a moment before going back inside.


    ¡­


    The second day of discussions had nearly double the number of Nascent Soul cultivators. In addition to the elders of the three superpowers, there were also a few vagrant cultivators.


    This sudden change had caught the hosts of the conference ¡ª the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Lady Qi and the Enlightened Leaf Sect¡¯s Kun Peng ¡ª off guard. They had been forced to agree to the many cultivator¡¯s conditions regardless of what they had in mind previously. The most important of these conditions being that high grade assignments must be participated by an equal share of cultivators among the four powers, avoiding any machinations the other powers may have in store for another.


    Han Li had been particularly surprised to see that the a coalition of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Union ¡ª after being informed by Lu Luo and the Child Fire Dragon ¡ª had already came to decision to a send Nascent Soul elders and Core Formation cultivators to support Soaring Heavens City.


    Of course, since they were still quite a distance away, Lu Luo and the other cultivators already present would have to delay the Moulan invasion in the meantime.


    And for the purposes of being fair, those that acquired vast merits in battle would be allowed to return to their sects once reinforcements arrived, and will not be required to participate in any later battles as the incoming cultivators would take their place.


    Additionally, whether it be the Child Fire Dragon, Lu Luo, or any others, all the cultivators in the hall have each been assigned various duties to support the frontline.


    Han Li and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators were leading a party of eight Core Formation cultivators to provide support to a strategic location on the border of the State of Yu. It was one of the tensome vital points along the border that would be a target of the Moulan Invasion. If these points remained uncaptured, the Moulan wouldn¡¯t be able to truly hold any land going forward for fear of attack.


    As for the Nine Nations Union, their current strength wasn¡¯t enough to launch a decisive battle against the Moulan. They could only rely on favorable conditions and meticulously placed grand formations to gradually delay the spell warriors¡¯ main army. Else given the speed of the high grade spell warriors, they would¡¯ve been able to reach Soaring Heavens City in only a month.


    The army of the spell warriors have yet to reach the strategic location that Han Li was assigned to protect. However, there was only one Nine Nations Union Nascent Soul cultivator amongst the high grade cultivators that were guarding it. It appeared that in the past invasions, a single Nascent Soul cultivator was enough to contend against a number of spell warriors with the support of the restrictions and spell formations. However, this was nowhere near enough to top spell warrior¡¯s current attacks.


    As for the other Nascent Soul cultivators, there was Old Man Ma from the Righteous Dao¡¯s Grand Pavilion ¡ª a lean old man with a healthy appearance ¡ª and there was also the green-robed old man that he saw the other day in the discussion hall named Gu Shuangpu. Although he only had a single spirit beast pouch at its waist, Han Li felt uncomfortable from the Qi that it faintly emitted. It appeared that it was quite unordinary.


    The two of them possessed similar cultivation to Han Li, at early Nascent Soul stage.


    Because it was likely that the main army of the spell warriors would soon attack this location, the three Nascent Soul cultivators quickly decided to leave behind their Core Formation cultivators and hurried to reach the spell formation first, and have their Core Formation Juniors lag behind.


    On the way, Old Man Ma had proven quite entertaining and spoke of humorous matters as if they were on a scenic journey rather than on their way to fight spell warriors.


    As for the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s Gu Shuangpu, he kept silent for most of the journey and wore a sullen expression. It was unknown what he was thinking. As for Han Li, he wore a smile on his face and spoke with Old Man Ma, giving the two a refined impression. The two both knew that Han Li was a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator and they didn¡¯t hold Han Li¡¯s strength in much esteem.

 Chapter 729

    Chapter #729


    Nearly half a month later, in the Yellow Dragon Mountains of the State of Yu¡¯s Li Prefecture, there was a large bald middle-aged man that stood inside a jade hall on top of the Yellow Dragon Mountains. He continuously walked in a circle with an apprehensive expression.


    A short moment later, the large man sat down on a straw chair and took a sip of tea from the cup on the table, calming his roiling heart for a time. But then a red streak of light suddenly flew inside and began to circle around the hall. The large man¡¯s expression changed upon seeing this and he beckoned to the red light, having it fall into his hand.


    The light burst into raging flames upon touching his hand and the large man sunk his spiritual sense within them. His expression immediately turned unsightly. Silence filled the hall for a time and his expression grew ashen. Then, he silently took out a small azure bell from his storage pouch and struck it with his finger.


    A melodious ring filled the entire hall, with unceasing echos returning from a distance.


    Soon, the ring spread to the entirety of the Yellow Dragon Mountains, and the jade buildings on top of the other peaks began to flourish with lights of every color. Then cultivators wearing various clothing hurriedly flew out from these buildings as if practiced. Not long after, a dense green mist began to spread throughout the entire Yellow Dragon Mountain, turning an area of tens of kilometers into a sea of strange dark-green mist.


    Soon after, four cultivators appeared before the large bald man from within the hall, three men and one woman ¡ª all possessing Core Formation cultivation. There were two men that appeared thirty years of age, appearing similar enough to be siblings. The other man was wearing Daoist robes, wielded a horsetail whisk, and despite his gallant appearance he was middle-aged. As for the sole female cultivator, her figure was dainty and her face was exceptionally beautiful.


    The four were each standing next to one another in the hall with grave expressions.


    With an expression of disbelief, the female cultivator hesitantly asked, ¡°Senior Lu[1], is it true that a spell warrior army has arrived so quickly. From what we heard last time, wasn¡¯t it only supposed to be a squadron of spell warriors? And what happened to Senior Bu? Could it be that in a mere week the Heavenwind Storm Formation was destroyed even under the guard of Senior Bu? Is this not a misunderstanding?¡±


    [1] This Lu ½ is different from the past two ¡®Lu¡¯s (Master Jadepearl[³ Lu Weiying]), ÂÀ(Lu Luo)¡¯ that have been encountered. They¡¯re homophones.


    The bald man coldly smiled and grimly said, ¡°Misunderstanding? I would think that also were it not for the fact that Hunchback Bu had personally sent me the message. He even mentioned that he sustained heavy injuries and was about to soon arrive at our Yellow Dragon Mountains along with a few of his defeated garrison. This is by no means a misunderstanding. We will have to face the enemy alone without any reinforcements.¡±


    When the four Core Formation cultivators heard this, they could only glance at one another with a bitter smile and acknowledge him.


    Following that, the large man gave each of the four their orders in preparation for the oncoming battle, but suddenly yet another streak of red light flew into the building. The cultivators in the room were stunned by the sudden appearance.


    The large man grew still and reached for the sound transmission talisman without any hesitation. As a result, the talisman bursted into flame and clearly transmitted its message to him, causing him to wear an odd expression.


    The female cultivator couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Senior Lu, what¡¯s the matter? Spell warriors have already arrived?¡± When the other three Core Formation cultivators heard this, their expressions all grew tense.


    The large man grinned. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he slowly said, ¡°No, our reinforcements have arrived. Three Nascent Soul Fellow Daoists have arrived outside the grand formation. Quickly, head out to welcome them and invite them inside.¡±


    Immediately, the four Core Formation cultivators revealed delight and promptly accepted the large man¡¯s orders with a salute.


    Three silhouettes were floating outside above the green mist and were examining the restrictions of the grand formation down below. The three, of course, were Han Li and the other two Nascent Soul cultivator that had hurried on their way.


    Because the three would soon be relying on the grand formation to resist a siege from the Moulan armies, they each examined the sea of mist surrounding the mountains as they waited for the cultivators inside to respond, wishing to see the mysteries that it hid.


    Let alone whatever the true power of the spell formation may be, the green sea it produced seemed nearly limitless at a glance and emitted an unordinary pressure. With his hands behind his back, a blue light suddenly appeared in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he glanced at the formation, resulting in a pensive expression on his face.


    Not long after, a series of white flashes appeared from the green mist, and the mist rolled away to create a passage through.


    Old Man Ma and Gu Shuangpu seemed to pay this change no notice. One of them was looking at the sky in silence while the other was staring at another portion of the green mist as if he found something odd about it. Han Li was the only one that calmly glanced at the passageway with a faint smile on his face.


    A short moment later, four streaks of light shot out from the passageway, revealing themselves to be the four Core Formation cultivators from before.


    The gallant middle-aged cultivator in Daoist robes respectfully saluted the three, ¡°Juniors pay their respects to these Seniors. May we know of your venerable names?¡±


    When Han Li saw that the two had no intention of speaking, Han Li smiled and took the initiative to introduce themselves, ¡°I am the Drifting Cloud Sect Elder Han Li. These two are Fellow Daoist Ma of the Grand Pavilion and Fellow Daoist Gu of the Controlling Spirit Sect. There are still another eight Core formation cultivators on their way. Us three left them behind in fear that we would be too late. And since the grand formation is currently activated, the Moulan must soon be arriving!¡±


    The gallant middle-aged cultivator then gave an introduction to the three cultivators standing behind them, ¡°So it turned out to be Senior Han. I am the Clear Void Sect¡¯s Chong Xuzi. These two are Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Murong Brothers and this is the Saber Transformation Dock¡¯s Lady Li.¡±


    ¡®The Murong Brothers?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered across the brothers and he wore a mysterious smile on his face, ¡°Is Fellow Daoist Nie still doing well?¡±


    The Murong Brothers revealed delight upon hearing this, ¡°Senior recognizes Senior Martial Sister Nie? We haven¡¯t seen her for several years because we¡¯ve been stationed at this grand formation.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the two brothers and pursed his lips into a beaming smile, ¡°Of course I do. I saw your Senior Martial Sister not too long ago. But it seems you two don¡¯t recognize me. This comes as no surprise as I was but a passing face to you two.¡±


    The two were greatly alarmed upon hearing Han Li and immediately stiffened. This Senior seemed to be an old acquaintance, but why was it they had no impression of him? They took another careful look of Han Li before eventually finding him to feel somewhat familiar. The two then bewilderedly glanced at each other.


    ¡°Hehe! Since you Fellow Daoists don¡¯t recognize me, I¡¯ll leave the matter for later,¡± Han Li then glanced at Old Man Ma and Gu Shuangpu from a side and indifferently said, ¡°Can we now go inside?¡±


    Chong Xuzi felt somewhat baffled by the previous scene, but he roused upon hearing Han Li and hastily agreed, ¡°Of course. Seniors, please follow me. Senior Lu is eagerly waiting for you in the main hall.¡±


    Afterwards, the four Core formation cultivators led the way as they flew through the green mist. Not long after, the passageway within the roiling green mist quickly closed once more.


    A short moment later, Han Li and the others appeared within the hall before the large bald man.


    When the bald man saw the three, his stern expression was replaced with a smile, ¡°I welcome you three for supporting our defenses. Aren¡¯t you Brother Ma and Fellow Daoist Gu? As for this young Fellow Daoist, who might you name be?¡± Upon seeing Han Li, the large man felt him to unfamiliar and he curiously examined him.


    Old Man Ma chuckled and said, ¡°It is no surprise that Brother Lu doesn¡¯t recognize him. Fellow Daoist Han just condensed his Nascent Soul a few years ago. His future prospects are limitless.¡±


    A trace of disappointment momentarily appeared on the large man¡¯s face when he heard that Han Li was a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator, but he soon wore a grateful expression, ¡°Oh? So it turned out to be a newly ascended Fellow Daoist. It is no wonder why I¡¯ve never seen you before! But regardless of how it is said, I am most grateful for your support. I fear that we would¡¯ve fallen in merely days had you not arrived.¡±


    The bald man¡¯s momentary lapse hadn¡¯t escaped Han Li¡¯s notice. However, he simply smiled in silence and didn¡¯t betray the slightest discontent.


    The bald man then spoke of a few past matters before moving onto the difficult situation that was currently facing them.

 Chapter 730

    Reappearance of Yingning


    Skipping further pleasantries, the large bald man bluntly said, ¡°You three Fellow Daoists arrived just in time. I just received information that an army of spell warriors attacked Fellow Daoist Bu¡¯s Sky Terrace Valley and are coming here in passing. In less than half a day, our defeated allies from Sky Terrace Valley will arrive. I hope when the time comes, you three Fellow Daoists will be able to rescue them.¡±


    Showing not the slightest dissatisfaction at the request, Old Man Ma said, ¡°This will be handled; it is but a trivial affair. I¡¯ll be able to do it myself, so there¡¯s no need for Fellow Daoist Han and Brother Gu to act!¡±


    This caused Han Li and Gu Shuangpu to glance at each other with slight surprise.


    The old man twirled his beard and wore a mysterious expression. ¡°Fellow Daoists, don¡¯t be surprised. It isn¡¯t that I wish to show off, but there is a recently acquired treasure that I wish to test. Surely you won¡¯t fight me on this?¡±


    Gu Shuangpu chuckled and indifferently said, ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist Ma must feel confident. I¡¯ll definitely leave it to you.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s have Fellow Daoist and Brother Gu take a rest first and leave it to Fellow Daoist Ma. However, I¡¯ll have the Murong Brothers accompany Fellow Daoist Ma on the trip. The two have cultivated the Lightning Bind spell technique. It should prove quite powerful.¡±


    The old man had no intention of opposing him. After all, having allied accompaniment in an unfamiliar area was proper conduct.


    Afterwards, Old Man Ma and the Murong Brothers immediately set off to receive the defeated Nine Nation cultivators. As for Han Li and Gu Shuangpu. They were led inside the hall by the remaining two Core Formation cultivators and were given a place to rest for the time being.


    Along the way, Han Li and the old man separated, and Han Li was led to a small serene building by the young woman.


    The dainty woman pointed to the building and stood to the side as she spoke, ¡°Senior Han, this place is normally strictly prohibited from low-grade disciples. It should be an optimal place to meditate. Senior may rest here.¡±


    ¡°It is quite good.¡± Han Li nodded with a trace of satisfaction on his face.


    The woman didn¡¯t immediately depart. Instead, she hesitated and asked, ¡°Senior, is Fellow Daoist Nie Yin doing well? I haven¡¯t seen Senior Martial Sister in a long time.¡±


    With some surprise, Han Li shot the young woman an appraising look and calmly asked, ¡°What, are you familiar with Young Lady Nie?¡±


    At that moment, Han Li discovered that although the woman felt somewhat familiar despite being the first time he had ever seen her, he unconsciously developed a good impression of her. As Han Li gazed at the woman, she began to feel slightly apprehensive and upset, and her complexion turned scarlet.


    ¡°I was able to enter the Saber Transformation Dock in much thanks to Senior Martial Sister Nie¡¯s recommendation,¡± the dainty woman explained with a lowered her head. ¡°How could I be not be close with her?¡±


    ¡°Yingning? Li Yingning?¡± When Han Li heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal an astonished expression.


    Li Yingning unconsciously raised her head and astonishedly asked, ¡°Has Senior heard my name before?¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t answer the woman and simply took a deep breath before asking, ¡°What was your mother¡¯s name? What country did she come from?¡±


    The woman hesitated for a long while, debating inwardly whether or not the information should be hidden. Something then came to her mind and replied, ¡°My mother¡¯s name was Mo Yuzhu. She came from the State of Yue. Why does Senior ask this?¡±


    After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Do you still have the Passing Spirit Jade pendant?¡±


    ¡°I do have it. I¡¯ve kept it close at hand ever since I was small.¡± After she replied, she blushed underneath his stare and turned around.


    She fumbled within her robes for a moment and turned around with a white jade pendant in her hand. Han Li beckoned to it as soon as he saw it and had the jade pendant fly into his hand. Once he rubbed the smooth surface of the jade pendant, Han Li let out a long sigh and wore a listless expression.


    ¡°You should realize who I am now,¡± he said after a long while. ¡°What did your mother say of me?¡±


    He examined the woman once more and eventually found a trace of Mo Yuzhu¡¯s resemblance after knowing what to search for. Although her beauty was somewhat less than her mother in her prime, he could still find a similar trace of country-shaking beauty.


    With a wavering expression, Li Yingzhu muttered, ¡°In the past, Mother didn¡¯t speak much of you. I only heard that she had a close friend who gave me a congratulations present at the time, a cultivator. After I entered the cultivation world, I attempted to find the gifter of this jade pendant several times, but I found no information. I didn¡¯t expect that Senior gave it to her. After all, Senior is a Drifting Cloud Sect cultivator.¡±


    Han Li stroked his nose and wryly smiled. ¡°I only recently entered the Drifting Cloud Sect several years ago. In the past, I was no longer able to remain in the State of Yue, so it is no surprise that you¡¯ve heard nothing of me. How was it you were able to enter the Saber Transformation Dock? It is reasonable to say that it would come to no surprise if you joined the Controlling Spirit Sect.¡±


    Li Yinzhu blinked in astonishment and asked, ¡°Why would that come as no surprise if I were a disciple of the Controlling Spirit Sect?¡±


    With a tone of surprise, Han Li asked in turn, ¡°You didn¡¯t know about your father¡¯s affairs?¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression grew dim and she forced a smile. ¡°I know little of my father. From my earliest memory, my grandfather and my father died from unknown causes, and I lived alone with my mother. She brought me away from the State of Yue and we wandered for a long time before finally arriving within the territories of the Nine Nations Union.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head as if he had suddenly realized something. ¡°So it was like that! It seems that your father and mother were caught in the crossfire of the Devil Dao¡¯s inner struggle. After all, the Ghost Spirit Sect were the ones who had ended up controlling the State of Yue, not the Controlling Spirit Sect.¡±


    ¡°An internal struggle amongst the Devil Dao?¡± The woman seemed confused by what Han Li had said.


    Han Li didn¡¯t further elaborate upon seeing this and instead returned the jade pendant to the woman and smiled. ¡°This Passing Spirit Jade has followed you throughout many years, so naturally I won¡¯t be taking it from you. Before I entered the world of Immortal cultivation, I was your mother¡¯s senior martial brother of sorts. You may call me Martial Senior Han in the future.¡±


    Still puzzled, the woman blinked several times with large eyes, but she still softly shouted, ¡°Martial Senior Han!¡± Although she felt slightly embarrassed, she was more than willing to accept having another Nascent Soul Senior. She was even secretly delighted over it.


    Han Li wore a friendly smile on his face and he summoned two jade bottles with a flip of his hand. ¡°Since you¡¯ve called me Martial Senior, I can¡¯t ignore it. Here are two medicine bottles. They are quite useful for breaking through bottlenecks at Core Formation stage.¡± In his point of view, if he could assist the descendant of an old friend, he wasn¡¯t going to be petty about it.


    ¡°Many thanks, Martial Senior.¡± The woman accepted the medicine pill and revealed an expression of pleasant surprise. Her voice sounded both crisp and sincere.


    ¡°What sort of magic treasure do you use?¡± Han Li asked after a moment of thought. ¡°Could it be the flying saber that you were flying on?¡±


    Li Yingning paused for a moment and replied with a puzzled tone, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s that magic treasure. The flying saber was refined from Intense Flame Iron and Profound Blossom Crystal. Its power is quite good.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and said, ¡°Were this ordinary times, the flying saber would be sufficient. But now that you must contend against spell warriors, I fear it would be quite dangerous to rely on that magic treasure alone.¡±


    Li Yingning helplessly said, ¡°However, if Martial Senior were to give me another magic treasure now, I wouldn¡¯t have the time to refine it.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he muttered to himself with a pensive expression. A short moment later, he slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist and a large swarm of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles flocked around him, forming a three-meter-wide insect cloud above him.


    A bright glint flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes and he pointed to the insect swarm. A small portion of the insect swarm separated off and were struck by an azure spell seal. The cloud of Gold Devouring Beetles then gathered together in a flash of azure light and instantly transformed in a sparkling, fist-sized ball of black, silver, and gold.


    Once the ball slowly fell into Han Li¡¯s hand, Han Li tossed the ball to the woman and he solemnly said, ¡°Place this item well. I meticulously transformed these insects. When you encounter an enemy that is difficult to deal with, throw the ball. It will save your life.¡±


    Li Yingzhu was stunned by the sight and was awakened by Han Li¡¯s words. She immediately accepted the ball and repeated uttered her thanks, ¡°Many thanks for Martial Senior Han¡¯s deep kindness!¡±


    The last doubts regarding Han Li in this woman¡¯s heart had finally disappeared. At this moment, she completely trusted Han Li. Why else would he give her such valuable gifts without having a previous relation?


    ¡°Alright, you may leave now. I wish to rest.¡± After that was said, Han Li took back the remaining insect cloud and waved his hand.


    The hurried rush to this strategic location had drained much of his magic power and he needed to restore it.


    Using a faintly intimate tone, Li Yingning said, ¡°Martial Senior Han, have a proper rest. If the spell warrior army arrives, I will come and inform you.¡±

 Chapter 731

    Purple Apex Flames


    Han Li sat cross legged in the meditation room on the building¡¯s second floor. His eyes were tightly shut and azure light flowed from his body. With hands forming a strange incantation gesture, an egg-sized ball of purple flame floated from his palm ¡ª gently wavering without end.


    This devil flame was something that Han Li created from the Celestial Ice Flames and the Six-Winged Frost Centipede¡¯s glacial Qi. This flame¡¯s power was an entire stage higher than that of the Celestial Ice Flames, causing it to become Han Li¡¯s greatest killing move at the moment.


    This purple devilflame was something that Han Li gradually created after he refined a sliver of the Celestial Ice Flames. And in order to differentiate it from the Sacred Asura Flames, he named it the Purple Apex Flames.


    He was convinced that if this flame caught onto the body of even a late Nascent Soul cultivator, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to resist it. As for whether or not it could actually kill them, there was no way of guessing.


    However, it was pity that although the flame¡¯s true might was inconceivable, it was limited on the quantity of Celestial Ice Flames he could refine. If he somewhat managed to gather together several times his current amount, he may find himself capable of openly contending against late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Han Li heard Silvermoon click her tongue in astonishment from the back of his mind, ¡°Congratulations Master! I seemed to have underestimated the Purple Apex Flames. They appear quite a bit more powerful, and there will be even greater potential in the future.¡±


    He silently smiled in response and simply took a breathe, turning the Purple Apex Flames into a strand of flame and breathing it inside him. He then released the incantation gesture he was holding and ceased his casting.


    Han Li opened his eyes and slowly said, ¡°Although the Purple Apex Flames were potent, the quantity is just far too little to be reliably used. What I am hoping for the most is that I will be able to open the Heavenvoid Cauldron. If what you said about it being a divine spirit treasure was true, I¡¯ll be able to sweep across the entire Heavenly South with it in hand, and reach a realm of power where I will have no worries.¡±


    Silvermoon sweetly chuckled and confidently said, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Master. The Heavenvoid Cauldron is as powerful or even greater than what I¡¯ve said.¡±


    Han Li nodded his head and thought to say something else when a streak of white light suddenly flew inside his room. Yingning¡¯s clear voice suddenly echoed through the air, ¡°Martial Senior Han, quickly hurry to the main hall! Senior Ma has returned and the Moulan are about to arrive!¡± Once that was said, the streak of white light flew back outside.


    With a sullen expression on his face, a cold glint shined through his eyes as he flew out.


    When Han Li arrived inside the main hall, Gu Shuangpu, Old Man Ma, and the large bald man were already present, along with a hunchbacked embroidered-robed cultivator with a pale complexion. He was currently walking with the others. As for the Core Formation cultivators, there were two unfamiliar additions to the four from before. They were currently standing by at the side with solemn expressions.


    But when Yingning saw Han Li enter, she sweetly smiled at him.


    The large bald man forced a smile and spoke with feigned ease, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han has arrived. Let me give introductions. This is Fellow Daoist Bu Yunhe, the one who was in charge of Sky Terrace Valley. Fellow Daoist Bu, this is Fellow Daoist Han of the Drifting Cloud Sect.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, his mood sank. It seemed the situation was worse than he had imagined!


    Wearing a kind expression, Han Li politely said, ¡°I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Bu¡¯s grand reputation from Brother Lu. I admire you for being able to safely escape.¡±


    Already informed of Han Li by the others, the cultivator surnamed Bu didn¡¯t reveal any surprise by his appearance. Rather, Bu Yunhe bitterly smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve made a sorry display of myself and have earned Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s mockery. It was only thanks to Fellow Daoist Ma¡¯s assistance that I was able to escape danger.¡± He then turned towards Old Man Ma with a grateful expression.


    The old man chuckled, ¡°It was nothing but a slight effort. However, those pursuers took the initiative to retreat before I even had the chance to test my ancient treasure. It was quite disappointing!¡±


    With trepidation on his face, Bu Yunhe said, ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s ancient treasure possesses truly astonishing might. The pursuing spell warriors naturally didn¡¯t wish to encounter you as they felt uncertain of their victory. But it must be said that the current Moulan invasion is far different from the ones in the past. Not only do the spell warriors have far better training, they are supported by ancient, ferocious beasts. These beasts are incredibly huge, with dense rough flesh clad in battle armor. There are also many strange restrictions that are placed on their bodies. When these creatures charge into any grand formations, the grand formation¡¯s destruction will only be a matter of time.¡±


    A strange expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that several Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t be able to slay this beast together?¡± Although he already knew the spell warrior armies brought along huge beasts, he had no idea they would be as unfathomably formidable as this.


    After a moment of thought, Bu Yunhe¡¯s expression relaxed, ¡°With the full might of a strike from my magic treasure, I was able to wound a beast. However, I was jointly attacked by two high grade spell warriors, and was too occupied to slay the beast before it destroyed the grand formation. Fellow Daoist Lu should be able to easily hold this formation with reinforcements from Fellow Daoist Ma and the others. It shouldn¡¯t fall as easily as Sky Terrace Valley.¡±


    Gu Shuangpu gloomily said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Bu, how many sage level spell warriors are there in this army? If there are few, our force of five Nascent Soul warriors should be able to catch them unprepared. Even if we can¡¯t slay one or two of their Nascent Soul grade spell warriors, we should be able to gravely injure them.¡±


    Bu Yunhe sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must disappoint Brother Gu. I spotted one of the strange spell warriors that had been earlier described together with two of the sage level spell warriors. While that strange spell warrior didn¡¯t attack, his body carried an extremely strange aura, perhaps due to some transformation. Moreover, I suspect there were more high grade spell warriors hidden amongst their army.¡±


    The large bald man nodded, ¡°So its seems that we still have much to ponder if they¡¯re hiding their strength. If they are too powerful, we will have to drag them into the grand formation. In any case, our main objective is only to stall for time.¡±


    Gu Shuangpu frowned, appearing dissatisfied with this decision, but he didn¡¯t press the issue. Neither Han Li or Old Man Ma raised any objections as well.


    As a result, the large bald man had Chong Xuzi lead Bu Yunhe to a meditation room to recover, and had Yingning and the others make arrangements for the routed Sky Terrace Valley cultivators as well added them to the garrison.


    The large man¡¯s thorough arrangements were much to Han Li¡¯s approval. The Nine Nations Union had sent this man to guard this location for a reason.


    At that moment, the rumbling sounds of a drum could be heard from a distance. Additionally, the sounds began to echo like rolls of thunder. Those in the hall grimaced at its appearance.


    Suddenly, a layer of frost seemed to exude from Old Man Ma¡¯s face. With killing intent contained in his voice, he said, ¡°It seems the Moulan have arrived. They were only a step behind us.¡±


    The large bald man cupped his fist to Han Li and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let us test them first and see if the army of spell warriors have any formidable characters to speak of. For now, I¡¯ll have to trouble you three Fellow Daoists.¡± He then turned his head to the two Core Formation cultivators that had arrived with Bu Yunhe, ¡°You two, come and follow us out. As you¡¯ve already fought them before, you should know of a few sinister tricks up their sleeve, and be able to give us a warning.¡±


    One of the Core Formation cultivators had thick eyebrows and tan skin; the other had a gloomy, horse-shaped face. When they heard the large bald man, they both glanced at each other before promptly saluting him and acknowledging his orders.


    Han Li then turned his head in the direction of the beating drums and expressionlessly gazed into the distance.


    To the south of the Yellow Dragon Mountains, a large number of Moulan spell warriors made their approach. They densely filled the horizon with dots in an orderly arrangement as they flew above the green mist down below them.


    At the very front of the spell warrior army, there were over a dozen people standing side to side. With various spirit lights and treasure auras flickering from their bodies. They were the high grade spell warriors of the Moulan army. Among them, there were three that were particularly eye-catching: a man enveloped in red light with a thick, malevolent flame snake twisting all over his body; a shriveled man as tall as a bamboo pole, appearing as if the very wind could throw him to the ground; and a figure enveloped in black robes. This black-robed figure had covered their face, but a black demonic Qi exuded from their body along with the faint sounds of ghostly wails. This was enough to inspire fear from those around them. Despite this, there were two others that were escorting the black-robed figure. However, the black-robed spell warrior flew alone at the very front of the army as if he didn¡¯t belong to it.


    The other spell warriors turned their eyes away from the black-robed figure as if possessing both fear and awe of him. However, if one were to closely examine them, they could also see a trace of hatred as well.

 Chapter 732

    Fire Spirit Flood Dragon


    The two high grade spell warriors at the black figure¡¯s side whispered something as if discussing how to destroy the grand formation ahead of them. Once the two finished their discussion, the oddly tall, shriveled cultivator blurred out of side and reappeared at the side of the black-robed figure while wrapped in azure light.


    ¡°Sir Heavenweep, shall we start? The grand formation here should prove to be more powerful than the last. I¡¯ve also heard that there should be a few Nascent Soul cultivators there. I fear that it will take quite some time.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for us to attack first.¡± tThe black-robed spell warrior shook his head. ¡°They have already decided to emerge. Let¡¯s first see how powerful these cultivators are before we decide what to do.¡± He spoke hoarsely and unclear almost as if he didn¡¯t have a tongue, much to the unease of those who heard him.


    When the lanky spell warrior heard this, he blinked in surprise and glanced down towards the green mist. As expected, a previously still area of the green mist suddenly began to roil and split into two with flickers of light that could be seen from within.


    Soon after, seven streaks of light shot out from within. They circled once around in the sky before revealing themselves ¡ª they were the party of five Nascent Soul stage and two Core Formation stage cultivators.


    Under the bald man¡¯s command, there would be no low grade cultivators following them with the exception of the Core Formation cultivators from Sky Terrace Valley and Chong Xuzi.


    Han Li stopped in the air and glanced across the army of spell warriors. Of course, the ten spell warriors leading them had attracted his attention, particularly the sinister black-robed figure. He wasn¡¯t able to stare for long as he unconsciously averted his gaze.


    When he saw this black-robed figure, he was immediately reminded of the Bone Sage, Xiao Cha.


    ¡®Could it be this person was also a ghost Dao cultivator?¡¯ Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he grew vastly more diligent.


    Before the Bone Sage seized Crooked Soul¡¯s body, his material form was dense with Yin and ghostly Qi. However, there was something slightly different with the black-robed figure¡¯s aura that Han Li couldn¡¯t describe for the time being.


    As Han Li and company arrived, the spell warriors above began to stir. The spell warrior with the python wrapped around him suddenly transformed into a huge ball of light as it shot down towards the cultivators. When Han Li and company saw this, they coldly watched in silence, revealing not a single trace of panic.


    So long as that spell warrior wasn¡¯t seeking his own death, he wouldn¡¯t dare to take the initiative to attack alone. As a result, the group of cultivators simply watched with hostile gazes as the huge fireball arrived twenty meters away from them. The flames emitted a scorching heat even from a distance, to the alarm of the many cultivators before them.


    A silhouette leaked through the flames, followed by a thunderous voice that shook the very air nearby, ¡°I am the Fire Rite Tribe¡¯s Great Sage Ku Yao. Since you¡¯ve arrived, you must be planning to first test our skills. How do you intend to have a competition? One on one? Or a melee?¡±


    The bald man glared at the fireball and icily replied, ¡°One on one. May the Heavens decide who survives.¡±


    Ku Yao wildly laughed from within the fireball, ¡°Good, that¡¯s just what I wanted. I will be the first of your opponents. Prepare someone to come forward.¡±


    The cultivators were furious by this, but Old Man Ma was particularly sullen. With an expression filled with killing intent, his body transformed into a streak of white light and he flew forward. The bald man hesitated for a moment, but he didn¡¯t stop the old man and silently allowed him to be the first to battle.


    From his point of view, he had no idea who amongst them possessed the greatest strength. Of course, he hadn¡¯t considered Han Li, who had just recently entered Nascent Soul stage.


    When Ku Yao saw the streak of white light fly forward, he silently flew back and Old Man Ma followed until they were at the center between the spell warrior army and the green mist. In this manner, both of them would be able to act without any need to hold back or fear of a sudden ambush from either side.


    The bald man turned to look at the horse-faced cultivator and solemnly asked, ¡°What are the abilities of this Moulan Sage? Does he have any particular techniques?¡±


    A trace of resentment appeared on his face as he answered, ¡°His fire attribute techniques are incredibly powerful. The flame python on his body is particularly nimble as well ¡ª it is difficult to defend against. A fellow Core Formation guard of Sky Terrace Valley had been turned to ashes by that python after being caught.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was like that!¡± The bald man then turned to the side and doubtfully said, ¡°Brother Gu, if I remember correctly, the Grand Pavilion¡¯s Grand Righteousness Arts is impervious to heat and flame, not to mention ghosts and wickedness. He should have an advantage against this spell warrior.¡±


    With a hesitant expression in his eyes, Gu Shuangpu slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. If they¡¯re common fire attribute techniques, the Grand Righteousness Arts would be able to deal with them without a problem. But if it¡¯s against a spell warrior¡¯s techniques that display the three essences of worldly spirit flames, I fear it would be beyond the scope of the Grand Righteousness Arts.


    Regardless, Fellow Daoist Ma is still the most suitable among us to fight this person. Even if his Grand Righteous Arts are unable to suppress the flames, they should be able to withstand the devilish influence of the flames. There won¡¯t be any worry of inner demon backlash.¡±


    When the bald man heard this, he felt his thoughts were certain and he relaxed for a moment before breathing out a long sigh.


    Han Li glanced at the fire python that laid within the huge fireball and he felt his heart stir. With blue light flickering from his eyes, an odd expression was momentarily betrayed from his face.


    At that moment, Old Man Ma held his hands together in an incantation gesture and a layer of soft white light began to glow from his body. At that same moment, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver speck of light the size of a walnut. In a large gust of wind, the silver light transformed into a ruler. It trembled for a moment before flickering with a thousand silver lights and releasing a cry similar to the holiest phoenix of the highest heavens.


    Rather than act, Ku Yao remained still and indifferently glanced at the old man with folded arms with a sneer on his face. This display had inspired fury in Old Man Ma, and he coldly snorted before deciding to take the initiative to attack.


    At that moment, he suddenly heard a faint voice transmission in his ear, so faint it was nearly inaudible but clear nonetheless. Old Man Ma was alarmed by what he heard, and he bewilderedly glanced around before his gaze fell onto Han Li.


    Han Li gently smiled at the old man in response. With both amazement and doubt in mind, he turned his gaze back to Ku Yao and his expression sank.


    Old Man Ma¡¯s gaze flickered several times and he sullenly said, ¡°That fire python of yours isn¡¯t an ordinary spirit beast!¡±


    Ku Yao paused for a moment before sneering, ¡°Oh? So you have some judgement after all. My fire python is formed from a worldly fire spirit. It isn¡¯t comparable to a spirit beast in the slightest.¡±


    His body trembled for a moment and the fire python on his body brightly shined with red light before taking to the skies. A horn suddenly emerged from the python¡¯s head and fierce claws grew from its body, revealing its form to be a fire flood dragon with sparkling red scales. It roiled in a fierce display as it flew above Ku Yao¡¯s head.


    ¡°Transformed fire spirit!¡± The bald man couldn¡¯t help but shout from his alarm. As for Gu Shuangpu, his expression grew unsightly.


    Old Man Ma felt his heart drop. His opponent¡¯s flame techniques had reached a stage where he could refine and transform fire spirits. This wasn¡¯t something an ordinary Nascent Soul stage spell warrior was capable of. There was going to be a fierce battle ahead of him.


    With that thought, Old Man Ma erased his original plan of only using seventy percent of his strength to fight the enemy. He took a deep breath and widely swept his sleeve, summoning an item that was wrapped in a rainbow glow. It circled once around his head and stopped a meter above it.


    At that moment, the cultivators below and the spell warriors in the distance both watched with curiosity. A treasure that was able to flicker with rainbow light was likely something of exceptional quality.


    Han Li also glanced at this item. The item was round and slim, a meter-long faintly yellow scroll. The scroll faced Ku Yao and slowly unrolled itself as Old Man Ma began to gravely chant a incantation. As a result, the scroll revealed a drawing of an ordinary eight trigram diagram.


    Old Man Ma then struck the scroll with a seemingly basic spell seal and had the scroll shine brightly, suddenly releasing astonishing fluctuations from the diagram.


    When Ku Yao saw these fluctuations, he knew things were far from good and immediately pointed at the old man. The fire flood dragon floating above his head suddenly opened its mouth and spouted an unending stream of scarlet flames, instantly engulfing Old Man Ma and the eight trigram diagram in a sea of flames.

 Chapter 733

    Supreme Eight Trigrams Diagram


    The bald man and the others wore an anxious expression when they saw the Old Man Ma enveloped the flames. However, they all secretly knew that Old Man Ma had taken out the scroll for a reason.


    Sure enough, Old Man Ma was standing safely within the sea of flames. His hands were formed in an incantation gesture and the scroll was rolled out in front of him. Then in pulsing white light and roaring gales, a pillar of white wind emerged from the scroll, surging around an area over thirty meters around him. The sea of flames surrounding him had been mostly swept away with ease. Then with a furious howl from Old Man Ma, a streak of silver light shot out from the pillar of wind, directly striking at Ku Yao without any concern for the flood dragon floating above him.


    It seemed that Old Man Ma clearly understood that so long as he could injure Ku Yao, the spirit-connected fire flood dragon would greatly decrease in might.


    Curling the corner of his mouth, Ku Yao waved his arm, releasing a translucent flying saber that shined with brilliant, scarlet light from his palm. The saber instantly moved to block the silver streak and collided with it in midair, resulting in an an equal clash as red and silver light intertwined.


    When Ku Yao saw this, a cold glint appeared in his eye. With a flip of his hands, he summoned two red inch-large flags into his grasp before tossing them into the air. In a burst of wind, they instantly grew to three meters tall.


    Following a cryptic incantation from Ku Yao, red light suddenly glowed from the flags and two thick columns of flame erupted, converging onto the fire flood dragon¡¯s horn ¡ª giving rise to a large cloud of weak flames nearby.


    ¡°Go!¡± Ku Yao ceased his incantation and puffed a mist of red Qi onto the fire flood dragon above him. With roused spirits, the flood dragon roared with delight before charging into the fire cloud, turning it crimson and causing it to roil. But soon, it began to rapidly shrink.


    Down below, Han Li narrowed his eyes at the sight of this with pupils glowing blue. Through the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he was able to astonishedly discover that the fire dragon hiding inside the cloud was breathing in the fire cloud with reckless abandon.


    In the blink of an eye, the fire cloud was cleanly devoured and the flood dragon rapidly increased in size, raising to over thirty meters in height. With its head the size of a small building and its bared fangs, it appeared truly malevolent.


    At that moment, the surging white pillar of wind had entirely blown away the sea of flames, revealing only Old Man Ma who stood inside it.


    As he held the eight trigram scroll in his hands, he coldly watched the tremendous flood dragon for only a moment before wordlessly flinging the scroll into the air. The scroll then shot into the sky in a streak of rainbow light and promptly disappeared into the skies above, as if attempting to reach its farthest reaches.


    Ku Yao blinked in astonishment. In his hesitation, he suddenly sensed a series of odd spiritual Qi fluctuations from above him. Slivers of rainbow light then began to shine down from the sky, revealing a hundred-meter-wide eight trigram formation enveloped entirely in rainbow light. It directly shot down from the sky without any resistance.


    Ku Yao¡¯s expression vastly changed and instantly pointed at the fire flood dragon without any further thought. The flood dragon immediately raised its head and spouted a scarlet stream of light from its mouth, directly striking at the bottom portion of the formation. The formation faintly trembled for a moment, but it continued falling as if unaffected.


    With a paled complexion, Ku Yao rubbed his hands together before suddenly raising them, shooting a dense barrage of countless fist-sized fireballs into the sky.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred at the sight of this. This wasn¡¯t something that was a result of many fireball talismans, but something that had been instantly produced by one¡¯s own cultivation. Spell warrior spirit techniques were vastly beyond what ordinary elemental Daoist techniques were capable, and were far more useful in battle as a result.


    As Han Li¡¯s mind wandered, the many fireballs struck the underside of the huge formation like shower of meteors. However, this strike also proved to be of little effect. The diagram continued falling down with immense speed as it enveloped Ku Yao and his flood dragon.


    At that moment, the cultivators and spell warriors watching the battle were no longer able to see Ku Yao; they only saw the huge eight trigram formation slowly revolve as they surrounded it.


    Old Man Ma didn¡¯t reveal the slightest delight from having his attack succeed. Rather, he solemnly sat cross-legged with his hands forming an incantation gesture as soft white light twirled around his body. At that same moment, the huge diagram seemed to have merged with the rainbow light and suddenly released rolls of deafening thunder ¡ª pulsing with light as it flickered.


    The shriveled spell warrior wore a worried expression on his face. He turned to the black-robed figure and politely asked, ¡°Sir Heavenweep, will Sage Ku Yao be fine in there? If it¡¯s dangerous, we don¡¯t need to respect the agreement for a one on one; we can just go in and rescue him. It is truly beyond belief that this Nascent Soul cultivator could possess such an odd ancient treasure!¡±


    The black-robed figure softly laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± he said with a careless tone, ¡°While that Supreme Eight Trigram Diagram is a truly formidable ancient treasure, this cultivator still hasn¡¯t grasped the true method to use it. He is barely able to use it by forcing his spiritual power into the treasure. This won¡¯t be able to hold Fellow Daoist Ku for much longer. This brutish method of using the formation diagram will surely consume a great amount of magic power. How foolish! But still, it is no surprise that few know the true method to use such a rare ancient treasure in this remote area.¡± His words seemed to carry a tone of disdain towards the cultivators of the Heavenly South.


    The shriveled spell warrior relaxed when he heard this and decided to temporarily hold on his plan to organize a party of spell warriors to rescue Ku Yao.


    As for the bald man and the others, their expressions possessed both worry and joy. They had been excited when they saw the spell warrior trapped by the eight trigrams formation. But when they saw Old Man Ma still maintaining the formation with a solemn expression with strange sounds occasionally sounded out from within the formation, they knew that the battle was far from over.


    For a time, the old man had actually been cursing without end! This treasure was something that he had only recently acquired, and he had only previously used it against Core Formation cultivators. Those cultivators had been entirely powerless before this treasure and were each killed with ease.


    However, this spell warrior was able to temporarily obstruct the diagram through use of his own attacks along with the unceasing, ferocious attacks of his flame dragon. Stabilizing the interruptions caused by these attacks had drained much spiritual power from the formation diagram.


    The battle in the air grew calm for the moment. Apart from faint explosions sounding out from within the formation diagram, there was only silence.


    Worry became more apparent on the faces of Heavenly South cultivators. Han Li was the only one who still maintained a calm expression as he watched the battle unfold.


    Silvermoon clicked her tongue from the back of Han Li¡¯s mind in disappointment. ¡®That Fellow Daoist Ma is truly overexerting that treasure by using the Supreme Eight Trigram Diagram in this manner. That ancient treasure is no weaker than the Purple Cloudlace.¡¯


    With a still expression, Han Li inwardly asked, ¡®Supreme Eight Trigram Diagram? You know of this ancient treasure?¡¯


    ¡®Of course,¡¯ Silvermoon quickly answered, ¡®It was a renown ancient treasure in the past. However, it seems this particular treasure is of poor quality. Otherwise, that spell warrior should¡¯ve already perished, despite the old man¡¯s ignorance usage of the treasure. If it were a high quality Eight Trigram Diagram, the magic power consumption wouldn¡¯t be so great.¡¯


    After some hesitation Han Li asked, ¡®If a poor quality diagram can display this much power, then what would a good quality diagram be capable of? When you say that the Purple Cloudlace is no weaker than this treasure, could it be that there is a secret method that must be used to draw out its full power?¡¯


    Silvermoon smiled and replied, ¡®The Purple Cloudlace isn¡¯t that troublesome to use! You simply need to pour spiritual power into it and use it. Furthermore, the Jadesun True Fire only takes a few tries before it is properly grasped.¡¯


    When Han Li heard this, he grew silent. He gaze then turned towards the sky once more and he frowned, thinking, ¡®Not good.¡¯


    A huge explosion rippled through the air, and the Eight Trigram Diagram suddenly distorted. Countless beams of red light shot out from the diagram, tearing away at the formation.


    As this shocking scene occurred, another series of explosions sounded out from the corner of the formation. A ball raging flames emerged and shot thirty meters straight up before fading away, revealing Ku Yao with a blood-red complexion as he stood on top of the fire flood dragon. The flood dragon had returned to the size of three meters from an unknown time, and appeared vastly weakened.


    To the side, Old Man Ma didn¡¯t appear much better. His face was pale and his eyes listless. However, the old man gritted his teeth and waved his arm at the shredded formation diagram. In a flash of rainbow light, it flew back into the sky and dropped back down into the old man¡¯s hand as a scroll.

 Chapter 734

    Heavenflash Devil Arts


    When the old man saw that the scroll was in tatters, his face greatly paled. It was clearly ruined beyond use.


    ¡°What a pity!¡± The black-robed figure spoke with a trace of regret, ¡°If Fellow Daoist Ku Yao hadn¡¯t been in such a rush to break free and used his fire spirit¡¯s vitality to stall of time, that cultivator¡¯s magic power would¡¯ve been exhausted and he would¡¯ve taken the initiative to dispel the formation diagram regardless.¡±


    The shriveled cultivator pondered for a moment before he found himself agreeing.


    With the spell warrior broken free, Old Man Ma¡¯s complexion turned sickly pale as he grasped onto the scroll. He quickly placed it away in his storage pouch, and viciously gazed at Ku Yao. Ku Yao snorted in response and had the flood dragon beneath him surge once more with flames and red light.


    The shriveled spell warrior suddenly shouted from above, ¡°Sage Ku Yao, cease!¡± He then turned to the Heavenly South cultivators and said, ¡°How about ending this battle in a draw? Both of their magic power is nearly exhausted. Nothing will result from having this battle continue.¡±


    The bald man was somewhat surprised to hear this. After exchanging a look with Gu Shuangpu, he nodded his head, ¡°That is fine. Let¡¯s have this battle end.¡±


    Although Old Man Ma felt somewhat opposed this decision, he knew that it would be futile to continue the battle and flew back without any better option. Ku Yao also felt gloomy at this decision and begrudgingly recalled his flood dragon before flying back into the spell warrior ranks.


    Old Man Ma returned down below and received a few consoling words from the bald man, easing the tension from the old man¡¯s face.


    But at that moment, the black-robed spell warrior and the shriveled old man was muttering something to each other. As a result, the black-robed figure gently floated in the air and arrived at the location of the previous battle.


    He gloomily swept his gaze past the other cultivators and a trace of contempt was revealed from his eyes. In his hoarse voice, he said, ¡°This time, you will be fighting me, but I will say this first. This battle will last until someone is dead. Don¡¯t have any delusions of stopping this battle while it is in progress.¡±


    The black-robed figure¡¯s arrogant words infuriated Gu Shuangpu and the bald man. However, the two didn¡¯t dare to rise up to the challenge. They both knew that two Nascent Soul cultivators have already perished at the hands of this strange spell warrior. As they still greatly valued their lives, they were hesitant.


    ¡°Let me try him on.¡± Han Li indifferently said.


    The bald man blinked in surprise upon seeing Han Li take the initiative to fight, but soon, he inwardly sighed with relief. ¡°Ah! Fellow Daoist Han wishes to go? You must take care. If there is something amiss, we will naturally go to rescue you.¡±


    Han Li smiled and said little else. Azure light glowed from from his body before he streaked across the skies. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the black-robed figure, and expressionlessly stood in the air with his hands held behind his back.


    The black-robed figure appraised Han Li for a moment before his eyes began to turn from black to green in what appeared to be a monstrous display.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Are you demon or ghost?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think this old man is human?¡± The black-figure coldly chuckled. At that same moment, inky threads of black Qi began to wrap around his body. Ghostly wails soon began to howl, followed by gusts of Yin wind.


    Han Li took a short breath and calmly said, ¡°So you were originally a man, but it seems that you¡¯ve cultivated the Dao of a demon or ghost.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Junior, you speak too much rubbish. There is no need to examine me any further as you will soon die by my hand. Don¡¯t waste your effort.¡± With that said, black Qi suddenly surged around his body, nearly hiding him entirely from sight.


    ¡°As I don¡¯t have the patience to play with you, I¡¯ll be taking your life now.¡± The black-robed old man sinisterly laughed and formed an incantation gesture with his hands. Suddenly, he grew to giant about six meters in height.


    Although the vortex of Yin Qi surrounding him mostly blocked him out of sight, one could faintly make out two horns poking out from the robes and two fangs as well. It was no wonder so many cultivators believed this unfamiliar spell warrior was a transformed oddity.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes shined with blue light, revealing the huge man¡¯s ferocious appearance.


    ¡°What?¡± Han Li was shocked by the demonic appearance of the huge man. His current appearance was exactly the same as the one of the phantoms of the Six Apex Devils he encountered when he fought the disciple of Archsaint Six Paths.


    [] Chapter 573


    ¡°What relation does your esteemed self have with Archsaint Six Paths?¡±


    The huge man evilly grinned after a moment of surprise. ¡°Who is this Archsaint Six Paths? Don¡¯t think that your nonsense will allow you to stall for time. Accept your death!¡± He then raised his hand and scattered some of the black Qi, suddenly shooting a black object towards Han Li. However, the object flashed with black light as soon as it left the cover of the black Qi and disappeared from sight.


    Han Li¡¯s expression sank and suddenly shot back ten meters. At that same moment, a huge ghost claw appeared where he was originally standing. The attack was so sudden, it seemed to have materialized out of thin air.


    ¡°Yi!¡± The huge demonic figure yelped in surprise at seeing his attack miss.


    Han Li stared at the ghost hand and indifferently said, ¡°Not bad at all. Although you aren¡¯t a ghost Dao cultivator ¡ª as you cultivate Devil Dao techniques ¡ª your methods of attack are quite similar to ghost cultivators. If one were to truly regard you as a ghost cultivator, they would definitely suffer.¡±


    The large demonic man stayed still as it coldly glanced at Han Li.


    At that same moment, Han Li frowned and he moved about ten meters to the side in a blur. As a result, yet another green ghost claw had silently struck where he once stood.


    The huge man was no longer able to keep his calm after missing a second time and asked, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already dodged two of my attacks, could it be that you¡¯d seen other ghost cultivators in the past?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have. How else could I have so easily dodged your attacks?¡± Han Li replied smilingly with a half-truth.


    ¡°Humph! Your esteemed self is actually a vastly experienced individual. Regardless, even if you know that I use Devil Dao techniques, what will come of it? With the might of the Heavenflash Devil Arts, you will be dead in only a moment.¡± The huge man spoke sinisterly. He then abruptly released an intense, ear-piercing whistle that was capable of even splitting stone.


    When Han Li saw this, his calm expression turned stern.


    The black Qi enveloping the huge man began to rapidly revolve in place. Soon after, an astonishingly powerful wave of devilish Qi suddenly erupted out of thin air, and the huge man shot out from the black Qi, instantly arriving before Han Li as he left afterimages in his wake.


    With a slight movement of his arms, an impenetrable flurry of black-green claws immediately surrounded him. It seemed that he intended to use his claws to cut Han Li into countless pieces.


    Han Li took a deep breath and wore an odd expression as he remained in place. He slapped his hands together before spreading them out, summoning a net of golden lightning around him. With thunder ringing in the air, Han Li glanced at the claws around him with complete fearlessness.


    Without any further thought, the huge black figure then ordered the claws to strike Han Li without mercy.


    From the huge black figure¡¯s point of view, common devilish arts might be subdued by lightning attribute techniques, but the Heavenflash Devil Arts is by no measure common. It wouldn¡¯t be stopped by some trifling lightning. However, the cultivator he faced seemed to know quite a bit, much to his unease; he felt it best to immediately dispose of him.


    But before the black figure finished his thoughts, he suddenly felt his own claws grow hot, soon followed by an unimaginable pain. Golden light then brightly chined from before him. The golden lightning net had actually broken through the claw phantoms and was making its way to envelop him.


    Unable to protect himself from behind and trapped by the net of golden lightning, a legend he once heard suddenly appeared in his mind. In the past when he was learning of this devilish art, his master had repeated warned him of the greatest nemeses of the Heavenflash Devil Arts. But because he had never encountered any equal opponents after cultivating this devilish art, he had forgotten about this matter!


    ¡°Golden lightning? It can¡¯t be! It¡¯s so similar. Don¡¯t tell me ¡ª¡± The black figure¡¯s expression grew completely tense and he felt his heart drop. Unwilling to remain idle in the oncoming danger, he immediately howled and had his tall stature suddenly shrink in size, becoming a dwarf that was only a meter tall, buying him more time before the golden net struck him.


    In that time that he bought, his shrunken body suddenly fluctuated in size before hastily erupting into countless threads of black light ¡ª scattering in every direction.

 Chapter 735

    Two Tailed Serpent


    A cold glint shined from Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he suddenly shook his hands, shooting a bolt of lightning towards the golden net. Countless arcs of lightning began to spark from the net upon impact, causing it to instantly constrict. Then, each of the black threads collided against the golden lightning.


    With a huge flash, the golden lightning turned the black threads of Qi into ash, each burned thread accompanied by a wretched and tragic scream.


    Soon, the remaining black threads returned towards the center of the golden net, condensing into a glossy black demon Nascent. Its face was filled to the brim with fear. It opened its mouth and spat out clouds and clouds pitch-black Yin Qi. They quickly wrapped around it in layers in an attempt to prevent the Divine Devilbane Lightning from approaching any closer to its body.


    Han Li¡¯s face was expressionless apart from the sneer that momentarily appeared. From his hand, he shot a bolt of lightning ¡ª so dazzling and bright it was difficult to see ¡ª and enveloped the demon Nascent. Yet another miserable shriek soon followed and the rolls of thunder quieted down, leaving only silence for a short while.


    When Han Li saw this, he inwardly sighed with relief before retracting his remaining lightning and taking a pitch-black storage pouch into his hand. He then raised his head and expressionlessly swept his gaze past the spell warriors up above. Then with azure light shining from his body, he flew back down towards the Heavenly South cultivators.


    After an exchange of a few brief words, Han Li exterminated his opponent with Divine Devilbane Lightning with unbelievable speed.


    Not only were the Heavenly South cultivators dumbfounded, the Moulan spell warriors completely shaken with disbelief.


    While the Heavenly South cultivators didn¡¯t know about the finer details of the black-robed figure, they had a general idea. These mysterious cultivators should¡¯ve arrived at the Moulan Plains from a great continent. Although they didn¡¯t know why these cultivators suddenly appeared at the Moulan Plains, they reached some sort of agreement with the three Divine Sages of the Moulan Tribes. And it was clear to see that these cultivator had abilities far beyond cultivators of a similar grade ¡ª before the true war even started, two Heavenly South Nascent Soul cultivators had perished one after another, earning the confidence of these two Moulan Sages.


    As for why the black-robed figure participated in the second battle, it was because he felt that there were too many Nascent Soul stage cultivators that were guarding the grand formation, and he felt it best to first exterminate one while he could. But who could¡¯ve known that this ordinary appearing youth would actually be able to kill the black-robed figure with ease. Not even his Nascent Soul was able to escape, much to the shock of the two spell warriors.


    When the shriveled spell warrior and Ku Yao regained clarity of mind, he glanced at each other with terror and hesitated for a moment ¡ª not knowing whether or not they should continue the battle, or deal with the uproar of the spell warriors behind them. But at that moment, they suddenly heard a faint, nearly inaudible voice speak in their ear.


    ¡°Retreat for now. Our momentum has already died. Let us further consider our plans tomorrow. When that time comes, that formation may already be¡­ hehe! While Heavenweep¡¯s death will be inconvenient, I¡¯ll personally explain the matter to the Divine Sages.¡± The voice sounded neutral in tone, but the words carried an unmistakable air of command.


    The shriveled man the Ku Yao were stunned for a moment upon hearing the voice, but they soon complied with their orders and began to give commands to the spell warriors under their command. With some disturbance, the army made an about face and slowly retreated.


    The two sages naturally brought up the rear, gloomily watching the cultivators as they retreated. They glared at in particularly Han Li before flying off.


    Gu Shuangpu watched the spell warrior army retreat and doubtfully asked,¡±Should we pursue them?¡±


    ¡°Leave them be.¡± The bald man shook his his head and said, ¡°Although they¡¯re retreating, they still haven¡¯t been defeated. If we were to pursue them, we could find ourselves surrounded. Also, we have to guard the grand formation. It¡¯ll be best if we nurtured our strength and bide our time. Our Yellow Dragon Mountains¡¯ Thousand Soundform Formation isn¡¯t easily broken. If the Moulan wish to seize it, they will need to double their forces at the very lease.¡±


    After that was said, the bald man couldn¡¯t help but turn his eyes towards Han Li. Due to the surprise of Han Li managing to kill the black-robed cultivator, the cultivators found themselves in an awkward silence, all at a loss of what to say.


    As of current, Han Li was wearing a faint smile as he fiddled with a black storage pouch in his hands.


    Originally, Han Li¡¯s faint smiles hardly inspired any feelings in these cultivators. But after he managed to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Li¡¯s smile now gave them a profound and odd feeling ¡ª not to mention that their original contempt for him was now completely gone.


    The bald man smiled and and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, congratulations on slaying a high grade spell warrior. I will be certain to inform the Nine Nations Alliance of your achievement. They will most definitely reward you greatly.¡±


    Old Man Ma and Gu Shuangpu also congratulated him with a smile. However, Han Li¡¯s expression still remained as subtle as before, despite the faint admiration and respect their tones held.


    As if ignoring this, Han Li simply exchanged a few courteous pleasantries with them as his gaze unconsciously wandered to one of them in particular. When nobody noticed this, he couldn¡¯t help but wear an indistinct smirk.


    Once the spell warrior army disappeared from sight, the bald man opened a passageway into the mist down below and the party hastily disappeared from sight, the mist closing its entrance soon afterwards. Now, the surroundings of the Yellow Dragon Mountains grew peaceful once more.


    When Han Li and company returned to the hall, they had a quick discussion about the battles that occurred today before reach returning to their own residences to rest. Old Man Ma in particular not only had his treasure destroyed, but his vitality had greatly suffered as well. He was in dire need to rest and recover. Thus in the blink of an eye, only the bald man remained in the hall.


    He sat in the main building and lowered his head, his mind lost in thought. A short moment later, he suddenly raised his eyebrow and a strange expression appeared on his face. He softly shouted, ¡°Who is there? Come out.¡±


    Then with a flash of light, another person appeared in the hall. ¡°Hehe! Brother Lu¡¯s abilities are truly profound. Just as I entered, he was able to perceive me. It is not wonder why the Nine Nations Alliance had you guard the formation alone.¡±


    The bald man frowned and wore a strange expression. ¡°You? Why aren¡¯t you resting? Why did you come back stealthily?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I merely discovered a secret. I felt that I should have a discussion with you.¡±


    The bald man glanced at him with an appraising look and puzzlingly asked, ¡°Secret? What secret?¡±


    ¡°The Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han is likely a spy for the Moulan!¡± He spoke without the slightest hesitation and slowly walked inside.


    The bald man involuntarily laughed and his face was filled with disbelief. ¡°Spy? Could it be that your mind if unclear? Fellow Daoist Han had just slain a Nascent Soul spell warrior today. The thought is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I know that Brother Lu might not believe it, but I have evidence. You¡¯ll know that I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± This person sighed and bitterly smiled before summoning a jade slip into his hand with a flash of light. He then stepped forward and neared the large man.


    The bald man wore an expression of astonishment and stood up to face him. He then calmly took the jade slip into his hand.


    At the same time the bald man took the jade slip into his hand, his expression vastly changed and a fierce expression appeared in his eyes. In a flash of green light, the jade slip suddenly turned into a small emerald-green snake. It bit the bald man¡¯s wrist with the speed of lightning.


    With an expression of shock, he couldn¡¯t even scream before he motionlessly collapsed onto the floor, his complexion turned a black-violet.


    Joy flickered from the man¡¯s face and he muttered, ¡°The Twintailed Jade Serpent is truly as poisonous as its reputation. It is it no less inferior than the Ten Supremes Poison. After the bite, it robs even a Nascent Soul the power to escape. If the snake was able to fly, it¡¯d be an incredibly powerful method of killing other cultivators.¡± He then took a step forward the examine the corpse that was slowly melting.


    The small dark-green snake released its fangs from the corpse and slid away, revealing the two slim tails on its back. Its two tails struck the earth and then flung itself into the palm of its master. It coiled around itself and hissed with its purple-black tongue, its eyes glowing with a eerie dark-green light.


    At that moment, this person lightly waved his hand and took the corpse¡¯s storage pouch into his hand. He then excitedly searched the storage pouch with his spiritual sense as if he were looking for something in particular.

 Chapter 736

    Exposure


    A short moment later, this person softly whispered, ¡°It can¡¯t be, where is the command medallion? I clearly saw him place it in the storage pouch.¡± He then resentfully turned the bag upside down and tossed its belongings onto the ground, forming a pile of various inferior magic tools and a few low grade spirit stones.


    Once the man clearly saw what was on the ground, his complexion turned deathly pale and his body suddenly flashed with green light. Without another word, he shot towards the hall exit in a streak of light.


    A long sigh echoed through the hall. Soon, silver light flickered from every wall, enveloping them in waves of silver light and forming a huge barrier of light all around him.


    With a cold snort, the man continued without any intention of stopping. He slapped his waist and summoned a jet-black pangolin spirit beast, striking at the light that blocked his path. With a muffled bang, the spirit beast was repelled by the light barrier with the barrier completely unharmed.


    In the man¡¯s alarm, he suddenly gritted his teeth and spat out a blue trident from his mouth. In an instant, the magic treasure duplicated into two and combined together as a streak of large blue light before striking the light barrier. Then with a muffled explosion, the blue light was reflected ten meters back before spinning to the ground.


    ¡°There is no need for Brother Gu to go through so much trouble.¡± The bald man¡¯s voice echoed throughout the hall. ¡°As this place is the core of the grand formation of the Yellow Dragon Mountains, it is only natural for it to be guarded by the most powerful restrictions. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be able to leave.¡±


    The blue light faded away to reveal the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s Gu Shuangpu. However, his complexion was deathly white and his gaze was brooding, barely able to keep his calm. ¡°So you didn¡¯t die, you used a flesh puppet. I had heard that there was a mysterious cultivator amongst the Nine Nations Union that was adept at refining flesh puppets identical to oneself, where one cannot even differentiate the true person from the puppet. I didn¡¯t actually expect this to be true.¡±


    Then in a flash of white light, the bald man revealed himself from within the hall. He glanced at Gu Shuangpu from outside the barrier before turning his gaze to the ruined corpse on the floor. ¡°Brother Gu knows much about the affairs of our Nine Nations Union as expected as well as the matter of doppelganger puppets. That¡¯s right, what you killed was a corpse puppet that I had controlled. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator such as yourself was unable to tell any difference from its exterior.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Rubbish! If I hadn¡¯t used my spiritual sense to closely examine your doppelganger out of fear of being detected, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been deceived. Besides, even if I meticulously cultivated the Twintailed Jade Serpent for several hundreds of years, its incredibly vicious poison definitely shouldn¡¯t have been capable of killing a Nascent Soul cultivator alone.


    I originally planned only to use the serpent to heavily injure you, but I had mistakenly overestimated the toxicity of the snake upon seeing you perish in a single blow. It seems I¡¯ve become arrogant.¡± Gu Shuangpu spoke with an icy expression, but a trace of regret was betrayed from his eyes.


    The bald man emotionlessly said, ¡°Hehe! I had requested a puppet to be refined for me out of a moment¡¯s fancy. I didn¡¯t truly think that a dead corpse would actually be refined to my likeness. However, spending this corpse puppet to discover that Brother Gu was a traitor was well worth the spirit stones the puppet had cost.¡±


    Gu Shuangpu¡¯s cheek twitched and grew silent for a spell. But a short moment later, he icily said, ¡°From your tone, you seemed to know that I would come find you and you had already prepared a substitute ahead of time. Could it be that you¡¯ve discovered something amiss after I arrived at the Yellow Dragon Mountains?¡±


    The bald man shook his head. ¡°Of course not. How could I suspect an elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect without cause or reason. I was merely given a warning from someone else. I originally felt unsure of the matter, but now it has been made certain.¡± He then turned his head to the sides of the hall and shouted, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, Brother Ma, you may come out!¡±


    When Gu Shuangpu heard this, he was no longer able to maintain his gloomy expression. Alarm was betrayed from his face.


    Then in a flash of yellow light from both sides of the hall, a calm Han Li and a grave Old Man Ma walked out.


    With a pained expression, the old man sorrowfully said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Fellow Daoist Gu would actually do this. What kind of benefits did the Moulan offer you to do such a deranged thing?¡±


    Gu Shuangpu stared at the old man and coldly snorted. ¡°Deranged? I was originally from the Moulan tribes. How could my decision possibly be deranged?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a person from the Moulan?¡± The party of cultivators couldn¡¯t help but reveal surprise.


    ¡°Of course.¡± A maddened expression appeared on Gu Shuangpu¡¯s face. ¡°Did you believe that benefits were enough to rope in a Nascent Soul cultivator like me? You Heavenly South cultivators should realize how sparse cultivation resources are in the Moulan plains.


    There are countless talented low grade spell warriors that never progress in their cultivation due to a lack of spirit stones and medicine pills, and they turned to a pile of bones after only a hundred years because they lacked the optimal circumstances for cultivation. Why is that you Heavenly South cultivators were able to take such a good area, and us spell warriors must make due with a sparse few spirit stones to use? So long as the Moulan acquire the cultivation resources of the Heavenly South, in less than a hundred years the number of spell warriors will double. With such vast strength, we¡¯ll be able to defeat the Soaring Tribe¡¯s Immortals, and rule over the entirety of the Moulan plains.¡±


    When Gu Shuangpu said that, the others couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other in dismay.


    Han Li expressionly asked, ¡°Defeat the Soaring Tribe¡¯s Immortals? It seems the Moulan had suffered a decisive defeat by these Immortals, and now a majority of the Moulan plains are being held by these towards Immortal masters. Is that why you¡¯ve staked it all in order to invade the Heavenly South?¡±


    ¡°How¡­ How do you know of this?¡± Gu Shuangpu was stunned for a moment before suddenly something came to his mind and he viciously glared at Han Li. ¡°You eavesdropped on my sound transmissions with Sage Le.¡±


    Han Li expressionlessly said, ¡°It seems Brother Gu had realized it quite quickly, but don¡¯t blame me. Who was it that told you to so brazenly sound transmissions in front of me. With my slightly superior spiritual sense, I was just able to listen to your voice transmissions, and informed Fellow Daoist Lu of the matter.¡±


    With a pale complexion, Gu Shuangpu rigidly stared at Han Li and resentfully said, ¡°Good, very good! All of my secrets are leaked! I¡¯ve been concealed in the Heavenly South for so long, yet it can¡¯t be anything but unjust to fall to such a careless mistake. But to say that your spiritual sense is only slightly superior? Humph! Your esteemed self is far too modest. How could our secret voice transmission technique compare to common sound transmissions?


    Unless your spiritual sense is as strong as a late Nascent Soul cultivator, there was no other way you could¡¯ve eavesdropped on my conversation.¡±


    Old Man Ma shouted in alarm, ¡°Late Nascent Soul stage?¡±


    The bald man was also alarmed and glanced at Han Li with amazement.


    Han Li frowned. He didn¡¯t think that this matter would unintentionally reveal the strength of his spiritual sense. But soon, he eased his brow and instead wore a relaxed expression, leaving the bald man and Old Man Ma feeling skeptical of Gu Shuangpu¡¯s words. After all, it was a bit too outrageous for an early Nascent Soul cultivator to have a spiritual sense on the level of a late Nascent Soul cultivator.


    The bald man reluctantly turned his gaze away from Han Li and icily gazed at Gu Shuangpu inside the light barrier. ¡°Since we now know you are a spy, don¡¯t blame us for being ruthless. Although I wish to spare your life and hand you over to the enforcers of the union, there is a great battle ahead of us; we do not have the option to keep you alive.¡±


    Soon after, he flipped his hand and summoned a command medallion that flickered with silver light. He raised the command medallion into the air, shooting a beam of light at the barrier. The barrier cleanly absorbed the beam and began to flicker, suddenly shining with countless silver flowers, each vastly beautiful.


    Gu Shuangpu saw the silver flowers just like a poisonous insect and his expression grew unsightly. Without further thought, he quickly slapped several places around his body, placing several layers of various colored light around his body. At that same time, he pointed to the blue trident in front of it. It began to spin above his head and formed a barrier of blue light around him.


    Once the silver flowers began to rupture and fill the light barrier, the bald man turned around with disinterest and solemnly spoke to Han Li and Old Man Ma. ¡°Let¡¯s go, there¡¯s nothing good to see. Although his cultivation is high, he won¡¯t be able to endure the restrictions for long, and will soon have his soul destroyed. We still have to deal with the aftermath. Although this person was a Moulan spy, he was still a Controlling Spirit Sect elder. We will have much explaining to do to the union.¡±

 Chapter 737

    Spiritfuse Serpent Monster


    Seeing that the large man possessed such confidence in the hall¡¯s restrictions, Han Li blinked but said nothing else. Old Man Ma also felt somewhat doubtful of the bald man¡¯s words and frowned.


    Han Li smiled and suddenly said, ¡°To tell the truth, although this matter is somewhat troublesome, there is no need to worry too much over it.¡±


    Not daring to ignore Han Li given his previous accomplishments, the bald man hesitantly asked, ¡°What does Brother Han mean?¡± Old Man Ma also looked at Han Li with astonishment.


    Han Li rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Our alliance leaders should surely know something of the Moulan spies infiltrating into the Heavenly South. They must¡¯ve caught some in the past. So as long as this high grade cultivator was a spy, the Controlling Spirit Sect won¡¯t be able to do much about it.


    Since we all come from different alliances, most cultivators won¡¯t think that we had deliberately framed the Controlling Spirit Sect Elder. As such, we only have to explain ourselves and deliver the information we acquired from the Moulan. Once they¡¯ve verified this information, no trouble should come of this. I believe the Controlling Spirit Sect should¡¯ve had their own misgivings about Elder Gu by now. Surely Fellow Daoist Gu wasn¡¯t able to perfectly conceal everything after so many years. And even if they don¡¯t, they should be able to find something suspicious from his past movements.¡±


    The bald man unfurled his brow and suddenly revealed a white jade slip in his hand. He wore an odd expression and said, ¡°Brother Han¡¯s words are reasonable. I had also used a secret technique to record his previous words in a jade slip as well. We¡¯ll be able to use it as evidence when the time comes.¡±


    After hearing Han Li¡¯s explanation and seeing the bald man¡¯s jade slip, Old Man Ma breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That will do. It is a pity that Fellow Daoist Bu wasn¡¯t able to come out and stand witness as his injuries were so severe that he had to conceal himself, but it won¡¯t pose a problem.¡±


    Once that was said, the three had a more detailed discussion about the matter when hisses suddenly sounded out from the silver light barrier. The three were greatly surprised by this and they glanced at each other with bewilderment.


    Just as the bald man thought to take action, a huge explosion of flames ruptured from within the barrier. A green claw flew out and struck the light barrier like a bolt of lightning, causing it to fiercely tremble.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? He still has the strength to shock the restriction.¡± The bald man was greatly alarmed and shouted with disbelief.


    He then formed a incantation gesture and struck the barrier with a white spell seal, causing the numerous flowers of light to cease, revealing the scene inside.


    The bald man and Old Man Ma felt their breaths turn cold. Han Li¡¯s expression was also sullen. Gu Shuangpu had disappeared, only to be replaced with a half-man, half-demon serpent monster.


    This monstrosity was wearing Gu Shuangpu¡¯s clothes but its face and limb was entirely covered by green scales. Its two eyes were icily eerie and its ten fingers were razor sharp. It also had two meter-long tails that were gently tapping the floor.


    The scaly face had clearly belonged to Gu Shuangpu. When it opened its mouth, its serpent tongue flickered and it uttered serpent hisses, much to the disgust and fear of those present.


    When Old Man Ma clearly saw the monster¡¯s appearance, his face turned deathly pale, and he flusteredly shouted, ¡°This is the Spiritfuse Technique! He had turned into one with the Twintailed Jade Serpent.¡±


    When the bald man heard the old man, he also wore an expression of furious alarm. ¡°Spiritfuse Technique? Isn¡¯t that a lost secret technique? Does he not fear being banished from the cycle of reincarnation?¡±


    Soon after, he rigidly stared at the serpentine monster as if it were a great enemy and his hastily slapped his storage pouch. In a flash of silver light, the restriction command talisman appeared in his hand.


    The large man puffed a breath of spirit Qi on the medallion before tossing it into the air. But just as he began to hurriedly utter an incantation, the monster inside the barrier began to take action.


    It sullenly swept its gaze past the three outside the barrier, and quickly flicked its tongue before splitting open its cheek and spitting out a purple-black liquid towards the three.


    At that moment, the bald man saw this and ceased his incantation, pointing towards the command medallion instead. The medallion began to radiate with silver light and shot over ten silver spell seals at the barrier ¡ª each absorbed seal releasing a dragon¡¯s cry. The barrier then flashed violently several times and grew thicker. And the countless silver flow within the barriers then began to condense at the top.


    When the black-purple liquid struck the barrier, a small portion of the light barrier instantly turned black, and soon the color spread to nearly an area of three meters.


    A malicious expression appeared on the serpent monster¡¯s face. At that same moment, its two tails struck at the floor, launching it forward in a streak of green light and fiercely striking at the barrier with its claws. With a bang, a large hole was torn through the hardy barrier as if it were paper.


    The monster was delighted by the sight of this and its body blurred as it attempted to escape. When the bald man saw this, he wore an expression of horror and spat out a white rod from his mouth, forming a curtain of light around his body.


    Old Man Ma had also done the same. With a nervous expression, he spat out his ruler magic treasure and covered his body in a layer of light. The two clearly understood how fearsome was an early Nascent Soul cultivator that used the Spiritfuse Technique. Let alone its techniques, it cultivation should be on par with a mid Nascent Soul cultivator.


    When the two saw the monster was about to escape, they naturally planned to fight it through a battle of attrition. They wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to strike until it striked first. But at that moment, Han Li sighed with a helpless tone and decided to take action. With a faint blur, he closed the short distance and appeared in front of the tear in the barrier.


    When the serpentine monster was just about to escape and saw Han Li blocking its way, a malicious gaze flickered from its eyes. Without a single trace or warning, it opened its mouth and spat out purple-black venom.


    ¡°Be careful! Fellow Daoist Han, quickly dodge!¡± The bald man and Old Man Ma both shouted in alarm. It wasn¡¯t because of any concern from familiarity, but that they needed all the strength they could muster to fight against this monster, not to mention the looming threat of the spell warriors army.


    Seemingly ignoring the two¡¯s shouts of alarm, Han Li stared at the oncoming purple-black liquid and an odd expression flickered from his eyes. With a deliberate raise of his arm, he bent his fingers, covering them in a layer of flickering blue flames, and stretched his hand forward to grab the poison.


    The two other Nascent Soul cultivators felt their heart drop at the sight of this. As for the serpentine monster, it spat out another blob of poison without any hesitation.


    A nearly indistinct sneer appeared on Han Li¡¯s face and blue light shined from his eyes. An eruption of light suddenly appeared between Han Li and the monster. The brilliant light wildly flickered several times before quickly dimming.


    The bald man and Old Man Ma hastily glinked and glanced over. What they saw left them in shock.


    They simply saw the serpentine monster wear an expression of rapt delight just as it was about to escape the light barrier, but its body was now covered in sparkling crystal, turning into a blue ice sculpture. As for the venom, it had turned into a slim thread of ice that emerged from its mouth, spanning about a meter long.


    At an unknown time, Han Li had appeared behind the monster and had placed his blue flaming hand on the back of the monster¡¯s neck.


    Han Li took his hand off of its neck and stared at the ice sculpture. ¡°As expected, this is the first time the spiritfused monster has come to life. Although it was quite intelligent, its experience was far too shallow. There was nothing to be afraid off.¡± He then raised his other hand, and a dense arc of golden lightning shot out from his palm and struck the ice sculpture, swapping a slim net of golden lightning around it.


    The blue radiance and the golden light fused together before promptly exploding, turning the ice sculpture into inch-sized chunks. With blue specks of light filling the air, a fist-sized black-purple object had shot out, but it was caught by the golden net. Inhuman wails soon began to scream from it.


    A stern expression flickered from Han Li¡¯s face. Han Li closed the hand that emitted the lightning and caused the net to constrict, rupturing it into golden brilliance and causing it to disappear from view.

 Chapter 738

    Beaten at Their Own Game


    With a screech, the golden radiance turned the Demon Nascent into a cloud of smoke that soon scattered.


    It was said that the Spiritfuse Technique was an incredibly vicious ancient Devil Dao technique. Of course, the Demon Nascent that resulted from it was likewise incredible vulnerable to the Divine Devilbane Lightning, and was quickly destroyed ¡ª incapable of using instant movement to escape.


    In the distance, the bald man had dropped his jaw and couldn¡¯t muster the force to open his mouth. As for Old Man Ma, his face appeared calm enough, but his eyes were wide open and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything.


    Han Li had already anticipated that the two would feel shocked, and he maintained his calm appearance. He summoned the storage pouch on the floor and the blue trident into his hands and then observed them with his spiritual sense before tossing them to the bald man.


    Han Li glanced at the two and slowly said, ¡°Although we did kill him, we should give his magic treasure and storage pouch back to the Controlling Spirit Sect in an untouched stage. That way, the Controlling Spirit Sect won¡¯t have anything to say.¡±


    When the bald man heard Han Li speak, he instantly recovered from his shock and immediately agreed, ¡°Brother Han¡¯s words are very reasonable. We¡¯ll do as you suggested!¡±


    Old Man Ma¡¯s mouth moved several times, but no words were able to come out. Rather, he put away his ruler magic treasure with an embarrassed expression.


    Han Li¡¯s killing the black-robed man could be attributed to carelessness and luck. But this time, he managed to empty-handedly kill the spiritfused monster that possessed cultivation on par with a mid Nascent Soul cultivator, an opponent that was beyond their capabilities.


    Without any prior discussion, they both felt that the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Elder Han could possibly have the abilities to deal with any opponent under late Nascent Soul stage. When this thought came to their mind, the two were unable to keep a calm appearance.


    Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Since the matter has been resolved, I will be going back to take a rest. If the spell warriors return, please call for me.¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, go ahead. We will naturally oversee this area.¡± The bald man¡¯s words unconsciously carried a tone of respect.


    Han Li smiled and waved his arm before leaving the hall.


    The previous display of Celestial Ice Flames and Divine Devilbane Lightning was a forced measure. If he hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to attack, the serpentine monster would¡¯ve escaped and caused no end of problems for the future; the bald man and the Old Man Ma would¡¯ve found it difficult to bar the monster¡¯s way. Moreover, he didn¡¯t feel the need to conceal his true abilities once he condensed a Nascent Soul.


    His current circumstances were much different than when he was in the Scattered Star Seas. He had to keep himself hidden at the time because his cultivation was meager and he was in an unfamiliar area ¡ª if the wrong people noticed him, he would be hunted down. But now that he condensed a Nascent Soul, he now walked in the upper echelon of the cultivation world, and since there were only a sparse few that would pose much threat to him, he didn¡¯t feel much apprehension about revealing himself.


    Moreover, given the current invasion of the Moulan, it would be impossible to continue hiding his abilities. At the very least, the Ghost Spirit Sect and Marquis Nanlong¡¯s party should know of his true abilities from what he had displayed at their treasure hunt in the Moulan Plains.


    As such, he may as well reveal his true strength so he could intimidate any small fry that plotted against him. Otherwise, if any fellow cultivators believed him to be weak, it would provoke some needless problems.


    Of course, Han Li wouldn¡¯t easily reveal all of his killing moves.


    As Han Li pondered this, he also recalled the strange feeling from the Purple Apex Flames when he enveloped the Demon Nascent. Just a moment ago, he had used the Purple Apex Flames together with the Celestial Ice Flames in order to freeze the monster in an instant.


    Then when he recalled the Purple Apex Flames, he felt it become somewhat unstable. It seemed using the full might of these flames required a certain level of higher cultivation, as he had expected. With a feeling of self-mockery, Han Li slowly walked towards his residence.


    When Old Man Ma saw Han Li leave, he wryly smiled and said, ¡°Brother Lu, it seems we¡¯ve made a misjudgement. Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s abilities are miraculously profound. His strength is far beyond ours.¡±


    A trace of admiration appeared on the bald man¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s right. Although his cultivation is at early Nascent Soul stage, with that golden lightning and blue flames, he could beat back even mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators.¡±


    Old Man Ma smiled and said, ¡°However, this matter turned out for the better for us. With such a powerful ally, we will have nothing to fear from the invading spell warriors.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± The bald man nodded, but soon he frowned and said, ¡°However, while I haven¡¯t heard of this blue flame before, I¡¯ve faintly heard of golden lightning before, but I can¡¯t recall what it is. Does Brother Ma have an idea?¡±


    The old man pondered for a moment and felt a faint chill. ¡°None. This was also the first time I¡¯ve ever seen golden lightning. This technique is so incisive, even a nearly incorporeal Nascent Soul was unable to escape it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it be. Regardless of what great abilities Fellow Daoist Han cultivate, it is a fortunate matter for us.¡± The bald man frowned as if unwilling to speak further of the matter and said, ¡°We still must talk about the matters for tomorrow.¡±


    Old Man Ma was stunned and bafflingly asked, ¡°What do you mean by tomorrow¡¯s matters?¡±


    A cold glint appeared in the bald man¡¯s eyes and he sinisterly said, ¡°Since the Moulan set off a spy to break the formation, why don¡¯t we beat them at their own game?¡±


    Something immediately came to Old Man Ma¡¯s mind, ¡°Brother Lu, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. We¡­¡±


    Old Man Ma and the old man suddenly spoke in a whisper, their voices faintly echoing throughout the hall.


    A short moment later, the bald man wildly laughed as if rejoicing at the brilliance of his own plan.


    On noon of the second day just as the burning sun rose to the center of the sky, the beats of rumbling war drums traveled through the air. The spell warrior army gradually made their way from across the horizon, this time bringing along a huge monster at the center of their ranks.


    From a single glance it seemed to be a huge rhino that was enlarged by several tens of times. At the top of its nose was a lustrous blue horn that was over three meters long. The beast¡¯s extremely huge body was covered in a layer of glowing black battle armor that had talisman characters floating above it. It appeared extremely precious.


    Not to mention its huge size, its four feet seemed to be treading entirely on blue clouds in an extremely nimble display. It didn¡¯t appear clumsy in the slightest.


    In addition, there was a woman sitting on the beast, a beauty in her prime ¡ª her feet bare and her appearance delicate ¡ª but there was an hostile aura faintly emitted from her eyes as her cold gaze wandered around. She wore simple and short dark green robes.


    Ku Yao and the shriveled spell warrior were closely following at the side of the huge beast as if paying respect to the woman.


    ¡°Yi!¡± Before they grew close to the Yellow Dragon Mountains, the green-clothed woman yelped in astonishment.


    Ku Yao couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What? Has Master Le discovered something?¡±


    An odd expression appeared on her expression and she slowly said, ¡°Yes, there is something strange.¡±


    ¡°Could there be a change in plans? Has that person failed?¡± The shriveled spell warrior grew still and worry appeared on his face.


    ¡°No necessarily. You two should go and take a look.¡± The woman indifferently said. Soon after, she closed her eyes and remained silent.


    The shriveled spell warrior and Ku Yao looked at other and bafflingly spread their spiritual sense forward. Soon, the two wore astonished expressions.


    With great amazement, Ku Yao bafflingly said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? The mist has already scattered. Didn¡¯t we discuss that the restriction was supposed to break halfway through the attack so that we can exterminate all the cultivators? What happened for the restriction to suddenly disappear?


    The shriveled spell warrior hesitantly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. First, let¡¯s advance and take a proper look before we decide what to do.¡±


    With that discussed, the woman on the huge beast remained silent. As a result, the spell warrior army continued forward. However, the warnings of the shriveled spell warrior made sure that their army was especially vigilant.


    Nothing out of the ordinary occurred when the spell warrior army finished making their way over the short distance to where they were yesterday.


    The endless sea of dark green mist no longer existed, only to reveal the mountains and their various jade platforms on each mountaintop.


    However, the fine and exquisite structures were now ruined and scorched black, with a few of them releasing smoke. With the addition of the silence looming over the mountain range and the lack of any other people, it made for a miserable sight.


    The spell warrior army split into two as the green-robed woman slowly moved her beast forward. They glanced at the beautiful figure on the huge beast with respect and kept silence rather than show their ordinary display of restlessness. Ku Yao and the shriveled spell warrior followed after her.


    The woman glanced at the scene before her with bright wandering eyes. After a moment of silence, she brushed her hair back and a cold smile appeared on her face.


    The shriveled spell warrior bewilderedly said, ¡°It¡¯s no good. Although the mist has stopped, there are still restrictions present that are blocking my spiritual sense from looking any further.


    Ku Yao puzzlingly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. What we¡¯re seeing currently is possibly only an illusion. If that person has truly succeeded, he should¡¯ve joined us by now.¡±


    With a cold voice, the woman said, ¡°Then you mean to say that we will simply stand here and do nothing?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± the shriveled spell warrior explained, ¡°We will only need to be more careful. It is possible that person had only succeeded in part and had escaped after being detached. As a result, the other cultivators must¡¯ve abandoned this place and made a retreat.¡±

 Chapter 739

    Breaking the Formation (1)


    The green-robed woman smiled and coldly said, ¡°There is no point in making wild guesses. With his cultivation, he should have a 70% to 80% chance of success. However, we have to prepare for the worst. He might¡¯ve already been killed or captured. This is only a trap.¡±


    ¡°Then Sage Le means¡­¡± Ku Yao was puzzled.


    ¡°Regardless of whether it¡¯s a trap or not, we¡¯re here to break the formation, so we¡¯ll just act according to our original plan. If we lose a few men, it¡¯ll be worth it to find out what¡¯s going on. What we can¡¯t afford to waste the most now is time. According to the new information we¡¯ve received, the reinforcements from the other factions in the Heavenly South will only need two to three months to arrive and reinforce the Nine Nations Union. We have to eliminate the main force of the cultivators in Soaring Heavens City within a month so that we can seize the initiative. If we allow the reinforcements to join forces with the Nine Nations Union cultivators, even if we can defeat them, we¡¯ll be severely injured,¡± the woman said in an unhurried manner.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do as Sage Le says.¡± The shriveled spell warrior hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    As for Ku Yao, he didn¡¯t care about the life and death of a low-grade spell warrior, nor did he have any objections.


    The woman nodded upon seeing this, and her red lips moved a few times before she sent a voice transmission to someone.


    The army of cultivators immediately gathered nearly a hundred spell warriors dressed in the same attire. Under the lead of a Core Formation spell warrior, they slowly made their way to the top of Yellow Dragon Peak.


    The hundred or so spell warriors turned into black dots and gradually entered the sea of mist. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.


    As such, they each held their own magic tools and began to boldly fly towards the summit.


    The 100 cultivators easily reached the top of the mountain without any obstructions. The shriveled spell warrior heaved a sigh of relief and happily said to the green-robed woman,


    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve given up on this place. Let¡¯s have the others go in and search. They left in such a hurry. There must¡¯ve been a lot of things they didn¡¯t take with them.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see,¡± the woman said in a cold voice.


    The shriveled spell warrior was stunned and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    At this moment, the hundred or so spell warriors had already begun to rummage through the half-burned pavilions and buildings, occasionally finding some spirit stones, materials, and other good items. These spell warriors were all beaming with joy and unceremoniously took these items for themselves before stuffing them into their storage pouches.


    The spell warrior army was originally made up of Moulan tribes of all sizes. Apart from a few common goods such as warehouses and mines, the rest of the spoils would naturally belong to the individuals who found them.


    Seeing this, the spell warrior army outside became restless again.


    This was a rare opportunity to reap the spoils of war without having to fight to the death. It naturally caused the others to become restless and extremely envious.


    Who knew how many good things would be hidden in such a large area of buildings?


    ¡°Master Le, look¡­¡±


    After waiting for a while, the shriveled spell warrior and Ku Yao grew restless. Ku Yao also hesitantly spoke.


    Since the two of them were in this group of spell warriors, most of them naturally came from their tribe. The Moulan Plains had always lacked cultivation resources, so they naturally didn¡¯t want to let go of this opportunity.


    As for the first hundred spell warriors, they came from a small tribe that wasn¡¯t very strong. This should be enough.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn¡¯t heard their words. However, her beautiful eyes unconsciously narrowed and became hazy.


    Ku Yao and Han Li glanced at each other and hesitated for a moment before falling silent.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the hundred spell warriors had crossed a third of the mountaintop. At that moment, the woman finally spoke.


    ¡°The two of you will each send a hundred people into the mountain and destroy the remaining restrictions. I won¡¯t allow anyone else to enter until we¡¯ve scanned the entire mountain with our spiritual senses.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll do as Sage Le says.¡± The two were overjoyed and hastily sent voice transmissions to their tribe¡¯s trusted disciples.


    As a result, another 200 spell warriors rushed to the top of the mountain and began to rummage through it like wolves and tigers.


    Old Man Ma¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from somewhere in the Yellow Dragon Mountains, ¡°It seems these people are all. My magic power can¡¯t last much longer. Let¡¯s activate the restrictions.¡±


    ¡°Cough! What a pity. Not a single Moulan Sage fell into the trap.¡± The bald man sighed with regret.


    However, not long after he said this, a series of rumbling sounds began to reverberate throughout the entire mountain.


    At this moment, the three hundred spell warriors that were searching for treasures on the mountain had their expressions change drastically. Without needing anyone to command them, they immediately scattered and fled in all directions.


    Three of the Core Formation spell warriors were naturally the fastest. In the blink of an eye, they had traveled over 100 feet.


    However, no matter how fast they flew, it was impossible for them to escape from the formation.


    Spiritual light of various colors appeared in the air above the mountain, and the mist that had disappeared in the surroundings surged out. In an instant, the green mist roiled and covered the sun, turning the vast area around the Yellow Dragon Mountain into a sea of mist.


    When the shriveled spell warrior and Ku Yao saw this, their expressions turned extremely unsightly and even somewhat ashen.


    As for the green-robed woman sitting on top of the huge beast, her gaze remained ice-cold, and her brows didn¡¯t even twitch.


    ¡°It really was a trap. What a pity. If Fellow Daoist Gu hadn¡¯t taken action, they would¡¯ve been able to continue to conceal themselves and play a greater role,¡± said the Le-surnamed girl heartlessly after watching for a while.


    ¡°Sage Le, the people inside¡­¡± Ku Yao clenched his fists and stared at the sea of mist, his eyes spitting fire.


    One of the Core Formation cultivators that had just led the way was a direct descendant that he attached great importance to. He didn¡¯t think that the guy would fall into the enemy¡¯s grand formation.


    In his anxiety, he couldn¡¯t help but think of rescuing them.


    The green-robed woman glanced at Ku Yao and emotionlessly said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time. With the abilities of a Nascent Soul cultivator, dealing with a few Core Formation cultivators in the formation will be a piece of cake. I fear they have already been exterminated.¡±


    Ku Yao¡¯s face changed several times and he fiercely said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Sage Le, let me take the lead in breaking the formation! I will release the Fire Spirit Essence and break the formation in one breath. Then, I will turn the cultivators inside into ashes!¡±


    The woman raised her brow and said, ¡°Fire Spirit Essence? Alright, since you¡¯ve made up your mind, I will have the giant rhinoceros cooperate with you. However, it is best to use your Fire Spirit Essence at a critical moment. In addition, pay more attention to the young cultivator who killed Sir Tian Ku. I suspect he is the cultivator who destroyed the Heavenly Wind Tribe¡¯s Sage Mu¡¯s body. If that is the case, his abilities are quite powerful and he uses an extremely strange blue devil flame. If you aren¡¯t careful, you will fall into his trap.¡±


    ¡°The cultivator that destroyed Sage Mu¡¯s body? I heard that he possessed the legendary Lightning Movement Technique. Is that true?¡± The shriveled spell warrior¡¯s expression changed and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.


    A cold glint flashed from the woman¡¯s eyes as she proudly said, ¡°Sage Wen, your cultivation arts are most vulnerable to close combat cultivators. Be careful and don¡¯t fight him. Let me deal with him. I cultivate the Soft Wind Technique and my speed is definitely not inferior to his lightning movement. Regardless of how powerful his devil flames and golden lightning are, they will be completely useless if I don¡¯t allow him to get close. As for other abilities, he is only an early Nascent Soul cultivator. Could he truly contend against me?¡±


    The shriveled spell warrior felt his heart relax upon hearing this. It appeared he had great confidence in this green-robed woman. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll have to deal with Sage Le. Sage Le is a sage that can contend against the Endless Sky Saintess of the Soaring Tribes. That person will be no match for her.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, the Endless Sky Saintess!¡± When the woman heard the name of the Endless Sky Saintess, her expression immediately darkened.


    When the shriveled spell warrior heard this, he was startled.


    Only then did he recall that Sage Le was ashamed of her defeat at the hands of the Endless Sky Saintess. He had always loathed the mention of this matter.


    ¡°This¡­ Actually¡­¡±


    The shriveled spell warrior was about to say something else when the young woman suddenly waved her hand, and an indifferent expression returned to her face.


    ¡°Alright, breaking the formation is most important. There is no need to say anything else. Lay down the formation and attack!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The shriveled spell warrior felt slightly relieved and agreed to Ku Yao¡¯s request.


    ¡­


    ¡°Plop!¡±


    Somewhere in the sea of mist, a Core Formation spell warrior¡¯s headless body fell to the ground.


    Not far away, a humanoid figure flashed through the dense fog, and Han Li¡¯s entire body was covered in azure light. He glanced at the corpse in the distance before waving his hand, and an azure streak of light circled above the corpse before flying back.


    Han Li calmly took a few steps forward and picked up the spell warrior¡¯s storage pouch. After examining it, he revealed a disappointed expression.


    There were only a few tattered items inside. There was nothing related to spirit techniques.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed. After a long while, he let out a long sigh.


    Right at this moment, the sound of war drums suddenly rang out from outside the misty sea, and several astonishing Spiritual Qi fluctuations erupted from the battle drums.


    Then, a beastly roar that sounded like muffled thunder shook the world, causing the green air in the sea of mist to churn on its own.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he swept his gaze past his surroundings before turning his gaze toward the sea beyond the mist with a pensive look in his eyes.


    A short moment later, a cold smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand and released a crimson fireball, turning the corpse beneath him into ash. He then turned around and flew towards the center of the sea of mist.


    In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the mist.


    At the center of the sea of mist, the entire mountain had been strangely split into two. The first half of the mountain was still a ruined building with scorched walls, but the second half of the mountain was completely different. The pavilions were still intact. From time to time, cultivators would fly out from within and scatter throughout the sea of mist.


    Old Man Ma and the bald man stood side by side in the air several hundred feet above the pavilion, looking in the direction of the spell warrior army with grave expressions.

 Chapter 740

    Breaking the Formation (2)


    The bald man sighed and said with concern, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Moulan people to be so careful. Although we killed the spell warriors, they didn¡¯t seem to have suffered any critical hit. We¡¯ll have to face them head-on. Brother Ma, you used the Heaven Concealment Flag to cover half of the mountain. Is your magic power holding up?¡±


    The old man twirled his beard and nonchalantly said, ¡°I deliberately preserved a portion of my magic power. It may not be enough to break through the enemy, but it should be enough to hold back a Moulan Sage.¡±


    The bald man solemnly said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Let Fellow Daoist Han and I deal with the other enemies. Fellow Daoist Bu should have recovered a bit of his vitality. I¡¯ve already instructed my subordinates to call out Brother Bu, who¡¯s still resting, if the situation is dire.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way, but that huge beast is going to be quite troublesome to deal with, and we won¡¯t be able to divert our attention to deal with it. Core Formation cultivators won¡¯t be able to deal with it,¡± the old man said with a hesitant expression as he used his spiritual sense to check the huge beast outside the formation.


    ¡°Cough! There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. After all, we don¡¯t have enough manpower, so we¡¯ll have to let the Murong Brothers use the restriction formation to hold them back for now. Their lightning-attribute cultivation arts are the most lethal among Core Formation cultivators, so no matter how tough the beast¡¯s skin is, it should still have some effect.¡± The large man didn¡¯t seem very confident in himself. After all, the two of them had heard from the defeated cultivators how fearsome the beast was.


    ¡°That¡¯s all we can do for now.¡± The old man nodded with a hint of worry in his eyes.


    At that moment, azure light flashed from within the green mist, following which a streak of light shot forth. After circling around for a moment, it seemed to have discovered the two of them and flew over.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, it seems that the Moulans are really going to attack. Have you made arrangements to resist the enemy?¡± Han Li asked with a smile after the green light disappeared around his body.


    ¡°Brother Han, you¡¯ve come at the right time. We¡¯ve just had a discussion, and we¡¯re preparing to¡­¡± The bald man repeated what he had just said with a smile.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed for a moment before he immediately relaxed, and he said, ¡°A huge beast? That thing is quite troublesome to deal with. It¡¯s a variant that only existed in ancient times. I wonder where the Moulans found it. Let¡¯s do as you say, Fellow Daoist Lu.¡±


    The bald man chuckled and respectfully said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to rely on Brother Han¡¯s abilities in this battle.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his nose and calmly said, ¡°This concerns the safety of the entire Heavenly South Region, so I will naturally do my best. However, I fear that the enemy is too powerful for me to handle.¡±


    Since he had already revealed his true strength, Han Li didn¡¯t continue to be modest.


    Old Man Ma smiled and respectfully said, ¡°If Brother Han isn¡¯t a match for them, then it won¡¯t be my fault. I¡¯m sure the others in the alliance won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the old man with a faint smile. ¡°Brother Ma truly thinks too highly of me. My abilities aren¡¯t as profound as you think. Please don¡¯t hold your hopes too high.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, no matter what, Brother Han isn¡¯t an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator, and your abilities are far beyond that of Fellow Daoist Ma and I. In this battle¡­ Eh? The Moulans are starting to attack.¡± The bald man also wanted to build a good relationship with Han Li, but he had only spoken half of his sentence when his expression suddenly changed and he hurriedly looked into the distance.


    When Han Li and the old man heard this, their expressions stirred as they looked on.


    In the direction of the spell warrior army, there was a faint red light shining, and a red cloud of fire covered the sky in the distance. Within the red cloud, there were several tens of huge fireballs that resembled scorching suns taking shape.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Old Man Ma was clearly seeing this scene for the first time and asked with astonishment.


    The bald man gloomily explained, ¡°This is the spell warrior¡¯s Spirit Technique Formation. It can be used by many spell warriors, who replace formation flags and plates to quickly establish a spell formation. However, it normally requires a high grade spell warrior to preside over the grand spell formation. Judging from the size of the fireballs, it is likely that the fire-attribute spell warrior from yesterday was the one presiding over it.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Technique Formation!¡± Old Man Ma muttered with an astonished expression. Although he wanted to ask more, he knew this wasn¡¯t the right time, so he remained silent.


    Han Li withdrew his gaze and calmly said, ¡°The three of us will enter the formation and act accordingly. Before we fight the Nascent Soul cultivators, we will kill as many low-grade spell warriors as we can.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The old man and the bald man naturally had no objections.


    As a result, the bald man summoned the other Core Formation cultivators and gave them instructions before leading them into the sea of mist. Huhng Ning was among them.


    Han Li naturally sent a few words of advice through voice transmission.


    Han Li then disappeared into the mist.


    ¡­


    At this moment, a portion of the Moulan spell warriors had split into several tens of squads outside the sea of mist, forming a profound formation. They held fire-attribute magic tools in their hands and raised them above their heads to gather nearby fire-attribute spiritual Qi.


    Over 1,000 feet above their heads, several tens of huge fireballs were surging and taking shape. They emitted scorching heat, roasting the spell warriors below until their mouths were parched and their ears were ringing. However, all of them were sweating profusely as they struggled to hold on.


    Ku Yao was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the several tens of spell formations, his hair disheveled. He didn¡¯t move at all and was making strange hand seals with his two hands. There were six huge red banners slowly revolving around him, and the three-meter-long fire python was circling above his head. Its body shined with an extremely brilliant red light, stirring up waves of roiling fire clouds.


    Not far away, the green-robed woman had already dismounted from the huge beast and was coldly watching Ku Yao¡¯s every move. The shriveled spell warrior half a step behind her was also watching the situation with great concern.


    ¡°Go!¡± Ku Yao suddenly opened his eyes wide and shouted.


    The six fire banners began to hum loudly at the same time, and six pillars of crimson light shot out from the banners, entering the six huge fireballs that were over 100 feet in size.


    The six fireballs trembled as soon as they were sucked into the pillars of red light, and the flames on their surfaces suddenly grew to around 10 feet tall. Then, amidst the rumbling war drums, the fireballs smashed into the sea of mist like huge meteors, forming a straight line as if they were trying to forcefully open a path.


    With so many spell warriors casting spells at once, the power of the fireballs was truly no small matter.


    Even though the Nine Nations Union¡¯s spell formation masters had meticulously set up the Fire Dragon Mountain¡¯s sea of mist, the moment the fireballs came into contact with the green mist, a few earth-shattering explosions erupted and several hundred-meter-tall pillars of fire broke through the mist. A gust of hot wind swept past, blowing away the nearby mist in the blink of an eye.


    Although green and yellow restrictions lit up all around them, they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, unable to stop it in the slightest.


    In the blink of an eye, six huge circles had appeared in this sea of mist. The mist within them had completely disappeared, and it was extremely spacious.


    A cold light flashed through the green-robed woman¡¯s eyes as she flipped her hand, and a golden circle appeared in her hand.


    She raised her hand, and the circle transformed into a streak of golden light that shot toward the huge rhinoceros that was already standing at the edge of the sea of mist.


    With a clear ring, the golden ring accurately latched onto the huge rhino¡¯s blue horn.


    Then, it suddenly tightened and took root at the base of the huge horn, causing it to shine with blinding golden light.


    It was unknown whether the golden light had provoked it or if the green-robed woman had done something else, but the huge rhino¡¯s green eyes suddenly turned as red as blood, and it let loose a thunderous roar as it stamped its foot on the blue cloud and charged into the sea of mist.


    A short moment later, beast roars erupted from within the sea of mist as yellow and green light erupted.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s cold voice resounded through the entire sky, ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Sage Ku will continue to use his fire spirit techniques to destroy the restrictions down below. In today¡¯s battle, we must destroy this formation.¡± The spell warrior army that had been on standby for a long time cheered and rushed into the green mist.


    The green-robed woman indifferently said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. When Sage Ku finishes casting his spell, he will follow us.¡± White light flashed from her body and she shot forth as a streak of white light.


    The shriveled spell warrior hastily responded before following after her as a streak of black light.


    A short moment later, only a few hundred spell warriors remained in front of the sea of mist.


    At that moment, the other fireballs in the sky fell into the sea of mist one by one under the guidance of Ku Yao¡¯s six flame banners, all of them lined up with the first six. Dozens of pillars of flame shot into the sky, directly destroying most of the restrictions on the line.


    Ku Yao wildly laughed and stood up. He waved his hand at the surrounding cultivators and wordlessly transformed into a ball of raging flames before charging into the sea of mist.


    When the other cultivators saw this, they also swarmed forward.


    In an instant, over 1,000 spell warriors squeezed into the sea of mist, not to mention the hundreds of cultivators that were secretly controlling the restrictions and waiting for an opportunity to strike.


    ¡­


    Han Li floated motionlessly in the sea of mist with his eyes closed. He had already donned his three-colored Gold Devouring Beetle Armor and was standing on a huge azure sword. Above his head, there was a three-meter-long cloud of golden beetles. However, all of the beetles within were sinister and vicious, and they appeared to be waiting to devour him.


    Han Li¡¯s eyelids twitched a few times before he slowly opened his eyes with a hint of surprise on his face.


    ¡°As expected, there¡¯s a mid-Nascent Soul spell warrior inside, but how could she be a female spell warrior?¡± Han Li muttered to himself. After a moment of thought, he slapped his storage pouch and a set of formation tools appeared in his hand in a flash of light.


    Han Li¡¯s body flashed, and in a short moment, he had set up the most powerful temporary formation from the formation tools he had brought with him.


    ¡°Silvermoon, come out.¡± Han Li waved his sleeve and a small fox flew out, landing in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this Purple Cloudlace for you to use. Also, take the Ancient Flower Basket with you. This time, the opponent may be even more troublesome than Senior Sister Wan¡¯er, so you have to be careful! If the opponent¡¯s abilities are truly powerful, there¡¯s no need to fight them head-on. You¡¯ll lure them here and use the restrictions of the sea of mist and my spell formation. If that still doesn¡¯t work, then forget about it. Let¡¯s withdraw and leave. There¡¯s no need to fight the enemy to the death,¡± Han Li instructed with an unchanged expression.


    With a flip of his hand, the Purple Cloudlace and the Ancient Flower Basket appeared in his hand, and he tossed them toward the little fox.

 Chapter 741

    Breaking the Formation (3)


    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll still hide in the dark like last time, so I¡¯ll lend you a hand when the time is right,¡± the small fox replied in a seductive voice as she rolled over in a flash of white light and turned into a beautiful young woman.


    ¡°Not bad, it¡¯s still the same. When you dealt with the Masked Moon Sect¡¯s Grand Elder last time, you chose a good time to act.¡± Han Li nodded and gave a few words of praise.


    ¡°Many thanks for Master¡¯s praise. I will do my best.¡± Silvermoon put away the two treasures and smiled. Then with a flash of yellow light, she disappeared in front of Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, his eyes flickered and he raised his head to look into the distance with a stern expression.


    In a flash of azure light, he disappeared into the mist.


    At the same time, not long after the spell warriors entered the mist, the remaining restrictions in the sea of mist were activated, and killing intent began to appear.


    Fortunately, most of the cultivators were following closely behind the huge rhinoceros, which withstood the restrictions with complete indifference.


    Regardless of whether it was the fireballs, icicles, lightning, fire, or earth spikes, they were all completely ineffective against the huge beast. They were easily repelled by the jet-black armor on its body.


    The huge rhinoceros didn¡¯t pay any attention to these attacks and continued to madly charge forward.


    Regardless of what kind of restrictions or barriers appeared in front of it, they were all knocked aside by its massive body. With irresistible force, it rushed to the first open area that had been smashed open by the meteor. It was over 1,000 feet wide, and all of the mist had disappeared.


    At this moment, none of the spell warriors behind the huge beast were injured.


    However, what was strange was that the strongest among this group of spell warriors were only four Core Formation cultivators and none of them were Nascent Soul cultivators. It was unknown where the green-robed woman and the other two had hidden themselves after entering the mist, or if they had other strange plans.


    When the mist disappeared, the spell warriors let out a sigh of relief. A few Core Formation spell warriors even gathered together to discuss their next move.


    However, right at this moment, two shimmering silver halberds suddenly shot out from the dense fog in front of them. Lightning arcs coiled around the halberds, and rumbling sounds rang out incessantly.


    All of the spell warriors were alarmed. Two of the Core Formation spell warriors immediately raised their hands and released two streaks of light, one blue and one red, to meet the halberds.


    Unexpectedly, the two silver halberds didn¡¯t directly clash with the spell warriors¡¯ magic treasures. Instead, they circled in the air and shot towards the huge rhinoceros at an angle.


    At first, the Core Formation spell warriors were shocked, but they soon relaxed.


    With the huge beast¡¯s defensive power, ordinary magic treasures wouldn¡¯t be able to harm it.


    However, what happened next left them stunned. The two silver halberds didn¡¯t directly attack the huge rhinoceros¡¯ body. Instead, they flew into the air above the huge beast and suddenly stopped. Then, the two silver halberds suddenly collided with each other without any warning.


    Immediately thereafter, a loud thunderclap rang out, following which an extremely thick arc of lightning erupted from the clash of the two silver halberds, striking the behemoth¡¯s head.


    Blue light flashed from the giant rhino¡¯s body and it was shattered by the arc of silver lightning, firmly striking the black armor.


    Rumbling sounds rang out as lightning flashed. The huge rhinoceros remained unscathed, but it seemed to have been enraged. It raised its head to the sky and let loose a huge roar before opening its mouth to shoot a three-meter-long snow-white icicle toward the silver spear.


    The two silver halberds didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of continuing the battle. They dodged the icicles and released another arc of silver lightning before flying back into the dense fog.


    When the huge beast saw this, the blood-red light in its eyes intensified. Without another word, it raised its hooves and madly gave chase.


    The Core Formation spell warriors were shocked and hastily called out to the other spell warriors behind them, all of whom were about to chase after it.


    But before they could move, light of various colors suddenly flashed from the dense fog around them, and over a hundred spell warriors appeared from all directions. They released many magic tools and attacked the spell warriors in the center in a frenzy.


    The Moulan spell warriors were naturally enraged to the extreme. They also used their magic tools and released their spirit techniques, creating a chaotic scene.


    In that moment of delay, the giant rhinoceros had already disappeared into the mist.


    As for the Core Formation spell warriors, they were completely blocked by the high-grade cultivators.


    As such, they were naturally enraged. Just as they were about to call upon the spell warriors behind them to exterminate the enemies, those cultivators put away their magic tools and fled into the sea of mist without any hesitation.


    Seeing this, the spell warriors looked at each other, unsure whether or not they should give chase.


    After a moment of thought, a late Core Formation old man calmly commanded, ¡°There are too many people. Let¡¯s split up. Most of the nearby restrictions have been destroyed. As long as we pay attention, nothing major will happen. Since they¡¯re intent on harassing us, we¡¯ll chase after them and exterminate them. As for the huge beast, Core Formation cultivators won¡¯t be able to harm it. After we kill these cultivators, we¡¯ll be able to find it in time.¡±


    He then flew into the sea of mist as a streak of light, chasing after a Core Formation cultivator.


    When the other spell warriors heard this, they immediately scattered in groups and chased after him.


    The dense fog roiled for a moment before calming down, and there was no one in sight.


    However, after a short while, a humanoid figure appeared within the green mist and walked in at ease with his hands behind his back.


    From the looks of it, he was none other than Old Man Ma.


    At this moment, his face was slightly pale, but his eyes were shining with radiance, and he didn¡¯t appear to have lost any of his magic power.


    After arriving at the center of the open space, the old man examined his surroundings and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.


    The old man calmly said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already come out, there is no need for you to hide. Your concealment techniques won¡¯t be able to escape my notice.¡± His gaze landed on an empty spot.


    ¡°Humph! I didn¡¯t think that your spiritual sense would be so strong. I originally planned on giving you a pleasant surprise, but it seems I won¡¯t be able to do as you wish.¡± A man¡¯s cold snort sounded from that location. In a flash of black light, the shriveled spell warrior appeared.


    However, in the instant that this person revealed himself, he wordlessly rubbed his hands together and abruptly raised them toward the old man.


    Dozens of thumb-thick streaks of black light immediately shot forth like a torrential downpour, enveloping Old Man Ma within.


    ¡­


    In the dense fog that was only a few thousand feet away from Old Man Ma and the shriveled spell warrior, the bald man expressionlessly stared at Ku Yao, who was in a ball of raging flames.


    The flames on his body were so powerful that they gradually reduced the surrounding mist to nothingness, clearing the surrounding 300 feet.


    ¡°Humph, you think you can rescue your companion by stopping me?¡± Ku Yao had originally planned to sneak up behind the old man and attack him together with the shriveled spell warrior, but he hadn¡¯t expected to be stopped by the bald man in front of him. Naturally, he was furious.


    The bald man remained completely unmoved and narrowed his eyes as he said, ¡°If you have the time to care about others, why don¡¯t you think about how to save yourself? Although Fellow Daoist Ma¡¯s vitality hasn¡¯t recovered from yesterday¡¯s battle, you must¡¯ve expended quite a bit of spiritual power. In addition, you also expended quite a bit of spiritual power to control the Great Spirit Technique Formation. Unless you have a heaven-defying treasure to help you, you should be quite weak.¡±


    Then, he opened his mouth and spat out a short white rod. It circled around him before shaking slightly in front of him. Brilliant white light erupted from the rod and it began to shine with blinding light.


    When Ku Yao saw this, a disdainful expression appeared on his face. Just as he thought to use his abilities to deal with the enemy, his expression suddenly changed drastically.


    The color of the spiritual light in front of him began to change from white to golden. At the same time, the projection of a faint golden monster appeared on top of the short rod. From its appearance, it appeared to be a huge golden monkey.


    Although it wasn¡¯t as large as the giant rhinoceros, it was still around twenty meters tall. Upon closer inspection, the monkey had four furry ears and an extremely ugly appearance. As soon as it appeared, it pounded its chest and roared towards the sky before fiercely glaring at Ku Yao.


    ¡°Artifact Spirit! Your magic treasure is actually an Artifact Spirit treasure!¡± Ku Yao cried out involuntarily after clearly seeing the beast¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Hehe! This is the first time I¡¯ve revealed it to anyone since I acquired the Four-Eared Golden Ape¡¯s artifact spirit. If you were to die here, you wouldn¡¯t have anything to complain about.¡± Killing intent flashed from Grand Immortal Lu¡¯s face as he made a hand seal.


    The giant ape¡¯s body became clearer and clearer, and the short rod instantly grew to over 100 feet in size. As if it were a real demon beast, the giant ape reached out and grabbed the rod without any hesitation. Then, it turned into a ball of golden light and fiercely pounced towards the huge man.


    ¡­


    The green-robed woman wasn¡¯t together with the shriveled spell warrior or Ku Yao. Her goal was quite simple. She was going to use her own abilities to strike at the center of the formation and destroy it.


    Of course, before that, she had to get rid of a cultivator.


    Ever since she entered the dense fog, she had clearly felt a trace of spiritual sense coiling around her body. Even with her powerful spiritual sense that was not inferior to that of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, she was unable to completely block it.


    This caused the woman¡¯s heart to tremble and her killing intent towards the young cultivator flourished.


    If she didn¡¯t get rid of this cultivator who possessed several strange abilities, it was very likely that something unexpected would occur in the upcoming battle. Fortunately, this cultivator seemed to be quite confident in his abilities and didn¡¯t conceal his position at all, clearly wanting to lure this mid Nascent Soul spell warrior that was like her over.


    This caused the woman to coldly laugh in her heart before flying directly toward him.


    When the green-robed woman sensed that the young cultivator was less than 1,000 feet away from her, the white light around her body receded and she slowed down.


    Although she was completely confident in herself, she had no intention of recklessly engaging him in battle without knowing whether or not he had set up a trap.


    The woman slapped her storage pouch and a fist-sized azure bead suddenly appeared in her hand.

 Chapter 742

    Breaking the Formation (4)


    She raised the azure bead above her head and struck it with a spell seal.


    Brilliant light immediately radiated from the treasure as countless threads of azure light shot forth, instantly piercing through the dense fog within a radius of over 1,000 feet and transforming into gusts of azure wind.


    After a series of violent turbulences, the dense fog was blown away, and everything nearby became clearly visible.


    The green-robed woman raised her brow and saw a green-robed youth silently standing several hundred feet away. He was sizing her up without any expression on his face.


    It was none other than Han Li, who had been waiting for a long time!


    A cold light flashed through the woman¡¯s eyes as she swept her spiritual sense around her. She then frowned and looked up into the sky.


    Over 100 feet up in the air, a ball of shimmering golden cloud was silently floating in the air.


    When the woman saw the true appearance of the golden cloud, her expression changed drastically.


    The green-robed woman let out a breath and muttered, ¡°Gold Devouring Beetles! The cultivator with the spirit insects was also you.¡± However, the coldness in the depths of her eyes grew even more intense.


    Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this, but his expression remained calm as he said, ¡°There are actually so many Moulan spell warriors who recognize this insect. I am truly surprised. Did the spell warrior who escaped from me last time tell you?¡±


    ¡°The body of Sage Mu of the Heavenly Wind Tribe was destroyed in your hands, right?¡± The woman didn¡¯t directly answer Han Li¡¯s question and instead asked another question.


    ¡°Sage Mu! The spell warrior that used the Wind Riding Chariot to pursue me? If it was him, then his body was indeed destroyed by me. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that his Nascent Soul fled quickly enough, I would¡¯ve destroyed his body and soul. Could it be that you wish to avenge him?¡± Han Li calmly replied without any anger on his face, but his heart immediately grew vigilant.


    Since this woman knew of the Celestial Ice Flames and the Thunderstorm Wings, it appeared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use surprise attacks to deal with her.


    Otherwise, based on his experience dealing with several Nascent Soul cultivators, he would¡¯ve used his Thunderstorm Wings to catch them off guard and then used the Celestial Ice Flames to freeze them.


    ¡°Sage Mu¡¯s body was destroyed because his cultivation wasn¡¯t refined, so what is there to complain about? However, since you are able to control Gold Devouring Beetles and possess so many abilities, I won¡¯t let you go today.¡±


    The green-robed woman¡¯s expression darkened and she quickly formed an incantation gesture. White light flashed from her body and a white ribbon-like magic treasure appeared from her body.


    Soon after, she flipped her hand and summoned a small yellow cauldron.


    The cauldron seemed to have been refined from some unknown spirit wood. It was around three to four inches in size and had an ancient appearance. Its surface was carved with some incomprehensible runes and incantations.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly upon sensing this.


    The green-robed woman coldly said, ¡°The Gold Devouring Beetles are ancient and wondrous, and they are nearly inextinguishable once they mature. They are capable of devouring all things, but they are restricted by wood-jade treasures. Coincidentally, I¡¯ve had dealings with a Soaring Tribes cultivator who also uses Gold Devouring Beetles. I specifically found this Yellow Spirit Cauldron to deal with his insect control techniques, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would encounter a Heavenly South cultivator like you who also uses Gold Devouring Beetles. Otherwise, even though your Gold Devouring Beetles haven¡¯t matured, it would be truly difficult to deal with so many of them.¡± Her slender hand touched the small yellow cauldron¡¯s ear without any hesitation.


    Brilliant spiritual light immediately erupted from the cauldron, and a yellow barrier of light appeared from within, enveloping the woman.


    ¡°There are others with Gold Devouring Beetles?¡± Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched and his expression grew solemn.


    ¡°You might not know this, but the Gold Devouring Beetles are the mortal enemies of the Moulans. They were the sacred insects of the Soaring Tribes, whose ancestor spent countless years to finally nurture several tens of mature insects. Only the most outstanding Soaring Tribes cultivators have the qualifications to inherit them. Ever since the beetles matured, countless spell warriors have been devoured by them. They have long been hated by Moulan.¡±


    ¡°Since you also have so many Gold Devouring Beetles, although they haven¡¯t matured yet, I definitely won¡¯t let you pass them down.¡±


    After the green-robed woman finished speaking, she raised the small cauldron above her head.


    The small cauldron revolved above the woman¡¯s head, and yellow light flashed as a vast expanse of yellow mist erupted from the cauldron, sweeping toward the insect cloud in the sky.


    When Han Li heard the woman say that mature Gold Devouring Beetles already existed in this world, he was somewhat dumbstruck. However, when he heard her unfriendly tone, he immediately withdrew his thoughts and put this matter to the back of his mind.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank upon seeing this, but a hint of malevolence soon appeared on his face as he pointed at the cloud of beetles above him after the enemy commanded the light of the cauldron to attack the Gold Devouring Beetles directly.


    All of a sudden, a buzzing sound rang out as the cloud of golden beetles scattered, transforming into countless golden flowers that shot out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the Gold Devouring Beetles had disappeared into the sea of mist around them.


    As such, the yellow light caught nothing.


    The green-robed woman faltered upon seeing this before suddenly recalling something and hurriedly sweeping her spiritual sense through the surrounding mist.


    A short moment later, her brows furrowed and a frosty expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°You actually commanded the Gold Devouring Beetles to attack other spell warriors! Did you think I would let you do that?¡±


    Before the woman could finish her sentence, she pulled out her white ribbon magic treasure and tossed it toward Han Li.


    The ribbon glowed with blinding white light, and it circled in the air before transforming into a large snow-white condor with wings that spanned several tens of feet. Its eyes were fiery red, and its claws were pitch-black.


    With a flap of its wings, the snow condor disappeared in a flash of white light, only to reappear in the air above Han Li in the next instant. With a sharp cry, the demonic bird suddenly descended and viciously clawed at the top of Han Li¡¯s head.


    The huge condor was moving at such a fast speed that Han Li was startled. However, he didn¡¯t have time to think about it before raising a hand.


    A thunderclap erupted as several tens of thin arcs of golden lightning shot forth from his palm, transforming into a huge golden net that swept through the air, enveloping the white condor within.


    When the white condor saw this, a fierce light flashed through its eyes. It flapped its wings, and countless white wind blades shot out from its wings, striking the golden net.


    A series of explosions erupted as golden and white light intertwined.


    The power of the wind blades was no small matter. Although the golden net managed to block most of the wind blades, it was ultimately cut into pieces. The remaining tens of wind blades broke through the net and shot toward Han Li.


    The giant condor followed closely behind the wind blades and pounced down.


    ¡°Huh!¡± A trace of surprise flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes, but he remained expressionless.


    With a flick of his fingers, over ten streaks of azure sword Qi shot out from his hand, blocking the wind blades. Soon after, he flipped his palm, and a small blue shield appeared in his hand. With a slight wave of his hand, the small shield instantly grew several times larger in the blue light, turning into a huge shield that was around 10 feet wide.


    The surface of the shield was shimmering with blue light and was watery as if it had been condensed from liquid.


    At this moment, the azure sword Qi that had shattered the wind blades was still slashing toward the huge condor.


    The snow condor wasn¡¯t afraid in the slightest. It flapped its wings to the left and right, causing the azure sword Qi to ripple. Afterwards, it fiercely swooped down, its sharp claws fiercely grabbing onto the huge blue shield.


    Han Li harrumphed coldly and pointed a finger toward the huge shield. Brilliant light erupted from it, and the sharp claws seemed to have struck the surface of the water, causing ripples to appear as they were repelled.


    In a flash, the huge condor¡¯s body swayed.


    However, in that split second, a cold light flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes as he raised his other hand, and a ball of black light shot forth. It then transformed into a huge black-red hand that was around 10 feet in size, and it swooped down at lightning speed, forcibly grabbing the huge condor¡¯s body.


    Puchi! Gloomy flames instantly erupted from the five fingers of the huge hand, enveloping the huge condor in pitch-black flames.


    Miserable screeches rang out incessantly as the huge condor struggled with all its might in the huge hand. Its iron hook-like beak pecked at Han Li incessantly.


    Han Li¡¯s heart relaxed slightly upon seeing this, and he raised his head to look at the woman before him.


    The green-robed woman turned a blind eye to the capture of the huge condor and began to chant an ancient incantation with a solemn expression.


    Han Li listened carefully and couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart tremble when he found it incomprehensible.


    Soon after, he saw the woman spread her ten fingers apart in the shape of a lotus flower, upon which a white ball of light was shimmering. From afar, it appeared as if a white lotus flower was slowly taking shape.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart jolted. Although he didn¡¯t know what the other party was up to, for a mid Nascent Soul cultivator to be able to chant for such a long time, it was definitely an extraordinary cultivation art. There was no way he could allow the other party to successfully cast it.


    With that thought, Han Li gloomily waved his sleeve, and several tens of azure flying swords swam out from his sleeve. They then joined together, transforming into a streak of azure light that swept forth with a myriad of sword Qi.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li raised his hand and gently waved it toward the huge hand that was locked in a deadlock with the huge condor.


    The huge black-red hand immediately exerted force with its five fingers and dragged the huge condor down, pulling it before Han Li in the blink of an eye.


    Without another thought, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of Celestial Ice Flames onto the struggling condor.


    ¡°Zi la.¡±


    As soon as the ice flames came into contact with the huge condor, a layer of blue light flashed over its body, condensing it into an ice statue. It was still struggling with all its might with its eyes wide open, although it had become a sculpture.


    A hint of elation appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. Just as he was about to do something else, he suddenly heard a clear melodious voice from the opposite side, following which an extremely blinding white light erupted. A white barrier of light that seemed to have materialized enveloped an area of three hundred meters in radius.


    When Han Li saw this, he inwardly cursed and hastily turned his head to look.


    A strange scene appeared in front of him.


    The green-robed woman had already stopped chanting, but she was still in her original position. However, the white lotus in her hand had not only spread out, but it was also floating three meters above her head, emitting dazzling white spiritual light.


    As for the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that he had released, they were now hovering over 100 feet away from the woman. They were flying up and down with all their might, but it was as if they were blocked by an invisible barrier, which prevented them from approaching her.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed upon seeing this.

 Chapter 743

    Breaking the Formation (5)


    The white lotus didn¡¯t appear to be formed from any treasure. It was completely condensed from the woman¡¯s magic power and still possessed such threatening might. This greatly surprised Han Li.


    However, this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before he took a deep breath with a gloomy expression. He suddenly raised his right arm, and a layer of faint black Qi covered his arm.


    The black Qi continued to expand and contract as if it were alive, and it gradually became denser. When it became pitch-black, Han Li wore a solemn expression.


    The entire arm rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, it became two to three times as thick as before. A layer of piercing blood light even appeared on its surface, creating an extremely bizarre sight to behold.


    This was none other than the Huhn Devil Execution that Han Li cultivated.


    At that moment, Han Li coldly glanced at the green-robed woman.


    Coincidentally, the woman had also finished casting her spell. She raised her head and looked at Han Li with her bright eyes. Their gazes met and her eyes fell on Han Li¡¯s demonic arm.


    A cold light flashed in her eyes.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li shouted without any hesitation.


    He waved his arm through the air.


    A semicircle of black and red light shot forth from his arm, expanding to several tens of feet in width.


    A long streak of light tore through the air and instantly arrived at the area enveloped by the white lotus light.


    The green-robed woman raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to expel a ball of translucent white Qi onto the white lotus. A layer of lotus flower phantoms immediately appeared from the white lotus, enveloping the woman within.


    In a flash of light, the shard of light struck the lotus projection. At first, it easily cut through the lotus projection, but after traveling several tens of feet into the lotus projection, its speed was greatly reduced, and it was unable to move in the slightest.


    A trace of complacency appeared on the woman¡¯s face, but the expression in her eyes suddenly changed.


    Han Li wordlessly tossed out a pitch-black object.


    As soon as it left his hand, it swelled violently in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a black mountain that was over 1,000 feet tall, crashing down toward the woman in the lotus shadow.


    ¡°Thousand Layer Mountain!¡± the woman exclaimed upon seeing the massive mountain.


    How could she not know of this renowned ancient treasure among spell warriors?


    Even with her mid-Nascent Soul cultivation and the ancient Buddhist secret techniques she was currently using, she definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to take the mountain head-on.


    The green-robed woman didn¡¯t have time to think as she formed an incantation gesture with her hands. Her body and the white lotus and the small yellow cauldron above her head connected together in white light and instantly disappeared as a gust of wind.


    In the next instant, light flashed over 200 feet away, and the woman reappeared in azure light.


    Although the white lotus projection didn¡¯t have the support of the woman¡¯s magic power, it didn¡¯t immediately disappear. However, under the pressure of the huge black mountain, it was only able to withstand the pressure for a moment before disintegrating.


    ¡°Wind Escape Technique?¡± Han Li¡¯s face didn¡¯t reveal the slightest joy. Instead, he muttered to himself and inwardly complained.


    He didn¡¯t think that she would be able to use such a strange movement technique that was not inferior to the Lightning Movement Technique.


    As such, unless he trapped the other party in a perilous situation, there was practically no way to defeat her.


    Even so, Han Li decided to give it a try.


    He still didn¡¯t quite believe that his opponent¡¯s Wind Escape Technique was as proficient as his own Thunderstorm Wings. So long as he could get close to his opponent, he believed that with the terrifying power of the Celestial Ice Flames, no matter how strange the white lotus was, it would be easy to heavily injure his opponent.


    With that in mind, Han Li pointed at the black-red light and the several tens of Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that he had finally freed, and they immediately shot toward the green-robed woman.


    At the same time, a thunderclap erupted from Han Li¡¯s back as a pair of silver wings spread open behind him.


    With a wave of his hands, the blue light shield in front of him rapidly shrunk and shot into Han Li¡¯s sleeve. At the same time, the huge black-red hand that had been holding onto the huge condor above his head also released its grip on the huge ice statue and pounced toward the woman as a ball of black light.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered as he raised a hand, upon which a mouthful of blue flames shot forth.


    Immediately thereafter, the hand glowed with a dazzling blue light.


    Silver arcs of lightning wildly flashed, and Han Li disappeared amid a resounding boom.


    While Han Li was taking action, the green-robed woman felt a headache coming on when she saw Han Li continuously displaying all sorts of treasures.


    She originally believed that a mere early-Nascent Soul cultivator was only so powerful because of his strange abilities. As long as she was able to neutralize most of his abilities, she should be able to easily take him down.


    Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Han Li had already unleashed four to five powerful treasures. Apart from the huge condor that she had just unleashed, she had been suppressed and attacked by Han Li. This caused her, who had always been revered among the Moulan spell warriors, to gradually grow angry.


    However, she also knew that with so many treasures protecting him, it would be difficult for her to heavily injure him, let alone kill him.


    When she saw that Han Li had grown wings on his back and disappeared into the lightning, she let out a cold harrumph and decided to use her trump card to kill him.


    However, she naturally couldn¡¯t allow Han Li to easily approach her with his Lightning Movement Techniques.


    With that in mind, the white lotus above her head descended and disappeared into her head.


    At the same time, Han Li¡¯s body flashed with lightning amid a thunderclap, and he appeared thirty to forty feet away from the green-robed woman.


    In a flash, he was only three meters away from the woman. Blue flames flashed from his hand as he silently pressed it against the yellow barrier in front of her.


    Han Li was 80% certain that he would be able to break through the small cauldron¡¯s wood-attribute light barrier with the Celestial Ice Flames.


    The green-robed woman remained motionless in the air despite the fact that the attack had been so easily successful. She had no intention of using her Wind Escape Technique to evade the attack.


    Han Li¡¯s heart jolted upon hearing this, and he felt that something was amiss.


    Right at this moment, the woman within the light barrier suddenly emitted a soft, milky white light, and white lotus flower petals blossomed from her body.


    As soon as Han Li broke through the yellow light barrier, a lotus petal blocked his hand.


    As soon as the white light and blue flames came into contact, Han Li felt his arm tremble. In an instant, a vast expanse of white light appeared before his eyes, as if he had been gently swept away by the lotus petal.


    Its movements were clearly slow, but he was unable to dodge. He could only watch as the lotus flower struck his body.


    Han Li was greatly alarmed!


    With a bang, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and was sent flying.


    Han Li was only able to forcefully stabilize his body after being sent flying two hundred to three hundred feet away. He came to a shaky stop and pressed a hand to his chest as he looked at the woman with shock.


    A huge lotus flower that was several tens of feet in size had suddenly bloomed beneath the green-robed woman¡¯s feet. White lotus petals slowly revolved around her body. The green-robed woman stood within it with an expressionless face as she coldly stared at Han Li.


    The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and the other treasures that followed closely behind were all easily sent flying by these petals. Furthermore, the lotus flower phantoms from before seemed to be far weaker than the petals.


    At this moment, Han Li felt a sweetness in his throat and couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    Han Li inwardly grinned. This was quite a loss!


    With that thought, he let out a breath of turbid air and slowly moved his hand away from his chest, lowering his head to look.


    The robe on his chest had already been shattered, revealing a brilliant tri-colored luster.


    The armor that he had intentionally concealed in his robes had already sunk in a large area, and there were even several thumb-sized cracks on it.


    Han Li sucked in a breath of cold air as the pain in his chest grew more and more intense.


    With a dark expression, he raised his head to look at the green-robed woman.


    As a result, he happened to see the woman sweep her gaze past his insect armor, and a trace of disappointment and surprise appeared on her face.


    With a cold harrumph, Han Li tore off his azure robe, revealing his formidable insect armor.


    Soon after, azure light flashed from his hand, and he swept his five fingers toward the damaged armor.


    An unbelievable scene ensued. After the azure light brushed past, the dent in the armor quickly closed up.


    In the blink of an eye, it returned to its original state as if it were brand new.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s expression changed slightly and she revealed a hint of shock. However, she soon regained her icy expression and her killing intent toward Han Li grew even stronger.


    Without further thought, she placed her hand in front of her chest and spread her fingers. With a pleasant and obscure incantation, a ball of azure light flew out from her sleeve and circled around before landing in her palm.


    The light receded to reveal a bronze oil lantern. It was ancient and dilapidated, to the extent that it was faintly black.


    The green-robed woman glanced at the oil lantern with a hint of reluctance on her face. She then turned to Han Li with a fierce expression.


    When Han Li saw the woman¡¯s expression, he faintly felt that something was amiss.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what kind of ancient treasure this oil lantern was, this was the first time he had seen or heard of such a treasure.


    With these thoughts racing through his mind, azure light flashed from Han Li¡¯s body, and he transformed into a streak of azure light that filled the sky, sweeping away all of the treasures. Then, he flapped his wings and disappeared amid a thunderclap.


    In the next instant, he appeared in front of the ice sculpture of the huge condor.


    Han Li bluntly raised a hand and disappeared amid a series of explosions. Soon after, he appeared at the edge of the dense fog in a certain direction and dove into it without any hesitation.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s small mouth was wide open and her face was filled with astonishment.


    Ever since her cultivation had reached major success, she had fought countless equally powerful opponents. However, this was the first time she had seen a high-grade cultivator turn around and flee without hesitation.


    However, when the woman saw that Han Li had taken the huge condor with him, she immediately woke up from her shock and anger. She let loose a delicate cry and stepped on the white lotus with the lantern in her hand. She then turned into a light breeze and chased after Han Li.


    She also disappeared into the dense fog.


    Immediately thereafter, silver lightning and azure light flashed incessantly in the sea of mist, accompanied by the sounds of thunder and wind.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li lured the green-robed woman to an unfamiliar place.


    Silver light flashed from Han Li¡¯s body, and he came to a stop.


    He lowered his head to look at the blue ice sculpture in his hand and sneered. Suddenly, golden lightning flashed in his hand and the ice sculpture shattered.

 Chapter 744

    Breaking the Formation (6)


    The snow condor¡¯s body naturally shattered into countless pieces along with the ice shards.


    When the green-robed woman caught sight of this, she wore a startled expression. However, she soon let out a cold laugh and stomped on the white lotus flowers, causing a violent gale to blow up from the lotus flowers and completely dissipate the nearby mist.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at her unfriendly appearance. He calmly opened his mouth.


    ¡°Does Fellow Daoist feel no heartache for the treasure¡¯s destruction? Or does Fellow Daoist believe that my actions are incapable of destroying the treasure?¡± With that said, Han Li indifferently glanced at the blue ice fragments scattered in the air.


    The green-robed woman indifferently replied, ¡°What do you think?¡± She then pointed to Han Li¡¯s side.


    All of a sudden, the shards of ice at Han Li¡¯s side began to flicker with light, and countless specks of white light began to emerge from them.


    Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this, but he immediately raised his hand and released an azure mist toward the specks of light.


    With a series of crackles, the specks of white light separated from the blue ice and transformed into a milky-white spiritual light that surged toward the woman.


    After sweeping through the area, the azure mist caught nothing.


    When Han Li saw that his attack hadn¡¯t succeeded, his expression sank and he stopped his futile efforts. Instead, he coldly watched from the side.


    The spiritual light surged toward the woman and immediately converged to form a head-sized ball of white light in the blink of an eye.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s expression remained indifferent as she struck it with a spell seal.


    Blinding white light flashed and the cry of a condor immediately sounded from within the ball of light. Soon after, the ball of light elongated and the snow-white condor was resurrected before Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Han Li frowned when he saw this, but he soon noticed that the condor wasn¡¯t as energetic as before. Instead, it appeared to be rather dispirited.


    A pensive look appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    From the looks of it, killing the Artifact Spirit wasn¡¯t completely ineffective. The condor wasn¡¯t an undying body, so he believed that he would be able to kill it a few more times.


    When the young woman saw the white condor¡¯s weakened appearance, she wordlessly waved her hand.


    The snow condor immediately spread its wings and soared into the sky. After rolling in the air, it transformed into a white ribbon and drifted down.


    It landed on the woman¡¯s body and disappeared.


    The woman held the lantern in one hand and swept her hair behind her shoulder as she coldly asked, ¡°You suddenly stopped running and wanted to infuriate me by shattering my magic treasure¡¯s Artifact Spirit. It seems you have a backup plan.¡±


    Han Li was somewhat surprised to hear this, but after a moment of silence, his eyes flickered and he spoke.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist knows and is still willing to chase after me, it seems you have complete confidence in your treasure. Could you enlighten me on the origins of this lantern? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of a lantern-type ancient treasure.¡±


    With that said, Han Li stared at the woman¡¯s face without blinking.


    The woman¡¯s expression sank and she bluntly said, ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s better to die a foolish death!¡±


    Soon after, she opened her mouth and spat out a ball of Nascent Soul Flame onto the copper lantern in her hand.


    An azure light slowly lit up on the lantern.


    Han Li sighed and calmly flipped his hands.


    A green formation flag and a red-and-azure formation plate appeared in his hands.


    Han Li cast a meaningful glance at the woman before him. He first raised the small flag into the air and quickly struck it with an incantation seal before chanting an incantation.


    The formation flag flashed with light and instantly exploded, following which a ball of green mist appeared out of thin air, covering a radius of several hundred feet in the air.


    The mist suddenly transformed into a green wyrm that was over 100 feet in length before pouncing toward the woman.


    At the same time, the formation plate in Han Li¡¯s other hand released azure and red light. He tossed it under his feet and it immediately turned into a white mist, disappearing into the ground.


    Immediately thereafter, the sea of mist around them roiled and surged, shooting out countless threads of azure and red light toward the green-robed woman.


    Han Li then swept his sleeve through the air, summoning a small silver bell that swelled in size before transforming into a huge bell. It let out a loud ringing soundwave and flew toward the green-robed woman¡¯s head at Han Li¡¯s urging.


    Since he was unable to get close to this woman, he would use the silver bell¡¯s ringing to launch an invisible attack. Perhaps this would be effective.


    Of course, in the face of the green-robed woman¡¯s unfathomable white lotus flower and the unknown copper lantern ancient treasure in her hand, Han Li¡¯s true trump cards weren¡¯t these.


    Instead, it was Silvermoon, who had already used an earth movement technique to stealthily hide beneath the ground.


    At that moment, Silvermoon had already unfurled her Purple Cloudlace and placed it under this woman¡¯s feet.


    All she had to do was wait for the woman to make the slightest mistake and deliver the fatal blow.


    Although the green-robed woman didn¡¯t know that there were people lying in ambush, she turned a blind eye even though Han Li had already activated all of his restrictions and attacks. She only lowered her head to look at the faint azure lantern in her hand and a cold smile appeared on her face.


    She calmly raised her hand and nimbly pinched the azure lantern flame with two fingers. A pea-sized lantern flame appeared between her fingers and she nimbly picked it up.


    At that moment, the wyrm in the sky was surrounded by threads of azure and red light, and silver waves were attacking her at almost the same time.


    However, the woman didn¡¯t appear worried in the slightest. Instead, she gently tapped the white lotus beneath her feet with her foot. In a flash of white light, the white lotus quickly began to revolve and dance. The white lotus petals gradually contracted, instantly protecting the woman within.


    The green mist wyrm was the first to approach the light barrier. It bluntly opened its mouth and spat out a pillar of green mist that struck the white light barrier.


    In the end, the lotus petals in the light barrier swept past the green mist wyrm and it dissipated.


    The azure-red threads soon arrived, but they were also blocked. Only the soundwaves weren¡¯t blocked by the white lotus petals and were directly absorbed. As for the effects, it was impossible to determine.


    When Han Li saw this, he immediately made an incantation gesture.


    The azure and red threads no longer pounced forward. Instead, they intertwined and formed a large net, enveloping the white lotus in layers. The mist wyrm also rolled in the air, transforming into a vast expanse of green mist that engulfed the white lotus threads.


    As for the silver bell, it flew into the air above the white lotus, and under Han Li¡¯s full control, the silver waves suddenly grew three times larger. Wave after wave, they passed through the restriction and directly attacked the green-robed woman.


    For a time, it was as if the green-robed woman within the white lotus had been restricted.


    However, when Han Li saw this, he didn¡¯t reveal any joy. Instead, he tightly frowned.


    As if confirming that Han Li¡¯s fears weren¡¯t baseless, the white lotus flower, which was originally only three meters in size, once again blossomed without the slightest warning.


    The white lotus petals were like sharp blades. With a few turns, they cut the green mist into pieces.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened upon seeing this.


    Meanwhile, the green-robed woman stood gracefully at the center of the white lotus with an emotionless expression. She held the copper lantern in one hand and the ordinary-looking azure flame in the other. She coldly glanced at Han Li before her gaze suddenly fell on the huge silver bell that was ringing above her head.


    The silver ripples it released just so happened to envelop the woman.


    A cold light flashed through her beautiful eyes. She suddenly raised her hand and brought the azure lantern flame to her small mouth, gently blowing on it.


    ¡°Puchi!¡± The lantern flame trembled slightly before disappearing from the woman¡¯s hand.


    In the next instant, the huge silver bell in the air was enveloped by the ball of azure light.


    When the woman saw this, she began to chant something, and the surface of the silver bell began to burn with an unknown azure devilish flame.


    The silver bell wailed and erupted with blinding silver light in an attempt to block the attack for a moment. However, in the blink of an eye, the bell was melted into silver liquid by the azure flames.


    The azure light barrier then shattered on its own and disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li¡¯s face paled upon seeing the destruction of the ancient treasure.


    At that moment, the green-robed woman extended her hand and skillfully plucked an azure lantern flame from the copper lantern. Then, she looked at Han Li with ill intent.


    Han Li inwardly cursed. Without any further thought, he spread his Thunderstorm Wings and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    When the woman saw this, she didn¡¯t pay it any mind and continued to pinch the azure lantern fire in front of her mouth. She opened her cherry lips and was about to spit out spiritual Qi.


    Right at this moment, purple light flashed beneath her feet, and a huge purple net that was over 100 feet in size suddenly emerged from the ground.


    Just as the woman was in a daze, another woman chuckled and the purple net quickly enveloped her.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist likes to play with fire, why don¡¯t you have a taste of my Purple Cloudlace¡¯s Jadesun True Fire?¡± A beautiful young woman appeared from the nearby ground with a smile. Without any hesitation, she raised her hand and struck the purple net with an incantation seal.


    Flames flashed from the purple net, and a layer of strange azure and white flames covered the entire purple net. Several azure and white fire snakes suddenly appeared within the net and fiercely pounced toward the woman in the white lotus.


    The azure-white flames instantly engulfed the white lotus in the net.


    At that moment, Han Li appeared over 100 feet away from the green-robed woman. When he saw this, he wore an elated expression.


    He immediately swept his sleeve through the air, and seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords shot into the air from his body, closely followed by several incantation seals.


    The flying swords let out a series of dragon roars before converging at the center, transforming into a huge sword that was around 60 to 70 feet in length.


    With a thought from Han Li, a thunderclap erupted as thick arcs of golden lightning shot forth from the surface of the sword, transforming into a sword of lightning.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t about to give up. He suddenly took a deep breath and spat out a strand of Celestial Ice Flames, striking the huge sword.


    Aside from the astonishing arcs of lightning, a layer of faint blue flames immediately appeared on the surface of the huge sword.


    A cold glint flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes as he pointed at the sword.


    The huge sword trembled and shot toward the white lotus in the purple net as a streak of azure light.


    At that moment, the green-robed woman finally came to her senses.


    In her extreme anger, she suddenly raised the azure lantern flame above her head.

 Chapter 745

    Breaking the Formation (7)


    As soon as the azure lantern flame left the woman¡¯s hand, it released a blinding azure light.


    Then, it began to revolve above her head, following which an astonishing scene unfolded.


    The azure and white flames surrounding the white lotus immediately transformed into threads of flames that surged like rivers entering the sea.


    In the blink of an eye, the Purple Cloudlace¡¯s Jadesun True Fire had been completely absorbed. The lantern flame was still calmly floating in the air, but the azure light on it had become even more dazzling.


    The green-robed woman unhurriedly pointed at the lantern flame, causing it to ripple before flying toward Silvermoon.


    Silvermoon¡¯s expression changed drastically and she pointed at the purple net without another thought. The purple net immediately shined with light and densely packed threads appeared in front of her. At the same time, she flipped her hand and summoned the Ancient Flower Basket.


    At that moment, the huge azure sword arrived above the woman with a thunderous boom. Under the command of the incantation seal, it descended from the sky.


    Silvermoon was naturally extremely cooperative. As soon as she turned the flower basket into a ball of white Qi to protect herself, she formed an incantation gesture with her hands, and the purple light enveloping the white lotus suddenly opened a large mouth in the air.


    The huge sword was wrapped in arcs of golden lightning and blue flames as it slashed down at the white lotus below.


    The green-robed woman¡¯s expression changed slightly upon seeing the astonishing might of the huge sword, and a solemn expression appeared on her face for the first time.


    After a moment of hesitation, she no longer had the time to attack Silvermoon. Instead, she abruptly circulated her spiritual power through her legs and poured it into the white lotus. Immediately, the lotus petals swelled several times in size, and layers of lotus projections extended upward at the same time, forming an extremely thick barrier of light.


    At that moment, she pointed at the flame and it immediately flew back to the woman¡¯s head. She then raised the copper lantern in her hand and waved it.


    After a series of azure phantoms, two flame flowers of the same size appeared side by side above the woman, instantly converging together to form a head-sized azure fireball.


    At that moment, the huge sword finally arrived at the light barrier formed by the lotus petals.


    A series of thunderous booms erupted.


    Thunder and explosions rang out at the same time, and white light, golden lightning, blue flames, and other types of light intertwined with one another.


    Although the white lotus petals were extremely wondrous, the Divine Devilbane Lightning and Celestial Ice Flames were even more so.


    The lotus petals might be able to withstand one of the attacks, but with the combined power of the seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and the two attacks, the lotus projection was only able to withstand the attack for a short moment before disintegrating into starlight.


    The huge sword came crashing down without any resistance, but at that moment, the azure fireball was slowly approaching.


    A cold light flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Although he was somewhat fearful of the azure flames, he still wanted to test the power of the Celestial Ice Flames compared to the lantern.


    The huge sword immediately followed suit without any hesitation.


    This time, the collision was completely silent. Regardless of whether it was the faint golden arcs of lightning or the extremely cold Celestial Ice Flames, they were all instantly engulfed by the azure lantern flames, followed by the huge sword.


    The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were Han Li¡¯s lifebound magic treasures, so they were naturally extremely sensitive.


    In the instant that the azure flames completely enveloped the huge sword, his heart trembled and an extremely uncomfortable heat suddenly rose from his heart. Soon after, the temperature of his entire body rapidly rose, and even his blood seemed to be boiling.


    Han Li was greatly alarmed, and he hastily formed an incantation gesture with his hands before pointing at the huge sword.


    The huge sword hummed and azure light wildly flashed, transforming into several tens of small azure swords that scattered in all directions.


    Han Li originally thought that he would be able to escape from the strange flame, but when he took a closer look, his expression changed drastically.


    The flying swords were engulfed in azure flames again.


    Han Li¡¯s expression fluctuated as he felt the discomfort in his body worsen. His entire body began to sweat profusely. He gritted his teeth in horror and quickly formed hand seals with his fingers. His spiritual sense split and controlled the several tens of flying swords, either soaring into the sky or circling wildly in an attempt to escape from the flames of the sword.


    Having personally witnessed the ancient silver bell being melted into silver liquid, he didn¡¯t dare to allow his own magic treasure to be destroyed.


    If that was the case, his spiritual sense would be greatly damaged.


    At that moment, the white lotus petals that had been destroyed re-emerged from the lotus plate beneath the green-robed woman¡¯s feet, once again protecting her.


    The woman coldly watched as Han Li¡¯s flying swords were enshrouded by the flames of the lantern and then flew through the air in a sorry state. A sneer appeared on her face.


    She wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make a move. She was waiting for her opponent¡¯s magic treasure to be destroyed and for his cultivation to be greatly damaged.


    However, a short moment later, the sneer on the woman¡¯s face froze and surprise appeared in her eyes.


    The copper lantern in her hand wasn¡¯t an ordinary ancient treasure. Strictly speaking, it didn¡¯t even belong to her. Instead, it was one of the two great Moulan inheritance treasures.


    The reason why she was able to keep this treasure was not only because of her profound cultivation, but also because she was the number one female spell warrior of the Moulan Tribe. Most importantly, she possessed a lofty status similar to that of the Soaring Tribes¡¯ Endless Sky Saintess, and she was greatly respected by the other high-grade spell warriors.


    Even the three great Divine Sages of the Tribe Race had to treat her with respect and didn¡¯t dare to slight her at all.


    Ever since this ancient treasure entered her possession, due to some special reasons and the restrictions of the lantern itself, she hadn¡¯t been able to use it many times and wouldn¡¯t easily use it.


    Once the times of usage were exceeded, the treasure would have to be immediately taken back and handed over to the next owner.


    From this, it could be seen how much importance the Moulans placed on this treasure.


    However, the most important use of the copper lantern wasn¡¯t to compete with others, but rather to serve a special purpose that was incomparably important to all Moulans.


    Of course, using this treasure to battle was always successful. The previous owners of this treasure had used it to slay powerful enemies and refine countless treasures.


    Regardless of whether it was an ancient treasure or a magic treasure, as long as they were enveloped by the azure flame, they would definitely be unable to withstand it.


    As for the wood-attributed treasures, they were naturally countered by the flames and would disappear in the blink of an eye.


    However, Han Li¡¯s wood-attribute flying swords were clearly a set of magic treasures. They had been wrapped in the flames for so long, yet they didn¡¯t even show the slightest sign of turning to ash.


    This caused the woman to be stunned for a long while.


    While the woman was still in shock, purple light flashed above her head, and a purple cloud appeared without any warning.


    Cultivator Le recovered from her shock and saw that Silvermoon had taken advantage of this opportunity to activate the Purple Cloudlace¡¯s restrictions, sealing the opening once again.


    She then twisted her waist and opened her red lips, spitting out a pink fragrant mist that instantly engulfed the white lotus.


    The green-robed woman coldly snorted and looked at the copper lantern in her hand. After a moment of hesitation, she decided not to use it again.


    Instead, she raised her other hand, and a faint yellow jade pendant appeared in her hand.


    Just as she was about to activate the treasure and teach Silvermoon a lesson, the pink fragrant mist suddenly shook and a strange fragrance wafted through the air, transforming into countless handsome men and beautiful women. All of them were embracing each other in an extremely bold and intimate manner, causing the woman to first be stunned before her face turned red.


    ¡°Demoness, you¡¯re courting death!¡± The woman¡¯s expression soon turned ashen. Yellow light flashed from the jade pendant in her hand and a yellow mist swept out, blowing away the pink mist.


    However, Silvermoon was nowhere to be seen.


    Cultivator Le coldly laughed and was just about to use her spiritual sense to find her when she suddenly thought of something. Her expression changed and she hastily turned to look at Han Li.


    During Silvermoon¡¯s interruption, Han Li had already condensed his flying swords into a huge sword and summoned it back to his side. He was staring at his enemy with a grave expression.


    Seeing that the flying swords had yet to be refined, Cultivator Le was aghast, but she naturally wouldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    She immediately raised the copper lantern in her hand and was about to use it to refine Han Li, even if it meant wasting her next opportunity.


    Han Li suddenly brought his hands together in front of his chest. One of his hands was covered in a layer of cold white light, and blue flames appeared on the other hand. He then opened his mouth, and a ball of azure Qi enveloped his hands.


    A purple flame the size of an egg appeared between his hands, and Han Li pointed a finger at it.


    Amidst a slight explosion, the purple flame transformed into a lifelike purple flame bird. It spread its wings and charged towards the huge azure sword that was suspended in mid-air.


    Bang! A strange scene ensued.


    Purple and azure flames ignited on the surface of the huge sword at the same time. The two flames swayed and intertwined with each other as they desperately devoured each other.


    For a time, it was impossible to tell which of the flames gained the upper hand.


    Han Li¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was indecisive. As for the woman surnamed Le, she was completely dumbfounded.


    If she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes, she would¡¯ve found it hard to believe that the purple flame wasn¡¯t afraid of her ancient lantern¡¯s flame.


    However, she immediately came to her senses.


    Her desire to kill Han Li grew even stronger.


    He was only an early-Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he possessed so many heaven-defying abilities. If he were to advance to mid-Nascent Soul stage or even late-Nascent Soul stage, wouldn¡¯t he be able to sweep through the entire Moulan Plains?


    With that in mind, the woman¡¯s expression sank and she tossed the copper lantern into the air. The treasure stabilized about 10 feet above her head. She then sat down cross-legged with a solemn expression and formed an incantation gesture with her hands. She closed her eyes and began to chant.


    The white lotus beneath her immediately began to shine with dazzling white light, and the copper lantern above her head began to shine with azure light.


    This time, Cultivator Le was truly determined to erase Han Li from the cultivators of the Heavenly South Region even if she had to use up the copper lantern.


    Han Li also noticed the green-robed woman¡¯s actions, and his heart immediately sank. He inwardly complained and finally decided to retreat.


    Although he still had the Purple Apex Flames and the Blood Devil Sword, he had no intention of fighting her to the death.


    The green-robed woman before him was definitely no ordinary mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. He wasn¡¯t willing to perish together with her.


    Just as this thought appeared in Han Li¡¯s mind, a humanoid figure suddenly appeared in the sea of mist.


    Both Han Li and the woman faltered upon seeing this person.


    However, just as the two of them were distracted, the purple cloud above their heads suddenly parted to the left and right, and a streak of white light shot toward the copper lantern at lightning speed. In a flash of white light, the lantern was swept into the light.


    Then, it circled in the air before flying back toward the purple cloud.

 Chapter 746

    Breaking the Formation (8)


    When Han Li saw this, he was overjoyed. As for the green-robed woman, her face instantly paled and she revealed an expression of extreme shock and fury. She raised her hands and a vast expanse of white mist swept forth. At the same time, the white lotus beneath her wildly revolved, and in an instant, the lotus shadow surged forward like a mountain.


    However, the purple cloud above her head flashed and dodged the white light, revealing a large purple net.


    Purple light and white light suddenly collided with the lotus shadow, following which was Silvermoon¡¯s sweet laughter.


    Behind the purple net, the light receded to reveal Silvermoon¡¯s tall figure.


    With a smile on her face, she held the Ancient Flower Basket in her hand. White light flashed from within, and the ancient bronze lantern was trapped within the white light, unable to move in the slightest. As long as she returned and removed the trace of spiritual sense that the green-robed woman had left on the lantern, anyone would be able to control this ancient treasure.


    Han Li was naturally overjoyed as well, but before he could reveal his excitement, the person who had just barged in clearly saw the battle between Han Li and the green-robed woman. He immediately turned to Han Li and shouted in panic.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, quickly run! The Moulan Divine Sages have arrived. Fellow Daoist Lu has already been killed. If you don¡¯t leave now, it will be too late.¡±


    This person was Old Man Ma. However, at this moment, his hair was disheveled and one of his arms had disappeared. He wore a terrified expression.


    ¡°Moulan Divine Sages?¡± Han Li was shocked to hear this. Just as he was about to ask for more details, white light erupted from the old man¡¯s body and he flew away, not daring to stop.


    However, right at this moment, a faint male voice sounded.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late! I¡¯ve already found this place. You gave up one of your arms just now, allowing you to escape this calamity. Let¡¯s see what other secret techniques you have. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve also refined your other arm into a substitute puppet. If that¡¯s the case, then I truly admire you! Huh! Isn¡¯t this Moulan¡¯s Origin Bright Lantern? Little fox, you¡¯re quite bold. You actually dare to take Moulan¡¯s inheritance treasure. Do you think it¡¯s something that a monster like you can touch?¡± The man¡¯s speed was extremely fast. At the beginning, his words seemed to still be in place, but in the blink of an eye, they seemed to be within reach. He had even seen through Silvermoon¡¯s true identity.


    Soon after, a streak of silver light shot forth from the sea of mist. It didn¡¯t appear to be very fast, but it arrived in front of Silvermoon in the blink of an eye.


    Silvermoon¡¯s face paled and she hastily waved her hand, summoning a large purple net in front of her.


    However, the silver streak of light only paused for a moment before immediately transforming into a large silver hand that forcibly grabbed the Purple Cloudlace. At the same time, from a distance of over 100 feet, the silver hand clenched its five fingers into a fist and lightly struck in Silvermoon¡¯s direction.


    Silvermoon¡¯s yellow streak of light was struck by a ball of silver light that appeared out of thin air, and she let out a miserable shriek before plummeting to the ground.


    However, she was extremely intelligent. She gritted her teeth and forcibly endured the pain before tossing the ancient treasure in her hand toward Han Li as a streak of white Qi.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The silver-haired man¡¯s voice carried a trace of anger.


    Light flashed and the silver hand split into two. As a result, one of the hands swept toward the Ancient Flower Basket and instantly grabbed it. The other hand fiercely grabbed at the falling Silvermoon as if it wanted to crush her into pieces.


    Their movements were as quick as lightning.


    Silvermoon turned pale with fright and hastily attempted to use her spiritual power to escape.


    However, silver light flashed from her body, and she was unable to summon any magic power. At the same time that her opponent¡¯s attack had severely injured her, a simple restriction had been placed on her body.


    Although it was easy to break the restriction, she didn¡¯t have the time to do so.


    Silvermoon felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing the huge silver hand descending upon her like a small mountain. She closed her eyes and waited for death.


    Right at this moment, a thunderclap sounded from behind her. An arm appeared from behind her and grabbed her by the waist.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Li¡¯s cold voice suddenly rang out, followed by a resounding boom. Silvermoon and Han Li disappeared at the same time.


    The silver hand missed by a hair¡¯s breadth.


    In the next instant, Han Li held Silvermoon¡¯s waist with one hand and the huge azure and purple sword in the other. He appeared at the edge of the dense fog several hundred feet away with a sullen expression.


    ¡°Huh! Lightning Movement Technique!¡±


    A cry of surprise sounded from the huge silver hand before the other hand flew back in the blink of an eye. The two hands collided, releasing a blinding silver light.


    The light receded and a scholarly spell warrior appeared within the silver light. He held a Purple Cloudlace in one hand and the Ancient Flower Basket in the other as he appraised Han Li with an indifferent expression.


    When Old Man Ma saw this person appear, his face turned ashen. Although spiritual light continuously flashed from his body, he didn¡¯t dare to flee.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered as he carefully examined the first late-Nascent Soul cultivator he¡¯d seen. With such a cultivation base, aside from Deity Transformation cultivators who didn¡¯t roam the mortal world, they could be considered the top existences in the cultivation world.


    The middle-aged spell warrior examined his surroundings and his gaze lingered on Cultivator Le for a moment. He then raised his hand and tossed the Ancient Flower Basket along with the copper lantern to her.


    ¡°Many thanks for Divine Sage Zhong¡¯s assistance. However¡­ How did you come, Brother Zhong?¡± The green-robed woman was pleasantly surprised to recollect the ancient bronze lantern.


    Regardless of how cold and arrogant she was, she didn¡¯t dare to show the slightest disrespect in the face of one of her race¡¯s three great Divine Sages.


    The scholar calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I only heard that the Heavenly South people had sent a group of cultivators to reinforce the great formations. As for your Sir Heavenweep, he perished in a strange manner. As such, I was somewhat worried and came over to take a look. It would be best if we could give a reasonable explanation to those from the Great Jin. Right now, we can¡¯t leave these cultivators alone. However, since they have a fellow who knows lightning movement, it will be difficult for Sage Le to deal with them.¡±


    Soon after, he turned to Han Li and indifferently asked.


    ¡°This little fox belongs to you. She¡¯s quite bold to dare to steal Moulan¡¯s inheritance treasure. Since you¡¯re her master, you may die together.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s pupils contracted and he took a deep breath before coldly replying, ¡°Humph! You¡¯re quite arrogant. Even if I didn¡¯t take the copper lantern, would you have let me go? I don¡¯t know if you have the ability to kill me.¡±


    When the scholar heard this, his gaze swept past Han Li¡¯s huge sword. When he saw the strange scene of azure and purple flames coexisting, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°Hehe! I haven¡¯t seen a cultivator who dares to speak like this in front of me in many years. Sage Le, I¡¯ll leave the cultivator with only one arm to you. I¡¯ll take care of this young friend who knows Lightning Movement Techniques. I wonder how long he can last?¡±


    A cruel expression appeared on the scholar¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t seem to be using any magic treasures. His body blurred and silver light flashed from his left and right, revealing two people identical to the scholar. They wore the same clothes and had the same expression. The three of them looked at Han Li as if he were a dead man.


    Han Li drew a sharp breath and swept his spiritual sense past them, but he was unable to determine the difference between the two clones and the true body. Regardless of their cultivation bases or auras, they were completely identical.


    Although he was shocked, Han Li patted Silvermoon¡¯s shoulder and quickly whispered something.


    Silvermoon obediently nodded and released the restriction in her body, revealing the small fox in a flash of white light. With a swish, she obediently slipped into Han Li¡¯s sleeve.


    At that moment, the three scholars waved their sleeves and slowly floated toward Han Li.


    Their movements were clearly slow and unhurried, but in just two or three steps, they were only over 100 feet away from Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he flapped his silver wings without any hesitation before disappearing from sight.


    ¡°You want to run? Where can you run to?¡± The scholar chuckled. Soon after, silver light flashed from the people around him and they calmly chased after him. Two steps later, they also disappeared.


    When the old man saw this, he suddenly leapt into the air with astonishing speed and wordlessly flew off in the opposite direction as a streak of white light.


    When Cultivator Le saw this, she sneered and formed an incantation gesture with her hands before chasing after him as a gust of wind.


    With the Divine Sage chasing after Han Li, she had nothing to worry about. Furthermore, this Heavenly South cultivator didn¡¯t know any of the Lightning Movement Techniques, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to escape her grasp.


    As for the grand formation, without a Nascent Soul cultivator, breaking it would be as easy as flipping her hand.


    ¡­


    The sky was rather dark. In a desolate area, a thunderclap sounded out and silver lightning flashed, revealing Han Li with a pale face.


    After he stabilized himself, he hastily looked behind him with a furious expression.


    ¡°Silvermoon, how many days have we been running?¡±


    Silvermoon worriedly replied, ¡°About four days and four nights. This person is indeed a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Once Master stops to rest for less than half an hour, he will immediately sense you. Is it truly impossible to break free from his spiritual sense lock? That would be too dangerous. Although you have the Myriad Year Spirit Milk to support your magic power, you don¡¯t have enough Divine Devilbane Lightning in your body. Without the ability to use Lightning Movement, you won¡¯t be able to escape the pursuit of his Earth Shrinking Technique. This profound ability isn¡¯t inferior to teleportation in the slightest. In a certain aspect, it is even better. If it weren¡¯t for Master¡¯s quick wits and we never fought him head-on, once we were caught up, even if you used Lightning Movement, it would¡¯ve been difficult to escape.¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled and said, ¡°A late-Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense is able to lock onto the aura of a person within several hundred kilometers. Although my spiritual sense far surpasses that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, there is still a certain gap between me and a true late-Nascent Soul cultivator. After all, I haven¡¯t completely mastered the Great Development Technique and have yet to acquire several layers of cultivation arts. Once this matter is over, I will immediately head to the Far West and obtain the rest of the incantation. In the past, my spiritual sense was always stronger than my opponent¡¯s, but I didn¡¯t think much of it. Now that I am inferior to my opponent, my hands are tied and I am unable to use many of my techniques.¡±

 Chapter 747

    Rising Fame


    Silvermoon worriedly muttered, ¡°Then what should we do? Even if Master were to use the Bloodshadow Evasion, you would only be able to travel fifty kilometers. You¡¯ll still be within the divine master¡¯s spiritual sense and won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±


    Although Silvermoon didn¡¯t say anything about Han Li¡¯s act of saving her life, her heart stirred. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of concern.


    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t do it with one attempt, but after using the Bloodshadow Evasion two or three times in a row and then using the remaining Divine Devilbane Lightning, I should have a 70% to 80% chance of escaping. Even if I have more magic power than an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator, there¡¯s still a certain risk after losing so much blood essence. Even if I¡¯m unscathed, I¡¯ll be extremely weak for a long time. However, it seems that there¡¯s no other way to escape, so I have no choice but to use it.¡± Han Li seemed to have already considered this problem, and a hint of self-mockery appeared on his face.


    ¡°Master, you¡­¡± Silvermoon seemed to want to say something else.


    Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly changed and he raised his head to look at the drowsy sky behind him. With a sullen expression, he muttered, ¡°That fellow is chasing me again. He¡¯s following me more and more closely. I can¡¯t delay any longer. I¡¯ll have to take the risk!¡±


    When Silvermoon saw this, she naturally didn¡¯t continue.


    Soon after, Han Li took a deep breath and quickly waved his ten fingers, forming a series of strange hand seals. At the same time, azure light flashed around his body and a burst of astonishing spiritual Qi suddenly erupted from his body.


    He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of crimson blood essence, which immediately scattered in the wind, transforming into a bloody mist that blended into the azure light.


    The spiritual light instantly turned azure-red in color.


    At the same time, Han Li¡¯s bare hands and face began to turn abnormally red. In the blink of an eye, they were as red as blood, and countless threads of blood were about to shoot out from his skin. It was an extremely frightening sight!


    However, Han Li seemed to be completely unaware of this as he began to form hand seals even faster.


    Two more mouthfuls of blood essence were spat out, and Han Li was completely enveloped within the blood mist, making his figure indistinct.


    At that moment, light flashed in the distance, and three balls of silver light slowly flew over.


    The silhouettes inside were none other than Divine Sage Zhong and his two incarnations.


    The three of them flew toward Han Li at an unhurried pace, but their speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, they covered a distance of several thousand feet, allowing them to see Han Li with their naked eyes.


    ¡°Huh!¡± One of them wore an odd expression and frowned.


    The azure mist of blood in the distance exploded, revealing a ball of blinding crimson light.


    Han Li stood upright and coldly glanced at the Moulan Divine Sage. With a thunderclap, he spread his Thunderstorm Wings.


    In the next instant, the surrounding space warped, and Han Li¡¯s body blurred, disappearing from sight.


    An ear-piercing screech immediately sounded out from a distance and soon became inaudible, as if it had escaped from nearby.


    Shock appeared on the faces of the three scholars at the same time. After glancing at each other, the three of them suddenly gathered in the center.


    With a flash of silver light, the three turned into one person.


    The last scholar immediately closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense in the direction where the sharp cry had disappeared.


    The scholarly man glanced at the spot where Han Li had disappeared with a trace of surprise on his face. ¡°He¡¯s over fifty kilometers away? What kind of movement technique is this? It¡¯s somewhat similar to the Devil Cultivators¡¯ blood movement technique, but the distance is truly astonishing.¡±


    After these past few days of pursuit, Han Li had truly shocked him greatly.


    This guy was actually able to continue fleeing without rest until now.


    It should be known that even if an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator possessed the Lightning Movement Technique, their magic power would¡¯ve long been exhausted and they would¡¯ve been waiting for death. It seemed this guy either possessed a heavenly treasure that could instantly restore magic power or had used a secret technique that greatly damaged his vitality.


    It appeared that Han Li hadn¡¯t used his full strength until now as he had never displayed this strange evasion technique.


    However, that didn¡¯t matter. Although this guy was already fifty kilometers away, it was still within his spiritual sense¡¯s control. He just needed to spend a bit more time.


    The scholarly man coldly pondered for a moment before narrowing his eyes and locking his spiritual sense onto Han Li.


    A cold smile appeared on his face as white light flashed from his body, and he was about to give chase again.


    But right at this moment, the scholar suddenly sensed that Han Li¡¯s aura had strangely disappeared once more. This caused him to freeze for a moment.


    However, he immediately thought of something and hurriedly expanded the range of his spiritual sense to twice its original size before finally finding Han Li.


    Before the scholarly man could sneer, Han Li¡¯s aura flickered and he disappeared once more.


    This time, the scholar was truly stunned.


    Although his spiritual sense was powerful, it could only encompass an area of over 200 kilometers at most. After exceeding this range, he was still able to sense something, but he was unable to instantly lock onto a person.


    Unless the other party stood still and waited for him to search for them with his spiritual sense, which was naturally impossible.


    As for the other party, he was truly cunning. As soon as the guy realized that he was able to sense him with his spiritual sense, the guy actually used that strange movement technique several times in a row to slip away from his grasp.


    This caused the scholar, who had never been toyed with in so many years, to alternate between red and white.


    He was a dignified Moulan Divine Sage, yet he had lost an early-Nascent Soul cultivator during the chase. If news of this were to spread, he would lose face.


    However, he had no intention of immediately giving chase.


    Without his spiritual sense locked onto the target, the chances of catching up to the target with his other secret techniques were extremely slim.


    He had already wasted several days on this person, so there was no way he could continue to pursue him.


    After all, the Heavenly South¡¯s late-Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t sit idly by as soon as the enemy¡¯s Divine Sages appeared. He had to return and meet up with the other two to make preparations.


    If he were surrounded by late-Nascent Soul cultivators, he would be in great danger.


    The Moulan Divine Sage contemplated for a long while before his expression sank and he flew back in a streak of silver light.


    In the blink of an eye, he was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡­


    150 kilometers away, Han Li was flying in another direction as a streak of azure light.


    As he flew through the air, he continuously took out various medicine bottles from his body and poured a few of the vitality-replenishing pills he had refined into his mouth.


    At that moment, his face was pale and his eyes were dim and silent, as if his vitality had been greatly damaged.


    Silvermoon¡¯s concerned voice sounded in Han Li¡¯s mind, ¡°Master, are you alright? Using the Bloodshadow Evasion three times in a row is truly too risky. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Master desperately consumed many medicinal pills along the way, the third time you used it, I fear¡­¡±


    Han Li slowly replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Although I¡¯ve lost quite a bit of my blood essence, I still have some medicine pills that I refined in the past. As long as I take the medicine pills and recuperate for a few months, my cultivation will completely recover.¡±


    Silvermoon heaved a sigh of relief and hesitantly asked, ¡°Are we returning to Soaring Heavens City?¡±


    Han Li sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Of course not. With my current condition, I¡¯ll have to recover my cultivation before I can return to the Nine Nations Union. Otherwise, there will be many enemies from the Ghost Spirit Sect. I won¡¯t take such a risk. Fortunately, I¡¯m using medicine pills to heal my injuries and don¡¯t need a spirit vein place for recovery. I¡¯ll find an uninhabited area and enter seclusion for a while. Furthermore, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords are tainted with the azure lantern flames. Although I¡¯ve used Purple Apex Flames to forcibly envelop them, they will still be a problem in my body. I must think of a way to get rid of them.¡±


    Silvermoon chuckled and said, ¡°That copper lantern is an inherited treasure of the Moulan, so it naturally has some tricks. However, I believe that as long as Master spends more time, you will be able to refine it. After all, Master¡¯s Purple Apex Flames are no small matter.¡±


    Han Li bitterly smiled and noncommittally replied, ¡°Since the matter has already come to this, we can only slowly resolve it.¡±


    Afterwards, Han Li didn¡¯t say anything else and summoned the remaining spiritual power in his body. He then cast an incantation seal and the azure streak of light sped off into the distance.


    After flying for a day and a night, Han Li finally stopped and landed in an unremarkable ravine.


    With such a long distance between them, it was impossible for the Moulan Divine Sage to chase after them no matter how unwilling he was.


    Han Li glanced at his surroundings.


    This place happened to be between two desolate mountains. Not only was the spiritual Qi barely visible, but the surroundings were also completely barren. There were only some round mountain rocks piled up everywhere in the ravine.


    Han Li used his spiritual sense to carefully scan everything within a fifty kilometer radius, but he didn¡¯t find any cultivators or spell warriors.


    This made him feel even more at ease. With a wave of his sleeve, he released Silvermoon and gave her a command.


    Silvermoon wordlessly turned around, and yellow light suddenly erupted from her body, enveloping Han Li within.


    In a flash of light, Han Li was brought into a nearby mountain wall.


    There was no one in the ravine.


    When Han Li was brought to the center of the mountain by Silvermoon¡¯s earth movement technique, azure sword Qi densely spouted out, quickly cleaving open a simple stone room that was several tens of feet in size.


    In a flash, Han Li entered it and sat down cross-legged.


    Not long after, Han Li closed his eyes and azure light swirled around his body. There were over ten medicine bottles of various sizes in front of him.


    He had to first refine the medicinal pills that he had consumed during the crisis before he dared to consume other medicinal pills.


    As such, Han Li was quietly recuperating in seclusion within the mountain.


    However, what Han Li didn¡¯t anticipate was that the loss of vitality far exceeded his original expectations, and the time he spent recuperating was naturally even longer.


    Time passed by slowly as he consumed medicine and meditated.


    Unknowingly, half a year had passed.


    Han Li was still in seclusion within the mountain.


    However, at this moment, the outside world was even more chaotic and unpredictable.


    A life and death battle between cultivators and spell warriors was about to erupt.


    What was even more unexpected was that the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Elder Han was already renowned throughout both the Heavenly South cultivation world and the spell warrior army.


    Any high-grade cultivator or spell warrior would immediately associate his name with the abilities and strength of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, not daring to underestimate him in the slightest.


    All of this had only happened in the past six months.

 Chapter 748

    Return


    After the battle at Yellow Dragon Mountain, the three divine spell warriors took the initiative to attack. The spell warrior army only took half a month to arrive at Soaring Heavens City.


    The Nine Nations Union was caught off guard and could only face the enemy alone.


    Fortunately, the Grand Elder of the alliance, Wei Wuya, one of the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South Region, had just arrived in the city. With the help of Soaring Heavens City¡¯s restriction formation, he was able to withstand the spell warrior army¡¯s fierce attacks for over a month.


    In the end, the three Divine Sages gathered together, and with the help of a few black-robed cultivators, eight massive beasts were dispatched.


    As a result, Soaring Heavens City fell into the hands of spell warriors not long after the formation was broken.


    Fortunately, most of the Nine Nations Union¡¯s main forces were still intact. In a hurry, they withdrew all of their cultivators to the State of Beiliang, which was next to the State of Yu.


    At that moment, the reinforcements from the Righteous and Devil Cultivators and the Heavenly Dao Alliance arrived.


    After several small-scale battles, the four great powers of the Heavenly South had temporarily held off the Moulans.


    However, both sides were well aware that the true battle of life and death had yet to begin.


    After the Moulans took over Soaring Heavens City, they immediately used it as the spell warriors¡¯ first stronghold in the Heavenly South. A large number of allied spell warriors from various tribes continuously came from the Moulan Plains.


    Apart from the largest Moulan tribe, the Golden Sun Tribe, which was monitoring the Soaring Tribes¡¯ movements and couldn¡¯t leave, the other tribes had sent out their elites, placing their hopes on conquering the Heavenly South.


    The Moulans only needed to wait for all of the allied armies to arrive before starting a life-and-death battle.


    The Heavenly South Region was in a favorable position, so they naturally wouldn¡¯t show weakness.


    In addition to the mobilization of the Four Great Factions, a few sects outside of the Four Great Factions also sent people to participate in the battle. There were even a few vagrant cultivators who knew that this battle was no small matter and even involved the fundamental existence of the Yan Clan in the Heavenly South Region. Without mobilizing, they took the initiative to rush over to assist in the battle.


    When the four great powers saw that they could use the help of the people, they immediately set up a large stone city near the border of the State of Beiliang and used it as a temporary stronghold to resist the spell warriors.


    They also needed to prepare the vagrant cultivators of the various sects in order to start a war and drive the Moulans out of the Heavenly South.


    The battle between the spell warriors and cultivators had temporarily stopped. It was as if a storm was coming. For a time, the two sides appeared exceptionally calm.


    During this period of time, Han Li¡¯s reputation grew as some stories spread.


    He didn¡¯t know that Old Man Ma was among the Nascent Soul cultivators that had survived the Yellow Dragon Mountain.


    However, the Righteous Noble Sect elder had no choice but to abandon his body and flee back to the Nine Nations Union with his Nascent Soul.


    In addition to the old man, the Core Formation cultivators Huhng Ning and the Murong Brothers saw that the situation was far from good and also escaped in advance, returning safely.


    As such, the matter of Han Li instantly killing the black-robed Nascent Soul cultivator became known to others.


    His reputation was gradually rising!


    As for the fact that he, Grand Immortal Lu, and the others had captured the Controlling Spirit Sect¡¯s spies and eradicated them, only the high-grade cultivators of the great powers knew about it.


    But what truly made Han Li famous, apart from this, was the news from the Moulans that Han Li had escaped from the Moulan Divine Sage.


    When Scholar Zhong returned to the spell warrior army, he had failed to kill Han Li, causing quite a stir among the spell warriors.


    In order not to embarrass himself, the scholar naturally gave Han Li a very high evaluation.


    He claimed that Han Li¡¯s abilities were even superior to that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    With a Divine Sage evaluating Han Li in such a manner, no one doubted his words.


    In addition, Han Li had displayed various abilities during his battle with Cultivator Le, and he had even destroyed the body of the Heavenly Wind Tribe¡¯s Warrior Mu in the Moulan Plains. His name was even more resounding in the spell warrior army than among cultivators.


    As such, when the Heavenly South Region learned of this matter, it immediately caused another uproar, and Han Li¡¯s reputation grew even bigger.


    Of course, apart from Han Li, there were a few other Nascent Soul cultivators that weren¡¯t very well-known. They also became famous in the battle against the spell warrior army.


    After all, one could only see the true extent of a cultivator¡¯s abilities in battle.


    Under such circumstances, Han Li, who had been in seclusion for more than half a year, finally walked out of his secret chamber in a mountain valley in the State of Yu.


    ¡­


    Feng Tuo was a Foundation Establishment spell warrior from a small Moulan tribe. Although he was a revered Immortal Master in his tribe, he was a dispensable member of Soaring Heavens City.


    At that moment, he had left a stronghold near the border of the State of Beiliang and was leading a small group of Qi Condensation spell warriors along a route that stretched for several hundred kilometers to prevent any sudden attacks from the Heavenly South cultivators.


    It had already been half a day since he left the stronghold. After calculating the time, it should be time for the next team of spell warriors to take turns. As long as he continued flying for another ten kilometers, he should be able to return.


    Feng Tuo thought to himself.


    When he thought of the several tens of spirit stones he had just received two days ago, he felt that he had a high chance of breaking through the bottleneck of early Foundation Establishment. He couldn¡¯t help but want to quickly return to meditate and cultivate, hoping to advance his cultivation to the next level before the great battle. If he could make a great contribution during the great battle, he would be rewarded with even more spirit stones.


    As the Moulan mid-grade spell warrior slowly flew on his magic tool, his mind wandered.


    At that moment, they arrived at a rocky slope that was rarely visited. Just as they were about to pass through the area, azure light suddenly flashed from the rocks below, following which a humanoid figure appeared out of thin air.


    The man, who appeared to be in his twenties, raised his head to look at the group of spell warriors with a cold expression.


    ¡°A Heavenly South cultivator! At the very least, a Core Formation cultivator. I can¡¯t see through his cultivation.¡± When Feng Tuo saw the youth and swept his spiritual sense past him, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    ¡°Retreat! This person is not someone we can deal with.¡±


    Feng Tuo was quite quick-witted. He hastily called out to the six low-grade spell warriors behind him and tossed a small spirit beast pouch into the air.


    All of a sudden, a streak of red light shot out from the pouch. It circled around in the air before flying toward the stronghold where Feng Tuo came from.


    However, right at this moment, white light flashed in the air, and a beautiful young woman in a white dress suddenly appeared near the red light. She opened her mouth with a smile and spat out a ball of pink fragrant mist, enveloping the red light barrier.


    A clear bird cry sounded out, and the red light quickly dissipated as a small fiery bird plummeted from the sky.


    The young woman waved her hand, and the small bird obediently flew into her hand.


    Feng Tuo¡¯s heart sank upon seeing this. He couldn¡¯t care less about the others and hastily formed an incantation gesture. Brilliant yellow light shone from his body and he was about to use a life-saving spirit technique to flee several kilometers away.


    However, right at this moment, the young man narrowed his eyes and coldly snorted.


    It was like an ordinary nasal sound, but when Feng Tuo heard it, he felt a rumbling sound in his ears. His mind felt heavy, and he felt the world spin around him.


    As for the other Qi Condensation spell warriors, they were even worse off. In the instant that they heard the youth¡¯s cold snort, their vision darkened and they fell from the sky, their fate unknown.


    As for Feng Tuo, the white-clothed young woman¡¯s body swayed and she arrived next to Feng Tuo¡¯s falling body. She grabbed Feng Tuo¡¯s neck and gently descended.


    After landing, the young woman sweetly smiled and said to the youth, ¡°Master, this person is the leader. He should know quite a bit.¡±


    Those two were naturally Han Li and Silvermoon. As soon as they emerged from seclusion, they discovered that the State of Yu had fallen.


    Han Li randomly grabbed a low-grade spell warrior and had a rough understanding of the situation. He then brought Silvermoon and stealthily infiltrated the border.


    Originally, he wanted to directly pass through the border, but he just so happened to discover Feng Tuo and the other spell warriors patrolling the area.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he immediately decided to capture another spell warrior and ask him about the specific situation at the border before heading forward. This would save him the trouble of running into a Divine Sage.


    With Silvermoon¡¯s illusion techniques, Han Li was able to easily acquire what he wanted with the Dreamtear Technique.


    Han Li heaved a sigh of relief.


    The border was guarded by the three Divine Sages in turns, but the area in front of him was far away from the Divine Sages¡¯ stronghold. There was only one Moulan Grand Sage guarding it.


    With Han Li¡¯s cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to conceal himself.


    Looking at the unconscious captive, Han Li frowned.


    In order to quickly obtain information, Han Li naturally used a rather tyrannical method. This captive¡¯s mind was mostly destroyed, and even if he woke up, he would be a cripple.


    Han Li sighed and flicked his finger, turning the man into ashes.


    Afterwards, azure light erupted from his body, enveloping Silvermoon. He then flew through the air as a streak of azure light.


    ¡­


    At the border of the State of Beiliang, the Heavenly South cultivators had built a stone city named Tianyi. In a small hall in a corner of the city, Han Li¡¯s Senior Brother Lu was chatting with a few high-grade Heavenly Dao Alliance cultivators. However, his expression was absent-minded and restless.


    Since he had already participated in the battle to delay the spell warrior vanguard, he could return to the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    However, the Drifting Cloud Sect only had two Nascent Soul cultivators, including him and the silver-haired old man. It was impossible for the silver-haired old man to lead the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s disciples to participate in this battle. As such, he took the initiative to stay here to take care of the sect¡¯s disciples.


    Of course, the other reason why he wasn¡¯t willing to leave was naturally because the recently renowned Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s Elder Han was still missing. He was worried about whether or not something had happened to Han Li and was unable to leave.


    Speaking of which, Elder Lu found it hard to believe that Han Li was able to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator and even escape from the Moulan Divine Sages.


    After all, he had personally witnessed Han Li condense a Nascent Soul several years ago. How was it possible for Han Li to possess such heaven-defying abilities in such a short amount of time? Furthermore, the Moulan Divine Sage had even evaluated his abilities to be superior to mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Could it be that the Drifting Cloud Sect had truly picked up a treasure this time? This Junior Brother Han was a rare cultivation genius that only appeared once every ten thousand years.


    Although Lu Luo was sitting in the hall, his mind had unconsciously returned to this matter. Although he was listening to others, he was completely absent-minded.

 Chapter 749

    Foster Sister


    A white-haired old man sitting across from Lu Luo suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Lu, has your esteemed sect not received any news from Elder Han?¡±


    This early Nascent Soul cultivator named Xu Changjing was an elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s ¡°Water Shadow Sect¡±. He had only arrived at Tianyi City yesterday and had met Lu Luo several times before.


    Lu Luo faltered slightly upon hearing this before replying with a smile, ¡°Not at the moment. Is Brother Xu very concerned about Junior Brother Han?¡±


    Xu Changjing chuckled and replied, ¡°Of course! From what Brother Lu said, it seems other Fellow Daoists have asked the same question. It is no wonder. Before I arrived at Tianyi City, my ears were already filled with rumors about Fellow Daoist Han. Tsk tsk! As an early Nascent Soul cultivator, he was actually able to escape from a Moulan Divine Sage. This isn¡¯t something we can do. Furthermore, I heard that Fellow Daoist Han had only recently condensed his Nascent Soul. I don¡¯t know if this is true or not. If it is true, then it will be even more astonishing.¡±


    When the other cultivators heard this, they glanced at Lu Luo with interest.


    These people had naturally heard a few rumors about Han Li, but none of them had heard of the fact that Han Li was a new Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Lu Luo hesitated for a moment before admitting, ¡°Well? Junior Brother Han has only recently reached the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    The others in the hall couldn¡¯t help but be moved, and two of them even sucked in a breath of cold air.


    Xu Changjing was also inwardly shocked and spoke with a trace of envy, ¡°Since Elder Han possesses such abilities at such a young age, it is likely that he will advance to the late-Nascent Soul Stage in the future. I must first congratulate Brother Lu. The Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s prosperity is only a matter of time. At that time, our Heavenly Dao Alliance will have another great cultivator!¡±


    The others were similarly envious and said a few words of praise.


    Lu Luo felt quite pleased with himself, but he still spoke a few words of modesty.


    ¡°However, Brother Lu, although Elder Han escaped from a Divine Sage, he must¡¯ve suffered heavy injuries. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have disappeared for so long. Brother Lu should send more people to find him. If you lack manpower, our sect can send some disciples to assist you.¡± A middle-aged man with a pair of craggy eyebrows frowned and spoke with a cold voice.


    When Lu Luo heard this, his heart couldn¡¯t help but tighten, but his expression remained unchanged and he indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this. However, I believe that he must¡¯ve suffered some damage to his vitality and is resting somewhere.¡±


    Lu Luo was also an experienced person who had lived for several hundred years, so it was difficult for him not to notice the other party¡¯s jealousy.


    This middle-aged man was an elder of the number one sect in the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the Phoenix Cry Sect. The Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s Dual Cultivation Couple, who were able to contend against the three great cultivators, were the two elders of the Phoenix Cry Sect. Otherwise, how could the Phoenix Cry Sect stand out among the various sects of the Heavenly Dao Alliance?


    Now that he heard that the Drifting Cloud Sect elder was likely to reach late-Nascent Soul stage in the future, he felt somewhat uncomfortable and poured cold water on them.


    However, on the surface, the cultivator appeared to be very concerned, leaving him at a loss for words.


    Just as the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, a streak of red light suddenly flew in from outside the door. After circling around, it shot towards Lu Luo.


    Everyone was stunned when they saw this.


    Lu Luo was also quite surprised, but he still waved his hand at the red light.


    The red light immediately turned into a ball of raging flames and fell into Lu Luo¡¯s hand.


    Lu Luo immersed his spiritual sense into it and soon revealed a pleasantly surprised expression.


    Lu Luo forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and explained, ¡°My sect¡¯s Junior Brother Han has already entered the city and is currently at my sect¡¯s encampment. I will take my leave first.¡±


    As Lu Luo hurriedly left, the other cultivators present stared at each other with various expressions.


    No one had expected that the legendary Elder Han would immediately appear upon being mentioned.


    Xu Changjing twirled his beard and revealed a pensive expression. As for the middle-aged man, his expression remained unchanged, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that there was a trace of gloominess in the depths of his eyes.


    ¡­


    Although Tianyi City was a newly constructed stone city, the four great powers, regardless of the size of their sects, all had their own residences.


    It just so happened that the city had been divided into four regions according to their influence.


    As for the central area, it was naturally a public area where famous vagrant cultivators could stay.


    The Heavenly Dao Alliance was located in the western region of the city, and the Drifting Cloud Sect was located in the southernmost region of the western region. They occupied a large area of several tens of acres.


    There were over 200 Drifting Cloud Sect disciples, all of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivators and above. There were also six or seven Core Formation cultivators, accounting for most of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s strength.


    Within the Drifting Cloud Sect encampment hall, Han Li was sitting on a wooden chair with an indifferent expression on his face.


    There was a man and a woman standing to his left and right. They were Firecloud Peak¡¯s master, the red-robed old man, and White Phoenix Peak¡¯s woman surnamed Song.


    The red-robed old man wore a respectful expression, and the woman surnamed Song also stood with her hands behind her back. However, there was a complicated expression on her face, and her bright eyes seemed to be thinking about something.


    Right at this moment, Lu Luo hastily walked into the hall. When he saw Han Li sitting on the wooden chair, he immediately took a few steps forward with an overjoyed expression.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han, you¡¯ve finally returned. You haven¡¯t shown yourself for the past half year, causing Senior Brother and I to be extremely worried.¡±


    Han Li stood up from his chair with a smile and casually said, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. My vitality was damaged that day and I had no choice but to recuperate for a period of time. However, I was truly worried when I heard that Soaring Heavens City had fallen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that nothing happened. Huh, where are the other disciples? Why haven¡¯t they come out to pay their respects to Junior Brother Han?¡± Lu Luo asked with a gloomy expression.


    The red-robed old man respectfully replied, ¡°Reporting to Martial Uncle, Junior Brother Yu and the others are on duty today and have gone to gather the vagrant cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I see. You can¡¯t blame them.¡± When Lu Luo heard this, his expression relaxed.


    At this moment, Han Li smiled and said.


    ¡°When I came back this time, I discovered that I had actually become a famous person. There seem to be many rumors about me.¡±


    Along the way, he happened to hear a few cultivators discussing him and couldn¡¯t help but feel greatly surprised!


    Lu Luo laughed and was just about to continue when he glanced at the red-robed old man and the woman and indifferently said, ¡°Haha! I was just about to tell Junior Brother about this matter¡­ The two of you can leave. I want to speak with your Martial Uncle Han alone for a moment.¡±


    The two of them naturally didn¡¯t dare to disobey and hastily agreed to leave. However, before they left, the Song-surnamed woman glanced at Han Li.


    Han Li felt somewhat puzzled, but his expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn¡¯t noticed anything.


    Ever since the woman surnamed Song saw him, her expression had become somewhat odd, as if she had something to say to him. However, she appeared to be hesitant.


    Han Li found this strange, but he had no intention of taking the initiative to ask.


    When Lu Luo saw the two disciples leave, he bitterly smiled and complained, ¡°Junior Brother, you¡¯ve kept us in the dark for so long. With such great abilities, why didn¡¯t you reveal them earlier?¡±


    Han Li shook his head and helplessly said, ¡°I¡¯ve only just condensed a Nascent Soul. It¡¯s not like Senior Brother doesn¡¯t know of it. How could it be a great ability? The rumors were just exaggerated.¡±


    Lu Luo chuckled and said, ¡°Alright, Junior Brother doesn¡¯t need to be so modest. Although the Moulan Divine Sage is an enemy, his evaluation of you shouldn¡¯t be too far off. However, what surprised me and Senior Brother even more was that Junior Brother was able to kidnap a Nascent Soul female cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect. Senior Brother truly admires you.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his expression stirred and he asked with concern, ¡°What? Did Senior Brother see Wan¡¯er?¡±


    Before they parted, he had given Nangong Wan a jade slip that vaguely explained her identity. However, from what Lu Luo had said, he seemed to know everything.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Celestial Nangong has already told Senior Brother Cheng everything. Junior Brother has nothing to worry about.¡± Lu Luo seemed to have seen through Han Li¡¯s worry and smiled.


    ¡°Senior Brother Lu, you mean¡­¡± Han Li frowned, somewhat confused.


    Lu Luo blinked his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Junior Brother doesn¡¯t know. Several months ago, the Masked Moon Sect suddenly spread the news that Celestial Nangong had fallen to Qi Deviation due to a cultivation technique. Her engagement to the Flowing Mind Sect¡¯s Wei Lichen was naturally canceled. However, Senior Brother Cheng recognized a female cultivator named Wan¡¯er as his adopted younger sister and planned to give her to Junior Brother as a dual cultivation companion. What does Junior Brother think?¡±


    ¡°Wan¡¯er acknowledges Senior Brother Cheng as her sworn brother?¡± Han Li was dumbstruck.


    Lu Luo confidently said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Senior Brother has already said that once we repel the Heavenly South cultivators, we will openly hold a Dual Cultivation Ceremony for you and his adopted sister. At that time, even if some people are suspicious, they won¡¯t dare to offend the entire Heavenly Dao Alliance and come looking for us. Even if Wei Wuya were to find out about this, with our Heavenly Dao Alliance joining hands to resist the enemy, he would have no choice but to accept it. Furthermore, Junior Brother¡¯s current reputation is no small matter. The Flowing Mind Sect and Masked Moon Sect will most likely feign ignorance of this matter.¡±


    After Han Li heard this, he fell silent with a complicated expression. After a long while, he sighed and slowly spoke.


    ¡°This time, I¡¯ve troubled you two Senior Brothers for my own matter. I will remember this favor.¡±


    Although Han Li had only said a few simple words, Lu Luo was overjoyed to hear them. He and his Senior Brother had spent a great deal of effort to make this Junior Brother Han owe them a favor.


    With these words, it was most likely impossible for Yellow Maple Valley to rope Han Li in.


    ¡°Hehe! Junior Brother Han and I are all family, so there is no need to be so polite. Right, when Lady Nangong heard of Junior Brother¡¯s disappearance, she was somewhat anxious. She originally wanted to personally come here, but Senior Brother Cheng spent a great deal of effort to dissuade her. After all, there are quite a few cultivators from the Masked Moon Sect and the Flowing Mind Sect here. Before we officially hold the Grand Dual Cultivation Ceremony with Junior Brother, it would be best for Celestial Nangong not to meet these people. As for Junior Brother¡¯s concubine, I¡¯ve asked the other disciples to escort her back. A great battle is about to break out here, and it is truly too dangerous.¡± Lu Luo spoke with an intimate tone.

 Chapter 750

    Conditions


    When Han Li heard Lu Luo, the scene of Mu Peiling and Nangong Wan meeting appeared in his mind. He inwardly muttered to himself, but he naturally thanked her.


    Lu Luo hesitated and hesitantly said, ¡°Junior Brother, what plans do you have in the future? Originally, according to the agreement, if Junior Brother participated once, you wouldn¡¯t have to participate in the following battles. However, a few days ago, when we gathered with the Righteous and Devil Dao and the Nine Nations Union¡¯s higher-ups to discuss countermeasures, someone mentioned Junior Brother. They said that since Junior Brother was able to instantly kill a black-robed spell warrior, his cultivation arts would definitely be able to restrain these black-robed men. As a result, they all hoped that Junior Brother would participate in the upcoming battle. Our Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s representatives also feel that Junior Brother is a great fighting force. If you don¡¯t participate, it would truly be unreasonable. In other words¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, if the Heavenly South is truly occupied by the Moulans, then our Drifting Cloud Sect won¡¯t be much better. However, how does the alliance plan to deal with our previous agreement? It won¡¯t just be a matter of words!¡± To Lu Luo¡¯s surprise, Han Li didn¡¯t reveal any anger. Instead, he coldly smiled and indifferently asked.


    Lu Luo bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Of course not. In light of Junior Brother¡¯s contributions in uncovering a spy from the Controlling Spirit Sect and killing a black-robed man, the alliance has promised that so long as Junior Brother is willing to continue participating in the battle, any conditions can be raised. As long as it is acceptable, they will try their best to satisfy Junior Brother as compensation.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression stirred and he calmly said, ¡°They¡¯re willing to compensate? That¡¯s easy to say. I¡¯ll discuss the specific conditions with the person in charge.¡±


    Lu Luo faintly smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll bring Junior Brother to see the managers of our Heavenly Dao Alliance. So long as Junior Brother¡¯s conditions aren¡¯t too excessive, they should be able to make the decision.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and slowly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Senior Brother Lu. I won¡¯t demand an exorbitant price and put you in a difficult position.¡±


    ¡°Junior Brother must be joking. There is no need to care about my face. It is rare for those old fellows to be so generous. It would be a waste not to take what should be taken.¡± Seeing that Han Li understood his meaning and knew his limits, Lu Luo¡¯s heart relaxed, but he naturally said something else.


    When Han Li heard this, a faint smile appeared on his face, but he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Afterwards, Lu Luo led Han Li out of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s encampment and headed straight for the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s meeting hall.


    ¡°Our Heavenly Dao Alliance is currently run by a council of elders formed by cultivators from over ten large sects, and a few of them will be replaced every ten years. Of course, there¡¯s no need to replace the three sects that are the founders of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, namely the Phoenix Cry Sect, the Ancient Sword Sect, and Nihang Pavilion. In fact, most of the matters in the alliance are decided by these three sects. However, in comparison, the Phoenix Cry Sect is slightly stronger than the Ancient Sword Sect and Nihang Pavilion. The people in charge of Tianyi City are the Phoenix Cry Sect¡¯s Fellow Daoists Long Han and Feng Bing. I¡¯m sure you know that the two of them are a dual-cultivation couple capable of fighting a late-Nascent Soul cultivator together. Our alliance is able to contend against other powers because of these two. However, only Fellow Daoist Long Han is present now. As soon as Elder Feng Bing arrived in Tianyi City, she immediately went into seclusion. It seems that she¡¯s reached a crucial point in her cultivation of a secret technique. As long as Junior Brother Han comes to an agreement with the elders in charge of Tianyi City, the council of elders will pass. Apart from Elder Long Han, the other two sects also have elders stationed there,¡± Lu Luo explained to Han Li.


    Han Li had long known of some matters, but this was the first time he had heard of the rest. He didn¡¯t say anything and only silently nodded his head.


    The meeting hall was located at the center of the western city. After walking for a while, the two arrived at their destination.


    A majestic pavilion surrounded by a large limestone hall appeared in front of the two.


    The several Foundation Establishment cultivators standing guard outside the hall clearly recognized the Drifting Cloud Sect elder, Lu Luo. One of them respectfully saluted and politely asked, ¡°Greetings, Senior Lu. Does Senior wish to see the elders? This Senior is¡­¡± But when his gaze fell on Han Li, an unfamiliar cultivator, his expression became hesitant.


    Lu Luo¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he indifferently said, ¡°This is our sect¡¯s Elder Han. He wishes to meet Elder Long and the others.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s Senior Han. Please wait a moment, Seniors. The elders are currently discussing something in the side hall, so I¡¯ll just have to make a report.¡± The cultivator glanced at Han Li in surprise before his expression became even more respectful. It was clear that he knew who Han Li was.


    The cultivator took out a sound transmission talisman and whispered a few words into it before tossing it out.


    A streak of red light shot inside.


    A short moment later, three melodious bells suddenly rang out from within the hall. When the gatekeeper heard this, he immediately bowed and said.


    ¡°Seniors, please come in. The elders already know of your arrival.¡±


    Lu Luo nodded and boldly walked into the hall.


    Han Li calmly followed behind him.


    After passing through several corridors, Lu Luo led Han Li into a side hall on the other side.


    When he entered, he saw five or six Nascent Soul cultivators sitting inside.


    As soon as the two of them entered, these people all looked over.


    However, their gaze only swept past Lu Luo, and most of their attention was focused on Han Li. All of them revealed expressions of interest.


    These people had extraordinary cultivation bases, but Han Li¡¯s gaze still landed on a middle-aged man sitting in the middle. He wore a grey robe and had an extraordinary appearance. His bones were wide, and his cultivation base was even greater than that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. He appeared to have reached the peak of mid-Nascent Soul and was only a step away from reaching late-Nascent Soul stage.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he immediately knew that this person was the Phoenix Cry Sect¡¯s Long Han.


    With his profound cultivation, it was no wonder that he was able to contend against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    He had originally thought that the rumors were exaggerated, but it appeared that they had underestimated his cultivation.


    Before the others could speak, the middle-aged man smiled.


    ¡°Brother Lu, this must be your esteemed sect¡¯s Elder Han. We¡¯ve heard a lot about him over the past few days.¡± Long Han stood up and cupped his hands in a friendly manner.


    Han Li carefully examined the middle-aged man and returned the greeting with a smile, ¡°Fellow Daoist Long Han, right? I¡¯ve heard so much about you.¡±


    ¡°In terms of fame, which of the recent cultivators is as renowned as Fellow Daoist Han? Brother Han has given our Heavenly Dao Alliance quite a bit of face.¡± An old man with a pale complexion sitting at Long Han¡¯s side half-jokingly said.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist must be joking. May I know your name?¡±


    Han Li had already noticed this old man. As he was the only Nascent Soul Cultivator present except Long Han, he naturally didn¡¯t dare to be negligent.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han, this is Brother Kuang, from the Nihang Pavilion. His ¡®Heavenly Earth Technique¡¯ has shaken the Heavenly South Region for several hundred years.¡± Before the pale old man could reply, Lu Luo took the initiative to introduce him.


    A trace of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face upon hearing this, and he said, ¡°So it¡¯s you, Brother Kuang. I¡¯ve also admired you for a long time.¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t say this against his will. This cultivator surnamed Kuang of the Nihang Pavilion was truly renowned and was only second to Long Han and his wife in the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Back then, the silver-haired old man from the Drifting Cloud Sect had repeatedly mentioned him. He didn¡¯t expect to see him here.


    Afterwards, Lu Luo introduced the other cultivators to Han Li. The others were fine, but when he introduced the Ancient Sword Sect¡¯s elder, who was an ugly cultivator surnamed Tian, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but take a few more glances.


    Soon after, Han Li and the others took their seats.


    Long Han faintly smiled and calmly spoke.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han has come to the meeting hall this time, so you should know that the alliance wishes for Fellow Daoist Han to continue fighting. Speaking of this matter, we¡¯ve truly broken our promise to you. However, the great battle is imminent, and with Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s abilities, you¡¯re indeed a great help to us cultivators of the Heavenly South. We have no choice but to do this. Still, as for compensation, we can make up for it in terms of ingredients and medicine pills. If Fellow Daoist Han is dissatisfied, we can discuss other conditions. Basically, as long as the alliance can do it, we won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    As expected of a cultivator who had been in charge of the Heavenly Dao Alliance for a long time, Long Han took the initiative to apologize to Han Li before the two of them could say anything.


    If Han Li had been filled with unhappiness, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to vent it.


    However, Han Li wasn¡¯t angered to begin with.


    He was able to escape from the Moulan Divine Sage. In the future, no matter how fierce the battle was, he would have more than enough power to protect himself.


    Since his life was no longer in danger, there was naturally nothing to be unhappy about. Instead, he felt that this was a rare opportunity!


    Thus, after a moment of silence, Han Li bluntly said:


    ¡°Since Brother Long has said so, there is no harm in continuing to participate in the following battles. After all, I know that there is no such thing as complete eggs under an overturned bird nest. However, I do have some matters that require the assistance of the alliance. I will take advantage of this opportunity.¡±


    When Han Li said this, he revealed a calm expression.


    He knew that in front of these old freaks, it was better to play few tricks. It was easier to achieve his goal by being direct.


    As expected, these undisguised words left a good impression on most of the cultivators present.


    Cultivator Kuang smiled and bluntly spoke.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s straightforwardness is quite fitting of my temperament. What are your conditions? I am quite curious!¡±


    Long Han¡¯s eyes flickered several times before he smiled and said nothing.


    The others also stared at Han Li to see what conditions he wanted to raise.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple. I wish to borrow the power of the alliance to help gather a refinement material. I won¡¯t hide it from you Fellow Daoists, but this material is extremely important to me. If I can gather it before the battle, I will have a greater chance of dealing with the black-robed spell warriors.¡±


    ¡°Refinement materials?¡± Everyone present glanced at each other, but no one revealed any surprise.


    With their intelligence, they naturally knew that this material was extremely rare and difficult to find. Otherwise, Han Li wouldn¡¯t have taken advantage of this opportunity to make such a request.

 Chapter 751

    An Unexpected Promise


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Lu Luo, who was at the side, had a pensive look on his face as he vaguely guessed something.


    Long Han slowly asked, ¡°What material? Fellow Daoist Han, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°I need some Auric Essence to refine magic treasures, and the more the better. However, don¡¯t worry, Fellow Daoists. I¡¯ll be exchanging these Auric Essence for something of equivalent value. I¡¯m not asking for them for nothing. I just need the alliance¡¯s help to collect them or find out where they are,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    Han Li had never been able to obtain a large amount of Auric Essence to refine the Aureate Sword Formation. This had always been a headache for Han Li. Now that he had this opportunity, he naturally had to make full use of it.


    ¡°Auric Essence!¡±


    When everyone heard the name of the material, they couldn¡¯t conceal their astonishment.


    How could these people not know of the renowned ¡°Treasure of Sharp Gold¡±?


    Even though they had already expected this, when Han Li mentioned such a heaven-defying treasure, most of the people present were still stunned.


    Old Man Kuang frowned and asked, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what kind of magic treasure do you want to refine? The more Auric Essence you have, the better? Ordinary magic treasures only need to add a little bit of it to increase their power. Even if you add too much, the effect won¡¯t change much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I naturally know this. I just want to ask if the alliance can gather a certain amount of this.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was calm as he said this.


    Long Han sighed and shook his head, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han is willing to offer an equivalent exchange, it isn¡¯t impossible for us to help you gather this material and ask around. However, it seems Fellow Daoist Han requires a large quantity of it. Even if we can find some clues, its owner will treat it as a treasure and keep it a secret. It wouldn¡¯t be good for us to get to the bottom of it. Otherwise, more pieces would¡¯ve appeared at the auction not long ago.¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s heart sank. He had naturally already considered the other party¡¯s words.


    However, there was nothing else he could do.


    If the people in Heavenly South were truly unable to find so much Auric Essence, could it be that he would have to go to the legendary great empires or other places like the Heavenly Sand Continent to search for Auric Essence?


    But then again, since the Great Jin was over ten times the size of the Heavenly South Region, he might be able to find so much Auric Essence.


    Furthermore, he was carrying a bone box from the Umbra Realm that recorded the refinement method of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman. If he were to go to the Great Jin, he would naturally have to return this item to the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    When Han Li thought of this, he felt depressed.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s hesitation, Lu Luo could not help but persuade him.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han, let¡¯s change the conditions. Auric Essence is something that can only be chanced upon by luck.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he unconsciously frowned. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and spoke.


    ¡°Regardless, Auric Essence is extremely important to me. Even if my chances are slim, I still hope that the alliance will agree to this matter.¡±


    Speaking of this, Han Li¡¯s face was filled with determination.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han is so insistent, we will have the disciples of the alliance do their utmost to handle this matter. However, at that time, we may not be able to find even a single piece of Auric Essence. Fellow Daoist Han, please don¡¯t regret it.¡± Long Han seemed to have seen that Han Li had already made up his mind and did not say anything else. In the end, he nodded in agreement.


    After all, to such a large faction like the Heavenly Dao Alliance, it was only a matter of having the alliance¡¯s low-grade disciples run errands and pay more attention to this information. It was not a difficult matter.


    Old Man Kuang and the other cultivators naturally had no objections.


    However, Long Han and the others felt that this compensation was a bit too rash. They immediately took out a bag of mid-grade spirit stones, about 100 in total, as another form of compensation.


    Han Li smiled and accepted it without hesitation.


    The cultivators in the hall were naturally harmonious upon seeing this.


    Immediately, the Heavenly Dao Alliance members chatted for a while in the side hall. Among them, Long Han and company asked about the battle at Yellow Dragon Mountain in detail. They also paid special attention to the divine abilities of the black-robed man and the Divine Sage Moulan who had suddenly appeared.


    Han Li did not try to hide this and recounted what had happened.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t mention anything related to his own cultivation arts or magic treasures.


    Long Han and the others would not violate the taboo of cultivators and ask about Han Li¡¯s cultivation techniques.


    However, when he heard Han Li mention that those black-robed men were not demons or ghosts, but devilish cultivators who had cultivated some kind of devilish technique, Long Han¡¯s eyebrows could not help but jump wildly.


    As such, Han Li stayed here for half a day before finally taking his leave.


    Just as Lu Luo and Han Li left the hall and walked out, a voice transmission talisman flew into Lu Luo¡¯s hand.


    After Lu Luo read it, he bitterly smiled at Han Li and said.


    ¡°I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to continue accompanying you. Junior Brother Han, you can stroll around Tianyi City by yourself. Let¡¯s have a good chat tonight.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Lu, if you have something to do, go ahead. I was just thinking of taking a look at this city alone!¡± Han Li smiled kindly at Lu Luo¡¯s friendly gesture.


    Thus, Lu Luo felt relieved. After cupping his fists, he hurriedly left Han Li¡¯s side and flew into the distance as a streak of light.


    It seemed that it really was something important!


    Han Li looked at Lu Luo¡¯s departing figure and shook his head. However, after some thought, he nodded with a smile.


    Looking up at the sky, Han Li thought for a moment and walked towards the central area.


    However, after taking a few steps, Han Li¡¯s gaze suddenly flickered and he stopped.


    He slowly turned around and looked at a nearby alley.


    The woman surnamed Song from White Phoenix Peak was standing there with a hesitant expression, biting her red lips.


    Han Li blinked and waved at the woman.


    Cultivator Song hesitated for a moment before gracefully walking over.


    ¡°Greetings, Martial Uncle Han!¡± The beautiful Drifting Cloud Sect female cultivator respectfully called out with a pleasant voice.


    ¡°How long have you been waiting here?¡± Han Li asked calmly with his hands behind his back as he stared at the woman¡¯s beautiful face.


    The woman surnamed Song lowered her head and softly replied, ¡°It¡¯s already been two hours.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you really have something to tell me. However, this is not the place to talk. Follow me.¡± Han Li looked around and said coldly.


    After that, Han Li did not wait for the woman¡¯s reply and calmly walked into the distance.


    Cultivator Song¡¯s expression wavered for a moment before following after him.


    ¡­


    ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡± Han Li brought the woman to a secluded place nearby before turning around and asking calmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Someone asked me to deliver a letter to Martial Uncle. She also wants to see Martial Uncle.¡± After a moment of hesitation, the woman surnamed Song took out a jade slip from her pocket and handed it to Han Li with both hands.


    ¡°A letter?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes revealed surprise. After sweeping the item with his spiritual sense, he reached out to take it.


    However, he didn¡¯t immediately immerse his spiritual sense into it. Instead, he stared at the woman¡¯s beautiful face and asked.


    ¡°Who gave it to you? You should know!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good friend of mine. She said she knew Martial Uncle, so she asked me to give it to you.¡± After handing over the jade slip, the woman¡¯s expression became calm.


    ¡°She knows me?¡± Han Li narrowed his eyes and his expression changed. After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, he placed the jade slip on his forehead and his face became expressionless.


    A moment later, Han Li¡¯s face revealed a strange expression. He removed the jade slip from his forehead, looked at the woman surnamed Song, and asked in a slow tone.


    ¡°Where are they? Bring me there.¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle, you really do know this good friend of mine!¡± This time, it was Cultivator Song¡¯s turn to blink in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we can be considered friends. I didn¡¯t expect Martial Nephew Song to know her.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was normal as he said noncommittally.


    Cultivator Song¡¯s spirits stirred and she sweetly smiled, ¡°I only became acquainted with this good friend in the past two years. I originally thought that she was joking when she said she knew Martial Uncle. I didn¡¯t expect it to be true. I¡¯ve arranged for her to be in an uninhabited area outside the city. I¡¯ll take Martial Uncle there.¡±


    Han Li and the woman flew towards the city gate one after another. Once they left Tianyi City, Han Li flew towards the south of the city under the guidance of the woman surnamed Song.


    After flying for several tens of kilometers, they arrived at a small, desolate valley.


    At the entrance of the valley, there was a layer of milky white mist that had been enshrouded by a small concealment technique.


    Cultivator Song wordlessly raised her hand, and a command medallion appeared in her grasp. A streak of red light shot into the white mist, causing it to roil and gradually become clear, revealing an emerald path.


    ¡°Martial Uncle, please!¡± This woman respectfully let Han Li go first.


    With Han Li¡¯s current spiritual sense, before he entered the valley, he had already seen the situation inside.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as he walked along the small path.


    This small and exquisite valley was only over 1,000 feet long in size, and there were only a few small stone buildings in the valley. It was obvious that this was only a temporary residence.


    However, the nearby area was completely clean. There were no weeds or anything of the sort.


    Perhaps Song Yu¡¯s breakthrough had awakened the people in the stone room.


    In a flash, a beautiful woman in yellow robes appeared at the entrance of a stone room.


    When this woman saw Han Li walking at the front, she immediately revealed a complicated expression. After hesitating for a moment, she walked over and gave Han Li a curtsy. She opened her mouth and spoke.


    ¡°Mei Ning greets Senior Han. Congratulations on reaching the Nascent Soul stage.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was gentle and pleasant to the ear, but there was an indescribable resentment in her words.


    When Han Li heard this, an awkward expression appeared on his face. After a bitter laugh, he slowly said.


    ¡°Lady Mei, it¡¯s been several years since we last met, but you¡¯re still as elegant as ever. Furthermore, from your cultivation, it seems you¡¯re about to reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. It won¡¯t be long before you enter the False Core Stage!¡±

 Chapter 752

    Spirit Kindle Fruit and Fate Pill


    This beautiful woman who appeared in front of Han Li was Mei Ning, who had come to the Heavenly South with Han Li. Compared to a few years ago, her appearance was even more attractive.


    Mei Ning¡¯s resentful expression disappeared and a respectful expression appeared on her face. ¡°It is all thanks to Senior¡¯s kindness that I was able to reach my current cultivation.¡±


    Now that Han Li was at the Nascent Soul stage, his status was even more extraordinary than before.


    ¡°Sister Mei! Is Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit inside?¡± At this moment, the woman surnamed Song walked out from behind Han Li and affectionately called out.


    This surprised Han Li as he sized up this woman.


    Mei Ning didn¡¯t dare to be negligent and said with an apologetic expression, ¡°Senior Song! Big Sister Violet Spirit is currently cultivating in her room, but she will soon finish her cultivation. Please take a seat in my room.¡±


    Han Li did not pay much attention when he heard this because he swept his spiritual sense across the room. There was indeed someone sitting cross-legged in meditation in another stone room. Spiritual Qi was surging up and down. She was indeed withdrawing from her cultivation.


    Thus, under Mei Ning¡¯s modest invitation, Han Li and the woman surnamed Song entered the stone house and sat down.


    Afterwards, Mei Ning obediently made a cup of spirit tea for the two.


    ¡°Lady Mei, where have you and Lady Violet Spirit been cultivating all these years? Could it be that you didn¡¯t join a sect?¡± Han Li took a sip of the spirit tea in his cup and asked calmly.


    Mei Ning stood at Han Li¡¯s side and softly replied, ¡°Sister Violet and I have discussed this before. We¡¯re going to observe the various large sects in the Heavenly South Region and wait for our cultivation to consolidate before we consider joining a sect. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been taking a look around these past few years. After all, the situation in the Heavenly South Region seems to be even more chaotic than our place.¡±


    Seeing that Mei Ning did not hide the fact that she was a foreign cultivator in front of the woman surnamed Song, Han Li was slightly stunned and understood that his Martial Nephew Song most likely knew something about the Scattered Star Seas.


    It appeared that she had a good relationship with Violet Spirit.


    However, seeing Mei Ning¡¯s gentle and honest appearance, Han Li rubbed his nose and did not continue to ask her. He only turned his head and glanced at the woman surnamed Mei who was also standing on the other side. He smiled and asked.


    ¡°This time, you didn¡¯t suddenly come to find me on behalf of Violet Spirit because you wanted me to catch up with my good friend, right? Otherwise, why would Martial Nephew Song be so hesitant to deliver the letter?¡±


    ¡°Martial Uncle, I¡­¡± When the woman surnamed Song heard this, her face reddened and she stuttered.


    Mei Ning also revealed a trace of embarrassment. Just as she was about to say something, a woman¡¯s light laughter suddenly sounded from outside the room.


    ¡°Brother Han, there¡¯s no need to make things difficult for your two little sisters. Actually, it was mostly me who invited you here.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, a white-clothed woman with a fairy-like appearance appeared at the door.


    This woman¡¯s appearance was intimidating, and her movements were captivating.


    Violet Spirit gracefully walked into the room and pursed her lips into a smile, saying, ¡°In truth, I should be addressing Brother Han as Senior. However, I feel that it is more appropriate to call you Brother Han. After all, you may not even be older than me. Brother Han shouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    After experiencing the Heavenvoid Hall, the Umbra Realm, and many other things with Han Li, and spending a period of time together on the boundless sea, this woman and Han Li did not seem unfamiliar. Now, she even treated Han Li as a close friend.


    When Han Li heard this, he sized up this woman.


    Even with his current Nascent Soul cultivation base, he still felt his heart sway when he saw Violet Spirit¡¯s true appearance. He couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to her. Perhaps the ¡®woman who could let a country fall¡¯ in ancient books referred to such a peerless beauty!


    In fact, Nangong Wan, who was irreplaceable in his heart, was even slightly inferior to this woman.


    Of course, Nangong Wan¡¯s cold temperament and this woman¡¯s charm were two different types of attractiveness.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you call me. However, if Lady Violet Spirit were to walk out of this valley with your true appearance, I¡¯m afraid that it would immediately cause a sensation in the Heavenly South Region. Don¡¯t let those old monsters take a fancy to you and forcefully snatch you away,¡± Han Li teased her.


    Violet Spirit smiled without any anger. After rolling her eyes at Han Li, she called out to the woman surnamed Song.


    ¡°I¡¯ve really troubled you this time, Sister Song. Mei Ning and I are really inconvenient to enter Tianyi City.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m also involved in this matter, so it¡¯s only natural for me to contribute,¡± the woman replied with a hint of surprise on her face.


    Although she already knew that Violet Spirit and Han Li were indeed old acquaintances, it was still beyond her expectations to see the two of them interact so casually. However, she was more confident in the purpose of this trip.


    At this moment, Violet Spirit smiled sweetly at Han Li and softly spoke.


    ¡°Almost every time we meet, Brother Han¡¯s cultivation increases at a rate that greatly surprises Violet Spirit. I truly don¡¯t know how Brother Han cultivates. Furthermore, Brother Han¡¯s current fame has left Sister Mei and me tongue-tied. Rumor has it that Brother Han¡¯s strength is even greater than that of a mid Nascent Soul cultivator. Is this true?¡±


    After asking this, Violet Spirit stared at Han Li with a faint smile, but her bright eyes faintly revealed a trace of anticipation.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, but after some thought, he did not reply directly. Instead, he looked at the beauty in front of him and asked,


    ¡°Lady Violet Spirit, why are you asking me about my strength as soon as we meet? Aren¡¯t you a bit too impatient? Could you tell me why you¡¯re looking for me? I still wish to understand the situation before discussing anything else.¡±


    Han Li looked calm and unhurried.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Violet Spirit blinked her beautiful eyes and said with slight embarrassment.


    ¡°I was indeed a little impatient. However, it¡¯s no wonder. This matter is truly important. Only mid-Nascent Soul cultivators and above can succeed. I was also a little anxious.¡±


    ¡°Truly important? What is it that you want me to help you with? Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and his smile faded as he asked calmly.


    Violet Spirit wore a solemn expression and said, ¡°It seems I don¡¯t need to say anything. Brother Han has already guessed it. We are indeed looking for Fellow Daoist Han to collaborate. But before that, I would like to ask you something. Not long ago, did Brother Han and a few Nascent Soul eccentrics go to the Moulan Plains and obtain Master Cang Kun¡¯s remains?¡±


    ¡°How did you know about this? There shouldn¡¯t be many people who know about this!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly as he said this in surprise.


    Mei Ning suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°We heard this from a Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator. That person was a direct descendant of one of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s elders. After he unintentionally saw Big Sister Violet Spirit¡¯s true appearance, he immediately fell head over heels for her. Is there anything he¡¯s unwilling to say?¡±


    ¡°Wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting?¡± When Violet Spirit heard this, she lightly spat and blushed.


    It seemed that the two women had developed a very good relationship over the years.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the Ghost Spirit Sect, it¡¯s normal for them to know about this.¡± However, when Han Li heard this, he nodded, and the suspicion on his face disappeared.


    Violet Spirit glanced at Han Li and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Brother Han to still be so cautious even after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only just condensed my Nascent Soul, and I¡¯m not immortal. I naturally have to be careful. However, I¡¯ve been to the Moulan Plains to search for treasures. What does this have to do with you finding me here? Could it be that you¡¯ve obtained some secrets from the Ghost Spirit Sect?¡± Han Li asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°Martial Uncle¡¯s eyes are as sharp as torches. This matter actually involves a treasure in Devilfall Valley. That Ghost Spirit Sect disciple unintentionally revealed this to the three of us, so we found out about this matter.¡± The woman surnamed Song, who had been somewhat uncomfortable with Han Li, saw that Han Li had always been extremely kind to Violet Spirit and the other two. After the strange feeling in her heart faded, she also interrupted.


    ¡°Devilfall Valley? I remember that Master Cang Kun was the only one who came out safely. How would the Ghost Spirit Sect know what¡¯s in the valley? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been deceived,¡± Han Li said with a strange expression.


    Violet Spirit¡¯s eyes shined as she said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. At that time, the three of us were curious and joined hands to use an illusion technique. Not only did we learn the name of the treasure from that person, but we also unknowingly obtained the approximate location of the treasure. As for how the Ghost Spirit Sect knew of this? That person didn¡¯t know, so we don¡¯t know. However, this matter is most likely true.¡±


    ¡°Even if this is true, what kind of treasure could tempt you so much? It can¡¯t be an ordinary ancient treasure, right?¡± Han Li frowned and finally asked.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han, have you heard of the ¡®Spirit Kindle Fruit¡¯?¡± Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the three women looked at each other, and the woman surnamed Song solemnly spoke.


    ¡°What? The Spirit Kindle Fruit? Are you sure? That thing has long been extinct in this world. No, that Devilfall Valley has been sealed since the barbaric era. It¡¯s possible that there really is such a thing in the valley.¡± Han Li, who had always been calm, was finally shocked. He could even be said to be a little excited.


    Violet Spirit tried her best to remain calm and said, ¡°It seems Brother Han knows quite a bit about this spirit fruit. In that case, you should also know about the Fate Pill made of the Spirit Kindle Fruit. It is rumored that cultivators can only consume the Fate Pill once in their lifetime, and it is only limited to cultivators below the Deity Transformation stage. This kind of ancient spirit pill is very useful for breaking through bottlenecks. It is said that after consuming this pill, one¡¯s spiritual sense will be catalyzed by the medicinal power for a period of time, allowing one to experience the unbelievable changes of the next realm in advance. Although these feelings are indescribable and everyone experiences them differently, a majority of cultivators have broken through their bottlenecks. This is true. It is recorded in many ancient books. Otherwise, this pill wouldn¡¯t have been so famous until now. It is a pity that the main ingredient for refining this pill, the Spirit Kindle Fruit, was a spirit medicine that could only be chanced upon by luck even during the desolate era. Although the pill formula is available, no one has refined it since ancient times.¡±


    Although Cultivator Song and Mei Ning had already known about this, they couldn¡¯t help but reveal excitement at the mention of the pill.


    This was especially true for Mei Ning. If she had a Fate Pill, her chances of reaching Core Formation would greatly increase.


    However, at this moment, the excitement on Han Li¡¯s face gradually disappeared, and he began to ponder.


    After careful consideration, Han Li calmly asked.


    ¡°If Devilfall Valley possesses this spirit fruit, then the Ghost Spirit Sect must¡¯ve spent a great deal of effort to rope in other treasure-seeking cultivators in the Moulan Plains. They must¡¯ve wanted to kill Marquis Nanlong and seize Master Cang Kun¡¯s relic. That makes sense. However, I still have a few questions that I need you to answer. Otherwise, no matter how tempting the spirit fruit is, I wouldn¡¯t risk my life.¡±

 Chapter 753

    Decision


    When Violet Spirit saw that Han Li was able to remain calm after hearing about the Spirit Kindle Fruit and the Fate Pill, she felt a bit of admiration for him. ¡°Brother Han, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. This is no small matter. Perhaps we have overlooked something.¡±


    Han Li stroked his chin and solemnly asked, ¡°Although I also went to the Moulan Plains, why did you find me? You should know that Marquis Nanlong is the most likely to know the method to enter Devilfall Valley. Or do you know other methods to enter the valley?¡±


    ¡°We naturally know that Marquis Nanlong may have grasped the method to enter the valley. However, with his temperament and the rumors, how could we dare to tell him this secret? Sister Mei and I are very confident in Brother Han. We know that Fellow Daoist Dao isn¡¯t someone who forgets his righteousness for the sake of profit. As for the method to enter the valley, we learned from the Ghost Spirit Sect disciple that the Ghost Spirit Sect seems to be researching a method to enter the valley and is close to completion. However, that person doesn¡¯t know the exact situation. Still, the Ghost Spirit Sect will definitely take action the next time the spatial tear in Devilfall Valley stabilizes. When that time comes, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for us to infiltrate. However, it is said that the environment where the Spirit Kindle Fruit is located is extremely harsh. Without great abilities, there is no way to approach the spirit fruit. If Brother Han feels that his cultivation is insufficient, then so be it. After all, even if we enter the valley safely, Devilfall Valley will be rife with danger. It will be difficult to predict whether we will encounter misfortune or good fortune.¡± After Violet Spirit finished speaking, she revealed a hesitant expression.


    ¡°The Ghost Spirit Sect also has a way to enter the valley. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. However, from your tone, it seems that you¡¯re still very unclear about everything and don¡¯t have any concrete information. How about this? There are still a few years until the spatial rift in Devilfall Valley stabilizes. When the time comes, we¡¯ll investigate everything and confirm that there really is a Spirit Kindle Fruit in the valley. In that case, I¡¯ll naturally take a risk for the sake of the Fate Pill. As for my cultivation, you don¡¯t have to worry. If I can¡¯t do it, the other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators most likely won¡¯t have a chance either.¡± Han Li sighed after a long while.


    Han Li did not mention that Marquis Nanlong had contacted him. In the face of Devilfall Valley, the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region, Han Li had to think twice even with the Spirit Kindle Fruit. Perhaps the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method of entering the valley was safer. If that was the case, there was no need to mention Marquis Nanlong¡¯s matter in front of the three women.


    Seeing that Han Li did not agree to this matter, Violet Spirit was not depressed. Instead, she was happy.


    She knew that with Han Li¡¯s cautious character, saying these words basically meant that he had made a promise. Furthermore, from Han Li¡¯s tone, it seemed that the rumors were true. Now that his abilities were truly extraordinary, the chances of obtaining the Spirit Kindle Fruit were even greater.


    At this moment, the woman said with a smile.


    ¡°In truth, the reason why we were in such a hurry to find Brother Han was because we felt that if we weren¡¯t able to find a capable helper, everything would be in vain. We wouldn¡¯t be doing anything in vain. However, with Brother Han¡¯s promise, we are relieved. In the future, we will find out the details. After all, we sisters are also going to enter the valley, so we won¡¯t risk our lives.¡±


    ¡°What? The three of you also want to enter the valley?¡± Hearing this, Han Li was shocked and his face was filled with shock.


    Violet Spirit bitterly smiled and helplessly said, ¡°Brother Han, do you think we wish to enter the valley? We were forced to do so. Most of the ancient texts only record the wondrous effects of the Spirit Kindle Fruit. However, there are very few records that mention that once the Spirit Kindle Fruit is plucked, it cannot be preserved. It must be immediately refined in a cauldron within half a day after it is picked. Once it exceeds half a day, the fruit¡¯s effectiveness will greatly decrease. After three days, it will lose its effectiveness. Worst of all, the Fate Pill refined from the Spirit Kindle Fruit also has this restriction. If the pill isn¡¯t consumed within a certain amount of time, it will also lose its effectiveness. As such, even though we know Devilfall Valley isn¡¯t a place we can enter, we can only brace ourselves and take a gamble. After all, it is better than spending a hundred years or even several hundred years without being able to break through the bottleneck.¡±


    ¡°The Spirit Kindle Fruit has such a restriction. I¡¯ve read many ancient records, so why haven¡¯t I heard of this before?¡± Han Li frowned.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han, this is a secret ancient book passed down from our Song Clan¡¯s ancestors. I made a copy of it. Martial Uncle will understand after reading it.¡±


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, the woman surnamed Song suddenly took out a jade slip from her storage bag and respectfully handed it over.


    A look of surprise flashed across Han Li¡¯s face. He took a closer look at the woman before nodding his head and taking the jade slip, immersing his spiritual sense into it.


    This was an ancient book that specialized in introducing ancient spirit pills and medicines. There were many spirit medicines and pill formulas that Han Li had never heard of. There was even a detailed mention of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng and the related pill formulas that he had obtained from the Bone Sage. This made Han Li¡¯s heart thump.


    With his current knowledge, many of the medicinal pills listed were extremely useful to Nascent Soul cultivators. Although almost all of the pill ingredients recorded were ancient spiritual medicines that could only be chanced upon by luck, it was always better to be prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t know what use he would have for any spiritual medicines he might encounter in the future.


    It seemed that there were some good items in cultivation clans that even large cultivation sects didn¡¯t have.


    With Han Li¡¯s powerful spiritual sense, although there were many things in the jade slip, he quickly found the contents of the Spirit Candle Fruit.


    As expected, it mentioned the restrictions of the Spirit Kindle Fruit and the Fate Pill.


    After reading it for a while, Han Li frowned.


    A short moment later, he withdrew his spiritual sense and didn¡¯t immediately say anything. Instead, he stroked the smooth surface of the jade slip and muttered to himself.


    ¡°I heard from Sister Violet Spirit that Martial Uncle Han is also very accomplished in pill refinement. This ancient book is of little value to our Song Clan. Although there are many ancient pill formulas, none of the main ingredients can be found in the Song Clan. If Martial Uncle doesn¡¯t mind, you can take this jade slip as a reward for providing your help!¡± the woman surnamed Song said in a very obedient manner.


    Han Li was stunned when he heard this, but he immediately looked at this woman with deep meaning and smiled. After thinking for a moment, he calmly spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never taken advantage of anyone in my life. If there really is a Spirit Kindle Fruit in Devilfall Valley, I¡¯ll also benefit greatly. I won¡¯t ask for any rewards, and I¡¯ll most likely go as well. However, I do have some use for your ancient book, so I¡¯ll exchange it for a bottle of medicine pills that can increase your cultivation base. This bottle of medicine pills is just right for your current cultivation base.¡±


    After saying this, Han Li placed a hand on his waist and took out a small green bottle from his storage pouch, throwing it directly to Song.


    The woman unconsciously accepted the bottle, but a hesitant expression appeared on her face as if she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    When Violet Spirit saw this, she smiled charmingly.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s given to you, Big Sister Song can take it. Brother Han¡¯s pill refinement techniques are no small matter. The medicine pills in the bottle are most likely refined from high grade demon cores. They will definitely allow Big Sister¡¯s cultivation to rise. This business is quite profitable.¡±


    Hearing Violet Spirit¡¯s words, the woman surnamed Song revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. After thanking Han Li once again, she carefully put away the medicine bottle.


    Han Li smiled and put away the jade slip.


    Han Li sighed and solemnly said, ¡°Since the Spirit Kindle Fruit and the Fate Pill can¡¯t be preserved, it seems we can only enter the valley. If we only rush to the Spirit Fruit and don¡¯t recklessly barge into other places, our chances of retreating will be quite high. However, for now, the few of you should first gather the supplementary ingredients for the Fate Pill. Although these spirit medicines aren¡¯t as difficult to find as the Spirit Kindle Fruit, there are a few that aren¡¯t easy to find. As for the other details, we will have to wait until everything is clear before making the final decision. After all, this matter is a bit far away. Perhaps when the time comes, we will be defeated in the battle with Moulan, and we can forget about the Devilfall Valley. Whether or not we cultivators can still establish ourselves in the Heavenly South Region is another matter.¡±


    ¡°What? Senior Han is not optimistic about this battle with the spell warriors?¡± Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Violet Spirit and the others were shocked, and Mei Ning could not help but ask in a reserved manner.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. On the surface, many of our Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s factions have joined forces and are fighting locally, so we should be slightly superior to the Moulan Alliance. Even the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s Long Han couple is able to suppress the Moulan Divine Sages. However, those black-robed men¡¯s origins are unknown. It¡¯s obvious that an external faction has intervened in our battle with the Moulan. If anything were to happen, it would definitely be because of these people,¡± Han Li said noncommittally.


    Violet Spirit¡¯s expression grew solemn. ¡°In that case, the outcome of this battle is only fifty-fifty.¡±


    ¡°You could say that, but the greatest possibility is still¡­¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered a few times as he muttered to himself, and his voice became inaudible.


    This caused the three women to be stunned.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. Who can say for sure before the war starts? You just have to make preparations for the Devilfall Valley. When the time comes, everything will depend on luck. Some things can¡¯t be forced.¡± Han Li shook his head and said indifferently.


    After that, Han Li did not mention Devilfall Valley again. Instead, he curiously asked about the two women¡¯s experiences in the past few years. At the same time, Violet Spirit and the others were also very curious about how Han Li escaped from the Moulan Divine Sage¡¯s mouth. Naturally, they also asked about it with great interest.


    Smelling the alluring faint fragrance and looking at the three enchanting faces, this was naturally a pleasing thing to the eye. Time passed quickly!


    When Han Li saw that it was getting late, he stood up and took his leave. The woman surnamed Song also wanted to leave.


    Violet Spirit and Mei Ning naturally stood up to brought them to the entrance of the valley.


    Before he left, Han Li noticed that Mei Ning wanted to say something several times, but after some hesitation, she bit her red lips and did not say anything.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred as he looked at the woman¡¯s red face. He then looked at Violet Spirit, who was looking at him and Mei Ning with an ambiguous smile. He could not help but feel awkward.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer. After a brief greeting, he turned into a cloud of azure light and swept the woman surnamed Song into it, flying back to Tianyi City.

 Chapter 754

    Flame Transformation


    Along the way, there were only the two people. In the beginning, Han Li and the woman surnamed Song did not say much.


    However, when she saw Tianyi City from afar, she hesitantly asked, ¡°Martial Uncle Han, countless Nascent Soul cultivators have entered Devilfall Valley since ancient times, but none of them have survived. Can Core Formation cultivators like us really find the spirit fruit and safely leave?¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li was a little surprised. With a flash of azure light around his body, he slowed down and turned to look at the woman with a surprised expression.


    Cultivator Song¡¯s question was beyond his expectations.


    However, after a moment of silence, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°In terms of cultivation, you are naturally far inferior to the cultivators that entered the valley to acquire treasures. After encountering danger in the valley, your chances of survival are much lower than theirs. However, the reason why those cultivators perished in the valley was most likely because of greed. Otherwise, it would be impossible for so many Nascent Soul cultivators to enter the valley without a single survivor. It is most likely because they were tempted by the treasure and wanted to obtain more, or because they only wanted to find a spiritual medicine that could extend their lifespan or allow them to break through in a short amount of time. As such, it is only a matter of time before something happens.¡±


    ¡°According to Martial Uncle, we¡¯ll also have a slim chance of survival if we go in, right?¡± Cultivator Song¡¯s brows furrowed with worry.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have a way to enter the valley and a safe route, I wouldn¡¯t even consider entering Devilfall Valley. In the past, there were so many cultivators apart from Master Cang Kun. If it weren¡¯t for these two conditions, I wouldn¡¯t have even considered entering Devilfall Valley. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be taking treasures. I¡¯d be committing suicide. Although your cultivation bases are low, so long as you don¡¯t get greedy and if you find out the exact location of the Spirit Kindle Fruit, you¡¯ll be able to head straight for the spirit fruit once you enter the valley. If your luck isn¡¯t too bad, you¡¯ll naturally have a chance to obtain it. Of course, Devilfall Valley is known as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region. No matter how well prepared you are, you have to be prepared to die inside. If the Spirit Kindle Fruit was truly that easy to obtain, the Ghost Spirit Sect wouldn¡¯t have waited until now to take action. The reason why they¡¯re going to Devilfall Valley now is most likely because they saw that Marquis Nanlong had also obtained the method to enter the valley. They¡¯re afraid that the other party will take away the treasures in the valley first, so they had no choice but to take the risk. I¡¯m afraid their method to enter the valley is quite dangerous,¡± Han Li said after some hesitation.


    ¡°Since Martial Uncle guessed that the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method of entering the valley was inappropriate, why did you¡­¡± When the woman surnamed Song heard Han Li¡¯s words, her beautiful eyes flashed with surprise.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I say it in front of Violet Spirit and the others? Could it be that you thought I had other intentions?¡± Han Li smiled and said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. Martial Nephew doesn¡¯t have any intention of doubting Martial Uncle.¡± Cultivator Song hastily said with alarm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s normal for you to have doubts. However, I didn¡¯t say these words not because I had any ill intentions. Perhaps these words will be useful to you and Mei Ning, but they most likely won¡¯t have any effect on Violet Spirit. You have to know that although the Fate Pill is extremely precious, it¡¯s a waste for Core Formation cultivators. Not to mention Mei Ning, if she consumes this pill, she has a high chance of entering Core Formation. It¡¯s worth a gamble. After all, after entering Core Formation, her lifespan can be extended by hundreds of years. However, you and Violet Spirit are only at the early Core Formation stage. Your aptitudes are also extraordinary. Even if you don¡¯t take this pill, you¡¯ll most likely be able to break through the bottleneck and enter the mid Core Formation stage. Taking this pill will only save the two of you a hundred years of cultivation time. On the one hand, you¡¯ll save a hundred years of cultivation time, and on the other hand, you¡¯ll have to take a risk to enter Devilfall Valley and fall into the trap of life and death. I don¡¯t know what choice Martial Nephew will make, but Violet Spirit will most likely take a risk to enter the valley in order to reach Core Formation. She doesn¡¯t want to remain a Core Formation cultivator. This will save her a lot of time for cultivation.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit is determined to become a Nascent Soul cultivator? That¡¯s why she¡¯ll be willing to enter the valley no matter how dangerous it is!¡± Cultivator Song murmured with an odd expression on her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Violet Spirit¡¯s experiences are somewhat different from yours and Mei Ning¡¯s. She was once threatened by powerful cultivators several times, and even the sect that her mother passed down to her was occupied by other forces. Although she later escaped and never mentioned this matter to anyone, I can faintly sense that her pursuit of power is probably much stronger than that of ordinary people.¡± Han Li raised his head and looked at the red sunset in the distance as he recalled the past.


    Then, under the stunned gaze of the woman surnamed Song, Han Li¡¯s words seemed to have become louder. He paused for a moment before speaking again.


    ¡°If there really is a Spirit Kindle Fruit in the valley, I¡¯ll most likely take the risk. After all, it¡¯s extremely difficult to advance another level after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. If I don¡¯t seize this opportunity, I might be trapped to death at the early-Nascent Soul Stage for the rest of my life. However, this trip to Devilfall Valley isn¡¯t imperative. I don¡¯t want to waste my breath on useless words. When we really have to go to Devilfall Valley, I¡¯ll naturally emphasize the dangers of this trip to you again and point out the possible flaws in the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method of entering the valley. However, this is only my guess. Perhaps the Ghost Spirit Sect has already researched on the method of entering the valley more thoroughly than Master Cang Kun. This isn¡¯t impossible. This is also one of the reasons why I didn¡¯t immediately say anything.¡±


    Cultivator Song remained silent upon hearing this, but a hint of enlightenment appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°Alright, I originally didn¡¯t want to say this to you, but since you¡¯ve asked, I¡¯ll tell you about it. Since you¡¯ve come to Tianyi City, the most important thing now is to prevent yourself from dying in the upcoming battle. This is the most urgent matter. If you¡¯re unlucky and something happens in the battle, you naturally don¡¯t have to worry about Devilfall Valley. I¡¯m the same. When I return to Tianyi City, this matter will be put to the back of my mind and I won¡¯t ask about it again.¡± After saying this, Han Li revealed a self-deprecating smile.


    ¡°Many thanks for Martial Uncle¡¯s guidance!¡± When the woman surnamed Song heard Han Li¡¯s words, her heart trembled and she bowed in thanks.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much as guidance. You¡¯ll understand after some thought. Alright, let¡¯s enter the city. It¡¯s getting late.¡± Han Li waved his hand with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Yes, Martial Uncle!¡±


    The streak of azure light continued to fly at full speed toward the city gate.


    ¡­


    A few days later, in Tianyi City¡¯s Drifting Cloud Sect encampment, Han Li was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a secret room with layers of restrictions placed outside. He held a huge sword that was five to six meters long behind him and was frowning as if he was thinking about something.


    The sword was burning with strange purple and azure flames. They were Han Li¡¯s Purple Apex Flames and the strange azure lantern flames.


    After returning from Violet Spirit¡¯s place that day, Han Li was dragged by Lu Luo to meet many Nascent Soul cultivators who were on good terms with the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    In the past, it was difficult to meet a cultivator of this level. But now, in just a few days, Han Li had seen more than ten of them. It was a rare experience.


    These cultivators naturally knew of Han Li¡¯s reputation and did not dare to neglect him. They got along quite well and even chatted quite well.


    However, after these few days, Han Li immediately found a quiet room and began to deal with the troubles from the battle at the Yellow Dragon Mountain. It was this azure flame that was constantly burning on the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword.


    The Purple Apex Flames were able to remain unscathed on the sword because of their balancing effect.


    Han Li did not know what kind of devilish flame this green lantern flame was, but its power was actually not inferior to his Purple Apex Flames. Although Han Li could manage to restrain it with his quantity, it was still a headache to refine it.


    If this flame wasn¡¯t eliminated, not only would he be unable to use the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, but even the Celestial Ice Flame and Purple Apex Flames wouldn¡¯t be able to easily attack the enemy.


    Han Li naturally could not tolerate this.


    Now, Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered as he stared at the sword and pondered for a long while.


    A short moment later, he tossed the huge sword into the air and struck it with an azure spell seal.


    The huge sword immediately circled in the air above the room before transforming into several tens of small flying swords.


    With a thought from Han Li, most of the flying swords turned into dozens of azure lights and shot directly into his body. Only one flying sword slowly descended and stopped in front of Han Li.


    Han Li looked at the green-purple flames on the sword and narrowed his eyes. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a purple flame, directly hitting the surface of the flying sword.


    Purple flames immediately erupted from the sword, suppressing the remaining azure flames.


    Then, Han Li activated a spell seal in his hand, and the surging purple light forced the azure flame to one end of the sword. Not long after, it slowly forced it to the tip of the sword, turning into a small ball of azure light the size of a soybean.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s expression became solemn.


    He took a deep breath and began to flick his fingers, quickly striking the sword with various colored incantation seals.


    In the blink of an eye, the purple flames on the sword grew even more powerful, forming waves after waves that fiercely pressed down on the speck of azure light.


    The azure flames swayed incessantly at the tip of the sword, as if they could be extinguished at any moment.


    However, under the pressure of the purple flames, the speck of azure light gradually began to shine brightly.


    No matter how the purple flames were activated, it was as if they were born at the tip of the sword. They were indestructible.


    A trace of anxiety flashed past Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he increased the speed of his hand seals.


    After a long while, seeing that the situation did not improve at all, Han Li¡¯s expression turned ugly.


    After some thought, a cold light flashed through his eyes and he raised a hand.


    All five of his fingers and his palm were immediately covered in a layer of piercing purple flames.


    Then, Han Li unceremoniously closed his fingers and directly pinched the azure flame on the flying sword.

 Chapter 755

    Lightning Bead


    Han Li¡¯s five fingers were very precise. With a flash of azure light, the purple flames on his fingers wrapped around it.


    However, Han Li only felt his fingertips go soft. A huge force came from the azure flame, and his five fingers were repelled.


    Han Li was shocked, but with a thought, he grabbed at the air and the purple flames in his hand enveloped down.


    The light surged and the azure flames were enveloped in purple light.


    Han Li¡¯s arm did not move. The purple flames on his five fingers were dazzling, and the green and purple light intertwined and flickered.


    This action continued for a quarter of an hour before Han Li let out a light sigh. With a casual shake of his hand, he moved his five fingers away, and the purple flames on his hand instantly disappeared without a trace.


    Then, he looked at the sparkling azure flames and bitterly smiled.


    This strange flame was far more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated. Although the Purple Apex Flames could contend with it, it seemed to be too weak to refine it.


    With that thought, Han Li thought for a moment and raised his hand to point at the flying sword in front of him.


    A muffled thunderclap suddenly erupted as a blinding arc of golden lightning shot forth from the flying sword.


    As soon as the arc of lightning appeared, it instantly exploded, transforming into countless thin golden threads that flew toward the azure flame.


    As a result, azure light flashed and the golden threads were completely absorbed by the bean-sized flames as if they were clay oxen entering the sea. Soon after, the azure flames swelled to the size of an egg.


    Seeing this, the blue light in the depths of Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered continuously as he stared at the azure flames that had absorbed the golden lightning. His expression was uncertain.


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Li let out a light sigh. The blue light in his eyes disappeared, but a hesitant expression appeared on his face.


    A short moment later, he shook his head and made up his mind. He opened his mouth and sucked the purple flames into his mouth, leaving nothing behind.


    Without the suppression of the Purple Apex Flames, the azure flames on the sword surged and enveloped the entire flying sword. Han Li¡¯s mind was connected to the sword, and he let out a muffled groan. Greenness flashed on his face, revealing a trace of pain.


    However, Han Li immediately ignored the discomfort in his body and flicked his ten fingers at the flying sword. Green light flashed and more than ten sword Qi shot out from his hand.


    Similar to the golden lightning formed by the Divine Devilbane Lightning, the azure sword Qi was completely absorbed by the azure lantern flames.


    However, Han Li acted as if he did not see this. The spiritual power in his body circulated continuously, and the sword Qi struck the azure flame like moths to a flame.


    His magic power was rapidly depleted.


    As a result, the azure flames absorbed a large amount of sword Qi and became even more powerful as if they were nourishing themselves.


    Not long after, they turned into a dazzling azure fireball, burning fiercely in front of Han Li.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s magic power had been depleted by more than a third.


    But looking at the huge fireball in front of him, Han Li smiled instead.


    He stopped the sword Qi in his hand and waved at the flying sword in the fireball.


    With a puff, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword easily shot out from the azure flames. After circling around, it shot into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    Han Li lowered his head and looked at the azure flying sword in his hand. It was exceptionally translucent and the azure flames on it had completely disappeared. He could not help but smile.


    ¡°As expected! Although this flame is incomparably wondrous, the spiritual power it can devour is clearly limited. It has absorbed too much Green Essence Sword Qi and can be controlled,¡± Han Li muttered with a smile.


    Soon after, he brought his hands together and the flying sword disappeared into his palm in a flash of light.


    At this moment, Han Li looked at the green fireball in front of him and tapped it lightly with his finger, sending a wisp of his spiritual sense into it.


    The azure fireball trembled and began to slowly rotate. The azure light on top of it flickered intermittently.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows and activated his divine sense.


    The azure fireball began to sway incessantly, but after a long while, it was sent flying three meters away in a sluggish manner.


    Seeing this, Han Li stroked his chin and muttered to himself.


    This azure flame was so powerful that it would naturally be a waste to give up on it. Although he was able to forcefully activate this flame because it had absorbed the Green Essence Sword Qi, it was obvious that he was unable to do so because of his cultivation technique. After all, this flame wasn¡¯t something that he had refined, so it was very difficult for him to control it as freely as he did the Celestial Ice Flame and the Purple Apex Flames.


    Han Li¡¯s brows were tightly knitted as he stared at the green fireball and pondered. Suddenly, he stretched out a hand and pressed it against the storage pouch at his waist.


    White light flashed and a small section of jade-white rib bone and a small yellow bottle appeared in his hand.


    It was the jade slip that recorded the Profound Yin Scripture and the magic tool that he used to absorb the demon beast¡¯s soul.


    He opened the bottle and a ball of black Qi flew out.


    Han Li¡¯s five fingers grabbed at the black Qi in the air. Immediately, the black Qi shot into his palm. Then, with a thought, the black ball immediately bounced onto the rib in his other palm.


    The rib immediately turned black and floated out of his hand, releasing a faint glacial black light.


    When Han Li saw this, he immersed his spiritual sense into it and quickly browsed through the contents of the Profound Yin Scripture. He began to look for something at a glance.


    When Han Li saw the three words ¡°Yin Fire Lightning¡±, Han Li was elated. He slowed down and began to carefully read the contents.


    ¡°Yin Fire Lightning¡± sounded quite ordinary, but in reality, it was an existence on par with the Heavenwide Corpsefire.


    However, it was not a demonic secret technique, but a secret technique to refine lightning beads. It was a treasure of the same kind as the ¡°Heavenly Lightning Seed¡± that Han Li had previously obtained.


    Of course, according to the description of the Profound Yin Scripture, once the Yin Fire Lightning was successfully refined, its power would be astonishing. In terms of destructive power, it was even more powerful than the Heavenwide Corpsefire.


    The principle was to suppress a large quantity of pure Yin flames from the Profound Yin Arts, then add in some lightning power and other materials, using some special methods to solidify and stabilize them.


    When used against an enemy, it could simultaneously activate the Yin Fire and Lightning within it, resulting in an explosion that would injure the enemy.


    Unfortunately, the lightning bead was a one-time consumable. Not only were there many restrictions, but it was also very troublesome to refine. It was extremely difficult to succeed. Only cultivators who could control lightning-attribute spiritual power could refine it.


    As such, not to mention Zenith Yin, even the Bone Sage had never refined such a thing.


    When Han Li first saw the refinement method of the Yin Fire Lightning, he also did not pay much attention to this secret technique. Although he could control the Divine Devilbane Lightning, he did not know any Mystic Yin Technique, so he naturally skimmed through it. He only cultivated the Yin Devil Execution and a few other easy-to-learn secret techniques from the Profound Yin Scripture.


    Just as he was feeling a headache from the azure flame, he suddenly thought of the secret Yin Fire Lightning refinement technique.


    Originally, refining Yin Fire Lightning required a large amount of spiritual power, and the success rate was low. In addition, there were very few cultivators who could control lightning. As a result, very few people refined this item in the cultivation world. Even if someone occasionally refined a few, they would quickly be used up because they were consumables.


    Han Li still did not know the Mystic Yin Technique, but with his current knowledge and cultivation, he did not need to copy everything from the Profound Yin Scripture. As long as he slightly changed the refinement method of the lightning beads, he could use the ready-made azure flames to refine other lightning beads. It was not a waste.


    After all, the power of the azure flames wasn¡¯t inferior to the Purple Apex Flames, and the lightning beads refined from them were definitely no weaker than the original Yin Fire Lightning.


    In the past, he had thought of using the Celestial Ice Flames or even the Purple Apex Flames to refine lightning beads, but because these two types of spirit flames were too few, he didn¡¯t dare to waste them even if he were to use them against enemies. As such, he tossed this thought to the back of his mind.


    Now that the azure flames were unable to be absorbed or removed, refining them into lightning beads was a brilliant idea.


    In the near future, this item would become an incisive weapon against his enemies.


    Having made up his mind, Han Li immediately rummaged through his storage pouch for other items.


    As for the ingredients for refining the lightning beads, he was able to gather them from his pouch. These were not rare items, but commonly used items for alchemy and weapon refinement. Han Li had also prepared some.


    As such, he took out the items one by one and placed them in front of him. Then, he faced the flickering fireball with a serious expression and raised his hands.


    Two arcs of golden lightning shot forth from his palm and struck the azure fireball.


    ¡­


    In the main hall of the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s encampment, Lu Luo sat motionlessly on a chair with an expressionless face.


    In front of him stood several Core Formation cultivators from the Drifting Cloud Sect. The red-robed old man and the woman surnamed Song were among them, but they appeared somewhat anxious.


    ¡°Martial Nephew Duan, how many days has your Martial Uncle Han been in seclusion?¡± Lu Luo suddenly asked indifferently.


    ¡°Reporting to Martial Uncle, Martial Uncle Han has been in the silent room for over two months. Junior Sister Song and I have been standing guard outside the room. Martial Uncle Han has never come out.¡±


    Lu Luo sighed and muttered, ¡°Yes! When your Martial Uncle Han entered seclusion, he told me that he wanted to make some preparations for the upcoming battle and that we shouldn¡¯t easily disturb his seclusion. However, it seems that all of the Moulan cultivators have arrived and are beginning to stir. There have been several gatherings between the upper echelons, and those cultivators have all requested for your Martial Uncle Han to attend, but I¡¯ve used this as an excuse to reject them. However, now that the three great cultivators have gathered in Tianyi City, they¡¯ve also sent a letter requesting your Martial Uncle Han to meet tomorrow. This time, only mid-Nascent Soul cultivators are allowed to participate in this meeting. It¡¯s clear how important your Martial Uncle Han is. It¡¯s not easy to reject them.¡±


    After hearing Martial Uncle Lu¡¯s words, the others in the hall wore bitter smiles.


    After a moment of hesitation, a trace of worry appeared on Cultivator Song¡¯s face and she said, ¡°Martial Uncle Han must be in seclusion at a crucial moment. If we rashly disturb him, won¡¯t Martial Uncle¡¯s efforts go to waste?¡±


    A middle-aged cultivator with a small mustache hesitantly said, ¡°It is precisely because of this that Martial Uncle Lu rejected them again and again. However, if Martial Uncle Han doesn¡¯t appear at tomorrow¡¯s gathering, I fear that others¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    Right at this moment, a light voice suddenly sounded from outside the hall. It wasn¡¯t loud, but it clearly entered everyone¡¯s ears.


    Lu Luo was overjoyed to hear this.

 Chapter 756

    Old Devil Cloud Dew


    Following the sudden voice, Han Li appeared at the entrance of the hall and walked in with a calm expression.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han, you¡¯re finally out of seclusion. That¡¯s great!¡± While the other cultivators bowed and greeted Han Li, Lu Luo stood up with a smile to welcome him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t completely succeed. I originally wanted to continue my seclusion, but I was worried about the Moulan people, so I came out to take a look first. It seems that I came out in time,¡± Han Li said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Hehe! Looks like you¡¯ve also heard what those Martial Nephews said. However, there have been quite a few people who want to see you recently. I don¡¯t care about anything else, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to attend the high-level meeting that the three great cultivators are hosting tomorrow. After all, our Drifting Cloud Sect is going all out this time, and I don¡¯t want our sect¡¯s disciples to suffer too many casualties. Listen to those in charge and tell me how they plan this battle so that I can have some confidence,¡± Lu Luo said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°Mm, since I know about this, I will definitely go and take a look tomorrow. I¡¯ve also heard of the three great cultivators for a long time. I¡¯m looking forward to the gathering tomorrow.¡± Han Li agreed.


    Han Li¡¯s answer made Lu Luo very happy. He immediately chatted with Han Li about some things that had happened in the past two months.


    ¡°The spell warriors have begun to attack the few great formations at the border!¡± Han Li frowned and repeated when he heard Lu Luo¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Actually, this only happened three to four days ago. Although there were no casualties, it was a sign that the Moulan had finished their preparations,¡± Lu Luo said in a deep voice.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and he slowly asked, ¡°The Moulan people are almost done with their preparations. How are our manpower arrangements? It should be about time!¡±


    Lu Luo explained, ¡°We¡¯re different from the Moulan people. Although the Moulan spell warriors are from various tribes and are quite chaotic, they don¡¯t have as many large and small sects as we do in the Heavenly South Region. It¡¯s much more troublesome to form teams based on the characteristics of their cultivation techniques, the power of their magic treasures, and even the amount of their cultivation bases. Furthermore, the Moulan people have been preparing for this invasion for a long time. It¡¯s indeed a little late for us to make preparations now. However, it¡¯s a good thing that the four great factions are still united this time and have already made most of their preparations. Even if we were to start the war immediately, we might still stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the war is really about to start.¡± Han Li touched his nose and said with a gloomy expression.


    Lu Luo sighed and helplessly said, ¡°That¡¯s most likely right. Otherwise, the three great cultivators wouldn¡¯t have gathered so quickly and convened tomorrow¡¯s gathering in such a hurry. Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators are top-notch existences in our Heavenly South Region.¡±


    Hearing the discussion between Han Li and Lu Luo, the two elders of the Drifting Cloud Sect, the other cultivators in the hall unconsciously became solemn.


    However, Han Li suddenly changed the topic and asked about the recent arrangements of the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples. Lu Luo and the others told Han Li everything in detail.


    When he heard that most of the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples had been arranged into several different groups of cultivators to practice group combat abilities all day, Han Li nodded and did not say anything.


    This arrangement was quite normal. After all, this wasn¡¯t a one-on-one battle between cultivators. No matter how powerful a cultivator was, if they were attacked by tens of thousands of well-trained cultivators at the same time, they could only die on the spot.


    Of course, under normal circumstances, these high-grade cultivators wouldn¡¯t put themselves in such a dangerous situation. So long as they weren¡¯t trapped by groups of cultivators, these high-grade cultivators could use large-scale abilities to kill low-grade cultivators in large groups.


    As such, being able to keep hostile high-grade cultivators in check was also an extremely important matter.


    As for the battle between the cultivators and spell warriors, the situation was about the same.


    In a battle between high-grade cultivators and Moulan spell warriors, no matter which side was unable to keep the other side in check, they would lose most of the battle without even fighting. Thus, although Han Li asked about the Drifting Cloud Sect, he was already thinking about the true purpose of the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South gathering mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.


    In addition to organizing the movements of the cultivator army, they would most likely also have to set up some specific strategies to deal with Moulan Grand Sages.


    As Han Li thought of this, he could not help but sneer in his heart.


    This time, he used two months to completely expel the azure flames from the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. He also used the Divine Devilbane Lightning to refine the azure flames mixed with Green Essence Sword Qi into seven or eight lightning beads. As for the rest, they all failed and dissipated on their own.


    Seeing this, Han Li could not help but laugh bitterly. This was a wonderful way to extinguish these green lantern flames.


    After chatting with these people for a while, Han Li bade them farewell and left the hall. He returned to the pavilion that was specially prepared for him to conserve his energy.


    He had spent the past two months continuously expelling the azure flames from his flying swords and immediately refining the lightning beads. He was truly exhausted.


    ¡­


    The next morning, Han Li set off from the encampment and calmly walked towards the central area. Not long after, he faintly saw a huge stone hall.


    Because the entire Tianyi City had been built at the last minute, even the large halls used by the upper echelons of the four large factions were ordinary and somewhat crude. Furthermore, apart from being slightly taller than the Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s meeting hall, they were almost identical.


    However, there were several Core Formation cultivators guarding the door. When these people saw Han Li walk over, they swept their spiritual sense and immediately welcomed him.


    One of the Core Formation cultivators bowed and respectfully said, ¡°Senior, only mid-Nascent Soul cultivators and above can attend today¡¯s meeting. Senior, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°This is for you.¡± Without waiting for the other party to finish, Han Li raised his hand and threw a white jade slip over.


    It was the invitation letter that had been sent over yesterday.


    The guard swept his spiritual sense past the jade slip and apologetically said, ¡°So you¡¯re Senior Han. I apologize for my lack of manners. Please come in!¡±


    Han Li smiled slightly. Just as he was about to walk in, his expression suddenly changed and he turned his head to look.


    On one side of the street, two people were slowly walking over, one in front of the other. They were a man and a woman.


    The man appeared to be only in his twenties. He wore a gorgeous brocade robe, and his skin was fair and translucent. His appearance was exceptionally handsome, and his every movement was elegant and unrestrained.


    However, if one were to look closer, they would discover that the young man¡¯s eyes would occasionally reveal an expression of vicissitudes. There were also crow¡¯s feet that didn¡¯t match his appearance. As a result, this person¡¯s age immediately increased by over ten years.


    However, the strangest thing was that when others first laid eyes on this person, they¡¯d feel an indescribable aura of feminine aura from his body. It was as if he were a woman disguised as a man. It was truly incomparably strange.


    The moment Han Li saw this man, his heart trembled and his face turned solemn.


    This person was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator and should also be participating in this meeting. From his demonic appearance, he was most likely a Devil Dao cultivator. Which sect was he from?


    Han Li¡¯s mind was racing as his gaze landed on the woman half a step behind him.


    ¡°Huh!¡± Han Li exclaimed in surprise.


    The woman was young and beautiful. She wore a gorgeous red dress and walked with graceful steps. Her figure was attractive and enchanting.


    However, after Han Li saw this woman¡¯s face clearly, he first had a strange expression on his face. After the strange expression faded, a faint bitter smile appeared on his face.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er! It was actually this woman.


    Now, there was no need to guess. Han Li already knew that the old monster who looked like a young man in front of her was definitely a cultivator from the number one sect of the Devil Dao, the Harmonious Bond Sect.


    After so many years, Dong Xuan¡¯er had already reached mid Core Formation stage. In light of her poor aptitude and spiritual roots, this was quite surprising.


    Han Li stood at the entrance of the hall and stared at them without moving. Naturally, the Core Formation cultivators guarding the door also looked at the two of them.


    When they saw this person, most of the cultivators turned pale. One of them even muttered with unease, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Devil Gu of the Harmonious Bond Sect would also come.¡±


    ¡°Devil Gu?¡± Hearing this, Han Li suddenly thought of someone.


    Apart from the late-Nascent Soul Stage Devil Concord, the Harmonious Bond Sect also had a rather renowned old eccentric surnamed Gu.


    This person was born with an exceptional aptitude. He cultivated the top Devil Dao cultivation arts of the Harmonious Bond Sect and was proficient in the Dao of Nourishment. He called himself ¡°Daoist Master Cloud Dew¡±, while others called him ¡°Old Devil Cloud Dew¡±.


    It was unknown whether it was because of his cultivation arts or because of his lustful nature, but he often snatched and raped people for cultivation.


    Regardless of whether it was a handsome man or a beautiful woman, so long as they caught his eye, he wouldn¡¯t let them go. As a result, he had offended many large sects.


    However, his cultivation was truly deep and unfathomable. He had always been in seclusion and had the backing of the Harmonious Bond Sect. No one could do anything to him. In addition, this person was not a bloodthirsty person. Once he finished his absorption and cultivation, he would let them go. The sects and seniors of these victims could only try their best to hide the truth and pinch their noses as they gave up on this matter.


    However, this person in the cultivation world of the Heavenly South was truly fearsome.


    When the young cultivators heard of his name, all of them fled. Those who couldn¡¯t escape were also trembling with fear, their faces deathly pale. They were afraid that he would take a fancy to them.


    Could it be that this young man was that old monster?


    Although Han Li was not afraid of this person, he muttered a few words in his heart and felt very uncomfortable.


    Coincidentally, the handsome young man also noticed Han Li, who was standing in front of the hall. He narrowed his eyes and sized up Han Li from afar. Suddenly, he smiled at him, revealing a trace of charm.


    Seeing this, Han Li felt a chill run down his spine. After forcing a smile, he turned around and strode into the huge hall without looking at Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s shocked expression.


    He had no intention of dealing with such an old monster.


    ¡°Why? Do you know that person? Just now, your heartbeat suddenly sped up a lot.¡± The young man slowly looked at the entrance of the hall. When he saw that Han Li¡¯s figure had disappeared, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and he asked Dong Xuan¡¯er behind him indifferently.

 Chapter 757

    Gathering of Old Monsters


    Dong Xuan¡¯er wore an odd expression and calmly replied, ¡°That person is an old acquaintance. I haven¡¯t seen him for many years. I was just a bit surprised to see him.¡±


    ¡°An old acquaintance? That person is an early-Nascent Soul cultivator, and he¡¯s actually able to attend today¡¯s gathering. Furthermore, he looks so young. He should be that newly renowned Drifting Cloud Sect elder. Speaking of which, this person¡¯s surname is also Han, and his name is exactly the same as the one you mentioned before. Could it be this person?¡± Old Devil Cloud Dew didn¡¯t get angry at Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s stiff reply. Instead, he calmly asked, as if his relationship with Dong Xuan¡¯er was unusual.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er¡¯s face paled upon hearing this, but she remained silent.


    A cold light flashed through Old Devil Cloud Dew¡¯s eyes and he coldly snorted. He didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further, but a trace of gloominess appeared on his face.


    When the old devil brought Dong Xuan¡¯er to the entrance of the hall, the Core Formation cultivators on duty were all trembling with fear. They only asked a few questions before quickly letting them pass. Of course, Dong Xuan¡¯er was unable to enter and could only be led to a side hall to rest.


    After Han Li walked into the hall, he soon saw the entrance to the main hall and immediately quickened his pace.


    The interior of the hall was very simple. In addition to the huge stone pillars, there was a large area of empty space in the middle of the hall. There were sixteen or seventeen exquisite wooden chairs placed every ten feet.


    There were seven or eight cultivators with different expressions sitting on these chairs.


    When they saw Han Li enter, some glanced at him coldly, some turned a blind eye, and some closed their eyes to rest. They all went about their own business as if there was no one else around.


    However, when one of them saw Han Li enter, he revealed a friendly smile and waved at Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve come out of seclusion. If you don¡¯t mind, you can sit next to me.¡±


    This person was none other than the person in charge of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Long Han of the Phoenix Cry Sect.


    ¡°Many thanks, Brother Long!¡±


    Han Li did not decline but sit down on a chair beside him. Then, he sized up the few people present and sat there quietly.


    A short moment later, Old Devil Cloud Dew appeared at the entrance.


    When he saw everyone in the hall, he chuckled and walked over to an empty chair before taking the seat.


    Not far from where he sat, there was a blue-robed old man. He held a small green teapot in one hand and a white jade cup in the other. He was drinking as if there was no one else present.


    As soon as Old Devil Cloud Dew sat down near him, a wave of fragrance immediately wafted through the air, causing him to glare at Old Devil Cloud Dew and feel extremely unlucky.


    The old devil did not care about the old man¡¯s dissatisfaction at all. Instead, his gaze flickered a few times and landed on Han Li, who was diagonally opposite him. He sized Han Li up with interest again.


    This time, it was Han Li¡¯s turn to be restless.


    He frowned and closed his eyes without any expression on his face. However, he was thinking about the relationship between the old devil and Dong Xuan¡¯er.


    After Dong Xuan¡¯er was abducted by the young master of the Harmonious Bond Sect, she joined the Devil Sect. Although that old devil had a bad reputation, he shouldn¡¯t have touched a disciple of his sect. The two should have some sort of relationship.


    Otherwise, the old devil wouldn¡¯t have come to this gathering with Dong Xuan¡¯er along with him.


    Just as Han Li was feeling a little confused, more and more people entered the hall.


    These people were naturally mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. Some of them knew the people who came before them, but some of them had a deep grudge against them. As a result, greetings and mocking voices sounded from time to time in the hall.


    At this moment, Old Devil Cloud Dew had already shifted his gaze away from Han Li.


    However, Han Li still did not move. He felt that among the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, he did not recognize many people, so there was naturally no need to greet anyone.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Shattered Soul! I didn¡¯t think that you would also come. I heard that Fellow Daoist¡¯s Nine Souls Secret Technique has already reached the Perfection Stage. This is truly worthy of celebration.¡±


    ¡°Shattered Soul!¡± This greeting made Han Li¡¯s heart skip a beat, and he could not help but open his eyes.


    At the entrance of the hall, a shriveled black-robed old man walked in. A black-robed cultivator was warmly greeting him.


    The black-robed old man faltered slightly before immediately walking over with a smile on his face.


    ¡°What? Has Fellow Daoist Han seen Shattered Soul before?¡± Long Han noticed Han Li¡¯s abnormality and asked with a smile.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve only heard Senior Brother Cheng mention this person before. I heard that he¡¯s quite powerful,¡± Han Li said with an unchanged expression. He didn¡¯t mention that he had killed a group of Shattered Soul¡¯s disciples during his trip to the State of Yue.


    Long Ha smiled and said, ¡°Hehe, no wonder. I recall that Elder Cheng once fought him and suffered a small loss, so he naturally had a deep impression of him. However, with Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s current reputation, there is no need to fear him. Still, there is one mid-Nascent Soul cultivator that Fellow Daoist Han should not provoke. Even the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South would have a headache if they encountered him.¡±


    ¡°To be able to give the three great cultivators a headache? Such a person exists?¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows and was a little shocked.


    Long Han carefully explained, ¡°Of course. This person had fought with Fellow Daoist Sunreach, one of the three great cultivators. Although he nearly died from serious injuries, he managed to slightly injure Fellow Daoist Sunreach and escape. As a result, this person is publicly acknowledged as an existence only second to the three great cultivators. However, this person has always been a loner. Even if the spell warriors are invading, it is still unknown whether he will come. Otherwise, he would be of great assistance.¡±


    ¡°To be able to heavily injure a late-Nascent Soul cultivator! This person is really capable. I wonder which expert he is. He should be quite famous, right?¡± Han Li pursed his lips and asked curiously.


    Long Han smiled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist must¡¯ve heard of him. You should be familiar with the name Eccentric Heavenvenge.¡±


    ¡°Eccentric Heavenvenge! It¡¯s actually this person. I¡¯ve indeed heard of him for a long time,¡± Han Li muttered with a bitter smile. The incident of pretending to be a low-level cultivator in the forbidden area of the holy tree suddenly flashed through his mind.


    At that time, the spies of the Righteous and Devil Dao were extremely fearful of Eccentric Heavenvenge.


    ¡°However, among the Nascent Soul cultivators, Brother Long and your wife should be second only to the three great cultivators!¡± Han Li blinked and said with a smile.


    But when Long Han heard this, he shook his head.


    Long Han solemnly said, ¡°Although Feng Bing and I have some abilities, we are most likely no match for him in a one-on-one fight. Of course, if the two of us were to join hands, that would be a different matter.¡±


    Han Li smiled when he heard this. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt that someone was looking at him. Their gaze was cold and gloomy, as if they were up to no good.


    Han Li became vigilant, but his expression did not change. He turned his head slightly and met that person¡¯s gaze.


    It was an unfamiliar, long-bearded old man in green robes.


    When the old man saw Han Li looking at him, the cold light in his eyes receded and he looked away expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened.


    However, Han Li did not relax because of this. Instead, he stared at this person for a long time.


    Long Han chuckled upon seeing this. ¡°What? Fellow Daoist Han doesn¡¯t recognize him?¡±


    ¡°From Brother Long¡¯s words, should I know him?¡± Han Li was a little puzzled.


    ¡°This person is the grand elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect, Dong Mentu. He holds great authority in the Controlling Spirit Sect. Although I haven¡¯t had any dealings with this person, I¡¯ve heard that he has a very good relationship with Gu Shuangpu. They are as close as brothers. And you killed Gu Shuangpu as a Moulan spy. This person didn¡¯t say anything because he had sufficient evidence, but he is definitely dissatisfied with you. Fellow Daoist must be careful.¡± Long Han gave a profound reminder.


    When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly, but he kept thanking him.


    In the short span of fifteen minutes, most of the chairs in the hall were filled with cultivators.


    It was quite funny. It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but almost all of the Devil Dao cultivators were seated on the right side of the hall. As for the Righteous Dao Alliance cultivators, they occupied most of the chairs on the left side of the hall.


    Only the cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Nine Nations Union seemed unconcerned as they casually sat down on either side.


    Among these cultivators, there was another familiar face that Han Li recognized. It was the cultivator surnamed Kuang from the Nihang Pavilion. He happened to be on the side of the Devil Dao. When he saw Han Li looking over, he smiled at Han Li.


    Han Li naturally nodded.


    At this moment, Long Han sent a voice transmission to Han Li to identify the other two Heavenly Dao Alliance cultivators. One of them was an ordinary-looking woman with light makeup, while the other was an old man with a distressed expression.


    Han Li took another look at these two people and memorized their appearances.


    At this moment, perhaps because there were too many people, the expressions of the people present became solemn. No one was chatting anymore, and they were all coldly sizing up the others.


    Almost all of these people were top-notch existences in the Heavenly South Region, and all of them had gathered here. Regardless of whether they knew each other, they had all sorts of thoughts.


    Among these people, Han Li was an extremely special existence.


    With the powerful spiritual sense of these old monsters, they could tell that Han Li¡¯s cultivation base was shallow the moment their gazes swept past Han Li. Naturally, they knew who Han Li was.


    After all, Han Li¡¯s reputation had spread far and wide in the past six months. It was impossible for these old monsters to not have heard of him.


    Han Li, on the other hand, sat there with his eyelids drooping. He did not pay any attention to anyone, as if he was responding to all changes by remaining unchanged.


    Just as the hall began to become incomparably quiet and even somewhat solemn, three people finally walked out from the side door.


    All of the old monsters that were silently looking at the others suddenly turned their gazes over.


    There was a black-robed man, a green-haired old man, and a Daoist priest carrying a sword on his back.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained the same, but his heart thumped. These three were the three great cultivators. They were also the only three late-Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire Heavenly South Region in the past thousand years.


    The others had different expressions, but most of them, like Han Li, looked at the three of them without batting an eyelid, quietly waiting for them to speak.

 Chapter 758

    The Battle of Life and Death


    The three slowly walked to the center of the hall and stopped side by side.


    The black-robed man standing in the middle coldly said, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to introduce us. Even if there are people who don¡¯t know the three of us, they should know us by now. This gathering will be hosted by the three of us. Does anyone have any objections?¡±


    The black-robed man¡¯s voice was ice-cold. As soon as he said this, a vast aura suddenly erupted from his body. Soon after, a huge spiritual pressure descended upon the entire hall. When the cultivators present sensed the unfathomable Spiritual Qi fluctuations, their expressions changed slightly.


    While Han Li was shocked by this person¡¯s powerful magic power, he was also surprised.


    Judging from the cold devilish Qi emanating from his body, he was most definitely Devil Concord of the Devil Dao. However, this old devil¡¯s appearance was truly different from what he had imagined. Although he was the Grand Elder of the Concord Sect, his cultivation arts appeared more like the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s devilish techniques!


    Han Li did not know that in the past, the Great Elders of the Harmonious Bond Sect were all known as Devil Concord. Although the technique that the black-robed man cultivated was actually a demonic technique that had little to do with the Harmonious Bond Sect, he still had to take on the title of Devil Concord.


    At that moment, the others felt the fearsomeness of the huge man. Although they felt somewhat uncomfortable, they weren¡¯t stupid enough to challenge the authority of the three great cultivators.


    For a time, the entire hall fell silent, tacitly acknowledging Devil Concord¡¯s words.


    The black-robed man expressionlessly said, ¡°Good. Since there are no objections, let¡¯s not waste any more time. In truth, there is no time to waste. This morning, the Moulans sent an envoy with a letter of challenge. They said that if we don¡¯t agree to their conditions, we will fight to the death at the border in seven days.¡±


    ¡°Challenge letter?¡±


    ¡°Seven days?¡±


    ¡°What conditions?¡±


    The cultivators were in an uproar.


    ¡°Brother Huh¡¯s words are true. This is the other party¡¯s letter of challenge. Fellow Daoists, please take a look at it before we discuss our countermeasures. Although the battle is coming earlier than we expected, with the abilities of everyone present, do you really think we¡¯ll be afraid of the Moulans?¡± The Daoist priest with the sword on his back chuckled and calmly said.


    Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it was like a gentle breeze blowing past everyone¡¯s faces, causing them to feel a chill in their hearts and immediately calm down.


    The other cultivators were surprised and the uproar immediately subsided, but there were still some who muttered under their breath.


    ¡°The Sublime Truth Sect¡¯s Tranquil Heart Technique is truly something.¡±


    When the middle-aged Daoist priest heard these words, he acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard them. Instead, he took out a bright red jade slip from his robe and casually tossed it to a grey-robed old man.


    ¡°This is the Moulans¡¯ letter of challenge. Please take a look.¡±


    After a moment of shock, the old man silently held the jade slip in his hand and swept his spiritual sense through its contents. His expression suddenly darkened and he tossed the jade slip to the person beside him with a cold expression.


    The man took the jade slip and glanced at it with curiosity. His expression was also unsightly.


    As the cultivators read the challenge letter in turns, Han Li sized up the Daoist priest and the green-robed old man.


    The Daoist priest appeared to be in his forties. His skin was translucent and white, and his facial features were elegant and refined, giving off a favorable impression. He should be Master Sunreach of the Righteous Dao Alliance¡¯s Sublime Truth Sect.


    As for the green-robed old man, his appearance was too ordinary. Regardless of whether it was his attire or appearance, there was nothing special about him. The only thing that caught Han Li¡¯s attention was that the old man had long fingernails on all ten of his fingers. These nails looked exceptionally sharp and were purple-black. They flickered with a faint light and were really quite eye-catching.


    This person was naturally the Nine Nations Union¡¯s Grand Elder, Wei Wuya.


    Wei Wuya seemed to have felt Han Li¡¯s gaze and turned his head to look at Han Li. After their eyes met, a trace of surprise appeared on his face, and he actually smiled at Han Li.


    Han Li awkwardly smiled back, but he could not help but think to himself. If this person knew about Han Li and Nangong Wan, he might not be able to smile at me.


    Just as Han Li was thinking, Long Han had already finished reading the jade slip in his hand and threw it to Han Li with an ugly expression.


    Seeing the expressions of the people in front of him, Han Li was a little curious.


    He immediately immersed his mind into the jade slip and began to read.


    After a long while, Han Li frowned and withdrew his spiritual sense, silently handing the jade slip to another cultivator.


    Not long after, the jade slip was passed through, and everyone¡¯s expressions were unsightly. After one or two people finished reading it, they couldn¡¯t help but coldly snort.


    Master Sunreach of the Sublime Truth Sect faintly smiled and asked, ¡°Fellow Daoists, what do you think after reading the letter of challenge?¡±


    A brocade-robed man with a sinister expression coldly said, ¡°How arrogant. They¡¯re asking us to cede half of the Heavenly South Region to them. Do they think they¡¯ll surely win against us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What do they mean by turning hostility into friendship as long as we give up some land? They think we don¡¯t know that the Moulan people are nothing more than stray dogs. I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t even need to fight them in a decisive battle. Even if we drag things out, we¡¯ll be able to slowly exhaust them to death,¡± another fat-headed old man said with a treacherous expression.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Lu, what do you mean? Is it because your Thousand Fantasy Sect is deep in the Heavenly South Region that you don¡¯t care about the lives of us sects? Of course, your Thousand Fantasy Sect doesn¡¯t care about a prolonged war, but what about the other sects¡¯ bases?¡± A large dark-skinned man sitting beside the fat old man spoke with an unfriendly expression.


    The fat old man glanced at the dark-skinned man and indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for everyone¡¯s sake. If the sect base is gone, it can be rebuilt, but if a person dies, it will be impossible to revive.¡±


    ¡°Humph! It¡¯s easy for you to say that. If our countries were to be abandoned, why would we cultivators block the spell warrior army for you fiendish sects? We might as well move our entire sects to Tian Luo. That way, not a single person would die,¡± another person said coldly.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    When the black-robed man heard this, his expression darkened and he suddenly rebuked, ¡°Enough. The matter of whether or not to fight a protracted war has already been decided. There¡¯s no need to discuss it at all. What we need to do now is to deal with the Moulan spell warrior army. We¡¯re not going to let you fight internally.¡±


    When the three saw that Devil Concord had spoken, they obediently shut their mouths despite their dissatisfaction.


    After all, in the cultivation world, strength spoke for itself.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need for the three of you to argue. We¡¯ve already made our calculations. With the spell warrior army¡¯s momentum, it¡¯s impossible for us to fight a prolonged battle. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we¡¯ve gathered most of the Heavenly South¡¯s forces, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop their attacks in the slightest. With the strength of a sect and a country, we¡¯d most likely collapse as soon as we come into contact with them. When that time comes, we¡¯ll most likely be the ones whose strength is exhausted. As such, we have to fight this battle, and we have to cripple the Moulans. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to get lucky.¡± Master Sunreach¡¯s expression also turned solemn.


    When the other cultivators heard this, they began to whisper amongst themselves before falling silent once more.


    The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator, Dong Mentu, suddenly asked, ¡°But what are the Moulan people up to? If they want to fight, so be it. Why do they have to engage in a betting battle? Furthermore, they dare to place such a heavy bet. Even a large sect wouldn¡¯t be able to produce so many precious materials. Didn¡¯t they say that the Moulan Plains was lacking in cultivation resources?¡±


    The other person seemed to know a lot about the Moulan people and explained, ¡°I know that the Moulan Plains is indeed lacking in resources, but it¡¯s only relative. There aren¡¯t many spirit stone mines and commonly used raw materials in comparison to the large number of spell warriors. However, there are many rare materials in the Moulan Plains, and some are richer than ours in the Heavenly South. It¡¯s not surprising that they¡¯re able to take out so many materials.¡±


    Dong Mentu slowly said with a pensive expression, ¡°I see. But are they so confident that they will win? Apart from late-Nascent Soul cultivators, everyone else will be able to participate. A bet of ten matches, and life and death ones at that. Could it be that they think we cultivators are made of clay?¡±


    Everyone present was a wily old fox, so they naturally knew that the Moulan people were definitely up to something when they proposed this battle. They couldn¡¯t help but think that something was amiss.


    Han Li was also puzzled.


    The letter of challenge clearly stated that this battle would be held in front of the formations of both sides, so it was impossible for them to use any underhanded methods. Furthermore, the cultivators participating in the battle would directly bring the precious materials they were betting with to the arena, and the victor would be able to directly take away the other party¡¯s storage pouch.


    The only strange thing was that the challenge letter clearly stated that these ten battles had to be held at the same time. Furthermore, even if the cultivator were to lose, he or she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape and could only die on the spot. For this reason, the battles were held within a sealed spatial barrier. This barrier was set up by both sides, and during the battles, the two parties would also send people to supervise the operation of the spell formations to prevent the other party from tampering with it.


    ¡°However, no matter what schemes the Moulan people have, this seems to be a good opportunity for us. If we can kill a few high-grade spell warriors before the battle, it will definitely be of great help to us.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m afraid the Moulan people have the same idea as you.¡±


    When one of them hesitantly said this, another immediately retorted with a sneer.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? If the Moulan people want to fight, should we fight? There¡¯s no need for that. Seven days from now, we¡¯ll still follow our own arrangements and won¡¯t have to accept any gamble. This way, no matter what tricks the other party has up their sleeves, we¡¯ll be able to crack them.¡± This was actually the Nihang Pavilion¡¯s old man Kuang who spoke with disdain.


    Master Sunreach sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Unfortunately, although Fellow Daoist Kuang¡¯s words are reasonable, we must participate in these battles. Furthermore, we must win.¡±


    Old Man Kuang frowned and unhappily said, ¡°What? What do you mean? We can¡¯t be led by the nose by the Moulans!¡±


    A few of the other old monsters nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 759

    Temptation


    Master Sunreach gloomily said, ¡°The three of us naturally know that something is amiss. However, when the Moulans attacked, they captured many cultivators. Most of them were fellow Daoists from the Nine Nations Union, but many of our sects¡¯ support disciples also fell. According to the envoy, there were over a thousand of them.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Could it be that if we don¡¯t accept the bet, they¡¯ll dare to kill the captives? If that¡¯s the case, aren¡¯t the Moulan people afraid that we¡¯ll use other methods to take revenge?¡± Old Man Kuang blurted out in shock.


    Master Sunreach quickly added, ¡°The envoy didn¡¯t say anything about killing the captives, but he did say that he would give us a chance to rescue these cultivators. In addition to these materials, there will be over a hundred captured cultivators in each of the ten battles. So long as we win, these people will be released.¡±


    All of the old eccentrics looked at one another in dismay.


    These thousand cultivators didn¡¯t seem to be many, and most of them were low-grade cultivators with low cultivation. It seemed they didn¡¯t need to be threatened. However, if anyone proposed not to save the captives, they would immediately become the target of public criticism.


    These cultivators weren¡¯t much, but they represented many clans and sects. Many of them were captured by the Moulans in order to delay the spell warriors¡¯ attacks. If they were rescued, the morale of the army would plummet even before the battle began. The low-grade cultivators felt their hearts turn cold, and many of them wouldn¡¯t fight to the death with all their might.


    Long Han sighed and agreed, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that these grassland barbarians would be able to play such a trick. In the previous invasions, they rarely used schemes, but this time, they are vicious enough. We have no choice but to jump in even though we knew it was inappropriate.¡±


    How could the others not understand Long Han¡¯s words? They also felt greatly helpless and inwardly cursed the Moulan people for their cunning.


    Master Sunreach swept his gaze past everyone in the hall and solemnly said, ¡°It seems everyone understands that we have no choice but to accept this bet. Regardless of the opponent¡¯s intentions, we must defeat the spell warriors in the battles. Otherwise, it will be a great blow to our morale. Furthermore, it seems the opponent¡¯s proposal isn¡¯t something that involves tricks in battle. They most likely have other plans. As such, there is no need for Fellow Daoists to worry about any hidden losses. If anything goes wrong, we will directly stop the battles. Of course, since those are battles to the death, whether or not you are willing to participate is entirely up to you. We won¡¯t force you.¡±


    ¡°Up to us?¡± When these words entered the ears of the eccentrics, they inwardly sneered. Soon after, their eyes flickered and they remained silent.


    No one was stupid! Not to mention that there was something fishy about this wagered battle, even if there wasn¡¯t, no one would be willing to fight to the death. After all, at their current cultivation realm, which one of them hadn¡¯t spent several hundred years of bitter cultivation to stand out? How could they easily take the risk?


    Han Li also had an indifferent expression and did not plan to step forward. Although he did not mind contributing to this battle, he had to do so in a situation where his life was not in danger. The last battle at the Yellow Dragon Mountain had almost taken his life, and he did not want to experience it again.


    When Devil Concord saw this, his expression sank and he coldly snorted. His snort was bone-chilling and shook the cultivators present to the point where their expressions slightly changed. However, everyone remained seated and didn¡¯t say anything.


    When Master Sunreach saw this, he shook his head with a helpless expression. Meanwhile, Wei Wuya narrowed his eyes and remained silent. It was unknown what he was thinking.


    In such an awkward situation, Master Sunreach didn¡¯t allow it to continue.


    ¡°Before we came here, we had a discussion. This battle is truly dangerous. Therefore, if the cultivator emerges victorious, the precious materials will belong to the victorious Fellow Daoist, making up for the risk. What do you think, Fellow Daoists? Furthermore, from what I know, there are a few Fellow Daoists that lack rare materials in their cultivation, which can¡¯t be found anywhere. The three of us have a collection that will satisfy these Fellow Daoists.¡±


    After Master Sunreach said this, he swept his gaze past a few people, including Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he started to have some doubts.


    The others were no ordinary cultivators, and they also wore bewildered expressions.


    Although the Daoist Priest had stated attractive conditions and most people were interested, no one stepped forward and proposed to participate in the gambling battle.


    However, right at this moment, Wei Wuya, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly raised his head to look at Daoist Shattered Soul. His lips moved a few times as he sent a voice transmission.


    Daoist Shattered Soul¡¯s expression changed from shock to delight.


    After listening to a few more sentences, Shattered Soul opened and closed his mouth in silent discussion with Wei Wuya.


    A short moment later, Daoist Shattered Soul wore a hesitant expression.


    At the same time, the black-robed man sent a voice transmission to Devil Concord.


    Ever since the old devil had arrived in the hall, he had maintained a nonchalant expression. However, when he heard his sect¡¯s Grand Elder¡¯s voice transmission, he immediately frowned and his expression darkened. It was unknown what the large man had said to him.


    After a moment of contemplation, Daoist Shattered Soul said, ¡°Good. So long as you keep your promise, I will take the risk.¡±


    The other eccentrics were stunned to hear this.


    But at that moment, Old Devil Cloud Dew spoke.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Shattered Soul is participating, why don¡¯t I make a trip as well? It would be a pity if I didn¡¯t take so many rare materials.¡± The old devil coldly smiled and a trace of anger appeared on his face.


    The other cultivators glanced at each other. Although they didn¡¯t say anything, they were inwardly shocked.


    Regardless of the reason for the two people¡¯s participation, it caused the others to feel uneasy.


    As expected, the three great cultivators began to converse with everybody through voice transmission. As a result, most of them agreed to joining the battle with mixed emotions. Only two of them shook their heads with cold expressions and refused.


    When Han Li saw this, all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind. But at this moment, Master Sunreach¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I heard that you¡¯ve been searching for a large amount of Auric Essence. Is that true?¡±


    Han Li vaguely expected this, but when he heard this, he could not help but feel his heart thump. The matter of him asking the Heavenly Dao Alliance to help him collect Auric Essence was not a secret, so it was not surprising that the other party knew about it.


    Han Li calmed himself down and calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I do need some Auric Essence to refine a magic treasure. Could it be that Fellow Daoist Sunreach has a large amount of this?¡±


    Master Sunreach chuckled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s guess is correct. Fellow Daoist Wei and I each possess a large chunk of Auric Essence. It should be enough for you. Would Fellow Daoist Han be interested in taking a look?¡±


    ¡°I have to see if the Auric Essence is satisfactory before I consider participating in the battle.¡± Han Li pondered for a moment and did not give a definite answer.


    Master Sunreach chuckled and readily agreed.


    Thus, in a short period of time, five people agreed to this matter one after another. A few others, like Han Li, had to think about it before giving an accurate answer. However, this was already very satisfactory to Sunreach and the others.


    They immediately stopped transmitting their voices to the others and began to make arrangements for how to deal with the spell warrior army.


    Sitting in the hall, Han Li listened to the old monsters discuss the spell warrior army and how to use formation flags and other tools to deal with the spell warriors¡¯ extremely troublesome Spirit Technique Formations. However, Han Li¡¯s mind was already far away, thinking about the Auric Essence.


    To be honest, Han Li was not very satisfied with the power of his own magic treasure, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword.


    This wasn¡¯t to say that his flying swords were weaker than other cultivators¡¯ magic treasures. Rather, it was because the enemies he encountered were either extremely weak or extremely powerful. If they were extremely weak, he wouldn¡¯t even need to use his flying swords. He would be able to kill his opponents with his Green Essence Sword Qi. As for extremely powerful enemies, their cultivation was generally higher than his, so flying swords were truly of little value.


    However, when he saw the last divine power of the Azure Essence Sword Art, namely the Aureate Sword Formation, written on the page, Han Li understood how terrifying the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword was when combined with the Azure Essence Sword Art. Even if he could only use a small portion of the power of this sword formation, it was enough to compete with a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    As for the Heavenvoid Cauldron, although Silvermoon boasted about it, Han Li was still doubtful about its actual power until he saw it with his own eyes.


    As such, the Aureate Sword Formation was definitely a great ability that would allow him to establish himself in the cultivation world.


    As such, he had to acquire a large quantity of Auric Essence. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to refine the sword formation.


    However, Han Li could not make up his mind whether or not he would have to participate in the battle. After thinking for a while, he decided to look at the quantity of Auric Essence provided by the other party. If they could provide enough Auric Essence, he would have a high chance of refining the Aureate Sword Formation, so it was not impossible to participate in the battle.


    As long as his opponents weren¡¯t those Moulan Divine Sages, he naturally wouldn¡¯t fear anyone. Even if the Moulan people did something in the gambling match, with the power of the Thunderstorm Wings and the Purple Apex Flames, a mere barrier wouldn¡¯t be able to trap him.


    Han Li made up his mind and calmed down. He began to listen to the discussions of the cultivators.


    The gathering lasted for nearly two hours, and Master Sunreach was clearly the leader of the three cultivators. Devil Concord would occasionally comment, while Wei Wuya remained silent.


    However, during the discussion, both Master Sunreach and Devil Concord clearly held Long Han in high regard. Whenever they encountered matters related to the Heavenly Dao Alliance, they would ask for his opinion. It appeared that the rumor of Long Han and his wife being able to contend against one of the three great cultivators was true.


    In the end, most of the matters were discussed and the cultivators who didn¡¯t participate in the battles were given specific responsibilities.


    Then, Master Sunreach said, ¡°Fellow Daoists, go back and get prepared.¡± Everyone bade farewell and left. However, three cultivators stayed behind, including Han Li.


    As for the other two, one of them was Old Devil Cloud Dew, while the other was a beautiful woman with a bloodless face. Just like Han Li, this woman did not say a word during the discussion just now.

 Chapter 760

    Snow Silkworm and Auric Essence


    ¡°Junior Brother! Follow me. I have something to discuss with you in private!¡± The large black-robed man waited for everyone to leave before expressionlessly saying this to Old Devil Cloud Dew. He then walked towards the side hall without looking back.


    Old Devil Cloud Dew¡¯s eyes flickered. After a moment of hesitation, he silently followed after the black-robed man as if he held great respect for him.


    After the black-robed man and Old Devil Cloud Dew left, Master Sunreach solemnly said to the two of them, ¡°Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, we can have a proper discussion. You two plan to take a look at what you want before deciding whether or not to participate in the battle. This humble Daoist can understand this. After all, this trip will be extremely dangerous. If you don¡¯t receive a sufficient reward, no one will easily take the risk. However, regardless of whether or not the item is satisfactory to you two, this humble Daoist still hopes that you two will participate in this battle.¡±


    Meanwhile, Wei Wuya stood at the side with his hands behind his back as he appraised the two of them with a calm expression.


    Hearing Master Sunreach¡¯s words, before Han Li could reply, the beautiful woman had already frowned and coldly replied, ¡°I am a weak woman who is alone. Regardless of whether Moulan invades the Heavenly South Region or the Heavenly South Region invades Moulan, if you hadn¡¯t sent me a message saying that you had that thing in your hands, I wouldn¡¯t have come out of seclusion. Let me make things clear. If the item in your hand doesn¡¯t satisfy me, I will turn around and leave.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t hold back in the slightest in front of Master Sunreach.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, there is no need for that! Although I was in the wrong back then, it was for your own good.¡± Master Sunreach didn¡¯t become angry and instead spoke with a gentle tone.


    The woman¡¯s expression sank and she coldly harrumphed, ¡°I will make my own judgment. Let¡¯s not talk about the past. Take it out.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, his expression remained normal, but he was surprised in his heart.


    It seemed that this woman surnamed Bai had some sort of entanglement with Master Sunreach. It was unknown what sort of past relationship they had.


    When Master Sunreach saw the woman¡¯s unfriendly expression, he could only helplessly shake his head. He reached into his storage pouch and took out a white jade box.


    The jade box looked ordinary on the surface, as if it were no different from ordinary white jade. However, the moment the box appeared, the temperature in the entire hall dropped drastically, as if it were a cold winter. Even Han Li, who had long been unable to withstand the cold or heat, felt very uncomfortable and could not help but take a few more glances at the jade box.


    When the white-haired woman sensed the ice-cold Qi emanating from the box, an excited expression appeared on her face.


    Master Sunreach wordlessly delivered the jade box to the woman.


    After receiving the jade box, the woman gently opened the lid and took a look. With Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, even without looking, he could clearly sense what was inside the box.


    It was a pair of translucent silkworm cocoons that emitted wisps of white Qi.


    Han Li frowned. This cocoon had such a strange appearance. It seemed to be the cocoon of the Ice Snow Silkworm, which was ranked at the bottom of the list of strange insects.


    Although this wondrous insect wasn¡¯t very powerful against enemies, it had other inconceivable abilities and was extremely difficult to find. If this woman had any problems that needed to be resolved by this silkworm, it was understandable that she would agree to Master Sunreach¡¯s participation in the gambling match.


    ¡°Why is it a cocoon? It should be an adult snow silkworm.¡± To Han Li¡¯s surprise, the woman¡¯s expression turned unsightly when she saw the cocoon.


    Master Sunreach¡¯s expression remained unchanged and he calmly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, this pair of snow silkworms were discovered in the ice 300 meters below the ice cave. They aren¡¯t ordinary snow silkworms, but top-grade Azure King Silkworms. If you use your spiritual sense to carefully examine them, you¡¯ll be able to discover something special.¡±


    ¡°Azure King Silkworms?¡± The woman¡¯s expression stirred and she doubtfully probed the depths of the cocoon with her spiritual sense. After a long while, her expression relaxed.


    Master Sunreach looked at the woman and asked, ¡°How is it? Although this pair of Azure King Silkworms are still cocoons, once they hatch, even their larvae should be enough for you.¡±


    The woman hesitated for a moment before putting away the jade box. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. I will participate in the battle.¡±


    Master Sunreach heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Alright. With Fellow Daoist Bai¡¯s Snowcloud Arts, you¡¯ll definitely be able to defeat a mere spell warrior.¡±


    When the woman surnamed Bai heard this, her expression remained unchanged and she indifferently said, ¡°Farewell.¡± She then walked out of the hall with an indifferent expression.


    Master Sunreach bitterly smiled and shook his head.


    When Wei Wuya saw this, he chuckled coldly but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, how much Auric Essence do you need? Do you have an accurate quantity?¡± After the woman left the hall, Master Sunreach turned his attention to Han Li and asked with a smile.


    ¡°I need a lot. The more, the better. Of course, this Auric Essence is very valuable. As long as you can provide it, I¡¯m willing to exchange it for something of equal value. I won¡¯t let you suffer a loss.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t intend to hide anything and went straight to the point.


    Master Sunreach chuckled and said, ¡°Hehe! From Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s tone, it seems you have something valuable with you too. However, do you know that at our cultivation, there are very few things that can tempt Brother Wei and me? Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have taken out so many worldly possessions for this battle.¡±


    Han Li smiled and did not say anything. However, Wei Wuya sighed and suddenly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Sunreach, you¡¯re being arrogant. Fellow Daoist Han was able to escape from a Moulan Divine Sage with his early-Nascent Soul cultivation. How can he compare to ordinary cultivators?¡±


    Master Sunreach indifferently said, ¡°Hehe, I was too abrupt. Regardless of what Fellow Daoist Han intends to exchange with us, let¡¯s first let you take a look at the Auric Essence. If Fellow Daoist truly has something that tempts us, we have no objections to exchanging all of the Auric Essence.¡±


    Soon after, he took off the storage pouch from his waist and shook it upside down, releasing a burst of white light.


    Three golden stones of different sizes shot out from the light. The Daoist priest grabbed them and immediately handed them to Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he took it without hesitation. He examined the dream items in his hand.


    One large and two small; these three pieces were indeed Auric Essence.


    The large one was about the size of a walnut, and the smaller two pieces were only half the size of the large one. They should be enough to mix in a dozen flying swords. However, it was still a little inferior to the quantity Han Li had in mind. Han Li¡¯s face remained calm, but his eyes revealed a trace of disappointment.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s expression, Master Sunreach was somewhat surprised. Could it be that so much Auric Essence was not enough for the person in front of him? This was rather strange.


    With that thought, he turned to Wei Wuya.


    Wei Wuya naturally saw Han Li¡¯s expression, and when he caught Master Sunreach¡¯s gaze, he immediately shook his sleeve with an unchanged expression. A fist-sized piece of Auric Essence appeared in his hand, and he gently held it up.


    When Han Li saw the large piece of Auric Essence in Wei Wuya¡¯s hand, he was overjoyed.


    Although this piece of Auric Essence wasn¡¯t enough for the seventy-two flying swords, there was a good chance that he would be able to refine thirty-six flying swords with just a little bit more of it. With the Swordlight Reflection Technique, he would be able to set up a small-scale Aureate Sword Formation.


    Excited, Han Li took the Auric Essence from Wei Wuya and took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking again.


    ¡°It seems this is all of the Auric Essence. Although it is still lacking, it is enough for me to participate in the battle. Fellow Daoists, please take a look at the items I offer and see if you are satisfied.¡±


    Han Li put away the Auric Essence and took out two jade boxes of different colors from his storage pouch before tossing them to Wei Wuya and Master Sunreach.


    Master Sunreach took the jade box and casually opened it. Wei Wuya weighed the box in his hand before calmly opening it.


    One of the boxes contained many bright red fingernails and scales, while the other contained a fist-sized black tortoise shell.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Demonic beast materials!¡±


    The two of them were somewhat surprised.


    Seeing this, Han Li explained, ¡°That¡¯s right. Fellow Daoist Wei holds the scales of a grade eight demon beast, the Venomous Flood Dragon, while Fellow Daoist Wei holds the shell of a grade eight tortoise demon. Although I don¡¯t dare to say that these two items are heaven-defying, I fear that it will be very difficult to find these materials in the Heavenly South. They should be more than enough to exchange for these Auric Essences.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s voice was calm and confident.


    Even in the Scattered Star Seas, grade eight demon beasts were extremely special existences. Even cultivators that frequently went to the Outer Star Seas rarely saw grade eight demon beasts, let alone kill them for materials.


    In the Heavenly South Region, let alone grade eight demon beasts, even grade six and seven demon beasts were on the verge of extinction. Apart from a few large sects that were feeding these demon beasts as guards, there was no news of high-grade demon beasts anywhere.


    ¡°The scales of a grade-eight Venomous Flood Dragon!¡± Master Sunreach¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but when Wei Wuya heard the origins of the scales in the box, he couldn¡¯t help but cry out in surprise.


    Han Li was stunned, but he immediately recalled that Wei Wuya seemed to be cultivating poison techniques. This Venomous Flood Dragon was extremely poisonous to begin with. Could it be that its scales had some other wondrous effect on him?


    Just as Han Li was hesitating, Wei Wuya impatiently stretched out two fingers and picked up a blood scale. He carefully observed it, his face filled with concern.


    ¡°Hehe! It seems Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s gift is to Brother Wei¡¯s liking. I am also quite interested in this tortoise demon¡¯s shell. If it is truly a grade eight demon beast¡¯s item, then it is naturally no small matter. It is the best material for refining armor, shields, and other magic treasures. It is enough to exchange for this Auric Essence.¡± Master Sunreach was also slightly stunned by Wei Wuya¡¯s loss of composure, but the strange expression flashed past his eyes. Instead, he smiled at Han Li and held the black tortoise shell in his hand, calmly appraising it.


    Although he felt that Han Li was not lying, the Daoist priest still found it hard to believe that an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would take out a grade-eight demon beast material. He could not help but be skeptical. Naturally, he had to first verify the authenticity of the tortoise shell.

 Chapter 761

    Profound Heaven Immortal Vine


    Just as Han Li was pondering, Wei Wuya let out a long sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it is indeed the scales of a metamorphosed flood dragon. This is just right for me. It seems that my magic treasure has a chance of becoming even more powerful.¡±


    With that said, Wei Wuya happily placed the blood-red scale back into the box. With a flash of light, the jade box disappeared.


    Then, he raised his head and sized up Han Li again before saying with a serious expression, ¡°To tell the truth, I am truly surprised that Fellow Daoist Han was able to take out such a precious item. The scales of the Venomous Flood Dragon are extremely important to me. Although this exchange is mutually beneficial, Fellow Daoist Han is going to represent our Heavenly South Region in the battle. I cannot allow Fellow Daoist Han to suffer a loss. How about this? I still have a final piece of Auric Essence that I originally planned to keep for future descendants. Since Fellow Daoist truly needs it, I will give it to you. In that case, I won¡¯t be taking advantage of you.¡±


    Wei Wuya flipped his palm, and another egg-sized Auric Essence appeared in his hand. He then tossed it to Han Li.


    ¡°As expected, there is Auric Essence!¡± Han Li¡¯s lips curled up slightly as he happily accepted the item.


    With the addition of this piece of Auric Essence, he would be able to refine thirty-six flying swords at the same time. This had largely fulfilled his previous intention of taking out such a rare material.


    Otherwise, grade eight demon beast materials would be even more valuable than these Auric Essences. It would be unreasonable for him to participate in the battle without getting a few more items.


    If Wei Wuya and the other still had Auric Essence, they would most likely be forced to offer it again.


    Of course, this intention did not need to be explicitly stated. They naturally understood the meaning of Han Li¡¯s generosity.


    After all, they were all Nascent Soul cultivators, and no one would think that the other party was easy to fool. Otherwise, Han Li would have accepted the Auric Essence from before and immediately left, treating it as an ordinary transaction and not mentioning the gambling battle at all. The two old monsters could only stare at him and have nothing to complain about.


    At that moment, Master Sunreach had also finished appraising the item in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face. It appeared that he was quite satisfied with the tortoise shell in his hand.


    However, when he saw Wei Wuya take out another piece of Auric Essence, a trace of hesitation appeared on his face. After a moment of contemplation, he reached into his sleeve and took out a yellow object that was around five to six inches in length and as thick as a thumb. It seemed to be part of a plant¡¯s root.


    Master Sunreach solemnly said, ¡°I see that Fellow Daoist¡¯s body is brimming with wood-attribute spiritual Qi. You must be cultivating a wood-attribute cultivation art. I don¡¯t have anything suitable for Fellow Daoist. I only have a small section of the Ancient Immortal Vine¡¯s roots. Regardless of whether you refine it into a wood-attribute magic treasure or bring it with you to nourish your wood-attribute spiritual Qi, it will be very useful. It will be enough to make up for your grade eight tortoise shell.¡±


    ¡°Huh, this is¡­¡± Wei Wuya was quite surprised to see the item in Master Sunreach¡¯s hand.


    Han Li was a little disappointed at first, but when he saw Wei Wuya¡¯s expression change, he suddenly thought of something.


    Ancient Immortal Vine? Could it be the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine that the Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators had stolen the Wine Liquid to save?


    Han Li looked at the item in the other party¡¯s hand with a shocked expression.


    Master Sunreach wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Wei Wuya had recognized this item.


    ¡°With Brother Han¡¯s status, you should know of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine¡¯s appearance not long ago. Unfortunately, we were unable to revive it despite using various methods. In the end, we could only divide it with the Devil Dao and use it as a refinement material. This item is a quarter of the root of the Immortal Vine. I cultivate a fire attribute art. This material is quite rare, but there is no use in keeping it. I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± With that said, Master Sunreach handed it over.


    ¡°Profound Heaven Immortal Vine!¡± Han Li took the pale yellow item and muttered to himself, feeling very surprised.


    Han Li had read many ancient records and naturally knew what the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine was. He also understood why the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators had schemed to resurrect this Immortal Vine.


    The so-called Immortal Vine was only a general term. Any vine-type spiritual roots that were of great use could be called Immortal Vines in this world.


    However, the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine was different.


    Only a few ancient vine-type spiritual roots had the qualifications to add prefix ¡°Profound Heaven¡± in front of the Immortal Vine. These Immortal Vines were all ancient spiritual roots that had appeared during the creation of the world and the birth of chaos. Regardless of whether it was a spiritual flower or a spiritual fruit, they possessed an inconceivable ability that ignored the laws of this world. They were truly heaven-defying existences.


    However, the Profound Heaven Immortal Vines had been lost for many years, and no one was able to identify them or tell their powers.


    As for the Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators, they only knew that the seemingly ordinary withered vine was the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine from the words left behind by the ancient cultivator.


    In the beginning, both sides viewed it as a precious treasure, and even the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators fought over it several times.


    After the higher-ups of the Righteous and Devil Dao appeared, they decided to first see if they could revive the Immortal Vine. After all, even if the Immortal Vine were to be revived, who knew how long it would take for it to bloom and bear fruit? It wouldn¡¯t be strange for the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine to bloom once every 100,000 years.


    As a result, they thought of all sorts of methods. First, they tried to activate it through miraculous and secret techniques. Then, they watered it with spirit water and spirit liquid. They even targeted the three sects, including the Drifting Cloud Sect, for their Sacred Tree Wine Liquid. However, all of their efforts were in vain. The Immortal Vine showed no signs of reviving.


    The Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators had no choice but to give up. After a brief discussion, they split the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine, along with its roots and branches, into a dozen or so sections. The two sides then split the items evenly, so their efforts had not been in vain.


    As the Grand Elder of the Righteous Dao Alliance, Master Sunreach naturally had cultivators that were trying to curry favor with him.


    Wei Wuya recognized this item because he also possessed a portion of the Immortal Vine, but it was only a small portion of the Immortal Vine¡¯s branch. It was unknown how that cultivator from the Nine Nations Union had managed to obtain it from the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators, but it had also fallen into Wei Wuya¡¯s hands.


    The Profound Heaven Immortal Vine could not be revived and was broken into a dozen pieces. At most, it could only be used as a top-grade material. Naturally, its value had greatly decreased in Master Sunreach¡¯s heart. Although this item was frighteningly famous, he did not take it to heart. Furthermore, this wood-attribute material was of little value to him because of his cultivation technique, so he did not think too much about exchanging it with Han Li.


    At this moment, Wei Wuya also understood what Master Sunreach was thinking, and his surprised expression quickly disappeared.


    Although he knew the origin of the material in his hand, Han Li was not pleasantly surprised. Instead, he was slightly disappointed.


    He didn¡¯t lack any top grade materials; he only wished to obtain more Auric Essence. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have taken out the scales and shell of a grade eight demon beast.


    His intrinsic magic treasure, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, hadn¡¯t been nurtured and refined yet. How could he have the extra spiritual power to refine a new magic treasure? It would be better to get two more ancient treasures.


    It appeared that Master Sunreach truly didn¡¯t have any Auric Essence in his possession. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have taken out such a precious root.


    Hence, Han Li did not say anything else. He took out a jade box and placed the root of the Immortal Vine into it.


    He had decided that when he returned, he would use the small bottle of green liquid to catalyze this item. Han Li had always felt that the green liquid produced by the mysterious small bottle was unfathomable. It could even mature the three great divine trees. Perhaps a miracle would happen and save this root.


    Although his chances of success weren¡¯t high, if that was the case, then he would naturally benefit greatly.


    With this thought, the disappointment in Han Li¡¯s heart disappeared.


    Without waiting for the other two to say anything else, Han Li coughed lightly and took the initiative to say,


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve obtained the Auric Essence, I¡¯ll naturally participate in the battle in seven days. It¡¯s getting late, so I¡¯ll go back first. After all, I still have to make some preparations before the battle.¡± Han Li had no intention of chatting further and immediately bade farewell.


    Master Sunreach smiled and politely said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Fellow Daoist Han would be so impatient. The battle is no small matter, so you naturally have to make preparations. We won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡±


    Han Li immediately nodded, cupped his fists, and walked out of the hall.


    However, just as he was about to reach the entrance, Wei Wuya, who was standing on the spot and watching Han Li leave, suddenly moved his lips with a strange expression.


    An inaudible sound transmission entered Han Li¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, for the sake of the flood dragon scales, I won¡¯t pursue the matter of you taking Fellow Daoist Nangong away. Furthermore, love cannot be forced. Let¡¯s forget about the matter between Celestial Nangong and my nephew!¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li was shocked and his body could not help but pause. But after hearing this, he was overjoyed.


    However, he didn¡¯t turn his head and only walked out of the hall with light footsteps.


    ¡­


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s back disappear from the hall, Wei Wuya and Master Sunreach fell silent.


    A short moment later, Master Sunreach slowly said,


    ¡°What do you think? This Fellow Daoist Han actually possesses grade eight demon beast materials. This is truly inconceivable. Could it be as we¡¯ve investigated, during the time he was gone through the ancient transportation formation, he acquired the complete legacy of an ancient cultivator? Otherwise, how could he have advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage in such a short amount of time and acquired so many treasures?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the case! However, this has nothing to do with us. He¡¯s not the only one who obtained ancient cultivation arts and treasures. It¡¯s hard to say what opportunities there are. What¡¯s there to be envious of? Could it be that you want to kill him and seize his treasures?¡± Wei Wuya sneered.


    Master Sunreach chuckled, shook his head, and said, ¡°Killing him for treasures? Brother Wei sure knows how to joke! Let alone the fact that a great battle is imminent, it¡¯s impossible for me to do such a thing. Even during normal times, with his ability to escape from a Moulan Divine Sage, this humble Daoist wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. Furthermore, no matter how rare this person¡¯s treasures are, could they allow me to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage? Why would I want to provoke such a troublesome person? Furthermore, he¡¯s from the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the Long Han couple aren¡¯t people to be trifled with.¡±

 Chapter 762

    Spirit Talisman and Flood Dragon Soul


    When Wei Wuya suddenly talked about Han Li in the hall, Han Li had already arrived at the main entrance of the hall.


    To his surprise, he saw Dong Xuan¡¯er outside the hall.


    At some point in time, the woman had emerged from the side hall and was standing there with her head lowered as if she were deep in thought.


    Because the cultivators guarding the door knew that this woman had come with Old Devil Cloud Dew, they naturally turned a blind eye and allowed her to stand outside the hall.


    When Han Li came out, Dong Xuan¡¯er seemed to have sensed something and looked up.


    However, when she saw that it was Han Li, her face revealed a strange expression, as if she did not know what to do, but she also seemed to be slightly jealous.


    This made Han Li a little confused.


    Han Li was a little surprised, but he had nothing to say to this woman. He immediately walked past her as if he did not see her and slowly moved towards the street in the distance.


    Dong Xuan¡¯er stood rooted to the ground and bit her red lips. She stared at Han Li¡¯s back and did not say a word.


    After making a turn, Han Li felt the gaze behind him disappear. He unconsciously frowned and shook his head.


    ¡°Master, do you know that female cultivator?¡± Silvermoon¡¯s puzzled voice sounded in his mind.


    ¡°An old acquaintance from back then, but our relationship isn¡¯t very good,¡± Han Li replied casually.


    ¡°Is that so? But judging from this woman¡¯s expression, she seems to have a special relationship with Master. Could it be that Master¡­¡± Silvermoon said with a smile, but she deliberately didn¡¯t finish her sentence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make wild guesses. I don¡¯t have a good impression of this woman. In fact, we were once enemies.¡± Han Li seemed to be a little unhappy and snorted.


    Silvermoon smiled and made a face at Han Li. Then, she tactfully stopped talking.


    Ever since Han Li saved Silvermoon and did not punish her for losing the Purple Cloudlace and the Ancient Flower Basket, Silvermoon had become much closer to Han Li.


    Although she did not dare to be too presumptuous, she had clearly opened up a portion of her heart to Han Li.


    Han Li naturally sensed this and also trusted her a lot. Their relationship was much better than before.


    ¡­


    After returning to the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s encampment, Han Li naturally told Lu Luo about the discussion in the hall.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for Junior Brother to take the risk to participate in the battle. Those Auric Essences are indeed rare, but they are worldly possessions after all. What if something happens to Junior Brother?!¡± When Lu Luo heard that Han Li wanted to participate in the battle, he immediately revealed a worried expression.


    Han Li smiled and said in a relaxed manner,


    ¡°Senior Brother Lu, please be at ease. Since I am willing to participate in the battle, I am 80% to 90% confident that I will be able to escape unscathed. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed so readily. On the other hand, the sect¡¯s other disciples will be in danger in seven days. They will have to rely on Senior Brother Lu to take care of them.¡±


    ¡°I will take care of the disciples of the sect in a few days. Junior Brother, you don¡¯t have to worry. Since you have such confidence in the battle, I won¡¯t say anything else. However, before the battle, if you have any needs, just instruct the disciples of the sect to do it.¡± Lu Luo¡¯s expression became slightly more at ease after hearing Han Li¡¯s words.


    Han Li smiled, but after some thought, he slowly said, ¡°For the sake of this great battle, I truly have to make some preparations. There are a few special materials that I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll need Martial Nephews to help me gather.¡±


    Han Li did not stand on ceremony. He immediately took out a jade slip that he had already prepared and handed it to Lu Luo.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as we can find the materials in Tianyi City, I will definitely help you gather them,¡± Lu Luo said without hesitation after receiving the jade slip.


    Han Li¡¯s heart warmed slightly. He nodded and said a few more words before taking his leave.


    The jade slip he gave Lu Luo contained the auxiliary materials for refining the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    On the way back to the encampment, he had already thought about it.


    Although he felt that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to participate in the battles with his current abilities, he had always been cautious and felt that he should make more preparations.


    Thus, he immediately thought of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    This was the only powerful killing move that could be prepared in a few days. As for refining flying swords and cultivating the Aureate Sword Formation, it wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a few days.


    The only thing that worried Han Li was the success rate of refining the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    Originally, he wanted to find a satisfactory Spirit Subjugation Talisman Brush and practice his talisman refinement techniques for a while before refining the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    But now, it seemed that there was no time.


    Even if the success rate was slightly low, he still had to give it a try. If he succeeded in refining it, he would naturally have another killing move. If he failed, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    In any case, it was only a matter of a few days. Even if he made other preparations, he wouldn¡¯t be able to increase his strength.


    With this thought in mind, Han Li calmly arrived at his pavilion.


    After entering the bedroom, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.


    ¡­


    Needless to say, the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples were not slow. In just two days, they had prepared all the materials Han Li needed and handed them over to him.


    When Han Li saw this, he was elated.


    It seemed that being an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect was not a bad idea.


    With these materials, Han Li entered the secret room again and sat cross-legged in the middle of the secret room, arranging the supplementary materials in front of him.


    In the end, he took out a small dark green bottle from his storage pouch and carefully opened it.


    ¡°Puchi!¡±


    A ball of blood-red light shot out from the bottle.


    However, Han Li, who was already prepared, raised his hand with a calm expression. He opened his five fingers and grabbed at the air. A huge azure hand flashed and grabbed the blood-red ball of light.


    Soon after, azure light began to circulate incessantly, and with a shake of his five fingers, the ball of blood-red light revealed its true form.


    It was a small crimson flood dragon that was several inches in size, and it was continuously rotating in his palm as if it were about to fly away at any moment.


    However, the azure light around it, though almost non-existent, firmly trapped the flood dragon soul in its hand like a bird in a cage.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and blue light flashed in the depths of his pupils. He immediately saw the soul of the poisonous flood dragon clearly.


    The small crimson flood dragon was alive and kicking, and it appeared to be exactly the same as when he had first placed it into the bottle several years ago.


    However, under the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, Han Li clearly discovered something abnormal.


    Although the flood dragon¡¯s soul power was still astonishingly powerful, the flood dragon¡¯s divine light wasn¡¯t concentrated. It appeared to be in a daze. This was clearly a sign that its spiritual sense had disappeared.


    The flood dragon¡¯s soul possessed immense power, but its consciousness had already degenerated to the state it was in before it was awakened. Its previous actions of fleeing were only an instinct from when it was alive.


    Han Li sighed.


    When he thought about the grade eight flood dragon that had transformed, he remembered how powerful it was. However, its soul had only fallen into his hands for a few years before it gradually lost its spirit and turned into a wild animal.


    The contrast was so great that it made Han Li feel a little emotional! It made Han Li secretly wary of the bumps and difficulties of the cultivation path.


    If his body were to be destroyed one day and his primordial spirit were to fall into the enemy¡¯s hands, his fate would definitely not be any better than that of the flood dragon.


    Han Li sat on the spot and thought for a while. He sighed and shook his hand.


    A ball of azure light wrapped around the blood-red flood dragon and shot out from his hand. It directly shot three meters above his head and floated in the air.


    Ignoring the soul of the venomous flood dragon, Han Li lowered his head and glanced at the materials in front of him. He suddenly reached out and pointed at an unknown spirit beast skin.


    Immediately, this emerald green rare spirit skin slowly floated up and flew to Han Li¡¯s chest.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed. He opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of green Nascent Flame, directly hitting the spirit skin. The spirit skin was wrapped in it, but strangely, it did not burn.


    Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hands and his ten fingers continuously flicked, striking the spirit skin one after another.


    The Nascent Flame flickered intermittently and began to flicker.


    At this moment, Han Li stopped casting spells. He stretched out a white finger and pointed at a white jade box in front of him.


    With a swoosh, the lid of the box flew to the side, revealing a box of sparkling silver powder.


    He curled his finger toward the jade box, and a small portion of the silver powder immediately flew into the azure Nascent Flame as a streak of silver light.


    In an instant, silver sparks appeared in the flames. Under Han Li¡¯s guidance, they drew closer to the spirit skin in the middle of the flames. The entire spirit skin instantly turned into a large silver lotus that slowly rotated in the flames.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became more and more solemn as he pointed at the bottles in front of him. All kinds of materials entered the Nascent Fire in a dazzling manner.


    The flames that enveloped the spirit skin turned from silver to black, then from black to green. When it turned into a blood-red color, Han Li let out a light breath and finally stopped throwing materials into the flames. Instead, he chanted an incantation in a low voice.


    At the same time, his fingers trembled and several thin azure threads shot out from his fingertips, directly striking the spirit skin.


    The spirit skin immediately stopped rotating, and under the guidance of the azure threads, it began to fluctuate in a strange manner.


    As he chanted, Han Li continued to act expressionlessly. Gradually, traces of black Qi emerged from the flames on the surface of the spirit skin.


    As soon as the black Qi came into contact with the crimson Nascent Flames outside, it instantly disappeared, leaving behind a faint stench.


    As for the entire spirit skin, it had shrunk slightly.


    Han Li turned a blind eye to this. This action lasted for more than two hours. When the last trace of black Qi on the spirit skin was refined, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    After adding a few more materials into the flames and refining them for a short while, Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times and he suddenly blew at the flames.


    With a puff, the flames immediately extinguished, revealing the blood-red spirit skin inside. At this moment, it was only the size of a palm.


    A satisfied expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face when he saw the spirit skin in this state.


    He raised his head and glanced at the flood dragon soul above his head before pointing at it without any hesitation.


    The azure light surrounding the flood dragon soul paused for a moment before turning into specks of spiritual light and disappearing without a trace. As for the flood dragon soul, it seemed to be attracted by something and directly shot towards the blood-red spirit skin.


    With a sizzling sound, it disappeared into the surface of the spirit skin.

 Chapter 763

    The Great Battle Is Coming


    Seeing that the flood dragon soul had entered the spirit skin, Han Li flipped his palm without a second thought and a blue talisman brush appeared in his hand. It was six to seven inches long, small and exquisite.


    With his other hand, he waved at a green jade box that had its lid open, and a ball of golden liquid flew out from the box.


    Han Li quickly dipped the talisman brush into the golden liquid. Then, his expression froze as he aimed at the floating spirit skin. The talisman brush began to draw in the air with great familiarity.


    One after another, incomprehensible golden talisman characters surged out from the tip of the brush and shot forward in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the blood-red spirit skin.


    Soon after, runes of different sizes appeared on the surface of the spirit skin. They were shimmering with golden light as if they had been engraved neatly.


    In the instant that these talisman characters appeared, the spirit skin violently trembled and a dragon¡¯s roar suddenly rang out. Soon after, the surface of the spirit skin bulged and the blood-red flood dragon¡¯s soul suddenly rushed out from within, attempting to escape.


    However, in that instant, the golden talisman characters on the spirit skin glowed brightly and warped as if they were alive. They tightly wrapped around the flood dragon soul and pulled it back with great force.


    Although it had lost its intelligence, the flood dragon soul was the soul of a heavenly spirit beast, so it naturally felt danger. It continuously struggled against the golden talisman characters in an attempt to escape.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s talisman brush created runes even faster. Golden runes of all sizes directly enveloped the flood dragon soul. After a moment, it was completely trapped and then pulled back into the spirit skin bit by bit.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li stopped what he was doing and immediately changed to a purple liquid. He dipped the talisman brush into the liquid and drew strange runes that looked like spiritual marks. Then, he calmly threw them out.


    As such, every once in a while, Han Li would change to a new spiritual liquid. All kinds of symbols and runes would appear on the spirit skin.


    Not long after, the palm-sized Spirit Skin Talisman paper began to shine with a dense sheen of various colors, appearing to be filled with spiritual Qi.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became more and more solemn, and the things he wrote became slower and slower. Blue light flashed in his eyes as he activated the Brightsight Spirit Eyes to its limit.


    Just as the red talisman characters were finished and flew into the spirit skin, a burst of abnormal spiritual Qi fluctuations suddenly erupted from the half-completed spirit talisman, becoming increasingly violent.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he secretly complained incessantly in his heart. However, he immediately waved his sleeve on the ground without thinking, and a green mist flew out, instantly storing all the materials. At the same time, his other hand swiped the air in front of him, and a small blue shield flew out from his sleeve, instantly expanding to block in front of him.


    Just as Han Li finished doing all this, the colorful spirit skin exploded with a deafening dragon roar.


    The five-colored ball of light was dazzling, and astonishing spiritual Qi surged in all directions, striking the blue shield like a massive wave.


    The huge shield swayed slightly and blocked it without moving. Han Li was stunned when he saw this and was a little surprised.


    According to the immense power of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, the explosion of the talisman should have been quite destructive. However, he was able to block it so easily, which was quite different from what he had expected.


    Just as Han Li was feeling bewildered, a streak of blood light shot out from the ball of light. In a flash, it arrived above the secret chamber and was about to escape.


    However, as soon as the crimson light touched the roof, a white barrier of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, repelling the crimson light and revealing it.


    It was none other than the small crimson flood dragon¡¯s soul.


    Han Li was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed.


    Without any hesitation, he raised a hand and made a grabbing motion in the air. A huge azure hand suddenly appeared above the flood dragon soul¡¯s head and grabbed it before shooting it downward.


    At this moment, Han Li extended a finger and casually pointed at the shield in front of him. After the blue light rippled, the shield quickly shrank, circled around, and shot into his sleeve.


    Then, Han Li stared at the flood dragon soul that had just been captured and he used the Brightsight Spirit Eyes again.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Han Li¡¯s face revealed a surprised expression as he exclaimed in surprise.


    Although it was still the original soul, the soul power within its body was clearly much weaker than before. The small crimson flood dragon also appeared to be dispirited.


    Looking at the flood dragon soul, Han Li stroked his chin and pondered.


    It appeared that if the refinement of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman failed, the demon soul wouldn¡¯t immediately collapse, but would only lose a bit of soul power. If that was the case, although the Spirit Subjugation Talisman would be difficult to refine, it could be refined several times before the soul power was exhausted. There was a high chance that the refinement would succeed.


    Of course, if he refined it too many times, the soul power would greatly decrease, and the power of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman would definitely be greatly reduced.


    After understanding the reason, Han Li let out a sigh of relief and his expression relaxed slightly.


    Even if he had to lose some of its soul power, it would still be better than having the flood dragon¡¯s soul dissipate.


    This could be considered a great fortune amidst misfortune!


    Han Li smiled bitterly and took out the supplementary materials one by one, arranging them again. Of course, he fetched another piece of spirit beast skin.


    A new round of refinement began.


    ¡­


    Just as Han Li was painstakingly refining the Spirit Subjugation Talisman in the secret room, the entire Tianyi City was mobilized in just two to three days.


    All the cultivators and sects knew that a life-and-death battle with the spell warriors was about to take place in a few days. After a huge commotion, all the cultivators in the city walked out of their encampments and formed an army according to their original arrangement. All of them marched towards the encampments at the border with solemn expressions.


    Everyone knew that in this battle, either the Moulan army would retreat or the Heavenly South would fall into the hands of spell warriors. As a result, countless sects would lose their inheritance. As such, morale was extremely high even without being roused.


    Rumors of the ten battles with wagers spread like wildfire.


    They were afraid that Moulan spies would leak the list of participating cultivators, and there would be pertinent spell warriors sent out to fight them. As a result, the names of Han Li and the others were still kept a secret. Apart from the old monster from the meeting, almost no one knew the specific list.


    As a result, the identities of these ten Nascent Soul cultivators were naturally discussed and speculated by many cultivators. It was not easy to predict the outcome of the battle. After all, the matter involved the survival of over a thousand cultivators.


    Many of the sect cultivators who had placed their hopes on their sect disciples were naturally more concerned.


    The disciples of the Drifting Cloud Sect also left Tianyi City one after another. Seeing this, Lu Luo had no choice but to follow them.


    However, he instructed Song to stay in the encampment and wait for Han Li to come out of seclusion.


    In a few days, apart from a few cultivators who stayed behind to guard the city, there were fewer and fewer people in Tianyi City.


    Seeing that the days had passed and Han Li showed no signs of coming out of seclusion, the woman surnamed Song could not help but feel anxious.


    As for Han Li¡¯s seclusion, although he had set up many restrictions, there were still faint dragon roars or explosions coming from within. This made this woman feel very surprised, but also a little worried.


    On the fifth day, Song Yu made up her mind. If her Martial Uncle Han still hadn¡¯t come out of seclusion, she would have no choice but to forcefully knock on the door.


    Otherwise, if he delayed for another day, he might not be able to make it in time for the battle.


    In the main hall of the encampment, the woman surnamed Song was sitting on a chair, waiting with worry. From time to time, she would look outside the hall and faintly see the afterglow of the setting sun. Her expression was indecisive.


    As the sky grew darker, the woman frowned and bit her lip before standing up.


    Just as she gracefully took two steps forward, a clear ringing of the bell suddenly entered the hall. The woman was initially stunned, but soon wore a pleasantly surprised expression.


    A moment later, azure light flashed at the entrance of the hall, and Han Li¡¯s figure suddenly appeared in the light.


    ¡°Greetings, Martial Uncle!¡± The woman surnamed Song hastily stepped forward and curtsied.


    ¡°How many days has it been? It seems that all the cultivators in the city have set off.¡± After coming out of the secret room, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense felt that the entire Tianyi City was empty. Only a few cultivators remained in the city. When he saw this woman, he could not help but ask.


    After all, he could only roughly estimate the time in the secret chamber. Although he felt that it wasn¡¯t past the scheduled date, it was still safer to ask.


    At this moment, the woman surnamed Song felt completely at ease and respectfully replied, ¡°Martial Uncle, it is the fifth day.¡±


    ¡°The fifth day. There is more than enough time. However, it¡¯s better to arrive earlier. Let¡¯s go,¡± Han Li said decisively after hearing this.


    ¡°As you wish!¡± Song Yu replied in a soft voice.


    Han Li raised his hand, and a ball of white light shot out from his sleeve and floated into the courtyard outside the hall. After the light receded, a white square carriage with wings appeared.


    It was the Wind Riding Chariot.


    ¡°Get in the carriage. It¡¯s faster to travel in this carriage than flying.¡± Han Li¡¯s figure flashed into the carriage, and he turned his head to the woman.


    Cultivator Song examined the carriage and a trace of surprise appeared in her eyes. She then silently boarded the carriage as well.


    When Han Li saw this, he lightly tapped the carriage with the tip of his foot. Immediately, the Wind Riding Chariot flashed with white light, and a layer of white light enveloped both the carriage and Han Li. Then, it trembled and turned into a ball of white light that tore through the air.


    The Wind Riding Chariot was worthy of being a special flying magic tool. Not only did it not consume much spiritual power, but its speed was also far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.


    In the blink of an eye, he left Tianyi City and flew towards the border.


    When Cultivator Song saw this, she felt even more at ease. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this Martial Uncle Han had just emerged from seclusion because of this treasure. What kind of powerful secret technique had this unfathomable Martial Uncle been cultivating these past few days? What was with the dragon roars and explosions in the secret room?


    Just as this woman was deep in thought and letting her imagination run wild, Han Li opened his mouth and asked a question that was somewhat beyond her expectations.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit and her companion, are they still here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already left Tianyi City for the time being, and they¡¯re planning to wait until this battle is over before making a decision,¡± Song Yu replied obediently.


    ¡°Hehe! Violet Spirit is quite quick-witted. This is indeed a wise decision. If I were in her shoes, I would most likely do the same.¡± Han Li said with a faint smile.


    Soon after, he activated his spiritual power and the Wind Riding Chariot increased in speed by a large margin. Under the astonished gaze of Cultivator Song, it traveled over 100 feet in the blink of an eye and soon disappeared into the horizon as a speck of light.

 Chapter 764

    Martial Nephew Xiao


    In the past few days, at a certain border of the State of Yu and the State of Beiliang, groups of spell warriors descended from the sky on their magic tools and magic treasures from the two sides that were dozens of kilometers away from each other. Then, they used their original strongholds to set up large camps in an orderly manner.


    Over the course of a single night, a large number of grand formations appeared one after another. In this remote area, a storm was brewing and killing intent was surging.


    There were even small groups of cultivators and spell warriors that rose into the air and patrolled around the camps as if they were afraid of a sudden attack.


    As the days passed, more and more cultivators and spell warriors gathered here. Restrictions of all sizes were placed on both sides of the border, and the atmosphere became increasingly heavy.


    However, at the center of the border, there were occasional patrolling spell warriors. Although they looked at each other coldly, they were able to restrain themselves from attacking.


    After all, there was no point in fighting now. All of them held their breaths and waited for the upcoming battle.


    On the sixth day, the Heavenly South Region and the Moulan Region¡¯s great formations and restrictions were more or less set up. Everyone began to make their way deeper into the campsite to conserve their strength. Even the number of patrols had greatly decreased. However, high-grade cultivators began to frequently appear in the patrols.


    The higher-ups of the spell warriors and cultivators were also nervously planning their final battle strategy in the camp.


    The northern side of the Heavenly South Cultivator Barracks was in the direction of Tianyi City. Naturally, there were fewer restrictions and defenses than those in the direction of the spell warriors. However, there were even more sentries and patrols.


    Under these circumstances, a group of over ten cultivators was flying at a leisurely pace twenty kilometers away from the main camp.


    The leading cultivator was a beautiful young woman in her twenties with early Core Formation cultivation. The cultivators behind her were Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    With the impending battle, these people didn¡¯t dare to be careless. Although it was only a routine patrol mission, they were still vigilantly looking around.


    Only the young woman in the lead had a calm expression on her face. However, she had also maximized her spiritual sense to detect any abnormalities nearby.


    All of a sudden, her expression changed and she came to a sudden stop. She raised her head to look into the distance in astonishment.


    When the other cultivators saw this, they also looked over as if they were facing a great enemy, but they didn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Senior Xiao, you¡­?¡±


    A blue-robed cultivator asked with bewilderment, but before he could finish, white light flashed in the distance and a speck of light appeared before flying toward them.


    ¡°What speed!¡± A cultivator cried out in alarm.


    In the blink of an eye, they felt the white speck of light enlarge, and there seemed to be something within it.


    The young woman wore a calm expression and calmly said, ¡°It should be a senior. However, according to the rules, we still have to go up and ask them. You can just wait here.¡±


    Soon after, yellow light flashed from her body and she directly faced the white light.


    When the cultivators saw this, they stared at each other for a moment without saying anything.


    They weren¡¯t from the same sect as the young woman, and their cultivation and seniority were low, so they naturally didn¡¯t dare to have any objections.


    The young woman only flew for a short distance before coming to a stop. That was because the speck of light had already arrived in front of her and had suddenly stopped as a ball of dazzling light. There seemed to be a strange carriage-like magic tool inside, and there was a blurry humanoid figure within it.


    ¡°Junior Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Xiao Cui¡¯er pays her respects to Senior. Could Senior tell me your identity? Junior is only following orders. Please forgive me.¡± Although the young woman was shocked, she still used a pleasant voice to greet him.


    ¡°Huh! Xiao Cui¡¯er?¡± A surprised voice sounded from within the white light.


    ¡°Senior recognizes this Junior?¡± Xiao Cui¡¯er blinked her clear eyes and revealed an expression of astonishment.


    Among the few Nascent Soul cultivators she knew, there didn¡¯t seem to be any such cultivators. However, the voice sounded somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.


    As the woman stared at the ball of light in astonishment, it flashed several times and the light receded, revealing everything within.


    On top of a strange white flying carriage stood two cultivators.


    The man wore a long azure robe and had an ordinary appearance, but the woman wore a white dress and was astonishingly beautiful.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han!¡± When Xiao Cui¡¯er saw the azure-robed man¡¯s face, she covered her mouth and cried out in shock.


    Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief!


    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯ve grown up. You¡¯re no longer the same as before.¡± Han Li sized up the young woman and looked at her familiar face with a faint smile.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han, it¡¯s really you! Although Senior Sister Nie and Senior Brother Lei mentioned that Martial Uncle Han had advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, I still find it hard to believe,¡± Xiao Cui¡¯er said in surprise. She seemed to have become the young woman who had just seen Han Li.


    Han Li smiled and casually said, ¡°It was just a coincidence.¡±


    He was the one who introduced this woman to Yellow Maple Valley. Although he did not have much contact with her, he felt that something was different. Furthermore, this woman was the personal disciple of Senior Brother Ma. Han Li naturally did not treat her like he did to Nie Ying, Lei Wanhe, and the others.


    When the woman surnamed Song saw this, she inwardly muttered to herself.


    She had vaguely heard that this Martial Uncle of hers was originally a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, but now it seemed that he had met an old friend. The young woman in front of her seemed to be very smart, but what was her relationship with this Martial Uncle?


    Regardless of what the woman surnamed Song thought, Han Li and Xiao Cui¡¯er gently talked about some of the past events after they split up, including how Xiao Cui¡¯er and the little old man narrowly escaped the pursuit of the Devil Dao and returned to Yellow Maple Valley, how Senior Brother Ma passed away in meditation, and how this woman coincidentally formed a Golden Core.


    This made Han Li marvel at how quickly time had passed.


    After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Cui¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but ask,


    ¡°Martial Uncle, have you really become an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect and won¡¯t be coming back?¡± Xiao Cui¡¯er asked with a hint of anticipation on her face.


    The current Yellow Maple Valley was in an extremely awkward situation. Although the sect had a mid-Nascent Soul Cultivator by the name of Ancestor Linghu, there were no other Nascent Soul cultivators to replace him. Once his lifespan was exhausted, he would pass away. Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s status among the six sects would definitely plummet, and their situation would be worrisome.


    As a result, not only were Lei Wanhe and the others extremely worried, but even Xiao Cui¡¯er, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, was also very worried. Furthermore, Nie Ying and the other cultivators who knew of her relationship with Han Li also asked Xiao Cui¡¯er to persuade Han Li when she saw him. Who knew if Han Li would give a helping hand on account of their old relationship?


    As a result, even though Xiao Cui¡¯er knew that Han Li had rejected Lei Wanhe and the others, she had no choice but to bring this matter up again.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to return. The Drifting Cloud Sect has treated me well, so I won¡¯t leave. There¡¯s no need to say anything else about this matter.¡± Han Li¡¯s smile faded slightly upon hearing Xiao Cui¡¯er¡¯s words as he shook his head.


    ¡°But in the future, our Yellow Maple Valley¡­¡± Xiao Cui¡¯er¡¯s expression darkened and she revealed a helpless expression.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I¡¯ve made some deals with Eccentric Linghu before. If Yellow Maple Valley is really in danger, I¡¯ll help as much as I can.¡± Han Li sighed and vaguely told this woman about the deal.


    Xiao Cui¡¯er was stunned for a moment before her spirits were lifted and she said, ¡°I see! Many thanks Martial Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. You¡¯re Senior Brother Ma¡¯s only disciple, and we haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. I must help you. This is a magic treasure that I obtained from killing other Core Formation cultivators. Although it can¡¯t be used as a life-bound magic treasure, it will have other uses against enemies after you refine it. This bottle of medicinal pills is also very effective in improving your cultivation and breaking through bottlenecks. Take them.¡± After a moment of silence, Han Li took out a green ring and a bottle of medicinal pills from his storage pouch and handed them to the woman.


    ¡°Many thanks for Martial Uncle¡¯s gifts!¡± When Xiao Cui¡¯er saw this, she hastily expressed her gratitude before happily accepting the two items.


    ¡°Alright, I still have to go to the main camp to meet those old monsters, so I won¡¯t stay here any longer. Let¡¯s meet again if fate allows it.¡± Han Li waited for the woman to put away the items before calmly saying his goodbyes. Then, without waiting for the woman to react, he tapped the flying carriage under his feet, and white light suddenly flashed. Han Li and the woman surnamed Song¡¯s figures became blurry again in the piercing light.


    ¡°Farewell, Martial Uncle Han!¡±


    Xiao Hong wanted to say something else, but when she saw this, she could only hastily curtsey and watch as the ball of light flew away as a streak of white light.


    The woman then stood in place in a daze as she stared in the direction where the speck of light had disappeared.


    At this moment, her subordinates finally flew over on their magic tools.


    ¡°Senior Xiao, who is that senior? Is he a Nascent Soul cultivator?¡±


    ¡°But he looks very young.¡±


    As soon as the cultivators came over, their curiosity was piqued and they all began to ask questions.


    After Xiao Cui¡¯er regained her senses, her expression darkened and she swept her icy gaze past them. She bluntly said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask too many questions. This person is indeed a Nascent Soul senior. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. He isn¡¯t someone we can casually discuss. Let¡¯s continue our patrol.¡±


    When the others heard this, they immediately fell silent.


    ¡­


    After leaving Xiao Cui¡¯er, the Wind Riding Chariot¡¯s speed decreased drastically, but after a while, it arrived near the main camp. Han Li felt that this chariot was too conspicuous, so he put away this treasure and the two of them moved forward.


    The woman surnamed Song tactfully did not ask about what had just happened, causing Han Li to secretly nod his head.


    After flying for a short distance, a huge rainbow barrier appeared in front of them, enshrouding the entire camp.


    Before Han Li could bring this woman down, another team of disciples on duty had already rushed forward.


    After verifying their identities, they immediately opened up a passage and respectfully allowed them to enter the light barrier.


    Upon entering the camp, Han Li parted ways with the woman surnamed Song.


    This woman was going to report to Lu Luo, and then she was going to a certain group of cultivators that had already been arranged. Han Li directly went to the center of the camp and met Master Sunreach and the other two cultivators who were in charge.


    When they saw that Han Li had rushed over as promised, they were naturally extremely satisfied. After the small talk, they introduced the arrangements for the battle. Han Li was not very interested in this, and after listening to a few words, he bade farewell and left.


    Afterwards, he was assigned to a temporary stone room and sat down cross-legged to conserve his strength.

 Chapter 765

    Enemy¡¯s Plan


    Han Li quietly meditated in the room. After an unknown amount of time, the spiritual power that he had expended during the journey gradually recovered and he returned to its peak state.


    When he opened his eyes and examined his body, a faint smile appeared on his face.


    Ever since he cultivated the Azure Essence Sword Arts to the tenth layer, he clearly felt that his spiritual power recovery had greatly increased. This could be considered a pleasant surprise.


    With that thought in mind, Han Li muttered to himself for a moment before taking out a shiny black wooden box from his pocket. There were a few azure restriction talismans pasted on the lid of the box.


    He swept a hand over the lid of the box and several talismans fell off, flying into his sleeve as streaks of azure light.


    Han Li used a finger to knock on the box, and the lid opened on its own, revealing what was inside.


    A palm-sized talisman covered in runes was silently sitting in the box, and there was a small blood-red flood dragon swimming back and forth on the surface of the talisman.


    Han Li stretched out his hand and gently waved at the talisman. Immediately, the talisman flew out, circled around, and gently landed in his hand.


    He spent several days and failed three times in a row before finally successfully refining the talisman. Although he didn¡¯t know how powerful it was, he was certain that this ¡°Spirit Subjugation Talisman¡± was much weaker than what was described in the refinement method.


    After all, three failures during talisman refinement had caused the grade eight flood dragon to lose most of its soul power. Its true effectiveness could only be tested in actual combat.


    Han Li stroked the various runes on the surface of the talisman with his finger and fell into deep thought. His expression changed erratically.


    While Han Li was sitting cross-legged in his room and deep in thought, at the spell warrior encampment that was tens of kilometers away from the Heavenly South Camp, there were a few mysterious figures gathered around a stone table in a stone chamber that was 200 to 300 feet underground, discussing something.


    There were five men and two women. Among them, a man and a woman were wearing black robes, making it impossible to see their faces.


    Among the other people, there were two people that Han Li knew. One of them was the woman surnamed Le who had used the ancient lantern during the battle of Yellow Dragon Mountain and caused him to suffer quite a bit. The other was the middle-aged scholar who had pursued him for several days and nights, causing him to suffer greatly. He was Divine Sage Zhong.


    The other three men were the shriveled old man, a short man who was less than four feet tall, and a burly man in embroidered clothes.


    The shriveled old man had wrinkles all over his face, but his eyes were clear and translucent. He sat at the corner of the stone table and indifferently asked, ¡°Sage Le, how is the preparation of the spirit oil? You must know that the amount of time the holy lantern is lit determines how long the holy bird will appear in this world. There must be no mishaps.¡±


    The green-robed woman surnamed Le solemnly said, ¡°Divine Sage Zhu, please be at ease. This battle concerns the life and death of our race. I¡¯ve already brought out the lantern oil that our race has stored for over 1,000 years. It should be enough to support the holy bird in this battle.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhong, the Spirit Technique Formation you organized shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right? We spell warriors are inferior to the Heavenly South cultivators in terms of the quantity and quality of magic treasures. We can only rely on the Spirit Technique Formation to suppress their attacks.¡± The old man turned to the middle-aged scholar.


    The scholarly man calmly said, ¡°There is no problem. My several hundred years of research into spirit techniques and formations wasn¡¯t for nothing. I¡¯ve already given them several newly refined formations. If the Heavenly South cultivators were to think that they have the power of the original spirit techniques and formations, they would be greatly shocked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good! Brother Bi, when the chaotic battle begins, have all the high-grade spell warriors summon their Void Spirit Beasts to attack first so that they can distract the other party¡¯s attack and exhaust the cultivator¡¯s magic power as much as possible. Sect Leader Fang, I still need the cooperation of your huge beasts,¡± the shriveled old man instructed the short man before speaking to the black-robed man in a polite manner.


    ¡°Before the battle begins, I will hand over those huge beasts to you. However, you won¡¯t go back on what you promised us, right?¡± After the black-robed man agreed, he added with a deep meaning.


    The shriveled old man¡¯s eyes flickered and he coldly said, ¡°Go back on our word? Brother Fang must be joking. After the battle with the cultivators, would our Moulan Tribe do something so foolish as to offend your sect? After all, your Yin Sifting Sect is one of the ten great sects of the Great Jin. Once our Moulan Tribe seizes the Heavenly South Region, we will do our utmost to cultivate and recuperate. It is not a big deal to hand over a few mortal countries to your sect. In any case, these mortals are from the Yan Race. We will not care about their life or death.¡±


    The black-robed man nodded and emotionlessly said, ¡°That¡¯s good. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that several of our Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s sect-guarding treasures, including the Ghost Sifting Banner, had been destroyed by those Righteous Dao cultivators, we definitely wouldn¡¯t have participated in the battle between spell warriors and Heavenly South cultivators. If we were to gather a large number of souls in the Great Jin, those Righteous Dao cultivators would¡¯ve definitely come forward to pester us. Although we aren¡¯t afraid of them, the restoration of our treasures cannot be delayed.¡±


    ¡°In addition, the souls of all the cultivators who died in this battle also belong to our sect. Divine Sage Zhu has no objections to this, right?¡± The black-robed woman also spoke. However, her voice was thick and hoarse, and it didn¡¯t match her slender figure. Those who heard it for the first time would definitely be shocked.


    The shriveled old man¡¯s expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he said, ¡°We naturally won¡¯t care about cultivators, but can you identify the souls of spell warriors and leave them alone? You¡¯ve already put us in a very passive position by recklessly collecting the souls of those who died in battle. We can compensate you in other ways.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. There¡¯s no difference between the souls of cultivators and those of spell warriors to begin with. There¡¯s no way to differentiate them. Besides, even if there¡¯s a way to identify them, there will definitely be tens of thousands of spell warriors who will die in tomorrow¡¯s battle. How are we supposed to identify them one by one? Are the three Divine Sages planning to break their promise on this matter?¡± The black-robed man narrowed his eyes, and his pupils instantly turned jade-green. His entire body emitted a sinister cold aura.


    The scholarly man surnamed Zhong and the short man surnamed Bi were inwardly annoyed upon seeing this. Although they didn¡¯t do anything, silver light faintly shined from their bodies and red light flashed from their faces as they stared at the black-robed man in silence.


    The embroidered-robed man and the woman surnamed Le also coldly stared at the black-robed man with displeasure.


    It had to be known that collecting the souls of spell warriors who had died in battle had already made these people very dissatisfied. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they really needed these Jin Nation devil cultivators, they might have already turned hostile.


    ¡°Cough! Stop! What are you doing? Sect Master Fang is a guest that I personally invited. Could it be that you won¡¯t even give me any face?¡± The old man lightly coughed and his expression sank.


    The black-robed woman on the other side also sent a voice transmission to the black-robed man.


    When the black-robed man heard this, the green light in his eyes gradually receded and the glacial air around his body strangely disappeared.


    When the others saw this, they let out a sigh of relief and dispersed their spiritual power.


    They all knew very well that even though they did not find the other party very pleasing to the eye, they were currently taking what they needed. This was not the time for internal strife.


    After a moment of hesitation, the shriveled old man gritted his teeth and said, ¡°How about this? You can capture the souls, but you must do it stealthily after the battle. You can¡¯t let anyone else see it. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to suppress them.¡±


    The black-robed man¡¯s eyes flickered and he nodded in agreement, ¡°Alright, I will agree to this condition.¡±


    Although the scholarly man and the others were still somewhat dissatisfied, they could only accept this.


    The embroidered-robed man suddenly said, ¡°Are your sect¡¯s preparations for the battles truly feasible? Don¡¯t overreach yourself. You should know that there are devil cultivators in the Heavenly South. Don¡¯t let them see through you.¡±


    The black-robed man coldly laughed and disdainfully said, ¡°Devil cultivators? You think so?! They only know a few superficial cultivation techniques, or they thought they were clever and changed the devilish techniques beyond recognition. How could they know the true power of ancient devilish techniques?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But an elder of your sect was instantly slain by a Heavenly South cultivator of the same grade. I think Sect Master Fang shouldn¡¯t underestimate him.¡± The short man surnamed Bi sneered.


    The black-robed man coldly snorted and didn¡¯t retort.


    However, the black-robed woman took this opportunity to speak.


    ¡°Actually, I was just about to say this. That cultivator who released the golden lightning is somewhat useful to our Yin Sifting Sect. We hope that the three Divine Sages will hand him over to us to deal with. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°You want to have him?¡± The shriveled old man muttered to himself.


    ¡°What? Are the three of you unwilling to agree to this small condition?¡± The black-robed woman seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied, but her voice became increasingly rough and unpleasant.


    The old man stared at the black-robed woman and squeezed out a strange smile from the wrinkles on his face. He calmly said, ¡°If it were only an early Nascent Soul cultivator, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to hand him over to the two of you. However, if the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure is involved, it will be different.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already guessed it, Fellow Daoist Zhu.¡± The black-robed woman¡¯s heart sank slightly upon hearing this.


    The old man slowly said, ¡°Our Moulan Plains may be poor, but I do know a bit about the three great divine trees of the cultivation world. Although not many people know about the Divine Devilbane Lightning, he can¡¯t hide it from us.¡±


    The black-robed man saw through the other party¡¯s intentions and coldly asked, ¡°Since you know of the Divine Devilbane Lightning, you should know that our sect cannot allow this item to fall into the hands of others. If you have any conditions, just say them.¡±


    The wrinkles on the old man¡¯s face trembled and he said with a faint smile, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. I heard that in addition to the dozen or so behemoths, you have also brought many bronze-armored refined corpses. I hope that Brother Fang will release these Corpse Soldiers at the crucial moment of tomorrow¡¯s battle and lend us a hand. After all, no matter how well prepared we are, we don¡¯t know how the cultivators will deal with us. We will naturally have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Zhu to know so much about our sect¡¯s secret techniques. Although it¡¯s easier to refine Copper Corpse Soldiers, if we lose too many at once, it¡¯ll be detrimental to our sect¡¯s future development. If you want that, you have to capture the Heavenly South cultivator who used the Divine Devilbane Lightning and bring him to our sect alive.¡± The black-robed man thought for a moment and didn¡¯t refuse. Instead, he stated his conditions.

 Chapter 766

    Secret Scheme


    The shriveled old man gloomily said, ¡°Capture him alive? Are you joking, Brother Fang? As you know, Fellow Daoist Zhong once attacked him. However, not only is he proficient in lightning movement, but he also possesses a blood movement technique that I¡¯ve never seen before. There is no way to stop him from escaping. Additionally, this person¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t small. Capturing him alive isn¡¯t much different from capturing one of us. Fellow Daoists, do you think it¡¯s possible? If we try to kill him and only take the Golden Lightning Bamboo¡¯s magic treasure, we¡¯ll be confident.¡±


    ¡°Since it is so difficult to capture him alive, it doesn¡¯t matter if he dies.¡± To the old man¡¯s surprise, the black-robed man thought for a moment and immediately changed his words.


    The shriveled old man, the scholar, and the others glanced at each other before agreeing to this matter through voice transmission.


    Afterwards, these people began to talk about a few more details.


    ¡­


    At the same time, Master Sunreach, Wei Wuya, and the others were also discussing the battle in a hall in the Heavenly South Region.


    However, there were fewer people than the spell warriors.


    In addition to the three cultivators and Long Han, there was also a red-robed woman and a white-bearded old man with condor eyes.


    The old man¡¯s eyes were half-closed and he wore a jade ring on one of his fingers.


    The ring was verdant and had talisman characters on it. It appeared to be a rare treasure.


    Master Sunreach smiled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Eccentric Heavenvenge, we¡¯ll be relying on you few Fellow Daoists this time. We¡¯ll hold back the main force of the spell warrior army here. All you have to do is infiltrate Soaring Heavens City and plunder all of the resource warehouses. Without the spirit stones, materials, and other resources that the Moulans had painstakingly gathered, even if the Moulans are able to gain the upper hand in the battle, we¡¯ll be able to completely wear them down.¡± It was as if nothing unpleasant had happened in the past with this old man, the renowned Eccentric Heavenvenge.


    ¡°As long as you drag the Moulan Divine Sages to the border, infiltrating Soaring Heavens City will naturally not be a problem. Furthermore, there is a teleportation formation provided by Fellow Daoist Wei that will allow us to enter the city directly. This will be an even easier task. My only worry is why the Moulan people would leave all their resources in the city. Could it be a trap that has been waiting for us to jump in?¡± The condor-eyed old man spoke with a voice that sounded like metal and stone, extremely uncomfortable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Fellow Daoist Heavenvenge. According to our spies in the Moulans, although the Moulans have occupied the Fengyuan Kingdom and the Yu Kingdom, the Nine Nations Union has already made preparations to withdraw. All the spirit stone mines and raw materials have been destroyed. Although the spell warriors have arranged for the mortals of the Moulans to do their utmost to repair the facilities, the amount that they have repaired is extremely few and far between. It¡¯s completely useless. The spirit stone resources that they¡¯ve consumed are still the resources that the various tribes have contributed. These items have to be distributed, so they¡¯re all stored in a secret warehouse. There¡¯s a powerful restriction formation set up there, and several Grand Sages are guarding it at the same time. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so at ease. After all, even if an irresistible force attacks the warehouse. With the delay of the restrictions, they have enough time to transfer the items in the warehouse. Logically speaking, it should be as stable as a mountain,¡± Old Devil Concord said indifferently.


    ¡°But what they didn¡¯t expect was that, since our Nine Nations Union has been dealing with the Moulans for such a long time, if they can send spies to infiltrate our State of Yue, our Nine Nations Union can also send people to infiltrate the spell warriors. One of the Grand Sages guarding the resource warehouses is our spy. When the time comes, he will turn off the restrictions on the grand formation. Fellow Daoist Heavenvenge, so long as you keep your movements secret, you¡¯ll be able to catch them off guard,¡± Wei Wuya said with a cold smile.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoists are so certain, I may have no choice but to make this trip. After this is done¡­¡±


    Long Han smiled and said, ¡°After the matter is concluded, our four great powers will make the decision to allocate the State of Xu to Fellow Daoist. Fellow Daoist can establish a sect in this country and our four great powers will not interfere in the slightest. From then on, Fellow Daoist can be called the ancestor of a sect.¡±


    ¡°Alright. With your guarantees, I can only give it a try. It¡¯s getting late. I¡¯ll go back and make some preparations. We¡¯ll set off early tomorrow morning and infiltrate the State of Yu first.¡± Eccentric Heavenvenge received the promise he wanted from them again with a satisfied expression. However, he had no intention of staying here for long, so he bade farewell and left the hall.


    Not long after, he disappeared from the hall.


    Devil Concord frowned and slowly said, ¡°This old eccentric¡¯s chances of success aren¡¯t small. After all, apart from him, the vagrant cultivators he brought with him are all quite powerful. Since the Moulan were caught off guard, there should be no reason for them to fail.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Fellow Daoist Huh. As long as we can hold back Moulan Divine Sages, Fellow Daoist Heavenvenge should have a 70% to 80% chance of succeeding. However, I didn¡¯t expect this old eccentric to suddenly think of establishing a sect at his age. Furthermore, he¡¯s even roped in so many vagrant cultivators to bolster his prestige. This is truly unexpected,¡± Long Han said with a glint in his eyes.


    Master Sunreach leisurely said, ¡°This is quite normal! Eccentric Heavenvenge has been in the mid-Nascent Soul Stage for three to four hundred years, but he¡¯s been unable to break through to the late-Nascent Soul Stage for such a long time. I reckon he¡¯s completely given up. It isn¡¯t strange for him to become passionate about other matters. Being able to build a sect is a great honor. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s on bad terms with the great sects, so he took this opportunity to negotiate with us. Their arrival can be considered a surprise attack.¡±


    Master Sunreach turned to Wei Wuya with a serious expression and said, ¡°Alright, although we have Eccentric Heavenvenge as a backup plan, we can¡¯t afford to be careless in the upcoming battle. It¡¯s best to win as much as we can. If the battle really results in a complete defeat, we won¡¯t be able to stop their attacks even if the Moulan spell warriors run out of resources. Brother Wei, are there any problems with the restrictions that your Nine Nations Union uses to counter spirit spell formations? This is the most commonly used battle tactic among spell warriors.¡±


    ¡°After battling spell warriors for so many years, our understanding of spell formations isn¡¯t inferior to that of spell warriors and formation masters. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we cultivate different techniques, our Nine Nations Union would¡¯ve been able to set up spell formations identical to those of the Moulan cultivators. You don¡¯t have to worry about this, Fellow Daoist Sunreach,¡± Wei Wuya said in a calm voice.


    When Master Sunreach heard this, he was greatly satisfied. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, he turned his gaze to the black-robed man.


    When Devil Concord saw this, he indifferently spoke.


    The old devil coldly said, ¡°Our six Devil Dao sects have already made preparations. Not only did the Controlling Spirit Sect bring the three guardian beasts, but our Harmonious Bond Sect has also made preparations for the release of the Yin Yang Devils. The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Myriad Soul Formation can be activated at any time. The other three sects will use their most powerful techniques. As for Fellow Daoist Sunreach, do you have any killing moves prepared?¡±


    ¡°Before our Righteous Dao Alliance departed, the various sects had already opened their ancestral halls and taken out over a dozen powerful ancient treasures. When the time comes, we definitely won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Master Sunreach¡¯s words were simple, but Devil Concord¡¯s expression relaxed and he nodded as if he knew what those ancient treasures were.


    ¡°Our Heavenly Dao Alliance is very lax, but the various sects in the alliance have already made preparations. I¡¯m not sure of the specific methods, but our Phoenix Cry Sect has taken out a few ancient jade talismans from our collection. Their abilities are definitely enough to broaden the horizons of the Moulan spell warriors. However, they¡¯ve been around for too long, so they don¡¯t have much residual power. I reckon they¡¯ll be useless after this battle,¡± Long Han said with a regretful expression.


    Master Sunreach pondered for a moment before hesitantly asking, ¡°Ancient jade talismans? I didn¡¯t expect the Phoenix Cry Sect to have such treasures. I believe the other sects in the Heavenly Dao Alliance won¡¯t disappoint us. The only thing we have to worry about is the black-robed men and the battle of wagers. Brother Huh, the black-robed men¡¯s cultivation arts are also Devil Dao cultivation arts. Could Fellow Daoist identify their cultivation arts?¡±


    The black-robed man sullenly replied, ¡°Humph! Since they cultivate Devil Dao techniques, I should be able to recognize them? I¡¯ve only heard about the characteristics of the cultivation techniques of those black-robed men from the Nine Nations Union Fellow Daoists. I haven¡¯t personally seen them, so how can I make an accurate judgment? The only thing I am certain of is that these people¡¯s devilish techniques seem to be much purer and more ingenious than our six sects of the Heavenly South. Furthermore, they somewhat resemble the cultivation techniques of the Ghost Spirit Sect.¡±


    ¡°Ghost Spirit Sect? I don¡¯t know the exact number of these black-robed men, but during the battle in Soaring Heavens City alone, there were seven to eight of them, and all of them were Nascent Soul cultivators. They¡¯re clearly cultivators from the same sect. The only sect that can have so many devil cultivators is that country¡¯s demon sect. Could they really be from the Great Jin?¡± Master Sunreach analyzed with a dark expression.


    When the others heard Master Sunreach¡¯s words, they didn¡¯t reveal any surprise. It seemed they had the same guess.


    ¡°Humph! So what if they¡¯re cultivators from the State of Jin? Look at how these black-robed men are hiding and acting as if they don¡¯t dare to see anyone. They¡¯re definitely only interfering in the matters of the cultivation world of our Heavenly South Region. It¡¯s definitely just one of the demonic sects, or even a portion of them. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? We¡¯ll just treat them as spell warriors and pretend we don¡¯t know anything.¡± The red-robed woman, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke in a clear and pleasant voice.


    Master Sunreach agreed, ¡°Lady Feng¡¯s words are reasonable. Even if a certain demonic sect of the State of Jin were to fully support the Moulans, our enemies would only be slightly stronger. Could it be that we would give them the Heavenly South?¡±


    Devil Concord solemnly said, ¡°That is true, but there is no doubt that the cultivators of the State of Jin are superior to those of our Heavenly South Region in terms of cultivation techniques and treasures. If these devilish cultivators participate in tomorrow¡¯s battle and secretly tamper with it, it will be quite troublesome. The State of Jin has countless cultivation techniques and secret tricks, many of which are impossible to guard against.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already considered this point. Do you still remember our Sublime Truth Sect¡¯s Restriction Breaking Bead?¡±


    Long Han asked with surprise, ¡°The Restriction Breaking Bead? It¡¯s a one-time use magic tool that can break restrictions. Isn¡¯t it only useful against low-grade restrictions? Furthermore, even Nascent Soul cultivators would have to expend a great deal of effort to break through the barrier. What use can that magic tool have?¡±

 Chapter 767

    The Battle at the Border (1)


    Master Sunreach confidently said, ¡°If it were the original Restriction Breaking Beads, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to the high grade restrictions. However, Brother Long doesn¡¯t know that the Restriction Breaking Beads outside haven¡¯t been completely refined. They are only half-finished products. The true Restriction Breaking Beads not only require a few precious materials, but they are also quite difficult to make. However, they are quite effective in breaking the high grade restrictions. Of course, they aren¡¯t very useful in other aspects, so our sect hasn¡¯t refined many of them. However, for the sake of the Fellow Daoists participating in the battle, our sect has found a way to gather ten of them. So long as they wear these beads, if the situation isn¡¯t right, they can immediately use the beads to break through the restrictions. In that case, we won¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    Old Devil Concord glanced at Master Sunreach and added, ¡°I was wondering why Fellow Daoist Sunreach wasn¡¯t worried about tomorrow¡¯s battle. So it turned out that you have a backup plan. With the Restriction Breaking Bead, we wouldn¡¯t have to fear any tricks. However, for safety¡¯s sake, our Devil Dao¡¯s Heavenly Fiend Sect has a secret medicinal pill called the Evil Returning Pill. After consuming it, your body¡¯s true essence will be stimulated and your magic power will immediately recover by more than half. It will also greatly increase one¡¯s cultivation. Of course, after the medicinal effect wears off, one¡¯s vitality will be damaged. Let each of these Fellow Daoists take a pill. If the situation is truly dangerous, you can suddenly take it and use it as a trick.¡±


    Long Han chuckled and changed the subject, ¡°Wonderful. With these two methods, I¡¯ll be at ease.¡±


    ¡°Next, we should consider how to deal with those black-robed men. These people cultivate Devil Dao techniques, so it would be better for the Righteous Dao Alliance to select a group of Fellow Daoists to deal with these devilish cultivators. After all, the Sublime Truth Sect has many techniques that specifically restrain devilish techniques. They should be equally effective against these devilish cultivators.¡±


    As Long Han spoke, he glanced at Master Sunreach to see how he would respond.


    Master Sunreach immediately agreed, ¡°No problem. Leave these devil cultivators to our Righteous Dao Alliance. However, you will have to deal with most of the sages.¡±


    ¡°Of course! The three great factions will deal with the spell warriors. As for the specifics¡­¡±


    When they saw Master Sunreach agree to deal with the Devil Dao cultivators of the State of Jin without any hesitation, the others were greatly satisfied. They discussed for a long time in the hall until sunset before dispersing in peace.


    According to the results of their discussion, these people returned to make their own preparations.


    ¡­


    The day of the final battle arrived in the blink of an eye.


    Early on this morning, the patrolling cultivators saw the spell warriors¡¯ campsite on the other side flash with multicolored light, followed by a thunderous drumbeat. Groups of spell warriors calmly flew out of the campsite, riding their magic tools towards the center of the border.


    At this moment, the cultivators who were already prepared hurriedly sent back their voice transmission talismans.


    A short moment later, a series of bell chimes sounded from the Heavenly South¡¯s main camp. Soon after, many cultivators that had been cultivating for a long time left their camps and soared into the sky as streaks of light, covering the sky and the earth.


    For a time, spiritual light of various colors filled the sky. Clear cries and long whistles rose and fell. Against the aggressive spell warrior army from the other direction, it was as if two huge waves were rushing towards each other. However, when they were more than five kilometers away, both sides suddenly came to a halt.


    Regardless of whether they were spell warriors or cultivators, when they could faintly see the enemy, they all stopped in unison and looked at each other with hostility.


    On one side, there was no way out. Only by fighting to the death would the entire clan be able to seek survival. On the other side, they had lived in their homeland for a long time and could not allow external enemies to invade. Their morale was also abnormally high.


    Before the two sides had even begun to fight, an astonishing killing intent had already pervaded the air.


    At this moment, Han Li was floating above a group of over a thousand cultivators, coldly looking at the spell warrior army in the distance.


    As far as the eye could see, there were several hundred streaks of multicolored light converging on the other side. The multicolored light extended for over five kilometers.


    It was clear that both sides had sent out their main forces. Although it was impossible to estimate the exact number, there were at least sixty to seventy thousand cultivators gathered here.


    As for high-grade cultivators that were rarely seen under normal circumstances, they could be found everywhere here.


    However, even though there were roughly the same number of people, it was still possible to see the differences and similarities between the two sides.


    Although the spell warriors had different attires, the low-grade spell warriors only had a few simple weapons. They were either round bowls of light or fist-sized beads. However, the most common items were spell flags of different colors. As for sword-type magic tools, they were extremely rare.


    As for the cultivators, the low-grade cultivators had all sorts of magic tools in their hands, but most of them were swords and sabers. However, these magic tools were all sparkling and translucent, and their spiritual Qi was oppressive. In terms of grade, they were far superior to spell warriors.


    Although the spell warriors were far inferior to the Heavenly South cultivators in terms of magic tools, the spell warriors were orderly. Even though they were flying in the air, they still maintained a mysterious formation. All of them were silent and only looked over with hostile gazes.


    However, the cultivators were clearly lacking in training. Although they were able to maintain their formation, it was chaotic and disorderly. Not only were there constant whispers, but there were also people who left their formation from time to time.


    The high-grade cultivators had no choice but to come down and reprimand the wanderers from time to time.


    When Han Li saw this, he frowned.


    This was no surprise! In just a few months, how could they have trained so many unruly cultivators?


    Just the formation of these cultivators was enough to give the high-grade cultivators a headache.


    On the other hand, the opposing spell warrior army was different. Although they were also formed by many Moulan allied forces, they often fought with the Soaring Tribes. It was common for spell warriors of various tribes to form an allied army, and they would become well-trained after a bit of practice.


    These matters were extremely clear to the higher-ups of the cultivators, but there was nothing they could do about it. Fortunately, they were cultivators, unlike the armies of the secular world. This wasn¡¯t the key to determining victory or defeat, so they turned a blind eye to it.


    As Han Li thought of this, he sized up the spell warrior army.


    However, the most eye-catching thing was not the Moulan spell warriors, but the dozen or so abnormally huge wild beasts in the spell warrior army.


    They were mixed in with the spell warriors, and their bodies were like small mountains. They were extremely eye-catching.


    Many cultivators of the Nine Nations Union had seen the fearsomeness of these huge beasts before. As a result, they cast their gazes toward these huge beasts with a trace of fear.


    Han Li raised his head and looked at the sky. There was not a single dark cloud in the clear sky. He then lowered his head and looked at the chaotic cultivators below him. He sighed and shook his head.


    He then flipped his hand over, and two small objects appeared in his palm.


    There was a thumb-sized jet-black bead and a pungent red square-shaped pill the size of an almond.


    These two items had been delivered to him by someone from Master Sunreach last night, and he had explained their effects and uses. It was said that every cultivator participating in the battle of wagers had them.


    Han Li was slightly surprised, but he accepted it without hesitation.


    It seemed that in order to defeat the spell warrior army, the three great cultivators had gone all out with their magic treasures. This time, they had taken out quite a number of items that they had previously hidden.


    However, the three cultivators weren¡¯t the only ones who had done this!


    Thinking of this, Han Li could not help but look down at the other group of cultivators.


    There were about 1,000 cultivators in this group, and there were 16 male and female cultivators in red and green attire.


    They each carried two huge coffins, one black and the other white, side by side.


    The coffins were covered in talismans of all sizes, and there were several tens of them.


    Han Li recognized these male and female cultivators. They were disciples of the number one demonic sect, the Harmonious Bond Sect. This made Han Li very curious about the two coffins.


    Unfortunately, although he had probed the coffin with his spiritual sense on the way, someone had clearly placed an extremely powerful restriction on it, preventing him from penetrating it.


    In addition to these two coffins, there were also a few strange and eye-catching items in the other cultivators¡¯ ranks.


    On the other side, a cultivator from a certain Righteous Dao Sect was escorting a bronze platform that was around 60 to 70 feet tall. On the platform was a huge gong that was around 10 feet in diameter.


    The surface of the gong was shimmering with golden light, and white talisman characters would appear from time to time. Nearby, there was a bare-chested giant sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.


    Further away, there were a dozen or so pitch-black statues that were around thirty to forty feet tall. They seemed to be in tatters, and they all appeared to be ancient ferocious beasts. They were being carried by flying carriages in a lifelike manner, and it was unknown what use they had.


    As for the cultivators further away, there were also a few strange items that appeared.


    Seeing this, Han Li felt much more at ease.


    This meant that all of the sects knew that this battle was no small matter and had taken out some of their trump cards.


    In this way, their chances of victory would naturally greatly increase.


    Furthermore, apart from these superficial treasures, there were countless other powerful treasures that were hidden in the storage pouches of the cultivators.


    Apart from those huge beasts, there was nothing else out of the ordinary in the spell warrior army.


    Han Li naturally did not believe that this was the extent of the spell warrior¡¯s tricks. There must be some powerful killer move hidden somewhere.


    It was truly difficult to predict whether they would win or lose this battle!


    At this moment, an endless stream of cultivators and spell warriors had finally arrived.


    Afterwards, apart from a few people, most of the people landed on the ground at the same time and began to fall silent.


    At this moment, there was a commotion among the spell warriors, and three people flew out.


    The shriveled old man, the short man, and the middle-aged scholar. They were the three Divine Sages of Moulan.


    Three streaks of light also flew out from the side of the cultivators. They were Master Sunreach, Wei Wuya, and Devil Concord.


    When they were about 100 feet apart, they came to a stop.


    The scholar surnamed Zhong looked at Wei Wuya and the others and coldly said, ¡°How about it? It is not too late for you Fellow Daoists to regret your decision. So long as you hand over half of the Heavenly South Region to our Moulan Tribe, you will be able to turn enemies into friends. Otherwise, regardless of whether you win or lose, your Heavenly South Region will suffer great losses!¡±


    Wei Wuya raised his chin and indifferently said, ¡°What a joke. It¡¯s true that the cultivation world of our Heavenly South Region will suffer heavy losses, but if you Moulan cultivators lose this battle, your entire race will be exterminated. I think you spell warriors should be the ones who should be cautious!¡±

 Chapter 768

    The Battle at the Border (2)


    The shriveled old man bluntly said, ¡°It seems there is no point in speaking further. Since you have no room for negotiation, we can only fight to the death. But before that, let¡¯s have the battle of wagers. We will send people to set up restrictions! Regardless of the outcome, we will immediately go all out once the wagered battles is over.¡±


    He probably knew that at this point, convincing the three great cultivators to give in was simply wishful thinking.


    Devil Concord stared at the old man and sneered, ¡°Of course, but what about the captives you promised? If we don¡¯t see them, hehe¡­¡±


    The old man faltered slightly upon hearing this, but after a moment of thought, he sent a voice transmission behind him.


    Immediately, the spell warriors behind him surged.


    Over 1,000 unarmed cultivators, who had nothing except their clothes, were pushed out of the formation.


    As soon as these cultivators arrived in front of the formation, they all had different expressions on their faces. Some of them were red in the face, while others were glaring angrily at the spell warriors.


    There was also a slight commotion in the opposing cultivator army.


    These captured cultivators were naturally recognized by many of their fellow sect members.


    When Master Sunreach and the others saw this, they glanced at each other before nodding with relaxed expressions.


    ¡°How is it? Now that you¡¯ve seen them, you should be at ease, right? Hurry up and start the wagered battle!¡± The shorty named Bi among the Moulan Divine Sages was getting impatient.


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? Could it be that you¡¯re planning to do something to this wagered battle?¡± Wei Wuya asked.


    The short man¡¯s expression changed and he threatened, ¡°If you don¡¯t dare to fight, we¡¯ll use these cultivators as sacrifices. What do you think?¡±


    A cold glint flashed through Wei Wuya¡¯s eyes as he snapped, ¡°You¡¯re threatening us!¡±


    The shriveled old man¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but his voice became a bit sinister, ¡°There is no need to threaten you. However, if you are unwilling to participate in the wagered battle, we will have no use for them. We can use them to raise morale.¡±


    When Master Sunreach heard this, his brow stirred and he slowly said, ¡°If you want a wagered battle, then so be it. Release these captives and we will agree to the wagered battle.¡±


    ¡°Release them? Do you think we would do such a foolish thing?¡± The short man bluntly said.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t trust you either! What if you don¡¯t keep your promise after the wagered battle ends?¡± Wei Wuya asked indifferently.


    ¡°Even so, we¡­¡±


    Before the short man could say anything else, a fierce light flashed from the old man¡¯s eyes and he quickly said, ¡°Enough. There is no need to say such useless words. Before the wager battle, we can release half of the captives. The rest will depend on whether you win or lose. You don¡¯t have any objections, right? If that doesn¡¯t work, you can go back and start the war.¡±


    Master Sunreach transmitted a few words to the other two before decisively agreeing, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as you say. Release the hostages and we¡¯ll set up the restrictions.¡±


    This condition was the greatest concession the other party could make. If this matter were to be resolved, they wouldn¡¯t be able to answer to the cultivators behind them.


    After the conditions were settled, the six of them returned to their respective camps and made their arrangements.


    Han Li had already left his original seat and was hiding in a group of cultivators. Before the wagered battle began, he did not want to be noticed by the high-grade spell warriors.


    The conversation between Master Sunreach and the three Divine Sages of Moulan was clearly heard by Han Li with his powerful spiritual sense.


    As a result, Han Li¡¯s lips curled into a smile. A portion of the cultivators that were pushed out were released from the spell warriors¡¯ restrictions, and they flew to the opposite side with pleasant surprise.


    However, it was clear that Master Sunreach had already made arrangements.


    Before these cultivators could fly into the army, several hundred cultivators had already come out to welcome them. After carefully inspecting these rescued cultivators and confirming that there were no spies among them and that the enemy hadn¡¯t done anything to them, they allowed them to enter the ranks of cultivators with ease.


    When Shorty Bi saw this from afar, he coldly snorted and unwillingly said, ¡°These fellows from the Heavenly South are truly careful. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t allow these cultivators to consume the Heart Loss Pill. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been difficult for them to pass.¡±


    The scholar surnamed Zhong agreed, ¡°Of course! The three great cultivators of the Heavenly South aren¡¯t easy to deal with. It is best not to play these small tricks. If you want to strike a snake, strike it at its weakest point! Otherwise, it will be self-defeating.¡±


    When the shriveled old man heard this, his face remained completely expressionless. He merely stroked his sparse goatee and looked at the army of cultivators in front of him.


    As Han Li watched from afar, a group of cultivators and spell warriors flew out from their respective camps. Then, in the middle of the two armies, they split into ten locations and began to set up formations.


    These people were all spell warriors who were proficient in spell formations. Although the restriction barriers and spell formations they wanted to set up were exceptionally powerful, they were not unorthodox spell formations. Hence, with these people¡¯s attainments in spell formations, it was naturally obvious at a glance if they were up to no good.


    Under normal circumstances, this type of restriction would take a long time to set up, but with so many formation masters taking action at the same time and the assistance of all sorts of precious materials and formation plates and flags that had already been refined, it only took fifteen minutes for ten small formations to be established.


    Immediately thereafter, the spell formation masters of both sides activated their spell formations, and ten white barriers of light that covered an area of 700 to 800 feet appeared between the two formations.


    These formation masters inspected the area once more and left after confirming that there were no problems. Ten Core Formation cultivators and spell warriors walked up at the same time.


    It just so happened that each cultivator and a spell warrior were supervising the operation of a spell formation.


    One of the Heavenly South cultivators was the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s woman surnamed Song. Her white robes fluttered as she walked to the second last spell formation.


    Seeing this, Han Li did not show any surprise.


    The woman walked in front of the spell formation, which meant that he was going to fight in that formation. After all, only the disciples of their own sect would be able to make these old eccentrics feel at ease.


    Otherwise, if the cultivator they sent was a disciple of an opposing sect and the watcher didn¡¯t rescue them in the face of danger, or if they weren¡¯t willing to do their utmost, that would be extremely unfortunate.


    Thus, Han Li was the one who suggested the appearance of the woman surnamed Song. After all, he did not know much about the other Drifting Cloud Sect disciples.


    Now that the grand formation had been formed, the participants of the wagered battle would naturally enter the arena.


    From the opposing spell warrior camp, ten black-robed figures flew out first. These people were all emitting gloomy auras and astonishing devilish Qi.


    ¡°Devil cultivators!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s pupils constricted as he muttered to himself. However, his body flashed with azure light as he turned into a streak of azure light and flew out of the cultivators¡¯ camp.


    There were nine other Nascent Soul old monsters who did the same. Han Li had already seen most of them, but two or three of them had unfamiliar faces.


    Daoist Shattered Soul, Old Devil Cloud Dew, and the woman surnamed Bai were among them.


    These people flew in front of their corresponding formations and slowly stopped in the air.


    As soon as Han Li arrived above the light barrier, he nodded at the woman surnamed Song, who was controlling the magic formation, and then calmly looked at the black-robed man opposite him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little strange! Why is the demonic Qi on his body so violent? Could it be that he has taken a domineering elixir similar to the ¡®Evil Returning Pill¡¯ beforehand?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, but he was secretly thinking.


    If that was all, he wouldn¡¯t have anything to fear.


    The black-robed man opposite him had an ordinary figure, but his eyes flashed with a cold green light as he stared at Han Li without blinking.


    Although Han Li couldn¡¯t see the other party¡¯s face clearly, the guy was indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator. His cultivation was already at the peak of the early-Nascent Soul Stage, and he hadn¡¯t advanced to the mid-Nascent Soul Stage yet.


    After checking his opponent, Han Li turned his gaze and glanced at the other black-robed devil cultivators nearby. They seemed to be similar to his opponents. Even if there were differences, there was not much.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he became vigilant.


    It seemed that there was really something wrong with this wagered battle. These devil cultivators actually didn¡¯t have a single mid-Nascent Soul cultivator! However, it didn¡¯t matter. As long as the other party used a devilish technique, he would immediately use his Divine Devilbane Lightning to instantly kill the other party. No matter what tricks the other party had, it would be useless.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li¡¯s killing intent was ignited and he had already made up his mind.


    At this moment, the black-robed cultivator opposite him suddenly took out a storage bag from his waist and looked at Han Li emotionlessly.


    Han Li smiled and also took off a storage bag filled with gambling materials.


    The materials in the bag were gathered together by the four major powers of the Heavenly South Region. The value was so great that even Han Li was somewhat envious.


    The black-robed man raised his hand and tossed the bag over.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and threw out the storage pouches in his hand, exchanging them with one another.


    The materials in the other party¡¯s storage pouch weren¡¯t as varied as the materials in his storage pouch, but in terms of rare value, they were superior. This was similar to what was stated in the challenge letter.


    Han Li nodded and did not return the materials. Instead, he put the storage pouch on his waist.


    The black-robed man did the same.


    When Cultivator Song and the spell warrior saw this, they chanted an incantation at the same time and began to form hand seals.


    After both of the seals struck the spell formation, the white light barrier flickered several times before disappearing.


    Han Li and the black-robed man¡¯s movements were almost the same. In a flash, the two of them appeared in the formation at the same time.


    This caused the two to look at each other with surprise.


    The white barrier appeared once more, isolating the two from the outside world.


    The other cultivators and the black-robed man also entered the light barrier in pairs.


    For a time, the army of spell warriors and cultivators watching the battle from afar fell silent. Everyone held their breaths as they nervously looked at the ten blurry pairs of figures within the light barrier.


    After entering the light barrier, Han Li no longer paid attention to the battles of the others. He only calmly looked at the black-robed man opposite him and did not move. However, the azure light circulating on his body gradually became more vigorous, and the flying swords in his body also trembled one after another, ready to fly out and injure the enemy at any time.


    Of course, in the face of a devil cultivator, his most powerful magic treasure, the Divine Devilbane Lightning, had already converged into a fist-sized golden ball of light. In Han Li¡¯s Dantian, his Nascent Soul was smiling and hugging it with both hands, ready to launch an earth-shattering attack at any time.

 Chapter 769

    The Battle at the Border (3)


    When the black-robed man saw the light barrier reappear, he silently formed an incantation gesture with his hands.


    An ancient incantation came out of his mouth, and the Yin devilish Qi around his body swelled by several feet before transforming into pitch-black tentacles that wildly danced in the air.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the other party without moving. However, his hands that were hidden in his sleeves emitted a faint sound of thunder, and there was a faint golden light flashing.


    Han Li already had the confidence to kill a demonic cultivator of the same cultivation level in an instant. As long as he seized the opportunity after the other party attacked, he could kill the other party in one fell swoop.


    However, in that instant, the black-robed man¡¯s pupils turned crimson and he let out a beast-like roar. Soon after, the devilish Qi on his body dissipated and his body began to expand.


    In the blink of an eye, he had grown to over twice his original size.


    ¡°Huh!¡± Seeing this, Han Li was slightly stunned.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the change in the enemy¡¯s body size, but rather because the guy¡¯s devilish Qi had disappeared without a trace and was replaced by an extremely unsettling and strange aura.


    The black-robed man¡¯s blood-red eyes revealed a frenzied expression. His inflated body suddenly shrank and in the blink of an eye, he became a three-foot-tall dwarf. In addition, his body shot towards the barrier behind him.


    Han Li was shocked, and his thoughts quickly turned, faintly having a bad feeling.


    He raised his hands, and two thick arcs of golden lightning shot out from his hands, forming a huge golden net in the air that swept toward the black-robed man.


    Soon after, he shook his sleeve and a small blue shield flew out, transforming into a huge shield in front of him. He patted the storage pouch at his waist with his other hand and the restriction bead fell into his palm.


    As long as the situation was amiss, he would immediately take out the bead and break through the restriction.


    He clearly knew that the other party had some tricks up their sleeve, so he wasn¡¯t going to be restrained here.


    Just as Han Li¡¯s thoughts were running wild, the black-robed man under the golden lightning net let out a miserable scream. With a loud bang, his entire body inexplicably exploded, and every inch of his body turned into blood foam, flying in all directions.


    Han Li was shocked at first, but he was immediately stunned.


    Originally, Han Li thought that the enemy was going to use some sort of self-detonating secret technique, but his blood and flesh had splattered all over the barrier and hadn¡¯t affected Han Li in the slightest. It appeared that the attack was completely powerless.


    Han Li was puzzled and bewildered.


    However, he immediately discovered something unusual.


    The other party¡¯s blood and flesh were stuck to the wall of the barrier without the slightest intention of falling off. Furthermore, under his gaze, the flesh began to strangely squirm on the wall of the barrier.


    Seeing this, Han Li was dumbfounded.


    With a few puffs, the flesh and blood suddenly turned into a cloud of blood mist that spread along the barrier. Its speed was so fast that in the blink of an eye, most of the white light barrier had turned blood-red. Furthermore, it released an extremely pungent and nauseating smell of blood.


    Han Li was shocked and hurriedly threw the Restriction Breaking Bead behind him.


    In the instant that the Restriction Breaking Bead came into contact with the barrier, it exploded into a ball of pitch-black light.


    Soon after, a portion of the barrier flickered, and the entire light barrier began to tremble.


    Han Li was overjoyed when he saw this. He hurriedly flicked his fingers, and ten azure sword Qi struck the same spot one after another. After a few flashes of white light, the barrier was about to shatter.


    Just as he rejoiced, crimson light flashed in front of him, and a large expanse of blood mist covered the barrier in front of him, turning it crimson.


    Han Li¡¯s heart suddenly sank. He raised his head and looked around, only to discover that the entire light barrier had turned blood-red. The blood mist on it churned and condensed into drops of viscous blood out of thin air. The smell of blood instantly increased.


    Without another thought, he opened his mouth, and a thunderclap erupted as a bowl-thick bolt of golden lightning struck the crimson light before him.


    After the golden light exploded, the blood mist dissipated for a moment before immediately returning to its original state as if it were completely unharmed.


    This greatly surprised Han Li.


    The Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that he was about to shoot out suddenly stopped, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.


    At the same time, the scene of the opponent¡¯s self-detonation turning the light barrier into blood was playing out in all ten arenas.


    The ten Nascent Soul cultivators participating in the wagered battle were all caught off guard and trapped within the mutated light barrier.


    The ten Core Formation cultivators who were supervising the operation of the spell formation naturally knew that the situation was far from good. As they vigilantly looked at the spell warriors in front of them, they hurriedly formed hand seals in an attempt to stop the spell formation.


    However, to their surprise, when they saw the light barrier turn blood-red, these spell warriors didn¡¯t say a word. They immediately turned around and left the formation, flying directly back to their own formation.


    At this moment, not only were the ten cultivators not at ease, but they also realized the severity of the matter.


    From the looks of it, the change in the light barrier was definitely caused by the spell warriors.


    As expected, although the spell formation had been stopped, the blood barrier in the air was still quite strange. Furthermore, the blood mist was beginning to fade away, and the barrier was covered in a thick layer of blood. It was as if the blood of several hundred people had been used on the barrier.


    It was truly an extremely terrifying sight!


    When Master Sunreach and the others saw this, their hearts trembled. Seeing that the ten cultivators were unable to stop the spell formation, they couldn¡¯t hold their breath any longer and flew off in three streaks of blinding light.


    ¡°Go down! This isn¡¯t a situation you can handle.¡±


    When Master Sunreach arrived above the spell formation, he glanced at the light barrier with a sullen expression.


    When the cultivators below heard this, they heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly flew back to the formation.


    As for the woman surnamed Song, she looked at the blood barrier where Han Li was and a trace of worry flashed past her eyes. She also helplessly left.


    When the shriveled old man and the others saw that Han Li and the others had been trapped, a trace of excitement naturally flashed across their faces. Now that they saw the three great cultivators flying to the spell formation, their expressions were still extremely calm, as if they were not worried at all that the three great cultivators had the ability to break through the blood barrier.


    A black-robed man and a woman had appeared behind them.


    The shriveled old man turned to the black-robed man with a dry smile and said, ¡°Sect Master Fang has succeeded. I hope the Blood Sieve Barrier is as powerful as your sect says and it can trap ten Nascent Soul cultivators for half a day. If the Heavenly South loses these ten, their strength will greatly decrease. Half a day will be enough for us to fight and defeat them.¡±


    The black-robed man glanced at the old man and coldly smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! This Blood Sieve Barrier is one of our sect¡¯s six great secret techniques. Not only does it require the sacrifice of ten Blood Corpses that have been reared for a hundred years, but it also requires the use of Devil Spirit Pills to prevent them from becoming suspicious. Ten people, including me, had to use our spiritual sense to control them in order to conceal them from the other party¡¯s detection. Even if a late Nascent Soul cultivator wanted to break this barrier, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without expending a bit of magic power and half an hour. Would you give them this opportunity?¡±


    As if to verify the black-robed man¡¯s words, Master Sunreach charged toward the blood barrier beneath him and slashed down with a blinding streak of sword Qi.


    After a series of violent rumbles, the blood barrier only trembled slightly before returning to its original state.


    When Master Sunreach saw this, his expression darkened.


    When Wei Wuya and Devil Concord saw this, they had no intention of attacking.


    With their eyesight, although only one of them had tested it, they were able to immediately assess the strength of the blood barrier¡¯s restrictions. This strange blood barrier was extremely durable, and there was something strange about it that made it difficult to break.


    However, the three of them were able to tell that the barrier was only focused on trapping enemies and had no harm on them.


    The three glanced at each other and bitterly smiled.


    They originally thought that the other party would use a powerful killing move against the ten betting cultivators in order to severely injure them. However, they didn¡¯t expect that the other party would have the intention of temporarily trapping the ten cultivators.


    This caught the three old cultivators off guard and they had miscalculated. The preparations they had made in advance had most likely been rendered ineffective.


    Wei Wuya sighed and slowly asked, ¡°Brother Huh, what kind of Devil Dao cultivation technique is this? Your six sects don¡¯t have such a cultivation technique, right? They actually had someone self-destruct in order to perform this technique. This is truly unexpected.¡±


    Devil Concord frowned and said, ¡°No, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a strange secret technique. It seems the cultivators of the Great Jin are not to be underestimated!¡±


    The three of them were vexed and did not have the mood to question the other party!


    This was because the war drums of the opposing spell warrior army had begun to sound. A portion of the spell warriors rose into the air and stopped in mid-air. Meanwhile, the spell warriors on the ground began to change their positions. Waves of incantations could be heard as they assumed an offensive stance.


    Although the army of cultivators behind them had witnessed the strange scene of the battles, they didn¡¯t panic under the guidance of the high-grade cultivators. They also began to move in formation, and spiritual light of various colors began to shine from their formations.


    After a moment of thought, Master Sunreach said, ¡°We¡¯ve suffered a great loss this time. Fortunately, they¡¯re only temporarily trapped and their lives aren¡¯t in danger. So long as we drag this out, they¡¯ll still have a chance to come out. We have more high-grade cultivators than the Moulans. Even if we lose ten of them, we won¡¯t be much weaker than spell warriors.¡±


    Although Devil Concord and Wei Wuya knew that Master Sunreach was trying to console himself, they had no choice with everything that had happened.


    Of course, the two of them were naturally quite angry.


    A fierce light flashed from Devil Concord¡¯s face as he sinisterly said, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need for us to command the war. We just have to try our best to delay the Moulan Divine Sages!¡±


    He then ignored the other two and raised his head, shouting sternly at the army of spell warriors.


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that the Moulan Divine Sages possess unfathomable Heavenly Spirit Techniques. The three of us would like to experience it. I wonder if the Divine Sages are willing to come out and fight.¡±


    Devil Concord¡¯s shout was clearly a secret technique. It was like a bolt from the blue, shaking the sky and earth for several kilometers around him.


    The incantations from both sides were suppressed for a moment. The spell warriors with low cultivation even swayed a few times and almost fell.

 Chapter 770

    The Battle at the Border (4)


    Hearing Devil Concord¡¯s challenge, the shriveled old man frowned, but then he said as if nothing had happened,


    ¡°There will be a battle against the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South sooner or later. However, I have to stay behind to preside over the battle and cannot accept the challenge. I will have to trouble Sect Master Fang for this. I¡¯ve long heard that Sect Master¡¯s True Heavenly Rakshasa Devil Arts has already been cultivated to an extremely high level and you can even be possessed by the true devilish Qi of the Heaven Fiend True Devil. It should be easy to deal with one person.¡±


    The black-robed man coldly said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already made an agreement with you, I will naturally take action. I also wish to experience the abilities of the number one devil cultivator in the Heavenly South Region!¡± Green light flashed from his eyes as he slowly rose into the air, enveloped in black Qi.


    Cultivator Zhong and Shorty Bi wordlessly flew after him as a streak of silver light and a ball of red light.


    When Master Sunreach and the other two saw this, they immediately flew into the sky as streaks of light.


    The black-robed man and the two Moulan Divine Sages chased after him.


    In the blink of an eye, the six of them disappeared into the clouds.


    However, not long after, the color of the nearby sky began to change. One moment it was fiery red, the next it was pitch-black. A series of thunderous explosions followed, and from time to time, blinding silver and rainbow light would flash past.


    The six great cultivators in the sky were engaged in battle. At a low altitude, the cultivators on the ground and the army of spell warriors were also engaged in battle.


    However, this wasn¡¯t like a battle between single cultivators or several groups of cultivators. As soon as they arrived, they would each take to the air and approach their opponents with magic treasures.


    Instead, from such a distance, the cultivators and spell warriors activated all kinds of protective restrictions at the same time as the incantations rose and fell. Giant light barriers slowly rose from both sides, enveloping the main forces of both sides.


    It was clear that the cultivators had completed their defense first.


    This didn¡¯t mean that a cultivator¡¯s five-elemental Dao techniques were faster than a spell warrior¡¯s spirit arts. It was just that most of the protective formations set up by the Heavenly South cultivators were made up of formation tools. As such, they were naturally faster than the opponent¡¯s spirit arts.


    When Long Han, who was overseeing the battle, saw this, he immediately gave the order to attack.


    The first ones to attack were a dozen or so rare treasures that attacked from a distance, including the huge gong that Han Li had seen earlier.


    At this moment, not only had the platform where the gong was placed arrived at the front of the group of cultivators, but it was also floating in the air, hovering over 100 feet above the ground. There were only seven or eight large yellow-robed men guarding it. The huge man who had been sitting cross-legged beside the gong had suddenly stood up, silently standing to the side of the gong with a three-meter-long hammer in his hand.


    A short distance away, there were two people erecting a black triangular banner that was around 50 to 60 feet tall. The banner was shimmering with black light, and there was a lifelike black flood dragon embroidered on it.


    Nine red-clothed young women each held a tray covered in red brocade. The tray was bulging with an unknown treasure. However, these nine young women formed a strange formation and floated in the air.


    Three embroidered-robed old men each carried a gourd that was half the height of a person and walked to the front of the group with narrowed eyes.


    ¡­


    The order to attack instantly fell into the ears of the cultivators in charge of the first wave.


    The large man on the bronze platform immediately opened his eyes wide, and yellow light erupted from his body. He then struck the center of the gong with a hammer in his hands.


    A burst of blinding golden light erupted, but strangely enough, the light flashed without a sound.


    In the instant that the ball of golden light appeared, it exploded, transforming into specks of golden stars that hurtled toward Han Li.


    However, after flying over 100 feet away, the golden stars turned into balls of golden mist.


    The large man continued to strike with his hammer, and countless golden stars shot out from the gong. The golden mist was like a wave as it surged towards the spell warrior army.


    As the two cultivators wildly waved the triangular black banner, a black flood dragon appeared on its surface.


    The flood dragon opened its eyes and released gusts of azure-black demonic wind from its mouth.


    The wind howled, and gusts of wind turned into a vast expanse of black. In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere, making it impossible to see anything.


    The red-clothed young women raised the red plates in their hands and began to chant an incantation. In a flash of red light, nine copper pieces with glistening red colors suddenly flew out from the plates. They gathered in the air and began to spin.


    An ancient fire-red mirror that was several feet in size appeared. Spiritual light flickered from the surface of the mirror, and countless fist-sized fire birds shot out from within. Each of the fire birds was enveloped in flames, and they spat out flames from their mouths. After a series of clear cries, they shot forth like arrows.


    The three embroidered-robed old men stood in a triangular formation and simultaneously raised the huge gourds on their backs. Bone-chilling white glacial Qi mixed with countless snowflakes and hailstones instantly turned the area in front of them into a world of ice and snow, blowing toward the opposite side at an extremely fast speed.


    ¡­


    The attacks of these rare treasures were launched almost at the same time. The opposing spell warriors barely managed to form their own protective light barrier. Without any time to counterattack, they could only deal with this round of attacks head-on under the command of the shriveled old man.


    As soon as the attacks made contact, the golden mist, black winds, and the others all exploded on the light barrier.


    For a time, all kinds of light flashed, and the spell warrior army¡¯s barrier trembled slightly.


    When Long Han saw this, he immediately issued another order. The cultivators who received the order immediately launched the second wave of attacks before the first wave of attacks had even ended.


    This attack was a large-scale attack secret technique jointly executed by the various sects.


    Beams of light of various colors and torrential demonic flames were consecutively unleashed from the cultivators¡¯ camp, instantly combining with the first round of attacks from the exotic treasures to envelop the entire spell warrior camp.


    The spell warriors¡¯ protective light barrier was completely overwhelmed by the relentless attacks.


    The shriveled old man wore a sullen expression. He hadn¡¯t expected that he would immediately be beaten up because of the late activation of their spirit techniques.


    The other party¡¯s attacks were so ferocious that he was unable to spare any spell warriors for the time being to immediately retaliate.


    In the face of such fearsome attacks, even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t dare to take it head-on without the protection of a spell formation.


    The old man suddenly turned to the black-robed woman and said, ¡°Madam Lu! It seems we¡¯ll have to use your huge beasts. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to take the initiative.¡±


    The black-robed woman smiled and nonchalantly said, ¡°Since the sect master lent those huge beasts to you, feel free to use them. There is no need to specifically tell me.¡±


    The old man nodded with satisfaction and immediately gave the order.


    A series of earth-shattering beast roars erupted as a dozen or so massive figures forcefully charged out from the spell warriors¡¯ barriers amidst all sorts of attacks. They were none other than the armored savage beasts.


    As soon as these huge beasts emerged, they immediately rushed in the direction of the cultivator camp.


    At this moment, a portion of the cultivators¡¯ attacks were aimed at the huge beasts.


    The techniques attacking the spell warriors slowed down slightly.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, several tens of high-grade spell warriors hurriedly flew out. At the same time, they summoned several tens of pellets of different colors and began to chant.


    An unbelievable scene unfolded.


    Some of the pellets fell straight into the ground and disappeared. Some of them were wrapped in azure light, while others condensed into a ball of clear water or erupted with flames of their own accord, enveloping them in raging flames.


    Then, from the ground, from the azure light, and from the water and fire, demon beasts of different shapes appeared out of thin air.


    There were yellow soil pythons that were over 100 feet long, huge fire wolves that were over 70 to 80 feet tall, azure strange birds that were faintly discernible, and blue demon turtles that were covered in mist¡­


    As soon as these demon beasts appeared, they immediately followed behind the savage beasts and pounced towards the army of cultivators.


    In addition to their innately tough skin and thick flesh, as well as the armor they were wearing, they had all sorts of defensive spells cast on their bodies. Although they were attacked by all kinds of spells and were covered in injuries in the blink of an eye, miraculously, none of them fell.


    However, the transformed beasts behind them were no longer able to do so.


    Although their auras were equally astonishing, most of their bodies were scattered after a round of attacks, turning into specks of spiritual light that disappeared without a trace.


    As for those pellets, they had lost a lot of spiritual Qi and directly fell to the ground.


    However, the high-grade spell warriors acted as if they didn¡¯t see this. At the same time, they raised their hands and threw out another batch of pellets. After chanting an incantation, one monster after another appeared and charged forward fearlessly.


    At this moment, the expressions of many cultivators changed slightly. They unconsciously increased the number of spell techniques aimed at these monsters, and the pressure on the spell warriors was greatly reduced.


    Long Han¡¯s expression darkened slightly upon seeing this, and he hurriedly wanted to give some instructions, but it was already too late.


    With great difficulty, the shriveled old man seized the opportunity and gave an order. He had already drawn out a small portion of his spell warriors to switch to their attack-type spell techniques. Immediately, spiritual light of various colors erupted. As they chanted, huge fireballs with a diameter of three meters and ice spears as thick as small trees began to condense in the air.


    ¡°Spirit Technique Array!¡±


    Upon seeing this, Long Han muttered to himself. Knowing that he could no longer suppress his opponent, he hurriedly sent a voice transmission.


    All of a sudden, the exotic treasures ceased their attacks, and their owners hurriedly retreated back into the formation with them, returning to the protection of the restrictions.


    At the same time, over 1,000 cultivators with high cultivation bases flew out from the air above the cultivators¡¯ camp. Each of them held a formation flag that was several feet in length, and they quickly formed a massive and intimidating spell formation. Afterwards, they all tossed the formation flags in their hands into the air.


    A large expanse of five-colored light barrier appeared above the cultivators¡¯ camp. It was like a huge shield, providing an additional layer of protection to the cultivator army.


    At that moment, over a hundred huge fireballs shot forth from the other side, followed by over a thousand huge ice spears.


    Waves of fire and icy mist immediately enveloped the entire army of cultivators.


    As for the huge beasts and the demon beasts that the projectiles had transformed into, they had already covered more than half of the distance. After a few rounds of magic technique attacks, they had completely arrived in front of the cultivators.


    Of the dozen or so huge beasts, only seven or eight were left, and more than half of the demon beasts that had undergone their second metamorphosis had been destroyed.


    However, in the face of the dense army of cultivators, these demon beasts showed no fear of death and continued to charge forward in an overbearing manner.

 Chapter 771

    The Battle at the Border (5)


    The five-colored barrier condensed by the cultivators was clearly a restriction that specifically countered spirit techniques. What came appeared to be an astonishing attack, but the rainbow barrier remained completely unaffected.


    When Long Han saw this, a trace of joy appeared on his face.


    The thousand or so cultivators that flew out were all elite disciples of the Nine Nations Union that had been trained for a long time. This was why they were able to set up this formation so skillfully.


    After seeing its power, he realized that Wei Wuya didn¡¯t exaggerate.


    When the shriveled old man saw that his attack was ineffective, his expression turned unsightly, but he gave the order to attack again without any hesitation.


    As the spell warriors chanted, what condensed this time were no longer simple fireballs and ice spears. Instead, fire crows and crystalline ice pythons slowly took shape in the air.


    Of course, compared to the first round of attacks, this round naturally took a longer time.


    At that moment, there was a slight commotion among the opposing cultivators, and a group of green-robed cultivators flew out of the barrier.


    At the same time, they removed their spirit beast pouches from their waists and tossed them into the air. The spirit beast pouches opened and spat out rainbow light, from which several tens of demon beasts of different shapes and sizes flew out.


    The three in the lead were especially extraordinary.


    One of them had dragon horns on its head and scales on its body. It was a rarely seen Dragon Horse Beast. Another one was a two-headed demonic lion covered in green fur.


    The final scorpion was even more terrifying. It was a huge crimson scorpion that was around fifty to sixty feet in length. The hook on its back was pitch-black and violet in color, causing anyone who saw it to tremble!


    These demon beasts were a group of powerful spirit beasts meticulously raised by the Devil Dao¡¯s Controlling Spirit Sect. As soon as they were released, under the lead of the three demon beasts, they immediately faced the oncoming giant beasts and the Void Spirit Beasts unleashed by the spell warriors.


    For a time, demonic winds blew as the beasts engaged in battle.


    Although the three spirit beasts in the lead were only able to deal with one of the wild beasts, the rest of the spirit beasts were numerous. They had also been trained, and they were able to block the huge beasts¡¯ advance. In fact, they even had the upper hand.


    At the same time that the demon beasts flew out, thousands of cultivators also rose into the air. They split into five teams and directly rushed towards the opposite side. Along the way, they activated their own magic tools and launched rain-like attacks at the spell warriors¡¯ camp.


    The spell warriors were clearly more ferocious than before. The cultivators wouldn¡¯t wait for their opponents to finish casting the spell.


    The densely packed magic tools were like a tempestuous wave, continuously crashing into the Moulan defensive formation.


    The shriveled old man¡¯s expression darkened, and he let loose a cold harrumph. A large number of spell warriors also flew out, and the two sides instantly engaged in a fierce battle in the air between the two formations. Spirit techniques, magic tools, and magic treasures transformed into countless fireflies that intertwined.


    Hundreds of barriers and magic tools were destroyed after a brief confrontation, and their bodies directly exploded as they plummeted from the sky.


    It could be said to be extremely tragic!


    However, with this slight delay, the spell warriors had already finished preparing their spiritual spell attacks.


    Tens of Fire Ravens and Ice Pythons seemed to have come to life as they hurtled toward the army of cultivators.


    However, this time, the cultivator army was also prepared. Before these attacks could land, countless magic treasures and magic tools soared into the sky, instantly destroying most of the Fire Ravens and Ice Pythons.


    The few that managed to escape the net were all blocked by the rainbow light barrier. Although the light barrier swayed a few times, it didn¡¯t suffer any real threat.


    However, Long Han frowned when he saw this.


    It seemed that although the Nine Nations Union¡¯s protective formation was powerful, it was still unable to completely block the more powerful spirit art attacks.


    Thus, he took a deep breath and coldly gave the order.


    The army of cultivators held up the five-colored barrier and slowly approached the spell warrior camp.


    At the same time, the cultivators took out their magic tools and magic treasures, transforming them into various types of spiritual light that floated in the air or protected their bodies. Various incantations rang out, and these magic tools and magic treasures glowed with even greater spiritual light, ready to strike at any moment.


    When the old man in the spell warrior camp saw this, a cold glint flashed through his eyes. He knew that the other party had taken the risk to attack because they didn¡¯t want to give the enemy any more time to cast their spirit spell formation. And from the looks of it, the spell warriors indeed didn¡¯t have the time to launch another round of attacks.


    He gave the same command, and the spell warrior army slowly moved forward against the huge light barrier.


    The distance between the two sides rapidly shortened.


    When they were only 1,000 feet away from each other and could even faintly make out the faces of their enemies, seven soft pops rang out from the ranks of cultivators.


    Seven white jade talismans were cast out by the seven Phoenix Cry Sect elders with solemn expressions.


    As soon as the jade talismans left their hands, they transformed into seven streaks of white light that shot into the air above the spell warrior army. They circled a hundred feet in the air before revealing their true forms.


    In the blink of an eye, earth-shattering thunderclaps suddenly erupted from the jade talismans.


    Soon after, the seven jade talismans shattered, revealing seven balls of dazzling white lightning.


    Then, they rapidly enlarged.


    In the blink of an eye, they had transformed into massive existences that resembled blazing suns.


    The seven blazing suns that were over 100 feet in diameter were hovering above the army of cultivators.


    This scene was truly astonishing. Many spell warriors couldn¡¯t help but raise their heads to take a look, and astonishment appeared on their faces.


    ¡°Not good! Ancient talismans!¡±


    When the shriveled old man saw this, he turned pale with fright.


    But before he could do anything, the seven blazing suns exploded one after another.


    The air above the spell warriors was instantly filled with crackling arcs of scorching white lightning, transforming into seven huge electric nets that swept down.


    The other cultivators seemed to have been awakened, and countless colorful talismans that flashed with various colors were thrown out in all directions.


    At that moment, rumbling thunder erupted amid a burst of white light.


    ¡­


    ¡°Looks like the battle outside is very lively!¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    At this moment, he was staring at the blood-red barrier in front of him with his hands behind his back. There was no trace of panic on his face.


    Ever since he found out that the spell warriors had planned to trap them, the trace of worry in Han Li¡¯s heart disappeared.


    Although the Moulan people used this method because they were definitely confident in this barrier, Han Li was more confident in breaking this restriction.


    However, he had to be more careful about when he would leave and what methods he would use to break through the barrier.


    It wasn¡¯t that the earlier he got out, the better.


    Although Han Li was willing to help the Heavenly South fight against the Moulans, he also did not want to be cannon fodder and die in a chaotic battle.


    After all, this wasn¡¯t a one-on-one battle. It was more than enough to deal with one opponent.


    If he were to be targeted by several Nascent Soul cultivators or attacked by hundreds of spell warriors at the same time, it would be extremely dangerous even with his Lightning Movement Technique.


    Only by avoiding the initial chaos, and when most of the high-grade cultivators and spell warriors were fighting, would he be able to go out safely. The possibility of being besieged would be greatly reduced.


    Of course, if not for the appearance of the blood barrier, Han Li would have other methods to avoid the initial confrontation.


    But now, he was able to dodge the most dangerous part of the battle.


    Furthermore, the thunderclaps that came earlier were truly astonishing. Even if Han Li was here, he could still feel the tremors from the thunderclaps. It should be a sign that the two sides had finally come into contact.


    He didn¡¯t know which side had unleashed such an astonishing attack. It was likely that the other side wouldn¡¯t have an easy time withstanding such a powerful attack.


    Thinking of this, Han Li sighed and turned his head to look at the other walls.


    This blood barrier was indeed strange. Even with his spiritual sense, he could not penetrate it at all. Furthermore, this restriction clearly looked like a Devil Dao technique. However, when the Divine Devilbane Lightning struck it, it did not have the slightest effect. This piqued Han Li¡¯s interest.


    Previously, he had used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to examine the various parts of the blood barrier.


    In the end, apart from a patch of red, there was nothing else.


    However, Han Li was not in a hurry. The battle outside had just begun not long ago, so he had plenty of time to study the method to break the barrier.


    Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a small azure sword.


    Under the control of his spiritual sense, the sword transformed into a foot-long streak of azure light and fiercely struck the barrier.


    A muffled bang rang out, but the barrier remained completely still. Instead, the flying sword was repelled three meters away.


    Han Li did not appear surprised. After putting away the flying sword, he flipped his hand and a black item appeared in his hand. It was the ancient castle of ¡°Thousand Layer Mountain¡±.


    Han Li tossed the treasure into the air and made a hand seal.


    After a flash of black light, a small mountain that was over 100 feet tall silently appeared in front of Han Li.


    Han Li stretched out his finger and pointed at the mountain.


    The mountain immediately trembled before crashing down toward the wall in the distance.


    A resounding boom rang out as black and crimson light intertwined. The mountain was also repelled, and the barrier only inadvertently trembled several times.


    Han Li finally revealed a trace of surprise.


    After stroking his chin, he suddenly pointed at the small mountain again.


    This time, the treasure flew to the center of the blood barrier as a streak of black light.


    Afterwards, he chanted an incantation, and the small mountain rapidly expanded in the light. A short moment later, it was over 700 to 800 feet tall, and the summit and the bottom of the mountain were about to touch the top of the barrier and the ground.


    Han Li had no intention of stopping. Instead, he raised his hand and shot a few more spell seals at the small mountain.


    The speed at which the small mountain was enlarging increased by 30%.


    The three-hundred-meter-tall mountain shook with a series of rumbling booms, and it stood in the middle of the blood barrier like a pillar of light. Black spiritual light flickered all over its body.


    Under this pressure, the top of the blood barrier began to deform and protrude.


    The entire barrier shook violently.


    Han Li was overjoyed when he saw this. The spiritual power in his body quickly circulated and he continuously struck the small mountain with various spell techniques.


    The black mountain was still slowly expanding, and the deformation at the top of the blood barrier was becoming more and more obvious.


    However, when the protrusion reached a certain point, no matter how Han Li activated the spell, the deformation of the blood barrier strangely stopped. The enlarging of the huge black mountain also stopped.


    Han Li stopped his hand seals and stared at the top of the blood barrier, narrowing his eyes.


    It seemed that the idea of using the Thousand Layer Mountain to break through this restriction wouldn¡¯t work. The next step was to test whether the Celestial Ice Flame and the Purple Apex Flame could break through this barrier.

 Chapter 772

    The Battle at the Border (6)


    Han Li waved at the huge black mountain.


    The small mountain shrunk to only a few inches in size before flying into his sleeve as a streak of black light.


    The top of the blood-red light barrier had also returned to its original shape. It appeared that the barrier was quite durable.


    Han Li turned around and extended a finger. With a puff, a light blue fireball the size of a walnut appeared on his fingertip.


    ¡°Go,¡± Han Li said softly. With a light flick, the fireball shot towards the wall in the distance.


    With a light bang, the blue flames exploded and the blue ice instantly spread, covering the entire barrier.


    The temperature within the blood barrier dropped drastically, turning into a world of extreme cold. The temperature was so low that it could turn one¡¯s breath into ice.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s body swayed and he appeared in front of a shining blue barrier.


    He raised his hand, and an azure sword Qi struck the thick layer of ice. The sound of ice shattering rang out, and crystalline ice fragments scattered in all directions.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened upon seeing where the sword Qi had struck.


    As the ice fragments fell, the blood-red barrier remained unscathed, and the viscous blood on it showed no signs of being truly frozen.


    There was only a thin layer of blue frost on its surface, but the blood Qi was still roiling within.


    Han Li pondered for a moment before raising his hand and waving it in the wind. A layer of purple devil flames suddenly covered his entire palm. He stretched out his hand without hesitation and gently pressed against the barrier.


    As expected, the Purple Apex Flame was slightly more powerful than the Celestial Ice Flame.


    As soon as the purple flames approached the barrier, a sizzling sound rang out, and the blood mist on the barrier instantly solidified, emanating a dazzling purple light.


    Han Li¡¯s face was filled with joy.


    He carefully controlled the Purple Apex Flame, limiting its power to the small barrier in front of him. He opened his mouth again, and a thunderclap sounded. A bolt of golden lightning shot out from his mouth and struck the barrier.


    After the golden light flashed, a thin crack appeared on the barrier.


    However, the crimson light wildly flashed several times before the cracks disappeared.


    Han Li was stunned!


    There were quite a few tricks to this blood barrier. Although it was frozen, it was still able to repair itself.


    It was no wonder that the Moulan people were so confident in using this restriction. Even the Purple Apex Flame was unable to break through it. It was indeed capable of trapping ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Although he was a little shocked, Han Li immediately slapped his storage pouch and a shiny green thumb-sized bead appeared in his palm.


    It was none other than the newly refined lightning bead.


    Ever since he refined it, he hadn¡¯t used it once. Now was a good time to test its power.


    Furthermore, after the thunderclap, Han Li could no longer sense the situation of the battle outside. However, judging from the time, it should be past the beginning stage. It should not be a big problem for him to go out.


    Otherwise, if he delayed any longer and didn¡¯t go out to help, if the cultivator army were to suffer a great defeat, he would be like a bird in a cage. There would be no way for him to escape.


    With that in mind, Han Li¡¯s palm flashed, and the lightning bead spun, turning into a streak of azure light that shot towards the barrier. At the same time, his body shot backwards.


    A dull thunderclap sounded, following which a head-sized ball of golden-azure light rose from the barrier.


    The entire barrier trembled violently upon impact.


    Surprise flashed across Han Li¡¯s face.


    The power of this bead seemed to be above his expectations!


    Just as this thought arose in his mind, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly changed slightly. Green spiritual light radiated from his body, and he flew out as a streak of azure light.


    With a single strike from the lightning bead, a small hole was easily punched through the barrier. This caused Han Li, who had sensed it, to fly out without much thought.


    The hole was rapidly shrinking.


    When Han Li shot out of the blood-red barrier, he was naturally overjoyed. This lightning bead refined from the azure lantern flame that was as powerful as the Purple Apex Flame was actually able to break through this restriction so easily. This was truly beyond his expectations.


    Originally, he thought that if this lightning bead didn¡¯t work, he could only use the Gold Devouring Beetle and the Blood Devil Sword.


    Although the former could devour anything, it would take some time to break this barrier. The latter would cause endless trouble in the future, and Han Li was unwilling to use it.


    However, the Nameless Lightning Bead he had refined was actually able to break through the blood barrier. This was naturally a pleasant surprise.


    It seemed that the reason why the Purple Apex Flame was unable to break through this restriction was most likely because it was essentially of the ice attribute, unlike the lantern flames, which were genuine fire attribute spiritual flames that could counter the enemy.


    However, just as Han Li flew out, before he could clearly see the situation outside the barrier, he heard a few surprised cries, followed by all kinds of explosions, explosions, and countless loud roars.


    Han Li hurriedly took a closer look and could not help but be stunned.


    At this moment, he was surrounded by more than ten spell warriors. Fortunately, with a sweep of his spiritual sense, he found that these spell warriors¡¯ levels were not very high. Two of them were in the Core Formation Stage, and the rest were in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Each of them held a spell flag, as if they were preparing to use some kind of spiritual spell attack. After Han Li flew out of the blood barrier, he was in the air above these people.


    Han Li ignored them and looked around. He could not help but gasp.


    As far as the eye could see, be it the sky or the ground, they were densely packed with flashes of spiritual light and the sounds of explosions. The cultivators of both sides, as well as spell warriors in groups, had formed countless battles of various sizes, completely engaging in a chaotic battle.


    For a moment, Han Li could not tell which side had the upper hand.


    Without another glance, Han Li hurriedly retracted his gaze and coldly sized up the nearby spell warriors.


    When the dozen spell warriors saw Han Li suddenly rush out of the blood barrier, they were naturally dumbfounded.


    ¡°Not good! He¡¯s a Nascent Soul cultivator! Quickly call the Grand Sage over.¡± A Core Formation spell warrior was the first to react. After shouting out loud, he immediately slapped the back of his head and a jade-green flying saber shot towards Han Li. At the same time, his figure turned into a green light and shot back more than 100 feet, pulling away from Han Li.


    When the other spell warriors heard this, they also reacted in shock.


    Another Core Formation spell warrior immediately cooperated and released a fiery red flying trident. At the same time, he raised his other hand, and a sound transmission talisman transformed into a streak of fiery light that tore through the air. As for the remaining spell warriors with low cultivation, they raised the spell flags in their hands and chanted loudly. Over ten fire pillars as thick as bowls shot out from the tips of the flags, turning into a sea of flames that surged towards Han Li.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Seeing that these spell warriors did not run away, but took the initiative to attack, wanting to delay him, Han Li was slightly surprised.


    However, a baleful aura flashed across his face. He waved his sleeve, and azure light speckled. Dozens of Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords swarmed out from his sleeve. He casually cast a spell, and after each flying sword lightly trembled, it immediately split into several sword lights. In an instant, dense sword lights surrounded Han Li. Sword Qi soared into the sky, and they looked extremely imposing.


    When the two Core Formation spell warriors saw this, they were given a huge fright. However, they still braced themselves and commanded their magic treasures to attack.


    Han Li sneered and casually pointed with his fingers. Several sword lights flew out from each of his hands, blocking the flying dagger and the trident.


    Brilliant azure light erupted, and the two magic treasures began to wail incessantly under the pressure of the sword Qi. Their spiritual light instantly shrunk into a small ball.


    As for the surging flames, before they could even reach Han Li, they were turned into nothingness by the many sword lights.


    Now was not the time to dawdle with these spell warriors. Han Li had no intention of holding back. After he spat out the word ¡°go¡±, a hundred sword lights suddenly shone brightly and shot out at the same time.


    Green light that blotted out the sky and covered the earth pounced toward each spell warrior at the same time.


    Although the Foundation Establishment spell warriors all took out the spell flags in their hands in an attempt to block the attack, these people were minced into meat paste as soon as the azure sword light descended. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to escape.


    However, when the two Core Formation spell warriors saw so many sword lights flying toward them, their faces turned deathly pale.


    Regardless of how bold and valiant they were, they didn¡¯t dare to withstand such an astonishing attack. Without any hesitation, they flew in the opposite direction of each other as streaks of light.


    When Han Li saw this, a cold light flashed in his eyes.


    He formed hand seals and the two streaks of sword Qi that were hurtling toward the two of them let out a clear ring before suddenly joining together. The magic power of the sword Qi combined together to increase their speed by a large margin.


    The two pitiful Moulan spell warriors had only flown over 200 feet when they were completely enveloped by the sword light.


    Although they were doing their utmost to activate the protective treasure light and release all sorts of spirit techniques in an attempt to hold on, the azure light had instantly reduced them to nothingness.


    The two of them didn¡¯t even have the chance to utter a sound before their bodies were sliced into countless pieces by the sword Qi. Their primal souls also didn¡¯t have a chance to escape and were directly melted by the sword Qi.


    However, just as Han Li succeeded, a furious roar came from the sky, followed by a piercing yellow light that flew down from the sky at an extremely fast speed.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and after a thunderclap sounded from behind him, he instantly spread his Thunderstorm Wings.


    Silver light flashed and he disappeared without a trace.


    When the yellow streak of light saw this, it couldn¡¯t help but pause for a moment. After the light faded, a beardless old man wearing a yellow robe appeared in midair. Although his face was filled with rage, there was bewilderment in the depths of his eyes.


    This person was one of the Moulan Grand Sages. He was originally coordinating with the other spell warriors in a confrontation with a few Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly South Region. As soon as he received a message from his clansmen, he immediately flew over.


    However, even though his actions were fast enough, he was only able to see two of his clansmen being slain by the azure sword light. Naturally, he was furious.


    One of them was his personal disciple, and he had always viewed him as a nephew.


    However, Han Li¡¯s sudden disappearance gave him a fright. He immediately thought of an extremely powerful character among the cultivators in the Heavenly South Region. He hurriedly restrained the resentment in his heart and continuously probed his surroundings with his spiritual sense.


    A silver light flashed behind him, and Han Li¡¯s figure appeared.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    As soon as he sensed Han Li¡¯s appearance, the old man spun around without a second thought. He raised his hand and a cubic magic treasure fiercely smashed towards Han Li.


    As soon as the treasure appeared, brilliant yellow light erupted from it, instantly transforming it into a huge brick that was over 100 feet in size. At the same time, a sharp whistle of wind sounded from the magic treasure with an astonishing momentum.

 Chapter 773

    The Battle at the Border (7)


    Han Li expressionlessly raised his hand and the blue light shield flew out of his hand. In the blink of an eye, the shield swelled and turned into a huge shield in front of him.


    A loud boom erupted as yellow and blue light intertwined. The huge brick and the blue shield trembled and were sent flying at the same time. It appeared that they were evenly matched.


    When Han Li saw the huge shield flying towards him, he expressionlessly pointed his finger at it.


    In a flash of azure light, the shield strangely came to a stop.


    After circling around, the huge brick turned into a yellow light again and smashed towards Han Li.


    Han Li sneered. Silver lightning flashed behind him and he disappeared again.


    When the yellow-robed old man saw this, his heart jolted and he raised his hand without another thought. A small purple flag shot out from his hand, instantly transforming into a purple cloud that protected his entire body.


    At this moment, a thunderclap sounded from the old man¡¯s left, and Han Li¡¯s figure appeared. He opened his mouth and spat out a small sword that was several inches long.


    As soon as the sword left his mouth, it was instantly enveloped in a layer of deep blue flames and shot toward the purple cloud in a flash.


    The old man in the purple cloud was originally calm, but when he saw the blue flames on the flying sword, he revealed fear as if he had seen a poisonous scorpion.


    Without a second thought, his body blurred and he instantly moved three meters away in an attempt to dodge the attack.


    However, the old man didn¡¯t expect that in the instant he moved, a faintly discernible female figure would suddenly appear behind him. She raised her hand and shot out an azure bead at lightning speed.


    This woman appeared silently like a ghost. It was as if the old man was sending himself in front of her. Her timing was ingenious, and she cooperated seamlessly with Han Li.


    Even so, the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul spiritual sense was able to sense the abnormality behind him.


    However, at such a short distance, he was unable to dodge. The only thing he could do was to pour all of his magic power into the protective purple cloud.


    The purple cloud formed from this ancient treasure was quite powerful, and he was quite confident in it!


    With a loud boom, the golden and azure light exploded, and the purple cloud, which originally appeared extraordinary, disintegrated in the light. The old man inside wailed, and half of his body disappeared without a trace. The remaining half was about to be completely devoured by the azure flames.


    When the old man saw this, his still intact head was filled with shock, anger, and disbelief. However, it immediately turned into an extremely resentful expression as he gritted his teeth.


    With a bang, the remains of the old man¡¯s body exploded on its own, and a ball of piercing yellow light shot out from within, covering over 100 feet in an instant. There was an inch-tall infant with a similar appearance to the old man.


    When the yellow-robed old man saw that the situation was far from good, he decisively abandoned his physical body and had his Nascent Soul fly out, hoping to escape with his life.


    However, Han Li seemed to have expected this. The moment his Nascent Soul flew out, he disappeared in the silver light again. In a flash, he appeared in front of the Nascent Soul¡¯s escape route.


    He raised his hand, and amid a thunderclap, a golden net came crashing down.


    At the same time, the small sword covered in blue flames shot forth from behind him.


    When the infant in the yellow light saw this, fear appeared on its face. It opened its mouth in alarm and spat out an inch-large alms bowl that flashed with silver light to meet the golden net.


    Before the alms bowl could come into contact with the golden net, it was shattered by the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul technique.


    After the silver light flashed, countless fragments scattered in all directions. The net of lightning that was originally falling from the sky couldn¡¯t help but tremble slightly after being struck by the magic treasure fragments.


    In that short moment of delay, the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul used instant movement. Yellow light flashed around his body, and his Nascent Soul disappeared without a trace. However, in the next moment, it appeared 300 feet away and disappeared in a streak of light.


    The golden net was only a step away from enveloping him, allowing him to escape.


    Han Li frowned and looked in the direction where the Nascent Soul disappeared. He had no intention of chasing after it.


    The white-clothed woman flew over with the old man¡¯s storage pouch and said with surprise, ¡°This person is quite wise. In order to escape, he destroyed his own magic treasure. Such a ruthless character is truly rare.¡±


    It was Silvermoon, who had been secretly released by Han Li as soon as he flew out of the blood barrier.


    ¡°Humph! He¡¯s not fated to die!¡± Han Li was also depressed.


    It seemed that both the Thunderstorm Wings and the Celestial Ice Flame were already well known to the Moulans. It would no longer be an easy task to kill a high-grade spell warrior.


    ¡°However, your movement technique seems to be even more wondrous than before. This person actually didn¡¯t notice you at such a close distance.¡± Han Li glanced at Silvermoon from the corner of his eye and said indifferently.


    Silvermoon chuckled and crisply said, ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve advanced this four-eyed fox demon¡¯s concealment ability by a level. In addition, Master was the one who distracted this person¡¯s attention. He had no way of diverting his attention, allowing me to easily succeed.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps!¡± Han Li nodded noncommittally.


    Although Silvermoon had already become his Artifact Spirit and was the only person in this world who shared the secret of the small bottle, for some reason, he felt that this woman was always shrouded in a mysterious veil, making him feel that he could not see through her.


    After exchanging a few words with Silvermoon, Han Li sized up the entire battlefield again.


    This time, he was much more careful. At first glance, this place could only be described as ¡°chaotic¡±. However, Han Li could still see the general situation.


    Apart from the six cultivators that were still fighting at an unknown height in the sky, the entire battlefield was divided into several situations.


    One situation consisted of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of cultivators. They formed battle groups of various sizes and gathered in a small area to kill the enemy.


    These people were mostly cultivators of the same sect or spell warriors of a certain tribe. They were used to fighting together. As a result, they would immediately gather together to fight the enemy as soon as the battle began. This was much better than fighting alone!


    As such, it wasn¡¯t easy for them to lose their lives. Most of the battles were in a deadlock, unable to determine the victor in time.


    Another type of situation was when there were only a few people fighting alone or a few people attacking a single person.


    These cultivators were mostly high-grade cultivators or spell warriors. Their battles were even more dangerous than the battles in the first situation. Often, a single mistake would result in the destruction of one¡¯s body and soul.


    The final situation was that both sides were using some inconceivable secret techniques and treasures in an extremely intense confrontation.


    The most eye-catching thing was that there was a large expanse of extremely black ghost fog that was emitting a shrill whistle. It was currently moving as fast as lightning in mid-air. Regardless of which spell warrior was enveloped by this fog, they would immediately turn into a withered corpse and fall to the ground. Wherever it passed, all the spell warriors would retreat three feet in fear.


    Behind the ghost mist, there were several spell warriors that were unafraid of the mist. They were continuously releasing wind and lightning-attributed spiritual spells and magic treasures to wildly attack the mist. With every strike, a piece of the mist would be dispersed. However, there were also people in the mist that were continuously waving their banner-like magic tools, and the mist was also faintly increasing, causing the Moulan spell warriors to be helpless against the ghost mist.


    At another location, there were over a dozen high-grade cultivators fighting a stone giant that was over 1,000 feet tall.


    The giant appeared to be made of ordinary limestone. Not only was it massive, but it was also capable of hurling rocks as thick as millstones. Even though these cultivators were protected by magic treasures, they weren¡¯t willing to take the attack head-on.


    On the giant¡¯s shoulder, there was a spell warrior standing on either side, constantly activating their magic treasures to assist the giant.


    There were also some cultivators and spell warriors who were controlling some extremely powerful treasures and fighting against each other.


    Each of these treasures possessed astonishing abilities, far surpassing ordinary ancient treasures. It seemed that they were either the sect-protecting treasures of the various sects or the ultimate treasures of the Moulan tribes.


    This broadened Han Li¡¯s horizons.


    Although Han Li rushed out of the blood barrier, because it was too chaotic, only a few nearby battle groups had the time to notice him.


    However, the closest battle groups to him were all thousands of feet away.


    But just like that, two other Moulan Grand Sages immediately flew out from the battle. They turned into two streaks of light and charged towards Han Li aggressively.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s ruthless methods just now, even killing a Grand Sage of the same level in the blink of an eye, the two of them did not have the slightest confidence in winning.


    However, they didn¡¯t dare to leave such a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator alone. His destructive power would be too great.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Li coldly said to Silvermoon, showing no intention of being trapped by the Nascent Soul spell warriors again.


    Soon after, brilliant light erupted as a streak of azure light, hurtling toward the next blood barrier.


    Silvermoon faltered slightly upon seeing this, but she immediately understood what was going on. With a strange smile, her body blurred and disappeared.


    As soon as the azure light arrived above the blood barrier, it paused for a moment before shooting out a lightning bead. Then, without even looking at the result, Han Li directly shot towards the next blood barrier.


    Han Li actually planned to first rescue the other trapped Nascent Soul cultivators one by one!


    A series of loud booms rang out from behind him as a streak of crimson light flashed through the air, followed by a burst of joyful laughter.


    ¡°Which Fellow Daoist has lent me a hand? Shattered Soul is extremely grateful.¡± The crimson light receded to reveal a black-robed cultivator with a peculiar appearance.


    ¡°Shattered Soul?¡± Han Li was slightly surprised. He did not expect that this person would be the first to be rescued.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, help me block those two. I¡¯ll go and save the other Fellow Daoists first.¡± Han Li thought for a moment and immediately transmitted his voice to Shattered Soul.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han. I can¡¯t thank you enough for your kindness. Leave this matter to me.¡± When the black-robed cultivator heard Han Li¡¯s words, he revealed surprise, but he immediately agreed with a calm expression. Then, he turned into a streak of white light and blocked the two Grand Sages of Moulan who were chasing after him.


    When Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense noticed this scene, he was elated. At full speed, he arrived above the next blood barrier. He raised his hand again, and another ball of green light shot out from his hand.


    However, at this moment, something unexpected appeared.


    Suddenly, gray light flashed from the top of the blood barrier, and a large embroidered-robed man appeared without warning. He wore a solemn expression as he looked at the lightning beads flying toward him.


    Han Li was shocked! When did this person infiltrate this place? Why did he not notice it at all?


    After scanning this person with his spiritual sense, Han Li could not help but be dumbfounded.

 Chapter 774

    The Battle at the Border (8)


    After probing with his spiritual sense, he discovered that the brocade-robed man was at the late-Nascent Soul Stage! He was actually a Moulan Divine Sage! Wasn¡¯t it said that Moulan only had three Divine Sages?


    Han Li¡¯s heart was filled with shock. Before he could understand what was going on, the brocade-robed man raised his hand and grabbed at the air in the face of the lightning beads.


    Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Without any further thought, he hurriedly pointed, and the lightning bead immediately turned around and was about to change directions.


    However, it was too late.


    A large azure hand suddenly appeared above the lightning bead and grabbed it with lightning speed.


    There was no way to dodge!


    Han Li raised his eyebrows and made a hand seal without hesitation, detonating the restricted lightning bead.


    The golden and azure light exploded in the huge hand, and the huge hand and the lightning bead instantly disappeared without a trace.


    The large embroidered-robed man harrumphed coldly, but azure light flashed from his face before his expression returned to normal.


    Han Li did not make a move to escape. He just stared at the other party coldly and did not say a word.


    The brocade-robed man looked up at Han Li and said indifferently, ¡°You are Han Li, the cultivator with the Golden Lightning Bamboo!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Moulan only have three Divine Sages? Who are you?¡± Han Li did not answer the burly man¡¯s question. Instead, he asked another question.


    ¡°Good! You¡¯re still able to remain so calm despite knowing that I¡¯m a Moulan Divine Sage. It seems that you¡¯re indeed the person Divine Sage Zhong mentioned. I¡¯m Tian Zhong, the fourth Divine Sage of Moulan!¡± the large man in embroidered robes said with neither shock nor joy.


    ¡°Fourth Divine Sage? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of this. However, your transformed hand can¡¯t even restrain my lightning bead. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve only entered the late-stage and haven¡¯t even consolidated your cultivation yet!¡± Han Li stared at the burly man and said bluntly. At the same time, he pointed at the sword lights in front of him in a seemingly casual manner. Immediately, the swords cried out in unison and turned into a green mist that stood in front of Han Li.


    ¡°I only reached the late-Nascent Soul Stage a few years ago, but do you really think you¡¯ll be able to fight me? You sure are arrogant,¡± the embroidered-robed man sneered.


    ¡°He can¡¯t do it alone, but what if I join him?¡± A pleasant female voice suddenly sounded from the side.


    Han Li was stunned at first, but he was immediately overjoyed.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The large man was startled and his eyes flickered as he asked in a stern voice.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Tian to advance to the late-Nascent Soul Stage in just over a hundred years. I am truly shocked! I wonder if Fellow Daoist Tian¡¯s abilities have truly grown.¡±


    With that said, white light flashed and a red-robed woman appeared in mid-air, coldly looking at the embroidered-robed man.


    The embroidered-robed man¡¯s expression stirred upon seeing the red-robed woman, and he said, ¡°So it¡¯s Lady Feng. However, aren¡¯t you afraid that something will happen to Fellow Daoist Long Han? You and your husband have always worked together to fight against enemies.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! My husband is among thousands of cultivators. Even if you Divine Sages personally take action, you won¡¯t be able to do anything to him. I really want to test the divine power of the fourth Divine Sage. Fellow Daoist Han, go and save the other Fellow Daoists,¡± the woman said to Han Li. Then, she raised her hand and opened her palm, revealing a sparkling red bottle.


    Before the woman could activate it, the bottle flashed with red light and a ball of raging flames enveloped it before gently floating into the air.


    ¡°The Fire Spirit Bottle!¡± The large embroidered-robed man wore a solemn expression and muttered.


    When Han Li heard the beautiful woman¡¯s words, he did not hold back and flew into the sky as a streak of azure light.


    The brocade-robed man¡¯s expression sank and he suddenly took out a spirit beast pouch from his waist. He raised it into the air and spat out a mist of light, revealing two identical winged beasts with azure feathers and the heads of tigers and the bodies of eagles.


    ¡°Heavenly Tigers!¡± Seeing the appearance of these two beasts, Han Li was shocked and blurted out the names of the beasts.


    These were extremely rare flying beasts in the Moulan Plains. They were proficient in earth and wind-type spells and were extremely difficult to deal with. Furthermore, these two seemed to have reached the late-Core Formation realm, so they definitely couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    At this moment, the two Heavenly Tigers suddenly spread their wings and disappeared in the azure light. In the next moment, they appeared near Han Li one after another, staring at him covetously.


    Han Li withdrew his light and came to a sudden stop.


    ¡°Teleportation!¡± Han Li secretly complained in his heart. He had long heard that this kind of demon beast had the ability to teleport, but he did not expect it to be true.


    In this way, it would not be easy to get rid of the two beasts!


    However, Tian Zhong didn¡¯t stop there. His body blurred and a humanoid azure figure separated from his back.


    The azure projection was exactly the same as Tian Zhong, but its entire body was covered in an azure barrier of light, and its face was so dazzling that it appeared to be a projection.


    ¡°External Avatar!¡± This time, the beautiful woman revealed a trace of surprise.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was surprised that this guy had an avatar, but this was the first time she had seen such a strange avatar.


    The green light flashed and flew to Han Li¡¯s side.


    The red-robed woman didn¡¯t try to stop him, because the embroidered-robed man opened his mouth and spat out a sparkling five-colored wheel.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be able to spar with the two of you.¡±


    With that said, he pointed to the rainbow wheel, and it immediately transformed into a rainbow light that quickly floated toward the beautiful woman.


    When the woman saw this, she solemnly struck the Fire Spirit Bottle in front of her with an incantation seal.


    The treasure trembled for a moment before brilliant red light erupted from it, releasing countless scorching flames. These flames were vastly different from ordinary flames.


    All of the flames seemed to be alive. One moment, they scattered, and the next moment, they converged. After rolling for a while, they transformed into several huge crimson snakes that fiercely pounced towards the rainbow light.


    Hearing the rumbling sound behind him, Han Li did not need to turn his head to know that the beautiful woman and Tian Zhong had started to fight.


    He glanced at the strange azure figure in front of him before glancing at the two Heavenly Tigers that were eying him with hostility.


    He knew that if he didn¡¯t defeat these three inhuman beings, he wouldn¡¯t be able to save the other trapped cultivators.


    And now, even these two people with special identities had taken action. It could be seen that the others truly did not have the time to reinforce this place. If he had known this would happen, he would have given Silvermoon a few more lightning beads from the start and let her secretly save the others. Now, he would definitely not have this opportunity.


    What he had to do now was to immediately defeat these three enemies before he could consider other matters.


    Thinking of this, Han Li reached out to his waist and took out a spirit beast pouch. A large number of Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out of the pouch and turned into a golden cloud, circling in the air.


    Without any hesitation, Han Li cast a spell, which disappeared into the cloud of insects.


    A buzzing sound rang out as the cloud of beetles transformed into three streaks of golden mist in a flash of azure light, and they flew toward the three enemies in an overbearing manner.


    ¡°Gold Devouring Beetles! If they were mature, I would be more afraid.¡±


    The azure projection harrumphed coldly and uttered the same voice as Tian Zhong. It didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. When the two Heavenly Tigers saw the Gold Devouring Beetles, they spread their wings and instantly retreated over 200 feet away with fear on their faces.


    At that moment, the azure shadow opened its mouth and spat out three bowl-thick pillars of light. With each shot, the azure light on the projection¡¯s body grew dimmer and dimmer. After three shots, even its body had grown three inches shorter.


    The three pillars of light were extremely fast and accurately struck the insect clouds.


    Pu, pu, pu. Three sounds rang out as azure light flashed. Three azure balls of light with a diameter of 10 feet suddenly appeared, and the three waves of Gold Devouring Beetles were all imprisoned within.


    Han Li was shocked. He did not have time to think and hurriedly pointed at the three clouds. All the Gold Devouring Beetles immediately crawled onto the walls and began to crazily devour them.


    A moment later, Han Li¡¯s expression turned ugly.


    These azure barriers seemed to be extremely durable, and the Gold Devouring Beetles were only able to devour them at an extremely slow speed.


    At this moment, he realized that these three azure light barriers were all made of pure wood spiritual Qi. It was not surprising that they could temporarily trap the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    However, the azure shadow possessed restrictions and the Heavenly Tiger possessed teleportation abilities, causing him to feel restricted.


    Could it be that this fourth Divine Sage had come specifically for him? Han Li¡¯s figure did not move, but he could not help but mutter in his heart. He had a faint bad feeling.


    Han Li¡¯s guess was not far from the truth.


    Before the start of the battle, the upper echelons of the spell warriors had a discussion and decided to hand over the matter of killing Han Li to Tian Zhong. Furthermore, they had specially lent Old Man Zhu¡¯s Heavenly Tigers and a few other treasures that could restrain Han Li¡¯s abilities to this person.


    However, at the beginning, they did not expect Han Li to participate in the battle of battles, so Divine Sage Tian naturally put this matter to the back of his mind.


    When Han Li appeared again, he killed a group of spell warriors and even destroyed the body of a Grand Sage. This Tian Zhong immediately discovered Han Li.


    Whether it was to stop Han Li from saving the cultivators in the blood barriers or to kill him so that he could give the Yin Sifting Sect an explanation, Tian Zhong had no choice but to come over.


    Unexpectedly, Long Han, who had been paying attention to the blood barriers, also discovered that Han Li had broken out of the barrier and immediately took the risk to send Feng Bing over. If Han Li could really save the other cultivators, they would naturally have the upper hand in this battle.


    Seeing that the Gold Devouring Beetles had been temporarily restrained by the other party before they had even made any contributions, Han Li naturally felt very depressed.


    However, before he could launch another attack, the two Heavenly Tigers saw that the Gold Devouring Beetles were trapped and their fear was greatly reduced. In a flash of azure light, the two spirit beasts disappeared.


    When Han Li saw this, he sneered and waved his sleeve. The small blue shield flew out again. At the same time, he pointed at the swords in front of him. Instantly, sword Qi expanded and danced around Han Li, protecting him from all directions.


    Azure light flashed and two Heavenly Tigers appeared on Han Li¡¯s left and right sides. They opened their mouths and each spat out a ball of blinding light.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with a fierce light, and the sword lights immediately split into two groups and met the two balls of light.


    After two muffled explosions, the sword light easily pulverized them before sweeping toward the two beasts.


    When the two beasts saw this, they didn¡¯t panic. Instead, a cunning glint flashed through their eyes, and they disappeared once again, flashing into the distance.


    Han Li was furious. Just as he was about to command the sword light to chase after the beasts, the azure shadow attacked.


    At this moment, Long Han and the shriveled spell warrior, who were still holding the line, gave their orders in unison and used their trump cards.


    There were seven white-haired Nascent Soul cultivators in the cultivator camp. They each held an ancient treasure in their hands as they calmly flew out from behind Long Han.


    As for the spell warriors, the woman surnamed Le, who had yet to appear, also walked out of the spell warrior lineup with a solemn expression and arrived in front of the shriveled old man. Under the shriveled old man¡¯s signal, she carefully took out the ancient bronze lantern from her storage pouch and held it in her hand.

 Chapter 775

    The Seven Sublime Truth Cultivators and the Holy Bird


    Cultivator Le raised the ancient lantern into the air and opened her mouth, spitting out a wisp of white Nascent Flame to ignite the ancient lantern.


    The woman formed an incantation gesture with her hands and slowly chanted an incantation. A white lotus blossomed beneath her like a fairy from the heavens.


    The incantation was filled with an indescribably savage aura. The copper lantern suddenly trembled and illusions appeared one after another. Nine identical ancient lanterns appeared in a flash.


    After circling for a while, they formed a triangular formation and slowly rotated in the air.


    Cultivator Le flicked her finger, and nine incantation seals of different colors struck the ancient lantern. Brilliant azure light erupted, and nine lantern flames flew out from the lantern at the same time. They condensed at the center of the triangular formation and transformed into a head-sized ball of azure flames.


    With a puff, the woman spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto the azure flame, causing it to expand to over a foot in size.


    A short moment later, a clear cry sounded out as a foot-large azure bird emerged from the flames.


    This bird had a light body and long azure feathers. Its pair of fiery red eyes were sparkling like gems. It was a gorgeous azure peacock.


    It looked around with a haughty expression and saw the woman surnamed Le down below. It tilted its head slightly and spoke in a barbaric language from ancient times.


    Cultivator Le respectfully saluted the bird three times and began to converse with it.


    When the shriveled old man saw this, his face revealed a trace of seriousness.


    Cultivator Le suddenly stopped speaking and flipped her hand over to produce a pink bead. It was unknown what it was.


    When the azure peacock saw the bead, it revealed a joyful expression. It opened its beak and spat out a cloud of azure light, sucking the bead into its mouth.


    With a crackle, a halo of light rose from the azure bird¡¯s body, following which azure flames erupted from its body, transforming it into a massive fire bird.


    With a sharp cry, the bird spread its wings and soared into the sky. The fire-attribute spiritual Qi within a five kilometer radius suddenly became unstable. All of the cultivators and spell warriors that were using fire-attribute attacks simultaneously discovered that the power of their skills had been reduced by half. They couldn¡¯t help but be shocked!


    Countless wisps of fire-attribute spiritual Qi flowed into the azure bird¡¯s body, causing its body to swell and the azure flames on its body to become even more dazzling.


    All of the cultivators within a five kilometer radius stopped in their tracks and looked at the azure fire bird with shock. Because of the sudden increase in temperature, even with the protection of various magic tools, it was as if they were placed next to a furnace, causing everyone to feel aghast.


    However, when they saw the peacock in the azure fire, the spell warriors were ecstatic.


    ¡°It¡¯s the holy bird! Sage Le has summoned the holy bird.¡±


    ¡°We will win this battle!¡±


    A few spell warriors shouted loudly before launching frenzied attacks at their opponents, appearing to be exceptionally excited.


    When the shriveled old man saw the bird¡¯s divine might, a rare smile appeared on his face.


    The black-robed woman from the Yin Sifting Sect looked at the green peacock in the flames with a strange expression and suddenly said, ¡°To be able to control the Heaven and Earth Fire Spirit, this Holy Bird must be at least at the Deity Transformation Stage. It¡¯s no wonder that you regard this as your last resort. However, although this Holy Bird¡¯s cultivation is high, the spiritual power in its body was only at the early-Nascent Soul Stage when it first came out. Although it has absorbed so much fire spiritual Qi, it has only barely advanced to the late-Nascent Soul Stage. This should be a clone of the main body, right? Otherwise, how could you have lost so badly in the battle against the Soaring Tribes?¡±


    The old man glanced at the black-robed woman and calmly said, ¡°Lady Lu is truly extraordinary. You were able to see it with a single glance! The Holy Bird truly isn¡¯t its true form, but even so, it is no small matter. Ordinary late-Nascent Soul cultivators are absolutely no match for it.¡±


    The black-robed woman nodded and said with a trace of envy, ¡°That¡¯s right. Only Deity Transformation Stage cultivators can use the spiritual power of heaven and earth. With this alone, we¡¯ll be in an invincible position.¡±


    When the old man saw this, he chuckled and said nothing else.


    As for the seven old men who flew out with ancient treasures, they had just used several ancient treasures to kill a few spell warriors when they saw the huge bird in the azure fire. Their faces revealed shock.


    The grey-robed old man in the leading expression greatly changed and he said, ¡°Not good. This demonic beast appears to be quite powerful. Ordinary cultivators are definitely no match for it. We must stop it.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s quickly use the Sublime Truth Seven Treasures to exterminate this demon. This demon bird clearly doesn¡¯t belong to this world. We can¡¯t allow it to injure us.¡± When the other old man heard this, he spoke with a fiery tone. Soon after, he turned into a streak of yellow light and shot towards the azure sun.


    When the others saw this, they immediately followed after him. The grey-robed old man in the lead revealed a trace of hesitation before letting out a sigh and flying over as a streak of golden light.


    When the seven of them arrived near the azure sun, the Moulan Holy Bird seemed to have finished absorbing the fire spirit Qi. It was already over 200 feet in length, and it lowered its head to discover the seven hostile cultivators.


    A fierce light flashed from his eyes as he flapped his wings, sending fist-sized azure fireballs hurtling toward the seven cultivators.


    Before the seven old men could attack, a gust of hot wind blew past them, and their bodies immediately became incomparably hot.


    A long-browed old man slapped his storage pouch and raised his hand, summoning a translucent ice net to meet the oncoming fireballs.


    The net was quite wondrous. Brilliant white light erupted and enveloped all of the fireballs.


    When the long-browed old man saw this, a trace of a smile appeared on his face, but his face immediately paled.


    The fireballs in the ice net exploded, and the ice net was melted away by the azure flames. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared, and the azure flames that had escaped turned into a pillar of fire that hurtled toward the group.


    ¡°Go!¡± The old man quickly took out his ancient treasure and summoned a white mirror.


    After circling around in the air, white light swept out from the mirror and turned into a white barrier, blocking the azure flames and preventing them from descending.


    When the others saw the long-browed old man¡¯s treasure dissolve, they couldn¡¯t help but gasp. They knew that this azure flame was truly extraordinary, and no one dared to use ordinary magic treasures.


    ¡°Quickly use the Devil Restraining Grand Formation to trap this demon bird!¡± The old man shouted.


    When the other old men heard this, they hurriedly took out their ancient treasures.


    Red ruler, yellow halberd, command medallion, small cauldron, jade fan, and scepter. The six treasures rose into the air and shot towards the giant bird¡¯s body. Spiritual light let out a long cry before transforming into rainbow light along with the ancient mirror. Not only did it contain the azure flames, but it also formed a seven-colored barrier that surrounded the giant bird.


    When the azure bird saw this, the fury in its eyes intensified. It opened its mouth and abruptly pecked downward.


    A huge cone-shaped azure streak of light disappeared in a flash. As for the tall old man down below, he suddenly felt his command medallion tremble. With a loud bang, the command medallion was knocked back.


    The old man was scared out of his wits and hastily struck the command medallion with several incantation seals in an attempt to restrain its momentum. However, the command medallion only paused for a moment before flying toward him. Just as the command medallion was about to smash into the old man, a figure suddenly flashed and two arms pressed onto the old man¡¯s shoulders. At the same time, a huge amount of spiritual power flowed into his body.


    ¡°Quickly cast the spell. I¡¯ll lend you a hand.¡± A cold voice sounded from the grey-robed old man.


    When the tall old man heard this, he immediately became spirited and struck out four or five more incantation seals in a single breath. The command medallion finally stopped at a distance of forty to fifty feet and regained control.


    The two of them couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief.


    After witnessing this scene, the other old men were inwardly alarmed and didn¡¯t dare to be careless. They hastily unleashed the might of their ancient treasures to the limit. All types of light intertwined, joining together to block several of the azure light cones released by the huge bird.


    When the woman surnamed Le saw this, she turned to look at the ancient lantern behind her and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to help.


    Before the lantern oil ran out, she had to protect it and prevent it from being extinguished by a sneak attack. Otherwise, things would be very bad.


    A trace of surprise appeared on the shriveled old man¡¯s face when he saw that the huge bird was being held back by these old men. However, he soon recovered.


    He wasn¡¯t in a hurry because the holy bird that the Moulan Tribe had worshipped for tens of thousands of years clearly had the upper hand. Although the treasures controlled by these seven old men were exceptionally powerful, they were still no match for the holy bird.


    It would definitely be able to kill these seven cultivators before the lantern oil ran out. These seven should be the final trump cards of the Heavenly South Region.


    Thinking of this, this Divine Sage Zhu could not help but look at the cultivator camp opposite him.


    Long Han was standing in front of over a thousand spell warriors with an extremely dark expression.


    Long Han¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he muttered to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Moulans to be able to summon such a demon bird. We¡¯re in big trouble now.¡±


    Long Han¡¯s voice suddenly became louder, and he coldly said, ¡°Quickly, release those Spirit Sculpture Beasts as well. Let¡¯s take advantage of the fact that the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators are still entangled with that demon bird. Let them unleash some of their abilities.¡±


    Following this command, several tens of shiny black beast sculptures were pushed to the front of the formation. Several cultivators then took out a talisman and slapped it on the statue.


    Green light flashed and the talisman strangely disappeared into the statue. The cultivators immediately sat down cross-legged on the ground and remained motionless.


    A short moment later, black light flashed from the beast sculptures¡¯ eyes, following which a cold blue light shot forth. They raised their claws and legs, and all of them came to life.


    Then, without any instructions, they flew out from their original spots and pounced on the spell warriors on the battlefield.


    As for the cultivators who had installed the talismans, they were still sitting cross-legged with their heads lowered as if they were half asleep.


    When the shriveled old man saw this from afar, a mocking expression appeared on his face.


    He turned his head and politely said to the black-robed woman, ¡°At this point, it¡¯s time to give the other party a fatal blow. Lady Lu, release your sect¡¯s Copper-armored Corpses. This time, it will be enough to determine victory.¡± After the old man said this, he wore a self-conceited expression.


    The black-robed woman¡¯s eyes flickered and she calmly said, ¡°Brother Zhu, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. Let¡¯s wait a moment longer. The majority of our sect¡¯s Copper-armored Corpses are only equivalent to Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. Only when the Heavenly South cultivators¡¯ magic power is nearly exhausted will we be able to strike.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ alright! So long as your sect doesn¡¯t change your mind, it doesn¡¯t matter if we wait a bit longer.¡± The shriveled old man frowned and hesitated for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.


    The other party¡¯s words were not without reason.

 Chapter 776

    The Might of Spirit Descent


    At this moment, Han Li was very depressed, partly because the two Heavenly Tigers were extremely cunning.


    They stuck to him like a plaster, but they didn¡¯t dare to face him head-on. They just kept pestering him nearby.


    Not long ago, he deliberately revealed a flaw and lured the two demonic beasts close to him. Then, he suddenly launched an attack and used several sword lights to cut off half of a demonic beast¡¯s claws. From then on, the two demonic beasts were unwilling to be tricked. They only kept attacking from afar with light bullets and would not approach Han Li within 100 feet.


    However, every time Han Li used the Thunderstorm Wings to shake them off, the two demon beasts would immediately teleport and follow him, harassing him non-stop, forcing him to stop his lightning movement and block a few attacks.


    The other reason for his depression was naturally the azure projection.


    Speaking of which, this azure light seemed to be formed entirely from pure wood spiritual Qi. The Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword was completely useless against it. No matter how much sword Qi shattered it, it would immediately condense into a single body and was not afraid of Han Li killing it at all.


    This was the first time Han Li had encountered such a situation since he entered the cultivation world. It was an eye-opener.


    When Han Li saw this, he naturally used the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Unexpectedly, the azure shadow spat out a blue alms bowl. The Celestial Ice Flame flew over and was absorbed into the alms bowl. This frightened Han Li so much that he broke out in a cold sweat! Fortunately, these ice flames had already been refined into one with him. After being activated by his spiritual sense, the flames finally struggled to fly out of the alms bowl and return to his body.


    Originally, he hadn¡¯t refined a lot of the ice flames. If he were to lose a portion of them, he would suffer a great loss.


    As such, Han Li did not dare to use the Purple Apex Flames.


    As for the silver bell, Thousand Layer Mountain, and other treasures, Han Li had also used them once, but they were also useless against the enemy.


    The azure shadow wasn¡¯t immortal, and the azure light on its body would dim with each injury. However, it wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be dealt with in a short amount of time.


    Fortunately, the other party did not have any incisive attack methods or magic treasures. It would only release streaks of green spiritual threads to attack, so Han Li was able to deal with them very easily.


    It seemed that this so-called avatar was only trying to stall him.


    On the other side, although Feng Bing was at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, she was still far inferior to her late-Nascent Soul opponent. Although she had unleashed all of her abilities, she was still at a complete disadvantage.


    From time to time, the fourth Divine Sage would look at Han Li with a cold gaze, causing Han Li to feel extremely uncomfortable.


    At this moment, a holy bird with unfathomable abilities appeared on the side of the spell warriors. There were actually seven Nascent Soul cultivators holding treasures, but they were all beaten to the point of being unable to retaliate. This caused Han Li¡¯s heart to sink.


    Right now, the only hope of victory was to rescue the trapped cultivators. This would allow them to turn the tables. Otherwise, they would truly be defeated.


    Han Li thought for a moment and made up his mind. He was not going to drag this on any longer.


    A few streaks of sword Qi immediately shot out and repelled a Heavenly Tiger. He slapped his storage pouch with his other hand, and a wooden box covered in talismans appeared in his hand.


    When the azure shadow saw Han Li¡¯s actions, it let out a soft cry of surprise. However, it raised its hand, and countless wood spirit azure threads directly enveloped Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s body did not move. With a thought, the sword light outside his body automatically turned into multicolored light, cutting all the green threads into countless pieces. The surface of the wooden box flashed with azure light, and the talisman fell off. A streak of blood light shot out from the box, circled around, and landed in his palm.


    It was the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    Han Li slapped the blood talisman on his body without any hesitation. Blood light flashed and the talisman disappeared in a flash.


    A green light flashed on Han Li¡¯s face, and he suddenly let out a breath.


    A huge flood dragon shadow appeared on Han Li¡¯s body. It was over 100 feet in size and its entire body was blood-red. It was the appearance of the grade-eight Venomous Flood Dragon.


    After this flood dragon shadow appeared, it coiled above Han Li¡¯s head and let out an earth-shattering long cry, shocking the nearby cultivators. The two people fighting over there looked over in surprise.


    Upon seeing the flood dragon shadow, Tian Zhong¡¯s brows furrowed, and a trace of seriousness appeared on his face. Meanwhile, Feng Bing¡¯s bright eyes flickered with a trace of anticipation.


    The dragon¡¯s roar retracted and the flood dragon¡¯s shadow soared into the sky. After circling around, its body shrunk rapidly and it rushed down. The flood dragon¡¯s shadow drilled into Han Li¡¯s back and disappeared.


    At this moment, Han Li felt a scorching heat behind him. After the blood light penetrated his body, a blood flood dragon pattern appeared. It was several inches in size and was bright red.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s entire body flickered with blood-red light. Then, blood-red scales appeared from his face to his arm. They were the size of a thumb and were exceptionally translucent. After a sharp pain on his head, a small and translucent flood dragon horn emerged. The tips of his ten fingers had unknowingly transformed into sharp armor.


    Han Li had turned into a half-dragon and half-human body.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Han Li felt the astonishing spiritual Qi in his body. He was a little surprised and shocked.


    The effect of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman was mentioned at the end of the incantation. It said that a portion of the cultivation of refined demon soul could be stacked on the caster¡¯s body, greatly increasing the caster¡¯s magic power and cultivation.


    However, it didn¡¯t mention that the caster would turn into a half-demon and half-human, similar to the Spirit Augmentation Technique.


    Of course, this demonic transformation was clearly much lighter than the true Spirit Augmentation Technique. At the very least, Han Li didn¡¯t have fangs or a flood dragon tail. Rather, it was somewhat similar to the barbarians¡¯ Heavenbearing Devil Arts.


    Han Li sighed and touched the horn on his forehead, remaining silent.


    Of course, Han Li did not know that this so-called Spirit Subjugation Talisman was actually developed by the founder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect based on the Spirit Augmentation Technique. He had fixed the several flaws of the Spirit Augmentation Technique. Not only did it allow the user to maintain their original consciousness, but it also did not have the huge harm of overdrafting their lifespan due to the mix of demonic Qi and spiritual Qi. Furthermore, the user would not turn into a mindless monster.


    The only flaw of this technique was that the refinement of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman was too difficult.


    In this world, let alone having a grade eight demon soul, even many cultivators would never have the opportunity to see a grade eight demon beast in their lifetime.


    However, only grade-eight demon beasts that had undergone metamorphosis would not cause harm to the user after their demon souls were refined. Although low-grade demon souls could also be used to refine the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, there was simply too much turbid Qi. After refining the talisman, it would actually be as harmful as the Spirit Augmentation Technique. As a result, the refinement method repeatedly emphasized that one had to use demon souls of grade-eight and above to refine the talisman.


    Although Han Li was a little surprised, he felt that his cultivation base had skyrocketed to the peak of the early-Nascent Soul Stage. It seemed that the effect of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman was real.


    After Han Li possessed the flood dragon soul, the two Heavenly Tigers sensed the flood dragon aura on Han Li¡¯s body and revealed an uneasy expression again. However, the azure shadow shouted a few times and the two Heavenly Tigers calmed down.


    Han Li sneered and spread the Thunderstorm Wings on his back. He disappeared from his original spot and appeared more than 100 feet away.


    When the two Heavenly Tigers saw this, they hurriedly flashed with azure light at the same time and quickly teleported near Han Li. One of them even opened its mouth and spat out several beams of light.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed, and a thunderclap sounded behind him. He suddenly disappeared again, and in the next moment, he appeared behind the demon beast.


    However, at that moment, the other demon beast also took advantage of the opportunity to shoot out a ball of light.


    According to their original method, Han Li had to use his sword light to block this attack, and the Heavenly Tiger in front of him would be able to take the opportunity to escape.


    However, this time, Han Li, whose cultivation base had greatly increased, did not need to control the sword light. The green and blood spiritual light flashed on his body, and he actually planned to take the risk to use his protective spiritual Qi to block these light bullets. His body swayed slightly, and he raised his hand, and a streak of azure light flew down. His speed was like that of an immortal from the heavens, unstoppable.


    The Heavenly Tiger was so shocked that it had no time to use teleportation techniques. It could only open its mouth and spit out an azure-yellow demon core in an attempt to block the attack.


    Seeing that the situation was not good, the azure shadow also rushed over. With a wave of his hands, dense green threads shot towards Han Li.


    With a loud rumble, a few light bullets exploded beside Han Li. However, Han Li¡¯s body only swayed for a moment, and he was completely unscathed. Instead, under the full force of his flying sword, not only did he split the demon core into two, but even the demon beast¡¯s main body was cut into two.


    This beast, which did not have the time to use teleportation, was no match for Han Li, whose cultivation base had increased greatly.


    However, the green spirit threads of the azure shadow instantly wrapped around Han Li¡¯s body. Unexpected, a blood-red light flashed on Han Li¡¯s body, and the green threads turned black the moment they came into contact with Han Li¡¯s protective spiritual light, then disappeared.


    ¡°What a powerful flood dragon venom!¡± Han Li was shocked at first, but then he was overjoyed.


    Originally, he had only wanted to use his protective spiritual light to block the green threads, but he hadn¡¯t expected that he would be able to easily block it.


    It seemed that this azure shadow was actually afraid of strange poisons.


    A mournful roar sounded. When the other Heavenly Tiger saw that its companion had been killed, its eyes were filled with madness. With a flash of azure light, the beast directly teleported to Han Li¡¯s side. Its two sharp claws glowed with a foot-long light as it grabbed fiercely at Han Li, as if it had lost its mind.


    Han Li was expressionless and did not use the sword light. Instead, he raised his hand and revealed his sharp claws that were covered in scales. With a sway of the air, a blood-red light shone brightly and directly faced the other party¡¯s claw light.


    With two light bangs, the blood light on Han Li¡¯s sharp claws easily pierced through the opponent¡¯s beast claws. Then, with a sway of his body, his arm easily pierced through the opponent¡¯s body and he grabbed the greenish-yellow demon core that was the size of a bean.


    The corpse fell to the ground.


    Since Han Li used the Spirit Subjugation Talisman and his cultivation base greatly increased, he had killed the two beasts in a row in the blink of an eye.


    This caused the azure shadow¡¯s body to stagnate, and it didn¡¯t continue to tangle with him. Instead, it began to hesitate.


    Han Li¡¯s figure flashed, and he was already facing the azure shadow, coldly sizing it up.


    On the other side, Tian Zhong, who was suffocating the beautiful woman, had already seen the scene clearly. Naturally, he was shocked and furious.


    He suddenly commanded the five-colored wheel to wildly attack the beautiful woman in front of him a few times before his body swayed. He abandoned the opponent in front of him and turned into a streak of light that shot towards Han Li.


    However, right at this moment, a muffled boom sounded from below, and the blood barrier nearby suddenly exploded.


    A white glacial air wave wildly gushed out from the hole, and a silver streak of light flew out. It circled around and stopped near Han Li.

 Chapter 777

    Yin Yang Devil Corpse


    After the light faded, a beautiful white-robed woman appeared in the silver light. It was the woman with the surname Bai that Han Li had seen before. She appeared in mid-air and looked around expressionlessly. When she saw Han Li, Feng Bing, and the others, her eyebrows moved slightly.


    The woman¡¯s sudden appearance caused Tian Zhong¡¯s streak of light to come to a halt, and he reappeared with an indecisive expression.


    When Feng Bing saw that this woman had also broken out of the barrier, she couldn¡¯t help but cheer up.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, you came out just in time. This person is the fourth Divine Sage of Moulan. Let¡¯s quickly hold her back so that Fellow Daoist Han can save the others first.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Divine Sage? In that case, you were also involved in this trap?¡± The woman surnamed Bai glanced at Tian Zhong with a cold gaze and spoke with a hint of killing intent.


    Tian Zhong didn¡¯t answer the woman¡¯s question. Instead, he muttered to himself with a gloomy expression, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that other than that brat, there¡¯s actually someone else who can break through the Blood Sifting Barrier. I knew that the Yin Sifting Sect was somewhat unreliable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Grand Immortal Bai¡¯s complexion turned ashen when she saw that Han Li had no intention of answering her question. With a furious shout, she rubbed her hands together and raised them. A vast glacial air mixed with countless snowflakes swept towards her enemy with an astonishing momentum.


    When Feng Bing saw this, she pointed at the Fire Spirit Bottle in the air, and surging flames attacked Tian Zhong from the other side.


    Han Li did not hesitate and flapped his wings. After a few thunderclaps, he instantly shook off the azure shadow in front of him and flew towards the blood barrier on the other side.


    Although he had certain confidence in eliminating the azure shadow after using the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, it was more important to quickly save the other cultivators and turn the tables.


    Seeing that the next blood barrier was right in front of him, Han Li flipped his hand and another lightning bead appeared in his hand.


    ¡°Master, be careful!¡±


    Just as Han Li took a deep breath and was about to take out the lightning bead in his hand, he suddenly heard Silvermoon¡¯s warning.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, but he immediately threw out the lightning bead in his hand without a second thought. It turned into a ball of azure light and fiercely smashed into the barrier below.


    However, at this moment, a head-sized green fireball shot out from an unknown place. As Han Li¡¯s expression changed drastically, it struck the lightning bead like a shooting star.


    With a puff, the lightning bead was silently swallowed by the fireball. Afterwards, the fireball revolved and turned into a foot-long azure fire bird that floated in the air.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned stern as he made a hand seal, and the lightning bead exploded within the fire bird¡¯s body.


    However, the bird¡¯s body only swayed violently for a moment before it acted as if nothing had happened. Its body even swelled a little as a result, and it stared intently at Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, he cursed in his heart and looked up.


    A series of azure fireballs flew out from the direction of the Moulan Holy Bird and landed near the blood barriers. In the blink of an eye, they also transformed into azure fire birds, surrounding the blood barriers and protecting them.


    This time, Han Li understood that this bird was actually sprayed by the holy bird that had a deep relationship with the lantern flames. It was no wonder that the lightning bead was nourished by the other party.


    After all, the main ingredients of the lightning beads were refined using lantern flames.


    Not far away from the Moulan Holy Bird, the woman named Le was coldly looking at Han Li. Their eyes met.


    It turned out that this woman had manipulated the demon bird. Han Li immediately understood what was going on and was naturally furious.


    However, when his gaze fell on the nine ancient lanterns floating in front of the woman, Han Li could not help but narrow his eyes. He looked at the azure flames that were slowly burning, but he calmed down and revealed a thoughtful expression.


    As for those green fire birds, they had no intention of attacking Han Li. They only circled and danced around the blood barriers.


    At this moment, a white light flashed and Silvermoon¡¯s figure appeared beside Han Li.


    Silvermoon apologized, ¡°Please forgive me, Master. I was useless! I couldn¡¯t help in the battle just now. Those two Heavenly Tigers were too sensitive. They would¡¯ve discovered me if I had approached them. I was unable to use any illusion or bewitchment techniques.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You¡¯ve done your best.¡± Han Li shook his head and said with a calm expression.


    ¡°However, there are two lightning beads here. Take them first and see if you can sneak into the vicinity of the other blood barriers and save them! The more, the better.¡± Han Li threw two lightning beads to Silvermoon.


    ¡°This servant will definitely do her best.¡± Silvermoon extended her slender hand to receive the lightning beads and solemnly said. Her graceful figure disappeared in the white light.


    Han Li looked behind him again.


    Crimson flames and white glacial wind intertwined in Tian Zhong¡¯s direction, and rainbow light flashed from time to time. For a moment, it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.


    As for the azure shadow, it had disappeared without a trace. Han Li didn¡¯t know whether it was because he was facing the combined attack of two mid-stage cultivators and it was difficult to resist, or because the holy bird had personally taken action and Tian Zhong felt greatly relieved before withdrawing his avatar.


    Han Li turned his head and looked down at the dozen or so azure fire birds. A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and his body glowed with azure-red spiritual light, enveloping himself. At the same time, he raised his hand and summoned the blue light shield. Then, he formed an incantation gesture and the shield enlarged, standing in front of him. He flipped his other hand, and another lightning bead appeared in his hand.


    A thunderclap erupted from behind him, and Han Li¡¯s figure blurred, appearing over 100 feet above the barrier in a flash of lightning. Before he could throw out the lightning bead in his hand, the fire birds around him shot forth like arrows.


    The green flames instantly enveloped the sky above the blood barrier, and Han Li¡¯s figure was instantly submerged within.


    At this moment, Long Han had also shifted his gaze away from Han Li. He originally hoped that Han Li and the others would be able to rescue the trapped cultivators as soon as possible so that they could turn the tables. However, when he saw that the so-called Holy Bird had spouted so many fireballs towards Han Li and transformed them into fire birds.


    His heart sank. He knew that his chances were slim.


    He turned his gaze toward the spell warriors and saw that although the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators were relying on their seven treasures to withstand the demonic azure flames of the bird, they were clearly on the verge of collapse.


    Even though it was only a late-Nascent Soul creature, it was clear that the seven of them wouldn¡¯t be able to hold off this Deity Transformation Stage peacock for long.


    ¡°Release the Yin Yang Devils. Tell them not to be in a hurry to kill anyone. Let¡¯s destroy those ancient lanterns first.¡± Long Han played his final trump card in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes!¡± A Harmonious Bond Sect disciple who had been on standby behind Long Han immediately accepted the order.


    A commotion broke out among the crowd as a black and a white coffin were carried out.


    The 16 male disciples and 16 female disciples of the Harmonious Bond Sect walked out in a line and sat cross-legged around the two coffins. At the same time, they formed hand seals and chanted incantations, casting various spell seals as they began the final steps of unsealing.


    As the incantations were chanted, the talismans on the black and white coffins began to tremble without any wind. Furthermore, a gurgling sound came from the coffins, as if hands and feet had touched the coffin.


    Long Han¡¯s eyelids twitched when he heard this.


    He had heard some legends about the Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s Yin Yang Devils.


    It was said that when these two devil corpses were alive, they were the Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s dual cultivation elders. They both had early Nascent Soul cultivation. However, for some unknown reason, they betrayed the Harmonious Bond Sect and changed their cultivation to the Ghost Dao, cultivating living corpse bodies. Later, after the two of them felt that their cultivation had greatly improved, they fought their way back to the Harmonious Bond Sect and killed over a hundred Harmonious Bond Sect disciples. However, in the end, they were still captured alive by the Harmonious Bond Sect elders, who used an ancient secret technique to erase their minds, refining them into the legendary Yin Yang Devil Corpses.


    It was said that the devil corpses¡¯ abilities were even greater than when they were alive.


    Just as Long Han was thinking this, the strange sounds from the coffins became louder and louder, and the talismans on them continuously fell off as the spell seals struck them, becoming fewer and fewer!


    The thirty-two Harmonious Bond Sect disciples surrounding the coffins continued to chant the incantation, but their faces began to reveal unease. All of their gazes flickered as they stared at the remaining talismans on the coffin.


    With two pops, the last two talismans finally fell off at the same time.


    All of the Harmonious Bond Sect disciples immediately jumped up as if they had been granted amnesty and scattered in all directions.


    However, right at this moment, the two coffins exploded at the same time, and a fishy wind blew. Two blurry figures, one black and one white, shot out from the shattered coffins, chasing after them in different directions in a flash.


    The two disciples who were the slowest immediately let out miserable cries. The two figures pounced on the two disciples and bit their throats. They actually began to suck the blood essence of the two disciples.


    When the other Harmonious Bond Sect disciples saw this, they let out a sigh of relief and stopped.


    When the other cultivators saw this, their expressions changed drastically.


    An old man with disheveled hair walked out of the crowd and calmly said, ¡°That¡¯s alright. Since the two devils have absorbed the blood essence of the boy and the girl, they won¡¯t attack again!¡±


    Then, he raised his hands, revealing two green runic bronze plates. He pointed them at the two figures that were still lying on the ground.


    Two streaks of grey light quickly disappeared into the heads of the two beings.


    The two devils trembled and stopped sucking blood. They slowly stood up and flew toward the cultivators.


    At that moment, the cultivators were able to clearly see the faces of the two devils, and they all let out astonished cries.


    These so-called Yin Yang Devil Corpses appeared to be a young man and woman. The man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, while the woman was beautiful and dignified. Their skins and faces were like that of a living person, but their eyes were slightly demented.


    If it weren¡¯t for the bloodstains on the corners of their mouths, others would¡¯ve thought that they were a pair of ordinary dual cultivation partners.


    However, as the two approached, an indescribable stench of corpses wafted over.


    Only then did the bewilderment in everyone¡¯s hearts dissipate.


    The old man suddenly poured his spiritual power into the bronze plate in his hand, causing it to shine with rings of grey light, enveloping the two devils.


    The Yin Yang Devil Corpses remained motionless as the old man quickly chanted an incantation, and the bronze plate in his hand gently floated up.


    Suddenly, the old man struck the bronze plate with two incantation seals. A thumb-thick grey pillar of light shot out from the bronze plate, disappearing into the couple¡¯s foreheads in a flash.


    The two devils¡¯ eyes suddenly lit up.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    The old man put away the command medallion and pointed at the huge azure bird in the distance.

 Chapter 778

    The Great Ape Appears


    The Yin Yang Devils rolled their eyes and the stench of corpses rose from their bodies. Suddenly, the two devils stood side by side, transforming into a gust of green wind that whistled through the air.


    They were charging in the direction of the Moulan Holy Bird.


    All of the cultivators heaved a sigh of relief. In the face of the monsters that were absorbing the blood essence of the living, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.


    The green wind that the devils had transformed into appeared to be slow, but its speed was extremely fast. However, it gradually faded away along the way and disappeared without a trace.


    Astonishment appeared on the faces of the others, and they couldn¡¯t help but glance at the old man controlling the two corpses.


    This person¡¯s expression was completely normal.


    The other cultivators glanced at each other and calmed down.


    Meanwhile, on the battlefield near the spell warriors, the huge azure bird was calmly releasing demonic flames, crushing the seven old men.


    With the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth at its disposal, the bird was able to easily gather all of the fire spiritual Qi within a five-kilometer radius around itself and convert it into the azure demon flames it cultivated. It didn¡¯t need to consume much of the spiritual Qi in its body. Furthermore, the longer it dragged on, the more fire spiritual Qi it could use.


    This was an absolute difference between Deity Transformation cultivators and those below Deity Transformation Stage.


    Otherwise, the Deity Transformation cultivator from the Heavenly South wouldn¡¯t have been able to sweep through the entire Heavenly South in such a short amount of time without fear of being attacked by so many people.


    In the beginning, the Sublime Truth Seven Great Cultivators were able to use the power of their ancient treasures to tangle with the demon bird, but as time passed, not only was the Devil Restraining Formation broken, but they were also trapped by the raging flames.


    Now, they could only protect themselves and were in imminent danger!


    The flames in the bird¡¯s mouth suddenly stopped and it looked around in bewilderment as if it had sensed something.


    All of a sudden, a clear cry rang out as the bird spread its wings. An azure halo suddenly rose from its body before shooting out in all directions, enveloping everything within a radius of 1,000 feet.


    With a sizzling sound, green smoke rose from within the halo.


    Soon after, the Yin Yang Devils appeared in a ball of faint smoke. They were about to fly past the bird¡¯s head.


    When the concealment technique was discovered, the two devils immediately let loose a sharp howl. After rolling on the ground, their bodies swelled to a height of 20 feet. They had red hair and green faces, and with a shake of their ten fingers, they shot out several tens of grey threads of light towards the huge bird.


    The azure bird was stunned for a moment before a furious expression appeared on its face. When it saw the two devils attack again, it immediately opened its mouth and spat out a pillar of azure flames. At the same time, it spread its wings, causing the sea of flames beneath it to surge with azure flames that were over 100 feet tall, consuming the two devils into it.


    Although the Yin Yang Devils were at a disadvantage, the threads of corpse Qi emanating from their bodies were able to withstand most of the attacks without fear of the azure demon flames.


    The pressure on the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators lessened, and their spirits were immediately lifted as they reconnected the seven treasures, displaying their might once again.


    Just as most people thought that the Twin Devils and the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators would join forces to deal with the Moulan Holy Bird, grey light suddenly flashed from the Twin Devils¡¯ bodies. They feinted and dodged to the left and right, escaping from the giant bird¡¯s body. They rushed out of the sea of flames and pounced towards the ancient lantern not far away.


    Cultivator Le was standing guard beside the ancient lantern. When she saw this, she didn¡¯t panic in the slightest and struck one of the lanterns with a spell seal.


    All of a sudden, the nine ancient lanterns lit up and a flame flew out from each of them.


    When the two devils arrived in front of them, the nine flames revolved before suddenly expanding into nine small azure birds.


    They spread their wings and blocked the two devils with azure flames burning all over their bodies.


    The two devils were exceptionally ferocious. They spat out grey corpse Qi and their ten fingers transformed into claw shadows, instantly enveloping the fire birds.


    In a flash of grey light, the nine fire birds were torn to shreds by the claw projections.


    However, in that short moment of delay, the huge bird in the sky suddenly turned around and spat out a large expanse of azure light from its mouth. The azure light quickly swept up the bodies of the two devils and pulled the Yin Yang Devil Corpses back into the sea of flames.


    When the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators saw this, their hearts sank.


    When the shriveled old man saw this, he faintly smiled and whispered something to the black-robed woman.


    The black-robed woman¡¯s gaze shifted as she surveyed the entire battlefield. When she saw that both spell warriors and cultivators appeared exhausted, she nodded calmly.


    Her lips moved slightly as she gave the order.


    A group of black-robed men immediately flew out from the spell warriors¡¯ camp. These people were lined up in a row, and each of them had a bulging waist with seven or eight bags hanging from it.


    The black-robed woman opened her mouth and spat out a small banner.


    The banner was only two inches long and emitted a faint black light. However, after it was raised into the air, it expanded to around 10 feet in size.


    The woman coldly pointed at the treasure and the black banner trembled before flashing with black light. It then shot into the sky as a streak of black light and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    A short moment later, Yin winds swept across the entire battlefield, and dark clouds began to gather, blocking most of the sunlight.


    The area down below became dark and lusterless.


    When the cultivators saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    As for the group of black-robed men, they took out all of their pouches without any hesitation and began to chant something.


    Suddenly, a dense black mist mixed with gusts of Yin winds swarmed out of the pouch. In the blink of an eye, it covered a large area in front of them, forming a vast sea of black mist. Within the mist, human heads were moving and armor plates were flashing. It was as if there was an army inside.


    This astonishing scene was naturally seen by the spectating cultivators, and their expressions couldn¡¯t help but darken.


    Long Han¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed as he sighed inwardly.


    Not long after, all of the pouches had unleashed their mist, and the army slowly emerged from the mist, revealing their true appearances. They were shriveled, fleshless refined corpses clad in copper armor.


    These refined corpses swayed as they walked, and the armor plates on their bodies clanged incessantly. However, each of them had green eyes and bared fangs, indicating that they were Foundation Establishment Stage and above. The three tall Corpse Kings at the very front even had Core Formation cultivation, and their gazes seemed to be quite intelligent.


    A cultivator behind Long Han cried out in alarm, ¡°Copper-armored Corpses! How could there be so many? There are thousands of them!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! The Moulan people have the support of the Great Jin¡¯s demonic sects, so it¡¯s not surprising that they have so many refined corpses. When the battle just broke out, we naturally wouldn¡¯t have to fear these things. However, we and the spell warriors are all physically and mentally exhausted right now. If these Copper-armored Corpses charge into the battlefield, our Heavenly South Region will definitely be defeated! We¡¯ll have to go up and hold them off for a while,¡± Long Han said coldly.


    When the others heard this, they glanced at each other and couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile.


    Even if the spectating cultivators were to make a move, the spell warriors on the other side had similarly yet to make a move. Their defeat was certain.


    As for the three great cultivators and Moulan Divine Sages, although they didn¡¯t know the outcome of the battle, they could still faintly hear the incessant rumblings in the sky. It was clear that the battle was currently very intense, and neither side would easily emerge victorious. They couldn¡¯t count on the three great cultivators to help them.


    Just as Long Han and the other cultivators were about to make their move helplessly, a rumbling beast roar suddenly sounded from afar. Silver light erupted from a certain location on the battlefield, creating a dazzling scene. Then, a huge beast suddenly appeared within the light.


    The huge ape was over 200 feet tall and its entire body was pitch-black like ink. Its fur was like arrows, and its eyes were as red as lanterns. Its nose was extremely large and ugly. It was a strange huge ape that they had never seen before.


    As soon as the huge ape appeared, it turned its huge head toward the Copper-armored Corpses in the black mist in the distance. It suddenly hammered its chest twice with its two long arms and let out a long whistle of excitement. Then, it kicked off its four limbs and leaped several times, approaching the Copper-armored Corpses.


    When the bronze-armored refined corpses saw the giant ape approach, a portion of them rose into the air without any orders. At the same time, they spat out bursts of black Qi from their mouths, transforming into huge black clouds that enveloped the giant ape.


    These refined corpses didn¡¯t possess high cultivation, but with so many of them releasing corpse Qi, even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t dare to face them head on.


    However, the huge ape had no intention of dodging. Instead, it raised its head and snorted at the black Qi.


    Two thick pillars of yellow light suddenly shot out from the ape¡¯s nose, transforming into a streak of yellow light that swept toward the black cloud at lightning speed.


    In the blink of an eye, the black clouds were sucked into the huge ape¡¯s mouth without any resistance.


    These refined corpses possessed extremely low intelligence, and they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned upon seeing this.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, the huge ape continuously harrumphed and yellow light surged out. This time, the light directly sprayed onto the refined corpses, causing them to emit wisps of black Qi that were completely absorbed by the light.


    The refined corpses that had lost all of their corpse Qi turned into inanimate objects and plummeted from the sky, turning into balls of grey smoke in midair before dissipating into nothingness.


    In a short moment, the several hundred refined corpses were swept away by the huge ape. The huge ape licked its upper lip with its huge tongue before turning its greedy gaze to the other refined corpses on the ground.


    The ordinary refined corpses didn¡¯t show any fear and remained completely unmoved. However, the three Core Formation Corpse Kings stirred with a trace of hesitation and fear.


    As for the other cultivators and spell warriors, they were dumbfounded by the giant ape¡¯s abilities.


    The black-robed woman was even more shocked. She no longer had the time to greet the shriveled old man at her side, and her body suddenly turned into a ball of yellow light as she shot directly toward the huge ape. When she saw the huge ape open its mouth with a yellow light faintly appearing from its nose, she raised her hand in exasperation. With a sizzling sound, a streak of purple light transformed into a huge blade that was several tens of feet in length, ruthlessly slashing at the huge ape.


    However, before the huge blade could reach the ape, a soft thunderclap suddenly sounded and silver lightning flashed. An azure-robed youth strangely appeared on the ape¡¯s shoulder. The youth¡¯s face was covered in blood-red scales and he had an inch-tall horn. He also raised his hand and released a blue shield of light.


    A loud clang rang out as blue and purple light intertwined. The blue shield was knocked back, but the huge blade was also blocked. As for the azure-robed youth, he swayed slightly on the giant ape¡¯s shoulder with a hint of surprise on his face.


    ¡°Devil cultivator!¡± The youth looked at the black-robed woman and indifferently asked.


    Immediately thereafter, he rubbed his hands together, and a loud thunderclap erupted as arcs of golden lightning of varying thickness and size suddenly appeared over his body.


    This young man was Han Li!

 Chapter 779

    Ruthless and Vicious


    ¡°Divine Devilbane Lightning!¡± The black-robed woman, who was originally enraged and about to use a Devil Dao secret technique to attack, cried out in alarm.


    Before she could say anything, Han Li waved his hands, and a golden net came crashing down.


    A hint of astonishment appeared in the woman¡¯s eyes as she turned into a wisp of smoke and shot back, narrowly avoiding the golden net.


    Han Li was expressionless. He spread the Thunderstorm Wings on his back and disappeared from the spot.


    When the black-robed woman saw this, she immediately recalled the rumors about Han Li. She hurriedly formed a hand seal and her body swayed slightly.


    In a blur, seven or eight identical women stood side by side. These women seemed to be real people, and their movements were unanimous as they suddenly scattered in all directions.


    All of them transformed into streaks of yellow light, making it impossible to tell which was the true body of the black-robed woman!


    Silver arcs of lightning flashed, and Han Li appeared at the spot where the woman had been standing.


    He looked at the many streaks of light that had scattered in all directions, but he didn¡¯t panic in the slightest. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his face.


    Spiritual power suddenly poured into his eyes, and blue light flickered in the depths of his pupils. He used the divine power of Brightsight Spirit Eyes.


    Han Li raised his head and looked into the distance.


    All of the yellow lights were dim and the spiritual Qi was thin. They were all projections.


    Han Li was shocked and hurriedly looked to his left and right, but he suddenly realized that a barely visible smoke shadow was silently escaping behind him.


    The woman had used these phantoms to distract him, but her true body hadn¡¯t blended in and fled far away. Instead, she had taken the opportunity to conceal herself and launch a sneak attack on him.


    This woman was truly bold.


    If it weren¡¯t for his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find her with his spiritual sense alone. This woman¡¯s concealment technique was probably not inferior to Silvermoon¡¯s.


    Han Li was a little shocked, but he did not say anything. He turned around and flew directly towards the giant ape, as if he had no intention of chasing after the black-robed woman.


    The smoke had already reached several tens of feet behind Han Li. After a slight pause, the woman¡¯s figure silently appeared. One of her hands flashed with an inch-long yellow light and stabbed directly into Han Li¡¯s back like lightning.


    Judging from its direction, it was accurate and ruthless. It was precisely where his heart was located. If this woman¡¯s claw were to strike him, his heart would definitely be crushed and his body would be destroyed.


    However, just as this woman stretched out her hand, Han Li¡¯s body seemed to sway casually. Then, his face turned around at a speed that was difficult to see with the naked eye, directly facing the woman.


    He opened his mouth slightly and golden light gushed out.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The black-robed woman¡¯s face paled and she hastily turned to the side.


    However, it was already too late. At such a close distance, there was no way to dodge.


    With a bang, a bolt of golden lightning shot out from Han Li¡¯s mouth and struck the woman¡¯s shoulder.


    A burnt smell immediately wafted through the air. The woman let out a miserable cry and plummeted from the sky.


    As for Han Li, he spread his wings and instantly disappeared amidst the thunderclaps. However, he suddenly appeared behind the descending woman in a flash of lightning. A palm that was covered in faint blue flames gently pressed against the woman¡¯s neck.


    With a crackle, a thick layer of blue ice enshrouded her body.


    The black-robed woman felt a chill run down her spine and she lost consciousness. She turned into an ice statue and plummeted from the sky.


    Han Li floated in the air without moving, but he raised his other hand, which he had already prepared. Countless thin arcs of lightning shot out, and a golden net wrapped around the ice statue.


    A cold expression flashed across Han Li¡¯s face, and the ice statue¡¯s body glowed with golden light. Amidst a series of cracking sounds, the black-robed woman¡¯s body turned into specks of ice light and disappeared without a trace.


    The only remnant in the lightning net was a female Nascent Soul cultivator with a picturesque appearance. The Nascent Soul¡¯s face was deathly pale as if it knew how powerful the Divine Devilbane Lightning was.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and he shook the golden lightning in his hand, preparing to destroy the Nascent Soul.


    The black-robed woman¡¯s Nascent Soul suddenly let out a sharp cry.


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m the companion of the Master of the Devil Dao Yin Sifting Sect. If you kill me, I¡¯ll definitely fight you to the death!¡±


    ¡°The companion of the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master!¡± Hearing this, Han Li coldly looked at the Nascent Soul for a moment. Suddenly, he silently released the lightning net in his hand and turned to leave.


    The woman¡¯s Nascent Soul was stunned for a moment before flying out of the gap in elation. However, her heart was filled with the malicious thought of how to take revenge on Han Li after she escaped.


    However, at this moment, Han Li, who was more than 100 feet away, thought to himself.


    The golden net suddenly tightened and wrapped around the Nascent Soul cultivator. Immediately thereafter, arcs of lightning flickered and exploded amid thunderclaps.


    The black-robed woman¡¯s Nascent Soul was reduced to ashes before it could even let out a wail.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already destroyed your body. Do you think I¡¯ll let you go back and take revenge?¡± Han Li muttered helplessly and sighed deeply.


    Then, he flew toward the huge ape without looking back.


    From the moment the black-robed woman flew over to the moment Han Li used the Divine Devilbane Lightning to kill her, it seemed a little complicated, but it had happened very quickly.


    It wasn¡¯t that the shriveled old man didn¡¯t want to rescue the woman. In the instant that she was in danger, he stamped his foot and shot forward in a streak of golden light.


    However, right at this moment, a streak of pink light suddenly shot forth from the other side, transforming into a vast expanse of pink mist that directly collided with the golden light.


    After a series of booms, the cloud was dispersed, but it was still able to block the golden light.


    The golden light receded to reveal the shriveled old man. His face was incomparably livid as he stared at the pink cloud with flames burning in his eyes.


    He truly didn¡¯t know how furious the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master would be if he found out that his companion had been killed.


    All of a sudden, he loathed Han Li and the person blocking the way!


    A feminine laugh sounded from within the clouds. Soon after, the clouds gradually dissipated, revealing a handsome, feminine youth.


    It was the Harmonious Bond Sect¡¯s Old Devil Cloud Dew!


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you saved me once, and I¡¯ll help you once. I don¡¯t owe you anything in the future.¡± The old devil chuckled and glanced at Han Li.


    At this moment, Han Li had just killed the black-robed woman and was flying over. When he heard this, he calmly said, ¡°It was a coincidence that I was able to save you. I¡¯ve never thought of asking you to repay me. However, I¡¯m afraid Divine Sage Zhu isn¡¯t someone the two of us can deal with. Besides, do you really think he¡¯s alone?¡±


    After saying this, Han Li swept his gaze behind the shriveled old man. He saw that apart from the black-robed men who were still controlling the refined corpses and desperately dodging the massacre of the giant ape, the spell warriors had already pressed forward in a black mass.


    Even someone as bold as Old Devil Cloud Dew changed his expression upon seeing so many spell warriors charging toward him.


    Han Li had to use two lightning beads to save this old devil by luck under the obstruction of many green fire birds. Just as Han Li was about to join forces with this old devil and think about what to do next, however, the Yin Sifting Sect released a large number of bronze-armored refined corpses. Han Li did not do anything.


    The Weeping Soul Beast in the spirit beast pouch at his waist immediately began to stir with excitement.


    Because Han Li had completely refined the Weeping Soul Pearl, he could naturally sense it very clearly.


    He immediately released it out of curiosity. As soon as the Weeping Soul Beast emerged from the spirit beast pouch, its body swelled drastically and it transformed into a huge black ape, wildly absorbing the corpse Qi from the refined corpses.


    This greatly surprised Han Li.


    Han Li knew that the Weeping Soul Beast could devour souls and ghosts, but it was also useful for corpses refined by cultivators. This was somewhat unexpected.


    It was unknown whether it was due to the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s innate abilities or whether it was a strange ability that the Weeping Soul Beast had acquired after evolving.


    Regardless, this was a pleasant surprise to Han Li.


    But now, with so many spell warriors surrounding them, Han Li and Old Devil Cloud Dew looked at each other and immediately wanted to retreat.


    However, the Weeping Soul Beast was still wreaking havoc among the refined corpses. Han Li was extremely unwilling to leave it here.


    Just as Han Li was about to use the Weeping Soul Pearl to control the Weeping Soul Beast to quietly withdraw, loud laughter suddenly came from behind them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. Since Fellow Daoist Han has this strange beast to deal with these refined corpses, let us deal with these people.¡± It was Long Han¡¯s voice.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, and he hurriedly looked behind him, only to see that a few hundred feet away, Long Han had also arrived with a group of cultivators and was sizing them up.


    Han Li was overjoyed. It was no wonder that these spell warriors did not immediately attack them. It seemed that they only treated them seriously after seeing the reinforcements.


    When Long Han saw Han Li¡¯s demonic appearance, surprise flashed across her eyes, but she immediately acted as if nothing had happened.


    Now was not the time to get to the bottom of this. All the cultivators turned their gazes to the spell warriors in front of them.


    At this moment, after a bitter battle, some battles had finally begun to show the victors.


    Both sides had a few victories and losses. Their casualties were similar. However, this was not a sparring match. The losers would most likely lose their lives, but even if the victors were exhausted and used up most of their magic power, they would still quickly be drawn into a new battle.


    Long Han had just sent other cultivators to Feng Bing and the female cultivator surnamed Bai to fight Tian Zhong and replace his partner. Only when the couple joined forces could they truly display their strength.


    At this point, neither Long Han nor the shriveled old man had anything else to say.


    Long Han waved his hand.


    The cultivators that had yet to take action were naturally elites. Spiritual light immediately erupted from the bodies of the cultivators behind them as they unleashed all sorts of magic treasures in a grand assault.


    The spell warriors opposite them weren¡¯t ordinary either. He also unleashed all kinds of spiritual Qi.


    All of a sudden, the last two armies of the spell warriors clashed.


    Although there was a late-Nascent Soul Divine Sage on the other side, there was Old Devil Cloud Dew, Long Han, and three other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators here. If they joined forces, they could manage to deal with them.


    Han Li originally wanted to join the attack on the shriveled old man, but after his gaze swept past the huge green bird, his expression could not help but change several times.

 Chapter 780

    Blood Ghost and Stone Golem


    The Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators and the Yin Yang Devils joined hands to fight against the Moulan Holy Bird, but in just a short while, they were at a disadvantage again.


    The two devils were still able to protect themselves from the azure flames as their ghostly cultivation arts were extremely bizarre.


    However, the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators¡¯ magic power had been greatly depleted, and they were finally at their limit.


    Of the two old men, one of them had a crimson complexion that flickered with spiritual light, while the other had a face as white as a sheet of paper, and there was a faint white air emanating from his mouth and nose.


    It was clear that he had expended too much spiritual power and had even used a secret technique to stimulate his potential.


    Han Li frowned and looked at the group of cultivators in front of him. Then, he looked at the woman surnamed Le, who was guarding the ancient lantern in the distance.


    Han Li calmly said, ¡°Keep an eye on the Weeping Soul Beast and don¡¯t let anything happen to it. If there is any danger, take it back. I¡¯ll lend you the Weeping Soul Pearl for the time being. I¡¯ll go extinguish the ancient lantern.¡±


    Soon after, he raised his hand and tossed a black-gray bead behind him.


    A faint white light flashed and the bead disappeared.


    ¡°Yes! Master, be careful. That peacock is quite powerful.¡± Silvermoon¡¯s worried voice came from behind Han Li.


    Han Li nodded with a calm expression. When he saw that there was no one nearby, his body blurred and he disappeared on the spot.


    Han Li¡¯s nameless Qi Refinement Technique came from the demon race. Perhaps in terms of concealment, it was far inferior to Silvermoon¡¯s innate movement technique. However, in terms of restraining Qi and breathing, it was not inferior at all.


    He circulated the nameless incantation technique to its limit. Not only did he restrain all of the spiritual Qi in his body, but he even forcibly restrained the aura he emitted.


    Now, it wasn¡¯t just the woman surnamed Le whom he had to hide from, but also the Moulan Holy Bird with unfathomable cultivation.


    In the distance, when the woman surnamed Le saw that the shriveled old man and the others were also being held back by Long Han and the other cultivators, an anxious expression appeared on her face.


    Although she was still standing guard by the ancient lantern, she turned to the huge bird on the other side and loudly said something in ancient language with a pleading expression.


    The demon bird that was spitting out azure flames faltered upon hearing this.


    It then turned its head to look at the battle between the shriveled old man and the others, and a trace of disdain appeared in its eyes.


    It immediately turned around and fiercely spat out a few more balls of azure flames, causing the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators and the others to be flustered. Only then did it suddenly spread its wings and fly high.


    The bird circled around in the air before gently shaking its feathers in the old man¡¯s direction.


    Large swathes of azure feathers fell from the bird¡¯s body, and in a flash of light, they transformed into azure fire birds that were around a foot long.


    The several hundred fire birds didn¡¯t need anyone to command them. After a series of chattering, they spread their wings and flew toward the shriveled old man and the others.


    Cultivator Le was greatly relieved to see this.


    With the assistance of these spirit birds, the old man should be able to emerge unscathed. Victory was only a matter of time!


    Just as the woman¡¯s heart relaxed, a series of thunderous booms erupted from the center of the battlefield.


    Cultivator Le was bewildered and hastily looked over.


    Han Li, who had just flown out, was carefully approaching the woman surnamed Le. When he heard this, he looked over in surprise.


    At the center of the battlefield, another crucial battle was taking place.


    On the other side, the Myriad Soul Formation that was being controlled by several tens of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples finally came to a stop. The ghost mist that it had transformed into floated in the air without moving.


    Standing in front of the ghost mist was the Void Spirit Beast condensed by several Grand Sages of Moulan, which was the massive stone giant that towered into the sky.


    Under Moulan¡¯s command, this puppet-like stone giant defeated the surrounding Heavenly South cultivators. With no other enemies nearby, it naturally blocked the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators hiding in the Myriad Soul Formation.


    The loud bang just now was caused by the Moulan spell warriors¡¯ activation of the stone giant, which aimed a palm strike at the ghost mist.


    Before the palm could reach them, countless millstone-sized rocks began to roll down from between the fingers.


    Even though the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators in the Myriad Soul Formation were confident in the restrictions, they didn¡¯t dare to take the boulders head-on and immediately controlled the ghost mist to dodge.


    However, they stopped after shooting over 100 feet away.


    Now that the battle with Moulan had reached this point, both spell warriors and cultivators understood that this battle had reached the most crucial point. Thus, the Ghost Spirit Sect elder who was in charge of the Myriad Soul Formation only thought for a moment before deciding to use this formation¡¯s trump card at all costs.


    Before the stone giant could give chase again, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators¡¯ low incantations sounded in the ghost mist. A miserable scream sounded from the mist, and a streak of blood light shot into the sky.


    Soon after, as if it was contagious, the sinister black mist suddenly turned as red as blood as the incantation was chanted.


    When the two Moulan Sages standing on the stone man¡¯s shoulder saw this, they revealed bewildered expressions.


    A short moment later, the incantation came to a sudden stop.


    Soon after, the blood mist roiled and several tens of streaks of light of different colors flew out from within as if they were fleeing for their lives.


    They were the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.


    This made the two Moulan Sages even more confused.


    At this moment, the blood mist abandoned by the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators came to life. It transformed into tentacles of different sizes and began to dance wildly on the spot. In the middle, they rapidly shrank and condensed.


    As for the Ghost Spirit Sect Elder that was controlling the Myriad Soul Formation, he flew over 600 feet before coming to a stop.


    He looked back at the blood mist with a strange expression and thought to himself, ¡°After absorbing the blood essence of so many spell warriors and using a voluntary cauldron as a blood sacrifice, it shouldn¡¯t fail this time!¡±


    Just as this Ghost Spirit Sect elder was feeling somewhat uneasy, the blood mist had shrunk by more than half and was squirming nonstop.


    When the two Moulan spell warriors who were controlling the stone giant saw this, they made up their minds and were about to stomp down on the stone giant.


    All of a sudden, a gust of Yin winds appeared on the ground. It was sinister, dark yellow, and bone-piercingly cold, making it almost impossible to see.


    The stone giant¡¯s movements couldn¡¯t help but slow down, but it instantly returned to normal.


    When the Moulan spell warriors regained their sight and looked over, they were surprised to discover that the blood mist was surrounded by a yellow wind, preventing them from seeing what was happening inside.


    However, right at this moment, the yellow wind was forcibly torn apart, following which a blood-red shadow flew out from within.


    When the two Moulan Sages saw the shadow¡¯s face, their expressions changed and they sucked in a breath of cold air.


    It was a blood-red Evil Blood Ghost over 100 feet tall!


    The evil spirit had two curved horns and a ponytail. Its two rows of gleaming fangs were extremely sharp, and its arms, which were as thick as logs, were wrapped in a layer of translucent scales. Its ten fingers were as sharp as knives.


    Compared to ordinary cultivators, this malevolent ghost was a colossus, but it was nothing compared to the stone golem that was nearly 300 meters tall.


    However, the ghost didn¡¯t show the slightest fear. As soon as it appeared, it raised its head to the sky and let loose a sharp howl before staring at the stone man with a cold glint in its eyes.


    It lowered its head slightly and shot out like an arrow, instantly arriving at the stone man¡¯s calf. It stretched out five fingers from its ghost claw and fiercely grabbed at the stone man¡¯s leg.


    Large amounts of rubble immediately began to fall.


    The two Moulan Sages naturally wouldn¡¯t allow this to continue. Immediately, the stone giant¡¯s two hands clenched into fists and struck down with lightning speed.


    The blood ghost was sent flying over 100 feet away, and even half of its head was missing.


    However, the ghost flipped over and stood up as if nothing had happened. A crimson light flashed from its broken head, and it returned to normal.


    Then, it charged at the stone man again.


    The two Moulan Sages controlling the stone golem were both shocked and furious. As they controlled their Void Spirit Beasts to fight, they released their magic treasures to assist in the attack.


    They immediately began to fight.


    As for the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who had originally fled, they turned around at this moment and joined the attack on the spell warriors and the stone giant.


    Rumbling sounds and crimson light flashed incessantly.


    When Cultivator Le saw this, she frowned and silently stared at the scene before her.


    As Moulan¡¯s Grand Sage, she was well aware of how powerful the stone golem was. She couldn¡¯t help but be surprised to see that the Heavenly South cultivators were able to resist the stone golem after summoning a ghost.


    However, she was not overly worried about this.


    As long as the stone golem could hold on for a little longer, the Moulan Holy Bird she had summoned would be able to slay her opponents.


    At that time, victory would be decided.


    With that in mind, she glanced at the huge bird not far away.


    It was as if the demon bird knew that the battle had reached a critical juncture and was finally able to mobilize all of its fire spiritual Qi, turning an area of 300 meters around it into an azure sea of fire.


    With a flap of its wings, the bird was able to break through the combined attack of the seven old men and the two devils.


    The sea of fire beneath it was instantly split into two, encircling the two groups of cultivators.


    A small portion of its attention was focused on dealing with the two devils, while the majority of its attention was focused on the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators.


    This caused the seven elders of the Sublime Truth Sect to inwardly cry out incessantly. They could lose their lives at any moment!


    Cultivator Le felt her heart relax upon seeing this.


    She turned her head to look at the nine ancient lanterns in front of her. Seeing that half of the oil was still inside, she felt much more at ease.


    All of a sudden, the woman raised her brow and narrowed her eyes. With lightning speed, she pinched off a flame from one of the ancient lanterns and waved it through the air, causing it to disappear in a flash of azure light.


    Over 300 feet away, azure light flashed and a cry of alarm rang out.


    A humanoid figure appeared. His body was shimmering with azure light, and he was enveloped in a layer of azure light created by the lantern flame.


    Cultivator Le then formed an incantation gesture without raising her head.


    With a ¡°pu¡± sound, that person was ignited by the azure light. He only had the time to let out a miserable scream before he was instantly turned into ash by the terrifying lantern flames.

 Chapter 781

    Snatching the Lantern


    The woman didn¡¯t take a closer look and muttered, ¡°He¡¯s actually concealing himself near the ignited Origin Bright Lantern. You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    As far as she was concerned, it was enough to know that the other party was a Heavenly South cultivator.


    Ever since she lit the ancient lantern, there were already five or six cultivators who wanted to destroy it.


    After all, ever since the giant bird had been summoned by the ancient lanterns, the nine ancient lanterns had been constantly burning, and anyone who saw them would be able to tell that something was amiss. A few cultivators who were confident in their concealment techniques naturally wanted to come over and extinguish the lanterns.


    As a result, all of them were slain by the woman¡¯s lantern flames.


    At this moment, Han Li was only a few hundred feet away from this woman. When he saw that the unknown cultivator in front of him had been easily killed by this woman, his heart could not help but tremble.


    His figure that was originally slowly flying over stopped without a sound.


    Although this woman¡¯s muttering was so soft that it could not be heard, with Han Li¡¯s extraordinary spiritual sense, he could still vaguely hear most of it.


    Han Li looked at the ancient lantern not far away and stroked his chin, muttering to himself.


    It seemed that the ancient lantern was truly an extraordinary existence. Not only could it summon demon birds, but it also possessed the ability to break through concealment.


    This was going to be troublesome.


    Han Li¡¯s expression wavered for a long while. He raised his eyebrows and suddenly had an idea.


    He placed a hand into his storage pouch and took out a few items. Then, his gaze fell on a spirit beast pouch at his waist and he smiled.


    ¡­


    At this moment, the woman surnamed Le was clearly on high alert.


    She sat cross-legged in front of the ancient lantern, and the lotus shadow on her body was indistinct. Her bright eyes were constantly staring at the ancient lantern, and she connected her spiritual sense with the ancient lantern to sense any movements within a hundred feet.


    All of a sudden, white light shone three hundred meters away, and a dozen or so huge apes appeared.


    When Cultivator Le saw this, she wore an astonished expression.


    The giant apes didn¡¯t come over after they appeared. Instead, they stood in a row and raised their hands.


    Dozens of pillars of light of different colors shot forth.


    ¡°Puppet Technique!¡±


    Cultivator Le faltered slightly upon seeing this, and her brows furrowed as she cautiously looked around.


    She didn¡¯t discover the master of these puppets.


    Cultivator Le paid no heed to the attacks of the pillars of light. She casually formed an incantation gesture, and lotus shadows flashed as she easily blocked the pillars of light.


    The woman then moved and plucked a flame from an ancient lantern.


    This time, the woman didn¡¯t immediately release the flame. Instead, she held it in her hand and gently floated it up.


    Cultivator Le stared at the ancient lantern with flickering eyes, preparing to respond to any changes.


    A short moment later, the woman¡¯s expression stirred and she opened her mouth without hesitation, blowing a mouthful of spiritual Qi into the flame in her hand.


    The lantern flame flickered with azure light before disappearing from her hand.


    Only then did Cultivator Le turn her head to look at a spot several hundred feet away.


    With a soft pop, a humanoid figure appeared and enveloped him in a ball of azure light.


    The woman made an incantation gesture and azure flames immediately ignited on the man¡¯s body.


    The woman hurriedly curled her lips into a cold smile.


    ¡°Huh! Why haven¡¯t you been refined yet?¡± The woman¡¯s smile suddenly froze. She discovered that this person didn¡¯t instantly turn to ash like the others, nor did he show the slightest intention of struggling.


    In her alarm, she hurriedly focused her gaze on it.


    ¡°This person is¡­ No, he¡¯s a puppet!¡±


    The figure in the azure flames looked like Han Li, but his expression was wooden and his movements were stiff. He was simply a dummy. Furthermore, he did not seem to be afraid of the azure flames and did not seem to have been burned at all.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The woman suddenly thought of something.


    She hurriedly turned her head to look at the ancient lantern, wanting to attach her spiritual sense to it again.


    However, in that short moment of delay.


    In another location over 200 feet away, a humanoid figure appeared in a flash of azure light. A muffled thunderclap sounded out, and the person disappeared amid a flash of lightning.


    When Cultivator Le saw this, she was furious. She formed an incantation gesture with her hands and abruptly raised them, shooting several incantation seals toward the ancient lantern.


    However, it was too late.


    Lightning lit up beside the ancient lantern, and a human figure faintly appeared inside.


    Soon after, a large black-red hand shot forth from within the light. In the blink of an eye, it was over 10 feet in size, and it fiercely grabbed at an ancient lantern.


    ¡°How did this person recognize the main lantern? Only the caster knows which lantern is the real one. Even a late-Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to see through it.¡±


    When Cultivator Le saw this, she became even more furious.


    At such a close distance, the large hand and Cultivator Le¡¯s incantation seals almost touched the ancient lantern at the same time.


    The ancient lantern flashed with azure light, but just as it was about to change, the huge hand grabbed it and forcibly extinguished the flame.


    At the same time, the other eight copper lanterns began to tremble as if they had sensed something. Spiritual light flashed and the flames disappeared one by one.


    The ancient lanterns instantly turned into balls of spiritual Qi before dissipating.


    ¡°No!¡± The Moulan Tribe¡¯s number one female Sage turned deathly pale upon seeing this.


    She gritted her teeth and raised her hands, sending a large lotus projection toward the huge black hand in an attempt to take back the ancient lantern.


    However, the huge black-red hand had already anticipated this. As soon as it grabbed the ancient lantern, it immediately flew back without the slightest delay.


    However, a cold snort sounded from within the lightning, followed by the sound of thunder. As soon as the huge black-red hand entered the ball of light, the humanoid figure and the huge black-red hand disappeared at the same time. In the next instant, the humanoid figure appeared beside the puppet trapped in the azure light, holding the ancient lantern in his hand.


    It was Han Li, who had snuck in when she was not paying attention.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    Cultivator Le glanced in the direction of the azure bird in alarm. When she saw that the holy bird hadn¡¯t immediately disappeared, she calmed down and loudly screamed.


    Soon after, azure light surged from the woman¡¯s body, transforming into a gust of wind that chased after him.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened. With a flash of white light in his hand, the ancient lantern was put into his storage pouch. At the same time, the Thunderstorm Wings on his back flapped and he disappeared, reappearing in another place hundreds of feet away.


    At that moment, the woman¡¯s gust of wind caught up to him.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed and he suddenly formed a hand seal with one hand, spitting out the word ¡°Explode¡±.


    The puppet in the azure light suddenly spat out an azure bead that struck the wall of azure flames. With a boom, arcs of golden lightning and azure flames intertwined and exploded.


    Not only did it blow up half of the puppet¡¯s body, but it also affected the nearby woman named Le.


    The lotus projection on the woman¡¯s body possessed the ability to automatically protect its master. Although its master was caught off guard, the lotus petals flickered and forcibly blocked the attack.


    However, the power of the lightning beads that Han Li hid in the puppet was extraordinary.


    Although the woman managed to escape, she was forced back several tens of feet.


    The Wind Escape Technique was instantly neutralized.


    Han Li sighed. Although he felt that it was a pity, he spread his wings without hesitation and disappeared again in a flash, quickly fleeing into the distance.


    When the woman surnamed Le regained her balance, Han Li had already fled over 1,000 feet away.


    The Moulan Grand Sage gritted her teeth and was about to give chase when the remaining half of the puppet suddenly let out a strange buzzing sound.


    This woman, who had just been plotted against by Han Li, was shocked and hurriedly looked over.


    Brilliant azure light erupted from the puppet¡¯s body before it instantly disintegrated, transforming into swarms of tri-colored flying insects that soared into the air.


    Cultivator Le¡¯s heart jolted with shock, but she had no time to deal with these flying insects. She hurriedly activated the white lotus on her body to protect herself, wanting to force her way through.


    However, in the blink of an eye, the tri-colored beetles condensed and transformed into several large tri-colored shields that continuously struck the woman.


    Every time this woman made a hand seal and wanted to use the Wind Escape Technique, wave after wave of attacks would cause her to fail.


    Cultivator Le flew into a rage and unleashed several spirit techniques in quick succession, only to discover that they were unable to harm the flying insects.


    At this moment, she was shocked to recognize that apart from the color of these tri-colored insects being different from the Gold Devouring Beetles, they were exactly the same. They actually seemed to be mutated Gold Devouring Beetles.


    In her alarm, she immediately took out a Wood Spirit Treasure from her storage pouch to trap the beetles.


    However, at this moment, the flying insects let out a buzz and scattered in all directions.


    The woman faltered slightly upon seeing this before her expression changed and she hastily looked into the distance.


    At some point in time, Han Li had already used his concealment ability and disappeared without a trace, making it impossible to find him.


    Cultivator Le¡¯s face was a mix of red and white as she floated in the air, at a complete loss.


    At that moment, the azure bird on the other side just so happened to spit out a ball of azure fire, breaking through an old man¡¯s defense.


    Just as it was about to fly down and kill its opponent, it suddenly felt the spiritual power in its body crazily drain away.


    In its alarm, the bird couldn¡¯t care less about injuring anyone and hastily turned its head to look.


    Only then did it discover that there was no trace of the ancient lantern.


    The huge bird panicked and only managed to let out a sharp cry before its body rapidly shrunk. The fire-attribute spiritual Qi that it had been controlling was also instantly out of control.


    The azure sea of flames below roiled violently before disappearing, revealing the Sublime Truth Seven Cultivators.


    As for the two devils that had escaped, they turned into a ball of green wind without the slightest hesitation and fiercely pounced toward the azure bird whose magic power had greatly decreased.


    At this moment, the demon bird had shrunk to only a few feet in size. It stared at the two devils with an unwilling expression and had no intention of dodging.


    As a result, the bird exploded into countless streaks of azure light before the two devils could even reach it.


    The Yin Yang Devils faltered momentarily before coming to a sudden stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The old man who had narrowly escaped death asked with great joy.


    At this moment, he had no magic power left in his body. He had thought that he was dead for sure.


    ¡°Look over there. There seems to be a problem with the treasure they used to summon the demon bird. Those ancient lanterns aren¡¯t there anymore.¡± The old man in the lead let out a long sigh and glanced at the ancient lanterns.


    He also had a look of relief on his face.


    If he were to delay any longer, he would most likely lose his life!

 Chapter 782

    Letter From Afar


    The disappearance of the Moulan Holy Bird was soon discovered by the cultivators and spell warriors on the battlefield.


    Immediately, the spell warriors¡¯ expressions changed drastically, while the cultivators¡¯ spirits were lifted, and their morale soared.


    When the shriveled old man and Tian Zhong saw this, they revealed looks of disbelief.


    The Holy Bird¡¯s disappearance wasn¡¯t due to a lack of lantern oil. The Heavenly South cultivators must¡¯ve extinguished the Origin Bright Lantern.


    These two Divine Sages did not even know that their Moulan Tribe¡¯s legacy treasure had once again fallen into Han Li¡¯s hands.


    As far as they were concerned, the late-Nascent Soul cultivators on the side of the cultivators had already been entangled. As for the other cultivators, with the assistance of the Holy Bird, it was impossible for them to break through the defense of Cultivator Le.


    The current situation was truly beyond their expectations.


    At this moment, Han Li had already quietly flown near the Weeping Soul Beast and reappeared.


    The huge ape that the Weeping Soul Beast had transformed into had already reduced most of the refined corpses to ashes. The remaining small portion was hurriedly put away by the black-robed Yin Sifting Sect cultivators.


    Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before the copper-armored refined corpses were completely annihilated.


    After absorbing so much corpse Qi, the Weeping Soul Beast had grown even larger, and its fur was glossy black as if it had just been nourished.


    During this time, there were naturally several waves of black-robed men and spell warriors who wanted to kill the giant ape first.


    However, Long Han knew very well that this strange giant ape was the key to dealing with the copper-armored refined corpses. How could he let the enemy succeed so easily? He immediately sent out a few men to block them.


    Occasionally, there would be a few that slipped through the net, but before they could even get close to the giant ape, they would be killed by Silvermoon¡¯s illusion techniques.


    When Han Li returned and saw that the Weeping Soul Beast had destroyed the last bronze-armored corpse, he waved at it without hesitation.


    Black light flashed from the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s body and it shrunk in an instant, flying into the spirit beast pouch at Han Li¡¯s waist as a streak of black light.


    When Silvermoon saw this, she flew behind Han Li.


    After putting away the Weeping Soul Beast, Han Li wanted to turn around and say something to Silvermoon.


    All of a sudden, a thunderous boom erupted from the sky, and a dark cloud descended from the sky. Countless green lightning flames that were several thousand feet wide roiled within the cloud, and the color of the sky suddenly changed.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned cold as he looked at the sky.


    ¡°Who was it? Who killed my wife? I want to extract his soul and refine it to avenge her.¡± A thunderous roar sounded from within the dark clouds, and the voice belonged to the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master.


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his gaze turned cold.


    ¡°The victor has yet to be decided, so why are you in such a hurry to leave? I¡¯d like to experience your devilish techniques for myself!¡± Devil Concord¡¯s voice soon followed.


    Soon after, another burst of greyish-white mist shot down from the sky, blocking the path of the dark clouds.


    The Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master coldly said, ¡°Get out of the way. I don¡¯t have the mood to spar with you. If you don¡¯t scram, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite.¡±


    ¡°Impolite? Few people have been rude to me in my entire life. If you have any tricks up your sleeve, just bring it on!¡± Devil Concord sneered with no intention of backing down.


    The black-robed man in the dark clouds fell silent. After a long while, he gloomily said, ¡°Good. Since you don¡¯t know when to retreat, I¡¯m not in the mood to waste any more time. I¡¯ll show you the power of my sect¡¯s supreme treasure, the Ghost Sifting Banner.¡±


    The Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master was so furious that he began to laugh.


    ¡°Ghost Sifting Banner?¡± Devil Concord¡¯s voice carried a trace of surprise and excitement.


    However, the short exchange of a few sentences between the two left all of the cultivators battling below quite shocked.


    Some cultivators had only just found out that the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s partner had perished at the hands of the Heavenly South cultivators. They were greatly surprised and began to guess who had killed this woman.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was calm as usual, as if he was neither surprised nor happy. However, after seeing Devil Concord block the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master, he was greatly relieved.


    He didn¡¯t want to be hunted down by a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Just as everyone, including Han Li, thought that Devil Concord and this devil cultivator of the Great Jin were about to start a huge battle at a low altitude, something else happened.


    A sharp whistle suddenly sounded from the sky behind the spell warriors. Then, light flashed, and a dozen or so streaks of light of different colors shot toward them.


    Before they even got close, someone began to shout.


    ¡°Divine Sages, stop quickly. Something has happened to the Moulan Plains. Something has changed!¡±


    This person seemed to want everyone to hear him and had actually used a secret technique to shout these words.


    Soon after, the streaks of light increased their speed by 30% and entered the battlefield.


    All the cultivators and spell warriors heard it clearly. Most of them couldn¡¯t help but stop in shock and look over in surprise.


    When the shriveled old man heard this, his heart sank. Long Han and the others also felt greatly surprised and slowed down their attacks.


    The old man decisively withdrew and immediately shot over 100 feet away. He coldly glanced at the cultivators in front of him before transforming into a streak of light to meet the dozen or so spell warriors.


    Long Han hesitated for a moment and did not chase after them with the other cultivators.


    The old man hadn¡¯t been defeated in the slightest and had even gained the upper hand. If he were to give chase now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to gain any advantage.


    Furthermore, the spell warrior who had delivered the letter clearly wanted them to hear what he had just said. There was definitely something fishy about it! It was better to see what had happened first.


    However, since the Moulan Plains were mentioned, could it be related to the Soaring Tribes?


    Long Han thought for a moment and vaguely guessed something.


    Han Li also stared at the old man with a strange expression, watching him meet the dozen or so streaks of light.


    The streaks of light receded to reveal a dozen or so spell warriors in various attires.


    The yellow-robed spell warrior in the lead was actually a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. This shocked Han Li.


    It was quite odd that a spell warrior with such a profound cultivation base hadn¡¯t appeared in the previous battle. Could he be an important figure guarding the rear?


    However, this also meant that the probability of the other party bluffing was extremely low.


    For some reason, Devil Concord and the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master also hid in the clouds in silence.


    When the shriveled old man saw the yellow-robed cultivator, he wore an expression of disbelief.


    But before he could say anything ,the yellow-robed spell warrior had flown to the shriveled old man¡¯s side and sent a voice transmission.


    The shriveled old man¡¯s expression grew sullen. The yellow-robed cultivator took out a jade slip and handed it to the old man.


    After the old man received the jade slip, he immersed his mind into it. A short moment later, his face turned ashen.


    He then conversed with the yellow-robed old man through voice transmission for a while.


    The old man suddenly turned around and flew toward Long Han with a gloomy expression.


    As soon as the Moulan Divine Sage arrived in front of Long Han, he calmly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to continue fighting. Let¡¯s stop immediately. Otherwise, when the sandpiper and the clam fight, the fisherman will reap the benefits.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? If you want a truce, you have to give me a reason, right?¡± Long Han¡¯s eyes flickered as he spoke in a nonchalant manner.


    Due to Han Li¡¯s unexpected display of power, he had killed the opponent¡¯s Copper-armored Corpses and the green demon bird. However, from the looks of it, the outcome was still fifty-fifty.


    Long Han did not feel that the other party had retreated out of fear.


    The old man didn¡¯t directly answer Long Han¡¯s question. Instead, he gloomily asked, ¡°Did you send a group of cultivators to rob our Soaring Heavens City¡¯s warehouses?¡±


    Long Han was naturally shocked, but his expression remained unchanged. His eyes flickered a few times before he calmly replied, ¡°That is indeed the case. It seems you¡¯ve discovered it!¡±


    ¡°Discovered it? Hmph, if it weren¡¯t for the interference of a third party, perhaps you would¡¯ve succeeded.¡± The old man¡¯s face flashed with anger before calming down.


    ¡°A third party?¡± Long Han frowned upon hearing this.


    The shriveled old man didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, his lips moved slightly as he sent a voice transmission to Long Han.


    ¡°What? There¡¯s such a thing?¡± Long Han only heard a few words before he lost his cool and could no longer maintain his composure.


    ¡°At this point, is there still a need for this Divine Sage to lie to you?¡± The old man said angrily.


    Long Han frowned and pondered for a moment before resolutely raising his hand and releasing a talisman.


    The talisman soared into the air and transformed into several balls of golden light before exploding in the air with blinding brilliance.


    When the cultivators saw this, they immediately stopped and quickly retreated in the direction of the cultivators.


    The cultivators who had already withdrawn their attacks began to retreat like bees.


    The spell warriors on the other side used some other method to notify each other and also silently retreated.


    The particularly eye-catching blood ghost and the stone giant were also forcibly separated and stopped fighting!


    In the blink of an eye, the space between the two formations immediately became empty.


    The two sides seemed to have returned to the situation before the battle and stood on both sides.


    It was just that they both had a lot of casualties, which could be considered to have damaged their foundation. However, at the very least, not many high-grade cultivators and spell warriors had perished.


    The spell warrior camp was still alright. Although everyone was a little anxious, they were still able to maintain their silence. However, on the side of the cultivators, although everyone had retreated, they couldn¡¯t help but become restless and discuss spiritedly.


    A few high-grade cultivators simply surrounded Long Han and asked him what had happened.


    However, Long Han only smiled bitterly and remained silent, causing the surrounding cultivators to be greatly dissatisfied.


    At this moment, the dark clouds and gray fog in the sky dissipated at the same time, revealing Devil Concord and the black-robed man. They looked at each other coldly.


    Meanwhile, the sounds of battle and the strange phenomena in the sky also came to an abrupt stop. Soon after, Wei Wuya and Master Sunreach descended from the sky unscathed.


    The cultivators heaved a collective sigh of relief upon seeing this, and all of them felt relaxed.


    A short moment later, Scholar Zhong and the short man also returned from the sky. The Moulan people couldn¡¯t help but cheer.


    Seeing that the three cultivators had all returned, Long Han finally spoke.


    However, in order to avoid causing panic, this information could only be kept a secret among a few people for the time being.


    As a result, only a few mid-Nascent Soul cultivators and a few cultivators with special statuses were gathered together. They released a few simple restrictions and discussed the terrible news they had just received from the Moulans.


    With Han Li¡¯s performance in today¡¯s battle, he naturally had the right to participate in this meeting.

 Chapter 783

    After the Great Battle


    Han Li watched as Long Han released a soundproof barrier and took out a few small flags, forming a wall of fog to isolate them from the outside world. He could not help but remain silent, thinking about something.


    There weren¡¯t many cultivators here. Apart from the eccentrics trapped in the blood barriers, there were only twenty or so.


    These people naturally represented the majority of the factions participating in the battle.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Long, what on earth has happened? The Moulan people suddenly don¡¯t want to continue fighting,¡± Master Sunreach said.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a little strange. We¡¯ve already fought to this point. Could it be that the other party still wants to make peace?¡± Wei Wuya was also somewhat suspicious.


    Long Han bitterly smiled and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t wishful thinking. Rather, it is impossible for us to not make peace with them.¡±


    Devil Concord frowned and asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s going on? There are really other factions interfering!¡±


    Long Han solemnly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The Soaring Tribes took action. It is said that they joined forces with several sects of the Jin Dynasty to attack the Moulans. Moulan¡¯s largest clan that had been defending the rear was exterminated a month ago. It is just that the Soaring Tribes kept it a secret. The other Moulan tribes didn¡¯t know about this. It seems the Soaring Tribes are also interested in our Heavenly South Region.¡±


    When the other cultivators heard this, their hearts sank and the scene fell silent.


    Han Li also felt that something was amiss as he frowned.


    A tiger enters the front door, and a wolf emerges from the back door!


    ¡°Hmph! Is this news true? The Soaring Tribes are very far away from our Heavenly South Region. Could it be that the Moulans are bluffing?¡± Master Shattered Soul appeared to be in disbelief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Eccentric Heavenvenge¡¯s group that entered the Soaring Heavens City failed. It¡¯s said that the Soaring Tribes¡¯ spy among the Moulan people had the same intentions as us. They also sent a group of people into the Soaring Heavens City to plunder the Moulan people¡¯s warehouses. In the end, they coincidentally ran into Fellow Daoist Heavenvenge, and both sides were exposed. After this battle, I¡¯m sure everyone has seen it clearly. The Moulan people who went all out might be slightly weaker than us, but the other party fought with no fear of self-sacrifice. If it weren¡¯t for Fellow Daoist Han showing his might at the most critical moment and breaking through the Copper-armored Corpses and the Moulan Holy Bird, we might have been defeated. Although our Heavenly South Region has mobilized all the major factions, it can¡¯t be said that we¡¯re going all out. Which sect doesn¡¯t have nearly half of their disciples guarding the base? If we were to really fight, even if we were to completely wipe out the Moulan spell warriors who have no retreat, there would definitely be no way for us to escape if the Soaring Tribes attacked us immediately.¡±


    When they heard that Han Li had destroyed the refined corpses and the demon bird, the cultivators who knew about this for the first time could not help but look at Han Li with surprise.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged.


    ¡°Hmph! The Moulan people want our territory, so how are we going to negotiate? Are we really going to give them half of it?¡± Wei Wuya said coldly, seemingly displeased.


    ¡°It¡¯s naturally impossible to split the territory evenly. However, at the borders of the Moulan Plains, we can randomly give two countries to the Moulans to live in. As such, the Soaring Tribes¡¯ attack will still be blocked by the Moulans. Those two races are mortal enemies, so it¡¯s impossible for them to become allies. Of course, the Soaring Tribes are currently very powerful, so we still have to join hands with the Moulan.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Long Han had turned the mortal enemies into potential allies. However, none of the cultivators appeared surprised.


    They were all old eccentrics that had lived for several hundred years, and they had seen countless scenes of switching sides.


    As long as it was in their interest, they naturally wouldn¡¯t act emotionally..


    ¡°If it¡¯s near the border, wouldn¡¯t that mean that the Nine Nations Union¡¯s territory would be given to them?¡± Wei Wuya¡¯s expression darkened.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Only your union is adjacent to the Moulan Plains. Of course, we can¡¯t let you bear all the losses. Let¡¯s discuss whether we can make up for it,¡± Long Han explained.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this in the future. Let¡¯s see what the Moulan people think first before we discuss this matter.¡± Wei Wuya was clearly dissatisfied with this matter and casually brushed it off.


    When Han Li heard this, he glanced at Master Sunreach and Devil Concord. Although the two of them seemed to be pondering this matter, Han Li could see from their gazes that they were tempted. However, because of Wei Wuya, they could not immediately agree.


    Han Li sighed. It seemed that once their respective interests were involved, the various powers would immediately scheme against each other.


    When Long Han heard Wei Wuya¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t reveal any surprise. Instead, he agreed with a smile.


    ¡°These are only one-sided opinions from me. As for how to deal with this matter, I will need to discuss it with everyone. Of course, we must immediately send people to the Moulan Plains to verify whether this matter is true or false. Only then will we be able to negotiate with the Moulans. As long as this matter is true, we will no longer be able to continue fighting with the Moulans. We will each have to take half a step back. Otherwise, we will have to lose together and benefit the Soaring Tribes.¡±


    Long Han¡¯s words satisfied all of the cultivators present, and Wei Wuya¡¯s expression also eased slightly.


    Everyone immediately began to discuss the details.


    During this period of time, Han Li did not say a word. He did not give any suggestions or participate in the discussion.


    To him, as long as it did not involve him and the Drifting Cloud Sect, he would not waste his energy on it. And with Long Han here, he reckoned that the Heavenly Dao Alliance would not suffer any losses.


    It didn¡¯t take long for these eccentrics to come up with a plan. They then removed the restrictions and dispersed the mist.


    In the opposing spell warrior camp, the three spell warriors and a few others also had an urgent meeting and ended their discussion.


    As a result, both sides sent a representative to communicate with each other and reached a temporary truce.


    As for the other matters, they could only be formally negotiated in the future.


    However, the sages in the cultivator camp all wore gloomy expressions.


    With their escape route cut off, they were completely rootless and felt that their future was bleak. Compared to their morale before the battle, it could be said to be extremely low.


    After Han Li and the other cultivators saw the army of spell warriors retreat, they slowly left this place and headed towards Tianyi City.


    The battle at the border, which involved over 100,000 cultivators, came to an end.


    ¡­


    Within the State of Xi, fifty kilometers away from the Dreamcloud Mountains, a streak of azure light shot forward as fast as lightning.


    Within the azure streak of light was a humanoid figure.


    This person wore a green Confucian robe and had an ordinary appearance, but his expression was calm. He was Han Li, who had returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    At this moment, several months had passed since the battle at the border.


    After hearing that the Soaring Tribes wanted to reap the benefits, the Moulan people and the various factions of the Heavenly South Region had no choice but to suspend their war despite their reluctance.


    After Eccentric Heavenvenge returned to Tianyi City, he confirmed that there were indeed other factions that were targeting the Moulan people.


    The large factions immediately sent out several waves of cultivators to the Moulan Plains, only to discover that the Moulan mortals had been driven to the border of the plains. The Soaring Tribes had begun to appear in the Moulans¡¯ original residence.


    With this, the leaders of the Heavenly South Region didn¡¯t delay any longer and immediately began an extremely intense negotiation with the Moulan people.


    At the very beginning, the Moulan people had demanded a third of the land in the Heavenly South Region. Otherwise, they would risk extermination and declare war on the Heavenly South Region.


    For a time, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement.


    However, as a large number of Moulan mortals gathered at the border of the plains and the Soaring Tribes openly hunted the Moulan spell warriors, the Divine Sages in charge of the Moulans could only gradually give in.


    After all, the cultivators of the Heavenly South Region might be helpless in the future, but the extermination of Moulan would be imminent.


    The Moulan Clan and the Soaring Tribes had been enemies for tens of thousands of years. There was no way they would compromise and surrender.


    After several rounds of concessions, the two countries they occupied were finally used to settle down the Moulans. The Heavenly South would move all the mortals of these countries to other countries. The three great factions would each set up a few areas to compensate the Nine Nations Union for their losses and settle down the cultivators and sects of these countries.


    Of course, on the other hand, when the Moulans faced the Soaring Tribes¡¯ invasion, the Moulan spell warriors had to do their utmost to resist. The Heavenly South factions would assist from the side, and both sides would join forces to resist the enemy.


    As such, although the Moulan Tribe had obtained a place to rest, they had to shoulder the same responsibility as the Nine Nations Union did. They had to be careful of the Soaring Tribes¡¯ attacks at all times. Furthermore, because there were only two countries, the Heavenly South factions didn¡¯t have to worry about the Moulan Tribe growing stronger and falling out with them in the future.


    After all, enough cultivation resources were required to develop a large faction.


    Although the Moulans were restricted to two countries, they were able to avoid the danger of extermination. Furthermore, they no longer had to fight alone against the Soaring Tribes and had powerful helpers from the Heavenly South Region.


    Both sides were quite satisfied with this.


    However, there were other things related to Han Li.


    Firstly, Han Li had killed the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s partner, causing the State of Jin¡¯s demonic cultivator to be unwilling to give up. He had sent letters several times, requesting to fight Han Li alone.


    However, after Han Li received the challenge letters, he rolled his eyes and immediately turned the jade slip into ashes. He had no intention of replying or agreeing.


    A late-Nascent Soul cultivator was challenging an early-Nascent Soul cultivator like him. How could the other party think of such a thing?


    Han Li was not a hot-blooded young man, so he naturally scoffed and ignored the challenge.


    After the peace talks between the Moulan Tribe and the Heavenly South Region were successful, the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master and the Moulan Divine Sages discussed in detail before immediately leaving with his subordinates. It was said that he had returned to the State of Jin.


    This made Han Li finally heave a sigh of relief.


    The other matter was about the ancient lantern that Han Li had seized, the Moulan Tribe¡¯s inherited treasure called the ¡°Origin Bright Lantern¡±.


    After the peace talks, the Moulan Divine Sages all expressed that this lantern was an inheritance of the Moulan Tribe and could not fall into the hands of outsiders. They immediately wanted to take it back from Han Li.


    Han Li did not have any intention of refusing them. He immediately asked the other party to use a large amount of Auric Essence to exchange with him.


    It was a pity that the Moulans did not have many Auric Essences. They could not gather so many of them and only had a small piece.


    Reluctantly, Han Li could only ask the other party to replace it with other rare materials before he returned the ancient lantern.


    He had no intention of keeping the lantern.


    Although this ancient lantern was mysterious and wondrous, it was a hot potato. If he kept it in his possession for a day, he would be coveted by many Moulan spell warriors for another day. If this continued, something would happen sooner or later. It was better to get rid of it as soon as possible.

 Chapter 784

    Nangong¡¯s Shocking Change


    Han Li glanced at the storage pouch at his waist.


    After returning the ancient lantern, although he did not mention anything, when the Moulan spell warriors delivered the materials, they returned the Purple Cloudlace and the Ancient Flower Basket.


    It seemed these Moulan people were quite clear that if they wanted to stay in the Heavenly South for a long period of time, they naturally couldn¡¯t afford to offend any more high-grade cultivators.


    The intention of returning the ancient treasure was probably to prevent him from having any complaints.


    After all, even the Moulan Divine Sages were somewhat wary of a cultivator as young as him who possessed such divine abilities.


    As soon as he took back the ancient treasures, Han Li gave the Purple Cloudlace to Silvermoon.


    Although this woman could only use this treasure when she appeared as a demon fox, she had made many contributions recently. Han Li was not a mean person, so he naturally had to express her gratitude.


    This Purple Cloudlace was very handy for this woman, so it couldn¡¯t be any better as a reward.


    Perhaps it was because the news of their alliance with the Moulan had spread, but the Soaring Tribes hesitated for a moment.


    Although they had sent a large number of cultivators to the edge of the plains, they didn¡¯t immediately attack. They only silently observed the actions of the Heavenly South and the Moulan. It seemed that they wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble in the near future.


    However, the more the Soaring Tribes acted this way, the heavier the hearts of Master Sunreach, Long Han, and the others became.


    The other party¡¯s seriousness indicated that they truly intended to take the Heavenly South Region.


    Seeing that this confrontation might last for a long time, the disciples of the various sects of the Heavenly South Region couldn¡¯t afford to stay here for too long. After some discussion, they immediately implemented the same rotation method as the Nine Nations Union.


    All of the sects had sent out some elite disciples to take turns to station themselves close to the Moulan Plains. If the Soaring Tribes were to launch an attack, these people would naturally be able to provide support.


    As for the other cultivators, they could return to their respective sects.


    As an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li naturally had many matters to attend to with Senior Brother Lu. It was only when most of the disciples had left that he was able to escape and return to the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Lu Luo still had some matters to deal with and would be delayed for a few days. Naturally, Han Li set off on his return journey first.


    Along the way, Han Li did not delay in the slightest and directly used the Wind Riding Chariot to travel, which shortened his journey by half. However, once he entered the State of Xi, Han Li put away the chariot to avoid attracting too much attention.


    Currently, Han Li had covered a distance of over 50 kilometers in the blink of an eye.


    When Han Li saw the shadow of the Dreamcloud Mountain from afar, he could not help but think of Nangong Wan¡¯s beautiful face and revealed a happy expression.


    ¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± In a secret room in the Drifting Cloud Sect that few people knew about, Han Li looked at the silver-haired old man and said word by word. His face was filled with anger.


    As soon as he returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect, before he could return to his cave abode, he was stopped by the silver-haired old man and brought to a secret chamber filled with cold air.


    Han Li was shocked to see Nangong Wan.


    However, at this moment, Nangong Wan had transformed into a seven or eight-year-old girl. She was sealed in an ice wall that was emitting wisps of cold air. Her eyes were closed and she was unconscious.


    How could Han Li not be furious?


    The silver-haired old man bitterly smiled and slowly explained, ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if Junior Brother had returned half a month earlier. Sister Nangong¡¯s accident only occurred half a month ago. If you were here, you might¡¯ve been able to prevent it from happening. However, Sister-in-law¡¯s life isn¡¯t in danger for the time being. It¡¯s just that her body has been struck by the Devil Dao¡¯s Soul Seal Curse. We can only use this method to delay the outbreak of the curse.¡±


    ¡°Soul Seal Curse? How did Wan¡¯er fall for this Yin Curse? Hasn¡¯t this secret technique been lost in the Heavenly South Region for a long time? Could it be¡­¡± When Han Li heard the old man¡¯s words, he was stunned for a moment, but he immediately thought of something and revealed a bewildered expression.


    Seeing that Han Li seemed to have guessed something, the silver-haired old man did not ask further. Instead, he told Han Li about Nangong Wan¡¯s encounter in detail.


    One morning half a month ago, Nangong Wan went to a small mountain near her cave abode to cultivate the Sunu Reincarnation Technique.


    However, she didn¡¯t expect that a black-robed man would suddenly appear as soon as she arrived.


    When the man saw Nangong Wan approaching, he immediately unleashed an extremely powerful Devil Dao attack and destroyed several of Nangong Wan¡¯s protective treasures. When Nangong Wan saw this, she let out a long cry for help and tried her best to escape in the direction of her cave abode.


    In the end, when the silver-haired old man and the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples heard the news and rushed over, Nangong Wan was already unable to dodge in time. The other party gently pointed at her forehead before she flipped over and fell.


    In his alarm, the silver-haired old man immediately led his disciples to attack the black-robed man.


    When that person saw so many Drifting Cloud Sect disciples appear, he had no intention of fighting them head-on. With a cold laugh, he tossed a jade slip onto the ground and flew away like lightning. No one was able to catch up to him.


    The silver-haired old man could not care less and hurriedly brought Nangong Wan back to the sect to treat her.


    Only then did he realize that Nangong Wan had been struck by the legendary Soul Seal Curse, a forbidden secret technique that had been lost by the Devil Dao for many years.


    Once this restriction was forcefully planted, the person¡¯s soul would slowly be sealed. Then, depending on the cultivation of the person, their soul would gradually dissipate under the effects of the seal. The person would become a walking corpse.


    This was originally a special method used by the Devil Dao to deal with their enemies. It was extremely vicious!


    When the old man recognized this restriction, he was naturally shocked. However, he was at a loss for what to do and was unable to break it.


    However, at this moment, Nangong Wan woke up on her own. After knowing that she was under the Soul Seal Curse, although Nangong Wan¡¯s face was extremely pale, she immediately thought of a temporary solution.


    She decided to use a certain ability of the Sunu Reincarnation Technique to temporarily seal herself with cold Qi. Not only did this seal completely restrict Nangong Wan¡¯s body, but it also greatly delayed the activation of the Soul Seal Curse.


    Hence, Nangong Wan, who appeared in front of Han Li, became like this.


    After the old man finished speaking, he took out two jade slips and handed them to Han Li.


    Senior Brother Cheng sighed and said, ¡°One was left behind by the black-robed man who attacked my sister-in-law. The other was left behind by my sister-in-law before she used the sealing technique on herself. Junior Brother should take a look first!¡±


    Han Li received the two jade slips with a dark expression. After sizing them up, he first looked at the jade slip that Nangong Wan had left for him.


    A moment later, Han Li, who was immersed in the jade slip, revealed a strange expression.


    He appeared both worried and gratified.


    This stunned the silver-haired old man who was looking at Han Li.


    When Nangong Wan mentioned that she wanted to give this jade slip to Han Li, the old man did not take a look at it first. After all, it was very easy to set the jade slip and let others discover that it had been read by someone else.


    The old man wouldn¡¯t do such an unwise thing over such a trivial matter.


    With the emergence of Han Li¡¯s mystical abilities and his rising reputation, Han Li¡¯s status in his heart naturally could not be mentioned in the same breath.


    After reading Nangong Wan¡¯s jade slip, Han Li took a deep breath and lowered his head to look at the other blood-red jade slip.


    However, after a short while, Han Li¡¯s expression became extremely gloomy. In the end, he even rubbed his hands in extreme anger, and a ball of purple flames suddenly erupted from Han Li¡¯s hand. This jade slip instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke in the fire and disappeared.


    When the silver-haired old man saw this, he was overwhelmed with shock.


    Although these jade slips weren¡¯t refined with great care, it was impossible for him to casually turn them into nothingness. It seemed that the rumors about this Junior Brother Han were most likely true. His abilities were actually greater than that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. The silver-haired old man had really recruited an impressive figure for the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Just as the old man was secretly shocked, Han Li pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Senior Brother Cheng, you¡¯ve already met the person who ambushed her. Why don¡¯t you tell me his appearance and cultivation? Let¡¯s see if he¡¯s the same person as I know.¡±


    ¡°I did see him. He¡¯s quite good-looking. He¡¯s a young man with good facial features! As for his cultivation base, he seems to have used some kind of magic technique to conceal it. My abilities are too low, so I can¡¯t see through him. However, he¡¯s at least at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat Fellow Daoist Nangong so easily,¡± the old man said without any hesitation.


    ¡°Young man?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed, somewhat surprised.


    The old man couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°That¡¯s right! However, with his cultivation base, he must¡¯ve consumed some kind of spirit pill or cultivation technique that has the miraculous effect of retaining his youthful appearance like Junior Brother. However, there¡¯s a high chance that he¡¯s older than Junior Brother. After all, there are very few people in the world who can condense a Nascent Soul at such a young age. However, Junior Brother! I¡¯ve also seen the jade slip he left behind. He actually wants Junior Brother to bring the Golden Lightning Bamboo to the Mysterious Heaven Peak to meet him. Could it be that this person is really a demonic cultivator from the State of Jin? Does Junior Brother really have a treasure refined from the Golden Lightning Bamboo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure if it¡¯s that person, but even if it¡¯s not him, it should be related to him. This person should be a devilish cultivator from the Yin Sifting Sect of the State of Jin. I originally thought that they wanted to avenge their sect members that I killed during the battle at the border, but I didn¡¯t expect them to take a fancy to my Golden Lightning Bamboo. It seems that even if I didn¡¯t kill their accomplices, they would still come looking for me. This time, I¡¯ve implicated Wan¡¯er. As for the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure, Junior Brother does have one.¡± After Han Li calmly said this, the anger on his face faded, and the coldness in his eyes became even sharper.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder. With a treasure like the Golden Lightning Bamboo that specializes in restraining devilish techniques, it¡¯s no wonder that they¡¯re tempted. In addition, they¡¯re not cultivators from our Heavenly South Region, so they¡¯re even more unrestrained. How about this? Why don¡¯t I invite other cultivators on good terms to join forces and search for this person? I don¡¯t believe that within the territory of our Drifting Cloud Sect, these devil cultivators from the State of Jin can really act lawlessly.¡±


    The silver-haired old man was also greatly annoyed by the fact that the black-robed man had actually attacked someone at the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s mountain base. This was a sincere suggestion.

 Chapter 785

    Refining Swords in the Hidden Room


    Han Li shook his head and slowly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. If I¡¯m guessing the right person, this person¡¯s cultivation is unfathomable. He¡¯s a figure comparable to a Moulan Divine Sage. Ordinary cultivators won¡¯t be able to do anything to him. Instead, they might arouse his ferocity. Furthermore, he has a way to remove the Soul Seal Curse. I don¡¯t want to alert him.¡±


    ¡°To be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Moulan Divine Sage! Could he be a late-Nascent Soul cultivator? If that¡¯s the case, Junior Brother can¡¯t go alone. It¡¯s too dangerous. Let¡¯s invite Long Han and his wife to help us,¡± the silver-haired old man said in astonishment.


    ¡°Although Fellow Daoists Long Han and Feng Bing can deal with this person, it will take at least three to four months for them to return. It¡¯s too late. That person only left me two months in the jade slip. Clearly, he estimated the date of my return. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect me to return so quickly. Let me consider this matter carefully before deciding how to deal with it! Most importantly, I have to think of a way to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse,¡± Han Li said after taking a deep breath.


    When the silver-haired old man saw this, he could only nod his head and agree, ¡°Alright. If Junior Brother needs manpower, feel free to ask. All of the sect¡¯s disciples can be dispatched at will.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Brother. According to Wan¡¯er¡¯s jade slip, this kind of divine ability could theoretically delay the activation of the Soul Seal Curse for nearly a hundred years. However, no one has ever tried its actual effect. I¡¯m really worried!¡± Han Li looked at the lifelike little girl in the ice wall and muttered with a worried expression.


    After a moment of thought, the old man consoled him, ¡°Junior Brother doesn¡¯t need to worry too much. From Sister Nangong¡¯s appearance, she doesn¡¯t seem to be someone who has died. She will definitely be able to pass this tribulation. How about this? From today onwards, I will search through ancient records and see if I can find a way to break this curse. Perhaps we won¡¯t need to find the black-robed man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother. If Senior Brother has no objections, I would like to stay here alone for a while. I hope Senior Brother won¡¯t take offense.¡± Han Li suddenly forced a smile and said.


    The silver-haired old man was stunned for a moment before understandingly saying, ¡°Of course. Senior Brother will first go to the library. Junior Brother should accompany her for a while.¡±


    Then, under Han Li¡¯s gaze, the old man left the secret room and closed the stone door.


    Only Han Li and the girl in the ice wall were left in the room.


    Only then did Han Li turn his head to look at the ice wall. A lonely expression appeared on his face, and he let out a long sigh.


    For an entire day and night, Han Li stayed in this secret room and did not go out.


    When the silver-haired old man returned from the library, he saw that Han Li was still inside and could not help but worry. After waiting for half a day, he was really worried and was about to break in when Han Li finally came out with a calm expression.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han, are you alright?¡± The old man couldn¡¯t help but ask with a bewildered expression.


    Seeing the old man waiting outside the door, Han Li felt warm in his heart and said apologetically.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking of a way to deal with the enemy. Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. There is still a month and a half until the deadline mentioned by that person. I am preparing to enter seclusion. If there is nothing important, Senior Brother need not look for me.¡±


    When the silver-haired old man heard this, he wore a puzzled expression and said, ¡°Cultivating in seclusion? Is there any use in such a short amount of time?¡±


    ¡°I obtained some Auric Essence this time and am preparing to reforge my original magic treasure. This way, when I fight enemies in the future, I will be able to increase my power. It shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Han Li replied vaguely.


    ¡°I see. Junior Brother, please go into seclusion. I will instruct the sect¡¯s disciples not to disturb you.¡± The old man suddenly understood and readily agreed.


    ¡°Also, since this ice wall has been formed, I won¡¯t rashly move it away. Otherwise, it might cause some harm. However, I¡¯ll set up a few array formations around the secret room to ensure that Wan¡¯er is fine. I¡¯ll have to trouble Senior Brother to take care of her,¡± Han Li said solemnly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Junior Brother. I, the Grand Elder, am already responsible for what happened to Fellow Daoist Nangong in our Drifting Cloud Sect. I¡¯ve already listed this place as a forbidden area and won¡¯t allow ordinary disciples to come here. There¡¯s definitely no problem with Sister-in-law¡¯s safety,¡± the silver-haired old man said without thinking. It seemed that he had also considered this problem.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll be at ease. There¡¯s no time to lose; I¡¯ll set up the formations first before going into seclusion,¡± Han Wen said with a glint in his eyes.


    ¡­


    Half a day later, Han Li left the old man¡¯s place and returned to his cave abode.


    What surprised him was that Mu Peiling had somehow learned of his return and was actually waiting for him outside the cave abode.


    A trace of surprise flashed across Han Li¡¯s face, but he still called him into the cave abode.


    As soon as Mu Peiling entered the hall, she anxiously asked, ¡°Is Big Sister Nangong alright? I heard that she was injured by someone, but I haven¡¯t received any concrete news. I¡¯ve been worried until now.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you getting along well with Wan¡¯er?¡± Han Li sat down on the main seat and asked calmly.


    Mu Peiling replied without the slightest hesitation, ¡°We do get along very well. Big Sister Nangong has a very good temper. When Young Master wasn¡¯t around, she gave me pointers on my cultivation many times and I benefited greatly.¡±


    Han Li was silent for a while before revealing a bitter smile.


    ¡°I should be happy to hear you say that. However, Wan¡¯er is currently under the Soul Seal Curse and is frozen. I really can¡¯t be happy. However, I haven¡¯t seen you for just a few months, and your cultivation has clearly increased a little. It can be seen that you haven¡¯t slacked off in your cultivation. This makes me very gratified. Next, I¡¯ll be in seclusion for more than a month so that I can think of a way to break Wan¡¯er¡¯s poison curse.¡±


    Mu Peiling was shocked and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Soul Seal Curse? It¡¯s actually a Devil Dao curse. This is troublesome. Young Master, you should have a way, right?¡±


    ¡°What can I do? I can only start with the person who cast the curse. As long as he falls into my hands, I will naturally have a way to make him obediently spit out the method to dissolve the curse,¡± Han Li suddenly said with a dark expression.


    When Mu Peiling heard this, she could only frown.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s cheap disciple, Liu Yu, also came to visit. Apart from greeting her master, Han Li, she also asked about Nangong Wan.


    With her smartness, she had long intentionally befriended Nangong Wan, her future master¡¯s wife.


    Seeing that the woman had also come, Han Li had no intention of hiding anything. He roughly recounted the matter of the Soul Seal Curse, causing Liu Yu to stop and be shocked.


    However, with her cultivation and knowledge, there was nothing she could do.


    Han Li was not in the mood to talk to the two women. After a while, he started to send them off.


    Naturally, the two women would not cause any trouble for Han Li at this time. They immediately walked out of the cave abode obediently.


    However, just as she left the cave abode, Liu Yu¡¯s gaze wandered and she suddenly smiled at Mu Peiling.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Mu, although you are Master¡¯s concubine, you are still a virgin. It is no wonder that Master treats you like a guest. With your appearance, could it be that Master isn¡¯t tempted? Or is there something else? Master¡¯s wife is even more beautiful than you. You should take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­¡± Mu Peiling was stunned for a moment and her face flushed as she tried to make out what was going on. However, the person in front of her chuckled before flying off in a streak of light.


    Mu Peiling blankly stood in place for a long while before fiercely stomping her feet and flying away on her magic tool.


    When Han Li saw the two women leave, he had the time to take a look at the medicine garden and the insect room.


    Everything was normal.


    Han Li immediately brought some refining materials into the secret room.


    He wanted to use the flames of his Nascent Soul to transform the Auric Essence into the 36 flying swords.


    Speaking of which, apart from the Auric Essence that he had obtained from Master Sunreach and the other Moulan cultivators, Long Han had actually managed to find another small piece of Auric Essence with the help of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. As such, it was more than enough to refine thirty flying swords.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to add materials into a refined magic treasure, but it was rather rushed to do so in a short month.


    Han Li could only try his best to do it. If he cultivated half of the Aureate Sword Formation, he might be able to fight against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    The black-robed man who had placed the Soul Seal Curse on Nangong Wan was most likely the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master.


    He had to get the method to dissolve the curse from the other party. This half of the Aureate Sword Formation was his trump card.


    Thinking of this, Han Li reached out and took off a storage bag from his waist. He held it in the air, and after the opening of the bag flashed with multicolored light, several Auric Essences of different sizes appeared on the ground under his feet.


    He then took out the supplementary materials from his storage pouch and placed them at his feet.


    Han Li sat down cross-legged and immediately pointed at the smallest piece of Auric Essence.


    This golden stone immediately floated up and slowly flew towards Han Li.


    Han Li looked on without blinking. When the stone was three feet away from him and was floating motionlessly, he formed a hand seal and spat out a ball of Nascent Fire that shone with a green light.


    With a light bang, the azure Nascent Flame struck the Auric Essence stone, instantly enveloping it.


    Han Li slowly chanted an incantation, and the green Nascent Flame immediately became even more vigorous. The flames surged and continued, and the raw stones floating inside began to gradually melt.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned solemn as he stared at the object without blinking.


    An hour later, most of the impurities had turned into milky white liquid and dripped onto the ground.


    The Auric Essence Origin Stone had already become a semi-transparent existence, and its size was much smaller than before.


    Seeing this, Han Li waved his sleeve and casually rolled up a jade box on the ground.


    The lid of the box opened on its own in an instant, revealing the shimmering silver powder within.


    The powder immediately turned into a silver snake and shot into the transparent liquid in the air.


    Brilliant azure light shone, and the semi-transparent liquid shot out silver light. Then, Han Li cast several spells in succession, which disappeared into it without a trace.

 Chapter 786

    Initial Completion of the Sword Formation


    A strange scene immediately ensued. The transparent liquid began to slowly split and transform, forming six thumb-sized silver beads that slowly rotated in the air.


    Han Li took a deep breath and bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence.


    As a result, as soon as the blood essence touched the surface of the beads, they all absorbed it without a single drop remaining. Soon after, the color of the beads changed drastically, turning into a golden color as if they were made of pure gold.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s spirits were lifted. He opened his mouth again and a green light shot out. Then, it circled around and stopped in front of Han Li.


    It was a miniature azure sword that was around an inch in size and flickered with spiritual light.


    Han Li pointed at a golden bead formed from Auric Essence. Immediately, the golden bead turned into a streak of golden light and shot towards the small sword. Then, it melted and wrapped around it, evenly smearing on the surface of the flying sword.


    The small sword immediately began to shine with a dazzling golden light.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows and pointed at the ground a few more times. Several supplementary materials flew onto the flying sword and fused into it.


    Then, Han Li waved his hand at the flying sword, and the sword instantly flew to his palm. With a puff, a ball of green Nascent Fire appeared out of thin air, enveloping the flying sword.


    Han Li slowly closed his eyes and used his divine sense to control the Nascent Flame, beginning to refine it.


    Only by completely fusing the Auric Essence with the flying sword could the refinement be considered complete.


    Days passed, and Han Li was refining the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords in the secret chamber, without a moment of rest.


    If Han Li did not have the Myriad Year Spirit Milk and could recover his magic power in time, he would not have been able to persist for such a long period of time.


    Outside the cave abode, seeing that the agreed date with the black-robed man was approaching and Han Li had yet to walk out of the cave abode, some people who knew about this began to become anxious.


    Among them, the silver-haired old man was naturally the most anxious. This was because yesterday, someone had used a flying sword to send a jade slip into the Drifting Cloud Sect. The jade slip had accurately written the location of the appointment with Han Li.


    Not only was the terrain there dangerous, but it was also very far away from Dreamcloud Mountain. If Han Li did not come out of seclusion soon, it would be too late.


    Just as the silver-haired old man was restlessly sitting in the side hall of the meeting hall, Han Li¡¯s figure silently appeared at the entrance of the hall.


    ¡°Junior Brother, you¡¯re out of seclusion. Have you finished refining the magic treasure?¡± The old man sensed something and turned around. When he saw Han Li at the door, he could not help but shout in surprise.


    ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve finished refining them. Senior Brother, I heard that the person sent me a jade slip again. There¡¯s also the place to meet me. Is that true?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was calmer than a month ago as he asked in a low voice.


    The silver-haired old man nodded and tossed a green jade slip over, ¡°That¡¯s right. He wants to meet you at the peak of Heaven Pillar Mountain. This is the jade slip he sent over. Take a look at it.¡±


    Han Li took the jade slip and immediately immersed his divine sense into it, quickly scanning through it.


    ¡°Hmph! He asked me to go alone and to bring the Golden Lightning Bamboo. It seems that he really investigated me very thoroughly and knows some things about me and Wan¡¯er. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so confident.¡± Han Li snorted coldly and a trace of fierceness flashed across his face.


    The silver-haired old man resentfully said, ¡°With his abilities, it will be extremely easy for him to investigate Junior Brother and Sister Nangong¡¯s matter. After all, low-grade cultivators are incapable of keeping any secret in front of such powerful devilish cultivators. However, Junior Brother, I cannot allow you to take the risk alone. I¡¯ve already arranged to meet with the Child Fire Dragon and five other cultivators who are on good terms with you. When the time comes, Junior Brother will leave first. We will follow behind you. As soon as that person appears, we will attack him together. We must capture him and let him know that our State of Xi isn¡¯t a place where he can come and go as he pleases.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother¡¯s method is not bad, but this person is most likely on guard. However, it¡¯s not bad for Senior Brother and the others to follow. If the other party is negligent or overly arrogant, his fall will be fated.¡± Han Li thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.


    He was naturally more than happy to have some helpers.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Although the Heavenly Pillar Mountain is incomparably tall, it is nothing to cultivators like us. I will plant a mark on Junior Brother¡¯s body and use it to track you down. When the time comes, if the enemy is truly invincible, Junior Brother will only need to stall for time and my friends and I will arrive in time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Senior Brother for this matter. I will definitely repay this favor.¡± Han Li, who was unwilling to easily accept favors from others, actually said such words.


    The silver-haired old man chuckled and nonchalantly said, ¡°Junior Brother is also a member of our Drifting Cloud Sect. There is no need for such formalities. It is getting late. Junior Brother Han should quickly make preparations. Junior Brother must set off tonight in order to reach Heaven Pillar Mountain on time.¡±


    Han Li nodded and immediately took his leave.


    Looking at Han Li¡¯s back as he left, the silver-haired old man sighed and revealed a knowing smile.


    To be able to make Han Li say what he just said, he did not waste his efforts.


    Presumably, after he passed away, this Junior Brother Han would take into account this favor and support the Drifting Cloud Sect with all his might.


    The silver-haired old man felt his heart relax, but after a moment of thought, he slapped his storage pouch and took out a few talismans. He then tossed them into the air, and they immediately flew out of the hall as streaks of red light.


    These sound transmission talismans had already been sent out, and his good friends who had stayed at the Guest Pavilion since several days ago should be gathered here soon.


    The old man sat in his chair with a contemplative look on his face.


    ¡­


    At night, after Han Li informed the silver-haired old man, he left the Dreamcloud Mountain and went straight to the Heavenly Pillar Mountain, which was a day¡¯s journey away.


    Two hours after Han Li set off, the silver-haired old man left the Drifting Cloud Sect with the Child Fire Dragon and a few other Nascent Soul eccentrics, quietly following behind him.


    In order to conserve his magic power, Han Li¡¯s azure light speed was only average.


    As Han Li flew forward, he played with a small golden sword that was two to three inches long. It was one of the 36 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that Han Li had infused with Auric Essence.


    For some reason, the flying sword that had been infused with Auric Essence turned completely reddish-gold.


    If he remembered correctly, although the Auric Essence would change the color of the magic treasure during the refinement process, once the magic treasure was refined and the Auric Essence truly seeped into the magic treasure, it should return to its original color.


    As for the 36 flying swords, they preserved the golden color until the very end and never faded.


    This surprised Han Li.


    The power of these flying swords was not affected. Han Li even faintly felt that this Auric Essence seemed to be even more effective than the rumors. After he tested it, the power of the flying swords increased by nearly 30%. Their sharpness was far greater than before.


    Han Li believed that if magic treasures with slightly inferior materials were to collide with these flying swords, they would most likely become scrap after being struck by these flying swords.


    Han Li was overjoyed, but he was also puzzled.


    In the end, he thought of the Golden Lightning Bamboo that was the main ingredient for the flying swords, as well as another precious material that he had previously mixed into the swords.


    These materials were all extremely rare. Could it be that after the Auric Essence was mixed in, there was an unexpected change? Han Li thought for a long time and could only explain like this.


    Since the situation was developing in a positive direction, he was not willing to spend any more effort on this matter. Instead, he placed all his attention on the Aureate Sword Formation.


    This divine ability did not require Han Li to specially cultivate and could be easily used.


    Han Li tested the power of this sword formation in the secret room, and the result left Han Li dumbfounded!


    The power of this sword formation proved that the golden page was not exaggerating at all. Although he could only form a simple Aureate Sword Formation, the magic of this sword formation had already amazed Han Li and greatly increased his confidence in this trip. Otherwise, Han Li would not have gone to see the other party so obediently.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s Soul Seal Curse had to be broken, but without the Aureate Sword Formation, Han Li would not obediently die and be manipulated by others.


    Of course, whether or not he could deal with late-Nascent Soul cultivators, Han Li had not truly fought against one, so there was no way to compare.


    However, once a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator fell into the sword formation, Han Li was at least 80% to 90% confident that he could trap or even kill him.


    With this ability, he would at least be able to protect himself against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    However, how to get the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse from the black-robed man was a little troublesome. Han Li could only see the black-robed man and act accordingly.


    After a light sigh, golden light flashed in Han Li¡¯s hand, and the small sword disappeared. Then, he used his spiritual sense to scan behind him.


    Han Li was not surprised that he did not discover the silver-haired old man and the others.


    In order to prevent the black-robed man from spying on them, they would definitely hide far away and rely on secret techniques to track him down.


    After all, the enemy could be a late-Nascent Soul demonic cultivator, so they had to be extremely careful in case they were discovered.


    The Heavenly Pillar Mountain was located to the west of the Dreamcloud Mountains. It was a lone steep mountain that was over 10,000 feet tall. As such, it was known as the Heavenly Pillar Mountain.


    From a distance, one-third of the mountain had disappeared into the cloud, making it appear extremely majestic and steep.


    The mountain was surrounded by low hills. Standing at the waist of the mountain, one would be able to see everything around them. This was probably one of the reasons why the black-robed man had chosen this place.


    However, when Han Li was fifty kilometers away from the mountain, he immediately felt a spiritual sense wrap around him.


    This spiritual sense seemed to be quite strong, but it seemed to only be at the level of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. However, Han Li did not dare to let his guard down because of this. Who knew if the other party was deliberately hiding a portion of his strength to give his enemy an illusion.


    Thus, Han Li pretended not to know about this spiritual sense scanning him and continued to fly towards the peak of the Heavenly Pillar Mountain at an unhurried pace.


    Almost at the same time, a black-robed man opened his eyes on a blue stone at the top of the Heavenly Pillar Mountain and coldly looked in the direction where Han Li flew.


    He muttered to himself, ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived. It seems my information was correct. As expected, your relationship with that female cultivator is extraordinary!¡±

 Chapter 787

    The Black-robed Young Man


    ¡°However, I overestimated him, as he is putting himself in danger for a woman.¡± The black-robed man muttered and turned his head to look at a place not far away.


    The black-robed man¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of a crude teleportation formation.


    When this person sensed that Han Li was only a few kilometers away, he suddenly stood up and strode towards the teleportation formation.


    A short moment later, he disappeared amid a flash of white light.


    Han Li also sensed the presence of the black-robed man. He was originally flying over carefully, but when he suddenly sensed that the other party had disappeared without a trace, he could not help but be stunned.


    ¡°Could it be that this person used an escape technique to hide and wanted to plot against me from the side?¡± With this thought in mind, Han Li shivered and was naturally more careful.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    However, when he cautiously approached the peak of Heaven Pillar Mountain and saw the extremely eye-catching small teleportation formation, his expression changed. He turned his gaze and saw a newly erected limestone slab next to the teleportation formation. There were a few inch-large characters carved on it with a sharp blade.


    ¡°I won¡¯t wait for you.¡±


    After Han Li said these words in a low voice, his expression became a little unsightly. He secretly cursed the other party for being cunning.


    With his attainments in spell formations, he was able to tell at a glance that such a crude teleportation formation wouldn¡¯t be able to teleport him very far away. But even so, if he were to casually teleport himself to the place where the enemy had set up an ambush, wouldn¡¯t he be walking into a trap?


    What was even worse was that he had no idea if the silver-haired old man and the others would be able to find him after he teleported over.


    However, from the message left behind by the other party¡¯s stone tablet, it was clear that the man didn¡¯t want to meet him now, nor did he give him a chance to bargain.


    If he were to delay for too long and the other party were to make up his mind to leave, it would be quite troublesome.


    He did not dare to bet on whether the other party would really do that.


    After all, he had killed the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s dual cultivation companion. If the person who had come was this Devil Dao Sect Master, it was not impossible.


    It seemed that if he wanted to find a way to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse, he could only take the risk.


    Han Li¡¯s expression wavered for a long while before he finally made a decision.


    He first swept his spiritual sense through the nearby area to make sure that there were no other devilish cultivators hiding. Then, he took out a sound transmission talisman and whispered something into it. He raised his hand and flew off in a streak of red light.


    Then, without any hesitation, Han Li took a spirit beast pouch from his waist and summoned it into the air. The tri-colored Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out and transformed into tri-colored armor that appeared on Han Li¡¯s body.


    He then waved his sleeve, and a small blue shield flew out and stood in front of him. He flipped his other hand, and in a flash of white light, a silk handkerchief appeared in his hand.


    Han Li lowered his head and looked at the embroidered handkerchief. A strange look flashed past his eyes.


    This brocade handkerchief was the protective treasure that Nangong Wan had given him back then.


    Han Li gently stroked the smooth surface of the handkerchief with his finger and stood in silence.


    But after a short while, Han Li raised his hand and applied several layers of barriers on his body. With a sway of his body, he stepped into the transportation formation.


    After taking a deep breath, Han Li raised his hand and struck a corner of the teleportation formation.


    Brilliant white light shone, and Han Li disappeared without a trace from the teleportation formation.


    In a lake thousands of kilometers away from the Heavenly Pillar Mountain, there was a nameless island at the center of the lake. White spiritual light shone somewhere on the island, and Han Li¡¯s figure appeared.


    Almost as soon as he appeared, he disregarded the discomfort of teleportation and immediately activated the blue light shield in front of him. The shield immediately swelled and blocked most of his body.


    However, Han Li did not feel any attacks, so he looked around with a calm heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t launch a sneak attack against an early-Nascent Soul cultivator like you, although I heard that you¡¯re not an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator.¡± An unfamiliar voice came from not far away from Han Li.


    When Han Li heard this voice, his heart stirred.


    This was definitely not the voice of the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master. Could it be that it was really done by another devil cultivator? A trace of surprise flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes as he looked in the direction of the voice.


    He saw a black-robed youth in his twenties standing over 300 feet away with his hands behind his back, calmly looking at him.


    Although Han Li had never seen the true face of the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master, this person was definitely not the black-robed man who fought with Devil Concord in the border battle.


    ¡°Hmph! If you don¡¯t know how to launch a sneak attack, then why did you cast the Soul Seal Curse on my partner?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze swept across the room, but he was actually unable to see through the cultivation of the person opposite him. This caused him to narrow his eyes slightly, and he did not dare to relax his vigilance at all. However, he spoke with a cold mocking tone.


    At this moment, he had already seen everything around him.


    They were at the edge of a swamp. There were mud pits everywhere, and it was extremely humid. Not far away, there was a small forest, and the faint sound of waves could be heard.


    Han Li frowned and instantly relaxed. He sensed an abnormal spiritual Qi fluctuation around him. As expected, there seemed to be a restriction.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a particularly powerful spell formation, teleporting to this place was a complete loss in terms of terrain advantage.


    ¡°Hehe! There¡¯s no need for that, Fellow Daoist Han. I may have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I¡¯m not arrogant enough to go against your entire sect,¡± the young man replied in an unhurried manner.


    ¡°You are not the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master?¡± Han Li stared at him and suddenly changed the topic.


    The black-robed youth chuckled and leisurely said, ¡°What? Do I resemble our sect master in any way?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it, but you were able to easily infiltrate the Drifting Cloud Sect and leave safely after injuring someone. I really didn¡¯t know that there was such an expert like you in the sect. I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t appear during the battle.¡± Han Li seemed to be a little puzzled, but he also seemed to be muttering to himself.


    The young man chuckled and wore a strange expression, ¡°Although I wish to give Fellow Daoist Han an explanation, I didn¡¯t bring you here to reveal my origins. Have you brought your Golden Lightning Bamboo?¡±


    Hearing the young man¡¯s words, Han Li coldly glared at him and did not say a word.


    ¡°Cough! If Fellow Daoist Han wishes to stall for time, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be disappointed. The teleportation formation I arranged can only be used twice. Once it¡¯s used twice, the teleportation formation on the other end will automatically be destroyed. They won¡¯t be able to find this place without half a day. I believe half a day should be enough to settle the matter between us.¡± The black-robed youth appeared extremely confident.


    ¡°Humph! If you want to know if the Golden Lightning Bamboo is with me, can you tell me the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse first?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light, but his tone softened slightly.


    ¡°The method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse is in this jade slip, but show me the Golden Lightning Bamboo first. I¡¯m different from our sect master. I only want the Golden Lightning Bamboo, and I have nothing to do with your grudge against him for killing his partner. I can¡¯t be bothered to interfere in this matter.¡± The young man withdrew his smile and flipped his hand, producing a pitch-black jade slip.


    Then, the youth looked over with deep meaning.


    ¡°Of course. Although the Golden Lightning Bamboo is very important, I value my partner more.¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows and said without hesitation.


    He then brought his hands together in front of his chest and gently separated them. A thunderclap sounded out, following which a small azure arrow appeared in his hand amid a slight arc of golden lightning.


    Han Li held the arrow between two fingers and glanced at the young man expressionlessly.


    When the young man saw this, greed flashed through his eyes. After a moment of thought, he suddenly shook his wrist.


    Immediately, the black jade slip in his hand slowly flew towards Han Li. Its speed was extremely slow, as if it was being pulled by an invisible rope.


    Han Li was stunned at first, but he immediately understood the other party¡¯s intentions. Without saying anything, he also threw out the small arrow in his hand, which slowly floated towards the other party like a cow pulling a carriage.


    Although the two of them were controlling the items in their hands, they were both looking at each other¡¯s faces without blinking.


    When the two items passed by, Han Li and the young man secretly heaved a sigh of relief, and their expressions relaxed slightly.


    The two of them grabbed the flying object at almost the same time and hurriedly took a closer look.


    After a moment of careful examination, a wry smile appeared on their faces.


    ¡°This is your esteemed Golden Lightning Bamboo?¡± The black-robed youth coldly smiled and suddenly rubbed his hands together. Silver-white flames erupted and the small azure arrow in his hand instantly turned to ash.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also never heard that the most basic five-elemental technique in the cultivation world can eliminate the Soul Seal Curse.¡± Blue flames rose from Han Li¡¯s expressionless hand, and the jade slip instantly condensed into ice before shattering into specks of light and disappearing without a trace.


    ¡°Hmph! It seems we don¡¯t trust each other, but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll ask you one last time, Fellow Daoist Han. Are you willing to hand over the Golden Lightning Bamboo? As long as you hand it over to me, I¡¯ll immediately turn around and leave behind a method to save your companion. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be able to find this treasure after I kill you. This isn¡¯t an ancient treasure, so you¡¯ll definitely carry it with you.¡± The black-robed youth¡¯s expression darkened as a trace of baleful Qi emitted from his body, and a sinister expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°What a coincidence! Fellow Daoist¡¯s thoughts are somewhat similar to mine. Since you used the Soul Seal Curse, the method to dissolve it must be in your mind. After I kill you, I can also search your soul and obtain what I want to know.¡± Han Li exhaled lightly and said coldly.


    ¡°Search my soul? In the past several hundred years, you¡¯re the first person to speak to me in such a manner. I will leave your corpse intact.¡± The black-robed youth was so angry that he laughed. He raised his hand and several incantation seals flew in all directions.


    A series of explosions erupted nearby as seven blinding pillars of white light shot into the sky. At the same time, roars rang out as silver-white flood dragons emerged from the seven pillars of light.


    ¡°Not good, it¡¯s the Seven Dragon Pillars! Master, quickly dodge.¡± Before Han Li could clearly see what these seven pillars were for, he heard Silvermoon¡¯s terrified voice, as if she was extremely afraid.

 Chapter 788

    The Beginning of the Sword Formation


    Although Han Li did not know how powerful this so-called ¡°Seven Dragons Pillar¡± was, when he heard Silvermoon¡¯s panicked voice, his heart naturally tightened.


    With a wave of his sleeve, the 36 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords released a buzzing sound as they flew out of his sleeve.


    Since he knew that the other party was not an ordinary devil cultivator, Han Li did not have the mood to use other methods to slowly probe the other party¡¯s depths. He directly used his newly refined flying swords, intending to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.


    Thirty-six foot-long streaks of golden light circled above Han Li¡¯s head and he struck them with several spell seals.


    All of the golden light immediately trembled and split into over 100 identical streaks of sword Qi.


    Just as Han Li was about to cast a spell to form the Aureate Sword Formation, the seven pillars of light around him attacked first.


    At the same time, the silver flood dragons on the pillars turned their heads to look at Han Li, who was in the middle. They opened their mouths, which was shimmering with silver light, as if something was about to be spat out.


    Han Li did not have time to think. He pointed at the blue shield in front of him and spiritual light flashed. The treasure instantly turned into a blue water curtain that enveloped him. With his other hand, he took out the embroidered handkerchief and turned it into a white mist that appeared around the water curtain.


    At the same time, a white figure flew out from Han Li¡¯s sleeve and landed on the ground, turning into a beautiful woman.


    Silvermoon possessed the body of a demon fox and ran out on its own.


    Just as Han Li was feeling surprised, Silvermoon raised her hand and a purple light shot out. It was the Purple Cloudlace.


    Under Silvermoon¡¯s nervous expression, the ancient treasure transformed into a net of purple flames and laid down another layer of protection.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. He had set up two layers of protection, but Silvermoon still felt that it was insufficient. Was this ¡°Seven Dragons Pillar¡± really so powerful?


    Just as this thought appeared in Han Li¡¯s mind, silver light silently shot out from the mouths of the seven silver flood dragons. They were actually seven seemingly tangible silver pillars of light.


    Seven bowl-thick streaks of silver light flashed and collided with the net of flames formed by the Purple Cloudlace.


    Silver light and purple flames intertwined with one another, but the purple net only lasted for a short moment before seven holes appeared in it.


    The seven streaks of silver light didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest and struck the light mist formed by the handkerchief.


    As soon as they came into contact, the light mist roiled incessantly and appeared to be on the verge of collapse.


    When Han Li saw this, he took a deep breath and his expression changed slightly.


    At this rate, the three layers of defense he had set up would be completely destroyed in an instant. What kind of attack was this? It was actually so powerful!


    Just as Han Li was thinking this, Silvermoon saw this and her face relaxed.


    ¡°So it was a replica. I¡¯ve been worried for nothing!¡± Silvermoon muttered and formed an incantation gesture with her hand. She opened her mouth and spat out a pink bead along with a cloud of fragrant mist.


    The bead was the size of a thumb and emitted a fragrant aroma.


    Silvermoon then chanted an incantation and pointed a white finger at the bead.


    With a light bang, the bead exploded on its own, transforming into countless dazzling powders that flew toward the surrounding blue water barrier.


    Han Li was stunned for a moment, but he had no intention of stopping her.


    As soon as the water curtain absorbed the powder, brilliant spiritual light erupted from it, and its surface lit up as if it were made up of countless copper mirrors of different sizes.


    At that moment, the silver light shattered the white mist and struck the final layer of defense.


    Seeing this, Han Li became nervous, but he did not stop casting spells. Unknowingly, the sword lights circling above his head began to strangely disappear.


    Brilliant piercing light erupted from the water barrier, and the seven streaks of silver light trembled slightly before being repelled by the light. Furthermore, they shot towards the seven pillars of light at a speed that was even faster than their original speed.


    This move not only surprised Han Li, but the black-robed youth was also caught off guard.


    He was completely captivated by the fact that there was a beautiful young woman beside Han Li.


    The word ¡°replica¡± that Silvermoon had just muttered did not escape his ears, causing a trace of surprise to flash across the black-robed youth¡¯s face.


    A series of rumbling sounds rang out as the seven pillars of light and the silver flood dragons were instantly engulfed in silver light.


    Han Li was stunned. It was hard to believe that such a powerful treasure could be destroyed so easily.


    Silvermoon pursed her red lips and revealed a smug smile.


    Silvermoon patted her chest and softly laughed, ¡°So it wasn¡¯t only a replica, but also a half-finished product. It truly gave me a fright.¡±


    ¡°A half-finished product? How do you know the way to break the Seven Dragon Pillars?¡± When the black-robed youth saw that the Seven Dragon Pillars had been destroyed, his expression sank. When he heard Silvermoon say ¡°half-finished product¡±, he immediately shouted.


    Although he knew that the treasure in his hand was definitely not the legendary genuine treasure, he felt that it was too simple for a replica. Now that he heard Silvermoon¡¯s words, he was quite convinced.


    When Silvermoon heard this, her bright eyes shifted and she had no intention of answering. Instead, she formed an incantation gesture with her hands and cast a spell seal at the water curtain.


    In a flash of light, a pink mist shot forth from the water barrier and instantly condensed back into the pink bead.


    Silvermoon opened her red lips and spat out a mist of light. It extended and contracted, engulfing the bead before swallowing it back into her stomach.


    ¡°A demon core! Haha! So you¡¯re a fox demon. However, your cultivation base is only at Level Seven, which is quite strange. But this is just fine. In the Great Jin, there are many cultivators who want a fox demon concubine. A fox demon that can take human form is priceless and comparable to a first-rate heavenly treasure. This time, I really didn¡¯t come in vain.¡± The black-robed youth was furious at first, but after carefully sweeping his spiritual sense over Silvermoon and the pink bead in the water curtain several times, an ecstatic expression appeared on his face.


    Silvermoon¡¯s expression changed slightly before she covered her mouth with her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Although I really want to go with you, it¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m already taken. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t follow Senior¡¯s wishes.¡±


    The black-robed youth fiercely glanced at Silvermoon with a greedy gaze and nonchalantly said, ¡°You¡¯re already taken? Your master¡¯s soul will fly out of his body in a moment. If you obediently follow me, I will spare your life. Don¡¯t be ungrateful! Following me is much better than staying in this desolate place.¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind? I¡¯m still fine, but you¡¯re starting to have designs on my maidservant. Please look around first,¡± Han Li, who had been standing in place without moving, suddenly said sarcastically.


    The black-robed youth swept his gaze past the dense sword light around him and disdainfully said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about these trashy sword lights? Although it is quite surprising that you¡¯ve refined so many flying swords at once as magic treasures, you should know that life-bound magic treasures are only able to display great power through the nurturing of one¡¯s own true essence. Refining so many flying swords is an extremely foolish idea. As for manifesting so many sword lights, it is even more laughable. What use would this ability have against cultivators of the same grade? Even if I were to stand still, your sword lights wouldn¡¯t be able to harm a single hair on my head.¡±


    ¡°What you said makes sense. However, before that, I want to ask you a question. Are you a late-Nascent Soul cultivator? If not, then go to hell,¡± Han Li said with a strange expression and a murderous look in his eyes. At the same time, he secretly activated the Aureate Sword Formation that he had secretly set up.


    When the black-robed young man heard Han Li¡¯s question, he was stunned for a moment before feeling that something was amiss. He hurriedly flipped his hand and a short black axe appeared in his palm.


    The surface of the axe was faintly covered in runes, and there was a lifelike carving of a ghost face on the handle. It was clear that this treasure was extraordinary.


    At that moment, the golden sword lights in the surroundings let out a clear cry in unison. Brilliant spiritual light erupted, but they didn¡¯t immediately attack. Instead, they began to disappear into thin air.


    The black-robed youth was startled and hastily released his spiritual sense in an attempt to find the sword light, but he was unable to find anything out of the ordinary.


    This caused the black-robed youth¡¯s heart to thump, and he no longer hesitated.


    With a cold snort, he unhesitatingly took out the black axe in his hand.


    In a flash of black light, the axe swelled drastically, transforming into a twenty-meter-long axe that was exceptionally sharp.


    The huge axe swayed slightly before fiercely slashing through the air.


    Golden light blossomed, following which an unremarkable golden thread appeared and disappeared in the direction of the huge axe.


    With a swoosh, the huge axe was split in half and fell from the sky.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± The disdain on the black-robed youth¡¯s face disappeared without a trace and his expression became grave.


    He then raised his hand and released a green flying saber, which shot forth as a three-meter-long streak of green light.


    As a result, the green streak of light had only flown over 100 feet before it was cut into six or seven pieces by the same golden threads, resulting in a burst of green light.


    ¡°Huh! A Sword Formation!¡± The black-robed youth was quite knowledgeable, and he drew a sharp breath as he realized what was going on.


    However, logically speaking, a sword formation could only be set up by tens or even hundreds of people. However, Han Li actually set up such a powerful sword formation alone, which really made the young man dumbfounded.


    Han Li saw that the black-robed young man had somewhat understood, but he did not give this person any time to consider the method to break the formation. He immediately formed a hand seal and his spiritual sense connected to all the sword lights at the same time, suddenly activating the entire Aureate Sword Formation.


    A strange scene immediately appeared near the black-robed youth.


    Countless golden threads flashed with a strange golden light and appeared intermittently around the young man. They flickered soundlessly and slowly approached the center.


    When the black-robed youth saw this, his face turned livid.


    He slapped his storage pouch, summoning over ten white beads that were covered in blood.


    Afterwards, his body rotated in mid-air, and the beads shot out in all directions.

 Chapter 789

    Ghost Sifting Banner


    When Han Li saw these beads, his heart stirred. Could it be that these were also lightning beads?


    This thought flashed through Han Li¡¯s mind, but he had no intention of stopping the activation of the Aureate Sword Formation.


    These golden threads were one of the abilities of the Aureate Sword Formation. They were somewhat similar to the sword transformation technique of a sword cultivator. They were the result of condensing the astonishing sword Qi within the hundred sword lights into threads.


    Due to the power of the formation and the infusion of Auric Essence, the flying swords were incomparably sharp. As a result, the sword threads formed were much more powerful than those of ordinary sword cultivators.


    Ordinary magic treasures and ancient treasures wouldn¡¯t be able to block the golden threads.


    As for things like lightning beads, Han Li was not afraid.


    As long as the 36 hidden flying swords were unscathed, even if the sword threads were destroyed, they would still be able to continuously reform. They were not afraid of attacks at all. This was also why the Aureate Sword Formation was so terrifying.


    Just as Han Li was pondering, golden light flashed and those beads also triggered the sword formation¡¯s restriction. They were cut into several pieces by the many golden threads and then exploded.


    Unexpectedly, the beads didn¡¯t contain any lightning or fire. Instead, they exploded, releasing a dense black-red mist of blood.


    As soon as the blood mist dispersed, it immediately filled the air. At the same time, it emitted an extremely pungent and nauseating aura.


    These beads were known as the ¡°Blood Lightning Seeds¡±. It was said that they were refined from extremely filthy materials. As long as it wasn¡¯t a treasure refined by the Devil Dao, once it came into contact with the blood mist, its power would greatly decrease and its spirituality would greatly decrease. Regardless of how powerful one¡¯s magic treasures were or how high their spirituality was, if one wished to restore the power of their treasures, they would have to refine them with Nascent Fire for several days.


    Of course, these Blood Lightning Seeds were extremely rare in the devilish sects. Not only were the raw materials extremely scarce, but the success rate of refining them was also pitifully low, making them much more difficult to refine than ordinary lightning beads.


    These ten or so seeds were all that the black-robed youth had accumulated over the past hundred years.


    As an elder of one of the ten great demonic sects of the State of Jin, he was very knowledgeable. As soon as he recognized the sword formation that Han Li had set up, he immediately thought of using the Blood Lightning Seed to contaminate Han Li¡¯s flying sword.


    The sword formation required flawless coordination in order to unleash its abilities. If any of the flying swords in the formation were to malfunction, the sword formation would naturally be destroyed.


    This method was one of the most common methods used by the devil cultivators of the State of Jin to fight against the sword cultivators controlling the sword formation.


    Of course, the Blood Lightning Seed was an extremely precious item that was rarely used in a one-on-one battle. It was usually used in large-scale confrontations. After all, how could a single person control a sword formation?


    Seeing this blood mist, although Han Li did not know what was going on, he clearly felt that it was a little strange. Just as he was muttering in his heart, a low thunderclap suddenly sounded.


    At the same time, patches of golden light appeared within the blood mist, following which streaks of faint golden lightning shot forth. When these arcs of lightning came into contact with the blood mist, they immediately exploded and perished.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li¡¯s Divine Devilbane Lightning had perished together with the blood mist.


    Han Li was stunned.


    The Divine Devilbane Lightning didn¡¯t wait for him to activate it, and it actually shot out from the flying swords on its own. This was the first time he had encountered something like this. Furthermore, the blood mist that appeared to be an evil being was actually able to neutralize the Divine Devilbane Lightning. This was truly inconceivable.


    Han Li naturally did not know that these Blood Lightning Seeds specialized in tainting the righteous treasures. It was almost the same as the Divine Devilbane Lightning, which specialized in restraining Devil Dao cultivation techniques. Under normal circumstances, neither could restrain the other.


    Although there was quite a bit of blood mist, it was far inferior to the lightning contained in the thirty-six flying swords. As a result, the blood mist was completely expelled in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Divine Devilbane Lightning! These flying swords are all Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasures! Impossible, how could there be so much Golden Lightning Bamboo?¡± When the black-robed youth saw this, his face paled and he cried out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer your question when you¡¯re dead!¡± Han Li replied bluntly. At the same time, he took a deep breath and activated a technique in his heart.


    Due to the appearance of the blood mist, the golden threads had paused for a moment before silently pressing toward the center.


    Although this Aureate Sword Formation was extremely powerful, it was still a little too much for Han Li¡¯s current cultivation.


    Although he was able to activate the sword formation, the loss of magic power was truly astonishing. Furthermore, after activating the sword formation, he was powerless to accelerate it.


    Otherwise, he would¡¯ve been able to kill the black-robed youth with a single strike of his sword threads. He wouldn¡¯t have watched the black-robed youth use any other methods to resist him.


    Han Li estimated that according to the consumption of magic power in this sword formation, it should be the best choice for a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator to start cultivating this divine power. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had only activated half of the sword formation and his magic power far exceeded that of an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to use this sword formation at all.


    When the black-robed youth heard this, a layer of black Qi appeared on his face and he coldly said, ¡°Do you truly believe that a trifling sword formation will be able to trap me? Your sword formation may be sharp, but will it be able to sever our sect¡¯s ultimate treasure?¡±


    When he saw that the golden thread was less than 100 feet away from him, he wordlessly raised his hand and fiercely punched his chest.


    With a puff, he spat out a mouthful of black blood. There was also an inch-long green flag caught in the black blood.


    As soon as the flag left his mouth, green light flashed and the surrounding black blood was completely absorbed.


    The flag had turned jade-green.


    The black-robed youth gloomily waved his hand at the flag, and with a swoosh, the small flag shot into his hand as a streak of black light. He rubbed his hands together, and brilliant light erupted as the green flag grew to several feet in size.


    The banner was shimmering with green light and covered in dark clouds, making it impossible to see its true appearance. However, a corner of the banner was clearly missing, as if it had yet to recover.


    Han Li¡¯s pupils constricted as he muttered, ¡°Ghost Sifting Banner!¡±


    Back then, the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master had said that he wanted to use the Ghost Sifting Banner to deal with Devil Concord. Later on, although the guy did not really use it, Han Li remembered this name in his heart.


    Now that the black-robed young man took out this small flag, Han Li naturally guessed correctly.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite clever! This is one of the main flags of the 12 Ghost Sifting Banners. You should experience its power for yourself.¡± When the black-robed young man saw that Han Li recognized the item in his hand, he was stunned for a moment before sneering. He seemed to be very confident in the item in his hand.


    Soon after, the young man tightly grasped the banner and lightly waved it in a certain direction.


    With a crackle, dark green clouds emerged from the banner and rapidly expanded, enveloping the youth within.


    A bone-chilling wind swept through the air, and many dark clouds had unknowingly descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, the entire sky had turned pitch-black, completely obscuring the sunlight.


    The sky grew extremely dark, and a vast green ghost mist had appeared around them at some point in time. The sounds of ghostly wails rang out all around them.


    He only lightly waved the banner in his hand, but it caused the world to change color. It was no wonder that he was so confident in the banner.


    Even though Han Li had great confidence in the Aureate Sword Formation, he was still shocked.


    At this moment, the sound of air being torn apart came from the opposite side. Countless thin black lines shot out from the mist where the young man was, directly entangling Han Li.


    Golden light flashed and the restrictions within the sword formation were activated. Countless golden threads intersected with one another, and all of the black threads paused for a moment before transforming into countless small fragments. However, all of the broken black threads immediately turned into balls of green mist before flying back into the green mist.


    ¡°Huh!¡± Before Han Li could think of anything, the black-robed young man in the green mist cried out in surprise. These Yin Soul Threads could be said to be incomparably tenacious, but they were also destroyed by the opponent¡¯s sword formation with a single blow. This was somewhat beyond his expectations.


    After a moment of contemplation, he decided to unleash the ghost banner¡¯s full power.


    He suddenly tossed the banner in his hand out of the green mist and planted it three feet in front of him.


    Soon after, an obscure incantation sounded from within the mist, and gusts of gloomy winds swept up the surrounding mist from all directions.


    In the blink of an eye, the green flag grew to a height of 20 feet, and the mist on its surface began to dissipate, revealing its true appearance.


    When Han Li saw this, his expression changed drastically.


    ¡°You actually used so many living souls to refine the banner? How many people have you killed?¡± Han Li shouted sternly.


    The surface of the green banner was densely packed with humanoid faces that had shrunk countless times in size. There were men, women, old, and young, all of them squirming on the banner as if they were alive, and all of them revealed expressions of extreme pain. It was truly a terrifying sight.


    The youth¡¯s sinister voice sounded from within the green mist, ¡°Who knows how many? Perhaps a hundred thousand or several hundred thousand. The souls of several hundred cultivators are required in order to refine such a flag.¡±


    Han Li fell silent and coldly stared at the green mist. After a moment, he said a few words.


    ¡°You all deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°Deserve to die? I don¡¯t know how many people have said that to me, but I¡¯m still alive and well. As for the person who said that, their souls have already been absorbed into the flag and become a part of it. You¡¯re no exception,¡± the youth said with a sneer.


    He then cast a red incantation seal onto the huge flag.


    Brilliant green light erupted, and a large hole that was several feet in diameter suddenly appeared on the banner. Black air erupted from it, and gusts of Yin winds blew from within.


    A series of pops rang out as several huge skulls with ghostly flames burning in their eyes and green smoke spouting from their mouths flew out from the banner in a single line.


    One of the largest skulls had two huge bull horns on its head, but its facial features were identical to that of a human.


    Could it be that this skull was a metamorphosis stage demon beast when it was alive? Han Li was shocked.


    But what happened next made Han Li put the doubts in his heart to the back of his mind.


    In addition to the first few skulls that came out, there were also all sorts of ghostly fire skulls swarming out from the black hole on the green banner. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred skulls appeared and filled the black-robed man¡¯s surroundings.


    ¡°Go!¡± In the green mist, the black-robed young man pointed in Han Li¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 790

    Devouring Devils and Ghosts


    All of the white skulls let out a howl and spat out green phosphorescence flames as they charged towards Han Li. Naturally, after they rushed several tens of feet away, countless golden threads appeared and quickly flashed past.


    However, this time, a different situation occurred.


    After the golden threads swept past, although a few thin cracks appeared on the surface of the skulls, after a green light flashed, they healed as if they had not suffered any damage. The skulls were not hindered at all and continued to pounce on Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, he was stunned at first, but then he understood. These ghost skulls were no longer made of flesh and blood. He did not know what kind of strange ghostly body they had been refined into. Although his sword threads were powerful, the other party had become invisible and was not harmed by swords and sabers. Naturally, he could not kill them.


    However, Han Li did not panic and activated the spell in his heart again.


    A loud thunderclap erupted in the air in front of the ghost skulls, and a net of golden lightning suddenly appeared in the air, directly enveloping them.


    Since the other party was ghosts, Han Li naturally activated the Divine Devilbane Lightning in his flying swords.


    However, what surprised Han Li was that when these ghost skulls saw the golden net appear, although they all paused and revealed a trace of fear, under the sharp howl of the curved-horned ghost skull in the lead, they opened their mouths one after another, and jade-green ghost flames rushed towards the golden net like a shocking rainbow.


    Loud thunderclaps erupted as arcs of golden lightning flashed through the golden net, eradicating many of the ghostly flames in an instant. However, the relentless barrage of ghostly flames was able to stop the descent of the golden lightning net.


    Han Li frowned and revealed a surprised expression.


    If it were an ordinary ghost fire, it would naturally be reduced to ashes upon contact with the Divine Devilbane Lightning. However, although the ghost fire of these skulls seemed to be restrained, it was actually able to withstand the power of the lightning arcs. This really surprised Han Li. This Ghost Sifting Banner was known as the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s ultimate treasure. It was not a boast.


    On the other side, the black-robed youth couldn¡¯t help but smile and heave a sigh of relief when he saw that the devils in the banner were able to block the Divine Devilbane Lightning.


    Although he appeared to be completely confident, he was actually feeling quite uneasy.


    If the banner hadn¡¯t been damaged and the devils¡¯ vitality had been completely exhausted, he wouldn¡¯t have been too worried. However, ever since the last battle, the banner hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to absorb a large amount of Yin souls to repair itself. Now that he was facing a wondrous item like the Divine Devilbane Lightning, he naturally felt uneasy.


    Now that his worries were gone, a sinister smile appeared on the young man¡¯s face as he continuously struck the flag with an incantation gesture. The meter-wide hole in the flag expanded to three meters in diameter in a flash of green light.


    More and more skulls swarmed out of the banner, emitting all sorts of sharp screeches. The ghostly auras in the surroundings surged as wails rang out.


    With many skulls blocking the golden net in front, the other ghost skulls that flew out from the banner behind rushed out of the sword formation without any hesitation and pounced fiercely at Han Li.


    For a time, ghostly howls filled the air in front of Han Li.


    When Han Li saw this, he did not panic at all. He silently raised his hand and gently patted a spirit beast pouch at his waist.


    A streak of black light shot out from the pouch and circled around before landing on the ground. The light faded to reveal a small black monkey. It was none other than the Weeping Soul Beast.


    The beast appeared to have just woken up. It blinked its lifeless eyes before sniffing the air with its large nose, and its eyes suddenly opened wide.


    It immediately spotted the ghost skulls nearby and began to squeak with excitement.


    The originally aggressive skulls had already swarmed over 100 feet in front of Han Li. When they saw the Weeping Soul Beast, they suddenly trembled and immediately circled in place, unwilling to take another step forward. At the same time, the ghost howls in their mouths also lessened by more than half, revealing fear.


    When the black-robed youth saw this, his heart thumped, and the golden threads of the sword formation suddenly appeared closer to him. In a moment of desperation, he opened his hand and spat out a streak of grey light, gently circling it around his palm.


    All of a sudden, the five severed fingers fell from his hand and exploded into five mists of blood. A short moment later, they arrived in front of the curved-horned skull.


    Gloomy flames flickered from the ghost skull¡¯s eyes and it immediately opened its mouth, sucking in the blood mist. The ghost flames around its body grew by a foot and it let loose a furious roar.


    Under his coercion, the other skulls opened their mouths at the same time and spat out green ghost flames at the Weeping Soul Beast.


    When the Weeping Soul Beast saw this, it struck its chest and black light coiled around its body, instantly expanding its body to several tens of feet tall. It harrumphed and released a yellow mist from its nose.


    As soon as the ghost flames came into contact with the yellow light, they were immediately drawn into it. Afterwards, the yellow light didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest and directly rushed into the group of ghost skulls behind it.


    Wherever the light passed, all of the skulls were sucked into it without any resistance.


    When the other ghost skulls saw this, they scattered in all directions.


    Even though the bull-horned ghost skull was enraged, it was useless.


    At that moment, the light arrived above this ghost skull and enveloped it.


    When the bull-horned ghost skull saw this, green light flashed from its eyes and a large amount of green smoke suddenly erupted from its body, condensing into a humanoid form.


    A 20-foot-tall malevolent ghost with curved horns appeared on the spot. As soon as it appeared, it immediately raised its hands, and countless bolts of black lightning and fire flew out from its hands toward the yellow mist.


    As soon as the lightning and fire entered the light, they disappeared without a trace.


    When the malevolent ghost saw this, it turned around in fear, but it was too late.


    As soon as the yellow mist descended, it was instantly sucked into it, leaving the original spot completely empty.


    Multicolored light instantly shot back into the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s mouth before shooting out from its nose again. In the blink of an eye, all of the skulls in the air had been swept away.


    When the black-robed youth saw this, he was both shocked and furious.


    Although he knew that Han Li had a demonic giant ape that could devour corpse Qi and most of the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Copper-armored Corpses were consumed in its mouth, he did not take it to heart when he first heard it. However, he did not expect that this spirit beast could directly devour the Yin Sifting Banner¡¯s primordial Yin devils. Even the main devil did not have the slightest ability to resist and was swept into the stomach of this giant ape. How could he not be shocked and fearful?


    If he knew that the other party¡¯s spirit beast had the ability to devour demons and ghosts, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have volunteered to come alone. And if the other elders of the sect knew that the guy¡¯s spirit beast had this ability, they would probably be restless. This was even more of a threat than the Golden Lightning Bamboo to their Yin Sifting Sect.


    The black-robed youth¡¯s thoughts passed in the blink of an eye, and his heart was filled with regret.


    At this moment, the golden threads were only twenty to thirty feet away, and he could no longer maintain his calm. He hastily slapped his storage pouch.


    Seven or eight treasures flew out of the pouch, transforming into balls of light of various colors.


    As soon as the restrictions of the sword formation appeared, countless golden threads flashed through the air. All of the treasures were cut into pieces, turning into scrap metal that fell to the ground.


    The young man¡¯s face turned deathly pale.


    In his panic, he couldn¡¯t care less about the sect ultimate treasure. He suddenly waved his hand and the Ghost Sifting Banner in front of him flew into his hand as a streak of black light. Then, he gritted his teeth and held the banner with both hands. His body spun on the spot and merged into the banner, transforming into a ball of eerie green mist that suddenly tore through the sky.


    He could only hope that this sect ultimate treasure would be able to temporarily withstand the sword formation¡¯s restrictions and help him escape.


    Otherwise, with the power of this sword formation, if he continued to stay where he was, he would only die.


    When Han Li saw this, he knew that the other party was at his wit¡¯s end and was desperate. With a thought, he opened his mouth and spat out a ball of golden lightning.


    As soon as the golden ball left his mouth, it immediately shot into the air and exploded.


    A huge golden net covered an area of over 100 feet from top to bottom.


    At that moment, the black-robed youth¡¯s mist was trapped at the edge of the sword formation by the golden threads. Over a hundred golden threads intertwined and flickered outside the gloomy mist, and with every flash, a portion of the mist would be cut off. In the blink of an eye, more than half of the protective mist had been removed.


    The ball of mist scattered in all directions in an attempt to escape, but it was a pity that there were far too many golden threads surrounding it. There was no way to escape. When it crashed into the golden threads, it was immediately blocked and repelled.


    The black-robed youth had become a cornered beast.


    ¡°Do you really want to exterminate me? Do you not want the method to undo the Soul Seal Curse?¡± Seeing that there was only a thin layer of mist left, the youth¡¯s furious shout sounded from within the mist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll naturally know everything I want to know from your primordial spirit,¡± Han Li said indifferently without changing his expression.


    ¡°You want to use the Soul Searching Technique? Don¡¯t even think about it. Ah¡­¡± In his fear, the young man only had time to say a few more words before the last layer of the protective mist was finally cut off by the golden threads. After a miserable cry, his body was instantly torn to pieces by the golden threads. Only a ball of green light wrapped around his Nascent Soul and he took this opportunity to shoot out.


    However, the golden net formed by the Divine Devilbane Lightning had long been set up outside. Han Li spat out the word ¡°Shrink¡± and pointed at the golden net. Immediately, the huge golden net shrank.


    The young man¡¯s Nascent Soul charged left and right in the net. As soon as it came into contact with the golden net, lightning immediately flashed, and it let out miserable cries. There was no way for it to escape.


    ¡°If you want to use the Soul Searching Technique, I won¡¯t let you succeed even if I have to detonate my Nascent Soul.¡± The Nascent Soul suddenly let out a scream and shouted with extreme resentment.


    ¡°Detonate your Nascent Soul!¡± Han Li frowned, and the golden net instantly stopped shrinking.


    When the Nascent Soul saw this, it was overjoyed and hurriedly shrieked,


    ¡°As long as you let my Nascent Soul go, I¡¯ll tell you the method to dissolve the curse and let you save your dual cultivation partner. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you obtain the method to save me even if I die.¡±


    Han Li did not say anything, but his gaze flickered as if he was considering the pros and cons. But at this moment, light appeared above the Nascent Soul, and a purple net suddenly spread out, instantly enveloping the Nascent Soul and immediately wrapping it tightly.


    At the same time, white light flashed behind the Nascent Soul, and Silvermoon silently appeared.


    She opened her red lips and spat out a ball of pink fragrant mist. At the same time, she flicked her fingers, and over ten streaks of silver light shot forth.

 Chapter 791

    Encounter


    As soon as the Nascent Soul was enveloped by the fragrant mist, it felt dizzy and powerless. After being pierced by the silver light at lightning speed, the essence energy in its body condensed and it lost all its abilities. Even if it wanted to self-destruct, it could not.


    The Nascent Soul¡¯s small face turned pale in an instant. It stared at the white-clothed young woman beside Han Li in disbelief.


    ¡°Not bad! You¡¯re becoming more and more agile.¡± Although he had sent Silvermoon a voice transmission to secretly attack, Han Li still praised the young woman with a smile.


    Silvermoon pursed her lips and said with a smile, ¡°This is all because Master asked me to act at the right time. This person only wanted to escape, so he didn¡¯t notice that what I left behind was only a phantom. My true body had already snuck to the side.¡± Then, she waved her sleeve at the other Silvermoon beside Han Li, which instantly dissipated into a ball of white light.


    Han Li smiled and did not say anything else. However, the huge golden net that was enshrouded nearby turned back into a ball of golden lightning and flew into his hand, disappearing without a trace.


    As for the Aureate Sword Formation, Han Li transformed it into 36 flying swords with a thought. They shrank and flew into his sleeve.


    Only then did Han Li calmly look at the Nascent Soul.


    The black-robed youth¡¯s Nascent Soul wanted to curse out loud in fear, but it was too weak to even open its mouth.


    ¡°Silvermoon, bring him to the forest over there and start searching for a way to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse,¡± Han Li said coldly with a dark expression. Then, he soared into the air and flew alone into the dense forest on the other side.


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Silvermoon replied respectfully. She picked up the Nascent Soul and lightly followed after him.


    Not long after, a large amount of pink fragrant mist emerged from the dense forest, enveloping the entire forest.


    ¡­


    Hundreds of kilometers away from the island where Han Li and the black-robed young man were fighting, there were six streaks of light of different colors flying toward the island.


    The person in the lead had a solemn expression. He was none other than the silver-haired old man from the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Cheng, your senses aren¡¯t wrong, are they? That teleportation formation looks quite crude, but it can actually teleport people so far away. It is truly inconceivable.¡± A fat old man with a brandy nose suddenly asked.


    The silver-haired old man replied with certainty, ¡°There is no mistake. I can clearly sense that Junior Brother Han is not far away. Fellow Daoists must be careful. That person is at least a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Although we have many people, we are all early-Nascent Soul cultivators. We must be careful when dealing with this devil cultivator.¡±


    Child Fire Dragon chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This time, Brother You has brought the sect¡¯s most precious treasure, the Immortal Bewitching Bell. Even if we can¡¯t defeat that person, we¡¯ll have no problem escaping.¡±


    When the silver-haired old man heard this, he glanced at another grey-robed old man and gratefully said, ¡°That¡¯s true. If it weren¡¯t for Brother You¡¯s assistance, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to take this risk. After all, if that devilish cultivator is the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master, we would be in grave danger.¡±


    The grey-robed old man smiled and politely said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Brother Cheng has done me a great favor in the past. I will naturally do my best. Furthermore, the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s devil cultivator dares to infiltrate our State of Xi and injure others. He doesn¡¯t take us seriously at all. Naturally, we have to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, do you really think there is no one in the cultivation world of our State of Xi?¡±


    ¡°However, I am quite curious about your sect¡¯s Fellow Daoist Han. I heard that Brother Cheng¡¯s Junior Brother displayed extraordinary brilliance in the battle against the Moulans. He was able to turn the tides of the battle. I greatly admire him and wish to befriend him.¡± A large man with a dignified appearance and imposing aura laughed and interrupted.


    The old man chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve recently heard of Fellow Daoist Han who carries resounding reputation. I also wish to meet him.¡±


    The silver-haired old man revealed a worried expression, and said, ¡°That¡¯s easy. After I help Junior Brother Han resolve this matter, I will introduce him to everyone. However, I am somewhat worried about Junior Brother Han¡¯s current safety. That devilish cultivator is quite cunning. He actually thought of a temporary transportation formation to escape us. Now that so much time has passed and Junior Brother Han has been fighting alone, will something happen to him?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since that person schemed to escape us, his cultivation must be low. Otherwise, why would he be so careful? With Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cultivation, he won¡¯t suffer any losses,¡± said the large man bluntly.


    The silver-haired old man bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hope that it¡¯s true.¡±


    He knew very well that with the abilities of the devil cultivator who had barged into the Drifting Cloud Sect that day, even if he wasn¡¯t a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, he was still a top-grade mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. How could he be so easy to deal with? He didn¡¯t want anything to happen to the Drifting Cloud Sect immediately after they had a powerful elder.


    Fortunately, as long as he could sense the existence of the tracking mark, it meant that Han Li¡¯s life was not in danger. Only then could he feel more at ease.


    As the six Nascent Soul cultivators spoke, they traveled over 50 kilometers and slowly approached the small island. All of them wore solemn expressions.


    ¡°Huh!¡± The silver-haired old man yelped in surprise and came to a sudden stop.


    ¡°Brother Cheng, what happened?¡± Someone asked curiously.


    ¡°Junior Brother Han seems to be moving in this direction. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s already resolved the matter or if he¡¯s been¡­¡± The silver-haired old man didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but the others naturally understood what he meant. If the guy was captured alive, the mark would similarly fly in their direction.


    Old Man You calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s make some preparations. If something happens to Fellow Daoist Han, we will save him.¡± He then slapped his storage pouch and took out a small yellow bell. He gently lifted it and silently looked ahead.


    The others glanced at one another before solemnly taking out their treasures and preparing for battle.


    The silver-haired old man wore a gloomy expression and a trace of anxiety appeared in his eyes.


    A short moment later, everyone saw an azure ball flash in the distance as a streak of azure light tore through the air.


    When the silver-haired old man saw this, he immediately let out a long sigh and beamed with joy, ¡°It¡¯s Junior Brother Han. He¡¯s fine.¡±


    When the other cultivators saw this, they revealed astonished expressions.


    Since Han Li was fine, could it be that he had dealt with that devil cultivator alone?


    Just as the other cultivators were puzzled, they saw that the green light was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of them. The light receded, revealing a green-robed youth. It was Han Li himself.


    ¡°Senior Brother Cheng, Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon, you¡¯ve also arrived. These must be Fellow Daoists who are helping me. I¡¯m truly grateful for troubling you Fellow Daoists to come out to search for me.¡± Han Li¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed as if he had a lot of worries on his mind. However, when he saw the silver-haired old man and the others, he forced a smile and cupped his fists, expressing his gratitude.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han must be joking. We came a little late and didn¡¯t help much at all. I¡¯m really ashamed!¡± Old Man You carefully sized up Han Li and immediately said humbly, not daring to be arrogant.


    The other cultivators seemed to be led by the grey-robed old man, and they all looked at Han Li with a smile.


    The silver-haired old man looked behind Han Li and did not see any pursuers. He could not help but ask, ¡°Junior Brother Han, where is that devilish cultivator? Could it be that you escaped?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already exterminated that person. I¡¯ve also dissolved his Nascent Soul. However, this person is not the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master, but an elder of the sect,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    When the silver-haired old man heard this, he said with disbelief, ¡°What? He was truly killed by Junior Brother? Although he wasn¡¯t a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, he should¡¯ve been a mid-Nascent Soul demonic cultivator. Junior Brother, you were able to kill him?¡±


    When Old Man You, Child Fire Dragon, and the others heard this, they also revealed astonished expressions.


    Although they didn¡¯t seem to care about the devil cultivator on the way, since they knew that he was able to injure an early-Nascent Soul cultivator in the Drifting Cloud Sect before easily escaping, they naturally knew that this devil cultivator was no small matter. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Cultivator You had brought the Immortal Bewitching Bell, they really wouldn¡¯t have dared to interfere in this matter.


    However, now that they heard that Han Li had killed that devil cultivator alone and even destroyed his Nascent Soul, they were naturally very shocked.


    ¡°I was just lucky. I happened to be able to restrain his cultivation technique,¡± Han Li said vaguely. Then, after a moment of silence, he raised his hand and threw a black item at the silver-haired old man.


    The old man unconsciously took the item, and it was extremely cold. Upon closer inspection, he saw a pitch-black command medallion that was densely covered in talismans and incantations. At the center of the medallion was the ancient character ¡°Luo¡±.


    ¡°What is that?¡± The silver-haired old man had a rough guess, but he still couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°This was left behind by the demonic cultivator. It¡¯s the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s elder token. It¡¯s also a rather powerful ancient treasure. With this item, we¡¯ll be able to verify his identity,¡± Han Li said calmly with a slight smile.


    When everyone heard this, they turned to look at the command medallion, and they naturally saw that it was extraordinary, so they no longer had any doubts.


    Following that, the others could not help but ask about the details of the battle. Han Li casually skipped it. When the others saw that he did not want to say much, they tactfully did not ask anything else.


    However, they all had the intention of befriending Han Li.


    After all, Han Li was a cultivator who could even kill mid-Nascent Soul demonic cultivators. His abilities were beyond imagination. Befriending him would be beneficial to both their sect and themselves.


    Since these people were here to help him, Han Li was naturally very polite. The group of people chatted happily as they returned.


    Along the way, Han Li and the silver-haired old man bade farewell to the few cultivators and returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect on Dreamcloud Mountain.


    In a side hall of the sect¡¯s meeting hall, the old man finally asked the question in his heart, ¡°Junior Brother Han, did you find a way to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse this time? I saw that you seemed to have a lot on your mind along the way, and you seemed to be forcing yourself to smile. Could it be that you didn¡¯t achieve your goal on this trip?¡±

 Chapter 792

    The Far West


    ¡°This Yin Sifting Sect elder only knows how to cast the curse, but he doesn¡¯t know how to dissolve it. According to the information I obtained from using the Soul Seal Curse, only the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s Master and the Grand Elder know how to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse. The other elders are the same as the devil cultivators I killed. They only know how to cast the curse, but they can¡¯t dissolve it.¡± Han Li sat on a wooden chair at the side and smiled bitterly.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know how to dissolve curses?¡± The silver-haired old man frowned and asked in disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It seems that this technique to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse involves an extremely powerful secret technique of the Yin Sifting Sect. Only the Sect Master and the Grand Elder are qualified to know about it. No one else has the right to cultivate it.¡± Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he had no intention of hiding anything.


    The silver-haired old man¡¯s expression grew grave. ¡°If the incantation can¡¯t be broken, then Sister Nangong¡­¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered and he said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t have a direct technique to break the Soul Seal Curse, there are other ways to break it in this world. This devil cultivator is indeed worthy of being an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect. I learned from his spiritual sense that there are several methods to forcefully break the seal with the help of external objects.¡±


    ¡°What is it that can dissolve the Soul Seal Curse? Junior Brother Han, tell me about it.¡± The old man¡¯s spirit was roused and he asked.


    ¡°These are all rare items that are hard to find in this world. Under normal circumstances, I¡¯m afraid they can¡¯t be found at all.¡± Han Li sighed and casually mentioned two of them. When the silver-haired old man heard this, he was shocked and fell silent.


    The old man muttered, ¡°Not to mention our Heavenly South Region, I doubt if they exist in this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I happen to know the whereabouts of one of them, but it¡¯s also not easy to obtain. I have to carefully prepare before I have some confidence,¡± Han Li replied calmly with a twitch of his mouth.


    When the old man heard Han Li¡¯s words, he revealed a shocked expression. However, seeing that Han Li did not seem to want to elaborate, he did not ask further. Instead, he said rather sincerely, ¡°Do you need help from me and the sect? Please don¡¯t be polite, Junior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Forget it. This time, it¡¯s not something that can be done with numbers.¡± Han Li was silent for a while, but he still shook his head and refused.


    The silver-haired old man stroked his beard and said, ¡°Since Junior Brother knows what you¡¯re doing, I won¡¯t ask any further. However, just like I said, Junior Brother can use the sect¡¯s strength if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother. I will go and check Wan¡¯er again.¡± Han Li forced a smile and stood up to leave.


    After the silver-haired old man sent Han Li out of the hall, he stood at the entrance of the hall and thought for a moment. He sighed softly and turned into a streak of light, flying towards his cave abode.


    ¡­


    The secret chamber with the ice wall was safe and sound.


    Han Li stood quietly in front of the ice wall and looked at the beautiful and innocent girl in the ice with a dazed expression.


    This action continued for an unknown amount of time. After a complicated look flashed through Han Li¡¯s eyes, he suddenly muttered to himself in a low voice,


    ¡°Wan¡¯er, you¡¯re really bold. You actually used the opportunity of life and death to cultivate the most dangerous technique of the Sunu Reincarnation Technique, the Beautiful Female Heavenly Moon Art. Don¡¯t you know that this is a secret technique that involves grave danger? If I remove your soul seal and yet something happens to your cultivation technique, wouldn¡¯t I be extremely worried?¡±


    Han Li muttered and his voice became softer and softer. In the end, he walked in front of the ice wall and used his finger to touch Nangong Wan¡¯s abnormally childish face through the thick layer of ice.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know this, but the devil cultivator who cast the curse on you doesn¡¯t know how to dissolve the curse. However, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. I found another way to awaken you from his spiritual sense. I can use some external objects to dissolve the seal. Although these things are difficult to find in this world, it just so happens that one of them is in Devilfall Valley. The inner core of an ancient fire demon beast is indeed extremely difficult to find under normal circumstances, but there happens to be an ancient Fire Toad in Devilfall Valley. The conditions are just right. It seems that I don¡¯t have to hesitate on this trip to Devilfall Valley in a few years. It¡¯s imperative. Although this method of using external objects only has a 50% chance of dissolving the soul seal, even if it doesn¡¯t succeed, it can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the curse. With additional time, I can make a trip to the State of Jin without worry. No matter what method I use, I¡¯ll definitely get the method to dissolve the curse when the time comes.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice began to turn cold as he finished speaking.


    Facing Nangong Wan, who was in the ice wall, Han Li spat out the depression in his heart. After staying in the secret room for a quarter of an hour, he finally walked out and flew back to his cave abode on the Mother-Child Peak as a streak of azure light.


    In the hall of the cave abode, Han Li sat on the main seat and lowered his head slightly, pondering something. Silvermoon obediently stood at the side, her black eyes continuously rolling on Han Li¡¯s face, appearing somewhat mischievous.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Could it be that my face has blossomed?¡± Han Li said indifferently without even raising his head.


    Silvermoon pursed her lips into a smile and hesitantly said, ¡°Master must be joking. I¡¯m only thinking about what you plan to do in the future. It¡¯s a neither long nor short time until we enter Devilfall Valley. Furthermore, Violet Spirit and Marquis Nanlong have both extended an invitation to you. Are you planning on joining forces with them? Furthermore, Master, have you truly thought this through? Devilfall Valley is known as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region. Although Master¡¯s abilities are not small, it will still be extremely dangerous to enter. Even if you wish to save Miss Nangong, you can find other methods to do so. Going to Devilfall Valley is truly too risky.¡±


    Han Li shook his head and calmly said, ¡°The other items? Are you talking about the eggshell of the Myriad Year Profound Gold Bird or the fruit of the Bodhi Flower? These items are most likely extinct in this world. Even if they exist, they are hidden in a remote corner and I have no way of finding them. Only the demon core of the Ancient Fire Toad is the easiest to obtain. As long as I follow Master Cang Kun¡¯s map and don¡¯t be greedy and rashly barge around, I won¡¯t get killed. As for which side to join hands with, that will have to wait.¡±


    Silvermoon lowered her head and honestly said, ¡°Since Master has already decided to go, I naturally have nothing else to say.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled and stroked his chin before opening his mouth.


    ¡°Before entering Devilfall Valley, I plan on making a trip to the far west to acquire the last two layers of the Great Development Technique. At the same time, I¡¯ll go to the Thousand Bamboo School to see if I can find any high-grade mechanical puppet refinement techniques. Last time, I obtained several ancient puppet refinement techniques that are comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators. Among them, there are a few unknown materials that can be found from puppet fragments, but there are also a few supplementary materials that are too rare to be gathered in a short amount of time. Furthermore, the main material, ten thousand year old ironwood, requires a large amount of green liquid to mature. It will not be able to be refined before I enter Devilfall Valley. The materials used to refine Core Formation puppets are also very strange, and it is likely that there will be no place to find them in the current cultivation world. Furthermore, the Thousand Bamboo School started off with puppet refinement techniques, so they should have two or three Core Formation puppet refinement techniques. It would be more practical to go there and find the method to refine Core Formation puppets. If I have a large number of Core Formation puppets to assist me, my strength will be able to increase before I enter Devilfall Valley. Otherwise, relying on cultivation techniques and nurturing magic treasures will not have any effect in a mere few years.¡±


    As Han Li said this, his eyes flashed with confidence.


    Silvermoon thought for a moment before replying with a charming smile, ¡°Master¡¯s words are not unreasonable. We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    ¡°However, although the Far West is close to our Heavenly South Region, it¡¯s actually still a little troublesome to get there. Not only do we have to pass through the countries of the Righteous Dao Alliance, but we also have to pass through a huge desert that stretches for countless kilometers to get there.¡± Han Li suddenly thought of something and frowned as he slowly said.


    ¡°Desert?¡± Silvermoon was stunned, and her small mouth was slightly open in shock.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Furthermore, this desert is rather strange. For some unknown reason, there are extremely violent hurricanes blowing over the entire desert over the years. If we cultivators want to cross this desert, we can only do so on foot. Otherwise, our magic power will be exhausted before we can even fly out of the desert. As a result, although the various sects in the Heavenly South know of the existence of the Far West, they all feel that it isn¡¯t very large. It¡¯s only the size of two medium-sized countries in the Heavenly South. Secondly, resources are relatively scarce. In addition, the Heavenly South is separated from the area by this desert, so it¡¯s really inconvenient for us to travel. As a result, the Righteous and Devil Dao and other sects have never set their sights on this place. The entire Far West has always been occupied by the Thousand Bamboo School,¡± Han Li explained.


    ¡°Since we cannot fly across the desert, doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll have to travel for a long time?¡± Silvermoon furrowed her brows in worry.


    ¡°It will take a long time. Even if everything goes smoothly, I estimate that it will take about a year. Therefore, before I leave for the Far West, I still have some matters to deal with before I can leave in peace. During this period of time, Silvermoon, help me out. I¡¯ll leave this to you first. Use the green liquid to infuse it for a period of time every day to see if it shows any signs of revival.¡± As Han Li spoke, he took out a jade box from his storage bag and handed it to Silvermoon.


    ¡°Profound Heaven Immortal Vine! Master, are you really going to let me handle it?¡± Silvermoon asked in surprise after recognizing the item in the jade box.


    Han Li glanced at Silvermoon with a faint smile and leisurely said, ¡°Hehe, if this thing can¡¯t be saved, it will only be a refinement material. There is nothing special about it. I will take this opportunity to deal with the Wood Spirit Nascent and plant the second Nascent Soul. Then, I will deal with the Cadaver Demon. I obtained a technique to refine a devil corpse from the storage pouch of the Yin Sifting Sect elder. I can make full use of it. After all, the Cadaver Demon has always been trapped in the heart of the Dreamcloud Mountain. It will always be a calamity. With so many things to do, I have no time to spare. I will naturally leave everything in the cave abode to you.¡±


    Silvermoon pursed her lips and accepted the jade box before helplessly replying, ¡°Alright. Who asked you to be the master? I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Han Li smiled and said a few more words to Silvermoon. Just as he was about to walk out of the hall, Silvermoon hesitated for a moment and suddenly called out to Han Li.


    Silvermoon blinked her bright eyes and seriously asked, ¡°Master, there is something that has been on my mind for a long time. Can I ask you?¡±

 Chapter 793

    Encroachment


    ¡°What is it?¡± Han Li turned to look at Silvermoon with a strange look in his eyes.


    Silvermoon slowly asked, ¡°Ever since Master took me in as an Artifact Spirit, you¡¯ve never asked me to enhance the power of your flying swords in the form of an Artifact Spirit, nor have I ever been summoned as an Artifact Spirit to fight enemies. I wonder if Master can tell me the reason.¡±


    ¡°Why did you ask about this?¡± Han Li frowned, somewhat surprised.


    Silvermoon lowered her head and softly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just asking. After all, Silvermoon¡¯s true identity is an Artifact Spirit.¡±


    ¡°Artifact Spirit? Do you think you¡¯re an ordinary Artifact Spirit? Ordinary Artifact Spirits don¡¯t have intelligence at all, so why would they ask such a question? In fact, although summoning an Artifact Spirit can greatly increase the power of a magic treasure, it consumes a lot of essence for the Artifact Spirit itself. There have even been cases where the owner of a magic treasure uses the Artifact Spirit too often, causing the Artifact Spirit to collapse on its own. To me, you¡¯ve given me a lot of help as a demon fox. Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, I won¡¯t turn you into an Artifact Spirit to deal with the enemy. After all, if your cultivation is depleted, it¡¯s not a good thing for me,¡± Han Li said after a moment of silence. Then, he turned around and left the hall without saying anything else.


    Silvermoon, who remained in the hall, blinked several times as a contemplative look appeared on her face.


    After a while, she lowered her head to look at the jade box in her hand and walked out with a faint smile.


    ¡­


    The next day, Han Li appeared in the secret room of the cave abode, preparing to cultivate the divine power of his second Nascent Soul.


    Ordinary secret techniques could not be compared to this kind of great divine power secret technique, so Han Li had actually started to prepare for today¡¯s cultivation since a long time ago.


    Currently, Han Li was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a light green jade slip in his hand. He seemed to be immersing his spiritual sense into it and comprehending something.


    This jade slip contained the Profound Nascent Formation Technique.


    A moment later, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. He formed a hand seal and uttered a few low incantations. After his body condensed, he stopped moving.


    Above his head, azure light flashed, and a baby wrapped in azure light suddenly appeared. It was the Nascent Soul that Han Li had cultivated diligently for more than two hundred years.


    This Nascent Soul appeared to be slightly more robust than it had been a few years ago. Its eyes were pitch-black and clear, and it appeared to be full of spirituality.


    Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul had only condensed for a few years, and he only dared to let it leave his body in such a safe place for a while. Otherwise, if anything happened, Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul would be extremely fragile.


    After sitting on Han Li¡¯s head for a while, the Nascent Soul tilted its head and looked around the secret chamber. Azure light flashed from its body, and it turned into a ball of spiritual light that floated in the air. Then, it slowly flew around the secret chamber.


    At first, it seemed to be a little unskilled, but gradually, the Nascent Soul seemed to have mastered the method of flight, and the azure light became faster and faster. In the end, the entire secret chamber only ha a ball of azure light flickering erratically like a ghost, making people gasp in amazement.


    After a while, the Nascent Soul suddenly stopped and floated in a corner of the secret chamber, as if it had thought of something. Its two fair hands formed an incantation gesture, and spiritual light flashed. The Nascent Soul suddenly disappeared from the spot, but in the next moment, it appeared above Han Li¡¯s head again. However, its small face was slightly pale, as if it had consumed a lot of vitality.


    This was a divine power unique to Nascent Souls, a true teleportation technique.


    The Nascent Soul stretched and turned into a streak of azure light again, disappearing into the top of Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li¡¯s eyelids moved slightly and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a trace of seriousness.


    ¡°It seems that my Nascent Soul has finally solidified after a few years of cultivation. Although it can¡¯t be compared to the Nascent Souls of those old monsters, there should be no worries about starting to cultivate a second Nascent Soul,¡± Han Li muttered.


    Soon after, he slapped his storage pouch and took out a jade box covered in talismans.


    Han Li waved his sleeve with a solemn expression, and all the talismans fell off of their own accord. He then used his finger to gently point at a corner of the box, and the lid opened on its own, revealing a shining golden ball.


    It was the sealed Wood Spirit Nascent.


    ¡°The Soul Separation Technique that I used back then is almost completely effective now!¡± Han Li looked at the golden ball and muttered.


    After some thought, he raised his hand and pressed his fingers against the golden ball.


    A thunderclap sounded and golden light flashed. Countless thin arcs of lightning shot out from the ball and quickly entered Han Li¡¯s hand, disappearing without a trace. In the blink of an eye, the golden ball in the box dissipated, revealing a small green humanoid figure that was several inches in size. It had delicate features and was the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s main body.


    However, at this moment, the Wood Spirit Nascent was covered in densely packed black needles. Its eyes were tightly shut and it appeared to be unconscious. These black needles that were like cow hair would occasionally flicker with threads of green light, creating a truly strange sight.


    Han Li did not dare to be careless. He narrowed his eyes and carefully sized up the Wood Spirit Nascent and these thin black needles.


    When he saw that everything was as he had expected, his expression eased slightly as he extended an index finger and slowly pointed it at the Spirit Nascent¡¯s forehead.


    A pea-sized ball of green light erupted from his fingertip before he could even touch it. It then transformed into a streak of green light that pierced into the Spirit Nascent¡¯s forehead.


    Han Li¡¯s finger did not waver. He was extremely calm, as if he was using the green thread to investigate the situation in the Spirit Nascent¡¯s body.


    After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li let out a long breath. He retracted his finger and withdrew the green spiritual thread. In a flash, it disappeared.


    Han Li stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. He suddenly raised his hand and waved. Instantly, the black needles that filled the Spirit Nascent¡¯s body turned into hundreds of black lights and flew into his sleeve.


    The Spirit Nascent was still lying unconscious in the jade box.


    Han Li seemed to have made up his mind. Without any hesitation, he formed a strange hand seal and cast a spell on the Wood Spirit Nascent.


    Immediately, the Spirit Nascent lightly flew out of the jade box. After flying to the same height as Han Li¡¯s head, it sat cross-legged on its own and stopped in front of Han Li.


    Han Li gently closed his eyes and activated an incantation gesture in his heart. Green light shone brightly from the top of his head, and his Nascent Soul appeared there again.


    This time, the Nascent Soul did not reveal a smile on its face. Instead, its small face was tense with a solemn expression.


    It raised its head and looked at the motionless Wood Spirit Nascent.


    He flew over to the Wood Spirit Nascent and sat down cross-legged.


    The Wood Spirit Nascent was two inches in size, while Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul was only an inch tall. When the two stood together, they naturally appeared to be incongruous.


    But at this moment, Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul¡¯s small mouth moved a few times, and it mumbled a few obscure incantations.


    He then opened his mouth and spat a cloud of pure azure spiritual Qi onto the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s face.


    The Spirit Nascent¡¯s expression immediately changed and it slowly opened its eyes. However, its eyes were completely lifeless, as if it were a puppet.


    Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul looked as if it was facing a great enemy. Its two small hands quickly formed hand seals without stopping, and its eyes were wide open as it stared at the other party without blinking.


    Suddenly, two wisps of azure light shot out from the Nascent Soul¡¯s eyes and entered the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s eyes.


    The Wood Spirit Nascent let out a miserable cry and plummeted to the ground with a thump. It rolled on the ground as if it were suffering from extreme pain.


    Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul was still floating steadily in the air, but his small face also had an expression of unbearable pain, but he could still forcefully restrain it.


    In the secret room, the sounds of pain were intermittent, fluctuating between loud and soft. They lasted for a full day and night before gradually disappearing.


    Two days later, Han Li walked out of the secret chamber with a tired expression, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.


    Back then, Han Li was afraid that if he forcibly invaded the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s spiritual sense, he might suffer a backlash. Therefore, Han Li did not immediately cast a spell to plant a second Nascent Soul. Instead, he used a secret technique recorded in the Profound Yin Scripture that day on the Wood Spirit Nascent, causing its spiritual sense to weaken and dissipate bit by bit under the use of those needles.


    Now that so much time had passed, the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s spiritual sense was naturally as low as it could get.


    Under such circumstances, Han Li relied on his powerful spiritual sense, which was not inferior to that of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, to forcefully erase the last bit of the Wood Spirit Nascent¡¯s spiritual sense. Of course, it was only a matter of time.


    Now that the Spirit Nascent¡¯s spiritual sense had been forcibly erased, he injected a portion of his own spiritual sense into it. Afterwards, he used a secret technique to absorb the Spirit Nascent into his body and slowly assimilate it.


    Although there was still the danger of his spiritual sense being assimilated by the Spirit Nascent¡¯s instincts, Han Li was confident that his spiritual sense was abnormally solid and would most likely not encounter such a thing. Furthermore, even if such a thing really happened, he would at most abandon this portion of his spiritual sense. With his powerful spiritual sense, this loss would not affect his intelligence.


    As for the duration of this assimilation process, it was hard to say. It could take three to five years, or it could take seven to eight years, or even over ten years. It basically varied from person to person.


    Han Li originally did not have much hope that this second Nascent Soul would be useful during the trip to Devilfall Valley, so he was not in a hurry.


    After he left the secret chamber, he rested for a day and went to the market to buy a batch of tool refinement materials. He then stayed in the tool refinement room for half a month before coming out again.


    However, he now had over a dozen magic nails that could change their size at will.


    Han Li brought them to the swamp where he had captured the Snow Cloud Fox.


    When he appeared in the stone house in the mountain, Han Li saw the Cadaver Demon lying peacefully on the stone platform. Although he had expected this, he still heaved a sigh of relief.


    He first took out a jade box with a golden talisman stuck to it from his storage pouch. Then, he arranged the silver nails one by one and looked at the Cadaver Demon with narrowed eyes.

 Chapter 794

    Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse


    The Cadaver Demon¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest. It was still covered in green fur and had only one arm. Its entire body was still wrapped in thin silver chains.


    Han Li carefully sized up the entire stone house. After confirming that everything here was the same as before and that there was nothing wrong, he placed the jade box in his hand on the ground and patted a spirit beast pouch at his waist. Suddenly, a black light shot out from the pouch.


    The Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s foot-sized figure appeared. As soon as it appeared, it immediately looked at the Cadaver Demon on the stone platform and let out a series of screeches. Before Han Li could even give an order, black light flashed and its body suddenly expanded.


    Fortunately, the beast knew that this place was small and narrow, so it only grew to around 10 feet in size before coming to a stop. It stared at the Cadaver Demon with an eager expression.


    When Han Li saw this, he frowned. With a thought, the Weeping Soul Beast calmed down and squatted on the ground with its back facing Han Li.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    When Han Li clearly saw the back of the Weeping Soul Beast, surprise flashed across his face.


    The blood-red ghost image on the back of the Weeping Soul Beast was clearly much clearer than before. The ghost image on it had even begun to protrude slightly, giving one the feeling that the ghost image would come to life.


    Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    It appeared that the Weeping Soul Beast was about to undergo some strange changes after the last two feasts.


    Han Li was surprised, but his heart was filled with anticipation.


    However, now was not the time to carefully study the Weeping Soul Beast. He had released the beast to prevent any mishaps.


    After that, Han Li patted his storage pouch and a yellow light flashed. An antique jade slip appeared in his hand.


    Han Li looked at this item and his eyebrows twitched.


    He had only found it after searching through the black-robed youth¡¯s spiritual sense.


    It recorded more than ten refinement methods for various types of corpses. Most of these methods were snatched from other sects by the Yin Sifting Sect and were duplicated by the black-robed young man.


    This Yin Sifting Sect Elder seemed to have a deep understanding of corpse refinement techniques. He had given his own insights into over a dozen corpse refinement techniques.


    There were many modifications that could increase the power of a refined corpse by 30%.


    It was a pity that he kept these tricks to himself and had never told his fellow sect members about them. He had always wanted to refine a few top-grade refined corpses that he could rely on to dominate a region, but he had never been able to find a suitable corpse, so he had never taken action.


    One of the refined corpses recorded in the book was the ¡°Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse¡±. It was one of the top grade refined corpses that the black-robed youth wanted to refine. The corpses chosen by this method were powerful walking corpses that had already gained sentience. After wiping away their spiritual sense and using various secret techniques to refine them, they had a chance of becoming this Heaven Extermination Devil Corpses.


    Naturally, the strength of this type of devil corpse was determined by the type of corpse and its original cultivation.


    According to the corpse refinement technique, the Cadaver Demon was one of the best choices. A devil corpse refined from a Heavenly Earth Spirit Corpse of this grade would be 30% fiercer than before.


    As a result, Han Li immediately thought of the Cadaver Demon trapped here after reading the Corpse Refinement Technique on the jade slip.


    Han Li naturally would not let go of such an excellent opportunity.


    However, before refining the devil corpse, he had to completely erase the Cadaver Demon¡¯s original spiritual sense, just like when he was cultivating his second Nascent Soul.


    As such, he had brought the jade box that contained the Cadaver Demon¡¯s primordial spirit with him so that he could use it to cast a spell.


    Now, Han Li looked at the huge silver nails in front of him and waved his hand. All the huge nails immediately floated gently, and as he chanted, they began to emit a faint silver light.


    He rubbed his hands together, and loud thunderclaps rang out as several thick arcs of golden lightning covered his palms. Golden light dazzled with astonishing might.


    Han Li expressionlessly raised his hands.


    A dozen or so tiny arcs of lightning shot forth from his palm, striking the nails one after another.


    Golden and silver light intertwined, and the huge nails began to tremble at the same time.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened. He spat out the word ¡°go¡± and cast a spell.


    All of the nails shot forth in streaks of silver light, circling around the Cadaver Demon on the stone platform before aiming at its limbs and vitals.


    After doing all this, Han Li took a deep breath and looked at the jade box with the golden talisman stuck on it. He opened his mouth and spat out a green light.


    The light swept past the surface of the jade box, and the golden talisman trembled several times before finally descending from the box.


    With a swoosh, the lid of the box flew several tens of feet away as if it had been forcibly sent flying.


    Han Li¡¯s pupils constricted as he stared at the jade box with his lips tightly shut.


    A thick green mist surged out from the box, accompanied by a burst of wild laughter.


    ¡°Haha! I¡¯m finally free. Which idiot released me? Since you¡¯ve released me, I¡¯ll first use your flesh to wrap my stomach. Yi, a Nascent Soul cultivator?¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the green mist condensed into a woman¡¯s face. She had the exact same appearance as Silvermoon¡¯s demon fox form, but her eyes were green and fierce. After seeing Han Li clearly, the ghost face was stunned.


    Han Li looked at this familiar face and was also surprised for a moment, but then his expression returned to normal.


    Silvermoon¡¯s demon fox form was controlled by the Cadaver Demon. As expected, the box contained the Cadaver Demon¡¯s primordial spirit.


    The green ghost face was stunned for a moment before sneering. It suddenly opened its mouth and blew a gust of Yin wind. Then, the ghost face swelled to three meters in size and pounced forward, wanting to possess Han Li¡¯s body.


    However, Han Li, who had already come up with a plan, would not let him succeed.


    No matter how powerful the Cadaver Demon¡¯s cultivation was when it was alive, it was only a primordial spirit that had been trapped for many years. Han Li was not afraid of it at all.


    He stood on the spot and a cold light flashed from his face. The Weeping Soul Beast seemed to have received an order, and it suddenly harrumphed as a yellow mist swept forth.


    Wherever the light passed, a small portion of the ghost face would be swept up and pulled back.


    ¡°What is this?¡± The ghost face was quite quick-witted. When it discovered that something was amiss, it struggled with all its might in an attempt to break free.


    It was a pity that the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s abilities were specialized in restraining demon souls. Not only was the ghost face unable to break free, but it was also slowly being engulfed by the light.


    The ghost face was terrified, but it was still quite ruthless and decisive.


    The ghost face that was formed from the green mist began to violently shake and severed the portion that was engulfed by the yellow mist. As the yellow mist withdrew, the remaining ghost mist roiled and condensed into a smaller ghost face. At that moment, it hastily turned around and shot toward the Cadaver Demon at the center of the stone platform.


    After knowing that Han Li was not to be trifled with, it planned to return to its own body before tearing Han Li apart.


    When Han Li saw the ghost face turn around, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a mocking expression.


    He calmly pointed at the ten or so nails wrapped in golden lightning and pointed at them. In the instant that the ghost face entered the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body, the silver nails fell like lightning.


    Just as the Cadaver Demon was about to move, its limbs, abdomen, and other vital organs were struck by the nails. Due to the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body being as hard as iron, the silver nails were unable to harm its body in the slightest.


    However, the arcs of golden lightning struck the Cadaver Demon without the slightest hesitation, and a large golden net immediately enshrouded the Cadaver Demon.


    The Cadaver Demon¡¯s body immediately released a burnt and putrid smell. The soul that had just possessed the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body had been blown away by this attack. At this moment, the green ghost mist had strangely grown even larger than when it had possessed the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body. Furthermore, a large and a small ghost face could be faintly seen within the green mist.


    The two ghost faces desperately tried to possess the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body again, but they were struck by the flickering arcs of lightning on the silver nails and were unable to enter.


    ¡°As expected, the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body contains a hidden soul. It seems I didn¡¯t waste my efforts.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, he was overjoyed. With the last of his worries gone, he fiercely commanded the Weeping Soul Beast with his spiritual sense. Immediately, the strange beast snorted again, and a yellow light that was several times more dazzling than before shot out towards the two ghost faces.


    This time, the two ghost faces weren¡¯t as lucky as the last time. As the light swept past them, the two ghost faces only had time to let out miserable shrieks before they were swept away by yellow light and brought back into the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s mouth.


    The Weeping Soul Beast crazily swallowed a few times and patted its belly with excitement, appearing to be extremely satisfied.


    When Han Li saw this, a smile appeared on his face. He was not in a hurry to retrieve the huge silver nails. Instead, he calmly walked towards the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body.


    Han Li arrived in front of the stone platform and looked at the thin silver chains tied to the Cadaver Demon. After some thought, he suddenly flicked his finger and a golden sword Qi slashed down.


    With a crisp clang, the silver chains were completely unscathed.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged as if he had expected this to happen. He opened his mouth and spat out a small golden sword.


    After he activated it, the small sword instantly became dazzlingly sharp and silently struck one of the silver chains.


    A crisp sound rang out as golden light flashed, and a rice-sized hole appeared on the silver chain.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    Although he knew that the silver chains could restrain the Cadaver Demon that had boundless strength and they were definitely not an ordinary magic tool, he was still greatly surprised that even the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword mixed with Auric Essence could only cause a little damage!


    However, although Han Li was surprised, he did not stop executing the incantation gesture. The flying swords aimed at the same spot and continuously slashed down.


    After a long while, the silver chains were finally severed by Han Li.


    Han Li curiously waved his hand at the silver chains, and the item that trapped the Cadaver Demon immediately became extremely agile like a silver snake, turning into two streaks of silver light and landing in his hand.


    He gently stroked the silver chains with his finger and discovered that the seemingly smooth surface of the silver chains was densely engraved with tiny runes. The details of the runes were almost indiscernible to the naked eye.


    The corner of Han Li¡¯s eye twitched, and a trace of shock flashed through his eyes.

 Chapter 795

    Before the Long Trip


    Such small talismans were definitely not something that could be refined in the current cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region. They appeared to be a rare ancient treasure!


    As Han Li thought of this, silver light flashed in his hand and he put away the two silver chains.


    He planned to wait for an opportunity in the future to see if he could repair the chains and try their power again.


    After putting away the silver chains, Han Li lowered his head and looked at the body of the Cadaver Demon.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened and he flicked his finger. Ten azure threads shot out and pierced into the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body. Han Li began to carefully examine them.


    After a while, Han Li revealed a satisfied expression.


    Apart from the missing arm, the Cadaver Demon¡¯s body was perfect for refining corpses. Not only was its body exceptionally powerful, but common magic treasures wouldn¡¯t be able to harm it in the slightest. The Corpse Fire and Corpse Poison that were nurtured within its body were even more extraordinary. If a cultivator were to come into contact with them, they would immediately die.


    However, looking at the Cadaver Demon¡¯s broken arm, Han Li pondered for a moment.


    All of a sudden, he slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist and summoned a swarm of three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles. The Gold Devouring Beetles circled above his head and began to buzz loudly.


    Han Li raised his hand and cast a spell.


    At his command, the Gold Devouring Beetles suddenly flew toward the Cadaver Demon¡¯s severed arm and began to condense.


    A moment later, a smooth three-colored arm appeared. Apart from the color and the absence of green fur, it was exactly the same as the other arm.


    Han Li smiled slightly, showing some satisfaction.


    Afterwards, he took out several formation flags and plates from his storage pouch and calmly set up an extremely profound spell formation in the stone room¡­


    ¡­


    He stayed in the mountain for over two months. When Han Li appeared in the cave of the Mother-Child Peak again, his face was extremely pale, as if he had lost a lot of vitality.


    After summoning Silvermoon, Han Li immediately entered seclusion and didn¡¯t mention the Cadaver Demon again.


    A month later, the door of the seclusion room opened again and Han Li walked out with a calm expression.


    ¡°Master, the Six-winged Frost Centipedes in the insect room have already begun to lay eggs,¡± Silvermoon, who had been guarding outside, immediately said respectfully when she saw Han Li come out.


    ¡°Eggs? Let me take a look.¡± Han Li was stunned for a moment before revealing a joyful expression.


    Soon after, he strode towards the insect room with Silvermoon following closely behind him.


    Through the restriction door of the insect room, Han Li could clearly see everything in the insect room.


    The Six-winged Frost Centipedes had already evolved once since Liu Yu gave them to him. Not only were they nearly twice the size before, but the glacial Qi they emitted was even greater than before.


    Although it could not be compared to Han Li¡¯s Celestial Ice Flame, it was definitely fatal to Core Formation cultivators.


    Of course, the Purple Apex Flame that Han Li cultivated by fusing with this cold energy was also slightly more powerful.


    The eggs of the Six-winged Frost Centipedes were at the center of the insect room. They were black and shiny, and the size of a fist. They were frozen in a shimmering ice cube that was around 10 feet in size and emitted wisps of cold Qi.


    It was clear that the Six-winged Frost Centipedes that had spawned in the insect room were spouting glacial Qi.


    Han Li swept his gaze over. The few huge centipedes in the insect room seemed to have sensed something. They raised their heads and hissed in the direction of the stone door, threatening him.


    Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, but his gaze fell on the eggs and carefully sized them up.


    ¡°There are twenty-four centipede eggs. It¡¯s enough. Silvermoon, inform my in-name disciple to come over and take her spiritual insects away.¡± After seeing the number of centipede eggs, Han Li nodded and instructed with satisfaction.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send a voice transmission talisman right away.¡± Silvermoon immediately agreed. Then, she took out a talisman and muttered a few words before tossing it out.


    The talisman transformed into a streak of red light in the air and immediately flew off.


    After checking the centipede eggs, Han Li went next door to take a look at the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    This was because some time ago, he had mainly used the green liquid on the Six-winged Frost Centipedes. Han Li had not observed these flying insects selected from the pure gold Gold Devouring Beetles in a long time.


    The insects in the room did not change much. They gathered into a huge golden ball and hung upside down on a spirit tree that Han Li had specially transplanted for them.


    Although he had expected this, Han Li still frowned after taking a look.


    If these flying insects evolved once more, they should be able to mature. Even with the Rainbow Skirt Grass, the length of their evolution would be astonishing.


    Han Li had never thought that these Gold Devouring Beetles would be able to complete their final advancement in just a few decades.


    ¡°Silvermoon, how is the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine? After a few months, we should know if that root can be saved.¡± Han Li suddenly asked this when he withdrew his gaze from the insect room.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s better for Master to take a look personally.¡± Silvermoon revealed a hesitant expression.


    ¡°What are you not sure about?¡± Han Li was rather surprised.


    However, after some thought, he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he gave an order and followed Silvermoon to the medicinal garden.


    When Han Li saw the roots of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine, he was stunned.


    It had already turned from a faint yellow to a dark green color, but it was completely bare and was still the same size. There was no sign of sprouting at all.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Has the vine been revived or not?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask after sensing the vine for a moment. He didn¡¯t find any living aura from it, and it was still as if it was dead.


    Silvermoon sighed and slowly said, ¡°This is what I wanted to tell Master. In the beginning, the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine¡¯s roots didn¡¯t change in the slightest after being watered with green liquid several times. It couldn¡¯t be completely matured. I had no choice. Later on, I tried to pour in the Myriad Year Spirit Milk and the mellow liquid at the same time. Only then did it have some effect. The color of the plant turned green. I originally thought that I had saved it, but apart from the change in color, the roots of the Immortal Vine are exactly the same as before. As such, I can¡¯t determine whether the roots of the Immortal Vine are alive or dead.¡±


    Han Li glanced at the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine and said indifferently, ¡°Since there¡¯s a reaction, it means that it can still be revived. It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t found the right method yet. However, we don¡¯t have time to continue testing now. Everything can wait until we reach the Far West. It¡¯s about time for us to leave.¡±


    Silvermoon paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. I¡¯ll first bid farewell to Senior Brother Cheng and then seal off my cave abode and take away all the important items. There shouldn¡¯t be any powerful high-grade cultivators in the Far West, so there shouldn¡¯t be any danger. It¡¯s just that it¡¯ll take a long time. Furthermore, I must return within three years. Otherwise, I might miss the best opportunity to enter Devilfall Valley,¡± Han Li replied with certainty.


    Silvermoon nodded in agreement.


    Not long after, the two of them left the medicinal garden. Han Li went to find the silver-haired old man while Silvermoon stayed in the cave abode and began to pack her things in preparation for tomorrow¡¯s departure.


    On the morning of the second day, Han Li, who had rested for the night, walked out of the cave abode with Silvermoon. He found a beautiful woman with a graceful figure standing quietly outside the cave abode, silently looking at Han Li.


    ¡°Why are you here? Didn¡¯t I leave behind enough pills for you to cultivate for several years so that you can stay and cultivate in peace?¡± Han Li asked calmly with a trace of surprise in his eyes.


    Mu Peiling lowered her head and softly said, ¡°Young Master! I¡¯ve thought about it. My cultivation seems to have reached a bottleneck again, so it¡¯s better for me to go with you. Besides, as Young Master¡¯s concubine, it¡¯s only right for me to accompany you and serve you. Could Young Master bring me along?¡±


    Her beautiful face coupled with her voluptuous and tall figure made her appear extremely charming.


    Hearing this woman¡¯s words, Han Li was stunned. He sized up Mu Peiling and thought to himself.


    Silvermoon, who was behind Han Li, had a faint smile on her face.


    ¡°Since you want to go, follow me. On the way, I can give you some pointers on your cultivation. If you can enter the Core Formation Stage as soon as possible, it will be very beneficial to me.¡± Han Li did not think for long before nodding and agreeing.


    ¡°Many thanks, Young Master!¡±


    Mu Peiling was overjoyed to hear this, and her face was filled with excitement.


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled faintly and waved his sleeve. A white light flew out from his sleeve and turned into a square winged flying vehicle. It was the Wind Riding Chariot.


    When Silvermoon saw the chariot appear, she smiled. Then, her body swayed and she turned into a white light, flying into Han Li¡¯s sleeve.


    When Mu Peiling saw this, she was shocked and covered her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about Silvermoon on the way. Let¡¯s get on the chariot and set off first!¡± Han Li did not care about this matter and said with a calm expression.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± Mu Peiling wasn¡¯t an ordinary female cultivator. After recovering from her shock, she regained her calm. She immediately turned around and lightly flew onto the carriage.


    However, just as she stepped onto the flying chariot, a azure shadow flashed in front of her, and Han Li arrived on the chariot at the same time.


    He formed an incantation gesture with his hands and a white barrier of light enveloped the flying chariot.


    Following a clear ring, the Wind Riding Chariot immediately disappeared from its original location, transforming into a streak of white light that tore through the air.


    Not long after, everyone in the Drifting Cloud Sect received a piece of news. Because their Elder Han had injured some of his vitality during his battle with the devil cultivators, he was preparing to enter seclusion for several years to recover his cultivation. During this period of time, he would not be receiving guests.


    When the other two sects of the Dreamcloud Mountain heard of this matter, they sent several people to ask about Elder Han¡¯s injuries, but they were all sent away by the silver-haired old man with excuses. There were also other cultivators who came to visit the Drifting Cloud Sect, but they were also dismissed with the same words.


    As a result, the news of Han Li, the famous elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, being severely injured quickly spread throughout the State of Xi. Even the sects of other countries could not help but pay attention to this matter.


    The cultivators of these sects did not suspect anything. After all, the last devil cultivator that Han Li killed was an elder of the State of Jin¡¯s Yin Sifting Sect. It was said that he had a cultivation base at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul realm. It was very normal for Han Li to lose a lot of vitality after killing him.


    But even so, in the eyes of many sect cultivators, Han Li had become a great cultivator comparable to Eccentric Heavenvenge.


    Following that, the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s reputation skyrocketed. Many sects began to deliberately befriend the sect. There were also vagrant cultivators with high cultivation bases who specially came to the Dreamcloud Mountains to join the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    In a short period of time, the Drifting Cloud Sect had begun to show signs of becoming the number one sect in the State of Xi, causing many of the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples to feel extremely excited.


    Han Li was a mysterious elder who rarely appeared in front of ordinary disciples, and his reputation in the hearts of these disciples was unparalleled.

 Chapter 796

    Land of Devilfall


    The Heavenly South¡¯s State of Dongyu was one of the few countries in the Heavenly South¡¯s cultivation world that didn¡¯t belong to the four great powers.


    This wasn¡¯t because the country was too small and lacked resources and the great powers didn¡¯t take a fancy to it.


    On the contrary, regardless of the size of the country or the abundance of cultivation resources, it was ranked in the top ten in the Heavenly South Region.


    The reason why there were no powers in control of this country was entirely due to the geographical location of the State of Dongyu.


    Apart from being too far away from the Nine Nations Union and having no connections, this country was actually close to the countries of the other three great powers at the same time.


    As for the cultivation sects in this country, due to certain reasons in history, there were many mixed sects. There were sects of the Righteous and Devilish Dao, as well as small sects that were independent. Most importantly, there were no sects in the State of Dongyu that could suppress the other sects and become a decisive force. They were unable to represent the State of Dongyu and decide which power to side with.


    As a result, the three great powers didn¡¯t wish to give up on this country, and they naturally fought over it in secret. However, nothing came of it. In the end, they could only vaguely agree that none of the three great powers would interfere in this country¡¯s affairs, allowing the State of Dongyu to become a neutral country.


    Of course, many of the native sects of the State of Dongyu had already joined the Righteous and Devilish Dao Sects or the Heavenly Dao Alliance, thereby obtaining the secret support of the three great powers. This allowed the State of Dongyu to barely maintain a balance for over a hundred years, causing many cultivators to view it as a neutral land and settle down there. For a time, the country was extremely prosperous.


    In Chang Province in the north of the State of Dongyu, there was a basin that took up almost two-thirds of Chang Province. Most of the basin was covered by dense forests. At the center of the basin was a huge mountain range that stretched for millions of kilometers. It was known as the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range by the locals.


    No one had truly investigated whether or not this mountain range truly had over 10,000 ridges. However, with the coverage of this mountain range, there was naturally an abundance of spirit beasts and rare medicines. However, apart from a specific time every few decades, even cultivators didn¡¯t dare to rashly come here to pick medicines or capture spirit beasts.


    The reason for this was because the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range had another ferocious name that everyone in the cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region knew: the Land of Devilfall.


    In a secret location in the mountain range, there was a secret valley known as Devilfall Valley in the Heavenly South Region.


    This secret valley had existed since the primordial era. For a long time, countless powerful cultivators had entered the valley to search for treasures. However, after tens of thousands of years, it was still tightly covered by a mysterious bloody veil, causing people to stop in their tracks.


    Of course, Devilfall Valley¡¯s infamous reputation alone wasn¡¯t enough to stop cultivators from mining the mountain. However, perhaps due to the influence of Devilfall Valley, the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range had been sealed by a multicolored miasma for many years.


    Not only was the miasma so poisonous that it killed anyone it touched, but it was also as dense as a restriction. It was nearly impossible to see one¡¯s own hand in front of one¡¯s face, and one would lose their sense of direction upon entering the miasma.


    In such an environment, even if a cultivator were to remain unscathed from the miasma, they wouldn¡¯t be able to harvest spirit medicines or capture spirit beasts. They would only be able to look at the treasure mountain with envy or explore a small area in the outermost area where the miasma was thin.


    However, every fifty years or so, the miasma in this mountain range would dissipate. At the same time, Devilfall Valley had the fewest spatial tears and was at its most stable period. During this period of time, treasure hunters from all over the Heavenly South would make use of this short period of time to enter the mountain and search for treasures.


    Of course, the mountain was so vast that even if there were many spiritual medicines and spirit beasts, only a small portion of cultivators would be able to reap the benefits. Even so, thousands of cultivators of all grades would still gather here every time.


    In addition, there were a few merchants in the vicinity of the mountain that were backed by their clans. In an extremely short period of time, they would form several markets of different sizes to purchase medicines and spirit beasts from cultivators who had gained something. This would allow them to flourish for a period of time.


    Over the past year, the miasma in the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range had begun to thin. There were only a few months left before the miasma completely dissipated.


    Suddenly, a large number of cultivators surged into the Chang Province, far greater in number than in the past. Moreover, most of them were foreign cultivators, and high-grade cultivators appeared even more frequently.


    This greatly alarmed the local cultivation sects and clans. They hastily restricted their disciples from leaving the sect and sent people to investigate the reason.


    After learning the result, the local cultivation factions were dumbfounded.


    ¡­


    On a nameless mountain at the border of Chang Province, a Core Formation cultivator and a woman were standing side by side at the summit.


    The man wore a long blue robe and appeared to be in his thirties. He was handsome and refined, while the woman wore a palace dress. Although her figure was extremely voluptuous, her appearance was quite ordinary.


    The two of them appeared to be calm, but from time to time, they would raise their heads to look around with a trace of anxiety in their eyes, revealing their true emotions.


    A short moment later, silver light flashed in the distance, following which a streak of silver light flew toward the small mountain.


    When they saw this, the man and woman, who appeared to be husband and wife, were filled with joy.


    When the silver streak of light arrived above the small mountain, it circled around to reveal a scholarly man in embroidered robes who appeared to be in his forties.


    When the woman saw the large man, she sweetly smiled and asked, ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯ve finally arrived. How was it? Did it go smoothly? Did you obtain the token to enter the valley?¡±


    The scholar chuckled and raised his hand, shooting two streaks of azure light at the male and female cultivators.


    The man and woman hurriedly caught them. They were two bronze command medallions. On one side were the words ¡°Devilfall¡± in red, and on the other side was a golden word ¡°Token¡± that emitted wisps of spiritual Qi.


    The female cultivator wore an excited expression, while the male cultivator frowned and wore a pensive expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! With this Devilfall Medallion, we¡¯ll be able to enter the valley and search for treasures. If we can obtain some ancient spirit medicines, the three of us might have a chance to condense our Nascent Souls!¡± the female cultivator couldn¡¯t help but say with delight.


    The blue-clothed male cultivator at the woman¡¯s side sighed and said, ¡°They actually dare to sell such a small command medallion for 30,000 spirit stones.¡±


    The three command medallions cost as much as 100,000 spirit stones, nearly emptying all of the savings that the three of them had accumulated over the past several hundred years. This naturally caused the blue-clothed male cultivator to feel a bit of heartache.


    The scholar helplessly said, ¡°Second Brother, there is no need to lament. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I was sworn friends with that person and that their sect lacked manpower, they wouldn¡¯t have given up on this opportunity to enter the valley. Even if it were 100,000 spirit stones for a command medallion, there would¡¯ve been many people fighting for it outside. Furthermore, the Ghost Spirit Sect originally wanted to monopolize the treasures of Devilfall Valley, but under the pressure of other sects, they had no choice but to allow outsiders to enter the valley and search for treasures. Otherwise, even if you wanted to use 100,000 spirit stones to exchange for a chance to enter the valley, the Ghost Spirit Sect wouldn¡¯t have agreed.¡±


    When the blue-clothed cultivator heard this, he couldn¡¯t say anything to refute him. However, he looked at the command medallion in his hand and asked with worry.


    ¡°However, is the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method of entering the valley really reliable? I heard that there are many spatial tears at the entrance of the valley. If you¡¯re not careful, you can die without a corpse. Furthermore, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s elder actually came out of the valley alive in the past. Big Brother, do you think this is true?¡±


    ¡°Unless the Ghost Spirit Sect wishes to make an enemy out of the entire cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region, there will be no problems with this matter. Besides, haven¡¯t we all heard that the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s elder only managed to escape with his Nascent Soul, and his body was also buried in Devilfall Valley? This is quite reasonable,¡± the scholar replied without any hesitation.


    When the blue-clothed man heard the scholar¡¯s explanation, he hesitantly said, ¡°Even if we can enter the valley, Devilfall Valley is extremely dangerous. I don¡¯t know whether it was right or wrong for us to buy the tokens.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! With our aptitudes, our cultivation bases are already at the very pinnacle. If we don¡¯t encounter any opportunities, we¡¯ll all be reduced to a pile of bones in another 200 years, so we¡¯ll naturally have to take the risk. Besides, I heard that the spatial tears on the outskirts of Devilfall Valley are far less dangerous than the depths of the inner valley. If we only stay at the outskirts of the valley to search for treasures and be careful, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems,¡± the woman said indifferently.


    ¡°I heard that the Ghost Spirit Sect has released several hundred Devilfall Medallions in one go, and most of them have fallen into the hands of various sects. I even heard that the Moulan spell warriors will be participating as well. In other words, there will be several hundred cultivators who will be able to enter the valley with the Ghost Spirit Sect to search for treasures. With so many people going together, what are we afraid of? At most, we¡¯ll immediately turn back if it¡¯s truly dangerous. However, if we miss this opportunity, we¡¯ll regret it for the rest of our lives,¡± the scholar said indifferently. The female cultivator beside him also nodded repeatedly as if she deeply agreed.


    The blue-clothed man bitterly smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°In that case, I will follow you into the valley.¡±


    ¡­


    The same situation was happening all over Chang Province.


    Half a year ago, there was a rumor that the Ghost Spirit Sect had actually obtained the method to enter Devilfall Valley. They also said that the Ghost Spirit Sect planned to hide it from other sects and monopolize the treasures in the valley.


    As soon as this news spread, it immediately shook the entire cultivation world.


    Because of the battle with the Moulan people, the various large sects originally wanted to recuperate. They immediately could not sit still any longer after hearing the news. They all sent people to the Ghost Spirit Sect to inquire about this matter. Even the other six Devil Dao sects also sent envoys to verify the authenticity of this matter.


    The upper echelons of the Ghost Spirit Sect were naturally enraged by this, but under such great pressure, they could only bite the bullet and admit it. After all, as long as someone investigated this matter, they would be able to find some clues to the truth.


    As a result, the other sects naturally requested to share the method of entering the valley. This time, the Ghost Spirit Sect was unwilling to agree no matter what.


    In the end, they only reached a compromise and were willing to provide a few entry tokens to the various sects. As long as the outsiders held the tokens, when the spatial rifts in Devilfall Valley stabilized, the various sects could choose to send some people into the valley with the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators. However, they naturally had to pay some spirit stones as the ticket.


    Of course, in order to quell the dissatisfaction of the vagrant cultivators, they also specially released over a hundred pieces to the vagrant cultivators and small sects.


    Now that the time was approaching, Chang Province was naturally bustling with activity. Many cultivators from other countries had appeared near the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, causing the local cultivators who originally wanted to enter the mountains to become exceptionally cautious and tuck their tails between their legs.

 Chapter 797

    Han Li¡¯s Return


    The nearest city to Chang Province was a large city called Yehua.


    The city was over 10,000 kilometers away from the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, but there were still many cultivators who were unwilling to sleep in the wilderness. As for the small cultivation sects that had secretly occupied the city, they were so frightened that they withdrew to their sect bases and pretended to be deaf and mute.


    Although there were many cultivators gathered in the city, there were many inns in the city, so it wasn¡¯t a problem to accommodate these few cultivators.


    One of the inns was called the Great Fortune Inn. It was an ordinary inn.


    There were two groups of cultivators staying inside, and they each reserved two separate rooms with courtyards at the back of the inn.


    In one of the rooms, there were three people gathered around a wooden table, discussing something.


    These three were all young and beautiful female cultivators. They were Violet Spirit and Mei Ning, who had parted ways with Han Li in Tianyi City. The last one was naturally the woman surnamed Song who was on good terms with them.


    At this moment, Violet Spirit appeared dignified and beautiful, but she had clearly used a secret technique to conceal her incomparably charming appearance. From the looks of it, she was just an ordinary female cultivator with somewhat good looks.


    The three women were currently whispering something with solemn expressions.


    The walls around the room faintly flickered with white light. It appeared that a restriction had been set up to prevent others from eavesdropping on their conversation.


    Violet Spirit frowned and asked with a worried expression, ¡°Sister Song, haven¡¯t you heard from Brother Han yet? There¡¯s not much time left before the miasma dissipates. If Brother Han doesn¡¯t appear soon, we¡¯ll miss the best opportunity to enter Devilfall Valley.¡±


    The person she was asking was naturally the white-robed woman surnamed Song.


    Cultivator Song smiled and calmly said, ¡°Sister Violet Spirit, it isn¡¯t that you don¡¯t know. Two years ago, our sect¡¯s Martial Uncle Cheng announced to the outside world that Martial Uncle Han had entered seclusion to recuperate, but in truth, I somehow learned that Martial Uncle Han had gone to the Far West. Although I don¡¯t know why Martial Uncle Han had gone to that place, it would take over a year for him to travel back and forth. There is no rush. Furthermore, isn¡¯t there still several months left? I¡¯ve already left a precise contact address in the sect. So long as Martial Uncle returns, he will immediately be able to find us. So long as Martial Uncle wishes to return on time, there is no cultivator in the Far West that can keep Martial Uncle Han here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Even if Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cultivation is extraordinary, there are some things that can¡¯t be resolved with a high cultivation base.¡± Violet Spirit sighed and couldn¡¯t help but recall what had happened in the Umbra Realm.


    ¡°Sister Song, you¡¯re calling him ¡®Martial Uncle Han¡¯ as if you¡¯ve suddenly become extremely respectful towards Brother Han. In the past, you didn¡¯t speak of this Martial Uncle Han with such an expression.¡±


    As Violet Spirit spoke, a faint smile appeared on her face.


    Cultivator Song¡¯s face reddened slightly, but her expression remained calm.


    ¡°If Sister Violet Spirit could also kill a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, I would also treat her with the same respect. Martial Uncle Han is now an existence second only to the three great cultivators in the Heavenly South Region. As a junior, what¡¯s so strange about me being more respectful?¡±


    Violet Spirit chuckled and said, ¡°Hehe! Of course not. Even I was shocked when I heard of Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s accomplishments. Ten years ago, Brother Han was still a Core Formation cultivator like me, but now, he actually possesses such astonishing abilities that we have to look up to him. It¡¯s truly unbelievable. If I had known this would happen, I would¡¯ve forcefully married Sister Mei to him as a concubine. Then, Sister Mei Ning¡¯s future cultivation path would¡¯ve definitely been smooth.¡±


    When Mei Ning heard this, her cheeks flushed, but she didn¡¯t say anything. There was only a hint of melancholy in the depths of her eyes.


    Back then, Han Li had asked her to choose. Unfortunately, she had missed this opportunity due to a moment of hesitation.


    Now that Han Li had such a great reputation, she naturally could not easily mention this matter.


    ¡°Sister Mei Ning almost became Martial Uncle Han¡¯s concubine! This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of this. I¡¯ve always thought that Martial Uncle and Sister Violet Spirit were related. After all, with Sister¡¯s peerless beauty, I believe that there are no men in this world who wouldn¡¯t be tempted.¡± The woman surnamed Song was initially shocked, but she soon chuckled and teased Violet Spirit.


    Violet Spirit pursed her lips and said with a faint smile, ¡°Hmph! I didn¡¯t know that Fellow Daoist Han was so powerful back then. If I had known, I might¡¯ve given myself to you a long time ago. If I were Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s dual cultivation partner, I¡¯d definitely be much stronger than I am now.¡±


    This caused the reserved woman surnamed Song to be dumbstruck, and she didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    After a moment of hesitation, Violet Spirit slowly said, ¡°However, Brother Han¡¯s abilities have become so powerful. If he agrees to help, there¡¯s a high chance that we¡¯ll be able to obtain the Spirit Kindle Fruit. Sister Song, have you really decided not to enter Devilfall Valley? You should know that Sister Mei Ning isn¡¯t willing to go because the number of cultivators entering the valley has suddenly increased. It¡¯s too dangerous for her to enter with her cultivation.¡±


    After a moment of thought, the woman surnamed Song replied, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it many times. I¡¯m different from the two of you. Although I¡¯m only at the early-Core Formation Stage, I¡¯m already close to the peak of the early-Core Formation Stage. I only need twenty to thirty years of hard work to reach this stage. It¡¯s not worth the risk. As for the other treasures in the valley, I¡¯ll have to trade my life for them. I still have some self-awareness.¡±


    Violet Spirit bitterly smiled and dejectedly said, ¡°Since Little Sister Song has already made up her mind, I won¡¯t try to persuade you. In truth, if Fellow Daoist Han doesn¡¯t arrive, I wouldn¡¯t dare to enter the valley alone. After all, with the increase in the number of high-grade cultivators entering the valley, the dangers will greatly increase. There will definitely be many cases of robbery and killing. If I, an early Core Formation cultivator, were to enter alone, wouldn¡¯t I be walking into a tiger¡¯s den? I wouldn¡¯t be so foolish.¡±


    Mei Ning and the woman surnamed Song were stunned by her words.


    ¡°No one expected the Ghost Spirit Sect to suddenly leak this information. In the beginning, I even thought that Sister Violet Spirit had deliberately leaked this information so that you could take advantage of the situation,¡± Song Yu muttered to herself as a strange look flashed across her face.


    ¡°Take advantage of the situation? What¡¯s there to take advantage of? Of course, the fewer cultivators that enter the valley, the better. Only then will we be able to snatch the Spirit Kindle Fruit before the Ghost Spirit Sect does.¡± Violet Spirit coquettishly pouted, looking displeased.


    ¡°Oh! Didn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit release the news? It seems that someone else did it.¡± A familiar male voice suddenly sounded from outside the room.


    ¡°Martial Uncle Han!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han!¡±


    The woman surnamed Song and Violet Spirit were shocked at first, but they immediately called out Han Li¡¯s name. Both of their faces revealed pleasant surprise.


    Violet Spirit opened her hand and struck the door with a spell seal.


    In a flash of white light, the wooden door slowly opened.


    A young man in his twenties wearing an old azure robe stood there with his hands behind his back. He looked at the three beauties in the room with a smile on his face.


    This man was Han Li, who had returned from the Far West after two years.


    There was also a foot-long yellow bamboo tube on his back. It was unknown what was inside, but he was carrying it diagonally on his back and had no intention of putting it into his storage pouch.


    If one took a closer look, they would discover that Han Li himself was slightly different from before. Regardless of whether it was his spirit or temperament, he had changed quite a bit. He appeared more calm and steady, giving off an unfathomable feeling.


    ¡°Greetings, Martial Uncle Han!¡± The woman surnamed Song didn¡¯t have much time to think about it and hurriedly took a few steps forward to pay her respects.


    ¡°Brother Han, you¡¯ve finally arrived. I thought you¡¯d been delayed by something and couldn¡¯t make it in time!¡± A faint blush appeared on Violet Spirit¡¯s face and she nervously stood up to greet him.


    This woman did not know how long Han Li had been here. Could it be that he had heard what she said just now?


    Violet Spirit was usually talkative and quick-witted, but when she thought of how she was willing to ¡°give her body to him¡±, her face revealed a trace of embarrassment.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve promised you, I will naturally arrive on time.¡± Han Li faintly smiled and gave the woman a meaningful glance before calmly entering the room.


    Mei Ning also bit her red lips and bowed to Han Li.


    Han Li waved his hand and gestured for them to sit down. Then, he walked to an empty wooden chair and asked everyone to sit down.


    Violet Spirit¡¯s expression quickly returned to normal, and she immediately sat down in a calm manner. As for the woman surnamed Song, she hesitated for a moment before sitting down in her chair as well.


    ¡°Brother Han, when did you return to the Heavenly South? Your journey to the Far West was quite smooth, right?¡± Violet Spirit did not immediately mention Devilfall Valley. Instead, she asked about Han Li with a smile and sized him up again with a strange gaze.


    ¡°I encountered a small problem in the Far West. Although it was successfully resolved, it took some time. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve returned half a year ago,¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    Violet Spirit and Song couldn¡¯t help but look at each other with curiosity.


    To be able to make the current Han Li say that it was a small problem, it was definitely not an ordinary matter. However, seeing that Han Li had no intention of talking about this, the two women were extremely smart and naturally did not ask further.


    ¡°I just heard you say that only Violet Spirit is willing to go to Devilfall Valley. Martial Nephew Song and Miss Mei Ning have changed their minds. Is this true?¡± Han Li and the other two women glanced at each other and he asked with calm expressions.


    ¡°Since Martial Uncle already knows, Martial Nephew naturally doesn¡¯t dare to hide anything. After a careful discussion with Fellow Daoist Mei Ning, I still feel that this trip is too dangerous, so it¡¯s better to let it go. I don¡¯t want to take such an unnecessary risk just for a mere twenty to thirty years of bitter cultivation. Not long ago, Fellow Daoist Mei Ning obtained a bottle of spirit pills that are very beneficial to Core Formation cultivators, so I don¡¯t want to take this risk. After all, the reputation of Devilfall Valley as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region isn¡¯t a joke. That Spirit Kindle Fruit is located in the depths of the valley, so the danger is even greater.¡±

 Chapter 798

    Monarch Great Development


    Hearing Song¡¯s careful words, Han Li nodded and did not ask further.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Martial Nephew Song and Miss Mei aren¡¯t going. The Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range are currently filled with all sorts of people. Even if I enter the Devilfall Valley, I don¡¯t have much confidence that I¡¯ll be able to escape unscathed. Miss Violet Spirit doesn¡¯t seem to have any intention of changing your mind. Do you still insist on entering the Devilfall Valley?¡± Han Li asked Violet Spirit casually.


    Violet Spirit smiled charmingly and said, ¡°So long as Brother Han is willing to enter the valley, I¡¯m willing to take the risk. I have complete confidence in you, Fellow Daoist Han.¡±


    Han Li looked at Violet Spirit and said without blinking, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit has said so, I won¡¯t persuade you any further. However, before we enter the valley, there are a few things that I have to clarify.¡±


    ¡°Of course. If Brother Han has any questions, feel free to ask,¡± Violet Spirit replied without any surprise.


    ¡°First of all, I want to verify the rumor of the Spirit Kindle Fruit. I don¡¯t want to enter the Devilfall Valley in a hurry only to find that I¡¯ve rejoiced in vain. Can Miss Violet Spirit confirm this?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression turned solemn.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that Spirit Kindle Fruit is out there. The Ghost Spirit Sect elder¡¯s Nascent Soul, who was lucky enough to escape from Devilfall Valley, personally said this. Otherwise, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Nascent Soul eccentrics wouldn¡¯t have put in so much effort for Devilfall Valley. I also have a jade slip here. It¡¯s a statement of the Nascent Soul who personally described the location of the Spirit Kindle Fruit. This should prove the authenticity of this matter.¡± Violet Spirit was already prepared for Han Li¡¯s question. After he asked, she immediately took out a green jade slip from her storage bag and handed it to Han Li.


    Han Li took the jade slip and immersed his mind into it, silently reading it for a while.


    A long while later, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and returned the jade slip to her.


    ¡°According to what it said, this Spirit Kindle Fruit does exist. However, the location is so far into Devilfall Valley, and it¡¯s a little unclear. Based on these words, it¡¯s uncertain if we can find the Spirit Kindle Fruit.¡± Han Li frowned and said hesitantly.


    ¡°Because that Ghost Spirit Sect elder accidentally found the location of the Spirit Kindle Fruit after his Nascent Soul left his body, it¡¯s normal for him to remember the location inaccurately. However, this also mentions a few very obvious landmarks. It shouldn¡¯t be a big problem to find the Spirit Kindle Fruit,¡± Violet Spirit explained, as if she was afraid that Han Li had the intention to retreat.


    Han Li thought about the contents of the jade slip and muttered to himself. It was obvious that he was weighing the pros and cons.


    A moment later, Han Li raised his head and calmly asked, ¡°Even if we find this spiritual fruit, we have to refine the Fate Pill in the valley. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the spiritual fruit will be greatly reduced. Have you prepared the supplementary ingredients for refining the pill, Miss Violet Spirit?¡±


    Violet Spirit was overjoyed when she heard this. She immediately suppressed her excitement and said with a brilliant expression, ¡°The supplementary ingredients for the Fate Pill are not easy to find, but I¡¯ve prepared more than ten portions in the past few years. As long as we have the Spirit Kindle Fruit, we won¡¯t have any problems refining the Fate Pill if my luck isn¡¯t extremely bad.¡±


    ¡°Since this isn¡¯t a big problem, I¡¯ll take a look in Devilfall Valley. However, Lady Violet Spirit, there¡¯s no need for me to elaborate on the dangers in the valley. After we enter the valley, I¡¯ll protect you as far as I can. However, if we really encounter danger that even I can¡¯t withstand, you have to be prepared to protect yourself,¡± Han Li said indifferently with a stern expression.


    Violet Spirit replied without hesitation, ¡°Of course. If such a thing were to happen, it would be because of my lack of luck. I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to resent Brother Han. Besides, I¡¯m quite confident in my ability to survive.¡± The gentleness on her body was completely swept away, and a hint of unyielding spirit faintly appeared.


    Han Li was stunned. He was very satisfied with Violet Spirit¡¯s words and his expression eased.


    ¡°Have you three Fellow Daoists figured out how the Ghost Spirit Sect entered the valley? When I came, I heard that the Ghost Spirit Sect actually issued Devilfall Medallions to restrict the number of people entering the valley. This is somewhat strange. From the current situation, there is no difference between several hundred cultivators and over a thousand cultivators entering at once. It seems that there are some restrictions on the method of entering the valley. Otherwise, how could the Ghost Spirit Sect not extort more people?¡±


    A hint of surprise appeared on Violet Spirit¡¯s face, and she smiled sweetly. ¡°Brother Han is indeed extraordinary. You¡¯ve guessed correctly.¡±


    ¡°Although Sister Mei Ning and I didn¡¯t bother to find out the specific method to enter the valley because of the leak of the news, we vaguely learned from that disciple that this time, we have to borrow the strength of many Ghost Spirit Sect disciples and consume a large number of spirit stones to enter the valley at a specific time. As for the number of people entering the valley, it is indeed because of this that there is a limit.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what method the Ghost Spirit Sect is using to enter the valley, our Drifting Cloud Sect was given three Devilfall Medallions this time. When I returned to the sect, I also received one. Entering the outer valley will not be a problem. As for the inner valley, it will be fraught with difficulties. No one has the confidence to say that they will definitely pass through safely. However, I believe that most cultivators will only stay in the outer valley to search for treasures. Those who dare to enter the inner valley should be Nascent Soul cultivators. Of course, there will definitely be Core Formation cultivators who want to take a gamble, but there won¡¯t be too many. When we enter the outer valley, Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit won¡¯t be in much danger. You can deal with it alone. When we enter the inner valley¡­¡±


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered, and his lips suddenly moved slightly, but silently. He actually used a sound transmission technique.


    The woman surnamed Song and Mei Ning didn¡¯t feel any dissatisfaction upon seeing this. After all, this trip was extremely dangerous, so it was understandable for them to be careful.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say, Brother Han.¡± Violet Spirit hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in Devilfall Valley, Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit. By the way, Martial Nephew Song, I heard from the sect¡¯s disciples that Senior Brother Cheng is also here. Do you know where he is?¡± Han Li asked the woman surnamed Song about the silver-haired old man.


    Cultivator Song paused for a moment before hurriedly replying, ¡°Martial Nephew doesn¡¯t know of this. Martial Uncle Cheng is traveling with a few old friends. Ever since he arrived, he hasn¡¯t contacted Martial Nephew.¡±


    ¡°I see! Looks like Senior Brother Cheng wants to enter the valley before the end of his lifespan,¡± Han Li muttered as if he was thinking about something.


    After a moment of silence, Han Li frowned and asked, ¡°I heard that there will be Moulan spell warriors participating in this trip to Devilfall Valley. Is this true? Is there any news of this?¡±


    ¡°The three of us have also heard this news. However, there are many different theories on this matter, and the three of us also don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true.¡± Violet Spirit seemed to have a headache over this as well, and she revealed a helpless expression.


    Han Li stroked his chin and remained silent. But after a moment, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly changed slightly. He suddenly stood up and said goodbye before leaving.


    The three female cultivators in the room stared at each other for a long while.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Brother Han leaving in such a hurry?¡± Violet Spirit¡¯s bright eyes flickered with confusion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps Senior Han has other important matters to attend to.¡± Mei Ning¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together as a hint of disappointment appeared on her face.


    As for Cultivator Song, she looked in the direction of the door and began to ponder.


    ¡­


    ¡°Old ghost, what are you doing? Do you really want your soul to dissipate?¡± At this moment, Han Li was walking on a remote street. His footsteps were methodical and seemed to be calm. However, in reality, he was scolding someone in his mind with extreme frustration.


    ¡°Hehe! I only saw that the girl named Violet Spirit was extremely beautiful. It¡¯s normal for me to have some thoughts,¡± an old voice replied in Han Li¡¯s mind indifferently.


    ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that the Seven Emotions Technique you used in the past linked your emotions with my second Nascent Soul? It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re in heat, but don¡¯t implicate me. After all, my second Nascent Soul is also connected to my mind. Besides, Violet Spirit¡¯s current appearance isn¡¯t particularly outstanding, so how did you see her true appearance? You claim you¡¯ve seen all the beauties in the world and take them as your concubines? A female cultivator can make you behave so badly. You didn¡¯t lie to me in the past, did you?¡± Han Li asked coldly, still angry.


    ¡°I used the Seven Emotions Technique to deal with your main soul, but who would¡¯ve thought that a mere early-Nascent Soul cultivator would be able to cultivate a second Nascent Soul to block this calamity? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Although the Seven Emotions Technique can¡¯t control a cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense, it can control their emotions and make them wish they were dead. As for that girl, she used a secret technique to conceal her true appearance, but how could she hide from my spiritual sense?¡± the old man said with a hint of dissatisfaction.


    ¡°No matter how powerful your Seven Emotions Technique is, it¡¯s useless if you find the wrong target. Although I¡¯m linked to the second Nascent Soul, it¡¯s only a small problem for me to be affected by the Seven Emotions Technique. As for you, I didn¡¯t expect that the founder of the Thousand Bamboo School and the Great Development Technique, Monarch Great Development, would possess a puppet and survive until now. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that your spiritual sense is indeed inconceivably powerful and that you know the Great Development Technique like the back of your hand, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it at all. But even so, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite if you try to stir up trouble with some female cultivators.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice became sinister.


    The old man harrumphed and disdainfully said, ¡°Youngster Han, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know. Even with the help of your Soul Guiding Wood beads, my soul will disappear in a few decades at most. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯ve only half finished the last puppet I¡¯ve developed, I would¡¯ve wished to reincarnate as soon as possible. I have lived long enough as a puppet without the slightest feeling for tens of thousands of years. If you hadn¡¯t seen a woman in tens of thousands of years, you would¡¯ve been even worse than me!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he rubbed his nose and felt a huge headache.


    This old monster whose true body was hidden in the bamboo tube was truly extremely difficult to deal with. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the man had agreed to tell him the last three levels of the Great Development Technique and was willing to teach him several powerful puppet refinement techniques that had never appeared before, he would have already used many methods to exterminate the other party.


    What was even more infuriating was that the other party¡¯s spiritual sense was unbelievably powerful. Even if Han Li used a soul search technique on the old monster who was completely defenseless, it had no effect at all. Instead, the other party almost took the opportunity to control his spiritual sense. This frightened Han Li so much that he did not dare to use this method again.


    In the face of the Monarch Great Development, an old monster who had lived for more than ten thousand years, Han Li had a feeling that he did not know where to start.

 Chapter 799

    Soul Attachment Technique


    After a moment of silence, Han Li indifferently said, ¡°Old monster, when you possessed the puppet, didn¡¯t you think of moving your primordial spirit away from the puppet? With your intelligence, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to create this technique, right? After all, you were the one who created the Great Development Technique.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that the Soul Attachment Technique I used was very simple? Back then, I relied on my outstanding intelligence that was second to none, so I was distracted by too many things. Not only did I create a secret technique like the Great Development Technique that could strengthen one¡¯s spiritual sense, but I also founded the Thousand Bamboo School and figured out puppet techniques that had long been lost in the Heavenly South Region. Just these alone consumed most of my lifespan. Not to mention that I had to cultivate at the same time, allowing my cultivation to advance to the late-Nascent Soul Stage so that I could run rampant and be invincible.¡±


    ¡°Rampant? Invincible?¡± Hearing this, Han Li revealed a strange expression.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice was filled with pride as he said, ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m bragging? When my cultivation reached great success, I had always kept a low profile and was proud. I only challenged famous cultivators and never spread my battle accomplishments. As a result, the only cultivators who knew of my name were the top existences. Not to mention other places, the two old fellows known as the number one cultivators of the Righteous and Devilish Dao of the Heavenly South were defeated by me. I beat them into submission and they even voluntarily gave the Far West to me as the foundation of my sect. They withdrew all of their forces from this place. Otherwise, do you really think that a mere desert would deter cultivators of the Heavenly South from touching the Far West? You have to know that even if the Far West is poor, it has two countries. It is enough to house many large sects.¡±


    ¡°You obtained the Far West by fighting?¡± Han Li was speechless.


    ¡°Not only that, but I also forced these two old fellows to personally swear that their disciples and grand-disciples will not be allowed to enter the Far West for the next 10,000 years.¡± The old man became somewhat complacent again.


    ¡°With their status, why are they so obedient?¡± The corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched as he found it hard to believe.


    Monarch Great Development felt this to be rather strange, and he said, ¡°If they don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill all of their disciples and grand-disciples. Don¡¯t tell me you think I¡¯m an indecisive person. As for relying on numbers to attack me, the thousand puppets I refined aren¡¯t to be trifled with. However, the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators still haven¡¯t invaded the Far West, which is rather surprising to me. Could it be that the Righteous and Devilish Dao cultivators have truly adhered to their ancestor¡¯s words to this day?¡±


    Han Li was silent.


    This old monster was either bragging or he was truly abnormal to the extreme back then. The thousands of puppets that he mentioned, even if they were all at the Foundation Establishment Stage, were enough to scare the enemy to death.


    As for whether the Righteous and Devilish Dao did not seize the Far West because they were restricted by their oaths, or whether it was because the Far West was far away and lacked resources, Han Li was too lazy to ask.


    This had nothing to do with him.


    Han Li was still in shock when he heard the old man¡¯s sigh in his mind.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice suddenly became gloomy, and he said, ¡°By the time I achieved all of this, I believed that I was standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, and I discovered that I had made a fatal mistake. My lifespan wasn¡¯t long, but I was still stuck at the late-Nascent Soul Stage. No matter how astonishing my aptitude and intelligence were, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage from the late-Nascent Soul Stage in the next two hundred years. However, if I hadn¡¯t diverted my attention to the puppet technique and created a technique of my own, I believe that it wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for me to reach the Deity Transformation Stage. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve ascended to the Spirit Realm a long time ago. I wouldn¡¯t have needed to be trapped in my puppet body for over ten thousand years, and my soul is about to dissipate.¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li pursed his lips and rolled his eyes in his heart. There was even a trace of jealousy.


    Ordinary cultivators would find it extremely difficult to even reach the Core Formation Stage or the Nascent Soul Stage, but to the old monster, entering the Deity Transformation Stage wasn¡¯t too difficult. If what he said was true, then this person was truly a heaven-defying existence.


    To say that he was a cultivation genius that only appeared once in ten thousand years was a bit too light.


    Monarch Great Development sneered as he said, ¡°I knew that I had no hope of reaching the Deity Transformation Stage, but I wasn¡¯t willing to wait for death to come. Although it is said that as long as one¡¯s soul remains, one will be reincarnated after death, would I still be me if I didn¡¯t have the memories and emotions of this life? I would simply be a stranger. Furthermore, in my next life, I might become a mediocre person. I wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to become a cultivator again. With this fear in my heart, I abandoned everything for the next two hundred years and began to bitterly create a reincarnation technique that could allow me to live forever or maintain my consciousness. In the end, I failed countless times before finally creating the Soul Attachment Technique, an unprecedented secret technique, on top of the Great Development Technique.¡±


    ¡°You gave up most of your cultivation in order to attach your spiritual sense to the puppet and be a living dead for nearly 10,000 years,¡± Han Li suddenly interrupted with a faint smile.


    ¡°What do you know? I didn¡¯t have enough time. I was only able to complete half of the Soul Attachment Technique before I was forced to use it. As a result, I ended up like this. When I attached it to the special puppet, I didn¡¯t expect my cultivation to completely disappear. I was only able to barely use my spiritual sense, but it would be impossible for my soul to leave my body. I used an extremely powerful formation and over a hundred puppets to guard the secret room. Without my body and magic power, I didn¡¯t even have the means to open the restrictions and summon the puppets. In addition, I was afraid of being pursued by my enemies, so I never told anyone about the secret room. Even my Core Formation disciples and subordinates were unable to find it. As a result, I was trapped for over ten thousand years. If it weren¡¯t for my puppet body and the many spirit stones stored in the secret room, I would¡¯ve long been annihilated.¡± With that said, the large-eyed Divine Sovereign¡¯s voice became ice-cold.


    Han Li frowned and muttered in his heart. But after his expression eased a little, he still asked, ¡°Old eccentric, why are you so talkative today? I wanted to ask you a few things about the past, but you always ignored me with a lazy appearance. Why are you so detailed this time?¡±


    ¡°Humph! If I don¡¯t tell you, who else can I tell? Since you cultivated the Great Development Technique, you can be considered half a disciple of mine. Furthermore, if you hadn¡¯t barged into the Thousand Bamboo School¡¯s secret chamber and found me on the verge of death, I fear my soul would¡¯ve immediately scattered. After all, the Soul Attachment Technique isn¡¯t a true technique to live forever. Even if the puppet¡¯s body hasn¡¯t decayed for ten thousand years, my primordial spirit hasn¡¯t been nourished by the true body for a long time and is at the end of its rope. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so quick-witted. With a single glance, you saw the difference between me and the other puppets and took the initiative to attack me. I nearly lost my life in your hands.¡± When the old man said this, he seemed to become angry again.


    ¡°I took the initiative to attack you? If you hadn¡¯t suddenly attacked me with that bullshit Seven Emotions Technique, I wouldn¡¯t have done anything even if I felt that your puppet was a little strange. As a result, you and my second Nascent Soul became restrained by each other. Of course, you can use the Seven Emotions Technique to make my second Nascent Soul go berserk, but I can also use the assimilation technique to control the second Nascent Soul through the main Nascent Soul and destroy your soul and the second Nascent Soul at the same time,¡± Han Li retorted bluntly.


    Monarch Great Development didn¡¯t feel that anything was amiss. Instead, he boldly said, ¡°How would I know that a little monster like you would be able to cultivate to a second Nascent Soul at such a young age? You should know that apart from using my spiritual sense, I didn¡¯t have any magic power at all. I only attacked to protect myself.¡±


    This time, Han Li was silent and did not want to continue.


    Monarch Great Development paused for a moment before speaking in a self-deprecating manner, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. I didn¡¯t expect you to have a treasure like the Soul Nurturing Wood. Otherwise, even if I were to restrain you, I would¡¯ve disappeared from this world in at most a year or so. This can be considered a combination of misfortune and fortune.¡±


    ¡°I lent you the Soul Nurturing Wood because you promised to teach me the last three layers of the Great Development Technique. Furthermore, I¡¯m also very interested in your puppet creation technique. After all, in the past ten thousand years, apart from sleeping for a long time in the secret chamber, you¡¯ve been studying puppet techniques. Since I¡¯ve cultivated your Great Development Technique, I won¡¯t let go of the puppet technique. This is just a deal between us,¡± Han Li said calmly as he stopped in his tracks.


    Monarch Great Development wildly laughed in Han Li¡¯s mind and said, ¡°Haha, Han brat! You¡¯re becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. Back then, I also looked down on those duplicitous fellows. If it weren¡¯t for your poor aptitude and you really cannot cultivate my arts, I really want to take you in as a disciple and teach you everything I¡¯ve learned in my life.¡±


    After a moment of surprise, Han Li blinked his eyes and said with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m already too busy to cultivate the current techniques I have. Even if you give me a hundred times more cultivation techniques than what I¡¯ve learned, I won¡¯t cultivate them again. However, I¡¯m quite interested in your secret techniques.¡±


    The old man indifferently said, ¡°Secret techniques! I fear you¡¯ll be disappointed. My secret techniques are all related to my main cultivation art. If you don¡¯t cultivate my cultivation arts, you won¡¯t be able to cultivate any of my secret techniques.¡±


    ¡°Then forget it. I¡¯m already very satisfied to be able to obtain the Great Development Technique and those puppet techniques. My trip to the Far West wasn¡¯t a waste of time. However, I don¡¯t quite understand why you didn¡¯t teach the last three levels of the Great Development Technique to your disciples. Instead, you made a fake version and passed it down.¡± Although Han Li was somewhat disappointed, he changed the topic and asked about this matter in confusion.


    Monarch Great Development clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Disciples of the sect? Several hundred years have passed, yet not a single one of those disciples has reached the Nascent Soul stage. Not a single one of them has been able to inherit my legacy. Leaving the last three levels of the Great Development Technique to them will only bring them trouble. You aren¡¯t a disciple of the Thousand Bamboo School, yet you¡¯ve also obtained the Great Development Technique. It seems I truly have some foresight.¡±

 Chapter 800

    Ancient Devil Realm


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go to the Far West to snatch the Great Development Technique; someone delivered it to my door,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    Monarch Great Development nonchalantly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The Thousand Bamboo School is no longer under the control of my faction. Even if you stole it, I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t affect the deal between the two of us, it doesn¡¯t matter what you think. However, let me ask Senior one more time. Are you really unable to break the Soul Seal Curse?¡± Han Li asked with a trace of seriousness.


    Monarch Great Development disdainfully said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t break it, but my lifespan is limited and I don¡¯t have the time to do it. Otherwise, no matter how wondrous this curse is, it wouldn¡¯t be able to stump me.¡±


    Although Han Li had expected this answer, he still felt extremely disappointed.


    ¡°Alright, since you can¡¯t dissolve the curse, we can only make a trip to Devilfall Valley,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    Monarch Great Development unexpectedly didn¡¯t reply and fell silent. After a while, he spoke again.


    Monarch Great Development paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Youngster Han, going to Devilfall Valley isn¡¯t a wise decision! Because my lifespan was nearing its end, I had designs on Devilfall Valley, but I didn¡¯t actually go because I created the Soul Attachment Technique. However, I have quite a bit of understanding of the valley. Do you really believe that because one or two people are able to come out of it alive, it means you¡¯ll be able to safely enter and exit the valley? Putting aside the ancient restrictions in the valley, those spatial tears are unimaginably fearsome. Furthermore, those spatial tears occasionally¡­¡±


    ¡°What about those spatial tears?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he asked.


    ¡°Occasionally, those spatial tears will coincidentally open up passages to other worlds and release some demons and ghosts. When you encounter them, you¡¯d better pray for yourself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by passages to other worlds? Could it be that there are other worlds apart from the Spirit Realm, the Umbra Realm, and the Immortal Realm?¡± Han Li was shocked.


    The old man¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold, and he said, ¡°I¡¯ve acquired an ancient book in the past, and it just so happens to mention a few things related to the human world. Needless to say, the Immortal Realm isn¡¯t connected to our human world at all. The Spirit Realm is an upper realm, so the locals won¡¯t be easily connected to our human world. The Umbra Realm is filled with demon souls and malicious ghosts. Few great demons or ghosts are willing to cross over to our human world. Only the Ancient Devils from the Ancient Devil Realm that is most similar to our human world love to come to our human world. If they have the opportunity to come, they definitely won¡¯t give up. As for some powerful upper-grade Ancient Devils, even if they only send a few clones over, they¡¯re still extremely powerful. I reckon you¡¯re definitely no match for them.¡±


    ¡°Ancient Devil? What¡¯s that? I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± Han Li was surprised and could not help but ask.


    Monarch Great Development solemnly said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say what the Ancient Devils are, but they definitely aren¡¯t humans or demon beasts. They come in all shapes and sizes. It is said that in ancient times, the Ancient Devil Realm opened a passage to our world and a group of high-grade Ancient Devils wreaked havoc in the human world. As a result, the ancient cultivators fought against them for countless years and relied on numbers to annihilate the Ancient Devils. However, the ancient cultivators suffered countless casualties and great losses. Many ancient cultivation techniques and spirit beasts were exterminated. The decline of the ancient cultivators was also greatly related to this.¡±


    ¡°Ancient cultivators fought with these ancient devils?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression changed drastically.


    He did not know how powerful the ancient devils were, but he was very clear about the abilities of the ancient cultivators through the many ancient treasures and ruins left behind by them. From the old monster¡¯s tone, the ancient devils¡¯ abilities seemed to be above those of ancient cultivators, which shocked Han Li.


    ¡°Not only that, but some of the Devil Dao cultivators¡¯ ancient devilish techniques were created by later generations after learning of the existence of the Ancient Devil Realm. Through the cultivation techniques they created, they imitated some of the abilities of the ancient devils. There were even founders who used secret techniques to borrow the devilish Qi of famous ancient devils from other realms to greatly increase their abilities. However, although this devilish technique is extremely powerful, it is rumored that if one cultivates this devilish technique to the extreme, they will not ascend to the legendary Spirit Realm. Instead, they will go to the Ancient Devil Realm and become a member of the ancient devils. Of course, this is only a rumor and has yet to be verified. However, many Devil Dao devilish cultivators covet the power of this ancient devilish technique, and there are many who take the risk to cultivate this devilish technique. After all, ascension to the ancient Devil Realm is a matter of the Deity Transformation Stage. They don¡¯t have to consider it. Of course, the probability of opening the spatial tear in Devilfall Valley isn¡¯t very high. Perhaps you¡¯ll be safe for the next few days. I¡¯m just worrying for nothing.¡± The old man¡¯s voice slowed down.


    However, when Han Li thought of the demonic transformations and strange phantoms that he had seen in the past, he took a deep breath and believed 70% to 80% of it.


    After a long while, Han Li asked in confusion, ¡°If an Ancient Devil really crosses over through the spatial tear in Devilfall Valley, wouldn¡¯t the cultivation world of the Heavenly South be in chaos? But after so many years, I¡¯ve never heard of an Ancient Devil appearing.¡±


    Monarch Great Development chuckled coldly and said, ¡°What do you know? After all, this spatial tear isn¡¯t a true spatial passageway. Only incarnations or low-grade beings can pass through. Because their cultivation bases aren¡¯t high enough, they won¡¯t be able to resist the laws of our world. They won¡¯t be able to stay in our human world for long. When the time comes, they will either self-destruct or escape through the spatial tear. How would they have the time to poison your Heavenly South Region?¡±


    ¡°So only low-level demons can come, and there is a time limit.¡± Han Li¡¯s nervous expression eased, and he heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he thought of the demon bird that the Moulan spell warrior had summoned with the ancient lantern. It seemed to be in a similar situation.


    Monarch Great Development rationally warned, ¡°Youngster Han, don¡¯t be too happy. Although this is only a speculation, if an Ancient Devil or other demonic beings truly appeared in the valley, they wouldn¡¯t be weak no matter how weak they are. As for the Ancient Devils¡¯ cultivation arts, they are even more bizarre. Even if their cultivation bases are on par on yours, human cultivators will undoubtedly die against Ancient Devils of the same grade.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s brows were tightly knitted, he had already started to think.


    ¡°Senior, since you¡¯ve never entered the valley, how do you know so much about this matter? Are you trying to scare me?¡± Han Li let out a long breath and asked calmly.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t entered the valley before, but a few cultivators who were on good terms with me back then joined forces to enter Devilfall Valley. Their luck was bad. As soon as they entered the valley, they coincidentally encountered an Ancient Devil that had crossed over. In the end, after the battle, only one person was able to escape with his avatar to my place. These people are all like me. Their reputations are not well known, so not many people in the cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region know that they entered the valley. Alright, I¡¯ve said enough today. If you want to go to Devilfall Valley to search for treasures, take care of yourself. This is the cultivation method for the fifth level of the Great Development Technique and two refinement methods for Core Formation puppets. This is part of the reward I promised you back then. Take it.¡±


    With that said, a white jade slip flew out from the bamboo tube behind him. It circled above his head before falling.


    ¡°I thought that Senior had already forgotten about this!¡±


    Although Han Li was digesting the Ancient Demon information, he was still happy to see this scene. He raised his hand and grabbed the jade slip. He immersed his mind and quickly scanned through it.


    Monarch Great Development languidly said, ¡°I must rest and recuperate. Thankfully, I will continue to research puppet techniques in the Cave of Fortune. If there is nothing else, don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    After Han Li finished reading the jade slip, he turned his head to look at the bamboo tube behind him, and his expression changed.


    He clearly knew that the old eccentric was hiding something, but there was nothing he could do about it. As for the so-called Cave of Fortune, it was actually the bamboo tube on his back. Although the bamboo appeared ordinary and unremarkable, it was a genuine spatial treasure with a world of its own.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s true body was hidden within. Otherwise, Han Li would¡¯ve kept it in his storage pouch instead of carrying it on his back.


    After a while, Han Li put away the jade slip and looked around. Then, he raised his head and looked at the sky. Suddenly, he turned into a streak of azure light and shot out of the city.


    At this moment, the sky was already dark.


    In the air above a forest outside the city, Han Li stopped and landed in the forest.


    Not far away, under a large tree, there seemed to be something indistinct. Han Li walked over with a calm expression.


    It was a huge human head with disheveled hair. If an ordinary person were to look at it, they would naturally be given a fright. However, upon closer inspection, they would discover that it was actually a person whose entire body was buried in the ground, leaving only his head exposed.


    This person had a head of long and strange green hair that covered his face in a mess. When Han Li approached, the man immediately sensed something. His head moved slightly, and a pair of dark green gazes immediately shot out.


    But after seeing Han Li clearly, the cold light immediately disappeared, revealing a submissive gaze.


    Han Li smiled and took a few steps forward, circling the head a few times with interest.


    ¡°Not bad, it has already cultivated a simple spiritual sense. Looks like it¡¯ll be useful in Devilfall Valley.¡± Han Li muttered a few words with a gratified expression.


    Afterwards, Han Li immediately set up a restriction nearby and sat down cross-legged. He did not immediately close his eyes and enter a meditative state. Instead, he reached into his storage pouch and took out a yellow token, playing with it for a while.


    Looking at this token with the words ¡°Heavenpeak Sect¡± engraved on it, Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed, and a pair of bright eyes sparkled in the darkness.

 Chapter 801

    Chen Qiaotian


    After spending a night in the forest, the next day, Han Li put away the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse and went straight to Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range.


    Yesterday, before he found Violet Spirit and the others, he hadn¡¯t found any traces of the Heavenpeak Sect disciples in the city. As a result, although he had the token given to him by the Heavenpeak Sect elder, he couldn¡¯t use it for the time being, let alone find Marquis Nanlong.


    From the looks of it, either the Heavenpeak Sect cultivators had other residences or the sect¡¯s disciples had yet to arrive.


    Han Li was not in a hurry. He planned to find a place near the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range to temporarily settle down and refine some Core Formation puppets.


    With the Heaven-Earth Ring in his hand, Marquis Nanlong would most likely come looking for him even if he didn¡¯t go.


    Now, Han Li faintly understood that the Greatnorth Essence Light that the other party mentioned was definitely not at the entrance of the outer valley. It most likely appeared in the passageway to the inner valley.


    Otherwise, no matter how powerful the Ghost Spirit Sect was, it would be impossible for hundreds of cultivators to avoid the Greatnorth Essence Light and enter the valley at the same time.


    As Han Li pondered, he turned into a streak of azure light and calmly advanced.


    With Han Li¡¯s speed, he was able to leave Yehua City in the distance in a short amount of time, traveling several tens of kilometers away.


    With his current speed, it would only take him half a day to reach the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range.


    It was said that the markets near the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range had already been opened. Han Li went to these markets to buy some materials for refining puppets.


    During the battle at the border, Han Li had used the Moulan legacy ancient lantern to acquire almost all of the rare materials that a mid-grade sect could¡¯ve accumulated. These materials that were worth nearly ten million spirit stones were enough for Han Li to refine a large number of fearsome high-grade puppets.


    As such, he went to the market to purchase some materials that were commonly seen when refining puppets.


    As for the ancient Nascent Soul puppets that he wanted to refine, although he had found two or three materials that he was lacking from the Thousand Bamboo School in the far west, he had yet to gather them all. There was also a material called Blood Phoenix Wood that he had yet to gather.


    This material was a rare top-grade refinement material. Although it was not as difficult to obtain as the Auric Essence, it was still a priceless item. When he could collect it would depend on luck.


    Fortunately, Han Li had already instructed the Drifting Cloud Sect disciples to keep an eye out for him. Once there was news of this material, they had to obtain it in time or notify him. It was only a matter of time before they gathered it. However, before he entered Devilfall Valley, they would not be able to make it.


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s expression changed and he slowed down.


    Not far ahead, spiritual Qi surged and light flashed. There were cultivators engaged in an intense battle.


    Han Li frowned, but he did not mind.


    Right now, this place was filled with all sorts of people, and there was no one to take charge of the overall situation. If enemies were to encounter each other, it would be quite normal for a fight to break out.


    With Han Li¡¯s cultivation, in the blink of an eye, he was within a few thousand feet of them. These cultivators were still at a loss and continued to fight.


    Four men and one woman were divided into two opposing sides.


    Han Li swept his gaze over them and saw that they were all Core Formation cultivators. Furthermore, most of them were at the intermediate stage of Core Formation. However, the grudge between the two parties was not small. Not only were magic treasures flying in the air, but all kinds of talismans in their hands were also exploding non-stop.


    However, the two men and one woman were completely suppressed by the other two cultivators. This wasn¡¯t because the cultivators in front of them had profound magic power, but because the two cultivators, one tall and one short, commanded several hundred huge moths to surround the two men and one woman.


    As the palm-sized moths flapped their wings, colorful poisonous powder sprayed out from their mouths. The three cultivators had spent most of their energy on protecting themselves, and with the two male cultivators attacking them with their magic treasures, the three cultivators were at a disadvantage.


    However, from Han Li¡¯s point of view, although the men and woman were at a disadvantage, the victory was not something that could be decided in a short amount of time.


    Furthermore, with the cultivation of these people, apart from the poisonous moths and the huge silver brush and golden scroll that a scholar in embroidered robes took out, Han Li was naturally not interested in the battles of the cultivators.


    Although he did not know which sect these cultivators belonged to, Han Li was not interested in meddling in other people¡¯s business. Just as he was about to ignore them, his gaze shifted and he suddenly discovered a yellow maple leaf emblem embroidered on the scholar¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°Yellow Maple Valley?¡± Han Li was startled and somewhat surprised. He then swept his gaze past the scholar¡¯s face and his expression changed.


    However, in this moment of delay, the two cultivators who had the upper hand in the battle finally discovered Han Li, who was already within a thousand feet of them.


    In their alarm, the two cultivators hastily swept their spiritual sense over the stranger while controlling their poisonous moths, and their expressions changed drastically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which senior has arrived here, but I am a disciple of the Controlling Spirit Sect.¡± The two short cultivators hurriedly put away their magic treasures, leaving behind the moths to tangle with the male and female cultivators. They then flew to the side and cupped their fists towards Han Li.


    ¡°Controlling Spirit Sect! You two are cultivators from the Devil Dao?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li simply flew above them and stopped, revealing himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re Senior Han from the Drifting Cloud Sect!¡± The tall cultivator among them saw Han Li¡¯s true appearance and immediately cried out involuntarily. He actually recognized Han Li.


    ¡°You recognize me?¡± Han Li glanced at this person and asked indifferently.


    The Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator felt greatly uneasy, but he replied with even more respect on the surface, ¡°I¡¯ve participated in the border battles before and have seen Senior Han display his great abilities.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you recognize me. Although I don¡¯t want to interfere in the affairs of you juniors, I have some friendship with Yellow Maple Valley. Take those spirit insects away, and today¡¯s battle will end here.¡± Han Li did not hold back. After a flash of light in his eyes, he went straight to the point.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the two of them looked at each other and could not help but look at each other.


    ¡°Why? Do you two Fellow Daoists find it difficult?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression darkened and his tone became unfriendly.


    ¡°Since it is Senior¡¯s order, Junior will naturally obey.¡± The tall cultivator was quite quick-witted. When he saw Han Li¡¯s expression, his heart immediately thumped and he inwardly called himself foolish. Since this person had interfered in this matter, there was no room for hesitation and he immediately agreed.


    He then shot a glance at the other cultivator and the two of them formed hand seals before hastily casting spells. At the same time, they summoned two spirit beast pouches into the air.


    All of a sudden, the venomous moths that were entangled with the three enemies scattered into the air and swarmed into the spirit beast pouches.


    The three cultivators naturally saw Han Li long ago, but they were attacked by the poisonous moths¡¯ powder and did not hear the conversation between Han Li and their opponents. However, now that they had mysteriously escaped, they naturally knew that it had something to do with Han Li, who had just arrived.


    The three of them were overjoyed and immediately looked at each other before hurriedly flying towards Han Li.


    However, at this moment, the two Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators carefully said to Han Li, either because they were afraid of Han Li or because they were unwilling to stay with the male and female cultivators.


    ¡°Does Senior have any other instructions for us? We will do our utmost.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. The two of you can leave now.¡± Han Li seemed to have guessed their thoughts and waved his hand.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our leave first.¡± When the two heard this, they hurriedly bowed to Han Li as if they had heard the words of amnesty. They immediately turned into two streaks of green light and fled into the distance.


    At that moment, the brocade-robed scholar and the other two arrived.


    Seeing the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators flee, the three of them naturally looked at each other in surprise. Then, the middle-aged scholar in the lead stepped forward and bowed before saying with a respectful expression, ¡°Thank you for saving us, Senior. We are extremely grateful. May I know Senior¡¯s name?¡± When the scholar saw that Han Li was so young, he felt that Han Li¡¯s face was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen the guy somewhere before.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Yellow Maple Valley cultivator?¡± Han Li did not answer him. Instead, he asked with an expressionless face.


    ¡°This junior is Yellow Maple Valley¡¯s Chen Qiaotian. These are my sworn siblings. They are disciples of the Saber Transformation Dock. Does Senior know Martial Ancestor Linghu?¡± The scholar cautiously asked. He saw that Han Li wasn¡¯t an expert of the six sects that he knew, but he had lent a hand. Naturally, he felt that this Nascent Soul senior had a friendship with Martial Ancestor Linghu.


    ¡°Chen Qiaotian! You¡¯re from the Chen Clan?¡± A strange expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    ¡°Senior also knows of this Junior¡¯s clan?¡± The scholarly man was greatly surprised.


    Han Li fell silent and sized up the scholar again. This made the three people opposite him feel uneasy.


    ¡°The Chen Clan is one of the three great cultivation clans in Yellow Maple Valley. How could I not know? What is your relationship with Chen Qiaoqian?¡± Han Li slowly asked after letting out a breath.


    ¡°Senior knows my younger sister?¡± The scholarly man asked with surprise.


    ¡°Chen Qiaoqian is your younger sister?¡± Although Han Li had guessed this, he still revealed an expression of surprise.


    As for the Confucian Scholar, he was even more confused. He didn¡¯t know what relationship this expert had with his younger sister.


    ¡°Is Chen Qiaoqian alright?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression wavered for a long time before he slowly asked.


    ¡°My sister wasn¡¯t a Core Formation cultivator. She had a strange illness over a hundred years ago and passed away,¡± Chen Qiaotian replied with a strange expression.


    ¡°She passed away!¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he muttered in an inaudible voice. He could not help but think of Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s beautiful face. Recalling the scene of him and this woman traveling the mountains and her expressing her feelings, he could not help but stand on the spot in a daze.


    ¡°Senior knows my little sister?¡± Chen Qiaotian saw Han Li¡¯s strange expression and after a long while, he could not help but ask.


    ¡°Of course! When I saw your sister for the last time, I heard that she was about to get married. However, then the Devil Dao invaded. I didn¡¯t know if her wedding was held as scheduled.¡± Han Li forcefully retracted the faint sadness in his heart and said calmly.

 Chapter 802

    Core Formation-grade Puppet


    ¡°Back then, my younger sister was unmarried. At that time, the clan that wanted to marry our Chen Clan suddenly switched to the Devil Dao. Our Chen Clan naturally could not marry Qiaoqian to them. Later on, Seventh Sister became silent and did not bother with men. She remained alone until the end.¡± Chen Qiaotian hesitated for a moment before telling the expert in front of her about Chen Qiaoqian¡¯s situation back then.


    Now, looking at Han Li¡¯s young face, he finally recalled a rumor in the sect and could not help but have a strange expression.


    ¡°Never married?¡± A strange look flashed across Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he looked at the sky in silence.


    After a long while, he lowered his head and indifferently said to Chen Qiaotian, ¡°Who am I? From your expression, you seem to have guessed something. I won¡¯t say anything else. Right now, the Righteous and Devilish Dao are gathered here. Since you¡¯ve come for the treasure of Devilfall Valley, you¡¯d better take care of yourselves.¡± After Han Li said this, he ignored the three of them. Spiritual light flashed around his body, and he turned into a streak of azure light that tore through the air.


    The scholar and the other two did not even have the chance to say anything before Han Li disappeared without a trace.


    The three men and women were left stunned on the spot.


    When the female cultivator regained her senses, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Big Brother, what is the background of this Senior? Could it be that he is related to your Chen Clan?¡±


    Chen Qiaotian looked in the direction where Han Li had disappeared and said with confusion, ¡°Related? How could our Chen Clan be qualified to have any relationship with this person? If I¡¯m not mistaken, you should all know this senior¡¯s name. He was once from our Yellow Maple Valley and escaped unscathed from the hands of a Moulan Divine Sage. He defeated the Moulan Holy Bird in the border war and later killed the State of Jin¡¯s demonic cultivator elder. You should be familiar with him. However, from what he said just now, he seems to be related to my Seventh Sister, who passed away many years ago. This is somewhat strange.¡±


    ¡°What? This person is the rumored person? As expected, he is very young. I heard that in terms of seniority, he used to be a fellow disciple of our six sects. It is truly inconceivable that he has such abilities now.¡± The female cultivator seemed to know that Han Li wasn¡¯t lying. After being greatly shocked, she cried out involuntarily.


    Chen Qiaotian sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. When this person entered our Yellow Maple Valley, I had just reached Foundation Establishment. Afterwards, he participated in the Trial by Blood and Fire with Eldest Brother, Seventh Sister, and the others. From then on, things became unstoppable. But now, he has become an existence second only to the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South. It is truly unimaginable.¡±


    A blue-robed male cultivator curiously asked, ¡°I heard that your Martial Senior Linghu wanted to persuade him to return to Yellow Maple Valley, but he didn¡¯t seem willing to return. Is that true?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Chen Qiaotian vaguely said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that. Perhaps there is such a thing.¡±


    It seemed that even in the face of his sworn siblings, he was unwilling to mention this matter.


    Thankfully, the two cultivators didn¡¯t pursue the matter.


    The blue-clothed male cultivator changed the topic.


    ¡°This time, we can be considered lucky. Firstly, Eldest Brother had just refined the Gold Tome Silver Brush and used it to block most of the poisonous moth¡¯s powder. Secondly, we had Senior Han¡¯s interference. We were able to survive this calamity without any mishaps. When Eldest Brother completely refines the Gold Tome, we won¡¯t have to fear the Yun Brothers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I also knew that the Chen Clan had an ancestral magic tools of the Gold Tome Silver Brush, but I didn¡¯t expect that they would actually have refinement methods. Big Brother only used a flying sword in the past,¡± the female cultivator said with great interest.


    Chen Qiaotian smiled and explained, ¡°Our Chen Clan disciples¡¯ magic tools are only replicas of this set of magic treasures. Although I had wanted to refine this set of magic treasures from the very beginning, I was unable to gather enough materials. I could only refine a flying sword to make do. Fortunately, I¡¯ve managed to refine this set of magic treasures after accumulating them over the years. I hope it will prove useful in Devilfall Valley.¡±


    ¡°Alright, no matter what, we¡¯d better be careful in the future. Just as Senior Han said, the cultivators who dare to attack Devilfall Valley are all extraordinary characters. The three of us should be careful. It would be best if we could find the other disciples of the six sects and form a group.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother¡¯s words are reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as Big Brother says.¡±


    The male and female cultivators nodded repeatedly.


    As a result, the three of them didn¡¯t stay any longer and immediately flew off in a streak of light.


    ¡­


    Han Li, who was far away, finally suppressed his sorrow for Chen Qiaoqian and buried it in the depths of his heart.


    Then, he forced himself to continue forward.


    Several hours later, he faintly saw the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range.


    Because the scenery was still on the outskirts of the mountain range, the miasma on the surface of the mountain range was extremely thin. The verdant trees and towering mountain range were all faintly visible.


    Those mountains couldn¡¯t be considered majestic or huge, but the word ¡°vast¡± was enough to summarize everything.


    As far as the eye could see, there was a black line extending to both sides.


    Han Li slowed down and looked around. The surroundings were quiet and he did not see any other cultivators.


    However, Han Li¡¯s expression did not change. After flying closer, he slowly closed his eyes.


    His powerful spiritual sense, which was comparable to that of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, immediately enveloped an area of fifty kilometers and began to quickly search.


    A moment later, Han Li raised his eyebrows and suddenly opened his eyes.


    He expressionlessly flew through the air in a streak of azure light toward a certain target.


    In the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the azure streak arrived at the top of a small mountain. There were two cultivators, one old and one young, sitting cross-legged facing each other as they conversed.


    A piercing azure light flashed above their heads, and Han Li¡¯s figure appeared in mid-air.


    The two were naturally startled and hastily jumped up. The old man was still able to maintain his calm, but the young cultivator wore a panicked expression.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze swept past the two of them. Their cultivation levels were really not high. The old man was a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator while the young man was only at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation. He really did not know why such a low cultivator would come to this place.


    At this moment, the old man also used his spiritual sense to sweep past Han Li. With his cultivation, he could not see through Han Li¡¯s cultivation realm. In his shock, he hurriedly wanted to go forward and pay his respects. However, Han Li¡¯s cold voice had already sounded from above.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Where is the nearest market? Just point it out to me.¡± Han Li¡¯s voice was emotionless and filled with an unquestionable tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s a newly opened market 400 kilometers to the west. You can take a look there, Senior,¡± the old man replied with a respectful expression.


    ¡°Four hundred kilometers away? I understand.¡±


    With that said, azure light flashed and Han Li disappeared from the spot.


    In his alarm, the old man hastily looked over and discovered that the azure streak of light was already over 1,000 feet away. It quickly flashed several times before turning into a speck of light and disappearing without a trace.


    The old man and the youth were dumbstruck.


    ¡­


    Four hundred kilometers to the west, there was indeed a simple and crude market that had been temporarily constructed with the use of the Fossilization Technique.


    There were very few cultivators inside.


    Han Li did not care about this at all. After buying a large number of materials from the market, he immediately left the market and went straight to the mountain range.


    After he went deeper into the mountain range for more than 10 miles, he saw that the miasma in the mountain had begun to increase rapidly. Han Li casually found an unremarkable small mountain and landed.


    Han Li was already familiar with the task of establishing a temporary cave abode.


    A dozen or so flying swords flew out at once, and a quarter hour later, a small, crude cave abode appeared in the middle of the mountain.


    After completing it, Han Li looked at the cave abode and nodded in satisfaction. He immediately set up two simple formations outside the cave abode and entered.


    He first released Silvermoon and allowed her to cultivate on her own in the cave abode. He also released the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse and had it continue to bury itself deep in the earth in a dark secret room.


    Then, Han Li brought a large amount of materials into the secret room of the cave abode.


    After sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber, Han Li flipped his hand and took out the jade slip Monarch Great Development had given him. He began to study the two refinement methods of Core Formation puppets.


    These two types of puppets were vastly different from the Foundation Establishment stage giant ape that Han Li had refined. The advantages and disadvantages of these two types of puppets were very obvious, and it was obvious that he could refine whatever he needed.


    One of them was a puppet in the form of a huge tortoise. Its skin was thick and it could withstand three to five attacks from a Nascent Soul cultivator. Furthermore, it could spit out balls of lightning and fire from its mouth, which were comparable to the full-strength attacks of a mid-Core Formation cultivator. The only disadvantage was that its body was clumsy and its movements were slow. Once a cultivator approached it, it would immediately become a ready-made target without any ability to resist.


    On the other hand, the human-tiger puppet was the complete opposite. These puppets didn¡¯t have long-range attacks, and their defensive abilities were only mediocre. However, they were as light as swallows, and their movements were as swift as the wind. Their tiger claws could release a translucent radiance that was half a foot long, and they could easily tear apart Core Formation cultivators¡¯ normal barriers. They were completely close-combat puppets.


    After Han Li understood the characteristics of these two puppets, he prepared to refine a few of each type without thinking. This way, he would be able to deal with the complicated situation in Devilfall Valley.


    Having made up his mind, Han Li immersed himself in the jade slip and focused all his attention on the refinement methods.


    Three days and three nights passed. In the secret room, Han Li sat on the ground with an expressionless face, motionless.


    However, on the fourth day, Han Li¡¯s expression changed. He pursed his dry lips and withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip. Then, he pondered for a moment and suddenly flipped his palm. White light flashed and the jade slip disappeared.


    Afterwards, he took out the storage pouch at his waist and tossed it into the air. White light immediately shot out from the pouch, following which countless refinement materials swarmed out. There were rare wood materials, common iron essences, crystals of various colors, and jade boxes of various sizes¡­


    A moment later, these items were placed in front of Han Li in a dense pile.


    Han Li waved his hand at the storage pouch and took it back into his hand, placing it at his waist.


    Then, he turned his gaze to the materials in front of him and swept his gaze past them.


    A short moment later, his gaze fell upon a pitch-black piece of ironwood. He took a deep breath and pointed at it.


    This ironwood silently floated up and slowly flew towards Han Li.

 Chapter 803

    Search


    The door of Han Li¡¯s secret chamber had not been opened for several months, and Silvermoon had been keeping an eye on the situation outside the cave abode for Han Li, in case Han Li missed the opportunity to enter Devilfall Valley.


    As the miasma in the mountain range thinned day by day, the number of cultivators near the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range suddenly increased. Furthermore, most of them gathered in the area facing Yehua City. This was because this direction was closer to the Devilfall Valley than other directions.


    The cultivators from the various sects and clans who had obtained the Devilfall Medallion had all arrived here one after another. Many of them had opened up temporary cave abodes nearby like Han Li and were staying there for the time being.


    The formation that Han Li set up outside the cave abode was not a top-grade restriction. Many cultivators with high cultivation had discovered Han Li¡¯s cave abode. There were even people who came to visit him.


    However, no matter what kind of sound transmission talisman was thrown into the space outside, there was no response from the cave abode.


    These cultivators understood that the cave abode¡¯s owner didn¡¯t wish to see outsiders.


    Although some of the cultivators were displeased, they didn¡¯t rashly barge into this place without knowing who its master was. They didn¡¯t want to rashly make a powerful enemy.


    However, Han Li was clearly an exception.


    Regardless of how arrogant the cultivators here used to be, they were all extremely careful under the threat of the Heavenly South¡¯s most dangerous place. Furthermore, before entering Devilfall Valley, most of them began to form groups, either in small ones or in large ones, forming various groups of different sizes.


    Although it wasn¡¯t necessarily the case that the more people the better, the chances of survival when encountering danger were indeed greater when they had friends.


    With this in mind, even the lone cultivators began to wantonly make friends during this time.


    At this moment, seeing that the miasma in the mountain was gradually shrinking, Silvermoon, who was guarding the cave abode, was wondering if she should summon Han Li from the secret chamber when the secret chamber¡¯s door finally opened.


    Han Li walked out unhurriedly.


    After several months of seclusion, Han Li refined more than 30 puppets, half of which were in the form of a tortoise and half in the form of a tiger demon. Fortunately, when Han Li was in the Scattered Star Seas, he had collected a large number of high-grade demon beast souls, allowing him to progress so smoothly. Otherwise, even if he had all the materials, these powerful demon souls would be nowhere to be found.


    As a result, even Monarch Great Development, who was wholeheartedly researching puppet techniques in the Cave of Fortune, couldn¡¯t help but call out ¡°little monster¡± in surprise when he saw Han Li take out one high-grade demon soul after another. Then, he fell silent.


    Although he could still refine more with the remaining ingredients, Han Li estimated that there was not too much time. Refining three or four more would not be of much use, so he left the secret chamber.


    Silvermoon reported to Han Li a few things that had happened near the cave abode during the puppet refinement.


    After Han Li listened carefully, he only nodded and said nothing more.


    He then went to another secret room to inspect the corpse.


    Everything was normal with this demonic corpse. Han Li put it away with satisfaction and put Silvermoon¡¯s demon fox body into his sleeve before leaving the cave abode.


    Han Li did not immediately fly away from this place. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the mountain where the cave abode was located and released his spiritual sense again. He slowly scanned the nearby cultivators¡¯ gathering places and temporary cave abodes.


    With Han Li¡¯s powerful spiritual sense, even an early-stage Nascent Soul old monster would not be able to detect his spiritual sense if they were not careful.


    In the end, apart from a few places with particularly powerful auras and some places with restrictions, everything within a radius of fifty kilometers was immediately under Han Li¡¯s control.


    A moment later, Han Li opened his eyes and shook his head with a frown.


    He didn¡¯t find the person he was looking for. After a moment of thought, spiritual light erupted from his body and he flew towards the nearby market as a streak of azure light.


    With the current situation, he should be able to gain something there.


    ¡­


    The market on the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range closest to Han Li¡¯s cave abode was funded and opened by a large cultivator clan in the State of Dongyu. This clan had been doing this business for a long time. Therefore, even when they heard that Devilfall Valley had treasures, they still remained indifferent and acted as if they had not heard about it.


    As a result, the number of high-grade cultivators that arrived at the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range doubled and business flourished. Some ordinary cultivators who had no intention of entering Devilfall Valley took advantage of the fact that the miasma had begun to thin and had already gained something from the periphery of the mountain range.


    Currently, in a simple medicine shop in the market, a white-clothed cultivator and a woman were pointing at a spirit medicine and discussing something with the shopkeeper.


    A short moment later, the two sides seemed to have reached a deal. After the two cultivators gathered a pile of spirit stones, they left the medicine store with joy on their faces.


    ¡°Junior Sister Yuan, our luck is quite good this time. Not long after we arrived at the market, we were able to purchase the Gold Spirit Bead. Junior Sister has been searching for this medicine for a long time. As such, we can start refining the cauldron of Breath Transformation Pills.¡± The man was a refined-looking youth. At this moment, he was walking on the only street in the market and smiling at his female companion.


    ¡°It is all thanks to Senior Brother Bai lending me spirit stones. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve missed such a good opportunity.¡± The white-clothed woman¡¯s appearance was quite ordinary, but her peach blossom eyes were watery and possessed a seductive charm.


    ¡°Junior Sister¡¯s matter is my matter. This bit of spirit stones is nothing.¡± Although the white-clothed youth felt the pain of losing the spirit stones, he maintained an indifferent expression to please the woman beside him.


    The white-clothed woman pursed her lips and smiled. Just as she was about to say something, a person walked over and raised his hand, shooting a streak of yellow light at the two.


    The male cultivator was given a fright, and white light flashed from his hand as he subconsciously grabbed the yellow light. Only then did he discover that it was a shimmering yellow command medallion.


    ¡°The Heavenpeak Badge? You¡¯re Senior Han?¡± When the youth saw the badge, he couldn¡¯t help but cry out in shock.


    The person opposite him wore a green robe and had an indifferent expression. He was actually Han Li, who had silently appeared in the market.


    As for the youth, he was Bai Shujun, a disciple of the Heavenpeak Sect who had set his sights on Mu Peiling. When Han Li arrived at the market, he immediately discovered this person with his spiritual sense and could not help but feel happy.


    Through this person, Han Li should be able to contact his master, Lu Weiying of the Heavenpeak Sect.


    However, he didn¡¯t have a good impression of this person, so he wore an indifferent expression.


    ¡°I have something to talk to your master about. Fellow Daoist Bai, please lead the way,¡± Han Li said impolitely, not to be refused.


    ¡°Senior, you want to see my master? This¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll lead the way for you.¡± When the youth heard Han Li¡¯s words, he was stunned at first, but after carefully examining the token in his hand, he immediately agreed respectfully.


    The Han Li in front of him was not a newly advanced early-Nascent Soul cultivator. Instead, he had become a terrifying existence second only to the three great cultivators. Bai Shujun had long regretted his rash actions back then. Now that he saw that the token was correct, he naturally agreed. He hoped to use this opportunity to improve his impression in Senior Han¡¯s mind.


    The female cultivator at the side sized up Han Li in surprise. Her gaze flickered a few times, but she did not say anything.


    With Bai Shujun leading the way, the three left the market and flew off in three streaks of light.


    After flying east for a full quarter of an hour, Bai Shujun brought Han Li to the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range. After traveling several tens of kilometers, they stopped in front of a small mountain.


    Han Li looked around and found that this place was indeed rather hidden. Although the mountain was small, it was surrounded by several tall mountains and could not be easily discovered.


    After a faint blue light flashed in his eyes, Han Li stared at the seemingly ordinary limestone mountain wall in front of him with a thoughtful expression.


    At that moment, Bai Shujun took out a sound transmission talisman from his robes and tossed it into the air. The talisman then shot toward the stone wall as a streak of fiery light. After a series of ripples, the fiery light instantly drilled into the wall and disappeared.


    The young man at the side eagerly explained to Han Li,


    ¡°This is my master¡¯s temporary residence and is normally concealed by the Small Sumeru Forbidden Technique. My master has instructed his disciples not to disturb him unless it is important. Even Junior Sister Lu won¡¯t be able to easily see him during this period of time. However, since Senior Han has come, it naturally isn¡¯t an ordinary matter. My master definitely won¡¯t blame me.¡±


    When the woman from the Heavenpeak Sect heard the young man mention this, she snorted and revealed an unhappy expression. However, she did not say anything to Bai Shujun in front of Han Li. This woman had already guessed Han Li¡¯s identity. Although she was Lu Weiying¡¯s direct descendant, she did not dare to be disrespectful in front of Han Li.


    ¡°Oh, this Fellow Daoist¡¯s surname is also Lu. Are you a descendant of Fellow Daoist Lu?¡± Han Li glanced at the woman beside him and asked casually.


    ¡°Elder Lu is my great-uncle, but I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Senior.¡± The woman smiled sweetly and said to Han Li.


    Han Li smiled indifferently and did not say anything. This was because the stone wall in front of him flashed with green light and suddenly revealed a twenty-foot-tall stone door. Furthermore, a leisurely voice came from inside.


    ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve finally found me. If you don¡¯t show yourself, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to personally search for you with my spiritual sense. Fellow Daoist, please come in. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the hall.¡±


    Han Li chuckled and strode towards the stone door without another word.


    Bai Shujun and the woman surnamed Lu hesitated for a moment. Just as they were about to head over, Lu Weiying¡¯s voice sounded from within the stone door.


    The Heavenpeak Sect Elder bluntly dismissed his disciples and descendants. ¡°You two don¡¯t need to come in. I have a few matters to discuss with Fellow Daoist Han alone. You can go about your own business.¡±


    Although the two were somewhat stunned, they didn¡¯t dare to disobey. They respectfully agreed and flew away.


    After Han Li entered the stone door, azure light flashed outside, and the stone door disappeared, revealing a stone wall covered in moss.


    Han Li disappeared without a trace.

 Chapter 804

    The Appearance of the Valley


    This Heavenpeak Sect Elder Lu¡¯s cave abode was also very simple and crude.


    After Han Li walked through a passageway that was more than 200 feet long, he arrived at the main hall of the cave abode. It was a stone house that was about 70 to 80 feet in width. Inside the house stood a kind-looking grey-haired old man and a middle-aged man with a tall crown. They seemed to be welcoming Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve finally arrived,¡± the grey-haired old man greeted him with a smile.


    Marquis Nanlong bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Brother Han has made us wait for a long time. We¡¯ve already sent our men to search for you for over a month. Unfortunately, you¡¯ve disappeared without a trace. We almost thought that Brother Han had changed his mind!¡±


    ¡°Your residences are so secretive, so it won¡¯t be easy for me to find you. Not long ago, I was in seclusion for a period of time, so it¡¯s normal for you two to not be able to find me,¡± Han Li sighed and explained helplessly.


    Then, he didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and sat down with the two of them.


    As soon as Han Li sat down, Marquis Nanlong wore a strange expression and said, ¡°Brother Han¡¯s reputation is like the sun in the sky. Not only did he shine in the battle at the border, but he even killed a mid-Nascent Soul elder of the State of Jin¡¯s demonic sect. Brother Han¡¯s abilities have been hidden from me for so long.¡±


    ¡°Brother Nanlong, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen my abilities before. If I really had such great abilities, I wouldn¡¯t have fled the Moulan Plains that day. My current reputation is only due to luck. If it weren¡¯t for my good fortune, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to appear in front of the two of you today.¡± Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t tell the truth, so he shook his head and vaguely said this.


    When Elder Lu and Marquis Nanlong heard Han Li¡¯s words, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other. Both of them were somewhat doubtful.


    With their spiritual sense, they could naturally clearly see that Han Li¡¯s cultivation was still at the early-Nascent Soul stage. The two of them also knew that Han Li was not an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator, but it was still unbelievable that Han Li could kill a mid-Nascent Soul or even a peak mid-Nascent Soul fiendish cultivator.


    However, the rumors about Han Li had spread far and wide, and his reputation was also frighteningly great. The two of them could not help but be puzzled, which was why they showed such an expression.


    Marquis Nanlong dryly laughed and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is too modest. In truth, the greater your abilities are, the more helpful you will be to our Devilfall Valley exploration. We can¡¯t wait for your cultivation to be comparable to the three great cultivators.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he chuckled and did not continue the topic.


    On the other side, Elder Lu solemnly said, ¡°Since Brother Han is willing to look for us, it seems you¡¯ve thought through our previous suggestion. Are you willing to enter the valley and kill the ancient Fire Toad with us?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong also stared at Han Li with a solemn expression.


    Han Li calmly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to let go of such a good opportunity. However, before I make a decision, I must ask how we will split the treasures of the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains. If I am satisfied, I will take the risk.¡±


    Although he was definitely going to Devilfall Valley, he didn¡¯t want to reveal anything, so that he could haggle with the other party.


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man had clearly considered this question countless times. As soon as Han Li asked this question, the old man replied without any hesitation, ¡°If we can successfully acquire the treasures, how about we split them evenly?¡±


    Han Li did not immediately agree or reveal a dissatisfied expression. Instead, he pondered for a moment before slowly saying,


    ¡°It¡¯s fair for the three of us to split the treasures equally. After all, without your guidance, I wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the valley, let alone find the Fire Toad. However, I have another condition that I hope you¡¯ll agree to.¡±


    With a calm expression, Elder Lu said, ¡°If Fellow Daoist Han has conditions, please speak!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression changed, but he remained silent as he stared at Han Li.


    ¡°The inner core of the ancient Fire Toad must be left to me. I have a small use for it.¡± When Han Li mentioned the inner core of the Fire Toad, he spoke casually, as if he only wanted to take more advantage.


    Elder Lu relaxed and readily agreed, ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem! We¡¯ll have to rely on Fellow Daoist to exterminate the Fire Toad. It is only natural for the core to belong to Fellow Daoist.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression also relaxed, and he said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if you don¡¯t say anything, so long as you take action, the core should belong to you.¡±


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled. ¡°Since you two have agreed so readily, I am not an insatiable person. Let me make a trip with you two.¡±


    ¡°With Fellow Daoist Han entering the valley with us, we¡¯ll definitely be able to obtain the treasures on this trip.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we¡¯ll have to rely on Brother Han.¡±


    Seeing Han Li agree, Marquis Nanlong and the old man couldn¡¯t hide their excitement and spoke one after another.


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Fellow Daoists. I¡¯m well aware of my own cultivation base, and I should be the one assisting you in the trip to the valley. Furthermore, the three of us will only be able to escape unscathed if we work together,¡± Han Li said with a smile. He was naturally not fooled by their flattery.


    Marquis Nanlong gritted his teeth at the mention of the Ghost Spirit Sect and said, ¡°Of course. We¡¯ve sought Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cooperation because we trust you. If those sinister villains from the Ghost Spirit Sect were to obtain the Heaven-Earth Ring, I would kill them and seize their treasures.¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but glance at Marquis Nanlong.


    Marquis Nanlong appeared to be in good health, but it was unknown how much of his lost vitality had been restored.


    ¡°Speaking of the Ghost Spirit Sect, what do you two Fellow Daoists think about the Ghost Spirit Sect providing the method to enter the valley?¡± Han Li changed the topic and brought up the Ghost Spirit Sect.


    Marquis Nanlong sneered and wore a strange expression, ¡°Hehe, what else could we say? We¡¯ve only slightly disrupted the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s plan to monopolize the treasures. Now that other cultivators have entered the valley, not only have they concealed our whereabouts, but we¡¯ve also avoided the danger of being besieged by the Ghost Spirit Sect.¡±


    ¡°From Brother Nanlong¡¯s words, could it be that the two of you deliberately spread the news that the Ghost Spirit Sect knows the method to enter the valley?¡± Han Li was a little stunned.


    Marquis Nanlong gloomily said, ¡°This matter was indeed arranged by us. I already knew that the Ghost Spirit Sect was also studying the method to enter the valley. Since they suddenly turned hostile and plotted against me, I naturally won¡¯t be polite.¡± He had no intention of hiding this matter from Han Li.


    Han Li did not express his opinion on this and only nodded thoughtfully.


    Elder Lu frowned and slowly said, ¡°However, we didn¡¯t expect that the Ghost Spirit Sect would actually come up with the Devilfall Medallion. Not only will they be doing the other sects a favor, but they¡¯ll also ensure that their sect is the most powerful in the valley. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re also planning to have the outsiders scout for them. In that case, although they won¡¯t be able to monopolize the treasures in the valley, the exploration will be much less dangerous.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as perfection in this world. Your actions are more beneficial than detrimental. Most likely, the person in charge of the Ghost Spirit Sect hates you to the core,¡± Han Li said with a smile as he stroked his chin.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is right. It¡¯s already good enough for the Ghost Spirit Sect to suffer in silence. After we leave the Devilfall Valley, I¡¯ll naturally settle the score with them,¡± said Marquis Nanlong in high spirits.


    Following that, the three of them moved the topic away from the Ghost Spirit Sect and began to talk about the specific matters and arrangements for exploring the valley.


    Time slowly passed.


    Seven days later, the miasma in the mountain range finally dissipated. Many cultivators who were originally hiding outside appeared one after another and flew towards Devilfall Valley.


    As for the other cultivators with low cultivation or unwillingness to take risks, they took advantage of this opportunity to gather spirit medicines and search for spirit beasts.


    Devilfall Valley was located in the northwest of the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, and its area was over 50,000 square kilometers. However, it was unknown what kind of battle the ancient devil cultivators were engaged in, but there were layers of ancient restrictions placed around the valley and in the sky. All of these restrictions were extremely powerful, and they were intertwined with one another. Once any of them was activated, they would activate each other, making it impossible to break through the restrictions.


    The only place with no restrictions was the entrance to Devilfall Valley, a narrow passageway that was three hundred meters wide and several tens of kilometers long.


    This passageway was originally easy to pass through, but the battles between ancient cultivators had affected this area. As a result, this passageway was filled with spatial tears.


    Some of these rifts were blindingly white and clearly abnormal, while others were faint and dim. There were also some that were completely invisible and impossible to guard against.


    The sizes of these rifts varied. The larger ones were over 100 feet wide, capable of swallowing several tens of people without a problem. The smaller ones were only about a foot long, and they hung in the air like sharp blades, causing one to be on tenterhooks.


    What was even worse was that as time passed in Devilfall Valley, these spatial tears would move and change on their own, making it impossible to predict where they would be.


    Such terrifying spatial tears had caused countless cultivators to perish before they could even enter the valley. There was no lack of Nascent Soul eccentrics among them.


    As a result, Devilfall Valley¡¯s reputation as the most dangerous place was largely due to these spatial tears.


    However, this time was different. It was said that the Ghost Spirit Sect had a way to safely send people into the valley. This immediately caused a commotion in the entire cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region. Many cultivators, who had long coveted the treasures of the Devilfall Valley, divided the several hundred Devilfall Medallions cleanly.


    Some of the cultivators who didn¡¯t have a Devilfall Medallion were unwilling to give up. With the thought of trying their luck, they flocked to this place to see if they could sneak into the valley.

 Chapter 805

    The Cultivators Outside the Valley


    Near a small valley covered in vines, a ball of white light was shooting toward them from a distance.


    Within the white light, there was a beautiful green-robed woman sitting on a spirit bird that was as white as snow.


    In the blink of an eye, the bird arrived above the valley at lightning speed. It then folded its wings and swooped down. Just as it was about to plunge into the dense vines, the woman raised her hand and cast an incantation seal.


    Suddenly, green light flashed and the vines disappeared, only to be replaced by a green barrier of light.


    The green-robed woman unhesitatingly commanded the spirit bird beneath her to disappear into the light barrier in a flash of white light.


    Underneath the light barrier, there were six green-robed cultivators sitting inside a pentagonal spell formation.


    The spell formation wasn¡¯t very large and was only sixty to seventy feet wide. Five of them sat cross-legged at the five corners of the spell formation. Spiritual light flashed from the edges of the spell formation, and a long-bearded old man sat at the center with his eyes closed.


    The old man suddenly opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the sky.


    A ball of white light slowly descended, and a short moment later, the green-robed woman arrived before the old man and saluted him.


    The green-robed woman lowered her head and respectfully said, ¡°Disciple pays her respects to Martial Senior. The miasma in the mountain range has completely disappeared. Many cultivators have already gone to Devilfall Valley.¡±


    ¡°Has the Ghost Spirit Sect set off?¡± The long-bearded old man twirled his long beard and slowly asked. ¡°Most of the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples haven¡¯t set off yet, but a few disciples have left early.¡± The woman thought for a moment and carefully replied.


    The long-bearded old man calmly commanded, ¡°Since the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s old fellows haven¡¯t moved, we don¡¯t have to be in a hurry. As long as we keep an eye on the elders, nothing will go wrong. Martial Nephew Han, continue to monitor their movements. If there are any abnormal movements, immediately report to us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, disciple will set off immediately.¡± The green-robed woman accepted the order without any hesitation.


    Soon after, she bowed to the old man and flew into the air on her spirit bird. Not long after, she rushed out of the light barrier and disappeared.


    The old man stared at the green-robed woman¡¯s disappearing figure with a hint of contemplation in his eyes, but his expression soon returned to normal.


    As for the five cultivators surrounding the spell formation, from the moment the green-robed woman appeared to the moment she left, all of them remained motionless on the spot as if they were wooden puppets.


    The long-bearded old man seemed to be used to this and closed his eyes again without the slightest surprise.


    ¡­


    At the same time, on the peak of a tall mountain a hundred kilometers away, a gray-robed Daoist priest in his fifties or sixties stood upright on a mountain rock. Facing the fierce wind, he narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Devilfall Valley.


    There were two tall figures standing behind him, one red and one azure. They were over 20 feet tall.


    However, upon closer inspection, one would discover that the two figures had azure faces and sharp fangs, and they were expressionless. They were actually two mechanical puppets in the form of evil ghosts.


    At that moment, the Daoist priest turned his head to look at the two puppets and a trace of self-satisfaction appeared on his face.


    ¡°With the help of these two ancient puppets that are comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators, our trip to Devilfall Valley will surely be fruitful.¡± With that said, the Daoist priest raised his hand and cast two spell seals.


    The two malevolent ghost puppets shrunk rapidly and flew into his sleeve. The Daoist priest then transformed into a streak of red light that tore through the air in the direction of Devilfall Valley.


    ¡­


    In another area of the sky, three streaks of light were flying side by side.


    In a streak of light, two old men and a woman flew toward Devilfall Valley.


    If Han Li saw these three people, he would immediately be stunned. This was because two of the three people were people he knew.


    One of them was a yellow-robed old man. He was none other than Ancestor Linghu of Yellow Maple Valley. Beside him was a white-robed woman with a pale face and a cold expression. She was the Grand Elder of the Masked Moon Sect, and Nangong Wan¡¯s senior sister.


    The only old man that Han Li did not recognize was the old man with high eyebrows and deep frames. He had a lion¡¯s nose and a huge mouth, and his appearance was very strange.


    The three of them were silent as they hurried on their way. Blinding light erupted from their bodies as they flew through the air, transforming into three specks of light before disappearing without a trace.


    ¡­


    The same situation occurred from time to time near the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range. Many cultivators were confident in their trip to Devilfall Valley.


    At this moment, Han Li had already arrived near Devilfall Valley.


    On a mound about five kilometers away from the entrance, he looked in the direction of Devilfall Valley in silence.


    Han Li didn¡¯t need to use his spiritual sense to know that there were over a thousand cultivators gathered within a radius of several tens of kilometers. There was no lack of Nascent Soul eccentrics among them. These eccentrics might not have the same cultivation as the three great cultivators, but they were not easy to deal with in terms of secret techniques and abilities. Han Li wasn¡¯t conceited. He never believed that apart from the three great cultivators and Moulan Divine Sages, there was nothing to fear. If he was careless, he would also lose his life here.


    As Han Li pondered, he occasionally sized up the entrance to Devilfall Valley.


    If not for the fact that all the cultivators had gathered here from the start, Han Li would not have believed that such an ordinary opening in the mountain was the entrance to Devilfall Valley. However, above the entrance, there were rolling gray clouds and surging spiritual Qi, showing many strange signs that made one¡¯s heart tremble.


    From the outside, the entrance was only about 100 feet wide. Han Li extended his spiritual sense into the opening of the valley and probed it. However, when his spiritual sense was only about 1,000 feet deep into the valley, it was blocked by a mysterious restriction in the valley. He did not see the so-called spatial rifts.


    Although Han Li could also rely on his powerful spiritual sense to forcefully break through, he hesitated for a moment in the face of a dangerous place like Devilfall Valley and cautiously retracted his spiritual sense.


    Afterwards, Han Li sat cross-legged on the mound and closed his eyes to meditate.


    Time slowly passed. Half a day later, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense sensed that more and more cultivators were gathering here. Among them, there were a few auras that were vaguely familiar. They should be people he knew.


    Han Li thought for a moment and identified them one by one. However, he frowned. At this moment, a furious voice suddenly came from nearby.


    ¡°The Moulan people are here! It¡¯s the Moulan spell warriors. They really want to enter the valley to search for treasures.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, a commotion immediately erupted at the entrance.


    Han Li¡¯s heart also trembled as he opened his eyes to look.


    In the sky not far away, there was a strange carriage flying toward them at a leisurely pace.


    This carriage was much larger than a normal flying carriage. It was conical in shape and was over 200 feet long. Its surface was shimmering with silver light and densely engraved with talismans. At a glance, one could tell that this carriage wasn¡¯t an ordinary object. More than ten cultivators wearing Moulan attire were standing in the carriage. If they weren¡¯t Moulan spell warriors, then who could they be?


    When Han Li saw this, he revealed a trace of surprise.


    Although he had previously heard rumors that the Moulan people were also going to be involved in this mess, he felt that it was unlikely.


    After all, although the Moulan had made peace with the Heavenly South, there were many casualties on both sides in the border war. The Moulan had formed a deep enmity with many sects. Without several hundred years, this enmity would not be so easily resolved.


    Under such circumstances, it was truly inconceivable that the Moulan dared to venture deep into the heart of the Heavenly South Region to search for treasures in Devilfall Valley. Could it be that they weren¡¯t afraid that the cultivators who were eager for revenge would ambush them?


    Just as Han Li was feeling puzzled, the huge flying carriage flew into the air at the entrance. The face of the person in the carriage could be clearly seen with the naked eye.


    Han Li looked at the two people in the lead and suddenly realized something.


    Since these two were leading the team, there was indeed no need to fear ordinary cultivators seeking revenge on them. However, how could the three great spell warriors of Moulan allow them to come here? Han Li was still somewhat puzzled.


    The two spell warriors standing at the front of the flying carriage were a man and a woman. They were Scholar Zhong and the woman surnamed Le, who was in charge of the ancient lantern. With Scholar Zhong¡¯s late-Nascent Soul Stage abilities, he was indeed able to suppress the revenge of ordinary cultivators.


    The flying carriage landed on a small mountain not far away from Han Li. All the spell warriors left the carriage one after another. The woman surnamed Le formed an incantation gesture and shrunk the flying carriage. The others stared at the entrance of Devilfall Valley with astonishment.


    It seemed that they were just as surprised as Han Li.


    Just as all of the cultivators were looking at the Moulan people with hostility, light flashed in the distance once again, and over a hundred streaks of light suddenly appeared, flying toward them.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Ghost Spirit Sect!¡± Someone immediately recognized these streaks of light and called out in a low voice.


    The gazes that were originally focused on the Moulan spell warriors instantly turned to the sky.


    Han Li snorted in his heart as his gaze flickered.


    These streaks of light weren¡¯t very fast. They calmly flew above the valley entrance and descended about 1,000 feet away from it.


    After the light faded, over a hundred black-robed cultivators appeared. They were all cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect. The three cultivators standing in front of the crowd attracted Han Li¡¯s attention.


    Han Li recognized the cultivator on the far left of the three. He was the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Wang Tiangu.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred. He looked around and found Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan in the crowd.


    Wang Chan appeared to be well, but Yan Ruyan¡¯s complexion didn¡¯t seem to be too good. She appeared somewhat haggard.


    ¡°Could it be that the Yin Devil Execution didn¡¯t cause any serious injuries to this person? Or could it be that she reconnected her broken limbs, but I just couldn¡¯t tell?¡± Han Li¡¯s mind quickly thought, and two unconfirmed answers immediately surfaced.


    However, with Han Li¡¯s current cultivation and reputation, Wang Chan was no longer a threat to him. Thus, his gaze shifted and landed on the other two Nascent Soul cultivators in the lead.


    The cultivator in the middle was a middle-aged man wearing a broad black robe with a dark expression. His expression exuded an extraordinary aura of authority. It was obvious that he held great power and often gave orders.


    On the right was an old man with a pale face. His beard and hair were all white, but his eagle eyes were shining brightly, and his body was filled with a dense baleful aura.


    These two were both Nascent Soul cultivators, but their faces were very unfamiliar. They should not have participated in the war at the border. However, the old man was already at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, which made Han Li take a few more glances.

 Chapter 806

    One-way Transportation Formation


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Shattered Soul did not come. Instead, this unfamiliar old man came. Han Li was naturally surprised.


    However, to a large sect, using three Nascent Soul cultivators was a rare investment, but compared to the dangers of Devilfall Valley and so many treasure-hunting cultivators, they seemed to be insufficient. Could it be that the Ghost Spirit Sect had prepared a backup plan?


    As Han Li pondered, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators were busy at the entrance of the valley, as if they were setting up a huge array formation.


    The nearby cultivators naturally didn¡¯t bother them at this moment and were all watching coldly from the shadows.


    The Moulan spell warriors had gathered together, and the scholar surnamed Zhong and the woman surnamed Le were conversing in low voices.


    Han Li stared at the formation with a clear gaze and a calm expression.


    But after a while, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and he raised his head to look at the sky with a trace of bewilderment.


    Right at this moment, light flashed from the distant horizon and a blinding white streak of light suddenly appeared. It then shot forth like a bolt of lightning, scattering the clouds and mist in its path with astonishing momentum.


    At that moment, the other cultivators also noticed this and raised their heads in surprise.


    In the blink of an eye, the streak of white light arrived above the valley entrance, and the blinding white light receded to reveal an azure-robed old man with an expressionless face.


    ¡°Wei Wuya!¡±


    ¡°Why is he here?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that the Nine Nations Union is determined to obtain the treasures of Devilfall Valley?¡±


    As soon as they saw the old man¡¯s face, a commotion broke out among the hidden cultivators, and most of them were secretly alarmed. However, what was surprising was that after Wei Wuya appeared, he looked down indifferently and slowly landed in front of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.


    When the gloomy middle-aged man saw this, a trace of a smile appeared on his gloomy face, and he cupped his hands in greeting.


    ¡°Brother Wei, you¡¯ve finally arrived. I thought that Fellow Daoist had been delayed by something. If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll have to postpone entering the valley.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already promised Fellow Daoist Wang, I won¡¯t change my mind so easily. It would be best if Fellow Daoist Wei¡¯s words were true. If the item you mentioned doesn¡¯t exist in the valley, don¡¯t blame me for turning my back on you.¡±


    Wei Wuya¡¯s expression was cold, and he completely ignored the middle-aged cultivator¡¯s smile.


    This was to be expected. The Nine Nations Union and the Devil Dao were never on good terms to begin with.


    ¡°Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. I wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive you, Brother Wei.¡± The middle-aged cultivator paid no heed to Wei Wuya¡¯s impoliteness as he welcomed Wei Wuya with open arms.


    This scene left the surrounding cultivators dumbstruck.


    As the Grand Elder of the Nine Nations Union, no one would believe that Wei Wuya was actually involved with the Ghost Spirit Sect.


    When Han Li saw this, he also frowned. If there was a conflict with the Ghost Spirit Sect in Devilfall Valley and Wei Wuya intervened, he would have no choice but to flee. This was far beyond his expectations.


    Han Li thought for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but look at Scholar Zhong.


    If there were no other late-Nascent Soul cultivators intervening, these two would have the highest cultivation bases in Devilfall Valley.


    This Divine Sage Moulan had her hands behind her back and was looking at Wei Wuya with a calm expression. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. On the other hand, a hint of astonishment appeared in the eyes of the woman surnamed Le, who appeared rather surprised by Wei Wuya¡¯s appearance.


    Although Wei Wuya¡¯s appearance had shocked many people, all the cultivators were still quietly watching the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators complete the formation bit by bit.


    After half a day of effort, a huge spell formation that was over 1,000 feet in size gradually appeared in front of him.


    Han Li looked at the spell formation. From the initial indifference, he gradually revealed a bewildered expression.


    This spell formation seemed to be a part of an ancient teleportation formation that he had cultivated. However, there were some subtle differences. Some parts seemed to be simplified, while others were more complicated. It was clear that many of them had been modified.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the formation in silence.


    Although his attainments in spell formations weren¡¯t low, he was unable to see through the spell formation in such a hurry. He could only frown and ponder over something.


    After another two hours, the formation was finally completed. Some Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators began to place mid-grade spirit stones of various attributes around the formation.


    Wang Tiangu, who had been standing at the side, suddenly arrived at the center of the formation. He slapped his storage pouch and took out a jade box.


    The middle-aged cultivator and the old man¡¯s expressions remained unchanged. It seemed they knew what Wang Tiangu wanted to do.


    He carefully opened the jade box to reveal a golden spirit stone.


    The spirit stone shone with translucent light and released an astonishing wave of spiritual Qi.


    ¡°A high-grade spirit stone!¡± Someone recognized the crystal in the box and exclaimed.


    When the other cultivators heard this, they were all greatly shocked.


    When Han Li heard this, his expression also changed slightly.


    The total amount of spiritual power contained in a high-grade spirit stone was only equivalent to over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. In reality, not to mention exchanging over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones for a high-grade spirit stone, even exchanging over a thousand mid-grade spirit stones for a high-grade spirit stone was impossible in the cultivation world.


    This strange phenomenon was entirely due to the astonishing spiritual energy of high-grade spirit stone mines, making them extremely easy to discover. They had already been completely mined in this world. The remaining high-grade spirit stones were only occasionally found in low-grade and mid-grade spirit stone mines, and they were extremely rare.


    However, there were many powerful ancient spell formations and restrictions that required high-grade spirit stones to activate. Even if ordinary spell formations were activated with high-grade spirit stones, their power would increase by 30%. In a battle, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be able to replenish a large amount of spiritual power with a high-grade spirit stone.


    As such, high-grade spirit stones were naturally extremely valuable, and as time passed, they became increasingly rare, almost extinct in the Heavenly South cultivation world.


    As for the legendary top-grade spirit stones, they had disappeared from this world since the end of antiquity, so they could only exist in legends.


    Seeing Wang Tiangu carefully place the high-grade metal-attribute spirit stone at the center of the formation, Han Li could not help but feel a little envious. He had killed so many cultivators, but he had never obtained a high-grade spirit stone. This showed how precious these high-grade spirit stones were.


    Even if he were to intentionally search for one or two pieces in a market, it would only be a matter of fishing for the moon in the water. He wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything.


    After all, all of the high-grade spirit stones in the Heavenly South Region must¡¯ve been collected by the great sects and clans as a last resort.


    Now that the Ghost Spirit Sect had actually taken out this spirit stone, it seemed that they really attached great importance to the matter of Devilfall Valley. However, speaking of which, the Ghost Spirit Sect had obtained a large sum of spirit stones from selling the Devilfall Medallions this time. It didn¡¯t seem to matter if they paid this bit of prince.


    Wang Tiangu placed the high-grade spirit stone down and walked over to the middle-aged cultivator.


    The middle-aged cultivator nodded and immediately gave an order. All of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators withdrew from the formation and flipped their hands, each taking out a faint yellow formation flag. These cultivators had practiced countless times and immediately rose into the air, quickly forming a strange team above the formation. At the same time, the formation flags in their hands emitted a faint spiritual light as if they were ready to strike.


    Could it be that this person was the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master? Otherwise, why would Wang Tiangu treat him with such respect when his cultivation was similar to his own?


    Han Li looked at the sinister-looking middle-aged cultivator and saw something. He could not help but mutter in his heart.


    Right at this moment, black Qi suddenly swirled around the middle-aged cultivator¡¯s body and he slowly rose into the air. After sweeping his gaze around him, he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m Wang Tiansheng of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and I¡¯m the humble sect master of the Ghost Spirit Sect. I don¡¯t want to say any more nonsense. The path to enter the valley has already been arranged properly, and the spatial rifts have greatly decreased and stabilized. We can already enter the valley.


    ¡°This formation is a special teleportation formation that many of our Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s formation masters spent many years researching and developing. It can directly transport people from the entrance of the valley to a certain place in the outer valley of Devilfall Valley. It can be considered extremely convenient. However, because this formation is rather special, it requires high-grade metal-attribute spirit stones to activate. Our Ghost Spirit Sect spent a great deal of effort to obtain such a spirit stone, so the number of people we can transport is limited. Only those Fellow Daoists who possess the Devilfall Medallion can use this formation to teleport in regardless of whether they are righteous or demonic. Our sect will not be responsible for what happens afterwards.¡±


    ¡°However, there is one thing that I must make clear to everyone. This transportation formation is a one-way transportation formation, so the destination of the transportation formation isn¡¯t fixed. Although the probability of this happening is small, it is possible that a person will be transported to a spatial tear in the valley. If something like this were to happen, then you can only blame yourself for lacking good fortune. Our sect is not responsible for this. After all, this transportation formation has yet to be completely developed and was only hastily completed in a hurry. Some risks are certain. Fellow Daoists who aren¡¯t willing to take the risk can choose not to use our sect¡¯s transportation formation.¡±


    With that said, the middle-aged cultivator bluntly crossed his arms in the air and immediately added a sentence.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists without the Devilfall Medallion, don¡¯t think of taking advantage of the situation. Our sect will only send everyone in at the end. The formation will also be destroyed at the same time.¡±


    These words weren¡¯t very loud, but they were clearly heard by everyone at the entrance of the valley, causing the surrounding cultivators to whisper amongst themselves. Some cultivators even began to use voice transmission techniques to carefully discuss the matter.


    ¡°Since we need a teleportation formation to enter, how are we going to leave? Could it be that we have to wait for your sect to set up another formation inside?¡± A younger voice couldn¡¯t help but speak from within a forest, filled with doubt.


    When this question was asked, many people secretly nodded, having the same question in their hearts. However, when Han Li heard this question, he sneered in his heart, as if he did not care at all.


    Wang Tiansheng emotionlessly replied, ¡°There is no need for Fellow Daoists to worry. According to what I know, there are many ancient restrictions in Devilfall Valley that don¡¯t allow outsiders to enter. It is difficult to enter the valley, but there are many openings to leave. There are even several intact ancient transportation formations in the valley that can directly send people out of the valley. Leaving the valley is very simple.¡±

 Chapter 807

    Entering the Valley


    Upon hearing this Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s words, some cultivators were overjoyed, while others were skeptical.


    After all, not many people knew the details of Devilfall Valley.


    ¡°In order to reassure you, I will have my son and Elder Zhong go first. After that, you may do as you please.¡± With that said, Wang Tiansheng beckoned to Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan in the distance.


    Wang Chan wore a silver mask and silently walked to the center of the formation with Yan Ruyan. The mid-Nascent Soul old man at the side also walked in expressionlessly.


    Soon after, Wang Tiansheng issued an order, and all of the cultivators in the air pointed their formation flags downward. Multi-colored pillars of light shot out from the flags, each as thick as an arm, and struck various parts of the spell formation.


    All of a sudden, the entire spell formation began to hum, and the spirit stones around it began to shine brightly. In a burst of light, the three of them suddenly disappeared from the center of the spell formation.


    When the nearby cultivators saw this, they became restless.


    Wang Tiansheng still ignored the others and had Wang Tiangu teleport away with seven or eight Core Formation cultivators.


    This time, the other cultivators had already understood. Although the spell formation was huge, it seemed to only be able to transport three people at a time. As a result, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators could only leave in batches.


    Seeing that the Ghost Spirit Sect had the intention of beating them to it, many of the other cultivators at the entrance of the valley were naturally tempted. However, these cultivators were all cunning and cautious. For a moment, no one dared to rashly step forward. They all wanted others to try it first. After all, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s reputation was not very good. If anything went wrong, it would be a matter of life and death.


    Han Li stood up on the mound. He also had no intention of going down.


    When Wang Tiansheng saw this, he sneered and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back.


    The atmosphere at the entrance of the valley suddenly became very quiet.


    Amidst this awkward atmosphere, the Moulan people took action.


    The dozen or so Moulan spell warriors silently walked towards the huge spell formation under the lead of the scholar surnamed Zhong and the woman surnamed Le.


    A trace of black air flashed across Wang Tiansheng¡¯s face before returning to normal.


    At the side, Wei Wuya, who had been silently looking up at the sky, slowly lowered his head and calmly glanced at the incoming scholar.


    The Confucian Scholar didn¡¯t say anything. Without waiting for the group to enter the spell formation, Wei Wuya swept his sleeve and released over ten streaks of azure light into the sky.


    Wang Tiansheng expressionlessly waved his hand toward the azure streaks of light, upon which the light receded and the azure streaks of light transformed into a dozen command medallions.


    Although Wang Tiansheng hadn¡¯t participated in the border battles, someone had told him the identity of Scholar Zhong. He let out a breath and slowly said, ¡°The number is just right. Please enter, Fellow Daoists.¡±


    The scholar nodded, and the spell warriors behind him all entered the center of the spell formation.


    Immediately, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators in the air cast a spell and the three Moulan cultivators were teleported away.


    When the scholar walked into the formation, he glanced at Wei Wuya and casually said, ¡°The destination of this teleportation formation is random, right? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s best if the cultivators of your sect don¡¯t encounter us.¡±


    ¡°How could there be such a coincidence in this world? If that¡¯s the case, it can only be said to be fate.¡± The middle-aged cultivator didn¡¯t seem to have much fear in the face of this Moulan Divine Sage.


    ¡°Fate? Hehe, if that¡¯s the case, then so be it!¡± The scholar surnamed Zhong coldly laughed and disappeared along with the other two.


    After hearing this last message, Wang Tiansheng looked at the empty spell formation and a trace of coldness appeared at the corner of his mouth.


    At that moment, the other cultivators saw that the Moulan cultivators had also been teleported away unscathed. Finally, someone could no longer hold back and walked out. After handing over their Devilfall Medallions, they also began to leave with the assistance of the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples.


    A moment later, the cultivators with the Devilfall Medallion walked out of their hiding spots.


    In a short quarter of an hour, the teleportation formation began to shine with spiritual light, sending off over three hundred cultivators in succession, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the cultivators present. As for the high-grade spirit stone at the center of the formation, it was much dimmer than before, and its spiritual power was nearly exhausted.


    Standing at a high place, Han Li coldly observed all of this, taking note of the cultivators who entered the valley one by one for future references.


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s gaze turned cold as he saw six green-robed cultivators walking towards the spell formation. The person in the lead was the Grand Elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect, Dong Mentu. Han Li did not have a good impression of this person. Although this Grand Elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect did not really have any conflict with him, Han Li had always been careful of this person because of Gu Shuangpu.


    However, now that his abilities had greatly improved, there was no need for him to pay much attention to this person.


    But at this moment, the five green-robed cultivators surrounding Dong Mentu trembled and turned their heads to look in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Almost at the same time, Han Li¡¯s second Nascent Soul, which had been mostly assimilated, suddenly became intensely unstable. If it weren¡¯t for his quick reaction and he condensed his spiritual sense to forcefully suppress this Nascent Soul, the second Nascent Soul formed by the Wood Spirit Nascent would probably immediately leave through his aperture.


    At this moment, Han Li used his spiritual sense to carefully scan the five green-robed cultivators and was shocked. These five people were all early-Nascent Soul cultivators.


    ¡°Five Elements Spirit Nascent!¡± Combined with the abnormality of his second Nascent Soul, Han Li guessed the origins of these five cultivators without thinking. His pupils could not help but constrict.


    The strange behavior of the five green-robed cultivators was naturally noticed by Dong Mentu, who was walking in front. He hurriedly turned his head to take a look and happened to meet Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    A hint of surprise appeared on Dong Mentu¡¯s face, but he immediately turned around as if nothing had happened and walked into the teleportation formation.


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s calm expression finally changed drastically upon seeing Dong Mentu bring five Nascent Soul cultivators with him.


    Wei Wuya appraised the green-robed cultivators with a contemplative expression.


    Wang Tiansheng stared at them and asked, ¡°Brother Dong, these Fellow Daoists are quite unfamiliar. Could you introduce them to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll introduce them to you after the trip to Devilfall Valley is over.¡± Dong Mentu was a crafty old fox, so he was able to deal with the matter with a few casual words.


    Wang Tiansheng inwardly cursed the old ghost, but he knew that the guy wouldn¡¯t tell him the truth, so he didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further.


    After he instructed his disciples, the six of them were teleported away in two batches. In the instant that Dong Mentu was teleported away, he inadvertently glanced at Han Li, his gaze filled with hostility.


    Although his actions were extremely secretive, Han Li could clearly see it with his spiritual sense.


    It seemed that Dong Mentu had sensed the Spirit Nascent in his body. This was a little troublesome. With the five-element Spirit Nascent following him, he had suddenly become terrifying. It was a pity that the Wood Spirit Nascent had yet to be completely assimilated. It seemed that Han Li would have to be careful of this person after entering the valley.


    As Dong Mentu teleported away, three more cultivators walked over. When Han Li saw one of them, he was stunned and revealed a bitter smile.


    This person was none other than the silver-haired old man, his Senior Brother Cheng. The other two old men also had wrinkled faces and appeared to be nearing the end of their lifespans.


    Han Li sighed and watched as the three of them entered the formation and were teleported away. Then, he turned his gaze to the spirit stone in the middle of the formation. At this moment, the high-grade spirit stone appeared even dimmer.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed and he no longer hesitated. He immediately rose into the air and flew towards the formation enshrouded in a ball of azure light.


    A moment later, he landed in front of the formation and threw a Devilfall Medallion at Wang Tiansheng.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯re here as expected. Fellow Daoist Han is young and has a bright future ahead of you, so there¡¯s no need for you to take such a risk.¡± Wei Wuya¡¯s figure swayed, and he suddenly appeared in front of Han Li from hundreds of feet away.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Wei. I have my own reasons for entering Devilfall Valley,¡± Han Li replied with a calm expression.


    Wei Wuya frowned and stared at Han Li¡¯s face for a long while before his expression gradually darkened.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han has already made up his mind, I won¡¯t say anything else. I hope our goals are different,¡± Wei Wuya said before returning to his original position.


    Wang Tiansheng saw that Wei Wuya was actually treating the young man in front of him so grandly and called out his surname. How could he not know who Han Li was?


    His expression was calm, but his heart was astounded as he sized up Han Li.


    He had heard Han Li¡¯s name many years ago. However, at that time, Han Li¡¯s cultivation was very shallow and his son, Wang Chan, had suffered a huge loss at Han Li¡¯s hands before Han Li escaped.


    Many years later, the person in front of him reappeared in the Heavenly South Region. He was already a Nascent Soul cultivator. Coincidentally, the Ghost Spirit Sect had once again formed a deep enmity with the young man in front of them. In the end, the other party had slipped away once again.


    Several years later, Han Li had risen to fame, and his abilities had left all cultivators in awe. He had faintly become an existence second only to the three great cultivators.


    When he, the master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, heard this news, it was not a happy thing. He naturally remembered Han Li¡¯s name in his heart.


    Now that he saw Han Li, he naturally wanted to figure out something.


    Unfortunately, Han Li stood in the middle of the formation and immediately closed his eyes. His expression was neither warm nor cold, as if he did not want to talk to anyone. He did not reveal any flaws at all.


    Seeing this, Wang Tiansheng¡¯s heart trembled, and he became even more fearful of Han Li.


    However, he casually waved his hand, and the disciples in the air began to activate the spell formation.


    After a buzzing sound, Han Li disappeared in a flash of light.


    ¡­


    After a slight discomfort from the teleportation, Han Li finally returned to normal and began to size up his current foothold.


    This was a mostly collapsed gravel slope. It was a mess, and weeds that were half the height of a person grew everywhere. Ahead and slightly further to the left and right were low hills that rose and fell continuously. There was not a single person to be seen.


    However, this wasn¡¯t strange. Devilfall Valley was a million square kilometers. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they were teleported in the same batch, it would be inconceivable for them to bump into each other.


    However, when Han Li turned his head and took a look, he could not help but reveal a stunned expression.

 Chapter 808

    Killing Intent in the Valley


    Not far behind him was a depression that was over 1,000 feet wide. It was completely barren, and it was clear that it wasn¡¯t natural.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, but he first released his spiritual sense and quickly searched everything within 20 to 30 kilometers. He did not find any traces of other cultivators. Only then did he look at the ground with relief and slowly walked over.


    Standing at the edge of the depression, Han Li carefully sized it up and a trace of surprise flashed across his face.


    This wasn¡¯t a depression at all, but rather an extremely neat circular pit.


    The pit was covered in grey dust, and it was unknown how deep it was. It was impossible to see anything clearly.


    Han Li stared at the huge pit for a while and muttered to himself.


    A short moment later, he formed an incantation gesture with his hands and raised his hand, summoning a typhoon over 100 feet tall in front of him.


    Han Li said the word ¡°go¡± and waved his sleeve.


    A tornado immediately swept up the dust on the ground and whistled toward the center of the crater.


    The wind swept away all of the rubble and dust in its path, revealing the true appearance of the pit in a short moment.


    Down below were all stone walls with a dark red lava-like surface that was exceptionally smooth.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Han Li could tell at a glance that this was clearly formed from high-temperature flames. Then, he thought of the shape of this pit.


    After some thought, an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.


    Could it be that this was a huge crater created by a fireball similar to the Fireball Technique? If he were to release a fireball onto the stone wall, a similar crater would appear. However, the crater would only be several tens of feet in size at most. Compared to this hundred-meter-wide crater, it paled in comparison.


    Could this be the power of an ancient cultivator?


    Han Li thought for a long time in a daze before letting out a long sigh and shaking his head.


    He had thought too much. This pit could have been formed from an ancient fire-attribute treasure. Even so, the abilities of ancient cultivators were far beyond those of current cultivators.


    Then, Han Li slowly walked around the stone pit and did not find anything special. He stopped and looked up at the sky.


    It should be noon now, but there was no dazzling sun in the sky. Instead, there were endless yellow dark clouds that emitted a faint light.


    Han Li was not surprised. He had seen this situation many times.


    This was the result of some kind of restriction covering the entire sky. According to his estimations, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to rise too high, or he would trigger the restriction.


    Although he thought this, Han Li still flicked his finger, and a Gold Devouring Beetle that he had taken out flew out of his hand and into the air.


    Han Li raised his head and looked at the insect expressionlessly.


    As expected, when the Gold Devouring Beetle was only 500 to 600 feet away from the ground, a bolt of blue lightning struck the Gold Devouring Beetle.


    The beetle immediately rolled in the air before plummeting to the ground. However, when it was about 70 to 80 feet above the ground, it spread its wings and returned to normal as if nothing had happened.


    Seeing this, Han Li revealed a pensive expression, then used his divine sense to recall the flying insect.


    After identifying the direction, spiritual light flashed around his body and he slowly flew westward in a ball of azure light.


    In such a strange place, he didn¡¯t dare to use his full speed. Otherwise, he would simply be courting death if he ran into a restriction or a spatial tear.


    As he had an appointment with Violet Spirit and Marquis Nanlong, Han Li prepared to do two things.


    He would postpone the search for the Spirit Kindle Fruit, and join forces with Marquis Nanlong to exterminate the Fire Toad first.


    Although the Ghost Spirit Sect would definitely look for the Spirit Kindle Fruit after entering the valley, Han Li did not believe that the vague memories of the Nascent Soul cultivator who escaped from the valley could let them immediately find the fruit. Who knew how long it would take?


    Furthermore, even if he managed to find the spirit fruit, he would have to immediately refine the pill after plucking it. After consuming the pill, he would have to meditate to dissolve the medicinal power.


    This delay was not just a few days.


    As such, Han Li naturally had to obtain the core of the Fire Toad that was extremely important to Nangong Wan. Only then could he search for the Spirit Kindle Fruit with peace of mind.


    Furthermore, he was also very interested in the treasures on the remains of the ancient cultivator that the Ancient Fire Toad guarded.


    As Han Li pondered, he did not hesitate to use all of his spiritual sense. At the same time, blue light flashed in his eyes from time to time. He also used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to prevent any restrictions or spatial cracks from hiding from his spiritual sense.


    Although he was unable to determine where he was, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t too far away from the other cultivators.


    Although the teleportation formation was a random teleportation, everybody was within a certain range.


    Han Li had no intention of meeting the other cultivators. Instead, he wanted to meet Marquis Nanlong and the others at the westernmost part of Devilfall Valley.


    According to Marquis Nanlong, although he had obtained Master Cang Kun¡¯s method of entering the valley, this method required a certain amount of risk and Essence Energy to enter the valley. The only benefit of this method was that he didn¡¯t need to identify his own location. Once he entered the valley, he could follow Master Cang Kun¡¯s previous route of entering the valley and sneak into the inner valley.


    After some thought, Han Li decided to use the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method to enter the valley.


    After all, since the Ghost Spirit Sect dared to wantonly sell the Devilfall Medallions, they must have some confidence in the method to enter the valley. Naturally, Han Li had to choose the safer method.


    From the looks of it, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s method to enter the outer valley was indeed extremely smooth. However, he was afraid that he would have to take some risks on the way to the rendezvous point.


    As Han Li pondered, he kept looking left and right. Suddenly, he stopped and stared ahead, frowning.


    However, his expression immediately returned to normal as he continued to fly forward. However, his speed had unconsciously decreased by 30%.


    After flying for more than 1,000 feet, Han Li stopped and looked at the white light fox floating in the air in the distance. He could not help but purse his lips.


    It was a three-meter-long light arc with a thick center and thin ends. It was in the shape of a crescent moon. It silently hung in the air without emitting any spiritual fluctuations.


    Han Li carefully sized up this arc of light once before suddenly raising his arm and lightly slashing forward.


    An azure sword Qi appeared in the air above the light arc before fiercely descending.


    With a boom, azure light flashed.


    However, as soon as the sword Qi came into contact with the light arc, it immediately disappeared as if it had been devoured. Meanwhile, the arc of light remained suspended in the air as if nothing had happened.


    Han Li nodded. It seemed that this was the so-called spatial rift.


    If it was so obvious, it would be easy to avoid. However, it was said that there were invisible spatial tears, which were quite troublesome. Furthermore, he had only walked a short distance before he immediately saw this spatial tear. This meant that there were spatial tears everywhere in Devilfall Valley. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he would definitely be in deep trouble.


    Han Li thought to himself warily.


    Then, his body blurred and he flew in a large arc, avoiding the rift and continuing on his way.


    ¡­


    What Han Li did not know was that more than a hundred kilometers away, a chubby old man was also staring at a foot-long smaller arc of light in front of him, muttering something similar.


    ¡°That was quite a close call. They actually teleported me to the side of a spatial tear. If I were to land another hundred feet to the left, I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep my life. It seems there are quite a few spatial tears in Devilfall Valley. I¡¯ll have to be more careful.¡±


    The old man muttered to himself with a pale face.


    Soon after, he also examined his surroundings and used his spiritual sense to confirm that there was no danger. After determining a direction, his body flashed with light and he flew fifty to sixty feet away, preparing to leave.


    Suddenly, a white light lit up along the way.


    The old man didn¡¯t even have the chance to scream before his body was split into two.


    The two halves of the corpse carried a thick scent of blood and fell to the ground. The old man¡¯s face was filled with disbelief and unwillingness before he died.


    As for the spatial tear that had just appeared, its brilliance was completely withdrawn, and it slowly became transparent and invisible. If anyone else were to come, they wouldn¡¯t be able to discover its existence.


    ¡­


    In another location, three brocade-robed cultivators were sweating profusely as they flew back and forth through a pile of rubble. However, no matter which direction they went, rainbow light would appear every hundred feet and block their path.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. We won¡¯t be able to leave this place. Those Ghost Spirit Sect bastards actually teleported the three of us into this restriction. Once we leave, we¡¯ll definitely settle the score with them.¡± A large man with a scarred face couldn¡¯t help but stop and curse.


    ¡°Humph, save your breath. The Ghost Spirit Sect is afraid of us small sects looking for trouble? Furthermore, they said from the start that the teleportation would be random. Even if we were teleported into a spatial tear, we would be considered unlucky. Fortunately, although this restriction is powerful, it doesn¡¯t seem to be an offensive type. We will slowly think of a way to get out.¡± Another cultivator stopped and coldly said.


    The scarred man shook his head and said, ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, the treasures in the valley will be taken by others. With our cultivation, we will only be able to search for treasures in the outer valley. If we go to the inner valley, we will be courting death. In order to buy the Devilfall Medallions, we¡¯re almost bankrupt.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, the second cultivator said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we can only use brute force to break through the restrictions. Although the restrictions appear somewhat mystical, the restrictions in the outer valley can¡¯t be too powerful. In that case, we¡¯ll be able to leave even if we exhaust a bit more magic power.¡±


    After a moment of thought, the dark-skinned cultivator nodded and said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the only way. Second Brother, your magic treasure is an attack type magic treasure, so we¡¯ll have to rely on you. We¡¯ll assist you from the side.¡±


    When the large man heard this, his spirits were roused and he said, ¡°Leave it to me. I only need a few moves to break this ghost thing.¡±


    He then opened his mouth to expel a ball of yellow light, within which was a small stone seal that was around an inch in size.


    The large man formed an incantation gesture with his hands and pointed at the seal. In the blink of an eye, the stone seal swelled to several feet in size.


    The other two released a red and a white flying swords respectively.

 Chapter 809

    Everyone Goes Their Own Ways


    ¡°Go!¡± The large man let out a low roar, and the stone seal began to revolve before striking toward the rainbow light in the distance.


    The two flying swords also transformed into two streaks of red and white light that followed the stone seal.


    As expected, the stone seal was extraordinary. Before it struck the light, a faint sound of wind and thunder could be heard. Soon after, an earth-shattering boom erupted, and spiritual light of various colors instantly intertwined, causing the nearby ground to tremble slightly.


    Seeing that the stone seal was so powerful, the other two revealed a gratified smile, but the smile immediately froze on their faces.


    In the intertwining spiritual light, the seven-colored light suddenly shone brightly, and the three magic treasures¡¯ spiritual light was suppressed by the light. Soon after, a clear ring sounded from the light, and the three magic treasures were sent flying.


    In their alarm, the three of them hurriedly regained control of their magic treasures and looked at each other in dismay.


    This restriction was far more powerful than they had anticipated.


    The large man harrumphed and was just about to say something when spiritual light flashed around him, turning into a fiery red color.


    Before the three of them realized what was going on, countless fire clouds began to condense and roil in the air above the restriction.


    A scorching heat instantly filled every corner of the rainbow light.


    ¡°What is going on? Didn¡¯t you say that restrictions aren¡¯t offensive?¡± The large scarred man shouted in alarm.


    However, the other two didn¡¯t have the time to answer the large man¡¯s question as the fire clouds in the sky were already pressing down on them.


    At that moment, the three cultivators including the large man trembled in fear as they hurriedly activated their magic treasures to protect themselves. They then hurriedly slapped several spirit talismans onto their bodies, causing barriers of various attributes to flicker on their bodies.


    The three of them were engulfed in the red mist.


    A short moment later, three miserable shrieks rang out from within the cloud of fire, following which silence ensued.


    A short moment later, the cloud of fire dissipated on its own and the rainbow light faded away. There was no one left in the pile of rubble.


    There were only three magic treasures lying on the ground. Their brilliance was extremely dim, as if they had lost their spiritual nature.


    ¡­


    There weren¡¯t many cultivators that encountered misfortune upon entering Devilfall Valley, only seven or eight. However, more than half of them perished in the end.


    Almost as soon as they encountered accidents in the valley, their lives were in danger. Even a mid-grade sect Nascent Soul cultivator was killed by a spatial tear due to a moment of carelessness.


    Han Li did not know what happened to the others, but in the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region, he was naturally careful with every step.


    However, at this moment, he was pleasantly surprised.


    In the air above a desolate land, he had his hands behind his back and his eyes were wide open as he looked ahead. Blue light flowed incessantly from his pupils, making him appear somewhat dazzling.


    In the eyes of outsiders, Han Li, whose eyes were emitting blue light, appeared somewhat demonic. However, Han Li was not in the mood to think about these things.


    There was nothing in front of him, and even after sweeping his spiritual sense past it, it was quite normal.


    However, under the full power of the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, Han Li saw a blurry arc of light that was a few feet long. It was flickering with a weak light more than 100 feet ahead.


    Han Li took a deep breath and the blue light in his eyes gradually weakened. His face changed into an uncertain expression.


    He was now completely certain that his spirit eyes were capable of detecting invisible spatial tears that couldn¡¯t be detected with his spiritual sense.


    Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t wasted so much spirit liquid to concoct Brightsight Spirit Water to cleanse his eyes.


    As such, his safety in Devilfall Valley was naturally guaranteed. The only problem was that although his Brightsight Spirit Eyes could detect such a crack, he had to use his full strength. Otherwise, he would still not notice it.


    Using the Brightsight Spirit Eyes didn¡¯t consume much spiritual power, but if Marquis Nanlong and the others were to notice the change in his eyes, it would be troublesome.


    He didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he possessed this ability.


    Han Li lowered his head and muttered to himself, but soon he had an idea.


    He slapped his storage pouch, and a shimmering azure cloak appeared in his hand.


    This cloak was not an ordinary accessory. It was one of the spoils of war that Han Li had plundered in the past. It could be considered a top-grade spirit weapon.


    This item didn¡¯t have any other functions, but it could cover one¡¯s face and prevent others from seeing it.


    Of course, this effect also required continuous spiritual power to be injected into the cloak. Furthermore, the cultivation of the person spying on the target and the person wearing the cloak could not be too different.


    Han Li reckoned that other than Scholar Zhong and Wei Wuya, he might be able to see through it. The other cultivators in the valley would not be able to see the strange look in their eyes.


    After putting on his cloak, Han Li glanced indifferently at the faintly visible spatial rifts before turning into a streak of azure light and flying past it.


    ¡­


    In a dense forest filled with towering trees, a tall woman with an ordinary appearance was flying at a low altitude.


    The woman¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t particularly outstanding, but her eyes were exceptionally clear and moving. She would occasionally glance to her left and right as if she were searching for something.


    A short moment later, the woman finally passed through the dense forest and came to a stop at the edge of the forest. She became somewhat stunned.


    The woman raised her head and looked at the yellow sky as she muttered, ¡°It seems this isn¡¯t the place. Without the mark left behind by the Ghost Spirit Sect Elder, he should be somewhere else. However, he actually told me to find the mark first and then wait for him for a period of time. What does that mean? Could it be that he has other goals in Devilfall Valley?¡±


    All of a sudden, her brow stirred and her body blurred as she retreated back into the forest. At the same time, she withdrew her Qi and began to cast several concealment spells on her body. She then hid under a huge tree and remained motionless.


    She saw three streaks of light of different colors flying toward her from afar. They weren¡¯t traveling very fast, and she could faintly make out three old men flying together.


    In the blink of an eye, three streaks of light arrived in the air above the dense forest. One of the silver-haired old men seemed to have sensed something and glanced down at the woman¡¯s hiding spot.


    ¡°What? Did Brother Cheng discover something?¡± A purple-robed old man with a wrinkled face suddenly asked.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s a Core Formation female cultivator hidden in the forest below. She doesn¡¯t seem to want to be seen,¡± the silver-haired old man said indifferently.


    The old man¡¯s heart stirred and he said, ¡°Oh, that woman is so careful. Could it be that there are treasures in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Brother Lin, stop dreaming. There are no signs of any restrictions in this forest. The person down there is only a Core Formation cultivator, and she¡¯s a female cultivator at that. It¡¯s only natural for her to hide from us three old fogeys in such a dangerous place. Let¡¯s not be meddlesome and quickly search for treasures. It¡¯s best if we can find something in the outer valley. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have no choice but to enter the inner valley,¡± an old man with an azure face said in a slow voice.


    After being refuted, the purple-robed old man agreed with a smile, ¡°Brother Ou¡¯s words are reasonable. Let¡¯s ignore this female cultivator. No matter how fast I am, I won¡¯t dare to go all-out in this damned place. It won¡¯t be a short time before we finish searching through such a large outer valley. It¡¯s better not to waste time.¡±


    The silver-haired old man calmly nodded and the three of them flew through the dense forest.


    When the woman in the dense forest saw that the streak of light had disappeared into the distance, she carefully emerged from the forest.


    She looked in their direction and muttered to herself, ¡°That silver-haired old man seems to be his Senior Brother from the Drifting Cloud Sect. I didn¡¯t expect him to be here as well. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.¡±


    This woman was naturally Violet Spirit, who had disguised herself and entered Devilfall Valley.


    Han Li made a deal with her and asked her to find clues about the Spirit Kindle Fruit in the outer valley. Then, after a few days, he would meet up with her to find the Spirit Kindle Fruit.


    Violet Spirit had agreed without hesitation, but she was naturally puzzled by Han Li¡¯s condition.


    However, she also knew that this matter definitely had nothing to do with her, so she did not ask Han Li for the reason.


    At this moment, she hadn¡¯t found her target in the forest. After a moment of hesitation, she flew in the direction that the three old men had come from.


    ¡­


    In another dense forest in Devilfall Valley, six black-clothed Ghost Spirit Sect disciples were searching through the forest. Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan were among them.


    In the air above the dense forest, the pale-faced old man floated motionlessly in the air with an expressionless face.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master, Wang Tiangu, and the other Ghost Spirit Sect disciples were nowhere to be seen.


    Suddenly, an exclamation came from somewhere in the forest.


    Soon after, the old man heard a delighted voice transmission from a disciple.


    ¡°Found it. It¡¯s here.¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression stirred, and black light flashed from his body before he flew down as a streak of black light.


    When the others heard this, they also did the same.


    In the next instant, the old man stood above the disciple and coldly asked, ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Elder Zhong, over here.¡± The disciple pointed to a large tree at the side and respectfully said.


    When the old man heard this, his gaze followed the direction of his finger and his brow stirred.


    The tree was quite peculiar in shape. Not only were its roots split, but there were also thick branches protruding from its trunk. The entire tree appeared to be a giant.


    The old man nodded and said with a straight face, ¡°You¡¯ve done well. It is very likely to be the tree. If it is, the sect will reward you greatly after we leave the valley.¡±


    When the disciple heard this, he hurriedly expressed his thanks in delight.


    The old man slowly descended and circled the huge tree twice before stopping beside it.


    After staring at it for a moment, he raised his hand and made a grabbing motion toward the tree.


    A thread of black energy slowly flew out from the tree trunk and condensed into a ball before shooting into the old man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It really is here. Call the others over.¡±


    A trace of a smile finally appeared on Old Man Zhong¡¯s face as he commanded.


    As time passed, the other cultivators gradually dispersed.


    Apart from a few people who were searching for something purposefully, the majority of the people were looking around aimlessly, hoping to discover something.


    However, to the disappointment of most people, it was unknown whether it was because they were in the outer valley, but apart from a few lucky ones who had picked up some of the remains of the cultivators who had entered the valley previously, most of the explorers hadn¡¯t found anything during the initial period of time. It wasn¡¯t as the rumors said, that the valley was filled with treasures.


    Some of the impatient cultivators and those with abundant magic power began to slowly approach the inner valley.


    To Han Li, the first day of Devilfall Valley was rather uneventful.


    On the way, he didn¡¯t waste any time looking for treasures. He would go where it was safe, and he would hide far away from places that might contain restrictions.


    As a result, he was able to arrive at the agreed location with Marquis Nanlong despite his slow speed. He also figured out where he was in the valley.

 Chapter 810

    The Road to the Inner Valley


    On the west side of Devilfall Valley, on a small mountain filled with brown rocks, a person was sitting and another was standing at the top of the mountain.


    The person sitting cross-legged was a white-robed old man with a benevolent appearance. The person standing was wearing embroidered clothes and a tall crown. His long beard reached his chest.


    They were none other than the Heavenpeak Sect Elder Lu Weiying and Marquis Nanlong.


    Marquis Nanlong stood twenty meters in front of Lu Weiying with his hands behind his back. He appeared to be looking into the distance with a calm expression, but there was a faint trace of anxiety in his eyes.


    Lu Weiying, who was sitting cross-legged on a huge rock, seemed to sense Marquis Nanlong¡¯s anxiety and suddenly said, ¡°Brother Nanlong, there¡¯s no need to be too anxious. That person¡¯s teleportation location is very likely remote, so it¡¯ll naturally take more time for him to come over. Didn¡¯t we personally see him enter the spell formation and be teleported in?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and helplessly said, ¡°That is true, but you also know that Devilfall Valley is rife with danger. There are some dangers that can¡¯t be dealt with just with great abilities. We can¡¯t lack this person. Otherwise, our trip to Devilfall Valley will be in vain.¡±


    Lu Wei opened his eyes and couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°That Greatnorth Essence Light is one thing, but is the Fire Toad truly that powerful? Why else would we have dragged this person along with us?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong frowned and explained, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it with my own eyes. However, in Master Cang Kun¡¯s statement, it was described as extremely fearsome. It would be best to find a pertinent cultivator to deal with it. Otherwise, even if we are able to deal with it, it won¡¯t be easy. If we aren¡¯t careful, our vitality will be greatly damaged. In such a dangerous place, I don¡¯t want to give others an opportunity.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Lu Weiying said, ¡°Brother Nanlong¡¯s words are reasonable. It seems you¡¯ve become more careful after the Moulan Plains incident. However, I¡¯ve read about the Fire Toad in some ancient records. This ancient beast wasn¡¯t very famous in ancient times. According to what was written, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to deal with. However, since Master Cang Kun said so, I reckon the one in the valley is a mutated Fire Toad.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong didn¡¯t completely agree with the old man¡¯s opinion. ¡°Mutated? That is possible. However, I feel that this beast is exceptional because it has no natural enemies in the valley and has been cultivating for far too long.¡±


    Lu Weiying closed his eyes once more and leisurely said, ¡°At this point, there is no point in saying anything else. The Fire Toad must be exterminated. The passage to the Fire Toad is filled with Greatnorth Essence Light. Those who aren¡¯t prepared will never be able to pass through. We don¡¯t have to worry about the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains being discovered by others.¡±


    When Marquis Nanlong saw the old man¡¯s calm appearance, he faintly smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed and he hastily turned to look at the sky.


    In the distance, azure light flashed, following which an azure streak slowly flew over.


    ¡°It¡¯s him. He¡¯s finally arrived.¡± Marquis Nanlong, who was more familiar with Han Li¡¯s light, immediately recognized the direction of the light with a smile.


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he hurriedly opened his eyes and stood up.


    It appeared that although the Heavenpeak Sect elder appeared calm on the surface, he was also anxious.


    The azure streak of light appeared to be extremely careful and didn¡¯t travel very quickly. After a long while, it finally arrived above them.


    The azure light receded to reveal a cloaked figure floating above them. He looked down at the two people.


    ¡°Is that you, Fellow Daoist Han?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong examined the cloak with his spiritual sense and was surprised to find that it was unable to penetrate it.


    Han Li stroked the cloak on his head and chuckled. ¡°Why? Did you make an appointment with anyone other than me?¡± At the same time, he glanced at Lu Weiying.


    Lu Weiying also discovered the abnormality of Han Li¡¯s cloak, but his expression remained unchanged.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han must be joking. Brother Lu and I have been waiting for you for a long time.¡± Marquis Nanlong heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Han Li¡¯s voice.


    Although he felt that Han Li was strange wearing the cloak, seeing that Han Li did not want to mention this matter, he did not ask further.


    The three of them weren¡¯t indecisive and immediately began to discuss the matter of killing the Fire Toad.


    To reach the Fire Toad, they had to first enter the inner valley.


    The so-called ¡°Inner Valley¡± was actually a place that used an even more powerful ancient restriction to seal off a large area at the center of Devilfall Valley.


    However, this time, there was a different path to the inner valley.


    After circling around the entire outer valley, Han Li easily found a dozen or so passageways of different sizes.


    However, these passageways were all heavily restricted. If he wanted to pass through them, he would have to break through the restrictions bit by bit. If he wanted to force his way through, he would only be asking for trouble.


    These ancient restrictions were all extremely powerful and merciless. It would be fine if he didn¡¯t attack, but if he did, they would definitely retaliate.


    Back then, Master Cang Kun was confident that his attainments in array formations were not weak. After studying it for a few days, he completely gave up.


    It wasn¡¯t that he really couldn¡¯t undo it, but it would take too much time for him to do it alone.


    Later on, Master Cang Kun spent a lot of effort and, with luck, found another hidden path that was covered in Greatnorth Essence Light.


    The passage was extremely secretive and wouldn¡¯t be easily discovered. However, the Greatnorth Essence Lights in the passage were enough to kill any cultivators that entered without knowing.


    However, now that he had the Heaven-Earth Ring, entering the inner valley should be an extremely easy task.


    Han Li and the two of them discussed for a moment and immediately rose into the air without any rest, preparing to fly towards the inner valley.


    However, as soon as he rose into the air, Marquis Nanlong slapped his storage pouch and took out several bells of different colors. They were several inches in size and he hung them from his waist.


    Han Li looked at Marquis Nanlong in surprise.


    Marquis Nanlong saw the curiosity in Han Li¡¯s eyes and explained, ¡°These are Sense Bells. As long as there are any abnormal changes in the spatial fluctuations, the bells will automatically ring. Although they can¡¯t predict all the spatial cracks, they will warn us of most of the spatial cracks.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred and he nodded. The three of them turned into three streaks of light and flew away from the small mountain.


    They flew all the way to the center of the valley. The bells were quite effective.


    Once a spatial tear appeared, the bells would immediately release a clear jingle, allowing the three to be on guard so that they wouldn¡¯t run into it.


    However, most of these spatial tears were traceable or dim. As for truly invisible spatial tears, the bells weren¡¯t able to warn them.


    Han Li knew this clearly because on the way, he saw a hidden crack with his spiritual eye not far away from the three of them. Three rays of light brushed past it. The copper bells did not call the police.


    Seeing this, Han Li had some sense of propriety.


    However, as Marquis Nanlong had said, this copper bells indeed made the journey much more convenient.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were also able to free themselves and increase their speed.


    Since the three of them were on the way, and there was no invisible rift in front of them, Han Li naturally did not need to warn them and was happy to remain silent.


    Just like that, the three of them had a safe journey.


    Half a day later, they appeared outside the inner valley, in front of an unfamiliar mountain ridge.


    There were over ten small mountain peaks connected to each other, forming a miniature mountain range that was several tens of kilometers in size.


    Behind the mountain range, there was a patch of blood-red light that obscured the yellow sky, making it appear extremely demonic.


    Marquis Nanlong was also seeing the crimson light for the first time, but he immediately warned as if he had recognized it, ¡°That must be the inner valley. Those crimson lights are extremely powerful restrictions. Do not provoke them, or else you will suffer heavy losses.¡±


    Han Li squinted his eyes and looked at the blood light expressionlessly.


    Even if Marquis Nanlong hadn¡¯t mentioned this, he wouldn¡¯t have rashly charged into the strange blood light.


    However, these ancient devil cultivators were quite interesting. They actually laid down layer upon layer of formidable restrictions in Devilfall Valley. What was the original purpose of this valley? Why was it so tightly guarded? Could it be a prison or a cage?


    For some reason, Han Li had this strange thought, but he immediately laughed and denied it.


    What kind of monster would require such a large valley as a cage? This was simply impossible. It was most likely an important stronghold for ancient devil cultivators!


    Han Li guessed in his heart.


    At this moment, Marquis Nanlong brought the old man and Han Li into the upper territories and flew directly between the two mountain ridges.


    When they arrived, Marquis Nanlong raised his hand and the three of them slowly descended to the ground.


    He used his naked eye to look ahead. There were green grass, rocks, huge trees, and vines. Everything seemed normal.


    A trace of excitement appeared on Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face, but he calmly said, ¡°This is the place. This place shouldn¡¯t be like this, but Master Cang Kun cast an illusion technique before he left, blocking the entrance of the passageway. As such, I can¡¯t see the entrance. Let me break the illusion technique first.¡±


    Soon after, he waved his sleeve, and a white jade pendant flew out from his sleeve. It circled around before stopping above his head.


    Marquis Nanlong muttered an incantation and formed a gesture with his hands, casting a series of incantation seals of different colors onto the jade badge above his head.


    All of the incantation seals were absorbed by the jade pendant in a flash. Soon after, the jade pendant began to tremble with dazzling light and let out a clear ring.


    Marquis Nanlong let loose a loud cry, and a vast expanse of white light shot forth from the jade pendant, sweeping toward everything in front of him.


    A strange scene then unfolded.


    Wherever the white light passed, all the rocks and trees were torn apart like a painting and disappeared in the light.


    The white light let out a clear cry before quickly disappearing into the jade pendant.


    In front of Han Li and the other two, there was an unfamiliar scene.

 Chapter 811

    Gray Mist


    As far as the eye could see, all of the lush vegetation was gone, replaced by a strange grey scene.


    The mountain peaks on either side of him were filled with white stones, all of which were oval and smooth. The larger ones were the size of a head, while the smaller ones were only about the size of a fist.


    When he looked into the distance, he saw a vast expanse of grey mist. It was indistinct, making it impossible for him to clearly see what was happening within the mist.


    However, the grey mist was restricted to a radius of 1,000 feet in the center, and the two sides were filled with blood-red light that swept toward the center like a tidal wave. However, when it reached the mist, it was as if it had touched a dike and was unable to move an inch.


    Lu Weiying exhaled and slowly asked, ¡°This is the passageway that Fellow Daoist spoke of?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong faltered for a moment before asking, ¡°That¡¯s right, it should be here. Does Brother Lu feel that something is amiss?¡±


    Lu Weiying looked at the grey mist in the distance and indifferently asked, ¡°That crimson light is definitely a restriction in the valley, but this mist doesn¡¯t seem to be ordinary. Did Master Cang Kun¡¯s statement mention this mist?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t mention this mist. Perhaps he didn¡¯t think it was important.¡±


    Lu Weiying shook his head and solemnly said, ¡°I have a feeling that this grey mist is somewhat extraordinary. It is best to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Han Li suddenly asked.


    Marquis Nanlong clapped his hands in agreement and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is right. I happen to have a few Thousand Kilometer Orioles here that I normally use to search for spiritual medicines. I can use them to give it a try.¡±


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he did not object.


    Marquis Nanlong immediately took out a small spirit beast pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air.


    A small bird with golden feathers flew out from the pouch like an arrow before circling in the air.


    Marquis Nanlong raised his hand, and an azure talisman flew out, striking the small bird.


    The bird spread its wings and a small azure barrier of light suddenly appeared around its body.


    Marquis Nanlong gave an order through his spiritual sense, and the small bird let loose a sharp cry before flying off into the distance in a streak of golden light.


    Before the bird could come into contact with the grey fog in the distance, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with blue light and he used his spiritual eye to look carefully.


    However, when his gaze inadvertently swept past a certain area, his expression stirred and a strange look appeared in his eyes.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were completely focused on the oriole and didn¡¯t notice Han Li¡¯s strange expression.


    The Thousand Kilometer Oriole had already disappeared into the grey mist.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t clearly see what was going on in the mist, but for the sake of caution, he didn¡¯t rashly use his spiritual sense to probe the mist. Instead, he turned his head to look at Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression.


    Marquis Nanlong closed his eyes and used his mind to communicate with the spirit bird.


    His expression appeared normal, indicating that nothing had happened to the spirit bird since it entered.


    Just as Han Li thought this, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s body trembled, and his face suddenly paled as he opened his eyes.


    Lu Weiying also noticed Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression and hastily asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong wore an odd expression as if he couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°There seems to be a monster in the grey mist that swallowed the bird. It seems to be¡­¡±


    Han Li and Lu Weiying looked at each other in surprise.


    Marquis Nanlong pondered for a moment before finally affirming, ¡°It seems to be a giant python. This grey mist should be the demonic mist that the giant python spouted.¡±


    ¡°A giant python? That¡¯s strange. If there was such a demon beast, why didn¡¯t Master Cang Kun mention it in his statement? Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless the giant python ran into this passage later,¡± Han Li finished Lu Weiying¡¯s unsaid words.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s exactly what I meant.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Your words are reasonable. However, it seems that the giant python that was able to survive in Devilfall Valley isn¡¯t an ordinary demon beast. It should also be an ancient beast. If we don¡¯t kill it, we won¡¯t be able to enter the inner valley. This is going to be troublesome!¡±


    A cold light flashed from Lu Weiying¡¯s eyes as he calmly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Since this grey mist isn¡¯t a restriction, there is no need to fear it. It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to deal with an ancient beast. It can¡¯t possibly be more difficult to deal with than that Fire Toad!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong opened his mouth and spat out a small sword shimmering with golden light. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s as powerful as the Fire Toad, but we have to kill the giant python now. Let¡¯s attack together.¡±


    Lu Weiying rubbed his hands together and a dazzling white magic flag appeared in his hands.


    When Han Li saw this, he smiled bitterly.


    The two were quite decisive. When they saw that they couldn¡¯t avoid it, they immediately attacked without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections to your plan to get rid of this beast, but before we do that, shouldn¡¯t we ask the last Fellow Daoist to come out? You¡¯ve been hiding at the side for so long, haven¡¯t you seen enough?¡± Han Li suddenly said with a sullen expression as he pointed to an empty spot. At the same time, he flicked his finger, and several azure sword Qi shot out.


    In the blink of an eye, the sword Qi exploded several hundred meters away.


    A humanoid figure covered in yellow light and holding a huge shield strangely appeared.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were dumbstruck.


    The yellow light belonged to a shriveled man that appeared to be in his forties. He hastily bowed to the three with fear in his eyes. ¡°It is a misunderstanding! Seniors, please don¡¯t be angry. This Junior has only just arrived. I will immediately leave.¡±


    ¡°Huang Tianming, it¡¯s you!¡± When Lu Weiying saw this person, he cried out in alarm.


    Marquis Nanlong gloomily asked, ¡°What? Does Brother Lu know this person?¡±


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression was unsightly as he stared at the shriveled man and coldly said, ¡°This person is a cultivator from a small sect in our Heavenly Dao Alliance. Putting aside his cultivation base, I heard that he once obtained an ancient cultivator¡¯s Invisibility Talisman. It is an extremely wondrous concealment talisman. I didn¡¯t expect this to be true. Even we didn¡¯t discover him hiding here.¡±


    The shriveled man¡¯s face turned deathly pale upon hearing Marquis Nanlong¡¯s ill-intentioned words. ¡°Seniors, I¡¯ve only just arrived. I merely followed you out of curiosity.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong harrumphed and turned to the old man. ¡°What good could come of following us so sneakily? Brother Lu, he is a member of your Heavenly Dao Alliance. What do you think?¡±


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he expressionlessly narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°My opinion is naturally to exterminate him.¡±


    The old man calmly replied. As soon as he said this, his body blurred and he disappeared in a flash of white light.


    When the shriveled man heard this, his soul nearly left his body. He immediately disregarded his fear of the three Nascent Soul cultivators and flew into the sky in a streak of light.


    At that moment, the old man had used some sort of movement technique to appear where the man had originally been. He raised his head and cast a cold glance at the yellow light that was flying away. He shook the spell flag in his hand and released it.


    As soon as the flag was activated, it transformed into a white tornado that engulfed the yellow light that had flown over 100 feet away.


    The huge shield in front of the man wildly flashed a few times before shattering inch by inch in the hurricane.


    After letting out a miserable cry, he was also torn to pieces by the countless wind blades in the hurricane, causing a rain of blood to pour down.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he indifferently nodded his head and waved his hand toward the tornado. The tornado transformed back into a white magic flag and shot back into the old man¡¯s hand.


    Marquis Nanlong clapped his hands and chuckled, ¡°Good, Brother Lu has done well. In that case, we won¡¯t have to worry about the passage being leaked.¡±


    Lu Weiying nonchalantly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. A puny Core Formation cultivator actually dared to pursue us. He deserved to die.¡±


    He then made a grabbing motion toward the ground, and two items flew out of the blood and into his hand.


    One was the shriveled cultivator¡¯s storage pouch, while the other was a faint yellow jade talisman.


    Lu Weiying didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. After looking at it for a moment, he put it away into his storage pouch.


    Marquis Nanlong turned to Han Li with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Fellow Daoist Han. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve been in deep trouble. However, Brother Han was actually able to see through an ancient concealment technique. It¡¯s no wonder why you¡¯re so famous now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just lucky. The two of you could¡¯ve also seen through his tracks. It was just a moment of carelessness that allowed him to take advantage of the loophole.¡± Han Li smiled and appeared unconcerned.


    When Marquis Nanlong heard Han Li¡¯s modest words, he shook his head and said nothing else.


    At this moment, Lu Weiying returned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and take action. There will be trouble if we wait too long!¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression was somewhat solemn, but his words made sense.


    Han Li nodded. He flipped his palm and a stack of sparkling formation flags appeared in his hand.


    Han Li stroked his chin and suggested, ¡°When we kill the giant python later, it will definitely cause a huge commotion. I will first set up an isolation formation and try my best to limit the influence within the restriction. This way, we won¡¯t have to worry about other cultivators passing by.¡±


    A smile appeared on the old man¡¯s face and he couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Brother Han is truly a meticulous person. That would be for the best.¡±


    Han Li immediately turned into a streak of azure light and laid down the formation flags in his hands between the two mountains.


    A short moment later, a large-scale spell formation was set up.


    The main function of this spell formation was to keep the sound and spiritual Qi fluctuations to a minimum. Otherwise, it couldn¡¯t have been completed in such a short amount of time.


    When Han Li returned to Marquis Nanlong, Lu Weiying waved the flag in his hand and calmly said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han has finished his preparations, let me use this Hurricane Flag to blow away the demonic mist so that the giant python has nowhere to hide.¡±


    With that said, the old man tossed the treasure into the air and began to chant something.


    Marquis Nanlong pointed to the small golden sword in front of him.


    All of a sudden, the sword transformed into a streak of golden light that rose into the air. It spun in mid-air, and brilliant golden light erupted from it as it swelled drastically in size.


    In the blink of an eye, a twenty-meter-long golden sword appeared above Marquis Nanlong.

 Chapter 812

    Ancient Python


    Lu Weiying stopped chanting and pointed at the flag.


    The flag trembled before suddenly unfolding with blinding brilliance.


    Gusts of tornadoes similar to the ones before swarmed out from above, transforming into a dozen or so white wind dragons that fiercely swept toward the grey mist in the distance.


    The huge golden sword also let out a buzzing sound as it shot forth from its original spot. It flew into the air above the grey mist and began to revolve around it.


    It appeared that Marquis Nanlong was waiting for the grey mist to dissipate. Once the monster appeared, he would unleash a thunderous attack.


    Han Li silently waved his sleeve, and a sparkling silver alms bowl flew out of his sleeve. It then turned into a ball of silver light and flew into the distance.


    This alms bowl was one of the few ancient treasures that Han Li had obtained from killing the Moulan spell warriors. Its power was barely satisfactory.


    Using this treasure to attack, Han Li was only testing the waters.


    The dozen or so wind dragons were the first to plunge into the thick fog. The gray fog roiled for a while, and a large area of the fog was swept up high by the hurricane before being torn to pieces.


    The grey sea of mist was slowly being weakened by the hurricane.


    However, this only lasted for a short moment before a strange hissing sound suddenly erupted from within the mist.


    A huge snake tail as thick as a water tank suddenly shot out from the mist and struck one of the wind dragons. The tornado instantly dissipated.


    The snake tail swatted twice again, and two more wind dragons were easily defeated.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, his expression changed.


    However, he immediately formed a strange hand seal and uttered the word ¡°break¡±.


    White light flashed from the dozen or so remaining hurricanes, and they all exploded at the same time.


    The explosive winds wreaked havoc in the sea of mist, rising in all directions and blowing away most of the grey mist. The entire sea of mist finally dispersed, revealing the shadow of the demon.


    It was extremely huge, and its black body that was like a small mountain was coiled there.


    The huge golden sword that had been hovering above the grey mist for a long time took advantage of this opportunity to descend, silently slashing at the huge python that had just revealed itself.


    Han Li activated a spell seal and flew towards the alms bowl. Brilliant silver light shone and its body suddenly expanded to three meters in size.


    A dull buzzing sound rang out as a swath of silver light surged out from the huge ball and swept toward the huge python, joining forces with the huge golden sword.


    The huge python seemed to be rather slow to react, and it was still curled up in a ball in the face of the silver waves and golden sword.


    Marquis Nanlong was naturally overjoyed and hastily injected more spiritual power into his sword, causing it to grow even larger.


    However, before the golden light could truly stabilize, spiritual light flashed from the python¡¯s body, and a layer of green light suddenly appeared over its body.


    A loud boom erupted as golden and green light intertwined with one another. Soon after, green light erupted and repelled the huge golden sword.


    The three cultivators were inwardly shocked.


    Soon after, the silver light also struck the green light and dissipated.


    As for the giant python, it seemed to have sobered up after these two attacks.


    It slowly pulled out the huge head buried deep in its body and shook it a few times before looking at Han Li and the others.


    At this moment, the grey mist had completely dissipated, and the appearance of the huge python was clearly seen by the three of them.


    The python¡¯s body was as black as iron and over 600 feet long. Its body was extremely thick and was covered in palm-sized black scales. A pair of ghostly green eyes were emitting a cold light.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled. Just as he was about to summon the silver alms bowl back, the giant python seemed to be moving.


    A long projection flashed, and the huge silver alms bowl that was over 300 feet away disappeared.


    Han Li was shocked. Before he could understand what was going on, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s huge golden sword had also encountered the same situation.


    After the projection flashed past, the huge golden sword in the sky suddenly disappeared.


    But this time, Han Li, who was prepared in advance, saw everything clearly.


    In that instant, the huge python¡¯s body strangely elongated and became thinner, swallowing the two treasures like lightning. Because its movements were too fast, Han Li and the others were unable to react at first.


    The python¡¯s body was huge, but its movements were extremely fast.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned solemn.


    When Marquis Nanlong saw that the flying sword had been devoured, he was first shocked, then overjoyed.


    His golden flying sword was an intrinsic magic treasure that he had spent over a hundred years cultivating. Originally, the python¡¯s scales were incomparably hard and he wouldn¡¯t be able to injure it in the slightest. But now that it had taken the initiative to swallow the sword, wouldn¡¯t it be seeking its own death?


    With that thought, Marquis Nanlong wordlessly commanded the golden flying sword with his spiritual sense, preparing to display its might in the python¡¯s stomach and directly break out of the demon¡¯s body, ending the python¡¯s life.


    But in the next instant, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression froze.


    Although he was still able to make contact with his magic treasure, it was currently trapped in the python¡¯s stomach and couldn¡¯t move in the slightest. As a result, he couldn¡¯t help but become nervous.


    After all, if his magic treasure were to be damaged, he would definitely be severely injured.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, my flying sword has been trapped. This giant python is truly no ordinary demon beast. Be careful.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong took a deep breath with a dark expression and raised his hand. A jade green ring flew out from his finger and floated in front of him.


    The surface of the ring was flickering with various talisman characters. It appeared that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary treasure.


    On the other side, when Lu Weiying saw that Han Li and his companion¡¯s treasures had been lost, he was shocked and hurriedly put away the magic flag.


    He then raised his hand and several talismans flew out, following which white light erupted and several tens of strange white fireballs appeared in front of the old man.


    Han Li looked at the white fireballs in surprise. He vaguely felt that he had heard of such fireballs somewhere. However, now was not the time to think about this. He turned around and patted the storage pouch at his waist. Four white lights flew out from the pouch and landed on the ground.


    Three white wolves, two red oxen, and an azure python. These were the six ancient puppet beasts that he had exchanged from Daoist Heavencrystal during the trade fair.


    After obtaining these puppets, Han Li had yet to truly use them. Now that he was facing the giant python, he could test their power.


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man were slightly surprised to see Han Li¡¯s puppet beasts, but their expressions soon returned to normal.


    The three of them were all experienced in battle. After solemnly exchanging a glance, they each activated their own abilities and joined forces to attack.


    However, the huge python stared at the three of them with an ominous glint in its eyes. It raised its head and exhaled with all its might.


    Suddenly, there was a fishy smell that made one want to vomit charging at Han Li and the other two.


    Han Li and the others jumped in fright. They hurriedly protected their bodies with spiritual light and held their breaths. However, in the next moment, they discovered that although the fishy smell was a little unpleasant, it was not harmful.


    The three couldn¡¯t help but hesitate for a moment.


    However, in this moment of delay, the huge python opened its bloody mouth crazily, flattened its abdomen, and suddenly sucked.


    In an instant, the gravel and soil in front of the huge python bounced up from the ground and surged into the huge python¡¯s mouth.


    Caught off guard, the three of them felt as if they were being pushed by an immense force from behind. Their footsteps loosened, and they were instantly unable to move in the slightest. They floated up into the air as if they were about to be forcibly sucked into the giant python¡¯s mouth.


    Han Li¡¯s four puppets were directly sucked towards the python¡¯s mouth without any resistance.


    Han Li revealed a trace of shock, but he did not panic in the slightest. Azure light flashed around his body, and his body immediately became incomparably heavy as he fell straight down. At the same time, with a thought, the six puppet beasts that had just reached the python¡¯s mouth suddenly launched an attack.


    Red light flashed from the four horns of the two red oxen, and they suddenly shot forth, transforming into four streaks of crimson light that shot toward the huge python¡¯s mouth.


    The huge python was fully focused on absorbing Han Li and the others into its stomach, so the red light effortlessly struck the python¡¯s exposed tongue.


    With a flash of red light, a series of thumps rang out.


    The huge python let out a low groan of pain and withdrew its massive tongue. Although they weren¡¯t able to see the extent of its injuries, it unconsciously paused in its inhalation.


    In that brief moment of relaxation, the three white wolves regained control of their bodies. Brilliant white light erupted from their bodies, and they instantly regained control of their bodies. Light that were several inches long emerged from their four claws, and sharp fangs that resembled sharp blades protruded from their mouths. Their bodies blurred, and they transformed into three streaks of white light as they pounced toward the giant python¡¯s head.


    A series of sizzling sounds rang out from the python¡¯s head.


    For some unknown reason, the green light didn¡¯t appear this time. However, the claws and long fangs only left a faint white mark on the python¡¯s black scales. They weren¡¯t able to injure it in the slightest.


    However, two of the white wolves immediately changed directions and pounced toward the giant python¡¯s eyes. Its eyes were exposed without the protection of its scales.


    Purple shadows quickly flashed through the air, followed by two muffled thumps.


    The two white wolves had only flown halfway when the huge python flicked its tongue left and right at lightning speed, sending them flying diagonally.


    The room-sized snake head tilted its head and bit down on one of the white wolf puppets. It wanted to do the same to the other puppet.


    The azure python puppet expanded to over 100 feet in size and fiercely pounced on the enemy. At the same time, the two red oxen shot out their horn lights once more.


    The ancient python was completely enraged by the puppets¡¯ attacks. It let loose a low roar, and its head quickly swayed. A burst of black Qi shot out from its nostrils, instantly enveloping its entire head.


    The two remaining white wolves took advantage of this opportunity to retreat.


    However, two black shadows emerged from the energy and bit down on the two white wolves at the same time. They were two identical, but slightly smaller, snake heads.


    All of this sounded long, but it actually happened in an instant.


    At this moment, the black energy quickly dissipated, revealing the true appearance of the giant python.


    Han Li and the others, who had just regained their freedom, immediately exclaimed.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Three-Headed Black Snake!¡±


    ¡°How is this possible!¡±


    Their words were filled with disbelief.


    On the opposite side, there was a strange python with three heads staring at them in fury. The head in the middle of the python was spitting out its tongue. The heads on both sides of the python were exerting force at the same time, wanting to tear apart the puppet beast in its mouth.


    But right at this moment, a cold ¡°explode¡± sounded from the other side.


    With two loud booms, the two puppet beasts in the snake¡¯s mouth exploded, transforming into two blinding balls of white light.

 Chapter 813

    Slaying the Python


    When Han Li saw that the white wolf puppets were restrained, he made a hand seal without hesitation and detonated the two puppets with his divine sense.


    Although the three-headed python¡¯s body was incomparably hard, its mouth didn¡¯t possess such abnormal defensive abilities. Furthermore, these two white wolf puppets were refined from many unknown and rare materials, and their self-detonation was no small matter. As a result, after the explosion, the two snake heads simultaneously let out miserable shrieks as if they were in extreme pain.


    The snake head in the middle was completely unaffected, but it became even more furious.


    It swayed its body and swept its massive tail in front of it, sending the azure python puppet flying over 100 feet away in a blur.


    At the same time, the python¡¯s head stretched forward and bit down hard, crushing a red ox puppet. Han Li did not even have the chance to self-destruct the puppet.


    As for Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying, after Han Li and the puppet beasts bought them some time, they finally launched an attack in shock.


    First, the several tens of scorching white fireballs in front of the old man flew toward him from all directions.


    Marquis Nanlong raised his hand and struck the green ring with an incantation gesture. Soon after, the ring swayed and suddenly split into two, two into four, four into eight¡­ In a single breath, it transformed into over a hundred identical phantoms. The true ring was mixed in with them as it shot forth as a streak of green light.


    Han Li calmly flipped his hand and summoned a black object into the air.


    The object swelled with the wind and transformed into a mountain that was over 100 feet tall in a flash of black light. Furthermore, it continued to expand drastically under the control of the incantation seal.


    It was none other than the Thousand Layer Mountain ancient treasure.


    In the face of a massive monster like the giant python with thick skin, this magic treasure was most suitable.


    However, the giant python was not slow at all. He had to find a way to trap it first.


    Just as Han Li was pondering, the three-headed python¡¯s two heads seemed to have recovered from the self-detonation. It opened its two mouths and spat out two thick gray pillars of light.


    The white fireball was the first to collide with the pillar of light, resulting in a loud explosion. The fireball instantly transformed into a wave of white flames and grey light that intertwined with one another, resulting in a stalemate.


    As for the jade green rings, they swept past the grey light and the waves of fire and directly shot towards the three python heads.


    Han Li¡¯s huge black mountain slowly followed behind the green shadow.


    When the huge python saw the green light¡¯s aggressive appearance, it seemed to feel threatened. The main head let out a low roar and spiritual light flashed, enveloping its entire body in azure light. It then opened its bloody mouth and suddenly pounced forward.


    The green ring transformed into a projection of light, but it dissipated as soon as it came into contact with the huge python.


    Only the ring that was hiding behind the giant python swayed slightly and instantly disappeared from its original spot, reappearing above its head.


    Soon after, the ring began to shine brightly, transforming into a streak of green energy that descended at lightning speed.


    A green jade ring that had been magnified countless times suddenly appeared seven inches away from the python¡¯s head. It suddenly shrank and desperately tightened, sinking deep into the python¡¯s flesh.


    Even though the giant python was a huge snake, it was unable to withstand the pain once it was restrained in its seven-inch area.


    It immediately rolled on the ground in pain and violently slammed its head against the ground. At the same time, green light flashed from its vitals as if it were desperately trying to break free from the jade bracelet¡¯s restrictions.


    The two smaller heads also appeared to be in pain.


    As a result, the grey pillar of light that was in a deadlock with the white flame wave came to a sudden stop.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, his eyes lit up. He took advantage of this opportunity and cast a spell seal, causing a hundred-meter-tall wave of white flames to surge forward.


    The sea of flames instantly submerged the huge python.


    However, the green light surrounding the python¡¯s body was extremely powerful. Even though the white flames had completely surrounded it, green light was still flashing incessantly. Although the python was rolling on the ground due to the green rings tightening around its vital points, its body didn¡¯t appear to have suffered any damage.


    All of a sudden, black light flashed above the giant python, and a black mountain over 100 feet tall appeared out of thin air.


    The mountain revolved in the air, and a vast expanse of black mist shot forth from the bottom of the mountain, enveloping the huge python.


    The giant python¡¯s body was slowed down by the black light, and each of its movements seemed to carry a force of 500 kilograms.


    Meanwhile, the black mountain took this opportunity to plummet.


    The three-headed python sensed that the situation was far from good, so it raised its head with great difficulty and wildly spat out a few balls of light in an attempt to stop the giant mountain from falling.


    However, as soon as the balls of light entered the black light, they began to slowly disintegrate before they could even touch the mountain.


    When the giant python saw this, it was still unwilling to wait for death.


    It used all of its strength to strike its huge tail on the ground, and its body shot forth amidst the rainbow light. However, at that moment, the white flames around it suddenly transformed into a dozen or so thick chains of fire that wrapped around the python¡¯s body, causing it to only fly over 100 feet before crashing heavily to the ground again.


    The mountain finally came crashing down in a black mass.


    Black light erupted from the mountain, preventing anyone from looking directly at it.


    The three python heads were only able to let out a bloodcurdling scream before they were overwhelmed by a thunderous boom.


    Marquis Nanlong revealed a happy expression while Lu Weiying let out a long sigh.


    Only Han Li looked at it for a moment and his brows unconsciously furrowed.


    The black light gradually faded away, revealing the situation in the distance.


    At the foot of the black mountain, the three-headed python didn¡¯t immediately die. One of its heads was exposed outside the huge mountain. It was hissing with all its might and swinging its head back and forth, and its eyes were filled with madness.


    The vitality of this python was truly breathtaking.


    Lu Weiying harrumphed and raised his hand. A streak of white light shot forth, arriving above the python¡¯s head.


    It lightly circled around the python¡¯s head, and without the protection of the green light, the python¡¯s head easily fell off. The python¡¯s blood spurted several tens of feet high from its body, and it stopped moving.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression relaxed and he muttered, ¡°Finally. However, I am a bit surprised. The Three-Headed Black Snake doesn¡¯t seem to be as powerful as the rumors say.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong also shook his head and wore an expression of suspicion, ¡°This might not be a true black snake. Don¡¯t forget that a true three-headed black snake has a pair of wings and three heads. It is said that the three heads can unleash great abilities of different attributes at the same time. This python doesn¡¯t look like one at all. Otherwise, how could we have succeeded so easily?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this python was a mutated snake. Not every snake that has three heads is the Three-Headed Black Snake. We don¡¯t need to figure out the snake¡¯s origins. Let¡¯s quickly enter the passage.¡± Han Li then pointed at the huge mountain and it rapidly shrank before disappearing into his sleeve as a streak of black light.


    Marquis Nanlong also waved his hand, and a streak of golden light and a ball of green light suddenly emerged from the corpse before flying back to him. They were none other than the golden flying sword and the green ring.


    The flying sword directly entered his body, and the ring returned to its original form before reattaching itself to his finger.


    Lu Weiying looked at the corpse and muttered to himself for a moment before arriving at the corpse¡¯s side. He then reached into the python¡¯s head and took out a thumb-sized azure core.


    The old man revealed a trace of gratification. After looking at the other two heads, he also took out a core from each.


    At this moment, Han Li and Marquis Nanlong flew over after storing the remaining puppet beasts.


    Without another word, the old man tossed the inner cores in his hand to the two of them.


    Han Li took the item and glanced at it before stowing it away.


    Marquis Nanlong naturally didn¡¯t hold back.


    Lu Weiying casually released a fireball, turning the giant python¡¯s body to ash.


    ¡°This time, it would¡¯ve been difficult for us to deal with such a beast if we had encountered it alone, but if the three of us cooperate, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to kill such an ancient creature. This trip would be easy if the Fire Toad is also so easy to deal with!¡± said Lu Weiying.


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and bitterly smiled, ¡°I hope so. However, it is likely that the Fire Toad will be even more difficult to deal with. After all, no matter how much Master Cang Kun injured his vitality, a demon beast capable of making him flee wouldn¡¯t be simple.¡±


    Lu Weiying pondered for a moment before nodding.


    At this moment, Han Li turned into a streak of azure light and retracted all the formation flags around him. Then, he flew back and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll see how powerful that Fire Toad is soon,¡± Han Li said in a deep voice and took the lead to walk over.


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man glanced at each other before following after him.


    After all, the Greatnorth Essence Light down below could only be passed through with Han Li¡¯s Heaven-Earth Ring. Once the giant python was destroyed, the original gray mist was naturally completely gone, and everything in front of them was extremely clear.


    It was still a stone path that was over 1,000 feet in length, and the sky was covered in crimson restriction light, making it impossible to see anything clearly.


    Han Li and the other two slowly flew forward at a height of 50 to 60 feet. After flying for more than 20 kilometers, the scenery in front of them changed and a tall pale yellow stone wall appeared.


    The stone wall revealed a pitch-black cave that was around 70 to 80 feet wide.


    Marquis Nanlong let out a long sigh and turned to Han Li, ¡°This is it. After passing through this cave, we should arrive at the inner valley. However, there is a Greatnorth Essence Light that is over five kilometers long in the cave. Fellow Daoist Han, it will all depend on your Heaven-Earth Ring in a moment.¡±


    Lu Weiying stroked his chin and said with flickering eyes, ¡°Since we know that there is Greatnorth Essence Light in the cave, can¡¯t we pass through the stone wall from other places? Could it be that we have to take this cave?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong shook his head and calmly said, ¡°This method won¡¯t work. Brother Nanlong, use your magic treasures to casually strike the stone wall and you¡¯ll know the reason.¡±


    ¡°Oh, let me give it a try.¡± It was clear that the old man wasn¡¯t willing to give up. With a wave of his sleeve, he took out the white light and fiercely struck the stone wall.


    This time, Han Li clearly saw that the light was actually a strange short blade, as if it was a rarely seen flying dagger type of magic treasure.

 Chapter 814

    Silverstar Sand


    Under Han Li¡¯s gaze, the flying dagger struck the stone wall, emitting a blinding white light.


    Sensing this, Lu Weiying¡¯s expression slightly changed. He waved his hand and immediately withdrew the flying saber.


    Han Li focused his gaze and saw that there was a faint knife mark that was about an inch deep where the flying knife had struck. There was a faint silver light emitting from the knife mark.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± A trace of surprise appeared on the old man¡¯s face. He hastily took a few steps forward and carefully examined the saber mark.


    After a short moment of observation, the old man¡¯s voice began to tremble. ¡°Silverstar Sand? There is a Silverstar Sand mine in this stone wall?¡±


    Hearing the words ¡°Silverstar Sand¡±, Han Li¡¯s expression changed drastically. He also walked forward and reached out a finger to gently touch the saber mark, carefully appraising it.


    Han Li had naturally heard of the Silverstar Sand before. It was one of the materials that could be added to artifacts while refining, making magic treasures even sturdier. In terms of effect, it was a rare material second only to ¡°Refined Crystal¡±.


    The material itself was extremely durable, and magic treasures were difficult to destroy it. Both the Scattered Star Seas and the cultivation world of the Heavenly South Region had almost never seen it.


    It was no wonder that Lu Weiying¡¯s flying sabers were completely ineffective.


    Han Li looked at the saber marks for a while and suddenly raised his hand in silence. More than ten small azure swords flew out from his sleeve, turning into more than ten azure streaks that shot towards various parts of the stone wall.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were initially stunned, but they immediately understood Han Li¡¯s intentions.


    With a series of chaotic clanking sounds, over ten several-inch-deep sword holes appeared on the stone wall, each of which also emitted specks of silver light.


    A trace of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as he calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed Silverstar Sand. Furthermore, the entire stone wall is mixed with the Silverstar Sand, but the density is not the same. It seems that it was not caused by humans. Instead, the stone wall itself contains a Silverstar Sand vein.¡±


    Seeing that Han Li¡¯s flying sword was able to pierce a hole several times deeper than his flying knife, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expressions changed slightly.


    However, when Lu Weiying heard this, greed appeared in his eyes as he stared at the stone wall in silence.


    Marquis Nanlong also wore a fiery expression, but after a moment of thought, his expression gradually returned to normal.


    Marquis Nanlong calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the inner valley to search for treasures.¡±


    The old man hesitated for a moment before saying with a reluctant expression, ¡°We¡¯re leaving so soon? The Silverstar Sand is a rare treasure. Why don¡¯t we take some first?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong frowned and looked at the old man with a thoughtful expression, ¡°Brother Lu, what are you thinking? Didn¡¯t you see for yourself just now how hard the Silverstar Sand is? Don¡¯t be fooled by the fact that there may be an entire vein of Silverstar Sand here. A fist-sized ore can only be refined into a tiny grain of Silverstar Sand. How long will it take and how much magic power will be expended to cut off the ore? Furthermore, although it is precious, don¡¯t forget that what we are lacking right now is spiritual medicines that can extend our lifespans and rapidly increase our cultivation bases. Otherwise, we would only be a pile of bones when our time comes.¡±


    When Lu Weiying heard Marquis Nanlong say this, he was stunned for a moment before nodding his head in realization.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Brother Nanlong! I was momentarily blinded by treasures and almost forgot the main purpose of this trip. Thank you for your reminder, Brother Nanlong.¡± The elderly man was no ordinary cultivator, and he immediately came to his senses upon being reminded by Marquis Nanlong. He cupped his fists toward Marquis Nanlong with a trace of gratitude on his face.


    Afterwards, he no longer looked at the stone wall, fearing that he would be tempted again. He quickly walked into the cave.


    Only then did Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression relax. He called out to Han Li and followed him in.


    Han Li was also very reluctant to part with the Silverstar Sand mine, and his footsteps could not help but slow down a little.


    However, even if his flying swords were infused with Geng Metal, making them far sharper than ordinary flying swords, and he had spirit liquids that could immediately restore magic power, cutting down a sufficient amount of Silverstar Sand would not be an easy task. In fact, it would most likely provoke the jealousy of Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying.


    Thinking that it would be difficult to make a move, Han Li could only sigh and follow the two into the cave with a sense of pity.


    But at this moment, Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice was filled with excitement as he said, ¡°Hehe! There¡¯s actually so much Silverstar Sand. I searched for a long time back then, but I didn¡¯t find much. As expected of Devilfall Valley! They can be used on my newly developed puppets. Ordinary treasures won¡¯t be able to harm them in the slightest. Let¡¯s claim all this Silverstar Sand.¡±


    ¡°Claim all? Old monster, are you still dreaming? This is a Silverstar Sand Mine, not a Spirit Stone Mine. How can I take it all away? By chopping it up with my flying swords?¡± Han Li replied unhappily.


    Monarch Great Development was already prepared for this, and he said, ¡°Hmph! Since I¡¯ve said so, I naturally have a solution. Youngster Han, don¡¯t you have many Gold Devouring Beetles? I¡¯ll give you a technique that allows you to control the Gold Devouring Beetles to burrow into the stone wall and devour the Silverstar Sand. Then, the insects can spit it out and condense it into Silverstar Sand crystals. This method was obtained from an insect cultivator that was killed in the past. Not only the Gold Devouring Beetles, but there are also several other spirit insects that can do this. They¡¯re just not as convenient as your Gold Devouring Beetles.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s actually such a technique? Alright, teach it to me. I¡¯ll immediately get these spirit insects to gather the Silverstar Sand.¡± Han Li was surprised and delighted when he heard this and immediately said. It was unknown if it was for the Silverstar Sand or for the technique.


    Monarch Great Development calmly said, ¡°Let me make this clear to you first. Regardless of how much Silverstar Sand you acquire, you must first leave it for me to refine the final puppet. You must not waste it elsewhere, let alone incorporate it into your magic treasures. If there are leftovers after puppet refinement, you can do whatever you want with the rest. I won¡¯t interfere in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Senior, it seems you still don¡¯t know. My magic treasure doesn¡¯t need to be mixed with Silverstar Sand. I¡¯ve already refined it with Refined Crystals. That material is even more effective than Silverstar Sand.¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    Monarch Great Development seemed to be stunned for a moment before he excitedly shouted, ¡°Refined Crystal? You have such heaven-defying materials? Do you have any left? As long as you have a bit, it will be of great use.¡±


    ¡°You also know that the magic treasure I use is a complete set of flying swords. Although the Refined Crystal I obtained back then was not small, it was barely enough. How could there be any left?¡± Han Li replied indifferently.


    ¡°All gone? What a waste of heavenly treasures!¡± Monarch Great Development muttered in disappointment.


    When Han Li heard this, he could not help but roll his eyes.


    How could using Refined Crystals on one¡¯s own magic treasures be considered a waste of heavenly treasures? However, he had a favor to ask of this guy, so he could only feign ignorance and listen to his complaints.


    At this moment, Han Li had already followed the two people in front of him into the cave for a distance. He intentionally or unintentionally distanced himself to prevent the two people from discovering his abnormality.


    The cave was somewhat dark, but all three of them possessed profound magic power. As long as they injected a bit of spiritual power into their eyes, they would be able to see clearly.


    The size of the cave remained the same as the entrance. The two-colored stone walls were still the same pale yellow color.


    On the way, Han Li casually used a flying sword to cut the stone wall.


    In the end, what was revealed was still a sparkling silver color. Han Li was somewhat shocked, but the thought of occupying these mines in his heart grew even stronger.


    As Han Li walked, he listened to Monarch Great Development¡¯s incantation for controlling insects.


    Although the incantation was made up of ancient language and was rather difficult to understand, Monarch Great Development¡¯s words of guidance had enlightened Han Li, who was already quite familiar with insect control techniques.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice fell silent once more after the incantation was taught.


    Han Li lowered his head and thought about the incantation again. After confirming that everything was right, he casually swept his hand across his waist and a spirit beast pouch suddenly disappeared.


    Afterwards, Han Li¡¯s walking posture did not change at all. However, from his sleeves, Gold Devouring Beetles silently flew back the way they came.


    The two people who were over 100 feet in front of him did not notice Han Li¡¯s little tricks at all.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, all of the Gold Devouring Beetles in the pouch had been released.


    Han Li¡¯s hands, which were hidden in his sleeves, formed a hand seal, and a low incantation sounded from his spiritual sense. Through his spiritual sense, he returned to the entrance of the cave and saw a large group of Gold Devouring Beetles floating in front of the stone wall.


    Brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from the cloud of beetles, following which all of the beetles blurred and swarmed toward the stone wall. As a result, they disappeared into the stone wall without a trace.


    The surface of the stone wall didn¡¯t appear to be damaged in the slightest.


    Han Li used his divine sense to sense this situation, and only then did he retract his mind with peace of mind, and slightly increase his pace.


    After walking for a while more, he turned a corner and the two people in front of him stopped. Han Li¡¯s heart trembled and he hurriedly looked forward.


    The path ahead suddenly opened up, and the passageway became several times wider.


    In this wide passage, there were strange stalactite-like rocks from top to bottom. They also released threads of silver-white light, illuminating the entire passage.


    These silver threads were extremely strange. Although they were clearly intangible, each thread of light was exceptionally clear as if they were concrete.


    Marquis Nanlong looked at the silver threads in front of him and took a deep breath before solemnly saying, ¡°This is the Greatnorth Essence Light. Although the two Fellow Daoists should know of it, I must remind you that apart from the Heaven-Earth Ring, you must not use any spiritual power or magic treasures. If the Greatnorth Essence Light detects any spiritual power leaking from your body, the three of us will definitely die.¡±


    Spiritual light flashed on the ring!

 Chapter 815

    Greatnorth Essence Light


    When they saw Han Li take out the Heaven-Earth Ring, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying immediately retreated three meters behind Han Li with grave expressions, indicating that Han Li was their leader. Han Li held the ring in his hand and opened his mouth, spitting out a ball of azure essence onto the ring.


    With a flash of black light, all the azure essence was completely absorbed by the ring. Then, with a whoosh, it flew above Han Li¡¯s head and floated motionlessly.


    Han Li expressionlessly raised his hand and struck it with a spell seal.


    The Heaven-Earth Ring trembled slightly before shrinking and expanding. In the blink of an eye, the ring had transformed into a huge ring with a diameter of 50 to 60 feet.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Han Li stretched out a fair finger, pointed at the ring, and said softly.


    The ring let out a strange cry and shot forth.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying wore grave expressions.


    As soon as the huge ring entered the countless threads of light, an incredible scene unfolded.


    The straight threads of light were like disturbed water. In the instant that the huge ring entered, they became chaotic. As the black light flickered, the silver threads made a miraculous turn as soon as they came into contact with the outer wall of the ring, avoiding the ring as if they were sentient!


    Han Li heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying also smiled.


    However, Han Li was still a little curious about the power of the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    After some thought, he slapped his storage pouch and took out a fist-sized blue bead.


    This was a high-grade defensive spirit tool that he had obtained many years ago.


    Han Li held the bead in his hand and injected some spiritual power into it.


    A layer of blue light immediately appeared on the surface of the bead.


    Han Li flicked his hand, and the bead turned into a ball of blue light, shooting out.


    This time, as soon as the blue bead of light entered the Greatnorth Essence Light, the silver threads immediately swarmed around it as if they had seen delicious prey.


    Threads as thin as hair pierced through the blue bead as if it were nothing.


    A short moment later, the bead that had been pierced by the silver threads wildly flashed several times before exploding from within, transforming into a ball of brilliant light that disappeared among the threads of light.


    Han Li¡¯s pupils contracted slightly, and Marquis Nanlong and the old man¡¯s expressions also sank.


    Han Li¡¯s expression instantly returned to normal. He stretched out his hand, and the huge ring flew back above his head, silently landing and enveloping the three of them.


    Then, a black light barrier appeared outside the ring, protecting Han Li and the others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Li did not say anything else. After saying this briefly, he walked forward, and the Heaven-Earth Ring moved with him.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying didn¡¯t dare to be careless and obediently followed after Han Li. Although Han Li had seen the ring¡¯s miraculous defensive abilities against the Greatnorth Essence Light, he didn¡¯t dare to activate any of his defenses or use any magic treasures in the Greatnorth Essence Light. Although Han Li appeared calm, he was somewhat worried.


    However, in the next instant, he was surrounded by the Greatnorth Essence Light. When he saw that the threads of light had bypassed the black light barrier and didn¡¯t dare to approach him, he quietly lowered his hand. Soon after, his heart stirred and he turned his head to the side. Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying also relaxed.


    Han Li smiled and activated the Heaven-Earth Ring, slowly moving forward.


    ¡­


    Elsewhere in Devilfall Valley, a group of black-robed Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators were fighting against a huge gecko-like ancient beast.


    Not far away from the gecko, the pale-faced Old Man Zhong was floating in mid-air, coldly watching the ancient beast and the Core Formation cultivators who were fighting in full swing.


    After a while, seeing that the six or seven disciples were still unable to capture the ancient beast, he frowned and decided to personally take action.


    He formed an incantation gesture with his hands, and countless jet-black energy emerged from his body. In the blink of an eye, the Yin Qi condensed and transformed into two jet-black wyrms, pouncing toward the lizard-like ancient beast in an overbearing manner. Soon after, a huge net of shimmering green light enveloped the ancient beast, and countless fist-sized green fireballs shot out from within the net.


    A series of rumbling booms erupted as black and green flames intertwined. A short moment later, the light receded to reveal a massive beast with a charred body.


    The old man waved his sleeve and a gust of wind swept the ancient beast¡¯s corpse over 30 meters away.


    A wide crevice of ice appeared on the spot. The crevice continued downwards, faintly emitting white light that led to an unknown location.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    The old man spoke in a low voice and his body blurred, immediately transforming into a streak of black light. The other Ghost Spirit Sect disciples followed suit without any hesitation.


    Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan were among this group of disciples, but the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and Wang Tiangu were still nowhere to be seen.


    Not long after the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators entered the ice rift, the place returned to calm. Only snowflakes silently fell.


    Soon, the ancient beast¡¯s corpse was covered in a layer of frost and snow, turning it into an unremarkable snow mound.


    In the dense forest that the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators had previously visited, Violet Spirit was standing at a certain spot. She looked at the seemingly ordinary small mound in front of her in a daze.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, she raised her head to look at the huge trees around her before lowering her head to look at the mound in front of her. Suddenly, she flicked her finger and a white ball of light shot forth.


    With a muffled thump, a three-meter-wide pit appeared in front of him.


    There was a large amount of greyish-black ash mixed in the pit, dancing in the air. A small section of a charred tree root had appeared in the pit.


    ¡°It should be here. The Ghost Spirit Sect has the advantage in numbers, so it¡¯s much easier for them to find the target than I do. However, they didn¡¯t expect that there would be someone else searching for the marks as well. They actually revealed so many tracks in such a hurry,¡± Violet Spirit murmured with a delighted expression.


    Soon after, she waved her sleeve and buried the pit again. She then took out an azure talisman and circled around a few nearby trees before placing the talisman on one of them.


    In a flash of azure light, the talisman disappeared into the surface of the tree.


    Afterwards, she carefully identified the direction and flew off in a streak of light.


    ¡­


    At the entrance of a huge valley, an old Daoist looked at the various restrictions with a pensive expression.


    Behind him, there were two ghostly puppets standing motionlessly.


    From the other end of the canyon, one could faintly see a large expanse of crimson light flashing. This was one of the passageways leading to the inner valley. However, this short section of the canyon was filled with several extremely powerful ancient restrictions.


    Although the old Daoist was proficient in formation spells, there was only a fifty-fifty chance that he would be able to dissolve these restrictions in a short amount of time.


    He didn¡¯t know if he should spend some time looking for an easier route or if he should immediately attempt to dissolve the restrictions. As a result, he hesitated for a moment.


    A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind the old Daoist, ¡°What? Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal doesn¡¯t feel confident in breaking the restrictions by himself? How about joining hands with me?¡±


    He was none other than Daoist Heavencrystal, who had traded soul stones with Han Li the other day. The evil ghost puppets behind him were also two ancient puppets that he had refined using soul stones. Each of them had the strength of an early-Nascent Soul cultivator. Even Daoist Heavencrystal would find it difficult to deal with either of them. With such trump cards in hand, he was bold enough to come to Devilfall Valley to search for treasures.


    At that moment, he heard a voice behind him and immediately turned around in alarm.


    About 600 feet behind him, several green-robed cultivators were silently looking in his direction. The one who spoke was a green-robed old man with a gloomy expression and a long beard.


    Daoist Heavencrystal appraised their cultivation bases and felt his heart drop.


    These people were all Nascent Soul cultivators!


    Daoist Heavencrystal forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart and forced a smile, ¡°So it was Fellow Daoist Dong from the Controlling Spirit Sect. These Fellow Daoists appear unfamiliar. Could it be that they are also elders of your sect?¡±


    Dong Mentu¡¯s gaze swept past the two malevolent ghost puppets before he said, ¡°You can say that. However, the two puppets behind you don¡¯t seem to be ordinary. It seems that they aren¡¯t to be underestimated.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal cautiously said, ¡°Fellow Daoist must be joking. How could two small puppets be of any importance to Fellow Daoist Dong? However, why would Fellow Daoist wish to join hands with me?¡±


    Dong Mentu stared at the old Daoist and slowly said, ¡°Although I¡¯ve lived in the Controlling Spirit Sect for a long time and don¡¯t interact much with others, I¡¯ve heard of Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s reputation as a formation master. I¡¯m also quite knowledgeable in formations. If the two of us were to break the formations alone, I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t have much confidence. If we joined forces, we¡¯d naturally be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.¡±


    When Heaven Crystal heard this, he frowned and fell silent. He began to hesitate.


    Dong Mentu¡¯s expression sank and he patiently said, ¡°What? Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal is afraid that I will harm you? How about this? My cooperation with Fellow Daoist will only be limited to the time we break the restrictions and enter the valley together. If there is no conflict of interest, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you for no reason. Furthermore, don¡¯t forget that even if you can break the restrictions on your own, if the time is too long, the treasures that are the easiest to obtain will belong to others. As far as I know, many of our fellow Daoists are well versed in formation spells.¡±


    When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his heart stirred and he raised his head to look at the five green-robed cultivators behind him. He finally nodded and said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Dong has said so, I will respectfully accept your request. Let¡¯s join hands and break through the restrictions here. But after we enter the valley, we will go our separate ways and won¡¯t have to walk together.¡±


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s right. Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal, don¡¯t worry. Your two puppets are no small matter. How could I force you to do something you don¡¯t wish to do? After we enter the valley, we will rely on our luck to search for treasures separately!¡± When the green-robed old man heard this, a smile immediately appeared on his face and he hastily guaranteed.

 Chapter 816

    The Inner Valley


    ¡°This is the inner valley?¡± Looking at everything in front of him, Han Li could not help but mutter to himself with a strange expression.


    About 100 feet behind him, there was a cliff that was over 10,000 feet tall. At the bottom of the cliff, there was a small cave.


    It had only been a short while since Han Li walked out of the cave.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying stood side by side and looked at the scene in front of them with astonishment.


    In front of them was a huge mountain range with countless mountain ranges of various sizes. It seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, but at the same time, it was a colorful world.


    Regardless of whether it was the sky or the open space, there were patches of faint light floating everywhere.


    These patches of faint light were of different colors and sizes. The larger ones were several kilometers in size, like the sunset in the sky, while the smaller ones were only a few feet in length. They were like thin gauze and were all exceptionally gorgeous. What surprised Han Li and the others was not the clouds, but the extremely chaotic spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth in this place. Regardless of the attributes of the spiritual Qi, they were mixed together and gave off an irritable and uneasy feeling, as if a light touch could anger them.


    Marquis Nanlong let out a long sigh and said, ¡°This place is truly worthy of being a place where ancient cultivators fought. Even the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth here has been completely destroyed. As such, no matter who casts a spell here, they will most likely be affected.¡±


    ¡°These are secondary. The most important things are those. They are the real trouble.¡± Han Li suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a certain spot in the sky as he said with a bitter smile.


    Several thousand feet away from them, there were a dozen or so foot-long objects slowly floating in the air.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were greatly shocked upon seeing these items.


    ¡°How can there be so many spatial tears? They can even move on their own!¡± Lu Weiying cried out.


    Han Li glanced at Marquis Nanlong and chuckled, ¡°This is normal. Since this is an ancient battlefield, it is only to be expected that there will be more spatial tears than on the outside. Otherwise, how could so many exceptional Nascent Soul cultivators have been unable to return? In order to prevent any mishaps, we can only follow Master Cang Kun¡¯s route. Otherwise, hehe¡­¡±


    Marquis Nanlong pondered for a moment before calming down. ¡°Brother Han¡¯s words are reasonable. We mustn¡¯t take unnecessary risks. Who knows where the invisible spatial tears will appear? However, these slithering spatial tears may sound terrifying, but so long as we pay attention to them, they won¡¯t pose a threat at their speed.¡±


    ¡°However, the spatial tears here are at least ten times denser than those in the outside world. Furthermore, Brother Nanlong¡¯s method can only be considered reliable if the invisible spatial tears don¡¯t wander around. If they run around like those open spatial tears, the map left behind by Master Cang Kun might not be reliable right now.¡± Lu Weiying frowned as he stared at another area with dense spatial tears.


    Han Li was stunned when he heard this. He tilted his head slightly, and the blue light in his eyes shone brightly. Immediately, he discovered a blurry arc of light floating motionlessly in the air more than 1,000 feet away.


    Han Li stared at the invisible spatial rift for a moment before calming down.


    But just as he was pondering whether or not he should reveal this information to the two of them and how, Marquis Nanlong saw Han Li¡¯s contemplative expression and misunderstood. After a moment of hesitation, he said something that surprised Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, don¡¯t worry. Those invisible cracks won¡¯t move. Master Cang Kun¡¯s statement confirmed this.¡±


    ¡°Brother Nanlong, are you sure about this? How did Master Cang Kun find out about this?¡± Lu Weiying asked doubtfully.


    Marquis Nanlong calmly said, ¡°Brother Lu, how do you think Master Cang Kun was able to leave Devilfall Valley unscathed when his vitality was greatly damaged? This was all thanks to a divine ability he cultivated in the past that allowed him to sense the existence of spatial tears. Otherwise, let alone the heavily injured Master Cang Kun, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to safely leave even during his peak.¡±


    After hearing this explanation, the old man¡¯s expression relaxed and he felt much more at ease.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually such a secret technique in this world! If that¡¯s the case, it wasn¡¯t a fluke that Master Cang Kun was able to walk out of Devilfall Valley back then.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression also changed, as if he had also heaved a sigh of relief.


    When Marquis Nanlong saw this, he felt relieved. He was afraid that Han Li and his companion would have any thoughts of retreating.


    Especially Han Li, whom he could not see through at all. He was definitely the main force to deal with the Fire Toad. Marquis Nanlong had to pull him forward.


    Marquis Nanlong wore a serious expression and said, ¡°Alright! We should go. According to the statement, the Fire Toad¡¯s nest is an entire day¡¯s journey away from here. Please be careful on the way.¡±


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Nanlong. Fellow Daoist Lu and I cherish our lives.¡±


    Lu Weiying nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯ve already wasted a lot of time. Let¡¯s go,¡± Marquis Nanlong said with satisfaction.


    Afterwards, he identified his bearings and golden light flashed from his body. He floated up into the air before slowly flying off in a certain direction.


    Han Li and the old man glanced at each other and also rose into the air, following closely behind Marquis Nanlong.


    At this moment, even if they flew tens of feet in the wrong direction, they might trigger a spatial tear or an ancient restriction. Han Li and the old man were naturally extremely careful.


    Along the way, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s flight path was extremely strange. Sometimes, he flew in a straight line, and at other times, he had to fly in a large circle. Regardless of the trajectory, he would stop after every two hours to determine his direction before setting off again.


    On the way, he didn¡¯t take out any jade slips. It was clear that he had already memorized the map.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but he secretly memorized every step of the route in his mind. If there were any sudden changes, this was a way to save his life. He reckoned that Lu Weiying was most likely doing the same thing.


    After all, cultivators had cultivated the most basic of five-elemental cultivation arts, so they had a photographic memory. Memorizing these routes was as easy as blowing off dust.


    Just as Marquis Nanlong had said, they didn¡¯t encounter any danger after flying for more than half a day.


    Han Li gradually relaxed. It seemed that Marquis Nanlong had truly obtained Master Cang Kun¡¯s map.


    At that moment, he was following Marquis Nanlong. While memorizing the flight path, he was also using his spiritual sense to sense his surroundings.


    He estimated that along the way, there were at least three to four places with strong restriction fluctuations. There were also a few places he was uncertain about. Han Li was unable to determine whether they were restrictions or abnormalities caused by the chaotic spiritual Qi here.


    Han Li was naturally very interested in these places. He also knew that there were most likely treasures left behind by ancient cultivators. If he made a trip there, he would most likely gain a lot.


    However, Han Li was only slightly tempted, but he immediately extinguished his eagerness to give it a try.


    This was because the more he studied ancient formations, the more he feared ancient restrictions.


    From his understanding of ancient formations, he was well aware of how powerful ancient restrictions were. They were even more threatening than spatial tears.


    Even if he was able to avoid all spatial tears with his eyes, he was still unwilling to risk his life to activate those ancient restrictions. With his current vision, ordinary ancient treasures were no longer worthy of his attention.


    Furthermore, if he could obtain the Fire Toad¡¯s demon core, the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains, the Spirit Kindle Fruit, and the large amount of Silverstar Sand at the entrance of the cave, it would already be considered a huge harvest.


    Thus, after weighing the pros and cons, Han Li gave up on the risk without any hesitation.


    When he swept his gaze past his companions, he discovered that Lu Weiying¡¯s expression was somewhat gloomy and he frequently glanced into the distance.


    Han Li sighed in his heart.


    It appeared that if this guy was unable to obtain what he wanted from the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains, he would most likely search through the inner valley.


    Han Li could not say that the other party was too greedy. Han Li questioned himself. If his lifespan was about to end, he would also seize this opportunity to take a risk.


    After all, if he succeeded, his lifespan would be greatly extended. Or, his cultivation technique would advance by leaps and bounds.


    When Han Li thought of this, he could not help but feel a trace of sadness.


    However, right at this moment, Marquis Nangong, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and looked straight ahead with an indecisive expression.


    When Han Li saw this, he frowned and had a bad feeling.


    He then turned to look at Marquis Nanlong¡¯s back in silence.


    Below them was a small mountain that was over 1,000 feet tall. It was quite ordinary and there was nothing special about it. In front of them, there were two extremely tall mountain ridges on either side that were quite eye-catching.


    Marquis Nanlong had clearly said that they would arrive at the Fire Toad¡¯s nest in a day¡¯s time, but only half a day had passed, so this place was naturally not their destination.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal an astonished expression.


    A cautious expression appeared on Lu Weiying¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°Brother Nanlong, what happened? Why aren¡¯t we advancing?¡±


    When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he slowly turned around and looked at Han Li and the old man with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, I think we may have encountered some trouble. Perhaps we will have to take some risks.¡±


    ¡°What? Brother Nanlong, what do you mean?¡± The old man¡¯s white eyebrows stirred and he wore a bewildered expression.


    Han Li rubbed his nose and did not say anything, but his face also revealed a trace of inquiry.


    Marquis Nanlong pointed to the two mountains in the distance and slowly asked, ¡°Fellow Daoists, do you see the two mountains in the distance?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Could it be that the trouble has something to do with them?¡± Lu Weiying asked with surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s because of them,¡± Marquis Nanlong confirmed.

 Chapter 817

    Top Ten Poisons


    Lu Weiying glanced at the two mountains and asked, ¡°Is there something wrong with them?¡±


    After a long pause, Marquis Nanlong explained, ¡°If we set off toward the two mountains, at a certain point, we will be able to reach the Fire Toad¡¯s nest. However, there is a group of legendary ¡®Flying Purple Pattern Scorpions¡¯ on the mountain on the left. Although there are only a dozen of them, each one of them is extremely ferocious. I fear that once we pass by the mountain, they will most likely be alarmed. At that time, we will be in great trouble.¡±


    ¡°Purple Pattern Scorpions? They¡¯re the ferocious insects that once appeared in the State of Wangshui and killed the entire Misty Sea Sect?¡± Lu Weiying cried out in alarm.


    When Han Li heard the words ¡°Flying Purple Pattern Scorpions¡±, his expression changed drastically and his heart trembled.


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and continued, ¡°That¡¯s right. All of the flying scorpions here are even more powerful than the one that appeared in the State of Wangshui. They¡¯ve all lived for tens of thousands of years and their bodies are all purple.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Nanlong, are you joking? How could we provoke so many mature Purple Pattern Scorpions? If there were only two or three of them, we would be able to capture them if we were careful. But now there are over a dozen of them. Wouldn¡¯t we be courting death if we went there?¡± Lu Weiying couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and glared at Marquis Nanlong.


    A helpless expression appeared on Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face as he said, ¡°It seems Brother Lu intends to take the other path, but the other path is even more dangerous. This is because there are many invisible rifts on the way from here to the other mountain. Because there are too many rifts, we won¡¯t be able to bypass them, nor will we be able to identify their locations. If we want to take the risk to pass through this area, I¡¯m sure you two know the dangers involved.¡±


    Lu Weiying was stunned for a moment.


    Spatial tears, and invisible ones at that! It was indeed no safer than facing a dozen Purple Pattern Scorpions.


    Just as the old man was stunned, Han Li heard the invisible rifts and looked into the distance. His eyes could not help but flicker.


    ¡°It seems that Master Cang Kun took the path of spatial rifts back then. After all, he has the ability to sense the existence of invisible rifts,¡± Han Li, who had been silent all this while, said in a deep voice. There was no sadness or joy in his voice.


    Marquis Nanlong faltered slightly upon hearing this before wryly smiling.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is correct. This is what I am helpless about. We don¡¯t have the abilities that Master once possessed to safely avoid the cracks. In comparison, I feel that we have a greater chance of winning against the Purple Pattern Scorpions.¡±


    Lu Weiying shook his head vehemently and refuted the suggestion, ¡°This won¡¯t do. We absolutely cannot provoke the Purple Pattern Scorpions. You¡¯ve only heard rumors about the State of Wangshui. When I was young, I personally represented the Heavenpeak Sect in the encirclement and suppression of the Purple Pattern Scorpions. Their fearsomeness far exceeds your imagination. If we provoke a dozen of them at once, we will only be courting death.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong had not expected Lu Weiying to be so fearful of the Purple Pattern Scorpion Pattern Scorpions.


    He had originally thought that the three of them would be able to fight against the Purple Pattern Scorpions, but he was now wavering, and a hesitant expression appeared on his face.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed, and information about the Purple Pattern Scorpion appeared in his mind.


    The Flying Purple Pattern Scorpions was ranked 14th on the jade slip. It was an ancient wondrous insect that was close to the Gold Devouring Beetles. It was highly recommended by the Controlling Spirit Sect cultivator who had died at Han Li¡¯s hands. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the Flying Purple Pattern Scorpions rarely laid eggs and it was difficult for them to outnumber the Gold Devouring Beetles, they would probably be ranked above the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    Although they didn¡¯t have the Gold Devouring Beetle¡¯s unique ability to devour everything, their bodies were almost as hard as the Gold Devouring Beetles. They were also invulnerable to sabers, swords, and magic treasures. Furthermore, they had wings on their backs that allowed them to move as quickly as the wind, and their bodies were filled with poison. This was enough for them to be ranked at the top of the Wondrous Insect Rankings.


    As for the Purple Pattern Scorpions on the mountain up ahead, they had lived in Devilfall Valley for countless tens of thousands of years and had already reached the final stage of maturity. One could only imagine how fearsome they were.


    However, from Marquis Nanlong¡¯s words, he only had a vague understanding of how powerful the scorpion was. As for Lu Weiying, he seemed to have suffered a great loss from the scorpion.


    Seeing Marquis Nanlong¡¯s gloomy expression, Han Li coldly laughed in his heart.


    Marquis Nanlong had never mentioned the Purple Pattern Scorpion until they arrived at this place. It was likely that he didn¡¯t have any good intentions and was trying to dig a pit for them.


    After all, they were already here, and neither Han Li nor Lu Weiying would take the risk for nothing. They could only force themselves to resolve this matter together.


    They couldn¡¯t let all their efforts go to waste!


    With that in mind, Han Li pondered and recalled everything he knew about the Purple Pattern Scorpion to see if there was anything he could use. After all, taking another path would expose his ability to see through all spatial tears. This was his greatest reliance in Devilfall Valley. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he definitely wouldn¡¯t reveal it to others. As Han Li lowered his head in contemplation, Lu Weiying stood there with a gloomy expression and a trace of anxiety in his eyes. As for Marquis Nanlong, he looked at the mountain peak where the Purple Pattern Scorpions were located from afar with an uncertain expression.


    The three seemed to be in a deadlock, unable to advance or retreat.


    After an unknown period of silence, Han Li¡¯s expression changed. He raised his head and revealed a faint smile.


    Although Marquis Nanlong and Elder Lu appeared to be absent-minded, they were all secretly paying attention to the movements of the others. Han Li had just made an abnormal move.


    Marquis Nanlong immediately turned around and blurted out,


    ¡°What? Could it be Brother Han has a good idea?¡± The Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s voice contained a trace of anticipation.


    When Lu Weiying heard this, his heart stirred as he stared at Han Li. Han Li did not immediately reply. Instead, he took out a small green bottle from his storage pouch.


    ¡°I wonder if the two of you have heard of the Ten Absolute Poisons,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°The Ten Absolute Poisons? I¡¯ve heard of them. I know that they are extremely poisonous. Even cultivators like us would die immediately if we were poisoned by them. I heard that Fellow Daoist Wei Wuya¡¯s main poison cultivation technique allows him to use the ¡®Viper Corpse Poison¡¯ of the Ten Absolute Poisons. When other cultivators fight with him, they wouldn¡¯t dare to get within 100 feet of him. Otherwise, they would die on the spot once they touch the poison. I¡¯ve rarely heard of the rest of the Ten Absolute Poisons.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong seemed to have thought of something as he stared at the small bottle in Han Li¡¯s hand and said in a hurried voice, ¡°But I heard that the Ten Absolute Poisons have other uses apart from their fierce toxicity. Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han has one of them?¡±


    Han Li raised the small bottle with one hand and leisurely said, ¡°It seems I don¡¯t need to say it. Brother Nanlong has already guessed it. My bottle contains the ¡®Blue Dove¡¯ of the Ten Absolute Poisons. This poison is said to be refined from the saliva of the demon bird ¡®Blue Mouth Dove¡¯. Not only is it extremely poisonous, but its smell is also extremely pungent and unforgettable. It is the favorite item of all the great poisonous insects in the world.¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, you mean¡­¡± Lu Weiying was enlightened and revealed a trace of joy.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight the Purple Pattern Scorpions head-on. As long as we use this poison to lure them away from the mountain, we can take the opportunity to go over,¡± Han Li said cleanly.


    Marquis Nanlong also wore a beaming smile and said, ¡°How do we use this poison to lure them away? Hehe, I was truly foolish to have forgotten that Fellow Daoist is proficient in puppet techniques. Using a few puppets to apply this poison will be enough to lure away these scorpions.¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s expression did not change, but he muttered in his heart.


    ¡°Marquis Nanlong¡¯s words are quite beautiful. With just a few words, he managed to push all the responsibility to others. When it comes to luring monsters, it seems his Thousand Kilometer Orioles are no different. Last time I faced that ancient python, I already lost several puppets.¡±


    Han Li was somewhat dissatisfied, but he calmly nodded his head and agreed. He would not fall out with Master Cang Kun over such a small matter. After all, he still needed Master Cang Kun to lead the way for the second half of the map. The bottle of Blue Dove Poison in his hand was one of the treasures in Master Cang Kun¡¯s box.


    With Han Li¡¯s attainments in the Dao of medicine, he was able to immediately identify the poison with a single sniff. He instantly put it away in shock.


    Now that he thought about it, could it be that Master Cang Kun had hidden this poison in the box for the Purple Pattern Scorpions? Otherwise, why would he hide this poison in the box?


    However, there was something wrong with Master Cang Kun planning every step of the way to obtain the treasure for the later generations. It seemed that he was too enthusiastic.


    He thought back to the three-headed, six-armed demon beast statue he saw in the pavilion of Master Cang Kun¡¯s ruins.


    Han Li faintly felt that something was amiss.


    Marquis Nanlong had once said that Master Cang Kun was his ancestor. It seemed that he knew something else.


    However, no matter what was going on, as long as he obtained the Fire Toad¡¯s demon core, what happened later would have nothing to do with him. He wouldn¡¯t meddle in this and would immediately break up with these two to avoid any trouble.


    Han Li made up his mind, but his hands did not stop moving.


    He casually patted the storage pouch at his waist, and four or five specks of white light immediately flew out, revealing a few huge ape puppets.


    Han Li immediately took out a few small jade bottles and dripped a drop of green and viscous Blue Dove Poison into each of the small bottles, immediately sealing all the bottles. Then, he handed them to the giant apes and had them hold the small bottles tightly with their large hands.


    At that moment, Han Li secretly sent out his spiritual sense. Under Marquis Nanlong¡¯s guidance, all of the giant apes silently flew towards the mountain on the left.


    After flying for a distance, Han Li turned around and said in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t be too far away from the puppets. After all, it¡¯s hard to say if the puppets will be able to lure the flying scorpions away. We must pass through this mountain as soon as possible.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man naturally didn¡¯t have any objections and immediately followed the giant apes¡¯ trajectory.


    The huge apes flew into the mountain peak, and Han Li and the others were only a few kilometers away from the mountain.


    Han Li and the other two immediately used their Qi restraining techniques on their bodies. At the same time, the giant apes puppets exerted strength with one hand and crushed the small bottles in their hands.


    Waves of pungent odors immediately spread out from the mountaintop. The apes immediately turned into balls of white light and flew off to the side.

 Chapter 818

    The Land of Lava


    When the puppets scattered and fled, Han Li and the other two could not help but hold their breaths.


    Although Han Li¡¯s words were convincing, it was hard to say whether it would be effective.


    Actually, even Han Li himself was not completely confident. After all, everything he knew about the Ten Absolute Poisons was obtained from ancient records. He had never done such a test before.


    But a moment later, Han Li and the other two no longer had any doubts.


    Just as the giant apes flew over 100 feet away, a series of strange, noisy cries suddenly erupted from the mountaintop.


    As soon as this strange cry entered his ears, Han Li immediately felt the blood and Qi in his body roil. His head sank and he almost fell from the sky.


    In his alarm, he hurriedly circulated all of the spiritual Qi in his body to stabilize himself. He then turned his head and used his spirit eyes to look at Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying.


    They weren¡¯t any better off either, and their bodies swayed a few times before returning to normal.


    Han Li frowned and was secretly shocked.


    This strange cry didn¡¯t seem to be aimed at his spiritual sense, but rather at his body¡¯s true essence. No matter how powerful his spiritual sense was, he was powerless against this strange attack.


    The fact that the Purple Pattern Scorpion had such a strange talent was truly surprising.


    It seemed that the records couldn¡¯t cover all aspects.


    Just as Han Li was muttering to himself, thirteen or fourteen streaks of dark purple light shot out from the top of the mountain, chasing after the giant apes in a flash. Han Li hurriedly used his divine sense to urge them, and the split souls in the giant apes immediately activated their maximum speed, turning into a few streaks of white light that shot into the distance.


    Even though it was only for an instant, Han Li was still able to use his powerful spiritual sense to roughly see through the purple streaks of light.


    They were frighteningly large and each of them was around 10 feet in size. Their bodies glowed with a dark purple light. They also had a pair of transparent wings. As for the rest, they were completely identical to ordinary scorpions.


    However, the scorpion flying at the front was far larger than its own kind and was around 20 feet in size. It seemed to be the leader of this group of flying scorpions.


    Seeing the ferocious appearance of the yellow mist, Han Li¡¯s pupils constricted.


    The giant apes¡¯ speed was clearly far inferior to the purple streaks, but they were still able to lure the Purple Pattern Scorpions far away while running.


    In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to small black dots.


    A short moment later, someone suddenly shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Some puppets have activated some kind of restriction. They¡¯ve been caught.¡±


    With that said, spiritual light flashed around Han Li¡¯s body. The concealment spell immediately disappeared and he took the lead to shoot through the air.


    When the other two saw this, they immediately transformed into streaks of golden light and shot toward the mountain.


    The three of them knew that these Purple Pattern Scorpions came and went like the wind. If they didn¡¯t hurry up and pass through the mountain in front of them, they would be in big trouble.


    Fortunately, the three of them were not slow. Even without using the Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li relied on his profound cultivation that far exceeded that of cultivators of the same cultivation level to fly over the mountain in an instant.


    At this moment, he sensed that the few giant ape puppets had lost contact with him. Han Li was shocked and did not dare to stay any longer. He flew more than five kilometers away from the Purple Pattern Scorpion¡¯s nest.


    Only when they stopped at another mountain did the three of them truly feel at ease.


    Marquis Nanlong quickly said with a smile, ¡°This time, it was all thanks to Brother Han¡¯s Blue Dove Poison and mechanical puppets. Otherwise, how would we have been able to pass this trial? It would¡¯ve been quite a headache.¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It was just a coincidence.¡± Han Li glanced at Marquis Nanlong but remained calm.


    Although this Blue Dove Poison was originally something from Master Cang Kun¡¯s treasure, Han Li did not bother to explain anything and only vaguely explained it.


    When Lu Weiying saw that this matter was so easily resolved, he also praised him with sincerity.


    Han Li smiled, and after a few words, the three of them resumed their journey.


    After flying for half a day without encountering anything, the temperature in the air began to rise bit by bit.


    The lush vegetation on the mountain range gradually decreased to a barren land as they advanced, making for a rather strange sight.


    In the end, the rocks of all sizes on the mountain peaks even revealed a bewitching fiery-red color. Furthermore, one could faintly see a few large and small lava cracks on the mountain peaks. They were abnormally fiery red and spat out scorching hot winds and ash-gray ash.


    It was the scene of a burning inferno.


    Han Li and Lu Weiying revealed astonished expressions, but seeing Marquis Nanlong¡¯s calm expression, they knew that they hadn¡¯t taken the wrong path, so they didn¡¯t say anything.


    Not long after, the three of them arrived in front of a crimson mountain that was over 10,000 feet tall. A large portion of the mountain peak pierced through the fiery red clouds in the sky. Compared to the surrounding small mountain peaks, this huge mountain was particularly eye-catching.


    Marquis Nanlong, who was leading the way, came to a halt upon seeing the mountain.


    Seeing this, Han Li and Han Li looked at each other and their spirits were lifted.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, the Fire Toad¡¯s nest is located in a cave at the foot of the mountain. The remains of the ancient cultivator are in this nest.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong let out a long sigh before turning around and solemnly saying, ¡°It is said that this beast¡¯s spiritual sense isn¡¯t weak. Let¡¯s stop and discuss first.¡±


    ¡°At the foot of the mountain?¡± When Han Li heard this, he raised his eyebrows and quickly probed with his spiritual sense.


    As expected, there was a huge fiery hole at the bottom of the huge mountain. From time to time, gusts of hot wind would blow out.


    To avoid alerting the Fire Toad inside, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and did not rashly probe further.


    Lu Weiying immediately said, ¡°What is there to discuss? With Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s ice-attribute cultivation arts as the main, the two of us will assist. We will directly exterminate the Fire Toad.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong was prepared for this and said, ¡°Brother Lu, how could things be so simple? According to Master Cang Kun, almost half of the Fire Toad¡¯s nest is built in lava. Regardless of the beast¡¯s injuries, as long as it jumps into the lava, the Fire Toad will immediately recover. Fighting with this beast in such a place will be extremely disadvantageous. The best method is to first set up a spell formation and lure it out of its nest to kill it. For this, I¡¯ve prepared a set of water-attribute spell formation tools.¡±


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he didn¡¯t raise any objections. Han Li also felt that there were no problems. After the three made their plans, they began to make preparations.


    In addition to the formation mentioned by Marquis Nanlong, Han Li also set up several other formations in case of any mishaps.


    After doing all this, they decided to hide to the side and let Han Li use the puppet beast to lure the ancient Fire Toad out of its nest.


    Han Li patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and the remaining white wolf puppet beast immediately flew out.


    Then, Han Li sat cross-legged near the spell formation and controlled the puppet beast to fly straight to the cave under the huge mountain.

 Chapter 819

    Lure


    Through the split soul in the puppet, after it entered the cave, Han Li sensed everything clearly.


    In front of the white wolf was a natural passageway that was around 70 to 80 feet tall. The walls on both sides were black and red, and from time to time, wisps of flames would emerge from the cracks, causing the nearby air to twist and deform due to the high temperature.


    Han Li believed that once a cultivator with a low cultivation entered this passageway, they would most likely be caught off guard and immediately faint from the hot winds and high temperatures.


    As a mechanical puppet, the white wolf naturally didn¡¯t have such a problem.


    It flew forward along the passageway, and after a short while, its eyes lit up, revealing a fiery-red underground world.


    The area was several thousand feet wide, but the most eye-catching thing was a lake of molten lava that occupied most of the area. Red lava bubbles continuously roiled within before exploding with a ¡°pa pa¡± sound. It gave off a fearsome feeling that one would be roasted to a crisp if one were to approach too closely.


    Surrounding the lake was the reddish ground of the rock. There were a few flashes of green light on top of it. It was quite surprising to see that there were some spirit herbs growing on it. It was clear that these spirit herbs were extraordinary.


    However, Han Li, who was in the white wolf, was not interested in any spiritual herbs. His gaze had already landed on a huge protruding rock at the center of the lava lake.


    Up above, there was a fiery red monster that was sleeping soundly with its stomach turned over.


    The monster wasn¡¯t very large. It was thirty feet wide and fifty to sixty feet long, resembling a huge toad. However, it had skin that glowed like flames, giving it an extraordinary appearance. As it breathed, a layer of red mist would occasionally appear over its body, giving it a mysterious appearance.


    It seemed that this was the Fire Toad!


    Han Li saw the beast clearly and carefully examined it for a long time. Then, his gaze fell on a stone platform on the opposite side of the lava lake.


    This stone platform was clearly an ancient object.


    Although the platform was engraved with many patterns and runes, the four corners of the platform had long been corroded and worn out.


    At the center of the stone platform lay the remains of a cultivator wrapped in a long azure robe.


    The robe was simple and unadorned, clearly not something that cultivators wore today. Furthermore, after so many years, the robe was still brand new and emitted a faint green light. It was clear that it was no ordinary item.


    The remains wrapped in the robe had already turned into a pile of bones. However, these bones were translucent and as clear as crystal. It was truly a strange sight.


    After carefully examining the skeleton and then checking the Fire Toad, Han Li split a portion of his attention and quietly wrapped it around the skeleton.


    He planned to first take a look at the cultivator¡¯s remains and see if it had any treasures.


    After all, he hadn¡¯t found any treasures or storage pouches on the remains.


    However, perhaps the treasures had been placed in the azure robe or somewhere near the stone platform, so he planned to search for it first.


    Just as this trace of spiritual sense flew above the remains and gently descended, an unexpected change occurred.


    Brilliant spiritual light suddenly erupted from the azure robe and a layer of azure light appeared over it, repelling the spiritual sense.


    The nearby spiritual Qi fluctuated.


    The Fire Toad seemed to have sensed something and opened its eyes. It quickly turned its green eyes toward the white wolf puppet at the entrance of the cave.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Han Li cried out in his heart.


    The white wolf puppet hurriedly turned around, and in a flash of light, it turned into a streak of white light and fled in the direction it had come from.


    At the same time, the seemingly bloated Fire Toad suddenly flipped over and leaped high into the air before landing back on the huge rock in a crouching position.


    It glanced at the disappearing white streak of light and let loose an enraged cry. Immediately thereafter, its thick hind legs abruptly kicked off the ground, instantly enshrouding it in a cloud of red light as it gave chase.


    Han Li¡¯s lips silently moved as he sent a voice transmission to Marquis Nanlong. ¡°The Fire Toad has already arrived. Be careful, Fellow Daoists.¡±


    When the two heard this, their expressions froze as they looked at the huge mountain in the distance.


    A streak of white light shot out from within and flew directly toward them. A short moment later, a ball of shimmering red light flew out from the cave and chased after the streak of white light.


    From the looks of it, its speed wasn¡¯t slow at all, and it wasn¡¯t inferior to an ordinary early-Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s expression changed.


    Fortunately, the white wolf puppet was a speed puppet. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been difficult to lure it over.


    With that thought, he commanded the white wolf puppet to fly at full speed without fear of damaging the puppet¡¯s body. Then, he flipped his hand and summoned a ball of blue flames.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying also prepared their magic treasures with gloomy expressions and waited on either side of the spell formation.


    The huge mountain and the location of Han Li and the others seemed to be very far away, but the white rainbow and the ball of fiery red light arrived nearby in the blink of an eye.


    A fierce look flashed across Han Li¡¯s face, and the ice flame in his hand silently grew three times larger.


    However, just as the white streak of light was about to enter the grand formation that they had set up, the Fire Toad that was 300 to 400 feet behind it grew impatient.


    With a loud croak, a scarlet fireball shot forth from the beast¡¯s mouth.


    The fireball was only the size of a head, but after shooting out for several tens of feet, it instantly transformed into a massive creature that was several tens of feet in size. It caught up to the white wolf puppet at the edge of the formation, and a raging tornado of over 100 feet tall instantly engulfed the puppet beast.


    Following that, muffled explosions continuously sounded from the flames, and then it became silent. Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly!


    The flames quickly receded, and the puppet beast disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li was naturally shocked when he saw this.


    As expected, the demonic flames within the toad¡¯s body weren¡¯t ordinary flames. At the very least, they were superior to the Nascent Flames of a Nascent Soul cultivator. He didn¡¯t know if his ice flames would be able to restrain it. However, he wasn¡¯t too worried. After all, he had more than one or two methods to kill this beast.


    Both the Purple Apex Flame and the Aureate Sword Formation were even more powerful trump cards.


    Furthermore, if he released all the Core Formation puppets at once, he could definitely kill this beast. However, Han Li naturally could not bear to suffer such a huge loss.


    Puppet beasts were very useful in certain situations.


    At that moment, the head of the Fire Toad let out a long cry of satisfaction upon seeing that it had killed the enemy that had rashly intruded into its nest. In a flash of red light, it was about to turn around and fly back.


    At this moment, Han Li and the other two looked at each other in dismay. Among them, Han Li¡¯s heart tightened.


    How could Han Li let the Fire Toad leave so easily when it concerned Nangong Wan¡¯s life and death? He frowned and suddenly flew out as a streak of azure light.


    On the other side of the formation, Han Li¡¯s lone figure appeared through the formation.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were stunned for a moment before understanding Han Li¡¯s intentions.


    Han Li¡¯s actions had startled the Fire Toad, which had turned around halfway. It nimbly turned back and stared at the new enemy not far away. It did not move, and a trace of doubt seemed to flash in its single eye.


    Han Li did not reply. He held the small ball of ice flames in one hand and patted his waist with the other. Six balls of blue light flew out from his storage bag and landed behind him. After the light faded, six huge blue turtles that were thirty feet tall and shining with spiritual light appeared behind Han Li. They were the huge tortoise puppet beasts that Han Li had just refined.


    Han Li gave an order with his spiritual sense.


    The shells of the six giant tortoises flashed with light and suddenly condensed into icicles that were around a foot tall. Each of the icicles was translucent and straight, emitting wisps of cold Qi.


    All of a sudden, the seemingly harmless tortoise became ferocious and imposing.


    The Fire Toad seemed to have sensed Han Li¡¯s hostility, and a fierce light flashed in its green eyes. In a breath, it spat out a fireball.


    The fireball also enlarged and shot toward him in an overbearing manner.


    Han Li did not say anything. With the thought of testing the power of the Fire Toad¡¯s demonic flames in mind, he immediately raised the hand holding the ice flame.


    The ball of blue ice flames in his hand immediately condensed into a blue ice flower and flew toward the huge fireball in front of him.


    The Fire Toad¡¯s fireball was around twenty meters in diameter, while the Celestial Ice Flame¡¯s flower was only a few inches in size. In terms of size, they were incomparable. However, as soon as the two came into contact in the air, an astonishing scene occurred.


    With a crackle, blue light flashed from the fireball, and a thick layer of blue ice appeared on the surface of the fireball. A huge ice ball appeared in the air, but the center of the ice ball was still flickering with scarlet flames.


    When Han Li saw this, he was slightly stunned.


    However, when the Fire Toad saw that its fireball had been restrained, it became furious.


    It opened its mouth to release hundreds of fist-sized fireballs.


    Han Li pursed his lips and waved his hand.


    The six huge tortoise puppets that had been accumulating power for a long time shook their shells at the same time. Then, countless icicles tore through the air from their shells and densely met the fireballs.


    After a series of explosions, the white glacial air from the icicles and the hot wind from fireballs intertwined in midair.


    Surging white Qi suddenly filled the entire sky.


    Han Li stared ahead and narrowed his eyes.


    It was clear that his opponent¡¯s fireballs were far more powerful than the giant tortoises¡¯ icicles. In an instant, the wave of fire forced the glacial air to retreat.


    When Han Li saw this, he muttered something in a low voice and suddenly flew backwards.


    The six huge tortoise puppets immediately followed after him.


    At that moment, the sea of flames completely overpowered the glacial air formed by the icicles and relentlessly pursued him.


    However, the six giant tortoises immediately spat out a large number of icicles, turning into cold air to block the fire wave again. Meanwhile, Han Li and the giant tortoises had already flown more than 200 feet away.


    Han Li stared at the Fire Toad that was still motionless on the spot with his mouth tightly shut.


    According to the information he had gathered before coming to Devilfall Valley, the Fire Toad could not only use the power of lava to recover its vitality, but it was also proficient in fire escape techniques. It could use the power of fire to travel thousands of feet in an instant.


    At the bottom of the mountain range, there was a sea of lava. If the beast were to dive into the ground, it would be able to easily escape. Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying didn¡¯t care about this. After all, they were here for the remains and treasures. Even if they couldn¡¯t kill the beast, it wouldn¡¯t matter as long as they could chase it away.


    However, it was different for him. He was determined to acquire the beast core.


    As such, he had to lure the Fire Toad into the spell formation and block its path of retreat. Only then would he be able to deal with the Fire Toad without worry. Therefore, whether or not the Fire Toad would chase after him was a crucial matter.


    When the Fire Toad saw that Han Li had only fought for a moment before retreating, it could not help but be stunned. However, this beast did not seem to have much intelligence. Without thinking, its body flickered with light and turned into a ball of red light, chasing after Han Li.


    Han Li was overjoyed when he saw this.


    After it only chased him for a short distance, blue and white light suddenly appeared around the flying Fire Toad, and a layer of light blue water appeared around it.


    Soon after, several streaks of white light flashed from the water barrier, and several white water dragons appeared indistinctly. The entire barrier of light became damp and cold.


    The Fire Toad was startled and unconsciously stopped moving. Its eyes darted around wildly and it let out a low growl as if it were threatening him.


    At the same time, spiritual light flashed on both sides of the light barrier, and Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying appeared.


    When the two saw that the Fire Toad was trapped by the formation, they immediately summoned their respective treasures.


    Marquis Nanlong tossed out the jade ring in his hand, but the old man didn¡¯t use the magic flag treasure. Instead, he raised his hands, and two blue spears flew out.


    The spell formation¡¯s light barrier naturally wouldn¡¯t affect their treasures. The treasures immediately passed through the water barrier and attacked the Fire Toad.


    The few white water dragons on the light barrier also flew out from the water screen at the right time, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they attacked. This was Han Li, who was in the distance. He took the opportunity to activate one of the formation flags in his hand and turned on the restriction in the formation to cooperate with the two¡¯s attacks.


    When the Fire Toad saw this, it felt a sense of foreboding despite its low intelligence.


    It immediately let loose an earth-shattering cry before shrinking back and suddenly expanding, displaying its life-saving abilities. After the beast let loose a loud roar, crimson light shields of the same size immediately appeared on its body.


    These small shields were densely packed together and swarmed out of the Fire Toad¡¯s body in batches. They then fused together to form three layers of impenetrable fiery light barriers.


    Right at this moment, the green jade ring, the water dragon, and the two blue spears struck the light barriers almost at the same time.


    Thunderous booms immediately erupted from within the water barrier as red flames and vapor intertwined with one another, creating a blinding sight.


    However, after another roar from the Fire Toad, a pillar of crimson light as thick as a water tank shot out from the light and struck the water curtain.


    As a result, the water curtain was only able to block the attack for a short moment before it was easily pierced through.

 Chapter 820

    Slaying the Beast


    Red light suddenly erupted from the center of the water curtain, following which a huge pillar of flames swept up around the Fire Toad.


    In an instant, the water dragon, the ring, and the two blue spears were all forcibly expelled from the pillar of fire. At the center of the pillar of fire was the indistinct figure of the ancient Fire Toad.


    Just as all of the attacks were deflected, the Fire Toad, knowing that it had fallen into a trap, took the opportunity to step back and transform into a ball of raging flames. Its target was the hole that was gradually closing up.


    When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw this, they hastily commanded their treasures to chase after the beast and prevent it from escaping the restriction.


    However, it seemed to be too late.


    Just as the ball of flames was about to reach the water curtain and blink out, a sharp cry suddenly sounded from a distance. The Fire Toad stuck out one of its forelimbs and felt a black light flash in front of its eyes. Something brushed past it. At the same time, the forelimb felt hot and cold, and a large portion of it suddenly disappeared.


    The Fire Toad¡¯s body convulsed, and an unbearable pain came from its broken limb.


    Although the beast was quite powerful, it couldn¡¯t help but let out a bloodcurdling scream before plummeting to the ground.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were ecstatic to see this, and they immediately commanded their treasures to surround the Fire Toad before unleashing a barrage of attacks.


    The jade-green ring among them turned illusory for a moment before transforming into several hundred phantoms that continuously rolled around the Fire Toad in an attempt to imprison it. As for the two long blue spears, they also swayed before transforming into two forty-meter-long blue ice pythons that pounced toward the toad.


    However, this beast was worthy of being called an ancient beast that even Master Cang Kun feared. Although one of its limbs had been severed, it didn¡¯t affect its cultivation base or abilities in the slightest. In almost an instant, densely packed light shields appeared in front of it again, blocking all of these attacks.


    The green ring projections were unable to approach it in the slightest, so they were naturally unable to restrain it. They could only rely on their ordinary power to continuously strike the light shields, but the effect was negligible.


    As for the two ice pythons, their attributes perfectly countered these fire-attribute light shields. Every time they pounced, they would shatter a small shield. However, these shields were nearly endless, and their effects were similarly insignificant.


    A short moment later, six pillars of blue light shot forth from the sky and joined the attack. With every flash, a light shield would be destroyed.


    Rumbling sounds echoed. The Fire Toad was just about to stand up when it was pressed to the ground once again.


    Marquis Nanlong faltered slightly upon seeing this.


    Han Li had flown close and was waving his hand to disperse the black energy on one arm. Behind him, six huge blue tortoise puppets opened their mouths and spat out bowl-thick pillars of light, attacking the ancient Fire Toad in the water curtain.


    Han Li turned his gaze and looked at the Fire Toad¡¯s severed limb that had fallen out of the water curtain.


    Even though the item had left its original owner¡¯s body, it was still emitting wisps of red light. It floated near the water curtain as if it were still alive.


    When Han Li saw this, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.


    He had seen from afar that the situation was dire and the Fire Toad was about to escape from the restriction. In a moment of desperation, he released a Yin Devil Execution and cut off the beast¡¯s forelimb.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that the Fire Toad would still be so ferocious after its forelimb fell off. Although it was attacked by the six huge tortoise puppets of the two Nascent Soul cultivators, it was still able to hold on. It was no wonder that Master Cang Kun had taken the initiative to retreat when he knew that he was no match for it.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, the fire-attribute spirit shields on this Fire Toad¡¯s body are inextinguishable. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll need your ice-attribute abilities to restrain it. Otherwise, we don¡¯t know how long this battle will take,¡± Lu Weiying shouted anxiously when he saw that the small shields on the Fire Toad¡¯s body were immediately absorbed as faint fire clouds when they were broken, only to produce new shields as replacements.


    Even without the old man¡¯s words, Han Li saw the situation.


    He did not say anything. With a wave of his sleeve, more than ten golden flying swords flew out from his sleeve. After circling once, they condensed into a huge sword that was three meters long under Han Li¡¯s control.


    The sword was shimmering with golden light and exuded an oppressive coldness.


    This action stunned Lu Weiying and Marquis Nanlong.


    They wanted Han Li to use that terrifying blue cold flame to deal with the Fire Toad, but Han Li actually released an outstanding flying sword, so they were naturally puzzled.


    Seeing the huge sword take shape, Han Li expressionlessly waved his hand at it.


    With a flash of golden light, the huge sword fell and stopped in front of Han Li.


    Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a thin blue flame, striking the huge sword.


    The golden sword trembled slightly before a layer of blue flames enveloped it and began to burn.


    Han Li hesitated for a moment. He rubbed his hands together and cast another spell, activating the Divine Devilbane Lightning in his sword.


    A deep thunderclap erupted as countless thin arcs of golden lightning appeared within the huge sword¡¯s blue flames.


    When Han Li saw this, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He pointed at the Fire Toad in the water curtain and said, ¡°Go.¡±


    Amidst a buzzing sound, the huge sword transformed into a streak of golden light as it hurtled toward the Fire Toad.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying¡¯s frantic attacks were ineffective, and their attacks had slowed down. The Fire Toad took advantage of this opportunity to catch its breath.


    Flame-red spiritual light flashed from its body, and its abdomen suddenly swelled. It seemed that it was planning to use some sort of ability to counterattack.


    Right at this moment, the huge golden sword instantly flew above the Fire Toad¡¯s head and slashed down with astonishing thunderclaps.


    The Fire Toad stared at the golden sword in the sky and blinked its green eyes several times. It seemed to have sensed a huge threat. Its stomach, which had only expanded by a few times, could not be bothered to continue. It let out a strange cry and spat out a red crystal fireball, heading straight for the golden sword that was falling from above.


    The fireball was only the size of a fist, but its surface was smooth and sparkling with red light, resembling a huge fire pearl. As soon as it left the toad¡¯s mouth, the air within the water barrier began to heat up.


    ¡°Demon core? No! It¡¯s not the real object, it¡¯s not.¡± Han Li was shocked when he saw the fireball. However, he immediately realized that it was not the real core and was relieved. After all, if it was really the Fire Toad¡¯s demon core, he would be afraid of taking action.


    Han Li cast a spell and the golden sword struck the fireball without hesitation. With the sharpness of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword and the power of the ten flying swords condensed, although the fireball was a little strange, Han Li imagined that he would be able to destroy it with one strike.


    However, a shocking scene ensued.


    With a loud bang, the fireball shone with brilliant light and intertwined with the golden light. The huge sword was only halfway into it before it was forcibly blocked by the fireball.


    A trace of ridicule flashed through the Fire Toad¡¯s human-like eyes before it opened its mouth and let out a sharp cry.


    The fireball that was split in half instantly exploded.


    A vast expanse of crimson light erupted, but in the blink of an eye, it condensed into a twenty-foot-long red snake of light. With a leap, the snake of light coiled around the huge sword, firmly enveloping it within.


    The huge sword faltered for a moment, and it appeared that it had been restricted.


    Han Li was stunned at first, but then the corner of his mouth curled up, revealing a cold smile.


    He formed an incantation gesture with his hands and pointed at the huge sword. Golden light immediately flashed from the sword, following which a thin net of lightning appeared on the surface of the huge sword. Countless arcs of lightning crackled and exploded, forcibly repelling the snakes of light that were wrapped tightly around the huge sword.


    The huge sword took this opportunity to tremble slightly and suddenly disappeared from its original spot. In the next moment, it appeared on the many light shields of the Fire Toad and slashed down. The blue flames on the sword suddenly rose by a foot.


    Crackling sounds rang out.


    As soon as the light shields were struck by the huge sword, they were frozen into ice by the blue glacial flames, turning into sparkling ice shields. However, they were then instantly shattered by the huge sword.


    After destroying the dozen or so small shields in front of it in one breath, the huge sword appeared above the Fire Toad¡¯s body and ruthlessly slashed at its huge head.


    The Fire Toad did not expect the situation to suddenly change. It had just spat out the fireball that was formed from the true essence fire in its body and did not even have the time to catch its breath. The huge sword broke through its shields and reached the top of its head. This time, even if its intelligence was not high, it still revealed a look of fear.


    Helpless, the Fire Toad could only open its mouth.


    With a swish, a long pitch-black tongue suddenly shot out from its mouth, directly coiling around the huge falling sword. At the same time, its two hind legs stomped on the ground, wanting to jump up and dodge this slash.


    If it were an ordinary flying sword or saber, the beast would¡¯ve done the right thing.


    After all, the toad¡¯s tongue was no less durable than an ordinary magic treasure. If the giant sword were an ordinary magic treasure, it would be able to block it for the time being.


    However, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword had been refined with Geng Metal, and its sharpness was incomparable to that of an ordinary flying sword. As soon as it came into contact with the sword, golden light flashed, and the huge sword easily cut the long tongue in half.


    The Fire Toad had just leaped three meters into the air when its huge head fell from its body.


    The surrounding light shields were immediately annihilated.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he shouted with joy, ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong also heaved a sigh of relief and revealed a smile. At the same time, he formed an incantation gesture with his hands and prepared to open the water curtain to take a look.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Han Li coldly said and stopped Marquis Nanlong from removing the water curtain.


    Marquis Nanlong wore a bewildered expression and unconsciously placed his hand on the storage pouch at his waist. ¡°What? What do you mean, Brother Han?¡±


    Lu Weiying glanced at Han Li and slightly turned his body, also looking slightly vigilant.


    Han Li turned a blind eye to this and indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that this Fire Toad hasn¡¯t been completely exterminated. Brother Nanlong is too impatient.¡±


    ¡°What? This Fire Toad is still alive!¡±


    When Marquis Nanlong and the old man heard this, they were both shocked and hastily looked at the water curtain.


    Only then did they discover that the corpse of the Fire Toad in the water curtain was indeed quite strange.


    The body and head, which had been separated, were still floating in the air without any intention of falling.

 Chapter 821

    The Remains of Ancient Cultivators


    This wasn¡¯t all. As Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying took a closer look, the torso of the Fire Toad began to emit crimson light from its neck. The Fire Toad¡¯s head also began to glow from its wound.


    The two streaks of light continuously extended and intertwined, gradually drawing closer to each other.


    ¡°An indestructible body! This Fire Toad actually possesses such an innate ability?¡± Marquis Nanlong exclaimed.


    Lu Weiying also wore an expression of astonishment.


    ¡°Indestructible? How can there be truly indestructible things in this world? It¡¯s just that their vitality is slightly stronger than ordinary demon beasts.¡±


    Han Li, who had read many books, naturally knew what the so-called ¡°indestructible body¡± referred to. After cutting off the Fire Toad¡¯s forelimb and seeing the abnormality of the severed limb, he faintly suspected something. Only then did he speak up to stop Marquis Nanlong from rashly opening the restriction.


    Otherwise, if the Fire Toad took the opportunity to revive and escape, his efforts would have been in vain.


    But now, Han Li sneered and pointed at the huge sword that cut off the Fire Toad¡¯s head.


    The huge sword revolved in the air before suddenly disassembling into two streaks of golden light.


    A burst of blue light flashed, followed by two crisp bangs.


    The Fire Toad¡¯s head and body were instantly frozen into ice sculptures by the sword¡¯s icy flames, sealing off the crimson light. Soon after, they were shattered by the flying swords, turning into specks of light that danced in the air.


    A thumb-sized crimson ball was left behind where the body was shattered. It was the Fire Toad¡¯s demon core!


    When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw the demon core appear, they exchanged a glance and saw a trace of interest in each other¡¯s eyes.


    After all, it was the demon core of an ancient beast with an indestructible body. Perhaps it had some special divine effects.


    However, when the two of them thought of the divine power that Han Li had used previously and his recent thunderous reputation, this temptation in their hearts was instantly extinguished.


    After all, the two of them knew very well that Han Li¡¯s supernatural power was definitely above theirs. Even if the two of them joined hands, they would probably only be able to fight Han Li, and the odds of victory would be no higher than 50%.


    The two felt that it wasn¡¯t worth it to fall out over an unknown ancient beast demon core.


    After all, there were many opportunities in Devilfall Valley.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t have any mind reading techniques, he could roughly guess what Marquis Nanlong and his companion were thinking.


    As Nascent Soul cultivators, they hadn¡¯t used their full strength in the battle against the Fire Toad. They had relied on Han Li¡¯s abilities to slay the beast.


    Thus, after beheading the Fire Toad, Han Li appeared normal on the surface, but in reality, he had already increased his vigilance against these two people by several times. This was to prevent them from doing something stupid due to a moment of irrationality.


    Now that he saw these two people¡¯s expressions change but they instantly returned to normal, Han Li felt relieved.


    Although he wasn¡¯t afraid of fighting these two, it would be better if he didn¡¯t have to take any risks.


    Han Li immediately waved his hand at the water curtain, and the fiery red demon core shot out with a whoosh and flew into his palm.


    As for the two flying swords, they let out a clear ring before disintegrating on their own, transforming into over ten small swords that flew back into his sleeve.


    Han Li lowered his head and looked at the fire-red demon core in his hands. He let out a long sigh. He had finally achieved one of the objectives of this trip to the valley.


    Marquis Nanlong suddenly spoke with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Fellow Daoist Han that we were able to kill this Fire Toad. However, let¡¯s go take a look at the beast¡¯s nest. I¡¯m sure Brother Han is very interested in the treasures on the remains.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Han Li put away the demon core and nodded without batting an eyelid.


    Lu Weiying was ecstatic to hear this.


    Immediately thereafter, the three withdrew the nearby spell formations and headed straight for the cave at the foot of the mountain.


    Speaking of which, it was not that Han Li did not want to secretly release Silvermoon and enter the cave to search for treasures.


    However, the two of them were cunning and had always paid attention to Han Li. In addition, their magic power and cultivation were higher than Han Li¡¯s. If he released Silvermoon without any cover, there was a high chance that she would not be able to hide from their spiritual senses. Furthermore, the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains seemed to be a little strange. Han Li also had other fears, so he dismissed this idea after some thought.


    The three streaks of light arrived at the entrance of the cave in the blink of an eye and flew in without stopping.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying faltered slightly upon seeing the lava lake, but they soon surveyed their surroundings as if nothing had happened.


    However, the two merely swept their gaze past the lake before their gazes fell upon the azure-robed ancient cultivator¡¯s remains.


    Both of them were pleasantly surprised!


    Marquis Nanlong withdrew his smile and calmly said, ¡°It seems this is the remains that Master Cang Kun spoke of. Fellow Daoists, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Han Li and the old man naturally did not refuse. The three of them immediately flew past the lava lake and directly arrived in front of the stone platform opposite.


    Standing thirty to forty feet away from the stone platform, Han Li sized up the skeleton on the stone platform again, revealing a trace of resistance.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying didn¡¯t hold back. Once they stabilized themselves, they immediately spread out their spiritual sense to search for treasures.


    When Han Li saw this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a half-smile, but he did not say anything.


    He already knew that the ancient robe was strange, so he didn¡¯t mind letting the two of them experience it for themselves.


    As expected, the two of them sent their spiritual sense toward the skeleton, and azure light erupted from their robes, repelling their spiritual sense.


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man, who had never encountered such a situation before, couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise.


    ¡°Huh! This robe is a bit strange.¡± Lu Weiying muttered with a surprised expression.


    Marquis Nanlong regained his composure and calmly said, ¡°It is nothing more than an azure silkworm robe. It was woven with the threads from ancient spirit silkworms and is able to withstand the spiritual sense of cultivators. Although it is a rare item in the current cultivation world, it was said to be an ordinary item in ancient times.¡±


    The azure robe trembled and transformed into a streak of azure light that flew into Marquis Nanlong¡¯s hand.


    As a result, the skeleton was naturally exposed. There was a small black leather pouch wrapped around the skeleton at its waist.


    ¡°As expected, there is a storage pouch!¡± Lu Weiying¡¯s face lit up with joy. Marquis Nanlong also excitedly tossed this azure robe to the side and stared at the black storage pouch without blinking.


    Han Li, who was originally calm, changed his expression slightly when he heard the sound of the green robe falling to the ground, but he immediately recovered.


    Marquis Nanlong smiled at Han Li and the old man and suddenly suggested, ¡°If you two Fellow Daoists agree, I will go take a look at the treasures in the pouch. What do you think?¡±


    Han Li glanced at the leather pouch and replied with a smile, ¡°Of course. Brother Nanlong, you can take a look.¡±


    Cultivator Lu hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.


    Thus, Marquis Nanlong took a few steps forward and carefully picked up the storage pouch. He then swept his spiritual sense through it with an expressionless face.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Brother Nanlong, what is inside? Why don¡¯t you pour them out so that we can see?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong nodded and flipped his hand over. The storage pouch in his hand immediately opened and a white mist swept out.


    Following that, a large pile of items appeared on the ground.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± When the old man saw what was in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help but start.


    Most of the items in front of him were pieces of scarlet iron that glowed with red light. All of them were scorching hot and seemed to be quite extraordinary. In addition, there were a few other items that were quite eye-catching.


    There was a white jade box, a small purple mirror, a small yellow sword, a set of dark green flying needles, and two black medicine bottles.


    Seeing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes and his expression changed.


    Apart from the jade box and medicine bottle, the rest of the items were all extraordinary ancient treasures.


    As for the contents of the jade box and medicine bottle, they naturally aroused Han Li¡¯s interest. This was because when he swept his spiritual sense past them just now, he did not know what the jade box and medicine bottle were refined from, but his spiritual sense could not forcefully invade them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never seen this material before, but it seems to be a semi-finished product that has been refined.¡± Han Li frowned, looking uncertain.


    Marquis Nanlong thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that they¡¯re semi-finished products. If I¡¯m not mistaken, these iron blocks should be the legendary ¡®Spirit Materials¡¯ that ancient cultivators used to refine ancient treasures. It¡¯s said that the refinement method is somewhat special. Most people use rare materials combined with the power of heaven and earth to form Spirit Materials. This ancient cultivator must¡¯ve wanted to refine powerful fire-attribute ancient treasures, so he brought so many at once.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Materials!¡±


    Upon hearing this name, Han Li immediately recalled that this name had been mentioned in an ancient record. After some thought, he obtained the same information as Marquis Nanlong. It was indeed a rare material for refining ancient treasures. It seemed that ancient treasures refined with this material were extremely powerful.


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he revealed an uninterested expression. His gaze swept past the other treasures before falling on the jade box and medicine bottle.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong raised his hand and tossed the bag over.


    Han Li subconsciously caught it and was stunned for a moment. However, he immediately understood the other party¡¯s intentions and weighed it in his hand. He then quickly used his spiritual sense to scan the situation in the bag and threw it to Lu Weiying.


    The old man examined it for a moment and nodded, indicating that there were no problems. He then tossed the pouch to the ground.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s lips twitched and he finally asked the question he was most concerned about with a solemn expression, ¡°How should we divide these treasures? Could it be that each of us will take two?¡±

 Chapter 822

    Seven Flames Fan


    ¡°Could it be that Brother Lu has another method of distribution?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered as he asked indifferently.


    ¡°If the jade box and medicine bottle were ancient treasures, then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the three of us to each take two treasures. But now, the jade box and medicine bottle¡­¡±


    Marquis Nanlong suddenly interjected, ¡°We still don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside the jade box and medicine bottle. Naturally, we¡¯ll have to open them first before dividing the treasures according to their value.¡±


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he frowned and nodded repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s what I meant. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Han?¡±


    ¡°I have no objections. We¡¯ll do as you say!¡± Han Li said without any hesitation.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han is so straightforward, I¡¯ll take a look at what¡¯s inside.¡± Marquis Nanlong was very satisfied with Han Li¡¯s straightforward reply.


    He immediately extended his hand, and the white jade box flew into his grasp with a swoosh. He then slapped the jade box with the back of his hand, intending to open it.


    However, just as his hand made contact with the box, white light suddenly flashed and a layer of misty white light appeared, repelling his hand.


    Marquis Nanlong faltered slightly upon seeing this before muttering to himself, ¡°Huh! This box is actually restricted.¡± Golden light flashed from his hand as he reached for the box.


    This time, white light also appeared, intertwining with the golden light.


    However, a short moment later, the golden light was clearly unable to withstand the golden hand. The golden hand slowly grabbed the lid and forcibly opened it.


    The white light immediately dissipated.


    Han Li focused his gaze and immediately saw the item in the box. It was a slightly yellowed ancient jade slip.


    Under Lu Weiying¡¯s astonished gaze, Marquis Nanlong hesitated for a moment before gently placing the jade slip onto his forehead.


    In an instant, he swept his spiritual sense past the contents of the jade slip and revealed an astonished expression.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, come and take a look!¡± In order to avoid suspicion, Marquis Nanlong quickly removed the jade slip and tossed it to Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed. He took the jade slip and also infused his spiritual sense into it.


    A short moment later, he unconsciously frowned and returned the jade slip to Lu Weiying.


    Lu Weiying also hastily glanced at the contents of the jade slip.


    Before the old man finished reading, he muttered, ¡°What ancient treasure is the Seven Flames Fan? I¡¯ve never heard of it. Is this ancient treasure very powerful?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong said with uncertainty, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. However, since the refinement method was so solemnly recorded in the jade slip and the materials used are mostly Spirit Materials, it should be very powerful, right?¡±


    Lu Weiying shook his head and tossed the jade slip back to Marquis Nanlong. ¡°No matter how powerful it is, it won¡¯t be of much use. The amount of Spirit Materials required to refine this treasure is far too great. Although there is a refinement method for the Spirit Materials, it requires the fusion of eighty-one types of fire-attribute materials, as well as so many supplementary materials. Some of these materials seem to have long since disappeared from this world. This jade slip is of little value and can only be used for tool refinement research.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong smiled and casually placed the jade slip back into the jade box as if he agreed with Lu Weiying.


    ¡°Seven Flames Fan? Master, does this jade slip really record the refinement method for this treasure?¡± Just as Han Li felt that this jade slip was useless, Silvermoon¡¯s pleasantly surprised voice suddenly sounded in his mind.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred when he heard this, and he immediately replied with a voice transmission.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the name. Why? Do you know of this ancient treasure?¡±


    ¡°Master, if I remember correctly, this Seven Flames Fan is also one of the Divine Spirit Treasures. However, its ranking seems to be extremely low among the Divine Spirit Treasures. It¡¯s almost at the bottom.¡± Silvermoon¡¯s voice trembled slightly as she couldn¡¯t help but repeatedly say this.


    ¡°Divine Spirit Treasure!¡± Hearing this, Han Li was shocked and could not help but be stunned.


    ¡°What? This Seven Flames Fan is a Divine Spirit Treasure? In that case, I must obtain this jade slip. I¡¯ve long wanted to study Divine Spirit Treasures. Now that there is a refinement method, it can¡¯t be better.¡± Before Han Li could answer, Monarch Great Development, who had not spoken recently, suddenly shouted excitedly in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Silvermoon¡¯s voice turned cold upon hearing Monarch Great Development¡¯s words, and he angrily said, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting, old monster?¡±


    Monarch Great Development chuckled in a nonchalant manner and said, ¡°You little demon fox, you¡¯re still holding a grudge against me for what happened that day. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never seen an Artifact Spirit with intelligence, so I suggested that I borrow you for research. Didn¡¯t your master refuse?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, Silvermoon! This matter has long passed, so there¡¯s no need to worry about it. However, I¡¯m rather surprised that Senior knows about the Divine Spirit Treasures. However, now isn¡¯t the time to talk about it in detail. Let¡¯s talk about it in the future,¡± Han Li said coldly. Then, he turned his gaze to the jade box on the ground and saw that Marquis Nanlong had already taken out two black medicine bottles and was opening them.


    Silvermoon immediately tactfully gave up. Although Monarch Great Development felt somewhat displeased, he could only mutter a few words under Han Li¡¯s control and remain silent.


    As soon as the black medicine bottle was opened, a faint fragrance wafted out from within.


    Han Li only took a whiff of it and felt his entire body relax. He could not help but perk up.


    Marquis Nanlong took out an emerald-green pill from the bottle and held it in his hand. He hesitantly said, ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be one of the most common ancient spirit pills. I don¡¯t know what kind of spirit medicine it is, but it definitely isn¡¯t a harmful poison. I must go back and look through the records.¡±


    The corner of Lu Weiying¡¯s eyes stirred as he stared at the pill and slowly asked, ¡°How many pills are there in the medicine bottle?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong poured the empty bottle a few more times in front of Han Li and the old man before saying, ¡°There is only one! It seems to be a rare type of Ancient Spirit Pill.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at the other medicine bottle!¡± Lu Weiying¡¯s voice began to tremble.


    Marquis Nanlong nodded and poured the pill back into the bottle. He then opened the other bottle and poured out an identical green pill.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying looked at each other in astonishment.


    ¡°It seems that the harvest this time is not bad. There are three ancient treasures, two unknown medicinal pills, and an ancient treasure refinement method. How do you plan to distribute them?¡± Han Li smiled and asked leisurely.


    Marquis Nanlong looked at the two medicine bottles in his hand and calmly said to Han Li, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what kind of spirit pills these two pills are, I believe Fellow Daoist Han should know that our main objective in entering the valley is to find spirit pills. Fellow Daoist Lu and I plan to each take one of these pills, so we¡¯ll split them. Fellow Daoist Han may choose one of the remaining ancient treasures first. Does Fellow Daoist have any objections?¡±


    When Han Li heard this, he frowned slightly and looked at the ancient treasures on the ground.


    Han Li stroked his chin and shook his head as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you the value of the Ancient Spirit Pills. To be honest, I¡¯d rather not have the ancient treasures and take one of them. Perhaps I can make a huge progress in my cultivation!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying¡¯s expressions changed drastically upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, revealing nervousness. After a moment of uncertainty, Nanlong forced a smile and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯re so young, so why are you fighting with us for these two pills? With your talent to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage in such a short period of time, it¡¯ll be easy for you to obtain the supreme Dao in the future.¡±


    Han Li said softly with an indifferent expression. ¡°Just because I¡¯m young doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want the pills right in front of me. I naturally have to fight for them with all my might. I can give up all the other treasures for these two pills. To be honest, I don¡¯t lack ordinary ancient treasures.¡±


    When Lu Weiying saw that Han Li was determined to acquire the pill, he anxiously said, ¡°Brother Han must be joking. How about this? As long as Brother Han is willing to give up the pill, we can let Brother Han choose another treasure first. We can split the rest equally. What do you say, Brother Nanlong?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s brows furrowed upon hearing this, but he soon smiled wryly and said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to give up on these pills, Fellow Daoist Han can choose two treasures first.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong wore a reluctant expression when he said those words.


    After all, during his trip to the Moulan Plains, almost all of his ancient treasures had been destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect. He was naturally very reluctant to part with these ancient treasures that were about to be obtained. However, if it was for the Ancient Spirit Pills, he was very clear on which was more important.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s expression changed and revealed a trace of hesitation, as if he was tempted by this suggestion.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he hastily tried to strike while the iron was hot.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist still has a long lifespan. You¡¯ll have plenty of time to find spirit pills in the future. In comparison, ancient treasures are more important to you now. After all, you¡¯ll definitely experience many battles in the future. Now that you have more ancient treasures, you might be able to save your life in the future.¡± The old man persuaded Han Li to give up the spirit pills.


    Han Li could not help but chuckle.


    ¡°It seems that if I don¡¯t give up on those spirit pills, we¡¯ll have a hard time distributing these treasures. Alright, seeing how sincere the two of you are, I¡¯ll agree not to take these two ancient spirit pills, and I won¡¯t have to take away the two ancient treasures either. Aside from this mirror, you can just give me the treasure refinement method and those materials in this jade box. I¡¯ve always been quite interested in tool refinement,¡± Han Li said in an unhurried manner as he made a grabbing motion toward the ground, and the purple mirror flew into his hand.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were stunned for a moment before exchanging a glance. ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll do as you say, Brother Han.¡±


    Although they had some doubts about why Han Li did not take the ancient treasures and wanted those things, they could not be bothered to think about it in detail for the sake of the Ancient Spirit Pills.


    When Han Li heard their reply, he nodded with a calm expression. With a flash of light from his hand, the ancient purple mirror disappeared. Then, he swept his sleeve across the materials and jade box on the ground.


    After a flash of azure light, the large pile of materials and the jade box disappeared.

 Chapter 823

    Blood Curse Gate


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s actions, Marquis Nanlong and the old man each took a medicine bottle and carefully put it into their storage pouches.


    The three of them then turned their attention to the remaining two ancient treasures. Now that they had two treasures, it would be quite difficult for them to split them among themselves.


    Just as Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were hesitating, Han Li blinked and suddenly chuckled.


    ¡°How about this? I don¡¯t lack any ancient treasures. If you have enough spirit stones on you, you can take these two ancient treasures as long as you pay me an equivalent amount of spirit stones,¡± Han Li said slowly.


    When Lu Weiying heard this, he revealed a happy expression and immediately agreed, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han is so modest, we will respectfully comply. I¡¯ve brought quite a few spirit stones with me.¡± After all, ancient treasures were simply priceless in the cultivation world of the Heavenly South.


    Marquis Nanlong himself needed ancient treasures even more badly, so he naturally agreed to Han Li¡¯s suggestion with a smile.


    As a result, when the two of them had found most of their spirit stones, they finally gathered enough and handed them over to Han Li.


    As such, both sides were quite happy.


    After Han Li and Marquis Nanlong put away the remaining two ancient treasures, Han Li casually waved his hand and absorbed the azure silkworm robe that Marquis Nanlong had thrown to the side. Then, he swaggeringly put it away.


    Although Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were stunned, Han Li had just given them the two ancient treasures, so they couldn¡¯t say anything about it.


    Although this robe was rare, it was not very useful, so they didn¡¯t say anything when Han Li picked it up.


    After the three finished dividing up the treasures, they greedily harvested the spiritual herbs at the side of the lava lake. Each of them was given several stalks.


    These spirit herbs naturally weren¡¯t ordinary. They were a type of fire-attribute spirit herb, called the Golden Sun Ganoderma, which was a top-grade material for refining fire-attribute spirit pills.


    After confirming that there was nothing else here that could attract their attention, the three of them gathered in front of the stone platform and discussed the following matters.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve obtained the treasures, I¡¯m not going to stay in the inner valley any longer. I plan to return to the outer valley by the same route I came from. Why don¡¯t the two of you return together with me?¡± Han Li said calmly.


    Marquis Nanlong chuckled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han must be joking. It wasn¡¯t easy for Brother Lu and I to enter the valley, so we naturally wouldn¡¯t return like this. As for Brother Han, why are you in such a hurry to leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve already gained something, so I don¡¯t intend to take any more risks. The path of cultivation will be very long in the future. I have no interest in staying in such a dangerous place,¡± Han Li replied casually.


    Lu Weiying chuckled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Fellow Daoist Han would know how to protect himself. It is a pity that we won¡¯t be able to travel with you. Fellow Daoist Han can leave the valley alone.¡±


    ¡°Alone? If I take the Heaven-Earth Ring with me, how will the two of you deal with the Greatnorth Essence Light in the passageway?¡± Han Li asked slowly with a strange expression.


    Marquis Nanlong confidently replied, ¡°We¡¯ve already considered this. Please be at ease, Brother Han! Master Cang Kun found a teleportation formation in the inner valley that can directly transport us back to the outer valley. However, the journey to that place is a bit long, so it¡¯s better to return the way we came. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve directly told you.¡±


    Han Li could not help but be stunned, but he immediately nodded with a calm expression.


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll take my leave. I hope you¡¯ll be able to reap great benefits.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be sending you off.¡±


    When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw Han Li take his leave, they were elated.


    Han Li faintly smiled and took one last glance at the sparkling skeleton. He then turned into a streak of azure light and flew towards the exit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    The smile on the elderly man¡¯s face faded when he saw Han Li leave. Marquis Nanlong expressionlessly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and several small golden birds flew out.


    They were none other than his spirit birds, the Thousand Kilometer Orioles.


    He swept his sleeve toward the exit, and several Thousand Kilometer Orioles shot out in streaks of golden light before disappearing into the passageway.


    Marquis Nanlong then gently closed his eyes as if he were sensing something.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he raised his brow and silently stood to the side.


    After an unknown amount of time, Marquis Nanlong slowly opened his eyes.


    Marquis Nanlong calmly said, ¡°That person has indeed left. At the very least, he isn¡¯t nearby. The Thousand Kilometer Orioles have searched a radius of five kilometers, but there is no trace of him.¡±


    Lu Weiying frowned and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this person¡¯s spiritual sense was extremely powerful? Could he have used a concealment technique to conceal himself from your search?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong stroked his chin and said weirdly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he truly is hiding nearby, he won¡¯t be able to hide from me. As for the reason, I won¡¯t tell you in detail.¡±


    Seeing Marquis Nanlong¡¯s confidence, Lu Weiying was somewhat skeptical. However, after a moment of thought, he formed an incantation gesture with his hands and cast a few spell seals in all directions.


    A small white soundproof barrier appeared around them, completely enveloping them.


    Marquis Nanlong smiled, but a disapproving expression appeared on his face.


    After setting up the soundproof barrier, Lu Weiying said with relief, ¡°There is nothing wrong with being careful. We¡¯ve never been able to see through this Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s background. His cultivation isn¡¯t high, but he gives me an unfathomable feeling. He took one last look at the skeleton. Is there something fishy about it?¡± When he said the last sentence, he became skeptical again.


    Marquis Nanlong shook his head and said, ¡°Brother Lu, you¡¯re overthinking things. Although Han Li¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t small, how could he know the secret of the skeleton? It should¡¯ve been a spontaneous action. After all, the skeleton does appear somewhat unusual.¡±


    After a moment of thought, the old man pensively said, ¡°Regardless of whether or not he saw something amiss, it is true that he doesn¡¯t want to stay with us. Perhaps he feels that his abilities are sufficient to search for treasures alone in the inner valley!¡±


    ¡°Alright! So long as this brat doesn¡¯t hinder us, it doesn¡¯t matter if he really left the valley or if he¡¯s faking it. We¡¯ll just have to increase our vigilance. It¡¯s getting late, so let¡¯s hurry up and act.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and said, ¡°According to Master Cang Kun¡¯s statement, the ancient cultivator¡¯s skeleton is the key to breaking through the Blood Curse Gate. Since the gate is sealed with such a powerful restriction, it is clear that the item inside is no small matter. In ancient times, the Blood Curse Gate was used to store precious treasures. This ancient cultivator skeleton became transparent, which is a sign that the curse had been used. Back then, Master Cang Kun was forced to retreat. We were lucky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Compared to the precious treasures behind the Blood Curse Gate, the treasures we have now shouldn¡¯t be worth mentioning. Alright, let¡¯s go. Although the Blood Curse Gate isn¡¯t far from here, we should retrieve the treasures as soon as possible,¡± said Lu Weiying after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°Brother Lu¡¯s words are reasonable. Let¡¯s set off. I am also looking forward to what lies beyond the Blood Curse Gate. If it weren¡¯t for Master Cang Kun¡¯s coincidental discovery of this ancient cultivator¡¯s remains near the Blood Curse Gate, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything to it. The person who placed the curse on the gate back then actually didn¡¯t move away from the Blood Curse Gate for long before passing away. This is rather strange. It seems this ancient cultivator must have had a story behind him.¡±


    ¡°What story? I have no interest in it. Brother Nanlong, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Not long after, two streaks of light flew out from the cave beneath the giant mountain and flew directly toward an unknown location.


    ¡­


    At this moment, Han Li did not stay nearby. He was already on his way back.


    He was already fifty kilometers away, and Silvermoon was asking something in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Silvermoon¡¯s puzzled voice sounded, ¡°Master, are we really leaving? Those two are clearly hiding something from you. There seems to be something wrong with that skeleton.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know about this. It¡¯s most likely related to some other treasure. Although I¡¯m also a little tempted, I¡¯m more concerned about the Spirit Kindle Fruit. Apart from this, what other treasures in the valley are more useful to me? I¡¯ve already fallen behind the Ghost Spirit Sect for so long. No matter what Marquis Nanlong and the others are plotting, I don¡¯t want to interfere,¡± Han Li said indifferently as he flew back the way he came.


    Silvermoon curiously asked, ¡°I see. Except for the Spirit Kindle Fruit, Devilfall Valley truly doesn¡¯t have any other treasures that are valuable to Master. However, why did Master suddenly pick up the Azure Silkworm Robe in the end? I don¡¯t think Master truly covets this item.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! In this matter, those two old fellows were blind.¡± When Han Li heard this, the corners of his mouth curled up and he said with some ridicule.


    ¡°Master, what do you mean?¡± Silvermoon was puzzled.


    Han Li did not answer immediately. Instead, he suddenly reached out and patted his storage pouch.


    With a flash of green light, the light silk robe appeared in Han Li¡¯s hand.


    With a sizzling sound, Han Li¡¯s hands were like hooks as he easily tore off the Azure Silkworm Robe along one corner.


    This was because Han Li took out a small piece of something that was neither cloth nor silk from the inside of the green robe. Using the most primitive method, someone had drawn out some rough and thin lines. Han Li put away the damaged green robe and held the thin and soft thing in one hand. He narrowed his eyes and looked at it carefully.


    ¡°This is a map, and it seems to be a map of Devilfall Valley.¡± While Han Li was staring at this item, Silvermoon naturally saw it clearly. She only took a few glances before she could not help but exclaim.


    Han Li did not say anything, but he stared at a large and eye-catching mark on the map and could not help but narrow his eyes.

 Chapter 824

    The Pool and the Blood Curse Gate


    Without Silvermoon¡¯s reminder, Han Li could see the rough outline of the map. It was indeed exactly the same as the terrain of Devilfall Valley.


    However, the rest of the diagram was extremely crude, and only the part around the mark was detailed.


    Not only did the man draw out the location in the inner valley, but he also clearly marked the nearby terrain.


    Han Li calculated that the location of the mark and his current location were very far apart. Furthermore, he did not know what kind of strange danger he would encounter along the way.


    Han Li muttered to himself for a moment before shaking his head and putting away the map.


    Han Li knew that the location marked on the map definitely contained some major secret. However, before he settled the matter of the Spirit Kindle Fruit, Han Li did not intend to do anything else. He would naturally wait until he obtained the Spirit Kindle Fruit before he investigated further.


    Silvermoon seemed to have guessed Han Li¡¯s thoughts and did not say anything else. Han Li took out a new jade box and stuffed it into the bamboo tube on his back as he calmly said to Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Many of the materials required for the Sevenflame Fan have long been extinct or are difficult to find. However, with Senior¡¯s talent, you may be able to find a replacement. If you are truly able to replicate a Divine Spirit Treasure in the current cultivation world, Junior will truly prostrate himself in admiration.¡±


    Monarch Great Development fell silent for a moment before sneering, ¡°Youngster, do you think I¡¯m an idiot? Although I am very interested in the Divine Spirit Treasure, why would I study the refinement method for you for no reason? Just because of your few words of admiration?¡±


    Han Li didn¡¯t reveal any surprise and calmly said, ¡°Divine Spirit Treasures aren¡¯t so easy to replicate. Although I¡¯ve never seen anyone else who has Senior¡¯s talent, I don¡¯t have much confidence in you being able to figure out a method to replicate them. However, if Senior is truly able to do it, I can agree to any of Senior¡¯s requests as a reward. What does Senior think?¡±


    Monarch Great Development fell silent for a moment after hearing Han Li¡¯s words. He then snorted and proudly said, ¡°Divine Spirit Treasures. I acquired some information from an ancient cultivator¡¯s ruins many years ago and learned of the existence of such heaven-defying treasures. I was naturally very curious about these treasures that even ancient cultivators revered, so I paid more attention to them. Unfortunately, there is very little information on Divine Spirit Treasures and I haven¡¯t been able to find anything. Now that I¡¯ve become a ghost, I don¡¯t want to leave this world with any regrets in a few decades. As a result, even though I know that you¡¯re using a provocation technique, I¡¯ve accepted it. Besides, I¡¯m only looking for substitute materials, not a new method to refine a Divine Spirit Treasure. How difficult is that? When the time comes, don¡¯t forget to agree to one of my requests.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then.¡± Han Li smiled and agreed with a smile.


    With such an extraordinary person who could even create the Great Development Technique here, Han Li naturally would not waste it.


    He already had the Heavenvoid Cauldron, a Divine Spirit Treasure, in his possession, but he didn¡¯t know when he would be able to use it. Besides, he could never have too many heaven-defying treasures like the Divine Spirit Treasures.


    Monarch Great Development was completely silent. He was most likely already opening the jade box and studying the refinement method within.


    The spiritual light around Han Li¡¯s body intensified, and his speed instantly increased.


    ¡­


    Half a day later, when Han Li approached the mountain where the Purple Pattern Scorpion nest was located, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were walking in an unfamiliar underground passage. This place was extremely dark and damp. Even with their cultivation, they could only see things that were several tens of feet away.


    Lu Weiying slowly walked three meters behind Marquis Nanlong and said, ¡°Brother Nanlong, I didn¡¯t think that there would be such a dark and damp place in a world filled with lava. I am now 70% to 80% convinced of the Blood Curse Gate.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong smiled and replied, ¡°So Brother Lu had always been skeptical! As you know, I didn¡¯t mention anything about the Blood Curse Gate when I found Master Cang Kun¡¯s statement. Otherwise, the Ghost Spirit Sect wouldn¡¯t have let this place go. The Blood Curse Gate is a secret passed down from generation to generation.¡±


    Lu Weiying suddenly smiled and said, ¡°However, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that two Nascent Soul cultivators are required to open the Blood Curse Gate, I fear Brother Nanlong wouldn¡¯t have dragged me along.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong chuckled and vaguely replied, ¡°Brother Lu must be joking. I¡¯ve known Fellow Daoist Lu for so many years, so I naturally have to bring you along, Brother Lu. Otherwise, why would I keep this matter a secret from that Han brat?¡±


    ¡°Then I must thank Brother Nanlong for your kind intentions.¡± Lu Weiying tactfully dropped the subject.


    In such a situation where only the two of them were searching for treasures, it would be better to give Marquis Nanlong a slight warning so that Marquis Nanlong would know that he was on guard against him and wouldn¡¯t burn the bridge after crossing it. He didn¡¯t want to fall out with Marquis Nanlong in a place like this and have another battle.


    Marquis Nanlong was also aware of the old man¡¯s intentions. His expression remained unchanged, but he inwardly sneered.


    The two silently walked forward for a short distance before a faint light appeared up ahead. The two of them were overjoyed and immediately quickened their pace, entering a stalactite cave of considerable size.


    The cave was over 300 feet wide, and the ceiling of the cave was filled with stalactites that were several feet in size. The walls of the cave were shimmering with white light, but the most eye-catching thing was that there was a 30-meter-wide green pool at the center of the cave.


    Apart from the fact that the water in the pool was slightly greener, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.


    Lu Weiying looked around and couldn¡¯t find any restrictions, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is the Blood Curse Gate really here?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong glanced at the old man, who claimed to have been convinced but had raised doubts again, with a mysterious smile and said, ¡°It can¡¯t be wrong! However, the Blood Curse Gate is an important place. Master Cang Kun used a restriction to seal it before he left. As long as the restriction is removed, it will be seen.¡±


    Lu Weiying was stunned for a moment before he also examined the pool with a look of realization.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong waved his sleeve, and a small blue flag flew out. With a puff, the small flag disappeared into the pond.


    Marquis Nanlong then formed an incantation gesture and began to chant something.


    All of a sudden, ripples appeared on the surface of the pool, and the water slowly began to spin faster and faster, gradually forming a huge vortex. At the center of the vortex, a faint buzzing sound could be heard.


    ¡°Water Splitting Flag? I didn¡¯t expect Brother Nanlong to have such a rare treasure.¡± Lu Weiying was surprised to see this.


    Marquis Nanlong shook his head and indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Apart from separating the water, it doesn¡¯t have much use.¡±


    He then let loose a low cry and raised his hands, sending two more spell seals into the vortex.


    The water in the pool rose tens of feet into the air before suddenly splitting apart, revealing a passageway.


    Marquis Nanlong wordlessly flew down as a streak of golden light.


    Lu Weiying hesitated for a moment before transforming into a streak of white light and closely following after him.


    A short moment later, Lu Weiying¡¯s face paled.


    This pool was very deep. No, it should be said that it was extremely deep.


    He flew down for over 2,300 feet, but he still hadn¡¯t reached the bottom. As he flew, he raised his head to look at the entrance of the pool that had turned into a small speck of light. He felt a faint sense of oppression in his heart.


    Fortunately, after flying for over 1,000 feet, Marquis Nanlong, who finally saw the bottom, slowly descended from the sky and arrived at the bottom of the pool.


    The old man felt an indescribable sense of relief, and he also withdrew his streak of light before floating down.


    The bottom of the pool was over 100 feet wide and was circular in shape. It appeared to be even larger than the opening of the pond. The ground was wet and covered with a huge limestone floor, making it appear exceptionally smooth.


    In the middle of the bluestone ground, there was the Water Splitting Flag. It was half-buried in the ground, but the flag emitted a hazy spiritual light.


    They were surrounded by tall, dark-green water curtains that extended all the way to the entrance of the pond.


    Lu Weiying examined the nearby area and frowned, ¡°If the Blood Curse Gate was hidden here, it would be quite difficult to find. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t go thousands of feet deep into the water. However, how did Master Cang Kun know of this place? This is quite strange.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong faltered for a moment before saying with uncertainty, ¡°Well¡­ Master Cang Kun¡¯s spiritual sense must¡¯ve reached deep into the pool and detected it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible!¡± The old man stroked his chin and his eyes flickered.


    Marquis Nanlong muttered to himself for a moment before shaking his head. He tossed this doubt to the back of his mind and slapped the storage pouch at his waist.


    A streak of white light flew out from the pouch, and the white jade pendant that he had used at the entrance to the inner valley was lifted into the air, spinning incessantly.


    Marquis Nanlong formed an incantation gesture with his hands and continuously struck the jade pendant with various colored incantation seals. In the blink of an eye, the jade pendant absorbed all of them.


    Soon after, white light flashed and the jade pendant suddenly stopped spinning in front of a water curtain, emitting a clear phoenix cry.


    Marquis Nanlong wordlessly raised his hand and pointed at the jade pendant.


    The jade pendant trembled, and a vast expanse of white mist immediately erupted from the surface of the jade pendant, sweeping forward.


    A strange scene then unfolded.


    Wherever the white light passed, the water curtain would distort and tear apart like a painting, vanishing into the light.


    In its place was a thirty-meter-tall arched stone gate that flickered with crimson light.


    There was a huge one-horned ghost head on the stone gate that almost occupied half of its surface. It was vivid and ferocious. Lu Weiying¡¯s eyes twitched and he muttered, ¡°This is the Blood Curse Gate?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why, but when he saw this door, he suddenly felt his heart palpitate and he felt greatly uneasy.

 Chapter 825

    Spirit Ether Garden


    Marquis Nanlong looked at the small stone gate with a contemplative expression before heaving a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s indeed the gate¡±


    Lu Weiying turned to him and asked cautiously, ¡°The blood Qi on this gate seems to be too dense. Will there be any problems?¡±


    ¡°This gate was sealed by an ancient cultivator with all his essence blood. Naturally, it¡¯s different from normal restrictions. It¡¯s quite normal. Why? Brother Lu, are you getting cold feet?¡± said Marquis Nanlong casually.


    The old man shook his head and solemnly said, ¡°Cold feet? How could I do such a foolish thing at this point? However, shouldn¡¯t we be more cautious just in case?¡±


    After a moment of thought, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression eased and he said, ¡°Brother Lu¡¯s words are reasonable. This gate does give off an uncomfortable feeling. How about we set up a few layers of restrictions outside the gate? If anything goes wrong, we won¡¯t have to worry about retreating.¡±


    Lu Weiying nodded without any hesitation and happily agreed, ¡°Good, that would be for the best. We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Thus, Marquis Nanlong and the old man took out several sets of formation tools and began to build formations at the bottom of the pool.


    ¡­


    But just as Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were preparing to unlock the Blood Curse Gate, a group of people were slowly making their way to the top of a huge mountain covered in pitch-black rocks.


    The leader of the group was a middle-aged cultivator with a stern expression. Beside him was an azure-robed old man. He was the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and Wei Wuya.


    Wang Tiangu was three meters behind the two of them.


    Behind the three of them, four Core Formation Ghost Spirit Sect disciples followed closely behind.


    Wang Tiangu looked at the blood-red clouds not far above his head and suddenly muttered, ¡°This damned place is truly strange. There is actually a restriction on flight within a radius of fifty kilometers. I can¡¯t even fly tens of feet above the ground.¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master calmly replied, ¡°The more difficult, the more it proves that we¡¯ve found the right place. If I were an ancient cultivator, I would¡¯ve chosen this place for an important location. After all, with such a restriction, there shouldn¡¯t be many cultivators willing to walk for a day or two.¡±


    ¡°After spending so much effort, I hope we didn¡¯t find the wrong place this time. We¡¯ve already lost three disciples along the way.¡± Wang Tiangu revealed a helpless expression.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master heard this, he chuckled and did not answer.


    However, at this moment, Wei Wuya glanced at the top of the mountain and spoke with an expressionless face.


    ¡°Since we entered the inner valley, we¡¯ve already walked for three days and two nights. We should be arriving soon. Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯ll have to walk for several more days!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fellow Daoist Wei. We¡¯ll reach that place after we cross this mountain. There¡¯s no need to be too anxious! If this matter succeeds, our Ghost Spirit Sect will become the number one sect in the Devil Dao. It¡¯ll only be a matter of time before Fellow Daoist Wei breaks through to the Deity Transformation Stage,¡± the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master said with a relaxed expression.


    After a moment of silence, Wei Wuya said with a mocking tone, ¡°Hmph! To tell the truth, I don¡¯t believe in the legends of the Spirit Ether Garden. It¡¯s most likely a rumor spread by those ancient cultivators. If there really was such a space at the border between the Spirit Realm and our human world, other cultivators would¡¯ve found it long ago. How could they have preserved it until now?¡±


    ¡°Since Brother Wei doesn¡¯t believe me, why did you agree to our sect¡¯s invitation?¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master asked with interest.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Wang is taking this matter so seriously, and you¡¯ve brought out almost half of the sect¡¯s elites, you must have a certain degree of confidence in this trip to Devilfall Valley. I¡¯m sure that even if you¡¯re not looking for the Spirit Ether Garden, you¡¯re looking for a secret place of ancient cultivators. Since I¡¯m aware of this, I naturally have to get involved. You¡¯ll use my reputation to suppress the other cultivators entering the valley, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much for me to share some treasures with you, right?¡± Wei Wuya replied without any hesitation.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master burst into laughter and revealed a trace of madness, ¡°Haha! Brother Wei is quite straightforward. However, there is one thing that Fellow Daoist Wei is wrong about. Our sect spent so much effort to reach the Spirit Ether Garden. The Spirit Ether Garden isn¡¯t an illusion. It truly exists. The entire Devilfall Valley was built by an ancient cultivator to defend the Spirit Ether Garden. As long as we cross this mountain, we¡¯ll be able to see it with our own eyes in a few hours. At that time, we¡¯ll have to rely on Fellow Daoist Wei to open the space.¡±


    Wei Wuya was slightly surprised to hear this, and a hint of emotion appeared on his face.


    ¡°From Sect Leader Wang¡¯s words, it seems you already have evidence of the Spirit Ether Garden¡¯s existence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our sect is 70% to 80% certain of the Spirit Ether Garden¡¯s existence. As for what the evidence is, Fellow Daoist Wei will naturally know when we get there.¡± A mysterious expression appeared on the black-robed middle-aged man¡¯s face.


    This person was a formidable character. He was only at the early-Nascent Soul Stage. However, he was completely unfazed by a late-Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like Wei Wuya.


    Wei Wuya nodded, and his expression returned to normal. However, he couldn¡¯t help but sneer inwardly.


    Even if the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master in front of him was convincing, he definitely wouldn¡¯t believe him if he didn¡¯t see the Spirit Ether Garden with his own eyes.


    Of course, Wei Wuya wasn¡¯t going to voice his thoughts directly. Instead, he smiled indifferently and changed the topic to something else.


    ¡°After your sect¡¯s Elder Zhong entered the valley, he acted separately from us. We haven¡¯t seen each other for such a long time. Can Sect Leader Wang tell us Fellow Daoist Zhong¡¯s whereabouts? It can¡¯t be that your sect allows a Nascent Soul elder to stroll around the Devilfall Valley like other cultivators, right?¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master indifferently replied, ¡°Brother Wei must be joking. To tell you the truth, Elder Zhong has gone to another secret area in the valley to search for another treasure. Of course, although this treasure is rare, it is definitely incomparable to the Spirit Ether Garden.¡±


    Wei Wuya let out a hollow laugh upon hearing the other party¡¯s frank admission, but he didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further. The group waited for a moment before continuing on their way to the mountaintop in silence.


    ¡­


    There were six or seven Ghost Spirit Sect disciples scattered around a pile of rubble. They were constantly searching for something under the boulders. As for Old Man Zhong, he was floating at the center of the pile of rocks without moving.


    Although his spiritual sense could easily cover an area of several tens of kilometers in the wilderness, he was unable to find some specific markings.


    As such, even though he was feeling quite impatient, he could only rely on his disciples to slowly search through the area like looking for a needle in a haystack.


    ¡­


    At the exit of a large canyon in the inner valley, a series of thunderous booms suddenly erupted from within the five-colored light. Brilliant light then erupted, following which a burst of lightning flashed and a group of cultivators suddenly rushed out of the valley.


    They were led by an old Daoist and a green-robed old man. Although the two of them appeared to be completely unscathed, they appeared to be in quite a sorry state.


    They were Daoist Heavencrystal and the Grand Elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect, Dong Mentu.


    The other five green-robed cultivators behind them were also wearing tattered clothes and had pale complexions, as if they had suffered quite a bit. As for the two evil ghost puppets, they were still the same as before.


    ¡°We¡¯ve finally broken through the restrictions and entered the valley. I didn¡¯t think that Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s two puppets would be so powerful. They¡¯re almost on par with top-grade early-Nascent Soul cultivators. How enviable!¡± Dong Mentu only came to a stop when he was over 100 feet away from the valley¡¯s entrance. He then turned to look at the valley behind him before glancing at the two malevolent-looking puppets.


    ¡°Puppets are just puppets. No matter how powerful they are, they can¡¯t compare to Brother Dong¡¯s subordinates. The five of them each cultivate one of the five elements, so if they join forces, they¡¯ll probably be able to contend against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator for a while.¡± Daoist Heavencrystal was clearly quite wary of Dong Mentu, and he intentionally lagged behind him as soon as he left the valley. At that moment, the two mechanical puppets appeared behind him in a flash.


    Dong Mentu¡¯s expression darkened upon seeing this, but he soon sighed and smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal, you sure are cautious with me. I originally thought that you wouldn¡¯t have any prejudice against me after we worked together to break the formations over the past two days. Why don¡¯t you consider joining forces with me? If the two of us work together to search for treasures, it¡¯ll be much safer than fighting alone.¡±


    Daoist Heavencrystal chuckled and nonchalantly refused, ¡°What are you saying, Brother Dong? This humble Daoist doesn¡¯t hold any prejudice against Fellow Daoist, but this humble Daoist prefers to be alone. Let¡¯s not talk about joining hands. Since we¡¯ve already entered the inner valley, this humble Daoist will take his leave.¡± After paying his respects, he cautiously stared at the other party¡¯s face without moving.


    Dong Mentu¡¯s brows furrowed upon seeing this, and he immediately broke into a smile.


    When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his expression relaxed and he calmly said, ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal doesn¡¯t wish to be with me, I won¡¯t force you. Let¡¯s part ways here. I hope you¡¯ll reap great rewards!¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Then I must thank you for your kind words!¡± Daoist Heavencrystal said peacefully with a relaxed expression after hearing that.


    The green-robed old man¡¯s expression grew sullen as he watched Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s departing figure.


    Dong Mentu let out an unwilling sigh and looked around before patting the spirit beast pouch at his waist. ¡°This old ghost is truly cautious. I¡¯ve been with him for two days and he didn¡¯t reveal a single weakness. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve been safer if I could snatch these two puppets in the inner valley.¡±


    With a whoosh, a huge silver bat flew out of the bag and landed in front of Dong Mentu.


    He raised his hand and shot out a pitch-black pill. The huge silver bat swallowed the pill in mid-air before flying off in another direction.


    When Dong Mentu saw this, he hastily called out to the five cultivators behind him and took the lead to fly over in a streak of green light. The five Controlling Spirit Sect cultivators followed closely behind. In the blink of an eye, there was no trace of anyone at the entrance of the canyon.

 Chapter 826

    Unsealing the Blood Curse


    Marquis Nanlong stuck the last flag into a corner of the pool and wryly smiled. ¡°How is it? Brother Lu should be almost done, right? With these spell formations completely enveloping this area, we should be able to deal with any problem. Furthermore, there is an 80% to 90% chance that we are wasting our time.¡±


    Lu Weiying smiled and indifferently said, ¡°Hehe! I would rather waste some time than have any mishaps occur. If there truly is an ancient cultivator¡¯s secret treasure hiding behind this gate, then that would be for the best. If not, then it is better to make some preparations than do nothing. Although I covet treasures, I value my life even more.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong shook his head and remained silent.


    At that moment, the old man placed down the last formation plate in his hand and activated the restriction. A layer of white light faintly appeared around him.


    The old man nodded with satisfaction before turning around to face the stone door that was shimmering with blood light.


    Marquis Nanlong had been waiting impatiently for a long time. When he saw that the old man had finished, he immediately took off a storage pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air.


    A burst of white light immediately swept forth, and the translucent skeleton of an ancient cultivator appeared on the ground.


    Marquis Nanlong solemnly said, ¡°This Blood Curse Gate is quite strange. To break through its restrictions, it requires the essence energy or flesh of the person who placed the curse. The flesh will definitely not be found, but there should be some cultivator essence energy left in this ancient cultivator¡¯s corpse.¡± He then spat out the golden flying sword.


    Soon after, he made a grabbing motion toward the ground, and the skeleton immediately floated into the air, reaching a height of around 60 feet above the ground.


    Marquis Nanlong flicked his finger, and a white spell seal struck the small sword in front of his chest.


    With a hum, the small sword trembled and a blinding sword light suddenly erupted from the tip of the sword.


    The golden light was exceptionally dazzling!


    Soon after, the streak of sword light grew brighter and brighter, transforming into a ball of golden light.


    A short moment later, the ball of sword light shot forth from the small sword and struck the skeleton floating in the air, causing it to explode.


    Countless sharp sword Qi crisscrossed through the air, engulfing the entire skeleton in an instant. In an instant, bone dust of about the same size fell from the sword Qi like sand.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s eyes lit up, and he swept his sleeve through the air, releasing a cloud of golden light that engulfed all of the translucent bone sand.


    At this moment, the golden sword light in the air began to recede.


    Seeing the shiny bone powder that had been minced by the golden sword light, Marquis Nanlong inwardly nodded and glanced at Lu Weiying.


    When the old man saw this, he naturally understood Marquis Nanlong¡¯s intentions. He immediately rubbed his hands together and summoned a white magic flag.


    With a gentle shake, a hurricane appeared near the flag.


    At that moment, Marquis Nanlong was sitting cross-legged as he formed an incantation gesture with his hands and chanted an incantation in a low voice. Then, various incantation seals flew out from his hands and struck the golden light enshrouding the bone powder.


    The golden light was activated by these incantation seals, and the bone powder within it began to slowly roll and revolve.


    The semi-transparent powder glowed with various colors of spiritual light and flickered intermittently, creating an exceptionally gorgeous sight.


    At that moment, Lu Weiying tentatively attacked the stone gate.


    He didn¡¯t panic and use the magic flag in his hand to attack. Instead, he casually raised his hand, and with a flash of red light, several fist-sized fireballs shot towards the stone gate.


    Puff! Puff! A few muffled sounds rang out.


    As soon as the fireball approached the stone door, crimson light wildly flashed several times before suddenly coming to life. Large swaths of crimson light converged at the center and intertwined to form a huge ghost face that was exactly the same as the ghost head carved into the stone door. It was around three meters in size.


    The ghost face swallowed the fireballs into its mouth, and they immediately disappeared after a few flashes. The stone gate had returned to its original state.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing this, but after a moment of hesitation, he pointed the flag at the stone gate.


    The hurricane that had already appeared on the flag immediately transformed into a wind dragon that howled as it attacked the stone gate.


    The ghost face appeared once more and opened its mouth, spitting out a large expanse of red light. The tornado was sucked into the crimson light and into the ghost mouth. The ghost face then disappeared amid the old man¡¯s shock and fury.


    Lu Weiying and Marquis Nanlong glanced at each other and couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay.


    Marquis Nanlong sighed and slowly said, ¡°As expected, the Blood Curse Gate is somewhat strange. It is best to dissolve it according to Master Cang Kun¡¯s method.¡±


    Lu Weiying stroked his chin and could only nod his head.


    Although he still had more powerful attacks, the ghost face on the stone door was truly a little strange. He was unwilling to mess up this matter. With Master Cang Kun¡¯s great reputation in the past, he should¡¯ve been able to find a way to break it.


    ¡°Go!¡± Marquis Nanlong shouted and pointed at the light in the air.


    Brilliant golden light erupted and swept toward the stone gate without any hesitation.


    In a flash of crimson light, the ghost face emerged from the door once more. However, this time, as soon as the ghost face came face to face with the golden light, the bone powder that was mixed with the light suddenly turned into white specks of light the size of rice grains, desperately trying to stick to the ghost face.


    As soon as the ghost face came into contact with the specks of light, a burst of greyish-white mist suddenly appeared, and the ghost face instantly dissolved. A short moment later, the entire stone door was enveloped in grey mist.


    Ghostly wails erupted from within the mist as crimson light flashed.


    Soon after, one thick blood-red tentacle after another rushed out of the mist and struck the stone floor with all their might, as if the entire stone door had come to life. However, in the blink of an eye, the tentacles were enveloped by the grey mist and immediately melted away.


    When Marquis Nanlong saw this, he shouted without the slightest hesitation, ¡°Now! Attack!¡±


    Soon after, he pointed at the golden sword in front of him and formed an incantation gesture with his hands. All of the spiritual power in his body was poured into the flying sword through an incantation gesture.


    The golden flying sword instantly transformed into a blinding streak of golden light as it tore through the air.


    The old man at the side wore a gloomy expression as he poured most of his spiritual power into the flag and tossed it out.


    In a flash of white light, the flag transformed into several wind dragons that pounced toward the stone gate again.


    In the blink of an eye, the golden streak and the wind dragon plunged into the grey mist.


    An earth-shattering boom erupted from within the mist. Golden light, crimson light, and tornadoes intertwined within the mist before splitting apart.


    After a gust of wind, the stone door became clear and the grey mist was completely dispersed. Marquis Nanlong narrowed his eyes when he saw this.


    The stone door was completely devoid of blood light, as if all of its restrictions had disappeared.


    Marquis Nanlong glanced at the small golden sword that had been inserted halfway into the stone door.


    With a wave of his spiritual sense, the small sword suddenly flew out from the stone gate, transforming into a three-meter-long streak of golden light as it slashed at the stone gate in a crisscross pattern.


    A series of chaotic rumbling sounds rang out, and brilliant golden light erupted as the entire stone gate was reduced to rubble by the flying swords.


    An extremely pungent smell suddenly spread through the air.


    However, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying¡¯s expressions changed drastically when they saw the fragments of the stone door.


    Dark red blood was gurgling out of the stone chips like a human¡¯s, and the putrid smell was coming from the black-red blood.


    This situation was truly indescribably strange!


    Although the stone gate had been shattered, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying didn¡¯t see anything astonishing. Behind the stone gate was a pitch-black staircase that extended downwards.


    Looking at the channel that seemed to be leading to the netherworld, Marquis Nanlong licked his lips and sneered, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯d like to see what kind of treasures the Blood Curse Gate has. It¡¯s so mysterious.¡±


    Afterwards, he didn¡¯t call out to Lu Weiying and walked forward with large strides. After a few steps, he entered the passage.


    Lu Weiying stood in place for a moment.


    He glanced at the remains of the Blood Curse Gate on the ground, which was oozing black blood, and then at the exposed passage. He couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    All of a sudden, he heaved a long sigh of relief and walked into the passageway.


    To the old man¡¯s surprise, the passage was extremely short. After traveling over 200 feet underground, they arrived at an underground hall.


    The hall wasn¡¯t very large, only about 70 to 80 feet wide.


    Apart from a table, the entire hall was empty.


    When the old man entered, Marquis Nanlong was standing in the middle of the hall, staring blankly at the items on the table.


    The old man walked over with bewilderment and looked in the same direction. His heart trembled.


    ¡°Heaven Origin Fruit! Am I seeing things? This is a Heaven Origin Fruit that can extend one¡¯s lifespan by a hundred years. Could that purple ganoderma be the legendary Heaven Mending Ganoderma? From the looks of it, it should be over ten thousand years old. Even if one eats it raw, one would be able to save several tens of years of bitter cultivation. And this shining golden bamboo, could it be the Golden Lightning Bamboo among the three great divine trees! And this¡­¡± When Lu Weiying clearly saw the six or seven types of flowers and plants on the table, he was first stunned. Soon after, his face revealed an incoherent expression of shock. He almost didn¡¯t dare to believe what he was seeing and couldn¡¯t help but take two steps forward, intending to take a closer look.


    Marquis Nanlong coldly said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Lu, if I were you, I wouldn¡¯t be so impetuous. Do you truly believe that these spirit medicines are placed here for us to take? Do you want to carefully look around?¡±


    ¡°Brother Nanlong, what do you mean?¡± Lu Weiying felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. His mind cleared and he hastily examined his surroundings in bewilderment. ¡°Huh! This seems to be the legendary Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation. Why would a Buddhist spell formation appear here?¡±

 Chapter 827

    Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation


    Although Marquis Nanlong¡¯s voice was calm, his eyes were filled with greed as he stared at the spiritual medicines on the table, wishing he could capture all of them.


    All of these spiritual medicines were items that he and the old man needed the most. Now that they were so close, he naturally felt an unbearable itch in his heart.


    As soon as he saw these spiritual medicines, he immediately wanted to sweep them away without a second thought. However, he didn¡¯t expect that there would be an extremely strange restriction spell here. As a result, he had no choice but to obediently wait for the old man.


    When Marquis Nanlong heard Lu Weiying call out the name of the Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation, his spirits were roused and he rejoiced.


    As soon as he came into contact with the restriction, he discovered that the spell formation here was vastly different from the many spell formations he had studied in the past, and he was somewhat worried. Now that the old man recognized this spell formation, it was naturally great.


    Marquis Nanlong suppressed his excitement and expectantly asked, ¡°Brother Lu, do you recognize the restrictions here?¡±


    The old man turned his gaze back to the table and frowned, ¡°In the past, I obtained a few Buddhist cultivation records. Although I didn¡¯t cultivate them due to the attributes of my cultivation arts, I do remember a few of the Buddhist restrictions. This Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation is one of the most wondrous formations. Brother Nanlong, if the restrictions here are truly this formation, it will be quite troublesome.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Could it be that this formation can¡¯t be broken?¡± Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression changed slightly in disbelief.


    After a moment of contemplation, the old man solemnly said, ¡°This Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation is also known as the Vajra Immortal Trapping Formation. Perhaps it is one of the few restrictions in the world that can only be completely broken with brute force. There are no other techniques to break the formation. In order to break this formation, one must constantly use all sorts of attacks to wear down the formation¡¯s barrier. In terms of defensive power, it may not be ranked among the top formations, but in terms of endurance, this formation is indestructible in the Buddhist sects. As long as the restriction isn¡¯t completely destroyed, it will quickly recover.¡±


    Then, as if to confirm his words, Lu Weiying casually flicked his finger and a fireball suddenly shot toward the table several tens of feet away.


    The fireball had yet to reach the table when it exploded into nothingness.


    A thick light barrier surrounded by spiritual light appeared on the table.


    The barrier of light was shimmering with golden light, and ancient Buddhist characters the size of bean sprouted from its surface. They were like blossoming silver flowers that covered the barrier of light.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression darkened. He had already seen this before, so he didn¡¯t reveal any surprise.


    ¡°Huh! What is this?¡± The old man exclaimed.


    Marquis Nanlong was startled and couldn¡¯t help but turn his head.


    Lu Weiying was staring at a certain spot in the golden barrier with an expression of astonishment.


    Marquis Nanlong was flabbergasted, and spiritual light flashed from his eyes as he looked through the barrier with great effort.


    Within the golden light barrier, a silver bowl the size of a head suddenly appeared at the center of the table.


    There were all sorts of profound talisman characters floating on the surface of the alms bowl, and there were eight white jade talismans lying in the center.


    About a foot above the alms bowl, there were three small objects floating motionlessly in the air.


    Marquis Nanlong took a closer look and saw that it was a small silver sword, a pitch-black staff, and a blood-red bead.


    Although these three items were only about an inch in size, they emitted wisps of tri-colored spiritual light. The three strands of spiritual light intertwined and enveloped the round bowl on the table.


    Marquis Nanlong was dumbstruck.


    The alms bowl, jade talisman, and the three magic tools mysteriously disappeared from the table in a flash. Soon after, the golden barrier of Buddhist runes around them disappeared without a trace.


    What was going on? When the light barrier had appeared previously, he hadn¡¯t seen any of these items. How could Lu Weiying¡¯s subsequent attack have caused these items to appear on the offering table?


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s lips were tightly shut, but he was still bewildered by the disappearance of the light barrier.


    Lu Weiying naturally didn¡¯t have these questions. Instead, he pondered over the alms bowl and other items that newly appeared.


    Anyone could see that the spiritual medicines were only a foil to the new items that had appeared in the restriction. What could the treasures that were more valuable than these heaven-defying spiritual items be?


    Just thinking about it caused the old man¡¯s heart to thump!


    The misgivings and uneasiness he felt when he saw the Blood Curse Gate were immediately thrown to the back of his mind.


    Marquis Nanlong had the same thought and suddenly smiled at the old man, ¡°Brother Lu, it seems we¡¯ve come to the right place. If we can break the Buddhist restrictions, our trip will be worth it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t think that there would be so many secret treasures behind the Blood Curse Gate. However, it won¡¯t be easy to break through this restriction. We cannot do it without spending a few more days and losing a bit of vitality.¡± The old man also squeezed out a smile.


    Marquis Nanlong stared at the old man and bluntly said, ¡°Hehe! I am willing to lose ten years of my lifespan to acquire these treasures, not to mention losing my vitality. Just now, Fellow Daoist said that there is only one method to break through this formation. It seems we¡¯ll have to be busy! There is no time to lose. Let¡¯s act now. When the time comes, after we break the restrictions, we¡¯ll split everything equally between us. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Since Brother Nanlong has said so, I will naturally comply.¡± The old man naturally wanted to take out the treasures and readily agreed.


    Marquis Nanlong revealed a satisfied expression.


    However, at that moment, the two of them faintly opened up a certain distance and felt a trace of vigilance from each other.


    Afterwards, the old man took out the white magic flag and tossed it into the air before sitting down with his legs crossed. Marquis Nanlong waved his sleeve and the golden flying sword shot forth.


    In the blink of an eye, a typhoon raged as sword Qi swept through the air, creating a golden barrier of light once again.


    Rumbling sounds rang out continuously from underground.


    ¡­


    Near a mountaintop, an azure streak of light swept past.


    At the center of the green light, Han Li was hurrying on his way.


    At this moment, he had already swept past the mountain where the Purple Pattern Scorpions were and was traveling towards the cave from which he had entered the inner valley.


    Because he had already walked this path once, Han Li was quite familiar with it, and his speed was several times faster than when he came.


    Originally, it had taken more than a day for him when he came, but Han Li only spent a third of the time this time.


    Just as he was estimating that he would be able to re-enter the cave in another two hours, he suddenly heard a faint series of explosions from afar.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed and he paused for a moment. He could not help but turn his head to look in that direction.


    With a quick sweep of his spiritual sense, he detected a peculiar fluctuation of spiritual Qi.


    Han Li could not help but narrow his eyes. In the distant mountains, there was a faint white light flashing.


    If he remembered correctly, it was a place where he suspected that there were restrictions and ancient cultivator treasures.


    It appeared that other cultivators had finally entered the valley and were beginning to search for treasures.


    Han Li thought for a moment and shook his head.


    The thought of fishing in troubled waters flashed through his mind, but he forcibly suppressed it.


    In addition, in order to avoid attracting the attention of others, he quickly swept his spiritual sense past the area and didn¡¯t search for the treasure hunters.


    To Han Li, the less trouble, the better. The azure light shot forward again, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace from the nearby mountain.


    Tens of kilometers away from where Han Li was looking, there was a group of more than ten cultivators who were using various magic treasures to attack a small mountain that was enveloped in white light.


    They were led by the Moulan Divine Sage Zhong and the woman surnamed Le. They were all Moulan spell warriors.


    When Han Li flew far away, Scholar Zhong raised his eyebrows and subconsciously glanced in the direction that Han Li flew.


    Lady Le noticed the scholar¡¯s strange expression and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What? Did Brother Zhong notice something amiss?¡±


    The scholarly man indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just now, a Heavenly South cultivator used his spiritual sense to probe this area, but he didn¡¯t seem to plan on meddling. He merely swept his gaze through the distance and flew away. It is more important for us to break the restriction, so I can¡¯t be bothered to investigate.¡±


    Lady Le sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Brother Zhong is correct. The restrictions here have been broken to the most crucial point. I hope this place isn¡¯t like the previous one. Apart from some scrap metal, there are no treasures. Two people died in the spatial tear along the way.¡±


    When Scholar Zhong heard this, his expression sank and he said, ¡°There is nothing we can do about it. Those invisible spatial tears are truly impossible to guard against. As for the low-grade spirit birds we¡¯ve prepared in advance, they immediately went berserk as soon as they entered the valley. They swarmed around the valley like bees and were unable to control themselves. Otherwise, their deaths could¡¯ve been avoided.¡±


    Lady Le pensively said, ¡°Those spirit birds didn¡¯t seem to have gone mad. Instead, they seemed to be extremely afraid of the inner valley. Could it be that there is something here that specializes in restraining demon beasts? The Black-Winged Eagle I borrowed was already a grade five spirit bird. But it didn¡¯t listen to my commands after entering the inner valley and was even unwilling to fly out of its spirit beast pouch. It seems Devilfall Valley is quite strange.¡±


    A cold glint flashed from the scholar¡¯s eyes, and he solemnly said, ¡°Perhaps. This place is known as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region, so it is only natural that there are some mysteries here. However, we aren¡¯t here to uncover the mystery of Devilfall Valley. Instead, we are here to search for ancient treasures and spirit pills for Moulan. As such, we will have to continue searching even if we don¡¯t have any spirit birds to open the way. This is a rare opportunity that we¡¯ve acquired by making a deal with the higher-ups of the four great powers of the Heavenly South Region. We must not waste it.¡±

 Chapter 828

    Reunion


    When Scholar Zhong and Lady Le were discussing the strangeness of Devilfall Valley, Han Li was already fifty kilometers away.


    The rest of the journey was uneventful. Several hours later, he arrived at the cave in the inner valley.


    Taking out the Heaven-Earth Ring again, Han Li entered the tunnel under the protection of this treasure.


    It did not take long to pass through the cave that was several kilometers long. Not long after, Han Li walked out of the passage of the Greatnorth Essence Light and saw the slightly white exit of the cave.


    He quickly walked forward with joy in his heart.


    A moment later, Han Li¡¯s eyes lit up, and he reappeared in front of the cliff in the outer valley.


    Han Li looked up at the dark sky. Although it still looked uncomfortable, it was much better than the almost ubiquitous blood-red light in the inner valley.


    Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense swept through the nearby area, but nothing strange happened. There were no other cultivators that seemed to have discovered this place. Only then did Han Li heave a sigh of relief. He turned his gaze and looked at the mountain wall at the entrance of the cave.


    Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and shot out an azure spell seal. In a flash of spiritual light, it disappeared into the stone wall.


    Without another word, Han Li formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation in a low voice. A strange scene then unfolded!


    A layer of azure light suddenly appeared on the surface of the seemingly ordinary mountain wall, covering the entire mountain wall. Then, small groups of Gold Devouring Beetles suddenly swarmed out of the light barrier, and silver crystals of various sizes fell from the swarm. The large ones were the size of a fist, and the small ones were the size of beans.


    In the blink of an eye, a small pile had gathered on the ground in front of Han Li. It was shimmering like silver, but it was translucent.


    This was the result of the refinement of the Silverstar Sand.


    When the first few pieces fell, Han Li¡¯s expression was still very calm, but when more than ten pieces of crystals fell to the ground, he could not help but reveal a shocked expression.


    Monarch Great Development¡¯s elated voice suddenly sounded in Han Li¡¯s mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Youngster Han! There are far more Silverstar Sand mines here than I expected. It seems that my mechanical puppets can all be refined using this material.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t expect that there would be so many Silverstar Sand mines here. This time, our harvest is truly extraordinary!¡± When the last group of Gold Devouring Beetles threw down the Silverstar Sand crystals they had stored, Han Li looked at the small pile of shiny silver items on the ground and replied happily.


    With a wave of his sleeve, an azure mist swept past, and the ground was empty. All of the Silverstar Sand crystals were instantly stored into Han Li¡¯s storage pouch.


    Following that, he let out a sharp cry, and the cloud of golden beetles that were circling at a low altitude swarmed down like bees, all of them entering his pouch.


    After doing all this, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and a thumb-sized transparent bead appeared in his hand.


    He opened his mouth and spat a ball of azure spiritual Qi onto the bead.


    Spiritual light flashed from the crystal clear bead, following which a speck of azure light the size of a soybean appeared within it.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered as he stared at the ball in his hand for a long while. He frowned slightly and looked around to determine his direction.


    Spiritual light then flashed from his body as he soared into the sky in a streak of azure light.


    Although he was flying, Han Li was still holding the ball with one hand. Every time he flew a certain distance, he would lower his head to look at the ball before adjusting his direction.


    As a result, Han Li¡¯s speed was naturally not very fast, and he flew in an unhurried manner.


    After flying for several tens of kilometers and passing by a desolate area, Han Li suddenly exclaimed in surprise and stopped.


    Soon after, Han Li¡¯s body sank and he fell from the sky, wrapped in green light.


    When he was about 300 feet above the desolate land, Han Li stopped and looked down.


    The corpse of a male cultivator had been split into two. He was lying on the desolate ground, and blood had already congealed and stained a large area nearby. The corpse appeared to be completely empty, and all of his storage pouches and magic treasures had disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Looks like someone finally couldn¡¯t help but take action.¡± Han Li looked at the corpse for a moment and sighed to himself. He had just confirmed that there were no spatial tears nearby. This guy must have been killed by other cultivators.


    Han Li did not stay here for long. He quickly left and continued to move forward.


    He believed that aside from the two late-Nascent Soul cultivators who were truly a threat to him, there was no need to fear anyone else in the valley. However, if a group of cultivators were to join forces and set up a trap to deal with him, it would be quite dangerous.


    Of course, this was almost impossible, but with Han Li¡¯s cautious instincts, he could not help but increase his vigilance along the way. Half a day later, Han Li did not encounter any ambushes. Instead, he found the corpses of two unlucky cultivators who had died under the invisible spatial rift.


    When Han Li saw their mutilated bodies, he could only shake his head.


    Following the guidance of the spiritual light in the ball, Han Li finally appeared in the sky above a dense forest.


    Looking down at the boundless verdant forest and the towering trees, Han Li muttered to himself. Suddenly, he clenched the hand holding the ball into a fist and exerted a little force. Green light flashed on his five fingers, and a clear cracking sound was heard.


    The seemingly transparent ball was crushed by Han Li¡¯s immense strength, turning into nothingness.


    The green spiritual light in the ball did not dissipate. Instead, it floated in front of Han Li without restraint.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Han Li snorted and pointed a finger at the spiritual light.


    Immediately thereafter, the bean-sized azure object began to fly in a certain direction.


    Han Li, on the other hand, followed closely behind the spiritual light.


    Fifteen minutes later, somewhere in the dense forest, the spiritual light changed direction and began to descend.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed as he followed closely behind.


    When he reached the ground, the speck of spiritual light circled around a huge tree before disappearing into its trunk in a flash.


    When Han Li saw this, he also flew in front of the tree and landed on his feet.


    After sizing up the tree for a moment, he raised his hand and slapped it.


    With a muffled bang, green light flashed from the spot where he struck, and a green talisman appeared from the tree. Han Li quickly grabbed the talisman with two fingers.


    Looking at the talisman between his fingers, a faint smile appeared on Han Li¡¯s face. Then, he waved his finger gently.


    The talisman ignited on its own and flew through the air as a streak of red light.


    This time, Han Li stood on the spot and did not move. Instead, he crossed his legs and sat down. He slowly closed his eyes to recover some of the magic power that he had expended during the journey.


    Not long after, the red light landed in an inconspicuous corner of the dense forest. A moment later, a streak of light suddenly soared into the sky and flew straight towards Han Li.


    Before the streak of light even got close to Han Li, Han Li sensed something and slowly opened his eyes, looking in its direction.


    After a short while, the streak of light flew to this place and circled above Han Li, as if confirming Han Li¡¯s identity before diving down.


    As soon as the light touched the ground, it immediately disappeared. In front of Han Li, a beautiful female cultivator in a white dress appeared, like a fairy from heaven.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze naturally landed on this woman.


    ¡°Lady Violet Spirit, you came very quickly!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression was exceptionally calm.


    ¡°Quickly? I¡¯ve already waited here for you for several days. During this time, six or seven waves of cultivators have searched the forest, and they¡¯ve become increasingly frequent. If Brother Han doesn¡¯t come soon, I fear I won¡¯t be able to stay in the forest.¡±


    Violet Spirit¡¯s voice was pleasant to the ear, but there was a hint of resentment in it as she gracefully walked over.


    Han Li smiled when he heard this. After looking at Violet Spirit¡¯s jade-like face, his gaze shifted and he continued.


    ¡°Lady Violet Spirit has actually revealed her true appearance. This is somewhat beyond my expectations. I thought that Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit must have disguised herself.¡±


    Violet Spirit pursed her lips into a smile and sweetly said, ¡°When I first entered the valley, I didn¡¯t use my true appearance. However, the treasure I used to conceal my true appearance seemed to have been restricted by Devilfall Valley and gradually became ineffective. It was actually unable to conceal my true appearance, so I could only show my true appearance. What? Could it be that Brother Han thinks my appearance is crude and doesn¡¯t catch your eye?¡±


    ¡°Lady Violet Spirit must be joking. Alright, there¡¯s no need to make fun of me. Is this the first place you¡¯ve found that has been marked?¡± Han Li smiled bitterly before his expression turned solemn.


    Violet Spirit¡¯s smile also disappeared as she replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem. The original markings seemed to have been destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect. However, the fact that they were able to find this place and do such a thing only proves that there¡¯s no problem here.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s follow the tracks of the Ghost Spirit Sect first. This might save us a lot of effort.¡± When Han Li heard the Ghost Spirit Sect, he raised his eyebrows and sneered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, Brother Han! A month ago, I placed a mark unique to our Exquisite Sound Sect on that Ghost Spirit Sect disciple¡¯s body. This mark wasn¡¯t condensed from magic power, but from a colorless and odorless fragrance. The range of this fragrance isn¡¯t large, and it will lose its effect within two months. However, it¡¯s very effective in tracking the Ghost Spirit Sect now,¡± Violet Spirit said very obediently, but a hint of cunningness flashed through her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit. Let¡¯s set off. We¡¯ll first catch up to the Ghost Spirit Sect and then overtake them to find the remaining markings. In this way, the Spirit Kindle Fruit will be ours.¡± Han Li didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He nodded and slowly stood up.


    A silver-furred flying squirrel suddenly flew out from the dense forest. The flying squirrel nimbly sniffed the air before flying off in a certain direction as a streak of silver light.


    Soon after, two more streaks of light flew out from the forest. After circling in the air, they followed closely behind the silver streak.

 Chapter 829

    Drawing Pillar


    Just as Han Li and Violet Spirit were chasing after Elder Zhong and the others, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master Wei Wuya and the others had already crossed the huge mountain and appeared in a basin.


    The basin was dark and humid, and there were puddles of various sizes all over the ground, causing the group of people who had no choice but to travel on foot to feel quite depressed.


    Although they could use a few small magic techniques to block the mud and dirty water, their speed naturally decreased again and again.


    But this time, neither Wang Tiangu nor Wei Wuya complained.


    This was because they had seen a huge altar at the center of the basin when they had climbed over the mountain.


    At this moment, everyone who had followed the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master here immediately perked up and threw their original doubts to the back of their minds.


    Ever since they entered the valley, this was the first time they had seen such a complete building. Needless to say, this place was definitely not ordinary. It was most likely related to the Spirit Ether Garden that the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master had mentioned.


    As such, the group of cultivators began to move even more slowly, but none of them appeared to be in a hurry.


    It wasn¡¯t that nobody had attempted to use the Floating Technique, but the only gain was that a crimson bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, nearly shattering the cultivator¡¯s protective magic treasure. It seemed the closer they got to the center of the basin, the stricter the restriction became.


    As such, the others no longer thought of playing tricks and could only slowly advance in single file.


    A Ghost Spirit Sect disciple was leading the way. When they encountered shrubbery and other obstructions, he could easily open up a small path with a few fireballs.


    After walking for half a day, the group finally approached the altar and saw the incomparably huge figure from afar.


    The altar was constructed entirely from white mountain rock, and it was surrounded by stairs. It towered into the clouds and was several thousand feet tall. It was truly magnificent. However, the altar was a bit far away and too high, so it was impossible to see what was at the top.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there. It looks like we¡¯ll be there in an hour or two at most. Sect Leader Wang, I¡¯m even more curious as to how you know about the Spirit Ether Garden.¡± Although Wei Wuya was also walking on foot, his entire body was emitting a faint green light. After taking a light step forward, he silently slid several tens of feet away, appearing extremely relaxed.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master smiled and indifferently said, ¡°Brother Wei, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely explain this matter to you.¡±


    Wei Wuya nodded. Just as he was about to ask something else, spiritual light suddenly flashed from the Ghost Spirit Sect disciple at the very front, and his body staggered. Soon after, his body was soundlessly split into two from his shoulder to his waist, and his corpse silently fell to the ground.


    ¡°A spatial tear!¡± When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master saw this, his expression greatly changed.


    Wei Wuya and Wang Tiangu¡¯s expressions also darkened upon seeing this.


    Although they didn¡¯t know what the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master was planning, they hadn¡¯t encountered a single invisible spatial tear since they entered the valley according to the route he had pointed out. They had originally been relaxed, but now that a spatial tear had suddenly appeared, their hearts couldn¡¯t help but tremble.


    The other three Ghost Spirit Sect disciples also paled.


    The group of people came to a stop and stopped advancing.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s expression wavered as he looked at the severed corpse. Meanwhile, Wei Wuya closed his eyes as if he were trying to sense something with his spiritual sense, but he soon opened them again.


    Wei Wuya shook his head expressionlessly and said, ¡°That won¡¯t do. This spatial rift isn¡¯t something that can be sensed by one¡¯s powerful spiritual sense. I can¡¯t sense the existence of this rift.¡±


    When Wang Tiangu heard this, he raised his hand and flicked his finger, sending five fireballs forward.


    With a few pops, three of the fireballs were extinguished in a flash. However, two of them were sent flying several tens of feet away, smashing into the ground and creating two large craters.


    Wang Tiangu slowly said, ¡°This rift is very small. As long as we¡¯re slightly off course, we will be able to bypass it.¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master didn¡¯t appear happy. Instead, he wore a gloomy expression and muttered, ¡°Although this rift isn¡¯t large, who knows how many more will appear along the way? We don¡¯t have that many lives. As far as I know, there shouldn¡¯t be any rifts blocking our path. Could it be that he hid something?¡±


    Wei Wuya¡¯s expression changed upon hearing this, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, Wang Tiangu looked at the altar in the distance and then at the corpse lying on the ground, feeling somewhat puzzled.


    ¡°Then what does Sect Master mean?¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master frowned and looked up at the sky without immediately replying. After a long while, he let out a long sigh.


    He wore a strange expression and said, ¡°I originally wanted to wait until we arrived at the altar before revealing something to you. However, it seems I won¡¯t be able to conceal it any longer. I¡¯ll reveal something to you here.¡±


    Wei Wuya and the others faltered upon hearing this before exchanging glances with one another.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master waved his sleeve, and silver light flashed as a scroll appeared in his hand.


    The scroll was about a meter long and was shimmering with silver light. It appeared to be quite ancient.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± When Wang Tiangu saw the scroll, he cried out in alarm.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master glanced at Wang Tiangu and indifferently said, ¡°Hehe! It seems you recognized this item. You personally handed it over to me. Everything related to the Spirit Ether Garden was obtained from this scroll.¡±


    Wang Tiangu was completely stunned when he heard this.


    This scroll was the portrait and scroll of Master Cang Kun that he had obtained at the Moulan Plains.


    As for the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master, he tossed the scroll into the air and wrapped it in a ball of spirit energy. He then formed an incantation gesture with a grave expression and pointed at the scroll.


    With a sizzling sound, the scroll quickly opened, revealing the scene inside.


    The back of a scholar with a long sword on his back, looking up at the sky, suddenly appeared on the painting.


    Wang Tiangu and the others widened their eyes and stared at the portrait for a long time, wanting to discover something, but they found nothing.


    However, Wei Wuya also took a deep look at the painting, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face as he swept his spiritual sense across the entire scroll.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s heart stirred upon seeing Wei Wuya¡¯s expression, and he praised, ¡°As expected of a late-Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, to be able to discover the mysteries within so quickly. I was only able to discover the abnormality of this painting because of a secret technique that I cultivated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve seen such a spatial treasure. If you hadn¡¯t reminded me in advance, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to discover it so easily,¡± Wei Wuya replied with a strange expression.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master smiled and didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further. He immediately raised his hand and released a black incantation seal, striking the open scroll. At the same time, he coldly snorted and said to the scroll, ¡°You¡¯re still not coming out? Do you want me to use the devil flames to chase you out?¡±


    The others were given a fright upon hearing this, and they also felt somewhat baffled. Wei Wuya also raised an eyebrow in surprise, and a hint of bewilderment flashed through his eyes.


    As a result, an unbelievable scene occurred.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already agree that I wouldn¡¯t be summoned until we arrived at the designated location? Now that you¡¯ve awakened me in front of so many people, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to continue the deal anymore!¡± A clear male voice sounded from the scroll.


    Soon after, silver light erupted from the projection, and the scholarly man suddenly turned around to face them, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with three strands of long beard. However, his face was ice-cold and filled with displeasure.


    Not only were the remaining Ghost Spirit Sect disciples dumbfounded by this scene, but even Wang Tiangu, who had personally come into contact with the scroll, had his mouth wide open in shock.


    Wei Wuya was the only one to recover from his shock quickly. His expression soon returned to normal as he stared at the portrait of the scholar with a pensive expression.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master looked at the portrait and bluntly asked, ¡°You¡¯re asking me? Didn¡¯t you repeatedly guarantee that the route you gave me would be absolutely safe? This spatial tear has caused our sect¡¯s disciple to die in vain!¡±


    ¡°The path I took back then was absolutely safe. How could there be a problem?¡± The scholarly portrait on the scroll refuted.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master glanced at the spatial tear with a sullen expression and coldly said, ¡°Then take a look at what¡¯s over there.¡±


    The scholar in the portrait was stunned for a moment before muttering to himself for a moment and disappearing. Spiritual light flashed from the surface of the portrait, turning it into a layer of azure light.


    Soon after, light flashed and a ball of green light shot out from the light barrier, transforming into a blurry humanoid figure. It was none other than the scholarly man in the scroll.


    At that moment, the scholar¡¯s body was completely made up of greyish-white light. It emitted a faint spiritual light as if it could be extinguished with a single breath.


    ¡°How should I address you? Could it be that you¡¯re the Master Cang Kun from back then? How could you maintain your primordial spirit and live until today?¡± Wang Tiangu felt that his voice was dry, and even he felt a trace of shock in his words.


    ¡°I have limited time outside the scroll. If you have any questions, you can ask your sect master later. I¡¯ll take a look at the spatial tear first.¡± The scholar paid no attention to Wang Tiangu¡¯s shock. Instead, he stared in the direction of the spatial tear and frowned slightly. He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of gray light.


    With a bang, the ball of light was silently devoured by the spatial tear. The scholar¡¯s expression immediately became strange.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange! There really wasn¡¯t such an invisible rift here in the past, so it should be one of the few newly formed rifts. There¡¯s no need to worry about it, Fellow Daoists. It¡¯s just a coincidence. I¡¯ll be heading back.¡± The scholarly man was slightly surprised at first, but after some thought, he eventually calmed down.


    Soon after, his body instantly faded away and he flew back into the scroll as a ball of green light, as if he didn¡¯t want to waste any more time.

 Chapter 830

    Divine Sense Transforming into a Thousand


    After the scholar appeared, he disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. Wang Tiangu and the others were stunned for a moment, and all of them wore strange expressions.


    Wei Wuya fell silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Sect Leader Wang, is this person really the Master Cang Kun of the past? However, this person only has his soul left. Even if he really is the invincible person from the past, there¡¯s nothing to fear now. Did he tell you about the Spirit Ether Garden?¡±


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master heard that the spatial tear had only just appeared, his expression relaxed, and he replied to Wei Wuya¡¯s question with a calm expression, ¡°To a certain extent, this person is both Master Cang Kun and not Master Cang Kun. However, I did hear about the Spirit Ether Garden from him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s no need to keep us in suspense.¡± Wei Wuya¡¯s expression darkened with displeasure.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master unhurriedly said, ¡°Brother Wei misunderstood. The scroll spirit we saw just now was actually the remnant soul of an incarnation of Master Cang Kun. When this incarnation was exploring Devilfall Valley, it was injured by a restriction and its body was destroyed. Thus, Master Cang Kun placed it into this scroll, which was refined from fragments of the Soul Nurturing Wood, to recuperate and recover. However, the true Master Cang Kun already died many years ago. Apart from some memories, this remnant soul has already obtained freedom. There is nothing wrong with calling it another person.¡±


    Wei Wuya was rather surprised to hear this.


    Wang Tiangu pursed his lips and smiled bitterly in his heart. It was unknown if he was depressed because he hadn¡¯t discovered the secret of the scroll or because he had guessed wrongly again.


    Wei Wuya nodded and coldly said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. It seems that you¡¯ve reached an agreement with this remnant soul, which is why it told you about the Spirit Ether Garden. However, that doesn¡¯t matter to me. As long as I can enter the Spirit Ether Garden, I won¡¯t care what agreement you have with it. At my age, I only want to enter the Deity Transformation Stage and ascend to the Spirit Realm.¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master smiled and beckoned to a disciple, ¡°Brother Wei is indeed a sensible person. That would be for the best. Alright, since this spatial tear only appeared by chance, let¡¯s set off!¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect disciple¡¯s face was somewhat pale, but he wordlessly walked around the spatial tear in front of him.


    Wei Wuya slowly walked forward, and the others from the Ghost Spirit Sect followed suit.


    The group continued to walk towards the huge altar.


    ¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Your flying squirrel actually lost control!¡± Standing on a glacier covered in thick ice, Han Li looked up at the blood-red light that appeared in the sky again and said to Violet Spirit beside him with a dark expression.


    Not far behind him, there was a huge crack in the ice that was over 200 feet wide. Han Li had just snuck into the inner valley again through this crack.


    As he looked around, he saw that the place was covered in ice and snow, and a bone-chilling wind blew past. However, Han Li stood still in his thin green clothes, as if he did not care about the cold wind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. My flying squirrel was fine outside, but as soon as we came out of the crevice, it suddenly went berserk. Fortunately, I put it away early. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know what would have happened. Even though it¡¯s in the spirit beast pouch, it¡¯s still extremely berserk.¡± Violet Spirit frowned in confusion.


    Han Li pondered for a moment and suddenly slapped his storage pouch. A small group of Gold Devouring Beetles rushed out from the pouch and turned into a small cloud of beetles in the air. They stopped above Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li secretly activated his spiritual sense, and the small swarm of insects immediately flew back to the pouch without any signs of losing control.


    Han Li stroked his chin and his gaze wavered. However, he immediately patted the other spirit beast pouch and a black light shot out from it. It circled around and landed a few feet in front of Han Li.


    The light faded to reveal a small black monkey that was several inches in size. It was none other than the Weeping Soul Beast.


    At this moment, it yawned and blinked. It looked at Han Li in a daze as if it had just woken up.


    Han Li stared at the beast for a long while before waving his sleeve expressionlessly, and a cloud of azure light swept out.


    A short moment later, azure light flashed and the Weeping Soul Beast disappeared.


    After a moment of contemplation, Han Li said to Violet Spirit, ¡°Since your flying squirrel has lost control, no matter what the reason is, we can only rely on ourselves to find the Ghost Spirit Sect. Fortunately, we¡¯ve entered the inner valley, so we won¡¯t be too far away from them. I¡¯ll use my divine power to search for them and see if I can find any traces of them. Protect me for the time being.¡±


    The Gold Devouring Beetle and the Weeping Soul Beast didn¡¯t show any abnormalities in the inner valley, much to his relief. After all, one of them was a wondrous insect while the other was a mutated ferocious beast. Naturally, they were very different from ordinary spirit beasts.


    However, Han Li naturally did not know that the Thousand Kilometer Orioles that Marquis Nanlong had prepared could also remain safe and sound in the valley. As for the spirit birds borrowed by the Moulan spell warriors, they were like Violet Spirit¡¯s flying squirrel, in a state of loss of control.


    The whole story naturally involved some of the inner valley¡¯s secrets.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to rely on Brother Han¡¯s abilities,¡± Violet Spirit said as she bit her lip.


    Han Li nodded and calmly sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes.


    A short moment later, spiritual light flourished from his body, and his entire body was enshrouded in azure light.


    Violet Spirit quietly stood at the side. Her clear eyes stared at Han Li¡¯s ordinary face without blinking.


    To be honest, Violet Spirit was unsure of her feelings for the man in front of her.


    They were not purely friends. At the very least, when she occasionally saw that Han Li was amazed by her beauty, she was secretly delighted and excited.


    They were certainly not lovers. Although she and Han Li had gone through trials and tribulations together, up until now, Han Li had never truly revealed his heart to her. Instead, he seemed to have the intention to distance himself from her and had no intention of going any further.


    In reality, with Han Li¡¯s current cultivation and status, if he was willing to propose to her, she could not predict whether she would say yes or refuse. When she unintentionally found out from the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s woman surnamed Song that Han Li already had a dual cultivation partner named Nangong Wan, she felt even more disappointed, as if something that she had long fancied had been snatched away by someone else.


    Violet Spirit looked at Han Li¡¯s face, which was shimmering with green light, and her mind began to wander.


    Han Li, who was meditating, naturally did not know what Violet Spirit was thinking. However, he had already released his powerful spiritual sense and quickly searched everything within a radius of fifty kilometers to see if there were any Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators. However, after a while, he did not find anything.


    Han Li frowned slightly and did not give up. He spread his spiritual sense even further, covering a radius of nearly 200 kilometers. However, after a while, there was still no aura of other cultivators.


    Han Li pondered for a moment and suddenly took out a spirit beast pouch filled with Gold Devouring Beetles from his waist. He casually took it out and made a hand seal. Thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles surged out of the pouch and turned into a cloud of golden beetles.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Han Li opened his eyes and raised his hand, striking the insect cloud with a green spell seal.


    The cloud of insects buzzed and scattered, transforming into golden flowers that scattered in all directions.


    When Han Li closed his eyes again, spiritual light began to shine from his body. When Violet Spirit saw this, she revealed a trace of shock, not knowing what kind of great divine power Han Li was going to use.


    At this moment, Han Li had already used the Great Development Technique to its utmost. He forcefully split his spiritual sense into thousands of avatars. Apart from a few avatars that remained on his body to protect himself, all the avatars quickly caught up to each of the Gold Devouring Beetles and temporarily attached themselves to the insects, spreading their wings and scattering in all directions.


    With the help of the Gold Devouring Beetles¡¯ eyes, he no longer needed to sense any cultivator¡¯s aura. He directly began to search the area, bit by bit, where the next mark might be.


    Of course, there was no lack of spatial rifts. Those which were devoured or trapped in restrictions could not return. However, Han Li¡¯s avatars were invisible and attachments. When he saw that the situation was not good, he readily abandoned the attached Gold Devouring Beetles and returned to his main body. However, even so, more than ten avatars could not escape in time and were trapped or destroyed.


    In the face of this situation, Han Li decisively gave up on the connection of these avatars, lest they implicated other avatars.


    However, every time he gave up on a soul fragment, Han Li¡¯s face could not help but turn paler.


    Fortunately, his spiritual sense was extremely powerful, so the loss of those soul fragments was completely negligible. After a short moment, his expression returned to normal.


    Relying on the thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles that filled the sky, Han Li finally found a clue after a long time and discovered the route of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.


    He immediately used his spiritual sense to urge all of his avatars, and the thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles immediately turned around and flew back.


    When the last Gold Devouring Beetle entered the bag, Han Li smiled coldly and opened his eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ve found their tracks.¡±


    With that said, Han Li immediately stood up and shot into the sky as a streak of azure light. When Violet Spirit saw this, she happily followed after him as a streak of light.


    Not long after, Han Li and Violet Spirit appeared above a pile of rocks.


    Han Li stared at the empty pit with a strange expression.


    ¡°Looks like this is the location of the next mark. If I remember correctly, there are two more marks to find the location of the Spirit Kindle Fruit. The next location is very easy to find. It¡¯s the perfect opportunity for us to catch up to the Ghost Spirit Sect,¡± Han Li said calmly. He waved his sleeve, and a ball of white light shot out from it, landing tens of feet in front of Han Li. It was the Wind Riding Chariot.


    ¡°Go to this chariot and increase our speed to catch up to them! Your speed is too slow. Only by increasing our speed by several times will you be able to catch up to them,¡± Han Li instructed Violet Spirit in an unquestionable manner.


    ¡°Speed up by several times? There are countless spatial tears in the inner valley. Isn¡¯t that too dangerous?¡± Violet Spirit was alarmed as her expression changed.

 Chapter 831

    Illusionary Mountain


    ¡°Of course I have some confidence in doing so. Besides, do you not dare to take the slightest risk for the spirit fruit, Lady Violet Spirit?¡± Han Li said with a faint smile.


    Violet Spirit faltered slightly upon hearing this before a sweet smile appeared on her face. ¡°With my understanding of you, Brother Han, you definitely wouldn¡¯t take the risk unless you were absolutely certain that you¡¯re safe. Looks like you definitely have some secret technique that allows you to avoid those invisible spatial tears. In that case, I¡¯ll be more than happy to oblige.¡±


    In a flash, she appeared on the Wind Riding Chariot.


    Han Li looked at the woman in surprise, but then flew into the carriage without a word.


    In an instant, under Han Li¡¯s urging, the Wind Riding Chariot turned into a white streak of light and flew through the air.


    It was clear that Han Li¡¯s deduction was correct. After traveling for half a day, they finally caught up with the Ghost Spirit Sect members near an endless stretch of barren land.


    As for Elder Zhong and the others, a Ghost Spirit Sect disciple had made a mistake and triggered a small ancient restriction nearby, causing them to be flustered as they tried to save themselves.


    With Han Li¡¯s vigilance and the full release of his spiritual sense, he naturally did not let the old man Zhong discover their tracks. Instead, he relied on his powerful spiritual sense to sweep his spiritual sense from afar without anyone noticing. Han Li clearly sensed that the spiritual Qi fluctuation of the ancient restriction was not very strong. It seemed that it could only hold back the Ghost Spirit Sect members for a period of time at most and could not truly trap Elder Zhong, who had a mid-Nascent Soul cultivation.


    However, this small delay was a rare opportunity for Han Li. It was enough to shake them off.


    Han Li controlled the Wind Riding Chariot and made up his mind. He took the risk to change his original route and take a big detour.


    Not long after, bypassing several spatial rifts along the way, Han Li finally left the Ghost Spirit Sect far behind and brought Violet Spirit close to a lush green mountain range.


    Seeing this mountain range, Han Li¡¯s divine sense moved and the Wind Riding Chariot slowly listened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s here. Look at the mountain peak that resembles a bird. That¡¯s a good mark.¡± Violet Spirit recognized a mountain peak that looked like a huge bird among the mountain ranges at a glance and said excitedly. At the same time, she could not help but glance at Han Li.


    To tell the truth, although Violet Spirit spoke with complete confidence and seemed to be at ease with Han Li, seeing Han Li drive the Wind Riding Chariot as fast as lightning, her heart was in her throat.


    However, she did not expect that the route led by Han Li would be extremely safe. Not only did they avoid all the spatial cracks, but they did not even trigger an ancient restriction. They flew to this place in one breath.


    Violet Spirit naturally did not know that Han Li was also secretly feeling lucky.


    His Brightsight Spirit Eyes had the ability to avoid spatial rifts, but he hadn¡¯t triggered any ancient restrictions after deviating from his original route entirely because of his luck.


    Han Li thought this in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. Now, he only narrowed his eyes and stared at the strange mountain in the distance in silence.


    The direction that the bird¡¯s beak pointed to should be the location of the last mark.


    ¡°Brother Han, are we still not setting off? Why don¡¯t we destroy this mountain before leaving?¡± Violet Spirit suggested anxiously after waiting for a while and seeing that Han Li remained silent.


    ¡°According to the jade slip, the last mark should be in the desert, and it should be within 500 kilometers of this mountain. Is that correct?¡± Han Li suddenly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother Han, you mean¡­¡± Violet Spirit seemed to have come to a realization.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. If we get rid of this mountain, they¡¯ll know where the mark is as long as they see the newly destroyed mountain. The last mark will be in a desert. They¡¯ll be able to find it as long as they spend some time. The only way to stall for time is to set up an illusion formation to cover this mountain and see if we can confuse them and make the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators miss the mark,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    Violet Spirit doubtfully said, ¡°Brother Han¡¯s words do make sense, but what kind of illusion formation can be used to conceal such a huge mountain from Nascent Soul cultivators? Could it be that you also cultivate illusion techniques?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m not proficient in illusion techniques, but there are people who are.¡± Han Li smiled and said calmly.


    Then, Han Li shook his sleeve and a white light shot out. When it landed on the ground, it flashed crazily, revealing a graceful and beautiful young woman in white.


    ¡°Greetings, Master!¡± The woman curtsied to Han Li. It was Silvermoon.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Violet Spirit exclaimed in shock upon seeing Silvermoon.


    ¡°This is Silvermoon. She can be considered one of my subordinates for the time being. Silvermoon, do you have a way to set up an illusion formation in a short period of time to cover that mountain?¡± Han Li explained briefly before pointing to the mountain not far away and asking about the illusion formation.


    Silvermoon respectfully said, ¡°With Master¡¯s illusion formation tools and my techniques, it isn¡¯t impossible to conceal this mountain. However, I¡¯m not sure if the illusion formation will be able to conceal itself from a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s spiritual sense. Furthermore, my illusion technique isn¡¯t a restriction. It can only exist for two days and will dissipate.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead and do as much as you can. Two days should be enough.¡± Han Li pondered for a moment and decided to slap the storage pouch at his waist. Two sets of array formation tools appeared in his hand, flashing with various colors of spiritual light. Han Li casually handed them to the young woman.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Silvermoon accepted the formation tools and immediately agreed.


    At this moment, Han Li looked at the Flying Bird Mountain not far away. A cold light flashed in his eyes. He suddenly rubbed his hands and raised one hand.


    An azure sword Qi that was over 100 feet long shot out from his palm like a flood dragon. After circling around the mountain peak, it flew back with a long cry and disappeared into Han Li¡¯s body.


    A buzzing sound suddenly erupted from the bird-shaped mountain, following which the bird¡¯s head and wings collapsed in the blink of an eye. The mountain appeared no different from an ordinary mountain.


    Violet Spirit, on the other hand, stared blankly. Although she knew that Han Li¡¯s current abilities were not something that a Core Formation cultivator like her could guess, the fact that Han Li¡¯s sword Qi alone could produce such power out of thin air without using any magic treasures gave her a huge fright.


    In the past, although she had often heard that Han Li, a new Nascent Soul cultivator, was exceptional and was an existence only below the three great cultivators, Violet Spirit had never really believed it.


    After all, Han Li was only a Core Formation cultivator like her in the past. He had only advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage not long ago, but he was already so famous. Violet Spirit found it hard to believe. She originally thought that Han Li had most likely used some tricks to achieve such a great reputation.


    Just as Violet Spirit was feeling apprehensive, Silvermoon had already carried two sets of array formation tools and flew to the mountain peak that had nearly been cut off. She began to set up the array formation.


    Silvermoon¡¯s movements were very fast. In the time it took to finish a meal, she had finished setting up the two illusion formations. Immediately, waves of white mountain mist slowly rose, covering most of the mountain peak. Only the mountain peak was exposed.


    After doing all this, Silvermoon suddenly turned into a ball of silver light and flew to the top of the mountain. Then, she suddenly opened her mouth and a large amount of pink mist surged out.


    As soon as the pink mist left Silvermoon¡¯s mouth, it immediately disappeared without a trace. Silvermoon kept spouting the mist. Not long after, an astonishing scene took place.


    All of a sudden, the area around the mountain began to warp and distort, and the mountain disappeared without a trace. In its place was a dense forest.


    Seeing this, Han Li nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡­


    In an underground hall thousands of kilometers away, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were sitting cross-legged in a corner of the hall, commanding their magic treasures to fiercely attack the golden light barrier that had shrunk to a thin layer.


    At this moment, the Buddhist runes on the light barrier that were originally the size of a fist were now the size of a bean. They continuously revolved around the surface of the barrier, appearing extremely solemn.


    Outside the golden barrier, there was a white wind dragon and a streak of golden light. There were two blue ice pythons and a huge jade-green ring that were continuously attacking the surface of the barrier. Every attack caused the barrier to tremble and flicker with spiritual light.


    Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying had pale complexions.


    This was no surprise. Anyone who continuously expended magic power day and night, not hesitating to overdraft their essence energy to activate their magic treasures, would become like this. The two had long cursed the abnormal nature of the Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation in their hearts. In order to break through the Buddhist spell formation, it could be said that they had risked their lives. Although the two had suffered a great loss of vitality, the vajra barrier was at the end of its tether. It was clear that it could be broken through at any moment. As a result, the two were able to grit their teeth and persevere.


    After an unknown amount of time, an earth-shattering boom erupted, followed by the elderly man¡¯s elated voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ve broken through, we¡¯ve broken through. Thankfully, our efforts weren¡¯t in vain.¡±


    The old man who was originally sitting cross-legged stood up and shouted with ecstasy.


    The golden light barrier that had obstructed them for the past two days had completely disappeared, and the shimmering runes on the walls had also disappeared.


    Marquis Nanlong was sitting cross-legged at the other corner of the room. His complexion was extremely poor, but his eyes also flashed with excitement.


    The two people¡¯s gazes then simultaneously fell onto the spirit medicines, alms bowls, and other treasures that had lost their protection.


    No matter how cunning the two were, their hearts still began to race.

 Chapter 832

    Demonic Movement


    Marquis Nanlong and the old man glanced at the offering table and unconsciously glanced at each other. At the same time, they saw a deep sense of caution in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Even though the two of them had some friendship in the past years, it had naturally dissipated in the face of treasures that were within reach.


    After a moment of silence, the old man chuckled and said, ¡°Fellow Daoist Nanlong, we both know what we¡¯re thinking. Although my cultivation was slightly inferior to yours, Brother Nanlong¡¯s injuries in the Moulan Plains haven¡¯t been healed yet and you¡¯re weaker than before. With so many spiritual medicines, it would be best for us to split them evenly and avoid mutual destruction.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong glanced at the eye-catching alms bowl on the table and replied, ¡°Brother Lu is correct. I also think so. We will split the spirit medicines evenly. I only want the alms bowl among the treasures. What do you think?¡±


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression changed slightly, but after a moment of thought, he agreed, ¡°The alms bowl? Alright, let¡¯s divide them like this. I only wish to increase my cultivation and extend my lifespan. These worldly possessions aren¡¯t worth much.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong was initially stunned, but he soon rejoiced. He originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to convince the old man to give up the treasure, but he didn¡¯t expect the old man to let it go so easily. However, out of caution, he carefully examined the old man.


    However, Lu Weiying¡¯s expression remained calm and didn¡¯t reveal the slightest change. He seemed to have noticed Marquis Nanlong¡¯s hesitation and suddenly smiled.


    ¡°What? Could it be that Brother Nanlong has changed his mind and intends to give this treasure to me?¡±


    Marquis Nanlong fell silent and his eyes flickered.


    After a while, Marquis Nanlong finally chuckled and replied with a smile, ¡°Brother Lu must be joking. Since Fellow Daoist has said so, I won¡¯t hold back. The two of us will act together and you will take the three treasures and jade talisman from the alms bowl. I will take the alms bowl. Then, we¡¯ll divide the spiritual medicines equally. How about it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as Brother Nanlong says!¡± Lu Weiying agreed without the slightest hesitation.


    Marquis Nanlong nodded in satisfaction, and the two of them moved almost at the same time.


    The old man swept his sleeve toward the table, and a white mist swept toward the three magic tools and the jade talismans. Marquis Nanlong carefully opened his mouth and released a ball of golden light toward the alms bowl.


    Everything went smoothly. With a sweep of the old man¡¯s white light, the treasures and jade talismans were swept away from the alms bowl without the slightest resistance. Soon after, the ball of golden light enveloped the alms bowl and flew towards Marquis Nanlong.


    When the alms bowl gently flew into Marquis Nanlong¡¯s hand, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a joyful expression.


    The old man looked down at the three treasures in his hand with an expressionless face.


    The smile on Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face suddenly disappeared as he looked at the alms bowl in his hand. He flipped his hand and slapped the alms bowl with lightning speed. A yellow talisman immediately stuck to it.


    ¡°Brother Nanlong, what is the meaning of this?¡± Lu Weiying¡¯s expression changed drastically upon seeing this.


    Marquis Nanlong wore a strange expression and said, ¡°What is the meaning of this? Does Brother Lu really think that I can¡¯t tell that your three treasures and jade talisman are magic tools used by ancient cultivators to suppress the alms bowl? Although I don¡¯t know what the alms bowl contains, it is definitely a top-grade ancient treasure. The restrictions it contains are no small matter. However, if Brother Lu expects me to open the alms bowl, I fear you will be greatly disappointed. Without full confidence, I won¡¯t do such a thing.¡± At that moment, Marquis Nanlong continuously clapped his hands and pasted five or six talismans of different colors onto the alms bowl.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression returned to normal in the blink of an eye and he indifferently said, ¡°Hehe! I didn¡¯t expect Brother Nanlong to misunderstand. However, I don¡¯t wish to explain. Let¡¯s divide the spiritual medicines and leave this place. Although I don¡¯t know why, I don¡¯t wish to stay here for long.¡±


    Marquis Nanlong snorted and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do as Brother Lu says. We¡¯ll split the Heaven Origin Fruits that can extend one¡¯s lifespan evenly. As for the rest of the spiritual medicines, we will pick them in turns.¡± He then held the alms bowl in one hand and grabbed the Heaven Origin Fruits on the table with the other.


    Immediately thereafter, a large golden hand of light appeared on the table and reached down.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression sank and he didn¡¯t have the time to reply. He raised his hand and a white hand appeared on the table, grabbing towards the purple ganoderma.


    Two muffled pops sounded out as the Heaven Origin Fruits and the purple ganoderma on the table flashed with green light before suddenly dissipating and becoming indistinct. The two hands of light grabbed nothing but air. Brilliant light then erupted from the table, and all of the spirit medicines and fruits disappeared like bubbles.


    When Marquis Nanlong and the old man saw this, they were dumbstruck.


    Right at this moment, the alms bowl in Marquis Nanlong¡¯s hand underwent a change.


    The talismans stuck to the alms bowl suddenly flashed with spiritual light several times before burning on their own.


    The talismans were reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye by the pitch-black demonic flames.


    The furious Marquis Nanlong turned his head to the side and saw the bowl in his hand. His face turned deathly pale as golden light flashed from his other hand, following which a tattered golden talisman appeared between his fingers.


    However, it was clearly too late.


    The alms bowl was originally tightly sealed, but with a loud bang, the lid instantly shot into the sky, following which a streak of black light shot out from the alms bowl.


    At such a close distance, Marquis Nanlong had no way of dodging. When the golden talisman in his other hand was still several inches away from the alms bowl, the black light struck Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face and disappeared in a flash.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Marquis Nanlong let out a miserable scream.


    He smashed the alms bowl in his hand against the wall, causing the golden talisman to fall from his fingers. He then half-knelt on the ground with his hands behind his head, and his entire face began to contort.


    ¡°Possession?¡±


    When the old man saw this, his face immediately turned green and he cried out involuntarily.


    Without another thought, he pointed at Marquis Nanlong, and two blue halberds shot forth from his body, viciously slashing toward the immobilized Marquis Nanlong.


    But at this moment, Marquis Nanlong suddenly let out a low roar and raised his head. His face was covered in a dense layer of black Qi, and his eyes had completely turned silver-white. He stared at the blue light flying toward him without any expression.


    Just as the blue halberds were about to pass through his body, Marquis Nanlong suddenly waved his hand, and a metallic clang rang out. The two blue halberds were blocked by his arm as quickly as lightning, and were sent flying.


    However, the sleeve on his arm had also been shattered by the blue halberds¡¯ attack, and the arm was completely exposed.


    When Lu Weiying saw this, his eyes couldn¡¯t help but twitch.


    At some point in time, the arm had turned jet-black and was covered in thick purple-red tendons. The palm had become extremely rough and was surrounded by black air as if it had turned into a ghost claw. However, the strange arm was able to block the two blue halberds without suffering any damage.


    The old man¡¯s heart sank. Marquis Nanlong¡¯s mid-Nascent Soul spiritual sense had been successfully possessed in such a short amount of time, causing his body to mutate. This was truly inconceivable. Just what was that black light? It definitely wasn¡¯t an ordinary evil soul.


    With that thought, the old man abruptly shook his sleeve in shock. The white magic flag appeared in one hand and a stack of fiery red gauze appeared in the other.


    The old man tossed out the gauze, upon which a layer of red light barrier appeared in front of him.


    Only then did Lu Weiying calm down.


    According to his understanding, so long as the other party was an evil soul, the Bright Sun Shade would be able to withstand any sinister attacks from the demons and ghosts.


    ¡°Marquis Nanlong¡± had already staggered to his feet, but he didn¡¯t immediately attack Lu Weiying. Instead, he raised his hands in front of his eyes and carefully examined his own body. Suddenly, he raised his head and strangely smiled.


    ¡°Hehe! Hehe¡­ after so many years, I have finally come out. This time, let¡¯s see who can stop the Sacred Ancestor¡¯s descent. It seems this world is destined to belong to the Sacred Realm.¡±


    ¡°Sacred Ancestor? The Sacred Realm?¡± Although Lu Weiying didn¡¯t understand what was going on, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    The old man swept his gaze past the entrance of the hall and recalled the spell formations he had set up at the bottom of the pond.


    Suddenly, white light erupted from his body without any warning, and he shot toward the entrance as a streak of white light.


    At such a short distance, he was able to arrive there in the blink of an eye. Just as he was about to fly into the passage, the old man inwardly rejoiced. All of a sudden, his body blurred and something flashed in front of him, following which a loud explosion erupted.


    The old man felt an immense force come from the Bright Sun Shade that was protecting him, and his body was sent flying back by this irresistible force. His entire body was like a tattered cloth bag as he was ruthlessly flung against the opposite stone wall, and he was pushed several feet into the wall.


    Although he was saved by his protective spiritual light, Lu Weiying still felt his back tremble and become numb, as if he had lost control of his body.


    At this moment, he clearly saw that ¡°Marquis Nanlong¡± had blocked the entrance and was slowly withdrawing a black fist, sneering at him.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s face turned deathly pale.

 Chapter 833

    Devouring Nascent Soul


    Marquis Nanlong sinisterly said, ¡°Alright! Although this devilish body is inferior to my true body, you were able to withstand my attack and survive. It seems you aren¡¯t a low-grade cultivator. I will first use you as a blood sacrifice!¡±


    The black energy on his face was even denser than before, and his pair of silver-white eyes were ice-cold. He stared at the old man as if he were a dead man, causing the old man¡¯s heart to tremble.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s body blurred, leaving behind a series of afterimages as he pounced toward the old man.


    Lu Weiying was scared out of his wits and wanted to escape from the stone wall, but he was too late. The old man¡¯s movements were simply too fast. In an instant, he arrived in front of him like a phantom, and a claw wrapped in black energy was already heading straight for the old man¡¯s head.


    The old man grew anxious and could only steel his heart. His entire body flashed with white light as he poured all of his magic power into the crimson veil.


    In an instant, the fiery light barrier in front of him swelled to half a foot in height, and the black claw ruthlessly stabbed into it under Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expressionless gaze.


    A strange sizzling sound rang out as the light barrier shone with blinding brilliance. As the old man was on tenterhooks, the ghost claw finally came to a stop about a foot into the light barrier.


    When the old man saw this, he heaved a sigh of relief, and the color on his face slightly returned. Spiritual light flashed from his body once more, and he was about to use his protective spiritual light to break through these iron-like restriction walls.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile.


    With a loud bang, Marquis Nanlong waved his other arm and struck the red light barrier.


    The spiritual light that the old man had just released from his body trembled, and for some reason, most of it immediately dissipated.


    Before the old man could figure out what Marquis Nanlong was doing, Marquis Nanlong suddenly withdrew his arm from the light barrier and smashed his fist down like a bolt of lightning.


    The light barrier trembled once more, and the remaining spiritual light protecting the old man¡¯s body was completely dissipated. At the same time, his body sank several inches into the stone wall.


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    When Lu Weiying saw this, he finally thought of something and his expression greatly changed. He hastily shook the white magic flag in his hand in an attempt to take out the treasure.


    However, Marquis Nanlong calmly swung his fists, not giving the old man a chance to take out the spell flag. Each punch was able to forcefully disperse half of the spiritual Qi that the old man had just injected into the flag. Furthermore, the speed of each punch was increasing, and the force behind each punch was becoming greater and greater. For a time, rumbling sounds continuously rang out.


    In his shock, the old man wanted to use other secret techniques, but his magic power was scattered halfway through and he was unable to gather any magic power.


    As a result, Lu Weiying was trapped in the stone wall despite his immense magic power and abilities. He could only watch as the red light barrier in front of him slowly faded away with a look of despair on his face.


    Lu Weiying¡¯s expression was frighteningly pale. When he met Marquis Nanlong¡¯s cold eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    Without a doubt, if this were to continue, his treasure would definitely shatter and he would be smashed into mincemeat.


    With that thought, the old man gritted his teeth and suddenly shouted. White light flashed above his head, and a Nascent Soul that resembled the old man suddenly appeared above his head. The Nascent Soul had a panicked expression, but it held onto a small blue sword with both hands.


    Almost at the exact same moment, the light barrier created by the Bright Sun Shade began to crack.


    The Nascent Soul¡¯s final hesitation disappeared without a trace. It suddenly stomped its foot, and the Nascent Soul disappeared on the spot. In the next moment, it reappeared at the entrance. Then, the Nascent Soul was about to escape into the passageway on its sword.


    But right at this moment, a strange scene occurred.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s back was still facing the entrance as if he hadn¡¯t yet reacted. However, the robe on his back instantly burst open, revealing a ghost face that was identical to the Blood Curse Gate. Its eyes were tightly shut, and it was completely identical to the real thing.


    The ghost face suddenly opened its eyes, revealing silver-white eyeballs. At the same time, it opened its mouth and a purple shadow flashed, as if something had been spat out from its mouth.


    At this moment, the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul had just thrown out the flying sword in his arms and was about to fly up and fuse with this intrinsic magic treasure to escape with all its might when it seemed to hear the sound of wind in its ears. Then, it felt a heat in its head as something jumped out from between its brows and protruded.


    The Nascent Soul stared blankly at the long strip between its eyes. A moment later, it let out a sharp cry. Then, as if it had instantly lost all its strength, it fell from the sky and landed motionlessly on the ground.


    At this moment, if there were other cultivators nearby, they would be able to see a long purple object that was as thick as a thumb extending from the mouth of the ghost face to the back of the Nascent Soul¡¯s head. Then, it pierced through the space in front of the Nascent Soul¡¯s brows and reached out a foot long.


    It appeared to be the ghost face¡¯s tongue, but it was bizarrely long.


    When the ghost face saw the Nascent Soul fall to the ground, it sinisterly smiled. The long-tongued beast opened its mouth and sucked the old man¡¯s Nascent Soul into its mouth. After chewing a few times, it swallowed the Nascent Soul and slowly closed its eyes with a satisfied expression. At that moment, Marquis Nanlong finally turned around and expressionlessly looked at the small blue sword that had lost its owner. A trace of fierceness flashed through his eyes as he reached out and pulled out Lu Weiying¡¯s heart. He then gently squeezed it and the heart turned into a blood mist that filled the sky.


    The vitality of this body was immediately cut off.


    After doing all this, Marquis Nanlong expressionlessly swept his gaze over the area before flying into the passageway as a ball of black Qi.


    A short moment later, he appeared at the bottom of the pond. He raised his head to look at the spell formations that no one was controlling, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he flew toward the surface of the pond.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Marquis Nanlong appeared on top of a certain stone mountain. He floated over 1,000 feet above the mountain and looked around.


    Having flown so high, he naturally activated Devilfall Valley¡¯s restrictions. Countless bolts of blood-red lightning continuously fell from the sky, all aimed at this person.


    However, before the bolts of lightning were even three meters away from Marquis Nanlong, they were all deflected, allowing him to remain as steady as a mountain amidst the countless bolts of lightning.


    ¡°Marquis Nanlong¡± stared at his surroundings for a long time before finally identifying the direction. He suddenly narrowed his eyes in a certain direction, and silver light flickered in his eyes.


    All of a sudden, his body turned into a streak of black airwaves and shot through the air, soon disappearing into the horizon.


    ¡­


    At this moment, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master, Wei Wuya, and the others were standing at the side of the altar. They looked up at the seemingly endless stairs with amazed expressions.


    They should¡¯ve arrived here a long time ago, but when they were about five kilometers away from the altar, a large-scale restriction appeared. They had to break through this restriction in order to continue forward.


    As a result, it took them another half a day to arrive at the altar.


    Now that they were closer, they were able to clearly see that although the altar appeared to be extremely grand and massive, it had been abandoned for an unknown amount of time. Not only were the stairs filled with all sorts of weeds, but there were also places that were beginning to show signs of decay.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! As long as we reach the top of the altar, we¡¯ll be able to find traces of the Spirit Ether Garden and find a way to enter. According to the remnant soul, the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden is here.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master carefully examined the altar for a long time before finally saying this. Then, he took a few steps forward and moved onto the altar.


    But soon after, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master couldn¡¯t help but loudly curse, causing the others to be stunned.


    ¡°Everyone, be careful! There are other restrictions on the stairs. It seems it won¡¯t be easy to climb to the top of the altar.¡± Looking at the seemingly endless stairs, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master, who was surrounded by yellow spiritual light, gnashed his teeth with hatred.


    Wei Wuya¡¯s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.


    Even though he didn¡¯t care about any restrictions, it would lengthen the time it would take for them to reach the top of the altar. This left Wei Wuya feeling extremely helpless.


    In truth, Wei Wuya wasn¡¯t the only one whose expressions were terrible. After learning of the existence of the Spirit Ether Garden, these people had already placed their attention on it and were extremely impatient with the various restrictions that had recently appeared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tiangu sighed and followed closely behind. Yellow light flashed nearby, and he suddenly felt his body sink. His shoulders felt as if they weighed 500 kilograms.


    At this moment, the others also stepped onto the stairs and encountered the same situation. Among them, Wei Wuya didn¡¯t move at all, as if he didn¡¯t care at all. As for the three Core Formation Ghost Spirit Sect disciples, their bodies trembled a few times, and their faces paled.


    The group slowly climbed to the top of the altar.


    ¡­


    ¡°This is the Spirit Kindle Fruit?¡± Han Li murmured as he looked at the green lake in front of him.


    Outside the restriction was an endless yellow desert that spanned tens of thousands of kilometers.


    Violet Spirit stood three meters away from Han Li and excitedly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, this is definitely the fruit. Regardless of its appearance or the markings, it¡¯s definitely the fruit!¡± Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at the green lake in front of her without blinking.


    In the middle of the lake about 1,000 feet in front of the two of them, there was a small patch of mud that had emerged from the surface of the water. There was a lush green spiritual grass growing there.


    This grass was several feet tall, and it was covered in thumb-sized oval leaves. At the highest point of the grass, there were four strange fruits.


    These fruits were fiery red in color and were thin at the top and wide at the bottom. The top of the fruits flashed with a faint red light, resembling a red candle on a candlestick. They also emitted a dense medicinal fragrance.


    Han Li was also certain that this was the Spirit Kindle Fruit. When he heard Violet Spirit¡¯s words, he only smiled slightly.


    Violet Spirit took a deep breath, turned her head, and suggested to Han Li, ¡°I¡¯ll go over now and pluck those fruits, lest more trouble arises.¡±

 Chapter 834

    Mutated Beast


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be hasty. This spiritual herb has been here for so many years, so it¡¯s impossible that there¡¯s nothing guarding it. Otherwise, even if there¡¯s an illusion formation outside, the spiritual fruit would have long been devoured by other ancient beasts.¡± Han Li was also excited, but he appeared exceptionally calm on the surface. At this moment, he replied even more calmly.


    ¡°Brother Han, are you saying that there are ancient beasts guarding this place?¡± Violet Spirit had already heard Han Li mention that there were ancient demon beasts in Devilfall Valley. Hence, she was shocked and immediately sobered up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at the two obvious chewing marks on the top of the spiritual herb. There should be two spiritual fruits that have been eaten by the guardian ancient beast. If the Spirit Kindle Fruit is eaten raw, although it won¡¯t increase one¡¯s cultivation realm, it will still have some effect on breaking through the bottleneck. No wonder that creature couldn¡¯t bear to devour them all at once,¡± Han Li slowly said. Then, he looked around the green lake and lowered his head slightly to look at the small lake.


    If there was something lurking nearby, it would be hidden in the lake.


    As soon as he entered the valley, Han Li took off the cloak on his head. As he drove the Wind Riding Chariot and used Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he did not avoid Violet Spirit. After all, this woman had already guessed that he had a way to avoid the spatial rifts, so there was no need to hide anything from her.


    Thus, after sweeping his spiritual sense into the lake and not finding anything strange, a blue light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes. In an instant, he saw through the hundreds of feet deep lake water and directly reached the bottom of the green lake. His expression changed.


    Violet Spirit, who had been paying close attention to Han Li¡¯s expression, frowned and asked, ¡°What? Did Brother Han discover something?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s expression returned to normal in the blink of an eye. He turned to Violet Spirit and said indifferently, ¡°Stand back. This guardian beast seems to be a little troublesome. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to use some methods to deal with it.¡±


    The ancient beast in the lake actually had a way to avoid his spiritual sense detection, so Han Li naturally thought highly of it.


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Brother Han!¡± Violet Spirit knew that her cultivation was low and that staying by Han Li¡¯s side would only add to his troubles, so she tactfully agreed. She immediately flew back three to four hundred feet before stopping and floating in the air.


    When Han Li saw that Violet Spirit had stepped aside, he reached for his waist without hesitation and summoned three spirit beast pouches into the air. Then, he made a hand seal and tens of thousands of golden insects swarmed out of the three pouches. They filled the sky and blotted out the sun, turning the sky within a radius of hundreds of feet into a demonic golden color.


    When Violet Spirit saw this from a distance, she couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise, ¡°Ah!¡±


    This woman naturally knew that Han Li knew insect control techniques. She had even personally witnessed them twice during the battle with the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the Heavenvoid Hall. However, the size and color of the winged insects that were about to mature and the Gold Devouring Beetles at that time were vastly different.


    Now that Han Li had released tens of thousands of these enlarged and ferocious beetles, Violet Spirit was caught off guard. It was only natural for her to be shocked.


    Han Li was not in the mood to pay attention to Violet Spirit¡¯s shock. After setting up the Gold Devouring Beetles, he waved his sleeve and 36 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords flew out from his sleeve, turning into dozens of foot-long golden lights that circled and danced under the insect clouds.


    He cast several spell seals into the air.


    All of the golden sword lights trembled several times before immediately splitting into over a hundred identical sword lights. At the same time, brilliant light erupted from them.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Han Li pointed at the sword light in the air and shouted.


    The hundred or so streaks of sword lights trembled in the air and began to strangely disappear. In the blink of an eye, the cloud of insects had completely disappeared.


    He instantly set up the Aureate Sword Formation around him.


    Han Li pursed his lips and felt truly at ease. He lowered his head to look at the surface of the lake and a stern expression flashed across his face.


    He rubbed his hands together, and golden light shone brightly. A loud thunderclap sounded, and a fist-sized ball of golden lightning appeared between his hands. Furthermore, under Han Li¡¯s cold expression, it gradually became larger and more dazzling.


    In an instant, the ball of lightning expanded to the size of a child¡¯s head.


    Han Li pushed with both hands, and with a loud boom, the lightning ball shot out and struck the lake more than 100 feet in front of him.


    Golden light wildly flashed, and a huge thunderclap erupted as the ball of lightning exploded. In an instant, the entire surface of the lake was covered in arcs of lightning of varying thickness, and crackling sounds rang out incessantly.


    Violet Spirit¡¯s heart trembled as she bit her red lips, and her eyes flashed.


    Before the golden arcs of lightning had even dissipated, the surface of the lake suddenly began to roil violently.


    A massive vortex that was several tens of feet in size suddenly appeared at the center of the lake, following which a low, muffled roar erupted from the bottom of the lake. A burst of black and white demonic Qi shot forth from the vortex, faintly enveloping a strange ancient beast within.


    This ancient beast had a strange appearance. Its sixty to seventy feet long body was like a pool of black rotten flesh. There were pits and holes of different sizes all over its body. In the middle, there was a huge meatball that was like a head that was slightly raised. Apart from a black eyeball, there were no other organs. At the very least, Han Li did not see a mouth or a nose.


    All in all, this ancient beast¡¯s appearance was truly disgusting. Even Han Li felt apprehensive when he saw it. Violet Spirit¡¯s face turned even paler when she saw this ancient beast in the distance, and her hair stood on end.


    However, Han Li had never heard of this ancient beast wrapped in black and white energy, nor had he seen it in any ancient records. He could not help but glance at Violet Spirit, and the woman smiled bitterly at Han Li. Clearly, she did not know the origins of this beast.


    Facing this kind of unknown item, Han Li would not slowly search for its origins and let it unleash its abilities.


    As such, he immediately raised his hand and struck the insect cloud in the air with an incantation seal. At the same time, he let loose a long and clear cry.


    All of a sudden, the swarm of insects in the sky began to buzz and quickly converged toward the center. They immediately transformed into a huge golden cloud that descended toward the ancient beast.


    When the ancient beast heard the Gold Devouring Beetles buzzing, it seemed to know that something was amiss. Its body immediately swelled and contracted as it spat out an unknown green liquid from those holes towards the golden cloud in the sky.


    A nauseating stench filled the air.


    Han Li frowned at first, but then he relaxed.


    This was because the Gold Devouring Beetles that had been struck by the green liquid were completely unscathed. As for the golden cloud, it enveloped the ancient beast in an instant. However, the beast¡¯s body was protected by black and white energy. Although it was submerged by the golden cloud of insects, it was temporarily fine.


    When the beast saw that a small portion of the black and white energy that it had painstakingly cultivated for many years had been torn away in the blink of an eye, it felt great fear in its heart. It lowered its body and was about to plunge back into the lake.


    However, at this moment, Han Li, who was already prepared, suddenly extended a finger toward the lake. With a puff, a blue fireball the size of a walnut appeared on his fingertip. Then, with a light flick of his finger, the blue fireball immediately shot out.


    With a sizzling sound, the fireball exploded, emitting a piercing blue light.


    Soon after, a layer of blue glacial air quickly spread out, turning the lake water into a thick layer of ice. In an instant, the entire green lake was frozen into a huge block of ice.


    The ancient beast had originally planned to dive into the water, but its plan was foiled. Instead, it crashed into the blue ice and was repelled.


    This caused the beast to grow even more fearful. The black and white energy suddenly trembled and it flew diagonally away with the densely packed golden beetles on its body.


    However, just as he arrived at the edge of the green lake in a flash, golden light flashed in the air, and a golden thread as thin as a strand of hair appeared before flashing toward the ancient beast.


    A small piece of black rotten flesh fell from the insect cloud, dripping with blood.


    The barrier of black and white energy was instantly destroyed, and a small portion of the ancient beast¡¯s body was sliced off by the golden thread. Without the barrier, countless golden beetles swarmed up and covered the ancient beast¡¯s body.


    The ancient beast immediately let out a shrill cry. Spiritual light flickered on its body, and a layer of demonic green flames appeared on the surface of its body with a puff, enveloping all the Gold Devouring Beetles in front of it.


    Unfortunately, although the green flames were a powerful ability that the Gold Devouring Beetles had cultivated for a long time, they were able to turn a blind eye to this level of demonic flames. Instead, their ferocity was activated, and the beetles involuntarily sped up their devouring. In an instant, the beast was filled with indescribable pain, and immediately fled to the other side of the green lake with all its might.


    Han Li stood at the side of the lake with his hands behind his back, coldly looking at the ancient beast that was enveloped by the cloud of insects. It was like a headless fly that was escaping everywhere. It was a pity that he had already set up the Aureate Sword Formation here. Although he had not officially activated this formation to kill the beast, no matter where the beast flew, golden threads formed from sword light would appear and ruthlessly cut off a piece of the ancient beast¡¯s body.


    In the blink of an eye, most of the beast¡¯s body had disappeared, and its sharp cries had become weak. Finally, it fell onto the ice with a thump, unable to move in the slightest.


    This nameless ancient beast¡¯s true ability was its concealment ability. Once it used this ability, even late-Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn¡¯t be able to detect it.


    It was a pity that this beast was first seen through by Han Li¡¯s Brightsight Spirit Eyes. Then, it was targeted by the Gold Devouring Beetles and trapped by the Aureate Sword Formation. It could not use this talent to escape and died easily at Han Li¡¯s hands.


    A short moment later, the golden cloud of beetles soared into the sky, and the iced lake immediately became empty, leaving behind only a strange black and white bead. This was none other than the beast¡¯s demon core.


    At this moment, Violet Spirit flew up and said to Han Li with an envious expression, ¡°Brother Han, your abilities are truly unfathomable. You were able to slay one of the ancient demon beasts with ease. It seems the rumors that Brother Han is the most powerful cultivator below the three great cultivators are true.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m powerful, but that this ancient beast wasn¡¯t very powerful. It¡¯s far inferior to the other ancient beasts I¡¯ve seen before.¡± Han Li shook his head and said disapprovingly. Then, he raised his hand and grabbed at the air. With a whoosh, the demon core was sucked into his hand.


    Han Li looked down and saw black and white spiritual light flickering on the surface of the demon core. This was the first time he had seen a demon core of this color. He could not help but reveal an interested expression.

 Chapter 835

    Obtaining the Fruits


    As he had important matters to attend to, Han Li naturally would not study this demon core now. He immediately flipped his palm, and with a flash of azure light, the item disappeared without a trace.


    Han Li raised his hand again and took out three empty spirit beast pouches. He pointed at the Gold Devouring Beetles in the air and let out a long cry.


    All of a sudden, the swarm of insects buzzed and turned into three golden clouds. They all flew back into the three spirit beast pouches and were put away by Han Li.


    As for the Aureate Sword Formation, Han Li transformed it into 36 golden flying swords with a single thought. They shrunk and entered his sleeve.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and pick the spirit fruits. We have to act quickly. I wonder how long the illusion formation we set up will be able to confuse the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators,¡± Han Li said as he flew into the lake as a streak of azure light.


    Violet Spirit hurriedly followed after him.


    As soon as the light receded, Han Li and his companion appeared three meters above the spiritual herb.


    After glancing at the top of the spiritual herb, Han Li was not in a hurry to pick the fruits. Instead, he turned his head and calmly said to Violet Spirit beside him, ¡°Pick the fruits first and be more careful! This Spirit Kindle Fruit is very strange. It must be stored in a wooden container. Otherwise, the medicinal power won¡¯t be preserved for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Brother Han. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± Violet Spirit suppressed the excitement in her heart and gave Han Li a charming smile before thanking him.


    Without any hesitation, she flicked her sleeve and a jade-green wooden box appeared in her hand.


    She then extended a jade finger and swiped it through the air.


    Immediately, a white light flashed and a Spirit Kindle Fruit immediately fell.


    However, the woman, who was prepared, flipped the wooden box in her hand, and white light swept out from it, sweeping the spirit fruit into the box.


    She then swept a hand over the box, and it closed on its own.


    After doing all this, Violet Spirit heaved a long sigh of relief before carefully stowing the box away in her storage pouch.


    ¡°What? Miss Violet Spirit isn¡¯t going to take another one?¡± Han Li was slightly stunned when he saw this, and a strange expression appeared on his face.


    Violet Spirit sweetly smiled and said, ¡°Many thanks for Brother Han¡¯s kind intentions. I only need one. Apart from obtaining some information from the beginning, I didn¡¯t put in much effort to reach this place. It was all thanks to Brother Han¡¯s abilities that I was able to obtain this spirit fruit. Although I have some friendship with Brother Han, I am not thick-skinned enough to share those fruits evenly with you. Brother Han can keep the rest. After all, apart from being able to refine Fate Pills, this spirit fruit has other wondrous uses. It can increase one¡¯s cultivation.¡±


    Han Li was surprised to hear Violet Spirit¡¯s obedient words.


    To be honest, although this famous beauty of the Scattered Star Seas was charming and even the most beautiful female cultivator he had ever seen, this woman was truly a little scheming. Besides, after the Exquisite Sound Sect was seized, her temperament became even more obstinate, causing Han Li to keep a respectful distance.


    However, now that she said these words so rationally, whether she was sincere or intentionally befriending him, this made Han Li¡¯s impression of this woman improve a lot.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to restrain one¡¯s greed in the face of a Heavenly Spirit Fruit.


    ¡°In that case, Lady Violet Spirit, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± Han Li nodded and slapped his waist. With a flash of white light, a prepared wooden box appeared in his hand. At the same time, he waved his other hand.


    An azure light then enveloped the three Spirit Kindle Fruits, causing them to tremble and fall off of their own accord. Soon after, they sank and were enveloped in azure light.


    Han Li waved his hand and the three spiritual fruits were put into the wooden box.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We can¡¯t stay here for long. I don¡¯t know when the Ghost Spirit Sect will catch up to us. Although I¡¯m not afraid of them, I don¡¯t want to fight them here. After all, refining pills is more important,¡± Han Li said slowly after putting away the wooden box.


    Violet Spirit blinked and pursed her red lips. ¡°Of course! Spirit fruits can¡¯t be stored for too long, but we can¡¯t go back the way we came. Otherwise, we might encounter members of the Ghost Spirit Sect. Why don¡¯t we find a secret place to refine pills after traveling thousands of kilometers? As for where we¡¯re going, it¡¯ll naturally be up to Brother Han.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going¡­¡± Han Li frowned and subconsciously looked around.


    All of a sudden, he thought of something and pressed his storage pouch. A piece of silk appeared in his hand. It was the map of Devilfall Valley that Han Li had obtained from the Azure Silkworm Robe.


    He took a closer look at the map and examined the surrounding environment. A trace of surprise appeared on his face. The location of the desert wasn¡¯t too far away from the mark on the map. After flying for another two days, they should arrive at the location marked on the map.


    Looking at the thick markings on the map, Han Li muttered to himself.


    Violet Spirit saw that Han Li did not answer her question and was instead looking at an unknown cloth-like item in his hand. She could not help but feel a little strange. However, this woman was exceptionally smart and did not say anything to urge him. Instead, she quietly waited for Han Li¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Follow me. Let¡¯s finish refining the pills first.¡± Han Li made up his mind and put away the map. However, after looking at the spiritual herb in front of him, he suddenly frowned and slashed his arm in the air. A green light flashed and a small branch fell.


    However, as soon as the branch came into contact with the ground, it withered and turned to ash.


    When Han Li saw this, a trace of pity flashed across his eyes.


    It seemed that what was recorded in the ancient records was true. The Spirit Kindle Fruit¡¯s roots were different from other spirit plants. It was one of the few spirit plants in this world that could not be transplanted. Once it was transplanted, the spirit plant would immediately wither and disappear. It was impossible to plant it artificially.


    Without any hesitation, Han Li raised his hand and released a white light, summoning the Wind Riding Chariot. He flashed onto the carriage.


    When Violet Spirit saw this, she also flew onto the carriage without another word.


    With a flash of white light, the Wind Riding Chariot transformed into a ball of light and shot through the air. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a small white speck of light in a certain direction.


    Han Li had already thought it through. He would first find a place to refine the Fate Pill on the way and then quickly consume the pill to absorb its medicinal power. After experiencing the miraculous medicinal power of the Fate Pill, if everything was smooth, he would take a look at the place on the map and see what secret treasures were hidden there.


    After all, this map was mysterious. If there were any treasures, they should be extraordinary.


    As long as there was no great danger, Han Li naturally would not let go of the place on the map so easily.


    About two hours later, the Ghost Spirit Sect finally arrived at the oasis.


    However, the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples looked at each other in dismay as they stood by the lake. Elder Zhong¡¯s face turned ashen.


    At this moment, Han Li was already a thousand miles away, heading towards the place marked on the map.


    Not long after, the two left the desert and arrived at a azure-yellow plateau of varying heights.


    Seeing this terrain, Han Li could not help but sigh.


    This small Devilfall Valley was actually almost all-encompassing and had a myriad of terrains. It was truly an inconceivable matter! It was unknown whether this type of terrain was born in Devilfall Valley or whether it was formed after ancient cultivators used their indescribable great divine abilities.


    Half a day later, Han Li rode the Wind Riding Chariot to a hilly area.


    Looking at these not-so-tall mountains, Han Li immediately went several hundred kilometers deeper. Finally, he found a seemingly ordinary small mountain and stopped the Wind Riding Chariot.


    Han Li floated at the foot of the mountain and calmly said to Violet Spirit, ¡°Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, this is the place! The two of us will split up and refine pills. I¡¯ve scanned this place with my spiritual sense, so there shouldn¡¯t be any ancient restrictions or spatial tears. It¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Brother Han. I¡¯ll be taking my leave then,¡± Violet Spirit replied with a smile as she surveyed her surroundings. Soon after, she turned into a streak of light and flew toward another nearby mountain. It seemed that she was preparing to open up a secret chamber to refine pills.


    Seeing that the woman had disappeared into the small mountain, Han Li withdrew his gaze and flew out of the flying vehicle, standing several tens of feet away from the Wind Riding Chariot.


    He formed an incantation gesture with his hands and waved at the carriage. The Wind Riding Chariot quickly shrank and was absorbed into his sleeve.


    Han Li then turned into a streak of azure light and headed straight for the center of the small mountain in front of him.


    A moment later, under Han Li¡¯s command, several tens of flying swords simultaneously cut the mountain rocks,and a simple cave abode appeared in front of him.


    Han Li set up a small magic formation at the entrance of the cave before walking into the cave abode expressionlessly.


    In order to be safe, he released eight Core Formation puppets to guard the cave entrance in case of any mishaps.


    With that, Han Li walked into a secret room with a peace of mind. He threw his storage pouch into the air, and under the guidance of his spiritual sense, many Fate Pill supplementary ingredients that he had already prepared were poured out in the white light.


    Finally, Han Li took out the wooden box containing the Spirit Kindle Fruit and an antique green cauldron, letting them float gently in front of him.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and glanced at these things. He took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged.


    Although this was Han Li¡¯s first time refining the Fate Pill, with his almost grandmaster-level alchemy attainments, he was naturally confident. Furthermore, for this trip to Devilfall Valley, Han Li had prepared well. Be it the main ingredients, the Spirit Candle Fruit, or other supplementary ingredients, he had prepared many portions. Even if he failed a few times, it did not matter.


    As for whether Violet Spirit could use that Spirit Kindle Fruit to refine the Fate Pill, Han Li was not sure. After all, this woman had never revealed her alchemy skills in front of him. However, since this woman only took one spiritual fruit, she should be somewhat confident.


    With this thought in mind, Han Li stared at the small cauldron spinning in front of him without blinking.


    All of a sudden, he opened his mouth and spat out a burst of azure Nascent Flames. The Nascent Flames circled around the cauldron before engulfing it in flames.

 Chapter 836

    Altar


    A short moment later, the small azure cauldron flickered within the Nascent Flames and released a scorching aura. The entire secret chamber began to roil with heat, and the temperature suddenly rose.


    A cold light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes. He raised his hand and struck the small cauldron with a spell seal.


    With a light pop, a streak of azure light shot into the sky from the cauldron. The cauldron lid flew out of its own accord and hovered above the small cauldron.


    When Han Li saw this, he quickly pointed at a square jade box on the ground in front of him. The lid of the box instantly disappeared without a trace, revealing a black stem-like object that was several inches in size and slightly round.


    Han Li stared at it for a moment and waved his hand in the air. Immediately, the stem-like object flew out of the jade box and stopped three meters above the ground.


    Han Li flicked his finger indifferently, and a green light flashed. A fifth of the stem fell down.


    With a wave of his sleeve, azure light shot out from his sleeve, sweeping up the fallen portion and tossing it into the small cauldron.


    He then struck the stem with another incantation seal, causing it to immediately fall back into the jade box.


    Then, Han Li no longer paid attention to this item. He cast a spell to open another long wooden box, revealing an emerald-green stalk of an unknown spiritual herb.


    Similarly, he cast a spell and cut off a small portion of the stalk before placing it into the cauldron.


    Just like that, Han Li placed a portion of the ingredients into the cauldron according to the formula and finally took out the Spirit Kindle Fruit.


    Azure sword light flashed, splitting it into four portions and placing one into the cauldron.


    Only then did Han Li point at the lid of the floating cauldron.


    The lid of the cauldron fell down and tightly covered the small cauldron.


    Han Li exhaled lightly and opened his mouth again. The azure Nascent Flame spouted out, and the flames immediately surged, causing the temperature in the room to rise significantly.


    At this moment, staring at the small cauldron in the flames, Han Li¡¯s ten fingers continuously flicked as he continuously struck the small cauldron.


    Not long after, the small cauldron began to emit a series of thunderclaps that grew louder and louder.


    When Han Li saw this, he raised his eyebrows and changed the speed of his hand seals, sometimes slower and sometimes faster.


    The cauldron¡¯s thunderclaps were also increasing and then decreasing in pitch, creating a rather peculiar sight.


    At this moment, Han Li¡¯s expression was wooden, but blue light flickered in his eyes. It was as if he had directly seen through the cauldron wall and observed the situation of the medicinal pill in the small cauldron. He looked neither sad nor happy.


    Time slowly passed.


    ¡­


    Just as Han Li was bitterly refining pills, at the altar in the basin, the group from the Ghost Spirit Sect finally reached the top of the altar that was thousands of feet tall.


    It was unknown what the ancient cultivators who had built the altar thought, but the restrictions on the stairs were truly abnormal. Starting from the bottom of the altar, the gravitational force on their bodies would increase significantly with each step they took.


    As a result, the group of cultivators only took four hours to climb from the bottom to the middle of the altar. However, it took them a day and a night to reach the top. They even had to rest for half a day along the way to recover their magic power.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and the other Nascent Soul cultivators were still alright, but it was extremely difficult for the three Core Formation disciples to reach the top. This was because when they reached the last ten or so steps, every step seemed to exert a thousand kilograms of force on their bodies. These Core Formation cultivators moved to this place inch by inch.


    Of course, Wei Wuya was the most relaxed of them all.


    From the beginning to the end, nobody had seen the restriction affect this late-Nascent Soul cultivator in any way, and he hadn¡¯t shown any signs of strain. Even when Wang Tiangu and the others reached the last section, they could only take one step at a time, and their expressions were quite unsightly.


    Of course, when the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master saw Wei Wuya¡¯s performance, he couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. He couldn¡¯t help but think even more highly of Wei Wuya.


    Although their cultivation bases differed, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master had made neat arrangements so that they could climb to the top of the altar at the same time.


    As soon as they stepped onto the top, the feeling of shouldering a heavy mountain immediately disappeared without a trace. The Ghost Spirit Sect disciples finally heaved a huge sigh of relief.


    Even though they were protected by spiritual light, they still felt soreness in their backs and legs as they walked from the bottom of the altar.


    It had been a long time since they experienced this feeling when they were mortals. After all, they would usually be able to reach any place with a stomp of their feet. They had never experienced such pain before.


    Wang Tiangu and the others paid no attention to this. As soon as they stepped into this place, they immediately began to look around.


    The area was over 1,000 feet wide, and the ground was covered with translucent white jade bricks. There was a 60 to 70-foot-long offering table at the center, which was crafted from exquisite jade. The rest of the area was completely empty, but there was a tall azure stone pillar erected at each of the four corners of the altar.


    These stone pillars were around 100 feet tall, and the surface of each pillar was engraved with densely packed runes and incantations. They appeared to be extremely obscure and ancient. At the top of each of these stone pillars, there was a Qilin stone statue. They were lifelike and had various forms. They also emitted faint spiritual light as if they were extraordinary.


    Naturally, they were able to see all of the simple items in the blink of an eye.


    Wei Wuya couldn¡¯t find anything more noteworthy, and he couldn¡¯t help but frown as he glanced at the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master was currently looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back, as if he had seen something interesting.


    Wei Wuya also appraised the sky with astonishment in his heart. The sky was completely blood-red, and there was a myriad of colors floating in the lower portions of the sky. Apart from a few wisps of light, there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Wei Wu bluntly asked, ¡°Sect Master Wang! We¡¯re already here. Where is the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden?¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master calmly replied, ¡°Fellow Daoist Wei, there is no need to be anxious. The entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden is naturally concealed by a restriction. However, the method to break the restriction is known only to the soul in the painting. As long as we summon him and ask him, we will know.¡±


    Wei Wuya¡¯s expression stirred as he slowly said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. It seems that this is part of the deal Fellow Daoist Wang made with Master Cang Kun¡¯s avatar as well.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Fellow Daoist Wei is a clever person. I¡¯ve agreed to a few of his conditions. Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll summon him.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master smiled and reached into his sleeve, summoning the silver scroll.


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s eyes flickered as he walked over without a word.


    This time, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master tossed out the scroll and a ball of green light flew out of it, immediately taking the form of the scholar.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is the place. I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to return to this place one day.¡± Master Cang Kun¡¯s avatar spirit appeared. He didn¡¯t pay attention to anyone and looked around excitedly.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master coldly looked at him and said, ¡°As agreed, I¡¯ve brought you to the altar. According to you, this is the center of Devilfall Valley and the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden. Now, it is time for you to fulfill your promise and open the entrance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already placed a restriction on me. Could it be that you¡¯re afraid I lied to you? The entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden is above the altar. I¡¯m not lying to you. It¡¯s just that the restriction is a bit strange and I¡¯ll have to personally undo it.¡± With that said, the scholar also raised his head and looked at the rainbow light in the sky. He rubbed his hands together and a grey fireball appeared in his hand. He raised his hand and the fireball shot into the sky.


    As a result, the fireball strangely disappeared into thin air as soon as it struck the clouds.


    When the scholarly man saw this, he nodded and turned to look at the four stone pillars around him.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, pour some spiritual power into the four stone pillars and leave the rest to me.¡±


    Wang Tiangu and the other two glanced at each other. The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice,


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as Fellow Daoist says. The three of you go to the stone pillars over there. Junior Brother Wang, I¡¯ll have to trouble you with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sect Master!¡±


    The three disciples immediately bowed and agreed. Without any hesitation, Wang Tiangu walked towards one of the stone pillars.


    Under the command of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master, the four of them placed their palms on the stone pillars and slowly injected their spiritual power into them. Through the stone pillars, they then injected their spiritual power into the stone statues at the top.


    Not long after, the four stone pillars began to hum and tremble slightly.


    Spiritual light flashed from the Qilin statues, and their dull eyes suddenly lit up with blood-red colors as if they were coming to life.


    When Wei Wuya saw this, he had a vague feeling that he had heard of the four stone pillars before. However, he was unable to remember for the time being.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master stood in place and silently watched this scene.


    All of a sudden, the Qilin statues slowly raised their heads and opened their mouths, within which five-colored light flickered as if something were about to shoot out.


    At this moment, the ghostly scholar took action.


    He raised his hands and flicked his fingers, releasing four grey incantation seals onto the stone statues.


    All of a sudden, the Qilin statues¡¯ mouths expanded and contracted as it continuously spat out the items.


    Four pillars of five-colored light shot into the sky before erupting with brilliant light. A five-colored ball of light that was around 10 feet in size appeared in the air.


    The space around the ball of light then warped, following which an earth-shattering boom erupted.


    The five-colored spiritual light was blinding and covered the entire sky above the altar. An astonishing spiritual Qi fluctuation swept toward the cultivators on the altar like a tempestuous wave.


    Even for a cultivator like Wei Wuya, his expression couldn¡¯t help but change upon sensing the intensity of the spiritual Qi fluctuations. The others couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back and hurriedly mobilize the spiritual power in their bodies to block the fluctuations.


    Fortunately, the process of the explosion was very short. In the blink of an eye, the light receded and the spiritual Qi dissipated. Only then did the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators feel relieved and hurriedly raise their heads to look at the sky.


    When they clearly saw what was happening in the air, they were all greatly shocked.


    Wei Wuya¡¯s face turned ashen as he turned to the scholar with an icy expression.


    ¡°This is the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden?¡±

 Chapter 837

    Passageway


    Over 1,000 feet above the altar, an arc of light over 300 feet in length appeared.


    The arc of white light was forty to fifty feet wide at its widest point and was shaped like a crescent moon. It was actually a rarely seen huge spatial tear. However, the spatial tear had previously been concealed by some unknown restriction. With so many powerful Nascent Soul cultivators present, no one had noticed such a terrifying existence in the sky.


    Could this be the so-called entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden?


    Even a cultivator as strong as Wei Wuya wouldn¡¯t dare to enter this spatial tear. After all, the power of space wasn¡¯t something that cultivators of this world could withstand. It was no wonder that Wei Wuya couldn¡¯t help but fly into a rage!


    The scholar swept his gaze past the crowd and indifferently said, ¡°The Spirit Ether Garden is situated between the Spirit Realm and our human world. If you wish to enter this space, you will naturally have to use the spatial tear here. As long as you twist it, you will be able to directly open the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden. Don¡¯t worry, I naturally won¡¯t allow you to force your way in. There are other methods to temporarily bring you in. However, there will be certain risks involved. I only have a sixty to seventy percent confidence. These Core Formation cultivators shouldn¡¯t go. Their cultivation is insufficient, so they will only be courting death.¡±


    ¡°Sixty to seventy percent? Why didn¡¯t you mention this before coming here?¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master wore an unfriendly expression.


    ¡°What difference does it make whether I said it or not? Let alone a sixty to seventy percent chance, even if you only had a twenty to thirty percent chance, you wouldn¡¯t give it up.¡± The scholar sneered.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master looked at the Confucian Scholar with a cold glint in his eyes and suddenly raised his hand, producing a blood-red command medallion.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Confucian Scholar¡¯s expression greatly changed upon seeing the command medallion. He flew back in panic and loudly shouted.


    However, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master remained silent and gently waved the command medallion in his hand. The medallion released a large amount of crimson light, and the scholar let out a miserable cry as he fell to the ground. At the same time, strange crimson talisman characters appeared on his skin, circulating incessantly as if they were embedded into his body.


    ¡°Soul Shaking Curse?¡± When Wang Tiangu saw this, he was greatly shocked and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a stern expression.


    Wei Wuya¡¯s expression shifted upon hearing this.


    ¡°This is one of the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s secret incantations, the Soul Shaking Curse? I heard that this secret technique is even more vicious than ordinary restriction techniques. Any cultivator who is under this incantation might have their soul disintegrated with a single thought from the caster,¡± Wei Wuya said calmly as he stared at the scholar rolling on the ground.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s gaze shifted and he replied with a smile, ¡°Hehe! Brother Wei is truly knowledgeable. I am using this curse. This soul is only a wisp of Master Cang Kun¡¯s clone. But he truly believes that he is the invincible Master Cang Kun. Since he dares to act so ungratefully, I will naturally punish him.¡±


    Wei Wuya nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else. To them, no matter how powerful a wisp of a soul was, they wouldn¡¯t allow it to act so arrogantly.


    As for the scholar, he seemed to be under great torture. Every time the blood-red runes on his body flickered, his body would involuntarily tremble. He held his head in his hands and rolled on the ground with an expression of unbearable pain.


    The torture lasted for the time it took to finish a meal. Even the body that his soul had transformed into gradually became blurry and unstable.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master saw this, he waved his command medallion and casually stopped his secret technique.


    ¡°You should have learned your lesson by now, right? Even if your memories are exactly the same as Master Cang Kun¡¯s, you¡¯re only a remnant soul now. Don¡¯t do anything stupid, or you won¡¯t be punished so lightly next time. Although I have to enter the Spirit Ether Garden, I definitely don¡¯t want to be led by the nose. However, don¡¯t worry. As long as you lead the way obediently, I won¡¯t go back on my word,¡± the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master said with both kindness and solemnness.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll open the entrance now.¡± Green light flashed from the scholar¡¯s body as he stood up, and his body instantly solidified, but his expression remained calm.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master saw the scholar¡¯s expression, he was greatly surprised and his pupils contracted. Just as he wanted to say something, green light flashed from the scholar¡¯s body and he slowly flew towards the rift in the sky.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master could not help but swallow the words that were already at the tip of his tongue. After all, the matter of opening the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden was more important than teaching the other party a lesson.


    Wei Wuya and the others remained silent as they watched the scholar¡¯s actions with cold expressions. They didn¡¯t know what method he had to allow them to pass through such a terrifying rift.


    When the scholar was about 200 feet away from the spatial tear, he stopped.


    He raised his head to look at the huge crack above him for a moment before a peculiar expression appeared on his face. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a ball of green light. Within the ball of green light was an inky-black thumb-sized bead that was revolving in front of him.


    The scholar¡¯s face turned deathly pale and his spirit became sluggish. It was as if a majority of his soul power had been sucked away by the pearl.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Even so, the scholar tried to point at the bead and lightly spoke.


    Spiritual light flashed from the black bead before it shot into the air.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and the others saw this, they all wore expressions of surprise. What kind of effect could this small bead have?


    Just as the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators were feeling bewildered, the bead was affected by the suction force of the spatial tear as soon as it was several tens of feet away.


    With a flash of white light, the nearby space warped and the bead disappeared.


    For a time, the spatial tear remained unchanged and nothing out of the ordinary happened.


    But at that moment, the scholar¡¯s body swayed with a sullen expression and he plummeted down. In the blink of an eye, he had distanced himself from the spatial tear.


    Wei Wuya and the others faltered slightly upon hearing this, but before they could figure out what he was trying to do, a muffled boom suddenly erupted from within the spatial rift.


    Soon after, a streak of green light flashed at the center of the white mist, following which the green light rapidly grew in size. In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a three-meter ball of dark green light. Brilliant light radiated from it, following which a sharp cry rang out.


    At that moment, the scholar landed on the altar and numbly said, ¡°The rest will depend on your abilities. As long as you try your best to pour spiritual power into the green light, you will be able to completely open the passageway to the Spirit Ether Garden.¡±


    When Wei Wuya and Wang Tiangu saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but look over with bewildered expressions.


    After a moment of thought, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master decisively said, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try and see if it will work.¡±


    Wei Wuya frowned, but he didn¡¯t say anything after taking a glance at the dark green ball of light. Wang Tiangu naturally had no intention of objecting.


    The three immediately split up and formed an incantation gesture at the same time. Then, they raised their hands, and three pillars of light of different colors shot out from their hands, directly striking the dark green ball of light in the spatial tear. At this moment, the depths of their cultivation could be seen at a glance.


    The green spiritual pillar that Wei Wuya shot out was as thick as a bowl. As for the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and Wang Tiangu, their spiritual power pillars were much smaller.


    As for the dark green ball of light that had been injected with boundless spiritual power from the three spirit pillars, it let out a sharp cry and began to expand inch by inch.


    A short moment later, a pitch-black hole gradually formed at the center of the green light. At first, it was only about a foot in size, but its depths were unfathomable, and it was unknown where it led.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples saw this, they were overjoyed. The appearance of this phenomenon meant that the scholar had not deceived them.


    Spiritual power immediately circulated through their bodies, and the pillars of light in their hands grew thicker at the same time. The dark green light in the spatial rift became even denser.


    After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the black hole at the center had already expanded to three feet in size, and it appeared as if it could somehow accommodate a person. However, the scholar suddenly opened his mouth calmly while he was watching from the side.


    ¡°Although we can enter now, the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden isn¡¯t stable. I don¡¯t have a second Realmbreaker Bead to open the passageway. If you don¡¯t want to enter only to be unable to return, it would be best to continue injecting spiritual power into the passageway and completely stabilize it.¡±


    Wei Wuya and the others were shocked to hear this, and they also looked at the swaying black hole and didn¡¯t dare to withdraw their spiritual power. They could only continue to circulate their magic power and persevere.


    However, it was clear that it would consume even more spiritual power to stabilize the black passageway than to open it. After a while, the black passageway still didn¡¯t stabilize.


    This caused the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master to feel somewhat bewildered, but he still bluntly instructed the three Core Formation disciples,


    ¡°The three of you should also come and help. Although your cultivation is a bit low, it¡¯s still better than nothing!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sect Master!¡±


    When the three disciples heard this, they didn¡¯t dare to be negligent. They also condensed their spiritual power into several spirit pillars and shot them into the air.


    As for the scholar, he stood on the spot and watched all of this with an expressionless face.


    Time slowly passed. When Wei Wuya and the others all injected a small portion of their spiritual power into the rift, the black passageway finally stabilized and stopped shaking.


    All of them heaved a sigh of relief and finally put down the pillars of light in their hands.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master withdrew his magic power and narrowed his eyes as he asked, ¡°Does this passageway really lead to the Spirit Ether Garden?¡±


    When the scholar heard this, he had no intention of answering. Instead, Wei Wuya replied, ¡°That should be the case. I can already sense that there¡¯s a vast area at the other end of this passageway.¡± Wei Wuya licked his lips with a slightly surprised expression.


    The others didn¡¯t have enough spiritual sense to transmit it through the passageway, but when they heard this, they were overjoyed.


    ¡°Since Brother Wei has said so, it¡¯s definitely true. However, for the sake of caution, it¡¯s better to give it a try.¡± Wang Tiangu suppressed the abnormal excitement in his heart and shook his sleeve. A ball of black mist shot out from his sleeve. There was a faint ghost inside as it flew towards the passageway.

 Chapter 838

    Devil Body


    As soon as the black-robed ghost entered the passage, it exploded on its own, turning into a cloud of gloomy energy before disappearing without a trace.


    Wang Tiangu, who was connected to the small ghost, turned pale. He immediately suffered a small loss.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could it be that there¡¯s another mechanism in this passageway?¡± Wang Tiangu asked the scholar in shock and anger.


    ¡°Do you think that the entrance to the Spirit Ether Garden is an ordinary passageway? Let alone an immature ghost, even a ghost king or a ghost spirit would be crushed to death upon entering this passageway. Even if I were to enter this space, I¡¯d still have to rely on the scroll. In any case, the entrance has already been opened, so I won¡¯t be asking if you¡¯re going to enter this place.¡± At this point, the scholar appeared rather calm. After he finished speaking, he transformed into a ball of green light and flew into the scroll that had been floating in midair.


    When Wang Tiangu heard this, his expression instantly darkened. From the scholar¡¯s words, it seemed that intangible things like ghosts and demons were unable to directly enter the passageway. He and the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master looked at each other with surprise.


    After a moment of thought, Wei Wuya said, ¡°I¡¯ve already used my spiritual sense to examine the other side of the passageway. Although it¡¯s extremely blurry due to the spatial tear, there¡¯s no doubt that there¡¯s an unknown space inside. I don¡¯t have the patience to hesitate here, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave first.¡± He then flew toward the passageway as a streak of green light.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master saw this, his expression changed slightly.


    ¡°The three of you will guard this place. Junior Brother Wang, there is no need for us to dawdle. Let¡¯s go together. For the sake of the Spirit Ether Garden, it is worth the risk. Furthermore, I¡¯ve cast a Soul Shaking Curse on that soul. It probably doesn¡¯t have the courage to play any tricks.¡± As the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master instructed, he coldly sized up the scroll floating in front of him. When he saw that nothing strange had happened, his eyes flickered.


    He made a grabbing motion toward the scroll and sucked it into his hand. Then, he stuffed the scroll into his sleeve and flew toward the passageway with Wang Tiangu.


    It was said that the Spirit Ether Garden was filled with spirit herbs. If they were a step too late and fell behind Wei Wuya, they would suffer greatly.


    Thus, Wei Wuya and the other two disappeared at the entrance of the black passageway in a flash before passing through the spatial barrier and entering another space.


    ¡­


    ¡°This is definitely not the Spirit Ether Garden!¡± Wei Wuya was the first to emerge from the passageway.


    He was currently sizing up this unfamiliar place with a gloomy expression.


    This was a space that was completely devoid of any color other than grey. When he raised his head, he saw that there were short piles of black rocks everywhere, and he could see gray mist that was around 100 feet tall. However, Wei Wuya¡¯s spiritual sense swept across the area, and it appeared to be over 10 kilometers wide.


    Even the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and Wang Tiangu, who had just emerged from the passageway, wouldn¡¯t believe that a place like this was the Spirit Ether Garden filled with spirit flowers and exotic herbs, much less Wei Wuya.


    However, as soon as the two of them appeared, they looked around with strange expressions. They were 70% furious and 30% pleasantly surprised.


    Wei Wuya was slightly taken aback when he turned around to look at the two of them. Soon after, he grew even more vigilant.


    He had originally thought that when the two saw that this place wasn¡¯t the legendary Spirit Ether Garden, their expressions would turn extremely unsightly. They might even immediately summon Master Cang Kun¡¯s avatar to interrogate him.


    After a moment of silence, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master finally said, ¡°Junior Brother, can you feel it? The devilish Qi here is at least twice that of our human world. If I were to fight here, the power of my devilish arts would increase by thirty percent.¡±


    Wang Tiangu¡¯s gaze flickered and he said with a complicated expression, ¡°Senior Brother, we cultivate the same devilish technique. How could I not sense it? If we were to stay here and cultivate, we would most likely have a high chance of breaking through our current bottleneck and entering the next realm.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, isn¡¯t it time for you to summon that fellow and interrogate him properly? Don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯ve spent so much effort to come to this kind of place.¡± Wei Wuya looked around for a moment before stomping on the gravel beneath his feet. He then turned to Wang Tiangu and his senior brother with a cold expression.


    When the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master heard Wei Wuya¡¯s words, his anger from being deceived by the soul was ignited, and he immediately replied with a malevolent expression, ¡°Of course. If he doesn¡¯t give us an explanation, I will let him experience the pain of his soul being purged.¡±


    Then, he threw the scroll in his hand to the ground and was about to summon Master Cang Kun¡¯s avatar.


    However, before the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master could cast a spell, spiritual light flashed on the scroll, and a ball of green light suddenly shot out from it. Wang Tiangu stood at the side and quickly reached out with his hand. A black hand of light that was about a foot in size reached out.


    However, the green ball of light seemed to have planned all of this in advance. It instantly doubled its speed and escaped from the black hand, flying off into the distance.


    Wei Wuya remained proudly calm and didn¡¯t make a move. Meanwhile, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master was enraged upon seeing this.


    With a flip of his hand, the blood-red command medallion appeared in his hand. A fierce expression appeared on his face as he waved the command medallion in the direction that the green light had fled in. In an instant, crimson light radiated from the command medallion, and the green ball of light in the distance came to a halt almost at the same time, swaying several times in the air.


    Just as the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master was feeling elated, the green ball of light suddenly stabilized and shot into the distance at a speed that was even faster than before, turning into a small speck of light in the blink of an eye.


    At this moment, not only was the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master stunned, but Wei Wuya and the others were also dumbstruck.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master¡¯s Soul Shaking Curse is actually ineffective against a wisp of a soul. This is quite interesting. I¡¯ll go capture this fellow and see what he¡¯s up to,¡± Wei Wuya suddenly said with a cold smile. Soon after, his body blurred and he flew off in a streak of green light.


    ¡°Sect Master, you¡­¡± Wang Tiangu finally recovered from his shock and couldn¡¯t help but ask something.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t seen the punishment of the Soul Shaking Curse. It is true that he was struck by the secret curse. As for why it is no longer effective, I am also very interested. Let¡¯s go and chase after him. I also want to see what he is planning by luring us here.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master spoke with a baleful expression and a fierce glint in his eyes. Soon after, he also flew out as a streak of light.


    With such a large space, he wasn¡¯t afraid that the other party would be able to escape.


    Wang Tiangu smiled bitterly and could only chase after him.


    Not long after, the two arrived at a spot near the center of the space where Wei Wuya had stopped. At this moment, the soul in the scroll had turned back into the scholarly man and was standing in confrontation against him without the slightest fear on its face. This surprised the two of them. However, when Wang Tiangu and his companion raised their heads and looked over 100 feet behind the scholarly man, they were given a huge fright.


    Within the faint mist, there was a huge monster that was over 300 feet tall. It was completely motionless within a piece of fiery red crystal.


    It had two heads and four arms, and a single horn on its forehead. Its entire body was covered in sparkling pitch-black scales, and its appearance was even more sinister. Its fangs were exposed, and it was truly a terrifying sight.


    ¡°What is this? What dense devilish Qi!¡± Wang Tiangu¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he cried out.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised by the sheer size and ferocity of the demon beast, but rather that although it appeared to be sealed, the devilish Qi that pervaded the area was several times denser than that of other areas. It also carried an aura that caused one¡¯s heart to tremble.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down and hear what he has to say.¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master was also greatly apprehensive of the demon within the seal, but after a moment of hesitation, he brought Wang Tiangu down to Wei Wuya¡¯s side.


    After all, he had a late-Nascent Soul cultivator with him, so he didn¡¯t have to worry too much.


    When the scholar saw the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master and Wang Tiangu arrive, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you two Fellow Daoists are here. I don¡¯t need to waste my breath.¡±


    The Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s Master calmly said, ¡°What is your purpose in luring us here?¡± However, after sizing him up, he felt quite shocked.


    The scholar¡¯s body was still flickering with blood-red talisman characters. It was clear that the Soul Shaking Curse had been activated. Furthermore, his exposed skin was clearly pulsing along with the talisman characters. However, the scholar¡¯s face was radiant with joy and there wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of pain on his face. Furthermore, his ghostly body had also solidified and showed no signs of dissipating.


    ¡°Brother Wei doesn¡¯t need to say anything, but Sect Leader Wang and Fellow Daoists cultivate devilish techniques that have been passed down since ancient times. When you arrived here, did you feel that the devilish Qi here is vastly different from that of the human world?¡± The scholarly man¡¯s words surprised the three.


    ¡°So what if it is? Are you going to tell me that this is the Spirit Ether Garden?¡± Wang Tiangu calmly asked.


    ¡°Hehe, the Spirit Ether Garden! It may or may not be here,¡± said the scholar leisurely.


    ¡°What do you mean? You still want to play with us at this point?¡± Wang Tiangu¡¯s face turned cold.


    With a strange expression, the scholar calmly said, ¡°Do you truly believe that the ancient cultivators would leave behind a place like the Spirit Ether Garden for descendants? Many years ago, there might¡¯ve been more than one such place. But now, all of them have been harvested and destroyed by the ancient cultivators. It is quite possible that this is an abandoned Spirit Ether Garden. But now, this is only a spatial rift between the mortal world and our Sacred Realm.¡±


    ¡°The Sacred Realm? You¡¯re an Ancient Devil!¡± Wei Wuya¡¯s calm expression immediately changed drastically upon hearing the scholar¡¯s words. At the same time, he hurriedly formed an incantation gesture with his hands, and green poisonous mist surged from his body, submerging him within.

 Chapter 839 - Chapter 839 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 836 Disintegration Metamorphosis

    ?Chapter 839: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 836 Disintegration Metamorphosis Chapter 839: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 836 Disintegration Metamorphosis ¡°Do you know about our Sacred Realm?¡± Surprise flashed across the scholar¡¯s face as he looked at Wei Wuya with some astonishment.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t know much about the Ancient Devil Realm, I¡¯m aware that you were irreconcilable with the ancient experts, and once tried to dominate our human world during ancient times.


    That much is enough,¡± Wei Wuya, concealed in the green fog, spoke icily.


    Upon hearing this, the faces of the Ghost Spirit Sect Master and Wang Tiangu changed instantly as black light flickered around them.


    Streams of ghostly aura emerged from their bodies, enveloping them in its protection.


    The two of them watched the scholar warily, instinctively retreating two steps backward.


    Although they had never heard of the Ancient Devil Realm or ancient devilish techniques, seeing Wei Wuya treat the situation as if he were facing a formidable enemy, combined with the scholar¡¯s fearless demeanor, naturally made them extremely vigilant!


    ¡°What I am is not something you three need to know for now.


    However, I would like to propose a deal with you.


    If successful, it could immediately make your realm skyrocket, and even reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage is not out of the question.


    Would you three be interested in hearing more?¡± The scholar¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he spoke deliberately, word by word.


    ¡°Oh, such a great offer?


    Let¡¯s hear it out,¡± the Ghost Spirit Sect Master and Wang Tiangu exchanged a glance and replied noncommittally.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï


    Surely you¡¯ve seen this ancient devil¡¯s body behind me.


    I¡¯d like you three to help lift its seal.


    In return, I will use this body to open a crack leading to the Sacred Realm, then borrow a wisp of the Divine Ancestor¡¯s True Demonic Qi to infuse you with Demonic Qi, creating a supreme demonic body for you.


    From then on, you would become a member of our Sacred Realm.


    What are your thoughts?


    With your talents, once the infusion is successful, your cultivation is certain to soar rapidly, and reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage will be just a matter of time,¡± the scholar¡¯s voice was full of tempting words.


    ¡°Lift the seal, infuse with Demonic Qi?¡± The Ghost Spirit Sect Master¡¯s heart pounded at the thought.


    The prospect of an instantaneous increase in cultivation, or even a chance to enter the Divinity Transformation Stage, was enormously tempting for a cultivator.


    He glanced over and saw that Wang Tiangu¡¯s expression had also changed, clearly tempted.


    ¡°You two are being foolish!


    Do you really think that after being infused with Demonic Qi, you would still be yourselves?


    You might lose your minds and become mere puppets to an ancient devil,¡± Wei Wuya, having lived for so long, was naturally cunning and immediately saw through their thoughts, promptly and unhesitatingly advising them.


    ¡°Brother Wei, what do you mean by that?¡± As soon as Wang Tiangu heard this, it was like cold water had been thrown over his head, and he sobered up considerably.


    ¡°What do I mean?


    You dare to believe the words of a demon from the Otherworld?


    Although I don¡¯t know what this infusion of Demonic Qi entails, any such muddled Qi that disregards your original realm¡¯s foundation and forces an upgrade is bound to end badly,¡± Wei Wuya, hidden in the poison fog, said mercilessly.


    With each word the Ghost Spirit Sect Master and Wang Tiangu heard, their faces grew grimmer.


    After hearing everything, they looked at the scholar with an exceptionally cold and ominous gaze.


    As the scholar heard this, his brows furrowed, and his lips parted as if he wanted to argue further.


    However, at that moment, a strange look appeared on Wei Wuya¡¯s face.


    Suddenly, a sharp screech rang out from a pile of rocks about a zhang behind the scholar.


    A thin black shadow shot out without any warning and pierced through the scholar¡¯s abdomen in a flash before hurtling more than ten zhang away and hovering in mid-air.


    It was a bizarre little black snake with an extremely sharp head, topped with a snow-white horn the size of a thumb, as sharp as a sword tip, and its body was devoid of any scales, dark and shiny.


    The scholar¡¯s abdomen then burst open with a hole as wide as a bowl.


    Since he was a ghostly entity, naturally, not a drop of blood was there, but a walnut-sized green Crystal Core had been shattered by half, with only some remnants left in the hole.


    ¡°You actually knew where my Soul Stone was located?¡± The scholar lowered his head to look at his own abdomen, his eyes filled with disbelief.


    At that time, a toneless voice came from within the green fog:


    ¡°My cultivation is not of the Ghost Path, so naturally, I¡¯m ignorant of any Soul Stone.


    However, my Soul-breaking Snake excels in dealing with Yin ghosts and demon entities.


    It¡¯s a trivial matter to kill a spirit transformed into a ghostly entity.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s face showed a wisp of a bitter smile upon hearing this, then with a ¡°Puchi¡± sound, his body exploded on its own, transforming into a rolling mass of ash and white mist.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect Master and Wang Tiangu, upon seeing this, felt surprised but also relieved as they looked over at the massive demon not far away.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Wei, should we destroy this ancient demon¡¯s body?¡± Wang Tiangu couldn¡¯t help but ask, feeling an oppressive unease as he looked at the demonic body.


    ¡°If it could be destroyed, do you think the ancient experts wouldn¡¯t have done it already?


    It¡¯s best to leave everything as it is and make a swift departure from this place,¡± Wei Wuya paused for a moment before shaking his head in response.


    Wang Tiangu still seemed hesitant, but after a moment of silence, the Ghost Spirit Sect Master agreed:


    ¡°Brother Wei speaks wisely.


    This place is indeed peculiar; it¡¯s better for us to leave sooner rather than later.¡±


    Seeing that both of them said so, Wang Tiangu naturally had no further opinion and turned to take off into the air.


    But just at that moment, a calm and unusual voice suddenly came from behind:


    ¡°Who allowed you to leave?


    Since you¡¯ve reached the place of my demonic form¡¯s sealing, do you think you can still leave here alive?


    If you don¡¯t appreciate the wine, you must drink the penalty wine, so leave your lives behind!¡±


    Hearing this familiar voice, Wang Tiangu and the others were naturally shocked, their faces revealing an incredulous look as they hurriedly turned back.


    They only saw that the dispersed white ghostly aura had not only not dissipated but had now condensed into a mass as if coming to life.


    In an instant, a grayish demon head with a single horn formed, staring at the three with fierce and terrifying eyes.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect Master, with his quick reflexes, raised his hand in a flash and shot out the Black Flying Dagger which transformed into a long rainbow, slicing through the center of the demon head.


    But the two halves of the demon head instantly condensed back together amid the gray aura, seemingly unharmed.


    Witnessing this scene, all three sucked in a breath of cold air, their faces showing horror.


    The feeling of dread began to creep into the heart of the Ghost Spirit Sect Master.


    Being the Sect Leader of the Ghost Spirit Sect, which specialized in ghost banishing and soul slashing secret techniques, his life-bound dagger, after its forging, had great divine power in this realm.


    Yet now, it proved completely ineffective against this demon head.


    This was indeed causing the Ghost Spirit Sect Master an ominous premonition.


    Wei Wuya, witnessing this from within the green mist, let out a sharp shriek.


    The circling giant python, hearing this, lunged forward and transformed into a streak of black light, shooting out once again.


    Meanwhile, a monstrous green hand emerged within the roiling mist, a shake of the hand transformed it into a green rainbow fiercely clawing at the demon head.


    Meanwhile, Wang Tiangu and the other person obviously did not intend to let Wei Wuya fight alone.


    One spun his body in place, changing into ghostly aura attempting to envelop the demon head, while the other took a deep breath and spat out a golden skull that howled like a ghost as it charged forward.


    Their combined efforts came to fruition in an instant!


    But just at this moment, the demon head within the gray mist suddenly raised its head, emitting a sharp and continuous screeching sound.


    This shriek was piercing and strange, but almost simultaneously, the crystal-sealed massive demonic form inside lit up with dark black light, and its eyes suddenly opened.


    Two beams of blood red light shot out from its eyes, precisely enveloping the demon head, transforming into a layer of bright red blood shield.


    A thick scent of blood immediately spread.


    At that moment, various attacks subsequently arrived, causing a rumbling sound to erupt.


    Black Qi and green light shone brightly, submerging the blood shield within it.


    But a moment later, Wei Wuya and the others¡¯ expressions changed; they hastily retracted their cultivation techniques, and stopped their attacks in panic, once again exposing the blood shield.


    Whether it was the black Qi transformed by the magic tools or the giant hand transformed from poison mist, as soon as either touched the shield, they were silently absorbed into it, strengthening the shield by a noticeable degree.


    Only the giant python and the Golden Skull Heads, persistently attacking the shield, did not exhibit such strange behavior.


    As the three of them were exchanging confused looks in a moment of hesitation, the demonic form within the seal underwent another startling change.


    The black light radiating from the demonic form receded and alternated between light and dark, suddenly turning blood red in color.


    Simultaneously, strands of blood light began to emerge from within the form.


    In the blink of an eye, the massive demonic form dazzled with light, having completely transformed into a radiant figure.


    And corresponding to this, the single-horned demon head within the blood-light shield was now sitting in the center of the rolling strange blood light, eyes tightly shut.


    Beneath it, numerous thin, worm-like dark red light fragments were ¡°hissing¡± as they condensed into the shape of a normal human body.


    The blood silk light continuously shimmered, and the muscles and bones emerged fresh and bloody, endlessly layering on the outer skin at a ludicrously rapid pace¡­


    That alien and mysterious sensation rendered the Ghost Spirit Sect Master and the others speechless and their scalps numb!


    In the blink of an eye, not only the body below, but the single-horned demon head above was also enveloped by the blood light.


    Clumps of blood-colored flesh began to take form.


    Wang Tiangu glanced over and saw that as the human-shaped body within the blood shield took form, the blood-colored light from the crystal-sealed demonic form began to shrink rapidly, connected by the original two beams of blood red light.


    He thought for a moment and suddenly understood a legendary secret technique, panicking, he called out.


    ¡°Disintegration Metamorphosis!


    This is the supreme secret technique of ancient devilish art, the ¡®Disintegration and Metamorphosis Technique¡¯!¡±


    At the same time, he raised both hands, and two streaks of black light flew out, directly cutting at the two connected blood red beams.


    They were palm-sized bronze plaques with undulating black runes.


    Hearing Wang Tiangu¡¯s shout of ¡®Disintegration and Metamorphosis Technique,¡¯ Wei Wuya and the Ghost Spirit Sect Master also jumped in fright, their gazes hastily fixed on the scene without much thought.


    The two bronze plaques inserted between the beams abruptly, and a flash of black light erupted, breaking the blood red beams.


    At that moment, the demon-transformed figure with a demon head, which had already formed about eighty to ninety percent, opened its eyes in response, one black and one purple, and two bizarre beams of light suddenly lit up.


    The corners of its mouth curled into a sinister sneer.


    (To be continued.


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 Chapter 840 - Chapter 840 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 837 Sudden Change

    ?Chapter 840: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 837 Sudden Change Chapter 840: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 837 Sudden Change Han Li was enveloped in a radiance, surrounded by swirling rosy light, with the areas farther away dim and somewhat blurry.


    Countless white specks, large as grains of rice, danced through the sky, floating unpredictably.


    Suddenly, Han Li formed incantations with both hands, as spiritual light continuously flowed around his body, and a soft, glowing whirlwind rose from the ground, dazzlingly enveloping him.


    Then, the gusts of wind grew stronger and thicker.


    The distant white specks were swept up like moths to a flame.


    Before long, this wind transformed into a colossal entity, shooting up to the sky like a towering pillar, where it roared past, sand and stones flew about as if a giant demon had descended.


    It was at this moment that incantations could be heard within the hurricane.


    After a violent tremor of the storm pillar, it dispersed on its own, transforming back into wisps of rosy light drifting between heaven and earth.


    The chanting slightly hastened, and the rosy light shifted in hue, transforming into a faint, bright blue.


    Then, the sounds of gushing water rose, and from all sides emerged endless rolling turquoise waves.


    Waves hundreds of feet high surged around, and Han Li was raised by a huge water column, his hands forming incantations and emitting a dazzling blue light, so much like a river god that one could hardly bear to look directly.


    Suddenly, the incantation in Han Li¡¯s hand changed, and the chanting sound abruptly deepened.


    In just an instant, the surrounding giant waves disappeared as if they were mere illusions, replaced instead by layers of red flame waves, with a dozen huge Inferno Flood Dragons, each about several dozen feet long, also appearing within the flames, each spewing orbs of fire¡­


    After the flames, green seas, boundless deserts, icy snowy lands, each of these miraculous sceneries emerged under Han Li¡¯s manipulation.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    In this moment, Han Li seemed like a godly being, capable of everything.


    Filled with confidence, Han Li casually manipulated mana to create a desolate ancient giant about a thousand feet tall, making it beat its chest and roar skyward.


    Suddenly, streaks of silver light flashed in the sky, turning into sheets of Silver Tide rolling from afar.


    In the blink of an eye, the blinding silver light filled the entire sky.


    Underneath the silver light, the giant melted away like a block of ice, and Han Li, covered by the light, felt a piercing pain in his eyes, involuntarily covering them with his hands as a plaintive scream escaped his lips.


    The ground instantly collapsed and crumbled under the silver light.


    Han Li felt dizzy, but suddenly, his eyes snapped open in shock.


    What silver light, what world?


    All had vanished!


    He sat in a secret chamber, drenched in sweat.


    After a deep breath, Han Li calmed his mind slightly and recalled that he was inside a secret chamber in Devilfall Valley.


    Just moments ago, he had ingested a newly refined Creation Pill.


    Everything just now had been nothing but an illusion induced by the effects of the pill.


    Han Li sat stunned on the ground without immediately getting up, pondering the experiences he had in the illusion, his face shifting between realization and confusion.


    Suddenly, he reached behind and felt his soaked green robe.


    Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched slightly.


    This Creation Pill was truly miraculous.


    Even with his strong divine sense, taking the pill had immediately caused his consciousness to disperse and plunge into an illusion.


    In that illusion, he became a completely different person, experiencing various unimaginable events and mastering numerous powerful incantations.


    Moving mountains and commanding the rain had been as effortless as flicking dust.


    However, upon closer contemplation, Han Li found the incantations and techniques exceedingly vague, unable to recall a single word.


    Yet, the insights and control over the spiritual power of heaven and earth he ¡®experienced¡¯ felt intensely real and firm, as if he had truly lived them.


    This was indeed greatly beneficial for his breakthrough to the next realm.


    Han Li closed his eyes again, sitting motionlessly in place.


    He remained seated for the half of the day, and when he blinked once and reopened his eyes, his eyes regained their usual clarity and calm, with no trace of confusion left on his face.


    He stood up, shook his sleeves, and with a flick of his hand, directed an incantation toward a stone door.


    The stone door shone with spiritual light and slowly opened by itself.


    Han Li walked out unhurriedly.


    Just as he stepped out, a flash of white light shot out from a stone wall beside him and disappeared into his sleeve in an instant.


    It was Silvermoon transformed into the Little Fox.


    ¡°How many days have I been in closed-door cultivation?


    Have there been any problems during this time?¡± Han Li walked slowly towards the entrance, casually asking.


    ¡°Master has been in seclusion for two days and two nights, during which Fairy Violet Spirit seemed to have left her retreat before Master did and came here once.


    However, seeing that the protective formations at the cave entrance were still intact, she returned,¡± Silvermoon reported respectfully.


    ¡°Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s cultivation is shallow and the Creation Pill has less effect on her.


    It¡¯s not strange that she exited her retreat earlier.


    But Silvermoon, I¡¯m rather surprised that you chose not to take the Creation Pill,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    ¡°Master should know that I am not a Human Cultivator, but a Silvermoon Wolf Demon.


    Moreover, I am currently cultivating using a demon fox body, which complicates things further and makes my situation very different from that of human cultivators.


    Except for medicinal pills that advance cultivation, I dare not haphazardly consume other spirit pills cultivators use.


    Otherwise, who knows what chaos could ensue.


    I¡¯d rather spend more time than to recklessly take risks,¡± Silvermoon communicated somewhat helplessly from within her sleeves.


    Han Li frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then slightly nodded his head and said no more.


    He naturally didn¡¯t waste the remaining Spirit Kindle Fruits used for concocting pills; he had swallowed them all before taking the Creation Pill.


    Now that the medicinal effects had blossomed, his cultivation had indeed increased slightly.


    It truly deserved to be called a rare Spiritual Medicine of Heaven and Earth!


    When Han Li arrived at the cave entrance, the mechanical puppets were obediently motionless behind the door.


    He stepped forward, detached a storage pouch from his waist, and tossed it into the air.


    Instantly, white radiant light sprayed from the pouch, and the mechanical puppets obediently allowed themselves to be sucked inside.


    Only then did Han Li cast a spell to open the stone door of his cave abode and walked out steadily.


    Right at the moment he opened the stone door, a streak of light soared into the sky from another mountain peak and shot towards him.


    Han Li glanced at the streak of light and, with unruffled composure, stretched out his hand and beckoned around him.


    Suddenly, green light continuously shot out from the ground and rocks nearby, transforming into neatly organized formation flags and plates that landed in his palm.


    ¡°Brother Han, you¡¯ve finally left your retreat.


    I thought you might be continuing your seclusion for half a day longer!¡±


    At that moment, the streak of light flew above Han Li and revealed Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s form.


    She hovered in mid-air, smiling radiantly at Han Li, her beauty blossoming and utterly captivating.


    ¡°It seems that Fairy Violet Spirit has greatly benefited from consuming the medicinal pill.


    Advancing to the mid Core Formation stage should now just be a matter of a few years of meditation.


    I offer my congratulations to you in advance,¡± Han Li said, offering his felicitations.


    ¡°You jest, Brother Han.


    I have merely saved several decades of arduous cultivation by consuming the Creation Pill.


    As for you, Brother Han, after consuming the Creation Pill, you are highly likely to advance to the mid Nascent Soul Stage-a truly joyous and congratulatory event,¡± Fairy Violet Spirit said with a smile, her bright eyes twinkling.


    ¡°Fellow daoist Violet Spirit, surely you don¡¯t think that Core Formation cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators will experience the same effects after consuming the Creation Pill.


    Although the Creation Pill is claimed to be usable by cultivators below the Divinity Transformation Stage, the reality is that the lower the cultivation stage, the greater the effects.


    Core Formation cultivators will definitely advance to the next realm without a doubt.


    But as for Nascent Soul cultivators, whether they can advance as a result is still an open question,¡± Han Li calmly explained.


    ¡°Regardless, the Creation Pill is bound to greatly benefit your advancement in realm.


    There¡¯s no need for Brother Han to be overly modest.


    With your qualifications that enabled advancement to the Nascent Soul Stage in just over two hundred years, advancing to the mid Nascent Soul Stage is surely just around the corner!¡±


    ¡°Qualifications?¡± Upon hearing Fairy Violet Spirit say so, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly inside.


    Although he didn¡¯t argue, he still lightly shook his head.


    Fairy Violet Spirit pursed her lips in a smile, about to say something, when suddenly, a deafening rumble roared from a distance.


    Following that, the entire heavens and earth seemed to quiver harshly, as if provoked.


    Han Li was fine, but Fairy Violet Spirit, who was floating in mid-air, swayed dangerously and nearly fell from the sky.


    ¡°What¡¯s happened?


    What on earth is going on?¡± Fairy Violet Spirit quickly stabilized her streak of light but couldn¡¯t help her face draining of color.


    Han Li was equally shocked and, without further ado, looked in the direction from which the rumbling sound was coming.


    ¡°Eh, this position seems to be exactly where the map is marked!¡± Han Li thought, becoming somewhat suspicious.


    Just then, a white line lit up in the distant sky.


    Followed by a chilling howl, like thunder, it rapidly approached.


    The white line quickly thickened, and an immense, hazy wave of air suddenly appeared not far away.


    A glance revealed the air wave resembling a thousands of miles of white waves, crushing every hill and mountain rock it passed into flat ground, and sweeping countless clods and huge stones toward Han Li, its speed so fast that it reached within a few hundred meters of them in an instant.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good!¡± Seeing such a terrifying scene, Han Li¡¯s face changed color.


    Without further thought, he flicked his robe, and a small blue shield flew out from his sleeve, swiftly enlarging in the wind to form a giant shield in front of him.


    Touching the giant shield, a layer of bluish haze emerged, enveloping Han Li within it.


    Seemingly still not reassured, he then opened his mouth and expelled a fist-sized Celestial Ice Flame, which exploded into the air about ten meters in front of him.


    Ahead, the bright blue light was piercing, and ¡°hisses¡± sounded loud, as layers of cold air rapidly emerged and intertwined, swiftly swelling into a thick layer of blue ice.


    A blue ice mountain about fifty to sixty meters high formed before Han Li.


    Fairy Violet Spirit, naturally startled, frantically released an embroidered cloth, transforming it into a colorful glow that shielded her body.


    Seeing Han Li actually forming an ice mountain, she showed a surprised and hurried expression, and quickly descended beside him.


    At that moment, the distant air wave finally rumbled to the two of them.


    The entire sky suddenly darkened, and all around, noises of the earth shattering and sky ripping erupted, causing the ice mountain to tremble violently.


    Several rocks the size of grindstones simultaneously smashed into the other side of the ice mountain, producing loud clanging noises that made one¡¯s blood surge and brought discomfort to the heart.


    (First update!)

 Chapter 842 - Chapter 842 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 839 Ambush and Appearance

    ?Chapter 842: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 839 Ambush and Appearance Chapter 842: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 839 Ambush and Appearance Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s face changed as he hastily touched the Jade Ruyi, and the protective shield instantly thickened by a third.


    At the same time, he opened his mouth to spew out a small square seal which turned into a streak of green light in the radiant glow and directly confronted the opponent.


    With a loud ¡°boom,¡± Marquis Nanlong let out a cold chuckle and promptly punched the seal.


    Black and green lights intertwined, but in a moment of contracting and expanding, the black aura shattered the radiances.


    The seal flew back with a ¡°whoosh,¡± heading straight for Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu.


    Taking aback, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu hurriedly formed incantations with both hands and cast several spells in succession, barely managing to halt the seal just before it hit the shield.


    But in that brief delay, a sinister black fist emerged in front of the shield and slammed down hard.


    The shield vibrated abruptly, and Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu felt an immense force coming from in front of him, flinging him diagonally along with the shield.


    But true to his reputation as an old eccentric who had lived for nearly a thousand years and fought numerous battles, he managed to shake his sleeve ahead of being hit, sending out a fiery red dagger flying towards Marquis Nanlong who had just revealed his figure.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face, enveloped in darkness, sneered.


    Seeing the dagger turning into a spectacular rainbow chopping towards his head, he didn¡¯t dodge but instead took a deep breath and, aiming at the dagger above him, opened his mouth to spew out a streak of black and red demonic flame.


    As soon as the dagger touched the black and red flame, it was instantly enveloped and bound by the demonic flame; the red spirit light on the dagger flickered a few times in lament before being completely devoured.


    The dagger instantly lost its spiritual nature, transforming into a piece of mundane iron and falling down.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, witnessing this scene, was greatly alarmed.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    The seemingly ordinary dagger was actually the renowned ¡®Devilbane Blade¡¯ from the Heavenly South Region, a treasure he had acquired with great difficulty, particularly effective against malevolent spirits and devils.


    He had unexpectedly brandished this weapon because the current Marquis Nanlong was clearly possessed by a formidable evil spirit.


    Although he hadn¡¯t expected the treasure to kill his opponent easily, the casual manner in which it was destroyed left him utterly shocked.


    Just as Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu was pale with shock, the demonized Marquis Nanlong, not waiting for him to regain his footing, seemed to probe his body at the spot.


    With a ¡°whoosh,¡± his form twisted like a serpent, becoming extremely slender and elongated, and in a bizarre flash, he appeared right in front of Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and threw another punch.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu was sent flying once more.


    Marquis Nanlong moved again, eerily shifted right below Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, and threw out the same punch once again¡­


    Within moments, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, unable to defend himself, was repeatedly hit like a punching bag.


    The Jade Ruyi was indeed a peak ninth layer ancient defensive treasure.


    Although the verdant light shield flickered incessantly under such immense force, it still hadn¡¯t shattered, making Marquis Nanlong let out a surprised ¡°Oh¡± from his mouth, but his punching didn¡¯t pause for a moment.


    At this instant, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu was filled with immense dread!


    Now he was just like Lu Weiying had been before, each punch scattering much of the spiritual power he tried to gather, leaving him full of Divine Skills but utterly unable to retaliate.


    After a dozen ferocious punches, the shield emitted by the Jade Ruyi eventually began to distort and flicker under the intense tremors, causing Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s heart to sink drastically.


    Seeing this, Marquis Nanlong¡¯s face revealed a sinister smirk, his body swayed, and he continued swinging his fist vigorously while his other hand formed a blade, poised to deliver a fatal blow as soon as the shield broke.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s complexion was ash-white.


    Seeing cracks emerge on the shield, he gritted his teeth and reached inside his chest to grasp something.


    He was prepared to fight to the death with his opponent.


    But at that moment, unexpectedly, a five-colored pillar of light descended from the heavens without any warning, instantly enveloping the unguarded Marquis Nanlong.


    Initially indifferent, Nanlong suddenly felt his body heavy and his movements significantly slower as soon as the radiance touched him.


    ¡°Eh!¡± Marquis Nanlong seemed surprised, and then squinted in a certain direction amidst the radiances.


    There, a woman in white held up an ancient mirror in the distance, and a five-colored beam of light was emitting from the mirror.


    Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed through Marquis Nanlong¡¯s eyes.


    With the intervention of the woman in white, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu instantly grasped at this lifeline.


    Overjoyed, he relaxed his grip on the object in his chest and, seizing the moment when the opponent¡¯s assault slowed, he abruptly gathered his mana and transformed into a startling rainbow, escaping from the scene.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li had flown next to the woman in white and descended beside her.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, without a moment to utter words of gratitude, rubbed his hands together and then raised them both simultaneously.


    Dozens of red, hazy Daoist paper talismans flew out from his hands aimed directly at Marquis Nanlong, who was still trapped within the five-colored light column.


    These Daoist paper talisms instantly reached the top of Marquis Nanlong¡¯s head and, under the command of Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s incantations, burst open one after another.


    The rumbling sounds were continuous, and a large expanse of crimson lightning fire emerged and plummeted downwards.


    Marquis Nanlong managed to release a stream of black energy to protect his body, but he was quickly engulfed by the lightning fire.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu did not believe that this would be enough to kill his opponent.


    He immediately formed an incantation with his hands and released a misty three-pronged flying pitchfork, which attacked in fluctuating sizes.


    The woman in white was not idle either.


    She controlled the Light Stasis Mirror with one hand to intensify the restraining power of the light column, while her other hand flicked backwards, releasing a black and a white sword that turned into two stunning rainbows as they flew out.


    Previously, Nangong Wan and Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu had already fought a battle with Marquis Nanlong.


    Unfortunately, neither of them¡­


    For a moment beneath the five-colored light column, thunder boomed, and the spirit lights flashed urgently.


    ¡°The being possessing Marquis Nanlong, is that the ancient devil you spoke of?¡± Just as Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and another were fiercely battling Marquis Nanlong in the air, Han Li, not far below, had his eyebrows tightly furrowed as he conversed with Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Besides these ancient devilish techniques, what else in this realm could be so formidable?


    However, relying merely on a possessed body, he has managed to make two Nascent Soul cultivators flee in panic.


    It seems this ancient devil must be of a high grade from the Ancient Devil Realm.


    If you face him alone now, even if he isn¡¯t using his original body, your chances of winning are slim,¡± Monarch Great Development said somewhat gloatingly.


    ¡°Hehe!


    The fact that you didn¡¯t directly advise me to flee immediately means you hold some respect for Han Li.


    As for facing this thing alone, I don¡¯t have such an interest, and to think that Marquis Nanlong would fall just like that.


    It¡¯s truly unpredictable!¡± Han Li said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Hmph!


    But in terms of cultivation, even three or four of you wouldn¡¯t be a match for this possessed ancient devil.


    However, you do have quite an assortment of trinkets on you, including the Devilbane Lightning.


    Although you might not defeat this ancient devil, escaping should still be possible,¡± Monarch Great Development retorted with a snort, his voice carrying a strange tone.


    Han Li smiled faintly, about to say something else, when suddenly the voice of Fairy Violet Spirit came from his side.


    ¡°Brother Han, what should we do now?


    Are you planning to make a move?¡±


    Ever since the demonized Marquis Nanlong had appeared, Fairy Violet Spirit had been so shocked that she remained speechless.


    Now, seeing Han Li¡¯s rather strange expression, she couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    The ferocity of Marquis Nanlong truly made her tremble in fear.


    Upon hearing Fairy Violet Spirit¡¯s words, Han Li chuckled, but as he was about to reply, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he violently raised his hand.


    A swarm of green light burst out, enveloping her and pulling her back into his embrace.


    He then transformed into a green streak that soared into the sky, reaching mid-air in the blink of an eye.


    Once the green light converged, Han Li, holding Fairy Violet Spirit, reappeared and looked solemnly downwards.


    Fairy Violet Spirit, her cheeks slightly flushed, hurriedly left Han Li¡¯s embrace, equally surprised as she looked downward.


    At their previous standing spot, a dark figure was there, coldly looking up at them.


    It was Marquis Nanlong, appeared there at some unknown time!


    He had initially planned to sneak down for a surprise attack.


    Luckily, Han Li had unintentionally scanned the area with Brightsight Water, almost allowing the enemy to succeed with one strike.


    Fairy Violet Spirit gasped in shock and quickly looked in another direction.


    There, beneath the five-colored light column, a vague figure was flickering in and out of sight amid the thunder and lightning, clearly another ¡°Marquis Nanlong.¡±


    From a distance, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu saw Han Li appearing nearby in the air with a woman beautiful as an angel and was initially surprised, then delighted.


    However, after a quick glance and seeing another Marquis Nanlong below, he was taken aback.


    He hurriedly called out to the woman in white in alarm, slightly easing their offensive.


    At this moment, the ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ under the five-colored light column emotionlessly glanced at them, then suddenly transformed into a wisp of black energy and vanished, revealing it to be merely a temporary avatar.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the woman in white looked at each other, both seeing deep fear in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Creating an avatar was not difficult, but to deceive the Divine Sense of two Nascent Soul cultivators was truly terrifying.


    They had kept their eyes on the Marquis Nanlong in the black energy without even blinking, yet the opponent had managed to execute the Jin Chan Escape Technique without them noticing-a technique for eluding danger unnoticed.


    If the opponent had not intended to covertly attack Han Li, who was off to the side, but had instead attacked them, one of them would likely have already been fatally struck.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.


    This is great!


    This demon is extremely powerful, and the three of us joining forces to counter this threat is our only chance of survival,¡± Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu called out loudly.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li inwardly let out a wry smile.


    He had thought his concealment technique was sufficiently brilliant, such that even late Nascent Soul cultivators might not detect him, and thus he had confidently hidden to the side, planning to slip away later.


    However, not only did the ancient devil detect him, but it also feigned ignorance and launched a surprise attack on him, nearly costing him his life.


    It seemed he had no choice but to fight in this battle!


    (To be continued¡­


    For the continuation, please visit www.qidian.com, where chapters are updated frequently, to support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 844 - Chapter 844 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 841 Join Forces to Resist the Demon

    ?Chapter 844: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 841 Join Forces to Resist the Demon Chapter 844: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 841 Join Forces to Resist the Demon ¡°Marquis Nanlong was initially taken aback upon seeing the Tiger Demon Puppet materialize in front of him, yet he charged forward unhesitatingly.


    A dozen puppets flashed white light simultaneously, their movements as swift as the wind.


    After a flurry of blurred figures, they instantly surrounded Marquis Nanlong, unleashing numerous vicious claw strikes towards him.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression darkened as he roared lowly, disregarding the claws raking towards his body.


    Instead, he swung his arms, his fists, fast as lightning, meeting the claws of two puppets head-on.


    Two muffled thuds sounded; the sharp claws barely touched his fists before they shattered completely from the wrist up under the rising black aura without causing any damage.


    Yet the two puppets, fearless of death and immune to mana dispersion, continued their assault with other puppets, their claws flashing coldly as they struck anew.


    Marquis Nanlong sneered softly, his shoulders twitched slightly as he vanished from the spot with a ¡®whoosh,¡¯ rendering the numerous claw strikes futile.


    However, two more muffled sounds followed immediately!


    Marquis Nanlong appeared outside the encirclement, hands pulling his arms out of the chests of two one-armed Tiger Demon Puppets.


    Although the puppets lacked hearts, such severe damage inevitably caused them to lose control and plummet directly from the air.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s fists were so formidable that even the Tiger Demon Puppets, meticulously crafted by Han Li, couldn¡¯t withstand them.


    However, this assault by Marquis Nanlong was merely opportunistic.


    His real target was Han Li, whose actions had yet to recover.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    Thus, after destroying the two puppets, he didn¡¯t pause, flashing suddenly to Han Li¡¯s front and unleashing a punch without hesitation.


    Within the glowing screen, Han Li had yet to gather his mana, but he watched the demonically wrapped fist coming toward him without a hint of panic, instead revealing a strange smile.


    Seeing this, Marquis Nanlong felt a surge of surprise and suspicion about Han Li¡¯s intentions just as a multitude of piercing explosive sounds rang out behind him, as if something had burst forth to attack from very close by.


    Marquis Nanlong was startled.


    Without a moment to think, he retracted his fist and his figure eerily darted left and right, releasing numerous afterimages, his real body instantly disappearing without a trace among them.


    Where he had stood, countless green claws materialized from nowhere, tearing the afterimages into shreds in an instant.


    Then, with a flicker of green light, a creature covered in green fur with a face resembling a skull appeared coldly staring at Marquis Nanlong without uttering a word.


    It was the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse that Han Li had stealthily summoned by using the cover of the other puppets.


    Marquis Nanlong, preoccupied with the Tiger Demon Puppets, had failed to notice the hidden Devil Corpse and nearly fell victim to a sneak attack.


    ¡°Corpse Refining Technique?¡± Marquis Nanlong exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing the Devil Corpse.


    At that moment, the remaining Tiger Demon Puppets swiftly returned, clustering around Han Li, who suddenly raised both hands, fingers splayed.


    One hand shone with a brilliant golden light as a thick golden arc leaping forth amid loud rumblings.


    The other hand held a flash of purple light, silently revealing a small ball of purple flames.


    Having done all this, Han Li looked emotionlessly at the Demon Soul.


    Upon seeing this, Marquis Nanlong snorted through his nose.


    Realizing that Han Li had regained control over his mana and that advancing further was futile, he was taken aback that despite releasing so many Devilbane Lightnings, Han Li had yet to exhaust his supply, which was unexpected!


    If he remembered correctly, before he was sealed, although Devilbane Lightning was extremely harmful to their kind, possession of such a treasure was extremely rare.


    Those who did possess it could only unleash it once or twice before it became ineffective.


    Otherwise, when they had invaded the human world, they wouldn¡¯t have found themselves without rivals for some time.


    But now, this man seemed to have an inexhaustible source of Devilbane Lightning, using it without any hesitation, which was troubling.


    Furthermore, the sudden emergence of the purple flames from his other hand caused Marquis Nanlong to shudder.


    Although he did not know what it was, the instant he saw it, he sensed its danger, indicating it was no ordinary flame.


    As for the mechanical puppets, he no longer concerned himself with them.


    Despite them having caused him some surprise initially, they wouldn¡¯t be much use in a real fight.


    Even the peculiar aura of the refined corpse was, at most, an early Nascent Soul-level opponent and not truly formidable.


    With the Demon Soul possessing him, Marquis Nanlong, currently unable to defeat his opponent, paused to reconsider momentarily.


    Meanwhile, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the lady in white, seeing Han Li and Marquis Nanlong temporarily cease fighting, murmured among themselves, not daring to direct their ancient treasures to attack just yet.


    Instead, they allowed the five-colored light columns and the ring to loom presciently over Marquis Nanlong, the ring fluctuating in size slightly while emitting a low hum.


    Just then, a series of explosive sounds erupted in the sky nearby, causing Marquis Nanlong to turn his head in surprise.¡±


    A sudden burst of gray-white flames exploded mid-air, and a golden cloud of insects buzzed out unscathed.


    As the flames dispersed, the Green Phosphorus Ghost Claw that had been inside vanished without a trace.


    Marquis Nanlong¡¯s expression shifted slightly, his demeanor darkening instantly.


    Once freed, the golden cloud of insects immediately darted towards Han Li.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have so many Divine Skills.


    It seems that using ordinary methods to extract your Nascent Soul is indeed troublesome.


    Since that¡¯s the case, I might as well eliminate you in one go and forever rid myself of future troubles.


    This body is only temporarily borrowed; it doesn¡¯t matter if it gets damaged.¡± After a brief silence, Marquis Nanlong spoke with a fierce look on his face.


    He then took a deep breath as a surge of black Demonic Qi suddenly burst forth from his body, and his joints emitted a series of weird ¡°cracking¡± sounds.


    His form then shot up several feet, with bizarre deformations bulging on his neck and shoulders, as if something was about to burst out from within him.


    At this sight, Han Li was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted by raising both hands.


    Suddenly, multiple golden arcs intertwined, transforming into a Golden Giant Python that lunged forward, while his other hand fired an ordinary-looking Purple Fireball.


    At the same time, Han Li also emitted a low hum.


    The golden cloud of insects that had just flown back also drifted out from above.


    The Tiger Demon Puppets and Yin Yang Devil Corpses transformed from the Jiangshi remained in place to guard against any surprise attacks.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the lady in white were naturally not going to let Marquis Nanlong easily execute any powerful Cultivation Techniques.


    Previously, the opponent had overwhelmed them with just his physique, forcing them to flee, and coupled with the unknown bizarre demonic techniques, they were in danger again.


    At once, the two exchanged glances and simultaneously directed incantations towards the spiritual treasures in the sky.


    A five-colored light column was the first to shine downward, reaching Marquis Nanlong earlier than Han Li¡¯s attacks.


    The blurry white ring suddenly expanded into a huge ring several meters wide, looping downwards.


    The Demon Soul remained indifferent.


    As the light column was about to reach him, his body was suddenly engulfed within the black Demonic Qi.


    When the five-colored light column touched the black Qi, it flashed and disappeared, as if devoured.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s golden arcs, Purple Fireball, and white giant ring attacked simultaneously.


    The golden cloud of insects was slightly slower but was also closely behind.


    This time, the Demon Soul did not wish to confront these attacks head-on.


    With a tremble of the black Qi, he shot backward at an incredibly fast speed.


    All the attacks were closely pursued under the control of Han Li and others.


    In an instant, a massive swath of black Qi zigzagged rapidly through the air, making erratic movements, with the Golden Giant Python, giant rings, and cloud of insects in relentless pursuit.


    Its speed and evasive routing made these attacks momentarily unable to lock on and catch it.


    Seeing this, the lady in white was unwilling to give up and controlled her mirror again, sending beams of five-colored light columns falling one after another.


    However, they failed to keep up with Marquis Nanlong¡¯s movements and missed one by one.


    The chase and evade had lasted for a brief moment when Han Li, despite controlling the golden arcs and Purple Apex Flames with his Divine Sense, furrowed his brows and appeared grim.


    ¡°Boy, if you don¡¯t have any other powerful trump cards, I advise you to quickly flee.


    Ancient devils differ greatly from human Sect Masters.


    Each of them is ferociously combative, and each has rich combat experience.


    Although the ones who cross the boundary aren¡¯t the most aggressive high-grade ancient devils, once they get serious, you are no match.


    I haven¡¯t finished refining the ultimate Nascent Soul Puppet, and I don¡¯t want to die along with you,¡± Monarch Great Development suddenly transmitted his voice.


    Han Li, hearing this, showed no intention of replying but his expression turned fierce, and suddenly, with a shake of his sleeves, a clear ringing sound echoed as dozens of small golden swords swam out from his sleeves.


    In an instant, they transformed into dozens of meter-long golden lights, circling and fluttering around Han Li.


    Han Li, with an expressionless face, cast several Incantations.


    All the sword lights trembled slightly, instantly dividing into hundreds of identical golden lights, all while radiating brilliantly.


    ¡°Go,¡± Han Li formed incantations with both hands and issued a low shout.


    The hundreds of sword lights suddenly chimed in unison, then trembled around him, and mysteriously disappeared from their original spots.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li had set up the Aureate Sword Formation in front of him.


    ¡°Eh!


    A Sword Array!


    It seems you still have some tricks up your sleeve.


    Then follow your plan.


    Forget what I just said.


    However, I am curious to see what kind of Sword Array makes you so confident,¡± Monarch Great Development lightly exclaimed, speaking indifferently.


    ¡°What Sword Array it is, you will know in a moment.


    If it was the actual body of an ancient devil, whether this Sword Array could harm the opponent is hard to say.


    But since it¡¯s possessing a human Sect Master, once trapped in my Sword Array it won¡¯t die, but will certainly be peeled of a layer,¡± Han Li calmly transmitted once the Sword Array was set up.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Kid, don¡¯t blow your own trumpet too much!


    Since a while ago, the ancient devil has been using inelegant brute strength to fight you all.


    You haven¡¯t yet witnessed the power of ancient devilish techniques firsthand!¡± Monarch Great Development scoffed coldly, dismissively speaking.

 Chapter 845 - Chapter 845 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 842 Double Head Four Arms

    ?Chapter 845: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 842: Double Head Four Arms Chapter 845: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 842: Double Head Four Arms ¡°Judging by your tone, it seems like you¡¯ve seen it with your own eyes.


    Haven¡¯t you never entered Devilfall Valley before?¡± Han Li was curious and asked another question deliberately.


    ¡°Hmph, just because I haven¡¯t seen it doesn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t heard about it.


    Some friends of mine who entered the valley back then, although their divine skills were far inferior to mine, were not ordinary cultivators either.


    Yet, despite joining forces, only one of them barely managed to escape with his life.


    This shows just how formidable the ancient devilish techniques are,¡± Monarch Great Development snorted, his tone carrying a hint of caution.


    Han Li chuckled upon hearing this and was about to ask more questions when a painful roar suddenly erupted from the black qi fleeing in the distance.


    Following that, a tornado suddenly stirred up within the murky demonic Qi, dispersing it and revealing ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ within.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the woman in white changed their expressions drastically upon clearly seeing the figure, and they involuntarily gasped in shock.


    Is this still a human?


    The ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ in front of them had completely transformed into a monstrous creature with two heads and four arms.


    One neck was in front, another at the back, one big and one small, each bearing a ferocious head, while the shoulders sprouted four abnormally long arms that extended beyond the knees.


    The front head displayed patches of purple scales across the face, and a white horn several inches long emerged from the forehead.


    In terms of eyebrows, eyes, nose, and size, it was still recognizable as the original head.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    However, right behind this head, a smaller head had forcibly squeezed its way out, looking entirely like a demon ghost.


    Although similarly bearing horns and scales on the cheeks, the middle of this face was ghastly green with sharp teeth, and the black lips opened and closed, a long spiky purple and red tongue, covered in barbs, darting out nearly a foot in length before swiftly retracting, akin to a venomous snake.


    What chilled the heart even more was that the pupil in the eyes of this head was narrow as a slit, shining with a silvery white cold light, and the eyeballs moved without a hint of emotion, clearly not something humanlike.


    Not just the heads, but below the neck, the body and all four long arms were also covered in deep purple scales, densely packed and impenetrable to rain or wind.


    The fingertips had grown sharp claw-like nails, which, opening and closing, shined with a silvery white glow, appearing extremely sharp.


    Seeing this terrifying appearance that sent shivers down the spine, although Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the woman in white felt a chill in their hearts, as long-time Nascent Soul cultivators, they were not easily frightened.


    Seeing ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ reveal himself and stand still, they simultaneously commanded their treasures to attack.


    A five-colored light pillar flashed, enveloping ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ within it instantly.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu was overjoyed inside, and seizing this opportunity, a white giant ring followed closely behind, descending swiftly.


    The demon soul¡¯s frontal head remained expressionless, resembling that of a dead person, but the rear head suddenly grinned, the corners of its mouth revealing a mocking sneer.


    As the giant ring flashed and appeared abruptly above the head, descending swiftly, the figure within the five-colored light column waved its four arms gracefully, and suddenly, the four demonic hands radiating with purple light, astonishingly seized the giant ring firmly, their movements showing no hint of hesitation.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu was startled by this, but quickly urged his incantations more urgently.


    The ring radiated light in all directions, trembling violently as if trying to break free, but the four large hands, as if cast from iron, did not budge at all.


    The rear head of the demon soul even sneered aloud, suddenly opening its mouth and spraying out a jet of pitch-black liquid that struck the giant ring accurately.


    The ancient treasure, originally flickering with spiritual light, let out a mournful cry as its light dispersed, and it immediately turned black as ink, starting to flicker with a strange dark glow.


    ¡°My Myriad Sun Ring?¡± Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu cried out in shock.


    The moment the color of the ring changed, he suddenly lost the spiritual connection with the ancient treasure, his face turning pale as if drained of blood.


    It was unbelievable that this demon soul had a way to corrupt ancient treasures and seize them for its own use.


    At that moment, three of the demon soul¡¯s four demonic hands released the ring, leaving only one hand grasping the object and gently waving it a few times, causing layers of ring mirages to appear.


    Satisfaction was evident on both heads.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad!


    I was just worrying that I had too few usable treasures at hand, this one is quite suitable,¡± the demon soul¡¯s front head spoke articulately.


    At the same time, the other three arms reached towards its body and with another flash of light, two more items appeared in its hands-a black flag and a small sword emitting a dark glow.


    The final hand remained empty.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Although I can presently demonize only a few of your cultivators¡¯ treasures, these few are enough to manage for a while,¡± the demon soul sinisterly chuckled.


    Meanwhile, Han Li, who had been distracted establishing a formation, saw his golden arc and fireball slow down, falling significantly behind.


    As for the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles, although they had initially followed without issue, the sight of the demon soul¡¯s two heads and four arms seemed to instill some fear in them, causing them to merely hover in place, circling continuously.


    Han Li was startled.


    Through the mental connection, he naturally felt the beetles¡¯ instinctive fear, stirring a whirl of suspicion in his mind.


    Moreover, upon seeing the demon use the double head and four arms technique, he immediately recalled the images from The Sacred Provenance Plate and the statue of the six-armed demon in Master Cang Kun¡¯s abode, wondering about the relationship among the three.


    The flag in the hands of the demon soul was actually the ancient Wind Flag Treasure used by the elderly Lu to command raging winds, and the small sword also looked very familiar.


    After a moment¡¯s thought, he realized that the object was one of the treasures from the ancient cultivator¡¯s remains.


    Unbelievably, all of them had been corrupted by the demon soul for its use.


    Regardless of what connections there were, now was not the time to probe these details.


    He had to provoke this demon, drawing it into the Aureate Sword Formation.


    Thinking of this, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he suddenly urged on the Gold Devouring Beetles, while the Devilbane Lightning and the Purple Fireball also sped up and lunged towards the demon.


    Seeing this, the Demon Soul let out a haunting, undulating laugh from its two heads and suddenly blurred at the neck, the heads unexpectedly swapping places.


    The front head moved backward, and the Malevolent Ghost¡¯s Skull came forward, continuously sticking out its purplish-red tongue, exuding extreme eeriness.


    After transforming, the Demon Soul stared coldly at Han Li¡¯s aggressive attack, clearly having no intention of evading.


    It waved its four arms lightly, raising the three treasures in its hands high, and suddenly the small grey sword, the spell flags, and the ring all emitted a dazzling black light.


    It looked like there was to be another fierce battle between Han Li and this ancient demon spirit.


    But just then, a thunderous roar, like startling thunder, rumbled from afar.


    The roar was immense, rolling in like violent thunder from a distant place.


    It seemed the owner of the voice was furiously enraged, acting wildly.


    Even the Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and others, despite being so far away, couldn¡¯t help but feel a jolt in their hearts and showed expressions of shock upon hearing it.


    Han Li was slightly taken aback by this astonishing roar, while both heads of the opposing Demon Soul turned pale simultaneously.


    It abruptly gathered its treasures, transformed into a streak of black light without a second thought, and flew away.


    Simultaneously, it emitted a long, echoing cry, quickly disappearing into the distance like a bolt of lightning.


    From the direction it fled, it was exactly where the roaring had occurred.


    Han Li first was astounded, then after a slight hesitation, he pointed with his finger, stopping the golden lightning, Purple Apex Flames, and the swarm of beetiles, then squinted his eyes and watched the Demon Soul, which had turned into a black dot, his expression turning somewhat uncertain.


    If he remembered correctly, the place where the roar occurred was exactly where the astonishing wave of energy had erupted not long ago, which was also marked on the map of Devilfall Valley.


    Could it be that something shocking truly happened there?


    However, considering the Demon Soul¡¯s hasty departure and its echoing roar, could there be another ancient demon there?


    Han Li quickly ran through all possibilities, his expression deep in contemplation, standing motionless on the spot.


    Seeing the Demon Soul suddenly turn around and fly off into the distance, both the white-clothed woman and Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu felt a great relief, their expressions easing slightly.


    The white-clothed woman, although deeply relying on the treasure ¡°Light Stasis Mirror¡± she possessed, felt continuously uneasy about the transformed ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯.


    As for Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, though he regretted the loss of a treasure, he felt fortunate to have preserved his life.


    Had he not encountered Han Li here by chance, the outcome for him and the Great Elders of the Masked Moon Sect would likely have been very grim.


    One of the fellow cultivators who had entered the valley with them had been unprepared and was killed by ¡®Marquis Nanlong¡¯ extracting his Nascent Soul.


    Seeing the Demon Soul really escaping far and unlikely to return, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the white-clothed woman exchanged glances before finally approaching Han Li.


    Having witnessed Han Li¡¯s astonishing Divine Skills just now, both of them certainly couldn¡¯t just fly off without saying a word.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, this time I truly must thank you for saving my life.


    Otherwise, this old man would not have escaped this calamity,¡± Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu said politely, bowing his hands.


    Meanwhile, his gaze shifted and he couldn¡¯t help but eye the motionless Tiger Demon Puppet and the Yin Yang Devil Corpse exuding a chilling aura beside Han Li, secretly sighing and feeling a touch of envy.


    Being so young yet possessing so many treasures and Divine Skills, his future cultivation path was truly boundless!


    It seems that initially striking a deal to assist Yellow Maple Valley was indeed the right decision.


    As long as he is willing to help, Yellow Maple Valley, despite facing great calamities, should still be able to protect itself for a millennium.


    As for Nangong Wan¡¯s senior sister, despite having unpleasant past events with Han Li, she now could only manage a forced smile and similarly said:


    ¡°I too, thank the Fellow Daoist greatly!¡± The white-clothed woman still had some reservations, her voice a bit cold.


    As for seeking revenge against Han Li, after witnessing Han Li¡¯s current Divine Skills, the woman had completely abandoned such thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about saving lives; I was just defending myself.


    Now, what are the two fellow Daoists planning to do next?


    Are you interested in following to see what¡¯s happening there?¡± Han Li calmly raised his hand, summoned back the golden lightning, and other items, either storing them inside his body or in his sleeves, before speaking unhurriedly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han jokes.


    That creature is exceedingly dangerous; only late Nascent Soul cultivators could handle it.


    How could we possibly follow it?¡± Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu thoughtlessly shook his head in quick succession.


    The white-clothed woman didn¡¯t speak, but the expression on her face agreed deeply.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s leave it then.


    Although I am curious, it would be rash to go alone.


    I shall part ways here with the two of you.¡± Han Li felt a bit regretful.


    If the two late Nascent Soul cultivators were willing to accompany him, he would indeed like to see what was happening in that distant place.


    But alone, he decided not to take the risk.


    Thinking this, he didn¡¯t wait for an answer from the pair opposite him, raised his head, and looked once more in the direction of the still roaring sound.


    However, he only looked into the distance for a moment before suddenly his expression changed, becoming grave.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Seeing Han Li¡¯s expression, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, turning his head to look as well.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    If you want to know the follow-up, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 848 - Chapter 848 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 845 Demon Curtain

    ?Chapter 848: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 845 Demon Curtain Chapter 848: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 845 Demon Curtain ¡°Since I am you and you are me, after gaining self-awareness, why should I continue to obey you?


    Besides, soul devouring is not uncommon in the Sacred Realm.


    When you allowed me to become independent, you should have been prepared for this,¡± the ancient devilish techniques, with a human form, spoke with eerie calmness.


    ¡°True, I certainly had some anticipation.


    However, I didn¡¯t expect that once you were out of control, you would let the Human Cultivators take my sealed body before me.


    Even to the extent of using the Disintegration and Metamorphosis Technique to reconstitute the body.


    Don¡¯t you realize that although this method can forcibly break the seal, it causes great damage to my body, resulting in the loss of at least one-third of my cultivation?


    Do you know what that means?¡± the Demon Soul said coldly, its two heads bearing faces filled with murderous intent.


    ¡°Hmph!


    What about your body?


    I am originally a part of your Primordial Spirit, so what¡¯s wrong with me occupying this body?


    Besides, even if the body loses one-third of its cultivation, as long as I devour you and avoid those cowards in the human world, this realm would still be mine to roam freely.


    Later, when I reopen the ancient channel leading from the Sacred Realm to the human world, wouldn¡¯t I have performed a great service for the Divine Ancestors?


    Perhaps I could even become one of them.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Losing some cultivation is nothing,¡± the ancient devil scornfully sneered.


    The dual-headed, four-armed Demon Soul, knowing that things had come to this point, realized that words were futile.


    Since the cultivation of the second Demon Soul began to devour him, there could only be one with autonomy.


    The other¡¯s consciousness must be erased-there was no doubt about this.


    If he hadn¡¯t been forced into a dire situation, with the main Primordial Spirit unable to leave the restrictive formations, why would he have risked letting the split soul never return?


    Now although he had escaped the trap due to this, the split soul indeed made errors.


    But although the opponent had occupied the demon body, his cultivation wasn¡¯t comparable to a temporary demonized body.


    The main Primordial Spirit had naturally placed certain restrictive formations on the released split soul.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know how many the opponent had broken, who would win the fight was not yet certain.


    Thinking this, the Demon Soul abruptly turned one of its heads to look around at the surrounding cultivators and said coldly:


    ¡°Whether I devour you or you devour me, we¡¯ll discuss that later.


    First, let us devour these cultivators¡¯ Nascent Souls to replenish ourselves, then we¡¯ll find a secluded place to decide the ownership.


    I don¡¯t want these Human Cultivators to gain from our fisherman¡¯s fight.


    You don¡¯t object, do you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have no objections.


    The remaining restrictive formations within me are nearly entirely refined.


    Even if you don¡¯t act, I can kill them all myself,¡± the ancient devil in human form said calmly, then the purple-red demon light in his eyes suddenly intensified, his eyes fully opening.


    ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t boast too much.


    Some of these cultivators are quite tricky,¡± the Demon Soul smirked coldly, its gaze inadvertently sweeping towards Han Li.


    As the ancient devil with a human form¡¯s purple tongue flicked in and out, its face showed unconcern.


    The other cultivators were shocked when they saw the dual-headed, four-armed ancient devil appear, and after hearing their uncensored conversation, they were momentarily stunned.


    From the conversation, they were the main Primordial Spirit and the second Nascent Soul.


    Now that the second Nascent Soul had gained autonomy and infiltrated the demonic body, conflict erupted like water and fire between them.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the silver-haired old man were secretly delighted, thinking that the two demons would fight each other first, allowing them to take advantage of the chaos.


    However, unexpectedly, the conversation shifted and the two demons decided to join forces against them, causing everyone to look greatly alarmed.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Wei, I must trouble you to delay the opponent while Fellow Daoist Linghu assists you.


    I and a few others will handle the other demon for now.


    We can only focus on self-preservation at this moment,¡± Han Li said calmly to Wei Wuya after a moment of quick thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!


    However, the opponent has unraveled many of the restrictive formations within.


    I¡¯m not sure how long I can hold out given my injuries,¡± Wei Wuya hesitated at these words, then with a pained smile acknowledged Han Li¡¯s intention to delay.


    Other cultivators were currently on their way here, so the longer they could hold out, the better.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the woman in white hearing Han Li¡¯s commanding tone had no objection.


    After all, in the realm of immortal cultivators, strength was paramount.


    Han Li¡¯s cultivation was far superior to theirs, and his strategy was sound.


    Thus, they naturally had no reason to object.


    At this moment, the two demons in the sky did not give the Human Cultivators time to confer.


    Han Li had barely spoken when, without consulting with the silver-haired old man and the others, the two devils had already started their attack.


    The ancient devil in human form spun around, its whole body flashing with devilish light, and the entire sky darkened instantly.


    The black-purple devilish light surged wildly in all directions, rapidly expanding and instantly dyeing the nearby skies an eerie color.


    Above him, the Demon Soul showed no intention of dodging the light screen; instead, the two heads displayed a strange expression, and its form shook and vanished within the light screen without a trace.


    Seeing this, the cultivators naturally understood that a great battle had commenced.


    Regardless of what they had planned initially, they now had no choice but to brace themselves and join the fray.


    Wei Wuya, radiating green light, disappeared into the poison fog once more.


    The previously calmed fog began surging fiercely, and over ten poison fog-condensed Venomous Flood Dragons burst forth, glaring and clawing their way toward the sky, managing to hold back the intensifying devilish light for the moment.


    Seeing this, Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the woman in white exchanged glances before transforming into two streaks of rainbow light, heading straight for Wei Wuya.


    The woman took out a purple-light mirror and released a thick five-colored beam of light, which pierced through the light screen in front of her without hesitation and escaped past it.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu, having lost his original ring ancient treasure, had to use the Jade Ruyi he had employed before to protect his entire body.


    He then released a small green seal that transformed into a mass of green mist and smashed towards the light screen, creating quite the spectacle.


    In their opinion, even if Wei Wuya was severely injured, as a great cultivator who had dominated Tian Luo for hundreds of years, he was naturally more reliable than staying near Han Li.


    At the very least, the Demon Soul¡¯s invisibility technique was too bizarre.


    Neither of them was confident they could detect it, so it seemed safer to deal with the other demon under the protection of Wei Wuya¡¯s poison fog.


    In an instant, the two had flown into the green fog, which Wei Wuya had already prepared as a safe passage, allowing them to enter unharmed.


    Han Li had no intention of continuing to worry about Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the others, and merely glanced lightly in the direction of several elders with the surname Cheng.


    However, he was slightly taken aback!


    He saw that the three unsuspecting individuals were suddenly enveloped by a black-purple light screen formed by the devilish light.


    However, considering their advanced age and status as Nascent Soul cultivators, they naturally had their own set of defensive techniques.


    Instantly, the three of them and two bodies quickly huddled together, forming a plum blossom defensive formation back-to-back.


    Then, they each took out their defensive treasures.


    Transforming into circles of flickering spiritual light, they managed to deploy densely layered protective shields, numbering up to five or six layers.


    The two malevolent ghost puppets even simultaneously released dense, gray-white ghostly aura, submerging the forms of the five.


    At the same time, Han Li heard a transmitted message from the silver-haired elder:


    ¡°Senior Disciple, Han Li, this demon seems extremely formidable.


    It might be safer to stick together.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Han Li gave a bitter smile.


    It appeared that these three had their own methods to have ventured here without a map.


    He didn¡¯t need to worry too much about this ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng.¡±


    However, such tactics, although seemingly safer, also drastically limited their movements.


    They must act in unison to coordinate effectively.


    But he was not good at cooperating with others; he preferred acting alone.


    Thinking this, the demon screen also arrived above Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li frowned, a flash of azure light sparked, and a misty azure spiritual light shielded him.


    Then, he raised both hands and flicked his fingers continuously at the screen.


    More than ten beams of azure Sword Qi, each about ten meters long, crisscrossed and shot out with ease, shredding the black-purple light screen into pieces.


    Seeing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned, but after quickly surveying his surroundings, he exhaled helplessly and lowered his arms.


    Although the light screen above was dispersed, nearby areas were flashing with black-purple devilish light.


    He was already surrounded by the ancient devil¡¯s screen.


    In that moment, this ancient devil¡¯s screen covered an area of at least ten miles across, an incredibly shocking display.


    Han Li¡¯s movements slowed slightly.


    The devilish screen in the sky flickered and then returned to its original state, enveloping him once again.


    This time, apart from flicking his sleeve to release the Bluelight Shield and adding another protective layer to himself, Han Li refrained from any futile actions.


    He was immediately submerged by the black-purple light screen.


    His eyes flickered a few times, and it seemed nothing had happened, but Han Li furrowed his brow.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that the ancient devil would release such a vast screen for no reason.


    Moments later, under his vigilant observation, he finally noticed something, and his expression darkened.


    Although his body felt normal, the two layers of protective shields he had released were experiencing mana leakage.


    Although very slight, the continuous loss of mana was foreseeable.


    These black-purple light screens could directly absorb the sect master¡¯s mana.


    With anger and shock in his heart, after brief contemplation, he clenched his fists.


    After a few rumbles of thunder, two thick bolts of golden lightning appeared from his hands and, with a flash of light, shot out rapidly, piercing the two layers of protective shields before exploding.


    The ¡°crackle and pop¡± sounds were loud, and numerous fine bolts of electricity danced non-stop on the surface of the azure and blue shields, pushing away the approaching devilish light by several inches.


    The bizarre phenomenon of mana leakage abruptly stopped.


    Han Li then breathed a sigh of relief, and with a shift of his spiritual sense, the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse and the other puppets stepped forward, clustering him in the middle.


    The fifteen huge tortoises directly emitted intense cold from their backs, and large, translucent ice awls instantly formed.


    All these actions appeared extensive but, in fact, occurred in an instant.


    Han Li¡¯s expressionless face now flickered with blue light.


    He deployed the Brightsight Spirit Eyes Divine Skill.


    But after scanning left and right ahead, his heart sank!


    (Second chapter update!)(To be continued, for further information please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 850 - Chapter 850 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 847 The Demon Sword Reappears

    ?Chapter 850: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 847 The Demon Sword Reappears Chapter 850: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 847 The Demon Sword Reappears After transforming again, the Demon Soul let out a sinister laugh, then vanished like a fleeting breeze.


    The Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse, which had been motionless in front of Han Li, suddenly let out a low roar and its arms abruptly moved.


    Countless jade-green claw shadows emitted a ¡°shh shh¡± sound as they tore through the air, enveloping the area in front.


    The black light flickered, and the ghostly figure of the Demon Soul with two heads and four arms appeared amidst the claw shadows.


    A trace of ferocity flashed across the ghoulish face of the Demon Soul, and with a gentle wave of one arm towards the claw shadows, a denser and sharper array of claw lights suddenly burst forth, more intense than the green ones.


    As soon as they touched, the black lights easily tore through the green claw shadows, and the arm eerily swelled several feet, instantly turning into a black shadow that plunged its fingers into the rock-hard chest of the Jiangshi.


    With a clench of its fingers, it directly gouged out a hole as thick as a bowl.


    Black corpse blood gushed out.


    What would have been a mortal wound for a regular cultivator was merely a sharp pain in the chest for the Devil Corpse, which instead sparked its ferocity even more!


    It didn¡¯t retreat but instead, its arm flashed with green light and instantly turned into a tricolored spike, several feet long, that lunged at the Demon Soul.


    The Demon Soul uttered a light ¡°huh,¡± either slightly surprised by the Jiangshi¡¯s strong life force or by the sudden appearance of the spike, greatly astonished.


    But after the ¡°huh,¡± the Demon Soul instead sneered coldly.


    Both arms moved like phantoms to the front.


    As soon as the tricolored spike arrived, it was firmly caught between two palms covered in a black hard shell, unable to advance any further.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Then, the creature with the ghostly face sneered, its hands suddenly gripped and then forcefully twisted, intending to break the spike into two.


    With a soft ¡°puh,¡± before immense strength was applied, the spike exploded by itself.


    A cloud of tricolored beetles suddenly appeared there, then unceremoniously enveloped the Demon Soul.


    At such close range and such a bizarre change, even the Demon Soul, who had maximized its demonic energy, was taken aback.


    Seeing the beetle cloud about to fall, a trace of ferocity passed over the Demon Soul¡¯s face.


    It suddenly opened its mouth, and rings of black shock waves burst forth, enveloping the tricolored beetle cloud close at hand.


    An eerie scene occurred.


    As soon as the Gold Devouring Beetles were engulfed by the black ripples, they suddenly stopped moving.


    Then, with ¡°bang bang¡± muffled noises, the beetles began bursting one by one of their own accord, turning into a cloud of blood mist that scattered in the air.


    The Gold Devouring Beetles were not as tough as the Gold Devouring Bugs, and this swarm was destroyed completely by the demon sound from the Demon Soul¡¯s mouth, leaving nothing behind.


    At this moment, the other arm of the Jiangshi also swiped down.


    The Demon Soul showed an impatient expression and immediately turned cold.


    Its figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.


    It reappeared behind the Jiangshi, a dark fist lightly striking from behind.


    The seemingly slow movement, for some reason, only allowed the Devil Corpse to tilt its head slightly before the fist landed right in front of it.


    At the same moment, a foot-long black bone spur shot out from the fist, piercing one side of Jiangshi¡¯s skull and emerging from the other side.


    Jiangshi immediately trembled, freezing in place.


    The Demon Soul smirked darkly as black flames suddenly appeared on the bone spur, fiercely burning.


    He retracted the bone spur, and Jiangshi¡¯s figure flickered in the black flame a few times before crashing to the ground.


    From the moment the Demon Soul charged into the beetle cloud to transform again, and used the bone spur to deal with the Jiangshi, it all seemed lengthy, but it was actually done in the blink of an eye.


    When Han Li first saw the Demon Soul approaching and the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse went to meet it, he instinctively propelled his body backward to escape, wanting to increase the distance from this demon.


    At the same time, he pointed to the swirling golden sword lights above him.


    All the sword lights were connected by his Sword technique into a coherent whole, turning into layers of golden waves.


    With a shift of his Divine Sense, he was about to press these golden lights towards where the Demon Soul was.


    But unexpectedly, just this brief delay allowed the double-headed, six-armed Demon Soul to easily defeat the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse left in its original position.


    Han Li gasped, a bitter feeling rising in his heart along with a sense of pain.


    He had only recently refined this Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse to be somewhat useful.


    He had just deployed it here for the first time, and it was easily defeated by the ancient devil before him.


    Now, relying on its Corpse Refining body, it lay on the ground with its life unknown, but from the looks of it, even if it hadn¡¯t truly fallen, it had completely lost its combat capability.


    Thinking like this, Han Li split his attention.


    The previously disrupted Tiger Demon Puppet had stabilized its form and was once again lunging at the Demon Soul with flashes of white light.


    Meanwhile, the huge tortoise puppet beasts, like Han Li, scattered backward while their mouths flashed with blue light, about to fire another round of ice light beams.


    And the heavy layers of sword shadows hovering above Han Li¡¯s head were also thunderously pressing down on the Demon Soul.


    Seeing this, the Demon Soul snorted coldly.


    Its four demonic arms waved slightly, and instantly, bone spurs of various shapes, some curved, some straight but all glinting with a chillingly sharp light, sprang from the elbows and fists.


    Before the Tiger Demon Puppet beasts could close in, the Demon Soul vanished from its original spot with a ¡°shua.¡±


    All attacks suddenly lost their target and were involuntarily paused.


    At that moment, a black gleam flashed, and the Demon Soul bizarrely reappeared behind one of the Tiger Demon Puppet beasts.


    With a gentle sweep of its four long arms, the sound of ¡°shua shua¡± breaking the air arose.


    Several streaks of black light flickered across the body of the Tiger Demon Puppet beasts, disassembling it instantaneously, turning it into a pile of scrap metal and rubbish.


    The figure moved again, and the Demon Soul disappeared once more.


    Another puppet beast was penetrated through the chest by a thick bone spur, and it collapsed limplya€|


    From a distance, Han Li watched with both shock and anger, commanding the golden sword shadows to chase after the Demon Soul relentlessly.


    However, the demon would disappear and reappear unexpectedly with improved cultivation.


    Its Escape Technique and stealth technique were seamlessly integrated-within moments of flickering, no amount of Tiger Demon Puppet beasts could effectively surround and defend themselves.


    Han Li had always been proud of his close-combat skills, far superior to those of ordinary cultivators.


    However, witnessing the Demon Soul¡¯s methods, a chilling fear grew inside him.


    Compared to this Demon Soul, his combat skills seemed trivial.


    Even with the use of Brightsight Water, he could not lock onto the demon.


    While startled, the Demon Soul pulled out the bone spur from the neck of the last Tiger Demon Puppet beast and glanced casually at Han Li.


    The chilling look in its eyes made Han Li¡¯s heart sink slightly.


    Since reaching the great success of his Nascent Soul, he had not felt this disturbed in a long time.


    Yet now it resurfaced in his heart.


    Han Li took a deep breath in an effort to remain calm.


    Given the opponent¡¯s almost instantly shifting speed, setting up the Aureate Sword Formation seemed unlikely.


    He would have to use other methods to buy some time.


    After pondering, Han Li solemnly pointed towards the sword shadows in the sky, and instantly the numerous sword lights chorused and abruptly reversed, shooting back over his head.


    Then amidst dazzling golden light, the layers of sword lights transformed into layers of golden waves, enveloping Han Li in an impenetrable barrier.


    He then clasped his hands together, summoning the rumbling of thunder around him.


    Thick arcs of golden lightning emanated from his body, with numerous finer arcs intertwining ceaselessly, forming a layer of golden electric armor on his body.


    The flashing golden light was strikingly eye-catching.


    Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and a dazzling purple light orb burst forth.


    With a ¡°hisses,¡± the violet flames surged a foot high.


    Then a shrill cry emitted from the fireball, and a purple Firebird, about a foot in length, manifested from the violet flames.


    It circled Han Li¡¯s body non-stop, fluttering its wings and scattering bursts of violet sparks that flickered beautifully.


    This was all the Purple Apex Flames that Han Li had refined so far.


    Han Li¡¯s series of actions seemed to pique the interest of the Demon Soul.


    Its vicious face distorted, and it stood still, seemingly curious to discern all of Han Li¡¯s capabilities before striking like thunder.


    Han Li, expressionless, glanced at the Demon Soul¡¯s grotesquely ferocious appearance.


    His gaze flickered, and suddenly, with a flip of his palm, a blood-red, peculiar small sword emerged from the center of his palm.


    The sword, several inches in size, was entirely blood-red and emitted a dazzling bloody light.


    Inside the sword, a wisp of black gas eerily remained motionless, making it seem extremely sinister.


    This was indeed the Blood Devil Sword he had obtained from the woman in white.


    As soon as the blood-colored small sword appeared, it trembled and buzzed on its own, immediately diffusing a putrid smell of blood.


    Han Li knew that recklessly using the sword came with severe consequences, but with life on the line, he could not afford to worry.


    Opening his mouth, a mist of spiritual essence was sprayed onto the small sword.


    The blood light dazzled, and the sword suddenly grew to a length of a foot, floating upwards.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned serious as he grabbed the hilt and gave it a light wave.


    He felt a massive surge of True Yuan flowing into the sword, startling him into hurriedly severing his Mana connection, murmuring to himself about the sword¡¯s ominous nature.


    Then, Han Li, holding the sword with one hand, coldly faced the Demon Soul.


    The moment the Demon Soul, which had been ferocious throughout, saw Han Li wielding the Blood Devil Sword, its face drastically changed, showing a shade of surprise while it stared unwaveringly at the sword.


    Seeing the opponent¡¯s reaction, Han Li was taken aback and somewhat bewildered.


    ¡°Very good, I didn¡¯t expect you to possess a Holy Artifact left in this world from our ancient times.


    If you¡¯re willing to hand this Holy Artifact over to me now, I can spare your life and let you leave this place,¡± the Demon Soul eventually confirmed that the Blood Devil Sword in Han Li¡¯s hands was what it desired.


    A hint of joy passed over its face before it spoke such words.


    ¡°Holy Artifact?


    Is this thing a Magic Artifact from the Ancient Devil Realm?¡± Han Li naturally felt alarmed and asked with a frown.


    ¡°Hmph, the affairs of the Sacred Realm are none of your business.


    I¡¯m only asking if you agree!¡± the Demon Soul did not care to elaborate further, glaring with a chilling voice.


    ¡°If you were a Human Cultivator, concerned for your life, I might agree.


    As for you, Hehea€|¡± Han Li rolled his eyes, his face revealing a scornfully cold sneer.

 Chapter 851 - Chapter 851 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 848 Black Blade

    ?Chapter 851: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 848 Black Blade Chapter 851: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 848 Black Blade Demon Soul heard these words, but, contrary to Han Li¡¯s expectation, he did not get angry.


    Instead, his silvery white pupils suddenly narrowed.


    His gaze swept over the sword shadows in front of Han Li, the Purple Firebird, and the Blood Devil Sword several times before it gradually turned ice-cold.


    Han Li met his gaze in silence, the Thunderstorm Wings slowly emerging behind him as mana began to rapidly circulate within his body.


    Just then, a loud explosion from afar reached their ears, causing both Han Li and Demon Soul to glance over, startled.


    There, amidst flashing lights, several differently colored orbs of light broke through a black light barrier.


    The barrier collapsed in an instant, revealing the true forms of the ring, the small grey sword, and the spell flags-Demonic Treasures whose devilish light now appeared dim, as if they had sustained considerable damage.


    While Demon Soul was fully preoccupied with dealing with Han Li, he had underestimated the trio of silver-haired elders.


    Even though all three were merely early Nascent Soul cultivators, each one of them was battle-hardened and had managed to break the restrictive formations trapping their treasures in no time, somehow employing some secret technique.


    However, having witnessed Demon Soul¡¯s unpredictable and ghostly escape technique, they were deeply shaken and naturally did not attempt to approach Han Li.


    Instead, they directed several Daoist paper talismans to attack Demon Soul from a distance, hoping to provide some distraction.


    The three of them were well aware that Han Li was the main force opposing this demonic entity.


    If Han Li were to fall, they would surely not fare well either.


    Han Li was overjoyed at heart by this unexpected assistance.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    If they could buy him enough time to set up the Aureate Sword Formation, it would be even more wonderful.


    With this thought, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but glance at Demon Soul.


    Demon Soul, seeing the treasures flying towards him and then looking at Han Li, the Malevolent Ghost¡¯s Skull eyes moved slightly before suddenly smiling sinisterly as he sprang into motion.


    After a blur of afterimages, the demon suddenly vanished from sight.


    Han Li¡¯s heart stirred urgently, and he quickly swept the area with his Brightsight Water.


    His expression immediately turned to alarm.


    ¡°Not good, be careful!¡± Han Li shouted, then without further ado, he urged his Divine Sense and the dispersed huge tortoise puppet beasts lifted their necks and consecutively fired blue beams, targeting the silver-haired elder¡¯s surroundings.


    Experienced as they were, the silver-haired elder and Daoist Heavencrystal were instantly alert to Han Li¡¯s subtle warning, understanding that the demon had suddenly abandoned its pursuit of Han Li and now attacked them instead.


    Despite their alarm, there was nothing they could do but inwardly curse their luck.


    After facing Han Li¡¯s assorted tactics, especially the Blood Devil Sword, Demon Soul had realized he couldn¡¯t defeat Han Li quickly.


    Now, with the silver-haired elders¡¯ interference, things had grown even more troublesome.


    So, the demon changed its plan, deciding first to eliminate the others who were in the way, then deal with the isolated Han Li last.


    More than a dozen thick beams exploded around the three Nascent Soul cultivators, spreading a chilling aura in all directions.


    A shadow flickered, and Demon Soul reappeared, now only a few dozen feet away from Daoist Heavencrystal and the others.


    Even though they were prepared, the three elders¡¯ expressions changed at the speed of the demon¡¯s escape.


    Fortunately, the trio seemed extremely well-coordinated; Senior Martial Brother Cheng and another elder both raised their hands- one shooting out a multitude of Daoist paper talismans while the other released a Flaming Fox from within his sleeve.


    Meanwhile, Daoist Heavencrystal pinched an incantation with both hands, and two malevolent ghost puppets standing behind him shook their forms, charging out of the barrier shield along with the Flaming Fox under the cover of the talismans.


    Once the talismans flew out of the shield, they turned into an extensive sea of fiery clouds crackling together, while the Flaming Fox leaped into the flames in the sky and instantly vanished without a trace.


    This was clearly a rare Spirit Beast that was adept in fire-based Escape Techniques.


    Seeing the two formidable malevolent ghost puppets rushing towards him, Demon Soul remained expressionless as he rubbed his four hands together.


    An ear-piercing screech erupted from within his palms, followed by the ¡°shua¡± sound of tearing the air, as two glaring spheres of dark light appeared between his hands.


    With a grab of his four hands, the two spheres of dark light were split into four, each hand clutching one portion and then, with a flick of his arms,


    The black light burst forth, and four sinister Dark Edge Light Blades appeared in his hands.


    These blades were not very long, only about two feet, and slightly curved from tip to base, resembling hooked butcher knives.


    But oddly, the blades vibrated constantly, even slightly distorting the space nearby, and their screeching never ceased.


    It was truly incomprehensible!


    What went unnoticed was that, at the moment the sinister blades took shape, a look of intense anguish contorted the human face at the back of Demon Soul, his complexion turning deathly pale as if a significant portion of his blood essence had been drained.


    In contrast, the face of the front Malevolent Ghost only grew fiercer as he shook the four cruel blades and, in a ¡°shua,¡± shot toward one of the pale green ghost puppets like an arrow from a bow.


    The puppet, of course, knew not what fear was and, without hesitation, opened its mouth wide to spew out a thick grey ghostly aura directly, forming a wave that rolled forward.


    Simultaneously, both of its hands rose, and green light flickered as ten strands of Frost Silk shot out from its fingertips, vanishing into the ghostly aura in the blink of an eye.


    The other Crimson puppet, after releasing the ghostly aura, flashed a red light on its hand, and a Crimson Light Whip shot out.


    As the fiery cloud above boiled and rolled towards the Demon Soul,


    the Demon Soul was caught in a pincer attack by three forces.


    With a casual wave of its four sinister blades, the Demon Soul sent forth four crescent-shaped beams of light that intersected in midair and transformed into two massive black crosses, slashing straight towards the two puppets.


    But in doing so, the Demon Soul¡¯s figure paused ever so slightly, and seizing this opportunity, a gargantuan flaming claw several feet in size suddenly shot down from the clouds and stabbed towards the Malevolent Ghost¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering with its five scythe-like razor-sharp talons.


    Green Frost Silk and the Crimson Light Whip also streaked out from the ghostly aura, aiming for the Demon Soul¡¯s body in a fleeting flash.


    The four arms of the Demon Soul moved, and the light from the blades blurred, creating rippling waves of light that coalesced into a rolling black light sphere.


    Barely touching the sphere, the green silk and the light whip emitted a plaintive cry as they were sucked in and immediately exploded in a burst of green and red light; the Frost Silk and the Whip were violently shredded to pieces.


    As soon as this happened, the fiery giant claw that had been reaching towards the sphere hesitated in terror and attempted to retract with lightning speed.


    However, it was too late.


    A curved flash of black light passed through, and the giant claw was sliced clean off, its flesh scattered in the air.


    A pitiful scream rang out from the fiery clouds above.


    A fierce gleam flashed across the Demon Soul¡¯s face as it licked off a few drops of fox blood that fell on its cheek with its purple tongue.


    After a low shout, it suddenly disappeared from its spot, and the next moment, it appeared at the center of the fiery clouds.


    As the clouds churned violently, several remnants of the Fire Fox¡¯s limbs, dripping with fresh blood, fell from the sky.


    The sight of the Demon Soul decimating the Fire Fox in mere moments left the three people within the protective barrier speechless, and the Nascent Soul old man who belonged to the Fire Fox wore an expression of heartache.


    After an eerie smile, the Demon Soul vanished once again.


    Suddenly, in the midst of the grey ghostly aura, black light flickered, and two thunderous booms followed one after another.


    Daoist Heavencrystal, who had been personally operating the puppets, turned deathly pale in an instant.


    Without thinking, he swept his long sleeve, and a gale burst forth within the aura, blowing away the mist entirely.


    Where the Demon Soul had been, nothing remained but the sliced remains of each puppet.


    At this turn of events, even Daoist Heavencrystal could no longer mourn the destruction of his puppets, as the three scrambled frantically, each searching for other treasures within their storage pouches.


    A spatial fluctuation occurred nearby, and a giant black peak, tens of meters tall, abruptly emerged and pressed down fiercely.


    It was Han Li who, seeing the dire situation, had instantly relocated the ancient treasure of Thousand Layer Mountain near the barrier to lend the three a helping hand.


    But before the peak could land, the Demon Soul materialized in the previously empty space with a glint of coldness and hate.


    With a simultaneous raise of its four arms, the four light blades coalesced into one, transforming into a huge Black Giant Blade almost a zhang in length that emitted thunderous rumblings.


    Holding the blade in both hands, the Demon Soul didn¡¯t hesitate to aim at the base of the Black Dragon¡¯s Grasp and beheaded it with a single slash.


    A slim, silent beam of black light shot from the blade.


    A dazzling radiance erupted from the base of the peak as the entire mass shook violently.


    Starting from the middle, a smooth, mirror-like crack appeared and split the mountain in half with a single slash.


    The two halves of the mountain then fell towards the ground.


    The Demon Soul wasted no time, lifting the huge blade again and casting a malicious glance at the protective barriers of the Sect Masters.


    It swung its hands, and a similarly sinister black light blade slashed towards the barrier.


    The silver-haired elder and Daoist Heavencrystal instantly turned ashen.


    While they didn¡¯t believe the multi-layered light barrier could withstand such a powerful attack, they exchanged desperate looks and, in a synchronized flash of spiritual light, they transformed into three beams of light that shot out from the barrier, flying in different directions to escape.


    The silver-haired elder headed in Han Li¡¯s direction, while Daoist Heavencrystal and another elder broke off towards Wei Wuya.


    Han Li, who was also startled by the monstrous slash, cursed silently upon seeing their actions.


    Given the Demon Soul¡¯s terrifying speed, the three were certainly in grave danger once separated.


    But he was currently busy finalizing the last steps of the Aureate Sword Formation and couldn¡¯t fly to their rescue.


    He had no choice but to continue casting sequences of Incantations swiftly, while under the control of his Divine Sense, the several huge tortoise puppet beasts released their ice awls all at once.


    Now, Han Li didn¡¯t expect this attack to harm the enemy; as long as it could slightly delay the Demon Soul¡¯s actions, it might provide the silver-haired elder and the others a chance to escape with their lives.


    (Second update!


    Sweat, it¡¯s the second update for yesterday!) (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 852 - Chapter 852 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 849 Demonic Might Rampant

    ?Chapter 852: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 849 Demonic Might Rampant Chapter 852: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 849 Demonic Might Rampant The pitch-black blade aura indeed sliced through the layers of protective shields as effortlessly as cutting vegetables, and then the shields shattered with an explosion, turning into specks of light.


    Yet after that single slash from the demon soul, seeing that the three people were fleeing in all directions, its gaze shifted over the streaks of their departure, and a sneer appeared on its face.


    At this moment, thousands of ice awls covered the space above, trapping it within.


    The demon soul gave a slight wave of its hands, and the black giant blade flickered, transforming back into a blinding sphere of light.


    Then, with a slight pull, the black light stretched and thinned, instantly turning into two long black light spears, each about six meters in length.


    Its arms swung forcefully in succession!


    One spear shot towards the old man, while the other was thrown behind, flying towards the silver-haired old man.


    And the demon soul itself stomped fiercely, suddenly turning into a streak of black light, shooting straight towards Daoist Heavencrystal.


    With a loud shrieking sound, the two black spears vanished mid-flight.


    The demon soul¡¯s form flickered several times and, like a ghost, it appeared over twenty meters away in an instant, escaping the range of the ice awl attack.


    As the fleeing Nascent Soul old man heard the whistling sound behind him, a pang of shock went through his heart.


    Without a second thought, he hurriedly sacrificed an object he had been holding ready in his hand.


    Instantly, an eight-sided silver medal flew out, turning into a layer of silver-white light that enveloped him within.


    Only after securing his defense did the old man dare to hastily look back.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    However, to his surprise, there was nothing to be seen.


    The old man stood dumbfounded, still unclear on what had happened when the shriek resounded shockingly close.


    A flash of black, and the black spear eerily appeared a meter away, shooting at the silver screen with the speed of lightning.


    Under the old man¡¯s horrified gaze, black and silver intertwined.


    Then, with violent shaking around the black spear, there was a ¡®puchi¡¯ sound, and the light screen was pierced as if it was mere paper.


    Following this, the spear penetrated the old man¡¯s abdomen and exploded.


    The old man didn¡¯t even have the chance to scream before his body turned into pieces that scattered in all directions.


    A Nascent Soul, looking bewildered, wrapped in a silver light, appeared where he had been.


    It seemed not to believe that its body had been destroyed so easily.


    During this moment of hesitation, the originally exploded specks of black light reformed into a large net, capturing the Nascent Soul inside in an instant.


    Only then did the Nascent Soul finally show a terrified realization.


    It quickly formed hand seals, and its body flashed with silver light, suddenly vanishing from the spot, using the Shifting Smoke Steps technique.


    As the silver light flickered, the Nascent Soul plunged head-first into the net and showed itself.


    The black net, without any courtesy, constricted and tightened, wrapping the Nascent Soul into a huge glowing sphere that hung motionless in the air.


    Meanwhile, the other black spear shot towards the direction of the silver-haired old man, similarly appearing behind Senior Martial Brother Cheng as if it had teleported.


    The silver-haired old man, who had not fully recovered his Qi before entering the valley, was now even less able to react to such a strange attack.


    He could only cry out ¡°not good¡± in his heart as he prepared to let his Nascent Soul escape from his body to save his life.


    But at that moment, intense spatial fluctuations occurred where the old man reached out.


    Then, a blood-red sword light, about a meter long, appeared in front of the black spear.


    The sword light was as red as blood, with an evil aura reaching the heavens.


    It mercilessly struck at the black spear, slashing it.


    The intertwining of the black and blood-red light shattered stones, and then with an explosion, they both dissipated without a trace.


    Overjoyed, the silver-haired old man hurriedly looked towards Han Li, only to see him pale-faced, slowly lowering the blood sword in his hand, and giving the old man a forced smile.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng¡± naturally felt a deep gratitude towards his savior, Senior Disciple Han Li.


    Then, with all his mana surging, he immediately flew to Han Li¡¯s side.


    But Daoist Heavencrystal was not so lucky.


    Seeing the scene of another old man¡¯s body destroyed and his Nascent Soul trapped, he turned pale in an instant.


    His escape light suddenly increased by a third.


    At that moment, a figure with two heads and four arms materialized in front of him.


    Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s heart trembled, and he immediately stopped his escape light, without a second thought he opened his mouth, and a small grey sword, crystalline as water, shot out.


    With an incantation, the sword instantly transformed into dozens of densely packed scorching white sword lights, slashing wildly in every direction.


    The demon soul, without a word, twisted its body eerily and vanished on the spot.


    Naturally, all the sword lights missed and hit empty space.


    Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s heart sank.


    A sudden thought flashed past, and he was about to fly upwards, but as soon as he moved, he felt a violent tremor in his protective shield.


    A series of muffled sounds followed, and he suddenly lost control of most of his mana within his body, causing his form to stagger.


    ¡°No good!¡± Daoist Heavencrystal exclaimed in horror as the sound of his shield breaking followed.


    A pitch-black demon claw, with a hissing sound of tearing through the air, pierced through his abdomen from the front, grabbing the Nascent Soul that was attempting to escape from the Dantian.


    With one tug of his arm, Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s limbs went limp, and he instantly lost the ability to move.


    Then, a surge of black flames erupted, wrapping around his mutilated body, which turned to a pile of ashes in an instant.


    Just as Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s Nascent Soul was scared out of its wits, the Insect Devil¡¯s grasp loosened its grip, and it suddenly obtained freedom.


    At this moment, the Nascent Soul was overwhelmed with joy and surprise.


    Without hesitating to ponder the reason behind its release, it flashed white and instantly moved to a spot more than thirty feet away.


    But before it could attempt to move again, the Demon Soul at a distance let out a cold sneer.


    With a slight opening of its mouth, a purple shadow darted out.


    The Nascent Soul afar was pierced through by a purple tongue, then, with an effortless tug, Daoist Heavencrystal¡¯s Nascent Soul was swept into the gaping maw of the Demon Soul¡¯s Malevolent Ghost¡¯s Skull.


    After chewing briefly, the Demon Soul¡¯s face flickered with black light, revealing a satisfied expression.


    Then it motioned towards another sphere of light that was enveloping a different Nascent Soul.


    The sphere shot over and was also swallowed whole by the monstrous maw.


    Having devoured two Nascent Souls in succession, the Demon Soul felt a substantial increase in soul power within its body.


    It then calmly turned around, its gaze falling on the only one who had escaped its clutches, the silver-haired elder, and Han Li, who stood by his side.


    Its tongue quickly licked its upper palate before retracting.


    The grotesque face bore a look of lingering desire.


    The silver-haired elder, witnessing the scene of Daoist Heavencrystal and another friend¡¯s Nascent Soul being devoured by the Demon Soul, maintained a composure that could hardly be called terrified, but his face was extremely unsightly.


    He knew well that if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had fled towards Han Li and that Han Li had provided assistance, his fate would not have been any better.


    The fact that Nascent Soul cultivators, who were treated with respect and envy by all the other cultivators outside the valley, had been dealt with in a single encounter by this demon, was truly unbelievable.


    That Han Li could engage this demon for so long, only slightly disadvantaged, was a testament to his vast Divine Skills.


    In retrospect, the elder¡¯s decision to earnestly win over Junior Disciple Han had been extremely correct.


    With such thoughts, the elder couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to glance at Han Li standing beside him.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was unusually dark, yet his eyes remained calm and undisturbed.


    Having set up the Aureate Sword Formation, he felt he had the power to fight, and his confidence surged.


    He also casually glanced over at another battle taking place several hundred feet away.


    There, another ancient devil seemed intent on a steady and firm approach.


    It had released a swath of pitch-black Devil Flame that spanned several hundred feet, completely encircling Wei Wuya¡¯s green cloud, continuously burning and weakening the cloud.


    What had originally been several acres of green poisonous fog had now been reduced to about an acre, looking as if it was on the verge of collapse.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu and the white-robed woman, protected by the green fog for the time being, were also desperately activating several magic treasures to fend off the formidable Devil Flame.


    Han Li sighed silently, knowing that Wei Wuya and the others could not last much longer.


    However, he couldn¡¯t concern himself with much else and could only concentrate on facing the Demon Soul in front of him, seeing if he could rely on the sect-wide formation to kill this foul beast first.


    Just then, the distant Demon Soul leisurely flew towards Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed, and without a word, he raised his hand, and a Jade Talisman shot out from his palm.


    Following that, black light flickered, and a pitch-black demon hand reached out directly towards the Demon Soul.


    At the same time, he flung his sleeve, and dozens of azure flying swords soared out.


    After a buzzing sound, the swords released bright green light as they converged into a giant, fuzzy azure sword with an imposing presence.


    Han Li formed incantations with both hands and pointed gently at the Demon Soul.


    The giant sword wavered and disappeared from the sky in an instant, only to reappear above the Demon Soul¡¯s head, having overtaken it from behind.


    It spared no courtesies as it slashed down mercilessly.


    The Demon Soul let out a strange laugh.


    Rubbing its hands together, it summoned a Black Giant Blade, which it raised to meet the descending huge azure sword head-on.


    The demon had already discerned that the azure flying sword was one of Han Li¡¯s magic treasures.


    Naturally, it harbored the malicious intention of splitting the giant sword in one strike, aiming to deal a severe blow to Han Li¡¯s spirit.


    As for the ghost hand that clawed toward it, the demon held it in contempt.


    With a lift of an arm, a stream of black Demonic Qi sprayed out, instantly forming a black tentacle that entangled and wrapped around the ghost hand, firmly trapping it.


    The ghost hand struggled desperately to tear through the surrounding Demonic Qi, but it was all in vain; the Demonic Qi stuck like flesh-consuming maggots, breaking apart and rejoining, refusing to let go.


    At that moment, the Black Giant Blade and the huge azure sword collided, creating an astonishing boom.


    Black light and green light intertwined chaotically, and the giant blade emitted a deep humming sound as the space around it began to distort and ripple like waves.


    However, the azure sword, forced to retreat, was still intact, without the slightest fracture.


    The Demon Soul, surprised, looked up with both heads, and both faces showed astonishment.


    It was unaware that although Han Li¡¯s Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords had not been cultivated for long and lacked Auric Essence, thus having limited power, they had been reforged by Han Li in the past with ice crystal pillars, making them much harder than ordinary Daoist paper talismans.


    In this realm, there was hardly anything that could sever them instantly.


    The Demon Claw, vibrated by the Demon Qi to form an edge as sharp as the finest flying swords or daggers of Human Cultivators, struggled to instantly slice through the giant sword formed by dozens of Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords.


    During the Demon Soul¡¯s moment of distraction, the huge azure sword suddenly rang with rumblings like thunder, and a multitude of golden arcs burst from the blade, twinkling with golden light.


    The Black Giant Blade, which had been dominating, came into contact with these golden arcs and ¡°Puchi¡±-instantly disintegrated.


    Without any resistance, the huge azure sword, carrying the thick golden lightning, ferociously slashed towards the Demon Soul¡¯s head.


    (First update!)(To be continued¡­


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there and support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 853 - Chapter 853 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 850 Trapping Demons

    ?Chapter 853: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 850 Trapping Demons Chapter 853: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 850 Trapping Demons The Demon Soul had not expected that the huge sword was actually a Gold Lightning Bamboo Daoist paper talisman and was taken aback.


    However, with his bizarre speed, a flash of black light occurred, and his figure appeared more than ten feet away, causing the huge sword to swing at empty air.


    Once the demon stopped, his face suddenly darkened, and rubbing his four palms together, two black light spheres emerged.


    The black light twinkled, and the two light spheres transformed into two black light spears, buzzing loudly.


    The demon bit the tip of his tongue between its fangs, and with a ¡°puh puh,¡± he spat out two mouthfuls of blood essence that struck the black spears.


    Immediately, the two light spears trembled slightly and turned blood red in color.


    After spitting out the blood essence, the Demon Soul showed a hint of frailty in both of its heads.


    It seemed this technique had cost it a great deal of Qi.


    The huge azure sword appeared once again above the Demon Soul¡¯s head and then chopped down.


    This time, without a word, the Demon Soul waved its four arms.


    The two blood spears in its hands were thrown at the giant sword simultaneously.


    Following a fleeting flash of bloody light, there were two loud ¡°bangs.¡±


    Golden lightning wildly flashed, but under the Devilbane Lightning, the two light spears did not disperse.


    They struck the body of the giant sword solidly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    As a result, the giant sword issued a long, mournful cry and was knocked several feet away, tumbling several times.


    At the same time, the spiritual light on the sword¡¯s body flashed madly, becoming extremely dim.


    Far away, Han Li, who was controlling the giant sword, turned blood red in the face; but immediately afterward, a flash of blue and his expression returned to normal.


    Being connected in mind and spirit with the giant sword, Han Li naturally faced some setbacks.


    Fortunately, his Divine Sense was extraordinarily powerful, and this level of damage had no significant effect on him.


    However, Han Li dared not hesitate any longer and pointed towards the distance.


    After a buzzing sound, the giant sword split into dozens of beams of azure light that suddenly disassembled and then shot back towards Han Li.


    ¡°Thinking of escaping!


    Leave these flying swords behind first,¡± barked the Demon Soul upon seeing the flying swords escape.


    It then beckoned to the two blood-red spears, and with a flash of light, the spears instantly transformed into two large blood-colored hands, swiftly chasing after them with a whoosh.


    Seeing that Han Li had recklessly released many Gold Lightning Bamboo treasures, it naturally was not willing to let Han Li easily take them back.


    The Demon Soul itself also spun round, emitting large amounts of Demonic Qi before transforming into a mass of dark clouds, chasing after them like lightning.


    Han Li saw this, and his heart secretly rejoiced, but his face showed no expression, appearing unusually composed.


    An elderly man with silver hair beside him, however, became somewhat uneasy.


    He flipped his hand, and a small, yellowish-gray sword appeared in his hand, ready to lend support to Han Li.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng, no need to intervene.


    Wait until we trap this demon, then it¡¯s not too late for Brother to make a move!¡± Before the elderly man could unleash the flying sword, Han Li¡¯s voice transmitted to his ear.


    The silver-haired elderly man was startled by these words, looked around, then immediately ceased his action, feeling greatly relieved.


    At this moment, the two blood-colored hands were noticeably faster than the numerous flying swords.


    The azure light had only flown a short distance when the two large hands caught up one after the other.


    Just as the two blood hands suddenly swelled several times in size and reached down to grab the flying swords, Han Li¡¯s hand incantations moved unhurriedly.


    The previously seemingly scattered flying swords emitted a clear chime, suddenly connecting their Spiritual Power and transformed into a burst of azure mist that broke through the air.


    Their speed instantly doubled.


    The two blood-colored hands naturally grabbed at nothing, and just as the azure flying swords flew above Han Li¡¯s head, they began circling uncertainly.


    Behind, within the dark clouds, the Demon Soul was furiously enraged.


    The opponent¡¯s recent action clearly had some intention of making a mockery.


    With a face as still as water, the demon motioned towards the two blood-colored hands.


    Two streaks of blood light shot back, and after circling, two blood-colored long sabers landed in his hands.


    A fierce shriek came from the Demon Soul¡¯s mouth, and an expanse of Demonic Qi, more than ten feet across, rolled towards Han Li without any warning.


    The demon¡¯s figure flickered and disappeared from within the Demonic Qi, concealing itself.


    Seeing the overwhelming Demonic Qi, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but frown, but he raised both hands, and golden electricity instantly shot out along his arms, forming a net of lightning that intercepted the vast Demonic Qi.


    His eyes flickered with a rapid blue light as he scanned left and right, showing no emotion.


    However, Han Li¡¯s face suddenly showed a hint of surprise!


    There was no trace of the Demon Soul in the empty surroundings.


    He suddenly looked up into the sky, and still, there was no sign!


    Han Li was stunned for a moment, touched his chin, but immediately his expression changed as he thought of something.


    Instantly, he grabbed the arm of the silver-haired elderly man and, without a word, transformed into an azure arc of light shooting backward.


    Just at that moment, two flashes of blood light momentarily surged towards the sky from where Han Li had been standing.


    Then, the Demon Soul appeared a few dozen feet below, both of its heads showing a look of surprise.


    This surprise attack had seemed almost certain in its mind.


    Han Li inwardly cursed the Demon Soul for its sinister nature, thinking of attacking from below.


    If he had not reacted quickly, even with the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he would have almost been split into two halves.


    He didn¡¯t believe that just the three-colored armor in his aqua robe and a thin layer of body-protecting brilliance could actually block the opponent¡¯s sabers.


    The silver-haired elderly man, likewise sweating profusely, also showed a face full of fear.


    The Demon Soul stood in place, glancing at Han Li¡¯s suddenly changing expression, and after its eyes shifted a few times, it sinisterly smiled and once again transformed into a streak of black light that shot towards him.


    Han Li chuckled lightly.


    As soon as the black light shot out a few meters, a golden light burst forth in front of him, and an inconspicuous gold chain flickered into existence, flashing towards the black light in the blink of an eye.


    With a light ¡°clang,¡± the gold chain paused momentarily in front of the black light.


    Two blood-red sabers blocked its path.


    But then, with a muffled sound, the black light suddenly ricocheted back about ten meters, revealing Demon Soul¡¯s somewhat staggering form.


    Both of its heads displayed a shocked expression.


    The gold chain flickered and then disappeared without a trace.


    The Aureate Sword Formation was finally activated by Han Li, leading the demon into several arrays.


    At that moment, Han Li clasped his hands and connected his Divine Sense to all the sword lights, suddenly urging the entire Aureate Sword Formation.


    A strange scene unfolded.


    Countless golden threads, flickering with a bizarre golden glow, appeared and disappeared silently around them.


    Their movements were silent and irregular, slowly converging toward the center.


    Demon Soul¡¯s face tightened, realizing only then that it had fallen into Han Li¡¯s trap, deeply ensnared within an unknown restrictive formation.


    Out of alarm and anger, it swung its twin sabers, sending several blood-red saber lights crisscrossing out, directly slashing towards Han Li¡¯s position.


    Dozens of gold chains simultaneously appeared and flickered several times, instantly chopping the blood light into countless tiny chunks that transformed into specks of Spiritual Light and vanished without a trace.


    Demon Soul froze, its front head displaying a grave look.


    Then with a cold snort, the two blood-red sabers converged in the middle, their tips flashing before transforming into a huge blood-red blade.


    Its four arms gripped the blade, aligning it in one direction and slowly making an exceptionally slow slash.


    The immense strength of the blade emitted a blood light so dazzling that it sent out a massive crescent moon slash.


    The momentum was indeed shocking!


    The huge saber light cut through several gold chains and shot out ten meters.


    However, the gold chains in front appeared densely packed, and after breaking through a few more feet, the saber light finally collapsed with a significant reduction in blood light.


    Demon Soul was ultimately horrified.


    As the gold chains from all directions continued unabatedly closing in towards the center.


    Having executed the Aureate Sword Formation once before, he manipulated this Sword Array with much more proficiency than the last time.


    The silver-haired elder nearby showed a face mixed with shock and joy.


    Little did he know that Han Li had such unfathomably Great Divine Power.


    At the center, Demon Soul tried several Escape Techniques, at one moment turning into a light black mist, and then into fine black threads, aiming to fly out of the array.


    But without exception, all were harshly blocked by the golden threads.


    It even transformed the huge blade in its hand into four narrow sinister blades, swirling them in all four arms to form a blood-colored light sphere around its body and then aggressively attempted another breakthrough.


    The situation worsened, those gold chains not only were exceptionally sharp but also contained immense strength.


    If it weren¡¯t for the blood-red light blades momentarily withstanding the golden threads¡¯ cutting, it would have been diced to pieces by the chaotic blades.


    As the Sword Array tightened and the gold chains got increasingly close to Demon Soul, leaving only a few meters to move in the center, Demon Soul couldn¡¯t help but tilt its two heads back and let out a long howl.


    One tone rough and one tone gentle.


    Han Li inadvertently furrowed his brows, wondering what the demon was trying to do, when suddenly from afar within a hundred meters in the Devil Flame, another ancient devil let out a similar howl.


    Then, a massive figure shot out from the flames, directly flying towards them.


    Enveloped in pitch-black Devil Flame, a similarly two-headed, four-armed, but six to seven-meter-tall immense demon was faintly visible in the firelight.


    Its speed of escape was incredibly fast, almost instantaneously covering thousands of miles, and in the blink of an eye, it was less than a hundred meters away from Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s face changed dramatically.


    ¡°Junior Martial Brother!


    Our reinforcements have also arrived!¡± Just then, the silver-haired elder said to Han Li with great joy.


    Han Li was taken aback, his gaze swiftly turning as he scanned the distance.


    He saw from both sides on the horizon, lights flickering simultaneously, as two groups of Sect Masters arrived at their location.


    This immediately dispelled the thought of escape that had just risen in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    He glanced at the trapped Demon Soul in the Sword Array, then quickly looked at the other demon rushing towards them.


    Deciding on a plan, he suddenly pointed to the Purple Firebird that had been circling overhead.


    Instantly, the bird spread its wings and met the ancient devil that was flying towards them.


    With one hand, he turned over his palm, and the previously sheathed Blood Devil Sword emerged.


    In his other hand, a blood light flickered, and a blood-soaked Daoist paper talisman appeared in his palm, upon which a bright red blood flood dragon roamed ceaselessly-the Spirit Subjugation Talisman he had refined with immense effort.


    Though this Spirit Talisman had been used for a while during the Border War, it was only for a short time that had depleted only less than one-third of its power.


    Now taking it out again, Han Li did not hesitate to slap the blood talisman onto himself.


    The blood light flickered, and the Spirit Talisman vanished in a flash.


    A huge flood dragon phantom suddenly emerged onto Han Li, over thirty meters in size, completely blood-red, truly resembling the grade eight flood dragon.


    After the flood dragon phantom appeared, it raised its head and let out a thunderous roar, shocking the entire world.


    The ancient devil rushing toward them and the Demon Soul within the Sword Array were both caught off guard by this roar.


    The silver-haired elder was left utterly dumbfounded.


    (Second release!


    Hehe, the most shocking scene is about to unfold.


    I¡¯m going to cover my mouth and sneak a laugh!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 854 - Chapter 854 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 851 Unexpected Turn

    ?Chapter 854: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 851 Unexpected Turn Chapter 854: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 851 Unexpected Turn The dragon¡¯s cry ceased, and the shadow of the flood dragon soared to the heavens before circling once and diving into Han Li¡¯s back, disappearing without a trace.


    A blood-red light pierced through his spine, and a pattern of a blood flood dragon emerged, going from blurry to sharp, several inches in size, as vivid as life.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s body flickered with blood-red light.


    From his cheeks to his arms, thumb-sized, translucent blood-colored scales appeared, while a sharp pain on his head gave birth to a small delicate flood dragon horn, crimson as blood.


    His palms transformed as well, his fingers becoming sharp, and his nails turned into tough, razor-like talons.


    At first glance, Han Li¡¯s transformed appearance bore a resemblance to the Demon Soul trapped within the Array, albeit with only three points of similarity.


    Han Li still had a human face, his scales dripping blood red, while the Demon Soul¡¯s two heads were fierce beyond compare, and its scales were purple.


    Han Li had cast the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, fusing his True Yuan with the power of the flood dragon spirit.


    His cultivation momentarily reached the peak of the early Nascent Soul Stage, merely a hair¡¯s breadth from the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    Now, he emitted green and red spiritual light all around him, his two hands grasping the hilt of the Blood Devil Sword, furiously pouring all his mana into it.


    The Blood Devil Sword trembled violently and then its blood light surged several zhang high, emitting a pungent stench of blood.


    And Han Li¡¯s forehead horn, fully empowered by the flood dragon¡¯s spirit, shone bright and blinding red, releasing a dazzling radiance.


    Han Li had made up his mind; since he had trapped the Demon Soul within the Sword Array, he must prevent the other ancient devilish techniques from coming to its rescue.


    Otherwise, if the two demons were to join bodies, the trouble would become immense.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    But with the chasing monster¡¯s speed, it wouldn¡¯t wait for the Sword Array to close before it was upon him.


    The only method was to take the initiative, to exterminate the Demon Soul on the spot.


    With only one creature remaining, it would surely not be a match for the group of cultivators following him.


    Although utilizing the Blood Devil Sword came with grave consequences and would greatly deplete his True Yuan, he had already decided to annihilate the demon with full force and then immediately escape from the dangerous situation, refusing to join the group of cultivators in their attack on the other creature.


    He didn¡¯t want to suffer any accidents due to his significantly diminished cultivation.


    Having dealt with one of the creatures on his own, he believed that the other cultivators would have no complaints about it.


    But at this moment, the Blood Devil Sword seemed like a bottomless pit, swiftly consuming most of Han Li¡¯s spiritual power.


    The blood-red sword light contracted and expanded erratically, reaching a vast length of six to seven zhang.


    The gathered spiritual energy was so strong that even Han Li himself was secretly shocked.


    Seeing this, the Demon Soul in the Array focused intently on the sword light, its face gradually showing a hint of fear.


    ¡°Are you seeking death?


    Human Cultivator recklessly wielding our Sacred Realm¡¯s Holy Artifact without consideration, do you wish to be demonized?¡± At last, unable to bear it, the Demon Soul, with both heads, harshly shouted.


    Han Li sneered coldly but continued to pour his spiritual power into the sword, paying no heed to the objection.


    The Demon Soul was immediately filled with rage.


    It knew that the other was intent on taking its life.


    Suddenly, a blood light flashed, and it beheaded one of its own arms as quickly as one draws a blade.


    The severed limb fell, the wound as smooth as a mirror, without a single drop of blood, which seemed extremely eerie.


    But in the blink of an eye as the arm fell, it was caught by the other hand.


    Then, opening its mouth, it sprayed several mouthfuls of blood essence onto it, while an ancient incantation was uttered at the same time.


    The severed arm immediately shone with light, twisting and writhing as it transformed into a long sword resembling the Blood Devil Sword.


    This sword was made of white bone and shrouded in pitch-black Demonic Qi.


    A mere wave sent strands of Demonic Qi surging to the heavens.


    The Demon Soul placed this sword before itself, also pouring its demonic energy into the blade.


    Suddenly, a black sword light appeared on it, swiftly expanding.


    Han Li was somewhat taken by surprise upon seeing this and felt chilled by the demon¡¯s ruthlessness.


    Although he did not know the power of the bone sword created through self-mutilation, it was obviously no trifling matter, and he dared not take it lightly.


    With a thought, he immediately stopped infusing mana and violently shook the Blood Devil Sword, targeting the Demon Soul in the Sword Array, and mercilessly striking down with the blade.


    He would not give the opponent a chance to fully unleash the bone sword¡¯s power and promptly launched his attack.


    The blood-red sword light, more than ten zhang long, silently cleaved down, bearing down oppressively into the Sword Array.


    Before the sword light arrived, the air was flooded with a blood-soaked aura, the space in the Array trembled, and it even began to distort and warp, while an inexplicable humming noise resonated from all directions.


    The Demon Soul was horrified.


    This situation surely indicated the sword had been pushed to its limits.


    And if it hadn¡¯t remembered incorrectly, human cultivators from their Ancient Devil Realm shouldn¡¯t have been able to unleash more than half the power of their holy artifacts.


    Could this be related to the transformation the other had just undergone?


    Although the Demon Soul had lived through the ancient wars, it was not aware that the human cultivators had since developed something as inconceivable as the ¡°Spirit Subjugation Talisman.¡± Naturally, it was completely baffled by this.


    But in the face of life-threatening danger, the Demon Soul had no time to ponder further, left with no choice but to hastily lift the bone sword barely infused with a bit of mana, as both its heads let out a mighty shout.


    A black sword aura, nearly half the size of the blood light, whistled as it slashed out from the bone sword, heading straight for the blood light in the sky.


    Moments later, the two sword auras collided!


    With a ¡°boom,¡± a thunderous explosion, akin to a bolt out of the blue, echoed from high above.


    The two sword auras instantly intertwined and tangled together.


    Rings of hurricane-like shockwaves erupted from the point of collision, blowing the silver-haired elder back more than a dozen steps before he could barely stabilize his figure.


    As for Han Li, relying on his advanced cultivation close to the mid Nascent Soul Stage, he merely swayed a few times and took half a step back, then remained motionless.


    The Demon Soul, on the other hand, regarded the shockwaves as if they were nothing, standing unmovable, albeit with a tense expression watching the sky.


    The scene that surprised both Han Li and the Demon Soul unfolded.


    As the shockwaves passed, a fist-sized, dull black sphere eerily emerged amidst the intertwining sword auras and rapidly grew, twisting and elongating.


    In the blink of an eye, a four or five zhang long, several feet wide, pitch-black object appeared above the Sword Array.


    Still puzzled by what was happening, Han Li watched as streams of five-colored rays poured out from the elongated object, fleeting and spilling at an angle.


    Because they were too close and the rays too swift, the Demon Soul and Han Li, standing at the fringe of the Sword Array, were unexpectedly enveloped by the rays and then, under a great suction force, were swept towards the sky.


    The elder, who had retreated more than a dozen steps, was fortunate not to be enveloped.


    ¡°Not good!


    This is a tear in space!¡±


    In an instant, Han Li realized what was happening.


    Shocked, he attempted to forcibly break free from the rays.


    But as soon as he tried to muster his mana, Han Li¡¯s face turned pale in an instant.


    All spiritual power vanished from his body without a trace, and he was unable to summon even a sliver of mana.


    Breaking out in a cold sweat, Han Li saw he was about to be devoured by the space rift and, in his panic, could only send out a desperate Divine Sense command to the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword he had set up in the formation below.


    The Demon Soul, similarly sucked into the rays, appeared to face the same plight as Han Li, his face full of terror.


    With a flash of light, Han Li and the Demon Soul, without the slightest resistance, were swallowed by the black space rift.


    Below, a series of clear rings sounded as hundreds of golden sword lights appeared around them and then turned into several feet long golden-red beams, shooting into the rift.


    Simultaneously, an extremely furious howl was heard approaching from afar.


    After a few flashes of a black devil flame, it appeared near the space rift as if by teleportation.


    The flame flickered and extinguished, revealing a giant figure akin to a devil.


    It was another ancient devil that had possessed a demonic body.


    Seeing the Demon Soul being sucked into the space rift, the devil was both shocked and furious but dared not step into the range covered by the rays.


    However, it caught sight of the last few Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords Han Li had sent toward the rift and, without a second thought, stretched out a hand to grab them.


    Suddenly, a gigantic Demon Claw materialized over the flying swords and reached for them.


    Most of the flying swords chimed and expertly dodged and entered the rift.


    Only two golden swords were too slow to evade and were caught by the Demon Claw, immobilized.


    Just then, a Purple Fireball also roared through the air from nowhere and into the rift following them.


    The towering ancient devil hesitated for a moment, about to take action, when the rift in the sky suddenly shook violently, quickly shrinking and sealing, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    Suddenly, all that remained were the devil and the stunned silver-haired elder not far away.


    The ancient devil stared blankly at where the space rift had disappeared, his expression flickering between surprise and uncertainty, then suddenly turned to look at the elder, his ferocious face revealing a violent expression.


    Startled, the elder hurriedly raised his hand and released a yellow flying sword to shield his whole body before slowly retreating, cursing his bad luck inwardly.


    But his gaze involuntarily shifted left and right and his face showed a hint of joy.


    ¡°Eh!


    Isn¡¯t this Fellow Daoist Cheng?


    What on earth happened here, and what is this demon?¡± A calm voice suddenly came from afar, and a group of cultivators in green robes appeared a hundred yards away.


    At the forefront was a green-robed elder, the Great Elder Dong Mentu from the Controlling Spirit Sect.


    The three people behind him were the last of the Five Element Spirit Nascents.


    ¡°That is precisely the question I have as well!¡± Almost simultaneously, a somber voice came from another direction.


    Then, a dozen or so spiritual lights flew in, with everyone wearing black robes, appearing to be disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect.


    The one leading and speaking was Elder Zhong from the Ghost Spirit Sect.


    Both groups of cultivators had witnessed the last moments of the space rift¡¯s disappearance and were astonished.


    ¡°This story is a long one.


    Let¡¯s deal with this demon first.


    But fellow Daoists, be extremely careful-this demon is extremely dangerous, and a moment¡¯s carelessness could be fatal,¡± the silver-haired elder said with a wry smile, forcing himself to keep his spirits up.


    Dong Mentu and Elder Zhong exchanged a puzzled glance but without another word, they led the cultivators behind them cautiously closer, surrounding the tall demon creature from a distance.


    The Demon Soul¡¯s two huge demon heads slowly turned, surveying the human cultivators around.


    One face twitched at the corner of the mouth, revealing a strong killing intent.


    The other face displayed a mockingly smiling expression, with mockery flashing in its eyes.


    Without speaking, its four arms lightly waved in the air, and four huge, ink-black light blades appeared in its hands.


    With a slight flick, piercing whines emanated from each huge blade.


    Upon recognizing this all too familiar scene, the silver-haired elder¡¯s face turned extremely grim.

 Chapter 855 - Chapter 855 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 852 Silver Flame

    ?Chapter 855: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 852 Silver Flame Chapter 855: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 852 Silver Flame In the instant he was swallowed by the tears in space, Han Li only felt dazzling lights surrounding him, making it impossible to look directly at anything; he could only tightly shut his eyes.


    At the same time, due to the loss of Mana in his body, he felt extremely dizzy and uncomfortable.


    He believed that if it weren¡¯t for his robust half-dragon, half-human body, he would have passed out already from the unbearable discomfort.


    But a moment later, Han Li felt the Spiritual Power inside him stir and flow smoothly, miraculously recovering his Mana.


    He was instantly delighted, a sudden thought flashed past, and he regained control of his body, stabilizing his floating form.


    At the same time, after the nearby dazzling light flashed wildly a few times, it also dissipated.


    Everything around him became visible.


    At a glance, Han Li¡¯s figure ¡°shua¡± moved instantaneously, escaping more than thirty feet from his original position.


    Because the Demon Soul was also floating in the air, almost right beside him.


    How could this not startle Han Li?


    He hurriedly moved away.


    Han Li didn¡¯t take a close look at the situation here, but he did not need to continue observing.


    Since this space was only a few dozen feet in size, everything was clearly visible.


    There was no one else here, just him and the Demon Soul.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    This made Han Li¡¯s heart sink!


    He sensed for a moment and discovered that the Spiritual Energy here was incredibly dense, with what seemed like Spirit Grasses and Immortal Elixirs planted around, along with a complete stone kiosk and half a corridor.


    The walls and the high space were covered in a grey haze, with nothing else in sight.


    This place seemed to be a broken medicinal herb garden.


    Han Li was surprised, but with a formidable enemy in front of him and his life at risk, he naturally had no intention to explore this further.


    He coldly looked at the Demon Soul opposite him, the body glowing with green light, his fists clenched, and golden lightning arcs appeared on his body.


    At the same time, a Purple Fireball descended from the sky, hovering over his head.


    This Purple Apex Flame, after Han Li was swallowed by the fissure, had also hurriedly entered this space.


    This gave Han Li some relief, at least he was not utterly powerless.


    The Demon Soul on the other side had also finished surveying the area, displaying a look of astonishment on its two faces, but soon, a strange smile appeared.


    ¡°Ha ha!


    I didn¡¯t expect this to be the remnants of a Spirit Ether Garden.


    It¡¯s indeed a blessing in disguise.


    It even saved this Demon Lord from calamity!¡±


    The Demon Soul laughed uproariously, and then, as the laughter gradually ceased, its two heads twisted simultaneously, looking strangely at Han Li.


    Han Li snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and dozens of golden flying swords flew out from his sleeve, forming a barrier of sword shadows in front of him.


    It was then that he discovered, to his shock, that two of his Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords, which had been mixed with Auric Essence, were missing.


    These flying swords were his magic treasures and currently, he had no sense of where they were; it seemed those two swords had been left outside the space and hadn¡¯t managed to fly in.


    He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle bitterly to himself.


    If it had been any other magic treasure, it might have been fine, but the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords were refined as a set.


    With these two swords missing, not only was the Aureate Sword Formation unattainable, but the power of the entire set of swords had also significantly decreased.


    This left Han Li feeling helpless.


    Since he couldn¡¯t rely on the Sword Array, he could only hope to protect himself using the Spirit Subjugation Talisman and Devilbane Lightning!


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s guarded appearance, the Demon Soul stretched its long tongue in and out from its gaping mouth on its funny face, displaying a ferocious look.


    Demonic Qi surged to the heavens, instantly enveloping most of the area.


    The small space was filled with rolling Demonic Qi and gusts of chilly wind.


    Han Li took a deep breath and mobilized all the residual Devilbane Lightning within his body.


    Instantly, golden light shot from his body, with hundreds of golden arcs streaking from all over, then in the blink of an eye, coalescing into several bowl-thick Golden Electric Flood Dragons, circling around Han Li and arching their heads in a threatening display.


    ¡°So many Devilbane Lightnings left?¡±


    The Demon Soul revealed a look of surprise, but then sneered and raised both hands without another word.


    Two gusts of Demonic Wind gushed from its hands, mingling and responding with the airborne Demonic Qi, instantly transforming into numerous black tendrils of various thicknesses, wildly thrashing about.


    Although Devilbane Lightning could counteract Demonic Qi, if there was an overwhelming amount of Demonic Qi, it was naturally unquenchable.


    Both Han Li and the Demon Soul understood this truth very well.


    Thus, seeing this situation, Han Li¡¯s expression became ugly.


    The most frustrating thing was that his blood movement technique, which he normally depended on for survival in such a closed space, was now useless.


    Under a fierce yell from the Demon Soul, all its tentacles raised and flew towards Han Li simultaneously, like numerous dark giant pythons picking victims, exuding a menacing aura.


    Han Li, resolute in his heart, commanded the Golden Electric Flood Dragon coiled around him, which roared and was ready to meet the charge head-on.


    As for the Purple Apex Flames, upon the prompt of his divine sense, they transformed into a massive wall of fire blocking in front of Han Li.


    Just as Han Li desperately prepared to confront the Demon Soul, the entire space suddenly began to tremble without warning.


    A buzzing noise surged as the murky sky abruptly turned blindingly white, then shifted to silver.


    Both Han Li and the Demon Soul were taken aback, pausing their movements.


    At that moment, the clouds in the sky churned tumultuously and turned into vast rolling silver flames.


    Soon under Han Li¡¯s watch, a resounding ¡°boom¡± echoed as an exceedingly thick column of silver light shot out of the flames out of nowhere, striking directly where the Demon Soul was.


    Wherever the silver light passed, all Demonic Qi disintegrated and melted away, and the Demon Soul was immediately enveloped within it.


    Han Li could even clearly see the expressions of fear appearing on the two heads of the Demon Soul.


    Its body was instantly wrapped in the silver-white flames and vanished into nothingness in an instant.


    The pillar of light flared brilliantly, then exploded.


    Countless silver sparks danced across the sky, sweeping the nearby Demonic Qi clean.


    In the place where the Demon Soul had stood, only a few badly damaged Magic Artifacts floated in the air.


    Rings, spell flags, and other treasures were among them.


    As the Demon Soul was annihilated, the silver flames in the sky quickly receded, returning to their dreary hue.


    Only Han Li was left in shock, his face etched with disbelief.


    ¡°Silver Flame!


    Such a formidable restriction doesn¡¯t seem like a method from the human world.


    This is quite interesting,¡± just when Han Li was at a loss, the voice of Monarch Great Development sounded in his mind.


    ¡°What do you mean?


    What significant origin does this silver flame have?¡± Han Li finally regained his composure, his face full of joy.


    Such a formidable enemy was exterminated by the spatial restrictions here, without him lifting a finger, naturally surprising him exceedingly.


    At this moment, he raised his hand and collected both the golden arc of purple flames and the flying swords one after another.


    ¡°Such a formidable spatial restriction here can easily destroy ancient devilish techniques, clearly not a power our human world arrays could possess.


    And that silver flame, without carrying any evil aura, targeted only the ancient devil.


    Naturally, only a spirit realm cultivator could possess such divine skills.


    It seems that when the ancient experts ultimately defeated the ancient devil, there indeed was interference from the cultivators of the spirit realm!¡± Monarch Great Development said after a pause, sighing.


    ¡°Elder means, the owner of this space knew the cultivators from the spirit realm,¡± Han Li said, moved by the realization.


    ¡°Should be.


    This place should be the ruins of the famous Spirit Ether Garden from ancient times.


    It is said that in ancient times, great cultivators could use some treasures to create tiny spaces with far superior spiritual energy than the human world for use as medicinal gardens, specifically cultivating various spiritual medicines.


    Of course, they were exceptionally rare.


    But later it seems some catastrophe occurred, and all record of the Spirit Ether Gardens suddenly vanished without a trace.


    Subsequent cultivators could never find any of them again.


    Unexpectedly, there is one here in Devilfall Valley.


    However, it seems there was some mishap with this Spirit Ether Garden, as it was forcibly split into several parts.


    This should be just a small section of it,¡± Monarch Great Development continued slowly, his voice filled with a sense of sorrow.


    ¡°Spirit Ether Garden!


    I¡¯ve seen references in the literature before, but I always thought they were just rumors.


    I didn¡¯t expect such a thing truly existed,¡± Han Li muttered, his gaze uncontrollably scanning around once more.


    After a moment, his eyes fell on the few Magic Artifacts left behind by the Demon Soul, and an idea sparked in his mind.


    He pointed at those items floating in mid-air, and immediately, these treasures turned into several balls of spiritual light and flew into his hand.


    After a quick glance, Han Li frowned slightly, his face showing a trace of regret.


    These treasures had been tainted by Demonic Qi and later scorched by the silver flames, their spiritual nature heavily damaged.


    Even if they could be refined for use later, they wouldn¡¯t be able to exert their original power.


    They had essentially become useless items.


    Han Li shook his head and casually stored these items in his storage pouch.


    Then a flash of blood light shone on his body as he deactivated the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    A blood-colored Daoist paper talisman flew out from his body and was caught in his hand for a closer look.


    ¡°It seems it can only be used one more time at most.


    This Spirit Subjugation Talisman really doesn¡¯t have many uses,¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    He then carefully stored the talisman and floated down directly.


    As soon as his feet touched the ground, Han Li flapped his sleeves, and a small white fox shot out from within.


    Then a flash of white light transformed into a voluptuous and charming young woman- it was Silvermoon!


    ¡°I originally thought the master would have summoned Little Sneak to help in the recent great battle.


    I didn¡¯t expect you to summon Silvermoon only now,¡± said Silvermoon, bowing slightly to Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°Your demon fox body¡¯s cultivation is too low.


    What use would summoning you have been?


    But you are proficient in escape techniques.


    See if there are any hidden mechanisms or restrictive formations here.


    Explore this place with me,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    ¡°As you command!¡± Silvermoon immediately nodded.


    Her form flashed with silver light and disappeared, blending into the ground.


    Han Li then settled into a seated position and closed his eyes, slowly releasing his divine sense, beginning to examine every inch of the space to see if he could find any secrets or a way out.


    Han Li¡¯s expression started off calm and untroubled, but after a while, as he appeared to gain nothing, slight anxiety began to show.


    Yet, a moment later, his eyelids twitched a few times, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.


    He abruptly opened his eyes.


    He stood up quickly and walked towards a corner of the space.


    In front of several strange Spirit Grass bearing purple berries, he stopped, his face showing a hint of excitement.(To be continued.


    To know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support for the author and legal reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 857 - Chapter 857 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 854 Detained

    ?Chapter 857: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 854: Detained Chapter 857: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 854: Detained The space here wasn¡¯t very high, and Han Li approached the top in an instant.


    As he stared at the murky clouds above, he circulated his spiritual power throughout his body, and his eyes flickered with blue light, halting his streak of light.


    Under the gaze of the Brightsight Water, the clouds above took on a faint blue hue, but behind these clouds, there was a thin layer of silver gauze-like material, suspended motionless in the high sky.


    Could this be the restrictive formations set up by the cultivators of the spirit realm?


    Han Li thought, raising a hand, his five fingers spreading as an azure light sphere appeared.


    In the next moment, the light sphere shot out and silently merged into the clouds.


    Shortly after, Han Li clearly saw that the light sphere had passed through the silver restriction without any problems, and after flying out another dozen zhang, it seemed to hit something and spontaneously burst apart.


    Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed as he immediately radiated an azure light, transforming into a streak of azure rainbow that flew straight into the clouds.


    Even though he had already tested it out, Han Li still felt a surge of trepidation as he passed through the silver restriction.


    Fortunately, he went through safely and did not trigger the restriction.


    It appeared that the enchantments on the ruins of the Spirit Ether Garden were truly only aimed at ancient devilish techniques.


    Whether the fragmentation of this medicinal herb garden had anything to do with the ancient devilish techniques was uncertain.


    For some reason, Han Li had this strange thought in mind.


    Once past the restriction, Han Li naturally felt more at ease.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    He opened his Divine Sense and Brightsight Water to their fullest, inch by inch, inspecting the space barrier.


    The area, several tens of zhang in size, was quickly checked over.


    He found nothing out of the ordinary.


    Han Li completely calmed down from the excitement of acquiring the Spiritual Medicine and realized that his troubles were probably going to be much greater.


    He looked down and saw the gauze-like silver restrictions flashing below, which were somewhat dazzling.


    But after hesitating for a moment, he decided not to go and study it.


    He vividly remembered the fierceness of the Silver Flame and did not wish to inadvertently touch this restriction, inviting fatal disaster upon himself.


    After checking twice more in the air, Han Li sighed and descended back to the ground with a disappointed face.


    ¡°Mastera€|¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything.


    It seems this place is indeed completely sealed with no usable flaws,¡± Han Li said, expressionless.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean we might be trapped here forever?


    The ability to split space out of thin air¡­


    that¡¯s something only Deity Transformation stage cultivators can achieve,¡± Silvermoon also became somewhat uneasy.


    Hearing this, Han Li did not argue, but the furrow of his brow deepened by three parts.


    Suddenly, his gaze flickered, and he walked toward a specific section of the space barrier.


    Silvermoon was startled for a moment before she quickly followed.


    When they were several zhang away from the space barrier, Han Li, without a word, shook his sleeves, and a brilliance of golden light appeared as dozens of golden flying swords shot out from his sleeves.


    Then, with a gesture of incantation, they quickly converged above his head into a golden sword, over a zhang long.


    With another raise of his hand, Han Li pointed toward the sword.


    The sound of rumbling thunder erupted as golden arcs of electricity leaped from the sword; Han Li activated the Devilbane Lightning without any hesitation.


    Then he opened his mouth and a wisp of violet flame gently floated out, also striking the sword.


    In an instant, the sword flickered with intertwining purple flames and golden light; the thunderclaps were continuous and loud, and the momentum grew.


    With a low shout from Han Li, the sword circled low in the sky before transforming into a golden purple rainbow, viciously slashing toward the space barrier ahead.


    A loud boom echoed as a blindingly bright orb of light burst forth; the entire space shook and buzzed loudly.


    Han Li quickly formed a spell seal with both hands, and the radiant rainbow ¡°swooshed¡± back, retracting its astonishing brilliance and returning to the form of the giant sword.


    As the blinding light in front faded, Han Li gazed intensely, squinting his eyes.


    Silvermoon, watching from behind, could also see clearly that the part of the space barrier that had been slashed by the giant sword had not cracked at all.


    It merely twisted and wobbled for a while before returning to normal, unscathed.


    A look of disappointment appeared on her delicate face.


    Meanwhile, Han Li¡¯s gaze continued to flicker, as he pondered over something.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Kid, you think you can break the space barrier here just like that?


    This is simply a daydream!¡± Monarch Great Development saw that Han Li¡¯s strike had no effect whatsoever and couldn¡¯t help but speak in a lazy tone.


    ¡°Oh!


    It seems that senior knows how to get out.


    Please enlighten me.¡± Upon hearing this, not only did Han Li not get angry, but he was overjoyed and asked eagerly.


    ¡°To get out from here, firstly you need to understand how you entered this place to begin with.


    Do you really think that your all-out strike with that ancient devilish technique was enough to casually open a tear in space and enter another one?¡± Monarch Great Development sneered.


    ¡°What senior means is¡­¡± Han Li¡¯s face changed, and he hesitated before asking.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.


    The remnants of space here were originally preserved after a startling transformation.


    After so many years, it has long been on the brink of annihilation.


    You saw it just now.


    Even a strike from the Giant Sword caused the barrier to shake.


    According to ancient records, a space barrier that is yellow and dim is a precursor to the instability of the entire space.


    Most likely, your strike in the human world just happened to hit the weakest point here.


    That¡¯s how you luckily broke open this space and arrived here.¡± The large man continued with his calm analysis.


    ¡°The weakest point?


    Silvermoon and I have already searched every part of the barrier and haven¡¯t found any abnormalities?¡± Han Li fell silent for a while before slowly asking again.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Foolish.


    The weakest point of space does not refer to the barriers on all sides.


    It could be at any point within this space.


    You only looked for it at the edges, which is why you found nothing.


    Moreover, since the space here is already unstable, it¡¯s likely that this one weak point is wandering within the entire space.


    If you search carefully, you should be able to find it.¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s words were laced with a hint of mockery, but they pointed out the most crucial problem.


    ¡°Any point in space?¡± Han Li suddenly understood upon hearing this.


    After all, his cultivation was shallow, and his understanding of space could not be compared to that of Monarch Great Development, who had lived for tens of thousands of years.


    But with a bit of prompting from the senior, he understood the principle immediately.


    Right away, Han Li closed his eyes and released his powerful divine sense, beginning to search every bit of the space.


    This delay was not lengthy, taking only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before finding what he sought.


    Without getting up, Han Li¡¯s figure flashed with light and turned to a green rainbow, flying into the stone kiosk.


    After the light dissipated, Han Li¡¯s figure showed.


    He immediately fixed his gaze on a certain point about five to six zhang high in the kiosk and stood with hands clasped behind his back, his pupils shimmering with a blue light.


    There seemed to be nothing there, but in Han Li¡¯s eyes, a faint blue light point existed, only the size of a grain of rice, blurry and dim.


    When sensing carefully with divine sense, there were extremely weak fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from the vicinity.


    It appears to be right here.


    Han Li¡¯s face showed a joyful expression, and after pondering for a while, he flipped his hand, and a blood-colored small sword appeared out of thin air in his palm.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, you want to use this sword?¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice was full of peculiarity.


    ¡°Indeed.


    I am very clear about the previous strike.


    Even if I found the weakest point, it would be impossible to breakthrough barrier with a strike of my lifebound magic treasure.


    In terms of destructive power, naturally the Blood Devil Sword has the greatest might.


    I might as well give it a try.¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    I advise you not to waste your qi in vain.


    You previously used a bizarre secret technique to significantly elevate your cultivation, and only then did you manage to open a tear in space with the Demon Soul.


    Do you think it is possible to do the same thing now?


    The only way for you now is to advance your cultivation to mid Nascent Soul Stage as soon as possible, and then use that somewhat interesting Daoist paper talisman and Blood Devil Sword together.


    Only then is there a slight possibility of opening the barrier.¡± Monarch Great Development bluntly stated.


    ¡°Advancing to mid Nascent Soul Stage is not something that can be achieved in a short time.


    Even if the spiritual energy here is exceedingly dense and with the aid of Spirit Pills, advancing to mid Nascent Soul Stage would still require twenty to thirty years of hard work!¡± Han Li exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°In twenty to thirty years, this space will not collapse; what are you afraid of?


    If you are cultivating in the outside world, just through seated meditation, with your aptitude, without a hundred years, don¡¯t even think of advancing to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.¡± Monarch Great Development huffed, seemingly dissatisfied with Han Li¡¯s greed.


    A complex expression flickered across Han Li¡¯s face.


    The pills he was referring to were surely the Azure Cloud Pills.


    With the aid of these pills, he was confident that he could cultivate to the Great Perfection Realm of early Nascent Soul within thirty years and then begin to attempt the breakthrough.


    One of the main ingredients of this pill was untransplantable, meaning he would have to refine all the pills in this space.


    And being secluded in this space for decades before leaving, Han Li had no real objection.


    The density of spiritual energy here was even stronger than in the cave abode where he had arranged the spirit well object, which was also an opportunity not to be missed.


    The only concern for Han Li was Nangong Wan, who was still troubled by the Soul Seal Curse.


    He was eager to return and use the Ancient Flame Toad Demon Core to relieve his beloved of the curse.


    However, Nangong Wan¡¯s left jade slip had mentioned that she could delay the onset of the curse for about a hundred years using a secret technique, so a delay of twenty to thirty years shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    After much contemplation, Han Li had no choice but to conclude that he really needed to stay in this space for quite some time.


    He couldn¡¯t help but give a bitter smile, followed by a face filled with helplessness.


    ¡°Silvermoon, start harvesting those Spirit Grasses and spiritual wood.


    Starting today, we shall begin refining Spirit Pills!¡± Han Li pursed his lips, no longer hesitating as he spoke.


    Silvermoon, who was standing by, had naturally heard the conversation between Han Li and Monarch Great Development.


    Hearing that there was a way to leave the space, she also felt relieved.


    She did not want to experience the feeling of being trapped somewhere again.


    So, with a smile, she agreed and immediately took a bunch of bottles and vials from Han Li¡¯s hands, her figure swiftly soaring to a side to start processing those Spirit Grasses and spiritual wood.


    Han Li, meanwhile, sat down without hesitation in the middle of the stone kiosk and once again took out the jade slip that recorded the Ancient Pill Recipes, carefully studying the refining formula for the Azure Cloud Pill.


    The supply of Spirit Grass here was limited; thus, Han Li dared not be the slightest bit careless when it came to refining this pill.


    (Continuing to type, one more chapter to go!)(To be continued, for more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com.


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    ¡°¡±

 Chapter 858 - Chapter 858 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 855 Escape

    ?Chapter 858: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 855 Escape Chapter 858: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 855 Escape In Ningzhou of the State of Dongyu, located next to Chang Province where Devilfall Valley is situated, was an inconspicuous small province.


    Contrary to the densely forested mountainous area of Chang Province, Ningzhou was filled with barren yellow earth slopes, rarely featuring any trees or rivers.


    Consequently, very few Immortal Cultivators chose to live in this province.


    Only a few small Immortal Cultivation clans occupied the scant inferior Spirit Vein locations in the province, leading a leisurely life without competition.


    To the southwest of Ningzhou was a mountain called Spiritual Kylin Mountain-one of the few Spirit Vein locations in the province.


    The area of Spiritual Kylin Mountain was not too small, spanning over a hundred li.


    However, the Spirit Vein within the mountain range spanned only about ten li.


    Only the main peak of Spiritual Kylin Mountain and two nearby smaller mountains were suitable for Cultivators to sit and cultivate.


    Yet, this small area was home to three small Immortal Cultivation clans, each occupying one of the three mountains.


    These three families, Huang, Han, and Wang, were forced to settle in a location like Ningzhou where Spiritual Energy was scarce; they were all relatively insignificant clans.


    Even the strongest among them, the Huang family, could hardly boast of having a Core Formation Cultivator, and had only two Foundation Establishment Cultivators.


    The rest of their clan members were low-level disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm, mostly consisting of those at the 3rd or 4th level.


    There were even thousands of family members without a Spiritual Root, forced to reside at the periphery of Spiritual Kylin Mountain.


    Living so close to one another, it was natural for the three families to get along peacefully and without incidents.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    Over nearly a century, there was no shortage of intermarriages between the disciples of the three families.


    The root of this peaceful coexistence lay in the fact that although the quality of the Spirit Vein in Spiritual Kylin Mountain was not outstanding, atop the main peak the three families shared a mysterious Spiritual Spring of unknown origin.


    Though not a Spirit Well Spring, which was known to be a rare spirit well object, this spring also possessed miraculous effects.


    Drinking the Spiritual Tea made from this spring water combined with certain Spiritual Medicines allowed lower-level disciples below the 6th level of Qi Refinement Stage to undergo a partial essence cleansing, which greatly benefited their future cultivation.


    This was one of the main reasons why the three families, despite knowing the location was not ideal for cultivation, stubbornly stayed.


    However, this Spiritual Spring could not be used all year round; it only gushed from the ground on fixed days each year, and even then, the amount of water was pitifully insufficient for distribution among the three families.


    Thus, the elders of the three clans had long ago decided to jointly seal off this Spiritual Spring and only open it once every ten years.


    The amount of spring water accumulated over ten years was sufficient for one use by all three families.


    Moreover, opening the spring once every decade coincided with the period when new Disciples matured, ensuring that the spring water was not wasted.


    This very Spiritual Spring bound the three families together, compelling them to jointly guard and use this precious resource, opening it once every ten years to allow their young disciples to undergo the essence cleansing.


    And today, a grand ceremony to open the Spiritual Spring was being held on the peak of Spiritual Kylin Mountain.


    In front of a pitch-black rock face, over a hundred feet tall, dozens of disciples from the three families stood in several rows, their faces filled with excitement as they awaited the event ahead.


    These disciples were mostly between the ages of eleven and seventeen.


    Most of them were in the 3rd or 4th levels of the Qi Refinement Realm, with quite a few even in the 1st or 2nd levels.


    At the very front of the crowd stood about a dozen much older Cultivators, all of whom were above the 10th level of Qi Refinement Realm.


    Among them were three elders, who had each reached the Foundation Establishment Stage-one in the middle stage, and two in the early stage.


    These more ¡®profoundly¡¯ cultivated individuals were gathered in front of the rock face, each holding a Magic Artifact and reciting spell incantations non-stop as they performed the ritual to unseal the Array restrictive formations.


    On the large rock face, several different colored restriction talismans flickered with intermittent bursts of spiritual light.


    At this moment, under the leadership of the three elders, the incantations of the group of Cultivators became louder and more urgent, and the spell flags in their hands grew increasingly radiant with white light.


    Moments later, the three elders simultaneously raised their hand and cast an incantation.


    It transformed into a burst of rosy light that swept across.


    At the touch of this rosy light, the talismans on the rock face trembled slightly before fluttering down.


    Immediately, several disciples holding jade boxes, who had been ready for a long time, rushed forward to pick up the Spirit Talismans carefully, placing them into the boxes before quickly retreating.


    For small clans like theirs, such restriction talismans were rare treasures not to be lost.


    With the talismans gone, the rock face erupted with white misty light and began to tremble slightly.


    Suddenly, including the three elders in front, the Cultivators all raised their spell flags.


    Thin strands of variously colored light shot from the tips of the flags and disappeared into the white light.


    The shaking of the rock wall intensified, then amid thundering rumbles that shook the earth, the wall gradually split in two from the middle, revealing behind it a semicircular gap over ten zhang wide.


    The younger disciples from the three clans all widened their eyes, staring incessantly at the scene within the gap.


    It was known that this Spiritual Spring was regarded as a treasure by the three clans, and ordinary clan disciples might only get this one chance in their lives to see the Spiritual Spring with their own eyes.


    Naturally, they didn¡¯t want to miss anything.


    Actually, the true appearance of this Spiritual Spring could be clearly described by even a three-year-old child in the clan.


    A pool, three zhang long and one zhang wide, made of flawless white jade, was situated deep within ten-plus zhang of the gap.


    At a glance, only a small portion of the pool contained clear, transparent spring water, residing within the jade pool, appearing utterly pure as if untarnished by any dust.


    What made it even more extraordinary was that the water faintly exuded an indescribable fragrance that left one feeling refreshed and invigorated upon smelling it.


    Amidst the disturbance of these young disciples, one of the three elders, a white-faced, beardless old man, suddenly turned around.


    His eyes emitted a fierce light as he swept his gaze around.


    Immediately, all the disturbance quieted down.


    This elder was none other than Huang Yuanming from the Huang clan, whose cultivation had reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.


    He could be considered the foremost cultivator of Spiritual Kylin Mountain.


    Not only were the disciples of the Huang family extremely respectful towards him, but the young disciples from the Wang and Li clans also held him in high regard.


    ¡°Hehe, Brother Huang¡¯s authority is effective.


    It keeps these youngsters obedient,¡± remarked another elder in a grey robe, narrowing his eyes and speaking with a chuckle.


    ¡°Of course.


    Brother Huang¡¯s cultivation has reached the late phase of the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, hasn¡¯t it?


    Perhaps he might even advance further, entering the late Foundation Establishment stage?¡± said the other, a green-robed elder, with evident envy.


    ¡°You two jest.


    I am already of this age.


    How could I have another chance to advance further?


    Such opportunities should be left for the younger generation.


    We should quickly prepare the Spiritual Tea for these youngsters to consume.


    The spring water in the pool seems to be more than in previous years, which is indeed a good thing,¡± Huang Yuanming replied with a chuckle, modestly and politely.


    The other two elders were naturally the Foundation Establishment elders from the other two families.


    These two families were even less prominent than the Huang family, barely managing to cultivate one Foundation Establishment cultivator to represent them.


    Huang Yuanming had been close friends with these two for many years, thus he paid no mind to their earlier words.


    The other two elders also smiled faintly, no longer mentioning the matter, and began to instruct their clan¡¯s secret disciples in preparing the Spiritual Tea to step forward and start the preparations immediately.


    Instantly, two disciples from each family flew out in response, heading straight for the pool.


    However, just as all eyes were on them and they had not yet reached the edge of the Spirit Pool, a startling accident occurred.


    Suddenly, a low rumbling of thunder sounded three or four zhang above the pool, followed by a few flashes of five-colored radiance, and a pitch-black orb abruptly appeared out of thin air.


    Then, the pitch-black orb emitted a strange ¡°hissing¡± sound as it twisted and deformed, astonishingly turning into a spatial tear about a zhang long.


    Following that, with a ¡°plop¡±, under the dumbfounded gaze of the cultivators, a figure was swept out by a wave of five-colored radiance and fell right into the jade pool below.


    Then, the spatial tear flashed wildly a few times and abruptly vanished without a trace.


    After the figure fell into the water, it let out a light exclamation, steadied itself with a shake, and stood up.


    He glanced at the cultivators in front of the pool with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.


    Led by Huang Yuanming, the cultivators from the three families were already so shocked that they couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    The figure was a young man in a blue scholar¡¯s jacket, slightly surprised to find so many cultivators present upon his unexpected arrival, a twinge of embarrassment flashing across his face, but then quickly regained his composure.


    A flash of azure light, and the wet scholar¡¯s jacket in the pool instantaneously evaporated its moisture, becoming unusually dry.


    ¡°What place is this?


    Is this still the State of Dongyu?¡± the man asked in a seemingly casual manner as he floated out of the water.


    Then, easily identifying Huang Yuanming as the most profound cultivator present, he inquired indifferently, his tone leaving no room for doubt.


    ¡°Is this Ningzhou in the State of Dongyu?


    May I know the senior¡¯s honorable surname and esteemed name, so you might enlighten me?¡± Having already scanned the man¡¯s cultivation with his Divine Sense and shocked by the results as he could not make out any depth, which indicated that the man was at least a Core Formation cultivator, Huang Yuanming was naturally extremely cautious.


    He bowed deeply before cautiously answering.


    The other two elders, also sensing the unfathomable depth of Han Li¡¯s cultivation, were similarly shocked and bowed deeply, their faces full of forced smiles.


    ¡°Ningzhou¡­¡± The young man blinked, his expression unchanging, but he muttered to himself, a hint of contemplation crossing his face.


    This man was indeed Han Li, who had just escaped from the ruins of the Spirit Ether Garden.


    It had now been precisely twenty-seven years since the great battle at Devilfall Valley.


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 Chapter 859 - Chapter 859 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 856 Tian Luo Demon Shadow

    ?Chapter 859: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 856: Tian Luo Demon Shadow Chapter 859: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 856: Tian Luo Demon Shadow Huang Yuanming and the other cultivators carefully watched Han Li, their gazes inevitably stealing glances towards the direction of the pool.


    Turned out that a good half of the Spiritual Spring¡¯s water had been disturbed by Han Li¡¯s actions, immediately reducing the original amount by much more than half.


    Only a pitiful thin layer of spring water remained in the pool.


    Upon witnessing this scene, the hearts of these three old fellows naturally ached, but faced with Han Li, whose cultivation seemed unfathomably deep, they could only feign ignorance and force a smile so as not to offend the senior expert and bring disaster upon their families.


    The instant Han Li evaporated the water droplets from his body, he too noticed the peculiar fragrance emanating from the Spiritual Spring.


    His contemplative expression faded, and he subconsciously looked back at the pool behind him.


    What seemed like a casual glance from Han Li made the three old men across from him feel uneasy for a long time.


    The Spiritual Spring they had guarded for so many years could easily become coveted by such a person.


    If that were the case, they¡¯d have no choice but to offer it up willingly, not daring to refuse.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze merely swept over the pool without a hint of greed.


    Instead, he turned back to the three men and said indifferently,


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been involved in worldly affairs for quite some time, and I find myself somewhat unfamiliar with recent events in Tian Luo.


    Could the three fellow daoists introduce me to some of the major events of the past few years?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we can.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    If senior doesn¡¯t mind, please follow us younger ones to the Huang family¡¯s great hall.


    Allow us to serve you with some tea and answer any questions you may have,¡± seeing Han Li had no particular interest in their Spiritual Spring, Huang Yuanming felt greatly relieved and hastily spoke with due respect.


    The other two elders also sighed in relief.


    ¡°Very well.


    I do have quite a few things I wish to inquire about.


    Then, I¡¯ll trouble the three fellow daoists,¡± Han Li glanced at the younger disciples of the three families in the distance, briefly pondered, and then nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Not at all!


    Being able to host a high and mighty personage like you is an honor for our Huang family!¡± Huang Yuanming, overjoyed, said with a beaming smile.


    Then, he quickly gave a few orders to the disciples, urging them to hurry back and make preparations, lest any negligence lead to disrespect towards Han Li.


    After that, he personally led the way for Han Li, departing from this place and heading towards a complex of buildings in the middle of the mountain.


    The other two elders also gave some instructions to their clansmen and hastened to follow up, staying respectfully close.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite rare to see three families living together like this, isn¡¯t it?¡± Along the way, Han Li made some inquiries, learning about the specific location and the situation of the three old men, and commented with some surprise.


    ¡°You jest, senior.


    We simply have nowhere else to settle, thus we find ourselves reluctantly dwelling here,¡± replied Huang Yuanming with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I notice that some of the younger disciples in your clans seem to have decent aptitudes.


    Why haven¡¯t you sent them to those big cultivation sects?


    With their aptitudes, even if they can¡¯t become direct disciples, becoming external affairs disciples is not impossible,¡± Han Li said, showing a trace of curiosity.


    ¡°Senior may not know this, but although there are many cultivation sects in the State of Dongyu, most of them have fixed Immortal cultivation clans supplying disciples, or they are outright controlled by some clans.


    Our small sects of such low standing have no chance to catch the eye of these prestigious sects.


    Even if an outstanding disciple occasionally emerges from within our doors, we dare not easily let them join any sects.


    Our clan needs them to stay and support it,¡± explained one of the old men with a round and somewhat pudgy face, his expression laced with helplessness.


    These family elders, had they been willing to become disciples of large sects when they were young, might have advanced further in their cultivation by now.


    But for the survival of their clans, they were obliged to stay behind, which was the helplessness of small families.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered for a moment, then he faintly nodded without continuing to press the matter.


    That was because an array of pavilions and lofty buildings loomed not far ahead.


    The elder led Han Li straight to the tallest of the buildings.


    After a short while, several people arrived at the entrance of the attic.


    There, two rows of young female disciples stood in respectful attendance.


    ¡°Senior, please come in!


    Our Spiritual Kylin Mountain doesn¡¯t produce many Spiritual Medicines or Spirit Fruits, but we do have a type of Spiritual Tea that is quite good.


    The senior may wish to enjoy several cups of it.¡± Huang Yuanming spoke as he ushered Han Li into the great hall of the attic.


    Han Li did not stand on ceremony and strode into the building.


    The hall was not particularly large, with an area of only about twenty to thirty square meters, but it was more than enough for a small family clan.


    Under the respectful gazes of the three, Han Li calmly took a seat at the head of the hall.


    The three elders stood honestly in front of him, not daring to sit alongside Han Li.


    The gap in cultivation and status between them was too great, and Han Li did not feign any false modesty.


    At this moment, a beautiful-eyed female disciple, carrying a tea tray, approached and brewed a cup of fragrant tea for Han Li on the spot before carefully retreating.


    Han Li picked up the tea cup and casually tasted it.


    At first, it was somewhat bitter, but after a moment, his taste buds were stimulated, filling his mouth with saliva and the taste turned wonderfully aromatic.


    ¡°Not bad, indeed it is a rare type of Spiritual Tea.¡± Han Li¡¯s lips twitched slightly into a smile as he offered his praise.


    ¡°The depth of the senior¡¯s cultivation is unfathomable, but your face seems somewhat unfamiliar.


    Could it be that the senior is not from the State of Dongyu?¡± The round-faced, plump elder could not help but inquire about this matter.


    ¡°Indeed, Han is not a cultivator from the State of Dongyu.


    You need not worry; after I have clarified a few matters, I will immediately leave and return to where I came from.


    I won¡¯t be imposing on you here any longer,¡± Han Li answered without revealing his name, simply glancing at the round-faced elder with a half-smiling expression.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Senior, you worry too much.


    The mere fact that we could meet a senior like yourself is already an immense honor.


    We would never harbor any disrespectful thoughts of driving you away.¡± Huang Yuanming was startled and hastily changed his expression as he spoke.


    ¡°All right!


    I, too, once started as a low-level cultivator.


    I am naturally aware of some of the fears and expectations in your hearts.


    As long as your answers satisfy me, I won¡¯t mind offering you some benefits.


    After all, your meeting with me could be considered fate,¡± Han Li said, seeing the round-faced elder¡¯s fearful expression and about to explain, he simply waved his hand and spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Senior has but to ask whatever he wishes to know.


    Although our families are not large, we are quite well-informed.


    We will surely satisfy Senior!¡± Huang Yuanming, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and showed even greater respect.


    Han Li smiled faintly.


    Even without offering any rewards, he guessed these people wouldn¡¯t dare deceive him with lies.


    However, with the promise of benefits, they would naturally respond more earnestly.


    Han Li presumed they would willingly disclose even those matters they might otherwise have kept secret.


    ¡°The last time Devilfall Valley opened, numerous cultivators entered the valley in search of treasures.


    Being so close to Chang Province, you must know something about it.


    Start by giving me an overview of the event,¡± Han Li looked at the three of them and spoke in an unnoticeable tone.


    ¡°Devilfall Valley?


    Younger generation is certainly aware of it,¡± Huang Yuanming, though somewhat surprised that Han Li asked about this matter, immediately responded without hesitation.


    He quickly organized his thoughts on the related matters and then continued, ¡°Many cultivators entering Devilfall Valley in search for treasure was an event from over twenty years ago.


    Because the Ghost Spirit Sect found a reliable method to enter the valley, hundreds of Core Formation and beyond cultivators stormed in to seek the ancient expert¡¯s lost treasures.


    However, Devilfall Valley was indeed extremely perilous; with so many high-level cultivators entering, most of them merely wandered in the outer valley and yet a vast number suffered tragic deaths due to the outer valley¡¯s restrictive formations and tears in space.


    Less than half managed to leave the valley alive.


    What¡¯s worse, people from the Ghost Spirit Sect went into the inner valley and inadvertently released two ancient demons capable of devouring Nascent Souls.


    The Ghost Spirit Sect Master and others perished on the spot.


    These two demons were incredibly powerful.


    It was said that Nascent Soul cultivators who ventured into the inner valley joined forces and battled fiercely with them.


    Even Deity Transformation stage cultivators like Wei and Moulan Divine Sage took action in succession to eradicate the demons.


    They barely managed to kill one and allowed the other to escape from Devilfall Valley.


    The cultivators who participated in the siege suffered heavy casualties and many well-known seniors perished in that battle.


    Nevertheless, Devilfall Valley lived up to its reputation as the burial place of ancient experts.


    It was reported that the cultivators who survived and left the valley had varying gains; a few seniors even found Spirit Pills and Cultivation Techniques that could extend their lifespan and breakthrough their realm.


    It caused a huge sensation throughout the Heavenly South Region at that time.


    As a result, many cultivators turned green with envy and despite the renewed instability of the valley¡¯s spatial tears, they boldly used the Ghost Spirit Sect¡¯s transportation formation to re-enter Devilfall Valley.


    However, of the nearly hundred cultivators who entered, not one emerged.


    Only then were other cultivators deterred from entering the Devilfall Valley, which once again became a forbidden area.¡±


    ¡°There was another demon that escaped from Devilfall Valley.


    What became of it afterward?¡± Han Li asked upon hearing this, his expression suddenly turning grim.


    ¡°The matter of this demon is something I would have reported to senior even if you had not asked because it is this very demon that nearly brought a great calamity upon the entire Heavenly South Region,¡± Huang Yuanming said, his own expression changing slightly as he spoke.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, but he remained silent, waiting for the other party to continue.


    ¡°At first, when the demon escaped, some seniors stated that such demons could not linger in our human world for long and would eventually retreat to the Otherworld.


    For this reason, at first, nobody took it too seriously.


    But unexpectedly, the demon brazenly attacked high-level cultivators everywhere, voraciously devouring Nascent Soul cultivators¡¯ Nascent Souls to replenish its Qi.


    In just over a year, it had killed six or seven Nascent Soul cultivators and showed no signs of leaving.


    It was then that the cultivators realized this demon had somehow found a way to remain in this realm for a long time.


    As such, three great cultivators stepped forward, gathering a group of mid Nascent Soul Stage seniors to form a demon-hunting squad to exterminate this threat.


    However, the demon was extremely cunning and never directly confronted the squad, instead specifically targeting solitary cultivators.


    It even attacked The Moulan, provoking them to send a group of Grand Sages to join the demon-hunting squad.


    Since then, the demon was unable to shake off the joint pursuit of cultivators and Spell Soldiers and was forced into a desperate flight.


    But this only made it more frenzied.


    In the end, not only did it strike against high-level cultivators, but it also began to attack low-level cultivators in a mad frenzy.


    It was said that in the last few months, it went on a bloodthirsty spree, wiping out over a dozen immortal cultivation clans and several small cultivation sects, which were utterly helpless against this demon.


    But as a result, it was eventually afflicted by a secret technique from a dying elder of a devilish sect, allowing the demon-hunting squad to follow its trail and corner it at Lost Soul Mountain in the State of Feng Du.


    It was said that the demon, having fully recovered its Qi and nearly reaching the Deity Transformation stage in cultivation, faced two great cultivators and a Moulan Divine Sage together.


    The battle was earth-shattering, and the other cultivators could not intervene.


    The entire main peak of Lost Soul Mountain was leveled to the ground,¡± Huang Yuanming paused here, his face involuntarily showing a trace of shock.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 860 - Chapter 860 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 857 Vortex

    ?Chapter 860: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 857 Vortex Chapter 860: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 857 Vortex Han Li was equally shocked when he heard this.


    Three late Nascent Soul cultivators joined forces against the ancient devil, yet they seemed unable to subdue it quickly.


    This ancient devil, having regained its Qi, probably possessed divine skills comparable to a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.


    ¡°Was this devil completely annihilated in that battle?¡± Han Li asked calmly.


    ¡°Younger generations like us really do not know.


    Some say this demon was brutally killed by the cultivators surrounding it, while others claim it used an unimaginable secret technique to miraculously escape death and break through the siege.


    Our family¡¯s capabilities are limited, so we cannot discern the truth of these matters.


    However, since that siege, this devil indeed vanished from our Tian Luo, likely truly exterminated, both body and soul,¡± Huang Yuanming hesitated before offering some conjecture.


    ¡°Soul and body completely exterminated!¡± Han Li touched his chin, reflected briefly, and felt skeptical.


    If the devil was truly annihilated, Wei Wuya and others wouldn¡¯t need to be so secretive.


    There must have been some complications, making everything ambiguous and unclear on purpose.


    Yet, it¡¯s strange that the devil disappeared thereafter.


    Perhaps it was severely injured in the battle and had to hide to heal its wounds, or maybe it even left Tian Luo entirely.


    After considering these possibilities and unable to decide which was more likely, Han Li decided to temporarily set aside these thoughts.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Huang, apart from issues pertaining to Devilfall Valley and demons in the past twenty years or so, has there been any other major event?


    Regardless of which country it involves, feel free to share!¡± Han Li asked calmly about other matters.


    ¡°In recent years, indeed there were other incidents, but none are worth mentioning compared to those concerning Devilfall Valley.


    The only notable event, equally tempestuous, was shortly after the disappearance of that demon, a bizarre huge vortex suddenly appeared on The Endless Sea near the coast of State of Xi.


    This vortex spewed out a vast amount of Spiritual Energy, even beginning to purify the nearby waters of The Endless Sea.


    Moreover, seven small islands emerged around this vortex from the seabed, each brimming with intense Spiritual Energy and possessing rare top-grade Spirit Veins.


    Concerning the ownership of these islands, three great cultivators again jointly organized a grand Island Conquest Conference.


    Many sects participated.


    In the end, seven major immortal cultivator sects secured ownership of these islands.


    That vortex, reportedly unfathomable, attracted many cultivators who dived into it to explore.


    However, once they went deep into the vortex, they encountered tremendous pressure, and the deeper they went, the greater the pressure became, becoming unbearable.


    It is said that even Master Sunreach among the three great cultivators explored it once.


    But eventually, at about three thousand feet deep, he couldn¡¯t withstand the overwhelming pressure of over ten thousand pounds and had to return without success,¡± Huang Yuanming thought briefly before promptly speaking the above.


    ¡°A giant vortex!


    Such an event occurred?¡± Han Li asked in surprise, his face showing a trace of astonishment.


    ¡°How could I dare deceive my senior?


    This event made waves for several years before it gradually calmed down.


    You only need to ask others slightly about it to know the truth,¡± Huang Yuanming replied with a chuckle.


    Han Li nodded, finding the matter quite interesting but continued asking about other matters, especially about the actions of The Moulan and the activities between the righteous and demonic sects over the years, inquiring in great detail.


    Huang Yuanming and the other two elders left no word unsaid, without any intention of concealment.


    Huang Yuanming answered most of the questions while the other two elders occasionallyinterjected to supplement and ensure Han Li was satisfied.


    Before long, Han Li gained a rough understanding of the various significant and minor events that had occurred in recent years, feeling more at ease.


    Apart from the ancient devil and the vortex, the so-called major events were merely local appearances of Spiritual Medicine or treasures or conflicts between two immortal cultivation sects.


    These matters were inconsequential to Han Li.


    However, he maintained a usual demeanor and listened seriously as the three persons recounted everything.


    As for matters concerning the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li did not inquire.


    After all, his location was far too remote from the State of Xi, and such a minor family likely knew nothing concrete.


    If he really wanted to learn about the Drifting Cloud Sect, he would naturally either visit the city market or inquire further upon returning to the State of Xi.


    After listening to all their descriptions, Han Li¡¯s face showed satisfaction.


    He suddenly swept his sleeve across the table, and after a flash of green light, a pair of glittering golden short spears appeared on the coarse table.


    ¡°I appreciate the three of you explaining so much to Han Li.


    I don¡¯t have anything too excellent to offer.


    This pair of gold-breaking short spears magic tools, I will gift to the three of you,¡± Han Li said composedly.


    ¡°Thank you, senior, for your generous gift.


    These¡­


    these are top-grade magic tools?¡± Huang Yuanming glanced at the pair of golden spears, quickly bowed deeply in thanks, and expressed great joy.


    For their three families, not all owned a top-grade magic tool.


    In total, they had only a few, each treasured immensely.


    Now, merely by answering Han Li¡¯s questions, they easily obtained such treasures, naturally causing them a mix of surprise and joy.


    ¡°Although these gold-breaking spears are only top-grade magic tools, when used in combination, they¡¯re hardly inferior to peak-grade magic tools.


    I acquired them by chance many years ago and found them quite interesting, so I¡¯ve kept them since then.


    Now, gifting them to you doesn¡¯t constitute a waste.


    Hehe!


    Now that I¡¯ve given you benefits, I won¡¯t stay much longer.


    Perhaps we might meet again if fate allows,¡± Han Li briefly explained the power of the spears, chuckled softly, his whole body emitted a brilliant light, suddenly transformed into a green rainbow flying out of the hall.


    After several flashes, he vanished without a trace.


    The three elders were stunned, not expecting Han Li to leave without dragging his feet.


    The torrent of gratitude they were about to express had to be swallowed back.


    Then, the gazes of the three simultaneously fell on the pair of golden spears on the table.


    ¡°This senior is really generous, to give away a pair of top-grade magic tools so easily,¡± the round-faced elder murmured as he stared at the golden spears.


    ¡°It depends on who it is.


    Top-grade magic tools are indeed rare treasures for us, but for this senior, they¡¯re simply not worth mentioning,¡± the white-robed elder, who spoke the least among them, suddenly said with a strange expression.


    ¡°Brother Wang, what do you mean by that?


    From your tone, it sounds like you recognize this senior!¡± Huang Yuanming was stirred and asked spontaneously.


    The round-faced elder also looked at the white-robed elder in surprise.


    ¡°Brother Huang, you and others are clever but can be confused at times.


    This person came out and directly asked about Devilfall Valley and the demons.


    With such youth and high cultivation, and claiming the surname Han.


    Don¡¯t you realize who he is?


    Don¡¯t forget, besides the Nascent Soul cultivators who died in Devilfall Valley while besieging those demons, was there not a very famous person who went missing?¡± the white-robed elder said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Are you talking about that person, Senior Han?¡± Once reminded, Huang Yuanming¡¯s face drastically changed as he spoke in shock.


    The round-faced elder also came to a realization, showing a face full of astonishment,


    ¡°Now, do my two elder brothers understand my point?


    This senior is only next to the three great cultivators, that¡¯s why he is so generous.¡±


    ¡°After Brother Wang mentioned it, it does seem quite likely.


    However, regardless of whether it is Senior Han or not, it makes no difference to us.


    Even if we wanted to associate with such a person, a cultivator of his standing would not care about our families.


    Receiving two top-grade magic tools is already an unexpected joy, probably given by this senior as a favor for disturbing the Spiritual Spring.


    Let us now discuss how to deal with this pair of golden spears,¡± Huang Yuanming said with a sigh after a moment of silence, his words still carrying a hint of helplessness.


    Although the opportunity was rare, a being of Han Li¡¯s caliber was simply too high to reach for them.


    Therefore, even though they felt disappointed, they had no regrets.


    Hearing Huang Yuanming mention the pair of golden spears, the other two elders also temporarily set aside the matter of Han Li¡¯s identity, turning their attention towards the golden spears, as the ownership of the present artifacts was the tangible benefit they could grasp.


    The three immediately began a lengthy discussion about the ownership and use of the two golden spears.


    ¡­


    Leaving aside the elders¡¯ discussion on dividing the treasures, Han Li naturally did not know that he had been recognized by the three old folks, as he had already appeared hundreds of miles away.


    This time, he had fortunately come out of the tears in space and did not immediately run off to the State of Dongyu, which was also a stroke of luck.


    After all, the point where the space broke was drifting and fluctuating.


    It would not have been strange if it appeared thousands of miles away.


    ¡°Young man, where do you plan to go next?


    Go directly back to Drifting Cloud Sect?


    Don¡¯t forget, I had requested materials for crafting puppets, and some are still missing.


    They must be collected,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that.


    However, the materials you want are not easy to find in this world.


    I estimate that even the entirety of Tian Luo would not be sufficient to collect them all.


    This is not something that can be done quickly!¡± Han Li furrowed his brows and spoke somewhat helplessly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Do you think I can wait another seventy or eighty years?


    If you can¡¯t find the materials in Tian Luo, then take a trip to Great Jin.


    There, as long as you have enough Spirit Stones, what kind of rare materials can¡¯t you find?


    I¡¯m telling you in advance, if you can¡¯t refine that puppet in front of me, I¡¯d rather destroy the refining formula than leave it to you after my soul dissipates,¡± Monarch Great Development said somewhat annoyed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.


    Even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I was going to make a trip to Great Jin.


    Didn¡¯t you say that I originally carried too much Evil Qi, and using the Blood Devil Sword repeatedly has deeply entangled me with demonic energy?


    If not removed promptly, it will not only gradually harm my body, but also prevent me from advancing in the Mid Nascent Soul Stage,¡± Han Li sighed and said gloomily.


    ¡°As long as you understand.


    I found it strange when I first saw you.


    How could someone so young be tainted with such deep Evil Qi?


    I was not a merciful person in my early years, yet the Evil Qi on me was not a tenth of yours.


    Tsk tsk, truly unbelievable.


    Perhaps you should switch to practicing devilish arts instead.


    This Evil Qi could actually help you advance your cultivation further.


    Of course, when you reach the Divinity Transformation Stage, the realm you ascend to won¡¯t be the spirit realm, but the Ancient Devil Realm,¡± Monarch Great Development, obviously capricious, now began to tease Han Li with a strange laugh.


    (First update) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 861 - Chapter 861 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 858 Return to Luoyun

    ?Chapter 861: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 858 Return to Luoyun Chapter 861: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 858 Return to Luoyun ¡°I have no interest in cultivating into that kind of monster resembling an ancient devil,¡± Han Li said coldly.


    ¡°Little Han, you don¡¯t really think all ancient devils have bizarre and grotesque forms, do you?¡± Monarch Great Development paused for a moment, his tone turning somewhat strange.


    ¡°How should I understand your words, senior?


    Doesn¡¯t becoming an ancient devil turn one into a demon from the Otherworld?


    Could they still retain their human form?¡± Han Li asked in astonishment.


    ¡°You are mistaken about that.


    According to the documents I¡¯ve read, devilish cultivators who ascend from the human world to the Ancient Devil Realm do become ancient devils; however, their appearance doesn¡¯t change.


    Of course, if they use magic tools to transform, that¡¯s a different story.


    In ancient times, when ancient experts fought with the ancient devils, a small number of them were enticed by higher-level ancient devils and directly joined them using a method involving being infused with demonic qi.


    This made the final battles even more intense.


    It¡¯s said that despite their demonization, these people kept their human form and intellect but willingly served those high-level ancient devils.


    I¡¯m unsure whether there¡¯s some trick to it.


    Some rumors started spreading since then that human cultivators who mastered ancient devilish techniques could automatically ascend to the Ancient Devil Realm.¡±


    ¡°As for those ancient devils with inherently bizarre forms, there are two types.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã?


    One is the primal demons from the Ancient Devil Realm, the peak existence there, sometimes referred to as Divine Ancestors.


    These demons are exceedingly few and extremely terrifying.


    Even nowadays, some devilish cultivators keep invoking these ancient devils¡¯ names to successfully employ demonic qi in spells.


    The other type is the demons from our human world who practiced magic tools and ascended to the Ancient Devil Realm.


    As their original forms were not human, they naturally look grotesque when they become ancient devils.¡±


    ¡°Demons?


    How is that possible?


    How could they¡­¡±


    ¡°How could they cultivate ancient devilish techniques, right?


    Don¡¯t ask this old man about it; I¡¯m quite baffled too.


    The document didn¡¯t elaborate on this; it seemed that the Ancient Demon Race came into contact with ancient devils much earlier than humans did.


    The specifics, I¡¯m not clear about either.


    However, some high-level demons I met back in the day aren¡¯t practicing any magic tools or have demonic qi.


    The reasons behind this might become clear to you once you reach Great Jin, as it preserves some of the oldest documents in our human world,¡± Monarch Great Development answered lazily.


    Han Li¡¯s expression fluctuated, and he thought about the Sacred Provenance Plate in his storage pouch-the alleged treasure of demon inheritance.


    The Six Arms and Three Heads technique described on it appeared eerily similar to the Two Heads and Four Arms technique that the ancient devil had used.


    Could there be some unknown connection between the two?


    After contemplating silently for a while, Han Li suddenly burst into disbelieving laughter.


    Even if there was some secret between demons and ancient devils that no one knew about, what concern was it of his?


    He wasn¡¯t the sort to meddle in everything and try to understand it all.


    Some things were better left unclear.


    Moreover, the Sacred Provenance Plate he possessed was merely a fragment.


    Even if it held the complete set of demon techniques, he wouldn¡¯t bother practicing them when he had yet to perfect the Azure Essence Sword Arts.


    Besides, since this cultivation technique was connected with the ancient demons, it was unlikely to be suitable for human practitioners.


    Han Li shook his head, dismissing thoughts of the demons and the Sacred Provenance Plate, and then shifted his attention to another more pressing issue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the puppet.


    Whether I go to Great Jin or not, I will naturally help you gather the materials.


    You mentioned a couple of years ago that you¡¯ve nearly figured out the refining method for the Seven Flames Fan.


    It should be completely resolved by now, right?


    If the refining formula is ready, give it to me so I can start crafting it.


    My collection of flying swords has been reduced by two, and I can¡¯t set up a sword array anymore.


    I urgently need a powerful treasure,¡± Han Li said straightforwardly.


    After more than twenty years of acquaintance, his relationship with Monarch Great Development had become much more amiable than before, sometimes even resembling a mix of mentor and friend.


    ¡°In the refining formula for the Seven Flames Fan, I¡¯ve reduced some of the materials that are now impossible to find and replaced others.


    I¡¯ve figured out a way for you.


    As for whether it will be successful, I can¡¯t guarantee it fully.


    But the treasure fan crafted using this method shouldn¡¯t really be called the Seven Flames Fan; it would be more aptly named the Three Flame Fan.


    The original needed eighty-one types of fire-related Spirit Materials, but I¡¯ve reduced that to thirty-one.


    Naturally, its power would be greatly diminished,¡± Monarch Great Development explained openly.


    ¡°No worries, even if the power is somewhat reduced, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    If the heavenly skill treasures are as powerful as legends suggest, even this replica of the Three Flame Fan will certainly not be something ordinary cultivators can withstand,¡± Han Li said without hesitation.


    ¡°I will copy the refining method onto a jade slip for you to examine closely.


    However, even for a replica, there are a few materials involved that are not easy to find.


    I estimate crafting this fan will likely be quite troublesome,¡± Monarch Great Development stated indifferently.


    Then the lid of the bamboo tube behind Han Li opened, and a beam of white light shot out.


    Han Li swiftly reached behind and caught it-it was a white jade slip.


    Han Li calmly immersed his divine sense into the jade slip and skimmed through it, inadvertently frowning slightly.


    ¡°The other items are okay; given some time, I can gather them and turn them into Spirit Materials.


    But the long feathers of the Haoyang Bird and the scales of the Redfire Flood Dragon are things one finds by pure chance.


    Where do we even start looking for them?


    At least, we have never heard of both items appearing in Tian Luo.¡±


    ¡°These two materials are the easiest replacements I could think of._footer-none¡±).


    ¡°Hehe!


    Old Master sent you to Great Jin for your benefit.


    Only by travelling to Great Jin can you truly understand what a sacred site for cultivation is.


    The State of Jin is certainly the heart of all known realms of immortal cultivators,¡± Monarch Great Development said nonchalantly.


    ¡°I hope so.


    But before leaving the State of Dongyu, there¡¯s another matter to attend to; I must take another look outside Devilfall Valley,¡± Han Li stated calmly as he stored away the jade slips.


    ¡°What do you mean by going to Devilfall Valley?¡± Monarch Great Development was startled by his words and quite taken aback.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.


    I¡¯m not looking to venture into the valley.


    Do you remember my Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse?


    As soon as it emerged from the tear in space, I immediately sensed through a secret technique that it wasn¡¯t destroyed.


    Naturally, I want to check if it¡¯s still lingering within Devilfall Valley and see if I could summon it out.¡±


    Having said this, Han Li no longer wished to speak.


    His speed suddenly increased, transforming into a blue rainbow breaking through the skies.


    Once he entered Chang Province, Han Li immediately re-entered Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range and returned to the entrance of Devilfall Valley.


    There, Han Li lingered for two days until he was certain that the Heaven Extermination Devil Corpse was indeed still alive within the valley.


    However, the devil corpse seemed to be trapped somewhere.


    Despite his incantations urging it, he couldn¡¯t reunite with it outside the valley.


    Han Li hesitated for a long while and could only leave somewhat dejectedly.


    It seemed that he would have to wait until the next opening of Devilfall Valley to rescue the devil corpse, if it wasn¡¯t destroyed by then.


    ¡­


    Two months later, Han Li¡¯s figure finally appeared near Dreamcloud Mountains.


    Just as he approached the entrance of Drifting Cloud Sect, he encountered several patrolling disciples from his sect.


    Naturally, Han Li¡¯s arrival created a buzz among them.


    While they joyously greeted Han Li, they quickly released Sound Transmission Talismans to inform two elders from their sect.


    Soon after, all the disciples from Drifting Cloud Sect flew out of the sect to welcome Han Li, a greatly revered ancestor and elder.


    Leading them were the Elder Cheng and Lu Luo.


    Upon seeing Han Li, both of them were naturally filled with surprise and joy.


    Without much to say, they hurriedly escorted Han Li into the sect and then dismissed the other disciples.


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han, I knew with your divine skills, nothing would happen to you.


    But since you were fine, why didn¡¯t you return to our sect earlier?


    You¡¯ve caused your two senior brothers here a lot of worry!¡± Elder Cheng, once all three were seated in the grand hall of Drifting Cloud Sect, couldn¡¯t help but complain with a mix of relief and blame.


    ¡°Indeed, had Senior Brother returned sooner, it would have spared the two of us much anxiety!¡± Lu Luo added, his face beaming with genuine joy.


    ¡°You both must have missed Han a lot.


    I was trapped in a tear in space and could not escape; I only just managed to get out.


    As soon as I was free, I hurried back here,¡± Han Li said, pressing his lips together, showing a face of helplessness.


    ¡°Regardless, the fact that Senior Disciple Han is alive and back is enough.


    Speaking of which, I have yet to thank you, Junior Brother, for your rescue.


    If it weren¡¯t for your help in the valley, I would have been reduced to bones long ago,¡± the elder stood up from his chair all of a sudden, deeply bowed to Han Li, and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing.


    Ever since joining Drifting Cloud Sect, Senior Brother Cheng has always looked after me.


    I¡¯ve always kept that in my heart.


    Seeing Senior Brother in danger, how could I not lend a hand?¡± Han Li said with a slight smile, equally sincere.


    ¡°Such minor matters cannot compare to the grace of saving a life.


    Perhaps you still worry about Fellow Daoist Nangong.


    Rest assured, Sister Nangong is still safe and sound in the ice,¡± the elder obviously knew what Han Li was most concerned about and decided to share this news with him first.


    Han Li naturally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.


    At that moment, Lu Luo suddenly scrutinized Han Li closely, his face showing a trace of disbelief.


    ¡°Junior Brother, you¡¯ve actually advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    When did this happen?


    It¡¯s incredible!


    Could it be that you had some fortuitous encounter in Devilfall Valley?¡±


    (The second release of the day!


    It¡¯s the last day of August.


    Everyone, check to see if there are any monthly tickets you haven¡¯t used yet.


    Please give them to us!


    Don¡¯t let them go to waste.


    Hope for everyone¡¯s support one last time!)(To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available and support the author, support the genuine reading!)

 Chapter 862 - Chapter 862 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 859 Feeding the Elixir

    ?Chapter 862: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 859 Feeding the Elixir Chapter 862: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 859 Feeding the Elixir Upon hearing Lu Luo¡¯s words, Senior Martial Brother Cheng was also startled and hurriedly scanned with his Divine Sense.


    He discovered that Han Li had a concealed aura and a glowing inner protection, clearly indicating that he had advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    This left him stunned.


    ¡°I just knew that both Senior Brothers, with your insightful eyes, would soon notice.


    Junior Brother indeed had an opportunity in Devilfall Valley, and only after much arduous cultivation did I advance.


    To advance to the mid Nascent Soul Stage so quickly was something even I didn¡¯t anticipate.


    However, if I hadn¡¯t known that Wan¡¯er was under the care of two Senior Brothers and that there wouldn¡¯t be any major complications, I would¡¯ve been in great anxiety.


    How could I have focused on cultivating?


    For this, I owe a great deal to both Senior Brothers,¡± Han Li said solemnly as he clasped his fists in gratitude.


    ¡°What Junior Brother mentions is out of modesty!


    Since Sister Nangong has acknowledged me as her eldest brother, protecting her is only natural.


    Moreover, when speaking of protection, I, as an elder brother, have not been of any real help; I could only let the younger sister be trapped in ice.


    I feel quite ashamed!¡± Senior Martial Brother Cheng managed to recover from the shock of Han Li¡¯s advancement and hurriedly responded with humility.


    ¡°Junior Brother has advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage within less than three hundred years of age; talking about it could probably shock the entire Tian Luo.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Looking ahead, not to mention the late Nascent Soul stage, even advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage seems very likely for Junior Brother!¡± Lu Luo couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, his words filled with envy.


    With Han Li¡¯s terrifying advancement rate, in the history of Tian Luo¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators, perhaps only a few could match him.


    Such cultivation speed is no longer solely linked to one¡¯s natural aptitude.


    It¡¯s largely dependent on personal fate and opportunity, something one can¡¯t forcefully obtain.


    Naturally, Han Li humbled himself with a few words and then deliberately changed the subject, inquiring about the events that took place in the Devilfall Valley after his disappearance.


    Receiving information from those who had personally witnessed the great battle was far more accurate than hearsay from others.


    The elder couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly upon hearing Han Li¡¯s question.


    It turns out that after Han Li was swallowed up by a tear in space on that day, another ancient devil went into an unparalleled rage.


    Just when the elder feared for his life, other cultivators arrived just in time.


    Even the cultivators who arrived first and joined forces with Wei Wuya struggled to subdue the other ancient devil that had transformed into a two-headed, four-armed being.


    Soon, they found themselves in grave danger.


    At a critical moment, a group from the Moulan arrived.


    With the combined forces, they managed to trap the devil.


    After a great battle and with the assistance of the Moulan Holy Bird summoned by a Moulan female surnamed Le, the demon was seriously injured; even the Moulan Divine Sage managed to sever one of its heads.


    However, the ancient devil managed to escape.


    In this battle, several Nascent Soul cultivators fell, and even one of Nangong Wan¡¯s senior sisters was directly hit by a burst of Devil Flame during the devil¡¯s final frenzy, her Nascent Soul turning to ash.


    Venerable Ancestor Ling Hu fared slightly better, but his body was destroyed, and only his Nascent Soul narrowly escaped.


    The unluckiest were the cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect.


    Elder Zhong was directly plundered of his Nascent Soul by the ancient devil and swallowed.


    The total loss of high-grade cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect who entered the valley was nothing if not stunning.


    The events that followed were more or less the same as what Huang Yuanming had told.


    They initially thought that this devil, like the records suggested, would not be able to exist in the human world for long.


    These people did not venture out of the valley to pursue the devil.


    However, unexpectedly, the devil found some way to stay, showing no signs of returning to the Otherworld.


    Instead, it began a massacre throughout Tian Luo, devouring the Nascent Souls of cultivators and ultimately inciting fury and a vast encirclement.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li frowned and asked:


    ¡°Regarding the great battle to suppress that demon, I have heard some external rumors.


    They say all sorts of things, but two high-level cultivators and a Moulan Divine Sage actually took action simultaneously.


    Couldn¡¯t they kill the demon on the spot?


    With the identity of the two Senior Martial Brothers, you should know the real outcome, right?¡± As Han Li said this, his expression turned grave.


    Thinking back on the ferocity of that ancient devil, he still felt waves of fear.


    ¡°The battle to suppress that demon, the two of us did not participate.


    However, according to the information filtered through our alliance, that ancient devil indeed suffered fatal injuries.


    But it managed to escape the encirclement using a peculiar secret technique.


    Nevertheless, Master Sunreach and others kept chasing relentlessly, determined to eradicate the evil.


    The chase even reached the edges of the Moulan Prairies.


    Due to the concern over the cultivators from the Soaring Tribes, they had to give up the pursuit.


    But so many years have passed.


    This ancient devil has not reappeared in Tian Luo, and the situation on the side of the Soaring Tribes is also calm; it seems that the demon either truly died from its serious injuries or crossed the Moulan Prairies to the Great Jin,¡± the elder explained to Han Li in detail.


    ¡°Going to the Great Jin?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but change his expression slightly, but soon returned to normal.


    Senior Martial Brother Cheng and Lu Luo naturally noticed that Han Li had some things he did not wish to discuss.


    However, both tactfully chose not to pry further.


    After all, Han Li¡¯s Divine Skills and realm were far beyond their reach, and now they felt a certain awe when facing Han Li.


    Han Li chatted briefly with the two about other matters before finally revealing that he had found the right medicine in Devilfall Valley and needed to first go and try to remove the poison curse on Nangong Wan.


    Upon hearing this, the two were not too pleased, as if Nangong Wan could also recover as normal, it would naturally enhance the strength of the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    They quickly lost the desire to chat further and immediately accompanied Han Li to personally go to the forbidden area.


    At the entrance of the forbidden area, the two brothers consciously stopped, saying they would personally guard the place so that Han Li could confidently go and remove the curse.


    Han Li was not polite; he thanked them and walked in alone.


    Soon after, his figure appeared in front of the stone room.


    He looked at the restrictive formations outside the stone door, which seemed untouched since his last departure.


    It appeared that Senior Martial Brother Cheng and the other had merely used their Divine Sense to check on Nangong Wan¡¯s condition and had not broken the seal to enter.


    This made Han Li very satisfied with the two¡¯s actions.


    With hand incantations executed, several incantations struck out, and after a few flashes of spiritual light from the stone door, it opened with a dull sound.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered, and he walked in silently.


    The stone door closed again.


    Inside the secret chamber, everything was as it was before; the ceiling, inlaid with moon light stones, didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit dim.


    Furthermore, because of the restrictive formations, the room was as clean as ever, spotless.


    The ice wall flickered with a faint spiritual light, and Nangong Wan, still sealed within it in the form of a young girl, had her eyes tightly closed and her face slightly pale.


    A trace of pity flashed across Han Li¡¯s face.


    He walked a few steps to within a meter of the ice wall and stopped.


    Gazing at Nangong Wan¡¯s pale face, Han Li¡¯s eyes were filled with a complex expression!


    Standing in place, staring at the ice-sealed Nangong Wan, Han Li after a long while sighed deeply.


    Moraina patted her storage pouch at her waist, and a jade box appeared in her hand out of thin air.


    Holding the jade box in one hand, she gently flicked the lid with the palm of her other hand.


    The lid immediately popped open, revealing a thumb-sized red sphere, which was the Demon Core of the Ancient Flame Toad.


    In the spotless jade box, the Demon Core flickered dimly then brightly, exuding a mysterious and dazzling red light.


    Narrowing his eyes, Han Li carefully observed the Demon Core for a while, then suddenly opened his mouth.


    A clump of misty Spiritual Energy swept up the Demon Core and carried it towards the ice wall.


    A low chant of spell incantation was heard, and an incantation was cast upon the ice wall.


    With a flash of blue light from the ice wall, the Demon Core, as if it was nothing, merged into the thick ice, flying toward Nangong Wan¡¯s lips.


    With a composed motion, Han Li pointed at Nangong Wan, and her lips parted halfway open like a puppet¡¯s.


    Seizing the opportunity, the Demon Core instantly flew into her mouth.


    Nangong Wan¡¯s pale, bloodless face was instantly covered with a faint red glow, but her eyes, covered by long lashes, remained tightly shut without a hint of awakening.


    Han Li sighed, knowing that this matter could not be rushed; even if the Demon Core was effective, it wouldn¡¯t undo the Soul Seal Curse in just a few days.


    Yet, Han Li did not leave right away; he just quietly stood in front of the ice wall, silently gazing at Nangong Wan.


    For some reason, the scene of their first meeting flashed through his mind.


    Time slowly passed.


    Han Li¡¯s figure remained motionless in front of the ice wall¡­


    Half a day later, Han Li calmly walked out of the secret chamber door, reactivated the restrictive formations, and retraced his original path.


    Senior Martial Brother Cheng and Lu Luo were still guarding outside the forbidden area, and naturally, they asked Han Li about the situation with concern upon seeing him emerge.


    With a forced smile, Han Li only mentioned that they would need to observe for a few more days to know if the Soul Seal Curse could truly be removed.


    Since Han Li was also tired from traveling continuously, he did not continue chatting with them and took his leave to return to his cave dwelling.


    After all, there was plenty of time to discuss things slowly in the days to come.


    Then, transforming into a streak of blue rainbow, Han Li headed straight toward Mother-Child Peak.


    From the previous conversation, he knew that although he had disappeared for over twenty years, his cave dwelling, under the strict orders of the elder and Lu Luo, had still been maintained as if new.


    And as his concubine, Mu Peiling had been living in the smaller mountains all along, with the two elders taking good care of her.


    Now, this woman had reached the False Core Stage and could begin attempting Core Formation in just a year.


    This was an unexpected pleasant surprise.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, and he naturally thought of the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art.


    Knowing that he had quite a few panaceas that could increase the success rate of Core Formation, and since this woman¡¯s talents were among the best, as long as he truly exerted full effort to assist her in forming her core, she had at least a seventy percent chance of successfully forming her core without complications.


    Unexpectedly, another opportunity had arisen in Devilfall Valley, and before the woman could attempt forming her core, he had already broken through this bottleneck.


    This situation was indeed different from his original plan.


    However, it didn¡¯t matter, for the dual cultivation method of the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art was similarly useful for breakthroughs in the late Nascent Soul stage.


    Of course, cultivating this art would definitely require deeper mastery.


    The woman would also need to be at the late Core Formation stage for it to be of any use.


    Originally, he had planned for this woman to cultivate this art for decades, allowing him to utilize her Primordial Yin Body at his discretion, but now, that idea had to change.


    Under normal circumstances, it might take him two to three hundred years to cultivate to the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage.


    For such a long time, getting this woman to continue cultivating the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art would really require some nurturing since it¡¯s not a top-tier technique.


    Without medicinal pills, it would be difficult for this woman to cultivate to the late Core Formation realm in a short time.


    Considering this, Han Li thought as he soon arrived in front of Mother-Child Peak.


    Looking at the sea of fog restriction in front of the peak, Han Li smiled faintly.


    With a sweep of his sleeves, a thick fog spontaneously split open a path.


    Unhurried, he flew toward the main peak.


    (The first update!)(To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 863 - Chapter 863 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 860, Frankly Speaking

    ?Chapter 863: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 860, Frankly Speaking Chapter 863: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 860, Frankly Speaking The cave dwelling remained unchanged, even the cluster of Gold Devouring Beetles left to guard the dwelling had congealed into a tri-colored sphere, suspended in the middle of the hall, motionless.


    The Profound Heaven Immortal Vine and the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng transplanted within the medicinal herb garden were also intact, as if he had only left yesterday.


    The residual root of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine was not of much concern; Han Li did not harbor much hope for its revival.


    However, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was far from ordinary, being a Spiritual Medicine that had long vanished from the outside world.


    Moreover, the ginseng had attained a spirit and even a transformed form, making it all the more rare and extraordinary.


    If it hadn¡¯t been so inconvenient to carry the ginseng with him, Han Li truly would have wished to transplant and carry this Spiritual Medicine along.


    Regrettably, among the ancient prescriptions he had acquired thus far, none required the use of this ginseng.


    With a sigh of yearning, he was compelled to temporarily set aside this matter.


    Aside from the medicinal herbs in the garden, the eggs of the Six-Winged Frost Centipede and most of the Gold Devouring Beetles had been taken away by Han Li in a spirit beast pouch the last time he left the residence.


    There was no need to worry about those.


    In fact, the twenty-four eggs of the Six-Winged Frost Centipede had hatched while he was on his way to the westernmost regions, not long after setting out.


    But during the twenty-odd years trapped in tears in space, the bottle had been unable to generate more of the jade green liquid, resulting in the continued stasis of these insects¡¯ growth above the larval stage, never having advanced further.


    Han Li placed them in a specially constructed spirit beast pouch, keeping them in a state of suspended animation.


    This was somewhat regrettable!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Now, Han Li first relocated the Gold Devouring Beetles awaiting evolution back to their room, then he took out the extremely cold, specially made spirit beast pouch, and walked to the adjacent room where the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes were originally bred.


    He gently tipped the spirit beast pouch towards the room¡¯s door.


    As a result, after a sweep of white radiance, more than twenty centipede larvae, each several inches in length, appeared in the middle of the room.


    These Six-Winged Frost Centipede larvae, translucent and gleaming white, showed not a hint of the growth of their wings, resembling enlarged white silkworms rather than anything fierce or terrifying.


    Initially, Han Li had obtained the Six-Winged Frost Centipede without knowing whether the species truly evolved through mutual devouring on Rainbow Skirt Grass, and had merely wanted to test the theory.


    However, he did not expect the breed to truly possess such evolutionary traits, which delighted him greatly.


    His original intention had only been to use the cold aura of the insects to cultivate the Purple Apex Flames.


    But after the battle in Devilfall Valley, Han Li had some other ideas in mind.


    The Gold Devouring Beetles were incredibly sharp, but their escape speed was a bit too slow; he feared that once they were fully cultivated, they might be quite limited in facing enemies with astonishingly fast speeds or in certain situations.


    The reason Six-Winged Frost Centipedes held such a high position on the insect rankings was not only due to their terrifying cold breath but also their speed, which was one of the fastest among all spirit insects.


    At the stage of two wings, their speed was not much inferior compared to other common spirit insects.


    But once another pair of wings grew, evolving to four wings, their speed increased dramatically, already surpassing the escape speed of common Spiritual Treasures.


    But the most terrifying aspect would be when they evolved a third pair of wings, their speed could rank within the top three of all spirit insects.


    It is said they could disappear without a trace, crossing thousands of miles in an instant.


    Of course, these descriptions were only hearsay mentioned in texts.


    Even in Ancient Times, the number of insects that evolved six wings was exceedingly few.


    Han Li was skeptical about this!


    Nonetheless, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede was undoubtedly an insect with astonishingly fast speed from Ancient Times, there was no doubt about that.


    In the battle against the ancient devilish techniques, Han Li suffered greatly from his opponent¡¯s ghost-like movements and naturally thought of cultivating the Six-Winged Frost Centipede to its peak stage.


    Moreover, once reaching the six-winged stage, the cold breath spewed by the insect would naturally become even more powerful, which would also be greatly beneficial to his cultivation of Purple Apex Flames.


    With such a thought in mind, Han Li naturally looked upon these Six-Winged Frost Centipede larvae with new interest.


    Seeing that the larvae did not reject their new environment, Han Li felt assured and settled down.


    Just as he was about to observe for a while longer, his expression suddenly changed and he glanced towards the entrance of the cave dwelling, as if sensing something.


    Then his gaze flickered, and with a flick of his sleeve, a streak of white light shot out, and Silvermoon appeared in front of him, lively as ever.


    ¡°Mu Peiling has now arrived at the gate; go and bring her to the hall.


    I happen to have some words to speak with her,¡± Han Li instructed in a deep voice.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Silvermoon did not ask further and obediently vanished on the spot in a streak of silvery light.


    Han Li then resealed the room for the Gold Devouring Beetles and, unhurried, returned to the main hall.


    A moment later, Han Li sat in the main seat of the hall, supporting his chin with one hand, motionless, as if deep in thought.


    Just then, soft footsteps sounded at the entrance of the hall.


    Silvermoon, with a smile brimming on her face, led the way into the hall, followed by Mu Peiling, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for many years.


    Her appearance remained the same.


    No, it could be said that she seemed even more radiant and enchanting than before.


    The earlier aloofness had diminished significantly, replaced by an ethereal elegance akin to an orchid in a secluded valley.


    ¡°Greetings, my lord.


    Congratulations on your safe return and the significant advancement to mid Nascent Soul stage,¡± Mu Peiling, with a flicker of a smile on her beautiful face, bowed neatly as she spoke.


    ¡°To see me and congratulate me on reaching mid Nascent Soul stage directly, it seems you have already heard some news about me.


    There¡¯s no need for such formality.


    You accompanied me to the westernmost regions back then, and though there was no merit, you shared the hardships.


    There¡¯s no need for us to be so formal with each other anymore,¡± Han Li returned her smile and then gestured for her to rise and speak.


    Though the three years he had spent with her in the westernmost regions had brought them somewhat closer together, they were not yet intimately close, but their relationship had greatly improved from before.


    ¡°Many thanks, my lord!¡± Mu Peiling gracefully rose to stand.


    ¡°After returning from the westernmost regions back then, I never imagined that after parting from you, I would be trapped in Devilfall Valley for over two decades.


    Your commitment to staying here is quite heartening.¡±


    ¡°As my lord¡¯s concubine, and deeply indebted to my lord¡¯s generosity, where else would I wait if not here?


    Moreover, I never believed that my lord would truly fall,¡± Mu Peiling replied, a humorous sparkle in her eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have so much faith in me.


    But indeed, it was extremely perilous this time, and I almost didn¡¯t make it back.


    However, though you were assisted by some medicinal pills, your advancement in cultivation speed is also astonishing.


    How confident are you in your upcoming Core Formation?¡± Han Li laughed heartily before shifting the topic to her circumstances.


    ¡°My lord, I have no assurance whatsoever.


    The chance of Core Formation is less than ten percent to begin with.


    Whether it happens depends on fate,¡± Mu Peiling said, a touch of helplessness on her face.


    ¡°Fate?


    Hehe, that¡¯s hard to say.


    I might be able to give you a hand with Core Formation so that you can increase your chances by another twenty to thirty percent,¡± Han Li said to her with a smile.


    ¡°What?


    How could that be possible?


    My lord isn¡¯t just jesting, right?


    I¡¯ve never heard of such Spiritual Medicine in Tian Luo,¡± Mu Peiling¡¯s red lips parted slightly, her face a picture of astonishment.


    ¡°Most of the Spiritual Medicine I have isn¡¯t native to Tian Luo.


    It¡¯s natural you haven¡¯t heard of them.


    But I assure you, with your aptitude, if you take all of these, the chance of Core Formation could approach fifty percent-that is not at all odd!¡± Han Li said with his usual calm composure.


    Having been with Han Li for so long, Mu Peiling knew he never made exaggerated claims, and she was inclined to believe him mostly.


    But after a moment of consideration, she still seemed hesitant.


    ¡°My lord, you¡¯re telling me this now-is there something you wish to instruct me to do?


    If there is, please tell me frankly,¡± Mu Peiling spoke softly.


    Han Li was slightly taken aback, surprised, but after a brief contemplation, decided to be direct:


    ¡°Do you still remember the agreement when I took you as a concubine?¡± He went straight to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°Of course, I remember.


    You promised me thirty years to cultivate, during which you wouldn¡¯t claim my Primordial Yin Body,¡± Mu Peiling was initially startled, but her face swiftly turned a deep shade of red, making her look strikingly attractive.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time for that agreement to end.


    But don¡¯t worry.


    I won¡¯t make things difficult for you during the critical moment of your Core Formation.


    However, before you attempt Core Formation, there are some things that need to be clearly addressed.


    After that, you can properly weigh the pros and cons.


    I don¡¯t want a situation where I use up all the Spiritual Medicine to help you form your Golden Core, only for you to change your mind and harbor resentment afterwards,¡± Han Li spoke slowly, his face expressionless but his words clear and calm.


    ¡°My lord, what do you mean?¡± Mu Peiling was taken aback, lifting her head to look at Han Li with a flicker of confusion in her eyes.


    ¡°I hope that after you form your Golden Core, you will abandon your current Cultivation Technique and begin cultivating an Incantation called Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art,¡± Han Li stated with an odd expression.


    ¡°Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art?¡± Mu Peiling expressed some surprise.


    ¡°Ladies rarely practice this dual cultivation technique.


    Once mastered to great depths, it can greatly benefit both individuals involved in their first bond.


    The improvement in cultivation itself is secondary; the key point is the incredible effect the Art has on breaking through cultivational bottlenecks.


    Of course, I won¡¯t shy away from telling you, it mainly benefits the man in practice.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m offering you additional compensation in advance, and I¡¯ll do my best to help you form your Golden Core.


    Now that my cultivation has reached mid Nascent Soul Stage, to make Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art beneficial for my breakthrough to Deity Transformation stage, it needs to be practiced until late Core Formation.


    Should you agree to this, I¡¯ll continue to supply you with medicinal pills for the Core Formation Stage to speed up your cultivation.


    I cannot promise the world, but at the very least it can spare you a hundred years of arduous cultivation.


    Of course, if this does not suit you, I won¡¯t insist.


    After this attempt at Core Formation, regardless of success, I will undo the divine restrictions in your mind, restoring your freedom, and from then on, we shall part ways,¡± Han Li explained serenely.


    Upon hearing this, Mu Peiling was greatly surprised, her thoughts thrown into turmoil as her expression flickered uncertainly.


    (Second update of the month!


    With the start of a new month, let¡¯s strive a bit.


    To those with reserve monthly votes, cast them boldly.


    Don¡¯t hesitate-I certainly won¡¯t mind too many!)(To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 864 - Chapter 864 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 861 Invitation Letter

    ?Chapter 864: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 861 Invitation Letter Chapter 864: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 861 Invitation Letter ¡°Cultivating the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art requires female cultivators to maintain their virginity.


    Otherwise, once they lose it, even previous achievements would be in vain.


    Therefore, until you haven¡¯t advanced to the late Core Formation period, I won¡¯t require you to serve me in bed.


    Let¡¯s maintain our current relationship like this.


    Of course, if you truly can help me advance to the late Nascent Soul Stage, I can promise you here and now.


    I will definitely do my utmost to assist you in forming your Nascent Soul.


    With the full support of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, forming your Nascent Soul should not be an unattainable goal.¡± Han Li gazed unblinkingly at Mu Peiling as he slowly spoke.


    These words were not false.


    Once Han Li¡¯s cultivation reached the late Nascent Soul Stage, he could again collect the Level Eight Companion Demon Grass and refine the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, which greatly aids in forming one¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    After all, by that time, grade eight demon beasts would no longer pose a significant threat to him.


    Mu Peiling bowed her head in silent contemplation for a moment before lifting her face, which was as smooth as jade, and asked Han Li:


    ¡°Master, does the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art cultivate particularly slowly or have any difficult-to-resolve sequelae?¡±


    ¡°No, aside from not being as powerful as top-grade cultivation arts, this Cultivation Technique is actually three parts faster to cultivate than ordinary Incantations.


    And it has no drawbacks.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    It¡¯s just that in combat with others, you might suffer some disadvantages,¡± Han Li answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, Peiling will follow all of Master¡¯s arrangements.


    I¡¯m well aware of my own aptitude.


    Without Master¡¯s help, my attempt at Core Formation would most likely fail.


    And as for reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, that would be even more improbable.¡± The woman looked at Han Li with calm confidence in her voice.


    ¡°I am pleased with your response.


    Having been with me for so long, you are quite familiar with the kind of person I am.


    Although your status is that of a concubine, I won¡¯t be overly harsh with you.


    Just concentrate on preparing for your Core Formation.


    When the time comes, I will make sure to send you the necessary Spiritual Medicine,¡± Han Li spoke with an unchanged expression, as though he had expected the woman¡¯s agreement all along.


    ¡°Thank you greatly, Master!


    I understand the principle that one should repay even the smallest kindness with a fountain of gratitude.


    My life now is entrusted to you, Master.¡± After saying this with a determined look on her face, Mu Peiling bowed deeply once more.


    Clearly, at this moment, Mu Peiling truly planned to rely on Han Li, shedding any previous uncertainties.


    After all, it would be difficult to find another cultivator like Han Li in the entire Tian Luo who had the Divine Skills of three great cultivators and treated his concubines so kindly.


    Moreover, the woman was well aware that Han Li¡¯s grace towards her was not small.


    Without the medicinal pills provided by Han Li earlier on, let alone her current attempt at Core Formation, she might still be struggling at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.


    This left Mu Peiling without hesitation, and she readily agreed to Han Li¡¯s conditions.


    After Han Li spoke so openly, the relationship between the two seemed to immediately grow closer.


    The woman spoke with a hint of intimacy when she talked to Han Li again.


    Next, Han Li advised the woman on issues related to Core Formation in a pleasant and amicable manner.


    Mu Peiling knew this was a rare opportunity and listened intently to Han Li¡¯s guidance, her beautiful eyes unblinking.


    It took quite some time before Mu Peiling felt she had learned a lot and had to excuse herself to leave.


    There were many inadequacies in her cultivation that she needed to prepare for in advance, based on Han Li¡¯s guidance.


    Han Li did not detain her any further, merely reminding her of a few additional things before letting her return to her own smaller mountains.


    Silvermoon then saw the woman out of the cave abode.


    When Silvermoon returned to the main hall, Han Li was still sitting in his chair, but now he had a jade slip in his hand and was scanning its contents with his Divine Sense.


    This was the very jade slip that recorded the method to forge a replica of the Seven Flames Fan.


    ¡°Master, are you really planning to help this woman cultivate all the way to the late Core Formation period?¡± Silvermoon quietly walked up to Han Li¡¯s side and asked softly.


    ¡°Why, is there something inappropriate about it?¡± Han Li withdrew his Divine Sense and looked up with a raised eyebrow, countering her question.


    ¡°Not at all!


    I was just a bit curious.


    Given Master¡¯s current status, directly taking on a female Core Formation cultivator as a concubine wouldn¡¯t be difficult.


    So why go to such lengths for this woman?¡± Silvermoon¡¯s gaze flickered with a hint of confusion as she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    After observing her over the years, I¡¯ve noted that this woman¡¯s nature isn¡¯t bad and she¡¯s worthy of significant cultivation efforts.


    Taking her on as a concubine this time isn¡¯t solely for the purpose of using her to break through my own bottleneck; I genuinely wish to cultivate a capable assistant.


    In the future, when I¡¯m in prolonged seclusion for cultivation, I¡¯ll need a close associate to handle affairs outside.


    Currently, I am a Drifting Cloud Sect Elder, so I can¡¯t just ignore sect affairs and solely focus on my own cultivation.


    Wan¡¯er isn¡¯t the type who has the interest in dealing with sect matters either, and I presume she wouldn¡¯t want to involve herself too much with such affairs.


    Besides, I can tell this woman is different from me and Wan¡¯er; she isn¡¯t the type to passionately pursue the Dao of Heaven.


    Once her cultivation reaches a certain level, she probably will no longer endure the loneliness.


    With that in mind, it would be quite apt for her to manage sect affairs on my behalf,¡± Han Li spoke calmly with a pause, then continued:


    ¡°Of course, the most important thing is that the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art must be practiced with the willing cooperation of a woman.


    Without bestowing great favors, why would an ordinary female Core Formation cultivator willingly give up the cultivation technique she has practiced for many years to cultivate some unknown incantations?


    I have been helping her cultivate and reach Core Formation since the Foundation Establishment stage, and I may even give her the chance to form a Nascent Soul in the future.


    Only then will she have no complaints.


    Just like she said, if not for my help, she could have remained a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator for the rest of her life.


    So even though I do have some thoughts of using her, what she loses is merely a bit of status.


    Given all that I have offered her, I can do so with a clear conscience.¡±


    After Han Li finished speaking, he sighed lightly and, with a flash of light in his hand, the jade slip vanished from sight.


    ¡°So this was Master¡¯s plan, Silvermoon was indeed shortsighted.¡± Silvermoon tilted her head slightly and broke into a charming smile.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be too idle in the future either.


    I have now advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage and plan to enter seclusion in a few days to completely refine the last trace of the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Then I shall casually comprehend the method to unlock the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Everything within the cave abode will still be managed by you,¡± said Han Li, glancing at Silvermoon with a half-smile, and he continued languidly.


    ¡°Master has refined the ice flame to the final step, which is indeed cause for celebration,¡± exclaimed Silvermoon, startled at first and then overjoyed, her face beaming with elated colors.


    ¡°Yes, I have finally completed the first step towards opening the cauldron.


    I don¡¯t know what conditions will be needed for the next step to open this cauldron.


    Alright, I am somewhat tired.


    I¡¯ll rest for today, and we can deal with anything else tomorrow morning,¡± said Han Li indifferently, standing up from his seat and heading towards the bedroom.


    Silvermoon, watching Han Li¡¯s retreating figure, stood still in the hall for a moment, lost in thought, and then gracefully exited the hall.


    The night passed without incident, and as soon as Han Li awoke from meditation the next day, Silvermoon came to report that Senior Martial Brother Cheng and Lu Luo had arrived.


    Han Li promptly freshened up and had Silvermoon open the restrictive formations before walking to the entrance to greet them.


    Indeed, the two elderly figures were waiting outside his cave abode.


    Han Li greeted them with a smile and welcomed them inside.


    Seated in the hall, as host and guests settled down, the elder opened the conversation with an apology:


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han has only rested for a day, and we should not have come to disturb you so soon.


    But the matter is somewhat urgent, so we had to make the trip.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be polite, Senior Brothers!


    We cultivators only need a little rest to recover.


    There¡¯s no such thing as disturbance,¡± Han Li said with a smile, brushing off the concern.


    ¡°Since Senior Disciple Han says so, I feel much better.


    In fact, as soon as you left yesterday, the Ancient Sword Sect and Hundred Possibilities Pavilion heard that you had returned to the sect, so they jointly sent an invitation, asking us to gather together.


    Although Senior Disciple Han has been a part of the Drifting Cloud Sect for some time, you have not yet met many from the other two sects.


    This will be a good opportunity to meet them.


    After all, our three sects share weal and woe in a sense.


    Tomorrow, Hundred Possibilities Pavilion is holding a master recognition ceremony for an artifact they have refined, and they have scheduled the gathering for that time.


    They invited us and the elders of the Ancient Sword Sect to witness the event.¡±


    ¡°A master recognition ceremony.


    If I recall correctly, Hundred Possibilities Pavilion has quite a reputation in artifact refining.


    To invite us to the ceremony means that the artifact must be extraordinary,¡± Han Li remarked with some surprise, showing a hint of interest.


    ¡°The invitation does not reveal that detail, but the one who will undertake the blood recognition is a young disciple who recently achieved Core Formation in the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    I hear he has exceptional aptitude and formed his Golden Core in less than a hundred years.


    The old fellows in the pavilion have high hopes for him,¡± added Lu Luo, taking out a golden invitation letter and passing it over.


    ¡°To form a Golden Core in such a short time is indeed astonishing.


    Alright, I will join you and the Senior Brothers tomorrow.


    I¡¯m curious as well,¡± Han Li smiled as he took the invitation letter and glanced at it nonchalantly.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s best that Senior Disciple Han is willing to go.


    I heard that the Great Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, Golden Martial Ring, has also just exited his life and death seclusion.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, he was in seclusion for seventy to eighty years, and he was at the Mid-Nascent Soul Stage before that.


    Who knows if his cultivation has made any great strides after this seclusion,¡± Senior Martial Brother Cheng said happily, seeing that Han Li was willing to attend the gathering.


    ¡°The Great Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect!¡± Han Li was taken aback, but then his lips curled up, not taking it too seriously.


    However, he suddenly scrutinized the elder closely and his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Cheng, I just used my Divine Sense to probe your body, and it seems that your condition is not good.


    Didn¡¯t you find any lifespan-extending medicinal pills in Devilfall Valley?¡± Han Li asked with some concern.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the elder couldn¡¯t help but show a bitter smile.


    ¡°If Senior Disciple Han doesn¡¯t mention it, I know it well.


    I am only a decade or so from my allotted time and could pass away at any moment.


    As for Devilfall Valley, although I did find some treasures there, none were spirit pills to extend one¡¯s lifespan.


    It seems to be predestined.


    But we cultivators, unless we truly achieve the great Dao, life and death are part of the cycle of heaven¡¯s laws.


    There¡¯s nothing to regret.


    In the future, the Drifting Cloud Sect will have to be entrusted to you two Senior Brothers.¡±


    After saying these words, the elder appeared quite calm, having long accepted the inevitability of this day.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com, for more chapters, to support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 866 - Chapter 866 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 863 Yin Yang Tower

    ?Chapter 866: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 863 Yin Yang Tower Chapter 866: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 863 Yin Yang Tower Under the guidance of Elder Fu and two other seniors, Han Li and company crossed the large restrictive formation and entered the skies above the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    This time, instead of descending to the central plaza surrounded by mountains, they were directly led to a huge platform built against the mountainside.


    In the center of this platform stood a pavilion around three hundred feet high and comprising five levels.


    At first glance, it didn¡¯t resemble a pavilion at all but rather a massive stone pagoda.


    Beyond the pavilion, stretching endlessly up the mountain face were countless large and small holes, buzzing with the disciples of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion going in and out like a hive.


    Elder Fu did not lead the party towards the pavilion but flew directly towards the upper end of the mountain face.


    ¡°This mountain contains a top-tier Earth Lung Fire Pool deep underground; not only does it double the efficiency of artifact refining, but it is also immensely beneficial for cultivators practicing fire attribute cultivation arts.


    Thus, the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion not only sets up numerous tool-refining rooms on this mountainside but also many high-grade disciples have their caves built within the belly of the mountain,¡± Senior Martial Brother Cheng explained casually as they flew.


    Han Li listened to these words and mulled them over, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.


    In the blink of an eye, they had ascended a thousand feet upwards and eventually stopped at a solitary, vast cave entrance.


    This area clearly wasn¡¯t accessible to lower-level disciples; unlike the bustling movement below, here there were only two old men standing, welcoming them without any sight of other cultivators.


    ¡°Brother Cheng, Fellow Daoist Lu!


    I have been waiting for a long time.


    I didn¡¯t come down to welcome you; I hope you won¡¯t take offense.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    This must be Fellow Daoist Han, right?


    Truly a young prodigy.


    Ah!


    Has Fellow Daoist Han already advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage?¡± No sooner had the three landed at the cave entrance than a red-haired, dark-skinned old man greeted Cheng and Lu Luo with a smile.


    He glanced at Han Li and exclaimed with a sudden change in expression.


    The other old man by his side, whose skin was wrinkled and with a stern look, also displayed a shocked expression.


    ¡°You give me too much credit.


    Fellow Junior Han has indeed just advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    I must ask you two seniors for your guidance to him in the future,¡± replied Senior Martial Brother Cheng with a chuckle.


    ¡°Guide us!


    Don¡¯t jest, Brother Cheng,¡± the two elders from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion finally recovered from their shock, exchanging looks and smiling wryly.


    Elder Feng was especially at a loss for words in response.


    ¡°Both of you should not be modest.


    Although I¡¯ve progressed a bit faster, my foundation is not yet solid.


    If there¡¯s anything inappropriate in my cultivation in the future, I genuinely need you two to clear my doubts,¡± Han Li humbly said with a cupped fists salute, showing no arrogance whatsoever.


    Seeing this, the two Nascent Soul cultivators were quite impressed and promptly invited the party to enter for a discussion.


    Elder Fu and his companions excused themselves and left.


    ¡°Initially, Elder Raging Flames was also going to come out to welcome the three of you, but he is currently preparing for the final touches on a newly-refined Daoist paper talisman for a master recognition ceremony.


    He can¡¯t come over for now.


    I hope you won¡¯t take offense,¡± the other elder explained.


    ¡°What are you saying, Brother Ding!


    I and Junior Brother Lu have known you for hundreds of years.


    There¡¯s no need for such politeness.


    However, what is this Daoist paper talisman that requires a grand master recognition ceremony?


    Can¡¯t you reveal a bit to us?¡± asked Lu Luo curiously on the way.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing significant.


    We just spent three months creating another Yin Yang Tower,¡± Elder Ding said, trying to downplay it, though a hint of pride couldn¡¯t be concealed in his eyes.


    ¡°Yin Yang Tower?


    It¡¯s indeed such a treasure.


    It is one of the three treasures that guard the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    I recall no one in your pavilion has managed to refine any new guardian treasures in nearly a thousand years,¡± remarked Senior Martial Brother Cheng, his smiling face suddenly stiffening in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we invited fellow Daoists to attend the ceremony this time.


    But this Yin Yang Tower, while a guarding treasure for our Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, might not be much for your two sects.


    Not to mention the Ancient Sword Sect.


    I heard Brother Cheng obtained some rare treasures from Devilfall Valley.


    And Fellow Daoist Han advanced so quickly to the mid stage, presumably having found some opportunities in Devilfall Valley as well,¡± Elder Feng jokingly probed with a chuckling tone.


    ¡°Obtained some treasures?


    Brother Feng, you must have heard rumors.


    I¡¯m not quite sure about Fellow Junior Han¡¯s situation.


    Although I did acquire two ancient treasures on my last trip to Devilfall Valley, they were merely mediocre in power, hardly comparable to the Yin Yang Tower,¡± the silver-haired elder shook his head vigorously like a beaten drum.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t obtain any notable ancient treasures either, rather, many were destroyed in Devilfall Valley.


    If not for a fortunate advancement in cultivation, I almost left the valley empty-handed,¡± Han Li gave a vague answer, skirting the truth about the Spirit Ether Garden incident.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cultivation has advanced a level; what need is there for treasures?


    If I could advance another level in my cultivation, I would willingly exchange all my treasures,¡± Elder Feng lamented with a chuckle, his tone containing a mix of self-mockery and envy.


    Han Li smiled slightly upon hearing this, opting not to interject anything further.


    Passing through a garden brimming with blooming flowers, they were led into an extraordinarily large hall.


    The space stretched over a hundred yards across and each of the four walls was inlaid with dazzling, fist-sized crystals of an unknown nature, which not only prevented the hall from feeling gloomy but instead imparted a sense of opulent grandeur.


    ¡°Please have a seat, the three Fellow Daoists.


    Brother Raging Flames will join us as soon as he¡¯s finished.


    And the Fellows from the Ancient Sword Sect should also be arriving shortly,¡± the elder with the surname Feng politely invited Han Li and the others to sit.


    ¡°I heard that Jin the monster from the Ancient Sword Sect has concluded his life-death trial and will also be joining us.


    Is there any truth to this?¡± Lu Luo asked as soon as he took his seat.


    ¡°This is indeed true.


    Fellow Daoist Jin even personally sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to Brother Raging Flames, stating his intentions to attend the ceremony.


    However¡­¡± Elder Feng paused here.


    ¡°However, what?¡± Lu Luo asked, somewhat puzzled, as the silver-haired elder also turned his head with interest.


    Han Li, on the other hand, was surveying the hall as if he wasn¡¯t concerned at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that Fellow Daoist Jin is probably here to see Fellow Daoist Han.


    After all, Brother Han¡¯s reputation is so illustrious that he¡¯s now considered one of the top figures just beneath the three great cultivators.


    It¡¯s truly fitting to call him the number one cultivator of the Heavenly Dao Alliance in single combat.


    What¡¯s more, he has now advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage,¡± Elder Ding remarked with a mysterious smile after glancing at Han Li.


    ¡°What, does Jin the monster want to test Brother Han¡¯s Divine Skills?


    Has this old eccentric not changed his temperament after so many years in seclusion?¡± Senior Martial Brother Cheng frowned slightly, displaying some displeasure.


    ¡°I and Brother Feng aren¡¯t really sure about that.


    However, with Brother Han¡¯s Divine Skill, he surely wouldn¡¯t fear anyone.


    And frankly, we fellow brothers would also like to witness Brother Han¡¯s prowess,¡± Elder Ding frankly admitted without any reservation.


    ¡°So, this gathering is essentially a re-ranking of the powers within the Dreamcloud Mountains,¡± Lu Luo commented, tapping his fingers on the table and slowly speaking.


    ¡°If the two Fellow Daoists see it that way, it¡¯s not incorrect.


    But speaking of re-ranking, our Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, being just a few old-timers, is naturally at the bottom and won¡¯t compete with your two sects.


    However, since Fellow Daoist Jin from the Ancient Sword Sect has personally come, he probably wants to test Brother Han¡¯s skills.


    Otherwise, why would he willingly cede the title of the number one sect of the State of Xi?¡± Elder Feng said with a smile.


    ¡°The two Fellow Daoists are aware of this but didn¡¯t reveal anything in the invitation.


    That seems somewhat hard to justify,¡± Senior Martial Brother Cheng frowned without saying much, while Lu Luo¡¯s expression darkened, his tone turning colder.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Lu.


    These are all our conjectures.


    Fellow Daoist Jin did not explicitly say he wanted to meet Brother Han.


    For our Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, the main purpose of this gathering is still cooperation and exchange among the three sects.


    After all, it¡¯s been over a hundred years since the last such gathering.


    There are new faces like Fellow Daoist Han and Fellow Daoist Ming Xin from the Ancient Sword Sect.


    Meeting each other surely benefits us all,¡± Brother Feng explained with a wave of his hand, remaining unruffled.


    Hearing this, Lu Luo¡¯s expression eased slightly.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged throughout, only showing a faint smile.


    This made the two elders from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion feel even more mystified and impressed with Han Li.


    After hearing the explanation, Senior Martial Brother Cheng quickly regained his composure and was about to inquire more about the Ancient Sword Sect when suddenly a red light transformed from a Sound Transmission Talisman shot through the door and landed in Elder Feng¡¯s hands.


    At this, everyone in the hall turned their gaze towards him.


    Elder Feng quickly glanced at the talisman and then hurriedly stood up.


    ¡°How fortuitous.


    The Fellow Daoists from the Ancient Sword Sect have also just arrived following you.


    I¡¯ll go and welcome them.


    Please allow Brother Ding to accompany the three of you for now,¡± the elder said apologetically and then hurried outside.


    Senior Martial Brother Cheng and Lu Luo exchanged glances, their expressions turning solemn.


    Han Li remained calm and unflustered.


    If he remembered correctly, Lu Luo once mentioned that aside from the Child Fire Dragon, who had good relations with two of the elders, the other elders from the Ancient Sword Sect were not on good terms with the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Moments later, footsteps sounded at the entrance of the hall, and Elder Feng returned with three cultivators, two men and a woman.


    The one leading them was a robust elder with swirling hair.


    Despite his white hair, his face was ruddy with glowing skin, and his piercing eyes shimmered with a ferocity resembling that of a wild beast.


    What was even more striking was the pair of unusually large hands hanging by his sides, nearly half the size larger than those of an average person.


    Following the elder was an ordinary-looking middle-aged cultivator and a dignified woman.


    (The second update!Continuing to ask for monthly votes, please support me if you have any!) (To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available and support the author by reading the officially licensed content!)

 Chapter 867 - Chapter 867 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 864 Attending the Ceremony

    ?Chapter 867: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 864 Attending the Ceremony Chapter 867: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 864 Attending the Ceremony Han Li glanced over and immediately recognized the elder whose eyes shone brightly-it was likely Jin the monster.


    After all, of the three present, only he was at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and seemed close to reaching the peak of this realm.


    As the man with curled hair entered the hall, he didn¡¯t bother with niceties and swept his gaze over Senior Martial Brother Cheng and the others, his eyes finally resting on Han Li, causing his expression to change slightly.


    ¡°This must be Fellow Daoist Han!¡± said the curled-hair elder with a hint of strangeness in his tone.


    ¡°I have long admired your reputation.


    But shouldn¡¯t you be at the early Nascent Soul stage?


    Has Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s cultivation progressed so rapidly to advance already?¡±


    ¡°It is Hei Jin, indeed.


    You flatter me.


    I only advanced to the mid-stage not long ago,¡± responded Han Li as he stood up and bowed slightly, his expression as calm as usual.


    Upon hearing this, the elder¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°After coming out of seclusion, I heard about your unbelievable divine skills.


    It seems the rumors were somewhat exaggerated, yet not far from the truth,¡± the curled-hair elder said after a moment of silence, managing a wry smile.


    Han Li smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, but before he could say another word, Senior Martial Brother Cheng laughed heartily and also stood up.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Jin, why focus so intently on Junior Brother Han as soon as you arrive?


    Let¡¯s all sit down together, and us few old fellows can chat freely,¡± exclaimed Senior Martial Brother Cheng warmly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way, Brother Cheng.


    I did not mean to overlook you.


    It¡¯s just that before coming here, all I heard about was your Junior Brother Han¡¯s remarkable reputation, which naturally piqued my curiosity,¡± Jin the monster said with a laugh, though his smile didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes.


    ¡°Is that so?


    Now that you¡¯ve met Junior Brother Han, I hope you aren¡¯t disappointed,¡± queried the Cheng-named elder with a smiling face.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Of course not disappointed, but rather, I found it somewhat beyond my expectations.


    With Fellow Daoist Han, the Drifting Cloud Sect is bound to soar to new heights.


    However, I heard that Brother Han wasn¡¯t originally a core disciple of your sect but came from the Yellow Maple Valley!¡± Jin the monster said, giving the Cheng-named elder a cold sneer.


    ¡°The fact that Junior Brother Han had some connections with Yellow Maple Valley in the past, what does it matter?


    Now that he¡¯s an elder of our Drifting Cloud Sect, that¡¯s what counts,¡± said the Cheng-named elder, unfazed.


    Hearing this, Jin the monster rolled his eyes, about to say more when the Feng-named elder suddenly interjected:


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, let¡¯s not hurry with our words.


    Our Hundred Possibilities Pavilion has newly introduced a type of tasty Spirit Fruit.


    Why not try some first?¡±


    With that, he clapped his hands lightly.


    A group of young female disciples, who had been waiting outside for a long time, carried in several platters of dark red, oval Spirit Fruits.


    Seeing this, Jin the monster and the Cheng-named elders naturally couldn¡¯t offend their host and took their seats.


    ¡°This is the ¡®Fire Pomegranate Fruit.¡¯ One of our disciples discovered it on a nameless desert mountain.


    The fruit is sweet and juicy, and eating it can significantly improve eyesight for ordinary mortals,¡± explained the Feng-named elder as soon as the female disciples finished arranging the fruits.


    Han Li and the others, having never seen such a fruit, were all curious and tried some.


    Indeed, it was extraordinarily sweet and contained an ample amount of nature¡¯s spiritual energy.


    Han Li found it to be quite good and ended up eating three in one go.


    ¡°By the way, why haven¡¯t we seen Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon at this gathering?


    And this must be Fellow Daoist Ming Xin of your sect?


    I heard that Fellow Daoist Ming Xin¡¯s magic treasure is extremely rare, crafted from ten-thousand-year-old yellow wood and cultivated with the peak wood attribute cultivation art ¡®Hundred Flowers Springtime Decree,''¡± inquired the Ding-named elder, smiling as he looked at the lady from the Ancient Sword Sect.


    ¡°That is correct, I am indeed Ming Xin.


    Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon heard that someone in the city market on Mount Tan Yun was selling young Flame Jade Beast eggs and was very interested, so he hasn¡¯t been in the sect for several months.


    Although I have been at the Nascent Soul stage for fifty or sixty years, I have seldom met people.


    Having the opportunity to meet with you esteemed Daoists today, I hope you will not hesitate to impart your knowledge,¡± said the lady, who, although not stunningly beautiful, moved with grace and natural elegance, exuding a faint fragrance of flowers, which made her quite likable.


    Han Li distinctly felt that after she finished speaking, her bright eyes lingered on him for a moment, seemingly quite interested in him.


    Han Li¡¯s brow furrowed unintentionally, but his expression soon returned to normal.


    After tasting the fruit, the elders who held significant positions in the three sects began their discussions.


    Han Li let Senior Disciple Hei Jin, Lu Luo, and the others engage in their veiled conversations, himself only sitting quietly, rarely speaking.


    Even when mentioned, he just smiled and remained silent.


    Yet, even so, given Han Li¡¯s reputation, the elders from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion and the Ancient Sword Sect still paid close attention to his every move, as if trying to discern something profound.


    While everyone in the hall was engaged in lively conversation, a flash of red light appeared at the entrance, and after it faded, a middle-aged cultivator in a purple robe appeared.


    The man had bushy eyebrows and large eyes, exuding an imposing aura of someone accustomed to wielding great power.


    As soon as this man appeared at the hall¡¯s entrance, the Feng-named and Ding-named elders immediately stood up to greet him.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Scarletflame, have all the disciples from Drifting Cloud Sect and The Ancient Sword Sect arrived?


    Is everything ready for the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Mm, everything is arranged.


    The fellow Daoists can proceed to the ceremony,¡± the middle-aged cultivator casually replied, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators in the hall.


    At that moment, the other cultivators also stood up and paid their respects to him.


    After all, he was a Great Elder of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, and they naturally did not dare to neglect him.


    ¡°Brother Scarletflame, you¡¯ve finally come out.


    It¡¯s been a long time since we last met.


    I don¡¯t know whether your ¡®Heavenfire Decree¡¯ has improved.


    After the ceremony, let¡¯s have a friendly exchange,¡± Elder Jin, who seemed to have some acquaintance with him, said rather nonchalantly.


    ¡°Humph!


    Forget it.


    Even though my Heavenfire Decree is powerful, it¡¯s far inferior to yours by an entire realm.


    There¡¯s no good in battling you.


    You better find someone else.¡± Eccentric Scarletflame rolled his eyes and spoke unenthusiastically.


    At that time, Senior Martial Brother Cheng also introduced Han Li, and Eccentric Scarletflame naturally was shocked that Han Li had advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage so quickly, treating Han Li with extreme courtesy.


    Subsequently, the Great Elder of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion didn¡¯t utter any more nonsense and immediately invited a few people to attend the master recognition ceremony.


    The others naturally had no objections, and the group walked out of the cave and arrived at the platform they had just seen.


    At that time, the nearby high skies and mountain walls were already deserted, and in front of a huge pavilion, hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples were divided into several teams, waiting there.


    At the very front were a dozen Core Formation cultivators, standing side by side with solemn faces.


    About ten yards in front of these cultivators was a strangely shaped cauldron.


    The cauldron, about three feet in diameter, was short and square with mysterious flame patterns carved all over it.


    What was even stranger was that despite being surrounded by emptiness, the cauldron glowed red and radiated a scorching heat that could be felt within a distance of about thirty feet from it.


    However, none of this captured the attention of the cultivators as much as the young man kneeling about ten yards in front of the cauldron.


    The young man seemed not to be very old, his knees on a gold chain cushion, softly chanting something.


    However, since his head was bowed down, his face was not clearly visible.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li and others landed in front of those cultivators.


    After a disturbance, those dozen disciples immediately came forward and respectfully greeted them.


    ¡°Greetings, martial uncles, seniors.


    Junior Martial Brother Yu has been bathing and praying for almost half an hour.


    In a while, we can start the cauldron and hold the ceremony,¡± said an old cultivator named Fu, who stepped out from the group of Core Formation cultivators, speaking respectfully to Han Li and others.


    ¡°Understood, you may leave now,¡± Eccentric Scarletflame nodded and then led Han Li and the others to stand before the crowd, gazing at the young man who was performing the ritual ahead.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Scarletflame, is this the disciple who reached Core Formation within a century?


    Indeed, his aptitude is outstanding.


    Now with the Yin Yang Tower as his magic treasure for cultivation, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be more than two or three hundred years before your Pavilion will gain another Nascent Soul cultivator,¡± said an old cultivator with curly hair, taking a good look at the disciple and suddenly speaking.


    ¡°Hehe, whether someone can congeal a Nascent Soul is just a matter of chance, not just about having good aptitude.


    It¡¯s just that those with better Spiritual Roots have a somewhat better hope,¡± Eccentric Scarletflame shook his head, seemingly indifferent.


    The curly-haired old man just smiled faintly and said no more.


    The others also remained silent, not speaking.


    The disciples behind them, seeing not only their own sect¡¯s ancestors there but also so many Nascent Soul cultivators appearing suddenly, were extremely cautious, not even daring to breathe loudly.


    In a moment, the platform was quiet except for the low chanting of that disciple.


    Han Li listened for a moment; it was just a common scripture, paying homage to heaven and earth, recited repeatedly without any special meaning.


    He wondered whether these old eccentrics intended to temper the disciple¡¯s will or if there really was such a peculiar rule in the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion¡¯s master recognition ceremony.


    To these old eccentrics, who measured their cultivation time in years, half an hour naturally passed in the blink of an eye.


    Just as Han Li estimated that there wasn¡¯t much time left, the previously still giant cauldron suddenly trembled slightly, followed by a clear chiming sound emanating leisurely from within, and spiritual light burst forth impressively.


    The temperature near the cauldron soared in an instant, sending a barely visible wave of reddish heat in all directions.


    Han Li and the others in front were fine; after the wave of heat approached and a sudden thought flashed past, they remained completely unmoved.


    However, the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation disciples behind them had their protective barriers flash up to defend against this incredibly hot wind.


    As for the kneeling young disciple, a bright red light shone on him, firmly resisting the heat wave.


    After a moment, the hot wind passed.


    The disciple sighed in relief, finally raising his head and staring at the giant cauldron with fiery eyes.


    He appeared to be a handsome young man looking about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, rather thin.


    It was no wonder why the elders of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion were willing to entrust him with the Yin Yang Tower, such a precious treasure.


    Han Li inwardly contemplated this.


    (End of the first release!


    Let¡¯s keep going, another chapter is coming!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 868 - Chapter 868 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 865 Uninvited Guest

    ?Chapter 868: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 865 Uninvited Guest Chapter 868: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 865 Uninvited Guest ¡°The hour has come, establish the formation, open the cauldron!¡± The elder with the surname Feng, seeing this scene, didn¡¯t hesitate to shout loudly.


    As these words fell, more than a dozen Core Formation experts flew out from behind Han Li and the others, among them two who quickly moved to either side of the giant red cauldron.


    The rest flew above the cauldron, and one by one, they took out shining blue array plates from their waists, holding them up high.


    With a muffled ¡°puff¡± sound, a layer of blue misty light appeared above the platform.


    This light barrier was exceptionally large, covering half of the platform.


    The two middle-aged cultivators by the cauldron, upon seeing the formation of the light barrier, didn¡¯t utter another word, and with a gesture of their hands and a flick of their wrists, they cast several incantations onto the cauldron.


    The gently trembling lid of the cauldron, after a flash of five-colored aurora, emitted a humming sound, then slowly floated up as if it weighed a thousand kilograms.


    The young man kneeling in front of the cauldron suddenly stood up, his eyes fixedly staring at the cauldron without blinking.


    Suddenly, a burst of white light shot out from the cauldron, transforming into a blinding brilliance that shot straight into the sky.


    Without a second thought, the young man also transformed into a yellow rainbow and closely followed.


    Moments later, the white light reached the barrier and collided with it, but the blue light barrier just wavered slightly and remained unaffected.


    At that moment, the following yellow rainbow rapidly approached, and once the light converged, the young man¡¯s figure reappeared, extending his hand to grab the white light.


    However, the white light, full of agility, turned and shot downwards.


    The young man¡¯s expression darkened, and he transformed into a shocked rainbow that quickly pursued it.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    Instantly, inside this vast light barrier, a white and a yellow light orb chased each other nonstop, like a meteor chasing the moon.


    Below, hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples watched this scene with wide eyes.


    The Nascent Soul eccentrics stood leisurely, with some even whispering something occasionally.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, lazily watching everything unfold.


    Clearly, the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion disciple hadn¡¯t refined any magic treasures to use as his lifeblood magic treasures but was purely relying on a top-grade flying magic artifact to chase the treasure; naturally, he was more than a step slower.


    But that was not a problem.


    Although the Yin Yang Tower seemed fast now, the spiritual power within it was rapidly depleting, and in less than half an hour, its speed would greatly decrease.


    By then, the young man would easily catch the treasure.


    Perhaps all of this was part of the plan by Eccentric Scarletflame and others.


    Otherwise, letting the disciple capture the treasure as soon as it appeared would make the master recognition ceremony seem rather childish.


    Thinking this, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly.


    Although the white light in front was extremely dazzling, he only had to slightly concentrate the Brightsight Water to see the treasure wrapped inside clearly.


    The treasure appeared to be an immaculate small tower, three inches in size and exquisitely delicate.


    Apart from that, he really couldn¡¯t see anything special about it.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think about this disciple from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, is there a possibility for him to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage?¡± A pleasing female voice came from behind Han Li.


    Han Li was taken aback and slowly turned around.


    The female cultivator called Ming Xin, standing behind him at some point, was smiling reservedly at him:


    ¡°I share a similar view with Fellow Daoist Scarletflame.


    However, if the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion could find some Spiritual Medicine, this disciple should have quite a good chance of forming his Nascent Soul,¡± Han Li said with an unchanged expression, his gaze sweeping over the woman¡¯s jade-like face.


    ¡°However, this person, no matter how excellent his innate talent, compared to Brother Han, is like a dwarf encountering a giant.


    He could not possibly cultivate divine skills as earth-shattering as Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s.


    I heard that there were two ancient devils in Devilfall Valley, and Fellow Daoist Han alone dealt with one.


    Just for this, I fear that your divine skills are not inferior to the three great cultivators,¡± the woman said with a light smile, a gleam of intrigue flashing in her eyes.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li murmured to himself internally, but outwardly he said:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ming overpraises me.


    Had it not been for other Daoists assisting by the side, how could I have been a match for that ancient devil?


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t me who ultimately dealt with that devil; it merely had less luck than me and perished in the devouring of a tear in space.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is too modest.


    Then I shall not mention this matter.


    However, the incident where Fellow Daoist Han safely escaped from the hands of the Moulan Divine Sage and even killed an elder from the Great Jin¡¯s Devilcharm Sect, surely that¡¯s not just a rumor?


    I heard that this Great Jin devilish cultivator had the cultivation of the peak of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    I wonder if this is true?¡± The young woman gracefully swept a lock of hair from her forehead and mentioned this with a partly teasing look, her expression revealing a hint of seductiveness.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered, and as her sleeves swayed, a scent of flowers like orchids and chrysanthemums hit him, refreshing his mind and spirit, suddenly making the woman seem unusually cordial, compelling him to want to answer her questions.


    ¡°Charm technique?


    No, that¡¯s not right.


    Her eyes are clear, not showing any signs of having used a charm technique.


    Rather, it seems to be the peculiar effect of the fragrance from her body.¡±


    Before forming his Nascent Soul, Han Li had encountered several female cultivators proficient in charm techniques.


    Almost instantly, he noticed his own abnormal reaction and some of the woman¡¯s subtle movements.


    However, the fluctuation of spiritual energy on her body remained calm as ever, as if all was caused by the fragrance alone.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ming knows quite a lot.


    Those two times were merely fortunate incidents for Han Li.


    Not worth mentioning at all.


    However, I have also heard from two senior brothers about Fellow Daoist Ming.


    I heard that the cultivation technique you practice, the Hundred Flowers Springtime Decree, has incredible power, allowing you to overcome enemies invisibly,¡± Han Li replied with a light laugh, meaningfully speaking to the woman.


    ¡°What?


    Fellow Daoist Cheng also knows about the power of the Hundred Flowers Springtime Decree?¡± Ming Xin¡¯s expression changed slightly, her smile pausing momentarily.


    To her knowledge, although many knew of her cultivation of the Hundred Flowers Springtime Decree, due to physical constitution requirements, very few could actually cultivate this technique; thus, not many truly knew the extent of its divine powers.


    Han Li gave a slight smile, just as he was about to say something, he suddenly changed his expression and abruptly looked up towards the sky behind him.


    The female cultivator saw Han Li¡¯s movement and stared blankly in the same direction, but the distant sky was completely empty, with nothing in sight.


    The woman furrowed her brows and cast a strange look at Han Li.


    However, Han Li did not pay any attention to the woman.


    Instead, he gazed intently at the distance with a solemn expression, and suddenly turned his head to Elder Jin nearby and loudly said,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Scarletflame, it seems we may have a distinguished guest arriving.


    We should go out and greet them.¡±


    ¡°A distinguished guest!


    Whom are you referring to?¡± Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the others were all taken aback and looked over, with Elder Scarletflame hurriedly looking around in some bewilderment.


    Han Li sighed.


    Before he could speak, Elder Jin¡¯s expression suddenly changed as he seemed to sense something and looked in the direction Han Li had initially gazed, then said in astonishment,


    ¡°There¡¯s indeed someone coming, such strong fluctuations of spiritual energy¡­


    Could this be a late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator?¡±


    No sooner had Elder Jin finished his statement than a long howl rose from the distance in the sky, followed by a rich and clear voice coming from beyond,


    ¡°Sublime Truth Sect¡¯s Master Sunreach has come to visit, is Fellow Daoist Scarletflame present?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Master Sunreach!


    With his status, why would he come here?¡± Elder Scarletflame was both shocked and confused.


    Elder Jin and the others, including Elder Cheng, exchanged surprised looks, equally clueless as to why one of the three great cultivators, Master Sunreach, would visit this place.


    None of their sects had invited him!


    Han Li stroked his chin, pondering.


    The Heavenly Dao Alliance was not exactly on friendly terms with the Daoists, but Master Sunreach seemed to bear no malice this time; as he approached, his powerful aura was not concealed at all, making it easy for Han Li to sense his presence from such a great distance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let us go out and welcome Fellow Daoist Sunreach!¡± Being the host, Elder Scarletflame quickly regained his composure and said.


    The others had no objections; they were not worried about Master Sunreach posing a threat.


    After all, even a late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator couldn¡¯t possibly take them all on directly.


    Without further consideration for the master recognition ceremony, they all flew out from an opening in the light barrier and headed straight for the large restrictive formation in the distance.


    However, on the way there, Han Li noticed the female cultivator from the Ancient Sword Sect flying beside him seemed even more interested in him, stealthily glancing at him non-stop.


    Han Li inwardly scoffed.


    If this woman continued to seek trouble without knowing better, he wouldn¡¯t mind teaching her a lesson.


    Upon reaching the formation, Elder Scarletflame and his two brothers quickly performed several incantations, creating a passageway through the restriction.


    A rainbow streak then shot in from outside, and once the brilliance faded, a middle-aged Taoist with an immortal bearing and a sword on his back appeared-it was none other than Master Sunreach!


    As soon as Master Sunreach appeared, Elder Jin and the others, who were initially planning to greet him, were surprised when the Taoist¡¯s gaze quickly swept over and landed on Han Li standing to the side, his face immediately revealed a delighted expression.


    ¡°Ha ha, Fellow Daoist Han is indeed here.


    This humble Daoist has just hurried over from your esteemed sect after learning that you had come to the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.¡± Master Sunreach greeted him with a smile.


    ¡°What, Master was looking for me?¡± Han Li pursed his lips, his eyes showing surprise.


    ¡°Yes!


    This humble Daoist originally had urgent business passing through the State of Xi, but unexpectedly received the news halfway that Brother Han had safely returned.


    Thus, I hurried over to meet,¡± the Taoist said with a beaming smile.


    ¡°It seems that when I was inquiring for news in the city market, someone recognized me.


    But surely, Fellow Daoist didn¡¯t rush to find me just to reminisce!¡± Han Li quickly understood why the other person knew of his whereabouts but still asked with some confusion.


    ¡°This matter is a long story.


    Fellow Daoists, I have some things to discuss in detail with Fellow Daoist Han, you wouldn¡¯t mind, right?¡± Master Sunreach first sighed, then cordially addressed the other three sect¡¯s cultivators.


    ¡°Since Master Sunreach has urgent matters with Fellow Daoist Han, of course, it¡¯s all right.


    We¡¯ll just wait here,¡± Elder Scarletflame said with a dry laugh, quickly agreeing.


    (Second release!)(Stay tuned for more.


    For further updates, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 869 - Chapter 869 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 866 Yang Type Treasures Invitation

    ?Chapter 869: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 866 Yang Type Treasure¡¯s Invitation Chapter 869: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 866 Yang Type Treasure¡¯s Invitation Facing one of the few great cultivators in Heavenly South Region, even Elder Jin, who was so full of himself, did not show the slightest dissatisfaction.


    Raging Flames naturally would not offend Master Sunreach and immediately summoned the other cultivators to fly downwards.


    Senior Martial Brother Cheng and Lu Luo exchanged a glance, their faces showing a hint of confusion.


    But since Senior Martial Brother Cheng had once seen Han Li¡¯s divine skills, he was surprised but not worried, and likewise flew downwards.


    Han Li looked down at the cultivators who had landed on the ground, then raised his head and said,


    ¡°Master, can you speak now?


    Fellow Daoist Sunreach, you are so solemn about this matter, it has piqued my curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!


    Before I speak of this matter, I want to thank you for holding back an ancient devil¡¯s main soul in Devilfall Valley.


    Otherwise, if that ancient devil had joined bodies with its other soul, Heavenly South would have been in great trouble,¡± Master Sunreach casually released a soundproof barrier, sized up Han Li from head to toe, and said with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist must be asking about the whereabouts of that ancient devil¡¯s main soul,¡± Han Li¡¯s mouth curled into a smile as he spoke lightly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is indeed extraordinarily perceptive; that is indeed one of the matters I wished to inquire about,¡± Master Sunreach paused briefly, but then continued, unconcerned.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Sunreach can rest assured; my escape from the tears in space was merely by chance.


    The ancient devil¡¯s main soul has been eradicated within, not a trace left.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Han Li stated succinctly.


    ¡°I am relieved to hear that.


    Otherwise, that escaped devil would surely return to Heavenly South to mutually consume with the main soul.


    But with the main soul destroyed, the split soul would definitely sense it immediately.


    I guess after taking a big loss here, it won¡¯t come back to this place,¡± Master Sunreach took a deep breath, his expression visibly relaxing.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Sunreach, was this split soul that occupied a demon¡¯s body really that formidable?


    To the point where even three late-Nascent Soul cultivators couldn¡¯t kill it?¡± Han Li asked with interest, a hint of skepticism on his face.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is still judging its strength based on the divine skills it displayed in Devilfall Valley?¡± Master Sunreach didn¡¯t directly answer the question but instead countered with one of his own.


    ¡°Oh, I heard that after the devil left the valley, it devoured the Nascent Souls of many cultivators; could it truly be so formidable after regaining its strength?¡± Han Li was still somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han probably doesn¡¯t know, during our final battle with the devil, it manifested the divine skill of Six Arms and Three Heads.


    Its cultivation immediately surged by more than twice as much, almost comparable to an early Deity Transformation cultivator.


    If we hadn¡¯t set up a large restrictive formation beforehand, and also had more than a dozen mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators restraining it, I fear that the battle to exterminate the devil would still have been futile.


    Even so, the three of us spared no effort or Qi, repeatedly using secret techniques just to behead two of its heads and several arms in the last moments, allowing it to escape,¡± said Master Sunreach, his face grave as he slowly recited the tale.


    ¡°Such a ferocious devil.


    No wonder Fellow Daoist feared it would rejoin bodies with the main soul.


    If it had become any more powerful, indeed, no one in Heavenly South could have stood against it!¡± Han Li drew a breath of cold air, grinning ruefully.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth!


    Fortunately, the devil should have gone to Great Jin.


    The cultivators there naturally have this to worry about!¡± Master Sunreach suddenly smiled again.


    Han Li glanced at the Taoist, feeling that there was a hint of schadenfreude in his words.


    It seemed that the old Taoist did not have a good impression of Great Jin.


    ¡°Since Master has only inquired about the devil¡¯s soul as one of the things he was curious about, there must be something even more important, right?¡± Han Li abruptly shifted the conversation, catching him unawares with the question.


    ¡°Indeed, the matter of the devil¡¯s soul was just a side inquiry; I have another important matter to seek Fellow Daoist Han for.


    However, first, let me congratulate you on your great progression in your cultivation, finally advancing to mid Nascent Soul stage,¡± Master Sunreach glanced at Han Li and said with a slight smile.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind praise, Master.


    It was just a fortunate coincidence,¡± Han Li replied politely.


    ¡°I heard from Fellow Daoist Wei that Brother Han possesses the Gold Lightning Bamboo that can summon the rumored Devilbane Lightning.


    I wonder if this is true?¡± asked Master Sunreach, his expression becoming solemn.


    Han Li was startled, his pupils constricted, and he suddenly fell silent.


    He did not know the purpose behind the other party¡¯s questioning, but after a moment of thought, he realized that possessing Devilbane Lightning was no longer a secret and there was no need to hide it any further.


    He finally nodded in response,


    ¡°It¡¯s true, I possess a few Gold Lightning Bamboo Daoist paper talismans.


    If Fellow Daoist has something to say, please speak directly.


    I do not like to beat around the bush!¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°Good.


    With these words from you, Fellow Daoist Han, it means you are indeed the person I have been looking for, as you can command Devilbane Lightning.


    However, the reason behind this is of great importance, so I cannot disclose it directly to you here, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.


    I can only reveal to you that this matter is of great significance and involves the entire Heavenly South Region of immortal cultivators.


    It is also related to the Nameless Great Vortex that has recently appeared in The Endless Sea,¡± Master Sunreach was overjoyed upon hearing Han Li¡¯s admission of possessing Devilbane Lightning and said.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°These words are rather cryptic, leaving me quite baffled.


    Nonetheless, I assume Fellow Daoist seeks Han¡¯s use of Devilbane Lightning for some purpose?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows involuntarily twitched.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what the other party was referring to, it was likely to be no good deed.


    His internal sense of caution immediately soared!


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°I am merely passing through the Dreamcloud Mountains on another important mission, so I cannot stay here long.


    How about this, Fellow Daoist, could you visit the Seven Spirit Islands sometime soon?


    Wei Wuya, Old Devil Cloud Dew, and I are all there.


    Once you arrive, the three of us will explain the matter in detail,¡± Master Sunreach glanced at Elder Jin and the others below, before calmly suggesting.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Seven Spirit Islands?


    Are those the seven islands that have recently surfaced near the vortex?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Indeed.


    These seven islands surround the vortex and are truly rare locations rich in Spirit Veins.


    Over these years, the three of us have resided on three of these islands,¡± Master Sunreach sighed wistfully and wore an expression of helplessness as he spoke of this.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li was momentarily stunned.


    It seemed that the three did not willingly reside on the Seven Spirit Islands.


    Dozens of thoughts rapidly rolled around in his mind.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    To outright refuse Master Sunreach¡¯s invitation was not within Han¡¯s overconfidence, not to mention the illustrious reputations of the three great cultivators.


    The formidable forces they represented also made Han Li reluctant to be on bad terms with any one of them.


    However, going to the Seven Spirit Islands without any knowledge was also not to his liking, and his expression revealed his hesitation.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, rest assured.


    Inviting you to the Seven Spirit Islands this time harbors no ill intent, and certainly, we will not ask you to do anything dangerously beyond your capabilities.


    It is purely to borrow your Devilbane Lightning.


    Moreover, even if I did not invite you now, in half a year¡¯s time, all mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators in Heavenly South Region will receive an invitation from the three of us to gather at the Seven Spirit Islands.


    If you assist us this time, you won¡¯t have to attend the next,¡± Master Sunreach, seeming to notice Han Li¡¯s concerns, explained with a smile.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Sunreach has put it that way, it seems that the matter is indeed of great importance.


    Three months from now, I will visit the Seven Spirit Islands and meet with the three of you,¡± Han Li finally agreed with some reluctance after a moment of silence.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Three months is a bit tight.


    Can Fellow Daoist not advance the schedule somewhat?¡± Master Sunreach frowned and pondered.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.


    I have just returned to my sect and have several urgent matters to attend to, so it¡¯s impossible for me to leave Drifting Cloud Sect immediately,¡± Han Li shook his head and firmly refused.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Very well, three months will be three months.


    It will still be just enough time.


    After three months, I along with the other two Fellow Daoists, will be waiting for your esteemed arrival on the Seven Spirit Islands,¡± Master Sunreach hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Actually, during this visit to the Seven Spirit Islands, you might gain some unexpected benefits!


    There might even be some advantages for your sect,¡± Master Sunreach then added meaningfully.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered, still unclear about the implications, when Master Sunreach bid farewell.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He deactivated the soundproof barrier and spoke loudly to the likes of Elder Jin below, bidding them farewell in a few words, then transformed into a white rainbow that turned back into the large restrictive formation and left the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li was puzzled by his last remark about benefits, but after contemplating and finding no clues, he set the matter aside from his mind and slowly descended towards the ground.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡­


    ¡°Is it really necessary to test our skills in combat?


    You should know that your chances of winning are really not great,¡± said Han Li, who was now hovering over a mountain peak surrounded by the mountains of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion, speaking indifferently to the person opposite him.


    Below them, the mountaintop was scattered with cultivators looking up into the sky.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°As a Great Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, I cannot simply hand over the interests of my sect without a word.


    After all, our rankings and the distribution of resources in Dreamcloud Mountains are closely related.


    Moreover, I am quite curious to see the extent of the divine skills of a cultivator who has only formed a Nascent Soul for a little more than thirty years and yet has managed to create such a great reputation.


    If I am defeated this time, there will be no need for a formal ranking battle in the future, and our Ancient Sword Sect will henceforth gladly concede to Drifting Cloud Sect,¡± the old man with coiled hair across said solemnly.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Very well.


    Since Hei Jin has said as much, I will respectfully comply,¡± Han Li replied with a light smile, saying no more.


    With a simple gesture of his hand, a blue fireball the size of a fist spontaneously appeared in his palm with a ¡°puchi¡± sound.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Elder Jin likewise said nothing, but as he opened his mouth, three streaks of golden light shot out.


    They were three identical small grey swords.


    The swords were originally only an inch long and shimmered gold, but in the blink of an eye, they swelled to about a foot in length after briefly circling their master, becoming three golden rainbows of about ten feet in length, whirling unpredictably in the air!


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Observing the opponent summon flying swords, Han Li casually shook his hand, which supported the blue fireball, and immediately a burst sounded.


    The blue fireball exploded on the spot, and from within the blue flames, a blue Firebird Talisman half a foot in size soared into the sky with a clear chirping sound.


    (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com a€¡° more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 870 - Chapter 870 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 867 Victory or Defeat

    ?Chapter 870: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 867 Victory or Defeat Chapter 870: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 867 Victory or Defeat ¡°Go.¡±


    Han Li casually pointed across from him.


    The Blue Fire Bird immediately spread its wings and transformed into a streak of blue light, shooting forth.


    Upon seeing this, Jin the monster¡¯s face fell, and he was instantly filled with rage.


    The other party didn¡¯t even bother to use a Daoist paper talisman, attacking solely with a Firebird Talisman.


    This was an utter insult to him.


    Furious, Jin the monster couldn¡¯t help but let out a cold laugh.


    Without another word, his fingers swiftly formed incantations.


    He decided to use his most formidable sword technique right at the start, to determine the victor in one strike.


    Above his head, three golden rainbows emitted a dragon¡¯s cry before suddenly disappearing in midair.


    In their place, a golden chain appeared out of nowhere in front of Jin the monster.


    Although extremely thin, it was several yards long.


    Golden light flashed continuously, and one golden chain after another rolled out.


    In the blink of an eye, hundreds of densely packed golden chains appeared, looking stunningly brilliant and radiant.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Transform their sword Qi into a string!¡±


    A cold light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes, and surprise appeared on his face.


    Although the opponent was a Sword Cultivator, the ability to manifest so many sword threads was indeed frightening.


    Truly fitting for the Great Elder of The Ancient Sword Sect, he was extraordinary.


    At that moment, the cultivators watching below saw the old man with twisted hair display such divine skill, and most of them had curious expressions.


    ¡°Spring Silk Slash!¡±


    ¡°Old ginger is spicier still a€¡° he¡¯s using his best skill right from the start.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is quite careless, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s going to suffer a bit!¡±


    Eccentric Scarletflame and two others from Hundred Possibilities Pavilion couldn¡¯t help but murmur among themselves.


    The middle-aged cultivator who came with Jin the monster showed a hint of delight on his face.


    Lu Luo¡¯s expression changed slightly, while the Elder Cheng and the female cultivator named Ming Xin remained impassive.


    At that moment, in midair, Jin the monster shouted loudly, his consecutive incantations striking the golden chains in front of him.


    Immediately, brilliance flashed wildly, and the numerous sword threads transformed into a giant golden net that rolled out, aimed directly at the incoming Blue Fire Bird.


    The golden net was over thirty yards wide, whereas the Fire Bird was only about half a foot long, giving anyone who saw it the impression of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.


    However, when the Fire Bird plunged into the golden net, the scene that followed shocked all the cultivators below.


    On contact with the golden net, the Blue Fire Bird burst open, and then flickers of light flashed.


    A blue light lotus emerged amidst the flames.


    The lotus, buds ready to bloom, spun continuously in the net, untouched by the numerous golden sword threads, which only caused ripples of light around the lotus but couldn¡¯t get any closer.


    Those familiar with ¡°Spring Silk Slash¡± were all shocked.


    Seeing this, Jin the monster was even more shocked and furious, and without thinking, he hurriedly intensified the sword technique in his hands.


    The sword threads shimmered with golden light and became three times finer, each shining brightly and piercing into the blue brilliance, about to directly strike the lotus.


    At that moment, the lotus bloomed petal by petal.


    With a ¡°puff¡± sound, a cluster of faint blue cold light burst from the lotus petals, enveloping a space of sixty yards in its glow, dazzling and blinding to the eye.


    Jin the monster immediately felt the connection with his flying swords snapped off; he could no longer sense them and was shocked.


    He quickly concentrated and looked over.


    Moments later, the old man with twisted hair looked terribly uneasy.


    Where the lotus had been, there was no trace of it now; instead, a huge block of blue ice had appeared.


    The three golden flying swords were sealed within it, completely immobile.


    Jin the monster internally cursed his misfortune.


    With a flick of his hand, he slapped his storage pouch, and a filmy jade pendant appeared in his hand.


    But before he could use his treasure, he suddenly heard a thunderclap behind him.


    Jin the monster was startled, but without even thinking, he attempted to fly away diagonally.


    However, in that instant, his protective flash of brilliance was effortlessly shattered like a paper window, and a hand enveloped in blue flames eerily pressed on his shoulder, chilling half of his body and completely numbing it.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Jin!


    Our duel ends here.


    How do you feel about it?¡± Han Li¡¯s chilly voice came from behind.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han truly has vast divine skills.


    I concede defeat!¡± Constrained by just one move, Jin the monster¡¯s heart sank; but he immediately conceded defeat candidly on the spot.


    ¡°Hei Jin, you have been generous!¡± Han Li seemed to chuckle lightly, tapping Hei Jin¡¯s shoulder gently with his palm before withdrawing his hand.


    After the tap, Jin the monster immediately felt warmth on his shoulder and his body instantly returned to normal.


    Startled, he quickly turned around to find Han Li standing calmly a few yards behind him, not knowing when a pair of silver Daoist paper talismans had appeared on his back, with electric arcs flickering incessantly.


    Jin the monster breathed a long sigh.


    It was truly incredible that the opponent had controlled the icy force to such a delicate extent.


    However, wasn¡¯t it said that this person¡¯s magic treasures consisted of flying swords, and his main cultivation technique was not even ice-attribute?


    Could it be that the secret technique used so casually by the adversary was so powerful?


    He found it somewhat hard to believe!


    ¡°Little Han, you didn¡¯t waste the guidance of this old man at all, being able to manipulate the Celestial Ice Flame to such an extent.


    It¡¯s truly a pity that you don¡¯t specialize in ice attribute techniques,¡± Monarch Great Development suddenly chuckled in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Senior, don¡¯t joke, the ice flame is formidable but not to the point that I need to change my primary Cultivation Technique,¡± Han Li replied indifferently with a mental transmission, then the wings on his back silently dispersed.


    The person then turned into a streak of cyan light, appearing beside the enormous blue ice.


    With what seemed like a casual wave of his sleeve, a wave of cyan light swept out.


    The blue ice melted and shrank within the radiances, transforming back into a blurry blue lotus.


    The light from the lotus fluttered towards Han Li, flashed past, and disappeared into thin air right between his brows, as if it had never appeared.


    The three small golden swords, now freed, buzzed weakly somehow as they transformed into three golden streaks and flew back to Jin the monster.


    It seemed that even though it hadn¡¯t been long since they were sealed by the blue ice, it still caused some damage to the spirit of the flying swords.


    The face of Jin the monster, naturally, wasn¡¯t looking good.


    His face darkened, and with a grunt, he retrieved the three flying swords.


    At this moment, Han Li had already floated lightly down toward the mountain peak.


    From the moment the Celestial Ice Flame in the guise of a light lotus froze the flying swords solid to Han Li using the Thunderstorm Wings to mysteriously appear behind Jin the monster and effortlessly subdue his opponent, victory and defeat were decided almost instantaneously.


    This greatly disappointed several Nascent Soul eccentrics who were initially looking forward to a great battle, but it also filled them with fear for Han Li¡¯s divine skills.


    Moreover, the fact that Han Li hadn¡¯t used even one attacking magic treasure further demonstrated the huge gap in their powers.


    When Han Li landed on the mountain peak, although the cultivators around him had harbored different intentions earlier, they now came forward to greet him without any negligence.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is indeed profound in magic skills, the rumors truly didn¡¯t exaggerate.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations to your sect for becoming the number one sect in Dreamcloud Mountains from today!¡±


    The people speaking were naturally a few old eccentrics from the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion; although they were now ranked at the very bottom, they seemed not to care about this and spoke very enthusiastically instead.


    The middle-aged cultivator from The Ancient Sword Sect looked somber, but faced with Han Li¡¯s dominance, he could only muster a forced smile.


    He opened his mouth but said nothing.


    Ming Xin, having shown a hint of terror at the beginning, now seemed calm.


    Both Elder Jiang and Lu Luo were naturally overjoyed.


    After exchanging glances, both saw a look of relief on each other¡¯s faces.


    After this battle, it was likely that Drifting Cloud Sect could suppress the two other sects in Dreamcloud Mountains for a millennium.


    These people crowded around Han Li, inquiring about the divine skills he had just performed.


    Han Li faced everyone with the same demeanor as before but only lightly mentioned the affair concerning the Celestial Ice Flame and Thunderstorm Wings.


    Naturally, no one dared to press him further for details.


    A moment later, Jin the monster also flew down from the sky.


    This Great Elder of The Ancient Sword Sect had regained his composure as if the recent magical duel had never happened, and still lightly smiled at everyone, which earned Han Li¡¯s quiet admiration.


    After the interests of the three sects in Dreamcloud Mountains were re-established, these old eccentrics began sharing some cultivation experiences and exchanging some rare treasures they didn¡¯t need.


    However, such small-scale exchanges naturally didn¡¯t attract Han Li¡¯s attention.


    He garnered quite a lot from exchanging cultivation insights, though.


    The following events occurred without causing much ado, and after half a day, the exchange ended smoothly.


    From these Nascent Soul eccentrics¡¯ cultivation experiences, Han Li indeed gained some insights that he hadn¡¯t considered before.


    This made him think that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to participate in more of these purely cultivation-related exchanges in the future; they were greatly beneficial to cultivation.


    After the exchange, Han Li proposed visiting the Earth Lung Fire Vein of the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    This proposal slightly stunned Eccentric Scarletflame who immediately agreed.


    When Han Li finally saw the fathomless fire pool before him, he couldn¡¯t help but contemplate for a while.


    Half a day later, Han Li and Jin the monster and the others finally bid farewell in succession, leaving the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    Han Li and three others transformed into three startling rainbows, escaping toward the direction of Drifting Cloud Sect.


    On the way, Lu Luo talked incessantly, excitedly negotiating with Elder Jiang about acquiring some spirit stone mines and rare material deposits owned by The Ancient Sword Sect and the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion.


    Soon, some of these places would become the property of Drifting Cloud Sect.


    Elder Jiang, though not as visibly exuberant as Lu Luo, was similarly in high spirits.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t interested in discussing these matters and only listened with a smile as the two talked.


    However, just when they were about to return to the sect, Elder Jiang suddenly said to Han Li amid the streak of **continued light**:

 Chapter 871 - Chapter 871 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 868 Refine

    ?Chapter 871: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 868 Refine Chapter 871: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 868 Refine ¡°Great Elder?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li truly froze.


    ¡°Indeed, I do not hide it from you, Senior Disciple, Han Li.


    Initially, when you were at the early Nascent Soul stage, I had intended for Junior Martial Brother Lu to assume the position of Great Elder, with you assisting him.


    But now that you¡¯ve advanced to the mid Nascent Soul stage and have made such great contributions to our sect, the position of Great Elder naturally belongs to none other than Senior Disciple, Han Li.


    Junior Martial Brother Lu has no objections either.


    After all, the position of Great Elder in any sect is generally held by the one with the greatest divine skills,¡± said the elder surnamed Cheng with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother, for your kind intentions!


    However, I am afraid I cannot accept the position of Great Elder.¡± After a moment of silence, Han Li flatly refused.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t be too modest.


    This position is truly fitting only if you accept it, Senior Disciple.


    You surely would not let Junior Martial Brother Lu, who is merely an early Nascent Soul cultivator, serve as the Great Elder of the foremost sect in the State of Xi!¡± Lu Luo said with a bitter smile, persuading without hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about being modest, I truly do not wish to take the position.


    Both of you should know that I am a cultivator wholly dedicated to diligent practice.


    I adopt the mentality that it¡¯s better to have less to do than to meddle in affairs that may disturb my cultivation.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    With such thoughts, how can I be the head of a sect?


    Moreover, I will often need to enter prolonged periods of secluded cultivation in the future and won¡¯t have the time to manage the sect or lead the Drifting Cloud Sect¡¯s development.


    Most importantly, I joined the sect halfway through my journey.


    Not to mention the low-ranking disciples, there are hardly a few Core Formation stage martial nephews I am familiar with.


    Under such circumstances, it is even less suitable for me to assume the role of the sect¡¯s Great Elder.


    It¡¯s better to remain a regular elder.


    Let Junior Martial Brother Lu hold the position of Great Elder!¡± Han Li rattled off a string of reasons without a second thought.


    ¡°But, Senior Disciple¡­¡± Elder Cheng frowned and was about to say something else.


    ¡°If you continue to bring up this matter, then I¡¯m afraid you will be forcing me to leave the Drifting Cloud Sect,¡± Han Li said with a serious face, sternly interrupting.


    ¡°Alright!


    Since Senior Disciple has spoken thus, we shall discuss this matter later,¡± said the elder surnamed Cheng and Lu Luo, glancing at each other.


    They could see that Han Li was genuinely adamant about not taking up the position of Great Elder.


    Left with no choice, the two could only put the matter on hold for the time being.


    ¡°That settles it!


    Although I will not take the position of Great Elder, as long as I am still an elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, I will naturally look after the sect.


    Unless something major happens, I believe I can manage to maintain the sect¡¯s prosperity for over a thousand years,¡± Han Li said with a relaxed expression, speaking slowly.


    Hearing this, Elder Cheng could only give a wry smile and did not bring up the topic again.


    Instead, he inquired about the purpose of Master Sunreach¡¯s visit this time.


    There was nothing to hide about this matter, so Han Li briefly summarized it in a calm tone and ended by asking Elder Cheng, ¡°From what Master Sunreach said, it seems that this matter might be related to the newly emerged Seven Spirit Islands and the vortex.


    Our State of Xi is not far from there; haven¡¯t you heard any rumors of abnormalities in that area, Senior Brother?¡±


    ¡°Abnormalities?


    It seems not.


    The occurrences now being rumored should be true.


    When the vortex and Seven Spirit Islands first emerged, because they were close to the Dreamcloud Mountains, our sect had sent some disciples to personally investigate.


    It¡¯s just as described in the rumors.


    Apart from the surge of Spiritual Energy from the vortex and the rather rare Spirit Veins on the seven islands, there were no other unusual circumstances.


    Regarding the assembly to divide the islands, because you, Senior Disciple, were still missing at that time, our sect did not participate in that meeting,¡± Elder Cheng said, frowning.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it seems that we can only know the reasons after attending the meeting.


    I hope it is just as Master Sunreach said, that they merely wish to borrow the power of the Devilbane Lightning, and there will be no danger,¡± Han Li sighed.


    ¡°However, no matter what, it is still best for Senior Disciple to be more cautious.


    Even the three great cultivators have to join forces for this, and they are even gathering mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators, so this matter is certainly not ordinary,¡± said Lu Luo worriedly.


    ¡°I will certainly be mindful of this point.


    But I trust they won¡¯t ask me to do anything overly risky,¡± Han Li suddenly laughed.


    ¡°That is true!


    With Senior Disciple¡¯s advancement to mid Nascent Soul stage at such a young age and possessing divine skills almost on par with theirs, even the three great cultivators will not offend you lightly!¡± Lu Luo laughed heartily.


    Han Li gave a faint smile and said no more.


    For the remainder of the journey, the three did not engage in much conversation.


    Before long, they arrived at the Drifting Cloud Sect.


    The elders surnamed Cheng and Lu parted ways with Han Li and immediately headed to the sect¡¯s main hall.


    They had to urgently convene a meeting with the important disciples to announce the news of their sect becoming the foremost sect in the Dreamcloud Mountains, and also to discuss some changes and strategies relevant to this event.


    As for Han Li, he went directly to the forbidden area where Nangong Wan was sealed.


    He stayed there for several hours before emerging with a somewhat tired look.


    After leaving the restricted area, he transformed into a streak of green light, flying towards the cave dwelling at Mother-Child Peak.


    While he was in the secret chamber of the forbidden area, he had expended a good amount of Qi to perform a secret technique to check the state of the Soul Seal Curse within Nangong Wan¡¯s body.


    The outcome brought mixed feelings to Han Li.


    The reason for joy was that the Ancient Flame Toad¡¯s Demon Core was indeed effective.


    It actually did weaken the Soul Seal Curse in Nangong Wan¡¯s Divine Sense a bit.


    However, the source of worry was that the effect of the Ancient Flame Toad¡¯s Demon Core was clearly not as good as initially expected.


    Whether it could truly solve the curse was still uncertain.


    It would require prolonged observation to reach a conclusion.


    Thankfully, what comforted Han Li was that even if the Demon Core couldn¡¯t remove the curse completely, it could still extend the time before the curse took effect and possibly weaken its ultimate potency.


    All in all, going to the Devilfall Valley to kill the beast and retrieve the core was not in vain.


    ¡­


    Half a day later, Han Li appeared in the secluded chamber of his cave dwelling, sitting motionless with his eyes gently closed in meditation.


    Now, he could only rely on cultivation to force himself to temporarily forget about Nangong Wan¡¯s situation; otherwise, constantly worrying about her could easily lead to the obstruction of Heart Demons.


    Han Li had been in meditation since he entered the secret chamber and finally achieved a state of tranquility; he slowly opened his eyes.


    With a breath, a golden silkworm the size of a longan flew out from his mouth, swiftly rotating in front of his chest before coming to a still hover.


    Gazing at the silkworm, Han Li, expressionless, raised his hand and flicked a finger, shooting an azure incantation seal onto it.


    A thunderous rumble sounded, and golden arcs emerged from the golden mass, flashing wildly before all the electricity suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a chickpea-sized blue flame.


    As soon as the flame appeared, Han Li, without waiting for any reaction, opened his mouth again, and a similarly colored flame shot out, engulfing the tiny flame.


    In the blink of an eye, it turned into an egg-sized fireball and shot back, swallowed by Han Li in one gulp.


    Han Li didn¡¯t utter a word and immediately formed a strange Dharma Seal with his hands, closing his eyes again.


    He began to refine the last trace of the Celestial Ice Flame from the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    If refining this flame truly allowed him to control the Heavenvoid Cauldron soon, it would make him unimpeded in this realm.


    ¡­


    Several weeks later, Han Li woke from meditation, and after a flicker in his eyes, he raised one hand and pointed upward.


    With a ¡°Puchi¡± sound, a small cluster of blue flames emerged at the tip of his finger.


    While staring at the blue flame, his lips tightly sealed and not uttering a word, but after a moment, his finger trembled slightly.


    Following the tremor, the flame instantly transformed into a delicate blue fire serpent, which swiftly coiled around his finger in a quick loop.


    ¡°Go,¡± Han Li commanded in a low shout.


    Instantly, a pair of fiery wings sprouted on the back of the mini blue fire serpent, fluttered its wings, and flew from his finger towards the roof.


    Just before it reached the ceiling, it spiraled and gracefully danced around the walls of the secret chamber.


    Han Li silently observed every movement of the fire serpent until, after the time it took to brew a pot of tea, he suddenly extended a finger and pointed.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± the fire serpent burst into flames in mid-air.


    Tiny droplets of flame shot towards Han Li like sudden rain, but they disappeared into his body in a flash, leaving no trace.


    It was only then that Han Li revealed a slight smile and murmured to himself:


    ¡°It seems that refining the Celestial Ice Flame is indeed getting faster.


    What used to take half a year or even a year to refine a trace, now can be refined in just half a month.¡±


    Han Li thought for a moment, then slapped his storage pouch and a burst of green light flashed, revealing a flat and round small cauldron in his hand.


    It was a mere few inches in size but antiqued and exquisitely made.


    This was none other than the carefully preserved Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Looking at the cauldron, Han Li¡¯s face wore a contemplative expression, but soon he tossed it lightly into the air, causing it to stabilize and hover in mid-air after tumbling.


    Han Li rubbed his hands together, and blue flames suddenly burst forth between his palms, creating a fist-sized blue fireball.


    Then, flames as thick as thumbs shot out from the centers of his palms, striking the fireball.


    As a result, the fireball tumbled and swelled rapidly.


    A moment later, a head-sized giant fireball quietly appeared in front of his chest.


    The fireball flickered erratically in size, its surface roiling with blue flames yet emitting no heat at all, making it somewhat eerie.


    Han Li looked up at the cauldron in the air, and with a thought, the fireball turned into a beam of blue light that shot out and hit the small cauldron in the air.


    A bizarre scene unfolded: the small cauldron did not get blown away or burst; instead, the fire and the cauldron melded together seamlessly, and the Celestial Ice Flame blazed fiercely.


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron began to rotate slowly within the flames.


    Han Li watched the cauldron within the flames with cold eyes, his gaze narrowing slightly, and then he released a powerful divine sense, enveloping the cauldron to carefully observe any unusual changes in the cauldron within the Celestial Ice Flame.


    As time ticked by, Han Li¡¯s brows gradually furrowed.


    The small cauldron wrapped in the fully refined Celestial Ice Flame remained as it always was, showing no peculiar differences.


    After pondering with his head lowered, Han Li suddenly lifted his gaze, and Spiritual Power surged wildly into his eyes.


    His pupils shone with a piercing blue light as he stared unblinkingly at the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    (Second update!)(To be continued¡­


    For those who wish to know what happens next, please log onto www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 872 - Chapter 872 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 869 Treasure Commanding Decree

    ?Chapter 872: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 869 Treasure Commanding Decree Chapter 872: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 869 Treasure Commanding Decree With the Brightsight Spirit Eyes Divine Skill deployed not long ago, Han Li, who had been gazing at the small cauldron, suddenly had a change in expression, as if he had discovered something.


    With a raise of his hand,


    he pointed solemnly at the small cauldron, and from the tip of his finger, a flash of green light sparked as several slender spirit threads shot out, vanishing without a trace in a blink of an eye.


    The azure light of the Heavenvoid Cauldron flickered, and then amidst the envelopment of the Celestial Ice Flame, it swelled violently.


    Within the blink of an eye, the originally inches high small cauldron expanded to a size of about a zhang, and the depictions of birds, insects, fish, mountains, and trees on the surface of the Giant Cauldron became vivid and clearly visible.


    Looking at the massive object that transformed in the air, Han Li calmly stood up and with a flick of his hand toward the sky, the Giant Cauldron fell several zhang, coming to a stop a few feet in front of his chest.


    Taking another look at the cauldron, Han Li, without a second thought, lifted his hand, and with a ¡°bang,¡± his palm pierced through the blue Celestial Ice Flame and pressed directly against the cauldron¡¯s surface.


    A bizarre scene unfolded-the originally raging blue flames suddenly transformed into a dragon-shaped tornado that soared into the sky.


    Then a dragon¡¯s cry echoed, and a zhang-long blue flood dragon appeared within the wind, shaking its head and flicking its tail.


    With a sudden thrust downward, the dragon¡¯s head plunged into the cauldron¡¯s lid and vanished in a flash.


    Simultaneously, the surface of the Giant Cauldron transformed instantaneously from a pale green to a hazy blue.


    The creatures painted on the four walls of the cauldron suddenly came to life after a burst of brilliance, moving about erratically on the surface-it was truly inconceivable.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Han Li¡¯s expression did not change in the slightest, but the hand resting against the cauldron wall kept flickering with spiritual brilliance.


    Streams of green light passed through his palm and rapidly infused into the cauldron, pouring in an incessant flow.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    As a large amount of Spiritual Power was infused, the cauldron began to hum.


    Under Han Li¡¯s watchful gaze, a series of ancient blue characters emerged from the cauldron and began drifting into the air.


    After the blue light flickered wildly, these ancient characters formed a strange incantation three zhang high in the air.


    Han Li lifted his head and peered at them, and as he did so, the infusion of Spiritual Energy into the cauldron from his hand briefly slowed, causing the text in the air to dim as though it was about to dissipate immediately.


    Startled, Han Li quickly resumed the infusion of Spiritual Energy.


    This restored the stability of the aerial text, which began emitting a faint spiritual brilliance.


    The text wasn¡¯t long, merely a thousand or so characters.


    However, when Han Li scrutinized it closely, his face first lit up with joy, but then a bitter smile appeared.


    It seemed there was no need to decipher anything laboriously-the text laid out plainly the methods to operate the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    The incantations began with clear requirements: one must first refine the Celestial Ice Flame attached to the cauldron, and one must cultivate an ancient technique called the Treasure Commanding Decree.


    This particular Decree was created solely to manipulate heavenly skill spirit treasures of this caliber.


    Moreover, each spirit treasure passed down from ancient times has its own unique Treasure Commanding Decree, with each having different content.


    Among these spirit treasures, the Decrees are completely non-interchangeable.


    After all, each spirit treasure has its own characteristics and powers, and only by using the matching Decree can one possibly drive the spirit treasure.


    In this way, the Treasure Commanding Decree completely distinguished heavenly skill spirit treasures from ordinary ancient treasures.


    Only those ancient treasures that possessed a Treasure Commanding Decree could truly be called spirit treasures.


    Because only after cultivating this Decree could one seal the spirit treasure within oneself for a slow refinement.


    Of course, this kind of cultivation wasn¡¯t like that of ordinary magic treasures, where one¡¯s mind would fuse with the object.


    It was somewhat similar to evil treasures instead: one simply hid the heavenly skill spirit treasure within oneself and used the Treasure Commanding Decree day and night to influence the spirit of the object.


    In this manner, over time, the spirit of the spirit treasure would slowly change, becoming more akin to the Divine Sense of its possessor, thus achieving unity between the cultivator and the object.


    Only then could one harness the spirit treasure¡¯s power to obliterate enemies.


    However, given the tremendous power of the heavenly skill spirit treasures, a cultivator¡¯s Divine Sense could only play a supporting role; thus, unlike life-bound magic treasures, these could be easily snatched away at an opportune moment.


    But if someone else just obtained it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use it immediately-they would also need to cultivate it with the Treasure Commanding Decree to change the original spiritual imprints of the spirit treasure.


    The above matters were briefly mentioned within the text.


    At this point, Han Li was ecstatic, but as he continued reading the rest of the Decree, his face suddenly became unsightly.


    Though it seemed simple, the Decree was divided into mere layers, and just to cultivate the first layer of the Treasure Commanding Decree, one would need to be at the mid Nascent Soul stage-meanwhile, the second and third layers required one to reach the late Nascent Soul stage and the Divinity Transformation stage, respectively.


    As a consequence, even if he managed to master the first layer of the Decree, he would only be able to utilize a fraction of the cauldron¡¯s power, far from what he initially anticipated.


    With a sigh of frustration, he withdrew his palm, cutting off the infusion of Spiritual Power, which immediately caused the text to disperse and disappear.


    Han Li stared at the Giant Cauldron in front of him with a grim expression, his lips tightly sealed.


    Although he didn¡¯t know exactly how much of the mentioned ¡°some power¡± was in the text, Han Li didn¡¯t hold much hope for it.


    Could these powers even be more formidable than his Aureate Sword Formation or the Purple Apex Flames?


    In silence, he contemplated for a moment before sighing resignedly; he nevertheless decided to first attempt to understand the first layer of the cauldron¡¯s Treasure Commanding Decree.


    Even if it was only the first layer, he could still seal the Heavenvoid Cauldron within himself and begin slow cultivation.


    With this thought, Han Li flipped his robe, and a burst of green light spilled forth, engulfing the Giant Cauldron.


    Within the luminescence, the Giant Cauldron rapidly shrank, instantly returning to its original size.


    With a stretch of his hand, he seized the small cauldron and then, in a flash of inspiration, stored it in his storage pouch.


    After completing these tasks, Han Li once again sat down cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes.


    The incantations of the first layer of the Treasure Commanding Decree emerged within his divine sense, and he quietly began to comprehend them.


    This cultivation technique was not complex.


    Han Li estimated that he could fully comprehend it within a month at most.


    However, it was uncertain how long it would take for the Heavenvoid Cauldron to cultivate its spirit, as the texts made no mention of this timeframe.


    Perhaps it would take a year and a half, maybe even eight to ten years.


    Fortunately, the Treasure Commanding Decree operated on its own; once he sealed the spirit treasure within his body, it would automatically influence its spirit.


    ¡­


    More than two months later, Han Li emerged from his seclusion.


    Comprehending the Treasure Commanding Decree took him much less time than anticipated.


    In just over twenty days, he had thoroughly understood it and successfully sealed the Heavenvoid Cauldron inside his body.


    During the remaining time, he used the materials provided by Brother Cheng and the remains of each puppet he had obtained in the Heavenvoid Hall long ago to craft a Nascent Soul puppet.


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li only had enough materials to make one puppet, but the failure rate for Nascent Soul puppets was astonishingly high.


    What should have been enough material to make three or four puppets ended up yielding only one successful product.


    This greatly disappointed Han Li, and he felt a headache coming on.


    No doubt, the puppets Monarch Great Development wanted to craft would be even more complex and advanced, which meant an even lower success rate.


    Was he expected to double or triple the already prepared materials?


    That was simply impossible.


    Luckily, as soon as he mentioned this matter, Monarch Great Development explained with a hint of pride.


    He claimed that he personally developed this refining formula and that under his guidance, Han Li needn¡¯t worry about the success rate-it was almost guaranteed.


    If there were any failures, it would likely be due to flaws in the puppet-crafting method itself, not due to a lack of materials.


    Relieved by this explanation, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief.


    Now, after leaving the secret room, he first visited Nangong Wan in the forbidden area to check on her curse-lifting progress.


    Then he spent a few days in his cave dwelling crafting a batch of medicinal pills that were particularly beneficial for Core Formation, which he sent to Mu Peiling.


    Afterward, Han Li bid farewell to Brother Cheng and Lu Luo to meet with Lord Sunreach as promised.


    Although Brother Cheng and Lu Luo were extremely busy dealing with the acquisition of resources and spirit stone mines, they insisted on escorting Han Li all the way out of the Dreamcloud Mountains before stopping.


    This brought a wry smile to Han Li¡¯s face.


    ¡­


    After leaving the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li transformed into a brilliant rainbow, speeding northward.


    The Seven Spirit Islands were located in The Endless Sea north of the State of Xi.


    It was said that once one reached the seaside, it would only take a day¡¯s journey to see the grand vortex and the seven Spirit Islands.


    Considering Han Li¡¯s formidable cultivation, even without exerting his full strength, his speed was astoundingly fast.


    Seven days later, Han Li appeared above the sea.


    Before he even caught sight of the fabled Seven Spirit Islands, he sensed astonishing changes in the nearby waters.


    The murky waters were still not what one would call clear, but they now had a certain azure quality.


    A sweep of his divine sense revealed some small fish and shrimp and other marine life in the sea, whereas the usual ferocious sea beasts were nowhere to be seen.


    The spiritual energy nearby was a world apart from what it had been at the beginning.


    It seemed that the rumors were indeed not unfounded.


    Another half day passed, and Han Li finally sensed a vast source of spiritual energy in the extremely distant waters, unmistakably flamboyant.


    Close to this immense wellspring of energy were seven smaller fluctuations of spiritual energy.


    Presumably, these were the so-called Seven Spirit Islands.


    Curiosity piqued, Han Li unintentionally increased his speed by a third.


    Just as a black dot faintly appeared on the horizon, a small group of cultivators appeared ahead-about six or seven, mostly Foundation Establishment cultivators, led by a woman in palace garb who had a Core Formation cultivation and possessed some beauty.


    Han Li had no intention of concealing his presence, and the group of oncoming cultivators naturally spotted him immediately, heading straight for him.


    ¡°Greetings, senior.


    We are disciples of the Harmonious Bond Sect on a mission to block off this area of the sea.


    May I ask what brings senior here and if there is any message I can convey on your behalf?¡± The woman in palace garb swept a glance over Han Li, and seeing him, her face changed dramatically as she bowed deeply and spoke respectfully.


    ¡°Blockade?


    It seems Fellow Daoist Sunreach didn¡¯t speak in vain; there indeed seems to be an issue here.¡± Han Li did not answer the woman¡¯s question but frowned and muttered to himself instead.


    ¡°Could it be that the gentleman is the famed Han Li from the Drifting Cloud Sect?¡± The woman in palace garb took a few more cautious glances at Han Li, and after a moment of surprise, tentatively asked.


    ¡°Indeed, I am Han Li.


    I¡¯ve come at Lord Sunreach¡¯s invitation.


    Is it necessary for me to wait for permission before proceeding?¡± Han Li said with a smirk.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s name, a stir erupted among the group of cultivators.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are numerous; support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 873 - Chapter 873 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 870 Boundless Demonic Qi

    ?Chapter 873: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 870 Boundless Demonic Qi Chapter 873: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 870 Boundless Demonic Qi ¡°Han Li is now so well known in the Heavenly South Region that no one is unaware of him, no one is ignorant of him,¡± the cultivators exclaimed with a sense of awe and reverence on their faces.


    ¡°If it¡¯s Elder Han, there¡¯s naturally no need to report his arrival.


    Lord Sunreach already instructed us to let Elder through once he arrives.


    I will now guide Elder Han to Spiritual Turtle Island,¡± said the woman in palace attire respectfully, without daring any delay.


    Han Li nodded, expressionless, and said nothing more.


    The woman in palace attire then gave a few instructions to the cultivators behind her and led Han Li away into the sky.


    In the distance, a small dot gradually enlarged, revealing a small island, which was roughly about thirty square kilometers in area.


    ¡°Elder Han, this is Spiritual Phoenix Island, occupied by our Harmonious Bond Sect.


    Sublime Truth Sect¡¯s Spiritual Turtle Island is located just adjacent to it,¡± the woman explained carefully, seemingly aware that it was Han Li¡¯s first visit to this place.


    Han Li glanced in the direction the woman had indicated; perhaps the distance was too great, for he didn¡¯t spot the other island at that moment.


    However, in another direction, a huge font of spiritual energy, with its astonishing fluctuations, became clearer.


    Such powerful spiritual energy was definitely the source of the rumored massive outflow of spiritual energy creating a vortex.


    Han Li pondered this as he continued to follow the woman in palace attire and flew further.


    An hour later, the so-called Spiritual Turtle Island came into sight.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã?


    This island was slightly larger than Spiritual Phoenix Island, which was previously mentioned as being occupied by the Harmonious Bond Sect, and from above, its outline did indeed slightly resemble a spirit turtle.


    Before nearing the island, the woman in palace attire had already sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman, so as soon as Han Li and his companion flew close to the island, a streak of white light greeted them.


    ¡°Is that Fellow Daoist Sunreach?


    For a venerable Daoist like you to come and greet me personally, I feel unworthy!¡± Seeing the familiar streak of light, Han Li halted in the air far away and transmitted his voice.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist Han is a man of his word.


    This humble Daoist naturally ought to come out to welcome you,¡± Lord Sunreach seemed very happy to see Han Li, responding brightly with his voice transmission.


    Then the white light traveled forward to a point ten yards in front of Han Li, where it receded to reveal the figure of a Taoist.


    Han Li smiled slightly and bowed his hands toward the other party.


    ¡°The Daoist friend should follow me to my cave dwelling for a gathering.


    I have already notified Brother Wei Wuya.


    However, the old eccentric from Harmonious Bond sect has important affairs to handle and cannot afford to come,¡± said Lord Sunreach as he instructed the woman in palace attire to go back first, then turned to Han Li with a smiling expression.


    ¡°That would be fine.


    Let¡¯s go as you suggest, Daoist friend,¡± Han Li had no objections and the two immediately flew towards the island.


    During their journey, Han Li scanned the entire island with his Divine Sense and inadvertently frowned.


    Indeed, there was an excellent small Spirit Vein on the island, about ten miles in size.


    There weren¡¯t many cultivators on the island, but each one had a high level of cultivation; quite contrary to Han Li¡¯s expectation, no low-level cultivators were found which made him somewhat puzzled!


    Before long, under the Taoist¡¯s lead, Han Li entered a newly established cave dwelling.


    The dwelling was located in an inconspicuous mountain rock but was still quite large and neat.


    As Han Li and Lord Sunreach settled in a large hall, two Daoist tunneled servants presented them with Spiritual Tea.


    After sipping his tea, Han Li engaged in a low conversation with Lord Sunreach.


    This old Daoist, one of the top three cultivators, now seemed unwilling to discuss the reason for inviting Han Li, instead slowly discussing some information about the surrounding seas and the sects occupying the Seven Spirit Islands.


    It seemed somewhat offhand.


    It appeared that, before Wei Wuya¡¯s arrival, Lord Sunreach had no intention of revealing any news to Han Li.


    Han Li was somewhat displeased inwardly, but outwardly he pretended to be ignorant, engaging in what seemed to be casual chat with Lord Sunreach.


    However, just after the time it takes to have a meal, Wei Wuya also arrived outside the cave dwelling and then, welcomed by the Taoist, his figure appeared in the hall as well.


    Upon meeting Han Li, the usual pleasantries were exchanged.


    From the outward appearance, Wei Wuya¡¯s skin was glowing, his complexion rosy as if he had recovered from the severe depletion of True Yuan from the battle in Devilfall Valley, looking quite vigorous.


    This made Han Li inwardly marvel.


    As far as he knew, during the last grand battle in Devilfall Valley, the great cultivator Wei Wuya had suffered a significant loss of True Yuan.


    To fully recover his Qi in such a short time suggested he had consumed no small number of panaceas.


    Wei Wuya was straightforward.


    As soon as he sat down, he asked,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Sunreach, have you already informed Daoist Han about the situation?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.


    Matters like these are better discussed when at least two out of us three are present.


    Now that Brother Wei has arrived, perhaps Brother Wei can enlighten Fellow Daoist Han about this matter.


    This humble Daoist will simply add on as necessary,¡± Master Sunreach said, his expression unchanged.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, let me explain it then!


    This matter cannot be delayed any longer.


    Otherwise, the consequences will not be trivial!¡± Wei Wuya thought for a moment before he agreed.


    ¡°The consequences will not be trivial?¡± As soon as Han Li heard these words, a look of interest appeared on his face.


    It seemed this was indeed no small matter.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, let me be brief.


    This matter is actually related to those ancient devils,¡± Wei Wuya began, startling Han Li.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t those ancient devils severely wounded and fled far away?¡± Han Li said, startled.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.


    But don¡¯t you find the timing of the appearance of the giant vortex too coincidental?


    Almost exactly when we drove away the ancient devil on one side, this anomaly appeared on the other side in The Endless Sea.


    Moreover, we discovered some definite proof nearby the vortex.


    Fellow Daoist should know, during the last period when the ancient devil was being besieged, it slaughtered quite a few immortal cultivation families and minor sects.


    The three of us later discovered that these clans and sects were precisely those rumored to possess evil treasures or actually harbored them; three such treasures were indeed taken by the ancient devil.


    Near this giant vortex, in a hidden place, we found the remnants of one of the missing evil treasures, seemingly destroyed by a tremendous force.


    This led us to suspect that the ancient devil first tampered with something here in The Endless Sea, and was then cornered by our devil extermination team in other places, getting severely wounded and fleeing from the Heavenly South,¡± Wei Wuya said gravely.


    ¡°Is there something inappropriate with this mysterious vortex that appeared?


    Otherwise, even if the ancient devil did something, the three fellow Daoists would not handle it with such gravity,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment and cautiously asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re right to ask that.


    If the vortex merely spewed spiritual energy and raised seven small islands, the three of us wouldn¡¯t have been concerned about it.


    The key issue is, we discovered that this so-called giant vortex is actually the formation eye of a massive sealing array dating back many years, and these seven sacred islands are merely a part of this array.


    Fellow Daoist, I assume you understand the gravity now,¡± Master Sunreach said with a wry smile.


    ¡°A Sealing Formation.


    What is it meant to seal, necessitating such a massive array?¡± Han Li finally showed a drastic change in expression, slightly horrified.


    Although he didn¡¯t know the exact size of this array, just the vast distances between the seven islands allowed him to imagine the enormity of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s also what we want to know.


    But I have absolutely no clue.


    However, whatever is sealed must be related to the Ancient Devil Realm and the ancient devils.


    This matter should perhaps be explained by Fellow Daoist Sunreach.


    After all, it was Fellow Daoist Sunreach who initially went to the bottom of the vortex and saw the situation there,¡± Wei Wuya spoke slowly.


    ¡°What is there for this humble Daoist to say?


    You both also saw later.


    The bottom of this giant vortex is in fact filled with unfathomably deep Boundless Demonic Qi, so deep that it¡¯s impossible to explore clearly.


    It is only suppressed by the vast pure spiritual energy within the vortex, preventing it from bursting forth from the array.


    But if it does break out, it will surely be a great calamity for our Heavenly South, completely changing the nature¡¯s spiritual energy of the entire area.


    I even suspect that The Endless Sea wasn¡¯t always this terrifying and may be related to the demonic Qi beneath the sea,¡± the Taoist said calmly.


    ¡°But now, Fellow Daoist Han, you¡¯ve also seen the current situation.


    The formation eye of the sealing array has been damaged, and the spiritual energy in the vortex is gradually leaking out, a day will come when it can no longer suppress the demonic Qi below.


    Once the Demonic Qi erupts, at least half of the Heavenly South will be severely affected and will no longer be suitable for cultivators to cultivate.


    And Daoist Han¡¯s Drifting Cloud Sect, being close to The Endless Sea, will definitely be gravely impacted,¡± Wei Wuya said helplessly.


    By that point, Han Li was speechless.


    ¡°Since the three fellow Daoists have now called me over, surely you must have a method to avert this calamity?


    Otherwise, if the three of you have no solution, I am even more helpless,¡± Han Li slightly raised his eyebrows and spoke indifferently.


    The eruption of the Demonic Qi, of course, meant that his Drifting Cloud Sect would face great misfortune, but the Devilcharm Sect and the Righteous Dao Alliance certainly wouldn¡¯t fare much better.


    Only the Nine Nations Union, being far away, appeared able to remain uninvolved on the surface.


    But if truly a small half of Heavenly South loses spiritual energy, the Nine Nations Union couldn¡¯t possibly remain untroubled.


    The loss of lands suitable for cultivation would surely reignite a grand battle as various sects vie for cultivation resources.


    Thus, Han Li, at that moment, instead became calmer.


    ¡°The three of us, upon discovering this great danger, immediately started gathering information to try to avert this catastrophe.


    Surprisingly, we indeed found records related to this sealing formation.


    It is quite unbelievable, this matter unexpectedly also involves the Great Jin¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators,¡± Wei Wuya said, looking at Master Sunreach and revealing a peculiar expression.


    ¡°Great Jin?¡± Han Li was genuinely stunned at this point.


    ¡°Do fellow Daoists know where these records were found?¡± Just then, Master Sunreach gave a wry smile, looking somewhat helpless.


    ¡°The meaning of the Upper Master isa€|¡± Han Li guessed something, also showing a surprised expression.


    ¡°It seems Fellow Daoist Han has guessed it.


    The materials regarding this Ancient Sealing Magic Array were actually found in a hidden text of our sect which had been neglected for countless years.


    We also cleared up some of the origins of our Sublime Truth Sect.


    Our sect during the Ancient Times, remarkably, was a branch of one of the current Three Great Daoist Sects of the Great Jin¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators-the True Extreme Sect.


    And it turns out, the reason we moved to the Heavenly South was to guard this Ancient Sealing Magic Array,¡± the Taoist disclosed with a resigned bewildered look.


    (Second update!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 875 - Chapter 875 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 872 The Abyss of Demonic Qi

    ?Chapter 875: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 872 The Abyss of Demonic Qi Chapter 875: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 872 The Abyss of Demonic Qi ¡°Hmph!


    Brother Wei, why bother asking when you already know?¡± the large man in a black robe said coldly.


    ¡°I refuse to believe that Fellow Daoist isn¡¯t at least somewhat wary.


    To have reached the mid Nascent Soul stage at such a young age, and possessing several Divine Skills of no small power, where will there be a place for us in Tian Luo once he advances to the late Nascent Soul stage?¡±


    ¡°Hehe!


    My view is somewhat different from that of Brother Harmonious Bond,¡± Wei Wuya glanced at Old Devil Cloud Dew, his expression a mixture of a smile and not a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s so different, Brother Wei?


    Even after this lad advances to the late Nascent Soul stage, do you still have the confidence to suppress him?¡± Old Devil Cloud Dew said darkly.


    ¡°Suppress?


    Why suppress?


    I am the oldest among the three great cultivators; I probably have no more than a hundred years left before I perish naturally.


    Even if he is the reincarnation of a True Immortal, it¡¯s impossible for him to advance again within a century, right?


    If that were so, and he eventually reaches a cultivation high enough to dominate the entire Tian Luo, what does it have to do with me?¡± Wei Wuya said indifferently.


    ¡°Brother Wei, are you willing to see the power you¡¯ve supported with great effort eventually taken over by him alone?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    If Fellow Daoist is willing to ally with me, I might even concede some matters,¡± Old Devil Cloud Dew said, his eyes narrowing.


    ¡°I have no interest in meddling!


    Moreover, don¡¯t you feel, Brother Harmonious Bond, that thinking about this now is a bit late?


    If Fellow Daoist had been willing to pay the price when he was at the early Nascent Soul stage, I might have been tempted.


    But now, his cultivation level is still not above ours, and his Divine Skills are not likely to be much weaker than ours.


    I am not interested in making an enemy of someone who ranks alongside me, nor do I want to leave endless troubles for my sect.


    Fellow Daoist shouldn¡¯t forget, it is almost impossible to kill someone at our level completely.


    Even if the plan is thoroughly prepared, it often collapses.


    Of course, if we could gather the same force that once dealt with the ancient devils, it might be different.


    But as I see it, Fellow Daoist should stop making these futile moves.


    It will only provoke animosity.


    After all, even if he truly has a chance to unify Tian Luo, it won¡¯t last long.


    Don¡¯t forget the fate of the past Divinity Transformation stage cultivator who once dominated Tian Luo,¡± Wei Wuya said, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth.


    Old Devil Cloud Dew paused, seemingly thoughtful after hearing these words, uncertain if he was really taking Wei Wuya¡¯s words to heart.


    Meanwhile, Han Li and Master Sunreach had already descended thousands of feet into the vortex.


    Under the heavy pressure of Spiritual Energy, it was naturally impossible for the two to instantly fly to the bottom, and they could only descend slowly.


    Han Li had already brought out the Bluelight Shield, turning it into a layer of blue light that protected his whole body.


    Meanwhile, over thirty golden flying swords transformed into shadows of swords, rapidly rotating around his body as he continued to sink downward.


    As for Master Sunreach beside him, his display was even more exaggerated; from the beginning until now, relying on a Misty White Flying Sword, he easily broke through layers of white Spiritual Energy, spiraling around his body like a shocking rainbow, descending alongside Han Li.


    This made Han Li inwardly admire.


    These old eccentrics in the late Nascent Soul stage were indeed some extraordinary existences.


    Thinking this, Han Li swept his Divine Sense downward.


    However, after penetrating merely a dozen feet or so, his Divine Sense was rebounded, completely ineffective.


    As for the Brightsight Water, it could penetrate a bit further, reaching a distance of thirty or forty feet, but the view was still a blur of whiteness.


    However, those occasional Spiritual Energy vortexes couldn¡¯t escape the Divine Skills of the Brightsight Water, all of which Han Li saw and cleverly avoided in advance.


    His every move, anticipating and avoiding these hidden Spiritual Energy vortexes, naturally did not escape the eyes of Master Sunreach at his side.


    The Taoist secretly marveled and his intention to gain Han Li¡¯s alliance grew stronger.


    As for whether Han Li would advance to the late Nascent Soul stage and unify the major powers, the old Taoist wasn¡¯t worried at all.


    He was absolutely confident in his judgment-Han Li was one of those cultivators who pursued the Dao fervently, who would only silently endure hardships without meddling in irrelevant affairs unless necessary.


    Otherwise, with Han Li¡¯s Divine Skills, not to mention the Drifting Cloud Sect, even controlling the entire State of Xi would be effortless.


    And previously, according to the Righteous Dao Alliance¡¯s insiders in State of Xi, whether during his time in the early stages or after advancing to the mid stage, this young cultivator showed no signs of such ambitions.


    With this, the old Taoist felt even more at ease.


    After about the time it took to have a meal, Han Li estimated that they had descended over ten thousand feet and involuntarily looked upward.


    The ceiling above was also a white blur separated by Spiritual Energy, making it impossible to see how far it extended.


    And the immense pressure transmitted from the surrounding flying swords made him estimate that to descend to such a depth, one would certainly need mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation at the least.


    If it were not for his Azure Essence Sword Arts granting him significantly deeper mana than fellow cultivators of the same stage, he would likely be struggling by now.


    As Han Li was contemplating, Master Sunreach suddenly spoke up to remind him:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han!


    We are about to reach the bottom, be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Brother!¡± Han Li quickly recollected his mind and peered downward.


    Sure enough, after descending another few dozen feet, a milky white light appeared deep below, dazzling and eye-catching, resembling a thick layer of a light curtain.


    Seeing this, Han Li slowed his descending form, and moments later, he and Master Sunreach both stopped about five or six feet above the light curtain.


    With the help of Brightsight Water, Han Li could clearly see countless streams of Demonic Qi writhing relentlessly behind the heavy light curtain, looking densely oppressive.


    ¡°This is the suppressed Demonic Qi, indeed troublesome isn¡¯t it?¡± Han Li murmured as he stared at the light screen.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s too much Demonic Qi below; it has already formed a Demonic Qi abyss, so deep and vast that its limits are unknown.


    Let me be frank with you, Fellow Daoist Han.


    Although the Cultivation Technique I have mastered has some properties of expelling evil, I had once personally ventured into it.


    But I barely delved a hundred meters before realizing I couldn¡¯t stay long and immediately retreated.


    This Demonic Qi, both in malevolence and quantity, truly isn¡¯t something ordinary cultivators can handle.


    Even devilish cultivators who practice ancient devilish techniques could potentially see an explosive growth in their cultivation, but they would absolutely be mentally corrupted by the Demonic Qi.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Han Li nodded and gazed at the Demonic Qi behind the light screen, silently contemplating something.


    ¡°Brother Sunreach, please wait here for a moment.


    I¡¯m going to see just how formidable this Demonic Qi is.¡± After a moment, Han Li finally spoke.


    ¡°Be careful then!¡± Master Sunreach had anticipated Han Li would say this, so he wasn¡¯t at all surprised.


    Han Li stopped the unnecessary chatter.


    After a few flickers, he appeared near the light screen.


    With a light tap of his toe, an azure sword Qi about a foot long shot out from beneath his feet, instantly piercing through the light screen and disappearing into the Demonic Qi.


    A look of surprise flashed across Han Li¡¯s face.


    But he quickly realized that the light screen was only effective against Demonic Qi, sparing him the need to use secret techniques to break through it.


    Thinking this, the golden flying swords surrounding him started rumbling like thunder.


    Golden arcs of electricity leaped from the swords, forming a large electric net around Han Li.


    His mastery and understanding of the Devilbane Lightning had reached an incredible realm.


    With a manipulation of incantations in his hands, the electric net quickly shrank and adhered to the protective shield formed by the Bluelight Shield, creating a huge spherical net of electricity.


    The flying swords then shrank to a few inches under his divine control and zipped into his sleeves, being stored within his body.


    At this moment, Han Li silently sank into the light screen, entering the Demonic Qi without impediment.


    A loud rumble suddenly resounded.


    As soon as he entered, the dark Demonic Qi surged toward him.


    However, amidst the thunderous noise, the black Demonic Qi was scattered, though what followed continued to swarm and attack.


    Han Li did not move immediately; instead, he stood and watched as clumps of Demonic Qi were dispersed by the golden arcs and then reformed and lunged at the shield.


    Frowning, Han Li estimated the rate at which the Devilbane Lightning was being consumed and formed a baseline understanding in his mind.


    After a moment of thought, he finally flew deeper into the Demonic Qi.


    At this moment, Han Li dared not extend his divine sense beyond the shield, fearing the dense malevolence of the Demonic Qi could even corrupt a cultivator¡¯s divine sense.


    He did not wish to be careless and bring disaster upon himself.


    Now, his sole reliance was the Brightsight Water.


    But in this pitch-black abyss of Demonic Qi, the spirit eye could only see up to a few meters-nothing more could be discerned, and his movement was extremely slow.


    However, he did not delve much farther, flying only about two hundred meters before he stopped, looked around for a while, and then, without a second thought, withdrew along the same path.


    ¡°The Devilbane Lightning is indeed powerful.


    Fellow Daoist, to have stayed inside for so long and still emerge unharmed, your reputation is well deserved,¡± Master Sunreach said with a smile as soon as Han Li emerged from the light screen.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, the Demonic Qi was uncontrolled, which made it easier to scatter them.


    I¡¯ll head back up for now,¡± Han Li replied with a smile, his expression as usual.


    Master Sunreach, having no further questions, nodded and agreed.


    Thus, Han Li withdrew the golden arcs, released the flying swords once more, and the two ascended upwards.


    ¡­


    ¡°How is it, with your Devilbane Lightning, Fellow Daoist Han, there should be no trouble in the Demonic Qi!¡± As soon as Han Li and the Taoist escaped from the vortex and manifested near Wei Wuya, he calmly asked.


    ¡°It seems I could indeed give it a try.


    But before agreeing, I intend to inquire where the Array Plate is to be buried.


    If it¡¯s too deep in the Demonic Qi, even my Devilbane Lightning might not sustain such consumption,¡± Han Li pondered briefly before replying without hesitation.


    ¡°The exact location, let¡¯s go back to the cave dwelling and discuss it.


    The Array Plate is still in the hands of the Array Masters, let¡¯s retrieve the Array Plate first and then discuss further to truly allow Fellow Daoist Han to go below.


    After all, this Array Plate isn¡¯t easy to produce, and it likewise cannot afford to fail,¡± Old Devil Cloud Dew stated lightly.


    (First update) (To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 877 - Chapter 877 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 874 Stone Stele Fragment

    ?Chapter 877: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 874 Stone Stele Fragment Chapter 877: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 874 Stone Stele Fragment ¡°`


    Just like last time, Han Li slipped quietly into the abyss under the protection of the golden lightning, immersing himself in the demonic Qi.


    As the rumblings of thunder grew fainter, the golden light of the Devilbane Lightning receded into the darkness until it disappeared without a trace.


    Meanwhile, on the sea¡¯s surface, Lord Three Yang and the others were engaged in conversation.


    ¡°Brother Wei, do you really think Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s Devilbane Lightning, as he claims, is insufficient for a round trip?¡± Wei Wuya, with his hands clasped behind his back, asked Lord Three Yang.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Brother Wei?


    Are you implying that this humble Daoist has lied?¡± The Taoist¡¯s face darkened, and he became slightly irritated.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Lord, please don¡¯t misunderstand, that was not my intention at all.


    I just felt that Fellow Daoist Han agreed too readily earlier, so I was a bit curious,¡± Wei Wuya said with a gentle smile.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I really don¡¯t know.


    But it¡¯s true that the deeper one goes into the abyss of demonic Qi, the more mana is consumed.


    To safely make a round trip, indeed, an astonishing number of Devilbane Lightnings would be needed.


    I don¡¯t believe Fellow Daoist Han truly has so many thunders at his disposal.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Perhaps aside from Devilbane Lightning, Fellow Daoist Han has some other Divine Skill that can temporarily withstand the demonic Qi,¡± said Lord Three Yang, his expression softening as he spoke calmly.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, that seems quite possible.


    After all, the realm of immortal cultivators is full of extraordinary secret techniques!


    Regardless, it¡¯s always good news if he can successfully resolve this crisis,¡± Wei Wuya said with a laugh.


    He then glanced sideways, taking a look at Old Devil Cloud Dew.


    The large man in the black robe had his arms crossed, watching the center of the whirlpool with an expressionless face and saying nothing.


    For a moment, silence fell among the three of them.


    ¡­


    Three thousand zhang deep in the abyss, shrouded in a barrier flashing with golden electric light, hung motionless in mid-air.


    Inside the barrier, Han Li was intently examining the jade slip in his hand, which contained the location of the Array Plate.


    After a while, Han Li withdrew his Divine Sense and glanced around.


    It seemed he was already at the bottom of the abyss, cloaked in pitch-blackness that made it impossible to tell the distance.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows knitted together, and suddenly he opened his mouth and spat out a small golden sword about an inch long.


    With a flash of golden light, the small golden sword shot out of the protective barrier, and a thin layer of electric arcs appeared on the blade.


    After circling overhead, it turned into an inch-wide golden ring of light, spinning in mid-air with the electric light a€¡° a peculiar sight.


    Han Li formed an incantation gesture below and pointed upwards towards the ring of light.


    The light wheel paused, then shot out as a beam of golden light.


    Without hesitation, Han Li moved and followed closely behind the barrier.


    After flying horizontally for several hundred zhang, the small golden sword suddenly changed direction, shooting rapidly downwards,


    With a ¡°thud,¡± the flying sword stabbed into something, immersing halfway and ceasing to move.


    Seeing this scene, a glimmer of joy crossed Han Li¡¯s face, and he appeared just one zhang above the sword.


    Looking around through the faint glow of electric arcs flickering on the sword, one could barely make out the surroundings.


    Han Li saw that the sword seemed to be lodged into a flat stone cliff.


    After pondering for a moment, Han Li raised both hands and simultaneously placed his palms on the barrier.


    The electric net on the barrier suddenly became dazzlingly bright, and several streams of electric arcs shot out from the barrier, transforming into Golden Giant Pythons that coiled and circled nearby.


    Within a ten-zhang radius, all the demonic Qi was swept clean by the flying Golden Pythons.


    The ¡°stone cliff¡± below, illuminated by the spiritual light, became clearly visible.


    Han Li took a closer look and was stunned.


    It wasn¡¯t a ¡°stone cliff¡± at all, but clearly a platform resembling an altar.


    The area under the arc seemed spacious, yet its full extent was not visible.


    Han Li felt a surge of astonishment.


    That the Array Masters had chosen such a place to bury the Array Plate¡¯s formation eye was quite interesting.


    Han Li immediately spurred the golden arcs and flew around the altar swiftly, getting a general impression of the platform.


    It was a square platform about the size of an acre, surely constructed by ancient experts, given both its design and the patterns inscribed on the surrounding stone walls.


    When Han Li returned to his original location, he beckoned to the sword still embedded in the ground, and the sword turned into a streak of golden light, flying back to him.


    After a brief estimation in his mind, Han Li promptly flew toward the center of the platform.


    A moment later, several points of white light flickered in the distance.


    With a quickened pace, he finally saw the situation at the center of the platform.


    A Stele, shattered into several pieces, lay quietly there, with only a tiny bit of its base still standing.


    His gaze shifted, and he examined the Stele¡¯s fragments for a moment.


    Even though the Stele was destroyed, one could still see some incomplete runes that were incomprehensible to him, and the material from which the Stele was made was unknown a€¡° it still glowed with a spiritual presence, intermittently flashing milky white light.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Could this be something as precious as the Gold Lightning Bamboo?¡±


    Han Li wondered in amazement.


    But soon after, he reached into the void above the ground and a fist-sized Stone Stele Fragment came flying out of thin air.


    A flash of spiritual light in his hand, and his entire palm, enveloped in green light, grasped the fragment and he looked down at it intently.


    It was dull and unremarkable.


    If it weren¡¯t for the occasional strands of spiritual light emanating from the fragment, Han Li really couldn¡¯t see what was special about it.


    Han Li examined it over and over again, his brows moving slightly.


    Suddenly, he exerted strength in his fingers, applying a great force to the object.


    A strange scene occurred.


    The fragment did not become indestructible as Han Li imagined, nor did it easily turn into a pile of stone powder.


    Instead, it turned incredibly soft after a few flashes of white light, and his fingers sank deep into it.


    Han Li was startled.


    ¡°What is this?


    Monarch Great Development, do you know what this is?¡± Han Li frowned and transmitted his voice to Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°No, I have never seen this thing before.


    This is not surprising.


    There are many strange materials from Ancient Times, and it is impossible for anyone to know everything.


    But why don¡¯t you throw a piece over here and see, I happen to have nothing to do, might as well study it,¡± came Monarch Great Development¡¯s languid voice.


    Without giving it much thought, Han Li tossed the fragment behind him towards the bamboo tube.


    After a flash of spiritual light from the bamboo tube, a burst of white mist shot out, wrapping the strange stone fragment into the tube.


    At the moment when Han Li had obtained the fragment, he could also tell from the breakage that the Stele had not been destroyed for long.


    It seemed that the Stele had originally been an important object for suppressing the formation¡¯s eye, which was why it was destroyed at the same time as the Array mishap.


    From this point alone, the material of this Stele definitely could not be something ordinary.


    Thinking of this, Han Li didn¡¯t hold back.


    After a sweep of azure light, the remaining Stone Stele Fragments were all collected into his storage pouch.


    Then he flipped his fingers continuously, sending out over a dozen azure Sword Qis, striking hard at the base of the Stele, trying to break these materials and take them away too.


    A series of ¡°boom boom¡± sounds rang out, to Han Li¡¯s great surprise, after a flash of green light, the Sword Qis silently disappeared into the base of the Stele without leaving a trace, having no effect whatsoever.


    ¡°Eh!


    That¡¯s really quite peculiar.¡±


    Han Li was startled.


    After hesitating for a moment, he no longer cared about the remaining materials and instead changed his direction, sending out several more Sword Qis.


    Although the remaining Devilbane Lightning was enough to last a considerable amount of time, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to stay in such a dangerous place for too long and prepared to set up the Array Plate.


    A series of muffled noises came, and next to the Stele, a pit about a zhang deep appeared there.


    Han Li flipped his palm without changing his expression, and after a flash of white light, the exquisitely crafted Array Plate appeared in his hand.


    Without hesitation, Han Li flicked his wrist and the Array Plate instantly turned into a ball of white light and flew into the pit.


    Both of his hands formed Incantations, and suddenly the Array Plate within the pit began to flicker with spiritual light.


    Han Li watched the Array Plate, his expression solemn, without even blinking.


    After a moment, the Array Plate emitted a clear ringing sound followed by a milky white beam of light which suddenly shot up from the plate into the sky, disappearing in the high altitude without a trace.


    Han Li felt a sense of relief in his heart.


    Since everything with the Array Plate was normal, it meant he had found the right place; there should be no problems with burying it there.


    With this in mind, Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed, and with a flick of his sleeve, a gust of green wind surged out.


    After the gust, all the debris was swept back into the pit.


    With an Incantation cast, what was originally a slightly bulging heap of rubble, emitted a faint white glow under Han Li¡¯s deep spell incantation, and then the rubble started to melt and solidify into one under the influence of Mana.


    A short while later, the surface of the pit became unexpectedly smooth and flat.


    It was as if there had never been a pit at all.


    Walking a few circles around where the original pit had been, seeing that everything was normal and nothing unusual, Han Li nodded his head, showing a satisfied expression.


    Casually casting a few Incantations outward, they happened to hit the Golden Electric Pythons that were lingering in the vicinity.


    A few explosions rang out, and the pythons turned into dots of golden light that disappeared without a trace.


    The Demonic Qi that had initially been isolated in the distance, suddenly surged up again, rolling toward him.


    Han Li pondered for a moment and was about to rise into the air, shielded by a flash of golden arcs, and fly back to the sea surface.


    But at that moment, Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice came through his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Young man, hold on!¡±


    ¡°Do you have any advice, senior?¡± Han Li paused, surprised, and did not immediately leave the platform.


    ¡°This place, being the location of the formation¡¯s eye, should be where the Demonic Qi is most concentrated, and this Demonic Qi has been suppressed since the Ancient Times.


    It¡¯s possible that a few Demonic Marrow Drills could have formed here, maybe.


    According to the records of Ancient Times, this material is unique for crafting a certain Devilish supreme treasure.


    Why don¡¯t you search inside this platform and the ground nearby to see if you can really find such a thing?¡± said Monarch Great Development lightly.


    ¡°Demonic Marrow Drill!¡± A trace of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    But after thinking for a while, he did not hesitate and patted his storage pouch with one hand, and a yellowish jade scepter with a wolf head appeared in his hand.


    This was an ancient treasure that Silvermoon had once inhabited.


    Although the Artifact Spirit was gone, it could still perform a simplified version of the Earth Escape Skill.


    Just not as marvelously as Silvermoon once did.


    (First update!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 878 - Chapter 878 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 875 Repairing the Banner

    ?Chapter 878: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 875 Repairing the Banner Chapter 878: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 875 Repairing the Banner A low hum came from his mouth as the light shield around Han Li suddenly expanded significantly.


    Then, a white light shot out from his sleeve and circled before landing in front of him.


    It was the snow-white little fox, transformed from Silvermoon.


    ¡°We¡¯re short on time, let¡¯s split up and search for that item,¡± Han Li quickly said, a pale golden lightning ball appearing in his palm amidst the rumbling of thunder, without hesitation, he threw it behind him.


    With a ¡°boom¡±, the lightning ball transformed into a net of electricity that attached itself to the white fox¡¯s body.


    ¡°Remember!


    This divine lightning can only last for a short while, once it starts to weaken, return to the ground immediately.


    I¡¯ll return earlier,¡± Han Li solemnly said.


    ¡°Yes, Master.


    But what exactly does the Demonic Marrow Drill look like?


    Little sneak doesn¡¯t recognize it,¡± a pleasant young woman¡¯s voice emerged from the white fox, smooth and melodious.


    ¡°The Demonic Marrow Drill is pitch black like ink, resembling a crystal stone.


    The Demonic Qi contained within is astonishingly noticeable,¡± Monarch Great Development preemptively replied before Han Li could speak.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it should be easy.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    Little sneak will go ahead,¡± the white fox nodded, its body flashed with silver light, and it dived into the stone platform, disappearing without a trace.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t idle either, with a wave of the Jade Ruyi in his hand, another faint layer of yellow light appeared on the light shield.


    Together with the shield, he too submerged into the platform silently.


    For a time, the vast platform was devoid of any people.


    Time slowly passed, and the surroundings were eerily silent.


    But the platform had completely become a realm of Demonic Qi, black as pitch, invisible to the eye, just like the netherworld.


    It was unclear how much time had passed when suddenly, the crash of thunder sounded, followed by a flash of golden light, and Han Li appeared on the platform, surrounded by the light shield.


    He looked around and not seeing Silvermoon, his face momentarily froze with worry.


    But he suddenly raised a clenched fist and opened his fingers.


    In his palm lay a small, black, and transparent crystal stone no bigger than a thumb, exquisitely delicate.


    ¡°Indeed, just as I expected, a Demonic Marrow Drill has really formed here.


    Your fortune is truly remarkable.


    This is something that ancient Devil Dao cultivators dreamed of having, a treasure that was serendipitous even in those times,¡± chuckled Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Is that so?


    This item is truly rare,¡± Han Li held up the crystal drill before his eyes, squinting slightly.


    He now had the opportunity to observe the item.


    The crystal drill emitted not even a flicker of light; instead, its dark hue gave off a sinister feeling as if it could suck a person¡¯s soul into it.


    Han Li felt a deep chill in his heart and hurriedly averted his gaze.


    Just then, as a silver light flickered on the stone platform below, the white fox, with a trace of faint golden light, suddenly shot out from the platform and flew into Han Li¡¯s light shield.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t come back, I was about to personally call you!


    I thought you¡¯d return before me.


    Did you find anything?¡± Han Li asked as the little fox motioned; suddenly, a patch of bluish mist lifted the little fox and delivered it directly before Han Li.


    The white fox said nothing but spat out three dark, glistening objects, it was unclear whether they were Demonic Marrow Drills or something else.


    ¡°Well done,¡± Han Li was a bit surprised, then his face revealed pleasure.


    The white fox then smiled anthropomorphically and suddently dived into the sleeve of his robe, disappearing from sight.


    Han Li placed the three crystal drills alongside his own, took out a jade box from his storage pouch, and arranged the four Demonic Marrow Drills side by side.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we left,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    Then the electric arcs outside the light shield shook, followed by a loud rumbling sound, as Han Li watched the shield slowly ascend into the sky.


    While his descent had been slow, his ascent wasn¡¯t much faster.


    After flying upwards for a quarter of an hour, Han Li finally saw the white misty light screen again, without needing to use any of the demon-repelling treasures provided by Wei Wuya and others.


    In a blink, Han Li passed through the light screen and finally escaped the realm of Demonic Qi.


    Turning to look at the light screen behind him, Han Li collected the Devilbane Lightning, and the golden arc completely dissipated.


    But he didn¡¯t fly upward immediately; instead, he took his time to look at the light screen, reached into his storage pouch, and drew out an object.


    It was a damaged green flag.


    ¡°Eh!


    Isn¡¯t this the Yin Sifting Banner from that day?¡± Silvermoon exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°Though the devilish spirits attached to this banner were completely annihilated, it itself is not severely damaged and remains a rare treasure among Devil Dao spiritual treasures.


    I once tried, and it can absorb ghostly Qi and repair itself.


    The Demonic Qi flags given earlier by Old Devil Cloud Dew reminded me.


    Demonic Qi and ghostly Qi are both extremely yin in nature and are somewhat interchangeable.


    There¡¯s so much pure Demonic Qi here, it¡¯s perfect for trying to repair this banner.


    Even if it doesn¡¯t work, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Han Li said calmly, then a burst of green light emitted from his hand suddenly enveloped the small flag, which then transformed into a streak of green light entering the dense Demonic Qi below.


    The spiritual light wrapping the small flag was instantly devoured by the Demonic Qi, revealing the true form of the damaged Yin Sifting Banner surrounded by swirling Demonic Qi.


    Seeing this, Han Li performed hand seals and pointed at the distant green flag.


    The originally lifeless Yin Sifting Banner suddenly burst forth with green light, and under Han Li¡¯s incitations, the banner swelled in size, instantly transforming into a giant green flag about a yard long, though its surface was ragged and quite pitiful in appearance.


    These were all destroyed by the formidable power of the Great Development Sword Array during that battle.


    Han Li had searched the Divine Sense of the slain Yin Sifting Sect elder and naturally knew how to activate this banner.


    Such treasures passed down through generations in the Yin Sifting Sect naturally didn¡¯t require blood recognition, so even though this banner was a Daoist paper talisman, it was the kind that couldn¡¯t be bound to a master.


    Essentially, whoever got their hands on it could refine it and use it.


    At this moment, under Han Li¡¯s spell incantation, a large hole several feet in diameter appeared on the banner¡¯s surface, from which a cold wind gusted.


    Suddenly, the dense Demonic Qi that had already packed the surroundings instantly found an outlet and surged wildly into the emerging void, unceasingly.


    Han Li was overjoyed when he saw this scene; the banner really could absorb Demonic Qi.


    After the banner absorbed a large amount of Demonic Qi, the fabric mended itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Before long, the entire banner looked as good as new, although it had changed from its original jade green to a peculiar half-green, half-black color.


    Han Li, with a flash in his eyes, watched the banner devouring the surrounding Demonic Qi, slightly surprised.


    He had thought that once it was repaired, the banner would stop absorbing.


    But unexpectedly, the Yin Sifting Banner seemed like a bottomless pit, not stopping for a moment.


    However, he had also noticed that the green on the banner was gradually thinning while the black gleam was becoming dazzlingly bright.


    Seeing this, a trace of hesitation appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, but he remained in place, merely watching from a distance without moving.


    After an unknown amount of time and after swallowing countless amounts of Demonic Qi, the Yin Sifting Banner finally emitted a rumbling sound, the hole on its surface suddenly vanished, and it returned to stillness.


    At this time, the banner was shiny black all over, the glaring black gleam as if substantial.


    Without hesitation, Han Li pointed at the banner, and in an instant, it shrank rapidly amid the black light, shooting out from the Demonic Qi and landing in Han Li¡¯s palm.


    After carefully examining the palm-sized item in his hand, Han Li nodded in satisfaction and stored it away.


    He would find a chance later to test its power.


    As he had been delayed for a long time, Han Li dared not procrastinate any further.


    He promptly spat out dozens of flying swords, breaking through the Spiritual Energy above him, and soared into the sky.


    As Han Li transformed into a cyan rainbow and shot out from the vortex, Wei Wuya and the others still appeared calm and collected, but occasional glimpses of anxiety could be seen in their eyes.


    They feared that Han Li might encounter an accident and that the Array Plate wasn¡¯t properly arranged.


    Seeing the cyan rainbow emerge, the three of them couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that the task was likely successful.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, how did it go?


    Was the trip smooth?¡± Master Sunreach asked with a smile.


    ¡°Without fail!


    The Array has been successfully arranged,¡± Han Li replied with a slight smile.


    ¡°Good.


    Let Wei give it a try,¡± said Wei Wuya, brushing a hand over his storage pouch, and another Array Plate, roughly the same as the previous one, appeared in his palm.


    Wei Wuya held the Array Plate in one hand and twiddled incantations in the other, a few unintelligible spell incantations escaping his mouth.


    The Array Plate in his hand flashed with white Spiritual Light non-stop, then emitted strands of five-colored radiant light, extremely striking.


    ¡°Good, the Array has indeed been properly set up.


    We can immediately send out invitations to other cultivators to repair this Array.


    After setting up this Array Plate, at the very least, we no longer have to worry about the Demonic Qi suddenly erupting.


    Fellow Daoist Han, this feat is no small merit,¡± said Wei Wuya with a laugh, apparently in a very good mood.


    ¡°Since the matters here are settled, I shall take my leave and return.


    I still have some important matters to handle.


    These treasures, I¡¯ll return to the three of you,¡± said Han Li as he tossed the four treasures for repelling devils to them, speaking calmly.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Wei Wuya and the others couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, there¡¯s no need to rush.


    How about staying with us at the Seven Spirit Islands for a couple more days before you leave?¡± Master Sunreach persuasively said.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Sunreach.


    But I indeed have urgent matters to attend to and cannot delay any longer,¡± said Han Li, shaking his head with a hint of apology on his face.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han truly has matters to handle, we will not keep you any longer.


    Have a safe journey!¡± said Wei Wuya, cupping his fist.


    ¡°I shall take my leave then!¡±


    Han Li calmly bowed to the three and without further ado, his body exuded a bright cyan light, transforming into a startling and piercing cyan rainbow that shot through the sky and vanished.


    a€|


    Half a month later, upon returning to the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li informed Senior Martial Brother Cheng about a spiritual island being allotted to the Drifting Cloud Sect, and then prepared to enter seclusion once more.


    This time, Han Li wasn¡¯t to cultivate mana but to completely refine his second Nascent Soul.


    After all, with the second Nascent Soul, his divine abilities would greatly increase, almost as if he had gained an extra life.


    The Wood Spirit Nascent Soul, designated to be the second Nascent Soul, had already reached the final stages of assimilation.


    Just a few more steps were needed to achieve great success.


    For this, after checking on Nangong Wan¡¯s condition, Han Li immediately entered a secret chamber to begin years of seclusion for cultivation.


    Meanwhile, after several major events, the Heavenly South Region entered a stable period, with each sect earnestly cultivating their disciples, entering a phase of accumulating strength and sharpening their edges.


    (Second release!) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 879 - Chapter 879 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 876 Keeping Distance

    ?Chapter 879: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 876 Keeping Distance Chapter 879: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 876 Keeping Distance Four years later, in the main peak¡¯s cave dwelling of Mother-Child Peak, a beautiful young woman transformed by Silvermoon, was waiting outside a chamber that hadn¡¯t been opened for years.


    Just yesterday, she had been using jade green liquid to ripen the Spiritual Medicine, when she suddenly heard Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense transmission.


    Therefore, she was waiting here today for Han Li to finish his closed-door cultivation.


    The door to the closed-door cultivation room, which had not been opened for many years, did not make Silvermoon wait too long, finally creaking open slowly.


    Silvermoon¡¯s bright eyes moved as she looked up.


    However, Han Li¡¯s figure did not appear behind the door.


    Instead, a shadowy gust of wind suddenly blew out, followed by a low, chuckling laugh, and suddenly a black cloud about the size of a zhang (3.33 meters) shot out from inside, flashing directly towards Silvermoon.


    Silvermoon was taken aback and hastily stepped back several steps, turning pale as she looked at this object.


    The black cloud abruptly stopped, gleaming darkly on top as if made of black silk.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Silvermoon¡¯s thoughts turned slightly, and she vaguely guessed something.


    ¡°How about it?


    The second Nascent Soul has been cultivated to this extent, it should be considered a great success now.¡± The black cloud suddenly condensed and transformed, instantly turning into a black and green infant about a foot tall, who could speak human language.


    ¡°Congratulations to Master on the great success of your Divine Power!¡± Silvermoon said, beaming with a smile as she bowed to the Nascent Soul.


    This Nascent Soul, apart from being slightly smaller than Han Li¡¯s main Nascent Soul, looked completely identical in appearance and demeanor.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    ¡°It¡¯s somewhat unexpected that the second Nascent Soul was completely refined so quickly.


    But after becoming complete, it indeed feels a little strange.¡± A familiar voice came from inside the secret chamber, and Han Li finally appeared at the doorway, stepping out.


    At that moment, the black-green Nascent Soul grinned and shot towards Han Li, circling around before landing on top of Han Li¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Having two autonomous Nascent Souls, of course, feels different than before.


    However, Master, you just have to get used to it, and then it will be fine,¡± Silvermoon looked up at Han Li and said, smiling slightly.


    ¡°Oh!


    From your tone, it seems like you know something about the second Nascent Soul.


    Do you remember something relevant?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered with interest.


    ¡°This servant isn¡¯t too clear on that.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I just blurted it out.


    Maybe I really knew some similar Divine Power in the past,¡± Silvermoon was taken aback and honestly replied.


    Hearing Silvermoon explain this way, Han Li nodded and said nothing.


    But the Nascent Soul on his head suddenly flipped its small hand, producing a small banner which it started to play with.


    This object was dark and shining, it was the very Ghost Sifting Banner, filled with Pure Demonic Qi!


    ¡°Master, the second Nascent Soul appears this way, could it be that it cultivated a technique from the Devilish path?¡± Seeing this scene, Silvermoon looked at the Nascent Soul again and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°The second Nascent Soul had to be allowed some Divine Skills.


    But as it doesn¡¯t have its own body, it can¡¯t cultivate techniques independently.


    So, I first used my own body and the pure Demonic Qi from the Ghost Sifting Banner to help it cultivate some skills from the Profound Yin Scripture¡¯s Profoundly Mysterious Transformation Skill.


    As for whether to really let it have its own body, I am still hesitating.


    It¡¯s very prone to backlash if the second Nascent Soul has its own body.


    We must be careful,¡± said Han Li, frowning slightly upon hearing Silvermoon¡¯s question.


    Then he single-handedly slapped his head, and with a flash of black light, the Nascent Soul disappeared into his head, leaving no trace.


    Under Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense introspection, however, it was clear that the main Nascent Soul in the Dantian was sitting cross-legged while the second Nascent Soul sat down cross-legged opposite it, staying motionless.


    ¡°Master being cautious is naturally appropriate.


    This Profound Nascent Formation Art was never heard of before.


    And the other cultivators¡¯ incarnations mostly cultivate separated spirits or souls.


    Higher-level ones, like Divine Sage Mu from The Moulan, forcefully split their Primordial Spirits using Great Divine Powers,¡± Silvermoon tilted her head and agreed.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Their kind of incarnation, while not essentially enhancing anything, still has some clever uses in dealing with multiple opponents or preserving life.


    It¡¯s not a bad tactic at all!


    Enough of this, anything happened to the cave dwelling during this period?¡± Han Li said a few words and then gestured with his hand as he began walking towards the hall.


    ¡°One year after Master went into seclusion, Lady Mu successfully formed her Core.


    Following your instructions, I sent over the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art and some other medicinal pills useful for the Core Formation Stage.


    Meanwhile, Lady Nangong is also safe and sound within the restrictive formations, and the effects of the Blood Soul Curse under the power of the Ancient Fire Toad Pill are gradually diminishing.


    Even without a method to break the curse, it might be lifted in another hundred years.


    However, this is just this servant¡¯s speculation, it¡¯s better for Master to see for himself,¡± Silvermoon lightly stepped forward, following behind Han Li and answering one after another.


    Coming out of seclusion to hear two pieces of good news, Han Li was pleased, and just as he was about to inquire about other matters, Silvermoon continued.


    ¡°There is another matter to inform Master.


    Those Six-Winged Frost Centipede larvae, having been fed Rainbow Skirt Grass continually over these years, should have grown rapidly and split to evolve by now.


    But I don¡¯t understand why their growth has been incredibly slow; they only molted once and didn¡¯t split any further.¡±


    ¡°Molted?¡± Hearing this, Han Li paused and a puzzling expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°Yes, after molting, these centipedes seem to be much more formidable.


    Moreover, they are becoming more aggressive these days, as if they are about to molt again,¡± Silvermoon lightly bit her lower lip, also slowing her pace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check the insect room first then,¡± Han Li frowned then spoke expressionlessly.


    Changing directions, he led the way to another passage, heading towards the insect room.


    A moment later, Han Li arrived in front of the insect room.


    He walked a few steps to one side of a hole in the wall and looked inside.


    Before Han Li could see clearly what was inside, he already felt a cold air rushing toward him.


    Everywhere his gaze reached was brilliantly shiny.


    In the not-so-large insect room, both the ceiling and the walls were made of sparkling, thick ice, and on the ground stood several unevenly sized icebergs, towering there.


    There were several holes as big around as bowls on the ice, through which several half-foot-long snow-white centipedes scurried in and out erratically.


    As spirit insects bound by blood, the moment Han Li appeared, the centipedes sensed something.


    After a moment of commotion, those outside immediately flew toward Han Li, and those inside the holes quickly crawled out and flew toward him as well.


    Han Li waved his hand, removing the restrictions on the holes, and with a movement of his divine sense, the centipedes turned into an inch long size within the white light, fluttering up and down in front of him.


    He lifted a hand, deftly catching one of them in his palm.


    From their color, these larvae were still the same snow-white as before, but there were two slightly raised bumps on their backs; the rest remained unchanged.


    After examining the spirit insect in his hand, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but stand there, pondering.


    Silvermoon stood obediently and quietly beside Han Li without uttering a word.


    At that moment, Han Li stretched out a finger and brought it to the mouth of the centipede.


    With a ¡®puff¡¯, a blue flame emerged on his finger.


    As soon as the centipede opened its mouth, a fine stream of cold air sprayed out, striking the blue flame.


    Instantly, the blue flame on his finger surged several times in size, enclosing all the cold air within it.


    Han Li slowly closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something.


    ¡°These centipedes have become much more formidable after molting than before.


    It seems there is no difference between splitting and devouring and constant molting.¡±


    Han Li opened his eyes, flicked his finger, and the blue flame disappeared.


    ¡°As for why they no longer split and devour each other, there¡¯s nothing strange about that.


    Which of these ancient insects isn¡¯t bizarre?


    Perhaps it can only split a few times, or perhaps under the cultivation by the Rainbow Skirt Grass, their bodies have mutated and lost that ability.


    Anyway, as long as the jade green liquid can still promote their advancement, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Han Li lightly.


    ¡°Master speaking like this, Silvermoon is relieved,¡± Silvermoon sighed in relief, showing a sweet smile, looking charmingly beautiful.


    However, Han Li paid no attention to her; instead, he turned around and walked toward the hall while speaking in a serious tone.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a short rest after coming out of this retreat, and then we must make a trip to Great Jin.


    Whether it¡¯s to resolve the evil Qi lingering on my body or to search for rare materials, this trip is essential.


    Moreover, I¡¯m concerned about the effectiveness of the Ancient Fire Toad Pill in Wan¡¯er¡¯s body regardless of its potency.


    It is safest only if we obtain the Oracular Formula to break the curse from the Yin Sifting Sect.


    This is also why I¡¯ve painstakingly cultivated my second Nascent Soul.


    Who knows what dangers we¡¯ll encounter in Great Jin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    But with the master¡¯s divine powers, even in Great Jin, there aren¡¯t many who can do anything to the master,¡± Silvermoon said, her lips curving up in a smiling manner.


    ¡°Hehe, the realm of immortal cultivators has many wondrous treasures and profound cultivation methods, so it really isn¡¯t certain.


    Besides, I¡¯ve already offended the devilish cultivators of the Yin Sifting Sect, and if they discover it, there will definitely be significant trouble.


    It¡¯s better to be more cautious.


    Now, I¡¯ll go check on Wan¡¯er¡¯s condition first, and meet with Senior Martial Brother Cheng and the others to check how much material is still missing for refining the puppet and the Seven Flames Fan.


    If everything goes smoothly, we¡¯ll select a date to leave this place in at most ten days to half a month.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!


    Silvermoon also wishes to see what the so-called sacred site of immortal cultivation in Great Jin actually looks like.¡±


    The voices of Han Li and Silvermoon gradually faded away, and the insect chamber soon returned to quietness.


    ¡­


    Half a month later, a green rainbow burst out from the Dreamcloud Mountains, speeding away to the south.


    Shortly thereafter, some well-informed cultivators received news that the renowned Elder Han of the Drifting Cloud Sect had suddenly left the Dreamcloud Mountains for a distant journey.


    It was unclear exactly where he went; he might be wandering around various places in Heavenly South Region, or he might have left the region entirely.


    After a flurry of activity, the Heavenly South region returned to calm, and Han Li¡¯s departure stirred no waves.


    The Ancient Sword Sect and Hundred Possibilities Pavilion of the Dreamcloud Mountains remained utterly compliant to the Drifting Cloud Sect, displaying no slight commotion.


    The position of the Drifting Cloud Sect as the first major sect of the State of Xi seemed as stable as Mount Tai.


    Years passed, and some cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan passed away or entered seclusion, while one batch after another of new faces gradually appeared in the Heavenly South region.


    But once Han Li left, he disappeared without a trace.


    For over a hundred years, there was no news of him¡­


    (Hehe, it¡¯s time to start a new map!


    I hope everyone continues to enjoy the following chapters!)(To be continued, for more about the story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there to support the author and promote legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 880 - Chapter 880 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 877 Heron Branch

    ?Chapter 880: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 877 Heron Branch Chapter 880: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 877 Heron Branch A caravan of about thirty people was making its solitary way across the vast grasslands.


    There were only seven or eight vehicles, but the horseback riders in leather attire nearby were all very young, brimming with energy, and some were merely children of eleven or twelve.


    At the forefront of the caravan rode an elder dressed in splendid attire, mounted on a yellow steed.


    Adorned with a flaming fox fur cap, his forehead marked with deep, blade-like wrinkles, his face slightly purplish, he cinched at his waist a tri-color brocade belt that signified his status.


    This was the emblem of the leader of a branch.


    This place was already the southern part of the Heaventide Prairies.


    This was a caravan of the Soaring Tribes on its way to the Holy Temple to present tributes.


    The ¡°Heaventide Prairies¡± is what the Soaring Tribes call the Moulan Prairies because they have long worshiped the rumored Heaventide Beast as their guardian deity, offering it their devotion generation after generation, thus giving the grassland its name.


    Originally the Soaring Tribes only occupied the southern half of the Heaventide Prairies, but since defeating their sworn enemies, The Moulan, thirty years ago in a battle in the central grasslands, they have taken over the entire expanse.


    Their power surged dramatically, leaving no rivals on the grasslands.


    Of course, with the enormous size of the Soaring Tribes, the number of their internal branches was immeasurable.


    From small branches with tens of thousands to super branches with populations over a hundred million, they sprawled across the entire grassland.


    And with the numerous meritorious individuals in the last holy war, quite a few new independent branches emerged.


    Some of these branches were not small, while others were trivial in comparison, with populations of only tens of thousands.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    The elder belonged to the Heron Branch, a small branch that had split off from a larger one.


    Though it could be called a branch, in reality, it had only seventy to eighty thousand people.


    This elder, named Ying Lu, fought bravely in his youth and during the holy war, he had successively defeated several small Moulan branches and captured numerous nobles, securing his current status.


    Yet now, unable to withstand the ravages of time and years of hard work, his body appeared aged, despite being only in his fifties.


    It was now midday.


    The elder glanced at the scorching sun high in the sky and then turned to look back at the young children in the caravan, heaving a long sigh.


    In theory, regardless of its size, each branch should have a certain number of Immortal Masters.


    Otherwise, in the event of natural disasters or demon beast attacks, ordinary mortals would be utterly defenseless.


    However, their newly formed small branch could not attract any Immortal Master, not even the lowest-ranked ones were willing to stay in such a diminutive branch.


    After all, for Immortal Masters, the larger and wealthier the branch they joined, the better, as it could supply them with ample resources for cultivation.


    While some small branches might have low-ranked Immortal Masters, these were usually individuals who originated from these branches or had such poor cultivation aptitude that the larger branches were unwilling to support them, which left them with no choice but to stay.


    The Heron Branch where the elder resided had not had the chance to cultivate their own Immortal Master, so when issues arose, they could only pay a hefty sum to hire low-ranked Immortal Masters from neighboring branches.


    But these Immortal Masters also commanded very high prices, with just a few interventions costing almost half a year¡¯s income for the entire branch, exacerbating the hardship of the already not-so-wealthy Heron Branch.


    Fortunately, the Spirit Awakening Ceremony that occurred once every twenty years was approaching.


    Having long been concerned about this, Ying Lu naturally could not afford to miss it.


    He immediately led a few young tribespeople with Spiritual Roots to the nearest Heaventide Sanctuary.


    Originally, the Heaventide Sanctuary was built to honor the Heaventide Holy Beast, but after many years of change, it had become a sacred site in the hearts of the Soaring Tribes, a place dedicated to training low-ranked Immortal Masters of the Soaring Tribes.


    Each Sanctuary had several High-order Immortal Masters responsible for teaching basic cultivation methods.


    Those with mediocre talent would return to their respective branches to be supported once they had made some achievements, while those with promising prospects would be taken as disciples by those high-grade cultivators for special training.


    Ordinary mortals who had not undergone the Spirit Awakening Ceremony were strictly forbidden from being taught Immortal Techniques by high-grade Immortal Masters privately.


    There were not many of these Sanctuaries, only sixty or seventy, but they were evenly distributed across the grassland, with each being the central location of a vast area surrounded by thousands of branches, large and small.


    As the only Sanctuary in the region, the larger branches were naturally closer to the Sanctuary, but the Heron Tribe, being too small, was assigned a very distant location.


    It would take a three-month journey to reach the Sanctuary from the branch.


    Left with no choice, Ying Lu had led a team from the tribe four months earlier.


    During the last Spirit Awakening Ceremony, although he had already established his branch, he failed to gather enough tributes and could only watch as the opportunity passed by.


    This time, Ying Lu was determined not to miss it again, even if it meant the whole branch would have to tighten their belts for several years, they must secure their own Immortal Master.


    However, carrying tributes across such a vast expanse of grasslands was extremely dangerous for them.


    After all, the tributes were highly useful for Immortal Masters and were incredibly precious and rare for ordinary mortals.


    Many unscrupulous individuals would take this opportunity to rob weak caravans, and even some corrupt Immortal Masters might take action.


    This was not an uncommon occurrence during the period of the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.


    Branches closer to the Sanctuary were somewhat better off, as they were deterred by the reputation of the Sanctuary and dared not be too bold.


    But for branches as far away as theirs, the danger was extreme.


    It was said that in the last cycle, a medium-sized branch in this region disappeared mysteriously on their way to the Sanctuary with nearly a thousand year-old Spiritual Medicine among their tributes, after the word got out.


    Not a single person was found.


    As a result, numerous people were spreading rumors that some high-order immortal master from a major tribe coveted this treasure and thus, had resorted to murder and robbery.


    The Holy Temple was naturally incensed by the incident, and it was said that they had sent out their own immortal masters to investigate.


    However, no one knew why the matter had just fizzled out.


    So although the offerings were fully prepared this time, the absence of an immortal master leading the procession caused the chief of the Heron Tribe to become restless from the moment they set out.


    During the period of the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, the sorcerers from all the tribes were equally busy accompanying groups to the Holy Temple.


    Even if they had spirit stones, nobody was willing to be employed.


    By chance, a few wandering sorcerers were snatched up by nearby larger tribes with generous offers of gold.


    As the weakest tribal leader, Ying Lu could only watch helplessly.


    Thinking of this, the elder sighed deeply and couldn¡¯t help but glance back.


    Among the seven or eight carts behind him, four were loaded with offerings, all pulled by carefully selected steeds from the tribe.


    These carts also held the esteemed title of being made from the tribe¡¯s sturdiest red birch wood.


    Of course, to avoid drawing attention, every vehicle appeared tattered and extremely old on the surface.


    But it was a fortunate thing they had taken these precautions, otherwise, they might already have encountered trouble.


    Even so, during the last skirmish with a small pack of wolves, the group had nearly suffered casualties.


    But to break free from the wolf pack, the caravan had been forced to abandon the two slowest carts to ensure their safe passage to this point.


    Although those two carts didn¡¯t contain anything of value, they had been packed with most of the food the travelers would need for the next two months.


    It seemed they would have to make an unplanned stop on the road in the upcoming days.


    In two days¡¯ travel, there should be a canyon nearby.


    The place was rarely visited by anyone, and it could be hopeful to hunt some wild bulls or sheep there.


    With this in mind, the elder turned back to caress the hard wooden bow hanging on his saddle, his face revealing a contemplative expression.


    ¡°Eh!


    What¡¯s that?¡± Suddenly, a crisp female voice full of surprise came from beside the elder.


    It was that of a fair and graceful young girl following closely behind the elder.


    This girl was named Ying Shan, about fifteen or sixteen years old, a junior relative of Ying Lu and one of the few in the tribe found to possess a Spiritual Root.


    Naturally, she was very dear to Ying Lu.


    Startled by her words, the elder quickly looked up.


    Indeed, not far ahead in a thicket of dense bushes, there were flickers of green light moving erratically, as if something was inside them.


    He clearly remembered that just before he turned back, there had been no such light in that direction.


    A chill ran through the elder¡¯s heart.


    As a tribal leader, he was quite familiar with the sudden thought flashed past emitted when an immortal master cast spells.


    Could it be that some immortal master really intended to strike at their impoverished caravan?


    With heavy concern, Ying Lu abruptly raised his hand, and the procession behind him came to an abrupt halt.


    The others too saw the green light in the bushes ahead and their faces involuntarily showed panic and wariness.


    The elder forcefully calmed himself and pulled back on the reins, standing still, but his mind raced with thoughts, desperately figuring out how to protect themselves.


    But shortly after, the elder realized something was amiss.


    Though the green light in the bushes flickered ceaselessly, no immortal master appeared, nor were any immortal techniques cast.


    Ying Lu¡¯s eyes brightened, and he peered intently into the thicket.


    The bushes were so densely packed they were as tall as a man, making it impossible to see clearly.


    ¡°Tu Meng!


    Go and see if there¡¯s truly an immortal master over there,¡± the elder suddenly instructed after a few moments, his gaze shifting.


    ¡°Yes, chief!¡± A robust and fierce-looking young man from the caravan was taken aback but quickly responded and dismounted, cautiously approaching the thick bushes twenty yards away.


    When he was merely five or six yards from the glow, the young man hesitated and subconsciously slowed his steps.


    ¡°Would any immortal master present kindly reveal themselves?


    We are from the Heron Tribe and have come to pay our respects,¡± the young man, who seemed to have some status within the Heron Tribe, spoke with a refined manner and also wore a respectful expression.


    However, the bushes continued to ripple with spiritual light, with no response.


    Seeing this, the young man looked back at the elder.


    After a brief pause and a silent nod from the elder in return, the young man felt emboldened and silently stepped toward the bushes.


    Upon arriving at the bushes, the young man hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and parting the foliage in front of him.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 881 - Chapter 881 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 878 Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art

    ?Chapter 881: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 878 Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art Chapter 881: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 878 Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art ¡°Ah!¡± A cry of surprise burst from the youth¡¯s mouth the instant he parted the bushes; his body staggered backwards several steps, nearly falling on his rear.


    The youth named Tu Meng was visibly shocked, his face painted with terror!


    ¡°What happened?¡± The members of the Heron Branch, who had been watching intently, were startled, and some of the younger tribe members immediately drew their blades, prepared for any unforeseen events.


    ¡°Stop!


    Don¡¯t act rashly.


    Tu Meng, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ying Lu, still level-headed, saw at a glance that the youth was unharmed and appeared only to have been frightened.


    ¡°Chief, there¡¯s an Immortal Master inside, but he looks¡­¡±


    ¡°Humph!


    What¡¯s wrong with how I look?¡±


    Before Tu Meng could finish his sentence, the bushes flashed wildly with green light, which suddenly disappeared, followed by a cold snort, and a figure strode out from within.


    Everyone, including the elder, was taken aback and hurriedly fixed their gaze.


    Before them stood a man in a white robe, a figure of average build; the style of his white robes clearly indicated the attire of an Immortal Master.


    However, his face was obscured by a peculiarly styled green cloak, and his waist was adorned with several bulging storage pouches, with a wooden box about a foot in length strapped to his back.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ying Lu, chief of the Heron Branch, at your service, Sir Immortal!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã?


    May I have the honor of learning your illustrious name?¡± Upon seeing the man emerge, Ying Lu immediately dismounted from his horse and bowed deeply from afar to the man in the white robe, careful not to offend him in the slightest.


    The other members of the Branch also dismounted to pay their respects.


    ¡°Heron Branch?


    Never heard of it.


    My surname is Han, and I was just inside cultivating my Cultivation Method.


    What brings you here?¡± The white-robed man glanced at Ying Lu and the others with a cold demeanor.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Immortal Master Han.


    We truly didn¡¯t know an esteemed master was cultivating inside just now.


    We¡¯ve committed an offense, and we implore your forgiveness!


    May I ask which tribe is honored with your services?


    Perhaps my tribe is acquainted with yours,¡± the elder said, relieved that the Immortal Master didn¡¯t seem intent on taking action against them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only recently completed my apprenticeship and have not yet accepted patronage from any tribe,¡± the white-robed man replied after a slight flicker in his gaze.


    ¡°Ah!


    So the master is of free status.


    Since the Immortal Master has come here alone, surely you¡¯re also headed to the Holy Temple.


    With the Spirit Enlivening Day occurring once every twenty years, I¡¯m sure Immortal Master Han wouldn¡¯t miss it,¡± Ying Lu said, his voice taking on a more respectful tone upon hearing that the man was of free status.


    ¡°Indeed, I am on my way to the Holy Temple.


    Are you offering tributes to the temple?


    But why isn¡¯t there an Immortal Master escorting you?¡± The white-robed man looked over their caravan, seemingly interested.


    ¡°Our Heron Branch is but a small tribe and has yet to host an Immortal Master within our ranks.


    Hence¡­¡± the elder explained respectfully, immediately deducing from the man¡¯s curious actions that his claim of being freshly apprenticed might not be false.


    With this thought, the idea that had been faintly stirring in the elder¡¯s mind suddenly intensified.


    ¡°Since this was an unintentional encounter, let¡¯s consider the matter closed.


    Be on your way!¡± the white-robed man hesitated before gesturing for them to leave immediately.


    Seeing how readily the white-robed man was letting them go, Ying Lu, who had been initially afraid of the man¡¯s unknown standing and somewhat worried, became resolute.


    He didn¡¯t leave but instead took a deep breath and, showing a smile, said to the white-robed man:


    ¡°Immortal Master, since you too are headed for the Holy Temple, might you consider accepting a temporary employment with our Heron Branch?


    If you would accompany us to the Holy Temple, I am willing to offer twenty Spirit Stones as payment for your escort.¡±


    ¡°Hire me?¡± The white-robed man was taken aback, seemingly very surprised.


    ¡°Indeed, since Immortal Master Han is also on your way to the Holy Temple.


    Why not join us?


    Without an Immortal Master to stand guard on this journey, I truly fear we won¡¯t reach the Holy Temple safely.


    The dangers along the way are plentiful,¡± the elder spoke earnestly.


    ¡°Travelling with you ordinary mortals would be too slow!


    And only twenty Spirit Stones¡­¡± The white-robed man did not outright refuse, but nor did he immediately agree, appearing somewhat hesitant.


    ¡°Should the Immortal Master agree to this, I am willing to offer up to twenty-five Spirit Stones.


    Pardon me, Immortal Master Han, our Heron Branch is rather small, and that is the limit of what our tribe can afford,¡± the elder said after a rueful smile, candidly stating the facts.


    ¡°Twenty-five Spirit Stones is not an insignificant sum.


    However, don¡¯t you want to ask what my rank as an Immortal Master is before you set such a price?


    For all you know, I might just be a low-level Immortal Master in the second or third layer of the Qi Refinement Realm with no ability to safeguard your caravan,¡± the white-robed man said with a slight chuckle.


    ¡°Hehe.


    The Immortal Master jests.


    Although I lack a Spiritual Root, I have participated in holy wars years ago.


    Based on the aura you exuded during your cultivation just now, there¡¯s no way you are merely a second or third layer Qi Refinement Realm Immortal Master,¡± Ying Lu replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°Very well, since you are so sincere, I¡¯ll accompany you.


    However, regarding the Spirit Stones, I will take half upfront, and you must pay the other half immediately upon arrival,¡± the white-robed man did not take long to deliberate and, after a brief pause, agreed to the proposal.


    ¡°Of course, Elder Xu will pay the spirit stones to Sir Immortal right now.¡±


    The old man was elated by the words.


    He reached into his bosom and, after rummaging around, pulled out a small leather pouch.


    Then, in front of everyone, he counted out more than a dozen spirit stones and cheerfully handed them to the man in white robes.


    Once the man in the white robe took the spirit stones, a sudden thought flashed past his hand, and the spirit stones disappeared without a trace.


    This act caused the young members of the Heron Branch behind him to let out an exclamation of surprise.


    ¡°What, have you never seen a storage pouch before?¡± asked the man in white robes, his voice filled with astonishment.


    ¡°Elder Ying Lu asks for your forgiveness.


    These are all young tribe members who have never had contact with an Immortal Master before,¡± said Ying Lu, slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°I see.¡± The man in white nodded, finally understanding, then glanced at the several horse-drawn carriages and seemed hesitant.


    However, the elder, who had regularly dealt with many Immortal Masters, immediately realized what was happening and turned his head to shout loudly to his tribe members,


    ¡°You lot, hurry up and clear out the best carriage for Immortal Han Li to meditate and rest in.


    Be quick about it!¡±


    Hearing the chieftain¡¯s words, the young tribe members, who had secretly been excited about having an Immortal Master join their caravan, immediately snapped out of their reverie, unloaded the cargo from one carriage, and distributed it among the others.


    The man in the white robe didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    As soon as the carriage was ready, he said to the elder, with a serious expression,


    ¡°Thank you for your effort.


    I will rest in the carriage.


    If there is any matter, just call out to me from outside.


    I have entered a state of fasting, so there¡¯s no need to disturb me under normal circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Elder Xu knows what Sir Immortal prefers,¡± said Ying Lu as he bowed slightly, a smile on his face.


    Seeing this, the man in white nodded and headed towards the designated carriage.


    But after walking a few steps, he suddenly turned his head and spoke coldly to Tu Meng, the still-dazed youth,


    ¡°You saw my face just now, didn¡¯t you?


    I do not wish for this to be widely known.


    You had better understand.¡±


    After uttering these puzzling words, the man calmly boarded the carriage and lowered the curtain, blocking everyone¡¯s view.


    Tu Meng¡¯s face turned pale as a sheet.


    Even though the man in white had already entered the carriage, he repeatedly shook his head, denying any contention.


    ¡°Alright, now that our caravan has the protection of a Divine Sage, everyone can travel at ease.


    Get on your horses, we¡¯re departing immediately.


    Ying Shan!


    Follow the carriage of the Immortal Master.


    Attend to any commands from Sir Immortal meticulously and serve him well!¡± The elder loudly instructed everyone to get back on the road and then turned to the girl beside him with a meaningful look.


    Hearing this, the girl understood the elder¡¯s intention and happily agreed, mounting her horse and heading towards the back of the caravan.


    The rest of the young tribe members drove the caravan forward while stealing glances back and quietly discussing among themselves.


    Despite having invited Immortal Masters to the tribe in the past, those encounters were brief, and they had hardly any chance to meet them.


    Now, having such close contact naturally piqued their curiosity.


    Inside the carriage, hidden behind the securely drawn curtains, the man in white robes sat cross-legged and unmoving.


    ¡°Hehe, Han Li, it seems that your recent exercise of power has frightened that young member of the Soaring Tribes considerably!


    I wonder if he¡¯ll have nightmares for a few days now,¡± came a voice, old and somewhat gleeful, in Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense.


    ¡°Senior, is this Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art that you taught me effective?


    I do not want to become a monster that only knows slaughter before I find a way to rid myself of the Evil Qi,¡± the man in white robes replied, ignoring the topic at hand with a faint transmission.


    ¡°Rest assured.


    Although I created this secret technique to control those who experienced Qigong Deviation while practicing the Great Development Technique, it is also effective against Evil Qi.


    However, I must remind you once more, now that you¡¯ve used the Evil Qi as a lure to invite the possession of the Five Ghosts, not only is the Evil Qi on your body sealed, but eight or nine-tenths of your cultivation is also locked.


    Your current cultivation level is at best around the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.


    You can no longer rashly utilize that mana.


    Do not forget this!¡± the old voice said lazily.


    ¡°I am aware of this, Senior, and did not need reminding.


    I did not expect the backlash from the Evil Qi to arrive so much sooner than anticipated.


    Furthermore, its ferocity also far exceeds what you¡¯ve described,¡± the man in white robes said, his voice turning grave as he spoke helplessly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    It¡¯s not that I miscalculated- you were the one who engaged in a fierce battle with other cultivators before the Evil Qi was removed, even sustaining serious Qi injuries that nearly cost you your life.


    Naturally, the Evil Qi¡¯s backlash would come sooner.


    And as for the ferocity of the Evil Qi, you should consider the sheer depth the Evil Qi has reached within you.


    Naturally, its backlash is far beyond what ordinary mortals could compare to.


    If I didn¡¯t need you to help refine my puppet, I wouldn¡¯t bother with you at all!¡± the voice huffed and then said languidly.


    Naturally, the two were Han Li and Monarch Great Development.


    (Second update.


    Hehe!


    It¡¯s the middle of the month.


    Those who have monthly tickets, please support with one or two.


    Your monthly tickets are very much needed right now!)

 Chapter 882 - Chapter 882 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 879 Calamity Without Cause

    ?Chapter 882: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 879 Calamity Without Cause Chapter 882: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 879 Calamity Without Cause Han Li had left the Drifting Cloud Sect for over half a year now.


    After departing from Tian Luo that day, he headed straight for the Heaventide Prairies.


    Under his cautious disguise of both cultivation and identity, things started off quite smoothly.


    He even disguised himself as a free Immortal Master, diving into several Soaring Tribes¡¯ settlements and exchanging cultivation insights with some of their cultivators, all without incident.


    However, as he crossed the vast majority of the prairie and reached the southern part of it, trouble found him unexpectedly.


    In a remote wildland far from any Soaring Tribe settlement, when he routinely released all his Gold Devouring Bugs to cultivate the strongest batch, he coincidentally encountered a mid Nascent Soul Stage elder from the Soaring Tribes who was pursuing an unknown demonic bird, using a mature Gold Devouring Bug.


    Since the Rainbow Skirt Grass made maturation very convenient on the coral he carried, he had continued this process without any issues for a long time; Han Li had carelessly not set up any high-grade concealment Arrays.


    As a result, when the elder saw the dense swarm of thousands of Gold Devouring Bugs above Han Li¡¯s head, he was almost scared into fainting.


    Ignoring the demonic bird, he immediately demanded that Han Li follow him to meet some Holy Saintess.


    In such a situation, Han Li naturally refused and was immediately filled with a killing intent.


    He promptly unleashed several Great Divine Powers and even utilized his second Nascent Soul, incinerating the elder¡¯s physical body to ash.


    However, this is where frustrating things happened for Han Li.


    The elder¡¯s primary cultivation technique was extremely bizarre, capable of splitting his Nascent Soul into seven, each proficient in wooden escape techniques.


    In a momentary lapse, one of them managed to escape.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    By then, Han Li knew he had definitely stirred up a hornet¡¯s nest.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he fled under the cover of night, rushing south.


    But somehow, using some method of communication among the Soaring Tribe¡¯s cultivators, numerous high-grade Nascent Soul Immortal Masters began to block and chase him just days after his escape.


    Eventually, even one of the four Great Immortal Masters of the Soaring Tribes showed up.


    After several fierce battles, although Han Li had slain several high-grade Immortal Masters, he was heavily injured by the distracted attacks from the Great Immortal Master.


    If not for his reliance on the Myriad Year Spirit Milk and successive uses of the Bloodshadow Evasion, his life would have likely ended there.


    Though he escaped with his life and temporarily shook off his pursuers through some tricks, Han Li realized the real trouble had just started.


    Whether due to the substantial drain from the several fierce battles or not, the Evil Qi, which should not have acted up for a long while, began to backlash prematurely.


    Fortunately, with strong Divine Sense and timely perception, he forcibly suppressed it using a secret technique.


    This made matters even worse.


    With no other choice, he had to seek a remedy from the Monarch Great Development.


    Living up to his reputation as an eccentric who had lived for ten thousand years, Monarch Great Development immediately taught him the Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art.


    This method could temporarily seal the Evil Qi but the consequences of its use were extremely severe.


    If used, most of his cultivation would likely be completely sealed within his body until he found a way to remove the Evil Qi.


    Otherwise, if he carelessly used his powers, both the Evil Qi and the Five Ghosts might backlash together.


    That would truly be fraught with life-and-death peril!


    Fully aware of its dangers, Han Li hesitated to use this technique.


    However, as he was escaping his pursuers and flying to this location, the Evil Qi fiercely backlash again, far more violently and aggressively than before, to the extent that his cultivation level couldn¡¯t suppress it anymore!


    In desperation, Han Li was forced to hurriedly land in the midst of these shrubs.


    Without even time to set up a protective Array, he resorted to using the Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art as a dying man clutching at straws.


    By the time the group from the Heron Branch arrived, Han Li was already in the final stages of executing the great technique.


    When that young man named Tu Meng pushed apart the shrubs, Han Li¡¯s face was transiently taking on the form of one of the Five Ghosts, merely in the process of ending the technique.


    The fearsome and terrifying demonic face naturally frightened the young man quite a bit.


    He probably still thinks that face is Han Li¡¯s true appearance.


    Thinking of this, Han Li could not help but let out a bitter laugh.


    ¡°Although the Evil Qi has been temporarily controlled, my cultivation is sealed to such an extent that the situation is still not much better.


    Now it¡¯s fine mixing into this group going to the Heaventide Sanctuary for tribute, so there should be no problem for the time being,¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Although your cultivation is sealed, and you cannot control your flying swords and ancient treasures as you wish, you still have the Gold Devouring Bugs and your second Nascent Soul available.


    These two things are unaffected and are more than enough to handle ordinary cultivators.


    Before leaving the Drifting Cloud Sect, had you not left the newly crafted Nascent Soul puppets with your Senior Martial Brother Lu and given most of the Core Formation ones to your concubine, your situation would have been better now.


    Mechanical puppets are best suited for your current situation to protect yourself,¡± Monarch Great Development said with a cold laugh.


    ¡°I left Tian Luo this time, not knowing when I can return.


    Naturally, I had to prepare some contingencies for the sect and Wan¡¯er.


    Even if Senior Martial Brother Cheng were to pass away soon, with the help of the Nascent Soul puppet, Brother Lu should be able to handle some matters independently.


    Moreover, with the help of Mu Peiling¡¯s huge tortoise puppet beasts, it¡¯s even more secure.


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to travel to Great Jin with peace of mind,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    ¡°If you think so, then don¡¯t complain about any dangers,¡± Monarch Great Development said somewhat dismissively.


    Han Li fell silent, but after a while, his expression changed as he asked again:


    ¡°Once the Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art is used, can¡¯t it be removed temporarily?


    The second Nascent Soul and the Gold Devouring Bugs can certainly handle Core Formation opponents without issue, but facing a Nascent Soul opponent could be dangerous.


    And now, it¡¯s unknown how long it will take to find a way to dispel the Evil Qi.¡±


    ¡°Remove it temporarily?


    That definitely wouldn¡¯t work for others.


    But given the countless heavenly and earthly treasures you possess, it might be feasible.


    However, the cost won¡¯t be light,¡± Monarch Great Development seemed to pause for a moment before continuing slowly.


    ¡°What cost?


    As long as it doesn¡¯t affect future cultivation, I can accept it.


    It¡¯s better than losing my life at a critical moment,¡± Han Li said without hesitation.


    ¡°Since you say so, then it¡¯s simple.


    Each unsealing will require two drops of Myriad Year Spirit Milk from your possession.


    I will also pass on another secret technique to divert the Five Ghosts and temporarily neutralize the Evil Qi in your body.


    Based on the actual situation, this should give you about an hour of mana recovery time.


    Once the time is up, and the Five Ghosts have devoured the Spiritual Energy in the Spirit Milk, they will reseal your mana.


    And each time you unseal, the Evil Qi will penetrate deeper into your mind.


    After a certain number of times, the backfire from the Evil Qi will become so fierce that even the Five Ghosts won¡¯t be able to control it,¡± Monarch Great Development openly explained the benefits and drawbacks.


    ¡°The Myriad Year Spirit Milk is rare, but it¡¯s nothing compared to preserving life.


    The increased backlash from the Evil Qi is not good news.


    Could it be that dispelling the Evil Qi later will be even more troublesome?¡± Han Li pondered for a moment before asking in a gloomy voice.


    ¡°Dispelling the Evil Qi later will definitely be troublesome, that¡¯s for sure.


    Given your situation, I estimate you could unseal it five or six times at most before the Five Ghosts lose control.


    Weigh the pros and cons for yourself.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about?


    When it comes down to life and death, I naturally won¡¯t care about all that.


    Elder, please teach me this method first,¡± Han Li said clearly, making a decisive statement.


    ¡°I will only say this Incantation once, so listen carefully!¡± Monarch Great Development did not say much else, and directly transmitted the incantations to Han Li.


    Han Li closed his eyes tightly, concentrating and carefully remembering.


    ¡°Alright, it seems this cultivation technique isn¡¯t difficult; I should be able to comprehend it in a few days,¡± Han Li opened his eyes and said calmly.


    ¡°Of course.


    It¡¯s just a simple sealing removal technique, how could it be complicated!


    Anyway, Han kid, are you really planning to follow this group to the Heaventide Sanctuary?


    You should know that an event like this will definitely attract many cultivators from the Soaring Tribes,¡± Monarch Great Development asked curiously about this matter.


    ¡°Elder must have heard the proverb that the most dangerous place is often the safest, right?


    If I wanted to hide, I could just find some place in the wild to stay undercover, confident that no one would find me for a while.


    But now, with Evil Qi entangled, I urgently need to reach Great Jin.


    And those pursuers will probably be looking for me alone.


    Walking around alone outside would be unwise; it¡¯s better to blend into the vicinity of their Holy Temple.


    There, with many cultivators around, those pursuers won¡¯t be able to search one by one, and having lived these past few months on the prairies, I¡¯m confident I can disguise myself as a low-grade Immortal Master and not reveal any flaws.


    Everything else will have to be adapted to as it comes.


    After all, the direction of the Holy Temple just happens to be on the way to Great Jin,¡± Han Li explained casually.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve made up your mind.


    Then I won¡¯t interfere anymore,¡± Monarch Great Development laughed hehe, then stopped speaking.


    Hearing this, Han Li sighed, but then he seemed to remember something.


    ¡°Silvermoon, how are you doing?


    You were quite injured in that battle a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master, for your concern.


    As an Artifact Spirit, I don¡¯t have too many issues.


    But the demon fox body has been greatly damaged, and I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to help much for a while,¡± Silvermoon¡¯s weak voice came through.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.


    I will be cautious during this time and won¡¯t need you to take action.


    You just focus on recovering,¡± Han Li said soothingly, feeling relieved.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Silvermoon seemed truly weak, managing to respond before also falling silent.


    Han Li frowned, a bitter smile in his heart.


    He sat quietly in the carriage for a while, then suddenly swept a hand over his storage pouch, conjuring a half-foot-large jade box with several glowing white Daoist paper talisms attached, apparently sealing something inside.


    Han Li gently caressed the Daoist paper talisms on the jade box, his expression shifting uncertainly.


    (First update!)(Continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 883 - Chapter 883 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 880 Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

    ?Chapter 883: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 880 Each Harboring Their Own Schemes Chapter 883: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 880 Each Harboring Their Own Schemes On the day his body was destroyed, the mid Nascent Soul Stage Soaring Tribesman Immortal Master, although a portion of his remaining soul had attached itself to the divided Nascent Soul and escaped, the mature Gold Devouring Bug linked to his mind, having lost its master¡¯s command, was easily captured by Han Li using his second Nascent Soul and sealed within a jade box.


    Han had originally intended to examine the differences between the mature Gold Devouring Bug and his own when he found some free time.


    But now, with his cultivation greatly diminished, he had to deal with the bug as soon as possible.


    Otherwise, if the mature Gold Devouring Bug¡¯s divine abilities far exceeded his expectations and it broke free from the seal, the trouble would be significant.


    With his current level of cultivation, it was highly unlikely that he could recapture the bug.


    At that thought, Han Li took a deep breath and suddenly, with a flip of his palm, several formation flags of various colors appeared in his hand.


    With a light flick of his finger, the flags shot out in all directions.


    A protective shield about ten feet in diameter appeared out of thin air inside the carriage.


    Han Li placed the jade box flat on his knees and slowly closed his eyes.


    A black light flashed above his head, and a dark green Nascent Soul appeared on his heavenly spiritual covering.


    Rubbing his hands together, the dark Yin Sifting Banner appeared in the Nascent Soul¡¯s hands.


    This Devils¡¯ Banner, having been entrusted to his second Nascent Soul from the start for refining and command, had now become his only Daoist paper talisman unaffected by the restrictions of the Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art.


    The Gold Devouring Bug¡¯s body was impervious to fire and water, and immune to sword and spear attacks.


    His only method to obliterate the bug was to use the Pure Demonic Qi in the Ghost Sifting Banner to extract the bug¡¯s Primordial Spirit, then place it into the banner to refine it, transforming it into a driven minion of the Origin Yin Demon Head within the banner.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?0


    The specific method of refinement had already been acquired from the Divine Sense of an elder from the Yin Sifting Sect.


    Needless to say, this process couldn¡¯t possibly be completed in a short amount of time.


    In fact, if it were not for the fact that the Gold Devouring Bug¡¯s master had suffered a great loss to his Primordial Spirit, which in turn nearly killed the bug, Han would not dare have such a notion!


    Against the mature Gold Devouring Bug, he was far from careless.


    Nevertheless, it was for this reason that he had set up the restrictive formations first, fearing any potential mishaps.


    At this moment, the dark green Nascent Soul tossed the small banner onto the top of the jade box, transforming into a foot-wide Devil Cloud that hovered motionless, while the Nascent Soul leaped into the cloud and disappeared without a trace.


    The cloud suddenly descended, enveloping the jade box on his knees.


    From inside the box, the ¡°squeak squeak¡± sounds of the bug¡¯s chirping could be heard.


    The sound was not loud, but it seemed extremely furious.


    As the Devil Cloud wrapped around the jade box, it began to churn tumultuously, and the chirping from within became sharp and piercing.


    But Han Li remained indifferent, his hands forming Incantations as his figure stayed motionless.


    Within the restrictive formation, he wasn¡¯t worried that the bug¡¯s chirping would alarm the ordinary mortals of the Heron Branch outside.


    All he needed to do was concentrate on extracting the bug¡¯s Primordial Spirit.


    Thus, a difficult refinement began.


    The people of the Heron Branch outside the caravan were greatly interested in this ¡°Cold Immortal Master,¡± but ever since he had entered the vehicle, he had not come out again.


    They naturally did not get a chance to see him.


    The leader, Ying Lu, had explicitly forbidden these clan members from disturbing the Immortal Master¡¯s cultivation, which greatly disappointed the rest.


    Over the subsequent ten-plus days, whether it was due to the blessing of the Cold Immortal Master or not, they not only found a wild sheep herd in the valley they passed through, providing them with enough game, but for the following half-month, the caravan remained completely untroubled.


    This greatly relieved the on-edge Ying Lu.


    He calculated the distance and figured that in a few days, they would arrive at an extremely safe resting place.


    It was a temporary settlement built rapidly by the Heaventide Sanctuary using mana, specifically for various big and small tribes to gather and rest on their long journey.


    As soon as the Spirit Awakening Day was over, the settlement would be promptly dismantled.


    While Ying Lu was quietly pondering this matter, he suddenly seemed to hear a sound above his head.


    Instinctively, he looked up to see a dazzling white light streak across the sky, with a vague figure within, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    The other young people of the Heron Branch stirred uneasily at this sight.


    But the elder furrowed his brows, feeling a bit perplexed.


    Based on his past experiences in sacred battles, these lights were clearly the streaks of light left behind by High-order Immortal Masters flying at a low altitude.


    Such phenomena were rarely seen.


    Usually, high-order Immortal Masters would fly at much higher altitudes, making it difficult for ordinary mortals on the ground to detect them.


    However, if his memory served him correctly, this was already the fourth streak of low-flying light he had seen in the past few days.


    Could something significant have happened recently?


    Had some tribe¡¯s tribute been robbed?


    With some lingering doubts in mind, the old man nevertheless felt more at ease about the journey ahead.


    If these High-order Immortal Masters were on patrol, then they should be safe and without worry for the time being.


    Ying Lu thought this as he looked back and called out loudly to the rest of the caravan, urging them to quicken their pace even more.


    Naturally, the old man was unaware that the white light that had flown over their heads had been darting about the low altitude of the surrounding hundred miles for quite some time without pause.


    In the end, it turned south, empty-handed.


    Soon after, a red streak of light shot diagonally from another direction.


    The two streaks of light collided.


    Their glow receded, and the figures of a man and a woman appeared from within the two streaks of light.


    The man was in his forties, dressed in light yellow leather, with an average and ordinary face.


    The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, clad in emerald green palace attire, and had a somewhat graceful appearance.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Immortal Master Xiu.


    I haven¡¯t found anything on my side.


    What about you?


    Any trace of that person?¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly greeted the woman with a fist and palm salute, then asked with a smile.


    ¡°Brother Li, do you see me looking like I¡¯ve discovered anything?¡± The palace-dressed woman had an unfriendly expression and spoke somewhat coldly.


    ¡°Alas!


    In the past few days, I¡¯ve searched all places within two thousand miles of that area and found no traces at all.


    If that person isn¡¯t here, then their concealment technique must be truly exquisite, beyond my ability to discover their whereabouts.


    Do we need to join forces and search again more carefully, even questioning the few tribute-carrying caravans we come across on the way?¡± The middle-aged man didn¡¯t seem to mind and instead expressed some eagerness.


    ¡°It seems, Immortal Master Li is really tempted by the reward of the ¡®Poison Dragon Pill.¡¯ But don¡¯t lose your life over this medicine,¡± the palace-dressed woman scoffed with a hint of sarcasm.


    ¡°What does that mean?


    Don¡¯t tell me Immortal Master Xiu isn¡¯t tempted?¡± The middle-aged man was startled and grew somewhat suspicious.


    ¡°Brother Li, when you were assigned the task, what did those high-order Immortal Masters tell you?¡± Instead of answering directly, the palace-dressed woman inquired calmly.


    ¡°The Grand Sage told me that an outsider Nascent Soul cultivator had intruded into our Heaventide Prairies and seriously wounded a high-grade Immortal Master.


    Therefore, we must capture them alive.


    The opponent has been severely injured by other high-grade hits, so for us Core Formation Stage Immortal Masters, taking down the severely injured would not be a problem,¡± the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment but honestly revealed what he knew.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Brother Li, because you came a bit late, you know very little.


    If it were me, I would never be so eager to find this foreign cultivator,¡± the woman said, the corner of her mouth curling up in a sneer.


    ¡°Since Immortal Master Xiu says so, there must be a reason.


    Could you enlighten me on this?¡± Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man took on a serious expression.


    The palace-dressed woman was silent for a moment before sighing and speaking,


    ¡°Brother Li, we¡¯ve known each other for many years.


    It¡¯s only right that I tell you the truth, so you don¡¯t foolishly lose your life.


    I arrived a bit earlier and heard some accurate news about this foreigner from an elder.


    This outsider is indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator and was indeed seriously injured, but it wasn¡¯t a high-grade Immortal Master who made the move-it was Great Immortal Master Hu himself who personally injured the person.¡±


    ¡°What, Great Immortal Master Hu took action?¡± The middle-aged man was greatly shocked.


    ¡°Correct.


    And I heard that the outsider was already surrounded by several high-grade Immortal Masters when Great Immortal Master Hu took a stealthy shot.


    Before that, three high-grade Immortal Masters had already been killed by this person along the way.


    It is said that this person¡¯s divine powers are extremely vicious and deadly.


    Even though they were seriously injured, they still managed to use a secret technique to escape right before Great Immortal Master Hu.


    I believe this foreigner is most likely a cultivator of the same level as Great Immortal Master Hu.


    If that¡¯s the case, even if they were severely injured, it would be a piece of cake for them to kill both of us Core Formation stage cultivators.


    I¡¯m not wagering my life for a couple of Poison Dragon Pills!¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I think the reason those high-grade Immortal Masters are asking us to find this person is that they probably consider us expendable.


    Didn¡¯t they cast a soul-drawing technique on each of us before we set off?


    Hmph!


    They said it was in case we were in danger, so they could locate us in time.


    Most likely, they want us to flush out the enemy, and as soon as we fall, they¡¯d use us to track down this foreigner.¡± The woman¡¯s expression turned grim as she explained.


    ¡°Heavens!


    So it¡¯s like that.


    They¡¯re treating us as cannon fodder?


    What should we do?¡± After listening to the palace-dressed woman¡¯s explanation, the middle-aged man gasped and couldn¡¯t help but become extremely angry and shocked.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.


    We¡¯ve already searched once, and that should suffice.


    There¡¯s no need to do anything more granular.


    This way, we can report back and avoid too much risk.


    We will just wait quietly for others to possibly find the foreigner.


    If someone else finds him elsewhere, all the better.


    If there¡¯s no news, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    When the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly begins, all Immortal Masters will have to go to the Holy Temple to worship.


    We¡¯ll naturally be called back.¡± The woman seemed to have considered this already and spoke without hesitation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do as Immortal Master Xiu suggests.


    The Poison Dragon Pill is nice, but I value my life even more.


    Thank you,¡± the middle-aged man hesitated slightly before quickly weighing the pros and cons, and spoke decisively.


    ¡°Good!


    In that case, let¡¯s go rest at the nearby Heaventide Sanctuary.


    These past few days, many tribal tribute caravans will be gathering there.


    Maybe we can find what we need first!


    Then, every few days, we¡¯ll do a cursory search just to keep up appearances.¡± The palace-dressed woman chuckled lightly and suggested.


    The man naturally had no objections.


    Afterward, the two of them transformed back into a red and white rainbow, flying straight toward the south.


    (Second update!) (To be continued¡­


    for further events, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support of the author and legitimate reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 885 - Chapter 885 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 882 Ape Eagle

    ?Chapter 885: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 882 Ape Eagle Chapter 885: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 882 Ape Eagle ¡°In this situation, being able to command such a powerful spirit insect was a substantial insurance for their lives.¡±


    With a single thought, the small banner in his hand suddenly grew several sizes bigger, and the golden Gold Devouring Beetles circled before diving into the banner¡¯s surface.


    After a flash of black qi, they disappeared without a trace.


    Without another word, Han Li casually tossed the small banner, and it was gleefully swallowed by the Nascent Soul in black and green, which then transformed into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into Han Li¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering.


    Only then did Han Li take a deep breath and prepared to close his eyes to comprehend the Oracular Formula that would release the seal.


    He planned to be prepared for any unexpected events.


    However, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up.


    Although his cultivation was sealed, Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense was as potent as ever and undamaged.


    If his senses were correct, it was that enigmatic Soaring Tribes Immortal Master who had just flown over their caravan again.


    This was somewhat interesting.


    The Soaring Tribes cultivator, who was obviously searching for him, had passed over the caravan every two to three days for the past several.


    Each time, the figure hurriedly flew past without stopping to inquire with the caravan, rendering Han Li¡¯s various prepared identity concealment methods unnecessary.


    Though he was puzzled, Han Li naturally preferred this approach by the pursuer and promptly closed his eyes.


    Meanwhile, from outside the carriage came a loud shout from Ying Lu.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Everyone, be alert.


    In two days, we¡¯ll reach the camp designated by the Holy Temple.


    There, we will be able to rest and recover peacefully for a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°The Holy Temple¡¯s camp?¡± The words caught Han Li¡¯s attention, but after a moment of contemplation, he decided not to concern himself with it any further and peacefully focused on the Incantations.


    But merely half a day later, Han Li sensed the presence of another tribe¡¯s caravan nearby.


    This caravan didn¡¯t seem very large but did have a dozen or so more people than the Heron Branch.


    According to the direction both caravans were heading, they would meet within an hour.


    Since these people seemed harmless, Han Li didn¡¯t pay them much attention.


    About an hour later, the two tribute-bearing caravans almost simultaneously discovered each other¡¯s presence.


    As a result, both sides were thrown into confusion.


    But after a moment of communication, the leader of the other caravan actually turned out to be an old acquaintance of Ying Lu¡¯s from a smaller tribe called the Red Wolf Branch.


    Overjoyed by the reunion, neither hesitated to merge the two caravans into one and proceeded on their way together.


    ¡°Brother Ying Lu, where is the cultivator from your tribe?


    Is he in one of the carriages?¡± The leader of the other tribe was a large man with a full beard, looking curiously at the few carriages of the Heron Tribe.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your tribe¡¯s Immortal Master also inside the carriage?


    I wonder how many Immortal Masters the Red Wolf Branch brought on this journey,¡± Ying Lu said vaguely.


    ¡°How many?


    Naturally, just one.


    I had to spend a small fortune and lose face to temporarily keep a free cultivator in our tribe.


    Don¡¯t tell me your tribe has two Immortal Masters?¡± The large man glanced sideways at the elder, chuckling hehe.


    The two had some old friendship, so their conversation was quite straightforward without much need to hold back.


    ¡°Two?


    Naturally, it is just one as well.


    It also took us a great deal of effort to persuade the Immortal Master to escort us on our journey,¡± Ying Lu said with a sigh.


    After exchanging a look with the large man, they both couldn¡¯t help but give a bitter smile, sharing a sense of brotherly hardship.


    ¡°Well, no matter what, having an Immortal Master in the group always makes it more secure.


    Now that we¡¯re only a little more than a day away from the camp, we shouldn¡¯t encounter anymore problems.


    It¡¯s the second half of the journey, near where the larger tribes are situated that requires extra caution.


    How about this?


    After we rest, let¡¯s propose to several small tribes to journey together.


    That would certainly be much safer,¡± the old man suggested after spinning his thoughts.


    ¡°Let me give it some thought before I answer.


    There have been many alliances of small tribes in the past, and in the end, they¡¯ve often been implicated because of one tribe bringing extremely precious tribute,¡± the large man hesitated before replying tentatively.


    ¡°Brother Ba is overthinking it.


    Such incidents are one in a hundred.


    For small tribes like ours, the chance of owning valuable tributes is far lower than being directly robbed on the road,¡± Ying Lu shook his head dismissively.


    ¡°Alright.


    Let¡¯s discuss this matter later,¡± the Ba-surnamed large man did not outright reject the idea, seeming somewhat persuaded.


    At this moment, the ordinary members of both tribes were getting along splendidly.


    Especially the few young maidens from each caravan, who were surrounded by the youthful men of both tribes, with bursts of bright laughter occasionally ringing out.


    Considering these women were selected to participate in the tribute, they were naturally each tribe¡¯s finest talents, with striking beauty.


    No wonder the men from both tribes became immediately excited.


    Ying Lu, hearing the laughter behind him, couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.


    He was just about to turn around and rein in his people to avoid offending the cultivator inside the carriage.


    But just then, an odd cry came from the high skies, a sound that was neither eagle nor vulture, but it reached the ears of everyone below with crystal clarity.


    Upon hearing this sound, the old man¡¯s face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly turned to look at the large man beside him, only to see the latter¡¯s face equally distressed and panic-stricken.


    ¡°Everyone, dismount and take cover now!


    It¡¯s the demonic bird Ape Eagle.


    Quickly, call Master Han out!¡± The elder shouted in horror, and almost simultaneously, the large man bellowed similar words to his own tribespeople.


    ¡°Hide behind the carts, quick, ask Feng Xianshi to deal with the demonic bird!¡±


    ¡°`


    At the mention of the Ape Eagle, the entire caravan fell into chaos, with everyone turning pale with fright as they dismounted or, in the case of the more timid, even rolled off their horses in a hurry.


    All of them either hid under the horses or behind the wagons, looking up into the sky with ghastly white faces.


    Up above, three black specks had appeared out of nowhere and were rapidly getting bigger.


    In almost no time at all, three brown demonic birds came into view.


    With the head of an ape and the body of a bird, the giant wings stretching two Zhang long also bore a pair of fuzzy ape arms.


    From the gaping maws that opened wide came an eerie screech that sent chills down everyone¡¯s spine.


    Although Ape Eagles were only grade two demonic birds on the great plains, they were much smarter and more ferocious than other demon beasts of the same rank.


    Not only were they incredibly strong, capable of crushing stones and splitting gold with their talons, but their strange cries also had the peculiar effect of bewitching the mind.


    Ordinary mortals would not even dare think of confronting them, and even lower-ranked cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage often found them difficult to handle.


    These demonic birds were rarely seen on the plains, so the appearance of three at once filled the caravan members with extreme terror and dread.


    ¡°What¡¯s the panic?


    They¡¯re just a few grade two demon beasts,¡± a cold snort came from within one of the Red Wolf Branch¡¯s wagons, followed by a flash of red light.


    A figure suddenly shot out from the wagon and floated low in the air on an embroidered cloth, calling out coldly.


    Ying Lu couldn¡¯t help but be startled upon seeing this person.


    He was also a cultivator wearing a green cloak, and by the sound of his voice, he seemed to be quite young as well.


    ¡°Feng Xianshi, you must be careful.


    These are three Ape Eagles!¡± the large man named Ba shouted loudly, his voice slightly out of tune.


    He had inquired about the cultivation of this Feng Xianshi before hiring him, and knew that this Immortal Master was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, barely qualified as an official Immortal Master.


    It would be somewhat forced for him to face even one Ape Eagle, hence his grave concern.


    Meanwhile, an elderly man on the ground hastily turned his gaze toward one of his Heron Tribe¡¯s wagons.


    When he saw another person wearing a green cloak standing on the wagon shaft looking up into the sky, his heart eased slightly.


    As long as this Han Immortal Master was not too low in cultivation, the two of them could work together to potentially scare off the three Ape Eagles.


    At that moment, the three Ape Eagles naturally spotted the other figure in a blue robe floating with the help of a Magic Artifact.


    They had seen Soaring Tribes¡¯s cultivators before and knew they were not to be trifled with, but they were reluctant to give up the numerous prey below.


    The demonic birds hesitated for a moment and began to circle around in the air about a hundred zhang above the ground.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Courting death.¡± The blue-robed man saw that the Ape Eagles were not scared away and became somewhat impatient.


    Without a second word, he lifted his hand, and several Daoist paper talismans flew out, instantly turning into several zhang-long Fire Serpents that shot straight towards the demonic birds.


    ¡°Eh!


    The Fire Serpent Technique,¡± Han Li, standing on a wagon, couldn¡¯t help but let out a light exclamation, feeling somewhat surprised.


    Although the Fire Serpent Technique was only a lower-ranked spell, refining it into Daoist paper talismans was not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could casually afford to waste.


    This person was definitely not an ordinary cultivator.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, growing interested in him.


    But then his brow furrowed, and he sighed softly.


    Although the three Fire Serpents were incredibly fierce, they were easily dodged by the Ape Eagles from such a distance.


    The blue-robed man¡¯s understanding of the Fire Serpent Technique was superficial, as he did not know to command the Fire Serpents to track the enemy while in transit, wasting several talismans for nothing.


    This even roused the ferocity of the three demonic birds.


    The largest one let out a fierce screech from its mouth, and all three birds simultaneously folded their wings and plummeted straight toward the blue-robed man.


    The blue-robed man, seeing that his Fire Serpent talismans had not succeeded, seemed momentarily stunned.


    Then, as the demonic birds dove down at him, he became somewhat flustered.


    After a brief bout of panicked defense, he actually produced a hazy-looking small grey sword, chanting a spell incantation hurriedly as he tried to command it to attack the enemy.


    Seeing this, Han Li only shook his head more.


    Now that the demonic birds were about to strike, instead of releasing a defensive shield for protection, he actually wanted to use a top-grade magic tool to counterattack.


    Wasn¡¯t this courting death?


    This person truly seemed like a novice who wasn¡¯t accustomed to combat.


    However, the small grey sword was indeed a top-grade magic tool.


    This person must have some significant background.


    The blue-robed man¡¯s incantations were recited with practiced ease, and just as the demonic birds neared, he finally activated the magic tool, hurling the small sword into the fray.


    A flash of light erupted, as the small grey sword turned into a beam of white rainbow several feet in length, slashing directly at the central Ape Eagle with incredible speed.


    The demonic bird also realized peril, its body suddenly shifted in an attempt to dodge the white light, but it was too late.


    It had no choice but to reach out with a black claw toward the white rainbow.


    After a pause, a pained cry came from the sky, and a black talon was easily severed by the short sword¡¯s flashing light.


    Blood rained down from the sky.


    However, the other two demonic birds instantly flew from the left and right, their four sharp talons viciously aiming for the blue-robed man¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering.


    (First update!)


    Introduction to my friend¡¯s book ¡°The Fat Man¡¯s Survival Records¡± (Book Number 1350293), those interested can check it out!


    Decades of turmoil, centuries of worldly vicissitudes;


    Millennia of broken mountains and rivers, eons of faded splendor.


    The fragile accord between humans and beastmen has long been extinguished, as thunderous war drums sound once again.


    A magnificent epic shall begin with the flight of a timid, sleazy fat man¡­(To be continued.


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    Support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 886 - Chapter 886 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 883 Indifference

    ?Chapter 886: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 883 Indifference Chapter 886: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 883 Indifference The blue-robed man was terrified, hastily urging his embroidered cloth beneath his feet to shoot backward in hopes of dodging the attack from the two Ape Eagles.


    However, he had clearly underestimated the two demons.


    As grade two demonic beasts, they certainly possessed some Divine Skills.


    The two demonic birds hadn¡¯t even landed yet when a piercing screech, similar to the howling of apes, burst forth.


    Upon hearing this, the blue-robed man felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer, his body involuntarily wobbling a few times, unable to stand steady.


    Then a foul wind pressed down upon his head.


    With an ¡°ah,¡± his face immediately went pale.


    Almost at the same time, two thuds sounded as two fist-sized fireballs shot out from nowhere, striking the two demonic birds with astonishing precision and soundlessly.


    With a loud burst, red light flickered, and two balls of fiery flame enveloped the Ape Eagles within, instantly spreading intense heat throughout the nearby space.


    The ape-like cries stopped abruptly.


    The blue-robed man felt naturally overjoyed, as if he had narrowly escaped death.


    Without hesitation, he promptly urged the Magic Artifact, shooting out more than thirty feet away with a ¡°whoosh,¡± then hastily pulled out a Daoist paper talisman and stuck it onto his body.


    A layer of yellow light instantly emerged around him.


    At this point, feeling slightly more at ease, the blue-robed man realized that practicing spells and actual combat were completely different matters.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.??


    He had nearly lost his life as a newly advanced Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Thinking this, he couldn¡¯t help but glance sideways and downward, catching sight of Han Li, who was wearing a cloak of the same color.


    Surprised, he naturally realized who had saved his life.


    The two fireballs unleashed by Han Li, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, naturally couldn¡¯t kill the two grade two demonic beasts.


    On the contrary, they immediately broke free from the flames and became even more ferocious.


    All of a sudden, the two demonic birds, their feathers partly burned away, no longer cared about the blue-robed man, turning around and pouncing towards the carriage where Han Li was.


    And the other Ape Eagle, with one of its claws cut off, continued to charge towards the blue-robed man, its eyes blood-red with rage.


    Han Li watched the two large blazing birds flying towards him, his eyebrows involuntarily furrowing.


    Suddenly, he slapped his storage pouch, and two streaks of white light shot out.


    After just a swish in the wind, two half-foot-long snowy Giant Centipedes appeared in midair.


    Relative to the Ape Eagles, these two centipedes were disproportionately small, but once released, they seemed extremely excited, emitting strange squeaking sounds and directly confronting the two Ape Eagles without any fear.


    Seeing the two centipedes called upon, the Ape Eagles inexplicably seemed to shrink in size, halting their flight as they ceased the furious flapping of their wings.


    After sniffing carefully, they turned tail and fled in extreme fear.


    The aura of ancient insects, naturally, wasn¡¯t something these low-tier demonic beasts dared to approach.


    But the Giant Centipedes had no intention of letting them go; after emitting a strange cry, they opened their mouths and spewed out chilling white mists, instantly clouding the nearby area in white.


    The Ape Eagles only managed to squeal before being submerged.


    The Giant Centipedes then shot into the chilly mists without hesitation.


    Seeing this, Han Li no longer paid attention to the scene in front of him and turned to look towards where the blue-robed man was.


    He saw the blue-robed man covered in sweat, struggling to control the small grey sword Magic Artifact, energetically fighting the largest and most injured Ape Eagle.


    Although the beast was badly injured, it was still ferocious, turning into a brownish-grey shadow that spun around the blue-robed man in nimble turns, relentlessly attacking the shield with its remaining sharp claw and emitting an incessant screeching that left the blue-robed man exasperated and unable to concentrate on the battle.


    Although the flying sword Magic Artifact was powerful, the one controlling it was quite clumsy, having only managed to catch the enemy off-guard earlier, and was now merely chasing after the beast.


    As for using other spells and Daoist paper talismans, it seemed beyond the capabilities of the blue-robed man.


    He barely managed to operate the sword, let alone divide his attention.


    Unless something unexpected happened, his defeat and death were only a matter of time.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze lingered on the Ape Eagle for a moment, considering whether to step in and deal with the beast, when it suddenly let out a sharp cry, as if sensing something, and abruptly abandoned the blue-robed man, shooting into the air in a flash and disappearing tens of feet away.


    This scene surprised not only the blue-robed man but also Han Li.


    However, with a cold snort, he unceremoniously raised his hand, and a red streak shot out in an instant.


    The demonic bird trembled, plummeting straight down from the sky, and after crashing heavily into the ground, it lay motionless.


    Although Han Li had only recently entered the Heaventide Prairies, he had heard that these Ape Eagles were highly vengeful.


    He didn¡¯t want any unnecessary trouble in the future.


    It was better to leave none behind.


    But this action of Han Li startled the blue-robed man, who cried out involuntarily:


    ¡°Flying needles, you actually have needle Magic Artifacts.¡± His voice was full of astonishment.


    ¡°How so.


    Is it strange for me to use needle-like Magic Artifacts?¡± Han Li glanced at the man and asked indifferently.


    He reached out towards the corpse of the demonic bird on the ground, motioned, and a red streak flew back from above, flashing with light before landing in his palm.


    Indeed, it was a shimmering inch-long silver needle.


    ¡°Of course not, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Before the blue-robed man even had a chance to explain, two muffled ¡°thuds¡± came from one side.


    Two crystal-clear, huge blocks of ice fell from the sky and smashed into the ground, creating two pits several feet deep.


    Trapped within the ice blocks were two more Ape Eagles, their eyes frozen and clearly lifeless.


    The blue-robed man watched, dumbfounded.


    A flash of light gleamed on the ice blocks, and two white beams soared up into the air.


    After circling, they landed on Han Li¡¯s shoulders on either side, revealing their true form as Giant Centipedes.


    ¡°Are these Spirit Insects raised by Your Excellency?¡± After swallowing hard, the blue-robed man asked in amazement.


    ¡°Yes, they are two Snowcold Centipedes I have raised,¡± Han Li replied, as he gently stroked the back of one of the centipedes, his voice calm.


    The Snowcold Centipede wasn¡¯t just something Han Li had made up; such an insect actually existed.


    When fully grown, it closely resembled the present form of the Six-Winged Frost Centipede.


    Unless one was an Immortal Cultivator skilled in controlling insects, it was not easy to distinguish between the two.


    ¡°Would Your Excellency be willing to part with the flying needles and Spirit Insects?


    Feng is willing to offer a substantial amount for them,¡± said the blue-robed man, unexpectedly eager, something Han Li had not anticipated.


    After a moment of surprise, Han Li let out a faint chuckle.


    ¡°Are you jesting, friend?


    Not to mention that the Spirit Insects have recognized an owner, even if I were willing to sell the flying needles, you may not be able to afford them.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Stones are not an issue; just name your price,¡± said the blue-robed man, who seemed quite wealthy and spoke without hesitation.


    After witnessing Han Li¡¯s command over the needles, which swiftly killed the demonic birds, the man¡¯s desire had ignited.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, but after carefully scrutinizing the man for a while, his expression darkened and he said coldly,


    ¡°Sorry!


    I find these needles handy and have no intention of selling them for the time being.¡±


    ¡°If the friend is unwilling, so be it.


    Should I possess such sharp Magic Artifacts, I would not sell them lightly either.


    Consider it unsaid.


    I am Feng Yue, and I have not yet thanked you for saving my life.


    May I know your esteemed name?¡± The blue-robed man, despite his disappointment, asked politely after a thoughtful pause.


    ¡°My surname is Han!


    Maybe it¡¯s time for someone to start cleaning up,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    ¡°Clean up?¡± The blue-robed man was startled and looked around, only then noticing that the ordinary mortals, who had been evading all over the place, had now stood up.


    Everyone was hovering a respectful ten paces away, their faces filled with awe.


    Only Ying Lu and the large man with the surname Ba looked excited, standing somewhat closer, silently listening to the conversation between the two Immortal Masters.


    The old man, in particular, could not contain his joy.


    He had seen clearly that the three terrifying demonic birds, which they couldn¡¯t possibly resist, had been mostly exterminated by the Immortal Master Han Li, whom he had chanced upon halfway through his journey.


    The Immortal Master¡¯s divine skills were larger than life, far beyond his expectations; what a pleasant surprise!


    It seemed there shouldn¡¯t be too much trouble even if he were to lead the team on his own.


    ¡°These demonic beasts, take care of them.


    Apart from the claws and the long feathers on the tails, their fur and meat are of no use to me; you may keep them,¡± Han Li instructed the large man and the old man.


    The on the Heaventide Prairies had it that the one who killed the beast had rights to its remains.


    Although, in reality, Han Li held no regard for such low-level materials, he was currently posing as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and could not simply dismiss them.


    ¡°Yes!


    We will fulfill the command of the Immortal Master,¡± the old man replied with renewed glee.


    Although the flesh of the Ape Eagle was insignificant to Cultivators, it was a rare commodity for ordinary mortals, which could be traded for many valuable items.


    The large man also respectfully agreed.


    Following a series of shouts, several robust youths promptly approached to deal with the corpses of the three Ape Eagles as instructed by Han Li.


    The one killed by Han Li¡¯s flying needle was easy enough to handle, but the two encased in ice would require smashing with heavy hammers.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, Feng Xianshi, please go and rest.


    I am also somewhat tired and will return to my carriage,¡± Han Li said to the blue-robed man indifferently, turning his head back and not waiting for a response before heading to his own carriage.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s indifferent attitude, the blue-robed man felt a chill in his heart.


    He had hoped to form a connection after seeing the other¡¯s prowess with the Magic Artifacts and Spirit Insects, but the opportunity to speak was never given, and he was left coldly dismissed.


    The blue-robed man¡¯s embarrassment was palpable.


    But given Han Li¡¯s recent favor and the apparent extraordinary strength, the blue-robed man was in no position to make any fuss.


    After a while, the blue-robed man finally sighed and returned to his carriage, somewhat discontented.


    What he didn¡¯t know was that seated in his carriage, Han Li was watching his departing figure, eyes flickering with contemplation, and remaining silent.


    ¡°Master!


    This person seems to have some background, but why are you so distant towards him?¡± Silvermoon¡¯s perplexed voice echoed in Han Li¡¯s mind.


    After some time of recuperating, this maidservant of his, though still greatly weakened, could at least speak without issue.


    (Second update!)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 887 - Chapter 887 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 884 Stationed

    ?Chapter 887: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 884 Stationed Chapter 887: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 884 Stationed ¡°This person is not from the Soaring Tribes!¡±


    ¡°What?


    How does master know this?¡±


    As soon as Han Li spoke, it was a revelation that shocked Silvermoon.


    ¡°Take a look, what is this?¡± Han Li suddenly reached into the void with one hand.


    Instantly, a green light appeared, and then it transformed into a light shadow resembling a jade pendant.


    It was engraved with several ancient characters.


    ¡°This is the ancient script of Great Jin,¡± Silvermoon exclaimed once more.


    ¡°In fact, I didn¡¯t make a move just now because I estimated this person wouldn¡¯t be harmed.


    This object is a jade pendant carried by Feng Yue, a top-grade magic tool.


    Whenever the demonic bird approached, it automatically emitted spiritual ripples and should have a self-protecting effect.


    Although it was hidden at his waist, how could a mere layer of cloth prevent my Brightsight Water from seeing everything clearly?


    You should recognize the characters of Great Jin on it!


    Based on these few characters, there¡¯s a high chance this person is from the wealthy families of Great Jin,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Indeed.


    The title ¡®Ningchuan Feng¡¯ is indeed a form of naming loved by the wealthy families of Great Jin, as stated in the books.


    It seems this Fellow Daoist Feng should indeed be from there.


    However, does Ningchuan refer to Ningchuan County among the Thirty-six Major Counties, or Xining State among the hundred and eight states, or is it just some common city with ¡®Ning¡¯ in its name?¡± Silvermoon pondered.


    As they were coming to Great Jin, Han Li naturally collected many books on the customs and geography of Great Jin, and Silvermoon had also read quite a few.


    Hence, it was not odd for Silvermoon to spontaneously mention these things.


    ¡°No matter which wealthy family of Great Jin this person belongs to, appearing alone on the Heaventide Prairies signifies trouble.


    It¡¯s naturally better to have minimal contact with him.


    What we need to do now is to find a way to leave the prairies and first find a method to dispel the Evil Qi in our bodies,¡± Han Li stated, then closed his eyes without expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true!


    For someone of early Foundation Establishment to possess such a self-protecting magic tool, he must indeed be an important figure of the Feng family.


    But now, he¡¯s hidden within a small tribe¡¯s tribute team; he must be in big trouble,¡± Silvermoon chuckled softly, quietly agreeing.


    Then the woman said no more, and silence returned to the carriage.


    At that moment, outside, the youths finally smashed two large ice blocks, skinning and deboning the three Ape Eagles.


    Then they sent the most precious parts, six sharp claws and a dozen long feathers, to Han Li.


    The rest was unhesitatingly split by the two tribes.


    Naturally, since Han Li was a guest Immortal Master invited by the Heron Branch, they took the larger share.


    Although the large man surnamed Ba didn¡¯t get much, since it was an unexpected gain and no one was hurt or killed in the attack by the demonic bird, he was naturally very happy as well.


    Meanwhile, on a tightly sealed carriage of the Red Wolf Branch, the blue-robed man seemed to find the cloak inconvenient, had already taken off the covering on his head, revealing a pale face.


    Except for slightly thin lips, he could be considered handsome and tall.


    At this moment, his face was coldly silent.


    Suddenly, he reached up to his neck with one hand and pulled out a golden chain.


    At the end of the chain, there was a silver-white key.


    The key, as thick as a finger and a few inches long, was covered with mysterious and ancient patterns, and on its oval handle, a golden ¡°Feng¡± character was engraved.


    Staring at this key, Feng Yue¡¯s eyes showed a strange look, his expression shifting between dark and light.


    At times excited, at times pained, eventually turning exceedingly gloomy.


    After a long sigh, he carefully put the key away, wearing it as a necklace again around his neck.


    Once he confirmed that outsiders could not see the key, he also began to close his eyes to meditate, recovering the spiritual power he had consumed.


    After finishing the cleanup of the last remnants of the Ape Eagles, it wasn¡¯t long before the entire caravan started moving again.


    But this time, no one dared to speak loudly.


    The brief battle had left a great shock to these young Soaring Tribes people.


    Those possessed of Spiritual Roots were even more fired up, almost wanting to sprout wings and fly to the Holy Temple to become an all-powerful Immortal Master.


    The following day passed without incident, but by noon the next day, Han Li, who was sitting in the carriage pondering the Oracular Formula, finally sensed from afar the so-called ¡°station¡± designated by the Holy Temple.


    Although concerned about the presence of High-order Immortal Masters inside, Han Li did not dare to use his Divine Sense to scan closely.


    Yet, he faintly felt the mixed fluctuations of spiritual energy inside, with quite a few low-level cultivators present.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, his face expressionless.


    After traveling another twenty-plus li, the people from the two surrounding tribes almost simultaneously let out cheers.


    At this shift in mood, Han Li flicked his sleeve, causing the carriage curtain to roll up by itself, and he looked towards the distance.


    In the distance on the plain, a black dot starkly appeared there.


    With a slight flash of blue light in his eyes, Han Li clearly saw the true appearance of the black dot.


    A wall three to four zhang high, built of stone blocks mixed with large logs, behind which the favorite tall tents and some simple wooden houses of the Soaring Tribes people were randomly interspersed, with many ordinary mortals of the Soaring Tribes coming and going in between, making it somewhat chaotic.


    Yet among the many tents and wooden houses, a few completely covered stone halls and lofts, sparsely distributed here and there, could be faintly seen with occasionally one or two oddly dressed cultivators entering them.


    This place was the so-called ¡°station¡±.


    Han Li pondered, his gaze shifting and landing on the giant stone pillars erected at intervals outside the walls.


    These dazzling stone pillars, each thick enough to be embraced by one person and twenty to thirty zhang tall, clearly indicated that the Heaventide Sanctuary had set up a large-scale Array here, protecting the entire city within.


    Up in the sky over the entire settlement, not a single cultivator could be seen soaring, evidently, the array also had a sky restriction.


    After surveying the city, Han Li lost interest in seeing more and stretched out his hand to signal, causing the carriage curtain to drop down once more.


    A quarter of an hour later, their caravan arrived at the entrance of the settlement.


    There were no guards to speak of here; people were free to come and go as they pleased.


    Ying Lu and the large man discussed briefly and, for reasons unknown, the two tribes split up again, with their groups heading in two different directions.


    Although Han¡¯Li was physically present, through his Divine Sense, he could still clearly perceive everything nearby.


    The settlement was indeed as chaotic as he had seen from afar; the word ¡°disarray¡± summed up everything.


    Apart from a few man-made main roads, everywhere was strewn with disorderly fur tents and haphazard wooden huts.


    Clearly, other than the stone buildings, the rest were temporary settlements for the tribes contributing to the Holy Temple.


    However, those who needed to rest here were also the tribes farthest from the Holy Temple.


    They were the kind of tribes that, no matter how large, weren¡¯t significant.


    The truly large tribes lived right next to the Holy Temple.


    Thus, aside from a few slightly more extravagant large tents.


    The rest of the tents and wooden huts were some of the usual structures, many even had patches on them.


    This clearly showed the plight of these smaller tribes.


    After some effort, in a secluded corner of the settlement, they found a vacant piece of land where the people of the Heron Branch began setting up their tents.


    Han Li stepped down from the carriage and coldly watched their movements.


    After hesitating for a moment, Ying Lu actually came over.


    ¡°Sir Immortal, this place is rather chaotic and may not suit your peaceful meditation.


    However, there are places specially designated for immortals to rest for free.


    Would you like to stay there for a couple of nights?


    After two days of rest, we can continue on the road.


    What do you think?¡± the elderly man asked respectfully.


    ¡°Alright, I understand.


    After two days, I will come here and regroup with you.¡± Han Li nodded as usual and then, without any hesitation, immediately turned and left.


    The direction he headed towards was the highest building in the area, a huge stone hall with two levels.


    There, cultivators occasionally entered and exited, evidently the resting place the elderly man mentioned.


    After walking for a short distance, he arrived in front of the stone hall.


    Han Li glanced at two monster statues standing at the gate, each with a bull¡¯s head and a dragon¡¯s body, then emotionlessly passed by the entrance.


    Although he was confident that his disguise as a Soaring Tribe member was flawless, it was still somewhat improper to live among so many Soaring Tribe cultivators.


    If there happened to be a Nascent Soul-level cultivator inside, some complications might arise.


    It would be better to leave the settlement and find a random place nearby to spend a couple of days.


    When the time came, he could return and blend into the caravan to continue on the road.


    And by the time they reached the so-called Heaventide Sanctuary, the urgency to search for him should have diminished a bit, and he could then try to leave.


    The remainder of the journey, although still far from Great Jin, if he was cautious, it wasn¡¯t without a chance to sneak into the territory of Great Jin.


    Thinking this way in his heart, Han Li calmly walked out of the main gate of the settlement.


    He pulled out a small grey sword from his storage pouch, activated the artifact, and transformed into a streak of light shooting into the sky.


    After flying for fifty or sixty miles, he stopped above an inconspicuous pile of stones.


    After a glance downward, he descended in front of a stone cliff approximately sixty to eighty feet high.


    He first sat down cross-legged, released his Divine Sense, and confirmed that within twenty miles there truly was no second person.


    Then, turning around, he rapidly flicked his fingers at the stone cliff behind him.


    After a shower of azure sword Qi, a cave about twenty feet tall appeared, just big enough to accommodate a person.


    Han Li entered and tried sitting down, quite satisfied with the spot.


    Then he went out about thirty feet away from the stone cliff, took out a set of formation flags from his storage pouch.


    After a dozen lights scattered in a flash, an invisible array was set up.


    From the outside, the stone cliff seemed to disappear instantly, leaving the spot completely empty.


    Han Li wasted no time, his figure flickered as he entered the inside of the array, vanishing entirely.


    The place was devoid of any people.


    Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, a day and night had gone by.


    Han Li was in a deep meditative state inside the cave, silently comprehending the Oracular Formula given by Monarch Great Development.


    The formula was progressing much more smoothly than he had anticipated, seemingly almost fully comprehended.


    This inwardly delighted Han Li.


    He was currently pondering over a critical issue, but suddenly, his eyelid involuntarily twitched.


    His Divine Sense abruptly exited the meditative state, and he opened his eyes with a look of surprise.


    (The first update!)(To be continued, for more details please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support the genuine reading!)

 Chapter 888 - Chapter 888 Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 885 Bitter Poison

    ?Chapter 888: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 885: Bitter Poison Chapter 888: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 885: Bitter Poison ¡°Master!


    What has happened?¡± As an Artifact Spirit closely connected with Han Li¡¯s mind, Silvermoon immediately sensed something was amiss with Han Li and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Someone is approaching this place.


    One is at the Core Formation Stage, and the other is at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But they have stopped about ten miles away.


    That Foundation Establishment Stage individual has a somewhat familiar aura; it seems to be that Feng Yue.


    This is rather strange,¡± Han Li stroked his chin and fell into contemplation.


    ¡°Shall I go over and take a look in my form as an Artifact Spirit?¡± After a moment of silence, Silvermoon spoke up.


    ¡°Never mind.


    You¡¯re still injured.


    And I can only utilize the power of the Foundation Establishment Stage at the moment; it¡¯s better not to meddle.


    They should be leaving soon.


    I can just monitor their movements with my Divine Sense,¡± Han Li answered, shaking his head as if sensing something with his Divine Sense.


    Since Han Li had said so, Silvermoon naturally had no objections and voiced her agreement.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Consequently, Han Li closed his eyes and continued to sit silently.


    However, after the time it would take to finish a meal had passed, Han Li uttered a soft exclamation, and his face suddenly showed a look of surprise.


    This time, Silvermoon tactfully refrained from asking further.


    Yet Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed tightly, and his expression darkened and brightened unpredictably.


    ¡°Monarch Great Development, if I remember correctly, you once mentioned that the Evil Qi in my body could only be purged by a few secret techniques.


    And among them, Buddhist Cultivation Techniques make up the majority.


    Is that really the case?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s the case.


    Aside from the Buddhist Cultivation Techniques, there are also a few rare techniques from the Confucian and Daoist Sects that should be capable of removing the Evil Qi, but none are as effective as the Buddhist methods,¡± Monarch Great Development replied lazily.


    ¡°Then, considering the most distinctive characteristic of Buddhist Cultivation Techniques is that their Mana subtly contains Buddhist power and most of their techniques exhibit the Rainbow Spirit Light, this is not untrue, right?¡± Han Li continued to ask with an unpredictable expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct!


    What¡¯s the matter, have you discovered something?¡± Monarch Great Development asked curiously, somewhat puzzled.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this person might still be useful.


    It could be an opportunity,¡± Han Li murmured to himself, gazing downwards.


    Monarch Great Development, who felt bewildered by the question and saw that Han Li didn¡¯t answer him, naturally became displeased.


    Just as he intended to press for a thorough explanation, Han Li seemed to make up his mind.


    He suddenly stamped his foot, and his entire being, transformed into a streak of green light by a magic tool, shot out from the stone cliff and sped away towards a certain direction through the sky.


    This action took both Silvermoon and Monarch Great Development by surprise.


    Although they were puzzled, seeing Han Li¡¯s hasty manner, they could only hold their myriad questions in their hearts.


    In a little more than ten miles, Han Li reached his destination almost instantly, which was a small forest on a grassland-extremely rare for such an environment.


    The forest was only about a mile in size, with sparse and not very tall trees.


    And in a clearing about thirty yards wide in the middle of the forest, two people were inside.


    However, one of them, a blue-robed man lying face down on the ground with a patch of black blood on his back, was motionless, his life and death unknown.


    Yet a light barrier protecting his entire body emanated from him, displaying radiant seven colors.


    Meanwhile, another person nearby-a hawk-eyed elder in a purple robe-was manipulating a fiery-red flying sword that transformed into numerous shadows, slashing at the light barrier.


    The Rainbow Light Barrier, though exceptional, had begun to wobble unstably due to lack of control by its master, its light flashing wildly.


    Han Li appeared abruptly without any attempt at concealment, naturally startling the hawk-eyed elder below.


    At first, the elder was startled, but when he raised his head and swept over him with his Divine Sense, realizing that Han Li only appeared to be at the Foundation Establishment Stage, his heart relaxed slightly.


    A murderous thought to silence him sprung up in his mind, he raised his hand, and a black light flashed and shot out- a three-edged nail wrapped in black Qi, traveling at an incredible speed.


    Han Li snorted coldly, without a word, he reached for his heavenly spiritual covering, and a dark green cloud ¡°whooshed¡± from the top of his head, instantly transforming into a giant emerald hand several feet long, grabbing towards the black light.


    The hawk-eyed elder was taken aback at this scene, not yet grasping what technique this was, when there was a muffled ¡°puff¡± sound.


    The three-edged nail, like a straw, was effortlessly caught by the giant hand, instantly losing connection with the elder¡¯s spirit and without pause, continued to fly downward towards him.


    This frightened the hawk-eyed elder out of his wits; his hands fumbled in a panic as he rushed to perform incantations, trying to call back the red flying sword to protect himself.


    But the dark green hand disappeared midflight only to appear almost magically above the elder, about three feet in the air, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a massive fist that smashed down fiercely.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The purple-robed elder only had time to let out a wail before he was smashed into a pulp.


    Subsequently, the dark green fist turned back into a hand, reached out into the void above the elder¡¯s remains, and abruptly grabbed.


    A chicken egg-sized green light orb flew into its grasp.


    The hand then flew back towards Han Li, circling once before transforming into a dark green baby that landed on Han Li¡¯s shoulder.


    At that moment, it held the black three-edged spike in one hand and the green light orb in the other, its face brimming with a grin.


    Han Li¡¯s brows twitched ever so slightly.


    During the assault by the Soaring Tribes, no matter how perilous the situation, he had not used his second Nascent Soul even once, saving it for an unexpected escape.


    But now, having tested its might with ease, the second Nascent Soul¡¯s power seemed to far exceed his expectations.


    Just with a slight use of the Profoundly Mysterious Transformation Skill, he had effortlessly killed a Core Formation cultivator.


    It seemed that a Nascent Soul was indeed a Nascent Soul, and ordinary Core Formation cultivators could not stand against it.


    Thinking this, Han Li remained silent as he descended and headed towards the Rainbow Light Barrier.


    At that moment, the red flying sword, having lost control due to the older man¡¯s body being destroyed and his soul-transformed Primordial Spirit being restrained, fell beside them.


    It flickered with a faint spirit light, motionless.


    Han Li did not pay attention to the sword but walked up to the Rainbow Light Barrier and started to observe it closely.


    By then, one could clearly see that the barrier originated from a light blue Jade Pendant floating within it.


    This item hovered a few feet above the blue-robed man, shimmering with Rainbow Spirit Light, and occasionally, strange Buddhist scripts would flicker within that light.


    It was indeed the Jade Pendant Han Li had once shown to Silvermoon, the one engraved with the name ¡°Feng¡± from the Feng Family.


    After staring at the Jade Pendant for a moment, Han Li slowly transmitted his voice and asked, ¡°How is it, senior?


    Is this a Magic Artifact refined by the Buddhist Sect?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the material and artifact refining technique, naturally it cannot be considered a treasure of Buddhism, but it indeed appears to have been blessed with Buddhist restrictive formations by high-ranking monks.


    Otherwise, a top-grade magic tool like this could not remain so spiritual and withstand the attacks of Core Formation Stage Daoist paper talismans for such an extended period.


    It seems that the Feng Family has some connection with the Buddhist Sect,¡± Monarch Great Development completely understood the implication of Han Li¡¯s previous words and snorted coldly as he spoke in an indifferent tone.


    Hearing Monarch Great Development¡¯s confirmed guess, Han Li felt joy in his heart, for his efforts had not been in vain this time.


    With this thought, he stepped forward without another word, raising one hand lightly to touch the barrier.


    A thin layer of the Celestial Ice Flame emerged on the surface of his palm.


    With his current cultivation, he could not wield the Celestial Ice Flame much, and these flames were already the limit of what he could control.


    But even so, the Rainbow Light Barrier could not withstand the extreme cold of the Celestial Ice Flame and burst with a ¡°bang,¡± dissipating like a bubble.


    Han Li walked up to the blue-robed man, frowning at the sight of the black bloodstains on his back.


    Only then did he sense that the man¡¯s breath was not only extremely chaotic and weak but also faintly exuded a sense of death, a clear sign that his life was hanging by a thread.


    Without a word, Han Li lifted a hand and struck the man with an incantation, then opened his mouth and exhaled a ball of dense essence, which formed a layer of green mist covering the blue-robed man¡¯s body.


    Then he brushed his sleeve lightly, and a gust of wind rolled over, turning the man¡¯s body face up.


    After one look, Han Li sharply inhaled a breath of cold air.


    Indeed, it was Feng Yue, but his face had turned completely black now, and a pair of lips was even blacker, tinged with purple, making his visage extremely terrifying.


    Han Li¡¯s expression turned somewhat unpleasant!


    But after a brief moment of thought, his Divine Sense enveloped the other¡¯s whole body, and his eyes flickered with blue light as he made use of the Brightsight Water.


    This man, already surrounded by such a strange poison, should have died immediately, yet he still breathed.


    This was indeed strange.


    Naturally, Han Li would not easily let this go and began to carefully search.


    In a short while, Han Li found something, raised a hand, and grabbed the man¡¯s collar.


    With a ¡°zzt¡± sound, the blue-robed man¡¯s clothes tore open a small portion, revealing a silver-white key hung around his neck with a chain.


    The key was now glinting with a milky white spirit light, continuously driving away the poison from the blue-robed man¡¯s chest, while the rest of his body had likewise turned utterly black.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered as he took hold of the blue-robed man¡¯s arm, and a surge of green light arose.


    A layer of green spirit light rapidly transferred from Han Li¡¯s palm onto the blue-robed man¡¯s body, trying to push away the black Qi from him slowly.


    But, after just a moment, the green spirit energy that had just spread to the blue-robed man¡¯s arm turned eerily black and started to rapidly spread along the spiritual energy back towards Han Li¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Deadly poison!¡± Han Li exclaimed in shock, shaking his hand fiercely to sever the connection of spirit energy with the other¡¯s arm as his face turned somewhat pale.


    ¡°Hey!


    It¡¯s actually one of the ten deadly poisons.


    Han Li, you¡¯ve wasted your efforts.


    This man cannot be saved,¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude.


    Hearing this, Han Li could not help but roll his eyes and retorted with a snort of disbelief, ¡°Humph!


    Perhaps I cannot completely detoxify him, but making him temporarily regain consciousness, even extending his life by ten or fifteen days, is not too difficult for me.


    It¡¯s just that the spiritual medicines required are no small sum.


    I wonder if he is worth such a considerable expense.¡±


    After saying this, Han Li slowly got up with a pensive look crossing his face.


    ¡°Master, it might be a good idea to let him regain consciousness first and ask him some questions before deciding what to do next,¡± Silvermoon suggested with a light chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s true!


    Not clarifying his relationship with the Great Jin Buddhist Sect has always been a bit unsettling,¡± Han Li sighed and said accordingly.


    He then slapped his storage pouch and a clean white bottle appeared in his hand.


    (Second update!)(To be continued.


    If you would like to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are more updated there, and it supports the authors as well as legal reading!)

 Chapter 889 - Chapter 889 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 886 Sky Yuan Pill

    ?Chapter 889: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 886 Sky Yuan Pill Chapter 889: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 886 Sky Yuan Pill The bottle flipped, and a fiery red pill, almond-shaped, landed in the palm of his hand.


    Seeing this Spiritual Medicine, which had been refined from high-grade demon beast cores in former years, Han Li¡¯s face showed a hint of regret.


    This type of pill, originally designed to enhance the Spiritual Power of Core Formation cultivators, was indeed a bit of a waste to use here.


    If his Mana hadn¡¯t been sealed and Silvermoon hadn¡¯t been injured, he could have directly used the Soul Search Secret Technique without all this hassle.


    With one hand, he squeezed the blue-robed man¡¯s chin and with a skilled flick of his wrist, he dislocated his lower jaw, causing his mouth to involuntarily open wide.


    With the other hand, he snapped his fingers, and the pill, enveloped in a burst of blue qi, shot into the mouth of the blue-robed man.


    Han Li released his hands and touched his waist, and a shining silver needle appeared between his fingers.


    The silver light flashed, and the needles transformed into several threads of silver light, quickly targeting various parts of the blue-robed man¡¯s body.


    In an instant, it was done.


    From the places the needles struck, dark poisoned blood shot out a foot high, and an almost nauseating foul smell followed.


    Han Li stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and quietly waited for the other to awaken.


    After a long time, about the span of one cup of tea, once a large pool of poisoned blood had been drained from Feng Yue¡¯s body, a low groan finally indicated he was about to come around.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed, his hands lifted simultaneously and his fingers rapidly played, sending a gust of wind shooting out, and the still-flowing poison blood instantly stopped.


    Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, his second Nascent Soul transformed into a dark cloud and shot into the woods nearby, disappearing without a trace.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± The blue-robed man finally opened his eyes, saw Han Li standing in front of him, and uttered a surprised sound as he struggled to sit up.


    ¡°What, surprised to see me?¡± Han Li glanced at Feng Yue and spoke indifferently.


    ¡°You saved me?


    What about that old thief, Feng Zhen?¡± Despite his weak voice, the young man¡¯s tone was filled with caution.


    ¡°You mean the one in the purple robe?


    He¡¯s over there, on the ground!¡± Han Li casually commented, pointing with a glance.


    Feng Yue¡¯s gaze shifted slightly and, with effort, he twisted his neck and finally saw the unrecognizable remains of the old man in purple.


    His face first showed shock, then intense hatred, and then his gaze returned to Han Li, his expression extremely puzzled.


    ¡°Was that old thief also killed by Brother Han?


    It appears Brother Han¡¯s Divine Skills are truly unfathomable.


    I shall remember this lifesaving grace in my heart and will surely repay it generously in the future,¡± Feng Yue asked tentatively, his hand reaching to his waist to pull out a medicinal pill, which he quickly popped into his mouth, while his other hand pressed against the ground, trying laboriously to stand.


    However, he had barely gotten halfway up before his legs gave way and he fell back to the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening, why am I so devoid of strength?¡± Feng Yue fell to the ground, his face turning pale, exhibiting a look of panic.


    ¡°Thinking of repaying me later?


    It seems you are unaware of your current predicament,¡± Han Li said, his expression unchanging and without any intention of helping him up.


    ¡°What do you mean?


    What has happened to me?


    Have you imposed some restriction on me?¡± The young man glared at Han Li, his face showing both shock and anger.


    ¡°Impose a restriction on you?


    You flatter yourself.


    If I wanted to restrain you, would I need to place any restriction?


    You should take a look at your current state first,¡± Han Li scoffed, and with a flick of his hand, he tossed a small object next to Feng Yue.


    It was a simple bronze mirror.


    Hearing this, Feng Yue¡¯s face was full of suspicion but seeing that Han Li remained expressionless, he gritted his teeth, picked up the mirror, and looked inside.


    ¡°Ah!


    What¡¯s happened?


    My face¡­


    this is the poison, when did I get so deeply poisoned?


    Could it be that the old thief used something poisonous?¡± Startled by his reflection, Feng Yue cried out hoarsely.


    Then, in a panic, he upended his storage pouch on the ground, and after a flash of white light, a large pile of bottles and jars appeared.


    He hastily picked up several bottles and indiscriminately stuffed medicinal pills into his mouth.


    Han Li watched coldly from the side, letting him take the medicinal pills without saying a word.


    After finishing the pills, Feng Yue couldn¡¯t care less about speaking further with Han Li and immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate, trying to use the power of the medicine to expel the poison.


    But after only a short while, he opened his eyes again, the terror on his face deepened threefold.


    ¡°How can this be, none of these detoxifying elixirs are working.


    What kind of rare poison am I affected by?¡± He finally realized the seriousness of the poison and became increasingly anxious.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before, but it must be one of the ¡®Ten Extreme Poisons,¡¯ the Bitter Poison,¡± Han Li then said slowly.


    ¡°Bitter Poison?


    They used this poison against me?


    That old thief truly did join forces with the Kong Family.


    There are rumors that the Kong Family possesses this type of poison,¡± Feng Yue¡¯s face instantly turned ghastly pale, and he screamed uncontrollably.


    ¡°Kong Family,¡± Han Li¡¯s brows twitched slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal.


    ¡°Not right.


    I should have died immediately after being afflicted with that intense poison.


    How could I possibly have woken up again?¡± The young man suddenly thought of this and, not knowing where he found the strength, flipped over and got up to question Han Li.


    ¡°Hmph.


    Don¡¯t forget your blessings.


    Had I not had some questions to ask you, I wouldn¡¯t have wasted a ¡®Sky Yuan Pill¡¯ on you.


    You owe your life, for now, to that item on your neck that momentarily fended off the poison.


    Otherwise, once the poison reached your heart, not even elixirs could have brought you back,¡± Han Li said darkly, not mincing his words.


    ¡°Did you touch this item?¡± Upon hearing Han Li mention the silver key, the young man realized that what he treasured as his life was exposed at his chest and was suddenly shocked into calmness.


    ¡°I too was curious that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like yourself didn¡¯t die immediately from the poison, so naturally I wanted to investigate.


    However, the Sky Yuan Pill merely suppresses the poison temporarily.


    In another day, the poison will attack your heart again.


    You¡¯re still doomed,¡± Han Li said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Sky Yuan Pill?


    I think I¡¯ve heard of it.


    Isn¡¯t it a very rare type of medicinal pill?


    If I continue taking this pill, can I keep the poison suppressed?¡± Feng Yue asked a bit nervously after pondering for a moment.


    Han Li was somewhat surprised that the other party had heard of the pill, but he replied coldly.


    ¡°Continuing to take it can indeed preserve your life temporarily.


    But do you know what it¡¯s made from?


    It¡¯s not a detoxifying medicinal pill at all, but a Spirit Pill used by Core Formation cultivators to break through their bottlenecks and advance their cultivation.


    It¡¯s something money can¡¯t buy.¡±


    Han Li said nothing more, but the implication was clear.


    ¡°A Spirit Pill for advancing Core Formation cultivators¡¯ cultivation?¡± Even though Feng Yue had expected the pill to be exceptionally precious, he was still rendered speechless by this information.


    ¡°However, if you really want to save your life, that¡¯s not impossible,¡± Han Li suddenly smiled.


    ¡°What method?


    As long as it can save my life, I¡¯ll agree to any conditions, Brother Han,¡± the young man replied eagerly, his spirits lifting.


    ¡°Hehe!


    I don¡¯t want any repayment, just answer a few questions honestly in a little while,¡± Han Li chuckled, speaking indifferently.


    ¡°Sure, anything that Feng knows, I¡¯ll not hide a bit,¡± the young man said without hesitation.


    Han Li smiled faintly, ambiguously stating the method.


    ¡°The method is simple.


    Since you¡¯ve been poisoned and this body is ruined, why not just switch to another body?


    There were cultivators in the past who escaped death from the deadliest poisons by using the Assimilation Technique,¡± Han Li revealed calmly.


    ¡°Assimilation?¡± The young man paused, then to Han Li¡¯s surprise, gave a bitter smile.


    ¡°What, you think this method won¡¯t work?¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows and asked expressionlessly.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Brother Han.


    But while assimilation might work for others, I can¡¯t use this method,¡± Feng Yue hesitated, then stammered.


    ¡°Can¡¯t use the method!


    Could it be that you¡¯ve already¡­¡± Han Li thought of something, feeling slightly surprised.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, I¡¯ve already performed assimilation once.


    This body I possess isn¡¯t my original,¡± Feng Yue said with a dismal smile.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m out of ideas.


    After all, with the deadliest poison, there¡¯s simply no cure,¡± Han Li sighed, speaking plainly as the young man looked on him with hopeful eyes.


    ¡°Is there really no other way?


    You¡¯re so knowledgeable, Brother Han, please think a bit more,¡± Feng Yue pleaded desperately as he heard Han Li speak.


    ¡°No need to think more.


    If there was a way to cure such a notorious poison that has plagued the realm of immortal cultivation for so long, it wouldn¡¯t be known as the deadliest poison,¡± Han Li shook his head and said.


    ¡°So, I only have one day left to live,¡± the young man stood frozen, his face bloodless.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.


    Even if you continue taking Sky Yuan Pills to delay, once the pills are gone, your end will just as swiftly come,¡± Han Li told the young man flatly.


    ¡°Brother Han, how many Sky Yuan Pills do you have?


    Would you sell them to me?¡± Like grasping at the last straw, Feng Yue asked eagerly, staring fixedly at Han Li.


    ¡°What, do you really think you can buy my Spirit Pills?


    I wouldn¡¯t mind selling them, but the quantity certainly won¡¯t be large.


    And you¡¯d have to answer some of my questions first.


    There¡¯s still time to discuss this further!¡± Han Li first frowned, then spoke as if it were no big deal.


    ¡°What questions do you have, fellow Daoist?


    At this point, what can¡¯t I answer?¡± Feng Yue said despondently.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s best.


    Let¡¯s start with your identity.


    You¡¯re not from the Soaring Tribes, but a cultivator from the wealthy families of Great Jin, right?¡± Han Li asked straightforwardly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, since you¡¯ve already guessed, why bother asking further?¡± Feng Yue looked up at the fallen jade pendant and the silver-white key at his chest, and gritted his teeth in response.


    It seemed that he thought Han Li had only just guessed his identity after seeing those two items.


    Han Li¡¯s lips twitched slightly, then he remained indifferent.


    ¡°Ning from Feng Family?


    Is that Ning from the influential Feng Family?¡± (To be continued, for the follow-up, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support authentic reading!)

 Chapter 890 - Chapter 890 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 887 Fengs Hideout

    ?Chapter 890: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 887 Feng¡¯s Hideout Chapter 890: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 887 Feng¡¯s Hideout ¡°`


    ¡°What else could it be but the Ningzhong in Guanning Prefecture?


    In Guanning Prefecture, they¡¯re considered quite a force,¡± Feng Yue said without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Guanning Prefecture?


    Which provincial city is that?¡± Han Li narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°There are indeed several cities named Guanning in Great Jin, but there is only one Ningzhong Feng Family, and that¡¯s in Liaozhou¡¯s Guanning Prefecture,¡± Feng Yue said, looking at him with a strange expression, as if surprised by how detailed Han Li¡¯s questions were.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li simply nodded without caring much; he didn¡¯t inquire further about the Feng Family but pointed at the jade pendant and asked, ¡°How did you come by this item?


    Does it have any particular history?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Why do you ask about this item?¡± Feng Yue said, greatly surprised.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Heirloom?


    Does every descendant in the Feng Family carry a top-grade magic artifact heirloom with them?¡± Han Li glanced at the young man, his tone full of disbelief.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Of course not.


    There are only three or four such heirlooms in the entire Feng Family.


    It¡¯s impossible for those who are not direct bloodline disciples to possess one,¡± Feng Yue shook his head.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°That means you hold a significant position within the Feng Family.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°I am the eldest son of the Feng Family¡¯s main branch.


    If nothing unexpected had happened, I would have taken over the Feng Family in a few decades,¡± Feng Yue¡¯s lips twitched, and a flicker of pain passed through his eyes as he spoke.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Hearing this, Han Li knew that as he had suspected, the other party was indeed troubled, even suggesting that something had befallen the Feng Family itself.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    It wasn¡¯t his concern, so Han Li didn¡¯t ask anything related to the matter.


    Instead, he fixed his gaze on the young man and asked the question he was most eager to have answered, ¡°What is the relationship between your Feng Family and the Great Jin Buddhism Sect?


    Don¡¯t say you don¡¯t know anything.


    Since the heirloom can be blessed with such profound Buddhist Spirit Light, there certainly is some relationship.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°There is indeed some connection between the Buddhist Sect and our Feng Family.


    One of our ancestors was once a secular disciple at Thousand Lights Temple in Guanning, and Thousand Lights Temple is a branch of the Great Buddhist Sect, the Jin Luo Sect.


    Originally, our Feng Family practiced Buddhist cultivation techniques.


    However, since the Thousand Lights Temple moved out of Liaozhou and returned to its main sect several hundred years ago, the disciples of our Feng Family switched to practicing Confucian Cultivational Arts,¡± Feng Yue paused briefly, but seeing no need to hide anything, he replied straightforwardly.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li felt a surge of joy upon hearing this, although he didn¡¯t know about Thousand Lights Temple, he had indeed heard of the Jin Luo Sect, one of the Four Great Sects of Buddhism in Great Jin.


    It seemed the Feng Family¡¯s cultivation in the past was indeed the most orthodox of Buddhist cultivation techniques.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Do you know all of these Buddhist cultivation techniques?¡± Han Li pressed on.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°I have no interest in practicing Buddhist cultivation techniques, so why would I remember these incantations?


    However, our Feng Family does preserve the methods for practicing these techniques,¡± Feng Yue hesitated for a moment before responding.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    At this point, he realized that this profoundly unfathomable person before him seemed to be after the Buddhist cultivation techniques, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised within himself.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    You see, although Buddhist cultivation techniques are known for their tremendous power in the later stages, their slow advancement and stringent requirements are famously known among Great Jin¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators.


    Not many willingly practice Buddhist incantations.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Han Li, ask him about that ancestor of their sect.


    What realm did he reach, and did he manage to cultivate a Buddha Relic?


    Only a Buddhist with a Buddha Relic could possibly have a method to dispel Evil Qi,¡± Monarch Great Development suddenly interjected a reminder.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li was already somewhat familiar with Buddha Relics, having studied texts about them before coming to Great Jin.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Buddha Relics are unique to Buddhists, appearing for some during the Core Formation Stage, while for others, not until the Nascent Soul Stage.


    There seems to be no pattern to when they emerge, making them quite mysterious to non-Buddhist cultivators.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    One thing is clear, though: many of Buddhism¡¯s advanced techniques and Divine Skills can only be cultivated and used once a Buddha Relic has been formed.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Thus, cultivators from other sects, even those with much higher cultivation levels, regard those who have managed to produce a Buddha Relic with considerable wariness.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Han Li nodded inwardly, and calmly posed the same question to Feng Yue.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Buddha Relic?


    Indeed, my ancestor managed to cultivate such a relic.


    Had it not been for his limited aptitude in other aspects preventing him from breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, it is likely he would not have become disheartened and gone on to establish the Ningzhong Feng Family,¡± Feng Yue replied with a slight frown upon hearing this.


    ¡°`


    Han Li¡¯s spirit surged.


    It seemed he was in luck; maybe he didn¡¯t need to venture deep into Great Jin to find a technique to dispel the Evil Qi.


    With this thought, Han Li smiled faintly, and his expression relaxed.


    ¡°Now I have one more question.


    After you answer it, we can be done.¡±


    ¡°Whatever else you wish to know, just ask!¡± Feng Yue said with a forced smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so why would that person use such an extraordinary poison as Bitter Poison against you?


    You should know that in some ways, the Ten Extreme Poisons can even be more valuable than some precious medicinal pills.


    If he intended to capture you alive, he would not have used this poison.


    But if he really wanted to kill you, with his Core Formation Stage cultivation, it seems he would not have to go through such trouble.¡± Han Li slowly voiced the question that had been circling in his mind.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it¡¯s about.


    You don¡¯t know that this treacherous Feng Zhen was actually a Devilish Loose Cultivator taken in by our Feng Family years ago.


    He offended a powerful individual and was pursued for it.


    To stay alive, he volunteered to serve our Feng Family and even changed his name.


    At that time, my grandfather was still alive, and our Feng Family was still prospering, which is why we could protect him.


    Before, he had been responsible for trade dealings with some of the Soaring Tribes on behalf of the Feng Family.


    I came here looking for him as well.


    But I did not expect that he had secretly sided with the Kong Family, only to reveal his presence and lure me here.


    As for using Bitter Poison, naturally, he had already been subjected to the Feng Family¡¯s unique secret technique.


    As long as it¡¯s a main lineage Foundation Establishment and above cultivator of the Feng Family, they can use magic to restrict their cultivation.


    How could I have been utterly powerless to fight back if he hadn¡¯t used Bitter Poison to secretly attack me?¡± Feng Yue¡¯s face darkened upon hearing Han Li bring up this matter.


    ¡°I see.


    It¡¯s said that Bitter Poison is colorless and shapeless and can cause a cultivator with inferior cultivation to weaken and faint instantly upon contact.


    That Kong Family seems to be a major threat to your Feng Family,¡± Han Li said, tilting his head, somewhat enlightened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.


    Along with the Zhang and Jin Families, the Kong Family and our Feng Family are considered the four major wealthy families of immortal cultivators in Guanning Prefecture.


    We had always kept our waters separate, but unexpectedly, in recent years, just as our Feng Family weakened a little, the Kong Family suddenly banded together with the other two families to strike at us in secret,¡± Feng Yue explained, his face twisting with ferocity.


    He was a scion of a prominent family, now destitute and wandering on the plains of a Foreign Race, his life hanging by a thread.


    Naturally, he loathed these three families to the point of gnashing his teeth.


    ¡°I have no interest in the disputes among your families.


    But I am quite satisfied with your answer.


    Now, let¡¯s talk about the Sky Yuan Pill.


    I don¡¯t have many left, probably about a dozen or so.


    They should allow you to hang on for another ten days or so.


    However, each of these pills is worth thousands of Spirit Stones.


    Are you sure you can afford it?¡± Han Li spoke flatly.


    Thousands of Spirit Stones.


    Even with an inkling of what to expect, Feng Yue was still shocked by the price-a sum that was equivalent to that of a top-grade Magic Artifact.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy them.¡± Feng Yue¡¯s expression hesitated only briefly before he resolutely agreed, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Do you have tens of thousands of Spirit Stones on you?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrow lifted as he gave the young man a few discerning looks, speaking half-jokingly.


    He did not believe that the other party carried that many Spirit Stones on him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have tens of thousands of Spirit Stones on me, but I can use this as collateral.¡± Feng Yue yanked off the silver key hanging around his neck and passed it over without any hesitation.


    It looked like he had already contemplated this in privacy.


    ¡°Feng¡¯s Hideout?¡± Han Li eyed the key without speaking, not immediately taking it.


    But he knew the other party would explain it on their own initiative.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.


    This is the only Magic Artifact that can open the secret vault that our Feng Family has been collecting for over a thousand years.


    As the direct elder grandson of the Feng Family, I was naturally entrusted with the key on the day of the family¡¯s disaster, and I escaped with it.


    Although I¡¯ve never been there, the collection inside is certainly worth far more than tens of thousands of Spirit Stones,¡± Feng Yue stated calmly.


    ¡°Using this item as collateral?


    How can I be sure of the authenticity of this key?


    Even if it¡¯s genuine, by giving it to me, are you saying you have no intention of seeing the Feng Family rise again?¡± asked Han Li, his face devoid of any expression, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.


    ¡°What chance is there for a resurgence?


    To my knowledge, besides me, the others who escaped from the Feng Family are just servants and disciples of the outer branches.


    As of now, I am the only direct disciple left.


    Otherwise, I would have gathered other clan members long ago instead of coming to the plains alone.


    If I die, the bloodline of the Feng Family will be severed, and the secret vault will ultimately fall into the hands of the Kong Family.


    They will eventually find it.


    Thus, it¡¯s better for me to try to save my own life with it.


    If I can¡¯t find a way to remove this poison within ten days, the secret vault is yours to keep, which is much better than letting it fall into the hands of the Kong Family.


    Moreover, the Buddhist Cultivation Technique that you are most interested in is also placed inside the secret vault,¡± Feng Yue said, a gloomy look on his face.


    Han Li pondered silently for a while before finally speaking calmly:


    ¡°Fine, you may exchange the pill for this key.


    But before that, I need you to cooperate with me, to let me search your Divine Sense for the truth about the key and the Buddhist Cultivation Technique.


    Otherwise, I don¡¯t want this secret vault, nor do I wish to be toyed with.¡±


    ¡°Soul Searching?


    Isn¡¯t that a Divine Skill only Nascent Soul cultivators can perform?


    How could you possibly¡­!¡± Upon hearing this, Feng Yue¡¯s face turned pale, showing a look of fear.


    ¡°A forceful Soul Search would indeed require Nascent Soul Stage or above cultivation.


    However, if the person on whom the technique is used cooperates, there is no need for such complications.


    Besides, my secret technique is quite different from the ordinary Soul Searching Technique.


    Although I, at the Foundation Stage, cannot delve into complicated matters, identifying the truth or falsehood of something from the Divine Sense is still quite easy,¡± Han Li said with pursed lips, who then smiled revealing snowy white teeth that glittered with a chilling gleam.


    Seeing Han Li with such an expression, Feng Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill in his heart.


    As a member of a wealthy family, he was well aware of how terrifying Soul Searching was, and under normal circumstances, he would never consent to such a dangerous thing.


    But looking down at his blackened hands and contemplating the consequences of refusal, he felt a wave of helplessness inside.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll cooperate with your spell.


    But you can only explore the matters related to the secret vault and Buddhism.


    You cannot touch anything else, and I won¡¯t open up to you,¡± said Feng Yue, clenching his fists firmly, taking a deep breath and speaking resolutely.


    (First more!) (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 891 - Chapter 891 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 788 Crisis

    ?Chapter 891: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 788 Crisis Chapter 891: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 788 Crisis ¡°This is of course.


    As for other matters, I have no interest in knowing either.


    Let¡¯s consider this transaction complete.


    This place draws too much attention, follow me to another location to cast spells,¡± Han Li said with a hint of a smile on his face.


    Without waiting for the other party to agree, he swept his sleeve across the young man¡¯s face.


    A streak of azure light rolled out, enveloping Feng Yue¡¯s head directly.


    Instantly, the young man swayed and toppled over but was then caught by the azure light at his waist, gently floating upward.


    Although Han Li¡¯s cultivation had been sealed, his skillful use of mana still remained impeccable, far beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    At this time, the second Nascent Soul that had transformed into a cloud of black smoke also shot out from the nearby forest.


    In a flash, it reverted to the appearance of a baby in front of Han Li, with one hand still clutching the three-edged spike and the other holding onto the soul of the Elder Ying.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use in keeping it, just extinguish it,¡± Han Li said nonchalantly after glancing at the soul of the old man.


    Upon hearing this, the second Nascent Soul giggled with its mouth gaping wide, and suddenly a black-green flame burst out from its tightly clenched hand.


    With a tremble, the green sphere of light silently dissipated into smoke in the flames.


    At the same time, Han Li flicked his finger, propelling a chicken egg-sized fireball that struck the remains of the old man¡¯s corpse.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    The flames soared to the sky, completely eradicating any trace of the Elder Ying from this world.


    Afterward, Han Li stretched out his hand toward the ground, summoning a storage pouch and the small red sword; both flew into his hand.


    After clearing up the remaining conspicuous traces, Han Li lifted Feng Yue with his instrument and soared into the sky, heading back to the pile of chaotic rocks where he had previously been meditating.


    Without his cultivation unsealed, he naturally had to be even more cautious.


    However, speaking of which, Han Li was quite frustrated at the moment.


    Although his Divine Sense was immensely powerful, comparable to that of late Nascent Soul cultivators, under normal circumstances, he dared not extend his Divine Sense too far.


    Instead, he had to actively constrain most of it.


    Otherwise, should he be detected by a Great Immortal Master of the Soaring Tribes or other Soaring Tribe Immortal Masters who cultivated secret Divine Sense techniques, it would really be a dead end for him.


    But if he only retracted his Divine Sense to the nearby vicinity, he might risk being approached closely by high-grade Soaring Tribe cultivators without even realizing it.


    Back in the central Heaventide Prairies while cultivating Gold Devouring Bugs, he was discovered partly because of slight negligence and carelessness.


    But more so, because he kept his Divine Sense retracted nearby.


    As a result, a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator chasing after demon beasts rushed over, with a speed seemingly no less than that of late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    A distance of over twenty miles was covered in an instant.


    Even though he noticed, it was too late to collect the bugs and leave, thus suffering an undeserved calamity.


    Yet, in the vastness of the Heaventide Prairies, it was sheer coincidence to encounter a mid Nascent Soul stage Soaring Tribe Immortal Master adept in the art of flight.


    He couldn¡¯t tell whether the other party was just incredibly unlucky, or if he was the more unfortunate of the two!


    He believed that if either party had the slightest inkling of the other¡¯s Divine Skills, perhaps they would not have engaged in combat.


    Whenever he thought of this, Han Li felt a mix of laughter and tears.


    Now, he was indeed suffering from backlash of Evil Qi, and his mana had been sealed as a consequence.


    The opponent had merely escaped with one-seventh of his Nascent Soul using that peculiar Divine Skill, probably suffering a great loss in cultivation.


    Who knows how long it would take to recover?


    For some reason, Han Li thought of this again while in the air.


    He sighed and returned to the sky above the pile of chaotic rocks, gracefully descending.


    ¡­


    A day later, Han Li returned to his resting place as planned.


    Now, there were noticeably fewer tents than there had been two days prior.


    It seemed that some tribes had finished their rest and had begun their journey one after another.


    But when Han Li returned to the Heron Branch¡¯s tent, Ying Lu and the others had already prepared and had the carriages ready, waiting for Han Li, the Immortal Master, to return.


    Upon seeing Han Li, Ying Lu was naturally overjoyed, quickly inviting Han Li to board the carriage.


    Then, he drove the convoy away from the spot, heading straight for the exit on the other side of the encampment.


    Han Li sat in the same carriage, gently closed his eyes, and was preparing to rest for a bit.


    However, what he didn¡¯t expect was that just after the carriage had left the entrance, it suddenly creaked to a halt.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed as he opened his eyes.


    Without lifting the curtain, he extended his Divine Sense outward a bit, paying attention to the surrounding situation.


    Before long, several small caravans arrived one after another.


    The leaders of the caravans all greeted Ying Lu courteously and then merged their teams together.


    It was then that Han Li realized that the leader from the Heron Branch, in his two-day absence, had actually united many small tribes to set out together.


    In these caravans, there was a cultivator in charge of escorting each, but their cultivation levels were naturally unbearable to witness.


    Among them, the Immortal Masters of two caravans were even at the Qi Refinement Realm, and according to what the Soaring Tribes said, they did not even have the official qualifications of an Immortal Master.


    It was unknown how these two tribes were pulled into the caravan.


    Han Li, with his sealed mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, had instead become the highest in overall cultivation in the combined caravan.


    Han Li stroked his chin, shaking his head with a wry smile.


    In his view, bringing these people on the journey not only provided no help but added some burden.


    At this time, the Red Wolf Branch¡¯s caravan also hurriedly arrived.


    When Han Li saw a particular carriage among their team, his gaze flickered a few times, and he was about to retract his Divine Sense.


    Suddenly, another extremely faint Divine Sense brushed over the caravan.


    Had it not been for Han Li¡¯s far superior Divine Sense, he might not have been able to detect it at all.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and without much thought, he hurriedly concealed his aura.


    Indeed, after that strand of Divine Sense swept across the entire caravan, it immediately turned back to check the carriages with cultivators.


    After hovering around Han Li for a few rounds a moment later, it found nothing and flew out of the carriage without yield.


    Han Li¡¯s face turned gloomy as he coldly glanced in the direction of the encampment he had just come from.


    Meanwhile, at the same time, on the second-floor balcony of a green stone tower in the encampment, three members of the Soaring Tribes stood looking in the direction of the caravan where Han Li and others were located.


    The leader, a bald-browed elder, suddenly let out a soft ¡°hmm¡± and abruptly opened his originally closed eyes, showing a hint of confusion on his face.


    ¡°Elder Ying, did you find that person?¡± asked the large man anxiously, his face tense, among the two cultivators, a man and a woman, standing behind the elder.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Rest assured.


    It¡¯s not that foreign tribesman.


    Instead, one person seems to have been severely poisoned; yet, despite being enveloped in poison, they have not died, which is somewhat strange,¡± said the bald-browed elder, glancing at the large man with some dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Martial uncle, Brother Li is just a bit worried.


    Of course, martial uncle is certainly not afraid of that foreigner.


    But with only martial uncle here as a Nascent Soul cultivator, and that person being so fierce, even if martial uncle can hold up, if so many small tribal leaders and low-ranking Immortal Masters get involved, that would be bad.


    We can¡¯t bear the responsibility,¡± hurriedly said the woman in the palace attire, smiling as she tried to smooth things over for the large man.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to flatter me.


    If the other party was not seriously injured, even two or three of me would not be his match.


    But now, since he has been hit by the Great Immortal Master¡¯s Immortal-Capturing Hand, he is no longer to be feared.


    For the next while, I will be stationed here to prevent him from slipping through.


    The method for cultivating Gold Devouring Bugs on the foreigner¡¯s body, the Holy Temple must obtain it.


    Moreover, not just your encampment, but all nearby encampments will have late-stage Immortal Masters like me stationed in them progressively,¡± explained the bald-browed elder indifferently.


    ¡°By that time, once the Heaventide nets are laid out, the Endless Sky Saintess and another Great Immortal Master will also arrive at the nearby Holy Temple.


    Once the Spirit Awakening Ceremony is over, the Saintess and the two Great Immortal Masters will use the Holy Artifact to call upon the disciples of the sacred sect protecting beasts and then, with the might of the sacred beasts, swiftly locate the foreigner¡¯s hiding place.


    Then, it will be hard for the foreigner to fly even if he grows wings,¡± the bald-browed elder calmly said.


    ¡°So that was the case.


    I wondered why the Immortal Masters who gave the orders, after doing so, never sent anyone to urge our actions,¡± said the woman in palace attire, visibly relieved.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Your little tricks, who could they fool?


    But it¡¯s not your fault.


    Even if that person was seriously injured, you are not his match.


    This is true not just for you but also for other searching parties elsewhere; those with lower cultivation are more or less in the same situation.


    We old fellows don¡¯t really expect to use a tactic like startling the snake to flush out the prey to find this person.


    After all, the foreigner¡¯s Escape Technique is truly extraordinary.


    Not only is he proficient in the Earth Escape Technique, but the blood-colored escape method he used to flee for his life is extremely strange.


    Even if he¡¯s discovered, without a Great Immortal Master present, it is impossible to capture him.


    We are the same.


    However, you now know this information.


    You must still do what¡¯s required on the surface and continue to occasionally search the area,¡± the elder said with a hum.


    ¡°Yes, elder (martial uncle),¡± after exchanging a look, the large man and the woman in the palace attire couldn¡¯t help but joyfully respond.


    After all, both had been somewhat worried about their previously perfunctory behavior.


    But now, with the elder¡¯s clear words, they felt completely at ease.


    ¡°By the way, Elder Ying, since you¡¯ve just noticed that the poisoned person in the caravan is a bit strange, do you want us to keep him so you can investigate the cause before we proceed?¡± said the large man, somewhat ingratiatingly.


    ¡°That person¡­¡± The bald-browed elder was moved, stroking his beard as he pondered.


    ¡°Forget it.


    That person must have either taken some Spirit Pill or carried some Poison-warding Treasure that allowed them to survive like that.


    There is nothing too mysterious about it.


    But his sect elders should have some background.


    And I noticed that there is death energy on him; he probably won¡¯t last a few days.


    If he dies on our side, I¡¯m afraid it will cause some trouble,¡± the bald-browed elder waved his hand and continued to speak.


    ¡°Yes, we will follow the elder¡¯s words.¡± Flattering had hit the horse¡¯s hoof.


    The large man showed an embarrassed look.


    And at that moment, the bald-browed elder glanced once more towards the direction of the caravan, inadvertently frowning.


    Just now, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was an illusion, but his eyelids twitched lightly when he first swept through the caravan.


    Suddenly, he felt an unusual oppressive aura from another cultivator in the caravan for a split second.


    But the sensation was too fleeting, and when he checked the second time to see what was happening, he didn¡¯t feel anything unusual about that person anymore.


    This left him somewhat puzzled and indecisive.


    (Second update!)(To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters and your support for the author and for genuine reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 892 - Chapter 892 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 789 The Huge Canvas

    ?Chapter 892: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 789 The Huge Canvas Chapter 892: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 789 The Huge Canvas The sensation the other party gave him, there were only two possible truths.


    Either his Divine Sense had made an error just before, or he faced a cultivator whose Divine Sense far exceeded his own, and it was very likely that foreign tribesman.


    But regardless of which result was unveiled, it seemed neither was particularly good for him.


    The first scenario was still tolerable, at worst he¡¯d only lose some face in front of two juniors and suffer some damage to his reputation.


    If it was the latter, however, the trouble would be truly significant.


    Despite his appearance of confidence in front of the large man and the woman in palace attire, as if capturing the gravely injured foreign tribesman was an easy feat, in reality, as one of the cultivators who had participated in the blockade battle, he was greatly fearful of the foreign tribesman¡¯s Divine Skills and their ferociousness in facing multiple enemies alone.


    He remembered very clearly the tragic end of the fallen cultivators, their bodies completely turned into purple ice, their Nascent Souls frozen solid.


    Even if the foreign tribesman was truly injured, to drag him down to death alongside him would probably be an effortless matter, he guessed.


    Forget it, there weren¡¯t any other Nascent Soul cultivators nearby.


    It was better not to take the risk to confirm such a dangerous and uncertain guess that could endanger one¡¯s life.


    In any case, the Great Immortal Master and the Endless Sky Saintess would soon personally deal with this person.


    After weighing the grave circumstances in his mind, the bald-browed elder sighed lightly, dismissing the thought of pursuing the carriage to stop the other party.


    If he were two hundred years younger, maybe he would have actually wanted to take the risk.


    But now, with not much time left, he increasingly treasured his life.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.??


    The bald-browed elder watched as the carriage convoy gradually moved away, standing motionless in place, causing the young man and woman behind him to exchange surprised looks.


    Yet they didn¡¯t have the courage to inquire further.


    a€|


    Han Li¡¯s heart also relaxed after the carriage had traveled more than ten miles without seeing the Divine Sense of the person from the station following them.


    The Divine Sense that had searched for him earlier was incredibly fast, and although Han Li had reacted promptly, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to the sudden drop in his cultivation level.


    It seemed he had retracted his Divine Sense slightly too late, and he wasn¡¯t sure whether he had truly fooled the other party.


    Moreover, such subtle and secretive Divine Sense was evidently cultivated with a very special secret technique.


    Feeling slightly more at ease, he continued to cautiously conceal his aura and recuperate inside the carriage.


    After traveling the better part of the day, Han Li¡¯s expression relaxed, and he began to slowly extend his Divine Sense again, naturally enveloping the anomalies within a radius of over twenty miles around him.


    He then took out the storage pouch of the eagle-eyed old man from his chest, inverted it, and a large pile of odds and ends poured out amidst the flashing white light.


    His gaze swept over the pile, and Han Li reached for a small bottle, opened the cap, and sniffed it.


    After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and moved on.


    He lifted another bottle, performing the same action as if searching for something specific.


    Finally, when he opened the cap of an inconspicuous green jade bottle, a wisp of purple mist flew out before Han Li could even identify the contents.


    His face darkened, and without thinking, he opened his mouth and a mass of green light shot out, wrapping the purple mist inside.


    But in a moment, the green light turned black as it spread from inside to out.


    Han Li¡¯s face changed drastically, and taking advantage of the instant before the green light was completely corrupted, he blew on it fiercely, and the ball of light shot back into the bottle.


    Han Li quickly capped the bottle.


    He then exhaled a long breath of relief.


    It was worth the busy vigilance; obtaining some residual poison was also no small benefit.


    The ten ultimate poisons were generally something one would not encounter by chance.


    And for the Kong Family to possess such a poison, it truly was not ordinary.


    He carefully stored the bottle back in the storage pouch.


    With a thought, he extended a wisp of Divine Sense into one of the carriages of the Fire Wolf Tribe.


    Inside, Feng Yue was holding a fist-sized bead with both hands, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.


    Black mist was being fed into the bead from his hands, turning it dark and shiny.


    In front of him was a large collection of herb bottles, most of which had their caps already opened and various colored medicinal pills scattered messily on the side.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li shook his head and withdrew his Divine Sense.


    He could tell at a glance that although the bead was a rare and valuable treasure capable of absorbing some poison, it had reached its capacity.


    Furthermore, the poison it absorbed would likely regenerate soon after, which would be useless against the bitterness deep inside the body.


    Feng Yue¡¯s hope of using the next ten or so days to delay and remove the poison was nothing but wishful thinking.


    With this thought in his mind, Han Li closed his eyes indifferently and entered a meditative state.


    a€|


    In the following seven or eight days, the journey was relatively peaceful.


    Only a couple of low-level Iron Hoof beasts that didn¡¯t watch their step ran into the caravan.


    The result was a few happy Soaring Tribes Immortal Masters bombarding them with Magic Artifacts, turning them into spoils of war.


    Only Han Li, Feng Yue, and another Soaring Tribes Immortal Master escorting the caravan, stayed inside the carriage without taking action.


    Feng Yue was still understandably reluctant.


    However, the other cultivator who also disliked going out had piqued Han Li¡¯s interest.


    After a slight probe with his Divine Sense, he found nothing unusual.


    It was merely a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old man, diligently cultivating all day, seemingly just a hardworking Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.


    After probing a few times, Han Li lost interest.


    It was the constantly vigilant Feng Yue who, after failing a series of detoxification methods, began to look anxious and restless, occasionally showing signs of despair on his face.


    His originally black hair had also gradually turned gray.


    No wonder, anyone who realized their death was imminent and felt powerless to change it, merely enduring the agony alone, was not something ordinary mortals could withstand.


    The fact that the young man hadn¡¯t broken down immediately was surprising to Han Li.


    However, in his heart, he was silently counting the days.


    The only direct descendant of the Feng Family could only survive for two or three more days at most.


    Han Li himself had already comprehended the Oracular Formula given by Monarch Great Development two days earlier, and he felt much more at ease.


    Even if his identity were exposed and Nascent Soul cultivators suddenly attacked and besieged him, he would not need to be overly frightened.


    In the afternoon of that day, nearing evening, a convoy of several hundred people stopped when they reached the side of a wide river, spanning several hundred feet across.


    They began to replenish their water supplies and started cooking for a rest.


    While Han Li listened to the nearby sound of the flowing river, a thought struck him, and he actually left the carriage.


    ¡°Sir Immortal, do you have any instructions?¡± The delicate girl named Ying Shan, who was holding something like a dried piece of meat and eating it, saw Han Li come out and hastily, with a flushed face, threw aside the food, and respectfully saluted Han Li.


    Having traveled together for such a long time, it was the first time Han Li had left the carriage by himself, which couldn¡¯t help but cause the girl some panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I just wanted to take a look around after sitting in meditation in the carriage for so long,¡± Han Li said gently, his gaze passing over the girl¡¯s tender face and then to the tough-looking food.


    ¡°Then¡­


    Sir Han, shall I get you some clean water?¡± The girl still seemed a little flustered.


    ¡°That sounds good.


    Although I have already undergone fasting, I do need to drink some clean water,¡± Han Li said, nodding toward the large river not far away.


    Upon hearing this, the girl felt much relieved and immediately agreed cheerfully, taking a water skin and running towards the river.


    There, people from various tribes had started bonfires and placed chunks of beef and mutton on skewers to roast.


    Han Li watched the girl¡¯s slender figure with something stirring in his heart, his lips unintentionally revealing a slight smile.


    In a short while, the girl returned, one hand holding the water skin and the other a piece of roasted meat, somewhat out of breath, and somewhat embarrassedly handed both items over to Han Li.


    ¡°Sir Immortal, this roasted meat tastes quite good.


    Would you like to try some?¡± The girl offered earnestly.


    ¡°Alright!


    It¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve tasted such things.


    Having some should be quite nice,¡± Han Li said with a light chuckle, accepting the roasted meat without refusal and taking a bite.


    It did taste rather good.


    Seeing this, a charming smile also appeared on the girl¡¯s innocent face.


    ¡°You¡¯re preparing to attend the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, aren¡¯t you?


    You¡¯ve been by my carriage all these days, which must have been hard on you.


    Stretch out your hand.


    Let me see the quality of your Spiritual Root,¡± Han Li said comfortably after taking a bite, casually setting aside the roasted meat before addressing the girl.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Sir Immortal,¡± Ying Shan, startled by Han Li¡¯s words at first, immediately showed an undisguised excitement and stretched out her arm.


    Han Li grabbed the girl¡¯s wrist, circulated his Spiritual Energy within her body and began to ponder.


    In fact, if it weren¡¯t for his cultivation falling to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he really wouldn¡¯t need to touch her body to see through her with a secret technique.


    ¡°Sir Han, how is my aptitude?


    Do I have a chance to become an Immortal Master?¡± The girl couldn¡¯t help asking, hope evident on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite good.


    Becoming an Immortal Master shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    However, it¡¯s also your fortune to have met me.


    Take this bottle of medicinal pills before the Spirit Awakening Ceremony,¡± Han Li released his fingers, flipped his other palm, and a milky white bottle appeared in his hand, which he then handed to the girl.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± The girl took the bottle, somewhat bemused.


    ¡°Although it isn¡¯t any rare or precious medicine, it can still improve some of your conditions and perhaps give you further progress on the path of Immortal Cultivation,¡± Han Li said nonchalantly.


    Such a medicinal pill capable of cleansing the marrow of a low-level Cultivator was, naturally, something he no longer found impressive.


    ¡°Thank you so much for the gift, Sir Immortal!¡± The girl was delighted and hastily expressed her gratitude with another bow.


    ¡°Get up.


    How far you can go in the future is up to you.


    By the way, this river seems so vast; could it be a tributary of the Skywater River that runs across the southern region?¡± Han Li gestured dismissively and his gaze drifted from the girl as he suddenly inquired about the river before them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Sir Immortal.


    This is indeed one of the tributaries of the Skywater River.


    If we continue forward for over a hundred miles, we will see the main stream of the Skywater River.


    That is the real Skywater River,¡± the girl said happily after carefully putting away the bottle.


    Han Li, hearing this, said no more, but the information about the Skywater River began to flood his mind.


    If he remembered correctly, this river was impossibly long, the largest river of the Heaventide Prairies.


    One end of it was the same as the Shun River within the territory of Great Jin, and interestingly, they were upstream and downstream of each other.


    A certain idea vaguely formed in his heart, and he couldn¡¯t help but muse.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and he suddenly looked up towards the sky on the other side of the river, his expression growing tense.


    ¡°Quickly inform your tribal leader to say something is flying towards us.


    It¡¯s uncertain if it¡¯s just passing by or if it¡¯s coming for us,¡± Han Li instructed the girl with a solemn voice.


    Ying Shan was startled by his words and quickly nodded like a pecking chicken.


    Then she dashed towards Ying Lu and the other leaders by the riverbank.


    A moment later, there was a commotion at the river as everyone frantically scattered and sprinted back.


    However, before most people had even reached their vehicles, a green light flickered in the distant horizon.


    A low, ominous hum then spread through the air, and a huge bat enveloped in green light appeared, growing from small to large in the sky.


    Its ferocious and terrifying appearance caused the heart of every ordinary mortal in the convoy to leap with fright.


    The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Soaring Tribes, who had stayed in the vehicles, also emerged one after another, all with grave expressions as they watched attentively.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are more frequent, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 893 - Chapter 893 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 890 Gold Flame Stone

    ?Chapter 893: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 890 Gold Flame Stone Chapter 893: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 890 Gold Flame Stone Han Li¡¯s gaze did not fall on the giant bat but instead shifted toward the cultivators standing on its massive back.


    Although they were still a great distance apart, the blue light glittering in his pupils allowed him to clearly see the appearances of these few people.


    His heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat.


    This group consisted of eight people, four men and four women.


    The men wore brocade robes and jade belts, dressed richly, whereas the women wore white robes and red shoes with golden belts around their waists, clearly not the attire of the Soaring Tribes.


    Han Li felt a trace of astonishment.


    However, what reassured him was that, except for the two leaders who were at the Core Formation Stage, the rest were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    It seemed they hadn¡¯t come specifically for him.


    Just as Han Li¡¯s thoughts raced, the gigantic bat, which spanned fifty to sixty feet, had already flown over the caravan.


    With a few powerful flaps of its massive wings, it came to an abrupt stop.


    A gust of wind rushed directly toward the caravan.


    Several of the directly hit vehicles were flipped over, and bags, boxes, and other items were flung out, breaking apart.


    Numerous ores and herbs scattered across the ground.


    As for the ordinary mortals blown down by the fierce wind, there were quite a few.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï


    At this, the originally slightly perturbed Soaring Tribes¡¯ Immortal Masters were even more terrified and looked at each other in shock.


    ¡°Who is the leader here?


    Come forward and speak,¡± a man in his forties on the giant bat glanced down at the caravan and coldly spoke in the Soaring Tribes¡¯ language.


    This person was one of the Core Formation cultivators; the other was a woman in her twenties dressed in white, who, although quite attractive, had a frosty demeanor.


    Upon hearing this, Ying Lu¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward, bending over to speak politely.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t referring to ordinary mortals but to you Immortal Masters,¡± the man¡¯s expression darkened impatiently and with a single flap of the creature¡¯s wings, another fierce wind came, nearly blowing Ying Lu off balance, causing him to stagger repeatedly and almost fall to the ground.


    Seeing this, the rest of the Soaring Tribes¡¯ Immortal Masters grew even more frightened,


    It seemed the newcomers were up to no good.


    Thus, in the next moment, all their gazes turned toward Han Li.


    After all, in the realm of immortal cultivators, the one with the highest cultivation naturally became the leader, which seemed justifiable.


    Seeing this situation, Han Li felt a wave of irritation in his heart.


    However, he also noticed something.


    That was, until now, Feng Yue and another Soaring Tribes cultivator had yet to emerge from their vehicles.


    It was understandable that Feng Yue hadn¡¯t come out, given that he was nearing his death and didn¡¯t care about offending higher-level cultivators, but the other person, equally a Foundation Establishment cultivator, also daringly stayed inside.


    This was highly suspicious!


    ¡°Could these people have come specifically for him?¡± Han Li thought to himself.


    ¡°May I ask what brings the two esteemed seniors and fellow Daoists here?


    Is there someone specific you are looking for, or is there some other errand?


    We will do our utmost to cooperate,¡± Han Li reluctantly stepped forward and calmly spoke.


    Hearing his unimposing yet firm speech, the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes flashed coldly, circled around the cloak above Han Li¡¯s head, and then, expressionlessly, said,


    ¡°When speaking with me, remove your cloak first.


    I want to see your face clearly.¡±


    Han Li, upon hearing this, felt irritated; however, since their previous engagements with the Soaring Tribes¡¯ Immortal Masters had never revealed his true face, it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    He then removed his cloak, exposing his utterly ordinary face.


    All the men and women on the giant bat simultaneously focused their gaze on Han Li¡¯s face, and Han Li even felt bursts of probing intent from the man¡¯s eyes, apparently casting some covert magic technique to observe him.


    ¡°He is using his real appearance.


    It¡¯s not the traitor,¡± the man said after a moment, his icy gaze softening toward the Core Formation woman beside him.


    The woman nodded upon hearing this and shifted her gaze across the other Soaring Tribes cultivators, shaking her head as well.


    Then, the man turned to Han Li and said indifferently,


    ¡°Call out your companions.


    We are looking for someone, suspecting that they might be hiding in your caravan.


    Once found, we will leave.


    We won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    The man said such words, but after whispering lowly, he immediately waved his hand.


    The other six Foundation Establishment men and women immediately flew out, hovering above the vehicles where Feng Yue and the other unexposed Soaring Tribes cultivator were, clearly having identified their target.


    Both carriages remained unnervingly silent until now.


    The others, seeing this, didn¡¯t dare to even breathe loudly.


    The man with the last name Ba and the warlord hiring another person turned pale instantly.


    Han Li frowned but said nothing.


    Giant Bat¡¯s man saw no movement inside the carriage, and couldn¡¯t help but sneer, flipping his hand to summon several fireballs the size of fists.


    With a light flick, all the fireballs shot straight towards one of the carriages.


    Just then, a bitter laugh finally came from that carriage.


    ¡°Commander!


    I have already escaped to Heaventide Prairies, so far away.


    Why must you annihilate me completely?


    Do you really intend to put me to death?¡± Before the voice even fell, the entire carriage exploded, and then a dense white cold air collided with the fireballs, extinguishing them instantly.


    A brawny young man, holding a shining white bead, appeared on the spot.


    His expression was indecisive.


    Upon seeing this, the cultivators from the Giant Bat revealed joy.


    ¡°Jiang Jianying, the Snow Crystal Bead is indeed in your hands.


    The Palace Master ordered you to take this bead and invite Elder Xuan Bing from Northern Frigid Mountain.


    Yet you dared to flee with it.


    What more can you say?


    Wisely return with us.


    Perhaps we can still spare a remnant of your soul.¡± The man¡¯s joyful expression disappeared as he spoke ferociously.


    At the same time, six Foundation Establishment cultivators shifted their positions, blocking the brawny young man¡¯s sides and his retreat.


    ¡°To send me to invite Elder Xuan Bing was to make me a blood sacrifice!


    Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know the real intention behind assigning me this task.


    Isn¡¯t it because I have mutated spiritual roots, suitable to refine this bead for that fiendish being from Northern Xuan?


    If I hadn¡¯t run, I¡¯d truly be dead without a complete corpse!¡± Upon hearing this, the young man couldn¡¯t help but laugh in anger.


    ¡°Humph!


    So what if that is the case?


    Don¡¯t forget.


    Your current cultivation and realm were built by the various panaceas from the palace.


    Otherwise, decades ago, you were just a beggar and would have long turned to bones.


    Would you have even become a cultivator?


    Not to mention, the palace even arranged a marriage for you and allowed you to have descendants.


    Isn¡¯t it fair for you to repay the palace with your life?¡± Another Core Formation female coldly stated.


    ¡°Bullshit.


    If I didn¡¯t have the mutated spiritual roots, would the palace have taken me in?


    With my abilities, even if the palace didn¡¯t, I would eventually become a disciple of some sect sooner or later.


    As for marrying and having children, are these trivial favors supposed to cost me my life?


    The palace really has grand designs, huh?¡± The young man sneered, and without hesitation, he pushed up the white bead in his hand, releasing a dense white fog that enveloped him within a twenty-zhang radius.


    ¡°You¡¯ve harbored thoughts of rebellion for a long time, no wonder you even disregarded your wife and children.


    We¡¯ll just have to take you back to the palace for judgment.


    Do you think with this Snow Crystal Bead, you can oppose us?


    That¡¯s wishful thinking.¡± The woman said expressionlessly, waving her hand, causing the six Foundation Establishment cultivators to throw out a red spell flag in unison, merging into a mass of blazing red flames.


    A fire cloud, about the size of an acre, appeared above the cold fog and slowly pressed down.


    From the moment the young man appeared, these people had been conversing in the Great Jin language.


    Other Soaring Tribes had no idea what they were discussing, completely baffled.


    Han Li had learned the language of Great Jin long ago and was dumbfounded as he listened from the side.


    ¡°What palace?


    Commander?


    Listening to it, it seems quite different from the usual sects of immortal cultivators, rather more like those various forces in Scattered Stars Sea.


    Could it be that the realm of immortal cultivators in Great Jin is as chaotic and complex as that of Scattered Stars Sea?


    Although the Soaring Tribes did not understand the language of Great Jin, they could tell the situation was not good.


    The ordinary mortals had already quietly retreated and hid themselves.


    Those Soaring Tribe cultivators, fearing any misunderstandings, dared not rashly leave but could only fortify themselves with various protective shields to prevent accidental injuries.


    The fire cloud collided with the cold fog below, their hot and cold energies intertwining and flowing into whirls of chilling steam, sweeping across all directions.


    It didn¡¯t look alarming at all.


    Although the Snow Crystal Bead was mystical, the brash young man, being merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, didn¡¯t possess the capability to refine it, let alone manage it to his desire.


    During a sudden confrontation, the cold fog immediately fell into a disadvantage.


    The brash young man in the cold fog clearly realized the dire situation and desperately tried to maneuver the cold fog to break through the fire clouds.


    Yet, he was constantly trapped within the fire clouds by the combined efforts of the six cultivators.


    Before long, the cold fog gradually shrank.


    The young man desperately infused his mana into the bead, but still couldn¡¯t withstand the consumption caused by the fire clouds.


    After the duration of a meal, it ultimately dwindled to just a few yards in size.


    ¡°Commander Gu, it¡¯s time for you to act.


    He still has some use; we must capture him alive,¡± said the female in Core Formation Stage, turning her head to speak to the male.


    ¡°Rest assured.


    Leave this matter to Gu,¡± the man coldly nodded, his body transforming into a white rainbow that shot into the cold fog.


    Seeing this, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously cast spells to withdraw the surrounding fire clouds.


    The cold fog churned violently for a while, followed by a loud bang and a muffled groan.


    Subsequently, the cold fog gradually dispersed, revealing the situation within.


    The man stood proudly in place, holding the unconscious young man in one hand and the Snow Crystal Bead in the other.


    With the opponent¡¯s cultivation greatly reduced, the man, being in the Core Formation Stage, easily succeeded in one hit.


    The female in Core Formation Stage saw this and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°Keep an eye on him.


    This time, it hasn¡¯t been a wasted trip,¡± the man said, tossing the young man to one of his subordinates, then he shifted his gaze towards Han Li and the others, who had been watching the battle, contemplating.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not meddle any further.


    This is Heaventide Prairies, not our Nine Immortals Palace.


    Although we have notified the Heaventide Sanctuary, let¡¯s not cause any trouble.


    The Soaring Tribes are very protective!¡± the woman said, frowning.


    ¡°Understood, let¡¯s go.


    Eh, what¡¯s this¡­¡± the man nodded, about to leap back onto the Giant Bat when his gaze, by chance, fell upon something scattered on the ground, uttering a surprised light gasp.


    Han Li, following his gaze, saw a semi-transparent goose-egg shaped stone lying there.


    This stone was peculiar; its exterior was clear and transparent, but inside, a flame-like golden light moved unpredictably, emanating a strange glow.


    Most of the stone¡¯s surface was filthy, rendering it quite inconspicuous initially.


    However, after being washed by the steam, it now partially revealed its original appearance.


    ¡°Gold Flame Stone!


    It¡¯s actually a Gold Flame Stone!


    Han Li, your fortune is truly extraordinary,¡± Han Li felt it looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but it was Monarch Great Development who first expressed his surprise.


    He then remembered that this very item was the most crucial material needed to craft the imitation of the Seven Flames Fan!


    It had long been extinct in Tian Luo, and even in the Great Jin, Monarch Great Development was not entirely sure of its existence.


    At this moment, the man also seemed to recognize the origin of this stone, his eyes gleaming with ecstasy as he flashed over to the Gold Flame Stone.


    Bending over, he excitedly picked it up.


    (Second release!


    It¡¯s the latter part of the month, so those with monthly tickets, please cast one.


    Your support with monthly tickets is urgently needed.)(To be continued, for further details please log in to www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 894 - Chapter 894 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 891 Taking Action

    ?Chapter 894: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 891: Taking Action Chapter 894: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 891: Taking Action ¡°Whoosh!¡± With a flash of golden light before the man¡¯s eyes, the Gold Flame Stone unexpectedly soared into the air and shot out obliquely without any warning.


    The man was startled and naturally reacted a beat too slow, unprepared.


    By the time he hurriedly reached back to grab it, it was obviously too late.


    The stone had instantly turned into a streak of golden light and vanished, falling into the hands of another nearby.


    This turn of events left both the cultivators from Great Jin and the confused Soaring Tribespeople at a loss.


    And, of course, that person was none other than Han Li.


    At that moment, Han Li held the stone in one hand, closely examining it, seemingly oblivious to everyone else around him.


    The Core Formation man¡¯s expression turned ashen in an instant.


    ¡°Hand over that object and also sever one of your arms.


    This can spare you from losing your life,¡± he said, staring at Han Li with icy, threatening words.


    Only after Han Li got confirmation from Monarch Great Development that this stone was indeed the Gold Flame Stone did he flip his hand and stored the stone in his storage pouch.


    He then looked up and gave the man a light chuckle, speaking calmly,


    ¡°I, too, have taken a liking to this item.


    I neither wish to give it to you nor wish to harm myself.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    How about we all pretend nothing happened and just return from where we came?¡±


    Upon hearing these words, the man was livid, and his face darkened as he clenched his fists.


    A foot-long white spiritual light burst forth from his body, ready to attack.


    ¡°Commander Gu, what¡¯s going on?


    That strange object, what is it exactly?


    If it¡¯s not something important, let¡¯s not stir up trouble,¡± said a female cultivator at Core Formation stage from the side, sensing something unusual about Han Li and suddenly speaking out.


    After hearing this, Commander Gu hesitated for a moment before secretly transmitting a message back to her.


    A moment later, the woman in a white robe displayed a shocked expression and fell into contemplation.


    ¡°Is it really that?


    Could there be a mistake?¡± the woman in white asked with a solemn expression, seriously questioning in the language of Great Jin.


    ¡°No mistake.


    As you know, I originated from the Artifact Refinement Department.


    I¡¯ve lost count of how many times I¡¯ve looked through the ¡®Heaven and Earth Strange Stones Record.¡¯ It¡¯s definitely that object.


    If we can bring this treasure back to the Palace Master, even the credit for capturing a traitor and retrieving the Snow Crystal Bead would seem insignificant in comparison,¡± the man said, barely containing his excitement.


    Upon hearing his words, the woman glanced at Han Li, and after confirming once more that he was indeed only at the Foundation Establishment stage, a cold light flashed in her eyes as a murderous aura gradually emerged between her brows.


    ¡°Attack!


    Not only this man, leave none of the Soaring Tribespeople alive.


    With no witnesses, even Heaventide Sanctuary won¡¯t turn against our Immortal Palace over a few low-ranking Immortal Masters and hundreds of ordinary mortals.


    If worse comes to worst, we can simply reduce the price of the goods in this transaction by ten percent.¡± The woman with an upside-down frown commanded.


    As she spoke, she spewed out a flash of silver light that, in the blink of an eye, reached the front of a Foundation Establishment stage Soaring Tribe cultivator.


    Even though the Soaring Tribe man had a blue protective shield, how could it withstand the full force of a Core Formation cultivator¡¯s attack?


    He was immediately cut in half at the waist with a piteous scream a€¡° the shield shattered, and he was gone.


    The silver rainbow, circling back, revealed its true form a€¡° a foot-long, bright shining throwing knife.


    The other Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from Great Jin, upon hearing the command of their leader, also immediately summoned their Magic Artifacts and charged toward the remaining three Soaring Tribe Immortal Masters.


    As for the ordinary mortals farther away, they weren¡¯t in a rush to kill them a€¡° after all, they had nowhere to flee.


    Seeing the Great Jin cultivators taking action, the three Soaring Tribe cultivators were naturally filled with both shock and rage.


    But with one at the early Foundation Establishment stage and two at the Qi Refinement Realm, how could they withstand the combined attack of the six Foundation Establishment cultivators?


    Despite their desperate resistance, they were promptly slaughtered in the blink of an eye, and two of them even rushed toward Feng Yue¡¯s carriage, intending to finish off this hidden threat as well.


    The woman in white standing atop the banner saw this and felt no surprise or alarm, as the outcome was within her expectations.


    However, when she turned her gaze toward the man, her expression drastically changed.


    As soon as the man heard the woman¡¯s order, he also spat out his Life Origin Flying Sword, which turned into a white rainbow and headed straight for Han Li.


    But Han Li sighed, flipped his hand, and suddenly a small, black flag appeared in his grasp.


    With a light shake, the flag expanded against the wind into a barrier that enveloped him.


    The silver rainbow sliced against this barrier but was rebounded directly.


    It couldn¡¯t inflict any damage.


    The man, naturally taken aback, quickly incited his sword technique in a panic.


    The white rainbow encircled and then transformed into a massive python dozens of feet long, which coiled around the black barrier, its gaping maw biting ferociously.


    Yet, the unassuming black barrier, as if forged from vajra, remained impervious to the python¡¯s constricting and biting, utterly useless.


    When the woman in white saw this, she felt a slight sinking feeling in her heart.


    The man dared to snatch something from a Core Formation cultivator, indeed having something to rely on.


    With that thought, the woman did not hesitate to point at the remote flying knife.


    The treasure trembled lightly before it shot out, turning into a silver rainbow that fiercely slammed into the lying black barrier.


    After several slashes against the barrier, it remained unscathed, not even wavering.


    The woman in white and the man glanced at each other, and both saw a look of shock in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that guy in the carriage anymore.


    Hurry up and set up the Flame Array to refine this person,¡± the woman suddenly turned her head and commanded in a sharp voice.


    Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivators, without a second thought, all summoned their red spell flags.


    In an instant, a large cloud of fire appeared above the light screen, slowly pressing down.


    ¡°Good, very good.


    This saves Han Li from having to make any more effort,¡± said a faint voice from within the light screen.


    Then, suddenly, the top part of the light screen shimmered, and a black-green baby with a giggling smile appeared there, holding a dark small banner in his hand.


    ¡°Nascent Soul!


    You¡­


    You¡¯re a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!


    Hold on, we¡¯ll leave right now.


    We dare not compete with a senior for items,¡± the woman said, her face pale as if struck by a hammer, realizing she had just done something foolish.


    She frantically began pleading and moved her spiritual sense, attempting to recall her throwing knife magic treasure.


    But at this moment, Han Li¡¯s second Nascent Soul let out a thin cold laugh and tossed the small banner in his hand.


    It instantly swelled in size, turning into a huge banner several meters tall.


    Dark Demonic Qi poured out from it, and a mass of Devil Cloud, much larger than the cloud of fire, appeared above the light screen.


    Flying daggers, the huge grey python, and the cloud of fire were all engulfed and swept into it by the rolling and surging Devil Cloud.


    The man and woman, along with the several Foundation Establishment cultivators, lost their connection to their magic treasures and Magic Artifacts.


    ¡°Yin Sifting Banner!


    You are the Law Enforcement Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect!¡± The man, already stunned, yelled in terror when he saw the banner.


    He immediately flashed with spirit light, transforming into a blinding white light that soared into the sky, not even caring about his life¡¯s magic treasure.


    When the woman in white heard the man cry out that their opponent¡¯s flag was the sect-guarding treasure of the Yin Sifting Sect, she took in a sharp breath of cold air.


    Without a second thought, she injected several incantations into the banner beneath her and suddenly propelled it with a fierce tap of her foot.


    The huge banner abruptly grew a third in size, the green light intensified, and with a strange cry, it transformed into a green rainbow and sped away into the sky, going in the opposite direction of the Core Formation man.


    Knowing the Devilcharm Sect¡¯s habit of taking vengeance for even the smallest offenses, the woman didn¡¯t hold out hope that this old eccentric of the Yin Sifting Sect would actually stop his assault.


    At the same time, she was extremely annoyed that the man had had to be so meddlesome.


    If they had only left earlier, all would have been well.


    The several Foundation Establishment male and female cultivators were even more terrified out of their wits and scattered in disarray, flying away on their magic tools.


    A flash of green light appeared within the Devil Cloud, and Han Li¡¯s figure emerged atop it.


    He watched as the scattered backs of those Great Jin cultivators fled and the corners of his mouth curled with a trace of coldness.


    He patted his storage pouch at his waist and more than a dozen streaks of white light flew out.


    They transformed into foot-long white Giant Centipedes that shot out, chasing down the six Foundation Establishment cultivators in pairs.


    At the same time, the giant banner flickered with dark light, revealing a dark hole several feet in diameter.


    An enormous Gold Devouring Bug surrounded with black Qi flew out from it, its blood-red eyes flickering.


    It then suddenly spread its wings and turned into a streak of golden light as it pursued the Core Formation man in haste.


    After the Gold Devouring Bug had flown out, the black-green Nascent Soul immediately leaped into the Yin Sifting Banner, propelling it headfirst into the clouds of Devil Qi below.


    The Devil Cloud suddenly became turbulent and emitted a piercing screech as it rose into the air.


    In a flash, it appeared hundreds of feet in the sky and relentlessly pursued the Giant Bat fleeing in the distance-its vast, dark presence blotting out the sky like the descent of a devil himself.


    Han Li, however, floated motionlessly in the air, his face expressionless as he watched all this unfold.


    The ordinary mortals of the Soaring Tribes, who had never witnessed a conflict of this magnitude, were terrified, especially after seeing several Immortal Masters perish.


    They all fled far away.


    Those few with more courage stayed nearby, but upon seeing Han Li¡¯s might, they didn¡¯t dare to come any closer.


    Han Li was actually quite pleased with this.


    Almost in an instant, the six escaping Foundation Establishment cultivators were caught up with by the white Giant Centipedes.


    How could these Foundation Establishment cultivators stand against the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes?


    Even though they were just larvae, the cultivators had no defense against their chilling cold, which even Core Formation cultivators feared.


    They were turned into giant ice blocks without the slightest illusion of power saving them, and then the Giant Centipedes burrowed into the ice, tearing both the people and their Primordial Spirits into shreds.


    The man who had fled as white light, having lost his life¡¯s magic treasure, was not much faster than the Foundation Establishment subordinates.


    Shortly after, he was also caught up with by the huge centipede.


    In utter despair, the Demonization of the Gold Devouring Bug easily broke through several layers of his protective barriers and burrowed into his body.


    The man immediately fell from the sky to the ground, clutching his head and rolling about in agony before dying shortly after.


    The woman in white, although her banner was not of high rank, seemed to be an expert in escape techniques.


    Moreover, she was incredibly fast when stimulated with incantations.


    However, she couldn¡¯t compete with the Devil Cloud driven by Han Li¡¯s second Nascent Soul, which pursued her closely, and without any semblance of mercy, enveloped her after chasing for tens of miles.


    From then on, the woman disappeared into silence from the world.


    By the time the second Nascent Soul had brought the Devil Cloud back, Han Li was toying with a Snow Crystal Bead in his hand, looking at something left on the ground by the Great Jin cultivators with a puzzled and speechless expression on his face.


    (To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens later, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There, the chapters are more numerous, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 895 - Chapter 895 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 892 Endless Sky Saintess

    ?Chapter 895: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 892 Endless Sky Saintess Chapter 895: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 892 Endless Sky Saintess This so-called ¡°thing¡± was none other than the fierce young man recently captured by the cultivators of Great Jin.


    However, that a corpse was referred to as a thing was not at all improper.


    Gazing at the lifeless body of the young man on the ground, Han Li murmured a few words to himself.


    It wasn¡¯t he who had dealt the killing blow but rather, when he attempted to revive the youth to inquire about the origins of these Great Jin cultivators, the youth was already showing a face blackened with poison, evidently having committed suicide by poisoning himself.


    It seemed that the young man was sufficiently hateful, knowing that he couldn¡¯t escape his fate, had taken a strong poison beforehand before coming out to battle.


    In this way, once captured, he also didn¡¯t need to fear the pain of soul refinement and the like.


    However, his soul dissipated so rapidly, it seemed he must have done something else to himself.


    Han Li shook his head, feeling a mix of incredulity and amusement in his heart.


    If this person knew that he could have been saved but had missed the chance at life because of his own suicide, it was really uncertain what kind of expression he would have shown.


    However, since Han Li had no acquaintance with this person, naturally, he had no special feelings about it.


    Without much thought, he shot out a small fireball, which instantly turned the young man¡¯s body to a pile of ashes.


    Moments later, a streak of Devil Cloud flew back, and the second Nascent Soul appeared holding the Ghost Sifting Banner, giving it a gentle wave.


    After a gust of wind, all the Demonic Qi was collected into the banner, which then spiraled towards Han Li¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering, disappearing without a trace after a fleeting moment.


    Only then did Han Li glance around and saw that all the ordinary mortals of the Soaring Tribes stood far away, looking towards him with some trepidation.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    ¡°Alright, this place is no longer suitable to stay in.


    Follow me.


    Before your poison sets in, you still need to tell me the address of the Secret Vault,¡± Han Li said indifferently to one of the carriages.


    ¡°So you are an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect!


    No wonder, you could easily kill Feng Zhen, that old thief, and possess precious medicine pills like the Sky Yuan Pill,¡± the curtain of the carriage was slowly lifted, and Feng Yue, with a cloak draped over his head, stepped out from the inside, his voice carrying an odd tinge and a faint hint of excitement.


    ¡°Hehe.


    An elder of the Yin Sifting Sect.


    We¡¯ll talk about this matter later.


    Let¡¯s go,¡± Han Li scoffed coldly, then without another word, released a flying sword and rose into the sky.


    Feng Yue hesitated for a moment before following suit without further hesitation.


    Soon, the two became streaks of light, one after the other, gradually disappearing into the horizon.


    It was only then that the ordinary mortals of the Soaring Tribes bravely returned to the vicinity of the caravan.


    A few leaders met with one another and exchanged bitter smiles, all clueless as to what had occurred; the Immortal Masters they had hired were either dead or gone, leaving them completely in the dark about the entire situation.


    Several days later, the news finally spread.


    The death of several Immortal Masters, even though they were of lower rank, was no small matter, especially since it involved Great Jin cultivators who came to do business with the Soaring Tribes and the Holy Temple.


    It couldn¡¯t be taken lightly.


    Some Holy Temple Immortal Masters quickly moved out upon hearing the news, and after some interrogations and analysis, they finally identified the culprit-an outsider who had slain several Nascent Soul Immortal Masters some days earlier.


    Through the testimony of the ordinary mortals who witnessed the event, the identity of this outsider seemed to have surfaced; he was apparently an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect from the ten great sects of Great Jin.


    Since the cultivators of Nine Immortals Palace, who were exterminated, had declared this, it was likely not mistaken.


    Moreover, how could the Soaring Tribes not recognize the fame of the sect-guarding treasure Ghost Sifting Banner of the Yin Sifting Sect?


    This caused a shiver in the hearts of those Immortal Masters who had taken part in the previous battle to block the invasion.


    It turned out that during the last great battle, this elder of the Yin Sifting Sect had not yet displayed his full strength and had not even used such a powerful treasure.


    However, with such Divine Skills and in possession of the Ghost Sifting Banner, he was probably one of the top few influential figures among the elders.


    As for why this person appeared on the Prairies, and struck against them heavily, it also let some of the Soaring Tribes Immortal Masters have a moment of realization.


    After all, the Moulan, their sworn enemy from the battle of the Holy War decades ago, had the Yin Sifting Sect lurking behind them.


    Could it be that this elder deliberately infiltrated deep into the plains to enact revenge or had some other schemes because of the Moulan¡¯s failure?


    It seemed like this was the only plausible reason.


    Having found a somewhat plausible explanation, the Soaring Tribes finally felt somewhat relieved.


    After all, no matter how formidable the enemy was, once they knew their origin and purpose, they could be dealt with more easily.


    On one hand, the Heaventide Sanctuary immediately dispatched a large number of cultivators to patrol the border between Great Jin and the Prairies, to guard against any Yin Sifting Sect reinforcements for their elder.


    On the other hand, they assembled a group of Nascent Soul Immortal Masters with extreme speed, ready to ambush and kill the Yin Sifting Sect elder at a moment¡¯s notice.


    No matter how formidable the background of the opponent was, they could not allow him to leave the Heaventide Prairies alive.


    Otherwise, once the news spread, the face of the Jie Coalition¡¯s Immortal Cultivation Realm, led by the Heaventide Sanctuary, would truly be wiped clean.


    Thus, on this Spirit Awakening Ceremony day, the ritual presided over by the Endless Sky Saintess herself at a certain Holy Temple was hastily concluded in just two days.


    And a day later, in a highly secured forbidden area behind the Holy Temple, more than a hundred high-ranking Immortal Masters of the Soaring Tribes had taken their ritual baths and fasted, now gradually appearing at the site.


    This was a massive plaza nearly a thousand zhang in size, with a giant array drawn at the center.


    Just the mid-grade spirit stones embedded within the array numbered more than a hundred.


    In the middle of the array, at the spot called the Eye of the Formation, stood an ancient and plain gray-white rectangular altar, five to six zhang high, made of ordinary white stone, the four sides carved with several unknown markings and devoid of any other inscriptions.


    At this moment, around the array, there were more than a dozen Nascent Soul high-ranking Immortal Masters standing in solemn silence, as if they were awaiting someone.


    After an interval of silence that could last a meal, two women and a man entered side by side from beyond the restrictive formations.


    Walking in the center was a silver-robed woman of slender build, her face partially veiled in white gossamer, concealing most of her jade-like features, but her hair cascaded over her shoulders like dark clouds, and her skin was as soft and pale as snow.


    Her clear, dreamy eyes were intoxicating and breathtaking.


    The man beside her was a young and handsome youth with the appearance of a thirty-something, but the glint in his eyes seemed to convey an experience beyond his years, giving him an extraordinarily wizened aura.


    The other woman was a voluptuous and enticing beauty, dressed in yellow clothes, with long hair of a bizarre purple hue.


    Bare arms were exposed, with a fist-sized black demon head biting firmly into each, yet the woman did not show the slightest trace of pain as she cast seductive glances around her.


    ¡°Respectful greetings to the Endless Sky Saintess, Great Immortal Masters,¡± all the surrounding Soaring Tribe Immortal Masters slightly bowed as the trio entered, conveying their respect.


    The three also exchanged nods with the crowd, walking up to three or four zhang in front of the altar before stopping and turning around.


    ¡°My fellow Immortal Masters, dispense with the formalities.


    This summoning ceremony is not only to pursue the Foreign Tribesman but also the first attempt to keep the incarnation of our sacred sect protecting beast permanently within the Holy Temple.


    I hope all of you will do your utmost to assist me.


    For a higher success rate of the ceremony, two Great Immortal Masters have spent over a decade to find two suitable sacrifices for this spell.


    Please, present the offerings,¡± the silver-robed woman elegantly turned around as her pleasant voice, clear and melodious like the sound of nature, slowly traveled to everyone present.


    The rest of the Soaring Tribe Immortal Masters, upon hearing this, mostly showed excitement on their faces.


    The handsome youth and the purple-haired beauty exchanged glances, smiled slightly, and clapped their hands at the same time.


    Suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded from outside the plaza, and even the ground trembled lightly.


    At this, some could not help but express surprise, turning their heads towards the source of the noise.


    From both sides of the plaza, a row of eight two-zhang-tall bronze giants entered, their bodies shimmering with golden light as they slowly carried a huge wooden frame toward the center of the plaza.


    And on the frame, there lay an indistinctly visible colossal creature.


    When the bronze giants steadily placed the frame in front of the altar, even people of the greatest composure couldn¡¯t help but gasp upon seeing what was on it.


    A demon beast resembling a wild ox enveloped in green light and a snow-white giant python coiling several times around itself, both as vast as small hills, lay motionless on the frame, appearing unconscious and unresponsive.


    Not only that, but from the demon Qi emanating from these two beasts, those present could ascertain that they were both top-tier seventh-grade, about to step into grade eight, a frightening existence.


    No wonder that even two Great Immortal Masters had taken so long to capture them alive.


    ¡°This Green Wind Ox and Ice Armored Python are indeed antiquity variants, perfectly suitable for the ritual sacrifice.


    Whether we can truly keep the incarnation of the sacred sect protecting beast in the human world using these will depend on our tribe¡¯s fate.


    Let the ritual begin,¡± the silver-robed woman swept her eyes coldly across those present and spoke calmly.


    She then lifted her jade hand and gently waved it towards one of the beasts on the frame.


    A burst of silver silk shot out from her jade hand, turning into hundreds of silvery strands in an instant, firmly entangling the demon beast and lifting the enormous body of the ox lightly off the frame towards the altar with a flash of silver light.


    At this moment, the previously unconscious Green Wind Ox awoke.


    Upon seeing this scene, it shook in dread, realizing its dire straits and attempted to struggle, but it was bound by numerous powerful restrictive formations and those hundreds of silver chains, leaving it immobilized.


    All it could do was watch in horror as it was suspended and moved to the altar above.


    It opened its mouth as if to bellow, but no sound emerged, and no roar could be heard.


    The silver-robed woman twisted her waist, turned sharply to face the altar, and with a flick of her sleeve, a fist-sized green light shot out, spinning before coming to rest on the ox¡¯s massive body.


    It was revealed to be a miniature cauldron, wrapped in pale green flames, spinning continuously and emanating a mysterious and unfathomable aura.


    Her hands formed seals, and a melodious spell incantation flowed slowly from her lips.


    The green flames rose higher as the cauldron began to enlarge, transforming into an ancient cauldron about a zhang tall.


    If Han Li were here, upon witnessing this scene, he would most likely be astoundingly wide-eyed.


    Apart from the flames attached to it, this ancient cauldron seemed to bear an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to the Heavenvoid Cauldron, the same design, the same carvings of flowers, birds, beasts, and insects.


    It was unbelievably astonishing!


    (First update!)(To be continueda€| For the follow-up story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, please support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 897 - Chapter 897 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 894 Luring the Enemy

    ?Chapter 897: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 894 Luring the Enemy Chapter 897: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 894 Luring the Enemy ¡°Senior, I¡¯ve managed to shake off the Soaring Tribesmen by thousands of miles several times, but each time they still manage to track me down.


    Could there really be a divine consciousness strengthening cultivation technique more powerful than the Great Development Technique, capable of detecting over such a distance?¡± Han Li asked with a pale, bloodless face.


    At this moment, he was in the midst of lifting his seal, transformed into a streak of azure light, racing through the sky like lightning.


    Repeatedly undoing the seal three times and using the Bloodshadow Evasion several times had put Han Li¡¯s body on the brink of collapse.


    If he hadn¡¯t used several high-grade secret techniques to forcefully suppress the backlash from his cultivation techniques and hadn¡¯t spared over ten drops of Myriad Year Spirit Milk to replenish part of the blood essence loss, he would have been unable to hold on long ago.


    Even so, it would take him two or three years to recover his mana to its peak after he finished and lifted the seal.


    Of course, this was under the circumstances of having an abundance of medicinal pills.


    If it were another cultivator, it would be quite possible to fall in cultivation realm.


    In such desperate circumstances, he was still being pursued by a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, and the crisis was self-evident.


    Without figuring out the exact reason for the opponent¡¯s tracking, he couldn¡¯t casually use Bloodshadow Evasion.


    Otherwise, before shaking off the pursuer, he might first destroy himself.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Although I am quite confident in the Great Development Technique to enhance divine consciousness, I would never dare to claim it¡¯s the number one in the realm of immortal cultivators.


    There have been cultivators with better aptitude than mine since ancient times.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    It¡¯s not that many, but it¡¯s not too few either.


    It¡¯s not strange at all that there are more powerful techniques than this one.


    However, this time it¡¯s not because someone is really locking onto you with divine consciousness from a thousand miles away.


    Instead, you¡¯ve attracted the attention of something inhuman,¡± Monarch Great Development said with a cold snort and unceremoniously.


    ¡°Something inhuman?


    Are you referring to that demon beast?¡± Han Li asked, coming to some realization.


    ¡°Correct.


    Don¡¯t you think the demon beast following behind looks very familiar?


    It¡¯s almost identical to the Heaventide Holy Beast described by the Soaring Tribesmen.


    It¡¯s probably something specially called down from the upper realm by those old fogeys in the Holy Temple, who can¡¯t bear the shame of you having killed so many of their high-ranked Immortal Masters.


    It¡¯s not strange for a being who isn¡¯t from the human world to possess divine skills to lock onto you,¡± Monarch Great Development explained.


    ¡°The Heaventide Holy Beast?


    I¡¯ve certainly noticed that beast, but the fluctuations of mana on its body are not strong, only about the level of a seventh-grade at most.


    It¡¯s far inferior to The Moulan¡¯s holy bird.


    It possesses such divine skills?¡± Han Li frowned, somewhat skeptical.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve also heard about your great battle with The Moulan.


    The Moulan¡¯s summoned holy bird is obviously a kind of projection summoning, borrowing the power of an item to temporarily manifest a part of the upper realm¡¯s spiritual bird in this world, nothing but a mirage.


    And the demon beast following behind us now, I sensed it a bit, and it indeed has an actual body.


    If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s very likely that the Heaventide Beast used a divine skill similar to ancient devilish techniques for demon transformation.


    It has descended to this realm by borrowing another demon beast or medium.


    Don¡¯t underestimate this method.


    In fact, this kind of summoning represents the true arrival of a divided spirit.


    The divine skills and realms are extraordinary; given enough time, it will soon become the most terrifying existence in this realm.


    To my knowledge, there have been several such arrivals in this realm.


    But these beings seem to be afraid of something and usually keep a low profile; ordinary cultivators in the realm of immortal cultivators can hardly find them,¡± Monarch Great Development said with a heavy voice.


    ¡°There are such troubling beings in our human world too.


    However, I don¡¯t have time to discuss this in detail.


    Regardless of whether it¡¯s a demon beast or a sacred sect protecting beast, do you have a way to help me get rid of its tracking?


    Otherwise, when the time to lift the seal comes, it¡¯ll truly become troublesome,¡± Han Li said anxiously, his Divine Sense sweeping far behind again and catching the presence of the three people and one beast.


    ¡°There are countless spiritual beasts in the upper realm; who knows by what divine skills this beast has found you.


    The technique you use to conceal your presence and energy, in my opinion, is already quite perfect.


    It seems that unless you kill this beast, there are no other good solutions.


    However, I can teach you a temporary technique to feign death, to completely erase the vitality from your body.


    But I am not sure whether it will work, because maybe that demon beast is not tracking you through your vital essence,¡± Monarch Great Development offered Han Li a cold response.


    Han Li fell silent, his eyes flashing with a cold light for a while before he suddenly spoke fiercely,


    ¡°All right, then let¡¯s kill that beast.¡±


    ¡°You want to kill the Heaventide Holy Beast first, but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no chance.


    That creature is accompanied by two Soaring Tribes Great Immortal Masters.


    The last masked woman has a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivation, likely the Endless Sky Saintess, and her divine skills are not to be underestimated either,¡± Monarch Great Development said, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Without paying some price, there¡¯s naturally no chance.


    But if I¡¯m willing to sacrifice my second Nascent Soul, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s no chance,¡± Han Li replied with an icy voice, sounding ominous.


    ¡°Master, how are you planning to proceed?


    Let Silvermoon come out and give you a hand too,¡± Silvermoon suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°How are your injuries?


    If you were to lure the enemy with just your artifact spirit body, could you hold on?¡± Han Li asked after a start, but then spoke more gently.


    ¡°I am the artifact spirit of Master¡¯s magic treasure.


    Even if the injuries are severe, as long as Master¡¯s flying sword is not destroyed, I have an undying body.


    You need not worry too much about me.


    At most, after this, I¡¯ll just need to slumber for a few more years within Master¡¯s spiritual treasure,¡± Silvermoon said with a soft laugh.


    ¡°Alright.


    Given the situation now, it¡¯s indeed dire.


    I¡¯ll just have to trouble you once again,¡± Han Li sighed after a brief consideration and spoke.


    Then, after asking Monarch Great Development for the feign death incantation, Han Li pondered over it briefly in his heart, finding no issues, before reaching a hand to his heavenly spiritual covering.


    Black light flickered, and the second Nascent Soul appeared above his head.


    It opened its mouth and spat out the Ghost Sifting Banner.


    Holding the banner, it shook it vigorously, leaped into the air, and in the blink of an eye, black clouds gathered, and the wind surged.


    Over a hundred zhang of dark clouds covered the sky, filled with boundless Demonic Qi.


    ¡°Take this as well.


    If the Endless Sky Saintess and her holy bird come after you, use this sword to slay it,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    With a flick of his wrist, a small blood-colored sword shot into the Devil Cloud and disappeared without a trace; it was none other than the Blood Devil Sword.


    Then, the Devil Cloud emitted a sharp, piercing screech and rolled away to one side, escaping with a momentum that was exceedingly astonishing.


    Watching the retreating Devil Cloud, Han Li¡¯s expression was extremely grim.


    He flipped his palm, and a small bottle appeared in his hand.


    Inverting it over his mouth, a drop of spirit milk brimming with spiritual energy fell onto his tongue.


    After that, a brilliant burst of spiritual light enveloped his body, and he soared away at a speed even faster than the previous streak of light, cleaving through the sky.


    ¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?


    Am I seeing things?


    His Nascent Soul actually fled independently,¡± whispered one of the pursuers using Divine Sense to observe the scene, taken aback by the sight.


    The purple-haired beauty raised her eyebrows in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right, if it were just an ordinary Nascent Soul fleeing the body, the body should not be able to move.


    But the man is still escaping in the same direction.


    Could it be that this person has cultivated a Divine Skill similar to the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit Art?¡± the handsome youth shook his head and said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°If it were a demon-transformed escape, it would not be able to elude our sense.


    We just need to keep an eye on the location of the Nascent Soul to avoid being misled.


    But now, it is a complete Nascent Soul flying away, and it is not the Six Souls Divided Spirit Technique like Daoist Gui practiced.


    This is quite strange.


    Could it really be the legendary second Nascent Soul?¡± the purple-haired beauty mused with a thoughtful look.


    The silver-robed woman furrowed her brows as well, feeling secretly alarmed.


    ¡°Is the sacred sect protecting beast able to sense anything unusual?¡± the youth turned his head to ask the Endless Sky Saintess.


    ¡°No, the holy creature is but a sliver of its Primordial Spirit descended into this world.


    It will need hundreds of years of cultivation before it can fully awaken its spiritually wise intellect.


    Currently, its cultivation is only at the seventh-grade demon beast level, incapable of utilising many Divine Skills,¡± the silver-robed woman said with a sigh.


    ¡°This is somewhat troublesome.


    How about this: since we cannot distinguish between the real and the fake Nascent Soul, nor can we let this Nascent Soul slip away, I shall go after this Nascent Soul alone.


    Immortal Master Sun will continue to accompany the sacred creature and Daoist Sun to pursue the original target.


    With my Divine Skills, dealing with just a Nascent Soul will not take too much time,¡± the handsome youth pondered for a moment before suggesting.


    ¡°This seems to be the safer option.


    With me accompanying the Saintess, there will be no trouble.


    Brother Xu, please go and return quickly.


    But that Nascent Soul might be the opponent¡¯s main Nascent Soul.


    Don¡¯t act rashly; we should find out the cultivation method for the Gold Devouring Bugs first,¡± said the purple-haired beauty with a smiling tone.


    ¡°Of course, I have my own plans,¡± he replied.


    After pondering for a moment, the silver-robed woman also felt there were no issues and nodded in agreement.


    Immediately, the Xu-surnamed youth parted ways with the two and transformed into an over-ten-zhang-long cyan rainbow, chasing after Han Li¡¯s second Nascent Soul, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    Meanwhile, the Endless Sky Saintess and the beautiful lady continued their pursuit in the same direction, relentlessly following Han Li.


    One after the other, the two groups pursuing Han Li quickly covered hundreds of miles, gradually closing the distance between them and Han Li.


    ¡°There¡¯s only about fifty or sixty miles left.


    That should be close enough.


    Silvermoon, it¡¯s your turn to move,¡± Han Li estimated silently, then with a flick of his sleeve, a silver wolf shot out from within and, with a roll, transformed into another Han Li.


    A wry smile appeared on Han Li¡¯s face, but with time being of the essence, he didn¡¯t say much else.


    He raised his hand and tossed a spirit beast pouch and a lightning bead the size of a thumb to the other.


    ¡°You are an Artifact Spirit without a physical body, so other magic treasures are difficult for you to wield.


    Just take this pouch of Gold Devouring Bugs and this lightning bead.


    Similarly, if that demon beast comes after you, don¡¯t worry about the others; just focus on killing it or at least severely wounding it for the time being,¡± Han Li instructed carefully.


    ¡°Master, rest assured, if the Heaventide Holy Beast comes after me, I will not let it escape easily,¡± the other ¡°Han Li¡± spoke in Silvermoon¡¯s voice.


    Then, after stowing away both items, it transformed into a streak of silver light and flew off at an angle, breaking through the sky.


    (First update!)(To be continued, if you would like to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are more frequent, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 899 - Chapter 899 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 896 Twin Cauldrons

    ?Chapter 899: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 896 Twin Cauldrons Chapter 899: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 896 Twin Cauldrons The sound of ¡°crackling¡± resonated loudly as silver threads latched onto the ice wall.


    Instantly, a honeycomb-like array of tiny holes appeared, densely packed and riddled with holes, looking as if it was about to be destroyed.


    Han Li, seeing this, remained silent but flicked his hand, casting an incantation toward the front.


    Purple light continuously flowed on the ice wall, releasing astonishing cold air.


    Not only did the damaged areas quickly recover to their original state, but the originally rampaging silver threads were also encased in a thick layer of purple ice, instantly freezing them so they couldn¡¯t budge at all.


    Not only that, but the cold air also transformed into purple ice flames in a blink of an eye, spreading rapidly along the silver threads toward the embroidered cloth Daoist paper talisman like countless thin purple serpents viciously striking.


    The silver-robed woman¡¯s face changed.


    ¡°What kind of Cultivation Technique is this, to be so formidable?¡±


    The woman was somewhat surprised in her heart, but her actions did not slow down.


    She formed hand seals and delicately touched the floating embroidered cloth in front of her.


    The Silver Silkworm Image on it opened its mouth, spewing out a blast of searing white flame which, traveling through the threads, transformed into numerous fire serpents directly confronting the purple flames.


    The clash of ice and fire flames in the middle of the silver threads merged purple and white colors together, but after a moment, the purple flames clearly gained the upper hand, forcing the white flames to retreat step by step.


    Seeing this, the silver-robed woman frowned slightly and murmured a few words in an ancient language.


    Suddenly, the Heaventide Holy Beast below her let out a low growl, spewing out misty flames from its mouth, bolstering the white flames.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    The blue and white flames mixed together, holding off the attack of the ice flames for the moment.


    The silver-robed woman then raised her hand, and an octagonal Iron Token appeared between her fingers.


    She tossed it into the sky, and the Iron Token suddenly transformed into a giant eight trigram diagram, spontaneously generating bright red flames which pelted down toward Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s lips twitched slightly, his face expressionless.


    But behind him, with the sound of thunder, a pair of silver wings emerged.


    Seeing the falling eight trigram diagram, his figure slightly swayed, and then suddenly, under the flash of silver electric arcs, he disappeared from his original spot, causing the eight trigram diagram to naturally fall into empty space.


    The next moment, Han Li appeared thirty-odd feet away.


    With another flap of his wings, he disappeared once again.


    ¡°Lightning movement!¡±


    Endless Sky Saintess, witnessing Han Li approaching her, murmured softly under her breath.


    A serious look flashed in her eyes as she formed a strange incantation with her hands.


    The Heaventide Beast beneath her opened its mouth again and spewed out a thick white fog that quickly enveloped both beast and rider, turning the area into a vast sea of fog several dozen feet wide.


    After a rumble of thunder, Han Li appeared on the edge of the sea of fog, a look of surprise on his face.


    This white fog was peculiar; his divine sense was unable to penetrate it, temporarily preventing him from pinpointing their exact location.


    However, he had no time to play a game of hide and seek with the two.


    Han Li¡¯s expression chilled, and with a wave of his hand, an ancient purple mirror appeared in front of his chest.


    He raised the mirror with both hands, his Spiritual Power flowing into it, and then, with a flash of light, a purple misty beam burst forth from the mirror, shooting into the fog in a fleeting flash.


    Where the purple light passed, the white fog rolled tumultuously.


    In just a moment, most of the fog was scattered.


    But just then, a burst of blue flame emerged from the fog, blocking the path of the purple light beam.


    Han Li looked intently only to vaguely see the Heaventide Beast alone hiding deep within the fog, spouting large amounts of blue Demon Fire.


    The silver-robed woman was nowhere to be seen.


    This discovery startled and delighted Han Li.


    He had been pondering how to separate the woman from the Holy Beast, and now she had willingly abandoned it; an opportunity too good to miss had presented itself.


    Although he didn¡¯t know where the Endless Sky Saintess was hiding or what she was planning to do, Han Li naturally would not let go of such a chance.


    With no hesitation, he urged his spiritual sense, and a massive sword concealed in the high clouds emitted a piercing shriek.


    A bolt of lightning split the clouds and struck down with incredible speed, arriving above the Heaventide Beast¡¯s head in the blink of an eye.


    The sword¡¯s purple flames and golden arcs thundered incessantly.


    The Heaventide Beast had no chance to dodge before it was bisected from head to tail by a single sword strike.


    Han Li initially felt elated, but his face suddenly turned pale.


    The body of the Heaventide Beast transformed into wisps of white fog and disappeared.


    The beast was just an illusion conjured by an illusionary technique.


    Caught up in the urgency of the moment, he had actually fallen for it.


    ¡°Not good!¡±


    Han Li inwardly cursed, no longer attempting to search for the true form of the Heaventide Beast in the fog.


    He intended to shoot backward but suddenly, a large swath of misty blue light shone down from above, causing his movements to stiffen and slow, while enchanting incantations sounded from the sky.


    He hurriedly looked up.


    In a bundle of silver light, the silver-robed woman appeared high in the sky, her forehead marked with strange silver patterns, mouthing words continuously, and holding a very familiar small cauldron upside down, performing a ritual in the air.


    From this cauldron, a vast expanse of blue light poured out, covering a thirty-foot radius with its power.


    ¡°Heavenvoid Cauldron!¡±


    Han Li blurted out in an alarmed shout, his face turning deathly pale as he instantly recognized the small cauldron.


    He was shocked and hurriedly looked inside his body.


    His ¡°Heavenvoid Cauldron¡± was still there, intact and unlost.


    What was going on?


    Could there really be two Heavenvoid Cauldrons in the world?


    Han Li, still puzzled by the mysteries, saw the small cauldron above his head flicker with a sudden thought and swell immensely, transforming into a giant cauldron with a diameter of thirty to forty meters in the blink of an eye.


    As the cauldron was activated by the incantations of the silver-robed woman, its mouth started to emit a blinding brilliance, and a continuous stream of bright, crystalline azure sand flew out, forming a large cloud of sand that descended toward Han Li.


    Seeing this, Han Li didn¡¯t even think; he fluttered the silver wings on his back, intending to immediately transform into an electric arc and escape the range of the azure light.


    But just then, a series of rolling thunder-like roars came from the white fog.


    The noise was not loud, but a wave of formless fluctuations instantly swept over Han Li¡¯s body.


    After several flashes of silver light on his silver wings, the electric arc soundlessly extinguished, and the Lightning Movement Technique temporarily lost its effect.


    What kind of divine skill was this?


    Han Li looked hurriedly into the fog with shock.


    He could barely make out the shadow of a Heaventide Beast at the edge of the fog, but he couldn¡¯t tell if it was real or not!


    Meanwhile, the sand cloud had already reached about ten meters above the cave¡¯s ceiling.


    With no other options, Han Li could only deploy the Bluelight Shield in front of him.


    The shield transformed into a vast expanse of blue light that met the falling sand head-on.


    As soon as the blue light contacted the azure sand, the sand¡¯s spiritual light burst forth mightily, and the grains at the front simultaneously swelled immensely, turning into millstone-sized grains that continuously plummeted down, harshly smashing onto the shield.


    Rumbles echoed incessantly.


    The Bluelight Shield, miraculous as it was, couldn¡¯t withstand the impact of such immense strength.


    In the blink of an eye, the light screen shook wildly, and the blue light dimmed considerably.


    Not only that, but a part of the sand cloud suddenly split into two sand serpents that skillfully bypassed the light screen and lunged at Han Li from both sides.


    Without much time to think, Han Li spat out a cauldron from his mouth.


    Flicking his finger on the cauldron, a layer of Celestial Ice Flame emerged on its surface.


    It was the first layer of the Treasure Commanding Decree that he had cultivated with the Heavenvoid Cauldron!


    Although he could only utilize a very small portion of the cauldron¡¯s power, at this point, Han Li naturally had no other care.


    He swept his hand over the lid of the cauldron, sending a burst of blue glow to envelop his entire body solidly.


    Then, Han Li split his hands and fiercely flicked his ten fingers toward the two sand serpents, sending out over ten streaks of azure Sword Qi crisscrossing and striking the serpents.


    ¡°Puff, puff¡± sounds rang out continuously, the heads of the sand serpents were shot through with over ten thumb-sized holes to no effect.


    Han Li¡¯s heart tightened; his body moved trying to dodge the attack, but he felt as heavy as a mountain and his movements were incredibly slow, making it impossible to move swiftly.


    As a result, the two sand serpents pounced in front of him.


    After two muffled ¡°bang, bang¡± sounds, they reformed into a sand cloud, wrapping Han Li and his glowing shield within, forming a giant sand cocoon impervious to wind and rain.


    The silver-robed woman in the air was initially surprised when she saw Han Li bring out a cauldron similar to the Sacred Cauldron in her hand, but then seeing Han Li easily trapped by the Spiritual Sand, a light smile appeared under her embroidered cloth.


    She knew full well the power of the Sacred Cauldron¡¯s Spiritual Sand.


    Once trapped by the sand, even several Great Immortal Masters would not be able to escape in a short time.


    Now, his fate was at her whim.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± the shield of light also shattered and dispersed, with the remaining sand cloud also falling onto Han Li.


    The sand cocoon immediately enlarged.


    This made the woman feel greatly relieved.


    She moved her body, floating down lightly atop the Giant Cauldron.


    But she had only descended about ten meters when an anomaly occurred below.


    The sand cocoon, which should have been solidified as iron, suddenly emitted numerous blue lights from its surface.


    Then, without the woman invoking any incantations, the grit spontaneously rolled down and crumbled, reforming into a loose state of sand cloud, gently floating motionless in the air.


    And at the center of the sand cloud, a burst of striking blue glow sparkled, Han Li stood holding the small cauldron, looking up at the woman.


    The woman¡¯s form came to an abrupt halt, her eyes filled with disbelief, and her complexion turned extremely ugly.


    A cold snort came from Han Li¡¯s mouth; he slapped the lid of the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Rings of distinctly clear blue light emerged around him and spread out in all directions.


    Where the blue pattern passed, the azure sand suddenly vanished, as if devoured.


    The woman, witnessing this scene, was greatly alarmed and quickly made hand signs, intending to direct the Spiritual Sand to attack Han Li again.


    But the sand quietly remained in place, completely unresponsive, and she suddenly lost spiritual contact with it.


    The silver-robed woman became frantic, and with a sharp tap of her feet, she activated the Giant Cauldron.


    The Giant Cauldron spun briefly and then emitted an even more dazzling green light, heading straight for Han Li¡¯s head.

 Chapter 900 - Chapter 900 Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure, Chapter 897 Surprising Turn

    ?Chapter 900: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure, Chapter 897: Surprising Turn Chapter 900: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure, Chapter 897: Surprising Turn Han Li narrowed his eyes, and the first level of the Treasure Commanding Decree¡¯s cultivation technique circulated.


    He lifted the small cauldron above his head.


    With a dragon¡¯s cry, the lid of the cauldron transformed into a blue glow and shot into the sky.


    Then, thousands of rainbow lights surged out from within the cauldron.


    The green light emitted by the Endless Sky Saintess, like rivers returning to the sea, became a beam of green mist and vanished into the cauldron in a flash.


    The silver-robed woman was greatly shocked, and Han Li was also taken aback.


    At that moment, the giant cauldron under the feet of the Endless Sky Saintess also emitted a strange humming sound.


    Then, amidst the green light, it suddenly transformed into a green rainbow and shot downward.


    The silver-robed woman¡¯s face turned as pale as a flower, and she hurriedly tried to recall the giant cauldron with both hands.


    But the incantations failed, and the green light completely ignored them, shooting straight into the small cauldron below, disappearing without a trace.


    The heart of the Endless Sky Saintess was filled with shock and anger, but things were far from over.


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron in Han Li¡¯s hand suddenly flew out on its own.


    It spun around before aligning its mouth toward a nearby mist, hinting at the flickering of lights within.


    A frightened beastly roar came from the mist, and a black shadow shot out from the fog, attempting to escape into the high sky.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    It was the Heaventide Holy Beast with the head of a bull and body of a python.


    But a brilliant blue mist sprayed out from the cauldron at an incredible speed, catching up with the Heaventide Beast instantaneously and enveloping it completely.


    The Heaventide Beast roared desperately and struggled, but the blue mist seemed to be its bane.


    It had no effect whatsoever.


    Instead, after circling, the size of the beast within the mist rapidly shrunk and was directly pulled into the cauldron.


    The lid of the cauldron spiraled down from the sky, covering the mouth of the cauldron again, locking the Heaventide Beast inside.


    These changes occurred extremely quickly, all in the blink of an eye.


    The silver-robed woman¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.


    She could hardly accept that, despite having the upper hand just a moment ago, she had fallen into an abyss in the blink of an eye.


    Not only had her opponent broken out of the encirclement, but both the sacred cauldron and the sacred beast¡¯s derivative form had simultaneously been taken away.


    However, this woman was no ordinary person.


    With a shift of cold light in her eyes, her gaze immediately fell on the Heavenvoid Cauldron in Han Li¡¯s hand.


    She was very clear that the cause of all these upheavals lay in the object that was almost identical to the Sacred Cauldron.


    Judging from how the Sacred Cauldron had lost control, this cauldron had a deep connection with it, or else such a shocking turn of events would not have occurred.


    She must seize the cauldron!


    In an instant, the woman made up her mind!


    Naturally, Han Li was overjoyed, but seeing the cold light flashing in the woman¡¯s eyes, how could he not know what she was planning?


    He laughed out loud, and with a light flap of his silver wings, he transformed into a silver arc, appearing dozens of yards away.


    Without hesitation, he called upon his Giant Sword, then his ten fingers fluttered like the phantom of a shadow, forming a series of bizarre hand seals.


    Green light flickered around him, and an astonishing surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth from his body.


    Opening his mouth, he spat out several clots of blood essence which scattered in the wind, turning into strands of blood mist.


    The spiritual light instantly changed to a queer reddish-green color.


    At the same time, his exposed hands and face began to turn abnormally red, swiftly becoming as fresh as blood, frighteningly so!


    And within the blood mist, Han Li¡¯s figure started to blur as if it were insubstantial.


    ¡°Not good!¡± As soon as she saw Han Li¡¯s action, the silver-robed woman seemed to recall something, shouted in alarm, and raised both hands.


    A surge of silver light shot out, turning into countless silver threads that enveloped Han Li like a blanket.


    In an area spanning dozens of yards around, the silver light shone dazzlingly, a sight to behold.


    But as soon as Han Li had his Giant Sword returned to him, his figure shook a few times within the blood mist, a Bloodshadow Evasion shot out, and he suddenly vanished into thin air.


    The next instant, as if there was a flicker of blood red on the horizon, Han Li¡¯s trace was gone completely.


    The Endless Sky Saintess felt her heart sink, and hurriedly released her Divine Sense, but just after locating the target a hundred miles away, Han Li disappeared beyond the reach of her Divine Sense with another Bloodshadow Evasion.


    Her face turned ashen, and she hovered motionlessly in mid-air.


    ¡­


    At the same time, thousands of miles away, a handsome young man was surrounded by the buzzing of nine green flying wheels.


    Looking down at the boundless grassland below, a strange expression crossed his face.


    ¡°Wood Evasion Technique?


    To be injured to such an extent and still able to escape using the power of plants and trees.


    That evil treasure also wields considerable power.


    The backlash from the desperate fight just now was indeed troublesome.


    However, now it¡¯s even lost the power to assimilate.


    A mere Nascent Soul, so grievously wounded, should have dissipated by now.


    Yet, since just now, there¡¯s been this unsettling feeling.


    Could something have happened to the others?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes flickered a few times as he murmured to himself.


    After looking up in the opposite direction, he hesitated for a moment before the nine wheels merged into one, forming a green rainbow, and he darted back the way he had come.


    In a patch of inconspicuous low shrubs, a shiny, jet-black banner was planted in the ground.


    The banner flickered with a dark light, and a hole about half a foot in diameter was faintly visible.


    Within it lay a Nascent Soul the size of an inch, its black and green body unconscious and still, shrouded in rolling black mists.


    It quietly absorbed the Pure Demonic Qi hidden within the banner, healing itself.


    ¡­


    In another direction, the purple-haired beauty spent some effort and trapped several thousand Gold Devouring Bugs with an ancient jade treasure.


    After fending off the startling lightning bead, she easily pierced the body of the young man opposite her with a single sword thrust.


    However, the target¡¯s body flashed brightly, and suddenly transformed into a charming woman.


    With white light flickering, her body turned into specks of light and vanished without a trace.


    The beauty couldn¡¯t help but stand there in a daze.


    ¡­


    Several hours later, the handsome young man, the purple-haired beauty, and the Endless Sky Saintess gathered together again.


    After sharing their respective experiences, they all looked at each other in dismay.


    ¡°So, you are saying that not only did we fail to obtain the breeding method for the Gold Devouring Bugs from our opponents, but we also lost the Sacred Cauldron and the sect protecting beast,¡± the young man said with furrowed brows, his voice heavy and low.


    ¡°The Sacred Cauldron is not that critical; we still have a spare in our clan.


    We can still call upon the sacred sect protecting beast.


    But its disciple was taken away by that person.


    This could potentially provoke the wrath of the upper realm¡¯s sacred sect protecting beasts.


    We must retrieve it at all costs,¡± the purple-haired beauty said, her face equally troubled.


    ¡°This time, I was too careless.


    I didn¡¯t expect that person to have a way to suppress the Sacred Cauldron, leading to this outcome.


    I will go to Great Jin myself and rescue the sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple.


    Also, that person¡¯s small cauldron is so peculiar; it could control our Sacred Cauldron.


    This is no trivial matter.


    I suspect it could be the very Spiritual Treasure that the Sacred Cauldron was modeled after.


    Otherwise, I can¡¯t explain it,¡± the silver-robed woman said calmly.


    ¡°Spiritual Treasure!


    That seems unlikely.


    Such treasures should not appear in this realm at all.


    They should have all been taken to the upper realm by ancient experts.


    The Sacred Cauldron was also created by an Immortal Master of prodigious talent within our Tuotu tribe, who used secret techniques to communicate with the sacred sect protecting beast to obtain the imitation method.


    How could the very Spiritual Treasure that served as the original template end up left behind in the human world,¡± the purple-haired beauty expressed her disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true!


    If ancient devilish techniques can appear in the human world, it¡¯s not impossible for a few Spiritual Treasures to be left behind here and there,¡± the handsome young man countered with a shake of his head.


    Upon hearing the words ¡°ancient devilish techniques,¡± both the purple-haired beauty and the Endless Sky Saintess¡¯s expressions changed.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Everyone says ancient devilish techniques are terrifying.


    It¡¯s just a pity that none of us had the chance to test our strength against them.


    However, their Escape Technique is truly wondrous; they didn¡¯t even show themselves to us but crossed the grasslands with ease and made their way to Great Jin,¡± the purple-haired beauty said somewhat grudgingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s because they were already seriously injured.


    And as soon as they set foot on the grasslands, we happened to come across them.


    Our relentless pursuit gave them no time to stop and heal.


    Otherwise, who knows what trouble they would have caused on the grasslands,¡± the young man sighed with a wry smile.


    ¡°Regardless of whether that person¡¯s treasure truly is a Spiritual Treasure, they killed so many of our Immortal Masters and took away the sacred sect protecting beast.


    We absolutely cannot let this go.


    As the Endless Sky Saintess, and since the cauldron was lost on my watch, I must personally retrieve it.


    Otherwise, when we call upon the sacred sect protecting beast next time, we will have no answer to its questioning,¡± the silver-robed woman said with a grim face.


    Hearing this, the young man and the beauty exchanged a glance, as if to share their opinions.


    ¡°Since the Endless Sky Saintess is so determined about this matter, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to make a trip to Great Jin.


    However, many sects in Great Jin have prejudices against our Tuotu tribe¡¯s Immortal Masters.


    It would be best for the Endless Sky Saintess not to reveal her identity, as that person¡¯s Divine Skills could mean they have significant power in Great Jin.


    You can start by visiting the Yin Sifting Sect to see if the person really is a Yin Sifting Sect elder.


    Once you have confirmed their identity, you can return to the grasslands and inform us.


    We are all willing to lend you our strength,¡± the young man nodded before making this suggestion.


    ¡°I understand.


    That person¡¯s divine skills are not inferior to mine.


    I will not act rashly!¡± the silver-robed woman said with a solemn look on her face.


    Thus, the three of them immediately turned back.


    The Endless Sky Saintess planned to settle some affairs before immediately setting off to Great Jin to look for Han Li.


    ¡­


    In Great Jin¡¯s Liaozhou, among the one hundred and eight provinces, it¡¯s large enough to rank within the top ten.


    Unfortunately, most of its territory is a cold region, covered with snow all year round, hence the sparse population.


    It¡¯s only middle to lower tier in terms of wealth among all the provinces and prefectures.


    Shun River within Liaozhou is the second-largest river of the province and is one of the few rivers that do not freeze during the flood season.


    Therefore, every year at this time, whether merchants selling goods or travelers with urgent matters would travel down the river by boat.


    This is much more convenient than riding horses or taking carriages.


    And every certain stretch along the river, official ships from Great Jin would patrol along the river.


    However, even so, with so many passenger ships and the river being so long, naturally, there are many desperadoes who risk being beheaded and having their families exterminated to daringly rob the passing ships.


    Therefore, larger ships would inevitably hire dexterous bodyguards skilled in martial arts to protect the ship.


    Wang Tieqiang was one such ordinary bodyguard protecting ships.


    As his name indicated, he naturally had some skills with the spear.


    But all these were secondary; most importantly, his experience as a bodyguard was extremely rich.


    Having started in this profession since his youth, he had been at it for over twenty years.


    He transformed from a vigorous young man into a seasoned veteran whose expressions did not betray his emotions.


    Now, he was standing steadfastly at the bow of a large ship, with one hand resting on the wooden railing, gazing at the nearby passing ships with an expressionless face.


    This trip was just another very ordinary escort for him.


    The only thing slightly special was that, according to rumors, the ship¡¯s owner was a family member of an official, seemingly with some significant background.


    Generally, ships with such a semi-official nature were not easily provoked by river bandits; it was considered a relatively relaxed escort mission.


    And the trip had proceeded as expected; the ship had sailed through most of the journey smoothly, without any incident.


    Right now, he was considering that the ship¡¯s owner was quite generous this time.


    The silver given looked sufficient to buy several good fabrics for his wife and children back home to make some nice clothes.


    Thinking of this, Wang Tieqiang couldn¡¯t help but picture his seven- or eight-year-old child¡¯s face in his mind, and a slight smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.


    But just at that moment, suddenly from one side of the ship came a woman¡¯s surprised cry.


    ¡°Come quick and look, there¡¯s a huge block of ice here, and insidea€| there seems to be a person inside.¡±


    (First update!)(To be continued, for the continuation, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 901 - Chapter 901 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 898 On the Boat

    ?Chapter 901: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 898 On the Boat Chapter 901: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 898 On the Boat Wang Tieqiang was startled when he heard the cry.


    It sounded like the maid called Oriole on the boat.


    Yet, Shun River might freeze over sometimes, but never during the flood season.


    Moreover, today¡¯s weathera€|


    Unable to help himself, Wang Tieqiang looked up at the sky, only to see the blazing sun high at noon.


    Despite wearing just a thin leather jacket, he still felt a slight warmth and a bit of a sweat coming on.


    More so, there was actually someone in the ice?


    Having roamed the jianghu for so many years, this was the first time he had heard of such a peculiar incident.


    He reached back to touch the two iron short spears he carried, then, as if possessed, he walked toward the source of the sound.


    As he approached the side of the boat, he immediately saw a group of seven or eight people, both men and women, including maids, male servants, and boatmen, all huddled together.


    They were pointing at something in the river, exclaiming with surprise.


    Glancing slightly to the side, right there about fifteen meters away to the east of the boat, a stark white object bobbed up and down on the river surface, catching everyone¡¯s eye.


    Looking intently he saw, indeed, it was a block of crystal-clear ice, and there truly seemed to be a figure trapped inside it.


    ¡°How strange indeed.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Could it be someone from before fell into the river and is now surfacing as the ice melts?¡± Wang Tieqiang couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself, his face showing a look of surprise.


    ¡°Senior Brother Wang, what has happened?¡± A husky voice came from behind him followed by footsteps.


    ¡°Brother Gao, you¡¯re here too.¡± Without even turning around, Wang Tieqiang knew it was his longtime partner, a bodyguard known for his solid martial arts skills and some minor fame for his hand-to-hand combat.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s really someone in the ice.


    What a rare sight indeed,¡± remarked a large man with a bushy beard, casually strolling over and clicking his tongue in amazement.


    ¡°A dead person, no matter how strange, doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Wang Tieqiang with a cold laugh, indifferent.


    ¡°That¡¯s true!


    A dead person at least can¡¯t rob us,¡± the large man said, rubbing his bristly beard and chuckling ¡°hehe¡±.


    ¡°What are you all clamoring about?


    Don¡¯t you know the madam has just settled down?¡± A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar walked out of the cabin, his face somewhat stern as he scolded the maids and servants.


    This was Master Zhou, reputedly a trusted aide of a high-ranking official.


    He had hired Wang Tieqiang and his companion to accompany the official¡¯s family on the boat.


    ¡°Master Zhou, in the rivera€|¡± the maid named Oriole timidly pointed out toward the river with her delicate finger.


    Upon seeing Wang Tieqiang and his companion standing there, Master Zhou was initially perplexed.


    Hearing the maid¡¯s words, he glanced over, and upon seeing the ice block and the figure within, his face showed immense surprise, but then he frowned and said:


    ¡°It¡¯s just a dead person, no point in staring.


    Everyone get back to work.


    Do I need to call Steward Wang instead?¡± His tone became stern by the end of his statement.


    At the mention of ¡°Steward Wang,¡± the maids and servants instantly changed color and dispersed, leaving behind two or three crew members who sneaked away.


    Wang Tieqiang and the large man exchanged glances, feeling it was inappropriate to linger and preparing to leave together.


    However, just as Gao Dafeng, the large man, was about to step away, he couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the river, suddenly freezing in place and exclaiming in shock.


    ¡°How is it possible, this person is still alive.¡±


    Hearing this, both Wang Tieqiang and Master Zhou were startled and looked as well, but they saw no signs of abnormality; the figure in the ice remained motionless.


    The scholar cast a doubtful look at the large man.


    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake.


    Just now, the person in the ice blinked.


    I truly saw it.¡± The large man stated confidently.


    ¡°Brother Gao wouldn¡¯t lie to us.


    It seems this person is indeed not dead,¡± Wang Tieqiang quickly chose to believe his companion¡¯s words.


    Master Zhou saw this and was somewhat skeptical.


    However, after thinking for a while, he shook his head and said:


    ¡°Even if that person is not dead, it¡¯s none of our business.


    There¡¯s no need to trouble the Lady or Miss.


    If no other boat is meddling, we shouldn¡¯t either.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Wang Tieqiang felt neither anger nor injustice.


    The person in the ice appeared quite eerie, and it suited him fine not to bring them aboard.


    After all, as someone long accustomed to the jianghu, his guard against such strange occurrences was far stronger than that of ordinary people.


    Nevertheless, Gao Dafeng hesitated visibly.


    ¡°Master Zhou, hold on!


    Saving a life is more meritorious than creating seven-storey pagodas, and my mother has always been compassionate.


    Since this person is not dead, let¡¯s save him first.¡± A sweet voice suddenly echoed from inside the cabin, following which a beautiful young girl in brocade came out, trailed by the maid Oriole, who had just left and was now demurely following behind.


    It seemed she had informed the girl about the situation.


    ¡°Second Miss!


    Is this really alright?


    Allowing a stranger on board¡­?¡± As soon as Master Zhou saw the young lady, he respectfully bowed, but his face showed hesitation.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it.


    Since this person survived a great disaster in the ice and also met us, it must be considered our family¡¯s good deed.


    Besides, there are many vacant rooms on the ship; arranging one will do.


    Are we really afraid of a dying man with so many of us here?¡±, said the young lady softly, her expression leaving no room for doubt.


    ¡°Very well.


    Since the young lady has instructed so, I will have someone go down to rescue him.¡± The scholar hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing with a fist salute.


    The young lady in the brocade dress smiled faintly, then said no more, and walked back to the cabin with her maid.


    Master Zhou, however, looked towards the cabin, his brows furrowed deeply.


    ¡°You both heard it.


    It seems we really need to save this person.


    But this block of ice is so huge, I¡¯m afraid we will need your help.¡± Master Zhou said with a wry smile.


    ¡°No problem.


    I might not have much, but I can still muster some strength,¡± Gao Dafeng said nonchalantly.


    Wang Tieqiang took another look at the huge ice before slowly nodding, indicating no problem.


    ¡­


    Han Li didn¡¯t know how long he had been in the darkness, but a splitting headache finally brought him back from his stupor.


    Yet before he even opened his eyes, he first heard a young girl¡¯s voice,


    ¡°Old Master, when will this man wake up?


    It¡¯s already been two days and nights.


    Is he really alright?


    Miss is still waiting for my reply!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    What do you know, young girl?


    I only have a slight understanding of medicine; how would I know when he will awake?


    But this man¡¯s condition is indeed strange.


    His face is deathly pale, and there are signs of severe blood loss, yet upon checking his pulse, it¡¯s unusually strong as if his body is much stronger than ordinary people.


    This truly baffles me!¡± An old voice said, sounding somewhat frustrated.


    ¡°Hehe!


    I think the Old Master probably got the pulse wrong!¡± The girl seemed very familiar with the Old Master and started teasing him.


    ¡°Nonsense, whenever any of you had headaches or fevers, wasn¡¯t it always I who cured you?


    Have I ever made a mistake?


    Perhaps this man has contracted some strange disease that no one has seen before.


    I¡¯m not a doctor, so what¡¯s so strange if I can¡¯t figure it out?¡± The old man seemed a bit embarrassed but still insisted on his point.


    Hearing this, Han Li finally realized he was lying on an extremely comfortable bed, with a thick mattress beneath him and a smooth blanket covering him, making him feel exceptionally warm.


    Listening to this old man and young girl converse in the language of Great Jin, Han Li felt slightly relieved.


    It seemed not only had ordinary mortals rescued him, but he had also finally arrived in Great Jin.


    However, his current situation was really not good!


    The moment he woke up, he used his divine sense to scan his body and inhaled sharply, feeling bitter in his heart.


    After escaping from the pursuit of the Endless Sky Saintess and fleeing thousands of miles, the time to undo the seal had come.


    He immediately jumped into the river, used the feign-death technique taught by Monarch Great Development, sealed himself in the icy coldness, and then let the ice drift with the stream, thus escaping the Soaring Tribes¡¯ pursuit.


    But now his physical condition was utterly terrible.


    It was even worse than he¡¯d feared by threefold.


    Not only had he lost a significant amount of essence from overusing the Bloodshadow Evasion, leaving his body extremely weak, but the deficit in his True Yuan was severely serious, causing his cultivation level to plummet several layers, to the point of falling to the Qi Refinement Realm level.


    Without five or six years of proper rest and recovery, he couldn¡¯t hope to return to his original cultivation level.


    Han Li sighed deeply, then suddenly remembered something, and hastily checked the flying swords inside his body.


    There, within one flying sword, he found Silvermoon, who was also extremely weak and in a deep coma.


    This slightly eased his mind.


    However, the absence of the second Nascent Soul gave him a severe headache.


    Although the distance was too far to sense accurately, it was clear that the second Nascent Soul had not been killed by the Soaring Tribes Great Immortal Master as he had anticipated; there was still a faint yet unbroken subtle connection, letting him know the Nascent Soul still existed.


    But if he couldn¡¯t recall this Nascent Soul within a certain number of years, the backlash once it became independent could be anticipated.


    The only thing that kept him composed was that once his original cultivation level was restored, the early-stage cultivation of the second Nascent Soul would certainly not be a match for him.


    Finding it and subjugating it again wouldn¡¯t be an issue for him.


    Thinking thus, he suddenly transmitted a message in his sea of spiritual awareness.


    ¡°Elder, how long did I stay unconscious in the ice before arriving in Great Jin?


    Are there any Great Jin cultivators nearby?¡±


    ¡°Ah!


    You¡¯re finally awake.


    You drifted at the river bottom for over a year.


    In the end, the mana attached to the ice was exhausted, and the ice block automatically surfaced.


    But, Han Li.


    Your situation really isn¡¯t good,¡± Monarch Great Development responded, sounding somewhat lazy.


    ¡°I am well aware of how dire my situation is.


    But having finally escaped by luck, it¡¯s a fortune amidst the misfortune, and I have nothing to complain about.


    After all, in that situation, not everyone can slip through the hands of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.¡± Han Li smiled, and rather took pride in his words.


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re taking it quite lightly!


    But the elder has yet to ask you, why have you never told the elder about possessing the spirit treasures?


    No wonder, a few times when I was in seclusion, you always kept the elder out of the chamber.


    The elder has long wanted to study a real spirit treasure personally.


    Enough chit-chat, find a moment to bring that small cauldron to the elder for a closer look,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s tone changed, sounding somewhat annoyed.


    (Second release!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    For more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 902 - Chapter 902 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 899 Cao Mengrong

    ?Chapter 902: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 899 Cao Mengrong Chapter 902: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 899 Cao Mengrong ¡°Giving it to the senior for research is, of course, no problem, but I¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯ve recovered my cultivation before I can remove the cauldron from within my body,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°Good!


    Since you¡¯ve agreed, let¡¯s leave it at that.


    However, there is indeed a cultivator on the ship, but she is just a Qi Refinement Stage girl of two or three layers, hardly worth mentioning.


    Just be aware,¡± said Monarch Great Development, his tone becoming gentler.


    Then he spoke no more.


    ¡°Qi Refinement Stage two or three layers?¡± Han Li was startled, but he still opened his eyes.


    ¡°Eh, old master.


    This person has woken up!¡± Han Li immediately saw a girl who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old standing in front of his bed.


    She was delighted when she saw him open his eyes and called out excitedly.


    The girl had tender white skin, a round face, and large eyes, looking quite adorable.


    ¡°Hmm, I naturally saw that,¡± the elder responded.


    The gray-robed elder, probably in his sixties and with a kind face, was sitting next to the girl on a chair, quietly sizing him up.


    ¡°Old master, you keep him company.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    I¡¯m going to inform the young miss!¡± Before Han Li could think to open his mouth to ask anything, the round-faced girl chattered at the elder and then scurried out of the room.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback.


    ¡°Hehe!


    This girl is just like this, young master mustn¡¯t take offense!¡± the old man shook his head gently and smiled kindly at Han Li.


    ¡°I dare not.


    Was it you two who rescued me?


    Where is this place?


    And you are¡­?¡± Han Li returned the smile, sat up, and asked slowly.


    ¡°This is the surface of the Shun River.


    You were in a life or death situation in the river and were saved by servants at the behest of my second young lady.


    As for me, I am He Wen, a tutor hired by the lady of the house,¡± the elder said, stroking his short beard and nodding.


    ¡°I see.


    My surname is Han, and I must thank the young lady for her life-saving grace,¡± Han Li exhaled lightly and bowed in gratitude.


    ¡°My family¡¯s young lady indeed has a compassionate heart.


    But whether she will see you or not, that can¡¯t be said.


    However, could you explain how you came to be in the ice, and how you managed not to die?


    I am quite interested,¡± the elder said, smiling but with curious eyes.


    ¡°This?


    I do not wish to deceive you with lies, elder, but there are indeed some hardships that are difficult for me to speak of,¡± Han Li hesitated and then spoke frankly.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright.


    Everyone has their inconvenient times,¡± the elder said generously, waving his hand as if unconcerned.


    Just then, the round-faced girl bounced back into the room.


    ¡°Tutor, the young lady instructed that this gentleman rest quietly, with other matters to be discussed later,¡± the girl said, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Han Li.


    Han Li noticed this and gave her a smile.


    The young servant¡¯s face flushed slightly as she bowed her head, her thoughts whirling as she wondered, ¡°This person doesn¡¯t look remarkable at all.


    Compared to some of the young lady¡¯s past friends, he is far behind.


    But why is the young lady paying such close attention to him?¡±


    ¡°Since the young lady has given her instructions, you¡¯ve just awoken, young master, so you should rest well.


    I shall take my leave first,¡± the elder stood up to say goodbye.


    Han Li naturally uttered another round of thanks and watched as the elder left the room with the young girl.


    Alone, Han Li silently stared at the wooden ceiling, sighing softly after a long while.


    In the following two days, other than a servant bringing meals three times a day, he was not disturbed by anyone else.


    This pleased Han Li, and he naturally seized the opportunity to take medicinal pills and sit in meditation to cultivate.


    As for the Qi Refinement Stage girl of two or three layers mentioned by Monarch Great Development, with a slight extension of his Divine Sense, Han Li soon discovered her.


    She was a young lady with a beautiful countenance, like a delicate jade sculpture.


    From the way others addressed her, it was clear that she was the ¡°second young miss¡± who had saved him.


    Han Li was not overly surprised; it seemed she had recognized his identity as a cultivator.


    By eavesdropping on the idle chatter of others on the ship, Han Li also gleaned a general understanding of the situation.


    The people on the ship appeared to be the family of a certain County Commander surnamed Cao from Liaozhou who, due to a hurried transfer, had gone ahead to assume his post while allowing his family to follow at a later time.


    The official family members consisted only of a few people: a principal wife, two concubines, and three children.


    The second young lady was the daughter of the principal wife and was said to have been frail and sickly since childhood, at one point living in a convent before returning to her family in recent years.


    The other two were born of concubines: the eldest young miss was at the marriageable age and already betrothed, about to be married off, and a young master who was only eleven or twelve years old.


    The other somewhat notable figures included Tutor He, Steward Zhou, and an ice-faced Housekeeper Wang, who was specially in charge of all the maids and servants.


    The ship¡¯s bodyguards were Wang Tieqiang and another man.


    However, Han Li quickly noticed that not only was the second young miss a low-ranking cultivator, but even Housekeeper Wang had a flow of strong True Qi, far surpassing the shallow martial arts of the two bodyguards.


    Among those servants were a few whose movements were agile and whose bodies concealed Evil Qi, suggesting they were no ordinary people.


    Despite finding it odd, Han Li collected his Divine Sense after figuring out the situation on the boat and started cultivating on his own, paying no further attention.


    Two days later, that second young miss indeed sent a maid to invite Han Li over.


    Naturally, Han Li wouldn¡¯t refuse, and he finally met the second young miss in a somewhat larger room on the boat.


    The moment the lady saw Han Li, she waved her hand to dismiss everyone else, then turned to Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is from one of the Daoist Sects, right?


    I am Cao Mengrong, a Disciple of the Profound Jade Sect.


    May I ask which sect Fellow Daoist Han is from?¡± The woman asked with unfeigned politeness.


    In her view, since Han Li didn¡¯t harbor Demonic Qi, Buddhist light, or the Vast Righteous Qi of the Confucian Sect, he must be from one of the Daoist Sects.


    ¡°Profound Jade Sect?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly; he hadn¡¯t heard of this name before.


    However, this wasn¡¯t unusual.


    Apart from the Ten Great Orthodox Sects and the ten great sects, there were few other sects within Great Jin that he knew of.


    ¡°Our sect is just an obscure little sect in Liaozhou, it¡¯s not surprising that Fellow Daoist Han hasn¡¯t heard of it,¡± explained Cao Mengrong with a light laugh, seeing Han Li¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Cao is too modest.


    I¡¯m just a Loose Cultivator who has recently entered the realm of immortal cultivators in Great Jin and am naturally unfamiliar with its various sects.


    I¡¯m the one who should be embarrassed,¡± Han Li replied with a cupped fist, feigning embarrassment.


    ¡°I see, Fellow Daoist Han is newly out of seclusion.


    I have also left my master not long ago.


    Although my sect is indeed small, it is commendable how young and yet how profound your cultivation is, Fellow Daoist Han!¡± Cao Mengrong¡¯s eyes shone brightly as she spoke with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big, I was simply fortunate to come across some opportunities.


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have made it this far,¡± Han Li vaguely responded.


    The woman saw that Han Li didn¡¯t wish to elaborate and gave a sympathetic smile, not pressing any further.


    Instead, she changed the subject, saying,


    ¡°How did Fellow Daoist Han end up encased in ice in the middle of the Shun River?


    Did you perhaps encounter a formidable enemy?¡±


    ¡°Something along those lines.


    I must also thank Fellow Daoist for the rescue,¡± Han Li replied with a wry smile, not wishing to go into detail.


    ¡°It was a trifle, not worth mentioning.


    Actually, I could tell that even without my intervention, Fellow Daoist Han would have escaped the ice before long.


    However, floating on the river¡¯s surface was truly a sight to behold, quite startling indeed.


    Thus, I took the liberty to help.


    Besides, those of us from small sects and Loose Cultivators should naturally support each other,¡± the woman said solemnly.


    Hearing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised.


    He took a careful look at her before nodding imperceptibly without saying anything more.


    ¡°By the way, I wonder how Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s recovery is proceeding.


    If you don¡¯t mind, you could stay on the boat for a few more days.


    I was hoping to seek your guidance in cultivation,¡± she proposed.


    ¡°I am not pressed for matters at the moment, so staying a few more days is not a problem.


    As for guidance, that¡¯s too generous a term, but an exchange of cultivation experiences could be beneficial,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment before agreeing, his reasons unclear.


    Cao Mengrong was overjoyed upon hearing this.


    In her early years, due to limited aptitude, she left her sect prematurely and was not imparted any profound spells.


    Now the opportunity to receive guidance from Han Li, whose cultivation clearly surpassed hers, was an exceptionally lucky break.


    After agreeing on a time, Han Li and the woman talked a little longer before he politely excused himself and left.


    ¡°Han Li, why did you agree to stay?


    Don¡¯t you want to find a spirit vein location to recover your Mana quickly?¡± Monarch Great Development, once Han Li returned to his room, couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Of course, I intend to find a spirit vein location.


    But such places are surely claimed by the various sects of Great Jin, and it appears there are far more cultivators here than I expected.


    Venturing out now with my current cultivation level is too risky.


    I don¡¯t wish to lose my life on the road before I¡¯ve regained my strength,¡± Han Li calmly explained.


    ¡°Oh?


    So what do you plan to do then?¡±


    ¡°I have plenty of medicinal pills with me and several spirit well objects that should allow me to recover my Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation within a year.


    Finding a method to eradicate the Evil Qi can wait until then.


    As for this woman, while she may be somewhat calculating, her cultivation is shallow and she seems harmless.


    It¡¯s an excellent opportunity to learn about the current state of the realm of immortal cultivators in Great Jin before deciding our next move.


    We¡¯ve already made it to Great Jin; waiting another year or two won¡¯t make much difference,¡± said Han Li slowly.


    ¡°As you wish.


    But I don¡¯t have much time left.


    If we delay for a few more years, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t live to see my own efforts bear fruit.


    After all, gathering the materials will take a considerable amount of time,¡± Monarch Great Development seemed somewhat anxious.


    ¡°Senior, rest assured.


    While searching for a method to dispel the Evil Qi, I¡¯ll start keeping an eye out for those materials.


    However, the best strategy would be to enlist the help of a sect to collect them for us.


    That could save a lot of time,¡± Han Li said, apparently having a plan in mind.


    ¡°How do you intend to enlist help?


    We¡¯re not in Tian Luo; your title of Senior Han might not carry weight here.


    Larger sects are unlikely to heed you, and smaller sects don¡¯t have the capability to undertake such tasks.


    After all, the materials we need are rare and hard to find,¡± Monarch Great Development didn¡¯t seem optimistic about this approach.


    ¡°The specifics haven¡¯t been fully considered; we¡¯ll just have to play it by ear.


    Perhaps opportunities will present themselves,¡± Han Li replied sardonically.


    He didn¡¯t continue the conversation with Monarch Great Development.


    Instead, he took out a set of formation flags from his storage pouch and set up a simple restrictive formation around the room.


    Then he sat on his bed, swallowed a medicinal pill, and began to meditate in the lotus position.


    (End of Chapter 1!) (To be continued.


    For further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support for the author and genuine reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 903 - Chapter 903 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 900 Unwelcome Guest

    ?Chapter 903: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 900 Unwelcome Guest Chapter 903: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 900 Unwelcome Guest In the city of Xin¡¯an, located to the west of Wuyuan Prefecture in Liaozhou, two slender women dressed in blue Daoist robes walked side by side up a secluded mountain.


    With flashes of white light at their feet and the lightest touch on the ground, they gracefully floated forward without any apparent force, traveling a dozen feet at a time.


    Since the Daoist robes were quite long and their movements minimal, from a distance, the two women looked as if they were flying low to the ground in an enchanting manner.


    ¡°Sister Lu, is Master really not going to help us this time?


    Just the two of us, even with Sister Cao, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to handle that person from the Rhinoceros Spirit Sect.


    That person is a seventh-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, said to be highly valued by the Sect Leader of the Rhinoceros Spirit Sect.


    We, one at the sixth layer and the other at the seventh, can join forces to put up a fight, but if the opponent brings reinforcements, we¡¯ll be no match.


    And if we lose, Sister Cao won¡¯t be able to interfere with that man¡¯s rescue mission.


    Furthermore, the person he¡¯s trying to save is a wanted criminal by the authorities.


    I¡¯m afraid Sister Cao¡¯s father might get dragged into this,¡± lamented a pretty girl, who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, to the slightly older woman beside her.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it.


    Our Sect of Immortal Cultivators shouldn¡¯t get involved in the affairs of the officialdom lightly.


    Sister Cao is just an Unofficial Disciple of our Profound Jade Sect, and Master only taught her a bit of basic spells, so there¡¯s not much to be said in this matter.


    After all, the officialdom itself venerates a number of low-level Loose Cultivators, who deal with incidents concerning Cultivators.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    But this time, the Rhinoceros Spirit Sect¡¯s person has a significant connection with the one he¡¯s trying to save and, knowing Sister Cao¡¯s relation to our Sect, personally came to confront us.


    It wouldn¡¯t be right for us in the Profound Jade Dao to keep turning a blind eye.


    But using the excuse of an Unofficial Disciple, Master declined to punish Sister Cao, leaving it to that person to deal with.


    After he left, Master immediately called for us to come here, indicating that in all likelihood, he would use a challenge to force Sister Cao out.


    Knowing that Sister Cao and us have a close relationship, by sending us with this message, isn¡¯t Master intentionally letting us lend a hand to Sister Cao?


    Besides, Master had already sent word to Sister Cao with spirit birds, so why bother having us make the trip?


    Even though Sisters Yu and the others have higher cultivations, they are not disciples of the same Master and have a general relationship with Sister Cao; they wouldn¡¯t stand up and offend others for her.


    Master has done what she could; after all, our Profound Jade Sect also has some connection with the Rhinoceros Spirit Sect, and as an elder, it wouldn¡¯t be proper for her to directly favor one side,¡± the gentle-looking woman replied with a sigh.


    ¡°I remember Commander Cao of the county; he seemed like a decent man when he was stationed near our Daoist temple.


    And he was very respectful to our Masters.


    It would be such an unwarranted calamity for him to be implicated in this mess!¡± exclaimed the younger woman with a hint of distress.


    ¡°If it really comes to that, there¡¯s nothing we can do.


    At least if he¡¯s accused of losing a criminal, as a county commander, he wouldn¡¯t be the direct official in charge.


    At most, he would lose his position; it¡¯s not a capital crime.


    But Sister Cao has such a flair for the dramatic; knowing this news, she still arranged to meet us here.


    Perhaps she already has a strategy,¡± mused the older woman, hesitatingly.


    ¡°Sister, why worry?


    When we get to the peak, we just have to ask, and all will be clear,¡± chuckled the younger woman.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± nodded the older woman.


    With that, the two women quickened their pace and after the time it takes to eat a meal, they finally reached the mountain summit, where they both let out a surprised ¡®eh.¡¯


    The area at the top was not large, spanning just over a hundred zhang, but there was an additional thatched cottage that hadn¡¯t been there before.


    In front of the cottage, there was an unadorned stone kiosk, where a man and a woman were seated around a stone table, engrossed in conversation.


    The man had a plain face and was somewhat pale, while the woman, who was quite beautiful, was listening intently with rapt attention.


    As soon as the two women appeared at the peak, the man immediately sensed something, stopped talking, and turned to look over his shoulder.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Cao, it seems the people you¡¯ve arranged to meet have arrived,¡± the man said with a smile, standing up.


    ¡°Great, my two Senior Sisters are here!¡± The young woman caught sight of them, her face lighting up with joy as she stood up to greet them.


    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re looking good!


    Oh, it seems your cultivation has progressed by a whole layer.


    That¡¯s excellent news!¡± The older woman exclaimed with delight, but after a closer look at the younger woman, she couldn¡¯t help but be slightly surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just recently made the breakthrough myself.


    Compared to the two of you, Senior Sisters, I still have a long way to go!¡± Sister Cao smiled with lips pursed, equally elated.


    ¡°Sister Cao, who is this Fellow Daoist from another Sect?


    He seems to have quite high cultivation, almost like the tenth layer,¡± asked the other, younger woman curiously after taking a quick look at the man in the scholar¡¯s jacket.


    She was suddenly taken aback by this realization.


    Hearing this, the older woman was shocked and after casting her Divine Sense, her face also showed a hint of astonishment.


    ¡°I am Han Li, a mere Loose Cultivator, just a guest at Miss Cao¡¯s home,¡± Han Li said composedly.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it.


    No wonder you¡¯re so calm, Sister.


    With a high-level Cultivator like Brother Han here, when that Wu Xiaoyu comes, he¡¯s bound to find himself in an embarrassing situation,¡± said the older woman, clearly relieved.


    ¡°Please have a seat, Senior Sisters.


    Let¡¯s talk more leisurely.


    Brother Han may be a Loose Cultivator, but he has a wealth of experience on the path of cultivation.


    The reason I was able to break through my bottleneck in such a short time is greatly due to Brother Han¡¯s guidance,¡± Cao Mengrong invited the two women to sit in the pavilion and spoke with a beaming smile.


    ¡°Oh, then we too must seek some advice from Fellow Daoist Han¡­¡± Just as the older sister began to speak, laying on the courtesy, a long howl erupted from the base of the mountain, deep and resounding.


    ¡°He¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°How did he know where we are?


    And he arrived so quickly!¡± Both Daoist-robed women stood up again in surprise, turning their heads to look.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for alarm, Senior Sisters.


    It was I who arranged for this person to come here.


    This Fellow Daoist Wu found me several days ago.


    After I got Brother Han¡¯s agreement, I specifically arranged to meet him here today,¡± said Cao Yulin, her demeanor composed and assured.


    ¡°I see.


    My Sister and I rushed here only to find we are a step late,¡± said the older woman, somewhat surprised, but inwardly relieved.


    After all, a cultivator at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement was well-equipped to face a challenge from someone at the eighth layer.


    At that moment, a ball of white light charged up from the base of the mountain, with two figures visible side by side inside it.


    ¡°Flying Artifact!


    He has such an artifact, but who¡¯s the other person?¡± The younger woman, upon seeing this, cried out in shock.


    Cao Mengrong and another woman exchanged glances, and both read worry in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Compared to other types of magic artifacts, Flying Artifacts were indeed much rarer.


    Even low-grade Flying Artifacts were far more expensive than common mid-grade magic tools.


    For low-level cultivators like them, where would they have the spirit stones to purchase mid-grade magic tools?


    To have one low-grade magic tool was mostly a reward bestowed by their sect.


    If they couldn¡¯t advance further, they guessed they would only have this one artifact for the rest of their lives.


    Thus, for those low-level cultivators who were given Flying Artifacts, they must certainly be people of significant background.


    This fact was even more so for small sects like theirs.


    When the two people appeared aggressively at the mountaintop, Han Li merely glanced at them indifferently, showing no change in his expression.


    Now, eight or nine months had passed since Cao Mengrong rescued him.


    Whether it was because his injuries were not as severe as thought, or because the medicinal pills he took were more effective than anticipated, it took only most of a year for Han Li to regain some of his Qi and quietly return to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Although his Qi was still seriously depleted and his blood essence was mostly unreplenished, he finally had the capability to protect himself in the realm of immortal cultivators.


    Of course, with Cao Mengrong¡¯s cultivation level, she naturally couldn¡¯t perceive the astonishing changes he was hiding.


    During this time when he temporarily resided nearby, she often came to ask him about her doubts and difficulties with cultivation.


    With Han Li¡¯s mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation experience, it was overkill to share his insights on Qi Refinement with someone at her level.


    Often with just a few words, he cleared her confusion and led her to have sudden realizations.


    This made Cao Mengrong very happy, and her respect for Han Li grew.


    Especially after she advanced from the third layer of the Qi Refinement Realm to the fourth under Han Li¡¯s guidance, she began to show him the courtesy due to a teacher.


    Seeing this, Han Li showed no difference on the surface, but in his heart, he was prepared to leave in just over a month.


    After all, in the past few months, he had gained a general understanding of the Great Jin realm of immortal cultivators from her.


    At last, he was not blind to his surroundings.


    As for the medicinal pills for the Qi Refinement Realm, although he had some, he wouldn¡¯t carelessly bestow them in such a weakened state.


    After all, murder for treasure was not uncommon in the Great Jin realm of immortal cultivators, even more chaotic than Tian Luo by a bit.


    But a few days ago, Cao Mengrong received an emergency message from her sect.


    This naturally alarmed her, and she immediately turned to Han Li for help.


    Upon learning that the opponent was only at the eighth or ninth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm and that it wasn¡¯t a life-and-death feud, Han Li nonchalantly agreed to lend her a hand.


    After finishing this matter, it would be the perfect opportunity to leave.


    The two men who had charged to the top of the peak, although their magic tools shone brilliantly, Han Li could clearly see that they were merely a seventh layer Artifact Refining cultivator and an eleventh layer immortal cultivator.


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t take them seriously.


    So while the other three women showed a look of shock and doubt, he slowly walked out of the kiosk, looked up at the sky, and said composedly,


    ¡°I am here to assist Fellow Daoist Cao, which of you two would like to have a friendly spar first?


    Surely, you¡¯re not intending to gang up in a brawl?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    Lucky that I came.


    Otherwise, Junior Brother Wu would suffer unfairly.


    I don¡¯t recognize your face, stranger, and you seem to have decent cultivation.


    But I, Huang, am more than enough to handle you on my own.


    Let¡¯s fight together.


    It saves having to look for excuses after losing.¡± A light orb descended to the ground, and with a flash, two people appeared.


    One of them, a middle-aged man with small eyes, holding a wooden board-shaped magic artifact, said rudely.


    The other, a large man in his thirties, was staring coldly at Han Li and the others.


    He seemed to be the Wu Xiaoyu they were talking about!


    ¡°Ma Yulin!


    Why is it you?


    How can you, as a law enforcement Disciple of the Xiling Sect, casually involve yourself in a private duel?¡± the elder woman asked with a change in expression.


    ¡°It seems Celestial Ni Chang still is unaware.


    I am no outsider.


    Junior Brother Wu and I are somewhat related by marriage.


    There¡¯s no issue for me to act on his behalf,¡± the middle-aged man said expressionlessly and bluntly.


    Upon hearing this, Luo Sister¡¯s words came to an abrupt halt.


    The younger woman¡¯s face, however, showed a look of anxiety.


    Cao Mengrong¡¯s expression fluctuated, likewise at a loss for words.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s begin immediately.


    After the friendly spar, I am in a bit of a rush.


    There are other matters I need to attend to!¡± Han Li looked up at the time, then back at the middle-aged man, showing a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, and then stepped forward once more.


    Seeing this, the middle-aged man scoffed, retracted the wooden board-shaped magic artifact with a lift of his hand, and pulled out a light yellow small fork from his storage pouch.


    (Second update!) (To be continued¡­


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters and your support for the author and legitimate reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 904 - Chapter 904 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 901 The Ginseng King Convention

    ?Chapter 904: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 901 The Ginseng King Convention Chapter 904: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 901 The Ginseng King Convention Seeing the two about to engage, the others instinctively stepped back a few paces and held their breaths.


    For them, witnessing a duel between Qi Refinement cultivators of such level was a rare sight indeed.


    But for Han Li, dealing with a Qi Refinement Immortal Cultivator held little interest.


    He simply stood there, hands clasped behind his back, calmly waiting for the other to make a move,


    The middle-aged man named Ma Yulin, seeing Han Li¡¯s nonchalant demeanor, raged inside.


    Without another word, he lifted the small pitchfork, chanting incantations as his other hand formed incantations.


    Moments later, the small pitchfork trembled slightly and emitted a faint spiritual light, then suddenly turned into a streak of yellow light, darting straight towards Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, and he had no intent of using a Magic Artifact, leisurely lifting his hand to release more than a dozen Daoist paper talismans from his fingertips, which instantly turned into more than a dozen fist-sized red fireballs.


    They sequentially met the yellow light.


    Ma Yulin saw this and sneered internally.


    His Yellow Wind Fork was a mid-grade Magic Artifact bestowed by his sect, not something that could be countered by mere fireballs.


    Still, even thinking this, he was not willing to meet force with force, to avoid any damage to the Magic Artifact.


    Immediately, he hastened the incantations with his hands, and the yellow light suddenly made a turn, intending to curve around the fireballs and attack from the side.


    Han Li barely smiled and casually flicked his finger into the air.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    The fireballs paused at once, then gathered together in the sky, condensing into a chariot-wheel-sized cloud of fire.


    It then transformed into a fire python around ten meters long.


    With a flash of red light, the python shot out swiftly, coiling around the yellow light transformed from the flying pitchfork.


    Ma Yulin was greatly startled and hurriedly poured all his spiritual power into the Magic Artifact in an attempt to free the flying pitchfork.


    But after the burst of yellow light, it was quickly constricted tighter by the fire python, its spiritual light dimming in an instant.


    Even a series of low moans were heard, a clear precursor to the destruction of the Magic Artifact.


    ¡°Stop!


    Fellow Daoist possesses formidable mana, Martial Senior Ma admits defeat!¡± The middle-aged man, sensing the bad turn of events and not willing to lose his Magic Artifact, hurriedly called out with a change of expression.


    Han Li, hearing these words, responded with a faint smile and pointed into the sky.


    The fire python coiled and released the flying pitchfork, then burst open with a loud sound, turning into tiny sparks that vanished without a trace.


    Han Li easily defeated such a highly cultivated opponent, to the astonishment and delight of the three ladies in the pavilion.


    Wu Xiaoyu, the large man on the opposite side, had a grim expression and hesitantly muttered to his Senior Martial Brother:


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Ma, this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it, Junior Martial Brother Wu!


    You saw for yourself, there is an expert present.


    Even using the Yellow Wind Fork didn¡¯t make me a match.


    It just had to be your nephew¡¯s fate,¡± Ma Yulin interrupted the large man¡¯s words without giving him a chance to continue.


    He retrieved his Magic Artifact and found it undamaged, which slightly eased his mind.


    However, he was profoundly awed by Han Li¡¯s divine skills and had no intention of further involving himself in this matter.


    Hearing his Senior Martial Brother speak this way, Wu Xiaoyu was naturally unwilling but realized that if his Senior Martial Brother at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement was not a match, he would surely fare even worse.


    What followed needed no detailed explanation.


    The two disciples of Incisive Spirit Sect left the mountain in frustration, descending and going their way.


    Cao Mengrong and the other two ladies, however, surrounded Han Li, curious about the spell he had just cast.


    Han Li casually came up with a practiced excuse and also explained some small techniques for controlling lower-level spells, handling their questions ambiguously.


    But then, the two Daoist-robed women earnestly sought Han Li¡¯s explanation of some difficult aspects of their cultivation techniques, and he answered them with ease.


    Time passed by little by little, and as the day turned to evening, it was no longer proper for the three ladies to stay, so they reluctantly departed.


    The next evening, when the two ladies and Cao Mengrong came again, they found that the cottage was empty, leaving only a letter bidding farewell.


    After reading the letter, Cao Mengrong stood stunned.


    For some reason, Han Li¡¯s abrupt departure left her feeling empty inside, an indescribable discomfort welling up.


    Her two Senior Martial Sisters seemed to notice something too and exchanged glances with each other.


    ¡­


    Miles away, Han Li slowly flew on his Magic Artifact, conversing with Monarch Great Development in his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Han Li, do you really plan to go to Jiangling Prefecture first to open up Feng¡¯s Hideout?¡± asked Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Of course, no one knows when the effect of the Five Ghosts Locking God Great Art might fail, so naturally, I must first seek out Buddhist cultivation techniques to eliminate the Evil Qi.


    Otherwise, this issue, like a maggot clinging to a bone, will prevent me from peacefully restoring my mana,¡± Han Li replied languidly.


    ¡°I advise you not to set your hopes too high on this.


    I have my doubts that a cultivator from such a minor family would possess a high-grade Buddhist technique capable of removing Evil Qi,¡± Monarch Great Development remarked indifferently, as if intentionally pouring cold water on Han Li¡¯s plans.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the situation.


    But Feng¡¯s Hideout should be the easiest to deal with.


    If it¡¯s possible to find what I seek there, then great; if not, I will have no choice but to search the renowned Buddhist institutions.


    But with my current cultivation level, the difficulty is certainly no small matter,¡± Han Li frowned and spoke slowly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Many simple tasks have become difficult for you after your cultivation was greatly reduced.


    If you still had the cultivation of the mid Nascent Soul stage, you could have simply approached the Buddhists directly, and those baldies might have given a Nascent Soul cultivator like you some face,¡± chuckled Monarch Great Development with a few hums.


    Han Li could only shake his head with a wry smile upon hearing these words.


    It is said that the Buddhist sects are particularly insular; even if he still had the cultivation of the mid Nascent Soul stage, why would they easily divulge their high-grade techniques?


    If necessary, he would have to find a way to infiltrate Buddhism and perhaps steal a text.


    However, the thought of having to convert and shave his head to blend into Buddhism left Han Li somewhat speechless.


    Perhaps it would be easier to seek a method to remove Evil Qi from the Confucian Sect.


    Amid his dejection, such a thought involuntarily crossed his mind.


    ¡­


    Guanning Prefecture lay at the far western end of Liaozhou, a significant distance from Wuyuan Prefecture.


    Han Li navigated his Magic Artifact for a good ten-plus days before finally entering the borders of Guanning Prefecture.


    Along the way, Han Li didn¡¯t encounter any high-level cultivators, only a few Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment ones occasionally flying by in the distance.


    Han Li didn¡¯t engage with them; he just avoided them and continued on his way.


    After several more days of flying, the number of ordinary mortals on the ground thinned out, and the landscape grew barren, resembling the backcountry.


    But two days later, Han Li finally reached a place called Sun Cloud Town, landed his Magic Artifact, and slowly made his way into the town along a dirt road.


    This town was much more rudimentary than the others he had seen along the way.


    Not only was it small, but it also had only three or four crisscrossing streets, and the houses were mostly built with yellow mud and wooden slats, appearing quite dirty and chaotic.


    With a slight frown, Han Li walked on a dirt road in the small town, constantly glancing to the left and right.


    The weather was unusually cold at that moment, and anyone glancing at Han Li, who was merely draped in a scholar¡¯s jacket, would find it out of the ordinary.


    Yet the passersby-ordinary mortals clad in thick fur coats-seemed utterly indifferent to such a sight, their faces void of surprise.


    Han Li¡¯s face showed a contemplative expression as he sensed something odd.


    Suddenly, his expression changed as he saw two white-robed figures-one tall, one short-approaching from the opposite direction.


    These two appeared to be in their twenties, but the flow of Spiritual Energy around them indicated they were Qi Condensation cultivators of the seventh or eighth layers.


    After taking one glance at Han Li, a look of surprise appeared on their faces.


    When they were about three or four zhang away from Han Li, they stopped.


    The tall and lean young man suddenly greeted him with a respectful bow and asked, ¡°May I know the distinguished name of the elder?


    Are you here to attend the Ginseng King Assembly?¡±


    ¡°The Ginseng King Assembly?


    I¡¯ve never heard of it.


    I am simply here because I heard there were numerous Spirit Grasses nearby and came to look for some Spiritual Medicines,¡± Han Li replied with a surprised look, not disguising the astonishment on his face.


    ¡°I thought as much; the assembly has already begun a day ago.


    If you were here to attend it, you should have headed for Snow Tomb Mountain by now.


    It seems you¡¯re just passing through this town,¡± the white-robed young man said with a sudden realization.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s not an issue.


    If you join now, you can still make it in time.


    This time, the assembly is jointly hosted by the three major families of Jiangning.


    The event not only offers numerous Spiritual Medicines for sale but will also auction several hundred-year-old plants and one thousand-year-old wild Ginseng King.


    The event is only half underway.


    The main auction has yet to begin.


    This will be much more convenient for you than searching for Spiritual Medicines in the wilds.


    Moreover, many Loose Cultivators and some small Sects exchange Spiritual Medicine Materials at the assembly, and our families do not charge any fees,¡± the shorter young man added eagerly, looking somewhat ingratiating.


    He was not just respectful because of Han Li¡¯s apparent Foundation Establishment cultivation level; Han Li¡¯s several storage pouches and spirit beast pouches were more than enough to ensure their politeness.


    ¡°Three major families, could it be the Kong, Zhao, and Dong families?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered, and he asked with some surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.


    We two are disciples of the Kong Family, specially here to welcome senior guests who have heard about the assembly.


    We thought that by now, there wouldn¡¯t be any more guests arriving and were about to join the festivities ourselves.


    It¡¯s fortunate that we encountered you,¡± the lean young man said with a smile.


    ¡°So this town is under the direct jurisdiction of your Kong Family now?


    I notice that ordinary mortals here seem quite accustomed to cultivators, which is unusual,¡± instead of responding directly to the invitation, Han Li glanced around before suddenly asking.


    ¡°Elder is truly perceptive.


    This town has been under the joint ownership of our three families for five or six years now.


    The residents here are all externally affiliated mortals of our families, hence their lack of fear of cultivators,¡± explained the taller young man.


    ¡°I see.


    That complicates things,¡± Han Li hesitated briefly, his face showing a look of difficulty.


    ¡°Is there something else the elder needs to attend to?


    Maybe you could tell us what it is?


    Perhaps we can help you!¡± the shorter young man spoke eagerly, an earnest expression on his face.


    (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, and by supporting the author, you support legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 905 - Chapter 905 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 902 The Person in the Coffin

    ?Chapter 905: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 902 The Person in the Coffin Chapter 905: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 902 The Person in the Coffin ¡°`


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, we can talk about this matter later.


    Since there is such a grand event, I¡¯d better go over and take a look,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment before speaking evenly.


    ¡°Very well, then I will lead the way for you, senior,¡± the short youth replied with a smile after exchanging glances with the other.


    Subsequently, the two each took out a disk-shaped Magic Artifact from their bodies, tossed them into the air, and jumped on top.


    When Han Li saw this, he casually threw out a shining flying sword, and after a flicker of his figure, he was on top of it as well.


    ¡°Senior¡¯s Magic Artifact is actually an elementary high-grade flying sword, you must be an Inner Disciple out on a training mission from one of the large sects, right?


    Otherwise, such high-quality items are definitely not something ordinary disciples could obtain as a reward from their sect,¡± the tall youth remarked in surprise after glancing at Han Li¡¯s flying sword.


    The short youth next to him wore an envious expression on his face.


    ¡°Hehe!


    In my sect, we have rules that prohibit casually revealing information about the sect during training missions.


    You two fellow Taoists should not try to get more words out of me,¡± Han Li chuckled softly, directly deflecting the subject.


    The two were hit right on the nail about their intentions by Han Li¡¯s response and felt a bit embarrassed, but this made them even more certain that Han Li truly was a disciple from a major sect.


    Their demeanor grew more respectful.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï


    The three below controlled their artifacts to fly up, activating the artifacts and flying towards the southern part of the town.


    This so-called ¡°Snow Tomb Mountain¡± was not very far from the town, and at the town, one could already faintly see the stretch of dark mountain peaks.


    The Snow Tomb Mountain should actually be called the Snow Tomb Mountain Range, stretching for thousands of miles, it is also considered one of the most prominent mountain ranges within Liaozhou.


    Moreover, it¡¯s said that within the deep parts of the mountain range, demons and ghosts haunt, and not to mention ordinary mortals, even cultivators with high cultivation levels have sometimes mysteriously disappeared within the mountains.


    However, when the missing cultivators¡¯ friends, relatives, and their fellow sect members came in groups to search, they would scour a big part of the mountain range without finding any anomalies.


    But later, there would still be cultivators who continued to disappear within the mountain range.


    Thankfully, not everyone who passed through the mountain range disappeared, and most of those who vanished were low-level cultivators from Liaozhou.


    Near the outskirts of the mountain range, it was safe and sound.


    As such, after repeated warnings and admonishments, local cultivators no longer ventured deep into this mountain.


    Incidents of disappearance immediately became scarce.


    Gradually, no one sought to investigate the abnormalities deep within the mountain range anymore.


    The Participation King Conference, hosted by the three great wealthy families of Jiangning, of course, could not possibly be held deep within the mountain range but on a tall peak right on the outskirts, close to the town¡¯s direction.


    As Han Li looked towards the top of the mountain peak from the air, he saw a large array of exquisitely beautiful pavilions and palaces appearing at the top of the peak, his eyes flickering a few times.


    He saw at a glance that these buildings were exceptionally new, clearly having been established only recently, and his face involuntarily revealed a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, senior, here it is.


    All Foundation Establishment cultivators attending will be assigned individual rooms, while elders above Core Formation will have a separate loft to ensure a good rest for all seniors,¡± the tall youth introduced somewhat obsequiously, pointing below.


    Han Li nodded, not saying much more.


    However, he quietly released his Divine Sense and carefully swept across this area, his brows unintentionally furrowing slightly a€¡° there was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator here.


    It was unclear if that person was a cultivator here to attend the event or if it was the Patriarch Kong mentioned by Feng Zhen before his death.


    The power of the Great Jin¡¯s wealthy families really couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    To think that the highest cultivation within the Immortal cultivation clans of Tian Luo was only up to the mid or late stage of Core Formation.


    Nascent Soul experts were something Tian Luo¡¯s Immortal cultivation clans simply could not cultivate.


    However, something unexpected caught his attention; this Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s aura faintly contained a trace of corpse qi within.


    Although very light and cunningly masked, Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense was too far superior to the other party.


    Even with the other party¡¯s painstaking effort, he was still able to detect a hint under careful observation.


    Could this person be cultivating a Devilish and heretical technique?


    If he remembered correctly, Kong Family hailed from the Confucian Sect¡¯s famously reputable Heavenly Saint Sect, and to this day, they are still supported by this Sect.


    Regardless of whether or not this Nascent Soul cultivator was Patriarch Kong, just by associating with such figures, it seemed quite inappropriate for the Kong Family.


    Reflecting on this, Han Li followed the two and landed at the entrance of the manor, only to be immediately greeted by four cultivators in dark blue robes walking out from the main gate.


    ¡­


    Almost at the same time, in a secret chamber twenty or so zhang underground, the lid of a coffin as black as ink shifted slightly, then a hand as pure white as jade reached out from the gap and gently pushed the lid.


    A man in a yellow robe wearing a jade crown suddenly sat up inside.


    This man, appearing to be in his thirties with distinctive features, had a look of astonishment and doubt on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, just now I felt a sudden alarm, could it be that someone is spying on me?¡± the man muttered to himself.


    After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously released his Divine Sense, scanning the entire mountain peak from top to bottom; he paid special attention to the cultivators in the manor.


    But after a while, the man found nothing and did not sense any other Nascent Soul experts, furrowing his brows in deep contemplation.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s just some undying old man who passed by and casually probed the area,¡± the man with the jade crown muttered to himself as he once again lay down inside the coffin and the lid closed by itself.


    The chamber once again became tranquil.


    On the ground, Han Li had been led by a blue-robed cultivator to a huge square in the middle of the estate.


    The square was teeming with cultivators wearing various garments, numbering up to five or six hundred.


    However, these cultivators were separated into several groups, congregating in clearly demarcated areas, either engaged in discussion or in the act of exchanging items.


    Around the perimeter of the square were stalls of various sizes, some set upon tables, others laid directly on the ground, creating quite a bustling scene.


    Han Li gave a knowing smile, which reminded him of his early days when he first entered the realm of immortal cultivators and attended the small gathering at Tian Luo.


    Thinking back, it was truly nostalgic!


    What surprised Han Li somewhat was that in the center of the square stood a huge tent hastily erected, flashing with white light-it was actually a Magic Artifact-and the tent spanned over a hundred meters across, with people coming and going at the entrance.


    Glancing around, Han Li noticed that on both sides of the square stood two azure stone temples, each also shimmering with a mysterious light.


    Although there were cultivators inside, they were sparser compared to those in the square and around the middle tent.


    Some cultivators were hesitantly loitering at the entrance of the temples, while others whispered hurriedly to their companions.


    Those who had the privilege to be here, besides some low-level disciples of the three families, were naturally cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Even Core Formation experts were plentiful-over a dozen detected by Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense.


    The scale of this gathering rivaled Tian Luo¡¯s first-rate factions, and this was just a trade fair held by some local wealthy families in the Great Jin.


    Pondering inwardly, Han Li felt somewhat astonished.


    He had been informed by the welcoming disciples before entering: the morning was free-trade time, and the auction would not begin until the afternoon.


    If they had any rare materials or precious items, they could hand them over to the auction beforehand.


    The designated duration of the trade fair was three days, and it just so happened that today was the second day.


    The marquee auction of the thousand-year-old Ginseng King would take place on the third day.


    It was probable that the Core Formation cultivators who came here were all drawn by that item.


    After looking around for a moment, Han Li casually strolled into the square.


    As a newly added Foundation Establishment cultivator, although his face was quite unfamiliar, no one paid him any attention.


    Once inside, Han Li also immediately blended in as just an ordinary cultivator.


    As expected, the items on the surrounding stalls were uninspiring.


    Perhaps some items held a certain appeal to those at the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation Stages, but for Han Li, who had handled countless rare materials, the interest was not great.


    The only stalls that could make him pause were those with peculiar-looking Magic Artifacts or materials.


    However, such items were not abundant.


    After carefully examining them, Han Li recognized the origins of most.


    The remaining items, although completely unfamiliar to him, also seemed of no particular research value.


    After spending quite some time wandering around and finding nothing, Han Li was about to head toward the central tent to see what items the sects were selling when suddenly, his expression shifted, and he turned around alertly.


    Two meters behind him stood an elderly man with sharp ears and monkey cheeks looking at Han Li with some astonishment, possessing the cultivation of the early Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, it seems you have been following me for quite a while now.


    Could it be that you recognize Han Li?¡± his eyes flashed coldly as Han Li spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please don¡¯t misunderstand.


    I, Jin Yuan, have no intentions of causing you harm; I was merely curious.


    Although this is my first time meeting you, I admire the way you seem to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all these items,¡± the old man said with an awkward laugh, but then explained as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Oh!


    I didn¡¯t expect you to be so observant, Fellow Daoist.


    But surely you didn¡¯t follow me this long just to say these things,¡± Han Li replied, unmoved.


    ¡°Hehe.


    It seems Fellow Daoist is perceptive.


    Actually, besides curiosity, this old man does indeed have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°What is it?


    Let¡¯s hear it,¡± Han Li said, with his arms crossed and an expressionless face.


    ¡°I have a rare and valuable treasure here that I have not been able to determine its purpose or origin.


    I would like you to appraise it.


    Of course, if Fellow Daoist recognizes its value, I am willing to sell it to you on the spot.


    I am sure with your wealth, you would undoubtedly be able to afford it,¡± the old man eyed Han Li¡¯s spirit beast pouch and storage pouch, smiling with his eyes narrowed into slits.


    ¡°A rare and valuable treasure?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he circled the old man with his gaze.


    ¡°Alright.


    Since Fellow Daoist has followed me for so long with sincerity, I see no harm in taking a look.


    Let¡¯s find a private room to talk.


    It just so happens that I also have some matters for which I wish to seek information,¡± Han Li nodded and then pointed at a certain side hall nearby.


    ¡°A private room?


    That will cost a Spirit Stone, which is a bit extravagant,¡± the old man hesitated upon hearing this.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ll cover the cost of the Spirit Stone.


    I only hope, Fellow Daoist, that your treasure will not disappoint me,¡± Han Li said, staring at the old man with a faint smile.


    (The first update.


    Sweating, I still haven¡¯t closed my eyes for sleep, I¡¯ll go to bed first.


    Hehe!


    Without updating this chapter, you might think I¡¯m dragging my feet, but I have been working hard!)


    (To be continued.


    For more details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, and support the author by reading the original version!)

 Chapter 906 - Chapter 906 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 903 Heavenly Mechanism Chamber

    ?Chapter 906: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 903 Heavenly Mechanism Chamber Chapter 906: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 903 Heavenly Mechanism Chamber ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist, rest assured.


    I obtained this item through perilous adventures.


    It¡¯s absolutely extraordinary,¡± Jin Yuan said with a few dry chuckles.


    Han Li nodded and did not say anything more, immediately leading the elder towards a hall on one side.


    As they entered the hall, they found a vast space, several dozen meters wide, completely empty except for a middle-aged woman in blue, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, meditating, in the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    As soon as Han Li and the elder walked in, she immediately opened her eyes and stood up.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, have you come to look at some Incantations and Spells stored here, or do you need a private chamber to exchange insights on cultivation?¡± After glancing at Han Li and the elder, the woman asked with a smile.


    ¡°A private chamber for the two of us will suffice,¡± Han Li said calmly, feeling no interest whatsoever in viewing the archives, considering that the Secret Techniques and Cultivation Methods available to ordinary cultivators were likely rather rudimentary.


    ¡°You will need a Spirit Stone, and the chamber must be returned once you leave this hall,¡± the middle-aged woman said with a smile.


    Then, reaching towards her waist, she took out a small stone house, a few inches in size, which appeared in her hand.


    Han Li was momentarily startled by the sight, but then calmly took out a Spirit Stone, handed it over, and curiously began to examine the item he had received.


    ¡°How about that?


    Is this Fellow Daoist¡¯s first time seeing a Heavenly Mechanism Chamber?¡± the middle-aged woman asked with some interest, seeing Han Li¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Indeed, I have never seen such a thing before.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Is this a Magic Artifact?¡± Han Li weighed the item in his hand, which felt light and seemingly weightless.


    ¡°The Heavenly Mechanism Chamber can be considered a Magic Artifact, but also not really a Magic Artifact.


    It is very convenient; just infuse it with Spiritual Energy, and it can be enlarged for use.


    However, the lower-grade Heavenly Mechanism Chambers can only be enlarged or reduced in size and do not have other effects, so calling it a Magic Artifact is somewhat a stretch.


    But higher-grade Heavenly Mechanism Chambers can include Arrays and restrictive formations, and they can even be compared to Daoist paper talismans.


    Of course, what we¡¯re providing now, is just an ordinary one which aside from soundproofing and spy prevention, does not offer any other effects,¡± the woman explained thoroughly to Han Li.


    Han Li was quite surprised by this explanation, for though he had been informed upon entry that private chambers could be rented, he had not expected something as peculiar as this.


    Such items were not available in Tian Luo.


    ¡°Thank you for the guidance, Fellow Daoist,¡± Han Li expressed his thanks.


    Then, under her direction, he walked toward a side hall.


    Jin Yuan followed closely behind Han Li but soon couldn¡¯t help saying,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, it really surprises this old man that you¡¯re seeing the Heavenly Mechanism Chamber for the first time.


    However, it¡¯s no wonder, these items are generally sold by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to Loose Cultivators and high-level cultivators who often travel long distances.


    With your remarkable cultivation at such a young age, it¡¯s clear you¡¯re a Disciple meticulously groomed by a Sect.


    Such flashy but impractical items are naturally not something you¡¯d purchase.


    Moreover, these items are quite costly, and with Spirit Stones, it¡¯s naturally better to buy Magic Artifacts or Spiritual Medicine.¡±


    ¡°Oh?


    How many Spirit Stones are needed for such an ordinary Heavenly Mechanism Chamber, and are they all this shape?¡± Han Li asked nonchalantly.


    ¡°For the lower-grade ones, just over a hundred Spirit Stones would suffice, higher grades depend on the Arrays and restrictive formations included.


    But they generally are much more expensive than a Magic Artifact of the same grade.


    As for the shapes, there are diverse forms like towers, pavilions, and mansions.


    I¡¯ve even heard that the peak-graded Heavenly Mechanism Chambers sold by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion are like small Daoist caverns, which are incredibly convenient,¡± the elder explained, seeing that Han Li seemed interested in it.


    ¡°A small Daoist cavern?¡± Han Li paused, startled by this information.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Han Li, don¡¯t even think about such good things.


    Even the simplest of these cavern-type Heavenly Mechanism Chambers would cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, far beyond what we cultivators can afford,¡± the elder said with a bit of self-mockery.


    Han Li¡¯s expression returned to normal, and he nodded.


    By now, they had arrived at the side hall where several stone houses sparsely appeared, all identical once enlarged to the tiny house in Han Li¡¯s hand, and their surfaces were flickering with a faint white light.


    A thought flashed through Han Li¡¯s mind, and he casually sent his Divine Sense to probe one of the houses.


    Indeed, as soon as his Divine Sense made contact, it was blocked by a restrictive formation.


    This formation was exceedingly simple; his Divine Sense could easily break through, but if the restrictive formations were tampered with, the house¡¯s owner would immediately detect someone snooping, instantly raising their alert.


    This truly was a rather safe method of preventing eavesdropping.


    Thinking this, Han Li lifted the mini house, a green light flashed in his hand as he infused some Spiritual Power into it.


    Suddenly the house began to warm up slightly and trembled non-stop; without hesitation, Han Li tossed it towards an open space.


    With a flash of white light and a muffled ¡°boom,¡± a house several meters in size appeared before them.


    ¡°Brother Jin, please come in!¡± Han Li glanced at the stone house then turned to the elder, inviting him courteously.


    ¡°Well, this old man will take the liberty then.


    I have seen the Heavenly Mechanism Chamber before but haven¡¯t entered many times,¡± Jin Yuan touched his sparsely bearded chin, chuckled, stepped forward, pulled open the stone door, and walked in.


    Han Li smiled, entered the house leisurely, and casually closed the door behind him.


    The interior of the house was compact but exquisitely arranged.


    In the midst sat not only a stone table and chairs but also an accompanying long slate bed.


    The elder was already comfortably seated in one of the stone chairs.


    Han Li extended one hand to press against the wall, instantly activating the room¡¯s restrictive formations before he walked over and sat opposite the elder.


    ¡°Earlier, Fellow Daoist mentioned there was something you wanted to inquire about.


    May I know what it concerns?¡± the elder suddenly asked with a serious expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.


    I plan to stay in Guanning Prefecture for a while, but I¡¯m not very familiar with the local wealthy families, sects, and certain taboos.


    I noticed from your accent that you¡¯re likely a local.


    I was hoping to inquire about a few things from you,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s about that-no problem at all!


    Not to boast, but there isn¡¯t anything in Guanning Prefecture, or even the whole of Liaozhou, that I¡¯m not aware of.


    What would you like to hear about first?¡± The elder¡¯s expression relaxed as he spoke with a smile.


    ¡°Since the masters of this place belong to the three great wealthy families of Guanning Prefecture, let¡¯s start from there.


    It would be best if you could discuss some major events that have occurred in recent years to broaden my knowledge,¡± Han Li said contentedly.


    ¡°The wealthy families of Guanning Prefecture that practice immortal cultivation, well, this area largely falls under the domain of the Confucian Sect.


    Hence, most of the smaller and larger families originate from various sects within the Confucian Sect.


    However, the four major families of Guanning are an exception.


    Apart from the Kong Family, the other three have their own heritage.¡±


    ¡°Four major families?


    Isn¡¯t this place known for only having three?¡± Han Li asked nonchalantly, with a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Hehe!


    The fact that there are three major families in Guanning is only a recent development.


    Ten years ago, it was still the four major families.


    But the Feng Family somehow offended the other three families, and, in one night, they were eradicated root and stem with all direct disciples wiped out.


    I heard that at the time, the Feng Family was deliberating some major issue, and all direct disciples were conveniently gathereda€|¡±


    Han Li sat silently, listening to the elder narrate the events that had transpired with the Feng Family, comparing them one by one with what Feng Zhen had told him to see if anything suspicious stood out.


    After discussing the wealthy families, the elder began to talk about the various big and small sects in Guanning.


    This elder, named Jin Yuan, had clearly visited many places and experienced quite a bit-not only in Jiangning Prefecture but seemingly having a good grasp of other prefectural cities as well.


    Han Li listened with satisfaction and gained a clear understanding of the immortal cultivation realm of the entire Liaozhou, much more detailed than the information he had obtained from Cao Mengrong.


    However, this person seemed quite talkative, and once he started, his words flowed continuously like a torrent, not stopping even for a moment.


    He even occasionally expressed his own opinions.


    This went on for a full quarter of an hour until, when the elder finally closed his mouth, seemingly still not having said all he wanted to, Han Li smiled broadly and said:


    ¡°Thank you for sharing so much, Fellow Daoist.


    Now, let¡¯s talk about the rare and valuable treasure of Brother Jin.


    Could you bring it out for me to take a look?¡±


    ¡°A rare and valuable treasure?


    Of course, I was hoping Fellow Han could help me identify it!¡± the elder readily agreed.


    Then, under Han Li¡¯s watchful gaze, he mysteriously pulled out a jade box from his storage pouch and placed it on the table.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze swept over the box, and he enveloped it with his divine sense.


    But immediately, he was startled.


    As his divine sense swept over it, the item inside the box produced a strange repulsive force, preventing its penetration.


    Now, Han Li¡¯s interest was truly piqued.


    Jin Yuan carefully opened the lid, revealing a dazzling golden object about the size of a fist, vague and hazy.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please take a closer look at this item to see if you can recognize it,¡± Jin Yuan said earnestly, pushing the jade box towards Han Li.


    With a slight jump of his brow, Han Li silently picked up the jade box, holding it before his eyes to examine it closely.


    Only then did he see clearly-an object resembling a bubble, its surface flickering with unusual golden light while the center appeared completely empty.


    However, it had no spiritual energy at all, as if it were a mundane object.


    After scrutinizing it for some time, Han Li extended a finger, enveloped in a flash of green light, and gently prodded the surface.


    Subsequently, his finger sank into it!


    Soft, tender, as if it truly was a bubble.


    A look of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    After a moment¡¯s thought, he once again released his divine sense and wrapped it around the object.


    Yet the bubble flashed a few times and shoved the divine sense aside.


    However, this time, without any further thought, Han Li intensified his divine sense, continuously wrapping strand after strand around the object.


    Suddenly, a bizarre scene unfolded.


    The bubble¡¯s surface continuously flickered with golden light, but it started intermittently expanding and contracting, not by much, almost like a vigorously beating heart.

 Chapter 907 - Chapter 907 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 904 Ancient Giant Tomb

    ?Chapter 907: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 904: Ancient Giant Tomb Chapter 907: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 904: Ancient Giant Tomb ¡°What is this, Monarch Great Development, have you seen it before?¡± After frowning tightly for a long time, Han Li transmitted a message to Monarch Great Development using his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Do you really think I know everything, that I am aware of everything?


    I¡¯ve never heard of this thing before.


    However, since it can resist the penetration of your Divine Sense, it certainly qualifies as a rare and valuable treasure.


    Ask the other party in detail about how they came into possession of this object.


    As for whether to take it or not, that¡¯s up to you.¡± Monarch Great Development said with a hint of irritation in his voice.


    Hearing this, Han Li smiled inwardly, unoffended.


    Instead, his gaze flickered as he withdrew his Divine Sense, allowing the bubble to return to normal, and placed the jade box back on the table.


    ¡°How about it, do you recognize this item, Fellow Daoist?¡± Jin Yuan asked eagerly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.


    My experience is limited; I truly cannot identify this object,¡± Han Li said apologetically.


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize it either, Brother Han.


    I saw this item undergo a strange transformation just now and thought you knew what it¡¯s used for!¡± The elderly man¡¯s face fell with disappointment, and there was a hint of suspicion in his tone.


    Han Li chuckled lightly, unconcerned, and explained,


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?0


    Although I don¡¯t know what it is, to call it a rare and valuable treasure is indeed a stretch.¡±


    ¡°Oh!


    So that¡¯s the case,¡± the elder said, seemingly half-convinced, his eyes fixated on the golden bubble within the box as he also extended his Divine Sense.


    Han Li watched the elder¡¯s actions with an unchanged expression.


    After a while, the bubble indeed began to shimmer with golden light and expanded and contracted slightly.


    The elder let out a long breath, showing signs of weariness on his face.


    He closed his eyes to rest for a moment before opening them again.


    ¡°Jin Qing is not capable enough, making Fellow Daoist laugh.


    But Brother Han, your Divine Sense is strong, truly exceptional.¡± Jin Yuan said with a look of envy.


    In his mind, the other¡¯s cultivation level was similar to his own, but Han Li¡¯s effortless act compared to his own struggle surely meant that the other had an inherently powerful Divine Sense.


    This would make him a key disciple in any sect, with an immensely promising future.


    Han Li smiled faintly, offering no contradiction.


    ¡°Brother Jin, where did you obtain this item?


    It indeed looks very peculiar.


    I wonder if there¡¯s any special origin to it.


    Of course, if Brother Jin finds it inconvenient to disclose, then let the matter drop,¡± Han Li said composedly, appearing indifferent.


    ¡°The origin of this object isn¡¯t anything I need to keep secret.


    But I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t believe what I say since it¡¯s quite incredible,¡± Jin Yuan hesitated, then let out a wry smile.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, how will you know I won¡¯t believe you?


    Besides, knowing its origin, I might be able to figure out something about it.


    After all, with just the object alone, it¡¯s hard to speculate about its background,¡± Han Li said with a carefree smile.


    It seemed to him that there indeed was some story to this item.


    ¡°The truth is, the origin of this item isn¡¯t something I need to hide.


    It¡¯s just that for this item, several friends of mine have all fallen and died, which makes it somewhat painful to mention,¡± Jin Yuan sighed, then said.


    Han Li was taken aback when he heard this.


    But seeing the thoughtful expression on the other¡¯s face, knowing that he had more to say, Han Li remained silent, waiting.


    ¡°You probably guessed that I am a Loose Cultivator, and one that has cultivated an Earth Attribute Technique.


    I have no outstanding Divine Skills, but fortunately, I was born with an Earth Spirit Body, which gives me a small skill in the Earth Escape Skill.


    If not for my low Spiritual Roots, probably many large sects would be vying to take me as a Disciple.¡± The old man said, his face full of regret.


    ¡°So, after Jin Qing gained some success in his cultivation, he often liked to go to desolate mountains to look for ancient expert¡¯s cave dwellings, hoping to find some places of cultivation and have his fortune turned around overnight.


    But those ancient dwellings and Spiritual Objects, they¡¯re not so easy to find.


    Although I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve gotten nothing at all, compared to the time wasted on this, it¡¯s not really anything significant.


    That is until three years ago¡­¡± Jin Yuan¡¯s voice unnaturally paused before he continued in a deep tone, ¡°Three years ago, an old friend of mine invited me, saying he had discovered what he suspected to be a tomb of an ancient expert from the Ancient Times, and wanted to use my Earth Escape Technique to explore it together.


    If any treasure was found, of course, he would give me a share.


    When I heard this, naturally, I was overjoyed and immediately agreed to go.


    When we went, there were also several other close friends of mine.


    At that time, I already knew that this ancient tomb was probably not ordinary.


    Indeed, once we entered the ancient tomb, we found¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice trembled slightly as he continued, ¡°We found that it was actually the tomb of a notorious emperor from ancient times-the infamous King Xuan Ye, also considered a legendary figure.


    Upon witnessing this, we were all deeply disappointed, thinking we had made a fruitless journey.


    After all, regardless of how remarkable this person was among ordinary mortals, what use could he have for us cultivators?


    But who would¡¯ve thought that upon breaking into the main crypt, we would discover many rare materials and Magic Artifacts used by cultivators!


    We were ecstatic and getting ready to take the items when the many dried corpses that were buried alongside the tomb suddenly came to life, turning into walking zombies that were impervious to blades and spears.


    No matter what Magic Artifacts or Cultivation Techniques were used on them, all were futile.


    Most of the fellows were caught off guard and were torn to pieces.


    And from the main sarcophagus there emerged unusual phenomena-it seemed like the legendary King Xuan Ye was about to resurrect.


    Fortunately, I was proficient in the Earth Escape Technique, and realizing the situation was dire, I immediately escaped underground.


    Otherwise, I would have fallen in that dreadful tomb.


    But the others weren¡¯t so lucky.¡± Jin Yuan¡¯s face turned slightly pale as he spoke, indicating how deeply the event had shaken him.


    ¡°And this thing is¡­¡± Han Li felt a bit surprised but still pointed at the jade box and asked.


    ¡°This item was placed on top of the main sarcophagus.


    I took it with me as I left.


    Originally, I thought it must be quite extraordinary to warrant such placement, surely a rare and valuable treasure.


    But to my chagrin, after asking around at various city markets, no one knew what it was.


    Even though I knew it was out of the ordinary, no one was willing to buy it at a high price.


    Therefore, it has just been lying idle in my hands,¡± Jin Yuan said straightforwardly, but the frustration on his face was blatantly obvious.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s an object buried with an ancient emperor, it¡¯s not surprising that no one knows about it.


    After all, many things from Ancient Times have long since disappeared from the realm of immortal cultivators.


    However, it¡¯s quite serious that a mere human emperor possessed items used by cultivators and even turned into a walking zombie.


    Haven¡¯t you sought someone to explore this tomb further?¡± Han Li asked, his face showing a curious expression.


    ¡°Of course, I went back to find that ancient tomb, and I even took a large group of high-level cultivators with me.


    But when we arrived at the original location, the ancient tomb had mysteriously disappeared.


    There was nothing but a vast wasteland where it once stood.


    I truly couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing.


    But I definitely did not remember the location of the tomb incorrectly.


    Even the secret mark I deliberately left at the entrance of the tomb was clearly visible,¡± Jin Yuan spoke, and his face suddenly assumed a grim expression.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed.


    If all of this was true-a group of people went, and only this old man survived, plus he couldn¡¯t find the tomb again-then needless to say, this person¡¯s days wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    ¡°Where exactly did you come across this ancient tomb?


    Could you tell me about it?¡± After considering for a moment, Han Li calmly asked again.


    ¡°Where else could it be but deep within the Snow Tomb Mountain Range?¡± the old man said, grinding his teeth a bit.


    ¡°Snow Tomb Mountain Range.


    If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t you mention that cultivators often disappeared within the mountain range?


    Could this be related?¡± A hint of interest flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he spoke slowly.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.


    I¡¯m not too clear on that myself.


    But if Fellow Daoist Han is interested, I can show you the location of the tomb.


    Maybe you¡¯ll have a chance to check it out and find something!¡± After hesitating, the old man surprisingly made such an offer.


    He then took out a jade slip from his chest, imprinted something into it with his hands, and nonchalantly handed it to Han Li.


    ¡°Alright.


    If I have time, I¡¯ll take a look!¡± After a moment of silence, Han Li reached out to receive the jade slip and spoke in a calm demeanor.


    ¡°Hehe!


    It seems that the old man and Fellow Daoist Han really hit it off.


    I haven¡¯t spoken to anyone about the troubles and agony in my heart for a long time.


    Here¡¯s the deal.


    Since you seem quite interested in this item, I¡¯ll sell it to you for a good price.


    Fellow Daoist Han only needs to give me a hundred Spirit Stones for it.


    What do you say?¡± The old man said with a smile, his face showing apparent contentment.


    ¡°A hundred Spirit Stones?


    That¡¯s indeed very cheap.


    But I couldn¡¯t let Jin Qing suffer a loss.


    How about this?


    I¡¯ll give you two hundred Spirit Stones for the item,¡± Han Li smiled, seemingly a bit embarrassed, and made the offer.


    He then reached into his storage pouch at his waist, and two mid-grade Spirit Stones appeared in his hand, which he handed to the old man opposite him.


    Seeing that they were mid-grade Spirit Stones, a smile spread across Jin Yuan¡¯s face, who then politely accepted them after a few words of thanks.


    Naturally, the golden bubble in the jade box was proactively offered to Han Li.


    And before the old man¡¯s eyes, Han Li casually tucked the jade box into his storage pouch.


    Seeing this, the old man¡¯s face was filled with satisfaction, as if he were somewhat reluctant to part with it.


    But just then, a spirit beast pouch on Han Li¡¯s waist moved slightly and let out a faint chirping sound.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡± The old man was taken aback, gazing curiously at the spirit beast pouch on Han Li¡¯s waist.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a low-level Spirit Beast that I¡¯m keeping.


    It probably saw something it liked and took an interest in the item,¡± Han Li glanced down at the spirit beast pouch and uttered indifferently.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and support the author by reading the official version!)

 Chapter 908 - Chapter 908 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 905 Three Corpses

    ?Chapter 908: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 905 Three Corpses Chapter 908: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 905 Three Corpses Jin Yuan, upon hearing this, still harbored some doubts in his heart, but it was no longer appropriate to inquire further.


    Thus, after a brief chat with Han Li, he stood up and took his leave.


    Watching the figure of the other party push open the door of the stone house and leave, the smile gradually faded from Han Li¡¯s face, revealing a trace of somberness.


    After a long while, he suddenly took out that jade box again and opened the lid, staring at the object within without uttering a word.


    ¡°How come, you¡¯re actually considering exploring that ancient tomb?¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s indifferent voice came through the Divine Sense.


    ¡°Of course not.


    Although I don¡¯t know how much of what that person just said is credible.


    I¡¯m not a novice who has just left the confines of my home.


    Why would I take such a risk?


    However, I am indeed curious about the imperial tomb.


    Perhaps after I have recovered all my cultivation, I may explore it.


    But clearly, that person bore no good intentions toward me.


    Friendship at first sight, candid revelation?


    Does he really think I¡¯m a three-year-old child?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    An old fellow who has lived for so many years wouldn¡¯t easily disclose such secretive matters to others, let alone a stranger they have just met.


    Such eager attentiveness must mean he is up to no good, either a swindler or a thief!¡± Han Li revealed a trace of a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, speaking nonchalantly.


    ¡°That is also true.


    However, if it were those young fellows who have just started out, they are the easiest to be deceived by such people.


    They might think the other party has confided in them and drop their guard easily.


    In the future, they might be sold and not even realize it.


    Thinking back, I also¡­¡± Monarch Great Development sighed, his voice becoming low as he spoke of his own past, before abruptly stopping.


    ¡°Oh, has senior also been deceived by such tactics in the past?¡± Han Li was startled and let out a light chuckle.


    ¡°Hmph!


    I was young once too, there¡¯s nothing strange about being deceived.¡± Monarch Great Development snorted a few times, his tone somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t pry into the embarrassing past of the senior.


    However, this object has even aroused the interest of the Weeping Soul Beast.


    It seems to be quite peculiar!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression became serious and, with a single slap of his hand on his spirit beast pouch, a beam of black light shot out from the pouch and landed on the table, transforming into a tiny monkey only an inch high, with sleek and glossy black fur.


    As soon as the monkey appeared, it sniffed lightly with its nose a few times, its gaze immediately settling on the golden bubble, showing a hint of hesitation.


    Han Li watched the Weeping Soul Beast curiously, remaining silent and communicating intensely with the creature.


    From the sensations transmitted through the spiritual sense, the Weeping Soul Beast seemed to hold a bit of fear toward the golden bubble.


    Yet the intense eagerness that also existed within it, what was that about?


    Han Li had yet to figure it out when suddenly a black ghostly aura emanated from the body of the Weeping Soul Beast.


    With a leap, it plunged headfirst into the golden bubble.


    Following that, the surface of the bubble shone brilliantly, and strands of grey flames sprouted out of thin air, enveloping the beast within.


    The Weeping Soul Beast showed an expression of agony, continuously emitting pitch-black ghostly aura interweaving with the grey flames, its form motionless within the golden bubble.


    Han Li knitted his brows tightly!


    Although he did not know what was happening, it was clear the Weeping Soul Beast didn¡¯t look like it could come out anytime soon-it seemed to be using the grey flames for its own cultivation.


    What made him wonder was that the very moment the flames appeared, the golden bubble unexpectedly became filled with spiritual energy, dispersing astonishing spiritual ripples as if out of nowhere.


    ¡°Wait!


    This scene, it seems familiar; I should have a recollection of it,¡± Monarch Great Development suddenly exclaimed in Divine Sense, seemingly recalling something.


    ¡°Senior, have you remembered something?¡± Han Li asked, surprised.


    ¡°Let me think!


    It seems like it was a long time ago,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice turned grave.


    Hearing the other party¡¯s words, Han Li refrained from pressing any further and quietly watched the Weeping Soul Beast within the golden bubble, also deep in thought.


    After quite a while, Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice came through again.


    ¡°I remember now.


    Many years ago during my travels, I once saw this object on a Corpse King that had lived for ten thousand years.


    It seemed that, in life, that Corpse King was a Buddhist High Monk and, after becoming a Corpse King, refined his Buddha Relic into an extremely formidable protective relic, which was very powerful.


    Once released outside the body, it was nearly impervious to attack within a short period, and I myself had suffered a great loss from it.


    But that was long ago.


    Moreover, the protective relic released by that Corpse King was silver, so I didn¡¯t recall it at once.


    Such items should have been hidden within the body of the Corpse King.


    How it ended up in the hands of Jin Yuan, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, is puzzling,¡± Monarch Great Development spoke, filled with astonishment.


    ¡°Even you have suffered greatly from it!


    Then this object truly is powerful indeed, a veritable treasure.


    Regardless of how that person obtained it, what matters now is whether the Weeping Soul Beast is in any danger,¡± Han Li¡¯s expression first showed concern, but he still worriedly asked.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized yet?


    Your spirit beast is absorbing the Corpsefire from the Buddha Relic.


    It seems not only are you a peculiar individual, but even your spirit beasts are extraordinarily strange-having one that can specifically suppress devils.


    In all my years, I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing as a Weeping Soul Beast,¡± Monarch Great Development murmured.


    ¡°Absorb Corpse Flames?¡±


    Upon closer inspection, Han Li realized that the ghostly aura emitted by the Weeping Soul Beast was indeed slowly devouring the gray flames.


    He felt a sense of relief but couldn¡¯t help but chuckle bitterly when he heard what Monarch Great Development said next.


    ¡°To be honest, this thing has deviated greatly from its original nurturing method.


    After evolving several times, it¡¯s hard to say whether it¡¯s still a Weeping Soul Beast.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this creature has become a variant Spirit Beast.


    No wonder there¡¯s a demon ghost pattern on its back.


    These Corpse Flames have turned gray-white and are definitely pure Heavenwide Corpsefire that has accumulated for over ten thousand years.


    Any ordinary cultivator or Spirit Beast would perish upon contact.


    Yet this Spirit Beast dares to devour it; truly, it is quite extraordinary.


    However, this treasure seems not to be fully refined yet and has not recognized a master.


    Otherwise, once the spiritual sense of the Corpse Kings who refined it is stirred, it would immediately fly back even from tens of thousands of miles away.


    This is quite strange,¡± commented Monarch Great Development with evident amazement.


    ¡°Not recognized a master yet!


    You¡¯re saying, once the Corpse Flames are fully absorbed by the Weeping Soul Beast, I¡¯ll inadvertently acquire a treasure.


    Tsk tsk, I didn¡¯t expect to obtain a Buddhist treasure before acquiring the Buddhist cultivation technique.


    I¡¯m really curious to see just how miraculous the golden light barrier transformed from the Shariputra can be.¡± After a moment of silence, Han Li suddenly burst into laughter¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not Shariputra; it¡¯s Vajra Relic.


    Most Shariputra are white with other colors being rare.


    Only those of golden color can be called Vajra Relic.


    It¡¯s a very rare type among Shariputra.


    Any cultivator who refines such Vajra Relics typically assumes the role of a Vajra Guardian within Buddhism, holding an extremely special status.


    It¡¯s somewhat similar to the position of a Law Enforcement Elder in other sects,¡± Monarch Great Development explained with a sigh.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the protective barrier transformed from this kind of relic should be even more powerful than the one you¡¯ve shown me before,¡± Han Li asked, his eyes flickering with curiosity.


    ¡°It should be.


    After all, the reputation of Vajra Relic is well-established within Buddhism.


    However, I haven¡¯t really compared them, so I can¡¯t say for sure,¡± the voice of Monarch Great Development wavered, his certainty faltering.


    Han Li smiled and was just about to say something more when he suddenly noticed that the golden bubble on the stone table trembled.


    A grain-sized green light shot out from it and raced toward the ceiling of the stone chamber.


    Han Li was startled.


    He focused on the green light, and his contemplative spiritual sense coalesced.


    Instantly, as if the green light had hit something, it stumbled and was bounced back from midair.


    It was the wall formed by Han Li¡¯s Spiritual Sense Formation.


    At that moment, the Weeping Soul Beast snorted through its nose, and a glimmer of light shot up from below, swiftly wrapping around the green light and pulling it back into the golden bubble before swallowing it into its belly.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed tightly as he stared at the golden bubble, a guess forming in his mind¡­


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in a tomb chamber, three stone coffins were aligned side by side.


    This chamber was exceptionally vast, spanning over a hundred feet across.


    Not only were the walls carved with numerous murals from ancient times, but in each corner of the chamber stood a large bronze cauldron, within which a cluster of green flames blazed furiously, casting a dim and gloomy light throughout the space.


    Suddenly, from one of the stone coffins on the left came a painful cry.


    Following this with a loud ¡°bang,¡± the thick lid was flung up high into the air and then crashed down heavily.


    Swirling black mist enveloped the figure as a tall shadow abruptly stood up from the stone coffin.


    ¡°What happened, my son?


    Why are you so angry?¡± came a middle-aged man¡¯s voice from the center coffin, deep and sonorous with a naturally commanding tone.


    ¡°My¡­


    my¡­


    part¡­


    of spirit¡­


    is gone!¡± the tall shadow in the black mist roared a few times in a halting tone, like a parrot mimicking speech.


    ¡°The part of your spirit is gone?


    Did someone discover and capture the avatar you sent out?


    No matter, this is not something to fuss over.


    This bit of your spirit will soon be restored once you continue practicing the Nether River Heavenly Corpse Decree passed down by your father.


    There¡¯s no need for such rage.


    You still can¡¯t control your disposition properly,¡± came a sweet and incredibly pleasant female voice from another smaller coffin, speaking in a leisurely manner.


    ¡°But¡­


    but¡­


    my¡­


    Vajra¡­


    Barrier!¡± The tall shadow pounded his chest a couple of times, still looking agitatedly around as he grunted.


    ¡°Vajra Barrier?


    You mean the one I helped refine for you the last time I awoke, which was made from the Buddha Relic of an old monk I vanquished?


    I had already refined most of it for you.


    How come you still haven¡¯t made it recognize you as its master?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s voice grew colder and sharper.


    ¡°I¡­¡± The shadow in the black mist appeared panic-stricken upon hearing this and seemed unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not our son¡¯s fault.


    He has told me about it,¡± the smaller coffin also made a creaking noise, and the lid was shifted aside to reveal an elegant and graceful figure sitting up, though her face remained indistinct due to the chamber¡¯s darkness.


    ¡°What¡¯s really going on?


    Consort, please clarify this for me.


    That Vajra Barrier is a rare and precious treasure.


    I entrusted it to our son because his mana was still weak, for his protection.


    Otherwise, I would have refined it for myself long ago,¡± the middle-aged man¡¯s voice softened somewhat, as he asked for an explanation.


    (Vote for monthly tickets urgently needed!


    Hoping for everyone¡¯s support!) (To be continued¡­


    For more details on the story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support copyright reading!)

 Chapter 909 - Chapter 909 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 906

    ?Chapter 909: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 906 Chapter 909: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 906 The sweet-voiced woman hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking,


    ¡°Years ago, while the great king was in his slumber, the prince moved his clone to the surface alone, preparing to refine this treasure with the power of the moonlight and to perform the master recognition ceremony.


    However, unexpectedly, a group of cultivators from the outside world somehow broke into the area.


    At that time, the prince was cultivating and needed to absorb the power of the moonlight, hence most of the restrictive formations remained unactivated.


    As a result, this group barged into the prince¡¯s main chamber.


    Left with no alternative, the prince had to interrupt his cultivation and let some mindless creatures deal with them, solving the problem of this group.


    But one of them was clever enough to realize the prince¡¯s identity as a Corpse King and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.


    He was willing to submit to the restrictive formations for a chance to live.


    Seeing that he was indeed clever, the prince placed the restraints on him and took him in.¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with the Vajra Relic?¡± the middle-aged man interrupted, growing impatient as the content he wanted to hear had not been mentioned yet.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please calm your anger!


    The key point is that he gave the prince an idea, saying that one could easily capture the Primordial Spirits of cultivators from the outside world without much effort, sparing us from having to send minions to scour for them.¡± The woman calmly explained.


    ¡°Oh?


    There is such a method?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Let¡¯s hear it!¡± The man seemed to be a bit curious.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple.


    That person suggested that the prince give him an odd and rare treasure, and then secretly embed a strand of spiritual sense into it.


    Then, he would sell the item to other loose cultivators who were alone, and devise a trap to lure them to come to the prince¡¯s ancient tomb willingly.


    If they came, they were certainly on the path to death.


    But if they did not come, the prince¡¯s clone would, at the opportune moment, trigger the hidden restrictive formations inside the treasure and kill them, wrapping their Nascent Souls and returning to the ancient tomb as well.


    However, such a treasure must first and foremost be rare in this world.


    Additionally, it must not allow even the slightest trace of corpse energy to leak out after concealing the prince¡¯s clone and the Heavenwide Corpsefire, or else it would backfire,¡± said the woman unhurriedly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say more.


    Surely the prince gave that unrefined Vajra Relic to this person.


    Only the Buddha nature of the relic on the treasure could conceal the prince¡¯s corpse energy,¡± the man said coldly, cutting her off.


    ¡°Indeed, as Your Majesty has guessed.


    After the master recognition was complete, even the Vajra Relic could not hide the corpse energy.


    And at that time, the prince urgently needed a large number of cultivator souls for his cultivation, so he took the risk and handed over the object to this person.


    However, I specifically instructed this person not to provoke cultivators above the Core Formation level, to prevent anyone from spotting any flaws.


    In the past few years, a fair number of people have come to us of their own accord without any mishaps.


    But this time it seems that person did not obey, leading to the treasure being taken and the prince¡¯s clone being damaged.


    Afterwards, I will activate the restrictive formation to capture his Primordial Spirit back and interrogate him thoroughly,¡± said the woman, her voice growing colder.


    ¡°Hmph!


    With such petty tricks, how many cultivator Primordial Spirits can you obtain?


    I have already ordered General Ge to plan an affair.


    Once it¡¯s accomplished, we will have an endless supply of cultivator Primordial Spirits to use, and it won¡¯t even attract the attention of those Buddhist and Daoist Immortal Cultivators,¡± the man said with a cold hum.


    ¡°Could this be the reason why Your Majesty took General Ge away from the ancient tomb for a period of time a few years ago, and then returned alone?¡± the woman asked, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Correct.


    General Ge has already transformed into another person by now and is manipulating a sect belonging to a family of cultivators; he¡¯s making those humans work for us.


    He even, to cover his identity, joined forces with other wealthy families and preemptively eradicated another human family that inherited the Buddhist lineage.


    It was because their patriarch noticed something was amiss and wanted to signal the nearby Sects.


    I took it upon myself to personally kill all their Core Formation cultivators first, and then let General Ge lead the human cultivators to easily massacre that wealthy family,¡± the man let out a sinister laugh, filled with a touch of satisfaction.


    ¡°So, what exactly is Your Majesty¡¯s plan?¡± asked the woman, greatly startled by his words.


    ¡°Hehe.


    There¡¯s nothing complicated about it.


    You¡¯ll naturally find out in time.


    This method was actually by True Lord Tian Feng, who visited from Fangspear Mountain.


    He had been acting in such a stealthy manner and has remained unscathed to this day.


    As long as we¡¯re careful, for at least the next two to three hundred years, we will not have to worry about Primordial Spirits of cultivators.


    And even if trouble does arise, we can just dust off and leave, moving the tomb to somewhere else.


    In the Great Jin, apart from a few old eccentrics, who else can stop this king?¡± the man said proudly.


    ¡°True Lord Tian Feng!


    He¡¯s not a simple character; how could he kindly share his secrets with Your Majesty?


    He must have ulterior motives!¡± But the woman¡¯s voice changed slightly, and she began to worry.


    ¡°Motive?


    Of course, he has motives!


    He merely moved his lips, and managed to get three Three-Principles Blood Heart Pills from me,¡± the man¡¯s voice grew a bit annoyed again.


    ¡°But I still feel somewhat uneasy.


    The reputation of the Twin Demons of Fangspear Mountain isn¡¯t all that good.


    He wouldn¡¯t be trying to lure Your Majesty out of the tomb, would he?


    You know that our three Primordial Spirits are fused with this tomb, and as long as we don¡¯t leave it, there are very few in the world who can harm us,¡± the woman still sounded worried.


    ¡°My consort makes a good point, one that we cannot ignore.


    During the period of action, I will activate all the restrictive formations inside the tomb and be extra careful when I go out.


    I will not let the demons know when I¡¯m leaving the tomb,¡± the middle-aged man pondered for a while before also becoming more solemn.


    ¡°With Your Majesty being cautious, that¡¯ll be sufficient.


    Actually, why should Your Majesty need to act personally?


    If there¡¯s any matter, just leave it to me and a few other avatars.


    After all, as long as Your Majesty is safe, I presume that no matter what powerful enemy we encounter, they will still have to give Your Majesty some face,¡± the woman¡¯s voice suddenly turned bewitching.


    ¡°Hehe!


    My beloved consort, what you don¡¯t know is that in order to carry out this plan, we must have control over all the noble families of Jiangning Prefecture.


    Last time, in dealing with that old eccentric Kong, I sustained some minor injuries because we couldn¡¯t damage his corpse.


    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t continue to take action.


    The other two noble families may not have any Nascent Soul cultivators left in their ranks, but their heritage is not ordinary.


    They possess several rare treasures that happen to restrain us outsiders.


    I reckon that the sects behind those families, knowing that I was here, deliberately sent disciples to establish these families in an attempt to monitor me.


    Now that I haven¡¯t been active in over a thousand years, they have probably long forgotten about this.


    It¡¯s the perfect time for me to strike and wipe them out in one fell swoop.


    By the time these sects realize what has happened, who knows how many years will have passed.


    It¡¯s high time I used the souls of human cultivators to break through the final realm and refine my body into that of a Heavenly Corpse,¡± the man patiently explained to the woman with an unusual tenderness.


    ¡°Then your consort must congratulate you in advance, Your Majesty.


    Once you have refined into the Heavenly Corpse body, you will be able to leave the tomb and be no longer trapped here,¡± the woman responded, seemingly delighted.


    ¡°Haha, when that time comes, it won¡¯t just be me.


    I also know how to use the Soul Separation Technique to free you and our son from the tomb,¡± the man said with a hehe.


    ¡°However, Your Majesty, we still need to retrieve the golden light barrier.


    After all, this item is truly extraordinary.


    After refining it, you can instantly achieve an invulnerable vajra body.


    Have you forgotten how after that old monk summoned the Buddha Relic, even though he had not yet formed the golden light barrier, just the Golden Light Protection made it so that it took you three days and nights of unleashing Heavenwide Corpsefire to completely refine away the golden light of the relic and exterminate that monk?


    If that relic were to be refined into a golden light barrier, I fear its power would only increase,¡± the woman reminded him.


    ¡°My dear has become muddled.


    Such a golden light barrier can only be refined into a treasure barrier by us Corpse Kings with the power of moonlight.


    Human cultivators shouldn¡¯t even dream of such a thing.


    And among the Corpse Kings in the world, aside from myself, there¡¯s only the Deputy Valley Master of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear.


    Would human cultivators dare to go to Ten Thousand Demon Valley?


    With the Ten Thousand Demon Banner there, not even one person from the Ten Great Orthodox Sects or the ten great Devilcharm Sects would dare to approach,¡± the man scornfully said.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true!


    But such treasures are truly indispensable treasures for us.


    Once we find out who has them, we should send people to snatch them back,¡± the woman reluctantly said.


    ¡°Mm, even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have sent someone.


    However, since the child¡¯s partial spirit within the golden light barrier was received, this person must not be ordinary.


    Once the whereabouts of such a prized object is known, I will have both my fiend demon transformations take action.


    As long as he isn¡¯t a mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator or higher, there won¡¯t be any trouble,¡± the man spoke with extraordinary confidence.


    ¡°I¡­


    I also¡­


    want to go!¡± The tall figure enveloped in black qi had remained silent while the middle-aged man and the woman were speaking, but suddenly spoke up upon hearing this.


    ¡°How can you go outside?


    Your corpse qi cannot be reined in, any cultivator would see through your true form.


    How can you go out?


    Quit your nonsense and go cultivate in the tomb,¡± the man¡¯s voice sank, scolding without any courtesy.


    Upon hearing this, the large figure instantly became listless.


    He could only stretch out an arm covered in green fur to wave towards the distance, before lying back down.


    But suddenly, a pair of blood-red eyes seemed to recall something, flashing a hint of cruelty.


    With a ¡°whoosh,¡± the stone lid flew up on its own from the ground and covered the stone coffin again.


    ¡­


    Thousands of miles away, Han Li naturally had no idea that merely extinguishing a minor strand of spiritual sense had provoked all these problems.


    He was currently gazing at the Weeping Soul Beast within the golden bubble, with a dark and uncertain expression on his face, lost in thought.


    Meanwhile, Jin Yuan had just walked out of the square and returned to his room only to suddenly be enveloped in a ¡°puff¡± of grey flames with a light sound, and his entire body instantly turned into a wisp of blue smoke, disappearing without a trace.


    His Primordial Spirit appeared within the flames, his face full of panic, yet unharmed.


    But then, as if pulled by something, his Primordial Spirit was enveloped by the flames into an insignificant fist-sized ball of light, which shot out of the half-open window and soared into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    From the beginning to the end, no one noticed the old man¡¯s disappearance.


    (Please vote for the monthly ticket!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 912 - Chapter 912 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 909 Small Town Inn

    ?Chapter 912: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 909 Small Town Inn Chapter 912: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 909 Small Town Inn He casually stepped into an inconspicuous room within the attic, where the large man had already gone stiff, lying on the ground and covered with blue frost.


    His bull-like eyes were wide open with a look of horror.


    Han Li flipped his hand, and a silver needle appeared between two fingers; without a word, he bent over and swiftly inserted several needles into both sides of the large man¡¯s head.


    The large man shuddered, then the light in his eyes gradually faded, and he became wooden and stupified.


    Han Li formed incantations with his hands and muttered a few low spell incantations, sending several continuous incantations onto the large man.


    The coldness on the large man immediately dissipated, his eyes lifeless as he automatically sat up and then sat cross-legged on the ground like a puppet, immobile.


    A green light enveloped Han Li¡¯s face, and with a flick of his sleeve robe, several formation flags of different colors shot out from his sleeve and were planted around both individuals, instantly forming a barrier array that blocked aura.


    After activating the array, his figure shifted and he stood behind the large man.


    Han Li slightly lifted a hand, spreading his fingers and pressing them on the top of the large man¡¯s head.


    At the same time, a resplendent light burst forth from around him, enveloping both figures in the glow.


    ¡°What is your name and what position do you hold within the Kong Family?¡± asked Han Li coldly, without a trace of emotion, from within the halo of light.


    ¡°Kong Dou, Outer Hall Steward!¡± the large man replied woodenly.


    ¡°When did the Kong Family start occupying Sun Cloud Town, and where have all the original residents gone?¡±


    ¡°It began seven years ago.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    The townspeople were ordinary mortals and were relocated to a small city called ¡®Xuejiang¡¯ a hundred miles away.¡±


    ¡°Does the Kong Family have any purpose for the upcoming Great Assembly?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In this eerie session of questioning and answering, Han Li obtained most of the information he wanted from the other party.


    Finally, he suddenly withdrew his fingers, and the large man collapsed to the ground, limp.


    Han Li took out a medicinal pill and stuffed it into the large man¡¯s mouth, then quickly inserted silver needles into various acupoints all over his body.


    After a short while, he stood up, mumbling to himself thoughtfully,


    ¡°Using this Worry-free Needle should seal off this person¡¯s memory for some time, preventing any immediate disturbance.


    Unfortunately, due to my cultivation level, I wasn¡¯t able to use the Dreamtear Technique to its full potential; otherwise, I could have directly used the Soul Searching Technique, sparing the trouble.


    It seems I must take a trip to that small city.¡±


    Han Li shook his head, gathered the formation flags around him, and walked out of the room on his own.


    Below, he no longer concerned himself with the Great Assembly but headed straight for the main gate.


    It was not unusual for cultivators to leave during the conference, so when Han Li exited the main gate and flew away on his tool, the cultivators guarding the gate had no suspicions.


    A beam of green light headed directly towards the small city mentioned by the large man.


    The distance from the small city to the Snow Tomb Mountain Range was not far, and it wasn¡¯t long before the green light faintly revealed the Xuejiang City.


    Immediately, his figure descended near the city gate, and Han Li slowly entered.


    Xuejiang City was three or four times larger than Sun Cloud Town, but still barely qualified as a small city.


    By the time Han Li entered the city, it was dark, and the streets were nearly empty, naturally no one noticed the unsolicited visit of Han Li.


    Walking along the street, Han Li cautiously extended his Divine Sense, preventing the discovery by any Nascent Soul Stage high-level cultivators possibly hidden within the city.


    Indeed, there were cultivators in the small city, but most were low-level, with the highest being a Core Formation expert concealed in a residence in the southwest corner.


    A sweep of Han Li¡¯s exceptionally secretive Divine Sense went unnoticed by this individual.


    However, Han Li hadn¡¯t come to the city to find high-level cultivators.


    Seeing there was no one in the city who could threaten him, he promptly withdrew his Divine Sense and suppressed his aura.


    He continued walking along the street, looking around as if searching for something.


    Soon, he arrived at a wider intersection that seemed to be the center of the small city.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze briefly flicked over to the sign of an inn before his pupils constricted, and he suddenly stopped.


    The sign was several feet in size with ¡°Yue Lai¡± written in silver powdered characters, which seemed no different from an ordinary sign.


    In the Great Jin, inns with the common name ¡°Yue Lai¡± likely numbered in the hundreds, if not a thousand.


    Yet Han Li focused on a mark resembling a teapot on the bottom right corner of the sign, his gaze unwavering.


    After a brief moment, he exhaled lightly, looked up at the inn, and scanned his surroundings.


    Finding no one nearby, his figure flickered, and after a faint yellow light moved, he passed through the tightly closed doors as if intangible.


    Inside the inn¡¯s hall, it was pitch black and quiet as the grave, unknown whether it was due to a lack of guests or everyone was asleep.


    After surveying for a moment, Han Li closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense, instantly acquiring the layout of the entire inn.


    Suddenly, he silently transformed into a gentle breeze and merged into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.


    ¡­


    The owner of Yue Lai Inn was a lean old man, over fifty years old, who possessed moderate wealth within the small town.


    After a busy day, he, fatigued, cuddled with his concubine, whom he had married less than a year ago, and slept soundly in extreme comfort.


    But suddenly, he felt a draft of chilly air blow over him, so cold to the core that he jolted awake with a shiver.


    The moment he opened his eyes, the innkeeper broke out in a cold sweat.


    A blurry figure stood at the head of the bed, with two gleaming eyes staring at him coldly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Just as he was about to shout aloud, a flicker of silver thread flashed before his eyes, and his throat went numb, rendering him unable to make a sound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be loud.


    Although there are no cultivators in the inn, I don¡¯t want to disturb anyone.


    Take a look at this first,¡± said the figure, raising a hand and presenting a shimmering silver key before the innkeeper¡¯s eyes.


    Upon seeing the silver key, the innkeeper shuddered, his entire demeanor relaxing as his eyes showed a sparkle of joy.


    And this figure, of course, was Han Li who had infiltrated the place.


    The innkeeper hurriedly got out of bed, gesturing with his hands, trying to say something, but he still couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    Han Li smiled faintly, raised his hand, and a strand of silver thread shot back from the innkeeper¡¯s throat, landing in his hand- it was a hair-thin silver needle.


    ¡°May I verify that key once more?¡± the innkeeper coughed a few times, finally regaining his ability to speak.


    Without a word, Han Li tossed the key to him.


    The innkeeper caught the silver key and inspected it carefully for quite a while before he showed a respectful expression, returned the key to Han Li with both hands, and bowed deeply, saying, ¡°Are you the young master?¡±


    ¡°You have already inspected the key; do you still have doubts?¡± Han Li asked indifferently instead of providing a direct answer.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no problem.


    Since the young master has found me and has this key, there is no doubt about his identity, but¡­¡± the innkeeper glanced subconsciously back at his concubine.


    ¡°Rest assured, before I woke you up, I had already cast a spell to make her fall unconscious.


    Even if you were to shout in her ear, she wouldn¡¯t hear anything,¡± Han Li said, with a flicker in his eyes and an unchanged expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.


    The head of the family hasn¡¯t contacted me for several years.


    As an ordinary mortal, I didn¡¯t know what happened.


    I also didn¡¯t dare to casually listen in, fearing I might attract the attention of other cultivators.


    Now that the young master has brought the key, I am finally relieved.


    If the head of the family hadn¡¯t mentioned that the young master would change his appearance next time, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to recognize you,¡± the innkeeper said earnestly.


    ¡°Something has indeed happened to the Feng family, so I need to open the Secret Vault this time to take out some things.


    Apart from the head of the family, there should be a backup map of the vault¡¯s location stored here with you.


    Give it to me,¡± Han Li commanded bluntly.


    ¡°Yes!


    Since there is the vault key, the young master certainly has the right to open the vault.


    Please wait a moment, young master!¡± the innkeeper said without the slightest doubt.


    He then hurriedly put on a few clothes and led Han Li out of the room, heading straight for the inn¡¯s backyard.


    Eventually, at an inconspicuous corner at the base of a wall in the backyard, the innkeeper dug around with an iron hoe he found at hand.


    After some digging and careful searching with his hands, he pulled out an ordinary-looking green brick, wiped the sweat from his brow, and turned around.


    ¡°The location of the Secret Vault is sealed within this object.


    There are restrictive formations on it.


    As an ordinary mortal, I am unable to open it, and I¡¯ve never seen it myself.


    You should have a way, right?¡± the old man hesitantly handed the green brick to Han Li.


    ¡°Of course, I have my ways.


    Also, once I¡¯ve taken this item, you no longer need to stay in this town.


    Leave immediately for a distant place and hide your identity!¡± Han Li took the green brick, inspected it for a few moments, and seemed satisfied as he nodded his head, then gave a serious command.


    ¡°Does this mean the Feng family truly is in trouble?


    Rest assured, young master, I will leave this place within a few days.


    I won¡¯t let any information regarding the young master¡¯s matters leak out,¡± said the innkeeper, his expression turning somber as he promptly agreed.


    ¡°As long as you understand the consequences.


    In appreciation of your unwavering loyalty to the Feng family, take this medicinal pill.


    Even though you¡¯re an ordinary mortal, taking this pill can still strengthen your body and prolong your life!¡± Han Li put away the green brick, glanced at the old man¡¯s saddened expression, his own expression moved, and suddenly with a flip of his hand, a small green bottle appeared, which he handed to the old man.


    ¡°Many thanks for the young master¡¯s reward!¡± the innkeeper first stared in astonishment, then his face lit up with joy.


    ¡°Alright, I have other matters to attend to and must leave now.


    Take care of yourself!¡± Han Li waved his hand, expressionless, and in a flash of green light before the innkeeper¡¯s eyes, disappeared without a trace.


    Startled, the old man looked around for a while before finally confirming that Han Li had left.


    He then bowed his head and stared blankly at the bottle of herbs in his hand.


    After a long while, he sighed deeply.


    ¡­


    As soon as Han Li left the inn, he instantly flew away from the small town, and upon finding a nameless desert mountain nearby, he descended with his magical abilities.


    Then, with a flip of his hand, the green brick reappeared in his grasp.


    (First update!


    Thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts last month, we managed to stay within the top five in the monthly ranking.


    I have nothing else to say but a sincere ¡°thank you¡± to you all.


    The new month has begun, and those with monthly votes can cast them now.


    We are still in double monthly votes.


    Haha!


    Let¡¯s hope our ranking doesn¡¯t fall off too much right from the start!)


    (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and remember to support the author and official reading!)

 Chapter 914 - Chapter 914 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 911 Entering the Secret Vault

    ?Chapter 914: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 911 Entering the Secret Vault Chapter 914: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 911 Entering the Secret Vault ¡°How about it?


    Is there any chance to restrain and capture the two of them before King Xuan Ye¡¯s fiend demon transformation sends a warning?


    Otherwise, once they escape, they¡¯re sure to alarm the enemy.¡± One of the two figures spoke to the other with an exceptionally sharp voice.


    ¡°Hmph!


    King Xuan Ye¡¯s so-called transformations are nothing more than the fiend demon transformation technique, forcibly refining several of his commanders into attached puppets.


    Their spiritual wisdom is greatly reduced.


    Although they possess the cultivation of the early Nascent Soul realm, they¡¯re much easier to deal with than ordinary cultivators of the same level.


    Together, taking them down won¡¯t be difficult.


    But at a time like this, for Old Devil Zenith Yin to let his transformations act alone, it¡¯s like heaven helping us.


    After we annihilate them, it will be akin to severing one of his arms.


    Our action then will be even more assured,¡± another voice with a low, sinister tone said.


    ¡°Brother Heavenly Wind speaks very reasonably.


    However, I am a bit curious, whom these two transformations are tracking that they would be dispatched from the ancient tomb at such a critical moment of their mission, and now they seem to have suddenly lost their target,¡± the first voice sounded puzzled.


    ¡°Who knows?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    Regardless of who it is, it has no impact on our plan.


    The moment King Xuan Ye leaves the tomb chamber, his cultivation is bound to drop significantly.


    This is a rare opportunity.


    That old devil is extremely cunning and refuses to leave the tomb chamber even for a moment.


    If it weren¡¯t for the trap I set, we would probably have had no chance at all.


    After all, as long as the old devil is in the ancient tomb, his divine abilities are on par with late Nascent Soul cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, if King Xuan Ye knew that you indirectly leaked the information to the other two wealthy families, I wonder how his expression would change.


    Presumably, those two families have also secretly invited their backing Sects to wait for the old devil to fall into the trap.


    Besides, even if the old devil has other divine abilities and by chance escapes the encirclement, there are still our ambushes outside the tomb.


    He has no hope of escaping,¡± the sharp voice let out a sinister chuckle.


    ¡°Indeed, we brothers have planned for nearly ten years to make this success.


    Ever since the day we set the trap, we¡¯ve been continuously sending our disciples to monitor Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s every move so that we could seize the right moment to act.


    Once this demon is removed, his favorite concubine ¡®Madam Yu Hua¡¯ and his only son who just advanced to become one of the Corpse Kings are no match for our combined strength.


    At that time, whether it¡¯s the treasures he has amassed over so many years or the thousands of corpse soldiers slumbering in the tomb, they will be enough for the three of us to share.


    Moreover, I heard that Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s Heavenly Corpse body is about to achieve great success, and given his cautious nature, the nearly completed Heavenly Corpse Pearl is probably hidden somewhere in the tomb chamber.


    As long as we obtain this pearl and eliminate his Primordial Spirit, even if we are not Corpse Kings, we can use this item to refine our bodies to be as strong as iron, impervious to water and fire.


    This is the best treasure for cultivating the physical body,¡± the voice known as ¡°Brother Heavenly Wind¡± faintly conveyed greed.


    ¡°Hehe, the Cultivation Technique I practice does not focus on the physical body, so I have no interest whatsoever in this Heavenly Corpse Pearl.


    I just want the thousands of corpse soldiers in the tomb.


    With these soldiers at my command, I can establish my own force within Bottomless Mountain,¡± the sharp voice lightly laughed.


    ¡°I knew Daoist Yin would say this.


    Only your Corpse Spirit Technique can easily command these corpse soldiers.


    That¡¯s why, of all the fellow cultivators, my brother and I only sought you out.


    The three of us truly complement each other!¡± The other person sounded very pleased upon hearing this.


    ¡°Of course a€¡° but it¡¯s about time now.


    Brother Madstorm following the old devil should have no problems.


    To prevent any unexpected developments, let¡¯s hurry and eradicate the old devil¡¯s two transformations, then head back to lie in ambush near the tomb.


    Otherwise, if we let the old devil escape back to the tomb, that would spell trouble indeed,¡± the owner of the sharp voice suggested after sizing up the two green figures still hovering in the distance without moving forward.


    ¡°Mm, indeed it is about time.


    That old devil should have already run out of the Snow Ridge Mountains; let¡¯s make our move.¡±


    ¡°Brother Heavenly Wind¡± hesitated for a moment and then nodded in agreement.


    Meanwhile, the two green figures in the distance kept growling furiously.


    Moments later, they suddenly sensed an astonishing surge of Spiritual Energy exploding behind them and couldn¡¯t help but turn their heads to look.


    What they saw was a swath of pitch-black Devil Cloud and an astonishing white whirlwind that suddenly rolled down from the sky, overwhelming the two of them head-on and swallowing them in its midst¡­


    a€|


    At this time, Han Li was standing in front of a stone door hidden behind a waterfall, unaware that a grave danger about to befall him had been inexplicably resolved by others.


    Otherwise, had the two transformations joined forces to come at him, Han Li could undoubtedly have easily slain the formidable enemy, but his last opportunity to unseal his Mana would certainly have been used up.


    His gaze now fell on the lower right corner of the stone door, where a small, slightly protruding hole about an inch in diameter could be seen.


    With a sweep of his hand over his storage pouch, a key shimmering with silver light appeared in his hand.


    Flicking his finger, a silver beam shot out and precisely entered the hole.


    The first half of the key was the right size, fitting perfectly into the hole, leaving only the handle exposed.


    Han Li smiled slightly at this sight and pointed a finger gently at the key.


    A misty green spirit thread shot accurately onto the key, and instantly the handle of the key turned half a rotation on its own.


    The originally cold and grey stone door immediately shimmered with light, and a milky-white curtain appeared.


    After a slight tremble, the stone door slowly rose, revealing a small entrance.


    Han Li glanced at the entrance and walked in unhurriedly.


    Just ten feet inside, he came upon a transmission formation about three feet in diameter; the seven or eight slots surrounding the Array were all empty.


    Seeing this, Han Li chuckled to himself.


    If someone unaware of the secrets attempted to place Spirit Stones in all of these slots, they would likely be torn to shreds by the power of space during the transmission.


    The designer of Feng¡¯s Hideout was indeed deeply scheming!


    Han Li walked up to the Array and, after a few quick looks, shook his sleeve, and precisely five low-grade spirit stones flew into five of the slots.


    Then he raised his hand and struck the Array with an Incantation.


    Suddenly, the entire transportation formation emitted a deep humming sound!


    With Han Li¡¯s expertise in formations, he could tell at a glance whether something was amiss with the transportation formation.


    Feeling assured, his figure flickered, and he stood at the center of the formation.


    White rosy light swept up and enveloped him, and Han Li¡¯s figure vanished amid the spiritual light.


    The distance of the teleportation was clearly not far, and with Han Li¡¯s powerful divine sense, he didn¡¯t even feel much dizziness.


    Then, amidst the flickering white light, he appeared in a large, unknown hall.


    He took a sweeping glance around, and the situation inside the hall was clear at a glance.


    This place wasn¡¯t very big, only about twenty yards or so.


    The floor and walls were exceptionally clean, constructed from that peculiar Warm Stone.


    There weren¡¯t many objects in the hall, only two rows of verdant wooden racks and three silver chests that were a few feet in size.


    So this was Feng¡¯s Hideout.


    The modest size was within Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    The wooden racks were made of some kind of precious wood, which had kept its color and emitted a faint fragrance despite being here for a long time.


    On one rack, there were various Magic Artifacts of differing levels, mainly mid-level artifacts, totaling over thirty pieces.


    Among them, there were a number of unidentifiable Daoist paper talismans interspersed within, which were particularly eye-catching.


    The other rack was filled with jade slips of different colors, nearly a hundred of them, densely packed on the shelf.


    Han Li didn¡¯t linger on those Magic Artifacts and Daoist paper talismans, nor did he look at the silver chests.


    Without a word, he walked straight towards the wooden rack with the jade slips.


    After a brief glance, he casually picked up a slip and plunged his divine sense into it, scanning rapidly.


    With the strength of his divine sense, within the time it took to eat a meal, he had browsed through all the jade slips.


    To his surprise, there was no Cultivation Technique related to Buddhism among them, which was completely unexpected.


    Could the words of Feng Zhen be false?


    Han Li shook his head and dismissed the thought.


    He had used the Dreamtear Technique to verify the truth of the words, and with the opponent¡¯s level of divine sense, there was no chance that he could have been deceived.


    After pondering for a while, Han Li¡¯s gaze finally fell on the three silver chests.


    After a brief hesitation, Han Li strode over, flicked his sleeves, and began to open them one by one.


    In one chest were heaps of mid-grade spirit stones, several hundred in number.


    Another was filled with jade boxes of varying sizes.


    After his divine sense pierced through, Han Li discovered that inside were some rare Artifact Refining and Alchemy materials, clearly much more valuable than the chest filled with spirit stones.


    Having not found what he was looking for in these two chests, Han Li¡¯s expression inevitably darkened.


    When the last chest was opened, what appeared before Han Li¡¯s eyes were bunches of Daoist paper talismans shining with multicolored radiant lights.


    He initially showed disappointment, but as his divine sense meticulously swept through the contents of this chest, his expression shifted, and he suddenly reached out his hand toward the chest and made a grabbing motion in the air.


    With a ¡°whoosh¡± sound, an object shot out from beneath the many Daoist paper talismans and landed in Han Li¡¯s hand.


    With rapt attention, he scrutinized it closely, revealing a half-foot-long reddish wooden box with a pale yellow Daoist paper talisman attached to it.


    The box¡¯s surface was carved with various Buddhist scriptures and symbols.


    Han Li glanced at the Daoist paper talisman and immediately recognized it as a common one used for restricting spiritual energy.


    Without hesitation, he tore it off and opened the wooden box.


    As soon as the box¡¯s lid was lifted, a burst of rainbow spirit light shot out from within, the source of which was a thumb-sized, milky white bead.


    ¡°Shariputra!¡± Han Li uttered softly, unable to hide the joy on his face.


    For within the wooden box, along with the Buddha Relic, there were two Buddhist artifacts and a yellow jade slip.


    The artifacts were a dharmic wheel and a string of pale golden Buddha Beads, glimmering with a faint spiritual glow.


    The jade slip, though unimpressive in appearance, now held all of Han Li¡¯s attention.


    He reached out, took the jade slip, and eagerly immersed his divine sense into it.


    (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 915 - Chapter 915 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 912 King Ming Art

    ?Chapter 915: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 912 King Ming Art Chapter 915: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 912 King Ming Art ¡°Subdue the Tiger Technique, Wheel-turning Scripture¡­


    King Ming Art¡­¡± Han Li quickly scanned over them and recited the names of these cultivation techniques, which from their names alone, it was evident that the jade slips recorded were indeed Buddhist Incantations.


    ¡°King Ming Art!


    I¡¯ve heard of this cultivation technique before.


    It¡¯s a rare method exclusively practiced by the Vajra Guardian of Buddhism, and it seems extremely difficult to cultivate.


    How did this ancestor of the Feng Family come to possess this spell?


    Show me the jade slip; see if this cultivation technique could eliminate the Evil Qi.¡± However, the moment the words ¡°King Ming Art¡± were uttered, Monarch Great Development spoke in surprise.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a surge of joy.


    He didn¡¯t care how this Feng Family ancestor came to possess this technique; as long as it could help him remove the Evil Qi, that was what mattered.


    Without a second thought, he tossed the jade slip he held into a bamboo tube behind him.


    For the time being, Monarch Great Development focused intently on understanding the cultivation technique within the jade slip, while Han Li unapologetically began pilfering the valuables from Feng¡¯s Hideout, stuffing them into his storage pouch.


    Naturally, Han Li would have liked to take everything with him, but unfortunately his storage pouch was limited in space; apart from the Spirit Stones, he had to selectively pick and choose the rest.


    He definitely took a few Daoist paper talismans.


    As for materials and symbols, he took a small portion that was useful to him.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    As for the Magic Artifacts, aside from two or three with extraordinary effects, Han Li left the rest untouched on the shelves, not moving them a bit.


    After selecting the items, Han Li faced a large pile of jade slips and sifted through them for a particular cultivation technique that piqued his interest which he had noticed earlier when scanning with his Divine Sense.


    He then sat cross-legged in the hall, quietly meditating.


    Time slowly passed, and after a while, Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice finally echoed in the empty hall, immediately drawing Han Li¡¯s attention away from the technique he was reading.


    ¡°This King Ming Art is a bit sinister!


    Although it¡¯s a Buddhist cultivation method, its practice is incredibly aggressive, almost hinting at devilish tendencies,¡± Monarch Great Development slowly said.


    ¡°Devilish art!


    What do you mean?


    Can this technique rid me of the Evil Qi on my body?¡± Han Li asked calmly, his heart sinking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious.


    Speaking of the Evil Qi, I have to congratulate you.


    This cultivation technique can indeed solve your significant problem.


    However, this spell doesn¡¯t drive out and dissipate the Evil Qi but uses a method similar to the devilish arts by refining and utilizing the Evil Qi.


    But from what we see in the cultivation methods, this technique seems somewhat dangerous.


    Evil Qi is not something that can be easily controlled.


    You might want to weigh the pros and cons and consider looking for another Buddhist cultivation technique,¡± Monarch Great Development pondered for a moment, voiced his thoughts one by one, and then threw the jade slip back from the bamboo tube.


    ¡°Turning Evil Qi for personal use?


    Won¡¯t cultivating it to a higher level lead me onto the path of ancient devilish techniques?¡± Han Li caught the jade slip, his heart tensing as he asked cautiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that.


    Since the King Ming Art is a cultivation technique practiced by Buddhist protectors, it naturally wouldn¡¯t really involve devilish paths.


    Although its methods of cultivation are somewhat extreme, it differs greatly from the typical devilish arts that cultivate Evil Qi.


    It only uses Evil Qi as an aid, not directly manipulating it to attack and harm enemies.


    This retains the aggressive nature of the Evil Qi but mitigates most of its harmful effects.


    Amazing!


    There truly are great talents within Buddhism who could create such a technique that transitions from devilish to Buddhist.


    I suspect their intellect might even exceed mine, if not at least equal it.


    This cultivation technique is also a Grand Divine Power comparable to the Great Development Technique,¡± Monarch Great Development mentioned with a hint of admiration.


    Hearing Monarch Great Development compare this technique to the Great Development Technique, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but harbor some doubts.


    He then immersed his Divine Sense into the jade slip again, carefully reviewing the King Ming Art.


    But after only a brief observation, he exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°Eh!


    This spell feels so familiar, almost as if I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it?¡± Monarch Great Development was also surprised.


    ¡°Exactly¡­


    I remembered!


    This Incantation resembles the Demon Clan¡¯s cultivation technique inscribed on that item!¡± After contemplating briefly, Han Li suddenly recalled something.


    Reaching into his storage pouch, he produced a palm-sized copper plate.


    It was the Sacred Provenance Plate that he had long forgotten about!


    Without a second word, Han Li compared it to the demonic script on the plate, scrutinizing it closely.


    Moments later, he discovered that although the content of the so-called King Ming Art differed from the script on the plate, they clearly stemmed from the same lineage.


    However, the King Ming Art appeared to be much simpler than the incantations on the copper plate, but there was a deceptive similarity between the two, which confused Han Li and muddled his thoughts.


    ¡°What on earth is this copper plate?¡± Monarch Great Development saw Han Li occasionally glancing at the jade slips, then staring pensively at the copper plate, his expression unusually strange, and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Senior, please take a look.


    With my limited talents, I truly cannot discern the connection.


    Perhaps Senior could enlighten me.¡± After hesitating slightly and sighing, Han Li threw the copper plate into a bamboo tube behind him, then folded his arms and fell into thought.


    ¡°This is demonic script.


    If so, this cultivation technique must be extraordinary within the Demon Clan.


    Let me see¡­¡± Monarch Great Development muttered before his voice trailed off into silence, evidently starting to read the incantations on the copper plate.


    This time, Monarch Great Development didn¡¯t take long-only a quarter of an hour-before he gave Han Li a definite answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally discerned something.


    Clearly, the Buddhist ¡®King Ming Art¡¯ was modified from this set of Demon Clan techniques, adapted particularly from the missing foundational parts inscribed on the copper plate,¡± Monarch Great Development confidently affirmed.


    ¡°So it is.


    But the final part of the King Ming Art seems unable to connect properly with the techniques on the copper plate.


    There must be another part missing,¡± Han Li concluded after some thought and lifted his head to state his opinion.


    ¡°To think, Han Li, you also noticed this.


    You are correct.


    The whole set of Demon Clan techniques should indeed be divided into three parts.


    The King Ming Art is derived from the most basic body-refinement part.


    What this copper plate records are the final incantations for exercising divine skills, missing the middle part about body transformation.


    This technique is truly extraordinary, quite intriguing!


    Six Arms and Three Heads!


    Isn¡¯t this similar to the Divine Skills displayed by that ancient devil?


    I¡¯ve long heard that the Demon Clan was the first to contact the Ancient Devil Realm.


    It seems this is indeed true,¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled softly, seeming quite amused.


    ¡°In that case, these techniques were probably taught by the Demon Clan to the Demons, and then the Buddhist Sect acquired the basic parts and transformed them into the current King Ming Art.


    For one set of techniques to be valued by demons, devils, and Buddhists alike shows it indeed has a remarkable origin and uniqueness.


    However, no matter the power of this technique, the Five Ghosts on me might not contain the Evil Qi at any time.


    I can¡¯t worry about that now.


    I have to cultivate the King Ming Art first and resolve the impending crisis,¡± Han Li pondered for a long time, and only sighed in resignation.


    ¡°Mm, you do have a point.


    Going to search for the other techniques now might indeed be dangerous time-wise.


    And while the King Ming Art might be difficult for others, with such intense Evil Qi available to you, you should presumably find it smoother to cultivate,¡± Monarch Great Development considered thoughtfully and agreed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.


    But it seems this set of incantations requires a Vajra Relic to cultivate.


    Won¡¯t there be a problem if I just cultivate it directly?¡± Han Li remembered something else and asked with hesitation.


    ¡°Vajra Relic, didn¡¯t you just acquire one?


    You¡¯re quite fortunate, or I might not have recommended you cultivate this incantation.


    Although other relics could be used as well, compared to the Vajra Relic their effects are certainly inferior.


    Once your Spirit Beast absorbs the Heavenwide Corpsefire from the golden light barrier, you¡¯ll refine the golden light barrier completely.


    Then, I¡¯ll teach you a spell to turn it into your magic treasure.


    That way, there won¡¯t be any problems.


    When I traveled abroad in the past, I was quite interested in Buddha Relics and even disguised myself to join a Great Buddhist Sect for over ten years to deeply study them.


    You don¡¯t need to worry about this.


    Actually, if not for cultivating the King Ming Art, cultivating other Buddhist techniques to resolve the Evil Qi would also require a relic, but finding one in a place like Great Jin where Buddhism flourishes shouldn¡¯t be difficult,¡± Monarch Great Development spoke confidently, appearing to have planned this thoroughly.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m relieved!


    Since the incantations are truly compatible, let¡¯s leave this place ASAP.


    Ever since I entered these mountains, I¡¯ve felt slightly uneasy, which is not a good sign.


    We must find another spirit vein location for cultivation,¡± after painstakingly pondering in his heart, Han Li felt truly reassured about cultivating the King Ming Art and relaxed.


    Then, casting one last glance at the hall to ensure nothing was overlooked, he walked toward a corner transportation formation and vanished in a flash of white light.


    After the time it would take to eat a meal, Han Li transformed into an azure streak of light, flying straight towards the outside of the Snow Ridge Mountains.


    As he flew, he discussed with Monarch Great Development where to find a good spirit vein location to discreetly cultivate for a while.


    However, having flown several hundred miles, a sudden, earth-shattering explosion resonated from somewhere, shaking the entire mountain range with a buzzing sound, like the sky was splitting and the earth was shattering.


    Unprepared for this, Han Li only felt a ringing in his ears, and his figure shook slightly, his face instantly transforming.


    Casting a quick glance toward the source of the tremendous noise, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, he didn¡¯t say another word but, doubled the speed of his streak of light, and suddenly shot away in the direction opposite to the noise.


    But after only escaping twenty-odd miles, his Divine Sense felt a surprising surge of Spiritual Energy behind him.


    Following that, a mass of gray Qi, a patch of dark clouds, and a billowing white whirlwind shot towards him from behind, breaking through the air.


    Given Han Li¡¯s current Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, their speeds were incomparably faster, and in almost the blink of an eye, they were only a few miles away from him!

 Chapter 916 - Chapter 916 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 913 On the Verge

    ?Chapter 916: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 913 On the Verge Chapter 916: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 913 On the Verge ¡°Not good!¡± Han Li inwardly cried out, feeling deeply frustrated.


    He had intended to stay far away from trouble, but trouble had come knocking on his door.


    The three people behind him exuded an extraordinary aura, clearly Sect Masters beyond the Nascent Soul Stage.


    However, the mass of gray energy in front of them fluctuated in strength, looking like someone who had been seriously injured and was being pursued.


    Seeing that he could not avoid the three people behind him, Han Li steeled his heart, and with a flicker of his body, he steered his flying magical tool to the side.


    He wanted to see if this trio, busy in their pursuit, would ignore such a minor Foundation Establishment Cultivator as him and just fly past.


    But just as Han Li¡¯s body had slanted out a dozen yards or so, his streak of light suddenly stopped dead.


    With his expression uncertain, he looked around anxiously.


    By then, the mass of gray energy had already whooshed past Han Li, carrying a Sect Master with a high crown and a bloodless complexion hidden within.


    This Sect Master gave Han Li a cold glance, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes, before the mass of energy shot away tens of yards in a blink.


    Just then, a sudden rumbling noise came from all around.


    Following that, a yellow gourd over a yard tall suddenly appeared about a hundred yards away.


    With a flick of the gourd¡¯s mouth, a yellow dusty wind fiercely burst out, blowing directly towards the fleeing gray energy mass.


    ¡°Lost Soul Sand!¡± The person in the gray energy, upon seeing this, was greatly startled and turned sharply to avoid the sandy wind in fear.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    ¡°Ha-ha!


    King Xuan Ye, it¡¯s too late to run now.¡± Along with the sound of hearty laughter, a yellow-robed large man with a thick beard suddenly appeared on the gourd.


    After forming a spell with his hands, deep yellow sand fog rolled up from all around, quickly filling the sky and obscuring the sun.


    Within it, flags intermittently waved.


    The Sect Master within the gray energy gasped, and quickly glanced downward only to see the same yellow mist at a low altitude, covering several miles around them.


    King Xuan Ye, hiding within the corpse energy, paused his streak of light and glared venomously at the large yellow-robed man on the giant gourd.


    Behind him, a white tornado and a black devil cloud also arrived swiftly, flanking him directly without any courtesy.


    ¡°King Xuan Ye, you had already been hit by Master Song of Taiyang Sect¡¯s Supreme Yang Ruler, and your Heaven Corpse Physique, which is yet to fully mature, must have been seriously damaged.


    Now, cornered by us three, why stubbornly resist?


    Just hand over the Heavenly Corpse Pearl and let us plant some restrictive formations on you, and perhaps we could spare your life.


    After all, it¡¯s been years since King Xuan Ye and us became acquainted.


    It would truly be reluctant to see your soul disperse,¡± said the yellow-robed man in a calm tone.


    ¡°Hehe¡­


    Old Sandstorm, I knew it was you.


    From the moment I left the ancient tomb, I felt something was off.


    It seems you have had your eye on me since then.


    It must have taken a long time to plan this trap to lure me out.


    Indeed patient, having watched me for a full ten years.


    With so much meticulous planning, I am not wronged by falling into this trap.


    But do you really think you can trap me with just a Yellow Sand Formation?¡± Despite the dire situation, King Xuan Ye remained calm, showing no signs of disorder on his face as he said coldly.


    ¡°It seems my earlier words were in vain.


    Don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless, King Xuan Ye!


    However, we really didn¡¯t expect you to carry such an important Heavenly Corpse Pearl on your person.


    Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have let you get this far.


    Also, let me tell you something.


    To ensure the success of this plan, I borrowed half a gourd of the Blue Crystal Divine Sand that Granny Tian Shi has been refining for over a hundred years and have already mixed it in the Lost Soul Sand around us.


    If you are hoping to escape using the Earth Escape Skill, that¡¯s simply wishful thinking,¡± said the yellow-robed man, casually revealing this fact with some hidden agenda.


    ¡°Blue Crystal Divine Sand!


    Granny Tian Shi treasures it as her life, how would she lend you half a gourd!


    You are boasting too much,¡± scoffed King Xuan Ye, his face changing at first but sneering with disbelief remembering something.


    Hehe¡­


    Instead of explaining, Old Sandstorm just gave a cold laugh.


    This unexpectedly made King Xuan Ye¡¯s heart shudder and his expression grew even grimmer.


    Strangely, although the three had clearly gained the upper hand and had the Old Devil Zenith Yin trapped, they didn¡¯t take immediate action and only encircled him without moving.


    King Xuan Ye was more than happy with this.


    While escaping earlier, he had already sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman for help.


    Reinforcements were likely to arrive soon, so naturally, it was to his advantage to delay as long as possible.


    Between the four of them, a strange silence ensued.


    But aside from these four, there was a fifth person trapped by the sand-the unwitting Han Li, who had also been wrapped up in the sect-wide formation.


    Han Li, deeply frustrated internally, kept silent on one side, hoping not to attract the attention of the three, so when the fight started later, he could try to break the restrictions and slip away.


    However, his hopes were dashed.


    Suddenly, from the adjacent Devil Cloud, a shrill voice spoke.


    ¡°This youngster is getting in the way here, we¡¯d better deal with him before we proceed with our business.¡± The Old Devil concealed within the Devil Cloud had set his sights on killing Han Li.


    ¡°Fine, lest you get in the way later!¡± the yellow-robed large man on the gourd glanced at Han Li emotionlessly and spoke indifferently without the slightest interest.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li felt extreme annoyance in his heart.


    It seemed he would have to utilize his last seal-breaking ability whether he liked it or not, or risk losing his life.


    Truly, he had been caught in an undeserved disaster.


    Just then, a faintly excited shriek emitted from the devil cloud, followed by a gentle rolling of the cloud, signaling an imminent attack on him.


    Han Li hesitated no more.


    He immediately formed a hand incantation and uttered a low spell; a ghostly green face appeared on his visage, rapidly transforming shapes several times before five egg-sized balls of green light shot out from his body, vanishing into thin air instantaneously.


    At this moment, Old Devil Zenith Yin in the opposing cloud had also made his move.


    A small part of the devil cloud condensed and transformed, suddenly morphing into a huge grey python that opened its mouth wide and lunged fiercely at Han Li.


    Neither the large man on the gourd nor Granny Tian Shi, hidden within the hurricane, took any interest in how their companions might brutally slay a mere Foundation Establishment Sect Master.


    However, King Xuan Ye¡¯s eyebrows slightly twitched, revealing a trace of an unusual expression on his face as he witnessed the scene.


    As the huge python reached right above Han Li¡¯s head and bit down, Han Li, without a word, lifted his hand, and a streak of golden lightning shot out, striking directly inside the python¡¯s gaping mouth.


    The python shivered and, after a roll of its massive body, dispersed and vanished.


    Following that, Han Li¡¯s mana circulated slightly on his body, and an astonishingly formidable aura radiated from him, his body shimmering with green light and brimming with spiritual energy.


    ¡°As four Fellow Daoists engage in this battle, carry on as you please.


    Why must you drag Han into it?


    After all, I am merely passing by,¡± said Han Li, having just dispersed the python and now calmly addressed the old devils without showing any emotion.


    The old devils, including the yellow-robed large man, were greatly startled, their complexions drastically changing as they focused their attention on Han Li.


    They could no longer discern that the Sect Master accidentally trapped in the formation was actually on par with them.


    He had previously hidden his abilities with some secret technique, escaping their notice.


    What could his intentions be?


    Was his presence a coincidence, or had he followed them with other motives?


    The three old devils harbored their own schemes, momentarily frozen in their thoughts.


    King Xuan Ye too was inwardly shaken.


    Although he recognized at a glance that Han Li was the Sect Master who had taken the golden light barrier and must have some techniques, he was equally surprised that Han Li¡¯s true cultivation was so formidable, making his expression uncertain.


    Meanwhile, Han Li swiftly inspected the nearby Yellow Sand restrictive formations with his divine sense.


    Frowning slightly, he realized that the formations possessed some ingeniously hidden aspects; breaking through them forcefully would indeed be a considerable hassle.


    Thinking thus, Han Li calmly spoke to the large man on the gourd:


    ¡°Fellow Daoists should have understood what I just said.


    I will not interfere in your conflicts, but kindly make way and let me out.¡±


    ¡°I do not know Fellow Daoist¡¯s esteemed surname, nor why you are in the Snow Ridge Mountains,¡± the yellow-robed large man hesitated before slowly asking.


    ¡°My surname is Han, and I am merely passing through these mountains.


    Fellow Daoist, are you satisfied with this answer?¡± Han Li¡¯s voice cooled, his patience wearing thin.


    He had only a little time left to unseal and had no time to beat around the bush with the other party.


    ¡°Opening the restrictions and letting Fellow Daoist out may be difficult.


    This Yellow Sand Formation took effort to establish; loosening the restrictions might provide an opportunity for others to escape.


    Perhaps Fellow Daoist could bear with us a moment longer.


    Once we eliminate Old Devil Zenith Yin, we will let you go,¡± the yellow-robed large man said, his face portraying difficulty, and then added after a slight roll of his eyes.


    ¡°Hehe, if Fellow Daoist Han believes their words, it would truly be a suicidal path.


    If these three kill this king, to keep their own dirty secrets, they will definitely turn on Fellow Daoist next.


    If you are wise, it would be better to join me in breaking the formation.


    My cave dwelling is also very close; if we break the formation and reach there, these people will no longer be a threat!


    I can also swear on my heart demon and will certainly reward you heavily,¡± King Xuan Ye suddenly said with a solemn expression.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, his eyebrows slightly raising.


    The yellow-robed large man, hearing this, his face suddenly turned ominously dark.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist had better carefully consider the pros and cons before making a decision.


    If you assist this old devil, you will be against us three.


    Don¡¯t blame us for being ruthless and dealing with you as well.


    Weigh the strengths on both sides; within this Yellow Sand Formation, even if you two join forces, you¡¯ll likely face an inevitable defeat and death.


    Surely you don¡¯t want to perish alongside this old ghost?


    My terms are quite simple; just stay here for a short while, do nothing, and you will be safely let go afterward.


    I can also make this poison oath!¡± the yellow-robed large man said, half threatening and half persuading.

 Chapter 917 - Chapter 917 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 914 Joining the Battle

    ?Chapter 917: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 914 Joining the Battle Chapter 917: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 914 Joining the Battle ¡°Fellow Daoist, don¡¯t be coerced by them.


    My reinforcements will arrive soon.


    As long as you can protect me for a moment, you will be able to rest without worry,¡± said King Xuan Ye, the ancient Corpse King, in such a manner.


    The unexpected arrival of Han Li was clearly seen as a lifeline by this Old Devil.


    At this time, Han Li stood with his arms folded, his face showing a pensive expression.


    Seeing this, the large yellow-robed man flashed a fierce light in his eyes, but then forcibly suppressed it.


    The youth-like Sect Master opposite him hadn¡¯t shown any other divine skills yet, but the electric arc that had just shattered the serpent formed by the Devil Cloud had made him wary of underestimating his opponent.


    As the man¡¯s thoughts whirled, he could no longer keep his original plan a secret and straightforwardly said,


    ¡°Brother Xuan Ye, have you not noticed?


    The Seven Devils of Demon Wind and the Three Evils of Yellow Dust that accompany Fellow Daoist Heavenly Wind and me aren¡¯t staying by our side.


    The moment you emerged from the tomb, I had them lay out a sect-wide formation around your tomb.


    Though their strength wouldn¡¯t allow them to attack the tomb chambers directly, delaying for a day or half poses no problem.


    Moreover¡­


    Hehe!¡± As he spoke, the large man in the yellow robe let out a cold laugh.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Moreover, what?¡± King Xuan Ye suddenly felt a heavy sink in his heart, his eyes glaring intently at the large man, his hands clenched into fists.


    ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s almost noon now when the earth veins¡¯ ghostly aura is at its weakest throughout the day.


    Your Heavenly Corpse Great Method is likely far less powerful now,¡± said the Saha Supremo, looking up to the sky with a sly, mocking smile on his lips.


    Hearing this, King Xuan Ye¡¯s face turned a stony blue, and a faint black aura emerged.


    ¡°Good, very good!


    I didn¡¯t expect you to have studied my Heavenly Corpse Great Method to such an extent.


    You even understand the matter of the earth veins¡¯ ghostly aura clearly.


    But no matter how much you understand, it¡¯s just superficial.


    The unique aspects of the Heavenly Corpse Great Method, I will let you witness with your own eyes today,¡± King Xuan Ye suddenly looked up and laughed menacingly.


    Realizing that there was no hope for reinforcements, he, overwhelmed with shock and anger, was not willing to just wait for his demise.


    He also felt that showing some power was essential to impress Han Li, standing nearby.


    King Xuan Ye immediately opened his mouth.


    A mass of black blood sprayed out and turned into a fist-sized black rune in the wind, shooting back and embedding crisply into King Xuan Ye¡¯s forehead.


    Then, the rune emitted a bizarre black glow.


    The grey-white ghostly aura surrounding the Old Devil churned, and he emitted a wild beast-like roar from his mouth.


    Seeing this, the large man in yellow robes, not knowing what divine skills King Xuan Ye was about to display, did not intend to let him complete his action so easily and immediately shouted without thinking,


    ¡°Take action, no need to delay any further.¡± Following that, the Saha Supremo stomped fiercely on the large gourd beneath him.


    The mouth of the gourd trembled slightly, and a torrent of yellow sand rolled out, transforming into a giant sand snake several meters long, ferociously pouncing on King Xuan Ye.


    The other two also acted upon hearing his command.


    From within a blurry whirlwind, sounds of sharp breakage shot out, and hundreds of giant wind blades shot out, each about a foot in size, dazzlingly bright and emitting alarming shrieks-an extraordinary Wind Blade Technique.


    From the Devil Cloud, more than ten daggers also shot out.


    These daggers were black and glossy; initially only an inch in size, but in an instant, they turned into a meter-long black rainbow.


    Under the cover of the wind blades, they silently beheaded their way forward.


    Seeing the imminent crisis, King Xuan Ye also completed his spell in time.


    With a roar, the tall crown on his head flew off, and his hair danced wildly in the wind growing several times in length and turning purplish-black.


    At the same time, the Old Devil¡¯s body suddenly grew several feet taller, dense green fur sprouting all over his body, and sharp purplish-black claws grew from his fingers.


    His face quickly withered and hollowed, and a pair of inch-long fangs protruded prominently, making him look exceedingly ferocious.


    King Xuan Ye had revealed the true form of the millennia-old Corpse King.


    At that moment, as the sand snake, the wind blades, and the black rainbow approached, a fierce look flashed across King Xuan Ye¡¯s face, and he spat out a fist-sized golden bead from his mouth.


    The bead swiftly transformed into a giant golden hand, which grabbed at the sand snake.


    Meanwhile, King Xuan Ye¡¯s own body, with arms waving like a phantom, unleashed numerous green claw shadows that formed a large net, enveloping him.


    The Old Devil was actually planning to counter the other onslaughts with just his bare claws.


    The wind blades and black rainbow solidly struck the claw shadows, white and black light intertwining and flickering, instantly submerging King Xuan Ye¡¯s figure within.


    A loud ¡°boom¡± sounded, and as the green light churned where King Xuan Ye stood, the wind blades and black rainbow were simultaneously struck by immense strength and repelled.


    This practitioner of the Heavenly Corpse path, King Xuan Ye, in his Corpse King true form, had claws that were even tougher than iron and steel, three times harder than ordinary spiritual treasures.


    With just one strike, he had broken through the combined attack of the wind blades and daggers.


    Meanwhile, the golden hand shaped from the golden bead also wrestled with the sand snake for a while before it firmly grasped around the neck of dbName=NULL, temporarily subduing it.


    Han Li watched coldly up to this point, his expression shifting subtly.


    This fellow, exuding a strong presence of death even while heavily injured, was surprisingly fierce, somewhat beyond his expectations.


    However, seeing the sand snake subdued by the golden hand, the large man in the yellow robes was not angry but pleased, pointing at the struggling sand snake.


    ¡°`


    Sha Jiao¡¯s body flickered with yellow light, and its form halted before it transformed into a dispersing pile of sand, escaping the control of the golden hand and then quickly regrouping, engulfing the golden hand.


    The large man did not stop there; he shot a cold glance at King Xuan Ye and Han Li before silently forming hand seals.


    The surrounding yellow sandy fog stirred violently and suddenly surged up into a gigantic wave of sand several dozens of feet high, rolling towards the center.


    Simultaneously, eerie sounds of buzzing and ghostly wails sporadically emerged from the dust, growing louder and quieter unpredictably, causing souls to feel lost and horrified.


    He actually launched the sect-wide formation around them, intending to use the Array¡¯s power to strangle King Xuan Ye trapped inside.


    However, in that instant when the yellow-robed large man looked towards him, Han Li immediately realized that this Sandstorm Ascendant likely intended to trap him as well.


    Any hesitation would allow the Array to close in on him, and the man would definitely strangle him alongside.


    Annoyed, Han Li cursed under his breath in his heart.


    Initially not planning to waste more time, he finally made his move.


    With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of golden flying swords shot out, swirling and then transforming into a myriad of sword shadows slashing towards the sand wave nearest to him.


    At the same time, the ancient purple mirror he was already holding in his other hand suddenly lit up.


    After briefly channeling Mana into it, a dim purple beam burst forth, hitting the top of the sandy fog.


    A strange scene occurred-the purple flame, specially meant to dispel fog, entered the dust cloud only to disappear without a trace as if sinking into the ocean.


    Han Li frowned, his expression turning cautious as the luminescence from the flying swords also struck the sand wave transformed from the fog.


    A massive gap abruptly appeared.


    ¡°Be careful, Lost Soul Sand specifically contaminates flying swords; don¡¯t let them touch the sand,¡± King Xuan Ye, who was continuously besieged by Daoist paper talismans at the time, shouted joyously at Han Li¡¯s breakthrough.


    ¡°Contaminates flying swords?¡± Han Li blinked, not yet recovered from his surprise.


    The gap that had just been sliced open suddenly shifted in color, a gust of cold wind arose, and numerous black sand grains materialized around the flying swords like spirits, while dense black gases spurted from the sand grains, winding around each sword.


    The moment they contacted these black strands, Han Li immediately felt the swords connected to his mind go sluggish, and his control over the flying swords through his spiritual sense seemed to be forcefully expelled, gradually losing control over them.


    Han Li¡¯s expression chilled, he pointed towards the direction of the flying swords and lightly uttered the word ¡°Explode.¡±


    ¡°Rumble,¡± the sounds of thunder rolled continuously, countless fine golden arcs burst forth from the flying swords, rebounding and exploding.


    Where the golden arcs passed, all the black strands were swept away, even clearing a vast empty space within the sandy fog.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and peered into the depths of the sandy fog, his expression souring.


    He saw densely packed sand grains suspended in the air within the middle of the fog.


    Although they appeared to be ordinary yellow sand, the sheer volume made it clear that breaking through them was not going to be a quick task.


    As he hesitated, his expression suddenly darkened, and the silver wings on his back unexpectedly burst forth, followed by his disappearance with a clap of thunder, horizontally reappearing over ten feet away.


    Meanwhile, a red long spear-like Daoist paper talisman pierced through the spot he had just been standing,


    Even from such a distance, Han Li could still feel an intense heat, his heart burning with rage.


    The long spear circled back after flying out.


    He looked up coldly at the direction from which the spear and the Devil Cloud had come, his pupils flickering with a blue glow.


    Although the Devil Cloud was exceptionally dense, under the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, it was as though transparent.


    He could clearly see every action of an old man in a blue robe inside.


    This old man, looking equally surprised, stared back at Han Li, evidently shocked by Han Li¡¯s Thunderstorm Wings.


    Han Li did not speak; his wings fluttered slightly behind him, and after a loud crack of thunder, he vanished from his spot.


    The old man in the blue robe was taken aback, but his experience in combat was also considerable.


    Suddenly remembering something, he fiercely slapped his storage pouch; instantly, a green light shot out from the pouch, transforming into an ancient green shield which quickly blocked his front.


    In that instant, at the edge of the Devil Cloud, a silver light flashed, and Han Li¡¯s figure emerged.


    He clenched his fists, golden light wildly flickering around him as a rumbling sound arose abruptly, a layer of golden electric clothing emerging around him.


    Then, with an expressionless face, Han Li shook once again and disappeared from view.


    This time, a chill ran down the spine of the old man within the Devil Cloud.


    Without a second thought, he opened his mouth and spouted out a small grey sword engulfed in phosphorescent green light, turning into a dancing uncertain green rainbow around him.


    The old man was still not reassured and was about to release a few more Daoist paper talismans when a sudden loud crack of thunder came from one side.


    (First update!


    The second update will be later tomorrow, sweat!


    Just got through the festival, have to deal with some family matters.) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 918 - Chapter 918 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 915 A Battle that Shocks the Demons

    ?Chapter 918: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 915 A Battle that Shocks the Demons Chapter 918: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 915 A Battle that Shocks the Demons Han Li, with electric arcs wildly dancing around his body, materialized a few zhang away, his golden lightning dazzling and resplendent, like a materialized god of lightning descending upon the earth.


    The Devil Clouds nearby were instantly swept clean upon contact, exposing a space about ten zhang in size, unexpectedly turning the tables and enveloping the old man within it, his figure unmistakably revealed.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The green-robed elder couldn¡¯t help but let out a low cry, realizing something was amiss, and with a flash of light on his body, he hurriedly tried to flee the area.


    But since Han Li had risked using Thunderstorm Wings to sneak over here, how could he let his opponent escape so easily?


    With a single flicker of his form, Han Li, followed by a trail of afterimages, closed in right in front of the old man, raising both hands simultaneously, shooting out a violet flame and a streak of golden light at the same time.


    The green-robed elder, seeing how swiftly Han Li moved, was greatly shocked and, neglecting other concerns, hastily opened his mouth and sprayed a breath of white air onto the ancient shield before him.


    A wall of greenish light emerged from the shield, standing between Han Li and the elder.


    The violet flame struck the light wall without hesitation.


    With a soft ¡°hiss,¡± something astonishing happened that left the elder staring dumbfounded.


    The cold violet aura rapidly spread over the light wall, and a thick layer of ice swiftly covered the entire structure, freezing the green-colored ancient shield within it.


    ¡°What cultivation technique is this, so domineering?¡± the elder exclaimed in involuntary shock.


    Another streak of golden light promptly followed, shooting forward.


    With a muted ¡°pfft,¡± the golden light pierced the ice wall and vanished without a trace.


    But then, a glint of golden light reappeared right in front of the elder.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    The green-robed elder, startled, almost subconsciously dodged frantically to one side.


    Immediately, he felt a chilling sensation on his shoulder and an unbearable sharp pain surged through him.


    He anxiously glanced to the side, only to see his own arm had been cleanly severed by the golden light.


    Had his reaction not been swift enough, his head would likely have been cut off as well.


    The golden light whirled upwards toward the high sky, revealing itself to be a small golden sword just an inch in length.


    Looking back, he then noticed a small hole in the ice wall in front of him.


    The golden light was so incredibly sharp that it had directly penetrated through the dual barriers of the ice wall and the shield¡¯s light curtain, which was truly unbelievable.


    However, the elder had no time for astonishment, as he was at this moment at the peak of both alarm and fury.


    He quickly slapped a Daoist paper talisman on himself to stem the bleeding and then, grinding his teeth in rage, he glared ahead, wishing to tear Han Li to pieces as revenge for the pain of the severed limb.


    But when his gaze swept across the area, the space in front of him was completely empty; Han Li had vanished without a trace.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Upon seeing this, the elder¡¯s heart sank, and a chill coursed from the depths of his being.


    He no longer tried to find Han Li¡¯s whereabouts, instead his hand swiftly reached for his storage pouch, intending to take out a treasure to protect his body.


    But it was already too late.


    A faint muffled sound came from behind the green-robed elder, followed by something that shattered his protective aura in a single blow.


    A hand wrapped in violet flame broke through his chest from behind before he could react, and icy coldness rapidly spread throughout his body, freezing him alive inside a chunk of ice.


    The elder could only feel a painful prickling sensation all over his body, which rendered him unable to move in the slightest, filling his heart with terror.


    Meanwhile, Han Li, who had eerily switched to his rear, showed no signs of mercy.


    With an effortless sweeping flick from his robe sleeve, a golden net descended overhead, where the electric arcs crackled and the purple ice shattered inch by inch.


    A baby shrouded in black light shot out from the broken ice, trying to disappear in a frantic teleport.


    But Han Li, who had anticipated this, coldly shouted.


    The golden net¡¯s light surged huge, and after the elder¡¯s Nascent Soul attempted to teleport, it crashed headlong into the golden net, unable to escape from within.


    A cold smile flashed at the corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth, his hands forming a gesture, and the golden net suddenly contracted before violently exploding.


    The elder¡¯s Nascent Soul dissipated into nothingness amid the flashing golden light.


    From the old man¡¯s surprise attack to Han Li¡¯s merciless counterattack and extermination of the green-robed elder, only a brief moment had passed.


    The yellow-robed large man and the other two from Fangspear Mountain were completely unable to intervene in time.


    Witnessing how easily Han Li had killed a fellow mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, the two were extremely horrified, their faces paling simultaneously.


    The yellow-robed elder didn¡¯t have time to think further.


    His lips twitched slightly as he conveyed a few words through sound transmission.


    Then, abandoning the continued besiegement of King Xuan Ye, alongside True Lord Tian Feng in the gale, he abruptly withdrew his Daoist paper talisman.


    The two of them simultaneously shot backward into the sand fog, their figures disappearing without a trace.


    Despite being seriously injured, King Xuan Ye had managed to hold his own against a dominant force but, with the body¡¯s resilience of the Corpse Kings, he had withstood several Daoist paper talisman attacks and ultimately came out unscathed.


    However, the look in the old devil¡¯s eyes as he glanced at Han Li carried a hint of something unusual.


    Beyond being shocked, he was also feeling somewhat uneasy.


    He knew that if he had not been critically injured and if he were not in these ancient tombs, he would never have been able to annihilate a cultivator of the same rank with such ease, let alone eradicate their Nascent Soul completely.


    Whether it was Han Li¡¯s divine skills or his methods, they all sent a shiver down the old devil¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Could this person be a late Nascent Soul cultivator?¡± King Xuan Ye thought, reassessing Han Li.


    But indeed, Han Li was only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.


    This meant that this seemingly young cultivator¡¯s heavenly skill was shockingly powerful, comparable to that of late Nascent Soul great divine power wielders.


    At this realization, Old Devil Zenith Yin took in a cold breath.


    It was fortunate that he had only sent a fiend demon transformation to find this person; had he chased after this man for the golden light barrier without knowing, he would likely have run into dire misfortune.


    Ever since he returned to the mountain ranges, he could no longer sense those two fiend demon transformations.


    It seemed they had been killed by their opponent.


    King Xuan Ye felt some trepidation and unconsciously blamed the disappearance of the two fiend demon transformations on Han Li.


    He hesitated for a moment, about to say something to Han Li, when the array around them suddenly underwent an astonishing change, drawing his attention away.


    The originally hazy yellow sand fog abruptly changed color, and within its murkiness, sand waves disappeared, giving way to the previously trapped dark grains of sand that had ensnared Han Li¡¯s flying swords.


    The sand particles were not as dense as the yellow sand but twinkled with a cold, dark light, densely packed within the fog, creating an incredibly eerie sight.


    With the appearance of these black grains of sand, wails and howls grew louder.


    The sand transformed into a black fog, fiercely pressing together towards the center.


    ¡°Not good.


    The Mad Sand fiend released all of the Lost Soul Sand, mingling it with the restrictive formations.


    Fellow Daoist, this sand can¡¯t be defended against with ordinary spiritual treasures.


    One can only rely on their cultivation to endure it.


    But since he has mobilized so much Lost Soul Sand, his mana must be strained and cannot last.


    As long as we withstand a few fierce attacks, all will be well,¡± King Xuan Ye said, his expression turning grim as he urgently called out to Han Li.


    Now that he and Han Li were in the same predicament, he naturally didn¡¯t want anything to happen to this immensely capable ally.


    He had previously seen Han Li break through the sand with golden lightning, but with so much Lost Soul Sand attacking at once, he didn¡¯t believe Han Li could withstand it with just that lightning.


    ¡°Lost Soul Sand?


    Such a heavy ghostly aura; it must be a Daoist paper talisman refined from souls.


    No wonder it can create such momentum,¡± Han Li murmured to himself while floating in the air, his face emotionless and showing not the slightest sign of guard.


    King Xuan Ye found this surprising, but as the black sand fog was about to engulf the remaining space, he had no time for other thoughts.


    He opened his mouth and spewed out grey-white flames, fists-sized at first, rapidly coalescing into a huge fireball that enveloped him.


    Only his cultivation of the Millennium Corpse Flame, honed over countless years, could withstand the assault of this Lost Soul Sand.


    But in the brief distraction, the dark fog engulfed the old devil in its midst.


    Corps flames and black light intertwined in a flash, emitting thunderous explosions, the intensity of the battle fierce.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s figure slowly retreated towards the center of the space, and after a short while, when there was no room left to retreat, he suddenly slapped his spirit beast pouch at his waist.


    A beam of dark light shot out from the pouch and, after circling around, landed in front of him, revealing a small black monkey.


    The monkey, just a few inches tall, bore an unwilling expression a€¡° it was the Weeping Soul Beast that had been refining corpse flames in the golden barrier.


    Having its cultivation disrupted by Han Li¡¯s forceful summoning through spiritual sense, it was understandably in a foul mood.


    However, a few moments later, after sniffing a few times and sweeping its gaze across the ominously oppressive black fog approaching from all directions, its face instantly bore a look of delight.


    Without waiting for Han Li to urge it with spiritual sense, the Weeping Soul Beast thumped its chest with both hands and let out a deep, long howl.


    Black spikes on its body flickered incessantly, and its body swelled wildly, transforming into a giant ape over thirty feet tall.


    The face on its back became sharply distinct, writhing as if coming to life.


    Whether it was the two yellow-robed large men lying in wait within the sand fog or King Xuan Ye desperately resisting the Lost Soul Sand, all were inwardly shocked to see the spectacular emergence of this ape.


    As they pondered Han Li¡¯s intention for releasing such a mysterious beast, the giant ape snorted, and a vast expanse of yellow light burst forth from its nostrils, encircling them in a myriad of light rays that protected Han Li and itself in the middle.


    The black sand fog finally bore down with formidable force, but upon contact with the full expanse of the yellow light, thick black qi emitted from it, swept up by the radiant light.


    With the dissipation of the black qi, those twinkling black grains of sand were instantly exposed amidst the fog.


    Seeing this, the giant ape did not hesitate and grinned widely, spewing a brilliant golden beam.


    Wherever the beam touched, the dust fell, and the black sand offered no resistance as it was fiercely sucked in, directly into the giant¡¯s gaping mouth.


    In a blink of an eye, after several sweeps of the yellow light and the beam, the black sand fog was scattered, its ghostly aura dissipated, unable to approach Han Li by even an inch.


    The Weeping Soul Beast absorbed a sizable amount of the ghostly aura and black sand, causing the surrounding fog to gradually change from black to yellow.


    Hidden within the sand fog, the Mad Sand Ascetic and True Lord Tian Feng, who had drawn close, were taken aback.


    (This is yesterday¡¯s second update!


    Next, I will continue coding today¡¯s chapter!)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 919 - Chapter 919 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 916 Retreat in Shock

    ?Chapter 919: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 916 Retreat in Shock Chapter 919: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 916 Retreat in Shock The Lost Soul Sand was indeed no ordinary treasure; to refine such a weapon capable of tainting other¡¯s magical treasures, the yellow-robed large man had secretly killed an unknown number of low-level cultivators, harvested their souls and Primordial Spirits, and used a multitude of rare materials, taking over a hundred years of hard work to finally succeed in its refinement.


    In the past, when they encountered powerful enemies, the two large men simply had to release the sand, and it would almost always come out triumphant.


    Even when facing adversaries of the same rank, this treasure still displayed its mighty divine powers, repeatedly achieving miraculous feats and even creating a significant reputation as ¡°the Elder of the Wild Sands¡± among the offbeat and unorthodox paths, becoming a famously distinguished senior expert.


    This time, he dared to provoke King Xuan Ye, whose name was illustrious among evildoers because he felt confident, to a certain extent, due to having this treasure.


    But now, having released this sand to join the formation to deal with the unknown cultivator before them, it not only failed to harm the enemy but, in an instant, the opponent¡¯s huge apes swept away quite a bit of it.


    Naturally, this caused the yellow-robed large man great distress, and he dared not continue using the sand fog to assail the opponent.


    Instead, he hastily formed hand seals, pulling back all the black sand near Han Li.


    At the same time, this development made him hesitant, and he couldn¡¯t help but entertain the idea of withdrawing!


    ¡°Brother Wild Sands, didn¡¯t you borrow the Blue Crystal Divine Sand?


    Why not use this treasure against him?


    Although I don¡¯t know what kind of spirit beast that huge ape is, it seems to only counteract vengeful ghosts and ghostly Qi.


    But the Blue Crystal Divine Sand is purely a Daoist treasure, and the opponent definitely won¡¯t be able to withstand it.


    As long as we kill this man, everything can still proceed according to the original plan,¡± proposed True Lord Tian Feng, an elder with a dark complexion and small eyes on a horse-like face, known for his distinct ugliness.


    For this mission, he had expended a great deal of energy and effort and was on the verge of success; he really didn¡¯t want to come away empty-handed.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°The Blue Crystal Divine Sand is a magic treasure I begged for with great difficulty to save my life just in case.


    Granny Tian Shi is deeply connected to me, which is why she agreed to lend me some.


    I¡¯ve also repeatedly promised to only use this treasure as a last resort.


    If something were to go wrong, I wouldn¡¯t be able to justify it to her,¡± said the Elder of the Wild Sands, immediately shaking his head like a rattle drum and rejecting this suggestion outright.


    ¡°But this cultivator¡¯s magic treasures and spirit beast are both exceptionally sharp.


    Without this sand, we simply can¡¯t stand against him; was all our previous effort in vain?


    Other things aside, the Heavenly Corpse Pearl from Old Devil Zenith Yin is a rare treasure for cultivating one¡¯s physical body, crucial for our breakthrough to the next realm!¡± clamored True Lord Tian Feng, getting anxious upon hearing this.


    ¡°Hmph!


    If the Heavenly Corpse Pearl is important, does that mean the Blue Crystal Divine Sand isn¡¯t?


    This sand isn¡¯t something that can be used over and over; it¡¯s a one-time item.


    Once used up, my bit of Blue Crystal Sand would be gone too.


    And even though Granny Tian Shi has some connection to me, wanting a second portion from her would be out of the question.


    Besides, the divine skills of the person before us are truly unfathomable.


    It¡¯s not guaranteed that the Blue Crystal Sand could defeat him.


    If it were to be broken by the opponent, that would just be adding to our troubles,¡± huffed the Elder of the Wild Sands, remaining unconvinced.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Although True Lord Tian Feng felt that the other party had a point, he was still reluctant and wanted to persuade further.


    However, at that moment, a streak of fire suddenly shot from beyond the heavens, circling above the sand fog before plunging into it and landing in the large yellow-robed man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± The large man held the Sound Transmission Talisman transformed into firelight, surprised, but then immediately immersed his Divine Sense into it without hesitation.


    In just a short while, a dark cloud descended on his face, and with a single wave of his hand, the flames disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!


    Even using the Blue Crystal Divine Sand now seems to be too late.


    Seven Sons and Three Fiends, those useless fools, have been forcefully broken through by the corpse soldiers driven by Madam Yu Hua.


    They are leading a great number of high-grade spirit corpses this way.


    If we don¡¯t leave now, it¡¯ll be dangerous,¡± said the Elder of the Wild Sands coldly.


    True Lord Tian Feng was shocked to hear this, finally extinguishing his last glimmer of hope and agreeing helplessly.


    The two men dared not delay, hastily casting spells, causing the black sandstorm to churn wildly before suddenly shooting up into the high sky, congregating into a mass, and then rolling away into the distance, engulfing everything as they fled.


    From beginning to end, the two large men did not show themselves again.


    Han Li stood on the shoulder of the huge ape, his gaze following the departing figures with cold scrutiny.


    He was short on time; if the other party continued to linger, he might have to use the Heavenvoid Cauldron again.


    Last time, he had collected the Spiritual Sand from the Heaventide Saintess without issue, so he ought to have no problems with these sand fogs either.


    But after all, the Heavenvoid Cauldron was a heavenly spiritual treasure.


    Although there should be few cultivators outside the Scattered Stars Sea who were aware of it, he still didn¡¯t wish to use it lightly for all to see.


    Otherwise, if someone were to recognize it by coincidence, that would mean great trouble.


    Even with his Mana reaching to the heavens, he might not have peaceful days ahead.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist possesses extensive divine skills, even capable of breaking the Lost Soul Sand!


    You truly have broadened my horizons.


    This king thanks you for your life-saving grace,¡± said King Xuan Ye as the yellow-robed men and their sand fog retreated, finally disappearing into the horizon.


    He breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not immediately dissipate the corpse flames surrounding him; instead, he clasped his fists in the light of the fire and addressed Han Li directly.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s gaze finally settled on the millennia-old Corpse King.


    The sand fog had dissipated quickly, but the Corpse King¡¯s condition didn¡¯t look too good.


    His Spiritual Energy had significantly weakened, more than halving compared to when he had first revealed his true form.


    ¡°It seems that even for Old Devil Zenith Yin, using his Primordial Corpse Flame in a severely wounded state to defend against the Lost Soul Sand was truly a huge drain on his Qi.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s gaze was indifferent as he watched Old Devil Zenith Yin without the slightest hint of emotion.


    Even though King Xuan Ye was no ordinary cultivator, having witnessed Han Li unleashing his mighty Divine Skills just moments before, he couldn¡¯t help feeling a chill in his heart and became all the more cautious and alert, fearing that by blocking one attack, he might invite another.


    And the huge ape under Han Li¡¯s command had been standing motionless with its massive eyes half-closed ever since the sand mist had dispersed, as if it were savoring the large amount of black sand it had just ingested.


    At that moment, once King Xuan Ye showed some hostility towards Han Li, the beast, connected to Han Li¡¯s mind, immediately sensed it.


    Its eyes shifted, and it instantly fixed its gaze upon the Millennia-old Corpse King.


    An almost anthropomorphic expression of desire appeared on the beast¡¯s face as its huge mouth opened and closed, making clicking sounds as if it had seen some delectable treat, an expression full of greedy anticipation.


    This gaze made King Xuan Ye, who had once been an ancient emperor, shudder to his very bones.


    He had just seen the ape effortlessly collect the Lost Soul Sand and naturally understood how formidable the huge ape was.


    Even in the presence of such a beast, he felt an instinctive fear in his heart.


    Although it was not powerful, King Xuan Ye secretly lamented his bad luck, sensing that the ape might have some inherent advantage over him, which left him extremely anxious and uneasy.


    ¡°Although the reason I took action this time was due to their own faults, regardless, I did save your life.


    What do you mean by ¡®handsome reward¡¯?


    I am quite interested in knowing,¡± said Han Li, whose expression softened in the midst of the tense atmosphere as he spoke slowly.


    He was by no means a righteous gentleman; moreover, with the backlash of Evil Qi becoming increasingly severe on him, and seeing only this severely wounded Corpse King remaining here, he naturally couldn¡¯t suppress the rising intent to kill.


    After taking a good look at the Corpse King, Han Li felt a similar Corpse Qi from him as from the golden light barrier and, hearing the large man in yellow call him ¡°Brother Xuan Ye,¡± he had already more or less guessed his identity.


    Meeting this King Xuan Ye, whom Jin Yuan had mentioned, so soon was quite unexpected.


    However, after forcibly exercising Great Development Technique to clear his mind and assessing the time remaining on his seals, as well as the likelihood that the other party might have several desperate secret techniques, in addition to the fact that his Thunderstorm Wings and Celestial Ice Flame Divine Skills had already been revealed and could no longer surprise the opponent, he realized that, even with the help of the Weeping Soul Beast, it was unlikely that he could subdue this Millennia-old Corpse King quickly.


    Thus, after some deliberation, Han Li forcibly suppressed the killing intent in his heart.


    Nonetheless, having saved the Corpse King, he naturally would not pass up the opportunity to gain some advantages and made his demand straightforwardly.


    ¡°Heh heh!


    I am short of many things, but I do have some Spirit Stones and materials on hand.


    If Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t mind, you could accompany me back, and I will surely make you satisfied,¡± said King Xuan Ye, upon hearing this, feeling a bit relieved and showing a slight smile.


    ¡°No need for such trouble.


    I see that your golden bead is quite fine, could you part with it as a gift?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze lingered on him for a moment before saying so nonchalantly.


    ¡°Are you referring to this item?¡± Once King Xuan Ye heard these words, his expression darkened.


    But after glancing at the huge ape, which was still eyeing him hungrily, he reluctantly agreed, and with a single cough, he spat out the golden bead from his mouth.


    Han Li nodded indifferently to confirm that it was indeed the item.


    ¡°This is known as the Heavenly Corpse Pearl, something that we Corpse Kings produce after cultivating with the Heavenly Spirit Decision, similar to a Primordial magic treasure.


    Normally, it¡¯s not something I would easily reveal.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the two fiends of Fangspear Mountain were probably targeting this item as well.


    However, this bead is of no use to me, so Fellow Daoist can take it!¡± With a few flickers in his gaze and a sudden laugh, King Xuan Ye pointed at the bead in front of him, and it shot towards Han Li.


    Han Li was surprised but did not stop his movements.


    As he reached for the bead that was shot through the void, a large green hand appeared and grabbed the golden bead in mid-air.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin surprisingly hadn¡¯t tampered with the bead at all!


    Han Li wrapped the bead in a mass of green light, then narrowed his eyes to carefully examine it.


    There was no switch; it was indeed the very same golden bead that Old Devil Zenith Yin had used before.


    His initial request for the item was also with the intention to bargain, but the other party¡¯s straightforwardness instead made him somewhat suspicious!(To Be Continued¡­


    Please visit www.qidian.com to read more chapters and support the author, as well as official reading!)

 Chapter 920 - Chapter 920 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 917 Twin Pearls

    ?Chapter 920: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 917 Twin Pearls Chapter 920: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 917 Twin Pearls Han Li¡¯s thoughts were swift as lightning, and a hint of contemplation appeared on his face.


    ¡°You need not find it strange!


    I won¡¯t hide it from you, this Heavenly Corpse Pearl is indeed one as well, but it is not the one I cultivated with.


    It was another Corpse Bead I incidentally acquired when I obtained the Heavenly Corpse Great Method many years ago; it has no relation to me.


    The Heavenly Corpse Pearl critical to me, how would I carry it on my person?


    It is still properly stored in my tomb,¡± explained King Xuan Ye, who upon seeing the situation, hesitated for a moment and then strangely began to take the initiative to clarify.


    ¡°So it is!


    Since that¡¯s the case, I will unceremoniously accept this¡­


    It seems your men have also arrived, Han Li will take his leave first,¡± Han Li revealed a moment of realization, nodded, and just as he was about to ask something else, his expression suddenly changed.


    He looked up towards the distant horizon and unexpectedly uttered his farewells.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin was taken aback, and before he could say anything, Han Li¡¯s body flickered with green light, suddenly transforming into a green rainbow that tore through the sky and left.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin watched Han Li¡¯s departing figure, his expression changing uncertainly and somewhat dubious about Han Li¡¯s words.


    But moments later, from the direction of the ancient tomb, came bursts of ghostly wails followed by boundless green clouds rolling in, filled with an overpowering stench of decay.


    King Xuan Ye saw this and was immediately overjoyed.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Even if Sage Sandstorm and the others were to return, he would no longer fear them.


    He leaped into the air, transforming into a beam of grey light, and directly greeted them.


    ¡­


    At this time, Han Li didn¡¯t dare to delay.


    Using the limited time left before the energy seals were reinstated, he fled as fast as lightning.


    He needed to shake off King Xuan Ye and the large, yellow-robed man who had left earlier.


    Otherwise, once his mana was sealed again, facing these individuals would bring serious trouble.


    With Han Li exerting his full mana, his escape speed was extraordinary.


    Before his mana could be sealed again, he changed directions several times and miraculously managed to flee tens of thousands of miles away, leaving the mountainous region behind.


    Han Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    After briefly recognizing the direction, he calmly controlled his magic artifact to travel far away from the mountains.


    Two days later, Han Li landed at the base of a deserted hill.


    He then released several magic artifacts and carved out a simple cave abode at the foot of the mountain.


    Immediately after, he used a set of formation establishment tools to conceal the cave entrance.


    Han Li himself entered the cave¡¯s secret chamber and sat down cross-legged.


    ¡°You intend to comprehend the King Ming Art here?¡± Monarch Great Development, who had allowed Han Li to act freely all along and had not interjected even once, finally couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, is this place not suitable?¡± Han Li replied noncommittally.


    ¡°Hmph!


    There¡¯s not even a spirit vein here.


    If you cultivate at this pace, this old man¡¯s soul would have long dissipated,¡± Monarch Great Development said irritably.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Senior, don¡¯t be angry.


    I was only joking just now.


    I have already pondered over the King Ming Art during my travels.


    The first layer of incantations is manageable and does not require too much spiritual energy.


    I estimate that it will only take about a year to refine.


    But starting from the second layer, the difficulty of cultivation increases significantly.


    The cultivation method requires a great deal of spiritual power and must be performed in locations with spirit veins; otherwise, the time spent would far exceed expectations.


    To counteract the backlash of Evil Qi, I must refine the first two layers of the King Ming Art, which will barely allow me to convert the Evil Qi for my use,¡± Han Li said with a light chuckle, seeming to be in quite a good mood.


    ¡°However, while there are many spirit vein locations in Great Jin, there is not one without a master.


    Even the poorest spirit vein would definitely be claimed by someone.


    Since I plan to quickly restore my mana, I cannot look for a poor spirit vein to cultivate, it would be best to infiltrate a large sect again and quietly cultivate the incantations.¡±


    ¡°From your tone, it seems you already have a plan,¡± Monarch Great Development grew curious.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I indeed have a target in mind.


    And I don¡¯t even need to bother with fabricating an identity,¡± Han Li said confidently.


    ¡°Oh!


    If there¡¯s such a good opportunity, feel free to share it,¡± Monarch Great Development became even more surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.


    Do you remember the land deeds I obtained at the Feng¡¯s Hideout?


    Mixed in with them was another document that recorded a few of the Feng Family¡¯s secrets.


    It just so happened to include a backup plan prepared many years ago by the head of the Feng Family for their offspring ¨C an identity completely unrelated to the Feng Family, that of a wealthy merchant household in South Bay Province.


    And indeed, such a merchant exists, operating more than a dozen well-known shops.


    However, this person was nothing but a covert agent cultivated in secret by the Feng Family, a front they put forth.


    The real power and the deeds to the shops were still in the hands of the Feng Family.


    Now that the Feng Family is entirely wiped out, the wealthy merchant is still alive.


    With him as cover, becoming affiliated with one of the large sects in South Bay Province shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    As long as I can dispel the Evil Qi and recover most of my Qi after two or three years, I¡¯ll be able to peacefully search for materials.¡± Han Li spoke without intent to conceal, explaining everything one by one.


    ¡°What a story!


    That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea.


    But now you¡¯re staying here; what¡¯s your intention?


    Are you planning to cultivate the first layer of the Oracular Formula first?¡± Monarch Great Development pondered and felt there weren¡¯t any issues but decided to ask another question.


    ¡°I indeed have the intention to cultivate the first layer of the King Ming Art.


    After all, it¡¯s only after some cultivation that I can firmly ascertain the difficulty involved, and see if there are any problems.


    Besides, while it¡¯s quiet here, I want to refine the golden light barrier and claim it as my own.


    I also plan to make a set of flying needles from the Crystalized Demon Pill I obtained at the trade fair for later use.


    Of course, the most important items are these two things, which I also intend to deal with first.¡± Han Li sighed and flipped his palm, revealing two beads, one white and one golden, appearing in his hand.


    They were the Heavenly Corpse Pearl he had just acquired and the Snow Crystal Bead he had obtained from a disciple of the Nine Immortals Palace.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to elaborate on the Snow Crystal Bead.


    It¡¯s a rare ice-attribute treasure and has never been claimed before.


    If I can refine and cultivate it for a while, it will certainly be greatly beneficial against the Purple Apex Flames.


    As for this Heavenly Corpse Pearl, since so many people wanted it, even a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator didn¡¯t hesitate to kill for it, it must be out of the ordinary.


    Senior, do you happen to know its uses?¡± Han Li asked seriously.


    ¡°This matter relates to the cultivation arts of demon ghosts.


    I really don¡¯t know much.


    However, the Corpse Bead is quite famous, and I do know a bit about it.


    Such an object is usually formed only when Corpse Kings undergo special cultivation.


    For those cultivators who focus on body refinement, it can be considered a panacea for marrow cleansing.


    After swallowing it, it can slowly enhance the cultivator¡¯s physique, causing rapid progress in body refinement.


    With this bead, even transforming one¡¯s body to be as hard as iron, like a Corpse King or demon beast, is very likely.


    And since this is named Heavenly Corpse Pearl, I suppose its effects are probably even more extraordinary,¡± Monarch Great Development speculated after some thought.


    ¡°Swallow it?


    You mean absorb it directly into my body and refine it like refining a Magic Artifact?¡± Han Li looked down at the golden bead, somewhat hesitant.


    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t just refine it directly.


    The Corpse Bead inherently carries extremely potent corpse poison.


    You must first prepare a type of Spiritual Liquid to extract its toxicity completely.


    Although the ingredients for this Spiritual Liquid are somewhat rare, I remember you have them all.


    Hence, there¡¯s no need to go out and purchase them.


    Moreover, most of the cultivation methods in the King Ming Art are also for body refinement.


    Perhaps this bead could be greatly beneficial for cultivating the King Ming Art.


    I¡¯ll copy the formula onto jade slips for you.


    Take a look first!¡± Monarch Great Development offered his help to Han Li, as Han Li¡¯s Evil Qi would prevent him from freely searching for materials until it was dispelled.


    ¡°I see.


    I appreciate your help, Senior!¡± Han Li exhaled and showed a faint smile.


    After waiting a moment, a jade slip shot out from a bamboo container and Han Li grabbed it, attentively reading it.


    But suddenly, Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice took on a peculiar tone as he asked, ¡°Han Li, since you escaped the Moulan Prairies, have you forgotten about something very important?¡±


    ¡°Something important?


    What are you referring to, Senior?¡± Han Li withdrew his divine sense and asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Have you forgotten what¡¯s trapped inside your Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡± Monarch Great Development sighed.


    ¡°Are you talking about the transformation of the Heaventide Holy Beast?¡± Han Li chuckled.


    ¡°Exactly, that beast.


    Since you captured it, I haven¡¯t seen you deal with it at all.


    Could it really have slipped your mind?¡± Monarch Great Development laughed, ¡®Hehe.¡¯


    ¡°No way I could overlook it.


    I¡¯ve actually already dealt with it.


    It¡¯s just that I can only expel it from my body when my mana recovers, which is why you don¡¯t know about it.¡±


    ¡°How did you handle it?¡± Monarch Great Development inquired with interest.


    ¡°What else could I do?


    I¡¯m not powerful enough to open the cauldron at will.


    That it spontaneously opened its lid the last time and let me capture the beast was beyond my expectations.


    I simply communicated with the beast using my divine sense,¡± Han Li said with a wry smile.


    ¡°And the outcome?¡± Monarch Great Development pressed further.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Since the beast arrived in this realm not long ago, its spiritually wise nature is barely developed.


    I can¡¯t communicate with it at all,¡± Han Li responded with a hint of frustration.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal; nothing strange about it.


    This beast, though, since it¡¯s the transformation of an upper realm sacred sect protecting beast, probably won¡¯t take too long to fully awaken its spiritually wise nature.


    It wouldn¡¯t be too late to handle the beast by then,¡± Monarch Great Development said indifferently.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only choice there is!


    It¡¯s just regrettable that, similar to the cauldron of the Endless Sky Saintess and the Heavenvoid Cauldron, I¡¯m unable to retrieve the treasure.


    Otherwise, considering the power of the Spiritual Sand emitted by it, it could be a treasure with immense divine skills.


    It seems likely that this cauldron is a copy of the Heavenvoid Cauldron,¡± Han Li expressed his disappointment.


    ¡°That cauldron is obviously not the kind meant for annihilating enemies but is more likely an auxiliary type.


    The Seven Flames Fan, however, is a treasure designed for offense.


    If you can collect enough materials and follow my method to refine a replica, the power you wield against enemies will certainly exceed that of the Endless Sky Saintess¡¯s cauldron.


    There¡¯s nothing to envy!¡± Monarch Great Development said with a cold laugh.


    (First update!


    Recently, there¡¯s been a lot more going on at home, and I¡¯ve been very busy, so the update schedule has slipped a bit.


    But I will do my best to maintain stability.


    The next update will be a bit later.


    As soon as I handle things, I will immediately start working on the next chapter.


    Moreover, today is the last day for double monthly tickets, so if you have monthly tickets, please cast them now, otherwise, it would really be a waste.) (To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 921 - Chapter 921 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 918 Collecting Treasures

    ?Chapter 921: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 918 Collecting Treasures Chapter 921: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 918 Collecting Treasures ¡°Perhaps!¡± Han Li did not have much objection to this.


    Fire attribute treasures, regardless of their types, nine out of ten are focused on attacking.


    After all, fire spiritual Qi is among the top in terms of destructive power.


    With that, Han Li refrained from speaking further.


    He lightly shook his sleeve into the air, and the two beads in his hand shot out, followed by two incantations that struck the beads.


    Gold and white lights twinkled and the two beads suddenly hovered in mid-air.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered, and he slapped his storage pouch, immediately causing seven or eight bottles and jade boxes, along with a silver cauldron, to fly out from the pouch and land steadily on the ground in front of him.


    The cauldron even stayed hovering in the low air in front of him.


    He formed a hand seal with both hands and pointed at the cauldron.


    Under his gesture, the cauldron lid flew off, circling before hovering midway in the air.


    Simultaneously, one of the jade boxes on the ground opened itself, revealing a box of verdant green powder.


    Han Li opened his mouth and a wisp of azure mist sprayed out, striking the jade box.


    A flash of spiritual light followed, and half of the spirit powder in the box, wrapped in green light, soared into the air and descended into the cauldron.


    With a low shout, another wisp of azure flames, incredibly fine, spewed from his mouth.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï


    It struck the cauldron and immediately roared into fierce flames, enveloping the lower half of the cauldron.


    As soon as the flames emerged, Han Li¡¯s complexion turned pale, and he appeared visibly enervated.


    A bitter smile couldn¡¯t help but form in Han Li¡¯s heart.


    He never expected that forcibly extracting a wisp of Nascent flames from the Nascent Soul would be so challenging, especially since his Qi was greatly damaged and had not fully recovered.


    At this moment, he reached out and grasped at another elongated jade bottle in the void.


    The bottle floated up, slowly flying above the cauldron, and its cap automatically flew off as the bottle turned upside down.


    A stream of thick green Spiritual Liquid the size of a finger poured down, falling into the cauldron, instantly mixing with the green powder.


    Then, a low incantation sounded.


    Urged by the spell incantation, the green flames on the cauldron rose sharply, engulfing the entire cauldron.


    Just moments later, a scent of medicine emanated from the cauldron.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and with a wave of his hand, another jade box flew into mid-air, pouring a whole plant of fiery red Spirit Grass directly into the cauldron.


    In this manner, under the meticulous control of Han Li, spiritual medicines and liquids were added at intervals¡­


    After a day and a night, the contents of the cauldron were finally refined.


    With a flick of his sleeve, the Nascent flames on the cauldron disappeared without a trace, and the silver cauldron lightly landed in Han Li¡¯s hand.


    Holding the cauldron in one hand and looking down, he saw a several inches deep intensely thick Spiritual Liquid, emerald and glistening, and exuding a fascinating fragrance!


    ¡°Is it this kind of Spiritual Liquid?¡± After looking for a while, Han Li felt there were no issues, and it was exactly as described in the jade slips, but he still cautiously asked.


    ¡°It is indeed this Spiritual Liquid.


    I didn¡¯t expect your alchemy skills to have reached such profound levels.


    I thought refining this Spiritual Liquid would at least damage two cauldrons!


    In terms of alchemy alone, your attainment is even a few degrees superior to what I achieved in my younger years.


    Now you can directly soak the Heavenly Corpse Pearl in the Spiritual Liquid for seven days and nights, then it can automatically remove all the corpse poison inside the pearl, and then you can safely consume it,¡± Monarch Great Development said lazily.


    Han Li smiled upon hearing this but did not continue the conversation.


    Instead, he pointed at the golden bead that was still floating in mid-air due to his levitation spell.


    Instantly, the bead transformed into a beam of golden light, shooting directly into the cauldron, followed by the cauldron lid that immediately sealed it shut.


    Han Li then loosened his hold on the cauldron, placing it in a corner of the secret chamber and then left it uneeded.


    Instead, he shifted his focus to the Snow Crystal Bead.


    This bead¡¯s refinement would be much less troublesome.


    He flipped his palm over and after a barely audible few incantations, a small cluster of purple flames appeared in his palm.


    With the back of his hand, he propelled the purple flames, hitting the Snow Crystal Bead directly.


    Instantly, the bead¡¯s surface flashed with white spiritual light and purple light, radiating broadly, blending seamlessly with the Purple Apex Flames.


    Seeing this, a joyous expression briefly flashed across Han Li¡¯s face.


    Then, a stream of azure halo sprayed from his mouth, completely enveloping the airborne crystal bead.


    The crystal bead within the halo rapidly shrunk and transformed, quickly turning into the size of a medicinal pill, and then it was directly swallowed into his stomach.


    With a serious expression, Han Li closed his eyes, formed a meditative seal with both hands, and immovably introspected the situation inside his body.


    Inside, the Snow Crystal Bead was currently in the Dantian, held gently by a lotus flower formed from purple flames about an inch large, spinning nonchalantly.


    Below the bead, his Nascent Soul was sitting earnestly, also forming a seal with both hands, the purple flame and the crystal bead reflecting each other, exuding a mysterious aura.


    Han Li, seeing this, felt slightly relieved in his heart.


    With his current Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, it was naturally impossible for him to refine the bead directly, but fortunately, his Purple Apex Flames were extremely domineering.


    He could first absorb the bead into his body and use the flames to nurture it.


    When the time came for him to refine it, the process would be much more effective.


    Moreover, under the control of the Purple Apex Flames, he could even manipulate the bead with the flames to forcibly combat enemies when necessary.


    After handling the matter with the two beads, Han Li did not immediately proceed with the next task.


    Instead, he sat quietly in the secret chamber for half a day to allow his mind and mana to recover slightly before he took down a spirit beast pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air.


    A white halo rolled back, and a golden object appeared in mid-air, which was the incompletely refined golden light barrier.


    Inside this half-finished golden bubble, the Weeping Soul Beast was lying down, comfortably and soundly asleep.


    Seeing this, the corners of Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, showing a somewhat bitter smile.


    This Weeping Soul Beast was indeed a bit too fond of sleeping.


    When summoned, it was asleep nine times out of ten.


    With a wry smile, Han Li helplessly flicked his finger at the golden light barrier, and a small green light shot out, hitting precisely on the surface of the golden bubble.


    The faint golden light rippled gently and silently bounced the light back.


    However, the vibration woke the Weeping Soul Beast inside, who then hazily opened its eyes.


    Seeing itself outside the Spirit Beast Pouch, it chirped for a while and then, with a swoosh, turned into a dark streak shooting out of the golden bubble.


    After circling in the air, it obediently landed on Han Li¡¯s shoulder and then rubbed his neck affectionately with its fluffy head.


    Having been together for years, the beast had long regarded Han Li as family and was very affectionate towards him.


    Han Li smiled slightly, turned his head, and gently stroked the beast¡¯s head before looking back at the still hovering golden light barrier.


    He flicked his sleeve, and a green misty light soared out, immediately sweeping up the golden bubble within it.


    The light swirled around the treasure without cease, but the golden bubble had no reaction at all, as if it were a dead object.


    Han Li frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before his hands swiftly formed incantations, and he began chanting another spell to retrieve the treasure.


    Green incantation seals struck the golden light barrier, but other than causing the treasure to flash with spiritual light a few times, there was no significant change.


    This caused a slight change in Han Li¡¯s expression.


    However, with his knowledge and divine skills, the methods and incantations for retrieving treasures naturally were not limited to just these two techniques.


    After taking a deep breath, Han Li, undeterred, continuously changed the seals in his hands, and the spell incantation varied in volume nonstop.


    Various colorful incantations shot out as his fingers flicked.


    As time passed, there was still no evident effect on the golden light barrier, and Han Li¡¯s expression finally turned unsightly.


    After exhausting the last retrieval incantation he knew, the chant abruptly stopped.


    ¡°Monarch Great Development, what exactly is going on?


    Although my cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, it should not prevent me from retrieving this treasure.


    Does this Buddha Relic variation have some other oddity?¡± Han Li asked with tightly furrowed brows.


    ¡°The practice of refining Buddha Relics with Heavenwide Corpsefire to create protective treasures like the golden light barrier is an extremely rare method to begin with.


    After all, Buddha Relics and Heavenwide Corpsefire are inherently incompatible.


    It¡¯s expected that normal retrieval methods are ineffective.


    However, I¡¯ll pass you a set of oracular formulas for retrieving Buddha Relics to see if they yield any use,¡± Monarch Great Development said calmly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Han Li agreed without hesitation.


    After half a day, Han Li used the newly acquired incantations and finally managed to shrink the treasure and retrieve it into his hand, which greatly relieved him.


    However, when Han Li tried to complete the final refinement of the golden light barrier according to the oracular formula given by Monarch Great Development, he encountered even bigger trouble.


    The golden light barrier remained unresponsive no matter how he forged it with Nascent flames.


    Even Monarch Great Development had no solution this time.


    According to Monarch Great Development¡¯s speculation, it seemed that the final refinement of the golden light barrier required the use of Millennium Corpseflame.


    Hearing this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes and said frustratingly,


    ¡°Hmph!


    Millennium Corpseflame, where are you expecting me to find that?


    Are you suggesting I go to Snow Tomb Mountain and kidnap King Xuan Ye again?¡±


    Monarch Great Development also could only helplessly hum a few times, falling into silence.


    Just as Han Li was at a loss and was even considering using the golden light barrier as is, the little monkey sitting bored on his shoulder suddenly opened its mouth, and a grayish-white flame shot out, instantly enveloping the floating golden light barrier.


    The previously silent golden light barrier suddenly emitted a low humming sound, and the golden bubble deformed with expansion and contraction within the gray flame.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li was greatly shocked.


    ¡°Millennium Corpseflame!¡± Monarch Great Development was equally astonished and murmured.


    (This chapter is the second update from yesterday!


    Now, I will start coding today¡¯s chapters.


    Sweat!


    Juggling both ends sure is tiring!


    Also, there are only a few hours left until the double monthly ticket offer ends, so those with tickets, hurry up.)(To be continued, for more details please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, ??£¤ support legal reading!)

 Chapter 922 - Chapter 922 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 919 Gan Family

    ?Chapter 922: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 919 Gan Family Chapter 922: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 919 Gan Family Nan County serves as a junction between the northern and central parts of Great Jin, and although it ranks among the smallest in terms of area among the Thirty-six Major Counties, it is easily in the top five wealthiest.


    The region under its jurisdiction is mostly made up of plains and river towns, rich in natural resources and home to numerous Dreamcloud Mountains.


    It was not uncommon for ordinary mortals to spot immortals dressed as monks or daoists flying across the sky.


    Consequently, a strong religious culture prevailed in the county for a time, with Buddhist temples and Daoist temples scattered all around, commanding reverence from both the high-ranking nobles and wealthy merchants, down to the farmers and foot soldiers.


    However, aside from religious establishments, Nan County was exceptionally abundant in academies.


    The major city of the prefecture, small towns, and villages all sported their shadows.


    These academies were distinctly categorized into different grades.


    First-grade academies had renowned scholars personally lecturing on the Four Books and Five Classics, and their students were mainly children of significant officialdom.


    The lowest grade, small private schools, were typically run by ordinary scholars teaching the fundamental ideologies of Confucianism and some basic classic texts.


    If a talent was identified among the students, they might be recommended to a higher-grade academy, offering a spectacular opportunity for the children of the poor to rise dramatically.


    After all, scholars graduating from high-grade academies were greatly favored by the upper echelons of Great Jin.


    Scholars from the top tier of academies were highly sought after even by the influential officials and noble families.


    Taichang City, the major city of Taichang Prefecture, was such a city filled with academies.


    Although the city did not rank first like Wuguang City in terms of fame, it was the residential haven for dignitaries, wealthy merchants, and influential individuals in Nan County.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.??


    Just the households of marquesses and dukes numbered three or four, and the assortment of ordinary mortals engaged in various trades was countless.


    The Gan Family, located at the west side of Taichang City, was one of these wealthy merchants with a considerable lineage.


    Owning nearly twenty taverns throughout the prefecture¡¯s cities, such a wealthy merchant would be considered extremely affluent even in smaller cities, yet in this city, they were only considered among the upper-middle wealthy.


    Nevertheless, the Gan Family had a large mansion in a district crowded with wealthy homes in Taichang City.


    With three to four dozen servants and maidservants just inside the gates, it could certainly be considered a sizable estate.


    On this day, at noon when the sun was at its peak, a young man dressed in a scholar¡¯s jacket slowly walked into this street.


    The youth, in his twenties, appeared young, but his back was bulging with a thick, long package wrapped in grey cloth, giving him a dusty, traveled look.


    As soon as he entered the street, his gaze kept shifting left and right, searching for something.


    After a while, he finally saw the huge plaque bearing ¡®Gan Residence¡¯ hanging over the dark, glossy gates, and a smile crossed his face.


    He walked a few steps to the front of the gate, examined the Gan Family¡¯s gate once more, then without hesitation, stepped forward and gently knocked twice on the iron door knocker.


    With a ¡®thump, thump¡¯, immediately after, rushed footsteps came from inside.


    The youth, seemingly taken aback by the sound, paused with a hint of surprise.


    But quickly, the door swiftly opened a small gap, revealing the respectfully-faced middle-aged man wearing a servant¡¯s attire.


    Upon seeing the youth outside, the solemn respect on the man¡¯s face froze momentarily, then quickly dissipated.


    ¡°Whom are you looking for?¡± The man, who had been about to bow, straightened up instead, asking dubiously, his gaze scanning the youth up and down, trying to discern something from his appearance.


    ¡°Is this Uncle Gan Chi¡¯s residence?¡± the youth asked with a bow and a smile.


    ¡°Uncle Gan Chi?


    Gan Chi is indeed the name of our master.


    You are¡­¡± Upon scrutinizing the youth¡¯s attire, an initially slight scornful look on the man¡¯s face turned to shock.


    His tone immediately became more respectful.


    ¡°I am Han Li, a distant relative of Uncle Gan Chi.


    I have specifically come to visit him,¡± the youth, now identified as Han Li, replied with a smile.


    At this moment, it had been a year since his last closed-door cultivation.


    After intense cultivation and leveraging the power of the Heavenly Corpse Pearl and the Vajra Relic, he had successfully cultivated the first layer of the King Ming Art.


    The once restless Evil Qi had significantly settled, bringing great joy to Han Li, but he didn¡¯t delay and headed straight for the pre-planned visit to the Gan Residence.


    ¡°So, you are Master Han.


    Unfortunately, the lord went out early in the morning to meet friends.


    Currently, the eldest son is in charge of the house.


    Shall I announce your arrival?¡± The middle-aged man hesitated briefly before making such an offer.


    ¡°That would be much appreciated,¡± Han Li said, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, without revealing his emotions.


    ¡°Please wait, Master Han.


    I will be right back,¡± the middle-aged man nodded and bowed, then promptly closed the gate again and rushed to report the news.


    Han Li stood leisurely in front of the gate, glancing back at the other large houses and the passing carriages and pedestrians nearby.


    Although he hadn¡¯t scanned the city with his Divine Sense, it was clear that there were numerous cultivators in the city, evenly spread across several areas, including a few high-level cultivators.


    This piqued his curiosity greatly.


    He was extremely interested in how these cultivators were integrating into society.


    After a short while, equivalent to the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the gate creaked open again.


    This time, a young man emerged from the inside.


    The youth had a handsome face and wore an embroidered gown, with the man dressed as a servant who had just run off to report standing behind him.


    ¡°This must be Young Master Han Li.


    I am Gan Yu.


    I have heard that Han Li is a distant relative of the Gan Family.


    Although I¡¯ve never heard of him, I should not be discourteous.


    If you don¡¯t mind, Young Master Han Li, perhaps you could follow me to the parlor for a chat,¡± Gan Yu said as he appraised Han Li from head to toe, his tone polite and gentle.


    ¡°So, you are the eldest son of Uncle Gan.


    Since you have put it that way, Brother Gan, I shall not decline,¡± Han Li did not stand on ceremony and readily agreed after a brief thought.


    Gan Yu smiled slightly, sidestepped, and then led Han Li into the Gan Residence.


    The large black gate then silently closed behind them.


    An hour later, the head of the Gan Family, a portly elderly man over fifty years old dressed in a blue official robe, returned to the Gan Residence in a horse carriage.


    ¡°Has something happened in the residence?¡± This elderly man, named Gan Chi, noticed a flicker in the eyes of the gatekeeper as he alighted from the carriage, suggesting that he was eager to speak.


    ¡°Your lordship, a gentleman with the surname Han claiming to be your relative has been invited into the parlor by the eldest son.


    It seems they are enjoying their conversation,¡± the gatekeeper immediately replied honestly.


    ¡°A relative with the surname Han?¡± The elder stopped in his tracks at the entrance and asked in a slightly altered tone, a trace of suspicion evident.


    ¡°What, this man isn¡¯t a relative of yours and is an impostor?


    Should I immediately call for the authorities?¡± The middle-aged man was startled and quickly said in a pleasing manner.


    ¡°Whether he is an impostor remains to be seen.


    I do seem to have such a distant relative, but it¡¯s been a long time.


    I don¡¯t remember clearly.


    Just do your job and guard the gate; there¡¯s no need for meddling!¡± Gan Chi frowned, scolded the servant briefly, and hurriedly entered the residence without even changing his clothes, heading straight for the hall.


    Before he even reached the hall, Gan Chi heard a laugh eerily familiar from inside:


    ¡°Brother Han¡¯s deep understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics is indeed admirable.


    However, regarding that segment about the righteous man in the book, I believe it should be interpreted this way¡­¡± Clearly, that was the cheerful voice of his eldest son, seemingly in the midst of an engaging conversation.


    Gan Chi¡¯s expression darkened slightly upon hearing this, and a flicker of unease crossed his eyes.


    But after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and proceeded into the hall without further delay.


    ¡°Father.


    This Young Master Han is¡­¡± As soon as Gan Yu saw that it was his father who had entered, he immediately stood up to greet him respectfully.


    ¡°Hmm!


    I¡¯ve already heard about it from the servant.


    So, you claim to be my distant relative, Young Master Han Li.


    May I know if you carry any letters or tokens to verify this?¡± Gan Chi focused his attention on Han Li, gestured to his son to step aside, and after a sweeping glance at Han Li, he asked slowly.


    At this moment, Han Li also stood up from his seat, and upon hearing this question, he smiled.


    Without uttering a word, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a piece of brightly shining half of a jade pendant.


    He then handed it over.


    When Gan Chi saw the jade pendant, his expression finally showed significant change.


    He took the jade pendant and examined it meticulously, a flash of realization spreading across his face:


    ¡°So, you truly are a descendant of Brother Han.


    Come with me to my study; I would like to ask in detail about some matters regarding your late aunt!¡± The elder abruptly grabbed Han Li¡¯s wrist, his excitement palpable, and immediately led Han Li out of the hall and straight to his study.


    ¡°Aunt!


    Does the Gan Family really have such a distant relative?¡± Gan Yu stood in the hall, lost in thought, his mind somewhat confused.


    ¡°Young Master Han!¡± As soon as he entered the study and carefully closed the door, Gan Chi¡¯s expression changed, and he bowed deeply to Han Li with great respect.


    ¡°Stand up!


    You need not inquire deeply about my background, just know that from today onward, I am the one designated to liaise with you,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    Then, with a flick of his sleeve robe, a surge of green light emerged, lifting the elder¡¯s body automatically.


    ¡°Yes!


    The previous contact with the Gan Family, Mister Second, vanished without a trace ten years ago.


    I was worried something had happened, but now that you have appeared, it couldn¡¯t be better,¡± Gan Chi, after witnessing Han Li¡¯s use of magic, dispelled his last traces of doubt and spoke even more respectfully.


    ¡°My visit to the Gan Family this time was merely incidental; in fact, I have other important matters to attend to.


    I will need your help with your secular identity,¡± Han Li nodded satisfied and sternly instructed.


    (First release!) (To be continued.


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 Chapter 923 - Chapter 923 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 920 White Dew Academy

    ?Chapter 923: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 920 White Dew Academy Chapter 923: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 920 White Dew Academy Located outside Taichang City, White Dew Academy is one of the many unremarkable academies in Nan County, considered mediocre compared to other academies by outsiders.


    If there is anything unique about this academy, it is that it is not built within a major city but constructed on the famously renowned ¡°Yutian Mountain¡± in Nan County.


    Yutian Mountain is a famous Spirit Mountain in Taichang Prefecture, boasting over ten peaks of varying sizes.


    While it does not boast any steep and magnificent terrains, it is like spring all year round, blossoming with exotic flowers everywhere.


    Some rare spirit plants and spirit fruits can only be cultivated here, ranking it among the thirteen Spirit Mountains of Nan County.


    White Dew Academy is built on Illusion Cloud Peak of this mountain, covering a large area from halfway up the mountain to the summit, large enough to accommodate more than a thousand people.


    However, given the mountain¡¯s renowned status, the obscure White Dew Academy technically did not qualify to occupy this mountain.


    After all, the neighboring peaks housed famous temples and Daoist temples, far more prestigious than White Dew Academy.


    Strangely, since White Dew Academy was established here over a thousand years ago, these temples and Daoist temples never caused any trouble for the academy.


    On the contrary, the monks and Taoists from these temples treated the scholars who occasionally visited the academy with great respect, regardless of their age, which indeed puzzled many people.


    Another strange aspect of White Dew Academy is the disciples it admits; they varied greatly in age and background, from the only sons of wealthy families to the poor offspring of farmers, ranging from six or seven to over twenty years old.


    Moreover, the timing for admitting new disciples each year was irregular, sometimes taking three or four years, other times seven or eight years without any activity.


    However, it was rare to see anyone leaving the academy once they entered, shrouding the place in a veil of mystery.


    Of course, this mystery only pertained to the local residents living at the foot of Yutian Mountain.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    The secular world outside the mountain was completely unaware of these abnormalities, and White Dew Academy remained relatively unknown and unnoticed throughout Nan County.


    One day, at the base of Illusion Cloud Peak, two individuals were slowly ascending the mountain.


    One was a dignified middle-aged scholar, and the other was a twenty-year-old young scholar with slightly dark skin and ordinary appearance-it was Han Li, who had just appeared at the Gan Residence a month ago.


    ¡°Uncle Han, White Dew Academy had already ended its disciple recruitment two months ago.


    However, Mr.


    Gan told me you had learned various Taoist arts before and are aware of the existence of cultivators.


    That is why I brought you here to try your luck at the academy.


    Whether the academy will accept you depends on your own fortune.


    I have some ties with Master Lu from White Dew Academy-I¡¯ll introduce you to him first.


    If he sees no issues, there should be no problem for you to stay at the academy,¡± the middle-aged scholar said calmly as he walked with billowing sleeves.


    ¡°Yes, I will follow Mr.


    Yan¡¯s arrangements.


    Uncle Gan had already mentioned it before we came.


    No matter whether the academy accepts me or not, Uncle Gan will definitely keep this favor in mind,¡± Han Li responded respectfully, displaying an honest demeanor.


    At that time, Han Li¡¯s aura was that of a Qi Refinement Realm third or fourth layer, which ordinary cultivators couldn¡¯t fully perceive.


    That day, he had approached Gan Chi, a covert member of the Feng Family, requesting help to join a local large sect, be it Buddhist, Daoist, or Confucian.


    He was straightforward with this request because, although Gan Chi was an ordinary mortal, the Feng Family¡¯s instructions from previous years had been to specifically foster good relations with worldly cultivators for future use.


    Thus, upon hearing this request, although Gan Chi was surprised, he did not find it too difficult.


    The only concern he had was perhaps the fear that Han Li infiltrating the sects meant to commit foul play, which might implicate the Gan Family.


    However, all of the Gan Residence¡¯s businesses were covertly controlled by the Feng Family, and Han Li could easily dissolve everything of the Gan family overnight by producing some land deeds.


    Moreover, although Gan Chi knew some matters about cultivators, he always found the origins and identity of the Feng Family to be enigmatic and awe-inspiring.


    Thus, under Han Li¡¯s mild explanation that infiltrating the cultivation sect wouldn¡¯t cause trouble or implicate the Gan Residence, Gan Chi had no choice but to follow orders nervously.


    After some planning a few days later, Gan Chi finally chose this Mr.


    Yan, a middle-aged Confucian scholar, as a bridge to send Han Li into White Dew Academy.


    This decision was made because the academy, compared to the Buddhist and Daoist sects, had much looser requirements for accepting disciples.


    As long as one was not a disciple of the heretical Devilcharm Sect and had a clean background, they were still accepted, regardless of their lineage.


    Furthermore, Gan Chi owed a great favor to Mr.


    Yan, who, being from the Confucian Sect, greatly valued righteousness and would surely do his best to arrange this.


    Otherwise, even though there were other routes, the probability of success would not be high.


    After all, even though the cultivation sects of Great Jin were not as difficult to enter as those of Tian Luo, they were still not places where a low-level Loose Cultivator could easily join.


    Having heard of White Dew Academy, Han Li discreetly investigated its location on Yutian Mountain one evening, observing the spirit veins from afar.


    Satisfied with what he saw, he concluded that although this spirit vein could not compare to the cave he had set up in Tian Luo with many spirit well objects, it was still a decent spirit vein, much stronger than other veins near Taichang City.


    Speaking of which, if the Spirit Well Tree and other items did not need to frequently move, as it would harm their inner spiritual purity, and being unsettled on a spirit vein also gradually diminished their spirituality, he would have been content to refine with just a couple of spirit well objects on him on a lesser spirit vein.


    There was no need to painstakingly infiltrate a major sect for cultivation.


    Thus, Han Li transformed, becoming a distantly related relative who sought refuge with someone from Gan Chi.


    On the surface, he was a low-level Loose Cultivator with a Spiritual Root, who had learned some superficial spells.


    Longing deeply for the path of Immortal Cultivation, he had sought the help of this distant uncle to see if he could continue his cultivation at a large sect.


    Gan Chi had talked to a Confucian scholar named Mr.


    Yan, who taught at a famous academy in the city.


    Inspired by a sense of gratitude, Mr.


    Yan had agreed readily.


    Thus, the two of them embarked on this journey.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± It seems Brother Gan has really put some thought into helping your cousin there.


    But that¡¯s no surprise.


    Ordinary mortals possessing a Spiritual Root are one in ten thousand.


    Naturally, he took extra care of you.


    I myself lack a Spiritual Root; otherwise, I would have entered White Dew Academy long ago to diligently pursue the path of seeking immortality,¡± the scholar said somewhat emotionally.


    Han Li smiled, tactfully choosing not to respond to this comment.


    The middle-aged scholar said no more and led Han Li straight up the mountain.


    Just as they nearly reached the midway point, the ringing of a bell from another mountain peak suddenly came into view, its clear and melodious sound invigorating to anyone who heard it.


    ¡°The Green Cicada Bell of Bao Ling Temple truly is a rare treasure, but ringing it three times daily does seem a bit like showing off,¡± the scholar paused, glancing at the peak taller than Illusion Cloud Peak and muttered, shaking his head.


    Upon hearing that the mountain peak was a site of the Buddhist Sect, a spark of thought flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes, revealing a contemplative expression.


    To him, this so-called treasure was nothing more than a top-grade Magic Artifact, not rare or novel.


    He adjusted the large bulky package on his back and continued following the scholar uphill.


    Before long, the two arrived at a flat platform at the mountainside, where the vista abruptly opened up.


    Ahead lay lush, vibrant greenery, a vast bamboo grove appearing before their eyes.


    Red walls and white buildings were faintly visible within the grove, all part of a picturesque scenery.


    Several white stone paths led deep into the bamboo, with a giant vermilion gate roughly thirty feet high visible at their end.


    ¡°Come, the main entrance is usually closed.


    Following me through a side gate will suffice,¡± the middle-aged scholar glanced at the grove and spoke, leading Han Li to one side and into one of the paths within the bamboo grove.


    After several twists and turns, Han Li and the scholar approached a jet-black wooden gate about ten feet tall.


    The scholar exhaled lightly and stepped forward to knock gently on the gate.


    The gate opened silently, and a young man in a white scholar¡¯s jacket stepped out.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Mr.


    Yan.


    You must be here to see Master Lu, right?¡± The young man exhibited fluctuations of Spiritual Energy, possessing the cultivation of the third layer of Qi Refinement Realm, yet he showed unusual politeness toward Mr.


    Yan, who lacked any mana.


    This astonished Han Li, who watched the interaction closely and marveled inwardly.


    Such an encounter would never happen in Tian Luo.


    It seemed the rules of the Confucian Sect were indeed strict, allowing cultivators to show deference to an ordinary mortal.


    However, he guessed this scenario was likely limited to lower-level cultivators; high-level cultivators would never behave this way.


    Han Li secretly sneered at the thought.


    ¡°Hmm.


    I am here to see Brother Fang.


    Is Master Fang available right now?¡± Mr.


    Yan asked unassumingly.


    ¡°The Lower Academy has just received a distinguished guest; the Master is currently in the study keeping company.


    Let me notify Mr.


    Yan,¡± the young man in the white robe pondered before speaking.


    ¡°That would be great, thank you!¡± Mr.


    Yan replied with a smile upon hearing this.


    Knowing Mr.


    Yan¡¯s close connection to Master Fang and despite him being a mortal, the young man in the white robe dared not neglect him.


    After a polite word, he quickly pulled out a Sound Transmission Talisman, whispered a few words into it, then tossed it into the air.


    The talisman turned into a streak of fire and shot away, disappearing in an instant.


    Soon after, Han Li suddenly felt a strong Divine Sense sweep over from a distance, skimming over them before swiftly retracting.


    Han Li¡¯s mind stirred, suspecting it was likely Master Lu.


    Judging by the intensity of the Divine Sense, he was at the early stage of Core Formation, a much higher cultivation than the expected late Foundation Establishment.


    This took him slightly by surprise.


    For him, it was preferable that the man¡¯s cultivation was as low as possible to avoid seeing through his disguise.


    Moments later, above where Han Li and the others stood, spiritual ripples trembled, and a man¡¯s faint voice suddenly sounded.


    ¡°Is that Brother Yan?


    You¡¯ve come at just the right time.


    I have a guest here; perhaps Brother Yan would like to meet him.


    Hmm, and the young friend beside you, come along as well.¡± (To be continued.


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 Chapter 927 - Chapter 927 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 924 Commandery Princess Lv Xiu

    ?Chapter 927: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 924 Commandery Princess Lv Xiu Chapter 927: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 924 Commandery Princess Lv Xiu Feeling an unbearably scorching heat dissipating slowly within him, Han Li opened his tightly-shut eyes, his gaze filled with deep contemplation.


    This ¡°King Ming Art¡± was incredibly domineering.


    Even with his body, which had once formed a Nascent Soul and undergone the Classic of Changes marrow cleansing, he barely withstood the severe pain from repeated body tempering.


    This left Han Li feeling depressed and somewhat dubious.


    ¡°Senior!


    Is there really no problem continuing the cultivation of the King Ming Art?


    Already the second layer of the technique is this painful.


    I don¡¯t believe every bald Buddhist started practicing this after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, otherwise by the time they completed this technique, they would have likely reached the end of their lifespans.


    But for those in the Core Formation stage, enduring such torment seems hardly possible.


    It isn¡¯t just physical pain, even the divine sense can clearly perceive this agony,¡± Han Li suddenly asked Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?


    Since Buddhism has ways to transform the techniques of demons into this form, they naturally have also developed methods or tools to reduce the pain of training, given that their techniques are especially adept at enduring suffering.


    Moreover, if the cultivator himself has enough willpower, practicing the King Ming Art during the Core Formation stage is not impossible.


    And this technique is domineering relative to us humans.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    It was originally intended for demons and practitioners of ancient devilish techniques, whose bodies are strong and would hardly care about such pain,¡± Monarch Great Development replied languidly.


    ¡°I see, that does make sense.


    Sadly, we don¡¯t have time to practice other Buddhist techniques now.


    Let¡¯s barely keep cultivating in this way.


    I can still bear it to this extent,¡± Han Li said with a wry smile after frowning slightly.


    He then raised an arm, withdrawing his sleeve, suddenly revealing a bare forearm.


    Han Li slightly squinted as he looked at his arm, and a blue light flickered in his pupils.


    A good while later, taking the time of about one tea session, Han Li finally poked his arm¡¯s skin with a finger before lowering his arm.


    ¡°Although it has been quite painful, this King Ming Art indeed has unique aspects in body tempering, much stronger than the other few body training techniques I know of.


    Just during this short time of practice, I can feel an astonishing transformation in my body,¡± Han Li mumbled to himself, speaking as if to himself.


    After sitting quietly for a while longer, Han Li stood up and left the secret chamber, slowly heading toward the Earth Fire Grand Hall.


    Recently, while refining those materials and combining the Artifact Refining techniques explained to him by the Weiss elder, he had finally grasped a new technique for Artifact Refining.


    Therefore, he had taken the nearly completed Crystalized Demon Pill flying needles which only needed final touches, and each day at noon, he had begun re-refining them using the power of earth fire to enhance their power even further.


    As Han Li was nearing the grand hall, a bustling sound suddenly came from the direction of the main doors.


    Hearing this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but look in surprise.


    He saw a group of about eight or nine people walking over from the entrance, led by the three other disciples from the Artifact Refinement Hall, followed by several young male and female cultivators.


    Leading them was a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl in a teal palace dress, beautiful and elegant, her eyes bright with curiosity.


    Considering their ages, these individuals were quite strong, mostly at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, with the palace-dressed girl even being at the tenth layer, the highest among them.


    After scanning them, Han Li immediately realized that these newcomers to the Artifact Refinement Hall were definitely not of simple status.


    Nearly everyone had a bulging storage pouch at their waist, and two or three even carried specialized spirit beast pouches, while those from the Artifact Refinement Hall beside them wore ingratiating smiles, overly cautious, as if fearing offending anyone.


    Flashing a look, Han Li immediately turned to pretend ignorance and step into the Earth Fire Hall first, wanting to avoid any complications.


    But at that moment, the deepest cultivated among the three Artifact Refinement disciples, who also harbored the greatest hostility towards him, a disciple named Gao, saw Han Li¡¯s silhouette and suddenly shouted out:


    ¡°Senior Disciple Han Li, come over here.


    Commandery Princess Lv Xiu needs to refine a Magic Artifact, and some materials require special refinement.


    It just happens that you can help complete it.


    This is a task personally ordered by the fourth Sect Master.


    It cannot be delayed.¡±


    ¡°Commandery Princess?¡± Han Li was taken aback upon hearing this, and even more so when he heard it was an order from the fourth Sect Master.


    He paused his steps, only to turn back around.


    Having spent such a long time here, Han Li also had a fair understanding of the high-level cultivators of the Imperial Pure Temple.


    The temple nominally had four Sect Masters, all at the Core Formation Stage.


    However, there was also a Heavenly Clarity Courtyard, which was said to house the only Nascent Soul from the Imperial Pure Temple.


    Though this fourth Sect Master was the last to advance to the Core Formation Stage, his cultivation technique was said to be extremely special, his Divine Skills the greatest among the four, famous throughout Nan County.


    Even Master Lu of White Dew Academy had changed his expression upon hearing his name.


    Yet these Sect Masters, all with extraordinary statuses, Han Li hadn¡¯t had the chance to meet any of them till now.


    ¡°Since this is an order from the fourth Sect Master, I will naturally assist with all my heart,¡± Han Li walked over, glanced at the male and female cultivators, and said undisturbedly.


    ¡°You can refine materials?


    Your cultivation is rather low, isn¡¯t it?


    The Commandery Princess intends to refine a very rare ¡®Blood Silk Silver¡¯ this time.


    If you damage the material, can you bear the responsibility?¡± These young men and women likewise sized up Han Li.


    Seeing that he appeared to be at only the third or fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, most of them immediately showed a look of disdain.


    One of the men, dressed in a forged blue embroidered gown, even said quite impolitely.


    The girl who was seemingly Princess Lv Xiu in court attire merely pursed her lips and smiled, but the flicker in her eyes clearly showed some doubt.


    ¡°Blood Silk Silver is indeed a rare material.


    I do not have full confidence in being able to refine it successfully.


    Why don¡¯t you find someone more capable?¡± Han Li, his face composed, instead responded with a smile.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, these people were taken aback and, for a moment, did not know how to respond.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Isn¡¯t there supposed to be a very skilled Artifact Refiner here?


    Why not have him come out and refine the materials for the Commandery Princess?¡± Another handsome young man finally snapped back to his senses and spoke up discontentedly.


    ¡°Master Wei is currently busy refining a precious artifact and has been in closed-door cultivation for several days now.


    I fear he won¡¯t be able to come out and help the Commandery Princess with the refinement.¡± This was said by a disciple of the Artifact Refinement Hall, who seemed eager to explain the situation clearly.


    ¡°Help me refine the material; it will only take a moment.


    Can none of you fellow disciples help plead with Master Wei to come out briefly?


    Besides, even during my time at Prince¡¯s Residence, I¡¯ve long heard of the great Master Wei¡¯s reputation and really wanted to see him in person,¡± the girl in the green dress spoke in a gentle and soft voice, her demure demeanor greatly shocking the Artifact Refinement Hall disciples.


    However, Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched subtly.


    Although this girl appeared to be exceptionally polite, the sly glint that flashed across her eyes didn¡¯t escape his notice.


    Immediately, Han Li scoffed inwardly and remained silent.


    Yet, those three men were bedazzled by the girl¡¯s gentle words and lost all sense of propriety.


    Under her persuasion, one of them actually agreed to go and inform the elderly man surnamed Wei.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly.


    If he recalled correctly, before the old man surnamed Wei entered seclusion, he had clearly told them not to disturb him and his two assistants working in the underground chamber unless it was a matter of great urgency.


    Trying to contact him merely for some material refinement might bring severe bad luck to the person making the report.


    As expected, that disciple grit his teeth and entered the Earth Fire Hall, but he only managed a brief moment inside before running out with a face full of dust.


    ¡°Commandery Princess, Master Wei really cannot spare the time right now.


    Perhaps let Han, the junior disciple, give it a try,¡± the male disciple said with a forced smile upon returning to the group.


    ¡°Imperial Pure Temple¡¯s Artifact Refinement Hall is so renowned, can none of the three of you refine the material for the Commandery Princess?¡± said another young woman among the group of cultivators, other than Commandery Princess Lv Xiu.


    This woman, slightly older, only of average beauty, but a beauty mark near her mouth added a flying charm as she asked with a smiling face.


    ¡°To be frank with Miss Mingzhu, if it were to refine common materials, the three of us certainly could have managed it.


    But for a rare material like Blood Silk Silver, only Han, the junior disciple here, who was personally taught the material refinement technique by Master Wei, knows how to refine it.


    The three of us primarily studied how to refine common Magic Artifacts,¡± the three looked at each other awkwardly, and the surnamed Gao disciple could only helplessly explain in such a manner.


    ¡°This may be a bit troublesome then.


    We are here with Madam Yu and cannot afford a long wait.


    Missing this chance, we do not know when we might find another Artifact Refiner skilled in refining Blood Silk Silver.


    It seems we really must trouble this fellow disciple for help,¡± the Commandery Princess Lv Xiu said with a sudden smile after turning her bright eyes toward Han Li.


    ¡°Alright, as long as the Commandery Princess is willing to take the risk, I will do my utmost,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, fellow disciple.


    Just refine as best you can.


    If it really can¡¯t be made, it¡¯s not a big deal.


    Perhaps it¡¯s just not Lv Xiu¡¯s fortunate moment.


    We can always look for more material later,¡± the girl in court attire said with a slight smile upon hearing this.


    Seeing that the girl had said as much, Han Li nodded.


    However, looking at the large group of people in front of him, he frowned slightly and said,


    ¡°I cannot refine the material with so many people watching.


    Otherwise, the distraction might significantly reduce the chance of success.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, it will be enough if only I can stay by your side when the time comes.


    The others can either wait outside or perhaps the three fellow disciples can show them other parts of the Artifact Refinement Hall,¡± the girl in court attire said unconcernedly upon hearing this.


    Although those who came with her were somewhat reluctant, none of them voiced any objection.


    Therefore, Han Li no longer wasted words and immediately led the way to the Earth Fire Hall.


    The rest, under the girl¡¯s signaling gaze, had no choice but to stay put.


    (To be continued, for future developments, please log onto www.qidian.com, for more chapters and to support the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 928 - Chapter 928 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 925 Imperial Clan of Great Jin

    ?Chapter 928: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 925: Imperial Clan of Great Jin Chapter 928: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 925: Imperial Clan of Great Jin The Earth Fire Hall, being the most important building of the Artifact Refinement Hall, was not particularly large-spanning only about a hundred zhang-but it was divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.


    The upper level was where materials were stored, the middle level was connected to the earth fire for refining those materials and crafting low-grade Spiritual Artifacts, while the lower level had already delved twenty to thirty zhang underground, specifically for utilizing the Essence of Earthly Fire from the earthfire pit to refine high-grade Spiritual Artifacts.


    The secret chamber where Han Li usually refined materials was located on the middle level.


    With Princess Lv Xiu in tow, Han Li walked unhurriedly into this secret chamber.


    The chamber appeared somewhat cluttered, and he began to tidy up on his own.


    ¡°Is this where Brother Han refines objects?¡± The girl looked around curiously at everything in the cramped chamber, particularly interested in the Giant Cauldron in the middle and the eight gourds that lay scattered around it, as if she were seeing such a place for refining artifacts for the first time.


    ¡°Oh?


    Hasn¡¯t the Princess ever tried refining Magic Artifacts before?¡± Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked indifferently.


    ¡°Since I was young, I¡¯ve been cultivating techniques with Aunty Yu; where would I find the time to learn the ways of Artifact Refining?


    Normally, I just practice cultivation in the residence,¡± the palace-clad girl said with a smile, patting the cauldron¡¯s ear lightly.


    ¡°Cultivation in the residence?


    Could it be that the Prince¡¯s Residence is built on a spirit vein location?¡± Han Li asked casually while sorting through the remnants of materials in the cauldron.


    ¡°Eh!


    Brother Han really doesn¡¯t know my true identity?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Don¡¯t tell me you actually believe I¡¯m a Commandery Princess from some Prince¡¯s household in Great Jin?¡± The girl paused, then suddenly pressed her red lips together and smiled.


    ¡°Being uninformed and out of touch, I am not quite clear about the Princess¡¯s true identity,¡± Han Li said with a laugh, his interest piqued.


    ¡°Uninformed and out of touch?


    Hee hee, that¡¯s great.


    I don¡¯t have to keep up any Princess pretense then.


    In fact, I¡¯ve never even met the Emperor of Great Jin face-to-face.


    My connection to the Imperial Clan is very slight.


    I¡¯ve always been cultivating in the mountain cave residence with my master and never been to any Prince¡¯s Residence,¡± the girl said with a playful smile that flashed through her eyes, her entire demeanor suddenly changed from a dignified young lady to a peculiarly spirited girl.


    ¡°Not Imperial Clan?¡± Han Li¡¯s face showed surprise.


    He was taken aback both by the sudden change in the girl and the unexpected content of her statement.


    ¡°What, surprised you, did it?


    The title of Commandery Princess is indeed real, personally granted by His Majesty himself.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Aunty Yu insisting that I mustn¡¯t lose face for the Imperial Clan before I left, I would have been too lazy to continue such restrained and constrained behavior.


    Then on the way here, those people got tangled up with me, and I had to talk slowly and tediously all the time, which was really tedious.


    Now that there¡¯s only Brother Han here, I can finally relax and be myself.


    Surely you won¡¯t be so thoughtless as to gossip after going out, right?¡± The girl sat down on the only chair in the secret chamber, tilted her head and said with a giggle.


    ¡°Cough¡­


    Whatever makes the Princess comfortable.


    I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see anything.


    But, your ancestor must be an extraordinary person, right?¡± Han Li coughed a few times, completely at a loss for words.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Great Jin¡¯s four renowned Loose Cultivators?


    My grandfather is one of them,¡± the girl said without any intent to conceal, shaking her head and speaking as if quite proud of it.


    ¡°The four renowned Loose Cultivators?


    Even if I¡¯m uninformed and out of touch, how could I not have heard of them?


    It turns out the Princess is a descendant of a great personage; I am truly negligent.


    This status is certainly no less distinguished than that of your identity as a Princess.


    It seems you are bound to have a limitless future,¡± Han Li said, his expression changing slightly as he truly began to feel amazed.


    These four renowned Loose Cultivators-he had heard about them from Cao Mengrong.


    Among them were cultivators at the late and mid Nascent Soul Stage, each with incredible Divine Skills, far beyond what ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could compare to.


    ¡°Hmm!


    Is that so?


    Almost everyone who knows of my grandfather behaves the same way toward me; it must be true then!¡± The girl accepted Han Li¡¯s compliment without any modesty.


    Han Li touched his nose, feeling a headache coming on.


    Without further attention to the young girl, he formed several hand seals, and struck the Giant Cauldron with a few spell incantations.


    Instantly, the cauldron began to buzz and hum, slowly floating up amidst a swirling red glow.


    The girl made no attempt to hide her curiosity, staring with her ebony eyes wide open, unblinking as she watched Han Li¡¯s movements.


    ¡°Bring out the materials,¡± Han Li said, turning to the girl after the Giant Cauldron was fully activated.


    ¡°Here you go!


    But let me be clear, what I said outside doesn¡¯t count, okay?


    That was just polite talk in front of others.


    If you really mess up my hard-won Blood Silk Silver, you have to compensate me,¡± the girl said with a twinkle in her eye and a light chuckle.


    Then she flipped her hand, pulling out a fist-sized item from her storage pouch and tossed it over.


    It looked like an ordinary silver ore, yet it was interwoven with countless fine threads resembling blood stains.


    Looking at the ore in his hand and hearing the girl¡¯s teasing words, Han Li could only roll his eyes internally.


    Such a rare material, even Foundation Establishment cultivators, let alone Qi Condensation disciples, would be hard-pressed to obtain a piece.


    If he were truly a Qi Condensation cultivator, being able to afford compensation would be quite the surprise.


    Without saying much more, Han Li threw the material into the cauldron along with several other auxiliary ingredients, and then he sat down cross-legged on the ground.


    He slapped a Daoist paper talisman onto his body, and a light blue protective barrier emerged, while incantations began to chant from his mouth.


    As a result, the eight gourd-shaped Magic Artifacts on the ground burst into bright light, and after a flash of red from the mouth of the gourds, eight crimson flame pillars shot out, precisely targeting the lower half of the Giant Cauldron.


    And suddenly, the entire secret chamber was filled with an overwhelming, stifling heat.


    ¡­


    While Han Li was busy refining the Blood Silk Silver, in a quiet and secluded attic at the peak of a mountain, an icy old Daoist nun and a solemn middle-aged beautiful woman were discussing something important.


    ¡°The time is almost upon us.


    For this plan, our Imperial Clan has prepared for over four hundred years.


    Through the painstaking efforts of seven or eight generations of emperors, we managed to keep it secret without a whisper of it leaked.


    But if we fail and do not obtain those two treasures, I¡¯m afraid the entire royal family will immediately encounter a great disaster.


    Do not be deceived by the silent accumulation of strength by our Ye Clan in recent years; if we truly clash with forces like the Daoist and Buddhist sects, we probably won¡¯t stand a chance.


    And those Decadent Confucians, despite their talk of defending imperial power, will be the first to strike at us if their interests are compromised.


    I always feel that our Ye Clan is playing with fire,¡± the Daoist nun said gravely.


    ¡°My aunt¡¯s words, how could we not be aware?


    But this is also the best chance for our Ye Clan to completely extricate ourselves from the influence of other powers.


    Do not forget how our Seventh Uncle perished.


    Wasn¡¯t it because the royal family¡¯s power grew slightly and produced a few more Nascent Soul cultivators, which led the major forces to secretly join hands and strike at our uncles?


    Afterwards, they even brushed it off with an excuse.


    If we don¡¯t break free from this predicament, even though our Imperial Ye Family is known as the foremost noble family in the realm of immortal cultivators, in reality, we¡¯re just a pawn subject to compromise by the major forces.


    If the rumors are true and we really obtain those two Spiritual Treasures, and with the strength that our Ye Clan has painstakingly cultivated over the years, we can deter other powers from easily making moves against the Ye Clan again.


    It¡¯s a risk worth taking,¡± the beautiful woman sighed lightly, speaking slowly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Even though the legends speak of the tremendous and unimaginable power of the spirit treasures, I find it hard to believe that just two treasures can turn the tide and allow us to stand on equal footing with the major powers.


    I fear we may be overreaching and inadvertently provoke the covetousness of other forces, bringing about the calamity of ¡®possessing a treasure without peace.¡¯ Do not forget, even with the spirit treasures, behind those forces exist beings of such high caliber.


    Although it is unclear how many there are, just one stepping out would be enough to annihilate our Ye Clan,¡± the Daoist nun¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light, speaking with great dread.


    ¡°The presence of Deity Transformation stage beings in our world is truly invincible.


    Even if our Third Uncle holds a spirit treasure, against such old eccentrics, he would probably only be barely able to protect himself.


    But this matter does not require too much of my aunt¡¯s concern.


    Our Ye Clan began investigating the existence and weaknesses of these old eccentrics as early as a hundred years ago.


    After extensive analysis, we estimate that even if the lifespans of these old eccentrics are indeed a thousand years longer than those of the Nascent Soul cultivators, as conjectured, there haven¡¯t been many cultivators in Great Jin who advanced to the Deity Transformation stage or could have possibly advanced in the past two thousand years.


    Additionally, a small portion of them have ascended to the next world.


    Those who remain in the human world number at most two or three.


    Moreover, those who linger in the human world have paid a heavy price.


    Not only can they not engage in combat and deploy their full cultivation, but even if they do, they try to keep their power at the late Nascent Soul level.


    Although we are not sure of the exact reasons, this makes these old eccentrics not as invincible as the rumors suggest.


    Moreover, it¡¯s very likely that these old eccentrics would not interfere with the rise and fall of any sects or forces,¡± the middle-aged beautiful woman frowned slightly before speaking earnestly.


    ¡°How could you possibly know these things?


    Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re basing this all on your speculations or on hearsay.


    Over the years, countless cultivators have tried to uncover the secrets and information about the Deity Transformation cultivators who remained in the human world, but all to no avail.


    You, in just over a hundred years, claim to have figured it all out with such confidence.


    Do you really think I¡¯m getting senile, easily fooled?


    What else have you not mentioned?¡± the old Daoist nun¡¯s face suddenly turned chillingly cold, not pleased at all.


    ¡°But we indeed have no intention of deceiving my aunt.


    These messages were not discovered by our own Ye family members, but obtained from an elder whom our family took in a few years ago.


    We have cross-referenced it with other clues we¡¯ve obtained, and it all matches.


    So when we say our Ye family discovered it, that¡¯s not entirely wrong,¡± seeing her aunt¡¯s anger, the beautiful woman hurried to explain.

 Chapter 929 - Chapter 929 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 926 Black Wind Feather

    ?Chapter 929: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 926 Black Wind Feather Chapter 929: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 926 Black Wind Feather ¡°Elder?


    When did the Ye Clan get another elder?


    Is it a loose cultivator or a cultivator from a small sect?


    There won¡¯t be any problems, right?¡± The Daoist nun suddenly exclaimed, asking repeatedly in quick succession.


    ¡°Rest assured, aunt.


    This person isn¡¯t a cultivator from our Great Jin but a loose cultivator who came from the Heaventide Prairies.


    His divine abilities are quite impressive.


    Moreover, we have already sent people to investigate his background, which is absolutely reliable.


    There really is such a cultivator from the Heaventide Prairies who had to flee to escape disaster because he offended the Heaventide Sanctuary.


    Furthermore, he hasn¡¯t been informed of our family¡¯s core matters.¡± The beautiful woman spoke confidently.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s more reassuring.


    Although I don¡¯t agree with your subsequent plan, since the other elders have agreed to this plan and have already started implementing it, we must obtain these two heavenly Spirit Treasures.


    As for what comes next, we can only take one step at a time.


    You must be more careful in the future.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    The surveillance of those major forces is not trivial.


    If our actions are a bit too obvious, it¡¯ll attract their attention.


    Be absolutely sure not to leak any information.¡± The elderly Daoist nun advised further.


    ¡°Aunt, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve already aroused some suspicion.


    Lately, the number of stationed cultivators these major forces have sent to Yuejing has significantly increased,¡± the beautiful woman replied with a wry smile, somewhat helplessly.


    ¡°Did the number of Nascent Soul cultivators increase as well?¡± the Daoist nun asked with a sinking heart, her expression changing slightly.


    ¡°No, that did not happen.


    The increase was all in Core Formation cultivators.


    The number of Nascent Soul-level members remains the same as before, still those few stationed in Yuejing,¡± the beautiful woman shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s good!


    It seems they are just slightly suspicious and haven¡¯t really discovered anything.


    Ever since news leaked from the Three Sovereigns Temple about refining a major treasure, it has drawn quite a lot of attention.


    Otherwise, the pressure over there would have been much greater.¡± The old Daoist nun¡¯s expression eased.


    ¡°You¡¯re right in your instructions, Aunt.


    Although the Three Sovereigns Temple is merely a diversion, if the spiritual treasure replica could actually be successfully refined, it could substantially increase our strength.


    If possible, we should try our best to refine it,¡± the beautiful woman considered before saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.


    A treasure with the ability to split mountains and tear earth, even its replica is not ordinary.


    If it¡¯s refined, it would almost be like adding a late Nascent Soul cultivator out of thin air.


    I will give it my all.


    What about your second uncle and the others, who said they were going to attract some high-level loose cultivators?


    How is that going?


    Tell me about it¡­¡± The old Daoist nun shifted the topic, inquiring about another matter with concern.


    ¡°Attracting loose cultivators started quite some time ago.


    Two of the four great loose cultivators have already agreed to offer their services to our Imperial Clan.


    The other two have elusive whereabouts, making it impossible to grasp and therefore cannot be attracted.


    However, the ghost king from West Bing Mountain and the Deputy Valley Master from Ten Thousand Demon Valley are happy to see our Imperial Clan break free from the control of the major forces.


    They have promised to lend us their support when the time comes.


    The other small sects who have shown goodwill towards us include¡­¡±


    Below, the elderly Daoist nun from the Imperial Pure Temple and the middle-aged beautiful woman had an even more detailed discussion in the attic, and time passed by¡­


    ¡­


    In the Earth Fire Hall, Princess Lv Xiu, with wide eyes, looked at a chicken-egg-sized piece of silver metal enveloped by interweaving silver light and blood glow in her hands, her face full of joy.


    ¡°Elder Brother Han Li, I can¡¯t believe you were actually able to refine this Blood Silk Silver, and it seems to be of very high quality.


    That Master Wei really is extraordinary; even his disciples have such proficient artifact refining skills.


    I¡¯ve been to several city markets and their artifact refiners couldn¡¯t assure me they could refine it,¡± the palace-dressed girl said, happily playing with the material in her hands and speaking to Han Li.


    ¡°The refining art taught by Master Wei is naturally incomparable to that of any ordinary artifact refiner from the markets.


    Besides, I am not actually a disciple of Master Wei; I¡¯m just temporarily helping out in the Artifact Refinement Hall, and when the time comes, I¡¯ll still need to focus on cultivation.


    The refining art I possess now was merely learned along the way,¡± Han Li said with a slight smile, calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad.


    Since you could refine Blood Silk Silver, you must have a great talent for artifact refining,¡± the girl said regretfully upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words.


    ¡°Since I have finished refining the Blood Silk Silver for you, I have other matters to attend to, so I won¡¯t keep you company any longer.¡± Han Li started packing up the magic artifact, intending to take his leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.


    Is this princess so ugly that Elder Brother is so eager to leave?


    Besides, who said I only wanted to refine this one item?


    I have another material that needs to be processed.


    I wasn¡¯t sure of Elder Brother¡¯s refining skills before, so I didn¡¯t dare bring it out rashly.


    Now I¡¯m fully confident in you,¡± the girl said with a smile, then suddenly took out a foot-long jade box from her storage pouch and threw it to Han Li.


    Han Li felt his head growing bigger.


    ¡°More materials to refine?


    Your Highness thinks too highly of me.


    Given my cultivation, refining Blood Silk Silver has already exhausted me completely.


    I really don¡¯t have the strength left to refine any other materials,¡± Han Li weighed the jade box, hadn¡¯t even opened the lid, and said with a strained expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, your mana is indeed a bit weak.


    However, this item doesn¡¯t need refining; I just want Elder Brother to help me handle this material a bit so that it doesn¡¯t lose too much of its spirit nature.


    I will tell you beforehand, once you see this item, you must not reveal it to anyone else.


    This was not easy for me to obtain.


    There probably aren¡¯t many of these in the world,¡± the palace-dressed girl tilted her head, revealing a somewhat proud expression.


    ¡°What material is so rare?¡± Han Li was a bit surprised, looked at the jade box in his hands, and curiously opened the lid.


    After barely glimpsing the contents of the box, a dazzling red light burst forth, catching Han Li off guard and leaving his eyes dazzled.


    Han Li was taken by surprise, and a flash of blue appeared in his eyes as he instinctively activated Brightsight Spirit Water.


    ¡°Hey!


    Your¡­¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Both the girl and Han Li exclaimed at the same time, their voices filled with astonishment.


    In the box was a feather plume about half a foot long, crystal-clear and shimmering red, as if formed from blazing flames.


    ¡°Haoyang Bird¡¯s long feather, no?


    It seems a bit different.¡± Han Li stared blankly at the object in the box, muttering to himself.


    ¡°What Haoyang Bird?


    This is a tail feather from a Crow Phoenix.


    My grandfather brought me to visit a great divine power abroad some years ago, and I plucked it while the spiritual bird was asleep.


    Hehe, that silly bird slept so deeply; it never woke up.


    Also, what¡¯s with your eyes emitting a blue light just now?


    It¡¯s really interesting, is it some kind of spell¡­¡± The girl chattered nonstop, her eyes constantly shifting as she looked at Han Li¡¯s eyes, seemingly trying to discern something.


    However, Han Li sensed something amiss and had already concealed his divine skill, Brightsight Spirit Water, so no abnormalities could be seen anymore.


    Meanwhile, he focused on the feather in the box while conversing with the great Monarch Great Development through his divine sense.


    ¡°A Crow Phoenix¡¯s tail feather?


    If I recall correctly, this bird is as famous as the Haoyang Bird and also a fire-attributed spiritual bird.


    Can its tail feather replace the Haoyang Bird¡¯s long feather?¡± Han Li asked earnestly.


    ¡°The Crow Phoenix is said to be a branch of the Fire Phoenix in the legends.


    It¡¯s quite astonishing that this spiritual bird has managed to pass down its bloodline from ancient times.


    Unfortunately, while these two materials cannot replace each other, making minor alterations and incorporating this spiritual feather could enhance your Three Flame Fan¡¯s power.


    However, the spirit qi of this particular feather has mostly dissipated and is no longer suitable as a material.


    Strange, when I traveled across Great Jin, I never heard of any old eccentric who kept this spiritual bird.¡± The Monarch Great Development first expressed his amazement and then lamented with puzzlement.


    ¡°I see,¡± Han Li replied, clearly disappointed upon hearing it couldn¡¯t be substituted.


    At that moment, the girl in palace attire gazed eagerly at Han Li, apparently very curious about why his eyes emitted blue light.


    Seeing the girl¡¯s expression, Han Li touched his nose and smiled bitterly in his heart.


    ¡°The unusual light in my eyes earlier was actually because I used a kind of Spirit Snow Water to wash them.


    This method only slightly clears and sharpens the vision; it¡¯s just a minor trick used by us low-level cultivators and nothing noteworthy,¡± Han Li calmly explained.


    ¡°Spirit Snow Water for washing eyes, what kind of Spirit Snow Water is it?


    Do you still have some here?


    Could you give me a bottle?¡± the girl asked eagerly upon hearing this.


    ¡°This kind of Spirit Snow Water only works when mixed on the spot.


    The supply I had has long been used up, I¡¯m afraid I must disappoint the Commandery Princess,¡± Han Li replied with a look of regret.


    ¡°Han Li, are you telling the truth or just making up stories?


    You wouldn¡¯t lie to me because I¡¯m young, would you?¡± the girl blinked her beautiful eyes and pouted, looking unconvinced.


    ¡°Elder Han speaks the truth; how dare I deceive the Commandery Princess.


    However, I do have another item that might interest the Commandery Princess,¡± Han Li chuckled dryly before slowly continuing.


    ¡°What deal?


    It wouldn¡¯t be that you¡¯re interested in my Crow Phoenix feather, right?¡± the girl paused, then remembering something, she chuckled lightly with a sly look in her eyes.


    ¡°Commandery Princess Lv Xiu jests.


    Such a natural treasure is not something a mere Qi Condensation cultivator like me would dare covet.


    I merely seek to verify something with the Commandery Princess and require your assistance to confirm it,¡± Han Li said as he replaced the lid on the box, forcing a smile.


    ¡°Verifying something is easy.


    There¡¯s no need for a trade.


    Just help me take care of this Crow Phoenix feather, and ask your questions.


    As long as I know the answer, I will definitely tell you,¡± the girl laughed lightly, waving her hand generously.


    ¡°Very well, it¡¯s agreed then,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment and then nodded his head.


    (To be continued.


    For more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 930 - Chapter 930 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 927 Sudden Gusts of Wind

    ?Chapter 930: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 927 Sudden Gusts of Wind Chapter 930: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 927 Sudden Gusts of Wind A couple of hours later, the palace-dressed young girl, full of grace and poise, emerged from the Earth Fire Hall, and the men and women who had come with her were already waiting outside, getting somewhat anxious.


    The three Artifact Refinement Hall disciples had also respectfully accompanied her the entire time.


    Each of these male and female cultivators had extraordinary backgrounds, and they were certainly not ones whom these low-level cultivators could afford to slight in the least.


    As soon as the girl elegantly stepped out, the young men immediately crowded around her.


    ¡°Commandery Princess, how did it go?¡±


    ¡°The Blood Silk Silver wasn¡¯t ruined by that guy, was it?¡±


    ¡­


    They asked enthusiastically one after another.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, thank you all for your concern.


    Han Li has already helped me refine the materials, and there were no mishaps,¡± the girl said with a graceful smile, brushing a strand of blue silk from her forehead-gone was any hint of the tomboyish figure she had presented while with Han Li.


    Han Li, also emerging from the Earth Fire Hall, couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corner of his mouth at this scene.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Han Li, you¡¯re surely cunning, managing to extract the whereabouts of the Crow Phoenix Feathers from the mouth of such a young girl.


    So, are you really planning to go after that Island Master¡¯s Crow Phoenix?¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Now that I know the method to enhance the power of the Three Flame Fan, I naturally have to give it a try.


    If, after spending so many rare materials and effort, the power is still not satisfying, wouldn¡¯t that all have been wasted effort?


    After all, ordinary ancient treasures are really not very effective against mid to late Nascent Soul stage cultivators.


    Let¡¯s go, during the few days they are staying at the Imperial Pure Temple, I shall just stay in the secret chamber.


    It¡¯s better to avoid being harassed by these people and delay my cultivation,¡± Han Li said indifferently, then silently slipped out of the Earth Fire Hall and headed to his own dwelling.


    ¡­


    In the following two days, the palace-dressed girl secretly sought out Han Li again, wanting him to refine something for her.


    But Han Li had already put up a sign indicating he was in closed-door cultivation and had activated a simple restrictive formation at his door, causing the girl to pout and make a round outside his dwelling before reluctantly leaving.


    After two days had passed, the young men and women finally left the Imperial Pure Temple with the beautiful woman, and the Artifact Refinement Hall returned to normal.


    Occasionally, Han Li would come out to refine materials and completed the monthly tasks on time; the rest of his time was devoted to diligently practicing the King Ming Art.


    As time passed month by month, Han Li¡¯s punctuality and ability to complete the refining tasks impressed Old Man Wei more and more.


    In the middle, he even took the time to explain some special techniques related to material refinement to Han Li.


    Gradually, he began to hand over rare materials for Han Li to refine as well.


    Seeing this, Han Li still completed these tasks on time every month without any delay.


    This surprised Old Man Wei, who finally recognized Han Li¡¯s talent in Artifact Refining and naturally began to teach him more things from time to time,


    simultaneously starting to hand over less critical parts of the materials he needed for his own projects to Han Li to handle.


    Soon after, Han Li was surprised to find that all the materials he was given to refine were rare Earth Attribute materials.


    This made him somewhat astonished!


    After all, apart from a few types of treasures that pursued strength alone, it was rare for all materials in a Magic Artifact or a Daoist paper talisman to be composed of Earth Attribute materials.


    However, this had nothing to do with him.


    He still undeterred continued with his original plan, gradually practicing the second layer of the King Ming Art and vaguely feeling the astonishing changes in his body.


    Just then, the Gan Family from beyond the mountains suddenly sent a message saying that the scholar with the surname Yan, who had escorted him into the mountain, had suddenly fallen ill and passed away.


    ¡°A serious illness?


    When I examined his body that day, there were no hidden ailments on him,¡± Han Li muttered in surprise when he received this message.


    At the same time, he thought about the fact that unfamiliar cultivators had been appearing frequently in the Imperial Pure Temple recently, stealthily scanning the premises with Divine Sense, giving off a premonition of an impending storm.


    ¡°I must not stay here any longer, or else I don¡¯t know what kind of trouble I might get involved in,¡± Han Li concluded decisively, based on his extensive experience.


    Immediately, he practiced the King Ming Art even more earnestly with the time he had left.


    ¡­


    Over a year later, a minor but still significant incident occurred in the Imperial Pure Temple-a Qi Refinement realm external affairs disciple mysteriously disappeared from within the temple.


    This immediately alarmed several high-level members, and even the old Daoist nun who was at the Nascent Soul stage personally inquired about the matter after hearing of it.


    A missing disciple of such low rank was originally a minor issue compared to the thousands of disciples within the Imperial Pure Temple.


    However, this particular disciple was one of those in the Artifact Refining Hall capable of providing a certain assistance in the temple¡¯s current artifact forging.


    It¡¯s no wonder that this had alarmed so many high-ranking elders of the Imperial Pure Temple.


    Now, within the loft where the old Daoist nun had once discussed matters with that beautiful woman surnamed Yu, the old Daoist nun sat in the middle on a Taishi Chair, flanked by two other Daoist nuns, both in yellow robes-one in her forties and the other looking to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight.


    ¡°What is going on?


    Our Imperial Pure Temple is safeguarded by numerous protective formations; yet a disciple has vanished without a trace.


    Do you two have nothing to say about this?¡± the old Daoist nun asked coldly, her face darkening.


    ¡°Reporting to Martial Aunt, I have investigated all the temple¡¯s restrictive formations and they are all intact, showing no signs of invasion by external enemies.


    It seems that unless it was a master of formation spells who came, that disciple must have left on their own,¡± replied the middle-aged Daoist nun, hesitating before speaking respectfully.


    ¡°A master of formation spells.


    Our temple¡¯s sect-wide formations are not something even the Formation Grandmasters from the Great Jin could breach overnight from the outside.


    However, leaving from the inside is not so difficult.


    What is the name of that disciple, and what background does he have?¡± the old Daoist nun furrowed her brows, as if remembering something.


    ¡°This disciple¡¯s name is Han Li.


    Wasn¡¯t he the loose cultivator that Hua Lian brought back to the temple two years ago from the White Dew Academy, just as he was about to take a master?¡± the younger Daoist nun, seemingly familiar with the relevant information, quickly replied.


    ¡°Han Li?


    That name is exactly the same as the elder recently recruited by the Ye Clan,¡± the old Daoist nun suddenly gasped in surprise.


    ¡°Yes.


    When Martial Niece first heard this disciple¡¯s name, she was also taken aback.


    However, it¡¯s most likely a coincidence.


    After all, one is at the Nascent Soul Stage and the other the Qi Refinement Realm; it¡¯s highly improbable that there¡¯s any connection between them,¡± deduced the young Daoist nun.


    ¡°A coincidence?


    Although coincidences are abundant in this world, it just happens that someone goes missing during the critical period of our forging.


    And the missing person coincidentally shares both name and surname with a newly joined elder within our temple.


    Regardless of whether it is indeed a coincidence, this matter must be thoroughly investigated.


    Send word to the capital asking if there is any unknown connection between ¡®Senior Han¡¯ of our clan and this Han Li.


    Additionally, summon Hua Lian and I will personally inquire about the process of how this disciple was brought back to our temple, to see whether the White Dew Academy has set any traps for us.


    Moreover, the progress of the Artifact Refining Hall must not stop for even a moment, as we must complete the artifact we are responsible for forging within three years, and we can¡¯t afford any delays,¡± ordered the old Daoist nun, her face expressionless.


    ¡°Yes, Martial Aunt!¡±


    ¡°At your command!¡±


    The other two repeated their affirmations, then took their leave to arrange these matters.


    Once they had left the loft, the old Daoist nun sighed deeply and leaned back, slowly closing her eyes.


    Three months later, at the Taixing Market, the largest in Yi Prefecture, a young man spent a small fortune of spirit stones to purchase a piece of unidentified ore that had been placed in a store there for nearly a hundred years, with nobody showing any interest.


    Five months later, at the renowned Fanchuan Trade Conference in Fan County, a masked cultivator used a high price of one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones to buy three pieces of Fire Tin Wood.


    Six months later, in Kailong Prefecture of Fengzhou, a local medium-sized sect known as the Cry of the Sword Sect experienced a theft.


    The spiritual horn of an Ironhorn Rhino, stored within their sect, suddenly vanished without a trace.


    After eight months, in the most prominent wealthy family of Qu County, a large man in the mid Nascent Soul stage with an exceedingly ugly face suddenly appeared, offering a millennia-old spiritual herb and a seventh grade demon beast¡¯s spirit pill in exchange for Five Lights Wood collected by the family.


    The family head, Zong Ping, refused, and brought forth two Nascent Soul elders to take action against the visitor.


    However, they were easily turned to two massive ice sculptures by the mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator¡¯s great divine powers.


    Astonished, the family head had no choice but transfer the Five Lights Wood painfully.


    The ugly large man took the wood, laughed loudly and, leaving behind the spiritual herb and demon pill, he left in long strides.


    It took significant effort to free the two trapped elders, and though their lives weren¡¯t in danger, their Qi was greatly damaged.


    Nine months later¡­


    In just over a year, Southern Great Jin saw frequent appearances of a young man, a masked cultivator, and an ugly large man.


    Their traces could be found everywhere, collecting various rare materials.


    The young man only purchased obscure substances that few were familiar with.


    Meanwhile, the masked cultivator repeatedly made lavish bids at auctions, seemingly with an endless supply of spirit stones.


    The ugly large man unapologetically approached various wealthy families and smaller sects in the area, forcefully exchanging spiritual medicines and demon cores for their collection of various rare heavenly and earthly treasures.


    Of course, there were also instances where certain items mysteriously disappeared overnight from the storerooms of medium and large sects.


    For the first two individuals, apart from a few people with keen interest, nobody really took notice.


    However, the aggressive bargaining and thefts occurring frequently in the realm of immortal cultivators shook the entire Southern Great Jin.


    Not only were the robbed sects furiously sending out disciples in search for this mysteriously powerful thief, but the wealthy families who had been strong-armed by the ugly large man, with the backing of their associated sects, were equally vexed and dispatched people everywhere in search of this audacious individual.


    (To be continued.


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    The story continues with more chapters, so support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 931 - Chapter 931 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill and Spiritual Treasures Chapter 928 Yueyang Palace

    ?Chapter 931: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill and Spiritual Treasures Chapter 928 Yueyang Palace Chapter 931: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill and Spiritual Treasures Chapter 928 Yueyang Palace Long State is located at the border of central and western Great Jin.


    The state is known for its high mountains and poisonous snakes and insects.


    Unlike other provinces, this vast state is controlled only by the Daoist Yueyang Palace and the Demon Wood Sect from the ten great sects.


    External powers simply cannot interfere with anything in Long State.


    Moreover, the local cultivation forces within the state are inconsequential small sects, posing no threat to these two super sects, and must submit to seek protection under them.


    The entire Long State is firmly under the control of these two powers, forming a situation where two strong forces stand against each other in the east and the west.


    Yueyang Palace is located in the Tianyue Mountain Range within Xichuan Prefecture.


    The mountain range, spanning over a hundred thousand miles, is full of desolate and endless ridges.


    Yueyang Palace sits atop a giant peak called Southern Sky Peak within the center of these mountains, and its tens of thousands of disciples are scattered throughout the surrounding mountains, managing the heart of Tianyue Mountain Range like an impregnable fortress.


    It was impossible for any cultivator to even think of challenging Yueyang Palace, let alone the rare bold individuals who could not penetrate the thirteen layers of the Great Unbreakable Formations laid out from inside to outside of the Southern Sky Peak.


    However, one day, a group of Yueyang Palace disciples, having just flown by on their magical instruments from an uninhabited mountain at the edge of the mountain range, suddenly witnessed a flash of green light on the originally empty mountain peak.


    Then, a young man in a green robe appeared standing hands held behind his back on a stone cliff, silently watching the disappearing backs of the Yueyang Palace disciples, his face expressionless.


    It was Han Li!


    ¡°Little Han, are you really going to make a move against Yueyang Palace?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.


    Yueyang Palace ranks among the top five even among the Daoist Ten Great Sects.


    It¡¯s not an entity to be provoked lightly,¡± Monarch Great Development transmitted through his divine sense.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of this.


    However, we¡¯ve nearly gathered all the materials for the Three Flame Fan, both openly and secretly.


    All that¡¯s left are the long feathers of the Haoyang Bird and the scales of the Redfire Flood Dragon.


    The Redfire Flood Dragon isn¡¯t too concerning; we¡¯ve already received news from the city market that several fierce flood dragons have appeared on the eastern coast of Great Jin, swallowing cultivators on the shore.


    It seems one of them is a Redfire Flood Dragon-or if not, it¡¯s another fire-attribute flood dragon.


    We might try our luck there.


    However, the Haoyang Bird, we¡¯ve asked around all the southern city markets, and only Yueyang Palace houses this kind of spiritual bird.


    Where else could we go, if not here?


    Yueyang Palace is difficult to provoke, but we must face the challenge head-on,¡± said Han Li indifferently.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just avoid Yueyang Palace and ask them directly for it instead of making a stealth move?


    With your mid-Nascent Soul stage and a few rare treasures to offer, they might just give you face,¡± Monarch Great Development said, chuckling.


    ¡°Senior must be joking.


    Exchanges only work when both parties are roughly equal in strength.


    I am only a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and Yueyang Palace has great cultivators at the late-Nascent Soul stage.


    They won¡¯t consider my cultivation level significant.


    Furthermore, Yueyang Palace clearly regards the two Haoyang Birds as their sect¡¯s hereditary spiritual birds and won¡¯t allow someone to pluck their feathers, causing significant harm to the birds¡¯ cultivation.


    The treasures I could offer for exchange might seem too trivial for them or, if they¡¯re too rare, might tempt them to commit murder for loot.


    I am an outsider loose cultivator within their domain; Yueyang Palace doesn¡¯t need to show any concern.


    I¡¯m not interested in leaving my safety at the mercy of their whims.


    If I had a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivation, perhaps I would indeed try as you suggest,¡± said Han Li with a cold laugh.


    ¡°That makes sense.


    However, you¡¯ve been hanging around the edges of the mountain range for more than ten days.


    Are you just going to wait for the Haoyang Bird to come out on its own?


    And from your actions, it seems like you¡¯re searching for something.


    What exactly are you planning?¡± Monarch Great Development said, admitting Han Li¡¯s point but growing curious about his recent actions.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just searching for a suitable place to set a trap,¡± Han Li said with a slight smile, his eyes gleaming.


    ¡°Setting a trap?


    I knew it.


    Since you dare consider targeting Yueyang Palace, you must have some tricks up your sleeve.


    Tell me about it,¡± Monarch Great Development said with a light laugh.


    ¡°Hehe, once I¡¯ve found the right place, senior will know all the details.


    As for which of the two Haoyang Birds in Yueyang Palace is more suitable to target-¡± Han Li glanced toward the center of the mountain range, murmuring to himself.


    ¡°Is that even a question?


    The larger Haoyang Bird is said to have cultivation equivalent to a grade eight demonic beast.


    Do you think you can deal with that in a short time?¡± Monarch Great Development said dismissively.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that such ancient spiritual birds are extremely difficult to become spiritually wise and transform into humans in the human world, why would they willingly be subjected to Yueyang Palace¡¯s control?


    I have no confidence in handling such a great divine-powered spiritual bird.


    As for the smaller one, it¡¯s said to be slightly weaker, only seventh grade.


    It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to deal with,¡± Han Li contemplated for a moment and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°However, if you use the feather of the grade eight Haoyang Bird to refine the Three Flame Fan, its power would certainly be greater,¡± Monarch Great Development said with some regret.


    ¡°Forget it.


    Where in the world is there such a thing as perfection?


    Dealing with a grade eight Haoyang Bird isn¡¯t without its opportunities; it¡¯s just too risky.


    A slight delay could alert the cultivators of Yueyang Palace.


    I don¡¯t want to repeat the scenario of being pursued and severely injured in the Heaventide Prairies, do I?


    It would be safer to deal with the smaller Haoyang Bird!¡± Han Li shook his head and said.


    ¡°Mm.


    Your thinking isn¡¯t bad.


    However, whether large or small, the Haoyang Birds spend most of their time inside Yueyang Palace, only occasionally coming out to roam within a hundred miles of the palace.


    They rarely leave the heart of the mountain range.


    To succeed, it will depend on the skills you display.¡± Monarch Great Development whispered with a smile, his voice filled with anticipation.


    ¡°Rest assured.


    Previously, using the Dreamtear Technique, I got the flying routine of the Haoyang Birds from a disciple of Yueyang Palace.


    The palace staff, fearing that the two spiritual birds together would be hard to manage, deliberately release them at staggered times each month to get some air.


    This is our opportunity,¡± Han Li said with a cold laugh, confidently.


    ¡°Since you understand the situation, there¡¯s no need for this old man to give further guidance.


    But do make sure you don¡¯t delay the Jingjing City Auction.


    There are still a few materials I need for my puppet that I should be able to find there.¡± Monarch Great Development, recalling something, spoke admonishingly.


    ¡°The Jingjing City Auction, as one of the three major auctions of Great Jin held only once every ten years, I naturally won¡¯t miss it.


    Once this matter here is settled, we¡¯ll rush to Jinjing, then head to the eastern part of Great Jin to look for those malicious flood dragons,¡± Han Li said, his mind having planned everything already, speaking with composure.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.


    But speaking of which, your actions during this period have really impressed me.


    I originally thought collecting so many materials would take at least three or four years, but you¡¯ve been working on multiple fronts.


    You¡¯ve even employed blatant robbery without hesitation.


    In just one year, you¡¯ve almost gathered all the necessary materials.


    Tsk tsk, such decisiveness was indeed unexpected,¡± Monarch Great Development couldn¡¯t help but express his amazement, his voice laden with laughter, evidently very pleased with Han Li¡¯s actions.


    ¡°I would have preferred to search for the materials slowly and more securely, but time waits for no one.


    Although your Primordial Spirit is nourished by the Soul Nurturing Tree, it¡¯s obviously much weaker than before.


    If I want to witness your Nascent Soul puppet in person, I must hurry,¡± Han Li¡¯s expression shifted, his voice pausing for a moment before he continued calmly.


    ¡°You really have the heart.


    I also know that I can¡¯t hide from your Divine Sense.


    At most, I can hold on for another three or four years before my Primordial Spirit truly dissipates.


    However, seeing the speed at which you collect materials, there¡¯s a good chance that you¡¯ll be able to craft this puppet before I reincarnate,¡± Monarch Great Development said with a bitter laugh, his tone resigned.


    ¡°Ever since the elder met me, you¡¯ve helped me many times.


    Han Li is not ungrateful or unappreciative; I have always kept these in mind.


    I will certainly do my utmost to help fulfill your wishes,¡± Han Li said seriously, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Cough.


    Honestly, I help you mostly for self-preservation.


    After all, if I were to fall into the hands of others, my end wouldn¡¯t be much better,¡± Monarch Great Development also stated this significant truth with a touch of sentiment.


    Han Li smiled, then his body shook and a green light flickered.


    His entire form dissolved into the wind and he vanished from view once more¡­


    Two days later, Han Li appeared in another small valley.


    This valley was blanketed by a vast peach forest, dusting the entire area in pink.


    With peach blossoms all over the ground, it was truly a place of scenic beauty.


    Han Li floated above the valley, observing everything within and extending his Divine Sense to scour the surrounding hundred miles.


    A satisfied expression finally appeared on his face.


    ¡°Good, this place is remote, with no cultivators from Yueyang Palace nearby, and the valley is well-suited for setting up arrays.


    This will be the spot,¡± Han Li murmured to himself, then turned into a green rainbow and descended into the center of the peach forest.


    Without another word, Han Li immediately got busy in the valley.


    He set up seven or eight different types of arrays with formation flags and plates in one go, most of which were restrictive formations that blocked auras and isolated Spiritual Energy.


    There were only two or three true combat-effective formations.


    Furthermore, he deployed a separate Illusion Array over these to largely conceal the true appearance of the peach forest.


    Monarch Great Development, curious at heart, managed to hold back his questions, continuing to watch Han Li¡¯s preparations with a cold eye.


    After setting everything up, Han Li didn¡¯t immediately take any action, but instead sat cross-legged in the center of the peach forest, entering a meditative state¡­(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com.


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 Chapter 932 - Chapter 932 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 929 Haoyang Bird

    ?Chapter 932: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 929 Haoyang Bird Chapter 932: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 929 Haoyang Bird On the evening of the third day, Han Li, who had been seated in meditation, finally opened his eyes.


    He looked up at the darkening sky and flipped his hand to produce a moonlight stone.


    Tossing the stone into the air, it scattered a milky white radiance, brightly illuminating the nearby peach grove.


    Without a word, Han Li rose to his feet, then took out a piece of red coral about a few feet in size and placed it under a peach tree.


    Next, he pulled out a jade box, opened the lid, and revealed a foot-tall Spirit Grass with a single stem and thirteen leaves.


    This Spirit Grass emitted a faint rosy glow and was none other than the Rainbow Skirt Grass which he had cultivated countless times!


    ¡°Is this the stratagem you¡¯ve prepared?¡± As Han Li transplanted the Rainbow Skirt Grass onto the coral, an utterly baffled Monarch Great Development couldn¡¯t help but speak out.


    He had seen Han Li feed Gold Devouring Bugs with this type of Spirit Grass before, with incredibly inconceivable results.


    But now, bringing out the grass still left him utterly puzzled.


    Hearing this, Han Li chuckled lightly,


    ¡°In fact, this grass has another name, called ¡®Demonlure Grass.¡¯ Without saying more, you must understand my intention now, Senior.¡±


    ¡°Demonlure Grass!


    You mean to say¡­¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice trailed off with a hint of realization.


    ¡°Yes, in six days, it will be the time when that young Haoyang Bird is let out for air.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Then, hehe¡­¡± Han Li gave a cold laugh.


    ¡­


    Fang Chu was a mid Foundation Establishment disciple of Yueyang Palace.


    Such a level of cultivator was commonplace within the palace, numbering somewhere between eight hundred to a thousand, and in principle, Fang Chu should have been an insignificant figure.


    But in reality, the opposite was true.


    Not to mention other Foundation Establishment disciples, even some Core Formation martial uncles treated Fang Chu with the utmost courtesy, not showing the slightest hint of looking down on him as a junior.


    Whenever benefits were distributed within the palace, Fang Chu was always the first among the Foundation Establishment disciples to receive his share.


    This meant Fang Chu had quite a good standing in Yueyang Palace.


    However, despite his pride, he knew that all of this was only due to the responsibilities of his position.


    It happened that he was the disciple in charge of overseeing one of the smaller Haoyang Birds.


    The reason he was chosen was due to his innate ability to understand the languages of spiritual birds, an ability unique to him that others couldn¡¯t replace.


    Otherwise, given the rarity of Haoyang Birds, it never would have been his turn to be responsible for overseeing one.


    After all, ¡®overseeing¡¯ to some extent also meant he was able to command the spiritual bird.


    This was naturally no small matter.


    The spiritual bird he was responsible for had relatively low cultivation but could still comfortably defeat cultivators in late Core Formation, pursuing the level of a Nascent Soul entity.


    No wonder the other cultivators were greatly wary of Fang Chu.


    He had been looking after the spiritual birds for over thirty years, and found the task quite straightforward.


    The only trouble was that no matter if he was cultivating or meditating, he had to spend all his time with the spiritual bird.


    Even when letting the bird out for a breath of fresh air, flying freely for a very short period, he had to interrupt his own cultivation and follow it from a distance, just in case of any accidents.


    Yet Fang Chu wasn¡¯t worried about this in the slightest.


    All of the Tianyue Mountain Range, hundreds of thousands of miles wide, was under Yueyang Palace¡¯s control.


    What could possibly go wrong?


    With such leisurely thoughts in mind, Fang Chu followed behind the Haoyang Bird that flew out of the aviary early in the day, trailing it from a great distance.


    The Haoyang Bird was not very large, about ten feet long, but its tail feathers made up more than half of its length.


    From afar, the bird looked like a fiery red giant peacock.


    But what peacock in the world could boast such fiery, brilliantly red plumage?


    The spiritual bird seemed quite excited, flapping its fiery red wings continuously in the air after leaving Yueyang Palace¡¯s restrictive formations, completely unaware that someone was following behind.


    Under normal circumstances, Fang Chu couldn¡¯t possibly escape the Haoyang Bird¡¯s divine sense, but before coming out, he had already placed a Restraining Breath Talisman crafted by the palace on himself.


    Thus even with his lesser cultivation, he could rest assured he wouldn¡¯t be detected by the Haoyang Bird.


    Now, watching the bird¡¯s joyful chirping, Fang Chu smiled knowingly.


    Having spent a long time with the spiritual bird, he understood that the Haoyang Bird was in a state of extreme delight.


    It seemed today¡¯s outing would ensure the bird would stay calm and stable for the next half-month.


    Just like that, the Haoyang Bird circled leisurely above Yueyang Palace for quite a while before it changed direction and started flying toward the outer perimeter.


    Fang Chu didn¡¯t mind at all.


    According to the bird¡¯s habit, it would circle around Yueyang Palace, drawing a large circle within a hundred-mile radius before satisfactorily flying back inside.


    Thus, he followed at ease.


    But this time, after following the bird for only about thirty miles, the unexpected happened.


    The Haoyang Bird, previously brimming with vigor, suddenly faltered in mid-flight, its calls changing to a sharp, plaintive wail.


    Behind it, Fang Chu was taken aback when he heard the bird¡¯s cry and had yet to understand what was happening when he saw the Haoyang Bird urgently flapping its wings.


    Suddenly, several feet of crimson flames burst from its body, changing direction and breaking through the air.


    After a few flashes, it turned into a huge fireball and shot hundreds of feet away¡­


    This scene gave Fang Chu a start, and then scared him out of his wits.


    After he came to his senses, he hurriedly pulled out a jade medallion from his body, desperately pouring spiritual power into it while simultaneously emitting an odd, bird-like cry from his mouth, trying to call the Haoyang Bird back.


    However, the Haoyang Bird in the distance seemed to have heard the summons, but after a moment of hesitation, it let out several even noisier calls and then, without looking back, disappeared from the sky.


    Seeing this, Fang Chu¡¯s face turned instantly pale, and he remained floating in mid-air, at a loss for what to do next.


    But a moment later, he remembered something, suddenly took out a Sound Transmission Talisman from his storage pouch, and in a frantic shout at the Daoist paper talisman, he tossed it up into the air without a second thought, transforming into a streak of fire that shot straight toward Yueyang Palace.


    He himself gritted his teeth, clenched the jade medallion in his hand, and chased after the vanished Haoyang Bird with his magical tool.


    Whether he could really catch up or not, he couldn¡¯t just wait here; otherwise, if a few of his martial uncles encountered him, he would certainly face severe punishment.


    While Fang Chu was desperately in pursuit, other places in the Tianyue Mountain Range where there were spirit beasts also fell into chaos.


    In the northern part of the mountain range, several Yueyang Palace low-level disciples were desperately using silver cords to rein in the huge, vulture-like strange birds beneath them, trying to forcibly control these low-grade spiritual birds that were losing control and suddenly changing direction.


    Before long, everyone was dripping with sweat, but the spiritual birds beneath them were still violently trying to turn and rush in a certain direction.


    Hidden in a secret hole on the edge of the mountain range, a cultivator clad in yellow-green, looking like dead wood and wearing a mask, was pressing down a black spider about a foot long with a green, glittering hand.


    Watching the demon beast snarl furiously in front of him, a look of surprise and uncertainty crossed his eyes.


    At Southern Sky Peak, in a secret hall of Yueyang Palace, hidden by restrictive formations, an old woman in purple robes with white hair was stroking another Haoyang Bird that lay prostrated before her.


    This bird looked just like the one with Fang Chu, only slightly larger.


    And the old woman clearly sensed that the spiritual bird under her hand had become restless and agitated without warning from the start.


    If she hadn¡¯t cast spells in succession, forcibly calming the spiritual bird, it would have certainly flown out of the secret hall.


    With a strange look on her face, she couldn¡¯t help but ponder.


    ¡­


    Fang Chu had chased without sparing mana and was thrown off without a trace by the Haoyang Bird.


    However, he had that jade medallion which could sense the location of the spiritual bird, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of losing track of the Haoyang Bird within the Tianyue Mountain Range.


    But as he speeded along, he discovered something incredibly shocking: he saw some low-grade demon beasts frantically running out of their deeply hidden lairs in the underground mountains, heading in the same direction as the fleeing Haoyang Bird, running and leaping desperately.


    In just a short time, this had formed a sizable tide of beasts, among which were some rare demon beasts usually sought in the mountain range but without a trace to be found.


    And the high-grade demon beasts and flying demonic birds in the mountain range had already been wiped out by the high-level cultivators of Yueyang Palace, so there was no need to worry about them.


    But still, the sudden loss of control of the beast horde and the Haoyang Bird filled Fang Chu with astonishment and unease.


    Meanwhile, in a secluded valley tens of thousands of miles away, Han Li sat cross-legged on the ground with the Rainbow Skirt Grass planted on Red Coral and enveloped in red aura in front of him.


    This plant had already unfurled six spiritual leaves, and with the spiritual light flowing through it, it appeared extremely mysterious.


    However, at that moment, Han Li wasn¡¯t looking at the Rainbow Skirt Grass but was squinting at the situation outside the peach grove, his face expressionless.


    Outside the protective enchantments, dozens of low-level spiritual beasts that had run up close were desperately attempting to breach the outermost layer, trying to break into the peach grove and devour the six-leaf Rainbow Skirt Grass.


    Han Li found it somewhat unexpected that there were so many low-grade demon beasts in the Tianyue Mountain Range.


    However numerous these low-grade demon beasts were, Han Li paid them no mind.


    Instead, he closed his eyes and sent his Divine Sense toward Yueyang Palace, scanning carefully.


    According to his calculations, the power of the Rainbow Skirt Grass to lure seventh-grade demon beasts should be just right, and since the Haoyang Bird was a spiritual bird with a speed of escape much faster than that of ordinary spiritual treasures, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it should arrive here.


    Before long, Han Li¡¯s cold face changed abruptly, and he suddenly opened his eyes.


    With a series of incantations, Han Li let out a low grunt.


    A few spells were cast, and the outermost Illusion Array was activated.


    A layer of white mist emerged from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire bamboo grove, half-shrouded and hidden within.


    And just then, there was the simultaneous sound of a beast¡¯s roar and a clear, singing bird call from the east and west.


    A huge yellow light orb and a massive crimson fireball flew in from both directions, aiming straight for the valley where Han Li was located.


    Seeing this, Han Li let out a light ¡®hmph¡¯ and showed a hint of astonishment on his face.


    (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


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 Chapter 933 - Chapter 933 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 930 Obtaining Feathers

    ?Chapter 933: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 930 Obtaining Feathers Chapter 933: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 930 Obtaining Feathers Inside the fireball, a spiritual bird resembling a Firebird Talisman flickered in and out of view amidst the flames.


    And within the yellow light sphere was an ugly, ball-like demon beast covered with rough and hard dusty yellow skin that was wrinkled and bunched, as if it had donned a layer of thick armor.


    Protruding from the extremely obese body was a sharp mouse head and a slender tail, resembling a mutated giant demon rat.


    ¡°What kind of demon beast is this?


    It¡¯s so strange.


    But it also has around seventh grade cultivation.


    No, this beast seems to have flown from beyond the mountains.¡± Han Li, surprised, grew curious.


    ¡°This is an Earth Armor Dragon, a very rare type of demon beast known for its defense and talent in finding heavenly and earthly treasures.


    This is good fortune that¡¯s come knocking at our door!¡± Monarch Great Development exclaimed with delight.


    ¡°This spiritual beast?


    Now I remember why it looks somewhat familiar.¡± Han Li realized.


    Just as Han Li spoke, the two demon beasts, one after the other, plunged towards the foggy valley below.


    Their target was the Rainbow Skirt Grass beneath.


    After an encounter, Han Li flipped his palm, and a greenish Array Plate appeared in his hand, which he quickly slapped down.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    The Array Plate shone brightly, and the outermost restrictive formations flashed at the same time, instantly capturing the Haoyang Bird within the restrictions.


    However, when the mouse-headed Earth Armor Dragon anxiously followed suit, multiple restrictive formations re-emerged, blocking the creature outside the array.


    The Earth Armor Dragon was naturally both shocked and enraged.


    In a glitter of yellow light, its body furiously swelled to a massive size of seven or eight zhang, retracting its limbs and tail into its body.


    Additionally, a layer of grey-white stone armor appeared on its surface, turning it into a round meatball that fiercely smashed into the restrictions.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± the first hit broke the two outermost restrictive formations.


    The yellow light hesitated briefly before smashing into the remaining restrictions.


    This brief delay gave Han Li enough time to control the Haoyang Bird.


    As the bird rushed through the restrictions, it flapped its wings a few times, and clusters of red flames scattered all around, dispersing much of the fog below to reveal a vibrant peach grove covered in pink beneath the mist.


    With a glint in its spiritual eyes, the bird spotted Han Li standing under the peach tree, and the Rainbow Skirt Grass exuding a strange scent on the Red Coral.


    The bird, though not greatly astute on ordinary days, couldn¡¯t help but feel an instinctive fear in its heart due to Han Li¡¯s overt mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation.


    After circling low in the sky, it didn¡¯t dare to land directly.


    Yet, the temptation of the Rainbow Skirt Grass was too great, and the bird was even less willing to leave just like that.


    However, in that moment of hesitation, Han Li, expressionless, raised his hand and shot out a black Daoist paper talisman.


    Under a flash of dark light, the Jade Talisman turned into a black and red ghost claw that grasped towards the Haoyang Bird.


    The Haoyang Bird was startled.


    Without further thought, it flapped its wings, and about thirty fist-sized fireballs shot out, aimed at the ghost claw.


    A series of explosions rang out.


    A brilliant interplay of black and fiery red light flickered, momentarily keeping the ghost claw at bay.


    Seeing this, Han Li made a soft noise of surprise.


    But with a pinch of his fingers, the silver wings on his back suddenly flared up.


    After a rumble of thunder, Han Li vanished, and in the next moment, his silhouette reappeared several zhang above the bird.


    With a cold expression, he rubbed his hands together and then raised five fingers at once.


    Two thick golden arcs shot out from his palms, exploded, and turned into a huge electrified net that fell towards the bird.


    The Haoyang Bird, fully engaged in combating the black ghost claw, was caught off guard and suddenly enveloped by the golden net.


    The bird panicked instantly, shaking its body.


    Some of its fiery feathers detached and fell, turning into a dense rain of red light that surged towards the net.


    Sounds of continuous explosions erupted from within the net, creating a relentless rumbling noise.


    A glint of cold light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    With a flick of his wrist, he sharply spat out the word ¡°Capture.¡±


    The electric net, composed of arcs, flashed wildly and suddenly shrank without fear of the fiery attack.


    Amidst a burst of golden light, the desperately resisting Haoyang Bird was tightly bound by the thick golden arcs and could no longer move even an inch, emitting only a mournful cry.


    A flicker of joy crossed Han Li¡¯s face.


    At that moment, a loud ¡°boom¡± resounded from above.


    His expression changing, Han Li suddenly looked up to see that the final layer of restrictive formations overhead had been shattered by the Earth Armor Dragon.


    The hastily set up formations using formation flags and plates were simply too flimsy against a seventh-grade demon beast.


    But when the Earth Armor Dragon, which had reverted back from the huge boulder, charged into the fog and saw the Haoyang Bird tightly bound by thick golden arcs and Han Li above the peach grove, its small green eyes rolled continuously, revealing a humanoid expression of shock.


    Seeing this, Han Li felt a stir in his heart.


    This Earth Armor Dragon seemed to be very spiritually wise.


    At that moment, the Earth Armor Dragon glanced over the Rainbow Skirt Grass on the ground, a sly look appearing in its eyes.


    Suddenly, a yellow light flashed over its body, and it plunged straight towards the ground.


    ¡°Stop it.


    It knows the Earth Escape Skill.


    As soon as it touches the ground, it will vanish into the earth.¡± Monarch Great Development warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have everything arranged.¡± Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly and responded with ease.


    The Earth Armor Dragon reached the ground in an instant and, seeing that there was no one else around the Rainbow Skirt Grass, lunged forward with great joy, ready to swallow the herb in one bite.


    But just at that moment, the ground around the Rainbow Skirt Grass emitted a series of ¡°puff puff¡± sounds as twelve streams of crystal-clear cold air sprayed out without the slightest warning.


    The Earth Armor Dragon, being mid-air and so close, had no time to dodge and was immediately encased in a thick layer of ice, turning into a glittering ice sculpture.


    Right then, the ground below shimmered with white light, and twelve snow-white centipedes, each half a foot long, emerged.


    They reared their heads and wagged their tails as they continually spewed cold air from their mouths.


    ¡°So, you had placed the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes underground.


    I was worried for nothing,¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled upon seeing the Earth Armor Dragon restrained.


    Even though the Earth Armor Dragon¡¯s flesh was tough, it could not withstand the onslaught of cold air spat by the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.


    It was not surprising that it would be subdued by a sneak attack.


    ¡°I had arranged this as a precaution, just in case.


    I never expected that the Earth Armor Dragon would blunder into it,¡± Han Li calmly said.


    With a flick of his figure, Han Li appeared behind the Haoyang Bird.


    After sweeping his gaze over a few feathers on the bird¡¯s tail, he actually smiled at the creature before him:


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not very spiritually wise yet, but you can understand some human language.


    I have no intention of harming you, but would those tail feathers of yours fall off on their own, or should I pluck them myself?¡± Han Li spoke so astonishingly.


    The Haoyang Bird in the net indeed understood human speech.


    As soon as Han Li¡¯s words left his mouth, the bird shivered, and a look of furious indignance appeared in its eyes, its cries becoming even more piercing.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and with a cold huff, he said no more and raised a single hand.


    His palm was wrapped in a layer of misty green light, about to reach towards the bird¡¯s tail.


    Fear finally flashed through the eyes of the Haoyang Bird, and out of helplessness, it shook its tail feathers.


    After a flash of red light, all of the long feathers fell off.


    After all, these feathers were connected to the creature¡¯s base essence and bloodline; forcibly removing them would cause significant damage to the body.


    Letting them fall off voluntarily, while still resulting in a considerable loss of base essence, could avoid bodily harm.


    The green light flashed, and Han Li was overjoyed.


    With a sweep of his hand, he caught the fiery red tail feathers.


    With a flip of his other hand, a jade box that he had prepared beforehand materialized.


    He swiftly placed the tail feathers into the box and affixed a few Daoist paper talismans to the lid.


    Only then did Han Li carefully put the jade box into his storage pouch.


    After he had finished all this, Han Li waved his hand lightly over the Haoyang Bird¡¯s head, and a surge of spiritual power knocked it over, rendering it unconscious.


    Han Li smiled and then turned his eyes towards the ice-bound Earth Armor Dragon below.


    Although the demon beast was restrained by the thick ice, it seemed to retain its awareness within.


    When Han Li¡¯s gaze met the creature¡¯s twin beady eyes, they revealed an extreme look of fear.


    Han Li transformed into a streak of azure light and shot downward¡­


    A quarter of an hour later, a dazzling golden light, similar to lightning from beyond the heavens, flashed across the sky above the valley.


    Circling once, the golden brilliance retracted, revealing an old woman in purple robes who had been hidden within the secret halls of Yueyang Palace.


    Beside her stood another person who didn¡¯t dare even breathe heavily-another individual, Fang Chu.


    By this time, the peach grove was devoid of its restrictive formations, empty of life.


    The Haoyang Bird, now resembling a plucked chicken, was discarded under a peach tree, still in a faint.


    Seeing the state of the Haoyang Bird, the old woman was shocked.


    She then swept her Divine Sense over the bird, finding that although it had lost its tail feathers and its Qi was damaged, it had not suffered any other harm, which somewhat relieved her.


    However, after giving the unseemly bare tail of the Haoyang Bird a few more glances, anger surged within her.


    ¡°Check on the spiritual bird and wake it up,¡± she ordered with a grim face.


    Fang Chu, standing beside her, hurriedly nodded in agreement and descended on his flying tool.


    Had it not been for being caught up mid-route by this ancestor of Yueyang Palace and brought along, Fang Chu¡¯s speed of flight would not have allowed him to reach this place so soon.


    At this moment, the old woman looked around and, upon reflection, closed her eyes and slowly released her Divine Sense, scanning for the brazen culprit.


    A moment later, her expression changed as if she had caught a clue.


    She quickly gave a few instructions below before transforming into a golden light and hurriedly departed.


    Shortly after, she arrived hundreds of miles away in the high skies, intercepting an odd cultivator attempting to leave the Tianyue Mountain Range.


    ¡°So, who do we have here?


    If it isn¡¯t Fellow Daoist Ma from the Demon Wood Sect.


    Should you not be meditating in seclusion at your sect?


    What business do you have sneaking around our Tianyue Mountain Range?


    Did you cause the commotion with the demon beast just now?¡± the old woman asked, staring skeptically at the other party and questioning him coldly.


    The person opposite her, wearing a yellow-green robe with a masked face, showed eyes that emitted an unnatural golden glow, creating an eerie effect.


    (Sweat drops, the recent matters with my parents have been hectic, leaving me exhausted every day.


    So, the updates these past days have been rather erratic; please forgive me.


    Things will stabilize again soon.)


    (To be continued.


    For more details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters with faster updates.


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 Chapter 934 - Chapter 934 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 931 Undercurrents

    ?Chapter 934: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 931 Undercurrents Chapter 934: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 931 Undercurrents ¡°Hehe!


    Daoist Sun came quite swiftly, it¡¯s just a pity you found the wrong person.


    I merely chased after a demon beast, which led me to this mountain range by mistake.


    I too witnessed the commotion caused by the low-grade demon beast just now and likewise wished to find this person,¡± the masked cultivator chuckled dryly, speaking with evident apprehension.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Pursuing a demon beast?


    Do you take me for a senile old woman, Fellow Daoist Ma?


    You, a cultivator in the mid Nascent Soul Stage, known throughout Great Jin for your Escape Technique, would allow some demon beast to run into our Tianyue Mountain Range?


    Besides, I have already searched hundreds of miles around and, apart from you, I truly have found no other cultivator capable of doing this,¡± the old crone¡¯s face emanated a layer of purple light as she spoke threateningly.


    ¡°What has happened?


    Has the commotion caused by the demon beast just now resulted in any damage to Yueyang Palace?


    I respect that you are a late Nascent Soul cultivator and have thus spoken to you politely.


    But are you trying to wrongly accuse Fellow Daoist Ma?


    Although I may not be your match, within our Sect, there are not just one or two disciples who know I entered the Tianyue Mountain Range.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Moreover, if Fellow Daoist Ma were to fight to the death, I should not be completely devoid of the power to strike back.


    Unless you have the intention of reigniting a great war between the righteous and demonic paths!¡± The golden light dazzled in the eyes of the masked cultivator, who, contrary to his earlier fear, suddenly toughened up.


    Seeing the masked cultivator¡¯s actions, the old woman¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.


    ¡°Really, it wasn¡¯t you who did it?¡± she asked coldly after a while.


    ¡°If Daoist Sun thinks it is necessary, I, Fellow Daoist Ma, can swear on the Heart Demon!


    From just now until this moment, I truly do not know what has happened in your Palace,¡± the masked cultivator sighed in relief upon hearing her words and lowered his stance somewhat, showing flexibility.


    ¡°No need for any poisonous oaths, Fellow Daoist.


    It is probably true that it wasn¡¯t you.


    Given your status within your Sect, I can hardly imagine you doing something so beneath your dignity.


    Furthermore, I haven¡¯t heard that Fellow Daoist Ma possesses the Divine Skill to summon demon beasts.


    However, it must be no ordinary beast that has led Daoist Brother to our Tianyue Mountain Range.


    May I be enlightened as to its nature?¡± The old crone¡¯s demeanor softened, and her tone became a few degrees more cordial.


    ¡°This demon beast is indeed very rare.


    It likely holds no less importance to me than the Haoyang Bird does to your Palace.


    It¡¯s an Earth Armor Dragon that has just advanced to the seventh grade.


    I found it at Mount Huangli in the neighboring city, but the creature is exceptionally crafty and also adept at the Earth Escape Skill.


    I chased it for six days and nights and only caught up to it here.


    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t manage to inform your palace before charging in,¡± the masked cultivator spoke candidly, knowing he needed to disclose some information to truly dispel her doubts.


    ¡°A seventh grade Earth Armor Dragon?


    That is indeed a rare kind of demon beast; I¡¯ve never even heard of one so advanced.


    No wonder Fellow Daoist Ma is desperate.


    You seem poised to leave; have you already captured it?


    I¡¯ve only heard of this beast by name and have yet to truly see one.


    Could Fellow Daoist allow me to broaden my horizons?¡± the old woman exclaimed with interest after her surprise.


    ¡°That, I¡¯m afraid, might disappoint Fellow Daoist Ma.


    When the commotion occurred just now, my secret technique suddenly failed, and thus I lost the beast¡¯s trail.


    But¡­¡± the masked cultivator began.


    ¡°But what?¡± the old crone asked sharply, her eyes flashing.


    ¡°But while searching for the beast, I suddenly saw a streak of green light shoot across the sky at an incredible speed that didn¡¯t seem to be from a cultivator of your palace.


    I assume the anomaly in the mountains just now must be related to this person.


    I had just decided to catch up and find out who this exalted individual could be.


    Regrettably, this person¡¯s escape light was too fast, and after only a moment, they shook me off completely.


    And at that moment, I was stopped by Daoist Sun,¡± the masked cultivator said with a wry smile and a hint of helplessness.


    ¡°A streak of green light?


    That means this person has not left long ago!


    Where did they escape to?¡± the old crone pressed eagerly.


    ¡°They headed in the direction out of the mountain range.


    With your divine abilities, you might still be able to catch up to this person!¡± the masked cultivator replied, his eyes darting subtly as he spoke nonchalantly.


    ¡°Thank you for the tip, Fellow Daoist Ma.


    I shall go take a look immediately.


    Since the Earth Armor Dragon has gone missing, it would be best if Fellow Daoist also leaves the area.


    Our paths of righteous and demonic are different, and this is not your Demon Wood Cliff.


    When I return, I hope not to find Fellow Daoist still lingering in the mountains,¡± having obtained the clue she sought, the old crone spoke words meant to dismiss him.


    Without further discussion, she transformed into a golden rainbow and shot towards the edge of the mountain range.


    ¡°Hmph!


    The old witch indeed is as difficult to deal with as the rumors say, turning on me once she got the information she wanted.


    ¡®The righteous and the demonic are different,¡¯ she says, but it¡¯s only because she wants to take possession of the Earth Armor Dragon for herself.


    Hehe, if my senses aren¡¯t wrong, the disappearance of that Earth Armor Dragon should have something to do with that green light.


    That streak of light was not slower than a late Nascent Soul cultivator, catching up to that person is easier said than done.


    Given her agitated appearance upon arriving, it seems someone has caused a significant loss to Yueyang Palace, and that¡¯s somewhat comforting,¡± the masked cultivator muttered to himself with a cold laugh once the streak of golden light had vanished.


    He then looked down briefly, his gaze lingering on a spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a faint hint of joy flickered in his eyes.


    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t get the Earth Armor Dragon this time, I did catch a Black Blood Spider, so it wasn¡¯t a wasted trip.


    The Earth Armor Dragon has just become someone else¡¯s gain.


    I wonder how they managed to drive the demon beast so mad,¡± the masked cultivator expressed frustration, then began to ponder deeply.


    ¡°No, this is serious; someone has a way to lure demon beasts.


    I must return and report to Martial Senior Mu immediately,¡± he suddenly raised his head, murmuring to himself.


    After scanning his surroundings, his body shone with green light, transforming into a streak of green light that shot into the sky and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, the old woman named Sun flew non-stop for half a day, scouring tens of thousands of miles with her Divine Sense, but failed to find any suspicious individuals.


    With no choice left, she returned to Yueyang Palace and strictly ordered the disciples who were aware of the incident not to spread it; otherwise, if other large sects found out, it would become the laughingstock of the Great Jin realm of immortal cultivators.


    Fortunately, whoever had targeted the Haoyang Bird had only taken its feathers and not killed the spiritual bird for its pill.


    With sufficient panaceas and spirit pills, the Haoyang Bird would recover its Qi in a few decades.


    So the old woman can only seethe with this thankless loss, burying it deeply within herself.


    Yet privately, she dispatched a small part of her elite disciples to quietly inquire if any major powers or old eccentrics beyond the Nascent Soul stage were in need of having a Spiritual Treasure crafted, hoping to follow the vines and find the culprit.


    She wanted to find this person not only because she was utterly infuriated by the incident with the spiritual bird but also because she wanted to glimpse the methods capable of luring demon beasts.


    If she could master this technique, hunting demons for their spirit pills or taming spiritual beasts would become much simpler.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one with such thoughts.


    Almost simultaneously, Demon Wood Sect, a power of equal reputation to Yueyang Palace, had also secretly sent out many disciples to discreetly investigate if there had been any high-level cultivators from other regions appearing in Long State recently, particularly those with unfamiliar faces.


    The covert actions of Long State¡¯s two major powers unsettled some smaller sects and wealthy families who prided themselves on being perceptive.


    They speculated anxiously whether the balance in Long State was about to be disrupted-were Yueyang Palace and Demon Wood Sect going to go to war?


    As these smaller powers panicked, they formed alliances and shrank their activities, causing the atmosphere of the entire Long State region to become tense.


    Han Li had no idea that his actions had caused such a stir.


    At the moment, he was staying inside a stone chamber that had been hastily carved out within a nameless desert mountain.


    Inside the chamber, he was examining his spoils of war-a hand full of fantastical, flaming long feathers-while chatting with Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°The old woman who chased after me at the end must have been that late Nascent Soul stage great cultivator from Yueyang Palace.


    Her cultivation was indeed extraordinary.


    However, her Divine Sense was quite ordinary and failed to notice you, refining your Qi and concealing your breath.


    Otherwise, you would have been in real trouble,¡± Monarch Great Development said in a relaxed tone, teasing Han Li.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Worse comes to worst, I would¡¯ve just used Bloodshadow Evasion again.


    I refuse to believe that there¡¯s another sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple in the upper realm that I would happen to run into by chance.


    But there was nothing I could do.


    I don¡¯t know what Escape Technique that old crone was cultivating, but even though I¡¯m fast, I¡¯m still a notch slower than her.


    I had to hide first,¡± Han Li said with a chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    Although this trip involved some risk, the rewards are quite good.


    Not only did you obtain so many fire feathers, but you also captured a rare Earth Armor Dragon.


    If you can tame it, searching for extraordinary natural treasures will become quite promising,¡± Monarch Great Development said contentedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but an adult demon beast that hasn¡¯t recognized a master won¡¯t be easy to tame.


    Whether it will succeed or not will depend on fortune,¡± Han Li said, equally delighted but aware of the challenges.


    ¡°No worries, taming an adult demon beast isn¡¯t as difficult as you might think-especially if the demon beast is spiritually wise, the easier it is to subdue,¡± Monarch Great Development stated with apparent experience, nonchalantly.


    ¡°Oh, is that so!¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows, showing a trace of surprise on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see in time.


    I believe this Earth Armor Dragon is quite intelligent, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to tame.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.


    But it¡¯s best to break in its will first.


    We¡¯ll discuss this matter further when we have more time.


    Right now, I need to deal with these fire feathers briefly.


    Then I¡¯ll head to the Jingjing City Auction to see what this place, known as the foremost city of Great Jin, is really like,¡± Han Li said thoughtfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been to Jinjing once.


    Even though it¡¯s a city of ordinary mortals, it was rather extraordinary and impressive,¡± Monarch Great Development praised, a rarity for him.


    ¡°Hearing your words makes me even more curious.


    Fortunately, it¡¯s not too far from here to Jinjing.


    Give me one day to finish processing the materials, and I¡¯ll be on my way.


    Three months is more than enough,¡± Han Li calmly stated.


    Then a flash of green light in his hand, and suddenly there was only one fire feather left; the rest had vanished without a trace.


    Han Li tossed the fire feather into the air, opened his mouth, and a puff of hazy Nascent flames enveloped the fire feather, igniting the innate crimson flame within.


    Instantly, the feather shimmered green on the outside and red on the inside, a dazzling display!


    Han Li himself sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and formed hand seals, entering a state of meditation.


    (To be continued.


    For more details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, please support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 936 - Chapter 936 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 933 Swords Cry

    ?Chapter 936: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 933 Sword¡¯s Cry Chapter 936: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 933 Sword¡¯s Cry ¡°General Zhunan!


    So it turns out that you are one of the Eight Great Generals of the Great Jin, well-known throughout the land.


    I¡¯ve truly been disrespectful,¡± Han Li said, nodling politely upon hearing the beautiful woman was Miss Cao Mengrong, but his face showed a trace of emotion when he learned the identity of the imposing man standing beside her.


    Although he knew little about the Imperial Court of the Great Jin, he was somewhat familiar with its more famous high-ranking officials.


    The Eight Great Generals virtually represented a significant portion of the military power the Imperial Court could command.


    Each of them commanded an army of over a million fierce soldiers and guarded several frontier fortress cities.


    However, Han Li was aware of the name ¡°Eight Great Generals,¡± not because he cared much about the affairs of ordinary mortals, but because it was said that among these generals, aside from two or three who were trusted followers of the Imperial Clan, the rest had some connections with the major forces of the realm of immortal cultivators, some were even directly supported by these forces.


    Even the Imperial Clan of Great Jin couldn¡¯t easily move against them.


    Since General Zhunan was not surnamed with the Imperial Clan¡¯s name, he must also be related to some force.


    Hearing Mengrong say, ¡°Sir is also a cultivator.


    I am but an ordinary mortal, how dare I boast in front of sir,¡± the middle-aged man laughed, bowed his hands towards Han Li, and said in a calm voice.


    Han Li, of course, knew that what the man said was just polite talk.


    Given the man¡¯s status, he might not be able to get in touch with Nascent Soul-level cultivators, but attracting Core Formation experts was not difficult.


    The cultivation realm Han Li had shown to Cao Mengrong was only at the Qi Refinement Stage.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    For someone to be so courteous to him, a ¡°minor cultivator¡± like himself, this man was truly no ordinary person.


    However, it made him wonder why, as the leader of a group heading towards Jinjing, there were no high-level cultivators accompanying him.


    This man was indeed quite bold.


    Thinking this, Han Li said modestly, ¡°You flatter me, General Wang.


    Your reputation, even among us Loose Cultivators, has long been heard.¡±


    ¡°Daoist Han, I heard that you had once guided Sister Cao in her cultivation, and as a result, in just a few short years, she advanced two levels.


    After hearing this, my master kept praising Sister¡¯s good fortune, saying that Daoist Han might be concealing his true cultivation realm.


    Peers at the same stage could not achieve such an incredible feat.


    Now, seeing no spiritual energy on Daoist Han, clearly well versed in the art of concealing his presence, it seems my teacher was not wrong,¡± Miss Wang said with a meaningful smile, pursing her lips.


    ¡°Is that really so!


    Brother Han, your cultivation is actually¡­¡± Cao Mengrong also came back to her senses from the joy of seeing Han Li, scrutinized him again, and sensing no fluctuations of mana, her face inevitably showed a look of astonishment.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I encountered a mishap that day and was seriously injured.


    My cultivation was drastically reduced, but I have only recently recovered somewhat.


    It was not my intention to deceive Daoist Cao,¡± Han Li replied with a slight smile, exuding calmness, yet he intended not to reveal his true cultivation realm.


    Miss Wang blinked her beautiful eyes, scrutinizing Han Li again, and still unable to sense anything from him, she was inwardly stunned but showed a graceful smile:


    ¡°So it seems, Daoist Han is truly a senior.


    When Sister Mengrong previously interacted with you as an equal, I hope you wouldn¡¯t blame her.¡±


    ¡°No talk of seniors or juniors.


    I am merely a Loose Cultivator of the Great Jin, and I don¡¯t put much emphasis on such distinctions.


    I was fortunate to have Daoist Cao¡¯s help that day, and we shall simply continue as equals,¡± Han Li replied, shaking his head dismissively.


    Hearing this, Cao Mengrong¡¯s previously uncertain expression finally returned to normal, and she blushed in tacit agreement to Han Li¡¯s words.


    ¡°So it turns out, Mr.


    Han is truly a powerful senior with strong spiritual powers.


    Although I am but a mortal, I also appreciate associating with Immortal Masters.


    I observe that Mr.


    seems to be heading to Jinjing too, how about we travel together?¡± the middle-aged man, after waiting for his daughter and Han Li to finish talking, surprisingly extended an invitation straightforwardly.


    ¡°Travel together!


    Very well.


    Then I shall impose on your kindness,¡± Han Li pondered briefly before promptly accepting.


    He was indeed looking for someone familiar with Jinjing to better understand the situation of the upcoming auction.


    With the prominent status of the man before him, even if he wasn¡¯t a cultivator, he likely knew a great deal of detailed information.


    Thus, following this, Han Li chatted briefly with the two women and learned that in the past few years Cao Mengrong¡¯s father had smoothly progressed from a mere district captain to a martial officer in Jinjing.


    While his rank hadn¡¯t changed much, moving from a local position to Jinjing was undoubtedly a significant promotion.


    However, when Father Cao moved to Jinjing, Cao Mengrong was in the critical phase of her closed-door cultivation and did not accompany him.


    This time when Sister Wang and her father passed by her residence, Cao Mengrong had just completed her seclusion and naturally proceeded to Jinjing with her sister.


    Han Li only briefly mentioned his own experiences over the past few years, stating that he had been secluded in a retreat healing his injuries and had only recently come down from the mountains.


    Of course, there was nothing much to elaborate on.


    Cao Mengrong and the other woman did not further question suspiciously.


    After all, anyone who had seen Han Li emerge from his ice-sealed state would realize the severe depletion of his Qi, a condition that clearly couldn¡¯t be recovered from in just a few years.


    At that moment, a waiter from the teahouse downstairs brought up a pot of fine tea, and after Han Li exchanged a few more words with the two ladies, he leisurely began to taste it.


    After finishing the tea, the middle-aged man finally spoke, and shockingly, he started chatting with Han Li about some ancient texts and damaged books collected in his residence.


    One would never have guessed his true identity as a hardened warrior-he could easily be mistaken for a destitute scholar.


    However, this General Zhunan spoke with constant grace and elegance, always smiling as he talked, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by him, feeling a spontaneous burst of goodwill.


    Adding to this, although he himself wasn¡¯t much interested in poetry or books, in his quest years ago to find Ancient Pill Recipes and secret techniques, he had perused countless ancient volumes and knew many secret tales.


    He casually mentioned a few, eliciting admiration from General Zhunan who eagerly kept asking questions.


    As a result, after just a few exchanges, Han Li and the middle-aged man were thoroughly enjoying their conversation, leaving the two women somewhat neglected.


    Seeing this, Miss Wang turned to Cao Mengrong with a wry smile, feeling somewhat gloomy herself.


    Her father was great in all respects, fond of collecting old books, antiquities, and especially interested in various secret rumors from the barbaric ancient times.


    Now this ¡°Senior Han¡± seemed to know a lot about these matters, and their conversation hinted at a sense of kinship.


    Cao Mengrong, however, didn¡¯t seem to mind much, quietly sitting to the side and listening to their talk.


    Occasionally, her gaze swept across Han Li¡¯s face before swiftly turning away, seeming a bit evasive.


    Miss Wang, observing this behavior, couldn¡¯t help but smile to herself.


    Through her journey and heart-to-heart conversations with this junior sister Cao, she had implicitly understood that her junior sister harbored feelings for the man before her.


    Whenever she spoke of him, her face would blush, a sign of her unforgotten yearning over the years.


    This made Miss Wang always imagine this ¡°Fellow Daoist Han¡± as an exceptionally handsome and dashing man which made her choosy junior sister so deeply infatuated.


    However, seeing Han Li in person today, she couldn¡¯t help but shake her head in disbelief.


    This Loose Cultivator named Han Li had nothing to do with being handsome or dashing, he was just exceedingly ordinary.


    Moreover, as someone likely in the Core Formation Stage, his lifespan was far greater than her junior sister¡¯s, who seemed almost hopeless in reaching Foundation Establishment, not an ideal match!


    As Miss Wang pondered this, she considered whether she should intervene against this ill-fated romance.


    In her view, even though Han Li¡¯s cultivation might be higher, as the daughter of General Zhunan, she believed it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to make him back down.


    If necessary, she could ask the two Core Formation experts in their residence to intervene, forcing him to leave obediently.


    ¡°So it turns out, the great upheaval in the world back then was due to unstable tears in space, allowing demons from Otherworld to invade the human world,¡± Wang said, genuinely intrigued.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard such a theory.


    Even the two Core Formation Immortal Masters at my father¡¯s residence have never mentioned this to Wang before.


    Brother Han, you really know everything!


    You¡¯ve greatly broadened my perspective.


    However, I have another question I¡¯d like to ask.


    There¡¯s a legend about an Immortal Mountain named ¡®Kunwu,¡¯ said to be the dwelling place of a True Immortal from the heavensa€|¡± General Zhunan seemed not yet satisfied and was about to inquire further when suddenly, Han Li emitted a dragon¡¯s cry-like sound from within him.


    Though the sound wasn¡¯t loud, everyone present heard it clearly and stared at Han Li in astonishment.


    Han Li¡¯s expression drastically changed as a flash of green light enveloped him, and the next moment, he vanished from his chair.


    The two women were startled and hurriedly looked around, only to find Han Li mysteriously standing outside the tea pavilion, looking up at the sky with a serious expression.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what happened?


    Is there a Daoist paper talisman inside you?


    Are you a Core Formation Cultivator?¡± Miss Wang murmured, her face showing shock.


    Cao Mengrong beside her held a handkerchief tightly in her hands, her complexion pale as she gazed at Han Li silently.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I just sensed an old friend passing by overhead at a high speed, too fast to catch up with.


    As for the sound just now, it indeed was my Life Origin Flying Sword acting up.


    I¡¯ve made General Wang and both of you laugh.


    However, this means I can¡¯t continue the journey with you.


    I have urgent matters to attend to; I must take my leave now,¡± Han Li quickly regained his composure, then turned to the middle-aged man and the two ladies, bowing apologetically.


    Then, without waiting for others to say anything, he stomped his foot and transformed into a green rainbow about ten feet long, shooting up into the sky.


    This scene was witnessed by several merchants who had just come out from another teahouse, causing them to kneel immediately and shout loudly in worship:


    ¡°An Immortal Master, an Immortal Master just soared into the skya€|¡±


    ¡°From that very spota€|¡±


    The nearby teahouse erupted into commotion, as everyone clamored out.


    (First update!) (To be continueda€|.Charting the future course?


    Please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters to support the author and authentic reading!)

 Chapter 937 - Chapter 937 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 934 A Jumping Jack

    ?Chapter 937: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 934 A Jumping Jack Chapter 937: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 934 A Jumping Jack After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li¡¯s silhouette appeared atop a not-so-high mountain peak.


    From a distance, he could barely make out the huge city gates and the bustling carriages and pedestrians in front, his expression as gloomy as water.


    ¡°Forget it.


    Now that I know this demon is indeed in Great Jin, it¡¯s an unexpected gain.


    You will always have the opportunity to snatch back the flying swords, but now is not the best time.


    Your cultivation has not fully recovered, and the Three Flame Fan has not been refined.


    Even though this demon had been severely injured earlier, with his overbearing magic techniques that absorb souls and consume elixirs, he has probably recovered much by now.


    If you confront him now, your chances of winning are not high,¡± the voice of Monarch Great Development transmitted calmly to Han Li¡¯s divine sense.


    ¡°What Senior said is correct, even if I do catch up now, the chances of retrieving them are only one or two out of ten.


    This ancient demon is indeed too formidable.


    Previously, I was just eager to retrieve the flying swords so I could deploy the Aureate Sword Formation, hence the rush.


    It seems I¡¯ll have to wait until your puppet and that fan are refined before challenging this demon again.


    However, it seems the demon has urgent matters, fleeing so quickly that he has never noticed our presence.


    But clearly, he can¡¯t handle the two Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords; he can neither subdue them nor bear to discard them.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    With Golden Lightning Bamboo as the main material, mixed with ice crystal pillar and Geng Scripture, these two flying swords are indeed incomparable to ordinary Magic Artifacts.


    Even if he wants to destroy these swords, he would have to deplete his Qi significantly and refine them with Nascent flames bit by bit.


    The demon would never do such a thankless task,¡± Han Li said with a cold laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true.


    But then again, if you could really spend all your efforts refining those dozens of flying swords with Nascent flames for four or five hundred years each and use them to form a Sword Array, its terrifying power might not be inferior to a Spiritual Treasure,¡± Monarch Great Development sighed with some emotion.


    Back in his most glorious days, he had never aspired to use such rare materials to craft his magic treasures.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe.


    But I can¡¯t afford to spend most of my lifespan just to cultivate Magic Artifacts,¡± Han Li said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re much wiser than I was.


    If I had been half as cautious as you in my time, I would have entered the Divinity Transformation Stage earlier.


    This demon showing up in Jinjing now is highly likely to attend the auction event.


    Han Li, you must be extra vigilant not to be recognized by this demon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Senior.


    I will be careful.


    I originally planned to rely on the power of General Zhunan¡¯s mansion to find out the details of the auction.


    It seems I¡¯ll have to inquire myself.


    If I remember correctly, there is a tavern in Jinjing also owned by the Feng Family.


    Let¡¯s go there first to avoid staying in an inn and attracting undue attention,¡± Han Li muttered softly.


    Straightening his clothes, he strode down the mountain and headed directly for the huge city gates in the distance.


    Although Jinjing City had been praised by ordinary mortals and some low-level cultivators as being beautiful and majestic, unparalleled in the world, to Han Li¡¯s eyes, this city was several notches below the Stalwart Star City in the Scattered Stars Sea, the greatest city he had ever seen.


    But Jinjing had its own unique features.


    Not to mention, besides the outermost city wall, from the outside in, every mile featured the construction of another six huge walls, each one rising five or six zhang above the previous one.


    The last and tallest stone wall even stood more than forty zhang high; built with just the strength of mortals, it indeed was a remarkable feat.


    Besides having many walls, Jinjing was divided into thirteen major districts.


    The imperial city in the far north alone spanned tens of miles, and the other districts were not much smaller, also covering vast areas.


    However, compared to Stalwart Star City, Jinjing¡¯s streets and buildings were densely packed, as numerous as cow hair.


    Walking through two districts from the city gate to an area within the city, Han Li had spent almost half a day.


    This made him, who was not accustomed to such speed for a long time, frown inwardly.


    Now, looking at the two-story tavern in front of him, Han Li, with an imperceptible expression, stepped in with his hands casually clasped behind his back.


    The tavern¡¯s business was rather good at the moment, with most of the tables occupied by guests.


    After Han Li glanced around casually, he walked straight to the counter where a lanky middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper stood.


    When Han Li approached, without any pleasantries, his figure swayed left and right, blocking most of the other people¡¯s gazes, and with a flick of his sleeve, a Jade Pendant quietly appeared on the counter.


    The pendant was face up, with the characters ¡°Guan Ning Feng¡± inscribed on it.


    Upon seeing the Jade Pendant, the shopkeeper¡¯s complexion changed slightly.


    After sizing up Han Li, he calmly picked up the pendant and examined it carefully.


    A moment later, the man suddenly put away the Jade Pendant and spoke in a lowered voice,


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    The shopkeeper turned and, without the other guests noticing, walked toward a side door on the first floor of the tavern.


    Han Li followed him through the door.


    ¡°So the esteemed young master has arrived.


    I, Feng Quan, pay my respects to the young master,¡± the shopkeeper led Han Li into a secluded room, immediately handed the Jade Pendant back with both hands, and spoke respectfully.


    It seemed he also mistook him for the now deceased Feng Yue.


    ¡°Find me a place to stay where I won¡¯t be disturbed by anyone.


    It cannot be in this tavern, preferably somewhere nearby with no other people.


    You¡¯re the only one who needs to know about my arrival here.


    Don¡¯t let a second person in this tavern find out,¡± Han Li commanded without any courtesy, speaking coldly.


    ¡°Yes, I will arrange accommodations for the young master right away.


    Please rest here a while, young master.


    It will only take a half-day,¡± the shopkeeper Feng said without hesitation, seemingly quite capable.


    ¡°Good, make it quick,¡± Han Li nodded, giving his approval.


    After that, shopkeeper Feng bowed out of the room, carefully closed the door, and hurried away.


    Han Li then casually pulled over a chair to sit down and closed his eyes to rest in the room.


    After some time, Han Li¡¯s expression shifted as he opened his eyes upon hearing footsteps outside the door again.


    A few moments later, Shopkeeper Feng burst in, full of excitement.


    ¡°Young Master, I have found a suitable place.


    The owner of the residence is an old acquaintance of mine; his entire family has moved away and left the house vacant.


    They won¡¯t be coming back for the next couple of years.


    I made some slight arrangements there.


    You can move in right away.¡±


    ¡°Mm, well done.


    Lead the way,¡± Han Li praised as he spoke.


    ¡°Thank you for your undeserved praise, Young Master.


    Please follow me,¡± Shopkeeper Feng said respectfully as he walked a few steps ahead, with Han Li following him out of the room.


    As they exited through the back door of the tavern, a fairly new two-wheeled carriage awaited at the entrance, with an old man of slight stoop sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been considerate to prepare the carriage too.


    But didn¡¯t I tell you not to mention my arrival to any other staff of the tavern?


    What¡¯s the deal with this man?¡± Han Li glanced at the carriage and then scrutinized the white-haired and bearded old coachman, narrowing his eyes slightly.


    ¡°Reporting to Young Master, this old Daoist Wu is hard of hearing and can¡¯t perceive any spoken words, so he won¡¯t be saying anything out of turn.


    Besides, the residence is a bit far from here, and it¡¯s necessary to travel by carriage,¡± Shopkeeper Feng replied with respect.


    ¡°I see, alright then.¡± Han Li frowned slightly, but after a moment of contemplation, he still boarded the carriage.


    Shopkeeper Feng also got into the carriage.


    Without waiting for their instructions, the stooped old man shook the reins on his own accord, and the carriage slowly moved forward.


    Han Li sat cross-legged inside the carriage, closed his eyes once more, and remained expressionless.


    Shopkeeper Feng sat quietly in a corner of the carriage, head bowed in silence.


    The carriage didn¡¯t move quickly.


    After passing through a dozen streets, both large and small, it suddenly changed direction, heading for another district.


    An hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a secluded courtyard.


    There were truly no other dwellings nearby.


    It stood alone, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.


    Han Li and Shopkeeper Feng disembarked, one after the other.


    ¡°This is the place, Young Master!


    I will go in first and check if the servants have properly tidied up the house for you,¡± Shopkeeper Feng said with a smile, taking a few steps forward and about to push open the door.


    But at that moment, a faint voice from Han Li rose from behind, ¡°Do you intend to escape into the front restrictive formations first, then let the three inside take me down?¡±


    Hearing this, Shopkeeper Feng was immensely startled and, without further thought, his figure lunged forward, violently pushing the door in front of him, trying to rush into the nearby courtyard.


    But just then, a red line eerily surfaced behind Shopkeeper Feng¡¯s head, piercing through him in a flash.


    Instantly, a blaze engulfed his body, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to nothingness.


    The stooped old man sitting on the carriage, upon witnessing Han Li¡¯s action, cried out without hesitation, ¡°Attack!¡±


    With that, he flung his hand, unleashing a green glowing dagger that turned into a streak of azure light, slashing swiftly towards Han Li.


    Simultaneously, a yellow fog burst forth from the seemingly peaceful and uninhabited courtyard, quickly enveloping the entire yard.


    From within the fog, a black flying pitchfork and two fiery red spears shot forth, all converging on Han Li.


    Han Li sneered, flicking his sleeve casually at the approaching azure rainbow.


    A verdant mist rolled out from his sleeve, sweeping up the light of the dagger and then spiraling back into the sleeve.


    His other hand nonchalantly reached out towards the three incoming Spiritual Artifacts, and a greenish ghostly hand emerged in the air, lightning-fast seizing them.


    The flying pitchfork and spears were grabbed, rendered completely motionless.


    Exclamations of shock came from within the yellow fog, while the stooped old man turned pale upon seeing this.


    The adversary before him effortlessly took their Magic Artifacts-what that signified, he was well aware.


    Without hesitation, the old man flipped his palm over, producing a Daoist paper talisman glowing faintly with blood red light.


    Gritting his teeth, he sprayed a mouthful of blood essence onto the talisman.


    In an instant, the talisman turned into a blood cloud enveloping him and burst into the sky, whisking the old man away to a spot ten yards above in the blink of an eye.


    The cultivators within the yellow fog reacted just as quickly, with three differently colored orbs shooting out and scattering in all directions, desperately fleeing.


    (Second update!)(To be continued, for more details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 938 - Chapter 938 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 935 The Might of the Three Corpses

    ?Chapter 938: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 935 The Might of the Three Corpses Chapter 938: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 935 The Might of the Three Corpses Han Li¡¯s expression darkened.


    He flicked his fingers toward the three who had just set off, and three streaks of Sword Qi slashed down.


    The three had barely flown out a few yards when they were engulfed and submerged by the bluish-green sword light that caught up to them first.


    Three screams suddenly erupted from within the sword light, and several bursts of blood rain fell out of thin air, filling the air with the stench of blood.


    On the other side, the hunchbacked old man looked back in the midst of the blood mist and saw this scene.


    He was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body.


    Without regard for the consequences, he poured all his Spiritual Power into the blood mist around him.


    His flying speed instantly increased by a third, and he was about to escape into a street dozens of yards away.


    He didn¡¯t hope to truly shake off Han Li¡¯s pursuit.


    As long as he could make it to where ordinary mortals mixed, the other party, having major apprehensions, would find it inconvenient to make a move, and he might be able to temporarily save his own life.


    But Han Li, who hadn¡¯t moved from his original spot, let out a cold snort.


    He pointed lightly at the receding blood mist.


    The red thread that had killed Shopkeeper Feng suddenly appeared a few feet behind the blood mist, then a flash of red light pierced through it.


    After a wail, the blood mist dispersed, and the hunchbacked old man plummeted straight from the sky.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    Then, a greenish light hand flew over ghostlike, tossed aside the three Spiritual Artifacts, and grabbed the old man in one swoop, circling once before flying towards Han Li.


    The red thread, meanwhile, flickered in midair, silently vanishing into thin air, erasing its trail.


    But in the next moment, it reappeared before Han Li.


    Han Li raised his hand, and it slowly fell into his palm, revealing itself to be a flying needle about an inch long.


    This needle was crystal clear, neither metallic nor wooden, and its surface emitted a red glow that varied in intensity, which was quite eerie.


    Han Li glanced at the flying needle in his hand and revealed a satisfied expression.


    He had spent quite a bit of effort with the Crystalized Demon Pill to refine this flying needle, and its power seemed quite impressive indeed.


    At the very least, both its flying speed and its ability to conceal its tracks met his expectations.


    Moreover, as a Daoist paper talisman, if cultivated a bit more, its power could be further enhanced.


    With a flip of his palm, the flying needle disappeared from sight, stored within his body.


    Only then did he raise his head to look at the hunchbacked old man who had been brought back by the light hand, his face expressionless.


    At this moment, the old man had a hole the size of a thumb through his abdomen.


    His body was firmly grasped by the light hand, unable to move a muscle, and his face was utterly bloodless.


    Upon seeing Han Li look over, fear surged in the old man¡¯s heart.


    He forced a smile and hurriedly ingratiated himself with a sycophantic tone, ¡°Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding.


    A senior with your divine powers can¡¯t possibly be the person we were looking for.


    I must have got the wrong man.


    Senior, you are magnanimous; please don¡¯t stoop to the level of someone like me.


    I¡¯m a retainer from the Kong Family in Jinjing¡­


    If there is anything you wish to ask, I will tell you everything¡­¡± The old man, seemingly aware that his situation was rather dire, blurted out a barrage of words, hoping one of them might move his pursuer and spare his life.


    But at this time, Han Li casually threw a Daoist paper talisman at the old man, and the pleas for mercy that had been spilling from his lips came to an abrupt halt.


    His eyes instantly became dull and lost.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself.


    As for what Han has to find out, it¡¯s more reliable to investigate personally,¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    He waved toward the Spiritual Artifacts on the ground, drawing them into his hand, then turned and walked toward the courtyard.


    The green light hand, still grasping the old man tightly, trailed after Han Li, floating into the courtyard.


    There was a very simple illusionary array set up in the courtyard.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t see through it.


    He casually cast several spell incantations with his hands, breaking the array.


    Then, holding onto the old man, he entered one of the rooms.


    ¡­


    After the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li casually conjured a fireball, turning the old man lying on the ground into ashes, allowing him to vanish from the world unknowingly.


    Han Li then sat down on a wooden chair in the room, propped his chin with one hand, and fell into deep thought.


    He had just used the Dreamtear Technique to nearly empty the old man of all he knew without having to consider sparing his consciousness.


    This hunchbacked old man was, as he had just claimed, a retained official of the Kong Family in Jinjing.


    This person was indeed capable.


    Two years ago, because of a minor issue, Shopkeeper Feng from the Feng Family had been located by him.


    After some intimidation, Shopkeeper Feng had no choice but to submit to the Kong Family.


    After all, how could an ordinary mortal dare to confront a cultivator.


    Han Li had used Feng Yue¡¯s jade pendant to find Shopkeeper Feng, and naturally, the latter had sold out the old man and others, hoping to score significant merit through this.


    The elder was ecstatic upon hearing that he had found the long-sought-after great grandson of the Feng Family and would not pass up the opportunity.


    He immediately set a trap, preparing to ambush this ¡°Feng Yue¡± in person.


    But the moment Han Li stepped out of the tavern, he saw through the elder¡¯s inferior Restraining Breath Technique and suspected that something was wrong with Shopkeeper Feng.


    He was not afraid of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but with many ordinary mortals around the tavern, it was equally inconvenient to take action.


    So, he took the opportunity to investigate further and rode a carriage to this location.


    As a result, the elder and the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were in ambush were effortlessly wiped out by him, like crushing a few ants.


    Han Li didn¡¯t care in the slightest about these events, as he had already anticipated such a scenario.


    After all, even if Core Formation experts had ambushed his real self here, it would have been a laughing matter.


    But Han Li was greatly surprised by another piece of information he found while searching through the consciousness of the hunchbacked old man.


    It turned out that shortly after the grand meeting organized by the alliance of the three families had ended, the Patriarch of the Kong Family was revealed to have been a demonic being who devoured a Primordial Spirit and possessed a body.


    The other two family heads, together with a group of high-level cultivators from supporting sects, killed the possessed elder of the Kong Family on the spot, not even the Primordial Spirit escaped.


    As a result, the Kong Family¡¯s strength dwindled, plummeting from the leader of the three to the very bottom.


    However, just then, King Xuan Ye, who was originally hidden deep in the Snow Tomb Mountain Range, learned of his subordinates¡¯ destruction and flew into a furor.


    He directly raised the ancient tomb from the ground, released thousands of corpse guards with Foundation Establishment cultivation, and brazenly laid out the Yellow Springs Ghost Array, bursting forth from the range.


    Subsequently, the members of the three families and the high-level cultivators who had joined forces were engaged in a fierce battle with the Three Corpses from the ancient tomb.


    While they managed to destroy many refined corpses, the lower-level cultivators of the three families were also devoured by the ghost array in substantial numbers.


    As for the few Nascent Soul experts, they also gained no advantage against the Three Corpses who relied on the ancient tomb and the ghost array, even suffering severe wounds in the process due to carelessness.


    After the battle, the three families and the Sect cultivators found themselves completely trapped on the mountain where the grand assembly was held, barely able to protect themselves with a few large arrays that had been laid out earlier.


    In fact, this was partly because the sect cultivators had underestimated Old Devil Zenith Yin after unexpectedly injuring King Xuan Ye, believing he would be easy to handle.


    However, once he depended on the ancient tomb, King Xuan Ye immediately exhibited strength almost equivalent to that of late Nascent Soul cultivators, becoming a wholly different entity.


    The other two Corpses also possessed early Nascent Soul stage cultivation, resulting in a significant setback upon engagement and a loss of combat power for their opponents.


    The rest is history.


    King Xuan Ye, though powerful in his mana, caused such commotion that after trapping these cultivators for over a month, he eventually caught the attention of a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator from the nearby Daoist Sects, who arrived and used a Great Divine Power that shook heaven and earth, startling the Three Corpses into retreating back into the depths of the Snow Tomb Mountain Range.


    The late-Nascent Soul cultivator did not give chase and left as suddenly as he had appeared.


    The cultivators of the three families, upon being saved, naturally did not dare to linger around and withdrew all their forces from the vicinity of the range, lest King Xuan Ye reappeared.


    The Three Corpses, wary of the late Nascent Soul cultivator possibly interfering again, dared not easily emerge from the mountains, and thus the conflict was paused.


    Of course, what Han Li learned was just a part of what the old man knew, but considering his own encounter with the gravely injured King Xuan Ye after leaving Feng¡¯s Hideout, he guessed most of the true situation and could not help marveling at it for a while.


    King Xuan Ye was quite fierce.


    Having been severely injured in a battle with the Hermit of the Howling Sands in the Snow Tomb Mountain Range, he had managed to stir up such a major incident in such a short time, appearing as though his Qi had fully recovered.


    However, Han Li, who himself had consumed countless panaceas, was well aware that it was impossible for any medicinal pills in this world to restore one¡¯s Qi so quickly.


    Even with an ample supply of medicinal pills, he had not yet regained his peak cultivation.


    There could only be one explanation: Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s millennium-aged Corpse King body was extremely powerful, or the cultivation technique he practiced had some unique Divine Power for recuperating Qi at such an astonishing rate.


    Talking of Corpse King¡¯s Divine Powers, Han Li could not help but think of the Heavenly Corpse Pearl inside his body.


    While practicing the King Ming Art, he had already experienced the pearl¡¯s wondrous efficacy.


    Otherwise, relying solely on the Vajra Relic, it was uncertain whether he could have cultivated the second layer of the King Ming Art.


    Such remarkable effects from the pearl suggested that King Xuan Ye¡¯s swift Qi recovery might be related to the pearl after all.


    After silently pondering for a while, Han Li pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, starting to plan his next moves in Jinjing.


    As for lodging, it went without saying that since the residence had connections with Shopkeeper Feng, it was not a place to stay for long.


    Otherwise, once Shopkeeper Feng was missing for a few days, people would surely come looking here, which could get messy.


    It was better to find a Daoist temple or a monastery to rent for a while.


    These places were relatively quiet, far better than any inn.


    Additionally, he needed to visit the local city market for cultivators in Jinjing to inquire about the details of the upcoming auction.


    Soon after, Han Li had finished considering his options, and with that, he left the residence without a trace.


    (First update!) (To be continued¡­


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support for the author and genuine reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 939 - Chapter 939 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 936 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion

    ?Chapter 939: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 936 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Chapter 939: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 936 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Han Li spent some time and finally found a small, unknown Daoist temple in the city, where all the Taoists were truly ordinary mortals with no mana whatsoever.


    Han Li was satisfied with this and immediately donated some silver, which persuaded the temple¡¯s residents to let him stay temporarily.


    After spending a night in the temple, early the next morning, Han Li left the Daoist temple and headed straight to a school he had discovered during the day that had the presence of cultivators.


    Since the school was located in Jinjing and seemed quite sizable, it undoubtedly had some history and definite connections to the Confucian Sect.


    However, Han Li did not care about this.


    As he quietly infiltrated the school, his figure appeared in front of an elderly scholar, and he released his strong Nascent Soul aura without any attempt to conceal it.


    The elderly scholar was initially shocked upon seeing Han Li, hastily gathering all his mana, but as soon as he clearly saw Han Li¡¯s true cultivation level, the expression on his face relaxed, and he gave up his guard.


    He then stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Han Li:


    ¡°Does the senior have any matters in which this junior can serve?¡±


    ¡°You are quite perceptive.


    I indeed have a small matter; tell me about the locations of a few city markets in Jinjing, and any information you know about the auctions,¡± Han Li said gently with a smile.


    ¡°There is no problem with the market locations!


    This junior will immediately copy the maps onto a white jade slip.


    As for the auction matters, I don¡¯t know much, but what would the senior like to know?¡± The elderly scholar responded without hesitation, quickly taking out a white jade slip from his storage pouch and began to transfer the maps of the market locations into it.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    ¡°I want to know the exact times and venues of the auctions, and if there are any rare materials being sold in this auction,¡± Han Li¡¯s smile faded slightly as he asked indifferently.


    ¡°No problem with the time and venue.


    The auction will be held in nine days at the Treasure Light Hall in Jinxi Market, organized as two levels of auctions: Core Formation and Nascent Soul.


    Each level will be held concurrently.


    Nascent Soul experts may participate in the Core Formation auctions, but Core Formation cultivators cannot enter the Nascent Soul auctions.


    As for what materials will be on sale, it¡¯s hard for this junior to answer.


    It¡¯s a large auction organized by several of Great Jin¡¯s biggest markets, and it¡¯s difficult for outsiders to know what will be up for sale.


    However, based on past experience, there will be at least a hundred rare materials, and some seniors might also temporarily bring their own rare items to be auctioned off.


    The auction usually lasts five to six days,¡± the old scholar replied honestly.


    ¡°I see, Treasure Light Hall!¡± Han Li murmured to himself with a slight nod.


    ¡°Senior, the jade slip has been prepared.


    Please take it,¡± said the old scholar, finally finishing the jade slip and presenting it to Han Li with both hands.


    Han Li silently reached out and grabbed the jade slip, scanning it with his Divine Sense, then nodded his head in satisfaction.


    ¡°Very well, do not mention to anyone about me being here today, or else, hehea€|¡± Han Li chuckled ominously, a green light flashing around him as he suddenly disappeared on the spot.


    The old scholar¡¯s eyes twitched, and he sat down in his chair, furrowing his brows in contemplation.


    After quite some time, he swept his Divine Sense around the room and found it empty, as if no one else had been there.


    Finally, the old scholar let out a deep breath, his face showing a wry smile.


    ¡­


    After leaving the school, Han Li carefully looked through the jade slip and then headed straight for Jinxi Market.


    The so-called Jinxi Market was actually a small area hidden with a sophisticated concealment array, constantly covering a secluded street on the west side of Jinjing City.


    As Han Li appeared at the entrance of the market, he easily passed through the invisible barriers unnoticed by ordinary mortals and suddenly appeared on a relatively quiet street.


    Of course, this quietness was relative to the bustling activity of ordinary mortals outside; looking around, at least hundreds of cultivators were entering and exiting the shops on either side of the street.


    Although Han Li didn¡¯t use his Divine Sense to carefully scan the whole street, he knew that given the upcoming auction, there must be Nascent Soul experts overseeing Jinxi Market.


    Otherwise, organizing such a large auction wouldn¡¯t be so straightforward.


    Thinking this, Han Li walked slowly, constantly scanning the shops on either side.


    This Jinxi Market was visibly different from the markets Han Li had seen in various places in Southern Great Jin; almost all the buildings on both sides were two to three stories tall, each looking financially robust and representing substantial businesses.


    However, some of the shop names were indeed familiar to Han Li, having been seen in other markets.


    It seemed that some powerful businesses in Great Jin¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators had set up branches here.


    Since this was the case, there was no need for detailed identification; Han Li, carrying a list of several materials he needed to collect, began to inquire shop by shop.


    However, the items that Han Li had not yet obtained were naturally extremely rare, not easily found.


    Han Li was not in a hurry.


    He had not expected to easily find the required materials in the market, but was just taking advantage of the situation.


    He actually had another important matter to attend to in the market.


    Participating in the auction would definitely require a large amount of spirit stones.


    Han Li originally had quite a few spirit stones, but after a masked cultivator underwent a fiend demon transformation and collected other materials, most of them had been spent.


    Now facing such a large-scale auction, the spirit stones he had left were naturally insufficient.


    Han Li planned to find a large shop to sell some rare items in exchange for some spirit stones.


    Because a huge amount of spirit stones was needed, the buyer naturally had to be financially strong.


    When Han Li arrived in front of a three-story tall pavilion, he couldn¡¯t help but squint his eyes slightly.


    This pavilion was obviously much larger than the pavilions of other shops in front.


    Moreover, there were quite a few cultivators coming in and out, which seemed like a potential seller.


    However, Han Li felt a jolt in his heart when he saw the sign hanging on the front door of the pavilion that read ¡°Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion¡± in three huge golden characters.


    Could this ¡°Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion¡± be the one that specialized in selling items from the Heavenly Mechanism Chamber?


    After hesitating briefly, Han Li still walked in.


    The first floor of the pavilion was spacious, three or four measures in length and width.


    Five or six handsome, Qi Refinement Realm attendants were introducing some items on the shelves around to several customers by pointing here and there.


    As soon as Han Li walked in, an attendant with a smiling face came over, apparently intending to greet him.


    ¡°Step back, I¡¯ll take care of this senior,¡± said a middle-aged man in a white robe, enjoying a pot of fragrant tea while sitting in a corner of the hall.


    After sweeping his divine sense over Han Li¡¯s cultivation, he immediately put down his teacup with a shocked expression and hastily stopped the attendant.


    The middle-aged man then straightened his clothes, walked over in a few steps, and gave Han Li a respectful bow, saying,


    ¡°Senior, it is an honor for our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to have you here.


    There is naturally nothing of interest to a senior like you on the first floor.


    How about following me to the third floor to discuss further?¡±


    ¡°Good, I was indeed looking for someone in charge here,¡± Han Li said with a flicker in his eyes and a calm tone.


    Then, under the middle-aged man¡¯s lead, Han Li went upstairs leisurely.


    The seven or eight cultivators buying items on the first floor, upon seeing this, naturally realized that Han Li was a Nascent Soul expert, and a burst of commotion immediately ensued.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a Nascent Soul senior!


    This is my first time seeing one.


    How can he look so young?¡±


    ¡°It looks like the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion is about to make a big deal.


    Tsk tska€|¡±


    A series of astonished and amazed voices followed one after another.


    The third floor of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was not large, but it was elegantly decorated.


    When the middle-aged man brought the guest up, two beautiful young female cultivators immediately brewed some high-quality tea and served it.


    ¡°Senior, please try this.


    This is Misty Rain Spirit Tea, which our pavilion has purchased at a great cost.


    It has a unique flavor,¡± the middle-aged man said as soon as Han Li sat down, introducing it with a smiling face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush to taste the tea.


    Let¡¯s first see if your pavilion has the materials I want to purchase.


    To be honest, I¡¯ve already visited quite a few places before coming here.


    None of them had any of the items I wanted, so I don¡¯t have much hope for your Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion either,¡± Han Li stated calmly without even taking a look at the Misty Rain Spirit Tea.


    Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a green jade slip appeared on the table from thin air.


    ¡°Since senior is in such a hurry, I¡¯ll take a look first.


    But since the previous shops didn¡¯t have what you wanted, these materials must not be ordinary,¡± the middle-aged man said with a smile.


    He immediately extended his hand toward the jade slip, drew it into his hand, and then submerged his divine sense into it to take a look.


    Shortly after, the middle-aged man¡¯s face slightly changed.


    As for Han Li, his expression remained unchanged.


    This reaction was not new to him, as he had seen it many times on the faces of the managers in the previous shops.


    It was no surprise, given that the materials he was seeking were indeed hard to find in the world.


    In fact, two of them were so rare that ordinary cultivators would not have even heard of them.


    ¡°No wonder senior found nothing in the previous shops.


    These materials are indeed not something ordinary shops would have access to.


    Except for a small piece of ¡®Thunder Spirit Stone,¡¯ our pavilion is helpless with the rest,¡± the white-robed middle-aged man said with a wry smile after withdrawing his divine sense from the jade slip.


    ¡°You have Lightning Spirit Crystals?¡± Han Li, who had been prepared for another disappointment, couldn¡¯t help but show a look of surprise at these words.


    ¡°Indeed, senior is quite fortunate.


    This piece of Thunder Spirit Stone was just recently acquired by our pavilion.


    However, there is some trouble with it; this rare material is not owned by our pavilion but is kept here by another Nascent Soul expert who is on good terms with us, in preparation for exchanging it for other items.


    If it can¡¯t be exchanged, it is planned to be auctioned at the auction a few days from now,¡± the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before saying something that made Han Li pause.


    (Second update!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 940 - Chapter 940 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 937 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion

    ?Chapter 940: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 937 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Chapter 940: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 937 Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion ¡°Exchanging items, I wonder what you would like to exchange?


    I also happen to have some items in hand that could be used for an exchange,¡± Han Li stroked his chin and said.


    ¡°The materials and medicinal pills this senior wishes to exchange are all right here.


    Although they may not be as rare as what the senior had just collected, they are also hard to find in the world, otherwise this Lightning Spirit Crystal would have been exchanged long ago.


    This is an excellent material for refining thunder attribute magic artifacts.¡± The middle-aged cultivator was not surprised by Han Li¡¯s words and reminded him before handing over a jade slip that had already been prepared.


    Han Li took the jade slip into his hand and examined it with his divine sense, noncommittally.


    The middle-aged man in white robes carefully observed the expressions on Han Li¡¯s face, trying to discern something; unfortunately, Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing.


    This left the middle-aged man feeling somewhat disappointed and muttering to himself in secret.


    ¡°What is the origin of this senior Han in the Nascent Soul Stage before me?


    Not only does he look so young, but the materials he collects are also so rare.


    Logically, there are quite a few cultivators who can retain their youthful appearance upon advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage, but most of them are female.


    Although there are male cultivators who can also maintain their appearance, he does not seem to be one of those old eccentrics with such looks and attire!


    Could it really be a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator?¡±


    Although the white-robed middle-aged man sensed that Han Li was in the Nascent Soul Stage, a more detailed judgment of his cultivation level was as unclear as mist on Han Li.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    He only knew that Han Li seemed to be stronger than the other early Nascent Soul cultivators he had met before.


    This was the main reason he was trying so hard to please Han Li.


    Otherwise, with the backing of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators really wouldn¡¯t need him to be overly flattering.


    ¡°The items you need, I indeed can provide one or two types, but exactly how to exchange them will depend on seeing that Lightning Spirit Crystal first.


    If the quality of the Spirit Crystal is too poor, it would be useless for me to take it.¡± After a little while, Han Li finally finished reading everything in the jade slip, casually threw it back to the middle-aged man, and said calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s natural.


    In that case, senior, this transaction is quite important, and Senior Fu is living near the city market.


    I¡¯ll send out a Sound Transmission Talisman right now and have the two seniors meet in person to discuss the transaction, how does that sound?¡± The middle-aged man thought for a moment and then said with a smile.


    ¡°Senior Fu?


    That¡¯s good, I would also like to meet this Fellow Daoist Fu.


    I need as many Spirit Crystals as possible, to see if this Fellow Daoist has any extra Lightning Spirit Crystals,¡± Han Li thought for a moment and then readily agreed.


    In his opinion, dealing with someone who could obtain such rare materials might mean they had other materials as well; it would be good to meet and inquire personally.


    ¡°If that is the case, please wait a moment, senior.


    I will send the message right now, and Senior Fu will be able to arrive shortly,¡± without any hesitation, the middle-aged man bowed with his hands and walked out of the three-layered hall.


    Han Li then leisurely picked up the Spiritual Tea in front of him, took a light sip, and found it mellow and sweet, truly extraordinary.


    Moments later, the middle-aged man returned, obviously having sent the Sound Transmission Talisman.


    At that moment, after taking two sips of the Spiritual Tea, Han Li glanced at the middle-aged man in front of him and suddenly asked:


    ¡°Does your Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion produce Heavenly Mechanism Chambers?


    I heard that your pavilion can refine High-Rank Tianji Houses that could shrink an entire mansion to the size of a palm and still be carried around, and they could even directly attach some powerful restrictive formations.


    Is that really true?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, the Heavenly Mechanism Chambers are indeed our pavilion¡¯s specialty Magic Artefacts.


    However, the type of Tianji House you mentioned is the highest rank of Tianji House we produce, which is called the Heavenly Mechanism Mansion.


    The materials used for this kind of mansion are too rare, and we hadn¡¯t made many to begin with.


    Besides a few that are not for sale, the rest have already been sold out,¡± the middle-aged man was startled by this but quickly explained with a smile.


    ¡°Not for sale, why?


    Doesn¡¯t your Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion sell them after producing them?¡± Han Li was somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Not hiding anything from senior, the remaining few pieces are either masterpieces among the Heavenly Mechanism Mansions, whether in size or the restrictive formations attached, they are far from comparable to those we previously sold.


    Therefore, these Heavenly Mechanism Mansions are deliberately retained by the higher-ups, and likewise, can only be exchanged for some rare items,¡± the middle-aged man explained somewhat awkwardly.


    ¡°So it¡¯s also an exchange of goods!


    That is quite interesting.


    But that shouldn¡¯t be a problem, as long as the Heavenly Mechanism Mansion is truly as miraculous as you say, I indeed want to exchange for one.


    Could you bring a few out first, and let me, Han Li, have a look?¡± Han Li¡¯s lips curved into a smile, clearly very interested.


    ¡°A few?


    Senior, you¡¯re joking; even though our pavilion is the main store in Jinjing, we only have one piece, and it is the treasure of our pavilion.


    The other few pieces are placed in other branches.


    However, the piece in our pavilion was personally refined by the Great Master of Artifact Refinement ¡®Hua Yunzi of our pavilion, and in terms of effectiveness, it is one of the top among all Heavenly Mechanism Mansions.


    Just the restrictive formations alone are almost enough to compare with a high-grade ancient treasure.


    Moreover, I am merely a manager in the pavilion and do not have the authority to make use of this treasure.


    This treasure is handled by Elder Wang in our pavilion.


    If senior is really interested, I can immediately ask Elder Wang from the secret room to discuss this matter with you.


    What needs to be exchanged can only be known by Elder Wang,¡± the middle-aged man perked up, hastily speaking.


    The stakes Han Li talked about were big, and if he could really make such a large deal, his position in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion would naturally skyrocket.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the case, wait then¡­¡± Han Li smiled faintly, about to say something when suddenly, his expression changed, and he abruptly stopped speaking.


    The middle-aged man was startled, not understanding the reason, but at that moment, the voice of an old man suddenly came from downstairs.


    ¡°Little Zhao, is there really someone who can produce what I want to exchange?


    I¡¯m in a crucial time in my cultivation, and I¡¯ve come here interrupting it just for this matter.¡±


    The voice was aged but had a full and resounding tone.


    Then came a series of ¡°thump, thump¡± footsteps, heavy, as if the person approaching was not light in weight.


    ¡°Since the junior has invited the elder, there naturally is indeed a matter of importance.


    How would I dare deceive the elder?¡± The white-robed middle-aged man now realized that his guest had arrived and quickly stood up to reply respectfully.


    At the entrance, a figure flickered ¡± a tall figure suddenly appeared there.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and sized up the newcomer.


    This was a tall, black-robed elder with a ruddy complexion and an astonishingly powerful spiritual aura, a top-tier mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.


    Han Li unintentionally furrowed his brows, slightly surprised.


    Upon hearing the words of the middle-aged manager, the red-faced elder glanced at Han Li and noted his youthful appearance and mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, his face showing a hint of surprise as well, but he quickly smiled and walked into the hall.


    ¡°This must be Fellow Daoist Han that Manager Zhao mentioned.


    Able to produce the materials I need, indeed not just any early Nascent Soul cultivator,¡± the red-faced elder said heartily with a laugh as he approached Han Li.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s your cultivation that impresses Han,¡± Han Li said with a smile, standing up and bowing his hands.


    ¡°At this age, for me to have only cultivated to this level, there¡¯s nothing admirable about it.


    I am a straightforward person, so I¡¯ll just ask directly.


    Fellow Daoist Han, you wish to exchange for Lightning Spirit Crystals.


    May I know what exactly you have to offer, and could you tell me a little about it?¡± As soon as the two sat down again, the red-faced elder impatiently asked, eager.


    ¡°I have nothing else, but I happen to have a fire-attributed Chi Jingzhi, over a thousand years old,¡± Han Li said calmly with a slight smile.


    The Scarlet Essence Mushroom wasn¡¯t the three-thousand-year-old one he had obtained at the first Tian Luo trading conference in exchange for grade seven demon cores but rather was grown from its seeds, carefully cultivated into a thousand-year-old spiritual medicine.


    ¡°A Scarlet Essence Mushroom?


    If it truly has matured for a thousand years, it indeed suffices to exchange for my Lightning Spirit Crystals.


    Could Fellow Daoist let me see it?¡± the elder with the surname Fu said delightedly upon hearing this.


    ¡°Of course, I carry the spiritual medicine with me.


    But about your spirit crystals, may I also take a look?¡± Han Li replied coolly.


    ¡°Oh, how forgetful of me.


    Of course, that should be done.


    Manager Zhao, bring out the stored spirit crystals for Fellow Daoist Han to see,¡± the elder said, taken aback for a moment before instructively calling out to a middle-aged man nearby.


    ¡°Yes, elder.


    I will personally retrieve them right away,¡± the white-robed middle-aged man promptly responded, then walked out of the hall.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s face seems unfamiliar, yet your cultivation has already advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    Where have you been secluded in your cultivation, Fellow Daoist?


    You must be a devoted cultivator, seldom interacting with others.


    Otherwise, with your cultivation level, I wouldn¡¯t have failed to recall any impression of you,¡± the red-faced elder curiously asked, sizing up Han Li during this interval.


    Han Li, hearing the elder was strategically trying to probe, just smiled.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist may not know, but it¡¯s nothing peculiar; Han has always been cultivating on a small island overseas and seldom set foot in the Great Jin inland,¡± he replied nonchalantly, having been prepared.


    ¡°So Fellow Daoist Han is an overseas cultivator; I truly owe you an apology.


    I¡¯ve long heard that there are many divine skill holders overseas with unique cultivation methods quite different from us inland cultivators.


    When I have time, I would indeed like to exchange cultivation insights with you.


    However, running such a long-distance to Jinjing, it seems you came specifically for the auction,¡± the red-faced elder suddenly realized, then said understandingly.


    It was probably only the Nascent Soul experts from overseas, in a place vast and boundless, who could remain incognito in Great Jin.


    The elder half-believed it in his heart.


    After chatting with Han Li for a few more sentences, there suddenly came the sound of footsteps outside the hall, followed by someone saying with a cheerful voice:


    ¡°Brother Fu visits our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, how come you didn¡¯t notify Wang?


    Fellow Daoist Han is also an honored guest; Wang should personally come to receive you.¡±


    As the voice fell, a silver-robed cultivator with a pale complexion walked into the hall.


    (To be continued.


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 941 - Chapter 941 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 938 Underground Trade Fair

    ?Chapter 941: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 938 Underground Trade Fair Chapter 941: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 938 Underground Trade Fair ¡°Hehe, Senior Brother Wang has rarely shown his face.


    I thought you would continue closed-door cultivation of the ¡®Turtle Spirit Art¡¯ and not come out.


    How dare I disturb Senior Brother Wang¡¯s quiet cultivation?¡± The elder with the surname Fu seemed to have known the silver-robed cultivator for a long time and greeted him very familiarly.


    ¡°I can only reach the seventh layer of the ¡®Turtle Spirit Art,¡¯ and I estimate I will not be able to advance to the mid Nascent Soul Stage in this lifetime.


    But I heard from Steward Zhao that someone suspected to be at the mid Nascent Soul Stage has come to our pavilion and wants to acquire the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, which has been kept by us for hundreds of years.


    Plus, with you here, Brother Fu, how could I not come out to meet you?¡± The silver-robed cultivator, over fifty years old, glanced at Han Li and slightly smiled as he cupped his hands in a salutation.


    Hearing this, Han Li realized that this person was Elder Wang, whom the middle-aged man in white had spoken of earlier.


    Upon sweeping his divine sense, he saw that the other party was an early Nascent Soul cultivator.


    However, his pale complexion was somewhat strange, evidently due to some peculiarities in his cultivation technique.


    ¡°Senior Brother Wang is too kind.


    I too have long heard of the great name of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and that¡¯s why I came to visit,¡± said Han Li, revealing a slight smile and returning the gesture.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han wants to trade for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion!


    Tsk tsk, it truly befits an overseas cultivator, such a grand gesture.


    It seems the saying about overseas abundant treasures is indeed true,¡± said the elder surnamed Fu somewhat surprised.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.??


    ¡°Though overseas there are indeed some rare materials, how could it compare to the abundant and diverse land of the inland?


    Both of you are jesting,¡± said Han Li noncommittally.


    However, this remark from Han Li naturally couldn¡¯t make the two Nascent Soul cultivators believe anything, but they also felt it improper to pry into overseas matters.


    Otherwise, being misunderstood by such a high-level cultivator as Han Li that they had ulterior motives would be no small matter.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man surnamed Zhao followed behind the silver-robed cultivator, swiftly stepping forward and placing one large and one small jade box on the table in front of Han Li before tactfully stepping back to the side.


    He clearly understood that with Elder Wang taking the initiative, there was naturally no need for him to say much.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist is interested in our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, I will bring this item over with Brother Fu¡¯s Thunder Spirit Stone to let you take a look first,¡± Elder Wang said courteously, pointing at the slightly larger jade box.


    ¡°Senior Brother Wang, let¡¯s have Brother Fu show Han Li the pavilion later.


    Let Brother Fu and Fellow Daoist Han complete their trade first,¡± the elder surnamed Fu said with a grin.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect Brother Fu to be so impatient.


    Well then, Brother Fu, please go ahead, I am also very interested to see what treasures Fellow Daoist Han will offer in exchange for the Lightning Spirit Crystal,¡± Elder Wang said with a faint smile.


    Hearing both of them speak such words, Han Li casually smiled and slapped his storage pouch, then flipped his hand and a palm-sized green wooden box appeared in his hand, on which two golden and silver Daoist paper talismans were attached.


    Seeing the wooden box handled with such care, the elder¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Han Li placed the wooden box on the table and pushed it gently; it silently slid in front of the elder.


    The elder suddenly perked up, held down the wooden box, then swept his sleeve across the table, sending the smaller jade box smoothly over to Han Li¡¯s side.


    Han Li displayed a satisfied expression and caught the jade box with a flip of his hand.


    He then slightly bowed his head and opened the lid of the box.


    A burst of silver-white light erupted from the box.


    Han Li¡¯s pupils flashed with a blue light and he immediately made out the object within the silver glow, a fist-sized silver-white stone.


    Han Li scrutinized the object for a while, then suddenly extended a finger, his fingertip flickering with a dancing green light that appeared and disappeared intermittently.


    With a flick of his wrist, the green light flashed, aiming straight at the silver stone in the box.


    The moment the green light touched the item in the box, a sudden loud clap of thunder sounded, and several thin silver arcs burst forth from the stone, effectively blocking the green light.


    ¡°Hmm, it really is a Lightning Spirit Crystal.


    It¡¯s just that the quality of this Spirit Crystal seems rather ordinary, slightly disappointing.


    But it will suffice for now,¡± Han Li sighed lightly, looking up and earnestly speaking to the red-faced elder.


    ¡°The best quality Lightning Spirit Crystals are not so easy to come by.


    This Spirit Crystal was only discovered by me from the belly of a rare thunder attribute demon beast after much hardship,¡± the elder surnamed Fu also finished evaluating the Scarlet Essence Mushroom in Han Li¡¯s wooden box, his face showing pure joy and satisfaction, seemingly extremely pleased with Han Li¡¯s Scarlet Essence Mushroom.


    ¡°However, this Scarlet Essence Mushroom of mine is absolutely pure and free of any chaotic spiritual energy, truly a high-grade spiritual medicine,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    Although he wouldn¡¯t let go of the Lightning Spirit Crystal, he naturally wouldn¡¯t agree to the trade directly having felt slightly disadvantaged.


    ¡°This is indeed true.


    Judging solely by value, my Lightning Spirit Crystal indeed falls a bit short compared to Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s top-grade Scarlet Essence Mushroom.


    How about this, I¡¯ll add 30,000 spirit stones to make up for it.¡± The red-faced elder was straightforward and openly admitted the disparity, immediately proposing his offer.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush, Fellow Daoist.


    First, take a look at this list I have here and see if you can provide any other materials or know of some information about them.


    If I can acquire what is needed, I would be willing to give up the spirit stones.¡± Han Li smiled and calmly placed the jade box back on the table, then lifted his hand and took out a jade slip that recorded the needed materials, tossing it to the elder.


    ¡°Does Fellow Daoist Han need other materials?¡± Surprised, the Wealthy surname elder took the jade slip without further thought and quickly glanced through it.


    At that moment, Elder Wang, standing beside, looked at the Scarlet Essence Mushroom in the Wealthy surname elder¡¯s hands, his gaze flickering before he fell into contemplation.


    A moment later, after finishing the jade slip, the Wealthy surname elder looked at Han Li with a peculiar expression, showing a hint of hesitation.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist.


    These materials are exceedingly rare, and I don¡¯t possess any of them.


    However, I might be able to point you to an easy place to obtain these materials,¡± the elder hesitated for a while before finally making up his mind.


    ¡°Point out a path?


    You aren¡¯t referring to the grand auction happening in a few days, are you?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes spun, his smile carrying a hint of teasing.


    ¡°Haha, indeed, you can buy usual materials at the grand auction.


    But the rank of materials you need appear so infrequently.


    After all, those who possess such rare materials, like yourself and me, generally prefer to trade them for other items,¡± the red-faced elder laughed heartily and disdainfully said.


    ¡°Oh?


    From the sound of it, could there be some private transaction happening?¡± Han Li was startled but then delighted, eagerly inquiring.


    The Wealthy surname elder¡¯s face revealed a strange smirk.


    Suddenly, though his lips parted slightly, no sound came out, yet Han Li suddenly heard the elder¡¯s voice in his ears.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is indeed astute.


    However, this isn¡¯t exactly a private transaction meeting.


    The Jingjing City Auction that occurs every ten years has naturally split into a public and a secretive one many years ago.


    The public one is simply those supported by the Daoist in the city market.


    The secretive one is held underground by the Devilish sects.


    In the underground meeting, general items are still auctioned with spirit stones, but materials of the rank you need are mostly traded for other items.


    However, since many of the items sold at the underground meeting are strictly forbidden by the realm of immortal cultivators, fundamentally speaking, they are somewhat illicit.


    Thus, only cultivators who are well-verified can participate in this meeting.


    As an overseas loose cultivator, it might be inconvenient for you.


    But if you agree to the current trade, I¡¯m willing to vouch for you, Fellow Daoist.


    I¡¯m sure you can greatly benefit from the underground meeting,¡± the elder said in one breath, then with a solemn face, he stared at Han Li, waiting for a response.


    ¡°I see.


    But I wonder, Fellow Daoist Fu, are these public and secret meetings held simultaneously?


    I am interested in participating in the underground meeting, but I also do not want to miss the grand auction,¡± Han Li frowned thoughtfully before asking carefully.


    ¡°This is simple.


    Although both are convened at the same time, the auction of the rarest materials is deliberately staggered by a day.


    I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be interested in the ordinary items in the front, so you don¡¯t have to worry about missing out,¡± the elder confidently responded.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I shall follow your advice.


    I am indeed very interested in this underground meeting,¡± Han Li decisively agreed without further consideration.


    ¡°Good, I knew Fellow Daoist Han was a straightforward person.


    On the last day of the grand auction, just wait for me here in front of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion,¡± the Wealthy surname elder said, equally delighted at potentially saving tens of thousands of spirit stones.


    This time, the conversation wasn¡¯t transmitted via sound transmission, which piqued the interest of a silver-robed cultivator who had been silently observing their sound transmission deal.


    However, his face only showed a beaming smile without revealing any peculiarities.


    Only after Han Li and the elder had both respectively stored away the Lightning Spirit Crystal and Scarlet Essence Mushroom, did he speak with a smile:


    ¡°Congratulations to both Fellow Daoists on your gains.


    Fellow Daoist Han, would you also like to view our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion¡¯s prized item?


    However, one thousand-year-old Scarlet Essence Mushroom is far from enough,¡± although his tone was exceptionally polite, he subtly hinted at the approximate value of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion¡¯s item.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, as long as this item truly satisfies me, I won¡¯t hesitate,¡± Han Li casually remarked with a slight smile, unconcerned.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han has said so, I also believe with your substantial wealth, acquiring this item of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Fellow Daoist, please follow me to our specially designed Mustard Seed Space to see the restored Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion,¡± Elder Wang replied, his smile growing broader.


    ¡°Mustard Seed Space?¡± Han Li was startled, his face showing a trace of astonishment.


    ¡°What, haven¡¯t you heard of Mount Sumeru Space?


    Right, I almost forgot, this secret technique that can refine tears in space into personal spaces was only developed in Great Jin within the last thousand years.


    It¡¯s not strange you don¡¯t know, coming from overseas,¡± Elder Wang slapped his own head, seemingly enlightened.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    For further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 942 - Chapter 942 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 939 Mustard Seed Space

    ?Chapter 942: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 939 Mustard Seed Space Chapter 942: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 939 Mustard Seed Space ¡°Refining tears in space into Mustard Seed Space?


    Such a heaven-defying secret technique has already appeared in the world,¡± Han Li¡¯s face showed a hint of shock as he spoke with some disbelief.


    Anything involving spatial secret arts is earth-shattering and of great significance.


    Speaking of which, the storage pouch, the most common Magic Artifact in the realm of immortal cultivators, is actually one of the most common applications of spatial secret arts.


    But even the highest grade storage pouch can only hold so much; it¡¯s far from being considered a true Mustard Seed Space.


    In fact, many Sect Masters even believe that higher-level spatial secret arts cannot possibly appear in the human world; they should be divine skills only within the capabilities of those from the upper realm.


    This belief is almost an accepted fact in Tian Luo.


    Yet now, upon hearing Elder Wang¡¯s words, how could Han Li not be greatly surprised that the refining technique for space tears had appeared in Great Jin over a thousand years ago?


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han need not be so surprised.


    This so-called ¡®Mustard Seed Space¡¯ is not as profound as you think; its existence is merely a coincidence,¡± the man with the surname Fu suddenly said with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu is correct.


    To most people, Mustard Seed Space is truly an existence like chicken ribs-useless and not worth much.


    Not only is its refinement extremely difficult, but its usage also comes with numerous restrictions.


    It simply cannot be widely applied.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.??


    To put it bluntly, there are only a dozen or so Mustard Seed Spaces in all of Great Jin, and this one in our Pavilion is one of the first to have appeared,¡± Elder Wang also said with a wry smile.


    ¡°The first one?


    Could it be¡­¡± Han Li raised his eyebrows with a hint of surprise and doubt.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this secret technique was actually created inadvertently by several Artifact Refining Masters of our Pavilion.


    In the entire world, only two Artifact Refining Masters from our Pavilion have the capability to refine such Mustard Seed Spaces.


    In fact, the Heavenly Mechanism Chamber and Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion have also developed secret techniques based on this Mustard Seed Space refining method,¡± Elder Wang did not have any intention to conceal, and he revealed everything frankly.


    ¡°Hehe, I see.


    I¡¯m indeed curious to witness the wonder of this Mustard Seed Space,¡± Han Li regained his composure and smiled in response.


    ¡°Elder Wang, please lead the way for Fellow Daoist Han.


    As for myself, having already visited the Mustard Seed Space, I will take my leave.


    I still need to handle this Scarlet Essence Mushroom first and bid you two farewell,¡± said the man with the surname Fu, bidding the two a formal goodbye with a fist and palm salute.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Fu has other important matters, I won¡¯t keep you any longer.


    We shall meet again another day,¡± Elder Wang returned the salute.


    Meanwhile, Han Li heard the elder¡¯s words of admonishment in his ear, reminding him not to miss the final day of the underground trading event.


    Han Li nodded nonchalantly in response.


    Then without further hesitation, the elder walked out of the hall and clattered down the stairs.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, let¡¯s go as well.


    The Mustard Seed Space is just behind the attic, it¡¯s just a moment away,¡± Elder Wang then turned to Han Li with a smile and casually brushed his robe sleeve across the table, causing the larger jade box to vanish from the table.


    Naturally, Han Li would not decline.


    He followed Elder Wang through a series of restrictive formations to a small open space behind the attic.


    There, in the middle of the open space, was a strange transportation formation that Han Li had never seen before.


    It was obviously more complex and larger than the ordinary transportation formations.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, somewhat taken aback.


    ¡°To reach the Mustard Seed Space, one must travel through this transportation formation,¡± Elder Wang explained, apparently noting Han Li¡¯s confusion.


    ¡°A transportation formation?


    Could it be that this refined space tear is fixed in a certain location?¡± Han Li¡¯s lips twitched as he silently marveled.


    However, knowing that the subject touched upon the art of refinement, he did not feel it appropriate to inquire directly.


    After seeing Elder Wang take the lead into the transportation formation, he followed after a slight hesitation.


    Then he noticed that the seven or eight Spirit Stones surrounding the transportation formation were all mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Without mentioning anything else, simply entering the Mustard Seed Space would require the expenditure of seven to eight hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.


    If one also needed to be teleported out upon return, a round trip would cost more than a thousand Spirit Stones-an expense truly not affordable for an ordinary Sect Master.


    As Han Li deliberated this, a bright white light flared from the Spirit Stones around the transportation formation, and the two of them vanished in a flash from within.


    After a dizzying moment of disorientation, Han Li and his companion appeared on a rocky slope, standing on a transportation formation strikingly similar to the one they had entered.


    Han Li steadied his mind and looked around.


    As far as the eye could see, a space that was over a thousand feet wide appeared before him.


    The ground was covered with whitish stones scattered with numerous pits of various sizes-the largest being over thirty feet wide, and the smallest only about three feet across-spread haphazardly.


    Han Li took a deep breath, feeling somewhat puzzled.


    Not only was this space devoid of any greenery, but he also did not sense the presence of spiritual energy.


    The sky appeared hazy as well, clearly indicating it was nothing more than a barren wasteland.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han must have realized by now that this space is indeed a dead zone.


    After all, among the tears in space, those that naturally contain a spirit vein are one in ten thousand, let alone finding a sacred site like the Spirit Ether Garden with spiritual energy denser than the human world; such thinking is fanciful.


    Since the realm of immortal cultivators in Great Jin discovered these tears in space, we¡¯ve found only three or four places with a hint of spiritual energy-and those were even sparser than in the human world.


    And it is these very spatial rifts that the Sects who discovered them have successively requested the assistance of our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to refine into Mustard Seed Spaces,¡± Elder Wang explained with a smile after stepping out of the transportation formation.


    ¡°In that case, aside from saving some space and allowing free entry and exit, Mustard Seed Spaces don¡¯t seem to have any special uses.


    No wonder I¡¯ve been here so long and never heard anyone mention them before,¡± Han Li stroked his chin, a strange expression on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true.


    For some Sects who want to store large, secretive items, hoard a great deal of materials, or even create a hidden chamber for refuge against enemies, these Mustard Seed Spaces are still the best choice.


    Our Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion uses them as a space for testing Daoist paper talismans and Magic Artifacts; that¡¯s quite suitable.


    The rarity of Mustard Seed Spaces is due to the difficulty of finding appropriate tears in space.


    There aren¡¯t that many spatial rifts with known exact locations in the world, and even fewer that are suitable and known only to some Sects in secret.


    Moreover, the cost of materials needed to refine such a Mustard Seed Space is astoundingly steep.


    It¡¯s all these factors combined that make Mustard Seed Spaces so rare,¡± Elder Wang explained somewhat sheepishly.


    ¡°Even so, your Pavilion¡¯s Mustard Seed Spaces are far removed from what I had imagined-a place that could be manipulated at will, even carried with oneself.


    Needing to set up a transportation formation to enter and exit is hardly worth mentioning as a Mustard Seed,¡± Han Li sighed regretfully.


    ¡°Hehe, to carry such a vast space with oneself, probably only those who have ascended to the next world with Great Divine Power or True Immortals from the Immortal cultivators¡¯ shops have such ability.


    In our human world, definitely no one possesses such a heaven-defying power.


    It¡¯s already a significant breakthrough to be able to use a copious amount of rare materials to stabilize an existing tear in space,¡± Elder Wang was somewhat dismissive.


    ¡°Stabilize space?


    Does that mean that even spatial rifts on the verge of collapse can be reinforced?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart shook, and his eyes flashed eagerly.


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s possible.


    As long as that spatial rift has not truly collapsed, we can use materials to stabilize the space anew.


    Why, does Fellow Daoist Han know of such a rift?¡± asked the silver-robed Sect Master, his expression changing slightly with surprise.


    ¡°Hehe, Han Li did come across such a rift somewhere overseas.


    Whether it has collapsed or not, I haven¡¯t had the power to enter and I¡¯m not certain.


    It just seemed somewhat unstable at the entrance,¡± Han Li replied with a smile, purposely speaking ambiguously.


    The silver-robed Sect Master naturally saw that Han Li did not wish to elaborate on the matter and did not press further.


    With a flip of his hand, the jade box containing the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion appeared in his hand.


    ¡°Elder Wang will now release the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.


    Fellow Daoist can enter and see if the setup inside satisfies you.


    If it seems acceptable, we can then discuss trading the item,¡± Elder Wang said with a smile.


    ¡°Very well, Senior Brother Wang, please proceed with the spell,¡± Han Li nodded in response.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s agreement, the silver-robed Sect Master hesitated no more.


    He reached out to open the jade box, revealing a nebulous white spiritual light with a vague silhouette of something inside.


    Before Han Li could make out the item inside the box, Elder Wang began chanting, gave the jade box a gentle shake, and instantly a burst of white light shot out from the box.


    It swelled rapidly in the wind, and after spiraling in the air, it formed a large mass of white mist several acres in size in the sky, with houses and pavilions made of white jade carving faintly visible within.


    Elder Wang made a series of hand gestures and pointed towards the sky while uttering a low command, and with a deep humming sound, the white mist suddenly fell towards the ground.


    With a thunderous ¡°rumble¡±, amidst the brilliant spiritual light, an entire abode made of exquisite jade materialized on the open ground at the foot of the hill.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and carefully examined it with his hands clasped behind his back.


    This exquisitely small abode, with its pavilions and courtyards, was clearly a size down compared to ordinary abodes, yet it had everything necessary.


    Its surface was enveloped in a white light screen, making it seem all the more ethereal and dreamlike, like a mystical abode of Immortal cultivators.


    After watching for a moment, Han Li¡¯s figure flickered, turning into a streak of azure rainbow that shot towards it.


    Seeing this, Elder Wang hurriedly flipped his palm, and a white jade token appeared in his hand.


    He waved the token gently at the abode below, dissipating the light screen surrounding it, allowing Han Li¡¯s transformed azure rainbow to shoot unimpeded through the abode¡¯s main gate, vanishing within.


    (Second update!)(To be continued¡­


    If you wish to learn what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, support original reading!)

 Chapter 943 - Chapter 943 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 940 An Unexpected Encounter

    ?Chapter 943: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 940 An Unexpected Encounter Chapter 943: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 940 An Unexpected Encounter After a meal¡¯s time, Han Li¡¯s figure reappeared in front of the cave abode, lightly flying up the slope with an undisturbed expression, showing no signs of abnormality.


    Elder Wang furrowed his brows, but soon relaxed them.


    As soon as Han Li flew back onto the stone slope, he smiled and asked,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think of this treasure?


    Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°The cave abode isn¡¯t large, but it has everything including a pill room and beast pens.


    Nothing is lacking, but there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand, and I need Senior Brother Wang to clarify.¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s related to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, feel free to ask.


    I will not hide anything,¡± Elder Wang happily responded.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t be polite.


    I know that the greatest advantage of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion is that it can be enlarged or shrunk at will for easy carrying.


    However, I am unclear whether this treasure can, like a storage pouch, have things placed in or taken out of it when shrunk.


    Does it function like a spirit beast pouch, with the spirit beasts in the pens able to safely shrink along with the cave?¡±


    ¡°This treasure can change along with the houses and inanimate objects like tables and chairs that have been processed together inside, but it is powerless over living creatures like spirit beasts.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Even if your spirit beasts have abilities like the Profound Transformation Ability, they cannot withstand the immense spatial pressures of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion¡¯s transformations and would be instantly obliterated.


    Moreover, even if there were a spirit beast capable of enduring this pressure, once the Pavilion is shrunk, the cave would immediately be sealed off, unable to absorb any spiritual energy from outside.


    Over time, the spirit beasts inside would naturally only face a dead end,¡± Elder Wang explained clearly without any intention of concealing.


    After all, one could immediately discover these things with a bit of testing.


    ¡°So you mean, each time I need to close the cave, I must first transplant the spiritual medicines from the garden in order for them to survive,¡± Han Li thought for a moment before adding another question.


    ¡°What Brother Han said is correct.


    These are problems that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion can¡¯t solve.


    Yet, even so, a cave abode that instinctively comes with its own restrictive divine skills and can be summoned anytime and anywhere, its value is still incomparable to ordinary treasures,¡± Elder Wang said earnestly, with a frown on his face.


    ¡°Indeed, this is also the reason why I¡¯m interested in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.


    If it truly has all the abilities mentioned earlier, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s beyond my expectations to possess it,¡± Han Li chuckled.


    ¡°So, Brother Han is planning to trade for this item!¡± Elder Wang¡¯s eyes brightened, a hint of excitement in his voice.


    ¡°I still have some rare materials on hand that I don¡¯t have a use for.


    Friend, please first give me a list of what can be exchanged so I can see what I can provide!


    Then we can discuss how much material it will take to exchange for this treasure,¡± Han Li said with a relaxed and casual smile.


    ¡°Of course, the materials needed by the pavilion are all here in this jade slip.


    Friend, please take a look first.¡± The silver-robed cultivator smiled broadly and, with a flick of his sleeve, shot a white light toward Han Li.


    Han Li caught the item, a white jade slip.


    He then began to inspect it on the stone slope.


    ¡­


    An hour later, Han Li appeared at the gate of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and Elder Wang sent him off with a smiling face.


    Han Li turned around, cupped his fists, said a few words of farewell, and then drifted away.


    Elder Wang, content with the exchange, returned to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion only after he had watched Han Li disappear into the distance.


    At the same time, Han Li patted the bulging storage pouch on his waist, his gaze flickered twice, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.


    After spending a large amount of unused rare materials in exchange for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, he also sold some demon cores and spirit grass directly to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, obtaining an astonishing amount of spirit stones.


    Thinking about the shocked expression on Elder Wang¡¯s face when he presented the materials, Han Li found it amusing, yet his alertness greatly increased.


    The idiom that greed can lead to one¡¯s demise holds true at all times.


    As long as it¡¯s worth striking, he didn¡¯t believe that just because he was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, no one would dare to target him.


    Despite the great reputation of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and presumably credible, once riches are revealed and he is disguised as an overseas loose cultivator, he still had to be extremely cautious to prevent Elder Wang from harboring any ill intentions.


    Thus, upon leaving the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, Han Li released part of his divine sense to cover his surroundings, checking if someone was secretly spying on him.


    After a long while, when he was sure no one was following him, and after moving to a secluded corner behind another pavilion, his figure flickered, and he abruptly grew taller by an inch, his features and clothing shifting with the wisp of green light.


    When he reemerged from behind the pavilion, he had transformed into a middle-aged scholar in a dark blue robe with three long strands of facial hair, possessing a distinctive appearance.


    With his current cultivation level, unless he encountered late Nascent Soul cultivators, others could not see through his true appearance.


    Han Li then confidently headed for other trading pavilions.


    After visiting several more, Han Li was greatly disappointed by the lack of acquisitions.


    It wasn¡¯t that these large trading houses truly lacked any treasures; some custodians in the pavilions actively recommended some ancient treasures and materials, which greatly tempted Han Li.


    Unfortunately, the materials were not what was needed for crafting puppets and the Three Flame Fan, and he didn¡¯t lack ordinary treasures.


    After careful consideration, he decided not to purchase any.


    ¡°It seems we just have to wait for the auction.¡± Not long after, Han Li stood at the end of the street, gazing at a majestic stone hall before him, pondering in his mind.


    This ancient-looking grand hall was the ¡°Treasure Light Hall.¡± Indeed, it appeared different from ordinary halls, as it was divided into three layers, each more than twenty Zhang high, resembling a gigantic tower.


    It seemed only a building that can accommodate thousands of cultivators could host an auction.


    At the front of the hall, several Foundation Establishment cultivators stood guarded, preventing ordinary cultivators from entering the hall-it looked as though they were preparing for the auction.


    Along with Han Li, other cultivators also pointed and commented on this stone hall, also aware that it would serve as the venue for the great auction.


    Han Li took a deep look at Treasure Light Hall and prepared to turn and leave.


    However, just then, four male and female cultivators walked out of the hall.


    Han Li glanced at them indifferently, but his expression changed slightly, and he quickly feigned calm, spun on his heels, and started to walk back the way he came.


    ¡°Hold on, Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment.¡± He had only taken a few steps when an enchanting voice called out from behind him.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank; his facial muscles twitched, and he came to a sudden stop.


    ¡°Is there something you need?¡± Turning around, Han Li asked calmly.


    Standing about six or seven Zhang behind him was a woman in white garbed with a transparent white veil, her skin fairer than snow, examining him with sparkling, beautiful eyes.


    Beside her stood another woman and two men, all equally startled as they stared at Han Li.


    Sweeping his Divine Sense over them, he realized that all these individuals were Nascent Soul cultivators, especially the white-clad woman and a man in his forties in a black robe standing side by side with her, both at mid Nascent Soul Stage like himself.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I saw you have noteworthy cultivation and wanted to make your acquaintance.


    You wouldn¡¯t mind, would you?¡± The woman in white inspected Han Li from head to toe.


    Her gaze lingered for a moment on the long, narrow package on Han Li¡¯s back before she smiled elegantly.


    Although the woman¡¯s face wasn¡¯t entirely clear, her tall stature and every enticing move made her an exceptional beauty seemingly inviting an interaction, but Han Li felt no flattery or surprise inside, rather, he was inclined to turn and leave immediately.


    Because the woman was none other than the Endless Sky Saintess with whom he had once fiercely battled on the plains.


    ¡°Make acquaintance?


    You jest, Fellow Daoist.


    With your reputation and cultivation, it is indeed something I greatly desire.


    It¡¯s just that I have pressing matters to attend to and cannot stay,¡± Han Li murmured inwardly, but outwardly, he bowed stiffly and prepared to turn and leave once more.


    ¡°Why the hurry, Fellow Daoist?


    I have a few questions I wish to ask you.


    Perhaps you could answer a couple of them.¡± The woman quickly stepped forward, blocking Han Li¡¯s path, and spoke with slightly furrowed brows.


    ¡°What is it, Fellow Daoist?


    Are you interrogating me?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and his tone became harsh.


    ¡°Elder Sister Lin, do you have some issues with this Daoist?¡± The black-robed cultivator finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer.


    His face was masked by a faint hint of dark Qi, clearly a sign of deeply cultivated devilish arts.


    ¡°There is none.


    Although it¡¯s my first time meeting this Daoist, I can¡¯t help but feel he resembles the person I¡¯ve been searching for in Great Jin.


    Brother Ge is well aware that I have stayed in Great Jin for several years searching for this person, hence, I must clarify whether this is just a misconception,¡± the Endless Sky Saintess explained, stroking the locks of hair on her shoulder, her gaze towards Han Li turning cold.


    ¡°What?


    Are you saying he is the person who possesses our sect¡¯s Ghost Sifting Banner?¡± The good-looking face of the black-robed cultivator suddenly turned grim as he glared fiercely at Han Li.


    ¡°I cannot be certain it is him.


    Although he looks somewhat different, the feeling I get from him is similar, and that man also carried a similarly shaped bamboo container behind him,¡± said the Endless Sky Saintess, her bright eyes narrowing slightly, her tone calm.


    ¡°Bamboo container!¡± The black-robed devil cultivator was taken aback, his gaze also landing on the long, cylindrical package on Han Li¡¯s back, which indeed resembled a large bamboo container.


    However, when he tried to infiltrate the package with his Divine Sense to investigate, a strong Divine Sense forcefully repelled him.


    He was taken aback, hastily withdrew his Divine Sense, and his expression grew even colder.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, I am Ge Tianhao of the Yin Sifting Sect.


    Could you please open the package on your back so we may take a look?


    If it¡¯s not what we suspect, we naturally won¡¯t bother you any further,¡± Ge Tianhao slowly spoke, his expression becoming wary.


    Not just him, but the other male and female cultivators dressed similarly, exchanged glances and positioned themselves at either side of Han Li, creating a threatening stance.


    Han Li remained expressionless, his hands clasped behind his back, not saying a word.


    Though none of them had cast any spells or used a Daoist paper talisman, a surge of Evil Qi shot into the sky, and the atmosphere suddenly tensed.


    (First update.


    I¡¯m not feeling very well, probably due to the sudden cold weather last night; hence the late update.


    Please forgive me.)

 Chapter 944 - Chapter 944 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 941 Threat

    ?Chapter 944: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 941 Threat Chapter 944: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 941 Threat At this moment, other cultivators nearby who noticed this situation, including Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, glanced over at Han Li and the others¡¯ cultivation levels.


    Instantly, their faces changed, and they dispersed in a swarm, none daring to stay nearby and watch.


    If these high-level cultivators were to unleash their full power in battle, these small fish would inevitably suffer as innocents caught in the crossfire should the city gates catch fire.


    With a cold eye watching the stone hall nearby quickly empty but for a few of them, with some pavilions hastily activating their protective formations as if facing a great enemy, the muscles on Han Li¡¯s face twitched slightly, and a layer of crystalline green light eerily rose from his visage, his eyes shooting out a gloomy cold light.


    Seeing this, Ge Tianhao, the Endless Sky Saintess, and the other two couldn¡¯t help but circulate the mana in their bodies defensively, and the magic artifacts inside them began to stir restlessly.


    But just then, Han Li seemed to remember something, suddenly let out a sneering laugh, and released the green light on his face, saying indifferently,


    ¡°If I remember correctly, it is strictly forbidden for cultivators to engage in combat within the Jinxi Market.


    Should anyone violate this, they would be pursued and killed by the combined forces of the Three Great Daoist Sects and the Four Great Buddhist Sects backing the market.


    Are you perhaps eager to taste what it feels like to be hunted over thousands of miles, or do you believe that with the Yin Sifting Sect backing you, you can disregard the Three Sects and Four Temples entirely?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    Who dares to disregard our Daoist and Buddhist lineages.


    I am Wu Pi, this humble Daoist, wish to experience it myself,¡± a voice full of imposing momentum suddenly came from afar.


    Following that, from the other end of the street, out of a certain pavilion, two streaks of gold and silver light shot out abruptly toward here.


    In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the few people and after making a loop, the streak of light descended, revealing a monk followed by two people.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°I wondered which esteemed person it was; it turns out to be a few Fellow Daoists from the Yin Sifting Sect.


    What, does your sect intend to break the rules and engage in a spell battle within our Jinxi Market?¡± spoke the very Taoist whose tone had been unfriendly.


    This old Taoist had gray hair, a ruddy complexion, and at a glance of his glaring eyes, he appeared quite irascible.


    The other person was a middle-aged monk with an ugly face and an upturned nose.


    Although this monk didn¡¯t speak rudely, he also wore a look of displeasure, coldly sizing up the people from the Yin Sifting Sect.


    However, when his gaze passed over Han Li and the Endless Sky Saintess, a trace of astonishment flickered across his face.


    For an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator to appear in Great Jin was possible but not in abundance.


    As for those at the mid Nascent Soul Stage without a name, that was even more rare.


    Yet, here before him were a man and a woman, both at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and their faces were entirely unfamiliar, which couldn¡¯t help but secretly startle the monk.


    ¡°Wu Pi!


    I, Ge Tianhao, merely wanted to verify some matters with the Fellow Daoist here.


    What, you wish to meddle too?¡± Ge Tianhao obviously recognized the old Daoist and spoke coldly.


    ¡°No matter what you intend to do, the rule against fighting within the city market cannot be broken by anyone.


    If you truly wish to fight, I ask you to move elsewhere.


    Otherwise, do not blame this humble Daoist for not being courteous,¡± the old Daoist said sternly.


    ¡°Wu Pi, you might as well wait till we truly begin to fight before you take action.


    I, Ge Tianhao, have long wanted to witness the divine skills of the True Extreme Sect,¡± said an enraged Ge Tianhao, his tone becoming harsh upon hearing this.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ge need not be angry.


    As long as you do not urge your mana, we two will not interfere in the matters between Fellow Daoists.


    However, these two benefactors appear to have unfamiliar faces.


    May I ask you to kindly bestow upon us your esteemed names first?¡± Beside them, the ugly monk split his mouth in a grin and said, his eyes rotating slightly.


    ¡°Endless Sky Lin Yinping, glad to meet both Fellow Daoists.


    The matter is quite simple.


    This young lady suspects that this Fellow Daoist is a great enemy of our Heaventide Sanctuary, hence she would like to ask the Fellow Daoist to reveal the contents of his bundle, to prove his identity to me.


    If Fellow Daoist is not the person I recognize, then Yinping is willing to offer a formal apology with a drink and not trouble you further,¡± said the Endless Sky Saintess, her neck gently turning to give Han Li a look, her bright eyes twinkling as she spoke.


    ¡°What a joke, who do you take me for?


    Why should I prove my identity to you?¡± Han Li replied calmly, his expression unperturbed.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist is unwilling to do so, then you might possibly be the very life-and-death adversary of our Sanctuary, and I, as the Endless Sky Saintess, simply cannot let you leave from before my eyes,¡± Lin Yinping¡¯s lips pursed slightly, a thread of killing intent emerging in her eyes as she spoke coldly.


    ¡°The Endless Sky Saintess¡­


    Could it be the Saintess of the reckless tribes on the Heaventide Prairies?¡± the old Taoist asked, a thought occurring to him and a slight frown crossing his brow.


    The ugly monk beside him also showed a hint of astonishment upon hearing this.


    ¡°The two Fellow Daoists flatter me.


    Indeed, I hold the position of the Saintess within our clan,¡± Lin Yinping admitted calmly.


    ¡°The Noble Clan¡¯s Immortal Master Sun is endowed with an exceptional talent, barely four hundred years old and already advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    I had the fortune of meeting her several times in the past; is she still well now?¡± Wu Pi, the old Daoist, relaxed the angry look on his face and asked with softened tones.


    ¡°Immortal Master Xu is quite well, having advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage decades ago.


    She is now one of the four great Immortal Masters of our clan,¡± said Lin Yinping, her heart secretly rejoicing upon hearing the old Daoist seemed to have some connections with her clan¡¯s great Immortal Master.


    ¡°So Daoist Xu has advanced to the late stage, as expected.


    She is so young to have reached this point, Daoist Xu might indeed have the chance to take another step forward,¡± said the old Daoist with an expression of realization, uttering words of sentiment.


    Han Li faintly sensed something amiss, thoughts turning swiftly as lightning in his mind.


    Could it really be necessary to engage in a fierce battle here against so many Nascent Soul adversaries, only to then employ Bloodshadow Evasion to escape?


    As he hesitated, a barely audible transmission from Monarch Great Development suddenly reached him through his Divine Sense.


    His brows twitched slightly as he listened to the brief message, and his expression immediately became resolute.


    At that moment, the old Taoist asked a few more questions after exchanging words with Immortal Master Sun, and after glancing over at Han Li and hesitating slightly, he finally turned to Han Li and inquired,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist possesses notable cultivation.


    May I ask about your background?


    Perhaps this humble Daoist can mediate a resolution on behalf of both parties.¡± Although the old Taoist did not know Han Li¡¯s true identity, even a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator, if only a Loose Cultivator, was not someone to be easily made an enemy of.


    Therefore, his words were exceedingly polite.


    ¡°Brother Li seems not to have heard that upon entering Jinxi Market, one is obliged to disclose one¡¯s origins.


    If indeed the market has such a rule, I shall abide by it without exception.


    If not, then please excuse my lack of interest in elaborating further,¡± Han Li replied with a stern face and a tone laced with sarcasm.


    Upon hearing this, the old Taoist¡¯s expression darkened, and annoyance welled up within him, but before he could say anything more, the monk on the side cheerfully interjected,


    ¡°Of course, our market doesn¡¯t have such a stipulation.


    Fellow Daoist Wu Pi was merely acting out of personal concern, hoping to dissolve any misunderstanding between the two parties.


    If Fellow Daoist does not wish to speak, then let it be.


    However, my colleague and I can only prevent conflicts within the market.


    If Daoist Lin and others were to block the entrance outside the market and prevent Fellow Daoist from leaving, that would be beyond our jurisdiction.


    At that point, if Fellow Daoist had to face four Nascent Soul cultivators alone¡­


    I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    The monk wore a playful smile, but the hint of menace in his words was glaringly obvious.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li sneered, but as his gaze swept over Ge Tianhao and the Endless Sky Saintess, their flickering eyes suggested that for the sake of the Ghost Sifting Banner and the captured sacred sect protecting beast, this group was indeed very likely to act in such a manner.


    Thus, as his thoughts shifted, Han Li stared at Lin Yinping and spoke darkly,


    ¡°Merely inspecting the contents of my package will suffice?


    If I were indeed the enemy you seek, there would be nothing more to say.


    But what if you have mistaken me for another, and what you seek is not within my package?


    Surely you do not really believe that a simple apology will suffice to dispel all my grievances?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?


    Are you threatening us?¡± Ge Tianhao¡¯s voice turned icy, his tone menacing.


    ¡°Laughable.


    Since you have recognized the wrong person and yet you insist on forcing Brother Li to open his package, such excessive bullying is not something I¡¯ll forget.


    I possess no great Divine Skills, but I do have some proficiency in several Escape Techniques.


    Even if the four of you were to attack together, I am sixty to seventy percent confident I could escape.


    But should things come to that point, do not blame Brother Li for resorting to any means necessary to deal with your sect and yourselves.


    Being alone, I am not afraid of your potential revenge,¡± laughed Han Li heartily, then he added with an ominous tone.


    Upon hearing this, not only did Ge Tianhao and Lin Yinping¡¯s expressions subtly change, but even the monk and Wu Pi exchanged glances, likewise filled with some misgivings.


    Judging from his tone, this person was not only a mid-Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator but also seemed to be one who held grudges-a most troublesome character that large sects strenuously avoided displeasing.


    After all, with his level of cultivation, if he were to attack the disciples of sects indiscriminately, disregarding status and propriety, the harm inflicted would be tremendous.


    If he were truly adept at a particular Escape Technique, that would be an even more vexing problem.


    Even deploying late Nascent Soul cultivators might not guarantee they could catch him in time.


    Before that, if he were just slightly more ruthless, the damage he could cause would be something even the ten great sects would find hard to bear.


    Therefore, for cultivators above mid-Nascent Soul stage, even the Three Great Daoist Sects generally went to great lengths to win them over, or at least to avoid offending them.


    If it were indeed unavoidable to have them as enemies, then naturally only high-level cultivators would be dispatched to hastily eliminate such adversaries.


    Ge Tianhao and the others were also so unapologetically forceful in verifying Han Li¡¯s identity solely because of a sect¡¯s supreme treasure like the Ghost Sifting Banner.


    But one question remained-if Han Li was indeed the one from Tian Luo who had taken the Ghost Sifting Banner, such actions were justified.


    But if not, then they had truly stirred up trouble unnecessarily, creating a formidable enemy for their sect.


    Considering this, Ge Tianhao involuntarily glanced at the Endless Sky Saintess.


    Lin Yinping, the woman in question, also frowned slightly, clearly finding the situation troublesome.


    Should Han Li truly be so vengeful and decide to retaliate massively against the Heaventide Prairies in the future, it would indeed be a headache for her.


    ¡°Why should Fellow Daoist make such a mountain out of a molehill?


    We only wished to inspect the contents of your package.


    How about this-if Yinping has truly wronged Fellow Daoist, Brother Li can set forth a reasonable condition to compensate for our mistaken assumption.


    What do you think?¡± Lin Yinping¡¯s beautiful eyes fluttered, and she smiled radiantly.


    (Second update) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters and support for the author¡¯s genuine creation!)

 Chapter 945 - Chapter 945 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 942 Jade Pendant

    ?Chapter 945: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 942 Jade Pendant Chapter 945: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 942 Jade Pendant The Endless Sky Saintess clearly did not want to provoke a powerful enemy by mistake, which was why she slightly conceded with these words.


    ¡°Terms?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze made an indifferent turn over the woman, his face expressionless, betraying no hint of his thoughts.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist is willing, this young lady can also directly offer a sum of Spirit Stones as an apology for the inadvertent offense,¡± Lin Yinping said with a slight tilt of her chin, her voice notably calm.


    ¡°Hehe¡­


    Spirit Stones are unnecessary.¡± Han Li chuckled coldly a few times, and without saying anything, he suddenly reached behind him with a sweeping gesture, grabbing and pulling the wrapped object to the front.


    Han Li¡¯s action caused a few nearby people to start, their gaze all falling on the object in Han Li¡¯s hands.


    Han Li was straightforward; he grasped one corner of the wrapping and gave his arm a shake.


    Instantly, a clear ringing sound arose, and a sheathed saber, resplendent with golden light, lay on the ground.


    Although the saber was not yet drawn, the dazzling spiritual glow and the unprovoked self-ringing resonated with spirituality, making it obvious to anyone that this was a rare and valuable treasure.


    No wonder the person before them was so angry at being forcibly made to show his bundles to strangers.


    If they were forced to display their beloved treasure in front of others, they too would likely feel annoyed.


    As Lin Yinping saw the saber, a glimmer of shock and doubt flashed in her beautiful eyes.


    She released her Divine Sense fully, scrutinizing the sheathed blade over and over again.


    Eventually, she had to admit that the saber appeared entirely normal and did not seem to be affected by any illusion technique.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    Ge Tianhao and the other Yin Sifting Sect cultivators, upon seeing that the bundle did not contain what they had imagined, exchanged glances with some embarrassment.


    This incident seemed to indeed be a big blunder on their part; luckily, they had not truly erupted into conflict with this person, or the enmity would have been terribly wronged.


    Wu Pi and the ugly monk managed to keep a straight face without a smile, appearing utterly detached.


    ¡°It seems we truly have misunderstood Fellow Daoist.


    This was indeed this young lady¡¯s fault.


    Whatever conditions you might have, Yinping will surely do her best to satisfy them,¡± the Endless Sky Saintess sighed, her disappointment fleeting before she apologized to Han Li.


    ¡°As for Spirit Stones, I am not in lack of them.


    How about this?


    Daoist Lin¡¯s waist Jade Pendant is quite unique; how would it be to gift it to me?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze circled over the body of the Saintess and finally settled unexpectedly on her slender waist with the clinking pendants, speaking surprisingly.


    ¡°Jade Pendant?¡± Lin Yinping was clearly astonished, taking off her butterfly-shaped, translucent green Jade Pendant and examining it with some suspicion.


    Since it was an accessory she carried, it naturally could not be ordinary.


    This petite, butterfly-shaped Jade Pendant had some effect in mental clarity and was quite a rare support-oriented Magic Artifact.


    However, for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, this item could be considered precious, but for this mid Nascent Soul Stage woman, its effects were almost negligible.


    She had kept this unique item, which she had carried for some years, without swapping it simply because of sentimental attachments.


    Now that Han Li demanded this pendant, what did he mean by that?


    Lin Yinping grasped the few-inch-sized Jade Pendant between two delicate fingers, hesitation showing on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?


    Daoist Lin, are you reluctant to part with this item?


    Otherwise, let¡¯s change to another.


    I see that the hairpin atop your head¡­¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, appearing as if he was about to change his request.


    ¡°A mere magical tool, why would I be reluctant to part with it?


    It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve had it for some years and feel a bit sentimental.


    Here, take it, Fellow Daoist,¡± Lin Yinping raised her brows, making a quick decision, and tossed the Jade Pendant directly to Han Li.


    Han Li caught the thrown Jade Pendant and, feeling its residual warmth, nodded with satisfaction.


    With a flip of his hand, the Jade Pendant disappeared without a trace.


    Then he gestured toward the golden saber on the ground, and with a buzzing sound, the saber flew back into his hands.


    Immediately, a piece of grey cloth shot out from his robe sleeves, and in the blink of an eye rewrapped the saber into a long, thin bundle.


    Having placed the bundle behind him, Han Li turned around without another word and walked towards the city market entrance.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s cold demeanor, the other cultivators couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances.


    While Lin Yinping watched him actually about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and parted her cherry lips to ask one more question.


    ¡°Now we are all ignorant of your esteemed name.


    Could you bestow upon us your name?¡±


    ¡°Overseas Loose Cultivator Li Feiyu!¡± Han Li¡¯s pace didn¡¯t falter, but his emotionless voice lightly carried over the distance as he gradually receded further away.


    ¡°Li Feiyu?


    Ge Tianhao, have you ever heard of such a powerful cultivator from overseas?


    Faced with so many of us, his expression didn¡¯t change at all.


    His divine abilities must be extraordinary,¡± Lin Yinping said with a trace of coldness in her eyes as she watched Han Li¡¯s retreating figure.


    For some reason, even after having seen his belongings, she still had a nagging doubt in her heart, a disconcerting feeling she couldn¡¯t shake.


    ¡°Daoist Lin has asked a question that puts me in a difficult position.


    You must know that while overseas cultivators are also part of the Great Jin realm of immortal cultivators, when compared to us inland cultivators, they are actually a separate entity, and very few venture deep into the mainland.


    Moreover, the abilities of overseas cultivators are quite uneven, with numerous Loose Cultivators and various large and small forces.


    Those who are not of overseas origin will find it difficult to know how many high-level cultivators with concealed great divine abilities exist there.


    Of course, the famous Overseas Three Immortals are another matter; these esteemed figures are well-known both at home and abroad,¡± Ge Tianhao, though showing a troubled expression, provided the woman with a detailed explanation.


    Upon hearing this, the Endless Sky Saintess furrowed her brows slightly, knowing it was impossible to inquire further.


    She reluctantly set aside this cultivator known as ¡°Li Feiyu¡± in her mind for the time being.


    ¡­


    Elsewhere, Han Li did not linger for a moment longer after leaving the city market.


    After several flickers, he appeared on a nearby street amidst the hustle and bustle of ordinary mortals, walking leisurely along.


    ¡°Elder!


    I had no idea that even without mana, you could deceive so many Nascent Soul cultivators just with Divine Sense.


    Even I failed to notice anything unusual after you transformed in the Cave of Fortune.


    I am extremely impressed,¡± Han Li said with a hint of a smile while quietly transmitting his voice as he walked.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing special.


    Once you have mastered the last three layers of the Great Development Technique, you too will be able to toy with your adversaries easily at hand¡¯s length.


    If you also master Illusion Techniques, killing lower-level opponents undetected won¡¯t be difficult either,¡± Monarch Great Development replied casually, showing no concern.


    ¡°That is true.


    The first four layers of the Great Development Technique are already so powerful.


    If I could master them all, I can¡¯t even imagine how strong my Divine Sense would become.


    It¡¯s just a pity that although you gave me the Oracular Formula for the fourth layer, I¡¯ve not yet had the time for proper cultivation,¡± Han Li said with a mix of admiration and slight helplessness.


    ¡°Hehe, your Spiritual Root qualification may be poor, but it seems you have a good aptitude for cultivating the Great Development Technique.


    Moreover, you also have the Soul Nurturing Tree, a miraculous object, to nourish the Divine Sense.


    Completing the Great Development Technique should not take you any slower than it took me back in the day,¡± Monarch Great Development said optimistically about Han Li¡¯s cultivation in the technique.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.


    But, I don¡¯t quite understand.


    Why did you want me to take a personal adornment from the other party?


    Do you have some other intentions?¡± Han Li was a little puzzled.


    ¡°Humph!


    Why do you think the Endless Sky Saintess would appear in Jinjing and let you go easily?¡± Monarch Great Development replied with a rhetorical question.


    ¡°That woman?


    She is probably concerned about my entering Great Jin.


    I took the Soaring Tribes¡¯ sacred sect protecting beast avatar and that peculiar small cauldron all into the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    How could the Endless Sky Saintess easily give up?


    She will likely search for me all over Great Jin.


    Moreover, the fact that she mixed with people from the Yin Sifting Sect indicates that future troubles won¡¯t be minor,¡± Han Li sighed and said with a sense of resignation.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.


    I once studied a refining formula for a Purple Light Response Bead, which can use the aura of an adversary to detect their presence within a hundred miles.


    From now on, as soon as she comes within a hundred miles of you, it will alert you and generally indicate the direction they are coming from.


    With this, you¡¯ll be able to prepare for any harm she might attempt.


    The item¡¯s effectiveness won¡¯t last too long, though-it will gradually fade after about a year.


    But it should be enough to keep you cautious against her during your days in Jinjing,¡± Monarch Great Development explained slowly.


    ¡°I see, thank you for considering my situation so thoroughly, elder,¡± Han Li gratefully said with joy in his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for your sake; I simply don¡¯t want anything untoward to happen while you¡¯re refining the puppet for me,¡± Monarch Great Development said flatly.


    Han Li slightly smiled at these words and said no more.


    Suddenly he changed direction and entered an alley nearby.


    After eastward turns and westward twists, he found himself in front of a deserted and dilapidated courtyard, eerily quiet with no one around.


    Han Li then stopped walking, his expression darkening.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, after following me for so long, what is it that you truly desire?¡± Having spoken these words, Han Li slowly turned around, staring at a seemingly empty spot behind him where there wasn¡¯t a soul in sight, a glint of chill flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Li truly lives up to the name of an overseas cultivator, having even seen through my hard-trained Ghost Shadow Escape.


    There is no need for concern.


    I harbor no ill will,¡± a man¡¯s voice came lightly laughing.


    Following that, a green light flashed where he had indicated and a humanoid green shadow gradually materialized.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the figure before him.


    He saw a gaunt old man with a cunning look plastered across his face.


    With a few sparse beards dangling from his chin, he was in the early Nascent Soul stage, confidently gazing at Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, you have tracked me all this way from the market; what exactly is your intention?


    Do you not realize that following other cultivators like this is considered a grave taboo?


    If I were to strike you down right now, no one would say a word,¡± Han Li said, menace flashing across his face.


    ¡°Why must Fellow Daoist Li look so menacing?


    This humble old man approaches because I wish to sincerely propose a trade.


    This trade could benefit both you and me,¡± the little old man said with a hehe laugh, appearing completely unruffled.


    (To be continued-For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support authentic reading!)

 Chapter 946 - Chapter 946 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 943 Extortion

    ?Chapter 946: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 943 Extortion Chapter 946: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 943 Extortion ¡°I¡¯m not interested!


    I never do any deals with sneaky people, so forget about it.¡±


    To the little old man¡¯s surprise, Han Li outright refused without even listening, a look of astonishment briefly crossing his face.


    However, he then seemed to recall something, his wrinkles smoothing out with a light chuckle.


    ¡°You speak too soon, fellow Daoist.


    It¡¯s better to listen first.


    After hearing me out, Brother Li can still make a decision.


    Otherwise, it is Brother Li who stands to lose,¡± the old man¡¯s words carried an implicit threat.


    ¡°Disadvantageous to me!


    Now, that does pique some interest in Brother Li.


    Let¡¯s just listen to what you have to say,¡± Han Li said, hands clasped behind his back, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wise move for a fellow Daoist to do so.


    First, let me show you something.


    After that, we can talk about the deal,¡± the old man chuckled, slapping his spirit beast pouch on his waist, and immediately a streak of green light shot out to hover above the old man¡¯s head, revealing a fist-sized spirit beast.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    This spirit beast looked like a snail magnified several times, its body a striking emerald green, swaying its shiny slender tentacles as it moved very slowly.


    ¡°A Worm Beast¡­


    What is fellow Daoist¡¯s intention by bringing out this beast?


    Do you intend to have it spray poison at me?¡± Han Li¡¯s face darkened at the sight of the creature.


    ¡°How could I use such a low-level spirit beast to confront a fellow Daoist?


    Not to deceive Brother Li, this spirit beast of mine has undergone a small mutation, and its mutation happens to have the ability to see through some illusions and blinding techniques.


    When Brother Li was confronting the Yin Sifting Sect disciples earlier, I happened to have a wisp of my consciousness attached to this beast.


    Fellow Daoist should understand what I mean.


    The bamboo tube that you transformed into a saber, though it could deceive others, could not escape the perception of this beast,¡± the old man grabbed the Worm Beast atop his head and proudly presented it.


    ¡°Even so, what of it?


    What else does fellow Daoist have in mind?¡± On hearing that the Worm Beast was a mutated creature with the ability to see through illusions, Han Li¡¯s heart grew cautious, though his face betrayed nothing.


    ¡°Haha, why push people thousands of miles away, fellow Daoist?


    I have no ulterior motives; I¡¯m just seeking wealth.


    If fellow Daoist is willing to gift me three or four treasures or a hefty sum of Spirit Stones, I will immediately forget everything I saw and would never dare to bother Brother Li,¡± the little old man finally revealed his greed, making an outrageous demand.


    ¡°Are you extorting me?¡± Han Li asked, smiling instead of getting angry.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, fellow Daoist?


    Harboring a murderous intent?


    It would be best to put it away.


    I too am a Loose Cultivator and am not afraid of your threatening words.


    I have come before you alone with full confidence in self-preservation.


    I¡¯ve already sent a disciple to follow the Yin Sifting Sect and that Endless Sky Saintess.


    If anything happens here, my disciple will immediately reveal everything about your deceptive item.


    At that point, your troubles will be substantial.


    We¡¯re in Jingjing City, where countless high-level cultivators have come to attend the auction.


    Do you really think you can silence me here?


    One outcry from me, and you¡¯re powerless.


    Then, with my young disciple leading the Yin Sifting Sect here, you won¡¯t be able to escape with me entangling you.


    There¡¯s only one way out for you-death.


    Perhaps even seven or eight Nascent Soul experts might not be able to kill you.


    But what about more?


    To my knowledge, the Yin Sifting Sect in Jinjing doesn¡¯t have just these few Nascent Soul Elders.


    With that many pursuers, are you still confident in escaping?


    Paying to avoid disaster is the smart choice,¡± the elder stepped back two paces, wearing a cunning smile as he raised his hand, sending a Wooden Shield flying from his sleeve, which turned into a layer of yellow haze enveloping him entirely, looking exceedingly cautious.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows knit together sharply, his gaze sweeping over the opponent¡¯s protective screen, his expression fluctuating as he pondered.


    ¡°It seems I do need to offer you some benefits to avoid trouble.


    What kind of treasures would you like?¡± After a moment, Han Li¡¯s expression regained its composure, his demeanor unnaturally calm as he spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.


    I¡¯m just after wealth and have no intention of fighting you to the death.


    I¡¯m not picky, just throw in a few ancient treasures, and I¡¯ll be completely satisfied,¡± the old man said eagerly, overjoyed at the prospect.


    Han Li¡¯s brow gave an involuntary twitch at the other¡¯s greed.


    He darkened his expression and reached into his storage pouch, flipping his palm, and suddenly, there was a gold and silver light cluster in his hand, within which was an egg-sized sphere.


    ¡°A few ancient treasures, fellow Daoist, your appetite is too large.


    I don¡¯t have other treasures, but this Cloud Mist Bead was something I stumbled upon.


    It doesn¡¯t quite suit my cultivation technique, so you can take it and leave.


    Don¡¯t get too greedy; watch out for bursting yourself,¡± Han Li said irritably, flicking his wrist and sending the sphere shooting towards the little old man.


    Joy crossed the old man¡¯s face, but with a flash of his eyes, he refrained from catching the treasure with his hands.


    Instead, he tossed the Worm Beast to one side and swept his sleeve, suddenly sending a mass of dark light flying out to envelop the gold and silver sphere.


    After a moment, seeing no abnormalities with the sphere, he carefully reached through the light screen and pulled it towards himself.


    ¡°This device has some unique patterns and doesn¡¯t seem like ordinary gear, but I wonder what its properties are.¡± With his Divine Sense connected to the Worm Beast nearby, sensing that the sphere in front of him wasn¡¯t an illusion and without the aura of a refined magical treasure, his suspicion was mostly alleviated.


    He reached out to draw the sphere into his hand and inspected it closely while murmuring.


    ¡°As for the effect of this treasure, it would be best for fellow Daoist to test it personally.


    I can assure you, you¡¯re in for a big surprise,¡± Han Li said indifferently, arms crossed.


    ¡°That goes without saying.


    But to think a single ancient treasure could brush me off, do you think that¡¯s a little too playful?¡± The old man cautiously attempted to channel Mana into the sphere, all the while greedily trying to squeeze out more benefits.


    Han Li¡¯s mouth curled slightly at the scene unfolding before him, a trace of almost imperceptible scorn flickering across his face.


    ¡°Hmm, quite the child¡¯s play.


    How about this-I send you on your way right now?¡± he suddenly said, his voice ice-cold.


    The elder was startled by Han Li¡¯s words and hadn¡¯t even had time to react before he frenziedly channeled all his mana into the orb in his hand.


    With a light ¡°pop,¡± the orb burst apart, and amidst the flickering spiritual light, dozens of insects appeared-the very few Gold Devouring Beetles that Han Li had stored.


    As soon as the insects emerged, they viciously flapped their wings and pounced on the elder.


    At such a close distance, the elder had no time to dodge.


    A bad premonition flickered through his mind just before the Gold Devouring Beetles burrowed into his face, biting fiercely.


    Were it not for the fact that the elder was a Nascent Soul cultivator with a thick protective flash of brilliance, his face would have been stripped to the bone in that instant.


    With so many ferocious Gold Devouring Beetles tearing at his face and his sight obstructed, the elder, overwhelmed by anger and shock, frantically clawed at his face to tear off the beetles.


    Meanwhile, he inhaled sharply, on the verge of emitting a sky-piercing yell to attract other cultivators.


    But at that moment, a bone-chilling sneer reached his ears.


    Although the sound was not loud, as soon as it entered his ears, his Divine Sense was assaulted by a pain tearing him apart.


    Convulsing, the elder involuntarily screamed and the yell at the tip of his tongue ceased abruptly.


    Seized by terror, the elder thought to recklessly shoot up into the air when, the next instant, the intense pain in his Divine Sense suddenly vanished, and the beetles clinging to his face took flight, allowing his vision to clear-he could see again.


    However, at the same time, a golden sword wrapped in violet flames, several feet long, appeared before the elder¡¯s eyes, slashing directly at his head.


    ¡°Ah!¡± the elder roared in terror, without any time to release any Daoist paper talismans or to use an Escape Technique to evade.


    He could only tumultuously pour all his mana into the shield in front, hoping to at least block this attack.


    The elder, fuming with horror and rage, now understood that the self-proclaimed overseas Loose Cultivator had harbored a murderous intent from the start and had never intended to resolve the situation by forfeiting wealth.


    In his wrath and regret for provoking this person, he took solace that his yellow Wooden Shield was not easily obtained-an ancient treasure with astonishing defensive power.


    He thought that even if his opponent was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, it should be capable of blocking a single strike.


    In the instant these thoughts flickered through the elder¡¯s mind, a quiet ¡°Puchi¡± sounded.


    As soon as the yellow shield contacted the golden sword, it was sliced through like tofu.


    Then, without the golden sword¡¯s descent halting, with a dazzling flash of golden light, the elder¡¯s body split in two and fell to either side, and a black infant about an inch tall, frozen in a look of terror, remained hovering in the distance, trapped within a block of violet ice, unable to move.


    The golden sword circled once, then effortlessly dispatched the elder¡¯s masterless Worm Beast, turning it into a blood rain, before flying over the violet ice again.


    A clap of thunder sounded, and thick golden lightnings shot out from the sword, turning into a delicate electric net that ensnared the Nascent Soul within.


    As the rumbling continued, both the violet ice and the Nascent Soul inside disintegrated into nothingness amidst the golden light.


    Only then did Han Li¡¯s expression soften slightly, but his actions didn¡¯t stop-he reached out towards the elder¡¯s corpse, and the storage pouch around his waist flew into his hand.


    At the same time, two fist-sized fireballs shot out from his other sleeve, turning both the elder¡¯s and the Worm Beast¡¯s bodies into nothingness.


    Immediately after, Han Li rose into the air without hesitation.


    After flashing a few times, he vanished from the sky like a ghost.


    Merely a quarter of an hour later, five streaks of light, each of a different color, suddenly appeared above where the events had taken place.


    After circling once, the streaks of light descended to the ground, revealing five men and women.


    It was Lin Yinping, Ge Tianhao, four others, and an additional unfamiliar young man-a Core Formation expert.


    ¡°This is indeed the place.


    My teacher¡¯s aura vanished here,¡± said the young man as he held a Magical Disc with an uneasy expression.


    ¡°There are indeed some remnants of spiritual energy fluctuations here, and it really includes that surnamed Li fellow¡¯s aura.


    There are also some traces of blood.


    It seems your master has been silenced,¡± Ge Tianhao scanned the area and paused at a spot of crimson on the ground, speaking in a somber tone.


    (First update!


    Hehe, it¡¯s the end of the month.


    Everyone, please see if the second monthly ticket is out; if so, I hope you can support it.


    I¡¯ll continue to work hard on writing another chapter.


    I hope everyone continues to enjoy the book!)


    (To be continued¡­


    If you wish to learn what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters and to support the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 947 - Chapter 947 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 944 Cold Marrow

    ?Chapter 947: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 944 Cold Marrow Chapter 947: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 944 Cold Marrow ¡°`


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.


    Although my master¡¯s cultivation is slightly inferior to that thief¡¯s, how could he not even have the chance to escape or cry for help?¡± The young man¡¯s face turned deathly pale as he spoke with disbelief.


    ¡°Hmph, what do you know?


    It¡¯s not just any early Nascent Soul cultivator; that person has even killed cultivators of the same rank before.


    It¡¯s not surprising that your master was killed without warning by him.


    But tell us everything exactly as Old Xiao told you, and make sure you¡¯re being completely honest,¡± Ge Tianhao replied with a cold snort, a clear note of irritation in his voice.


    At that moment, Lin Yinping extended her divine sense to rapidly search the area, and suddenly, with a sway of her slim waist, she appeared seven or eight zhang away at a particular spot.


    She reached down and picked up an object from the ground, her face turning suddenly ugly as she examined it.


    ¡°My master didn¡¯t say much; he only entrusted his life-bound Magical Disc to me and arranged that if there was any abnormality with the disc or if he did not return after a set time, I was to immediately reveal everything about that person to you elders in order to rescue him from danger in time,¡± the young man murmured.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anymore; it¡¯s certain that your teacher has already encountered trouble.


    Is this object used on your master¡¯s ancient treasure?¡± Lin Yinping raised her hand, and an object shot directly at the young man.


    The young man hastily caught it, and after looking at it, his heart sank immediately.


    It was a small piece of yellow wood, flickering with a familiar, yet faint, spiritual light.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    It was indeed a fragment of the old man¡¯s Wooden Shield.


    ¡°This is from my master¡¯s Mu Kui Shield.


    This shield was exceptionally solid, and its defensive power was astonishing; how could it have been destroyed?¡± The young man¡¯s complexion grew even paler.


    ¡°Daoist Lin, it seems that Old Xiao is no longer among the living.


    At first, upon hearing your words, I wasn¡¯t quite convinced that that person really had the divine skill to kill cultivators of the same rank, but now it seems this person is even more formidable than we anticipated by a good margin.


    Although Old Xiao was only an early Nascent Soul cultivator, he was proficient in several extraordinary escape techniques, yet he was killed without even having a chance to cry out for help.


    It seems that this person¡¯s divine skill must be no less than those of late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    The few of us alone are probably not enough to subdue him,¡± Ge Tianhao said solemnly to the Endless Sky Saintess without paying any attention to the young man.


    ¡°What, Brother Ge, you¡¯re not planning on reclaiming your sect¡¯s treasure now, are you?


    Since the Ghost Sifting Banner has fallen into this person¡¯s hands, it¡¯s very likely that your four elders have also met their demise by him,¡± Lin Yinping said slowly, furrowing her elegant eyebrows.


    ¡°Hehe.


    To kill a Yin Sifting Sect elder and seize our sect¡¯s treasure, it doesn¡¯t matter if he is not a late Nascent Soul cultivator or even if he is indeed one.


    Our sect will absolutely not let this person off.


    But it seems that this person also has quite a grudge with you from the Heaventide Prairies.


    Otherwise, Daoist Lin, as a clan¡¯s Endless Sky Saintess, wouldn¡¯t have stayed in Great Jin for several years just for this person,¡± Ge Tianhao chuckled dryly, with an insinuating tone.


    ¡°As long as this person can be killed, I can add an additional twenty percent to the conditions the Holy Temple previously agreed to with your sect.


    However, of the treasures on his person, our Holy Temple must be allowed to choose one first,¡± Lin Yinping said with a slight pursing of her red lips, suddenly giving a charming smile.


    ¡°Thirty percent.


    Capturing and killing such a formidable cultivator, our sect does not yet know how many we will lose.


    As for the treasures, we had already agreed to let your palaces select first, so of course there¡¯s no further dispute,¡± Ge Tianhao replied without hesitation.


    ¡°I can agree to these terms,¡± Lin Yinping hesitated only briefly before readily agreeing.


    ¡°Good.


    I trust that as the Endless Sky Saintess, Daoist friend would not go back on her word.


    Disciple Hu, send out a Sound Transmission Talisman immediately to summon all the elders and disciples of our sect in Jinjing, and spare no effort in searching for this person.


    Since he has gone to the city market, he will definitely attend the grand auction, which is our best opportunity to capture him.


    But we must act covertly in all this, so as not to attract the attention of other cultivators from various sects; lower-ranked disciples must not engage with this person at all.


    If the elders have not gathered together, they should not act rashly either.


    The best course of action would be to lure him into an Array and attack him all at once,¡± Ge Tianhao turned to another Yin Sifting Sect cultivator and ordered.


    ¡°Should we also inform Sect Leader Fang?


    After all, it was he who dispatched the four elders who ended up perishing,¡± the male cultivator asked.


    ¡°Since the last time, when the plan to repair the Ghost Sifting Banner was only half-completed and the incident with the four elders occurred, Sect Leader Fang has already made the Great Elders very unsatisfied with him.


    I heard he is now in seclusion refining an impressive treasure, even if he rushes here immediately, he won¡¯t be able to make it in time for the auction.


    However, we can first send a Sound Transmission Talisman to him.


    If we don¡¯t manage to capture this person with our own efforts, we can ask for the assistance of his faction¡¯s forces to deal with him,¡± Ge Tianhao nodded after a moment of hesitation.


    After a thorough discussion, the group immediately rode streaks of light and left the area.


    Naturally, to avoid causing a commotion among ordinary mortals, they also immediately concealed themselves after rising into the air.


    Although there are rules in Jinjing against cultivators flying, cultivators from a major sect like the Yin Sifting Sect didn¡¯t take such rules seriously.


    ¡­


    At the same time, Han Li was walking on a less crowded street over twenty li away, scanning through the contents of the storage pouch from the little old man with his divine sense.


    The pouch was filled with a mishmash of items that would truly require some effort to sort through.


    Suddenly, he paused in his steps, and a look of astonishment appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    ¡°What is it, have you discovered something?¡± The Monarch Great Development asked lazily through transmission.


    ¡°What is this?


    It seems like something I have never seen before.¡± Han Li flipped his palm, and a slender jade bottle, about six or seven inches tall and emerald green, appeared in his hand, exquisitely made.


    He stroked the neck of the bottle with a finger, and a piercing cold sensation spread from his fingertip, causing a look of surprised doubt to appear on Han Li¡¯s face.


    ¡°`


    Afterward, he lifted the bottle with one hand and gently shook it-a faint sound of liquid flowing came from within.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°Could it be some kind of Spiritual Liquid inside?


    However, the liquid in this bottle is a bit strange; even Divine Sense can¡¯t penetrate it,¡± Han Li muttered to himself as he gazed at the bottle.


    ¡°If you want to know what it is, just carefully identify it when you get back.


    This is a street of ordinary mortals; don¡¯t be hasty in opening it and causing trouble,¡± warned Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°I naturally know that,¡± responded Han Li without any change in expression, flicking his wrist.


    The bottle vanished from his hand without a trace.


    ¡°Han Li, since you¡¯ve exposed your identity, you¡¯ll need to be extra cautious in Jinjing.


    The Yin Sifting Sect and the Endless Sky Saintess won¡¯t let you off easily.


    They¡¯ll probably guess that you¡¯ll attend the auction,¡± Monarch Great Development remarked.


    ¡°No worries.


    I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s any second Spirit Beast in Jinjing that can see through Illusion Techniques.


    As long as I avoid the late Nascent Soul cultivators in the city, there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues.


    The forthcoming auction is the only way to assemble the necessary materials.


    Despite some risk, we must take this chance,¡± Han Li seemed to have already considered this matter.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    However, since this time it¡¯s to collect puppet materials, should there be any real danger, I will break precedent and assist you with the ¡®God Shocking Sting¡¯ divine skill from the Great Development Technique, just as in the recent battle,¡± Monarch Great Development said indifferently.


    ¡°Thank you, senior.


    With your words, I feel much more at ease,¡± replied Han Li joyfully.


    An hour later, Han Li returned to the Daoist temple as casually as an ordinary mortal, and after a leisurely chat with the Sect Master, he nonchalantly walked back to his room.


    Casually setting up several Temporary Spell Formations around the room, Han Li then took out the green bottle and placed it before his eyes for a thorough examination once again.


    After a long pause, he raised his hand and forcefully grabbed the cap of the jade bottle.


    A sudden thought flashed past, and he deftly lifted off the cap.


    Instantly, a burst of cold light shot out from inside the bottle, and the temperature in the entire room plummeted rapidly.


    Even Han Li, who had cultivated in the Purple Apex Flames¡¯ cold arts, couldn¡¯t help but shiver when enveloped by the cold light.


    Startled, Han Li¡¯s body burst into a layer of violet flames.


    The moment the cold light touched the flame, it was repelled.


    The entire room, wherever the cold light swept, immediately froze solid with thick ice.


    If there weren¡¯t several layers of restrictive formations already in place, the cold air would¡¯ve leaked outside the room.


    It seems that while this cold light isn¡¯t as formidable as the Purple Apex Flames, its degree of extreme coldness was not far from the Celestial Ice Flame.


    ¡°What is this thing?¡±


    Curious, Han Li wrapped his hand in violet flames and firmly shook the bottle once more, causing more cold light to spray out of the opening.


    As he watched the cold light disperse in midair and make the room even colder, he finally moved the bottle underneath his gaze.


    With one sweep of his eyes, a blue glint flashed in his pupils.


    Looking through the hazy white mist, the inside of the bottle glimmered with a dazzling silver light.


    ¡°It seems like-pour out a drop from the bottle and carefully catch it with a jade plate.


    Let me have a closer look,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice suddenly turned somewhat excited.


    Stirred, Han Li didn¡¯t say another word.


    He pulled out a palm-sized Jade Dishware from his storage pouch, while his other hand held the bottle steady with a slight tremor of his wrist.


    A drop of silver liquid fell steadily from the bottle¡¯s mouth, producing a pleasant, crisp sound as it landed on the dish, turning into a bead the size of a rice grain which spun endlessly in the dish.


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, this silver bead itself emitted no coldness at all, appearing quite ordinary.


    ¡°Indeed, there is no mistake.


    It is Cold Marrow which can only be nurtured by Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade,¡± Monarch Great Development sighed and spoke slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of ice jade, but what is Cold Marrow?


    It seems very rare,¡± Han Li asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Cold Marrow is essentially a type of jade marrow, which is one of the most commonly used materials for refining pills and artifacts.


    However, this kind of Cold Marrow only grows within Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade and is something most people never have the chance to see.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, only the Northern Night Little Polar Palace in the northwest of Great Jin possesses such a small bottle, treasured as a sect-guarding heirloom across generations.


    Beyond that, I haven¡¯t heard of it being produced anywhere else.


    Oh right, that Snow Crystal Bead which you¡¯ve refined comes from the Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade,¡± Monarch Great Development replied calmly.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, for what will come next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support original reading!)

 Chapter 949 - Chapter 949 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 946 Senior Han

    ?Chapter 949: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 946 Senior Han Chapter 949: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 946 Senior Han Han Li had been in the room for a day and a night.


    Although the Sect Master of the Daoist temple was an ordinary mortal, he was aware of some matters concerning the cultivators and had vaguely guessed Han Li¡¯s identity.


    Therefore, during this period, he did not let anyone disturb Han Li.


    When Han Li finally opened his eyes in the room, a hint of disappointment showed on his face.


    ¡°The Cold Marrow¡¯s chill couldn¡¯t be integrated with the Purple Apex Flames at all.


    It seems that for now, it can only be used as a material.


    I should use it to refine the Snow Crystal Bead again,¡± Han Li muttered helplessly.


    Suddenly, he opened his mouth and with a light ¡°puff,¡± a crystal-clear bead spurted out, hovering several feet in front of him.


    Looking at the object before him, Han Li raised his hand, and the small bottle containing the Cold Marrow appeared in his palm.


    His finger brushed past it, and the cap flew off by itself.


    He immediately slapped the bottom of the bottle with his other hand.


    Instantly, a drop of silver bead shot out and disappeared into the Snow Crystal Bead.


    Han Li, saying no more, pinched a magic formula with both hands and opened his mouth again.


    A stream of Nascent flames burst forth, instantly enveloping the bead in front of him, burning vigorously.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    Calmly watching the bead within the flames, Han Li closed his eyes again.


    Refining this bead didn¡¯t require much time.


    There was enough time to complete the refining before the grand auction was convened.


    Thinking so, he began meticulously refining the treasure before him using his spiritual sense.


    ¡­


    While Han Li was focused on refining the Daoist paper talisman, in a corner of the imperial city in the northern part of Jinjing, a young man wearing a light blue robe stood in a stone kiosk, his hands clasped behind his back, enjoying the exotic flowers and rare herbs outside the kiosk with a content expression.


    Suddenly, the young man¡¯s expression shifted.


    His face turned abruptly, revealing his true appearance, which bore a striking resemblance to Han Li, the only difference being his pair of emotionless, icy eyes.


    At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the nearby garden entrance, and shortly after, an elder in a black embroidered gown appeared, looking up straight into the young man¡¯s bright eyes, which sent a shiver down his spine.


    Fortunately, the cold light in the young man¡¯s eyes quickly faded, making him appear more ordinary, and he casually said,


    ¡°I thought it might be someone else.


    Is it Yun Yi visiting?


    Are you looking for Han Li?¡±


    ¡°Senior Han, in these past few days, our spies in various city markets have sent a message that might interest you,¡± the elder chuckled dryly as he approached.


    ¡°Message?


    You know I have no interest in trivial matters and am not responsible for any specific duties.


    If you need my assistance, just have Elder Ye speak to me,¡± the young man said coldly, turning his head back to gaze at the flowers and shrubs in front of the kiosk.


    ¡°Heh, if it were anything else, I naturally wouldn¡¯t disturb your cultivation, Brother Han.


    But this message is related to you,¡± the elder said, undeterred by the distance in the young man¡¯s attitude, hinting at deeper implications.


    ¡°Related to me?


    Did you find that person?¡± the young man was startled, narrowed his eyes, and asked with a chilling tone.


    ¡°Yes, we indeed have news of that person.


    Reportedly, some cultivators from the Gui Luo Sect have been quietly searching for this person in several parts of the Yuejing city market.


    Here is the portrait they distributed.


    It should be the same person Senior Han mentioned.


    However, Senior Han should see for himself,¡± the elder raised his hand, and a white jade slip flew out from his sleeve.


    The young man in the light blue robe gloomily gestured, attracting the jade slip into his hand.


    His spiritual sense immediately immersed in it, scrutinizing carefully.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s indeed him.


    Is there any word on why the Gui Luo Sect people are looking for him?¡± the young man¡¯s face twitched, swiftly withdrawing his spiritual sense and asked calmly.


    ¡°No news yet, but all Nascent Soul elders from the Yin Sifting Sect in Yuejing have suddenly gathered together, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s related to that person.


    Senior Han, you¡¯ve mentioned that the cultivator who shares your name is a major enemy of yours, and you¡¯ve asked the clan to help find him.


    Thus, the second elder has decided to leave this person to Han Li to deal with.


    No matter what means Senior Han employs against this person, it is only necessary that he does not interfere with the normal progress of the major auction.


    After all, the Ye Clan must acquire a few specific items at this auction.


    Elder Ye does not want any accidents to occur,¡± the elder spoke impassively.


    ¡°Hmph, as long as I get accurate information about this person, I will make him disappear from this world.


    However, I don¡¯t know how many evil treasures the clan has gathered for me.


    I agreed to join the Imperial Clan to serve the Ye Clan, but it was under this condition.¡± Senior Han snorted coldly.


    ¡°Rest assured, Han Li, we are already monitoring the whereabouts of the evil treasures everywhere.


    Have we not already found one for you?


    However, acquiring the remaining evil treasures is somewhat troublesome and will take some time,¡± the elder in a black hat explained, his expression unchanged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you find the evil treasures.


    I¡¯ve served the Ye Clan for twenty years, and after those twenty years, I must see the agreed-upon evil treasures in my hands,¡± Senior Han said, his lips pursed and a flash of cold light in his eyes.


    ¡°Of course.


    Since the Ye Clan has promised Senior Han, we will definitely not go back on our word.


    Senior Han, please rest for now.


    The moment we have precise information about that person, I will notify you immediately,¡± the elder in the black hat said, his smile not reaching his eyes as he finally took his leave with a fist salute.


    The young man sneered as he watched the elder¡¯s figure disappear at the garden gate.


    Then, remembering something, he gently shook his sleeve, and a small grey sword enveloped in shimmering golden light suddenly appeared in his hand.


    The small sword, entangled in several black threads, still bounced spiritedly as if trying to break free, though these black threads, made from unknown material, tightly bound it despite the sword¡¯s struggles.


    The young man frowned and suddenly opened his mouth, spewing forth a mouthful of black blood that doused the golden sword.


    The golden sword moaned mournfully, its brilliance immediately dimming, yet it continued to hum lowly, unwilling to submit.


    ¡°What a hassle.


    A human world flying sword, and it¡¯s still so difficult to erase its spirit.


    If not for the fact that this sword was crafted from Gold Lightning Bamboo, why would I bother with so much effort?¡± the young man murmured to himself, his face showing impatience.


    ¡°However, since your master has also arrived in Jinjing, this presents a rare opportunity.


    As long as I destroy him, not only can I avenge the soul murder that has prevented me from recovering my full cultivation, but this sword will also become unowned, and I can easily tame it,¡± the young man said, his face flickering with Evil Qi while his pupils mysteriously glimmered black and purple, suddenly transforming him into a bizarre and demonic figure.


    a€|


    Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the mansion, two men and one woman were seated around a round table, engaged in conversation.


    One of them was the black-hatted elder who had just returned from meeting with the young man, the other was a middle-aged man with a formidable face and a jade belt.


    The woman, who had previously appeared in the Imperial Pure Temple, now had a solemn expression as she listened to the black-hatted elder recount his conversation with the young man.


    ¡°So it seems, Senior Han agreed immediately,¡± the square-faced middle-aged man remarked thoughtfully after hearing the elder¡¯s account.


    ¡°Indeed.


    Although Senior Han did not show excessive emotion when hearing about his namesake, the murderous intent in his eyes was undoubtedly real.


    It seems his claims of a deep feud with that person are genuine,¡± the black-hatted elder replied.


    ¡°But both their names are identical, and even their appearances are so similar.


    And that ¡®Han Li¡¯ intruding into our Imperial Clan¡¯s residence in the Imperial Pure Temple not long ago, I wonder what his purpose was-is he targeting our Ye Clan?


    Now, he is being secretly investigated so seriously by the Yin Sifting Sect cultivators.


    I keep feeling uneasy about this,¡± the beautiful woman raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Of course, there are things we do not know about, but why should we bother with these matters?


    As long as Senior Han is not an undercover agent from the Daoist Sects or others, and can help the Ye Clan achieve great things, we need not be overly inquisitive.


    Senior Han is not only strong in cultivation, but also knows much about ancient secrets, essential to our plans in the years to come.


    Before that, we must make every effort to gain his trust.


    Moreover, regarding this namesake of Senior Han¡¯s, we must keep a closer watch.


    Such attention from the Yin Sifting Sect surely means he is no ordinary figure.


    Since we can¡¯t be sure if he targets our Ye Clan, if possible, we should still assist Senior Han in eliminating him promptly,¡± the square-faced elder said, patting the armrest of his chair with a grave voice.


    ¡°The Second Elder speaks wisely.


    However, this Senior Han also seems a bit sinister, and I always feel he might be hiding his true strength from us, even making us gather evil treasures which harm both others and oneself; it¡¯s truly hard to understand his intentions.


    I believe we should also be very cautious of him,¡± the black-hatted elder suddenly chimed in.


    ¡°I am well aware of that, Brother Yun Yi.


    Other than the core elders of our Ye Clan, I trust no outsider, nor will I reveal our true plans to them.


    The key now is, we need to secure a few specific items at this auction that must not be discovered by other powers as our bids.


    Otherwise, they might either intentionally sabotage us or perhaps deduce parts of our plans from these items.


    Such events must not happen.


    Therefore, you must ensure everything is arranged properly for this auction, allowing no mistakes.


    Should we miss this auction and fail to gather the needed materials to craft those magic artifacts, our treasure-fetching expedition in the coming years will not proceed smoothly,¡± the square-faced elder instructed gravely.


    (Second update!)(To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡ª


    Note: I altered the tone of some dialogue to better convey the underlying tension and expression in English.


    The source language often uses fewer words to convey such intent, so adjustments were needed for natural English phrasing.

 Chapter 950 - Chapter 950 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 947 The Grand Auction

    ?Chapter 950: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 947: The Grand Auction Chapter 950: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 947: The Grand Auction ¡°Second Uncle, rest assured, this auction has been arranged flawlessly.


    All the cultivators who are bidding have already been bought by us, inconspicuous loose cultivators.


    From the surface, it looks like these cultivators have nothing to do with our Ye Clan.


    Moreover, as soon as the first-class auction ends, these people will be silenced immediately, ensuring not a hint of information leaks out.


    However, how are things going with His Majesty¡¯s side?


    How come the Taiyi Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect suddenly sent Xuanqing and Qi Miao, two old eccentrics to the palace?


    They haven¡¯t caught wind of anything, have they?¡± the beautiful woman asked hesitatingly.


    The man with the crow-feathered crown also showed a worried look upon hearing this.


    ¡°Rest assured, the eldest brother has already probed their intentions.


    They are here for the Flatten Mountain Seal from the Three Sovereigns Temple.


    Recently, the temple has completed the final integration of the various components, and the seal has been refined.


    These two factions indeed have many informants.


    From the little clues we deliberately exposed, they have vaguely known what treasure we have created.


    Thus, this time, it is a pressure on our Ye Clan, demanding that we sell this treasure to the two of them.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    That¡¯s good in a way, with this bait out in the open, they won¡¯t pay attention to my real plan.


    However, to be extra cautious, all the elders who know the plan must go out in pairs from now on.


    One cannot be too careful; falling into a trap set by these two old eccentrics and being forcibly probed by their divine sense would be terrible, especially since the Qi Miao Human from the Heavenly Demon Sect specializes in various soul-bewitching secret techniques.


    Even Nascent Soul cultivators could unintentionally be caught out and reveal everything,¡± the square-faced middle-aged man cautioned with a twitch of his facial muscles.


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s reassuring.


    But the Flatten Mountain Seal is also something we struggled to refine.


    Are we just going to give it to these two factions so cheaply?¡± the crow-feathered man said with regret.


    ¡°Give it to them cheaply?


    How could that be possible!


    If only one faction had come to us, perhaps we couldn¡¯t withstand the pressure, and would have to begrudgingly accept it.


    But now that both have come together, naturally, there¡¯s room to fish in troubled waters.


    The eldest brother already has a plan.


    Even if we cannot keep the Flatten Mountain Seal, we will not let it fall so easily into the hands of those two traitorous factions,¡± the square-faced man said with a hint of a scornful sneer.


    The crow-feathered elder and the beautiful woman exchanged glances, full of confusion, but also tacitly did not continue to ask.


    Then, after chatting for a while longer, the three parted ways and went about their own business.


    ¡­


    Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the grand auction arrived.


    During this period, although the Yin Sifting Sect searched everywhere for Han Li¡¯s whereabouts, they only looked in other city markets, inns, and some cultivator gathering places near Jinjing.


    Han Li was focused on his cultivation with the Snow Crystal Ball in the Daoist temple, having not stepped outside even once, naturally yielding no results for them.


    Early that morning, Han Li changed his appearance, transforming into a dark-faced large man with his bamboo tube disguised as a long sword, and then floated away from the Daoist temple, heading straight for the Jinxi Market.


    Along the way, he subdued his Qi to lower his cultivation to the Core Formation realm, so as not to attract too much attention.


    Just as he had expected, the closer he got to the Jinxi Market, the more he sensed the presence of high-level cultivators.


    Mostly Core Formation experts dominated, but there were also quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators.


    As for low-level cultivators, they were even rarer.


    It seemed that any somewhat wealthy cultivator did not want to miss this grand auction.


    When Han Li passed through the restrictive formations and stepped into the city market, he immediately noticed that the entire street was full of cultivators in various outfits, with many strangely dressed individuals.


    However, with just one sweep of his gaze, he saw several sullen-faced black-robed cultivators near the entrance, continuously scanning those entering the market.


    One of the men was none other than that Ge Tianhao.


    However, the Endless Sky Saintess was nowhere to be seen for some reason.


    Han Li frowned slightly, but on the surface, he pretended to be oblivious and walked towards the direction of the grand hall, not giving the Yin Sifting Sect cultivators a second glance.


    But just as he took two steps forward, a subtle divine sense immediately swept over him, then left without finding anything, moving on to another Core Formation expert who had just appeared.


    This act of the Yin Sifting Sect using divine sense to scan cultivators entering the market was not something every cultivator entering the market experienced.


    Only those with unfamiliar faces, who clearly looked like loose cultivators or had dubious identities, would encounter this.


    High-level cultivators belonging to different sects were simply ignored.


    While this discreet act of divine sense scanning was tolerable for those in the Core Formation Stage, who couldn¡¯t detect it and therefore had no reaction, several Nascent Soul experts became furious when they entered the market and immediately encountered this.


    They glared coldly at these Yin Sifting Sect cultivators.


    Fortunately, those from the Yin Sifting Sect had no intention of provoking any trouble; after sweeping their divine sense, they made no further moves.


    This left the high-level loose cultivators dissatisfied but unwilling to actually cause trouble with a Devilish faction like the Yin Sifting Sect.


    They could only leave in displeasure, like Han Li.


    ¡°Elder Ge, I¡¯ve heard that the person is proficient in the art of easy disguise.


    Our standing guard here is probably utterly useless,¡± a newly arrived elder with triangular eyes and a sinister look complained, becoming somewhat disgruntled as they continued to come up empty-handed.


    ¡°I asked several senior brothers to do this specifically to rattle our target, without any intention of using this method to find the person immediately.


    This person¡¯s divine skills are not insignificant, and we don¡¯t have a good way to see through their true identity.


    By searching for them with such aggressiveness, they might become flustered and slip up.


    Even if this person can keep their composure without revealing any flaws, you have no need to worry.


    The Soaring Tribes have some connections with the Heavenly Demon Sect, and Daoist Lin has already gone to borrow the Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror from Qi Miao of the Heavenly Demon Sect.


    He is now focusing on refining it at his residence, and in two or three days, he will be able to control it with ease.


    If we can find this person now, that¡¯s great; if not, we might make them drop their guard.


    Once we get to the last day or two of the auction, under the mirror¡¯s power to reveal true forms, the person will have nowhere to hide.


    We can capture them as swiftly as thunder that strikes before one hears it,¡± Ge Tianhao said to the sinister elder with a glance, speaking indifferently.


    ¡°That makes sense.


    I was wondering why Elder Ge, with your unparalleled strategizing ability within the sect, would perform such an idle act.


    If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need for the Sect Master and the others to come in haste.


    Just the few of us can capture this person and make a significant contribution to the sect,¡± the triangular-eyed elder¡¯s eyes gleamed, speaking excitedly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Ge Tianhao chuckled dryly and glanced in the direction of the Treasure Light Hall.


    The person they had to deal with this time seemed to be a tough cookie.


    Even the fourth elder, who had been at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul Stage within the sect, might have lost his life to this person a€¡° how could they be easy to capture?


    It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if any accidents occurred.


    It would be best to be extra cautious.


    Such were Ge Tianhao¡¯s silent thoughts, and his expression unconsciously turned grim.


    ¡­


    At this moment, Han Li stood in front of the enormous stone hall he had visited the other day.


    Now, this Treasure Light Hall was completely enveloped in a layer of five-colored light, appearing mysteriously extraordinary.


    To Han Li¡¯s astonishment, above the Treasure Light Hall, there was now an additional large hall made of white stone.


    Although it was smaller, covering only one-third the area of the stone hall below, it was still several hundred meters wide, and its presence in mid-air was undeniably colossal.


    In front of Han Li, a Qi Refinement Stage attendant clad in yellow respectfully explained something to him.


    At this time, Han Li no longer concealed his Nascent Soul aura, and although the attendant in charge of hosting at the auction saw Han Li as somewhat indifferent, he dared not show any signs of impatience.


    In front of the hall¡¯s entrance, there were other attendants dressed the same, also welcoming some Nascent Soul high-level cultivators.


    As for Core Formation experts, they had to walk honestly to a stone stele in front of the great hall¡¯s door to read the information written on it.


    ¡°Nascent Soul-level auctions have been moved up to the Nine Heavens Palace above, while Core Formation-level auctions will still be held in the Treasure Light Hall.


    Additionally, Nascent Soul-level auctions require a payment of one thousand Spirit Stones per person, and Core Formation-level auctions require one hundred Spirit Stones per person to enter.


    Have we got that right?¡± After a while, Han Li withdrew his gaze, glanced at the attendant before him, and said indifferently.


    ¡°You have clear insight, Senior.


    It is indeed so.


    This time, the number of cultivators attending the auction has increased by a third compared to previous years, forcing us to borrow this Nine Heavens Palace from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion for temporary use.


    Moreover, the payment of these Spirit Stones is the same regulation as in previous years.


    The main purpose is to prevent the auction from becoming too crowded, making it necessary to implement this measure to control the number of people at the auction.


    However, for esteemed seniors of your status, these Spirit Stones naturally wouldn¡¯t be of concern.


    Otherwise, if just anyone could enter the hall freely, even if the venue were ten times bigger, it simply wouldn¡¯t accommodate everyone,¡± the yellow-clad attendant said, smiling apologetically.


    ¡°A thousand Spirit Stones?


    You do indeed know how to extract a large sum of Spirit Stones.


    But as you said, as long as I am able to obtain something that satisfies me, this amount of Spirit Stones naturally won¡¯t be of concern.


    I¡¯m not interested in the Core Formation-level auction; I wish to participate in the Nascent Soul-level auction.¡± Han Li raised his hand and tossed ten mid-grade spirit stones into the attendant¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Please enter, Senior.


    The Nascent Soul-level auction will start in the morning, and this is the auction token.


    With this token, Senior can continuously attend the Nascent Soul-level auction for the next few days,¡± the attendant said with a broader smile upon receiving the Spirit Stones.


    He then drew a numbered jade medallion from his sleeve and handed it to Han Li.


    Han Li reached out and took the jade medallion, then without another word, a flash of green light appeared, and he transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the palace in the sky.


    By this time, other Nascent Soul cultivators had already flown towards the palace above on streaks of light.


    When Han Li flew into the gates of the Nine Heavens Palace, there was no one but a faint white light barrier at the entrance.


    His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he infused a bit of Spiritual Power into the jade medallion in his hand and waved it at the light barrier a few times.


    Immediately, a red light shot out from the medallion, parting the barrier as it passed.


    Without hesitation, Han Li¡¯s figure blurred, and he once again transformed into a streak of green light, shooting inside.


    The light barrier closed up right after as if nothing had happened.


    Two hours later, hundreds of Nascent Soul-level cultivators had sequentially flown into the Nine Heavens Palace.


    After three loud bell tolls, the grand auction commenced.

 Chapter 951 - Chapter 951 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 948 Hei Jin

    ?Chapter 951: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 948 Hei Jin Chapter 951: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 948 Hei Jin Han Li sat in a secluded corner of the grand hall, casting an indifferent gaze towards the center over a hundred yards away.


    A middle-aged man clad in black robes stood there, cradling a light yellow crystal stone, giving a simple introduction to the item.


    ¡°Ginger Yellow Crystal, found in the Western Desert of the Southern Border, can only be discovered in sand over a thousand feet deep.


    Unbelievably hard in nature and capable of holding a vast amount of Earth Attribute Spiritual Energy, it is an exceptional material for the refinement of Daoist paper talismans made for Earth control.


    The starting bid for this item is 8,000 spirit stones, and each increase must be no less than 1,000.¡± The cultivator responsible for conducting the auction was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator.


    His voice was measured and unhurried, devoid of any exaggerated rhetoric.


    However, this was quite normal.


    If a low-level cultivator had hundreds of Nascent Soul experts observing them at the same time, the immense and invisible pressure would be enough to make them lose their composure, rendering them unable to speak.


    Han Li carefully sensed the auctioneer¡¯s cultivation and found that he was at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage.


    In the absence of any late Nascent Soul cultivators at the auction, he was indeed the highest-ranked cultivator present; thus, presiding over this auction, it was unlikely anyone would dare to cause trouble.


    The Ginger Yellow Crystal, though a decent material for crafting Earth Attribute Daoist paper talismans, didn¡¯t excite a fervent bidding war.


    Only three or four individuals placed bids, and in the end, an unknown cultivator secured it for 12,000 spirit stones.


    The following lots were auctioned off in a similarly tepid manner.


    Han Li, sitting on his chair and watching all this, maintained an exceptionally calm demeanor, wholly unsurprised.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    This auction was set to last several days, and naturally, the items presented on the first day wouldn¡¯t be too extraordinary.


    While these materials might be relatively rare even to an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, with enough time one could collect the same outside of the auction hall.


    Therefore, most of the people present in the hall, except those who truly needed these items, were not eager to compete for them.


    However, by the end of the day, a few impressive items would still emerge to pique everyone¡¯s interest in attending the second day of the auction.


    Thinking this, Han Li naturally didn¡¯t focus on the auction itself but lazily kept an eye on the numerous Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall, who represented various powers of the Great Jin, from both the righteous and the demonic sects.


    What particularly caught his eye were three shiny-headed monks sitting in the middle of the grand hall.


    These three monks, one skin and bones, another chubby-faced, and the last one with an amiable expression and a white beard, were all dressed in gray robes with their heads bowed, the very picture of enlightened ascetics.


    This was Han Li¡¯s first encounter with high-level Buddhist cultivators, so he couldn¡¯t help but give them an extra glance.


    The eldest-looking monk in the center immediately turned towards Han Li¡¯s direction with an intuitive glance.


    Even though his gaze was gentle and warm, Han Li still felt a chill in his heart.


    Such keen Divine Sense; the Buddhist sects indeed had some ¡®Ghost Sect¡¯ methods to compete with the Daoist and Confucian schools within the Great Jin.


    Wishing not to unintentionally provoke hostility, Han Li immediately withdrew his Divine Sense and put on an unconcerned expression.


    The old monk¡¯s gaze lingered on Han Li briefly before resuming his previous demeanor without change.


    Aside from these monks, others in the great hall had diverse and peculiar appearances.


    Han Li silently consulted his knowledge of the various powers within the Great Jin and verified them one by one, trying his best to remember these individuals.


    They might prove useful in the future.


    With each item passingly auctioned off, time also ticked away.


    As Han Li had anticipated, near the end, a few rare treasures began to emerge, instantly stirring up the previously calm cultivators.


    Several items sparked fierce competition and sold for astonishingly high prices, heating up the atmosphere significantly.


    After all, Nascent Soul experts were not likely to care about spending a few extra spirit stones for what they needed.


    Otherwise, if they missed this opportunity, finding these items themselves could take an unpredictable amount of time.


    ¡°Hei Jin, weighing three jin and four liang.


    A rare material for Artifact Refining, with a starting bid of 30,000 spirit stones.


    Each increase must not be less than 2,000.¡± The rarer the treasure, the more succinctly the auctioneer explained.


    At that moment, he held up a jade plate containing an enigmatic metal that looked like ink but flickered with golden glints.


    Han Li, who had been smiling faintly, suddenly tensed at this announcement, a look of delight flashing in his eyes.


    Such needed material had appeared so soon, which was beyond his expectations.


    He had been searching for Hei Jin for quite a while and had not been able to acquire it.


    ¡°36,000,¡±


    ¡°40,000,¡±


    ¡°45,500 spirit stones,¡±


    ¡­


    Hei Jin had quite the reputation, and many knowledgeable people were present.


    Before Han Li could bid, several high prices had already been called out from the auction stage.


    Han Li frowned slightly, but he didn¡¯t rush to make a bid.


    Since he was determined to obtain the item, it was best to wait until the bidding reached its peak before joining the fray.


    When the piece of Hei Jin reached a high price of 60,000 spirit stones by an unknown cultivator, the other bidders who had been closely following suddenly stopped.


    ¡°65,000.¡±


    Han Li touched the jade medallion in front of him and, as a flash of light passed over it, he called out a price.


    ¡°67,000 spirit stones.¡± The other party seemed to genuinely need the item and hesitated before offering a higher bid than Han Li.


    ¡°70,000,¡± Han Li declared emotionlessly.


    This time, the bidding cultivator fell silent.


    Although Hei Jin was precious, a bid of 70,000 spirit stones was quite high, and he abruptly decided to give up.


    Han Li saw this, and with a slight smile,


    the middle-aged cultivator hosting the auction was quite pleased with the high price this item fetched, but still repeated the price twice out of habit.


    Just when he was about to confirm the sale after the third call, an indifferent voice with a new bid suddenly came through.


    ¡°Seventy-five thousand.¡±


    Han Li and the auctioneer were taken aback, as were most of the cultivators present at the auction.


    ¡°Eighty thousand.¡±


    Han Li quickly regained his composure and, without giving it another thought, blurted out his bid.


    ¡°Eighty-two thousand,¡± the bidder said unflinchingly with another offer.


    This person was seemingly as determined to acquire the item as Han Li, appearing hell-bent on obtaining it.


    This time, not only did Han Li¡¯s expression subtly change, but other cultivators couldn¡¯t help but turn their gazes in that direction.


    Where the crowd looked, toward the back of the hall, sat a cultivator enshrouded in pale black mist, sitting quietly.


    His true face was invisible, but the faintly visible garments suggested he was an elder.


    Han Li was puzzled but had no intention of engaging in a drawn-out bidding war.


    With a darkened expression, he suddenly announced a price that sent a shock through the hearts of all the cultivators present.


    ¡°One hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones.¡±


    At this price, the faces of the other cultivators in the hall bore strange expressions.


    This amount of spirit stones could buy a decent ancient treasure, utterly surpassing the normal price of Hei Jin.


    After a commotion, many cultivators couldn¡¯t help but glance toward Han Li.


    However, Han Li, who had changed his appearance, just looked like a sickly, yellow-faced cultivator, naturally unrecognizable to anyone.


    Han Li paid no mind to the others, keeping a watchful eye on every movement of the elder shrouded in black mist.


    Upon hearing such a high bid, the elder was visibly taken aback.


    If possible, he would have offered an even higher price to compete with Han Li for the Hei Jin.


    However, according to his information, another more important material was expected to appear later.


    If he spent so many spirit stones now, he wasn¡¯t certain he could secure the other material.


    Such a loss would be even greater.


    Besides, seeing that the other party had raised the price to such a lofty sum all at once, it was clear that he would not easily back down.


    After some internal calculation, the elder ultimately did not bid again.


    Thus, the material eventually fell into Han Li¡¯s hands.


    However, this had naturally drawn the attention of certain intentional observers to both Han Li and the elder.


    But Han Li was alright.


    He just sat in his chair, resting with his eyes closed, as if, having acquired the Hei Jin, he had no more interest in the other items.


    But that elder, on a more rare material called ¡°Separation Fire Sand,¡± engaged in a fierce competition with a large group of cultivators eyeing the material and astonishingly secured it with a high bid of over two hundred thousand.


    The elder¡¯s generous spending naturally drew more attention.


    This was not to say the elder spent the most spirit stones at the auction.


    The high-grade ancient treasures and medicinal pills that enhance cultivation, auctioned at the end, each fetched nearly two or three hundred thousand.


    But spending over two hundred thousand just on a material for Artifact Refining did set the imagination running and was not something an ordinary cultivator would do.


    After the first day of the auction, Han Li blended into the crowd and left the auction site, but at the city market¡¯s exit, those few Yin Sifting Sect cultivators had already vanished without a trace, seemingly having given up hope.


    Han Li smiled nonchalantly and leisurely left the market, heading towards his residence.


    What Han Li didn¡¯t know was that after leaving the city market, the elder shrouded in black mist quietly appeared in an inconspicuous civilian house in Jinjing.


    A black-hat old man from the Ye Clan was waiting for him in one of the rooms.


    Upon seeing the black-hat old man, the one who had attended the auction handed over the ¡°Separation Fire Sand¡± he had bought without a word.


    ¡°I already know about the Hei Jin affair.


    Thank you, Daoist Gao, for making the trip.


    I didn¡¯t expect someone to bid such a high price for the item; otherwise, I would have advised you to bring more spirit stones.


    Thankfully, Hei Jin is available for exchange at the underground auction taking place in a few days, which would have been troublesome otherwise.


    I¡¯ve already found out about the trade, and I have prepared everything for you.


    I¡¯ll have to trouble you to make another trip there,¡± said the black-hat old man with a smile, taking the material.


    ¡°Hehe, Brother Yun Yi has truly given me too many spirit stones this time.


    I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to hold onto them all.


    This was just an accident; with the spirit stones prepared in advance, we had more than enough.


    I will certainly attend the underground trading session in a few days,¡± replied the elder Gao with a dry laugh.


    ¡°Daoist Gao¡¯s workmanship is always reliable to me.


    This is the Spirit Pill I¡¯ve prepared for you; once this matter is concluded, the number of pills will double,¡± said the black-hat old man with satisfaction, nodding as he pulled out a jade box from his storage pouch and handed it over.


    ¡°Great!


    With such trust, I will certainly do my utmost in these next few days.¡± Elder Gao checked the Spirit Pills in the box, nodded in satisfaction, then took a storage pouch filled with spirit stones and a jade slip detailing the materials needing bidding on the next day from the black-hat old man before bidding farewell.


    (First update!)


    Recommendation for my friend Red April¡¯s work: ¡°Ming Dynasty Survival¡± with 1124968, a story of an insignificant character who travels through to the end of the Ming Dynasty to conquer a grand territory!


    (To be continued.


    For the next chapter, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 952 - Chapter 952 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 949 Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror

    ?Chapter 952: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 949 Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror Chapter 952: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 949 Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror The elderly man with the raven-hued crown waited for the other party to disappear from the house, the smile that had hung on his face suddenly vanished, darkening his mood.


    By nightfall, the same elder had met two other Core Formation Stage loose cultivators in the house.


    Just like the others, they too handed over some materials and, after reaping their rewards, left with great joy.


    During the following days, Han Li punctually attended the grand auction at the Nine Heavens Palace every morning.


    Since he had made a gain the first day, Han Li naturally held high hopes for the forthcoming auctions.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t acquire anything in the following days.


    Just like the rich surnamed elder who had exchanged for the Scarlet Essence Mushroom had said, apart from the daily final lots consisting of over ten items, the rare materials of the rank Han Li wanted were scarce at the auctions.


    The ending auctions mostly featured finished treasures of Daoist paper talismans.


    It seemed that obtaining the Hei Jin on the first day had indeed been a stroke of luck.


    However, Han Li hadn¡¯t been idle outside of the auctions either.


    He had also managed to learn a bit about the underground auction using various means.


    According to the information he gathered, the underground exchange was similar to the grand auction for the first few days a€¡° materials necessary for the Devilish path were prevalent, and it was rare for especially precious items to appear.


    However, the last day would host an exchange meeting specifically for Nascent Soul experts to trade items.


    In the past years, many rare materials had surfaced during these events, and there was a high possibility that the few materials he still needed could be found there.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Participating in this exchange wasn¡¯t easy, as it seemed only cultivators connected to the Devilish path or those introduced by related parties were allowed to join.


    Upon realizing this, Han Li felt relieved.


    He put the thought to the back of his mind and continued to attend the auctions at the Nine Heavens Palace daily.


    A few days later, on the last day of the auction, Han Li spotted another material he needed.


    His spirits lifted, and he spent over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones to secure the item.


    Before long, the public grand auction concluded.


    The cultivators swarmed out from the auction venue, and Han Li, blending in their midst, descended to the ground.


    However, he didn¡¯t leave the city market directly but instead headed straight for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.


    Unbeknownst to Han Li, this unwitting move allowed him to temporarily evade a disaster.


    Several elders from the Yin Sifting Sect, who had vanished from the entrance of the city market days ago, suddenly reappeared.


    Among them was also the Endless Sky Saintess, her face still hidden behind a muslin cloak.


    The Saintess was idly playing with a small mirror, its silver gleaming brightly.


    She watched the cultivators going in and out of the city market, occasionally glancing into the mirror, her bright eyes in motion as she knitted her brows in concentration.


    As time ticked away, the silver light from the mirror grew stronger, but the woman remained silent.


    Ge Tianhao and the others standing beside her were also beginning to show increasingly grim expressions, the mood amongst them souring.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t discovered that person.


    Among the cultivators who have entered and left the market, there were a few who also used Illusion Techniques to hide their true faces, but none of them is that person.


    Could it be that he really didn¡¯t attend the grand auction?


    If so, then these past few days have been a waste,¡± Lin Yinping finally said after a long pause, her voice tinged with hesitation.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.


    Among the high-level cultivators who recently came to Jinjing, there are few who would miss this grand auction.


    Moreover, Miss Lin, you saw it with your own eyes that day.


    That person stood in front of the Treasure Light Hall for some time before leaving, which clearly showed their keen interest in this auction,¡± Ge Tianhao said slowly.


    Hearing this, Lin Yinping unconsciously nodded her agreement, though the contemplative look on her face did not fade.


    ¡°Could it be that the Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror isn¡¯t as miraculous as rumored, or perhaps the time spent cultivating it was too short, and you, Daoist Lin, haven¡¯t yet been able to truly wield its power?


    Hence, you¡¯ve been unable to detect that person¡¯s whereabouts,¡± the Yin Sifting Sect elder with triangular eyes suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely.


    The Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror is one of the Seven True Treasures crafted by the Qi Miao True Seal, a renowned treasure in the realm of immortal cultivators that has been famous for a long time.


    As for the issue of cultivation, ancient treasures generally don¡¯t require much of that, it¡¯s just that this mirror is a bit special and needs some refining to fully exploit its ability to break through illusions.


    The refining over these days has been sufficient.


    Otherwise, the few cultivators who also used secret techniques wouldn¡¯t have had their true faces revealed by this treasure,¡± Lin Yinping shook her head and explained with slightly parted cherry lips.


    ¡°In that case, either that person¡¯s Illusion Technique and Divine Skills surpass those of the Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror, making it impossible to be detected, or they¡¯ve had some reason to stay within the city market.


    Or perhaps they used some method to leave through some other way,¡± Ge Tianhao reasoned as he spoke, his gaze flickering with thought.


    ¡°The Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror has such a renowned reputation, there are indeed some illusions it cannot dispel, but they are definitely rare.


    It¡¯s not so coincidental that this person possesses such Great Divine Power.


    And as for the second scenario, the surroundings of the city market are protected by the notoriously famous Eight Extremes Light Splitting Array from the Daoist Sects.


    It would be impossible for that person to leave the formation undetected.


    It¡¯s most likely they are still within the city market and haven¡¯t left yet,¡± Lin Yinping finally concluded with certainty.


    ¡°`


    ¡°What does Daoist Lin mean?¡± The triangle-eyed elder hesitated instead.


    ¡°Continue to stand guard here.


    As long as that person is still in the city market, they will definitely pass through this place.


    Additionally, dispatch a few more astute disciples to roam around the city market to see if they can find any trace of this person.¡± Lin Yinping suggested as such.


    ¡°Hmm!


    What Daoist Lin says is reasonable.


    Let¡¯s follow Daoist Lin¡¯s advice and keep watch until evening.


    If that person is really in the city market, they should appear during this time.¡± Ge Tianhao thought for a moment, found no issues, and agreed immediately.


    Then he raised his hand and released several Sound Transmission Talismans.


    Before long, several low-level cultivators from the Yin Sifting Sect arrived, and after receiving their instructions, they respectfully took their leave and headed deeper into the city market.


    Just as these few were becoming somewhat alarmed and doubtful from their failure to find Han Li, Han Li had already met Elder Wang from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion again.


    Naturally, he had reverted to his original appearance.


    Elder Wang knew some of the details about Han Li¡¯s appointment with the wealthy old man in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and thus was not surprised.


    Instead, he was very enthusiastic and ushered Han Li into a private room, personally keeping him company.


    After an idle chat with Elder Wang for a while, the two naturally exchanged some cultivation experiences and insights, both appearing to gain something from the conversation.


    Just as the two were eagerly corroborating their experiences, the wealthy old man finally arrived at the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion as promised.


    Seeing this scene, he unceremoniously joined in the discussion.


    This exchange between the three of them lasted for nearly half a day, only stopping with mutual smiles as evening approached, concluding the beneficial conversation.


    The wealthy old man and Han Li did not linger in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.


    They took their leave and exited the building.


    Upon stepping out, Han Li¡¯s face blurred for a moment and instantly transformed into another, unrecognizable yellow-faced cultivator.


    The wealthy old man was taken aback at first but then caught on and thought nothing of it.


    However, Han Li was the one who became surprised.


    Instead of heading towards the exit of the city market, the wealthy old man led him directly towards a small building nearby which was adorned with a sign that read ¡®Suling Pavilion¡¯.


    ¡°Elder Fu, what is this?¡± As they were about to enter the building, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°This Suling Pavilion is a private shop, and its owner is a good friend of mine for many years.


    He has recently arranged a temporary transportation formation inside the building, which happens to be not far from the underground trading conference.


    I have contacted him in advance, and we can be teleported directly there,¡± the wealthy old man confidently explained.


    ¡°A transportation formation.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, aren¡¯t transportation formations strictly forbidden in the city market?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s confusion grew, and he became even more astonished.


    ¡°Hehe.


    Rest assured, Daoist friend.


    My old friend has significant influence.


    Due to special circumstances, he has applied in advance to the powers behind the city market and has temporarily received permission.


    This transportation formation can only exist for a short few months, and very few know of its existence,¡± the wealthy old man explained casually.


    ¡°I see!¡± Han Li had an epiphany.


    The owner of Suling Pavilion was an ordinary-looking but clean old man, whose manners and speech were exceptional, giving people a refreshing impression on first meeting.


    What surprised Han Li even more was that this person was a well-known Array Master, which made Han Li very keen on building a rapport.


    Sadly, because he was in a rush to attend the underground trading conference, Han Li didn¡¯t have time to talk much with this person.


    He teleported out of the city market through a small-scale transportation formation arranged in a secret chamber of the building.


    In the next moment, the two appeared in a small, hidden cave.


    After the two walked out of the cave and flew into the air, Han Li realized they had directly reached a nameless small mountain near the southern part of Jinjing.


    The massive walls of Jinjing were still faintly visible not far from the mountain.


    As Han Li had left the city market, Ge Tianhao, who was still guarding the entrance of the city market, also checked the time.


    After pondering for a moment, he suddenly said to Lin Yinping at his side:


    ¡°Daoist Lin, the underground trading conference is about to start.


    There are a few items appearing at today¡¯s conference that will be of great use to Ge¡¯s future cultivation.


    I cannot afford to miss it.


    Now, with the sky so late, that person has not appeared, and no other disciples have found any trace of him in the city market.


    It seems we must have erred somewhere in our previous deductions.


    This person is cunning as a fox and might have left the city market long ago.


    It might be better for Daoist friend to join Ge at the trading conference.


    That person may also appear there, and even if not, you could definitely gain something from the underground trading conference.¡±


    ¡°It does seem that waiting here like this won¡¯t yield any results.


    Alright, I¡¯ll go with Daoist friend.


    Maybe we¡¯ll really find something there,¡± Lin Yinping bit her rosy lips, looked towards the deep end of the city market, and agreed somewhat reluctantly.


    After that, Ge Tianhao consulted with the others.


    The two cultivators, one male, and one female, who had been following him remained to temporarily guard this part of the city market.


    Another elder would join him and Lin Yinping in attending the underground trading conference, while the triangle-eyed elder and another claimed they had important matters and thus took their leave.


    For a time, the many Nascent Soul elders of the Yin Sifting Sect that had gathered did not have any contact or altercation with Han Li.


    They disintegrated as a group and went their separate ways.


    (Second update!)


    Recommending my friend Feng Shangren¡¯s work: ¡°Drawing the Soul of Another World¡± book number 1332582


    A high school student who dreams of becoming a manga artist accidentally crosses over to an unknown continent.


    Another clich?? story is about to begina€| The only difference is that this time the protagonist has countless anime and game characters that can be called upon to protect hima€|(To be continued, for more details, please log on to www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 953 - Chapter 953 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 950 Nine Nether Sect

    ?Chapter 953: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 950 Nine Nether Sect Chapter 953: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 950 Nine Nether Sect The cultivators of the Yin Sifting Sect had not left for long when suddenly, figures flickered in a nearby pavilion, and two monks emerged.


    They glanced at the empty entrance and whispered a few words to each other with grave expressions; then, they also stepped out.


    As soon as they left the city market, the two split up.


    One of them shook a small flag in their hand, and their figure disappeared in a purple qi, then stealthily pursued in the direction Ge Tianhao and his group had left.


    The other headed in a different direction, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward the imperial city.


    a€|


    At this time, on a nameless desert mountain near Jinjing, a wealthy-looking elder was speaking to Han Li with an intriguing expression:


    ¡°We¡¯ve already teleported here.


    Don¡¯t you want to ask something?¡±


    ¡°Why bother?


    I¡¯m indeed puzzled as to why Brother Fu insisted on using a transportation formation to exit the market, but I presume you had your reasons,¡± Han Li said calmly, having already cautiously surveyed the surroundings the moment they arrived.


    There was nothing unusual nearby, hence his composed reply.


    Han Li¡¯s cautious action did not escape the watchful eyes of the wealthy elder.


    However, instead of being annoyed, he was greatly pleased in his heart.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À?.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to it.


    I had received information beforehand that several cultivators from the Yin Sifting Sect were looking for someone at the exit of the great market.


    I figured that Fellow Daoist Han would definitely not want to encounter these people, hence I used this transportation formation to avoid them.


    Surely you don¡¯t think I was being overly cautious?¡± The wealthy elder said with a twinkle in his eye, his expression somewhere between a smile and a non-smile.


    ¡°The Yin Sifting Sect?


    What do you mean by that?¡± Han Li asked, his heart chilled, but his facial expression unchanged.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist need not worry about anything.


    Had I truly intended harm, I would have made preparations nearby.


    Brother Han, you must be the cultivator who had a conflict with Ge Tianhao in front of the Treasure Light Hall that day?¡± The wealthy elder said mysteriously with a slow smile.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected Brother Fu to know even this.


    But why would you extend your help to me?


    Surely you aren¡¯t just doing it over the promise from the other day.


    I find it hard to believe that you would anger a great devilish sect like the Yin Sifting Sect,¡± Han Li admitted after a moment of silence.


    ¡°What is the Yin Sifting Sect?


    It seems Brother Han does not yet know of my origins.


    I am but a lowly Law Enforcement Elder from the Nine Nether Sect.


    Our sect has had its grievances with the Yin Sifting Sect, and I would only be too glad to see Ge Tianhao thwarted.


    Of course, my helping you also comes with a request,¡± said the wealthy elder, nonchalantly revealing his identity.


    ¡°The Nine Nether Sect?


    My apologies for not recognizing your esteemed sect, which I have long heard of.


    But why would such a powerful sect need my assistance?¡± Upon hearing that the other party was an elder of one of the great devilish sects, Han Li was immediately startled and became very cautious.


    ¡°This matter is a personal affair, and it wasn¡¯t appropriate for me to use sect members.


    However, there is no urgency.


    We will discuss this after both of us have attended the trade fair.


    Fellow Daoist can rest assured that there might be some benefits for you as well.


    If you find the proposal unsuitable, I will not force the issue,¡± the wealthy elder said with a smile.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll graciously accept the favor,¡± Han Li said after a moment¡¯s thought, smiling.


    He had already offended the Yin Sifting Sect and naturally did not wish to offend another great devilish sect.


    Regardless of whether he would truly agree to help in the future, he¡¯d handle the situation with feigned compliance for the time being.


    The wealthy elder laughed and said, ¡°I knew Brother Han was a straightforward person.


    Let us go, the trade fair is not far from here.¡± His face briefly revealed joy, seemingly very satisfied with Han Li¡¯s reaction, and then the two transformed into two rainbows and flew off into the distance.


    After speeding along not for very long, about three thousand li from Jingjing City, in an obscure dark mountain range, the elder suddenly descended with Han Li, circling and stopping in front of what seemed like an ordinary stone wall.


    The stone wall emitted a faint green color and was mostly covered with mud and moss, showing no sign of being special.


    Han Li did not even look at the stone wall but narrowed his eyes and looked around, only then realizing they were in a wild mountain ravine between two peaks, with knee-high grass and shrubs everywhere.


    If the wealthy elder had not brought him here personally, he would have never believed that cultivators could be found in such a place.


    The wealthy elder was obviously familiar with this place.


    He skillfully flicked his sleeve, and a palm-sized disk flew out, emitting a white gleam as it entered the stone wall and vanished without a trace.


    Moments later, a yellow halo suddenly flickered on the wall, and before Han Li¡¯s eyes, the stone disappeared into thin air, revealing a massive hole with a diameter of more than ten zhang.


    Standing in front of the cave entrance, two middle-aged cultivators in green robes stood upright.


    Both were at the late Core Formation realm, and one of them was holding the magical disc that belonged to the wealthy elder.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Senior Fu who has arrived.


    This senior has a somewhat unfamiliar face; may I ask for the honor of your esteemed name?¡± The cultivator holding the magical disc first gave the two a bow and then, after a quick glance at Han Li, inquired with neither humbleness nor arrogance.


    ¡°This is Fellow Daoist Han, who hails from overseas.


    I vouch for him.


    Is there anything you need to check?


    Just give Daoist Han an identity disc; we¡¯re in a rush to attend the exchange meeting,¡± the elder surnamed Fu said sternly, with a glare in his eyes.


    ¡°Hehe, since it¡¯s Senior Fu making the introduction, there naturally won¡¯t be any problems.


    This is a Nascent Soul-level identity disc.


    With this, you can not only attend this trade conference, but you¡¯re also granted free access to the next three Underground Trade Conferences.


    Of course, if you violate the rules of the trade meetings, this magical disc can be confiscated or invalidated.


    And, as per the rules, owning this disc requires a deposit of ten thousand spirit stones,¡± the green-robed cultivator said respectfully after returning the disc to Elder Fu, then took out a similar one to explain to Han Li.


    ¡°Here, take the spirit stones.¡± Hearing the amount required, Han Li felt a pinch, but he handed over the payment readily without showing it.


    He threw across a bag brimming with ten thousand spirit stones.


    ¡°Here is the magical disc; please keep it safe.¡±


    After briefly checking the quantity of the spirit stones in the bag, the cultivator in the green robe offered the disc, etched with the number three hundred and forty-seven, with a wide smile.


    Han Li took a glance and then asked with some suspicion, ¡°Three hundred and forty-seven?


    Are there that many participants in the trade conference this time?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.


    Senior Han may not be aware, but some will not attend due to various reasons.


    Based on past experiences, we expect only over two hundred participants,¡± another cultivator in green robes explained.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s still a considerable number,¡± Han Li nodded, somewhat enlightened.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time.


    We¡¯ll head to the exchange meeting first.


    Please extend my regards to your master when you have the chance,¡± Elder Fu said, seeing that Han Li had received the disc, and promptly strode towards the depths of the corridor.


    ¡°These two have strong cultivation bases.


    From the way you speak, could they possibly be from the same master?


    May I know which Daoist it is?¡± Han Li followed behind and casually inquired.


    ¡°Their master is indeed extraordinary.


    Have you heard of the Four Great Loose Cultivators of Great Jin?¡± Elder Fu chuckled before replying with a question.


    ¡°Mhm, I have, indeed.


    Are they disciples of one of them?¡± Han Li¡¯s curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct; their master is Yi Xitian, the most mysterious of the Four Great Loose Cultivators, who has already been in the Deity Transformation stage for many years.


    I once had the opportunity to meet this person.


    I witnessed him easily behead a grade eight demon beast with his Heavenwide Divine Art; his cultivation is truly unfathomable.


    Rumor has it, he is one of the two individuals most likely to break through to the Divinity Transformation stage in a thousand years within Great Jin.


    The organizers of this trade conference probably also intended to leverage the prestige of their master by having these two guard the gates,¡± Elder Fu, full of admiration for Yi Xitian, kept explaining to Han Li with a hint of envy in his voice.


    ¡°I see that Elder Fu¡¯s cultivation is profoundly exceptional.


    Once you break through the bottleneck, the Deity Transformation stage should also be within reach soon.


    What¡¯s there to envy?


    But who is the other individual likely to advance to Divinity Transformation?¡± Han Li¡¯s interest was piqued and he continued to inquire.


    ¡°The other is Master Biyue from the Pure Fire Sect of Buddhism.


    He reached the Deity Transformation stage in just over four hundred years and is recognized in the realm of immortal cultivators as a once-in-a-millennium genius.


    As for myself, I, Fu, consider my own talent above average, but I couldn¡¯t begin to compare with those two.


    I have been stuck at this realm for two to three hundred years and have long since lost any hope of advancing.


    But you seem to have just broken through to mid-stage recently.


    Perhaps when the time comes, you might easily surpass the bottleneck?¡± Elder Fu said with a hint of self-deprecating laughter.


    ¡°Elder Fu, you jest.


    Where in the world are such good fortunes so readily found?¡± Han Li chuckled dryly, dismissing the thought with a laugh.


    He certainly took none of Elder Fu¡¯s words seriously.


    At that moment, led by Elder Fu, Han Li could already see a flickering white light up ahead.


    An entrance to a large hall began to take shape, with the bustling sounds of many voices reaching his ears, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling invigorated.


    ¡­


    Elsewhere, hundreds of miles away from the location of the Underground Trade Conference, Ge Tianhao¡¯s face was contorted with ferocity, his body was enveloped in roiling black qi, and he was tightly grasping the head of an unknown cultivator.


    He was in the midst of using the Soul Search Secret Technique, extracting the memories from the cultivator¡¯s Divine Sense at a crucial moment.


    The face of the cultivator being soul searched twisted in agony, his eyes rolled back, and his body trembled non-stop, seemingly in extreme pain.


    Nearby, Lin Yinping and another middle-aged man in a black robe stood emotionless, watching it all.


    A moment later, the cultivator being soul searched suddenly convulsed, blood oozed from his ears and nose, and he fell unconscious.


    Ge Tianhao¡¯s brow furrowed.


    Suddenly, his fingers emitted dark, ghostly flames, instantly reducing the body he held to ash.


    He then closed his eyes gently, digesting the information gleaned from the soul search.


    ¡°How did it go?


    Did you find out his identity?


    Why was he sneaking around behind us?¡± Once Ge Tianhao reopened his eyes, Lin Yinping immediately asked with a slight parting of her lips.


    (First update!) (To be continued!


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 955 - Chapter 955 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 952 Unrest

    ?Chapter 955: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 952 Unrest Chapter 955: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 952 Unrest Clearly, after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, not too many cultivators were still interested in crafting puppets and peculiar Daoist paper talismans.


    After competing with only three or four other people, Han Li easily secured the item with a bid of 170,000 spirit stones, much to his delight.


    In the subsequent auction led by the white light figure, there were two more items that caught Han Li¡¯s attention.


    He spent 190,000 spirit stones and 310,000 spirit stones, respectively, to acquire them.


    The latter was a material for a very famous spiritual treasure, and Han Li had no choice but to fiercely compete with many cultivators, bidding high amounts before finally securing the item.


    These few items had depleted seven to eight-tenths of the spirit stones in Han Li¡¯s storage pouch.


    Fortunately, no other puppet materials he needed appeared subsequently, which had Han Li sighing with relief.


    When the last item was auctioned off and the storage pouches on the jade table were completely emptied, the figure in the white light seemed quite satisfied with the previous auctions.


    After pausing for a moment, they said with a light chuckle,


    ¡°All our items have been auctioned off.


    If any fellow Daoists have treasures they wish to trade, you may now present them one by one for exchange.


    Let me say this beforehand; since it is a free exchange, if there is any forgery in the exchange items or if one makes a mistake in assessing them, it has nothing to do with us.


    We only provide the venue, and one must bear all the consequences.


    Also, following the usual rules, no matter what you wish to exchange or how many items you prepare to exchange successfully, we will afterwards charge a fee of 10,000 spirit stones per person.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Now, fellow Daoists, please feel free to proceed, and as long as there is no violation of the rules, I am merely an observer.¡±


    The figure spoke straightforwardly.


    After finishing their speech, they immediately moved and suddenly appeared on the edge of the clearing, then sat down cross-legged, appearing to directly enter into meditation.


    This scene did not surprise most of the cultivators around; instead, it prompted figures to move, and several streaks of bright light flew out.


    One of them was clearly faster than the others, and as the glow subsided, a figure enshrouded in red light appeared behind the jade table.


    The figure then smiled with cupped fists and said,


    ¡°Thank you for yielding, I have arrived first.


    The rest of the fellow Daoists, please wait a moment.¡±


    Seeing this, the other streaks of light could only circle around unwillingly before flying back to their original seats.


    Han Li watched with a slight smile.


    Generally speaking, being the first to act in trading materials naturally had its advantages, as it could prevent the items one needed from being snatched up by others first.


    However, such incidents weren¡¯t too common, and the rarer the materials being traded, the less likely they were to overlap with others¡¯ needs.


    Therefore, most cultivators were able to remain calm and didn¡¯t compete overmuch with the few who had rushed to trade earlier.


    The few materials Han Li still lacked were rather obscure, and thus he was not too worried.


    Those who had preemptively taken their stand were probably trading items with a broad range of uses, prompting their urgency.


    Indeed, the cultivator amidst the red glow brought out several rare materials and specifically requested certain alchemical ingredients that could be used in various medicinal pills.


    Shortly after, indeed, several people came forth to trade away most of these materials, leaving the person enshrouded in red glow quite satisfied as they stepped down.


    The several people who followed also traded rather smoothly, each managing to gain something from the exchanges.


    However, when a cultivator with a yellow aura held up a sparkling blue metal, asking to trade for a water-attribute material that Han Li had never even heard of, not a single person came forth to trade even after the request was repeated three times.


    This cultivator could only walk back down in dejection.


    Following this person, cultivators began returning empty-handed more frequently.


    After some three or four dozen went up, the majority came back without any exchange, and those who secured an item were few.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t necessarily mean that the items these cultivators sought to trade for weren¡¯t in the possession of others present; it was more likely that those who had the materials assessed that the offerings weren¡¯t worth the trade or that the items weren¡¯t what they desired, so they remained unmoved and didn¡¯t go forward to trade.


    Thus, this barter system did not guarantee that one¡¯s prized treasures would easily find a successful exchange.


    Certainly, some cultivators saw materials they desired but didn¡¯t possess what the other party wanted, and tried to negotiate secretly to trade with other treasures.


    Yet, only a very few succeeded, with most rebuffed coldly; among the successful few was Han Li, who managed to trade just once.


    Han Li¡¯s approach was very straightforward; he directly used several rarely seen spiritual herbs and some high-grade demon cores to trade for the materials he needed.


    These two things were of great use to any cultivator.


    Although one or two could be obtained occasionally in city markets, gathering such a large amount all at once was naturally quite difficult.


    Therefore, the other cultivator hesitated only briefly before they stopped insisting on their original plan and nodded in agreement.


    Besides that, Han Li also managed to trade some of his stored items for two types of puppet materials.


    Now, he was only short of two of the rarest materials to complete his collection of puppet materials.


    However, these two items were truly too rare and unlikely to be put up for trade by common cultivators.


    ¡°Han Li, what do you plan to use to trade for the materials?


    If the treasures you offer are somewhat inferior, I fear others may possess the materials but won¡¯t easily part with them,¡± Monarch Great Development suddenly transmitted using divine sense to Han Li.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided on the item.


    The monks here are mostly from the Devilish path, and I just so happen to have something considered a treasure by Devilish arts,¡± Han Li spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Are you referring to that material?


    Are you willing to part with it?¡± Monarch Great Development was somewhat surprised.


    ¡°I have no choice, even though I¡¯m reluctant.


    Now that I¡¯ve collected all the puppet materials up to this point, I must obtain the last two items.


    Otherwise, my previous efforts would have been in vain.


    As long as the puppet is as powerful as the senior described, it would still be worth it.¡± Han Li said with a slight smile, transmitting his voice.


    Then, he glanced around and felt that the time was about right.


    As a monk returned from his attempt somewhat despondently, Han Li finally stood up from his seat.


    He walked up calmly to the back of the jade table.


    All the seated monks subconsciously looked towards Han Li, curious to see what rare items he could present.


    With a flip of his hands, Han Li produced two small jade boxes.


    He did not rush to open them but swept his gaze around the room and spoke in a slightly disguised hoarse voice,


    ¡°Devilish path¡¯s treasured crafting materials, two Demonic Marrow Drills for exchange-Five Elements Jade and Dazzling Crystal.


    If any fellow daoists possess these materials, they may make the exchange.¡±


    After succinctly finishing his words, Han Li¡¯s hands shook slightly, and the lids of the boxes popped off simultaneously.


    Two inches-sized gloomy black crystals floated up from the boxes, emitting a faint black mist-these were the two Demonic Marrow Drills that Han Li had obtained from the ten thousand feet deep Demon Abyss.


    ¡°Demonic Marrow Drill!


    The material for crafting Devil Dragon Blades, did I hear that correctly?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, how could such things truly exist in this world.¡±


    ¡°Is it real or fake?¡±


    ¡­


    As soon as Han Li finished speaking, the entire hall erupted into chaos, with many people shouting in shock.


    The shadow of a person meditating near the perimeter of the clearing, amidst the white mist, also opened their eyes in surprise, staring unblinkingly at the two Demonic Marrow Drills in front of Han Li.


    ¡°To be honest, if I wasn¡¯t practicing a cultivation technique that isn¡¯t a devilish art, I would never have taken these out for exchange.


    As for their authenticity, as long as someone can present the items I need, I will allow them to thoroughly verify them,¡± Han Li said naturally.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s confident words, the monks who were initially restless quieted down, all of them looking at the Demonic Marrow Drills with varied expressions.


    Five Elements Jade and Dazzling Crystal were indeed hard to find in the world, but compared to this material of Devilish path¡¯s treasured crafting, rumored to exist only in hearsay, they naturally paled in comparison.


    This made everyone eager.


    ¡°I remember we have a piece of Dazzling Crystal in storage.


    It wasn¡¯t brought out for auction due to its extreme value.


    I can have someone retrieve it immediately for inspection.


    How about I check the Demonic Marrow Drills first?¡± To everyone¡¯s surprise, the shadow within the white light, who was hosting the exchange, spoke these words after observing the Demonic Marrow Drills from a distance.


    ¡°Since it is you who speaks, it can¡¯t be an empty promise.


    You may first authenticate it,¡± Han Li replied with a hint of surprise on his face, not hesitating in the slightest.


    It seemed as if the figure amidst the white mist nodded, flicking his hand and sending a dart of fire shooting upward, instantly vanishing at the ceiling.


    After that, he slowly rose to his feet and walked towards Han Li.


    The other monks, having heard the conversation between Han Li and him, stirred again, but this time no one said anything.


    Given the white light monk¡¯s role as the host of this exchange, he was obviously a person of broad knowledge and experience.


    Therefore, everyone watched with wide eyes, silently awaiting the result of his evaluation.


    The shadow from within the white mist seemed to be quite familiar with the Demonic Marrow Drills.


    After skillfully taking one into his hand, he opened his mouth, and a white Nascent flame sprayed onto it.


    But as soon as this white flame came into contact with the surface mist of the crystal, it split to both sides as if meeting a natural enemy, unable to come close to the Demonic Marrow Drill for a fiery refinement.


    The figure¡¯s face showed a trace of excitement, then he pinched a technique with both hands and drew back the Nascent flame from his mouth, replacing it with a blue misty cold air.


    This cold air engulfed the crystal yet was unable to freeze it even slightly.


    After his gaze flickered a few times, he raised a hand with a single finger pointing at the crystal.


    A torrent of dark Demonic Qi poured into the crystal.


    Yet, like a pebble dropped into the sea, there was no reaction from the Demonic Marrow Drill.


    ¡°Indeed, these are definitely Demonic Marrow Drills.


    I¡¯ll take them.¡± Whether by coincidence or not, just as this person made his declaration, at a spot about thirty to forty feet away, a figure in a grey robe with a concealed face eerily appeared.


    He bowed to the figure in the white mist, handed over a jade box, and then once more faded from sight.


    (To be continued¡­


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are plentiful; support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 956 - Chapter 956 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures Chapter 953, Unexpected Gains

    ?Chapter 956: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures: Chapter 953, Unexpected Gains Chapter 956: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures: Chapter 953, Unexpected Gains ¡°This Dazzling Crystal, fellow Daoist, see if it is to your liking?¡± The cultivator amidst the white mist didn¡¯t open the jade box, simply turning his hand and passing the entire box to Han Li.


    Han Li unceremoniously caught it and immediately opened the lid.


    What met his eyes was a Milky Yellow Crystal Stone, but it emitted circles of faint purple halos; at a closer look, one would feel a wave of dizziness and blurred vision.


    Seeing this, Han Li was secretly pleased and a blue light flashed through his pupils, instantly dispelling the dizzying sensation.


    Then, he took out the yellow crystal with two fingers and held it up close for careful identification.


    The shadowy figure in the white mist, seeing Han Li stare at the Dazzling Crystal and only slightly swaying his body as if it were nothing, was inwardly shocked.


    This Dazzling Crystal was one he dared not look at for long, afraid to glance at it a second time.


    Yet the unfamiliar cultivator before him was able to gaze at it so intently without any issue.


    This was indeed quite unexpected!


    ¡°Not bad, indeed a top-grade Dazzling Crystal.


    Fellow Daoist, you may take away the Demonic Marrow Drill,¡± Han Li said with a satisfied expression, placing the crystal back into the jade box and casually stowing it in his storage pouch.


    ¡°Hehe, then I won¡¯t stand on ceremony either.


    Currently, no others have exchanged for the remaining piece.


    It seems that no one else has the materials that fellow Daoist desires.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    Would you be willing to sell the remaining piece to me at a high price, or even trade it with other rare materials, regardless of the method, I will definitely make fellow Daoist satisfied,¡± the cultivator shrouded in white mist carefully took the drill and put it away.


    His gaze shifted, becoming a bit greedily fixed on the other Demonic Marrow Drill.


    ¡°Who says there are no materials?


    I have a piece of Five Elements Jade right here.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, no one is allowed to snatch this from me-I¡¯m set on this item.¡±


    As soon as the trial statement from the cultivator in the white mist was spoken, numerous cultivators sitting around who could no longer restrain themselves, sounded a male and a female voice at the same time.


    The man¡¯s voice rumbled like thunder in a clear sky, while the woman¡¯s voice was pleasant and melodious.


    Then a cluster of dark black light and a glaring silver light shot out from two seats on either side, one after the other, landing in front of Han Li.


    This scene prompted a series of whispers among the other cultivators.


    Unlike the Dazzling Crystal, which was little known, Five Elements Jade was well-known in the realm of Immortal Cultivators-a renowned material for crafting jade-quality Spiritual Treasures, it was simply too rare.


    The last time it appeared in the world of Immortal Cultivators seemed to be five or six hundred years ago.


    Now that someone had brought it out again, naturally many people were greatly surprised and envious.


    It seemed the cultivators present did have genuine rare treasures, but most chose to conceal them rather than display them lightly.


    The shadowy figure in the white mist, upon hearing the man¡¯s voice, his complexion changed dramatically, his face covered in mist, suddenly becoming unsettled.


    ¡°What, Elder Ye the Second, do you dare to break the trading convention¡¯s rules and monopolize the Demonic Marrow Drill?¡± The cultivator in black light didn¡¯t pay any mind to the delicate figure in the silver mist who flew behind, instead staring unkindly at the white mist, speaking straightforwardly.


    Although the man¡¯s features were indiscernible in the black light, his stature was vaguely tall, his voice as cold as ice.


    ¡°Brother Kun is really overthinking things.


    How could I, Ye, do such a thing?


    I merely made a suggestion to fellow Daoist.


    It¡¯s up to him to agree or not.


    Now that there are two interested fellow Daoists, I naturally won¡¯t interfere any further,¡± the figure hosting the exchange event clearly recognized the devilish cultivator in the black light, managed a wry smile, clasped his fists in a salute, then with a sway of his body, retreated to one side to show concession.


    ¡°Good that you know your place!¡± The devilish cultivator snorted coldly, hands behind his back, saying arrogantly.


    The female cultivator stood gracefully amidst the silver light; she seemed somewhat taken aback.


    A series of surprised murmurs followed.


    ¡°That surnamed Kun, could it be Elder Kun Wuji of the Blood Chilling Gate?


    Judging by the silhouette and the voice, it does seem likely.¡±


    ¡°Other than late Nascent Soul cultivators, who else would be so assertive?¡±


    a€|


    Upon hearing these words, Han Li¡¯s expression shifted slightly.


    This devilish cultivator turned out to be a late Nascent Soul cultivator, and the Blood Chilling Gate was indeed a famous Sect in the Devil Dao.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s the Great Elder of the Blood Chilling Gate.


    The young lady has been disrespectful.


    I wonder if fellow Daoist has the materials that the other Daoist requires?


    If indeed you do, I will leave at once and yield the item to fellow Daoist,¡± said the female cultivator after a moment of silence, letting out a sigh.


    It seemed she did not intend to give up on the Demonic Marrow Drill just because of the opponent¡¯s startling cultivation level and status.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Although Brother Kun doesn¡¯t have the Five Elements Jade or the Dazzling Crystal, I¡¯ve got plenty of nearly equivalent materials.


    You¡¯d be wise to just go back,¡± Kun Wuji said darkly, his threatening tone was unmistakably clear.


    ¡°This could be trouble.


    The Demonic Marrow Drill is also an item I desperately seek.


    How about this a€¡° if fellow Daoist is really willing to select your material over the Five Elements Jade, I will not persist any further and will relinquish the item to Brother Kun,¡± the female cultivator said with a light laugh.


    ¡°Fine, I am not an unreasonable man, we have a deal,¡± surprisingly, Kun Wuji, the devilish cultivator, appeared to be very confident in his items, agreeing immediately without a second thought.


    Han Li watched as the two before him settled the ownership of the Demonic Marrow Drill without considering him, naturally displeased.


    But seeing the appearance of the Five Elements Jade, finally gathering the last material he needed, he also breathed a sigh of relief.


    Without a change in expression, he watched the man and the woman without saying a word.


    At that moment, the female cultivator raised her hand and a bluish-green wooden box flew out from within the silver radiance, landing steadily on the table with a faint silver Daoist paper talisman attached to it.


    ¡°Daoist friends may first verify the authenticity of the Five Elements Jade presented by this humble woman,¡± said the woman to Han Li with a charming smile.


    ¡°The items presented by Kun Wuji have also been seen clearly by you, and the value of some of the materials is indeed higher than that of the Five Elements Jade,¡± Kun Wuji scoffed coldly, fluttering his sleeve, and seven jade boxes of varying colors flew out one after the other, also landing steadily on the table.


    Han Li didn¡¯t speak, he simply reached towards the wooden box, and with a ¡°swoosh¡±, it was directly sucked into his hand.


    With a single sweep of his hand, a streak of azure light flashed, and the talisman on the wooden box drifted away, the lid easily opening.


    Inside the box lay a flat, round piece of Five Elements Jade, of many colors, seemingly unexceptional without any striking radiance or color, but a rich spiritual energy wafted from it.


    Han Li took it in his hand and examined it for just a short moment before forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart.


    Slowly, he nodded to the female cultivator:


    ¡°Indeed, this is genuine Five Elements Jade.¡±


    After these words, he placed the jade back into the box, turning his gaze to the various jade boxes nearby.


    Honestly, he simply wished to directly trade for the Five Elements Jade, but there was no need, and he did not wish to offend a late Nascent Soul cultivator so lightly.


    Moreover, Kun Wuji was quite boastful, and Han Li had become curious about the contents of these jade boxes.


    Kun Wuji extended a finger and emotionless, pointed several times at the jade boxes in the empty air.


    The lids of the boxes flew off on their own, revealing the various treasures within.


    ¡°Falling Phoenix Wood, Soul Extraction Stone, Ten Thousand Wheels Flower¡­¡±


    Before Han Li could recognize the items within the boxes, the surrounding cultivators in their seats, with their sharp eyes, exclaimed in shock as they identified these items by name.


    Most couldn¡¯t help but inhale a breath of cold air.


    The nearby female cultivator glanced at these items twice and was equally startled.


    These items, just as Kun Wuji had said, in terms of rarity, were almost each not inferior to Five Elements Jade, particularly the Ten Thousand Wheels Flower, which seemed to hold value not even beneath the Demonic Marrow Drill for some.


    Such rare treasures were the reason why Kun Wuji was so confident.


    Under the unease in her heart, the female cultivator couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look at Han Li, who was blurred within the azure light.


    To her surprise¡­


    Han Li¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t on the Ten Thousand Wheels Flower, which obviously held the highest value, but rather on the large soft jade-colored ore within another jade box, pondering in silence.


    A sinking feeling arose in the woman¡¯s heart.


    Indeed, Han Li raised his hand, and the golden ore was sucked into it.


    He then lowered his head to examine it carefully.


    Seeing this, Kun Wuji was also taken aback, but he then laughed heartily and said arrogantly,


    ¡°How about that?


    Daoist friend is interested in Kun¡¯s Auric Essence.


    Daoist friend indeed has good discernment.


    If Daoist friend were a sword cultivator, this Auric Essence could greatly enhance your divine skills.


    Such a large piece is likely something that only Kun can offer in the entire realm of immortal cultivators.¡±


    ¡°I will trade for this Auric Essence,¡± Han Li stated indifferently.


    ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t you want the Five Elements Jade¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, do you really want to provoke me?¡± Kun Wuji, upon hearing this, was overjoyed, but then his expression changed dramatically, as a terrifyingly powerful aura surged from him.


    An invisible spiritual pressure bore down directly on the female cultivator.


    While Han Li stood unaffected nearby, the woman staggered backward several steps before steadying herself.


    Meanwhile, Kun Wuji had already grabbed the Demonic Marrow Drill from in front of Han Li, examining it with frenzied joy.


    ¡°It really is the Demonic Marrow Drill, I truly struck gold coming here.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin and the others, if they knew that such an item appeared at the auction, who knows how much they might regret not attending.¡± The Old Devil stored the drill away, then looked up into the air with a bout of wild laughter, before waving his sleeve and gathering the remaining jade boxes.


    His figure flickered and, without a moment¡¯s delay, he shot towards the exit of the great hall.


    ¡°Brother Kun, there is one last treasure to be revealed, do you not wish to stay and look?¡± The person presiding over the auction from within the white mist suddenly spoke to detain him.


    ¡°What treasure?


    I¡¯m not interested.


    Now that I¡¯ve got the Demonic Marrow Drill, I¡¯m anxious to return and refine the Pure Demonic Qi inside it.


    I don¡¯t have the spirit to look at any more treasures.¡± Following a strange laugh, Kun Wuji flickered at the entrance, triggering the restrictive formations, and then his entire figure vanished without a trace.


    ¡°Refine the Demonic Qi?¡± Han Li was a little surprised by this, but then he had a sudden epiphany upon further thought.


    The Demonic Marrow Drill was naturally formed from condensation deep below the Demon Abyss and contained powerful Pure Demonic Qi.


    If a devilish cultivator could refine it, the benefits were naturally substantial.


    No wonder Kun Wuji, having obtained this treasure, had no interest even to look at the final items.


    At this moment, the female cultivator in the silver light, seeing Kun Wuji had left with the Demonic Marrow Drill, was exceptionally vexed and wordlessly reached for the wooden box containing the Five Elements Jade to draw it back to her.


    But then a faint voice interrupted,


    ¡°Hold!


    I will take this item as well.¡± Han Li¡¯s hand suddenly appeared over the wooden box, stopping the female cultivator from retrieving it.


    (First update!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters and support for the author, support for legal reading!)

 Chapter 957 - Chapter 957 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 954 Flatten Mountain Seal

    ?Chapter 957: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 954 Flatten Mountain Seal Chapter 957: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 954 Flatten Mountain Seal ¡°What does Fellow Daoist mean by this?¡± The female cultivator¡¯s voice suddenly turned icy amid the silvery mist.


    The other cultivators watching the scene were also stunned one by one.


    Han Li gave a faint smile, kept one hand pressed on the wooden box, and with the other hand slapped his storage pouch, sending another jade box flying towards the other party.


    ¡°I am only interested in the Demonic Marrow Drill, not any other item,¡± the female cultivator said, catching the jade box instinctively but speaking unhappily.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you look at the contents of the box first before saying that?¡± Han Li spoke confidently.


    The female cultivator opened a crack in the lid with some suspicion, glanced inside casually, and immediately let out an exclamation of surprise, filled with delight.


    ¡°Good!


    The Five Elements Jade is yours, Fellow Daoist,¡± the female cultivator laughed heartily, closing the half-open lid quickly, pocketing the jade box, and walked back nonchalantly.


    The surrounding cultivators were all befuddled.


    They hadn¡¯t seen what was inside the third jade box Han Li offered, naturally wondering why the woman had inexplicably agreed to trade the Five Elements Jade, feeling confused.


    Among them, some speculated whether Han Li had brought out a third Demonic Marrow Drill.


    But someone possessing two was shocking enough, to have a third would be astounding.


    Most still felt it was unlikely and thought that Han Li had swayed the female cultivator with some other treasure.


    However, many envious, jealous, and sinister glances hovered over Han Li amidst the different gazes.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    But Han Li seemed oblivious to all this, instead fixing his attention on the graceful silhouette of the woman amidst the silvery mist, which was fleetingly visible.


    His brow furrowed without meaning to.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed before, but now that he saw the blurry figure, it sparked a feeling of familiarity.


    Could it be her?


    Han Li was suddenly struck with a strange thought, startling himself.


    Although the voice didn¡¯t seem at all like her, changing one¡¯s voice was as easy as eating for them immortal cultivators.


    His thoughts raced, and Han Li couldn¡¯t help but allow a blue light to flicker in his pupils, making use of the Brightsight Spirit Water.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see through the mist entirely, at least he could make out the woman¡¯s figure much clearer than before.


    Han Li had an odd expression on his face.


    Although still not quite clear, the female cultivator did seem to be the Endless Sky Saintess.


    However, the woman, without the brightsight divine skill and with Han Li disguising his voice, failed to recognize him and was now contentedly taking Han Li¡¯s third Demonic Marrow Drill back to her seat.


    Han Li suddenly felt a sense of amused irony.


    The very materials he had painstakingly sought were ultimately obtained from an enemy-it was indeed an ironic situation.


    While Han Li harbored a strange feeling within, his hands didn¡¯t slow down.


    He quickly put away the Five Elements Jade and the Auric Essence and started walking back to his seat as well.


    He didn¡¯t care whose hands these materials came from; having finally achieved his goals for this trip and unexpectedly acquiring such a large piece of Auric Essence saved him considerable future trouble.


    This Auric Essence was enough to complete the crafting of the majority of the Sword Array.


    With a little more Auric Essence collected later, he could reform the thirty-six Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords.


    This left Han Li extremely satisfied.


    In the subsequent exchanges, another thirty to forty cultivators went up to trade treasures, but since materials like the Demonic Marrow Drill and Five Elements Jade had already appeared, everyone seemed somewhat disinterested, hastily concluding their trades.


    Even fewer succeeded in making an exchange.


    Despite a few decent items appearing later, they failed to ignite interest among the other cultivators.


    Eventually, after one cultivator returned to his seat, no one else stepped forward.


    The figure who had presided over the exchange meeting, upon seeing this scene, calmly walked back behind the jade table.


    ¡°Now that all fellow Daoists have finished their exchanges, let us begin the auction for the last treasure of this exchange meeting, which is also the most valuable item of this event.¡± This person spoke composedly, then suddenly clapped his hands twice with a ¡°snap, snap,¡± and following that, with a flash of light at the entrance of the hall, two male cultivators entered.


    Surprisingly, these two cultivators were not concealing their appearances with any Daoist paper talisman but walked directly to the center with their true faces showing.


    The cultivators present caused a stir at this revelation; most of them could name these two.


    They were the black-crowned elder and the square-faced middle-aged man who had previously appeared in a certain mansion in the imperial city.


    One was at the early stage of Nascent Soul, and the other seemed to be at the middle stage; both were Nascent Soul elders who often represent the Imperial Ye Family in dealings with outsiders.


    While most cultivators were puzzled, a few were well-informed and not at all surprised.


    They had received news beforehand and had come to the exchange meeting specifically for this treasure; naturally, they were greatly invigorated at this moment.


    At this time, the black-crowned elder had already walked a few steps to the front of the table, nodded towards the figure in the silvery mist, then turned around to face the cultivators and said slowly:


    ¡°There is no need for a detailed introduction, as eight or nine out of ten present here recognize us.


    I will keep it brief.


    The precious item this time is something our Ye Clan has expended countless manpower and resources to prepare for over a hundred years, and has only just recently refined.


    However, recently a number of sects with good relations to the Ye Clan have simultaneously approached us with requests to purchase this item.


    The Ye Clan cannot afford to offend or refuse any of these sects, and hence after deliberation by our Council of Elders, we have decided to auction off this treasure here at the exchange meeting and see which fellow Daoist will have the fortune to acquire this valuable item.¡±


    As soon as the square-faced middle-aged man finished speaking, he turned his head and gave the black-crowned elder a sign.


    The elder slowly took out a square box about a foot long from his sleeve, looked at it reluctantly for a moment, then bit down hard and handed it to the figure in the silvery mist.


    ¡°Hehe, since everything has been said, I won¡¯t waste any more words.


    Let¡¯s give everyone a chance to witness the true appearance of this treasure.¡± The figure in the silvery mist chuckled lightly, then flicked the jade box in hand.


    The lid of the box flew up instantly, followed by a dazzling fist-sized yellow radiance slowly emerging from the box.


    But no sooner had it left the box than the yellow light started expanding and contracting unpredictably, as if sentient, and emitted a series of low humming sounds.


    Seeing this, the figure in the silvery mist gestured solemnly with both hands, casting several spells in quick succession, then pointed at the yellow light and let out a low shout.


    The light of the sphere flashed wildly a few times, then suddenly spun around as the spiritual light completely retracted to reveal its original form-it was a small earthen-yellow seal several inches in size.


    The seal was square and flat, its entire body smooth as jade, but its surface flickered with layers of tiny golden and silver arrays.


    Eerily, with each flash of light, the runes in these arrays were completely different, and upon closer inspection, they all appeared profoundly mysterious.


    Moreover, the spiritual energy emanating from this small seal was calm and steady, but with such a massive presence that anyone who felt it could not help but have their countenance drastically change.


    ¡°This treasure is called the Flatten Mountain Seal, a replica manufactured in imitation of the ancient heavenly skill treasure, the Heaven-Seizing Seal.


    According to tests conducted by the Ye Clan¡¯s own cultivators, although this treasure possesses only one-tenth to one-fifth of the alleged power of the true Heaven-Seizing Seal, it¡¯s certainly capable of flattening mountains and splitting the earth.


    Furthermore, if a cultivator is sufficiently advanced in cultivation, it is not impossible to bring out one-third of the Heaven-Seizing Seal¡¯s power.


    However, such an act would greatly damage the treasure, so it is not advisable to do so lightly.¡±


    While speaking, the figure in the silvery mist manipulated the Flatten Mountain Seal in front of him, which varied in size and seemed ready to burst with impressive force at any moment, causing all cultivators in the hall to be moved by its potential.


    Even without this demonstration, the mere words ¡°replica of a heavenly skill treasure¡± were enough to demonstrate the extraordinariness of this seal.


    Regardless of whether they had prior knowledge of this treasure, all cultivators were fixated on this small seal.


    Han Li, upon hearing the words ¡°replica of a heavenly skill treasure,¡± couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    He had gone to such lengths to collect materials and had yet to gather all the components required to refine the Three Flame Fan when, to his utter surprise, a replica of a heavenly skill treasure had already appeared at this exchange meeting.


    This greatly frustrated Han Li.


    Unfortunately, Han Li had limited knowledge about the heavenly skill treasures and knew nothing about the so-called ¡°Heaven-Seizing Seal,¡± so he really had no idea whether his Three Flame Fan, if successfully refined, would be stronger or weaker than this treasure.


    As if guessing what Han Li was thinking, Monarch Great Development suddenly spoke up:


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much.


    This Flatten Mountain Seal can only exert one-tenth to one-fifth of the original treasure¡¯s might.


    The Three Flame Fan I¡¯ve studied can unleash up to forty percent of the Seven Flames Fan¡¯s maximum power.


    If, like that person suggested, one is to outperform the norm, achieving full power is also possible.


    Although your fan and that Flatten Mountain Seal are both offensive Daoist paper talismans, in terms of sheer power, this seal is likely still inferior to your Three Flame Fan.¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s about what I expected.


    I truly hope to finish refining the Three Flame Fan as soon as possible.


    With that treasure in hand, I should have no fear when facing late Nascent Soul cultivators,¡± Han Li murmured to himself, nodding inwardly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Do you really think that in Great Jin, similar to Tian Luo, there is only one of these replicas?¡± Great Development suddenly said with a cold laugh.


    ¡°Senior means¡­¡± Han Li was taken aback and asked.


    ¡°From what I knew when I traveled across Great Jin, I¡¯m not sure about other sects, but the premier sects like Taiyi Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect, as well as the Ten Thousand Demon Valley where demons gather, definitely each have one or more replicas of heavenly skill treasures.


    The most famous one is the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, a replica always planted in the Ten Thousand Demon Valley.


    It is said to have absorbed so many cultivators¡¯ souls that its power might already surpass the replica of the heavenly skill treasure, the Heavenly Demon Banner.


    If other significant sects also have one or two heavenly skill treasure replicas, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all.


    Otherwise, these great sects wouldn¡¯t be able to stand tall up to this day.¡±


    (Second update!


    It¡¯s the end of the month, so I¡¯m asking for the last of this month¡¯s tickets.


    If you have tickets, don¡¯t forget to vote!) (To be continued.


    For more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com.


    Support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 960 - Chapter 960 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 957 Heavenly Talisman Sect

    ?Chapter 960: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 957 Heavenly Talisman Sect Chapter 960: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 957 Heavenly Talisman Sect Flower Cloud Province is located in the eastern part of Great Jin by the sea, with many port towns built along the coastline.


    It¡¯s frequented by overseas cultivators who often trade materials obtained from demon beasts for some inland cultivation resources.


    Consequently, the city markets in this province thrive throughout the year, and the sects overseeing these marketplaces amass substantial wealth, drawing in huge amounts of Spirit Stones for their sects annually.


    Even some remote and smaller city markets, given advantageous locations, also reap considerable income.


    Kaijiang Town is just a small town about two hundred miles from the coast, and not far from the town, a few miles away, stood a small mountain.


    This mountain, only two to three hundred meters tall and spanning a little over ten miles, housed a very poor Spirit Vein ¨C so meager that not even slightly bigger Immortal Cultivation families would take notice of it.


    In this mountain, which could barely be considered imbued with spiritual essence, resided a minor cultivation sect called the ¡°Heavenly Talisman Sect¡±.


    This sect was considered one of the lowest ranks among cultivation sects, having only around a hundred members, including the Sect Leader, elders, and disciples.


    Thus, although the Spirit Vein was small, it just managed to support the disciples of the sect.


    Despite the Heavenly Talisman Sect¡¯s decline, it had a long history.


    Though it was not an ancient sect with legacies extending back to the Ancient Times like Taiyi Sect or Yin Sifting Sect, tens of thousands of years ago the founder of the sect, True Man of Heavenly Talisman, once shocked the entire Great Jin with his three secret talismans and nearly elevated the sect to one of the Ten Great Orthodox Sects.


    At its peak, the sect boasted tens of thousands of members and controlled territories spanning an entire province.


    But the rise and fall of the sect were both tied to Daoist paper talismans!


    While the Heavenly Talisman Sect had some achievements in the craft of talisman-making, their main cultivation techniques were mediocre.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Thus, after a few generations, the sect rapidly declined.


    Thousands of years later, it survived merely by relying on some special secret techniques derived from their talismans.


    In such a declined sect, apart from fellow small sect cultivators, hardly any high-level cultivators visited anymore.


    Heavenly Talisman Sect disciples on daily duty were exceedingly idle, usually either meditating or casually chatting.


    However, on this particular day, two Qi Refinement disciples guarding the mountain gate were huddled together, sighing and looking listless.


    ¡°Senior Brother Li, is the city market really going to be shut down?


    Although I am new, I know that the Sanyuan Marketplace accounts for almost half of the sect¡¯s income.


    Without this revenue, maintaining the sect will become even harder,¡± a handsome young disciple, about sixteen or seventeen years old, murmured to another.


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to us to decide whether we close or not.


    A few days ago, Spirit Wind Sect gave our Sect Leader a final ultimatum.


    Either merge the market with theirs or close it within three months.


    It¡¯s blatant bullying!¡± replied another, a twenty-four or twenty-five-year-old man with a slightly heavier build, looking somewhat helpless.


    ¡°A merger sounds somewhat feasible?¡± the younger disciple exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°What do you mean feasible?


    I heard from a martial uncle that once the markets are merged, we won¡¯t have any involvement in any of the businesses and Spirit Wind Sect will only give us a few thousand Spirit Stones each year.


    What can we do with such a paltry sum?


    It¡¯s not even a third of our original income,¡± the young man grumbled angrily.


    ¡°They¡¯re offering so little, how can our sect agree to this?


    Even if Spirit Wind Sect is powerful, how could Jin Xia Mountain and Mingyang Valley agree?


    The Sanyuan Marketplace is managed jointly with those two and our Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    If the three of us join forces, there¡¯s no need to be overly afraid of Spirit Wind Sect,¡± the younger disciple said, his eyes moving as he spoke with a puzzled tone.


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s just Spirit Wind Sect, our sect indeed doesn¡¯t need to fear them too much.


    But I¡¯ve heard that the Evil Sun Sect might also be involved in instigating this, and they are a bona fide mid-level sect, not something small sects like ours can contend with.


    Today, our Sect Leader is meeting with the other two Sect Leaders on the mountain, surely discussing strategies.


    These two sects¡¯ situations aren¡¯t much stronger than our Heavenly Talisman Sect¡¯s; they wouldn¡¯t easily give up their incomes,¡± the young man explained.


    ¡°Evil Sun Sect?


    Thisa€| this indeed isn¡¯t something the Heavenly Talisman Sect can provoke.


    It seems our sect will have a tough time handling this,¡± the young disciple said, feeling quite disheartened upon hearing the name of the Evil Sun Sect.


    If the sect¡¯s income drastically fell, the Spirit Stones they received annually would certainly decrease substantially as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop it.


    These matters aren¡¯t something we low-level disciples can intervene in.


    Let¡¯s leave it all to the Sect Leader and the elders.


    Anyway, even if our sect isn¡¯t doing well, it¡¯s still better than being a Loose Cultivator.


    We¡¯d better just faithfully guard the mountain gate and stop discussing this.


    Otherwise, if other martial uncles find out, they might deduct our Spirit Stonesa€| huh, what¡¯s that?¡± The young man sighed, sounding as if he had resigned himself to the situation, but then suddenly looked up into the sky in surprise.


    Hearing this, the junior disciple also looked up blankly.


    In the distance, a divine light flickered and then a streak of light, dozens of meters long, suddenly appeared in the sky, speeding towards them.


    ¡°Which senior is this?


    It seems they are heading towards us,¡± exclaimed the young disciple in panic.


    Although he was new, the impressive speed of the streak of light was beyond anything the Qi Condensation martial uncles in his sect could manage, causing him great unease.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, perhaps it¡¯s someone here to see the martial uncles,¡± the older disciple replied, equally baffled, trying to reassure himself.


    Moments later, the streak of light reached near White Bamboo Mountain.


    It seemed to spot the two disciples from far away, and with a flash, the light descended swiftly and converged, revealing a young man in his early twenties wearing a blue robe, his hands clasped behind his back, looking their way.


    ¡°Is this White Bamboo Mountain¡¯s Heavenly Talisman Sect?¡± the young man had an ordinary appearance but an imposing aura.


    He glanced briefly at the faintly visible restrictive formations behind the two men and casually asked.


    It was Han Li, who had disappeared quietly from the trading assembly.


    It had now been four months since he escaped from the ancient devilish techniques.


    ¡°This is indeed White Bamboo Mountain.


    Does Senior require any assistance from us juniors?¡± Although these two disciples were of low cultivation and couldn¡¯t discern Han Li¡¯s true capabilities, they instantly surmised that the cultivator before them must be a high-level Nascent Soul stage senior, and after exchanging a look, the older disciple quickly bowed deeply.


    ¡°It¡¯s good I have found the right place.


    I¡¯ve brought something of great significance to your sect and wish to meet your Sect Leader.


    Please inform him,¡± Han Li nodded, speaking calmly.


    ¡°Yes, please wait a moment, Senior.¡± The disciple fumbled to take out a Sound Transmission Talisman, muttered a few words into it, and then hastily tossed it behind him.


    The talisman immediately turned into a streak of fire and vanished into the restrictive formations without a trace.


    While Han Li seemed motionless, he subtly swept his Divine Sense over the small mountain.


    Despite being hindered by a restrictive formation, he could still vaguely sense the general layout.


    He furrowed his brows slightly.


    Although he knew before coming that the Heavenly Talisman Sect was definitely not large, the fact that the sect only had a little over a hundred people and that he could only sense the aura of an early Core Formation cultivator on the mountain confirmed what the old man from the Umbra Realm had said, that this sect was indeed just a minor one.


    This time, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that the place where the evil serpents appeared was in the Flower Cloud Province and he had learned the refining method of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered visiting such a place.


    A moment later, behind the two disciples guarding the mountain, a burst of yellow light flashed repeatedly, and then a mountain gate over ten meters tall appeared.


    Some cultivators came out side by side from the mountain gate.


    These cultivators walked past the two disciples and swept a glance toward Han Li, their faces changing simultaneously.


    An elderly man dressed in a yellow brocade robe rushed out, bowed deeply to Han Li, and said with extreme respect,


    ¡°Junior Yue Zhen, the Heavenly Talisman Sect Master, was unaware of Senior¡¯s esteemed visit and failed to greet you from afar.


    I beg Senior¡¯s forgiveness!¡±


    As a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, although this man couldn¡¯t discern Han Li¡¯s exact cultivation level, being the head of a sect meant he had much more experience than the two disciples and had seen Nascent Soul stage cultivators several times.


    Therefore, sensing a similarly powerful aura from Han Li made his heart instinctively fill with fear.


    Such a powerful cultivator could probably destroy their small sect with just a flick of his fingers; his visit was truly an unpredictable omen!


    He had originally received a Sound Transmission Talisman thinking it was just a Core Formation cultivator.


    To be safe, he even asked for the only elder in the sect, a Core Formation stage martial uncle, to come out.


    But now, it seemed completely unnecessary.


    ¡°Hehe!


    You don¡¯t need to panic, I¡¯m only here because someone entrusted me with a task, I mean no harm,¡± Han Li said with a light chuckle, seeing the anxious expressions of the cultivators.


    ¡°Entrusted with a task?


    I¡¯m a bit confused.


    However, this isn¡¯t the place to talk.


    Senior should come up to the mountain so we can discuss this matter in detail,¡± Yue Zhen said, relieved, and then took the initiative to invite Han Li up the mountain.


    ¡°Going up the mountain?


    Well, alright.


    This matter indeed cannot be explained in just a few words,¡± Han Li pondered briefly, nodded, and agreed.


    ¡°Then please, Senior,¡± Yue Zhen happily stepped aside to let Han Li go first as a sign of respect.


    Han Li didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and stepped through the mountain gate.


    The other cultivators followed behind him with respectful expressions on their faces.


    White Bamboo Mountain was not large, so there weren¡¯t many buildings at the summit, aside from a main hall and some lofts; the disciples¡¯ cultivation places were located elsewhere.


    However, Han Li was directly led into the great hall by the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, there were another two middle-aged cultivators not dressed in the Heavenly Talisman Sect¡¯s garb sitting in the hall.


    Upon seeing Han Li, these two sensed his presence, were greatly alarmed, and jumped up from their chairs, hurriedly coming forward to greet him.


    Han Li casually waved his hand and unceremoniously sat down in a chair.


    The other cultivators didn¡¯t dare to sit and had to stand by the side.


    Yue Zhen then spoke apologetically to the two martial brothers from another sect,


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, our sect has received an important guest.


    It seems we will have to reschedule our meeting.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, with such an esteemed guest arriving, Brother Yue should indeed entertain him first,¡±


    ¡°Yes, Brother Lu and I will take our leave now.¡±


    The two cultivators quickly showed understanding and displayed expressions of envy.


    They gave another bow to Han Li and then excused themselves from the hall.


    Just then, almost simultaneously, a flash of light shone outside, and a beam of white light shot directly into the hall, revealing an elderly man in white robes.


    Seeing this, Yue Zhen and the other cultivators immediately showed joy and hurried forward to salute him, greeting him with ¡°Uncle Wen¡± and ¡°Martial Uncle Wen¡±.


    (At the start of the month, I ask everyone for their sustained monthly support!)(To be continued.


    For what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 961 - Chapter 961 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 958 Marital Nephew Li

    ?Chapter 961: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 958 Marital Nephew Li Chapter 961: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 958 Marital Nephew Li The old man¡¯s gaze naturally fell upon Han Li, and his facial muscles twitched in an instant, as he hurriedly bowed with a fist and said,


    ¡°Junior has heard from our disciples that an esteemed visitor had graced our sect, but I never expected it to be a Nascent Soul cultivator of senior¡¯s caliber.


    It is truly rude of us not to have met you outside.¡±


    This sole elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect was full of reverence.


    Upon hearing the warm-named elder¡¯s words, Yue Zhen and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were greatly shocked.


    The last sliver of doubt in their minds completely vanished as they looked at Han Li with even more reverence.


    To the present Heavenly Talisman Sect, a Nascent Soul cultivator was an existence far too exalted to reach.


    ¡°I am merely fulfilling someone¡¯s request by delivering an item here.


    There is no need for such formality,¡± said Han Li, his expression unchanging, then he added lightly,


    ¡°This item has been in my possession for a number of years.


    Now that I happen to have matters to attend to in Flower Cloud Province, it is only natural that I return it.


    This is something that was specifically designated to be handed over to the leader of your sect.¡±


    With that said, Han Li patted his waist with one hand, and a square bone box appeared in his hand, which he casually placed on the table before him.


    The Wen-named elder paused upon hearing this, but quickly turned his head cleverly and said,


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    Go and see what the senior has brought.


    If it truly is a lost item of our sect, we will surely owe a great debt of gratitude to the senior.¡±


    ¡°Yes, martial uncle,¡± Yue Zhen responded respectfully.


    He then stepped forward, picked up the bone box in both hands, and opened it curiously.


    Inside the box, several bone pieces engraved with tiny characters appeared before his eyes.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Yue Zhen, taken aback, picked up a piece and took a closer look.


    Han Li simply smiled without speaking.


    ¡°Spirit Subjugation Talismans!


    These are the refining methods for Spirit Subjugation Talismans, and the handwriting is that of Elder Yun!¡± After just a few glances, Yue Zhen exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°Elder Brother Yun?


    Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken?¡± The Wen-named elder¡¯s expression became grave after a moment of surprise.


    ¡°Absolutely not.


    The study in the Sect Leader¡¯s room still displays Elder Yun¡¯s handwriting; I face it day and night, how could I get it wrong?¡± Yue Zhen said without hesitation.


    The other cultivators were also astonished.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this item is indeed something that Fellow Daoist Yun entrusted me to pass on.


    The Spirit Subjugation Talisman is one of the three secret talismans of your sect; there would be no mistake, right?¡± Han Li said noncommittally.


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no mistake.


    However, when did the senior meet Elder Brother Yun?


    Back when I had not yet formed my Golden Core, Brother Yun disappeared without a trace on a trip overseas and has been missing for decades.


    I hope nothing ill has befallen him,¡± the Wen-named elder asked with concern.


    ¡°He should be fine.


    Actually, my encounter with your Sect Leader was purely coincidental.


    Decades ago, I experienced the same circumstances as your Sect Leader when I¡­¡± Han Li roughly recounted the events involving the ghostly mist and the Umbra Realm, naturally glossing over details about himself and the inner cores of umbra beasts that were not meant to be divulged, barely mentioning them.


    ¡°So there truly exists such dangerous places in the world, it is truly unimaginable.


    No wonder over many years, cultivators have mysteriously disappeared along the coasts; it turned out to be the doing of this ghostly mist,¡± the Wen-named elder gasped in shock upon hearing about the Umbra Realm where mana cannot be used.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, it cost Han Li great effort to barely escape.


    The item inside this box is something that your Sect Leader entrusted to me should I ever come across your sect.


    However, I have quite an interest in the art of talisman-crafting and have also studied the refining formula for the Spirit Subjugation Talisman a little; I hope it does not bother you fellows,¡± Han Li said, his eyes twinkling as he gave a faint smile.


    ¡°The senior personally returning the talisman crafting formula to our sect is a tremendous favor.


    How could we possibly harbor such ungrateful thoughts?


    Although it is said that only our Sect Leader is allowed to master the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, had the senior not returned it, even the secret technique would have been lost.


    Naturally, no rules can be spoken of,¡± the Wen-named elder said with a respectful expression.


    Yue Zhen also continuously agreed from the side.


    ¡°Such generosity from you fellows leaves Han Li feeling somewhat embarrassed.


    However, since the item has been delivered, I have fulfilled a wish of mine, and so I shall take my leave now,¡± Han Li nodded in satisfaction and promptly stood up.


    ¡°The senior has not yet been repaid for the favor of delivering the item.


    Why not stay a few more days at our sect, allowing us to show a bit of hospitality in return?¡± the Wen-named elder, though overjoyed with the return of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, was more intent on forming a connection with this suddenly appeared prominent figure.


    He hastily made the offer.


    Not to mention anything else, but just having people know that their sect has made the acquaintance of a Nascent Soul cultivator, the status of the Heavenly Talisman Sect would undoubtedly skyrocket in the ranks of minor sects.


    Perhaps even the significant trouble they were currently facing could be peacefully resolved.


    ¡°Stay a while longer!¡± Han Li¡¯s mouth curled into a smile that was not quite a smile.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Senior Han have an interest in the way of talisman-crafting?


    Our sect, without boasting, does have some research in this field, and our ancestors have also collected many various scriptures related to Daoist paper talismans.


    If the senior doesn¡¯t mind, you could take a look.


    At the same time, you might impart a point or two to our juniors,¡± Yue Zhen, his eyes flickering, suddenly spoke up in this manner.


    ¡°Daoist paper talisman scriptures!¡± Han Li was slightly startled upon hearing this and pondered for a moment, feeling somewhat tempted.


    The elderly man with the surname Wen was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly in agreement.


    ¡°Very well.


    I am indeed quite interested in talisman creation, so I shall stay a few days at your sect,¡± Han Li said.


    Ever since he learned the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, he had been quite curious about the secret talisman techniques of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    After some thought, he finally nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!


    It is an honor for our sect that Senior Han stays.


    Would you prefer to rest a bit first and start tomorrow¡­¡± The elderly man with the surname Wen was overjoyed and spoke cautiously.


    ¡°No need, take me to the Scripture Pavilion now,¡± Han Li shook his head.


    With his current level of cultivation, as long as he meditated a little while reading, the mana he had expended on the way would naturally recover.


    ¡°Very well, martial nephew Yang, please take Senior Han to our sect¡¯s Scripture Pavilion for a visit.


    If the senior has any requests, make sure to fulfill them all,¡± the elder with the surname Wen said joyfully, hastily instructing a middle-aged cultivator.


    ¡°At your command, Uncle Wen.


    Senior Han, please follow me,¡± the middle-aged cultivator said, exceedingly respectful.


    Han Li nodded and followed the man out of the grand hall.


    ¡°I never expected that Brother Yun would be trapped in such a ghostly place.


    No wonder his disappearance that year was so strange.


    It¡¯s also a fortunate affair for our sect to recover the secret techniques of the Spirit Subjugation Talisman.¡± The elderly man named Wen let out a sigh after Han Li had left the grand hall for a good while.


    ¡°However, if we can take this opportunity to form a good relationship with Senior Han and spread some rumors, it would definitely be of great benefit to our sect.


    Not to mention others, the problem with the city market could be easily resolved at the very least.


    With a Nascent Soul cultivator as our backer, the Spirit Wind Sect would naturally keep their distance, and even the Evil Sun Sect wouldn¡¯t trouble a Nascent Soul cultivator over a trivial market.


    But judging from Senior Han¡¯s tone just now, he seemed to have only a general relationship with Brother Yun in the Umbra Realm.


    With his status, why would he help us out of the blue?


    Even if we wanted to offer treasures to force a relationship, our sect has nothing that could catch Senior Han¡¯s eye.


    Yet it would be a great pity to miss this opportunity,¡± said Yue Zhen, unable to help but murmur with a wry smile.


    ¡°This is indeed somewhat tricky,¡± the elder with the surname Wen also frowned slightly.


    The other cultivators in the hall looked at each other, all showing a worried expression.


    At this time, Han Li had already arrived at a rather inconspicuous pavilion with the middle-aged cultivator.


    The pavilion was divided into three layers, enveloped by a layer of pale blue restrictive formations.


    As Han Li entered the first layer with the middle-aged cultivator, there was an old man seated cross-legged on a cushion inside, holding a jade slip in his hand as if examining the content within.


    ¡°Martial nephew Li, come over and meet Senior Han,¡± as soon as the middle-aged cultivator saw the old man, he unceremoniously instructed, then turned around and respectfully explained to Han Li:


    ¡°This martial nephew Li is specifically responsible for managing the Scripture Pavilion and is thoroughly familiar with all the scriptures inside.¡±


    It was as though the elder had just been jolted awake by the voice of the middle-aged cultivator.


    He hastily put away the jade slip, spryly jumped up, and hurried over.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Uncle Yang who has come.


    I failed to welcome you from afar and ask for your forgiveness, Uncle.


    This is Senior Han¡­


    Senior Han!¡± The elder¡¯s face was full of wrinkles, his eyes small, and a hint of slyness gleamed within them.


    He made an apologetic smile toward the middle-aged cultivator, but when he stealthily glanced at Han Li, his voice suddenly trembled, and his expression froze.


    ¡°Martial nephew Li?¡± Han Li said after clearly seeing the old man¡¯s face, his eyes widened in astonishment, and a strange look spread across his face.


    ¡°Do you recognize this disciple, senior?¡± asked the middle-aged cultivator, surprised, and could not help but inquire.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    This Daoist friend looks very much like an acquaintance of Han from years past.


    But upon closer inspection, it¡¯s not the same person.


    It seems Han has mistaken someone else,¡± Han Li said, his face quickly returning to normal with a faint smile.


    ¡°Hehe, I see.


    Then senior, you may cultivate here in peace.


    Martial nephew Li, there¡¯s no need for you to tidy up here anymore.


    Come out with me,¡± the middle-aged cultivator naturally did not believe this explanation but did not dare to ask further.


    Instead, he turned to ¡°martial nephew Li¡± and instructed.


    ¡°Yes, I will just¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.


    Since this Daoist friend here is so knowledgeable about the scriptures in the pavilion, I may still need his assistance.


    Let him stay and accompany me for a few days,¡± Han Li suddenly said with a light chuckle, his eyes containing a deep meaning as he glanced at the elder.


    ¡°Cough¡­


    Since senior orders so, I naturally obey.


    Martial nephew Li, your opportunity has come, make sure to comply with all of Senior Han¡¯s instructions,¡± the middle-aged cultivator, although somewhat suspicious of their behavior just now, realized that this ¡°martial nephew Li¡± having a few days alone with a Nascent Soul cultivator was indeed something to envy.


    To say nothing of the fact that a few casual pointers could benefit low-level cultivators immensely.


    But Han Li¡¯s words clearly indicated his wish to see the guest out, and the middle-aged cultivator did not dare linger, giving the elder a few more instructions before reluctantly exiting with a trace of confusion in his heart.


    Han Li watched the back of the middle-aged cultivator disappear from the pavilion, turned his face to the elder, and revealed a meaningful light smile.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 962 - Chapter 962 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 959 Rumors of Divinity Transformation

    ?Chapter 962: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 959 Rumors of Divinity Transformation Chapter 962: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 959 Rumors of Divinity Transformation ¡°Should I address you as Xiang Senior Brother, or should it be Li Senior Brother?¡± Han Li said with a sudden smile after taking a careful look at the elder.


    ¡°What is Senior Han talking about?


    This junior is a bit confused.


    Could it be that this junior closely resembles someone Senior is acquainted with?¡± The elder¡¯s eyes shifted slightly, and the previous trace of anomaly vanished, as he replied with a forced smile on his face.


    ¡°Now that it has come to this, why must Senior Brother Xiang continue to hide?


    Do not forget that we cultivators have photographic memories.


    Back in the blood-red forbidden area, the disciples of Yellow Maple Valley who managed to make it out alive were only a few of us.


    Even after so many years, how could I possibly misremember someone?¡± Han Li said, his eyebrows raised and eyes slightly narrowed.


    This elder was none other than the one who had attempted to form a team with Han Li before the Trial by Blood and Fire, known as Xiang salutes.


    At that time, this elder, with the cultivation of the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, had managed to emerge from the trial, which had greatly surprised many of the cultivators present.


    However, Han Li¡¯s subsequent performance was even more astonishing, which led everyone to overlook this person.


    Although Han Li had not had much contact with this Senior Brother Xiang at the time, he had become extremely alert after seeing this person emerge alive from the forbidden area, sensing that he might be hiding some secrets.


    Later on, after Han Li had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment and was taken under Martial Ancestor Li Huayuan¡¯s wing, he never saw the elder again, gradually forgetting about him.


    After the six sects of Devil Sect invaded the State of Yue, he became even more uncertain about this person¡¯s life or death.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    What Han Li had never expected was that, after so many years, he would encounter this same face again in a small sect in the Great Jin.


    How could he not be greatly astonished?


    It should be noted that when the elder appeared in Yellow Maple Valley, he already had the appearance of an old man.


    With so many years passed, even if he were a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, let alone a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, he should have reached the end of his lifespan, turned to dust long ago.


    Yet now, this Senior Brother Xiang looked almost exactly the same as he did over two hundred years ago, which deeply alarmed Han Li.


    At the very least, this person must have played the role of pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger during the Trial by Blood and Fire, although it was unclear what his intention was for infiltrating it.


    Han Li stared unblinkingly at the elder while various thoughts rapidly turned in his mind.


    ¡°The world is so vast, there are no wonders that do not exist.


    It seems that there really is someone in the world who looks exactly like this junior.


    However, Senior has recognized the wrong person.


    My last name is Li, not Xiang.


    Otherwise, if I could indeed form a connection with a person of Senior¡¯s status, why would I deny it?¡± The elder kept denying any connection, showing no signs of giving in.


    Han Li¡¯s face darkened, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist says so, it might be that Han has really recognized the wrong person.


    Forget it!


    Perhaps you could first point out some books on paper talisman making to me,¡± Han Li said after a moment of silence, his expression suddenly softened as he changed the subject.


    ¡°Hehe, Senior, please follow this junior.


    Since our sect is called Heavenly Talisman Sect, naturally we have many books on talisman making stored here.


    However, the more profound books are all on the second floor and above.


    This junior will now show them to Senior,¡± said the elder with an unchanged smile, and then, as humbly as a common low-level disciple, he respectfully led Han Li straight to the second floor.


    The second floor was set up very similar to the first, with shelves of books filling a not-so-large area.


    While Han Li scanned around, the elder had already moved swiftly.


    Despite his aged appearance, his movements were surprisingly agile, flipping through books quickly from east to west.


    In a matter of moments, he skillfully picked out a bunch of jade slips and, panting, brought them to Han Li with a flattering and pleasing expression:


    ¡°Senior, these are the Daoist paper talisman books collected on this floor.


    There are some more on the third floor; this junior will go fetch them for Senior, to save you the trouble of searching for them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such trouble.


    These jade slips are enough to keep me busy for a day or two.


    I will find the books on the third floor myself.


    Fellow Daoist need not accompany me here; you can go downstairs and tend to your own affairs,¡± Han Li said as he stroked his chin and spoke amiably.


    ¡°Then this junior will not disturb Senior¡¯s quiet cultivation.


    If Senior Han has any commands, just call for this junior.


    I will be waiting downstairs at all times,¡± the elder said with a cheerful smile, and after placing all the jade slips on a nearby shelf, he cautiously backed out of the second floor of the loft.


    Watching the elder¡¯s retreating figure, the smile on Han Li¡¯s face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of solemnity.


    ¡°How is it?


    Monarch Great Development, can you see this person¡¯s cultivation level?


    I¡¯ve just forcefully scanned him with my divine sense and, though I¡¯ve seen through his apparent Qi Refinement cultivation as nothing but an illusion, I couldn¡¯t determine his real mana realm.


    Beneath that layer of false cultivation, his entire body seemed empty and hollow, which is extremely strange.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way.


    Although my divine sense is much stronger than yours, the situation I¡¯ve encountered is just like yours,¡± came the solemn voice of Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°How could this happen?


    Could this person¡¯s Divine Sense actually be much stronger than the senior¡¯s?¡± Han Li was somewhat shocked.


    ¡°How could such a thing not happen?


    Even if there are cultivators in this realm with a stronger Divine Sense than mine, it would not be strong enough for their spiritual sense to shield my probing alone.


    If such a situation has arisen, it¡¯s no wonder this person is either practicing some special secret technique or has some kind of treasure that can transform their body in this way.


    There is another possibility, which is¡­¡± Monarch Great Development hesitated as he spoke.


    ¡°What possibility?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the possibility that this person has advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage, and they can disperse all the Spiritual Power throughout the body¡¯s meridians, even temporarily rendering the Nascent Soul formless.


    Naturally, you would not be able to find anything,¡± Monarch Great Development said slowly.


    ¡°Deity Transformation stage cultivators?


    Is senior making a joke?¡± Even Han Li, who was usually very composed, was greatly shocked upon hearing this.


    ¡°Although I never advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage, I have studied some things related to this realm.


    This ability is the most basic for the Deity Transformation stage cultivators,¡± Monarch Great Development said calmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying Deity Transformation stage cultivators do not possess such Divine Skills, but why would such cultivators still linger in this realm?


    Isn¡¯t it said that once one advances to the Divinity Transformation Stage, they have the ability to ascend to the next world?¡± Han Li took a deep breath and eventually calmed down.


    ¡°Although I traveled the world in my years and never saw any Deity Transformation stage cultivator, I can confirm that there are indeed Deity Transformation stage cultivators lingering in this realm, and not just one or two of them.


    Having the ability to ascend and actually ascending are two different matters.


    I¡¯m not too clear on the specifics, but it seems that after advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage, these people can no longer appear in front of others as frequently as ordinary cultivators, lest they encounter some extraordinary disaster,¡± Monarch Great Development said with some confusion.


    ¡°Such a thing exists!


    Senior, you have never mentioned this to me before,¡± Han Li was stunned.


    ¡°Hmph, you haven¡¯t even cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage; what use is there in telling you these things?


    The specific reasons will naturally become clear to you if you can advance to the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    Otherwise, from ancient times to the present, all Deity Transformation stage cultivators have disappeared from the realm of immortal cultivators as if by some agreement,¡± Monarch Great Development said with some irritation.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true.


    So, although it¡¯s unlikely, there¡¯s still a certain chance that the person downstairs is a Deity Transformation stage cultivator,¡± Han Li said with a bitter smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed possible.


    Even if he¡¯s not at the Deity Transformation Stage, this person gives me a dreadful feeling.


    I think it¡¯s better if you do not provoke this person.¡±


    ¡°Senior also feels the danger from this person; here I thought it was just my own misperception.


    That¡¯s why I changed my tone suddenly on the first floor.


    Since this person has been running around to Tian Luo and appearing in Great Jin, both times under the identity of low-level disciples, it seems he certainly has his own intentions.


    We might as well pretend we know nothing about this,¡± Han Li said after some thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s all we can do for now.


    But if possible, you should try to leave the Heavenly Talisman Sect as soon as possible.


    If this person is indeed a Deity Transformation stage cultivator and harbors any murderous intentions, your life will be in serious danger,¡± Monarch Great Development warned.


    ¡°I am well aware of the stakes involved.


    But if I rush to leave now, I might inadvertently provoke hostility from the other party, which would only backfire.


    We should stick to the original plan and stay at the Heavenly Talisman Sect for a few more days.


    Since he is willing to hide his true identity here, even if he is truly a Deity Transformation stage cultivator, he must face some limitations as you mentioned, senior.


    Otherwise, why be so secretive?


    With the cultivation of the Divinity Transformation Stage, where in the world couldn¡¯t he go openly?¡± Han Li said, shaking his head calmly.


    ¡°You do have a point.


    It seems I haven¡¯t considered everything thoroughly,¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled dryly, giving a rare compliment.


    ¡°However, you¡¯ve more or less recovered the base essence you depleted using the Bloodshadow Evasion in these past few days.


    Have you started making the puppet for me?¡± Monarch Great Development changed the topic, his voice tinged with anticipation.


    ¡°Mhm, senior, even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I was planning to start making the puppet immediately after beheading those malevolent Flood Dragons.


    After all, the scales of the Redfire Flood Dragon must be obtained first.


    As for the Crow Phoenix Feathers, there¡¯s no hurry for now.


    I¡¯ll attend to that after the puppet is crafted,¡± Han Li said with a plan already in mind, without a second thought.


    ¡°Haha!


    That¡¯s good.


    It would be regret-free to see this puppet before my time comes,¡± Monarch Great Development, upon hearing this, laughed satisfactorily.


    Han Li smiled slightly without saying anything further, then flicked his sleeve.


    Several formation flags shot out from his sleeve, circling before scattering in all directions.


    With a flash of light, all the formation flags disappeared, and a faint cyan restrictive formation materialized out of thin air, enveloping the entire floor within it.


    Although he felt that it was unlikely for the other party to make a sudden move against him, he decided to set up a protective restrictive formation just to be cautious.


    After completing all this, Han Li stepped forward confidently, casually took a jade slip that Xiang had left on the shelf, and immersed his Divine Sense in it to examine its contents.


    (Second update!


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 Chapter 964 - Chapter 964 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 961 The Malevolent Flood Dragon

    ?Chapter 964: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 961 The Malevolent Flood Dragon Chapter 964: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 961 The Malevolent Flood Dragon Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, revealing a hint of a light smile upon hearing the cautious proposition of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    ¡°Expecting me to become the Guest Elder for all three of your families?


    Do you think I would agree?¡±


    ¡°The junior knows that with such minor sects as ours, we truly aren¡¯t qualified to engage someone as eminent as senior.


    However, all we would require of our senior is to help us resolve the current trouble, and after that, the position would merely be in name, and we¡¯d dare not trouble senior further.¡± The Wen-named elder was originally apprehensive, but seeing that Han Li did not seem angry, he relaxed and hastened to explain:


    ¡°What you mean to say is that I only need to take action once and thereafter, I won¡¯t need to expend any more effort?¡± Han Li asked with a flicker in his gaze.


    ¡°Exactly, that is what we all mean.


    Of course, we wouldn¡¯t let senior take action without compensation.


    Since senior is interested in talisman creation, our Heavenly Talisman Sect is willing to offer the Spirit Transforming Talisman secret technique as a gift.


    Golden Rosy Mountain and Mingyang Valley also each have a legacy secret technique that we¡¯d be willing for senior to study.


    In addition, we have prepared tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, hoping that the senior would accept them.¡± At this point, the Wen-named elder simply laid out all the conditions in one breath.


    He clearly understood that any more trickery might anger the other party, so it was better to be straightforward.


    ¡°Tens of thousands of Spirit Stones?¡± Han Li smiled faintly.


    ¡°These Spirit Stones are indeed a little scarce.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Nevertheless, every year our three sects will continue to offer additional Spirit Stones for senior¡¯s use.


    In addition, my sect is willing to gift the Spirit Transforming Talisman that was personally refined by our founding ancestral master.


    With senior¡¯s divine skills, it should be possible to refine this item,¡± the Wen-named elder bit his lip, revealing his final bottom line.


    ¡°The founding ancestral master-you¡¯re referring to the Heavenly Talisman real person?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression finally shifted slightly.


    ¡°Correct, that is the treasure.


    To be honest with senior, although this spirit talisman has displayed divine powers in the hands of our sect¡¯s ancestors, it¡¯s unfortunate that our later generations of disciples have been unable to refine it.


    Thus, this spirit talisman has been passed down in our sect for countless years, and we have only been able to watch as its spirituality gradually diminishes without being able to do anything about it.


    If senior could put it to use, it would be a mutually beneficial solution.¡± This time, it was Yue Zhen who took the initiative to speak.


    ¡°Your sect possesses such an object, something I, Han Li, would indeed like to see first!¡± Han Li became interested.


    ¡°Yue nephew, bring out the Spirit Talisman for the senior to take a look at,¡± said the Wen-named elder, seeing Han Li with a touched interest, feeling great joy, and eagerly instructing.


    Although he was the highest in cultivation within the Heavenly Talisman Sect, the Spirit Talisman that had been used by the real Heavenly Talisman person could only be held by the successive sect leaders.


    That is why he spoke this way.


    ¡°Yes, martial uncle!¡±


    Yue Zhen, understanding the situation, immediately slapped his storage pouch with his palm.


    A flicker of green light, and a pale yellow wooden box appeared in his hand, which he then handed over to Han Li with both hands.


    Han Li raised an eyebrow and did not stand on ceremony.


    With a casual beckoning gesture, he pulled the wooden box into his hand and first glanced down at it.


    The surface of the wooden box was unremarkable and extremely simple, with a golden glowing Daoist paper talisman attached to the lid.


    With a raise of his eyebrow, Han Li brushed his hand over the lid of the box, and with a flicker of spiritual light, the talisman silently floated down.


    Other cultivators who saw this scene didn¡¯t think much of it, but the Wen-named elder and three Core Formation elders simultaneously started in surprise.


    Being able to easily remove restriction talismans with spiritual power like this was not something typical cultivators could do.


    It required not only a certain level of formidable cultivation but also an incredibly delicate manipulation of mana.


    This technique, they had only heard of in rumors.


    Now, seeing Han Li accomplish it without making a sound, their respect for Han Li grew even more.


    As soon as the box lid was opened, a misty green light appeared within, followed by a burst of pure wood spiritual Qi.


    Han Li felt a wave of surprise in his heart.


    According to the Wen-named elder, after so many years, the spirituality of this spirit talisman should have greatly decreased, but seeing its current vigor, it was evidently no ordinary item.


    What made Han Li even happier was that the Spirit Transforming Talisman happened to be a wood attribute talisman, which complemented his own cultivation technique, making its cultivation much easier.


    Thinking this, Han Li saw the talisman in the green light clearly.


    It was a palm-sized talisman, its green color lustrous and delicate, with golden and silver runes flickering around its edges, appearing exceedingly mysterious.


    However, what caught Han Li¡¯s attention was the small cluster of light purple light points in the center of the talisman, slowly rotating and constantly flickering.


    With a raise of his hand, Han Li¡¯s palm was suddenly enveloped in a layer of green light as his fingers reached for the spirit talisman within the box.


    With a flash of light, the spirit talisman trembled and abruptly turned into a streak of green light, shooting out of the box.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened as he reached back with his hand.


    A phantom-like hand materialized and instantly scooped up the Spirit Talisman.


    Before the other cultivators could even exclaim, the hand dissipated into nothing, and the talisman was directly drawn into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    ¡°This is the Spirit Transforming Talisman.


    It really does have some tricks to it.


    It¡¯s said that the creator, a true cultivator from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, was also a great cultivator in the Deity Transformation stage.


    The True Yuan of the Heavenly Talisman within this talisman must be excessively powerful, which is why it¡¯s not an easy task for an ordinary cultivator to refine it.


    Even if one succeeds in refining it, the power of the talisman will greatly diminish and will need to be retrained with one¡¯s True Yuan.


    This is not something that can be done in just a few decades.


    If not handled well, it may well take over a hundred years,¡± Han Li said with a hehe, smiling as he gazed at the talisman between his fingers, which squirmed and twisted like a living fish.


    ¡°Does the senior think this talisman¡­¡± Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the warm-named elder and several others exchanged glances, before asking with a sinking heart.


    ¡°However, this is for early Nascent Soul cultivators.


    I have already advanced to the mid Nascent Soul Stage, and my main cultivation technique is of the wood attribute, which makes refining this item somewhat easier.


    This talisman is still of use to me,¡± Han Li said, subtly changing the subject.


    In fact, he also left unsaid that while this twice-tempered talisman took an exceptionally long time to refine, once successfully re-cultivated, its power would surely surpass its former glory.


    ¡°Does the senior mean that you agree?¡± The warm-named elder replied eagerly, with surprise and delight.


    Hearing this, the other cultivators in the hall also showed faces full of anticipation.


    ¡°Agree or not, that¡¯s not urgent.


    First, tell me about the trouble you want me to resolve.


    If it¡¯s not too troublesome, I may well intervene once,¡± Han Li said noncommittally.


    At the same time, with a slight flick of his wrist, a cluster of Spiritual Energy wrapped around the talisman and shot it into the wooden box before he beckoned and the lid closed again.


    ¡°Of course, in fact, this matter is just a small effort for the senior.


    It primarily concerns a city market owned by our three families.


    A few days ago¡­¡± The warm-named elder, seeing Han Li appearing to contemplate agreement, happily began to explain the situation concerning the city market and the Evil Sun Sect in detail.


    Han Li listened silently.


    A quarter of an hour later, Han Li transformed into a green rainbow and left White Bamboo Mountain, flying toward the north in full escape.


    Several days later, news spread across Flower Cloud Province¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators, neither too big nor too small.


    A cultivator surname Han, claiming to be a Guest Elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, suddenly arrived at the mountain gate of the Devilish Evil Sun Sect.


    With the astonishing Divine Skills of a mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, he easily defeated the only Nascent Soul elder of the Evil Sun Sect under the guise of a friendly spar, and then he left gracefully.


    The next day, the Spirit Wind Sect, which had been fully supported by the Evil Sun Sect, suddenly moved their city market from its original location near Kaijiang Town to a place thousands of miles away in a hurried fashion.


    Not only that, other small and medium sects, upon hearing the news, were greatly shocked, and after inquiring about the details, they all withdrew their influence from the surrounding ten-thousand-mile area centered on Kaijiang Town, willingly ceding this large territory to the Heavenly Talisman Sect and the other two small sects.


    For a time, Heavenly Talisman Sect and the other sects naturally puffed up with pride, and all the cultivators inside were extremely joyful.


    Those Sect Leaders and elders felt that the offerings to secure this Guest Elder had not been in vain.


    With such a mid Nascent Soul Stage Guest Elder associated with them, their sect¡¯s power could indeed flip for the better in the next hundred years.


    At that moment, the Hunting Dragon Assembly, organized by the number one sect of Flower Cloud Province a€¡° the Southern Sea Sect a€¡° finally began.


    This assembly, in just a few days, gathered more than two hundred cultivators above the Core Formation Stage, with nearly ten being Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.


    Then, under the organization of the Southern Sea Sect, they began to split into squads and started sweeping various seas nearby, looking everywhere for the hiding places of several Venomous Flood Dragons.


    During this time, lower-grade demon beasts were occasionally discovered and then killed one by one.


    For a while, the morale of the Human Cultivators was high, with a strong sense of achieving complete success.


    However, the cunning Flood Dragons, sensing something was amiss, constantly stayed hidden, causing the cultivators to fruitlessly busy themselves for months on end, unable to find any trace of these creatures.


    Finally, some cultivators could not endure the frustration and left on their own.


    Another month passed, and the number of cultivators still searching the seas for the Venomous Flood Dragons was down to just over a hundred.


    Even among the Nascent Soul cultivators, several had left, leaving only seven, primarily from the Southern Sea Sect.


    With the number of their subordinates greatly reduced, the Flood Dragons saw an opportunity and became restless.


    They did not only start attacking lone cultivators more often but also the blue grade eight flood dragon directly attacked squads of cultivators with fewer members.


    Although these squads were all led by Nascent Soul cultivators, the grade eight blue flood dragon was extremely skilled in divine arts and had mastered the Water Escape Technique to the point of perfection.


    Each time it attacked, it would immediately dive deep into the sea to escape, not engaging in prolonged fights.


    The result was that they didn¡¯t manage to injure the dragon at all, but it instead devoured several Core Formation cultivators.


    This turn of events left the remaining Human Cultivators shaken and fearful, with the Southern Sea Sect feeling like they were riding a tiger they could not dismount.


    Left with no choice, they could only try to merge several squads together to dare to continue sending out search parties.


    And on this particular day, a group of more than ten cultivators, led by a Nascent Soul cultivator, were cautiously flying over a certain sea area.


    They each carefully extended their Divine Sense, scanning around, with a particular focus on the direction of the sea.


    Among this group of cultivators, Han Li had disguised himself as a pale-faced middle-aged cultivator, flying calmly at the end of the group.


    Despite his outward composure, his heart was actually filled with frustration.


    When the Hunting Dragon Assembly had just started, Han Li had joined under the guise of a Core Formation cultivator, ready to take advantage of the chaos.


    But to his dismay, he had come up empty-handed thus far.


    The past few months were bearable, with no gains being normal.


    But ever since the Venomous Flood Dragons started appearing again, other squads had encountered one or two stealth attacks from them.


    Only the squad that he had joined had not yet encountered a single one.


    Han Li was truly speechless at this circumstance, not knowing whether his luck was too good or too bad.


    (To be continued, for the continuation of the story please visit www.qidian.com.


    With more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 967 - Chapter 967 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 964 Soul Rend

    ?Chapter 967: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 964 Soul Rend Chapter 967: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 964 Soul Rend ¡°I had already purchased the map of this sea area beforehand,¡± Han Li said as he gently descended onto a nameless small island after half a month of flying in a direction seldom trodden by cultivators.


    The island was not large, covering only about forty square miles, but it possessed an inconspicuous and inferior Spirit Vein that stretched for seven to eight miles.


    If this were inland, it would have surely been claimed by some obscure minor wealthy family long ago.


    However, in this demon-beast-infested sea, no family without considerable strength would dare to relocate here.


    But for those middle and small families with high-level cultivators, this unremarkable Spirit Vein wouldn¡¯t catch their eye.


    Moreover, this island was not situated on any sea route and its location was extremely remote, hence it had remained deserted until now.


    Han Li was very satisfied with the place and immediately set about clearing a large area within a small mountain crevice on the island using his flying swords.


    He then released the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.


    In an instant, a delicately constructed small cave abode appeared before his eyes.


    To be cautious, not only did Han Li activate the restrictive formations that came with the cave abode, but he also set up a concealing array outside the small mountain.


    He summoned a swath of white fog, enveloping an area of over ten miles including the mountain peak, rendering the cave abode difficult for others to find.


    After these preparations were made, Han Li moved the Spirit Herbs and Gold Devouring Bugs he carried with him into an insect chamber and a medicinal herb garden within the cave abode.


    The Earth Armor Dragon was confined with restrictive formations and thrown into a beast room before he entered a secret chamber with a large number of materials in tow.


    ¡°These materials are only enough for one attempt at refining, and if there¡¯s a mistake in any key part, there won¡¯t be time to find a replacement.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    As for the success rate, I can¡¯t really be sure.


    After all, it¡¯s my first attempt to refine on behalf of my senior; a single misunderstanding could lead to failure,¡± Han Li said calmly as he entered the secret chamber and pulled down the bamboo tube from his back and set it upright before him.


    ¡°I am fully aware of that.


    Before the refining begins, I will go through the refining formula with you in detail, repeatedly questioning your comprehension, until you fully grasp it.


    Only then will I let you start.


    Before I explain, take a look at this jade slip that contains the basic information on puppet crafting that I¡¯ve recorded.


    First, gain an overall understanding of it,¡± the voice of Monarch Great Development came from the bamboo tube, seemingly having considered this already, with an attitude of certainty.


    Following that, the lid of the bamboo tube popped off with a light sound, and a white jade slip shot out, which Han Li caught in one hand.


    ¡°Since senior is so confident, I¡¯m relieved,¡± Han Li nodded, and without further words, he sat down with legs crossed and immersed his Divine Sense in the jade slip.


    Time passed by, and the expression on Han Li¡¯s face constantly changed, showing astonishment, excitement, and finally a look of utter shock.


    After an indeterminate period, he exhaled a long breath, withdrew his Divine Sense from the jade slip, and didn¡¯t immediately speak.


    Instead, his eyes closed abruptly as he quietly pondered the information on the ground.


    A quarter of an hour later, Han Li¡¯s eyes opened, and his expression returned to one of calm.


    ¡°If this puppet is successfully refined, its power would indeed be unparalleled.


    As long as there are enough Spirit Stones, it should be able to go toe-to-toe with late Nascent Soul cultivators without falling short.


    However, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m not quite clear on, and I hope senior can clear up my confusion,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment before finally speaking.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to completely entrust the Puppetry Technique to you, naturally, I won¡¯t hold anything back.


    Feel free to ask anything,¡± Monarch Great Development said without hesitation.


    ¡°Since senior has said so, I won¡¯t be reserved.


    According to the Puppetry Techniques I¡¯ve learned in the past, the higher the grade of the puppet, the higher the corresponding soul essence needed for fusion.


    I really can¡¯t think of what demon beast soul essence would be suitable to fully unleash the power of this puppet.


    Even the soul of the grade eight Redfire Flood Dragon that I¡¯ve just captured wouldn¡¯t be suitable, would it?


    And previously, senior has never mentioned anything about the soul essence, leaving me somewhat perplexed.


    Does senior have some other arrangement?¡± Han Li asked with furrowed brows and in a grave tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem.


    The issue about the soul essence has been resolved since I researched the refining method.


    If you hadn¡¯t asked, I was going to explain it to you anyway.


    Otherwise, I guess you wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate on refining it, right?¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled.


    ¡°Senior jests.


    However, to truly bring out the full power of the puppet, at least a grade nine demon beast soul would be needed.


    I am admittedly puzzled as to how senior plans to resolve this,¡± Han Li chuckled dryly, speaking nonchalantly.


    Without a reasonable explanation, his habitual caution made him a little wary.


    Although over the years, Monarch Great Development¡¯s relationship with him felt like that of a half-teacher, half-friend, Han Li would never casually discard necessary vigilance.


    ¡°No need for any demon beast soul essence.


    When the time comes, we¡¯ll simply fuse my soul essence with the puppet,¡± Monarch Great Development said in a deep voice, his tone calm as if he were discussing an insignificant trifle.


    ¡°Use the senior¡¯s soul?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly changed, his face full of shock.


    ¡°What, do you think my soul isn¡¯t even as strong as a grade nine demon beast?¡± Monarch Great Development said indifferently.


    ¡°Of course not.


    The senior was originally at the late-Nascent Soul Stage, and after cultivating the Great Development Technique, the power of your divine sense and soul is likely no less than that of a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.


    But the senior doesn¡¯t plan to go through the cycle of reincarnation anymore.


    Once the soul is fused into a puppet, it immediately loses itself,¡± Han Li hesitated before saying.


    ¡°Of course, I intend to enter the path of reincarnation, and after my rebirth, who knows if this monarch will be able to step onto the path of Immortal Cultivation again!¡± Monarch Great Development said without hesitation, followed by a heh-heh laugh.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the senior not only plans to fuse your soul into the puppet but also doesn¡¯t want to lose the chance for reincarnation.


    Could it be that the senior has some secret technique that can achieve this?¡± Han Li was taken aback upon hearing this, but he wasn¡¯t an ordinary cultivator and quickly speculated.


    ¡°Han Li, you¡¯re indeed more clever than most.


    That¡¯s exactly what I mean.


    Back when I was trapped inside a puppet due to the Soul Attachment Technique, naturally, I wouldn¡¯t just sit idle.


    I spent thousands of years researching a method to transfer the soul from a puppet without using mana.


    The method turned out to be too difficult to succeed, yet I discovered another secret technique for splitting the soul.


    This Soul Splitting Art is vastly different from the usual splitting of spiritual sense.


    It is a true division of the cultivator¡¯s soul.


    At that time, I will split my soul in two; one part will carry most of the soul¡¯s power and will be fused into the puppet, while the other part will carry emotions, memories, and such, dispersing and returning to the cycle of reincarnation,¡± Monarch Great Development explained candidly, not intending to keep it a secret.


    ¡°But can this method really work?


    Splitting the soul doesn¡¯t sound like an easy task,¡± Han Li said astonishingly upon learning of this secret technique.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the one I will be splitting off is only the power of the soul; it won¡¯t cause much trouble for my reincarnation.


    Once the soul power has dissipated, it would have scattered anyway,¡± Monarch Great Development said nonchalantly.


    ¡°I see.


    Then the junior will be at ease,¡± Han Li considered the matter and, not finding any significant issues, nodded in relief.


    ¡°Good, since there are no issues, I will start explaining the methods of refining each part and the areas that need more attention.


    Let¡¯s start with the puppet¡¯s body; the entire body is comprised of more than a dozen core components, which require materials respectively¡­¡± Monarch Great Development wasted no time and began to explain directly.


    Han Li¡¯s spirit was lifted, and he listened attentively with rapt attention.


    As days passed, Han Li rarely emerged from his secret chamber, spending most of his time using his divine sense to control several huge ape puppets moving around in his dwelling, hastening the ripening of some Spirit Grass and cultivating those Gold Devouring Beetles.


    However, with the Twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, aside from using Rainbow Skirt Grass to hasten their growth, he had a moment of inspiration and fed each of them a Snow Essence Pill to see the effects after refining them.


    After all, these pills were very useful to his Purple Apex Flames, and they should also be beneficial to the utterly yin and utterly cold Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.


    Han Li found that these centipedes, which even he needed three to four months to refine a pill, could completely refine them in just one month, and the cold air they exhaled was significantly more powerful.


    With this discovery, Han Li, surprised and pleased, kept only the Snow Essence Pills he needed for himself and fed the rest to the huge apes to nourish those Gold Devouring Beetles.


    As for the Gold Devouring Bugs, despite continuous consumption of matured Rainbow Skirt Grass, their transformation into mature beings was still a distant goal, so Han Li had no choice but to patiently take it step by step.


    Half a year passed in a flash, and on this day, just having finished refining a part of a puppet in his secret chamber, Han Li heard Monarch Great Development speak, took out several materials, and laid them out in front of him with a peculiar expression on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that these things can be added to the puppet?¡± Han Li asked with a slight frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, these things¡¯ uses are what I¡¯ve recently thought of, and they can definitely enhance the power of this puppet,¡± Monarch Great Development said calmly.


    ¡°This last Demonic Marrow Drill is fine; perhaps the senior has another way to refine it into some kind of weapon for the puppet.


    But as for these other materials, I¡¯m still unclear on what they are and fail to see their purpose,¡± Han Li said, slightly raising his hand, pointing at two materials on the ground, somewhat baffled.


    The things he pointed to were the slender silver chain that had once bound the Jiangshi, and the several Fragmented Stele materials that he had found in the abyss of Demonic Qi, unassuming and dull.


    ¡°As for this Demonic Marrow Drill, just as you said, when you obtained it, I was already thinking about what I could refine it into.


    Although it¡¯s the sole material for creating a Devil Dragon Blade, if this item is used to make other devilish magical treasures, the power would not be insignificant.


    I have already figured out how to refine it into a treasure that will serve as a trump card for the puppet.


    This chain, when I heard you talk about it potentially withstanding the strike of the Flying Auric Essence Sword, sparked my interest.


    Even though I do not know what material it is made from, if mixed with some Silverstar Sand, it can be used to refine a protective shield for the puppet.


    As for these Fragmented Steles, only a few days ago, I suddenly remembered what they might be,¡± Monarch Great Development paused, his expression turning grave.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 968 - Chapter 968 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 965 Puppet Great Success

    ?Chapter 968: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 965 Puppet Great Success Chapter 968: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 965 Puppet Great Success ¡°Have you ever heard of Divine Unity Paste?¡± Monarch Great Development asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°Of course, I have heard of it.


    Divine Unity Paste, also known as Transforming Balm, is said to be able to freely transform and craft into artifacts.


    It has a special ability to heal itself when damaged and is a rare material in complex Magic Artifact crafting.


    Could it be this stuff?


    But I heard that Divine Unity Paste is white, like beautiful jade, why does it look so unremarkable?¡± Han Li was also surprised, staring at the pieces of the fragmented stele as he asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Han Li, you need not be so alarmed.


    These are indeed Divine Unity Paste, but they have been mixed with other materials and specially crafted by ancient experts.


    In ancient times, it was known as Chi Ling Soft Jade.


    The cultivators who can recognize it in the world definitely do not exceed ten people.


    I too only saw a bit about it in some ancient expert¡¯s ancient cave dwelling early on, and had since then put it out of my mind.


    Had it not been for a recent event that related to this material, I would still be unable to recognize it,¡± explained Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Chi Ling Soft Jade?


    How does it differ from ordinary Divine Unity Paste?¡± Han Li wondered thoughtfully.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Did you not find out yourself initially?


    Once crafted, this Divine Unity Paste not only maximizes its shape-changing and self-repairing effects but can also absorb a cultivator¡¯s mana attacks.


    A full-powered strike brimming with spiritual power, upon touching this material, can be weakened by more than half.


    The only drawback is that it fears attacks on its physical form, for it inherently has no defensive capabilities.


    Yet even so, this makes the paste¡¯s value barely less than that of Auric Essence,¡± Monarch Great Development elaborated.


    ¡°I see, then Elder wishes to use this Divine Unity Paste to craft something on the puppet¡¯s body?¡± Upon hearing of the miraculous effects of Chi Ling Soft Jade, Han Li naturally showed a look of great joy and couldn¡¯t help but ask further.


    ¡°Need you even ask!


    This Divine Unity Paste paired with your Silverstar Sand is naturally the perfect material for crafting puppet shells.


    With these two materials combined, even without any defensive Daoist paper talismans, there are few in the human world who could easily destroy it,¡± Monarch Great Development said proudly.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s follow Elder¡¯s words,¡± Han Li agreed without hesitation.


    ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t touch these things for now.


    We¡¯ll craft the other parts first.


    It is estimated that it will take another year to nearly complete the crafting of the different parts, after which we can fuse them into a complete puppet.


    Let us continue with the parts now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Han Li agreed, and with a flick of his sleeve, a draft of green haze swept past and the materials on the ground disappeared without a trace.


    Then, with a slap on his storage pouch, seven or eight jade boxes containing other materials were placed in front of him.


    Han Li began crafting the next puppet part.


    As spring went and autumn came, the days passed by.


    For a being in the realm of immortal cultivators, a year passed almost in the blink of an eye.


    During this time, aside from Han Li closing his doors to craft the puppet, the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, stimulated by a monthly Snow Essence Pill, unexpectedly advanced.


    After a molt cycle, these centipedes not only grew larger but finally sprouted a pair of snow-white wings.


    Their increased speed and agility were unexpected delights.


    However, after this advancement, the Snow Essence Pills weren¡¯t as effective on the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes as before, nowhere near the level of effect they had prior to the advancement.


    One day, Han Li stood with his eyes tightly shut in the middle of a secret room, a humanoid figure with a shimmering silver light suspended in mid-air in front of him.


    His fingers constantly twitched and flicked, sending out ten golden threads that connected directly to various parts of the puppet body, his expression solemn.


    Above the silver puppet, a bamboo tube emitted a faint green spiritual glow, slowly rotating.


    After an unknown period, Han Li¡¯s expression shifted, his fingers stopped, and he finally opened his eyes.


    ¡°It looks like there are no issues.


    The parts of the puppet have fused perfectly.


    To assemble the components so smoothly, this was quite beyond my expectations,¡± Han Li said with a trace of joy as he stared at the object in front of him.


    ¡°This puppet is my creation.


    You were able to craft it error-free under my guidance.


    Now that all is well, it seems we can commence the soul fusion,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice drifted faintly from the bamboo tube.


    ¡°Elder truly wishes to proceed this way, without further consideration?


    You are also using the Soul-splitting Technique for the first time, and there might be unexpected complications that could significantly impact your reincarnation cycle.


    Moreover, once the soul is split, Elder¡¯s remaining soul will surely dissipate and be unable to endure,¡± upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s face lost its joyful expression, asking solemnly.


    ¡°Hehe, I have devoted most of my life to the Puppetry Technique, and merging my own soul with this puppet has always been my true desire.


    Besides, even if I do not employ the Soul-splitting Technique, my time is near.


    What is there to hesitate about?


    You need not persuade me further.


    It is I who have already imparted to you all remaining teachings of the Great Development Technique; I hope you can carry it on, not allowing it to end the lineage,¡± Monarch Great Development chuckled lightly, unconcerned.


    Han Li listened to his words, furrowing his brows, and after a long moment, he sighed deeply.


    ¡°Since Elder is so resolute, I will say no more.


    I hope everything goes smoothly for Elder.¡±


    Monarch Great Development laughed heartily, and the bamboo tube suddenly split into two halves with a flash of green light, and a resplendent golden figure suddenly appeared there.


    This small figure was a humanoid puppet several inches tall, made from neither metal nor wood, exquisitely detailed, vaguely resembling a shrunk hundredfold middle-aged man with a refined appearance.


    At this moment, the small figure¡¯s eyes flickered with green light, and he seated himself cross-legged.


    A deep spell incantation suddenly transmitted, and a green light flew out from the mouth of the small figure, turning into the size of a fist, enveloping its form.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s lips twitched slightly, yet he uttered no words.


    As the incantations grew more urgent, the green light gradually became dazzling, nearly unbearable to look at directly.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, and his pupils contracted, with blue light flickering incessantly.


    Then, Monarch Great Development let out a painful yell, causing the whole secret chamber to buzz and vibrate.


    At this, Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and the green light abruptly split in two, the larger part directly drifting towards the Silver Puppet, while the smaller swiftly re-entered the small figure¡¯s mouth, revealing the form of the humanoid puppet once again.


    However, this time, the small figure¡¯s head dipped slightly, and its eyes were dull and lifeless.


    Seeing this, Han Li did not dare to delay.


    He pointed repeatedly at the Silver Puppet, and immediately the humanoid puppet opened its mouth.


    More than ten thin silver threads shot out, enveloping the split light and pulling it into its body.


    Then, the entire puppet¡¯s silver light burst forth, and its form began to tremble incessantly.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened and without a word, he opened his mouth and a violet flame sprayed out, striking the puppet¡¯s body.


    With a loud ¡°hisss¡±, a thick layer of ice rapidly spread over the puppet, instantly encasing it in a massive block of ice.


    It was only then that Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, raising his head to glance at the small figure in mid-air, a hint of worry fleeting across his face.


    ¡°So this is what splitting the soul feels like, truly a marvelous sensation.


    Probably only I, among all the cultivators under heaven, can experience such a taste,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s laughing voice suddenly came from the small figure, but the voice was clearly weak and powerless, as if he was recovering from a severe illness.


    ¡°Elder, are you alright?¡± Han Li couldn¡¯t help but ask upon hearing this voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.


    Although I can¡¯t maintain myself for long after splitting my soul, I will still be safe for the next ten days or half a month.


    Quickly complete the fusion of this puppet and its soul fragment, so that I can witness the true power of this puppet before my divine sense collapses,¡± Monarch Great Development urged excitedly.


    ¡°That is natural.


    But before that, let me use a Soul Calming Talisman to stabilize your remaining soul essence, to avoid any accidents,¡± Han Li said, raising his eyebrows and flicking his sleeves, a bloody red Daoist paper talisman flying into his hand.


    ¡°A Soul Calming Talisman, that¡¯s rather rare.


    Isn¡¯t it a waste to use it on someone who is about to die?¡± Monarch Great Development sounded a bit surprised.


    ¡°This talisman came from the storage pouch of a Nascent Soul cultivator I killed last time.


    No matter how precious, it was freely obtained, so there¡¯s nothing to regret,¡± Han Li said calmly, then flicked his wrist, and the bloody talisman suddenly turned into a streak of red light, hitting the small puppet.


    A burst of blood mist erupted and was quickly absorbed by the body of the small figure.


    ¡°Much better, thank you.


    But, this was your choice to use the talisman, so don¡¯t expect me to feel indebted to you,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice immediately grew louder, replying in a slightly different tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    Just consider it a small interest on a favor you did for me in the past,¡± Han Li remained silent for a while, then replied calmly.


    Monarch Great Development grunted a few times, then suddenly waved his hands towards the two halves of the bamboo canisters on the ground.


    Immediately with two ¡°swoosh¡± sounds, the pieces flew and joined together around the small figure, restoring the appearance of the whole bamboo canister.


    Then, the canister floated down and stood erect in front of Han Li.


    At this moment, without waiting for Monarch Great Development to say anything, Han Li gestured towards the giant block of ice with one hand.


    The purple light flickered within the ice, and the humanoid puppet began to slowly dissolve and melt the surrounding ice.


    Han Li then sat down cross-legged again, and suddenly slapped his heavenly spiritual covering with one hand.


    As a bright green light emanated from his head, a hazy Nascent Soul emerged and flew directly towards the humanoid puppet¡­


    Three months later, on the desolate island where Han Li was located, suddenly a green rainbow shot into the sky and vanished into the distance.


    Ku Zhu Island, a small island near the sea in Great Jin, was enveloped year-round in blue fog.


    While the master of the island, Old Man Ku Zhu, had no reputation among the inland cultivators of Immortal Cultivation, many mid and late Nascent Soul cultivators from the inland knew of him and held him in great fear.


    Among the overseas cultivators, however, Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s fame was even more illustrious.


    Although he was only in the mid Nascent Soul Stage, with the aid of 365 Cold Bamboo Flying Swords and a Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree on Ku Zhu Island, he was seen by many overseas cultivators as an existence on par with the Overseas Three Immortals.


    Moreover, the Ten Thousand Trees Great Array, with the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree as its formation core, incredibly powerful and awe-inspiring, had been a well-known among the ancient formations for tens of thousands of years overseas, weakening the divine abilities of even late Nascent Soul cultivators who entered it by three parts.


    But that day, an unwelcome visitor arrived above the island¡­(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters, supports the author, supports genuine reading!)

 Chapter 969 - Chapter 969 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 966 Ku Zhu Island

    ?Chapter 969: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 966 Ku Zhu Island Chapter 969: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 966 Ku Zhu Island A sudden flash of spiritual brilliance in the distant sky, and a two-claw long cyan rainbow swiftly moved above the seas of fog which stretched for a hundred miles.


    After the splendor converged, a young cultivator dressed in a scholar¡¯s jacket appeared; it was Han Li.


    With a bamboo tube on his back, he peered ceaselessly into the dense fog below him.


    Everywhere his eyes reached, it was all a white blur, completely obscuring his view.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised, a blue light flickered in his pupils, and shortly after, his expression turned grim.


    ¡°This Ku Zhu Island indeed has its tricks; even using Brightsight Spirit Water, I can¡¯t fully penetrate the restrictive formations below.


    The Ten Thousand Trees Great Array is truly deserving of its reputation,¡± he murmured to himself.


    ¡°This is natural, but the Crow Phoenix long feathers from Ku Zhu Island can enhance your Seven Flames Fan, making this trip indispensable.


    Moreover, Old Man Ku Zhu seems to be the perfect candidate to test puppet power, managing to kill two birds with one stone,¡± a faint voice emanated from inside the bamboo tube, weaker than when the soul had first split, now more frail.


    ¡°I know.


    That¡¯s why I came here immediately after the puppet had just been forged.


    But how much longer can you hold on?¡± asked Han Li, slightly concerned.


    ¡°Rest assured, with your Soul Calming Talisman to aid me, I won¡¯t easily reincarnate without witnessing the true power of the puppet,¡± chuckled Monarch Great Development softly.


    Han Li nodded, glanced at the dense fog at his feet, suddenly narrowed his eyes, and slapped a storage pouch at his waist with one hand.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    Instantly, a green light unfurled, and a figure, similar in stature to Han Li and with a pale complexion appeared before him.


    The cultivator, dressed in yellow, had skin like jade; upon a closer look at his face, he was exactly like the humanoid puppet that Monarch Great Development¡¯s soul resided in.


    However, his eyes were coldly flashing; the expression was ice-cold, displaying not a trace of a smile.


    Although Han Li had seen him multiple times before, he couldn¡¯t help but glance as the puppet appeared.


    Chi Ling Soft Jade was truly wondrous.


    Originally murky, but after refining using the method imparted by Monarch Great Development, its color immediately changed to resemble human skin embedding all the soft jade into the puppet¡¯s Silverstar Sand-based outer shell, presenting a human-sized, lifelike being before him.


    Due to the unrestricted morphing traits of Chi Ling Soft Jade, integrating a shred of his own separated spirit within the puppet, under his control, enabled the puppet to speak, change expressions, almost indistinguishable from a real person.


    Nevertheless, the only trouble with using this puppet was the spirit stone issue.


    Such a high-grade puppet couldn¡¯t properly operate with mere mid-grade spirit stones, and during full exertion, the puppet couldn¡¯t sustain several attacks.


    Only high-grade spirit stones could enable the puppet to attack to its full capability.


    But the scarcity of high-grade spirit stones goes without saying.


    Ever since Han Li had arrived in Great Jin, even though he paid special attention to such items at every city market, he managed to collect only a few high-grade spirit stones.


    If the puppet were to attack at full power, each spirit stone would probably only last about a quarter of an hour.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Han Li spoke indifferently.


    Regardless, since the puppet had been forged, it certainly needed to be tested.


    Without a word, the puppet raised both arms simultaneously, fingers slightly spread.


    Instantly, a haze of spiritual light rapidly gathered at the palm of its hands, forming two huge head-sized light spheres in a blink, dazzling and formidable.


    With a ¡°puff, puff¡± sound, the puppet¡¯s wrist trembled slightly, the spheres turning into beams of light that shot down, disappearing into the sea of fog like a stone sunk in the sea.


    Han Li watched the sea of fog, silent and expressionless.


    Moments later, a thunderous explosion sounded, and the originally calm sea of mist violently churned, followed by two columns of wind, each a few cubits thick, piercing through the air from the sea of mist; they spun wildly and rampantly, clearing a hundred feet of fog around like enormous sea dragons emerging.


    Almost at the instant the wind columns formed, several disparate, shrill cries suddenly arose from below, filled with both shock and anger.


    Han Li cast a glance toward the fog below, and a giant island flickered in and out of visibility in the rather sparser fog, while above the island, a layer of greenish light curtain emerged, almost enveloping the entire island.


    At that moment, more than ten differently colored beams of light shot out from within the light curtain, fiercely heading straight towards Han Li¡¯s position.


    Clearly, the previous strike had alarmed the cultivators on the island.


    With one look, Han Li could tell that the cultivation levels of these cultivators varied: some were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, while others were at the Core Formation Stage; however, the leading elder was at the late Core Formation Stage.


    ¡°Who are you, why¡­


    ah, it turns out to be two seniors.


    May I ask what brings the two esteemed seniors to our island?¡±


    Some people flew up to Han Li and initially intended to chastise him with anger on their faces.


    However, after the leading cultivator had swept his Divine Sense over Han Li, he discovered that Han Li was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator just like Old Man Ku Zhu, and his attitude softened immediately when he could not discern the realm of the puppet.


    ¡°I have long heard of the reputation of Daoist Ku Zhu, and I came to visit for a matter.


    Could you please pass on a message for me?¡± Han Li said without blinking, maintaining a smile.


    ¡°This is really unfortunate.


    My master has entered seclusion years ago and no longer meets with guests.


    If the seniors truly have urgent matters, you can speak with me first.


    I can also make some decisions regarding the affairs of Ku Zhu Island,¡± the leading cultivator said with a startled look, then quickly added with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s regrettable that Daoist Ku Zhu is in seclusion.


    However, since you can make decisions, that works too.


    I have heard that your island harbors an Ancient Spiritual Bird, the Crow Phoenix.


    Is this true?¡± Han Li blinked his eyes and asked with an unchanged expression.


    ¡°The Crow Phoenix?


    What do you mean by this, senior?¡± the leading cultivator felt a chill in his heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I am crafting a treasure and need three tail feathers from the Crow Phoenix.


    I am willing to exchange one grade seven demon core and three grade six demon beast cores for them.


    Could you agree to this?¡± As soon as Han Li finished speaking, he swept his sleeve, and four jade boxes flew out from his sleeve, floating in front of him.


    His finger carelessly pointed a few times in the air above the jade boxes, and the lids opened one by one, revealing four demon cores of different colors inside-one noticeably larger and three slightly smaller.


    ¡°Exchange for tail feathers?¡±


    Han Li¡¯s request caught the leading cultivator off guard, leaving him somewhat bewildered.


    ¡°Indeed.


    Your island¡¯s Crow Phoenix should be a seventh grade spiritual bird.


    Offering so many demon cores clearly shows my sincerity in making this trade,¡± Han Li¡¯s smile vanished from his face, revealing a serious expression.


    ¡°Although the Crow Phoenix is an Ancient Spiritual Bird, these demon cores are more than sufficient for an exchange.


    However, I¡¯m afraid I cannot agree to this matter,¡± the leading elder¡¯s expression changed continuously, and he hesitated before shaking his head.


    Upon hearing the reply, Han Li¡¯s gaze suddenly turned icy, and he stared coldly at the man, staying silent.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s displeased expression, the elder¡¯s heart sank, and he hastily began to explain, ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t misunderstand.


    It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t respect you.


    It¡¯s just that the Crow Phoenix of our island is at a critical phase of advancement and cannot afford any loss in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I see.


    But I must obtain those Crow Phoenix feathers.


    Let me add one more grade seven demon core to make up for your island¡¯s loss,¡± Han Li frowned for a moment before flipping his palm and taking out another jade box.


    This caused an exchange of glances among the cultivators of Ku Zhu Island!


    ¡°What, your island is also unwilling to agree to this?¡± Han Li¡¯s tone suddenly became sinister as he stared at the cultivators before him with an icy gaze.


    ¡°This matter is of great importance.


    I really cannot make a decision on it.


    How about this, senior, please wait a moment.


    I will risk being punished by my master and send a Sound Transmission Talisman to the seclusion chamber to see how my master responds,¡± the leading cultivator said, shivering under Han Li¡¯s gaze and finally resolved to act after scanning the humanoid puppet nearby.


    If his handling of the situation caused Ku Zhu Island to confront a powerful foe unnecessarily, he likely would not escape punishment upon his return either.


    ¡°Fine.


    I will wait a moment,¡± Han Li then nodded, his expression slightly relaxed.


    Indeed, the elder released a Sound Transmission Talisman, explaining the situation and the terms of Han Li¡¯s exchange clearly before sending it off.


    He definitely emphasized the formidable cultivation of Han Li and the humanoid puppet, portraying a compelled posture.


    Han Li did not have to wait long.


    Just as he was carefully observing the restrictive formations above Ku Zhu Island with his hands held behind his back, a deep and old voice suddenly emerged from the island.


    ¡°It turns out we have a Nascent Soul stage Daoist visiting.


    This old man was unable to meet you at a distance, so I apologize.


    Please, both of you come to the Welcoming Phoenix Pavilion on the island to be hosted.


    I will come out to meet you shortly,¡± the voice said, clearly belonging to Old Man Ku Zhu.


    The first half was addressing Han Li, while the last part was instructing his disciples.


    ¡°By your command, master!


    Seniors, please follow me.


    My master has planned to personally meet with you,¡± the elder quickly bowed with clasped hands, responded respectfully into the air, and then turned, smiling warmly at Han Li.


    ¡°Good.


    I have long admired the renown of your island and am keen to see it for myself,¡± Han Li glanced at the humanoid puppet beside him, then calmly agreed.


    Following this, he and the puppet descended towards the island with the cultivators.


    With the humanoid puppet, whose power was comparable to the Deity Transformation stage, at his side, Han Li was confident that even if they activated the so-called Ten Thousand Trees Great Array, they could not trap him.


    Thus, he was not afraid of them suddenly turning hostile because of geographical advantage.


    In the blink of an eye, the group flew into the island through a crack that spontaneously opened in the light curtain.


    Upon entering, Han Li immediately felt a rush of Spiritual Energy washing over him, and below, he saw lush, towering trees-each standing up to several dozen meters high and evidently comprising a wide variety of rare species not commonly seen outside.


    Within the forest, there were over a dozen trees taller than the others, a kind of purple-hued unusual mulberry tree, spread throughout the forest in an arrangement that subtly incorporated the mysteries of the universe.


    ¡°Is this the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree of your island?


    I heard your island had only one, but there appear to be more than ten here!¡± Han Li frowned and suddenly asked the elder beside him.


    Meanwhile, the elder stole glances at the humanoid puppet, pondering why this ¡°senior¡± had remained silent and expressionless the whole time.


    Could he be someone of peculiar temperament?


    (To be continued.


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 970 - Chapter 970 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 967 Old Man Ku Zhu

    ?Chapter 970: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 967 Old Man Ku Zhu Chapter 970: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 967 Old Man Ku Zhu ¡°Senior may not know that all these Celestial Mulberry Divine Trees are born from the same root, and they are actually the same divine tree only,¡± the old man explained without any intention of concealing this fact.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.


    I¡¯ve long heard that the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree is second only to the three great divine woods, and here it is in all its glory, truly an eye-opener for me,¡± Han Li remarked with astonishment.


    Following that, as Han Li and the cultivator moved toward an area that seemed to be just trees, the nearby spiritual energy suddenly fluttered.


    His vision blurred, and the scenery changed drastically.


    A mountain hundreds of feet tall appeared before him, and, centered on this mountain, numerous pavilions and platforms of varying sizes were built.


    Many cultivators were ceaselessly entering and exiting them.


    ¡°You may disperse and attend to your own tasks.


    I¡¯ll take the two seniors over myself,¡± the old man said, gesturing to the other cultivators.


    Upon hearing these words, the other cultivators quickly accepted the instructions and dispersed.


    Han Li and the puppet followed the old man directly to the top of the mountain peak, where there was a large hall constructed from giant trees.


    Outside the hall door, four cultivators clad in green armor stood, each holding an identical long spear.


    The old man led Han Li and his puppet and landed directly at the entrance of the wooden hall.


    The four cultivators stood motionless and expressionless, akin to puppets.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0


    The corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth lifted slightly, and he felt somewhat surprised.


    Although these four looked to be only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the essence of the wood spiritual Qi in them was far beyond what cultivators of the same level could compare to.


    And Han Li noticed at a glance that both the armor and the spears were of the peak ninth layer wood attribute Spiritual Artifacts, which was somewhat peculiar indeed.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s astonishment, the old man smiled and took the initiative to explain,


    ¡°These are the Wood Spirit Guards, personally trained by my master.


    They are cultivators who specifically practice a special cultivation technique by harnessing the power of the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree.


    Although not high in cultivation, they specialize in coordinated attacks.


    If senior has a chance, perhaps you might offer some guidance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed, they are quite different from ordinary cultivators,¡± Han Li nodded.


    Seeing that Han Li was non-committal, the old man naturally did not say much else.


    The interior of the wooden hall was not complex.


    Apart from a main hall, there was only one side hall.


    Therefore, as soon as Han Li and others entered the main hall, they immediately saw a tall figure standing at the center facing away from them, dressed in a green robe with snow-white hair.


    Upon seeing this figure, the old man¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he bowed deeply, then silently stood aside, hands clasped.


    ¡°Could it be Elder Ku Zhu?¡± Han Li stared at the figure, without blinking.


    ¡°Indeed, I am Ku Zhu.


    You two have unfamiliar faces; perhaps friends come from the inland?


    May I inquire about your esteemed names?¡± The person in the green robe laughed heartily before turning around.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and saw that the figure had red lips and white teeth, with clear eyebrows and handsome features, appearing like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, only his face covered with a faint green aura.


    Seeing the man¡¯s appearance, Han Li naturally was taken aback.


    This Elder Ku Zhu, like him, had the ability to preserve his youthful appearance, which really surprised him.


    He had thought he would meet an old man covered in wrinkles.


    Though Elder Ku Zhu was smiling, as he got a clearer look at Han Li¡¯s appearance, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°We are indeed not cultivators from overseas.


    My surname is Han, and this is my senior brother, whose surname is Li.


    We apologize for the intrusion and hope that you won¡¯t take it amiss,¡± Han Li courteously said.


    ¡°Not at all!


    Both of you are no ordinary individuals.


    To have you visit our island is a welcome pleasure.


    Fellow Daoist Li¡¯s cultivation seems profound and enigmatic; I can¡¯t even discern his cultivation realm, which truly is an eye-opener for me,¡± Elder Ku Zhu, after sizing up Han Li and the humanoid puppet, suddenly laughed.


    Clearly, the island master mistook Han Li¡¯s puppet for a Nascent Soul cultivator practicing some mysterious cultivation technique and was greatly surprised.


    ¡°You are too modest.


    The name of Ku Zhu, my friend, has indeed thundered in our ears,¡± Han Li responded with a slight smile.


    ¡°Hehe, please, both of you, take a seat and try our island¡¯s unique Sang Mu Tea,¡± Elder Ku Zhu said with a gentle smile, inviting Han Li and the other to sit.


    Then, with a crisp clapping of hands twice, several young female cultivators carrying tea trays came into the hall.


    They served each of the three a pot of light green Spiritual Tea and then respectfully exited the wooden hall.


    ¡°Sang Mu Tea, could this tea be related to the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree?¡± Han Li looked down at the Spiritual Tea on the table, sensing the abundant wood spiritual Qi within, and asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°You have good eyes, friend.


    Indeed, this is made with spiritual leaves from the Celestial Mulberry Divine Tree and has effects of improving vision and calming the spirit.


    I believe there is no second place outside this island that has this tea,¡± Elder Ku Zhu said with a hint of pride.


    ¡°That being the case, I really must taste it.¡± Han Li, his eyes twinkling, carefully examined the Spiritual Tea in the cup with his spiritual sense to make sure there was nothing amiss before unhesitatingly picking up the tea cup and taking a small sip.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Li, do you not favor this tea?¡±


    The humanoid puppet sat in the chair, expressionlessly not moving the teacup on the table.


    Old Man Ku Zhu asked in surprise.


    ¡°Since I began fasting, I never eat or drink anything outside my own cave dwelling,¡± the humanoid puppet said coldly, with not a hint of courtesy in his voice.


    ¡°Is that so?


    That was somewhat thoughtless of me.¡± A flicker of displeasure passed through Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s eyes, but it vanished almost immediately, well concealed.


    A cultivator who dared to speak such words in front of their host must have something to rely on.


    Could it be that the person before him was indeed a late Nascent Soul cultivator?


    With this thought in mind, Old Man Ku Zhu grew even more wary of the humanoid puppet.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ku Zhu, you must be aware of the purpose of our visit.


    May I know your thoughts on the trade that I have proposed?¡± Han Li had only taken a few sips of his tea before setting down the cup and slowly asked.


    ¡°Not concealing anything from you two fellow Daoists, this trade presents quite a dilemma for me.


    The Crow Phoenix is at a critical stage of advancement, and no matter how many Demon Cores you offer, I am not willing to trade the feathers of the Crow Phoenix.


    Otherwise, the next breakthrough for this spiritual bird could be delayed indefinitely,¡± Old Man Ku Zhu said with a furrowed brow, his face showing his reluctance.


    ¡°So, you do not agree to this matter,¡± Han Li remarked while pursing his lips, though his face showed no sign of surprise.


    ¡°Hehe, if I were to outright refuse, I suppose you fellow Daoists wouldn¡¯t want to leave empty-handed either.


    How about this?


    As cultivators, we respect the capable.


    I am willing to exchange some spells and divine skills with you two.


    If either of you can defeat me in a duel, I would consider agreeing to the trade.


    If not¡­¡±


    ¡°If we can¡¯t do it, Brother Li and I will leave immediately and never mention this matter again,¡± Han Li promptly replied.


    ¡°Agreed, it¡¯s a deal.


    It has been nearly a hundred years since I last sparred with anyone.


    Which of you two fellow Daoists would like to take the challenge?¡± Old Man Ku Zhu swept his gaze back and forth between Han Li and the puppet, his expression bearing a slight smile.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist doesn¡¯t mind, how about sparring with Brother Li?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged as the puppet beside him, under Han Li¡¯s divided control, faintly began to speak.


    ¡°Good, I am also curious about Brother Li¡¯s cultivation technique.


    Let us spar above the mountain peak.


    Fellow Daoist, please!¡± Upon realizing that the opponent whose cultivation level he could not discern was taking action, Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s face involuntarily took on a solemn expression as he rose from his chair.


    Han Li and the humanoid puppet also stood up.


    An elderly man standing by, unable to contain his excitement, revealed an enthusiastic expression.


    A duel between Nascent Soul cultivators was not something just anyone could witness.


    Moments later, Han Li was already hovering tranquilly a hundred meters above the mountain peak.


    Opposite him, the humanoid puppet and Old Man Ku Zhu stood in the distance.


    Nearby, seven or eight Core Formation cultivators, who had heard the news and rushed over, were all staring intently at the scene in the sky with wide eyes.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Old Man Ku Zhu uttered a low shout, his hands forming incantations, and suddenly bright cold lights shot out from his body.


    Simultaneously, over a hundred streaks of green light burst forth.


    As soon as these lights appeared, they grew against the wind, and in the blink of an eye, over a hundred pale green flying swords spectacularly manifested.


    After a flurry of flashing sword light, all the flying swords automatically aligned into a bizarre formation, circling uncertainly above Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s head, harboring a hidden cold and lethal intent.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s originally indifferent expression momentarily stiffened.


    ¡°Sword Array, Old Man Ku Zhu has cultivated so many flying swords, and indeed knows the divine skill of sword formations,¡± Han Li mused.


    Although he had some suspicions earlier, he was still somewhat taken aback to witness it personally.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, Little Han, this old man seems to have some real skills.


    This should allow the puppet¡¯s divine skills to be demonstrated a bit more.


    Let¡¯s first test the puppet¡¯s defensive capabilities,¡± Monarch Great Development¡¯s voice transmitted excitedly, clearly very confident in the puppet¡¯s capabilities.


    ¡°Mhm!


    Understood.¡±


    Having invested so much precious material in this puppet, Han Li too had great expectations.


    With a thought, the humanoid puppet began to act.


    From afar, one could see the puppet open its mouth, and a palm-sized shield sprayed out, transforming into a massive silver shield in front of it with a flash of spiritual light.


    Then, the puppet squeezed its hands forming incantations, and suddenly multi-colored runes appeared on its face.


    Following that, a five-colored protective shield emerged around it, enveloping its entire body.


    ¡°Eh!


    Could it be that Fellow Daoist hails from the Poison Holy Gate in the Southern Border?


    This technique looks similar to the famous Spirit Pattern Technique of the Poison Holy Gate,¡± Old Man Ku Zhu asked, pausing momentarily at the unusual appearance on the puppet¡¯s face.


    ¡°No,¡± Han Li responded without expressing any emotion, despite the thought that stirred in his heart upon hearing these words.


    ¡°Oh, it seems I was mistaken then.


    Yet, Fellow Daoist¡¯s divine skill does look very similar to the Spirit Pattern Technique,¡± Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s eyes flickered with a touch of otherness, his voice becoming lighter with his reply, evidently not quite believing the humanoid puppet¡¯s response.


    Yet, he did not pursue the matter further.


    Seeing the puppet adopt a defensive stance without making any move to attack, he couldn¡¯t help feeling slightly irritated, almost as if he was underestimated.


    Immediately, his expression darkened, and several low incantations emanated from his mouth.


    A buzzing sound resonated from the flying swords above, responding to his voice.


    Then, all the swords simultaneously trembled, and hundreds of meter-long sword energies burst from the sword array, transforming into a dense mass of sword shadows that shot toward the opposite side.


    Along the way, they merged into a terrifying chill light, dazzling and piercing to the eyes.


    (To be continued.


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 Chapter 971 - Chapter 971 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 968 Thunder Fire Bow

    ?Chapter 971: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 968 Thunder Fire Bow Chapter 971: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 968 Thunder Fire Bow The Humanoid Puppet saw the short sword¡¯s flashing light approaching, and made no grand movement, merely pointing gently at the silver shield before it.


    Suddenly, spiritual light flashed on the shield, and a corporeal shield several times larger manifested and flew out directly to meet the incoming attack.


    Under Han Li¡¯s watchful eye, the sword light struck the shield without mercy.


    With a loud bang, the white and chilly flashes interlaced unpredictably.


    The light shield, like a rock in a swift stream, stood immovable, blocking all the sword lights as if it had energy to spare.


    Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s complexion changed, and a hint of surprise flickered across the usually calm face of Han Li.


    ¡°It seems that the Primal Astral Shield is more powerful than expected.


    Although it is a newly refined Daoist paper talisman with no time for further empowerment, it appears fully capable of blocking ordinary Daoist paper talisman attacks.


    However, only this puppet could display such defensive prowess.


    If you were controlling this shield, achieving even half of its current power would be good,¡± Monarch Great Development communicated telepathically.


    ¡°This is only natural.


    How much of a Daoist paper talisman¡¯s power a cultivator can wield depends largely on the inherent power of the Daoist paper talisman, the amount of mana infused, and the control exerted by the spiritual sense.


    Storing and releasing spiritual power and mana-are fundamentally what cultivation is all about.


    Advancing in realm is just a series of leapfrogging sublimations in this process.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    This puppet is refined from various rare materials, capable of infusing thrice the mana I can, and naturally, I cannot compare,¡± Han Li responded unsurprisingly.


    Having been personally tutored in the Puppetry Technique by Monarch Great Development over these days, Han Li¡¯s mastery had reached a tremendously high level.


    Although perhaps not yet equal to Monarch Great Development, he was certainly not inferior to any other puppet crafting grandmasters in the human world.


    ¡°Hehe, although the Primal Astral Shield was refined by you and then given to the puppet, the refining process took the unique characteristics of this humanoid puppet into consideration from the start, making it distinct from ordinary Daoist paper talisman.


    Even if you infused the shield with mana as the puppet does, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to unleash its full power,¡± Monarch Great Development added nonchalantly.


    This time, Han Li nodded but did not reply.


    As Old Man Ku Zhu intensified his manipulation of the sword light from afar and saw that it could not overcome the light shield, he finally urged the sword array above his head, deploying another type of divine skill in his attack.


    He pointed towards the flying swords in the sky, and a chorus of sword cries rang out, drawing all the flying swords to gather at one point in the sky.


    Amidst flashing sword lights, a sword wheel about ten feet across emerged high in the sky.


    After Old Man Ku Zhu cast several spells in succession, the sword wheel began to spin, faster and faster, until its center shone dazzlingly.


    A green beam shot forcefully from its center, striking the giant light shield with vengeance.


    A low, muffled sound rang out as a massive green orb exploded on the surface of the light shield.


    The light orb, immense in size, caused the center of the light shield to cave in, and the deformation grew more severe until the light shield finally showed signs of collapse.


    At that moment, the Humanoid Puppet raised its hand and lightly pointed at the Silver Shield, causing the light shield to disperse spontaneously, transforming into specks of white light.


    The previously blocked orb of light, now unrestrained, pressed down fiercely and struck directly against the body of the silver giant shield.


    After a tremendous tremor, the silver shield did not shatter under the orb¡¯s impact; instead, in that instant, it emitted a mercury-like sheen, and its surface became as smooth as a mirror.


    Under the illumination of the silver light, the light orb trembled greatly.


    Countless green lights were reflected in all directions, and the orb swiftly shrank by a large margin.


    Then, with a slight tilt of the Silver Shield, its surface gleamed intensely, reflecting the remaining orb of light upwards where it flashed in the sky before exploding, vanishing into nothingness.


    Old Man Ku Zhu took a deep breath, the astonishment in his eyes no longer concealable.


    He stared at the opposite puppet with a face full of solemnity.


    Although his attack had not fully unleashed the sword array¡¯s complete power, the fact that the opponent could effortlessly block his attack with a mere shield suggested unfathomably deep divine skills.


    He hesitated over whether to still trigger the ultimate power of the sword array.


    ¡°Alright, with the Primal Astral Shield demonstrating such power, there¡¯s no need to test the Five Elements Shield.


    The barrier activated by the Five Elements Jade will not be inferior to this shield.


    Let¡¯s now test the attack power of the puppet,¡± Monarch Great Development seemed quite satisfied with the power of the Silver Shield, and he communicated this telepathically.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Han Li replied calmly.


    Immediately, the Humanoid Puppet¡¯s eyes flashed with purple light, and without a word, it rubbed its hands together, and a glimmer of red light appeared intermittently in its hands.


    Then, with a dazzling flash, a small red bow emerged between its hands.


    Just a few inches in size, exquisitely delicate!


    The bow¡¯s arms were shaped like a flood dragon, its scales clearly visible.


    ¡°Piercing Flood Dragon Bow!¡± Old Man Ku Zhu exclaimed in shock upon seeing the bow.


    ¡°This is not the Piercing Flood Dragon Bow but a Thunder Fire Bow I¡¯ve crafted!


    Just a reminder, my friend, this bow is also made from the sinew of a flood dragon, but its power surpasses that of the Piercing Flood Dragon Bow,¡± the Humanoid Puppet stated emotionlessly, its words causing a sinking feeling in Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s heart.


    Then, the puppet moved one hand to grab the red small bow, while the other hand produced a jade-green small arrow between its fingers after a loud clap of thunder.


    A series of rapid spell incantations ensued from its mouth.


    Immediately, the red bow and the small arrow radiated brilliantly as they simultaneously swelled into the size of a regular bow and arrow.


    The runes on their bodies flickered while a surge of scarlet flame suddenly enveloped the red bow, and golden light sparkled on the green arrow, emitting numerous electric arcs and continuous thunderous rumblings.


    The puppet skillfully placed the arrow onto the bow and slowly drew it, aiming at the opponent without releasing his hold as golden arcs and scarlet flames intertwined, booming loudly.


    Following this, an overwhelming spiritual pressure burst forth unabashedly from the puppet, spreading out like a tidal wave.


    The Core Formation cultivators watching from afar felt their breath tighten under the impact of this spiritual ripple, causing their protective auras to shake unstably.


    Some of the cultivators with lower cultivation bases turned pale and quickly retreated.


    ¡°Stop!


    There¡¯s no need for further contest, I concede!¡± Old Man Ku Zhu, sensing the spiritual energy emitted by the puppet, finally shouted in a pale tone and actively conceded.


    While saying so, he did not neglect his defenses and flipped his hand to release a triangular token that expanded and blocked his front with bizarre glowing lights of green, red, and yellow, while he summoned down the flying swords from the sky around him, which buzzed and transformed into hundreds of flying swords circling around him.


    Old Man Ku Zhu¡¯s serious demeanor took Han Li by surprise.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly as he communicated telepathically to Monarch Great Development.


    ¡°Is the Thunder Fire Bow really that powerful?


    It seems to greatly alarm this person.¡±


    ¡°With the ability to deploy a mana equivalent to a late Nascent Soul cultivator in one shot, no Daoist paper talisman should be underestimated, not to mention that your bow and arrow are not ordinary objects-one is crafted from the spirit bones and tendons of a Redfire Flood Dragon, the other is modified from a Gold Lightning Bamboo Arrow.


    The power unleashed by such a combination is not just a simple sum.


    It¡¯s not strange that it made the opponent feel endangered.


    He is not a late Nascent Soul cultivator, after all.


    If you were to let this puppet exert its full strength, there¡¯s a 40% chance this arrow could kill the master of Ku Zhu Island with a single shot.


    Are you interested in ending him now?¡± Monarch Great Development sneered.


    ¡°Forty percent?


    Forget it, getting the Crow Phoenix Feathers is more important.


    If the arrow doesn¡¯t succeed and he activates the island¡¯s formations, we¡¯ll be in trouble.


    With such a renowned status, he likely has divine skills unknown to us for preserving his life.


    Let¡¯s not overcomplicate things.


    I¡¯m not a brutal killer and have no interest in killing unjustly.


    It¡¯s just that the puppet¡¯s attack power can¡¯t really be tested now.¡± Han Li thought to himself, shaking his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.


    To personally witness it easily suppress a Mid-Nascent Soul Peak cultivator shows that the puppet¡¯s abilities are indeed not inferior to that of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, so I have no regrets.


    It¡¯s not been a waste of my life¡¯s work.¡± Monarch Great Development sighed and mumbled.


    Hearing this, a slight gloom flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Almost at the same time, the astonishing spiritual energy on the puppet gradually receded, and the bow and arrow returned to their original size amidst a spiritual light.


    The flames and golden arcs disappeared simultaneously.


    Old Man Ku Zhu felt a relief wash over him as he sensed a chill sweat on his back.


    The instant the bow and arrow had pointed at him, he truly sensed the imminent danger of being annihilated, which made him quickly concede defeat.


    Now, whether it was the divine skills or the terrifying spiritual pressure displayed earlier, he could confirm that his opponent was definitely a late Nascent Soul cultivator.


    It seemed wise to come out of his secluded chamber due to these two individuals.


    He did not believe that the island¡¯s Ten Thousand Trees Great Array could truly withstand the wrath of a great cultivator, particularly when accompanied by another Nascent Soul cultivator of the same stage.


    Thinking this way, Old Man Ku Zhu saw that his opponent had put away the artifact, he too retracted his flying swords and token, summoning Han Li and another to fly down and re-enter the wooden hall.


    This time, the master of Ku Zhu Island became exceptionally polite, immediately instructing an elder in the late Core Formation stage to take one artifact on his body to pluck the Crow Phoenix Feathers, while he himself engaged Han Li and another in casual conversation, indirectly trying to find out their origins.


    After all, there aren¡¯t many late Nascent Soul cultivators in Great Jin, and none matched the description of the Humanoid Puppet, naturally arousing his suspicion.


    The Humanoid Puppet sat on the chair, expressionless and silent, while Han Li chatted with the island master, east one sentence and west another, for quite a while, revealing not a hint about their origins.


    This left the Old Man Ku Zhu with a wry smile and feeling utterly helpless.


    A quarter of an hour later, the elder walked in holding a jade box, looking respectful as he placed the box in front of his master.


    Old Man Ku Zhu glanced at Han Li and another, then with a flick of his sleeve, he sent the jade box flying towards Han Li.


    By then, he had realized that although the Sect Master Lei had astonishing cultivation, he seemed unwilling to interact.


    Thus, he wisely dealt directly with Han Li.


    Han Li, unceremoniously accepting the jade box, opened the lid, and immediately a bright red glow dazzled from inside.


    Upon squinting, a delighted expression couldn¡¯t help but appear on his face.


    Half a day later, Han Li, accompanied by the Humanoid Puppet, flew away from Ku Zhu Island, transforming into two streaks of light that pierced through the sky.


    In the blink of an eye, the streaks of light vanished from the nearby skies.


    (The story continues in the next chapter.


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are updated regularly, supporting the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 973 - Chapter 973 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 970 Twin Scorpion Mountain

    ?Chapter 973: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 970 Twin Scorpion Mountain Chapter 973: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 970 Twin Scorpion Mountain Half a day later, Han Li collected the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and rode a streak of light toward the inland direction.


    Because there was no need to be distracted in search of anything, after half a month, he returned to land.


    Han Li did not go to the Heavenly Talisman Sect and immediately sped directly toward the Southern Border.


    On the way, he started and stopped, refining some of the materials for the Three Flame Fan with Nascent flames into Spirit Materials.


    Unfortunately, along the way, he didn¡¯t encounter any thunderstorm weather, and thus was unable to collect the power of thunder and fire, which somewhat vexed him.


    However, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry.


    The Southern Border was a place of dense forests and humid air, where thunderstorms commonly accompanied the rain, so collecting thunder fire was simply a matter of time once he reached the Southern Border.


    Four months later, Han Li finally crossed several prefectures and his streak of light appeared within the Southern Border Prefecture.


    The Southern Border was one of the few places in the world not dominated by the large sects, its resources occupied and partitioned by more than a dozen medium-sized sects.


    Although these sects were constantly embroiled in internal strife, they would promptly unite against any external force that invaded the Southern Border.


    Even the sects from among the righteous and demonic Ten Great Sects could never manage to infiltrate their influence here, and in Great Jin, the region had practically become a state of its own.


    This situation arose because the sects of the Southern Border were very xenophobic and their cultivation methods were unique and significant.


    The cultivation methods of these sects were mostly unusual, venomous techniques rarely seen in the realm of immortal cultivators.


    They did not only specialize in using poison and insect control techniques, which were rare, but their cursing and evil arts were also incredibly sophisticated.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    When cultivators of the same level fought them, a moment of carelessness could result in an inexplicable poisoning ¨C something utterly defenseless.


    This was also the primary reason why the large sects were reluctant to clash head-on with the sects of the Southern Border.


    Otherwise, if several large sects joined forces and risked significant Qi damage, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to forcefully seize control of the prefecture.


    Chaoyun Prefecture was located in the western part of the Southern Border, and Twin Scorpion Mountain was a rarely visited mountain range in Chaoyun Prefecture that was shrouded in miasma all year round.


    Unless one had profound cultivation or had taken specific medicinal pills against the miasma, it was otherwise impossible to enter this mountain range.


    This mountain range was quite famous in the Southern Border for its advantageous poisonous environment.


    Not only did it harbor several expensive poisonous plants, but it was also abundant in Iron Tail and Red Line scorpions, making it an excellent source of insect demonic beasts for low-level cultivators practicing insect control techniques.


    When Han Li arrived near the mountain, it was precisely the annual period when the miasma of Twin Scorpion Mountain would erupt massively, attracting many cultivators to gather in the vicinity.


    Only during this period would the two types of poisonous scorpions mainly emerge from their caves to forage, offering an excellent opportunity to capture the poisonous insects.


    However, most of these cultivators were at the Qi Refinement Realm, with only the occasional few at the Foundation Establishment Stage mingled among them.


    Cultivators above the Core Formation Stage showed no interest in these mountains, and it was uncommon for high-level cultivators to venture here.


    The presence of Han Li, a high-level cultivator in the mid Nascent Soul Stage, would naturally cause a great commotion if discovered by other cultivators.


    So, without stopping near the mountain range for a moment, he flew directly into the miasma from the high sky.


    Now, he was enveloped in an azure streak, with a miasma of pink kept effortlessly at bay.


    This miasma was extraordinarily dense, and occasionally, poisonous insects lurked within it-a fatal danger to low-level cultivators but obviously nothing of concern to Han Li.


    After setting his direction, he flew directly toward the center of the mountain range.


    Although the old man surnamed Fu had only mentioned Twin Scorpion Mountain and had not specified an exact location, heading to the main peak of Twin Scorpion Mountain would undoubtedly not be a mistake.


    As he flew overhead, he occasionally encountered other cultivators, whom Han Li simply ignored, sweeping past above them.


    With his speed, these low-level cultivators could not detect even a trace of him.


    But just as Han Li was flying and contemplating the real purpose behind the old man¡¯s surnamed Fu¡¯s invitation,


    Suddenly, a shrill scream came from a distance on one side.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Scorpion King, a Mutant Iron Tail Scorpion.


    Everyone run!¡± echoed a hoarse and terrified shout of a man, followed by several explosive sounds and a bizarre insect chirp that seemed not too far away.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and he glanced in that direction with a flash of blue in his eyes.


    ¡°Swoosh, swoosh¡± sounds of cutting through the air came one after the other, and then several male and female figures appeared in the miasma, running towards Han Li as if flying.


    They lightly tapped the ground with their toes, leaping dozens of yards away with the use of the Light Body Skill.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Han Li, initially with a cold expression, couldn¡¯t help but let out a light gasp when his gaze shifted onto a woman.


    His streak of light paused, and he came to a halt.


    Subsequently, he flicked his robe, and a large swathe of azure mist rolled out from his sleeves, sweeping all the miasma away wherever it passed.


    In the blink of an eye, a clear space of dozens of yards around was created.


    And the figures who had plunged into this space were so shocked that they halted in their tracks.


    Before they had time to react, Han Li reached out with one hand towards the direction behind them.


    A green light hand materialized out of thin air in the miasma and reached down to snatch something black in its grip, then circled around and shot back, hovering in front of Han Li.


    ¡°That turned out to be a giant scorpion spanning about a foot long, its chitinous shell shiny black, with a scorpion tail on its back over half a foot long, the tip faintly glowing with a purple light, seemingly extraordinarily toxic.


    It was the mutant Iron Tail Scorpion that had been chasing these low-level cultivators.


    This scorpion was supposed to be a grade two demonic beast, but it couldn¡¯t move an inch under the restraint of the magical hand, only emitting feeble, strange cries from its mouth.


    The cultivators were stunned by this scene, staring at the misty figure of Han Li in midair, at a loss for what to do.


    ¡°After parting in Jinjing, how did Fellow Daoist Wang come to be here, and is Miss Cao doing well?¡± The light around Han Li dispersed as he calmly spoke to one of the female cultivators.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Fellow Daoist Han, no, Han Li!


    Miss Cao is still in Jinjing, she didn¡¯t come out with us.


    We came to the mountain with a few fellow Daoists to find some Spirit Grass.¡± The woman in a yellow robe, first stunned, immediately showed a face full of joy, as she was none other than Wang Tiangu, the senior sister of Cao Mengrong whom Han Li had met on the outskirts of Jinjing.


    After Han Li had left on his sword with a humming sound that day, she naturally recognized the identity of Han Li as a high-level cultivator.


    Therefore, upon recognizing Han Li now, her attitude could not be as casual as before.


    She promptly performed the courtesy of a junior and appeared very respectful.


    Seeing that the female cultivator surnamed Wang knew the great cultivator in the air, the others relaxed and hurriedly stepped forward to give thanks.


    However, including the woman surnamed Wang, all regarded Han Li as a cultivator at the Core Formation Stage.


    Nascent Soul cultivators were too far out of reach for them, virtually an existence they could not possibly encounter.


    ¡°Since your uncle is General Zhunan, why risk coming here for a few Spirit Grass?¡± Han Li nodded upon hearing that Cao Mengrong was unharmed, glanced at the giant scorpion, and frowned slightly as he spoke.


    ¡°Although my family is fairly well-off and has saved some Spirit Stones, my talents are average, so why would the family spend much on me?¡± The woman surnamed Wang turned pale, then forced a smile and spoke.


    ¡°I see.


    Actually, your talent isn¡¯t too bad, and Foundation Establishment is not hopeless for you.


    The fact that you encountered me here again by chance also means we share some karma.


    This poisonous beast is my gift to you.


    I have to hurry on my way; take care of yourselves.¡± As Han Li spoke, he carelessly pointed a finger towards the magical hand.


    Immediately, with a ¡°pop,¡± the magical hand disintegrated into tiny azure lights and vanished, and the giant scorpion trembled before stiffly falling in front of the cultivators, motionless as if it were dead.


    ¡°Senior, I¡­¡± The woman was overjoyed and wanted to express her gratitude, but Han Li¡¯s entire body flashed with green light and vanished in an instant into the miasma.


    Her words of thanks were abruptly cut off in her mouth.


    The other cultivators who were gazing at the mutant giant scorpion on the ground, each displayed an envious look.


    But since the scorpion was gifted by a high-level cultivator, even if some harbored malicious thoughts, they did not dare to actually act and seize the scorpion.


    They could only watch helplessly as the woman surnamed Wang eagerly slapped several Daoist paper talismans on the poisonous insect and then joyfully stored it in her spirit beast pouch.


    And just then, from the sky, there came a crack of thunder, and the miasma that had covered the sky began to churn restlessly.


    Soon, a fierce wind blew from somewhere and dispersed some of the reddish miasma, faintly revealing dark clouds in the high sky, a sign that a storm was approaching.


    ¡°The timing of this storm is rather good,¡± Han Li murmured to himself as he glimpsed a dark mountain peak in the distance, looking up with a sigh.


    He then transformed into a streak of azure light and shot towards the peak.


    Several rumbles of thunder erupted, and a deluge poured down from the sky.


    The surrounding miasma was quickly pushed back and down by the heavy rain, retreating to several yards above the ground.


    Other mountains in the distance became visible through the pouring rain.


    Han Li reined in his glow upon reaching a stone cliff on the peak.


    Shielded by his spiritual energy, he remained dry, unaffected by the rain.


    Not far from the stone, however, there was a group of seven or eight cultivators, with two at the Foundation Establishment Stage and the rest at the Qi Refinement Realm.


    These people, with their headscarves and local attire, stared in surprise at Han Li, who had suddenly appeared atop the peak, exchanging glances of bewilderment.


    Han Li swept his gaze over them, and suddenly his body emitted an astonishing spiritual energy.


    With a flick of his sleeves and a cold voice, he commanded,


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    With a gusty wind, a surge of azure light rolled outwards.


    The cultivators were shocked; some released shields to block the attack, others quickly flew up on their treasures to escape, but after the light flashed, they were all swept up in the azure glow and thrown twenty to thirty yards away, tumbling across the ground in a sorry state, their faces filled with terror.


    At this, they all realized they had encountered a great cultivator with divine power, and they fled down the mountain without a word.


    The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, after sneakily probing Han Li¡¯s cultivation level and finding it blood-drainingly formidable, immediately flew off on their treasures without a moment¡¯s delay.


    Han Li watched as these people turned into tiny dots, finally disappearing from the peak.


    He then withdrew his gaze impassively and looked up at the sky.


    At that moment, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and silver snakes danced amidst constantly rumbling thunder!


    (To be continued.


    For more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available for your support, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 974 - Chapter 974 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 971 Visitors

    ?Chapter 974: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 971 Visitors Chapter 974: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 971 Visitors After the scolding, Han Li felt some of the frustration he had experienced since Monarch Great Development¡¯s passing lift somewhat.


    Now that he was about to cast spells to collect the lightning, he naturally didn¡¯t want other cultivators in the area to be a nuisance.


    After taking a deep breath, he patted his storage pouch and numerous spell flags of different colors appeared in his hand.


    With a single wave, the flags shot out in all directions, quickly disappearing into the ground without a trace.


    Han Li looked up at the lightning flashing across the sky, his mouth twitching slightly.


    Immediately, his body was enveloped in a glow, and he began to float upward, reaching a spot about thirty yards from the ground.


    With his hands forming a strange gesture, a series of low incantations came from Han Li¡¯s mouth.


    Instantly, various colors of light flashed below.


    With several muffled ¡°puchi¡± sounds, several beams of light rose from the ground, forming gigantic flags as thick as the mouth of a bowl and standing still upon the earth.


    The incantation from Han Li¡¯s mouth continued unabated, and the spell flags below began to release strands of spiritual energy, slowly forming a Spirit Gathering Formation with a diameter of more than ten yards.


    Within the luminescence, various runes in the array began to spin unceasingly, with the entire formation activating.


    And in the very moment the formation materialized, the distant lightning in the high sky, which had appeared far out of reach, suddenly became attracted to something and grew increasingly intense with successive flashes, gradually approaching Han Li¡¯s position.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and momentarily ceased the incantations.


    With a flip of his palm, a long-necked jade bottle appeared in his hand.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    This bottle was specially refined for the purpose of collecting heavenly lightning.


    With a gentle toss, the bottle was lifted into midair.


    An azure incantation seal struck the bottle.


    After a few spins, the bottle stabilized with its opening facing upwards, perfectly still.


    Then Han Li rubbed his hands together and thrust them upwards, casting out two thick arcs of golden lightning that struck the bottom of the bottle.


    After a peal of thunder, an eerie scene unfolded.


    The bottle trembled slightly, and the two arcs of golden lightning were absorbed and disappeared without a trace.


    Then, with a low shout from Han Li, he pointed towards the sky.


    With a ¡°puchi,¡± a streak of golden lightning shot out from the bottle¡¯s mouth, transforming into a spear of electricity several yards long, continuously flickering above the bottle and pointing directly at the oppressive sky.


    And in that instant, a silver lightning bolt flashed violently from the sky, striking precisely upon the golden spear.


    The golden spear trembled just a bit, and the silver bolt smoothly followed the momentum straight down, quickly disappearing into the bottle.


    Thus, one after another, arcs of lightning were continuously attracted by the formation and were effortlessly collected into the bottle by the Devilbane Lightning.


    An hour later, after absorbing another thick arc of lightning, the jade bottle began emitting a thunderous rumbling like a tsunami.


    Hearing this sound, a look of joy appeared on Han Li¡¯s face as he reached toward the emptiness above.


    The golden spear detached on its own, and the bottle fell from the air, being captured in his hand.


    Han Li flicked his sleeve toward the sky, and another bottle of almost identical appearance was lifted into the air, with the golden spear inserted again, continuing the collection of heavenly lightning.


    Only then did he have a chance to carefully examine the bottle in his hand.


    The item trembled ceaselessly amidst the continuous low humming, with dazzling silver light flickering from its opening as if it could erupt at any moment.


    With a loud ¡°snap,¡± a golden talisman was affixed upon it, silencing the noise within the bottle, its silver light dimming instantly.


    Han Li securely capped the bottle and cautiously placed it into his storage pouch.


    He then continued to gaze up at everything in the sky.


    Half a day later, after collecting four bottles of heavenly lightning, the storm overhead showed no signs of abating, instead turning the surroundings a yellow murky color, seemingly growing more intense.


    Han Li thought to himself, after collecting the lightning in the air into this bottle, he could stop.


    The lightning would be enough to transform into thunderfire for refining spirit materials.


    At that moment, his expression changed, and he sharply turned to gaze toward the horizon.


    In the gloomy far-off sky where light fluctuated, a white rainbow suddenly appeared, rapidly approaching.


    His eyes flashed twice as his expression grew solemn.


    A dazzling light burst from the Spirit Gathering Formation below, with Han Li¡¯s body engulfed in a green light as he floated midair, while above him silver lightning flashed incessantly, one bolt following another converging at one point.


    This spectacle was strikingly eye-catching.


    The owner of the white rainbow had naturally witnessed this entire scene, and after a few flickers, set off directly towards Han Li.


    Moments later, she appeared about thirty yards away from Han Li as her light converged, revealing a petite, beautiful woman in court attire.


    She had a delicate figure, an attractive face with clear and gentle bright eyes, seemingly in the prime of youth.


    Yet what was curious was that her court attire, made of some rare material, not only shimmered brilliantly, but was also surrounded by swirling pale-cold mists, lending her the air of a celestrial being untouched by the mundane world.


    Han Li swept her with his spiritual sense and was slightly startled.


    She was a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, no different from himself.


    The woman in palace attire turned her gaze upon Han Li and then broke into a smile,


    ¡°Consort Bai Yaoyi from Beiming Island at your service, Fellow Daoist.


    Are you here by the invitation of Doctor Mo as well?¡±


    Her voice was pleasing and soft, incredibly charming.


    ¡°Beiming Island, is Fellow Daoist Bai from the Northern Night Little Polar Palace?¡± Han Li felt a shock in his heart and asked in surprise.


    ¡°The Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s external affairs elder is indeed what I am, although our palace lies in a secluded location, I did not expect Fellow Daoist to be aware of our sect.


    May I enquire the esteemed name of Fellow Daoist?¡± The woman in palace attire revealed a slight smile.


    ¡°My surname is Han, merely a Loose Cultivator from overseas.


    I indeed came here by the appointment of Fellow Daoist Mo.


    The name of Minor Extreme Palace has been well-known to me for a long time,¡± Han Li replied, his expression regaining its calm.


    ¡°A cultivator from overseas!


    Do you, Fellow Daoist Han, know the Overseas Three Immortals?


    Do you perhaps share any origins with these three Fellow Daoists?¡± Bai Yaoyi asked with a gentle smile as her beautiful eyes shifted.


    ¡°I do not know them.


    I seldom interact with other cultivators and have always been in secluded cultivation on the island,¡± Han Li replied without hesitation.


    ¡°I see, my apologies for the presumption.


    Do you need Consort Yao Yi¡¯s assistance in capturing the heavenly thunder?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist.


    I¡¯m nearly finished with the collection.


    This is the last bottle,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Understood, then I will meditate at the peak for a bit,¡± she said, after hearing Han Li¡¯s words and not insisting further.


    She then turned into a streak of light and spiralled away, heading straight towards another stone cliff at the peak.


    No sooner had she taken shape and landed, she raised her hand and released an umbrella-shaped Spiritual Artifact that flew into the sky.


    The artifact rotated slightly in the air and immediately emitted a vast expanse of white light, shielding the area within a few dozen meters from the wind and rain.


    Only then did she sit down cross-legged and composedly.


    With a flash of cold light in her hand, an item the size of a palm appeared in her grasp.


    Han Li glanced over and immediately recognized the item.


    It was a piece of white jade, crystal clear and icy, shimmering with a cold radiance, markedly different from ordinary jade.


    ¡°Ice jade,¡± he thought to himself, identifying this rare material almost instantly.


    The Cold Marrow he had chanced upon was produced from millennia-old ice jade.


    The woman in palace attire then placed the ice jade between her hands, closed her eyes, and entered meditation.


    It seemed that Bai Yaoyi¡¯s Cultivation Method wasn¡¯t purely ice-based but also included cold and Yin elements.


    Otherwise, she would not need to draw on the icy power of this jade to cultivate her technique.


    This was similar in principle to Han Li taking the Snow Essence Pill, although the ice jade¡¯s quality, no matter how high, could not compare to the astonishing efficacy of the Snow Essence Pill.


    Han Li kept a neutral expression on the surface, but instinctively, he became more cautious around this woman.


    Considering the Northern Night Minor Extreme Palace would rather fight high-grade demon beasts every few generations than give up the Cold Marrow, it spoke volumes of how much the palace valued this substance.


    If this woman were to learn that the treasure of their palace was on him, needless to say, it would undoubtedly lead to great trouble.


    With these thoughts in mind, Han Li retracted his gaze and stared blankly at the bottle in the air.


    After a while, the fifth bottle was also filled with heavenly lightning.


    Han Li immediately put away the Magic Artifact and slowly descended from the sky, landing in the center of the Spirit Gathering Formation.


    He then cast several incantations, hitting the nearby spell flags, causing the Array¡¯s restrictive formations to change and erecting a faint blue screen of light around him, protecting him within.


    Han Li sat down in the formation as well, closing his eyes to rest his spirit, facing the woman in palace attire from afar.


    In her presence, he certainly wouldn¡¯t process any Spirit Materials.


    As a result, the mountaintop became eerily quiet except for the sounds of thunder and the rain.


    The heavy rain continued for a day and a night before gradually dissipating.


    When the sun re-emerged in the sky, the air immediately heated up, and the miasma slowly rose from the ground, enveloping the mountain range once more.


    The various insects that had returned to their burrows also began to emerge from the ground again.


    Han Li released his spiritual sense leisurely, sensing everything within many miles.


    His spiritual awareness captured every detail-from the life and death struggles of insects to the falling flowers and fruits-clearly mirroring everything in his sea of spiritual awareness.


    Like an old monk entering Samadhi, he didn¡¯t move an inch.


    Occasionally, low-level cultivators stumbled upon the mountain.


    As soon as they saw the astonishing cultivation levels of Han Li and Bai Yaoyi, they didn¡¯t wait for either to say anything.


    Instead, the cultivators¡¯ faces turned pale, and they fled in terror, not daring to linger for a moment.


    Thus, Han Li and the woman in palace attire sat this way for three days and three nights.


    On the morning of the fourth day, finally, a high-level cultivator arrived at the main peak.


    This time, it was a large man with an appearance like a tower, grotesque and shiny dark skin.


    He practiced some unknown Cultivation Method.


    Upon his arrival, he rode a giant azure turtle, carrying a strange wind with him to this place.


    As soon as the large man saw Han Li and Bai Yaoyi, he let out a loud laugh and, without a word, sat down elsewhere on the peak.


    However, he did not intend to rest like the others.


    Instead, he pulled a golden book from his bosom and began to read with great relish.


    This schoolish behavior, so incongruent with his large and ugly appearance, seemed somewhat comical.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi, however, seemed to ignore it and sat quietly in their spots.


    But internally, Han Li had begun to frown.


    The large man was also a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator.


    It seemed the purpose of Doctor Mo¡¯s invitation was extraordinary indeed, suggesting that even early Nascent Soul cultivators were not qualified to participate.


    (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters and to support the author, please support the original reading!)

 Chapter 976 - Chapter 976 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 973 Nether River Page

    ?Chapter 976: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 973 Nether River Page Chapter 976: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 973 Nether River Page ¡°Since Fellow Daoist has already found the Yin Zhi Horse¡¯s den, why call upon us to help?


    Could it be you¡¯ve encountered some great trouble?¡± After a moment of silence, the large man surnamed Yuan was the first to speak.


    ¡°Although the Yin Zhi Horse is elusive and adept at hiding, with enough time, catching it is not difficult for me.


    However, the key issue is that the Spiritual Object¡¯s nest is located within the Yin Yang Cave in the Valley of a Thousand Poisons.


    I simply cannot follow it down there.


    Moreover, this Spiritual Object is extremely clever, lingering only near the entrance, never venturing out of the cave,¡± the richly-named elder finally revealed the matter that had left him helpless for decades.¡±


    ¡°Yin Yang Cave?¡± The large man couldn¡¯t help but take a sharp breath.


    Bai Yaoyi¡¯s face also turned pale in an instant.


    Only Han Li, who had never heard of it, asked in confusion,


    ¡°What is the Yin Yang Cave?


    Is it that terrifying?¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han doesn¡¯t know about the Yin Yang Cave?


    My apologies, I almost forgot.


    Being an overseas cultivator, it¡¯s natural for Han Brother to be unaware.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    The Yin Yang Cave is one of the seven deadliest places recognized by the Great Jin.


    Ordinary cultivators who enter never come out,¡± Bai Yaoyi explained softly to Han Li after exclaiming in surprise.


    ¡°Such a dangerous place, what¡¯s so special about it?¡± Han Li¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and he asked further.


    ¡°The Yin Yang Cave, naturally, is meant to immediately separate Yin and Yang upon entry.


    Not to mention, the Soul-Shocking Yin Wind that ceaselessly blows within the cave carves out the Nascent Souls of Nascent Soul cultivators on contact, sending them reincarnating.


    And the cave, located in a place of profound Yin, accumulates ghostly aura all year round, naturally producing various formidable blood ghosts.


    Living beings that enter, even if they withstand the Yin Wind, will be torn to shreds by the numerous ghosts,¡± the richly-named elder voluntarily explained to Han Li.


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s not just that.


    The Yin Yang Cave lies thousands of feet underground, with countless intertwined large and small passages.


    Some cultivators have luckily reached the bottom in the past, yet they couldn¡¯t clarify its full extent.


    In such a place, once Divine Sense extends out of the body, it¡¯s blocked by the Yin Wind, making one nearly as good as an ordinary person.


    There¡¯s even an ongoing rumor that a powerful ghost king lurks deep within the cave, although it has never been confirmed.


    Anyway, even great cultivators hesitate to venture deep into it,¡± the large man said with a scoff.


    ¡°In the past, except for some low-grade ore veins, nothing of value was ever found inside the cave.


    Everyone always considered it an abandoned super-mine from ancient times, and no one really ventured deep into it.


    But since Brother Fu has discovered the Yin Zhi Horse inside, it appears that the Yin Yang Cave is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and perhaps there¡¯s something truly worth exploring,¡± Bai Yaoyi added, her eyebrows relaxing.


    ¡°After so many years, even with Brother Fu¡¯s Divine Skills, it has been impossible to catch the Yin Zhi Horse, showing that this cave truly is no good place.


    Even if there really is some treasure inside, one needs to be alive to obtain it,¡± Han Li said flatly, having experienced many perilous places like the Star Palace and Devilfall Valley, he knew the dangers well.


    ¡°This old man is aware of that.


    Therefore, I have spent decades preparing, specifically crafting several treasures to restrain the blood ghosts.


    Moreover, to withstand the Soul-Shocking Yin Wind, I¡¯ve also brought along our sect¡¯s Purple Nether Bead.


    With this bead, I dare not say it can completely block the Yin Wind, but it can reduce its force by nearly half.


    With it, the several of you can remain unharmed,¡± the richly-named elder said with confidence.


    ¡°Purple Nether Bead?¡± The large man and Bai Yaoyi were visibly moved upon hearing of this treasure.


    This was one of the Nine Nether Sect¡¯s three sect-guarding treasures!


    ¡°How about it?


    With such thorough preparations and the full support of three fellow Daoists, even if we face the most formidable ghost king, the five of us together will be able to handle it.


    Once we capture the Yin Zhi Horse, I¡¯ll immediately use this Spiritual Object to concoct Infant Nurturing Pills, guaranteeing each of you a pill.


    These medicinal pills belong to a one-time marrow cleansing Spiritual Medicine type, allowing for only one pill to be consumed per person no matter how many more are produced.


    There¡¯s no need to worry about me withholding anything.


    As for other things we might obtain below, that depends on your personal fortunes,¡± the richly-named elder said slowly.


    Han Li and the other two fell silent.


    Even the large man, who was the most agitated earlier, now wore a contemplative expression.


    ¡°Since Brother Fu has made such preparations, why invite the three of us?


    Speaking of mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators, being from one of the ten great Devilcharm Sects, you could have also found a few others,¡± Bai Yaoyi casually gathered her front locks, asking calmly.


    Hearing this question, Han Li¡¯s expression shifted, and the large man also stared intently at the richly-named elder¡¯s face, both seemingly particularly concerned with how the elder would respond.


    ¡°Seek help from within the sect?


    Maybe others could say that, but not for me.


    because of past feuds within the sect, I have feuded with most of the cultivators of the same stage in my sect.


    Aside from Junior Sister Chang, the rest are likely hoping for my fall.


    Even if they were willing to help, I¡¯d still worry about them stabbing me in the back,¡± the elder said, his face flashing with anger and displaying a trace of fury.


    Han Li was taken aback.


    his and leaving without an explanation, who could tell what was really true.


    However, since the other party had said so, they naturally did not press further, and they all fell into silence again.


    ¡°Barging into the Yin Yang Cave is really a matter of great importance, I need to think it over properly.


    How about this, I¡¯ll give you a definite answer in three days,¡± Bai Yaoyi said, looking down in thought for a while before lifting her head to propose.


    ¡°Three days?


    Of course, that¡¯s possible.


    The Yin Yang Cave, after twenty years, will be in its weakest season of Yin Wind in half a year¡¯s time.


    That period is the most suitable for entering the underground.


    Moreover, to deal with the blood ghosts, you fellow Daoists also need to prepare some special precious items.


    So even if you agree right now, it would still be half a year before you can enter the cave.


    But before leaving, I need all of you to use this Nether River Page in my hand, and write down a venomous oath of silence with your blood essence.


    Putting the harsh truth before honorable intentions, I would not want the matters of the Infant Nurturing Pill and Yin Zhi Horse to cause a great uproar during this period,¡± the richly-named elder said with a slight smile, flicking his sleeve and revealing a charred yellow page, burning with black flames, in front of everyone.¡±


    ¡°The Nether River Page?


    It¡¯s the sinister item that brings catastrophe upon those who break the oath written on it.


    Wasn¡¯t this thing lost for hundreds of years?¡± The large man exclaimed in shock upon hearing this.


    Han Li was also startled by this revelation.


    ¡°This sinister item was specially purchased by me from the underground market at a high price for this trip.


    Its effects are not as exaggerated as the rumors suggest, but it can indeed ensure you all keep silent for a short period.


    You may not know how Feng Tianxing from the Devilcharm Sect fell, Fellow Daoist Han, but Fellow Daoists Bai and Yuan should be well aware!


    Feng Tianxing was also a mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, and I presume none of you would want to test it with your own bodies,¡± the wealthy elderly man said indifferently.


    ¡°Fine, with the Infant Nurturing Pills on offer, I definitely won¡¯t easily let go of this opportunity.


    I will certainly keep the appointment in six months,¡± the large man said resolutely after his expression changed unpredictably for a moment.


    Then he suddenly gestured towards the black page, drawing it several feet in front of him.


    Opening his mouth, a glob of blood essence spurted out, hovering in front of the page.


    The large man then dipped his index finger into the blood essence and swiftly wrote some ancient characters on the page.


    A moment later, his finger paused, and a green-faced, fanged demon head emerged amidst black flames, grinned menacingly at the large man, then with a large gulp, the blood-written characters on the page flew up and disappeared into the demon head¡¯s mouth in a flash.


    The demon head then instantly transformed into a puff of green smoke and vanished.


    Seeing this eerie scene, a chill ran down Han Li¡¯s spine.


    The wealthy old man then took the page back, glanced over it, and bore a satisfied expression.


    He turned his head towards Bai Yaoyi.


    After hesitating briefly, the woman somewhat helplessly raised her hand to bring the page to her and repeated the ritual, with the demon head appearing and disappearing just as strangely.


    When the old man¡¯s gaze turned towards Han Li, Han Li sighed internally.


    Despite feeling a strong apprehension towards this completely unfamiliar object, he appeared to have no other choices at the time.


    He pointed expressionlessly at the page, and it immediately flew in front of him.


    After staring at the page for a moment, he bit his tongue and spat out a glob of blood essence, quickly writing on the page with his blood that he would not reveal today¡¯s meeting.


    The blood light flashed and the demon head that had appeared twice before emerged again within the black flames.


    It smirked ominously, and just as it was about to open its mouth, something inside Han Li suddenly stirred, emitting a strange sound, not loud, but audible enough for all the cultivators present to clearly hear.


    The others showed no unusual reaction,


    but upon hearing the noise, the demon head¡¯s face twisted immediately, uttering an indistinct growl before dispersing and vanishing as if panicked and fleeing.


    The wealthy old man, the large man, and the others couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded.


    With a peculiar expression, Han Li took a breath and then waved his sleeve over the page, calmly saying,


    ¡°I need not contemplate anything and have promised my fellow Daoists that I shall keep the appointment on time.


    However, this item seems to be incompatible with something within me and thus, I am unable to write the oath.


    But Han is a Loose Cultivator and will remain in the Southern Border for the next half-year without leaving, nor will I disclose this event to anyone.


    It¡¯s fine without using this item.¡±


    At that moment, the Nether River Page was lifted by a piece of blue haze and flew back towards the wealthy old man.


    He caught the page, his face still showing surprise, unsure how to proceed.


    Apart from the peculiar power of the Nether River Page, he truly had no other means to ensure that the other party would keep the promise and not disclose the matter of the Infant Nurturing Pills.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu, I think Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s words are reasonable.


    It¡¯s fine not to use the Nether River Page.


    I believe Fellow Daoist Han will not break his word,¡± said the black-clad beautiful woman, who had been as mute as a mute from the beginning, suddenly spoke at this moment.


    Her voice was somewhat hoarse but filled with an indescribable magnetism.


    As her autumnal eyes slightly moved, her entire demeanor instantly became exceedingly charming.


    (To be continued¡­


    For more about what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 977 - Chapter 977 Volume 6, Spiritual Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 974, Eccentric

    ?Chapter 977: Volume 6, Spiritual Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 974, Eccentric Chapter 977: Volume 6, Spiritual Treasures of Heavenly Skill, Chapter 974, Eccentric Hearing his junior martial sister say so, the elder with the surname Fu hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement,


    ¡°Since the Nether River Page has no effect on you, I will not insist any further.


    However, I must leave a mark on you.


    As long as you do not leave the Southern Border, this mark will disappear on its own in six months.


    Fellow Daoist Han, you don¡¯t mind me doing this, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do not mind, as my whereabouts are no secret.


    Please proceed with your spell,¡± Han Li agreed with a smile, without a second thought.


    Upon hearing this, the elder did not stand on ceremony.


    With a single hand forming an incantation, he chanted several spell incantations and released a streak of blue light.


    Han Li watched closely, and seeing that the spell was indeed only a common mark, he raised his arm and allowed the blue light to enter his body without a trace.


    The elder with the surname Fu showed a satisfied expression, stored the Nether River Page, and then instructed everyone,


    ¡°I have said all I need to.


    Since Fellow Daoist Bai requires three more days to consider, my junior martial sister and I will wait here on this mountain for three more days.


    Fellow Daoist Yuan and Fellow Daoist Han can leave first to prepare.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã0


    The entrance to the Yin Yang Cave is located in the Valley of a Thousand Poisons ¨C although the poisonous flowers and plants there pose no great threat to us, I still hope that Lady Yuan will bring a few artifacts to ward off poisons.


    It¡¯s best not to expend too much mana before entering the Yin Yang Cave.¡±


    ¡°Defend against poisons?


    Hehe, for us from the Poison Holy Gate, that¡¯s a trivial matter.


    Leave it to me.


    I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± the large man said with a hearty laugh.


    Afterward, he gave everyone a fist salute, slapped his spirit beast pouch releasing a huge Spirit Turtle, and then wrapped in a hazy grey wind, he stepped on the creature and flew away into the sky.


    Seeing this, Han Li did not intend to stay any longer and made his parting words known.


    Transforming into a streak of azure light, he shot up into the sky!


    Half a year was perhaps a bit tight for him, but it should be just enough time to refine the Three Flame Fan.


    As for artifacts to deal with blood ghosts, he had the Devilbane Lightning and the Weeping Soul Beast in hand; there was no need for special preparations.


    His hurry to refine the fan was a matter of precaution, just in case of any unexpected dangers below.


    With the fan and the Humanoid Puppet in hand, he could rest easy without worry.


    With this in mind, Han Li steered his flying light, heading towards Silver Snake Mountain in the central part of the Southern Border.


    Ten days later, Han Li appeared above a peculiar mountain range.


    The mountain range was not small, stretching three to four hundred miles, thin and sinuous like a giant snake.


    But the trees that grew there had leaves of a faint silvery color, befitting the name of Silver Snake Mountain.


    Han Li did not linger elsewhere, flying directly toward the ¡°head¡± of the ¡°silver snake.¡±


    Before he got close, Han Li felt gusts of hot air with a pungent sulfur smell blowing towards him.


    Shortly afterward, several bare volcanic peaks came into view, each conical and exceedingly ugly.


    Alarmingly, these volcanoes emitted deep rumbles from time to time, some even spewing out plumes of ash, looking quite terrifying.


    Despite this, there were colorful streaks of light flickering around these volcanoes, and quite a few cultivators were seen entering and exiting the peaks.


    Numerous cultivators had gathered around these volcanoes.


    Most of these cultivators were at the Foundation Establishment stage, and there were also some at the Core Formation Stage, but only a handful.


    This was not unusual, as normally, once cultivators reached the Core Formation Stage and acquired their personal Dan fire, they would focus on refining their artifacts and had no need to come here.


    As for Nascent Soul cultivators, none were seen.


    Han Li halted his streak of light high in the sky and took a few glances below.


    Suddenly, with a flicker of blue light in his pupils, the fire veins in the area were all clearly revealed in his Divine Sense.


    Moments later, Han Li identified the place with the strongest fire essence and, with a sudden thought, his streak of light sped towards a spot between two volcanoes.


    When he was about a hundred feet above the ground, the fight came to an abrupt stop.


    Han Li shook his sleeve, and seven or eight small golden swords shot out, circling in front of him, then he formed a hand sign and let out a low shout.


    The flying swords emitted clear tones and transformed into several zhang-long beams of golden light, harshly slashing towards the ground.


    Immediately, there was an explosive rumbling from below, and the place struck by the swords¡¯ light was dazzling golden.


    When Han Li¡¯s expression shifted, the swords¡¯ lights spun and flew back to him.


    As the light at the original spot receded, a large fissure, over twenty zhang wide and of unknown depth, was revealed.


    The nearby cultivators refining artifacts were naturally disturbed by Han Li¡¯s grand action, and some couldn¡¯t help but fly towards Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Han Li¡¯s face sank at once when he sensed the actions of these cultivators, and he suddenly released the powerful aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.


    An astonishing spiritual pressure shot up into the sky, sweeping outwards from Han Li at the center.


    Cultivators within dozens of miles were startled by Han Li¡¯s aura, and those who had originally wanted to see what was happening hurriedly turned around to leave.


    Those closer hurried away from their Artifact Refining spots and scattered in all directions.


    They were all afraid of inadvertently angering this senior and thus bringing unwarranted disaster upon themselves.


    Seeing that the nearby cultivators all tactfully avoided the area, Han Li felt greatly satisfied.


    He immediately descended into the gap below, his streak of light flashing once before disappearing into the crevice.


    But not long after, all the cultivators that came to Silver Snake Mountain for Artifact Refining learned that there was a Nascent Soul expert in this area, and everyone cautiously tried their best to steer clear of it.


    Thus, the ten-mile radius with the crevice at the center became a forbidden area of sorts, with no one daring to set foot within.


    Day by day passed, and initially, the crevice was silent, but a month later, it would occasionally rumble with thunderous sounds.


    Another month passed, and the sound of thunder became sparse, replaced by a series of clear, melodious chimes, as if a phoenix was singing high in the heavens.


    Afterward, this sound too gradually subsided, and thereafter there was a hush.


    While Han Li was busy refining treasures, far away in the Imperial Palace of Jinjing, inside a side hall, more than a dozen differently dressed male and female cultivators had gathered.


    Among them were nuns, Taoists, monks, and scholars; astonishingly, these people were all cultivators above the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Among them, a square-faced cultivator in an embroidered gown and an old woman holding a golden cane were mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators.


    And the elderly man with the black hat was notably among them.


    All these people sat quietly in the hall, silent and speechless, with a few looking somewhat anxiously toward the outside of the hall¡¯s door, as if they were all waiting for someone.


    ¡°Eleventh brother, you didn¡¯t recognize the wrong person, did you?


    It truly is him?


    But three hundred years ago, I witnessed Seventh Uncle¡¯s death with my own eyes,¡± the square-faced cultivator suddenly asked a white-haired Taoist sitting opposite him, a trace of concern on his face.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle¡¯s appearance is so unique; how could I mistake someone else for him?


    Besides, even if the person were fake, Seventh Uncle¡¯s Ice Moon Blade Spiritual Treasure couldn¡¯t be wrong,¡± replied the old Taoist with a wry smile.


    ¡°No need to be nervous, second brother.


    Whether it¡¯s true or not, won¡¯t we know in a moment?


    With so many of us here, are we afraid we all saw wrongly?


    If it is truly Seventh Uncle, then it¡¯s a blessing for our Ye Clan.


    Even if it¡¯s fake, even if he is a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, he won¡¯t take another step out of this hall,¡± another mid Nascent Soul stage old woman said with a sinister tone.


    ¡°That may be true, but it¡¯s always good to be careful,¡± the square-faced cultivator seemed persuaded, sighed, and then said no more.


    After a full hour had passed, and as a few faint bell chimes came from afar, suddenly a figure flickered at the doorway, and a lean, tall person appeared there unnoticed.


    Then, with a light step forward, the figure mysteriously appeared in the middle of the great hall.


    His appearance was immediately before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    His eyebrows were light yellow, his eyes were narrow, but his head was unusually large, nearly half larger than a normal person¡¯s, wobbling on his neck as if it were about to break off at any moment, which was extremely eerie.


    However, upon seeing this terrifying figure, all the cultivators in the hall were so shocked they stood up.


    ¡°Are you truly Seventh Uncle?¡± the square-faced cultivator took a deep breath and cautiously asked.


    ¡°Hehe, second brother, after several hundred years, you don¡¯t even recognize me anymore.


    But that¡¯s understandable.


    Having been dead and now resurrected, naturally, you all have some doubts.


    However, I have third brother¡¯s voice transmission on this green jade slip, which will clarify everything,¡± the eccentric laughed heartily and threw a green jade slip over.


    The square-faced cultivator looked astonished, but still caught the jade slip and immersed his Divine Sense within.


    After only a moment, the square-faced cultivator¡¯s expression changed dramatically several times.


    When he withdrew his Divine Sense, he immediately bowed deeply to the eccentric with great joy,


    ¡°So it turns out that the death of Seventh Uncle back then was a brilliant arrangement by the previous Great Elders.


    I was rude just now, and I hope Seventh Uncle can forgive me.¡±


    ¡°You acting with such caution is something I¡¯m happy about, not something for which I¡¯d blame you,¡± the eccentric dismissed it with a wave of his hand, unconcerned.


    The rest of the cultivators also checked the green jade slip and soon, the cultivators in the hall were all excitedly stepping forward to greet him.


    ¡°It¡¯s really Seventh Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Greetings to Third Great Uncle!¡±


    Greetings kept coming one after another!


    ¡°Ha-ha, please dispense with the formalities,¡± said the eccentric, pleased as anything, and seated himself unceremoniously at the head of the hall.


    ¡°Third brother mentioned in the jade slip that Seventh Uncle advanced to the late Nascent Soul Stage two hundred years ago; is that the truth?¡± the old woman asked respectfully.


    ¡°Indeed, back then, when the large sects covertly moved against me, it was because they sensed I had a good chance of advancing to the later stage.


    Thus, they went so far as to set up traps covertly to kill me.


    I managed to escape that calamity as arranged by the clan, and fortunately, I did not let everyone down and succeeded in advancing.


    According to the plans of the previous generation of Great Elders of our clan, I wasn¡¯t supposed to appear until the Ye Clan faced a life-or-death crisis.


    But the only person who knew of my existence, third brother, suddenly came to seek me out not long ago, told me of your plans, and requested, in the name of the current Great Elders of the clan, that I help you out.


    After pondering, I felt the matter was indeed about the life and death of our Ye Clan, so I set out to lend you all a helping hand,¡± the eccentric said seriously.


    (From tomorrow on, updates will return to normal!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


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 Chapter 978 - Chapter 978 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 975 Half a Year

    ?Chapter 978: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 975 Half a Year Chapter 978: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 975 Half a Year ¡°With Seventh Uncle¡¯s assistance, along with our third brother, having two great cultivators to aid us in the treasure hunt below, combined with the family cultivators gathered here and the greatly exerted effort to recruit some external elders, we should be able to contend with the force of the ten great righteous and demonic sects.


    This trip to the Southern Border to seek the treasure seems very promising,¡± the square-faced cultivator said, unable to contain his joy.


    ¡°I won¡¯t meddle in your actions, I am only responsible for contributing my strength.


    Whether the Ye Clan can escape the control of both righteous and demonic paths depends on this.


    I won¡¯t hold you back,¡± the eccentric slowly said.


    Hearing such words from the only senior remaining in the clan, both the square-faced cultivator and the elderly woman were overjoyed and naturally spoke with humility.


    In the end, these elders from the first wealthiest family in Great Jin secretly plotted in the hall for half a day before they dispersed one after another.


    In a secret chamber within an estate in the imperial city, a pitch-black demonic Qi filled the entire room, where a gigantic, two-headed demon with four flashing eyes, black and purple, looked extremely fierce and terrifying.


    An unknown amount of time passed when suddenly, the demon let out a low shout, and the demonic Qi surged before being entirely absorbed into the demon¡¯s body like thousands of streams returning to the ocean.


    Simultaneously, with both of its four hands forming seals, its body exploded with a loud noise, transforming into an ordinary-looking young man in dark light, somewhat resembling Han Li.


    It was indeed the ancient devilish techniques cultivator lurking within the Ye Clan.


    ¡°Not bad, the injury has recovered by eighty percent.


    Now, as long as I don¡¯t encounter those old fellows, no one in Great Jin can handle me.


    The Ye Family guys should act soon.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    With my previously demonstrated familiarity with ancient times, these guys will surely bring me along.


    Once there, hehe¡­¡± the demon muttered to himself, a cold smile flickering across his face.


    While the ancient devilish techniques cultivator was finishing his healing, somewhere outside Jinjing City within a secret cave dwelling of the Yin Sifting Sect, Ge Tianhao was discussing something with the Heaventide Saintess.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received news that Fu Cheng from the Nine Nether Sect has appeared in the Southern Border.


    That Han boy from that day participated in an underground trade meeting with him; we almost didn¡¯t know about it if not for some intel.


    His appearance there means that the Han boy might also be nearby.


    Our sect¡¯s Great Elder has some matters to deal with in the Southern Border and has already headed there.


    If we happen to find this person, he will personally take care of him.


    Daoist Lin, are you interested in joining us to check it out?¡±


    ¡°Fu Cheng appearing there doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that the Han fellow will be in the Southern Border.


    However, I have received news that the prairies are already led by Great Immortal Master Xu, who has dispatched a team of palace-protecting cultivators into Great Jin.


    They will soon meet me in Jinjing, so I need to stay here for a while.


    After meeting with them, if there¡¯s still no concrete news about that person, I will bring people to the Southern Border myself,¡± Lin Yinping shook her head.


    ¡°Daoist Xu is also coming?


    What a fortunate event.


    The Great Elder will definitely be thrilled to know this.


    Then I¡¯ll also stay and wait with Daoist Lin.


    After all, Great Elder¡¯s initial instruction was to always accompany Daoist Lin,¡± Ge Tianhao was first shocked, then said joyfully.


    Lin Yinping chuckled and nodded lightly.


    ¡°By the way, wasn¡¯t that Han fellow also seen along the coast, becoming a Guest Elder for three small sects?


    Have these sects been monitoring him secretly, and hasn¡¯t there been any news yet?¡± Lin Yinping frowned, remembering this and asked.


    ¡°Nothing.


    This person is really too cunning.


    Aside from standing up for these three sects once at the beginning, he hasn¡¯t shown himself ever since.


    Also, we have already investigated his relationship with the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and they are merely casual acquaintances.


    I reckon even if we annihilate these three families, the other side wouldn¡¯t even blink,¡± Ge Tianhao said helplessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true.


    This person is a cultivator from Tian Nan; why would he truly care about these sects¡¯ life and death?


    However, when I set off for Great Jin, I had already sent people to infiltrate Tian Nan to figure out this person¡¯s real background.


    Such a long time has passed, there should be some news.


    When Immortal Master Xu arrives, we might as well clarify it.


    That way, when we face this person next time, we¡¯ll also have a clear idea,¡± Lin Yinping said with a raised eyebrow coldly.


    ¡°Oh, if we really have this person¡¯s details, understanding his cultivation methods will naturally make it much easier to deal with him.


    It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know the exact time Immortal Master Xu and the others will arrive,¡± Ge Tianhao¡¯s spirits lifted.


    ¡°Calculate, at most wait two to three months.


    If Immortal Master Xu can cooperate with our sect¡¯s Great Elder this time, I don¡¯t believe that person will still be able to escape,¡± the Heaventide Saintess said resentfully, thinking of the sacred sect protecting beast being confined.


    Hearing the woman speaking like this, Ge Tianhao mused inwardly.


    Although this woman repeatedly said it was because that person had killed many Heaventide cultivators and she must find and kill him, if it was really just about avenging those killings, how could a prairie saintess make such a hasty decision to relentlessly pursue him, disregarding major consequences.


    After all, the dead are already gone.


    Continuing to provoke such a terrifying existence is truly unwise.


    There must be some unknown reason, prompting her to stay in Great Jin for many years, even not hesitating to call for reinforcements from Heaventide Prairies, determined to annihilate the other party.


    It seems he must find a way to uncover the secrets behind it.


    Ge Tianhao appeared calm on the surface, but he firmly resolved himself internally.


    Lin Yinping was also not as calm as she appeared on the surface.


    As the time of the sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s clone being confined grew longer, she really didn¡¯t know how long she could keep this a secret.


    Over the years, she didn¡¯t even dare to contact the upper realm once.


    Fortunately, the clone of the Heaventide Holy Beast was only confined, not destroyed.


    The main body seemed unaware of the situation so far, but she definitely couldn¡¯t delay any longer.


    She needed to rescue the holy beast¡¯s clone soon.


    However, during the operation, she couldn¡¯t let the Heaventide cultivators suffer too much loss, it seemed they had to try to make use of the Yin Sifting Sect cultivators.


    This woman also made up her mind.


    In a place near the boundary between the Southern Border and a certain state, an elderly man with a beaming smile was hastening on his way using the Light Body Skill, while incessantly chatting with several Qi Refinement Realm cultivators.


    These young adventurers, brimming with excitement and relish on their first trip out of home, hung on every word.


    If Han Li had been here, he would have been startled at the sight of this seemingly slick, elderly man.


    This was none other than Xiang salutes, whom he suspected to be a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.


    Ever since Han Li had left the Heavenly Talisman Sect, before the sect¡¯s higher-ups could question this low-ranking disciple, he had mysteriously vanished from the sect all of a sudden.


    This had scared the cultivators of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    However, most of them suspected that Han Li was behind it and immediately suppressed any mention of Xiang salutes within the sect.


    Years had passed, and this old man had reappeared here, which was utterly mysterious.


    Not only them, but many major forces within the Great Jin Immortal Cultivation realm seemed to sense the undercurrents beneath the calm surface.


    Some sects with profound divine skills even suspected the Imperial Ye Family of Great Jin, but without concrete evidence, their high-ranking members met more frequently in secrecy, puzzling over what they might be planning.


    Great Jin seemed on the verge of a storm.


    A few months later, in the volcanic region of Silver Jiao Mountain in the Southern Border, suddenly a joyful and long cry resounded, rising straight into the sky.


    A dazzling streak of azure light shot out from beneath the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye in the sky and reappearing at the horizon¡¯s end.


    Such astonishing speed left several distant cultivators speechless with shock visible all over their faces.


    About a week later, the same azure streak reappeared, shooting westward across the sky above the vast, nearly ten thousand-mile-wide primeval forest in the Southern Border.


    When the streak of light hovered over a vast basin and saw the deep yellow poisonous fog, thousands of feet high, filling the air, it swiftly dove towards the edge of the fog.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you are somewhat late.


    Fellow Daoist Bai and Lady Yuan have already been here for several days.


    We were only waiting for you,¡± said an old man, standing up with a smile as Han Li appeared among the meditating cultivators on the ground.


    It was again the Fu surname Elder, and the neighboring three who were seated were the same ones from their gathering half a year ago, among whom were Bai Yaoyi and a large man from the Yuan family.


    ¡°I was refining a Magic Artifact, which I only completed a few days ago, making me late.


    I hope fellow Daoists can forgive my delay,¡± Han Li said, clasping his fists.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright.


    The weak Yin period lasts for three months, so we¡¯re in no rush.


    You¡¯ve just finished refining and hurried here-all the more reason you might want to rest for a couple of days to restore your mana,¡± said Bai Yaoyi after examining Han Li, speaking thoughtfully.


    ¡°Yes, Fellow Daoist Bai makes a good point.


    Since we are going into the Yin Yang Cave, it¡¯s essential to maintain full mana,¡± agreed Fu.


    The Yuan surname large man and Mrs.


    Chang, though silent, visibly agreed as well.


    ¡°Very well.


    I will accept the courtesy then.


    Let¡¯s enter the valley in two days,¡± Han Li nodded, glanced over at the yellow poisonous fog a hundred yards away, barely making out a dark valley entrance hidden within.


    With a flip of his hand, Han Li took out two mid-grade spirit stones glowing with green light and sat down cross-legged right there, closing his eyes.


    The others, though already full of mana, closed their eyes to rest their spirits as well, striving to bring their minds and bodies to the best possible state.


    The two days passed quickly, and when Han Li opened his eyes again with a calm gaze, the Fu surname Elder did not hesitate to command in a low voice:


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off.¡±


    The others rose, and various colored light shields flashed around them, protecting them from head to toe.


    ¡°With my Poison Warding Ruyi, the Valley of a Thousand Poisons will be easy to handle, but be careful of the various tiny poisonous insects within the mist.


    Do not remove your protective brilliance.


    If not for the Forbidden Lands from ancient times being here, with unknown sky restrictions, we would ordinarily fly straight over into the valley-which would have been the safest route,¡± the Yuan surname large man said indifferently, raising his hand to summon a silver-glowing Jade Ruyi and striding towards the poisonous fog.


    Han Li and the others followed.


    As the large man approached the edge of the fog, he pointed at the Jade Ruyi above his head, and reciting a few spell incantations, circles of silver waves emanated from the Ruyi.


    The poisonous mist was pushed back considerably, and the fog became much thinner.


    After casting a Light Body Skill on himself, the large man vaulted toward the valley entrance.


    The others did similar spells on themselves and followed suit.


    (The first chapter!) (To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support the original reading!)

 Chapter 979 - Chapter 979 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 976 Kunwu of Dreamcloud Mountains

    ?Chapter 979: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 976 Kunwu of Dreamcloud Mountains Chapter 979: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 976 Kunwu of Dreamcloud Mountains Half a day later, within the depths of the Valley of a Thousand Poisons, where poisonous insects swarmed, suddenly, a silver light flashed, followed by more than a dozen enormous fireballs shooting forth.


    ¡°Puff, puff¡± some noises followed, and these fireballs did not explode but instead transformed into several lifelike fire serpents in mid-air, plunging toward the ground.


    A fierce heat filled the air, and a small sea of flames formed instantaneously, turning all the insects on the ground to ash in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Goodness!


    Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s control over magic has truly reached a transcendental level-if you said his main practice was the fire attribute cultivation arts, I doubt few would disagree,¡± a woman¡¯s light laughter rang out.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    Back when I was in the lower realm, my favorite technique to use was the Fireball Technique; it¡¯s just a matter of practice making perfect,¡± Han Li responded indifferently.


    Then, from the mist shrouded in silver light in the distance, the figures of the large man and Han Li, among others, successively appeared and walked toward the gradually extinguishing sea of fire.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze swept over the distance, his expression changed slightly, and he suddenly stopped, across from the fire sea where the toxic mist was exceptionally thin, vaguely revealing something.


    But before he could extend his Divine Sense, the leading large man suddenly pointed at the jade Ruyi above his head, which immediately surged in silver light and flew forward.


    As a result, under the illumination of the silver light, everything that was previously shrouded in fog became clear.


    After seeing clearly, Han Li involuntarily took in a breath of cold air.


    Just tens of meters ahead, a massive ravine appeared there.


    Looking left and right, it was impossible to discern the length of the ravine through the mist, but it was at least a hundred meters wide, with faint black Yin winds occasionally spurting out, scattering the nearby toxic fog.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.??


    ¡°This is the entrance to the Yin Yang Cave.


    Let¡¯s go over,¡± said the elder.


    Except for Han Li and Bai Yaoyi, the others had visited this place before, so after the elder¡¯s comment, they walked over without hesitating and stood beside the giant ravine.


    Although the Yin wind spurting from the ravine was extremely fierce, everyone¡¯s demeanor remained calm, and they peered down unhurriedly.


    The interior of the ravine was like an abyss, inscrutably deep; black Yin winds whipped up into variously sized strange swirls, with eerie howls faintly coming from within.


    Han Li glanced around the sides of the ravine, only to see the walls sparkling brilliantly, seemingly encased in a thick layer of ice.


    ¡°What we are seeing now is just ordinary Yin wind, not the Soul-Shocking Yin Wind.


    However, once we descend a few hundred meters below, the Soul-Shocking Yin Wind will appear.


    Without preparation, even we Nascent Soul cultivators cannot last long in the wind.


    But now that I have the Purple Nether Bead, naturally, the threat of this wind greatly decreases.


    However, the strength of the Soul-Shocking Yin Wind varies in different parts of the Yin Yang Cave, so I need not say more, as you all are experienced individuals,¡± after everyone had observed the ravine, an elder with the surname Fu stated with a light cough.


    Then, he raised his hand and suddenly a purplish misty bead the size of a fist appeared in his hand.


    Upon the bead¡¯s appearance, Han Li carefully glanced at it.


    In an instant, a purple shadow flitted across his vision, and his Divine Sense momentarily became bewildered as if his spirit was about to fly out of his body.


    He was alarmed, but at that moment, the Great Development Technique within him automatically started operating, a cool sensation flashed through his mind, and his consciousness returned to normal.


    Han Li kept a calm exterior, but his heart was startled.


    This item was truly worthy of being the sect-guarding treasure of the Devilcharm Sect, extremely sinister indeed.


    Thinking this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but glance at the Yuan surnamed large man and Bai Yaoyi.


    The two of them flickered in their gazes, and their expressions also looked not too good.


    It seemed they, too, had suffered from the bead¡¯s bewitching effects unawares.


    It was unknown how these two managed to escape the bead¡¯s effects using some secret technique.


    However, Elder Fu seemed oblivious to the three¡¯s investigatory looks and supported the bead in one hand, while a complex series of spell incantations emanated from his mouth.


    Suddenly, a dazzling brilliance flashed, and a layer of almost imperceptible halo emitted from the bead, enveloping a thirty-meter radius all around, including where Han Li and the others stood, within a pale purple glow.


    The originally ferociously cold Yin wind around significantly weakened by more than half.


    ¡°Indeed, the Purple Nether Bead lives up to its reputation!¡± The Yuan surnamed large man put away the jade Ruyi and could not help but exclaim after seeing this.


    ¡°This bead¡¯s current non-significance and how effective it will be, we¡¯ll only know once we go down.


    Let us proceed,¡± the elder said, holding the Purple Nether Bead in one hand while conjuring a purple-red clump of mist with the other, as he casually remarked.


    Following this, green light flashed around his body, and he slowly floated downward into the ravine.


    Han Li and the others would certainly not leave the purple halo; similarly, they released their protective treasures and followed into the deep trench.


    The large man released a green jade medallion that hovered above his head; Bai Yaoyi had an ice crystal dagger circling around her body; the woman in black had a pitch-black shield pressed close in front of her.


    Han Li merely exhaled a few golden flying swords, safeguarding his entire body.


    After a short while, the figures of the group disappeared without a trace into the swirling black vortex below, as the luminous light flashed rapidly.


    The area around the massive trench once again returned to calm.


    Just as Han Li and his group entered the Yin Yang Cave, elsewhere in the Southern Border over an unknown small lake in midair, seven or eight cultivators were floating, listening to a man in black speak.


    These cultivators, both secular and clerical, were evidently a few of the Ye Clan cultivators that had gathered in the royal capital months ago.


    The eccentric with a large head was also swaying, standing right in the center of the crowd, with the mid Nascent Soul stage square-faced cultivator next to him.


    Not far behind him was a youth that bore a striking resemblance to Han Li, an ancient demonic technique practitioner.


    This demon now listened emotionlessly to the cultivator in front of him.


    The man in black, at the Core Formation Stage in his cultivation, wore an extremely respectful demeanor before these Nascent Soul realm clan elders.


    ¡°Four hundred years ago, from a Fragmented Stele in ancient ruins, our Ye Clan learned the approximate location of Mount Kunwu and started planning for this matter.


    This revered sacred site among Immortal Mountain which, for some unknown reason, was buried underground by ancient experts employing vast divine powers.


    Not to mention that back in those days, the mountain housed numerous ancient expert¡¯s abodes, certainly worth exploring.


    More importantly, the stele also revealed that when ancient experts sealed the mountain, they left behind two heavenly spirit treasures.


    If our Ye Clan could acquire these two treasures, we could instantly double our strength, enough to deter the large sects from both righteous and demonic pathways.


    We have spent over a hundred years on this, sending out numerous clan disciples, almost scouring through half of Great Jin, until finally discovering the location marked beneath this lake.


    Immediately, we dispatched our clan¡¯s Array Masters to begin removing the restrictions.


    This matter being of great importance was, therefore, always specifically managed by the previous generation Great Elders, and only a handful of other elders were aware of it.¡±


    The man in black paused here before continuing:


    ¡°But these ancient restrictions turned out to be far more profound than we anticipated, with layers upon layers, extending beneath the ground for nearly a hundred li.


    Another century passed as over a dozen Array Masters studied and finally devised a method to unlock these restrictions.


    It required harnessing the power of heaven and earth to break the arrays with arrays, to thoroughly remove the sealed restrictions.


    However, the materials needed for this, and the number of arrays required to be set up, made it an incredibly grand project indeed.


    Most critically, many of the materials for setting up the arrays are exceedingly rare, requiring careful and stealthy collection and setup, without alerting any keen observer.


    Otherwise, it would simply amount to making wedding garments for another.


    Therefore, the actions of setting up this array for breaking the restrictions have been sporadic, and were even halted several times.


    Only now has this project finally neared completion.


    Our clan¡¯s Array Masters are setting up the final array at the bottom of the lake, expecting it to be finished in about a month.


    At that time, we will also activate a super concealing array to suppress the astonishing phenomena produced during the restriction breaking, allowing the elders to freely enter Mount Kunwu to retrieve the treasures.¡±


    After the explanation, the man in black immediately folded his hands and stepped aside, saying no more.


    ¡°Mount Kunwu?


    So that¡¯s our destination this time?¡±


    ¡°Incredible!


    I always thought it was some ancient expert¡¯s abode!¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk, only a place like Mount Kunwu could possibly contain heavenly spirit treasures.¡±


    ¡­


    For a time, everyone except the eccentric, the square-faced cultivator, and the ancient demonic technique practitioner, couldn¡¯t help but whisper amongst themselves, barely able to hide their excitement.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Don¡¯t get too pleased so soon.


    Removing the restrictions is merely the first step in obtaining the treasures.


    If obtaining them were so simple, why would the third younger brother gather us here and even invite Seventh Uncle to assist us?


    And as the Great Elder, the third younger brother will also avoid the attention of other sects, arriving here in a month to join us in entering Mount Kunwu,¡± the square-faced cultivator said, his expression darkening.


    Hearing this, the other cultivators fell silent for a while.


    ¡°Listen to your brother¡¯s words, is there something amiss in Mount Kunwu?¡± asked an elder from the Ye Clan, dressed in Taoist garments, unable to restrain his inquiry.


    ¡°More than amiss; it¡¯s not impossible that entering this time could be a one-way trip,¡± the square-faced middle-aged man said grimly.


    ¡°How could that be possible?


    We have both Seventh Uncle and the third younger brother, two great cultivators with us.


    Even if the restrictions are formidable, they should pose no problem,¡± a scholar also expressed his shock.


    ¡°If only it were that simple.


    Have you not considered why those ancient sects would seal such a wonderful and sacred site as Mount Kunwu, leaving behind heavenly spirit treasures?


    There must be some earth-shattering secrets here.


    The dangers are imaginable,¡± the square-faced cultivator said ominously.


    Hearing this, the others couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances.


    ¡°Enough, this is only the worst-case scenario.


    It¡¯s possible that there were other compelling reasons for sealing the mountain.


    You needn¡¯t worry too much.


    Nonetheless, we must be cautious.


    Should anything happen, I certainly won¡¯t just stand by and watch,¡± the eccentric spoke with a chuckle.


    At this, everyone¡¯s expressions returned to normal.


    But at that moment, the square-faced middle-aged man turned his head, suddenly addressing the ancient demon behind him seriously:


    ¡°Senior Han, you are versed in various ancient scriptures; entering Mount Kunwu, we will need your help even more.


    Rest assured, we have already found two evil treasures, and once this affair is concluded, I will entrust the treasures to Fellow Daoist.¡±


    (Second release!)(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 981 - Chapter 981 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 978 Evil Ape

    ?Chapter 981: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 978 Evil Ape Chapter 981: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 978 Evil Ape Bai Yaoyi¡¯s bright eyes shimmered, and with a single hand wielding her sword, she slashed through the void.


    A sword light several feet long materialized and viciously struck the ice wall, leaving a deep gash.


    Han Li¡¯s expression shifted upon seeing this.


    ¡°So many years have passed, yet this flying sword hasn¡¯t lost its spirituality.


    It¡¯s clear how much effort its owner must have put into it.


    And judging by its power, the owner of this flying sword should have been a cultivator in the middle or later stages of Core Formation.


    This is rather strange; a cultivator of such level shouldn¡¯t have been able to reach this place,¡± Bai Yaoyi mused as she turned the sword over several times but found no helpful markings, a look of confusion appearing on her face.


    ¡°May Han Li take a look?¡± Han Li suddenly asked.


    ¡°Why be so polite, fellow Daoist?


    Just take it,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied with a charming smile, flicking her jade finger, sending the flying sword flying towards Han Li.


    With a single hand, Han Li caught the flying sword directly in his grasp and then bowed his head to examine it closely.


    After a while, his brow inadvertently furrowed.


    ¡°What is it, Han Li?


    Have you discovered something?¡± Bai Yaoyi asked curiously.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    ¡°This sword is entirely refined from Blue Origin Crystal.


    However, to refine flying swords solely with this material is not a wise decision.


    If one were to mix in several other materials to assist, the quality of the flying swords would likely be higher by a level.


    Yet, this method of refining flying swords was quite popular over ten thousand years ago, while the technique of mixing in other materials was developed later.


    The patterns and runes on this sword suggest that it is indeed quite ancient.


    This indicates that although the owner isn¡¯t an ancient expert, they must have been a cultivator from tens of thousands of years ago,¡± Han Li stated calmly.


    ¡°Sister Bai is surprised by fellow Han¡¯s profound knowledge in Artifact Refining Technique!¡± Bai Yaoyi said, somewhat taken aback.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I just happened to come across this type of flying sword in some diagrams.


    Let¡¯s go into the cave and take a look, shall we?


    Perhaps we¡¯ll find something else,¡± Han Li said, turning his head towards the cave without much concern.


    ¡°Very well, after you,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied after a moment¡¯s thought.


    She nodded, then produced a hazy Jade Umbrella with a wave of her hand, and with a graceful sway of her figure, she took the lead towards the cave.


    Han Li gave a slight smile, pointed at the several flying swords above his head, and let them transform into a blanket of golden light to protect his whole body before calmly following her in.


    The cave was pitch-black; only the sound of the wind and the faint screams from the depths could be heard, as the blood ghosts inside became more ferocious with their arrival.


    But by the sound of it, they didn¡¯t seem too far away.


    ¡°It seems this place isn¡¯t too large, making it somewhat easier to deal with.¡±


    Han Li murmured to himself, raised his hand, and a moon light stone, twinkling with white light, emerged overhead.


    Then he cast a spell towards it.


    Instantly, the moon light stone shone brightly, clearly illuminating the surroundings.


    Yet, because of the obstruction of the dark wind, the further areas remained hazy and unclear.


    They had only walked fifty or sixty zhang through the cave¡¯s passage when suddenly, there was a brightness ahead; not far in the distance, an entrance appeared, emitting a faint green luminescence.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi looked at each other in surprise.


    Every cave they had searched before was extremely cold and dark without a glimmer of light, and without exception, they were all abandoned mines with no value whatsoever.


    However, with Han Li and Bai Yaoyi¡¯s level of cultivation, even though they became more vigilant in their hearts, it didn¡¯t inhibit their movements.


    After placing the Jade Umbrella in front of her, Bai Yaoyi¡¯s figure flickered, and she appeared at the entrance.


    With one glance inside, her face turned pale.


    Han Li appeared beside her shortly after.


    He too took a sweep and his expression also changed slightly.


    This was a stalactite cave with a diameter of more than thirty zhang.


    The top and walls of the cave emitted a faint green light, and in the center stood a stone pillar several zhang high.


    The stone pillar was plain and rough, but on it, a withered corpse was tightly bound by iron chains.


    The corpse had long gray-white hair, a pitch-black naked body, and a drooping head that made it difficult to see the face, but the abdomen had been cut open with a sharp blade, and the organs had all disappeared.


    Such an eerie scene not only troubled Bai Yaoyi, but even Han Li was taken aback.


    Han Li pursed his lips, about to speak, when the blue flying sword in his hand suddenly whined incessantly and began to tremble violently.


    Moved by a sudden thought, Han Li threw the sword into the air without further ado.


    At once, a streak of blue light shot towards the stone pillar, but reverted to a small grey sword as it drew near.


    It circled the corpse in a flurry, emitting sad whines.


    ¡°Is this corpse the owner of the flying sword?


    It looks like not only was his Golden Core taken, but he also couldn¡¯t save his own life,¡± Bai Yaoyi sighed, her face showing a hint of compassion.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t just an ordinary death.


    He was sacrificed alive through dark magic!¡± Han Li said coldly.


    ¡°Sacrificed alive?¡± Bai Yaoyi exclaimed in shock, only then noticing a ten-zhang-sized, blurry Array on the cave floor.


    However, it was too old and mostly covered in dust, which was why she hadn¡¯t noticed it before.


    ¡°The specifics of which kind of sacrificial array can only be determined once the array is reconstructed,¡± Han Li nodded calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy; leave this matter to me,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with a gentle smile.


    Opening her mouth, she spat out a fan that looked like it was carved from ice.


    Then with a flash of cold light, the fan instantly transformed into about a foot in length and lightly fanned toward the ground of the cave.


    A yellow, murky windstorm erupted from the fan, sweeping up soil and sand into the air and scattering them everywhere.


    For a moment, the entire cave was shrouded in a heavy haze, so thick that one couldn¡¯t see their own fingers if they extended their hand.


    However, with the protection of the Purple Nether Divine Light and a sudden thought flashed past, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi were naturally indifferent to the swirling sands.


    The two fixed their gazes on the ground array as if they were immune to any other distractions.


    At this moment, several zhang behind them, a glint of weak light flickered on the ground, and a dark figure silently emerged from the earth, lying prone and motionless.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi still did not turn their heads, appearing completely unaware.


    Seeing this, the shadow¡¯s crimson eyes flickered with a ferocious light, and in a blur, it shot out like an arrow.


    Its head tilted ever so slightly, and with a ¡°Puchi,¡± a dark glow flashed and shot towards Bai Yaoyi.


    This dark figure dared to attack both Han Li and Bai Yaoyi at once.


    But in that instant, Han Li suddenly slapped his hand backward.


    Suddenly, a light blue hand appeared above the cave and grabbed firmly downward, catching the shadow accurately around the waist.


    And the dark glow that shot at the robed woman was elegantly diverted by her Jade Umbrella with a gentle shake, somehow appearing behind her.


    Upon contact, the umbrella¡¯s surface shone with white light, and the dark glow was deflected, losing its momentum and vanishing into the stone wall of the cave, leaving only a deep inch-wide hole.


    It was then that Bai Yaoyi looked toward the shadow in the light hand with a smile, revealing a creature with a snake body, an ape face, and dual arms-the Iron Slave.


    The Iron Slave was covered in black scales, approximately three to four zhang long.


    Each of its hands held a short, one-foot-long bone pike that was exceptionally sharp.


    Despite the creature being held fast by the light hand, it struggled vehemently, and its blood-red eyes stared at the pair with malice, as if it harbored a deep hatred against them.


    ¡°An Evil Ape?


    Such blood ghosts actually exist in the world?¡± Bai Yaoyi was slightly taken aback upon seeing the creature.


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s said these ghosts are born from the condensation of human resentment in places with heavy yin.


    They¡¯re notoriously violent and bloodthirsty, with a preference for eating the brain pulp of living humans.


    Moreover, they can mimic various ghostly sounds.


    It seems the earlier Corpse Refining shriek was imitated by this ghost.


    Tsk, tsk!


    I¡¯ve only seen images of such creatures in some texts; this is my first time encountering one in person.


    However, this creature isn¡¯t all that powerful; to dare attack us with such meager skills is simply seeking death,¡± Han Li commented nonchalantly after examining the blood ghost.


    ¡°Hmph, what¡¯s the use in keeping such a devil alive?


    Better to kill it!¡± Bai Yaoyi expressed significant disgust toward the Evil Ape, her beautiful face turning cold as she pointed with one hand.


    Immediately, a burst of cold light shot out, whirling around the creature before turning it into an ice sculpture.


    Han Li just laughed lightly, not saying much, but with a thought, the light blue hand suddenly tensed its fingers, shattering the ice sculpture into fragments that scattered across the ground.


    The yellow wind in the cave had now settled, and the circular array was clearly revealed.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and calmly walked toward the array.


    Bai Yaoyi, however, seemed less interested in the array and was instead scanning the surroundings of the cave, as if searching for something.


    ¡°This array is a type of Soul Refinement Array, and it¡¯s also an exceedingly ancient version.


    Moreover¡­¡± After a moment, Han Li finally began to speak thoughtfully.


    ¡°Moreover what?¡± Bai Yaoyi turned her gaze to the array, asking with curiosity.


    ¡°Moreover, the array engraved here appears to be much older than this mummy.


    It seems to have been laid out here since the Ancient Times,¡± Han Li stated with confidence.


    ¡°Is that so?


    How did you determine this, Brother Han?¡± Bai Yaoyi looked at him, somewhat astonished.


    ¡°This is just based on my personal experience; perhaps I am mistaken,¡± this time, Han Li responded with a chuckle, vaguely sidestepping the question.


    Bai Yaoyi was startled at first, then covered her mouth and chuckled twice, not pressing the matter further.


    ¡°No matter the strangeness of this array and the mummy, it has nothing to do with us.


    There¡¯s nothing else here; let¡¯s leave!¡± She suggested.


    Then she raised her hand, seized the Blue Flying Sword, and stored it back in her storage pouch.


    ¡°Mhm, that makes sense,¡± Han Li nodded in agreement.


    Subsequently, the two headed towards the exit.


    As they approached the entrance, Han Li suddenly felt an odd sense of unease in his heart, causing his steps to falter and he stopped.


    He turned back and took one more look at the mummy.


    ¡°Is something amiss?¡± Bai Yaoyi inquired, slightly puzzled.


    Han Li did not immediately answer her; his gaze flickered a few times, then he suddenly raised his hand, pointing a finger from afar.


    A low rumbling of thunder sounded as golden lightning twinkled at his fingertip, and a slender golden arc shot out, directly striking the mummy on the distant stone pillar.


    (Second update!


    Hehe, the first climax of the Great Jin is coming soon.


    Taking this opportunity to ask for monthly tickets from everyone.


    If you have tickets, I hope you can support it; I¡¯m really in need of monthly tickets!) (To be continued, for more chapters visit www.qidian.com, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 982 - Chapter 982 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 979 Five Son Synchronisation Demon

    ?Chapter 982: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 979 Five Son¡¯ Synchronisation Demon Chapter 982: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 979 Five Son¡¯ Synchronisation Demon Beneath Bai Yaoyi¡¯s astonished gaze, the golden lightning burst upon the ancient corpse.


    This body, unknown how many years old, instantly disintegrated within the golden light, turning into a pile of white ashes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.


    It seems I was really overthinking it,¡± Han Li murmured with a frown and faintly spoke.


    Then he strode out of the place.


    Bai Yaoyi shook her head with a light laugh, unconcerned as she followed out.


    Soon after, the two reappeared in the passageway and continued flying forward.


    When the two figures had disappeared into the distance and a wisp of purple light was finally engulfed by the black wind, a humanoid black shadow slowly rose from below the ground under a stone pillar in the cave.


    This shadow was pitch-black, its features blurred, as if it were a pure shadow.


    Only its eyes shone with an eerie green light.


    It first glanced at the ice chunks of the Evil Ape at the entrance before lowering its gaze to the ashes by the stone pillar, then suddenly pounced to the ground.


    A strange scene unfolded!


    After a roll, the ashes immediately flew towards the shadow, clinging to its entire body without falling off.


    Then, from the shadow¡¯s mouth emitted a low hum, and surges of black qi emanated from its body, wrapping it entirely.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    Moments later, the black qi roiled, and a mummified corpse, identical to the original, walked out from it.


    This time, the corpse was no longer lifeless.


    After turning its head, it suddenly opened its mouth towards the entrance, ejecting a murky yin wind, sweeping up the remains of the Evil Ape¡¯s ice chunks within it.


    In the yin wind, the ice melted away at a visible rate.


    With a ¡°swoosh,¡± a whole Evil Ape leaped out from the wind.


    It reared its head and bared its teeth a few times, then after a few jumps, it landed below the corpse, climbed onto its legs, and stayed there like a pet.


    The corpse extended a pitch-black claw and casually patted the Evil Ape on its head, but its eyes fixated on the exit, the green light flickering incessantly.


    This corpse, as if deep in thought like an ordinary person, appeared to have awakened its spiritual wisdom.


    While Han Li and the others split up to carry out their tasks, at the top of a giant mountain peak in the Southern Border, a manor was under siege with the sounds of explosions and battle cries: nearly a hundred black-robed cultivators were attacking a pale-yellow light barrier with various magic treasures and tools.


    This barrier covered most of the manor, but inside, only a dozen yellow-robed cultivators were desperately waving colorful formation flags to reinforce the barrier¡¯s restrictive formations.


    However, due to being outnumbered, the light barrier was on the brink of collapse, panic evident on everyone¡¯s faces.


    Above the manor, hundreds of feet in the air, stood a stately middle-aged cultivator in yellow robes, his complexion deathly pale.


    Around him, at a distance, stood five grey-white figures, all insubstantial and faint as if made of light smoke.


    But these figures formed a circle, perfectly enclosing the middle-aged cultivator in the center.


    ¡°Sect Brother, can¡¯t you spare the He Family?


    I have had several encounters with the Sect Master of the Ghost Sifting Banner.


    As long as you show mercy, I am willing to lead the He Family out of the realm of immortal cultivators, never to return.


    Besides, this is the Southern Border.


    Aren¡¯t you afraid of stirring up trouble with such reckless actions?¡± The middle-aged cultivator, although he knew his chances were slim, still looked up to the sky with the last shred of hope.


    ¡°Your He Family had pledged to join our Yin Sifting Sect but are now trying to back out at the last minute.


    What do you take our sect for?


    Don¡¯t think that just because you moved to the Southern Border that we can¡¯t find you.


    For the sake of our sect¡¯s reputation, we have no choice but to wipe out the He Family completely.


    And I would like to borrow your head, my friend, to deter those petty people.


    Would you like to do the honors yourself, or should I take action?


    If the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronisation Demon strikes, not even your bones will remain,¡± spoke a voice from seemingly nowhere, its tone drifting and elusive, making it impossible to determine gender.


    Upon hearing this, the yellow-robed cultivator¡¯s heart sank.


    Just then, a ground-shaking boom came from below, and the yellow-robed cultivator swiftly looked down, his expression drastically changing.


    He saw the protective barrier of the manor finally shattered into fragments, dissolving into specks of light that vanished without a trace.


    The yellow-robed cultivator¡¯s face was completely drained of color.


    However, the Yin Sifting Sect cultivators outside the manor let out a cheer.


    Immediately afterward, a flood of light descended, engulfing the dozen or so cultivators within the manor in an instant.


    ¡°How dare you¡­¡±


    The yellow-robed cultivator could no longer hold back and slapped his spirit beast pouch at his waist.


    A yellow light sprayed out of the pouch and transformed into a Yellow Python several zhang long, shooting downwards.


    ¡°Why bother yourself with the juniors?


    Allow me to see your Chaos Brick,¡± said the mysterious figure indifferently, as if a white shadow among the surrounding ones suddenly moved and, before one would expect it, appeared right below the Yellow Python.


    The speed was almost teleportation.


    The Yellow Python flashed a violent light, its jaw gaping wide as it viciously aimed for the white shadow.


    But without a word, the white shadow shook and transformed into a giant magic skull, a zhang tall and snow-white all over.


    The Yellow Python was startled and tried to stop its motion, but it was too late.


    After a few strange chuckles, the skull opened its mouth, and a spurt of white filaments sprayed out, entangling the python¡¯s head in a tight wrap.


    The Yellow Python, greatly shocked, naturally struggled violently.


    Its tail, like a steel whip, swept down hard on the skull.


    But the magic skull didn¡¯t even seem to wobble.


    Instead, a grey light suddenly appeared in its mouth and followed the white filaments straight onto the Yellow Python.


    An inconceivable scene unfolded.


    From the python¡¯s head, as the grey light passed, the originally shiny and plump body of the python quickly turned dull and shriveled.


    In the blink of an eye, the creature¡¯s flesh seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving it a mere skeleton wrapped in skin.


    The Yellow Python naturally met its demise.


    But the magic skull had not yet ceased its action, with a flicker of white silk, it swept the entire python carcass into its gaping maw and began to chew vigorously, making a horrific ¡°crack,¡± ¡°crack¡± sound.


    Seeing the Spirit Python he had nurtured for many years fall to such an end, the yellow-robed cultivator felt a mix of shock and anger, with a hint of venom flashing in his eyes.


    He glanced at the white shadows closing in around him and suddenly slapped the back of his head with one hand, spewing out an object-a chunky square brick with a hazy yellow hue.


    The yellow-robed cultivator formed a hand seal and pointed solemnly at the brick.


    The treasure spun into the air and started to grow frantically in the midst of the light.


    In almost a single breath, a massive object appeared above the head of the yellow-robed cultivator.


    It was more than ten feet in size, its yellow brilliance glaring and runes flowing around it, truly an impressive sight.


    ¡°So, this is the Chaos Brick?


    Well-known, but seeing it is rather disappointing.


    It seems unnecessary for me to show myself, let the Five Devils send you on your way!¡± The hidden cultivator sighed, as if hugely disappointed.


    No sooner had these words fallen than the other white shadows moved, floating gently towards the yellow-robed cultivator.


    The yellow-robed cultivator ignored the disdain in the other¡¯s words, glanced at the approaching white shadows, and suddenly let out a loud shout, his voice shaking the heavens above.


    The Chaos Brick above his head began to spin rapidly.


    Given its size, a great gust of wind whipped up instantly, enveloping the yellow-robed cultivator within.


    Yet the white shadows seemed unaffected by the whirlwind, and when they were about ten feet away from it, their figures stretched out and shot towards the maelstrom.


    ¡°Court death!¡±


    Countless beams of yellow brilliance burst from the wind, turning out to be square bricks each about a foot in size.


    The rumble resounded, and within moments, the white shadows were engulfed in the light.


    Seizing the opportunity, a yellow rainbow ejected from the whirlwind, flashing towards the horizon and covering a distance of more than twenty feet in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± came an ice-cold snort.


    Then suddenly, with a puff puff sound, four white shadows emerged unscathed from the yellow brilliance and vanished in a flash from where they were.


    The next moment, spatial ripples appeared ahead of the flying rainbow, and under the flicker of grey light, four white shadows emerged without a word and pounced on the fleeing rainbow.


    The yellow-robed cultivator was shocked, his figure faltering, as he hurriedly raised his hand.


    At once, a brick several feet in size unabashedly slammed into the white shadows, but they trembled as if nothing had happened and passed directly through the brick, arriving in front of the yellow-robed cultivator in an instant.


    In his panic, the yellow-robed cultivator swung his hand, revealing an ancient treasure that he had already clutched in his grip.


    It was a blue Token.


    With a mere flicker, a burst of blue light sprayed out, and the white shadows seemed to freeze as soon as they entered it, as if they could hardly move an inch.


    The yellow-robed cultivator¡¯s face hadn¡¯t yet revealed the joy of escape when the white shadows suddenly let out a strange laugh and dissipated on their own in the midst of the blue light.


    Seeing this, the yellow-robed cultivator inwardly cursed, immediately emitting a flash of brilliance around his body, intending to make his escape.


    But then a white mist appeared before his eyes, and several shadowy figures emerged from it and pounced on him, ignoring the protective aura around the yellow-robed cultivator completely, piercing straight through him and disappearing without a trace into his body.


    Before the yellow-robed cultivator could react, he felt his Nascent Soul suddenly contract within him, his body heat up as if all the blood in his veins was boiling.


    This was his last sensation in this world, and the next moment, his vision darkened, and he knew no more.


    Had there been others nearby, they would have seen the yellow-robed cultivator¡¯s face visibly shrivel at a visible rate, quickly turning into a mummified skeleton.


    As for the Nascent Soul inside the dry corpse, it was directly devoured by the white shadows that had possessed the body.


    Then, satisfied, the four white shadows flew out of the dry corpse, turning into four magic skulls, and savagely divided up what was left of the body.


    It was only then that another white shadow leisurely arrived on the scene.


    The five white shadows stood side by side together.


    By this time, the sounds of explosions and fighting within the manor below had also ceased, and a black-robed elder rushed over in great strides.


    ¡°Reporting to the Great Elder!


    All seventy-two members of the He Family¡¯s cultivators have been annihilated, and there are also more than three hundred direct mortal relatives remaining.


    Please instruct, elder,¡± the black-robed elder said, standing respectfully, hands clasped in front of him, as soon as he flew near the white shadows.


    ¡°Kill them all,¡± the mysterious expert said coldly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the black-robed elder replied and was about to fly down.


    ¡°Hold on, Elder Ge previously sent a message saying that the cultivator who killed our four elders and stole a Yin Sifting Banner might also be in the Southern Border.


    Now that things here are settled, all hands must thoroughly search for this person.


    I will sit in the Southern Border for a year; if there is any trace of this person, we will take immediate action to eliminate him.


    How can our sect¡¯s treasures fall into the hands of others?¡± the mysterious expert commanded grimly.


    ¡°Yes, this disciple will pass on the instructions immediately,¡± the black-robed elder said with a solemn expression, and then he turned into a black light and descended.


    ¡°The one who could kill the brother who held the Yin Sifting Banner and escape from the Heaventide Sanctuary¡¯s execution¡­


    surely a much more interesting opponent than those wastes of the He Family,¡± the mysterious expert murmured after the black-robed elder had left, seemingly very interested in Han Li.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 983 - Chapter 983 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 980 Black Crystal

    ?Chapter 983: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 980 Black Crystal Chapter 983: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 980 Black Crystal Several hours later, at the bottom of the Yin Yang Cave, Han Li stood within a colossal wind cave, his hands forming seals, with more than ten golden flying swords revolving unpredictably around his body.


    They turned the myriad of moths attacking from all sides into shreds, which then dissipated into wisps of black Qi.


    These moths were all several inches in size and pitch-black.


    With every flap of their wings, they sent out tiny Wind Blades towards Han Li, but these were all easily blocked by the golden light from the swords.


    Seeing the moths fall in succession, as though they were endless, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, growing impatient.


    Suddenly, he reached with one hand to the spirit beast pouch at his waist and raised it into the air.


    Instantly, countless golden beetles swarmed out of the pouch, rushing in all directions.


    These were Han Li¡¯s Gold Devouring Beetles.


    The moment the black moths came into contact with the Gold Devouring Beetles, they tumbled out of the air, immediately falling into a disadvantage.


    Seeing this, Han Li called back most of his flying swords and started to walk deeper into the cave.


    Since this was a wind cave, the surrounding black winds were extraordinarily fierce.


    Even with his powerful Divine Sense, he could only probe a few feet ahead.


    However, now that he was free from the moths¡¯ harassment, he didn¡¯t fear this obstacle.


    After walking to about the middle of the wind cave, Han Li¡¯s pupils flashed with blue light, allowing his vision to pierce through the surrounding black winds and see everything clearly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    After a quick glance, he uttered a light ¡°Huh¡± and changed direction, heading towards a certain spot.


    Just twenty or so feet later, Han Li raised his hand and a pale moon light stone enveloped in green Spiritual Energy flew up into the air.


    In an instant, the surrounding several feet were illuminated clearly.


    In the milky white light, a black crystal the size of a human head was half-embedded in the opposite rock wall, with only half of it exposed.


    Surprisingly, under the flickering dim light of the crystal, continuous streams of black moths emerged, attacking both Han Li and the conspicuous moon light stone.


    They were, of course, intercepted mid-flight by the Gold Devouring Beetles.


    In an instant, the numerous moths from mid-air started tumbling down, but before they could hit the ground, they turned into nothingness.


    ¡°This is already the third one, but this one can actually use ghostly aura to conjure blood ghosts on its own.


    It¡¯s quite peculiar,¡± Han Li muttered to himself.


    Just as Han Li was closely examining it, the black crystal emitted tens of thousands of black rays.


    Then with a ¡°Puchi,¡± a huge moth several feet in size suddenly appeared from within the black lights.


    As soon as this moth appeared, it fiercely fixed its fire-red eyes on Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, and he flicked his finger swiftly.


    Following a thunderclap, a streak of golden lightning shot out, shattering the huge moth into pieces.


    Even if this giant Umbra Moth had some unusual Divine Skill, it couldn¡¯t withstand even a bit against the Devilbane Lightning, which specialized in exorcising blood ghosts.


    Afterwards, he stopped hesitating and reached through the empty space toward the crystal.


    A large hand shimmering in green light appeared out of thin air in front of him, and with a ¡°Bang,¡± forcibly pulled the crystal out of the stone wall.


    The moment the crystal was removed, the violent surrounding ghostly winds diminished by a large margin.


    And those black moths that were battling with the Gold Devouring Beetles also vanished into the wind with a flash of black light.


    Han Li appeared indifferent to this spectacle, having discovered two other crystals previously in wind caves.


    Neither were as large as this one, but when removed, they had caused the same phenomenon.


    He had initially wondered at this, but now paid it no more attention.


    Since the last time he had found the elder with the surname Fu, who had reinforced the Purple Nether Divine Light, Han Li had parted ways with Bai Yaoyi.


    Without her following by his side, Han Li could fully unleash his arsenal of techniques.


    In recent days, as he progressively ventured deeper into the cavern¡¯s heart, he had often encountered high-level blood ghosts, all of which were wiped out cleanly under his flying swords and Devilbane Lightning.


    He hadn¡¯t even needed to use the Weeping Soul Beast.


    In terms of exploration rate, Han Li was moving at least twice as fast as the others.


    When others finished exploring one branching tunnel, he had already completed two.


    However, it made sense why the Yin Yang Cave, despite its fame, had seldom seen high-level cultivators come to explore.


    They had delved so deep but, aside from some ordinary ores and a few damaged Sect Master¡¯s Magic Artifacts and Daoist paper talismans, they found nothing of value.


    It was only after Han Li had pursued a fleeing blood ghost and accidentally entered a small wind cave, where he discovered a Black Crystal, that he became interested in these otherwise avoided wind caves.


    Places of fierce Yin winds were where Yin Zhi Horses absolutely couldn¡¯t survive.


    Additionally, entering a wind cave meant an immediate increase in the consumption of both the reinforcing Purple Nether Divine Light and one¡¯s own mana.


    Naturally, nobody wanted to venture into such an uncomfortable situation.


    But Han Li, protected by Devilbane Lightning and with Myriad Year Spirit Milk to replenish his mana, had no concerns about this.


    He was instead quite interested in these crystals, often venturing deep inside to investigate.


    Han Li had never seen these Black Crystals before, nor had he read about them in any books.


    Although they looked similar to Black Marrow Drills at first glance, the two were entirely different.


    The Black Crystals were not as indestructibly hard as Black Marrow Drills and didn¡¯t contain Demonic Qi.


    Instead, they seemed to be strange wind-attributed crystals condensed over years in a Yin cave and also contained a great deal of ghostly aura.


    However, these Black Crystals were not common.


    After searching through dozens of wind caves, Han Li had only found three so far.


    The first two, only fist-sized, didn¡¯t have the ability to conjure blood ghosts, and were not comparable to the crystal before him.


    Han Li squinted his eyes and carefully examined the crystal stone that no longer showed any reaction.


    After a while, he finally raised his hand and attached several restriction talismans on it, then he packed the Black Crystal into a huge jade box and put it into his storage pouch.


    He then searched the giant wind cavity again to ensure that nothing was overlooked before he left the place and returned to the passage.


    After walking several hundred feet forward and exploring another small cave, the passage began to narrow.


    At last, a stone wall sealed by ice appeared in front of him.


    Han Li sighed but still took a few steps forward and sent a streak of green light towards the wall with a flick of his wrist.


    With a ¡°puchi¡± sound, the green light penetrated several feet deep into the stone wall, then vanished in a flash.


    Han Li didn¡¯t give up, instead he laid one hand on the wall and swept through it with his Divine Sense.


    Moments later, having confirmed that the stone wall was solid without any mechanisms or restrictive formations, Han Li hesitated no longer and turned around, flying back the way he had come.


    The way back had already been scoured once, so his escape speed was naturally several times faster.


    Although he still had no idea how extensive the Yin Yang Cave really was, judging by the various blood ghosts that appeared, he and the others must have been approaching the core of the cave.


    But to this moment, there was still no trace of the Yin Zhi Horse, which made Han Li quite impatient.


    He had hurriedly refined the Three Flame Fan and took the risk to venture into this place, he certainly didn¡¯t want to leave empty-handed.


    The difficulty of breaking through from the mid to the late Nascent Soul stage, Han Li had not yet attempted, but it was imaginable.


    Considering that every cultivator who could reach the mid-stage was a prodigy, but only three individuals in Tian Luo had succeeded in breaking through to the next level.


    Although there were more late Nascent Soul cultivators in Great Jin, relative to the numerous Immortal Cultivation sects and cultivators, they were still as rare as one in a thousand.


    Thus, even though Han Li still had the Phoenix Subversion Cultivation Art as a means to break through the bottleneck, he had no confidence at all that he would truly advance to the late Nascent Soul stage.


    Now that there was a chance to refine a Nascent Soul with the Infant Nurturing Pill, he naturally wouldn¡¯t let it slip away.


    If he really couldn¡¯t find the Yin Zhi Horse in the Yin Yang Cave this time, he would have to find a way to get the recipe for the Infant Nurturing Pill from the rich old man.


    Although the hope was slim, as long as he had the recipe, he would find a way to search for the Yin Zhi Horse elsewhere.


    It was impossible for the Yin Yang Cave to be the only place in the world where ghostly aura gathered.


    Flying hastily, Han Li coldly strategized in his heart.


    Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked intently ahead only to see a flash of light, with a green streak of light flying towards him.


    Without time to think, Han Li flicked his sleeve, and a burst of green luminescence flew out, enveloping the green light and smoothly pulling it down.


    Within the luminescence, the green light¡¯s brilliance subsided, revealing a tiny green dagger with a red jade slip attached to it.


    Han Li pursed his lips, took the jade slip from the dagger, and tossed the green dagger into the air.


    The green dagger let out a clear ring and after circling around, it disappeared into the black wind on the way back, without a trace.


    Han Li, as if indifferent, instead lowered his head and immersed his Divine Sense in the jade slip.


    ¡°Found the trace of the Yin Zhi Horse, this really is good news!¡± Moments later, Han Li¡¯s face showed a smile as he withdrew his Divine Sense from the jade slip.


    He then flipped his hand and a pale White Array Plate appeared in his palm.


    With a tap on the array plate, a flash of green light followed and the surface of the object became as smooth as a mirror, yet four light spots of different colors flickered faintly on it.


    After briefly scanning the position of these lights, Han Li immediately pocketed the array plate and his speed instantly doubled as he shot out.


    Half a day later, Han Li arrived at a four-way intersection, where Lady Yuan, the large man, and Doctor Mo, the old man with the surname Fu, were sitting cross-legged facing a passage to the east.


    The Purple Nether Bead floated motionlessly above the old man¡¯s head.


    ¡°Lady Yuan, you¡¯ve found that thing,¡± Han Li dropped his streak of light in the purple glow and asked with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Indeed, the Yin Zhi Horse is in this passage.


    However, this spiritual creature is extremely cunning, and I cannot capture it alone.


    So I had to temporarily seal off the exit here, waiting for the rest of our fellow Daoists,¡± Lady Yuan replied with a Hehe laugh, an excited look barely concealed on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.


    Now that we know the whereabouts of this Spiritual Creature, capturing it is only a matter of time,¡± Han Li nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai and Sister Chang, being farther away, we will have to wait a bit longer.


    The more of us here, the better our chances,¡± the old man with the surname Fu also said with a happy expression.


    Hearing this, Han Li relaxed and sat down on the spot.


    Several hours later, the lady in black and Bai Yaoyi also arrived one after another.


    The good news brought joy to them as well.


    Without delay, the cultivators set up several simple arrays at the intersection, and then they all flew into the passage to the east.


    But what no one knew was that just as they had flown a short distance away, a faint light suddenly flickered beneath the ground at the intersection, and three pitch-black dried corpses emerged leisurely.


    These corpses had hollow chests, skin and bones, but their eyes flickered with icy green light, emotionlessly staring in the direction where Han Li and the others had disappeared.


    (First update!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 984 - Chapter 984 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 981 Corpse Wolf

    ?Chapter 984: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 981 Corpse Wolf Chapter 984: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 981 Corpse Wolf Several individuals proceeded down the eastern corridor, searching through each cave one by one.


    To prevent any accidents, the usual practice was for three people to explore the cave while the others kept watch over the corridor to prevent the Yin Zhi Horse from sneaking away.


    Before long, they arrived at the spot where the large man surnamed Yuan had found the Yin Zhi Horse-a rather small cave.


    This time, the woman in black and Bai Yaoyi stayed outside while Han Li and the elderly man went inside to investigate.


    Upon entering, they immediately noticed something unusual about the cave; not only was the yin wind very weak, but there was also a warm sensation.


    In addition to discovering some soft, sandy soil, they found a few rare Warm Jade Ore deposits piled in a corner of the cave.


    The air retained a faint fragrance that smelled somewhat like medicinal herbs, mixed with sandalwood, as if it were a blend of the two.


    Looking downward, they could clearly see a number of chaotic hoof-like footprints on the ground-seemingly shrunken several times over.


    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt, these are definitely the prints of the Yin Zhi Horse!¡± the old man surnamed Fu said excitedly, rubbing his hands together after circling the prints and sniffing the air.


    ¡°Since Brother Fu confirms it, then there must be no mistake.


    Let¡¯s follow the trail immediately.


    This passage isn¡¯t very wide; it¡¯s likely a branching path.


    We¡¯ll pursue it gradually and surely corner the creature,¡± the large man surnamed Yuan added, his face flushed with anticipation.


    ¡°Indeed, that makes sense.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã?


    Let¡¯s just-¡± Fu began to agree with a nod, but his words were cut short by a sudden rumble that echoed around them.


    Suddenly, all three of them staggered as the whole cave began to shake.


    Then waves of thunderous roars came from outside the cave, seeming very close.


    Startled, all three simultaneously shimmered with a radiant light and turned into three streaks of light, fleeing the area.


    In the blink of an eye, they appeared in the corridor, where the two women were staring ahead with shocked faces.


    There, a series of heavy footsteps could be heard, and whatever huge creature was making them caused the entire corridor to tremble with each step.


    The terrifying roars also came from that direction, clearly emanating from the same being.


    Exchanging glances, they did not need a reminder to draw their Daoist paper talismans, their expressions turning grave.


    While the others were still unable to see very far due to the black yin wind, Han Li¡¯s pupils already shone with a blue light, allowing him to see a ghostly creature over a hundred yards away.


    He couldn¡¯t help but gasp at the sight.


    It was a huge green-furred wolf.


    The wolf stood on all fours, three yards tall, with a head as big as a small house and eyes as red and bloody as huge wolves¡¯, and its four paws were pitch-black and sharp, much like blades.


    But what truly shocked Han Li was that as the wolf let out its roars, green flames of corpse fire spewed intermittently from its mouth.


    Occasionally when these green fumes touched the ice walls, they would leave grooves of varying depths that shimmered with a melted appearance.


    ¡°Corpse Wolf!¡±


    Han Li immediately recognized the name of the creature, but ordinary Corpse Wolves were just regular ghosts.


    Even if some were larger, they were never this exaggerated.


    This Corpse Wolf¡¯s size was beyond anything recorded in the scrolls, and the aura it gave off was incomparable to that of a normal ghost.


    Just as Han Li was about to warn the other four, his gaze shifted and he caught sight of something half-hidden on the wolf¡¯s head, prompting an exclamation of surprise.


    ¡°This is¡­Lingzhi!¡±


    ¡°What did you say, Brother Han?


    Did you say something?¡± the elderly Fu, with a puzzled look, asked, turning towards him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a powerful ghost creature ahead, and the Yin Zhi Horse seems to be with it,¡± Han Li replied succinctly.


    ¡°Yin Zhi Horse?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the others immediately showed great delight.


    At that moment, the enormous silhouette of the wolf finally became faintly visible through the yin wind.


    Although the true form of the giant wolf was still unclear, the sight of such a massive figure made Fu and the large man shudder, and their smiles quickly faded.


    The woman in black¡¯s expression darkened, and suddenly she flicked her fingers repeatedly, sending more than ten white orbs flying from her hands.


    Instead of aiming at the giant wolf, however, the orbs shot obliquely upwards and burst in mid-air.


    Dazzling white light illuminated a large area in front of them, casting the ferocious and fearsome features of the wolf into view for the rest,


    The expressions on the faces of all four changed instantly.


    They were all individuals with extraordinary experiences, and they could tell at a glance how formidable this wolf was.


    However, in that instant, they also simultaneously saw something white and fluffy perched on the Corpse Wolf¡¯s head.


    Even though its lower half was completely hidden within the green fur, the visible part was clearly a tender white horse¡¯s head with a pair of emerald green eyes staring intently at the group.


    This sight filled everyone with both shock and joy.


    ¡°Everyone be careful; don¡¯t let the Yin Zhi Horse take the chance to escape.


    This Corpse Wolf is likely a mutated blood ghost, which is somewhat tricky, but it is a cinch for the five of us Nascent Soul cultivators to take it down.


    Fellow Daoist Bai, just focus on capturing the Yin Zhi Horse,¡± the wealthy-looking elder reminded, then with a slap to his storage pouch, a chain-shaped treasure emitting a dark light shot out, coiling towards the giant wolf like a poisonous snake intending to ensnare it in a flash.


    The others also made their moves upon hearing this.


    The woman in black flicked her sleeve, and three Crimson Flying Swords shot out; the large man tapped his jade medallion, and suddenly several winged strange scorpions flew out, lunging forward; Han Li opened his mouth and gently blew, and numerous flying swords immediately shone brilliantly, turning into swathes of golden light sweeping across.


    At the same time, Bai Yaoyi flipped her hand, and a semi-transparent silk net appeared, which she gently shook.


    Glittering with cold light, the net turned into a fog as white as snow directly descending over the giant wolf¡¯s head and the Yin Zhi Horse beneath it.


    Although it was the first time the five of them were working together, their combined might with treasures in hand was still awe-inspiring.


    The Yin Zhi Horse, seeming to possess some spiritual intelligence, was scared enough to press its body further down upon witnessing the attack, hiding firmly in the wolf¡¯s fur, no longer daring to show itself.


    The Corpse Wolf, seeing so many attacks, flashed a wild light in its eyes and ceased its howling, then opened its gaping maw and spewed an endless stream of phosphorescent green fire, instantly transforming into a towering wave of green flames to meet the oncoming Daoist paper talismans.


    For a moment, green flames and treasure lights resonated in harmony, entwined with one another.


    Neither Han Li¡¯s flying swords nor the other treasures could get close to the huge wolf, blocked by the Heavenwide Corpsefire, and the Purple Pattern Scorpions summoned from the jade medallion could not avoid in time, instantly consumed by the green flames, dissipating into green smoke.


    It seemed that the Corpsefire was particularly potent.


    The white silk net, which should have been used against the Yin Zhi Horse, was also lifted by the green flames, unable to descend.


    Seeing this, Bai Yaoyi couldn¡¯t help but let out a cold huff.


    The Northern Night Little Polar Palace was originally situated in a land of ice and snow; this woman¡¯s Spiritual Treasures and Cultivation Techniques were primarily of the Yin Ice attribute, naturally disregarding this mediocre Corpsefire.


    Before Han Li and the others could react, she pinched a magical gesture with both hands, scolding softly as a sudden thought flashed past her.


    A layer of frosty mist emerged from her body, from which an exceptionally dazzling brilliance shone forth, making her look ethereal and graceful like an ice maiden within, amidst the cold light.


    The temperature in the surrounding air plummeted in an instant, and while Han Li and the wealthy elder were barely affected, the woman in black and the large man couldn¡¯t help but shiver from the sudden chill.


    The giant wolf seemed to sense the impending danger and took a deep breath before suddenly expelling even more Corpsefire from its mouth.


    Almost at the same time, Bai Yaoyi spit out the Ice Fan from within her body, which circled in the air before landing in her hand.


    Engulfed by the radiating cold light, she gently fanned it towards the Corpse Wolf.


    This time, the wind howling from the fan was not the yellow one seen by Han Li before, but a bone-chilling snow wind filled with countless ice crystals sweeping towards the other side.


    The mingling of green and white lights was dazzling, completely submerging the other treasures¡¯ lights, and bursts of explosions continually rumbled from the collision of the two.


    The Corpsefire spewed by the giant wolf was indeed remarkably sharp, not faltering even when confronted by the ice attribute Divine Skills specifically designed to counter it.


    Seeing this, Bai Yaoyi¡¯s face flushed with a hint of red, and she became severely irritated.


    With a slight flick of the Ice Fan, it suddenly grew in size, and naturally, the chilling wind spewing from the fan greatly increased in strength.


    At that moment, the elder and others, having tested the Corpse Wolf¡¯s capabilities, were naturally not going to just watch Bai Yaoyi struggling alone against the creature.


    The elder pointed a finger at the chain he had previously cast, and suddenly a ¡®pop¡¯ resounded, and a black flame erupted along the chain.


    Then, with a shake of the chain, it turned into dozens of identical chains of fire, instantly forming an enormous net of fire above the giant wolf¡¯s head, forcefully descending like an inescapable net.


    The woman in black was muttering to herself, and the three Crimson Flying Swords trembled sharply before suddenly merging into one, forming a massive sword a few meters long, slashing fiercely with an aura of sword Qi.


    The surname Yuan large man remained expressionless as he put away his jade medallion, and a blue gourd appeared in his hand.


    Out of it spewed a particularly dense purple mist, slowly drifting toward the opposition, its effects unknown.


    Han Li, seeing everyone else exerting their Divine Skills, raised his eyebrows slightly, and with an inconspicuous flick of his sleeve, a red streak flashed and disappeared from view.


    With so many attacks bearing down simultaneously, the giant wolf, despite having considerable Divine Skills, began to struggle.


    As the chains of fire and the Crimson Giant Sword joined the fray in the sky, the Corpsefire was quickly forced back bit by bit.


    The dense purple mist was also about to reach it.


    Although the giant wolf was not highly spiritually wise, its instinctive nature still allowed it to sense danger imminent, and its green glow flashed, with its form swiftly shrinking.


    Then, the thick fur on its back bristled all at once, and with a low growl, a dense barrage of green light was fired, covering all five of them within its range.


    This move was somewhat unexpected to the group, but they dared not underestimate it, deploying their Divine Skills to defend against these green lights while their offensive momentum temporarily slowed.


    But in this slight delay, the mutated Corpse Wolf suddenly turned around and bolted back the way it had come.


    This reaction left the elder and others somewhat taken aback.


    (Second update!) (To be continued¡­


    If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com where there are more chapters and you can support the author as well as enjoying genuine reading!)

 Chapter 985 - Chapter 985 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 982 Evil Soul Thread

    ?Chapter 985: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 982 Evil Soul Thread Chapter 985: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 982 Evil Soul Thread Just at that moment, a red gleam flashed, and a red needle eerily appeared beside the huge red wolf.


    Following another flash, the flying needle turned into a red line and struck the Corpse Wolf¡¯s protective green flame.


    With a ¡°pu¡± sound, the red line sharply pierced through the green flame.


    Startled, the huge wolf frantically shook its head, yet the red line still penetrated its neck and emerged from the other side.


    With a pained roar from its mouth, the Corpse Wolf suddenly shot out black qi from its four legs and vanished into the cold wind without a trace.


    Seeing this scene, the elder and the others were naturally overjoyed.


    ¡°Chase!¡±


    Someone roared loudly, and as their bodies shone with spiritual light, they prepared to pursue in their streaks of light.


    However, at that moment, a bird-like cry suddenly emitted from Han Li¡¯s waist.


    The sound was not loud, but Han Li¡¯s face dramatically changed and he reflexively cast multiple misty sword qi that fiercely struck the ground some thirty feet away.


    With several rumblings, a ghostly light flashed on the ground, and several black hands eerily appeared, flicking their fingers and easily deflecting the incoming sword qi.


    Then, a strong gust of cold wind arose, and three shaky human figures gradually materialized.


    They were the three mummies that had once appeared at the intersection.


    They seemed to have some scheme, for they had managed to evade the Array at the intersection and followed the group to this place, skillfully staying hidden all the while.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    But as Han Li and the others were about to leave, one of the mummies carelessly leaked its presence, which was detected by the Weeping Soul Beast in Han Li¡¯s spirit beast pouch, forcing it to reveal itself.


    Though these mummies were equally emaciated, they varied slightly in height and build.


    With Han Li¡¯s extraordinary memory, he instantly recognized one that seemed oddly familiar, shockingly one that should have turned to ash.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion turned slightly, while the black-robed beauty, the elder, and Bai Yaoyi also let out a gasp at the same time.


    ¡°How are these mummies alive?


    When I found them, they were completely inanimate.¡±


    It was the surprised voice of the black-robed beauty.


    It seemed she had encountered another mummy in a different cave.


    Bai Yaoyi¡¯s shock came for the same reason as Han Li¡¯s, a look of alarmed suspicion crossing her face.


    ¡°How so, do you recognize these ghosts?


    We can¡¯t worry about that now.


    We need to chase down the Yin Zhi Horse first.


    Fellow Daoist Han, Sister Chang, you two stay here to deal with these ghosts while the rest of us chase after the Spirit Objects.


    If it hides again, it will be hard to find.¡±


    Although the elder with the surname Fu was also greatly surprised by the appearance of these three mummies, he was primarily focused on capturing the Yin Zhi Horse.


    In his mind, whether it was Han Li and his fellow female disciple dealing with the three strange Corpse Refining Technique, or the three of them handling the Corpse Wolf, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.


    There indeed was no dissent from the others.


    After the black-robed beauty and Han Li nodded in agreement, the elder with the surname Fu and the other two, without further hesitation, transformed into streaks of light and flew away, chasing after the Corpse Wolf that had disappeared into the cold wind.


    After Han Li put away his Crystalized Flying Needles, he stood side by side with the black-robed beauty, coldly looking at the mummies.


    Although the powers of the Ghost Path were originally eerie, the fact that a body destroyed by Devilbane Lightning could reappear was somewhat inconceivable.


    Thus, although Han Li appeared calm on the outside, he became naturally more cautious inside.


    The black-robed beauty, an elder of the Nine Nether Sect and well-versed in demon ghost arts, likewise did not underestimate these mummies.


    Although the giant red sword circling above her head was dazzling, she had no intention ofAppropriating cautious action.


    While Han Li and his companion maintained their composure, the mummies on the opposite side could not hold back any longer upon seeing the other three leave.


    The larger figure in the middle suddenly took two big steps forward, and at the same time, a gray, fuzzy thread sprayed out from its mouth, aiming directly at the black-robed beauty.


    ¡°Looking for death!¡± the black-robed beauty¡¯s face darkened, and she snorted coldly.


    She flicked her sleeves, and more than ten fireballs shot out in quick succession from her sleeve, then she pointed at the huge sword above her head.


    The giant sword split the void, and a fierce red Sword Qi also chopped down.


    In her mind, this inconspicuous thread was most likely formed from concentrated corpse qi, and fire attribute cultivation arts were precisely its counter.


    However, a startling scene unfolded!


    After a ¡°pupu¡± sound, the gray thread, seemingly unbothered, pierced through all the fireballs.


    Then, with a flash of firelight, the fireballs vanished into thin air, instantly absorbed by the fine thread.


    The following fierce red sword light, upon striking this entity, fared no better than the fireballs.


    The resilient gray thread merely wavered and was then also absorbed without a trace.


    The thread, without any pause, arrived in front of the black-robed beauty.


    The beauty¡¯s expression turned to one of alarm, and with a flick of her fragrant sleeve, a small green shield emerged.


    As it flickered in light, the shield grew significantly in size to block in front of her.


    Almost simultaneously, the giant sword in the air quickly chopped down.


    Spiritual spell might have been absorbed, but an attack with the body of a Spiritual Treasure would certainly not result in the same situation.


    This was the thought in the black-robed beauty¡¯s mind at that instant.


    Indeed, as she imagined, when the giant sword struck the gray thread, it immediately caused the thread to pause, stopping it in its tracks.


    In her elation, she was about to activate the divine skills of the sword when the grey threads suddenly blurred, transforming into hundreds of grey threads.


    The threads twirled around, tightly ensnaring the giant sword.


    Then, a layer of eerie, ghostly light emerged on the threads.


    As soon as the red glow from the sword touched the ghostly light, they withered away.


    The surface of the giant sword started turning from red to black, as if it were being tainted.


    The woman surnamed Chang felt a connection with the sword, and her senses dulled.


    In that moment, the heart of the woman in black sank.


    Without further thought, she fiercely slapped her storage pouch, and a dharmic wheel-like treasure appeared in her hand.


    But before she could deploy it to free her flying sword, she suddenly heard a thunderclap beside her.


    A dazzling streak of golden lightning shot out, striking the giant sword.


    The sound of thunder roared as the grey threads were severed inch by inch in the golden light.


    The giant sword regained its freedom!


    ¡°Thank you, brother Han, for your help!¡±


    The delighted woman hastened to express her gratitude, then pinched a spell incantation, and the flying sword immediately turned into three trails of red light that flew back and disappeared into her sleeve.


    After Han Li had struck to free her, he could not afford to be courteous with the woman, but instead, he fixed his gaze on the sky, his brows furrowing deeply.


    For at the low growl of the opposing corpse, the previously dispersed grey threads miraculously condensed back together, quickly returning to their original thread-like form.


    At that time, the other two corpses also swayed and walked over, ready to attack together.


    Seeing this scene, the woman in black¡¯s expression could naturally not be pleasant, but after an extra glance at the grey threads, a sudden thought flashed across her mind.


    ¡°Evil Soul Thread!


    These aren¡¯t miasma; they are corpse evil Qi,¡± she exclaimed in disbelief, her face turning pale.


    ¡°Corpse evil Qi?¡±


    Han Li found the name somewhat familiar.


    After a bit of thought, he recalled the Great Development Technique he had read not long ago that mentioned this term.


    Upon recalling the related description, his expression immediately darkened.


    This was one of the Ghost Path¡¯s great divine powers, rarely known among cultivators.


    Corpse evil Qi, as the name suggested, was originally qi.


    It was not ordinary qi but something peculiar formed when a person who harbored evil Qi died, and before the qi dispersed completely, it merged with corpse Qi.


    It was said to be extremely difficult to form, requiring at least a body of a Core Formation cultivator and many other unknown conditions to coincidentally take shape.


    However, once corpse evil Qi formed, it could neither be killed nor destroyed, and it could absorb the Five Elements Spiritual Energy and defile various magic treasures and tools, making it one of the top-tier divine powers of the Ghost Path.


    As for Evil Soul Thread, although he had not heard of it, it seemed to be a divine skill executed using this corpse evil Qi, which explained why it was so troublesome.


    It seemed that even his Devilbane Lightning, which could disperse the substance, could not completely extinguish it.


    As Han Li quickly sorted through his thoughts, the three corpses stretched their hands at the same time, bending and flicking their fingers, shooting grey threads from their fingertips.


    The woman in black took a deep breath, raised the dharmic wheel in her hand, while muttering spell incantations.


    The dharmic wheel spun in the air and suddenly emitted a Rainbow Spirit Light, forming a light barrier that enveloped both her and Han Li.


    ¡°Rainbow Spirit Light!


    A Buddhist treasure!¡±


    Originally, Han Li was about to raise his hand, his hands already shimmering with golden electric arcs, but upon seeing this, his action halted, a trace of surprise crossing his face.


    The Evil Soul Threads were incredibly fast, instantly striking the Rainbow Spirit Light, but they were blocked outside without puncturing it.


    Han Li was not surprised; after all, Buddhist cultivation arts naturally counteracted Ghost Path divine skills, so even though the Evil Soul Threads were sharp, they wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the Buddhist Spirit Light immediately.


    However, it was indeed surprising that this woman, being an elder of the Devilcharm Sect, possessed a Buddhist treasure.


    As the three corpses saw that the Evil Soul Threads were ineffective, they did not cease their efforts but instead shook their fingers rapidly, conjuring numerous grey threads that enveloped and layered upon the Rainbow Spirit Light, seemingly determined to trap the two completely.


    A cold light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he rubbed his hands together and then simultaneously lifted them.


    Two thick golden arcs sprayed from his palms, striking the light barrier.


    A crackling sound ensued, and a layer of golden electric net formed on the surface, instantly turning the grey threads outside into dust, vanishing into nothingness.


    Seeing this, the three corpses seemed unconcerned, their hands continuously shooting forth new Evil Soul Threads, the dispersed grey Qi also regenerating.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Chang, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Han Li briefly stated.


    As the rumblings of thunder erupted, a pair of silver wings suddenly emerged behind him.


    The woman in black, who was initially shocked and about to dissuade him, upon seeing Han Li¡¯s transformation, swallowed her words and pinpointed a spot on the light barrier, immediately creating a slender crack.


    Simultaneously, with a flap of his silver wings, Han Li disappeared into a streak of silver light.


    The Three Corpses, being spiritually wise, paused instinctively, their gaze wandering left and right.


    But in the next moment, a few meters behind them, a silver arc flashed, and Han Li reappeared.


    The Three Corpses, without hesitation, flicked their fingers, sending tens of grey threads shooting straight towards Han Li.


    Han Li did not evade, but instead opened his mouth and shot out three beams of golden light, directly attacking the three corpses.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are many more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 986 - Chapter 986 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 983 Silver-winged Yaksha

    ?Chapter 986: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 983 Silver-winged Yaksha Chapter 986: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 983 Silver-winged Yaksha ¡°In terms of speed, clearly Han Li¡¯s golden glow was a tad faster than the grey threads, and with a few puffs, the three small golden swords pierced through the chests of the Three Corpses.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, the Evil Soul Thread reached Han Li and was about to wrap around him.¡±


    ¡°But Han Li uttered a low shout, and a layer of seven-colored halo appeared around him, instantly isolating the grey threads outside.¡±


    ¡°¡®Rainbow Spirit Light,¡¯ a black-clothed beauty in the distance muttered, bewildered by the sight.¡±


    ¡°Yet, Han Li, expressionless, gestured distantly toward the Three Corpses.¡±


    ¡°Three thunderclaps erupted, and golden lightning shot forth from the three small swords, instantly enveloping the Three Corpses in a net of electricity, sparks flying in all directions.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, the Three Corpses, without even a groan, disintegrated within the bursts of golden lightning, leaving behind three dark clumps of energy.¡±


    ¡°These energy masses were continuously torn apart by the golden arcs but kept merging back together, seemingly immortal under the Devilbane Lightning.¡±


    ¡°Seeing this, Han Li furrowed his brows.¡±


    ¡°¡®These are, after all, their true forms.


    They have merged the Corpse Devil Qi with themselves; it¡¯s unlikely we can kill them now.


    We can only use restrictive methods to temporarily seal them,¡¯ said the black-clothed beauty, delighted at Han Li¡¯s triumph, as she approached swiftly.


    Upon seeing the situation, she suggested.¡±


    ¡°¡®No need for redundancy.


    These ghostly things might have some cunning divine abilities.


    Normal restrictions might not be able to seal them, best to finish them off completely.''¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Before she could ask, Han Li suddenly slapped his spirit beast pouch, and a streak of black light shot out, spiraling down to the ground and revealing a sleek black monkey.¡±


    ¡°It was the Weeping Soul Beast!¡±


    ¡°Awakened by the corpse qi, the beast was in high spirits.


    The moment it appeared, without waiting for Han Li¡¯s command, it charged forward and snorted.¡±


    ¡°Immediately, a radiant light burst from its nostrils, sweeping up all the black qi in the golden arc, and with a swift contraction, it was effortlessly drawn back into the beast¡¯s mouth.¡±


    ¡°After swallowing wildly a few times, the Weeping Soul Beast happily thumped its belly and started hopping around, seemingly ecstatic!¡±


    ¡°The woman by the side was left agape in astonishment.¡±


    ¡°A spirit beast capable of devouring ghostly creatures was rare but not unheard of.


    Yet, a small monkey like the one before her that could easily devour ghosts infused with Corpse Devil Qi was something she had never encountered.


    Furthermore, the only known spirit beast resembling a monkey and possessing the ability to consume ghosts was the legendary Jade-eyed Spirit Ape, but it didn¡¯t match the creature before her at all.¡±


    ¡°While the woman was lost in thought, Han Li inspected the Weeping Soul Beast, and finding it showing no signs of distress, he felt relieved.


    Instead of immediately storing it away, he thought for a moment and then beckoned to it.¡±


    ¡°Instantly, the Weeping Soul Beast cleverly somersaulted and sat still on Han Li¡¯s shoulder.¡±


    ¡°¡®Let¡¯s go.


    I wonder if Brother Fu has caught the Yin Zhi Horse yet?¡¯ Han Li glanced at the black-clothed woman and said indifferently.¡±


    ¡°¡®It should be about done.


    The Corpse Wolf has been injured by Brother Han and can¡¯t have gone far.


    Besides, both Lady Yuan and Bai are assisting,¡¯ the woman with the surname Chang suppressed her curiosity about the Weeping Soul Beast and replied with a smile.¡±


    ¡°Han Li smiled, and as he was about to suggest they move on, his body suddenly trembled, and both he and the woman across from him changed expressions dramatically.¡±


    ¡°After exchanging a startled look, Han Li flicked his sleeve while the woman reached into her storage pouch.


    Each flipped their hands and revealed an Array Plate, peering into it.¡±


    ¡°¡®Lady Yuan¡¯s mark is gone.


    Chang, how is yours?¡¯ Han Li took a deep breath and asked gravely.¡±


    ¡°¡®The mark I placed on Lady Yuan has also disappeared.


    Could something have happened to her?


    But we parted ways only a short while ago!¡¯ said the black-clothed woman, her face filled with disbelief.¡±


    ¡°¡®Unclear, Brother Fu and the others may have run into a powerful adversary, or Lady Yuan might have been caught off guard by some restriction.


    Some restrictions can block our marks,¡¯ replied Han Li calmly.¡±


    ¡°¡®You¡¯re right, Fellow Daoist Han, let¡¯s hurry and take a look.


    According to the marks, Teacher Brother Fu and the others haven¡¯t gone far,¡¯ the black-clothed woman said anxiously.¡±


    ¡°Han Li naturally nodded in agreement.¡±


    ¡°The two then transformed into a pair of streaks of light and left the area, flying toward the passageway ahead.¡±


    ¡°After turning through seven or eight passageways and flying over ten miles, the two suddenly emerged into a vast, open area filled with piles of discarded ore.¡±


    ¡°Proceeding cautiously, they slowed their speed.¡±


    ¡°But after only flying about a hundred meters, the piles of ore abruptly ended, revealing a small square.¡±


    ¡°In the center of the square was a giant green bamboo shooting straight into the cave ceiling, disappearing from view, with a massive array set up around its base covering almost the entire square, and scattered around were several tall stone pillars, each bound with a blackened corpse, slashed open just like the three Han Li had encountered earlier.¡±


    ¡°What shocked Han Li and the woman was the sight under the green bamboo: a green-haired humanoid beast.


    This monster sat there, holding a headless corpse, nibbling enthusiastically.


    Judging by the clothes, it was unmistakably the large man with the surname Yuan.¡±


    ¡°Next to the green-haired beast was a colossal figure, clearly the Corpse Wolf they had seen earlier, also devouring something.


    Under its claws lay the Spirit Turtle belonging to the large man with the surname Yuan.


    This creature¡¯s life force was gone, evidently dead as well.¡±


    ¡°And the Yin Zhi Horse still lay unresponsive on top of the Corpse Wolf¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°Seeing this, a chill ran through Han Li¡¯s heart!¡±


    The woman in black swept her pallid face around and then couldn¡¯t help but let out a low cry.


    ¡°Brother Fu!¡±


    She stared into the air, her face full of fear.


    Han Li looked up and then noticed two gray cocoon-like objects suspended motionlessly on either side of the square, each wrapped in layers of gray threads that were clearly the Evil Soul Threads he had seen before.


    But the extent to which these cocoons were wrapped was dense, making the previous dry corpse incomparable.


    Inside the two cocoons, one was continuously exploding with rumbling sounds, and the other was silent yet occasionally emitted strands of crystalline light.


    It seemed that Elder Fu and Bai Yaoyi were just trapped inside, still alive.


    But in a moment, three mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivators had met their fates: one dead, two trapped.


    Han Li maintained his composure superficially, but his interior horror was unimaginable.


    Even though the woman in black was worried about Elder Fu, she knew that now was not the time for rescue.


    After glancing at the gray cocoons, she withdrew her gaze.


    With an unintentional flick of her sleeve, a hand resecured the Buddhist Dharma Wheel in her grasp.


    But the green-haired monster paid no attention to the two of them and just kept eating voraciously.


    After two crisp ¡°crack¡± sounds, an arm was easily torn off by the green-haired monster and quickly chewed up and swallowed.


    Watching the bloody and mangled corpse of the large man surnamed Yuan, Han Li¡¯s pupils shrank, and his eyes flashed with hints of blue.


    Just then, the Weeping Soul Beast perched on his shoulder suddenly issued a sharp screech, its back fur standing straight up as it fixed a hostile stance towards the green-haired monster.


    However, Han Li sensed through the Weeping Soul Pearl within his body that while the beast was agitated, it also harbored immense fear, as if it had encountered its natural predator.


    Han Li became even more cautious.


    But at that moment, upon hearing the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s screech, the green-haired monster abruptly halted its actions, then flung its hand, sending the corpse ¡°swooshing¡± through the air, flying over sixty feet before crashing heavily to the ground.


    Han Li and the woman¡¯s expressions changed again at this sight.


    Such incredible strength in this green-haired monster!


    The green-haired monster then calmly stood up, raising its head to look over.


    Han Li now clearly saw the appearance of the green-haired monster.


    At first glance, the creature¡¯s face resembled a sharp-beaked monkey, but a closer look revealed significant differences.


    It didn¡¯t have the long teeth that a monkey has, which were not only inches long but also extremely sharp.


    Moreover, the monster¡¯s mouth was full of fresh blood, and its eyes were bright silvery white, seemingly pupil-less, which created a bizarre image.


    What drew Han Li¡¯s attention the most was that, upon standing up, the creature suddenly revealed two high protrusions on its back, resembling two flesh buns.


    The green-haired monster merely glanced over them, then its gaze fixed, staring intently at the Weeping Soul Beast on Han Li¡¯s shoulder, its face showing a curious expression, as if both amazed and puzzled.


    The Weeping Soul Beast, under the stare of the green-haired monster, had not only the hair on its back but all its fur stand on end.


    Then, with a leap, it jumped a few meters in front of Han Li, vigorously clapping its chest with both hands, causing its body to swell massively amidst a burst of black light.


    In an instant, a ferocious giant ape, over thirty feet tall, appeared in the cave, with a vivid blood-colored devil pattern on its back that seemed to come to life.


    After transforming, the Weeping Soul Beast saw the green-haired monster retreat several steps abruptly, its shoulders shaking.


    With a ¡°hiss¡± sound, two enormous meaty wings, each about ten meters, unfurled from the flesh buns, shimmering with dazzling silver light.


    ¡°Silver-winged Yaksha!¡±


    The woman in black almost moaned the name of the green-haired monster, her beautiful eyes wide with panic.


    Han Li¡¯s face also turned pale.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha, a known Corpse Refining Transformation just below the Golden Moon Corpse in the human world.


    In other words, a terrifying entity nearly equivalent to a late-Nascent Soul cultivator in divine power.


    Legend had it that if a late Nascent Soul cultivator fought with it, the human side was usually the one to lose.


    Because this evolved Corpse Refining had great Divine Skills of the Wind and Earth Escape Techniques.


    Not only was its body impervious to blades and enormously strong, but it also was skilled in illusion techniques.


    Its pupil-less silver eyes could easily bewilder a cultivator with weak mental fortitude, making them obediently follow commands without their awareness.


    Information about the Silver-winged Yaksha flashed rapidly through Han Li¡¯s mind, and with each detail he recalled, he pursed his lips tighter.


    ¡°Who would have thought, after three arrived, two more brought themselves to me.


    I can¡¯t remember how many years it¡¯s been since I last tasted fresh flesh.


    It seems this time, I can eat my fill.¡± After the double wings of the Silver-winged Yaksha appeared, it no longer feared the presence of the Weeping Soul Beast, instead it yawned wide, speaking human language.


    The words were crystal clear, almost indistinguishable from a human¡¯s.


    (Second update!) (To be continued.


    For future developments, please log into www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 987 - Chapter 987 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Silver Pupil Illusion Technique

    ?Chapter 987: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Silver Pupil Illusion Technique Chapter 987: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Silver Pupil Illusion Technique Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched involuntarily at those words, but he unexpectedly raised both his hands.


    Two small swords shot out in a flash, targeting the two gray giant cocoons in the sky.


    Knowing the difficulty of the monster before him, Han Li immediately planned to rescue the other two people first.


    Naturally, their chances of victory would greatly increase with the four of them working together.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha across from him did not move but revealed a cold smile.


    Under a flash of his silver eyes, a gray hand suddenly materialized from each cocoon and quickly grabbed toward the golden light emitted by the two small swords.


    Caught off guard, Han Li saw his flying swords captured by the large hands made of Evil Soul Thread.


    Although he was startled, Han Li was not panicked.


    His spiritual sense stirred, and thunder rumbled as golden light flickered within the hands.


    The Devilbane Lightning released by the flying swords shattered the Evil Soul Thread in an instant, and it seemed they would break free soon.


    But just then, dense layers of gray threads shot out from the cocoons, enveloping layer after layer.


    At the same time, gray mist spread from the hands and condensed into threads again.


    The two golden swords were trapped, unable to move.


    Han Li frowned and clenched his fists inside his sleeves.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    Suddenly, his body shimmered with golden light, and a booming sound filled the air as a net of golden electricity appeared around him.


    He looked like a materialized god of lightning descending from the heavens!


    The Silver-winged Yaksha, who had been focusing on the Weeping Soul Beast, shifted his gaze toward Han Li, his face showing a hint of surprise.


    ¡°Interesting.


    You managed to break my Evil Soul Thread.


    It must have been you who destroyed my three corpse-refined disciples,¡± the Silver-winged Corpse Refiner said unemotionally.


    ¡°It was indeed my doing.


    Unexpectedly, your words and actions are indistinguishable from us humans.


    It seems your spiritual wisdom is quite high.


    You must also understand the pros and cons,¡± Han Li said coldly, glancing at the remains of the Yuan-surnamed large man.


    He then pointed at the Yin Zhi Horse and continued, ¡°I won¡¯t say much else.


    If you are willing to hand over the Yin Zhi Horse and release my two companions, we can leave immediately.¡±


    Just then, the Weeping Soul Beast, transformed into a huge ape, let out a timely low roar.


    A blood-red glare emitted from the demon pattern on its back, also implying a threat.


    ¡°You want this little thing?


    Of course, you can have it.


    Let your companions come down, and I¡¯ll consider letting you leave,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha quickly replied.


    ¡°Do you really agree?¡± asked the black-robed beauty, who had already raised her dharma wheel into mid-air.


    Her expression brightened upon hearing his words.


    However, Han Li remained silent.


    ¡°I agree to so many terms, and you only need to agree to one.


    You can leave, but this spirit beast must stay,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said, pointing its green-haired finger at the huge black ape and rotating its silver eyes a few times.


    The black-robed beauty was stunned and greatly surprised.


    ¡°Leave my spirit beast behind?


    You must be dreaming!¡± Han Li scoffed coldly.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t leave; stay here and become food instead,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said, showing a ferocious face immediately after Han Li¡¯s refusal.


    Its fangs suddenly grew substantially, and its eyes emitted thousands of silver flashes.


    ¡°Be careful of its Illusion Technique!¡±


    A warning came from one of the gray cocoons, in the voice of an elderly Fu-surnamed man.


    The voice was faint and abruptly stopped.


    But the warning was clearly too late.


    The silver flashes were blinding.


    Even with his Brightsight Water, Han Li involuntarily shut his eyes.


    Struck by the light, the black-robed beauty felt dizzy and was forced to close her eyes immediately.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Han Li exclaimed internally as he shut his eyes.


    When the two opened their eyes again, their surroundings had completely changed.


    Not only had the square and the cocoons disappeared, but the entire area was enveloped in a dense fog, with the Silver-winged Yaksha nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Illusion Technique, it seems to be of a high tier,¡± Han Li muttered.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s really high tier, we¡¯ll only know after testing it,¡± the black-robed beauty said, raising an eyebrow concerningly and becoming increasingly unwilling to wait.


    She quickly pointed to the Buddhist Dharma Wheel above her head.


    ¡°Puff,¡± ¡°puff,¡± came the sounds.


    The dharmic wheel radiated brightly, emitting several beams of rainbow light that disappeared into the mist without a trace, as if swallowed by the sea without any response.


    The lady in black¡¯s expression darkened, and without further thought, she plucked a spirit beast pouch from her waist and flung it into the air, then quickly formed a hand seal.


    Instantly, the pouch quivered and expelled a stream of crimson light, which transformed into a swarm of winged Flying Snakes.


    These Flying Snakes were not large, merely about a foot long, but each had a crown on its head, and their bodies were covered in brightly shining red scales.


    It was clear they were no ordinary spirit snakes.


    The lady chanted under her breath and suddenly cast several red spells towards the swarm of Flying Snakes.


    Immediately, all the Flying Snakes opened their mouths and spat out numerous flames, which instantly surged and then roared into a massive sea of fire, forming in the blink of an eye and beginning to churn violently.


    Watching the lady¡¯s actions, Han Li neither took action nor spoke to dissuade her.


    Instead, he seized the opportunity to look around expressionlessly, his pupils flashing with an urgent blue light.


    The moment the towering flames formed, the originally murky sky suddenly transformed drastically, turning pitch black.


    A flash of silver light appeared, and within the black mist, two huge monstrous eyes emerged, each as large as a meter, radiating silver light-they were the pupil-less silver eyes of the Silver-winged Yaksha, though it was unknown how they had transformed to such a gigantic size.


    A strange laugh echoed from the sky, followed by a barrage of silver light shooting from the gigantic eyes, striking down precisely onto the sea of fire.


    A bizarre scene ensued!


    Wherever the silver light swept, both the raging flames and the Flying Snakes disappeared without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air.


    The entire sea of fire was instantly annihilated.


    Seeing this incredible spectacle, Han Li remained expressionless.


    The lady in black, however, paled and released another red flying sword, slashing repeatedly at the silver eyes in the sky to no avail, like trying to scoop the moon from water.


    At this moment, the lady¡¯s heart sank.


    Clearly, the potency of this Illusion Technique was far beyond her expectations, and she felt utterly unsure of whether she could break it.


    Meanwhile, the strange laughter continued in the sky, growing louder and beginning to boom like thunder, and more silver eyes continued to appear, each as immense as the last.


    After a moment, not only was the sky filled with monstrous eyes, but silver lights also began flashing in the surrounding fog.


    Then, all at once, the monstrous eyes flashed a bright silver and transformed into numerous pristine crescents.


    Simultaneously, shrill howls and heavy footsteps echoed from around, as if some beast were about to leap forth from the mist.


    ¡°Brother Han, do you have a way to break this technique?¡± the lady in black finally lost her composure and turned to ask.


    She had already considered that if even the enigmatic Han Li had no solution, she might have no choice but to use a secret technique that greatly drained her blood essence!


    Han Li did not immediately answer the woman.


    Instead, he raised a hand, and from his arm, a thick arc of golden lightning emerged.


    With a thunderous crack, the golden arc shot forth, striking directly at a newly appeared Silvermoon in the mist.


    With a booming sound, both the moon and the golden arc burst apart.


    Almost simultaneously, countless silver lights poured out from the other Silvermoons, and the surroundings once again became painfully bright.


    The lady in black felt her head spinning and blinked involuntarily.


    But when she regained her composure, she found herself back on the plaza with no trace of the black mist or Silvermoons.


    Relief washed over her, but given her vast experience, she was not overly surprised.


    Opposite her, the Silver-winged Yaksha stood under the bamboo, appearing unmoved, but with its silver wing stretched out from behind, blocking the barrage of golden arcs, its cold eyes fixed on Han Li.


    What caught the lady¡¯s attention was that this creature was now holding a pitch-black mirror in its green-furred palm, aimed at the two of them.


    The mirror was small but shone with an ominous dark light that seemed to suck one¡¯s soul directly into it, exuding a notably sinister aura.


    ¡°You could locate me within the Illusion.


    That¡¯s somewhat strange,¡± said the Silver-winged Yaksha lightly, swinging its wing casually to deflect the golden arcs aside.


    ¡°I had the Evil Moon Phantom Mirror enhancing the Silver Pupil Illusion Technique, which should have increased its power by at least half.


    It¡¯s not something that can be broken with mere strong spiritual sense.


    Your eyes looked unusual during the Illusion; could it be that you¡¯ve cultivated some special Brightsight Spirit Technique?¡±


    Han Li heard this but merely smiled coldly, showing no intention of responding.


    He flicked his sleeves, and suddenly a chirping noise rose from within, as dozens of small golden swords swarmed out, forming a flurry of golden light dancing in front of him.


    Meanwhile, a rumbling of thunder echoed from behind, and a pair of silver-white wings materialized.


    And Han Li was not yet done.


    Taking a deep breath, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a snow-white pearl wrapped in a bundle of Purple Apex Flames, twirling ceaselessly in front of him.


    The moment the pearl appeared, the temperature around the plaza dropped drastically, making it feel as if one were in a frozen snowy world.


    Previously, when Han Li released his flying swords¡¯ light, the Silver-winged Yaksha remained indifferent, but when the wings appeared behind Han Li, a hint of surprise crossed its face.


    When the Snow Crystal Bead wrapped in Purple Apex Flames also appeared, revealing its formidable power, the creature finally showed a serious expression.


    Han Li continued his preparations, casually elevating a spirit beast pouch into mid-air, from which a swarm of Golden Beetles buzzed out, transforming into a golden cloud floating above.


    His hands formed another spell, and a layer of Rainbow Spirit Light appeared around him.


    Then, flipping his palms, a purple mirror rose up, wrapped in a sphere of purple light.


    At this point, except for his trump card, Han Li had summoned all his Spiritual Treasures.


    Facing an opponent that might be even more formidable than a late Nascent Soul cultivator, he dared not be careless for even a moment.


    (To be continued.


    For more details, please visit www.qidian.com where more chapters are available.


    Support the author by reading the official version!)

 Chapter 988 - Chapter 988 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Evil Moon Phantom Mirror

    ?Chapter 988: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Evil Moon Phantom Mirror Chapter 988: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 984 Evil Moon Phantom Mirror The black-clad beauty watching Han Li command so many extraordinary treasures suddenly felt a surge of energy.


    She raised her hand to summon a blue little shield in front of her and slapped her storage pouch, immediately two butterfly-shaped treasures flew out, dancing in front of her as if they were alive.


    As a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, this woman certainly had more treasures than these, but combat between cultivators was not simply a matter of summoning as many treasures as possible.


    Even those with many treasures, upon reaching a certain limit of Divine Sense used to manipulate them, would not summon any more.


    After all, during combat, one must not only rely on treasures but also reserve enough spiritual sense to cast spells.


    As for how much Divine Sense to reserve, that depended on the individual.


    Those who believed their treasures to be sharp but their spells weak naturally allocated more Divine Sense to their treasures.


    Conversely, those with ordinary treasures but proficient in powerful secret techniques would keep more spiritual sense to cast spells.


    In addition, the more powerful the treasure, the more Divine Sense it typically required.


    That¡¯s why Core Formation cultivators rarely command ancient treasures, and why cultivators, despite having strong spiritual sense, select only a few powerful treasures to combat their foes.


    The amount of treasures Han Li had released at once, even if he hadn¡¯t reserved much Divine Sense, was enough to show the strength of his Divine Sense.


    However, before Han Li and the beauty could join forces, the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s face flashed with ferocity, and his body suddenly emitted an extremely vast aura.


    Then, bending his body, he smashed down hard with one palm.


    With a thud, the sharp claws of one hand pressed against the ground.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã?


    Han Li and the beautiful woman both were startled, not yet understanding the other¡¯s intentions, when a rumble rose from the entire plaza.


    The ground¡¯s great Array suddenly shone with multicolored lights, and the pillars that bound the mummies around shook violently.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Han Li¡¯s face changed, without another thought his wings shook behind him, and his figure and the treasures around him instantly disappeared from their original place, leaving behind only the golden cloud transformed by Gold Devouring beetles and the Weeping Soul Beast.


    Seeing this, the Silver-winged Yaksha let out a fierce laugh and wrapped himself in black light before disappearing from the spot with a move of his flesh wings.


    Boom!


    On the edge of the Array, a clump of black light and a flash of silver burst forth simultaneously, colliding and sending forth tens of thousands of rays of light.


    They then vibrated and shot back in opposite directions, revealing two winged figures-it was Han Li and the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    And in that moment¡¯s delay, black qi began to rise from the bodies of the mummies on the surrounding pillars.


    Then the dark qi turned into beams of black light shooting up from the pillars into the sky.


    In an instant, a huge, gloomy light screen enveloped the entire plaza.


    For a moment, Han Li and others were cut off from escape, trapped within the light screen.


    The black-clad beauty, realizing that something was amiss when the Array showed anomalies, immediately transformed into a streak of light in an attempt to shoot outwards, but after only covering about twenty zhang, the light screen had already formed, leaving her no choice but to stop her flight, her expression flickering uncertainly.


    Han Li, looking at the Silver-winged Yaksha in the black light, had a somber expression, feeling somewhat regretful.


    For at that moment, the Silver-winged Yaksha had five blood-red rings appear around his limbs and neck, glittering with light.


    They were clearly some kind of restraining Magic Artifact.


    ¡°You really cannot leave this place, otherwise, with your heavenly skill, you wouldn¡¯t have willingly stayed here.


    I just didn¡¯t expect that you could activate this Array without Spirit Stones.


    You can¡¯t leave the reach of this Array, can you!¡± Han Li exhaled and coldly said.


    At this moment, the light of the Array gradually faded, but the pillars around the light screen were shrouded in black qi, the beams of light they emitted not diminishing at all.


    Hehe!


    This Devil Restraining Formation was indeed laid down explicitly to confine me, but the one who laid down this Array did not anticipate that after so many years, I could use some of these restrictive formations.


    Though I am bound and cannot leave, you too are now trapped here,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha gently fluttered his wings, releasing a burst of triumphant laughter.


    A cold light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Suddenly, the Weeping Soul Beast snorted loudly with its large snout and sprayed out a blinding yellow radiance that swept toward the aerial corpses, moving so swiftly that it was nearly upon them in an instant.


    The laughter from the Silver-winged Yaksha abruptly ceased when, with a fierce flap of his wings, his figure vanished before the yellow light could touch it.


    But in the next moment, the entity reappeared on a bamboo shoot.


    Regardless, the Weeping Soul Beast¡¯s head swiveled, and a vast expanse of yellow radiance still unrelentingly followed after.


    This provoked the ferocity in the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s silver eyes.


    His own eyes bulging, he suddenly flapped his wings hard, and countless silver needles shot out from them, meeting the yellow radiance from the Weeping Soul Beast head-on.


    The yellow radiance, which should have been overwhelmingly effective against ghostly creatures, was unexpectedly met by the silver light and did not overcome it.


    Even though Han Li knew the Silver-winged Yaksha was no ordinary refined corpse, this scene still sent a chill through his heart.


    Seeing this, the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s earlier fear faded considerably, and with a sinister laugh, he slightly shifted his figure, disappearing in a wisp of black light and then reappeared above the Weeping Soul Beast, about to spray something out from his mouth with a flickering black radiance.


    However, just then, he was startled by a loud buzzing from above.


    Looking up in response, a pitch-black beam of light shot straight out from his mouth, directly hitting a zhang-long Golden Cloud descending from above-it was Han Li¡¯s Gold Devouring beetles.


    After Han Li Thunderstorm Wings away, the beetles had stayed aloft without moving.


    Now that the flying corpse had come near them, moved by Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, they did not hesitate to attack.


    But the black light beam was the corpse qi that the Silver-winged Yaksha had cultivated for tens of thousands of years.


    It was not only extremely filthy and cold but also carried deadly corpse poison.


    Even the Gold Devouring beetles, whose bodies were as hard as iron and impervious to the Hundred Poisons, were knocked down like rain by this surge of corpse qi, and in a blink of an eye, a third of the beetle swarm had fallen.


    The remaining Gold Devouring Bugs, startled, scattered in all directions, no longer clumping together.


    But in that brief moment of distraction, the Weeping Soul Beast had already reacted.


    With a snort, another swath of yellow mist rolled upward.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha, however, moved its wings with composure, and its figure appeared effortlessly ten-odd zhang away.


    The mist of light naturally swept through empty air.


    And it was at this moment, in the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s original position, with a flash of silver light and the sound of thunder, Han Li appeared there.


    Without a word, he swept his sleeve, and the flying swords turned into a swath of golden light sweeping towards the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    At the same time, the purple mirror spinning above him flashed, emitting a purple beam that followed closely behind the sword light.


    Moreover, Han Li¡¯s finger stealthily flicked from within his sleeve, a red line flashed and disappeared without a trace.


    Then, expressionless, he glanced sideways at the ground, only to see those Gold Devouring Bugs that had originally fallen, suddenly fluttered their wings and buzzed as they rose into the air once again, albeit appearing somewhat feeble and weak.


    Han Li¡¯s heart slightly relaxed.


    At this moment, the beautiful woman in black clothes also took the opportunity to point at the two white jade butterflies.


    The two jade butterflies swelled in size amidst the white light, transforming into the size of a person, then after a few frantic flaps of their wings, two white blurry tornadoes instantly formed in front of the woman.


    Following her spell incantation, the two tornadoes turned into two white Wind Flood Dragons, fiercely pouncing towards the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    Witnessing such a barrage of attacks, the Silver-winged Yaksha revealed a dark smile with a wide open mouth, then suddenly raised both hands, one revealing the Evil Moon Phantom Mirror, and the other, with a puff, producing a fist-sized orb of light.


    This orb was murky, flashing with a chilling, ghostly light.


    Without hesitation, the Nightfiend glanced coldly at the golden sword light that was the first to attack, then clapped his hands together so that the orb of light disappeared into the mirror¡¯s surface.


    Immediately, identical orbs of light surged from within the mirror, and rapidly merged into one.


    In an instant, a huge orb of light several zhang in diameter appeared, unceremoniously enveloping the Silver-winged Yaksha within.


    The dazzling golden light struck fiercely upon the massive orb.


    With a ¡°pop,¡± the giant orb burst like a bubble, but the fragments transformed into even more smaller orbs of light.


    Yet the golden brilliance had already flashed from over the body of the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    With a flash, the dozens of flying swords interweaved and the Silver-winged Yaksha was beheaded into numerous pieces.


    Then, without hesitation, the sword light flew out from among the many orbs of light.


    Seeing this, Han Li felt not joy but shock.


    He simply couldn¡¯t believe that the Nightfiend could be killed just with the flying swords.


    As expected, an incredible scene immediately unfolded.


    The small orbs of light converged towards the centre, and as they merged back into a large orb, the shattered corpse blurred, and the Silver-winged Yaksha reappeared unharmed within the huge orb, as if nothing had happened.


    Han Li frowned.


    At that time, the purple beam of light from behind and the two Wind Flood Dragons of the black-clothed beauty also ferociously attacked.


    And again, a similarly eerie scene occurred.


    The massive orb shattered again, and the Silver-winged Yaksha was torn to pieces by the Wind Flood Dragons and the beam, but upon the orb¡¯s reformation, the Nightfiend appeared intact within the orb once more, as if having an undying body.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha glanced at the two with a hint of a cold smile, making no other move.


    However, orbs of light continued to surge out from the black mirror in his hand, causing the massive orb to grow rapidly in size to more than a dozen zhang wide.


    Han Li¡¯s face showed a trace of gravity.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what would happen when enveloped within the orb of light, it was definitely not something good.


    The black-clothed beauty, simultaneously horrified, unhesitatingly gestured with her hands and commanded the wind dragons to launch a second wave of attacks.


    Instantly, the two wind dragons spiralled before diving once again into the orb, just as easily shattering it.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha was easily slain once more like a mirage, but this time the wind dragons did not leave the orb.


    Instead, they opened their mouths wide, and numerous white blurry Wind Blades spewed out, lashing in all directions.


    Before the small orbs of light could merge together again, they were shattered into even finer pieces.


    Suddenly, where the core of the original orb was, a fierce wind raged, and a shrill whistling arose.


    Han Li did not urge the nearby flying swords to join the attack.


    Instead, he squinted and watched all this silently, with a flicker of blue light deep in his pupils.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 989 - Chapter 989 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 985 A Strike that Breaks the Spell

    ?Chapter 989: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 985 A Strike that Breaks the Spell Chapter 989: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 985 A Strike that Breaks the Spell ¡°Not good, stop quickly.


    Your Wind Flood Dragon has shrunk quite a bit,¡± Han Li suddenly changed his expression, twisted his head, and shouted loudly at the woman in black.


    In fact, the woman didn¡¯t need to be reminded to sense that something was amiss.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s shout, she was instantly alarmed and pinched a spell with both hands.


    The Wind Blades emitting from the wind dragons¡¯ mouths halted, and then with a whistling sound, they shot out of the sphere and hovered motionlessly in midair after spiraling around.


    Indeed, both wind dragons had shrunk by nearly half their original size.


    As for the sphere that had been reduced to the size of peas by the Wind Blades, it reformed into a whole the instant the wind dragons flew away.


    At this moment, the giant sphere was now thirty-odd zhang wide, nearly occupying one-third of the trapped light screen.


    Meanwhile, from within the sphere came a cold chuckle, ¡°Hehe,¡± and the Silver-winged Yaksha, holding the Evil Moon Illusion, emerged with a cold smile on his face.


    Seeing this, Han Li sighed.


    He had encountered a similar situation years ago during his battle with Archsaint Six Paths in the Scattered Stars Sea.


    On that occasion, Wen Tianren had used a special artifact that allowed him to hide within a Violet Cloud and slightly distort space, rendering his flying swords utterly ineffective against the opponent.


    In the end, it was only by relying on the overbearing power of Yin Devil Execution that he forcibly broke the restrictive formations and severed one of the opponent¡¯s arms.


    It seemed that the technique used by the Silver-winged Yaksha this time was likely similar to that divine skill, but the level of proficiency was definitely not comparable to that of Archsaint Six Paths.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    Yet Han Li hadn¡¯t refined the Yin Devil Execution further due to his constant focus on cultivation.


    However, using a similarly overbearing method should be able to break this technique.


    It was a pity that his Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword couldn¡¯t form the Aureate Sword Formation again; otherwise, this spell-casting and immobile Silver-winged Yaksha, once trapped in the Sword Array, would surely die, no matter how strange the sphere was.


    Having made his judgment, Han Li immediately came up with a plan.


    Without hesitation, he took a deep breath, slapped his storage pouch with one hand, and flipped his palm.


    A crimson Daoist paper talisman suddenly appeared in his hand-its runes were dancing like flames, and a shadowy mini-red serpent was almost vivid, clearly a Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    This Daoist paper talisman was refined by Han Li alongside the Three Flame Fan, taking advantage of an eighth-grade Redfire Flood Dragon¡¯s soul essence.


    As a result, it was delayed by some time, nearly causing him to miss the meeting with Doctor Mo and others in Poisonplay Valley.


    However, due to his prior experience in refining, the quality of this one was much better than the previous one, and the amount of mana it could enhance was far superior to the last Spirit Subjugation Talisman.


    With no hesitation, he slapped the talisman onto himself, and the fiery red paper talisman vanished into his body in a flash.


    A phantom silhouette of a serpent suddenly appeared behind him and swiftly took possession of Han Li.


    Within a cluster of red light, Han Li grew horns on his head and red scales appeared on his body; in moments, he transformed into a bizarre half-human, half-serpent creature.


    His mana surged to the peak of the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han!¡±


    ¡°Eh!¡±


    Clearly, both the woman in black and the Silver-winged Yaksha were surprised upon seeing Han Li¡¯s transformed state, obviously having never encountered a Spirit Subjugation Talisman before!


    The Silver-winged Yaksha, sensing the wild increase in Han Li¡¯s cultivation, quickly lost the cold smile at the corners of his mouth.


    At that moment, Han Li formed seals with his hands, and the dozens of golden flying swords that had been circling the sphere shot upwards, producing a clear resonating sound after a spin.


    With a tremble, each of them split into six.


    Nearly two hundred beams of golden sword light emerged at once and then converged towards a point.


    Instantly, a mass of golden radiance appeared in the air, as blinding as the midday sun.


    Following the condensing of the light, a golden sword over ten zhang long appeared above the sphere, and the remarkable aura from the sword even caused the complexion of the Silver-winged Yaksha below to change.


    Upon the formation of the giant sword, Han Li immediately pointed to the Snow Crystal Bead on his chest.


    The bead turned into a streak of purple light, shooting towards the giant sword.


    Simultaneously, he cast a spell with his spiritual sense towards the giant sword.


    With a thunderous roar that shook the heavens, thick golden lightning arcs suddenly appeared on the sword, wrapping the entire sword in countless electric arcs.


    The intertwining of golden light and the constant rumblings of thunder created a spectacle as if an artifact of the Immortal cultivator had come to life.


    As Han Li unleashed the Devilbane Lightning, the Snow Crystal Bead also reached the handle of the giant sword.


    Following a flash of purple light, the bead disappeared into it without a trace.


    Immediately, a layer of eerie purple flame spread from the handle along the sword¡¯s body, intertwining with the golden lightning and making the giant sword radiant like an Immortal¡¯s divine instrument.


    Upon witnessing this, the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s complexion grew even more unsightly, with his furry face even showing hints of pallor.


    By this time, the giant sphere had already taken up nearly half the space within the light screen, forcing Han Li and the woman in black to slowly drift backward.


    However, observing the giant sword in the air, the woman¡¯s astonishment exceeded even that of the Silver-winged Yaksha, her thoughts spinning rapidly.


    Under such a terrifying assault, it was presumed that even late Nascent Soul cultivators would not dare to endure the attack head-on.


    ¡°Break,¡± Han Li uttered coldly, just as the woman was in shock.


    The giant sword, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder, sunk downward, while simultaneously, golden sword light several meters in length burst forth from the blade.


    Before the sword even made contact with the globe of light below, the spiritual pressure emanating from the sword caused it to shudder incessantly.


    With a flash of golden light, the giant sword slashed downward, and the globe of light was immediately shattered and dispersed by the force of the Spiritual Energy.


    As the light dissipated, there was no sign of anyone inside the globe.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha unexpectedly appeared a short distance away in the air, ominously glaring at the giant sword.


    Under the immense pressure of the giant sword, the Yaksha ultimately did not dare to withstand Han Li¡¯s attack.


    As the sword approached, it used its silver wings to flee.


    However, the Evil Moon Phantom Mirror in its hand had ceased its emission, the cultivation technique forcefully broken.


    Hence, after the destruction of the large globe of light, it could not return to its original form.


    The eyes of the Silver-winged Yaksha flickered as it covertly considered which Divine Skill to deploy next.


    Suddenly, a sharp whizzing sound came from behind, followed by a red line emerging a couple feet away and shooting toward the back of its head, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.


    With Divine Sense comparable to late Nascent Soul cultivators, the Yaksha¡¯s awareness was exceptional.


    Despite the sudden appearance of the red line, it didn¡¯t even turn its head, shaking its silver wing behind it to block.


    There was a loud ¡®boom¡¯.


    Contrary to the Yaksha¡¯s expectations, when the red line struck the silver wing, it suddenly exploded into a colossal fireball, startling the Yaksha!


    But just as it realized that the fireball was merely a facade and posed no real threat, and it let out a sigh of relief, the red line had vanished without a trace once the flames dispersed.


    After a moment of shock, just as the Yaksha was about to meticulously search with its Divine Sense, there was a rumble of thunder from in front, and the giant sword soared up, descending in a vicious slash once more.


    A woman clad in black also initiated a spell from afar, and two wind dragons, unbeknownst to when they had arrived, soared above the flighty corpse.


    They circled before opening their mouths to unleash a torrent of densely packed Wind Blades.


    At this point, the Silver-winged Yaksha had no time to consider anything else.


    It flicked its hand, placing the Evil Moon Illusion motionless in front of it, then with both hands clasped seriously, it grasped into the void above.


    Suddenly, two enormous hands formed of Evil Soul Thread appeared, as large as ten feet, and they boldly punched towards the giant sword.


    Now wasn¡¯t like before when it couldn¡¯t move; it needed to truly test the giant sword¡¯s might.


    Simultaneously, the Yaksha¡¯s silver wings also expanded, transforming into a silver screen shielding its head from above.


    After a rapid succession of ¡®puchi¡¯ sounds, the Wind Blades, upon striking the silver screen, were effortlessly deflected.


    As the large hands encountered the giant sword, ¡®boom¡¯, ¡®boom¡¯ ¨C the sword, leveraging its astonishing power, scattered one of them with a single slash, but the brightness of the sword light also weakened slightly.


    When it struck the second giant hand, both were involuntarily sent flying backward, seeming evenly matched.


    Right when the second gray hand was beheaded, causing a loud boom, that vanishing red line enigmatically reappeared at the exact spot in front of the Yaksha¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The Silver-winged Yaksha felt shock in its heart; it hastily reached out to grab, but it was too late.


    With just a flash, the red line ¡®puchi,¡¯ pierced the Evil Moon Phantom Mirror but was immediately snatched by a hairy hand with lightning speed.


    And only then did the black mirror ¡®bang¡¯ resound crisply before shattering into a cloud of black light.


    ¡°How dare you destroy my treasure mirror!¡± The Silver-winged Yaksha jerked as it saw the Evil Moon Phantom Mirror obliterated, its face instantly revealing extreme anger.


    The destruction of the mirror, which seemed to hold particular significance for it, was so captivating that it was oblivious to the fiery needle it had grabbed turning scalding red, as if heated to a branding iron¡¯s temperature.


    Han Li was momentarily stunned!


    His purpose in attacking the mirror had been simple, for combined with the creature¡¯s Illusion Technique, it had proved quite troublesome.


    It was better to resolve it in one go.


    Now facing the Yaksha¡¯s furious anger, Han Li felt somewhat perplexed, yet his hands did not pause for a moment.


    With a gesture, the now significantly dimmer golden sword ¡®boom,¡¯ split apart.


    Nearly two hundred rays of sword light immediately transformed into a massive Sword Net, descending in harmony.


    He showed no mercy in his attack!


    If the opponent dared to block with those silver wings, he would not hesitate to slash it into countless pieces with his flying swords imbued with Auric Essence.


    Meanwhile, the Snow Crystal Bead rotated, and several fist-sized Firebirds emerged, then gracefully descended.


    Even in its extreme anger, the Silver-winged Yaksha didn¡¯t fall for the bait of directly resisting Han Li¡¯s barrage of attacks.


    Instead, with a movement of its silver wings, it appeared at another location, staring at Han Li with a face full of cruelty, as its silver eyes started to turn blood-red.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to waste my base essence and had hoped to simply use illusionary entrapment to capture you.


    But now, I¡¯ve changed my mind.


    I will make sure to capture you myself, extract your soul, and relish it bit by bit,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said with a face full of murderous intent.


    Subsequently, it flickered and appeared atop the Corpse Wolf¡¯s head.


    Without saying another word, it stamped on the wolf¡¯s head and rapidly flapped its silver wings, which emitted a layer of yellow light.


    Then, along with the wolf, it silently sank into the ground, much like a phantom.


    ¡°Earth escape!¡± Han Li¡¯s brow furrowed instantly, and with a point of his finger, all the treasures flew back to him.


    Just then, rumbling sounds came from below the ground, the entire Array trembled massively, and streams of yellow light mixed with black Qi emerged from various parts of the Array.


    From the depths below, the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s pained howl resounded, seemingly in extreme agony.


    Meanwhile, the expression of the woman in black fluctuated, glancing at Han Li and then at the Array beneath.


    After a moment of hesitation, she bit her lip hard and suddenly shot towards a certain grey cocoon.


    En route, she lifted her hand first, releasing a pair of scissors-shaped Spiritual Treasure.


    This treasure emitted a dazzling light and seemed incredibly sharp!


    (Second release!)(To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 993 - Chapter 993 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 989 Phenomenon in the Sky Vast Changes

    ?Chapter 993: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 989 Phenomenon in the Sky Vast Changes Chapter 993: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 989 Phenomenon in the Sky Vast Changes ¡°`


    Before long, after the monks investigating the rest of the Formations had returned, their reports were shockingly identical to that of the first: the Formations were destroyed, and the disciples who operated them had vanished into thin air.


    At this, everyone realized the gravity of the issue.


    The cultivators of the Ye Clan fell silent.


    ¡°In a hundred li radius, aside from our Ye Family cultivators, there are no other monks present.


    If someone infiltrated and sabotaged afterward, the timing is too perfect.


    The moment we lifted the seal, someone was immediately tampering with the camouflaging Formations.


    It seems the problem arose from within our ranks,¡± the scholar suddenly said with a cold sneer.


    ¡°One of our own!¡±


    ¡°Impossible, right?


    Aren¡¯t these all Ye family members?


    Who would do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°All Ye family members?


    That¡¯s not necessarily true.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Isn¡¯t there one who doesn¡¯t bear the Ye surname?¡±


    After a burst of discussion, someone immediately spoke out.


    Hearing this, most of the cultivators turned their gaze toward one person with a moved heart.


    The man had an ordinary appearance and a calm demeanor.


    He was the human cultivator who was the incarnation of an ancient devil.


    ¡°Senior Han was personally invited by me, and he has always been with Seventh Uncle.


    Don¡¯t speculate wildly,¡± the Great Elder of the Ye Family interjected to quiet them down.


    ¡°Indeed, Fellow Daoist Han has been in the company of this old one the whole time, and we have enjoyed each other¡¯s company very much!¡± the big-headed eccentric also said indifferently.


    Listening to the eccentric speak like this, the other cultivators naturally held great respect for this elder of the Ye family and immediately their suspicions were dispelled.


    At this time, the scholar instructed a square-faced cultivator:


    ¡°Second brother, go check the bottom of the lake.


    See if, aside from those missing disciples, anyone else is missing.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± The square-faced cultivator acknowledged with a single breath and then transformed into a streak of light, plunging into the depths of the lake and disappearing without a trace.


    ¡°Elders, let us make preparations as well.


    Although the abnormal phenomenon here is startling and can no longer be hidden, no power will be able to threaten us in the short term.


    There are no major sects in the Southern Border, and it will take significant time for cultivators from other regions to arrive here; certainly not just ten or fifteen days.


    Although it¡¯s unclear what lays inside Kunwu Mountain, we must extract its secrets as soon as possible, especially those two heavenly spirit treasures.


    We must obtain them quickly.


    Only by doing so, even if our plans are discovered, can we have the power to protect ourselves.


    Otherwise, not only will hundreds of years of planning benefit others, but the Ye Clan might also face disastrous extermination!


    Such an event must not occur,¡± the white-robed scholar said sternly to the others.


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± Upon hearing his words, the rest of the Ye Clan elders shivered in their hearts and responded in unison.


    After waiting for a while, the square-faced cultivator and the white-robed elder concurrently soared out from beneath the lake.


    Upon reaching the white-robed scholar, the square-faced cultivator spoke with a grim expression:


    ¡°Third brother, as expected, we are two Array Masters short; they are the nephews of the fifth and twelfth families.


    Could these two dare to collude with outsiders against our clan?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    Colluding against the clan isn¡¯t certain, but it¡¯s possible they were soul-searched and killed by someone.


    When did they disappear?¡± The scholar asked with a cold snort.


    ¡°About two days ago.


    These two were responsible for Formations in very remote areas, and at the time, no one was suspicious.


    It was only supposed to be today that all disciples were to gather here when their disappearance was noted,¡± replied the white-haired elder, his face beaded with cold sweat.


    ¡°It seems the problem lies with these two.


    However, whatever the true nature of things is, it is no longer important.


    As soon as we enter Kunwu Mountain, all Array Masters and clan disciples should immediately withdraw.


    Speaking of which, has the location of the seal¡¯s crack been confirmed?¡± The scholar asked calmly.


    ¡°It has been located with an Array, twenty li north of here and a thousand zhang under the ground.


    There appears to be a crack tens of zhang in length,¡± the white-haired elder hurriedly replied.


    ¡°Lead the way, and let¡¯s set off,¡± the scholar said without hesitation.


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± The white-haired elder bowed and complied.


    Without delay, a procession of nine cultivators flew northward with their escape techniques, and in a moment, their streaks of light reached a dense forest twenty li away, lush and vibrant green below them.


    The white-haired elder stopped his streak of light, scanned the surroundings, and then flipped over his hand, revealing a faintly silver Magical Disc in his palm.


    Muttering an incantation, the elder cast a spell onto the Magical Disc, which started to glow with spiritual light, faintly revealing various runes.


    ¡°This is the place!¡± The white-haired elder declared with certainty after only a short glance at the Magical Disc.


    ¡°Good!


    Ninth Sister, release the spirit beast, and let¡¯s go down,¡± the scholar said, turning to an old Daoist nun.


    The Daoist nun complied and slapped her spirit beast pouch, from which a ray of yellow light shot out.


    The light rapidly expanded in the wind, and within moments, it transformed into a Giant Centipede more than ten zhang long, breathing out green vapor with a fierce demeanor.


    Without needing anyone else to speak, all Ye Clan cultivators, except for the white-haired elder, flew onto the back of the Giant Centipede.


    The nun gave a low shout, and a thin yellow light shield radiated from around the Giant Centipede, enveloping all the cultivators.


    The Giant Centipede then shifted its body and plunged downward.


    Upon contact with the ground, the Giant Centipede¡¯s massive body silently penetrated the earth, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    It turns out this was a demon beast skilled in Earth Escape Skill.


    ¡°`


    The white-haired elder lingered in the air for a moment, and seeing no sign of the Ye Clan cultivators coming out again, he took a long breath and turned to fly back the way he had come.


    Almost at the same time, high in the sky two hundred li away, several cultivators clad in blue robes and red headbands looked toward the distance where seven pillars of milky white light shot into the sky, exchanging perplexed glances with one another.


    ¡°What is this, such an astonishing sky phenomenon,¡± a young man in his twenties said in a daze.


    ¡°No matter what it is, it¡¯s definitely not something ordinary.


    Junior Yu, you go back to our sect and report this matter quickly.


    The rest of you, follow me to take a closer look!¡± A dark-skinned cultivator instructed sternly.


    Another cultivator immediately agreed upon hearing this and started flying away with his magic artifact.


    The remaining people sped towards the direction of the small lake under the lead of the middle-aged cultivator.


    From an even farther place, atop the summit of a tall mountain, hundreds of cultivators with various attire were gathered.


    They were all low-level cultivators, mostly at the Qi Refinement Realm, with only a few at the Foundation Establishment Stage, seemingly having a small gathering.


    Although their cultivation levels were low, the light pillars were so eye-catching that they all saw them clearly.


    At this moment, everyone, whether standing on stone cliffs or flying in the sky on their artifacts, stared in astonishment in the direction of the light pillars.


    At the foot of an unnamed desolate mountain, a slightly plump elder stood outside a half-open stone door, his face thoughtful as he looked at the few streaks of light on the horizon.


    In a similar situation, with the area where the Ye Clan cultivators were as the center, cultivators within thousands of li were all alarmed by the astonishing light pillars, whether they were from nearby wealthy families or Loose Cultivators in hiding, all hurried toward the source of the light.


    Not long after, the news that a rare and valuable treasure had emerged in this place spread rapidly throughout the entire Southern Border at an astonishing speed.


    Several days later, even the nearby provinces and counties had heard about it.


    For a time, the entire Southern Border was in an uproar!


    At the same time the Ye Clan cultivators entered underground, Han Li stood in the center of a huge transportation formation at an unknown location, surrounded by rough and massive stone walls as if inside a huge stalactite cave.


    At this moment, he looked at a few objects at his feet with a gloomy face.


    These objects were several broken rings, blood-red and translucent, still flickering with a faint spiritual glow.


    They were the restraining magic artifacts that had previously trapped the body of the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    Now, the rings were shattered, and the Silver-winged Yaksha had vanished without a trace.


    The outcome was obviously clear.


    Thinking of this, Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted and looked toward his waist.


    There, stuck to his side, was a green jade talisman, emitting a faint spiritual glow.


    Han Li found the pattern on this Daoist paper talisman somewhat familiar; it was an extremely rare teleportation talisman.


    Similar talismans had been seen by him when he was teleported through the Scattered Stars Sea.


    The only difference was that those were made of paper.


    Frowning, Han Li flipped his hand, revealing a dazzling blue token that he had acquired in earlier years, the Greater Displacement Medallion.


    When he had been teleported out, he didn¡¯t know where he would end up and feared being torn apart by spatial pressure if he was sent too far afield.


    Thus, he had immediately taken out the medallion and held it tightly in his hand.


    But what he had never expected was that, as the teleportation light flared up, this talisman appeared out of thin air on his waist, leaving him no chance to evade.


    He wondered whether this was a special feature inherent to the gigantic transportation formation itself or a clever arrangement set up by the ancient cultivator who had created it.


    However, such an ancient teleportation talisman was definitely different from those of the present and surely held great research value.


    As he pondered this, Han Li reached out for the jade talisman.


    Before his fingertips could touch it, the talisman suddenly ¡°Puchi¡± burst apart, turning into specks of spiritual light.


    He paused for a moment and then let out a wry smile.


    The making of this teleportation talisman was indeed painstaking; the spiritual power embedded within was only enough for one use.


    It seemed that other talismans could not be preserved either.


    When Han Li mentioned ¡°the others,¡± he was referring to the Weeping Soul as well as the two gray cocoons still hanging in the air nearby, which had similar jade talismans attached.


    As he looked up, the talismans disappeared just as he had expected.


    As for the Corpse Wolf, it had become a true corpse, while the Weeping Soul Beast, which had shrunk to about ten feet in size, leaped excitedly on the body of the wolf, pounding its chest.


    The wolf, it seemed, had been unlucky; upon emerging from the formation, it found itself right next to Han Li.


    With Han Li¡¯s Divine Sense being much stronger, he was the first to recover from the teleportation dizziness and thus struck the wolf with a potent blow of Devilbane Lightning without hesitation, heavily injuring it.


    Moreover, the Weeping Soul Beast immediately spewed out a yellow mist, sucking away all the cadaveric energy from the Corpse Wolf in an instant, easily putting an end to the huge beast.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha, it seemed, did not care about the wolf at all and showed no intention of continuing to fight with Han Li.


    Having finally gained freedom, the Yaksha took the opportunity to use its Wind Escape Skill and vanished from the spot with the wind.


    (First release!)(To be continued, if you would like to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 995 - Chapter 995 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures Chapter 991 Purple Mist

    ?Chapter 995: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures Chapter 991: Purple Mist Chapter 995: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures Chapter 991: Purple Mist Returning to the cave, the wealthy elder and Bai Yaoyi still sat in meditation earnestly.


    Han Li had no intention of disturbing them.


    After a moment of hesitation, he slapped his storage pouch with one hand, a stack of formation flags and plates appeared in his hand, and without any qualms, he tossed them into the air.


    Instantly, colorful spiritual lights shot out in all directions, vanishing into the surroundings of the cave in the blink of an eye, and a simple array was formed in an instant.


    This array, besides being capable of concealment, could also provide a warning if any enemies invaded the cave.


    The other two paid no heed to Han Li¡¯s actions, sitting still in their original spots.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly, then sat down cross-legged in a corner of the cave and closed his eyes to rest his spirit.


    One day and one night later, the wealthy elder and Bai Yaoyi¡¯s mana slowly recovered.


    When the two of them stood up one after another, Han Li also moved slightly and opened his eyes:


    ¡°Have the two fellow Daoists fully recovered your mana?¡± he asked indifferently.


    ¡°Many thanks to Brother Han for being our protector, Fu and I have almost fully regained our mana,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied with a graceful smile.


    ¡°Brother Han, during your departure, were you able to ascertain our location?¡± The wealthy elder glanced at the huge array in the middle and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Not quite sure.


    We are within the belly of a huge mountain, surrounded by restrictive formations, so it seems leaving is not going to be easy,¡± Han Li said candidly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    ¡°A huge mountain?


    It¡¯s normal for Brother Han, who hails from overseas, to be unfamiliar with the famous mountains and rivers of the Inland.


    However, I, Fu, may recognize it,¡± the wealthy elder said, his eyes brightening with confidence.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Is that so?


    Since Brother Fu has said so, why don¡¯t we go out for a look?¡± Han Li laughed ¡®hehe¡¯, noncommittally.


    ¡°From what Brother Han said, could there be something special about this mountain?


    I will go out as well,¡± Bai Yaoyi immediately sensed something and said with sparkling eyes.


    Han Li nodded, his expression neutral.


    He had shown his divine powers to be far superior to the other two, naturally assuming the role of the leader.


    Thus, the elder and Bai Yaoyi exchanged glances, then turned into two streaks of light, flying out of the cave.


    Han Li did not get up from the ground, but with a flip of his palm, the tracking magical disc appeared in his hand.


    He glanced at the disc where a black and white point stood out clearly.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, looking at the magical disc without saying a word.


    Time passed, and after who knows how long, he raised his eyebrows slightly and the magical disc in his hand shone brightly, then disappeared without a trace.


    A moment later, a flash of light at the cave entrance, and the wealthy elder and Bai Yaoyi flew back.


    However, the two who materialized before Han Li did not look too well.


    ¡°What did you find?


    Any discoveries, fellow Daoists?¡± Han Li curled the corner of his mouth, his expression somewhere between a smile and not.


    Although he wasn¡¯t very familiar with Great Jin, if there really was such a huge spiritual mountain, how could he not know of it.


    As expected, just as Han Li spoke, the wealthy elder began to bitterly smile.


    ¡°Brother Han, don¡¯t joke.


    Such a huge mountain, let alone seeing it, I¡¯ve never even heard of it.


    I¡¯m not even sure whether we¡¯re still within the territory of Great Jin,¡± the elder said, his face showing a trace of concern.


    ¡°Indeed.


    If such an astonishing giant mountain truly were somewhere in Great Jin, I would not have failed to hear about it,¡± Bai Yaoyi also said with closely knitted brows.


    ¡°Perhaps.


    Though we do not know the nature of the restrictive formations outside, nor the situation beyond the mountain, this transportation formation is definitely laid by an ancient expert.


    The sudden activation of the array that teleported us here along with the Silver-winged Yaksha might have been due to our battle triggering some restriction within the array, or there might be other unknown reasons.


    However, that¡¯s no longer important.


    Now, we should first craft the Infant Nurturing Pills and then investigate the mountain.


    What do you two think?¡± Han Li said in a calm and even tone.


    ¡°Brother Han speaks wisely.


    This place is so rich in Spiritual Energy, extending our stay here wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    And even if this mountain holds some strangeness, with Brother Han here, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.


    Perhaps it will even turn into an opportunity for us,¡± the wealthy elder said after a moment of silence, smiling openly.


    Bai Yaoyi, too, was extremely eager for the Infant Nurturing Pills and naturally wouldn¡¯t oppose the idea.


    Thus, she nodded.


    ¡°Brother Fu flatters me!


    Both of you must have noticed, whether it¡¯s due to the restrictive formation outside, our Divine Sense is greatly suppressed here.


    It extends only a few miles from our bodies.


    Given the vastness of this mountain, even if the three of us join forces, there¡¯s no telling when we would be able to fully explore it,¡± Han Li suddenly shifted the topic.


    ¡°Indeed.


    I also noticed this earlier.


    Moreover, this mountain is so deathly still, it¡¯s really eerie.


    It¡¯s probably not a comfortable place,¡± Bai Yaoyi said as well.


    ¡°Regardless of what this mountain is, the rich Spiritual Energy here is greatly beneficial for crafting Spirit Pills.


    We should first focus on making the Infant Nurturing Pills,¡± said the wealthy elder, chuckling a few times.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi naturally had no objections, so the group immediately began to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation in the cave, and after laying down several protective restrictions, the wealthy elder started to craft the Infant Nurturing Pills.


    During this time, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi did not leave anymore, watching over like protectors.


    After all, the Infant Nurturing Pills were incredibly important to the two of them.


    Even if there might be some oddity about the mountain, they would not be distracted for the time being.


    While Han Li and others were eagerly waiting for the Infant Nurturing Pill to be ready, at the waist of the giant mountain, in a stone kiosk, a group of Ye Clan cultivators had gathered.


    Most of them were sitting cross-legged near the stone kiosk, each holding a Spirit Stone in both hands, seemingly in the process of restoring their mana.


    The scholar in white robes, who was the Great Elder of the Ye Clan, floated above the stone kiosk, gazing into the distance at a long flight of stone steps built along the mountain.


    These stone steps were made entirely out of pure white stones and from afar looked like a jade stairway to heaven.


    But upon closer inspection, the white stones that made up the stairway were astonishingly wide, as much as fifty or sixty zhang.


    And no matter whether one looked up or down, the stone steps simply vanished into a milky white mist, making it impossible to see beyond.


    The scholar floated expressionlessly in the air, unmoving.


    Before long, suddenly a streak of light flashed across the sky, a wondrous rainbow emerged, and shot directly towards the stone kiosk from top to bottom.


    Only then did the scholar¡¯s expression change as he looked towards the streak of light.


    In the blink of an eye, the pale yellow rainbow arrived in front of the scholar.


    As the radiance subsided, a strangely shaped figure with a large head appeared, the ¡°Seventh Uncle¡± from the Ye Clan.


    ¡°Third lad, I¡¯ve already scouted ahead.


    Tens of miles up the steps, there¡¯s an archway, which seems to be the renowned gateway to the Thousands of Cultivators.


    Without breaking the seal of this archway, it¡¯s impossible to ascend further,¡± said the eccentric gravely.


    ¡°Thousands of Cultivators¡¯ Gateway!


    Then there¡¯s no mistake.


    The legend has it that once, the ancient experts that lived on Kunwu Mountain numbered in the tens of thousands.


    One must pass through this gateway to reach the dwellings of many cultivators on Kunwu Mountain,¡± the scholar let out a long breath, his expression relaxing slightly.


    ¡°However, I think the enchantment sealing this gateway is not ordinary.


    We better make our move soon!


    We don¡¯t have much time to waste,¡± said the eccentric, glancing at the cultivators still recuperating below and frowning.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that.


    But the others have suffered significant drains on their mana and need to restore it first.


    Even if Seventh Uncle and I are unharmed, this place is not safe, and we must protect the elders until they can fend for themselves.


    We can¡¯t be everywhere at once,¡± the scholar said with a hint of helplessness.


    ¡°That¡¯s true!


    I didn¡¯t expect that passing through the sealed rift would be such a difficult task.


    It¡¯s fortunate that all present are Nascent Soul cultivators; otherwise, there might have been casualties,¡± the eccentric could only sigh.


    Hearing this, the scholar smiled and was about to say more when suddenly his expression changed, and he abruptly turned to look in a certain direction.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked the eccentric, startled.


    ¡°It seems there¡¯s some noise coming from over there,¡± said the scholar solemnly.


    ¡°Noise?¡± The eccentric, filled with surprise and suspicion, circulated his mana, and faintly heard a beastly roar echoing in his ears, reminiscent of both a lion and a dragon¡¯s cry, growing louder and louder.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?


    It seems something is indeed coming our way!¡± A cold light flashed in the eccentric¡¯s eyes as he flipped his hand, revealing something sparkling with silver light.


    The scholar also looked into the distance without blinking.


    Moments later, a cloud of purple mist appeared in the distance, rapidly shooting towards them, the beastly roars coming from within it.


    In an instant, the purple mist reached nearby, only a hundred or so zhang away from the stone kiosk.


    Both the scholar and the eccentric could now see a dark shadow hidden within the mist, with a pair of eyes the size of fists, glaring at them, full of bloodthirsty fury and clearly of no good nature.


    The eccentric¡¯s expression darkened, and he threw his hand upwards.


    A stream of silver-pointed light flew out from his grasp, immediately disappearing out of sight.


    But just then, a claw emerged from the purple mist like a lightning bolt, and ¡°bang¡±, it caught the streak of silver light in its grasp.


    A monstrous roar echoed through the mist as the immense claw gripped the silver light, revealing its true form as a small-sized, shiny Silver Shuttle.


    However, green blood dripped from the mighty claw, and the beast within the purple mist issued a pained howl, then suddenly its eyes flashed fiercely.


    The entire purple mist thinned and dissipated, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into nothingness, leaving only two sinister eyes, which blinked a few times before vanishing without a trace.


    Seeing this, both the eccentric and the scholar¡¯s expressions changed.


    This was a monster proficient in evasive techniques!


    Now deep within this mountain, their divine sense was greatly suppressed, making such a creature incredibly troublesome to deal with.


    After exchanging a glance, the two acted almost simultaneously.


    The eccentric opened his mouth, and a yellowish flying sword shot out, spinning and transforming into a giant sword about a zhang long.


    This sword then shone brilliantly, performing a brief dance in the air, and from it, countless dazzling streaks of Sword Qi erupted, enveloping everything within several dozen zhang in its range.


    The scholar snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and a green flag appeared in his hand.


    He then tossed it downwards, and immediately, a surge of green mist billowed out from the banner, quickly forming a large cloud that protected the resting Ye Clan cultivators beneath.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are more frequent, support the author, support legal reading!)

 Chapter 996 - Chapter 996 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 992 Poison Holy Gate

    ?Chapter 996: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 992 Poison Holy Gate Chapter 996: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 992 Poison Holy Gate ¡°Pfft,¡± ¡°Pfft,¡± two sounds rang out, and thirty yards from the stone kiosk, the light flashed.


    Two streaks of Sword Qi swept through, and the purple mist materialized again.


    But this time, it seemed the monster within the mist was thoroughly enraged.


    After roaring twice in fury, the fog suddenly dispersed, revealing a four-winged demonic bird with the head of a lion and the body of an eagle.


    With its wings spread, the creature spanned fifty to sixty feet, its entire body enveloped in purple light, looking extremely fierce and ferocious.


    ¡°Lion Bird beast!¡±


    Upon recognizing the creature, the eccentric exclaimed out loud.


    The scholar¡¯s face changed, and with a flick of his sleeve, a black and red flying dagger shot out fiercely, aiming straight for the demonic bird.


    Strangely, the once ferocious bird showed a hint of fear at the sight of the dagger.


    It opened its bloody maw wide, expelling ring after ring of purple light, meeting the flying dagger head-on.


    After a series of rumbling explosions, the dagger cut through more than a dozen rings of light as if tearing through bamboo.


    However, with each slash, the black luminescence of the dagger diminished a bit, and eventually, just a few yards from the demonic bird, it dimmed completely, halted by several purple rings.


    Overjoyed at this development, the demonic bird was about to use its Divine Skills to trap the dagger for good when,


    From a distance, the scholar too spat out a mouthful of blood essence.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï


    He quickly formed hand signs and tapped on the blood essence several times in rapid succession.


    Instantly, the blood essence morphed into blood-red runes and disappeared into thin air.


    The dagger burst forth with a blinding blood light, shattering all of the purple rings nearby in an instant, arriving in front of the demonic bird and striking it fiercely.


    Caught off guard, the demonic bird flapped its wings frantically to shoot backward.


    In haste, it could only raise a giant claw to ward off the dagger¡¯s blow.


    Green blood splattered as the blade, though deflected for a moment, chopped off a good portion of the claw with a flash of light.


    With that blow, the demonic bird abruptly raised its enormous head and let out an earth-shattering roar.


    The sound was like a peal of thunder on a clear day, rattling the scholar and the eccentric to such an extent that they both swayed involuntarily.


    But a more inconceivable scene followed immediately.


    As the roar left its mouth, a transparent wave of golden ripples erupted from the lion¡¯s head, colliding precisely with the dagger.


    The Black Flying Dagger, upon touching the ripples, was sent tumbling back as if struck by immense strength.


    However, ¡°Seventh Uncle,¡± who had been commanding several yellow Sword Qi to support the Black Flying Dagger, fared even worse.


    The moment they were touched by the wave, they disintegrated inch by inch, dispersing into the ether in no time.


    As the golden waves subsided, the demeanor of the demonic bird also weakened.


    After giving the scholar a venomous stare, the bird abruptly flapped its wings.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, the flapping caused rumblings of thunder, and then its figure blurred as it vanished amidst arcs of electricity.


    The next moment, it reappeared thirty yards away, evidently also adept in using the Lightning movement technique.


    But now, the demonic bird did not dare to linger, turning into a streak of purple light and shooting off into the distance.


    In a blink, it vanished over the horizon without a backward glance.


    Seeing this, the eccentric finally exhaled a deep breath.


    But when his gaze turned and he saw the pale-faced scholar, he asked anxiously,


    ¡°Third lad, are you alright?


    It¡¯s already a considerable exertion of Mana to wield the Black Blood Saber, why did you force it with your blood essence to enhance its power?¡± Concern was evident in the eccentric¡¯s voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a bit of depleted Qi.


    The Lion Bird beast was also a notorious creature in ancient times, with Divine Skills stronger by a third than late Nascent Soul cultivators like ourselves.


    If we hadn¡¯t quickly driven it away, getting entangled with it would have been very disadvantageous.


    Now that it¡¯s taken some hits, it should not dare to trouble us easily,¡± the scholar said with a deep breath, shaking his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    Such ancient demonic birds generally have bodies harder than fine steel, and if we didn¡¯t use our Ye Clan¡¯s Black Blood Saber, it would indeed not be an easy feat to harm the Lion Bird Beast with ordinary spirit treasures.¡± Upon hearing this, the eccentric showed a relieved expression on his face.


    The scholar smiled faintly and glanced down into the green mist below, observing that the Ye Clan monks who were initially startled by the arrival of the Lion Bird Beast had once again regained their calm.


    He nodded and exchanged a few more words with the eccentric before leaping down into the stone kiosks to sit cross-legged and meditate.


    Having just commanded the inherited Black Blood Saber and expended a significant amount of mana, it was naturally wise for the scholar to take the opportunity to restore some of it.


    While the Ye Clan and Han Li, among others, were all within the vast mountain, near the Valley of a Thousand Poisons at the base of a towering mountain, at a nondescript valley entrance, stood five white silhouettes side by side.


    Opposite them, two black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators, reported something respectfully with faces of reverence.


    ¡°An astonishing phenomenon in the sky appeared?¡± From somewhere came a voice, somewhat surprised and magnetic, yet indistinguishable in gender.


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder, near an unnamed lake in Puyun Prefecture.


    There, seven astonishing pillars of light reached straight into the sky,¡± one of the black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators replied.


    ¡°When did this happen?


    Have you discovered anything else?¡± The owner of the voice seemed quite interested.


    ¡°It happened four days ago.


    As soon as the disciples of our sect received this news, they immediately reported it using Sound Transmission Talismans.


    It¡¯s said that beneath several of the pillars of light, gigantic seals were discovered.


    The seals are so large that even now, their exact purpose has not been fully ascertained.


    But it¡¯s said that many sects from the Southern Border have been alerted, and some Nascent Soul cultivators are rushing over,¡± another cultivator responded respectfully.


    ¡°Seven pillars of light!


    It sounds like a leakage of spiritual power caused by breaking a ban.


    Yet so astonishing indeed, it¡¯s worth taking a trip to see for myself.


    However, days ago, you mentioned that Fat Luo of the Nine Nether Sect was seen around the Valley of a Thousand Poisons, and now there¡¯s no news of him.


    Are you telling me that there was a mistake?


    If you can¡¯t even find him, much less that Han fellow,¡± the voice suddenly turned icy cold.


    ¡°We ask for the Great Elder¡¯s pardon for our wrongdoing.


    We did receive information that cultivators saw Fat Luo coming this way, and then he disappeared near the Valley of a Thousand Poisons,¡± both black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators showed panic, and one of them hurriedly pleaded guilty.


    ¡°There indeed are traces of cultivator activity within the Valley of a Thousand Poisons.


    However, except for the Yin Yang Cave which I have not explored, the rest of the valley has been searched, and no one was found there.


    You wouldn¡¯t want to tell me that Fat Luo went into the Yin Yang Cave, would you?


    If that were the case, since I¡¯ve been waiting here for quite some time now, there should be some news.


    Unless Fat Luo really intends to grow old and live out his life under the Yin Yang Cave,¡± the voice continued.


    Hearing this, the two black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators mumbled a few words and didn¡¯t know how to respond, their faces breaking out into a cold sweat.


    ¡°Enough.


    Considering the time it took for you to report this, you¡¯ve done well.


    I will give you some more time.


    Station someone to monitor this valley.


    I will take a trip to Puyun Prefecture first.


    Inform Wu and Xiao, the two elders, to meet me there.


    It¡¯s better to handle affairs with more people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± The two black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators finally relaxed and bowed in unison.


    But the voice said nothing more.


    Instead, the five white silhouettes suddenly faded into translucency and shot into the sky together, becoming a streak of light as they broke through the air and disappeared.


    Simultaneously, in the sky above a desolate plain near the edge of Puyun Prefecture, a team of Nascent Soul cultivators were flying towards a small lake.


    There were more than twenty of these Nascent Soul cultivators, each dressed in dark blue robes, and with red headbands.


    The four leading the flight were of the Nascent Soul stage, particularly one middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator with his face full of blue patterns, who was at the peak of the stage.


    His whole aura was exceptionally cold, giving off an extremely dangerous vibe.


    ¡°Elder Hua, do we really need to make such a grand gesture this time?


    Taking almost half of the Poison Holy Gate¡¯s disciples out¡­


    should anything go awry, it could significantly weaken our sect,¡± worriedly said another early Nascent Soul old man, as they flew swiftly through the air.


    ¡°If it were just an ordinary rare and valuable treasure being born, I naturally wouldn¡¯t take such a risk.


    But this time, it might very well be Kunwu Mountain.


    For the treasures within this mountain, the risk is certainly worth taking,¡± the middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator said shockingly.


    ¡°Kunwu Mountain?


    Is that the spirit mountain that our sect has been searching for since its foundation?¡± another grey-haired elder asked in surprise.


    ¡°Indeed.


    This matter has been mentioned once after a few fellow disciples advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.


    The mountain was one of the renowned spirit mountains in the human world during Ancient Times.


    Although it¡¯s unclear for what reason, it was sealed by ancient experts using great divine powers.


    The amount of treasures hidden within it is undoubtedly vast.


    Our Poison Holy Gate¡¯s founding ancestor was actually a descendant of one of the ancient experts who sealed the mountain, but knew little about the precise location of the seal.


    Hence, he founded our sect in the Southern Border and has been searching for it ever since, without any luck.


    This has remained a secret passed down only among the Great Elders from generation to generation,¡± the middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator explained with the patterns on his face flashing as he spoke coldly.


    ¡°But Elder Hua, how do you know that this heavenly phenomenon is a sign of Kunwu Mountain surfacing?


    It could also be some other treasure,¡± the thick-browed elder asked with a hint of doubt.


    ¡°Hehe, in addition to informing us that Kunwu Mountain was located somewhere in the Southern Border, our ancestor also left behind a Spirit Sensitive Pearl handcrafted by his predecessors.


    This pearl was made specifically for Kunwu Mountain and could detect the well-known Flying Celestial Stone on the mountain.


    As soon as the mountain appeared, the pearl would immediately sense it.


    Just a few days ago, that very pearl we enshrine in the ancestral hall began to emit a clear chime, and I knew Kunwu Mountain had surfaced.


    Even without the report from our disciples about the heavenly phenomenon, I would have immediately sent people to search throughout the Southern Border,¡± Elder Hua explained.


    ¡°I see!¡± The other three Nascent Soul cultivators looked enlightened and then showed excited expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Elder Yuan isn¡¯t here; otherwise, the combined effort of the five Great Elders of our Poison Holy Gate would make this expedition much more secure,¡± the grey-haired elder sighed.


    ¡°Elder Yuan went out for a trip a while ago and returned very secretive.


    Now, we have no clue where he is and can¡¯t get in touch with him.


    However, I¡¯ve already issued an order.


    As soon as any disciple sees Elder Yuan, they must notify him to join us immediately.


    What we need to do now is take advantage of the other sects¡¯ ignorance about Kunwu Mountain, enter the mountain first, and quickly take away as many treasures as we can.


    I just wonder if the mountain has surfaced due to its seal weakening naturally or because of other cultivators.


    If it¡¯s the latter, we must be extra cautious on this expedition,¡± the middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator spoke, his expression growing solemn.


    (To be continued.


    If you wish to know how the story goes on, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, and enjoy legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 997 - Chapter 997 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 993 Dividing the Elixir

    ?Chapter 997: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 993 Dividing the Elixir Chapter 997: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 993 Dividing the Elixir The disciples of the Poison Holy Gate naturally didn¡¯t know that their so-called Junior Nascent Soul Brother had already perished in the maw of the Silver-winged Nightfiend.


    Thus, after a brief chat, they increased their streak of light, speeding up even more than before to hasten their journey.


    Arriving a day earlier was greatly advantageous for them.


    In Puyun Prefecture, at the location of the small lake, hundreds of cultivators with varying levels of cultivation had already gathered, forming groups here and there.


    Among them, many had directly flown up into the sky, with seven columns of light as their center, silently searching for something.


    On the ground, a very small number of cultivators equipped with Fleeing Earth Talismans and some knowledge of earth escape techniques were also burrowing in and out from time to time, excitedly talking with some companions on the ground.


    It was evident that the massive seal hidden below had already been discovered.


    Compared to the immensity of this seal, the crack forcibly split open by the Ye Clan¡¯s array had not yet been precisely located.


    Even so, this had already caused all the cultivators present to be exceptionally excited.


    Some had already sent out Sound Transmission Talismans to their families or sects, while others had directly flown away in the night to report this matter in person.


    The cultivators present were mostly at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with fewer in the Qi Refinement and Core Formation Stages.


    Most of them were Loose Cultivators who had accidentally discovered the anomaly and came to check it out, while another portion consisted of spies from various sized forces who had rushed over upon hearing the news.


    As for Nascent Soul cultivators, for the time being, none had been seen.


    This was unsurprising, as the small lake was originally located in a desolate place, with neither famous mountains and rivers nearby, nor any major wealthy families or Immortal Cultivation sects.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Nascent Soul cultivators naturally wouldn¡¯t run to such a remote area without cause.


    Even the group of cultivators from the Poison Holy Gate who had received the news and set off immediately still had two days of travel ahead of them.


    However, most of the older Loose Cultivators with lower cultivation levels, upon realizing how unimaginably vast the underground seal was, wisely decided to leave one after another despite being very unwilling.


    They were well aware that no matter what tremendous treasures might lie beneath the seal, a conflict of this level wasn¡¯t something they could take part in.


    Continuing to stay could result in being caught in the fray between high-level cultivators, and that would be an unfortunate affair indeed.


    Of course, there were also some young and impetuous low-level cultivators who were unwilling to leave.


    On the one hand, they wanted to see what exactly was under the seal, and on the other, they harbored a faint hope, believing that although their own cultivation was not high, if chance allowed, they may be able to fish in troubled waters, quite eager to take a gamble.


    Thus, for a time, this area was a jumble of dragons and snakes, with many harboring their own schemes.


    However, all of this was of no consequence to Han Li, who was already located within the giant mountain beneath the seal.


    At this moment, he and Bai Yaoyi were staring fixedly at the wealthy old man sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cave, not even blinking once.


    To say they were staring at the old man was actually less accurate than to say they were staring at the golden cauldron furnace in front of the old man,


    The cauldron furnace was suspended three feet above the ground, slowly rotating in mid-air.


    The wealthy old man was exhaling wisps of emerald green Nascent flames and was manipulating some unknown incantations with both hands, continuously casting them onto the cauldron furnace.


    Each incantation sent onto the cauldron wrapped in green flames would cause five-colored light to ripple out, appearing dazzlingly colorful.


    From inside the cauldron had already come wafts of medicinal fragrance, so rich and enticing that it delighted the heart and refreshed the mind upon smelling it.


    The old man¡¯s incantations grew faster and his expression more gravely serious, clearly indicating that the Alchemy process had reached a critical moment.


    Han Li, seemingly calm, was also somewhat nervous inside.


    The Yin Zhi Horse and other rare materials had already been thrown into the cauldron over the past few days.


    If the medicinal pills in this cauldron failed to form, they didn¡¯t have a second Yin Zhi Horse to use for alchemy.


    Thus, even though the wealthy old man seemed very confident about refining the Infant Nurturing Pill, now that he was on the verge of success, Han Li naturally felt some anxiety.


    Bai Yaoyi, appearing equally unflustered, had a pair of bright eyes that occasionally flashed with eager fervor, revealing without a doubt the restless thoughts within her.


    Suddenly, the cauldron stilled, ceasing its rotation, and at the same time, a humming sound emerged from it.


    The medicinal fragrance from the cauldron became even three times more intense.


    The old man¡¯s eyes lit up, his incantations and the nascent flames from his mouth paused simultaneously, and with a flip of his hand, a small azure gourd appeared in his palm, only about four to five inches in size.


    His other hand flicked, and with a ¡°pop,¡± a white light shot out and struck the lid of the cauldron.


    As a result, the lid trembled and slipped off.


    The humming from the cauldron paused, and immediately, five fist-sized orbs of light shot out from within.


    In the white light, each had a thumb-sized green ball, vivid and dripping with color, sparkling brightly.


    These light orbs made a swift turn above the cauldron before scattering in all directions, each attempting to escape.


    But the well-prepared wealthy old man swiftly shook the gourd in his hand, from which a trail of aurora light sprayed out.


    After a flash of light, all the orbs were enveloped within it and sucked into the gourd.


    ¡°Done, it¡¯s a success!¡± The old man finally let out a long sigh, turned his head, and with a beaming smile said to Han Li.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu has worked hard indeed,¡± Bai Yaoyi stood up, her face beaming with joy as a blush spread across her cheeks, making her look enchanting and captivating.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that five medicinal pills would actually be refined.


    I was afraid that there wouldn¡¯t be enough!¡±


    ¡°Fellow Fu had prepared enough ingredients according to the formula, which were originally meant to produce five or six pills.


    Otherwise, I would not have invited only five fellow Daoists,¡± the elder¡¯s smile faded from his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Fellow Chang and Lady Yuan met with foul play because of this.¡±


    Clearly, the old man had a deep relationship with the lady in black, and though cultivators were accustomed to life and death, the realization of a successful pill-making-and the loss of his Fellow Chang-brought a wave of melancholy to his heart.


    Upon hearing the elder¡¯s words, Bai Yaoyi¡¯s face also lost its joy, and she too gave a light sigh.


    Han Li, however, remained expressionless and said nothing.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, do you have a wood attribute box?


    It¡¯s best not to use an ordinary jade box, as the medicinal efficacy can easily diminish.


    And these pills are extremely potent.


    If taken immediately, one would need to spend at least half a year in seclusion to refine their power.


    Otherwise, the effect will be greatly reduced,¡± the elder said solemnly, swiftly passing over the traces of sorrow on his face as he weighed the gourd in hand and spoke to Bai Yaoyi.


    ¡°Of course, I have a wooden box.


    These pills are so precious, I surely wouldn¡¯t take them immediately,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied with a beaming smile, flipping her hand and producing a yellow wooden box.


    The elder nodded, then, without another word, flicked the bottom of the gourd, and a burst of red mist rose forth, releasing a white luminescent sphere that shot toward Bai Yaoyi.


    Bai Yaoyi lifted the wooden box in one hand while reaching out with the other into the void towards the pill.


    The medicinal pill turned into a streak of white light that was instantly absorbed into the wooden box.


    After carefully examining the spirit pill in the box several times and clearly sensing the astonishing spiritual power it contained with her divine sense, Bai Yaoyi finally closed the box with great joy and thanked the elder without end.


    The elder surnamed Fu chuckled upon hearing this and reached for his storage pouch, also taking out a green wooden box.


    To Bai Yaoyi¡¯s surprise, he too poured a spirit pill from the gourd into the box and quickly put it away.


    After giving Han Li a few dry laughs, he casually tossed the entire vermillion gourd to Han Li.


    Han Li, although he caught the gourd instinctively, also revealed a trace of surprise on his face!


    ¡°What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist?


    I seem to have only asked you for two Infant Nurturing Pills,¡± Han Li frowned and spoke slowly.


    ¡°Fellow Fu is not a greedy person.


    Being lucky enough to have survived and obtained the spirit pill is all thanks to your efforts, Fellow Daoist.


    With my junior sister perished, one pill is more than enough for me.


    Brother Han, if you do not mind, you may take these three pills,¡± the elder spoke with earnest seriousness.


    After listening to the elder¡¯s words, Han Li looked at the gourd in his hand and reevaluated the elder with a light chuckle!


    He could guess what the old man was thinking.


    It seemed that this elder of the Nine Nether Sect felt his usefulness had greatly diminished after making the Infant Nurturing Pill, and he was still afraid of Han Li potentially turning hostile.


    This act of parting with wealth to avoid disaster, sacrificing another pill to Han Li, was part of his strategy.


    It signified his genuine goodwill towards Han Li, and at the same time, he tried to minimize anything that could provoke Han Li¡¯s killing intent.


    As long as Han Li was not the ruthless and inconstant type, accepting the pill would most likely avert any non-provoked killing intent.


    Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t reject such a favorable opportunity.


    ¡°Since Fellow Fu has said so, I will not refuse.¡±


    Han Li was not shy in accepting the offer, and with a flicker of rosy light in his hand, the vermillion gourd vanished into thin air.


    Truly not accepting the pill might leave the two elders suspicious and anxious.


    ¡°Haha, Brother Han, why be so modest?


    These are rightfully yours,¡± the elder named Fu laughed heartily, visibly relaxed.


    Bai Yaoyi, of course, understood the subtleties and stood by with a silent, knowing smile.


    The relationship between the three individuals visibly eased.


    ¡°Now that the spirit pills have been refined, we should look for a way out at our earliest convenience.


    Perhaps we can explore this mountain while we¡¯re at it; there might be other gains to be made,¡± the elder suggested, glancing in the direction of the cave entrance.


    But just as he finished speaking, the entire cavern shook slightly, followed by a continuous, muffled rumbling noise coming from the walls all around, incessantly.


    Han Li and the others paused, exchanging glances with consternation!


    ¡°Could there be others on this mountain?¡± Bai Yaoyi bit her red lip and expressed her astonishment in a whisper.


    ¡°Not necessarily, it could also be that escaped Silver-winged Yaksha causing some commotion!¡± The elder shook his head, his face showing a flash of hatred, obviously reminded of the black-clad beauty¡¯s death at the hands of the creature.


    ¡°Whether it is or isn¡¯t, we should be more cautious once we leave.


    Together, the three of us shouldn¡¯t fear much,¡± Han Li said quietly after a moment, speaking indifferently.


    He then shook his sleeve, and a wave of green light swept around him from within.


    As the light passed, the restrictive formations set up all over the cave were disabled one after another, and the formation flags and plates flew out from the walls and the ground, vanishing into Han Li¡¯s sleeve in an instant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!


    We¡¯ll leave this place first!¡±


    Han Li gathered the light around him and immediately turned into a streak of azure light, darting towards the exit of the cave without hesitation.


    The elder and Bai Yaoyi exchanged a glance, then hurriedly followed on their own streaks of light.


    (Sweat, the electricity sure took its time coming back on.


    It wasn¡¯t restored until after six.


    This is the second chapter from yesterday, let me get it posted for everyone.


    The next chapter is still being worked on!)(To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are more frequent, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 998 - Chapter 998 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 994 Stele

    ?Chapter 998: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 994 Stele Chapter 998: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 994 Stele As the two elders flew out of the exceedingly long tunnel, Han Li was already floating in the sky outside the passage, looking at the top of the canyon and listening intently to something.


    At that moment, the two elders realized that once outside, the rumbling sounds that could faintly be heard were even weaker.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were all Nascent Soul with sensory abilities far surpassing ordinary people, they might have dismissed the sounds as a passing breeze.


    ¡°It seems to be coming from above, and it¡¯s very distant.


    If it weren¡¯t for this place being sealed into a closed space by restrictive formations, the echo would be too powerful.


    We originally wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear it,¡± the elder named Fu said, frowning after listening for a moment.


    ¡°Since we are unfamiliar with everything here, why don¡¯t we go over and take a look?


    That would be better than blindly stumbling around.


    Of course, it would be best if we use concealment techniques to travel, trying not to let others discover us first,¡± Han Li suggested, turning to glance at the two men.


    Naturally, the elder named Fu and his companion had no objections and readily agreed.


    The elder formed a hand seal, and suddenly, a large patch of green light burst forth from his body, which then dimmed as the light converged.


    His figure also became blurred, eventually turning into a faint green shadow.


    Unless one looked closely, his presence was hardly noticeable.


    Of course, this was also because the mountain greatly suppressed Divine Sense.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    If it were outside this mountain, this concealment technique would be much less effective against cultivators of the same rank.


    Bai Yaoyi, however, raised a hand, and between her fingers, a cold light flashed, revealing a crystal-clear token, seemingly made of ice.


    With a raise of her hand, she uttered a melodious spell incantation, and instantly, a burst of silver light sprayed out from the token, engulfing her graceful figure in a moment.


    Then, with a flash of light, Bai Yaoyi¡¯s figure vanished into thin air.


    Seeing the two cast spells to conceal their tracks, Han Li smiled.


    Without any noticeable action, a sudden flash of spiritual light appeared around him, and then he too became undetectable.


    Even if Fu and Bai Yaoyi stood right in front of Han Li, they could barely sense anyone there using only their Divine Sense.


    This startled both elders.


    Then, Han Li calmly took out a Daoist paper talisman and casually attached it to his body, making his figure begin to blur as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Li said in a low shout, and the three of them rose into the air.


    In this mysterious and unfamiliar land, the three of them didn¡¯t fly very fast, moving only slightly faster than the Light Body Skill as they followed the direction of the rumbling sounds.


    As they flew, the land below was lush and rich with Spiritual Energy, making every spot an excellent cultivation site for the human world.


    If such places were outside, countless Immortal Cultivation sects would fiercely compete for them.


    But here, such spots were commonplace!


    Half an hour later, Han Li and the others encountered no accidents, nor did they show any joy.


    The lifeless scenery they passed, devoid of any living creatures, made them feel uneasy and extremely suppressed.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, have you noticed?


    The Spiritual Energy here is so rich, but we¡¯ve flown such a long distance without seeing any Spirit Grass or spirit trees, only ordinary plants.


    Something doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± Bai Yaoyi hesitantly spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed it too.


    The Spiritual Energy is indeed good here, but the higher we go, the more abundant it seems to get, much like the outside Dreamcloud Mountains.


    Perhaps the ancient experts who originally inhabited this mountain found planting Spirit Grass more effective on higher ground and did so intentionally,¡± Han Li said nonchalantly, without any surprise.


    ¡°Even richer than here!¡± Bai Yaoyi was somewhat astonished.


    After all, she already considered this place to be an excellent cultivation site.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu, if there truly is a better cultivation sacred site at the summit, we might not need to hurry away.


    Perhaps we could cultivate here for a while,¡± Fu, the elder, said, somewhat moved by Han Li¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Elder Fu shouldn¡¯t really think of this place as just any Dreamcloud Mountains.


    If such a place with abundant Spiritual Energy was safe for cultivation, why would the original cultivators have abandoned it?


    Moreover, seeing that the entire mountain is under restrictive formations shows there is something odd about it.


    If it were possible to leave, I certainly wouldn¡¯t stay,¡± Han Li said with a cold chuckle.


    Hearing Han Li speak thus, Elder Fu¡¯s expression changed several times, finally settling into a wry smile.


    ¡°You make a good point, Brother Han.


    This place is indeed not meant for peaceful cultivation.


    I was momentarily blinded by the rich Spiritual Energy here,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable to think this way.


    Not only you, Elder Fu, but I too had the same thought just now.


    After all, having such a cultivation site would save us much meditation time,¡± Bai Yaoyi said, also feeling regretful.


    Han Li smiled slightly, about to say something more when his gaze inadvertently swept sideways, and his expression subtly changed, causing him to immediately stop his streak of light.


    His pupils shimmered with a blue light as he stared intently to the side.


    Both the elder and Bai Yaoyi were puzzled and followed Han Li¡¯s gaze.


    They saw a distant area enveloped in white mist, somewhat indistinct.


    However, having seen such mists many times along their way, they didn¡¯t find it unusual and wouldn¡¯t probe into every such occurrence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.


    There might be something useful for us there,¡± said Han Li, his eyes flashing.


    Then, his streak of light suddenly changed direction, shooting towards the white fog.


    The old man and Bai Yaoyi were puzzled, but they knew Han Li wasn¡¯t one to act without reason and followed him without hesitation.


    When they entered the white fog, they were momentarily stunned.


    In the midst of the fog, a broad white stone staircase stretched down the mountain and up, disappearing into the distance.


    Next to the stairs in the fog, there stood a blurry white stele.


    It was about thirty feet tall and ten feet wide.


    Han Li stood in front of the stele with his hands clasped behind his back, staring intently at something.


    ¡°What is it, Han Li?


    Did you find something?¡± the old man asked curiously after landing on the platform.


    ¡°Now I finally know where this mountain is.


    Fellow Daoists, come and see.


    This stele details the origin of this mountain,¡± Han Li turned his head and spoke solemnly, with a grave expression.


    ¡°Oh, let me see!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the old man perked up and quickly approached.


    Bai Yaoyi also delicately moved forward.


    After a glance at the stele, both of them understood instantly.


    For on the stele were engraved two ancient characters, written flamboyantly in large golden script.


    ¡°Kunwu!


    Could this be the legendary Kunwu Mountain!¡± the old man exclaimed in astonishment upon recognizing the ancient text, then cried out in shock.


    Bai Yaoyi, with her hand covering her mouth, had an equally shocked expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.


    It must be Kunwu Mountain.


    In ancient times, this place was called Immortal Mountain, a sacred site where ancient experts gathered for cultivation.


    Given the immense size and the dense spiritual energy of this mountain, it absolutely must be Kunwu Mountain.


    But according to legends, wasn¡¯t this mountain taken to the spirit realm by ancient experts, or sunk into the yellow springs due to battles between cultivators!


    How could it appear here?¡± Bai Yaoyi murmured, staring at the stele, still somewhat in disbelief.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, those are just rumors.


    It seems the real story is that, for some unknown reason, this mountain was sealed away.


    And the three of us happened to trigger an ancient transportation formation, mysteriously transferring us here!


    With the reputation of this mountain, there must be countless caves and dwellings of those ancient experts.


    Finding even a few would surely lead to great gains,¡± the old man recovered quickly, his voice filled with joy.


    ¡°Perhaps.


    But given that this mountain was sealed, those ancient experts probably were prepared when they left.


    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s likely to be much of value left in those ancient caves.


    However, although the stele was crudely made, having stood here for countless millennia and absorbed so much of nature¡¯s spiritual energy, it has long become a rare and valuable treasure,¡± Han Li shook his head, then suddenly stepped forward, gently tapping the stele several times, his eyes flickering.


    ¡°What, this stele is a treasure?¡± the old man and Bai Yaoyi were shocked, then, astounded, they re-examined the stele, and were left speechless.


    No matter how they looked at it, the stele seemed to be just an ordinary bluestone stele.


    Although it contained some spiritual energy, it couldn¡¯t even compare to the lowest quality materials used for artifact refining!


    Both of them gave Han Li a bewildered look.


    ¡°Hehe, it seems my fellow Daoists don¡¯t quite believe it.


    But as long as I am convinced, it¡¯s fine,¡± said Han Li, his lips curling slightly, his expression as usual, though he was quite puzzled inside.


    For not just the other two, even he himself had not discerned any special reason behind his words.


    He had spoken in such a way simply because the Earth Armor Dragon, which had always been calm inside the spirit beast pouch, became suddenly restless the moment he approached the stele.


    It kept transmitting chirps, suggesting there was something unusual about the object.


    Han Li had even scanned the stele using his Brightsight Water, finding nothing peculiar, and was naturally skeptical.


    However, with a mindset of ¡®spare none and forgive none,¡¯ Han Li hesitated for a moment before speaking those profound and inscrutable words.


    Then, taking the opportunity, he placed his palm on the stele, and instantly a green radiance emanated.


    The stele trembled greatly, and under the radiance, it began to shrink rapidly.


    When it had halved in size, Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he moved to lift the stele with a swirl of radiant light, planning to store it in his storage pouch.


    But just as the stele was lifted a few feet, an anomaly occurred.


    The seemingly ordinary bluestone stele suddenly buzzed, then emitted thousands of rays of white light.


    Almost simultaneously, Han Li felt it grow heavier, the radiance unable to restrain the stele anymore.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± it fell back to its original place.


    It landed like a massive object, causing the ground nearby to quake violently.


    Both ears of the three of them rang.


    Within several tens of feet around the base of the stele, the surface of the stone platform cracked inch by inch.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Han Li was shocked, his eyes narrowing suddenly.


    (First update!) (To be continued; for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, supporting the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 999 - Chapter 999 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 995 Crystal Stele

    ?Chapter 999: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 995 Crystal Stele Chapter 999: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 995 Crystal Stele ¡°Eh!


    The surface of this Stele?¡± Before Han Li could figure out what was happening, the elder with the surname Fu suddenly pointed at the back of the Stele, his face filled with surprise.


    Han Li raised an eyebrow.


    If he remembered correctly, the back of the Stele was completely empty.


    However, the elder wouldn¡¯t make such a gesture without reason, so Han Li¡¯s figure swayed slightly, and he bizarrely appeared at the back of the Stele, facing him.


    His glance swept over it, and Han Li also paused in shock.


    He could see that the back of the Stele had shattered into pieces, but within some deep crevices, there was a twinkling blue light.


    ¡°Spirit Stone?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered, uncertain in his heart.


    Suddenly, he flicked his ten fingers and more than ten strands of azure sword Qi intertwined, instantly transforming into a mass of green light that enveloped the upper half of the Stele.


    For a time, stone chips flew around, turning the area into a dusty haze.


    But with the sharpness of Han Li¡¯s sword Qi, it took only a moment before blue light began to appear under the sword light, and it grew increasingly dazzling.


    Finally, when Han Li ceased moving his fingers and the green light disappeared, in front of him appeared the deeply cut Stele, with a deep blue Crystal Stone embedded in the center, as if it had naturally grown within the Stele.


    The Crystal Stone, several feet in length, was a watery blue and exceptionally translucent.


    Though not fully exposed, it seemed to be long and flat.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    It appeared that the entire bluestone Stele was just a thick shell for this Crystal Stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a Spirit Stone, even though it looks very similar to a water attribute Spirit Stone, the energy within is not that of water attribute,¡± Bai Yaoyi stated confidently after blinking her clear black and white eyes a couple of times.


    ¡°Indeed, it isn¡¯t a Spirit Stone.


    No one would directly use a Spirit Stone to craft things and carve engravings on it.


    This seems to be a stele scripture,¡± Han Li said, as he gazed at the exposed part of the Crystal Stone and saw the ancient runes indenting its surface.


    He let out a light sigh.


    Then, without any further hesitation, he gathered his mana and reached out with one hand towards the Crystal Stone.


    Suddenly, a green luminescent hand materialized out of thin air in front of the Stele, its claw-like fingers reaching forward and firmly grasping the top of the Crystal Stone before forcefully pulling it upwards.


    Indeed, it was extremely heavy, but Han Li, who was prepared this time, used his strong mana to forcibly pull the entire Crystal Stone out of the Stele.


    A blue misty Crystal Stele appeared in front of Han Li, its runes flowing and emanating a faint blue light.


    Han Li briefly examined the text on it, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind.


    He kept his expression unchanged but quickly formed a hand seal and pointed at the Crystal Stele.


    The Stele trembled slightly, rapidly shrinking in size until it was half a foot long and brick-shaped, then with a ¡°swoosh¡±, it vanished inside Han Li¡¯s sleeve.


    Although the elder and Bai Yaoyi were equally interested in the Crystal Stele, seeing that Han Li did not wish to bring it out for them to examine, they naturally did not bring it up again.


    Instead, the two of them consulted with Han Li and immediately decided to follow the steps up the mountain.


    At that moment, they had confirmed that the distant rumbling sound was indeed coming from above the mountain.


    Without further delay, the three once again concealed their forms and soared upwards.


    Unbeknownst to Han Li, the rumbling noises they heard were actually caused by the many cultivators of the Ye Family at an unknown height along the mountain ridge, struggling to break through a restrictive formation.


    But the distance between them was not as close as they thought.


    Between them lay another restrictive formation before reaching the location of the Ye Family cultivators.


    After all, where they had been transported by the formation to the cave was much lower than the fixed position where the Ye Family cultivators came through the crack in the restrictive formation.


    At this moment, the eccentric and the Great Elder of the Ye Family, both Nascent Soul stage great cultivators, floated motionlessly side by side above a mountain rock.


    Not far below them, the remaining cultivators of the Ye Family were positioned according to directions in a temporarily arranged Array.


    They were using the power of the Array and various treasures to desperately attack a massive archway faintly visible on the stone steps ahead.


    Ancient devilish techniques were also among the Ye Clan Sect Masters, commanding a dark flying sword summoned from an unknown source, attacking expressionlessly.


    This archway could indeed emit myriad glows by itself, capable of receiving all attacks as if it itself were a rare and valuable treasure.


    ¡°Three kid!


    How much longer do you think it will take to breach the Gate of Myriad Cultivations?¡± The eccentric looked forward at the archway enshrouded in colorful Spiritual Energy, turning his head to ask the scholar in white robes, his expression slightly anxious.


    ¡°Another day and night should suffice.


    This archway is more troublesome than I imagined.


    No wonder the Gate of Myriad Cultivations had such a fame in the old days,¡± the scholar replied calmly, his voice deep.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already lingered too long before this archway.


    If you and I could also go down and lend them a hand, at the very least, the time needed to break the seals could be halved,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast muttered dejectedly, yet did not move an inch, showing no real intention of taking action.


    ¡°Since there are Lion Birds, such ancient fierce birds on this mountain, I naturally need to be more cautious.


    I¡¯d rather delay breaking the seal for a day or two; the two of us must always maintain abundant mana.


    Be patient, Seventh Uncle!


    We¡¯ve only been in this mountain for a few days, and there¡¯s still plenty of time left.


    Haste does not bring success!¡± the scholar said lightly.


    ¡°That is true.


    Even if the Nascent Soul cultivators from other Sects act quickly, arriving here and finding the crack in the seal will still take time.


    But, just this Gate of Myriad Cultivations alone has taken us so much time, I fear the restrictive formations we encounter later will be even more troublesome,¡± the eccentric sighed.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle, don¡¯t worry.


    Our Ye Clan has planned this operation for so long; naturally, we have also considered the matter of breaking the restrictive formations.


    Over the years, the clan has already collected several treasures specifically for breaking such seals.


    It¡¯s just not time to use them yet,¡± the scholar said, smiling slightly, exuding extraordinary confidence.


    ¡°That reassures me,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast replied, his expression relaxing.


    Then, the two quietly observed the progress of breaking the seals in midair without saying much more.


    But before long, the eccentric¡¯s nose twitched slightly, and his face suddenly darkened.


    Without a word, his fingers flicked in a specific direction in the air.


    Instantly, several yellow Sword Qi shot out without warning, encompassing a large tree dozens of feet away.


    As a light breeze blew below the tree, a creature covered in green fur with silver wings on its back suddenly appeared there.


    The creature didn¡¯t move its hands at all, but with a mere flap of its wings, it easily sent several blades of Sword Qi flying out.


    Then, this sharp-eared, monkey-cheeked creature surveyed the Ye Clan Sect Masters below with cold eyes, glanced at the scholar and the Vivid Glass Beast, and without making a sound, immediately spread its wings and shot backwards.


    After a few flickers, the Silver-winged Yaksha transformed into a breeze again and disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing things, right?


    What a masterful Wind Escape Technique, capable of using the wind to become invisible.


    This creature seems to be the legendary Silver-winged Yaksha.


    If it weren¡¯t for the faint scent of corpse on its body, I¡¯d have almost been fooled,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast said without pursuing, but his expression turned serious.


    ¡°Corpse scent?


    I didn¡¯t sense that.


    Only Seventh Uncle¡¯s Blood Chariot True Mantra could cultivate such sensitive Divine Skills.


    But not only that, this Silver-winged Yaksha seems to be quite spiritually wise as well,¡± the scholar remarked, looking in the direction where the Silver-winged Yaksha had disappeared, his expression also turning ugly.


    ¡°This Kunwu Mountain is proclaimed to be a land of spiritual elegance, so why do we only encounter Lion Birds and Flying Corpses, such ferocious beings!


    Thankfully, the two of us came together.


    If it had been just one of us, it would have been extremely perilous,¡± the eccentric shook his head a few times, frowning deeply.


    ¡°The land of spiritual elegance is just an old saying.


    Now, Kunwu Mountain is sealed for some unknown reason.


    It¡¯s not strange to see some oddities.


    But none of these matter to us.


    Our journey here is only for the heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure.


    There¡¯s no need to ask too much about other matters,¡± the scholar fell silent for a moment before slowly continuing.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    But if there were no spiritually wise demons, even if their cultivation were high, there would be nothing to worry about.


    But that Silver-winged Yaksha actually possesses extremely high spiritual wisdom; we have to be more vigilant against this demon.


    We cannot allow it to ruin our grand plan,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast said, his gaze abruptly chilling.


    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Seventh Uncle.


    I will pay more attention to this demon,¡± the scholar nodded, his tone significantly more solemn.


    While the Great Elder of the Ye Family encountered the Silver-winged Yaksha and drove it away, high above where the Ye Clan Sect Masters had once rested near the stone kiosks, at a seemingly ordinary dense barrier, suddenly a glow flashed, followed by a white-haired head poking in, looking around comically.


    Finding no one around, the figure unhurriedly squeezed through the barrier in a flash of silver light and then, riding a massive glowing disc, slowly floated toward the stone kiosk and landed steadily atop it.


    Only then did he raise his head, revealing a face full of wrinkles, yet with tiny, crafty eyes.


    It was none other than the mysterious little old man, Xiang salutes!


    ¡°So this is Kunwu Mountain.


    Tsk, tsk!


    The Spiritual Energy here indeed is extraordinary.


    But who in their right mind would dare open this seal?


    If that thing is released, do they wish to bury the whole Great Jin with it?


    It¡¯s my misfortune, being just nearby and unable to pretend ignorance,¡± Xiang salutes glanced around a bit and soon faintly heard a rumbling sound, ending up stamping his feet on the top of the stone kiosk and cursing with a disgruntled face.


    ¡°Knowing that coming here is unfortunate, yet you dared to come-I indeed admire your courage,¡± just as Xiang salutes stopped cursing, a sweet and gentle voice of a woman, as soft as a lover¡¯s sweet call, suddenly resonated in his ears.


    But upon hearing this voice, Xiang salutes¡¯ body suddenly chilled, and all his blood seemed to freeze.


    ¡°Senior, you¡­


    you have come out!¡± The little elder swallowed dryly, stumbling over his words.


    ¡°Come out?


    I¡¯ve been out for countless thousands of years.


    It¡¯s just that the Three Elders of Kunwu used the strength of ten thousand people to set up this last layer of restrictive formations that I could not tear open by myself.


    Otherwise, this princess would have left long ago.


    I wouldn¡¯t have waited until now,¡± the woman¡¯s voice remained very gentle, but Xiang salutes¡¯ face turned instantly pale with fear.


    (Part Two!


    Hehe!


    Finally made up for yesterday¡¯s chapter, I can go to sleep now!)-(To be continued, for further information please visit www.qidian.com, where chapters are updated frequently to support the author and legitimately read!)

 Chapter 1001 - Chapter 1001 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 997 True Man of Dispersal

    ?Chapter 1001: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 997 True Man of Dispersal Chapter 1001: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 997 True Man of Dispersal ¡°Really!


    I wonder what offense my disciple has caused Senior Martial Brother Zheng Wei, prompting you to personally teach him a lesson?¡± Just then, a faint voice suddenly came from afar, followed by several streaks of light in various colors shooting over, instantly arriving in front of a few Poison Holy Gate disciples.


    The speaker, facing the red light and appearing utterly expressionless, was none other than the cultivator surnamed Hua.


    ¡°It appears Brother Hua truly came., Zheng Wei has shown discourtesy.


    I was merely jesting with your disciples just now, I never really intended to bully the weaker!¡± Contrary to the expectations of other cultivators present, the cultivator in the red light, who had seemed ferocious, suddenly laughed and spoke in a jovial manner as soon as he saw the elders of the Poison Holy Gate approach, displaying a complete disregard for his own dignity.


    ¡°Hehe, this must be the famous Scatter Zheng Wei.


    Now that I see him, his reputation is indeed well deserved!¡± Laughter erupted from the other side, then a flash distracted everyone¡¯s eyes, and suddenly, five pale figures like bamboo poles appeared between the red light and the Poison Holy Gate cultivators.


    ¡°Five Sons¡¯ Synchronization Demon!


    It turns out Brother Qian from the Yin Sifting Sect has arrived!¡± The voice of the cultivator in the red light changed dramatically as if he were greatly shocked.


    ¡°Well said, Brother Zheng¡¯s reputation is no smaller than mine!¡± Qian the devil chuckled lightly.


    Indeed, Scatter Zheng Wei, speaking of which, was also a noteworthy figure in the realm of immortal cultivators of the Great Jin.


    However, it wasn¡¯t that his divine skills were exceptional, but rather that he was a typical cunning character who bullied the weak and feared the strong.


    When facing cultivators of lower cultivation than his own, he was ferocious and unmerciful, but he would immediately capitulate flattering those of higher divine skill, without any care for his own dignity.


    Whenever an opportunity presented itself, this person would turn ruthless, frequently backstabbing others when they were vulnerable.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    Such a character naturally offended many cultivators, and even some Nascent Soul experts hated him to the core.


    Although he was a Nascent Soul beginner and a vagrant cultivator practicing a technique that easily advanced in realm but had poor divine skills, he happened to have obtained an ancient treasure ¡°All Direction Flying Boots¡± in his early years.


    With these, his escaping speed was comparable to that of late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Moreover, this person had later cultivated some unique secret techniques designed for preserving one¡¯s life, and he rarely provoked high-level cultivators, so although many despised him deeply, he had remained carefree until now, becoming one of the most infamous people in the Great Jin¡¯s realm of immortal cultivators.


    With such a character, Hua Tianqi, of course, did not show any good feelings, yet Qian the devil seemed quite interested in him.


    But seeing even the Great Elders of the Yin Sifting Sect appear, this man began smiling obsequiously and retreated into the crowd, like a mouse spotting a cat.


    Seeing his cowardly demeanor, Qian the devil lost interest in saying anything more and spoke to Hua Tianqi in a seemingly amused tone,


    ¡°Brother Hua, your disciples are guarding this place; don¡¯t tell me you plan to keep me outside as well?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qian jests.


    Our Poison Holy Gate dares not block your way, let alone any other cultivator.


    It¡¯s just that this place is currently obscured by an Illusion Array, and our Sect wishes to break it first before allowing fellow cultivators to enter, to prevent anyone from getting trapped,¡± Hua Tianqi replied after a pause, his eyes flickering.


    ¡°Oh, it seems I misjudged your kind intentions.


    But this mere Illusion Array can¡¯t stop me.


    I intend to go in now; how does that suit you?¡± Qian the devil sneered, pressing insistently.


    ¡°No problem, Brother Qian, if you can break through the array, I definitely will not hinder you one bit,¡± Hua Tianqi said, apparently letting go completely, and with a wave of his hand, he signaled his disciples to immediately clear the way.


    Although the other three Poison Holy Gate elders felt somewhat perplexed, out of trust for Hua Tianqi, none said anything.


    The Core Formation disciples obediently moved aside.


    ¡°Then I shall go first,¡± Qian the devil laughed wildly, and five white shadows dashed directly into the white light curtain, and in a blink of an eye, a surge of blue light appeared and the white shadows disappeared from sight.


    ¡°Are there any other cultivators who wish to try breaking the array?


    I will not hinder anyone,¡± Hua Tianqi waited until the light curtain stabilized and with a twist of his facial markings, he slowly said to the surrounding cultivators.


    Hua Tianqi¡¯s actions, however, made the previously aggressive group of cultivators look at each other in hesitation.


    Even the previously bold Scatter Zheng Wei now hid within the crowd and remained silent.


    Everyone initially thought that the Poison Holy Gate intended to monopolize the entrance and were thus hostile, eager to enter the sealed area first.


    But now that the entrance was open and a late Nascent Soul great cultivator was ahead, they became more cautious.


    Regardless of whether the Illusion Array was difficult to break, if the great elder of the Yin Sifting Sect suddenly commenced a slaughter within the array, who could resist alone?


    This naturally caused them to hesitate.


    Seeing this situation, Hua Tianqi revealed a hint of scorn on his face and without paying any further heed to others, he turned to instruct his disciples.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to guard this place anymore.


    This Illusion Array, which will take the few of us a little more time, can be broken by our joint efforts.


    You all return to the surface,¡± he commanded.


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± The seven or eight Poison Holy Gate Core Formation disciples bowed and then flew upward without turning back, disappearing in an instant.


    Following Hua Tianqi¡¯s summons, the four Poison Holy Gate elders also stepped into the lower Illusion Array together.


    After a burst of rosy light, they too disappeared from sight.


    The remaining cultivators stirred for a while.


    They were mostly lone wanderers, and even if some arrived in groups, they were at most two or three Core Formation experts, who dared not enter the Formation.


    The remaining Nascent Soul experts each stayed alone, all showing a thoughtful expression.


    Seeing that no one was blocking the entrance, the area suddenly became quiet for a moment.


    ¡°This fellow Daoist, how about we join hands to enter?¡± From behind the crowd, Scatter Zheng Wei stealthily appeared in front of a tall, large man and said with a giggling smile.


    ¡°Enter with you?


    I¡¯d rather not.


    Fellow Daoist, your great reputation is well-known to me!¡± Upon hearing Zheng Wei¡¯s words, the Nascent Soul large man immediately rolled his eyes, showing an unpleased demeanor.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, why refuse someone a thousand miles away?


    I¡¯ve observed that among the Nascent Soul cultivators here, besides us two, there are three other unfamiliar vagrant cultivators.


    If we join hands to explore, we need not fear Qian the devil and the people from the Poison Holy Gate,¡± Zheng Wei said, still smiling and amicable.


    ¡°Hmph, you convince the others first then come find me,¡± said the large man with a flicker of consideration, but still quickly stated his condition due to the other¡¯s notoriously bad reputation.


    ¡°Alright, with that word from fellow Daoist, the rest is on Zheng.¡± Zheng Wei promised, patting his chest, and then under the surprisingly watchful eyes of the large man, he flew towards an old man surrounded by a purple light.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, would you like to enter and explore?


    I have already discussed with that fellow Daoist over there and am planning to find three more to join us, would you be willing to come along?¡± Before the old man could show a surprised expression towards this unexpected guest, Zheng Wei had already put on a smiling face.


    The old man frowned and cast a cold glance at Zheng Wei, then looked up at the large man to the other side, meeting the curious gaze of the large man.


    After a brief eye contact, the old man showed a hint of realization and a faint smile appeared on his lips.


    Soon after, five originally unacquainted Nascent Soul vagrant cultivators also entered the Illusion Array together.


    Thus, the high-level cultivators left outside suddenly disappeared.


    ¡­


    At the same time that many Nascent Soul cultivators entered the Illusion Array, Han Li¡¯s eyes shimmered with blue light as he surveyed his surroundings.


    He was now alone in a dreamlike space, surrounded by colorful ethereal clouds, with no sky above and no earth below, seemingly suspended in mid-air.


    ¡°This damned place is too eerie, can¡¯t fly out no matter how I try, there¡¯s no restrictive formations appearing, and it doesn¡¯t quite seem like an Illusion Technique!


    Could it really be that I¡¯m trapped here to die?¡± Han Li murmured to himself, his expression deeply frustrated.


    A few days ago, when they inadvertently discovered an extremely rare Spirit Grass next to a staircase on a boulder, the Fu-surnamed elder immediately rushed to pick it.


    However, as soon as the elder plucked the Spirit Grass, he seemed to have triggered some restriction, and Han Li suddenly found himself alone in this place.


    Bai Yaoyi and the Fu-surnamed elder were nowhere to be seen.


    Faced with the array restriction, Han Li, although not an Array Master, was still well-versed in some ancient unusual arrays and was not afraid initially.


    However, it did not take long for Han Li to sense something ominous.


    He could not determine if everything here was an illusion, knowing only that no matter how long he flew, the sights before him remained exactly the same.


    Even the Brightsight Spirit Water¡¯s Divine Skill, which he had already used, did not reveal any abnormalities.


    As for attacking with his flying sword magic treasure and other methods, he had tried them all.


    Each strike shot out smoothly going far, then dispersed and disappeared, utterly unable to hit anything substantial.


    Thus, no matter how fierce his attacks were, they were useless.


    After drifting in this space for so long without finding anything, Han Li finally stopped.


    He squinted his eyes and pondered for a while, then suddenly sat down cross-legged, gently closed his eyes, and began to recollect various ancient unusual arrays he had studied before in his mind, to see if he could find a similar restriction to break the array and escape.


    Time slowly passed, Han Li remained motionless like a wooden statue.


    After what seemed a long period, Han Li finally moved slightly, slowly opened his eyes, and looked around the colorful clouds.


    ¡°Tsk tsk!


    So that¡¯s how it is, just as I thought,¡± Han Li said softly with a unique look in his eyes.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    For more information on what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where more chapters are available, to support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 1002 - Chapter 1002 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 998 An Unexpected Encounter

    ?Chapter 1002: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 998 An Unexpected Encounter Chapter 1002: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 998 An Unexpected Encounter Han Li slowly stood up and reached out with one hand toward a nearby red cloud in the void.


    Instantly, a giant green hand materialized out of thin air and firmly grasped the cloud in its palm.


    A low incantation began to sound!


    Han Li stared at the hand, his hands forming a strange seal, and he murmured under his breath.


    The hand trembled and then suddenly clenched its fingers together, tightly gripping the red cloud in its center.


    Green light burst forth, and in an instant, the giant hand transformed into a glaring light sphere, dazzling and blinding.


    But Han Li immediately opened his mouth and released a strand of green nascent flames, which lightly wrapped around the light sphere.


    The roaring flames quickly engulfed the sphere, enveloping it completely.


    Only then did Han Li scatter the incantations in his hands and watched the light sphere expressionlessly, without saying a word.


    After an unknown period, Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched slightly and suddenly he flicked his sleeve toward the fire in the air.


    A burst of rosy light swept away.


    The flames promptly extinguished, revealing a pale red bead.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯m really not mistaken!


    Such a clever method of hiding things through transformation could indeed only come from an ancient expert.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    But even in ancient times, there couldn¡¯t have been many cultivators who understood such formations, right?


    It¡¯s fortunate that Xin Ruyin gave me a book in the past that contained a similar restrictive formation.


    Otherwise, I would have had no idea how to break the formation.


    It seems I will have to further enhance the power of my Brightsight Water.


    If I can continue to use the Brightsight Water for another hundred years or so, maybe I could see through even this peak level of illusion technique.¡± Han Li sighed, slightly frustrated that his current ability could not see through such formations.


    He ignored the motionlessly floating red bead in the air and scanned around, then set his sights on a blue cloud, and once again a giant hand reached out and grabbed it, followed by a release of nascent flames.


    This time, the cloud disappeared into nothingness in the midst of the flames in the blink of an eye.


    With no change in his expression, Han Li immediately reached for another blue cloud.


    After failing twice in a row, he finally refined another blue bead.


    In this way, he spent half a day and managed to refine yellow, green, and golden beads.


    Then, Han Li began to seriously beckon the beads, and the beads that were floating nearby flew toward him instantly.


    His fingers quickly danced, drawing the beads into rotation around him.


    They spun faster and faster, gradually merging into a five-colored ring that emitted a mysterious light.


    ¡°Go!¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he shouted softly.


    As his finger movements stopped, the five-colored ring disintegrated, and the beads followed a mysterious trajectory, suddenly shooting out in every direction.


    In an instant, the beads reached five seemingly unrelated points around him, spinning ceaselessly while also expanding and contracting in a strange manner.


    At the very moment Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed, a series of loud ¡°rumble¡± sounds followed, and the five beads exploded simultaneously.


    Five differently colored light spheres appeared, each flashing with a blinding shine as if five sinister suns had suddenly appeared in the space.


    Even Han Li involuntarily closed his eyes, refusing to directly gaze at the piercing light.


    As the five lights merged together, covering the entire area for an instant, the scenery around them changed.


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s vision blurred, and he found himself standing on a familiar stone stairway.


    Not far away was the stone cliff they had previously seen, covered in Spirit Grass.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han!¡±


    Both a man and a woman¡¯s exclamations rang out beside Han Li.


    Han Li turned his gaze and saw Bai Yaoyi and the wealthy old man also appeared several meters away from him.


    Both looked extremely drained but now wore faces of joy.


    ¡°You both escaped as well!¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    ¡°It must have been Brother Han who broke through this strange restriction!


    I¡¯ve never seen such a fearsome formation; I truly thought we were going to be trapped alive!¡± The wealthy old man said, clearly shaken.


    It was obvious that this elder from the Nine Nether Sect had suffered greatly under that mysterious restriction, both in mana and spirit.


    ¡°My situation is similar to that of brother Fu.


    I was at a loss in that restriction as well.


    This time, we were lucky Brother Han took action to break the formation.¡± Bai Yaoyi also said with a wry smile, a hint of gratitude appearing on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing significant, I just happened to have heard of a similar restriction and knew how to break this one.


    Such ancient restrictions are indeed very rare.


    The Spirit Grass that brother Fu picked must be a Magic Artifact in disguise.


    It seems that fellow Daoist might have been quite misled.¡± Han Li chuckled and said.


    ¡°Transformed by illusion, you say?


    But I clearlya€|¡± the wealthy elder exclaimed in surprise, half-believing and half-doubting, as he took out a jade box from his storage pouch.


    Inside the box was not any Spirit Grass, but instead, an ordinary-looking Jade Ruyi had appeared.


    The elder was instantly dumbstruck.


    ¡°In fact, the moment the three of us set foot on that stone cliff, we were already subjected to the restrictive formations and Illusion Techniques of ancient experts.


    Fellow Daoist, your picking of the Spirit Grass merely triggered the most powerful prohibitions of this Array.


    Please take another look over there!¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed as he casually pointed in the direction of the stone cliff.


    Upon hearing this, the elder and Bai Yaoyi looked over and saw a stalk of Spirit Grass bearing a string of purple berries on the stone cliff.


    ¡°Those ancient experts were truly cunning, setting up such treacherously hidden traps here.


    What were they thinking!¡± The elder immediately became frustrated and angry.


    Bai Yaoyi was also stunned, her cherry lips slightly parted in astonishment.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for surprise, Fellow Daoists.


    This kind of ancient restrictive formation originally required a Magic Artifact to be actively triggered by someone within the Array to fully unleash its power.


    Naturally, it would transform into this form.


    As for this restriction, I¡¯ve only temporarily broken it, not completely destroyed it,¡± Han Li said leisurely.


    ¡°This Kunwu Mountain doesn¡¯t seem like a mountain of immortal spirits; it¡¯s more like a dragon¡¯s lair and a tiger¡¯s den!¡± The elder saw that the Spirit Grass he thought he had was gone, and his expression was naturally one of disappointment.


    ¡°We should be more cautious in the future.


    This place is not a commonplace ancient cultivators¡¯ site.


    If anything odd happens, it¡¯s better not to act rashly to avoid bringing disaster upon oneself.


    This time, I happened to be able to break this Array, but next time, Han Li may not have such assurance.


    You understand what I mean, right?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, and his voice sank slightly, suddenly turning cold.


    ¡°This?


    In the future, I won¡¯t act rashly again,¡± the wealthy elder said with an awkward chuckle.


    He had indeed been somewhat reckless in trying to take the Spirit Grass.


    Bai Yaoyi also nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°Since both Fellow Daoists understand, let¡¯s go.


    The noise on the mountain has stopped.


    After the delay of these few days, others may have already reached the summit,¡± Han Li said, turning his head to glance in the direction of the mountain peak before advancing again along the stone steps, taking the lead.


    Bai Yaoyi and the elder naturally followed closely behind.


    This time, they encountered no trouble.


    Several hours later, the three of them finally flew over several huge mountain ridges and came to the stone kiosks where the Ye Clan cultivators had entered that day, where Xiang salutes had vanished into thin air.


    Seeing the stone kiosks nearby, before the elder and Bai Yaoyi could react, Han Li suddenly exclaimed softly and stared at a certain spot on the ground outside the stone kiosks, stopping in his tracks.


    Seeing this, the two elders couldn¡¯t help but follow his gaze, and they too noticed something unusual.


    On the loose soil, there was a faint shallow footprint.


    If one wasn¡¯t careful, it would be easy to overlook.


    ¡°Indeed, other Sect Masters have been here!¡± Bai Yaoyi whispered with a slight show of teeth, her brows tightly furrowed.


    ¡°Not just that, take a look at that piece of rock there!¡± The elder murmured to himself, then glanced at a rock near the stone kiosks and spoke.


    On that rock, there was a groove several meters long, narrow and finely cut, obviously a mark left by an extremely powerful Sword Qi.


    This was where the yellow Sword Qi shot out by the Seventh Uncle of the Ye Clan had inadvertently left its mark that day.


    ¡°This sword mark is also fresh; it seems not only have people been here, but they also seem to have had a confrontation with something.


    Could it be that Silver-winged Yaksha?¡± Bai Yaoyi said with her eyes moving fluidly.


    ¡°Perhaps!


    It seems those people also followed the stone steps upward.


    This way, it¡¯s good; someone has cleared the path for us.


    We can avoid a bit of trouble,¡± Han Li said with unusual calm.


    Hearing this, the wealthy elder laughed, about to say something, when suddenly a flash of white light appeared on a nearby light screen, and a pale white figure shot out from within.


    Because the figure appeared facing Han Li and the others, they had a clear view, and as a result, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi were immediately ecstatic.


    The two of them had never expected to find the exit they were looking for right under their noses.


    However, upon seeing the white shadow, the wealthy elder¡¯s expression changed drastically.


    ¡°The Five Son¡¯s Synchronization Demon, it is Qian the Devil¡¯s fiend demon transformation!¡± Han Li was startled upon hearing this.


    Although the Five Son¡¯s Synchronization Demon sounded somewhat familiar, he couldn¡¯t immediately recall who Qian the Devil was.


    Bai Yaoyi, however, turned pale upon hearing this.


    All the while, several ¡°plops¡± were heard in succession, and four figures identical to the first emerged from the white light screen.


    Five indistinct pale white figures stood side by side, their ten bland gazes all looking toward Han Li and his companions simultaneously.


    ¡°The Great Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect!¡± On seeing the queer behavior of the five figures, Han Li finally remembered their origins, and his complexion instantly turned ugly.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Fu, what a coincidence!


    No wonder my subordinates searched everywhere for you and couldn¡¯t find you.


    You had already entered this place first.


    This Celestial Ni Chang, judging by her unique attire, must be a cultivator from the Northern Night Little Polar Palace.


    I, too, am acquainted with Lady Liu of your Star Palace.


    As for the last Fellow Daoist, tsk tsk!


    Could it possibly be Han Li from Tian Luo?


    Han Li, you¡¯ve really made it difficult for my sect and the Heaventide Sanctuary to find you!¡± Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s voice started with surprise and then burst into delighted laughter.


    (Second update!


    Asking everyone for monthly tickets!)(To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available and your support for the author and legitimate reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 1003 - Chapter 1003 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 999 Murderous Intent Greatly Arises

    ?Chapter 1003: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 999 Murderous Intent Greatly Arises Chapter 1003: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 999 Murderous Intent Greatly Arises Upon hearing words like ¡°Han Li¡± and ¡°Heavenly South,¡± both the rich-surnamed elder and Bai Yaoyi revealed a hint of surprise and couldn¡¯t help but cast a doubtful glance at Han Li.


    However, Han Li merely looked at the five white shadows in the distance, his expression grim and silent.


    One must know that he had personally beheaded a mid Nascent Soul stage elder of the Yin Sifting Sect, even snatching away one side of their sect-guarding Ghost Sifting Banner, so it was impossible for there to be any talk of burying the hatchet.


    Moreover, he had originally intended to obtain the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse from the Yin Sifting Sect, a secret known only by the Sect Master and the current Great Elder in front of him.


    For this reason, Han Li had already considered targeting the Yin Sifting Sect after this endeavor.


    Thus, now that he had unexpectedly encountered them here, Han Li, caught unprepared, had already secretly pondered the possibility of a direct confrontation with them on the spot.


    After all, both individuals were high-ranking and influential members of the Yin Sifting Sect, and chances to find them alone were exceedingly rare.


    Having fought a fierce battle with the Silver-winged Yaksha, who was comparable to a cultivator in the Deity Transformation stage, and although the creature didn¡¯t possess a suitable Daoist paper talisman and was also hampered by restrictive formations, he had nearly managed to kill it.


    However, he had not used all of his methods at the time, sparing the Humanoid Puppet from being used, leaving him with a chance of victory against the present Deity Transformation stage devilish cultivator.


    And adding to that the fact that his Devilbane Lightning held significant effectiveness in countering magic tools, even though the name of the Five Son¡¯ Synchronisation Demon was exceedingly peculiar.


    Just as a myriad of thoughts flickered through Han Li¡¯s mind, quickly considering the pros and cons, the middle one of the five white shadows suddenly formed incantations with both hands, and after a murky light flashed around their body, a cultivator clad in a gray robe darted out from among the white shadows, their emergence so eerie that it seemed ghost-like.


    The gray-robed cultivator¡¯s face was veiled by a faint gray qi, obscuring a clear view of their features, but the slightly graying hair and attire clearly belonged to an elderly figure.


    Qian the devil himself had separated from the fiend he was possessing and directly revealed himself.


    At this sight, not only Han Li but also the rich-surnamed elder and Bai Yaoyi became significantly more alert, fixating their eyes unwaveringly on Old Devil Zenith Yin, curious about what the Sect Master of the Yin Sifting Sect might do.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?0


    Yet, the old devil didn¡¯t speak; instead, he slapped his waist with one hand and produced a pitch-black banner, then gently waved it in the direction of Han Li and the other two.


    The elder¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he quickly grasped a treasure.


    Bai Yaoyi was enveloped in a burst of cold light, and instantly her figure was shrouded in a flash of brilliance.


    On the contrary, Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, but he made no other move, his gaze growing colder still.


    ¡°How strange, how very strange¡­¡± The small banner merely flickered with a black light and then nothing unusual happened.


    Qian the devil muttered to himself non-stop, seemingly surprised.


    ¡°Qian brother, what is the meaning of this?


    Bringing out the Ghost Sifting Banner, are you planning to take action?


    Do you want to spark a war between our two sects?¡± Despite his extreme wariness of Qian the devil, the rich-surnamed elder, with three mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators on their side and especially with Han Li¡¯s profound and unpredictable divine skills, wouldn¡¯t fear the opponent too much.


    ¡°A war between two sects?


    I have no such interest.


    I merely have some old scores to settle with Fellow Daoist Han.


    If you two are willing to leave this place now, I have no intention of making things difficult,¡± said Qian the devil calmly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.


    ¡°Qian brother¡¯s words are very much to my liking.


    I¡¯ve also long heard of the great reputation of the Five Devils and was just thinking of exchanging a few pointers with Fellow Daoist!¡± Han Li laughed and readily echoed the sentiment in a lighthearted manner.


    Hearing the words of the two, the rich-surnamed elder and Bai Yaoyi exchanged glances.


    Qian the devil also appeared a bit surprised, his ice-cold gaze repeatedly scanning Han Li.


    ¡°But¡­


    Qian brother!


    Although I know that Fellow Daoist Han has some grievances with your sect, taking action here seems a bit inappropriate.


    Don¡¯t you want to first explore this mountain?¡± The rich-surnamed elder began to dissuade him, frowning.


    It wasn¡¯t that he truly intended to protect Han Li, but because Kunwu Mountain seemed perilously dangerous.


    Having finally found a capable ally, he naturally didn¡¯t want an unforeseen incident to occur.


    Moreover, only by pulling Han Li to their side could he avoid being isolated and without support, not fearing an abrupt betrayal by Qian the devil.


    ¡°I will, of course, explore this mountain.


    But Fellow Daoist Han has also been a target our sect has pursued for a long time; we cannot simply let him go.


    I¡¯ll settle matters with Fellow Daoist Han first.


    What?


    Elder Fu, do you intend to get involved in this matter?¡± Qian the devil responded with a cold laugh.


    ¡°Outside this mountain, I would not interfere with the enmity between Qian brother and Fellow Daoist Han.


    But here, we three must join forces to explore this mountain, and I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t let Qian brother have his way,¡± Bai Yaoyi spoke decisively after pausing for a moment, her beautiful eyes shifting.


    For her, similarly afraid of losing the strong support of Han Li, and facing danger in this mountain, it was critical to keep him by their side.


    The main reason was that both she and the rich-surnamed elder had witnessed the potency of Han Li¡¯s divine skills and did not believe that Han Li would really be afraid of Qian the devil.


    Otherwise, whether she would have said such words was another matter entirely.


    Facing the unexpectedly staunch resistance from the Fu Surname Elder and Bai Yaoyi, a cold gleam flashed through the gray-robed person¡¯s eyes, as if their gaze alone could directly freeze someone¡¯s heart and lungs.


    However, neither the Fu Surname Elder nor Bai Yaoyi were ordinary cultivators.


    Even though they were inwardly shocked, neither showed the slightest hint of fear on their faces.


    ¡°Very well, in consideration of the two Daoist friends¡¯ faces, this old man is not inflexible about putting aside this matter.


    But there is an item of our sect that this person Must hand over to me right now.


    Otherwise, even if it depletes a great deal of my Qi, I may have to engage in a fight with the three Daoist friends here today,¡± Qian the Devil¡¯s cold light subsided as he spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Item?


    Are you referring to the Ghost Sifting Banner?¡± Han Li laughed dryly, ungraciously saying.


    ¡°Indeed, it is that item.


    The Fourth Elder of our sect perished in the Heavenly South, and it seems that you now have the banner, Daoist Friend.


    Return it to me now, and I might temporarily spare you,¡± Qian the Devil said somberly.


    ¡°Spare me?


    You certainly talk big, Daoist friend.


    I can return the Ghost Sifting Banner to you, but there is a condition.


    I wonder if Brother Qian is willing to hear it out!¡± Han Li fell silent for a while before suddenly looking up to the sky, the corner of his mouth displaying a trace of a sneer.


    ¡°Conditions?


    You killed our Sect¡¯s Fourth Elder and took the treasure of our lineage, yet you dare to place conditions before me!


    Do you truly believe I will not take your life?¡± Qian the Devil laughed furiously, and behind him five white shadows flickered, advancing forward and suddenly standing in front of Qian the Devil.


    The atmosphere became tense in an instant.


    The Fu Surname Elder beside them listened with great surprise, his face showing a hint of peculiarity.


    Being one of the Ten Great Devilish Sects, the Nine Nether Sect naturally knew a little about the mysterious disappearance of the Fourth Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect.


    But the elder had never expected that this widely known devilish cultivator would fall at the hands of Han Li, and that even the Yin Sifting Sect¡¯s infamous Ghost Sifting Banner had fallen into someone else¡¯s hands.


    No wonder Qian the Devil, despite knowing it was not the best time to fight, was reluctant to easily let go of their Fellow Daoist Han.


    Regarding Han Li¡¯s concealment of his origins, being a cultivator not from overseas but from the Heavenly South a€¡° this was simply unworthy of mention!


    ¡°Humph!


    ¡®Return to your sect¡¯?


    You speak lightly, Daoist friend Qian.


    I wonder why the Fourth Elder of your sect, for no apparent reason, ran off to our Heavenly South and even secretly attacked my Dao companion?


    Do you think that I would easily hand over the banner?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression darkened as he suddenly spoke quite grimly.


    ¡°Why the Fourth Elder went to the Heavenly South and how he died by your hand is of no concern to me, nor do I have any interest in knowing.


    But the treasure of our sect¡¯s legacy, I must retrieve.


    Otherwise, where would the face of our Yin Sifting Sect be?¡± Old Devil retorted decisively.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Daoist friend Qian has no intention whatsoever of listening to my conditions!¡± Han Li¡¯s pupils shrank, and his eyes revealed an extremely sinister look.


    ¡°Ha ha, talk conditions?


    If you were a Great Elder of one of the Ten Great Sects, perhaps I might bother to listen to what you have to say, but you are just a mere Heavenly South cultivator.


    What qualifications do you have to negotiate conditions with me?¡± Qian the Devil burst into wild laughter looking up to the sky, then his figure suddenly flickered, and he disappeared into one of the white shadows without a trace.


    The five white shadows instantly emitted a bright gray light, and the previously lifeless eyes revealed a frenzy of bloodthirsty excitement in the blink of an eye, becoming extremely dangerous.


    ¡°Crap!


    I almost forgot.


    This old devil cultivates the ¡®Rebellious Emotions Severing the Heavens Art.¡¯ This technique extols acting on impulse, and our threatening words just now have had the opposite effect, enraging this old devil,¡± seeing Qian the Devil¡¯s frenzied look, the Fu Surname Elder suddenly remembered something and regretfully spoke.


    Bai Yaoyi furrowed her brows slightly upon hearing this, but without further thought raised her hand, and an ice crystal dagger rose into the air.


    It then turned into a white stream swirling uncertainly above her head.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged as his eyes narrowed.


    He slightly moved the hand hidden in his sleeve, and the Three Flame Fan eerily appeared in it.


    His other hand quietly rested on the storage pouch, while his Divine Sense locked onto the Shadow Puppet.


    He had decided that as soon as the two parties started fighting, taking advantage of the moment when Old Devil¡¯s attention was divided by the Elder and Bai Yaoyi, he would immediately unleash all his trump cards, aiming to severely wound the opponent in the blink of an eye.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t take the opponent¡¯s life on the spot, he wanted to weaken his cultivation, creating conditions to confront this Great Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect again.


    After all, the matter of Nangong Wan¡¯s Soul Seal Curse was something Han Li couldn¡¯t forget even for a moment.


    Only by obtaining the true method to dissolve the curse could he rest easy.


    Even if doing so meant he could not stay in the Great Jin and had to be pursued day and night by cultivators of the Yin Sifting Sect, he would spare no effort.


    At this moment, the Five Devils began to emit a peculiar whining sound, and their figures suddenly became incredibly faint.


    From a distance, the white shadows appeared like five wisps of light smoke, swaying gently and then, with malicious intent, prepared to pounce.


    But just then, from where the original white shadow had emerged on the light screen, an earth-shattering explosion suddenly resounded, and a burst of piercing silver light erupted, dazzling and bright.


    Before Han Li and the others could understand what was happening, with ¡°swooshing¡± sounds nearly ten streaks of differently colored lights emerged one after another, flying out from the light, then circling around, they all retracted their brilliance, revealing many figures in the vicinity.


    (The first release!) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters and support for the author, as well as genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1004 - Chapter 1004 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1000 Stone Puppet

    ?Chapter 1004: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1000 Stone Puppet Chapter 1004: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1000 Stone Puppet ¡°What¡¯s happened, fellow Daoists?


    Why such panic?¡± Qian the devil was taken aback as the white shadow, initially appearing ready to attack, flickered back to its original position and abruptly turned halfway around to take up a defensive stance.


    Because the cultivators who had flown out of the light screen were all in a sorry state, yet without exception they possessed Nascent Soul stage, even Qian the devil, arrogant as he was, dared not treat them lightly.


    Furthermore, the explosive sounds that had come from the light screen just a moment ago gave him an ominous premonition.


    ¡°Brother Qian has truly astonishing divine skills to have arrived here before us.


    Eh, isn¡¯t that Brother Fu from the Nine Nether Sect?


    And these two area€|?¡± The cultivators were none other than the four elders from the Poison Holy Gate along with five other Nascent Soul cultivators, with True Man of Dispersal skulking among them.


    However, Hua Tianqi was taken aback upon seeing Han Li and the others.


    ¡°So it is Brother Hua, what a coincidence.


    But, what exactly happened just now with that explosion?¡± The elder surnamed Fu was anxious about the matter at hand and, without bothering to explain, promptly asked.


    ¡°Hmph!


    We should be asking that of a few fellow Daoists here.


    Since you arrived before us, surely it was you who laid down that Illusion Array.


    Just now, the array exploded and blocked the passage again, presumably also part of your arrangements.¡± One of the large Nascent Soul cultivators remarked with a cold snort.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Upon hearing this, the other cultivators¡¯ expressions changed slightly as they stared at Han Li and his group, their faces growing unfriendly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, please don¡¯t misunderstand.


    When we three arrived, there were already other cultivators here.


    The Illusion Array you speak of has nothing to do with us.


    If you¡¯ve suffered a loss, do you intend to vent your anger on me?¡± The elder surnamed Fu¡¯s expression darkened immediately as he said without any politeness.


    In such complex circumstances, one could not afford to show weakness readily, for that would only invite being seen as vulnerable and potentially lead to being ganged up on by others.


    ¡°There are others here?¡± This prompted a start not just from the Poison Holy Gate elders, but also from Qian the devil.


    ¡°Hmph.


    We three were unwittingly transported here by an ancient Array, and heard sounds of a restriction being broken above the mountain.


    It¡¯s just that afterward, we were trapped by a restriction for several days, preventing us from promptly finding those people.


    It seems that what you¡¯ve described about the Illusion Array should be connected to this group of individuals.¡± The elder surnamed Fu, not a mere nobody himself, explained the situation thoroughly in just a few sentences.


    ¡°Is it truly so?¡± The large man showed a hesitant look, and the other cultivators also began to doubt.


    ¡°Brother Fu is a Law Enforcement Elder of the Nine Nether Sect, he wouldn¡¯t deceive us over such an obvious matter.


    Moreover, if it was indeed the Nine Nether Sect that had dispelled this seal, then Senior Brother Gu from the sect would certainly have come to oversee it in person.¡± Hua Tianqi relaxed a bit and seemed to entirely believe the elder¡¯s words.


    ¡°That is also true!¡± The large man pondered and then agreed, seeing the logic.


    ¡°But when you flew in just now, there was something off between you three and Brother Qian.


    Could it be that Brother Fu has in some way offended Brother Qian?¡± Hua Tianqi¡¯s eyes shifted slightly before he suddenly brought up the matter.


    After all, everyone had clearly seen the tense and confrontational posture between Han Li¡¯s trio and Qian the devil just before.


    ¡°About thata€|¡± The elder¡¯s face showed a moment of hesitation.


    As the elder surnamed Fu was internally weighing how to answer the question, somewhere in the upper part of Kunwu Mountain within a massive hall, the large man, Vivid Glass Beast, wielded a golden hammer and swung it down, instantly sending out a silver-white arc of electricity that shattered an approaching Stone Tiger Puppet into pieces.


    Behind him, the Ye Clan cultivators each manipulated their own Daoist paper talisman, wildly attacking the various Stone Puppets before them.


    All these puppets, modeled after beasts and birds, were not only extraordinarily hard-bodied but could also spit out various simple spells, making them incredibly fierce.


    They poured out from the four corridors that ran around the hall, seeming endless and unrelenting.


    Yet, the Ye Clan cultivators remained composed, busy maneuvering their paper talismans, each appearing confident in their control of the situation.


    After a short while, a loud crash came from a distant corridor which then completely collapsed, causing the Stone Puppets from that direction to cease emerging.


    The Ye Clan cultivators, hearing this sound, showed a hint of joy on their faces.


    Before long, the corridors in the other three directions also collapsed amidst thunderous noises, and with no new puppets joining, the remaining puppets in the hall were soon cleared out by the Ye Clan cultivators.


    ¡°What are these bizarre things?


    They seem quite different from the puppets of today.¡±


    The Ye Clan cultivators finally relaxed, each taking out Spirit Stones and sitting down cross-legged on the spot.


    Although the situation seemed not very perilous, they had been using their talismans at full strength for an extended period, causing a significant depletion of mana.


    At that moment, from the last destroyed corridor, a streak of light shot out, arriving in front of everyone in the blink of an eye.


    The light receded to reveal a white-robed scholar.


    ¡°Senior Han, you were right.


    At the end of those corridors, there indeed was a hall, and the puppets came from within.


    Following the method you suggested, I broke through the restrictions and destroyed the cores of several halls,¡± said the scholar with a smile to one of the figures.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing significant.


    I happened to read about these puppet Arrays in ancient texts years ago and thus knew how to handle them.


    Otherwise, just staying put and persistently enduring, even a cultivator with heavenly skill would be worn down to death by these relentless assaults,¡± replied the seemingly unflappable ancient devilish techniques practitioner.


    ¡°Haha, it seems quite beneficial for the Ye Clan to have directly sought out Senior Han to come here.


    I fear there might be much more we¡¯ll have to rely on you for in the future,¡± the scholar said with a pleasant countenance.


    ¡°Great Elder is too kind.


    Even without saying this, I would still do my utmost,¡± the ancient devilish techniques practitioner replied with a slight upturn of his mouth, uttering a polite phrase.


    This led the scholar to nod appreciatively, quite satisfied.


    Just then, the eccentric with the large head suddenly let out a ¡®hehe¡¯ with a smile and said:


    ¡°Judging by the time, the fallback we set up in the Illusion Array should be taking effect soon.


    If we¡¯re lucky, it might even buy the Ye Clan some more time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, someone must have attempted to break through the Array by now.


    As soon as someone enters, they¡¯ll naturally trigger it, causing the Illusion Array to self-destruct in an extremely short time.


    However, the obstacles caused by such destruction will dissipate after five or six days at most.


    The entrance will be accessible again.


    Besides, without this, the entire seal will begin to loosen after a while,¡± the scholar said with a focused expression.


    ¡°From the start of the weakening to the complete collapse of the seal, there is still a long time.


    It should be enough for us to extract the treasures.


    The question is where we are now on Kunwu Mountain and how far we are from the main structures,¡± the eccentric with the large head asked the scholar.


    ¡°Hmm!


    It should be around here.


    But now we¡¯re encountering restrictive formations more frequently, which suggests we are getting close to the crucial areas of Kunwu Mountain,¡± the scholar speculated after a moment¡¯s thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.


    But there¡¯s another issue, quite troublesome indeed.


    That Silver-winged Yaksha keeps following behind us ominously.


    What exactly is its intention?


    Could it be waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack?¡± The eccentric with the large head finished speaking, then turned his head to glance at the entrance on the other side of the great hall, his face showing some concern.


    Hearing this, the others also instinctively looked in the same direction, only to see it completely empty as if there was absolutely nothing there.


    But the cultivators of the Ye Clan were well aware that somewhere over there, the Silver-winged Yaksha was most likely lurking, watching them from a distance.


    This left these cultivators rather uneasy for a moment.


    Had it not been for the presence of two late Nascent Soul cultivators with them, ordinary cultivators would truly dare not stay collected under the gaze of such a high-grade beast.


    ¡°This Flying Corpse is indeed troublesome.


    If we had time, with Seventh Uncle¡¯s and my ability, we could possibly lay a trap to heavily injure or even eradicate it.


    But we¡¯re currently pressed for time, every second counts.


    Recklessly attempting to drive it away might provoke its wrath instead.


    Now we can only hope to lead it into some restrictive formations down the path and trap it there,¡± the scholar pondered for a while, only to conclude with this.


    Hearing his words, the others also generally found them sensible and nodded in agreement.


    After all, with the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s extraordinary escape technique, getting rid of it using their own strength seemed highly implausible.


    Therefore, after recuperating some mana, they immediately left the stone hall to appear at the exit.


    But the cultivators of the Ye Clan were taken aback by the view before them, looking with amazement at the sight in the distance, remaining dumbstruck like wooden chickens.


    What stood in front of them was a large series of stone steps, big and small, spanning upward in rugged undulations, leading towards different parts of the mountain.


    Yet, each path was veiled in the same white mist at the far end, making it impossible to discern where the steps ended.


    This, naturally, left the people of the Ye Clan somewhat stunned.


    ¡°What should we do?


    Even if we each explore one place, we simply cannot survey them all,¡± an elder exhaled lightly, turning his face toward the scholar with a forced smile.


    ¡°No need to be anxious.


    This means that we have entered the core of Kunwu Mountain.


    It¡¯s why there are so many branches.


    Splitting up certainly won¡¯t do.


    Ourselves spread thin, we¡¯ll not even be able to defend ourselves.


    We¡¯ll decide which path to take after we go to that platform first to see if there¡¯s any signage or something,¡± the Great Elder of the Ye Clan quickly recovered his composure and came up with a solution.


    And the platform he referred to was the White Jade Plaza, where all the stone stairs converged, only a few miles from them, appearing to be quite vast.


    Hearing the Great Elder¡¯s plan, the others had no better suggestions and agreed to go check out the plaza first!


    Thus, they all summoned their streaks of light and shot towards that place, but just as they took off, they all ¡°plop, plop¡± tumbled down from the sky.


    ¡°A sky restriction?


    There¡¯s actually such a formation set up here?¡± the eccentric with the large head blurted out in surprise.


    Luckily, the cultivators of the Ye Clan hadn¡¯t flown high, so while their landing was somewhat embarrassing, no one was injured.


    However, it came as a surprising relief to them all.


    While the existence of a sky restriction significantly delayed their progress, it also indicated that they had indeed stepped into an important area of Kunwu Mountain.


    (Second update!


    Chapter one thousand, indeed a chapter worth commemorating.


    Hehe, let¡¯s open the champagne and celebrate together with everyone!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1006 - Chapter 1006 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 102 Woman

    ?Chapter 1006: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 102 Woman Chapter 1006: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 102 Woman The large man with the big head was not polite at all, and immediately led the three ancient devilish techniques practitioners straight to the stone steps marked for the Demon Suppression Tower.


    The square-faced cultivator also cupped his fists towards the scholar and, clutching the Heaven Stretching Bracelet in his hand, his figure flitted several times before gradually disappearing on the middle stone steps.


    The scholar did not lead the remaining people to leave immediately but, after witnessing the eccentric and square-faced cultivator finally disappear into the white fog at the end of the stone steps, retracted his gaze and turned his face indifferently to an elder beside him, saying,


    ¡°Elder Feng, how many sets of formation flags and plates do we still have on hand?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the Great Elder.


    In accordance with your instructions, we left our Temporary Spell Formation in place after dismantling each restrictive formation.


    So far, aside from the Purple Forbidden Seven Stars Great Array that cost hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, we no longer have any formation establishing tools left,¡± the elder replied respectfully.


    ¡°Hmm, then let¡¯s set up this Purple Forbidden Seven Stars Array right here.


    And also release the group of Tigerhead Bees and the two Vampire Bats into the array,¡± the scholar commanded without hesitation.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The elder immediately responded, slapped his hand to his waist, and a stack of purple misty formation flags appeared in his hand; then he strode toward one side of the plaza.


    Only then did the scholar look back towards the direction of the mountain¡¯s foot, with an uncertain expression on his face, silently pondering something.


    An hour later, the figures of the scholar and the others also disappeared on another stone staircase.


    At this time, far below the mountain, perhaps tens of thousands of feet down at the mountain¡¯s waist, Han Li and his party were just passing through the giant archway of the Gate of Thousand Cultivators.


    Here, the Ye Clan cultivators had set up a fairly clever Illusion Array, which could trap Core Formation cultivators for at least several days-but facing so many Nascent Soul cultivators, it was almost instantly dismantled by Qian the devil and Hua Tianqi, failing to even slightly delay them.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    Upon seeing the giant archway of the Gate of Thousand Cultivators, Qian the devil and others had no doubt that this place was Kunwu Mountain.


    Everyone, except for Han Li and two others, became extremely excited.


    They quickly chased up the mountain.


    Consequently, as they followed the stone steps up, they naturally encountered other restrictive formations set by the Ye Clan.


    Far from discouraging Qian the devil and the others, these encounters only made them more impatient.


    However, the restrictive formations set up by the Ye Clan and others were each more formidable than the last.


    Despite their reliance on their mighty mana, Qian the devil and the rest finally broke through them using brute force.


    Still, they were inevitably delayed somewhat.


    A full day and night passed before they finally reached the giant stone hall teeming with Stone Puppets.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, be careful.


    If there are restrictive formations here as well, they will probably be more troublesome.


    The people ahead of us were really generous, carrying around so many formation establishing tools.


    It seems that even if they are not cultivators from the Ten Great Sects, they must be from another extremely large power,¡± Hua Tianqi looked ahead at the ancient hall vaguely visible in the distance, his expression slightly serious.


    ¡°Hmph, exhibiting such generosity, to set up a forbidden area, even managing to create the formation flag and plate for the Extreme Frost and Flame Array.


    Not every one of the Ten Great Sects could achieve this.


    I¡¯m somewhat curious about the true identities of those people ahead of us,¡± said Qian the devil coldly.


    ¡°However, chasing them all this way, those people have effectively broken through the restrictive formations of Kunwu Mountain for us.


    It did us a favor.


    Even if we¡¯re temporarily hindered by their restrictive formations, we will definitely catch up with them,¡± Hua Tianqi confidently continued.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± said Qian the devil, his voice indifferent.


    As they were speaking, more than a dozen figures burst into the hall.


    The remains of each puppet scattered throughout the stone hall startled everyone, causing them all to stop and look around.


    ¡°There¡¯s no fluctuation of restrictive formations, they didn¡¯t set up any traps here, which is really unexpected,¡± Hua Tianqi scanned the stone hall with his Divine Sense and hesitantly commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite normal!


    I guess those people have almost exhausted their formation establishing tools,¡± chuckled the well-to-do elder.


    ¡°But what are these things?


    I¡¯ve never heard of puppets made of stone,¡± the large Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s gaze swept across the ground and he frowned slightly.


    ¡°These are not Stone Puppets, they should correctly be called spirit stones?


    They involve a secret technique that forcibly embeds the souls of demon beasts into specially crafted stone statues.


    This technique was once prevalent in ancient times but later vanished for some unknown reason,¡± said one person unhurriedly as he bent down, picked up a piece of broken stone from the ground, and examined it.


    It was Han Li, who had seldom spoken since they set out from the stone kiosks.


    ¡°Oh, Fellow Daoist Han, you also know about such ancient techniques?¡± Hua Tianqi looked at Han Li in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    I have some research into Puppetry Technique.


    But it¡¯s a pity these are all damaged artifacts.


    Otherwise, I would really like to study them thoroughly,¡± said Han Li, tossing the stone piece in his hand, which rolled around several times on the bluestone floor with a bang.


    He had already discovered that these spirit stone remains appeared to be just ordinary rock material.


    Although they had also undergone special refining, the most important thing was clearly some strange Array runes inscribed on the surface of the broken stones.


    It was impossible to discern anything from these shattered remains.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, if you want to get a complete spirit stone, it¡¯s quite easy.


    Perhaps a few still remain in those collapsed areas over there!¡± One of the cultivators rolled his eyes and, pointing to a collapsed corridor, said to Han Li with a smile.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted and saw that it was a middle-aged cultivator with an honest and sincere face.


    It was none other than Scatter Zheng Wei.


    Han Li was not from the Great Jin and thus did not know of this person¡¯s notorious reputation.


    However, with his experience in judging people, he would not judge based on appearance alone.


    After giving a slight smile, as he was about to say something, Qian the devil suddenly shouted loudly:


    ¡°Demon spawn, looking for death.¡±


    Following that, five white shadows raised their hands simultaneously, and immediately, ten gray light beams shot out from the palms, striking an uninhabited area nearby.


    After a rumbling noise, purple light twinkled, and a lion-headed, four-winged strange bird appeared out of thin air, staring fiercely at everyone.


    It was the Lion Bird that had attacked the Ye Clan cultivators before!


    This ferocious bird had somehow stealthily approached with the intention of launching a sneak attack on Qian the devil¡¯s Five Devils.


    Surprisingly, its claw, which had been partially severed by the Great Elder of the Ye Family, had now fully healed without a trace of the severe damage it had suffered before.


    However, having learned its lesson from before, the bird reacted immediately upon being exposed.


    Flapping its wings together, it turned into a burst of purple light and shot towards the rear.


    Qian the devil did not urge the Five Devils to pursue, and the other cultivators, startled by the Lion Bird¡¯s fearsome appearance, hesitated for a moment.


    This allowed the beast to escape from the stone hall in the blink of an eye, vanishing without a trace.


    ¡°A Lion Bird!


    Such a creature exists here!¡± Hua Tianqi exhaled deeply and muttered, his expression growing dark.


    He asked himself if he had encountered this fierce bird alone, his chances of surviving would have been slim.


    The elder with the surname Fu and Bai Yaoyi exchanged glances, seeing a hint of fear in each other¡¯s eyes.


    They were very aware that a Silver-winged Yaksha, an even more powerful creature, was also roaming the mountain.


    However, due to their own thoughts, both Han Li and the other two remained silent about it, and the other cultivators were unaware of this monstrous creature¡¯s existence.


    The remaining cultivators, including the large man, also turned pale.


    Such ancient demonic birds were as powerful as late Nascent Soul cultivators and were naturally not to be trifled with.


    However, after the appearance of the Lion Bird, Han Li, who had felt somewhat tempted to explore the corridor, now dismissed the idea from his mind.


    Since there was not only the Silver-winged Yaksha but also such a creature on the mountain, it seemed safer to move along with the group for now.


    Han Li and the others did not know that the moment the demonic bird flew out of the stone hall, it circled and headed down the side of the mountain.


    After about half an hour of flying, it suddenly landed on a uniquely vibrant green tree and emitted an extremely unpleasant cry, much like a ghost¡¯s wail.


    ¡°Enough, I get it!


    You¡¯re just asking me to seek revenge for you, aren¡¯t you?


    You really think I¡¯m interested in doing that?


    After being trapped in that dark, sunless underwater place for so many years, I finally managed to escape, and I don¡¯t want to court trouble again.


    Besides, both groups of human cultivators are Nascent Soul cultivators, and none of them are easy adversaries.¡±


    A voice, grating like a broken gong, came through, and soon after, a flash of green light revealed a roughly ten-foot-high tree hollow.


    A woman in black emerged from it, looking impatient.


    This woman had a waist as wide as a barrel, dark skin, and although the bun of hair on her head was jet black, two tufts protruded several inches out, white as can be, making her look exceedingly ugly.


    Upon hearing her words, the Lion Bird seemed to burst into fury, with its eyes flashing red and its cries growing even more mournful.


    ¡°You wish!


    You were the one who was careless enough to get half of your claws cut off by those cultivators.


    Why should I seek revenge for you?


    Besides, the descendants of the three Kunwu siblings imprisoned us here with the Spirit-Trapping Formation, intending for us to guard this mountain.


    I absolutely refuse to play into their hands,¡± the woman said, her hands on her hips and grinding her teeth as she spoke to the Lion Bird.


    ¡°But if we don¡¯t eliminate the intruders and these cultivators break into the Kunwu Hall, taking away the Four Spirits Plaque that restrains us, we might end up being commanded by someone else again,¡± said another man¡¯s voice suddenly from above.


    Then, with a flash of green light, the Silver-winged Yaksha appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°Hmph!


    As if they can break into the Kunwu Hall.


    Do you think the hall¡¯s restrictive formations are for show?


    Especially the Greatnorth Essence Light; it¡¯s impossible to guard against.


    If those people really try to break into Kunwu Hall, they are dead for sure,¡± the ugly woman said, nonchalantly rebuking the Yaksha¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, that¡¯s not necessarily true.


    Even though the Greatnorth Essence Light is powerful, among those who are breaking through the formations, there are late Nascent Soul human cultivators.


    It¡¯s very possible they possess precious items capable of defending against the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    And don¡¯t you really want to take this opportunity to retrieve our Life Origin Tokens?


    Otherwise, even though we¡¯ve escaped the Spirit-Trapping Formation, we still can¡¯t take a single step away from Kunwu Mountain,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said calmly.


    (The first release!)(To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1007 - Chapter 1007 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 103 Gathering of Demons Revealed

    ?Chapter 1007: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 103 Gathering of Demons Revealed Chapter 1007: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 103 Gathering of Demons Revealed ¡°The spiritual energy here is abundant, why would I want to leave?


    While I don¡¯t know what the outside world looks like now, I reckon even the human world doesn¡¯t have a better place for cultivation.


    I¡¯ll stay here and cultivate until the day I ascend.¡± Upon hearing the mention of the Life Origin Token by the Silver-winged Yaksha, the ugly woman¡¯s face changed color, and her tone became even harsher.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, you know full well that the seal has been broken, and it¡¯s impossible to stay and cultivate on this mountain, so why put on a brave face?


    Besides, we have quite the connection, it¡¯s right that we should join forces to overcome this difficulty, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Silver-winged Yaksha frowned.


    ¡°We do have a connection.


    You were a human cultivator¡¯s body that cultivated into a spirit.


    The Lion Bird and I were spiritual birds and beasts nurtured by that person back in the day, and we were sealed together within the Spirit-Trapping Formation by those cultivators,¡± the Gui-surnamed ugly woman admitted, her expression easing slightly as she nodded.


    ¡°Exactly because of this, the three of us have the possibility of joining forces.


    There is a restrictive formation in the Kunwu Hall specifically designed to restrain us, and under normal circumstances, we cannot approach it.


    Now that human cultivators have paved the way for us, we just need to secretly follow behind them and sneak in.


    Once inside, we¡¯ll strike together and easily seize the Life Origin Tokens.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    Easier said than done.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.??


    But I heard from the Lion Bird that both groups of cultivators are not small in numbers, and each one is led by a cultivator at the Deity Transformation stage.


    Moreover, one particularly troublesome cultivator, who seems to be wielding a heavenly skill spiritual treasure, is also mixed in with these people.


    When the time comes, we must not end up sacrificing ourselves without even getting the Life Origin Token.


    I¡¯ve had enough of being imprisoned.


    If I don¡¯t secure the Life Origin Token, then I might as well burrow into the depths of the Spirit Vein in this mountain and sleep for another thousand years.


    They can have the Life Origin Token, but if I don¡¯t show myself, what can they do to me?¡± The ugly woman¡¯s heart stirred, but her face remained reluctant to agree easily.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, let¡¯s not forget that I also excel in the Earth Escape Technique,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said impatiently, his face turning grim.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened, her gaze turning icy as she stared at the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.


    If these humans get their hands on my Life Origin Token and ask relevant questions, I¡¯ll definitely have no choice but to spill everything about you.


    A level ten Profound Rock Turtle¡¯s demon core, do you think these cultivators would let you go easily?


    At that time, I¡¯ll definitely be tasked with hunting you down!¡± said the Silver-winged Yaksha indifferently.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you just hide with me?


    That would solve everything,¡± the ugly woman snorted, her face showing a trace of anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to miss this opportunity to seize my Life Origin Token, nor do I plan to be trapped in this mountain forever.


    Without absorbing the yin moon essence from outside, I can never evolve into a Golden Moon Corpse,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said bluntly.


    ¡°Humph, you¡¯re threatening me!¡± The woman suddenly leaped several feet into the air, pointing and cursing loudly at the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    ¡°Hehe, whether it¡¯s a threat or not, Daoist Gui, you can decide for yourself.


    Don¡¯t forget, you still owe me a favor.


    When those ancient cultivators cast the Violent Blood Curse on us, to turn us into mindless brutes, had I not secretly given you a Clear Void Pill, you¡¯d have long become a bloodthirsty lunatic.


    You wouldn¡¯t have your transformed form today,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said with a cold voice, his silver wings fluttering behind him.


    ¡°I remember that favor,¡± said the woman, her bravado significantly lessened upon the mention of the Violent Blood Curse.


    ¡°But don¡¯t forget, aside from us, there should be a fourth companion who was transferred here.


    So far, we haven¡¯t even seen its face.


    We don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s a demon or a ghost.


    If we could join forces with it too, I might consider it,¡± she said after a moment of silence, finally relenting a little.


    ¡°I have already looked around and have not found the location of the fourth Spirit-Trapping Formation, nor have I spotted any traces of other demon ghosts.


    It¡¯s possible that the fourth one wasn¡¯t so lucky and might not be around anymore.


    After all, it didn¡¯t have a Clear Void Pill to maintain its sanity.


    The chances of a bloodthirsty lunatic surviving so many years are really slim.


    And even if it does exist, we don¡¯t have time to search for it now,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha shook his head.


    The ugly woman¡¯s expression fluctuated after hearing this.


    After a long pause, she finally let out a sigh and said decisively:


    ¡°Fine, since you¡¯ve brought up the Clear Void Pill, I¡¯ll make another move to assist you.


    But it¡¯s agreed upon, once we get the Life Origin Token, we leave immediately.


    I won¡¯t stay on this broken mountain any longer.


    I¡¯ll just find some uninhabited place to go into seclusion and never come out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.


    As long as we are free, with our level of cultivation, we can go anywhere we please in the world,¡± the Silver-winged Yaksha said, a hint of joy appearing on his face.


    This Profound Rock Turtle turned woman had divine skills that were even stronger than his.


    She¡¯d be a powerful ally.


    ¡°Before we act, though, we need to plan properly.


    Since those cultivators are already aware of the existence of the two fellows, we need to be careful not to fall into the traps of the human cultivators,¡± said the woman, suddenly becoming exceptionally calm as she agreed to the plan.


    ¡°Of course!¡± This time, the Silver-winged Yaksha agreed without hesitation.


    The Lion Bird beside them also lifted its neck and gave a low growl.


    Then, the three demon creatures began to discuss in whispers underneath the giant tree.


    Only after a meal¡¯s time did they suddenly take to the air and rush toward the direction of the stone steps.


    In an instant, the area under the giant tree became eerily quiet, with only the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through.


    After some unknown amount of time, another apparently ordinary large tree near the giant tree suddenly shook.


    It began to shrink rapidly, reducing in size significantly.


    Amidst a shroud of green light, a bulge appeared on the surface of the tree, and abruptly, two huge emerald-green eyes emerged.


    These eyes, clear and green, turned slightly, coldly watching in the direction where the Silver-winged Yaksha and the others had disappeared, reflecting no hint of emotion.


    The tree unexpectedly manifested from an unknown demon creature, and the Silver-winged Yaksha along with two other demons possessed astonishing Divine Skills yet failed to notice the demon creature so close at hand.


    It was truly an inconceivable turn of events.


    After staring straight up into the sky for half a day, the demon creature suddenly flashed with green light and with a ¡°whoosh¡± sound, the tree it had transformed into burrowed into the ground and disappeared without a trace.


    At this time, the area truly became silent and desolate.


    Elsewhere, Han Li and others, seeing the Lion Bird disappear, had no intention of lingering in the stone hall any longer and swiftly escaped from it.


    But just as they exited the hall, they naturally encountered the same flight restriction as the Ye Clan Sect Masters before them and fell from the sky one after another.


    This surprised them, but also filled them with joy, as they realized they had finally reached the critical area of Kunwu Mountain.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Bai Yaoyi could not help exclaiming in a delicate voice, her bright eyes fixed on the distance down the stone steps, her face full of shock.


    The others, startled, hurriedly looked in that direction.


    They saw, a few miles away, the stone stairs winding and turning as they disappeared into a vast forest of soaring bamboo.


    This bamboo forest was full of purple bamboo thick enough for a person to embrace, dense and widespread, covering every place the eye could see.


    The White Jade Plaza that was originally supposed to be there was completely hidden by the bamboo forest, out of sight.


    A faint purple mist permeated the forest, and the astonishing spiritual pressure faintly emanating from within sent a chill through the hearts of Han Li and the others.


    ¡°This Array seems even more powerful than the Extreme Frost and Flame Array.


    However, it should be the last restrictive formation set up by that group.


    As long as we break through this one, we can catch up to them,¡± Hua Tianqi said gravely after a careful inspection.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what are we waiting for?¡± Qian the devil laughed wildly, and the Five Devils instantly transformed into a burst of rosy light, sweeping directly towards the bamboo forest.


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Hua Tianqi, followed by several Poison Holy Gate members, floated toward the purple bamboo forest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go too.


    Eh, Brother Han, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The wealthy old man called out and was about to follow when he suddenly noticed that Han Li next to him looked extremely pale, as if something was seriously wrong, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel alarmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s go over,¡± Han Li took a deep breath, his expression returning to normal instantly.


    Then, without saying anything further, his figure flickered, and he floated away several meters.


    The old man stroked his chin, his heart filled with suspicion, but he kept his thoughts to himself and quickly followed.


    Of course, the wealthy old man did not know that just now, the dozens of flying swords within Han Li¡¯s body had trembled inexplicably.


    He was shocked and immediately knew that the ancient devil was also on this mountain.


    How could Han Li¡¯s face look any better at this revelation!


    Could the ancient devil be amongst the cultivators ahead?


    How did this demon manage to infiltrate their midst and come to this mountain?


    Was there something here that the ancient devil coveted, or could there be some other conspiracy?


    A barrage of thoughts surged wildly in Han Li¡¯s mind, throwing his spirit into complete disarray and shattering his calm.


    It wasn¡¯t that Han Li, now with the Three Flame Fan and a Nascent Soul stage puppet, was still extremely fearful of this ancient demon, but the timing of the demon¡¯s appearance was too strange.


    To repeatedly encounter this demon in the vast lands of Great Jin, and with the events at the thousand-zhang Demon Abyss in Tian Luo still fresh in his memory, deep down, Han Li had an ominous feeling.


    At this moment, Qian the devil, controlling the Five Devils, had arrived at the edge of the bamboo forest, gray cold air spewing forth from the white shadow toward the bamboo.


    The purple bamboo forest buzzed, and seven purple misty light pillars shot up into the sky from various parts.


    Then the purple mist in the forest seemed to come to life, turning into waves of purple that instantly resisted the gray cold air, intertwining and tearing at each other like two monstrous creatures.


    Seeing this, the four elders of the Poison Holy Gate and other large Sect Masters who had caught up did not hesitate to unleash their Divine Skills, and various treasures transformed into colorful radiances, fiercely sweeping towards the bamboo forest.


    As Han Li also silently released several flying swords and absent-mindedly joined the attack, outside the seal of the underground passage, which had been re-sealed due to the explosion of the Illusion Array, several uninvited groups of visitors arrived.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters and to support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 1008 - Chapter 1008 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 104 Xuanqing Zi

    ?Chapter 1008: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 104 Xuanqing Zi Chapter 1008: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 104 Xuanqing Zi Deep underground, over twenty li north of the small lake, hundreds of cultivators still gathered at the entrance to the sealed rift.


    Due to the self-destruction of the Illusion Array, a fissure several zhang wide was distinctly visible to all the cultivators present.


    However, this also made the passage increasingly dangerous.


    At the entrance, silver light flickered incessantly, like silver waves sweeping out, appearing extremely eerie.


    At the entrance, those Loose Cultivators and small faction cultivators who deemed themselves unable to participate in the competition kept their distance.


    Besides them, there were three groups of cultivators gathered there, seemingly at a stalemate.


    One group consisted entirely of female cultivators dressed in emerald-green robes, each young and beautiful with a graceful figure.


    Judging by their attire, they were local cultivators from the Southern Border.


    Leading them were only two people, a mid-Nascent Soul Stage woman with ordinary looks, and a young woman at the early Nascent Soul Stage, who was captivatingly beautiful.


    Directly opposite these female cultivators was a group of more than thirty cultivators.


    Strangely, this group was vaguely divided into two factions: one wearing black clothes, the other in snow-white robes.


    Standing in front of them were five Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Ge Tianhao and the Endless Sky Saintess, Lin Yinping, were among them, but the most eye-catching was a handsome young man standing next to the Endless Sky Saintess.


    Judging by the fluctuations of his spiritual energy, he was a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator, none other than the Great Immortal Master from the Heaventide Prairies, surnamed Xu.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0


    The last group of cultivators had the fewest members, only three Taoist priests in blue robes, led by an old priest with white hair and a ruddy face boasting the demeanor of immortality-a late-stage great cultivator.


    ¡°Madam Mu, why should your sect wade into these troubled waters?


    This humble Daoist does not look down upon you, but this journey is extraordinarily dangerous.


    One moment of inattention could greatly harm the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    I¡¯m offering advice out of the good relations we had in the old days,¡± said the white-haired old Taoist earnestly to the woman.


    Judging from his tone, the old Taoist seemed to be quite familiar with the woman.


    ¡°Xuanqing Zi, even if Taiyi Sect claims to be the number one sect of the Daoist path, you can¡¯t be so overbearing.


    This seal is clearly within my sect¡¯s area of influence-how come our Immortal Transcendence Sect can¡¯t enter?


    As for the danger, it¡¯s not something our disciples fear,¡± the woman replied indifferently.


    The group of female cultivators turned out to belong to another major sect from the Southern Border closest to the seal, the disciples of the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    Speaking of which, this sect¡¯s reputation in the realm of immortal cultivators was even more renowned than that of the Poison Holy Gate.


    Due to their cultivation techniques, most of the disciples were female, and the high-ranking cultivators and elders in the sect were also women.


    However, the sect¡¯s prestige in the Southern Border came from the infamous and unpredictable cursed poisonous techniques within the sect, supposedly capable of killing someone invisibly from ten thousand li away.


    Thus, in the realm of immortal cultivators, there were often rumors that those who offended this sect would mysteriously die in places that had no connection to it.


    This caused other sect cultivators to be extremely wary of the female cultivators from this sect, preferring not to provoke them lightly.


    This ¡®Madam Mu¡¯ from the Immortal Transcendence Sect even had a terrifying legend of cursing to death three same-level cultivators in different locations on the same day.


    The old Taoist had his own indecipherable grievance with this woman from years gone by.


    Therefore, even though the old Taoist was an elder from one of the Great Jin¡¯s most prestigious sects, he was very polite in his demeanor.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, I won¡¯t interfere with the affairs of other sects, but we of the Yin Sifting Sect must enter,¡± another voice spoke up, belonging to Ge Tianhao on the other side.


    This man had rushed day and night with a group of Heaventide cultivators and, upon entering the Southern Border, immediately met up with two other elders from the Yin Sifting Sect and learned of the underground seal.


    They had hurried to the location without delay.


    Now, feeling that their force was greater than that of the Taiyi Sect, he certainly would not back down easily.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ge, if you really wish to enter, this humble Daoist would not be insistent on blocking your way.


    Not to hide from everyone, I¡¯ve received secret information that the seal was deliberately being undone by someone with a hidden agenda.


    Although I don¡¯t know what lies beneath, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing good.


    Besides, I won¡¯t intervene in this matter.


    With the rift turned into what it is now, I wonder how you, fellow Daoists, plan to get through.


    Even I would not dare to rush in rashly,¡± the elder Xuanqing Zi replied without anger after hearing these words, glancing at the silver radiance in the entrance, and said nothing of approval or disapproval.


    Upon hearing the old Taoist¡¯s words, both the woman in the green robe and Ge Tianhao and the others fell silent.


    Indeed, this was a difficult problem to solve!


    The restrictive formations¡¯ fluctuations within the rift were violently turbulent, and entering it was indeed an exceedingly dangerous matter.


    ¡°In recent years, our Immortal Transcendence Sect happened to acquire a Sun and Moon Shuttle, considered one of the few treasures in the world capable of both offense and defense.


    If my senior sister and I join forces, we would like to give it a try,¡± the woman suggested with a slight sweep of the hair in front of her forehead.


    ¡°The Sun and Moon Shuttle?


    One of the Three Spirit Shuttles?


    Madam actually possesses such a treasure!¡± exclaimed the old Taoist in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    Our sect only just got our hands on it and intend to make this treasure a legacy of our Immortal Transcendence Sect!¡± Madam Mu said calmly, without concealment.


    ¡°Since Madam has this treasure, this humble Daoist has nothing more to say.


    Do take care, Fellow Daoist Mu.


    I too will enter this seal two days from now,¡± the old Taoist nodded, no longer saying much.


    ¡°Two days from now?


    Didn¡¯t the fellow Daoist just say that even you can¡¯t get through?


    What do you mean by saying this now?¡± Ge Tianhao sensed something amiss.


    ¡°Did I not mention?


    Two days from now, the Stalwart Star Island¡¯s Seven Marvels human-sized fellow will arrive.


    With the help of the Seven Marvels Daoist¡¯s Spirit Turtle Flying Carriage, passing through this rift will not be a problem,¡± said the old Taoist, twirling his beard.


    ¡°Seven Marvels human-sized fellow is coming here too?¡± Ge Tianhao and others were taken aback.


    ¡°Indeed, the secret report I received was involving matters linked to both the Righteous and the Devil Dao.


    It just so happens that Seven Marvels Daoist and I were responsible for it and had just split up to work separately near the Southern Border not long ago.


    Now that we¡¯ve found the clues, naturally, I must call upon Seven Marvels Daoist to lend a hand.


    It¡¯s not that I lack courage, but if the secret report holds true, I admit that I can¡¯t be of much use alone.


    It would be more prudent to wait for Seven Marvels Daoist and enter the seal together,¡± the old Taoist said leisurely.


    Upon hearing that even Qi Miao from the Heavenly Demon Sect had taken action, Ge Tianhao¡¯s expression turned particularly ugly.


    After brooding for a while, his lips slightly moved as he communicated telepathically with the Endless Sky Saintess and the Xu surnamed youth.


    The Xu surnamed youth remained expressionless, while Lin Yinping listened with tightly furrowed brows.


    Seeing this, Ge Tianhao quickly added something else, and after a moment of silence, the Xu surnamed youth eventually gave a slow nod.


    Although Lin Yinping hesitated, she did not voice any objections.


    Only then did Ge Tianhao¡¯s expression ease.


    He resolutely addressed Xuanqing Zi,


    ¡°From what Fellow Daoist Xuanqing has said, it seems there indeed lies a big problem beneath the seal.


    But since the Great Elders of my sect have already descended, Ge cannot simply stand by and watch.


    Although we do not possess treasures like the Sun Moon Shuttle and Spirit Turtle Flying Carriage, we still ought to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!


    Since the old Daoist has made it so clear, Brother Ge must be confident in his support.


    This humble Daoist will not be the villain.


    If you have any divine skills that can pass through the crack, feel free to use them.¡± Xuanqing Zi was not surprised and cast a sidelong glance at the Great Immortal Master Xu from Heaventide after speaking, his face calm.


    It was clear that this old Daoist was well aware of the origins of the Heaventide cultivators.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, we won¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    Daoist Xu, I¡¯m afraid we must trouble you to make a move,¡± said Ge Tianhao with a chuckle, turning to speak afterwards.


    ¡°Hmm, since Brother Ge insists, Elder Xu will make an attempt for both of you,¡± the youth replied.


    With one hand patting a spirit beast pouch at his waist, a burst of rainbow light instantly swept out from the pouch.


    With a flash of spiritual light, a Five-Colored Peacock appeared in mid-air, its colorful feathers emitting circles of light that were dazzling and eye-catching.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock!¡± Xuanqing Zi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, his face showing a hint of color change.


    ¡°Indeed, the rainbow light released by the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock naturally isolates nature¡¯s spiritual energy.


    With it leading the way, we too can enter.


    Brother Xuanqing, we¡¯ll take our leave first.¡±


    Once the Xu surnamed youth released the spiritual bird, Ge Tianhao and the others no longer hesitated.


    Following a clear cry from the peacock, they plunged into the silver radiance.


    The several Nascent Soul cultivators each released their protective Daoist paper talismans and quickly followed suit, escaping into it.


    In the blink of an eye, only the low-level disciples from Heaventide and the Yin Sifting Sect remained outside.


    Having apparently received prior orders, once they saw Ge Tianhao and the others enter safely and without issue, they did not linger further and each flew away on streaks of light toward the surface.


    In a moment, only Xuanqing Zi, the women from the Immortal Transcendence Sect, and others remained at the entrance.


    Madam Mu pondered for a moment and then gave a few orders, prompting her female disciples to disperse and leave the place.


    After watching her disciples depart, the woman nodded at the beautiful young disciple to signal,


    ¡°Sister, release the Three Spirit Shuttle!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The beautiful woman responded, reaching to her slim waist and producing a silvery pointed object.


    With a toss, it arched into the sky.


    Almost simultaneously, the woman flicked her sleeve, sacrificing a similarly shaped golden object.


    Instantly, silver and golden lights touched in mid-air.


    Instead of exploding into a repulsive force, they merged together in a flash, forming a giant, gold and silver-colored shuttle, roughly the size of a human, with an imposing aura.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The woman shouted tenderly, and together with the beautiful young woman, they transformed into two streaks of rainbow light that vanished in a flash, entering the shuttle, which left no trace.


    The shuttle¡¯s gold and silver lights twinkled simultaneously, spinning and then shooting out, flying into the crack.


    ¡°After all the old Daoist¡¯s talk, you still insist on entering.


    If something happens, don¡¯t blame the old Daoist for not warning you!¡± Xuanqing Zi murmured to himself with a hint of a strange expression on his face once the giant shuttle had completely vanished.


    He then gestured to the two Core Formation Daoist Priests behind him, and the three of them sat down cross-legged at the entrance to meditate and replenish their energy.


    With such a great cultivator guarding the entrance, the other cultivators in the distance could only glance at each other unsurely.


    Inside the seal, atop Kunwu Mountain within a dimly lit enclosed space, a massive object so large as to be unbelievable was floating motionless mid-air, its body surface pasted with countless restriction talismans and wrapped with dense chains.


    The talismans flashed with spiritual light, indicating their high grade, while the chains were the opposite: dull and lightless, yet seeping thin threads of blood stains.


    (First update!


    Cough!


    The last couple of days I¡¯ve caught a chill, and my head hurts terribly.


    It really is true that when misfortune comes, even cold water chokes.


    It¡¯s probably because I haven¡¯t rested well lately.


    Right now, typing up these words is incredibly taxing, so if the updates are delayed, I hope everyone can be understanding!)(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available and support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1011 - Chapter 1011 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1007 Giant Cauldron

    ?Chapter 1011: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1007 Giant Cauldron Chapter 1011: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1007 Giant Cauldron ¡°`


    In the vast hall stretching dozens of yards wide, bands of red mist swirled around.


    Around a dozen flame columns stood erect around the perimeter of the hall, each entwined with lifelike statues of red dragons, emitting streams of red mist from their mouths.


    These streams of mist converged without dispersing, shrouding a Giant Cauldron situated in the very center of the hall.


    This cauldron stood six to seven feet tall with a simple, ancient design, making it a colossus compared to the cauldron furnaces Han Li had seen before.


    However, what truly alarmed Han Li was that the cauldron, being baked by the red mist, was glowing a bright red all over, masking its original color, and radiating intense heat from its surface.


    Even from twenty to thirty yards away, he felt as though he was standing in a volcano.


    Ever since entering this hall, not only had his mouth become dry and his tongue parched, but his exposed skin immediately felt a searing sensation, as though being pricked by needles.


    He believed that if it weren¡¯t for a flash of brilliance that spontaneously formed a hazy azure shield around him, he would have suffered a considerable loss the instant he stepped into the hall.


    However, faced with this situation, Han Li grew not angry but excited.


    His gaze swept over the flame columns and then settled on the Giant Cauldron.


    At that moment, the cauldron was motionless in the center of the hall, but from within it came rumblings of thunder.


    With Han Li¡¯s experience in Artifact Refining, it appeared that something within the cauldron was being continuously tempered.


    It seemed that he might not leave empty-handed after all!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.??


    Thinking this, Han Li exhaled and deftly avoided the streams of red mist.


    With a few agile sways, he calmly approached the Giant Cauldron.


    When he was six to seven yards away from the cauldron, Han Li slowed his steps and gradually circled around it, sensing the astonishing fire spiritual Qi emanating from its surface.


    No matter what lay inside, after so many tens of thousands of years of tempering, it must have undergone some unknown transformation.


    Even as his curiosity was piqued, he wasn¡¯t about to recklessly open it.


    After circling seven or eight times, Han Li stopped and began to survey the rest of the hall thoughtfully.


    After so many years, these flame columns and the Giant Cauldron were still active, indicating there must be an Array that had been triggered for a long time nearby.


    His task was to find and destroy the controlling formation, halting the flame columns temporarily to retrieve the treasure.


    Since this Array was merely a controlling one, with no attempt made to conceal or hide it, Han Li soon found the spot, his pupils flickering with a blue light as a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.


    Ignoring the Giant Cauldron, he raised a hand and a small golden sword, about three feet in length, shot out from his palm, striking the ground at a certain spot in the corner.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± that corner exploded in a burst of golden light, and the flame columns dimmed simultaneously as the dragons ceased spewing red mist.


    When the golden light dissipated, a large hole a yard wide was revealed, surrounded by the shattered remnants of Array Plates, and the small golden sword floated leisurely above the pit.


    With a single strike from the flying sword, an Array Plate buried in the ground was completely obliterated.


    Consequently, a medium-sized Array that had been operating beneath the entire hall immediately ceased functioning.


    After a faint smile, Han Li beckoned toward the distance.


    The flying sword whistled back and spiraled into his sleeve, disappearing from sight.


    In the absence of the flame columns¡¯ replenishment, the red mist atop the Giant Cauldron finally began to disperse.


    But Han Li did not immediately turn his attention to the Giant Cauldron; instead, he looked down at the ground with a sparkle of blue in his eyes, showing a look of surprise.


    With the Array¡¯s concealment gone, he discovered that a fiery red expanse lay dozens of yards beneath the ground.


    The entire hall was built upon a pit of extremely high-quality earthfire.


    No wonder the surrounding flame columns could provide a continuous, unceasing supply of mist.


    Realizing this, Han Li withdrew his gaze and used the Brightsight Water to look towards the Giant Cauldron, intending to peer inside to see exactly what was being tempered before proceeding.


    He was taken aback once again.


    Before him was a hazy redness, even more intense than the pit of earthfire, preventing him from seeing clearly.


    Before he had the chance to discern anything, the cauldron seemed to come alive with a humming sound, followed by a ¡°puchi¡± as a layer of red flames emerged, rewrapping the cauldron within it.


    Han Li¡¯s mouth fell open, his face registering complete astonishment.


    But after blinking his eyes and pondering for a moment, his expression turned joyous.


    Apparently, after such prolonged refinement and absorption of the earth fire¡¯s power, the cauldron had reached an incredible level of purity, allowing the once-ordinary Magic Artifact to advance on its own into a fire spiritual highly valuable treasure.


    This caused it to become sentient.


    This phenomenon, where a Magic Artifact self-advances through prolonged infusion of a specific type of Spiritual Power, was not without precedent in the realm of immortal cultivators, resulting in treasures of truly alarming power.


    However, such treasures usually came about by a fortunate twist of fate.


    Years ago, some Sects had tried a similar method to attempt to refine high-grade spirit treasures, but before long, all had given up.


    Using this technique was not only extremely time-consuming, often requiring a thousand years or the effort of generations of Sect Masters, but the success rate was also pitifully low.


    On the rare occasions it did succeed, the increase in power of the treasure was minimal compared to the time and resources invested, making it a completely uneconomical endeavor.


    Moreover, this cauldron was surely not something an ancient expert intended to use this method on to upgrade its rank.


    It was more likely that the ancient expert responsible for the Spirit Transformation Hall had been in the middle of refining something crucial and could not stop, but had to leave the mountain for some reason, thus had no choice but to activate the hall¡¯s Array to continue refining what was in the cauldron.


    They probably hoped that they, or their gatekeepers, could one day return to retrieve it.


    ¡°`


    However, this could only happen after the mountain had been sealed for tens of thousands of years.


    After all, even ancient experts wouldn¡¯t be so idle as to use earth fire to temper something for over ten thousand years.


    Otherwise, before the tempering was completed, the Sect Master responsible would have passed away due to the end of their lifespan.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes shifted slightly as he randomly speculated about the events of the past.


    The flash of brilliance around his body intensified, resisting the heat that was nearly double what it had been before.


    After pondering for a moment, Han Li suddenly slapped his hand against his waist and with a flip, a stack of blue formation flags appeared in his hand.


    Subsequently, his figure darted rapidly around the hall, planting each formation flag into every corner of the grand hall.


    Then, with a flash, Han Li returned in front of the Giant Cauldron and after scrutinizing the object in front of him for a while, a spell incantation began resounding from his lips.


    A layer of bluish haze instantly formed a protective barrier within the hall, enveloping both Han Li and the Giant Cauldron.


    The previously intense heat receded somewhat upon contact with the water-attribute barrier.


    Han Li didn¡¯t stop there.


    He casually summoned a spirit beast pouch into the air, and out flew several half-foot long snow-white centipedes, each with a pair of wings fluttering rapidly.


    These were the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes that had evolved a pair of wings.


    After a series of extraordinarily agile circling, they converged above the Giant Cauldron, snapping their pincers and poised to strike.


    Only then did Han Li ease his mind.


    He rubbed his hands together, and a layer of Purple Apex Flames suddenly appeared on his palm.


    He then unceremoniously reached toward the Giant Cauldron in the void in front.


    A large purple hand materialized above the cauldron and, without any hesitation, grasped towards the lid.


    The Giant Cauldron shuddered with a rumble as the reddish flames on it surged several times higher, condensing into a fiery bird that met the hand with a spew of flame.


    As soon as the two came into contact, a loud explosion occurred, and amid the interplay of red light and purple glow, the Firebird actually held its ground against the purple hand, preventing it from pressing down immediately.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but he did not hesitate to let out a low cry.


    Upon hearing this, the several Six-Winged Frost Centipedes circling above the cauldron simultaneously opened their mouths wide, and streams of white fog surged down from the sky, enveloping both the Firebird and the cauldron below in an instant.


    At the same time, Han Li pointed solemnly at the purple hand that was transformed from the Purple Apex Flames.


    With the urging of the incantation, the hand swelled several times in size.


    Aided by the immense strength of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes¡¯ cold air, its awe-inspiring might shattered the fiery bird.


    Then, without any hesitation, the purple hand scooped towards the cauldron lid.


    With a soft ¡°clang,¡± although the cauldron¡¯s Divine Skills should not be limited to this power, it lacked a master to control it and was easily sent flying several meters away by Han Li, revealing a mass of red light inside.


    Han Li was about to take a close look at the contents of the cauldron but was suddenly startled by a harsh birdcall.


    A streak of red light shot out from within the cauldron, aiming straight for the top of the grand hall at an incredible speed.


    It forcefully pierced through two white centipedes, leaving them unable to react in time.


    After a ¡°bang,¡± the red light crashed into the blue barrier, causing it to dissolve and almost break through in an instant.


    Although shocked, Han Li could not allow this entity to truly escape.


    Without a second thought, his fingers flicked rapidly, sending out more than ten azure sword Qi streaks that vanished in a flash and struck the red light with pinpoint accuracy.


    After a series of crackling sounds, the red light, though not deflected by the sword Qi, dimmed with each hit.


    After more than ten successive strikes, it began to falter.


    The red light seemingly realized the peril, vibrating as if to shoot out in another direction.


    But suddenly, a burst of purple light flashed from behind it, and a large purple hand materialized out of thin air.


    With the speed of lightning, it snatched the red light.


    Then, the hand flew directly down towards Han Li.


    At that moment, as the lid was removed, the Giant Cauldron seemed to have lost its will to resist.


    The rumbling of thunder from within ceased, the surface flames dissipated on their own, and the cold air from the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes above directly froze it into a block of crystal-clear ice.


    However, Han Li was no longer concerned with the state of the cauldron at this point; his attention was entirely captured by what he had just grasped in his hand.


    ¡°This is Sun Essence Fire!¡±


    Han Li stared at the item, murmuring in amazement and uncertainty.


    ¡°Of course, this isn¡¯t Sun Essence Fire, but rather the True Fire of Taiyin, which is on par with it.


    It is one of the three Great True Spirit fires of the human world!¡± A pleasant voice that Han Li hadn¡¯t heard in a long time suddenly drifted leisurely into his consciousness.


    (First update!) (To be continued.


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support for the author and genuine reading is greatly appreciated!)

 Chapter 1012 - Chapter 1012 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1008 True Fire of Taiyin

    ?Chapter 1012: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1008 True Fire of Taiyin Chapter 1012: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1008 True Fire of Taiyin ¡°Silvermoon, have you awakened?¡± Han Li was momentarily stunned and then pleased, but he still maintained a calm voice as he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I just woke up when Master walked into the grand hall.


    Years of recovery have only allowed me to barely wake up, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to assist Master in other ways,¡± Silvermoon said slowly.


    ¡°Your Divine Sense wasn¡¯t damaged, was it?¡±


    Although it seemed like there was no issue, Han Li faintly sensed that something was amiss with Silvermoon¡¯s emotions and couldn¡¯t help but frown as he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this sleep simply allowed me to recover a small part of my memories, I¡¯m just not quite used to it yet,¡± Silvermoon replied with a forced smile.


    ¡°Recovered some memories?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Yes, I just feel that my past is very distant, as if it belongs to someone else.


    But most of my memories are still unrecoverable,¡± Silvermoon sighed softly, seemingly a bit melancholic.


    ¡°Being able to remember some of the past is always a good thing.


    Perhaps as time goes by, you could end up remembering everything!¡± After a moment of silence, Han Li offered in a light tone.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Silvermoon murmured in a barely audible voice.


    ¡°By the way, you said this thing is actually the True Fire of Taiyin?


    Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken?¡± Han Li shifted the topic and pointed at the object being grasped by another hand covered in violet flames, asking in surprise.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    Within the embrace of the violet flames, a small cluster of crimson fire kept shifting into various mini flying birds, darting left and right as if alive, full of spirit.


    ¡°The little one would not make a mistake, this is indeed a clump of Innate Yin fire.


    In my memory, this True Fire is only the most rudimentary form.


    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been significantly weakened by a few Sword Qi strikes.


    However, fortunately, it¡¯s the True Fire of Taiyin and not the Sun Essence Fire.


    Although both are extremely Yin and cold, this fire was just born not long ago and seems to be weaker than the Purple Apex Flames in terms of power.


    If it were the Sun Essence Fire, even the lowest grade could break through and escape the Purple Apex Flames by sacrificing some Origin Power.


    If this fire is cultivated to a high grade, though, its power will definitely surpass that of the Purple Apex Flames in the future.


    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be named alongside the Sun Essence Fire as one of the three great True Fires of the human world,¡± Silvermoon explained to Han Li in detail.


    ¡°This fire is that terrifying?


    I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention the three great True Fires before,¡± Han Li doubted as he stared at the Spiritual Fire in front of him.


    After all, the cluster of crimson fire only appeared spirited but didn¡¯t make him feel as if it were particularly difficult to deal with.


    ¡°The three great True Fires came to my mind naturally upon seeing this fire.


    It seems I do indeed remember a good deal of random things,¡± Silvermoon said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Since the knowledge was originally in your mind, it seems the fire must be genuine.


    Since this fire is also an extremely cold Yin fire, I wonder if it can be devoured and merged by my Purple Apex Flames?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with speculation.


    ¡°It should be possible.


    However, instead of having the Purple Apex Flames devour this fire, it might be better to do the reverse and let this fire devour the Purple Apex Flames.


    After all, this True Fire already possesses a vestige of spirit within it.


    It would be too wasteful to destroy it now, and its power would also be greatly reduced,¡± Silvermoon suggested.


    ¡°Hmm, your point makes sense.


    However, before that, I must first be able to refine this fire.


    Its vestige of spirit makes refining it even more difficult,¡± Han Li nodded.


    ¡°Anyway, Master, this fire would be vastly more powerful if it could absorb some Sun Essence Fire.


    If that happened, combined with the intersection of Yin and Yang and the added power of the Purple Apex Flames, I can hardly imagine the fire¡¯s strength.


    It might really be able to burn anything in the human world,¡± Silvermoon said with a smile.


    ¡°Sun Essence Fire?


    If it could be captured, that would be ideal.


    But I¡¯ve heard from Monarch Great Development that the Sun Essence Fire is simply not something that cultivators of our realm can capture.


    It¡¯s nothing but a pipe dream,¡± Han Li furrowed his brows, slightly helpless.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    However, since Master has obtained the True Fire of Taiyin, which is mutually reinforcing and opposing to the Sun Essence Fire, perhaps the Taiyin flame could be used to capture the Essence Fire,¡± Silvermoon said hesitantly, clearly not certain of the feasibility.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this matter later.


    It¡¯s still uncertain when this True Fire of Taiyin can be refined,¡± Han Li pondered for a moment, then shook his head.


    Hearing what Han Li said, Silvermoon smiled and didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    Instead, she changed the subject and reminded him:


    ¡°Master, this True Fire of Taiyin needs to be bound by restrictive formations before it can be stored.


    Otherwise, if not careful, it could break through the container and escape.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m well aware of that!¡± Han Li chuckled and suddenly tossed the violet flame in his hand into the air.


    Instantly, a ball of violet flame enveloping the Yin fire gently floated above his head.


    Then he flicked his ten fingers continuously, shooting out thin strands of electric arcs that in the blink of an eye wrapped the violet flame and the Yin fire within into a fist-sized golden ball, gleaming brightly.


    Silvermoon seemed to laugh softly.


    This technique was almost identical to how Han Li had initially trapped the Celestial Ice Flame.


    But with his current cultivation, the technique was naturally much more refined.


    Subsequently, Han Li took out a crimson jade box and placed the golden ball inside.


    Then his gaze shifted to the Giant Cauldron, still encased in ice.


    ¡°Such an extremely Yin True Fire should, in theory, be born in an extremely cold place.


    Yet, it flew out from that cauldron furnace just now, which is rather odd.


    Could it be that something that was previously forged there, some miraculous cold item, is responsible for the birth of this fire through the intermingling of Yin and Yang?¡± Han Li stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    Silvermoon remained silent, apparently also thinking it strange.


    After his gaze flickered a few times, Han Li no longer dwelled on this and took a few steps forward to approach the massive ice block.


    With a flick of his sleeve, a thick arc of lightning struck out, and upon contact with the giant ice, it instantly transformed into a golden net that covered the entire surface of the ice.


    After a series of crackling and flashing lights, the entire block of ice fractured inch by inch and scattered into a pile of shards on the ground.


    The previously concealed, unusually quiet Giant Cauldron was revealed.


    Han Li gazed at the motionless Giant Cauldron, and with a flash of cyan light, his figure rose into the air and slowly floated above it, peering downward from a height of about ten feet.


    Despite the presence of a sky restriction in this place, Han Li, with his mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, could easily manage a brief levitation.


    The red light that once glowed within the cauldron had already vanished without a trace, allowing a clear view of everything inside; Han Li¡¯s expression shifted subtly as he reached out with one hand towards the void inside the cauldron.


    With a ¡°swoosh,¡± something bright and shiny shot out from the cauldron, circled around, and fell into Han Li¡¯s hand.


    It was a transparent object, the size of a fist, warm like a piece of jade but slightly elastic when pressed by his fingertips.


    ¡°What is this thing?¡± Han Li frowned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to ponder too much, master.


    No matter what the original material was, after so many years of ceaseless refinement, it¡¯s likely turned into an indescribable substance.


    However, the birth of the True Fire of Taiyin must be related to this item; it certainly was no ordinary object to begin with,¡± Silvermoon said indifferently.


    ¡°That makes sense.


    When I have some free time, I¡¯ll study this material to see what use it can be,¡± Han Li thought and couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly.


    Then with a flash of cyan brilliance in his hand, the object was stored away in his storage pouch.


    Next, Han Li took a careful look inside the cauldron to ensure nothing else was there and, without further thought, formed a hand sign and then flicked a red spell seal downward, striking the Giant Cauldron.


    The once utterly still Giant Cauldron trembled mightily, and then, with a flash of red light amidst a crimson haze, it rapidly shrank.


    In the blink of an eye, a half-foot-tall miniature cauldron appeared on the ground, emitting a series of clear and resonant chiming sounds.


    The cauldron lid in the distance also flew over in response, circled around, shrank similarly, and capped the cauldron.


    Once the miniature cauldron was complete, its ringing grew three times louder and filled with joy.


    Seeing such spiritedness from the cauldron, a gleam sparked in Han Li¡¯s eyes, and he flicked his sleeve toward it.


    A sweep of cyan brilliance descended from above, enveloping and sweeping up the small cauldron before it settled in his palm.


    Han Li held the vermilion cauldron in his hand and scrutinized it closely; not long after, a look of satisfaction deepened on his face.


    Suddenly, he formed a hand seal, and with a flash of cyan light, he gave the cauldron a gentle pat.


    The small cauldron burst into myriads of red light, emitting a brilliant glow, and then, as the lid slightly opened, countless fist-sized Firebirds frenziedly swarmed out from within, each of them with an ugly form and engulfed in extreme redness-the Supreme Yang Fire Crows.


    Spewing flames, these Fire Crows danced around the great hall under Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense control, now gathering, now dispersing, demonstrating extreme agility.


    These were all manifestations from the Essence of Earthly Fire that the cauldron had collected over the years, each as formidable as any true fire-attributed spiritual bird.


    After witnessing the Divine Skills of the cauldron, Han Li was overjoyed to put this treasure away, giving him an additional formidable technique to use against enemies.


    After all, although the Three Flame Fan was assuredly more powerful than this cauldron, the substantial mana expenditure also gave Han Li a headache, so he dared not use the fan lightly.


    Subsequently, Han Li conducted another thorough search of the hall but didn¡¯t find anything else.


    However, just as he was about to leave, his glance swept over the dozen or so Eccentric Scarletflame pillars, and with a thought, he released several flying swords, unapologetically beheading all of the flood dragon flame pillars and brazenly collecting these enormous objects.


    Even though these Fire Dragon Pillars weren¡¯t self-spiritualized treasures like the Giant Cauldron, the continuous spewing of earth fire over the years had caused these originally bronze-made Magic Artifacts to absorb a frightening amount of fire qi, transforming them into extraordinary items.


    No doubt, whether as materials or as Spiritual Artifacts, they were extremely rare treasures.


    After one final look around the hall and confirming there was nothing else, Han Li smiled and left, beginning his search of the other buildings in the area.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that Han Li¡¯s luck had been entirely expended at the Spirit Transformation Hall.


    Except for uncovering a few utterly ordinary artifact refining jade slips in an inconspicuous loft, he found nothing else in the Spirit Casting Hall.


    (Second update!)(To be continued¡­


    For the continuation of this story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1013 - Chapter 1013 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1009 Shadow Soul Condensation

    ?Chapter 1013: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1009 Shadow Soul Condensation Chapter 1013: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1009 Shadow Soul Condensation Han Li was not surprised by this.


    Coming to such a remote place and having such gains was already quite fortunate.


    Half a day later, when Han Li finished searching the last building and returned to the front of the Spirit Casting Hall stele pavilion, he hesitated as he looked at the hazy layer of light screen before him.


    There was still time, and he totally had the opportunity to explore several other places, but doing so seemed to carry some risks.


    Who knew if other cultivators had finished searching other places and moved on as well?


    If it were people like the wealthy elders, it would not matter, Han Li would not be daunted by figures such as Qian the devil or the Poison Holy Gate disciples.


    However, if he encountered cultivators from the first group who entered this mountain, it would be quite troublesome.


    There was a high chance they would attack him immediately.


    But if Han Li were to just stay here and wait until the crack reopens a few days later, he felt somewhat reluctant.


    Upon further thought, Han Li laughed wryly.


    Even if he hid here and didn¡¯t leave, if someone finished searching other places, wouldn¡¯t they eventually come to the Spirit Casting Hall?


    Moreover, after such a long time, Qian the devil and the others likely met the first group of cultivators at some critical locations in Kunwu Mountain and might have even started fighting.


    In that case, it might be better to take advantage of others being preoccupied to search a few more places, possibly even taking advantage of the chaos.


    After all, in this small Spirit Casting Hall, he had found the True Fire of Taiyin, so other places might also have some gains.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Moreover, with his current divine skills, even if he were surrounded and attacked by several late Nascent Soul cultivators at the same time, even if he couldn¡¯t win, he was confident he could escape.


    After weighing the matter in his mind, Han Li did not hesitate any longer.


    He took out the Three Flame Fan, and with a flash of tricolored flames, he easily broke through the light screen in front of him and headed directly down the mountain.


    Almost simultaneously, in a hall under Kunwu Mountain shining with faint blue light, the Vivid Glass Beast, ancient devil, and an early Nascent Soul Yie Clan cultivator were surrounded by seven or eight red-haired, naked devils.


    These devils had green faces, sharp teeth, and exhaled ghostly aura.


    As they moved their ten fingers, shadows of black claws slashed ruthlessly down at the three people.


    Trapped amid swirling grey ghostly auras, the Vivid Glass Beast and others used defensive magic treasures to set up several colored layers of light shields.


    No matter how fierce the ghostly aura or how sharp the claws were, they couldn¡¯t shake them in the slightest.


    However, on the other hand, the yellow flying sword wielded by the eccentric and the black small sword and a White Jade Ruler driven by another Elder of the Yie Clan, although shining brightly, were equally unable to harm the devils.


    Whether the flying swords beheaded the devils into two halves or the ruler smashed the heads into smithereens, as long as other devils sprayed ghostly aura from their mouths simultaneously, the slain devils would instantly recover and vigorously pounce back with undying bodies.


    At that moment, the Ye Clan elder rubbed his hands together, then tossed them up, sending a string of fiery red fireballs into one devil¡¯s body, blasting it completely.


    But with the nearby concentration of ghostly aura, the devil quickly reappeared and viciously lunged towards the light shields again.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle, Senior Han, we can¡¯t keep going like this.


    These devils have been nourished by the ghostly aura of this place for countless millennia and have clearly cultivated to the realm of Shadow Soul Condensation.


    Ordinary spells and Daoist paper talismans simply can¡¯t kill them.


    Only Yang-type treasures and Cultivation Techniques can be effective,¡± the Ye Clan elder anxiously said.


    ¡°Hmph, if it were that simple, I would have acted already.


    These devils are not just cultivated into Shadow Soul Condensation; they are essentially just the avatars of the same ghost king.


    Unless we can kill all the devils simultaneously, they will immediately revive in the ghostly aura.


    I haven¡¯t used my thunderous attack yet because I am still looking for its true form,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast retorted coldly and irritably.


    ¡°All avatars?¡± The elder was startled.


    ¡°Indeed, otherwise even the devils that have cultivated Shadow Soul Condensation being repeatedly killed by us so many times would have been greatly weakened.


    But look at them, not showing any signs of fatigue.


    It seems this ghost king intends to exhaust us to death, then finish us off,¡± the ancient devil said calmly and with a gesture, his black small sword pierced through another devil.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.


    It¡¯s a pity 15th brother got hit by the Black Shadow Snake¡¯s shadowy sand spray at the upper level, only his Nascent Soul escaped; otherwise, his Yang-type divine skills would have been most suitable to deal with these devils,¡± the elder glanced around at the grey mist everywhere, his expression changing slightly.


    ¡°There was nothing we could do about it.


    Who would have thought there really was a demon snake that could burrow into shadows and suddenly burst out from a nephew¡¯s own shadow to launch a sneak attack, I couldn¡¯t even assist in time.


    Moreover, the snake¡¯s poison was so fierce, in just a moment, the nephew¡¯s flesh completely necrotized,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you, Seventh Uncle.


    It¡¯s just that this Demon Suppression Tower is truly bizarre.


    Not only is it built upside down with the entrance on top and the spire pointing downwards, but each level is also harder than the last with increasingly difficult demons to deal with.


    We¡¯ve spent so much time and only just barely made it through the seventh level.


    Senior Han said that this tower should be nine levels, it¡¯s hard to imagine what kind of demons will appear in the next two levels.


    Do we really want to continue?¡± the elder hesitated.


    ¡°Hmph, so you¡¯re scared just after facing some danger.


    The more formidable the entities suppressed below, the greater the chance that spirit treasures will appear in the lower two levels.


    After all, only the demons dreaded by ancient cultivators would possibly require spirit treasures to suppress them.


    Do you want our Ye Clan¡¯s plans over the centuries to fall through?¡± The eccentric¡¯s voice turned cold, and he scolded without any niceties.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle was right in scolding me; I was indeed too timid,¡± the elder from the Ye Clan said, only able to muster his Daoist paper talisman to fend off the attacking devil while he meekly agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found the ghost king,¡± declared the ancient devilish techniques master just then.


    ¡°What?


    Where is its true form?¡± The elder, now invigorated, hurriedly asked.


    Just as the ancient devilish techniques master¡¯s gaze flickered with intent to answer, his expression suddenly shifted, and he let out a light yelp.


    At that moment, there was a sudden dull thud from afar, followed by a flash of light at the entrance of the hall.


    Suddenly, a huge green luminescent orb flew into the room, and after the light subsided, it revealed four figures of varying statures.


    Upon seeing the chaotic ghostly aura and the trapped ancient devilish techniques figure within the hall, these four also cried out in surprise.


    ¡°Hua Tianqi!


    Weren¡¯t you reported dead long ago?


    So it was the Ye Clan who broke the seal?¡±


    The speaker was a Sect Master with green patterns on his face, none other than Hua Tianqi himself.


    These four were, of course, the elders from the Poison Holy Gate.


    At this moment, recognizing Seventh Uncle from the Ye Clan, Hua Tianqi¡¯s expression shifted unpredictably.


    The three in the hall, upon seeing these individuals from the Poison Holy Gate, also couldn¡¯t manage to look any less disconcerted, especially since they were temporarily entangled with the devil.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Daoist Hua.


    I didn¡¯t expect the Poison Holy Gate to be so swift in entering this mountain.


    I wonder, what brings you all to the Demon Suppression Tower instead of hunting treasures elsewhere?¡± the eccentric spoke, his face clouding over briefly before he continued nonchalantly.


    ¡°Hehe!


    We were about to ask the same of you.


    It¡¯s been centuries, and after your feigned death, you¡¯ve managed to silently advance to the Deity Transformation stage.


    If those from the righteous and demonic sects knew about this, they likely wouldn¡¯t rest easy,¡± Hua Tianqi replied indifferently, his eyes observing the eccentric easily destroy a devil with his flying swords.


    Yet internally, his thoughts raced like lightning, pondering over something.


    ¡°Senior Brother Hua, could these people also know about the treasure within this tower, and have deliberately come for it?¡± A voice from one of the Poison Holy Gate elders reached Hua Tianqi¡¯s ears, subtly tinged with worry.


    Back in the day, the founding master of the Poison Holy Gate had hinted in his last words about a rare treasure hidden somewhere inside the Demon Suppression Tower.


    However, the specifics were unclear and remained a mystery.


    Nevertheless, the elders of the Poison Holy Gate wouldn¡¯t take it lightly and decided to head to the Demon Suppression Tower as their first stop.


    Although they had encountered other cultivators who had reached earlier as they fought their way up the initial floors, they originally thought this fearsome site wouldn¡¯t be highly regarded by others, and with their combined strength as four, they should be well-equipped to deal with those who had arrived first.


    Yet, to their astonishment, a great cultivator Lei in the Deity Transformation stage awaited them on this level.


    Were it not for Seventh Uncle and his group appearing entangled by a crowd of ghosts, Hua Tianqi would have undoubtedly turned and fled without a word.


    A great cultivator Lei of the Deity Transformation stage, along with two early Nascent Soul cultivators, was far beyond what their quartet could handle.


    ¡°It¡¯s unclear.


    Perhaps they, like us, merely came upon bits of vague clues,¡± replied Hua Tianqi, his face serious, his lips barely moving, his eyes locked unwaveringly on the three eccentric figures.


    ¡°Looks like, Daoist Hua, you don¡¯t plan to leave just yet,¡± the Vivid Glass Beast remarked, his eyes flashing fiercely.


    Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide, and a streak of silver-pointed light vanished in a blink.


    The next moment, a burst of silver light and a low roar exploded from a corner of the hall.


    A gray, indistinct ghost figure then materialized there, its mouth spewing a thumb-sized black-gray bead to ward off a silver pitchfork, being pushed back step by step and making weird howling noises.


    Before the Poison Holy Gate elders could react to this ghostly figure, the ancient techniques master silently moved his sleeve, and a pitch-black mirror appeared in his hand, swiftly swaying it around the ghost figures.


    A dark murky light burst forth from the mirror, sweeping up all the devils involuntarily within the bizarre black cloud of light, where one by one, they shrieked and were torn apart in the light, as if the black cloud was as sharp as a mountain of blades.


    However, even as the true form of the ghost king was entangled by the silver pitchfork, preventing the other evil spirits from being magically restored, they dispersed into dense, rolling masses of heavy ghostly aura in a fierce howl, engulfing the ancient techniques users tightly within it.


    The ancient techniques master¡¯s mirror emitted a formidable black cloud of light, yet it couldn¡¯t break through instantly.


    Hua Tianqi¡¯s face finally shifted dramatically.

 Chapter 1015 - Chapter 1015 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1111 Chapter A Surprise for the Enemy

    ?Chapter 1015: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1111 Chapter A Surprise for the Enemy Chapter 1015: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1111 Chapter A Surprise for the Enemy ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the situation at hand, Han Li wouldn¡¯t mind crossing hands with Brother Xu.


    But now?¡± Han Li glanced at Ge Tianhao and the others, shaking his head with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile.


    ¡°Oh!


    From the tone of Han Li¡¯s voice, it seems you¡¯re quite confident.


    I heard that Fellow Daoist has killed an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage.


    Is this true?¡± The youth in white robes asked coldly, without a trace of anger.


    Ge Tianhao and the other two members of the Yin Sifting Sect changed their expressions upon hearing this.


    ¡°Now that it has come to this, it¡¯s too late for me to deny it.


    Indeed, an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect was killed by me in Tian Luo.


    Does Daoist Xu wish to take up the cause for the Yin Sifting Sect?¡± Han Li¡¯s lips pursed slightly as his eyes turned cold.


    ¡°With the cultivation of the mid-Nascent Soul stage and managing to kill a peer at the peak, it goes without saying that Han Li¡¯s divine skills are extraordinary.


    If not for the deep-seated grudges between us and Heaven-tide, I would indeed like to befriend Han Li myself.


    How about this offer; I heard that Han Li used an unusual small cauldron to seize our Holy Temple¡¯s inherited Sacred Cauldron and a sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple.


    If Fellow Daoist is willing to hand over this cauldron, I can promise that the Holy Temple will transform hostility into friendship with Fellow Daoist.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Of course, if Han Li is willing to hand over the Ghost Sifting Banner, Elder Xu will likewise do his utmost to resolve your grudges with the Yin Sifting Sect.


    What do you think?¡± The young man surnamed Xu stared at Han Li for a moment before making such a proposal.


    ¡°What, Brother Xu, how can this be possible, he could¡­¡±


    ¡°No need to say anything more, Saintess, I have my own plans for this matter!¡±


    Lin Yinping¡¯s expression changed, and she hurriedly tried to say something, but the youth in white stopped her with a wave of his hand, forcing her to swallow back her words.


    Ge Tianhao and the other two, although equally surprised, looked at each other and tacitly refrained from opposing.


    ¡°I cannot comply with your request for my precious cauldron!


    You may as well make your move.¡± As soon as the other side mentioned the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Han Li promptly refused without a second thought.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han refuses Elder Xu¡¯s kind offer, don¡¯t blame me for being merciless.¡±


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s firm stance, the young man surnamed Xu showed a hint of regret on his face but immediately hardened his expression and flicked his sleeves, suddenly producing a green jade Ruyi.


    With a slight shake of the Ruyi, streaks of green light shimmered without end.


    Then the youth looked towards Han Li with a chilling gaze.


    Han Li, seeing this, said nothing; his hands formed a spell, and behind him, the rumblings of thunder sounded as a pair of silver-white wings appeared on his back.


    Then, with a flip of his hand, an ancient-looking Feathered Fan emerged, flickering with gold, silver, and red spiritual brilliance.


    It was the Three Flames Treasure Fan that he had kept hidden and ready at hand.


    Facing so many opponents, Han Li couldn¡¯t afford to take ordinary measures and immediately brought out his most powerful artifact.


    The young man surnamed Xu¡¯s gaze was drawn by the peculiar light of the Three Flame Fan, and with his keen eyesight, he instantly recognized its extraordinariness.


    Even more so, the terrible spiritual pressure contained within the three-colored brilliance made his brows jump, despite his late-Nascent Soul stage cultivation, and his expression finally turned grim.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Xu, this individual also has a great feud with our Yin Sifting Sect.


    We¡¯re not truly sparring with him here; let¡¯s all attack together and capture this man,¡± Ge Tianhao proposed, having also noticed the extraordinary nature of the Three Flame Fan.


    His eyes shifted slightly, and he suddenly made this suggestion.


    Then, without waiting for a response from the young man surnamed Xu, he gestured to the other two men in black robes, and the three each stepped forward and spat out their own magic treasures: two uniquely styled flying swords and a phosphorescent Bone Knife, hovering uncertainly in front of them.


    Lin Yinping¡¯s expression changed slightly, and without saying a word, she flicked her embroidered cloth, and an embroidered cloth adorned with silver silkworms softly appeared in her hand.


    The young man surnamed Xu frowned slightly but said nothing.


    Instead, he casually brushed his hand across the Ruyi, making the green light even more dazzling, his gaze towards Han Li¡¯s Three Flame Fan suddenly icy cold.


    The pincer attack from the five was about to take shape in the blink of an eye.


    However, Han Li, who had been ready all along, wouldn¡¯t let himself be put on the defensive.


    Immediately after the sound of thunder rang out, he disappeared within the silver light right where he stood, and the next moment, he reappeared on a stone step some fifteen meters behind.


    Seeing this, the few people at the other end were not about to let Han Li go so easily.


    Instantly, two beams of blue light and a green rainbow shot out, followed by a sky full of silvery misty threads.


    Meanwhile, the young man surnamed Xu took a step forward calmly; his clothes fluttered as he appeared, seemingly relaxed, but oddly enough, he materialized ten meters away, his speed not the slightest bit slower than Han Li¡¯s Thunderstorm Wings.


    And the jade Ruyi in his hand, after a blur of light, transformed into the head of an indescribable beast, looking somewhat like a dragon but not a dragon, somewhat like a horse but not a horse, viciously fixing its gaze on Han Li.


    Han Li took a deep breath, his face suddenly growing colder, and with the Feathered Fan in his hand, he aimed it at his opponents and gave it a fierce wave.


    The cry of the phoenix pierced through the heavens, and soon after, a tri-colored Fire Phoenix emerged from the Fan, its wings spread wide as it dashed straight towards the opposing side, charging into the magical artifacts of Ge Tianhao and the others.


    With a tremendous ¡°boom,¡± a mysterious halo bursting with tri-colored runes suddenly appeared in the low sky above the plaza.


    The light was not blindingly bright, but the immense spiritual pressure, almost suffocating, caused everyone¡¯s hearts to jolt uncontrollably.


    The young man surnamed Xu, who was directly under the halo, let out an ¡°oh no¡± as he fiercely swung the green Jade Ruyi in front of him, and an unidentifiable monster with the body of a snake and the head of a beast shot out from the Jade Ruyi, swirling once before turning into a flash of green light that instantly enveloped him.


    As for the two flying swords and one Bone Knife, they were immediately swallowed up by the halo as it appeared, unable to dodge in time.


    The dense silver threads released by the embroidered cloth controlled by Lin Yinping came into contact with the halo, instantly vanishing into thin air.


    The halo did not relent, pulsating and expanding wildly in all directions, the light stinging the eyes, shattering and melting away large sections of White Jade Plaza.


    This display of power, this demeanor, truly seemed capable of changing the colors of heaven and earth.


    Han Li, however, was as if blind to it all, not staying put for even an instant.


    With another tremor of his silver wings, he transformed into a silver arc that streaked across the sky multiple times, heading directly for the mountain peak-and on the way, he quickly took out a bottle and swallowed a drop of Thousand-Year Spirit Dew.


    Although the power of the Three Flames Fan was astonishingly great, Han Li did not believe that with a single strike from this treasure, he could annihilate these people across the vast expanse.


    He estimated that, at most, it would catch them off guard and cause them some trouble.


    Faced with so many opponents, it was naturally best to dodge their sharp edges for the time being.


    By coincidence, the stone steps closest to Han Li led towards Kunwu Hall.


    Although he had some misgivings, he had no other choice.


    Even with Qian the Devil and other cultivators in front, he was confident that by relying on the mountain¡¯s restrictive formations and terrain, he could maneuver around these enemies.


    Thus, under the Thunderstorm Wings, he disappeared at the end of the stone steps in the blink of an eye.


    At the plaza, the massive tri-colored halo appeared for only a few seconds before vanishing with a flash.


    And near the edge of the plaza appeared Ge Tianhao and a group of people, each in an utterly sorry state.


    The worst off was Ge Tianhao himself.


    His Bone Knife, while not his bonded magic treasure, was a finely refined artifact linked to his mind.


    Therefore, when the Bone Knife melted away in the halo, he immediately suffered a mental shock, nearly affecting the range of his escaping halo.


    Even so, he was still lightly brushed by the edge of the halo.


    As a result, the flash of brilliance that protected his body instantly collapsed, leaving one of his arms charred, appearing to have suffered no minor injury.


    The flying swords of the two black-robed elders were not spared either, but these two reacted quickly.


    Realizing something was wrong in the blink of an eye, they instantly severed their connection with the swords.


    Hence, except for their clothes and hair being reduced to nothing, they were unscathed.


    Lin Yinping was standing the farthest away from the halo explosion, and coupled with the destruction of those silver threads which only drained some spiritual energy from her treasure without affecting her greatly, a large, unknown black shield had suddenly appeared in front of her, hiding her figure behind it.


    As for the young man surnamed Xu, who possessed the highest cultivation, although he was right at the center where the Three Flames Fan¡¯s power was strongest, he still managed to escape in an instant with the protection of the green Jade Ruyi, appearing completely unharmed.


    But this Great Immortal Master of Heaventide looked extremely troubled at that moment, lowering his head to glance at the hand that initially tightly grasped his treasure.


    The Jade Ruyi in his hand, emitting a layer of green light, was now cracking apart.


    With a crisp sound, it turned into a pile of sparkling fragments falling from his palm.


    To resist the power of the tri-colored halo, this ancient treasure, before it could even unleash its real power, was forcibly destroyed.


    ¡°Just what kind of treasure is that fan?


    Could it be the legendary spirit treasure?¡± Ge Tianhao endured the pain in his arm, hurriedly applying Spiritual Medicine from his storage pouch to his injuries while speaking with a mix of shock and anger.


    The other two black-robed elders also looked pale, with a look of fear as if they had just narrowly escaped death.


    ¡°Hmph, if it was truly a spirit treasure, Fellow Daoist Ge probably wouldn¡¯t be able to be here talking alive.


    That¡¯s likely a replica of one of the spirit treasures.


    Unexpectedly, this person also possesses such a treasure.


    No wonder he was so calm facing so many of us,¡± said the young man surnamed Xu, looking up the stone steps in the distance with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°A replica with such power?¡± Ge Tianhao was astonished.


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?


    This fan must be one of those replicas with a single powerful function, without any other variations.


    Such formidable power is not surprising,¡± the young man shook his head and said.


    ¡°What should we do?


    This person has such a precious treasure.


    He is much more difficult to deal with than we originally thought.


    Should we continue to pursue him?¡± one of the black-robed elders asked with a flickering gaze, clearly intimidated by the power of the Fan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fellow Daoists.


    Even though that fan is sharp, the mana it consumes is definitely extraordinary.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have turned to run.


    As long as we catch up to him before his mana recovers, he won¡¯t use that fan lightly.


    Now is the best chance to kill him,¡± Ge Tianhao said calmly, with a single slap to his waist, a burst of five-colored light soared out and then condensed, revealing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock with a clear cry.


    ¡°To the mountain, this time we must not let this person escape, otherwise we¡¯ll have endless troubles later!¡± Taking a deep breath, the white-robed young man said coldly.


    Then he took the lead in flying towards the stone steps, with the Five-Colored Peacock spreading its wings closely behind him.


    (The monthly ticket leaderboard is really pitiful.


    Those who have monthly tickets, I hope you can support more so that we don¡¯t look too bad!


    O(a??_a??)O ) (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are more detailed, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1016 - Chapter 1016 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Azure Lion Statue

    ?Chapter 1016: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Azure Lion Statue Chapter 1016: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Azure Lion Statue Lin Yinping didn¡¯t hesitate to follow the Xu-surnamed young man, for as the Endless Sky Saintess, she knew that Han Li, who was now terrifyingly powerful, definitely needed to rescue his sacred sect-protecting beast.


    Ge Tianhao and the three Yin Sifting Sect cultivators, however, had their expressions changing unpredictably.


    Originally, many of the Devilish path cultivators were unfeeling and unrighteous, so they had no hesitation in taking action earlier, thinking that with a late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivator on their side, capturing Han Li would be a simple task.


    However, they had not anticipated how powerful the opponent¡¯s treasure was, making even the Great Immortal Master of Heaventide avoid the brunt of its force temporarily.


    Although the Great Immortal Master had said it nicely-that the opponent might only have the power for one strike-the possibility was, after all, just a possibility.


    If they ended up forcing the opponent to use a secret technique to forcefully stimulate his potential and continuously use the fan a few more times, the three of them weren¡¯t confident they could withstand another set of attacks.


    Moreover, from the conversation they had overheard, it seemed the opponent had another even more formidable cauldron.


    This made the three of them even more worried.


    Although they all wanted to retrieve the Ghost Sifting Banner to achieve great merit for their sect, they naturally would not want to risk their lives for it.


    But it also seemed impossible just to give up and not pursue, especially in the presence of the Heaventide Prairies¡¯ people.


    The three of them hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s follow as well.


    But when we catch up, don¡¯t directly confront that Han-surnamed fellow-just assist from the sides.


    As long as we don¡¯t directly face that fan and move quickly, we should be fine,¡± Ge Tianhao finally made up his mind and whispered his decision to the other two.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    After a slight hesitation, the two black-robed elders could only nod their heads.


    So the trio also took flight and pursued.


    The stone steps leading to Kunwu Hall were incredibly long.


    Even with Han Li sparing no effort and power of thunder and lightning, it still took a considerable effort before lightning flashed and he finally stepped out of the staircase, arriving in front of a spacious forest of stone pillars.


    Calling it a stone forest was a bit of a stretch; it was only many roughly similar, several-dozen-feet-tall stone pillars that stood upright on the ground with their surfaces intricately carved, inscribed with runes, charms, and faintly shimmering with various colors of spiritual light-it was clearly a large restrictive formation.


    However, the originally orderly pillars were now tilted and skewed, with many reduced to mere remnants, and the ground was covered with numerous rubble, stone fragments, and large and small pits.


    It appeared that this restrictive formation had long been forcefully destroyed using brute force.


    Han Li just gave the scene a cold glance and without a word headed directly into the forest.


    The stone forest wasn¡¯t very large; a few dashes later, he emerged at the other edge, only to face another upward sloping stone slope.


    This stone slope was completely made out of huge slabs of green stone, with various stone statues, long spears, and axes of Magic Artifacts lying in a mess all over the place.


    Han Li frowned slightly but suddenly felt a premonition and raised his head to look towards the end of the slope.


    He saw that on a platform-like place a hundred yards away, there was a faint spiritual light flickering, and there were burst sounds coming from there as if there were people fighting.


    ¡°Could it be that Qian the Devil and the others have started fighting?¡±


    Han Li thought to himself and, using his Light Body Skill, flew straight towards the platform.


    His aura was entirely concealed in an instant, and after a few drifts, his figure became blurry and eventually disappeared completely.


    With Han Li¡¯s deliberate concealment, he silently reached a place even larger than the White Jade Plaza he had previously been in.


    But upon clearly seeing the situation before him, Han Li was taken aback.


    He saw a huge, white misty light screen with five white shadows, one yellow shadow, and two green shadows fiercely fighting within.


    The five white shadows were naturally the Five Sons¡¯ Demonic Incarnation of Qian the Devil, each exhaling gray Qi and flailing about.


    And the green shadows were actually a middle-aged Sect cultivator wrapped around a huge white Bone Hoop imbued with a gloomy yellow light, occasionally hit by gray Qi, which after a ripple of yellow light, would seem to be unaffected.


    The middle-aged cultivator himself was manipulating a flying sword of alternating red and yellow to desperately fend off the attacks of the Five Son¡¯ Synchronisation Demon.


    The two green shadows were two green-bronze giant lions, each about ten feet tall, that followed the Five Devils and the middle-aged cultivator, continuously pouncing and biting wildly, moving as fast as lightning, occasionally spewing thick beams of green light from their mouths, which seemed quite powerful.


    Although neither the Five Devils nor the middle-aged cultivator cared much for the long-range attacks of the azure lions, they were very wary of close contact with these beasts, moving as if floating effortlessly, and doing their best not to let these mechanical puppets get close.


    When they couldn¡¯t dodge, they would temporarily give up their opponent to deliver a fierce hit to these beasts.


    However, the two azure lions were brilliantly lustrous in green light and seemed impervious to blades and spears; regardless of whether they were hit by gray Vapor or flying swords, aside from being pushed back a few steps, they didn¡¯t show any signs of injury.


    This layer of white misty light also had something peculiar about it; silver arcs of lightning flickered sporadically on the surface.


    The moment anyone approached the edge, the light screen would buzz with the sound of thunder, and a dense rain of electric arcs would strike down simultaneously.


    Although it seemed that both the Five Devils and the middle-aged cultivator, protected by the peculiar Bone Hoop, had no problem receiving these electric arcs, no one wanted to be hit by such fierce attacks gratuitously.


    This made the fight within the light screen even more intense.


    ¡°What is this?


    Is it really a beast-fighting arena?¡± Seeing this scene, Han Li sighed.


    He could tell at a glance that the middle-aged Sect master was only at the mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    Had he not relied on the protection of that strange Bone Hoop, he would have already been pounced on by the Five Sons Demon, his blood essence completely drained.


    And those two azure lion statues looked ferocious, but after all, they were merely two mechanical puppets with no one to control them; the middle-aged Sect master and Qian the Devil were simply too preoccupied to spare them any attention.


    Otherwise, once they got their hands free, either of them could easily handle the automatons.


    Murmuring to himself, Han Li swept his gaze to the sides.


    The light barrier almost encompassed the entire platform, while on each side of the platform, sporadic bursts of light shone, clearly indicating the presence of other formidable restrictive formations that made it impossible to pass through.


    Thus, Han Li found his way forward blocked.


    But as he looked ahead, he discerned a massive mountain gate faintly visible beyond the light screen, seemingly the entrance to Kunwu Hall.


    Han Li¡¯s brow furrowed involuntarily.


    Naturally, he was not willing to just stop here, as in a mere moment, Xu and the others would catch up.


    With an imperceptible flick of his sleeve, the Three Flame Fan that had been hidden up his sleeve once again slipped into his palm.


    He planned to rely on the power of this fan to briefly break the restriction, then dart through the light screen as fast as lightning.


    Although it was certain that the two combatants within the light screen would spot him, he couldn¡¯t afford not to take this risk, as this place was definitely not suitable for fighting against others.


    Just as Han Li took a deep breath and was about to channel mana into his treasure fan, he suddenly turned his head, looking toward a huge boulder at the edge of the platform with a hint of shock visible on his face!


    Could it be an illusion?


    Why did he feel as though there was an unusual spiritual ripple there?


    But these fluctuations were incredibly slight, and had he not already released all his divine sense due to the dangerous situation, he might not have detected them at all.


    Confused, his pupils flash with a blue light as he instinctively used his Brightsight water.


    As a result, Han Li saw behind the boulder a pair of eyes emitting a faint red glow.


    ¡°Silver-winged Yaksha!¡± Startled, he recognized the creature those demon eyes belonged to in an instant, and without a second thought, he abruptly pumped his spiritual power into his eyes.


    Finally, with the power of the Brightsight greatly enhanced, Han Li saw a blurry shadow behind the red eyes, vaguely resembling the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    However, the demon wasn¡¯t looking in Han Li¡¯s direction; it was intently watching the fight within the light screen.


    It seemed that due to the mountain¡¯s restrictive formation and Han Li¡¯s skill in the nameless concealment technique, it hadn¡¯t noticed Han Li¡¯s presence first.


    But this didn¡¯t relax Han Li; on the contrary, it made his heart sink.


    Because beside the shadow transformed by the Silver-winged Yaksha, there were unexpectedly two more indistinct shadows.


    His divine sense was fully extended, yet he couldn¡¯t see them any more clearly.


    He could only vaguely feel that one of them seemed to be the Lion Bird he had encountered at the mountain base before, and although the other appeared humanoid, it was very unfamiliar.


    Could these demons also be coveting some treasures within the Kunwu Hall?


    Han Li thought rapidly.


    At that moment, Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly shifted, and he quickly looked back.


    He saw flickers of spiritual light in the stone forest down the slope; Xu and the others were about to emerge from the forest and seemed like they would catch up to him soon.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li no longer hesitated.


    The spiritual fan in his hand emitted a ¡®puchi¡¯ sound, suddenly enveloped in tri-colored flames, then he silently slashed it down upon the light screen like a blade.


    After a thunderous ¡®boom¡¯, although Han Li had controlled the power of the fan, the moment the tri-colored flames touched the restrictive formation, they still burst into a dazzling spiritual light.


    Both the Silver-winged Yaksha hiding behind the boulder and the middle-aged Sect master and Qian the Devil, who were still entangled in the fight within the light screen, were all stunned and turned to look in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    Now that his actions were exposed, Han Li didn¡¯t attempt to hide anything and, with a leap, his body transformed into a striking blue rainbow that shot through the newly made hole and directly towards the other side of the light screen.


    Forcibly extracting mana to contest the restrictive formation, his blue rainbow moved as fast as lightning.


    In a blink, it flew out dozens of meters, seemingly about to streak past the middle of the platform.


    ¡°Daring!¡± Qian the Devil thundered in rage.


    From the five white shadows that had been attacking the middle-aged Sect master, three suddenly blinked out of existence.


    In the next moment, they eerily appeared right in front of Han Li, six chilling green eyes all glaring at him.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± A fierce shout came from within the blue light, followed by the crack of thunder as a thick golden arc shot out from the streak of light, tumbled around, and then transformed into a Golden Electric Flood Dragon, viciously pouncing on the three white shadows.


    ¡°Devilbane Lightning!¡± Upon seeing the golden arc, Qian the Devil shouted in astonishment and anger, recognizing the origin of the Devilbane Lightning right away.


    The three fiend demon transformations originally spewing Demonic Qi to block Han Li hurriedly flickered, vanishing from the spot once again.


    The Golden Flood Dragon struck empty space, but the blue rainbow took this opportunity to disappear in a flash, swiftly sweeping past the area and shooting near the other side of the light screen.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and support the author by reading the official version!)

 Chapter 1019 - Chapter 1019 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Gold Magnet Divine Wood

    ?Chapter 1019: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Gold Magnet Divine Wood Chapter 1019: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Gold Magnet Divine Wood ¡°We should follow them.


    Don¡¯t get too close to those old eccentrics.


    We wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to track down late Nascent Soul cultivators otherwise.¡± Madam Mu made the call and immediately, both women¡¯s bodies flashed with white light as they quietly slipped out of the stone pillar and pursued using a secret technique.


    Soon after the two women left, behind another stone pillar not far from where the women were previously, a flash of green light appeared, and a tall figure shrouded in a green haze materialized.


    Icy, crystalline green eyes stared in the direction the women disappeared for a moment before vanishing mysteriously.


    When Qian the Devil and others reached the mountain gate, Han Li was slowly walking along the small path between the mountain gate and a gigantic palace.


    With every step, he paused as if each step weighed over ten thousand pounds, and he was only about two to three hundred feet from the giant palace.


    At this moment, Han Li was not only surrounded by swirling green light and golden arcs, but also wrapped in an exceedingly brilliant purple flame.


    He even used the Spirit Subjugation Talisman to transform himself into a bizarre half-dragon, half-human figure, which shocked Qian the Devil and the others upon seeing him.


    ¡°What kind of Divine Skills is this, how could this person transform into such an appearance?¡± An elder in black robes couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.


    ¡°Who cares how, right now, this kid seems trapped by the restrictive formations, it¡¯s the perfect opportunity to eliminate him,¡± Ge Tianhao said sinisterly, and with a swift motion of his hand, a fiery red spear turned into a flash of red light and shot out.


    Han Li had earlier destroyed a bone sword refined by Ge Tianhao with the Three Flame Fan, causing him to take a significant loss.


    Now seeing an opportunity, he naturally would not easily let it go.


    However, just as the red light flew out for more than ten feet, it ¡°Bang!¡± fell straight down, heavily smashing into the ground creating a deep pit, and was then firmly pressed against the ground.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    ¡°What is this?¡± Ge Tianhao was greatly shocked; he quickly tried to use his mana to retrieve his treasure, but the long spear was like it had rooted into the ground and did not move at all.


    ¡°Great Five Elements Magnetic Force?¡± Lin Yinping called out softly upon seeing this.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Gold Magnetic Heavy Light,¡± said the Silver-winged Yaksha, looking at the two rows of desiccated giant trees on either side and added calmly.


    ¡°Hardly able to move a step?


    How did that Han Li kid get past?¡± The young man surnamed Xu sneered and glanced at the distant figure of Han Li.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist, did you really not notice, or are you deliberately ignoring the drastic change in this person¡¯s form!


    After the transformation, his cultivation has surged by at least half, reaching the peak of mid Nascent Soul Stage.


    Not to mention both the Devilbane Lightning and the Purple Ice Flame, are extraordinary Great Divine Powers.


    If Fellow Daoist went, I¡¯m afraid you couldn¡¯t endure as long as this transformed person!¡± Silver-winged Yaksha glanced at the young man with a hint of mockery.


    ¡°Is that so!


    It sounds like you are quite familiar with this Mr.


    Han.


    Do you know this person by any chance?¡± The young man surnamed Xu asked expressionlessly but with a twist in his tone.


    ¡°Whether I recognize him or not doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with you,¡± retorted Silver-winged Yaksha, detecting the probing nature of the young man¡¯s words and responded with a cold laugh.


    Hearing such a reply from Silver-winged Yaksha, the young man surnamed Xu¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but he was naturally furious inside.


    ¡°Gold Magnet Divine Wood, could it be that so-called Bao Shu, the ancient spirit tree that had long been extinct outside?


    They say that any treasure containing metal materials will be subdued by this tree, no wonder Fellow Daoist Ge¡¯s treasure immediately fell to the ground.


    And moreover, the magnetism emitted by this tree is natural, Cultivators can¡¯t detect it even using Divine Sense,¡± Ge Tianhao frowned and said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that.


    The magnetic field emitted by this tree is extremely fierce, and can even stack on each other, repeatedly applying immense pressure.


    Just look at how many spirit trees there are in these two rows to understand how much pressure can be applied.


    They are planted so densely, once we step in, we¡¯ll probably be acted upon by four or five of these trees at the same time.


    Others may not know, but I personally believe I definitely can¡¯t endure such immense strength,¡± the square-faced cultivator said with a somewhat solemn face.


    ¡°Is that so, I don¡¯t believe it and would like to give it a try.¡±


    Lin Yinping coldly gazed at the slowly advancing figure of Han Li, and with a pat of her hand on her spirit beast pouch, a strange four-legged snake immediately flew out.


    This strange snake was covered in thick scales, had a pair of fleshy wings on its back, showcasing a sturdy and tough appearance.


    ¡°Go!¡± Lin Yinping exclaimed in a low voice, pointing from afar towards the back of Han Li.


    Suddenly, a yellow misty shield appeared around the snake.


    After circling in the air, it shot towards the mountain gate.


    Under many watchful eyes, the strange snake, after flying more than ten meters, ¡°whooshed¡± downward just like the previous long spear, plummeting straight down.


    But indeed, the body of this snake was exceptionally tough, exhibiting some brute strength.


    As soon as it hit the ground, it forcefully rolled over and stood up, and at the same time, its wings on the back flapped laboriously a few times, as if trying to fly.


    Seeing this scene, a trace of joy appeared on Lin Yinping¡¯s face.


    However, before her smile faded, a muffled ¡°Puchi¡± sound was heard, and the snake¡¯s body exploded, its flesh and blood instantly crushed into a meat paste by the force of gravity.


    ¡°How is this possible, is the magnetism light truly that powerful?


    What is Han Li¡¯s body made of, that even my spirit snake cannot withstand it, yet he remains unscathed?¡± Lin Yinping¡¯s face turned somewhat pale, she exclaimed in disbelief.


    ¡°No need to think too much.


    I sensed a faint demon Qi on that person.


    It seems he used some secret technique to temporarily borrow the power of a demon beast to possess him, which made his body so formidable all of a sudden.


    However, his own divine skills are indeed remarkable, managing to withstand such immense strength with three types of power without using a spiritual treasure.


    Even I cannot achieve this,¡± Qian the Devil said coldly, having guessed part of the truth.


    ¡°There¡¯s such a secret technique; this person truly knows many obscure arts!¡± Hearing what the old devil said, Lin Yinping and the others seemed to have come to a realization.


    ¡°Alright, enough talk.


    If you humans keep talking for a while longer, that person will have entered Kunwu Hall,¡± the ugly demon among the three spoke loudly in a coarse voice that was unpleasant like a broken gong, seeing that Han Li¡¯s figure was ever closer to the grand hall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the restrictions of Kunwu Hall are not just the ones we see here.


    There are unknown and even more powerful restrictions waiting inside.


    And since we know about the origin of the Gold Magnet Divine Wood, breaking the restriction is not a difficult task at all.


    We just need to use spiritual treasures that do not contain metal elements to chop down these giant trees one by one, then the restriction will naturally be broken easily,¡± Daoist Xu said nonchalantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple!¡± The ugly woman blinked, looking somewhat disbelieving.


    ¡°Gold Magnetic Heavy Light only has the advantage of being unexpected, leaving one unable to save oneself once trapped.


    The rest is not worth mentioning,¡± Daoist Xu said, raising his hand unceremoniously and shooting out a pale yellow small sword which immediately turned into a yellow rainbow and horizontally slashed towards the nearest giant tree.


    With a loud ¡°boom¡±, suddenly a pale gold light flashed around the uncle, the trunk struck by the flying sword only got a deep sword mark and was unexpectedly not felled by a single swing.


    ¡°Eh!¡± Daoist Xu exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°It seems Daoist Xu has forgotten one thing.


    These extreme magnetism woods are inherently harder than metal, and have been nourished by the spiritual energy from Kunwu Mountain for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, and they are no longer ordinary spiritual wood.


    Destroying them is really not an easy task.


    Let¡¯s not delay any longer, let¡¯s do it together!¡± Qian the Devil¡¯s voice came, and then a huge white shadow opened its mouth, and a white crystal orb directly smashed towards another giant tree.


    Ge Tianhao and the others exchanged glances, no longer hesitating, they each took out various treasures from their bodies, be it jade or wood, and flung them towards the giant trees on both sides.


    In an instant, various colored spiritual light engulfed several of the giant trees on both sides.


    However, neither Qian the Devil nor Daoist Xu and others noticed that while observing human cultivators attacking those gold extreme magnetic woods, the Silver-winged Yaksha among the three demons also each spat out a treasure joining the attack, their seemingly ordinary faces were secretly overjoyed.


    The treasures they spat seemed powerful but actually had minimal effect on those giant trees, but this situation was cleverly obscured by the impressive onslaught, and human cultivators couldn¡¯t spot the anomalies for a moment.


    ¡°How foolish!


    I never expected that these humans would actually proceed to chop down those Gold Magnet Divine Woods,¡± Han Li thought while struggling to move forward, as Silvermoon¡¯s sigh resonated in his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s no blame to Qian the Devil and others for being negligent; after all, they don¡¯t have Brightsight Spirit Water Divine Skill to directly see inside the trees like I do.


    Naturally, they don¡¯t know each tree is imprinted with the ancient Great Halo Subduing Demon Curse.


    Moreover, without your reminder, I might not have noticed the peculiarities inside.


    Who could have thought that ancient experts could imprint curse scripts inside the body of the trees,¡± Han Li spoke calmly.


    ¡°But in this way, the Silver-winged Yaksha three demons can pass through this place unhindered.


    Should we alert those people?¡± Silvermoon hesitated for a moment, asking tentatively.


    ¡°Alert them?


    Why alert them.


    Among these people behind, apart from Ye Clan cultivator, both Heaventide Sanctuary and Yin Sifting Sect are of the same party.


    It¡¯s good if the three demons come; they can restrain them.


    The reason I refrained from using spiritual treasures to destroy those giant trees earlier was because I alone am weak, and it would take much effort to destroy them, otherwise, I would have taken action myself,¡± Han Li smiled slightly.


    ¡°That makes sense.


    However, master, it would still be better to enter the hall and retrieve the treasures earlier.


    As long as the treasures are obtained, with your divine skills, escaping amidst the chaos is still possible.


    Then just hide in a secluded place in the mountain for a few days, and once that crack returns to normal, it would be possible to leave this mountain,¡± Silvermoon also said with a light laugh.


    (Chapter Two!


    Because it is necessary to connect all the plot points and be logical and reasonable, naturally, it took more time to deliberate.


    If there is a delay in updating, please forgive the occasional tardiness!)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1020 - Chapter 1020 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha

    ?Chapter 1020: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha Chapter 1020: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha ¡°If only things could go this smoothly.


    For now, we can only take it one step at a time,¡± Han Li responded indifferently, not nearly as optimistic.


    At that moment, a thunderous boom sounded from behind them.


    Without even looking back, Han Li immediately knew a Gold Magnet Divine Wood had been chopped down.


    Yet, there was no hint of panic in him, for at this moment, he was only tens of meters away from the enormous hall in front of him.


    He could even clearly see a strange plaque that was neither gold nor wood hanging at the top of the hall¡¯s doors, several tens of meters high, flamboyantly inscribed with the three large golden characters ¡°Kunwu Hall¡±.


    Han Li exhaled lightly, hesitated for a moment, then reached into his sleeve again to take out the jade bottle containing the Myriad Year Spirit Milk and consumed another drop.


    His mana, which had been mostly depleted from resisting the Gold Magnetic Heavy Light, instantly replenished itself within his body, and the green light, golden lightning, and violet flame around him blazed up at once.


    Afterward, Han Li quickened his pace and took larger strides towards the hall¡¯s entrance.


    In the underground seventh layer of the Demon Suppression Tower in Kunwu Mountain, a crisp cracking sound was heard.


    The crystal wall, which had hindered the advance of the ancient devilish practitioner from the Poison Holy Gate and his companions for several quarters of an hour, finally shattered into dust after being relentlessly battered by their treasures, with sparkles of crystal dissolving into nothingness in the air.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.


    This wall is indeed a sect-guarding treasure of the Mount Sumeru Sect; it actually managed to block us for so long,¡± the eccentric said as he beckoned with his hand, retracting the shiny small grey sword hovering above his head back into his sleeve.


    ¡°With all this time passed, could it be that the people from the Poison Holy Gate have really managed to take hold of the treasure?¡± Another elder from the Ye Clan put away a White Jade Ruler and asked with some worry.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.??


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!


    Even if they have acquired the spirit treasure, they definitely won¡¯t be able to manipulate it right away.


    If they got the treasure, we can simply snatch it back immediately,¡± the ancient devilish practitioner stated calmly by their side.


    ¡°Exactly, what Senior Han just mentioned is precisely what I intended to do,¡± the eccentric with the huge head laughed heartily and took the lead to walk towards the exit of the seventh layer.


    The elder from the Ye Clan could only nod slightly and then followed up with a wry smile.


    In the blink of an eye, the three stepped down the slanting staircase and entered a stone chamber with a transportation formation.


    Seeing the small black and white transportation formation, all three of them were taken aback just like the people from the Poison Holy Gate had been.


    However, after the ancient devilish practitioner gave a glance at the two formations, his gaze settled on the black one, and a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face.


    ¡°Why are there two transportation formations?


    Which one leads to the eighth layer?


    Or are both of them working?¡± the elder from the Ye Clan mumbled, his gaze falling on the white formation since it still had some remnants of Spiritual Energy fluctuations from the Poison Holy Gate¡¯s previous use.


    ¡°No need to choose, this one will do,¡± the ancient devilish practitioner said, staring at the black transportation formation with a strange tone in his voice.


    ¡°Use that transportation formation?


    But the people from the Poison Holy Gate went¡­¡±


    The elder was about to ask something out of curiosity when the stoic ancient devilish practitioner suddenly waved his sleeve without warning, and a dark demonic arm shot out like lightning, so fast that all the elder felt was a gust of wind by his ear before his entire head was grasped by a cold Demon Claw at his heavenly spiritual covering.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The elder could only let out a cry of alarm as his head was crushed like a watermelon, with brain matter and blood spurting out over a meter high!


    And yet, despite this, the ancient devilish practitioner had no intention of stopping.


    Almost simultaneously, his mouth opened and a jet-black Devil Flame erupted with the speed of thunder, instantly enveloping the headless corpse and causing whisps of blue smoke to rise within the flames.


    The elder¡¯s body turned to ashes in an instant, and amidst the black flames, a Nascent Soul protected by a fuzzy white light appeared, clutching onto the white jade ruler, a look of sheer panic on its face.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle!


    Save me!¡± The Nascent Soul desperately infused Spiritual Power into the ruler while screaming for help towards the eccentric with the huge head.


    Wrapped in the black flames, it was unable to perform its instant movement technique.


    But then, a strange scene unfolded.


    The eccentric with the huge head impassively watched the Nascent Soul from the Ye Clan struggling desperately within the Devil Flame, showing no intention of intervention.


    In the end, the Nascent Soul¡¯s protective light lasted only for a brief moment before shattering as the flames violently surged.


    After a pitiful scream, the elderly Nascent Soul was reduced to nothingness by the black Devil Flame.


    Pitifully, until his last breath, the elder couldn¡¯t believe what he had experienced, and he vanished from this world forever, filled with resentment.


    ¡°Why act now?


    Weren¡¯t we supposed to wait until the last layer before making a move?¡± Finally, the eccentric with the huge head spoke indifferently, seemingly dissatisfied.


    ¡°I had thought that we would only meet the target in the last layer, but I sensed its presence here and there was naturally no need to have him blocking the way.


    Might you be having some regrets?¡± the ancient devilish practitioner glanced sideways at the eccentric, speaking with an emotionless face.


    ¡°`


    ¡°A mere junior, there¡¯s nothing to regret,¡± the eccentric said after a moment of silence, his eyes revealing a complex expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you can think like this, fellow Daoist.


    As long as we can rescue the Divine Ancestor¡¯s Incarnation, the Divine Ancestor can infuse you with secret techniques and Demonic Qi.


    With your aptitude, there¡¯s at least a sixty to seventy percent chance of advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage in one fell swoop,¡± the ancient devilish techniques said with satisfaction.


    ¡°Hmph!


    If my life wasn¡¯t nearing its end, why would I so easily betray the Ye Clan to help a demon like you?¡± the eccentric snorted coldly, his gaze flickering uncertainly.


    ¡°Demons!


    Once you¡¯re infused with Demonic Qi, you will become one of our Saint Race.


    In our Sacred Realm, there are not a few human cultivators like you who have transformed into descendants of the Saint Race.


    What¡¯s there to hesitate about?¡± The ancient devilish techniques spoke with a careless tilt of his mouth.


    ¡°Less nonsense, let¡¯s just go.


    Lest the night brings more dreams!¡± The eccentric seemed unwilling to discuss this topic any further, and with a flicker, he stood on the black transportation formation.


    Seeing this, the ancient devilish techniques sneered and also quickly stepped onto the transportation formation.


    As soon as the black transportation formation was activated, both figures disappeared in a flash of Spiritual Light.


    The next moment, the eccentric and the ancient devilish techniques suddenly appeared in an identical Array, with dim, flickering lights all around, giving off a somewhat dark and blurred appearance.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± The eccentric, having recovered from his dizziness, immediately looked around, his face showing a look of surprise and suspicion.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, you might want to look up.


    It¡¯s above us,¡± came the ancient devilish techniques¡¯s slightly excited voice from beside him.


    At these words, the eccentric hurriedly looked up, only to be startled.


    Above, at a height of about a hundred zhang, various restriction lights were densely flashing non-stop, and at the center of these restrictions, a shadow resembling a small mountain hung motionless, its body wrapped in multiple thick, black chains, with numerous colorful restriction talismans sticking to it.


    Near the shadow floated several mirrors emitting yellow light beams, forming a huge cage that firmly encased the shadow within.


    Seeing the shadow clearly, the eccentric from the Ye Clan inhaled sharply, greatly shocked!


    It was a Two-headed Silver Wolf, whose body exceeded a hundred zhang in size.


    Though it was covered in restraints, its fur shone brilliantly like pure silver, making the wolf seem majestic and extraordinary at first sight.


    Strangely, one of the wolf¡¯s heads retained its silver-white color, while the other turned glossy black from the neck up, surrounded by a faint layer of black Qi, and even grew a purple horn on its head, looking ferocious and vicious.


    At this moment, both wolf heads, so different in appearance, had their eyes tightly closed, seemingly in slumber a€¡° whether this was due to the restraints was unknown.


    ¡°Is this the Divine Ancestor¡¯s Incarnation you spoke of?¡± the eccentric with the large head asked, frowning.


    ¡°Indeed, this is the Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s Incarnation from our Sacred Realm.


    Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha can also be ranked among the top five Divine Ancestors in the Sacred Realm.


    Of course, this is not Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s true form but merely a spirit wolf from the spirit realm possessed by a soul fragment.


    Even so, it¡¯s not something ordinary Deity Transformation stage cultivators can compare with, an unbeatable existence in the human world as long as there¡¯s no intervention from the spirit realm.


    Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha was also one of the three Commanders who led our Saint Race to descend into the human world,¡± the ancient devilish techniques said proudly.


    ¡°Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha,¡± the eccentric muttered to himself.


    ¡°Brother Ye, protect me for a moment.


    I will first use the secret technique to communicate with the Divine Ancestor¡¯s soul,¡± the ancient devilish techniques suddenly turned his head and said.


    ¡°Fine, just perform your spell,¡± the eccentric with the large head seemed to have completely cast aside his concerns and readily agreed.


    The ancient devilish techniques seemed to trust the eccentric fully.


    Seeing his consent, he immediately formed incantations with both hands, and a surge of pitch-black Demonic Qi emerged from his body, engulfing his form completely.


    Subsequently, a low roar emanated as a two-headed, four-armed devilish shadow manifested amidst the noise of bursting bones.


    The shadow, several zhang tall with an immense figure, emitted an awe-inspiring Evil Qi that even made the eccentric with the large head slightly change his expression, taking a few steps back.


    Then the ancient devilish techniques¡¯ two mouths simultaneously uttered low and unintelligible spell incantations; his four shiny, scaly arms also moved to form incantations and imprints within the black Qi, appearing as a devilish deity.


    Although the eccentric with the large head was cautiously vigilant of his surroundings, his eyes were firmly fixed on the Two-Headed Giant Wolf in the sky to see if there were any changes.


    After a quarter of an hour, the ancient devilish techniques suddenly stopped chanting, and with a wide open mouth, a glob of black-red blood essence was sprayed directly into the air.


    At the same time, all four arms were raised, and four black incantations vanished into the blood essence without a trace.


    The blood essence instantly transformed into a strange blood pattern, flashing upwards and disappearing in a blink.


    But in the next moment, the blood pattern eerily emerged on the forehead of the black wolf head, and with a flash of spiritual light, the purple horn stirred slightly, and the black wolf head¡¯s eyelids moved a little.


    Its eyes finally slowly opened partially, dazzling with purple light, as if two purple suns appeared between the eyelids, making it impossible to look directly.


    The ancient devilish techniques and the eccentric with the large head didn¡¯t know that at the same time the giant black wolf head was awakened, in another sealed space, in a palace, a silver box on a table flashed with light as if something inside was also awakened.


    Above this silver box floated a half-foot-long green Wooden Ruler that slowly rotated non-stop, its radiating spiritual light perfectly enveloping the box below.


    (To be continued.


    If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support authorized reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1021 - Chapter 1021 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 1117 Fusion of Souls

    ?Chapter 1021: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 1117 Fusion of Souls Chapter 1021: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spirit Treasures Chapter 1117 Fusion of Souls The silver box was shrouded by a green light emitted from the wooden ruler above it; in an epiphany, the silvery light vanished, and it returned to an eerily quiet state.


    It appeared extraordinarily bizarre!


    Should anyone sweep a glance near the altar where the silver box was placed, they would have been even more startled.


    Someone was standing motionless, a dozen yards away from the altar.


    This person wore a dark blue robe and red headscarf, with a glimmer of azure patterns on his face; it was indeed Hua Tianqi from the Poison Holy Gate.


    But at this moment, Hua Tianqi¡¯s eyes were slightly closed, his expression wooden, and blood was ceaselessly flowing from his orifices.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the slight, continuous heaving of his chest, anyone might have mistaken him for a dead person.


    The other three Poison Holy Gate elders, however, were nowhere to be seen, not having entered the hall with him.


    However, from outside the hall, there were faint sounds of rumbling explosions, as if someone was trapped by some restrictive spells.


    On the other side, within the mysterious space where the giant wolf was restrained, the black wolf¡¯s head no longer shone with purple light, and instead, a woman¡¯s voice came out of its mouth:


    ¡°Bloodflame, so it¡¯s you.


    I thought you had retreated to the Sacred Realm long ago.


    I didn¡¯t expect that you had remained in the human world until now.¡± The voice was pleasing to the ear, bearing a striking resemblance to that of the woman who had trapped Xiang salutes, only it was less coquettish and carried a colder tone.


    ¡°Greetings, Divine Ancestor.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    When I departed that year, I was already a step behind and nearly perished from being hunted down by humans.


    Had those Human Cultivators not believed I held the location of the passage to the Sacred Realm and wanted to slowly extract my soul for interrogation, I wouldn¡¯t have survived to this day,¡± replied the ancient devilish techniques user respectfully.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite lucky.


    The tear in space that entered Spirit Ether Garden had shattered shortly after we entered the human world.


    There are no such passages anymore.¡± The black wolf¡¯s head mentioned the grand battle of the past between humans and demons without any sign of excitement, merely nodding.


    ¡°Is this the Ancient Giant Demon that nearly eradicated all the ancient cultivators?¡± Doctor Mo observed the conversation between the ancient devilish techniques user and the giant wolf from the side.


    Seeing the black wolf¡¯s head speaking in a woman¡¯s voice, speaking methodically without a hint of demonic nature, he was inwardly surprised.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve come here, you must have planned everything.


    But let me remind you, rescuing me isn¡¯t as simple as you think.


    Not to mention anything else, the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Chain that binds me is not something you can break with your current cultivation level.


    This treasure is passed down from the spirit realm specifically to counter our Saint Race,¡± said the black wolf¡¯s head, looking down at the dense black chains on its body with a faint voice.


    ¡°Rest assured, Divine Ancestor!


    Since I have come, I have certainly made thorough preparations; not only will Brother Ye lend a hand, but I have also collected several evil treasures that should be enough to break these chains,¡± assured the ancient devilish techniques user, looking confident.


    ¡°Indeed, with evil treasures to aid you, there is some chance to remove the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Chain.


    However, even so, I cannot let you cast spells right now!¡± The black wolf¡¯s head shook its head.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    This surprised the two-headed, four-armed ancient devilish techniques user, with a flickering purplish-red light in his eyes.


    The Ye Clan eccentric was also taken aback!


    ¡°Simple.


    The star chain is not the most powerful restrictive formation binding me.


    Just take a look at where we are standing right now,¡± sighed the black wolf¡¯s head.


    ¡°Where we are standing?¡± The ancient devilish techniques user and Doctor Mo couldn¡¯t help but both look down at their feet.


    Apart from the black Teleportation Array that they saw upon entering, there was nothing else.


    Both of them were utterly confused.


    ¡°Do you think this place is really an independent space that you can enter and exit at will?


    This is merely a certain area on the eighth floor isolated by the might of a heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure.


    Should you make the slightest unusual move, the treasure will activate immediately and transport you out of this place.


    Re-entering here won¡¯t be as easy.


    Moreover, these external forces are not the main reason I have been trapped here for so many years.


    The biggest trouble lies with this Silvermoon Wolf¡¯s body.¡± The black wolf¡¯s head moved slightly, looking at the other side where the silver wolf¡¯s head was still in deep slumber, and for the first time, a serious look appeared in its eyes.


    The ancient devil and the eccentric with the vivid glass beast head were no ordinary beings.


    Upon hearing these words and looking at the silver wolf head which was distinct from the black one, both had a moment of realization and vaguely guessed at something.


    ¡°The primordial spirit of this Silvermoon Wolf Demon wasn¡¯t devoured by the Divine Ancestor back then?


    Could there have been some sort of accident?¡± the ancient devil asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    You think I was captured by accident back then?


    It was because this wolf demon, whose body I possessed, played tricks on me.


    It actually had two main primordial spirits; one was severely injured by me, and it fled from the body at that time, allowing me to think I would thereafter be without worry.


    Yet, it used a secret technique to hide itself somewhere within the body.


    When I was in a critical struggle with the Three Elders of Kunwu, it suddenly counterattacked, leading me to be sealed for so many years,¡± the black wolf head said with a trace of anger.


    ¡°Two main primordial spirits?


    Could it be the rare phenomenon of Two Souls in One Body!¡± exclaimed the eccentric with the vivid glass beast head.


    ¡°You humans seem to know quite a lot.


    This silver wolf indeed has two completely independent souls.


    Originally it was just one wolf head, but the moment the second wolf soul appeared, the second wolf head emerged to fight me for control of this body.


    And the cultivation technique practiced by this wolf demon is indeed bizarre.


    I had been rashly occupying this body for such a long time, yet I never detected the oddities within,¡± the black wolf head murmured, seemingly still greatly perplexed.


    ¡°Then, does the second soul of this wolf demon still exist?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it exists.


    I was only aware after being captured by those human cultivators that this Silvermoon Wolf Demon was actually the favored concubine of Tian Kui, one of the Seven Great Demon Kings of the spirit realm, and was one of the few spirit demons to actually descend to the human world at that time.


    My easy possession of this wolf demon was due to it just having descended to the human world and being severely injured.


    Otherwise, with the full power of the silver wolf¡¯s cultivation, I, being just a splinter of a soul, might not have succeeded.


    However, the fact that this silver wolf had Two Souls in One Body truly caught me by surprise and cost me dearly.


    Nevertheless, by the time I occupied this body, I had already done so for some years, and most of the flesh had already been successfully demonized.


    Even though I was captured and left to their disposal, those human cultivators couldn¡¯t force me out of this body, nor did they dare to recklessly destroy both me and the body together.


    They could only seal me temporarily in the Demon Suppression Tower,¡± the black wolf head recounted languidly.


    The ancient devil was one thing, but the eccentric with the vivid glass beast head was completely stunned upon hearing these ancient secrets.


    ¡°So this means that the second wolf soul is now also in this body,¡± said the ancient devil with a bitter smile, fixing all four of his great eyes on the silver-white wolf head.


    ¡°Not right now, but she should be returning soon.


    Speaking of which, you are quite fortunate to have awakened me at this time.¡± The black wolf head let out a delicate laugh.


    ¡°Divine Ancestor, what do you mean by that?¡± The ancient devil¡¯s heart grew cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.


    When the ancient cultivators used the Black Wind Banner to create the Land of Absolute Spirits and sealed me here, they specifically extracted the second wolf soul¡¯s primordial spirit and built a palace filled with rich spiritual energy nearby to place it.


    Thus, the favored concubine of the Demon King¡¯s second soul would return to this body every so often to compete with me for the body, retreating to recover her damaged Qi whenever she couldn¡¯t hold on.


    Because of my seal, I could only resist her with the Demonic Qi inside of me, and it didn¡¯t take long before I was at a disadvantage.


    Not wanting to be truly expelled from this body, I had no choice but to use the Harmonic Spiritual Great Art to oppose her,¡± the black wolf head said with an abnormally calm tone.


    ¡°What, the Harmonic Spiritual Great Art!


    You¡¯ve already¡­¡± The ancient devil¡¯s four eyes showed a look of horror, and for a moment he forgot to use honorifics.


    ¡°Yes, I have already merged with her into a new soul.


    And it was her divine sense that was dominant, with mine auxiliary.


    However, in the beginning, the new soul could neither stabilize nor be identified by the ancient cultivators.


    They didn¡¯t recognize her identity and didn¡¯t unlock the seal to let her out.


    But because of her special status, they didn¡¯t dare to harm her lightly.


    They simply abandoned Kunwu Mountain completely and locked down the entire mountain.


    As a result, our combined soul was in a strange state of intermittent conflict and merger.


    Only after more than ten thousand years did it finally stabilize after merging again, and it¡¯s now perfectly fused.


    However, a few days ago, in order to trap a secretly infiltrating Deity Transformation stage cultivator into the Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon, the new soul suffered a great loss of divine sense, and that allowed me and the wolf demon¡¯s soul to split once again.


    But this time, it might be the last split.


    Once the second wolf soul wakes up from its slumber in that place rich with spiritual energy, it will merge once again into one,¡± the black wolf head spoke of these matters, maintaining a detached tone throughout.


    The ancient devil and the eccentric with the vivid glass beast head were completely dumbfounded!


    ¡°Divine Ancestor, is the merged new soul a demon or a member of our Saint Race!¡± the ancient devil finally asked after a long pause, still managing only a wry smile.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± the black wolf head asked indifferently in return.


    The ancient devil couldn¡¯t respond; he was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve detailed everything so thoroughly to us, there must be some way to prevent this from happening.


    If you have something to say, Elder, just say it directly,¡± the eccentric with the vivid glass beast head speculated briefly, then suddenly said.


    ¡°Oh, now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t asked you why, as a human, you would help Bloodflame.


    There must be some ulterior motive.


    I see that the vitality left in your body is not much, and it seems you¡¯re nearing your end.


    Do you wish for me, the Divine Ancestor, to infuse you with Demonic Qi?¡± the black wolf head¡¯s gaze flashed with a meaningful purple light, and instead of answering, he asked a loaded question.


    ¡°Since you have already seen through it, there¡¯s no point in me concealing it any longer.


    I, of the Ye Clan, would rather plunge into the Devilish Path than just waste away like this.


    Otherwise, for what purpose have I been diligently guarding and braving countless life-and-death struggles for nearly a thousand years?


    Surely not to let myself return to dust once again?¡± With nothing left to hide at this point, the eccentric¡¯s expression turned fierce.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1022 - Chapter 1022 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1118 Reuniting with Yuanguang

    ?Chapter 1022: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1118: Reuniting with Yuanguang Chapter 1022: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1118: Reuniting with Yuanguang ¡°You speak frankly, without any beating around the bush.


    Since you have such determination and can help this Divine Ancestor escape from here, I can offer you a demon infusion just this once.


    Let¡¯s get one thing clear: given your situation, the chance of advancement after the demon infusion is at most fifty percent.


    However, our Saint Race naturally has a much longer lifespan than you cultivators.


    Even if you do not succeed in advancing, your lifespan will still increase significantly after the demon infusion.


    You will have another opportunity to advance to the Divinity Transformation Stage on your own,¡± the black wolf head said, its gaze sweeping over the eccentric with the huge head, speaking with an unchanged expression.


    ¡°Fifty percent?


    Even if it were as low as ten percent, I would risk everything for it.


    Just tell me how I can help you escape,¡± the eccentric with the huge head laughed wildly, speaking without hesitation.


    ¡°Good, this Divine Ancestor will get straight to the point.


    At this stage, as soon as the wolf spirit returns to this body, I will have no choice but to merge with her without any need for casting spells.


    The only way to stop this is to slay the wolf spirit.


    But, the place where Silvermoon¡¯s spirit rests is guarded by the Annihilation Great Formation personally set up by the Three Elders of Kunwu.


    This formation, composed of eighty-one Demon-Slaying Knives, turns anyone with demon Qi who comes close into mincemeat by combining the power of the huge blades and the formation.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã0


    Bloodflame cannot break this formation.


    Your cultivated method doesn¡¯t seem to be a righteous path, but it is certainly not a sinister magic technique.


    The task of destroying the wolf spirit can only be entrusted to you.


    As long as you accomplish this task, the demon infusion is assured by me,¡± the black wolf head spoke with the same tone as before, but to the ears of the eccentric with the huge head, it was filled with endless temptation, causing his gaze upon the huge wolf to flicker uncertainly.


    ¡°Where is that wolf spirit?¡± A moment later, the Ye Clan eccentric clenched his teeth and spoke, showing no intention of bargaining.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ye is indeed a wise man!


    One of the two transportation formations you used to get here leads to the palace where the wolf spirit is kept,¡± the black wolf head replied, seeing that the eccentric wasn¡¯t quibbling about the details.


    There was a hint of admiration in its eyes as it spoke straightforwardly.


    ¡°If it¡¯s that transportation formation, the people from Poison Holy Gate have already entered ahead of us for some time.


    It will be somewhat troublesome, but if I make a surprise move, dealing with them will still be easy.


    I¡¯m heading there right now to obliterate that wolf spirit,¡± the eccentric with the huge head muttered to himself before forming an incantation gesture with both hands.


    Suddenly, the transportation formation under his feet flashed with light, and he actually teleported away.


    Instantly, only the ancient demon was left near the transportation formation.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask in front of the human cultivators just now, but can you tell me now, how many evil treasures have you gathered?¡± As soon as the eccentric¡¯s figure disappeared, the black wolf head¡¯s gaze suddenly darkened, emitting a chilling aura.


    At the same time, the chains on its body buzzed, releasing numerous black thorns that deeply pierced into the body of the huge wolf.


    Yet, the black wolf head remained unfazed, seemingly indifferent to it all.


    ¡°Reporting to the Divine Ancestor, we have found five evil treasures left in the human world by our clansmen!¡± The ancient demon bowed deeply, appearing even more respectful.


    ¡°Five evil treasures should barely be enough.


    Begin the arrangement at once.


    Although I can currently only control half of my mana in this body, just struggling out will be enough to break through the restrictive formations of the Black Wind Banner.


    Even if it is a spirit treasure, without its master to control it, it¡¯s nothing more than an inanimate object,¡± the black wolf head said ominously.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the ancient demon immediately waved its four arms in the air without any hesitation.


    A flash of black light appeared, and each of the four palms revealed a murky evil treasure: an Ink Mirror, a blood-colored Command Arrow, a Jade Lotus, and a grey and white ring.


    Another head of the ancient demon opened its mouth and directly spewed out a black bottle.


    As the five evil treasures appeared, they started spinning rapidly above the head of the ancient demon.


    The ancient demon let out a long howl, and the black light around its body flashed wildly.


    With a tremble, the five evil treasures shot towards the space where the huge wolf resided.


    The surrounding restrictive formations immediately sensed something and lit up with bright light, various colors flashing incessantly.


    The entire sky seemed to come to life in that instant.


    Unbeknownst to Han Li, an Ancient Giant Demon was about to break free from the Demon Suppression Tower.


    He was currently standing at the entrance of Kunwu Hall, looking at the situation inside the hall with a peculiar expression on his face.


    ¡°Greatnorth Essence Light, how could this be here?¡± Han Li murmured, his gaze circling a few times over the dense silver threads in front of him, and then affirming once more that these were indeed the same as those he had seen in the Devilfall Valley.


    However, these threads were not emitted from any stones but were being spewed from hundreds of stone pillars thick enough for a person to hug inside the great hall, which drowned the entire hall, making it impossible to see clearly what lay behind it.


    Just then, a wild laugh suddenly came from behind Han Li, sounding extremely distant and wildly arrogant.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I wonder if you plan to jump into the Greatnorth Essence Light on your own, or if you¡¯d like to wait a while longer and let us send you on your way with magic tools!¡±


    The voice turned out to be that of Qian the devil.


    Han Li frowned and turned around to look.


    Through the enormous entrance of the hall, one could vaguely see that there were only a dozen or so Gold Magnet Divine Woods left of the original two rows.


    Qian the devil and others, including Silver-winged Yaksha and several Nightfiend Ghosts, had also pursued to the front of the hall¡¯s entrance.


    While they continued to bombard the last remaining giant trees with their magic tools, they looked at Han Li through the entrance of the hall, each with a different expression.


    Apart from the Nightfiend Ghosts, who had always known about the existence of the Greatnorth Essence Light, everyone else was an experienced individual.


    They recognized the Greatnorth Essence Light almost immediately upon seeing the situation within the stone hall from afar.


    The outcome was naturally a mix of joy and anxiety.


    They were happy that with the Greatnorth Essence Light blocking the way, Han Li couldn¡¯t enter the hall first to take the treasures.


    The cause of their worry was that they seemed equally unable to pass through the Greatnorth Essence Light restrictive formation that had suddenly appeared, wondering how they would take the treasures became a headache for them.


    However, Qian the devil¡¯s voice was erratic, seemingly laughing wildly without a care in the world.


    This Greatnorth Essence Light is indeed a death sentence for cultivators who are unprepared, no wonder the Old Devil seems to be taking pleasure from their misfortune.


    Han Li snorted coldly, turned his head back and slapped his storage pouch at his waist.


    A black ring flew out from the pouch, and after circling in the air, it swiftly expanded against the wind above his head into a huge ring about three meters in diameter.


    The ring flickered with runes that seemed quite extraordinary.


    It was indeed one of the Heaven-Earth Rings.


    Han Li calmly pointed at the huge ring, which then immediately descended over him; simultaneously, he casted a fast Incantation onto it.


    A vague black light shield emerged on the ring, solidly protecting Han Li within.


    Upon witnessing this scene, the laughter of Qian the devil stopped abruptly, and the cultivators and demons behind him were also stunned, showing disbelieving expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Could this person really have a way to get through the Essence Light?!¡± The thought couldn¡¯t help but emerge in everyone¡¯s minds, and even their movements in urging their Daoist paper talismans to attack the Gold Magnet Divine Wood slowed.


    Then, before their eyes, Han Li¡¯s figure flickered, covered by the light shield, he charged headfirst into the dense silver light threads.


    As the Greatnorth Essence Light touched the unimpressive light shield, it all strangely bent away, automatically avoiding Han Li.


    At this moment, everyone present was left gaping at each other in utter astonishment.


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li¡¯s form was completely engulfed by the Greatnorth Essence Light and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°Act quickly, we cannot let the youngster really take away the treasures!¡± Silvermoon recovered from the shock, shouting sharply, his face twisted and fierce.


    ¡°Even if we act quickly, what¡¯s the use?


    There¡¯s still the Greatnorth Essence Light to deal with!¡± Ge Tianhao said with an ashen face.


    ¡°Humph!


    The Greatnorth Essence Light might stop others, but thinking it could stop me is a dream.¡± Qian the devil let out an extremely cold snort.


    Immediately afterwards, the white giant shadow transformed by the Five Sons Demon lunged forward, ignoring the remaining Gold Magnet Divine Wood and rushing directly towards the hall¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Great Elder, you¡­¡± Ge Tianhao and the others were shocked and couldn¡¯t help but cry out in a low voice.


    The result was that as soon as the huge white shadow entered the magnetic field of the remaining Gold Magnet Divine Wood, it was immediately subjected to an immense strength that pulled it to the ground, rendering it almost immovable.


    ¡°Heave!¡± A thunderous roar erupted from the white shadow.


    Then, the light around the white shadow converged, and an invisible Bloodshadow suddenly shot out from within, flying forward more than ten meters before the immense strength pulled it back to the ground again.


    But this Bloodshadow trembled slightly and continued to walk step by step toward the great hall as if it was a normal person.


    This scene, naturally, caused astonishment among the humans and demons present.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s come to this, we can only resort to using Daoist Gui¡¯s Divine Skills.


    Let¡¯s get to it.


    We can¡¯t wait any longer; those treasures must not fall into the hands of others!¡± Silvermoon turned his head without hesitation, speaking gloomily to the ugly woman via telepathy.


    The ugly woman nodded solemnly in response.


    Immediately, a flash of white light enveloped her, and with a sudden roll on the ground, a black and white huge tortoise about three meters in length emerged under the dazzling light and swiftly crawled forward.


    The demon had revealed its true monstrous form.


    Both the Lion Bird and Silvermoon leaped onto the tortoise¡¯s back.


    At this time, the huge tortoise had also entered the magnetic field of the Gold Magnet Divine Wood.


    As a result, the Lion Bird and Silvermoon swayed on the tortoise¡¯s back, struggling to remain immobile, while the tortoise, flashing with black and white brilliance, crawled rapidly forward as if unaffected.


    However, they were not completely unaffected, because, as the demons entered the magnetic field, odd golden talismanic runes suddenly appeared around them.


    These runes seemed to swiftly penetrate into the bodies of the three demons as if they were intangible.


    Despite the bright protective lights around the three demons, they could not prevent the runes from entering.


    Although the tortoise seemed to show no effect, as soon as a rune entered the bodies of Silvermoon and the Lion Bird, their expressions immediately withered, as if they were subjected to a terribly powerful restrictive spell.


    Fortunately, the range that the remaining Gold Magnetic Heavy Light could affect was not much, and in a moment, the tortoise carried the three out of this area.


    The two demons immediately took a deep breath, and their spirits recovered most of the way.


    (Second release!


    It¡¯s mid-month, soliciting monthly votes from everyone.


    Please cast more monthly votes for us, considering the effort put into crafting this story!


    O(a??_a??)O) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


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 Chapter 1023 - Chapter 1023 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1119 Sneak Attack

    ?Chapter 1023: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1119: Sneak Attack Chapter 1023: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1119: Sneak Attack The huge tortoise and the second demon stepped down from its back, immediately their bodies flickered with spiritual light as they transformed back into the appearance of an ugly woman, except one face was exceptionally pale, as if the Gold Magnetic Heavy Light had depleted a considerable amount of her Qi.


    The three demons moved swiftly, shooting towards the grand hall without any hesitation.


    At this moment, the Bloodshadow Evasion that Qian the Devil had transformed into had already taken one step ahead and flew in; the three demons could just see countless silver needles piercing through the Bloodshadow Evasion, riddling its body with thousands of holes.


    However, dazzling blood light erupted from around the Bloodshadow Evasion, and as its body was damaged, it was also constantly repairing itself.


    Under such circumstances, the Bloodshadow Evasion that Qian the Devil had become did not stop at all, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    Seeing this, the three demons dared not hesitate any longer and, as if they had previously discussed their strategy, the Lion Bird beast suddenly stood at the forefront, and with a gaping mouth,


    a silent golden soundwave spewed out, severing all the silver needles in its path instantaneously.


    Following closely behind, the Silver-winged Yaksha flapped its wings vigorously, and a gust of green wind surged from its wings, blowing away the severed silver needles together with the golden soundwaves.


    Thus, with the constant sweeping of their Divine Skills, a cleared ¡°ground¡± finally appeared.


    Seizing the opportunity, the three demons charged in and then slowly headed deeper into the grand hall.


    Lin Yinping, who remained outside Kunwu Hall, had a dreadful look on her face.


    In the blink of an eye, the only ones left destroying the giant trees were them and Ge Tianhao¡¯s group.


    She bit her lip slightly, her eyebrows lightly furrowed, and she turned her head to say to the young man surnamed Xu:


    ¡°Brother Xu, we¡­¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Our main target is Han Li.


    The treasures of this hall are of no concern.


    Besides, with so many people having gone in, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for anyone to monopolize the treasures.


    Let¡¯s destroy these giant trees and then guard outside the hall,¡± said the young man named Xu, who was controlling a jade flying sword, continuously bombarding a giant tree, unmoved.


    ¡°Haha!


    Brother Xu is right.


    Even if others get the treasures, they would have to come out through the hall¡¯s entrance.


    Although we cannot enter the Greatnorth Essence Light, if they think they can leave without our approval, they¡¯ll have to ask us first,¡± Ge Tianhao also laughed heartily, clapping his hands.


    Lin Yinping looked at the silver light threads in the grand hall, pondered for a moment, then nodded calmly.


    The other two men in black elder robes, hearing this, also felt that there was some sense in what was said.


    The anxiety in their hearts subsided significantly, and they continued to earnestly attack the giant trees.


    In the blink of an eye, a roar resounded as a yellowed giant tree over thirty feet tall collapsed under their assault.


    At the same time, Han Li stood deep within Kunwu Hall, letting out a long breath, and looked back at the dense silver light threads behind him.


    ¡°The ancient cultivators of the past were really cunning enough to have placed an Illusion Array within the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    If it weren¡¯t for my possession of the Brightsight Spirit Water, it might indeed be troublesome to come out,¡± he muttered to himself before turning his gaze towards the front.


    He was now in the latter half of Kunwu Hall, which was not too big, but directly in front of him were two rows of chairs with different styles, comprising a place that resembled an official hall.


    At the end of these chairs was another chair of a light golden hue placed right in the center, and beside it, a greenish one-meter-high table.


    The chair was of no concern, being made of ordinary spiritual wood carved with gold threads, but the table was entirely dripping green, emanating lush Spiritual Energy, and clearly not something ordinary-especially since it was enveloped in a green misty light at the moment, and through the light, one could vaguely see a few objects placed on the table.


    These must be the treasures of Kunwu Hall!


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised as he glanced left and right; the surroundings were empty and void of anything particularly eye-catching.


    Finally, his gaze shifted back to the front and looked up, resting upon something.


    Behind the light golden chair was a seemingly inconspicuous painting hanging on the wall of the hall-a painting of three people moonwatching.


    A monk, a Taoist, and a Confucian were vaguely depicted within a bamboo forest, seemingly conversing under a full moon.


    Because this painting was only about a foot in size, the frame slightly yellowed and dim without any spiritual light, Han Li had not noticed it at first.


    But now he was staring at the painting, motionless and with rapt attention.


    After a while, Han Li lowered his head, his expression contemplative.


    He had not detected anything abnormal from the painting just now; his Divine Sense swept over it showing the painting was utterly ordinary.


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was odd about the painting-why would a mundane item be hung in such a place?


    With an indecisive expression, Han Li suddenly made a decisive gesture with one hand, and a golden light a meter long shot out, striking the painting in the next moment, with the short sword¡¯s flashing light exploding upon it.


    Amidst the flash of gold light, the painting of three people gazing at the moon was shredded into pieces, scattering debris into the air.


    Upon seeing this, Han Li was taken aback.


    Could it be that he was being overly cautious?


    Han Li was somewhat puzzled!


    However, since he had already taken action, he wouldn¡¯t hold back any further.


    Han Li simply waved his sleeve, and several fist-sized fireballs emerged in front of him.


    After taking a brief breath, he was about to use his Divine Sense to launch the fireballs, ready to incinerate the remaining scraps of the painting with a single blaze.


    Yet, just at this moment, an alarmed cry from Silvermoon resonated in Han Li¡¯s mind without any forewarning:


    ¡°Master, be careful!¡±


    Startled, Han Li didn¡¯t sense anything abnormal through his Divine Sense, but his body instinctively blurred, and in a split second, seven or eight identical afterimages appeared, making it impossible to distinguish the true form of Han Li.


    Almost at the same moment, the bluestone ground a few yards behind Han Li exploded, and amidst the shattered stones, a bright light surged forth suddenly.


    Several afterimages were penetrated by streaks of gold and silver light from behind.


    Only one emitted a crisp ¡°clang¡± as if something blocked the gold and silver piercing light and bounced it back a€¡° it was a gold and silver pointed shuttle-shaped Daoist paper talisman.


    The figure was knocked stumbling by an immense force but immediately vanished in a flicker, next appearing six or seven yards away in another spot.


    Turning his head back, he revealed Han Li¡¯s extremely shocked and furious face.


    Had he not summoned the Primal Astral Shield in time to protect his back, he might have been seriously injured by the attack.


    Therefore, even though Han Li usually maintained a stoic demeanor, he now felt a surge of anger mixed with fear, and immediately reached back with one hand to retrieve a small shield that glimmered with silver light.


    With his other hand, he gave a flick of his sleeve, and dozens of small golden swords transformed into a dense swarm of flashing light, which instantly darted towards the pile of rubble on the ground across from him.


    A woman¡¯s light laughter followed, then a blinding flash appeared as a huge object of alternating gold and silver rose from the ground.


    All those sword lights striking this object were oddly deflected and completely nullified.


    Witnessing this, a chill ran through Han Li¡¯s heart, and the raging fury within him quickly subsided by a great extent as he hastily focused his attention on what was happening.


    The gold and silver object was an enormous shuttle several yards long, its surface gleaming with gold like a polished mirror.


    It was unclear what material it was made of.


    But judging by its shape, this object was identical to the one that had just sneak attacked him, except it was many times larger.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is truly vigilant.


    To think that such a strike didn¡¯t succeed, tsk tsk.


    What Cultivation Technique does Fellow Daoist practice, and would you care to enlighten me?¡± Those gold and silver small shuttles that had just attacked Han Li flew back in a swirl as soon as the huge shuttle appeared, vanishing into it without a trace.


    Simultaneously, the young woman¡¯s voice of surprise came from within the huge shuttle.


    While Han Li¡¯s face darkened like water, he recalled the flying swords and his mind raced like lightning.


    Suddenly, a burst of light surrounded him, and he turned into a streak of green light shooting toward the nearby desk.


    Since another Sect Master had arrived, his first instinct was to seize the treasure before anything else.


    Otherwise, if the struggle continued, more and more Sect Masters enhanced by the Greatnorth Essence Light would show up, diminishing the hope of obtaining the treasure.


    However, as Han Li lunged forward, he also found it odd that the woman¡¯s voice was entirely unfamiliar, certainly not belonging to any of the people or demons he had seen outside the hall before.


    Could it be that other Sect Masters had entered Kunwu Mountain so swiftly, even ahead of Qian the devil and passed through the Greatnorth Essence Light?


    All these thoughts merely flickered through Han Li¡¯s mind.


    Amidst the young woman¡¯s astonished exclamation, his streak of light covered over twenty yards in an instant, and he was almost above the desk.


    At that moment, the space above Han Li¡¯s head suddenly distorted, and with a flash of azure radiance, a cyan cloth covered in runes materialized out of thin air, then descended without hesitation.


    The huge cloth, spanning five or six yards across and appearing so close, caught Han Li by surprise.


    Even with Han Li¡¯s Divine Skills and numerous methods, he was suddenly enveloped and trapped.


    From Han Li¡¯s perspective, all he could see was flickering green light.


    Realizing the danger, he urgently shimmered the Primal Astral Shield in his hand, and a white misty light shield appeared around him for immediate protection.


    Outside, a woman mysteriously appeared above the green cloth, it was none other than Madam Mu from the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    Having previously witnessed the might of Han Li¡¯s Three Flame Fan, she knew well that the cloth couldn¡¯t trap Han Li for long.


    As soon as the sneak attack succeeded, she didn¡¯t dare to delay and flashed her figure, turning into a white rainbow that flew to the front of the desk.


    She raised her hand, and on her palm emerged a Silver Token, from which silver light flickered, and a burst of silver radiance struck the green shield.


    What looked like a solid wall under the illumination of the silver beam melted away like snow in the spring sun, dissolving instantly without a trace, revealing the true nature of the items on the offering table.


    Four blood-red wooden plaques stacked together, a small purple sword, a palm-sized Demon Subduing Staff, a book glowing with red light, and a green jade seal engraved with a vividly lifelike Five-Clawed True Dragon.


    Upon seeing these items, joy spread across the woman¡¯s face.


    Her gaze paused at the seal, and she immediately waved her long sleeve, intending to gather all the items into her possession.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for more chapters visit www.qidian.com.


    Support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1024 - Chapter 1024 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1020 Seizing the Treasure

    ?Chapter 1024: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1020 Seizing the Treasure Chapter 1024: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1020 Seizing the Treasure Just as the treasures were about to be taken, a flash of green light appeared from where the woman stood, and suddenly several long green snakes shot out from the ground.


    They spiraled around like lightning and tightly coiled around the woman like a rice dumpling, some of the snake mouths viciously biting down with incredible speed.


    With several ¡°bangs¡±, no one knew what type of spiritual magic artifact the woman was wearing, but a layer of white light shield appeared on its own without any spell casting.


    Instead, the green snakes were bounced off and revealed their true forms, which turned out to be a few verdant vines.


    At this, Madam Mu became both shocked and angered just like Han Li.


    She never expected that there would be someone else following behind her, using the magic artifact to unlock the protective shield on the desk before trapping Han Li; wasn¡¯t all that just preparing the wedding dress for others!


    Who was the one attacking her, how could they follow closely behind the daylight shuttle without being noticed at all?


    She could sneak into this place undetected, all thanks to the Silver Medal left behind by the Three Elders of Kunwu.


    This Token could temporarily control some of the restrictive formations within the hall, allowing her to maneuver the daylight shuttle from underground to get ahead of the other Sect Masters.


    At this moment, a harsh, mocking laugh sounded, and then a tall, blurry green figure emerged silently from the ground nearby.


    A pair of cold green eyes swept across Madam Mu, the chill in the eyes causing her to shiver as well.


    But upon focusing and seeing clearly what the green shadow looked like, her complexion drastically changed as she exclaimed:


    ¡°Mu Kui, how can such a demon still exist in the human world!¡±


    This green shadow, although having complete arms, legs, and head resembling a human at a glance, was entirely covered by bark-like structures, looking more like a walking bizarre tree.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Hearing Madam Mu shout like this, a hint of mockery flashed in Mu Kui¡¯s eyes, and then neglecting her completely, its form flashed into a green light heading straight for the table to collect all the treasures.


    Madam Mu¡¯s heart sank, knowing that even if she could escape, there was no way to stop this demon in time.


    Then an unbelievable scene followed.


    The green light that transformed from Mu Kui had not even gotten close to the desk when, within the debris of the three people¡¯s Moonwatching Painting, suddenly flickers of spiritual light sprayed out, followed by a blast of yellow, white, and red glows.


    These beams wrapped around and flung the green light away like a ball, sending it dozens of feet away.


    As the green light dimmed, it revealed Mu Kui, stumbling incessantly.


    This towering demon seemed to be uncontrollably spinning in place several times before barely stabilizing, but upon raising its head to see the glows, its green eyes were filled with unspeakable fear.


    As the three glows circled above the desk, they transformed into three blurry figures about one foot tall and light as air, but clearly resembling the Daoist, Confucian, and Buddhist figures from the Moonwatching Painting, all six eyes fixedly staring at Mu Kui, as if looking at a dead man.


    ¡°Three Elders of Kunwu!¡± Mu Kui let out a terrified scream, then without any hesitation, turned into a green rainbow shooting towards the direction of the Greatnorth Essence Light, not daring to look back.


    However, the three small figures silently stretched their hands towards the small grey sword, Demon Subduing Staff, and book on the desk.


    These three treasures emitted buzzing sounds, vibrated, and transformed into purple, yellow, and red shocking rainbows shooting out, disappearing into thin air, but the next moment, as Mu Kui was about to plunge into many silver lights, they reappeared behind it, combining into a fierce strike.


    Mu Kui couldn¡¯t dodge at all!


    With a thunderous explosion that shook the heavens, the three colors burst apart instantly submerging the green light within, emitting a burst of piercing light like the sun, making it impossible to look directly.


    But as the light receded, nothing was left in the original spot except for the three hovering artifacts.


    With one strike, these three artifacts annihilated the terrifying-looking Mu Kui, evaporating both its physical body and Primordial Spirit.


    Simultaneously, the bottom-most blood-red wooden medal on the desk spontaneously ignited, turning into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye.


    The three artifacts, having eliminated the demon, immediately flew back, circling once and landing precisely in their original positions on the desk.


    The three shadowy figures then blurred and dissipated, having not said a word from beginning to end.


    These three small figures were just threads of spiritual sense left by the Three Elders of Kunwu in the painting, specifically to prevent the treasures from falling into the hands of evil, serving as the ultimate restrictive formation in Kunwu Hall.


    Mu Kui, whether in cunning or cultivation, was an extremely powerful big demon, even more formidable than the Silver-winged Yaksha, but was dumbfoundedly killed in one strike driven by the spiritual senses of the treasures, truly an unfortunate demise.


    Madam Mu was first shocked, then overjoyed.


    Upon Mu Kui¡¯s death, the green vines on her body immediately turned from hardened iron to ordinary vines.


    With a burst of White Spiritual Fire, she incinerated them into nothingness.


    She took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and was about to take action when suddenly a dull ¡°bang¡± sounded from behind her, as if something had burst open, followed immediately by rumblings of thunder.


    ¡°Sister, be careful!¡± The beautiful female cultivator exclaimed in alarm.


    Madam Mu¡¯s heart chilled, and without thinking, she raised her jade hand and made a grabbing motion towards the desk in front of her.


    All the treasures on the desk trembled and flew into the air, directly drawn towards her.


    At that moment, with a thunderous noise in midair above the desk, a figure appeared amidst the lightning and also grabbed at the treasures.


    The treasures that were flying towards Madam Mu paused for a moment, and then shot back towards the figure.


    It was Han Li, who had just escaped the giant cloth and instantly used the Thunderstorm Wings to teleport to this location.


    Upon seeing this scene, Madam Mu was naturally a mix of shock and rage.


    She opened her mouth and several silver flying needles shot out towards Han Li with a hissing sound, enveloped in threads of Frost Silk.


    At the same time, she waved her sleeves, and a surge of red glow flew out from within, rolling directly towards the treasures.


    Seeing this, Han Li frowned and opened his mouth to spew a blurry white crystal pearl towards the flying needles-it was the Snow Crystal Bead.


    With one hand, he reached towards the treasures, and instantly, a giant green hand appeared above the treasures and grabbed them.


    With the other, he flipped his palm, and an ancient Feathered Fan appeared in his grasp.


    His face turned fierce, and without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Han Li fiercely fanned it towards Madam Mu.


    Previously, he was ambushed by a woman in the giant shuttle and then trapped by this woman with treasures.


    Angrily stirring in his heart, he didn¡¯t hold back and immediately used the Three Flame Fan at this critical moment of seizing the treasures.


    The silver needles were blocked by the Snow Crystal Bead, and the red glow from the woman tried to envelop the retreating treasures but couldn¡¯t.


    However, with a shiver from the Three Flame Fan, a surge of gold, silver, and red flames violently burst forth.


    Seeing this, Madam Mu¡¯s complexion dramatically changed.


    She had witnessed the terrifying power of the Three Flame Fan and knew she couldn¡¯t withstand it.


    Helplessly, she could only abandon the treasures and shoot back in retreat.


    After the tri-colored flames missed their target, they still exploded outwards, releasing a stunning spiritual pressure with a radius of nearly thirty feet.


    Even Han Li was forced to step back repeatedly.


    The treasures, although at the edge of the Three Flame Fan¡¯s range, were scattered as both Han Li¡¯s green hand and Madam Mu¡¯s red glow dissipated under the pressure.


    The treasures fell from the sky towards the ground.


    Han Li, seeing this, was overjoyed and was about to act when suddenly three streaks of light shot out from the Greatnorth Essence Light: a Bloodshadow Evasion, a silver-pointed light, and a purple mist.


    These three types of light seemed to master some bizarre Escape Technique, immediately disappearing on the spot or turning into gusts of wind.


    Seeing this, Han Li inwardly cursed, yet his actions were swift.


    With the speed of thunder, he arrived above the treasures before the others.


    But it was only just a moment earlier as the other three figures also appeared near the treasures, attacking those nearby while stretching out Divine Skills to grab at certain treasures.


    The closest to Han Li were an unknown wooden Token and that sparkling red book.


    Ignoring the other treasures, he immediately swept past them in a blur of green mist, encompassing these two items.


    As he aimed for the nearby ¡®../../../../../Demon Subduing Staff¡¯, numerous blood-colored light beams and a mass of golden sound waves rolled towards him from above.


    Helplessly, Han Li had to retreat temporarily with his green mist to avoid these attacks.


    The Demon Subduing Staff was then grabbed by the pursuing Bloodshadow.


    The purple mist and silver light, however, did not bother with the other treasures but desperately covered the other two wooden Tokens nearby, as if they feared someone else would snatch them.


    Han Li paused at this, but then the Bloodshadow darted for the green-colored seal-shaped treasure.


    ¡°Stop, you can¡¯t take the Dragon Transformation Seal!¡± a woman¡¯s voice urgently cried out.


    Suddenly, an Ivory-Colored Jade Ruler appeared above the Bloodshadow, mercilessly smashing down.


    This ruler was bizarre, singing with Buddhist chants before even striking.


    Numerous ivory-colored lotuses appeared around it, blooming in large swaths like a goddess scattering flowers, each about the size of a bowl and shimmering with seven-colored Buddhist light.


    Not only the Bloodshadow, but the other silver and purple mist were also enveloped by it.


    Luckily, due to Han Li¡¯s retreating, he was just outside the reach of this ruler¡¯s power.


    To Han Li¡¯s astonishment, as the woman scolded, all the white lotuses exploded at once, then transformed into a gigantic seven-colored lotus that bloomed petal by petal.


    Buddhist scriptures surged within each petal, and the sound of the chants thundered through the hall.


    Trapped in the colorful lotus, the Bloodshadow, silver light, and the demon within the purple mist, couldn¡¯t even think of picking up other treasures as they staggered about, seemingly intoxicated as if drunk.


    (Second update!


    Also, I have some news for everyone, ¡®ordinary mortals¡¯ finally has its simplified edition published by Taibai Literature and Art Publishing House.


    Currently, the first two volumes are out, ¡®Memories of Seven Mysteries Sect¡¯ and ¡®Forbidden Trial by Blood and Fire¡¯.


    Interested readers can buy them at major bookstores in their city.


    Haha, it¡¯s my first book, so I¡¯m quite excited.


    I hope that friends who like this book can share the happiness with me!)

 Chapter 1025 - Chapter 1025 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1021 The Might of the Yang Ring

    ?Chapter 1025: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1021: The Might of the Yang Ring Chapter 1025: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1021: The Might of the Yang Ring Just as Han Li was taken aback by the bizarre scene before him, the golden light barrier transformed from the Vajra Relic hidden deep within his body also began to fluctuate with the emergence of the huge lotus, expanding and contracting in response.


    Startled, Han Li quickly condensed his Mana within his body and instantly suppressed the abnormal behavior of the treasure, only then did he take a deep look at the colorful lotus in the distance, and without saying a word, his silver wings flapped, and he vanished into thin air from where he stood.


    In the next moment, he appeared near the Greatnorth Essence Light and turned into a streak of azure light, escaping into it.


    For Han Li, since he had already obtained two of the treasures, it was the wisest decision to escape from this chaotic situation.


    The sudden appearance of the White Jade Ruler possessed terrifying power.


    Although its Divine Skills were inclined towards trapping enemies and transformation, there was no doubt that its power was no less than that of the Three Flame Fan and was more likely to be a Spiritual Treasure Replica of some spirit treasures.


    Although he was greatly angered by the sneak attack carried out by the owner of the ruler, he would not choose to confront them directly at this moment.


    After all, neither Qian the devil nor the Silver-winged Yaksha got along with him.


    If they were to siege him, even with great Divine Skills, he would undoubtedly meet his demise here.


    On the golden and silver shuttle, that beautiful woman from the Immortal Transcendence Sect was seen desperately controlling the White Jade Ruler with both hands gesturing, her face showing strain.


    Therefore, even though she saw Han Li retreating hastily, she could not be distracted.


    As long as Han Li did not take away the most important Dragon Transformation Seal, the woman had no choice but to turn a blind eye.


    At this moment, the woman who had temporarily escaped Han Li¡¯s might and retreated due to a single flap, upon seeing her junior sister trapping Qian the devil and the others below, could only look hatefully in the direction where Han Li disappeared, and with a ¡°swoosh¡±, she turned into a colorful streak of light and entered the huge lotus.


    Whether it was because of the beautiful woman¡¯s manipulation and control, or if the woman herself was not afraid of the lotus¡¯ power, she remained unaffected by the power of the treasure inside the giant lotus and easily grabbed the Dragon Transformation Seal in her hand.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï


    But as the woman pulled the small purple sword into her hand with a sweep of her sleeve, a flash of seven-colored Buddha light appeared and the lotus protecting everyone began to crumble inch by inch.


    Qian the devil and the two demons were suddenly freed from their trap, and after stabilizing their forms, all six ferocious gazes simultaneously turned towards the woman.


    It turned out that the young woman finally ran out of Mana, which caused the power of the Four Symbols Ruler to retract.


    The woman¡¯s expression changed!


    Soon after Han Li dived into the Greatnorth Essence Light, he unexpectedly ran into the ugly woman transformed by the Profound Rock Turtle.


    This demon was covered in a suit of iron-blue weird armor, and the originally indestructible silver threads hit it only to hesitantly bounce off.


    This allowed it to be unharmed within the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    However, oddly, the ugly woman in this armor was just stepping forward slowly, as if she was unable to use any Escape Technique.


    That¡¯s why the Silver-winged Yaksha and the Lion Bird had left her behind and gone ahead first.


    The moment Han Li appeared in front of the demon, the ugly woman naturally spotted him too.


    After a brief moment of shock, she immediately showed a wary expression, a black stick-like treasure emerged in front of her, and her eyes started to dart back and forth over Han Li¡¯s body.


    Han Li remained expressionless and with a flash of escape light, he dodged to one side.


    He had no entanglements with this demon, no desire to exterminate demons and subdue fiends in his heart, and he estimated that the demon, being heavily restricted in the Greatnorth Essence Light, would likely not initiate an attack.


    However, this time, Han Li miscalculated.


    Just as he was about to shoot past the ugly woman, she suddenly changed her expression, turned her head abruptly, and stared at Han Li with a look of panic and horror.


    This startled Han Li, causing his streak of light to instinctively pause, and he immediately grasped something in his hand, staring at the demon with confusion.


    ¡°You took that thing, hand it over to me!¡± the ugly woman suddenly shrieked shrilly.


    She then grabbed the black stick in front of her and swung it vigorously at Han Li, and the stick-like treasure instantly grew to a length of several meters, swinging down as countless vague shadows of sticks, like small mountains, bore down on Han Li¡¯s head.


    The ugly woman¡¯s face now showed complete madness!


    The sight of the mountainous stick shadows made Han Li¡¯s heart chill, and although he remained clouded about the demon¡¯s behavior and words upon their first encounter, he showed no sign of fear and immediately raised one hand.


    A dark ring flew out, facing the stick shadows above his head head-on.


    Seeing this from a distance, the ugly woman¡¯s heart swelled with joy.


    The stick in her hand was refined from the essence of five metals gathered during her entrapment, and after tens of thousands of years of continuous cultivation, had already become an extraordinary treasure.


    These phantom stick shadows might seem unassuming, but each one held a force of a thousand pounds.


    She was certain that the inconspicuous ring would be smashed to pieces upon contact.


    Thinking this way, the cruelty in the demon¡¯s heart intensified.


    Suddenly, without hesitation, she over-exploited her potential and poured even more Spiritual Power into the stick, enlarging the stick shadows again, intending to kill Han Li on the spot to prevent future trouble!


    As the ferocity of the ugly woman caught his eye, Han Li immediately guessed the demon¡¯s plan to some extent.


    Although he did not know why she was so desperate on their first meeting, his intent to kill also surged.


    Immediately, with an expressionless face, he pointed at the pitch-black ring.


    Upon nearing the stick¡¯s shadow, the ring suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, and the unbelievable happened.


    The nearby strands of silver light, upon hearing the buzz, trembled and all shot towards it at an incredible speed.


    The Greatnorth Essence Light gathered so quickly that it pierced through all of the shadows in a flash, and the once imposing shadows disintegrated into nothingness in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°You can control the Greatnorth Essence Light!¡± The ugly woman shrieked, her voice as piercing as if someone had grabbed her by the throat, her face full of shock.


    The Heaven-Earth Ring was divided into the Yin Ring and Yang Ring, with the Yin Ring warding off essence light damage to the body, and the Yang Ring enabling one to wield the essence light as a weapon.


    And this black ring was that very Yang Ring.


    Han Li snorted coldly!


    Had it been outside the Greatnorth Essence Light, he would have been extremely wary of this monster, equivalent to the Deity Transformation stage, and there would be next to no chance of killing it.


    But now, with the monster trapped in the Greatnorth Essence Light and the Heaven-Earth Ring in his possession, the circumstances were altogether different.


    Since the monster sought death on its own, he was not averse to expending some extra effort to dispose of it.


    Although he couldn¡¯t yet perceive its true form, this level of monster¡¯s body and soul were extremely rare materials of the highest quality.


    Thinking so, Han Li had no intention of explaining anything to the monster, and cast an Incantation on the ring with a wave of his hand.


    After a revolution, the ring buzzed even louder, and within a dark and mysterious glow, the silver threads within tens of meters were now under the control of the ring.


    At the will of Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense, the surrounding Greatnorth Essence Light immediately stirred up a wave of silver, rolling wave upon wave towards the ugly woman at the center.


    The ugly woman cried out in alarm, no longer attending to the treasures to counter Han Li, and hastily spat out a clot of black-red blood essence.


    Forming incantations with both hands, the blood essence turned into a cloud of mist, enveloping the armor.


    Then, the color of the armor transformed from cyan to blood red.


    At that moment, the awe-inspiring wave of Greatnorth Essence Light had already swept over continuously, engulfing the ugly woman within it.


    The cyan-red radiance emanating from the woman¡¯s armor fought desperately against the silver threads¡¯ erosion, producing a shrill noise like metal grating.


    Even though the ugly woman had employed her most desperate secret technique, she could barely resist the Greatnorth Essence Light with her armor before.


    But now, the silvery threads assaulting her were nearly several times more numerous than before, and almost instantly, the surface of the armor was pocked with numerous small pits under the unbearable strain.


    The ugly woman¡¯s face became extremely unsightly.


    Suddenly, with a piercing scream, she rubbed her hands over the armor.


    Waving circles of greyish-white light rippled out, and layers of a stone-like substance appeared on the armor, forming another layer of defense.


    This barely managed to slow down the invasion of the silvery strands for a moment.


    These greyish-white substances, likewise disintegrated layer by layer by the silver threads, required the ugly woman to incessantly cast spells to reinforce them using her True Yuan.


    It was obvious to anyone that their complete destruction was just a matter of time.


    But even that brief time was not something that Han Li, with his murderous intent, was willing to give to the monster.


    He immediately cast several incantations towards the Yang Ring, causing it to spin in the air, and the distant Greatnorth Essence Light responded with blinding silver radiance.


    As far as the eye could see, the light surged like waves, an incredibly imposing sight.


    Seeing this scene, the ugly woman¡¯s face turned as greyish-white as the strange substances on her armor.


    Under Han Li¡¯s command, the Greatnorth Essence Light from afar rolled towards her, covering the sky.


    Unable to withstand it any longer, the armor began to show cracks inch by inch, on the verge of collapse in a mere moment.


    Finally showing a look of fear, the ugly woman¡¯s eyes rolled rapidly, full of panic and desperation.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please stop!


    Spare my life, I am willing to submit to you as my master, to become your spirit beast!¡±


    As a corner of the armor collapsed, dozens of silver threads pierced through, turning one of the ugly woman¡¯s arms into a mist of blood, and in her desperation, she could no longer care about anything else and cried out loudly.


    For the Profound Rock Turtle demon that had lived for perhaps tens of thousands of years, how could it willingly let itself perish here.


    ¡°Be my spirit beast!¡± Upon hearing these words, Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly and used the Yang Ring to temporarily slow down the assault of the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a three-year-old child?


    Soul restriction techniques are hardly effective against a creature of your cultivation level.


    How can I trust you?


    How can you be my spirit beast?¡± Han Li looked at the ugly woman surrounded by countless silver threads, speaking calmly and indifferently.


    If the monster could not immediately provide a proper explanation, he would right away intensify the Greatnorth Essence Light to annihilate it, without the slightest hesitation.


    He certainly wouldn¡¯t give the monster any time to delay.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to elaborate.


    Fellow Daoist, did you not obtain a wooden plaque in Kunwu Hall?


    Simply take it out and look at it carefully, and you will understand.


    That is my Life Origin Plaque, placed under a restriction before my cultivation was complete,¡± the ugly woman said, seeing Han Li¡¯s unrelenting killing intent, speaking woefully and without delay.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1026 - Chapter 1026 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 122 Subjugation

    ?Chapter 1026: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 122 Subjugation Chapter 1026: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 122 Subjugation ¡°Life Origin Token!¡± Han Li revealed a surprised expression.


    When he had first obtained the red wooden token, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to examine it closely, but it indeed seemed to be extraordinary compared to typical treasures.


    Now, hearing the ugly woman put it like that, he began to entertain some doubts.


    Without any further comment, he slapped his storage pouch at his waist, and immediately, a streak of blood light flew out, circling before landing in his hand.


    It was indeed the wooden token!


    A blue light flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he truly saw the item clearly for the first time.


    It was the size of a palm, enveloped in a layer of blood light.


    On the front surface, a small cluster of misty grey-white substance appeared, slightly undulating within the blood light, seemingly alive.


    Han Li swept his Divine Sense over it quickly, and a trace of joy immediately appeared on his face.


    With a single hand forming a spell, he cast a green light with a flick of his hand.


    Instantly, the blood light on the token flared enormously, and the small cluster of grey-white mist quickly dissipated, revealing a pattern of a black and white Spirit Turtle.


    ¡°Profound Rock Turtle!


    Your true form is this kind of primordial demon beast!


    No wonder your defenses are so astonishing; you could withstand the Greatnorth Essence Light for so long!¡± Han Li stared at the token for a long while, his pupils¡¯ blue light narrowing as he spoke faintly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Fellow Daoist already knows that your wife hasn¡¯t lied or tried to deceive.


    This Life Origin Token was personally refined by the Three Elders of Kunwu.


    Nowadays, no one in the human world can refine such a top-tier Life Token.


    As long as this token is in hand, our life and death will be controlled by the token¡¯s master.¡± The ugly woman explained, unmoving in the Greatnorth Essence Light, afraid to provoke any misunderstandings from Han Li.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but it also depends on whose hands the Life Origin Token falls into.


    If a cultivator below the Nascent Soul Stage tries to refine this token to make you obey, I¡¯m afraid their cultivation isn¡¯t enough, and they might be backlashed by the restrictive formations on the token,¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°What, Fellow Daoist, do you still not trust me with this token?¡± The woman¡¯s ugly face grew even uglier.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t trust you!


    Even though I can refine this token and restrain you at any time, your cultivation far surpasses mine.


    If you decide to risk your life, it¡¯s not impossible for you to break free and strike back.


    Han has no interest in living in constant fear; why should I keep you?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, and at the same time, the Yang Ring on his head buzzed loudly, surrounding the ugly woman, causing the silver threads to stir once again.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist is still not assured, I¡¯m willing to bind half of my Primordial Spirit to the Life Origin Token.


    If I harbor ill intentions, Fellow Daoist will immediately be aware of it,¡± the ugly woman, startled, hastily blurted out loudly.


    ¡°Oh!


    Splitting the Primordial Spirit!


    This method is feasible.


    Since you¡¯ve said so, go ahead and split your Primordial Spirit,¡± Han Li said coolly, his gaze darting.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the ugly woman hesitated.


    But seeing Han Li¡¯s gaze turn grim again, she felt chilled, no longer hesitating as she slapped the back of her head with one hand.


    With a ¡°puff¡± sound, a black and white light flashed on the heavenly spiritual covering, and a naked ugly Nascent Soul emerged above her head.


    The Nascent Soul opened its mouth, spewing out a fist-sized green light.


    After a painful expression appeared on the ugly woman¡¯s face, the green light trembled violently, splitting into two smaller clusters.


    One cluster circled and immediately returned through the Nascent Soul¡¯s nostrils and mouth, while the other, after some hesitation, slowly flew toward Han Li.


    Seeing this, Han Li unceremoniously swung the Life Origin Token at the approaching green light.


    A spray of blood light burst forth, pulling the green light into the token with a sweep.


    The token flared with blood light, and a faint chime sound could be heard.


    Lowering his head, Han Li observed the item, noting that the black and white Spirit Turtle pattern had become much clearer and even seemed to come alive, tossing and flipping its head.


    Only then did Han Li truly put his mind at ease.


    With a breath, he swallowed the token in his hand.


    The ugly woman on the opposite side felt a chill in her heart upon seeing this scene, knowing that unless she advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage, she would never be able to escape his control.


    After swallowing the token, Han Li felt a great relief in his heart.


    Instantly, he raised one finger and pointed at the ring in the air.


    Suddenly, the Greatnorth Essence Light that surrounded the ugly woman scattered in all directions.


    Han Li¡¯s figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in front of the ugly woman, frowning at her ragged, one-armed appearance.


    He casually flicked his finger at the protective shield in front of him.


    Instantly, a dark glow flashed, and the Yin Ring transformed into a shield that enveloped the ugly woman, isolating all the lingering silver threads outside.


    ¡°Rest assured, I have no intention of binding you forever.


    As long as you pass away or can ascend to the next world, I will grant you your freedom.


    I have no intention of making you a family or Sect guardian Spirit Beast,¡± Han Li said lightly after retracting the other Yang Ring.


    ¡°Is Fellow Daoist¡¯s word true?¡± Upon hearing this, the ugly woman¡¯s previously dejected spirit revitalized, and she blurted out a question.


    ¡°Believe it or not, Fellow Daoist will naturally come to know in the future.


    But our human lifespan is insignificant compared to you primordial demon beasts; as long as you earnestly serve me during this time, I will not treat you unfairly.


    Moreover, you are not my only spirit beast, and you will soon discover that being my spirit beast might not be such a bad thing!¡± Han Li did not care about the demon beast insisting on its status, and instead responded with a faint smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe, but as long as Fellow Daoist truly keeps your promise, serving you for some years doesn¡¯t matter much to me,¡± the ugly woman replied with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll know what kind of person I am as we interact more in the future.


    First, take the contents of this small bottle to recover your mana and injuries,¡± Han Li said sternly, tossing out a small bottle.


    ¡°Recover mana?


    Eh, could this bottle possibly contain¡­¡± The ugly woman took the small bottle with a mix of belief and doubt, opened the cap, and a burst of exceptionally pure spiritual energy rushed towards her, making her exclaim in surprise.


    ¡°This contains a drop of ten-thousand-year-old Spiritual Liquid, enough to restore your depleted mana.


    I will need your strength shortly,¡± Han Li said leisurely with hands clasped behind his back.


    ¡°Thank you, Fellow Daoist!¡± With such a good thing before her, the ugly woman naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse and immediately sucked the drop of Spiritual Liquid from the bottle into her mouth.


    After a slight circulation of the Spiritual Liquid within her body, it transformed into an extremely pure spiritual power, quickly filling her body.


    Overjoyed, the ugly woman formed a hand seal with one hand, her body radiating black and white spiritual light, then twisted her head to gaze at the spot where her arm had been severed, muttering an incantation.


    What surprised Han Li then occurred.


    The wound of the ugly woman emitted interwoven black and white spiritual light, and countless new flesh sprouted crazily within the light, and in a blink of an eye, a new arm began to form.


    ¡°Indestructible body!¡± Han Li was moved.


    This was a rare divine ability in demon beasts, which he had only seen once before on the body of an Ancient Flame Toad in Devilfall Valley.


    However, the ugly woman¡¯s divine ability seemed many times stronger than that of the Ancient Flame Toad, with a whole arm regrowing in just a few breaths.


    This greatly shocked Han Li.


    It seemed that his ability to subdue this demon beast was indeed a stroke of great luck.


    If not for being in the Greatnorth Essence Light, where the demon beast was greatly weakened in resisting the essence light¡¯s power, just dealing with such a grand divine ability under normal circumstances would not have been easy.


    In fact, Han Li did not know that the ugly woman had already been greatly weakened by passing through the restrictive formations of the Gold Magnet Divine Wood.


    Otherwise, she might have resisted the Greatnorth Essence Light even longer.


    After all, this demon beast was a grade ten demon beast, with a depth of cultivation beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Good, truly worthy of being a millennium-old Spiritual Liquid.


    If I had to recover mana and heal my body by myself, it would probably take two to three days of meditative rest!¡± The ugly woman stopped her incantation, waved her newly grown arm a bit, and her complexion looked much better.


    ¡°Although Han Li does not yet know how to address you, since you¡¯ve been mingling with that Silver-winged Yaksha, you must have heard some things about me from him,¡± Han Li said slowly from the side.


    ¡°My name is Gui Ling, Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s deeds are indeed something I¡¯ve heard a little about.


    But only about Fellow Daoist¡¯s divine abilities,¡± the ugly woman replied hesitantly.


    ¡°Regarding my matters, I will find time to discuss them with Daoist Gui.


    Your cultivation and divine abilities are extraordinary, and although I control your Life Origin Token, I won¡¯t really treat you as a low-level demon beast.


    We will be peers in ordinary times,¡± Han Li suddenly said with a light chuckle.


    ¡°Many thanks, Fellow Daoist.


    May I know what the earlier mentioned task that requires action is about?¡± the demon beast recalled what Han Li had mentioned earlier and showed a hint of seriousness on her face.


    She was a bit concerned, wondering if he would ask her to confront the Silver-winged Yaksha and the Lion Bird she was somewhat acquainted with.


    ¡°In a little while, when Qian the devil enters the Greatnorth Essence Light, and passes by here, you will join me in striking to kill him,¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light, yet he spoke breezily.


    ¡°Qian the devil, are you referring to the late Nascent Soul cultivator who employs magic tools?¡± the ugly woman asked cautiously, feeling slightly relieved.


    ¡°Correct, that Old Devil.


    Originally, I did not plan to act here.


    After all, his magic tools are formidable, and his escape technique is extraordinary.


    Even if I could manipulate the Greatnorth Essence Light, the chance of keeping him here was slim.


    But with Daoist Gui assisting by my side, it¡¯s naturally a different story,¡± Han Li mentioned with a cold laugh.


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist has spoken thus, I will definitely assist you wholeheartedly,¡± the demon beast, constrained by circumstances, readily agreed.


    ¡°I appreciate that, Daoist Gui.


    However, when we act later, let¡¯s keep the Nascent Soul for a moment as I still need to ask him some things.¡±


    ¡°Understood!


    But please forgive my candor, even with the geographical advantage and my help, seriously injuring this Qian the devil is an easy task, but truly killing him still has slim chances.


    I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes how his magic tools allow him to fearlessly let the Greatnorth Essence Light pierce through his body.


    If he is determined to escape, stopping him with the two of us will be quite difficult,¡± the ugly woman turned her head to glance where Han Li had come from, hesitated a bit, but still straightforwardly voiced her concerns.


    ¡°Indeed, just the two of us might be too thin.


    But what if we add another late Nascent Soul cultivator!¡± Han Li¡¯s face suddenly revealed a mysterious expression.


    ¡°Another late Nascent Soul cultivator?¡± the ugly woman was startled upon hearing this, instinctively glancing around, but saw no one hiding nearby.


    She then refocused her gaze back on Han Li, a look of astonishment on her face.


    (First update!) (End of this chapter.


    For more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1028 - Chapter 1028 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1024 Five Devils Joined Bodies

    ?Chapter 1028: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1024 Five Devils Joined Bodies Chapter 1028: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1024 Five Devils Joined Bodies Although Han Li had not expected to kill Old Devil Zenith Yin so easily, he did not anticipate that the devil¡¯s magic would be so strange, almost as if he had cultivated his body into an intangible existence.


    Clearly, it was not a ghostly body, but rather some kind of magic that temporarily transformed his body into an almost undying demon form.


    Such devilish techniques, Han Li had heard of before; it is said that many ancient devils from ancient times existed in this form, which had once caused the ancient cultivators a great deal of trouble.


    Now witnessing it with his own eyes, it was indeed extraordinary.


    Han Li was secretly alarmed in his heart.


    However, his offensive did not stop for a moment; he opened his mouth and a purple fireball flew out, rolling slightly before swelling to the size of a carriage wheel, directly heading towards the bloodshadow.


    One hand shaped an incantation, urging the web transformed by the Greatnorth Essence Light to burst forth and cover, while the other hand waved the sleeve of his robe, and a thick golden lightning arc bounced out amidst the clap of thunder, flashing by instantly and striking the enemy head-on.


    The ugly woman Gui Ling, also holding her black staff Daoist paper talisman horizontally, swung it heavily at the bloodshadow several times.


    A swath of staff shadows emerged around the bloodshadow again, sweeping towards it like a raging wave.


    It must be said that in the midst of the Greatnorth Essence Light¡¯s magic battle, neither side dared to easily release weapons such as flying swords or daggers.


    Otherwise, one carelessness could very well result in the treasures being pierced and shattered by the Greatnorth Essence Light before they even reached the opponent, destroying the valuable items for nothing.


    That is why Han Li did not use the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, and instead directly employed the Devilbane Lightning and Purple Apex Flames.


    Qian the devil saw that he had just escaped entrapment, and the multitude of attacks followed closely and struck again, with an even greater momentum than before.


    A fierce aura erupted in his heart, and with a fierce flash on his face, he bit down on the tip of his tongue, spraying out a gray orb wrapped in strands of blood, which perfectly intercepted the descending golden lightning.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    The Devilbane Lightning, upon striking it, made only a muffled noise, after which both transformed into a wisp of eerie green smoke that rose to the sky, nullifying each other.


    Seeing this scene, Han Li was taken aback.


    But Qian the devil had already spun his body swiftly, and five columns of gray-white burst forth from around him.


    Five giant skeletal figures over two zhang tall appeared in the Demonic Qi, their bodies large and lanky, with bones as clear as jade, radiating strands of cold air.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin had indeed summoned the true body of the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronisation Demon.


    As soon as the five skeletons appeared, each spat out a stream of phosphorous flame that seemed to be ghost fire.


    This flame did not appear to be eye-catching, seeming like normal will-o¡¯-the-wisps, but the fireballs transformed by the Purple Apex Flames were hit head-on by two of them and ended up deadlocked in the air.


    The other three streams shot into the sky, turning into a curtain of green flame, holding back the net formed by the Greatnorth Essence Light from falling close.


    Sounds of howling echoed as staff shadows swept in from all sides, and just like before, even before the shadows hit, a Formless Giant Force emerged all around, intending to bind the Old Devil Zenith Yin once again.


    This time, Old Devil Zenith Yin did not self-destruct his body.


    After all, even though such Divine Skills were extremely powerful, each time the body split and reformed, it would consume a significant amount of Mana.


    Unless it was absolutely necessary, he certainly did not want to use this method again.


    Moreover, since he had summoned the true form of the Five Sons Demonic Incarnation, he naturally had a countermeasure in mind.


    With just a shift of his spiritual sense, the five skeletal figures shone and appeared around him, while the two hands behind him were stretched flat, and a gray-white light shield emerged over his palms, instantly protecting both the Old Devil Zenith Yin and themselves within it.


    Continuous ¡°rumble¡¯s¡± of thunderous noise sounded incessantly.


    Amidst the shadows and flickering of gray light, each heavy hit was like a thunderclap, startling and unnerving.


    Seeing the power of the staff shadows, Han Li was rather startled.


    This grade ten demon beast, the Profound Rock Turtle, indeed possessed great Divine Skills.


    It seems that it could not exert even half of its true power before when they fought because its Mana was insufficient.


    Otherwise, subduing the opponent would definitely not have been as easy as it had seemed within the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    However, the sturdiness of the protective shield released by the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronisation Demon far exceeded Han Li¡¯s expectation.


    When the noise ceased and the staff shadows finally disappeared, the thin layer of gray-white light shield, supported by the five skeletons, remained intact.


    Even such an astonishing attack could not shatter this thin layer of defense.


    Gui Ling¡¯s face darkened upon seeing this.


    With a sinister glance at the light shield, she grunted coldly, then spat out a mass of black and white essence onto the black staff in her hand.


    With a long cry from the staff, its shape dramatically changed amid a burst of spiritual light, transforming into a black ax.


    With a flick of her wrist, Gui Ling raised the ax above her head, her gaze intensively fixed on it while chanting a spell incantation.


    Suddenly, the surface of the ax burst into a layer of blinding silver light, its size swelling rapidly as its color changed abruptly.


    In the blink of an eye, it became a silver Giant Axe ten-odd Zhang long.


    This Giant Axe¡¯s blindingly bright blade was not just like the leaf of a door; its handle was as thick as the thigh of an average person.


    Having grown so huge, as if some seal had been lifted, an immense burst of Evil Qi shot up into the sky.


    Even from such a distance, Han Li could clearly feel the bloodthirsty madness of this huge blade.


    This was truly an outright ferocious blade!


    At this moment, Gui Ling¡¯s ugly face flashed viciously, she pinched her fingers into an incantation and her body swelled up rapidly as well.


    In just a moment, he transformed into a giant about seventy to eighty feet tall.


    ¡°Giant Technique!


    Unexpectedly, this demon could perform such a great divine power without revealing its true form.


    It seems that its cultivation is nearly reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.¡± Witnessing this spectacle, Han Li muttered with a hint of intrigue on his face.


    At the same time, his gaze inadvertently swept over a certain spot within the Greatnorth Essence Light, then he impassively retracted it.


    After a flash of cold light in his eyes, he shook his sleeve, silently gripping the Three Flames Treasure Fan hidden within.


    The ugly woman stretched out her fan-like palm, grasping the Silver Axe in her hand, and then gave Qian the Devil a glance from afar.


    Gripping the axe with both hands, she slowly made a chopping motion in the void.


    A silver crescent axe light turned into a several zhang long crescent moon and whistled out from the blade¡¯s edge, leaving behind a white trail in the air as if it were about to tear through the nearby space.


    Qian the Devil, hidden behind the protective barrier, saw this scene and his expression drastically changed.


    Confident as he was in the power of the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronisation Demon, he did not dare to withstand such a terrifying attack.


    Without time to think, Old Devil Zenith Yin suddenly raised his hand, revealing a snow-white short blade in his palm, which he immediately grabbed.


    A flash of cold light-and the hand with the blade fell!


    Another hand¡¯s small section of the index finger was unexpectedly chopped off by the blade.


    Before the short finger could land, Old Devil Zenith Yin sprayed a mass of blood essence onto it, completely enveloping it.


    In the blink of an eye, the blood light flickered, and with the fusion of the finger and blood essence, it turned into a long and narrow blood blade, strangely shaped and extremely sharp!


    Old Devil Zenith Yin, holding the blade in one hand, saw


    the giant crescent arriving in front of him.


    Without hesitation, he seriously waved the long blade in his hand, and in the next moment, the blade vanished into thin air, strangely reappearing before the Five Sons Demon, clashing head-on against the crescent axe light.


    Much to Han Li¡¯s surprise, when the blood light collided with the silver light, the two glimmered erratically, yet eerily produced not a single sound.


    One could only watch the slender blood blade bend bit by bit while trembling plaintively, immediately appearing overwhelmed.


    However, at this moment, the Five Sons Demon suddenly lunged forward, and amid the flickering gray light, the five skeletons condensed and fused together, creating a gigantic skeleton just as unbelievable as Gui Ling¡¯s transformed giant.


    As he saw the crisp ¡°crack¡± sound of the blood-colored long blade shattering inch by inch, the gleaming axe light was about to slice through.


    The combined Five Devils¡¯ massive skeleton, with a strange laugh from its gaping mouth, jerked its head back, spewing out a mist of gray light.


    The light was only a small patch, but it was so thick it seemed solid.


    When the crescent moon slashed upon it, it didn¡¯t make a single cut, but instead seemed to fall into a viscous liquid, unavoidably coming to a standstill.


    Immediately after, the silver axe light dimmed from bright to dark, and in an instant, it turned gray-white, then was wrapped up by the light mist and absorbed completely.


    The light made a turn and flew back into the gaping maw of the skeleton.


    ¡°Foul Yin Demonic Qi!


    If the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronisation Demon possesses such divine skill, then their predecessors must have been Nascent Soul cultivators, too.


    Otherwise, the devil formed from the bones of an ordinary Sect Master wouldn¡¯t have such mighty divine power!¡± boomed the voice from the giant transformed by Gui Ling.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about what I used to create the Synchronisation Demon.


    Since you know the fierceness of the Foul Yin Demonic Qi, you might as well experience the power of the combined Five Devils first,¡± Qian the Devil sneered coldly, and with a low shout, he lifted his hand and struck the giant skeleton with several Incantations in succession.


    The giant skeleton let out a humming growl, its blood-red eyes suddenly piercing.


    The demon took a step, heading straight for the giant transformed by the ugly woman-as it moved, each step made the ground tremble slightly.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, looking at the massive skeleton, tightening the fingers clutching the Three Flame Fan, and then slightly loosening them.


    His other hand swiftly threw the Yang Ring, elevating it above his head.


    In an instant, the silver waves made up of Greatnorth Essence Light roared, and countless points of silver light twinkled non-stop-numerous filaments of light burst forth from the sound waves, densely covering the giant skeleton.


    The skeleton let out a shrill scream, and a layer of gray mist appeared on its body instantly.


    Many silver filaments shot onto it, scattering into dust, completely ineffective.


    Han Li¡¯s face remained impassive, but he suddenly poured Mana frantically into the Yang Ring.


    An abrupt transformation occurred!


    The subsequent filaments suddenly converged mid-air, turning into several silver chains, and vanished in a flash.


    ¡°Puff puff¡± noises followed one after another.


    A dozen holes as thick as thumbs appeared on the skeleton¡¯s body.


    One of the holes even pierced directly through its forehead.


    The Foul Yin Demonic Qi could not defend against this attack!


    Using the Yang Ring to condense these Greatnorth Essence Lights together greatly increased their power.


    But just as Han Li began to show a trace of joy, his expression darkened again.


    (Sweat, I just got home tonight, and there¡¯s just so much to do at the end of the year.


    I wish I could have a disciple technique like Han Li.


    One to type, and another to attend those bothersome engagements for me!


    I¡¯ll get out one chapter for now, the other two, I¡¯ll see if I can make them up tomorrow.


    With my snail¡¯s pace, missing even a single chapter is agonizing!


    But for everyone, I¡¯ll do my best!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1029 - Chapter 1029 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1025 Blood Demon Bead

    ?Chapter 1029: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1025 Blood Demon Bead Chapter 1029: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1025 Blood Demon Bead After being hit, the huge skeleton merely swayed slightly, and the grayish-white light flowed along its framework, which caused the holes to mend themselves.


    The attacks that would be fatal to an ordinary Sect Master had no effect on this devil.


    Han Li furrowed his brows, realizing that he had to kill Qian the devil first, or it would be difficult to eliminate the Five Son¡¯s Synchronization Demon.


    The giant skeleton appeared to move slowly, but after several big steps, it covered a large distance and arrived before Gui Ling.


    A burst of blood light flashed within the empty eye sockets, and two skeleton hands reached out to grasp itself, from which two rib bones flew out, transforming into two meter-long white blades that were grabbed hold of.


    With a slight swing, patches of greenish-blue Devil Flame burst forth.


    Upon seeing this, the giant transformed by Gui Ling snorted coldly, lifted his leg and took two steps forward, and then ruthlessly swung the giant axe in his hand.


    The silver light flashed, followed by a rumbling sound.


    The giant skeleton waved both hands, and the bone blades in its hands suddenly doubled in size, crossing to valiantly block the giant axe right above its head.


    This devil seemed to possess enormous strength.


    Gui Ling wasn¡¯t surprised when the giant axe was blocked; a curious light flashed in his eyes, and he shouted lowly: ¡°Tiger Devouring.¡±


    A silver light flashed, and a huge beast¡¯s head suddenly appeared on the axe surface, resembling a white tiger with a single horn.


    The beast opened its huge mouth, and its torso darted out like lightning to bite off the giant skeleton¡¯s skull, swallowing it in two or three gulps before retracting.


    The silver giant axe was not only a fierce blade but also possessed its own Artifact Spirit.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    This sight even startled Han Li; Qian the devil, who had transformed into a Bloodshadow, was also taken aback.


    However, the giant transformed by Gui Ling the Ugly Consort did not hesitate at all and waved the giant axe as fast as a spinning wheel.


    The headless skeleton was completely enveloped in a large bundle of cold light.


    A ¡°crack¡± sound was heard!


    Relying on the sharpness of the axe and immense strength, the giant skeleton was instantly chopped into countless segments, and broken bones fell all over the ground.


    As the giant axe in her hand stopped, Gui Ling opened its mouth and spat out a stream of yellow Demon Fire, which enveloped the bones on the ground, intending to eradicate the Five Sons Synchronization Demon in one go.


    Yet, at a distance, after his initial shock, Qian the devil calmed down.


    Seeing Gui Ling use Demon Fire to refine the devil connected to its lifeline, he silently formed hand incantations and spurred his magic tools inwardly.


    Amidst the raging burning of the yellow Demon Fire, a cold wind suddenly arose, causing the flames to lessen.


    Five crystalline black threads emerged in the yellow Demon Fire and then explosively shot out.


    Exploding at just over thirty feet away.


    Five streams of greyish-white qi burst from the ground, and as the mist scattered, five pristine skeletons emerged, swaying back and forth.


    ¡°Formless Demon Transformation!


    I didn¡¯t expect you managed to cultivate such Divine Skills for your Sub Demon.


    Aren¡¯t you afraid that it will backlash against you one day?¡± Gui Ling truly was shocked as she bellowed her question.


    ¡°Backlash?


    As long as I am cautious, how could they have such an opportunity?¡± Qian the devil said blandly, his spiritual sense moved, intensifying the stimulation of his magic tools.


    In the blink of an eye, five skeletons dashed together, recombining into the giant skeleton, which then generated two bone blades with a movement of its hands, fiercely lunging at the ugly consort.


    This time, Gui Ling did not deploy the fierce beast on the giant axe to attack, but instead clashed directly with the opponent using the giant blades.


    A large bundle of cold light and two smaller bundles of white gas intensely collided between their massive bodies, causing deafening rumblings that made the entire hall tremble incessantly, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes as he observed all this.


    Although Gui Ling had restored Mana and transformed into a giant again, the remaining Greatnorth Essence Light nearby seemed unable to harm her anymore.


    However, it was clear that neither the Giant Technique nor the Blood-Red Battle Armor she wore could withstand the Greatnorth Essence Light any longer than the giant skeleton.


    The battle had to be swiftly resolved.


    Thinking thus, Han Li glanced at the Bloodshadow in the distance, a harsh glint in his eyes, and his divine sense subtly manipulated the Yang Ring above his head to tremble slightly.


    From behind the Bloodshadow, several silver chains shot out silently like venomous snakes.


    Qian the devil was also contemplating a strategy to counter Han Li and his partner, unaware due to his supposed invincibility or because his divine sense was severely suppressed by the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    Only when the silver chains came close did he suddenly notice and hastily tried to dodge with a flicker.


    However, the silver light flashed intensely, and seven or eight silver chains unexpectedly pierced through the old devil¡¯s Bloodshadow body.


    The Old Devil was startled at first, but looking down at the silver chains pierced through his body, a cold smile appeared on his face.


    Such injuries were trivial to him, as recovery was just a thought away.


    But soon, Qian the devil noticed something was wrong.


    These silver chains, instead of disappearing after piercing him, solidified on his body as if they were tangible, flickering with a faint silver light.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°Too late!¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    The several silver chains suddenly coiled around like venomous snakes, tightly entangling the Bloodshadow, and with a slight tug, they tore the Bloodshadow into seven or eight pieces.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin was shocked and furious.


    His broken body transformed into a cloud of blood mist and shot to one side before gathering again, attempting to condense into his devilish body anew.


    In the blink of an eye, the silver chains followed like shadows, and the same scene played out on the yet unformed Bloodshadow¡¯s body.


    Like tearing paper, they once again tore Qian the devil¡¯s body into several pieces, leaving no time for Old Devil Zenith Yin to reform.


    This happened five or six times consecutively, and the blood mist was visibly thinner than before.


    ¡°Seeking death!¡± An angry roar came from the blood mist.


    Qian the devil clearly realized the peril.


    Within the Greatnorth Essence Light, no matter how fast he turned into blood mist, Han Li could at any time swiftly form numerous silver chains around him, making it impossible for him to escape.


    Immediately, the blood mist ceased trying to form a shape, but instead, it gathered furiously in the middle.


    A flash of blood light appeared above and in the blink of an eye, a fist-sized blood-red bead manifested.


    This bead was bright red like blood, flashing with an eerie red light.


    A nauseating stench of blood emanated from the bead, making it apparent that it was no ordinary treasure.


    ¡°Blood Demon Bead!¡± Upon seeing this bead, the corner of Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched, and he exclaimed involuntarily.


    ¡°Do you really think this old man is afraid of you?


    Come and take my life,¡± the voice of Old Devil Zenith Yin emanated from the blood bead, which then transformed into a streak of blood light and shot ferociously towards Han Li.


    Clearly in a fury and ready to take a deadly risk.


    Han Li took a deep breath and didn¡¯t dare to delay.


    He raised one hand, casting several incantations at the Yang Ring above his head.


    Instantly, on the path of the fleeing Blood Demon Bead, more than ten silver chains appeared, each flashing with light as they struck towards the blood bead.


    The Blood Demon Bead moved with incredible speed but was still hit by these silver chains.


    A humming sound emanated from the bead; amidst a flash of green light, these silver chains were easily bounced away.


    Han Li¡¯s face remained expressionless.


    He flipped one hand, and immediately a cluster of golden electric light emerged in his palm.


    The other hand, hidden in his wide sleeve, tightly grasped the handle of the Three Flame Fan.


    Old Devil Zenith Yin had hidden his Primordial Spirit and Nascent Soul inside the Blood Demon Bead.


    It seemed that to kill him, the bead would have to be destroyed.


    Among devilish cultivators, the Blood Demon Bead was infamous for housing the Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit within it, almost akin to a second corporeal body.


    It was rarely refined by devilish cultivators.


    It was said that to refine this treasure, one needed to collect the blood essence of hundreds of different Spirit Beasts and cultivate several special magic tools, allowing the bead to be refined and controlled at will.


    Moreover, the specific refining formula was rumored to have long been lost.


    Unexpectedly, it had ended up in the hands of the Yin Sifting Sect and allowed Old Devil to refine it ahead of time.


    However, this was also an opportunity for him.


    As the bead approached, he would trap it with a large amount of Devilbane Lightning and then strike unexpectedly with the Three Flame Fan.


    No matter what divine powers the bead possessed, it was unlikely to remain unscathed under the might of the treasure fan.


    Just as Han Li had figured out his strategy and was preparing to strike Old Devil Zenith Yin head-on, the flying blood light suddenly paused mid-way.


    A foot-high Bloodflame burst from the bead and disappeared in place.


    Han Li¡¯s heart tightened, and his Divine Sense swiftly spread out, fearing that Old Devil Zenith Yin would use an Escape Technique to approach him undetected.


    But the next moment, Han Li was somewhat stunned.


    Because after the Blood Demon Bead reappeared with the flames, it appeared not near Han Li but rather far to the side, in front of the Greatnorth Essence Light¡¯s restrictive formation.


    Then a wild laugh came from that direction.


    ¡°Young man, do you really think this old man is confused!


    If I fought with two high-level cultivators here, why would Qian make such a foolish move?


    When we get outside and gather more people, this old man will properly entertain the two of you!¡±


    Before the voice fell, the Blood Demon Bead plunged into the densely packed, wave-like silver threads shimmering with silver light.


    The normally densely packed Greatnorth Essence, under the burning of the crimson flames emanated by this bead, melted and dispersed, seemingly unable to trap it anymore.


    Only then did Han Li come to his senses, but it was clearly too late to chase.


    Although surprised, his face didn¡¯t show any signs of panic.


    Instead, he turned woodenly to look at Gui Ling still fighting against the Five Son¡¯ Synchronization Demon.


    The gigantic skeleton was still brandishing its Bone Knife, whistling non-stop, without any sign of retreating.


    Han Li¡¯s expression flickered, then a rumbling of thunder sounded from behind him as a pair of wings emerged.


    Immediately, his figure disappeared in a flash of silver light, appearing suddenly on one side in front of the Greatnorth Essence.


    His eyes coldly fixed on the direction of Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s escape, he raised one hand and the Three Flame Fan appeared in his grip.


    After a slight hesitation, Han Li also opened his mouth, and a clump of green light enveloping something sprayed out.


    Within was vaguely discernable a cauldron the size of a fist a€¡° it was indeed the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Just as Han Li had finished all these preparations, a loud bang suddenly came from within the Greatnorth Essence, followed by several cursing voices of Qian the devil.


    The Greatnorth Essence wobbled, and a streak of blood light along with a cluster of silver light emerged one after another.


    At the forefront was the Blood Demon Bead enveloped in Bloodflame, which had seemingly lost half of its flame, followed by the blindingly bright silver light, making it impossible to see clearly, but it seemed like a thin human figure was moving within it.


    (To be continued, for further developments, please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters and support for the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1030 - Chapter 1030 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 126 Breaking the Pearl

    ?Chapter 1030: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 126 Breaking the Pearl Chapter 1030: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Chapter 126 Breaking the Pearl Qian the devil, seeing Han Li blocking the way, felt a chill in his heart, and the Blood Demon Bead involuntarily paused.


    Meanwhile, the silhouette in the silver light took the opportunity to move his hand, and a small fire-red bow the size of a palm appeared in his hand.


    He pulled the bowstring in the void, and immediately countless red arrows densely shot out.


    At the same time, Han Li also gave a sly smile to the old devil, and with a flash of the Three Flame Fan in his hand, a tri-colored flame surged out, instantly transforming into a Firebird that pounced towards the Blood Demon Bead.


    The pincer attack was instantly formed.


    Qian the devil was greatly alarmed.


    He had already witnessed the power of the Three Flame Fan once and naturally was not willing to take it head-on.


    However, the attack from the person behind was also equally sharp, and he had already suffered a significant loss due to a moment of inattention.


    With no other choice, the Blood Demon Bead let out a sharp shriek and suddenly shot backward, and with a surge of blood light, a blurry ghost face emerged on the bead, opening its mouth to spit out a streak of black Qi, which instantly turned into a flag several inches in size.


    With the wind furiously blowing, the flag transformed into a size of several feet, and a sharp burst of ghostly aura emerged, flashing with green light.


    Yin Sifting Banner!


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li recognized the origin of this object.


    Apart from denser demonic Qi, it was almost identical to the one he had previously acquired.


    It was not surprising for Old Devil, being the Great Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect, to possess this treasure.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    Thoughts raced through Han Li¡¯s mind like lightning.


    At that moment, the banner had already unfolded in front of the Blood Demon Bead.


    Immediately, a strong gust of ghostly wind stirred, and the black mist filled the air, and twisted demon heads emerged one after another in the demonic Qi, spewing phosphorus fire towards the sky-full of fire arrows.


    The arrows naturally shot fiercely into the ghostly Qi, exploding loudly.


    But seizing this opportunity, Qian the devil, under the cover of the banner¡¯s power, controlled the Blood Demon Bead and the Yin Sifting Banner to escape to one side, meanwhile taking a glance backward.


    He saw the Fire Phoenix, with its wings swiftly spread, closely pursuing behind him.


    Old Devil¡¯s heart chilled, and he steeled himself.


    The surface of the banner suddenly emitted a bright green light, and a black hole suddenly appeared.


    Out of the pitch-dark ghostly Qi, a small demon of about an inch high jumped out.


    As soon as this demon emerged from the banner, its size rapidly expanded, transforming into a ghastly ghost over ten feet tall with a green face and sharp teeth.


    This ferocious ghost, clad in shiny black armor and holding a sky-supporting fork with green flames flickering at the tip, appeared fully armed and powerful.


    It seemed that this ghost had been restrained inside the banner for a long time.


    Just after transforming, without having a clear grasp of the surrounding situation, it excitedly let out a shriek, but the long cry abruptly stopped.


    Because the Tri-Color Fire Bird had already pounced in front of the ghost.


    The evil ghost, startled, could only urgently open its mouth in panic, spouting a jet of pitch-black ghostly Qi, while simultaneously raising its sky-supporting fork to block the approaching Firebird.


    Unlucky for the ghost!


    Even though its divine power was not as formidable as that of Qian the devil or Han Li and others, it was no less than an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator.


    However, being imprisoned in the banner for hundreds of years, upon its immediate emergence, it was hit by the extraordinary treasure, the Three Flame Fan, and due to its negligence, it did not carefully inspect the Tri-Color Fire Bird, treating it as a common spiritual bird.


    Thus, with a ¡°boom¡±, the Fire Bird exploded upon contact with the ghostly Qi.


    A mysterious halo eerily emerged, suddenly expanding to a width of over ten feet during its expansion and contraction.


    Within its might, three-colored runes tumbled and emerged, turning the evil ghost and the nearby ghostly Qi into nothingness.


    However, with this obstruction, the Blood Demon Bead managed to wrap itself with the Yin Sifting Banner and slipped out of the tri-colored halo, narrowly escaping this disaster!


    Qian the devil inwardly exclaimed in relief, taking another glance at the Yin Sifting Banner, then his heart began to ache.


    This treasure of the Yin Sifting Sect, now dimly lit, appeared to have greatly lost its spirituality.


    This situation naturally occurred because the banner¡¯s main ghost and a large swath of ghostly mist had been eradicated by the tri-colored halo.


    Speaking of which, the Yin Sifting Banner¡¯s reputation as the sect-guarding treasure of the Yin Sifting Sect was naturally not as simple as it seemed.


    Its true power would only be revealed when all eighteen Yin Sifting Banners were gathered.


    With these eighteen Yin Sifting Banners in hand, let alone Han Li and that ugly woman, even if Divinity Transformation stage cultivators encountered him, Qian the devil believed he could still protect himself from death.


    Unfortunately, according to the ancestral teachings passed down through generations in the Yin Sifting Sect, unless there was a major catastrophe threatening the demise of the sect, the eighteen Yin Sifting Banners would not be gathered in one person¡¯s hands; normally, they are held by eighteen of the sect¡¯s highest cultivation cultivators, a status that even he, as the Great Elder of the Yin Sifting Sect, could not change.


    Moreover, now one of the banners had fallen into the other party¡¯s hands.


    Qian the devil thought resentfully, yet another ghost face emerged on the Blood Demon Bead, its mouth opened intending to suck in the severely damaged green banner.


    After being struck by the Three Flame Fan, his fears of Han Li subsided considerably.


    Such a powerful treasure would certainly consume an astonishing amount of Mana.


    The other party had already used it once while fighting with two female cultivators from the Immortal Transcendence Sect, and had just launched another attack.


    They wouldn¡¯t be able to use this treasure again in a short time.


    Otherwise, if he could launch several consecutive attacks, Qian was certain he would have no place to hide and would be buried under the might of this treasure.


    But just at this moment, an abrupt change occurred.


    A rumbling of thunder emanated from a silhouette holding silver light in the distance, as a streak of emerald brilliance shot forth, booming once in a flash before disappearing midflight.


    ¡°Not good!¡±


    Seeing this familiar scene, Qian the Devil felt a chill in his heart.


    Previously, he had been caught off guard and attacked by this object, which caused him considerable trouble.


    The emerald brilliance contained Devilbane Lightning specifically designed to counteract magic tools.


    Caught off guard, he was unable to use his secret techniques in time to neutralize it, resulting in significant damage to his protective Bloodflame.


    Having suffered once, Old Devil Qian naturally wouldn¡¯t allow the same scene to unfold again.


    After swallowing the Ghost Sifting Banner, the Demon Bead shimmered and became indistinct.


    A green brilliance emerged about three feet away, and a short emerald arrow flickering with golden light appeared there.


    As the thunder rumbled, the arrow flashed, piercing through the bead.


    The ¡°Blood Demon Bead¡± silently turned into nothingness.


    At the critical moment, Qian the Devil used a secret technique to shift the Blood Demon Bead away, leaving only a mirage in its original location.


    Not far from this place, merely over thirty feet away, a Bloodflame burst forth from thin air, revealing the Blood Demon Bead within.


    But a strange scene unfolded!


    Almost simultaneously as the Blood Demon Bead appeared, a faint black light flashed, and an inch-long crystal-clear dagger, dark as ink, silently appeared behind the Blood Demon Bead.


    The black radiance flashed, and a black line effortlessly swept over the bead, with the dagger appearing on the other side.


    The bead¡¯s protective Bloodflame was utterly unable to block it!


    A crisp shattering sound and Qian the Devil¡¯s scream rang out simultaneously, as the surface of the bead cracked.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible!


    How can the Blood Demon Bead be destroyed so easilya€| even the Heavenly Divine Sword of the Taiyi Sect couldn¡¯t achieve this, this dagger is¡­¡± A voice of disbelief and anger intermittently emitted from within the bead.


    Following that, the bead burst with a muffled sound, completely shattering and revealing a Nascent Soul.


    This Nascent Soul was exceedingly eerie, not only enveloped in a faint blood mist but also clutching a small flag several inches tall, with five magic skulls firmly biting into it all over.


    The magic skulls were pitch-black as ink, slightly wriggling as if they were sucking the blood essence of the Nascent Soul, causing one¡¯s hair to stand on end!


    Seeing the affiliated Blood Demon Bead utterly vanished, Qian the Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul immediately let out a piercing scream, quickly wrapping itself with the Yin Sifting Banner to block the surrounding Greatnorth Essence Light, then transformed into a streak of black Qi shooting towards the distance.


    Simultaneously, the giant formed by Gui Ling, who was locked in an indistinguishable battle with a giant skeleton, also reacted with a sharp howl from its mouth.


    Its body jumped back suddenly and then crumbled apart, turning into five strands of gray-white Qi, shooting towards Old Devil to meet him.


    Although the Blood Demon Bead was destroyed and Old Devil could no longer transform into a Bloodshadow body, as long as he merged with the Five Sons Demon, he could still inhabit one of them.


    Gui Ling naturally would not let the Five Sons Demon escape easily.


    He suddenly shrank back to his normal size, then rode the Black and White Escape Light in pursuit.


    Whether it was the Five Sons Demon or Gui Ling, they were still fifty to sixty feet away from Han Li and the others.


    If Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul had an object to inhabit or was outside the area of Greatnorth Essence Light, he could have used the instant movement technique to merge with the Five Sons Demon in a few flashes.


    But now forced to use ordinary Escape Light to flee, how could he escape from Han Li, who could deploy the Thunderstorm Wings?


    Han Li, expressionless, flapped his wings behind him, appearing in front of the black Qi, and with a wave of his hand accompanied by loud thunder, several golden arcs formed a golden net swooping down headfirst.


    Old Devil, recognizing the Devilbane Lightning, immediately spat out a cloud of blood mist from his Nascent Soul¡¯s mouth to temporarily block the golden net and swiftly changed direction, darting to one side.


    But unexpectedly, a burst of light flashed in front, and a cluster of silver light suddenly blocked his path, then the light dimmed, revealing a middle-aged Sect Master with a pale face.


    This man, clad in yellow robes looking emotionless, held a red small bow in one hand; he was precisely a Humanoid Puppet refined by Han Li.


    However, the puppet appeared silently here without immediately launching an attack with the bow, instead taking advantage of Old Devil¡¯s startled moment.


    His seemingly ordinary eyes suddenly emitted a blinding purple light, rippling outward in circles.


    Seeing this purple light, Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul felt it so dazzling and enchanting, with a feeling that his soul could melt into it.


    His body felt warm and cozy, desiring to think or do nothing.


    ¡°No, this is a bewildering technique!¡± Despite being just a Nascent Soul outside, his years of cultivating strong Divine Sense allowed him to immediately snap out of it.


    Alarmed inside, he swiftly turned his head, daring not to look any further into the opponent¡¯s eyes, while his protective black Qi rolled over, attempting to instantly flee in another direction.


    But just at that moment, a surge of Spiritual Energy occurred overhead, causing Old Devil to instinctively look up.


    Above him, a small cauldron had appeared at some unknown time!


    The cauldron slowly rotated, emanating a faint green light.


    Although seeing this treasure for the first time, with hundreds of years of experience, Old Devil instantly felt the cauldron¡¯s peculiarity and without thinking, transformed into a streak of black Qi shooting out.


    The cauldron emitted a clear chime, suddenly releasing a misty greenish radiance, sweeping directly towards the direction where Old Devil was fleeing.(To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1031 - Chapter 1031 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1027 Backlash

    ?Chapter 1031: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1027 Backlash Chapter 1031: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1027 Backlash The radiance appeared ordinary, but after a blink, it had inexplicably moved behind the black Qi.


    Below the myriad rays of light perforating the black Qi, the Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s shocked and furious roar could be heard as the Demonic Qi continuously dissolved.


    Revealed now were the blood-colored Nascent Soul and the Ghost Sifting Banner.


    At this moment, they were tightly wrapped by countless strands of blue radiant silk, helplessly flickering in green light and surging with Bloodflame, but were unable to escape from their bindings.


    They were captured forcibly.


    With a flash of silver, Han Li used Lightning movement to appear right in front of Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s Nascent Soul, smiled faintly, and waved towards the distance.


    A ripple appeared in the space overhead, and the green cauldron broke through the air to appear there, circled once, then landed in his hand.


    He gently lifted the small cauldron, Han Li calmly looked towards Qian the devil¡¯s captured Nascent Soul.


    Fear was already apparent on the Nascent Soul¡¯s face.


    Seeing Han Li looking at him with ill-intentions, his heart sank and suddenly, he bit down on his tongue, intending to spit it out.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze turned cold instantly.


    With a ¡°puff puff¡±, two Daoist paper talismans, one gold and one silver, adhered onto the Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul¡¯s mana solidified, no longer able to circulate the slightest bit, and the malevolent secret technique he wanted to spew out naturally dissipated.


    At this moment, the silver light brightened, and a yellow-robed Sect Master emerged from behind the Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul-it was another middle-aged Sect Master who had joined hands with Han.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï


    This person, unbeknownst to when, had silently appeared there.


    Only then did Han Li¡¯s expression relax, his face revealing a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile.


    This pale-faced and wooden Sect Master was naturally the Humanoid Puppet that he had expended great efforts to refine.


    Originally, when setting the ambush, Han Li had the Humanoid Puppet hide towards the direction of the temple entrance.


    If Qian the devil, being exceptionally cunning, chose to flee without fighting, he would certainly take this route.


    Since the puppet wasn¡¯t a living person, its ability to conceal its aura was seamless.


    Unless one saw it with their own eyes, it was virtually impossible to detect its presence.


    Thus, when Qian the devil thought to escape halfway, he was naturally ambushed by the Humanoid Puppet hiding nearby.


    Using the Thunder Fire Bow along with the Gold Thunderwood Short Arrow, the puppet surprised him with an attack, forcing him back.


    But because he needed to capture Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul alive, after using the Demonic Marrow Drill along with other rare materials to refine the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife and shatter the Blood Demon Bead, Han Li immediately startled the Demon Infant into retreat with the Devilbane Lightning.


    In its haste to flee, the puppet quietly closed in without it noticing.


    Then, using the Dazzling Crystal refined into a Demon Eye, he cast an Illusion Technique.


    Having experienced the formidable power of the Dazzling Crystal, Han Li was confident that even if Old Devil¡¯s Divine Sense was powerful, it was enough to disorient him momentarily.


    Indeed, just as he had imagined, while the Old Devil was disoriented, he calmly summoned the Heavenvoid Cauldron, easily sealing the Nascent Soul.


    Thinking of this, Han Li glanced at the small cauldron in his hand.


    Since he had only cultivated the first layer of the Treasure Commanding Decree, what he could control was just the mystic light emitted by this cauldron.


    It seemed that truly opening the cauldron lid would still require reaching the Deity Transformation stage.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, how should we deal with these few demons?¡±


    Just as Han Li was delightfully pondering this, footsteps came from behind him, and Gui Ling sent out a duo-toned Qi with one hand, trapping five small white-bony skeletons and dragged them over.


    The moment Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul had been restrained, the five Sub Demons lost control and fell motionless to the ground, and were subsequently bound by spells by Gui Ling.


    ¡°These five demons¡­¡±


    Han Li glanced at the dazed Sub Demons and was about to say something when the five black skulls that had been tightly biting onto Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul suddenly loosened their jaws unexpectedly at the same time, turned their heads, and faced the nearby five humanoid skeletons, emitting a shrill cry from their mouths.


    This cry was not only grating to the ears but also caused anyone who heard it to feel fluctuations in their Qi and their minds to sway uncontrollably.


    Trapped within the duo-toned fog, the five previously docile skeletons suddenly reacted, their eyes flashing wildly with bloodthirsty and frenzied intentions.


    Opening their mouths, five streams of deep turquoise Devil Flame hit the same spot on the duo-toned Qi.


    With a ¡°bang¡±, caught off guard, the duo-toned Qi transformed into restrictive formations were shattered.


    A sudden burst of white Qi shot out, heading for those black skulls, seeming to want to merge together.


    But seeing this, how could Han Li let these Sub Demons succeed easily?


    With a cold huff through his nostrils and a slight shake of the small cauldron in his hand.


    The azure radiance surged, forming a barrier instantly, keeping the five streams of white Qi out.


    At the same time, with a thought of his spiritual sense, some of the radiance suddenly whipped over, trapping the five streams of white Qi in another location, revealing the five humanoid skeletons again.


    These demons seemed to be in a state of frenzy.


    Though tightly wrapped by dense blue threads, they continually struggled with their hands and feet, and turquoise phosphorous fire continuously struck the blue threads on their bodies, attempting to burn them off and escape.


    ¡°No, a€| youa€| you must release them!¡±


    Seeing this scene, Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul revealed a hint of fear, suddenly yelled hoarsely, seemingly terrified to the extreme¡­


    Han Li swept his cold gaze over them, feeling somewhat puzzled, but why would he listen to the enemy¡¯s words and actions.


    But in the next moment, his expression changed.


    The five black skulls suddenly stopped their shrieking and turned around, plunging back and once again biting onto Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    But this time, these magic skulls were not merely biting down; they were chaotically chewing, actually beginning to devour Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Demonic backlash!¡± Han Li was startled, but instantly understood what had happened.


    Clearly, it was because Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s mana had greatly diminished, and at this moment, his divine abilities were restrained by Han Li.


    The subservient Five Sons Demon finally released their ferocious nature and turned against their master to devour his Primordial Spirit.


    But Han Li would not allow Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s Nascent Soul to be devoured just like that.


    Without a second thought, he quickly patted the small cauldron in his hand.


    A clear chime sounded from the cauldron, and countless green threads burst forth from the haze outside, swiftly wrapping around the several magic skulls tightly and forcibly pulling them away from the Nascent Soul.


    The skulls, biting wildly, looked insanely ferocious, causing anyone who saw them to inwardly shiver with fear!


    However, Han Li did not spend more time looking at these black skulls.


    Instead, as he attentively observed Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s Nascent Soul, a slight relief passed through his mind.


    Although in just a short moment, the Nascent Soul¡¯s body had shrunk by about half and appeared to be on its last breath, it did not matter much to him as long as the Divine Sense had not dissipated.


    Taking a deep breath, Han Li grabbed the Yin Sifting Banner lying next to the Nascent Soul with one hand, briefly inspected it, and then stuffed it into his storage pouch.


    He then glanced toward a spot far off in the distance.


    The Humanoid Puppet shimmered and dashed, soon picking up a dark leather pouch from afar and flying back to hand it over to Han Li.


    Naturally, this was Qian the devil¡¯s storage pouch, which had fallen out during the explosion of the Blood Demon Bead.


    Han Li did not rush to explore its contents but turned to the ugly woman, saying,


    ¡°Daoist Gui, please watch these five demons for a moment.


    I need to deal with this Nascent Soul.¡±


    He did not wish to have his soul extraction observed by someone else.


    ¡°Go ahead, I can handle things here,¡± said Gui Ling calmly.


    She opened her mouth and expelled a large amount of black and white Qi that enveloped the skulls and the five skeletons.


    Taking over the restrictive formations from Han Li.


    Han Li nodded, reached into the radiant light with one hand, and a giant green hand emerged, grabbing the blood-red Nascent Soul and the five skulls.


    A green rainbow flashed and disappeared into the Greatnorth Essence Light nearby.


    The Humanoid Puppet remained motionless on the spot.


    When Gui Ling saw that Han Li had disappeared, she repeatedly scrutinized the puppet, and after a long while, a hint of astonishment appeared on her face.


    Had she not seen it with her own eyes, Gui Ling would have found it hard to believe that the person before her was merely a puppet.


    Time slowly passed, and after a full quarter of an hour, the Greatnorth Essence Light fluctuated, and Han Li emerged from the separated silver light with an expressionless face, the Old Devil¡¯s Nascent Soul nowhere to be seen.


    Gui Ling showed no surprise but instead asked as Han Li approached, pointing at the still-trapped skeletons,


    ¡°How should we deal with these true bodies of the Five Sons Demon?


    As far as I know, once such demons are crafted, unless slowly refined with Yang type treasure fire, it¡¯s difficult to completely eradicate them from this world.¡±


    ¡°Refine?


    No need for that.


    I have other uses for these Five Sons Demon.


    Just seal them up for now,¡± Han Li calmly suggested after a moment¡¯s thought.


    ¡°Alright, as you wish,¡± replied Gui Ling, slightly surprised but readily agreeing.


    Han Li flicked his sleeve, and a dense flurry of Daoist paper talismans shot out, sticking instantly onto the skeletons and black skulls, wrapping them into differently colored light spheres.


    Rubbing his hands together, and his fingers flicked continuously, sending out arcs of golden lightning that exploded mid-flight into thin golden threads, layering over the light spheres.


    Watching this, Gui Ling felt a hint of astonishment.


    With flashes of golden light, ten giant golden balls appeared in front of them.


    Han Li formed incantations with his hands, casting more than ten spells onto the golden balls, causing their light to rapidly diminish in size.


    In a blink, they turned into fist-sized golden beads.


    Looking at these radiant golden beads, Han Li slightly furrowed his brows in thought.


    Then, opening his mouth, he sprayed out a brightly colored object containing seven-colored Buddhist light.


    And within the Buddhist light was an object resembling a bubble; it was the golden light barrier Han Li had been cultivating inside his body.


    Han Li lightly tapped the object with his hand; a swirl of seven-colored brilliance enveloped and absorbed the golden beads.


    With this Buddhist artifact and the Devilbane Lightning suppressing them, these Sub Demons, no matter how fierce, should be unable to escape.


    Only then did Han Li feel relieved enough to take out a jade box from his storage pouch, carefully placed the golden light barrier inside, and securely stored it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!


    Fellow Daoist, do you know of any secret places on this mountain?


    Let¡¯s hide for a few days until the sealed rifts return to normal before we venture out,¡± Han Li said, glancing towards the temple door and speaking to Gui Ling with half-closed eyes.


    ¡°A secret place, indeed I do know one that I found accidentally.


    No second person knows about it,¡± replied Gui Lin immediately, her spirits lifted, without a second thought.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    For more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com.


    Support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1033 - Chapter 1033 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 129 Doubts About the Demon Blade

    ?Chapter 1033: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 129 Doubts About the Demon Blade Chapter 1033: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 129 Doubts About the Demon Blade ¡°`


    The name of this demonic blade, which can only be forged with the Demonic Marrow Drill, would shock anyone who hears it.


    The treasure is said to possess a sinister divine skill that can absorb the blood, flesh, soul, and spirit of a slain cultivator, then refining them into its own formidable power.


    In other words, the more cultivators it slays, the more powerful the blade becomes.


    Hence, there was even a devilish cultivator who once wielded the Devil Dragon Blade to behead a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.


    Thus, many cultivators believe that given enough time, and continuous refinement through slaughter, this treasure could potentially overpower even spirit treasures of heavenly skill.


    Of course, both the spirit treasures of heavenly skill and the Devil Dragon Blade have disappeared from the human world for many years now, naturally leaving no way to truly compare them,


    But even so, the sudden mention of this treasure by the Yin Sifting Sect elder caused Han Li¡¯s complexion to turn rather unsightly.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s only seventy to eighty percent similar, and given his cultivation, there was still a chance for the Nascent Soul to escape.


    That shouldn¡¯t be the Devil Dragon Blade.


    It¡¯s probably another rare treasure from the Devil Dao,¡± said Gui Ling, who had been quietly listening to the two talk, with a flash in her eyes.


    ¡°That should be the case!¡± Han Li nodded.


    He then looked up in the direction of the Demon Suppression Tower, and indeed, there seemed to be a section missing from the distant mountain.


    ¡°This Kunwu Mountain is known as the Immortal Mountain of the human world, so it¡¯s not surprising that there are heavenly skill spiritual treasures there.¡± Thinking of the Heavenvoid Cauldron he held, he murmered with a somewhat pounding heart.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    With the newly subdued Gui Ling¡¯s assistance, coupled with the Humanoid Puppet, it wasn¡¯t impossible to seize this treasure.


    Moreover, he had previously obtained seven or eight high-grade spirit stones from Qian the devil¡¯s storage pouch.


    This greatly reduced his concerns about using this puppet.


    ¡°Master!


    Let¡¯s go take a look.


    Somehow, upon leaving the hall, I felt a bit off, as if something in the direction of the Demon Suppression Tower is calling me.


    It feels very familiar, as if it¡¯s related to something from before I lost my memories,¡± Silvermoon hesitantly spoke in Han Li¡¯s mind all of a sudden.


    ¡°Something is calling you?¡± Han Li was startled by these words.


    ¡°Yes, I vaguely feel that if I miss this opportunity, I might lose the chance to fully recover my memories,¡± Silvermoon¡¯s voice contained a rare plea.


    Han Li fell silent for a while, and after a good moment, he suddenly chuckled and said in what seemed to be a relaxed tone,


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, let¡¯s go take a look.


    After all, I¡¯m quite interested in this heavenly skill spiritual treasure myself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master, for your support!¡± Silvermoon replied with extreme joy upon hearing Han Li¡¯s response.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, since a heavenly skill spiritual treasure has appeared over there, it seems we can¡¯t just stand by and watch the excitement,¡± Han Li turned his head and spoke slowly to Gui Ling.


    ¡°This concubine will follow your lead, Daoist Han!


    However, what shall we do with this person?¡± Gui Ling replied with a slight bow, her expression unchanged.


    With such a supreme treasure appearing, any cultivator could not ignore it.


    Gui Ling had anticipated Han Li¡¯s sudden change of mind and was not surprised.


    ¡°Daoist Friend, you promised you wouldn¡¯t strike at me.


    Only then did I tell you everything I know,¡± The Nascent Soul, constrained by the giant hand, called out in panic upon hearing Gui Ling¡¯s words.


    ¡°I did indeed say I wouldn¡¯t strike at you just now, but I also didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t.


    And you know very well that if you didn¡¯t speak up just now, you would just have suffered a bit more from the Soul Refinement Technique.


    To blame, blame the fact that you¡¯re an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect, and that you simply fell into my hands,¡± Han Li said nonchalantly, then opened his mouth and a thick bolt of golden lightning struck the Nascent Soul.


    After a scream, the Nascent Soul and the giant hand dissipated within the golden light, but a pale green flag dropped out.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened, he swept his sleeve and collected the flag in his hand, giving it a closer look.


    It was another Ghost Sifting Banner!


    From the Soul Searching Technique, Han Li naturally knew the banner was extraordinary; if he could collect all eighteen, the power would be unimaginably great.


    Since he had already formed a deep enmity with the Yin Sifting Sect, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be courteous anymore, and he tossed the banner straight into his storage pouch.


    Even if the treasure was somewhat of a chicken rib to him, it was not to allow the Yin Sifting Sect to easily assemble this set of treasures.


    There had been incidents in the history of the Yin Sifting Sect where the flags had been lost or destroyed, but with the power of the sect, they were either quickly recovered or a new one was forged.


    However, such things had only happened a few times.


    Now with several flags missing at once, even a sect as rich as the Yin Sifting Sect wouldn¡¯t readily forge new ones.


    And even if new ones were made, cultivating them to a significant level of power would not be something that could be done in a short time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!


    Who knows if someone has already claimed the treasure.¡± Han Li looked up in the direction of the Demon Suppression Tower, muttered to himself in a low voice, and floated down the stone steps.


    ¡°`


    Gui Ling closely followed behind him.


    Restrictive formations set by ancient cultivators existed on both sides of the stone steps; otherwise, if one were to take a shortcut, they might have arrived at the Demon Suppression Tower earlier.


    This time, Han Li ignored the signs of battle along the way, and soon, he returned to the White Jade Plaza where they had initially set off and stepped onto the stone staircase leading to the Demon Suppression Tower.


    Not much farther on, a disheveled site appeared ahead of them, full of large pits and scattered rocks.


    Han Li intended to sweep past without paying any attention when Gui Ling, who was beside him, suddenly uttered a low cry and looked toward a particular place.


    Han Li was puzzled!


    He hadn¡¯t sensed anything.


    Following her gaze, he too noticed something amiss.


    Beneath an inconspicuous pile of rubble, a small segment of something white protruded.


    Although only a small part was visible, it was clearly a bare bone arm.


    With a casual sweep of his sleeve, a gust of faint cyan wind rushed out, blowing away the rocks, revealing a white skeletal figure lying prone on the ground.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed!


    He recognized the clothing and hairstyle covering the bones; it was actually that wealthy elder from the Nine Nether Sect.


    The remnant of a Purple Nether Bead was tightly clutched in one of its bony hands but was mostly broken, utterly destroyed.


    Han Li didn¡¯t say anything; he just quietly watched with a flickering gaze.


    ¡°It is unexpected that after all his efforts to refine the Infant Nurturing Pill, he would fall here!


    The path of immortal cultivation is indeed unpredictable!¡± After a while, he let out a long sigh, his heart seemingly filled with complexity.


    Although he and the wealthy elder of the Nine Nether Sect had no significant relationship, the fact that someone he had just traveled with not long ago had unexpectedly met his demise here revealed an unusual sense of contemplation in his heart.


    ¡°How is it, Fellow Daoist Han, do you know this person?


    The circumstances of this person¡¯s demise seem quite strange.


    It appears he has just died, but his flesh and blood have eerily been stripped away, and there are no signs of a Nascent Soul escaping from the top of his head.


    It seems his Nascent Soul didn¡¯t escape either.


    And there is a mark on his back that looks like it was left by some sort of blade, his condition looks somewhat likea€|¡± Gui Ling hesitated as she eyed a strange, narrow wound on the skeleton¡¯s back and spoke.


    ¡°It resembles the way those from the Yin Sifting Sect described the killing by that devil blade, right?¡± Han Li exhaled deeply and said.


    ¡°Indeed, although there are other magic tools that can strip a cultivator¡¯s flesh and blood, they wouldn¡¯t leave a mark like this.


    Moreover, the Yin Sifting Sect elder managed to let his Nascent Soul escape, but this person has fallen completely.


    Could it be that the man truly holds the Devil Dragon Blade?


    Otherwise, how would there be such a drastic difference in power?¡± Gui Ling said solemnly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right.


    Although the Devil Dragon Blade is said to increase its power by absorbing a cultivator¡¯s flesh and Primordial Spirit, the refining process takes a considerable amount of time.


    It wouldn¡¯t become so powerful so quickly,¡± Han Li pondered before shaking his head.


    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Gui Ling was taken aback and realized something.


    ¡°What I¡¯m concerned about is that the True Man of Dispersal seemed to act without any reservations, not only attacking the Yin Sifting Sect but also daring to strike against someone from the Nine Nether Sect.


    This is not something a Loose Cultivator would dare to do.


    Moreover, after killing the Devil Dao elder, he didn¡¯t even bother to destroy the body.


    Isn¡¯t he afraid that the two great Devil Dao sects will join forces to seek revenge?¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes glanced at the bones once more, puzzled.


    The storage pouch was nowhere to be seen on the bones, clearly indicating that the Infant Nurturing Pill had fallen into the hands of the True Man of Dispersal.


    Gui Ling, who had just escaped her confinement, did not understand anything about the current state of the realm of immortal cultivators, so naturally, she couldn¡¯t answer.


    Han Li thought for a while but came to no conclusion.


    In the end, he raised his hand and released a Fireball, turning the bones to ashes.


    At least he did not let the wealthy elder¡¯s body stay exposed in the wilderness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s also be careful.


    After the Devil Blade has devoured another Nascent Soul cultivator, there¡¯s no knowing how formidable it has become.


    Don¡¯t be complacent and suffer the same fate,¡± Han Li said flatly before taking the lead up the mountain, though his expression was much grimmer than before.


    Upon hearing this, Gui Ling¡¯s heart tightened, her ugly face distorted, and then she sneered and followed.


    As they continued upwards, Han Li and Gui Ling encountered no more unusual sites and finally arrived at the end of the stone stairs.


    To say it was the end wasn¡¯t quite accurate.


    The stone staircase behind them had vanished into thin air without a trace.


    In front of them appeared a half cliff, and the mountain peaks behind it had disappeared as if by divine craftsmanship.


    Han Li looked up at the distant cliff and then down at the unfathomable abyss below, stroking his chin with a contemplative expression.


    ¡°It seems that the others have gone down.


    The Demon Suppression Tower has indeed collapsed into it; I wonder what exactly happened below!¡± Although Gui Ling had heard the news from others, seeing the phenomenon before her, she was still shocked.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, do you know what kind of demon creature was suppressed in the Demon Suppression Tower before?¡± Han Li suddenly asked Gui Ling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not clear on that.


    Back then, my role was only to guard the demon beasts of Kunwu Mountain, so why would those ancient cultivators have mentioned such things to us?


    However, before I was transferred elsewhere, I truly felt an extremely powerful Demonic Qi appear in Kunwu Mountain.


    But then it disappeared, likely sealed within the tower.


    Unfortunately, at that time, my cultivation was too low to determine the strength of the Demonic Qi¡¯s owner,¡± Gui Ling replied hesitantly yet honestly.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com; there are more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1034 - Chapter 1034 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1030 Black Blood Saber

    ?Chapter 1034: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1030 Black Blood Saber Chapter 1034: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1030 Black Blood Saber ¡°Never mind, even if that demon is powerful, after being suppressed for so many years, it must be quite weak.


    Moreover, there are many late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivators who have descended, enough to handle everything.¡± Han Li looked deeply into the bottom of the cliff and spoke indifferently.


    He then beckoned Gui Ling, and the two of them gently floated down the cliff.


    This descent was unfathomably deep.


    They had floated down for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and still, there was no sign of the bottom.


    Han Li was puzzled, and his heart felt a trace of alarm.


    At this point, the environment around them had become somewhat dim and obscure, and everything around was pitch-black, making it impossible to see too far.


    Instead, looking up, the white light above was still faintly visible.


    If it were an ordinary Sect cultivator, in this place where Divine Sense was greatly limited, they would surely only be able to perceive movements within a few dozen feet.


    But Han Li, in this perilous situation, had activated his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, with blue light flickering nonstop in his pupils, bringing everything within a few hundred feet under his control.


    After an unknown amount of time descending, Gui Ling suddenly reminded him in a soft voice.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, we¡¯ve reached the bottom!¡±


    Hearing the words, Han Li made a move and looked down.


    Indeed, just a short distance below, a few points of light were transmitted, and the shadow of a tall building could be faintly seen.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    His expression changed several times, and just when he wanted a clearer look, something flashed in the corner of his eye.


    A blood-red whip silently unfurled from the darkness.


    Han Li suddenly felt a pungent, bloody stench assaulting his face, causing an urge to vomit.


    True Man of Dispersal!


    Han Li almost instantly thought of this person.


    His heart turned cold.


    The streak of blood red light was as fast as lightning, reaching him in a flash.


    If not for Han Li being highly vigilant, he would have been defenseless upon realizing something was wrong.


    Without thinking, he raised his hand and released a small shield flickering with silver light.


    It was the Primal Astral Shield!


    As the shield rapidly expanded, a layer of white misty light emerged upon it, protecting Han Li within.


    The blood light swirled past in a flash, engulfing Han Li.


    With a ¡°hiss,¡± a blood-soaked blade of about a zhang long emerged from the blood light, viciously chopping down on the light shield.


    The blade was oddly shaped, no wider than two fingers, thin as paper, shimmering with a strange blood glow.


    After a shudder, the light shield shattered inch by inch.


    The blade, following the momentum, directly chopped onto the body of the Primal Astral Shield.


    A bright light flashed on the shield, and its surface became mirror-smooth.


    In an instant, the intertwining of blood-glow and silver shield froze in a stalemate.


    Han Li¡¯s expressions eased slightly, and just as he was about to relax, the blade bent unpredictably, like a venomous snake circling around the shield and stabbing from one side with eerie and deft movements that were almost unbelievable.


    Han Li reacted as if bitten by a venomous snake, his figure suddenly shooting backward, while his ten fingers continuously flicked towards the blade.


    With successive ¡°bang¡± ¡°bang¡± sounds, more than ten beams of azure sword Qi shot out, but were all split by the extremely sharp blade, not even slowing down an inch before reaching Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s face paled; he opened his mouth, and a ball of light wrapped around an object and was sprayed out.


    With a ¡°clang¡± sound, the oncoming blade was unexpectedly blocked by the object in the light and stopped.


    The object wrapped in the light was the slowly rotating Heavenvoid Cauldron!


    ¡°Eh!¡± An unexpected voice came from the distant darkness.


    Seizing the opportunity, Han Li displayed the Thunderstorm Wings on his back.


    With a stretch, he instantly appeared ten more feet away amidst a flash of lightning, his face deathly pale as he raised his hand, and both the Primal Astral Shield and Heavenvoid Cauldron immediately flew in front of him.


    At this moment, a large expanse of blood red light unceremoniously surged from all directions towards Han Li, the stench so intense it almost suffocated him.


    Han Li sneered coldly, his hands forming seals.


    The sound of thunder boomed around him, and a layer of golden lightning arcs instantly emerged surrounding him.


    As the lightning flashed wildly, the blood light scattered away, preventing it from coming anywhere close to him.


    Devilbane Lightning!


    The person in the darkness, witnessing the scene, was even more surprised, realizing that they had encountered a tough opponent.


    ¡°True Man of Dispersal?¡± Han Li looked towards the distant figure and coldly uttered.


    Without answering, the blade buzzed and wrapped in the blood light, shot back towards the way it came.


    Then the figure in the darkness swayed, turned into a streak of light, and flew downward, disappearing into a huge shadow below after a moment, leaving no trace.


    ¡°Daoist friend, are you alright!¡±


    ¡±


    The sneak attack was but a moment¡¯s affair, and it seemed that Gui Ling was taken by surprise and didn¡¯t manage to react in time.


    Now, anxiously approaching, he inquired with unease, fearing that Han Li might blame him!


    ¡°No matter, it does quite resemble the Devil Dragon Blade indeed.


    Had it not been for my shield¡¯s ability to nullify and reflect part of the attack, an ordinary treasure would probably have been cleaved in two long ago,¡± Han Li calmly stated, lifting his hand to grasp the Primal Astral Shield and flipping it over to inspect the surface.


    A fine blade mark, deep and distinct, had appeared atop the shield!


    Han Li¡¯s eyes twitched involuntarily as his gaze grew colder.


    Spiritual Power surged from his hand into the shield, as silver light flowed over its surface.


    The blade mark began to fade away in the radiance until it was gone.


    Han Li then stowed the shield away with a flick of his hand and, opening his mouth, sucked in the Heavenvoid Cauldron as well.


    ¡°Did you manage to see the assailant¡¯s appearance, Brother Han?¡± Gui Ling could not help but ask.


    ¡°No, the person was shrouded in spiritual light, preventing me from seeing through it to ascertain whether it was indeed the True Man of Dispersal.


    However, their cultivation didn¡¯t seem too high,¡± Han Li slowly said, then lowered his head to gaze at the enormous, shadowy structure beneath them, his eyes narrowed in contemplation.


    Gui Ling did not know what Han Li was pondering, and though he was eager to descend right away, he could only stand there quietly, keeping him company.


    ¡°Daoist Gui!


    This hesitation of yours, I¡¯ll consider it the first occurrence and overlook it.


    I hope the next time it¡¯s necessary to take action, you won¡¯t entertain other reservations,¡± Han Li spoke without raising his head, then without waiting for Gui Ling to respond, he transformed into a streak of green light, zooming towards the ground below.


    The woman was shocked at first, but seeing that Han Li had no intention to harm her, she felt relieved.


    Yet she stood still, her face cycling between red and white with embarrassment.


    She realized that her previous ill intentions had been sensed by Han Li through the part of her soul attached to her Life Origin Token.


    After a while, the woman let out a wry smile and reluctantly turned into a streak of light to follow Han Li down.


    Han Li had by now landed on a vast, square platform, surveying his surroundings without a sound.


    Aside from a dark staircase leading downward not far in front of him, there were no other entrances.


    ¡°Demon Suppression Tower!


    Where does it even resemble a tower!¡± mumbled Han Li.


    Gui Ling also descended behind him and, hearing Han Li¡¯s words, rushed forward to explain:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist might not know, but the Demon Suppression Tower is unlike the worldly pagodas.


    It was built in reverse by the ancients.


    The spire is below, while the base is above.


    The more dangerous the demons and evil spirits imprisoned below, the more powerful they are.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Han Li nodded in realization, looking around once more, seemingly unaffected by the warning he had just given.


    This instead made Gui Ling grow even more wary of Han Li.


    Han Li tossed a moonlight stone into the air above his head, and after signaling to Gui Ling, he entered the staircase, the two finally setting foot inside the Magic Tower.


    The initial levels of the Demon Suppression Tower were vast and eerily calm, not even a shadow to be seen.


    Clearly, the cultivators who entered before them had wiped them all out.


    However, the signs of battle suddenly increased, suggesting the struggle among the cultivators intensified as they tried to prevent others from entering the lower levels first.


    Upon reaching the third layer, they found a charred corpse next to a stone pillar.


    Han Li stood next to it, discerning for a good while, before confirming that he did not recognize the person.


    It seemed to be one of the Ye Clan cultivators.


    But the person¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering was wide open, and their Nascent Soul had left the orifice.


    It was uncertain whether they managed to escape or were killed in the chaos.


    In the fourth layer, no notable discoveries were made, but in the 5th level, two more corpses appeared.


    One was green all over, evidently poisoned to death, its features swollen beyond recognition.


    The other corpse was that of the large man who had caught Han Li¡¯s attention among the loose cultivators; his huge head lay aside, and his body had been cleaved into seven or eight pieces by flying swords.


    Seeing the large man¡¯s disbelieving expression, as if he couldn¡¯t accept his death until the very end, Han Li felt a chill in his heart, but did not stop.


    After turning the bodies to ashes, he entered the 6th level with Gui Ling, a somber look upon his face.


    This time, however, they unexpectedly found a living person: a woman in palace attire, sealed within a massive block of ice.


    It was Bai Yaoyi.


    With hands forming seals and holding an impeccably clear flying sword, her eyes were slightly closed.


    If not for sensing the faint fluctuations of her Spiritual Energy through the ice and seeing her unusually pale face, Han Li would have almost thought she had fallen.


    He did not rush to free her from the ice but first swept his Divine Sense over this level.


    After finding nothing else, he lightly pressed his hand against the giant ice.


    ¡°Puchi,¡± a layer of purple flame wrapped around his palm, and the originally murky ice instantaneously absorbed the chill from the Celestial Ice Flame.


    In the blink of an eye, the block of ice shrunk rapidly from large to small.


    A moment later, Bai Yaoyi was released from within.


    As the last layer of ice vanished from her body, Bai Yaoyi fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes of her own accord.


    Her gaze immediately met Han Li in front of her.


    Her somewhat tense expression suddenly relaxed.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Brother Han, I thought it was someone else!¡± She weakly smiled, apparently having drained much of her Qi.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, Fellow Daoist Bai cultivates an ice-attributed technique.


    Could it be that you were the one who encased yourself in ice just now?¡± Han Li furrowed his brow and, after a moment¡¯s observation of her beautiful visage, he asked slowly.


    (Second update!) (To be continued.


    For more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there and your support for the author is appreciated!)

 Chapter 1035 - Chapter 1035 Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1031, Eight Spirit Ruler

    ?Chapter 1035: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1031, Eight Spirit Ruler Chapter 1035: Volume 6, Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1031, Eight Spirit Ruler ¡°I was indeed severely wounded and released the Profound Ice Cold Qi, which I had cultivated over many years in my Life Origin Flying Sword, in order to fend off the enemies.


    The situation was quite chaotic at that time, and everyone, including the person who wounded me, wanted to enter the next level as quickly as possible, which is why I was able to escape by a fluke,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with lingering fear.


    ¡°Oh?


    From what you say, it seems like you¡¯re not very familiar with the person who acted against you!¡± Han Li asked, his eyebrows twitching.


    ¡°That person must have been among those cultivators who opened the seal.


    At that time, I was at a stalemate with another person and was sneak attacked by them.


    The gigantic ice formed from the Profound Ice Cold Qi could only be destroyed by a late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivator, and not something that could be broken in just a while.


    However, being severely injured, I was also unable to break free, and it was thanks to Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s timely rescue.


    Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.


    Speaking of which, Brother Han, you¡¯re quite impressive, dismissing my cold Qi with a wave of your hands,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with a hint of admiration in her tone.


    ¡°It was nothing, just lending a hand.


    How did you end up here anyway?¡± Han Li said nonchalantly.


    ¡°When I and Fellow Daoist Fu parted ways with Brother Han, we went to search a hidden pavilion in Kunwu Mountain and did indeed gain some benefits.


    We were already satisfied and ready to withdraw.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã0


    But we hadn¡¯t expected that such an astonishing rare treasure phenomenon would suddenly appear here in the Demon Suppression Tower.


    Greed took over us, and we impulsively came over to see what was happening.


    Along the way, we encountered many cultivators chasing each other towards the Demon Suppression Tower.


    There were familiar people from the Yin Sifting Sect among them, as well as another group of cultivators who had opened the seal, including the Silver-winged Yaksha and several Loose Cultivators.


    Seeing so many Great Divine Power holders in the scene, we regretted and wanted to retreat.


    However, someone attacked us without warning, and we were caught up in the affray.


    I was constantly being chased and forced to escape here.


    As for Fellow Daoist Fu, he disappeared mid-way.


    It seems he found an opportunity to escape from the chaos,¡± Bai Yaoyi intelligently narrated her experience to Han Li, glancing uneasily at the ugly woman beside them.


    She seemed to sense the demon nature and terrifying demon Qi of Gui Ling.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, you needn¡¯t worry, Fellow Daoist Gui Ling has already agreed to join forces with me.


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t dare to come here alone,¡± Han Li said with a smile as he noticed the woman¡¯s alarm.


    Gui Ling also managed a slight smile at this time.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it.


    I knew Brother Han couldn¡¯t be as muddled as us!¡± Although Bai Yaoyi didn¡¯t entirely believe the relationship between the ugly woman and Han Li was as simple as it seemed, she was somewhat relieved.


    ¡°However, on my way here, I saw the remains of Fellow Daoist Fu; he has already fallen,¡± Han Li warned seriously as he conveyed the news of the old man with the surname Fu.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Fu is dead?¡± Bai Yaoyi gasped in shock, her eyes flashing with horror.


    ¡°It was I who handled his body.


    Not even his Nascent Soul managed to escape in time.


    By the way, while you were in the ice, did you sense anyone else passing by here?¡± Han Li suddenly remembered the person holding the Black Blood Saber, his eyes flashing coldly as he asked.


    ¡°Other people?


    I didn¡¯t sense anyone.


    Why, did other cultivators come here?¡± Bai Yaoyi was startled, unsure why Han Li asked such a question.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s nothing.


    Fellow Daoist Bai, your Qi has suffered a lot of damage, what do you plan to do now?¡± For some reason, Han Li hesitated for a moment and didn¡¯t mention the issue about True Man of Dispersal, instead he turned to look at the entrance to the next level and asked the woman faintly.


    ¡°What else can I do?


    No matter what rare treasure is here, I¡¯m no longer harboring any delusions about it.


    I plan to leave this place immediately and wait outside for the crack to open again,¡± Bai Yaoyi stated without further thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s also good.


    Then I will part ways with Fellow Daoist Bai here.


    I am still rather interested in this treasure.¡± Seeing Bai Yaoyi retreat, Han Li did not show any surprise and gave his farewells.


    ¡°Since Brother Han is so confident, then I won¡¯t persuade you further.


    Take care!¡± Bai Yaoyi listened to Han Li¡¯s words, smiled wryly, and responded.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, take care as well!¡± Han Li clasped his hands, and his figure swayed as he rushed towards the distant entrance.


    Gui Ling silently followed behind.


    Bai Yaoyi watched their silhouettes, sighed lightly, then took out a bottle of herbs from her storage pouch and swallowed a fiery-red medicinal pill.


    Having walked about twenty paces away, Han Li suddenly seemed to remember something and turned his head to ask from a distance.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, I have long heard of the reputation of the Northern Night Little Polar Palace, may I have the honour to visit someday?¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, you jest.


    My palace would surely welcome Fellow Daoist Han,¡± Bai Yaoyi paused, then immediately responded with a radiant smile.


    ¡°Having heard these words from Fellow Daoist Bai, I can now rest assured,¡± Han Li casually smiled and truly left without turning back.


    Bai Yaoyi waited until Han Li¡¯s figure disappeared at the entrance, her smiling face gradually becoming serious, her expression turning contemplative.


    Although the woman agreed readily, she was naturally very suspicious about Han Li¡¯s sudden mention of the Little Polar Palace.


    The seventh level was where the ancient devilish techniques and ghost spirits had once fiercely battled.


    It was empty now, without a single shadow.


    Han Li and Gui Ling found the small stone chamber leading to the eighth level quite easily; the two small black-and-white transportation formations were still clearly visible there.


    Staring at the transportation formation before him, Han Li stroked his chin, his eyes revealing a contemplative color.


    ¡°Silvermoon, do you sense anything?


    These two arrays are both short-distance transportation formations, they should lead to the next layer.


    It¡¯s not that something is calling you.


    Can you sense anything?¡± Han Li silently asked Silvermoon in his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Strange, within these two transportation formations, there seems to be something I am familiar with.


    However, the white one seems stronger,¡± Silvermoon slowly replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.


    Then let¡¯s go through the changing color transportation formation.


    The black one has a faint evil aura, which makes me quite uncomfortable,¡± Han Li calmly said to Silvermoon after a moment of silence.


    Afterward, without saying another word, he stepped into the white transportation formation, and Gui Ling, seeing Han Li¡¯s actions, also walked in without asking further questions.


    Han Li cast an incantation at the edge of the formation, and as a sudden thought flashed past, they disappeared amidst the flashing white light.


    Almost immediately upon their appearance on the eighth layer, Han Li and Gui Ling hastily summoned the Primal Astral Shield for protection, while the other instantly covered themselves with Blood-Red Battle Armor.


    After all, who knew if someone was waiting to ambush them on the other side of the transportation formation?


    With their experiences, they naturally wouldn¡¯t overlook this point.


    The anticipated attack did not occur, but waves of booming sounds like tumultuous waves came one after another.


    As soon as the slight discomfort from being transported faded, Han Li glanced around and was instantly startled.


    The scene before him was just too chaotic.


    In the sky and on the ground, flying sword magic treasures were flying everywhere, spiritual lights bursting all around, streaks of light shooting through.


    With just a quick glance, Han Li saw over a dozen figures, including the Silver-winged Yaksha and other demon beasts, a Sect Master surnamed Xu, the Endless Sky Saintess, and two female cultivators from the Immortal Transcendence Sect, even several unfamiliar faces of cultivators who seemed to be from the Ye Clan.


    However, Ge Tianhao and others were nowhere to be seen.


    It was unknown whether they were destroyed halfway here or had not yet reached this place.


    At this moment, these cultivators were not attacking each other but were dispersed around a palace.


    Near the palace, there was a huge Array and dozens of altars, each altar topped with a several meter tall white jade Stone Golem.


    These Stone Golems were clad in Golden Armor and held Golden Giant Blades in their merged hands, all of them had come to life.


    Working in unison with the restrictive formations of the giant array, they struck out brilliant golden lights that were several meters long, engaging the multiple cultivators, seemingly not at a disadvantage.


    But the focus of nearby cultivators was not solely on these Stone Puppets.


    Many attacked while occasionally scouting towards the sky above the palace.


    Floating about ten meters above the palace was an oddly shaped green Wooden Ruler, emitting a faint green Spiritual Light.


    This ruler was half a meter long, antique in its pattern, slowly rotating non-stop.


    If that were all, it would appear to be just a typical treasure which wouldn¡¯t attract the attention of so many cultivators.


    However, every time the Wooden Ruler completed a rotation, numerous pale silver lotuses suddenly appeared nearby, seemingly real and unreal, gently floating.


    Within these lotuses, there were eight ethereal Spirit Beasts of various sizes, half-visible and half-hidden, raising their heads towards the ruler and emitting clear sounds, as if worshiping it.


    ¡°Suan Jiao Beast, Eight Qi Deer, Golden Scales Jiaoa€|¡± After recognizing them for a moment, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but inhale a breath of Spiritual Energy.


    These Spirit Beast mirages were none other than the infamous demon beasts from ancient times!


    ¡°Eight Spirit Ruler!


    I did not expect the Three Elders of Kunwu would not take this Spiritual Treasure back to the spirit realm!¡± Before Han Li could react, Gui Ling, nearby, unexpectedly murmured in shock.


    ¡°Eight Spirit Ruler?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression shifted slightly.


    ¡°The Eight Spirit Ruler is also one of the heavenly skill Spirit Treasures.


    Its use in ancient times was not frequent, hence it was not very famous.


    But since it is considered a heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure, its power is definitely extraordinary,¡± Silvermoon slowly said.


    ¡°What, are you alright?¡± Han Li frowned, carefully detecting an oddity in Silvermoon¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s very strange.


    Although I originally did not recognize this treasure, just now, detailed information about it suddenly appeared in my mind.


    Moreover, there seems to be something inside that palace calling me.


    No, not a thing, but a very close person is calling me.


    That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s my other half inside there,¡± Silvermoon seemed a bit bewildered, speaking somewhat incoherently.


    Han Li frowned, just as he was about to listen more carefully to what Silvermoon was saying, figures like the young Sect Master Xu and Silver-winged Yaksha among others had noticed Han Li¡¯s arrival.


    All at once, over a dozen glances filled with hostility or suspicion shot towards him.


    Feeling a chill in his heart, Han Li naturally couldn¡¯t afford to ask Silvermoon for more details.


    Instead, a gleam flashed in his eyes as he briskly stepped out of the transportation formation, and his figure then soared into the sky.


    (The story continues, for more please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1036 - Chapter 1036 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1032 Joining Forces

    ?Chapter 1036: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1032 Joining Forces Chapter 1036: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1032 Joining Forces ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Han to dare appear here.


    I must say, Elder Xu truly admires that.¡± The youth surnamed Xu sneered coldly and raised his hand to shoot out a silver light, shattering a Stone Golem facing him to pieces, and he was the first to speak up.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare to come?


    Now with the Spiritual Treasure before us, are you still in the mood to seek trouble with me!¡± Han Li replied without a change in expression, his gaze sweeping past casually.


    He saw the remains of the shattered Stone Golem, under a flash of white light on the altar, instantly reformed as they were before, and continued to wield golden blades in its hands, releasing blade light striking towards the sky.


    He felt somewhat astonished in his heart!


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the face of the Great Immortal Master from Heaventide Prairies flashed with malevolent energy, just as he was about to say something more, the Silver-winged Yaksha in the distance unfurled its wings in the air and faintly said:


    ¡°Has Your Excellency perhaps forgotten the grudge between us?


    Even with treasures before us, I don¡¯t mind settling a personal vendetta first.¡±


    No sooner had the words fallen, low roars also came from the Lion Bird, radiating a clear threat.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li smiled in response, unalarmed.


    Gui Ling, standing beside him, let out a sigh and took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Han Li.


    This scene caused a slight change in the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, what does this mean?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0


    Why are you standing with this human cultivator?¡±


    ¡°What does it mean?


    Are you truly clueless or just feigning ignorance?


    I was ruthlessly used by you all, caring only for your own Life Origin Tokens without a damn about my life or death.


    Now that my Life Origin Token is in another¡¯s hands, if I don¡¯t want my soul to disperse, naturally I can only obey,¡± said Gui Ling with a fierce glint in her eyes, suddenly pointing at the distant Silver-winged Yaksha and cursing loudly.


    This scene caught all the cultivators by surprise.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s expression turned a bit embarrassed, and the roaring Lion Bird immediately shut its mouth.


    Speaking of which, these three demon beasts had quite a history together and naturally had some camaraderie.


    If possible, the two beasts would have liked to help the ugly woman retrieve her Life Origin Token as well.


    But the situation at that time was truly special.


    For them to have snatched back their own Life Origin Tokens was already fortunate enough.


    They really couldn¡¯t afford to worry about Gui Ling¡¯s token.


    Moreover, Han Li was incredibly slippery; the moment he got hold of the treasure, he fled immediately, while they were trapped under the power of the Four Symbols Ruler, only able to helplessly watch Han Li escape.


    ¡°Daoist Gui, rest assured, the two of us will definitely help you snatch back your Life Origin Token,¡± said the Silver-winged Yaksha, his expression instantly returning to normal as he darkly stared at Han Li.


    ¡°At this point, what use is there in saying these things?


    I am now compelled to obey orders, and if I have to confront you, don¡¯t blame me for being merciless,¡± said Gui Ling, who was not at all gratified, staring back forcefully.


    Hearing this, the Silver-winged Yaksha gave a bitter smile and said nothing more but continued to glare fiercely at Han Li.


    Han Li, however, remained unfazed as if he saw nothing, while simultaneously making up his mind.


    If the Silver-winged Yaksha really gave him trouble, he might have to let Gui Ling handle him.


    ¡°Daoist Han, I wonder what the outcome was with your battle against Qian the devil.


    This old devil has yet to show up; could it be that he fell by your hand?¡± Madam Mu from the Immortal Transcendence Sect suddenly asked with a charming smile.


    The content of this question surprised the other cultivators.


    ¡°So it was Madam who secretly watched our battle through the Greatnorth Essence Light.


    I have yet to inquire the honorable name of Madam,¡± said Han Li, his eyes twitching upon hearing the woman¡¯s ill-intentioned question, then calmly sweeping his gaze over her and the beautiful young woman beside her before asking with composure.


    ¡°I suppose Fellow Daoist Han is the only one here who does not recognize us.


    I am from the Immortal Transcendence Sect of Southern Border, somewhat a half host here.


    Fellow Daoist Han seems to have an unfamiliar face, could it be you are not a cultivator from Great Jin?¡± Madam Mu said, her ordinary face becoming flirtatious, though her pupils betrayed an icy coldness.


    ¡°My origins seem irrelevant to the matter at hand.


    However, I did receive some kindness from the two Daoist friends back in Kunwu Hall.


    As for Brother Qian, it was merely an exchange of pointers, and naturally, we parted ways afterward.


    What, Brother Qian hasn¡¯t arrived here yet?


    I thought he might have already been here a step ahead,¡± Han Li replied with a calm and composed manner, causing Gui Ling to roll her eyes silently at the sheer audacity of it.


    Madam Mu, although somewhat suspicious, couldn¡¯t quite believe that Han Li had actually killed the renowned Qian the devil.


    Thus, after hearing Han Li¡¯s evasive answer, she covered her mouth with a laugh and said nothing further.


    Several other cultivators with unfamiliar faces, seeing so many people interested in the newly arrived Han Li, exchanged glances and quietly retreated a bit, ceasing their attacks on the Stone Puppets within the Array.


    One of them, a Nascent Soul late-stage white-robed scholar, flashed a look and quietly transmitted a message to Han Li:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, it seems you have some grudges with the others here.


    I am the Great Elder of the Ye Family, in charge of the Imperial Clan lineage in Great Jin.


    Are you interested in allying with the Ye Family?


    We only want this Eight Spirit Ruler; all other treasures inside the palace will be yours.


    What do you think, Fellow Daoist?¡±


    Han Li was slightly startled upon hearing this, but no trace of surprise showed on his face, nor did he answer anything.


    ¡°Do not think us greedy, Fellow Daoist.


    Even if by chance you manage to acquire such a supreme treasure, with your solitary and weak position, you would not be able to keep it for long,¡± the scholar asserted.


    Seeing that Han Li¡¯s cultivation was not weak, and that he was even capable of commanding a high grade demon beast like Gui Ling, his desire to win Han Li over was quite earnest.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly, and finally, he spoke as well, transmitting his voice:


    ¡°Your Ye Family is the number one wealthy family in Great Jin, why would you need the help of an outsider like me?


    Moreover, didn¡¯t two great cultivators from your family enter this mountain?


    I wonder where the other Fellow Daoist is?¡± As Han Li¡¯s gaze flitted, he scrutinized the unfamiliar cultivators clearly.


    Not finding any who seemed to be ancient devilish techniques in disguise, he felt slightly relieved but grew even more wary.


    ¡°It¡¯s unexpected that Brother Han knows which members of my Ye Family have come.


    I must confess, the elder from my family should also be in this tower.


    Although I have not contacted him, I believe he will definitely make a move when necessary.


    Perhaps, he has already infiltrated the palace by now!¡± The scholar¡¯s heart chilled, yet he laughed hehe.


    ¡°Is that so?


    If the palace turns out to be empty, wouldn¡¯t I have busied myself in vain and completely offended others?¡± Han Li fell silent for a moment before replying in this manner.


    ¡°That¡¯s simple.


    I have obtained several powerful treasures elsewhere in Kunwu Mountain.


    If Fellow Daoist ends up gaining nothing, I am willing to offer them to Brother Han.


    If Brother Han is afraid of offending others, our Ye Family can also welcome you as a Guest Elder after the event, or we could give you a one-time payment of a million Spirit Stones,¡± the white-robed scholar hastily laid out all the conditions he had thought of seeing that Han Li was somewhat interested.


    You should know, the scholar was very anxious as the Vivid Glass Beast and several other Ye Family cultivators had disappeared without a trace, feeling that the situation was slipping out of control, he naturally spared no expense to win over Han Li, who seemed to be a cultivator from outside Great Jin.


    ¡°Guest Elder is one thing; those million Spirit Stones, however, do pique my interest.


    If needed, I can just leave Great Jin immediately after the affair,¡± Han Li pondered for a bit, then lightly laughed and agreed.


    ¡°That would be best, Fellow Daoist Ye has now made such a deal with you.


    When the time comes, you just need to act according to the situation,¡± the white-robed scholar seemed very pleased.


    ¡°How come, Master, do you really intend to give the Eight Spirit Ruler to someone else?¡± As the Artifact Spirit connected to Han Li¡¯s mind and spirit, Silvermoon heard the entire conversation between Han Li and the scholar and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Give it away?


    Of course not.


    He and I have merely reached a verbal agreement.


    Such agreements without any guarantees, neither he nor I will take them seriously.


    It¡¯s just that the Ye Family now senses their weaker position, and I, too, need someone to help me restrain other people.


    That¡¯s all,¡± Han Li leisurely said to Silvermoon.


    ¡°I thought as much!


    As long as we can break the sect-wide formation, who gets the Eight Spirit Ruler will still depend on their Divine Skills,¡± Silvermoon sighed and said.


    Han Li smiled faintly and said no more.


    At that moment, the white-robed scholar raised his mana, speaking loudly to the others.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, now that Fellow Daoist Han has also arrived, we should have better odds of breaking this ancient formation.


    The previous agreement should still apply to Fellow Daoist Han, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!


    With us here, we are more than enough to break the formation.


    Why bother adding anyone else?


    Just take it down,¡± the Xu surnamed youth coldly snorted.


    ¡°Take down?


    Brother Xu must be joking.


    If Brother Xu can do such a thing, I naturally have no objections.


    Moreover, the seal outside keeps weakening; do you think we still have time to dilly-dally?¡± The white-robed scholar¡¯s face darkened, his voice somber.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.


    The outside has already seen the arrival of Xuanqing Zi from the Taiyi Sect, and it is also said that Qi Miao the human-sized from the Heavenly Demon Sect will also come.


    At most, we have only one day left to seize the treasure.


    Otherwise, when people from the leading sects of both the righteous and demonic sides arrive, do you think there¡¯ll be a share left for us in the Eight Spirit Ruler?¡± Madam Mu flicked the strands of hair from her forehead and actually said so.


    Taiyi Sect!


    Heavenly Demon Sect!


    Apart from the three demons, all cultivators, including Han Li, were greatly startled.


    Especially the Great Elder of the Ye Family, his face turned pale in an instant.


    The Xu surnamed youth and Lin Yinping exchanged glances, their faces not looking much better.


    Although Heaventide Sanctuary and the Heavenly Demon Sect had some interactions, they certainly didn¡¯t expect the other party to share the treasures of Kunwu Mountain fairly with them.


    ¡°Fine, let him join the effort to break the formation.


    Once the formation is broken, whoever gets the Small Bottle will rely on their Divine Skills!¡± The Xu surnamed youth, worthy of being a great cultivator, immediately made a decision.


    The others, including Silver-winged Yaksha and other demon beasts, all had their own schemes, but no one opposed this anymore.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, then with a flick of his sleeve, more than ten golden flying swords burst out, attacking the Stone Puppets below without another word.


    The others, also unwilling to delay, resumed their forceful attack on the sect-wide formation.


    The puppets below, originally motionless, were instantly lively again, brandishing golden blades and counterattacking those in the air without showing any weakness.


    In an instant, blades clashed and roared again!


    (First update.


    Merry Christmas to everyone!


    The month is coming to an end, and the race for monthly tickets is very close, I hope everyone can support me more in this critical moment.


    Begging for your monthly tickets!


    Hehe, don¡¯t keep hiding them, bring them out!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1039 - Chapter 1039 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1035 Deity Transformation Cultivator

    ?Chapter 1039: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1035 Deity Transformation Cultivator Chapter 1039: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1035 Deity Transformation Cultivator I do not know how long it had been, when a long sigh from a man echoed from deep within the ice wall.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han!


    You are not cultivating and nurturing yourself at Motuo Mountain.


    What brings you to my Ice Soul Valley?


    I do not recall inviting Brother Han here.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I wanted to come here?


    It¡¯s all because of the matter at Kunwu Mountain.¡± The grey-robed elder snorted with his nose, seemingly discontent as well.


    ¡°Kunwu Mountain!


    Wasn¡¯t this issue already handed over to the disciples under our charge?


    Why bother yourself further?¡± The person within the ice wall responded, neither joyous nor sorrowful.


    ¡°If only it were that simple.


    Why else would I travel here from Motuo Mountain?


    You might not know yet, but it seems like Old Eccentric Xiang ran into trouble at Kunwu Mountain.¡± The grey-robed elder said grimly.


    ¡°Old Eccentric Xiang?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï


    Can it be a mistake?


    He is one of us who possesses the greatest divine skills, how could he possibly encounter trouble?¡± The person in the ice wall finally showed some surprise.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t quite believe it either, but I was personally informed by Feng the Monster through a message sent by flying sword.


    You know very well that Feng the Monster and Old Eccentric Xiang are close friends, thus, they each possess the other¡¯s Primordial Spirit Bead.


    This time, when Kunwu Mountain appeared, Old Eccentric Xiang happened to be nearby and went to take a look.


    Not long after he entered, his Primordial Spirit Bead dimmed.


    If he is not severely injured, then he¡¯s trapped in some restrictive formation.


    Either scenario does not bode well for Old Eccentric Xiang.


    Worse yet, Feng the Monster himself has encountered great trouble and cannot come to the rescue in time; therefore, he sent a message asking if we could make a trip to check on him!


    He also expressed his willingness to give each of us two Blood Qi Pills as compensation afterward.¡± The grey-robed elder said coldly.


    ¡°Blood Qi Pills!


    Feng the Monster is really being generous this time!


    With these pills, our lifespan could be extended by a few dozen years.


    However, how did Feng the Monster know that Old Eccentric Xiang entered Kunwu Mountain?¡± The man in the ice wall asked cautiously.


    ¡°This old ghost has always been cunning and cautious.


    He always makes sure to have a way out before taking risks.


    Before entering the sealed area, he had already sent a message to Feng the Monster through a flying sword.


    Looking at it now, his precaution was not in vain; at least now there will be someone going to rescue him.


    How about it, Fellow Daoist Bai, are you interested in coming along to see?


    It would take us who knows how long to concoct the Blood Qi Pills ourselves!¡± The elder urged.


    The man in the ice wall fell silent and did not immediately reply.


    After I do not know how long, he slowly transmitted his voice:


    ¡°Forget it, if you want to go, you go.


    Fellow Daoist Bai will not involve himself in this matter.¡±


    ¡°What, even the Blood Qi Pills cannot move you?¡± The reply from the man in the wall evidently surprised the grey-robed elder.


    ¡°I do want the Blood Qi Pills, but I fear that going this time might lead to losses that surpass the gains.¡± The man replied coldly.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?


    Even if that monster truly escapes its confinement, couldn¡¯t we join forces and handle it?¡± The elder said with a cold laugh.


    ¡°Fear may not necessarily be the problem!


    Even if it was formidable back then, after being suppressed for so many years and with the vast changes in the heavenly and earthly Qi, its divine skills wouldn¡¯t be much higher than ours now.


    It¡¯s not like during the ancient war when, if strong enough, one might take on some risks in the human world and display the divine skills of the Void Stage.¡±


    ¡°Then why not go?¡± The elder furrowed his brow slightly, even more puzzled.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t consumed a Fire Essence Date three years ago, perhaps I would have accompanied you this time.


    But currently, I am using this Spiritual Object to forcefully break through a bottleneck in my cultivation technique.


    Although the hope is slim, I do not want to risk it all for little gain.¡± The man unexpectedly said such.


    ¡°Fire Essence Date?


    You actually obtained this Spiritual Object; did you¡­


    Did you consume it directly?¡± The grey-robed elder¡¯s complexion greatly changed.


    ¡°Of course, only in this way can I fully utilize the fire spiritual Qi within the date!¡± The man replied emotionlessly.


    ¡°You actually did so!


    Did you not know that if not refined into medicinal pills, the domineering fire spiritual Qi of the Fire Essence Date is enough to ignite the Mana inside your body violently?


    We had discussed the hazards during our gathering in the past, had we not?¡± The elder¡¯s eyes flashed brilliantly, saying solemnly.


    ¡°Perhaps.


    But regardless, this is still a hope for us ascending to the spirit realm, better than just sitting and waiting,¡± the gray-robed elder seemed to agree with the man¡¯s words, a trace of helplessness showing on his face.


    ¡°Compared to the Spirit Reversal Passage, it¡¯s more practical to honestly progress to the Late Deity Transformation Stage and then ascend to the upper realm on our own.


    If not for the Ancient Devil Realm causing trouble back then, letting the Qi of the human world become so thin, with our qualifications, how could we have all stagnated at the initial stage and unable to advance any further?¡± The man spoke with a surge of resentment.


    ¡°Brother Bai, complaining about others and the heavens is pointless.


    Since the last batch of ancient cultivators ascended, although it¡¯s not to say that no cultivators have cultivated to the late stages and continued ascending to the spirit realm, there are only a very few of them after all.


    It¡¯s utterly different compared to ancient times.


    In recent years, the situation seems to have worsened even more.


    There has been no Ascended Cultivator for nearly ten thousand years.


    This can¡¯t be blamed on Feng the monster and the others for placing their hopes on the Spirit Reversal Passage,¡± the gray-robed elder also felt a great sense of depression.


    ¡°They have their methods, and I have my own cultivation path.


    Alright, let¡¯s leave it at that.


    Now, Brother Han already knows my intentions; either refuse Feng the monster directly or make the journey alone.


    I need to go into seclusion, please excuse me from seeing you out.


    Also, I will instruct my disciples to completely seal off this valley, not opening it until I have refined the Fire Essence Dates completely.


    I won¡¯t see anyone until then.


    Please inform those old eccentrics about this too!¡± The man inside the ice wall seemed impatient to continue, hurriedly finished his last few words, and then issued an order to leave.


    Then, there was no further sound from within the ice wall!


    The gray-robed elder¡¯s face darkened, and he hesitated in front of the ice wall for quite a while before suddenly stomping his foot:


    ¡°For these two Blood Qi Pills, I have to take the risk once.


    With the extended lifespan of over a hundred years, it will be enough to compensate for the essence loss from this journey.¡± After mumbling this to himself, a green light enveloped the elder, transforming into a startling rainbow that shot out, leaving the valley.


    In front of the palace on the eighth level of the Demon Suppression Tower at Kunwu Mountain, Han Li¡¯s expression was neutral as he formed a hand seal, and more than ten flying swords in the air emitted a buzzing sound, congregating together before suddenly transforming into a giant sword several zhang long, which flashed with golden light and fiercely slashed down.


    With a loud ¡°Boom,¡± wherever the giant sword passed, a white jade Stone Golem was directly turned into rubble.


    His gaze lingered slightly on the debris of the Stone Golem, which did not reassemble as before.


    Han Li slightly nodded his head, extended his finger, and the giant sword ¡°swooshed¡± back flying to him.


    This was already the fourth Stone Puppet he had completely destroyed.


    These Stone Puppets positioned in the formation seemed to have an immortal body under the Array¡¯s coordination.


    However, once they were destroyed a certain number of times, they would ultimately become unable to recover.


    This was also under the condition that so many Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators were continuously attacking; otherwise, if there were only two people, it would probably be impossible to completely destroy all the Stone Puppets even if they exhausted all their strength.


    The golden blades in these Stone Puppets¡¯ hands, the material from which they were refined as magic tools was unknown, were not only extremely sharp but also each carried the Divine Skills to slay demons.


    Han Li had seen with his own eyes that from these golden blades, a few cultivators who practiced magic tools, dared not let them come close.


    Otherwise, the protective Demonic Qi would be directly pierced through, unable to resist at all.


    As for those cultivators wanting to directly enter the formation, the Stone Puppets on the altar would abandon the outsiders and merge countless blades of Qi along extremely intricate trajectories to attack the person inside the Array together.


    No one could withstand such a continuous and formidable attack onslaught.


    Moreover, this Array was a restrictive formation that incorporated several effects at once; even if one rushed into the formation, it couldn¡¯t be quickly broken.


    The cultivators here were no ordinary people, they naturally all understood the subtleties involved.


    Thus, no one tried to stand out, everyone just quietly focused on attacking the Stone Puppets close to them.


    After eradicating these puppets entirely, breaking the formation afterward would be much more effective.


    After Han Li destroyed the puppet in front of him, he didn¡¯t do anything else but frowned and scanned around.


    He only saw a few active Puppets left on the altar, it seemed that this formation was about to be broken.


    As he was thinking this, suddenly a painful cry without any sign came from his mind, it was Silvermoon, then a series of low cries followed, sounding as if it were in extreme pain.


    This startled Han Li, who couldn¡¯t help but anxiously ask telepathically:


    ¡°What happened, Silvermoon?


    Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­


    It seems something in the palace has awakened, giving me a very peculiar feeling, like something very familiar and important, no¡­


    my head hurts so much¡­¡± Silvermoon barely managed to utter a few words before couldn¡¯t help but continue moaning.


    (Second release!


    The update is a bit slow, but it involves important plot points, so I had to be careful!)(To be continued¡­


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support the genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1041 - Chapter 1041 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1037 Nine True Demon Subduing Array

    ?Chapter 1041: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1037 Nine True Demon Subduing Array Chapter 1041: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1037 Nine True Demon Subduing Array Silvermoon steadied her form, her complexion pale, but upon glancing at ¡°Hua Tianqi,¡± the corners of her mouth suddenly revealed a hint of mockery.


    ¡°You are me, and I am you.


    If that person were to know of this, do you think your situation would be any better?


    Moreover, although that person married Fairy Ling Long, wasn¡¯t it I whom he cherished the most?


    Don¡¯t forget, who helped me suppress you back then and forced you to slumber within me.¡±


    Upon hearing Silvermoon¡¯s words, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± lost the smile on her face, and her eyes suddenly emitted a sinister aura.


    But she sneered briefly, twisted her head, and pressed lightly towards a certain spot outside the Array.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± the white transportation formation that everyone had entered through suddenly collapsed inward, revealing a pit about ten feet deep.


    Silver-winged Yaksha and Lion Bird, who had quietly retreated near the transportation formation, saw this and their expressions drastically changed, causing them to abruptly halt and stop in their tracks.


    ¡°Where do you two think you are going!


    One of you is exactly like the Kang Xuan Pill Master from back then but reeks so heavily of corpse stench, while the other, despite having changed in appearance quite a bit, I still remember.


    You are indeed the spiritual bird Kang Xuan Pill Master once raised.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, Kang Xuan Pill Master had perished long before I was sealed.


    It seems that his fleshly body cultivated a spiritual connection and managed to cultivate into a Silver-winged Yaksha realm.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± stared at the Silver-winged Yaksha, speaking with an icy tone.


    ¡°Never would I have expected that Fairy Ling Long could so easily discern our origins!


    It seems that in the past, I also had the fortune to encounter the Fairy several times.¡± The facial expression of the Silver-winged Yaksha fluctuated, but in the end, he could only respond with a wry smile.


    ¡°The one who had a fleeting encounter with me was your previous self, not you.


    As for this Lion Bird, it was merely a seventh grade spiritual bird back then, but has now advanced to become a grade ten demon beast.


    It seems that even if it returned to the spirit realm, it would also have a place to stand.¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± huffed.


    ¡°Regardless, I still remember the Fairy¡¯s peerless elegance from back then.


    But what is the purpose of you destroying this transportation formation?¡± Now that their origins had been revealed, the Silver-winged Yaksha instead calmed down a bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.


    Since you have come, there¡¯s no need to hurry away.


    This Consort might need to rely on the strength of you two!¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± said indifferently.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s countenance sank.


    Although the demon beast had no desire to stay in this place, the transportation formation was destroyed, and it was not possible to find another way out in a short period.


    After a slight turn of the eyes, it temporarily fell silent.


    Seeing this, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± stopped paying attention to the two demons and glanced over at Elder Xu and the cultivators from the Ye Clan, her mouth curving into a cold smile:


    ¡°Good, very good!


    I didn¡¯t expect so many human cultivators would come to this place, and each with not weak cultivations!¡±


    ¡°No matter what lofty status the senior had in the spirit realm or how you possessed Daoist Hua.


    Our Ye Family opened the seal of Kunwu Mountain this time only for the heavenly skill treasures.


    As long as the senior is willing to hand over the Eight Spirit Ruler to me, our Ye Family can help the senior leave this tower!¡± The white-robed scholar stepped forward reverently and spoke after listening intently, having roughly understood her background.


    ¡°Elder Xu wanted to say something, but I did not expect Daoist Ye to speak first.¡± The youth surnamed Xu heard this and chuckled, his smile forced and unnatural.


    Both were cunning and astute; seeing the fiend demon transformation of Daoist Hua taking action, both knew they could not rival her power and began to harbor thoughts of allying themselves.


    ¡°The Eight Spirit Ruler?


    Oh, if any of you have the ability to subdue this treasure, feel free to come and take it.


    This Consort won¡¯t stop you!¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡¯s¡± gaze flashed, and she showed careless indifference.


    Upon hearing these words, the Great Elder of the Ye Family and youth surnamed Xu were stunned, then looked at each other in surprise.


    ¡°What, when offered to take the treasure, you are afraid now!¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± let out a scornful laugh from her mouth.


    But the white-robed scholar and the youth surnamed Xu became even more reticent to take rash actions.


    On the other side, Madam Mu, since the appearance of ¡°Hua Tianqi,¡± had a look of vigilance on her face.


    At this moment, a jade hand hidden in her sleeve moved slightly, quietly taking out an item from her storage pouch with extreme caution, as if afraid that ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± would notice.


    ¡°Why would the senior damage this treasure if she has no desire for it?


    Just now, when I was about to retrieve the treasure below, why did you prevent me from taking it?¡± The Vivid Glass Beast, lurking at the other end of the palace ceiling, suddenly asked sharply.


    ¡°Others may take the treasure, but you, alone, may not!¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± glanced at the eccentric and spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Why not?¡± The eccentric¡¯s face turned unsightly as he glanced at his severed arm and demanded indignantly.


    ¡°Why not?


    You¡¯ve just seen the incarnation of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha a little while ago, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, I have no idea!¡± The Vivid Glass Beast felt a chill in his heart but immediately denied it.


    ¡°You may have only spent a short time with that devil, but you are still tinged with a trace of Demonic Qi that ordinary people cannot see; I can tell at a glance.


    You needn¡¯t acknowledge it; it doesn¡¯t matter.


    But as soon as you entered the hall, you beheld my soul casket and conceived ill intentions.


    If it weren¡¯t for the person I possessed awakening me sooner than you approached, you might have truly fallen prey.


    You dare to use the Soul Extinguishing Talisman against me; you have quite the courage!¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡¯s¡± eyes flashed with a green gleam, her voice turning icy and bone-chilling.


    Upon hearing this, the white-robed scholar was taken aback and hastily whispered a few words to the eccentric, seemingly in inquiry.


    But the Vivid Glass Beast was as if oblivious, remaining silent with a stony countenance.


    The white-robed scholar¡¯s face turned notably grim.


    ¡°Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, what is that?


    An ancient demon?¡± This time, it was Han Li who suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Hehe, Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha?¡± ¡°Hua Tianqi¡¯s¡± complexion changed slightly, but she immediately sneered, looking up at the sky, not immediately answering Han Li¡¯s question.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed slightly!


    His intuition told him that the appearance of the ancient demon Tian Luo at Kunwu Mountain was probably closely related to this Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha.


    Everyone pondered in silence, and for a moment, the place fell into a hushed quiet.


    However, after a short while, a woman¡¯s cold voice rang out.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, do not be deceived.


    This woman is not some Demoness Consort from the upper realm, she is clearly an incarnation of that ancient devilish ancestor, here to bewilder us.


    If you move forward and really take away the Eight Spirit Ruler used by ancient experts to suppress this demon, I¡¯m afraid the demon will truly break free.


    By then, it will bring a great calamity to the entire human world.¡±


    The speaker was Madam Mu of the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    At this moment, she held a green jade seal several inches in size in one hand, shining brightly, and a Foot-long Five-Clawed True Dragon mirage appeared on it.


    This mirage of a True Dragon, facing ¡°Hua Tianqi,¡± showed its teeth and claws in fury, as if it saw something it extremely detested.


    ¡°Dragon Transformation Seal!¡±


    Seeing this object, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡¯s¡± face changed, and without thinking, she stretched out one hand and pressed it into the void.


    With a ¡°hisses¡± sound, a force as if tearing through space pressed directly down upon Madam Mu¡¯s head.


    Madam Mu was startled and quickly lifted the jade seal in her hand.


    Suddenly, a dragon¡¯s cry emanated from it, and the dragon mirage swelled tenfold in size in an instant.


    It then shot out from the seal, directly meeting the immense strength in midair.


    After a loud rumble that seemed to shake the entire space, the dragon mirage and the immense strength erupted into a white light and vanished together, as if they had annihilated each other.


    Taking advantage of this, Madam Mu and the graceful young lady beside her both lifted their hands simultaneously, releasing golden and silver light.


    The Sun and Moon Shuttle took shape and emerged.


    The two women¡¯s figures flickered as they swiftly entered the shuttle.


    Seeing this, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± frowned, and with a gasp, she shot a silver beam towards the spiritual shuttle, a fleeting blast.


    An unexpected scene unfolded.


    An enormous deer mirage clad in strange scales suddenly appeared out of the blue within the sect-wide formation, opened its mouth, swallowed the beam of light, and then vanished in a flash, as if it had never been there.


    ¡°Eight Qi Deer!¡±


    Han Li was startled and quickly looked towards the Eight Spirit Ruler.


    He noticed that the ruler, which had been floating in the air, now vibrated slightly.


    As it trembled, rings of Rainbow Spirit Light emerged from it, and the mirages of eight spirit beasts became clearly visible within the light.


    The Spiritual Treasure seemed to be on the brink of activation.


    Not good!


    Seeing this, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡¯s¡± complexion turned cold instantly, and without a second word, her body flashed with silver light as she shot back into the palace below.


    The Eight Spirit Ruler emitted a harsh buzzing sound, and concurrently, the nearby Devil Restraining Formation shone brightly.


    With the ground shaking violently, it parted to reveal nine crescent-shaped crevices, from which nine altars rose up with loud rumbles.


    These nine altars were several times larger than the small ones outside; on top of each one was a resplendent golden huge blade standing upright.


    They were identical in style to the golden blades held by the Stone Puppets, but these were far too large, towering over ten zhang high, looking like nine colossal pillars, awe-inspiringly monstrous.


    ¡°Nine True Demon Subduing Array!¡± Upon seeing these nine altars, the white-robed scholar paused and then suddenly shouted out loud.


    Han Li sensed the impending crisis, and had already grabbed Silvermoon¡¯s arm, retreating with her in tow.


    Hearing the Great Elder of the Ye Family speaking, an epiphany flashed through his mind, seeming to recall having heard this name somewhere.


    But before he had time to ponder further, a side of the space suddenly collapsed amidst flickers of black light, and numerous streams of Demonic Qi, like black pythons, burst forth.


    With a wave of triumphant laughter, a swoosh sound followed, and a bi-headed, quad-armed fiend demon mirage shot out of the demonic mist, standing tall in midair.


    The nine giant blades flared with radiant light, each emitting a thick sword light towards the sky.


    A vast expanse of golden glow instantly obscured half of the sky as it ferociously pressed down on the demon mirage.


    The demon mirage¡¯s laughter ceased abruptly, replaced by a terrified retreat!


    But as the sword light flashed, a strand of golden light mysteriously appeared above the demon mirage¡¯s head, fiercely slashing down.


    With a bang, golden light and Demonic Qi intermingled in a flash!


    A gorgeously graceful figure appeared in front of the demon mirage, extending a slim jade finger, resisting the strand of golden light.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, and support the author and legitimate reading!)

 Chapter 1042 - Chapter 1042 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1038 Demon Manifestation

    ?Chapter 1042: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1038 Demon Manifestation Chapter 1042: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1038 Demon Manifestation With a ¡°bang,¡± the golden light was flicked away by a probing finger, revealing a face that seemed both annoyed and pleased-a bewitching woman in a black dress, charming to the point of seeming not of this world.


    Upon glimpsing this peerless face, Silvermoon¡¯s figure trembled and her complexion turned pale.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze, however, first fell upon the six-armed demonic silhouette.


    He could not be mistaken-that demon was the very ancient devil that had escaped from Devilfall Valley.


    The Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword within him hummed softly, already sensing the other two flying swords that had been taken.


    As for the exceptionally enchanting woman in front of this ancient devil, she appeared as delicate as silk and seemed to have no mana whatsoever, making it impossible to discern her level of cultivation.


    Han Li drew in a cold breath.


    With a few swift moves, he took Silvermoon to the other side of the Nine True Demon Subduing Array and then released her arm.


    Gui Ling, who had been silent from the start, followed closely behind like a shadow and couldn¡¯t help but give Silvermoon a few more glances, her eyes showing a strange expression.


    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Silvermoon said softly to Han Li with a look of complexity.


    ¡°Be more careful,¡± said Han Li, who already knew that Silvermoon¡¯s identity was anything but ordinary, but still he advised her with a frown.


    Silvermoon nodded and turned her head to look at the enchanting woman across from her, her face showing a melancholic expression.


    The young man surnamed Xu and the cultivators from the Ye Clan also moved to the side of the Array, and although they were highly cautious, they all showed a look of shock and suspicion on their faces.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Why is there such a strong reaction of Demonic Qi from these two?¡± An incredulous voice came from the Day and Night Shuttle, and immediately afterward, Madam Mu¡¯s figure appeared atop the treasure, clutching the Dragon Transformation Seal which once again conjured the illusion of a real dragon.


    At this moment, however, the dragon¡¯s reaction to the woman and the ancient devil across from it was even more intense than when it faced Hua Tianqi.


    Even if it weren¡¯t for Madam Mu¡¯s spell controlling the treasure, the dragon¡¯s illusion might have attacked on its own.


    The young man surnamed Xu, who knew nothing of the Dragon Transformation Seal¡¯s origin, gave Madam Mu a cold glance.


    At this moment, he was no longer concerned about Demonic Qi.


    With the situation so chaotic and the newly appeared demons each more powerful than the last, he was contemplating retreat.


    Desire for the heavenly skill spirit treasure notwithstanding, one must first survive to claim it.


    Thinking this, he moved his lips lightly, secretly communicating with the Endless Sky Saintess.


    As a result, after Lin Yinping nodded slightly with a furrowed brow, this great Heaventide Immortal Master¡¯s gaze began to drift uncertainly, ceaselessly searching for something in the surroundings.


    In contrast to the young man surnamed Xu, the scholar in white robes noticed that the others were distracted by the newly appeared demons and had relaxed their vigilance towards the Eight Spirit Ruler.


    He swiftly exchanged a look with two other people from the Ye Clan and, amidst their cover, he formed a hand seal and his figure shimmered faintly.


    Suddenly, a perfect illusion appeared in his place while his true body vanished without a trace, undetected.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha was somewhat dumbfounded when he saw the new woman¡¯s face.


    If not for the Demonic Qi on her body, based on her features alone, she would be none other than Fairy Ling Long from the past.


    But then who was the one who destroyed the transportation formation just now, and who was Silvermoon who followed Han Li?


    The Silver-winged Yaksha muttered to himself, his eyes darting about, uncertain of what he was planning.


    Madam Mu of the Immortal Transcendence Sect looked at the Dragon Transformation Seal in her hands with an ever-changing expression.


    Suddenly, with a stomp of her foot, she plunged back into the Day and Night Shuttle.


    Then the shuttle quivered and burrowed straight into the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Foolish!


    Both the ground and the sky here have been sealed with ancient expert¡¯s restrictive formations; what use is there in fleeing underground!¡± Gui Ling behind Han Li sneered coldly, clearly dismissive of Madam Mu¡¯s actions.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.


    These two women are very mysterious and seem to know quite a lot about Kunwu Mountain.


    Perhaps they really have a way to break through the restrictions,¡± Han Li said with a glint in his eye.


    At this moment, he remembered the origin of this so-called ¡°Nine True Demon Subduing Array¡± which he had seen mentioned briefly in a record of formation scriptures from the past.


    Although not described in detail, the Array was portrayed as the most formidable sect-wide formation for warding off evil and exorcising demons in the human world, reputed to have been used by human cultivators to kill many ancient demons and monsters during the great wars of antiquity.


    Thinking this, Han Li focused his attention once more.


    Ever since the bewitching young woman appeared in front of them, the nine giant golden blades shot out countless rays of light in a frenzied, stormlike assault.


    However, the lady in black casually flicked her fingers, and no matter how sharp or solid the blade lights were, they were scattered like chaff by her fingertips, leaving onlookers in awe.


    Yet, amidst his alarm, Han Li also noticed something.


    It seemed that the woman indeed had some wariness of this great demon-subduing array; she only lingered on the outskirts of the Array and did not rashly barge into the center.


    Furthermore, after casting a faint glance at Han Li and the others, she looked towards the palace, with her gaze finally resting on the ¡°Eight Spirit Ruler.¡±


    ¡°`


    At this moment, the Eight Spirit Ruler, ever since that second demon manifested, kept humming and blinking incessantly.


    The silver lotuses that appeared nearby, not only doubled in size, but the eight spirit animal mirages also became exceptionally clear, as if they had materialized.


    The woman in the black robe turned her head and whispered to the ancient devil next to her, her voice too low to be heard.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t hear anything at all!


    ¡°Silvermoon, is this woman the incarnation of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha?¡± Han Li took a deep breath and suddenly asked.


    ¡°Who else could it be if not this demon?


    This person is a soul fragment transformed from the ancient devilish techniques of the Divine Ancestor, and also one of the three Great Commanders during the ancient devil¡¯s invasion of the human world.


    Numerous ancient experts perished at its hands.¡± It seemed that Silvermoon had truly regained much of her memories.


    After a brief silence, she revealed the origins of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha.


    ¡°A split soul of the Divine Ancestor?


    Just now, I heard that person say, your Primordial Spirit was forced out of your body.


    Does that mean the body used by this split soul is¡­¡± Han Li¡¯s pupils flashed with blue light as he naturally noticed that the body of the woman in the black robe was not an illusion, and he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°It is indeed my original body.


    Although I do not remember how I came to be possessed by the other party and turned into an Artifact Spirit placed within the Heavenvoid Cauldron, it is certainly the body I shared with Long Meng at that time.¡± Silvermoon bit her lip and spoke slowly.


    ¡°Oh, do you still have a chance to take it back?


    After all, you are the true owner of the body, it shouldn¡¯t be impossible for you to have a chance,¡± Han Li looked at the black-robed woman with an expressionless face across from him, his expression shifting.


    ¡°Has master forgotten that I¡¯ve already used Soul Devouring, and having occupied this demon fox body for so long, do I still have the strength to change bodies?


    Perhaps there is some Divine Skill that can achieve this, but definitely not by the Cultivation Techniques of the human world; it must be something that returns to the spirit realm.


    Moreover, my Divine Sense is damaged, and my cultivation has dropped to such an extent, I¡¯ve also forgotten most of my previous Cultivation Techniques.


    How can I fight against a Demon Soul?


    Unless¡­¡± Silvermoon hesitated.


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t want to let this go easily.


    ¡°Unless I join forces with Long Meng, then there might be hope.


    But looking at her current situation, would she do this for me?


    Perhaps the moment I¡¯ve forced out the Demon Soul from her body, she¡¯ll immediately seal me up to monopolize this body!¡± Silvermoon sighed.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li fell silent.


    At this moment, the ancient devil with twin heads and four arms suddenly shouted loudly at the Vivid Glass Beast in the palace:


    ¡°Ye friend, why hesitate any longer?


    Since you can¡¯t kill that wolf spirit, as long as you restrain the Eight Spirit Ruler, the Divine Ancestor has also agreed to give you Demonic Infusion.


    The Cultivation Technique you practice is not a demonic technique, and without someone in control, this Spiritual Treasure will not be detrimental to you,¡± the ancient devil¡¯s voice was not loud, but enough for Han Li and the others to hear everything clearly.


    Everyone was shocked at first, then looked up again at the palace.


    Upon hearing the ancient devil¡¯s words, the Vivid Glass Beast hesitated, but soon gritted his teeth, and truly transformed into a streak of yellow light, shooting straight towards the Eight Spirit Ruler.


    Strangely enough, the Eight Spirit Ruler, which seemed formidable, did not react at all to the approach of the Beast¡¯s streak of light.


    In a blink of an eye, it actually let it approach the Eight Spirit Ruler, and the eight spirit animal mirages ignored it!


    The Beast, originally a bit worried, naturally rejoiced upon seeing this, and with a flash of his figure, he reached out to grab the treasure.


    ¡°You really have some nerve!¡± A cold snort suddenly came from beneath the palace.


    The Vivid Glass Beast seemed to have discovered something, his face changed, and he darted out at an angle.


    At the place where it had originally stood, there was a loud boom, and an immense strength instantly pierced through, almost blowing away half of the palace¡¯s roof.


    The Vivid Glass Beast¡¯s complexion turned extremely ugly!


    ¡°Old Devil, there¡¯s no need to coax these youngsters, to do these little tricks.


    With me sitting under the Eight Spirit Ruler, whoever wants to take this treasure must first get my permission.


    I didn¡¯t expect that you could escape from the Black Wind Banner, but now the Spiritual Treasure that was supposed to suppress me has turned into a weapon to deal with you!¡± Fairy Ling Long¡¯s voice was cold.


    ¡°Really?


    I have no intention of continuing to entangle with Fairy Ling Long.


    Just a mere spatial barrier, you think it can really stop me?¡± The woman in the black robe smiled and replied in such a way.


    Then, the woman suddenly shot backwards over ten zhang, temporarily escaping the entanglement of the golden light, and with a backhand grasp towards the empty space behind her, the swirling black demonic qi instantly began to swirl and condense, and as the demonic qi dispersed, a black shiny small triangular flag appeared.


    Without any hesitation, the flag shot out, circling once before falling into the black-robed woman¡¯s palm.


    ¡°The Black Wind Banner?


    Impossible, you¡¯ve never cultivated the Treasure Commanding Decree.


    How can you wield this Spiritual Treasure!¡± Fairy Ling Long¡¯s voice suddenly became hurried.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to cultivate the Treasure Commanding Decree of this flag, but don¡¯t forget the demonic fiend transformation skills of our Divine Ancestor.


    Even if it is a heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure, after I have personally infused it with Demonic Qi, it can only temporarily obey me,¡± the woman in the black robe smiled gracefully, then flicked the Black Wind Banner in her hand.


    A dull roar came from the flag, and the entire space trembled.


    Everyone felt as if the air itself had tightened up all at once, as if it had solidified in an instant.


    All the Sect Masters were shocked!


    (Second update!


    Sweat, the past few chapters have been really exhausting to write, there have been so many things to consider.


    Yeah!


    Let¡¯s continue to work hard and try to do these chapters well!)


    (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1043 - Chapter 1043 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1039 Black Wind Banner

    ?Chapter 1043: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1039 Black Wind Banner Chapter 1043: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1039 Black Wind Banner Han Li sharply inhaled a breath of cold air!


    The battle before him had clearly exceeded the Nascent Soul level, not something he could easily interfere with.


    Immediately, various thoughts raced through his mind, his lips gently moved a few times, a gleam of light flashed in the Gui Ling eyes on his back, and after slight hesitation, he transformed into a beam of yellow light and burrowed into the ground.


    Soon, Han Li¡¯s eyes floated around uncertainly, and after a moment, his gaze stopped at a specific spot opposite him.


    He saw a black transportation formation in a corner behind the two demons, perfectly intact and shrouded by a set of formation flags.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li remembered another transportation formation of the same color he had seen in the original stone chamber.


    His heart immediately filled with joy!


    But just as his gaze shifted, it met the eyes of the young man with the surname Xu looking over.


    The two of them were startled, but then quickly moved their gazes away.


    Meanwhile, they both harbored their own ulterior motives.


    Clearly, the Great Immortal Master of the Heaventide Prairies had also taken a liking to what seemed to be the only way out of this place.


    At this moment, the black-robed woman who had summoned the Black Wind Banner, apparently unwilling to dawdle any longer, immediately went towards the palace in the center of the array with the flag in one hand.


    The ancient devil also took out four ordinary treasures and closely followed her.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Such actions by the two demons naturally triggered the formidable restrictive formations of the Nine True Demon Subduing Array.


    Immediately, a surge of golden light more astonishing than before swept down from the sky with tremendous momentum.


    The black-robed woman sneered coldly, rubbed her hands together over the small flag, and suddenly a blackish light burst forth, a murky black light barrier emerged, protecting both her and the ancient devil.


    A bizarre scene occurred!


    As soon as the ferocious golden light touched the black light barrier, like a clay ox entering the sea, it disappeared without a trace.


    Not a single ripple arose on the surface of the barrier; the golden light had not inflicted the slightest damage.


    With the light barrier overhead, the black-robed woman instantly moved deeper into the restricted area of the Nine True Demon Subduing Array.


    Nine huge blades trembled at once, suddenly emitting a series of clear rings, mysterious runes flickered and appeared, and the blades rapidly changed and shrank, transforming in the blink of an eye into nine golden sabers about a meter long each.


    The nine golden sabers were smaller in size, but the spiritual light they emitted was dazzlingly brilliant, as if suddenly nine golden suns had appeared in this space, making it impossible to look directly at them.


    The black-robed woman¡¯s expression changed, and her originally calm face showed a trace of solemnity.


    The black light barrier instantly swelled several times in size, its surface becoming even more glossy and pitch-black.


    At this moment, the nine golden sabers floated up and whirled their tips, then simultaneously aimed at the black-robed woman.


    With a flash of light, nine slender golden threads shot out, then disappeared abruptly in a flash.


    Almost simultaneously, nine bursts of golden light exploded on the light barrier formed by the Black Wind Banner, then the brilliance intensified, with blinding golden light engulfing the barrier in the blink of an eye.


    Surprisingly, despite such staggering attacks, there was absolutely no sound; everything happened silently, making it mysteriously eerie!


    Han Li took this opportunity to glance around at the others, saw that everyone was captivated by the spectacle before them, then his face flashed a peculiar expression, and his hand moved swiftly like lightning.


    A spirit beast pouch quietly shot into his sleeve.


    Without a trace, he placed both hands behind his back, as bunches of golden beetles fell from his sleeve, burrowing into the ground upon contact, and in the blink of an eye, every trace of them vanished.


    In an instant, thousands of Gold Devouring Bugs had completely disappeared underground, unnoticed by anyone.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s heart relaxed a bit.


    And at that moment, a faint ¡°collect¡± was suddenly heard from the black-robed woman within the Nine True Demon Subduing Array.


    The golden light trembled, and a black hole about three meters wide appeared amidst it.


    As the cave appeared, the golden light was instantly sucked in like rivers flowing into the sea, leaving not a trace behind.


    After a soft sigh, the black hole trembled violently and then dispersed, revealing the figures of the woman in the black robe and the ancient devil.


    Holding the Black Wind Banner in one hand, the woman noticed the nine Golden Sabers in the distance flickering with golden light, ready to strike again.


    She suddenly raised her eyebrows towards the direction of the palace and said:


    ¡°Long Meng, don¡¯t rely on the Nine True Demon Subduing Array to exhaust my Demonic Qi and then make your move.


    You should know that the Black Wind Banner is a rare spatial type among the heavenly skill spirit treasures.


    No matter how sharp the attack is, if it doesn¡¯t tear through the spatial power, it cannot harm me in the slightest.


    If you¡¯re wise, you should come out obediently.


    If I have to force my way in, I won¡¯t be so easy-going.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to come out for?


    Did you change your mind, thinking it¡¯s better to merge with me into one?¡± Long Meng¡¯s coquettish laugh came from the palace, seemingly indifferent to the ineffectiveness of the Nine True Demon Subduing Array.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I indeed want to merge with your Primordial Spirit once more!¡± Surprisingly, the woman in the black robe responded in such a bland manner.


    ¡°What are you saying?


    Old Devil, do you think I¡¯m a three-year-old child who would believe such a thing?¡± Long Meng was clearly taken aback, then scoffed dismissively.


    ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t be a merger of Primordial Spirits like before.


    I must impose some restrictions on you first, to ensure that after merging, my Primordial Spirit will dominate?¡± the woman in the black robe said indifferently, while lightly shaking the black flag in her hand, easily transforming it into a vast black hole that devoured the golden chains spewed out by the nine Golden Sabers again.


    However, since her footsteps paused momentarily, it did not trigger any other dangerous transformations from the Golden Sabers.


    ¡°Are you not awake?


    How could I agree to such an absurd thing, with your Primordial Spirit dominating?


    You can really think of such ideas.


    You already monopolize my body, why bother merging again?


    Speak frankly if you have any plots!¡± Long Meng expressed her doubt and suspicion.


    ¡°There are indeed some motives.


    We¡¯ve merged our Primordial Spirits a few times, and you must have felt that neither you nor I can unleash this body¡¯s greatest Divine Power when alone.


    However, when merged, we easily threw that Deity Transformation stage cultivator who came barging in into the Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon.


    So, if we don¡¯t want to be sealed again by the cultivators of the human world once we go out, it¡¯s better to merge our Primordial Spirits again,¡± the woman in the black robe said coldly.


    ¡°Kikiki, who would¡¯ve thought that the great ancient devil who once dominated the human world would fear a few Deity Transformation stage cultivators, how ridiculous,¡± Long Meng paused briefly, then let out a mocking laugh.


    ¡°In the past, when the Sacred Realm and the human world were connected, our Saint Race could return at any time to replenish our depleted Demonic Qi, naturally allowing us to freely wield various Great Divine Powers.


    But now, with the passage blocked again and the Qi of heaven and earth in the human world greatly altered, even if I had great divine powers, I can¡¯t deploy much of it now.


    What¡¯s so strange about being wary of these Deity Transformation stage cultivators?


    Aren¡¯t you the same!


    Despite being a Late Deity Transformation stage demon from the spirit realm before, now how much of your Divine Skills can you actually use?¡± the woman in the black robe spoke unfazed.


    ¡°As for the matter of merging with my Primordial Spirit dominating, you put it magnificently but there is no way I could agree.


    Otherwise, even if I could escape confinement, what difference would it make from before?


    Don¡¯t think I¡¯m unaware, while injecting Demonic Qi into the Black Wind Banner indeed allows you to temporarily command the Spiritual Treasure, doing so can only unleash a small fraction of this treasure¡¯s power.


    Whether you can walk into the palace is still up for question!


    The merging of Primordial Spirits can be discussed, but it has to be under my Primordial Spirit dominating, or no deal!¡± Long Meng said decisively.


    Hearing these words from Long Meng, the woman in the black robe¡¯s beautiful face revealed a chilling intent.


    ¡°It seems you really have confidence in the Nine True Demon Subduing Array and the Eight Spirit Ruler.


    Fine, since you won¡¯t agree, then wait for me, Divine Ancestor, to come over and subdue you myself.


    Then I¡¯ll extract the soul essence from your Primordial Spirit and let you vanish into smoke.


    Doing so might be less effective, but it will still greatly enhance my Divine Skills.¡±


    After saying this chillingly, the woman in the black robe glanced over at Han Li, then suddenly turned her head and whispered a couple of instructions to the ancient devil.


    The two-headed, four-armed demon nodded repeatedly, its figure swiftly flashing backward, swiftly moving away from the range of the Array and hiding near the black transportation formation, suspended motionlessly above the Array.


    This abrupt scene left Han Li and the others momentarily dumbfounded, followed by a barrage of curses in their minds.


    Thus, their original plan of stealthily sneaking through and looking for an opportunity to escape completely fell through.


    Contrary to the Xu surnamed youth and Silver-winged Yaksha and the other demons, Han Li had made some preparations in advance and still had some measures in mind.


    However, after looking around, he saw that the forms of the Silver-winged Yaksha and the Lion Bird became blurred for a moment and then disappeared in a flash of green light.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed.


    The Xu surnamed youth was constantly muttering with the Endless Sky Saintess, discussing something with grim expressions.


    Meanwhile, the Ye Clan¡¯s cultivators were gathered around a scholar in white robes, staying quietly together, not speaking or showing any other actions.


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed, and after a glance shifted across the scholar¡¯s wooden face, he felt something was off.


    After pondering for a moment, his pupils suddenly flashed blue, invoking the Divine Skills of Brightsight Spirit Water.


    Upon looking, Han Li naturally discovered that the scholar from the Ye Clan was covered in a hazy light, merely a mirage of Spiritual Energy.


    With a chill in his heart, Han Li hurriedly scanned his surroundings and, seeing nothing unusual, he slightly relaxed and began searching for the real body of the Great Elder of the Ye Clan.


    At the same time, the black-robed woman, a split spirit incarnation of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, after blocking a wave of gold chain attacks sprouted from Golden Sabers, suddenly threw the Black Wind Banner into the high skies, her hands formed an incantation and mouth uttered some extremely peculiar words.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± a gust of black wind suddenly appeared from the Black Wind Banner.


    The wind started small and grew larger, turning from thin to thick, transforming into a monstrous tornado resembling the Sky-supporting Pillars in an instant.


    Almost simultaneously with the tornado¡¯s appearance, the sky rumbled loudly, and numerous dense yellow clouds formed, from which various sizes of silver arcs darted and flickered within the mist, looking as if they could strike down at any moment.


    Beneath the yellow clouds, near the black tornado, the wind roared like tides, numerous Wind Blades started forming visibly and invisibly, the entire space raged with sands and stones, and everywhere resounded with tremendous rumbling.


    Han Li was covered in dazzling blue light, having already manifested a thick protective barrier around himself and Silvermoon; but yet, through his eyes, everywhere appeared engulfed in strange yellow mists.


    The protective barrier was being buffeted with a buzzing sound, just like a small boat in a stormy sea, appearing incredibly frail.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t help but tightly close his lips, his complexion turning extremely pale.


    Under the urge of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s incarnation, the Black Wind Banner finally began to display the terrifying power of a heavenly skill spiritual treasure.

 Chapter 1045 - Chapter 1045 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1041 Ambush

    ?Chapter 1045: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1041 Ambush Chapter 1045: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1041 Ambush Gui Ling, who had revealed her presence, glanced at Han Li after noticing the arrival of the Xu-surnamed youth, the Silver-winged Yaksha, and other people and demons nearby without much surprise, and then she mutteringly transmitted a few words with her lips.


    Han Li¡¯s normally calm face suddenly revealed a hint of surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?


    Did Daoist Gui discover something down there?¡± Lin Yinping, the Endless Sky Saintess, noticing Han Li¡¯s expression, asked brightly with her shining eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just that the two daoists from the Immortal Transcendence Sect seem to be looking for a way out below as well,¡± Han Li said with his expression quickly returning to its usual calmness.


    ¡°Oh, is that so!¡± The lady¡¯s eyes danced, and a smile that was not quite a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.


    Clearly, she didn¡¯t believe what Han Li had said.


    However, Han Li¡¯s face remained expressionless, obviously not willing to say more.


    Although the others were equally filled with doubt and suspicion, they were about to work together, and naturally did not want to make an issue out of it.


    The group immediately discussed how they should proceed.


    They were all experienced in battle, and after a brief discussion within a soundproof barrier, they quickly came up with a specific plan.


    Suddenly, spiritual lights flashed on their bodies, and they all disappeared into the raging winds, gone without a trace, beginning their operation.


    Han Li nodded at Gui Ling, and she once again dived underground.


    As for Silvermoon, at his command, she transformed back into a little fox and flew into his sleeve.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.??


    Han Li looked in the direction of the black transportation formation, stroked his chin, and with a single slap on his storage pouch, a figure shimmered in silver light and appeared before him.


    It was the humanoid puppet.


    With a gentle wave of his hand.


    The light around the puppet shifted, and in an instant, it transformed into an inconspicuous yellow light, then its eyes suddenly emitted a burst of purple light, and its figure vanished into thin air, as if it had never been there.


    This battle was no small matter; to be on the safe side, Han Li couldn¡¯t afford to hold back any longer.


    With the puppet at his side to offer help, he could feel confident in going into battle.


    Moreover, given the puppet¡¯s previously demonstrated outstanding stealth abilities, it was likely that even the ancient demons would not be able to detect it.


    As for the black-robed woman, Han Li had never dealt with a demon of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s caliber, so he wasn¡¯t very confident that he could deceive her spiritual perception.


    Holding the Three Flame Fan in one hand and forming a seal with the other, the Thunderstorm Wings emerged behind him.


    A flash of silver light, and Han Li also disappeared from his spot.


    In another corner of the space, suspended in the air above the black transportation formation, the Two-headed Ancient Demon was enveloped by a set of formation flags glowing with a grayish light.


    One head of the demon was staring at the palace with a grave expression, while the eyes of the other head were relentlessly scanning the surroundings, remaining vigilant.


    Each of its four demon claws was holding a pair of Purple Rings, a Green Long Halberd, and a brick-shaped object that was bright red.


    The evil wind brought about by the Black Wind Banner was fierce, but it seemed to have little effect on this demon, whose gaze remained fixed on the palace, unblinking.


    Suddenly, a strange light flickered in the demon¡¯s eyes, a loud boom echoed from afar, and a golden blade energy shot up to the sky in the center of the space, parting the thick clouds with a momentum so great, even the sounds of the howling winds seemed to pause for a moment.


    The frowning eyebrows of the ancient demon¡¯s head twitched slightly, a hint of hesitation crossing its face as if wanting to join the fray but also filled with considerable apprehension.


    But it soon relaxed.


    Because, after the astonishing blade light flickered away, an enormous rough wind pillar rolled out as well.


    Its diameter was more than ten zhang wide, like a black wind dragon, sweeping up the lightning in the sky and even distorting the surrounding air with its turbulent force, as if threatening to tear apart the realm itself.


    Seeing this, the ancient demon¡¯s expression lightened, yet suddenly, without any warning, the eyes of the other head widened, and a giant hand swept forward abruptly.


    A beam of red light broke through the air, and in a flash, it turned into a giant brick several zhang in size, crashing down heavily.


    Before it even hit the ground, flames wrapped around it, and several fire pythons with bared teeth and claws emerged, exuding an aggressive aura.


    ¡°Hmph!


    I didn¡¯t expect you to be so wary!¡± A cold snort came from within the violent wind, and two figures appeared.


    One of them casually raised a hand and shot out a blue rainbow, which turned into a yard-wide Jade Umbrella that flew up into the sky.


    With a series of explosive ¡°rumble¡± sounds, the Jade Umbrella, a Yin Ice ancient treasure, managed to withstand the falling fire brick amidst the bursting blue mist.


    The blue and red lights intensely clashed between the two treasures.


    Although the fire pythons were ferociously biting and tearing, their opposing attributes meant they were ultimately ineffective against the Jade Umbrella.


    The two figures stood still, coldly staring at the ancient devil in the air, indeed the surnamed Xu youth and Lin Yinping.


    The ancient devil moved its two huge heads, all four eyes simultaneously fixated on the male and female below.


    ¡°I recognize you, you are cultivators from the Heaventide Prairies.


    So, you wish to leave this place now?


    Alas, it¡¯s already too late!¡± One head sneered, thunderous laughter reverberating.


    Upon hearing this, the surnamed Xu youth¡¯s face showed a surge of Evil Qi, but without a word, he reached back and slapped his spirit beast pouch.


    Instantly, a cry of a phoenix sounded, and amidst a flash of rainbow light, a Five-Colored Peacock shot out from within, unfolding its wings and hovering above the youth¡¯s head.


    It was indeed inconceivable!


    Wherever the rainbow light from the peacock shone, all malevolent winds ceased, immediately calming the storm.


    This entire scene was witnessed by the ancient devil.


    ¡°Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock!


    You actually possess such an Ancient Spiritual Bird.


    Pity, your prowess is too shallow.


    If it were fully grown, this Venerable might actually fear it a bit.¡± The ancient devil seemed a tad surprised.


    ¡°Oh, is that so?


    Then taste the power of the rainbow light first,¡± The surnamed Xu youth was entirely unmoved by the devil¡¯s words, and with a clear cry, the peacock above his head echoed, then with a fierce flap of its wings.


    Rainbow light blossomed in all directions, with the Five-Colored Peacock¡¯s aura swirling forth.


    The ancient devil snorted coldly, clenching a Purple Ring in each great hand, and as the two rings lightly touched, they emitted a piercing buzz, causing agitation and dizziness in one¡¯s Divine Sense.


    Immediately, the rings were thrown, multiplying into numerous purple shadows, overshadowing the nearby skies with an awe-inspiring display.


    Yet, the devil was not yet satisfied.


    With a gesture of his hands, layers of Black Demonic Qi radiated from its body, seemingly preparing to cast magic tools to bolster its treasure¡¯s attack.


    Across from them, the surnamed Xu youth and the Endless Sky Saintess each took out a treasure, one tossing a cluster of green light directly, and the other with the Silver Silkworm Brocade Handkerchief shining brightly, countless silver threads shooting forth.


    Just then, in midair, a faint purple and green smoke emerged out of the breeze and stealthily ascended to above the ancient devil¡¯s head, moving so silently and smoothly, that the skill of concealment was evident.


    The Purple Mirage collided with the Five-Colored Rainbow Light, causing sprays of Profound Heaven Immortal Vine flowers, while the Demonic Qi on the devil¡¯s body transformed into black pythons, viciously lunging.


    The faint purple and green smokes abruptly burst with dazzling light, and two silhouettes darted out, two sharp claws and a puff of grey fog suddenly enveloping from above, reaching the devil¡¯s head in an instant.


    At this critical moment, the treasures released by the surnamed Xu youth and the others also conveniently arrived in front of the devil, the timing executed seamlessly.


    The proximity of someone sneaking and launching a sudden attack naturally startled the ancient devil, but it did not truly panic and instead, with a move of its spiritual sense, the nearby Demonic Qi-formed pythons spiraled, immediately turning from offense to defense to block the cluster of green light and the dense silver threads.


    Meanwhile, both heads of the devil reared, one spewing out murky black flames while the other flickered with a dark flash.


    But then, unexpectedly, as the devil was completely distracted by the overhead sneak attack, at the edge of the grey formation flags setting the barrier below, a golden light flashed and a immense sword, with a thunderous roar, shot straight from the ground to strike upwards.


    With incredible swiftness, the giant sword reached proximity almost at the same moment the devil noticed, the purple flames and golden arcs on the sword fully visible to the stunned devil.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± In an instant, the ancient devil recognized the owner of the giant sword, yelling in a mix of alarm and anger.


    The sword approached too fast, and as the other attacks already consumed its attention, the devil could only frantically swing down its four arms.


    With a ¡°Swish!¡± sounds of air-tearing emerged, dozens of crystal-clear claw beams formed a large net, reaching for the sword.


    Such a hastily constructed blockade was naturally unable to stop the immense sword.


    In an instant, the sword pierced through the net and then flashed towards the devil.


    However, just as it hesitated, almost the very moment the sword was about to strike, a layer of pitch-black shield emerged around the devil, and with a loud boom, a massive light orb suddenly appeared, its dazzling light too intense for anyone to make out its details.


    On the ground, a silver arc flashed, and Han Li, using Thunderstorm Wings, surfaced from below, looking up with a frown.


    He had clearly felt a moment ago, that while the giant sword had struck the devil, it did not really land a solid blow and seemed to have slipped past as if meeting resistance.


    While he pondered in surprise, something stirred in the dazzling orb above, and with a ¡°Puchi¡±, a dark figure shot out like an arrow released from a taut bow, and in a blink, it vanished.


    In the next moment, it reappeared above Han Li¡¯s head.


    ¡°Die,¡± the enormous figure bellowed like thunder, a pitch-black giant blade humming with fury as it cleaved down towards Han Li, as fast as lightning.


    Although startled, Han Li was prepared.


    As the blade swung down, his Thunderstorm Wings flashed first, and with a surge of electric arcs, he vanished from the spot, the black blade barely missing by a whisker.


    A muffled roar resonated, leaving a several feet deep, giant slash mark on the ground.


    Some twenty-plus yards away, accompanied by rumblings of thunder, Han Li¡¯s figure reemerged, gazing back to where he had been.


    The enormous figure was indeed the ancient devil.


    But now it appeared extremely haggard, with only three of its four demonic arms undamaged; the remaining one having been chopped by nearly half, with a fist-sized hole suddenly appearing on one shoulder, while several large gouges crisscrossed its chest, almost splitting the devil open.


    It seemed that despite the devil¡¯s attempt to defend itself, Han Li and the others¡¯ joint attacks had dealt it a significant blow.


    Seeing Han Li escape from its presence, the ancient devil glared at him fiercely with all four eyes, and in a sudden movement of its hands,


    With a flash of black light, the humming giant blade astonishingly divided into two slightly smaller blades, still emitting a piercing shriek.


    (To be continued, for what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter updates are more frequent, support the author, support authorized reading!)

 Chapter 1046 - Chapter 1046 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1042 Beheading Demons

    ?Chapter 1046: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 1042: Beheading Demons Chapter 1046: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 1042: Beheading Demons The ancient devil flicked his double swords, and instantly the blades emitted countless palm-sized dark crescent moonlights, densely packed and shooting towards Han Li.


    This demon seemingly ignored the other cultivators, as if it had singled out Han Li as its opponent, determined to pursue him relentlessly.


    No wonder, among these people, it was Han Li and the Endless Sky Saintess who had the lowest cultivation, and Lin Yinping was in the air with the young Xu, naturally making the isolated Han Li seem like the most vulnerable target.


    Of course, this was also because this ancient devil was not the same Demon Soul from those years ago, it had never crossed swords with Han Li, otherwise it would never have the thought that would surely bring regret.


    Han Li saw the ancient devil charging fiercely and didn¡¯t show any signs of panic; instead, he flicked his sleeve, and a silver small shield shot out, instantly transforming into a huge shield in front of him.


    He gave the devil a glance and sighed lightly.


    The ancient devil, seeing Han Li¡¯s expression from afar, couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback, but immediately felt an unusual spiritual pressure under his feet.


    Before he could lower his head to look, ¡°Puchi¡±, a yellow light wrapped around a figure emerged strangely from the ground, appearing a few meters behind his back.


    Then, with a low shout from the figure, it swung a silver giant axe with a vicious wind, slashing down heavily.


    This person was the ugly wife Gui Ling, who had been lurking underneath Han Li¡¯s feet, with the terrifying cultivation of a grade ten demon beast, plus the full strength of a prepared strike.


    Before the axe fell, the powerful spiritual force contained on it caused the nearby ground to rumble and suddenly collapsed several inches deep.


    The ancient devil¡¯s expression changed, abandoning its attack on Han Li, its figure flickered, turning into a ghostly shape, while the double swords in its hands crossed and slashed upwards.


    Black light surged, and two thick beams of blade light shot out, hitting the silver axe squarely.


    The black and silver lights collided strangely and immediately exploded.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Hot and cold energies spun wildly in every direction.


    Surprisingly, the blade light temporarily halted the downward motion of the giant axe before it dissipated.


    Seizing this opportunity, the ancient devil managed to employ other devilish techniques.


    With a gesture, its body suddenly made cracking sounds from the joints, and it swelled rapidly.


    Meanwhile, bare sections of skin began to show bowl-sized dark green scales that shined as if they were instantly covered with a smooth layer of armor.


    The parts that were originally injured were also enveloped by the Black Demonic Qi, with flesh wriggling non-stop, healing at an incredibly fast pace.


    After the ancient devil¡¯s figure completed a rotation, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, he took a deep breath, and upon opening his mouth, rings of vibrations, almost solid, surged outwards.


    The descending giant axe was caught and seemed to be blocked by an invisible force, unable to fall any further.


    And then, the devil suddenly uttered a bizarre spell incantation, and with a flash of black light from his scales, black and purple flames, about a foot long, burst out, enveloping his entire body in flames.


    It was clear he was about to use some formidable secret technique.


    Gui Ling¡¯s heart tightened, but instead of retreating, she let out a loud cry and her figure suddenly swelled.


    She too manifested a layer of green battle armor and employed the Giant Technique.


    As the demon transformed into a larger form, the silver axe, too, emitted a brilliant light and grew in size, and with this formidable power, it slashed down again.


    Gui Ling¡¯s transformation was somewhat unexpected for the ancient devil.


    Confronting the now larger and more imposing figure than his own, the devil was taken aback, halting his incantation mid-sentence.


    He quickly raised the black blades in his hands to meet the axe, but his figure simultaneously drifted backwards.


    With the black blades and the giant axe making contact, a thunderous roar erupted, and a spiritual wind dispersed in all directions.


    With the devil prepared, he was unharmed and, taking advantage of the wind, sped backwards even faster without any damage.


    But as he shot backwards, the ancient devil gave a sinister laugh.


    His third arm, holding a green long halberd, suddenly emitted a layer of Black Demonic Qi, and with a wave, it turned into a meteor heading straight for Gui Ling¡¯s large body.


    The speed was so fast, like lightning and thunder, and in a flash, it struck Gui Ling¡¯s massive form, causing an explosion of stabbing light against the armor.


    Subsequently, without waiting for the ancient devil¡¯s figure to stabilize, the spell incantation resumed in his mouth, preparing to cast the nearly ready secret technique.


    It seemed he didn¡¯t believe that his previous strike could truly annihilate a grade ten demon-transformed beast.


    But just then, an unforeseen change occurred!


    Behind the ancient devil, a faint black light flashed, and a crystal-clear ink-like small grey sword emerged out of nowhere, silently and instantly, the black line flashed, and the dagger disappeared mysteriously.


    Almost at the same time, the ancient devil¡¯s formidable spiritual sense detected something amiss in advance, his figure moved, trying to shoot away.


    But in an instant, his head felt as if it was pierced by a cone-shaped object, and his Divine Sense suddenly suffered intense pain.


    Even with the devil¡¯s powerful Divine Sense, such a sudden attack caused him to stagger, and his actions hesitated for a moment.


    And in that brief delay, a faint, virtually invisible bloodline appeared on the neck of the head, which then rolled off without warning, spurting blood several feet high from the neck.


    At this moment, a good distance away, Han Li¡¯s complexion turned pale as he released the hand seals he had been forming, his expression looking significantly drained.


    The strike from the ancient devil¡¯s Divine Sense just now was a simplified version of the ¡°God Shocking Sting¡± attack technique derived from the Great Development Technique, modified slightly by Han Li after his research.


    Though this consciousness attack lacked the full power of a true ¡°Spiritual Stab¡± due to Han Li not having cultivated the final layers of the Great Development Technique, it was devastatingly effective when deployed unexpectedly, catching anyone unguarded by surprise and significantly affecting them.


    Thus, he named this secret technique ¡°Lost God Sting¡± to differentiate it from the true ¡°God Shocking Sting¡±.


    Even though Han Li had intentionally reduced the power of this Divine Sense attack, it still left him so dizzy and disoriented that he was incapable of launching a second strike.


    The ancient devil¡¯s remaining head opened and closed its eyes, as if it couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened, but then it let out an angry and startled howl, as numerous streams of Demonic Qi suddenly enveloped its entire body.


    The Demonic Qi then started rolling violently, and the ancient devil¡¯s figure blurred and disappeared without a trace.


    The very next moment, some thirty to forty meters away, the air started distorting!


    A strange black Qi then emerged, and the ancient devil stumbled out of it, clearly within the Demonic Qi.


    It seemed that, although the devil wasn¡¯t killed by the severed head, the injury was severe indeed.


    From the moment Gui Ling appeared and cleaved down with her axe, to the ancient devil being decapitated and gravely wounded, and then its hasty escape, all these actions happened in the blink of an eye, as quick as a flash of lightning.


    The young man surnamed Xu and the Silver-winged Yaksha watched from above, stunned!


    This was not at all like what they had initially planned.


    Their original strategy was just to jointly strike once, to momentarily drive the devil away from the nearby transportation formation.


    Whether they could actually injure the devil was never part of their calculations.


    But now, after being pressured by them to the ground, not only did Han Li follow their plan and stealthily attacked the devil with Gui Ling, but what followed next was completely unexpected.


    Han Li seemed hell-bent on annihilating the devil.


    How did that mysterious dagger appear behind the devil without them noticing from their vantage point above?


    Would they have noticed if it appeared behind them?


    Just as this thought emerged, the young man surnamed Xu and the Silver-winged Yaksha both felt a chill run down their spines, and their expressions subtly changed.


    However, it must be said the ancient devil was extremely unlucky!


    Facing so many great cultivators attacking in quick succession didn¡¯t leave it any breathing room, with its astonishing Divine Skills at hand it still hadn¡¯t a chance to use them and ended up heavily injured out of the blue.


    Otherwise, if it had the chance to display its formidable devilish techniques, even with Han Li and the others combining forces, inflicting such critical damage would not be an easy feat.


    Thus, when the ancient devil reappeared, its remaining head twisted and with a gaze filled with extreme resentment, it glared hatefully at Han Li before it shrouded itself in a Black Demonic Qi, ready to flee towards the direction of the lady in the black robe.


    It recognized that in its current state, it stood no chance against Han Li and the rest, and had no intention of engaging in a desperate struggle.


    But as Han Li looked at the devil, a mocking expression crossed his face.


    All of a sudden, a burst of silver light exploded near the devil, followed by a shadow flickering and appearing mysteriously.


    The ancient devil, startled as if a frightened bird, immediately got into a defensive stance, shielding itself with a swirling Demonic Qi.


    It looked over to face its adversary and the moment their eyes met, its world turned upside down, leaving only two malevolent purple gleams in its mind and nothing else.


    ¡°Bewildering Technique!¡±


    The ancient devil¡¯s Divine Sense was so powerful that even late Nascent Soul cultivators could not compare, thus when it was once daunted by Qian the devil¡¯s Dazzling Crystal, it was only momentarily confused and quickly regained its senses.


    But in that momentary lapse, a cyan light appeared amidst the thunderous noise, swiftly arriving in front of the Demonic Qi, weaving gold arcs that the recently recovered devil could clearly see.


    ¡°Devilbane Lightning!¡± The devil was taken aback, recognizing the origin of the golden arcs that had once greatly troubled many ancient demons.


    If it hadn¡¯t been injured before, it might have been able to activate a secret technique to defend itself, but now the devil was reluctant to directly confront the attack, fearing further significant loss of Qi.


    Right then, the devil swung a hand, and a dark pocket of Qi quickly surged, instantly forming a small black shield that flew directly to meet the green light, while the body of the devil blurred and transported itself several meters away to another spot.


    But at the exact moment the devil was stabilizing its new position, a sudden peal of thunder sounded from behind.


    ¡°Not good!¡± The devil¡¯s heart sank, and before it could react, accompanied by a streak of silver lightning, Han Li with his wings unfurled appeared behind the devil, flinging his sleeves and releasing a Purple Fire Flood Dragon along with dozens of small golden swords shooting towards it.


    Han Li¡¯s timing was impeccable; the devil, even if it wanted to dodge, didn¡¯t have time to completely evade.


    Left with no choice, the devil¡¯s sole remaining head took the eerie action of rotating 180 degrees to face Han Li, then opened its mouth, and out came wave after wave of extraordinary black shockwaves, while both demonic arms shook, pulling out two black blades and brandishing them in immediate response.


    What the devil did not expect, however, was at the exact moment its head began to turn, the Black Flying Dagger that had previously decapitated one of its heads had once again mysteriously appeared in its space before vanishing in a flash.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1049 - Chapter 1049 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Swallowing the Infant

    ?Chapter 1049: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Swallowing the Infant Chapter 1049: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Swallowing the Infant The scholar in the white robe was forced out, and at the same time, the black and red blade light that was chopping down in the distance was greatly affected.


    In a flash, the intensity of the black and red aura greatly decreased, surprisingly allowing the Vivid Glass Beast¡¯s giant sword and the Silver Pitchfork to block the huge blade from chopping down.


    The eccentric¡¯s figure flickered, and he seized the chance to shoot away diagonally, finally escaping the range of the giant blade¡¯s chop.


    ¡°Seventh Uncle, where do you think you can escape to?


    The Black Blood Blade is the Ye Family¡¯s inherited treasure and the artifact used by our clan to deal with traitors.


    Since you¡¯ve colluded with the ancient devilish techniques¡¯ Divine Ancestor and abandoned the Ye Family, don¡¯t blame your nephews for being discourteous.


    This Eight Spirit Ruler is an essential item for the Ye Family.


    If you want to offer it to those demons, you¡¯ll have to bring your own life first,¡± said the scholar in the white robe, ignoring the wound on his chest, sternly speaking towards the distant eccentric.


    Hearing the scholar¡¯s words, the complexion of the Vivid Glass Beast began to alternate between red and white, but soon he let out a cold laugh, displaying an unconcerned expression, without any intent to argue.


    Seeing the eccentric¡¯s indifferent expression, a flash of evil aura passed through his face, and his eyebrows gradually inverted, turning his whole demeanor into one of extreme ferocity, vastly different from his previously scholarly and refined image.


    The black-robed woman, having not killed the scholar with her previous hit, was somewhat surprised.


    Now, seeing the scholar emitting such a ferocious evil aura, she frowned slightly, and without another word, she grasped into the void.


    Her motion was nonchalant and showed no trace of anger.


    But immediately afterward, a ¡°hisses¡± sound of breaking through the air came.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Five half-foot long, crystal-clear sharp lights shot out from her hand, vanishing in a flash before appearing in front of the scholar, their speed akin to instantaneous movement.


    The scholar in the white robe¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted, but curiously, he showed no intention of dodging.


    Instead, he opened his mouth and spat out a disk-shaped fiery red Daoist paper talisman, which, turning slightly, emitted thousands of red beams that engulfed his figure.


    The five sharp lights did not strike the Daoist paper talisman.


    Instead, a white large hand appeared in front of the scholar, moving faster than thunder, and grabbed the sharp lights, slightly squeezing them to disperse and vanish.


    The black-robed woman, seeing this scene, her gaze flickered, showing a grave expression.


    At this moment, a cold laugh from Long Meng came from within the palace:


    ¡°Yuan Sha, you are able to manipulate humans to fetch treasures for you, I too can collaborate with human cultivators.


    Don¡¯t think about easily breaking the restrictive formations of the Eight Spirit Ruler.


    I would also like to see, after being suppressed for so many years, how much of your devilish techniques that once dominated the human world could still be displayed under the Spiritual Treasure of the Buddhist sect.


    Even if you do manage to break the Eight Spirit Ruler by luck, I wonder how much strength will remain when you face me, absorbing some Demonic Qi with external aid.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, the face of the black-robed woman slightly changed, her eyes suddenly turned cold, but she casually said:


    ¡°No matter how much Demonic Qi remains, dealing with your soul remnant without a body, I, the Divine Ancestor, am still quite confident.


    Besides, there are so many panaceas here, what should I fear about losing some Demonic Qi?¡±


    ¡°Panacea?


    Old Devil, you are thinking¡­¡± Long Meng¡¯s voice paused, then suddenly recalled something, and her voice immediately changed.


    But before she could finish speaking, the black-robed woman gave a sinister smile and flicked the Black Wind Banner lightly with her hand.


    Suddenly, a green incantation shot out, striking the Spiritual Treasure and entering it.


    The originally still black giant banner shuddered, the tip sinking slightly, and black light burst out, a black light beam shooting forth.


    The light beam vanished in a flash; as soon as it left the black banner, it disappeared from view, then reappeared in front of the square-faced cultivator afar.


    Then it exploded.


    After the scatter of some black spiritual light, instantly a black whirlwind surged into the sky at the spot, unexpectedly pulling the unsuspecting square-faced cultivator into it.


    Amid the whirlwind, a mournful howl began to sound, revealing countless sinister black Wind Blades, which, under violent rotation, seemed like thousands of sharp blades chaotically slashing toward the center.


    The square-faced cultivator was alarmed and hurriedly poured all his spiritual power into the bone hoop on his body.


    Phantasms regenerated on the bone hoop, forming a glaring yellow aura shield, thoroughly protecting the cultivator.


    But the number of black Wind Blades was too vast and dense, and they seemed to contain some special divine power; each Wind Blade that struck the aura shield disappeared in a flash, unexpectedly not bursting apart!


    However, the surface of the shield started showing palm-sized, dense tears appearing out of thin air.


    Under such bizarre attacks, although the aura shield formed by the yellow light was robust and tough, it shattered into pieces in an instant, then under the disbelieving gaze of the square-faced cultivator, the black hurricane¡¯s rotation suddenly intensified, the shield collapsed amidst countless flashing black lights, and the bone hoop also began to crack inch by inch.


    The square-faced cultivator¡¯s face lost all color, then gritted his teeth, spat out an azure flying sword from his mouth, and with a low roar, merged with the sword, turning into an azure rainbow shooting out-leaving the clearly doomed Heaven Stretching Bracelet at the original spot.


    It seemed he was well aware, staying further was only a dead end, and the only option left was a desperate attempt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± The scholar in white robed exclaimed in a changed face as soon as he saw the square-faced cultivator¡¯s action.


    But it was already too late.


    As soon as the azure rainbow entered the dark hurricane, it flashed erratically, followed by a scream of agony, as the azure rainbow exploded completely.


    The square-faced cultivator was immediately dismembered by the chaotic blades.


    But amid the scattered corpse, a shrill scream arose, and immediately, three differently colored orbs of light shot out, each containing a Nascent Soul about an inch tall.


    The three Nascent Souls linked together and fled in the same direction.


    Not only the Nascent Soul of the square-faced cultivator but also the other two Nascent Souls of the Ye Clan members that he had captured were forced to flee again.


    But with wind blades densely packed all around, they had no escape route and only flew a short distance before being trapped together by numerous wind blades.


    Just as they were about to be torn into countless pieces, a flash of black light in the hurricane caused all wind blades to tremble and disappear.


    The three Nascent Souls were momentarily stunned but soon flashed their protective brilliance with great joy, ready to flee again.


    Just as they moved, the black-robed woman saw this, a sneer appearing at the corner of her mouth.


    She slightly bent her fingers on one hand and slowly grasped at the hurricane.


    The Nascent Souls immediately felt the air around them flash with white light, then solidify, rendering their limbs and bodies unable to move at all.


    Almost simultaneously, countless black light spots appeared in the hurricane, converging on the Nascent Souls, enveloping them inside, forming three black light orbs.


    The black-robed woman then pinched a technique with both hands and strange, profound incantations came from her mouth.


    With a flash of black radiance, the orbs disappeared within the hurricane without a trace.


    But the next moment, a bright spiritual light appeared in front of the black-robed woman, and the three orbs surreally slid from the void, having been transported in front of her through the Great Divine Power used by the Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha.


    ¡°Demons, what are you trying to do, stop!¡± The scholar in the white robe grew incredibly anxious upon seeing this, hastily pointing at the nearby Black Blood Blade, which immediately burst forth with brilliant light, intending to slash over and save them.


    ¡°It¡¯s already too late!¡± Long Meng said indifferently.


    As this statement ended, a flash of blood red in the beautiful eyes of the black-robed woman, suddenly her red lips parted, and a blood mist sprayed out, penetrating the orbs and enveloping the three Nascent Souls inside.


    The Nascent Souls, with expressions of terror on their faces, shrank rapidly within the radiant light, shrunk to the size of a fingertip, enveloped by the blood mist and rolled down, being directly sucked into the woman¡¯s mouth and then swallowed into her belly.


    This series of actions, although complex, were completed in a breath by the black-robed woman as if with practiced ease.


    Even the scholar who typically remained emotionally unperturbed now had a face ashen.


    And at that moment, the Black Blood Blade, just starting to radiate, trembled slightly.


    After a moment, the Great Elder of the Ye Clan finally suppressed the shock and anger in his heart and calmed the Black Blood Blade.


    ¡°Elder Long Meng, what is the meaning of this?


    Why not save our Ye Clan cultivators?


    With your divine powers, it should be possible.


    Could it be that the previous talk of cooperation was merely empty words!¡± The scholar said harshly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Why should I save them?


    That person was just a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and although he has a replicated Spiritual Treasure, its power is pitifully weak, not even a tenth of the original.


    My spiritual power is limited; why would I waste it on someone useless?


    Also, make no mistake, it was not a cooperation with the Ye Clan; it was only a one-time union with you,¡± Long Meng coldly replied from under the palace.


    ¡°What if this demon absorbs the Nascent Soul and fully restores its Qi?¡± The scholar still looked uncomfortable.


    ¡°What do you know?


    Absorbing Nascent Souls can temporarily increase Old Devil Zenith Yin¡¯s mana, but doing so forces him to refine the Nascent Souls with demonic Qi in a short time, causing a significant drain on his demonic energy.


    It seems he is preparing to use the divine powers of my Two-headed Silver Wolf body, hence the willingness to expend significant demonic energy.


    Am I wrong, Yuan Sha!¡± Long Meng spoke chillingly, addressing the last sentence to the black-robed woman.


    ¡°Correct, I also had no intention of hiding this from you.


    You know how powerful your own body is without me having to tell you.


    I originally wanted to save some mana and break through the Eight Spirit Ruler¡¯s restrictions using only the Black Wind Banner, but now I feel doing so would take too long.


    To avoid potential changes due to delay, I, the Divine Ancestor, am ready to risk significant loss of demonic energy, using this Divinity Transformation period wolf demon¡¯s body to swiftly eliminate you,¡± the black-robed woman said unabashedly.


    Then, she exhaled lightly, pinched a technique with both hands, and her whole body was enveloped in a dazzling silver brilliance, as blinding as a disk of silver sun that was impossible to look directly at.


    Amid the silver light, a wolf howl that seemed to reach the heavens resounded, followed by an immensely strong spiritual pressure descending into the space out of nowhere.


    The entire space, under the interference of this powerful spiritual pressure, emitted a low humming sound, and the ground also violently trembled, revealing cracks of various sizes.


    WithEmailAndPassword: The silver light swelled and contracted, growing dozens of times larger, and then the brilliance receded, revealing a mountain-sized Two-headed Silver Wolf.


    With one black and one silver head, the silver eyes slightly closed and drooping, while the black one looked upward, baring its teeth, eyes wide open with fury!


    Gazing at the giant claws on the wolf¡¯s forepaws, like huge blades, the heads as large as attics, and the unbelievably strong spiritual pressure, both the scholar in white robe and the opposing Vivid Glass Beast, couldn¡¯t help but draw a sharp breath, their eyes transfixed without blinking on this enormous creature.


    (Yesterday¡¯s second update!


    Going to sleep now, will code today¡¯s when I wake up, also asking everyone for the guaranteed monthly ticket.


    It¡¯s double the monthly ticket period now, hope everyone won¡¯t miss it, best to cast the guaranteed monthly ticket during this period!


    Hope everyone will continue to like this book in the new year, I will also do my best to code more exciting content for everyone.


    Thank you all for your long-time support for ordinary mortals, throughout such a long time of never leaving.


    Wan Xiaoshan sincerely says ¡°Thank you!¡± to everyone!!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support legalized reading!)

 Chapter 1050 - Chapter 1050 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1046 Blood Blade Division Reappears

    ?Chapter 1050: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1046 Blood Blade Division Reappears Chapter 1050: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1046 Blood Blade Division Reappears As the lady in the black robe finally revealed her Silvermoon Wolf demon form, Han Li, along with the young man named Xu, Gui Ling, and two others, slowly surrounded a figure radiating faint red light.


    The four of them all stared at this person, their expressions very unfriendly.


    The Silver-winged Nightfiend Ghost and the Lion Bird watched the scene from a distance, showing no intention of intervening.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoists?


    Why surround Zheng here?


    I have not offended any of you!¡±


    The person within the red light appeared to be an old man in his fifties, exuding a benign aura, but his eyes flickering nervously-he was none other than the True Man of Dispersal!


    ¡°If you were transported here, why did you secretly hide away?


    If you are not harboring ulterior motives, then you must have another agenda,¡± Xu said expressionlessly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is joking,¡± retorted the True Man of Dispersal.


    ¡°Having suddenly arrived and seeing so many esteemed figures, I naturally had to be cautious without knowing if you were friends or foes.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?


    Then why hide next to my lady?


    Your Escape Technique is indeed profound.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    If not for the rainbow light of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock just happening to sweep over there, I would have remained completely unaware,¡± Lin Yinping said with a raised eyebrow, her face showing displeasure.


    ¡°You misunderstand, Miss, that was¡­¡±


    The True Man of Dispersal wore a forced smile and tried to explain, but just then, Han Li coldly interjected:


    ¡°Before entering the Demon Suppression Tower, was it you who used a magic treasure to attack me from behind?


    You fled swiftly, but your silhouette gave you away.


    Moreover, although that Blood Blade was sealed, the evil blood Qi still faintly emanated from you.


    Along the way, that blade must have devoured quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Of those cultivators who entered with you, I did not encounter even one on my way here.


    Their fate, hehe¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Xu and Lin Yinping shuddered.


    The smile on the True Man of Dispersal¡¯s face froze, but he immediately shook his head like a rattling drum, vehemently denying, ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, you must be joking.


    What aura of bloody evil?


    Zheng is merely a Loose Cultivator; I do not possess such heaven-defying killing artifacts.


    Without evidence, you cannot wrong me like this.¡±


    ¡°Evidence?


    Ridiculous, if it isn¡¯t you, then just die!¡± A chilly look flashed across Han Li¡¯s face as he bellowed.


    A small golden sword, just inches long, flew out from his mouth, transforming into a streak of golden light fiercely slashing towards the True Man of Dispersal.


    Xu and Lin Yinping exchanged glances but did not move to intervene.


    The True Man of Dispersal was startled and began to plead, saying words like ¡°misunderstanding,¡± but at the same time, he waved a sleeve and released a Blue Flying Sword to counter Han Li¡¯s strike.


    The two flying swords instantly intertwined and battled in the air, with flashes of spiritual light and continuous explosions.


    Han Li, seeing this, let out a cold laugh.


    He formed a gesture with both hands, and the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword immediately surged in brilliance.


    After the Blue Flying Sword let out a mournful cry, it was cut into two by a flash of golden light, falling to the ground as scrap metal.


    The True Man of Dispersal was shocked and helplessly raised another gesture, summoning a green copper shield, which also met the same fate, unable to withstand Han Li¡¯s sword light.


    This scene made Xu¡¯s eyelids twitch.


    After all, Auric Essence was a rare material not found in every flying sword.


    Han Li¡¯s sword was so sharp it put the Great Immortal Master on high alert.


    The golden flying sword continued towards the True Man of Dispersal¡¯s head.


    The True Man of Dispersal¡¯s face flickered wildly, and suddenly, a flash of white light appeared at his feet, transforming into a white shadow darting to one side.


    However, Gui Ling emotionlessly blocked his way, causing the True Man of Dispersal to twist his body and try to escape in another direction.


    But Xu moved calmly and strangely blocked his path again, forcing the True Man of Dispersal to stop his streak of light.


    Just as he was delayed by these moments, the golden light reached right above his head, and with a buzzing sound, transformed into numerous sword shadows that enveloped him directly.


    Seeing no way to escape, a fierce look finally surfaced on True Man of Dispersal¡¯s face.


    With a sudden shake of his sleeves, a slash of blood light fiercely cut through,


    With a ¡°bang,¡± the golden sword shadows scattered and reverted back to a golden sword a foot long, flying back several meters, while the slash of blood light after a tremble turned into more than a dozen streaks of blood light chasing after it.


    A series of slashing sounds followed, and the blood light instantly submerged the golden sword, the thick scent of blood causing everyone in the area, whether humans or demons, to frown in discomfort.


    These were no ordinary cultivators; naturally, they could sense how terrifying this blood Qi was.


    Yet, Han Li was squinting his eyes, watching everything happening in the air, his expression motionless as if it wasn¡¯t his magic treasure being attacked in the sky.


    The young man surnamed Xu glanced at Han Li, a flash of surprise in his eyes!


    True Man of Dispersal seemed to have noticed something was amiss.


    His expression darkened as he pointed into the air.


    Instantly all the blood-red light shot back, circled around, and then reformed into a half-foot long dagger above his head, as red as blood, wrapped in a faint mist of blood.


    ¡°So it really is you!


    This Blood Blade is crafted in imitation of the Devil Dragon Blade, isn¡¯t it?¡± Han Li stared at the dagger and spoke slowly.


    As soon as the words ¡°Devil Dragon Blade¡± were spoken, everyone present was visibly moved, even the Silver-winged Yaksha, a demon creature, had a flash of astonishment in its eyes as it stared at the Blood Blade in the air.


    True Man of Dispersal did not respond to Han Li¡¯s words; instead, he stared at the golden flying sword beside Han Li, a look of shock on his face.


    The reason was that despite numerous strikes from the Blood Blade, the sword still shimmered with golden light and did not have even a scratch on it.


    This made True Man of Dispersal, who knew the current power of the Blood Blade, somewhat incredulous.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother.


    My flying sword is quite special; even if your Blood Blade is very powerful, thinking to destroy it is nothing but wishful thinking,¡± Han Li said with a corner of his mouth lifting, and with a gesture, the golden flying sword trembled and flew back to him.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to kill me anymore!¡± True Man of Dispersal said, his gaze flashing.


    ¡°Kill you?


    Why should I kill you?


    Those people you killed are neither relatives nor friends of mine; I have no interest in avenging them.


    But if you truly aren¡¯t who I think you are, there¡¯s no use in keeping you alive.


    However, now that you have such a powerful artifact, on the contrary, we could actually cooperate with you,¡± Han Li said with a sinister smile.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± The young man surnamed Xu¡¯s expression shifted slightly, vaguely guessing Han Li¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°To get out of here, brute force is our only option.


    Even if the Black Wind Banner is a heavenly spiritual treasure, Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha must divide his attention to fend off enemies, likely unable to unleash its full power.


    If we attack a specific point in the space forcefully, we should have a chance to break through this space,¡± Han Li said in a deep voice.


    Having once broken through a space in the Spirit Ether Garden, he felt somewhat confident in his heart.


    Although at that time, it was possible because they found an unstable point in the space.


    However, now, he was not the only Nascent Soul cultivator trapped here; if they could coordinate well, with sufficient power, they should likewise be able to achieve it.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han makes sense; I wonder what Silver-winged friend thinks?¡± The young man surnamed Xu pondered for a moment before turning to ask the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    ¡°The Blood Blade possessed by this person seems quite powerful; as long as we can leave this place, of course, we can try!¡± Silver-winged Yaksha stared at True Man of Dispersal for a moment, a strange color flashing in his eyes before he spoke without hesitation.


    Seeing this, Han Li nodded slightly and then casually said to True Man of Dispersal not far away:


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard our terms.


    We don¡¯t mean to harm you.


    By working together to break this space, you¡¯re helping us, and you¡¯re helping yourself.


    You wouldn¡¯t want to be devoured by those demons along with your Nascent Soul, right?¡±


    True Man of Dispersal¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but his gaze flickered non-stop, clearly contemplating Han Li¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°After we leave, we¡¯ll each go our separate ways; you guys won¡¯t settle scores after autumn, will you!¡± True Man of Dispersal finally spoke.


    ¡°Do you think we are like those idle Daoist fellows who have nothing better to do?


    As long as you don¡¯t make a move against us again, who would bother finding trouble with you!¡± The young man surnamed Xu snorted coldly, disdainfully saying.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true.


    If there were some from Taiyi Sect here, I¡¯d indeed need to think it over more carefully.


    Now that all fellow Daoists speak so, Zheng will certainly not refuse,¡± True Man of Dispersal suddenly smiled, agreeing readily.


    His quick agreement was a bit surprising to Han Li, yet it was within reason.


    Immediately, the group gathered to discuss their coordination plans.


    Apparently, the greater the attack power to break the spatial barrier, the better, but that didn¡¯t mean all attacks should be released simultaneously.


    After all, the attacking methods, magical treasures, and attributes of the people were different, blending them simultaneously might conversely interfere and reduce the efficiency of the attack.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I remember you also have an invisible companion by your side; why not call him out too, his flying daggers clearly have significant power,¡± after discussing for a while, the young man surnamed Xu suddenly mentioned to Han Li subtly.


    Silver-winged Yaksha and the others also shifted their expressions and looked at Han Li.


    However, Han Li internally cursed the young man surnamed Xu, but his expression remained unchanged.


    After a slight pause, he replied:


    ¡°Rest assured, my fellow Daoist will indeed lend us a helping hand.


    As for calling him out, let¡¯s skip that.


    Due to his cultivation technique, it¡¯s inconvenient for him to meet with all fellow Daoists.¡±


    Hearing Han Li say this, the young man surnamed Xu showed dissatisfaction, but after just witnessing Han Li¡¯s bizarre divine skill in killing the two-headed ancient devil, he dared not to press further and could only snort coldly and leave it at that.


    True Man of Dispersal, from the moment he agreed to collaborate, had been smiling cheerfully, but seeing Han Li apparently having some friction with the young man surnamed Xu, a cold glint stealthily flashed through his pupils.


    At this moment, his expression changed slightly and then returned to normal, he slowly lowered his head as if pondering, making it difficult for others to see his face.


    But in reality, True Man of Dispersal¡¯s lips moved subtly, secretly passing messages to someone present.


    After a moment, he lifted his head again, his face filled with a smile.


    However, nobody noticed the hand he kept behind his back-whose back inexplicably sprouted dense, inch-long white hairs, hard as needles.(To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support legal reading!)

 Chapter 1051 - Chapter 1051 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Breakthrough Change

    ?Chapter 1051: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Breakthrough Change Chapter 1051: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1045 Breakthrough Change True Man of Dispersal¡¯s arm hairs, which had appeared for just a brief instant, were promptly retracted back into his skin, disappearing without a trace.


    Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued discussing with Han Li and the others about breaking through the barrier.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was neither warm nor cold, and his tone was muted; however, no one noticed a strand of his spiritual sense sneaking into a spirit beast pouch, gently pacifying the suddenly restless Weeping Soul Beast while simultaneously rapidly processing a myriad of thoughts in his mind.


    Within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Han Li and his companions had already agreed on an approach to action.


    They each shifted their positions, selected a spot, and proceeded to take out their respective formation flags and Array Plates, setting up auxiliary Arrays that could enhance their attacking strength.


    Han Li and a young man surnamed Xu, however, joined forces to lay out an attack formation named ¡°Windflame Dragon Fierce Array.¡± Although this Array could not compare with some of the Great Unbreakable Formations of major sects, it was the most formidable attack formation that the group could hastily arrange at the moment.


    It was estimated that once the Array was fully set up and activated, it would be powerful enough to withstand a full strike from a late Nascent Soul cultivator wielding an ordinary Daoist paper talisman.


    Naturally, it would be of great use.


    After a quarter of an hour passed, all Arrays were finished being set up.


    Gui Ling, Silver-winged Yaksha, and others also entered their respective auxiliary Arrays.


    As for the ¡°Windflame Dragon Fierce Array,¡± it was naturally jointly controlled by Han Li and the young man surnamed Xu.


    It was somewhat ironic that Han Li and Heaventide Sanctuary, originally in a life-and-death struggle, were now forced to cooperate in an instant.


    The young man surnamed Xu glanced at the hazy barrier not far ahead, raised a hand, and shot a milky white sphere of light that struck the barrier.


    Instead of exploding upon impact, the sphere of light paused slightly and hovered on the surface of the barrier, flickering, becoming an extremely conspicuous target.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°When the time comes for our fellow daoists to strike, aim for this spot!¡± commanded the young man surnamed Xu without any pleasantries.


    The others said nothing in response, tacitly agreeing to the plan.


    Seeing this, the young man surnamed Xu turned and gave Han Li, who was within the Array, a nod.


    Han Li merely smiled without a word, formed an incantation with his fingers, and flicked them outward, sending out a stream of Incantations.


    In an instant, dozens of formation flags around him shone with colorful spiritual lights, and a loud humming sound ensued.


    The young man surnamed Xu took a deep breath, his hand radiating a fiery red light, and suddenly pressed down towards the ground.


    A series of red lights, with him at the center, transmitted towards several Array Plates buried deep underground.


    The ground trembled, followed by a series of ¡°puff¡± sounds.


    More than a dozen fiery red columns of fire shot up within the Array, each as thick as a bowl and exuding intense heat, as if even the nearby air was ignited.


    Everyone felt a sense of dryness in their mouth and tongue.


    At this moment, Han Li turned over his palm, revealing a light cyan Array Plate.


    He casually slapped the Array Plate, and as green light flickered, responding lights suddenly emerged within the Array amid a few roars.


    More than a dozen hazy green Wind Flood Dragons condensed in the Array.


    At the incantation from Han Li, each one targeted a flame column and lunged upward.


    Immediately, wind and fire merged, transforming into several Wind Fire Flood Dragons, their bodies made of wind and their scales of fire.


    With the wind bolstering the fire, both the wind and the fire surged.


    ¡°Take action!¡±


    Once the Wind Fire Flood Dragons were formed, the young man surnamed Xu¡¯s face flashed with joy as he shouted loudly.


    He then spat out a hazy green bead that, alongside the Light Rhinoceros Peacock swirling above him, flashed its wings, and a torrent of five-colored spiritual light surged out, wrapping around the bead as it directly rushed towards the barrier with an impressive momentum.


    Silver-winged Yaksha, Lin Yinping, and others also triggered their own auxiliary Arrays, employing Divine Skills or summoning Daoist paper talismans to attack in a specific order, all targeting the barrier.


    Thunderous booms resounded from the barrier one after another as vast auras of spiritual energy exploded, their force seemingly shaking the very fabric of the space.


    Han Li, however, swept his robes, and dozens of golden flying swords soared up into the sky, which then transformed into hundreds of sword glows.


    The blinding golden brilliance almost obscured the entire sky.


    The nearby young man surnamed Xu and other cultivators, recalling the sharpness of the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, all changed their expressions slightly, their wariness towards Han Li deepening.


    Han Li, however, didn¡¯t care what others were thinking.


    Under the command of his Incantations, these sword glows instantly converged into a giant sword over ten meters long.


    With another incantation, a layer of golden arcs of lightning appeared on the surface of the sword, accompanied by rumblings of thunder.


    However, even though the giant sword was formed, Han Li did not rush to activate it right away.


    Instead, with a low shout, he suddenly threw the Magical Disc in his hand.


    Then, with a series of finger incantations, he tapped towards the Magical Disc several times.


    The Magical Disc trembled violently in mid-air, then exploded with a dull thud, a large swath of green light cascading downwards before disappearing into the Array in an instant.


    The surrounding formation flags, after absorbing the green light, erupted with astonishing spiritual light.


    The ten-plus Wind Fire Flood Dragons in the sky tumbled over, emitting dragon¡¯s cries from their mouths, their bodies swelling several times in size.


    With bared fangs and claws, they lunged ferociously forward.


    The Wind Fire Flood Dragons struck the barrier in a staggered line, one after another, with tremendous force.


    This time, the hazy barrier finally trembled violently, and began to twist and deform.


    When the last Wind Fire Flood Dragon exploded into a vast orb of wind and fire upon the barrier, a streak of blood-red light flashed by and transformed into a colossal Blood Blade that slashed at the same spot.


    ¡°`


    With a ¡°crash¡± like that of breaking porcelain, there came a brittle sound.


    Finally, a crack about a meter long appeared on the barrier, only about a foot deep, and did not completely penetrate.


    But just as the crack was about to heal with a flash of black light,


    The young man surnamed Xu and the Silver-winged Yaksha and others would not let such an opportunity pass in vain.


    Immediately, numerous treasures battered the crack like a storm, barely slowing down the healing process.


    At this moment, Han Li made his move.


    The Giant Sword, ready to be unleashed at any moment, transformed into a gold thunderbolt amidst the roar and fiercely struck the crack.


    The golden light exploded in the crack, like the rise of a golden sun, and the meter-sized crack instantly dissolved and expanded several times in size.


    The effect of this attack was as if it far exceeded the combined attacks of everyone before.


    Not only were the others taken aback, but Han Li himself was also stunned.


    What was going on?


    Judging from the situation just now, it was as if the Devilbane Lightning was specifically effective against this barrier.


    Could it be that the Black Wind Banner was actually a Devilish Spiritual Treasure?


    If so, it wasn¡¯t impossible for this to happen.


    While Han Li was muttering to himself, the golden light receded, and a faint white light started to shine through the barrier, making the crack seem as if it was only a thin layer remaining.


    Seeing this, everyone was elated, but before anyone could immediately urge their magical artifacts to attack, a black flying dagger, about an inch long, silently appeared in front of the crack, then flashed past and disappeared.


    Following that, there was a faint ¡°pop¡±, and the thin barrier showed a flash of black light, subsequently shattering inch by inch, revealing a large hole several meters wide, through which a very familiar scene could be seen outside.


    At the sight of this scene, everyone was thrilled, but with a flash of silver light, a figure had eerily appeared in front of the barrier and then dashed through the opening.


    It was Han Li¡¯s Humanoid Puppet.


    This prompted the others, who had been somewhat hesitant, to panic.


    Without further thought, they all used their various Escape Techniques, shooting towards the only way out.


    Han Li¡¯s back sprouted a pair of Thunderstorm Wings, but instead of shifting out immediately, a strange light flashed in his eyes, and his lips moved slightly.


    Gui Ling had already transformed into a motley stream of black and white energy and appeared in front of the barrier, but suddenly showed a look of surprise and hesitated.


    While hesitating, the young man surnamed Xu and the others took the chance to escape the barrier first.


    At this moment, an extremely dazzling blood light flashed outside of the barrier, and the whispering sound of countless black threads passing through the air could be heard whistling past the hole,


    The booming outcry of the young man surnamed Xu echoed like thunder, and Lin Yinping¡¯s indignant scold resounded almost at the same time, followed by loud explosion noises outside the hole, and a dense smell of blood wafted through the air, accompanied by the mocking laughter of True Man of Dispersal.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Han Li did not hesitate and shouted lowly, then flapped his Thunderstorm Wings vigorously, turning into a silver arc and directly escaping through the hole.


    Although Gui Ling had a look of astonishment, she did not ponder and immediately followed suit,


    As soon as Han Li¡¯s figure emerged outside the barrier, countless blood vapors swept towards him, but he seemed to have anticipated this, and with a few flashes of silver arcs, he escaped the assault of blood vapors, reappearing hundreds of feet away.


    Stopping in his tracks, he looked back at the shrinking exit.


    His eyes involuntarily twitched.


    He saw that outside the rapidly contracting hole, there appeared a blood sea spanning several acres, with endless thick blood mist as dense as liquid, the stench of blood boiling and surging, and within the blood sea, some objects gently floated on top without sinking into the vapors.


    They were the Silver-winged Yaksha, the Lion Bird, and a large, white-furred monster.


    This monster was wearing the clothes of True Man of Dispersal but was emitting a ghastly deathly aura.


    Suddenly, it turned its head, its eyes flashing green flames and its mouth full of sharp teeth, revealing a wrinkled bear face covered in white fur.


    At this moment, the monster was controlling the bloodlights transformed by the Blood Blade Division to press an individual firmly in the blood vapors, preventing escape.


    The figure¡¯s body was half gone, with one arm and one leg missing, yet he still desperately activated an azure bead and a silver hook-shaped artifact to fend off the blood lights above and the encroaching blood vapors from all sides.


    His face showed intense bitterness and resentment.


    It was the Great Immortal Master from the Heaventide Prairies, the young man surnamed Xu.


    Not far from him, the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, quite skilled in Divine Skills, was trapped by the purple mist transformed by the Lion Bird, barely able to protect itself.


    Lin Yinping¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t much better, as she was bombarded by countless Evil Soul Threads released by the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    Had it not been for her embroidered cloth¡¯s Silver Silk Divine Skill being strong enough to parry the relentless onslaught of gray threads, she might have already been captured.


    Even so, her defeat was only a matter of time.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    Nearby, because of Han Li¡¯s warning, Gui Ling who also leapt out instantly, suddenly widened her eyes at the sight of the white-furred monster and exclaimed in shock.


    (The first update!)


    (To be continueda€| If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1052 - Chapter 1052 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1048 Chapter Conditions

    ?Chapter 1052: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1048 Chapter Conditions Chapter 1052: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Volume 1048 Chapter Conditions ¡°How come, you recognize this corpse-refining?¡± Han Li spoke without turning his head.


    ¡°Sort of,¡± Gui Ling hesitated for a bit before honestly replying.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered, and he turned around to ask.


    ¡°Before it became a refined corpse, it was also a spirit beast.


    Back in the day, it had some dealings with us.


    Its master was also a human cultivator who descended from the spirit realm to the human world.


    However, since we were sealed in Kunwu Mountain, we never saw it again and do not know how it turned into a refined corpse,¡± explained Gui Ling.


    ¡°So, originally its true form was a demonic beast from the spirit realm?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°Indeed.


    The cultivators who came down from the spirit realm to the human world could not have high cultivation levels, so the spirit beasts they brought with them were also greatly limited.


    Those of us who came down with them to the human world had our original memories erased before being allowed down,¡± Gui Ling sighed.


    ¡°Your memories were erased; do you remember nothing at all?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart chilled, followed by a tinge of disappointment.


    After all, he really wanted to learn something about the spirit realm from Gui Ling.


    ¡°Except for knowing that I came down from the spirit realm, I have absolutely no memories concerning it,¡± Gui Ling revealed a tinge of melancholy.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã?


    Han Li fell silent but quickly had a thought and remembered Silvermoon.


    Silvermoon¡¯s identity was not simple; she should have some memories of the spirit realm, right?


    His mind stirred again, but he immediately pushed the thought aside.


    Now was not the time to ponder these things as his subconscious gaze swept elsewhere.


    After emerging from the barrier, this space had become quite spooky.


    It was disturbingly empty, seemingly without a single soul in sight.


    Not only was the Eight Spirit Ruler originally floating above the palace missing, but even the Black Wind Banner that had restricted them had vanished.


    No wonder they had broken free so easily.


    The ground was littered with huge craters and claw marks several meters long, as if they had been scratched by some gigantic beast.


    Half the palace was also completely shattered into ruins, suggesting an extraordinarily fierce battle had taken place.


    Han Li¡¯s divine sense had already swept over the palace debris, but unfortunately, the restrictive formations set up inside still existed, preventing him from discovering anything for the time being.


    This somewhat relieved him since the pressure Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha exerted was simply too great.


    If he were to confront this demon head-on, he would undoubtedly be no match.


    However, the only transportation formation was now cut off within the space of the Black Wind Banner¡¯s restrictions.


    To leave this place now, he would have to find another way.


    His gaze flickered, and Han Li started to consider his escape strategy.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, if you are willing to help Brother Xu and me, I, as the Endless Sky Saintess, can take full responsibility for the grievances between you and the Heaventide Prairies, thus resolving the enmity,¡± just then, Lin Yinping suddenly cried out anxiously to Han Li, her voice filled with urgency.


    ¡°I have already been hunted by you Soaring Tribes for so long; what grudges are left to resolve?


    I have no interest in taking action!¡± Han Li said indifferently, flatly refusing.


    ¡°Brother Han, don¡¯t forget that it¡¯s because of you that we came to Great Jin.


    If Brother Xu and I fall here, do you think the other three Great Immortal Masters will just let it go?¡±


    Hearing this, Han Li chuckled, glancing at the sea of blood.


    Lin Yinping was operating the embroidered cloth in her hand, emitting blinding silver light, managing to push back the Evil Soul Threads a bit.


    However, her face was extremely pale, indicating she was using secret techniques to tap into her potential and enhance the power of her spiritual treasure.


    The young man named Xu, having been attacked by surprise and trapped in the sea of blood, was wielding two powerful Daoist paper talismans, both of which were on the verge of collapsing.


    Ironically, the one in the best condition was the brightly shining five-colored Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.


    Although this ancient spiritual bird could not escape from the purple mist, neither could the Lion Bird beast do anything about it momentarily.


    After all, the beast¡¯s most powerful Golden Wave Attack was effectively countered by the five-colored light; no matter how many waves struck, they instantly dispersed and vanished.


    ¡°Fairy Lin, even if you spout flowery words now, I won¡¯t take action.


    To be honest, if you two hadn¡¯t seemed to be in such dire straits, I would have been tempted to take advantage of the situation.


    As for those three Celestial Masters, if they really come knocking, Han Li here wouldn¡¯t mind exchanging a few divine skills with them,¡± Han Li replied calmly and unhurriedly.


    He wasn¡¯t bluffing with these words.


    After slaying the ancient devilish techniques, Han Li now had a rough understanding of his own strength.


    With his nearly disciple-level Humanoid Puppet and fully obedient Gui Ling to help, he could hold his own even against three or four late Nascent Soul cultivators at the same time.


    Furthermore, it was improbable for all three of Heaventide¡¯s Great Immortal Masters to leave the prairies to confront him.


    Unless they wished to truly sever the fate of their people.


    After all, the Heaventide Prairies without a Great Immortal Master, if The Moulan learned of this news, it would likely lead to the Soaring Tribes¡¯ immediate extinction.


    Clear about this in his heart, Han Li naturally didn¡¯t care a whit about the threat from the Endless Sky Saintess.


    The worried-looking Corpse Bear¡¯s face relaxed upon hearing these words, and it let out a series of strange laughs.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han truly understands the ways of the world.


    I have not made a move against Brother Han, how could he fall for such minor talents¡¯ tricks?


    You two had better surrender obediently.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s face remained expressionless, yet in his heart, he snorted coldly upon hearing these words.


    Back at the barrier, this Four Scatter True Man, transformed from someone else using some secret technique, had inadvertently revealed a hint of his corpse refining status, which was immediately detected by the Weeping Soul Beast in his bag.


    Startled, he naturally discovered this demon and the silver-winged yaksha were transmitting messages to each other.


    Relying on his divine sense which was somewhat stronger than that of late Nascent Soul cultivators, he stealthily eavesdropped on a part of their conversation without showing any signs.


    In order to avoid detection by these two demons, he dared not forcefully invade their spiritual senses and could only listen in broadly.


    But even this vague portion let him know that this white-haired corpse refining demon actually planned to join forces with the silver-winged yaksha and another demon.


    Once the barrier was broken, they intended to attack the human cultivators who exited the valley first, taking advantage of the moment when everyone¡¯s emotions were most turbulent and their guard was at its lowest.


    As for whether it would be the Soaring Tribes people or Han Li¡¯s group, it didn¡¯t matter to them.


    It was only because Han Li deliberately lagged behind by a step that the young man surnamed Xu and Lin Yinping¡¯s group met with such misfortune.


    Therefore, Han Li had no good feelings towards the other party.


    Although he had never seen this white-haired corpse refining demon before, with late Nascent Soul cultivation and a face like this, it must be the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear from the Ten Thousand Demon Valley.


    He had long heard that this demon had become spiritually sentient tens of thousands of years ago and was a famous figure among the demons of the Great Jin.


    And with the Ten Thousand Demon Valley being a major power of the Great Jin, comparable to the Taiyi Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect, this demon, as a Deputy Valley Master, taking on the guise of a human Loose Cultivator here was indeed intriguing.


    It was also unknown whether there ever was such a Loose Cultivator as the True Man of Dispersal, whether he had been killed and then transformed, or whether this was merely one of the demon¡¯s human guises.


    The demon¡¯s cultivation technique of concealment was indeed extraordinary, to the point that even he couldn¡¯t discern its corpse refining status.


    However, this seemed to have greatly restricted its cultivation; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have allowed the black-robed elder of the Yin Sifting Sect to let his Nascent Soul escape so easily during its sneak attack using the Blood Blade.


    Han Li watched the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear standing amidst the distant sea of blood, myriad corpse auras billowing to the skies, and pondered expressionlessly, his eyes flashing suddenly with a cold light.


    Although he had no intention of coming to the rescue of his former adversaries, he wouldn¡¯t simply stand by and let the Blood Blade easily devour the flesh and soul essences of late Nascent Soul cultivators, increasing its power and turning to face them next.


    The moment the young man surnamed Xu perished would be the time for him to seize the Blood Blade.


    Considering the speed at which the Blood Blade could convert its power, there seemed to be a delay in between.


    That interval would be the perfect opportunity to seize the artifact!


    Such a sinister item was naturally safer in his own hands.


    Han Li had already coldly made his decision.


    Without any change in expression, Han Li¡¯s lips moved slightly.


    Gui Ling, who was beside him, had a slight change in her gaze but her expression remained the same.


    ¡°Brother Han, if you¡¯re willing to help out, I am prepared to share with you the secret technique to mature the Gold Devouring Bugs.


    With this condition, surely I can persuade you, Fellow Daoist?¡± the sullen young man surnamed Xu suddenly took a deep breath and shouted loudly at Han Li.


    ¡°Gold Devouring Bugs?¡± Han Li was taken aback and looked puzzled.


    ¡°No way, the final transformation of the Gold Devouring Bugs is a great secret of our Holy Temple and shouldn¡¯t be disclosed lightly to outsiders!¡± Lin Yinping, upon hearing this, opposed it vehemently in surprise.


    ¡°Our lives are at stake, what secrets matter at this point?


    Do you really want to be devoured by the Blood Blade, without even a chance for reincarnation?


    Besides, if we fall here, The Moulan will seize the chance to counterattack the Prairies.


    A mere secret technique is nothing compared to the rise and fall of our tribe,¡± the young man surnamed Xu, not waiting for Lin Yinping to finish, interrupted her with his face livid.


    Hearing this, Lin Yinping went pale, but ultimately she did not speak again.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s contemplative expression, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear felt a sense of foreboding.


    Immediately, the demon didn¡¯t bother to conserve any mana and began inscribing incantations with both hands, madly channeling mana into the blood-red light transformed by the Blood Blade.


    Suddenly, the blood-red light grew explosively and turned into an enormous ghostly face.


    With its mouth gaping open, it rushed to swallow the young man surnamed Xu in the sea of blood below.


    Almost simultaneously, the surrounding blood fog roiled violently, blood waves surging after each other to form a blood-colored vortex that ensnared the young man surnamed Xu, leaving no escape.


    Startled, he knew something was terribly wrong and vigorously urged his azure bead and silver hook, two of his treasures, to fiercely strike at the ghostly maw.


    But with a flash of blood light from the ghost¡¯s mouth, strands of blood-red threads sprayed out, entangling the two treasures instantly and swallowed them whole.


    The young man surnamed Xu¡¯s face was stricken with fear!


    The ghostly face opened its large mouth again, its fangs bared, and an eerie, sinister laugh rang out.


    Suddenly, it lunged toward the sea of blood below, left unguarded.


    The young man surnamed Xu then bit his lip, his inner Nascent Soul opened its eyes wide and was about to escape the body.


    (Second update!


    I had a bit of a headache after being hit by the cold wind when I went out the day before.


    Consequently, I overslept by a few hours after I went to bed yesterday.


    I am now rushing to release this second chapter, please forgive the delay.


    Now, to start on today¡¯s chapter.)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1053 - Chapter 1053 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1049 Spiritual Bird and Nascent Soul

    ?Chapter 1053: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1049 Spiritual Bird and Nascent Soul Chapter 1053: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1049 Spiritual Bird and Nascent Soul Just then, out of nowhere, a golden lightning arc, like a celestial being descending from the heavens, flashed and struck the ghostly face.


    ¡°Boom¡±-a sound erupted as the golden light exploded.


    The ghostly face let out a wail, instantly dissipating in part, but the remaining section seemed to grow even more ferocious.


    Seizing the moment while the youth surnamed Xu looked overjoyed, it pounced downwards and bit into his neck.


    Layers of bloodlight wrapped around him, quickly enveloping him, as if he were about to be swallowed up.


    Feeling the bloodlight rapidly eroding his body, the youngster surnamed Xu, in utter shock, hastily muttered an arcane spell incantation.


    Immediately, his mutilated body brightened with a yellow glow, swelling and contracting until it blasted apart.


    The bloodlight was pierced by countless light rays in an instant, becoming fragmented and tattered.


    Right then, a Nascent Soul only a few inches tall blinked into existence, momentarily flickering out from within, appearing tens of feet away in the sky.


    Its body flashed with a protective glow before transforming into a yellow rainbow, attempting to escape.


    ¡°Trying to run?¡± A cold snort came from the Corpse Bear¡¯s mouth, its hand violently reaching out towards the void.


    Instantly, a mass of dark Qi appeared above the Nascent Soul¡¯s head, followed by a flash of light that transformed into a giant hand reaching for the Nascent Soul.


    Before even falling, the hand¡¯s formidable power enveloped everything within a dozen yards.


    Seeing this, the youth named Xu felt a deep sense of bitterness.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Before the sneak attack, he could have continuously used Shifting Smoke Steps, or even relied on the innate abilities of his Nascent Soul to forcibly break through the Profound Heaven¡¯s restrictive formations.


    After all, the Nascent Soul of a late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivator is consolidated and not at all comparable to those of early or middle-phase cultivators.


    Even without a body, they could still equally fight others.


    But now his Nascent Soul had exhausted its Spiritual Power back in the sea of blood, how could it possibly break through another¡¯s technique.


    At this moment, Han Li stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back, tens of feet away.


    His expression was indifferent; it seemed that after sending out a single golden arc, he was no longer willing to make a move.


    Left with no choice, the youngster named Xu had to go all in.


    He violently summoned the remaining Mana, and the Nascent Soul opened its mouth, spitting out a token that seemed both gold and not, preparing to strike with his life-bound magic treasure in a desperate blow.


    But just then, above the black hand, a flash of silver light appeared, and a shadowy figure emerged peculiarly.


    Lifting his hand, a dragon¡¯s cry rang out, and with a flash of green light followed by golden brilliance, a shot, as fast as a lightning bolt, impaled the black hand.


    ¡°Boom¡±-a sound thundered.


    The golden arc wildly flickered, the large hand was punctured with a hole, and under the assault of countless thin electric arcs, the hand dissipated into black Qi and vanished.


    And the figure within the silver light flickered, crossing the distance of over ten yards in a single step, arriving near the youth named Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul had just narrowly escaped death and was a mix of shock and joy.


    Without thinking, it radiated with Spiritual Power and transformed into a streak of dazzling rainbow light as it fled far away.


    Although the figure within the silver light seemed to be rescuing him, he didn¡¯t dare let his Nascent Soul casually fall into the hands of others.


    Fortunately, the person within the silver light paid no heed, instead coldly facing the distant Corpse Bear and others.


    At that time, the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock seemed to have received some command from the youngster named Xu.


    Suddenly, its body trembled, and several of its brightly colored long tail feathers shot forward, exploding on impact.


    The five-colored brilliance surged, taking the Lion Bird by surprise, who retreated to avoid a direct hit.


    The purple fog was instantly dissolved under the illumination of the five-colored Spiritual Power, revealing a large hole of several yards.


    Seizing the opportunity, the spiritual bird flapped its wings wildly, its form twisted like a wisp of smoke, strangely appearing outside the purple fog, and then without looking back, it darted towards the Nascent Soul of the youth named Xu, reaching him in the blink of an eye.


    The youth named Xu was overjoyed, and without hesitation, the Nascent Soul rushed to meet it, and the two were immediately joined together.


    Then, something incredible happened!


    The spiritual bird opened its mouth, and the Nascent Soul of the youth named Xu disappeared into it without a trace.


    Following this, the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock¡¯s remaining long plumes stood upright, opening its tail fan.


    Suddenly, the blinding five-colored Spiritual Light enveloped the bird¡¯s shape within, rendering it unclear.


    Almost simultaneously, above the fray between the Silver-winged Yaksha and Lin Yinping, black and white Qi suddenly appeared, and Gui Ling¡¯s form was revealed.


    Upon seeing the ugly woman, the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s expression instantly tightened.


    But Gui Ling, expressionless, swept a glance at the demon without doing anything, her lips moving slightly to transmit a few words.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s expression subtly changed; after pondering for a short while, it let out a long sigh, swung both hands violently, and the Evil Soul Thread that had been firmly trapping the Endless Sky Saintess densely retracting back, releasing Lin Yinping who had been captured for a long time.


    Lin Yinping, overjoyed, was just about to also flee when Gui Ling revealed a hint of a cold smile, and with a flicker of her figure, appeared beside the woman.


    A silver Giant Axe transformed into a swift slash of Silver brightness.


    The sudden move startled the Endless Sky Saintess, who reflexively pointed at the embroidered cloth in front of her, trying to use it to defend against the incoming attack.


    But a spectral One-horned Giant Tiger emerged upon the axe, pouncing down with the flash of light.


    ¡°`


    With a hiss, the embroidered cloth was cut into two by the silver light.


    Then, the tiger¡¯s shadow flickered, instantly transforming into a cloud of yellow mist that enveloped the woman within it.


    Lin Yinping only felt a stench assault her face, and with a murmur of misgiving, her head grew heavy, and she tumbled down.


    Gui Ling, without courtesy, pinched her fingers together and the yellow mist promptly tightened, binding the woman firmly.


    Then, with a surge of black and white air, Lin Yinping vanished on the spot in an instant, reappearing beside Han Li after several flashes.


    Throughout this process, the Corpse Bear made no move to intercept nor speak, merely with a stony expression coldly observing in silence.


    Once Gui Ling retreated, the humanoid puppet surrounded by silver light woodenly shuddered and soared behind Han Li.


    However, Han Li paid no attention to the captured Endless Sky Saintess, instead looking towards the other side with visible surprise.


    There, the rainbow light shone dazzlingly, having expanded to more than double its size from before.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han!


    What is the meaning of this?¡± Boomed a voice from within the light, resembling the voice of the young man surnamed Xu, but it was hoarser and filled with a savage edge.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!


    Is Han Li not aiding Daoist Xu in rescuing Daoist Lin?¡± Han Li replied indifferently, his expression unchanged.


    ¡°In that case, it seems Elder Xu was overly concerned.¡± The voice of the man from Five-Colored Spiritual Light Sect softened as the light receded, revealing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.


    Only now, the spiritual bird seemed larger than before, and on its head materialized a creamy white, ghostly face that resembled the young man surnamed Xu.


    However, that face, watching the unconscious Lin Yinping, betrayed a hint of anxiety.


    ¡°Rest assured, I will not lay a finger on Daoist Lin.


    There are, however, a few matters I wish to inquire about with Daoist Xu.


    I trust Daoist Xu will not disappoint Han Li,¡± Han Li asked without any apparent emotion.


    ¡°Does Brother Han intend to threaten Elder Xu?¡± The face formed from the mirage darkened suddenly, showing a trace of anger.


    ¡°Threat is not a term I would use.


    Has Daoist Xu so quickly forgotten how he just agreed to assist Han Li?


    Daoist Lin is merely here to ensure that Elder Xu refrains from actions unworthy of his status.


    Wouldn¡¯t you agree it would be regrettable to break such a promise?¡± Han Li scoffed coldly, his countenance suddenly became chilling.


    ¡°If you truly wish to ask something, you¡¯d better deal with those demons in front of you first,¡± said the young man surnamed Xu, finally calming down as his mirage¡¯s eyes shifted slightly.


    ¡°Deal with them?


    Certainly!


    I was about to do just that,¡± Han Li casually stroked his chin and readily agreed.


    Han Li¡¯s nonchalant demeanor took the young man surnamed Xu by surprise, rendering him momentarily speechless.


    Han Li smiled faintly and, after giving a command to Gui Ling, set off accompanied by the humanoid puppet, flying shoulder to shoulder.


    When they reached the vicinity of the sea of blood, they paused their flight, and Han Li cast a glance at the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear before saying indifferently:


    ¡°As the Deputy Valley Master of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, you must have other pressing matters for coming to Kunwu Mountain.


    Since I still have use for these two individuals, I will temporarily take them with me.


    I trust you have no objections?¡± Though phrased as a request, Han Li¡¯s tone was strikingly assertive, much to the ire of the onlookers, the Silver-winged Yaksha, and the Lion Bird.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist is called Han Li, a cultivator from Heavenly South, correct?¡± asked the Corpse Bear, who had been silent, in an unexpectedly odd remark.


    Han Li was taken aback at first, but then his face relaxed into an indolent expression:


    ¡°That¡¯s right.


    Or is it that Daoist Xu intends to seek vengeance in Heavenly South later?¡±


    ¡°Vengeance does not interest me.


    Since Brother Han has saved these two from Heaventide this time, I can turn a blind eye and let this go, but this is the only time.


    Should you interfere again and disrupt our affairs in Ten Thousand Demon Valley, I will not be so amiable.


    Even with the support of these two, you will not make it back to Heavenly South alive,¡± announced the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear, eyes glowing red before returning to normal.


    Han Li twitched his mouth at the words but offered a slight smile and remained silent.


    The Corpse Bear then solemnly pinched his fingers together and suddenly pointed towards the distant blood light.


    Instantly, the blood light flared, coiling into a huge blood-red blade, which, after whirling overhead, dove into the sea of blood below.


    A surge of sanguine light shot straight into the sky while the blade revealed once more the ghastly face dispersed earlier by Han Li¡¯s strike.


    With a sinister laugh and a gaping maw, the blood sea below transformed into a column of blood completely absorbed by its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, the huge blade drank up the entire sea.


    The Blood Blade appeared mostly unchanged from before, but the overwhelming smell of blood was nauseatingly pungent.


    Following that, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear gestured to his companions, the Silver-winged Yaksha, and the Lion Bird, and without further ado, they all dashed towards the palace.


    In a flash, the three demons¡¯ lights of escape boldly vanished within it, their outlines disappearing a€¡° the Corpse Bear truly appeared to have his own agenda for being here.


    It was a mystery how he convinced the other two demons to follow his lead.


    And within the palace, there seemed to be other mysteries at play.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze gleaming with a cold light.


    ¡°Alright, now Daoist Xu can answer my questions, right?¡± Han Li suddenly turned back, addressing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock calmly.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for what comes next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author and your reading habits by accessing the original works!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1054 - Chapter 1054 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1050 Seal of the Sacred Beast

    ?Chapter 1054: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1050 Seal of the Sacred Beast Chapter 1054: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1050 Seal of the Sacred Beast ¡°What does Brother Han want to ask?¡± The face on the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock glanced at the Humanoid Puppet and Lin Yinping, who was in the hands of Gui Ling, hesitated for a moment, then could only say with a bitter smile.


    ¡°From what you said, Fellow Daoist, it seems the Gold Devouring Beetles can¡¯t evolve into their mature form simply on their own might.


    That¡¯s somewhat peculiar.


    As far as I know, these unique insects were notoriously ferocious in ancient times, and they didn¡¯t require a master to appear in the realm of immortal cultivators in their mature form, because of their traits of consuming everything and their near indestructibility, they were feared for quite a long time back then.


    The Gold Devouring Beetles of your Heaventide Sanctuary must have originated from ancient eggs, which is why you have the chance to command these spiritual insects, right?¡± Han Li swayed a few times, returning to Gui Ling¡¯s side, and calmly said while looking at the shadowy face.


    The Humanoid Puppet, however, flashed with silver light and disappeared on the spot.


    ¡°If one were to follow the ordinary method, it would take tens of thousands of years for the Gold Devouring Beetles to naturally evolve into their mature form.


    But how long do cultivators live?


    Even if passed down from generation to generation, there are very few families or Sects that could endure such a lengthy time.


    Especially when the Gold Devouring Beetles are close to their final step of evolution, the sheer length of time needed to evolve would make anyone lose the courage to cultivate them.


    And as someone who has controlled these insects, you must also be well aware of the enormous gap between the mature and immature forms.


    To say they are worlds apart is no exaggeration at all,¡± said the young man surnamed Xu in a deep voice.


    ¡°What you said is partially true, Fellow Daoist.


    My Gold Devouring Beetles have evolved to this extent, but they have hardly grown at all in recent years.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã?


    If Heaventide Prairies can cultivate mature Gold Devouring Beetles, there must indeed be some essential tricks.


    I just wonder how much your method can shorten the evolution time for the mature form!¡± Han Li sighed and asked lightly.


    ¡°It can indeed shorten the time to a third of the original duration.


    Moreover, if Fellow Daoist does not mind using some rare materials, and focuses on cultivating just a few of them, the time can be further reduced,¡± the young man surnamed Xu replied without hesitation.


    ¡°A third of the original time; indeed, this makes my efforts worthwhile.


    But how do you plan to tell me the secret technique, and aren¡¯t you afraid that once I obtain it, you will have even less ability to deal with me?¡± Han Li suddenly chuckled, hehe.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist jests.


    I¡¯ve heard about Brother Han¡¯s swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles, although they have also evolved to the last step, they obviously have not started the evolution into the mature form.


    Even if you get our cultivation technique, without thousands of years of meticulous cultivation, it won¡¯t be successful.


    And matters of thousands of years later are beyond what you and I need to worry about,¡± the young man surnamed Xu revealed his thoughts straightforwardly.


    ¡°You speak quite openly.


    Indeed, matters of thousands of years later, whether these Gold Devouring Beetles will remain in the hands of my descendants is another matter entirely.


    Even your esteemed palace, knowing this matter, might well have found a strategy to deal with it long before,¡± Han Li said with a quirked lip and a smirk.


    ¡°If Fellow Daoist thinks so, you are not wrong.


    Then, are you no longer interested in this secret technique?


    If it¡¯s other conditions, I can also¡­¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I want it?


    Even if I cannot cultivate the mature form within my lifetime, there¡¯s always something to learn from it.


    I have always been quite interested in nurturing spiritual insects,¡± said Han Li, licking his lips and folding his arms.


    ¡°Alright, Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, I will copy this secret technique onto the jade slip.


    You should be able to discern its authenticity at a glance, as you have cultivated these beetles for many years,¡± the young man surnamed Xu¡¯s illusory face showed a hint of surprise, but did not show any sign of regret.


    Immediately, a flash of white light appeared, and the face sank back into the body of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.


    Han Li slightly smiled, but took the opportunity to shift his gaze towards the distant palace.


    Since those three demons had entered it, the palace remained eerily silent, as if still unoccupied.


    Seeing this strange situation, Han Li frowned, then suddenly sent a message to Gui Ling asking a few things.


    The ugly woman first looked surprised upon hearing this, but quickly replied with something as well.


    After Han Li nodded, his expression turned grim.


    ¡°Alright, Brother Han, catch this.¡± The spiritual bird across suddenly opened its mouth, and a streak of white light shot out.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened, he waved his sleeve, and a cyan light shot out, wrapping around the object and pulling it into his hands.


    The white light receded, revealing a white jade slip the size of a palm.


    Without any courtesy, Han Li immediately took the slip, pressed it gently against his forehead, and his Divine Sense immersed into it.


    His expression was initially calm, but gradually, it showed surprise, and then a look of realization.


    He seemed to be able to grasp the incantations in the jade slip almost immediately.


    After a lengthy tea time, Han Li finally withdrew his Divine Sense from the jade slip, took a light breath, raised his head to look across, and suddenly said:


    ¡°Daoist Xu, this method of cultivating Gold Devouring Beetles, may I know which great person of your Tutt Tribe has created it?


    I truly have a certain level of admiration.


    To think of using the Infusion Method and the power of heaven and earth, forcibly infusing Five Element Spiritual Energy into the body of the spirit insects to expedite their maturation.


    This is not a method just anyone could conceive.


    Even if one could think of it, I¡¯m afraid it would take a tremendous amount of effort and countless trials.


    Who knows how many failures there were!¡±


    ¡°Ever since the Holy Temple acquired the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs, there have been elders skilled in insect control techniques from within the temple specially researching the method to expedite the maturation of this spirit insect.


    It took a full thousand years to finally find a viable method.


    Regrettably, we are still unable to resolve the issue of the scarcity of the eggs, and the auxiliary materials required are extremely rare as well, preventing mass maturation of these insects.¡± The young man replied with a sigh of helplessness.


    Han Li nodded, not surprised by the response.


    If he didn¡¯t have the small mysterious bottle and the miraculous effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass, he too probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to breed and evolve so many Gold Devouring Beetles time and again.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve rescued the two of you, and you¡¯ve given me the incantations.


    Our previous deal is now complete.


    What do you plan to do next, Brother Xu?


    Will you dissolve your own body and have me release your soul to reincarnate, or shall I personally take action and turn both your spirit bird and Nascent Soul into ashes?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression suddenly turned stern as he stared at the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, a murderous intent surfacing on his face.


    No sooner had he finished speaking, rumblings of thunder sounded from behind him, as silver-white wings flickered into view.


    Both hands clenched into fists, and the sound of roaring thunder resounded.


    A golden Thunder Robe materialized around him, with golden lightning furiously flickering, an imposing might to the extreme.


    Almost simultaneously, behind the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, silver needles appeared with a faint glimmer, as a Humanoid Puppet emerged soundlessly, its hand holding a brightly glowing red bow aimed directly at the spiritual bird.


    Startled and fearful, the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock unfolded its wings, and in an instant, a five-coloured rainbow light enveloped it protectively.


    Then a burst of yellow light sprayed forth from its beak a€¡° the mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul was shooting out, landing on the head of the spiritual bird, then looking towards Han Li with a few bitter smiles.


    ¡°Hold your hand, Fellow Daoist.


    Our Heaventide and you are not at a point of irreconcilable animosity.


    We can completely settle this amicably.


    Even if you really aren¡¯t afraid of the pursuit and killing from the other three High-order Immortal Masters, how could you be indifferent toward the well-being of your own Sect and descendants?¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to force me, during my remaining life span, to annihilate all you Great Immortal Masters?¡± Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s expression shifted, but he immediately said with an icy tone.


    ¡°Why must Brother Han be so drastic?


    In the beginning, when the Endless Sky Saintess and I pursued you, it was because our realm of immortal cultivators inherently respects the powerful.


    As a mere mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, you dared to attack and injure so many high-grade Immortal Masters on our Heaventide Prairies.


    Our Holy Temple naturally had to apprehend you.


    Later on, you took our sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple, which violated the sanctuary¡¯s biggest taboo.


    Hence, we had no choice but to chase you to Great Jin.


    Now, the situation is different.


    You¡¯re capable of commanding two late Nascent Soul cultivators, and your abilities and Divine Skills are no lesser than great cultivator Lei, earning the right to be on equal footing with our Heaventide Sanctuary.


    We have no desire to suffer mutually assured destruction with you, so it would naturally be wise to reconcile.


    Besides, within Kunwu Mountain lies extraordinary danger; it would be better for both parties to join forces to safeguard ourselves.¡± Seeing that Han Li did not interrupt his speech, Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul slightly relaxed and hurriedly spoke out the arguments he had thought of well in advance.


    ¡°Finished speaking?¡± Han Li listened quietly to Elder Xu¡¯s words, his face showing no expression as he asked.


    ¡°What, does Fellow Daoist find my words insincere?¡± Seeing Han Li¡¯s demeanor, Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul¡¯s heart skipped, and he carefully asked.


    ¡°Ceasing hostilities isn¡¯t out of the question.


    But what method will you use to convince me that you truly intend to reconcile with me?


    Are mere words or some verbal oath enough?¡± Han Li snorted coldly with a trace of scorn.


    ¡°Of course, that wouldn¡¯t suffice!


    The Endless Sky Saintess is here, and she can use a secret technique to summon the True Spirit of the Heaventide Holy Beast to place the imprint of the sacred sect protecting beast onto you.


    We invite you to become a Guest Elder of our Heaventide Sanctuary.


    In this way, once you return our sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple, it allows us to give an explanation to others upon our return.


    The sanctuary would no longer harm one of its own,¡± Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul hurriedly said.


    ¡°The imprint of the sacred sect protecting beast, I¡¯ve heard some about it when I passed through the Prairies.


    It¡¯s said that those who are imprinted are core members of the temple, and they are not to harbor any intention of killing each other.


    Otherwise, the imprint acts up afterward, afflicting a person with a very strange curse-enduring intense year-long pain in their Divine Sense, making life worse than death,¡± Han Li responded, somewhat surprised, and then pondered for a moment.


    ¡°As long as Fellow Daoist Han knows about this.


    We and Brother Han haven¡¯t reached the point of a deadly vendetta where one must die for the other to live; it¡¯s mainly because of the capture of the sacred sect protecting beast¡¯s disciple.


    As for the Immortal Masters who were killed or injured, given Brother Han¡¯s current strength, they are trivial matters unworthy of mention,¡± said Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul, continuing to urge persuasively seeing that Han Li seemed somewhat moved.


    Han Li, however, furrowed his brows with an indecisive expression on his face.


    At this moment, Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul knew better than to speak further, merely waiting quietly for Han Li¡¯s decision.


    Nevertheless, his expression hinted at unease.


    He was acutely aware that if Han Li genuinely intended to annihilate them, with the combined forces present, a mere Nascent Soul stood no chance of escape.


    Their life and death hung on the merest thought of the other party.


    Therefore, even as a late Nascent Soul cultivator, his heart was in turmoil, treading on thin ice.


    (Part two from yesterday!


    Next, I will write today¡¯s chapter, so I can finally catch up.


    My slow pace is indeed frustrating!) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com; there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1055 - Chapter 1055 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1051 Spiritscold True Thunder

    ?Chapter 1055: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1051 Spiritscold True Thunder Chapter 1055: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1051 Spiritscold True Thunder ¡°I am not afraid of your Heaventide Sanctuary, but indeed I do not wish to make such a formidable enemy.


    However, as for implanting the sacred beast seal and joining your sanctuary, forget it.


    How would I know if there are any tricks with this so-called ¡®spirit beast seal¡¯?


    Just stop bothering Han Li from now on.


    Of course, if you truly cannot recognize good from bad and persist obstinately.


    Do not blame Han Li for being merciless.¡± Han Li stared at Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul, calmly saying.


    ¡°Of course.


    With Daoist¡¯s current Divine Skills, our Heaventide Sanctuary would not break our promise.


    Could Daoist please release our sanctuary¡¯s saintess first?¡± Elder Xu was overjoyed upon hearing these words and hurriedly spoke aloud.


    ¡°Hold on, I haven¡¯t finished stating my conditions yet.¡± Han Li snorted, speaking unhappily.


    ¡°What other conditions do you have, Brother Han?


    Just say them.¡± Elder Xu was taken aback, then a chill ran through his heart.


    ¡°I will return the sacred beast¡¯s disciple to you.


    But it¡¯s not something I can do right away, it will take a few more years.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Rest assured, I can promise you, I won¡¯t harm its life.¡± Han Li¡¯s face revealed a hint of slyness.


    ¡°I cannot return the sacred beast¡¯s disciple immediately?


    Thisa€| This is a bit difficult.¡± Elder Xu hesitated upon hearing this.


    ¡°This is only the first condition.


    Secondly, as a guarantee that you will not go back on your word later, I wish to place some restrictions on you and this saintess¡¯ Nascent Souls.


    Rest assured, it¡¯s not the soul restriction technique.


    At our level of cultivation, what use is the soul restriction technique anyway?


    However, I happen to have acquired the refining method for the ancient Spiritfuse Technique Incantation ¡®Spiritscold Thunder¡¯.


    You just need to let your Nascent Soul swallow a pellet containing this thunder imbued with my spiritual sense.


    That¡¯s it.¡± Han Li ignored Elder Xu¡¯s expression and slowly said.


    ¡°¡®Spiritscold True Thunder¡¯, absolutely not!¡± Elder Xu was terrified inside and blurted out without thinking.


    ¡°If you are unwilling, then I will erase both of you from this realm and when I have time, travel to the Heaventide Prairies and eliminate all three Great Immortal Masters when they are alone.


    Then return to Tian Luo to inform The Moulan.


    I believe The Moulan would be very pleased to return to their prairies.


    By then, let¡¯s not speak of the Heaventide Sanctuary, whether the Tuwu tribe could even continue to exist is another matter.¡± Han Li said, slowly and deliberately.


    ¡°How dare you do such a thing?¡± Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul, upon hearing these words, felt a chill run down his spine, and he cried out in shock and anger.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare?


    The previous talk of joining the sanctuary and implanting the sacred beast seal were just attempts to bind Han Li¡¯s hands and feet.


    Methods to circumvent this seal and deal with me are certainly not few.


    Moreover, Han Li has never been accustomed to being controlled by others.


    Everything about me can only be controlled by myself.


    If you are unwilling to carry the Spiritscold True Thunder, I cannot miss this opportunity either.


    It¡¯s better to make you completely disappear from this realm.


    Alright, I¡¯ll give you one last chance.


    If before I finish counting to five, you still haven¡¯t spoken agreement words, I will assume you reject the conditions and will take action immediately.


    One!¡± Han Li did not delay further, slightly raising one palm, tucked away the thumb, and said sternly.


    ¡°How would I know after implanting the true¨¦?¡¤, you wouldn¡¯t seize the opportunity to strike against us?¡± Elder Xu was somewhat panicked but still refused to easily give in.


    ¡°Do I need to go to such lengths to kill you now?¡± Han Li sneered, and uttered the word ¡°Two¡± as he bent another finger.


    ¡°Buta€|¡± The Nascent Soul, perched atop the head of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, murmured nonstop while its eyes darted around, looking if there was still any chance to escape.


    But unbeknownst to him, Gui Ling had already moved to the other side of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, casting a menacing gaze at the Nascent Soul.


    Elder Xu¡¯s heart suddenly sank.


    Under the simultaneous scrutiny of the three, with his Nascent Soul body, escaping was nothing but a delusion.


    ¡°Four.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Han Li bent the fourth finger, leaving only the little finger on his hand.


    Almost at the same time, Gui Ling and the humanoid puppet made no further attempts to hide their intimidation, unleashing a formidable spiritual pressure that started menacing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.


    With a wave of his hand, that Silver Axe appeared in Gui Ling¡¯s hand, while in the humanoid puppet¡¯s hand, the Thunder Fire Bow radiated bright red light, and the Gold Lightning Bamboo Arrow on the bow shimmered with fluctuating light, firmly aiming at the distant Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.


    As for Han Li, his other hand turned over emotionlessly, a sudden thought flashed past, and the Three Flame Fan instantly appeared.


    With a light flick, runes surged and rolled upon the fan, emitting bright three-colored halos, and began to emit a clear ringing of a phoenix¡¯s call.


    Hidden in the rainbow light, Elder Xu saw this, and his Nascent Soul¡¯s face instantly paled, but his mouth remained tightly shut.


    The cold light lumD?D?ant like a blade in Han Li¡¯s eyes, his lips moved, and the word ¡°Five¡± was about to come out.


    ¡°Alright, Elder Xu allows you to impose restrictions on my Nascent Soul!¡± Elder Xu finally, seeing the determination in Han Li¡¯s face from the evil qi, could only grit his teeth and speak.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered as he nodded, forming a hand seal, and an ancient incantation voice came from his mouth.


    After a few moments, his face turned pale, and he squeezed a bean-sized white light orb from his brow, seemingly wrapping something, and floated gently towards Elder Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    The other hand holding the Three Flame Fan was still humming nonstop, Han Li not withdrawing any mana.


    Obviously, to prevent Elder Xu from seizing a chance to strike, he specifically used it to guard against him.


    Gui Ling and the humanoid puppet also did not relax, and according to Elder Xu¡¯s senses, their momentum became even stronger, firmly locking on to the Nascent Soul with no chance given.


    The young man surnamed Xu sighed silently, casting a greatly wary glance at the white sphere of light.


    On the outside, it looked nebulous, but inside, there was a faint flicker of five-colored spiritual light, the very image of the Spiritscold True Thunder from ancient legends, unmistakably so.


    In the blink of an eye, the Spiritscold True Thunder approached, yet it was stopped by the protective screen of the five-colored light.


    After hesitating slightly upon meeting Han Li¡¯s piercingly cold gaze, the young man surnamed Xu reluctantly allowed the white sphere of light to enter the luminescence.


    Then, with a single flash of white light, the sphere directly entered the body of the Nascent Soul and vanished without a trace.


    The young man surnamed Xu quickly used his Divine Sense to check the condition of his own Nascent Soul.


    However, there were absolutely no abnormalities, as if the Spiritscold True Thunder had disappeared into thin air.


    Seeing this, the young man surnamed Xu was not relieved but became even more alarmed.


    It was said that the Spiritscold True Thunder was formed from the condensed Divine Sense of a Sect Master, capable of appearing and disappearing at will.


    It seemed to be true.


    Now, how would he ever manage to expel it in the future?


    At this moment, Han Li spoke lightly:


    ¡°Do not harbor thoughts of forcibly expelling it.


    This ancient secret technique cannot be dismissed by sheer force of mana alone.


    As long as you behave honestly, Han Li naturally will not activate this restriction.


    Otherwise, if it does trigger, do not blame me for not warning you beforehand.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the Nascent Soul of the young man surnamed Xu naturally looked extremely displeased.


    Han Li turned his head to look at the unconscious Endless Sky Saintess, frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head, performing the same actions to implant another Spiritscold Thunder into this woman¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    Poor girl, she was still unconscious, and Han Li had already mindlessly imposed a restriction on her.


    ¡°You do not kill us, do you plan to use this restriction forever to threaten and control the two of us?¡± After searching again with his Divine Sense and still finding nothing, the young man surnamed Xu said resentfully.


    ¡°Threaten you?


    Think of it as such, if you must.


    But rest assured, as long as you behave obediently here in Kunwu Mountain and help me, once we leave this mountain, we will go our separate ways.


    You will remain the elders and the Saintess of the Heaventide Sanctuary, and I will continue to lay low in Tian Luo.


    As for the Spiritscold True Thunder, it will expire after three or four hundred years,¡± Han Li responded indifferently.


    ¡°Three or four hundred years!¡± The young man surnamed Xu was really left speechless.


    ¡°Alright.


    We have delayed here long enough; it is time to act,¡± Han Li said, glancing at the still unconscious Lin Yinping.


    He flicked his sleeve gently towards her, and a sheet of azure mist enveloped her.


    As the azure mist covered her, her eyelids twitched slightly and she slowly opened her beautiful eyes, only to see Han Li right beside her.


    Startled, without thinking, she shuddered and teleported about a dozen yards away, warily spitting out a silver flying sword at once.


    ¡°Daoist Lin, hold on!¡± The Nascent Soul of the young man surnamed Xu naturally wouldn¡¯t let Lin Yinping act rashly.


    He hurriedly called out to stop her and quickly transmitted a message to her with almost unnoticeable movement of his lips.


    Han Li did not intervene, merely standing with his hands behind his back, expressionless.


    Gui Ling then flew back to Han Li¡¯s side, and the Humanoid Puppet disappeared again as he willed it.


    In that instant, the woman whom Han Li had also bestowed the Spiritscold Thunder upon seemed to realize the restriction had been placed within her, her complexion suddenly turned pale, unable to hide the panic in her eyes.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s eyes flickered a few times, and just as he was about to say something, suddenly a thunderous noise erupted, shaking the entire space violently.


    Just as Han Li was startled by the disturbance, a massive Sword Qi suddenly burst through the barrier that had previously trapped them, creating a hole a yard wide with a slight shake, and then two streaks of light shot out from it, circling before descending near Han Li and others, revealing two figures.


    ¡°Qi Miao Daoist Brother!¡± Lin Yinping upon seeing one of the figures, a scholar clad in a black robe, couldn¡¯t help but exclaim with a hint of joy on her face.


    ¡°Eh!


    It turns out to be Daoist Lin.


    How come Celestial Ni Chang is also here?¡± The scholarly man with a hooked nose, looking sinister and profound, was somewhat surprised to see Lin Yinping there.


    This person was none other than Elder Qi Miao from the Devilcharm Sect.


    Since the Devilcharm Sect and the Heaventide Sanctuary also had some business dealings, this Old Devil Zenith Yin and Lin Yinping, being the Saintess of the Heaventide Sanctuary, had some acquaintance.


    The Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror, which could break the illusionary transformation technique, was borrowed by this old devil for this girl to use.


    And the person beside him, the white-haired and ruddy-faced old Daoist with an aura of an immortal, was naturally Xuanqing Zi from the Taiyi Sect.


    Upon seeing this girl, the old Daoist stepped forward and greeted her with a smile, but his gaze swept over to Han Li and others, gradually revealing a look of surprise.


    ¡°Celestial Ni Chang, who are these two Daoist friends?


    Daoist Xu¡¯s spiritual bird is here, why isn¡¯t Daoist Xu himself present?¡± The old Daoist¡¯s smile faded slightly, asking with some suspicion.


    (To be continued, if you want to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1057 - Chapter 1057 6 spirit treasures 153 9th layer

    ?Chapter 1057: 6 spirit treasures 153 9th layer Chapter 1057: 6 spirit treasures 153 9th layer After experiencing a devouring tear in space, Han Li, despite still harboring great fears for the rift, did not panic.


    With the enhancement from the Spirit Subjugation Talisman, his mana reached the peak of the mid Nascent Soul Stage and he immediately channeled an intense amount of spiritual power into the Primal Astral Shield, turning into a glaring silver radiance.


    Such a vast rift, as long as he wasn¡¯t touched by its edges, should pose no immediate issues with the power of the Primal Astral Shield.


    This was the only thought Han Li could nervously muster.


    The darkness was but an instant; after a moment of dizziness and blurred vision, his eyes brightened, and he found himself in a void.


    Fortunately, with prior experience, Han Li instantly regained his clarity and hastily looked around in alert, only to be shocked.


    ¡°Ninth Layer!¡± Han Li nearly didn¡¯t need to think, immediately muttering to himself.


    This was clearly another separate space, with a vast open area several miles across in the middle.


    The surroundings were hazy and yellow, the mist churning unpredictably, rendering the place dimly indistinct, its breadth unknown.


    Yet below him was a massive altar, over a hundred zhang tall, wider at the base and narrower at the top, shaped like a four-sided step pyramid, constructed of pure and exquisite white jade, magnificently delicate.


    Around it, a large array formed by towering stone pillars encircled the altar, each pillar radiating a bright light, seemingly in an activated state.


    Atop the altar stood a mountainous Two-Headed Giant Wolf, one black wolf head emitting endless black qi, confronting several figures hovering nearby in the air fiercely.


    These so-called opponents were the cultivators and demons who had disappeared from the eighth layer.


    Not only was Long Meng, possessed by Hua Tianqi as the Demoness Consort, there, her palms dancing as she flung huge milky white hands into the black qi ferociously, but also the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear, Silver-winged Yaksha, and others, not one absent.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã?


    The only ones missing were the Great Elder of the Ye Family and the Vivid Glass Beast.


    It was unclear if they had fallen or were simply not in this space.


    However, what surprised Han Li was that beside the giant wolf, there was a human cultivator assisting it, operating a gleaming Silver Shuttle.


    It was that beautiful woman from the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    At this moment, her face masked by black qi, her eyes vacant, she commanded treasures and was locked in a fierce struggle with the extremely irritated Madam Mu, as if she had lost her true nature.


    The others were each using their Divine Skills, desperately attacking the giant wolf above.


    Amidst the swirling yellow wind, a dark flood dragon hidden within spat black winds, resisting a Silver Giant Lotus and eight demon beast mirages.


    This floating, motionless Silver Lotus, entirely bright and dazzling, continuously had dense Buddhist scriptures and Sanskrit flowing down from the petals; every palm-sized rune that clashed with the black wind expelled by the flood dragon would detonate upon contact with a loud boom, scattering the seemingly fierce black wind.


    Black Wind Banner, Eight Spirit Ruler!


    Han Li recognized the two heavenly skill spirit treasures at a glance and was greatly surprised at the scenario involving the two women from the Immortal Transcendence Sect.


    Gui Ling had previously informed him that these two women seemed to be setting up an array underground, apparently scheming something.


    If not for his rush to escape the black transportation formation, he would have definitely secretly followed to find out.


    But now, how could one woman appear mesmerized by the Holy Ancestor¡¯s old devilish techniques?


    What shocked Han Li even more was that, facing so many opponents, this giant wolf was still gaining the upper hand, forcing those confronting it to continuously retreat, unable to come even remotely close to the altar.


    The black qi spewed out by the giant wolf was shiny and dark, as dense as a liquid; except for the blood red light formed by the Blood Blade held by the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear slashing wildly in the black qi, others-whether humans or demons-seemed to protect their entire bodies with treasures, not daring to touch the black qi at all, let alone initiate any long-range attacks into it.


    They could only rely on various spells and long-range attacks to constantly disperse the approaching black qi.


    Naturally, they were restrained, generally at a disadvantage.


    If not for ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± and the Corpse Bear withstanding most of the giant wolf¡¯s attacks, the Silver Lotus transformed by the Eight Spirit Ruler in the air also diverting much of the giant wolf¡¯s attention, occasionally requiring the giant wolf to exhale a breath of black qi to support the dark python, the group of people and demons would have likely been unable to withstand for long.


    After all, the lethal Soul Threads of the Silver-winged Yaksha and the golden waves sprayed from the mouth of the Lion Bird seemed powerless against this pitch-black Demonic Qi.


    However, with a brief flicker of thought, Han Li also noticed something strange.


    This Two-Headed Giant Wolf seemed unable to leave the altar, bound to combat while rooted on the top, not moving an inch from there.


    This made Han Li inwardly astonished.


    Just then, an extraordinarily angry voice erupted not far away.


    ¡°Not good, the seal has indeed been opened.


    How could this ancient demon possess the Magic Artifact to unlock this seal?¡±


    Startled, Han Li followed the sound.


    He saw that about twenty zhang away, Xuanqing Zi was staring at a spot on the altar and shouting, next to him, Qi Miao¡¯s expression was equally grim.


    Han Li then realized that not only these two, but Lin Yinping, Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, Gui Ling, and the Humanoid Puppet, were all appearing, near or far, within the ninth layer space, all unharmed.


    It seemed that the recent fragmentation of space wasn¡¯t accidental, but rather triggered some restrictive formations, thus transporting everyone to this layer in one go.


    However, Lin Yinping¡¯s face was somewhat pale; it seemed that the recent anomaly had greatly startled the woman.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze briefly swept across them, then quickly focused on the area on the altar that Xuanqing Zi and the others were looking at.


    After a careful gaze, Han Li could not help but gasp lightly.


    Behind that huge wolf, there were surprisingly two stone steles several tens of feet high, gray and unremarkable.


    But upon seeing these two stone steles, Han Li¡¯s face showed a hint of shock, a familiar feeling immediately flashed in his mind with the name of the rare material ¡°Chi Ling Soft Jade.¡± He had seen similar stone steles in the Demon Abyss beneath Tian Luo.


    However, the steles he had seen that day were already broken into several pieces.


    These two, however, were intact, with one of the steles having a green seal half embedded in it, making the stele emit faint black light, gently trembling.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed, noticing that the stele¡¯s spiritual light seemed to correspond with the array around the altar, as if it were the hub of this array.


    It seemed that the giant wolf was so close to the altar precisely to protect these steles.


    Han Li stared blankly at the stele, his mind slightly in disarray for a moment.


    ¡°Xuanqing Zi, Qi Miao, you¡¯ve arrived just in time.


    This ancient devilish ancestor is trying to release the seal of the altar, and it seems something is suppressed beneath the altar.


    Although I do not know what it is, we must not let this demon succeed,¡± Madam Mu exclaimed delightedly upon the arrival of Xuanqing Zi and others.


    ¡°I have already seen it.


    Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, we must act quickly, it seems the situation is quite bad,¡± Qi Miao said with a grave face, and after calling Xuanqing Zi, he immediately flung his sleeve.


    Immediately, various spiritual lights flashed from his sleeve, and seven treasures flew out at once, including blades, swords, beads, mirrors, and other treasures.


    Among them, a copper mirror was the Exquisite Sound Treasure Mirror that Lin Yinping had borrowed once.


    These were the Seven True Treasures that rattled Great Jin, transforming into seven clusters of different lights, shooting directly at the giant wolf below.


    Xuanqing Zi sighed and did not hesitate to reach into his sleeve single-handedly, pulling out a yellow ancient sword with its sheath.


    As soon as the sword was unsheathed, it seemed purely dull and aged, but as the old Daoist opened his mouth, a ball of blood essence sprayed onto the sword, and suddenly it woke up.


    A dragon¡¯s cry shot up to the sky, the sword¡¯s body glaring brilliantly,


    The old Daoist pinched a formula with one hand, two fingers gestured heavily on the sword body, and lightly waved beneath.


    A giant Sword Qi over ten meters long suddenly shot out from the ancient sword like a sky-piercing divine sword, its momentum astonishing as it slashed downwards.


    Before the thick yellow Sword Qi fell, it emitted a thunderous rumbling sound, seemingly splitting the vast sky in two, leaving a long white streak.


    The giant wolf transformed by Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha had naturally noticed them as soon as Han Li and others appeared.


    Seeing this astonishing scene, a chilling color flashed across its fierce eyes, and its body suddenly shivered as a layer of black Qi quickly transferred from its four claws standing on the altar, flashing briefly before disappearing into its body.


    Almost simultaneously, the wolf opened its mouth wide, expelling thick black Qi into the air.


    ¡°Be careful, this Demonic Qi is exceedingly powerful.


    Do not let the magic treasure¡¯s body get contaminated, or they will be demonized and lose their divine abilities immediately,¡± Madam Mu suddenly reminded loudly.


    At this moment, the seven clusters of different lights and the giant Sword Qi were about to collide head-on with the Demonic Qi.


    Upon hearing this, the Scholar¡¯s expression changed, and without thinking, he reached out towards his treasures in the air.


    D¡ãDoImmediately the seven clusters of different lights paused just before contact, then connected as one, releasing various colored Spirit Halos again sweeping towards the Demonic Qi.


    But by this time, the giant Sword Qi had already slashed into the Black Qi first.


    The Sword Qi and the Black Qi intertwined, emitting a sky-shaking boom, numerous yellow lights burst within the Black Qi, riddling the mass of Demonic Qi with holes.


    Followed by Qi Miao¡¯s seven treasures¡¯ Spirit Halos rolling in, seemingly able to disperse the Demonic Qi in an instant, then directly aiming for the giant wolf below.


    However, ¡°puff puff¡± several sounds later, the Two-Headed Giant Wolf unceremoniously spewed out several more black breaths.


    Instantly, the surging Black Qi enveloped all the yellow Spirit Halos, the spiritual light faintly flashed wildly a few times, then immediately fell silent without a trace.


    Seeing this in mid-air, the old Daoist¡¯s heart tightened, hurriedly pinching a spell with one hand, trying to drive the Sword Qi below, but there was no response at all, as if it had truly disappeared into thin air.


    This moment left the old Daoist slightly changing his expression.

 Chapter 1058 - Chapter 1058 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1054 Demon Ban

    ?Chapter 1058: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1054 Demon Ban Chapter 1058: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1054 Demon Ban Gui Ling held a silver giant axe, and the shadow of a tiger-like phantom emerged on it, expelling a yellow strange mist, barely able to resist the black Qi.


    Meanwhile, Lin Yinping and the young man surnamed Xu fused with the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock clustered together under the cover of the five-colored spiritual light, likewise barely able to protect themselves.


    Han Li merely glanced at these people, then looked toward the Eight Spirit Ruler and Black Wind Banner in the air with a slight frown on his forehead.


    These two Spiritual Treasures, one temporarily demonized and the other unclaimed, were unable to exert their true power.


    Even so, the vast silver lotus the size of a ruler and the pitch-black python-shaped flood dragon between them whipped up gusts of black wind and fluttering silver script, managing to match each other perfectly.


    However, with these two Spiritual Treasures located so conspicuously in the high sky, even if Han Li was very eager, they were beyond his reach.


    Not to mention the giant wolf transformed by the Divine Ancestor¡¯s incarnation of Yuan Sha, the others would definitely not stand by and watch him take the treasures.


    Since the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha broke free, Han Li realized that his Divine Powers were beyond his ability to resist, and he planned to flee immediately, leaving this place of trouble.


    However, these areas happened to be enclosed spaces, leaving him with no way out for the time being.


    Thus, Han Li had no choice but to brace himself, doing his best to avoid truly getting involved in the grand battle.


    Therefore, although he noticed that the Devilbane Lightning was quite effective against the strange ink-black Demonic Qi, he only shielded himself and absolutely refused to recklessly charge forward and show off.


    If by chance the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha noticed him and specifically targeted him, wouldn¡¯t that be bad luck for him?


    Moreover, now that the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s attention had indeed broken free, it would initially be the realm of immortal cultivators in Great Jin who would suffer, not him.


    He had no intention of taking risks on behalf of the cultivators of Great Jin.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    While Han Li was thinking secretly, his spiritual sense quietly spread out, probing towards the altar.


    As expected, as soon as his spiritual sense touched the surface of the altar, it was repelled by an inexplicable restrictive formation and could not penetrate any deeper into the altar.


    Han Li sighed secretly, his spiritual sense instinctively swept underneath the altar, and he couldn¡¯t help but freeze slightly in surprise.


    A hundred zhang beneath the altar, he sensed a golden sphere about a foot in size-it was the group of Gold Devouring Bugs that had been secretly released earlier.


    These Gold Devouring Beetles had also made their way to the ninth layer.


    Initially, he had released these bugs to search for weak spots in the barriers of the eighth layer, seeing if they could be exploited.


    However, due to the appearance of a black transportation formation, he had lost contact with these bugs.


    Now, it seemed that they had also been transported to the ninth layer during the moment of spatial fragmentation.


    Perhaps because these Gold Devouring Bugs were originally in the underground of the eighth layer, once transported, they quietly appeared underneath the altar on the ninth layer, undetected by others.


    Han Li glanced at the huge flickering stone pillars surrounding the massive altar.


    After a moment of hesitation, he still secretly issued a command to the bugs.


    Instantly, the golden sphere flashed with golden light, then disintegrated and scattered, transforming back into thousands of Gold Devouring Bugs dispersing in a swarm.


    As for the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear and ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± and others on the surface, they obviously did not want to just remain in deadlock.


    From time to time, some of them charged fiercely at the large stone pillars far away, trying to disrupt the array formation.


    But apart from the Corpse Bear¡¯s Blood Blade occasionally leaving one or two shallow cuts on the pillars, the rest of their attacks left the pillars completely undamaged.


    Even the seemingly powerful creamy white giant fists of ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± could only make the pillars sway slightly.


    It was unknown what kind of tough materials these pillars were made of, appearing so incredibly hard.


    Of course, if the Corpse Bear or the Demoness Consort Hua Tianqi, who was possessed by Long Meng, had the time to deal with a specific pillar slowly, it wouldn¡¯t truly be impossible to destroy it.


    But the key was, whenever any of them thought of retreating, the Two-Headed Giant Wolf would immediately unceremoniously emit several mouths of black Qi.


    The surging Demonic Qi rolled towards those retreating from the altar, startling them so much that they had to turn back and fully face the Demonic Qi again.


    They simply could not really disengage and withdraw!


    While Han Li was casually dealing with the attacks of the Demonic Qi, his eyes swiftly scanned around, seemingly looking for a way to escape.


    At this moment, under the protection of Xuanqing Zi, five green rings were being consecrated by Qi Miao into the mid-air.


    The Scholar continuously chanted spell incantations, his ten fingers gently flicking, striking incantations on the rings one after another.


    The five rings emitted odd varying cries, and simultaneously, the spiritual light trembled slightly while flashing.


    The Two-Headed Giant Wolf spewed large amounts of black Qi, entangling the newly appeared individuals in the air, then originally had turned its gaze back, refocusing on ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± and the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear near the altar.


    In this fiend demon¡¯s eyes, these two were the real threats.


    ¡°Hua Tianqi,¡± needless to say, had been contending with the Demoness Consort over this silver wolf body for so many years, and they knew each other extremely well, naturally extremely wary of each other.


    And the Corpse Bear, which appeared suddenly and covertly attacked, although only possessing the power at the Deity Transformation stage, had a Blood Blade in hand that was extremely formidable.


    Not only unafraid of its Demonic Qi, it even faintly had a restraining effect.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the cultivation level of this Corpse Bear was really too inferior compared to the fiend possessing the silver wolf body, it might have been possible for it alone, through its demonic power, to break through the Demonic Qi.


    This forced the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha to pay more attention.


    ¡°`


    Actually, if it hadn¡¯t been on the eighth floor palace, where it had suddenly risked using a powerful Bewitching Divine Skill, unexpectedly gaining control over the human woman and obtaining the Dragon Transformation Seal which controlled the ninth-floor altar array from her, it would never have appeared on this ninth floor.


    Instead, it had already thought of escaping the Demon Suppression Tower before the Demonic Qi was depleted.


    Now that it has activated the altar¡¯s seal, although it hasn¡¯t fully succeeded and only a slight gap has been opened, as long as it remains at the altar, a continuous supply of pure Demonic Qi replenishes its body.


    Not only is it able to hold its own against so many cultivators but also to dominate, even its originally depleted demonic essence is slowly recovering.


    In this situation, the fiend has become even less willing to take risks.


    It simply plays defensively and waits for the sealing formations to be completely lifted.


    However, just when the green light in the sky began to exert its power, the wolf suddenly sensed a familiar and terrifying spiritual power from the past, causing it to look up in shock.


    ¡°Devilbane Lightning¡±


    Upon seeing the five emerald rings in the sky, the giant wolf displayed a look of fear in its eyes.


    Its black wolf head burst forth with a roar that shook heaven and earth, and as it opened its mouth wide, a dark light converged, apparently about to spew out something.


    But at this moment, Qi Miao in the sky had finished casting his incantations.


    He pointed solemnly at one of the emerald rings and uttered a heavy ¡°Seal.¡±


    The sound was not loud, but that ring immediately burst into blinding light and vanished from sight in a flash.


    The next moment, with a buzzing sound above the giant wolf¡¯s head, a stream of emerald Qi flashed out of thin air, then with a flicker, surreally wrapped around the black wolf¡¯s neck, instantly transforming back into a massive ring.


    Runes surged on the surface of the massive ring, which rapidly contracted.


    The Demonic Qi the wolf head was about to release was instantly blocked, and it let out a painful wail.


    In panic, a wolf claw swiftly struck at the ring, flashing with chilling light, as if trying to crush the ring.


    However, the emerald light flared greatly, and after a muffled groan, the wolf claw was repelled.


    The ring tightened even more, silencing the wolf¡¯s cries; it could only emit low whimpers, eyes filled with unbearable pain.


    Seeing this, both humans and demons near the altar rejoiced, casting their divine skills and repeatedly attacking the demonic aura.


    Indeed, since the giant wolf could no longer control them, the demonic aura greatly weakened and was dispersed by their attacks.


    Corpse Bear and Hua Tianqi quickly rushed toward the middle.


    Silver-winged Yaksha and Lion Bird were also trying to approach when they suddenly heard several transmissions from Corpse Bear; after exchanging glances, they turned around and shot towards the surrounding stone pillars.


    Before they reached these pillars, they simultaneously released gray Evil Soul Thread and golden soundwaves, targeted at one of the stone pillars.


    Xuanqing Zi in the sky and Qi Miao, seeing this, were overjoyed.


    The old Daoist immediately, with all his power, infused his sword with spiritual energy and fiercely slashed towards the demonic aura in front of him.


    A massive sword light was hurled out, cleaving a clear path ahead.


    Meanwhile, under the continuous touching of the Scholar, the remaining four emerald rings also disappeared with a flash, reappearing on the limbs of the giant wolf.


    With the radiant light from the four rings flickering, they tightened simultaneously, and the giant wolf could no longer stand on the altar and with a loud bang, it collapsed to the ground.


    Seeing this, Han Li blinked, and a sudden thought of the ancient treasure he had obtained in the Star Palace, the ¡°Five Element Bands,¡± emerged in his mind.


    Apart from the difference in power, the Devilbane Lightning that Qi Miao had easily used to bind the giant wolf looked remarkably similar to the Five Element Bands.


    Could it be that the Five Element Bands were originally imitations of the Devilbane Lightning?


    Just then, Xuanqing Zi suddenly cried out in shock and anger:


    ¡°Sect Master Bear, how dare you?¡±


    Following this, the old Daoist waved his treasured sword, transforming it into a yellow streak shooting above the demonic aura.


    Meanwhile, the middle-aged Scholar disregarded the giant wolf on the altar and also transformed into a gray mist, blurring momentarily, and then vanished on the spot.


    At this moment, Han Li realized that ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± and the white-haired Corpse Bear, upon their rush into the demonic aura, suddenly transformed into a white and a green giant hand, respectively grabbing towards the black evil banner turned Black Python and the Silver Giant Lotus in the air.


    While Madam Mu was tightly entangled by her junior sister, unable to leave by a single step.


    Seeing this, Han Li pursed his lips, his brows furrowed without moving.


    On the other side, two streaks of light whooshed out.


    It was Lin Yinping and the young man with the surname Xu, possessing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, shooting forth, also targeting the two Spiritual Treasures in the air.


    However, Gui Ling glanced skeptically at Han Li then hesitated and did not join the struggle.


    Lights flashed chaotically in the air, with various booming sounds intertwining ceaselessly.


    The same group of people and demons that were just united against the ancient devil had turned against each other over two Spiritual Treasures in the blink of an eye.


    Han Li¡¯s focus, however, remained on the altar, observing the giant wolf tightly bound by the Devilbane Lightning.


    Suddenly his expression darkened, his robe sleeves shook, and dozens of small golden swords, buzzing, shot out from his sleeves.


    (First update!


    The recent chapters are very important but not easy to write.


    I need to consider many aspects.


    Each chapter takes much longer than before, hence updates may not be timely.


    Please bear with me.


    I will ponder the specifics to try making it more exciting for everyone.)


    (To be continued, for more information please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters to support the author and for legitimate reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1059 - Chapter 1059 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 1555 Red Crying Drum

    ?Chapter 1059: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 1555 Red Crying Drum Chapter 1059: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasure Volume 1555 Red Crying Drum As Han Li released his flying swords, he was concurrently transmitting voices with Silvermoon through his divine sense.


    ¡°If I sever that black wolf head, can I temporarily expel the ancient devilish Divine Ancestor¡¯s spirit?


    I wouldn¡¯t have made a mistake, leading us into a more difficult situation, would I?


    Why hasn¡¯t Long Meng seized the body first?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.


    Since it¡¯s controlled by the Demon Restraining Ring, it means this demon can¡¯t escape from the control of the ring with its Demonic Qi, nor can its Demon Soul escape from the wolf head.


    As long as the Demon Soul temporarily leaves the body, I am confident that I can reclaim the original body.


    As for Long Meng, although her spiritual sense is incredibly powerful, she does not possess a weapon mixed with Geng Metal and ordinary treasures can¡¯t harm the Silver Wolf¡¯s body at all.


    Moreover, she wouldn¡¯t dare to contend for control of the body filled with Demonic Qi with the Demon Soul.


    Doing so would likely put her at a severe disadvantage.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t expect that the master had so many Geng Metal infused flying swords.


    Otherwise, why would she easily give up such an opportunity and compete for the heavenly spirit treasures instead?¡± Silvermoon quickly explained.


    Hearing this, Han Li took a deep breath and hesitated no more.


    After all, Silvermoon was his Artifact Spirit, and if it could reclaim the body and greatly increase his power, he was naturally more than willing.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Immediately, he formed an incantation with both hands, causing all the flying swords to rise into the sky simultaneously and, after a burst of golden light, they converged into one giant golden sword.


    He gently tapped the giant sword.


    Instantly, a rumble of thunder sounded, and a layer of golden lightning formed around the giant sword.


    At the tip of the sword, a burst of silver light exploded, revealing a silver wolf head that disappeared in a flash.


    Silvermoon, in the form of an Artifact Spirit, directly attached itself to the giant sword, firstly to enhance the sword¡¯s power, and secondly to enter the wolf body directly after beheading the black wolf head.


    With a push of his incantation!


    The giant sword swooped, turning into a golden arc, slashing through the Demonic Qi.


    Wherever it passed, sparks of electricity flashed, shattering the black Qi instantly.


    Within a few flashes, it reached above the altar and slashed down on the immobile huge wolf.


    Such astonishing actions of the golden sword naturally stunned everyone in the sky who was fighting over the two spiritual treasures, human and demon alike.


    The ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± possessed by Long Meng, upon seeing this, was first shocked, then sneered with a curl of her lips.


    She naturally didn¡¯t believe that a mere mid-Nascent Soul stage flying sword could hurt the Silver Wolf body in the slightest.


    But just as this thought circulated in the mind of the Demoness Consort, to everyone¡¯s great surprise, a scene unfolded below.


    As the giant sword¡¯s momentum ferociously descended, about to solidly strike the black wolf¡¯s neck, the seemingly immobile huge wolf suddenly sprung up, cleverly avoiding the sweep of the sword light.


    Everyone, including Han Li, was left dumbfounded.


    ¡°Not good, this demon was feigning earlier; the Demon Restraining Ring has not truly trapped this demon,¡± Xuanqing Zi cried out in a startled voice first.


    Qi Miao¡¯s complexion looked extremely grim, but not giving up, she hurriedly formed an incantation with both hands, muttering words to drive the five jade rings on the giant wolf¡¯s body again.


    Suddenly, the five rings radiated brightly, tightening once more.


    However, this time, the black wolf looked down at the rings on its body with a hint of mockery in its eyes, and instead of any cries of pain, it fiercely stomped on the altar beneath it.


    Instantly, a pitch-black as ink light burst out from the wolf as the center, enveloping the huge wolf within, then vanished like a spirit, completely integrating into the massive wolf body.


    In an instant, the originally glistening fur of the Silver Wolf darkened from bright to dim, except for the other silver wolf head, the rest of the parts turned into a dark color.


    ¡°Demonized body, when did it complete the demonization!¡±


    Seeing this scene in the sky, ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± turned pale instantly, her face filled with disbelief.


    Almost simultaneously, the black wolf head raised its neck, emitting rings of black ripples from its mouth.


    These ripples were silent and seemingly powerless as they came out.


    But, when the five jade rings on the wolf¡¯s body were enveloped in the black waves, the spiritual light flickered a few times, and then they shattered inch by inch.


    The five Demon Restraining Rings vanished in an instant.


    The golden giant sword that had originally missed its aim and hovered back up above saw this scene and immediately fled back the way it came as if encountering a deadly scorpion.


    With a mournful howl from the wolf¡¯s mouth, the previously dispersed Demonic Qi suddenly regrouped and churned, tightly trapping the giant sword within, seemingly trying to confine the sword.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion changed greatly, without much thought, he urged the sword technique with one hand towards the giant sword within the Demonic Qi, activating half of the Devilbane Lightning within the sword.


    Amid the thunder, a giant sphere of lightning materialized by golden lightning appeared on the surface of the giant sword and, with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens, completely exploded.


    Countless fine arcs of electricity fiercely splattered, instantly melting away the surrounding Demonic Qi, revealing a large patch of empty space, making the remaining Demonic Qi full of holes and extraordinarily thin.


    Taking this opportunity, the trapped giant sword hummed and transformed into a golden rainbow, shooting through the remnants of the Demonic Qi and instantly returning to Han Li¡¯s side.


    ¡°So many Devilbane Lightnings?¡± The giant wolf saw this scene and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a trace of astonishment, deeply glancing at Han Li once.


    Han Li¡¯s face was expressionless, but a chill ran through his heart.


    Despite the strange black waves spewed from the wolf¡¯s mouth being ferocious, they were evidently too slow, unable to reach far.


    After leaving the wolf¡¯s body for over thirty meters, they dispersed into nothingness.


    At this moment, Qi Miao and many other Sect Masters broke out in a cold sweat behind, feeling fortunate in their hearts.


    This Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s incarnation was incredibly cunning!


    Clearly able to easily break the Demon Restraining Ring on his body, he instead feigned defeat, falling to the ground to set up a fierce battle with them.


    If it weren¡¯t for Han Li¡¯s sudden unintentional strike that forced its true form to be revealed, they might have already faced casualties over the Spiritual Treasure.


    At that point, the remaining people would surely suffer greatly in their spiritual energy, definitely no match for this demon.


    Now, exchanging glances, they quickly dispersed in all directions.


    Although the heavenly skill treasure was undoubtedly precious, no one was confident they could subdue it in a short time.


    Naturally, they had to deal with the powerful enemy first.


    At this moment, the giant wolf¡¯s purple eyes flashed with a cold light, and its paw suddenly lifted, striking towards an empty space on one side.


    Five claw waves, each about ten meters long, were rapidly shot out and disappeared in a flash.


    Suddenly, a woman¡¯s scream was heard.


    The others were shocked and looked over.


    They saw at the edge of the demonic Qi, Madam Mu, who was entangled with her martial sister through the use of the Golden Shuttle, was caught off guard and was sliced into several segments by the claw waves that suddenly appeared next to her.


    Both her embroidered cloth for protection and her brilliant defensive aura were unable to block it at all.


    Her Nascent Soul immediately panicked and fled from the broken corpse, hesitating for a moment while looking at the Golden Shuttle in the sky, seemingly wanting to recall her treasure before fleeing.


    But, this moment of delay meant she could no longer escape.


    The demonic Qi nearby suddenly churned and transformed into a huge black hand, which swiftly grabbed the Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul was startled and wanted to perform Shifting Smoke Steps to flee, but at that moment, the distant giant wolf let out a fierce howl.


    The piercing howl caused the mana inside the Nascent Soul to congeal, losing control.


    The black hand caught it and retracted, instantly engulfed by the demonic Qi without a trace.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Upon seeing this, Xuanqing Zi, who always appeared refined and at ease, his face suddenly turned ashen, and he shouted furiously.


    His body surged mana into the sword, and the Old Sword was repetitively slashed down without end.


    In an instant, Xuanqing Zi¡¯s Heavenly Divine Sword transformed into layers upon layers of sword shadows, numerous deep yellow sword lights formed a small hill-like mountain of swords pressing downwards fiercely, determined to rescue Madam Mu¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    Seeing this, Han Li was startled.


    But other people naturally welcomed the scholar¡¯s desperate front-lining.


    Hua Tianqi and Corpse Bear exchanged glances, then a blood light and a giant white-handed attack struck downwards from both sides.


    Seeing the scholar in such a state, Qi Miao slightly frowned, recalling some rumors regarding Madam Mu and the scholar, his face involuntarily revealing a hint of intrigue.


    After a brief moment of thought, he flipped his hand and suddenly produced a small drum.


    This drum was entirely crimson, with surfaces radiating faint red brilliance, seemingly condensed from fierce flames.


    As soon as it appeared, it drastically raised the temperature within several tens of meters, and everyone within the range of this drum¡¯s power momentarily felt dry and parched, as though next to a fiery furnace.


    ¡°Red Crying Drum¡±


    Lin Yinping, previously at a slight disadvantage during the fight for the Spiritual Treasure, saw this fiery red drum and exclaimed in surprise.


    The Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock circling above her head also showed surprise in its eyes.


    After a sweeping glance, Han Li felt the terrifying fire spiritual Qi contained within the drum, seemingly not inferior to that of the Three Flame Fan.


    This realization shocked him, and the term ¡°Spiritual Treasure Replica¡± involuntarily flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, your Devilbane Lightning is very effective against these demonic Qi, also release it for a combined attack.


    I will use this drum to cover you,¡± the middle-aged scholar said flatly, holding the drum as he abruptly turned towards Han Li.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li¡¯s pupils couldn¡¯t help but constrict.


    Just then, the formidable sword Qi released by the scholar collided with the swelling demonic Qi below.


    Suddenly, thunderous rumblings erupted!


    Sword light and demonic Qi intertwined and mixed, holding at a stalemate for a moment.


    As soon as Hua Tianqi¡¯s white hand and Corpse Bear¡¯s Blood Blade Division joined in, the giant wolf opened its mouth and easily repelled these two attacks with black light beams.


    Not just that, the now entirely black giant wolf shook its head furiously and spat out two globs of inky substance from its mouth.


    The moment these substances hit the ground, they rolled in the demonic Qi and transformed into two demonic creatures with human bodies and wings.


    These two creatures looked like young men, except for the black hawk wings, a hooked nose on their faces, and holding black broad blades in their hands.


    As their wings spread, they directly headed towards Silver-winged Yaksha and Lion Bird, which had already damaged a stone pillar.


    Before getting close to the two demons, these two creatures swung their black blades, sending a series of dark blade waves shooting towards them.


    (More updates coming!)(To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1060 - Chapter 1060 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 156 True Demonic Qi

    ?Chapter 1060: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 156 True Demonic Qi Chapter 1060: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 156 True Demonic Qi Upon seeing the two demonic creatures seemingly formed from condensed Demonic Qi charging at them, the two demons were startled.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha immediately vanished into the breeze without a second thought.


    The Lion Bird, overtaken by ferocity, twirled around, emitting a thunderous roar from its mouth, and a golden wave struck at one of the demonic creatures.


    That demonic creature merely raised its blade to block and was instantly engulfed by the golden waves, its body shattering inch by inch, dissolving back into faint Demonic Qi.


    The other demonic creature, with a swing of its hand, released a blade light about a foot long, and the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s figure bizarrely reappeared behind it.


    With a flick of all ten fingers, ten strands of grey Evil Soul Thread shot out, instantly penetrating the demonic creature¡¯s body and tearing it into pieces.


    Destroying these two demonic creatures so easily, the Silver-winged Yaksha stared at the Demonic Qi in front of him and revealed a grave expression with a furrowed brow.


    Clearly, the demon did not believe that the two demonic creatures were truly dealt with.


    Indeed, the Demonic Qi in front of him churned and surged, and amid the flashing dark light, it condensed back into the two demonic creatures.


    As soon as the two demonic creatures reappeared, one lunged fiercely at him, and at the same time, its mouth opened, and gusts of Demonic Qi shot straight towards the Silver-winged Yaksha.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha furrowed his brow, raised one hand, and the Evil Soul Thread was ejected once again, entangling with the dark Qi for a moment.


    The other demonic creature suddenly changed shape, turning into a huge eagle about ten feet in size, and rushed close to the Lion Bird.


    Its pair of dark talons and a beak sharp as a hook moved together, directly engaging in close combat.


    Instantly, black and purple feathers scattered from the clash between the two giant birds.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    The Lion Bird clearly had the upper hand, but no matter how severely the black giant eagle was injured, the dark light flowing around its body would heal it instantly, seemingly granting it an undying body.


    The same was happening on the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s side.


    No matter how many times the Evil Soul Thread destroyed the demonic creatures, they would reform in the blink of an eye.


    It was obvious that these two demonic creatures were something similar to external reincarnations.


    If the main body was not destroyed and there was abundant Demonic Qi to support them, they essentially possessed undying bodies.


    No wonder the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha split his mind to use them to entangle the two demons.


    Clearly, he did not expect the demonic creatures to defeat them, but simply to prevent the two demons from continuing to destroy the stone pillar.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha was well aware of this as well, but although these two demonic creatures had extremely poor defenses, the Demonic Qi they spewed was identical to that of the giant wolf.


    The two demons had no choice but to strenuously dodge and defend, truly unable to divert their attention to anything else.


    And the stone pillar, which had been destroyed by more than half, repaired itself amidst flashes of Spiritual Light in just this short period, with the shattered parts reverting back to how they were.


    This only added to the Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s frustration.


    The two demons¡¯ situation had also caught the eye of the Corpse Bear, which surprised him as well.


    ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± was condensing several large hands with his spiritual sense, continuously smashing at the Demonic Qi below, but suddenly transmitted to the Corpse Bear with a cold voice:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.


    This kind of divine communion temporarily split to refine an External Reincarnation through evil techniques; a mere divided consciousness can only release these two at its limit.


    Otherwise, if this demon releases more, we would undoubtedly be defeated.


    What¡¯s crucial now is that this mighty demon has forcefully Demonized my body with Demonic Qi.


    Although it¡¯s only temporary, continuously drawing pure Demonic Qi from the altar to temper this body will solidify the Demonization before long.


    Once the demon soul and body fuse, I will have no chance to reclaim my body.


    And once he¡¯s regained all his divine powers, we together will not be his match.


    It looks like I have to take a risk.¡±


    ¡°Take a risk!


    What do you mean, Royal Consort?¡± startled, the Corpse Bear asked respectfully.


    ¡°I plan to use a secret technique to attempt to enter the body of the silver wolf and struggle with the Demon Soul for control.


    Although the body has been Demonized and I likely cannot gain the upper hand, it will cause the silver wolf¡¯s body to lose control for a moment.


    You should know very well what to do next.¡± Long Meng transmitted back calmly.


    ¡°I understand your intentions, Royal Consort.


    But isn¡¯t this too risky?¡± the Corpse Bear said, hesitantly, while cleaving through a large mass of Demonic Qi below with a burst of blood-red light.


    ¡°Adventure?


    If we don¡¯t take the risk now, once the seal on the altar is undone, we really won¡¯t have the slightest chance,¡± Long Meng said with annoyance.


    ¡°What exactly is sealed beneath this altar?


    The Royal Consort seems to be very wary of it.


    Could it possibly be one of the immensely powerful evil treasures left in the human world by the Ancient Devil Realm?¡± the Corpse Bear couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°If it were merely an evil treasure, that would be fine.


    Even if the demon that got its hands on it was formidable, we could first retreat from here, then gather other Human Cultivators to besiege it alone.


    There will always be a way to exterminate the demon.


    Would I continue to hold out here?


    What¡¯s sealed beneath this altar is most likely the True Demonic Qi that was transmitted here when the Ancient Devil Realm opened a passage to the human world,¡± Long Meng said with a gloomy face.


    ¡°True Demonic Qi from the Ancient Devil Realm?¡± the Corpse Bear was shocked.


    ¡°Before you transformed into a Corpse Refining Technique, you should also know something about the fearsomeness of the True Demonic Qi.


    Unlike ordinary Demonic Qi, not only can it defile the Spiritual Qi of the spirit veins in the human world, but once it spreads in large amounts, ordinary humans and low-level cultivators will gradually be demonized.


    Even over time, it could turn the human world into an existence similar to the Ancient Devil Realm,¡± Long Meng said with gravity.


    ¡°But I heard that after the war that year, all that Demonic Qi was thoroughly purified by those ancient experts.


    How can it still exist in the human world, right beneath this altar?¡± the Corpse Bear still found it hard to believe.


    ¡°Purification?


    Ordinary Demonic Qi could indeed be purified with the Divine Skills of ancient experts.


    But True Demonic Qi contains the very essence of the Ancient Devil Realm.


    When it was transmitted to the human world, it was intended for transforming the nature¡¯s spiritual energy of the human world.


    It¡¯s not that easily erased.


    If it were in our spirit realm, there might be a way to completely clear it.


    But in the human world, it¡¯s exceedingly difficult.


    Before I was sealed, I heard the Three Elders of Kunwu mention it once.


    After the war, they planned to collect and imprison most of the True Demonic Qi, distributing it to several places in the human world where the Spiritual Qi was most abundant, suppressing it with Pure Spiritual Qi.


    Having merged with the Divine Ancestor¡¯s Incarnation, I can faintly sense that what¡¯s sealed beneath the altar is this kind of Demonic Qi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising.


    Kunwu Mountain was the most famous mountain of immortals in the human world at that time.


    Using the spirit vein of this mountain to suppress the Demonic Qi is actually the reasonable thing to do.


    They were hoping that after being washed over by the Pure Spiritual Qi, the Demonic Qi could be gradually worn away.


    And indeed, the Spiritual Qi of this mountain has truly thinned quite a bit compared to when I was sealed.


    It seems to have been somewhat effective.


    However, without a million years, this Demonic Qi cannot be truly purified.


    If it¡¯s released now, Human Cultivators wishing to reseal it, is nothing but wishful thinking.


    Not to mention, once the Divine Ancestor¡¯s Incarnation absorbs the True Demonic Qi, I¡¯m afraid no one in the human world will be able to oppose him.¡±


    Long Meng fell silent for a moment, then said everything in one breath.


    After hearing this account, the Corpse Bear was extremely shocked, his face changing unpredictably.


    ¡°Even if the human world is completely demonized, what of it?


    What does it have to do with us?


    Back then, the demons and humans sent the Royal Consort and me to the Lower Realm, to expel the crossing ancient devils.


    We¡¯ve already done what was asked.


    If something else happens now, the blame can¡¯t fall on us.


    Why don¡¯t we¡­¡± The Corpse Bear¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of chillness, and he hesitated to suggest.


    ¡°I knew it, you Corpse Bear were the spirit beast of humans in the past, how eagerly you ran to the Demon Suppression Tower to save me.


    You still intend to use the Spirit Reversal Passage to return to the spirit realm, right?


    However, your cultivation hasn¡¯t surpassed the Divinity Transformation Stage, even if you enter, you¡¯ll just be turned into nothingness by the power of space.


    And how do you know I am aware of the location of the Spirit Reversal Passage?¡± Long Meng suddenly asked with a sneer.


    ¡°The Royal Consort jests.


    Being the humans¡¯ spirit beast was before I awakened my spiritual wisdom.


    As for how I will traverse the passage, please rest assured, Your Highness.


    Having prepared for so many years, I still have some confidence.


    And Your Highness, being the consort of Tian Kui the Demon King, if you do not know the location of the passage, then I truly don¡¯t know who else would,¡± the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear said with a forced smile on his hairy face.


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll just take you at your word.


    To tell you the truth, only when I fully reclaim my original body can I find the location of the Spirit Reversal Passage again.


    So, don¡¯t think about fleeing.


    Just obediently do as I tell you,¡± Long Meng said bluntly.


    ¡°Yes, as long as the Royal Consort fulfills her promise and really agrees to take us back to the spirit realm together, we will naturally fight to death to serve the Royal Consort,¡± the Corpse Bear said without hesitation, replying through voice transmission.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!


    You guard me for now,¡± Long Meng nodded in satisfaction.


    Then, the body possessed by Hua Tianqi suddenly started forming hand gestures, and her whole body radiated a blinding silver light.


    And at this moment, under the watching eyes of the Qi Miao true person, Han Li, without saying anything, rubbed his hands together and released a series of Devilbane Lightning towards the below, dispersing clumps of Demonic Qi.


    However, the huge red wolf below, confronted by the combined efforts of many cultivators, on the contrary, saw its Devil Flame Sect power surge, a dark beam of Demonic Qi burst forth from its mouth incessantly, pushing back the yellow Sword Qi and blood-red attacks, and as the Demonic Qi grew more and more dense, nearly occupying most of the space, there seemed to be an intention of trapping the cultivators within.


    At this time, the stone pillars surrounding the altar began to glint dazzlingly and started to emit a low humming sound.


    Mysterious ancient runes appeared on the surface of each pillar, trembling slightly.


    Those aware of this scene, both human and demon, were inwardly alarmed.


    The Qi Miao true person, holding a red small drum in hand, upon seeing this, his expression darkened.


    Although he hadn¡¯t heard the conversation between Long Meng and the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear, an ominous foreboding surfaced clearly in his heart.


    The person gritted his teeth and finally threw the small drum into the air, consecrating it in mid-air, while loudly shouting:


    ¡°Xuanqing Zi my fellow Daoist, what are you waiting for, quickly conjure up that new item you¡¯ve acquired.


    Otherwise, we¡¯re really headed for disaster!¡±


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters available, support the author, and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1062 - Chapter 1062 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1058 Demon Statue

    ?Chapter 1062: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1058 Demon Statue Chapter 1062: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 1058 Demon Statue Han Li was sent flying seven or eight zhang away, feeling a burst of intense pain in his lower abdomen.


    Amidst shock and rage, he concentrated his mana and finally steadied himself.


    But when he looked down at his body, he couldn¡¯t help but take a sharp intake of breath.


    The silver light barrier formed by the Primal Astral Shield and the faint protective brilliance had both been pierced through, leaving a fist-sized hole.


    His robe was torn at the lower abdomen, revealing glimmers of gold and silver from the armor that was consolidated by the Gold Devouring Bugs, which had also been pierced.


    The innermost layer of pitch-black armor was exposed.


    This inner armor had a slit several inches long, and a sinister silver blade was stuck in there, seemingly penetrating slightly into his lower abdomen.


    A flash of blue crossed Han Li¡¯s face and he let out a low shout.


    His entire body burst forth with a pale golden light, as if struck by some immense force, the sinister blade was repelled with a ¡°whoosh¡± and shot high into the sky.


    With a sway of his body and a movement of his arm, Han Li grabbed the blade and got a clear look at it for the first time.


    It was half a foot long, somewhat curved, resembling the sharp blade of a crescent moon.


    But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sharp nail from a wolf¡¯s claw.


    Han Li¡¯s heart trembled, and he hurriedly refocused on the wound on his lower abdomen.


    He saw a two-to-three-inch deep wound, which was not bleeding but instead revealed flesh that was exceptionally clear and even faintly mixed with slight strands of gold.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    This was the result of cultivating the first layer of the King Ming Art; his body was almost as tough as refined iron.


    Otherwise, the strike just now would have pierced through his Dantian with all his layers of protection, and he probably would have fallen to the ground, never to rise again.


    This so-called ¡°Heavenly Wolf Drill¡± was indeed terrifying.


    Alarm bells rang in Han Li¡¯s mind as he raised his gaze towards the Humanoid Puppet in front of him.


    It had been struck by two other huge wolf nails, and five-colored brilliance was flickering unstoppably.


    Although they had penetrated halfway into the body, it seemed unharmed.


    Seeing this sight, he let out a breath of relief.


    It appeared that the puppet body forged from Silverstar Sand with Five Elements Jade was not so easily destroyed.


    Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, within the dark radiance, was greatly shocked that a supposedly surefire attack had failed not just once but thrice.


    It must be known that the Heavenly Wolf Drill was one of the silver wolf¡¯s most formidable Divine Skills.


    Each use required the sacrifice of one silver claw from the wolf¡¯s paws, and each of these nails had been painstakingly cultivated by the silver wolf over countless years.


    Their power was so great that even Deity Transformation stage cultivators would not take them lightly if encountered.


    Of course, the current manifestation was a fraction of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s spirit using magic tools to activate, hence naturally reduced in power considerably.


    But to have three in a row intercepted by a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator was indeed staggering to the Divine Ancestor.


    At this moment, the dark radiance above the altar receded, and the huge body of the wolf disappeared without a trace, revealing a slender figure ¨C it was the black-robed woman who had retransformed from a giant wolf into a human form.


    However, this woman was no longer draped in a black robe but instead enveloped in a fearsome suit of armor.


    The armor was shiny and pitch black, engraved with the head of a double-horned demon on the front, while several one-foot long black spines protruded from the shoulders and limbs, glinting with a sinister chill, making one shiver at the sight.


    The black-robed woman gave Han Li a cold glance.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Han Li also took a deep breath.


    ¡°This is the ancient demon¡¯s True Demon Armor.


    As long as one has a demonized body, an ancient demon can condense a large amount of true devilish Qi to form it.


    It not only provides extremely strong defense but also allows the wearer to draw upon the Demonic Qi within the armor to greatly enhance their Divine Skills.


    During the ancient wars, both our demon race and human cultivators suffered greatly at the hands of this armor.


    Fortunately, it seems that only a part of the ancient demons possess this skill; most of them lack this ability.


    Otherwise, it would be debatable whether we could have won that battle,¡± Silvermoon explained seriously to Han Li.


    ¡°You remember these things now,¡± Han Li remarked with some surprise.


    Meanwhile, with a thought, the Humanoid Puppet moved, pulling the two silver blades out of its body, then flashed and stowed them away.


    Following that, a five-colored halo circulated over the wounds, which began to heal gradually.


    Almost simultaneously, the golden bug-constructed armor on his lower abdomen wriggled and likewise returned to normal.


    As for the silver light barrier, Han Li simply withdrew it and turned it back into a small silver shield in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too clear about what¡¯s happening myself; it seems that memories from the past are gradually awakening.


    Things that were once blurry are now becoming clear, and there are many more things I know nothing about,¡± Silvermoon replied with a wry smile.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered uncertainly, and he fell silent.


    The Humanoid Puppet swayed and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.


    At this time, the black-robed woman¡¯s gaze moved away from Han Li and looked up at the dark light above the altar, which was being suppressed by three rare and valuable treasures and was on the verge of collapse.


    A strange look crossed her face as she swiftly formed hand seals, chanting a crisp and pleasant spell incantation.


    Then, with a flick of her slender fingers,


    ten unremarkable thin black threads hit the nearby stele embedded with the Dragon Transformation Seal.


    Black light flowed through the stele, followed by a loud buzzing sound.


    The stone columns surrounding the altar seemed to resonate with more intense shaking,


    and the woman in black armor revealed a harsh glint in her eyes.


    Her hair spiked up as her features contorted horrifically.


    The altar beneath her trembled slightly, and parts of its surface began to crumble under the flashing black light, causing countless streams of pitch-black Demonic Qi to surge skyward.


    Seeing this, a crazed gleam appeared in the black-armored woman¡¯s eyes, and she let out a triumphant laugh.


    She then pointed upwards and yelled a single word: ¡°Break.¡±


    The sound was sharp and piercing; black qi abruptly surged from the altar into the air, where it condensed and intertwined.


    After a bout of turbulence, it shaped itself into a colossal demon statue.


    This statue was as large as a pavilion, with abundant curves, donned in armor identical to that of the black-armored woman¡¯s-it was the same style.


    However, the head of the statue was that of a delicately featured woman with a pair of small, exquisite horns, her eyes tightly shut.


    ¡°Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha!¡±


    Upon seeing the statue, the Corpse Bear, who was protecting Hua Tianqi in the air, had a drastic change in expression and couldn¡¯t help but shout out loud.


    Han Li, Xuanqing Zi, and the others were also greatly startled.


    And in that instant, the huge statue slowly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of pupils that shimmered like two purple stars in the endless night sky.


    At this moment, the black light above the statue¡¯s head finally could not withstand the combined might of the three treasures and completely collapsed, turning into countless black streaks that fell down.


    Without any obstruction, the yellow and red light pressed down unabashedly, covering the skies like a massive curtain of yellow and red-a sight incredibly formidable.


    Sensing the anomaly above, the statue coldly glanced at the descending yellow and red light only to lazily lift its hand with a simple push.


    With a loud ¡°boom,¡± a black Demon Claw, several acres in size, appeared out of thin air above and reached up as if scooping the moon from the sea.


    With a flash of black light, the claw left five huge dark gashes in the yellow and red canopy.


    The claw then clenched and, incredibly, the immense seal and the Red Crying Drum materialized between its fingers.


    In the next instant, the vast expanse of yellow and red light vanished as if it were all but a fleeting dream.


    Everyone who saw this was dumbfounded!


    Looking down at the two treasures in its hand, the statue¡¯s eyes flashed with a purple glow.


    Then, in a cold female voice bearing a hint of confusion, it spoke, ¡°This¡­


    this place is¡­


    the human world!¡±


    At this moment high in the sky, a silver light had already formed a silver wolf¡¯s head on the back of the closed-eyed Hua Tianqi, as if it were about to leap forth.


    But upon seeing the distant form of the statue, the wolf¡¯s head was so startled that it retreated back into the body.


    Hua Tianqi then shuddered, eyes flinging open, and suddenly let out a horrified shriek.


    ¡°The Interspatial Divine Sense Great Art; this is the true divine consciousness of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha!¡±


    This cry caused the faces of all cultivators present to change dramatically.


    Xuanqing Zi and Qi Miao turned completely pale, for the statue had conjured the Demon Claw with such speed that, with a clench of its five fingers, the earthen yellow seal and the Red Crying Drum ruptured instantly.


    The two replicas of the spiritual treasures were thus crushed to dust.


    Then the statue, without even glancing at the people in the air, stretched out its arms and slowly turned its head to look down at the black-armored woman.


    The woman, expressionless, returned the gaze, and after a brief eye contact, the statue spoke, ¡°Not bad, you are still alive.


    It was worth the tremendous effort I made in sending you to the human world back then.


    Did you call me here to deal with these ants?


    Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too wasteful?


    You should know that you have summoned me twice already.


    After this summoning, the soul imprint I planted in your divine consciousness will completely disappear.


    The true devilish Qi consumed to summon me could have been used to directly refine a group of our Divine Ancestors.¡±


    ¡°You are me, and I am you.


    If there were any other way, I would not have made such a desperate move.


    Without the true devilish Qi leaking from beneath this altar, with my current state, I would not have been able to summon you,¡± replied the woman with raised eyebrows and a cold tone.


    ¡°I see!


    No wonder forming a physical presence here felt so strenuous; it¡¯s not because I was summoned across realms with your own Demonic Qi.


    It seems I must act swiftly.


    I do not know how long these demonic energies will support my physical form,¡± the giant statue nodded, glanced at the ceaseless stream of pitch black Demonic Qi flowing into its feet from the altar, and spoke indifferently.


    Then, it raised its head to look at everyone.


    A chill ran through all demons and humans alike as the statue¡¯s cold and merciless purple eyes swept over them, each on high alert, with some even moving quietly backwards without a sound.


    However, the statue seemed to crack a faint smile, then raised its hand, extending one massive demonic finger and lightly flicked in a certain direction.


    With a piercing screech, something flashed and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    The Lion Bird, which was trembling incessantly while fighting with the huge eagle-shaped demon, suddenly let out a shrill cry as its body rapidly swelled, and with a ¡°boom,¡± the ferocious beast exploded into bits for no apparent reason.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    For more, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are updated faster, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1063 - Chapter 1063 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 159 Unparalleled Demon Might

    ?Chapter 1063: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 159 Unparalleled Demon Might Chapter 1063: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 159 Unparalleled Demon Might This scene caused the Silver-winged Yaksha, who was entangled with another demon nearby, to tremble with fright.


    Without a second thought, it flapped its wings and its figure flickered as it cast the Wind Escape Technique, vanishing with a gust of wind.


    With a cold snort, the Demon Statue did not hesitate for an instant.


    Its single hand reached out towards the direction where the Silver-winged Yaksha had disappeared, grasping at the void.


    A thunderous boom echoed.


    A demon claw, about ten feet in size, flickering with a dark luster, suddenly emerged above that area of the void, feathery light as it reached down.


    A burst of green light exploded within the demon claw, easily breaking the Wind Escape Technique.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s figure appeared within the claw¡¯s grasp.


    But at that moment, the refined corpse, its pair of silver wings along with its body, was bound by a faint black mist appearing out of thin air, leaving it unable to move an inch as the demon claw reached it.


    Out of terror and furious desperation, the Silver-winged Yaksha let out a shrill scream in the instant the demon claw was about to touch it.


    Countless gray filaments shot out from its body, exploding the moment they left its side.


    The gray light flickered and a loud rumble resounded, the might of it was astonishing.


    But as the five fingers of the demon claw clamped together, a flash of black light occurred, and the gray light along with the explosion sounds, as if meeting their nemesis, were utterly annihilated, leaving no trace.


    The Silver-winged Yaksha¡¯s body, wrapped in black demonic flames, turned directly into a large clump of ashes, its Primordial Spirit apparently failing to escape in time.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    Afterward, with a flash, the demon claw disappeared into thin air.


    Two demons equivalent to the Deity Transformation stage were killed off effortlessly by the Demon Statue, clearing the last bit of doubt from everyone else.


    Even if this Demon Statue wasn¡¯t actually transformed by the divine sense of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, it must be another ancient devil from the Ancient Devil Realm descending into this world.


    Either way, they were not something that they could resist.


    With a chill in their hearts, everyone scattered in a flurry, no longer daring to stay put, all hiding or escaping, fearing that they would be the next target locked on by the Demon Statue.


    Han Li also dared not stay put, with the rumblings of thunder behind him, he quickly turned into a streak of silver lightning, escaping via Silver Arc Thunder Escape.


    But just as his figure flashed and reappeared more than twenty yards away, a frantic female voice suddenly transmitted into his ears.


    ¡°Xue Ling, quickly let her out and fuse with me into an exquisite entity, only in this way, do we have a glimmer of hope to preserve your life and mine,¡± came the voice of Long Meng, who had possessed Hua Tianqi.


    It seemed that even this confident Demoness Consort was finally panicked by the arrival of the Demon Statue.


    ¡°Fuse!¡± Upon hearing these words, Han Li felt a shock in his heart and hesitated on his face.


    But at that moment, the gaze of the Demon Statue above the altar shifted, and it caught sight of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock in the distance, uttering a light exclamation:


    ¡°Eh!


    Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, rainbow light!


    I didn¡¯t think such a rare spiritual bird still existed in the human world.


    Perfect, I just happen to need this rainbow light for something!¡± The Demon Statue muttered to itself, pointing decisively towards the ancient peacock possessed by the youth surnamed Xu.


    This young man, naturally shocked and fearful, maneuvered the spiritual bird towards a corner of space, transforming into a streak of light to make its escape.


    Gritting his teeth, he forcibly channeled the True Essence Force from within his Nascent Soul into the peacock.


    With a muffled ¡°Puchi,¡± the rainbow light dazzled, transforming into a layer of substance-like thick barrier that protected the peacock within.


    The brightness was like that of the sun, rendering it impossible to look upon directly.


    Seeing this, the Demon Statue smirked slightly as it flicked its finger lightly, then captured with a seemingly nonchalant backhanded grasp.


    With a thunderous boom, one side of the luminous barrier caved in.


    The peacock, along with the barrier, was struck and sent flying.


    Before it could stabilize its tumbling form, a vast demon claw emerged from the void with a flash and a lightning-fast grab, seizing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock in its hand.


    ¡°Brother Xu!¡± Lin Yinping exclaimed in shock upon witnessing this.


    But under the wrap of demon flames within the demon claw, the rainbow barrier seemed to barely hold on.


    Seeing this, a murderous light flashed across the purple eyes of the Demon Statue, and a black light flickering, the demon claw¡¯s five fingers clamped together.


    The barrier, like dough being kneaded, was pressed and deformed, and after a pained cry, the luminous rainbow barrier shattered hard.


    ¡°No!¡± The star-faced young man screamed in terror.


    Yet as soon as the actual body of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock was revealed, it was gripped and burst open by the demon claw alive.


    With a ¡°swoosh,¡± the young man surnamed Xu¡¯s Nascent Soul seized the fleeting opportunity, shifting out from underneath the demon claw, appearing twenty-some yards away in the next moment.


    However, the Demon Statue seemed to have predicted the exact spot of his shifting escape, preemptively flicking towards his location.


    This time, the young man surnamed Xu didn¡¯t even manage to let out a scream of agony as his Nascent Soul bizarrely exploded on its own.


    Thus, a great Immortal Master from the Heaventide Prairies was altogether erased from existence.


    Seeing all this unfold, even Xuanqing Zi and the elders from the first sect of both righteous and demonic paths started to show signs of panic.


    The mighty power of this Demon Statue was simply too immense; under its devilish aura, they had no capacity even to withstand a single blow.


    If this continued, in the blink of an eye, they all would be thoroughly annihilated by the Demon Statue.


    Han Li¡¯s complexion had turned a bit green, but his eyes still maintained a calm demeanor, with a faint trace of cold light flickering within them.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?


    If you don¡¯t release Xue Ling now, it will really be too late.


    To deal with this demon, Long Meng might have the ability to resist for a while.


    Don¡¯t worry, neither of us will truly disappear; after some time, we will separate on our own.¡± The woman¡¯s voice transmission was incessant in his ear, and that Demoness Consort Long Meng became even more anxious, repeatedly urging Han Li to release Silvermoon¡¯s Primordial Spirit so that it could fuse with hers.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was gloomy, yet he did not respond.


    ¡°Fine, I agree.


    I will go now,¡± a faint response suddenly sounded in Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense from Silvermoon.


    ¡°Silvermoon, what nonsense are you talking about?


    How do you know if you can really recover after the fusion?


    And right now, your spiritual sense is far weaker than the opponent¡¯s, after the fusion, it will be dominated by the other party,¡± Han Li exclaimed in shock, speaking without hesitation in a stern voice.


    ¡°Master, we can¡¯t worry about that now.


    If Long Meng and I do not fuse our Primordial Spirits, we will be immediately faced with a deadly crisis.


    If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better to take a risk and try,¡± Silvermoon spoke calmly.


    Following that, Han Li¡¯s sleeve moved, a white fox flew out from within, heading straight toward Hua Tianqi who was in another location.


    Seeing this, Hua Tianqi also happily flew out to meet it.


    Han Li stood in place, his face ugly, but his lips were tightly sealed, and in the end, he said nothing more.


    After all, what Silvermoon had said was indeed the best choice.


    At this moment, just after the Nascent Soul of the Xu-named youth was destroyed, the Primordial Spirit of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, controlling its Demon Core, also attempted to escape from the Demon Claw, but before it could fly out, it was covered with a wave of black light and immediately vanished into nothingness.


    However, the remains of the peacock with a ¡°Puchi¡± sound were wrapped in raging Devil Flame, and in an instant, the body turned into ashes.


    But within the Demon Claw, a patch of rainbow Spirit Halo appeared.


    This halo was exceptionally clear and dimly luminous, as if it had substance.


    As soon as it appeared, it was grabbed by the Demon Claw, and then vanished on the spot after a flash.


    In the next moment, the Demon Claw suddenly appeared on top of the Demon Statue¡¯s head, holding the light halo motionless in the air.


    The Demon Statue lifted its head to glance at the rainbow halo, and a hint of joy appeared on its face.


    It opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of ink-like viscous Demonic Wind.


    The rainbow halo was caught in this wind and rapidly condensed and shrank, turning into a thumb-sized Five-Colored Spirit Pearl in the blink of an eye.


    Looking at the pearl, the Demon Statue lifted its hand to bring it near, then turned and tossed it to the black armored woman behind it, speaking faintly:


    ¡°This pearl is of some use to me, you find an opportunity next time to send this pearl back to the Ancient Devil Realm.


    Don¡¯t lose it carelessly.¡± The black armored woman heard this, her face showed a flash of surprise but without any hesitation, caught the pearl, glanced at it briefly, and with a flash of black light, clasped her hands together, and the pearl strangely disappeared without a trace.


    The Ancient Devil, after completing this, swept its gaze around and abruptly landed on Han Li, whose figure was faintly emitting streaks of silver light, and a cruel intent manifested on its handsome face as it once again lifted its finger, pointing at Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank, with a thought, he commanded the Humanoid Puppet to flash in front of him.


    He then reached out with one hand, and the Primal Astral Shield that had been hovering in front of him quickly flew into his grasp.


    With a wave of the shield, a blinding silver light barrier enclosed both Han Li and the puppet within, and with his other hand, he formed a spell, causing five-colored brilliance to dance upon his body.


    Han Li himself quickly flipped one hand, and the Three Flame Fan appeared in his hand, while the other finger pointed to the Giant Sword whirling overhead.


    Instantly, the Giant Sword hummed as it disassembled into hundreds of golden flashes that spun around the silver barrier, and almost like a mountain, they faintly formed a giant golden lotus blooming around Han Li, stunningly brilliant to the extreme.


    Among the lotus petals, the rumblings of thunder grew louder, and golden lightning flickered.


    Han Li himself chanted an indecipherable spell, whereupon a golden light screen materialized outside his body, while his flesh shone with a pale golden color.


    He had activated the power of the golden light barrier, reserved for countering the Five Sons Demon, as well as brought the King Ming Art cultivation technique to its peak, turning his body into that of a golden-bodied deity.


    All these actions were completed by Han Li in the blink of an eye, yet he still did not feel the slightest bit of reassurance.


    He was all too aware that these seemingly impenetrable defenses could easily be shattered by Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s casual efforts, and it would not be surprising at all.


    Because the greatest reliance against the opponent¡¯s attack was still the two restless objects inside his body, Han Li thought gravely.


    ¡°Devilbane Lightning!¡± The Demon Statue¡¯s purple eyes flashed, seeming a bit surprised by the golden arcs leaping on the golden lotus, but its finger did not pause in the slightest as it pointed twice quickly at Han Li.


    Two clear ¡°bang bang¡± sounds rang out.


    The sound was not loud but after the first noise, the golden lotus transformed from the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword mysteriously opened up a huge gap, also causing the blinding silver barrier to cave in and progressively fracture, ultimately hitting the golden light screen of the golden light barrier.


    This golden screen flashed wildly for a few moments, and then, after a pause, it shattered with a crisp sound.


    And in that split second, Han Li¡¯s pupils sparkled with blue light, finally seeing clearly what was striking him.


    As he waved the Three Flame Fan to meet the incoming object, an expression of disbelief couldn¡¯t help but appear on his face.


    (Second update!)(To be continued.


    For more information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there to support the author and support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1064 - Chapter 1064 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures 1060 Chapter Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao

    ?Chapter 1064: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures 1060 Chapter Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao Chapter 1064: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures 1060 Chapter Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao Breaking through the golden light barrier, what appeared was a soybean-sized milky white bead, crystal clear and shimmering-it was the condensed and solidified Divine Sense of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha.


    The immense amount of Divine Sense required to achieve this is easily imagined.


    No wonder the Demon Statue could effortlessly destroy grade ten demon beasts and late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivators with just a touch.


    Han Li was shocked, but his Three Flame Fan in hand pulsated with tri-colored radiance, rapidly condensing the emitted flames into a fire shield that materialized in front of him.


    The shield was marked with gold, silver, and red runes, exuding an air of mystique.


    Without another thought, Han Li spat out a small cauldron wrapped in green light from his mouth.


    Almost simultaneously, the golden light barrier finally shattered completely, and the milky white bead flashed onto the tri-colored fire shield.


    With a loud boom, the fire shield failed to serve its purpose and was shattered by the impact, the tri-colored flames having seemingly no effect on the bead, which plunged headfirst into the swirl of green light.


    Inside the green light, the small cauldron quivered, releasing a dense mass of green threads that formed a net.


    The onrushing bead shot into it and was forcefully stopped amidst wildly flickering green light.


    Han Li¡¯s face lit up with joy, while the Demon Statue paused in shock, its eyes emitting a surge of violet light as it fixed its gaze on the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Xuanqing Zi and the Corpse Bear wore faces of astonishment-they had all thought that Han Li, like the Silver-winged Yaksha before him, would be killed instantly by self-detonation.


    Xuanqing Zi had even prepared a pale yellow Realmbreaker Talisman, ready to risk breaking through the spatial barrier and make his escape should Han Li attempt it.


    But fearing that doing so would immediately provoke an attack from the Demon Statue, he hesitated.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    On the other side, Silvermoon, transformed into a little fox, had flown to Hua Tianqi¡¯s side, where a burst of silver light emerged from the white fox¡¯s body and flashed into Hua Tianqi.


    Hua Tianqi trembled and then became immobile mid-air.


    ¡°Interesting.


    To think you could block a strike of my Divine Sense.


    Let this Divine Ancestor see what treasure this is!¡± The Demon Statue spoke indifferently and then made a sweeping gesture towards Han Li, who was far away, with one hand.


    With a hissing sound, a massive black claw as large as a hill appeared above Han Li¡¯s head, silently pressing down.


    A chill ran through Han Li¡¯s heart, and the sound of rumbling thunder came from behind him as he was about to use his Lightning movement to escape.


    But the instant the silver light appeared behind him, he felt the air around him solidify.


    Black Qi surfaced on his body, and his Thunderstorm Wings became unable to flutter even slightly.


    Han Li was greatly alarmed.


    Only now did he understand why the demon skilled in various Escape Techniques failed to escape.


    With no other choice, he spurred the Heavenvoid Cauldron in front of him with his Divine Sense, and a dense mass of green threads shot towards the descending claw, while the Humanoid Puppet raised its hand, and amidst rumbling thunders, a stream of emerald light charged at the black hand alongside golden lightning.


    The green threads from the Heavenvoid Cauldron were undoubtedly tough, but as they could only execute the first layer of Treasure Commanding Decree, they could not unleash their full might.


    They only caused a momentary pause in the Demon Claw¡¯s descent before breaking apart inch by inch.


    The emerald light hit the Demon Claw, and the golden lightning bored a several-foot hole through it.


    But a flash of black light later, the hole disappeared without a trace.


    The Demon Claw continued its fall, seemingly unhindered, and violently grabbed Han Li¡¯s body, crushing it without mercy.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± a green light flashed, and Han Li¡¯s body burst apart.


    The Demon Statue, satisfied, let go of its claw and reflexively grabbed for the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    However, at that moment, the sound of thunder roared.


    A silver arc flickered wildly and shifted out from under the claw, appearing dozens of feet away in just a few flashes, revealing a figure-it was Han Li.


    But at this point, his complexion was deathly pale, looking severely drained of mana.


    The remains under the Demon Claw flashed green, transforming into specks of light that coalesced into an azure talisman, which unexpectedly swept the Heavenvoid Cauldron away from its original spot, revealing it above Han Li¡¯s head the next moment.


    The talisman¡¯s brilliance dimmed-it was the ¡°Spirit Transforming Talisman¡± Han Li had acquired from the Heavenly Talisman Sect.


    Although Han Li had nurtured this talisman in his body for several years, he was far from truly refining it.


    Nevertheless, Han Li had reinforced it with the Spirit Subjugation Talisman and, given the talisman¡¯s wood attribute, he managed to forcibly activate its Divine Skills by not sparing his mana.


    That was how he had transformed into a substitute at the moment the Demon Claw reached him, narrowly averting disaster.


    This scene naturally stunned everyone else.


    But witnessing this, the Demon Statue let out a cold laugh and, raising its hand again towards Han Li, slightly curled its five fingers.


    A heavy feeling sank into Han Li¡¯s heart, knowing he had exhausted all his magic treasures and had no confidence in fending off another round of attacks.


    Out of alternatives and silently gritting his teeth, he could only channel what little mana he had left into the Heavenvoid Cauldron, causing it to swell in size and turn into a barrier a zhang wide in front of him.


    Meanwhile, his body flashed intensely with golden arcs and violet flames, creating a protective flash of brilliance that enveloped him.


    The Humanoid Puppet also flickered, taking position in front of Han Li, and brought its hands together.


    Its body was enveloped in five-colored radiances, becoming dazzling to behold, transforming itself into a defensive magic treasure.


    The Demon Statue glanced at Han Li¡¯s series of actions, a hint of contempt flashing through its purple eyes as its five fingers flicked lightly.


    But just at that moment, several beams of silver light flashed in front of the Demon Statue, and clusters of white light exploded out of thin air, as if the Demon Statue¡¯s spiritual sense had just acted when it was shattered by something.


    The Demon Statue was slightly taken aback.


    Immediately, a figure flickered in the void between it and Han Li; an enchanting female figure appeared out of nowhere, with shoulder-length silver hair and pointed ears, staring coldly at the Demon Statue.


    It turned out to be a strange woman with pointed ears dressed in a snow-white long dress.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± The Demon Statue examined the figure before it, revealing a look of surprise.


    ¡°Silvermoon!¡± Han Li looked at the woman¡¯s back and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim quietly.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s exclamation, the silver-haired woman slowly turned her head, revealing an expressionless but stunning face.


    Her pair of shiny black eyes made Han Li feel both unfamiliar and familiar.


    The woman glanced woodenly at Han Li, then suddenly raised her hand and slashed towards the void at Han Li.


    Han Li was startled and instinctively dodged to the side.


    A bright beam of silver light slashed down from above, barely grazing past Han Li¡¯s shoulder.


    The protective flash of brilliance formed by Devilbane Lightning and Purple Apex Flames was silently cleaved through, and could not stop it at all.


    Han Li almost felt a faint chill on his shoulder.


    Han Li¡¯s face changed dramatically.


    ¡°I am the Great Princess of the Silvermoon lineage, Linglong!


    You should be very clear about what you did to my divided spirit.


    If you dare use the name Silvermoon to address me again, I will kill you,¡± the woman said grimly.


    Although Han Li was fortunate not to be injured, his expression turned particularly ugly!


    After speaking, the silver-haired woman no longer paid attention to Han Li but turned around to stare at the distant Demon Statue.


    ¡°Silvermoon lineage!


    What is your relationship with that old wolf, Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao?¡± Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, the Demon Statue did not rush to attack the woman but instead squinted its eyes and posed a question.


    ¡°Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao is my ancestor!¡± the silver-haired woman replied woodenly.


    ¡°You¡¯re that old wolf¡¯s granddaughter!¡± The Demon Statue frowned, clearly surprised by the response.


    ¡°Do you know my ancestor?¡± Linglong also showed a change of expression, her voice somewhat peculiar.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I know him, but I fought him twice when I went on an expedition to the spirit realm long ago.


    I have some admiration for that old wolf¡¯s Howling Moon Demon Technique,¡± the Demon Statue replied slowly.


    Hearing this, Linglong raised her eyebrows but fell silent.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re a descendant of that old wolf, I won¡¯t be too harsh on you.


    You may leave this place.


    I will not stop you.


    But you must vow in the name of your grandfather not to obstruct this Divine Ancestor¡¯s divided spirit from conducting affairs in this world,¡± the Demon Statue said, hesitating slightly before its tone softened.


    Clearly, Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha held considerable apprehension towards Ancestral Patriarch Ao Xiao.


    ¡°Let me leave?


    Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, you¡¯re too conceited.


    If your entire spiritual sense descended into this realm, I might turn and walk away.


    But this bit of leaking true devilish Qi barely accepts one-tenth of your spiritual sense at best.


    Why would I want to leave?¡± Linglong sneered unapologetically.


    Upon hearing Linglong¡¯s remark, the Demon Statue¡¯s expression darkened instantly.


    ¡°Merely a Deity Transformation Stage junior without even a physical body, and yet you are so unappreciative.


    Even with just a tenth of my spiritual sense, to annihilate you would be as easy as turning my hand.


    Since you¡¯ve said so much, young lady, then don¡¯t leave.


    This Divine Ancestor will destroy you, body and soul,¡± the Demon Statue seemed to have been provoked by Linglong¡¯s words.


    Without any further hesitation, it reached out towards the silver-haired woman with one hand.


    A hissing ¡°chi chi¡± sound of tearing air was emitted as countless crystalline beams, appearing almost tangible, shot out from the large hand, filling a vast space with dazzling light and an astonishing momentum.


    Seeing this, Linglong didn¡¯t utter another word and opened her mouth to spit out a small palm-sized disk.


    Although the disk was pitch-black, it expanded slightly and then suddenly revealed twinkling stars within, appearing quite mystical.


    The crystalline beams shot towards it, and with a slight rotation of the disk, a series of droning sounds erupted, and an invisible suction force emanated from within the disk.


    Those unusually extraordinary beams, like moths to a flame, changed direction and shot into it.


    In the blink of an eye, the entire sky filled with dazzling light was swept clean.


    ¡°Starfall Disk!¡±


    Upon seeing this scene, the Demon Statue shook and cried out involuntarily, its face showing shock.


    Far away, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear guarding the remaining shell of ¡°Hua Tianqi¡± heard the name ¡°Starfall Disk¡± and immediately its eyes burst with amazing light, staring intently at the disk in front of Linglong, its face showing a strange expression.


    As for Xuanqing Zi and Qi Miao, the late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivators had been slightly stunned since the appearance of the silver-haired woman.


    But upon hearing the name Starfall Disk, they couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances, their faces changing dramatically, and they too looked greedily towards the distant disk.


    ¡°What is your relationship with the Seven Great Demon Kings of the Demon Race?


    Only the Seven Great Demon Kings and the Three Sovereigns among humans are qualified to have one Starfall Disk each!¡± After the shock, the Demon Statue¡¯s demeanor turned fierce as it shouted loudly.

 Chapter 1066 - Chapter 1066 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 162 Galen War Demon

    ?Chapter 1066: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 162 Galen War Demon Chapter 1066: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 162 Galen War Demon The silver-haired woman¡¯s face changed the moment she saw the demon, and after the bright light in her hand flashed and disappeared, she shouted at Han Li with a stern voice:


    ¡°It has forcefully maximized its devilish powers.


    If you won¡¯t lend me the Heavenvoid Cauldron, none of us will be able to withstand this demon.¡±


    Just after Lingling finished speaking, a loud roar from within the mist was heard, and a thick black beam of light broke through the air, striking right at the old Daoist Xuanqing Zi.


    The old Daoist was shocked, and his Ancient Sword danced forming a swarm, spewing out numerous yellow Sword Qi, barely managing to hold it off.


    But it was at this moment, within the rolling Demonic Qi, the shadow of a gigantic three-headed demon suddenly burst out from the mist and disappeared in a flash.


    Xuanqing Zi was startled for a moment when, above him, without a sound, a flash of black light appeared as the three-headed shadow suddenly emerged from the void.


    Having fought against countless opponents, Xuanqing Zi was naturally no ordinary figure.


    Almost at the instant the demon shadow appeared, he immediately sensed it.


    The Ancient Sword in his hand did not hesitate to slash swiftly backward while his figure blurred, spun, then transformed into a fine beam of light and shot away to escape.


    After a sinister laugh from the heads on both sides of the gigantic shadow, a huge mouth opened, and two beams of black light flashed out.


    One of them touched the Sword Qi from the Ancient Sword and immediately disintegrated it, while the other flashed and inexplicably caught up with the fine light Xuanqing Zi had transformed into, easily engulfing it.


    The light barrier formed by an Eight Trigrams Mirror and a Jade Pendant, which were meant to protect the old Daoist, dissolved and melted away in an instant under the black beam, unable to hold even for a moment.


    The old Daoist was greatly alarmed, and he hurriedly waved the Ancient Sword, its glaring Sword Qi just protecting his figure.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Then, an explosion was heard from within the black light, the yellow brightness flickered a few times and then vanished without a trace.


    With a scream from the old Daoist, all fell silent.


    Where the black light had passed, now nothing remained, as if both Daoist paper talisman and Nascent Soul had been completely evaporated from this world by the beam.


    Seeing this, everyone else was stunned.


    The long battle just now had left the old Daoist unharmed, yet now, he was so easily annihilated in a moment of combat.


    Such a change was a bit too drastic.


    While the others involuntarily gasped, they also clearly saw what the three-headed demon looked like, and they all felt a chill in their hearts.


    As expected, the demon had transformed from that woman in black armor.


    She now stood three to four zhang tall, her middle head resembling her original appearance, still with the beautiful face of a woman, but on both sides, there were two pitch-black wolf heads, as large as water jars, terribly frightening.


    Most of her body was covered in dark battle armor, and the exposed parts of her limbs were covered with fine long wolf fur, dark and dense.


    Her six hands had black-green scales, and though the palms were empty, her fingers were exceedingly sharp, flickering with a cold black gleam.


    The terror of the demon, both in shape and from the action that killed Xuanqing Zi with a single blow, shocked everyone else.


    But the demon had clearly expended a lot of Qi, with the wolf heads on the sides seeming fine, showing no abnormalities, but the middle feminine head had turned pale, and the purple gleam in her eyes had dimmed considerably.


    The two eagle-winged humanoid demons that were previously spewing mist in the Demonic Qi disappeared without a trace after the three-headed demon appeared.


    It¡¯s unknown whether the transformation made it impossible for the demon to sustain such amounts of Demonic Qi.


    The Corpse Bear and the middle-aged Scholar saw the demon looking so weak and exchanged glances before attacking once more without a second thought.


    Despite not knowing why the demon had become so terrifying, they did not want to be defeated one-by-one.


    In an instant, blood red, silver, and red lights rolled in, encircling the demon, not giving it any chance to catch its breath.


    After the demon had shown its formidable power, it seemed truly incapable of launching the same attack again, only spewing out black Qi from its mouth and waving its six arms in a frenzy, barely defending itself.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡±


    The silver-haired woman who had just asked Han Li for the Heavenvoid Cauldron suddenly had a drastic change in expression.


    After a low shout, she blurred and disappeared from the spot, then reappeared above the altar surrounded by Demonic Qi.


    She gazed at the Demonic Qi below and after a moment raised her eyebrows then dived into the mist protected by a layer of crystal light.


    Han Li was slightly startled upon seeing this.


    He had so adamantly refused her because he wasn¡¯t afraid that the exquisite Demoness Consort would really make a move against him.


    Because he had quietly tested and was still able to sense the presence of the Artifact Spirit through his Life Origin Flying Swords in his body.


    It seemed that even though she had merged with Silvermoon¡¯s Primordial Spirit, the status of some of her Primordial Spirit as his Artifact Spirit hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest.


    Although her spiritual sense was overwhelming, he couldn¡¯t control her at all through it, but she definitely had the same hesitation about harming him.


    Who knows what strange things might happen if she really attacked and severely wounded or killed Han Li, considering the situation where a part of someone¡¯s Primordial Spirit becomes another¡¯s Artifact Spirit is something she likely has never heard of before.


    Now that Han Li saw the silver-haired woman giving up on him to leave, of course, he felt puzzled, looking at the altar engulfed in pitch-black Demonic Qi.


    Even though he possessed Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he could not see anything clearly.


    Han Li furrowed his brow, his gaze swiftly sweeping over the three-headed Giant Demon, which only had the capacity to parry, powerless to counterattack.


    He then noticed that the surrounding stone pillars were still faintly flickering with light, while the Demonic Qi over the altar showed no signs of increasing in the slightest.


    At that moment, an idea struck him, and without further thought, he rubbed his hands together and snapped his fingers.


    Golden light twinkled, followed by the continuous, low rumble of thunder.


    Dozens of forbidden arcs shot out, aiming directly at the over ten columns formed of black mist.


    The moment the electric arcs entered, loud blasts resounded, and amid the flickering of golden light, these columns of black mist collapsed and dissipated as if they¡¯d been a mirage all along.


    Not just Han Li, but everyone else¡¯s expressions changed dramatically.


    Almost simultaneously, a piercingly cold shout from the silver-haired lady emerged from within the altar:


    ¡°Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, is your true body indeed here?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, my Heavenly Cycle Demonification Art isn¡¯t bad, is it?


    This man has decent aptitude; it wasn¡¯t in vain that I initially cast a secret technique to send him into the seal.


    Alas, the time for infusing the true devilish Qi was too short; he couldn¡¯t fully transform into the Galen War Demon with three separate heads.


    But adorned in my Demon Armor and melded with my fiend demon transformation, his strike is no less powerful than that of Deity Transformation stage cultivators.


    It¡¯s a pity the true devilish Qi in the Demon Armor is limited; otherwise, with just him alone, he would be enough to kill all of you,¡± said the black-armored woman from the altar, her laughter filled with pride.


    Qi Miao, the Sect Master, Gui Ling, and others who were besieging the Three-headed Demon couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback upon hearing this.


    At that moment, the Three-headed Demon ¨C now radiating black light ¨C underwent a sudden transformation in the appearance of its three heads.


    The middle one morphed into the face of a one-horned man with red and purple lights flashing in its eyes.


    However, the face was clearly that of the eccentric Vivid Glass Beast previously gone missing.


    The heads on either side revealed the visage of the humanoid beast with bird-wings.


    All three distinct individuals had been forcibly merged into one entity.


    Beholding such a horrifying sight, even those like Qi Miao, who had long been accustomed to seeing terrifying things, revealed expressions of shock, and their offensive wavered.


    The true form of the demon, now revealed, had the middle head throw back its face and let out a chilling howl, its visage twisted with ferocity.


    Its black battle armor swelled and expanded, quickly enshrouding the demon¡¯s entire body, even covering the three heads with the black armor securely.


    With a slight swirl of its six arms, a pair of dark sabers, a pair of black spears, and a pair of black blades all appeared in its six palms.


    Then, with a cold snort filled with murderous intent, the demon abruptly lunged towards Qi Miao and the others.


    Just then, several muffled booms echoed from the distant Demonic Qi, followed by a succession of explosive sounds, causing the entire altar to tremble violently.


    ¡°Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, what are you trying to do!¡± shouted the silver-haired woman from within the Demonic Qi, her voice a mixture of alarm and anger.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare!


    As long as I can destroy the seal, the task of this Divine Ancestor will be considered complete.


    Without the interference of the spirit realm, this world lacks the power to confine the true devilish Qi and will inevitably become part of our Ancient Devil Realm-it¡¯s just a matter of time,¡± replied the black-armored woman, her voice filled with scorn.


    As she spoke, the Demonic Qi near the altar, as if attracted by a magnet, began to whirl and condense towards the center.


    Within a few breaths, the nearby Demonic Qi vanished, all absorbed by the standing figure on the altar, the black-armored woman herself.


    The Demon Armor on her body was now nowhere to be seen, but she had in one uplifted hand, an item about the size of a human head-a black light orb.


    This orb¡¯s surface flickered with black light, pulsating unevenly, but on closer inspection, rainbow light could be glimpsed flickering within.


    All the Demonic Qi that had just been present was sucked into this orb.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Han Li had an epiphany and suddenly remembered the rainbow light that had been stripped from the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock when the Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s Primordial Spirit arrived.


    Could it possibly be this object?


    Meanwhile, the black-armored woman, with a bizarre figure exuding swirling Demonic Qi, held the orb aloft in one hand, while the other hand muttered incantations.


    Above her, a faint silhouette materialized, similar in appearance to the previously seen Demon Statue.


    This silhouette moved just like the woman, also holding nothing in one hand and forming talismanic gestures with the other.


    At this time, the exquisite Gui Ling floated elegantly to one side of the altar, her face looking up at the sky, filled with shock and anger.


    Han Li, surprised, likewise gazed upwards and discovered that the Black Wind Banner, which was previously confronting the Eight Spirit Ruler high in the sky, was now undergoing a startling transformation.


    The Spiritual Treasure, which had taken the form of a black python, had inexplicably become a massive murky wind orb.


    This orb, large as an attic, had countless black whirlpools spinning within, causing dizziness in onlookers at a glance, yet making no sound.


    The numerous silver runes that had fallen from the huge lotus, upon touching the surface of this orb, vanished immediately, as if disappearing into the abyss, without a trace and without noise.


    The sudden eerie appearance of the two black orbs, one large and one small, at two different places gave Han Li a bad premonition.


    Even if he did not know what the black-armored woman was planning, just the Demonic Qi and Spiritual Power contained within those two orbs were terrifyingly immense.


    He couldn¡¯t allow them to take any further action.


    In almost no time at all, Han Li made a decision.


    With a twitch of his spiritual sense, the Humanoid Puppet at his side raised its hand, and a deep black light shot out with a flash, its target the colossal wind orb in the sky.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    For more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1067 - Chapter 1067 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 163 Vortex

    ?Chapter 1067: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 163 Vortex Chapter 1067: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 163 Vortex The object that shot out was precisely the Dark Marrow Flying Dagger refined from the Black Marrow Drill.


    This dagger moved with such speed that it was unsurpassed among all of Han Li¡¯s magical artifacts.


    No sooner had it been released than it already fiercely pierced into the whirlwind.


    It was as if a bowl of scalding hot oil had been met with a splash of cool water!


    The moment the dagger plunged into it, the whirlwind suddenly came to life, as the black vortex inside twisted and deformed, followed by a ¡°rumble.¡± The sphere¡¯s surface began to unevenly bulge, and the nearby chaotic spiritual pressure seemed like a volcano on the verge of eruption, ready to explode at any moment.


    This scene abruptly halted the triumphant laughter of the woman in black armor, while Silvermoon, after a brief consideration, recalled something and her beautiful eyes shone with relief as she exhaled deeply.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.


    How could a single dagger stir the Black Wind Banner?¡± The woman in black armor still expressed her disbelief out loud.


    However, seeing the whirlwind above her head about to burst, she could wait no longer.


    With her hands forming incantations, she gently tapped on the black light orb hovering over her palm.


    A seemingly insignificant grey incantation shot into it.


    With a ¡°Puchi,¡± the light orb trembled slightly and then, with a flicker, emitted a jet-black pillar of light that flashed into the whirlwind in the sky, instantly stabilizing the violently trembling sphere.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, yet, he too urged on the Humanoid Puppet to cast incantations.


    The Dark Marrow Flying Dagger inside the whirlwind began to enlarge rapidly, and with flashes of black light, it thrashed aimlessly within the whirlwind, once again destabilizing the recently pacified sphere.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°You¡¯re asking for death!¡± Seeing this, the woman in black armor was furious.


    Without thinking, she made a grabbing motion toward Han Li¡¯s location, and a massive force of spiritual pressure swiftly descended upon Han Li¡¯s head.


    Han Li¡¯s heart chilled, and just as he was about to employ his magic to dodge, the exquisite Lin Yinping, who was floating above the altar, made her move first.


    The lady gently fluttered her hand in Han Li¡¯s direction.


    With a ¡°Boom,¡± a black Demon Claw and a milky white giant hand clashed out of thin air, exploding in the sky.


    Immediately thereafter, interwoven streams of dark and white brilliance erupted, emitting a ¡°hissing¡± sound of piercing the air.


    ¡°Do you think you can kill him easily with me here?¡± Silvermoon let out a light laugh, her starry eyes fixed unblinkingly on the woman in black armor.


    The woman in black armor¡¯s complexion was as still as water, and she said nothing.


    She was well aware that although Silvermoon did not possess a physical body, she had suffered from the spiritual sense attack of the woman in black armor¡¯s true form and seemed to have taken a serious injury.


    However, defeating this formidable foe would not be an easy task and would take more than a short while.


    ¡°I had planned to wait a bit longer, for a more assured victory, but it looks like I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± The woman in black armor glanced at the giant whirlwind in the sky, which seemed about to spiral out of control at any moment.


    She took a deep breath and murmured to herself before her figure suddenly shifted and dispersed like blue smoke with the wind, vanishing from the spot without a trace.


    Lin Yinping was taken aback but immediately her expression turned fierce.


    Her silver hair, as though without wind, suddenly shot out, covering a certain patch of empty space near the whirlwind.


    But before her silver hair could fall, a plume of black Qi shot out from below, instantly coalescing and transforming into a two-headed Black Wolf of considerable size.


    Upon seeing the encompassing silver threads, the wolf¡¯s expression changed, seemingly quite taken aback.


    But soon after, a look of disdain crossed its eyes, and with a gentle shake of its body, a sound like that of a drawn stiff crossbow was heard from its spine.


    Following that, a barrage of dark, shiny spines shot out, directly confronting the dense silver threads.


    As the two clashed and intertwined in the void, there came ear-piercing sounds akin to weapons striking, while the Black Wolf took the chance to dart forward and plunge into the whirlwind.


    The whirlwind trembled massively, and the thunderous sounds ceased abruptly.


    Both inside and outside, it suddenly calmed down.


    Almost at the same moment, Han Li, through his puppet, felt that the previously agile Black Short Blade suddenly became sluggish and slow, as if it had fallen into a marsh it couldn¡¯t extricate itself from.


    Han Li¡¯s heart grew cold, his spiritual sense stirred, and he fully activated the puppet¡¯s Spiritual Power, attempting to forcefully retract the Dark Marrow Flying Dagger.


    However, from inside the whirlwind came an icy cold sneer, and the next moment, the flying dagger shook and lost its connection with the puppet¡¯s divided consciousness.


    This shock was truly extraordinary!


    Without much time to think, Han Li rubbed his hands together and then flung them upward fiercely, releasing two giant golden arcs as thick as bowls.


    At the same time, the flying swords circling in front of him also trembled, and with consecutive bolts of thunder, countless golden arcs leaped from the swords, instantly coalescing into a twenty-plus zhang long Golden Electric Flood Dragon.


    This dragon flickered unpredictably with radiant lightning, its teeth and claws bared as it emitted a low rumble of thunder.


    Save for the last bit of lightning needed to drive the Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li had triggered all of the Devilbane Lightning from the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, the magnitude of which made everyone take notice.


    Han Li did not delay in the slightest.


    As soon as the Electric Flood Dragon took shape, it pounced toward the significantly diminished black light orb below with an overwhelming momentum.


    Unlike the huge wind orb above, this black orb was completely condensed from Pure Demonic Qi.


    Having been struck by so many Devilbane Lightnings, it would disperse into smoke and clouds immediately, no matter how strange it might be.


    The silver-haired woman, currently at a stalemate with her silver strands and those black fine lights, couldn¡¯t help but let out a light gasp upon seeing the Electric Flood Dragon.


    Although she had merged with Silvermoon¡¯s Primordial Spirit, such an all-out display of Devilbane Lightning was something she was witnessing for the first time.


    The might of the Electric Flood Dragon also took her by surprise.


    Within the wind orb, the Two-headed Black Wolf, using a semi-transparent, gel-like substance to trap the Dark Marrow Flying Daggers, was greatly shocked by the sight and, without much thought, its eyes turned blood-red.


    Both wolf heads spat out at the same time, shooting out two blood-red light beams directly.


    The Electric Flood Dragon and the blood beams collided in a blink of an eye, sending electric arcs flying and the scent of blood scattering in all directions.


    It actually managed to block so many Devilbane Lightnings forcefully.


    ¡°You dare destroy my real body!¡± Seeing the blood-colored light beams, the delicate-featured Lin Yinping angrily roared with her eyebrows inverted!


    The blood beams were none other than Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s avatar directly spurting out the blood essence from the silver wolf¡¯s body; how could it not enrage the silver-haired woman, whose original body it was?


    ¡°You¡¯re about to be turned to dust and smoke, and you still care about this body.¡± From within the wind orb, a cold chuckle came from the woman in black armor, though her voice sounded rather weak.


    Hearing this, Lin Yinping¡¯s angry expression suddenly disappeared, and she fell silent instead:


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too conceited.


    Your Divine Skills are only at the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    Do you really think you can detonate the Black Wind Banner with spirit treasures?


    Even if you do, it¡¯s still uncertain whether you can break the seal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough whether it¡¯s possible or not.¡± The woman in black armor saw that the orb below had finally injected all the Demonic Qi into the wind orb and immediately let out a sinister smile, then began to employ her Divine Skills.


    The entire wind orb radiated blinding black light, and shrill sounds intensified as all of its internal whirls weirdly merged into one, forming a giant vortex over ten zhang in diameter.


    Inside, black light flickered, and the shadow of the Two-headed Giant Wolf appeared at the center of the vortex, expelling black light that enwrapped a handful of small black triangular flags, which was the Spiritual Treasure ¡°Black Wind Banner.¡±


    As the vortex formed, a tremendous spiritual pressure emanated from within, as stream after stream of five-colored light burst forth.


    After the light swept through, white dots of light appeared in the nearby space, shooting toward the center of the vortex.


    More and more points joined, creating a scene of awe-inspiring momentum.


    And the Eight Spirit Ruler, which had taken the form of the Silver Lotus, seemed to sense something and its spiritual light dimmed in an unusual manner, returning to its original form of a Green Wooden Ruler.


    Then, with a low roar and accompanied by the mirages of eight spirit beasts, it shot upward and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared into the dense clouds above, leaving no trace.


    Seeing this, Lin Yinping¡¯s expression changed drastically.


    Without further thought, her hands formed incantations, and she spewed out a disk ¨C the ¡°Starfall Disk.¡± With a flick of her finger on the treasure, it immediately spun around and expanded to a few feet in size.


    The silver-haired woman raised her jade hand and lightly pressed her slightly spread fingers against the back of the disk.


    In an instant, her body radiated a bright, crystal-like light, while the disk displayed a surge of golden starlight, as though countless stars were rapidly emerging from the center of the disk.


    Seeing this, the Two-headed Black Wolf within the black vortex sneered disdainfully from all four eyes, seemingly having no regard for the woman¡¯s actions.


    At this moment, as a large number of white lights poured into the vortex, it caused the nearby space to hum, with some areas beginning to distort and warp, as if a smooth sheet of white paper suddenly crumpled.


    The closer it was to the vortex, the more severe the spatial distortion.


    Seeing this, Han Li inhaled sharply, knowing full well the dangers of tears in space.


    He immediately flickered, not saying a word, and shot away toward the edge of the space, with the Humanoid Puppet shadowing him.


    Of course, while he moved, he didn¡¯t forget to transmit a few words through his slightly opened mouth.


    Gui Ling and Lin Yinping, who were fiercely and indecisively battling against the Three-headed Demon transformed by the Vivid Glass Beast, almost simultaneously had a change in their expressions.


    Without a second word, they reversed direction and darted backward, vanishing in a flash.


    The Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear and Qi Miao, having naturally heard the conversation between the Black Wolf and Lin Yinping, and seeing the peculiar nature of the black vortex, also knew the situation was dire.


    As soon as the two women made a move, the one human and one beast immediately turned into a blood-red light and a cyan streak, respectively, flying away to escape.


    Suddenly, with no trace of an enemy left before it, the Three-headed Demon paused in shock, but then with a thundering rage, it flickered, and in the next moment, it bizarrely appeared before Qi Miao¡¯s streak of light.


    Its hands waved six weapons, unleashing black light bursts, and with resounding explosions, it forcibly intercepted Qi Miao.


    Qi Miao, obviously infuriated and shocked, pushed the seven treasures to their limits, transforming them into seven constantly roiling light orbs that launched a desperate attack.


    Meanwhile, she flickered and shot around in an attempt to shake off the demon.


    However, it was unclear whether it was because the Vivid Glass Beast had been turned into a demon for too short a time, or if there was a downside when humans transformed into ancient devils, but this demon seemed to have simple-minded focus, seemingly fixated on the Scholar alone.


    Spurning Mana, it continuously performed Shifting Smoke Steps, entangling Qi Miao tightly, preventing her from straying too far from the altar.


    The Scholar¡¯s heart sank.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters to support the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1068 - Chapter 1068 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1064 Black Hole

    ?Chapter 1068: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1064 Black Hole Chapter 1068: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1064 Black Hole At this moment, the Starfall Disk controlled by exquisite burst into action first.


    A flash of starlight in the center, countless fist-sized globes of light surged out wildly, like thousands and thousands of stars pouring out, instantly cutting through space leaving trails of golden scars, like waterfalls reversing flow and the milky way flowing backwards, giving onlookers a feeling of mesmerizing intoxication.


    The Two-Headed Giant Wolf, situated at the center of the vortex, saw this attack but paid no heed to it, just frantically urging the black vortex to absorb more and more white light spots, compressing itself a bit quicker.


    But the next moment, the Black Wolf was taken aback.


    Because the sky full of golden starlight brushed right past the top of the vortex, it actually didn¡¯t strike the vortex itself.


    ¡°A mistake?


    Ridiculous, how could such an absurd thing happen with spiritual sense as a guide!¡± The Two-Headed Giant Wolf was shocked internally, but suddenly sensed something, one head turned back and was startled immediately.


    Suddenly, the other head spit out a series of spell incantations rapidly, and the five-colored glow spouting out from the vortex rolled up suddenly, forcibly separating the flying golden starlight right through the middle.


    However, a cold voice came from exquisite:


    ¡°It¡¯s too late now!


    He has already been released by me.¡±


    Following this statement, tens of meters behind the black vortex, a large clump of starlight converged together, then a human figure flickered a few times within it and gradually solidified.


    After a moment, this person floated out from the midst of the starlight, looking around with a face full of astonishment, appearing somewhat silly and foolishly.


    Han Li, who had just moved to the edge, looked back just in time and was shocked upon seeing this person.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Is it him?


    How could he appear here!¡± Han Li felt somewhat confused.


    This seemingly slick old man, was none other than Xiang salutes, the new soul combined by Demon Soul and Long Meng as soon as he entered Kunwu Mountain, exiled into the Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon.


    At that time, the new soul formed by the Harmonic Spiritual Great Art, supported by the body of the Silver Wolf and mastering various ancient devilish techniques and techniques from the spirit realm, had Divine Skills far surpassing the current Demon Soul and Long Meng, almost several times stronger than their peak periods, even nearly reaching the terrifying cultivation of Early Void.


    He was thus able to transfer his spiritual power outside of the seal even while being sealed, briefly sealing Xiang salutes.


    This Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon is an ancient secret technique lost to the human world long ago, essentially just sealing a person into a temporary tear in space formed by a great force.


    This tear can¡¯t exist for too long, and the caster themselves cannot enter either, and due to the nature of the tear¡¯s creation, it goes by many different names, such as ¡°Immortal¡¯s Cage,¡± ¡°Nightmare Abyss,¡± and so on.


    Of course, the actual effectiveness of this against enemies depends on the cultivation of both the opponent and oneself.


    But if a low-level cultivator is trapped by a high-level cultivator using this spell, there¡¯s a high chance they¡¯ll be in big trouble.


    Aside from waiting for the day when the space tear naturally dissipates, or finding another potent spiritual treasure to forcefully break the spatial barrier, they would just have to honestly be trapped inside until the spell is lifted.


    However, aside from some special circumstances, the practicality of this technique is not great.


    After all, if a high-level cultivator is dealing with a cultivator lower than themselves, there are other Divine Skills they can easily use-why bother with this kind of technique that consumes a great deal of mana and spiritual sense.


    If a low-level cultivator attempts to use it on a high-level cultivator, they can easily break the spatial barrier with their Divine Skills.


    Therefore, it is more commonly used between cultivators of the same level, but if the timing and situation are not well judged, it¡¯s difficult to say whether the opponent can be precisely captured in the tear.


    To perform this technique, at the very least a Mid-stage Deity Transformation realm is required!


    These many restrictions are probably one reason why this secret technique was lost in the human world.


    But dissolving this technique doesn¡¯t require much spiritual sense or mana.


    With the power of the Starfall Disk, Long Meng can barely dissolve it.


    Although Xiang salutes isn¡¯t familiar with this secret technique, he has heard some related rumors.


    Gui Ling, while being trapped in the Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon, had quietly sat still in the rift all this time, as any movement would likely result in falling into the illusion.


    But just now, while feeling troubled and lost in thought, he suddenly appeared here, which, while joyful, also left him somewhat baffled.


    At this moment, Xiang salutes blinked his small eyes, still somewhat perplexed as he scanned around.


    But then, the Two-Headed Giant Wolf, with ferociousness flashing in all four eyes, no longer hesitated and with both mouths opened wide, instantly struck the Black Wind Banner in front of them with two dark light columns, causing the banner to tremble and suddenly release countless black strands in the center of the vortex, spreading out in all directions.


    The black vortex, originally shrunk to about a meter in size, paused altogether, then quickly contracted towards its center, turning into a hole about a foot in diameter in an instant.


    Inside this hole, it was as pitch-black as ink, not leaking any light at all, but instead, its surroundings irregularly swelled and shrank, continuously devouring everything.


    The nearby space, already severely distorted, now instantly showed signs of being torn apart.


    Such a bizarre sight was truly terrifying!


    Perhaps only the Black Wind Banner, a Spiritual Treasure with Spatial Divine Power, could achieve such an incredible feat.


    The sight of this sinister black hole immediately caught Xiang salutes¡¯ attention, and he suddenly exclaimed in a changed complexion, ¡°Not good!¡±


    In a frantic gasp, a triangular red command arrow burst forth from his body.


    In a flash, the treasure was engulfed in golden flames, and then, amid a bright golden light, it transformed into a golden beast.


    The beast was armored, with horns on its head, clothed in layers of golden flames.


    It looked part bull, part tiger, but not entirely either.


    As soon as it took form, the beast did not hesitate to leap forward, transforming into a golden rainbow that shot straight towards the dark hole.


    At the same moment, Xiang salutes¡¯ seemingly plain robe shone brightly, and a layer of purple misty shield emerged from it before he looked toward the black hole with a tense expression.


    However, what he saw was the Flame Wolf hadn¡¯t even reached its target when from inside the black hole came a mad laugh from a woman in black armor, and then the hole suddenly sank downward, mysteriously moving above the altar at a low altitude, then it expanded and contracted briefly before bursting open.


    In Han Li¡¯s eyes, as the black hole above the altar exploded, countless black cracks, thick as several arms and thin as inches, suddenly appeared in the distance.


    They then emitted a piercing sound of a thousand birds chirping, extending in all directions like lightning.


    From a distance, it looked as though a huge mirror had suddenly shattered, a sight that was startling to the soul.


    Han Li¡¯s face turned somewhat pale, wondering if he was about to experience another spatial collapse!


    But the spatial collapse of the eighth layer was merely triggered by the restrictive formations set by ancient cultivators, so it was startling but ultimately safe.


    However, this time was clearly different; the appearance of these spatial tears was completely chaotic, varying in size and, with flickers of black light, seemed incredibly unstable.


    Even if one was lucky enough not to be drawn into the larger tears, it would likely still lead to a deadly end.


    Unless, like before, he could luckily find that the tear led to some stable minor space, otherwise, there would be no chance of survival.


    As he watched, Qi Miao, who was too close to the altar, was sliced into pieces by several foot-wide cracks, his body and protective spiritual treasures turning into several sections, then his shattered corpse and the Nascent Soul, which had just shot out trying to escape, were engulfed by an even larger crack, vanishing without a trace or even a scream.


    Unfortunately for Han Li, several spatial tears of various sizes had reached him in the blink of an eye, accurately trapping him from all directions with no chance of escape.


    At that moment, a scream sounded, seemingly from Gui Ling.


    However, Han Li was too busy to look further.


    In a desperate moment of quick thinking, he charged towards one of the thinner cracks, the Heavenvoid Cauldron floating before him moving first to face the crack.


    With no other option, Han Li could only hope that the Cauldron, being a Spiritual Treasure itself, could withstand being cut by the tear.


    To Han Li¡¯s great relief, as the slender crack slashed at the Heavenvoid Cauldron, a blue halo flashed, the cauldron emitting a ¡®hum¡¯ as the crack suddenly paused.


    Without a second thought, he dodged past the crack.


    Looking back briefly, he saw the spot he had just been standing at was now crossed and slashed by several black cracks, turned into an ominously dark area.


    This sent chills of cold sweat down his spine!


    Suddenly, these black cracks trembled violently, their dark glows intensifying, which turned Han Li¡¯s expression sour again as his heart, just settled, tensed once more.


    But what happened next stunned Han Li!


    The black glow inside these cracks flickered and, just as when they first appeared, they shrank back as if time were reversing, swiftly retracting.


    In an instant, the cracks near Han Li had completely disappeared, making the entire scene seem like nothing more than an illusion.


    Han Li let out a huge sigh of relief and then remembered the previous scream; he quickly looked towards Gui Ling¡¯s location.


    Only to find that, while everything else appeared as before, the grotesque woman was nowhere to be seen.


    Looking inward with his spiritual sense at the Demon¡¯s Life Origin Token, it had indeed vanished into thin air.


    The demon had truly been devoured by the crack.


    Han Li sighed quietly, without time to dwell on it further, his gaze quickly swept across the entire space to assess the current situation.


    Surprisingly, he found that while they did not escape to the edges like he did, Lin Yinping and the Corpse Bear appeared unharmed.


    The Corpse Bear was enveloped in a glaring blood light, its expression still calm, while Lin Yinping appeared pale and distraught.


    Having had several cracks pass by her narrowly, it was extremely lucky for her to still be alive.

 Chapter 1069 - Chapter 1069 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 165 Escape

    ?Chapter 1069: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 165 Escape Chapter 1069: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 165 Escape However, Han Li only glanced over those two before his gaze fell onto the distant altar, showing a hint of nervousness on his face.


    Just now, the Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha used a fraction of his spirit to detonate the Black Wind Banner, clearly targeting the seal.


    The space above the altar was shrouded by a large mass of pitch-black thorns.


    Although it was not clear what was inside, most of the surrounding pillars were destroyed in the spatial tear.


    Only a small portion remained, desolately upright there, obviously, the Array had been thoroughly destroyed.


    Under Han Li¡¯s slightly squinting gaze, the black mass of thorns in the distance blinked a few times before rapidly shrinking and then disappeared in a strange manner.


    The revealed situation made Han Li¡¯s pupils involuntarily contract.


    The altar, originally over a hundred meters tall, was now only fifty or sixty meters high, its upper half seems to have been sliced away by an invisible Sky-supporting Giant Blade, leaving only half of it.


    Near the altar were two objects and one person floating.


    One person was Xiang salutes, protected by a purple light shield all over his body.


    The once blinding light shield now looked precarious, as if it would shatter at a single blow.


    Xiang salutes himself was sweating profusely, his face pale, as if he had just gone through some fierce battle.


    Of the two objects, one was the Starfall Disk about a foot in diameter, rotating in the air, its surface wrapped in a jelly-like golden light, exuding an air of mystery.


    The other object suspended above the altar was a small, dark lump.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Its bizarre shape made Han Li pause, but he soon recognized it-it was the remaining half of the Black Wind Banner.


    The majority of this Spiritual Treasure had vanished without a trace in the previous self-destruction.


    The remaining part was still flickering with black light, apparently not completely destroyed.


    Han Li swept his gaze around and did not see Long Meng and the Black Wolf¡¯s figures.


    He was feeling greatly astonished when suddenly the Starfall Disk moved, spraying out a stream of golden light from its center.


    An elegant figure appeared with this golden light, who was none other than Long Meng herself, coldly staring at the Black Wind Banner.


    Almost simultaneously, the remaining half of the Black Wind Banner underwent a strange change as well, as a surge of black Qi violently erupted from it and then condensed into a two-headed Black Wolf several feet in size.


    Its fur was dull and its four eyes lifeless.


    Upon seeing this wolf, Xiang salutes¡¯ face darkened, and after taking several deep breaths, his originally pale complexion instantly brightened.


    Without another word, he raised his hand and pointed two fingers at the wolf.


    With two soft ¡°pu pu¡± sounds, a golden and a red sword light shot out from his fingertips.


    As soon as they left his hand, they transformed into a giant sword light tens of meters long, like two dragons from beyond the heavens, intersecting and slashing directly towards the Black Wolf.


    Xiang salutes was indeed quick-witted.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know what had just happened, it was clear that the creature enveloped in Demonic Qi was definitely a devil suppressed by the Demon Suppression Tower.


    Naturally, he needed to take the initiative while the opponent was extremely weak.


    The Black Wolf¡¯s face showed anger, and both of its heads erupted with black beams of light, resisting the giant sword light.


    Upon contact, it immediately became obvious that the wolf was overpowered, signaling it was nearly depleted of Demonic Qi from its prior detonation of the Black Wind Banner.


    However, the wolf was not alarmed; instead, it cast a chilling glance towards the altar below and suddenly let out a piercing howl.


    Han Li, who was far away, showed a trace of surprise because an unbelievable scene unfolded.


    The dozens of meters tall altar shattered instantly, as if made of beach sand, disintegrating into nothingness under the howl.


    Almost at the same time, streaks of ink-like black Demonic Qi burst forth from the ruins of the altar, quickly spreading throughout the entire space.


    ¡°Not good, the seal has been opened,¡± cried out the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear in great alarm.


    Upon seeing this, Long Meng¡¯s expression suddenly darkened.


    Although Xiang salutes was not clear about what had happened before, seeing so much Demonic Qi gushing from below, he seemed to immediately recall something, his complexion becoming extremely ugly.


    Seeing so much Demonic Qi emerge, the corners of Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched, and without a word, he pointed towards the sky.


    The golden sword floating above his head hummed and transformed into a golden rainbow, striking towards the nearby barrier.


    After a series of rumble sounds, dazzling golden light exploded on the barrier, but was soon followed by countless crimson arrows densely attacking it, as the Humanoid Puppet held the Thunder Fire Bow releasing a sky full of fiery arrows.


    In an instant, the entire barrier trembled slightly, but it was clearly far from being broken.


    Han Li¡¯s face was as still as water, and with a flip of his hand, the Three Flame Fan appeared in his palm.


    But before he could take a deep breath to wave the fan, a blinding slash of blood light and two crescent-shaped daggers flew out at the same time, striking the barrier.


    Han Li was startled as he glanced over, only to see that the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear and Lin Yinping had also approached nearby, anxiously attacking the barrier.


    It seemed they were also well aware that if they could not break the barrier and escape promptly, they would definitely not be able to withstand the erosion of the Demonic Qi.


    Whether they sought to ascend to the spirit realm with the help of Long Meng¡¯s power or harbored grand desires for the spirit treasures, preserving their lives naturally took precedence.


    Han Li said nothing.


    Under the bright light emanating from the Three Flame Fan in his hand, a Tri-Color Fire Bird flew out with a long cry and fiercely struck the barrier.


    In the next moment, a tri-colored halo emerged, and amidst the flashing of various colored runes, the barrier emitted a deafening rumble and began to distort and warp.


    Attacks from the other treasures naturally became even more ferocious!


    As the barrier twisted to its limits under the onslaught of various attacks, it still did not collapse and break apart.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened as he quickly took out a jade bottle and consumed Spiritual Liquid to restore his mana while urgently thinking about deploying other offensive methods.


    Just then, a flash of yellow streaked by and with the light receding, a yellow talisman attached itself to the barrier.


    Instantly, a layer of yellow light swiftly covered the barrier.


    Han Li was stunned, not yet understanding what was happening, when a group of blinding golden light wrapped around something shot down like a meteor from the sky.


    A strange beast enveloped in layers of golden flames appeared with a flash near the barrier.


    The space directly in front of the barrier shook violently and, just like that, it shattered, revealing a hole that admitted several streaks of white light.


    Overjoyed and without thinking, Han Li¡¯s figure moved, instantly transformed into a brilliant rainbow, and shot straight through the hole.


    The Humanoid Puppet also disappeared in a flash from its original spot.


    As everything brightened, Han Li appeared in a large hall that felt somewhat familiar.


    Several streaks of light almost immediately followed Han Li and spiraled down in the air before revealing their forms.


    Aside from the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear and Lin Yinping, another person turned out to be Xiang salutes, who had just reached out near the altar.


    And this hall was unexpectedly the seventh floor of the Demon Suppression Tower!


    Han Li looked at Xiang salutes with some surprise, but the latter just gave Han Li a Hehe smirk, seemingly about to say something.


    But at that moment, a golden column of light sprayed directly out from the barrier, then converged into a large luminous sphere.


    With a flash, a silver-haired woman holding the Starfall Disk appeared within the light sphere.


    The mouth of Xiang salutes, which was open, immediately shut, swallowing the words that were about to leave his lips.


    The hole in the barrier was rapidly closing and, in a blink of an eye, it healed and disappeared.


    A few people in the hall fell silent, casting wary glances at each other, and for a moment looked at each other in bewilderment.


    ¡°Hmph, if you all keep dawdling here, once that demon absorbs enough demonic Qi, all of us will be left with only one path-death,¡± said Long Meng with a cold gaze sweeping over Han Li and Xiang salutes before she spoke first.


    ¡°Are you Elder Long Meng?¡± Xiang salutes hesitated for a moment, asking with some uncertainty.


    After all, the one who had trapped him in the Wonderful Illusory Celestial Phenomenon was a new soul formed from the fusion of Long Meng and the Demon Soul, which naturally felt quite different from Long Meng.


    ¡°You seem to know quite a bit.


    Are the Three Elders of Kunwu responsible for leaving some messages for you?


    However, that so-called ¡®Long Meng¡¯ is only a part of me,¡± said Long Meng unapologetically.


    Such a complex relationship naturally made Xiang salutes blink his eyes, somewhat confused for a moment.


    Long Meng frowned slightly, but still transmitted a few words with her lips barely moving.


    After just a few sentences, Xiang salutes was first shocked, then realized what she meant, and his eyes urgently re-examined Long Meng.


    After confirming with his Divine Sense that the silver-haired woman before him indeed did not have a trace of Demonic Qi, he relaxed his expression rapidly and urgently cupped his fist in a salute, saying:


    ¡°Congratulations to Royal Consort Long Meng for escaping the predicament today.


    Regarding your matter, the Three Elders indeed left some guidance for us juniors.


    At that time, they were left with no other choice.


    After all, back then, Celestial Ni Chang¡¯s Primordial Spirit had fused with the Demon Soul.


    They really dared not let Celestial Ni Chang leave just like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, we will talk about this once I return to the spirit realm.


    For now, think about how to control the Demonic Qi.


    If my body is soaked in true devilish Qi for more than three days, it will be completely solidified into a demonized body.


    By then, once this demon recovers its original Divine Skills and with the endless Demonic Qi from the altar, creating another grand army of Devils will not be that difficult once it leaves this place.


    The human world will also see the return of the ancient chaotic scenes of war,¡± Long Meng said coldly.


    ¡°Royal Consort, even without your reminder, I am somewhat aware of this.


    Not to mention the terror of true devilish Qi, just the demon¡¯s recovery to its previous astonishing cultivation level would make it so that probably no one in the human world could restrain it.


    But now, the ninth floor is already filled with Demonic Qi, and even if we wanted to take advantage of its weakness to kill it, I fear we do not have the ability to do so.


    With the Demonic Qi continuously replenishing the demon, as long as it purposely avoids us, the two of us would have no choice but to retreat again.


    Moreover, the Realmbreaker Talisman I got from Taiyi Sect is also down to the last two,¡± said Xiang salutes, rubbing his hands together with a bitter smile.


    The silver-haired woman listened to his words, knowing that what he said was the truth, and couldn¡¯t help but fall into contemplation.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, can¡¯t we re-seal the Demonic Qi?¡± Lin Yinping, who had been listening, couldn¡¯t help but speak up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think.


    The original Sealing Formation has been destroyed, and the Dragon Transformation Seal that could control the restrictive formations of Kunwu Mountain was also shattered by the demon with a single slap when I left.


    Otherwise, if we could have obtained that Magic Artifact, it would have been possible to activate an alternative array to suppress the Demonic Qi again.


    But now¡­¡± Xiang salutes shook his head and sighed.


    At this word, the hall once again fell silent.


    ¡°Since there is an alternative array, the wisdom of the ancient experts wouldn¡¯t really only have the Dragon Transformation Seal as the controlling artifact, right?¡± Han Li, who had been silent, calmly spoke up.

 Chapter 1070 - Chapter 1070 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 166 Spirit Reversal Passage

    ?Chapter 1070: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 166 Spirit Reversal Passage Chapter 1070: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 166 Spirit Reversal Passage Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Xiang salutes was momentarily stunned, but shook his head and said:


    ¡°Indeed!


    Since there is a backup Array, the ancient cultivators had prepared another Magic Artifact to control the restrictive formations of Kunwu Mountain.


    However, this Magic Artifact, unlike the Dragon Transformation Seal, has been lost since the ancient times.


    It is said to be hidden somewhere unexpected in this mountain.


    Only the descendants of another branch of the Three Elders of Kunwu know its whereabouts.


    But this line of descendants has long disappeared without a trace.


    Where could we possibly begin to search?¡±


    ¡°Another branch of descendants!


    Humph, so that¡¯s how it is; those three really are cautious,¡± Lin Yinping snorted, immediately understanding the intentions of the Three Elders of Kunwu.


    Lin Yinping and the Corpse Bear, hearing this, both showed expressions of concern.


    Han Li likewise frowned deeply, but casually asked another question.


    ¡°The other Magic Artifact, what treasure is it?


    Is it also a similar seal?¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    If we have this stele, we can activate the backup array,¡± Xiang salutes casually replied.


    ¡°Sky Crystal Stele!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but he was suddenly shocked inside, immediately recalling something he had obtained at the gate of the mountain; weren¡¯t a few of the ancient characters on it called by this exact name?


    Almost at the same time, he sensed a gaze sweeping over him.


    It was Lin Yinping, who seemed to glance at him inadvertently.


    Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°There really is no other way, we should leave here for now.


    That demonic creature won¡¯t break free from this space for several days.


    Taking this opportunity, I will gather all the cultivators nearby from the Southern Border and set up several sect-wide formations, temporarily sealing Kunwu Mountain again.


    Then, I will invite all sects from Great Jin to gather here.


    Currently, the monster is alone; even if it absorbs Demonic Qi and its Divine Skills become more formidable, with thousands of cultivators acting together, we should still be able to eliminate it.


    As for the true devilish Qi, since it is lifeless, we could just mark off the surrounding ten thousand miles as a restricted area and then slowly find a solution,¡± Xiang salutes, a Deity Transformation stage cultivator, briefly proposed a feasible method with a few words.


    Xiang¡¯s fellow Daoist, your words are incredibly sensible; let¡¯s proceed as such.


    I¡¯m going back to Ten Thousand Demon Valley and will also report this matter to the valley master.


    This is not merely a concern for human cultivators; our demons will also send people to assist you,¡± the Corpse Bear said with a sigh, speaking quite earnestly.


    ¡°Oh!


    If your valley lends a hand, naturally, our chances of success will be much greater.


    Especially your valley¡¯s fellow Daoist Charioteer, whom I have long admired since I started cultivation, but regretfully I¡¯ve never had the chance to meet him despite several attempts.


    It seems the fellow Daoist Charioteer has always been in secluded cultivation!¡± Xiang salutes said joyfully.


    The Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear chuckled dryly a few times upon hearing this and did not answer right away.


    But after a slight turn of his eyes, he suddenly turned to Lin Yinping and respectfully said:


    ¡°Royal Consort Linglong!


    Our valley master is also someone the Royal Consort used to know!


    He isa€|¡± At this point, the Corpse Bear¡¯s mouth moved silently, silently transmitting his voice.


    Lin Yinping, initially indifferent, but after hearing a few words, her expression changed, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!


    So that¡¯s how he knew I was sealed beneath the Demon Suppression Tower!¡± Lin Yinping murmured softly, seemingly reminiscing some past events, and a hint of loneliness appeared between her brows.


    ¡°Since the Royal Consort is already aware of our valley master¡¯s identity, why not come to Ten Thousand Demon Valley and stay for a while?


    Our valley is home to countless rare creatures, and there should be plenty that could entice the Royal Consort to choose a suitable body,¡± the Corpse Bear sincerely said.


    Going to Ten Thousand Demon Valley?


    I¡¯m not interested, nor will I leave Kunwu Mountain.


    In a little while, I will return to the space we were in just now,¡± the woman with silver hair surprisingly said something that almost made everyone think they had misheard.


    ¡°The Royal Consort still wants to go back, how could that be acceptable?¡± the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear exclaimed in shock.


    ¡°Indeed, but I am not going alone.


    This man¡¯s Devilbane Lightning is somewhat useful to me; he will accompany me back,¡± Lin Yinping looked at Han Li and pointed lightly, speaking indifferently.


    Han Li¡¯s expression shifted subtly, but his face remained expressionless immediately after.


    ¡°Senior Lin, are you joking?


    Why take such a risk?¡± Xiang salutes looked at Han Li in astonishment and couldn¡¯t help asking, clearly also not wanting the woman to go back into danger again.


    ¡°I am different from you all.


    I originally descended to this world from the spirit realm.


    Even if my cultivation recovers to the Late Deity Transformation Stage, I would not be able to ascend again on my own strength.


    If I want to return to the spirit realm, the only way is to retrieve my true body and then directly go back through the Spirit Reversal Passage.


    And this time, I will prepare our Silvermoon Wolves Clan¡¯s Innate Divine Ability first.


    As long as I can get close to that demon, I should have a fifty percent chance of retrieving my body,¡± Lin Yinping said coldly.


    ¡°Perhaps, the Royal Consort should reconsider a bit more!¡± The Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear showed a hesitant expression, seemingly very troubled.


    Xiang salutes also hurriedly tried to dissuade her.


    The silver-haired woman gracefully gathered her silver-like long hair over her shoulder, her lips curling into a hint of mockery.


    ¡°I know you want to learn the whereabouts of the Spirit Reversal Passage from me.


    Afraid that I¡¯ll perish inside and dash your hopes, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the Corpse Bear showed an embarrassed expression, whereas Xiang salutes remained unchanged, his mouth full of words like ¡°misunderstanding,¡± seemingly unfazed by his thoughts being exposed.


    ¡°Alright.


    No matter what you think.


    Although many humans and demons descended to the Lower Realm through this passage back then, very few truly know the details.


    The Spirit Reversal Passage in the spirit realm is not something ordinary cultivators can access.


    This so-called Spirit Reversal Passage doesn¡¯t genuinely exist and has no specific location.¡±


    The silver-haired lady¡¯s light remark left Xiang salutes and the Corpse Bear dumbfounded.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, as if he was paying attention to the conversation before him, but his divine sense quietly sneaked into his storage pouch, secretly checking the Sky Crystal Stele.


    Lin Yinping, however, was genuinely captivated by the secrets of the Spirit Reversal Passage and listened intently.


    ¡°What does it mean it isn¡¯t truly real?¡± Xiang salutes guessed something but still asked solemnly.


    ¡°Quite simple.


    The Spirit Reversal Passage is merely a temporary path opened by our spirit realm using the power of heaven and earth.


    This passage ceased to exist after it delivered those humans and demons to the human world back then,¡± Ling Long said coldly.


    ¡°Impossible!


    If that were true, there were still people who returned to the spirit realm after the ancient wars.


    Without the Spirit Reversal Passage, how did they manage that?¡± The Corpse Bear refused to believe it and quickly asked.


    ¡°Have you forgotten how the ancient cultivators of the human world contacted our spirit realm for assistance when the Ancient Devil Realm first invaded the human world?¡± Ling Long said indifferently.


    ¡°World Passing Incense!¡± Xiang salutes¡¯ brows furrowed.


    ¡°Correct.


    When those people evacuated, they naturally lit the incense again beforehand to notify the spirit realm, and thus reopened a passage for once more.


    Don¡¯t even talk about you still having this incense nowadays, even if you do, do you think the spirit realm would open the passage again just for a few of you?


    You must know, every time the Spirit Reversal Passage is opened, the quantity of top-grade spirit stones consumed is something both humans and demons find daunting,¡± Ling Long¡¯s words almost shattered the Corpse Bear¡¯s last hope.


    ¡°Then, Royal Consort, after retrieving your body, how will you return to the spirit realm!¡± Xiang salutes grasped the crucial issue and asked calmly.


    ¡°Being a Royal Consort of the Wolf King Tian Kui and a grand princess of the Silvermoon Wolves Clan, naturally, my situation is quite different from other Lower Realm cultivators and demons.


    Both my true body and spiritual sense have been imprinted with the Starfall Disk mark.


    As long as I return to my body and activate the power of this mark, even across different realms, the sect-wide formation set by my clan¡¯s elders will immediately activate the real power of the Starfall Disk, forcibly opening a small Spirit Reversal Passage to take me back.


    And this passage can only allow me through, anyone else trying to enter will be destroyed by the passage¡¯s force due to a mismatch in the marks.


    If it weren¡¯t for the sudden possession by Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha and separation of my spiritual sense, I would have returned to the spirit realm long ago and wouldn¡¯t have lingered until today!¡± Ling Long said unpleased.


    ¡°Mark?


    The Starfall Disk in your hand isn¡¯t a real entity?


    No wonder the rumored spiritual treasure of the spirit realm seemed less powerful than expected!¡± The Corpse Bear looked at the disk in Ling Long¡¯s hand, somewhat distraught.


    Xiang salutes also withdrew his smile, his expression suddenly darkening.


    Anyone who saw their hopes of hundreds of years turn into vain would probably wear a similar expression.


    At this moment, Han Li became highly vigilant, quietly retreating a few steps back.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if those whose dreams had been shattered might do something desperate.


    ¡°Can it be that there are no other methods to ascend to the spirit realm besides progressing to the Late Deity Transformation Stage?


    You must be aware of the current state of nature¡¯s spiritual energy in our human world.


    The likelihood of cultivating to the later stage is almost negligible,¡± the Corpse Bear sighed deeply, still holding onto a last sliver of hope.


    ¡°Of course not, besides the Spirit Reversal Passage that our human world can open, you can also enter the spirit realm through another method.


    However, this method, while theoretically feasible, has been very rarely successful since ancient times, it can be considered a path of nine deaths and one life.


    Are you still interested in hearing more?¡± Ling Long looked at their eager expressions, and unexpectedly chuckled lightly, suddenly exuding charm and allure.


    Han Li, watching from the side, felt a burst of dryness and hurriedly operated his Great Development Technique to stabilize his mind.


    He was astonished internally!


    ¡°Of course we want to hear, it¡¯s still better than just waiting to die in the Lower Realm!¡± Xiang salutes spiritedly said.


    Naturally, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear also nodded incessantly.


    ¡°I can tell you, but as a price.


    I need to borrow something from each of you to help me retrieve my body!¡± The silver-haired lady¡¯s eyes gleamed cunningly.


    ¡°Something to borrow!¡±


    Xiang salutes and the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear were taken aback.


    ¡°Correct, the imitation of the Devil Dragon Blade you have, Blood Blade, and the remaining two Realmbreaker Talismans that Xiang has!¡± Ling Long said with a smiling expression.


    (First update!) (To be continued.


    For further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


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 Chapter 1071 - Chapter 1071 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1067 Spirit Sealing Great Art

    ?Chapter 1071: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1067 Spirit Sealing Great Art Chapter 1071: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1067 Spirit Sealing Great Art Hearing the words from Royal Consort, Xiang salutes immediately agreed.


    The Corpse Bear, however, showed a hint of hesitation, but eventually gritted its teeth and nodded as well.


    Even though the Blood Blade was precious, compared to a path leading into the spirit realm, this demon clearly knew the trade-offs involved.


    Moments later, two mysterious yellow talismans, and a half-foot long Blood Blade appeared in Royal Consort¡¯s hands.


    The woman checked these items carefully, and played with the Blood Blade in one hand.


    After the blood light flickered wildly, she finally put them away with satisfaction, and then turned to Xiang salutes and Corpse Bear, saying:


    ¡°Besides the temporary Spirit Reversal Passage, there are some naturally weak Spatial Nodes in the human world that connect the upper and lower worlds.


    The Interfacial Power at these places is much weaker compared to others, and some are even located within the tears in space between the two worlds.


    With sufficient external force, it is indeed possible to open a path to ascend to heaven.


    The Ancient Devil Realm was able to invade the human world in the past because they fortuitously discovered such a node between the Ancient Devil Realm and the human world.


    Otherwise, even with immense power, those ancient devilish Sect Masters wouldn¡¯t be able to easily come to this realm.¡±


    ¡°Node!¡± Xiang salutes murmured.


    Hearing this, the others also fell into deep thought.


    ¡°Of course, with such a vast world, these nodes are not so easy to find.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    In past years, ancient cultivators searched the whole world and only found a dozen or so.


    Some of them can move locations at any time, while others are fixed in a certain place.


    But no matter what kind, all nodes are extremely unstable.


    They¡¯re the kind that might crumble at any moment and could also form at any moment.


    Thus, the path that is opened is extremely dangerous, far more so than the Spirit Reversal Passage.


    The most dangerous thing when passing through them is not the Barrier Dividing Force, but rather the Spatial Tempests that arise due to the instability of the passage.


    Once involved in one, even with great Divine Skills, death is almost certain.


    However, this is something for you to consider later.


    Right now, the most important thing is to first locate the precise positions of these nodes!


    Although I still remember a few, after so many years have passed, they have mostly either disappeared or collapsed already.


    You will need to find new nodes yourselves.


    Of course, before that, I will tell you both in detail about the original node locations, search methods, and specific characteristics,¡± Royal Consort said indifferently.


    ¡°Then we are much obliged to the Royal Consort!¡± Corpse Bear and Xiang salutes were overjoyed, each taking out a blank white jade slip to hand over to the silver-haired woman.


    The woman then copied the information for the two of them and returned it.


    Lin Yinping watched enviously at the side, but did not dare to rush forward to ask for it.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve given you the items.


    Based on your experience, it¡¯s not difficult to judge their authenticity.


    Now, the Consort intends to return to the Ninth Layer Space.


    If you don¡¯t wish to be involved, it would be best if you leave early.


    I can¡¯t guarantee that the ancient devils won¡¯t take the opportunity to break through the space.¡± Royal Consort said.


    Hearing these words, which were almost like seeing guests out, Xiang salutes and Corpse Bear, after persuading a few times without success, no longer said much, and each rode a streak of light away.


    As for Lin Yinping, after looking at Han Li, she also silently transformed into a streak of silver light and left.


    In the blink of an eye, only Han Li and the silver-haired woman were left in the big hall.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring at the woman without blinking, his expression cold.


    The woman looked at the exit of the hall, her gaze flickering uncertainly.


    A moment later, the silver-haired woman exhaled deeply:


    ¡°Those two guys are at least sensible, not leaving behind spiritual sense to probe anything.


    Now, you can bring out that Sky Crystal Stele.¡± The woman said, turning her head to stare at Han Li.


    ¡°Are you so certain that what I have is definitely the Sky Crystal Stele?¡± Han Li sighed silently and responded indifferently.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not the Sky Crystal Stele, then it would be strange indeed?


    Don¡¯t forget, part of my Primordial Spirit was once your Artifact Spirit, and it also saw the ancient texts on the Crystal Stele.


    This time, if you can help me take back my body, I won¡¯t ask for that small cauldron in your hands anymore.


    In addition, I will let you have the Eight Spirit Ruler, too.


    The Spirit Treasure is indeed precious, but it¡¯s not the peak of ninth layer treasures in the spirit realm!


    However, I feel it¡¯s odd-as if, in my memory, you possess another treasured item, but I can¡¯t recall what it is.


    Did you do something to the part of my spirit?¡± Royal Consort asked, her gaze suddenly turning icy.


    ¡°Is Senior jesting?


    With your powerful spiritual sense, how could I, a mere mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, do anything?¡± Han Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he replied as if nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Hmph!


    Don¡¯t play dumb.


    The contract with your Artifact Spirit has not been lifted.


    And a part of the memory related to you has been clearly sealed.


    It seems to have much to do with another treasure on you.


    I¡¯m quite curious; what kind of treasure is it that seems to be more important to you than the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡± The silver-haired woman sneered, sizing up Han Li with an ill-intentioned gaze.


    ¡°What does it matter if you know?


    Are you planning to capture me and interrogate me again?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression soured.


    The Humanoid Puppet at the side suddenly swayed, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and a faint layer of silver light emanated from its body.


    Han Li had already made up his mind.


    If this woman truly intended to get to the bottom of the matter with the small bottle, he might have no choice but to urge the Artifact Spirit and see if he could forcefully awaken Silvermoon.


    However, it was more likely that before Silvermoon could wake, he would be subdued by this woman.


    After all, the Divine Skills of the Divinity Transformation Stage were simply beyond what he could currently contend with.


    In under a few moves, he might be taken down by the opponent-that is, assuming the opponent would restrain herself from harming him.


    Hearing Han Li¡¯s counter-question, the silver-haired woman¡¯s face grew colder, and her fine brows gradually inverted, showing a hint of Evil Qi between them.


    Han Li watched the woman warily; one hand hidden in his sleeve grasped the Three Flame Fan, while the other was stealthily performing Incantations.


    At the same time, a small bow faintly appeared in the hand of the Humanoid Puppet.


    ¡°Puchi,¡± a sound!


    Suddenly, the silver-haired woman burst into a charming laugh, revealing a voice that sounded eerily familiar to Han Li.


    ¡°Silvermoon, is that you?¡± Han Li stared blankly for a moment, then blurted out in shock.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re really quite cunning, to have temporarily sealed the memories related to the small bottle before my fusion with Long Meng.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Long Meng¡¯s spiritual sense suffered a great loss during the spatial explosion inside the exquisite space, which forced her to fall into a deep slumber, and if I hadn¡¯t seized control over this body with spiritual sense and undone the seal, you might have truly managed to deceive me,¡± the woman said with a smile.


    ¡°The matter of sealing the memories was also agreed upon by you.


    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy to succeed,¡± Han Li said joyfully upon confirming that the woman in front of him was indeed dominated by Silvermoon¡¯s spiritual sense, and he visibly relaxed.


    ¡°Although I¡¯ve regained control, my spiritual sense is far weaker than Long Meng¡¯s.


    She only needs to rest for a while, or if this body of spiritual sense is damaged again, she could take back control.


    Fortunately, despite her earlier discovery of the sealed memories, she didn¡¯t investigate deeply.


    Otherwise, such a crude method of sealing would not withstand serious scrutiny.


    Master, if you truly want to keep the matter of the small bottle confidential, you must use the Spirit Sealing Great Art on me.


    With my cooperation, this sealing technique can securely seal away just the relevant peak of information related to the small bottle.


    It should be foolproof.


    Unless one of us falls or the Artifact Spirit status is formally removed, even in the spirit realm, there should be no problems,¡± Silvermoon spoke earnestly.


    ¡°It seems that¡¯s the only option.


    But if you regain your body, can you really go back to the spirit realm?¡± Han Li¡¯s joy faded as he asked in a low voice, intentionally not mentioning why the woman was helping him of her own accord.


    ¡°I have no choice but to return to the spirit realm.


    Otherwise, Long Meng alone cannot call upon the Spirit Reversal Passage.


    And Long Meng, me, and exquisite are all inseparably connected.


    I can only truly attempt to rid myself of the spirit puppet status after you likewise ascend to the spirit realm,¡± Silvermoon admitted, a flicker of an unusual light passing through her clear eyes.


    For a moment, Han Li fell silent.


    ¡°Master, you should cast the spell first.


    We¡¯re running out of time.


    Then I¡¯ll use the Realmbreaker Talisman to break the barrier here and entangle that person with the Blood Blade Division.


    Master, you can then take the opportunity to activate the Sky Crystal Stele.


    As long as I can suppress the Demonic Qi, I¡¯ll use the Soul Devouring Divine Power to force my way back into my original body.


    As long as I can devour Yuan Sha¡¯s split spirit, everything else should be manageable,¡± Silvermoon continued slowly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll set up a Temporary Spell Formation first to prevent those two from returning,¡± Han Li nodded, flipping his palm, and suddenly, a stack of spell flags appeared in his hand.


    He shot them out one by one, and they vanished without a trace after a flash around the area.


    A layer of green light appeared, enveloping half of the hall within it.


    Silvermoon, seeing this, sat down silently in place.


    Han Li then moved and sat cross-legged opposite Silvermoon.


    Looking at the woman¡¯s exquisitely beautiful face, he said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m about to start casting!


    Be very careful.¡±


    With that reminder, Han Li clasped his hands together, and dots of green light emerged from his body while ancient spell incantations were uttered.


    Moments later, the green light radiating from Han Li became dazzling and completely enveloped both of them, making it impossible to see anything clearly.


    After a long period of chanting, the spell incantation abruptly stopped, followed by a soft exclamation from Silvermoon, after which the green light receded, revealing their figures once again.


    The graceful figure was now holding her forehead with one hand, and a trace of pain appeared on her exquisite face.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Han Li asked worriedly, his eyes showing concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine; the secret technique was very successful.


    Even if Long Meng takes back control, she won¡¯t be able to undo this seal.


    We should go now, without delay, for we do not know when Long Meng may wake.


    Let¡¯s make haste to enter the Ninth Layer Space,¡± the silver-haired woman said, shaking her head.


    Her expression soon recovered, and she smiled at Han Li.


    For a moment, her smile was like a newly blooming rose, tender and extraordinarily vibrant!


    Han Li gazed at the woman for a moment, making sure Silvermoon was really fine before nodding somewhat hesitantly.


    Then, the two stood up, and the silver-haired woman waved her hand, and a yellow talisman shot toward the void.


    As a result, divine light flashed high in the sky, and a yellow haze exploded, revealing an invisible spatial barrier out of nowhere.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, for those who wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1072 - Chapter 1072 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1068 Sealed

    ?Chapter 1072: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1068 Sealed Chapter 1072: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1068 Sealed After a blood red light struck the barrier, Han Li, who had been lying in wait, made his move.


    With a wave of his hand, tri-colored flames and a giant sword Qi sprayed out one after another.


    The humanoid puppet holding the Thunder Fire Bow also released a sky full of fire arrows that struck the same spot.


    Finally, after a series of distortions, the barrier was forcibly breached by the immense strength.


    A large hole appeared instantly, while streams of Demonic Qi swarmed out.


    With a scolding from Silvermoon, she flew into the hole, enveloped in a blood red light.


    As she unfurled her Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li too shifted instantaneously into the space with a silver arc.


    As soon as his figure materialized, countless Demonic Qi surged towards him.


    Frowning, Han Li¡¯s other hand released the Primal Astral Shield from his sleeve.


    With a flicker, a silver light barrier enveloped him for protection.


    The pitch-black Demonic Qi made a sizzling sound upon contact with the shield, causing the light of the barrier to dim immediately.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s brow furrowed slightly.


    When he had ventured deep into The Endless Sea and into the Demon Abyss, even the Demonic Qi there was not as terrifying as this place¡¯s.


    Unfortunately, there was not much Devilbane Lightning left; the protection provided by the Primal Astral Shield would not last long in the Demonic Qi.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    It was necessary to fight quickly and secure a swift victory.


    Thinking this, Han Li glanced sideways at Silvermoon.


    She was now engulfed in blood red light transformed by the Blood Blade Division, with the Demonic Qi roiling around her, making it impossible to get too close.


    It seemed there was a reason why she had borrowed the blade from the Corpse Bear.


    With a shout, Silvermoon shot directly towards the center of the space.


    Han Li¡¯s figure flickered as he flew high into the sky, his streak of light gradually disappearing, concealing his presence.


    At this moment, Silvermoon¡¯s laughter and several howls of wolves came from the direction of the altar, followed by the cold voice of the black armored woman.


    ¡°Hmph!


    You dare to come back?


    Good, this Divine Ancestor will just demonize you then.¡±


    As these words landed, explosions erupted.


    Boosted by this, Han Li quietly flew towards the altar.


    In just a moment, he appeared above the thick clouds, looking down coldly.


    At this time, his spirit sight was running at its peak; under the condition that he wasn¡¯t being deliberately isolated by the attention of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha, even through the pitch-black Demonic Qi, he could clearly see everything below.


    He saw a black hole over a hundred feet wide appearing where the altar used to be, continuously emitting streams of Demonic Qi.


    Inside it was pitch-black and unfathomably deep!


    Above this hole, a mass of blood red light and a mass of black light interweaved, endlessly chasing and exploding, with giant spiritual pressures from their collisions blowing the nearby Demonic Qi into turmoil, like two fierce dragons in a relentless struggle, turning the seas upside down.


    It was hard to tell who had the upper hand.


    Seeing that Silvermoon was mostly unharmed, Han Li felt somewhat relieved.


    His pupils shimmered with blue light as he searched around the vicinity of the black hole.


    Although the previous spatial explosion had completely destroyed the altar, the two steles made from Chi Ling Soft Jade, given their material properties, should not have vanished so easily.


    One of those steles should be the key to activating the Sky Crystal Stele.


    Han Li didn¡¯t need to search long.


    In just a moment, he discovered traces of the two steles beneath a pile of rubble through his penetrating vision; one of them had half of the Dragon Transformation Seal embedded in it, while the other lay intact.


    Overjoyed, Han Li glanced at the still fiercely dueling mass of black and blood red light.


    He then recirculated his concealment technique, reducing his presence to its nadir before quietly descending.


    His descent was silent; the battling demons did not detect him at all.


    Once his feet firmly landed on a pile of rubble, Han Li flipped his hand and a Jade Ruyi appeared in it.


    With a light wave, a faint yellow light flickered on the barrier, and Han Li mysteriously sank into the ground.


    When he grasped the stele in his hand, the tension in his heart eased somewhat.


    Without any hesitation, Han Li¡¯s spiritual sense moved and a bluish glow shot out of his storage pouch at his waist-it was the Sky Crystal Stele.


    Looking at this half-foot-long object, Han Li tossed the Jade Ruyi above his head, and with a vacuum grasp, he sucked the object into his hand, while his other hand clutched the stele tightly, pouring Spiritual Power into the blue stele wildly.


    The stele trembled slightly, its entire body glistened with spiritual light, appearing exceptionally bright.


    With a solemn face, Han Li pressed the bejeweled stele gently onto the massive stele, and like tofu, the bejeweled stele silently merged into it.


    Before Han Li could even show a hint of joy, an unexpected change occurred.


    The stele suddenly lit up with a layer of blue light and, as if weighing tons, it sank downwards, breaking free from Han Li¡¯s palm and plummeting straight down, with half of the stele plunging into the ground and standing erect.


    The upper half rang with a buzzing sound.


    An angry shout suddenly came from above the black hole.


    Han Li¡¯s heart clenched, and without thinking, he flicked the Primal Astral Shield, and the silver light barrier swelled several times over.


    Nearly at the same time, a jet-black column of light flashed by, shooting towards them!


    After a loud boom, a huge ball of light burst open, and a vast black cloud instantaneously engulfed an area of over thirty feet.


    Rocks disintegrated rapidly in the black light, reduced to nothingness, while the silver light barrier was enveloped beneath the black light.


    Silver light trembled violently within the black light, the contrast between silver and black extraordinarily distinct!


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed.


    With a gesture of both hands, he cast several incantations upon the light barrier.


    Immediately, the surface of the barrier became exceptionally smooth, and most of the black light slid off it.


    The silver barrier finally stabilized once again.


    As for the spirit embodiment of Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha in the distance, it had only time to launch that single attack before being entangled with Silvermoon again.


    Otherwise, one or two more hits, and the protective barrier would definitely have collapsed without a doubt.


    However, provoked by this, the Two-headed Black Wolf became furiously enraged and no longer dodged Silvermoon¡¯s attacks.


    With mouths sending forth relentless black light, it drew in the surrounding Demonic Qi, tumbling into a cyclone dozens of feet high towards Silvermoon, seemingly resolved to repel Silvermoon first, regardless of another significant depletion of its Qi.


    But to do so now was obviously too late!


    Suddenly, the ground transmitted an astonishing violent shaking, and from the corners, dozens of light pillars roared as they shot up from the ground, transforming into towering stone columns dozens of feet tall.


    Luminous light twinkled on every stone column, while large spirit rings of various colors emerged on their surfaces and began to spin rapidly.


    An inconceivable scene unfolded!


    The pitch-black Demonic Qi that was originally pervading the space surged frenetically towards the spirit rings the moment they began to spin.


    Simultaneously, numerous thin strands of light appeared out of thin air in the high sky above the vortex, linking together densely, resembling a spider¡¯s web.


    In the blink of an eye, a giant glowing spiritual essence took shape, so colossal it was akin to a small mountain!


    Seeing this, Han Li knew that the backup Array had been activated and, without second thoughts, he continued to channel Spiritual Power into the Sky Crystal Stele.


    The spirit rings on the stone columns thickened accordingly, absorbing Demonic Qi at an even more astonishing rate.


    Almost in a few breaths, nearly all the Demonic Qi in the entire space had been absorbed into the stone columns, disappearing without a trace.


    This caused the Two-headed Black Wolf, which had originally relied on the Demonic Qi to confront Silvermoon, to be placed at a disadvantage.


    Wolf howls echoed continuously within the black radiance, but were forced into retreat by the enveloping Bloodflame.


    Han Li¡¯s heart relaxed.


    With a single hand gesture, he directed another incantation at the Sky Crystal Stele.


    The Sky Crystal Stele emitted a deep hum, and with that, the milky white spiritual mass suspended above the altar fell downwards with an overwhelming force.


    Before even nearing the black vortex, the tremendous spiritual pressure it exerted caused the Two-headed Black Wolf, still tangled in combat, to take a start, no longer entangled with Silvermoon, and escaping out in a streak of light.


    Silvermoon snorted coldly, and with a sway of her form, she vanished into thin air on the spot.


    After the spiritual mass descended, an expanse of milky white brilliance instantly filled the entire vortex.


    The spiritual light receded, and the black vortex disappeared without a trace, leaving an exceptionally translucent barrier that reimprinted the Demonic Qi beneath it.


    Upon seeing this, the Black Wolf that the Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s spirit had transformed into naturally sensed great trouble.


    However, a quick scan of the surroundings immediately rested on the nearby Sky Crystal Stele.


    Having previously used the Dragon Transformation Seal, this wolf almost instantly guessed the mystery within and immediately showed a ferocious expression.


    With a low growl from its wolf head, its body became blurred within the black light.


    Then, with a movement, it transformed into three identical wolf shadows charging straight towards Han Li and the stele.


    By Han Li¡¯s side, a cluster of blood red light exploded, and a vast blood sea emerged out of nowhere within the splash of blood light, sweeping across all directions.


    Within the thick scent of blood, the three wolf shadows, caught off guard, were swept up into the sea, becoming trapped within it all at once.


    Simultaneously, a burst of silver light flashed above the blood sea.


    Following the rumblings of thunder, a dense shower of fiery arrows erupted from within the silver light, enveloping the three black wolves below.


    The three Black Wolves, shocked, raised their heads and spewed out billows of black radiance from their mouths, forming a light shield that blocked the multitude of fiery arrows.


    A cold glint flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes, and with a flip of his palm, the Three Flame Fan appeared, whirling as he swung it vigorously towards the Black Wolves.


    At once, with a clear chirp, three small Firebird Talismans no more than a foot in size shot out from the fan, heading straight for the three Black Wolves.


    Before even reaching them, the scorching heat evaporated the nearby sea of flames, emitting wisps of steam.


    One of the three Black Wolves revealed panic in its eyes, while the other two remained as wooden as ever.


    ¡°Good!¡± Seeing this, Silvermoon, with joy apparent on her face, uttered a low cry.


    Then clasping her hands in incantation, she rolled her form and transformed into a huge silver wolf, more than ten feet in size, and charged directly at the Black Wolf that had revealed its flawed disguise.


    Upon seeing Silvermoon also transforming into a giant wolf, the spirit of Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha recalled something in a flash of thought, and with a great shout of fear:


    ¡°You want to use Soul Devouring?


    Dream on!¡±


    Then the wolf took a deep breath and abruptly exhaled, spewing forth a blood-red mist that turned into a flaming curtain enveloping itself against the wind.


    The blood sea touching these Bloodflames instantly melted away like ice under a warm sun.


    The wolf regained its freedom in an instant and immediately burst forth with black light, shooting up into the sky.


    But just as it made its escape barely dozens of feet, a thunderclap burst above its head, followed by the appearance of a silver arc out of nowhere.


    Before the wolf could react and change direction, countless blue threads shot out from the silver arc.


    In a flash of spiritual light, the wolf was tightly bound by these threads.


    (First update!)(To be continued.


    If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1073 - Chapter 1073 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 169 Soul Devouring

    ?Chapter 1073: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 169 Soul Devouring Chapter 1073: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 169 Soul Devouring The Black Wolf was greatly alarmed and quickly urged the Bloodflame on its body.


    In an instant, these green threads were enveloped within.


    However, much to its surprise, a cold huff came from within the silver arc, and under the flickering of the green threads¡¯ spiritual light, they showed no sign of burning up.


    The demon¡¯s heart sank.


    Just as it was immobilized for a moment, the transformed Silver Wolf shot over in the blink of an eye.


    Unable to dodge, with a flash of spiritual light, the Silver Wolf entered its body and vanished without a trace.


    The Two-Headed Giant Wolf shuddered, both of its heads emitting a piercing and miserable howl.


    Its body convulsed violently!


    One head suddenly appeared dazed, then its eyes regained their vitality and immediately turned its head to bite the neck of the other head.


    At that moment, the color of its fur turned to a silvery white in an instant.


    The black wolf head naturally refused to sit still and wait for death.


    It opened its large mouth and bit back, instantly resulting in a vicious fight between the two heads.


    Just then, a figure flickered from within the silver arc; Han Li walked out, holding the Heavenvoid Cauldron, gave the Two-Headed Giant Wolf a glance, showing a hint of concern.


    Although the silver wolf head had the upper hand initially, as soon as the wolf body started to return to normal, waves of Demonic Qi surged into the black wolf head, making it fight ever more fiercely.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he gently flicked the Heavenvoid Cauldron with one hand, immediately resulting in a clear ringing sound.


    The green threads binding the giant wolf suddenly brightened with spiritual light and tightened, preventing the creature from moving in the slightest.


    Following that, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a golden lightning arc that struck the ferociously struggling black wolf head.


    The golden light exploded, delicate arcs danced around, and the Demonic Qi on the black wolf head dispersed instantly.


    After a scream, the Demonic Qi severely weakened.


    Seizing the opportunity, the silver wolf head lifted its neck, and a silver wolf head phantasm emerged, swallowing the black wolf head in one bite, then with a backtrack motion, it pulled out a vague, shadowy figure.


    The dark shadow was amorphous, resembling a clump of putty.


    However, as it shifted, it formed various terrifying and ghastly faces, which continued to tear and bite at the silver phantasm.


    A piercing, bone-chilling cold huff from Silvermoon rang out from within the silver phantasm, the silver light dazzling.


    The shape of the silver phantasm suddenly swelled, devouring the black light in one gulp, and then it shrank back and re-entered the silver wolf head.


    In an instant, the black wolf head, which had been furiously biting, suddenly became still, its eyes dull and lifeless.


    The silver wolf head no longer paid attention to this head but curled up and trembled gently, as though it were experiencing tremendous pain.


    Seeing this, Han Li felt relief in his heart.


    He tossed the small cauldron onto the giant wolf¡¯s body and tapped it several times.


    An expanse of blue mist swept out from it, encasing the giant wolf into a massive light globe in the blink of an eye.


    Then, Han Li scanned the entire space, his expression changing slightly, and suddenly shot towards the seal¡¯s vicinity.


    Moments later, he arrived above the ruins of another altar, slapped downwards, and shot out several fireballs.


    The resulting explosion revealed a large pit in front of his eyes, where something existed amid flickering black light.


    The Humanoid Puppet reached out into the void, easily pulling the object into its hand.


    Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a fragment of the Black Wind Banner.


    Although most of it was destroyed, it still emitted an astonishing spiritual energy, clearly retaining some of its spirit.


    Han Li took a deep look at the item, flipped his palm, and without ceremony, he put it into his storage pouch.


    Although he had no idea how to repair a heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure or if it could even be repaired, its materials had long been lost to this world, making its value incalculable.


    After dealing with this object, Han Li did not return to the giant wolf but decisively flew towards a corner of the space, ascending higher and higher until he vanished into the clouds.


    The streak of light paused, and Han Li stopped with a grave expression.


    Ahead and not far away, a light green orb floated there, with a Wooden Ruler slowly revolving inside it-the other heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure, the Eight Spirit Ruler!


    Although the Spiritual Treasure was intact, it was a Buddhist relic with significant restraints on demonic practices, thus the split spirit of Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha could only watch helplessly, unable to Demonize it for immediate use.


    Of course, if the demon could restore its full Divine Skills, that would be a different story.


    Han Li watched the Eight Spirit Ruler, not daring to act rashly.


    When he had first claimed the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he had nearly lost his life to the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Who knew what other secrets the Eight Spirit Ruler held?


    Thinking this, Han Li moved his spiritual sense, and the Humanoid Puppet that had followed him here dashed straight towards the Eight Spirit Ruler and grabbed it in one fell swoop, without any abnormalities occurring.


    Overjoyed, Han Li took the treasure from the puppet and played with it for a bit.


    The treasure was exceptionally smooth to the touch, cool like soft jade, and small slivers of green light twinkled with the slightest movement.


    Yet, when spiritual power was poured into it, there was no abnormal reaction.


    Han Li was slightly taken aback.


    At this moment, the light sphere enveloping the giant wolf suddenly emitted a muffled sound and exploded under the flickers of spiritual light.


    Han Li was startled and quickly retracted the Eight Spirit Ruler, pointing urgently towards the Heavenvoid Cauldron in the distance, his face showing a tinge of nervousness.


    With a ¡°swoosh,¡± the Heavenvoid Cauldron shot towards Han Li, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a streak of green light falling into Han Li¡¯s hands.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently into the distance.


    After the green light scattered and disappeared, an elegant figure slowly rose to its feet; it was the giant wolf.


    However, at this moment, the two-headed wolf had transformed into having a single head, and its fur had turned to a silvery white.


    It looked exceptionally bright and raised its head towards Han Li.


    Han Li was overjoyed and immediately flew back, but midway through, as soon as he made eye contact with the wolf, he felt its gaze exceedingly icy cold.


    A sense of foreboding involuntarily emerged in his heart.


    The figure of the giant wolf flickered, and amidst the silver light, it transformed into a graceful and enchanting woman, distinctly Long Meng.


    The woman glanced at Han Li expressionlessly, a cold smile faintly curving the edges of her mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re Long Meng!¡± Han Li sucked in a cold breath, asking gravely.


    ¡°To say I am Long Meng isn¡¯t exactly wrong.


    After all, the dominant spirit inside me right now is indeed that of Long Meng,¡± said Long Meng as she raised her slender jade hands, gazing at her translucent fingertips.


    Although she tried to appear calm, a hint of excitement in her eyes clearly betrayed her emotions.


    ¡°How is Silvermoon doing now?¡± Han Li¡¯s face changed several shades before he finally licked his upper lip and calmly asked.


    ¡°She is fine, just that she used a significant amount of spiritual sense during the Soul Devouring process and has fallen into a deep sleep.


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to come out so smoothly!¡± Long Meng¡¯s excitement in her eyes gradually subsided, and she replied with a strange look, yet her tone was still nonchalant.


    ¡°What do you plan to do now?¡± asked Han Li, feeling an unconscious relief knowing that Silvermoon was unharmed, but his voice remained calm.


    ¡°What do I plan to do?


    Naturally, return to the spirit realm!


    What, you can¡¯t bear to part with Xue Ling and want to keep her here?¡± Long Meng¡¯s beautiful brow arched as her voice turned frosty.


    Hearing her blunt words, Han Li¡¯s face reddened slightly, but then his gaze shifted and quickly returned to normal:


    ¡°You should be well aware that Silvermoon initially planned to return to the spirit realm.


    I won¡¯t stop her, and I can¡¯t stop her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best that you understand this.


    Ordinarily, I would take all the Spiritual Treasures you have.


    However, considering you lent me a hand during the Demon Soul devouring, and Xue Ling had previously promised you, I, Long Meng, as the great princess of the Silvermoon clan, am not ungrateful.


    This small cauldron and the Eight Spirit Ruler can stay in your possession.


    But from now on, any debts and grievances between you and Silvermoon are severed.


    Even if you managed to ascend to the next world someday and dare to appear before me, I will strike to kill you on sight,¡± declared Xue Ling, her eyes suddenly flashing with a hint of Evil Qi as she stared at Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression shifted slightly, but he immediately acted nonchalantly, neither making any promise nor uttering any refusal.


    The silver-haired woman had no intention of forcing Han Li to make a commitment, she merely communicated her thoughts to him.


    Then, she lifted her hand, and a streak of black light shot towards him.


    Han Li was startled at first, but upon recognizing the item, he felt reassured.


    Silently reaching out into the void, he drew it into his hand.


    The item was none other than the Black Marrow Flying Dagger that had been seized by the Divine Ancestor Yuan Sha¡¯s avatar; Han Li naturally didn¡¯t hesitate to accept it and casually tossed it to the Humanoid Puppet behind him.


    At this moment, Long Meng no longer paid attention to Han Li and walked to the center, briefly inspecting the seal there and nodding nonchalantly.


    Then, giving Han Li a cold glance, she suddenly approached Han Li again.


    Han Li was taken aback and instantly went on high alert.


    ¡°Give me a few drops of your Myriad Year Spirit Milk.


    I need it to open the Spirit Reversal Passage,¡± Long Meng stated bluntly.


    Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched, and he slapped his waist, causing several small bottles to appear in his hand, which he silently tossed towards the woman.


    With a sweep of her long sleeves, Long Meng silently took the jade bottles into her possession, her movements silent and supremely graceful.


    Afterward, the woman went to an empty space nearby, sat down cross-legged, and started to form incantations with her hands.


    Charming spell incantations resonated from her mouth as she floated up without wind, her body radiating layers of silver light.


    The dazzling glow gradually engulfed the woman¡¯s form, and from a distance, she appeared to truly transform into a silver moon.


    At this moment, Long Meng abruptly opened her eyes, which she had closed just before, and spewed out a disk, formed from the imprint of the Starfall Disk.


    Han Li watched from afar, frowning.


    No matter how one looked at the disk, it showed no signs of anything amiss; it didn¡¯t appear to be made from any incantation condensation.


    The intensity of Spiritual Energy on it was also not below that of the peak of ninth layer treasures.


    As Han Li pondered with confusion, the disk circled and then flew above the silver-haired woman¡¯s head, where it gracefully came to a stop.


    Below, Long Meng immediately flicked her fingers at the treasure consecutively.


    A series of incantations of different colors struck the disk, which absorbed them all one by one.


    Just a brief moment later, a dramatic change occurred!


    (Second update!


    The new year is fast approaching, and I have tried my best to cancel some social engagements.


    However, I still need to attend some essential events.


    So the updating schedule might be a bit messy during this period, but I will do my best to keep up with the number of updates.


    I hope everyone can understand!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1074 - Chapter 1074 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1070 Escape from Trouble

    ?Chapter 1074: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1070 Escape from Trouble Chapter 1074: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1070 Escape from Trouble ¡°`


    The disk rapidly expanded in the midst of the radiant starlight, and within a moment, it transformed into a light wheel with a diameter of several zhang, spinning dizzily as its surface flickered with golden specks.


    Subsequently, countless starlights converged at its center.


    A massive tremor occurred, and a thick golden light beam sprayed out from the center of the light wheel, plunging into the layers of yellow clouds high above.


    An earth-shattering boom resounded, followed by the clouds near the light beam churning violently; the entire Ninth Layer Space began to shudder.


    Where the golden light beam disappeared, the area became transparent and brightly illuminated, and the sounds of barriers breaking could be heard.


    Several dark fissures instantly appeared in the center of the brightness, and as more appeared, they became densely packed.


    After a series of wondrous celestial music, a massive passageway emerged, engulfed by the golden light beam.


    Countless fist-sized luminous orbs of different colors, stunning in their brilliance, floated and danced around it.


    At this moment, a disk about a chi in size slowly flew out from the passageway along the golden light beam and halted at the entrance, its light flickering incessantly.


    It was clearly identical to the one produced by the exquisite one.


    Could this be the true Starfall Disk!


    Han Li watched attentively at the passage and disk that appeared in the sky, expressionless but inwardly taken aback.


    At this time, the silver radiance on the exquisite one¡¯s body slowly dissipated, revealing her figure once more.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    The woman slightly raised her chin to gaze at the passageway in the sky, her countenance displaying a few strands of desolate colors.


    Suddenly, with a flicker of her form, she stood atop the spinning wheel over her head, ascending slowly into the sky.


    Her target was the colossal passageway high above.


    As the woman and the light wheel beneath her approached, the massive passageway seemed to sense something, emitting a buzzing chime from the orbs of light.


    The true Starfall Disk also trembled slightly, spinning as if exhilarated and excited by the proximity of the light wheel, displaying a sense of spirituality.


    Seeing the reaction of the Starfall Disk, the exquisite one revealed a faint smile on her face, then turned her head and gave Han Li below another deep glance, hesitated for a moment, then with a flick of her hand, three lights-yellow, blood, and white-shot out.


    In the blink of an eye, they appeared before Han Li.


    Han Li was taken aback, but noticing the woman had no ill intentions, he instinctively flicked his sleeve, sweeping up the three lights with a ripple of azure mist into his hand.


    Upon a closer look, they were a white jade slip, a Blood Blade, and the last Realmbreaker Talisman.


    Han Li felt a surge in his heart.


    Before he could ask anything, he heard the silver-haired woman¡¯s distant sigh:


    ¡°This contains information about the Starfall Passage and Spatial Nodes, a little more than what was given to those two.


    Perhaps you could use it later.


    The Realmbreaker Talisman and Blood Blade won¡¯t be of use in the spirit realm, so I¡¯m giving them to you as well.


    Also, leaving this mountain with the Spiritual Treasure will likely not be easy; I will aid you one last time!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Han Li was stupefied, not yet understanding what her ¡°aid¡± meant, when the exquisite one extended a slim finger and lightly tapped towards the Starfall Disk in the passageway.


    Instantly, with a clear chime, the disk turned slightly, and its center aimed right at Han Li.


    A glint of light flashed, and a golden light beam shot out, but it moved as if capable of instant shifting, mysteriously arriving in front of Han Li in the next moment.


    With the light dispersing, Han Li and the Humanoid Puppet behind him were enveloped without a word.


    Almost with no time to react, Han Li and the puppet vanished from their spot, clueless as to where the Starfall Disk had transported them.


    After completing this, the exquisite one entered the passageway without hesitation.


    Various colored glows burst forth inside the passageway, quickly enveloping the exquisite one and the Starfall Disk, followed by a loud rumble.


    After violent shaking, the woman disappeared from the passageway.


    The entrance to the passageway shattered bit by bit, and after a blinding gleam passed, the entrance completely collapsed and dissipated.


    Moments later, the Ninth Layer Space returned to its original state, empty of any human presence, eerily quiet as if nothing had ever happened.


    At this time, Xiang salutes, the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear, and Lin Yinping had just stepped out of the Demon Suppression Tower¡¯s ravine.


    The moment Han Li vanished from the Ninth Layer Space, Xiang salutes looked up at the sky with a trace of astonishment, puzzlement knitting his brow.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother Xiang, did you discover something?¡± Although the Corpse Bear¡¯s cultivation was far from matching Xiang salutes, being a demon that had survived since the ancient battles, backed by a significant power, it did not fear offending Xiang salutes, nor was it afraid that Xiang salutes might suddenly turn hostile after emerging.


    ¡°Nothing much, maybe I sensed it wrong.


    I felt like the grand seal outside Kunwu Mountain was briefly disturbed, but upon scanning with my Divine Sense, I found nothing else,¡± Xiang salutes stroked his scant beard, frowning slightly as he spoke.


    ¡°That might just be a momentary fluctuation caused by the seal weakening on its own.


    Otherwise, such a massive seal could hardly be shaken by human force,¡± laughed the Corpse Bear with a hehe.


    ¡°Perhaps so.


    By the way, you two said earlier that this incident was conjured by the Ye Clan.


    Have all the Ye Clan cultivators fallen?


    The Great Elder of the Ye Family is also a Nascent Soul cultivator with considerable Divine Skills.


    Where is he now?¡± Brother Xiang suddenly asked with a change in his expression.


    ¡°The other Ye Clan members have all been killed by that demon.


    As for the Great Elder of the Ye Family, I did not see him when I entered the Ninth Layer.


    He surely perished at the hands of that demon,¡± the Corpse Bear was taken aback, but then chuckled dryly.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°No matter whether he is truly dead or not, the Ye Clan has invited such a disaster upon themselves; there is no need for their existence anymore.


    After we return, the first family of Great Jin shall be replaced.


    Ten Thousand Demon Valley doesn¡¯t have any issues with that, right?¡± said Xiang with a snort, his eyes flashing coldly.


    At this moment, the slyness had disappeared from his face, revealing the true nature of a Deity Transformation Cultivator.


    The Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but without any hesitation, it replied:


    ¡°Of course.


    Although the Ye Clan has some relations with our valley, with such a grave mistake, they indeed deserve to be erased and replaced by someone else to take charge of the secular world.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Brother Bear thinks this way!


    By the way, Daoist Lin.


    Once you leave the mountain, you should also return to Heaventide immediately.


    It seems like you have spent many years in our Great Jin, but after all, this place isn¡¯t Heaventide Prairies, so your palace should send fewer people to Great Jin in the future!¡± Xiang¡¯s conversation took a turn, speaking coldly to Lin Yinping, who had been silent all along.


    ¡°This humble one understands.


    After leaving here, the junior will immediately return to the prairies,¡± Lin Yinping replied immediately upon meeting Xiang¡¯s expressionless gaze, feeling a chill in her heart, daring not to utter a word of ¡®no¡¯.


    Moreover, she had been subjected to Han Li¡¯s restrictions; regardless of whether Han Li survived in the Demonic Qi, it was naturally better for her not to encounter him again and be coerced by him.


    Besides, she still harbored the hope of returning to the Holy Temple and convening all the Nascent Soul cultivators to see if the restrictive formations could be broken.


    Seeing Lin Yinping¡¯s respectful agreement, Xiang¡¯s chilly features slightly relaxed.


    Just as he was about to say something more to her, suddenly, a streak of white light shot towards them from the endless sky, arriving above their heads in the blink of an eye.


    The Corpse Bear was greatly startled and the spiritual light shimmered on its body as it prepared to defend.


    However, suddenly the air around it thickened, making its body feel as heavy as a thousand pounds, and at the same time, Xiang¡¯s indistinct voice could be heard nearby.


    ¡°No need to panic, my friend!


    This is a flying sword message from Brother Han of the Heavenly Demon Sect.¡±


    Then, Xiang lifted his hand and beckoned towards the white light.


    Immediately the light spiraled and descended into Xiang¡¯s hand-it turned out to be a pale little sword.


    The immense strength burdening the Corpse Bear also vanished without a trace.


    Although the demon had been frightened for naught, it had also broken into a cold sweat during this sudden shock.


    Xiang held the small sword between his hands and, without saying a word for a while, he raised his hand and threw it back into the sky, turning into a white light that vanished without a trace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.


    Brother Han has already entered this mountain.


    We¡¯ll meet up with him and then immediately convene all the sects of the Southern Border to reseal this mountain,¡± Xiang said calmly, looking at where the white light had disappeared.


    The Corpse Bear and Lin Yinping naturally had no objection, and the group seemed to have already forgotten about the exquisite jade and Han Li entirely.


    a€|


    Atop a scenic mountain peak in the Southern Border, several Qi Refinement Realm cultivators were sitting in a small kiosk, discussing enthusiastically.


    The topic of their conversation was naturally the recent massive sealing event that had the whole Southern Border in tumult.


    As a white-robed middle-aged man was gushing forth with guesses about what was under the seal, a golden light flashed atop the kiosk, followed by a ¡®boom¡¯.


    A beam shot from the void, nearly slicing off half of the kiosk at a slant.


    Then, before the dumbstruck eyes of several people, an azure-robed cultivator and a shimmering silver figure emerged from the golden light.


    The azure-robed cultivator stumbled as if unsteady on his feet but with a wave of his hand, the silver figure suddenly vanished.


    Such a spectacle completely dumbfounded the few low-level cultivators.


    ¡°Where is this place?¡± After steadying himself, the azure figure swept a gaze around before landing it on the few people and spoke with an unquestionably commanding tone.


    Although his voice was calm, one could sense that it brooked no refusal.


    This person was Han Li, who had been teleported by the Starfall Disk.


    The few low-level cultivators snapped out of their daze, and their Divine Senses swept towards Han Li, but they were met with fear as their complexions changed drastically-unable to perceive the slightest bit of his cultivation level.


    ¡°This is Gold Map Mountain.


    May I ask who the senior is¡­?¡± The white-robed cultivator, who was the highest in cultivation among them, replied stiffly, despite his inner turmoil.


    ¡°Gold Map Mountain, I¡¯ve never heard of it.


    Is this still part of the Southern Border?¡± Han Li didn¡¯t intend to reveal anything, asking with an indifferent face.


    ¡°This is Zhonglou Prefecture!¡± Another cultivator, shorter in stature, hurriedly chimed in intelligently.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s Zhonglou Prefecture!¡± Han Li¡¯s expression shifted slightly as he nodded.


    Zhonglou Prefecture was adjacent to Puyun Prefecture, where the seal was located; it seemed he hadn¡¯t been teleported too far away.


    (First update!)(To be continued, for further details please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, supporting the author, and supporting genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1075 - Chapter 1075 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1711 Land of Bitter Cold

    ?Chapter 1075: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1711 Land of Bitter Cold Chapter 1075: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1711 Land of Bitter Cold The Qi Refinement cultivators before Han Li were either from minor families or vagrant cultivators.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s unfathomable expression, they didn¡¯t even dare to breathe heavily.


    It is known that anyone whose cultivation level they cannot discern is very likely a Core Formation Stage cultivator or above.


    Such high-level cultivators would not bother with those at the Qi Refinement stage; they usually only manage to catch a distant glimpse, never daring to approach and speak.


    Thus, they were naturally very cautious and trembling.


    After Han Li asked about their location, his expression relaxed, but then he suddenly waved his sleeve, and several streaks of green light shot out, embedding into the body of each person in front of him.


    These Qi Refinement cultivators immediately fell to the ground without uttering a word, completely unable to resist.


    Without another word, Han Li raised his hand again and drew one of them to him, grabbing the person¡¯s head with his hand as the green light flickered incessantly.


    Within moments, the light on his hand faded, and the person slid out of his hand, continuing to fall unconscious.


    Han Li then grabbed another person and did the same.


    In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Han Li had processed each of those people in the same manner.


    After throwing the last person to the ground, Han Li glanced at them and muttered to himself:


    ¡°If I were more ruthless, making you disappear from this world would be safer.


    Now, I have only erased your memories of just now; you can consider yourselves lucky.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    An hour later, these individuals awoke almost simultaneously.


    Upon seeing each other¡¯s condition and being clueless about their own sudden unconsciousness, they all exclaimed about the strangeness, not remembering their encounter with Han Li.


    Terrified, they dared not linger on this mountain and promptly left.


    By this time, Han Li had already reached tens of thousands of li away and began to slow his escape speed, focusing his mind on the white jade slip that Linglong had given him when they parted.


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Li sighed softly, put away the jade slip, and became silently thoughtful.


    The information in the jade slip was divided into two parts.


    One part described the Spirit Reversal Passage and an array technique of wondrous intricacy, used by cultivators from the spirit realm to create the Spirit Reversal Passage.


    The complexity of this array went without saying.


    The array required top-grade spirit stones in an astonishing quantity, which left Han Li speechless and shocked.


    However, even though the array wasn¡¯t suitable for use in the human world, it might be possible to develop a simpler version by devoted study.


    Such a thing could be feasible for fellow cultivators.


    The other part of the information naturally mentioned the spatial nodes of the human world.


    It detailed not only the characteristics of the nodes and their likely regions and surroundings but also thoroughly listed over a dozen previously known nodes in the human world.


    This was unlike what the two senior members had mentioned; they only knew of a few.


    Han Li pondered silently for a while in the streak of light, finally letting the corners of his mouth lift as he came out of his contemplation.


    Regardless of the importance of the information in the jade slip for his future, what was most crucial now was to advance his cultivation to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.


    After all, according to the information, to pass through those spatial nodes, one at least needs the cultivation of the early Deity Transformation stage.


    Only then would a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul be truly consolidated and stable, able to withstand the immense barrier-pressure within the nodes.


    Otherwise, cultivators below the Divinity Transformation stage would be immediately destroyed by the barrier force upon entering the node, with no need for other dangers.


    He had already obtained the Infant Nurturing Pill and the method to remove the Soul Seal Curse; logically, he should head back to Tian Luo immediately.


    But unfortunately, to remove the Soul Seal Curse, he had to refine a type of auxiliary medicinal pill used as a primer, only then could he begin the unsealing process.


    This auxiliary Spiritual Medicine, called Profound Ice Pill, was a Yin Ice medicinal pill similar to the Snow Essence Pill.


    Of course, the effects of the two types of pills were quite different; the main ingredient needed for the Profound Ice Pill was a Spiritual Medicine called Profound Ice Flower.


    Although the Profound Ice Flower was extremely rare, it was not something unobtainable in the world.


    The only trouble was that this item only grew on Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice, and once it was harvested and removed from the Profound Ice, it would immediately melt into a puddle of clear water within moments, losing all medicinal efficacy with no effective preservation method.


    Thus, although the flower was a rare Yin Ice Spiritual Medicine, it was practically only used by a few immortal cultivation sects that existed in icy lands all year round; even in the large auction events in Great Jin, this item would not appear.


    Moreover, the medicinal pill that required this special ingredient was only used for the Soul Seal Curse; even Qian the devil didn¡¯t have this medicinal pill on his person.


    Naturally, the Yin Sifting Sect internally still had a few bottles of these pills.


    But even with Han Li¡¯s confidence in himself, he had no intention of forcefully intruding into the grand temple of a major devilish sect.


    Not to mention the numerous devilish cultivators inside, just the sect¡¯s large restrictive formations alone were something he couldn¡¯t breach by himself.


    After all, there is a world of difference between a sect-wide formation that is uncontrolled and one manipulated by someone.


    According to the recipe of the Profound Ice Pill, although other Yin Ice spiritual medicines can also be used to prepare the Profound Ice Pill, the medicinal properties immediately drop significantly.


    To be on the safe side, Han Li naturally planned to make a trip to the extremely cold regions.


    Therefore, previously in Kunwu Mountain, he mentioned to Bai Yaoyi that he needed to visit the Northern Night Little Polar Palace.


    That palace extends from Beiming Iceland, a famous cold region, so surely the cultivators there could easily find the Profound Ice Flower.


    Besides this matter, he also had Cold Marrow, another spiritual medicine, on his mind to see if he could by chance find any information about Sun Essence Fire in the Little Polar Palace.


    After all, this sect had preserved Cold Marrow for many years; even if they hadn¡¯t obtained the Sun Essence Fire, they should have some clues about it.


    Of course, Han Li wouldn¡¯t head to Beiming Iceland immediately but would wait for the situation at Kunwu Mountain to calm down first.


    Moreover, to be cautious, he had other things to do.


    It seemed he couldn¡¯t avoid seclusion for a few years!


    After contemplating for a long time, Han Li finally made up his mind, changed direction, and flew towards the north.


    Traveling northwards, spanning over ten counties, Han Li eventually reached a large county named Shuang County.


    Although this county isn¡¯t the northernmost in Great Jin, it¡¯s almost there.


    Because this place was covered with vast snow almost seven or eight days every ten days.


    Given this, the world of ordinary mortals here naturally had sparse population and wide lands, with not many Dreamcloud Mountains and Spirit Veins, and the quality was even inferior to other places.


    Therefore, sect forces of cultivators from Great Jin rarely opened schools or established sects here, though there were some small wealthy families and quite a few vagrant cultivators gathered in this county.


    Although the environment in Shuang County was harsh, the region was extremely vast, ranking within the top five in area among the 36 counties of Great Jin, and was more productive in some well-known Yin Ice spiritual medicines and materials.


    The cultivators of this county mostly practiced Profound Ice or Yin Cold cultivation techniques, or it could be said that many who practiced Yin Cold techniques gathered here to enhance their cultivation by utilizing the local ice-cold aura.


    Naturally, if they were to fight other cultivators practicing different techniques here, they would certainly have some advantages.


    Whether in Tian Luo or later in the Scattered Stars Sea, most were places of eternal spring, and places of icy snowy lands like this were truly rare to visit.


    However, having reached Han Li¡¯s level of cultivation, his body naturally reached a state impervious to extreme heat and cold.


    Thus, while initially he found the heavy snow weather somewhat interesting, after traveling continuously for several days, he began to ignore it.


    Along the way, he also encountered some other cultivators, but with Han Li¡¯s current level of cultivation, he was able to escape in an instant far before the others could even notice him, giving no chance for others to detect him.


    Thus, on the fifth day he entered Shuang County, Han Li finally stopped in an unremarkable and barren mountain range.


    The range was not large, but it did have a spirit vein of reasonable quality.


    Hovering above a mountain peak, Han Li sensed the density of spiritual energy in the area and nodded his head with satisfaction.


    Immediately after, with a cold snort, a wave of strong momentum erupted from his body, shooting up to the sky and then down towards the mountain, covering the entire mountain peak.


    The tremendous spiritual pressure generated by this momentum made all the flowers and trees on the mountain tremble faintly in the air, and some small animals and birds directly flipped and fell down, passing out.


    As for the cultivators practicing in this mountain, they were instantly thrown into chaos; the ones with lower cultivation felt as if their bodies weighed thousands of pounds and kneeled directly; those with higher cultivation also found it hard to breathe, as if they were under a restriction, and cries of shock and screams erupted sporadically in the mountain, and then three beams of light shot up from different places in the mountain, heading straight towards Han Li.


    Seeing people coming, Han Li instantly emitted a flash of protective green light, and his face quickly blurred and shifted, transforming into an old man with a goatee and a fierce appearance within moments.


    During this time, with the flickering spiritual light around his body, Han Li was not afraid that the few cultivators flying towards him would see anything.


    As the light converged, two black-robed elders and a gray-robed large man appeared in front of Han Li, with the slightly younger-looking large man flying in front, and the two elders flying behind him.


    Han Li raised his eyebrows but found nothing strange; clearly, the large man had mid Core Formation stage cultivation, while the elders were just two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.


    However, the three seemed to have very similar cultivation techniques, appearing to have some deep connections.


    Before Han Li spoke, the gray-robed big man scanned Han Li with Divine Sense in shock and rage, then his expression drastically changed, his angry look dissipated in an instant, replaced immediately with a smile.


    ¡°I am Li Zhongtian from the Snowy Chain Peak, holding the position of clan head of the Li Clan.


    May I ask what instructions the senior has for coming here, the junior will definitely do his utmost to comply!¡± The big man said respectfully, and as his eyes met Han Li¡¯s fierce appearance, his heart couldn¡¯t help but tremble with extreme unease!


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your Li Clan.


    I have taken a liking to this mountain, leave it immediately.


    I¡¯ll give you half a day to prepare; after half a day, I will take over this place,¡± Han Li uttered in a hoarse voice, cold to the bone, seemingly even colder than the chilling wind blowing in the air.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1076 - Chapter 1076 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1072 Alchemy

    ?Chapter 1076: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1072 Alchemy Chapter 1076: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1072 Alchemy Upon hearing these words, the large man¡¯s heart sank, but he dared not get angry.


    Instead, he forced a smile and explained:


    ¡°Elder, our Li Clan has settled in Snowy Chain Peak, and it was Elder Long who personally agreed to it.


    If the Elder wishes, it is of course possible, but may I first inform Elder Long?¡±


    ¡°Elder Long?


    You think you can pressure me with this person?


    No matter who it is, if they disagree, let them come to me.


    But if there still are people on this mountain by midday, do not blame this old man for being ruthless.¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes flicked, and his face twisted menacingly as he spoke.


    The large man¡¯s face changed drastically, and just as he was about to say something more, Han Li, not wishing to talk more, swept his sleeve robe, and immediately a verdant gust of fierce wind surged out from his sleeve.


    Startled, the large man¡¯s protective brilliance flashed around his body, yet he only felt a massive spiritual pressure overcoming him, forcing the words back into his throat with immense force.


    And the two old men, who could only ascend to the sky by relying on their Magic Artifacts, didn¡¯t even have time to activate their defenses before they were blown away by the wind, spinning uncontrollably in mid-air and unable to stabilize their forms.


    Terrified, these two naturally tried to use their skills to protect themselves, but the mana within this wind was bizarrely ineffective, almost as if directly restricted by someone.


    At this moment, the two old men were truly frightened out of their wits!


    Fortunately, the wind dissipated and vanished from the vicinity in an instant.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    As the two old men finally stabilized themselves and looked forward with pale faces, they found the far distance empty-Han Li had disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Elder ancestor, when did this person¡­¡± Under severe fright, a black-robed old man, trying to say something to the grey-robed large man.


    ¡°Command all members of our clan to pack up immediately; we must leave this mountain within two hours,¡± said the large man, looking terribly grim, taking a deep breath.


    He, too, had not noticed when Han Li had left.


    ¡°What, really leaving Snowy Chain Peak?


    Our Li Clan had not easily defeated the Snow Lotus Seven Friends and settled this land of cultivation.


    It hasn¡¯t even been a hundred years yet.


    Besides, with such tyrannical actions, Elder Long won¡¯t just stand by, right?¡± exclaimed another black-robed elder.


    Although the other elder didn¡¯t speak, he also looked hesitant.


    It seemed he was also reluctant to give up the hard-earned foundation so easily.


    ¡°Hmph, you both are foolish.


    This man¡¯s cultivation is unfathomable!


    Boldly doing such things, he surely has something to rely on.


    The spiritual pressure he exuded is also much stronger than Elder Long¡¯s-he might be a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator.


    With such a divine cultivator, even if Elder Long has some connections with us, he will pretend to be deaf and dumb.


    He won¡¯t take a stand for our small Li Clan.


    Furthermore, although this person is tyrannical, he at least gave us time to leave.


    Otherwise, had he annihilated us indiscriminately, do you think anyone would take our side?


    Don¡¯t forget, the realm of immortal cultivators is the survival of the fittest.


    When we first took this mountain, it was also because our strength was slightly stronger than that of the Snow Lotus Seven Friends, and that was why the other forces recognized us.


    As long as the core disciples of our Li Clan are still alive, at most, we can take another spirit mountain elsewhere.


    It¡¯s better than resisting a Nascent Soul cultivator and seeking our own clan¡¯s destruction.¡± The grey-robed large man¡¯s face darkened as he scolded the two juniors sternly.


    The two old men, now awakened from their mistake, nodded continuously.


    Immediately, the three of them flew downward, vanishing into the mountain without a trace in a flash.


    A meal-time later, the mountain was completely stirred up.


    People were either running on the ground or flying through the air, shuttling incessantly between large and small pavilions, caves, and mountain roads.


    Everyone wore a look of panic, but fortunately, their actions were still orderly without causing much chaos.


    After more than an hour, two groups of cultivators divided into two directions, sweeping majestically away from the mountain by air and land, totaling two to three hundred people-most of whom were merely Qi Refinement cultivators.


    There were only about twenty or so who could fly with artifacts.


    The group was not slow, quickly distancing themselves from the mountain, heading toward the outer part of the mountain range.


    With such heavy movements from these people, naturally, other cultivators¡¯ powers in the nearby regions noticed, all surprised, naturally sending people to inquire about the news.


    The people of the Li Clan had no reservations, and directly and honestly explained the situation.


    Upon hearing that a Nascent Soul cultivator had occupied Snow Lotus Mountain, everyone was shocked, and hurriedly returned to discuss their strategies.


    The sudden arrival of such a high-level cultivator in the area was indeed an unpredictable event of fortune or disaster for them.


    However, considering the forceful occupation of Snowy Chain Peak, it might predominantly be more of the latter.


    As nearby groups of cultivators agonized and stirred, Han Li had already silently appeared atop a stone cliff at the peak of Snowy Chain Peak, releasing his divine sense to carefully check if there were any hidden cultivators within the mountain.


    Moments later, he reopened his eyes, a look of satisfaction on his face.


    Without speaking, he flipped his hand, and a stack of Array flags and plates appeared in his hand.


    Then, his figure flickered, turning into a blue rainbow that quickly circled the mountain, and upon returning to the mountaintop moments later, the array flags and plates had all vanished.


    At that moment, countless wisps of white mist suddenly rose around, quickly submerging the entire spirit mountain within, turning the area into a vast expanse of white.


    After examining the restrictive formations created by the Array in front of him, Han Li nodded his head.


    This set of formation establishment tools, taken from Qian the devil¡¯s storage pouch, belonged to a relatively high-grade type; it was trivial for a Nascent Soul cultivator, but it would be quite troublesome for a Core Formation cultivator who accidentally stumbled into it to get out.


    Moreover, Han Li didn¡¯t stop there.


    He reached for one of the spirit beast pouches at his waist and casually tossed it into the air.


    With both hands forming incantations, he pointed towards the sky.


    Immediately, the mouth of the pouch opened wide, spewing forth icy air, mixed with over a dozen crystal-white, winged centipedes ¨C the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.


    As soon as these centipedes flew out of the pouch, they circled above Han Li¡¯s head, buzzing in low tones, their excitement palpable.


    Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly!


    It seemed that the icy weather here greatly exhilarated these spirit insects.


    Immediately, through a movement of his spiritual sense, the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes shot into the surrounding mist, disappearing in the blink of an eye without a trace.


    With this Illusion Array and the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, comparable to Core Formation cultivators, lurking within the formation, even early Nascent Soul cultivators would presumably not find it easy to trespass this mountain.


    With genuine determination, Han Li no longer lingered.


    He used his spirit sight to locate the densest point of spiritual energy within the mountain belly, then entered it using Earth Escape Skill and hollowed out space to set the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion down, gently entering this cave dwelling.


    First handling the spirit insects and beasts to make sure they were suitably arranged, he immediately entered a seclusion chamber, sat down cross-legged, slowly closed his eyes, and began to meditate.


    This sitting lasted a full day and night!


    When Han Li next opened his eyes, his expression was composed and serene, his mind as calm as still water.


    Pressing a hand upon the storage pouch at his waist, a crimson gourd appeared in his hand.


    Tipping it over, a pill the size of a thumb dropped out, emerald and fragrant, emitting a tantalizing scent.


    It was precisely the Infant Nurturing Pill Han Li had been seeking in his previous journey.


    As mentioned by the rich surnamed elder of the Nine Nether Sect, refining this pill at a minimum would take half a year, and Han Li naturally would not delay any longer.


    Being able to refine this pill earlier would be greatly beneficial for his future cultivation and confrontations.


    Swallowing the green medicinal pill, Han Li immediately felt as though he had swallowed a cool yet warming object, but soon, streaks of heat began to radiate from it.


    Han Li did not dare to be negligent.


    He stowed the gourd, closed his eyes, formed hand incantations, and once again began to meditate.


    At this time, if any other cultivators could internally observe Han Li¡¯s body, they would see his little over two inches high Nascent Soul had its eyes open within his body, and from its mouth spewed strands of azure Nascent flames, enveloping the emerald enticing pill and slowly refining it.


    The entire secret chamber was silent, as if bereft of life.


    Time passed day by day, unwittingly half a year slipped by.


    The inside of the secret chamber maintained its quietude.


    However, within this period, several groups had come to Snow Lotus Mountain.


    Among them were Core Formation cultivators from nearby cultivator forces and high-grade Loose Cultivators who had heard of this place, and there was even one silver-robed elder who visited alone once.


    This man was the only early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator among the visitors.


    Regardless of who they were, upon seeing the misty white boundless fog and after several shouts to no avail, they could only helplessly return.


    The silver-robed elder seemed somewhat unwilling to accept this and had tried once to breach the white fog.


    However, only a short while later, he was forced out amidst the piercing cries of the insects.


    One of his arms turned crystal clear, seemingly encased in ice.


    Although he appeared to have no serious injuries, the silver-robed elder did not dare to easily challenge the restrictive formations again, only sighing in resignation as he left.


    He was quite aware that setting up such powerful spirit insects indicated that the person did not wish to meet outsiders, and the formidable nature of the insects alone was enough to prove that the other party was indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator whose divine powers far surpassed his own; naturally, he wouldn¡¯t provoke the other party foolishly again.


    Not long after, all the cultivator forces within ten thousand miles centered on Snowy Chain Peak were aware that an incredibly powerful elder had come to Snowy Chain Peak, and even Elder Long, who had dominated this area for hundreds of years through Void cultivation, seemed not to dare provoke this figure.


    Consequently, all forces took notice.


    Within a thousand miles of Snowy Chain Peak, it became an automatically respected forbidden zone; all cultivators passing by took long detours, fearing to disturb the high cultivator¡¯s meditation and thus bring trouble upon themselves.


    Fortunately, after the passing of half a year, Snow Lotus Mountain maintained the peace of its initial days, and the high cultivator seemed to have no intentions of interfering with local matters.


    This slightly eased the anxious other forces.


    However, unknown to anyone, Han Li, who was meditating in seclusion, had finally refined the Infant Nurturing Pill and opened his eyes.


    His face sparkled brightly, showing signs of significant advancement in cultivation.


    (To be continued.


    For further information, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support legal reading!)

 Chapter 1078 - Chapter 1078 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1074 Subduing the Demon

    ?Chapter 1078: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1074 Subduing the Demon Chapter 1078: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1074 Subduing the Demon ¡°`


    ¡°Each of these Five Sons Synchronisation Demons possesses the cultivation of the early Nascent Soul stage, and after being refined by the magic tools, the Five Devils can resonate telepathically and are adept in the art of joint body magic.


    Even when confronting late-Nascent Soul cultivators, they might not necessarily be at a disadvantage.


    If they could be subdued for personal use, they would undoubtedly be a considerable asset.


    However, I fear that the ferocity of these Five Devils is not easily tamed, and coupled with the fact that they have once turned on their master, taming them would indeed involve taking some risks.¡± Han Li sighed softly, muttering to himself, then slapped his storage pouch with a single hand.


    A pitch-black jade slip flew out from the pouch and landed in his hand.


    He ignored the Five Devils within the golden light barrier and immersed his own consciousness into the jade slip.


    Fortunately, although the Devilbane Lightning on the Five Devils had dissipated, they had been covered by the golden light of the golden light barrier for a long period and were also covered with numerous restriction talismans.


    They appeared to be listless, as if their ferocity had been completely extinguished.


    After an unknown period of time, Han Li¡¯s expression changed, and he withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip.


    He raised his head to gaze at the Five Sons Demon before him, his eyes flickering uncertainly.


    This black jade slip contained an unmarked Devil Scripture from Qian the devil¡¯s storage pouch.


    Although this scripture seemed to be incomplete, it did indeed record several potent secret techniques and magic arts, including the Cultivation Technique for the Five Sons Synchronisation Demon.


    According to this Devil Scripture, to successfully cultivate the Five Sons Synchronisation Demon, one must first find the corpses of five Nascent Soul cultivators who have died violently not long ago.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    They must have their Nascent Souls dissipated and vanished, with only their resentment lingering above the corpses.


    Once acquired, these five corpses could be refined and nourished with various rare materials, then buried deep underground in a place heavy with ghostly aura.


    Each month, a cultivator who practices Yin attribute Cultivation Techniques must be slain, and their flesh, blood, and soul used to nourish the five corpses.


    After more than a hundred years, the Five Sons Demon would naturally become spiritually wise and possess innate intelligence.


    Then with special secret techniques, the five corpses are refined simultaneously.


    After decades, the Five Sons Demon could initially be formed.


    However, having just been formed, the Five Sons Synchronisation Demon only has the cultivation of the Core Formation Stage.


    As for how the Divine Skills and cultivation progress from there depend on the sacrificer¡¯s dedication and the energy expended.


    Generally speaking, when the Five Devils¡¯ cultivation reaches the late Core Formation stage, it is almost impossible for them to progress any further.


    But Qian the devil is a prodigy among prodigies and somehow managed to cultivate the Five Devils even further, advancing them to the early Nascent Soul stage simultaneously.


    It is likely due to this that the Five Devils eventually got out of control and turned on their master.


    If they were only demon heads of the Core Formation stage, Qian the devil¡¯s Divine Skills would have been able to suppress them.


    Based on the cultivation method for the Five Sons Synchronisation Demon, it¡¯s natural that Han Li cannot control these Five Devils, for he did not start employing magic from a young age to refine them.


    However, another method of controlling demons mentioned in this Devil Scripture has led Han Li to believe that controlling the Five Devils may still be possible.


    That is to forcibly implant several special restrictive formations within the Five Devils¡¯ bodies, and in combination with regularly nurturing them with one¡¯s own blood essence, they could be subdued under a particular Incantation Gesture.


    But this method would certainly not be as seamless as Qian the devil controlling the Five Devils as if they were his own disciples, nor would it be possible to always lend one¡¯s body to the Nascent Soul to hide within the Five Devils.


    Moreover, the degree of backlash encountered would be far greater than what Qian the devil endured, almost several times more severe.


    Essentially, if one¡¯s cultivation weakens slightly and the inability to suppress the Five Devils emerges, or if supplying blood essence for nurture is halted, the Five Devils would mercilessly retaliate immediately.


    However, this method does have a benefit: it is not necessary to refine the Five Devils¡¯ main soul with one¡¯s own Nascent Soul.


    Even if a backlash occurs, Han Li could still escape and avoid it, not suddenly falling prey to the Five Devils¡¯ treachery.


    Although this approach is somewhat perilous, the immense benefit of subduing the Five Devils is still irresistible to Han Li.


    Thus, after giving it a brief thought, he gritted his teeth, bit the tip of his tongue, and sprayed out a mouthful of blood essence.


    Several Incantations strikes landed on it, before it vanished in a flash!


    The blood essence emitted a golden radiance.


    Han Li¡¯s face turned somewhat pale as if this blood essence was no ordinary one, as if it drained a significant amount of his Qi.


    But instead of resting immediately, he waved his hand.


    After a streak of azure light, the blood essence transformed into five thumb-sized blood beads.


    Then Han Li flicked his sleeve, and, as if carried by an invisible wind, the blood beads flew toward the Five Sons Demon.


    With a movement of his spiritual sense, the blood beads entered the golden bubble as if they were nothing, and drifted slowly towards the five skeletal frames.


    The Main Souls of the Five Sons Demon, transformed into black skulls and barely hanging on to life, turned their gaze to the blood beads the moment they flew close, their green glows flickering incessantly.


    Then, as if stimulated by something, they began to coll


    ide frantically within the ribcage of the skeletons, each becoming abnormally excited.


    But when these skull heads touched the densely packed restriction talismans adhering to the skeletons, they were naturally repelled by an emerging burst of light, making they turn even more agitated and ferocious.


    With gnashing teeth, they kept making a strange clacking noise!


    Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed coldly, and with a raise of his hand, five small golden swords shot out from his sleeve, appearing before the five black skull heads, and with a flash, brutally nailed them into the void, rendering them motionless.


    The skulls kept howling, their green eyes strangely brightening then dimming, appearing exceptionally eerie.


    Yet Han Li, with an impassive face, formed a gesture, and a rumbling noise sounded.


    The remnants of the Devilbane Lightning on the five small swords erupted.


    With a flickering of fine golden lightning, the five skull heads trembled, their voices changing to whining sounds.


    Their ferocity subsided greatly!


    Seeing this, Han Li finally showed a satisfied smile, and the five blood beads gleamed before shooting into the mouths of the skull heads.


    ¡°`


    The skull¡¯s eyes flashed a vigorous green after swallowing a blood bead, seemingly regaining a significant amount of Qi.


    Han Li then closed his eyes, made a bizarre hand gesture, and slowly released his spiritual sense, connecting with the Five Devils using the power of the freshly consumed blood essence.


    To Han Li¡¯s surprise, the Five Devils softened their gaze within moments, and their violent aura diminished substantially.


    Taking a deep breath, Han Li reached into his storage pouch with one hand and produced five silver needles that glittered brightly.


    With a flick of his wrist, the needles vanished without a trace into the black skull.


    Muttering an incantation, he breathed out five wisp of blue Qi.


    Under the chant, the blue Qi twisted and transformed, eventually settling into five faint blue figures with complete limbs and faces.


    Upon seeing the blue figures solidify, Han Li stopped the incantation, shouted softly, and reached towards the ground with one hand.


    He pulled out five strands of pale yellow earth energy from the stone floor of the chamber, and they spiraled into the bodies of the figures like nimble yellow snakes.


    Han Li uttered the word ¡°swift,¡± and the five blue figures instantly dashed towards the Five Devils, disappearing into the skull just like before.


    After completing these actions, Han Li did not stop there.


    He pulled out a stack of silver rings from his storage pouch.


    These Magic Artifacts were devil-trapping tools he had crafted on his way here, following a secret technique from the Devil Scripture, made from the remaining Silverstar Sand, proving to be exceptionally sturdy.


    With a wave of his hand, over twenty rings whistled through the air, shot up into the sky, and then appeared around the necks and limbs of the five humanoid skeletons.


    They then bizarrely vanished as if they never existed.


    After all this was done, Han Li finally exhaled in relief.


    He waved his hand, and the golden bubble shrank rapidly, flying back into his palm.


    The five skeletons and the black skull weirdly remained in place; a burst of grey light flickered, and the talismans attached to the skeletons were consumed by nameless Devil Flames, vanishing completely while the five golden flying swords also returned to him.


    Once the five black skulls were freed, they instantly turned into five streams of grey-white aura that flew into the skeletons and disappeared without a trace.


    Seeing this, Han Li silently recited the Devil-controlling incantations from the Devil Scripture.


    With a thought, the five humanoid skeletons shakily got to their feet and slowly hovered towards him, light as a feather.


    With another thought, the skeletons halted, their eyes flashing faint green, as if they still desired to approach Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and he suddenly uttered a spell incantation.


    Five silver rings instantly appeared on the skeletons, with blue flames billowing atop them.


    A burnt scent drifted out, causing the Five Devils to stagger backwards, squeaking frantically in panic.


    As the incantation ceased, the blue flames vanished, but having learned the severity, the Five Devils stood motionlessly in place, exceptionally docile.


    Han Li internally nodded.


    He had never expected to be able to manipulate the Five Sons Demon with a mere thought.


    As long as they obeyed his commands and could be employed against enemies, it was enough.


    Thinking this, Han Li activated the devil-control incantation again, and the skeletal forms of the Five Sons Demon instantly shrunk, finally turning into five streams of grey-white aura in mid-air.


    A flip of his palm, and a small black bottle flew out from his hand.


    The grey-white aura circled briefly before obediently flying into it one by one.


    After the last stream of grey-white aura entered, Han Li immediately capped the bottle, then with an epiphany, several restriction talismans were pasted onto it.


    He then carefully put the black bottle back into his storage pouch.


    In the future, as long as he fed them his blood essence periodically, all would be well.


    However, this was also because Han Li was confident in his ample stock of Qi-replenishing medicinal pills that he dared to take such a risk.


    Otherwise, even cultivators with profound cultivation wouldn¡¯t dream of depleting their blood essence for such a prolonged period to feed demons.


    After all, a person¡¯s blood essence was the foundation of their Qi, and it was unsustainable to suffer a prolonged deficit.


    Even the high-ranking devilish cultivator, who created the devil-controlling incantations, managed to research this technique because he was himself an Alchemy Master, capable of replenishing blood with medicinal pills on a regular basis.


    Having successfully subdued the Five Sons Demon, Han Li was in a great mood, but there was still an important task at hand.


    That was to roughly refine and control the True Fire of Taiyin obtained from the fire-element Giant Cauldron to use it in combat.


    As for merging it with the Purple Apex Flames, this was not something that could be accomplished in a short period, and Han Li wasn¡¯t planning on considering it for now.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are more frequent, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1079 - Chapter 1079 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1075 Beiming Island

    ?Chapter 1079: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1075 Beiming Island Chapter 1079: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1075 Beiming Island Snow Lotus Mountain has been shrouded in endless white fog for over a decade.


    Everyone knows that there is a recluse with great divine abilities quietly cultivating on this mountain, and naturally, no one dares to cause trouble in this region, allowing the mountain to remain as serene as when Han Li first moved in.


    The nearby powers, seeing that this ¡°great cultivator¡± truly just wanted to find a place of cultivation and had no other actions in these years, also settled down.


    They advised their disciples not to enter this area and continued with their usual affairs.


    One day, heavy snow suddenly began to fall near Snow Lotus Mountain, huge snowflakes like dandelions drifted down amidst gusty winds from the sky, enveloping the entire mountain range within them, and in a blink of an eye, only a vast expanse of white could be seen in the sky without any other color.


    Almost instantly, the thick snow on the ground rose by about a foot.


    Such intense snow is rare even in Shuang County.


    Ordinary cultivators are also unwilling to travel in such weather, but suddenly a dazzling green rainbow shot out from Snowy Chain Peak, flashing by and then disappearing without a trace in the nearby sky.


    Half an hour later, the green rainbow appeared tens of thousands of miles away, already out of the storm, appearing over another desolate mountain range.


    The light receded, and a youth in a green robe with dark skin and ordinary appearance appeared-it was Han Li.


    After over a decade of intense closed-door cultivation, he had finally refined all his treasures as desired; even the strand of True Fire of Taiyin was absorbed into his body and initially refined successfully.


    He felt fully prepared and could protect himself in the human world unless he encountered numerous Nascent Soul-stage cultivators attacking him or met beings as terrifying as Holy Ancestor Yuan Sha again.


    With the assistance of the Five Sons Demon and the Humanoid Puppet, his cultivation and divine abilities were much stronger than before he entered Kunwu Mountain.


    He could even hold his own against multiple Nascent Soul-stage cultivators.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    After so many years, he reckoned the affairs of Kunwu Mountain should have calmed down a lot, hence he unhesitatingly took advantage of the weather to leave the mountain and flew straight towards Beiming Island.


    Only after a full half month did the nearby cultivators occasionally discover that the white fog on Snow Lotus Mountain had cleared and it was empty, looking as if completely abandoned.


    The cultivator powers, surprised, naturally stirred up another storm of contention for the now available spiritual land.


    ¡°Beiming Iceland¡± is actually just a peninsula closely adjacent to the inland of Great Jin, surrounded by sea on three sides and directly connected to the inland on one side, with only a province apart from Shuang County.


    In fact, saying it is surrounded by sea on three sides is less accurate than saying it¡¯s surrounded by ice.


    This place is indeed the northernmost land accessible to ordinary mortals; the weather is so cold that it turns drops into ice, making even lower-level cultivators reluctant to walk outside in just a robe.


    Such a freezing climate has turned all the sea-facing areas into boundless icy glaciers.


    The icy mountains and snowy fields are vast, almost beyond anyone¡¯s knowledge of their breadth.


    Beiming Island itself is only about a million miles in area, and at the very northern tip of the island, a huge ice city is built, known as the Northern Night Little Polar Palace, reputedly the number one sect in the north.


    Frankly speaking, in terms of sect strength, the Minor Extreme Palace is not inferior to any of the top ten righteous and demonic sects of Great Jin, but because Beiming Island is so remote, most of the cultivation sects in Great Jin do not recognize this palace as part of Great Jin, treating it as belonging to the Savage Lands, viewed as a sect of oversea cultivators.


    That¡¯s why it is excluded from the ranking among the large sects in Great Jin.


    However, in the sparsely populated numerous counties in the northern part of Great Jin, the reputation of the Minor Extreme Palace is probably only above Taiyi Sect and Heavenly Demon Sect, truly the first gate in North.


    In these counties, the Minor Extreme Palace is also known as the Northern Immortal Palace.


    Loose Cultivators and low-level cultivators who wish to join the palace are countless.


    The Minor Extreme Palace also has internal and external divisions for recruiting disciples; the inner palace disciples are only selected from several great cultivator wealthy families residing on Beiming Island, while the external palace disciples are selected from small families and loose cultivators outside Beiming Island.


    Of course, if the external palace disciples have truly astonishing aptitude, or have achieved some great merits, they also have the chance to be transferred to the inner palace disciples.


    Not to mention the inner palace disciples, if someone acknowledges their own lesser aptitude but still wishes to join the external palace, they must walk on foot through the ten thousand miles of extreme cold surrounding the Minor Extreme Palace.


    Once stepping into this area, due to restrictive formations, low-level cultivators cannot use artifacts for flying and must rely on their inherent cultivation and divine abilities to withstand the never-ending extreme cold and ice.


    Anyone who can travel from this area to the Minor Extreme Palace will also be accepted and become an external palace disciple.


    After all, whether relying on cultivation, magic artifacts, or medicinal pills to traverse this area, it all shows they have their merits.


    But naturally, the successful ones wouldn¡¯t be too many; quite a few cultivators directly freeze to death within, but for the sake of their future path in Immortal Cultivation, many low-level cultivators plunge into it like moths to a flame every year.


    One day, tens of thousands of miles away from the Minor Extreme Palace in a certain area, there were again over ten figures wrapped in various colored fur cloaks, their bodies twinkling with spiritual light, progressing difficultly step by step against the howling wind and snow.


    They had been walking in this kind of weather for a full half-month, during which several people had already turned pale and unsteady on their feet.


    Yet, not one person dared to stop even for a moment.


    After all, there was no way to recuperate here; they could only rely on the spirit stones in their hands and the mana within their bodies to persist.


    But one individual looked particularly unwell, even his breathing seemed unstable.


    After a while, he suddenly gritted his teeth, pulled out a bottle of herbs from his chest, and poured a red medicinal pill into his mouth.


    The originally flushed face regained some color instantly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Gu, how many Fire Yang Pills do you have left?


    If you continue to consume them at this frequency, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll make it to the Minor Extreme Palace.


    The coming Hail Area will be several times more difficult to cross than now,¡± said a middle-aged man enveloped by a deep yellow light shield, speaking indifferently without turning his head, seemingly well aware of the situation behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Gu, I still have a bottle for backup.


    It should be enough to get through this area,¡± replied the pill-consuming cultivator, a young man in his twenties, forcing a smile as if somewhat intimidated by the middle-aged man.


    ¡°That¡¯s good!


    I certainly do not wish to proceed with someone who has no hope of making it through,¡± the middle-aged man, apparently satisfied with the young man¡¯s answer, continued striding forward as his protective spirit light flickered.


    The wind and snow seemed to barely affect him at all.


    Seeing this, the others hurriedly followed, seeming to believe that only by staying close to him would they have a chance to reach the Minor Extreme Palace.


    However, after a few steps, the middle-aged man suddenly uttered a soft ¡®eh¡¯, stopping abruptly as he looked up in surprise.


    The others quickly looked up as well, only then noticing a pale blue figure floating in the air amidst the white, sweeping snow.


    Strangely, within a radius of thirty to forty yards around this figure, all of the wind and snow were blocked by an invisible force, utterly unable to penetrate.


    It was this anomaly that allowed the middle-aged man to spot the figure in the sky.


    Everyone was shocked, their expressions changing drastically.


    Being able to ignore the sky restrictions of this area was something even Core Formation experts seemed unable to accomplish; could this person actually be the legendary Nascent Soul cultivator, or possibly a high-level cultivator from the Minor Extreme Palace, although his attire looked remarkably similar.


    At a loss, they exchanged glances, their hearts filled with unease.


    ¡°Are you Loose Cultivators seeking to join the Minor Extreme Palace?¡± The person obscured by the blue light suddenly spoke, his voice sounding quite young.


    Although the middle-aged man was not highly cultivated, he had seen the wider world a few times, and upon being addressed by the figure, he instantly snapped back to reality and hastily bowed deeply, replying:


    ¡°My name is Gu Tianqi, and indeed, we are here for the trials.


    May I know if you have any commands for us?¡±


    While speaking, his face was full of respect.


    ¡°You have some sense.


    Nothing much, this place seems a bit odd.


    Even I am somewhat uncertain about the direction to proceed, while you seem so confident about the way forward.


    You must have some kind of guiding artifact!¡± the blue figure spoke casually, seemingly just making a casual inquiry.


    Hearing this, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression relaxed somewhat, but he promptly responded without any delay:


    ¡°It appears that it¡¯s your first visit to Beiming Island, hence your unawareness.


    In other regions of Beiming Island it¡¯s manageable, but this area is already under the Great Unbreakable Formations of the Minor Extreme Palace.


    The formation uses a well-known rare treasure from the realm of immortal cultivators called the ¡®Mirage Stone¡¯ as its formation eye, which randomly misleads the spiritual sense of cultivators from their actual positions.


    Those who are unaware and follow their spiritual sense might never find the Minor Extreme Palace.


    As for us, we purchased an Origin Setting Plaque at the city market at the entrance of Beiming Island in advance.


    As long as we follow the directions pointed out by this artifact, we will not lose our way.¡±


    ¡°Origin Setting Plaque!¡± The blue figure seemed startled.


    ¡°Yes, this item.


    Although it¡¯s not a particularly rare artifact, one must be of good standing and have guarantees to be able to purchase it from the Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s shops.


    Only thirty are sold each year, and the artifact¡¯s effect expires after one year.


    To be cautious, I bought two at once, and I offer this one to you.


    I hope you will kindly accept it,¡± the middle-aged man with a slight flicker in his eyes suddenly flung his sleeve, and a pale yellow disk slipped out, which he then presented with both hands.


    The blue figure stroked his chin, chuckled ¡®hehe¡¯, and then unceremoniously reached down into the void.


    With a flash of yellow light, the Origin Setting Plaque was drawn into his hands.


    The blue figure was naturally Han Li who, after half a month¡¯s journey, had finally arrived at Beiming Iceland.


    He originally thought that with his divine abilities, he could easily pass through this region restricted by air prohibition and directly reach the Minor Extreme Palace.


    However, he did not expect that upon flying into this area, his spiritual sense would repeatedly err, and he momentarily couldn¡¯t find the location of the Minor Extreme Palace.


    This made him stiffen and somewhat frustrated.


    Since his purpose was to find someone, otherwise, breaking through this restriction with his divine abilities was not impossible.


    Just as Han Li was considering another method, he happened to encounter this group of people.


    (First update!)(Unfinished, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1080 - Chapter 1080 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1076 Ice City

    ?Chapter 1080: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1076 Ice City Chapter 1080: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1076 Ice City ¡°Are these people your companions?¡± Han Li finished examining the disk in his hand, a flash of green light put it away, and then glanced at a few people behind him, somewhat unexpectedly asked a question.


    ¡°These fellow Daoists are acquaintances I met not long ago, and because we all wanted to join the Minor Extreme Palace, we traveled together.


    What, is there something wrong?¡± Gu Tianqi was startled and became somewhat uneasy.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that something is wrong, but that one among them is.¡± Han Li stared at a beautiful young female cultivator below him and coldly smiled.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Tianqi was still somewhat confused.


    ¡°One demon is mixed among you, isn¡¯t that inappropriate?¡± Han Li¡¯s mouth curled up as he spoke indifferently.


    ¡°A demon?¡± Upon hearing this, the color drained from Gu Tianqi¡¯s face, and he hurriedly glanced at the female cultivator.


    The other cultivators were also startled, subconsciously taking a few steps away from the woman, all showing shocked expressions.


    ¡°Senior must be joking, this junior is a disciple of the Ning Family from Shuang County, how could I be a demon.¡± The young woman widened her eyes, also startled by these words, and hurriedly stammered out an explanation.


    ¡°Yes, senior!


    Could you be mistaken?


    Friend Ning indeed comes from the Ning Family; I have seen her several times.¡± The young man who had taken the medicinal pills before, seeing the young female cultivator look terrified, couldn¡¯t help but speak up in her defense.


    The others also couldn¡¯t help but show hesitation.


    But Han Li gave a light snort as if he hadn¡¯t heard:


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Come out!¡±


    As these words fell, Han Li reached out into the void with one hand, and a flash of spiritual light appeared above the young female cultivator¡¯s head, revealing a great green hand that swiftly grabbed downward.


    The female cultivator, originally with a face of grievance, trembled as the hand appeared, the expression of shock vanished and was replaced by a sinister and resentful look.


    Then, her figure suddenly shimmered, turning into a shock rainbow that shot out, instantly appearing twenty feet away in mid-air.


    Such speed was not something even a Core Formation cultivator could achieve, let alone a Qi Refinement cultivator.


    The corners of Han Li¡¯s mouth revealed a hint of cold smile, and with a flick of his sleeve robe, a streak of yellow light shot out and disappeared in a flash, suddenly appearing above the woman¡¯s head, turning into a Demon Subduing Staff several feet long.


    Under Han Li¡¯s incantation, the staff gently swayed and instantly grew in size, transforming into a huge phantom several meters long, smashing down fiercely.


    The young female cultivator was shocked upon seeing this and could only expectorate a stream of black demonic Qi in an attempt to block momentarily.


    But with a loud ¡°boom¡±, the yellow light flickered, and the black Qi dispersed instantly, unable to delay the Demon Subduing Staff.


    The staff¡¯s phantom smashed onto the woman¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering.


    The young female cultivator screamed in agony, immediately flipping over and crashing down.


    Almost simultaneously, a faint black shadow flew out from her body, after circling around, it attempted to dive into the ground.


    Just then, a rumbling thunderclap resounded, and a golden electric net unexpectedly appeared above the black shadow.


    Before it could react, it rapidly fell.


    Bursting sounds continuously arose, and the black demon shadow didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to make a sound before being completely obliterated by the golden light.


    These lightning-quick actions left everyone, including the middle-aged man, dumbfounded.


    Han Li raised his hand, and the Demon Subduing Staff gently trembled, shrinking back to its original size and flying back into his sleeve.


    After doing all this, Han Li threw a light blue small bottle towards Gu Tianqi with a backhand toss.


    The middle-aged cultivator subconsciously caught it.


    ¡°The medicinal pills in this bottle might help you safely pass through here, consider it a trade for your fixed Nascent Disk,¡± said Han Li expressionlessly and immediately his body radiated a bright green light, turning into a blinding, shocking rainbow that shot away and disappeared amidst the flying snow in an instant.


    Only then did the middle-aged man regain his senses, holding tightly to the small bottle, his face revealing a look of joy.


    Surprised shouts also came from the others, as the young female cultivator slowly regained consciousness.


    The strike just now surprisingly didn¡¯t cause any real damage to her body.


    At this moment, Han Li, following the directions of the disk in his hand, was already heading straight for the Minor Extreme Palace, but he still smiled slightly when he thought of the earlier matter.


    A high-grade demon beast¡¯s spirit-subdivision had been lurking within that young female-judging from the power, it was at least a grade eight demon beast¡¯s spirit thought.


    This demon was indeed clever, using some demonic art to quietly attach its spirit sense to the young woman¡¯s body, and she was completely unaware of it.


    If this continued, once they genuinely exited this area, it was likely that the Minor Extreme Palace cultivators could inadvertently let this demon use the girl¡¯s body to infiltrate their ranks.


    Since he encountered them, and it was a matter of lifting his hand, Han Li naturally acted to eradicate this demon¡¯s spirit thought, to prevent it from wreaking havoc during their stay on Beiming Island.


    However, this demon beast was so meticulously intent on infiltrating; could it possibly be for the Cold Marrow?


    After all, he had already inquired, there had been no news about the loss of Cold Marrow from the Minor Extreme Palace.


    For such a long time, it wasn¡¯t possible that the Minor Extreme Palace had not realized the loss of Cold Marrow.


    It seemed there was some special reason why they had covered up this matter.


    He was pondering with some incomprehension in his heart, yet the streak of light sped away like lightning under his control, soon darting into the bizarre region filled with fist-sized ice hail in the sky.


    These ice hail, mingled in the blizzard, were crystal clear and struck the protective shield with a deep ¡°thud¡± sound, as if giant stones were colliding.


    But with Han Li¡¯s cultivation, he naturally disregarded these giant pieces of hail.


    After flying for half a noon, Han Li¡¯s eyes brightened as the hail and blizzard vanished, finally leaving the area.


    A city built against the mountain made of ice appeared not far ahead.


    From a distance, the city shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, radiating multicolored lights, and the faint white vapor surrounding the city made the Ice City seem like a celestial realm from the heavens, truly unlike any construction of the human world.


    A trace of surprise appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    However, his gaze quickly shifted to the giant mountain behind the Ice City.


    To the common folk, this mountain already seemed immensely huge, standing about tens of thousands of feet tall, but compared to the behemoth Kunwu Mountain he had seen before, it was nothing extraordinary.


    Yet what genuinely astonished Han Li was that the mountain was as straight as a sky-supporting giant pillar, its surface shimmering crystallinely, covered by a layer of ice whose thickness was unknown.


    Had it not been for the occasional flashes of verdant green adorning the mountain, Han Li would have suspected that the entire mountain was a mountain of cold ice.


    Even with the Brightsight Spirit Water, the distance prevented Han Li from seeing the specifics atop the mountain; he could only vaguely discern a cluster of colorful buildings on the ice¡¯s summit, presumably, the so-called Minor Extreme Palace.


    Han Li looked towards the distant Ice City and the giant mountain but did not immediately fly over.


    Between the Ice City and him lay this region of glaciers which, albeit ordinary in appearance, secretly harbored various invisible restrictive formations.


    Being proficient in the Dao of Formations, Han Li could distinctly sense the fearsomeness within-anyone rashly trespassing could instantly trigger the powerful mechanisms hidden therein.


    Moreover, as he exited the previous area, several streaks of light had already shot out from the Ice City, heading straight towards him, as if they had known about his arrival all along.


    Han Li raised an eyebrow, recalling something, and then looked down at the stabilizing disk in his hand, his face revealing a sudden epiphany.


    It seemed that this stabilizing disk not only served as a guide but also allowed the cultivators of the Minor Extreme Palace to monitor the whereabouts of the Magic Artifact holder at all times.


    Just as he was starting to understand, several streaks of light arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye.


    Among them were three cultivators in white robes; one male Core Formation cultivator and two female Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.


    The man, around thirty years old with a refined appearance, hastily bowed deeply after briefly glancing at Han Li, saying with a hint of astonishment:


    ¡°Young Guardian Shi Yun of the Outer Palace.


    May I ask for senior¡¯s distinguished name and what brings you to our palace?¡±


    This Beiming Island cultivator had seen from afar that Han Li had emerged from the blizzard.


    Although he had known that the visitor was no ordinary cultivator, confirming that Han Li was indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator, and a middle-stage unfamiliar one at that, still made him quite nervous.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to mention my name.


    I am here to visit a friend.


    An elder of your palace has some acquaintance with me,¡± Han Li replied calmly.


    ¡°An elder of our palace?


    May I know which elder senior wishes to meet?


    I will immediately pass the message on behalf of senior,¡± the man said, his expression relaxing as he spoke in a more ingratiating tone.


    ¡°Bai Yaoyi, the Celestial, and I have met several times in the past.


    I wonder if she is in the palace?¡± Han Li stated slowly.


    ¡°It turns out to be Martial Uncle Bai!


    Uncle Bai has not left the palace, but she seems to be in seclusion right now.


    I will immediately send a Sound Transmission Talisman to inform Uncle Bai, please kindly wait a moment,¡± Shi Yun, upon hearing Han Li accurately mention Bai Yaoyi¡¯s name, felt more reassured and promptly released a Sound Transmission Talisman in front of Han Li.


    During this period, Han Li stood leisurely in place without moving, but his gaze began to carefully examine the situation in the distance.


    Seeing this, the young man blinked, his face filled with smiles, about to say something.


    But just then, a dazzling red streak shot out from the blizzard area behind Han Li, appearing merely hundred feet away from them.


    A soft exclamation came from within the red streak; it turned its light and headed straight towards Han Li and the others.


    Before the red streak reached them, a hearty laugh echoed from it.


    ¡°Is this fellow Daoist here to visit someone in our palace?


    May I know your honorable name, perhaps I might know of you,¡± the light converged, revealing a fair-faced young man, though his hair was somewhat grey, and his eyes sparkled with a sense of the vicissitudes of time.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the person before him, and a sweep of his spiritual sense confirmed that this individual was also a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator.


    This was somewhat unexpected to him.


    Before Han Li could speak, Shi Yun, standing by, stepped forward excitedly with his hands respectfully clasped and said:


    ¡°Disciple pays respect to Martial Uncle Bi, may I know if Uncle¡¯s journey was smooth!¡±


    (Second release!)(To be continued, for further information please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support legal reading!)

 Chapter 1081 - Chapter 1081 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 177 Snow Ape, Ice Wall, Palace

    ?Chapter 1081: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 177 Snow Ape, Ice Wall, Palace Chapter 1081: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 177 Snow Ape, Ice Wall, Palace ¡°My surname is Han, and I have had an agreement with Fairy Bai thus I have come to visit,¡± Han Li replied calmly.


    ¡°So, it is Brother Han?


    Fairy Bai¡­


    Could it be that you¡¯re referring to Junior Sister Bai Yaoyi?¡± The cultivator surnamed Ren pondered briefly before speaking with a dawning realization.


    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s Fellow Daoist Bai,¡± Han Li responded without a change in expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect then.


    I was actually coming back to the palace specifically to find Junior Sister Bai myself, why don¡¯t I lead the way for Brother Han?¡± The cultivator surnamed Ren said eagerly, his eyes flashing.


    Han Li¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but inside he felt a touch of surprise.


    Before he could decide how to respond, a sudden flash of red light streaked through the distant void, aimed directly at Shi Yun.


    ¡°That¡¯s Martial Uncle Bai¡¯s Sound Transmission Talisman!¡± Shi Yun seized the streak of fire in his hand, hurriedly explaining as he did so.


    Han Li¡¯s words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.


    After immersing his mind into the talisman for a brief moment, Shi Yun respectfully said to Han Li:


    ¡°Han Li, Martial Uncle Bai is very pleased to hear of your arrival and has ended his seclusion.


    He invites you to meet him at White Condensation Pavilion.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    You go ahead with your business, Shi Yun.


    Fellow Daoist Han, come with me,¡± the cultivator surnamed Ren said without hesitation, eagerly taking the initiative.


    Upon hearing this, Shi Yun dared not object in the slightest.


    Han Li frowned inadvertently, unable to put forward any words of refusal, and could only nod:


    ¡°Then I¡¯m in your care, Brother Ren.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Junior Sister Bai and I are as close as siblings.


    Since you¡¯re a good friend of hers, you¡¯re a friend of mine too.


    Please follow me!¡± The cultivator surnamed Ren said courteously, then transformed into a streak of red light leading the way as he flew forward.


    Han Li followed closely without demur.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, this must be your first time visiting our Minor Extreme Palace,¡± the cultivator surnamed Ren suddenly asked while flying.


    ¡°Indeed, it is my first time on Beiming Island.


    The esteemed palace truly lives up to its reputation as the number one sect in the north, quite extraordinary,¡± Han Li laughed Hehe.


    Hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Ren¡¯s face showed a trace of smugness:


    ¡°Brother Han flatters too much.


    However, if our palace were not situated in such a remote area, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to join the ranks of the ten major righteous and demonic sects.


    By the way, Junior Sister Bai has only left the palace once in the recent years, ten years ago, spending the rest of her time in seclusion.


    Brother Han, you must have met her during that time she left the palace.


    With such profound cultivation, I wonder which sect you hail from?


    I often travel throughout the Great Jin and have some understanding of some well-known cultivators.¡±


    Han Li chuckled lightly.


    ¡°I am not from the Great Jin, so it¡¯s not odd that you haven¡¯t heard of me.


    As for a more detailed origin, Fairy Bai knows some of it,¡± Han Li said with a half-smile looking at him.


    ¡°Hehe, I see.


    I was wondering how someone of high rank like Brother Han could have gone unnoticed in the Great Jin,¡± Ren Bi caught a hint of Han Li¡¯s displeasure, laughed dryly twice, and then did not pursue the matter further.


    After all, getting the information that the other party was not a cultivator from the Great Jin was something of a gain.


    By this time, the two had arrived at the entrance of Ice City, and they retracted their radiant lights, descending from their streaks of flight.


    Above Ice City, a faint rosy light shrouded everything other than the giant mountain, clearly indicating the presence of powerful restrictive formations.


    Standing below Ice City, Han Li felt even more captivated by its beauty.


    The ice walls, standing more than thirty feet tall, might not look very high, but their crystal-clear appearance was mesmerizing, drawing the gaze in involuntarily.


    What was even more impressive was that the entire ice wall was not built with brick-shaped ice but was entirely transparent, as if a massive piece of ice had been sculpted with divine craftsmanship, without a single crevice on its surface.


    At the city gates, more than a dozen cultivators clad in white stood guard.


    Their cultivation was at most at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but what was striking was that among them were several snow-white spirit beasts resembling apes with long fur, crouching down with a pair of green eyes gleaming with a cold and sinister light.


    These ape-like spirit beasts were a type of Snow Ape that exclusively lives in extremely cold climates.


    Although not of high rank, their intelligence made them easy to tame, so many cultivators in the north kept them.


    But these Snow Apes were a bit different; each was significantly larger than the typical ones, and the demonic Qi they exuded was that of fourth or fifth grade demonic beasts, almost comparable to a low-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    This made Han Li take a few extra glances.


    It seems that as the number one sect in the north, the Minor Extreme Palace must have some unique techniques for rearing these Snow Apes.


    The cultivators at the gate stepped aside to make way when they saw the cultivator surnamed Ren arrive, consistently addressing him as ¡°Martial Uncle Ancestor.¡± And Ren Bi, without even nodding his head, simply hummed indifferently and strutted past.


    Although they found Han Li to be an unfamiliar face, since he was accompanied by this ¡°Martial Uncle Ancestor,¡± they naturally didn¡¯t dare to ask any questions.


    However, as Han Li entered the city gates and passed by those Snow Apes, suddenly, something unexpected happened.


    The demon beasts suddenly let out several mournful whines, then retreated in a flurry of panic.


    Upon witnessing this, several cultivators from the Minor Extreme Palace were alarmed and immediately issued a barrage of beast language reprimands.


    However, the Snow Apes paid no heed at all, curling up with their arms over their heads to one side, their faces showing an extraordinary reverence towards Han Li.


    Upon seeing this scene, the cultivator surnamed Ren couldn¡¯t help but utter a ¡°huh¡± and gave Han Li a glance, his expression revealing a trace of bemusement.


    ¡°Could Fellow Daoist be carrying a high-grade primate spirit beast?


    Although these Snow Apes are not particularly useful, their sensitivity to their own kind¡¯s spiritual awareness is quite exceptional.


    The fact that they are this fearful indicates that Fellow Daoist¡¯s spirit beast is no ordinary creature.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I do have a primate spirit beast with me.


    But it¡¯s not very useful, and I rarely rely on it,¡± said Han Li upon hearing this, fully understanding that the Snow Apes were so fearful because they had sensed the Vengeful Ghost Haunt in his spirit beast pouch.


    He replied casually, with no intention of calling out the Vengeful Ghost Haunt.


    The cultivator surnamed Ren simply smiled faintly and did not pursue the matter further.


    And so the two of them made their way into the Ice City.


    The main thoroughfare in Ice City was exceptionally straight and wide, the ground also a thick layer of the same ice, running straight towards the city gates.


    Looking from a distance, there were not too many people on the street.


    Most were low-level cultivators donned in yellow and white attire, while the buildings on both sides were neatly aligned.


    To call it a city would not be as fitting as calling it a castle.


    Han Li had yet to take a closer look when the cultivator surnamed Ren transformed into a streak of light once more and flew towards the giant mountain at a low altitude.


    With a changed expression, Han Li did not speak and followed in flight.


    After a while, the two landed on an ice platform halfway up the mountain.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, we¡¯ll have to walk up the mountain from here.


    Beyond this point is the realm of the Inner Palace.


    Although I am an Inner Palace Elder myself, I still must abide by the palace rules,¡± explained the cultivator surnamed Ren with a smile.


    Han Li nodded slightly in understanding.


    Subsequently, the two ascended a crystal clear staircase made of ice, slowly making their way upwards.


    Not many Minor Extreme Palace disciples were privileged to enter the Inner Palace, and they only encountered a few along the way.


    Upon seeing the cultivator surnamed Ren, each of them respectfully came forward to greet him.


    However, this Minor Extreme Palace elder was completely different from how he was at the city gate, smiling kindly at every disciple, regardless of their cultivation levels.


    Han Li paid attention and noticed that these Inner Palace cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level, all had exceptional aptitudes.


    Moreover, on this path, with Han Li¡¯s expertise in formations, he spotted at least three or four restrictive formations that even he found daunting.


    It appeared that the Minor Extreme Palace likely had at least one Array Master of grandmaster level.


    This piqued Han Li¡¯s interest in the Minor Extreme Palace even further, and he thought about seeking out this Array Master later to exchange knowledge on formations.


    As he pondered, the cultivator surnamed Ren, leading Han Li, took unexpected turns and they finally walked along a much more secluded path.


    The path ended at a towering ice wall several hundred feet high.


    Han Li observed the ice wall, his eyebrows twitching with a flash of surprise in his eyes.


    At that moment, the cultivator surnamed Ren raised his hand, and a shining silver jade medallion flew out.


    A silver radiance spiraled out from the medallion, flashed into the ice wall, and disappeared without a trace.


    Moments later, the ice wall trembled silently and split open in the middle, revealing a passage about two zhang wide.


    The cultivator surnamed Ren turned his head and explained to Han Li:


    ¡°Those palace-like structures atop the mountain are actually residences for the lower-rank disciples of the Inner Palace.


    The true high-rank Inner Palace disciples actually reside behind this wall in the secret realm of Han Li.


    This is the real location of the Minor Extreme Palace.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Fellow Daoist Han is a good friend of Martial Uncle Bai, I would not have dared to bring outsiders here so readily.¡±


    Upon hearing the somewhat ingratiating words of the cultivator surnamed Ren, Han Li responded with a light smile, though inside he was not convinced.


    This so-called Han Li secret realm was probably already known to many cultivators of the north and was hardly a secret anymore.


    Otherwise, Bai Yaoyi wouldn¡¯t have directly asked him to come here, and this person wouldn¡¯t have brought him so easily.


    However, even though this person had never had any interactions with him, why did he seem so eager to get on good terms as soon as they met?


    This made Han Li curious and led him to be three times more cautious about the person before him.


    Seeing that the other party had invited him inside, Han Li did not decline and the two walked shoulder to shoulder into the passage.


    The passage was not very long, only a hundred zhang or so.


    When Han Li emerged from the end of the passage and swept his gaze across the area ahead, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a surprised expression.


    Verdant greenery, birdsong, and floral fragrance a€¡° this was a completely enclosed valley surrounded by walls, filled with a variety of exotic flowers and plants, where the sun shone brightly and the season seemed eternally springlike.


    The area spanned several li, encapsulated by greenish-blue mountain walls, against which several exquisite pavilions and towers were constructed against the mountainside.


    In the middle of the valley, three large halls built of white jade were situated, occupying one-third of the valley area.


    Han Li gazed at the three large halls, his face changing slightly as a sense of shock suddenly surged in his heart.


    (To be continued.


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and support the author by reading the official version!)

 Chapter 1082 - Chapter 1082 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1078 Ice Spirit Fruit

    ?Chapter 1082: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1078 Ice Spirit Fruit Chapter 1082: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1078 Ice Spirit Fruit ¡°`


    ¡°Star Palace!¡±


    Han Li exclaimed silently, his heart filled with astonishment.


    The three white jade palaces, except for their different sizes, were identical in style to the Star Palace that had appeared in the Scattered Stars Sea.


    Likewise crafted from flawless jade, they were incredibly exquisite and beautiful, radiating a faint luster.


    However, compared to the palace that floated in the void that day, these three were only a third of the size of the Star Palace.


    Han Li suppressed the surprise in his heart, took another careful look, and finally confirmed that he had not seen incorrectly.


    The three palaces definitely had some connection with the Star Palace.


    However, there were no plaques above their doors, nothing at all was displayed there.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes twitched, but he nonchalantly said to the Ren surnamed cultivator:


    ¡°So this is the inner court of the Minor Extreme Palace?


    Indeed, a heavenly place of cultivation.


    These three grand palaces seem to have some history; having identical styles, they must have some story behind them!¡±


    ¡°What you refer to, Fellow Daoist, would be the Void Spirit Hall.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã0


    These three grand palaces have existed since the foundation of our Sect.


    It¡¯s said that they were built by the founding ancestors of our Sect and several close friends with great magical efforts, containing profound mysteries within,¡± replied the Ren surnamed cultivator casually, glancing at the three palaces.


    ¡°Void Spirit Hall?¡± Han Li muttered with a hint of peculiarity in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh?


    Does Brother Han have an interest in them?


    However, unless a major event occurs, these three great halls are always sealed.


    They can only be opened when more than half of the elders agree to do so.


    As for the reasons, I must apologize, but I cannot disclose them carelessly,¡± said the Ren surnamed cultivator with a mysterious smile, noticing Han Li¡¯s interest in the three palaces.


    Seeing his expression, Han Li chuckled and decided not to ask any further.


    Asking more might be seen as probing into other Sect¡¯s secrets, which is highly frowned upon.


    Moreover, even if these three palaces really had something to do with the Star Palace, it had no relation to him.


    The most important treasure of the Star Palace, the Heavenvoid Cauldron, was already in his possession.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please come with me, the White Condensation Pavilion is over there.


    It seems that Sister Bai holds you in high regard; this pavilion is specially used to host close and esteemed friends.


    Quite elegant and tranquil indeed,¡± said the Ren surnamed cultivator, clearly very knowledgeable about Bai Yaoyi¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°Is that so!


    Truly honored!¡± Han Li said with a slight smile.


    The Ren surnamed cultivator chuckled and then took Han Li flying towards a side of a cliff, eventually landing in front of a tiered building.


    This building had three layers, each over ten zhang high, built entirely out of green wood, with most of it embedded into the cliffside.


    Above the main door of the pavilion, there was a light yellow plaque with the words ¡°White Condensation Pavilion¡± written in silver letters.


    Han Li barely set foot on the ground when a woman in a white robe came forth to greet them from the pavilion.


    ¡°Greetings, Elder Ren!


    This must be Senior Han?¡± The graceful-faced woman was startled to see the Ren surnamed cultivator and Han Li together but promptly uttered respectfully.


    ¡°Correct.


    Is Fairy Bai inside?¡± Han Li replied composedly.


    ¡°My master just finished her seclusion and is consolidating her mana inside the pavilion.


    She specially asked me to welcome Senior Han.


    Please don¡¯t be offended, Senior!¡± The beautiful woman stepped aside, opening up the path behind her; she did not seem to have the same courtesy for the Ren surnamed cultivator.


    ¡°Elder Ren, I need to speak with your master, there are some matters I wish to discuss with her,¡± said the Ren surnamed cultivator without hesitation.


    ¡°Elder Ren, this puts me in a difficult position.


    As you know, my master has already instructed that she no longer wishes to see Elder Ren.


    Last time, Sister Gong let Elder Ren in to see her, and was punished severely afterwards,¡± said the beautiful woman without surprise, but with a wry smile and an expression of difficulty.


    ¡°This time it¡¯s different.


    I¡¯ve come with Brother Han.


    Surely your master doesn¡¯t intend to avoid seeing Brother Han as well,¡± said the Ren surnamed cultivator, his face reddening, but his eyes darted about, and he started using Han Li as a shield.


    Han Li, standing beside, was momentarily startled and then the corners of his mouth twitched, though it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to say anything.


    ¡°Thisa€|¡± The beautiful woman hesitated.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, let your Elder Ren in.


    I¡¯ll meet with him,¡± an enchanting female voice suddenly came from the pavilion, belonging to Bai Yaoyi.


    ¡°As you command!


    Elder Ren, please come in,¡± the beautiful woman relaxed, stepping further aside, no longer standing in Elder Ren¡¯s way.


    Hearing Bai Yaoyi¡¯s voice transmission, a look of delight appeared on the Ren surnamed cultivator¡¯s face, and his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to speak to Bai Yaoyi using voice transmission from outside the pavilion.


    ¡°Elder Ren, whatever you have to discuss, let¡¯s talk inside the pavilion.


    It¡¯s not polite of us from the Minor Extreme Palace to leave Fellow Daoist Han standing outside like this,¡± Bai Yaoyi¡¯s calm voice came again, without the slightest hint of avoiding Han Li.


    Han Li stroked his chin, smiling without a word.


    ¡°This is indeed an oversight on my part.


    Brother Han, let us go inside then,¡± said the Ren surnamed cultivator, startled, before awkwardly addressing Han Li.


    ¡°Not at all!


    Brother Ren is clearly a straightforward person!¡± Han Li responded with a cheery smile.


    ¡°`


    By now, he had finally understood why, upon hearing that he was here to visit Bai Yaoyi, this person had become so eagerly sociable.


    It seemed that he held deep feelings for this woman.


    This greatly eased Han Li¡¯s wariness.


    Under the guidance of the beautiful woman, they entered the White Condensation Pavilion.


    The first floor of the pavilion was not too spacious, merely about twenty-some Zhang in both length and width, shaped like a square.


    A simple set of bamboo furniture was present, but in each of the four corners, there was a basin with pale yellow profound flowers which Han Li did not recognize, fist-sized and exuding a strong fragrance that filled the pavilion with spiritual energy.


    This made Han Li take a few extra glances.


    Bai Yaoyi did not immediately come down, but just as Han Li and the woman sat down on the bamboo chairs, an apologetic voice floated down from above:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please wait a moment; my cultivation technique is somewhat special and I will finish my practice shortly, then I can come downstairs to meet with you.


    Why don¡¯t you try our Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s Ice Spirit Fruit in the meantime?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the prepared beautiful woman gently clapped her hands.


    Instantly, two young women in white robes walked in from outside of the pavilion, each holding a vermilion wooden tray bearing a string of crystalline berries, the size of thumbs, plump and lustrous as if they were pearls.


    The women placed the wooden trays on the table beside the bamboo chairs and respectfully withdrew.


    ¡°The Ice Ice Fruit is a unique treasure of our Minor Extreme Palace.


    Even the elders in the palace only get a few strings each year.


    The fruit is deliciously sweet, and inside it contains extremely pure cold spiritual power.


    For those who cultivate ice attribute cultivation arts and frequently consume them, it¡¯s quite beneficial to their cultivation,¡± Ren Bi explained to Han Li as she glanced at the fruits, then picked one up and started to chew.


    Seeing her act in such a way, Han Li, of course, did not hold back and also picked one and put it in his mouth.


    When he bit down, a burst of cold spiritual power immediately swirled in his mouth, pure indeed.


    Although Han Li¡¯s cultivation was not of the ice attribute, he possessed the Purple Apex Flames and True Fire of Taiyin, two extremely cold flames, so naturally he did not regard this bit of coldness.


    As soon as the spiritual power group entered his throat, it was completely absorbed.


    This made him more interested, and he picked up another one and tossed it into his mouth.


    Ren Bi, who had been paying attention to Han Li, couldn¡¯t help but change her expression a bit.


    One has to know that although the Ice Spirit Fruit had a reputation, consuming it would be beneficial for any cultivator.


    But for those who did not cultivate both ice and fire attribute arts, ingesting it would surely require a process of converting the cold power, otherwise, they would risk damaging their kidneys by swallowing it rashly.


    But Han Li, whose previously released spiritual power was clearly of pure wood attribute, could swallow the fruit without hesitation, which was quite unexpected.


    As for eating two Ice Spirit Fruits in succession, even she, who cultivated fire attribute arts, would not dare to do so.


    While Ren Bi, an elder of Minor Extreme Palace, was secretly astonished, footsteps were heard on the second floor, and a woman with fine eyebrows and clear eyes, dressed in a white robe, gracefully descended the stairs.


    Han Li squinted his eyes and immediately stood up, laughing aloud,


    ¡°Fairy Bai, it¡¯s been over a decade since we last met, I trust you¡¯ve been well!¡±


    ¡°Fairy Bai, you finally deigned to meet me,¡± Ren Bi also stood up joyously.


    ¡°When we parted that day, I knew Fellow Daoist Han wouldn¡¯t have proposed meeting without reason.


    Years ago, I¡¯ve been quietly waiting in the palace for your visit.


    That you¡¯ve only come today is somewhat unexpected to me.


    As for fellow apprentice brother Ren, if it weren¡¯t for Fellow Daoist Han¡¯s sake, I really wouldn¡¯t want to meet with you again,¡± Bai Yaoyi said to Han Li with a smile, but when she turned to face Ren Bi, her expression stiffened, and her voice became harsher.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already found the solution this time.


    I will not disappoint you,¡± Ren Bi said hurriedly and out of the blue.


    ¡°A solution?


    If it¡¯s only about that matter, we can talk about it later.


    Since Fellow Daoist Han has come from afar, let¡¯s put it aside,¡± Bai Yaoyi immediately shook her head.


    ¡°That works too.


    I will find another opportunity to discuss this matter with you in detail later.


    Just being able to see you again fills me with great consolation,¡± Ren Bi was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly grasped something and responded with a forced laugh.


    Bai Yaoyi, expressionless, just nodded slightly and took a seat in the main seat of the pavilion.


    Han Li and the other person also sat down once more.


    ¡°Fairy Bai¡¯s cultivation has made significant progress compared to ten years ago!¡± After taking a good look at Bai Yaoyi, Han Li said with a smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is joking.


    In terms of divine skills, even two of me combined would still fall far short of you,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied with a gentle smile.


    Bai Yaoyi vividly remembered Han Li¡¯s performance in the Yin Yang Cave and on Kunwu Mountain, so she treated his visit with the utmost respect, not daring to slight him in any way.


    Ren Bi¡¯s expression changed upon hearing Bai Yaoyi praising Han Li so greatly, and he looked at Han Li again with surprise.


    Bai Yaoyi continued to speak to Han Li:


    ¡°Ten years ago, Fellow Daoist Han mentioned to me about visiting our palace.


    Such words from you at that time wouldn¡¯t have been uttered without reason, right?¡±


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Bai has asked so directly, I shall speak frankly as well.


    My visit to Minor Extreme Palace is indeed for a reason; I seek Fairy Bai¡¯s assistance,¡± Han Li said with a moment of contemplation and a smile.


    (First update!) (To be continued.


    For the continuation of the story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1083 - Chapter 1083 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 179 Golden Wind Mink

    ?Chapter 1083: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 179 Golden Wind Mink Chapter 1083: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 179 Golden Wind Mink ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, I have always remembered the great kindness you showed that day in lending a hand.


    Please, feel free to ask for whatever you need.¡± Bai Yaoyi said without hesitation.


    For her, even if Han Li had not rescued her from the ice, merely his terrifying divine skills, comparable to those of late-stage cultivators, would be enough to make her do her best to help.


    After all, the chance to make connections with a cultivator of such divine skills was something she would be thrilled about.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal.


    I heard that Beiming Island is abundant with Profound Ice Flowers, a type of spiritual medicine, and I happen to need this flower as a main ingredient for a spirit pill I am concocting.


    Thus, I had to make a trip here anyhow,¡± Han Li calmly explained.


    ¡°Profound Ice Flowers are indeed not easy to find.


    Although not many need this spiritual medicine, some of the older stocks have also been picked clean.


    However, I can have my disciples check to see if any Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice has been recently discovered.


    It is only from newly found Profound Ice that these flowers may grow.


    This shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s request, Bai Yaoyi felt that it was easily manageable and agreed immediately.


    ¡°It¡¯s wonderful that Fairy Bai can offer help.


    If it were up to me, this matter would indeed be troublesome.¡± Han Li relaxed and expressed his gratitude with a smile.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0


    ¡°This is just a small matter.


    However, it may take a day or two to have any news.


    Since Fellow Daoist Han has come to Minor Extreme Palace, why not stay for a few more days?


    I have the utmost admiration for your divine skills, Fellow Daoist, and it would be a great opportunity to exchange knowledge,¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°I am also quite interested in the cultivation techniques of your distinguished palace.


    I have long heard that solely in terms of Yin Ice cultivation techniques, the top-grade cultivation arts of Minor Extreme Palace are considered the best in the Great Jin.


    Although my cultivation is not of the ice attribute, as all paths in cultivation are interconnected, I am sure there can be significant benefits,¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    After this back-and-forth exchange, the two of them could not help but engage in a conversation.


    Since their cultivation realms were similar, it didn¡¯t take long before they were exchanging insights on cultivation practices.


    Ren Bi, who is also in the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, chimed in appropriately from time to time, adding some unique perspectives.


    This made the trio blend well as hosts and guests, enjoying their conversation immensely.


    After talking for nearly half a day in the attic, Han Li felt that since the woman had just finished her meditation retreat, it was not appropriate to disturb her too much.


    He then took the initiative to take his leave.


    Seeing this, Bai Yaoyi did not insist on keeping him longer, but immediately instructed a beautiful woman surnamed Yan to take Han Li to the guest building to stay temporarily.


    Once there was news about the Profound Ice, she would notify Han Li immediately.


    Thus, after getting her promise, Han Li bid farewell to them both and followed the beautiful woman out of the attic.


    Ren Bi, however, didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to leave, and it was unknown what she and Bai Yaoyi might continue to discuss.


    Under the guidance of the Core Formation Stage beautiful woman, Han Li headed directly toward another group of buildings nestled against the mountain wall.


    There, several similarly styled exquisite buildings appeared to be the so-called guest building.


    After taking a few long glances from a distance, they headed towards one of the buildings.


    The beautiful woman, clearly aware of Bai Yaoyi¡¯s emphasis on Han Li, maintained an extra respectful demeanor towards him, answering each of his casually posed questions thoroughly, leaving Han Li quite pleased.


    In no time, they arrived in front of a building.


    As they were about to enter, a young woman with a baby-face who was dressed as a maid hurriedly emerged from the building, her stature quite delicate.


    ¡°Greetings to Martial Aunt Yan!¡± The maid seemed to recognize the beautiful woman, and quickly came forward to greet her.


    ¡°Young Mistress Hua, this Senior Han Li is an esteemed guest of our Ancestor Master, and will be staying here from now on.


    You must attend to him well, as any negligence will lead not only to your punishment but mine as well,¡± the beautiful woman sternly instructed.


    ¡°I will definitely do my best,¡± the young woman replied conscientiously, startled by the warning.


    She couldn¡¯t help but look up at Han Li, and seeing him observing her, quickly lowered her head.


    Seeing her reaction, Han Li slightly smiled.


    ¡°Senior Han, if you find Mistress Hua unsatisfactory, you may request a change of attendant at any time,¡± the beautiful woman said, turning back to Han Li.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.


    She will suffice.¡± Han Li shook his head and strode into the building.


    The two women immediately followed him inside.


    The layout of the attic was quite satisfactory, but what pleased Han Li most was the simple restrictive formation on the second floor, which allowed the residing cultivator to rest without fear of being secretly spied upon.


    Thus, after sending the beautiful woman away with a few words, Han Li settled down in the building.


    Truthfully, ever since he had left Snow Lotus Mountain, he had almost been continuously on the road, and it really was time for him to rest properly to return to his best condition.


    For two days, Han Li stayed quietly meditating on the second floor of the attic without wandering out unnecessarily.


    He was well aware that although it seemed casual for him to stay here, many high-level cultivators of Minor Extreme Palace were likely secretly observing his actions.


    After all, any sect would be wary when an external Nascent Soul stage cultivator suddenly appears in their midst.


    He had no intention of causing trouble.


    Even though he was anxious for news about the True Sunflame, he wouldn¡¯t act rashly before the Profound Ice Pill was concocted.


    For him, the priority was to lift the Soul Seal Curse on Nangong Wan.


    As for the maid specifically assigned to attend to him, aside from briefly talking to her initially, Han Li didn¡¯t command her to do anything else.


    On the morning of the third day, while he was sitting quietly on a cushion completely motionless, suddenly his expression changed, and a series of booming sounds erupted around him as if something were bursting.


    He immediately opened his eyes, his expression turning grim.


    Just moments ago, a divine sense had intrusively pierced through the attic¡¯s restrictive formations, probing directly towards him, which he unceremoniously rebounded with his spells.


    But this spiritual sense was extremely powerful, not inferior to his own.


    It likely belonged to a late Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Han Li¡¯s mind raced, yet before he could decide how to handle the situation, a thin voice like that of a baby suddenly reached his ears.


    ¡°Are you Fellow Daoist Han?


    I am Han Li, a senior.


    Would you be interested in meeting?¡±


    ¡°Han Li, a senior!¡± Han Li¡¯s heart tightened.


    Wasn¡¯t this person the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace!


    This person was extremely mysterious.


    Although widely known in the north for his vast divine skills, strangely, no one had ever seen him make a move.


    It seemed that he had become the Great Elder overnight years ago.


    Han Li was astonished, but with his current divine skills, he no longer feared any late-stage cultivators.


    Thus, after a slight hesitation, he decided to meet this person and immediately transmitted his voice to the nearby lingering spiritual sense:


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist Han extends such a gracious invitation, how could I refuse?


    I will come and meet you, Fellow Daoist.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, very good.


    The spirit beast will be there soon, and Fellow Daoist Han can just follow it.


    I will be peacefully waiting for your esteemed presence at my residence!¡± Senior Han seemed very pleased with Han Li¡¯s immediate acceptance and his tone became much friendlier.


    A flash of white light occurred, and the wisp of spiritual sense disappeared.


    Han Li did not set off immediately but looked around on the ground for a good while before slowly getting up to go downstairs.


    The young-faced maid was sitting in a chair on the first floor, looking at a jade slip in her hand.


    As soon as she saw Han Li descending, she stood up in surprise.


    Han Li merely nodded towards the woman and then, paying her no further attention, walked straight out the pavilion¡¯s main door.


    The woman was utterly confused, not knowing what had happened.


    With her cultivation, she naturally could not detect the clash of spiritual senses that had just occurred upstairs.


    Outside, Han Li almost immediately spotted what he was looking for.


    A small beast, resembling a large cat, crouched on a nearby small tree, its eyes emitting yellow light, and its fur was so golden that it seemed to be made of pure gold, drawing extraordinary attention.


    He narrowed his eyes to closely examine the creature, and his face gradually showed a surprised expression.


    ¡°Golden Wind Mink!


    It is such a rare creature!


    I heard that these beasts are always born in pairs, male and female together, and their concealment techniques are incredibly exquisite, though I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true.¡± Han Li murmured to himself, his expression returning to normal, yet he couldn¡¯t help but scan the other trees, finding nothing.


    The Golden Wind Mink seemed to finally confirm Han Li¡¯s identity, making a low hum, and suddenly, a flash of golden light from a nearby small tree launched another small beast, half a foot in length, slightly smaller than the first.


    Han Li¡¯s heart tightened.


    Even with his powerful spiritual sense, he had not seen how the small beast had hidden itself in the tree trunk.


    The two Golden Wind Minks huddled together, rubbing their heads, and then turned and dashed in one direction.


    Han Li couldn¡¯t think any further, his body shone with spiritual light, transforming into a streak of green light as he quickly followed the two creatures.


    In the midst of this chase, something incredible happened.


    One of the Golden Wind Minks blurred slightly in shape and disappeared without a trace right under Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    Han Li was startled, his spiritual sense hurriedly covered the nearby area, but he could not find any trace of the creature.


    He took a sharp intake of breath!


    He then begrudgingly channeled all his mana into his eyes, his pupils flickering with blue light, scanning ceaselessly around.


    Eventually, near the other guiding small beast, he discovered an extremely vague silhouette, almost invisible, which was the other invisibly hidden Golden Wind Mink.


    Seeing that he finally managed to track the creature, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief.


    Otherwise, with such an undetectable creature lurking nearby, he truly would be worried.


    The fleeing speed of the two Golden Wind Minks was not very fast, only slightly quicker than ordinary flying techniques, and Han Li easily followed just ten yards behind them.


    Along the way, they naturally encountered many inner palace cultivators, all of whom paused at Han Li¡¯s unfamiliar face.


    However, upon seeing the Golden Wind Minks running in front, they immediately stepped aside, seemingly quite familiar with the creature.


    However, Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul stage cultivation also made several high-level cultivators show a look of surprise and suspicion, but they did not dare to intercept him.


    Following the creature, Han Li took various turns through the buildings, and surprisingly arrived at a stone door built on a cliff.


    The stone door was not very large, about five or six feet tall, but it emitted a pale yellow light with runes flashing continuously, apparently under some extremely powerful restrictive formations.


    Han Li paused, narrowing his eyes and stopping his streak of light.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1084 - Chapter 1084 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1080 Han Li

    ?Chapter 1084: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1080 Han Li Chapter 1084: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1080 Han Li The pair of Golden Wind Minks disappeared into the stone room in a flash, as if their bodies were formless.


    Han Li was momentarily stunned, and before he could react, the stone room flashed with light and opened with a rumbling sound.


    A sparkling pathway revealed itself,


    its walls thickly encased with frost, resembling the entrance to an ice cave.


    The pair of Golden Wind Minks stood at the entrance of the pathway, turning their heads and glaring at Han Li with round, piercing eyes, displaying extreme spirituality.


    The other mink, which was previously invisible, also revealed its form at this moment.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please come in.


    I apologize for not being able to greet you from afar due to some inconveniences,¡± a voice chuckled near Han Li¡¯s ears.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows raised, and without another word, he strode forward into the passageway.


    Seeing Han Li follow, the Golden Wind Minks immediately turned and sprinted along the pathway.


    Han Li followed closely at a seemingly leisurely but actually rapid pace, and after several turns, he felt the chill in the passageway intensify and felt suddenly as though they were heading downwards.


    His mind stirred, and without hesitation, he proceeded downward.


    After the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, when Han Li noticed the surrounding temperature nearly reached the point where his breath turned to ice, he finally reached the end of the pathway, and the Golden Wind Minks dashed into a misty white hall.


    The entire hall was built from a semi-translucent jade stone, emitting strands of cold light, and it was constructed from Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï


    As Han Li stepped into the hall, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver, but then the Purple Apex Flames on his body swirled, and he felt normal immediately.


    ¡°As expected, Fellow Daoist Han really possesses the Extreme Cold Flame,¡± a somewhat surprised voice emanated from the center of the hall.


    Han Li was startled, his gaze flickering as he looked over, and then involuntarily exclaimed in shock.


    ¡°Celestial Ice Flame!¡±


    At each corner of the hall stood a massive crystal pillar as thick as a person could hug, and in the middle was a Giant Cauldron, about five or six zhang in diameter, emitting strands of light blue flames.


    The extreme coldness and spiritual pressure were precisely the Celestial Ice Flame that Han Li was extremely familiar with; how could he not be greatly surprised!


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han is also familiar with the Celestial Ice Flame, which surprises me even more.


    A soft exclamation came from behind the cauldron, followed by a figure swaying, and then a three-foot-tall dwarf with a face full of deep wrinkles and long white beard, wearing a dark blue robe, turned around and looked at Han Li with a hint of surprise.


    ¡°Are you Daoist Han Li from the Han Sect?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression quickly returned to normal, and he slightly bowed his hands and asked.


    ¡°Indeed, I am Han Sect.


    However, the title of ¡®Respected Master from the Han Sect¡¯ is just a respectful name for the Great Elders of the Minor Extreme Palace through the generations, my real name is Daoist Shi Xiang, and not many know this,¡± the dwarf said to Han Li with a flickering gaze, then casually waved his hand, casting an incantation towards a crystal pillar at one corner.


    Instantly, a white light flashed, and several spots on the floor of the hall brightly lit up, several pale white cushions spontaneously appeared.


    ¡°Since I seldom have visitors here, I usually did not prepare any chairs or tables, I hope Daoist Han understands,¡± the dwarf said cordially.


    ¡°Daoist Shi is too polite, we cultivators naturally do not need such formalities,¡± Han Li said with a slight smile, comfortably taking several steps over and sitting down on one of the cushions, his gaze still glancing back at the Giant Cauldron.


    He then noticed that the style of this Giant Cauldron was somewhat similar to the Heavenvoid Cauldron, and its divine powers were quite extraordinary, as it contained the power of Celestial Ice Flame within it, without any power leaking out.


    Otherwise, this hall would have been ice-sealed long ago, and no one could have entered.


    But this only deepened the confusion in his heart.


    ¡°Although I have not spoken in detail with Fellow Daoist Han, my intuition tells me that you are most likely the person I have been searching for, for many years,¡± the Respected Master sat down on another cushion across from Han Li and earnestly said to him.


    ¡°Master speaks in such a way, Han is entirely confused!


    Could Daoist friend please clarify your purpose in inviting me here?¡± Han Li suppressed the astonishment in his heart and slowly spoke.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han need not be overly concerned.


    I¡¯ve invited you here because I heard that you could consume two Ice Spirit Fruits without batting an eye, which intrigued me.


    But now, seeing that you cultivate the Extreme Cold Flame, there is no need for any tests; you are indeed the person I have been looking for,¡± said Han Li with a smile.


    ¡°You mean the person you are looking for?


    What do you mean by that?¡± Han Li pursed his lips and asked with a furrowed brow.


    ¡°May I first ask about the name of the violet flame you possess, Fellow Daoist Han?


    Although I also know of several purple Spirit Flames, I have never heard of one with ice properties.


    I hope you could enlighten me,¡± Han Li said solemnly with a serious expression.


    ¡°The bit of Celestial Ice Flame on me was cultivated haphazardly, without any formal name.


    But for convenience, I call it Purple Apex Flames.


    It may not be comparable to the Celestial Ice Flame, but its power is still considerable,¡± Han Li looked down at the violet flame flickering on his body and spoke nonchalantly.


    Before understanding the other party¡¯s background, he would not reveal the true power of the flame.


    However, upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, Han Li seemed very satisfied, and with a smile said:


    ¡°This is indeed true.


    Although the Purple Apex Flames seem integrated, the cold spiritual power within it is quite mixed.


    It indeed hasn¡¯t been refined with a specialized Yin Ice cultivation technique; otherwise, its power could have advanced further.¡±


    ¡°Advanced even further?


    I had specifically refined this flame back then; what more refinement is needed?¡± Han Li was startled, somewhat dumbfounded.


    ¡°Ha ha, it appears Fellow Daoist Han is not very familiar with Extreme Cold Flames.


    These types of flames are rare in this world.


    But each one can be further enhanced through a specialized secret technique to elevate its power.


    Of course, the final increase of power depends on the degree of refinement and the inherent power of the flame itself.


    And speaking of which, refining the Celestial Ice Flame to its limit could potentially increase its power several times over,¡± said the dwarf, stroking his beard as he glanced at the Giant Cauldron, proudly speaking.


    ¡°Several times the power?


    Are you referring to such refined flames!¡± Han Li gasped, but then suddenly remembered something, raising a finger with a strand of deep purple flame emerging and flickering continuously.


    ¡°This is indeed a refined Celestial Ice Flame, though it appears not to be completely purified.


    You must have forcibly compressed it with your mana.


    Such a brute-force method not only consumes a lot of mana but probably only allowed the refinement of this strand of pure flame,¡± said Han Li, replying indifferently without surprise.


    ¡°Thank you for the guidance.


    Can you now tell me exactly why you were looking for me?¡± Han Li fell silent for a moment, then looked up at the dwarf and said.


    ¡°Before answering that question, there is another doubt I wish to consult you about, Fellow Daoist.


    People who know about the Celestial Ice Flame are extremely few.


    You recognized this flame at a glance; have you perhaps seen it elsewhere?¡± After saying this, Han Li¡¯s eyes sparkled intensely, staring unwavering at Han Li.


    Hearing this, Han Li¡¯s heart stirred, but he calmly replied:


    ¡°I have only seen records of this flame in an ancient book.


    Since it was quite distinctive, I remembered it well.¡±


    Knowing about the complicated relations between the Minor Extreme Palace and the Star Palace, and possessing the Heavenvoid Cauldron himself, he dared not reveal this matter lightly,


    Seeing how straightforward Han Li¡¯s response was, Han Li was taken aback, but then he chuckled lightly:


    ¡°That was indeed an unnecessary concern on my part.


    This Celestial Ice Flame can indeed be considered a unique possession of our Minor Extreme Palace, and it is unlikely to be found elsewhere.


    Since that is the case, I will speak frankly.


    It¡¯s quite simple, and you probably guessed some of it.


    I need the aid of your Extreme Cold Flame to lend me a hand.¡±


    Han Li became serious as he spoke, while Han Li listened intently.


    Knowing he didn¡¯t need to ask, the other party would surely continue.


    But after a pause in Han Li¡¯s voice, he looked at Han Li with a trace of peculiarity and asked:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, how do you assess my cultivation compared to typical late Nascent Soul cultivators?


    Can you see anything different?¡±


    ¡°Different?


    There is no doubt that you are a late Nascent Soul cultivator, but compared to the great cultivators I met before, both your spiritual sense and cultivation are much stronger.


    From this aspect, you seem somewhat different from typical late Nascent Soul cultivators,¡± Since the other party had asked, Han Li didn¡¯t hold back and scanned him carefully with his spiritual sense, hesitating slightly as he seemed to have discerned something.


    ¡°My current cultivation has already reached the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, merely half a step away from the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    However, I have lingered in this realm for three hundred years, consuming various Spirit Pills and using various secret techniques to challenge this bottleneck, and finally managed to set foot at the doorstep of the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    This appearance of mine is the result of carelessly consuming Spirit Pills,¡± Han Li calmly stated.


    ¡°I see, you have already grasped some Divine Skills of the Divinity Transformation Stage,¡± Han Li said, somewhat stunned, then slowly coming to a realization.


    ¡°Hehe!


    With such an appearance, I don¡¯t wish to meet people easily and have been concentrating on solitary cultivation here, studying methods to break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    However, the thin film that remains cannot be broken through.


    But these years of hard work have not been in vain, as I finally found a method from several ancient texts that could place me in a life-and-death situation after which there¡¯s at least a thirty percent chance of breaking through the bottleneck to enter the Divinity Transformation Stage,¡± Han Li said while showing an excited expression as he spoke.


    ¡°Do you need to utilize Extreme Cold Flame?


    If so, with so many cultivators in your palace cultivating Yin Ice techniques, it should not be difficult to find the elders who cultivate the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Why must it specifically be me?¡± Han Li said calmly.


    ¡°However, this method requires the assembly of five Nascent Soul cultivators cultivating different Extreme Cold Flames to assist me.


    Only with so many Extreme Cold Flames can there be a chance for me to advance to the Divinity Transformation.


    In the Minor Extreme Palace, only two others cultivating different Cold Flames can be found.


    Outdoors, and among the sects and loose cultivators friendly to our Minor Extreme Palace, two more can be found.


    But the final cultivator training in Extreme Cold Flames has been sought by me for decades without success.


    Until Fellow Daoist Han suddenly appeared here!¡± As Han Li spoke, his face showed great excitement.


    (First update!


    I¡¯m feeling a bit sick, can¡¯t stay up late anymore!


    The second update will come before tonight!)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1085 - Chapter 1085 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1081 3 Celestial Ice Flames

    ?Chapter 1085: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1081: 3 Celestial Ice Flames Chapter 1085: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1081: 3 Celestial Ice Flames ¡°Accumulating the Five Extreme Cold Flames is indeed a grand move, probably only something Minor Extreme Palace could accomplish.


    Otherwise, even sects like Taiyi Sect and Heavenly Demon Sect may not be able to gather so many cultivators specialized in the Extreme Cold Flame.


    However, this method should only be effective for cultivators who practice the same elemental attribute,¡± Han Li exhaled lightly and asked directly.


    ¡°Correct, this method indeed only works for those who cultivate ice attribute Cultivation Techniques, and also possess the Extreme Cold Flame among themselves.


    Among the other four, three also cultivate ice attribute Cultivation Techniques.


    Only you and another person inadvertently acquired the Celestial Ice Flame,¡± Elder Han Li frowned in response.


    ¡°Given this, what price do you plan to offer for my assistance?


    Although Han Li is unaware of the specific steps of this breakthrough method, it is surely a major drain on Qi, and it may even pose a risk to those who assist,¡± Han Li¡¯s eyes gleamed coldly, but his face remained completely expressionless.


    ¡°Good!


    I always appreciate straightforward people like Brother Han.


    Lay out any conditions directly on the table, that¡¯s the best way to do things.


    As long as Brother Han is willing to lend a hand, feel free to state your conditions!


    I, Elder Han Li, will not refuse,¡± Elder Han Li said, feeling delighted instead of angry upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words.


    Hearing how agreeable the other party was, Han Li chuckled lightly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, I won¡¯t be shy.


    First, for this breakthrough method that stimulates advancement, I need a detailed Oracular Formula.


    If the danger involved is within what I can accept, I¡¯ll definitely help out.


    Otherwise, no matter how great the benefits you offer, I won¡¯t take too great a risk.


    Of course, the secret technique of this method should also be part of my compensation,¡± Han Li spoke.


    ¡°No problem, I can assure you that this method is absolutely safe, and it definitely won¡¯t put the assisting Fellow Daoists at any risk.


    Of course, some drain on Qi is inevitable,¡± Elder Han Li said confidently.


    ¡°A bit of Qi depletion is no problem for me.


    Secondly, as you might have heard, my purpose for this trip is to find some Ice Spirit Flowers to concoct medicinal pills.


    Although I already have Fairy Bai¡¯s assistance, if you are also willing to help, it would presumably be much easier,¡± Han Li smiled faintly and continued.


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s a trivial matter.


    I can immediately mobilize the full power of the palace to help Fellow Daoist find enough Ice Spirit Flowers,¡± Elder Han Li agreed without changing his expression upon hearing Han Li¡¯s condition.


    ¡°The refining Celestial Ice Flame secret technique you mentioned earlier, I need a copy of the Oracular Formula to enhance the power of Purple Apex Flames.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°The last condition, I¡¯ve long heard that Minor Extreme Palace is an ancient sect passed down from ancient times, and I¡¯m quite interested in those ancient scriptures.


    I wonder if I could be allowed to enter your Scripture Pavilion to take a look.¡±


    ¡°This¡­


    Alright.


    I also agree to this!¡±


    When Han Li stated his last condition, Elder Han Li hesitated slightly, but seemingly thought of something and eventually nodded.


    ¡°Elder Daoist agrees so readily, when the time comes I couldn¡¯t refuse to help even if I wanted to,¡± Han Li showed a satisfied expression.


    ¡°Ha ha, Fellow Daoist, please wait here for a moment.


    I¡¯ll now copy the refining Celestial Ice Flame secret technique for you!¡± Elder Han Li chuckled dryly, somewhat eager to strike while the iron is hot, he then took out a white jade slip from his storage pouch and began to copy the incantations into it.


    Han Li smiled faintly, saying nothing.


    A moment later, Elder Han Li finished the copy, and took out another jade slip and a jade pendant from his storage pouch, tossing them towards Han Li.


    Han Li, without hesitation, reached up to grab the three items and drew them into his hands through the void.


    ¡°The other jade slip contains the method for stimulating advancement I¡¯ve developed, but remember, it only works for late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    About that jade pendant, you can use it to enter our Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s Scripture Pavilion.


    But let me clarify beforehand, although our pavilion houses innumerable books, they are all under special restrictions that prevent direct copying; they can only be memorized and read.


    Moreover, I can only give you ten days.


    Whatever you manage to read within ten days is it, after which this jade pendant will be retracted.


    Brother Han, you have no objections, right?¡± Elder Han Li looked at Han Li, speaking earnestly.


    Hearing this, Han Li momentarily paused, but after looking at the jade pendant in his hand, he let out a wry smile.


    ¡°Ten days it is.


    I have already taken these items, I can¡¯t possibly return them now.


    I should have made things clear earlier.


    You really don¡¯t let yourself suffer at all.¡±


    ¡°Mutual consent, mutual consent.


    Haven¡¯t you also made quite the grand requests?¡± Elder Han Li smiled slyly, appearing quite cunning.


    ¡°Hehe, once I¡¯ve taken something, I¡¯m not one to easily go back on my word.


    I¡¯ll go to the Scripture Pavilion first.


    If there is any news about the Ice Spirit Flower, come find me there.¡± Han Li chuckled lowly, and with that, he got up and bid farewell.


    ¡°I shall not see you off then, Fellow Daoist Han.


    It will take some time to gather the others.


    If you have no pressing matters, feel free to stay in our palace for a while longer.


    If you have any requests regarding your cultivation, just ask Fairy Bai.


    I will instruct her to do her best to meet your needs.¡± Li Er, the senior, also stood up and said.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist.¡± Han Li said unceremoniously, cupping his fists, and then a green light rose around his body, transforming into a streak of light that shot out from the entrance.


    Seeing the green light disappear from the passage, the expression on Li Er¡¯s face slowly turned solemn.


    At that moment, two ice pillars in the corner of the hall flickered with spiritual light, and immediately figures shimmered out, a man and a woman.


    The man appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a blue scholar¡¯s jacket, with an average appearance.


    The woman, in her twenties, wore a white robe, with a beautiful face that somewhat resembled Bai Yaoyi by fifty percent, but her complexion was unusually pale, almost transparent, giving her a somewhat eerie look.


    ¡°Brother Li, this person has not been tested with the violet flame yet.


    What if there is a problem when the time comes?


    What if it¡¯s not powerful enough?¡± As soon as the man in blue appeared, he said with a frown.


    ¡°The Celestial Ice Flame in his body is somewhat mixed, but it seems to contain Qing Lan Ice Flame within it, so its power shouldn¡¯t be small.


    Besides, I no longer have the time to wait.


    If we don¡¯t take a risk now, we may never have another chance,¡± Master Li sighed deeply and shook his head.


    ¡°Is it truly impossible to extend Brother Li¡¯s lifespan any further?


    I¡¯ve heard that the Ten Thousand Demon Valley is stirring again, around the periphery of Beiming Island, where many disciples have already found traces of low-rank demon beasts.


    Recently, the new recruits and returning disciples have been possessed by high-rank demon beasts.


    However, as per your instructions, we have secretly monitored these people without alarming them,¡± the man in blue said with a worried look.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not startle the snake by hitting the grass.


    It¡¯s about time, too.


    Since the last demon invasion nearly a thousand years ago, it¡¯s not surprising that the Ten Thousand Demon Valley is making moves now.


    There¡¯s no need to panic,¡± Master Li said calmly.


    ¡°But at a time like this, attempting to break through the bottleneck feels too risky, Brother.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to repel these demons first and then attempt to break through?¡± The middle-aged man in blue hesitated.


    ¡°Repel them?


    When would that be?


    There have been attacks on our palace led by the Ten Thousand Demon Valley and the demons before, sometimes lasting over a dozen years.


    My lifespan is only a few short years more; I can¡¯t wait any longer.


    Moreover, with the breakthrough, Fellow Daoists Ma and Li Er, and this Han who has come on his own, will surely not sit idly by while our palace is besieged,¡± Li Er said calmly, stroking his beard.


    ¡°We could openly reveal that the Cold Marrow was stolen by the traitor, so why invite more attacks from numerous beasts?¡± The woman in white who had been silent finally spoke coldly, her voice chilling to the bone like an icy sculpture.


    ¡°Fairy Bai is thinking too simply.


    Not to mention that such a disclosure would severely damage our Sect¡¯s reputation as the first sect in the north.


    Even if we claim that the Cold Marrow is gone, would those beasts believe us?


    It¡¯s completely pointless.


    You all know that the millennium is almost here, and the Ice Jade Cave in the Void Spirit Hall is about to open.


    If we are lucky, we might be able to gather some Cold Marrow again.


    It¡¯s rumored that our palace has only one bottle of Cold Marrow; who else knows that we have long started using the spiritual liquid in cultivation?


    Otherwise, how could our palace¡¯s three kinds of Extreme Cold Flame be cultivated by successive generations?


    Fortunately, the lost bottle of Cold Marrow was stolen before the Ice Jewel Cave opens, otherwise no one would be able to cultivate the Three Extreme Cold Flames for generations to come,¡± Master Li sighed, turning his head to stare at the blue flame in the Giant Cauldron nearby, expressing a trace of relief.


    Hearing Han Li say so, the man in blue could only show a bitter smile.


    ¡°Alright, both of your cultivation of Blackwater Ice Flame and Wind-swept Ice Flame has also stalled.


    Once we get the Cold Marrow, take a few drops each.


    The greater the power of the Celestial Ice Flame, the greater the hope of breaking through the bottleneck,¡± Master Li suddenly changed the subject.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Li!¡± the middle-aged man in blue replied eagerly, overjoyed.


    The woman in white still appeared cold, but joy could be seen in her eyes as well.


    It seems the Cold Marrow is truly crucial for them.


    ¡°Fairy Bai, have Yaoyi look into the background of this Han cultivator.


    He also participated in the sealing event at Kunwu Mountain ten years ago.


    Numerous Nascent Soul cultivators perished then, and he managed to escape safely, which implies his divine skills are extraordinary,¡± Master Li instructed the woman in white again.


    ¡°I understand.


    I will mention this to my cousin,¡± the woman in white replied indifferently.


    ¡°Good.


    You two may leave as well,¡± Master Li nodded contentedly.


    Thus, the two people in white robes bid farewell and transformed into streaks of light, flying away.


    Li Er remained in his original place for a while, then turned his head again, muttering words to the cauldron.


    If anyone were still lingeri¡­

 Chapter 1086 - Chapter 1086 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1082 Ice Sea Demon Beast

    ?Chapter 1086: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1082 Ice Sea Demon Beast Chapter 1086: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1082 Ice Sea Demon Beast Han Li naturally had no idea that the Venerable Celestial Han Li had mentioned the ¡°Heavenvoid Cauldron¡±.


    At this moment, he was standing in a vast secret chamber where his eyes met row upon row of exquisitely made jade stone platforms, each about a zhang high, and he seemed somewhat spellbound.


    These stone platforms were densely packed, and at a glance, there were a staggering hundred zhang in width.


    Each platform shimmered with a protective barrier of various colors, containing several jade slips of varying sizes.


    At the other end of the secret chamber, a staircase leading upward appeared.


    At the entrance, a thick barrier sealed it tightly.


    ¡°So this is the Scripture Pavilion of the Star Palace!¡± Han Li inwardly gasped, taking a deep breath before suddenly turning his head to ask an elder dressed in Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s attire.


    ¡°Yes, senior.


    Our palace¡¯s Scripture Pavilion is divided into seven layers, but the scriptures stored on each layer are of different categories, and it¡¯s not necessarily the case that the higher the layer, the more precious the scriptures.


    However, barriers separate each layer to prevent the disciples who enter the pavilion from getting the jade slips mixed up.


    Whenever senior wishes to enter the next layer, just give the order, and I will always be waiting outside to heed senior¡¯s instructions,¡± the elder said, his head bowed low, but the spiritual pressure he emitted revealed that he was actually a mid-Core Formation cultivator.


    ¡°I see.


    You can leave now,¡± Han Li nodded, speaking calmly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The elder replied respectfully, then walked backward out of the room and even closed the stone door behind him.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    Seeing that he was now alone in the secret chamber, Han Li unceremoniously walked up to one of the barriers and waved an object in his hand in front of it.


    Instantly, with a soft ¡°bang,¡± the barrier broke and dissipated, revealing three jade slips on the stone platform.


    Han Li casually picked one up and immersed his mind into it.


    At the same moment, in the White Condensation Pavilion where Han Li had once visited, at the second layer, two women in white robes faced each other, speaking.


    One was naturally Bai Yaoyi, while the other was another female cultivator who previously appeared at Venerable Celestial Han Li¡¯s residence.


    Both women had somewhat similar features, one gentle and amiable, the other exceptionally cold.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to Second Sister.


    I don¡¯t know much about this Fellow Daoist Han Li either.


    Although he once claimed to be an overseas Loose Cultivator, the people from the Yin Sifting Sect and the Heaventide Sanctuary later said he was a cultivator from Tian Luo.


    His divine skills are no less than those of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, once contending against the Silver-winged Yaksha in the Yin Yang Cave without falling behind.


    As for how he escaped from Kunwu Mountain, I¡¯m not so clear,¡± Bai Yaoyi stood by the window of the pavilion, one hand supporting the windowsill, the other lightly stroking her jet-black hair, slightly frowning, apparently somewhat displeased.


    ¡°Seventh Sister, don¡¯t take it to heart.


    It¡¯s just that for a mid-Core Formation cultivator to possess such divine skills, especially one from a remote place like Tian Luo, it¡¯s rather unbelievable,¡± said the other woman in white, although her words were tactful, her voice was still cold without a trace of emotion.


    Bai Yaoyi didn¡¯t mind her cousin¡¯s tone, knowing it was due to her overly extreme Cultivation Method.


    However, her persistent questioning about Han Li still made Bai Yaoyi a bit unhappy.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much contact with this man either; I just met him the last time I went out, and I can¡¯t say anything more detailed.


    But what I told you before, those were indeed the truth.


    What¡¯s the matter-why has the Great Elder suddenly taken such an interest in Fellow Daoist Han?¡± Bai Yaoyi stepped away from the windowsill and asked leisurely.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, just that this man has an Extreme Cold Flame, which is exactly what Brother Celestial Han Li was searching for.


    It seems, Seventh Sister, you should have known about this sooner.


    Why didn¡¯t you mention it to us?¡± The white-robed woman¡¯s bright eyes flickered as she asked indifferently.


    ¡°When I parted with him, it had been ten years, and I had no idea if he could survive from Kunwu Mountain, so how could I rashly mention it to Brother Celestial Han Li?


    As for now, I was originally planning to find the Ice Spirit Flower for him and then seize the opportunity to mention it.


    I did not expect Brother Ren to speak to the Great Elder about it first,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Well, in that case, I won¡¯t ask any more.


    Since this daoist friend has such divine skills, we¡¯d better try to win him over.


    Especially regarding his purple Extreme Cold Flame, it¡¯s best to figure out its true power,¡± the woman in white said bluntly.


    ¡°I understand.


    I¡¯ll try to probe it if I get the chance,¡± Bai Yaoyi said slightly raising her brows, barely agreeing.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.


    I¡¯ll take my leave for now; recently, there might be demons invading Beiming Island, so you should be careful as well.¡± After saying this, the woman in white left emotionlessly down the stairs.


    Bai Yaoyi did not reply, only watching through the window as the woman in white turned into a streak of light, disappearing in front of the pavilion, her face silent.


    Time flew by quickly, and Han Li spent seven or eight days in the Scripture Pavilion of Minor Extreme Palace without stepping out.


    He read through many scriptures of interest to him and benefited immensely.


    Yet only then did he barely reach the third layer.


    Thinking about this, he could only inwardly regret that the remaining time would probably be just enough for him to reach the fourth-layer scriptures.


    One day, as he was flipping through a book about rare spiritual medicines from Ancient Times, suddenly, a streak of fire flashed by and shot into the secret chamber, disregarding the entrance barrier as if it didn¡¯t exist.


    Han Li was startled, but he immediately reached out into the void and attracted the firelight into his hand, turning it into a raging fireball.


    It was a Sound Transmission Talisman.


    After scrutinizing the message in the flames with his spiritual sense, a look of joy appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    He promptly set the jade slip onto the stone platform, and it immediately transformed into a streak of light and headed downwards.


    A short time later, a streak of green light flew and arrived in front of White Condensation Pavilion.


    There stood a slim and graceful woman.


    It was none other than Bai Yaoyi.


    The light converged, and Han Li¡¯s figure materialized before her.


    He hurriedly asked:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, have you found the Ice Spirit Flower?


    Is this true?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed true.


    I originally thought it would take at least a month to receive any news.


    But I did not expect that Brother Han Li would be able to persuade the Great Elders to mobilize so many people to search for this spiritual flower.


    With this, the speed of the search naturally increased several fold,¡± Bai Yaoyi looked at Han Li and smiled sweetly.


    ¡°This is wonderful.


    Fairy Bai, if it is convenient for you now, shall we set out immediately?¡± Han Li pressed down his joy and asked.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible.


    I am here precisely to guide Brother Han Li on the way.


    However, the location of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice we¡¯ve found this time is quite far and has already left the bounds of Beiming Island.


    The round trip will probably take several days,¡± Bai Yaoyi said, her lips curving into a light smile.


    ¡°Hehe, what¡¯s a bit of time?


    Even if it takes over a year to pick the Profound Ice Flower, I, Han Li, will definitely go,¡± Han Li said with a burst of loud laughter, without the slightest hesitation.


    Bai Yaoyi heard Han Li say this but only smiled without saying anything.


    Below, the two did not delay any longer.


    They immediately left the secret realm of Han Li, left the Ice City, and flew northward.


    Along the way, Bai Yaoyi narrated the specific situation of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice within the light of flying escape.


    ¡°In the nest of a group of Snow Roar Beasts?¡± Han Li said somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Indeed.


    The disciple who found the Profound Ice was careless for a moment.


    He was discovered by the Snow Roar Beasts and was chased out for over a hundred miles, resulting in serious injuries, nearly perishing,¡± Bai Yaoyi confirmed with a nod.


    ¡°Oh, what grade are these Snow Roar Beasts?¡± Han Li became interested.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this might disappoint Brother Han Li.


    These demon beasts are only grade five or six and may not catch the eye of Fellow Daoist,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with a smile.


    ¡°Grade five or six, indeed of no value to be captured alive?¡± Han Li chuckled.


    ¡°However, going further will take us out of Beiming Island, and afterwards we will be in the midst of the Ice Sea.


    This is not like the island; it is completely dominated by demon beasts, and a myriad of them keep emerging.


    Furthermore, the further away from the island we go, the higher the ranks of the demon beasts.


    Generally speaking, within a few days¡¯ journey, it is unlikely for beasts above grade eight to appear.


    We two don¡¯t need to worry at all.


    But in the depths of the Ice Sea, there are frequently many dreadful creatures, and even grade ten beasts are not unheard of.


    Even two generations ago, a Great Elder once saw a grade ten ancient Ice Phoenix in the depths of the Ice Sea far from Beiming Island.


    This is a true bloodline of an ancient Spirit Beast.


    On its own, it is capable of opposing most of the cultivators in the Minor Extreme Palace,¡± Bai Yaoyi said in a serious tone.


    ¡°Grade ten Ice Phoenix!¡± Han Li was alarmed upon hearing this.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han need not worry.


    It is said that when the founder of our sect established the faction here, he had a fierce interaction with several of the most powerful demon beasts in the Ice Sea.


    Mutual agreements were set.


    We of the Minor Extreme Palace would not casually attack the high-grade demon beasts of the Ice Sea, and the high-grade demon beasts must not appear within a million miles of Beiming Island, otherwise, they would be at the disposal of our palace¡¯s cultivators.


    The lower-grade demon beasts are not bound by this agreement.


    The demon beasts that have attacked our Minor Extreme Palace in the past have all come from other places in the Great Jin to the north.


    If the Ice Sea beasts had also interfered, our palace would have been flattened countless times.


    This has been the situation since ancient times, otherwise, how could our Minor Extreme Palace have remained standing on the peninsula until now,¡± Bai Yaoyi explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s the case, so it seems that our trip should not involve any risk,¡± Han Li said with a smile, surprising, yet appearing relieved.


    ¡°This is not necessarily the case.


    An agreement is just an agreement.


    There are often outbreaks of high-grade demon beasts disregarding everything and intruding.


    Almost every year, disciples from our palace die at the hands of these beasts.


    It is still best for us to be cautious on this trip!¡± Bai Yaoyi shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a few days¡¯ journey; we will be back in no time.


    We shouldn¡¯t be so unlucky!¡± Han Li said indifferently, looking at the transparent glaciers below.


    Immediately afterwards, the green light became more intense, and their speed increased by a third.


    In fact, Bai Yaoyi was of the same opinion, she had only been giving a brief overview.


    Seeing this, her clear eyes shifted, and a piercing cold light radiated from her entire body, and she instantly followed.


    Along the way, they indeed did not encounter any high-grade demon beast shadows, and since the Ice Sea was so vast, they hardly saw even a few low-grade demon beasts.


    Thus, after three days and three nights of non-stop flight, they finally arrived above a huge ice rift.


    (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters and support the authors by reading the authentic version!)

 Chapter 1087 - Chapter 1087 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 183 Ice Fierce Beast

    ?Chapter 1087: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 183 Ice Fierce Beast Chapter 1087: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 183 Ice Fierce Beast ¡°Is this the Snow Roar Beast¡¯s lair?¡± Han Li gazed into the unfathomable crevasse that incessantly blew frigid winds and furrowed his brows in question.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this place is indeed where the disciple of my palace mentioned!¡± Bai Yaoyi, the beauty floating beside Han Li, took a few glances around and then confirmed.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s draw them out directly.¡± Han Li nodded and formed a hand seal with one hand.


    A flickering spiritual light enveloped him, and then numerous sparks suddenly appeared in front of him.


    With several ¡®Puchi¡¯ sounds, the sparks rapidly grew into fist-sized bright red fireballs.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    With a gentle flick of his sleeves at the several dozen fireballs in front of him, they plummeted down into the icy crevasse enveloped in red light amid a whistling sound, vanishing without a trace.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi stared unwaveringly at the crevasse below.


    However, after quite some time, the crevasse was as calm as before, with not the slightest sound of explosions.


    The eerie silence began to feel somewhat ominous.


    Han Li exchanged a glance with Bai Yaoyi, both showing a trace of surprise on their face.


    ¡°These are just fifth and sixth grade demon beasts; it¡¯s impossible for them to silence these fireballs without a trace.


    It seems there are more powerful beasts below,¡± Han Li stroked his chin and said.


    ¡°Perhaps.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    The disciple of my palace did not venture deep into the ice crevasse, he only saw the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice and the Profound Ice Flowers at the edge before being detected by the Snow Roar Beast,¡± Bai Yaoyi also showed a hint of solemnity.


    ¡°Hehe, no matter, I can also use my spirit beasts to drive them out,¡± Han Li said lightly, patting a spirit beast pouch on his waist.


    In an instant, twelve streaks of white light shot out from the pouch and circled in the air, transforming into foot-long snow-white centipedes with transparent wings on their backs, looking fierce and vicious.


    Han Li let out a low command and pointed at the circling Six-Winged Frost Centipedes in the air.


    These flying centipedes shook their heads and wagged their tails, emitting waves of cold light, and flew down one after another.


    Seeing this, a look of surprise flashed across Bai Yaoyi¡¯s face, but she said nothing.


    Han Li was not worried that these Six-Winged Frost Centipedes would face any danger because if all twelve joined forces, even if they encountered grade eight demon beasts, they could easily escape.


    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long for the sound of a rumbling battle to come from the ice crevasse below, growing louder and louder, as if something was about to fly out from inside.


    Han Li pursed his lips and wordlessly flicked his sleeves, sending over ten streaks of golden light shooting out from his cuffs, turning into several golden swords a little over a foot long, which then hovered motionless in the air above the crevasse, shining brilliantly.


    Bai Yaoyi smiled but did not make any offensive moves herself,


    Clearly, this woman believed that Han Li alone could easily handle the demon beast about to emerge from below.


    Moments later, a strange beastly roar clearly emanated from below, followed by a blasting white snowstorm sweeping out, mixed with seven or eight white demon beasts resembling lions, each showing a look of extreme panic, as if they were fleeing for their lives.


    Han Li recognized at a glance that these lion-like demon beasts were indeed the so-called ¡°Snow Roar Beasts¡±!


    Without hesitation, he spurred the sword technique in his mind, causing the golden swords to shudder and shoot down like golden rainbows.


    A brilliant splendor over a zhang long.


    The swords moved with such speed that they seemed like thunder and lightning, slashing through the seemingly ferocious snowstorm and reaching the side of these demon beasts.


    Before the beasts could react, the golden rainbows eerily circled around them.


    With a few pitiful cries, the beasts were bisected at the waist, their carcasses falling from the sky and tumbling back into the crevasse.


    The next moment, an earth-shattering beastly roar came from below, followed by a loud ¡°Boom¡±, as a tornado several zhang thick burst forth from the depths of the ice crevasse.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes and looked upward.


    Atop the tornado, there crouched an enraged, several zhang large demon beast.


    This beast looked extremely similar to the slain Snow Roar Beasts but with glittering silver fur and more than double the size of a Snow Roar Beast.


    ¡°Eh, this isn¡¯t a Snow Roar Beast; it¡¯s an Ice Fierce Beast!


    How could such a high-grade demon beast appear here?¡± Bai Yaoyi exclaimed in surprise, seemingly baffled.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered but before he could speak, over ten streams of white qi burst out from the crevasse below, transforming into twelve snow-white centipedes that spewed cold air and pounced on the silver-furred beast.


    Although the beast appeared to be a seventh-grade demon beast, it seemed utterly unfazed by the cold air of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes and fought back fiercely with its strength and savagery.


    It managed to wrestle with the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes and, for a moment, was stalemated.


    Han Li¡¯s brow raised, and he let out a cold snort, lifting his hand as a blue light flickered at his fingertip, preparing to command the flying swords above to strike down and kill the beast.


    Bai Yaoyi, who was next to him, suddenly spoke up:


    ¡°`


    ¡°Hold on?


    Fellow Daoist, please show mercy.


    The Ice Fierce Beast is a rare ice-wind attribute demon beast.


    Let me capture it, as it will be of great use later!¡±


    Han Li was startled upon hearing this, but soon smiled nonchalantly:


    ¡°In that case, I will help Fellow Daoist capture it.


    Bai need not make another move.¡±


    After saying this, Han Li opened his mouth and a burst of violet flame sprayed out, followed by a clear chirp.


    It turned into a foot-long Firebird Talisman, vividly lifelike, its wings spread as it rushed towards the top of the whirlwind.


    The twelve snow-white flying centipedes scattered in fear upon seeing the Purple Firebird approach, leaving the silver demon beast all alone.


    Though this Ice Fierce Beast hadn¡¯t completely awakened its spiritual wisdom, it had a certain level of intelligence.


    Seeing this situation, it immediately knew the terror of the Purple Firebird, conjuring a violent wind around it, attempting to ride the whirlwind and escape.


    But at that moment, Han Li, who was prepared, let out a cold snort from his mouth, and his eyes flashed with a crystalline brilliance.


    Instantly, the beast felt as if its head had been stabbed by a sharp cone, causing acute pain.


    With a low growl, its body collapsed to the ground.


    It was actually Han Li¡¯s powerful Divine Sense that had given the beast a fierce mental jab.


    Even though Han Li hadn¡¯t used his full strength, his Divine Sense was nearly as formidable as that of late Nascent Soul cultivators, something the seventh grade Ice Fierce Beast couldn¡¯t withstand.


    Naturally, he succeeded with one strike.


    Seizing the opportunity, the Purple Firebird swooped in front of the beast, circling and fluttering.


    A loud hissing sound ensued, and a thick violet mist arose from nowhere, enveloping the beast within it.


    The Purple Firebird then spread its wings and shot back, sinking into Han Li¡¯s body and disappearing without a trace.


    After the purple mist dissipated, a ten-zhang high block of Purple Apex Flames ice appeared in its place, with the Ice Fierce Beast starkly encased within.


    As the beast was trapped, the surrounding whirlwind gradually dissipated and the ice block fell.


    Bai Yaoyi, who was somewhat surprised by Han Li¡¯s Purple Apex Flames, didn¡¯t think twice.


    With a single-handed grab in the air, a giant white hand materialized above the ice block, grasping and then directly pulling the massive ice towards her.


    ¡°Thanks to Brother Han, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± Bai Yaoyi smiled gracefully at Han Li, then turned her hand, and suddenly produced a shimmering light black spirit beast pouch.


    With a slight raise of her hand, she levitated the spirit beast pouch in midair, followed by a swirling glow that swept up the giant ice along with the silver demon beast into the pouch.


    Bai Yaoyi put away the spirit beast pouch.¡¯


    Seeing Bai Yaoyi looking pleased, Han Li gave a faint smile and pointed at the twelve circling snow-white Giant Centipedes.


    Following a series of shrill cries, these centipedes burst forth with a surge of cold air, their forms quietly concealed.


    Seeing this, Bai Yaoyi was taken aback.


    Han Li casually explained:


    ¡°When refining Alchemy with the Ice Spirit Flower, I don¡¯t want any low-grade demon beasts to disturb me.


    With these Gold Devouring Beetles guarding nearby, it should be much safer.¡±


    Bai Yaoyi naturally smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement.


    Han Li and Bai Yaoyi then transformed into azure and silver lights, diving down into the great ice crevice.


    Inside the crevice was pitch-black, and aside from gusts of cold wind endlessly circling around them, it was quite reminiscent of when they entered the Yin Yang Cave years ago.


    However, as they neared the bottom, faint luminescence began to appear on the crystal walls on both sides of the crevice.


    These were the materials for refining ice attribute Magic Artifacts ¨C Profound Ice.


    However, these were just ordinary Profound Ice, not considered truly rare.


    Only Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice would be considered an excellent material for Artifact Refining.


    Of course, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi wouldn¡¯t take interest in these.


    When they truly stepped onto the bottom of the crevice, a vein of milky-white, crystal-like ore appeared before them.


    Although uneven and only slightly visible, it was clear that they were veins of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice, far superior to the substandard ones above.


    But Han Li¡¯s gaze was on three pale white flowers growing on the crystal wall.


    These flowers were only the size of a fist, looking like ordinary wildflowers that could be found by the roadside.


    However, their roots were each growing on a piece of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice, with faint frost swirling around the petals.


    ¡°Three Profound Ice Flowers should be enough!¡± Han Li breathed out a sigh and muttered to himself.


    ¡°The reserves of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice here seem quite substantial.


    That disciple has indeed done a remarkable job.


    When we return, we must reward him.¡± Bai Yaoyi, after examining the Profound Ice, also showed a smile.


    ¡°These Ice Spirit Flowers must be used immediately for Alchemy.


    I have already prepared the other materials.


    Does Fairy Bai plan to go back first, ora€|?¡± Han Li took his eyes off the Ice Spirit Flowers and asked Bai Yaoyi.


    ¡°How long will Brother Han take for Alchemy?


    I might as well take a look around first.


    This place is not far from Beiming Island, and the fact that an Ice Fierce Beast, a seventh-grade demon beast, has appeared here makes me feel uneasy.


    I¡¯ll take this opportunity to investigate as well.¡± Bai Yaoyi thought briefly and replied softly.


    ¡°That¡¯s also good.


    But be careful, Fairy Bai.¡± Han Li was a little startled, and did not try to stop her, only offering a word of caution.


    ¡°Brother Han, rest assured, I am only doing this as a precaution.


    Most likely, that seventh-grade demon beast accidentally wandered here.


    It¡¯s not the first time such a thing has happened.


    Yaoyi will head out first!¡± Bai Yaoyi smiled slightly, her beautiful face revealing a hint of enchanting charm.


    She then transformed into a dazzling rainbow and flew upward.


    (The first update!)(To be continued, for the continuation of the story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapters are more numerous, please support the author and support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1088 - Chapter 1088 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1084 2 Demons

    ?Chapter 1088: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1084: 2 Demons Chapter 1088: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures Chapter 1084: 2 Demons Han Li looked up at the shock rainbow disappearing into the sky before lowering his head and glancing over the three Ice Spirit Flowers.


    After a moment of thought, he struck his storage pouch, and more than a dozen streaks of differently colored light shot out, entering the crystal wall around them and vanishing without a trace.


    A layer of faintly visible pale blue fog gradually emerged, enveloping the nearby area.


    After completing these steps, buzzing sounds intensified, and a swarm of golden beetles flew out from Han Li¡¯s body, transforming into specks of golden light that disappeared into the fog.


    This way, as long as there are no excessively powerful demon beasts nearby, it should ensure the safe concoction of the Profound Ice Pills.


    Reassured, Han Li then released a fist-sized cauldron furnace from his hand, which gently landed in front of him, shimmering with silver light.


    Sequentially, several wooden boxes and small bottles flew out from his storage pouch, covering the ground.


    Han Li then shifted his gaze to the crystal wall.


    With a flick of his sleeve, three streaks of golden light shot out, wrapping around the base of the Profound Ice where the three flowers were situated, and in an instant, the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice along with the flowers fell to the ground.


    Properly prepared, as Han Li pointed towards the ground, three jade boxes, each about a foot in size, disappeared from their spot and eerily appeared just beneath the crystal wall.


    The three white flowers, completely undamaged, dropped into the boxes.


    A satisfied expression appeared on Han Li¡¯s face.


    He suddenly formed incantations with both hands and cast several Incantations into the surrounding blue fog.


    The fog churned and rolled outward, soon thoroughly submerging the entire ice crack bottom, making it impossible to see inside.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    Above the ice crack, cold wind howled; except for it, all else was exceptionally quiet.


    Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.


    At this moment, the bottom of the ice crack was still filled with dense blue fog, showing no signs of dissipating, as if it would continue forever.


    Suddenly, a flash of light from the distant horizon appeared, and three streaks of light, one in front and two behind, shot over from afar, reaching the nearby area of the ice crack extremely fast.


    A silver streak of light hurriedly flew, its spiritual light somewhat dim, indicating the person engulfed in it was severely injured.


    Behind, the red and green lights shone brightly, exuding a fierce momentum.


    Clearly, there was a chase happening between the three!


    The spiritual light converged, and a slender woman in white, with pale and greenish complexion, appeared from the silver light-it was Bai Yaoyi, who left three days ago.


    It was uncertain what ordeal she had encountered, being chased here and in such a condition, seemingly afflicted with a strange poison, unable to suppress even with her mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation.


    Upon reaching over the ice crack, she urgently looked down, and upon seeing the blue fog and the restrictive formations, she immediately heaved a sigh of relief, her expression noticeably relaxed.


    However, just then, the red and green streaks of light also arrived within a hundred feet behind her, and from the green light, a man¡¯s voice transmitted:


    ¡°How so, knowing you¡¯re afflicted with a strange poison, have you finally decided to stop running?


    If you willingly surrender, this Lord isn¡¯t unwilling to spare your life for the moment.¡±


    The voice was eerie and stiff, filled with a sense of triumph.


    Bai Yaoyi coldly snorted and without hesitation, dived straight into the ice crack, and with several flashes of silver light, she disappeared into the fog.


    The two streaks of light also arrived above the ice crack the next moment, revealing a man and a woman barely visible within the light.


    Both, being demon-transformed beasts with fully developed spiritual intellect no less than that of humans, hesitated slightly upon seeing the blue fog below.


    Seeing that Bai Yaoyi hadn¡¯t continued her frantic escape but instead hid inside the lower restrictive formations, they grew suspicious.


    Just as the two were about to use their spiritual sense to carefully search inside the ice crack, suddenly, a white mist swirled around, and twelve white giant centipedes with wings on their backs appeared, looking ferocious.


    ¡°Six-Winged Frost Centipedes!¡± The woman in the red light trembled slightly, letting out a low cry of surprise that even quivered slightly from extreme excitement.


    ¡°What, these are Six-Winged Frost Centipedes!¡± The man in the green light also exclaimed in shock.


    ¡°Excellent.


    As long as I devour these Spirit Insects, with the merging of yin and yang, it will greatly advance my cultivation,¡± the woman uttered with an unpleasant laugh.


    Flames erupted around her, and in a flicker, more than a dozen Fire Serpents sprang forth.


    Each one was a foot long, with wings on their backs and flames spewing from their mouths, they ferociously pounced toward the centipedes.


    In an instant, flames and cold air intertwined, with a sharp piercing sound emerging amidst the explosive noise.


    At that moment, the red light converged, and the woman clearly appeared.


    She was slender, with green eyes and some beauty, but her cheeks bore several crimson scales.


    Dressed in a bright red robe, she flicked her slender snake¡¯s tongue in and out.


    She was indeed an unknown grade seven snake demon-transformed beast, her pair of green eyes staring greedily at those Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.


    As the demon red glow surged again, ready to personally capture each of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, a sudden humming sound emerged from below.


    Then, a swath of golden beetles burst forth from the blue mist, forming a cloud of golden insects that shot towards the two demons in the air.


    The man shrouded in green light, startled by the sudden appearance of the golden cloud, wasted no time as he swept his sleeve.


    A flood dragon-like green qi shot forth from his sleeve, enveloping and swallowing the golden cloud whole.


    The man smirked coldly, waiting for the golden cloud to transform into filthy water under his poisonous cloud, and was about to utter some mocking words when he suddenly realized that the humming sound had not ceased.


    Instead, it was charging out of the green cloud, heading straight for him.


    This took the man completely by surprise.


    Without much thought, he swiftly turned his body, and the green glow around him detached to form a several-zhang-high wall of fire which rolled towards the golden cloud.


    Instantly, where the poison fire passed, the humming ceased momentarily, followed by a crackling sound as numerous golden beetles, wreathed in green flames, plummeted down.


    The remaining fragments of the golden cloud became scattered, revealing the Golden Beetles struggling clumsily amidst the green flames, barely able to wriggle.


    Seeing this, the man finally relaxed, but suddenly recalling something, he scrutinized the surviving beetles closely and his face turned to fear as he exclaimed:


    ¡°Gold Devouring Bugs!


    How could there be so many of these bugs in the world!¡±


    Now free from the cover of green light, the man¡¯s grotesque appearance was revealed.


    With disheveled green hair, bean-sized yellow eyes, and an almost cheek-reaching wide mouth filled with sharp, tiny teeth.


    It was impossible to identify which demon beast he had transformed from.


    As the cries of alarm were issued, the falling Gold Devouring Bugs emitted buzzing sounds as they once again took flight, their wings flapping rapidly.


    The green flames wrapping around them visibly shrank as the Beetles devoured the flames with each gulp.


    The man¡¯s complexion grew even uglier.


    Just then, a red glow flashed above the Gold Devouring Bugs and the woman transformed from the snake demon emerged from thin air.


    She opened her mouth, spraying out a faint blue mass that transformed into a huge blue wooden bowl, covering all the bugs below.


    The bowl expanded several times in size, and from it spurted strands of blue turning into a massive light barrier, trapping all the Gold Devouring Bugs beneath.


    Away from the green flames, the Golden Beetles desperately rammed against the light barrier but to no avail, getting them trapped tightly.


    At that moment, the snake demon coldly said to the man:


    ¡°What¡¯s there to fear.


    You don¡¯t think these are the mature ones from ancient times.


    As long as they haven¡¯t fully matured, there are plenty of ways to kill them.¡±


    To prove her point, the woman sharply flicked her slim finger towards the ground.


    Immediately, a shrieking sound of tearing air filled the space as a splintery red light shot out, slicing through a Gold Devouring Bug.


    The bug, as tough as refined steel, was silently cleaved in two by the red light, which turned out to be a crimson red snake scale, extremely sharp around the edges.


    Seeing this, not only did the oddly male relax his facial expression, but the woman also revealed a grim smile on her lips.


    She pinched an incantation between her fingers, and suddenly ¡°puff, puff¡± sounds were heard as numerous identical snake scales shot out from her body.


    The snake demon appeared to be preparing to leave aside the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, which were embroiled with the Fire Serpents, to deal with these Gold Devouring Bugs all at once.


    However, just at that moment, from the icy fissure below amidst the blue mist, a cold scoff was heard, followed by a rumbling sound akin to thunder.


    At a distance of more than twenty zhang, a figure shimmered into existence amidst flashing silver light.


    The snake demon, very alert, pinched the spell between her hands, and the floating snake scales changed their direction, slicing through the air towards the figure before her, intending to pierce the figure full of holes.


    The figure chuckled lightly, ¡°Hehe¡±, and casually flipped his hand, revealing a small silver shield that suddenly appeared and swiftly flickering a mirror-like silver wall materialized.


    In an incredible scene, the dense red glimmers hitting the silver wall exploded into dazzling silver light.


    All the red gleams were reflected off in a reversed direction by the silver light, unable to penetrate through.


    The woman transformed by the snake demon was startled, but the man beside her revealed a sinister flash on his face and flung his sleeves, releasing rolling green poisonous fog, which upon closer inspection, contained inconspicuous green threads flickering within.


    These fogs comprised poisonous needles condensed from the deadliest toxins over thousands of years of his cultivation.


    Even late Nascent Soul cultivators being hit by these needles, if not resolved promptly, would dissolve into poisonous water within a short moment ¨C truly an extremely dangerous toxin.


    Yet the man behind the silver wall similarly swept his sleeve, unleashing a small crimson-red cauldron.


    The cauldron flashed and appeared right outside the silver wall, then with a clarion ring, it expanded rapidly, its lid opening on its own and ejecting countless crimson-red fire clusters.


    Each cluster, the size of a fist, coalesced and transformed into hundreds of crimson-red Fire Ravens, shrieking loudly and directly meeting the rolling green poisonous fog.


    As soon as the two collided, whether it was the poisonous fog or the embedded poisonous needles, they were instantly turned into wisps of blue smoke by the entangling crimson Spiritual Fire of the ravens, overwhelmingly dominated.


    This figure was undoubtedly Han Li, while the small crimson-red cauldron was the Spirit Communicating Fire Cauldron he had obtained from Kunwu Mountain.


    The Cauldron¡¯s summoning of thousands of Supreme Yang Fire Crows, an excellent tool against Yin sinister Cultivation Techniques, proved their might immediately upon deployment.


    A gleam of satisfaction flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes, and with a flick of his sleeve, a trio-colored light silently fell into his hand.

 Chapter 1089 - Chapter 1089 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1085 Ice Sea Demon Shadow

    ?Chapter 1089: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 1085: Ice Sea Demon Shadow Chapter 1089: Volume 6: Spirit Treasures Chapter 1085: Ice Sea Demon Shadow Before the sea of fire transformed by the Fire Ravens could engulf the opposite side, Han Li¡¯s Thunderstorm Wings suddenly flashed on his back, and his figure transformed into a silver arc that vanished without a trace on the spot.


    The man, enraged and astonished at the breaking of his poison fog, was taken aback at the sight and urgently released his Divine Sense.


    At the same time, he formed hand seals, and a green silk net shot out from his body.


    Like a spider web, it enveloped a radius of more than ten meters around him.


    Just then, after a clap of thunder, Han Li appeared a few meters behind the man, materializing out of thin air.


    The green silk net quivered and shot down like lightning.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± a golden net of electricity emerged on Han Li¡¯s body, unexpectedly surging forward to meet the green net.


    Upon contact, the green strands turned to nothingness.


    The demon-turned man was horrified and immediately flashed with spiritual light, attempting to make a quick escape.


    At this moment, a tri-colored flame shot towards him without any courtesy.


    The man maximized his protective spiritual glow, intending to use it to fend off the attack momentarily so he could seize the chance to flee.


    But a ¡°boom¡± rang out: a dull thud.


    A tricolored halo burst open between the two.


    Under the dazzling expansion and contraction of the halo, the man was enveloped within it.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    A scream followed, the man was wrapped by the tri-colored flames within the halo and instantly transformed into a wisp of blue smoke that vanished without a trace.


    The might of the Three Flame Fan was something even the Silver-winged Yaksha, a high-grade demon beast, dared not face head-on, let alone this mere grade eight demon beast.


    This scene sent chills through the snake demon woman who was too late to lend a hand to save her comrade.


    Although her divine skills were somewhat superior to that of the man, since Han Li could effortlessly kill her companion with a mere gesture, dealing with her would naturally not take much effort either.


    Without a second thought, the demon emitted a bright red light and ¡°bang,¡± it self-detonated, transforming into several crimson Fire Serpents that shot in all directions to flee.


    Taken aback, Han Li¡¯s mouth curled into a cold smile.


    He poured Spiritual Power into his eyes, which then erupted with a blinding blue light from his pupils, and immediately locked onto one of the Fire Serpents.


    With a flutter of the Thunderstorm Wings on his back, he disappeared amidst the rumblings of thunder.


    The silver light flickered in succession, and after a few flashes of teleportation, Han Li¡¯s figure appeared in the sky above the Fire Serpent, looking down with icy-cold eyes.


    The crimson Fire Serpent raised its head to see this scene, its eyes flashing with terror, and without saying a word, it opened its mouth wide and suddenly spat out a thumb-sized bead wrapped in a red glow, shooting straight towards Han Li.


    This was the Fire Serpent¡¯s fire-attributed Demon Core, cultivated over who knows how many years.


    Han Li pursed his lips and a slight smile crossed his face.


    He reached out with a single hand towards the bead in the void.


    With a ¡°hiss,¡± a violet flame burst forth from his hand, transforming into a violet flame hand that instantly grasped the bead.


    Bursting sounds echoed within the gigantic hand, and red light interwove with the violet flames, flickering wildly before all was silent.


    The body of the Fire Serpent below trembled, and its fiery aura dimmed noticeably.


    Overwhelmed by fear, the serpent tried to use its Escape Technique to flee for its life.


    But at that moment, a killing intent flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    He formed seals with both hands, and the violet flame hand expanded several times in size before swooping down.


    Before the Fire Serpent could launch its escape, it felt an icy chill all around its body.


    Its entire demon form was bound by something and unable to move in the slightest.


    Its heart sank, realizing that before the massive purple hand even reached it, it had been wrapped round and round by strands of violet frost.


    Naturally, this chill could not truly imprison it, a creature nearing grade nine.


    However, due to the momentary delay, the purple hand had already descended upon it.


    Left with no choice, the demon desperately spat out a fireball mixed with its blood essence, but it only caused a slight tremor in the flames of the violet hand before the hand grasped it by the vital spot.


    A layer of violet ice spread, and the last spark on the snake¡¯s surface was instantly extinguished, turning it into a massive lump of ice.


    It was strikingly beautiful in the sunlight, with gleaming violet brilliance.


    The gigantic violet hand then disappeared into thin air.


    Han Li shook his robe sleeves and more than a dozen golden lights shot out, circling the violet ice a few times.


    As the golden light flickered, the giant ice block, including the Fire Serpent inside, broke into dozens of pieces, and a beam of green light shot out.


    But Han Li was ready.


    With a thought to the Sword technique, several golden arcs shot out simultaneously from the more than a dozen flying swords surrounding him.


    They formed a golden net that in no time enveloped the green light.


    The arcs quickly contracted, coalescing into a golden bead that imprisoned the green light within.


    With a flick of his hand, Han Li summoned a black jade bottle.


    Light sprayed from the mouth of the bottle, drawing the golden bead into it, which Han Li then casually stored away.


    Silver light flickered amidst the bluish mist of Ice fissures, and Bai Yaoyi flew out from below, her face showing a trace of astonishment as she looked at everything before her.


    One must realize that from hiding underneath to re-emerging, it was but a moment, yet Han Li had effortlessly slain the two metamorphosis-stage demon beasts.


    Bai Yaoyi was all too clear about the strength of these two demons.


    Although they were only grade eight, each one was actually no weaker than a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, or else she wouldn¡¯t have ended up so beleaguered and chased relentlessly.


    ¡°`


    Having long known of Han Li¡¯s vast mystical powers, the ease with which he vanquished the two demons still left the woman greatly astonished.


    As Bai Yaoyi was somewhat in a daze, Han Li collected the centipedes and the Gold Devouring Bugs back into the spirit beast pouch and gently descended.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Bai, you seem to be severely poisoned!¡± Han Li glanced at the woman¡¯s face and frowned.


    ¡°I did not expect the demon¡¯s poison fog to be so ferocious that it could erode the protective barrier.


    Fortunately, I have taken a Hundred Herbs Pill.


    With half a day¡¯s rest, I should be able to expel this poison,¡± Bai Yaoyi regained her composure and spoke gently.


    ¡°Han Li here has also just finished alchemy.


    If Fellow Daoist had arrived a moment earlier, whether I could have broken free to help would have been a struggle,¡± Han Li said with a faint smile.


    ¡°In that case, I truly am quite lucky,¡± Bai Yaoyi replied with a graceful smile.


    ¡°However, how did Fairy Bai encounter these two demon-transformed beasts?


    Isn¡¯t it said that high grade demon beasts rarely appear near Beiming Island?¡± Han Li looked around, curiously asking.


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story.


    This is not a place to linger.


    Let¡¯s leave quickly; I¡¯ll explain the details to you on the way.¡± Bai Yaoyi suddenly recalled something, her face changing greatly.


    ¡°What, are there other demons?


    How many of them!¡± Han Li narrowed his eyes, a glint of light flashing through.


    ¡°Not just a few!


    I fear this time, our Minor Extreme Palace is in great trouble,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with a bitter smile.


    Hearing her words, Han Li¡¯s heart grew cold, but he nodded calmly on the surface:


    ¡°Since Fairy Bai has said so, let¡¯s return to your palace first.


    However, you are currently afflicted with severe poison and probably can¡¯t move just yet.


    Let me lend Fellow Daoist Bai a hand.¡±


    ¡°Then I am much obliged, Fellow Daoist!¡± Bai Yaoyi said, delighted.


    Subsequently, the two of them, one after the other, once again shot into the blue mists below.


    For a moment, the area near the ice fissure fell into silence.


    Two hours later, green and silver rainbows shot out from the ice crevice once more, vanishing from the horizon amidst the sound of breaking through the sky.


    Half a day later, a pitch-black cloud rolled in from another direction, enveloping several miles around the ice crevice.


    Shortly after, an enraged and astonished howl emerged from within the cloud.


    The entire cloud churned, lightning and thunder mixed together.


    A hazy, monstrous wind appeared from nowhere, and the black cloud disappeared without a trace.


    Several days later, Bai Yaoyi returned to the Minor Extreme Palace and appeared before Han Li on top of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Hall that Han Li had once visited.


    ¡°Fellow Shi Bai, you are certain that you saw correctly.


    That they were indeed mingling together?¡± At this moment, the expression of Master Han Li was gloomy, his brows tightly furrowed.


    ¡°That green-back gray wolf is one of the Deputy Valley Masters of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, on par with the Ten Thousand-Year Corpse Bear.


    How could I possibly mistake it?


    Moreover, the two grade eight demon beasts that pursued me do not look like they originated from the Ice Sea.


    Hence, there¡¯s even less chance of error,¡± Bai Yaoyi said with a tense expression, without hesitation.


    ¡°In that case, it is true that Ten Thousand Demon Valley has allied with the demon beasts from the Ice Sea.


    It seems this time they are determined.


    Brother Han, thank you for aiding Fellow Shi Bai, but you must be tired by now, take a good rest at our guest tower,¡± Master Han Li said to Han Li, offering to dismiss him.


    Han Li rose and departed without any sign of reluctance.


    ¡°In a couple of days, I will introduce you to two other Fellow Daoists.


    They are renowned Loose Cultivators from our Great Jin; I am sure you and they will hit it off,¡± Master Han Li then said to Han Li, suddenly speaking thus.


    ¡°Understood!


    Thanks for the trouble, Master Daoist,¡± Han Li replied casually, nodding, then a streak of light arose, and he disappeared from the corridor.


    After the green light had vanished from the hall, Master Han Li then turned to Bai Yaoyi and seriously said:


    ¡°Fellow Shi Bai, send a Sound Transmission Talisman and summon all the elders staying in the palace here immediately.


    We must discuss this thoroughl and also, double the guard personnel right away.


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± Bai Yaoyi nodded, then flipped her hand, and a stack of Sound Transmission Talismans appeared in her hand.


    Han Li returned to the temporary lodging in the attic, entered the second floor, and sat down cross-legged.


    On the way back, Bai Yaoyi briefly told him about what had happened during Han Li¡¯s alchemy period.


    It turned out that she had stumbled upon a gathering of high-grade demon-transformed beasts during her patrol, including those from the Ice Sea and Inland.


    Among them, one prominent figure was the Deputy Valley Master of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the green-back gray wolf, and the notorious colossal beast from the Ice Sea, the Two-headed Black Flood Dragon.


    However, before she could gather any precise information, she was discovered by these demon beasts.


    Naturally, she fled.


    It¡¯s unclear whether these beasts had other important matters to attend to or were confident enough that the two demon beasts-the snake demon and another-were more than enough to handle her, but no others pursued.


    Thus, halfway through her escape, she still had to face a fierce battle with the two demons.


    Resulting in her being accidentally poisoned, she had no choice but to seek refuge with Han Li.


    Eventually, with a display of divine skill from Han Li, the two demons were slain.


    Now, with his eyes closed and a calm demeanor, he contemplated the matter, his thoughts unsettled.


    (Today, I had something come up and had to request a half-day off urgently!)(To be continued, for the continuation of the story, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1090 - Chapter 1090 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 186 Celestial Ice Flame Sect Master

    ?Chapter 1090: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 186 Celestial Ice Flame Sect Master Chapter 1090: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 186 Celestial Ice Flame Sect Master Unexpectedly to Han Li, in the following days, Minor Extreme Palace only enhanced its security without the turmoil he imagined, and Bai Yaoyi also vanished, seemingly preoccupied with more pressing matters.


    Han Li remained indifferent about this.


    At this point, nothing in this realm could endanger his life, except possibly facing the relentless pursuit of Deity Transformation stage cultivators, or finding himself in a desperate situation.


    Thus, instead of fleeing from the kind of major vortex he would have avoided in the past, he remained unusually calm.


    Part of this was because he had already agreed to help Fellow Daoist Han Li in breaking through to the Divinity Transformation stage, but more importantly, the secret technique given by the Great Elder of Minor Extreme Palace for overcoming cultivation bottlenecks was only the part that required his spellcasting to complete.


    To fully understand this secret technique, he would have to participate personally at least once, which somewhat frustrated Han Li upon discovering this.


    Moreover, despite paying special attention, he found no clues about the Sun Essence Fire, making him even less willing to leave.


    He visited the Scripture Pavilion once more, using up the remaining two days entirely to search for any news of Sun Essence Fire, only to find no leads.


    Han Li was not surprised; if it had been that easy to find something, he would have been truly astonished.


    In the time that followed, Han Li earnestly meditated in the guest building, not stepping out at all, treating Minor Extreme Palace as if it were his own cave dwelling.


    A month passed in a blink, and Minor Extreme Palace remained calm, yet anyone could feel the heaviness preceding the storm.


    On this day, Han Li¡¯s cultivation was interrupted.


    A visitor had finally arrived, and it was a woman whose appearance closely resembled Bai Yaoyi.


    She was also at the mid Nascent Soul stage but seemed to be at its peak, slightly surpassing Bai Yaoyi.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Are you the cousin of Fairy Bai?¡± Han Li, with his hands clasped behind his back, stared at the woman in front of him, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Indeed, I am Bai Mengxin, an Inner Palace Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace, and one of the cultivators who cultivated the Extreme Cold Flame,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard from Fellow Daoist Han Li that besides him, there are two others in your palace who cultivate the Extreme Cold Flame.


    Turns out you¡¯re one of them.


    Is there any advice you wish to offer by bringing this up all of a sudden?¡± Han Li, with a flicker in his eyes, responded.


    Although the woman was exceptionally beautiful, her pallid face still gave him a slight chill, clearly related to her cultivation technique, and Han Li did not dare underestimate her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ve heard that Brother Han is proficient in Divine Skills, comparable to a later-stage great cultivator, and that the Purple Apex Flames you cultivate are profoundly mysterious.


    I would like to compare my own Profound Ice Arts with your Extreme Cold Flame to see how it fares,¡± said the woman as she raised her hand and extended a delicate jade finger, a glint of cold light at her fingertip revealing a strand of white Celestial Ice Flame.


    This flame, like a wisp of light smoke, drifted faintly, seemingly powerless.


    However, Han Li, being a cultivator of Extreme Cold Flame himself, could unusually sense through a mysterious intuition that this wisp of white flame was terrifying, causing his expression to become solemn.


    ¡°Very well!


    I have long heard about the three great Extreme Cold Flames of your palace; let¡¯s experience them now.


    But, are you sure you want to do this here?¡± Han Li looked around and suddenly chuckled.


    ¡°Why not?


    I only want to test the power of your Extreme Cold Flame, not actually fight seriously,¡± replied Bai Mengxin, her face rarely showing a light smile as she blew a breath of cold air at the white flame on her fingertip.


    The white Celestial Ice Flame expanded several times upon her breath, and after a slight rotation, it turned into a small white snake that darted towards Han Li.


    Han Li frowned and swept his sleeves around, instantly shooting several different-colored formation flags into the void, disappearing without a trace.


    A pale red light screen then appeared, sealing the area around him.


    Opening his mouth, he spit out a small cluster of purple flames, which turned into a small purple bird flying towards the incoming Fire Serpent.


    As Han Li and Bai Mengxin watched, the white and purple flames collided, intertwining and emanating low thunderous rumblings.


    In an instant, the purple flame expanded, gradually engulfing the white Celestial Ice Flame.


    Moments later, the white serpent was gone, leaving only the now brighter purple Firebird circling in place, like a spirit of fire.


    Bai Mengxin¡¯s face showed a trace of emotion upon seeing this scene.


    But Han Li calmly beckoned with his hand, and the purple Firebird turned into a cluster of purple flames, shooting back and vanishing into his sleeve.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist¡¯s Purple Apex Flames truly are extraordinary; this reassures me.


    Brother Han, please come with me.


    The other two possessors of Extreme Cold Flame are already at our palace, waiting at the Great Elder¡¯s residence,¡± Bai Mengxin declared her true purpose without hesitation.


    ¡°So it seems.


    It appears Fairy Bai does not fully trust me, thus wanted to test me personally,¡± Han Li, nonchalantly smiling.


    Bai Mengxin didn¡¯t add anything, merely nodding slightly.


    Then she formed a hand seal, turning into a white streak of light that shot out directly through the window.


    Seeing this, Han Li touched his nose, showing a hint of helplessness.


    The woman had also entered through the window when she arrived, which had genuinely startled him.


    ¡°`


    However, seeing that the woman had already escaped, Han Li could only transform into a streak of cyan light and likewise escaped through the window of the attic.


    After the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li and the woman had entered the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Hall where Fellow Daoist Han Li resided.


    In the hall, the giant cauldron emitting Celestial Ice Flame remained as it was, and nearby, four people were seated on several cushions.


    Fellow Daoist Han Li sat together with a man in blue robes.


    An elderly woman with white hair and a monk in grey robes with long eyebrows sat opposite them, slightly farther away.


    As soon as Han Li and Bai Mengxin entered the hall, the four people¡¯s gazes immediately fell upon them, but Han Li clearly sensed that the elderly woman and the monk only glanced over Bai Mengxin and primarily focused on him.


    Naturally, Han Li did not hold back and his spiritual sense swept over them as well.


    These two individuals also possessed strong cultivation; the elderly woman was around the same realm as himself, while the monk was at the mid Nascent Soul stage peak.


    Han Li slowly stepped forward, slightly greeted the four with a cupped fist salute, and then sat down on another cushion discretely, which was neither too far nor too close from the four.


    Bai Mengxin then sat down beside Fellow Daoist Han Li.


    ¡°Lady Long, Master Mo Jiu, this is Fellow Daoist Han.


    He is the fifth cultivator with the ability of Extreme Cold Flame that this old man managed to find after several centuries of painstaking research for a breakthrough method to overcome the Deity Transformation bottleneck.


    Today, we can finally give it a try,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li warmly introduced Han Li, then spoke with barely concealed excitement.


    The old woman looked at Han Li coldly without any expression, not saying anything, seeming to have quite a peculiar temper.


    On the contrary, the monk in gray robes had a gentle and kind appearance of a high monk and gave Han Li a friendly smile.


    ¡°I heard from Fellow Daoist Han Li that Brother Han, like this old monk, does not cultivate ice or cold attribute techniques, yet you also possess Extreme Cold Flame.


    Is this true?¡± the monk asked in a steady tone.


    ¡°Han Li merely came across it by a fluke,¡± Han Li replied calmly.


    ¡°I heard that your Celestial Ice Flame is created uniquely by you.


    The emergence of new Celestial Ice Flame is an event from tens of thousands of years ago.


    Could you let this old woman have a look?¡± the old woman said in an extremely indifferent tone, yet her voice was as melodic as that of a young maiden.


    This caused Han Li to be taken aback for a moment, making him involuntarily glance at her.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han need not be surprised!


    Lady Long is the Great Elder of the Willow Green Faction, and her cultivation technique is quite special, hence her voice maintains the youthfulness,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li timely explained to Han Li.


    Hearing this explanation from Fellow Daoist Han Li, Han Li still couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment.


    Although he had seen many female cultivators preserving their youth, cultivation techniques specialized in maintaining a youthful voice were unheard of by him.


    Seeing Han Li look at her with such a strange expression, the old woman¡¯s white hair trembled and she coldly snorted:


    ¡°What, do you have any advice regarding our Willow Green Faction techniques?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, I was merely curious for a moment.


    My Celestial Ice Flame has not been refined at all; how dare I compare it with the Extreme Cold Flame of the esteemed fellows.¡± With his current divine skills, Han Li naturally did not fear a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator, but he also did not want to make unnecessary enemies and thus responded with a light-hearted remark.


    Hearing Han Li say this, the old woman had no choice but to press no further and simply drooped her eyelids, saying nothing more.


    At this moment, Bai Mengxin covertly transmitted a few words to Fellow Daoist Han Li.


    After listening to only a few words, Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s brows immediately showed a hint of joy, then he deeply looked at Han Li and discreetly coughed before speaking.


    ¡°Alright, Lady Long and Master Mo Jiu are good friends of mine for many years, and Fellow Daoist Han also shares a deep friendship with one of the elders of this palace.


    Thus, I was able to invite the three of you to assist me this time.


    Although by my estimates, the success rate is only thirty percent, my current situation really cannot be delayed any longer.


    I can only risk giving it a try.¡±


    ¡°Although your lifespan is nearing its end, on my way here, I have already discovered many high-level demon beasts gathering near Beiming Island.


    Undertaking this secret technique now seems to carry too great a risk for your palace,¡± the monk seemed genuinely concerned.


    ¡°Master Mo Jiu, rest assured.


    It would naturally be best if this breakthrough attempt succeeds, then I will no longer fear those demons.


    If not, this palace has already prepared contingencies and won¡¯t allow the entire sect to fall due to my demise,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li said with unusual confidence.


    ¡°Seeing that Fellow Daoist Shi speaks so, this monk is reassured,¡± the monk in grey robes said with a smile.


    ¡°I have no objections either; I have long been curious about the true mysteries of this secret technique,¡± the old woman likewise nodded.


    Seeing the two speak this way, Fellow Daoist Han Li was very satisfied, and when his gaze fell on Han Li, Han Li said indifferently:


    ¡°Whenever it starts, I have no objections either, I have been waiting for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!


    Since the three of you have no objections.


    Please, come with me.


    I have prepared everything,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li rubbed his hands together, pleasantly stood up.


    (The first update)(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters to support the author and support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1091 - Chapter 1091 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 187 Void Spirit Hall

    ?Chapter 1091: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 187 Void Spirit Hall Chapter 1091: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 187 Void Spirit Hall Han Li and his two companions also stood up, and Monk Han Li took a few steps forward, walking to the side of a Giant Cauldron.


    He muttered some incantations and with a single gesture, a blue Daoist paper talisman burst towards it.


    The Giant Cauldron immediately buzzed and emitted a brilliant blue light; its size quickly shrank to the size of a fist and hovered mid-air.


    Weirdly, under the cauldron, a dark and murky hole appeared on the ground, and a crystal clear ice staircase slanted downwards, its destination unknown.


    Monk Han Li made a beckoning gesture toward the mini-cauldron with one hand and tucked it into his sleeve, then led the way down.


    Bai Mengxin and a middle-aged man in green followed closely behind.


    An old woman and a monk in a grey robe exchanged glances before following them down.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes as he regarded the hole, a smirk that was not quite a smirk appeared on his lips, and he too followed them down.


    Not far into the interior, the previously pitch-black passage began to light up.


    It was then that everyone could clearly see that the walls of the passage were also made of Profound Ice, and every few distances, an egg-sized moon light stone was embedded, twinkling brightly, as if they were in a crystal palace.


    After descending a hundred meters, they finally reached the end of the ice stairs, and the passage then leveled out and led straight in a certain direction.


    Although it was the first time Han Li, the old woman, and the others were walking this passage, they were all experienced individuals and none showed a surprised expression; instead, they looked as composed as if they were walking in their own courtyards.


    After walking the time it would take to eat a meal, the group eventually exited the ice passage and entered an underground hall.


    This hall was constructed from ordinary jade, which gave it an extremely ancient appearance, as if it had existed for many years.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    However, at the end of the hall facing Han Li and others wasn¡¯t a wall but a gigantic stone door, milky-white and standing twenty to thirty meters tall, covered with layers of runes and some unknown ancient bizarre patterns, all flickering with various colors of Spiritual Light.


    Even more startling to Han Li was the sight of a group of cultivators standing in front of this stone door, around sixteen or seventeen in total, each with at least a Nascent Soul cultivation level; although mostly early Nascent Soul, the sheer number was astonishing nonetheless.


    Among them were Bai Yaoyi and a grey-haired old man, standing at the forefront of the group.


    Han Li blinked, his gaze subconsciously sweeping over the monk, Bai Mengxin, and the others.


    Bai Mengxin and her two companions were calm and composed, while the monk and the old woman inadvertently furrowed their brows, surprise flickering through their eyes-it was clear that the appearance of so many people here had also greatly exceeded their expectations.


    ¡°Monk Han Li, who are these cultivators¡­¡± the grey-robed monk couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for surprise, Master.


    These are the Great Elders of our palace.


    To enter the Mystic Jade Cave within the Void Spirit Hall, their help is required!


    It¡¯s only with the extreme cold from inside the cave in the hall that I can potentially break through my bottleneck and grasp an additional ten percent,¡± Monk Han Li replied, turning around with a slight smile.


    ¡°Void Spirit Hall!¡± The monk exclaimed in shock.


    The old woman¡¯s eyes sparkled upon hearing this, and even Han Li couldn¡¯t hide his stirred expression.


    ¡°Dear Fellow Daoists, you must have seen the three Virtual Spirit Halls in the center of the secret realm from outside.


    Although they share the same name, each holds its unique mysteries.


    The Mystic Jade Cave is located within one of them.


    Moreover, the true entrance to the Void Spirit Hall isn¡¯t through the three large hall doors outside but through a secret passage that leads directly underground,¡± the middle-aged man in green also added with a smile.


    Han Li had already noticed this man in green robes, and although Monk Han Li hadn¡¯t introduced him, Han Li knew he was a cultivator from Minor Extreme Palace also practicing another type of Celestial Ice Flame.


    However, his ordinary appearance and slightly sinister gaze warranted extra caution from Han Li.


    At that moment, Bai Yaoyi and other awaiting cultivators also came forward to greet them.


    ¡°Great Elder, are you really deciding to open the Void Spirit Hall?


    Isn¡¯t this a bit irregular?


    Our Minor Extreme Palace has historically only opened the Void Spirit Hall in situations of imminent disaster when we cannot fend off enemies.


    Moreover, letting cultivators from outside the palace into the Mystic Jade Cave is unprecedented,¡± the grey-haired elder with a large blue spot on his cheek stated, although bowing to Monk Han Li, his tone carried an unruly demeanor.


    Han Li was taken aback by his words.


    How could a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator be so disrespectful to Monk Han Li, given the vast difference in their cultivation levels!


    Not only Han Li, but the old woman and the monk, also showed expressions of astonishment.


    ¡°Elder Ye, you worry too much.


    Although the Void Spirit Hall is typically unsealed during times of crisis, our ancestors never stated that it couldn¡¯t be opened during normal times.


    News has already arrived from outside the island that groups of demons are approaching, so opening the Void Spirit Hall earlier makes sense.


    Besides, we are not opening all three at once, and as the Great Elder, surely I have the authority to decide this,¡± Monk Han Li responded calmly, seemingly having anticipated the grey-haired elder¡¯s objection, without any hint of surprise.


    ¡°Even so, the Void Spirit Hall is a forbidden area of our palace, and having these three external cultivators enter is highly improper.


    As a Supervisory Elder, I will not agree to this,¡± the grey-haired elder said, sweeping his gaze over Han Li and the others, unyielding.


    Han Li and his companions frowned upon hearing such discourteous words, with the old woman openly scoffing and showing a displeased expression.


    ¡°Elder Ye holds the Supervisory Spiritual Treasure, indeed he has the qualifications to oppose the decision of the senior elder.


    But if I obtain the agreement of more than two-thirds of the guarding elders, Elder Ye¡¯s opposition will be invalid.¡± Han Li spoke indifferently, his expression unchanged.


    However, Han Li noticed something as he was talking about the Supervisory Spiritual Treasure; this late-Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s eyes twitched briefly, seemingly showing a hint of apprehension.


    Han Li was also taken aback.


    The Supervisory Spiritual Treasure, could it possibly refer to a heavenly skill spiritual treasure or some replica of a spiritual treasure?


    If so, a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator indeed has the capacity to battle with a cultivator of the later stage.


    And this gray-haired elder seemed to have established another faction within the Minor Extreme Palace, vaguely capable of contending with Han Li.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t dare to be so assertive.


    But now, upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the elder¡¯s expression changed instantly, and he abruptly turned to look at his fellow disciples behind him.


    Among them, several averted their gazes, not daring to look directly at him.


    A heaviness settled in the heart of the gray-haired elder.


    ¡°I thought it strange that Junior Brother Jin and the others were deployed elsewhere; it seems Elder Han had planned this in advance.


    Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll not be the villain here.


    I hope Elder achieves a breakthrough successfully.


    I¡¯m going off to patrol above to keep an eye on those demons.¡± The elder¡¯s expression was somewhat ugly, but he still managed to maintain a trace of composure, and then with a swift movement, he walked out of the hall.


    Han Li did not make it difficult for the man, just coldly watched as he disappeared at the entrance.


    ¡°Junior brothers, prepare to open the seal,¡± said the middle-aged man in green robe, no longer hesitating.


    At his words, none of the Minor Extreme Palace elders spoke differently.


    They each took out a jade pendant of the same style from their bodies, raising them into the air, emitting auras of different colors.


    Han Li was startled by the sight of these pendants, but he quickly acted as if nothing was amiss.


    These magic artifacts turned out to be the same as the jade pendant that Han Li had taken back from him.


    He glanced sideways at Han Li, but did not see him taking out the reserved one.


    At that moment, under the leadership of the man in the green robe, waves of spell incantations were chanted by the cultivators, and the jade pendants began to shine brightly, turning into large and small orbs of light.


    Under the drive of the incantations, they flew high into the sky toward one spot, then gathered together and elongated, transforming into the mirage of a five-colored woman.


    The woman had a slender figure, her features indistinct, but her bright eyes shone like stars in the sky, unforgettable.


    Seeing this mirage, all the Minor Extreme Palace cultivators, including Han Li, bowed slightly toward the mirage, their faces solemn and respectful.


    When Han Li and the others saw this, how could they not understand?


    This woman, almost certainly, was the ancient expert who had founded Minor Extreme Palace; otherwise, why would a mere mirage command such reverence?


    Yet to know that she was a woman was quite beyond Han Li¡¯s expectations.


    He couldn¡¯t help but ponder what her connection could possibly be to the Scattered Stars Sea and the Star Palace.


    To say there was no connection at all, he certainly would not believe.


    Both the similarity between Void Spirit Hall and Star Palace, as well as the appearance of the Celestial Ice Flame, couldn¡¯t possibly all be coincidences.


    While Han Li was deep in thought, the woman¡¯s mirage, driven by the cultivators, slowly flew towards the stone door.


    ¡°Suddenly,¡± a sound of ¡°Puchi,¡± as soon as the mirage touched the stone door, it burst apart on its own, its spectral lights flashing on the door, then disappeared.


    The runes on the massive stone door began to fade, quickly becoming plain and unadorned, devoid of any spiritual energy.


    Suddenly, a series of crackling noises erupted, and many jade pendants appeared out of thin air above the top of the stone door, one by one falling lifelessly.


    The Minor Extreme Palace cultivators hastily reached out their hands to call their pendants back.


    Seeing this, Han Li revealed a smile, and quickly stepped forward, his sleeves lightly sweeping towards the stone door.


    A blast of blue mist swept out, like a breeze striking the door, and the door, as if made of paper, silently split in two, opening inward.


    Before anyone had a chance to look carefully inside the door, they saw Han Li suddenly sway and retreat to the far distance, while shouting solemnly:


    ¡°Junior brothers, be careful!¡±


    Han Li was startled, not understanding what was happening when suddenly_SNH a thunderous sound came from inside the stone door.


    Following that, as if countless fierce beasts were roaring simultaneously, a vast expanse of white cold wind surged out from inside.


    Wherever it passed, ice spread, the floor and pillars glistened, and amidst the cold, sounds of thunder mingled.


    The cultivators were shocked, those with weaker cultivation retreated rapidly, while those with stronger cultivation either released protective light shields or sacrificed protective talismans.


    The white cold wind swept through the entire hall in an instant.


    (Second update!)(To be continued.


    For further reading please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available and support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1092 - Chapter 1092 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 188 Ice Cold Fierce Soul Array

    ?Chapter 1092: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 188 Ice Cold Fierce Soul Array Chapter 1092: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 188 Ice Cold Fierce Soul Array Han Li¡¯s body manifested a layer of Purple Apex Flames.


    Despite the cold wind blowing past him, he remained still.


    As soon as the white wind touched the violet flames, it mysteriously merged into them, becoming invisible.


    At the same time, Han Li glanced sideways and saw that the entire hall had transformed into a glacial land, but the other cultivators who possessed the Celestial Ice Flame were also safe and sound.


    Apart from the white Celestial Ice Flame released by Bai Mengxin, Fellow Daoist Han Li held a small cauldron in front of him, spouting a gush of Celestial Ice Flame that protected him; the middle-aged man in a green robe stared at a shield formed from black Celestial Ice Flame with his hands clasped behind his back; the old crone now held a yellow walking stick that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, and from one end of the stick, she released yellow flames, taking cover behind it.


    The grey-robed monk brought his hands together, and from his palms emitted a faint green Celestial Ice Flame which formed into a green flood dragon coiling around himself, the green flames flickering as they warded off the cold wind.


    As for Bai Yaoyi and other cultivators with slightly higher cultivation, although they also had divine skills to counter the cold wind, the light from their spiritual shields and magical artifacts flickered under the force of the wind, clearly struggling greatly.


    In the blink of an eye, the roaring from within the stone room ceased abruptly, and the cold wind gradually subsided and dispersed.


    The whole hall instantly fell silent.


    With a flicker in his gaze, Han Li formed an incantation with one hand, and the violet flames on his body wavered before being retracted into his body; then he looked towards what lay beyond the stone gateway.


    All he could see was a crystal-clear snowy white, but numerous, densely-packed tall ice columns stood erect, forming what seemed to be a labyrinthine place.


    A sudden thought flashed past Han Li¡¯s mind, and he immediately extended his spiritual sense towards it.


    But as soon as he entered the stone room, his spiritual sense became dull and unresponsive, indeed there was a special Soul Binding Restriction imposed within.


    The old crone and the others naturally also noticed the situation behind the stone door, each displaying differing expressions.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, please be careful.


    This is my first time entering the Void Spirit Hall.


    Although I can control most of the restrictive formations inside, there are some that are beyond my understanding.


    Stay close and follow me; do not wander off to the wrong place and trigger some other restriction,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li, exhaling deeply before turning to address Han Li and the others with a serious tone.


    ¡°Of course, how could we possibly wreak havoc in your esteemed palace¡¯s forbidden lands?¡± The old crone, detecting Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s concern, responded indifferently.


    Han Li and the grey-robed monk indicated agreement with this approach.


    Seeing their reaction, Fellow Daoist Han Li nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the other elders from the Minor Extreme Palace and instructed:


    ¡°This attempt to break through the bottleneck will take at least three to five days, or as long as a month.


    If those demons attack our palace during this period, you should respond according to the original plan.


    If there are other unforeseen events and I do not emerge within two months, proceed according to the contingency plan as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Great Elder!¡± The crowd of cultivators solemnly and unanimously responded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li then turned back around, flinging his sleeves.


    A fist-sized Pure White Array Plate appeared in his hand, and holding this magical artifact with one hand, he led the way towards the stone door.


    Han Li and the other three naturally followed closely behind.


    Upon entering the stone room, Fellow Daoist Han Li cast incantations with one hand on the Array Plate, and at once, the wide-open door rumbled and closed, with varied runes reemerging and flashing with spiritual light.


    The old crone and the grey-robed monk exchanged glances upon seeing this, both revealing a hint of surprise in their eyes.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, rest assured.


    Though it is quite challenging to open the Void Spirit Hall from the outside, it is, on the contrary, quite effortless to do so from within.


    I have temporarily sealed it to prevent others from disturbing us,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li explained.


    Upon hearing this, the old crone and the monk had no option but to accept his explanation, while Han Li appeared indifferent, seemingly unconcerned by this matter.


    The group progressed ten-odd zhang and arrived in front of a series of ice columns.


    The white crystal light flickered incessantly, dazzling to the eyes.


    ¡°These Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Columns total one thousand and eight, all of which have been meticulously refined by ancient experts.


    This is the renowned ¡®Ice Cold Fierce Soul Array¡¯ from ancient times.


    Without the corresponding magical artifact, entering this array would likely result in being permanently encased in ice by the profound cold energy of the array in an instant.


    The cold wind we experienced outside is the cold air produced by the array after being sealed for a thousand years.


    Even with the five of us wielding the Extreme Cold Flame, survival within this array is still uncertain,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li reminded them in an impassive manner.


    The old crone and the monk, upon hearing this, looked at the Profound Ice Columns in front of them with a mix of belief and skepticism on their faces.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist Han Li, rest assured.


    We have no interest in truly experiencing the power of this array,¡± chuckled Han Li lightly.


    Upon hearing this, Fellow Daoist Han Li laughed heartily and then shook the Array Plate in his hand towards the endless stretch of ice columns.


    Instantly, a milky radiance burst from the Array Plate.


    As it passed, the ice columns¡¯ light trembled, and like a series of mirages, they continuously flashed, forming a pathway dozens of zhang wide.


    The white radiance continued unceasingly from the Array Plate as Fellow Daoist Han Li held it and proceeded forward.


    The procession closely followed, not daring to fall behind in the slightest.


    Han Li walked at the back, his gaze occasionally sweeping around.


    The Profound Ice Columns were extraordinarily thick; it would take two people to wrap their arms around one.


    Each column looked smooth on the surface, but upon closer inspection, there were various colored runes tumbling inside.


    However, just as one tried to take a closer look, the runes would disappear, an incredibly mystical sight.


    Looking up, a thick pale white cold fog obscured everything fifty or sixty zhang above- the top halves of the ice columns were completely enveloped, preventing a full view.


    But one thing was certain: these columns contained terrifying powers of extreme cold.


    Even though they were several zhang apart, one could still feel wisps of extreme cold radiating.


    Although it wasn¡¯t comparable to the power of the Extreme Cold Flames, this type of cold was definitely not just any ordinary chill.


    No wonder Fellow Daoist Han Li was so confident!


    As Han Li pondered, the group had already covered several hundred zhang, yet the Profound Ice Columns seemed endless, tightly lined up on both sides.


    It was hard to believe that there were only a little more than a thousand- the sect-wide formation was truly mystical.


    This scene also secretly astonished everyone else.


    Ultimately, after walking for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they suddenly emerged from the group of ice columns and encountered what appeared to be an altar-like platform ahead, about twenty zhang tall and over a hundred zhang wide.


    The platform was pure white as jade, enveloped in a layer of light blue light, with a faint golden side door on each side, seven or eight zhang tall.


    Its surface had several ancient runes pasted on it, sealed as if leading to some other place.


    Upon seeing this light screen, Fellow Daoist Han Li showed a relieved expression, stowed away the Pure White Array Plate, and strode forward to stand in front of the altar.


    He raised his hands, blue light twinkled, and the Celestial Ice Flame was released, instantly enveloping his palms.


    With a flick of his fingers, his hands directly pressed against the light screen.


    Suddenly, the blue flames and light screen intertwined and flickered, causing the entire altar light screen to tremble lightly.


    Then, a blinding light surged across the altar, as if it had become something tangible.


    Following a crisp ¡°Puchi¡± sound, the entire light screen, like crystal, shattered inch by inch from the center where Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s hands were.


    In the blink of an eye, it turned to nothing.


    Without hesitation, Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s figure flickered and he stood atop the altar.


    Han Li and the others also turned into a streak of light, appearing beside Fellow Daoist Han Li.


    At this time, Fellow Daoist Han Li stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the ground in front of him intently!


    Han Li¡¯s gaze followed suit, only to discover that at the center of the altar, there was a strange Array engraved, over twenty zhang in size, with a Giant Cauldron pattern in the middle, which clearly matched the Heavenvoid Cauldron inside his body.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly, but he quickly acted as if nothing was amiss.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, have you seen a similar Array before?¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li, whether intentionally or unintentionally, swept his gaze over Han Li¡¯s face.


    Although Han Li quickly regained his composure, the earlier trace of expression was caught by him, leading him to directly ask.


    Han Li was startled inwardly but slowly replied:


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ve seen something similar in some ancient ruin before.


    But upon closer inspection, they are different.


    It was just a momentary illusion.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, smiling but not quite smiling, as if he did not fully believe Han Li¡¯s words, and did not pursue further.


    Instead, with a flick of his sleeve, a small cauldron shrouded in Celestial Ice Flame shot out, circling before floating above the center of the Array.


    Han Li pursed his lips, involuntarily holding his breath.


    The others watched the scene with unwavering attention.


    Raising a single hand in a gesture as if picking a flower, the other hand flicked towards the small cauldron in the air.


    With a muted ¡°rumble,¡± the cauldron rapidly enlarged, and then, with a ¡°Puchi,¡± an intensely fierce blue Celestial Ice Flame erupted from within the cauldron, quickly covering every inch of the small cauldron¡¯s surface, and the pattern of the Giant Cauldron from before vividly reappeared.


    At this moment, Bai Mengxin and the man in the green shirt also stepped forward, raising their hands to spew a stream of white and black flames, respectively, striking both sides of the Array on the ground.


    A thunderous ¡°rumble, rumble¡± resounded, and the Array sparked with spiritual light being ignited by these two streams of cold flames.


    The pattern of the Giant Cauldron in the center emitted a blinding blue light.


    The light then slowly emerged, transforming into a blue light cauldron.


    As soon as the blue light cauldron fully materialized, the Giant Cauldron, manipulated by Fellow Daoist Han Li, immediately descended.


    With a flurry of flashing blue light, they fused into one.


    Then, with a ¡°boom,¡± the Giant Cauldron landed firmly in the center of the Array.


    A strange chant suddenly came from Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s mouth, and the Celestial Ice Flame burst forth like a volcanic eruption, spewing from the Giant Cauldron and quickly enveloping the entire Array.


    As soon as the Celestial Ice Flame touched the Array, a dazzling spiritual light erupted, and the entire altar began to tremble violently.


    From the center of the Array, where the Giant Cauldron was, a crack slowly opened, growing larger and wider.


    This caused Han Li and the others to rise into the air, looking down in astonishment.


    Below, the Giant Cauldron that had ejected the blue flames now hung in midair, and from the crack beneath, a milky white light faintly emerged, seemingly bright and clear inside.


    (First update!) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1093 - Chapter 1093 Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 189 Mystic Jade Cave

    ?Chapter 1093: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 189 Mystic Jade Cave Chapter 1093: Volume 6 Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasure Chapter 189 Mystic Jade Cave ¡°`


    ¡°This place here is Void Spirit Hall¡¯s largest secret treasure, the Mystic Jade Cave.


    Although the cave is not large, the Profound Jade within it has existed since ancient times.


    It was forged from an entire vein of Mystic Jade by ancient experts through immense mana, condensed into this very cave.


    While Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade and Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice differ by only one word, their distinction is not something you, fellow Daoists, would be unaware of.


    Once out of this hall, even if one were to excavate the entire northland, finding even a few pieces of Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade would be nearly impossible,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li with a proud expression as he stared at the fissure on the altar.


    The middle-aged man from the azure mountain and Bai Mengxin also showed a flicker of excitement.


    ¡°Indeed, had it not been for Fellow Daoist mentioning the Mystic Jade Cave first, we might have hardly believed that your Star Palace harbored such treasures.


    This Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade need not be much; just a piece the size of a fist, when incorporated into a Daoist paper talisman, would immediately bestow Innate True Fire, capable of releasing astonishingly cold Qi to harm enemies invisibly.


    None of such materials as Mystic Ice can compare to it,¡± said the grey-robed monk with some emotion as he looked at the fissure.


    The old crone glanced at the fissure as well, her eyes also twinkling brightly.


    Han Li simply touched the smooth surface of the small golden sword hidden up his sleeve with his finger and smiled faintly without speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told Junior Sister Bai and Junior Brother Ouyang that no matter whether the three of you can help me break through the bottleneck of Divinity Transformation, I will gift each of you a piece of Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade afterward to express the sincerity of our Minor Extreme Palace,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li as he observed the expressions of Han Li and the others, and then broke into a light smile.


    ¡°Are Fellow Daoist¡¯s words truly so?¡± Even the cold and arrogant crone couldn¡¯t help but ask with great joy upon hearing this.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã?


    ¡°As a Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace, I can still deliver on this promise,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li with a nod and wag of his head.


    Even the grey-robed monk¡¯s expression now revealed joy.


    After all, Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade is a material nearly extinct in the outside world, something priceless and unmarketable.


    Even with Spirit Stones, it is nowhere to be bought.


    And if one does manage to acquire it, blending it into one¡¯s magic treasures would naturally increase the power of the magic treasures substantially.


    Upon hearing Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s words, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but admire the dwarf¡¯s generosity.


    However, with such a hefty reward, when the time came, it would be rather difficult for them not to give their full effort.


    ¡°Alright, let us now enter the Mystic Jade Cave.


    The cold Qi inside the Mystic Jade Cave is exceptionally fierce; as soon as you enter, you must protect yourself with the Extreme Cold Flame, otherwise, you may not be able to withstand it.


    Fortunately, there is a specially opened area inside the cave that can resist the erosion of the Mystic Jade Cold Qi, where we can meditate and recover mana.


    Otherwise, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay inside for long,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li with such a reminder.


    Soon after, the dwarf opened his mouth and a group of bright blue Fireballs burst forth, turning into a large blue bird that soared towards the ceiling, only to circle around and then swoop down, plunging straight into the body of the dwarf.


    In an instant, amidst the clear chirping, a large bird¡¯s phantom flashed behind Fellow Daoist Han Li and vanished, but a layer of Blue Ice Spikes erupted, enveloping him within.


    He pinched a talisman with both hands, and his figure moved gently towards the fissure.


    Bai Mengxin and the crone, among others, also cast spells, releasing their own Celestial Ice Flames and flying towards the fissure.


    Han Li, however, frowned and glanced around at the light golden side doors and the Giant Cauldron floating above the fissure, somewhat hesitant.


    But suddenly recalling something, he let out a wry smile and, under the protection of the Purple Apex Flames, followed suit.


    The moment he flew into the fissure, a layer of milky white cold light swept towards him, making a strange ¡°sizzling¡± noise upon contact with Han Li¡¯s violet flame, as if water and fire were incompatible, causing the violet flame to flicker and sway unsteadily.


    Han Li shuddered, and without a chance to inspect his surroundings, rubbed his hands together and released another burst of Purple Apex Flames for protection, finally stabilizing his own Celestial Ice Flame.


    It was only then that he had time to take a closer look around.


    The so-called Mystic Jade Cave was actually nothing more than an underground cave.


    However, this cave was formed by a rare vein of Mystic Jade, a material several times colder than Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice.


    Specks of it the size of rice grains were scattered around the sides of the cave, emitting milky white cold light.


    As he descended further down, the cold light grew more concentrated, and the sound of it striking the violet flame became as incessant as rain hitting banana leaves.


    Taken aback, Han Li faintly felt something amiss and noticed that no one below seemed to pay him any attention for the time being.


    Without further thought, he reached out to the cold light in the void and, through sheer mana, pulled a strand of cold light into his hand, enveloped by the violet flame, and looked at it intently.


    It seemed to be ordinary cold Qi with nothing special about it, but Han Li frowned and suddenly infused spiritual power into his pupils.


    After a flash of blue light in his eyes, astonishment flashed across his face.


    Under the gaze of the Brightsight Spirit Water, these milky white cold lights actually showed hints of a physical form, and wrapped in the violet flame, they stretched and contracted restlessly as if alive, showing no fear for the extreme cold of the Purple Apex Flames, and were simply unable to merge.


    ¡°What is this?


    It seems like the cold Qi is spiritual, but it doesn¡¯t quite fit!¡± Han Li¡¯s amazement was naturally hard to describe.


    This was merely the cold Qi¡¯s own attacks; if it could be manipulated by someone to amass and attack a singular point, he feared that even his Purple Apex Flames would be insufficient to defend.


    ¡°`


    A thought swiftly turned in his mind, and he suddenly remembered something.


    His hands rapidly rubbed together again, and this time, a strand of crimson fire began to appear within the violet flame.


    The unusual fire, upon making contact with a strand of milky white cold light, instantly absorbed it completely, mixing as intimately as milk blends with water.


    Upon seeing this scene, a fleeting expression of joy flashed across Han Li¡¯s face, his heart brimming with delight.


    The True Fire of Taiyin truly lived up to Silvermoon¡¯s description as one of the three great True Spirit Fires.


    Although at present there was only a strand, and its power was far from comparable to the Purple Apex Flames, its capacity for absorption and integration seemed unbelievably strong.


    When he first began to refine this strand of True Fire of Taiyin, he had also temporarily merged a bit of Purple Apex Flames into it without any issue.


    Of course, to completely transform it into True Fire of Taiyin would naturally take more than a decade or two.


    Otherwise, Han Li had seriously considered converting all of the Purple Apex Flames into it.


    After all, this strand of True Fire of Taiyin already possessed a hint of sentience and was evidently a higher existence than the Extreme Cold Flame.


    Now, seeing this strand of True Fire suppress the cold light within Mystic Jade Cave, Han Li felt a sense of relief wash over him.


    After a brief pondering, he suddenly placed his hands behind his back and flicked his fingers.


    The crimson strand of fire shot out in a flash and disappeared without a trace into the nearby cold light.


    Almost the moment Han Li took this action, the azure-robed middle-aged man below seemed to sense something.


    He abruptly looked up at Han Li, a glint of surprise and doubt flashing in his eyes.


    Han Li felt a sinking feeling in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged, and he casually asked:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, is something the matter?¡±


    The azure-robed middle-aged man carefully surveyed both Han Li and the walls of the cave, not finding anything amiss, and said:


    ¡°Nothing.


    I was just checking to see if Brother Han had followed along.


    Speaking of which, the restriction of Divine Sense in the Void Spirit Hall is indeed quite unusual and takes some getting used to!¡± The man with the surname Ouyang, fully aware of Han Li¡¯s extraordinary abilities and still harboring unresolved doubts, replied politely, not daring to show any disrespect.


    ¡°Hehe, how could I not follow along?


    However, the cold Qi within Mystic Jade Cave seems somewhat peculiar.¡± Han Li said lightly, gazing at the milky white cold light that continuously swept toward the violet flame.


    ¡°This Mystic Jade Cave has existed since ancient times, and over such a lengthy period, these cold Qis have likely undergone subtle changes.


    Otherwise, ordinary cold Qi certainly wouldn¡¯t be this strange,¡± the azure-robed middle-aged man¡¯s black Celestial Ice Flame crackled under the assault of the cold Qi, revealing a somewhat perplexed look.


    Han Li smiled slightly, about to speak, when his expression suddenly shifted as he emitted a soft sound of surprise.


    The azure-robed middle-aged man quickly lowered his gaze.


    In just that moment, the group had already reached the bottom of the cave, where a chaotic pile of rocks extended for hundreds of feet.


    At the edge of one corner of the pile, there sat a fiery-red stone hut.


    There were several passages on the walls around, which appeared to lead to different parts of the cave complex.


    The density of Mystic Jade Cold Qi here was obviously several times thicker than above.


    In the center of the pile of rocks, on top of a natural stone cliff, the gathered milky white cold Qi had formed a huge light orb, several feet in diameter, rolling unstably on top of the stone cliff, shining brilliantly!


    Upon closer inspection, Han Li noticed that the exposed surface of the entire stone cliff was embedded with Mystic Jade stones as large as thumbs, flickering with Spiritual Power, clearly of a much higher quality than the dispersed ores near the entrance.


    Suppressing the surprise in his heart, Han Li descended to the ground along with the others.


    As soon as Fellow Daoist Han Li touched the ground, his eyes brightly focused on the orb atop the stone cliff, a look of joy spreading across his face.


    ¡°Haha, excellent.


    I was originally worried about how to gather the cold Qi inside the cave, but to think there would be a natural convergence point for the cold Qi here.


    This saves us a lot of effort.¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li suddenly burst out laughing and then abruptly raised a hand, launching a blue ice awl that struck directly at the milky white light orb.


    Puchi!


    At the moment the two collided, a metallic clashing sound unexpectedly rang out, followed by the ice awl shattering inch by inch from the tip, disintegrating into specks of cold light that vanished in the air.


    ¡°Good, good!¡± Seeing this, Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s face lit up with a broader smile, seemingly even more delighted.


    ¡°By the way, have you fellow Daoists noticed that stone hut?


    It¡¯s built with Sun Essence Stone, the only place resistant to Mystic Jade Cold Qi.


    We could rest there for a bit, and it will also give me a chance to explain several important taboos about moving around in Mystic Jade Cave to you.¡± Otherwise, one careless move could bring upon ourselves great trouble.


    ¡°Great trouble!


    What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Han Li?¡± The old crone was taken aback and tapped her staff on the ground, asking.


    (Second update!) (To be continued!


    For further updates, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, and your support for the author and genuine reading is appreciated!)

 Chapter 1095 - Chapter 1095 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1911 Monsters Pressing the Border

    ?Chapter 1095: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1911 Monsters Pressing the Border Chapter 1095: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1911 Monsters Pressing the Border ¡°If it were just that old fiend demon transforming, we might have a chance of winning by releasing all the Yin Ice Qi that seals the island.


    Most common demon beasts cannot withstand it.


    However, most of the Ice Sea demon beasts are of Yin Ice attribute and do not fear this restriction,¡± the grey-haired elder still had some concerns.


    ¡°No need to worry.


    The demon beasts in the Ice Sea can be dealt with by using the treasure left behind by the founder of our sect.


    This treasure has been placed in our palace for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, if not for today.


    In this way, we only need to pay attention to those demon beasts above grade eight,¡± the beautiful woman regained her calm composure.


    Upon hearing these words, both Bai Yaoyi and the grey-haired elder unconsciously exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a dawning realization.


    ¡°If the Palace Master had not mentioned this, we would have almost forgotten about the treasure.


    Indeed, with this treasure at our disposal, even the Ice Sea demon beasts that set foot on our island would become useless.


    It¡¯s just a pity that the treasure seems to be effective only against the lower-grade Ice Sea demon beasts; otherwise, it would be a powerful weapon,¡± the grey-haired elder smiled wryly.


    ¡°Alright, although this is the case, this time the horde of demons has come with a wrathful momentum, and the chances we can defend ourselves are not great.


    Let those lower-grade disciples in the palace evacuate quickly if they can, and scatter those who can scatter, only leaving the useful personnel.


    To avoid unnecessary casualties.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    For several consecutive days, the seemingly peaceful Minor Extreme Palace finally began to stir, and an atmosphere tense with the imminent battle spread almost overnight.


    Not only were the majority of the arrays and restrictive formations activated, but numerous lower-grade disciples also constantly evacuated from the palace, their whereabouts unknown and their placements uncertain.


    And two days after the beautiful woman and Bai Mengxin¡¯s conversation, in the stone hut within the Mystic Jade Cave of Void Spirit Hall, where a person named Han Li was meditating, suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes.


    This Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace looked around at the other people sitting crossed-legged with eyes closed in the room and said slowly:


    ¡°The other day, I had already explained some key points and crucial techniques to you all.


    Given your talents, comprehending this secret technique should be more than enough in two days.¡±


    Upon hearing this, everyone, including Han Li, showed various expressions and opened their eyes.


    ¡°I have no problems; I¡¯ve thoroughly comprehended the Incantations,¡± the monk said with a smile.


    ¡°I grasped them more than half a day ago,¡± the old woman replied proudly.


    ¡°I, Han Li, also have no problems,¡± Han Li said indifferently.


    Needless to say, Bai Mengxin and the man in the green shirt didn¡¯t need to say anything.


    ¡°Since all friends here have said so, there¡¯s no need to delay any longer.


    Let¡¯s get started right away.


    Breaking through the bottleneck will take at least several days or at most a month.


    Whether we can succeed or not, I hope we can complete this secret technique in one go.


    To be honest, I¡¯m quite worried about what¡¯s happening outside the hall.


    I hope to get away from here as soon as possible,¡± the person named Han Li said with a grim expression.


    Hearing him say this, no one else had any objections.


    Next, the person named Han Li and two others took out stack after stack of pre-refined formation flags and plates from their storage pouches, left the hut, and began to set up several exceptionally mystical arrays around the cave.


    Although Han Li and the others did not have to lift a finger, they naturally didn¡¯t want to miss any opportunity to observe the secret techniques.


    With the Celestial Ice Flame reactivated, they too stepped out of the hut to watch every move of the three Minor Extreme Palace cultivators from the sidelines.


    As these were all pre-refined formation establishment tools, the three of them set up everything quickly, and in just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they were done.


    Several layers of arrays, centered around a pile of stone cliffs, showed a grim atmosphere, with runes flashing in and out of existence in the void.


    The figure of the person named Han Li flickered, floating mid-air above the pile of stone cliffs, looking around at the arrays, and suddenly his body spun in a whirl, his ten fingers flicking simultaneously.


    Instantly, more than a dozen Incantations shot out, merging into the arrays and turning into more than a dozen wisps of green smoke, disappearing in a flash.


    The entire array emitted a low hum, and various colored lights sparkled, while the Mystic Jade Cold Qi that had originally pervaded the bottom of the entire cave seemed to have been startled at the same time.


    It tumultuously scattered and shot about as if cold water had been poured into a hot oil pan.


    However, the only motionless part was the colossal stone cliff at the center, where a pile of white Qi didn¡¯t move at all, seemingly unaffected.


    ¡°Very good.


    Although the more Mystic Jade Cold Qi, the better, we must also ensure the stability of the surrounding cold Qi.


    In this way, there¡¯s a better chance of breaking through,¡± said the person named Han Li, floating above the pile of stone cliffs, looking around for a few moments, his face finally showing satisfaction.


    At this time, Han Li¡¯s gaze fell on the five towering light pillars that had suddenly emerged from the pile of stone cliffs under the power of the formation.


    These light pillars were misty, in the colors purple, red, white, black, and yellow, obviously the convergence of pure spiritual power, forming a barrier around that stone cliff.


    And there were wisps of aurora connecting each light pillar continuously, flickering as if they were one and the same.


    Once the formation took shape, Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered, and without a word, his green light flashed, and he suddenly transformed into a green rainbow, heading towards the purple pillar.


    Then, with a convergence of light, Han Li stood fluttering in his robes at the top of the light pillar.


    The old crone and others moved almost as quickly as Han Li, and at the next moment, they too stood on the other pillars and, after exchanging a brief glance, sat down cross-legged.


    Naturally, Han Li did the same.


    At this moment, the spiritual power within his body began to circulate slowly according to the secret technique incantations he had acquired earlier, and the Purple Apex Flames surrounding his body gradually became more dazzling to the eye.


    Suddenly, a low shout came from Han Li¡¯s mouth, and at the same time, his hand movements changed as he formed different incantations.


    Instantly beneath Han Li, a cluster of purple light emerged where he sat, which then gathered and transformed, surprisingly taking the shape of a light lotus about a zhang in size.


    This lotus was faintly purple, as thin as cicada wings, and exceptionally radiant!


    At the same time, the Purple Apex Flames on Han Li¡¯s body flared up by nearly half when the light lotus appeared, as if stimulated by something.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s brow twitched slightly, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face.


    The secret technique given by the Elder Han Li did not mention that these arrays could actually augment the power of the Celestial Ice Flame; this was indeed an unexpected gain.


    If he could master the method of arranging this formation, it might prove to be very useful in the future.


    However, Han Li also noticed that along with the surging of the Purple Apex Flames, the consumption of his mana within his body increased by an approximate double.


    It seemed that using arrays to augment the power of the Celestial Ice Flame had some flaws after all.


    Thinking this, he shifted his gaze towards the other monks in bright robes and the cultivators in green clothes among the light pillars.


    He saw that these Nascent Soul cultivators, much like himself, also had light lotuses blooming beneath them, with each of their sizes and shapes extremely similar.


    These cultivators also sat within the light lotuses, experiencing the surge of the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered a few times, then he glanced towards the wall of the cave.


    There, amidst a cluster of milky-white cold light, a wisp of the True Fire of Taiyin he had released was quietly lurking, silently absorbing the Mystic Jade Cold Qi around it, unnoticed by anyone.


    Fortunately, the entire Void Spirit Hall was restricted by Soul Binding Restrictions, otherwise, he would not have dared to release such innate true fire so carelessly.


    But before Han Li¡¯s gaze could return, Elder Han Li¡¯s voice came from above:


    ¡°It seems that the Extreme Cold Flames cultivated by several fellow daoists have reached a certain degree of refinement and can support for a considerable time.


    With this, I can be at ease.


    Now, I will enter the midst of the Mystic Jade Cold Qi, and fellow daoists just do as previously instructed and stimulate the Celestial Ice Flame.¡±


    As soon as Elder Han Li solemnly finished speaking, the Celestial Ice Flame around him fluctuated, and he flew above the milky-white cold clump, slowly descending.


    With a ¡°rumble¡±, amidst a chaos of noises, the blue flame and the white brilliance intertwined and flickered, and the dwarf completely submerged into the cold clump.


    Who knows what method this dwarf employed, but he managed to let the Celestial Ice Flame and the Mystic Jade Cold Qi collide momentarily, then settle down peacefully.


    It was as if Elder Han Li¡¯s body had grown an extra layer of milky-white light shield, making it particularly eye-catching.


    At that moment, the middle-aged man in green clothes and Bai Mengxin suddenly flipped over a hand each, and both conjured a light blue Array Plate in their hands.


    The two of them, exceedingly proficient, tapped the Array Plate a few times, and instantly a five-colored light screen rose abruptly all around the formation, enveloping Han Li and the others within it.


    Following that, a fierce wind began to blow outside the light screen, with a white misty hurricane spontaneously rising outside the light screen, covering everything within the howling winds, so that no one from the outside could see clearly what was happening inside.


    In other parts of the cave, the originally surging milky-white cold Qi gradually returned to calmness in the instant the hurricane appeared.


    Only the wisp of red flame was still hiding in a corner, constantly devouring the cold light around it.


    Time passed bit by bit.


    The hurricane amidst the boulders never ceased for a moment, and besides the sound of the wind, no other sound came from within.


    Seven or eight days later, outside Beiming Island, many demon beasts appeared grandly and split into two forces, launching an attack from both the inland direction and the Ice Sea, squeezing from both sides.


    Along the way, the demon Qi spread, and the Evil Qi soared to the heavens.


    The small clans and factions living near Beiming Island were naturally thrown into a flurry of panic, one after another relocating their bases and fleeing far away from Beiming Island.


    With such a grand momentum, the Minor Extreme Palace immediately received the news and almost at the same time, opened up the restrictions over the Origin Yin spring cold eye on the island, causing the cold Qi of the island to suddenly become several times colder than usual, with wind and snow mixing everywhere.


    The demons led by Ten Thousand Demon Valley coming from the inland, were also well prepared.


    Upon seeing this, they immediately had a large number of low-grade demon beasts stationed outside the island, to slowly exhaust the cold Qi reserves of the island, while letting dozens of seventh grade and above demon beasts form several teams and rush onto the island.


    As for the group of demons coming from the direction of the Ice Sea, most of them were not afraid of the cold Qi and wind and snow of Beiming Island.


    They stepped directly onto the island with thousands of demon beasts splitting into numerous groups and heading straight for the Minor Extreme Palace.


    Beiming Island was not too large, but once these demon beasts entered, they immediately disappeared without a trace, blending into the icy world.


    The high-level cultivators of the Minor Extreme Palace naturally would not allow these demons to approach Ice City so easily.


    Utilizing the power of the formation restrictions and the boundless cold Qi, a slaughter immediately commenced on the island.


    (First update!)


    Hehe, here¡¯s another book recommendation from a friend!


    ¡°The New Chu Chronicles¡±


    (Book number 1465671)


    A young deputy general manager of an IT company travels through time and becomes the son of a wealthy merchant.


    Initially, he just wanted to live a life of luxury, but unintentionally gets involved in the factional struggles of the Imperial Court, eventually assisting a disfavored prince to ascend to the throne, creating great achievements in another era.


    (This text is fictional history; the New Chu does not refer to the Chu of the Spring and Autumn period but is a fabricated Great Chu Dynasty.)

 Chapter 1096 - Chapter 1096 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1992 The Three Great Cultivators

    ?Chapter 1096: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1992: The Three Great Cultivators Chapter 1096: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1992: The Three Great Cultivators Several demon beasts, whose bodies were as translucent as jellyfish, trudged forward in a snow-covered area, almost invisible against the blinding white snowstorm.


    These demon beasts, known as ¡°Cold Charmers,¡± are born from the cold essence of heaven and earth.


    Thus, despite being only fifth or sixth-grade creatures, they fear not the swirling snowflakes or bone-chilling cold that turns breath to ice.


    Instead, they appear invigorated, moving about as freely as fish in water.


    Suddenly, a lead sixth-grade Cold Charmer halted, its multitude of fire-red eyes on either side of its body casting a puzzled gaze towards a certain area where the snowstorm was exceptionally dense.


    The other fifth-grade Cold Charmers also paused and looked in the same direction.


    A sudden whooshing sound pierced the air, and a flurry of red threads shot out from within the snowstorm, striking with incredible speed.


    They pierced several Cold Charmers straight through, cleaving their Demon Cores in two.


    There was a series of ¡°plop¡± sounds as the Cold Charmers shattered like ice, scattering debris all over the ground.


    At this moment, amidst the flurries of snow, a figure in a white cloak, a female cultivator from Minor Extreme Palace, emerged slowly.


    Although her face was not clear, her eyes coldly swept over the broken ice before she vanished into the snowstorm without a word.


    Hundreds of li away, a demon beast with the body of a human and the head of a bull, standing two zhang tall, lumbered alone across an exceptionally crystalline ice lake.


    Two pitch-black horns adorned its head, its body shimmered with a blue glow, yet it hauled an enormous blade half the size of a cartwheel over its shoulder, awkwardly waddling forward, a comical and clumsy sight.


    However, if a human cultivator were to see this demon beast, laughter would surely be the last response.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    For this was a seventh-grade demon beast on the verge of undergoing its transformation.


    Due to the sky restriction fully enacted by Beiming Island, only demon beasts above the eighth grade could ignore it and continue to fly toward Minor Extreme Palace.


    Others had no choice but to proceed by foot.


    Thus, this demon beast, apparently not adept in escape techniques, had to progress one step at a time honestly.


    Suddenly, the huge blade on the shoulder of the demon beast moved slightly, as if something had vanished in a flash.


    Following this, a loud ¡°boom¡± echoed from the lake¡¯s side, and a wretched scream rose from beneath the lake.


    The surface of the Ice Sea mysteriously revealed a cut several feet wide and two zhang long, looking unfathomably deep.


    Only then did the bullheaded demon beast look over at the cut indifferently.


    In the blink of an eye, a large quantity of blood gushed out, and the upper half of a corpse floated up.


    Judging by the attire, it was a male Disciple from Minor Extreme Palace.


    It seemed this person had been using the Water Escape Technique to hide under the ice, planning an ambush on any demon beast that passed by.


    Instead, he had been detected and beheaded by this seemingly foolish seventh-grade demon beast.


    A wicked light flashed in the eyes of the demon beast.


    With a single gesture, it drew the half-corpse towards itself.


    Then, with its mouth agape, it began devouring the corpse.


    After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the beast had consumed the entire half-corpse, contentedly rubbed its belly, and continued its journey with the giant blade in tow.


    Similar scenes of slaughter were unfolding throughout Beiming Island; low-grade demon beasts were being ambushed and killed, while on the flip side, Minor Extreme Palace cultivators were being slain and devoured by demon beasts.


    However, only low-grade demon beasts and cultivators below the Golden Core Stage partook in these skirmishes.


    Nascent Soul and grade eight demon beasts appeared indifferent to these fights.


    One faction remained firmly within Ice City, while the other flew rapidly overhead through the snowstorm, paying no mind to whatever was happening below.


    It wasn¡¯t that these high-grade demon beasts had no desire to eradicate the low-level cultivators of Minor Extreme Palace; rather, searching for these cultivators, who were well-versed in various escape techniques amidst the snowstorm under the sky restriction, was not an easy task.


    Some Minor Extreme Palace cultivators possessed unique Magic Artifacts that could conceal their presence, making discovery even more challenging.


    Moreover, even if they did occasionally kill a few cultivators, it had no substantial impact on the overall situation.


    It was better to conserve their Mana for the real battle looming ahead.


    After all, when it came to a fight for life and death, every bit of Mana was extremely precious.


    As the demon beasts gradually neared Ice City, in a palace within the secret realm of Han Li, a beautiful woman surnamed Liu sat on a jade chair, with two rows of Nascent Soul elders of Minor Extreme Palace sitting before her, quietly listening to a disciple dressed in white reporting on the situation of the dispatched Disciples resisting the demon beasts.


    ¡°¡­


    Out of the one hundred high-level Disciples dispatched this time, thirty-seven Life Origin Tokens have been extinguished.


    We have confirmed that one hundred and twenty-eight demon beasts of various grades have been killed, most of which are Ice Sea demon beasts.


    The second team of Disciples has also been sent out, and they are expected to meet up with the first group within a shichen, and then make contact with those demon beasts,¡± said the Disciple respectfully.


    ¡°Thirty-seven Disciples have fallen in battle; it seems about time.


    They should all be within ten thousand miles of the Ice City by now.


    Inform Elder Ye to start using the Sea-Suppressing Bell in an hour.


    This time, we must inflict heavy damage on the low-level demon beasts of the Ice Sea.


    Otherwise, when they attack Minor Extreme Palace, even these cannon fodder will pose a significant problem,¡± the beautiful woman ordered without blinking an eye.


    ¡°Yes, Palace Master!¡± Upon hearing this, an elder with white hair but a youthful face immediately raised one hand, and a Sound Transmission Talisman flew out from his grasp, spiraling out of the hall.


    ¡°Junior Brother Ding, activate all the large restrictive formations.


    I estimate that once this treasure is used, the high-grade demon beasts of the Ice Sea, saddened like rabbits and foxes facing death, will likely go mad,¡± the beautiful woman calmly instructed again.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Another elder stood up, agreed with a word, and turned into a streak of light as he left.


    ¡°Additionally, inform the Disciples who are out of the city to be cautious.


    The effect of the Sea-Suppressing Bell can at most last for the time of one incense stick, and once used, it will need to sleep for over a hundred years.


    All Disciples must immediately return to the city after this time has passed and close all secret transportation formations straightaway.


    We can¡¯t let the demons exploit them and invade our palace¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Following the beautiful woman¡¯s cascade of orders, shadows flickered continually as a succession of Nascent Soul experts received their commands and departed.


    Almost simultaneously, hundreds of miles away from Ice City, a large group of high-grade demon beasts arrived at the same location, landing their respective streaks of light on a small ice mountain.


    Straight ahead lay the expanse shrouded by the Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s sect-wide formation, and upon seeing the vast expanse of pale fog, all the demon-transformed beasts wore a grave expression on their faces.


    These demon beasts clearly split into two groups: one with just over ten members, huddled around a tall and a short elder and a child, while the other group, numbering more than twenty, was clustered around a slender woman in silver attire.


    Strangely enough, the smaller group of demon beasts were all neatly dressed.


    Aside from some odd appearances, their behaviors were indistinguishable from human Cultivators, and their glances towards the other group even carried a trace of disdain.


    The other group, more numerous, each bore fierce and malevolent expressions, wearing simple attire of hide and fur; some were even bare-chested.


    They also carried weapons that resembled blades and polearms, either strapped to their backs or held directly in their hands, and although they had hide-made storage pouches at their waists, it was unclear why they did not store their weapons inside.


    This group emanated a brutal aura, and the way they looked at the other group was far from friendly.


    These two groups of demon beasts stood on either side of the ice mountain¡¯s peak, the boundaries between them stark, almost as if they were natural enemies.


    However, should an unknowing Cultivator inadvertently pass by here, seeing these two groups of demon beasts would probably scare them into a panicked retreat.


    For this group of beasts were all eighth grade or above transformed demon beasts, and the elder, the child, and the silver-clad woman were formidable tenth-grade demon beasts.


    With such powerful forces at hand, they could easily overpower most of the righteous and demonic sects¡¯ top ten factions, not to mention that high-grade demon beasts were inherently stronger than their human equivalents.


    The elder robed in black had a square face exuding authority, his bright eyes radiant, and his grey hair faintly shimmered with a green light, giving off an imposing air of subdued wrath.


    In contrast, the boy who appeared to be six or seven years old had a clean and handsome face, resembling a celestial child.


    However, his eyes faintly glowed with fire-red, as if coated by a layer of blood over the pupils, yet his mouth always carried a faint, light smile.


    As for the woman in silver, her beauty was understated, her skin like snow, indeed a ravishing beauty to behold.


    But remarkable was that such a delicate and lovely woman, with just a slight shift of her gaze, caused the surrounding fierce-looking high-grade demon beasts to bow their heads and avoid eye contact, each one appearing sincerely fearful.


    ¡°Fairy of White Phoenix, I never anticipated that Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s human Cultivators would be willing to take such action, releasing nearly a thousand years¡¯ worth of accumulated cold energy in one go.


    If they later face a formidable enemy, I wonder how they would cope,¡± suddenly, the elder chuckled and said.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Qing, why feign ignorance?


    We did not come here for the Cold Marrow this time, and Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s human Cultivators are not aware of this.


    Naturally, they will fight desperately, with all their Daoist paper talismans out.


    Otherwise, once we break in, no matter how much cold energy they have saved, what use would it be?¡± the silver-robed woman replied with a subtle shift in her expression, coldly answering.


    ¡°However, for Fairy of White Phoenix to personally take action this time, I must admit that I am rather surprised.


    I heard that two thousand years ago, the Celestial had secluded herself and had not left Ice Abyss Island since then,¡± the child spoke too, with a voice bizarrely aged, akin to a septuagenarian and vastly incompatible with his appearance, which was quite peculiar.


    ¡°If it were any other matter, it surely wouldn¡¯t move me to act, but this concerns ascending to the next world, how could I, the Island Master, rest easy without attending to it personally?


    Did Fellow Daoist not also send your fiend demon transformation personally?¡± the woman in silver shifted her gaze onto the child and spoke evenly.


    ¡°Ha ha, I did not expect that the moment I mentioned this, the Fairy would agree so readily.


    That truly surprised me!


    It seems Lady Feng has long been dissatisfied with Minor Extreme Palace and has wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate the lineage that Bing Po left in the human world.


    It looks like Lady Feng has quite relied on the power of Ten Thousand Demon Valley this time!¡± the child¡¯s eyes narrowed as he said with a grin.


    (Second update!)(To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    The chapter releases are more frequent, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1097 - Chapter 1097 Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 193 Sea-Suppressing Bell

    ?Chapter 1097: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 193 Sea-Suppressing Bell Chapter 1097: Volume 6 Spiritual Treasures Chapter 193 Sea-Suppressing Bell ¡°`


    ¡°In the past, Fairy Bing Po used her formidable heavenly skill to seal Ice Abyss Island in ice for a hundred years before ascending to the next world.


    That forced our lineage to give way three parts to the cultivators of Minor Extreme Palace.


    But now, after so many years and the matters concerning the ascension to the spirit realm, it seems we have no choice but to make a move.


    However, has Brother Che not put considerable effort into nurturing this fiend demon transformation?


    Would it not be a loss if it were damaged?¡± the lady in silver spoke indifferently, her demeanor devoid of any mundane air.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Just like Lady Feng mentioned, this journey is crucial.


    As long as we can get precise information, I am willing to bear any loss.


    But I never expected the last possible remaining spatial node in the human world to be within the tears in space torn by the Void Spirit Hall of Minor Extreme Palace.


    If my people hadn¡¯t investigated multiple times and confirmed it without a doubt, I wouldn¡¯t have rashly taken action.


    After all, the strength of Minor Extreme Palace is not weak and not easily eradicated,¡± chuckled the child, saying afterwards.


    ¡°Only in a tear in space large enough to accommodate something as massive as the Void Spirit Hall could a spatial node have possibly remained stable until now.


    Brother Che mentioned that they have already searched other places and found nothing worthwhile.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    If nothing comes of this attempt, what will you plan for the future, Fellow Daoist?¡± the lady in silver¡¯s gaze flickered.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple; continue searching for spatial nodes.


    Ancient experts could find them by themselves in the past, so why can¡¯t I?


    It¡¯s just a matter of more time,¡± the child was silent for a while before replying with a cold laugh.


    ¡°But it seems we do not have too much time either.


    I heard you are a descendant of some ancient demon from the spirit realm, not only endowed with astonishing divine skills but also a lifespan much longer than average demon beasts.


    However, after so many years, Fellow Daoist, you probably have started to use secret techniques like me to seal your true body and extend your lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Since Lady Feng knows about this, why ask knowingly?¡± the child¡¯s face darkened, seemingly touched on a sore spot.


    ¡°But this kind of self-deceptive practice cannot be maintained for long.


    The other day, I received news from the Five Dragon Seas; the old White Deer fiend has perished.


    He too was a descendant of primordial demon beasts and had achieved great cultivation success since the ancient battles, normally not using his true body unless his life was in grave danger.


    But even so, he merely survived until now and could not escape returning to the cycle of reincarnation,¡± the lady in silver sighed, looking towards the distant large restrictive formation, a hint of bewilderment flashing in her eyes.


    ¡°So you see, as long as the position of the spatial node can be confirmed, no matter how dangerous, I am willing to take the risk.


    Should Fellow Daoist Bai be willing, perhaps we can join forces for this endeavor,¡± the child said suddenly, his face gleaming with a strange light while speaking to the lady.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Brother Che has actually found the spatial node.


    The current Minor Extreme Palace is not so easily breached,¡± the lady in silver showed an ambiguous expression.


    ¡°Please rest assured, Lady Feng.


    In the past, our Ten Thousand Demon Valley alone attacked Minor Extreme Palace and managed to breach their Ice City several times, forcing the human cultivators to hide in the Void Spirit Hall.


    With fellow Daoists assisting this time, success should be even more certain.


    But after the enemy uses the Void Spirit Hall to tear through space and escape, we will need your divine skills,¡± said the old man in a grave tone.


    ¡°Rest assured on that matter, our Ice Phoenix Clan naturally possesses the ability to tear through space.


    We won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± the lady in silver replied with a subtle smile.


    At this moment, other nearby demon-transformed demon beasts clearly heard every word of their conversation, yet none dared to interject, as if they had all left their mouths at home.


    The child¡¯s face showed a trace of a smile, and just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked into the distance.


    The old man and the lady in silver also sensed something simultaneously and turned to look in the same direction with surprise.


    They all sensed an astonishingly huge spiritual pressure suddenly bursting from the white mist and rapidly spreading outwards.


    The next moment, a sound like a dragon¡¯s cry or a tiger¡¯s roar, the ringing of a bell, rolled in from the edge of the sky.


    The demon beasts of the Ice Phoenix surrounding the Ice Phoenix, grades eight and nine beasts of the Ice Sea, all showed a change in expression upon hearing this sound, some struggling to remain standing.


    The demon-transformed beasts of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley were unaffected, looking towards the demon beasts of the Ice Sea with an inexplicable expression.


    As a grade ten demon beast, the lady in silver paid no mind to the bell sound, but upon hearing it, she involuntarily exclaimed in shock and anger:


    ¡°The Sea-Suppressing Bell, the treasured artifact of our Ice Sea Clan, indeed fell into the hands of Fairy Bing Po back then.¡±


    The old man and the child glanced at each other, both showing a hint of surprise.


    However, the impact of the bell sound on the eight and nine grade demon beasts of the Ice Sea was only momentary.


    After suffering a minor setback, the group of demons released their demon Qi, and protected themselves with Daoist paper talismans, after which the influence of the bell sound immediately reduced to the lowest.


    Aside from some dizziness, it was almost negligible.


    Seeing this, the lady in silver¡¯s expression improved slightly, but her mind suddenly raced, and without hesitation, her body flickered, transforming into a cluster of crystal light that shot into the sky.


    Afterward, the crystal light burst into the air and transformed into countless thin Crystal Filaments, disappearing in a flash into the void.


    A while later, the crystal light converged, and the lady lightly descended back onto the ice mountain, her face somewhat pale.


    ¡°`


    ¡°What has happened, why has Lady Feng expended such a great amount of Mana to use the Great Divine Search Split Thought Technique?¡± The elderly man furrowed his brows and slowly said.


    ¡°These people from Minor Extreme Palace are actually using the Sea-Suppressing Bell and at the same time, sending a large number of cultivators to slaughter our low-level existences in the Ice Sea Clan.


    Although I only sensed a small area, many have already fallen victim.¡± The lady in the silver robe huffed coldly, her bright eyes chillingly icy.


    ¡°Could such things be happening?


    I remember hearing about this in the past.


    The Noble Clan once had a rare and valuable treasure, that could render ice-attribute demon beasts utterly weak, unable to move a muscle upon scenting it.


    Could it be this so-called ¡®Sea-Suppressing Bell¡¯?


    However, how did it end up in the hands of human cultivators?¡± The child pondered.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, the treasure is not as powerful as the rumors claim, it¡¯s merely an imitation of a Spiritual Treasure.


    Those above grade eight are barely affected and can resist the sound of the bell with their own Mana.


    But those under grade eight are indeed greatly intimidated.


    Back when Fairy Bing Po sealed our Ice Abyss Island, she mysteriously disappeared.¡± The lady in the silver robe took a deep breath, her expression quickly returning to normal.


    ¡°It seems, this was a method left by Fairy Bing Po to restrain your Ice Sea Clan.


    What are Lady Feng¡¯s plans for action below, do you need to send someone for a rescue?¡± The old man twirled his beard, asking seemingly indifferently.


    ¡°No need, the influence of this Sea-Suppressing Bell lasts only a short while, about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.


    By the time we arrive, these human cultivators would have already withdrawn.


    Plus, even if all of them are slaughtered, it¡¯s not a big deal.


    Such low-level existences are abundant in our Ice Sea.


    They cannot damage the vital energy of our Ice Sea.


    Moreover, it¡¯s an impossible scenario!


    Even with the help of the Sea-Suppressing Bell, them managing to find half in time to strike counts as extremely lucky.


    But I will remember this vengeance.


    Listen well, once we burst into Minor Extreme Palace, do not let any of those low-level cultivators who didn¡¯t enter Void Spirit Hall go, wipe them all out,¡± the lady in the silver robe lowered her head in thought, and then suddenly looked up, her brow furrowing with intense killing intent.


    Those Ice Sea demon beasts beside her chorused in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s good.


    Let¡¯s start breaking the formation.


    Though your kin can¡¯t make it in time.


    Our Ten Thousand Demon Valley¡¯s low-level pathway is still intact.


    Just a little dispersing of the island¡¯s cold air, and they can rush in to lend us their forces.


    But before that, we first need to break the formation in front of us,¡± the child chuckled hehe, and then suddenly, with a puff, spewed out a ball of black smoke that swiftly transformed into a greyish banner in front of him.


    Seeing this banner, the lady in the silver robe¡¯s heart stirred, and she gazed intently at it.


    The small banner was only five to six inches big, wrapped in a greyish glow, the palm-sized banner face seemed densely packed with countless demon ghosts and serpentine figures, ominously quiet, making absolutely no sound from the banner itself.


    ¡°Could this be the Ten Thousand Demon Banner from your Benefactor Valley?¡± After observing for a moment, the lady in the silver robe shifted her gaze back to the child and asked.


    ¡°Lady Feng truly has sharp eyes!


    It is indeed this banner.


    Having soaked in the immense demon Qi of our valley for so many millennia, the power of this banner is unimaginably strong.


    Although it¡¯s just an incarnation, unable to exert the full potential of this banner, even so, with the cooperation of Fellow Daoists, I believe it won¡¯t take many days to turn the restrictive formations ahead to nothingness using the demon Qi inside the banner,¡± the child said somewhat proudly.


    Then, he rubbed his hands together, casting a grey Incantation onto the banner.


    Instantly, the grey light flickered, and the small banner spun swiftly, the various demon beast mirages on it wildly shifting, becoming even more densely packed, countless to count.


    Seeing this, the lady in the silver robe nodded, then with a command from her mouth, the group of demons around her soared into the sky, some spouting clouds and mist, others summoning demon artifacts and Daoist paper talismans.


    The old man also emotionlessly issued a command.


    The group of demon beasts from Ten Thousand Demon Valley also transformed into various streaks of light shooting towards the heavens, employing the same method to drive their treasures.


    In no time, a fierce demon wind swept through, nearly covering half the sky.


    Seeing this, the child burst into a wild laughter, then suddenly his face stiffened, and from his mouth, a series of incomprehensible Oracular Formulas emerged, the Ten Thousand Demon Banner in front of him, under the sound of Incantations, suddenly grew immensely,


    As the sound of the spell incantation started, it lasted a full duration of a teacup¡¯s time.


    A huge banner, thick as a water barrel and about a hundred meters tall, surrealistically stood at the top of the ice mountain, almost like a Sky-supporting Giant Pillar.


    The demon beast mirages on the banner, also one by one as if true to size, circled and danced on the banner surface, wriggling restlessly.


    ¡°Go,¡±


    With a thunderous shout from the child, he spurred the Incantations in his heart.


    Immediately, a myriad of roars from myriad demon beasts came from the banner, various demon beasts wrapped in multicolored demon clouds and qi, like floodwaters breaking a dam, directly charged towards the dense white cold air opposite, and the aerial group of demons also boldly swept down in a sky-covering manner.


    Almost simultaneously, amid the cold air, abruptly emerged a dozen figures of varying statures;


    they hid within the restrictive formations, raising their hands to release various lights, directly confronting the approaching group of demons.


    In that moment, a great battle commenced.


    (First update!) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1099 - Chapter 1099 Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 1995 Suspicion

    ?Chapter 1099: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 1995: Suspicion Chapter 1099: Volume 6, Heavenly Skill Spiritual Treasures, Chapter 1995: Suspicion ¡°Brother Han, what do you think?


    Although what Fellow Daoist Han Li said makes some sense, I still have some concerns.


    For safety¡¯s sake, how about you and I advance and retreat together?


    As for Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon, as far as I am aware, she has some deep connections with the Minor Extreme Palace, so we¡¯d better be careful.¡± The monk in the gray robe stealthily sent a telepathic message to Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s heart chilled, and with a flicker of his gaze, he glanced sidelong at the monk, only to find the other party giving him a slight smile.


    His thoughts racing, Han Li was contemplating whether the monk¡¯s words were true or false when suddenly a rumbling noise erupted from the Void Spirit Hall above Mystic Jade Cave, and the entire cavern trembled slightly, as if struck by a powerful blow.


    Everyone¡¯s complexion changed.


    If they had been at the top of the mountain where the Minor Extreme Palace was located, they would have seen a gigantic Ice Phoenix, tens of feet in size and as white as jade, circling outside the mountain¡¯s protective barrier.


    With a sweep of its wings, a chilling wind howled past, and below it, a hundred-foot-wide ice mountain was condensed out of thin air before being released from its talons.


    It fell like a great mountain crashing down onto the barrier, emitting a thunderous roar.


    Countless white lights exploded and twinkled.


    The originally solid barrier twisted strangely but ultimately did not break.


    Even so, the mountain still trembled under the impact, and some of the less stable buildings promptly collapsed.


    This giant phoenix was none other than the transformation of the woman in silver.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    Enraged by the earlier heavy losses of the lower-grade demons of the Ice Sea, she, being a primordial demon beast of the Yin Ice attribute, directly broke through the outer icy restrictive formations, tore apart space to appear above Ice City, and used her divine skills to attack the protective restrictions of the Minor Extreme Palace.


    Although she succeeded in a surprise attack, causing chaos among the cultivators within the mountain, the high-level cultivators of the Minor Extreme Palace naturally wouldn¡¯t allow her to continue attacking.


    Just as the demonic bird was wreathed in white light, about to condense another ice mountain, a silver streak and a white glow shot out from beneath the barrier, figures shifting within them-it was Bai Yaoyi and the grey-haired elder.


    Before even approaching the icy wind, Bai Yaoyi let out a delicate shout, sending Two Silver Flying Swords slashing forward, while the grey-haired elder¡¯s face darkened as he rubbed his hands together, and an exquisite jade bottle flew out from his sleeve, growing rapidly as it faced the wind.


    The bottle shone brilliantly, and from its mouth came a thunderous roar, exuding an air of mystery.


    Upon seeing this, the Ice Phoenix¡¯s light green eyes flashed, and with a ferocious flap of its wings, several ten-foot-long ice spears appeared beneath them, shooting towards the two.


    The grey-haired elder snorted coldly, and within the white glow, he formed an incantation with his hands.


    The jade bottle suddenly trembled, and from its mouth, over a dozen strands of black and white light beamed out, swiftly wrapping around the ice spears.


    It was unclear what mysterious power the light possessed, but once it touched the ice spears, they trembled violently, rapidly shrinking to the size of chopsticks, then pulled into the bottle by the black and white light.


    A hint of surprise flashed in the Ice Phoenix¡¯s eyes, but without time for further thought, its form shimmered, turning into a boundless blizzard sweeping towards the two.


    Bai Yaoyi and the grey-haired elder did not show weakness.


    They advanced, their silver streaks and black-and-white energy brilliantly meeting the onslaught.


    Soon, continuous rumbling noises could be heard from the top of the mountain, where wind and snow met with flickering spiritual light.


    Strangely, the beautiful woman and other Minor Extreme Palace elders did not come out to assist, suggesting they were either directing the protective formations or had gone to confront other high grade demon beasts.


    With the battle raging outside, Han Li and the others inside the Void Spirit Hall felt the reverberations and looked at each other, perplexed.


    Fellow Daoist Han Li also glanced towards the entrance of the cave, a serious look appearing on his face.


    ¡°It seems those demons have truly made their move.


    In this case, it¡¯s not safe to simply open the cave entrance.


    Otherwise, any disturbance during a critical breakthrough could potentially ruin all previous efforts.


    I intend to rely on the strength of you fellow Daoists to resist the horde of demons, and I assuredly won¡¯t do anything detrimental to the three of you,¡± the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace said gravely, with a undertone of determination.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s words make sense, and we can understand.


    But if we help you to break through the bottleneck, and you succeed while the three of us are left severely weakened, such a disparity might become very unsettling, especially enclosed here underground.


    A wise man does not stand under a collapsing wall, and it is necessary to guard against others.


    Even if we have relations with your palace, we cannot simply trust our lives to you based on a few words,¡± the monk frowned slightly and said slowly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that fellow Daoists are so cautious; if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t put myself in such a situation either.


    But does Master Mo Jiu have a proposal that satisfies both sides?¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li asked helplessly.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a thought.


    If Fellow Daoist has no other schemes, why not leave the Celestial Ice Cauldron temporarily in our custody?


    Once this matter is resolved, we will return the cauldron to you.


    This way, we can assist you with peace of mind in overcoming your bottleneck,¡± the grey-robed monk¡¯s eyes flashed with a sharp light, suddenly suggesting this.


    As soon as these words came out, both Han Li and the old woman standing on the beam were taken aback, but then they seemed to understand.


    ¡°Good, this is indeed a solution that satisfies both,¡± Han Li readily agreed.


    After thinking it over carefully, the old woman also slowly nodded in agreement.


    However, the middle-aged man in the green shirt changed his expression and couldn¡¯t help interjecting:


    ¡°Master Mo Jiu, is this really appropriate?


    You should be well aware of the origin of the Celestial Ice Cauldron.


    It is the exclusive magic artifact for our palace to cultivate the Celestial Ice Flame; it cannot be carelessly handed over to others.¡±


    He said this while continuously shaking his head.


    ¡°We are only going to safeguard it temporarily, returning the original item before leaving this place, with no intention of keeping it for ourselves.


    What¡¯s wrong with that?


    Fellow Daoist Ouyang is being overly cautious,¡± the amicable grey-robed monk stated, now showing no sign of giving in.


    ¡°Buta€|¡±


    The middle-aged man in green was about to say something more when Fellow Daoist Han Li interrupted him:


    ¡°Enough, Fellow Daoist Ouyang.


    Master Mo Jiu¡¯s words are not without reason.


    Very well, I agree to this matter.


    But I wonder, among the three of you, who shall take care of the Celestial Ice Cauldron?¡±


    The Great Elder agreed readily, but his rhetorical question made Han Li hesitate a bit, prompting him to glance at the other two.


    The monk and the old crone remained silent, too.


    ¡°Since this was proposed by Master Mo Jiu, let the master take care of the cauldron.


    I¡¯ve always had great trust in the master¡¯s character,¡± the old crone said, her expression shifting as she spoke.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, thought rapidly like a flash of lightning, and subconsciously nodded in the end.


    ¡°Since both of you trust this poor monk so much, I shall temporarily safeguard the cauldron,¡± the gray-robed monk did not decline, accepting the responsibility solemnly.


    Seeing that a decision had been made, Fellow Daoist Han Li wasted no time.


    He pointed at the mini cauldron high above, which then spun and its Celestial Ice Flame retracted before slowly descending.


    The monk, observing this, acted without delay.


    He waved his sleeve and a green glow flew out, swirling around the cauldron and temporarily restraining it.


    Although the cauldron could produce Celestial Ice Flame, he himself possessed an Extreme Cold Flame, so there was no fear of any mishaps.


    This time, Han Li took the initiative to transform into a streak of light and shot towards the purple light pillar.


    To tell the truth, after observing during the past few days, Han Li had come to understand most of the secret technique.


    However, the final breakthrough was crucial; he had to witness it personally to completely integrate the technique.


    Therefore, even though Han Li felt uneasy about the cave being sealed, he trusted in his own capabilities and showed no fear.


    Even if the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace truly succeeded in breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, there wouldn¡¯t be anything to fear before he had stabilized his realm.


    Moreover, as mentioned in the jade slips left behind by the escaping spirit, the restrictions the Divinity Transformation Stage in the human world faced were such that, after understanding a little, he felt much less apprehensive.


    However, for safety, he summoned the True Fire of Taiyin into the Array with a movement of his spiritual sense, hiding it beneath a random stone.


    This went unnoticed by the others.


    At this moment, the monk smiled and then leaped up, followed by the other cultivators who also flew into the Array.


    Fellow Daoist Han Li didn¡¯t hesitate to repeatedly press his fingers down and re-activate the Array.


    Immediately, a surge of brilliance arose all around, and a curtain of light reappeared, enveloping everyone within it.


    A white, whirling wind also picked up, hiding the light curtain beneath it.


    Han Li blinked, carefully observing his surroundings.


    Even though the activated restrictive formations seemed the same as before, he could tell there was some difference in the spiritual energy fluctuations.


    With his near-Grandmaster understanding of Formations, he quickly discerned some of the subtleties and analyzed them inwardly, while maintaining a composed exterior.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin!


    Hehe, if I truly succeed this time, I will not forget the favors granted by my fellow cultivators,¡± said Fellow Daoist Han Li from within the milky white cold light, chuckling deeply, and then he formed incantations with both hands.


    The blue Celestial Ice Flame around him shook and transformed into a deep azure color, as profound as the deep blue sea, captivating anyone who cast their gaze upon it, reluctant to look away.


    ¡°Eh!


    I didn¡¯t expect Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s Celestial Ice Flame to be refined to such an extent; it¡¯s probably the limit of purity we can achieve in the human world,¡± the old crone murmured enviously upon seeing this.


    ¡°Is this the fully refined Extreme Cold Flame?¡± Han Li thought, taking another long look at Fellow Daoist Han Li.


    At this point, the others started to sit cross-legged, with huge luminous lotuses unfolding beneath them.


    Han Li gave a slight smirk and sat down with ease, pinching his fingers to stir the incantations.


    Different colors of Celestial Ice Flame appeared on each person, but this time, instead of taking immediate action, low incantations could be heard.


    The lotuses beneath them grew continuously larger with the chantings, soon doubling in size, and with the empowerment of the lotuses, their Celestial Ice Flames became even more dazzling and intense.


    Han Li suddenly felt a burning sensation all over, feeling as though he was in the midst of a scorching sun, with his Purple Apex Flames fully kindled.


    -Recommended by a friend, the book ¡°Secret Treasure Mysteries¡± (Book ID 1411408)


    A nightmare that has persisted for many years and continues to spread!


    An indestructible, mysteriously appearing wax paper!


    A thousand-year-old Mountain Ghost Mound, impossible to approach and filled with weirdness!


    A reporter, to investigate the truth and save himself, becomes half-human, half-ghost with infinite Spiritual Power.


    A soldier looking for ancient relics on the battlefield finds himself injured all over, plagued by misfortune.


    A young Taoist, seeking the way of heaven and breaking formations, leads himself into a perilously flawed situation, surrounded by crises!


    Three people with different circumstances embark on a death game challenging their fears.


    (To be continued, for the continuation please visit www.qidian.com, for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1100 - Chapter 1100 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 196 Demon Soul

    ?Chapter 1100: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 196 Demon Soul Chapter 1100: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 196 Demon Soul ¡°`


    The Master Han Li, residing within the Celestial Ice Flame, suddenly slapped his heavenly spiritual covering with one hand.


    A muffled groan was heard, and a Nascent Soul about several inches large, wrapped in a blue light, slowly flew out from his body.


    This Nascent Soul was sitting cross-legged, its hands forming incantations, but around its neck hung a thumb-sized jade medallion, emitting a faint silver gleam, of some unknown rare and valuable treasure.


    As soon as the Nascent Soul flew a few feet away from the body, it drew a breath before spouting out a glob of blue light flame.


    This light flame was the true essence of the Celestial Ice Flame that Master Han Li had painstakingly refined over hundreds of years.


    Now the light flame turned into a lustrous blue wheel with a spin and appeared mysteriously beneath the Nascent Soul.


    Then, it supported and slowly lifted the Nascent Soul, flying it right out of the milky white cold cluster.


    When Master Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul left the body, people like Han Li stopped hesitating.


    They pointed towards the distant sphere with one hand, and instantly streaks of Extreme Cold Flame shot out.


    A peculiar scene occurred!


    Before any of the Celestial Ice Flames could touch the Nascent Soul, the wheel beneath it suddenly began to spin rapidly.


    A tremendous suction force materialized out of nowhere.


    All the Celestial Ice Flames shuddered and then, with a shift in direction, were sucked in, all being absorbed onto the wheel.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï


    The originally gleaming blue wheel turned into a cornucopia of colors in an instant, gaudy and striking, inducing dizziness and visual confusion in anyone who stared too long.


    The Nascent Soul uttered a low shout and struck the wheel beneath with consecutive incantations.


    A thunderous rumble erupted, and the colorful flames trembled and then burst apart one by one.


    At this moment, the incantations cast by the Nascent Soul became more rapid, flying out one after another without pause, as if intending to exhaust all its mana in one breath.


    With the stimulation of the incantations, the various Celestial Ice Flames interwove and fused after exploding, and in the blink of an eye, they condensed into a white lotus.


    This white lotus contained six distinct colors-black, white, red, yellow, green, and blue-each clearly demarcated yet also merged seamlessly, unfathomably mysterious.


    However, the lotus was three feet wide, making the Nascent Soul within appear extremely tiny.


    With a series of profound Oracular Formulas from its mouth, the white lotus began shrinking, getting brighter with each inch it reduced.


    In a brief moment, when the white lotus became about a foot in size, its petals seemed to solidify, exceptionally thick, with the six-colored flames flickering atop, as if a fire from celestial beings.


    Upon witnessing this, Han Li¡¯s face flashed a hint of astonishment, yet like the others, his Celestial Ice Flame output became even larger,


    These Celestial Ice Flames, the moment they entered the white lotus, disappeared without a trace as if sinking into the ocean.


    It was then, the Nascent Soul suddenly opened its previously tightly shut eyes, revealing a peculiarly glittering gold color.


    It raised one hand, the fingers forming a lotus shape.


    Continuous ¡°pu pu¡± sounds followed, as countless thin blue threads spurted from the fingertips, shooting onto the nearby petals, and fusing into one.


    The Nascent Soul¡¯s spell incantations didn¡¯t stop, its small face turned extraordinarily grave, but those raised fingers now slowly drew together.


    Connected to the fingers, the blue threads flashed and trembled violently.


    A humming sound came out from the white lotus.


    Then, under the pull of the blue threads, the petals began to close slowly, and in a short while, as if time was reversing, the flower transformed into a bud, enclosing the Nascent Soul completely within.


    The six-colored flames kept flowing on the surface, dazzlingly bright.


    At this, Han Li and the others used their incantations to momentarily cut off their control of the Extreme Cold Flame.


    The six-colored flower bud moved slightly and fell downwards.


    After a flash of light, the bud, as if weightless, dropped into the milky white cold cluster and vanished into Master Han Li¡¯s head along with the body, leaving no trace.


    Only then did the other five people once again release their Celestial Ice Flames, striking into the light orb.


    Immediately, wisps of cold light appeared within the milky white orb, shooting towards Master Han Li¡¯s physical body, continuously stimulating it with the icy power of the Celestial Ice Flames to aid Master Han Li in breaking through his bottleneck.


    Right then, the only sounds in the array were the hissing of the air being cut.


    Outside the Mystic Jade Cave, in a deserted street of Ice City, two male Disciples from the Minor Extreme Palace walked shoulder to shoulder in white robes.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    They wore expressionless faces, but their gazes continuously swept left and right, maintaining a vigilant demeanor even within their own sect.


    The gigantic Ice Phoenix that had been circling above Ice City had already vanished without a trace.


    It was unclear whether it was Bai Yaoyi and her companion who had temporarily repelled the Ice Phoenix, or whether it had been lured elsewhere.


    Though this area was a secluded corner of Ice City, the ice houses on both sides were still neatly arranged.


    These two disciples had already inquired beforehand that the lower-ranked disciples who had resided here had evacuated Ice City a few days earlier.


    This place should have been an uninhabited dead end.


    Even so, the two of them did not dare to let their guard down, their spiritual sense constantly extended outside their bodies to prevent any accidents.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, it¡¯s this place,¡± one of the men said with a flash in his eyes as he looked ahead.


    Then, leading the other, they turned a corner and arrived behind one of the ice houses.


    Suddenly, the view brightened, revealing an open space more than thirty feet wide, where another man and a woman were waiting.


    ¡°You two are a bit late.


    If you hadn¡¯t shown up, we would have started without you,¡± the thirty-something-year-old woman said with some dissatisfaction upon seeing the two.


    The other person was a large man with a dark complexion.


    These two were also dressed as disciples of Minor Extreme Palace, but from their attire, they appeared to be of the lowest rank, much less prestigious than the later arrivals.


    However, the woman spoke so impolitely, which made the situation seem rather strange.


    ¡°The allies outside have already breached several of the outer arrays, and they¡¯re less than a hundred miles from the city.


    The Human Cultivators are patrolling very closely; it took us a great deal of effort to find a suitable excuse to slip out.


    Otherwise, if they became suspicious, all our previous efforts would have been wasted,¡± the newly arrived man said with a cold snort.


    The woman¡¯s eyebrows rose, but before she could say more, the large dark-faced man next to her became impatient.


    ¡°Enough talk.


    Let¡¯s get to work.


    Even if it¡¯s just a distraction, I don¡¯t want to lose it easily.¡±


    Hearing this, the woman fell silent.


    The two newcomers seemed to have some apprehension about this person and said no more.


    They took out stacks of Array Plates and lumps of Spirit Stones from their storage pouches and began to set up an array on this open ground.


    Their movements were exceptionally skilled.


    In just a short while, a small array began to take shape.


    If a Sect Master proficient in arrays took a closer look, they would be surprised to find that it was a temporary transportation formation, and it seemed to be a one-way transportation formation at that.


    After the time it took for a meal, just as the array was about to be completed, there was a sudden thunderous noise.


    An ice house nearby collapsed without warning, and a rolling cold mist came with it.


    Startled like frightened birds, all four of them immediately brought out their protective Magic Artifacts.


    ¡°How dare a few demon souls cause trouble under the very eyes of our Minor Extreme Palace, taking us elders for granted,¡± came an ancient voice, as two figures in fluttering robes slowly emerged from the cold mist.


    One had downward sloping eyebrows and three long strands of facial hair, while the other was a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion who carried a long sword on his back.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Law Enforcement Elders from Minor Extreme Palace, run!¡± As soon as she recognized the faces of the two figures, the woman exclaimed in shock.


    She immediately transformed into a streak of green light and shot out to one side.


    The large man and the other two also acted swiftly, each harnessing their streak of light to flee.


    ¡°Hmph!


    If a few demon souls can escape from us, that would indeed be a big joke,¡± said the middle-aged man with the sword, with a cold laugh.


    He raised his head and flicked his finger gently, sending out four piercing Sword Qis.


    Immediately, three screams were heard as the woman and the other two were pierced by the Sword Qi, their corpses falling straight down from the air.


    Only the dark-faced large man¡¯s green light stumbled a bit but continued to shoot away.


    ¡°Huh, interesting!¡±


    The red-faced middle-aged man was slightly surprised, but suddenly he opened his mouth, and a dazzling white light shot out.


    The large man¡¯s streak of light was caught up by the white light in an instant, and after circling it, it was effortlessly cut in half.


    At that moment, the elder with hanging eyebrows flicked his sleeve, and four willow leaf-shaped green Magic Artifacts flew out from his sleeve, instantly disappearing.


    In the next moment, the four green flames that had just fled in panic from the corpses were struck by these willow leaves, emitting several strange screams before turning into strands of green smoke that dissipated in the air.


    The red-faced middle-aged man then looked at the nearly completed transportation formation with a heavy expression.


    He waved his hand backwards, and a bowl-thick Sword Qi blasted out.


    With a ¡®boom,¡¯ the array disappeared, leaving a large pit in its place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!


    Even if a small part of them was destroyed, even if it doesn¡¯t cause much harm to these demons, it¡¯s certainly not pleasant,¡± said the elder with hanging eyebrows, stroking his beard, then, with a flash of radiance around his body, he shot upward into the sky.


    The red-faced middle-aged man chuckled ¡®hehe¡¯ and also casually left the area.


    The same scene played out in two other parts of Ice City, where several other puppets possessed by high-grade demon beasts¡¯ spiritual sense were also wiped out by the elders of Minor Extreme Palace in one fell swoop.


    Meanwhile, in a hall within the Mystic Jade Cave, the real location of Minor Extreme Palace, including the Palace Master and five or six other Nascent Soul cultivators, had serious expressions as they discussed something.


    Among them, the beautiful woman and two others were extremely pale, looking as though their Qi had been damaged.


    ¡°It was unexpected that Ten Thousand Demon Valley would even bring the Ten Thousand Demon Banner.


    I thought it was just an ordinary replica of a Spiritual Treasure, but the power was so immense!


    If it wasn¡¯t for the help of Elder Fang and Elder Huang, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have been able to repel that old demon¡¯s avatar on my own.


    And this was only achievable with the aid of the sect-wide formation.


    However, that old demon¡¯s avatar wasn¡¯t seriously wounded, and it will most likely strike again in two days.


    It seems we must take the opportunity to retreat,¡± the beautiful woman surnamed Liu said, her eyebrows tightly knitted together.


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1101 - Chapter 1101 6 spirit treasures 1997 chapters The devil is one foot taller

    ?Chapter 1101: 6 spirit treasures 1997 chapters The devil is one foot taller Chapter 1101: 6 spirit treasures 1997 chapters The devil is one foot taller ¡°Leaving now might be too early.


    We can still retreat after those demons have reached the city front; there¡¯s no need to hurry.¡± A large man with a full beard spoke with some disapproval.


    ¡°By then, I¡¯m afraid it might be too late to want to leave.¡± Another elder with a pale face and damaged vitality replied calmly, obviously supporting the beautiful woman.


    ¡°Hmph, how come after just one encounter with these demons, Martial Brother Wang has become a frightened bird!¡± The bearded large man sniffed coldly and shot back a retort.


    ¡°Junior Brother Tong, what do you know?


    You haven¡¯t seen for yourself how powerful the Ten Thousand Demon Banner is.


    Though it¡¯s just a replica of a Spiritual Treasure, its power probably doesn¡¯t fall far behind the Heavenly Demon Banner from ancient times.


    This time we¡¯re fortunate it wasn¡¯t the true body of Old Demon Che that came.


    Otherwise, even if Palace Master and we all joined forces, we¡¯d hardly be a match for them.¡± The pale-faced elder didn¡¯t show any anger, only spoke lightly.


    ¡°Is it really that powerful?


    Even so, for the enemy to break through our last few layers of restrictions isn¡¯t an easy feat.


    I still think it¡¯s inappropriate to rush into retreat without making full use of them.¡± The bearded large man showed a dubious expression, but still shook his head.


    Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman furrowed her brows.


    After sweeping her gaze over the other people¡¯s faces, she slowly said:


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    If it wasn¡¯t for Sister Bai and Sister Ye working together to lure the Ice Phoenix into the Illusory Light Mysterious Heaven Formation, and temporarily using the formation to trap this demonic bird within, we¡¯d probably not be able to peacefully discuss anything right now!


    After all, that Ice Phoenix is a pure descendant of the primordial demon beasts despite being only a grade ten demon beast, but it already possesses nearly half the Divine Skills of the Divinity Transformation Stage, far beyond what we human Nascent Soul cultivators can compare to.


    Now, although two elders are personally controlling the Array there, they won¡¯t be able to trap this demonic bird for much longer.


    Given the situation, it¡¯s better for us to prepare to retreat soon.


    However, Elder Tong¡¯s words do have their merit.


    Let the low-ranking disciples first hide in the Void Spirit Hall.


    We, along with the high-ranking disciples, will make use of the remaining layers of restrictions to deal another heavy blow to the enemy, killing more demon beasts, and then retreat back to the Void Spirit Hall without engaging in lingering battles.


    Elders, remember our main goal is to preserve the strength of our Palace, not to exterminate a large number of demon beasts.¡±


    Hearing the beautiful woman¡¯s words, the others thought it was feasible and nodded in agreement.


    Then, under the beautiful woman¡¯s orders, everyone left the great hall to begin gathering disciples and preparing for the retreat and the final battle.


    The beautiful woman, however, stayed behind in the hall, sitting alone in her chair, deep in thought, and a look of worry faintly appeared between her brows.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, you¡¯ve made arrangements yet you¡¯re still worried?


    Could it be that you also feel something isn¡¯t right?¡± Although the beautiful woman was sitting motionless, a string of fine words suddenly came through her Divine Sense, and upon listening closely, it turned out to be an unfamiliar female voice.


    ¡°Ghost Mother of Yellow Springs, if you don¡¯t want to suffer the Soul Piercing Pain, then stay put honestly for me.¡± The beautiful woman¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but she immediately replied coldly through her Divine Sense, clearly aware of the other woman¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Hehe, if you feel that you¡¯re no match for the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, you could let me take action.


    As long as you¡¯re willing to loosen the restrictions on me, joining hands with you, what could a mere Ten Thousand Demon Banner do?¡± The woman chuckled lowly, her tone quite arrogant.


    ¡°Loosen your restrictions?


    Don¡¯t dream about it.¡± The beautiful woman sneered.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking for your sake, if you don¡¯t appreciate it, then so be it.


    This time, those demon beasts obviously have another purpose for their visit, otherwise, why would they mobilize in such force.


    Hiding in the Void Spirit Hall might not be a secure strategy.


    The trial facing Minor Extreme Palace seems difficult to avoid.¡± The female voice had a chilling laugh, unceremoniously speaking her thoughts.


    ¡°You speak nonsense; I won¡¯t release your restrictions now.


    For a Ghost Cultivator who has cultivated to your level, if let out, who knows what trouble will arise.


    Just stay put honestly in the Profound Ghost Order.¡± The beautiful woman wasn¡¯t moved at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think, if it weren¡¯t for my help, could you have entered the Nascent Soul Stage within mere five or six hundred years?


    Moreover, if it wasn¡¯t for me taking action to save you several times, you¡¯d have died countless times by now, and couldn¡¯t have become the Palace Master of Minor Extreme Palace!¡± The woman was silent for a while, then let out a piercing voice, seemingly irritated and angry.


    ¡°What you said is indeed the truth, but don¡¯t forget.


    If I hadn¡¯t extracted the Profound Ghost Order from the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice, you would still have slept underground for who knows how many years.


    Helping me step into the Nascent Soul Stage, isn¡¯t that just so I could gain the ability to remove the Co-life Curse?


    As for taking action to save me, you were also saving yourself.¡± The beautiful woman replied indifferently.


    ¡°But you promised me that you would let me out.¡± The woman was still furiously angry.


    ¡°I did promise you, but then who let me find a secret technique, which allows me to cultivate using your profound Yin Qi and achieve twice the result with half the effort?


    As long as you can continue to help me enter the Divinity Transformation Stage, the Co-life Curse can be resolved by itself.


    You would then be free to leave.¡± The beautiful woman replied without a trace of emotion.


    ¡°Help you enter Divinity Transformation Stage?


    Do you think I¡¯m a True Immortal from the heavens or a supreme reincarnation of the spirit realm!


    If back then I could have entered the Divinity Transformation Stage, would I have been forced to take the path of a Ghost Cultivator?¡± The woman continued to rage.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t help me enter the Divinity Transformation Stage, then naturally before I pass away, I will reseal you.¡± The beautiful woman said expressionlessly.


    ¡°Hmph!


    You¡¯re not even sure if you can get through your current predicament.


    And all the Soul Stones you¡¯ve collected are depleted, aren¡¯t they?


    Without these, thinking I¡¯ll exert effort for you is just wishful thinking.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was extraordinarily cold.


    ¡°I¡¯ve indeed run out of Soul Stones.


    But the previous words were only speculation.


    What can these demon beasts really do to the Void Spirit Hall?


    There¡¯s no need for your help in this matter; we of Minor Extreme Palace can handle it on our own.¡± The beautiful woman¡¯s face darkened as she spoke.


    Then, with a single gesture as if triggering some incantations, the so-called ¡°Ghost Mother of Yellow Springs¡±¡®s voice abruptly cut off, no longer transmitting.


    Afterward, the beautiful woman¡¯s expression returned to normal, and she slowly walked out of the great hall.


    Two days later, after evacuating the majority in charge of the Array and the lower-ranking disciples, the demon beasts swiftly advanced under the Ice City.


    The cultivators of Minor Extreme Palace prepared for one more fierce battle with the demon swarm, using the last few powerful restrictive formations.


    Old Demon Che¡¯s fiend demon transformation, the young child, who fully recovered from his injuries some days ago, together with the old man and other demon-transformed creatures, came en masse, covering the sky.


    After an exceptionally fierce battle, both sides suffered casualties.


    But in the end, evil prevailed an inch higher.


    The young child forcibly swallowed two elders of Minor Extreme Palace with the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, forcing the beautiful woman to lead the Sect Masters in retreating from the fight and temporarily relying on the last restrictive formations to fend off the demon beasts¡¯ attack.


    ¡°`


    Seeing this, the old demon of the chariot unceremoniously displayed all the divine powers of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, with innumerable demon beasts taking form within the swirling demon Qi before launching a desperate attack on the last layer of the restrictive formations.


    The cultivators of the Minor Extreme Palace completely retreated back into the secret realm of Han Li, entering the Void Spirit Hall.


    At the command of the beautiful woman, the restrictive formations within the secret realm were immediately activated.


    At once, the three halls arranged in a triangular pattern started shaking violently; then, the ground of the secret realm cracked open, and from beneath emerged a Super Formation Array that encircled the three halls at the center.


    At a single glance, it was unclear how many spirit stones were inlaid within the array, densely packed like thousands, and most were medium-grade or higher spirit stones, with the core even inlaid with more than ten precious high-grade spirit stones.


    Runes within the array tumbled and inscriptions flickered, exuding an air of profound mystery.


    A moment later, spiritual light interwove and converged overhead, forming a bright silver brilliance that nearly covered the entire sky of the secret realm.


    It was then that the three great halls began to emit faint spiritual light, and immediately, three thick beams of light burst from the top of the halls, plunging into the brilliance above and disappearing without a trace.


    Thunderous rumbling sounds erupted, and strange spatial fluctuations transmitted through the brilliance.


    The light then roiled rapidly, and a white arc hundreds of feet long slowly emerged within it.


    As soon as the light arc appeared, a violent wind whipped up within the secret realm, flinging sand and rocks, as countless pavilions and towers trembled and collapsed in destruction, while the spiritual energy of heaven and earth also fell into disarray, leaving chaos everywhere.


    Yet the three great halls seemed to be connected to these tears in space, their brilliance intensifying for a moment.


    The arc in the sky stretched and widened as if an eye of a demon was gradually opening.


    Just as the spatial tear nearly occupied half of the secret realm¡¯s sky, silver brilliance suddenly sprayed out, enveloping all three Void Spirit Halls at once.


    One of the halls trembled, and then slowly rose from the ground, moving towards the space tear.


    Silver light flickered, and as the great hall vanished in a flash, the second hall promptly followed suit by rising as well.


    However, as the third hall was ascending from the ground, somewhere in the secret realm, a flash of white light appeared, and a white Ice Phoenix, about several meters in size, eerily manifested itself.


    Seeing the spectacle in the secret realm, its emerald eyes flickered with astonishment, but it fixed its gaze on the last great hall still hanging in the void.


    Suddenly, it opened its mouth and a white light shot out and disappeared without a trace.


    Then the Ice Phoenix coldly watched as the hall was also absorbed into the spatial tear without lifting a feather to intervene.


    After all three great halls had been launched into the void, the tear in the sky gradually closed, then the silver light flashed, and eerily disappeared.


    All the anomalies in the secret realm vanished as well.


    Only then did the Ice Phoenix utter a clear cry, spread its wings, and after a burst of white light, its figure abruptly disappeared again.


    Several moments later, an earth-shattering noise spread, and as the entire mountain trembled, the demons finally broke through the last layer of the restrictive formations outside the Ice City, with the Green-Backed Cyan Wolf and the old man and child formed by the chariot old demon heading straight for the mountain.


    Under these circumstances, the Mystic Jade Cave¡¯s Han Li also finally reached the last stage of breaking through the bottleneck.


    Inside the array, Han Li, who had been wielding the Purple Apex Flames, had stopped for unknown reasons, staring not far away with a face full of astonishment.


    Not only him, but the old crone and Bai Mengxin, as well as others, were similarly transfixed, unblinkingly staring at the large stone in the center of the formation, all bearing expressions of shock.


    For above that large stone, the light sphere had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a milky-white lotus of light.


    Han Li was sitting upright within it, with wisps of cold air drifting from the petals, surrounding and obscuring his form in a hazy mist.


    And on Han Li¡¯s seemingly calm face, between his eyebrows, there was a six-colored lotus mark, appearing and disappearing, flickering unstably.


    Even more strange, a faint fragrance was emanating from his body, like sandalwood or medicinal scent, fragrant and fresh to the nose, yet there was also a faint hint of bloodiness within it.


    Utterly inconceivable!


    (Second update!) (To be continued, for the subsequent events, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1103 - Chapter 1103 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 199 Turning Against Each Other

    ?Chapter 1103: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 199 Turning Against Each Other Chapter 1103: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 199 Turning Against Each Other ¡°Fellow Daoist Han Li, are you unharmed?¡± The middle-aged man in the green robe hesitated for a moment before asking in mid-air.


    ¡°I am fine, but it was still an effort that fell short!¡± Daoist Han Li forced a smile and stood up, as the white lotus beneath him suddenly collapsed, turning into specks of spiritual light that vanished into thin air.


    He then lightly landed on the stone cliff below.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity!


    Daoist Han Li clearly only lacked a bit in spiritual sense, otherwise, he would have succeeded in advancing this time.


    Regardless, the secret technique you created is indeed a viable method to break through to the Divinity Transformation.¡± The old lady sighed lightly, looking extremely appreciative of Daoist Han Li¡¯s technique.


    ¡°Thank you for Lady Long¡¯s words.


    Although this method is effective, besides this current opportunity, it will not be easy for others to gather so many cultivators with the Extreme Cold Flame in the future,¡± Daoist Han Li replied calmly.


    ¡°That is also true.


    Apart from the difficulty of gathering fellow cultivators who practice the Extreme Cold Flame, finding a place as extremely cold as the Mystic Jade Cave is indeed a tough task.


    However, there are still many aspects of Daoist Han Li¡¯s method that can be learned,¡± the monk in the gray robe said with a smile.


    Hearing this, Daoist Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and he helplessly shook his head.


    He then stretched out his palms, looking at his elastic and radiant skin.


    The gaze of the head of the Minor Extreme Palace fluctuated uncertainly.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Daoist Han Li, since the ritual has ended, shouldn¡¯t we stop the Array and allow us to return to the stone house to restore our Qi?¡± Han Li frowned and said, his gaze sweeping across the re-emerging light screen around them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush.


    I still have some matters to deal with.


    It won¡¯t be late to stop the Array after that,¡± Daoist Han Li said indifferently without even lifting his head.


    The middle-aged man in the green robe and Bai Mengxin exchanged glances, floating above Daoist Han Li¡¯s head, remaining expressionless and silent.


    ¡°Daoist Master, what do you mean by that?¡± Sensing something amiss, the monk¡¯s face darkened immediately.


    Although the old lady did not speak, a vigilant expression emerged on her face, and her hand seemed to move inside her sleeve, as if she was gripping something, then coldly stared at the three cultivators from the Minor Extreme Palace opposite her.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, there¡¯s no need to panic.


    I, Han, have no ill intentions.


    I merely want to retrieve an item that belongs to our palace from Fellow Daoist Han,¡± Daoist Han Li finally lowered his hands, then lifted his head to look at Han Li.


    The sixteen silver blades on his body suddenly buzzed and then shot out, while his eyes immediately shone brightly, with a hint of golden light flickering.


    ¡®It seems his mana has fully recovered!


    ¡°Returning an item?¡± Both the monk and the old lady couldn¡¯t help but look at Han Li, with a hint of surprise on their faces.


    ¡°Are you joking, Fellow Daoist?


    It¡¯s my first time at the Minor Extreme Palace, and I have never taken anything from your palace,¡± Han Li slowly stood up, replying calmly.


    Hearing this, Daoist Han Li¡¯s face revealed a peculiar expression, silent for a moment before suddenly flipping his hand, and a bunch of blue light appeared in his hand, with a small cauldron visible within it.


    ¡°The Celestial Ice Cauldron!¡± The monk in the gray robe blurted out upon seeing this cauldron, and then in shock, he quickly reached into his sleeve and pulled out another small cauldron identical to the first one.


    He swept his gaze over the two cauldrons and his face was full of astonishment.


    ¡°Master Mo Jiu, there¡¯s no need to be surprised.


    The one you have is not fake and is indeed a genuine Celestial Ice Cauldron.


    However, there originally was not just one but a pair of these cauldrons.


    Both are replicas of something else, and what I want from Fellow Daoist Han is the ¡®Heavenvoid Cauldron¡¯-a heavenly spiritual treasure.


    This Spiritual Treasure is with you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Daoist Han Li stared at Han Li, speaking in a calm manner.


    ¡°heavenly spiritual treasures!


    Daoist Han has such a treasure?¡± This time, the old lady let out a soft exclamation, her gaze shifting to Han Li incredulously, also revealing a hint of greed.


    The monk in gray was similarly extremely surprised, and he couldn¡¯t help but take another look at Han Li.


    Before coming here, both of them had inquired Daoist Han Li about Han Li¡¯s origin, knowing he came from Tian Luo.


    That a cultivator from such a remote place could possess such a treasure like the heavenly spiritual treasures was indeed shocking to them.


    ¡°Oh, the Heavenvoid Cauldron!


    I see, I don¡¯t mind answering Brother Han¡¯s question.


    But before that, I would like to ask you a question, Fellow Daoist.


    How are you so certain that I must possess this cauldron?


    What is the relation between your Void Spirit Hall and this cauldron?¡± Han Li did not immediately deny but instead showed a somewhat smiling expression.


    ¡°So, it seems you indeed possess the cauldron!


    As for how I knew it was with Daoist friend, it¡¯s no secret.


    The Purple Apex Flames you cultivate, have they not been amalgamated with the Celestial Ice Flame from the Heavenvoid Cauldron?


    In this world, aside from our Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s replicated Celestial Ice Cauldron, only the Heavenvoid Cauldron in the human world possesses this Celestial Ice Flame.


    It just so happens that I have recently refined the Celestial Ice Flame to its utmost limit, making my sensitivity to lower-grade Celestial Ice Flames exceptionally acute.¡± Although he was almost certain that the Heavenvoid Cauldron was with Han Li, a trace of frenzy could not help but flicker in Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s eyes upon hearing these words.


    ¡°It seems that the first time you met me, you already knew I had the Heavenvoid Cauldron,¡± Han Li asked with a furrowed brow.


    ¡°Indeed so, but I did not expect that Brother Han would not deny it at all, which was beyond my expectations.


    The excuses I had prepared were thus unnecessary.


    The Heavenvoid Cauldron was the personal Spiritual Treasure of the founder of our sect, Fairy Bing Po, who once traveled the world with it.


    Over a hundred years later, when she returned, the whereabouts of the cauldron were unknown.


    That¡¯s when the Void Spirit Hall was built.


    I¡¯m not interested in how you came into possession of this treasure, but it is indeed the property of our Palace.


    As long as you hand it over, our Palace will not trouble Daoist friend.¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li spoke solemnly, word for word.


    Han Li initially appeared to understand, but soon after, he chuckled softly Hehe, staring at Fellow Daoist Han Li without saying anything.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s unrestrained demeanor, a chill shot through Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s pupils, and his gaze turned sinister.


    ¡°Meng Yao mentioned that Brother Han has incredible divine skills; though only at a mid-Foundation Establishment level, your divine skills are comparable to those of late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivators.


    Silver-winged Nightfiends and other demons cannot even harm you.


    Under other circumstances, at another time, perhaps I indeed would have no way against Daoist friend.


    But now, encased in this Array, within the sealed Mystic Jade Cave.


    Not to mention, your mana is reduced to a mere thirty percent, while the effects of my secret technique have yet to wear off, making my mana and body at their strongest.


    Need I mention who has the better odds of winning?¡± The golden glint in Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s eyes gradually intensified.


    The man in the green shirt and Bai Mengxin looked at Han Li with an equally grave expression, as if facing a formidable enemy.


    ¡°Unexpectedly, I lend you a hand to break through the bottleneck, only to be exploited by Daoist friend in turn.


    Is this how Minor Extreme Palace always repays kindness with enmity?¡± Han Li¡¯s mouth twitched, revealing a hint of cold sarcasm.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I compensate you!¡± Temple scoffed.


    ¡°Not only did I share the refined Celestial Ice Flame Incantation with Daoist friend, but also the secret technique I conceived over centuries to break through bottlenecks.


    Besides, the main reason Daoist Han was willing to assist was to witness the effects of this secret technique, to use for his own learning.


    How is this repaying kindness with enmity?¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li hummed, remaining noncommittal.


    ¡°Is that so, it seems there¡¯s some truth to that.


    But now, it¡¯s not just I who am trapped in the Array!


    The matter of the heavenly spirit treasures is so significant, do you intend to silence us all?¡± Han Li glanced sideways at the monk and the old crone, speaking lightly.


    Upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, the expressions of these two changed drastically.


    Especially the monk, who looked down at the small cauldron in his hands, his gaze flickering uncertainly.


    ¡°Hehe, Daoist friend need not waste your efforts.


    I and the other two Daoists have been acquainted for many years; how would they fall for your divisive words!¡± An evil Qi flashed across Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s face but vanished in an instant.


    ¡°This matter is between Fellow Daoist Temple and your Palace.


    I am not interested in getting involved.


    You resolve it yourselves.¡± The old crone coldly glanced at Han Li, her figure suddenly flickered, and the next moment she appeared at the edge of the light screen, adopting an indifferent stance.


    Seeing this, a flicker of movement crossed Han Li¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han has come here primarily to assist Fellow Daoist Han Li in overcoming his bottleneck.


    Let¡¯s do this, if the so-called Heavenvoid Cauldron is truly the property of your Palace, Daoist Han returning the treasure should suffice.


    How about your Palace compensates Daoist Han in return?


    At our level of cultivation, harmony is still preferable,¡± the monk pondered for a moment before suggesting to mediate the matter.


    ¡°Currently, it is a precarious time for our Palace, and I have no wish to be at odds with Brother Han.


    As long as Daoist Han is willing to hand over the cauldron, I will personally ensure a substantial amount of Spirit Stones are paid.


    The amount will be large enough so that Brother Han will never have to worry about Spirit Stones again,¡± Fellow Daoist Han Li said, his expression easing.


    Upon hearing this, Han Li let out a cold laugh, looked up at the sky, and remained silent.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s response, Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, his shoulders shook slightly, and his body erupted with blue flames, transforming into a massive fireball enveloped in flickering blue light.


    The man in the green shirt and Bai Mengxin took action as well, one conjuring several crystal-clear flying swords from his body, the other flicking her robe as two dull short spears flew out, circling and whistling in front of them eerily.


    Seeing this, the monk, appearing helpless, softly chanted a Buddhist phrase then flew towards the light screen side, seemingly following the old crone¡¯s example in not wanting to intervene.


    However, in mid-flight, the monk suddenly changed direction, heading directly towards Han Li.


    Han Li was startled, unclear of the other¡¯s intentions when suddenly he heard the monk¡¯s transmitted voice in his ear, causing him to pause and his expression to turn peculiar.


    ¡°Brother Han, keep the small Celestial Ice Cauldron for now; I will lend you a hand when the time comes to take action!¡±(To be continued, please visit www.qidian.com to find out what happens next if you wish to know the follow-up, there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1104 - Chapter 1104 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1100 Battle Commences

    ?Chapter 1104: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1100 Battle Commences Chapter 1104: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1100 Battle Commences In the midst of speaking, the monk suddenly raised his hand, and a burst of blue light shot straight towards Han Li.


    It was the Celestial Ice Cauldron.


    ¡°Mo Jiu, what are you doing?¡± Elder Han Li roared furiously.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why the monk was lending a hand, Han Li certainly wasn¡¯t going to politely refuse the offered treasure.


    He immediately swept out his large sleeve lightly, a cyan brilliance swept out, intending to collect the cauldron into his sleeve.


    Elder Han Li saw this, his expression darkened, and abruptly pinched an incantation with one hand, quickly pointing at the small cauldron.


    With a ¡°Pu¡± sound, the formerly serene cauldron paused mid-air, then its lid flew up, and a surge of billowing blue flames burst out.


    The cauldron then changed its direction, shooting towards Elder Han Li.


    ¡°You really did tamper with it!¡± The gray-robed monk let out a deep, cold snort, already prepared, and grasped at the empty space with one hand.


    Instantly a green light hand materialized above the cauldron and reached down to catch it.


    To reassert control over the cauldron!


    ¡°Break,¡± Elder Han Li¡¯s pupils shone with golden light as he thunderously spat out the command.


    With a rumble, the green hand twisted at the back of its hand, and an ancient character shining with golden light suddenly emerged there; then with a ¡°Boom,¡± the character exploded, its golden light flashing powerfully, dissolving the hand into nothingness.


    ¡°Magnificent Chanting Secret Technique!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    You¡¯ve actually cultivated the Confucian Sect¡¯s Cultivation Technique,¡± the monk blurted out in a low exclamation.


    Elder Han Li, however, paid him no heed and beckoned with one hand, the small cauldron continued shooting towards him, to be captured.


    During this instant, a strand of cyan filaments bizarrely shot out from the nearby void.


    With a flash of green light, they wrapped around the cauldron and shot back, giving no chance for others to react.


    Elder Han Li startled, hastily pinched out incantations with both hands, and uttered several ¡°Break¡± commands from his mouth.


    Several golden ancient characters burst in succession upon the cyan filaments, with deafening rumbles.


    However, the filaments merely scattered briefly and then immediately reverted to their original state, rolling the small cauldron into another individual¡¯s hands.


    And this person had another similarly sized cauldron floating in front of him, with runes fluttering on it, resembling the Celestial Ice Cauldron with about five to six points of similarity; the cyan filaments were precisely shot out from that cauldron.


    ¡°The Heavenvoid Cauldron!¡± Elder Han Li murmured upon seeing this scene.


    Naturally, the person was Han Li, who had summoned the Heavenvoid Cauldron!


    He saw that the Celestial Ice Cauldron was about to be captured in his hands and immediately flicked a finger at the void in front of the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    With a ¡°clang,¡± a light sound emitted, several strands of cyan filament burst out from the cauldron, completely wrapping the Celestial Ice Cauldron in a glittering ball of cyan silk, then with a flick of his sleeve, he collected the cyan ball into it.


    Only then did he raise his head to look at Elder Han Li expressionlessly with a trace of cold smile on his lips.


    ¡°Good, very good!


    You¡¯ve quickly employed the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    But with your cultivation level, you could at most have mastered the Treasure Commanding Decree to the first layer.


    As such, you could only display a small portion of this Spiritual Treasure¡¯s power.


    However, Master Mo Jiu, I did not expect you to make such an unwise choice.


    You are forcing me to take action against you as well,¡± Elder Han Li said to the monk calmly, despite having seen the Celestial Ice Cauldron snatched away.


    ¡°I have known Elder Han Li for over a hundred years, and what I did was merely for self-preservation.


    I don¡¯t wish to be silenced by the Star Palace after they eliminate Fellow Daoist Han.


    Such a major matter involving the spirit treasures, Elder Han Li, you weren¡¯t planning on letting me leave from the beginning, were you?


    I am merely a Loose Cultivator; I¡¯m not as deeply connected as Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon and the Star Palace are,¡± the gray-robed monk stated calmly as he retrieved a green glowing mokugyo from his sleeve.


    ¡°Master Mo Jiu, what do you mean by that!¡± The old crone, who had stepped aside, flashed a sharp look in her eyes and coldly asked upon hearing this.


    ¡°Why should Fellow Daoist continue to conceal the truth!


    Others may not be aware of this matter, but I know quite a bit.


    Isn¡¯t the Willow Green Faction led by Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon essentially an external branch of the Minor Extreme Palace?


    Fellow Daoist Fire Dragon is actually one of the elder of the Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s external branches.


    Have I spoken incorrectly?¡± The gray-robed monk said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that even Master knew about this.


    Elder Fire Dragon, it seems there¡¯s no need for you to wait any longer to take action, let¡¯s take them down together,¡± Elder Han Li finally stopped hiding after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Seems like it¡¯s impossible for this old body to slack off any longer.


    However, Great Elder, you have not mentioned anything to me about the Heavenvoid Cauldron before.


    Do you even need to keep it a secret from us external elders?¡± The old crone said coldly with a stone-faced expression and a flash of yellow light in her hand, as a dragon-headed cane appeared in her hand, then she abruptly said in a cold voice toward Elder Han Li.


    ¡°I did so for the sake of secrecy.


    Regardless, now we need to capture these two, then seize the cauldron.


    With this cauldron as our sect¡¯s treasure, I believe our palace will be able to repel even the strongest adversary in the future,¡± Elder Han Li replied, somewhat evasively.


    ¡°Leave Master Mo Jiu to me, you three concentrate on the Han Li brat and capture the Heavenvoid Cauldron,¡± the old crone said with a wrinkled face that showed some dissatisfaction, but she nonetheless nodded.


    ¡°Very well, so be it,¡± seeing this, Elder Han Li no longer hesitated, flipped his hand, suddenly revealing a pale blue Array Plate, and his other hand rapidly pinched out Incantations.


    ¡°Not good, he¡¯s about to activate the restrictive formations, stop him!¡± the gray-robed monk saw Elder Han Li¡¯s actions and exclaimed, his expression changing; then he raised his hand, and a burst of emerald green light shot out, sacrificing the mokugyo he held.


    At once he urged the Incantations, and from the mokugyo emitted a long-drawn, profound ¡°thud!¡±


    The sound was like the ethereal echo of a valley, resembling the chant of the Buddhist hymns, causing those who heard it to sway their minds for a moment as if their souls were about to depart their bodies.


    But every person present was of exceptional Divine Skills, and the old woman, not waiting for a second sound from the mokugyo, became lucid the next instant, let out a cold snort, and with her cane, pointed at the mokugyo, sending out a thick yellow Sword Qi that struck out in a blink and spurted forth.


    The gray-robed monk saw this and couldn¡¯t afford to continue urging the Sanskrit sounds to attack.


    In a hurry, he poured his mana into the wooden fish, which spun in the air and swelled to the size of about ten feet, as if it turned into a stone cliff directly meeting the sword streaks.


    In an instant, there were bursts of explosive sounds, and the wooden fish became entangled with the sword streaks.


    Meanwhile, Han Li who was continuously casting incantations with the Array Plate in his hand did not stop at all.


    The plate even began to emit blinding spiritual light.


    Han Li breathed out softly!


    He didn¡¯t have any intention of letting Han Li successfully activate the Array.


    With a raise of his hand, his fingers flicked consecutively.


    Over ten streaks of azure sword Qi shot out instantly from his fingertips.


    The target was Han Li, who was ceaselessly touching the Array Plate.


    Han Li¡¯s Azure Essence Sword streaks transformed into over ten azure rainbows.


    Just as they were flying halfway, several white sword streaks and two black lights intercepted them mid-air and got tangled up in a burst of spiritual light.


    The ones who acted were Bai Mengxin and the green-robed middle-aged man.


    In a blink, the sword Qi was almost instantly chopped into pieces.


    Han Li frowned, but instead of hurrying to stop Han Li from casting the spell, he fiercely shook his sleeve and dozens of golden flying swords swam out, turning into a shield of golden light around him, while he coldly watched Han Li¡¯s actions.


    Suddenly, ¡°rumble rumble¡± loud noises unexpectedly came from below.


    Han Li was startled, but immediately his body flashed with spiritual light, and he rose from the column of light into the air.


    At that moment, the purple column of light below him vanished without a trace, revealing a round Array Chart sparkling with spiritual light.


    Han Li suddenly felt a strong suction force from below, making his body feel as heavy as a thousand pounds and plummet downwards.


    At the same time, the light around him flickered continuously, and waves of eerie spiritual ripples shook in succession.


    Before he had time to cast a spell, the scenery nearby suddenly changed.


    He found himself in the void of a sky filled with snowstorms.


    Countless snowflakes descended from the sky, and the ground was crystal clear, the site was actually a glacial landscape.


    ¡°It¡¯s an Illusion Technique!


    This is getting interesting!¡±


    As soon as Han Li¡¯s feet touched the ground, he chuckled lightly, but his face was void of any smile.


    The restrictive formations affecting him now were a few notches fiercer.


    He believed that if he hadn¡¯t cultivated the King Ming Art, his body would indeed struggle to bear the burden.


    But compared with the gravity of the Gold Magnet Divine Wood, of course, they could not be mentioned in the same breath.


    Thinking so, Han Li¡¯s thoughts moved, and the golden sword light circling in front of him dispersed the heaviness on him in an instant.


    Wrapped in a cocoon of golden light, his figure once again rose gently.


    Han Li now scanned his surroundings, his eyes half-closed, flickering with blue light.


    Everywhere was a vast expanse of whiteness, and all other persons had vanished without a trace.


    It seemed a boundless place where only he appeared to be the sole living person.


    He then looked up at the sky, where the colossal snowflakes seemed to fall endlessly.


    Suddenly the blue light in his eyes intensified, followed by a low shout from his mouth.


    The golden light swirling around him shot out more than a dozen streaks toward a seemingly empty space in the sky.


    A series of explosive sounds came from the void, and immediately after, the interweaving of golden and white lights flickered unpredictably.


    Subsequently, more than a dozen small swords appeared.


    These flying swords were only a few inches big, but each one was crystal clear.


    Just now, they took the opportunity to hide in the snow, quietly aiming at Han Li.


    But Han Li discovered them one step ahead, and casually released sword lights to easily break their tracks.


    ¡°Eh!¡± A surprised voice, which unmistakably belonged to Bai Mengxin, came from somewhere, filled with astonishment.


    However, the more than ten flying swords flickered and then vanished without a trace in the snowstorm.


    Han Li raised an eyebrow, intuitively clasping his hands in an incantation.


    Immediately, the golden light around his body trembled, and more than a dozen small golden swords, each glinting brightly and emitting chilling air, shot out directly.


    After a spin, these small swords suddenly scattered and shot out in retaliation.


    The result was another series of rumbles, and those more than a dozen crystal-clear flying swords were accurately slashed back into their original shapes by each golden sword.


    Then, under the urging of Han Li¡¯s incantations, both types of flying swords buzzed loudly, their golden and crystalline lights intertwined, starting a fierce combat.


    Seeing this, a fierce look flashed in Han Li¡¯s eyes, and a strange spell incantation suddenly came out of his mouth.


    A muffled grunt came from somewhere in the snowstorm, and a burst of white light exploded about several dozen yards away.


    A woman in white fluttered into appearance, holding her head with both hands, her face showing a look of suffering.


    It was Bai Mengxin who had been hit by Han Li¡¯s ¡°Spirit Piercing¡± secret technique!


    (First update!) (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support original reading!)

 Chapter 1108 - Chapter 1108 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1104 Puppet Conquers Enemy

    ?Chapter 1108: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1104 Puppet Conquers Enemy Chapter 1108: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures, Chapter 1104 Puppet Conquers Enemy The person was naturally Han Li, who had used the Lightning movement technique to quietly circle around behind the girl.


    He had used the Humanoid Puppet to distract Bai Mengxin¡¯s attention, while he himself had swiftly drawn close and made his move.


    Bai Mengxin had been on alert for any disturbances nearby.


    As soon as Han Li¡¯s figure appeared, the girl immediately sensed it and without turning her head, she reached out with a reflexive grasp into the void.


    A crystal-clear hand, as translucent as crystal, immediately appeared outside of the massive ice and reached straight for Han Li¡¯s head.


    The girl did not pin her hopes on this strike truly overpowering the enemy; she only wished to temporarily stop Han Li¡¯s advance.


    However, Han Li did not even glance at the hand above him, merely sweeping his sleeve with an expressionless face.


    Instantly, a golden sword shot out from his sleeve, and after a flash of golden light, the hand was split in half.


    Han Li¡¯s form did not delay for even a moment, rushing up to the front of the massive ice with the violet flame around his body growing several times stronger.


    An incredible scene unfolded!


    With just a slight stiffness in his figure, Han Li seemed to become intangible as he merged into the ice block.


    After a few flickers, he mysteriously passed through the massive ice, appearing right before Bai Mengxin and Elder Han Li.


    Where he passed through, a gaping hole about ten feet in diameter was left in the ice.


    It seemed that although the Purple Apex Flames had not been refined, compared to Bai Mengxin¡¯s Celestial Ice Flame in terms of power, they were more than just a notch higher.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    With Han Li¡¯s full urging, he eerily passed through this defense.


    Right before his eyes was that circular silver net.


    Bai Mengxin had already turned her head in surprise, and with a scolding cry, she pinched a magic sign with one hand and spat out the word ¡°Collect!¡±


    The net shone brightly as its silver threads constricted towards the center.


    The gaps disappeared, and a glittering silver sphere abruptly appeared before Han Li.


    Han Li paused, but then scoffed coldly.


    The tri-colored light flourished, and with a nimble turn of the Feathered Fan in his hand, his body swelled in size to about a foot long.


    He gently fanned the silver sphere in front of him.


    ¡°Puchi,¡± a column of tri-colored flame gushed out, and gold, silver, and red runes flickered ceaselessly within the scarlet flames, striking directly onto the silver sphere.


    This silver sphere, whatever rare and valuable treasure it was, began to hum in response to the Three Flame Fan, an imitation of a Spiritual Treasure.


    It shone dazzlingly against the tri-colored flames.


    For a moment, it held the flames at bay.


    The treasure immediately began to show signs of weakening, but it was not instantly pierced and dissolved.


    Han Li frowned, but then he relaxed.


    The earlier strike was merely a modest infusion of Mana into the fan; the Three Flame Fan only exerted about one-tenth of its usual power.


    Although the result was somewhat unexpected, he was by no means shocked by it.


    Almost at the same time, Han Li moved one hand and the jade bottle he had prepared disappeared into his mouth, instantly administering a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk.


    He then no longer spared his Mana, pouring a massive amount of it into the fan.


    With a tremble of the Tri-color Feather Fan, it emitted a pleasing chime.


    A Tri-Color Fire Bird gracefully flew out from the fan along the flame column, diving straight towards the silver sphere opposite.


    But Han Li spread the Thunderstorm Wings behind him again, and almost at the same moment as the tri-colored radiance burst forth, he disappeared from the spot amidst the rumblings of thunder.


    The next moment, a streak of silver light appeared about thirty feet away, and Han Li¡¯s figure emerged within that silver light.


    He looked back in the direction he came from, only to see the crystal-clear massive ice rapidly melting away, engulfed within the tri-colored glow.


    As for the silver sphere caught in the center of the radiance, it instantly collapsed and turned into nothingness upon the burst.


    Seeing this scene, there was no hint of joy on Han Li¡¯s face.


    Instead, his pupils contracted, and the fingers holding the Three Flame Fan tensed up slightly.


    For after the silver sphere dissipated, there appeared a blue Ice Flood Dragon, dozens of feet in length, with crystal-clear scales on the front half and a viscous blue liquid shape on the rear half, directly extending into a cauldron furnace.


    It seemed to be a Spiritual Object released from the cauldron.


    This cauldron, floating in front of Elder Han Li, turned out to be the Celestial Ice Cauldron!


    The body of the Ice Flood Dragon coiled and contracted, protecting Bai Mengxin and Elder Han Li within.


    Although the Dragon¡¯s body also dissolved and vanished under the tri-colored light, disappearing in the blink of an eye, the tri-colored radiance finally exhausted its power and vanished with a flash.


    Elder Han Li relied on the extreme cold of the Flood Dragon to survive unscathed under the power of the Three Flame Fan.


    ¡°So this is that fire-attribute Feathered Fan?


    Truly worthy of being an imitation of a Spiritual Treasure, indeed quite powerful.


    Solely in terms of power, it should already surpass my Celestial Ice Cauldron,¡± said a faint voice from Elder Han Li, who hadn¡¯t stopped forming incantations.


    Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and a deep blue flame spurted out, attaching itself onto the Ice Flood Dragon.


    The blue flames circulated ceaselessly along the body of the flood dragon.


    With a long roar from its mouth, its damaged body instantly restored to its original state after a flash of the Celestial Ice Flame.


    Then, it glared with a pair of green eyes, fixing a ferocious gaze on Han Li.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Han Li revealed an odd expression on his face, one that seemed somewhat mocking and also carried a hint of a cold sneer.


    The Sect Master¡¯s heart chilled, and before he could understand what was happening, a faint azure silhouette eerily emerged from the void behind him, and then swooped forward in a pounce.


    One hand shimmered with silver light, like a sharp blade, thrusting straight into the Sect Master¡¯s back, while the other hand lifted to reveal a Silver Small Shield that was immediately cast out, unfolding into a silver screen rushing down towards Bai Mengxin.


    This azure shadow moved silently, akin to a gentle breeze across the face, eluding the perception of ordinary cultivators.


    It was indeed Han Li¡¯s Humanoid Puppet.


    It had sneakily arrived at this location, unnoticed by anyone, under the cover of the sky filled with arrow-like flames and Han Li¡¯s diversion.


    Bai Mengxin had not noticed the abnormality behind her.


    When the silver light flashed before her eyes and she was completely trapped within the silver screen, she panicked.


    She quickly formed an incantation with her hands, and a layer of white Celestial Ice Flame instantly appeared all over her body, which then transformed into countless fist-sized Fireballs, shooting towards the surrounding silver screen.


    For a moment, the space within the light screen was filled with loud booming noises!


    However, the surface of the silver screen became extraordinarily thick at times and smooth as a mirror at others.


    The white Fireballs, upon striking it, were either staunchly blocked or reflected back.


    Clearly, she could not escape the trap immediately!


    As a late-Nascent Soul cultivator who was just one step away from entering the Divinity Transformation realm, the Sect Master was naturally incomparable to Bai Mengxin.


    So, the moment the Humanoid Puppet appeared, this Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace, relying on his formidable spiritual sense, had already perceived the anomaly.


    Startled in his heart, he had no time to command the blue flood dragon to fend off the enemy.


    He could only swiftly bring forth a Golden Battle Armor from within his body, of an ancient style and twinkling with spiritual light.


    At the same time, he attempted to dodge the lightning-fast strike of the Humanoid Puppet.


    However, Han Li had already exerted his full power to enhance the puppet, which followed the Sect Master like a shadow.


    Due to having to form incantations with his hands, the Sect Master¡¯s movements were naturally slower.


    As a result, with a ¡°thud,¡± the silver-shining palm struck the Sect Master right on his shoulder¡­


    Silver light interweaved with golden brilliance flickered!


    The palm of the Humanoid Puppet, made mainly of Silverstar Sand along with other rare materials, had a might certainly not inferior to an ordinary flying sword magic treasure.


    Yet, when it struck the golden armor, it only stirred a ripple like that of water, and was quickly repelled.


    Nevertheless, the immense strength still caused the late-Nascent Soul cultivator to stumble and sway several times.


    However, the Sect Master¡¯s heart actually felt relieved.


    The Spiritual Power inside him started flowing ceaselessly, preparing to forcibly halt the grand incantation he was performing in order to free up his mana for counterattacking.


    Although the grand incantation was not fully completed, it had already been able to mobilize more than half of the Mystic Jade Cold Qi from the Mystic Jade Cave, which should be sufficient to obliterate the formidable enemy before him.


    But just as the Sect Master began to change the incantations his hands were forming, the other hand of the Humanoid Puppet also flashed, striking the other shoulder of the Sect Master with similar ineffectiveness, blocked by the golden armor.


    The Sect Master was taken aback and was about to wonder why the puppet would do such a thing when suddenly, the two palms of the puppet emitted a brilliant silver light, transforming into two sharply hooked blades.


    With a slight trembling, they hooked onto the Sect Master¡¯s shoulders.


    Even though they were stopped by the golden armor, the Sect Master¡¯s body was immediately rendered unable to move freely.


    Almost simultaneously, a sudden thought flashed past above the Sect Master¡¯s head as a black short blade mysteriously appeared, trembling slightly as it stabbed down towards the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace¡¯s heavenly spiritual covering from above.


    It was so rapid that it almost reached his skull in an instant.


    And at that moment, the Sect Master was firmly hooked by the puppet¡¯s silver blades onto the golden armor¡¯s exterior, unable to budge even slightly.


    At this instant, the Sect Master was thoroughly terrified.


    No longer caring to slowly channel the Spiritual Power within his body, he hurriedly lifted his head, his face turning blood-red as he spat out a blood-red streak.


    This blood-red streak was transformed from a mouthful of the Sect Master¡¯s blood essence, containing stupendously powerful Spiritual Power.


    Upon collision with the black blade, a thudding noise erupted, with blood-red and black light intertwining, stalling the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife¡¯s streak for a moment.


    The golden armor on the Sect Master flickered with spiritual light, ready to disintegrate and disappear to allow him to regain his freedom and escape this calamity.


    At the same time, the blue Ice Flood Dragon was also propelled from afar towards Han Li, having been spurred from a distance by the Sect Master¡¯s technique.


    Before getting close to Han Li, the flood dragon lifted its head and shot out a blue light column.


    The late-Nascent Soul cultivator believed that as long as he could slightly delay Han Li¡¯s attack and drive the Mystic Jade Token to control the cave¡¯s coldness, he would be able to immediately reverse the situation and annihilate his opponent.


    But just then, a foot-wide Silver Lotus mysteriously emerged about a foot away beneath the Sect Master, spinning swiftly.


    The Silver Lotus shone brightly, and from within it emerged the sound of Buddhist chanting.


    The Sect Master¡¯s heart shuddered, suddenly feeling as if his body weighed over ten thousand pounds, unable to move at all.


    At the same time, he also lost control of most of the Mana within his body, drastically weakening the already diminished power of the blood arrow repelling the black short blade.


    The Demonic Marrow Flying Knife flashed, shattering the blood arrow, and with no further obstructions, descended in a swift motion.


    The Sect Master, terrified and aghast, let out a ghastly scream.


    (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1109 - Chapter 1109 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1105 Forbidden Infant

    ?Chapter 1109: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1105 Forbidden Infant Chapter 1109: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1105 Forbidden Infant This Minor Extreme Palace Great Elder truly was astonishing; it was unknown what Body Refinement technique he had practiced.


    The very moment the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife tried to penetrate his heavenly spiritual covering, his neck unbelievably twisted to one side all of a sudden, stretching a foot longer like a demon, exceedingly bizarre.


    A flash of black light, and the flying knife sliced off half of the neck of Elder Han Li, along with the body below it, and a head rolled down to the ground.


    The golden battle armor that originally encased his body, as well as the Blue Ice Flood Dragon in the distance, shattered and dissipated in an instant.


    Upon witnessing this scene, a smile couldn¡¯t help but surface on Han Li¡¯s face.


    However, this hint of a smile had just appeared on his lips when it immediately froze.


    Because the rolling head suddenly burst forth with Jin Xia, wrapping around the head.


    After a spiral motion, it actually shot towards the Qilin Illusion above.


    Seeing this odd turn of events, Han Li was naturally startled.


    But he immediately grasped what was happening.


    The opponent¡¯s Nascent Soul was actually hidden inside the head.


    His expression darkened, a layer of murky green light surfaced, and he spat out the word ¡°break¡±.


    The voice wasn¡¯t loud, but upon entering the ears of the head, it felt as if Divine Sense was harshly stabbed by an awl, a tearing pain flooded in,


    The head immediately emitted a sharp and piercing scream, and streaks of blood traces flashed from the ears and nose simultaneously.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0


    Without the support of a body and severely weakened in Qi, Elder Han Li, facing Han Li¡¯s full-strength spirit pierce, couldn¡¯t bear it to this extent.


    The head wobbled in mid-air, the wrapped-around Celestial Ice Flame flickering unsteadily.


    At this moment, the Black Short Blade once again flashed, appearing above Elder Han Li¡¯s head.


    Amidst the head¡¯s terrified expression, the short blade eerily disappeared.


    The next moment, it reappeared on the other side of the head.


    A fine blood line emerged from the center of the head¡¯s face, growing thicker and thicker.


    Almost concurrently, accompanied by the rumblings of thunder, Han Li mysteriously emerged a few dozen feet away from the head amidst a silver arc, and without a second word, he rubbed both hands together, then lifted them at the same time.


    A loud crackling noise erupted as a huge golden net swooped down from above.


    The head split right down the middle, and a burst of blue light enveloped Elder Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul as it shot out from within.


    The Nascent Soul opened its little mouth, and a blue gleaming flying sword spurted out.


    The flying sword swelled rapidly with the wind, enlarging to several feet in an instant, unreservedly slashing towards the golden net.


    Even before the Giant Sword truly fell, the astonishing spiritual pressure from the sword had already caused the golden net to shake erratically.


    Han Li¡¯s face slightly shifted, and with a thought, the golden lightning from his hand thickened a few notches.


    After a thunderous ¡°boom¡±, the blue light and golden radiance collided.


    That blue Giant Sword truly possessed extraordinary power, vigorously slashing several times, it forcefully tore open a gap in the golden net.


    Though it was just a foot wide, for the Nascent Soul that was closely following behind, it was more than sufficient.


    As soon as the Nascent Soul formed incantations with both hands, it disappeared on the spot with a ¡°swoosh¡±.


    Outside the net, over ten feet away, a flash of blue light appeared, and the Nascent Soul reappeared.


    It had cast instantaneous teleportation and escaped in the blink of an eye.


    The Nascent Soul revealed a look of relief from narrowly escaping disaster, fluttering its delicate little hands towards the Giant Sword behind it.


    The Blue Flying Sword suddenly shrank in size, intending to flee through the gap and out.


    A flash of sternness in Han Li¡¯s eyes, he snorted coldly, formed incantations with both hands, a great thundering noise erupted on the golden net, which, at the same time, contracted, instantly closing up the gap that had just appeared, while countless bolts of golden lightning enveloped the Blue Flying Sword, layer upon layer, densely packed.


    Although the flying sword had been cultivated by Elder Han Li for many years and its power far exceeded ordinary Magic Artifacts, under such numerous touches of golden lightning and resulting explosion sounds, it also began to wobble, its spiritual light flickering dim then bright, eventually completely engulfed by the golden radiance.


    Meanwhile, Han Li waved a single hand, causing the Heavenvoid Cauldron to appear in front of him, and with a flick of his finger, a strand of green silk shot forth from the cauldron, sweeping towards Elder Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul ten feet away.


    The Elder Han Li, striving to retrieve his magic treasures, upon seeing this, was greatly alarmed.


    He hurriedly cast a regrettable glance at his flying sword.


    With gritted teeth, his body flashed with blue light and vanished once again.


    In the next moment, the Nascent Soul reappeared next to the small Celestial Ice Cauldron on the other side.


    This time, with a slight hesitation, it turned to look back again, but its gaze fell upon the Qilin Illusion where it originally was.


    Although his incantation was forcefully interrupted, and his body was destroyed, the Mystic Jade Token trapped within the Qilin was still flashing with light, unaffected in the slightest.


    But at this moment, a faint green shadow floated beside the Qilin Illusion, staring at the Nascent Soul with cold eyes, completely devoid of any sentiment of emotion.


    Elder Han Li, faced with this stare, shivered with dread, his heart sinking, as he ultimately extinguished the last sliver of hope.


    With a ¡°slithering¡± sound.


    The Nascent Soul no longer hesitated, lunged towards the cauldron and plunged into it, vanishing without a trace.


    Immediately after that, the small cauldron emitted a strange cry, suddenly rose up on its own and, after a few flickers, appeared at the passage leading to the cave¡¯s entrance.


    The swirling green silk simply could not catch up with the Nascent Soul¡¯s consecutive rapid teleports and dissipated mid-chase.


    Han Li had already trapped the flying sword with the Devilbane Lightning, and with the corners of his mouth slightly moving, thunder rumbled behind his back as he transformed into a silver arc, chasing directly after the Nascent Soul.


    The great cultivator Lei did not naively wait in place for Han Li to catch up; he maneuvered the cauldron to transform into a cluster of blue light, shooting upwards into the sky.


    After similarly using the Shifting Smoke Steps twice, he was almost at the entrance.


    Meanwhile, Han Li was still seventy to eighty feet behind him.


    The heart of this great cultivator from the Minor Extreme Palace relaxed a bit, just as he was about to use the Shifting Smoke Steps again and direct the Celestial Ice Cauldron to open the entrance, when suddenly several wisps of cold light flew out from a vein of Mystic Jade nearby, rolling straight toward the cauldron.


    Great cultivator Lei did not take these wisps of Mystic Jade Cold Qi seriously.


    The blue flames on the small cauldron swelled slightly as he intended to repel the cold light.


    But at that moment, a shocking change occurred!


    The wisps of Mystic Jade Cold Qi transformed in the blink of an eye, their color changed drastically from pale white to crimson flames.


    As soon as they touched the Celestial Ice Flame on the cauldron, they merged right into the blue flame, completely ignoring it as if it were nothing.


    Then, with another flash, they entered the small cauldron faster than a bolt of lightning.


    The Celestial Ice Cauldron shook, followed by the raging roar of great cultivator Lei, and the strange red and blue flames suddenly surfaced on the cauldron, then intertwined together, emitting rumbling explosions.


    The cauldron¡¯s spiritual light shone brightly, and in its tremor, it swiftly grew, transforming into several feet in size in the blink of an eye.


    The red and blue flames on the cauldron then split in two, each occupying half of the cauldron.


    Within the blue flames, the Nascent Soul of great cultivator Lei appeared.


    He was both shocked and furious as he looked towards the opposite side.


    In the midst of the red flames, a fist-sized Fire Raven emerged, issuing several low cries, seemingly relaxed and leisurely.


    In such a critical moment with life and death hanging by a thread, great cultivator Lei naturally could not prolong the deadlock.


    With a fierce howl from the Nascent Soul, the blue flames lunged viciously towards the other side.


    However, the Fire Raven, uncaring, flapped its wing which swept its surrounding crimson flames along with it.


    Intense light burst between the two, followed by loud rumbles, a fierce battle indeed!


    And that Fire Raven was transformed from a wisp of the True Fire of Taiyin.


    This wisp of true fire had already begun to gain spiritual awareness and, unbeknownst to him, Han Li had summoned it from within the Array, quietly lying in wait at the entrance of the cave.


    Utilizing the Mystic Jade Cold Qi devoured over the past few days as a cover, it unexpectedly transformed and launched a surprise attack, achieving immediate success.


    Although due to the sparse amount of the True Fire of Taiyin, it was unable to take control of the cauldron immediately.


    Nevertheless, the Nascent Soul of great cultivator Lei was likewise incapable of dealing with the True Fire of Taiyin, nor could he easily continue using the cauldron to make his escape.


    Just then, Han Li, who did not hesitate to exhaust his mana, employed the Thunderstorm Wings several times and arrived close to the small cauldron.


    The Nascent Soul within the blue flames, seeing that it was momentarily impossible to reclaim the Celestial Ice Cauldron, suddenly bore a look of panic on its face.


    All of a sudden, a burst of blue light shot out from the cauldron, fleeing into the high sky.


    This Nascent Soul had given up the struggle for the cauldron and fled alone.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s expression flashed with surprise, but immediately, and without hesitation, he raised one hand, bringing a small green ruler into his hand.


    Muttering several spell incantations under his breath, the hand radiating seven-colored Buddhist light, the small green ruler shone with bright green light, trembling slightly before it disappeared from his hand.


    However, the next moment, it abruptly appeared above the Nascent Soul of great cultivator Lei.


    Upon seeing this, the Nascent Soul was greatly startled and hastily began to make hand seals, attempting to flee once again using the Shifting Smoke Steps.


    But the green ruler above trembled slightly, and a silver lotus the size of a bowl emerged from it.


    As the lotus turned upside down and began to spin, the sound of Buddhist chanting wafted through the air.


    Simultaneously, a seven-colored light curtain sprayed out from the lotus.


    As soon as the Buddhist light touched him, great cultivator Lei felt his True Yuan solidify, rendering the Nascent Soul motionless,


    The little face of the Nascent Soul instantly turned ashen.


    Flashes of silver electrical arcs flickered in the air as Han Li¡¯s figure emerged from the void, looking down with a cold gaze.


    This green ruler was naturally the Eight Spirit Ruler Spiritual Treasure which Han Li had obtained in the past.


    Although he had also only cultivated the first layer of the Treasure Commanding Decree, its power was truly astounding.


    In terms of attacking and fighting, it seemed to be even more powerful than the Heavenvoid Cauldron.


    Of course, being able to subdue a late-Nascent Soul cultivator was largely due to the fact that it was just the Nascent Soul left, and the cultivator had previously used some extremely powerful secret technique to try to manipulate the cold qi within Mystic Jade Cave, causing his mana and Qi to have already been greatly depleted.


    Otherwise, the Nascent Soul of a late Nascent Soul cultivator would be exceptionally stable and consolidated, and it would not be so easy to succeed as this.


    Although Han Li managed to subdue the Nascent Soul of his opponent by surprise with the Eight Spirit Ruler, he did not waste any words and immediately raised his hand, spreading his fingers wide.


    With flickers of golden light at his fingertips and amidst low rumbling thundersounds, five golden arcs shot out, transforming into five thumb-sized golden snakes, biting onto the Nascent Soul within the Buddhist light, then coiling around before transforming into several golden cords, firmly binding the Nascent Soul in place.


    Without pausing, Han Li waved his sleeve, sending several restriction talismans flying out, followed by various colors of restrictive spiritual lights flashing upon the Nascent Soul¡¯s body.


    Then, with a slap on the storage pouch, the palm flipped and more than a dozen silver needles appeared in his hand.


    With flickers of silver light, these Magic Artifacts pierced into various vital points of the Nascent Soul¡¯s body.


    The body of great cultivator Lei¡¯s Nascent Soul suddenly twitched violently, and then the light in its eyes dimmed considerably.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Han Li finally felt reassured, dusted his hands off, and revealed a smile that was not entirely a smile on his face.


    (First update!


    Phew, these last couple of days have really been unlucky ¨C the power went out twice in a row, making me anxious about when it would happen again while I¡¯m typing!


    Ha-ha, it seems the old electrical circuitry in the neighborhood is long overdue for an overhaul.) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, the site has more chapters, support the author, support original reading!)

 Chapter 1110 - Chapter 1110 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1106 Collecting the Flames

    ?Chapter 1110: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1106 Collecting the Flames Chapter 1110: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1106 Collecting the Flames As Han Li put away the small green ruler and lightly descended in front of him, the Nascent Soul revealed a resentful and poison-filled expression.


    Its gaze was chilling as it stared at Han Li, lips tightly sealed.


    Obviously, the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace was acutely aware that since the struggle had reached this point, any pleas for mercy would be utterly self-degrading.


    Perhaps his only regret was not using a secret technique to destroy his own Nascent Soul before being restrained.


    Now that he had been completely subdued by Han Li, the notion of self-detonating the Nascent Soul was nothing more than wishful thinking.


    Looking at the restrained Nascent Soul of Han Li, he slightly smiled without saying another word.


    He shook his sleeve, and a small green bottle shot out, arriving above the Nascent Soul in a flash.


    Han Li lightly tapped the bottle.


    The mouth of the bottle turned upside down, and a continuous flow of white light surged within.


    A burst of rosy light sprayed out and enveloped the Nascent Soul of Han Li, absorbing it into the bottle.


    Immediately afterward, Han Li gestured towards the distant Celestial Ice Cauldron.


    The sliver of True Fire of Taiyin wrapped around the cauldron and shot towards him, disappearing into his sleeve in a flash.


    Only then did Han Li put away the green bottle as a Magic Artifact and transformed into a cyan rainbow as he flew downward.


    Moments later, with a flash of green light, Han Li reappeared in the sky above the rubble, his gaze sweeping around, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    Bai Mengxin, who had previously been trapped inside the silver light screen, now lay prostrate at the edge of the rubble, blood flowing continuously below her; her lower abdomen was pierced with a hole as big as a bowl, and she had turned into a corpse.


    Furthermore, the blood essence and spiritual energy inside her body were completely exhausted, indicating the evident symptoms of Nascent Soul separation after death.


    Looking up into the sky, next to the Qilin Illusion, the Humanoid Puppet stood motionless as if it hadn¡¯t moved since Han Li¡¯s departure.


    However, floating before it were the Primal Astral Shield and the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife, both flickering with faint spiritual light.


    At a distance of more than fifty yards away, five humanoid skeletons staggeredly stood shoulder to shoulder.


    The previous overwhelming grey-white Demonic Qi had vanished without a trace.


    One of the skeletons was holding a faint green storage pouch, and another was playing with a small clump of dusky flame that flickered intermittently.


    Han Li¡¯s eyebrows soon relaxed as he connected his spiritual sense with the divided consciousness inside the Humanoid Puppet.


    In an instant, he understood the situation.


    It turned out that Bai Mengxin, seeing that Han Li had destroyed Han Li¡¯s physical body and then flew after his Nascent Soul, became terrified.


    She did not hesitate to self-destruct several ancient treasures to forcibly break through the light screen formed by the Primal Astral Shield in an attempt to escape.


    But the Humanoid Puppet, having received strict orders from Han Li right before he left to not let anyone escape, mercilessly commanded the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife, unexpectedly piercing her lower abdomen and destroying her physical body.


    Subsequently, as the woman¡¯s Nascent Soul departed from her body, it was shattered by shots from the Thunder Fire Bow and the Gold Thunderwood Arrow, wielded by the Humanoid Puppet, causing the woman to vanish from this world.


    As for the man in the green shirt, he ultimately couldn¡¯t withstand the relentless assault of the Five Devils.


    His physical body, Nascent Soul, and several treasures were devoured completely by the Five Devils, leaving behind only a storage pouch and some remnants of the Extreme Cold Flame.


    After understanding the full picture, Han Li exhaled softly without saying anything, and gestured towards the distant Five Devils.


    Instantly, the storage pouch and the black Celestial Ice Flame in their hands floated gently towards him, reaching him in the blink of an eye.


    Han Li inspected the storage pouch briefly before casually tucking it into his chest.


    However, he became quite interested in the black Celestial Ice Flame, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, rubbed his hands together.


    The rumblings of thunder resounded as countless fine golden lightning arcs shot from his palms, entwining themselves around the black flame, imprisoning the masterless black flame and turning it into a fist-sized golden silken ball.


    With a pat on the storage pouch, a Profound Ice Box surrounded by cold air appeared in his hand.


    Han Li casually tossed the ball into the box and comfortably put it away.


    Then, shifting his gaze to Bai Mengxin¡¯s fragrant corpse, he pondered for a moment before suddenly shaking his sleeve and shooting out a crimson Fireball.


    With a ¡°puh¡± sound, the body was instantly enveloped in fierce flames, but immediately a bolt of white light emerged from the body, rolling over and sweeping away the surrounding flames, before condensing into a sizzling white Fireball, attempting to re-enter the body once again.


    This was indeed Bai Mengxin¡¯s cultivated Extreme Cold Flame.


    True enough, once the woman¡¯s Primordial Spirit perished, the residual Extreme Cold Flame also returned to her body.


    But Han Li, well-prepared, wouldn¡¯t let the cold flame shrink back again.


    With his fingers conjoined, he gestured towards the flame in the void.


    Suddenly, a large hand formed by the Purple Apex Flames appeared above the cold flame, reaching down like lightning to scoop it up.


    The white flame was grabbed in the hand, which immediately flew back to him.


    Han Li then reached out with one hand and caused the storage pouch on the body to fly into the air, pulling it into his hand.


    As for the Extreme Cold Flame, Han Li employed the same method, imprisoning it with Devilbane Lightning before storing it in the Profound Ice Box.


    While a large portion of these cold flames had dispersed due to the death of their owner, the remnants were the essence of the flame.


    If he could absorb them for his own use or integrate them into the Purple Apex Flames, it would go without saying that the power would naturally increase manifold.


    But now was not the time for experimentation.


    Lastly, Han Li paid special attention to the remains of Han Li.


    To his surprise, the pair of Golden Wind Minks that had made him wary were not in the spirit beast pouch on the body, which was an unexpected discovery for Han Li.


    Although unsure of what transpired, Han Li simply pocketed the storage pouch without much thought.


    After completing these actions, Han Li looked towards the Qilin Illusion in the sky and the Mystic Jade Token with a somewhat grave expression on his face.


    Although this illusion was simply an inanimate object, it contained astonishing Spiritual Power.


    However, there was something odd about it; it seemed both like a form of cold air that had condensed and as if it was a mirage created by pure Spiritual Power.


    He was actually unable to discern with confidence its true composition.


    After hesitating for a moment, he slowly raised a hand, and with a flash of golden light at his fingertip, he was about to release a strand of Sword Qi to probe the illusion.


    But just then, a flash of light burst from his sleeve, and a streak of fiery red shot out, entering directly into the Qilin Illusion in the sky.


    Following that, a red light twinkled, and a Fire Raven materialized.


    It was none other than a Spiritual Object transformed from True Fire of Taiyin.


    Seeing the Fire Raven moving leisurely inside the body of the Qilin, its feathers flickering with red light as it slowly absorbed the surrounding white mist that composed the illusion into its body.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed slightly as he lowered his arm, pondered for a moment, then turned around, no longer paying attention to the Fire Raven¡¯s actions, but instead looking towards a five-colored light curtain further away.


    Within that area of restrictive formations, the sounds of rumbling had weakened slightly, but they had not stopped for even a moment; the monk in a grey robe and the old crone were still locked in fierce battle.


    It seemed that because of the blockade of the restrictive formations, these two had not realized that the battle outside had already ended, nor could they have imagined that Han Li, with mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, had just swiftly killed a great cultivator and two cultivators of the same rank in the short time span of a single cup of tea.


    Han Li¡¯s body emitted a flash of green light, turning into a streak of green rainbow shooting forth, arriving above the five-colored light curtain in an instant and looking downward.


    A moment later, he revealed a trace of a cold smile.


    With a thought, the Humanoid Puppet and five humanoid skeletons floated towards him, landing behind him in the blink of an eye.


    At this moment, Han Li flicked his sleeve, and thirty-six small golden swords swam out, swiftly turning into thirty-six beams of golden light circling above his head.


    He cast several Incantations into the midst of these beams of light.


    All the golden beams trembled lightly for a moment, and immediately split into over a hundred identical beams, scattering in all directions and shooting towards the periphery of the light curtain.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, these beams of light vanished one by one, eerily disappearing into thin air without a trace.


    He had actually set up the Aureate Sword Formation, enveloping the entire area within the control of the formation.


    Only then did Han Li suddenly lift a hand and shoot a beam of yellow light from his palm.


    It circled above the light curtain and turned into a Demon Subduing Staff, flickering with faint yellow light.


    With an expressionless face, he closed his eyes and pinched his fingers together, suddenly uttering deep spell incantations, beginning to activate this treasure.


    The Demon Subduing Staff trembled slightly and swiftly grew in size amidst a blinding yellow light; in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a gargantuan object more than ten feet long and as thick as a water barrel.


    At this moment, Han Li stopped his incantations and calmly opened his eyes.


    He glanced at the enormous object below and suddenly rubbed his hands together, and a small clump of seven-colored Buddhist light appeared in his palm.


    He lifted this clump of light and then flicked his hand, shooting the Buddhist light, which struck the Demon Subduing Staff in a flash.


    The originally yellow-glowing treasure suddenly had an additional layer of seven-colored Buddhist light on its surface.


    At the same time, the staff began to emit a low and reverent buzzing sound.


    ¡°Go,¡± commanded Han Li in a low voice, pointing a single finger at the Demon Subduing Staff.


    Instantly, the gigantic Demon Subduing Staff, without any hesitation, came crashing down from above.


    It struck precisely on top of the light curtain below.


    A sound as if heaven and earth were splitting apart rang out, rumbling thunderously, which practically echoed through the entire underground cavern.


    The five-colored light curtain could only resist the might of the Demon Subduing Staff for a brief moment before it fractured inch by inch under the immense strength of the staff.


    The shattered light curtain turned into specks of spiritual light that scattered and vanished into nothingness.


    After seeing the clear situation inside, Han Li was momentarily stunned, then revealed a strange expression on his face.


    ¡°Who would have thought that you two fellow Daoists were actually putting on a play?


    How about letting Han Li join in?


    Otherwise, without an adversary for your act, wouldn¡¯t it be too much of a pity?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression returned to normal in the blink of an eye as he spoke indifferently.


    Within the light curtain below, the monk in a grey robe and the old crone were sitting in meditation to recuperate, each on a large stone cliff only ten-odd zhang apart from each other.


    In the void between the two, a bizarre Spirit Beast resembling an old mouse, the size of a fist but with its belly puffing in and out, was emitting continuous booming explosion sounds.


    It sounded as if two cultivators of not insignificant cultivation were engaged in extremely fierce combat.


    The monk and Lady Long had not actually come to blows at all, but were merely using the sounds produced by that Spirit Beast to deceive Han Li and the others outside the restrictive formations!


    (Second update!


    Hehe, Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve is here.


    Wan Xiaoshan wishes everyone an early happy new year and hopes everyone has a joyous new year and an auspicious Year of the Tiger!


    There should be no break in updates during the Spring Festival period.


    On New Year¡¯s Eve and the first day of the new year, there will be one update each day, and after these two days, the updates will return to the usual schedule.


    Of course, if there are any unexpected changes, I will notify everyone separately.) (To be continued.


    If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1111 - Chapter 1111 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1107 Sword Array Resurfaces

    ?Chapter 1111: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1107 Sword Array Resurfaces Chapter 1111: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1107 Sword Array Resurfaces The light screen was broken by a single strike from Han Li, and the two seated below naturally opened their eyes, all four gazes staring straight at Han Li, all showing expressions of shock.


    At that moment, a light screen of blue and yellow colors appeared overhead, intermittently visible as though inadvertently, although it was much smaller than the prior five-colored light screen, it was sufficient to envelop the two.


    At the center of the light screen, a semi-transparent embroidered cloth was slowly revolving continuously.


    This light screen was indeed a Divine Skill released by this embroidered gown.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± The old crone¡¯s face full of wrinkles shook slightly, somewhat incredulously.


    The gray-robed monk¡¯s expression changed unpredictably.


    Han Li glanced at the embroidered cloth below and the newly appeared light screen, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.


    ¡°It seems you really did put some thought into this, using a treasure to mask your movements.


    Tsk tsk!


    No wonder I was puzzled just now, why even with Brightsight Water I could not see through a mere Illusion Technique restraint.


    It turns out the two Fellow Daoists were already planning to profit from the fisherman¡¯s advantage.


    I truly admire it!¡± Han Li spoke with ostensibly admiring words, yet his face was completely expressionless, even a hint of Evil Qi emerging between his brows.


    Listening to Han Li, the gray-robed monk finally calmed down, chanting a Buddhist mantra before saying:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han truly has extensive Divine Skills, even managing to escape capture by Fellow Daoist Han Li and three others.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.??


    But I wonder where Fellow Daoist Han Li and the others are now?


    Did they leave the cave on their own?¡±


    As the monk spoke, he scanned the entire underground cave with his eyes, and not discovering any trace of Fellow Daoist Han Li and the other three, he couldn¡¯t help but feel alarmed.


    It seemed he truly didn¡¯t believe Han Li could eliminate the other three on his own.


    Han Li narrowed his eyes, first shook his head, then nodded, and finally let out a long sigh, but said nothing.


    This left the two below somewhat baffled.


    ¡°Hmm, why must Fellow Daoist play mysterious?


    If that Fellow Daoist Han Li has already left the cave, my three must also break out from here, otherwise if he calls other cultivators from the Minor Extreme Palace, the three of us will be trapped like turtles in a jar,¡± the old crone said impatiently, eyes wide open.


    ¡°You need not worry about them any longer.


    The three have mostly been eliminated by me.


    Fellow Daoist Han Li does still have a Nascent Soul remaining.


    Do the two Fellow Daoists plan to meet him one last time before sending you on the same path?¡± Han Li said bluntly.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han Li defeated by you.


    Impossible!


    What do you mean by your last sentence!¡± The old crone¡¯s face greatly changed upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, and she became suddenly furious when she heard the last statement.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I might not know the relation between you two or what schemes you have, but I don¡¯t care to ponder it.


    But making me fight against cultivators of the Minor Extreme Palace, and having ill intentions towards me, just knowing that is enough.


    And I hate being used the most in my life.


    Moreover, I carry a heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure and absolutely do not wish anyone else to know, you two might as well disappear from the human world.¡± Han Li said indifferently, closed his eyes no longer paying any mind to the two, then his hands began forming incantations, and a series of spell incantations sound echoing from his mouth.


    The gray-robed monk and the old crone were startled, sensing the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy nearby, they hurriedly looked around.


    Only to see tens of meters away, numerous golden lights flickering, and then slender hair-like gold threads eerily emerging.


    Their movements were unpredictable, silently converging towards the center, the whole process eerily silent without any sound.


    ¡°Sword Array!¡± Seeing Han Li making a move, the old crone couldn¡¯t help but exclaim after quickly scanning the surroundings.


    The gray-robed monk¡¯s heart chilled, suppressing the dismay at Han Li being able to defeat Fellow Daoist Han Li, he shouted loudly into the air:


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han, please do not misunderstand, we two truly mean no harm to you.


    If Fellow Daoist Han is not seen leaving, you would definitely not be able to leave easily.


    We should join hands to defend against enemies.


    As for the matter of the heavenly skill Spiritual Treasure, we can swear a blood oath, never to reveal a word.¡±


    ¡°No need, I only believe that dead people can¡¯t leak secrets!¡± Han Li responded with a sneer after hearing the monk¡¯s words.


    ¡°Brother Mo Jiu, there¡¯s no need to say anymore.


    Look at what this person has behind him, with these things to rely on, he won¡¯t take notice of us,¡± the old crone flipped her palm, a yellow walking stick floating into her hand, she sneered at the monk.


    Startled by these words, the monk concentrated his gaze and only then saw the Humanoid Puppet that was previously blocked by Han Li¡¯s body and the five humanoid skeletons standing more than ten meters behind, his expression slightly altering.


    ¡°What are those?


    And who is that other person?¡± The monk was startled.


    ¡°Those skeletons seem to be the legendary Five Sons¡¯ Synchronization Demon.


    As for the other person, I don¡¯t know where they come from!


    Most likely this person relied on these things to unexpectedly severely injure Old Han Li.


    That person aside, if these Five Sons Demons truly are the demons of Old Devil Qian, then even if we joined forces, we wouldn¡¯t be their match.


    Our only option is to make a swift and decisive move, killing Han Li immediately.


    Then these things will no longer pose a threat to us.


    But for now, let¡¯s focus on breaking this Sword Array.


    Otherwise, once the Five Devils are activated, our troubles will increase.


    Fortunately, Buddhist Cultivation Techniques have a restraining effect against the Five Devils, so if they make a move, you can keep them tied up.


    For now, all we can do is take one step at a time and break this Sword Array.


    If all else fails, we¡¯ll use the item originally intended for dealing with Fellow Daoist Han Li on this person,¡± the old woman transmitted with a slight movement of her lips.


    ¡°It seems we have no other choice.


    But this person does not cultivate ice attribute techniques, so the effect of that item may significantly decrease,¡± the monk sighed and transmitted back.


    ¡°It¡¯s a necessary measure.


    Fortunately, the opponent is not a late Nascent Soul cultivator; even if we can¡¯t kill him, seriously injuring him shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    We really miscalculated this time.


    Although we received information that this Han Li¡¯s divine abilities are no less than those of late-stage cultivators, we didn¡¯t expect him to be this troublesome.


    Initially, we wanted him to deplete most of Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s cultivation before we intervened for a sure victory.


    But unexpectedly, he directly killed Old Han Li without suffering any injuries.


    If we had known, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved in these muddy waters,¡± the old woman said resentfully.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done.


    Fellow Daoist Dragon, there¡¯s no need for regrets now.


    We used up that item, but in exchange, we obtained a heavenly spiritual treasure and the Five Sons¡¯ Synchronization Demon, which still puts us at a great advantage,¡± the monk, seeing that he couldn¡¯t persuade Han Li to stop his attack, and noticing that the golden threads were continuously closing in, his expression turned grim.


    At the same time, a dark aura suddenly enveloped his body, making him almost unrecognizable compared to his previous compassionate appearance.


    Upon hearing this, the old woman just hummed noncommittally, then suddenly threw her walking stick up into the air where it flashed brightly turning into a horse-like yellow beast with sharp teeth.


    This monster, spurred by the old woman¡¯s incantations, took a low orbit before suddenly opening its mouth.


    From its mouth, countless yellow small swords, each gleaming intensely and extremely sharp, burst forth and swept towards a certain direction.


    Meanwhile, the monk brought his hands together, then separated them, each hand now holding a dazzling silver dharmic wheel.


    He waved them into the air, and the wheels rapidly expanded to the size of cartwheels before ferociously rolling in the same direction.


    Han Li, aloft in the sky, had reopened his eyes by now.


    Seeing the actions of the two below, his expression remained unchanged.


    He watched as the yellow small swords and the two silver wheels rushed into the golden threads and were instantaneously shredded into pieces before falling down like scrap metal.


    ¡°What kind of Sword Array is this, to be so sharp!¡± Seeing this, both the old woman and the monk gasped in shock, exchanging looks that revealed the fear in their eyes.


    Naturally, the two of them weren¡¯t going to give up just due to one trial.


    The old woman flicked her hand, and suddenly, a light blue square ancient treasure appeared.


    Chanting an incantation, she hurled it with a toss of her hand.


    Instantly, the brick swelled in size, transforming into a pavilion-sized object, then with dazzling blue light, it crashed violently towards the distance.


    The same scene occurred again.


    In the void, the dense mass of golden threads flashed and disappeared momentarily, shredding the treasure into countless pieces, which like fireworks, vanished into the distance.


    ¡°Impossible, this Blue Gold Brick was refined from the essence of Blue Gold, incredibly tough to trigger.


    How could it be destroyed so easily!¡± The old woman couldn¡¯t hold back her shock as she exclaimed.


    The grey-robed monk furrowed his brows, and with a sudden low shout, he pointed at a seemingly insignificant Spirit Beast that looked like a rat.


    Immediately, a grey light circulated around this Spirit Beast¡¯s body, and its belly unbelievably swelled up, inflating to several times the size of its body in a blink of an eye, then with a soft ¡°pop¡±, the Spirit Beast opened its pointed mouth.


    Immediately, a visible grey sonic wave surged out, emitting a roar akin to stormy waves as it swept directly towards the golden threads.


    This monk, quick of mind, seeing that physical treasures seemed utterly ineffective against the Sword Array, promptly launched an attack using an invisible force.


    But the Aureate Sword Formation, having been declared in the Azure Essence Sword Arts as able to traverse the human world without worry once mastered-though slightly exaggerated since this was only a partial formation-was not something a mere wave of sound could break.


    The moment the grey sonic wave entered the golden threads, they trembled slightly before transforming into dazzling golden sword lights during a burst of brilliance, all slicing the grey wave into shreds, disintegrating it completely.


    Thereafter, the golden sword lights flickered and reverted into individual golden threads, continuing to close in around the two, as if no change had occurred, conveying a profoundly inscrutable and terrifying sensation.


    (Hehe, I finally managed to complete this chapter before twelve o¡¯clock.


    It seems I can still catch the second half of the Spring Festival Gala!


    Also, I would like to ask everyone for more monthly tickets.


    Please show your support, considering the effort I put in, even working on New Year¡¯s Eve!


    Dear readers, have a happy New Year!


    (To be continued.


    To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support original reading!))

 Chapter 1112 - Chapter 1112 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1108 Seizing the Treasure

    ?Chapter 1112: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1108: Seizing the Treasure Chapter 1112: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1108: Seizing the Treasure At this moment, the grey-robed monk¡¯s face turned noticeably ugly.


    The complexity of this Sword Array had far surpassed their expectations.


    Han Li, noticing that the pair below hadn¡¯t truly revealed any signs of panic despite their drastic change in expression, had a hint of thought flicker in his eyes and couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corner of his eye slightly.


    It was then the elderly women took out several other treasures in an attempt to ward off the approaching sword threads.


    Han Li¡¯s expression shifted.


    The Humanoid Puppet that had been standing behind him suddenly emitted a faint glimmer and disappeared into thin air.


    Moments later, the gold chains of the Sword Array were now only about twenty or so yards away from the two individuals in the middle.


    Forced into a corner, the old crones and the grey-robed monk even began to self-destruct their ancient treasures.


    Although they managed to temporarily stall those gold chains, they still couldn¡¯t stop their relentless advance.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use; this Sword Array is too bizarre.


    Common treasures won¡¯t break it, quick use that thing.


    Only the power of that item can shatter the Sword Array!¡± Seeing the gold chains drawing closer, the old crone finally showed a look of terror on her face and abruptly turned her head, anxiously speaking to the grey-robed monk.


    ¡°Using that item can indeed break the Sword Array, but how will we deal with Han Li afterward!¡± The grey-robed monk hesitated.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford such concerns right now.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã?


    Breaking the Sword Array gives us a glimmer of hope.


    Otherwise, once the Sword Array closes in, we¡¯re dead for sure, and keeping this item will be just as useless,¡± said the old crone, without a second thought.


    Upon hearing this, the grey-robed monk¡¯s muscles twitched, and seeing the gold chains close in a few more yards in just a brief moment, he finally gritted his teeth and nodded.


    He immediately slapped his storage pouch, and a peculiar object appeared in the palm of his hand.


    It turned out to be a fist-sized Crimson Sphere, red and blurry, making it impossible to determine what it was.


    But the surface of the sphere had a golden and silver restriction talisman attached to it, and with one hand supporting the item, the grey-robed monk wore an extremely cautious and solemn expression.


    ¡°Mo Jiu, act quickly!


    If we use this item from too close, we¡¯ll get caught up in it as well,¡± urged the old crone sharply, noting the Sword Array¡¯s gold chains were now merely a dozen yards away.


    With a sigh, the grey-robed monk raised his hand to remove the talisman on the Crimson Sphere, evidently about to employ its power.


    But at this moment, a faint silver flash appeared behind the grey-robed monk, and a shadow emerged from the void, moving as silently as a specter, undetected by the monk.


    The old crone across from the monk caught sight of this anomaly and immediately shrieked in alarm.


    ¡°Watch out, behind you!¡±


    As she vocally warned him, she also swept her sleeve, and a shimmering yellow ray shot fiercely towards that shadow.


    The grey-robed monk, upon hearing the old crone¡¯s warning, instinctively tensed, his body flickering as he tried to shoot away immediately, and the arm holding the sphere subconsciously drew back, attempting to store the sphere inside his robe.


    However, he was slightly too late.


    The Humanoid Puppet that appeared behind him possessed the divine skills of late Nascent Soul cultivators.


    With a single motion, one hand pierced directly towards the grey-robed monk¡¯s back, while the other hand reached for the Crimson Sphere.


    The movement was as fast as lightning a€¡° incredibly quick.


    A muffled grunt, and the monk stumbled.


    As the Humanoid Puppet¡¯s silver hand, which was aimed at his vitals, easily parted the protective light, a black-feathered bird illusion materialized on the monk¡¯s back in a flash.


    Even though the puppet¡¯s hand, shining with silver brilliance, effortlessly sliced through the illusionary bird, its action was inevitably delayed for a moment, allowing the monk to dodge the most critical hit, but a long cut was still made on his shoulder with fresh blood flowing out.


    Meanwhile, the other hand that was about to seize the Crimson Sphere almost got hold of it when the sphere suddenly shot away from the monk¡¯s hand toward the old crone.


    The old crone¡¯s yellow ray had reached the front of the Humanoid Puppet, which turned out to be a brilliantly glowing Yellow Fine Needle.


    The puppet¡¯s eyes shone with purple brilliance, not dodging in the slightest.


    Its arm, reaching for the Crimson Sphere, trembled sharply and then, with a ¡°crack,¡± the arm detached from its body, chased the sphere in a flash, caught it, and then swung back in a swift arc.


    Almost at the same time, the Yellow Fine Needle struck the Humanoid Puppet¡¯s head, causing a muted explosion and yellow light to flicker.


    ¡°No good!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    An alarmed shout and a cry of joy erupted simultaneously from the monk and the old crone.


    This reaction wasn¡¯t due to differing thoughts, but because the monk saw the Crimson Sphere taken by someone else, naturally filling him with alarm and fury, while the distant old crone saw her lifelong treasure, a talisman refined over hundreds of years, striking the opponent directly at a critical spot without the opponent showing any defense and couldn¡¯t help but feel ecstatic.


    The Humanoid Puppet staggered several steps backward before barely stabilizing its form and stood up straight again, coldly looking towards the old crone.


    At its temple, there was now a hole the size of a thumb, but soon, a flash of silver light glossed over it and it returned to normal without a trace of a scar left.


    This scene left the old crone dumbfounded, but she soon sensed something and suddenly let out a piercing scream:


    ¡°The Yellow Plum Needle, what have you done to my Yellow Plum Needle?¡±


    The expressionless hand of the Humanoid Puppet slowly lifted, and in the palm, the Yellow Fine Needle was trembling violently, desperately trying to escape from the grip, but it was enveloped in a flash of brilliance, unable to break free.


    Upon seeing this, the old crone¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale.


    She moved her lips, about to say something, when the Humanoid Puppet suddenly rubbed its hands together, emitting a blinding silver light.


    The Yellow Fine Needle instantly dimmed, losing much of its spirit.


    Her mind linking with it, the old crone let out a loud cry and spat out several mouthfuls of blood essence, her Qi greatly damaged in an instant.


    The grey-robed monk¡¯s face turned ashen.


    Ignoring the wound on his back, he suddenly raised his hands.


    Countless fist-sized clusters of silver light surged out from his hands, faintly accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.


    It was unclear what treasure this was, but the momentum was startling.


    But Han Li, hovering in the sky, witnessed this and let out a cold, mocking laugh.


    With a thought,


    The Humanoid Puppet, expressionless, made a pinch gesture with both hands.


    Silver light erupted all around it and then, as the light converged, it disappeared into thin air without a trace.


    All those clusters of silver light naturally struck empty space, with absolutely no effect.


    The monk and the old crone exchanged a glance and saw the color of despair in each other¡¯s eyes.


    At this moment, the golden threads were only seven or eight zhang away from the two of them.


    Even with heavenly skill, escape was now impossible for them.


    Han Li floated in the air above, hands clasped behind his back, watching the scene below with a somewhat indifferent gaze.


    The Aureate Sword Formation finally closed completely.


    Countless golden threads ultimately formed into a giant golden sphere, and a rumbling explosion resounded within.


    The sphere shuddered and trembled, immediately followed by the old woman and the monk¡¯s screams of agony.


    Through the Brightsight Water, he saw the bodies of the two mid Nascent Soul stage cultivators shredded into pieces in an instant.


    Although their Nascent Souls in their flesh bodies struggled for a moment longer, under the persistent lashing of the golden threads, they too ultimately dissolved into specks of green light and disappeared from the world without a trace.


    As for their storage pouches and the treasures they wielded, not a single one remained.


    All were obliterated by the might of the Sword Array, leaving only two small clumps of Extreme Cold Flame in yellow and green, floating gently in the air.


    Heaving a light sigh, Han Li¡¯s expression eased, but it revealed a hint of loneliness.


    After a moment of silent contemplation, a silver light flashed beside him, and the Humanoid Puppet appeared soundlessly, reaching out to deliver the snatched Crimson Sphere to Han Li¡¯s vision.


    Without a word, Han Li stretched out his hand to receive it and began to carefully examine the object.


    Upon closer inspection, this sphere was semi-transparent.


    Inside, a dazzling red flame tossed and tumbled.


    Looking closely, a miniature Firebird was circling and dancing, lifelike and wondrous.


    Around the Firebird, runes of various colors flickered, each looking like some unrecognizable ancient script.


    Even with Han Li¡¯s extensive knowledge of ancient texts, he could not determine these runes¡¯ origins.


    It seemed to be a whole new type of ancient text!


    Han Li observed it for a long time, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.


    Given that these two had produced this object at the last moment, it must have been no ordinary treasure, deemed by them as their ultimate weapon.


    Yet while the sphere indeed appeared mystical, and seemed to contain a good amount of fire elemental Spiritual Power, the idea that such power could destroy his Aureate Sword Formation was laughable.


    It seemed the true might of this object lay in those runes.


    But since he could not identify any of the ancient texts, he naturally could not even begin to comprehend them.


    Now was not the time for him to study this item in detail.


    Han Li pondered for a moment and took out several restriction talismans from his storage pouch, affixing them to the sphere.


    Then he brought out a wooden box that seemed neither gold nor wood and carefully stored the sphere away for later use.


    At that moment, Han Li raised his head to look in the direction of the Qilin Illusion.


    In just the short span of time, its size had shrunk by a circle.


    Yet, the Fire Raven floating within it seemed extraordinarily vigorous, having grown by about one-third in size.


    Seeing this, Han Li stroked his chin, his eyes reflecting contemplation.


    He did not rush to retrieve this strand of Innate True Fire but instead pinched his fingers together and began to utter a spell incantation.


    Suddenly, over a hundred beams of golden light materialized from the void below, and with a tremble, the majority dispersed and vanished, leaving only thirty-six small golden swords remaining.


    Han Li casually flicked his robe sleeve, and the swords turned into streaks of golden rainbows that flew into his sleeve.


    Then, his gaze shifted back to the two small clumps of Celestial Ice Flame still lying where they were.


    These two clumps of Celestial Ice Flame lay motionless below, emitting a faint luminescence, looking quite unimpressive.


    (Regular updates will resume tomorrow.


    Wishing everyone a fortunate Year of the Tiger and may all your wishes come true!)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters and support for the author, support for genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1113 - Chapter 1113 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1109 Dark Water and Profound Jade

    ?Chapter 1113: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1109 Dark Water and Profound Jade Chapter 1113: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1109 Dark Water and Profound Jade ¡°`


    Han Li did not immediately collect the two tufts of Celestial Ice Flame; instead, he tilted his head and fell into deep thought.


    Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes.


    He glanced over his shoulder at the Five Sons Demon and then at the two tufts of Celestial Ice Flame below.


    He seemed to realize something and burst out laughing.


    The laughter echoed through the cave, buzzing non-stop.


    ¡°Excellent!


    It seems this trip was indeed not in vain!¡± Han Li¡¯s laughter ceased as he murmured to himself.


    He beckoned with both hands towards the void below, and the two tufts of Celestial Ice Flame were lifted by an invisible force, arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.


    Amidst the rumblings of thunder, Han Li released countless thin golden arcs, restraining both tufts of Celestial Ice Flame into golden thread balls and storing them in the Profound Ice Box.


    After all this was done, Han Li shook his sleeve, releasing the black jade bottle and began chanting a spell incantation, intending to reseal the Five Sons Demon into the bottle.


    The Five Devils seemed to be aware of Han Li¡¯s plan, and hesitated sluggishly, unwilling to return to the bottle.


    Han Li¡¯s expression darkened, and with a stern shout, he pointed his finger, causing the Silverstar Hoop on the Five Devils to tremble and emit azure streaks.


    The Five Devils had suffered more than once from these rings.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.?¦Ï


    Seeing this, they did not dare to disobey Han Li¡¯s order any longer and immediately let out wailing noises.


    In the blink of an eye, they transformed into five wisps of grayish-white vapor and shot into the bottle.


    Only then did Han Li roll up his sleeve, pulling the small bottle back and carefully storing it away.


    As for the Humanoid Puppet beside him, Han Li had no intention of putting it away.


    Instead, he took out a piece of emerald green high-grade spirit stone from the storage pouch and slapped it onto the puppet, replacing another spirit stone that was almost depleted.


    As long as the puppet was not in full combat mode, its consumption of spirit stones was negligible.


    Han Li moved, landing lightly and coming to stand before a large rock in the pile of rubble.


    The surface of this rock exposed larger grains of Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade, emitting a faint white glow.


    Raising an eyebrow, Han Li swept his hand over his storage pouch, and a long-necked bottle appeared in his palm.


    With a flick towards the bottle, the lid flew off on its own.


    With a slight tilt, a large blob of pitch-black liquid, as thick as ink and emitting waves of gray mist, poured out-indistinguishable from the Yin Spirit Water Bai Mengxin had used to extract the Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade.


    This liquid was the ¡°dark water¡± Han Li had brought back from the Ghost Mist Yin-Ming Land when he had deviated from his course.


    At the time, finding this water somewhat unusual, he carried away a decent amount in various containers.


    Later, when he had free time, he specifically studied this water.


    But apart from discovering that it could temporarily endow Magic Artifacts with a bit of Yin fire, he found no other special uses for it and thus put it aside in his storage pouch.


    Now, having descended into the Mystic Jade Cave and witnessed Bai Mengxin¡¯s extraction method, he was astonishingly struck by the realization that this so-called ¡°Yin Spirit Water¡± was exactly the same as the ¡°dark water.¡±


    In front of Sect Master Han Li and the others, although he didn¡¯t rashly verify the true differences between the two using his spiritual sense, his heart was stirred, and he was mostly confident that the two were the same thing.


    After all, the name ¡°dark water¡± was just coined by the monk who had stumbled into the Umbra Realm; both liquids were similarly Yin and cold, and they looked so alike.


    Now that Han Li was the only one left in the entire Mystic Jade Cave, he naturally wanted to test it out.


    Pointing at the blob of black liquid, it wavered and then slowly flew above the rock, trembling slightly before a small drop fell, vanishing into the white glow below in the blink of an eye.


    Indeed, everything was identical to the scene when Bai Mengxin extracted the jade.


    The black liquid flashed and vanished into the Profound Jade, simultaneously covered by a layer of gray mist.


    Han Li was pleased.


    With a flick at the Profound Jade, a peas-sized azure light shot out, striking the Profound Jade.


    With a soft ¡°plop,¡± the Profound Jade shook slightly and detached itself from the rock, being drawn into his hand.


    He examined the Profound Jade in his hand with rapt attention and then swept his gaze over all the remaining veins in the cave that were emitting white light.


    The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.


    Although with the amount of ¡°dark water¡± he had brought, to deplete the entire cave was naturally impossible, it was absolutely no problem to take away nearly all the half-exposed Profound Jade.


    Thinking thus, Han Li slapped his storage pouch again, and another similarly shaped long-necked bottle appeared in his hand.


    He casually tossed it to the Humanoid Puppet beside him.


    Without a word, the puppet caught the jade bottle, flickering a few times before appearing at another spot in the cave.


    With one hand holding the bottle to deploy ¡°dark water,¡± and the other holding a storage pouch, it began to harvest the Profound Jade.


    Han Li was doing the same on his side.


    As time passed, several hours later, the cold qi of the Profound Jade that filled the cave had subtly thinned out.


    The white spots that were once throughout the cave had scattered, with more than two-thirds gone.


    When Han Li dropped the last drop of dark water onto a piece of Profound Jade and collected it into his storage pouch, he exhaled deeply, but after looking around, a hint of regret flashed across his face.


    If he had known from the start that this ¡°dark water¡± had such a unique effect, he certainly would not have only brought this much Yin Spirit Water out.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    However, even so, the amount of Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade he had collected was truly a jaw-dropping quantity.


    Among the various sizes of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade he had removed, there were over a thousand pieces.


    It was a pity that for some larger pieces of Profound Jade, the amount of Yin Spirit Water required was not merely a single drop.


    Otherwise, the number he could have collected would have been even greater.


    As he was pondering this, the Humanoid Puppet suddenly swayed and drifted towards him, then with a lift of its hand, tossed the bulging storage pouch directly to him.


    Han Li reached out to catch the item and casually scanned it with his spiritual sense.


    Indeed, there were about a thousand pieces inside as well.


    With so many Profound Jades at hand, Han Li began to consider, aside from incorporating them into the seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, what other wondrous treasures they could craft, or if they could be added to other existing treasures to enhance their power.


    But even if Han Li were to do so, he could not possibly use up all the Profound Jade.


    For the vast majority of leftovers, he would still need to rely on their cold Qi to refine and purify his Extreme Cold Flame.


    After all, with the aid of this Mystic Jade Cold Qi, the refinement of the Celestial Ice Flame should be twice as effective with half the effort.


    Han Li didn¡¯t dwell on these thoughts and with a flip of his mind, he set them aside for now.


    Stowing away the storage pouch, he raised his head again to look at the Fire Raven formed from the True Fire of Taiyin in the high sky.


    The raven¡¯s body had grown to five or six times its original size, about the size of a human head.


    The Qilin Illusion that was previously shapeless had now been reduced to a thin layer of white vapor enveloping the Fire Raven, and the Mystic Jade Token was being toyed with in the raven¡¯s mouth, being tossed up and down ceaselessly.


    Seeing this, Han Li was taken aback but then showed a wry smile, hurriedly stretched out his hand towards the sky to beckon.


    Immediately, the Mystic Jade Token left the raven¡¯s mouth and flew straight towards him, landing in his hand.


    Without the support of the Mystic Jade Token, the remaining white vapor dispersed in an instant, giving off an aura of imminent disappearance.


    Seeing this, the Fire Raven let out a low cry and with a flick of its wings and a ¡®puchi¡¯ sound, its entire body turned into a blaze of red flame, rolling over the residual white vapor and engulfing what little remained before absorbing it all into its body.


    After doing all this, the flames once again took the form of the Fire Raven.


    It circled excitedly in the air before slowly landing on Han Li¡¯s shoulder, and with a tilt of its head, used its sharp beak to preen its fiery-red feathers, which now appeared even more dazzling.


    Han Li turned to look at the Fire Raven, a hint of surprise on his face.


    This True Fire of Taiyin seemed to have grown significantly more sentient than before.


    He lowered his head to look at the Mystic Jade Token in his hand and seemed to think of something.


    With a sweep of his other hand through the air, a wisp of Mystic Jade Cold Qi landed in his grasp and was gently enveloped by the Purple Apex Flames.


    With a flash of blue light in his eyes, Han Li clearly saw the cold glow in the violet flame becoming loose and unstructured, no longer the silky solid form he had seen before, and now indistinguishable from ordinary cold Qi.


    Han Li came to a realization, evaluated the Mystic Jade Token in his hand, and with an impressed click of his tongue, stored the treasure in his storage pouch.


    After searching the entire Mystic Jade Cave one last time and confirming there was nothing further to harvest, he took the Humanoid Puppet and the Fire Raven with him, transforming into an azure streak as they fled towards the entrance.


    The entrance, naturally, appeared strictly sealed and intact.


    Han Li looked at the flashing, mysterious runes at the entrance and, without another word, flicked his sleeve.


    Immediately, a small Celestial Ice Cauldron shot out from his sleeve and began spinning before coming to a halt, suspended in the air before him.


    If it were another Sect Master, they would truly find it impossible to operate this cauldron, as it was evident that only those who had cultivated the Celestial Ice Flame could manipulate it.


    This was probably why the monk of yore felt at ease entrusting one to a monk.


    But this posed no challenge for Han Li.


    He glanced indifferently at the cauldron, pinched a spell incantation with both hands, and the Purple Apex Flames that had been perpetually present on him suddenly trembled and began to change color dramatically.


    In the blink of an eye, his purple flame transformed into a pale blue color, completely converting into the Celestial Ice Flame.


    With a flash of blue light from his hand, he pointed gently towards the small cauldron, and immediately a wisp of blue flame, like a spirit snake, shot out and struck the cauldron precisely.


    Instantly, the Celestial Ice Cauldron trembled emitting a humming sound, and countless strands of blue flame emerged from within.


    As the cauldron radiated blue light, it began to swell in size drastically.


    Han Li continued to manipulate the cauldron with spell incantations, and as it grew to a size of thirty to forty feet, he changed the spell and simultaneously let out a low shout.


    With a ¡®rumble,¡¯ the Giant Cauldron shot straight into the sky, seemingly intent on breaking through the entrance itself.


    However, no change of expression crossed Han Li¡¯s face.


    Sure enough, as the Giant Cauldron came within thirty to forty feet of the entrance, mysterious runes at the entrance began to flash vibrantly, and colorful rays of light emanated from the entrance.


    The runes then appeared to be drawn to the Giant Cauldron and turned into numerous rays of light, directly entering the blue flame encapsulating the Giant Cauldron.


    With a ¡®rumble,¡¯ the entrance slowly cracked open, revealing a gap several dozen feet in length.


    (First update!) (To be continued, for the next chapter, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)


    ¡°`

 Chapter 1115 - Chapter 1115 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1111 Demon Beast Invasion

    ?Chapter 1115: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1111 Demon Beast Invasion Chapter 1115: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1111 Demon Beast Invasion The Hu-surnamed woman was relieved.


    She knew very well that Han Li was a Nascent Soul expert who even the elders of their palace have to treat with great respect.


    Although it seemed that the one who took action was not him in person, it was definitely related to this ¡°Elder Han.¡± To eliminate a sixth or seventh grade demon beast would naturally not take much effort, and the other two female cultivators also felt a sense of release.


    ¡°Many thanks, Elder, for lending a hand!


    These demon beasts have already penetrated into the main hall of our Void Spirit Hall, and we earnestly hope the Elder can offer us assistance.¡± The woman with the highest cultivation level, a Core Formation stage cultivator, gave Han Li a deep bow and respectfully spoke.


    ¡°Penetrated into the main hall?


    Isn¡¯t your Void Spirit Hall protected by numerous restrictive formations?


    How could such a thing have happened?¡± Han Li swept his sleeve, and immediately a gust of wind blew past, sweeping the demon beast corpses out of the Array before he asked indifferently.


    ¡°We are not clear on this matter either.


    We were patrolling within the hall when we suddenly found that a large group of demon beasts had appeared inside the main hall, as if they hadn¡¯t triggered any of the restrictions outside the hall and directly invaded the main hall,¡± the woman hesitated before saying, also looking troubled.


    ¡°I see.


    It seems these demon beasts have employed some special means,¡± Han Li muttered to himself noncommittally.


    There were countless strange and rare secret techniques and treasures in the world, and any inconceivable events were not too surprising to him.


    Just as Han Li was about to say something more, the transportation formation suddenly started to flicker again.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã?


    This time, although these three female cultivators from Minor Extreme Palace were startled again, because they had ¡°Great Expert¡± Han Li here, they were much calmer than before.


    They only stepped back a little and stared unblinkingly at the formation before them.


    After the white light faded, a plain-looking woman in her thirties appeared.


    As soon as she showed up, she let out a ring that enveloped her defensively, but she was startled upon seeing Han Li and the three women before her.


    However, when the woman¡¯s gaze shifted and she saw the corpses of demon beasts beside the Array, she reevaluated Han Li and a hint of joy appeared on her face.


    ¡°Greetings, martial uncle Yao!¡± Upon seeing this woman, the three female cultivators immediately approached her with happiness and saluted.


    The woman waved at the three of them, stepped out of the Array, and walked up to Han Li, clasping her fist as a salute:


    ¡°Junior greets Elder Han,¡± she said.


    ¡°You recognize me?¡± Han Li examined the woman, finding her face unfamiliar, and felt a bit puzzled.


    ¡°Junior Yao Man, once served as the patrol enforcer in the palace and had the fortune to glimpse Elder from afar during one of the patrols,¡± the woman said respectfully.


    ¡°I see,¡± Han Li nodded indifferently.


    ¡°May I ask if Elder is here with several of our palace elders?


    Because of the demon beasts¡¯ sudden intrusion into the main hall of the Void Spirit Hall, I have been ordered to seek assistance from Great Elder Han Li.¡± The woman did not hide her intentions, asking directly and respectfully, all the while her gaze swept towards the entrance of the hall.


    ¡°Hehe, Fellow Daoist Han Li is probably too preoccupied to attend to this matter!¡± Han Li said with a smile, his expression as normal.


    ¡°Junior also has heard some things, it seems that Elder and several elders of the palace are engaged in an extremely crucial matter.


    However, the demon beasts that have invaded this time are truly no small matter.


    If the Great Elders and others do not show up, our Minor Extreme Palace might really face a disaster.¡± Upon hearing this, the woman became anxious.


    ¡°Oh?


    Are the invading demon beasts really that formidable?


    Isn¡¯t your Palace Master also a late-stage great cultivator?


    Can¡¯t she handle it?¡± Han Li inquired with a flicker in his eyes.


    ¡°Junior is here exactly to seek help on behalf of the Palace Master.


    When I left, the Palace Master was already entangled by a powerful demon beast, utterly unable to spare any effort elsewhere,¡± the woman said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Han Li and others have entered the Mystic Jade Cave.


    If you think you have a way to summon them, just go there by yourself.


    I will head over there first to see what kind of demon beast has arrived that even your palace cannot withstand,¡± Han Li spoke casually, his figure drifting as he stood in the transportation formation.


    ¡°Elder, please be careful.


    There are many invading demon beasts, and the area around the transportation formation may not be very stable,¡± the woman said, startled, but not daring to obstruct, she could only politely caution him.


    Han Li nodded, raised his hand, and a green incantation seal struck the Array.


    Immediately the white light flickered, and the teleportation was about to begin.


    But just at that moment, a flash of silver light appeared behind Han Li, and suddenly a green figure emerged, then in an instant, both figures simultaneously teleported away.


    ¡°Who is that person?¡± The woman couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise.


    ¡°The junior doesn¡¯t know either.


    It seems that the demon beast was eliminated by that person¡¯s attack just now,¡± the Core Formation female disciple hesitated before speaking, sounding unsure.


    ¡°I heard that this time our palace had several external elders visiting, perhaps it¡¯s another elder.


    You three wait here, if an enemy comes through, try to hold them off for a while.


    I am going to the Mystic Jade Cave to see if I can summon the Great Elder and others,¡± the woman said, still feeling some surprise and doubt about Han Li¡¯s sudden arrival, but she quickly remembered her urgent task and instructed the other three women.


    ¡°Yes, Senior!¡± The three female disciples naturally bowed and complied, and the woman turned into a streak of white light and headed straight for the Mystic Jade Cave.


    Elsewhere, Han Li had just come out of the transportation formation with the Humanoid Puppet, and before he had fully recovered from the discomfort of the teleportation, the puppet suddenly disappeared with a flicker from its original location.


    Two screams came one after another, followed by a ¡°bang,¡± the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.


    Glancing over at the noise, Han Li saw a demon beast corpse lying in a pool of blood, and beside it were a male and a female, two Core Formation Stage Minor Extreme Palace disciples staring dumbfounded at the Humanoid Puppet, who was pulling a shiny silver arm out of another demon beast¡¯s chest cavity.


    The body of this beast also fell to the ground.


    This place turned out to be a hall identical to the one where the other transportation formation was located.


    After giving the two Minor Extreme Palace disciples a brief glance, Han Li walked out without paying them further attention, because sounds of intense fighting and explosions were coming from outside the hall, indicating there was a fierce battle going on there.


    The man and woman originally wanted to come forward to pay their respects, but seeing Han Li so unwilling to utter another word, they hesitated for a moment and then stayed where they were.


    And in that instant, Han Li had already left the hall with the Humanoid Puppet.


    Indeed, in a side hall outside the main hall, more than a dozen Minor Extreme Palace disciples and demon beasts were engaged in intense combat.


    Daoist paper talismans and demon Qi filled the air, with explosive and howling sounds deafening, presenting a stalemate for the time being.


    Han Li merely glanced at them and paid no further attention.


    The demon beasts and cultivators here were mostly at the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages; naturally, he couldn¡¯t be bothered with them.


    He flashed a streak of green light around him and instantly turned into a green rainbow, enveloping the Humanoid Puppet and shooting straight towards the entrance of the side hall.


    After all, the transportation formation that could transmit out of the hall seemed to be set up in the main hall of the Void Spirit Hall.


    With Han Li¡¯s speed, he covered a distance of several tens of feet in just one breath, quickly approaching the hall door.


    But just then, a strange shriek came from the side, and an unknown creature covered in black scales and exuding black Qi lunged at him with an evil ferocity.


    Seeing this, Han Li couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    Although this demon beast was not low in cultivation, it clearly lacked spiritual wisdom.


    Other demon beasts had avoided Han Li¡¯s powerful streak of light, unlike this one who foolishly dared to come forward.


    However, Han Li couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with a demon beast that hadn¡¯t even reached the realm of demon transformation.


    With a casual flick of his hand, five dazzling streaks of green light shot out, piercing through the beast.


    It let out a wail as its protective demon Qi could not resist at all.


    The beast was penetrated by five large holes and its body fell straight down.


    Although the other demon beasts were mostly aware that Han Li was not to be trifled with, his easy annihilation of one of their kind still gave them quite a fright.


    They trembled with fear and quickly retreated from their opponents to watch from a safe distance.


    The Minor Extreme Palace disciples, however, were greatly encouraged.


    But with a flash of green light, Han Li directly left the side hall, without any intention of stopping.


    This left the cultivators and demon beasts in the hall looking at each other, but after a slight hesitation, the shouts and kills rose again, and the fight became even more intense than before.


    After exiting the side hall, Han Li, following the location he had soul searched from Fellow Daoist Han Li¡¯s Nascent Soul, flew towards his destination.


    Along the way, he passed several places where demon beasts and cultivators were fighting inextricably.


    It seemed that the Void Spirit Hall had been completely invaded by a host of demon beasts.


    Naturally, several unobservant demon beasts rashly attacked him along the way, only to be either pierced by his swords or killed by an arrow from the puppet following him.


    Most of the dead were demon beasts of about the sixth or seventh grade.


    After all, the lower-grade demon beasts didn¡¯t dare approach easily, just intimidated by the spiritual pressure emitted by Han Li.


    Those at the beginning of the demon transformation stage could see at a glance that Han Li¡¯s cultivation was above theirs, naturally unwilling to provoke a difficult opponent.


    But just as Han Li was crossing a long corridor, he was simultaneously intercepted by two demon-transformed beasts.


    One was in a dark blue robe with long ears and green eyes, and the other had white hair and a vivid red skin, with three demon eyes on their forehead.


    Both of these beings had murderous expressions, staring fiercely at Han Li.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze shifted over the bodies of two Minor Extreme Palace cultivators nearby, his brows furrowing slightly.


    The chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations in the area indicated there had recently been a fierce battle here, and the victors were indeed the two demon beasts in front of him.


    ¡°Step aside.


    I am not a Minor Extreme Palace cultivator, nor am I interested in joining your strife,¡± Han Li said coldly.


    The green-eyed demon-transformed creature, unusually tall and sturdy, holding two shining silver axes, burst into a strange laugh upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words.


    ¡°Step aside!


    Do you think the two of us are fools?


    All human cultivators deserve to die.


    Besides, I just ate a Nascent Soul and found it quite delightful, I¡¯d like to swallow another one to savor properly.


    You seem to have higher cultivation than these two, so your Nascent Soul should taste even better,¡± he said.


    The other three-eyed demon beast also showed a malevolent expression.


    One of these demon beasts had a grade eight realm, while the other had just broken through to the ninth grade, a high-grade demon beast, hence they believed they had a grip on Han Li.


    After all, the Humanoid Puppet was always in a hidden state, and a mere mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator, even if they faced an ordinary grade eight demon beast, would not be at a disadvantage.


    (First update!)


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    Wang Xiaomao has two bizarre friends.


    One is Wang Xiaoli, a bloodthirsty veterinarian, and the other is Wang Xiaoli, a seductive bar owner.


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    (To be continued.


    For further details, please visit www.qidian.com.


    More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1116 - Chapter 1116 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Three-eyed Demon Beast

    ?Chapter 1116: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Three-eyed Demon Beast Chapter 1116: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1112 Three-eyed Demon Beast Seeing the two demon-transformed beasts in front of him, looking at him as if he were prey ready to be devoured, Han Li frowned.


    Although he was nearly certain he could kill the two demon beasts before him, such pointless waste of mana for no benefit at all really didn¡¯t interest him in taking action.


    Without saying a word, he formed a hand gesture, and with a thunderous rumble behind him, a pair of silver-white wings suddenly appeared on his back.


    With a flash of silver light, his figure eerily vanished from the spot.


    He actually planned to simply bypass the two demons without getting entangled with them at all.


    This move caught the two opposing demons off guard, but the grade nine three-eyed demon beast reacted quickly, urgently shouting:


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re running off to?¡± Then, the head of the beast blurred slightly and twisted in an eerie 180-degree turn, its face unexpectedly facing backward, and the third black demon eye on its forehead suddenly emitted a piercing black light.


    A black gleam flashed and shot out instantly.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± a muffled explosion.


    The mysterious black light, with some unknown heavenly skill, exploded on its own more than twenty zhang behind the demons.


    Amidst the flash of black light, Han Li was forcibly exposed from his Escape Technique, stumbling back into the material world from the void, his face showing a look of surprise.


    ¡°Haha, kid, you¡¯re out of luck meeting Brother Wu.


    Brother Wu¡¯s Eye of Law-Breaking can shatter all kinds of Shift-Escape Techniques.


    Facing the two of us, even your Nascent Soul can forget about trying to escape,¡± the other demon-transformed beast with long ears and green eyes said with a wide-mouthed grin followed by a burst of wild laughter upon seeing this scene.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï


    ¡°Is that so?


    It seems I am ignorant of such extraordinary materials from demonic beasts in the world.


    Well then, Han Li originally didn¡¯t want to engage in pointless struggle, but it seems now that spending some time here wouldn¡¯t be such a waste of effort.


    I shall send you on your way,¡± Han Li said with a cold and calm look as he slowly steadied himself and gazed at the two beasts.


    Though he had promptly raised a Silver Small Shield in front of him which blocked the force of the explosion, he still looked somewhat disheveled.


    Having suffered a minor loss, Han Li¡¯s killing intent increased substantially.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a faint silvery figure flashed out from behind the green-eyed, long-eared demon beast, and a dazzling silver arm plunged directly into its back.


    At that moment, an odd light flashed from the third eye of the three-eyed demon beast, as if sensing something.


    It immediately twisted its head and howled loudly while raising its hand, shooting out a pale yellow ring, striking directly at the pale figure.


    Han Li snorted coldly, and with a flick of his sleeves, thirty-six small golden swords buzzed out, turning into dozens of foot-long streaks of golden light, sweeping towards the three-eyed demon beast.


    His other hand waved, and the Yellow Demon Subduing Staff flew out from his grasp, expanding in the wind to several zhang in length and whistling strangely as it shot forth.


    While the flying swords and the Demon Subduing Staff were released, Han Li also opened his mouth and sprayed out a fist-sized purple flame.


    The Taiyin Fire Crow on his shoulder silently spread its wings, turning into a red fiery ball and shot forth.


    But the latter two seemed light and unhurried, not nearly as fast as the speed and momentum of the flying swords and Demon Subduing Staff in front.


    As Han Li made his move, his target was solely the three-eyed demon beast.


    When the beast turned back to see this scene, it was greatly shocked.


    Being from the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, this demon naturally often fought fiercely with other demon beasts, and its experience and combat prowess far exceeded those of human cultivators of the same level.


    Although it hadn¡¯t personally received Han Li¡¯s onslaught yet, just from the dazzling spiritual light of the thirty-six flying swords and the Demon Subduing Staff, it knew that they were far from ordinary.


    Immediately, the demon beast stopped caring about the other grade eight demon beast, slapped its waist with one hand, and suddenly shot out a deep yellow rainbow from its body that was more than ten zhang huge, flashing by and meeting the dozens of golden flying swords head-on.


    Suddenly, there were explosions between the two forces, and the intimidating rainbow shone blindingly bright, and with its sole power, it resisted all the golden flying swords without falling short.


    This slightly startled Han Li.


    But in that instant, the giant Demon Subduing Staff swept past the sword¡¯s light and arrived above the three-eyed demon beast, crashing down like a small mountain with tremendous force.


    The face of the three-eyed demon beast darkened, and with a mighty roar, its clothes shattered inch by inch, revealing a body made of bluish-black steel.


    Its arms shook slightly, transforming abruptly into a pair of colossal pincers, each over a zhang in size.


    Crossing its arms, it actually caught the Demon Subduing Staff straight on.


    With a ¡°boom,¡± a thunderous noise that shook the earth, black and yellow lights intertwined and flickered, and the beast indeed caught the Demon Subduing Staff with its physical power alone, preventing it from descending.


    Although the treasure came from one of the Three Elders of Kunwu, and Han Li couldn¡¯t unleash its full power due to his Cultivation Technique, the demon beast staggered upon catching it, its tall frame suddenly shrinking by a third.


    Internally, the demon beast was taken aback.


    Its true form is from a rare and savage mythical beast lineage scarcely known in the world, not only innately possessing a third demon eye upon its forehead but also, upon hatching, it had the immense strength to tear apart tigers and leopards with its bare hands.


    As its cultivation progressed significantly, this innate immense strength also deepened day by day, to the point where even the pressure of thousands of pounds felt as nothing.


    Yet now, struck by a single blow from the Demon Subduing Staff, its arms became numb, feeling overwhelmed.


    How could this not shock the demon beast?


    Just at this moment, a pitiful and tragic scream came from the side, causing the demon beast to sink in heart and hastily turn its head to look.


    It saw that the long-eared, green-eyed demon beast had, at some unknown time, had its huge head severed and fallen.


    Next to the headless body was a glossy, deep black short blade zigzagging unpredictably in mid-air, emitting a faint black light.


    As for the cyan figure, its traces had vanished without a trace.


    Thanks to the demon beast¡¯s reminder and the obstruction of the Silver Rings, the other grade eight demon beast dodged the Humanoid Puppet¡¯s attack.


    But before it could angrily counterattack, the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife, which had quietly approached, unexpectedly looped around its neck and decapitated the demon beast¡¯s head.


    Although the demon beast had some Divine Skills, its cultivation and treasures were far inferior to the Humanoid Puppet.


    How could it withstand the puppet¡¯s full-powered strike?


    The light flashed at the base of the headless demon body, and a cluster of green light burst forth, fleeing towards the ground as it attempted to escape.


    But with a flash of silver light, the cyan figure bizarrely emerged from the void below, blocking its path.


    Startled, the demon beast¡¯s soul hastily tried to turn and flee, but it was already too late.


    The cyan shadow slowly reached out with one hand and, somehow, grabbed the green fire into its hand.


    Without any hesitation, it rubbed its hands together and with a flash of silver light turned the demon beast¡¯s soul into a puff of cyan smoke.


    All of this seemed slow but happened very swiftly!


    In just an instant, all these actions had been witnessed by the Three-eyed Demon Beast.


    At this moment, the cyan figure looked back at the Three-eyed Demon Beast, blinked with silver light all around, and together with the Black Flying Dagger floating beside it, disappeared without a trace.


    The complexion of the demon beast changed drastically, finally showing a look of panic.


    With its eyesight, the demon beast could easily see the terror of the Humanoid Puppet and the Black Flying Dagger.


    Although it did not know that one of the opponents was just a puppet, it acknowledged it was by no means a match for Han Li and his companion.


    Regretfully, the desire to retreat grew within it.


    However, at this moment, the third eye of the demon beast flickered with strange light, eager to immediately locate the whereabouts of the Humanoid Puppet.


    Just then, the Purple Apex Flames transformed into a Fireball, and the True Yin Fire turned into another, both of which floated gently from the left and right.


    This grade nine demon beast, while casting its spells with full concentration, only glanced at the two fireballs and, though it found them odd, didn¡¯t take them very seriously.


    With a casual opening of its mouth, it spat out two streams of Yellow Demon Qi striking straight at the fireballs.


    The demon beast¡¯s momentary lapse allowed it to lose the initiative.


    As a pleased expression flickered across its face and all three demon eyes fixed on a certain spot in the void, both fireballs exploded simultaneously.


    ¡°Rumble!¡±


    The violet flame, like fire sweeping across the plains, suddenly surged into a column of flame over ten feet high.


    It enveloped the demon Qi and roared towards the Three-eyed Demon Beast with a howl, appearing to ice everything in its vicinity.


    Without even getting close, the extreme cold air emanating from the column of flame made the nearby space ¡°hiss¡± loudly, with layers of crystal clear ice quickly forming in the void, spreading rapidly towards the demon beast as if to encase the surrounding space in ice.


    As for the red Fireball, it also burst apart and reformed into the shape of a Fire Raven.


    This time, wrapped in red flames, its body enlarged to about a foot, quickly swallowing the Yellow Demon Qi in front of it.


    Then, with a flap of its wings, it plunged into the Purple Fire Column beside it, disappearing with the aid of the flames¡¯ concealment.


    Seeing the extreme cold power of the Purple Apex Flames, the Three-eyed Demon Beast¡¯s face went pale at once.


    In a hurry and without thinking, it opened its mouth and spewed out countless yellow specks, dense and seemingly endless.


    These specks soon tumbled and transformed into peculiar beetles, the size of thumbs, with the upper bodies resembling centipedes and the lower bodies like scorpions, all pale yellow and fierce-looking.


    As these vicious bugs emerged in swarms, they spat out pungent fumes, which quickly turned into diffuse clusters of Yellow Demon Qi, directly confronting the column of flame in an attempt to block it temporarily.


    The grade nine demon beast itself flashed with black light, its arms thickening slightly as it slowly raised them, trying to forcefully shove the Demon Subduing Staff above its head away, and then hastily escape.


    At this moment, the Three-eyed Demon Beast had utterly extinguished the thought of contending with Han Li and only wished to escape to save its own life.


    Where the Yellow Demon Qi touched the Purple Flames, the mist immediately showed signs of faltering.


    Particles of the Yellow Demon Qi crystallized and fell from the air, but the countless approaching beetles, still spewing fumes, managed to barely stop the advancement of the fire column.


    At that moment, a sharp cry emerged from within the purple column of fire, and under the turbulence and condensation of the flames, the entire column took shape, transforming into a giant crow ten or so feet in size with violet fiery feathers and crimson eyes.


    (Second update!) (To be continued.


    If you wish to learn what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters and to support the author and genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1117 - Chapter 1117 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1113 Demon Qi Soars to the Heavens

    ?Chapter 1117: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1113 Demon Qi Soars to the Heavens Chapter 1117: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1113 Demon Qi Soars to the Heavens The Fire Raven merely fluttered its wings slightly, and the Purple Apex Flames that emerged were several times more powerful than the initial flame column, not only sweeping away the yellow fog before it but also freezing those strange insects behind it into uneven chunks of ice, preventing them from moving in the slightest.


    With a flash of its crimson eyes, carrying boundless extreme coldness, the Fire Raven pounced towards the Three-eyed Demon Beast.


    Completely suppressed by the immense strength of the Demon Subduing Staff, the demon beast could not budge at all and only managed to shoot out a beam of black light from its third eye.


    However, the black light struck the giant raven without any effect, disappearing as if into a void.


    With a long cry from the purple fire raven¡¯s beak, it vanished in a flash and landed on the grade nine demon beast.


    The creature¡¯s body was engulfed by the raging Purple Apex Flames, and after letting out a pitiful scream, it turned into a giant block of purple ice with a face full of horror.


    Its protective demon Qi could not withstand the Purple Apex Flames in the slightest!


    Immediately next to the giant ice block, a human figure flickered into view enveloped by a burst of silver light.


    Rubbing its hands together and then lifting them at the same time, it released two arcs of golden lightning that struck the giant ice block with rumblings of thunder.


    With a resounding boom, the surface of the purple ice shattered inch by inch, and naturally, the physical body of the grade nine demon beast crumbled into pieces, but with a flash of green light, a green flame larger than the long-eared green-eyed demon beast¡¯s soul shot out from the broken ice and darted away, shifting instantaneously over twenty meters in distance.


    ¡°Thinking of escaping now, isn¡¯t it a bit too late?¡±


    A voice drifted leisurely, followed by a sudden clap of thunder.


    A silver arc abruptly appeared in front of the green flame, and then Han Li, with his hands clasped behind his back, emerged, looking at the fleeing demon soul with a faint smile within the silver light.


    Naturally sensing danger, the grade nine demon beast¡¯s soul attempted to escape again; however, Han Li reached out with one hand, and with a flash of green light in his palm, he produced a Green Wooden Ruler and waved it gently at the demon soul.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï


    A sudden burst of light later, a silver lotus about the size of a foot appeared beneath the demon soul.


    As the petals slightly rotated, the demon soul felt the surrounding Spiritual Energy solidify, rendering it momentarily unable to use its shifting ability.


    The demon soul felt its heart sink as the petals emitted bright light, and from the lotus¡¯s heart, several beams of seven-colored Buddhist light swept over the demon soul, enveloping it before violently pulling it back into the Silver Lotus with lightning speed.


    After a scream of terror, the Silver Lotus flashed wildly for a few times before dispersing into nothingness.


    And within it, the demon soul seemed to vanish with the wind, disappearing completely from this world.


    Han Li exhaled softly, and the Wooden Ruler in his hand mysteriously disappeared.


    Meanwhile, the Humanoid Puppet lightly glided over to Han Li, and upon arrival, it emotionlessly handed over the objects to him-two storage pouches, an ancient silver ring, and a thumb-sized black bead, which was the third eye of the Three-eyed Demon Beast.


    Narrowing his eyes, Han Li pinched the material from the demon beast with two fingers for a closer inspection.


    Beyond its dark black and profound appearance, there was nothing particularly strange about it.


    However, after facing the demon eye bead towards himself and looking into it, his expression shifted, and he still decided to store it along with the silver ring.


    Although the silver ring was a decent ancient treasure, it could only barely catch Han Li¡¯s current interest.


    As for the yellow flying sword that resembled both a blade and a sword, once lacking the manipulation of its master, it turned into an ancient blade and was effortlessly stored by Han Li into his storage pouch.


    After collecting all the flying swords and the Demon Subduing Staff, Han Li did not linger in that place.


    He wrapped up the Humanoid Puppet and transformed into a streak of light shooting directly towards the end of the corridor.


    It was obvious that the closer he got to the Great Hall, the fewer Minor Extreme Palace cultivators and demon beasts there were.


    However, most of those who did appear were high-level cultivators and demon-transformed beasts with profound magic, including some Nascent Soul cultivators.


    Since their battles did not block the way, Han Li just glanced at them from a distance and naturally did not seek trouble.


    After passing through several halls and courtyards, and then across a plaza, Han Li finally saw the Great Hall of the Void Spirit Hall.


    The Great Hall¡¯s white jade walls stretched as far as the eye could see, with their width unknown.


    The facing entrance was not particularly wide, measuring only about thirty meters in height, and appeared to be just a side door.


    At this entrance, two humans and one demon were casting Great Divine Powers, their battle in a deadlock.


    The two humans in white robes, one female and one male, with the male being the Minor Extreme Palace Surveillance Elder, the grey-haired Elder Ye whom Han Li had met once before, and the beautiful woman in white palace attire floating about was none other than Bai Yaoyi.


    Their opponent appeared to be a black-robed old man similar to humans, with long hair emitting a faint green light and eyes flashing with a cold, intimidating glare that gave off an aura of imposing dignity without anger.


    Bai Yaoyi and Elder Ye propelled two Silver Flying Swords and an odd jade bottle emitting black and white Qi, battling the old man to a standstill.


    The old man wielded a green shimmering silk net with one hand, which, once spread wide, transformed into a vast green cloud ten meters wide with continuous thunderous flashes.


    His other hand maneuvered an ancient black treasure shaped like an Iron Mace, each movement creating dozens of mirages that attacked the adversaries with such an illusory and convincing finesse that it was mesmerizing to behold.


    The elderly man, relying solely on his own power, had Bai Yaoyi and her companion at a significant disadvantage, all while appearing to handle the situation with ease.


    However, the jade bottle in the hands of the supervising elder seemed to possess boundless power, as the black and white energies it emitted could absorb anything, intercepting a large portion of the green lightning and the shadow of the black mace.


    Moreover, with Bai Yaoyi at his side, their two silver flying swords were not without might.


    With their combined efforts, they were able to hold out for the time being.


    A flash of blue light in Han Li¡¯s eyes as he glanced at the elderly man caused his pupils to constrict and his face to slightly change.


    The elderly man was actually a grade ten demon-transformed beast!


    Even with his Brightsight Spirit Water, Han Li was unable to see through the true form of the beast.


    With a chill in his heart, the streak of green light Han Li had transformed into reached the edge of the fray in the blink of an eye.


    Without any hesitation, his speed suddenly doubled.


    As the light dazzled, the green rainbow was about to sweep beneath the three figures fighting below, aiming to dash into the grand hall.


    ¡°Seeking death!¡± As a grade ten demon beast, the old man would not let anyone slip away under his watch so easily.


    Even though he recognized Han Li¡¯s mid-Nascent Soul stage from the streak of light, he did not take it to heart at all.


    With a casual point of his finger, he touched the net of green light.


    With a tremble of the net transformed into a green cloud, a rumbling sound erupted, and dozens of green, hazy fire-leaves of lightning were suddenly shot out, raining down towards Han Li below.


    As these fist-sized fire-leaves were launched, they grew to the size of heads, instantly covering an area of over twenty zhang, leaving no room for the streak of light below to escape.


    Frowning within the streak of light, Han Li did not stop, but the Humanoid Puppet behind him suddenly appeared, and with a raise of a hand, a Flame-Wrapped Bow wrapped in red flames emerged.


    He then lightly pulled the bowstring with his other hand.


    With a similar rumbling noise, countless fiery arrows shot out against the green lightning from the streak of light.


    The two forces collided in mid-air, exploding into bursts of intermingled green and red light, dazzlingly beautiful.


    The power of the fire arrows was significantly weaker than the green lightning, but with this head-on attack, the green lightning fires were momentarily slowed, and the green rainbow streaked past right under the battle, directly dashing through the hall doors into the grand hall.


    ¡°Eh!¡± A sound of surprise came from the old man¡¯s mouth.


    With the astonishing cultivation of this grade ten demon beast, even with the streak of light acting as a barrier, he noticed the Humanoid Puppet emerging behind Han Li, feeling a surge of amazement.


    However, seeing Han Li flying into the grand hall, he frowned and did not pursue with additional spells, instead turning his attention back to the enemies before him and abruptly intensifying his offensive by threefold.


    Bai Yaoyi was also extremely shocked in her heart.


    Although the green rainbow was too fast for her to truly see Han Li within the streak of light, the fleeting green flash was all too familiar to her, and with a moment¡¯s thought, she was sure that the owner of the streak of light was undoubtedly Han Li.


    ¡°Could it be that the Great Elders have already emerged from the Mystic Jade Cave!¡±


    With uncertainty and shock in her heart, seeing the formidable enemy opposite increase the aggression of his treasure, she had no room to ponder any further, quickly injecting Spiritual Energy into the two flying swords to drive them like flood dragons emerging from the sea, assisting the elder sage named Ye in barely fending off the attacking momentum of the formidable foe.


    The gray-haired elder was equally astonished that the blue streak of light could withstand the thunderous blow from the old demon on the other side, charging into the grand hall.


    Although he found this streak of light somewhat unfamiliar, since the old demon himself had intervened to block it, and since the light did not carry any demon Qi, it was assuredly friend not foe, so he gave it no further thought, only spurring the black and white Spiritual Energy from the jade bottle in the air to become even more dazzling and captivating.


    Even though he held this imitation of the Spiritual Treasure ¡°Dual Qi Bottle,¡± it was still a bit too strenuous for him and Bai Yaoyi, two mid-stage cultivators, to confront a grade ten demon beast.


    By then, Han Li had reined in his light and appeared ten zhang away from the other side of the hall¡¯s entrance, showing his figure once again.


    He glanced around, wanting to take a clear look at the situation inside the grand hall.


    But before he could get a clear view, he suddenly heard an old, crazed laughter:


    ¡°Another one courting death, very well!


    One more or one less doesn¡¯t matter, you might as well join your lord inside.¡±


    Startled, Han Li had yet to react when he suddenly felt the space around him flash with black radiance, and the scenery changed instantly.


    His whole person inexplicably appeared in a space where all sides were enveloped in rolling black demon Qi.


    He had inexplicably been trapped by some treasure.


    Han Li was, of course, taken aback!


    The surrounding demon Qi roiled fiercely and swept towards him, as if intending to crush him to death on the spot.


    Han Li took a deep breath and with a clenched fist concealed in his sleeve.


    Suddenly, thunder roared around him and a layer of golden electric arcs burst forth, enveloping him in an instant.


    Then, with a flick of both sleeves, numerous small golden swords flew out, circled Han Li briefly, and turned into swathes of golden light, surrounding him and protecting him from the outside of the electric arcs.


    At this moment, the thick demon Qi from all around rushed towards Han Li, colliding against the golden light.


    (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com.


    There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1119 - Chapter 1119 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Each Displays Divine Skills

    ?Chapter 1119: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Each Displays Divine Skills Chapter 1119: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1115 Each Displays Divine Skills The originally retreating demon Qi, upon hearing this howl, suddenly gathered together, with masses of black Qi beginning to condense and morph.


    One after another, demon beasts and demonic birds, shiny black all over, started to appear within the demon Qi.


    They growled incessantly, varied in types, the largest measuring over thirty zhang, while the smallest were only a few feet in size, but each of them bore fierce eyes, looking towards Han Li in the middle of the sea of fire.


    Han Li¡¯s heart shuddered.


    Because at a glance, these demon beasts seemed densely packed and endlessly rolling within the demon Qi, a vast oppressive black mass, seemingly inexhaustible.


    Upon another shrill howl, the puppet beasts stormed in from all directions, covering the sky and earth.


    The corner of Han Li¡¯s eyes twitched, but without making a sound, he raised a hand and continuously cast several hazy incantations towards the Flame Cauldron hovering overhead.


    The cauldron trembled and immediately emitted a bright red light; the crimson flames enveloped the entire Giant Cauldron, transforming it into a giant fireball.


    Numerous blazing flames shot out from the cauldron, joining the sea of fire.


    The temperature of the entire space suddenly soared, the sea of fire¡¯s momentum greatly bolstered, yet immediately from within the sea of fire, fireballs the size of heads shot out.


    Each fireball encompassed one Fire Raven, enlarged in size, which, leveraged by the power of the sea of fire, charged directly into the crowd of puppet beasts surrounding them.


    The various sized blazing red lights exploded extensively amongst the puppet beast army, with thousands of Fire Ravens flying wildly, entangling with the demon beasts.


    Flames danced wildly, demon Qi crisscrossed, at times intermingling and at times colliding apart, reaching a temporary deadlock.


    Strangely enough, whether a demon beast was pierced by a Fire Raven or a Fire Raven was smashed by the strike of a huge beast, each would regroup within the demon Qi, immediately restoring to its original form, while the other would revive through the rolling flames in a flash.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0


    Both seemed inexhaustible.


    A cold sneer echoed from within the demon Qi, followed by deep spell incantations from all corners, unmistakably the voice of the old demon charioteer.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered, suddenly looking upward, his face suddenly changing.


    He saw in the sky where a whirlpool had previously appeared, the demon Qi began to violently roll, and a giant claw was slowly extending out from the demon Qi.


    This claw was shiny black, immensely large at thirty to forty zhang, with five several-zhang-long sharp nails flashing with a cold sinister light, seemingly exceedingly sharp.


    Due to its massive size, even before it descended, it gave off an oppressive feeling, as if a mountain was pressing down, inescapable.


    The chanting stopped, and the giant claw swooped down with a grab.


    A demon wind howled downwards as though a hurricane swept past, causing the sea of fire near Han Li to shudder chaotically.


    Without a moment to think, Han Li slapped his storage pouch at his waist, and the Demon Subduing Staff flew out from the pouch, swaying slightly, then transformed into a ten-plus zhang tall, ferociously smashing towards the descending demonic claw in the sky.


    Although the Demon Subduing Staff was a huge object, it appeared disproportionately tiny beneath the black demonic claw!


    A tremendous boom echoed between the staff and the demonic claw.


    The Demon Subduing Staff, striking as if hitting refined steel, could only slightly pause the giant claw in the air before being rebounded.


    The huge demonic claw continued unchanged, reaching for Han Li.


    Han Li pursed his lips, his mind moved, and the thirty-six golden flying swords circling around suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, then gathered together above him,


    Golden light surged, the flying swords instantly fused into one, forming a fifty-six zhang long golden sword.


    Then thunder rumbled again, the surface of the sword exploded with thick golden lightning arcs, transforming into a glaring golden rainbow, slashing directly at the falling giant claw.


    With a ¡°Puchi¡± sound!


    The thirty-six Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords, amalgamated into the giant sword, under the full surge of Han Li¡¯s mana, seemed indestructible.


    With a flash of golden light, it forcefully split the giant claw into two.


    A muffled grunt came from the demon Qi, it seemed the old demon charioteer had suffered a slight disadvantage, the bifurcated demonic claw scattered with the wind into masses of demon Qi and vanished in the blink of an eye.


    Hearing the grunt, Han Li¡¯s eyes flashed with blue light, suddenly pointing at the golden rainbow in the sky, immediately the golden light swirled, transforming into a Goldspeed Talisman fiercely biting towards an empty space.


    With a ¡°Bang¡± sound, that place without any prior indication burst into glaring black light, and then a Black Shield emerged out of nowhere.


    The Goldspeed Talisman bit onto it but couldn¡¯t break through the shield.


    Just then, behind the shield, a dark light flashed, revealing a short figure.


    It was indeed the incarnation of the old demon charioteer gathered outside Ice City, a child with three sky-pointing ponytails and an unnamed silver lock hanging in front.


    At this moment, standing behind the Black Shield and watching the continuously biting Goldspeed Talisman, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.


    ¡°Auric Essence!


    Your flying swords actually contain such rare materials, no wonder it could break through my Demon Heaven Claw!¡±


    The young child¡¯s expression quickly returned to normal, his gaze shifting back to Han Li amidst the sea of fire.


    ¡°As I expected, you are indeed just an incarnation!¡± Han Li ignored the young child¡¯s words and murmured to himself instead.


    Seeing Han Li¡¯s grand manner, the young child was so angry that he laughed instead.


    Without another word, he suddenly grabbed at the void, his hand flashing with a black light, revealing a gray small banner.


    ¡°Hehe!


    Just now, the power displayed by the Ten Thousand Demon Banner was merely a fraction of its potential.


    You are so full of yourself.


    With the next strike, I will obliterate you completely, letting you experience the true power of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner!¡±


    As soon as Doctor Mo finished speaking, he unfurled the small banner in his hand, apparently planning to activate it and unleash some great divine power.


    Han Li¡¯s expression became stern, and he suddenly pointed towards the sea of fire.


    Immediately, dozens of fire ravens burst forth, shooting directly towards the young child.


    The golden sword also emitted a long cry under his sword technique, trembling and then transforming back into thirty golden flying swords.


    Each sword was about a foot long, dazzling with golden light, and then with a humming sound, they formed hundreds of sword lights enchanting around before covering the young child with a furious barrage.


    The young child slightly curled his lips, pausing the small banner in his hand temporarily, and touched the Black Iron Shield in front of him with one hand.


    The shield trembled slightly, turning into a misty light barrier that enveloped the young child within.


    Gold and black spiritual lights flashed wildly.


    Despite so many sword lights striking it, the barrier only rippled with black light and remained undamaged.


    This inconspicuous black light barrier was unexpectedly tough.


    As for the dozens of fire ravens that flew in thereafter, the young child completely ignored them, focusing instead on activating the small banner in his hands.


    Although these fire ravens were transformed from the essence of fire, they were still disregarded by the young child, confident that the shield¡¯s defense was sufficient to block the fire ravens.


    The gray small banner only shook once, and the entire space suddenly trembled.


    Then, it shook slowly again, and the demon Qi around the nearby sea of fire abruptly emitted gray mists.


    Then, amidst strange spatial fluctuations, four black holes appeared suddenly, each about ten feet in diameter, and something seemed to be emerging from within.


    Han Li ignored these developments, and as the fire ravens approached the front of the distant black light barrier, a rumbling of thunder sounded behind him, revealing silver-white wings.


    In the next moment, his entire figure vanished from the original spot within a flash of silver light.


    Almost simultaneously, those fire ravens, spitting red flames, collided with the black light barrier, instantly transforming into dazzling fireballs and exploding.


    Meanwhile, hundreds of golden sword lights continued to be driven relentlessly against the dark black barrier.


    But just as the young child had predicted, the black light barrier still blocked all attacks without any trouble!


    Seeing Han Li disappear in the sea of fire by utilizing Thunderstorm Wings, the young child¡¯s expression changed but soon revealed a cold smirk.


    The spell incantation paused slightly, and another small hand flipped over, producing a black-cyan fine rope.


    With a flick, the rope shot out like a spirit snake, instantly forming seven or eight loops aiming at a spot several yards behind the young child.


    The next moment, with a flash of silver arc, Han Li reappeared with another rumbling of thunder right below the black-cyan rope.


    Before he could react, he was neatly ensnared by the rope, which then flashed with strange lights and quickly contracted, intending to completely bind him.


    A vicious smile flashed across the young child¡¯s face.


    He opened his mouth, where a dark light flickered, seemingly ready to spit out a powerful artifact once Han Li was restrained by the rope.


    This development truly took Han Li by surprise.


    He never expected such a miraculous artifact capable of predicting his exact location would appear using Thunderstorm Wings.


    Immediately, his expression drastically changed, and he shouted lowly while forming hand incantations.


    His body emitted a bright green light, clashing with the strange light of the black-cyan rope.


    Suddenly, Han Li¡¯s figure disappeared from within the rope, leaving behind only an azure talisman within it.


    Immediately, Han Li¡¯s figure eerily reappeared about ten yards away, his complexion unusually pale.


    In this critical moment, Han Li spared no mana and activated the not yet fully refined Spirit Transforming Talisman, narrowly escaping the crisis.


    Meanwhile, the azure talisman in the rope shook once and disintegrated into specks of green light, which then shot towards Han Li.


    In a blink of an eye, all the green light had entered his body.


    Seeing this, the young child looked slightly displeased, his mouth flickering with dark light a couple of times, but eventually, he just snorted coldly and slowly closed his mouth.


    At this moment, on the other side of the black light barrier, a faint silver light flashed a few yards away, and a green silhouette emerged.


    It was that humanoid puppet, who had imperceptibly closed in on the young child.


    It raised both hands, and a red mini bow flashed in its hands, emitting a glaring red light.


    Immediately, a myriad of sounds of breaking air were heard as a dense swarm of large fire arrows burst forth at such a close distance.


    At the same time, above the young child¡¯s head, a dark black short blade appeared within the cover of the numerous golden lights and red flames, stealthily thrusting downward sharply.


    Although the young child was just an incarnation of Doctor Mo, in terms of cultivation and intensity of spiritual sense, this demon still surpassed the old man transformed from the green-backed grey wolf by far.


    Despite being startled by the sudden change, the young child immediately discerned that the black light above was the lethal threat.


    With one hand blurring, he furiously slammed a palm towards the iron shield in front of him.

 Chapter 1120 - Chapter 1120 Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 An Equal Match

    ?Chapter 1120: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 An Equal Match Chapter 1120: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1116 An Equal Match ¡°`


    The multitude of fire arrows converged into a thick pillar of flame that struck the black light barrier.


    At the same time, the child slapped the iron shield, causing the barrier to emit a great brilliance and thicken several times over instantaneously.


    Suddenly, with a huge ¡®boom¡¯, a surge of fiery flames rolled up on the barrier, shaking the entire light shield violently.


    The Demonic Marrow Flying Knife, in a flash, silently stabbed into the top of the light barrier.


    With a ¡®hiss¡¯, the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife surprisingly created a thin crack, which vanished in a flash, and then reappeared inside the light barrier.


    At that moment, a coin-shaped Daoist paper talisman shrouded in dark Qi shot forth, and with a crisp ¡®clang¡¯, struck precisely on the flying knife.


    An eerie light flashed, and both treasures shook, then disappeared from sight all at once.


    Han Li was momentarily startled, but thankfully the spiritual sense from the Humanoid Puppet conveyed that the Demonic Marrow Flying Knife was not lost, just not nearby, seemingly trapped somewhere for the time being.


    With a thought, Han Li no longer hesitated and activated another contingency plan.


    One of the numerous Fire Ravens blocked by the black light barrier suddenly spread its wings, emitted a clear cry, its form swelling several folds, and then spewing out a wisp of white, foggy Celestial Ice Flame from its mouth.


    It was the Mystic Jade Cold Qi that had been inhaled by the Taiyin Fire Crow transformed from the True Fire of Taiyin within the Mystic Jade Cave.


    Although much of the Cold Qi had been absorbed, without a considerable amount of careful refinement over time, it cannot easily be transformed into the innate essence of the True Fire of Taiyin.


    But now, under Han Li¡¯s compulsion, a significant amount of it was released in one breath.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï


    When the white icy Qi struck the light barrier, an evident contrast of black light and white ice became visible; a layer of translucent thick ice spread over the barrier, quickly forming a huge ice sphere in almost a single breath, encapsulating the black light barrier and the child within, freezing them together inside.


    Han Li¡¯s brows rose slightly, revealing a trace of joy.


    However, he was well aware that mere ice alone could never truly restrain a grade ten demon beast; but even the brief delay allowed him to form hand seals with both hands pointing a single hand towards the scores of Sword Array¡¯s flashes near the giant ice, while chanting a spell incantation.


    Golden sword lights soared into the sky, circled briefly, then spread out with a humming noise, and one after another started to disappear mysteriously.


    Seeing how troublesome this demon beast in its infant form was, Han Li decided to set up the Aureate Sword Formation, aiming to slay it.


    However, halfway through the array setup, the giant ice sphere began to tremble violently, followed by countless silver threads bursting forth from the ice, slicing the giant ice into irregularly shaped chunks, seemingly ready to shatter the ice binding.


    Through the semi-transparent ice, one could see that the black light barrier had vanished; it had reverted to an iron shield placed horizontally in front of the child, who himself was holding something that emitted dazzling silver light.


    The numerous fine silver threads were bursting out from that light.


    In the midst of the silver light, the small silver lock that originally hung in front of the child¡¯s chest was clearly visible.


    Han Li inwardly sighed, knowing that there was no longer time to fully establish the Sword Array.


    His face turned grim as he flipped his hand over, and a green Wooden Ruler appeared, lightly waved towards the distant child to manipulate this Spiritual Treasure.


    A sudden thought flashed past the child¡¯s head, and a foot-long Silver Lotus appeared, spinning slightly as it cast a cascade of multicolored Buddhist light downwards.


    The child, just broken free from the ice, slowed under the Buddhist light, becoming momentarily stupefied.


    At this moment, the Humanoid Puppet rubbed its hands together, emitting a brilliant silver light, and a several-foot-long harpoon appeared out of nowhere in its hands.


    The child¡¯s eyes twitched upon seeing this, and the Gray Small Banner unexpectedly flew out from his hand, gently waving towards the void.


    He was actually able to ignore the Buddhist restrictive formations and activate the Ten Thousand Demon Banner.


    In an instant, with the child as the center, the surrounding space distorted bizarrely, and a layer of gray haze formed a barrier.


    At that very moment, the Humanoid Puppet also raised its chilling arm.


    The silver-pointed sword transformed into a silver streak, spinning rapidly as it shot out with a screeching noise.


    At such close proximity, the harpoon had almost reached the child as soon as it was launched, striking the barrier.


    A strange scene occurred!


    The silver-pointed sword flashed with light and easily pierced through the barrier, but unbelievably it brushed by the child a zhang away and then pierced through another side of the barrier, vanishing without a trace.


    Han Li was taken aback!


    The Humanoid Puppet¡¯s spiritual sense had locked onto the child; how could this have happened?


    However, with another thought, he suddenly realized.


    This barrier created by the Ten Thousand Demon Banner had the miraculous effect of distorting space, which was no ordinary Divine Skill.


    Breaking it was not going to be easy.


    Behind the barrier, the child was holding the Ten Thousand Demon Banner in one hand and the silver lock in the other, looking coldly at him.


    Black demon Qi flickered on his body, gradually pulling apart the Buddhist light enveloping him, as if preparing to break free.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank!


    It seemed that the opponent was not comparable to an ordinary late Foundation Establishment Sect cultivator, and to fight against him within the Ten Thousand Demon Banner¡¯s restrictive formations was extremely disadvantageous.


    With that thought, he turned his gaze towards the four gaping holes that had appeared around the fiery battlefield; despite the child being ensnared by his diversion, preventing him from continuing to use certain Divine Skills, the four black holes were still slowly enlarging, and from them emitted faint beastly roars, as if some demon was about to wrest free.


    ¡°`


    Han Li¡¯s brows furrowed, and he let out a cold huff, having made up his mind on the spot.


    He retracted the Eight Spirit Ruler and his hands formed a gesture.


    Instantly, the distant Flame Cauldron, Fire Raven, Humanoid Puppet, and thirty-six golden swords and other treasures all quivered and then shot towards him.


    Only the Taiyin Fire Crow, circling the spatial barrier before spewing out a breath of extreme cold.


    Although most of the cold air was inexplicably shifted elsewhere by the flash of the spatial barrier, the remainder once again encased the child within ice.


    However, the child¡¯s hands were continuously moving the silver chains, which promptly shattered the ice again into pieces, rendering the freezing effect minimal.


    By then, the Taiyin Fire Crow had already returned.


    Han Li did not even glance in that direction, but flipped his palm and a yellow talisman appeared in his hand.


    The runes on the talisman floated and flickered with spiritual light-it was the Realmbreaker Talisman that Fairy Ling Long had given him before she left.


    Speaking of this talisman, it had a remarkable effect on breaking through such restrictive formations.


    However, Han Li only had one and felt it was somewhat wasteful to use it rashly, which is why he was hesitant to deploy it at first.


    But now, seeing the ever-changing and unpredictable state of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, not to mention unaware of what other insidious Divine Skills had yet to be used, he naturally refused to suffer in silence and decisively took out the talisman.


    However, he didn¡¯t take this talisman to break through the spatial barrier but to make a direct escape from this space.


    After all, since the opponent could still employ the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, even if the barrier was broken, killing the opponent would not be a matter of a moment, and it would be better to leave the range of the opponent¡¯s treasure¡¯s restrictive formations first.


    He held the talisman between two fingers and gave a gentle flick in front of him into the void.


    A dazzling yellow light flashed from the talisman, the space fluctuated visibly, twisting and contorting non-stop, unveiling a glaringly bright and transparent white light sphere.


    Seeing this, Han Li was overjoyed and beckoned all the nearby treasures to him.


    The flying swords, Fire Raven, and the Humanoid Puppet all attacked together, striking at the empty space.


    Suddenly, with a loud rumble, a fuzzy hole appeared, and the outside scenery suddenly became clear-it was the Void Spirit Hall.


    The child, who was working on breaking restrictions off in the distance, saw this and his complexion changed drastically; in his urgency, he initiated a move without sparing his True Yuan.


    The Ten Thousand Demon Banner shone with a grey light, and a column of grey light shot up from the banner, striking the Silver Lotus in the sky.


    With a muffled sound, both dissipated simultaneously into nothingness.


    The child immediately broke free from his bonds!


    And just at that moment, Han Li¡¯s body radiated a green light and he transformed into a rainbow streak, darting out and vanishing without a trace, followed closely by all his treasures making their escape.


    The child held the Gray Small Banner in one hand, his eyes flickering coldly and non-stop, his face turning somewhat ashen.


    As the azure light retracted, Han Li floated in midair, revealing himself.


    At that moment, a thunderous explosion resounded in his ears.


    Han Li quickly gathered his flying swords, encasing himself in golden light for protection as he scanned the grand hall around him.


    He involuntarily took in a breath of cold air.


    This so-called Void Spirit Hall was incredibly vast; at a glance, it seemed to be thousands of meters across, and dozens of meters above him hung an object over two hundred meters long, which was identical to the Gray Small Banner he had seen in the demon Qi space.


    Except the size of this banner was a thousand times, ten thousand times larger, and the giant grey banner¡¯s surface, swirling with demon Qi, was flickering with demon runes of varying sizes, covering a large area around the entrance under its shadow.


    No wonder as soon as Han Li entered the hall, he was inexorably sucked into the prohibitions by the banner.


    This was the main body of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner; the smaller banner wielded by the old demon in disguise inside was probably just a manifestation of a wisp of the banner¡¯s spirit.


    Han Li was naturally astonished!


    But as his eyes moved forward, at the center of the grand hall, an intensely fierce battle was taking place.


    The majority of the hall had become a land of glaciers.


    Everywhere in the sky, white, misty cold air was howling non-stop, and the white jade floor and tall columns were all covered in a thick layer of ice.


    Peaks of mini-glaciers, varying from tens to several meters high, were scattered all over the edge of the glaciers.


    Higher above the glacier land, there was an Ice Phoenix that was more than ten meters long with a body of flawless white, enveloped in a misty white Celestial Ice Flame, wreaking havoc unbridled.


    Its adversaries were three high-level cultivators from the Minor Extreme Palace: a middle-aged beautiful woman and two white-haired old men.


    They were each employing several different treasures, desperately defending against the Ice Phoenix¡¯s assaults.


    Although their treasures were powerful, they were overwhelmingly at a disadvantage under the Ice Phoenix¡¯s claw and wing attacks.


    When Han Li saw the white Celestial Ice Flame enveloping the Ice Phoenix, his heart gave another jolt of shock.


    This Celestial Ice Flame seemed quite similar to the Celestial Ice Flame used by Bai Mengxin, but comparing their power, the difference was far too vast.


    Even if that Celestial Ice Flame was refined to perfection, its might couldn¡¯t possibly be as terrifying as this!


    (First update!


    This chapter should have been coded earlier, but I was not very satisfied with what I had written earlier, feeling it was a bit too far-fetched and not quite logical, so after some thought, I decided to scrap it and redid the chapter, sweat!


    Sorry to keep you all waiting, the next chapter will be released a bit later, probably around noon.


    I¡¯m not going to sleep either, just keep working hard.


    Also, it¡¯s the latter half of the month now, so I¡¯m asking for more monthly tickets.


    Hope everyone can support me.


    I¡¯ll code the next chapter as quickly as possible!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1122 03-25 - Chapter 1122: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1118 Spatial Divine Power

    Chapter 1122: Volume 6 Spirit Treasures Chapter 1118 Spatial Divine Power


    A surprised and light ¡°Eh¡± came from the opposite Celestial Ice Flame, but what followed was a shocking scene.


    Above Han Li, a few dozen feet high in the void, a white light suddenly flashed, and a space tear ripped open. A crystal-clear beak, about half a foot in size, suddenly protruded out large part of its length, pecking towards Han Li¡¯s head with the speed of lightning.


    Such a close and unexpected attack, even if Han Li had the time to react and wanted to use his Lightning movement to dodge, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have made it in time.


    Moreover, he had been paying attention to the Celestial Ice Flame on the opposite side, completely unguarded; but strangely, as the beak was about to break through the protective purple flame around Han Li¡¯s body, his expression did not change at all, he didn¡¯t even lift his head.


    There was a loud ¡°Bang¡± as a silver fist eerily appeared out of the void, smashing down onto the beak.


    Under the explosion of silver light, the beak was forcibly deflected several feet aside.


    Then, next to the beak, a faint green shadow flashed into existence, retracting what looked like a pure silver fist in front of it.


    It was the Humanoid Puppet.


    Turns out, when Han Li was engaged with the Ice Phoenix, he had already instructed the puppet to protect himself, and it had now timely blocked this dangerous strike.


    The attack missing its mark, the sharp beak flickered and vanished into thin air. At that moment, the white Celestial Ice Flame on the opposite side suddenly retracted, exposing the figure of the grade ten Ice Phoenix.


    At this time, the demonic bird¡¯s size was only about two to three Zhang large, having shrunk several times from its original size.


    It bowed its head to look at its claws that were bound by the green threads and let out a cold snort from its nostrils. Its claws suddenly expanded several times, appearing to try to break free.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï


    However, with continuous flashing of green light on the surface of the threads, which kept expanding and contracting, they remained immovable.


    At this, a hint of surprise flickered in the Ice Phoenix¡¯s eyes, but it immediately opened its beak, and two eye-piercing white lights shot out, circling around its own claws.


    The green threads were cut apart like dry grass under the flickering white lights.


    Only then did the white lights reveal their true form!


    They were two small milky-white swords, emitting a faint cold light all over.


    ¡°Ten Thousand Year Profound Jade!¡±


    Han Li recognized the material of these two flying swords at a glance and his brow furrowed at the same time.


    These green threads were transformed from the radiance emanating from the surface of the Heavenvoid Cauldron in his sleeve. It seems that even a heavenly skill-level spiritual treasure could do little against a grade ten demon beast with just some minor capabilities.


    However, he didn¡¯t actually intend to engage in a full-on battle with his present opponent. All he needed was to break through the hundred-odd Zhang distance to enter one of the two smaller transportation formations, and then he could leave this place.


    Thinking this in his heart and seeing the Ice Phoenix ready to initiate the next round of attacks with a movement of its wings, Han Li¡¯s expression darkened. The protective purple flame around him retracted while his figure blurred, and He split into three identical illusions.


    The three identical illusions flashed into existence, each enshrouded in an indistinct green mist, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.


    The Ice Phoenix was taken aback, and the white light on its wings paused momentarily. Just then, the three illusions suddenly turned into three green rainbows, fleeing in different directions. Their escape speed was so fast that they appeared more than ten Zhang away in an instant. Meanwhile, the golden sword and the Fire Raven, which were constantly fighting hundreds of translucent flying swords, also let out a whistle and shot away, aiming for the transportation platform in the corner of the great hall.


    The Ice Phoenix was startled, but then became furious. It let out a shrill cry and a white light flashed around its body, which quickly shrank. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a young woman in her twenties.


    She was clad in silver robes, looking as beautiful as a celestial being!


    As soon as the transformation was complete, the woman slapped a spirit beast pouch on her waist, and from inside came the sound of shrieking. Two balls of white light shot out, coiling around to reveal each a Four-winged Centipede surrounded by icy winds, each about a Zhang long, looking fierce and ferocious.


    These turned out to be two Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, and they seemed to have evolved to the Four-winged stage.


    Han Li glanced back just in time to witness this scene, naturally giving him a huge scare.


    But before he could think of any countermeasures, the two Four-winged Centipedes spread their wings simultaneously, and with the sound of breaking through the air, they vanished on the spot, only to reappear in front of Han Li¡¯s true body and another illusion the next moment. They opened their mouths, and a white mist of cold air sprayed out towards them.


    Han Li naturally wouldn¡¯t just stand still and let the cold air hit him. His streak of light flickered, and he easily avoided the attack. However, the other illusion just continued to fly in the original direction, and when struck by the cold air, it popped like a bubble and dissipated.


    The silver-robed woman, upon seeing this, drew a line with one hand in front of her and with a ¡°hisss,¡± a white misty tear appeared, showing that she was able to effortlessly rip through space itself.


    Then, with a flicker of her figure, she plunged into the void, and the crack vanished in a flash as well.


    Propelled to the utmost by Han Li, the streak of light reached the platform above in the blink of an eye. After dodging another blast of cold energy spit out by the pursuing Four-winged Centipede, it was about to descend immediately.


    But at that moment, not far from Han Li, a flash of white light appeared, and the woman in the silver robe eerily emerged. With another flicker, she appeared atop the platform, lifted her elegant head, and the pair of eyes, cold as snow, stared into the sky.


    Han Li¡¯s heart sank, but he dared not forcibly enter the transportation formation just now.


    Otherwise, if the opponent attacked at will from outside, it was uncertain what impact it would have on the transportation.


    ¡°I am not a cultivator from the Minor Extreme Palace, nor do I have any grudges with the demons. Do you truly wish to fight to the death against Han Li!¡± Han Li fixed his gaze on the woman in the silver robe, his expression as grave as water, his voice turning unfriendly.


    ¡°Hmph! I care not who you are. As long as you have inherited the Celestial Ice Flame from Fairy Bing Po of yesteryear, you are considered a great enemy of our Ice Phoenix Clan. Don¡¯t think you can slip away easily in front of me!¡± The woman in the silver robe wore a thick layer of Evil Qi on her jade-like face and spoke with an extraordinary coldness, without showing a hint of retreat.


    ¡°What arrogance! You think just because you possess Spatial Divine Power you can stop me. Fine, since you put it like that, Han Li shall hold back no more. Let¡¯s see how powerful you, the Lord of the Ice Sea, really are,¡± Han Li burst into a furious laugh upon hearing this.


    He beckoned with his hand, and the golden flying swords and Fire Ravens that were shooting towards him immediately circled around Han Li, emitting bursts of Sword Qi and scarlet flames with thunderous roars, their power remarkably intimidating.


    At the same time, a flash of silver light flickered beside Han Li as a Humanoid Puppet appeared woodenly.


    He slapped his storage pouch with one hand, and a small black bottle spun out. Several incantations struck the bottle.


    Immediately, the bottle trembled and five streams of greyish-white mist sprayed out. Five skeletal frames emerged trembling within the mist, with balls of green flames flickering in their eyes. The Five Devils made weird wailing sounds from their mouths, all their ghastly heads staring intently at the opposite Ice Phoenix, looking extremely bloodthirsty.


    ¡°Five Sons Demon!¡± The Ice Phoenix¡¯s expression froze for a moment, and then after sweeping her gaze over to the Humanoid Puppet nearby, the solemnness on her face deepened.


    ¡°Mechanical puppets, since when did the human world begin to refine puppets of such rank? It seems improbable to defeat you in a one-on-one battle, even if I recall my other two fiend demon transformations. With the puppet and Five Devils aiding you, it¡¯s unlikely I can eliminate you. However, I am quite confident in forcing you to stay here temporarily. If you¡¯re not afraid of encountering an error during transportation, you might as well come down and try!¡± The woman spoke slowly in this manner.


    ¡°Recall your transformations? Without your direct control, they would barely manage to protect themselves. I refuse to believe that you alone can last long against the united assault of the Five Devils and the puppet!¡± Although Han Li didn¡¯t look back, his spiritual sense immediately made him aware of the situation in the center of the hall.


    The two Ice Phoenix transformations were clearly at a disadvantage against the three from the Minor Extreme Palace, now being pushed back.


    If it weren¡¯t for both transformations also being able to use the Extreme Cold Flame, they would have been extinguished long ago. Even so, they were now in grave danger. The beautiful woman even had the leisure to glance repeatedly in Han Li¡¯s direction, her face showing a fluctuating expression of surprise and uncertainty, but she showed no intention of coming over to assist Han Li.


    It seemed the Palace Master of the Minor Extreme Palace would rather have Han Li fight a fierce battle against the true body of the Ice Phoenix all by himself while they took the opportunity to kill the two transformations first.


    Han Li wasn¡¯t particularly annoyed by this; in the same situation, he would likely have done the same.


    As for the woman in the silver robe, upon hearing Han Li¡¯s words, she merely sneered, seemingly unconcerned.


    Han Li exhaled a sigh and gave up the last sliver of hope that he could sway her with words. He immediately clasped his hands together to cast his spell, preparing to attack the Ice Phoenix using both the Five Devils and the puppet at once. Only by severely wounding or outright eliminating the woman could he transport himself away without worry.


    But just then, a strange light suddenly flashed in the woman¡¯s beautiful eyes, appearing somewhat eerie, yet also as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.


    Han Li was shocked, his mind racing to understand why she would show such a strange expression when suddenly the sky darkened, and a familiar, sinister voice came.


    ¡°Youngster, come back inside for this old man!¡±


    As these words fell, the Spiritual Energy near Han Li shifted, followed by surges of grey light and a blurred vision.


    Han Li was greatly startled and without further thought, he flicked his sleeve.


    The Realmbreaker Talisman shot out at once, and after a flash of yellow light, the scenery solidified, returning to normal. But within that brief moment, the golden sword light and swarms of Fire Ravens around Han Li shot out rapidly in all directions.


    Booming sounds echoed, and the grey lights were instantly shattered and dispersed.


    Han Li looked up, only to see that up in the sky, just dozens of feet above, the majestic Ten Thousand Demon Banner, over a hundred yards tall, had appeared at some point above his head. It was descending a swathe of grey halos, eager to envelop him.


    Fortunately, when he broke the restrictions of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner previously, not all of the Realmbreaker Talisman¡¯s power was consumed, or else he would have faced certain peril.


    Yet, even so, his expression became extremely ugly!


    Now, to effortlessly escape from this place, it seemed nearly impossible! (To be continued. For the continuation of the story, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters available, please support the author, support genuine reading!)

 Chapter 1126 03-25 - Chapter 1126: Volume 7: Across the Human World, Chapter 1122: Joining Forces

    Chapter 1126: Volume 7: Across the Human World, Chapter 1122: Joining Forces


    However, Han Li somewhat underestimated these maze-like passages. Although most of the restrictive formations and puppets were deactivated, the divine sense restrictions were still effective.


    After taking numerous wrong turns and breaking through countless illusionary entrapments using his Brightsight Spirit Water, he finally found the transportation formation leading to the next level. No wonder even Man Huzi, with his dominating cultivation, had to humbly follow behind Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin and his companion; he had to keep his usual arrogance in check.


    Of course, along the way, he managed to put away and restore the Five Devils and the puppet, and he split open several stone doors of treasure rooms that had not been activated with a single sword strike.


    The result was that he neither encountered any treasures nor triggered any restrictive formations that transported him out.


    It¡¯s unknown whether it was because he didn¡¯t use the Heavenvoid Map to open the stone doors or because the treasures were re-secured since it wasn¡¯t the opening day of the Star Palace, causing even the time-space transportation restrictions to lose their effectiveness.


    Han Li reluctantly searched every treasure room meticulously, but he had to admit that the Array Master who designed the formation arrays in the Star Palace was far beyond his imagination. Although he knew there were mysterious restrictive formations in these places, he still ended up with nothing.


    He had to leave dejectedly, extinguishing his wild thoughts of sweeping the Star Palace¡¯s treasures in one go.


    Although this method was ineffective, generally the most important control arrays should be located at the core of the building. Naturally, the most crucial part of the Star Palace is the 5th level of the huge pagoda. Back then, Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin and the others were afraid of the restrictions on this level and only aimed to seize the Heavenvoid Cauldron, not daring to search this level thoroughly.


    With his current cultivation and the Brightsight Spirit Water, he might be able to find something.


    As for the Tenth Grade Ice Phoenix, it¡¯s unknown where it has teleported using its spatial divine power, but Han Li was not at all worried that the witch could directly escape the huge pagoda, or even the Star Palace.


    Because he had already checked the pagoda¡¯s walls at one side meticulously. The restrictions attached to it amounted to more than a dozen types.


    He couldn¡¯t recognize most of them, but among the few he could, there were exactly those that specifically isolated the power of space. Unless one uses the special transportation formation within this palace, thinking of leaving the pagoda using similar spatial transference divine powers is purely a daydream.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï


    Moreover, even with his current level of cultivation, he could still sense the terrifying and unfathomable nature of other restrictions on the pagoda walls. Otherwise, he would not need to look for any control arrays and could have just used his great divine power to break through the walls and leave this place.


    After passing through two levels of transportation, Han Li finally reached the 5th level of the huge pagoda and appeared in front of the stone platform where the Heavenvoid Cauldron was originally taken.


    It¡¯s also worth mentioning that the Great Elders of the Minor Extreme Palace through the generations are also called after Han Li, forming another link between the Minor Extreme Palace and the Star Palace.


    However, the steps of the platform from which the Heavenvoid Cauldron had been taken were already damaged and incomplete, retaining the marks left by the fierce battle between Martial Ancestor Zenith Yin, Wan Tianming, and their fellows that day.


    Somewhat unexpectedly to Han Li, a woman in a silver robe was also standing on the high platform, staring at the altar from that day, with a contemplative expression on her face.


    Her presence was clearly disturbed by Han Li¡¯s arrival.


    She turned around indifferently for a glance at Han Li, then suddenly her figure blurred and turned into a streak of crystal rainbow flying past the stone platform, swiftly disappearing into the many green stone passageways.


    Han Li quietly watched the woman flee, without any intention of stopping her. Only after her streak of light was truly out of sight, did he leisurely return to the altar, peeked into the cave where the Heavenvoid Cauldron was taken from, and began to look for clues about the control array around the entire stone platform.


    Before long, Han Li finally confirmed that there indeed were no traces of the control array on the promised platform, hence, he began to slowly expand his search area from this platform as the center.


    But whether the control array was extremely hidden, or Han Li had not yet found the place, he achieved nothing for a long time.


    Days went by, and the 5th level was marked with traces of Han Li¡¯s search everywhere, but after more than half a month, other than his complexion becoming increasingly gloomy, there was still no trace of a control array to be found.


    One day, when Han Li came out of a corner with nothing as usual, he leaned against a nearby stone pillar and involuntarily fell into a daze on the spot.


    Could it be that the control array of the Void Spirit Hall was not on this level, but in the other four?


    Han Li started to mutter to himself.


    As he was caught in a fluctuating mood, suddenly a white light flashed nearby and a ¡°hiss¡± sound of space tearing came. The figure of the woman in the silver robe subsequently appeared.


    Han Li¡¯s gaze sharpened, fixing on the woman without uttering a word.


    He did not believe that this witch would come to him for no reason; he was curious to hear her intentions.


    After all, during these days, the woman had not appeared on the 5th level, possibly exploring other levels for an exit.


    ¡°How is it, Fellow Daoist Han, have you found a way out?¡± the woman in the silver robe asked leisurely.


    ¡°If I had found it, why would I still be here? Judging by your tone, do you have some discoveries?¡± Han Li replied calmly. It¡¯s as if there had never been any unpleasantness between him and this woman before.


    ¡°I have already taken a look around here broadly. To force a breakout with brute strength, it would require at least two or three Deity Transformation stage cultivators to work together. Right now, there are only the two of us here, so this is an unthinkable matter,¡± the woman in the silver robe said slowly, her bright autumn-colored eyes flowing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me this; I already know it,¡± Han Li was moved inside, but he looked indifferent on the surface.


    ¡°Hmph! Are you not looking for the control Array here?¡± the woman in the silver robe asked impatiently, her phoenix eyes flashing as she coldly snorted.


    ¡°Control Array, indeed I am searching for it. Does Fairy of White Phoenix have any advice to give?¡± Han Li¡¯s expression shifted slightly as he readily admitted.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. I have found that control Array, but leaving here is not so simple. Moreover, before that, I have two questions for you. What is the relationship between this place and Fairy Bing Po? And is the small cauldron in your hand the Heavenvoid Cauldron?¡± The woman from Yin mountain took a deep breath, her expression suddenly becoming stern.


    ¡°Fairy Bing Po! Who is she? As for that small cauldron, if Fellow Daoist says it is the Heavenvoid Cauldron, then it must be!¡± Han Li was initially startled, then he chuckled ambiguously.


    Upon hearing this, the woman in the silver robe glared at Han Li, her eyes flashing a cold light. It was quite a while before she spoke again:


    ¡°Fairy Bing Po was an ancient expert who created the Celestial Ice Flame, and she is also the founding Martial Ancestor of the Minor Extreme Palace! By your look, it seems you really know nothing about this. However, it is better to be clear about the affair of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. If you do have the Heavenvoid Cauldron, it is necessary to activate that control Array. If not, you are of no use at all. There would be no need for me to tell you!¡±


    Surprise flickered in Han Li¡¯s eyes, but after a brief moment of thought, he no longer hesitated and said:


    ¡°Since Fellow Daoist has spoken thus, there is nothing worth concealing. Yes, that object is indeed the Heavenvoid Cauldron! May I know where exactly is the control Array?¡±


    ¡°Very well. Since you have admitted it, come with me. This time, if we want to leave this place, we must join hands just this once. Before we leave, it¡¯s best to set aside any grievances between us; otherwise, neither of us will be able to leave this place alone,¡± the woman in the silver robe replied with exceptional composure, showing no surprise at Han Li¡¯s answer. She then moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of crystal light heading straight toward a certain bluestone passage.


    Han Li frowned, but he couldn¡¯t afford to overthink it and immediately transformed into a streak of blue rainbow, chasing closely behind.


    However, merely moments after flying, Han Li revealed a surprised expression.


    Because the leading crystal light was clearly heading towards the Han Li platform. He had searched there countless times; how could there still be something undiscovered.


    However, the woman transformed from the Ice Phoenix showed no intention of stopping, forcing Han Li to suppress the surprise in his heart and continue the pursuit.


    After the time it took for a meal, the crystal light finally circled above the high platform before landing on the altar, its light converging, revealing the graceful figure of the woman from Yin mountain.


    ¡°Lady Feng, are you sure you¡¯ve found the right place. Is the control Array really here?¡± Han Li, after landing on the platform, couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Found the wrong place? Hehe, I could find that control Array here even with my eyes closed,¡± the woman in the silver robe said disdainfully.


    ¡°What does that mean? Could it be that Fellow Daoist has been here before?¡± Han Li was shocked.


    ¡°How could I have been here before! However, there¡¯s a place on Ice Abyss Island, where our Ice Phoenix Clan resides, that is exactly similar to this stone platform. Speaking of which, the treasured cauldron you are holding also has some connection to our Ice Phoenix Clan,¡± the woman in the silver robe said with a cold laugh.


    Then without waiting for Han Li to show a surprised expression, she suddenly rose and hovered, her hands swiftly pressing heavily multiple times towards empty spots above the altar.


    Instantly, several sounds of ceramics shattering came from the void, and several blinding white points appeared out of thin air. These points of light trembled violently, expanding rapidly, and in a blink of an eye transformed into half-wheel-sized, red-hot white suns, flickering simultaneously in the air, and finally merging together into a huge spinning light ball.


    Han Li pursed his lips and made no attempt to hide the shock on his face.


    The woman in the silver robe glanced at Han Li, then expressionlessly continued casting spells, her fingers flicking swiftly, sending strings of Incantations into the light ball, disappearing without a trace.


    Eventually, the huge light ball exploded with a loud sound, turning into several snow-white formation flags.


    Each one was about five to six feet long, embroidered with arcane patterns of silver-gold talisman characters.


    These formation flags merely spun in the void, transforming into several blindingly dazzling white rainbows that shot out in all directions, then flashed and disappeared into the ground without a trace.


    Seeing this, Han Li¡¯s gaze flickered continuously, and a faint realization appeared on his face.


    And just at that moment, the entire Han Li platform emitted a thunderous noise, and after a violent tremor, a gigantic Array almost covering the entire stone platform emerged around the altar, with colorful spiritual lights flickering non-stop on it.


    (Second update!) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters there, support the author, support genuine reading!)